¶ Complaynt of the soule Contâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Heu infame Furore consumor Spes nobis nulla Animam amiâ—â—mus ¶ Here begynneth a lamentable complayÌ„t that the soule maketh of the wretched lyfe of the body TEdet 〈◊〉 meaÌ„ vite me◠¶ My soule is wery of the lyfe For there I see no thynge but mater of sorowe myserye synne The parte of my lyfe passed is ful lamentable whaÌ„ I remembre it / the present parte suppressed myn herte with heuynesse for it is vnreformed And the grete losse of vertue in these two partes abhomynacyon of synne putteth me in gret fere of the thyrde parte the whiche is to come And yf my lyfe myght be prolonged many yeres only in vertuous vses / yet it myght not recompence for the manyfolde offences whiche I haue done in the present syghte of my lorde god and terryble Iuge of my lyfe whiche hateth no thynge but only synne Alas than my soule may be ful of sorowe whiche hath prouoked my lorde god / my moost tender louer to be wroth with me and to hate me more than I do a dog or a stynkynge carayne / for no thynge is so vyle so lothsome so stynkynge nor so abhomynable in the syght or smellynge of man / as synne in the syght or smellynge of god Alas alas that I sholde offeÌ„de my lorde god whiche hath made me of nought where he myght haue made me a stone or an vnreasonable beest / he hath made me to the ymage of hymselfe a reasonable creature / and whan I was loste redemed me with the precyous blood of his herte and suffred the moost bytterst deth for me / anâ— in an my lyfe he hath shewed grete kyndenesse vnto nie / and I haue shewed grete vnkyÌ„denâ—â—â—e agayen to hym / he loued me I not hym / for I wyll not do after the wyll of hym / but I sette my wyl afore his wyll / and the pleasure of myselfe afore the pleasure of hym / and in fulfyllynge my wyl I care not to dysplease hym And thus I se not by hym whiche hath made so moche of me he hath made heuen and erthe for me / and hath comen to this erth to teche me the way of saluacyon / and hath ordeyned for me yf I wolde loue hym the mestymable Ioye of his deuynyte and to receyue the eternall kyngedome of felycyte ¶ All these thynges I forgete / I ordre myselfe by my lewde neglygence and vnhappy lyuynge to lese the loue of my lorde god / the transcendynge Ioye of his kyngedome I ordre me by my wretched lyfe to euerlastynge payne / woo I be a vessell of deth of Ire and Indyngnacyon of god / he hath made my soule by the sacrament of baptyme a vessell of mercy and grace / and I haue defouled it with abhomynable synne / made it with out his Inmesurable mercy vessell of dampnacyon to be brente in the fyre of hell amonge the horryble fendes euer without endynge ¶ Alas what shall I do what shall I saye whiche haue erred thus ferre out of the way of vertue and is casted depe in to the pytte of synne A grete cause I haue of lamentacyon whiche am in this grete Ieoperdye of endlesse dampnacyon I am a waster and a dystroyer of my soule and body I destroye the goodes of nature / of grace / and of the worlde as a man that is worse than good in the syght of hym the whiche hath gyuen them to me to the entent that I sholde vse them vertuously And in the syghte of hym whiche shall moost bytterly punysshe hym I vse them vycyously I am closed in the derke cloudes of Ignoraunce / and reprouable neglygence of my lorde gâ—d / of myselfe and of vertuouse lyuynge All my lyfe is synfull / as a drye trâ—e barayne and ferre from all fruyte of vertue I thynke not on the dredfull Iugement of god / where I shall stande afore the terryble Iugement of cryst / and to rendre accompte for all the dydes that I haue done in my soule and in my body O there I shall shewe an vnfruytful lyfe / and yf there be ony fruyte therin it is but fayned and false / or vnperfyte or corrupted and other it is full lytell pleased or elles vtterly dyspleased god And notwithstaÌ„dynge that euery man there shall be fedde after this lyfe with suche fruyte as that he hath brought sorth in this lyfe / than my fedynge is lyke to be full bytter vnto me ¶ O how sorowful I ought than to be / for except that I sorowe for my synne in this lyfe I am lyke for to be brought to grete sorowe after this lyfe ¶ O my synful soule O my myserable soule loke vpon thy selfe / see how thou arte brought in to the grete derkenesse of synne so depe that thou canste not see thy selfe Seest thou not how thou rennest in to vayne thoughtes vnlefull desyres ¶ RemeÌ„bre that al the tyme that thou lokest not vpon vertue is lost and thou shalt be shent therfore / as moche tyme that lesest than whiche myght tourne the to grete Ioye in tyme comynge / and now all shall tourne the to grete punysshement except thou lerne to amende and to spende the resydue of thy tyme. O howe aferde thou sholdest be to haue an vnfruytful lyfe / for the vnfruytful lyfe is a dampnable lyfe as almyÈty god whiche is very trouth sayth Euery tree whiche bryÌ„geth not forth good fruyte it shal be cutte downe caste in to the fyre ¶ A mercy god what shal I do than for I am so barayne so drye frome all deuocyon and moysture of contrycyon and grace that I am deapte and redye to the fyre ¶ A mercyfull lorde cutte me not downe by deth to suche tyme that my tree maye haue moysture thrugh thy grace brynge forthe some profytable fruytes of penaunce / all my dydes that I do arte not suffycyent to recompence for the mete and drynke that I receyue of yâ— to my bodely sustenaunce ¶ A where with shal I thaÌ„ recompence for my soule / my body / my wytte / my herynge / my seynge / my speche / my helth / my bodely power / my lyfe / and where with all shall I recompence for my synne / for that losse of grace whiche passeth these all / for none shall be brought to dampnacy on but suche as for lacke of grace are defouled with synne who so spendeth more in fedynge of a beest thaÌ„ it is worthe in themselfe is not that superfluous expence and vnproufytable And yet mercyful lorde the nourysshest dayly and haboundantly an vnproufytable worme stynkynge synner ¶ A good lorde thou woldest not that this wretche shall perysshe of whome thou doost so large expences and so tenderly kepest it Many good thou gyuest it vnasked / frome many euyll thynges he preserued it vnthanked of it / thou kepest me / thou ledest me / and protectest me frome many perylles / and
thou wylt contynue in vnkynde vnto hym / this synÌ„e of vnkyndenesse ingratytude / yf thou hast none other synne it is ynough to procure the Ire or wrath of this Iuge / why wylt thou than vnkynde soule dayly multyply newe offenses why remembrest not thou yâ— grete Ieopardy that thou standest in for thyne olde synne ¶ O wretche lerne to wepe applye to take wylful sorowe / yâ— moche cause hast thou to wepe and to sorowe / for yf thou myght wepe as moche water as is in the see yet it were of thy selfe suffycyeÌ„te to wasshe thy soule frome synne thou doost â–ª as a malefactour whiche hathe offended his prynce is sory for to be taken to suffre grete payne / yet wylfully he wyll more outrageously offende hym knowynge well that he shall suffre therfore the more payne / thou sayst to me that this prynce is mercyfull I saye to the that he is mercyful to none but to suche as haue mercy vpon them selfe wyll leue theyr wretched lyuynge / than haue mercy vpon thy selfe and leue yâ— myserye of synne / for thou shalte be called soner than thou trustest to thy acompte of all thy werkes of all thy ydelnes of all thy wordes / of all thy sylence / of all thy slepynge / of all thy wakynge / of all thy sekenesse / of al thy helthe / of all thy rychesse / of all thy pouerte / of all thy fedynge / of all abstynences / and of all thynge that thou haste done and lefte vndone to the leest thought of thy soule / and of al thynge perteynynge to thy power whiche thou haste not ordeyned to the wyll of god saluacyon of thy soule / and thy body shall be punysshed with yâ— for it synned with the and thou in it for the cause of synne is in it and it shall haue no payne but for the / for it myght not synne but by the. Alas why wylt not thou see whether thou goest beholde yâ— ende of thy passage that thou demest that thou goest to pleasures / as a blyndfull man thou goest euen contrarye towarde payne / thou thynkest thou goest for to haue thy wyll / and thou goest there thou shalt haue all thynge contrarye to thy wyll / and yâ— desyrest myrth and thou takest yâ— waye of endles laboure perpetuall payne euerlastynge dampnacyon â—Edet aiÌ„am mea n vite mee ¶ A my soule hath a grete cause to be wery of my lyfe / for I lyue not as yâ— louer of god sholde lyue / but as a wretched catyfe whiche forgeteth god / deserued to be forgoteÌ„ of hym ¶ I haue no mynde vpon my saluacyon / my mynde is rather vpon thynge of dampnacyon I endure me not to form me I laboure not to represse the wretched mocyon whiche I fele in me I suffre my mynde at large to renne in vanytees / as a creature that hath no god or Iuge ne thynge to answere for / ne thynge to sorowe for ne to fere / for helpe is offred to me and I wyll not aske it / it is offred to me and I wyll not put my hande therto myn enemyes myn accusers I consente to / to my lorde my louer I wyll not consent A good lorde what shall I do at yâ— dredefull day of deth at the terryble dome in the day of Iugement ¶ A how many thousande synnes shall come thaÌ„ vpoÌ„ me wtout onâ— prouysyon as they laye in watche to take me whiche I see not now / I toke no kepe to delyuer myselfe by playne confessyon and many a thynge whiche I truste now is no synÌ„e shall thaÌ„ appere greuous synÌ„e / and many a deed whiche I trust now is good / than I shall fynde them euyl blacke and abhomynable they yâ— shal appere to me / there I shal receyue in soule body moche woo as I haue done in soule and body moche wretchednesse / than shall I be wâ— for I shal receyue yâ— woful and sorowfull endlesse payne whan the tyme shall be passed except I leue now synne and torne me to god and deserue by vertuous lyuynge to haue mercy / there shal be payne vnprofytable and vnfruytfull penaunce / for that payne shall not remeue the synne of them whiche in this lyfe wolde not take wylful payne to be delyuered frome synÌ„e and able to be dampned from grace that they shall haue no power to recompence and to satysfye for theyr offences / for whan grace was offred to them they refused it / and whan the tyme of penauÌ„ce was layed afore them / vnfruytfully neclygently they passed it ¶ O good lorde now I ought for to remembre what I haue done and what that I haue deserued to receyue for my doynge / all my yeres I shold recorde in the bytternesse of my soule / saye how my tyme is consumed without profyte / what woo I haue wrought to myselfe / yf I coude remembre that I had done many good thynges than I sholde be gladde / but I remeÌ„bre yâ— I haue done many wretched euyl thynges and fewe good / therfore I haue grete cause to be woo / yf I wyll not applye me to be wo where I shall be woo there I shal neuer departe therfro ¶ A wo wo be to this grete hardenesse of myn hert / for these grete hamers of remembrauÌ„ce of eternall tormentes moost sorowfull vyces are to lyght to breke it ¶ O dulnesse insanable and vnable to be heled all this sharpe braydes are not suffycyent to quycken yâ— / they are all to blunt for the. ¶ Alas sythen the grete paynes yâ— god hath ordeyned for synne are to lytel to put the in fere / and make the to be dylygent for thy saluacyon ¶ A god mercy / a dedly dulnesse yâ— is in me sythen the terryble thondre of my synÌ„es ghostly syght of yâ— grete abhomynable multytude of paynes causeth no quyckenes of deuocyoÌ„ / no myserye of teres / no fere of god in me ¶ A wo may I be whiche fele myselfe in this grete myserye / not redy to aryse but rather desyred to fall deper I am worse than a stone / for it is descended of nature for to descende / but I descende by malyce agaynst nature ¶ A deâ—e lorde I loue more erthly vanyte than I do yâ— or the place of thy glorye / my soule is croked al downe to the erthe / for there yâ— loue is of the ther it is fyxed and not vpon yâ— / and therfore it loked not vp to the / here is mater of myserye in me to exyte an hondreth soules to sorowe make them contynue vneasely in wepynge but my soule is so dryed fro al moysture grace yâ— there cometh no teres fro me and thus I maye se myselfe a drye stocke / a seer tree redy to fyre A merueylous god how am I comen to this dulnesse to this dryenesse / to this blyndnesse
derkenesse of my soule / my soule is made bynome Impotente to all perfyte dedes of vertue / not only it wanted wyll / but in maner it wanteth power to do well / what hath made me this feblenesse but only synne what hath made in me suche synne but only a croked and frowarde wyll A wretched dysposycyoÌ„ of my soule of the whiche I am cause myselfe / therfore myn Impotensy / Indisposycyon to holy perfyte lyuynge is none excuse to me / for this myselfe hath made me by longe custome in lyuyÌ„ge ¶ A good lorde an vnkynde soule am I to the. I can not dyssymyle to the / for no thynge I may withdrawe from the syght of the / of a chylde thou hast gyuen me power to lyue vertuously and to please the not for thyn auayle but for myn auayle for the endlesse promocyon Ioyefull reward to be receyued of the / thou haste called me / and yet thou contynuest it by good thoughtes / by good counseyle / by holy prechynges / by vertuous examples / by grete gyftes / callynge to me for to come to the. And I as a wretche repell the all the gyftes yâ— thou gyuest me I abuse to the dyspleasure of the and to the grete accusacyoÌ„ and without thy mercy to the grete dampnacyoÌ„ of me I desyre sodayne sorowes and paynes to come vpoÌ„ me there thou haste gyuen to me this respyte tyme of grete delyberacyon to auoyde the paynful doungen of helle and to come to the Ioyfull Empyre of thy glorye there euerlastyngely for to dwell with the I attende it not wherfore I deserue hastely for to be caste downe by the paynfull blastes of the grete horryble tempestes of deth I knowe wel yâ— I may not here alwaye abyde / yet my mynde / and my loue is more here than there yâ— I muste alwaye abyde ¶ A merueylous god a grete blyndnesse is in me that I sholde desyre for to abyde in yâ— same place of myserye there as I wel knowe yâ— I may not abyde than for to be in the place of blysse and of myrth and grete felycyte there as I may come yf I wyll and for euer abyde / god hathe made me a reasonable creature for to chose yâ— beste lyfe / and I make myselfe an vnreasonable creature for to chose the worste lyfe / I loue yâ— I sholde not loue / and I hate that I sholde loue / and thus both my mynde my wyl I abuse vnto my grete hurte whiche thou haste gyuen me to myn helpe / yf I shold complayne vpon myselfe all that I can reduce to my mynde of myne owne wretchednesse vnkyndnesse to god / remembryÌ„ge the grete benefeytes gyftes yâ— I haue receyued of hym / and how gentyll a lorde he hath ben to me without my deseruynge certaynly all the wretchednesse dyscoÌ„mendacyon that I can saye of myselfe is to lytell in regarde of yâ— grete dyscoÌ„mendacyon and blame whiche I haue deserued / my wretched dysposycyoÌ„ is more redy to do euyll than my memorye many moo yf they were knytte togyder with me are able to receyue I fele myselfe full of wretchednesse I am prone and all redy to all euyll / elles dulle slowe to all goodnesse A sythen I myght here or see my defautes shewed afore me lyke as thy be I shold abhorte with myselfe lyke as with a toode or a serpent A what drede sholde my herte vnbrace of that terryble Iugement whiche must be gyuen of myselfe at the houre of deth where yâ— moost ryght wyse Iuge hymselfe shall accuse me / myn owne conscyence shal wytnesse agaynst me how I haue mysused my soule and lytel heded the valoure therof whiche was bought with the precyouse blood of cryste very god and man creatour and maker of the vnyuersal worlde lorde of heuen and erthe to whose name all creatures shal do obedyence I shal gyue accomptes how I haue abused my mynde my wyll my body all my fyue wyttes my tonge my beaute my helth my strength connynge vertue / how I haue mysordred myselfe my soule and body the euyll mocyoâ—s both of soule and body how I haue not done yâ— was in me to represse them but rather to kepe / them to werke them All these good lorde I forgete of all these I shall gyue a strayte accomptes Also of mete drynke / golde syluer clothes / of all these whiche had ben vnder my tuycion / as chyldren seruauntes / of the euyll dedes that I haue done / and of all the good dedes whiche I myght haue done / for slouth sloggysshenes of myselfe I haue lefte them vndone of al the tyme yâ— I haue receyued sytheÌ„ I had vse of reasoÌ„ ¶ A dere lord what shal I do at yâ— dredful houre of rekenynge where as shall be shewed ryghtwysnesse wtout grace yf I now laboure not for grace ¶ O what shall I do drye tree that I am and brynge forth no good fruyte in yâ— chirche of god / but rather sewed fruyte by many euyll wordes euyll werkes and euyll examples I am an vnproufytable tree apte worthy to be caste in to endelesse fyre ¶ A what shall I do that daye whan I shall gyue acompte of all yâ— tyme gyuen to me of our lorde how I haue spende it to yâ— honoure of hym I may saye nothyÌ„ge is myn owne for I must gyue a strayte rekenynge of all that I haue I am but as a bayly a mynystre vnder god and taken charge well to spende his goodes dere lorde gyue me grace amoÌ„ge al temporal myrth ofte to remembre the bytternesse of the dredeful accompte that I may that day receyue yâ— kyngedome of endelesse Ioye and mercy â—Edet animam meam vite mee ¶ A dere lorde seynge the myspendynge of my lyfe I am wery of my lyfe I myselfe am greuous to myselfe my burthen is grete is lyght to my body / but it is heuy to my soule / it is so grete yâ— it is lyke to presse me downe from heuen vnto the pytte of hell excepte specyall grace and helpe of my sauyoure ¶ O my mercyfull lorde sende me teeres yâ— may lament daye nyght my myserable lyfe wasshe awaye the fylth of so longe gaderynge of my soule I am woo whan I remembre so longe as I haue ben in this lyfe so wretched / and my wretchednes dayly greueth me / my mynde is all occupyed iÌ„ vanytees and my wyll in frowardnesse / my mouth in shrewednes my body in ydelnesse / my werkes in wretchednes A who shal gyue to myn eyen a welle of teeres yâ— I may coÌ„tynually wepe wayle my woful lyfe my neclygent lyfe / my vnwyse folysshe lyfe I lyue not as a reasonable creature oughte to lyue reformyÌ„ge my soule body and my werkes to my lorde whiche hath ordeyned me in this lyfe yâ— by my werkes well ordered to