The PurveyProject

Dominica v Post Octavam Pascha

Par Élodie MONTEAU
Publication en ligne le 26 janvier 2013

1/18v/ Estote factores verbi et non auditores tantum; “Be ȝe the dohers of the worde, and not only þe herers.” For good wordys and swete wordis may wel be likened to swete spycery, ffor þe more þat it is stampid or sterid, it ȝevithe the more swetter savowre. So in lyke wise, the more that good wordis be spoken among the swete pepyll of God, þe swetter it is. But the devyls wordis þat many men hathe delyte to speke, they saverythe as caryon or þing that is fowle stynkyng, for the more þat it is steryd, the wors it saverythe [to] all

2/19r/ hevenly pepyll. And moreover, if eny fowle stynkyng licowre stonde long in a vessel, it wyll cawse the vessel to haue a fowle savowre. So in like wyse, the more þat fowle wordys be vsed and ocupyed in þe persons of synfull pepyll, the more [they] wil defowle the feyre vessel of there consciens. Therefore, ȝe that vse to speke fowle wordis, ȝe muste do as a profitabil and a good seruaunt. For when that sche sethe þat a vessel hathe long contenewyd withe fowle licowre, anon sche wyll wassche it and rub it withe grete labor and so wil make it more abyll and more swetter to holde good licowre. So in like wyse, þiselfe that haste defowled the vessel of þi sowle withe fowle and vngoodly communycacion, anon rub it and wassche it withe some good licowre of contriscion. And then schall þu haue a feyre vessel, and ever redy to put in þe swetnesse of the swete licowre of grace, soche as Criste is ever redy to ȝefe to the. So then, the

3/19v/ swettest wordis that may moste comfort ȝour sowlis, incerten is the worde of God; ffor þe declaryng of the worde of God ȝevythe euer swete licowre of grace to þe sowle, ffor þereby, he hathe grete vnderstondyng to hys moste comforte, as Dauid rehersiþe ful pleyne: Declaracio sermonum tuorum illuminat et intellectum dat paruulis; “The declaracion of the worde of God ȝevythe vnderstondyng to all pepill that ben on Goddis beleve.” For the apostill, in this pistil seythe moreover: Qui[a] si quis auditor est verbi, et non factor; “ffor if eny man be an herer of þe worde and not a doer, he is likened to a man that beholdythe the chere of his b<yr>the in a myrroure, where as he beholdythe hymselfe and wenythe that he be full feyre to the yee of all oþer pepyll, and so forȝetythe hymselfe. But he þat beholdythe hymselfe perfitely in þe lawe of God, and so, fulfyllethe the worde of God in werkis, then dwellythe he in þe law of God. And therein ever he ledythe

4/20r/ hymselfe to the ryall [region] that God hathe ordende and provided in heven to all þe herers and þe very truw doers of the law of God. Religio munda et imuaculata apud Deum et patrem hec est. “A clene religion and an [vn]wemmed to þe plesure of God and to the Fader of heven is þis: to viset faderles and moderles childern and wedowys in there tribulacions, and þen kepe hymselfe vndefowled frome this worlde. And if þu do þus, then art þu a tru doer after the doctryne of this holy apostil. Wherfore Criste seythe in the gospell of this day: Si quid peciertus patrem in nomine meo, dabit vobis; “If ȝe aske the Fader enyþing in my name, He schall ȝefe [it] to ȝow.” As who seythe, preserue ȝowreselfe in a clene lyfe kepyng the precepis of God; then ask of God the kyngdome of heven, and þen þu mayste haue it. But and þu shall aske þe kyngdome of heven, þu muste haue þen ever thi hole mynde to thi God, and not sett þi

5/20v/ mynde o[n] the veyne worschipis of þis world. As it farithe be almyȝti God and certen pepill of þe worlde, as it farythe be a fysscher and soche pepill as bithe in purpose to bye of his ffyssche. For and þu come to a fisscher and wolde bye of his ffyssche, he settiþe a certen price parauenture is not to þi plesure; but then and þu profyr hym ij galons of water or iij for a pece of his fissche, the whiche is worthe ij pens or thre, in certen, he wyll haue grete skorne of þi profyr. So then, if þu wyll haue of his fissche, þu muste þen profyr hym a þing þat he hathe not, þat is to sey, gold or silver. So it farithe be God and vs, if we wil desyre to haue the kyngdome of heven, almyȝti God askythe vs what we wyll pay þerfore. If we wyll sey: welthe and prosperite, riches and rialte, and so profyr to Hym these ȝeftis, he wyll sone refuse vs. And þerfore if we schall aske what we schall pay for to haue þe kyngdome of heven, we

6/21r/ muste profyr to Hym a thyng þat he hathe not, þat is [to] sey, sorow for owre synnes and mekely to suffer tribulacion; and so schal we opteyne and come to þe blisse þat Ihesu Criste bowȝte vs to withe his precius pascion. And þerfore seythe owre sauiowre Ihesu in þis gospell: Petite et accipietis ut gaudium vestrum sit plenum; “Ax ȝe, and ȝe schal haue that ȝowre joye be full.” But þe best mene to come to þis joye is þat we schall luffe ever togeder, as Criste haþe ever loved vs. Wherfore he seythe in the gospel of Seynt John: In hoc, cognoscunt homines quod mei discipuli estis si dileccionem et caritatem habueritis ad inuicem; “In þat, men schall know þat ȝe be my discipyls and my childer of saluacion, if ȝe haue luf and charite among ȝow.” In so moche þat ȝe cannot opteyne ne come vnto þat glorius blisse, that almyȝti God bowȝte vs to, witheowte þat ȝe haue very perfite lufe and charite among ȝow. Therefore ȝe schall haue a glorius

7/21v/ exsampyll: there was some tyme a man that had v sonnes. And he sett hem all to scole and dyd grete coste vpon hem to make hem grete clerkis. And at the last he bethowȝte hym of all his lyfe that he had long contenewyd in þis present lyfe. And herevpon, he sent after his v sonnes to haue cowncell of them: what man he myȝte beste be to the plesure of God, wherby he myȝt be þe creature of saluacion. For he wiste well of them he myȝt haue very good cowncell, for þei were notabyll clerkis, and very good lyvers. And so, when they were all comen, the fader desyred þem gretly vpon his blissyng, þat they wolde ȝefe hym good cowncell and to tell hym how he scholde lyfe an acceptabyll lyfe, to the plesure of God, and to þe saluacion of his owne sowle. The firste sonne [and the eldeste] was a doctur of diuinite; and he seyde: “fader, my cowncell schall be this:

8/22r/ loke that ȝe be stedfaste in the beleve in very God; thre persons and oo God: Fader, Sonne and Holy Goste, þe whiche is oo God. And I sey þat schal be sufficient for ȝow and to bryng ȝow at þe last everlastyng saluacion.” And his fader kownde hym grete thanke and seyd: “Sone, ȝowre cowncell is very good. Me þinkeþe my good is ryȝte well wared.” The secunde sonne seyde: “Fader, I haue laborde and stodyed in þe law Canon: De fide catholica, the whiche tretiþe on the comawndementis of God. I sey not on þe x comawndementis, but on all the comawndementis. And my cowncell is þis, accordyng to my faculte: kepe ȝe the comawndementis of God, and gyde ȝow in ȝowre lyvyng as the chirche techythe ȝow, and þat schall be to ȝowre saluacion.” And his fader was wel plesyd of that holsome cowncell. The therde sonne was a ciuilian, and he seyd:

9/22v/ “Fader, luf ȝow ryȝtwisnes and do to ȝour evencristen like as ȝe wolde they dyd vnto ȝow, and that schall be also to ȝowre saluacion.” The fowrte sonne was a Mayster of Art, þe whiche tretiþe of naturall philosophi and morall. “Wherfore my cowncell is that ȝe schall dyspose ȝow to haue bodily helthe, as nye as ȝe may, and then dispose ȝow in perfite lyvyng to þe plesure of God. And dowteles þat schall be to þe incresyng of ȝowre joye in everlastyng blisse.” And þen his fader was gretly plesid for þis good cowncell. The vth sonne, þe ȝongeste and the laste, was a gramaryon. And his fader seyde vnto hym: “good sonne, sey þu thi parte, þu knowiste what I mene.” Then þe childe answerde and seyde: “my brethern hathe seyde notably, worschipfully and ful holsomly to the helthe of ȝowre owne sowle. There connyng is grete and myne is smalle; they haue grete wisdome and I haue but a litill; they be men and I am

10/23r/ but a childe. But this I haue construed in the gramor scole: Deus caritas est et qui manet, et cetera; “God is charite, and [he] þat dwelliþe in charite, he dwellythe in God and God in hym; God be in vs and þat we may be in Hym.” Loo, fader, this is the lesson þat I haue lurned. Wherfore I cowncell ȝow, acordyng to myne abilite, vse ȝe þis vertu charite. And certenly I may sey þat ȝe schall dwell withe God endlesly.” So me thynkethe I may conclude and sey þat all þat cowncell þat my brethern haþe ȝeven to ȝow is not sufficient to ȝowre saluacion witheowte ȝe haue þis vertu charite. And also, my cowncell I trest it be sufficient for every man þat wyl be saued. Acordyng to þis, Criste seythe in the gospell of this day thus: Ipse enim pater amat vos; “Forsothe þe Fader hymselfe lovythe ȝow.” As who seythe, al charitabil pepyll schall ever inheritt everlastyng lufe of almyȝti God. Where vpon the

11/23v/ holy apostill Paule concludythe and seythe: Si linguis angelorum loquar, pro primo; “ If I speke withe the tong of aungelis, ffor the firste;” Et [si] habuer[o] omnem propheciam, pro secundo; “And if I scholde haue all prophecies, ffor the secunde;” Et [si] habuero omnem fidem ita ut montes transferam, pro tercio; “And if I haue all feythe so þat I myȝte meve hillys, ffor the therde; Et [si] distribuero omnes facultates meas in cibos pauperum, pro quarto; “And if I scholde dele al my gooddis among pore pepill, ffor þe iiijth; Et [si] tradidero corpus meum ita vt ardeam, pro quinto; “And if I cast my body in to the fyre to burne for Goddis sake;” Caritatem non habeam; “And if I haue no charite;” Nichil sum; “I am nowȝte.” So I cowncell ȝow if ȝe wyll be the pepyll of saluacion, vse ȝe this vertu of charite and that schall cawse ȝow to haue everlastyng joye. To the whiche, et cetera. Amen.

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