it nas first in mannes thought, and after that in his delit, and so forth into consentyng, and into dede. Wherfore say I, that many men repente hem never of suche thoughtes and delites, ne never schrive hem of it, but oonly of the dede of grete synnes outward. Wherfore I say, that suche wickid delitis and wickid thoughtes ben subtile bigilours of hem that schuln be dampned. Moreover man oughte to sorwe for his wicked wordes, as wel as his wikked dedes; for certis the repentaunce of a singuler synne, and nought repente of alle his other synnes, or elles repente him of alle his othere synnes, and not of a singuler synne, may nought availe. For certis God Almighty is al good, and therfore he forgeveth al, or elles right nought. And hereof saith seint Augustin, I wot certeynly, that God is enemy to every synnere: and how thanne? he that observith oon synne, schal he have remissioun of the remenant of his other synnes? Nay. And fortherover, contricioun schulde be wounder sorwful and anguisschous, and therfore givith him God pleinly his mercy. And therfore whan my soule was anguissheous withinne me, I hadde remembraunce of God, that my prayer mighte come to him. And fortherover, contricioun moste be continuelly, and that a man have stede fast purpos to schryve him, and for to amende him of his lyf. For sothly, whil contricioun lastith, man may ever hope of forgevenes. And of this cometh hate of synne, that destroyeth synne bothe in himself, and eek in other folk at his power. And therfore saith David, ye that loven God, hatith wikkidnesse ;

for trustith wel for to love God, is for to love that he loveth, and hate that he hateth.

The laste thing that a man schuld understonde in contricioun is this, wherof availith contricioun? I say, that som tyme contricioun delivereth man fro synne; of which that David saith, I say, quod David, I purposid fermely to schryve me, and thou, Lord, relesedist my synne. And right so as contricioun availith nat withoute sad purpos of schrift if man have oportunité, right so litil worth is schrifte or satisfaccioun withoute contricioun. And, moreover, contricioun destruyeth the prisoun of helle, and makith wayk and feble the strengthes of the develes, and restorith the gift of the holy gost, and of alle vertues, and it clensith the soule of synnes, and delivereth the soule fro the peynes of helle, and fro the companye of the devel, and fro the servage of synne, and restorith it to alle goodes espiritueles, into the companye and communioun of holy chirche. And fortherover, it makith him that somtyme was sone of ire, to be the sone of grace; and alle these thinges he provith by holy writte. And therfore he that wil sette his herte to these thinges, he were ful wys. For sothly he scholde not thanne in al his lyf have corrage to synne, but given his body and al his herte to the service of Jhesu Crist, and therof do him homage. For certis oure swete Lord Jhesu Crist hath sparid us so debonerly in oure folyes, that if he ne hadde pité of mannes soule, sory songe mighte we alle synge. Explicit prima pars penitentiæ; et incipit secunda pars ejusdem.

The secounde partye of penitence is confessioun, that is, signe of contricioun. Now schul ye understonde what is confessioun; and whethir it oughte needes be doon or noon; and whiche thinges ben convenable to verray confessioun. First schalt thou understonde, that confessioun is verrey schewyng of synnes to the prest; this is to sayn verray, for he moot schewe him of alle the condiciouns that ben longynge to his synne, as ferforth as he can ; al mot be sayd, and nought excused, ne hyd, ne forwrappid; and nought avaunte him of his goode werkis. And forthermore it is necessary to understonde whens that synnes springe, and how thay encresen, and whiche they ben.

Of the springing of synnes as seint Poul saith, in this wise; that right as by a man synne entred first into this world, and thorugh that synne deth, right so thilke deth entred into alle men that synneden; and this man was Adam, by whom that synne entred into this world, whan he brak the comaundement of God. And therfore he that first was so mighty, that he schulde not have deyed, bicam siththe suche on that he moste needis deye, whethir he wolde or noon, and al his progenie that is in this world, that in thilke manner synneden. Loke that in the estate of innocence, whan Adam and Eve nakid were in paradys, and no thing schame ne hadden of her nakidnesse, how that the serpent, that was most wily of alle other bestis that God hadde makid, sayde to the womman, why comaundid God to yow ye schulde nought ete of every tree in Paradys? The womman answerde, of the fruyt, quod she, of the trees in Paradys we feede us, but sothly of the fruyt of the tre that

is in the myddil of Paradis God forbad us for to eten, ne not touche it, lest peraventure we schulde deye. The serpent sayde to the womman, nay, nay, ye schal not drede of deth, for sothe God wot, that what day ye ete therof youre eyen schal open and ye schul ben as goddis, knowing good and harm. The womman saugh the tree was good to feedyng, and fair to the eyen, and delitable to sight; she tok of the fruyt of the tree and eet it, and gaf to hir housbond, and he eet it; and anoon the eyen of hem bothe openeden; and whan that thay knewe that thay were naked, thay sowede of fige leves in maner of breches, to hiden here membirs. Here may ye see, that dedly synne hath first suggestioun of the feend, as scheweth here by the neddir; and aftirward the delit of the fleisch, as scheweth here by Eva; and after that the consentyng of resoun, as schewith by Adam. For trustith wel, though so were that the feende temptid oon, Eve, that is to sayn the fleissch, and the fleissch hadde delit in the beauté of the fruyt defendid, yit certes til that resoun, that is to say, Adam, consentid to the etyng of the fruyt, yit stood he in thastaat of innocence. Of thilk Adam took we thilke synne original; for of him flesschly descendit be we alle and engendrit of vile and corrupt matiere; and whan the soule is put in oure body, right anoon is contract original synne; and that, that was erst but oonly peyne of concupiscence, is afterward bothe peyne and synne; and therefore be we alle i-born sones of wraththe, and of dampnacioun perdurable, if it nere baptisme that we receyven, which bynymeth us the culpe. But forsothe the peyne duellith with us as to temptacioun, which peyne highte concupiscence.

And this concupiscence, whan it is wrongfully disposed or ordeyned in man, it makith him to coveyte, by covetise of fleissch, fleisschly synne, by sight of his eyghen, as to erthely thinges, and eek coveityse of heighnesse, as by pride of herte.

Now as to speke of the firste coveitise, that is concupiscence after the lawe of oure membris, that weren lawfully maked, and by rightful juggement of God, I say, for as moche as a man is nought obeissant to God, that is his Lord, therfore is fleissch to him disobeisant thurgh concupiscence, which that yit is cleped norisshing of synne, and occasion of synne. Therfore, al the while that a man hath in him the peyne of concupiscence, it is impossible but he be tempted somtyme and moeved in his fleisch to synne. And this may not faile, as longe as he liveth. It may wel wexe feble and faille by vertu of baptisme, and by the grace of God thorugh penitence; but fully schal it never quenche, that he schal somtyme be moeved in himself, but if he were al refreydit by siknes, or by malefice of sorserye, or colde drinkes. For what saith seint Poul? the fleissh coveitith agayn the spirit, and the spirit agayn the fleisch; thay ben so contrarie and so stryven, that a man may nought alwey do as he wolde. The same seint Poul, after his penaunce, in watir and in lond; in watir by night and by day, in gret peril, and in gret peyne; in lond and in famyne and in thurst, and colde and clothles; oones almost stoned al to the deth; yit saide he, allas! I caytif man, who schal delyvere me fro the prisoun of my caytif body? seint Jerom, whan he long tyme had woned in desert,

And