As he wold to heuyn flye One of the apostyls there by standyng And se where he is so flyeng He shal coÌ„maund hym throughe the myght Of goddys sonne that he doune lyght And he shal falle doune anon And breke his necke bone Of many a bale they shal do bote And many a syke bryng on fote And al shal of his myght be That shal gyue them that pouste ¶ The CCC.xlvij questyon ¶ Shal they neuer haue no ende Nor no wo that to heuyn wende SOules that are iÌ„ heuyn blys Shal neuer of ioy mys Wo ne shuld they neuer se Nor old shal they neuer be They shal euer be reioysing As a chyld in his best lyking And hool as fysshe in delyte Swyfte as wynd and snow whyte Bryght as the shynyng sonne And know al that aungels conne Leel as ded in althyng And worshypped shal they be as kyng A thowsand yere in game and playe Thynketh them not an howre of the daye And that delyt they are with al With out end them last shal ¶ The CCC.xlviij questyon ¶ Tho that are in helle fest Shal they no mercy haue ne rest THo that shal to helle wende They are dampned with out ende Rest shal they none haue ne mercy For of that they are not worthy He that lettys of his fre wyl The good and takys hym to yl It is ryght that he haue also As that he hym chose vnto And tâ— pray for hym loude or styl Is al ageyne goddys wyl He that in purgatory is To clense and after shal to blys For hym is prayer to make Of his paynes for to slake But he that dampned is to helle He shal euer in sorowe dwelle With out rest with out ro And with out mercy also ¶ The CCC.xlix questyon ¶ They that in heuen shal haue theyr se Shal they clad or naked be THey shal be nakyd of enuye Of pryde and of lechery And clad also neuertheles With grace and blys and bryghtnes Shame of themselfe shal they thynke non Thoughe they haue no clothis on Nomore than Adam of hym thought Or that he the synne wrought When he had of the appul taken Than shamed hym a sawe his makyng No more than shamyth the That man vpon thy vysage se ¶ The CCC.l. questyon ¶ Whan god to deme come shal Quyck deed and the world al And al shal be deed which is than he That shal alyue here be LIfe and deeth of for to sey May be sayd on maners twey Deeth that body goys here to And deeth of sowle in payne also He that god hath serued here And his coÌ„maundments held dere He shal not be deed that day For he shal lyue in blys euer and ay And he that goddys wyl ne wrought And he that trowed on hym nought He shal be deed with out ende And to the payne of helle wende And that the Antechyrst shal turne Fro the fayth they may wel morne Them ware bettar they ware vnborne For many shal by hym be lorne ¶ The CCC.lj questyon ¶ Where shal be borne y t false prophyte That al that wo in erth shal sete ANtechryst shal borne be In Babylon agreat cete A wicked woman hym bere shal And the deuyl shal entre hym with al And wicches shal norysshe hym In aâ—oune hyght corozaym Uery prophyt they shal hym call And many wondres shal of hym fall Al the folke shal he drawe To his assent and to his lawe The rych shal on hym beleue For the gyftes that he shal geue The pouer shal to hym turne also For great awe that he shal put them to And for that he wyse shal be For al the clergye knowe shal he The clerkes shal he to hym alye Through wysdome of his clergye The good men and stedfast That in goddys lawe wold last Many shal he drawe hym to For myracles that he shal do He shal cause the fyre to falle Fro heuyn and his foos borne all Deed men he shal cause aryse To bere wyttnesse of werkes his No dedman but the deuyl onely Shal ryse in dampned body And bere witnesse of his werkys Among lewd men and clerkys Moch people shal to hym drawe Namely folke of the fyrst lawe Thre yere and a halfe shal he Reygne with moch dygnyte Twelue apostyls chose he shal With hym to walke ouer al He shal feyne hym for to deye And two dayes shal he be a weye The thyrd day shal he come with blys And say that he vp rysen ys Than shal come Enocke and Elye And shal prech ageyne his folye Great folke shal they turne hym fro But he shal them bothe slo No lenger there than dwell he wyl But he shal drawe hym to a hyl For to folowe and to do shame Tho that wycked haue his name Sodeyne dethe shal he dye thore For god wyl that he regne â—omore And ful sore may agryse as â—yse Whan they shal to the 〈◊〉 ryse ¶ The CCC.lij questyon ¶ What day shal it befall That goddys sone shal deme vs al ON suche aday shal he deme hyse As he fro deth to lyfe shal ryse That shal be on a sonday That now is sabbat in our lay Of heuen than the orders nyne That neuermore shal heuen tene Shal be fulfyllyd as they were al Or lucifer began to fal Lyuyng men shal then eueryone Dye for drede and ryse anone There shal be none of so great mede That at that day he shal haue drede ¶ The CCC.liij questyon ¶ What tyme shal he come therto For to deme the world also AT the mydnyght forsothe I tel Suche tyme as he shal harowe hel That eche tyme shal he lede out thore Al tho that his frendys wore And that tyme out shal he lede His of this world to geue them mede ¶ The CCC.liiii questyon ¶ How shal he come on what manere When he shal come to deme vs here AS a kyng to a cytye That wyl haue his inentere And inen before hym shal bere His crowne his sheld and his spere Wherby men may haue knowlegyng That thether comyng is the kyng So shal be come to the dome But nother with knyght ne with grome But with ordres of aungels all That bodyes out of theyr graue shal cal And they shal dele and set in twynne The good from thos that deyed in synne ¶ The CCC.liiij questyon ¶ Shal his crosse be there present Whan he shal geue his iugment NAy his crosse shal not be there But the semblaunt as it were And that shal be of more claryte Than men in the sonne se And whan the dome is don al With his to heuyn wend he shal ¶ The CCC.lv questyon ¶ Whan he the folke shal deme also How shal he shew hym them vnto SO as he dyd his dyscypyls tyl Dysfygured vpon an hylle He shal shew hym vnto them Bryghter than eny sonne beme So shal he shew hym to the good And to the wicked hangyng on rode ¶ The CCC.lvj questyon ¶
¶ The history of kyng Boccus Sydracke how he confoundyd his lerned men and in y e syght of them dronke stronge venym in the name of the Trinite dyd hym no hurt Also his diuynyte y t he lerned of the boke of Noe. Also his profycyes that he had by reuelacyō of the aungell Also his answeris to the questions of wysdome both morall and natural wyth moche worldly wysdome contayned in noumber CCC lxv translatyd by Hugo of Caumpeden out of frenche into Englysshe Sidrack Kynge boccus ¶ Iohn̄ Twyne to the redar THe profyt and cōmodite of this boke o gentyl and curteys redar is so euydent open that it nedythe no settyng out nor praysyng for dowtful thynges comenly be praysyd or despraysed be cause trewe iugment may be takē of them but thynges of opē goodnes nede no praysyng for with theyr goodnes they prayse them selfe as thou shalt fynd this boke the whych to speke truly can not be suffycyently praysed I had leuer therfore as Salust sayth of Carthago hold my pese and to speke lytel of yt but shortly to knowe somwhat of his matters in effect he showeth of goddys workes ryght as the old new testament in many volumes declareth Also natural phylosophy expressyng the causes with euydent ensamples of moch moralyte in geuyng good counsel and a delect betwyx good and bade truly more euydēt than euer dyd Plato Arystotyles or Cicero ī theyr manyfold workes he shortly techeth moch knowlege of physyke the dyspocycyon of cōplexcyons the alteracyō of ages with moch secresy of the yere greatly of astronomy course of heuyn planets with theyr respectes breuely and playnly that that ypocras Galyen or Ptholomy comprehendyd in great or iuste volumes Also moch worldly experyence Abundaūt in prophesyes how the maners of mē shal alter and the world shal be ended with his iugment meruelus exhortyng the people to eschew the fylthynesse of synne what paynes are ordayned for yt and the ioyes of heuyn Than is this boke necessary to al men For it exhortyth to wysdome good maners ensamples hystoryis wherfore it may well be called a boke of philosofye that is to say a stody of wysdome Than I coūsayle euery mā to rede this boke or that cannot rede to geue dylygent eere to the reder for they shal fynde therī great frute bothe to the soule and body ¶ Here begynneth the table of this boke ¶ Fyrst the hystory of Boccus Sidracke how by the power of god he dystroyed his ydols and by the counsayle of the aungel shewed hym the vmbre of the trinite wherby he conuerted hym and all his host Than gaue he hym enstructions and answeryd to dyuers questions that he demaundyd of hym ¶ The questyons ¶ Yf god be euer and euer shal be The fyrst questyon Where may it be that god of heuen may be sene ii Yf god be ouer al and euery where iii. Whiche was the fyrst thynge that god made iiii The kyng asked whan aungel was wrought v. Wherfore serue the aungels that are in heuen vi Do deuyls know al rhynge and may do al thyng vii What shape are aungels and what can they do viii Dyd god make Adam with his owne hand ix In what place was Adam made x. Whether went Adam when he came out of paradise xi Dyd Adam any other syn than that he the appul ete and goddes commaundment brake xii What dyd Adam fro god take and howe shal he amendys make xiii Why was not Adam streyght loste when he had that synne wrought xiiii Why wold not god send an aungel or a man to amend Adā xv Why shal god be borne of a mayden she styll a mayden xvi Why is deth called dethe and how many dethes there be xvii Sendeth god man knowlege what deth he shal dye xviii Whan the soule from the body departeth howe goth it to other place xix Whether were the soule or body made fyrst xx Whiche speketh in man the soule or the body xxi The soule that is a goost hathe nother flesshe nor bone howe may it fele well or wo xxii Whiche is more lord the soule or the body xxiii In what place of the body hath the sowle his dwellyng xxiiii Why is the soule no lengar in the body than blode is left xxv How may it be that the people so dye xxvi How may man know that god made mā to his lykenes xxvii Seyng man is made of goddes lykenes why may he not do as god dyd xxviii Where becometh al the blode of man whan he dyeth xxix Where becometh the fyre whan it is quenchyd xxx Why dyethe not the body when he hathe loste halfe his blode or more xxxi Of what complexcion and nature is the body xxxii Ware sowles made at the fyrst or be they made euery day xxxiii May they haue any excusyng that of god know nothīg xxxiiii Shal a man do more than god cōmaundyth hym xxxv How many worldes be there how do mē them call xxxvi Dothe god greatly rewarde them that ryghtly hys seruys here do xxxvii The people that shall be at the commyng of hym and that shall be after shall they byleue in hym stedfastly xxxviii What cōmaundment shall goddes sone geue the people xxxix The blesfulest fayrest worthyest thyng what is it xl The fowlest and most perelous thyng to se which is it xli Shal the good sowles sorowe for the wicked xlii Which is bettar of helth or sycknesse to haue xliii What poure hath god geuen to sowle here xliiii Whan goddys sone is retorned to heuyn shall he leue eny gouerner here to rule the people xlv Goddys how 's who shal kepe it and haue it in holde xlvi He that doth no good but holdyth him styl doth he yl xlvii Lordshype shal it be more of rygour or pyte xlviii Shal aman do good to his kyn or frendes xlix Wherof comyth gentylhed .l. How may it be cold whan the wether is fayr and clere li. May aman by eny tokyn know the good from the yl lii The beleue of ydols shal it be aresed after my deeth liiii Why was it not goddys wyll that man lyued not a weke with one mele of mete liiii Dye the rych men as the pouer do lv Shal men iuge the rych as they do the pouer lvi May wecked men euer get goddys loue as the good haue lvii How may the child that ful of loue is come out of the mothers wombe lviii May eny woman bere mo chyldren at onys than one lix Which is the best thyng that may be or man may haue lx What is the worst thyng that man may haue lxi How may aman be leel and trew lxii Wherof comyth hardynesse and dred in man lxiii Wherof comyth meselry or scalle lxiiii Ware al thynges of goddys makyng made at the begynīg lxv Who noryssheth the trute in erth lxvi The beastes that haue no wyt how wax they ragyus and mad lxvii What beast leuyth longest in
was Boccus tho Whan Sydrac before hym cam truly He toke hym by the hande ryght gladly And tolde hym euery dele of his case And how to hym it befallen was ¶ Syr quod Sydrac that lande I wysse Euery dele be weched is There shall nere man spede Upon that lande to do no dede That therof shall come eny prosperyte Excepte theyr wychecrafte vndoune be And I shall it redely vnbynde ¶ I thaÌ„k the quod the kyng for thy wordes ¶ Syr kynge quod Sydrac we fynde In this â—osse that was Noes â—ynde That an aungel came hym to From his god that sent hym tho And tolde hym that he myght fynde An hyll fare in the lande of ynde That called is the grene rauens hyll And hath that name for this skyll Whan Noe the rauen sent Out of the arke verament To proue yf there apered eny grounde But he fell on careyn that he founde And wolde not truly come awaye The dowe vpon another daye Fownd lande and came ageyne blyue With a branche of grene olyue That hyll is of length as we rede Foure ioyrneys and thre of brede People ther dwelleth of strange chere Made of body as we are here But theyr vysages for to se on Are as houndes euerychon By the lawe of femynne as it tellys Lyes it there no man in dwellys On that hyll such frutfulnese is That .xij. M. herbes there growys Foure thowsand may good do Foure thowsand are yuel to The thyrd thowsand who theÌ„ vnderstode May do nether yuell ne good Seuen maner waters there are on And all they gather in tyl one The dewes the herbes cause to sprynge And yf you wyll haue your entendynge Fynde menys the herbes to wynne And than may you neuer blynne To do all that your wyll is And ouercome your enemys The kynge made ioy whan he herde this And swore so euer haue I blys His tresure and goddes to lose all But thos herbes haue I shall ¶ Redely on the thyrde daye He with great company went his waye Unto the hyll warde they made spede And Sydrac with them dyd lede The thyrtene daye come they tyll A vale at the fote of the hyll There taryed they thre dayes The fourth daye to y e hyll toke theyr wayes But the people that dwelled there Hard that they come were Anon agayne them went boldly And dyd bet them backe manfully Unto the vale ageyne they tourned And fyften dayes so they iourned And than went they to the hyll ageyne Truly with all theyr mayne And fought with them full hardely But they ware dyscomfortyd fouly Unto the dale ageyne they went And after great succoure they sent Whan they come they dyd them spede Ageyne that they ware at that dede And than they that on the hyll wore They dyd dyscomforte for euer more And viij dayes they dwellyd styll Hauynge all the hyl at wyll ¶ Boccus was hethen and knew nought God that heuyn wrought He beleuyd all in ydolatre And in false ymagere Sydrac beleuyd in the Trynyte Kepynge his coÌ„maundment with dylygeÌ„se The kynge where he yede His mammetes with hym dyd lede And vpon the eyghtene daye Upon the hyll where they lay Theyr warre clene don The kynge made redy a pauylyon And his goddes forth fet Eche one in his place was set There ware they set in molde Both of syluer and golde And amonge them there was one Rychest of them euerychone Of golde and syluer comly to se Hyest amonge them stode he Most had in honoure Amonge all that there wore Bestes the kynge forth gan call To make sacryfyce with all He toke Sydrac by the hande With other lordes of his lande To the pauylyon they went The bestes ware there present A shepe very fat he toke truly Kyllynge hym with his knyfe deuoutly Before hym that so hye stode And offeryd to hym the blode And euery one slewe at the last And aboute the pauylyon them cast ¶ Sydrac wondered in his thought And markyd sadly what they wrought ¶ Kynge Boccus sayd Sydrac vp ryse And vnto our god make sacryfyse ¶ Sydrac answeryd with great yre And sayd that shall I neuer syre Sacryfyse shall I make hym to Heuyn and erth that made also Both ayer element sonne and the se And all that therin be Also that made both Adam and Eue He is the god that I on beleue ¶ The kynge was wrothe there he stode And askyd hym in his mode What canyst thou by my goddes say Are they not good and all thynges may ¶ Nay quod Sydrac trust me to They are wycked and false also And the deuyl in them dwellynge is Craftely that begyleth the I wys And all that honoure to them make But I cownsel you them forsake For a bad god I hym suppose That cannot amannys herte dysclose I had leuer to dethe be tourmentyd Or of me they shulde be honoryd ¶ The kynge was wrothe of his sayeng And caused his goddes forth to bryng And whan they were before hym brought He sayd Sydrac dysdayne nought Sacryfyse to do anone Before so rych a god as this is one Syr he sayd my sacryfyce Shall be to god that hye iustyce That made man and man not hym But this is the deuelys lym The deuyl of them thanke takyth That vnto hym honour makyth Therfore they be refusyd of me All thes mahowndes that ye here se Now was the kynge moued sore That his goddes despysed wore And sayd to Sydrac tell thou me Thy god how callyd is he ¶ Syr he sayd I shall tell ywys On god a goostly substance is And the aungels of heuyn lyght That are so noble and so bryght Passynge the sonne in manyfolde Hauynge great ioy on hym to beholde ¶ The kynge than callyd two of his That ware in his lawe counted wyse For to dyspute with Sydrac But he cast them sone abacke And ouercome all theyr reson Ryght in opyn dysputacyon ¶ Praye thou than quod they thy god vnto And we wyll to ours also Trustynge to haue tokenynge Who shall sonyst haue his askynge And loke how that we shall fare In this wylde countre where we are Anone they all forth wente And helde a great parleamente Than was there one that spake ¶ I shall tel you this Sydrac That causyth y e kyng this werke to begyne And brought vs here it for to wyne Without hym may it nought Our purpose to ende be brought And through his enchauntmente Our god with fyre hath brente Neuerthelesse I rede that we Counsel that he delyuered be And whan we haue that we haue sought And in to our countre agayne brought Hauynge our purpose on our enemyes Than shall the kynge by my aduyse Cause hym hanged and drawen to be By cause to our god he hath do felone ¶ All assentyd to that conclusyon And made to the kynge of it relacyon ¶ Anone the kynge chose hym ten Of his most sagyest wyse men And byd them to Sydrac goo Sayenge that the kynge was woo That he
them and god in eternall blys ¶ The vij questyon ¶ The kynge askyd yf deuyls also All thyng knowe and all thyng may do UEryly syr quod Sydrac we do fynde That deuyls ar of aungels kynde And by cause they of theyr nature ware Of full grete conynge they ar And they ar more goostly Than man that hath body Therfore knowe they more than man By nature moche secrecy tell can Saue thynges that ar commyâ—ge Of that they know lytell or nothynge Thynges that I haue don or thou That knowe they well I now Of euyl wyll and euyl thought Thereof wote the deuyls nought Ne none but god alone I ensuer the Of a manys herte the preuyte The deuyls may well yuel do But good they ne haue wyll vnto And yet may they not fulfyll To do iâ— yuel all theyr wyll No more haue they myght vntyll Than good aungels them suffre wyll ¶ The viij questyon ¶ What shape ar aungels what thynâ— They can do a sayd the kynge ON owyse haue they euyn The lyknese of god of heuyn For bodylese they ar and hâ—yght Full of fayre bed and of lyght And there is nothyng in kynde That they ne wote and haue in myâ—de No wonder that they of knowlege be For all thynges in god they se And all that they haue wyll vnto Without greuaunce may they do ¶ The ix questyon ¶ The kynge than Sydrac askyd Yf god Adam with his hande formyd MAn and all that god hym lent Was made of his comaundment And who so vnderstande can A feble nature is in man And of a fowle thynge god hym dyght To confounde the deuyl and his myght For man so feble to 〈◊〉 y t he came fro That is to hym gret soâ—â—wâ— and wo Of the fouer elements as 〈◊〉 the Our parent Adam made be For his kynde 〈◊〉 was goddis wyll Shulde â—oue 〈◊〉 of the world fulfyll For god knewe â—e for 〈◊〉 the shuld syn And lâ—se the vertu that he was â—reat in And that he shulde as aman vnwysse Not longe lyue in paradyse All other thynges dyd he make To mannys behoue and for his sake And many wormes he made also As mees freys and other mo Man to sorowe and byte sâ—ime tyde Be cause he shulde not fall in pryde And that he shulde remembre by this Howe feble a thynge that he is Whan so feble a thynge and so vyle Shall hym gretly wex and trobyll Of myre and rayne se men may How they ar trauelyd all day So besy shulde we of ryght God to serue with all our myght For vnto our delyte made he Aâ—l thynges that we se And we and they were made also Unto god worshype to do ¶ The .x questyon ¶ The kynge askyd hym than In what stede made god Adam IN Ebroâ— ar god â—olde it haue Where 〈…〉 was put in graue But fyrst he was â—et in paradyse A fayer stede thaâ— in the est lyese There is ioy and grâ—t deâ—yre And trees a many 〈◊〉 of fruyte And euery frute 〈◊〉 of myght As god hastyth 〈◊〉 with vertu dyght One frute there is that yf aman Had ones ete of it neueâ— after than He shulde hounger eny more And another also groweth thore That is callyd the frute of lyf Both good for man and wyf For who so etys of that tree Shall neuer syke nor olde he Whan Adam was thether brought There was Eue than of hym wroght So were they made as we fynde Of one flesh and of o kynde Be cause they shuld be wher they went As of one fleshe so of one assent God made them that they shulde not syn The more mercy after to wynne And whan that god had Adam makyd He and Eue were both nakyd But therof shamyd they noght Untyll they had synne wroght Whan they of the appull had byten abyte Eyther shamyd of other was tyte For they sawe them than vnclad Of clothyng a grace that they had And in paradyse they wore Seuen howers and no more The thyrde hower after his mâ—kyng Gaue Adam name to all thyng The syxth hower ete his wyfe The appull that made all the stryfe The seuenth hower Adam dyd of yt ete And was chasyd and streyth out hete The aungel cam thyther anon ryght With a sworde of fyre very bryght And with the fyre be set he there The walles of paradyse that there were So that no man there in shuld wone Untyl the commynge of goddys sonne After his deth he shall vndo The fyre that it doth compase so And Adam and his frendes all Into heuyn conducte shall ¶ The xj questyon ¶ ThaÌ„ asâ—yd he whyther went Adam Out of paradyse whan he came AFter that he went anon There he was made in Ebron A hundreth yere there lede his lyf And had chyldren by his wyf But at lenght Cayn that was fell Dyd kyll his brother Abel Adam therfore came his wyf not nere By the space of a hundreth yere Makyng grete sorow that Abel was slayne Than bade hym the aungel go agayne And know his wyf as he shulde do Sayeng that the wyll of god was so For cursed of god was Cayn And aâ—l the sede that cam of hym And of that cursed sede forlorne Goddys sonne wolde not be borne That fuâ—fylâ—ed Adam and â—eth begot he Of whos sede goddys some borne shalâ— be And wete thou syr that from Adam Unto the tyme that Noe came Neuer fell on erthe no rayne Ne none raynebowe was ne fayne Flesshe that tyme no man dyd ete No wynde than was god none be lete The wether was all tymes there Fayer as somers day and clere And plenty was of all thynge Tyll mannys syn it made lettynge ¶ The .xij. questyon ¶ Dyd Adam eny other syn than it He broke goddys bode y e appul byt NAy he dyd none other synne But a greater myght he not begyn For he couetyd god to be And for that the appul ete he And shuld no creature of wyte His creatorys bode ouersyt Yf you before god now were And some aungel sayde to the there That thou behynde shuldest se Or the worlde shuld destroyed be And god the bade loke on hym fast And no where els thy eyen cast Goddys bode thou shuldyst fulfyll And let all the worlde spyll For that Adam couthe no good Before god somtyme he stode And behynde he lokyd as vnwyse Wherfore he lost paradyse And in that one synne that he dyd Seuyn synnes were there hyd ¶ Fyrst pryde for that he Desyred goddys lyke to be ¶ Inobedyence another also For he brake that god bade hym do ¶ Couetyse the thyrd dyd hym greue For he couetyd more than god wold gyue ¶ Sacrylege was the fouerth synne That Adam was wrappyd in For he toke vpon hym thore That god had forbyden hym before ¶ The fyfte may be called by reason Goostly fornicacyon For his very spouse he forsoke And to the deuelys counsell hym toke Wherby his ryght sponsale he brake And in
euerychone Than shal he betaken anone He that sacryfyce shall do Be bounden fote and hand also And vp drawen shal he be Into the ouermost ende of the tre Ther shal he crye the folke vnto In the worshype of god this I do They slake the rope they hym with drow And he fallyth sharpe I now Upon the swerdes he doth lyght And goyth to the deuyl ryght Than shal men that body take And a fayr stede for it make Two dayes and that whyl shal be A crye made in al the cowntre That such a man made sacryfyce And yf eny are so wyse To come and aske eny bone Hast them and come thyther sone Or he to his graue be brought For of theyr bone want shal they nought Than come some vnto that stede And vnto hym make theyr bede And at theyr goddys fote shal he Afterward grauyn be ¶ Yet is there a countre ferthermore Whan a man is dede thore Yf he haue a wyfe then shal she All quycke by hym grauen be And also the man by the wyfe Yf she or he forlese theyr lyfe ¶ Another folke there is and that Wyll ete for deyntes hound and cat ¶ Another is when he wyfe shal wed He dare not with her go to bed The fyrst nyght but he causeth blythly Another gest to lye her by For it is peryl a says to lyfe To touch fyrst a weddyd wyfe ¶ Another maner ther is wel fedde But they wyl neuer wyfe wedde They say that one wyfe ne can Holde her euer to one man ¶ Yet is there one that men do call Lande femynne that men call All of wymen and no men For therin lyue no man can That passyth fyue yere of age Ouer fyue dayes ther to haue herytage But in foure sesons of the yere Men and they gathere ful nere Hauynge with them felowrede Lokyng after no syburrede Viij dayes fare they thus no mo Or the men depart them fro And yf any a chylde haue Be it so that it be a knawe They shal it kepe and norysshe wel Fyue yere but more no dele And than shal they dryue it sone To the lande there men in wone They labour and tyl theyr met to wyne And ouer them they haue a quene That cōmaundyth them as quene shuld do Holdyng them in peas and ro Countres are there many mo But longe it ware to tel of tho But of thes some shal mere At the comyng of the false prophyte But many shal there fyrst be lorne For a kynge that shal be borne That shal the world seke valyently And shal do wryt them as men fynde truly And many of thos shal he spyll And with other theyr landes fyll ¶ The .lxxiiij. questyon ¶ Why are some men blake in towne Some whyt and some browne IN thre maners it comyth to That a man is colouryd so One is through kynde As we in our bokys fynde For yf the man broune be And the woman as wel as he And yf they to gether haue engendrure It ought to be broune of nature If the one be broune the other whyt And they assemble with great delyt Who 's seed with most delyt festys Whan it in the chamber restys That seed shal the chyld be Lyckenyd most and shape of ble Another maner there yet is If a man be fedde amys And pourly lye and pourly go It makyth hym not colouryd so As he shuld be with ryght If he ware kept day and nyght The thyrd cause it is also The land and the ayre therto For euer the hoter the londe is The browner is the folke Iwys The colder lande the whyter aye For theyr skyn is not brent al day ¶ The .lxxv. questyon ¶ Tell me nowe per company Wherof cometh felony Wycked humours make malēcolye And that engendereth felonye The wicked humours kīdel smert And gloweth sō whyle about the hert And chafeth it as a fyre And maketh it derke and blacke for Ire And that darkenes answereth than Up into the brayne panne And whan the braynes are derked so Great dele of wyt they for go And smyte anone in felony And that maketh the hart so drye But whan that the humours sease And of theyr glowyng do release The herte resteth and styll lyeth And the derkenes fro hym wendeth The lymmes lyghten euerychone And in good poynt becometh anone ¶ The .lxxvi. questyon The beastes y t god ī erth hath wrought Of one hewe why are they nought FOr they of goddes lykenes not be Dyuers colours haue they perde And by cause they on the ground frete Dyuers herbes to theyr mete Some are colde and some are hote And some are drye and some are wete And yf a beast whan it great is Gothe etynge on the gras That most is hote and drye also The yonge shal blacke hewe come vnto And yf the most parte be hote Redde shal that yonge be god it wote And be they moyst it shal be graye And be they colde whyte for aye And yf that a beast fynde In one place erbes of sondry kynde And she fede her of them all Of dyuers hew the yonge shal fall And after that she most of eteth Most of that hew the yong geteth And of all beastes fareth it so Wylde and tame where so it go And al hath god dyght this thyng At his wyl and his ordaynyng ¶ The .lxxvij. questyon ¶ They y t ete or drynke more thā nede is Whether do they wel or amys HE that eteth more than he shuld And more than his kynd wold He doth harme his body vnto And some vnto his soule also And dystruccyon of mete doth he That other withall myght fed be A gayne god such aman is Wors than a beast I wys God ordayned man to fede After that his kynd hath nede And the remnaunt to saue Untyl after he nede haue And a man that is wyse Shal ete onys a day or twyse A man that etyth at meel Untyl hym thynkyth that he is wel And layth efte aboue more Or that be dygestyd before His stomacke encombres he And the hete that therin shuld be And so his kynde he bryngyth doune And hym selfe to corrupcyon And his wyt in that is lesse Than a beast that etyth gresse For there is nether hors ne kowe From that he hath etyn I nowe That wyl ete eny more Tyl after he hongar sore And seyng a brute beast doth yt More shuld a man that hath wyt Wherfore I say a mys they do That ete more than nede is to ¶ The .lxxviij. questyon ¶ Which is the best thyng of y e man And y e worst that thou reckyn can THe best thyng of the man I wys And the worst the tonge it is For by his tonge a man may get Syluer and golde drynke and mete Loue worshype and fauoure And enhauntynge of honoure Also for the tonge he may Haue shame and bylony alday For such wordes may he say That perauenture may cause hym to dey The tonge hath nother
agayne kynde That men yong men shuld fynde That of al thyng wysar were Than old men and coude more â—or of the braynes of the man Is moch of the wyt that he can And the braynes of the olde Are sadder and more may holde Than of a yong man that are lyght And to hold are of no myght Also the eldar that aman is The more tyme of profe hath be his And the more aman may here and se The more most his conyng be In .xl. yere more can men Than in .viii. nyne or ten Wherfore ought old to be wysare Than eny yong man in fere The old may men ouer renne wel But ouer the other neuer a dele ¶ The CC.lxviii questyon ¶ Tel me now I pray the What thyng delyte may be BOdely delyte is hele And for to haue ryches fele And the body at ese to make And many gyftes for to take For yf that thou in he le be In some thyng thou delytes the Be thou rych and fast may wynne Thy delyte is than therin And he that wyl curteys be told And geuyth gyftes many folde For to get hym loos and pryese His delyte therin lyese A couytous man delytes hym sore For to gather more and more And that he to gather hath delyte Comes some tyme other to profyte Another delyte is there yet And goostly delyte hyght it Whan aman delytes hym nothyng But in the seruyse of heuyn kyng Neyther in catel chyld ne wyfe But in holynesse of lyfe Of al delytes the best that is For it geuyth the endlesse blys ¶ The CC.lxi questyon ¶ What kynde appul was that That our father Adam ate ADam ete an appul ryght Such as we now se in syght And that appul for his synne Tokyn of deeth bare there with in For that y t was fyrst swetest of al Be came byttar as eny galle In tokyn that he that fyrst had space Was put there fro and from grace And in to wo and sorow than Wherof the appul soure be came And the synne was not for that That he so the appul ate But by cause he brake the coÌ„maundment Of his maker that made hym shent And al that euer came of them to For theyr synne went in to wo ¶ The CC.lxxii questyon ¶ Why lerne thes yong chyldren so More than thes old men do CHyldren are hottar of kynde ThaÌ„ eny old man that meÌ„ fynde And curyous they are also To the thyng y t meÌ„ theÌ„ settis to Lyghtly takyng and holdyng For theyr wyt is euer waxing Cold man hath saddar wyt Wherfore harde takyng is it And of long tyme hath he seen Many thynges that hath bene Wherof he hath before Therfore he taketh not moch more And mannys wyt is more thynkyng In other thynges y t he hath in occapyeng And chyldren but of theyr lesson Haue no occupacyon Therfore theyr wyt is theron set And are of nought els let ¶ The CC.lxii questyon ¶ Which is the dylectablest syght That is vnder sunne lyght THe delectabelest thyng that may be Than is to heuyn for to se And thynke on hym that al hath wroght Heuyn erth and al of nought Sonne mone and sterre bryght That is delectable goostly syght Delectable syght there is also That bodely thyng longes vnto As to se delytes hym many one That he loues and longes to se on For man delyteth hym to be hold Thyng that he loues and haue wold Though it lothly be and blacke For loue men say hath no lacke And be it so fayre as it ought And aman loue it nought In the syght hath he no lykyng Ne delytes hym therin nothyng ¶ The CC.lxiij questyon ¶ Why made god as thou mayst se Heere on mannys body for to be MAter that man hath of eche lym Toke fyrst god of erthe slyme And comparyd to erth he is For as on erthe waxeth gris So waxeth heere vpon the man Other frute nought geue he can And on the fyrst man heer gan spryng In the stede of his clothyng Whan he clothyng of grace had lorne For he hym to god had mysborne He sawe hym nakyd and shamed sore On al the lymes that on hym wore Than sent god heer on hym waxyng That to his heles was hangyng There with was his body clad And Eue no nother clothyng had ¶ The CC.lxxv questyon ¶ Why come some this world vnto Doumbe borne and defe also LOng before that god began This world for to make or man Wyst he wel that man shuld sinne And goddys hest to breke begyn And stablest he forth by The turnyng about of the sky And the planets in theyr goyng For to gouerne al thyng And the sygnes there they in go For to worke both wel and wo And in some poynt of tho Are some borne defe and doume also Some croked and some blynd As men may many fynde And al for adamys synne is that Whan that he the appul ate And be cause he synned in his assent In al the wyttes that god hym lent Wher by in ech wyt that man haas Fallyth this aueature percaas In tokyn that adam forsoke God in them al and the appul toke ¶ The CC.lxxvj questyon ¶ Profyteth the folke ought vnto The almesdedes that they here do AMan that doth here almesdede He is worthy of moch mede If he for god it do only And he trust in hym stedfastly â—o moch payne it wyl hym saue In purgatory that he shuld haue And he that beleuyth not in god truly But in ydols beleuyth sykerly No almes do he ne may Thoughe he the pouere gyue alday For almes dede may none it proue With out it be geuen for goddys loue And gyue for hym beleue in hym nought This may not be to gether brought For yf a man now wore With a spere wounded sore Lechcrafte myght do no good to hym Whyle the yren styked therin Neuer thelesse aman is synne May soner haue grace for to blynne And throughe knowlegyng may he loos For almesdedes that he does ¶ The CC.lxxvij questyon ¶ A iuge synnes he ought That denies them y â— yl hath wrought Or synnes he ought also with al That the iugment fulfyl shal BUt yf iuges were set The wicked somtyme for to let An euyl world shuld sone begyn And peryl were to lyue therin Wherfore is it good to be here Wicked dedes to correct and dere For he that workes here amys In so moch as in hym is He wrathes god of heuyn sore Than is iuge ordayned therfore Wreckar of goddys cause to be Wronge to denie in euery countre Now yf he deme hym that doth yl Me thynketh he doth goddys wyl And he that the iugment shal do Unto hym shaâ— dempt is so He hath no pâ—ryl therin But waysshes his hand in blode of synne Now than who so in iugment shal fyte Loke that he fro ryght not â—yte For gyft fauourâ— ne for made For he wrathes god so thaâ— dede But in 〈◊〉 iuges ryght Synnes 〈…〉 the plyght ¶
The CC.lxxviij questyon ¶ Tho thaâ— are domâ— â—ooles borne And doys 〈…〉 HOles that no good can Ne no wyt haue of man And are borne of theyr mother so Men tel of them what so they do As a chyld that hath no wyt But doth al that lyketh it And bettar do can it nought But as it falleth in the thought And by cause theyr wyt is no more Dampned be they not therfore But they that in wyt were borne And after it haue forlorne And dyd euyl there before Whyle that they in wyt wore And no mercy of god asked Of that dede whyle theyr wit lasted And after knew nother good nor yl Tho shal be at goddys wyl ¶ The CC.lxxix questyon ¶ Aungels that with god are dere Kepe they mennys sowles here EUery man what so he be That beleuyth in the Trynyte Hath an aungel hym to zeme And to tech hym to good to lene And al his good thoughtes and dedes Puttys hym his aungel that ledys A wicked aungel he hath also Wicked dedes to put hym to And his wyt is lent hym fre And good and euyl knowes he Whether aungel he folowe wyl And the good aungel is fâ—lwo Whan he sees his man mysgo And his ioy is wel the more Whan men doys after his lore For of hym selfe hath man ryght nought But wickydnes in dede and thought ¶ The CC.lxxx questyon ¶ How may aungel y t hath no body Shew hym selfe here to man openly AUngel that is in goddys syght To se al thyng hath he myght But hym may no body se For a goostly thyng is he And throughe mannys pryson Is aungel somtyme sent here doune And he may come also smerte As eny thought in mannys herte Of the ayre he takyth a body And than is he sene openly And than aman here hym can And he hym as another man But were not that body truly Hym myght se no bodely eye ¶ The CC.lxxxj questyon ¶ Are deuyls spyers euer more Of that the folke do euerywhore DEuyls are euer more redy Where so aman doth wickedly And many mynysters haue they That are walkyng nyght and day And that neuer more blynne Men to tempt and brynge in synne And whan man hatâ— doâ— also Anone his mayster heteâ—â—ys it to But yf that it so bâ—falle That eny of the deuyls all With some good man be doune cast His poure wyl no lengar last Among his felowes he shal be sheâ—â— And be cast in great tourment So sore them â—â—nes hespâ—de nought Of the thyng that he after wrought ¶ The .lxxxij. questyon ¶ How is that fyre on what manere Purgatorye that men calle here Fyre of purgatorye is There moch wo is and no blys Thethere shal face al tho That shal be saued and no mo They that are here of repentaunce And do not fully here prâ—â—aunce There shal he it fulfyl be dene For to make hym fully clene But there shewes to them in that wo Aungels and other hallowes mo For whos loue they dyd 〈◊〉 hâ—re And they amend them at theyr shâ—re Syght of them and trust al so Of blys that they shal after to That shal be the comforte all For they wote to blys they shal But that shal after that goddys sonne be Deed truly vpon the rode tr◠¶ The CC.lxxxiij questyon ¶ What thyng is it men calle helle And how come sowles therin to dwell HElle is a stede of payne and wo And yet are there helles two The nether and the vppar helle And the nether the worse we â—el For ther is the great pyne And pryncâ—paly are there in ¶ The fyrst payne is I wot That aboue other fyre is hot As that our fyre is of nature Aboue fyre wrought of the paynture ¶ That other payne than is great cold Such that no man yong ne old May suffer it so straynyng it is And there is nother ioy de blys ¶ The thyrd payne that is in that helle Are dragons and adders felle That in the fyre lyue also As fysshes in the water do ¶ The fourth is such stynke in that hole That nothyng may it thâ—◠¶ The fyfte scourgears fowles to â—ete As smyth doth 〈…〉 â—â—mours great ¶ The syxte payne that there is dyght Is great darknes without lyght ¶ The seuente is the confusyone Of al the synnes aman bâ—e done For euery man shal knowe and se His dede though hym loth be ¶ The ryght payne shal be the crye That the dragons so gryssely And the adders that there wone Shal crye vpon hym euer anon ¶ The nynth is that he shal for go The syght of god and euer to be in wo A wicked shal haue al this pyne For he forsoke the ordres nyne Of aungels that in heuyn wore Ne wrought not after goddys lore But tho that now wend to helle Shal not al in the nether dwelle In the hyer shal be theyr dwellyng As adam and his ospryng Unto the tyme of the prophete That theyr synne with his deeth shal bete ¶ The CC.lxxxiiij questyon ¶ They y â— in holle haue they re dwellyng Wote they or knowe they eny thyng Ryghtwyse sowles knowe wel Al men and thâ—yr dedes euery dele And they wore al that euer is Both in sorowe and in blys Wicked sowlâ— that is in helle Knowes al that with them dwelle But of heuyn wote they nought Ne of no good dede that is wrought The good pray euer more For them that dyd them good before And they present to god also The good dedes that we do And the syght in the Trynyte Makyth them al thyng to know and se ¶ The CC.lxxxv questyon ¶ The good that hens begon al tyte Come they now to ioy perfyte UNto ioy thoughe they be brought Parfyt ioy haue they nought As they shal afterward come tyl And why I shal the say the skyl If thou come vnto a feste There rych metes are and honest And thou be set alone to mete The sadlyare shalt thou ete But yf a good felowe come to the shal That thou daryst to ete with al Thou etyst meryare than thou dedyst before And thy mete doth the good the more Euyn so the sowle that is in blys Hath moch ioy there that he is But perfyt ioy hath it nought Tyl his felowe be therto brought Which is the body that it in lay And that shal be at domysday Whan they to gether shal come agayne Eyther of other shal be fayne And haue of other great delyt Than shal be theyr ioy perfyt And tho that shal to helle fare Shal than haue perfyt care ¶ The CC.lxxxvj questyon ¶ May sowles ought shew theÌ„ vntyl Theyr freÌ„des ech tyme whaÌ„ they wyl GOod sowles that are in blys May ech tyme that theyr wyl is Shew them to frendes that wold them se Slepyng or wakyng whether it be But the sowle that is in helle Behouyth euer more styl to dwelle Tho y t are in purgatory are byleue That the good aungel may them geue
sake ¶ The CCC.xviij questyon ¶ Came fro y t other world euer eni thiÌ„ng That of helle or heuyn told tydyng MAny haue come ageyne here Good men that with god were The folke to counsel and telle Both of heuyn and of helle Y t ware good men here before Of whom that we yet haue lore They wrote in bokes what was wrought By cause men shulde for get it nought The great ioy that is in heuen That no tong in erth may reken And the great payne of helle That they haue that therin dwelle This told adamys sonne Abel Seth and Enocke also wel Noe and Melchysedech also And other prophytes set therto Throughe goddys coÌ„maundment They are hyther ageyne sent That is to say theyr techyng Throughe which we haue knolegeyng Of heuyn and helle both Wel is he that they roth ¶ The CCC.xix questyon ¶ Shal aman eny thyng sey Whan he shal to slepe hym ley AMan that beleuyth in god aryght And kepyth his wyl at his myght WhaÌ„ he to slepe doth lay hiÌ„ doune He shal say this oryson Lord god of myght most To the be take I my goost Thou kepe it lord and it defende From encombrance of the fende From hym lord thou me clere That he me neuer dere Haue mercy on me heuyn kyng And graunt me lord my askyng And than slepe he hardely With out drede of thy enemy ¶ The CCC.xx. questyon ¶ Of al batayle that is in lande Which is the strongest to withstande BAtayle strongar wor I nought Whan that I haue al be thought Than is temptacyon of the deuyl None that doth aman more euyl Other batayls sees some day But the deuyls fondyng lastyth ay Slepe man or wake he where so he be That batayle may he euyl fle And be he neuer so stedfast Yet wyl the deuyl hym cast a cast And man may not fle of the stede But with fastyng or some holyhede And be cause that warre is euer on one Therfore strengar wot I none ¶ The CCC.xxj questyon ¶ How lyeth a chyld tel me this ¶ In the mothers wombe whan it is A chyld throughe goddys grace Hath in the mothers wombe aspace In a chambyr one of the seuen Of the matryce that of men be callen And the fystes soth to saye Lye be fore the eyen twaye And great ioy they haue and reioysyng There they lye and lykyng And they wold neuer more Come in other stede than thore But whan they are here comen And the ayre of this worlde haue taken Than wold they not be there agayne ¶ The CCC.xxij questyon ¶ Tel me now of wynes tyte Why some is rede and some whyte NOe was the fyrst man That euer vyne to plant began Fourthy plantes he gathered and fette That ware in fourthy dayes sette Euery day two in erth he dyght One on day a nother on nyght Tho that the day ware sette vpon Unto the sonne on it shon For hete of sonne that shon than Of goddys grace tho rede becam And that in erth on nyght dyd lay Whan the sonne was a way For nyghtes keelth that felle theron Be came whyte euerychone Wherfore are the red hottar wele Than the whyte agreat dele ¶ The CCC.xxiij questyon ¶ Haue foules beastes eny spekyng Or vnderstandyng of eny thyng OF beast or foule shalt thou none fynde That hath language in his kynde Of al beastes men recken can Hath none language but man Foules and beastes crye by dene But they wot neuer what they mene Whan that one makyth a crye That other herys redely And cryeth ageyne by and by But what they mene wot not they Al that euer they cry and do Of kynd is and vsage also Which kynde hath god them dyght For man shal ouer them haue myght ¶ The CCCxxiiij questyon ¶ Whether helpeth the sowle more That aman doth here before Or that men after do for hym Whan that he is deed and dym BOth helpes man in nede But both are not of one mede For yf a man goyng be In a daâ—knesse there he may not se And a â—anthorne go hym before Therof hath he lyght wel more Than thoughe be hynd folowed two For for them myght he mysgo Also a man that doth good here As long as he may hym selfe stere Therof hath the sowle more mede Than for such two after dede Many men haue that rede To do for them whan they are deed Whan hym selfe may haue it no more The lesse thanke he is worthy therfore Wold he for goddys loue it dele Whyle that he ware in hele Than went before hym the lyght To lede hym the wey a ryght ¶ The CCC.xxv questyon ¶ Fysshes that swym here and thore In water slepe they neuer more FIsshes that are in the see Or in ryuer whether it be Haue theyr eyen bryght within And to and fro they euer swym It is not of theyr kynd the ryght That they slepe other day or nyght If they be wery they wyl rest A whyle where them thynketh best And yf they felt the ayre also As we or foules or beastes do That aboue erth wone Of kynd shuld they slepe ful sone ¶ The CCC.xxvj questyon ¶ Of al that in the world be The fayrest foule which thynketh the IF al the foules y t god hath wrought Wore in to one place brought And stode al vpon a flocke The fayrest of al were the cocke And he hath thynges thre That in none other may men se On his hede he beryth a crowne And spore vpon his shanke downe And god hath geuen hym the myght To know the howrs of day and nyght The cocke is gelous ouer his wyfe And oft for her makyth stryfe And he shuld haue defaut of mete Or his wyfe yf he myght ought gete And yf he dwelled in felde also Or in wod as other do Al the foules that before hym wore Reuerence shuld here them thore And for his fayrnesse haue of hym awe Than is he fayrest with lawe ¶ The CCC.xxvii questyon ¶ Which is the fayrest beast that is And that aman myght not mys HOrs is the fayrest beast in lande Stalworthyest and made to hande With horses oft lordes gete Lande and lyfe drynke and mete Horses in harow and in ploughe In cart and euerywhore good I noughe Horses bere men to and fro There they on fote myght not go Wherfore is he best and fayrest And vnto mannys behoue the best ¶ The CCC.xxviij questyon ¶ Tel me now yet thynges mo The fayrest horses which are tho HOrses in the world are many one But not al shapen after one He that wel shapen shal be Behouyth to haue this properte Foure thynges long behouyth hym to And foure thynges short also And foure thynges large somedele Than is he horse shapen ful wele Longe shankes and longe hals Long tayle and long rybbes al 's Foure short thynges is no lake Hede ere 's pastors and backe Foure large thynges come there nest Mouth nostrels croupe and brest And
Shal his mynystres with hym be In the dome to here and se HIs mynysters shal be thore Tho that with hym walked before And al that lyued after hys â—ore And ke pars of his hous wore And al that lyue in chastyte Or that ded for his loue shal be Al shal they be of his wylte Synful wreches for to spylle For that shal they be there present To here and se the iugement The CCC.lvij questyon ¶ How shal he the dome do And what shal he say them to GOod departed shal he se Fro the wicked that there shal be Than shal he to the good say Ye in erth stode by me ay I houngred sore and ye me fedde I thursted and ye me drynke bede I was nakyd and ye me clad In sycknesse I helpe of you had I lay in pryson and myght not se Thether ye came to vyset me And by cause ye dyd this gladly Come to my fathers ioy heuynly And ye that of me not rought But al that ye lyked wrought With the deuyl and his ye go Unto payne for euer and od For ye nothyng dyd me fore Whan ye in your lykyng wore This shal euery man here and se Why he shal saued or dampnyd be ¶ The CCC.lviij questyon ¶ Sal euery man than know wele That he hath don here euery adele AL that euer aman hath wrought Good and yl in dede or thought Al shal on hym wryten be That al the world may it se But yf eny ware of repentaunce That toke his shryft here and penaunce Of his mysded with harte contryte That synne for geuen is al tyte The good than thanke god shal thore That they of such lyfe wore Wherfore that they shulde than wende To the blys with out ende And the wicked shal se eft What goodnesse they haue left And what wickednesse they toke Whan that they the good forsoke Ful â–ª sory be they than in thought But al shal avayle them nought For they shal anon be shent With the deuyl in tourment ¶ The CCC.lix questyon ¶ Whan al is don that dome so harde What shal be don afterwarde AFterwarde the deuyl shal Take tho that shal with hym al And wend to helle for euer more The wicked men to payne thore Goddys sonne shal his take That here dyd wel for his sake And lede them to his fathers blys Where euer I lyke ioy is And al shal theyr blys be That they euer god shal se And neuer more shal deye For yf they shuld chose one of tweye They shuld leuer in helle be God euery day in blys to se Than be in heuyn and se hym nought For that ware nought worth them thought ¶ The CCC.lx questyon ¶ What shal than betyde and who Of this world where we are now AS water it fyrst fordyd also Shal it fyre than fordo Al to gether shal it brynne Shal nothyng beleft therin The elementes shal than slake Of theyr fygure and a newe take Sonne and mone shal bryghter be Seuen tymes than men now them se Erth water fyre and ayre They shal be than thre tymes so fayre Than they euer ware before And so shal be left euer more Al trauayls in erth shal blynne Shal no payne after be therin ¶ The CCC.lxj questyon Shal the good haue leue ther tyl For to do al that they wyl THe good shal than be of that wyl To do but good and nothyng yl For than shal they ech thyng do That theyr wyl standyth vnto And in what stede they wold they wore Anon as thought they shal be thore And other worke shal they haue none But goddys vysage to se vpon And thanke hym that of al lord is That they are come to that hlys ¶ The CCC.lxij questyon ¶ Shal they than remember ought Of wickednesse y t they here wrought REmember them they shal euery dele Of that they wrought here yl and wel And great ioy haue they shal That they the wickednesse ouer came al As a knyght is blyth and glad That a stronge batayle hath had And hath bore the prayse away From al his enymyes that day Great ioy it is his frendes vnto That he that day bare hym so And al so sory are they tho That for theyr synne go than to wo ¶ Here ende the questyons ¶ The ende of the hystory Sydracke god yeld it the The techyng y t thou hast teched me From darknesse thou hast me brought Unto lyght that fayleth nought Now than wot I moch thyng That after Iesus haue great longyng And now wot I what god may do To lyfe and vnto soule also Wherfore it is good now Upon what maner and how That we shal our toure fulfyl Wherto we fyrst had great wyl For that was the cause why we Came fyrst vnto this countre FOr thy the kyng Boccus anon Toke hors and worthed there vpon And his mayster Sydracke before And al his folke be gan to raye thore They came in to the in comyng Of Garabys lande the kyng There they began the toure to dyght That sanke from them euery nyght The kyng caused to be brought lyme stone And caused masons to come anon And Sydracke the kynge present Deuysed them the foundament In the name of the Trynyte One god and persons thre Boldly ther vpon they wrought And y t shuld hurt them found they nought And in dayes syxe and twenty Was the toure made vp fully And al thyng that therto shuld After the kyng it ordayne wold ¶ Whan that Garaab it herde Of the toune how it farede How it was to ende brought He was ful sory in his thought And foule abasshed he was also For he perseuyd it shuld hym vndo In harte myght haue no rest He counselyd hym what was best A messynger anon he sent That vnto kyng Boccus went And prayed hym purcharyte Of hym to haue mercy and pyte Kynge Boccus answered and spake By the counsel of Sydracke That yf Garaab wyl a good man be And beleue in the Trynyte That may both dampne and saue That he shal of hym mercy haue And Garaab sent to hym agayne That what he wyl I shal do fayne Kyng Garaab caused to be broken anon His false ydols euerychone And trusted in god of heuyn lyght Seruyng hym with al his myght And many landes there mo Causyd Boccus to serue god tho But whan kynge Boccus was deed And Sydracke than was there no rede But anon they god forsoke And to theyr false ydols they toke Throughe entysement of the wicked goost Now he that is of myght most Saue vs fro his wycked wyles For many one that shrew begyles And bryng vs into that blys Wherof that none ende is AMEN PRay we now with al our myght Unto god of heuen lyght That he geue vs grace so to do That we heuen may come vnto That we shal al to I wâ—â—â— And that Hughe of caumpedenâ— That this boke hath throughe sought And vnto Englysshe tyme brought Lyue in ioye without synne And that he god is loue here wynne So that he at his lyues ende Unto the blesse of heuen wende FINIS ¶ Thus endeth the hystory and questyoÌ„s of kynge Boccus and Sydracke Prynted at London by Thomas Godfray At the coste and charge of dan Robert Saltwode moÌ„ke of faynt Austens at Cantorbury ¶ Cum priuilegio regali