Here begynneth a lytell boke, that speketh of purgatorye [et] what purgatorye is [et] in what place, and of the paynes that be therin, and whiche soules do abyde therin tyll they be pourged of synne, and whiche abyde not there. ... Prick of conscience. Book 4. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A16444 of text S104624 in the English Short Title Catalog (STC 3360). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 56 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 22 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 A16444 STC 3360 ESTC S104624 99840357 99840357 4856 2240900308

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Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A16444) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 4856) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 132:08) Here begynneth a lytell boke, that speketh of purgatorye [et] what purgatorye is [et] in what place, and of the paynes that be therin, and whiche soules do abyde therin tyll they be pourged of synne, and whiche abyde not there. ... Prick of conscience. Book 4. Rolle, Richard, of Hampole, 1290?-1349, attributed name. [40] p. : ill. Imprynted by me Robert wyer, dwellynge at the sygne of saynt Iohan Euangelyste, in saynt Martyns parysshe in the felde, in the byshop of Norwytche rentes, besyde Charynge Crosse, [[London] : [1534?]] Book 4 of the "Prick of conscience", sometimes attributed to Richard Rolle. In verse. Imprint from colophon; publication date conjectured by STC. Signatures: A-E⁴. Reproduction of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. eng Purgatory -- Early works to 1800. Purgatory -- Poetry. eebo Here begynneth a lytell boke, that speketh of purgatorye: [et] what purgatorye is [et] in what place, and of the paynes that be therin, and whiche sou [no entry] 1534 44 9884 6 0 0 0 0 0 6.07 B The rate of 6.07 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the B category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2002-07 Assigned for keying and markup 2002-09 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2002-10 Sampled and proofread 2002-10 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-12 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

Here begynneth a lytell boke , that speketh of Purgatorye : & what Purgatorye is & in what place / and of the paynes that be therin / and whiche soules do abyde therin tyll they be pourged of synne / and whiche abyde not there . And for what synnes a soule goth to hell / & of the helpe that soules in purgatorye may haue of theyr frendis that be on fyue : & what pardon aueyfeth to mannes soule .

The Prologue . MAny men speke / as they in the boke rede Of the paynes of purgatorye / but fewe it drede For many a man wotteth not / what thynge it is Therfore they drede it / the lesse ywys And for some men / haue therof no knowynge Of the place of purgatorye / not vnderstandynge Therfore I wyll tell / what it is in lykenes And in what place / as the boke is wytnes And whiche soules goth thyther / and for what syn And what maner of paynes / ben therin And also what thynge / is most in certayne That myght a mannes soule / brynge out of payne .
Fyrste here it telleth what is Purgatorye . PUrgatorye is / nothynge elles to tell But a clensynge place / soules in to dwell That haue done synne / and haue contrycyon And ben in the waye / of saluacyon And there they shulde suffre / both sorowe and wo Tyll all theyr synnes / ben awaye ydo And clensed of all synnes / that euer they wrought Both in worde and wyll / in dede and eke in thought For so pured golde / neuer none there was As the soules shall ben / or they thens passe wherfore the payne / that the soule there shall hent Is more bytter / than all the tourment That all martyres suffred / both yonge and olde Syth that god was borne / and to the Iewes solde For the leste payne / of the paynes there Is more bytter / than the most payne that is here As wytnesseth a great clerke / and sayth shortly In a boke / that speketh of Purgatorye . Minima pena Purgatorii maior est maxima pena mundi . He sayth the leste payne / is well more In Purgatorye / that greueth sore Than the most payne / that maye be In all this worlde / to fele or se For the payne there / is more ferse and fell Than herte maye thynke / or tonge maye tell Betwene the payne of hell / certaynly And betwene the payne / of Purgatorye Is no dyfference / but certes that one Shall haue an ende / and that other none For the paynes of hell / shulde neuer cease Ne the soules therin / haue neuer release But in purgatorye / the soules dwelleth styll Tyll they ben clensyd / of all maner yll And as moche ben there .xl. dayes tolde As here .xl. yere / be a man neuer so olde So that a payne there / one daye to se Is as moche / as a yere tolde here maye be But euery daye of penaunce / that is done here Shall stande there in stede / of an hole yere As Chryste sayth openly / and wytnesseth well By his holy prophete / Ezechiell . Diem pro anno deditibi . That is so moche / to vnderstande nowe For an hole yere / I gaue one daye to you Than serueth that payne / as the boke telleth To clense the soules / that therin dwelleth But penaunce here done / with good wyll Serueth for two thynges / goddes lawe to fulfyll One cause is / to clense the soules well Of all deedly synnes / and eke venyell Another is to haue / in heuen more mede To these two thynges / penaunce maye vs lede For euery penaunce that a man doth here Shall haue a specyall ioye / in heuen clere That euer without ende / shall than last Yf they done penaunce / with herte stedfast .
In what place Purgatorye is . THe place there / that purgatorye is holde Is vnder erth / as clerkes men tolde Aboue the same place / as clerkes men telleth There that deed chyldren / vnchrystened dwelleth That from the fayre syght / of goddes face Ben put for euer / without any grace And that place / is euen aboue hell pyt Betwene purgatorye / and hell is it And so is the place / of purgatorye sette Aboue them both / thyther soules be fette That must nedes / theyr payne there haue And after that payne / Ihesus wyll them saue Yet aboue that stede / is that fayre place That god after his deth / vysyted through his grace And all that were there / with hym he toke And lefte none therin / as telleth the boke Nor from that tyme / as clerkes can tell Come neuer no soule / there for to dwell Ne neuer none hereafter / therin shall fall For that place is Lymbo / as clerkes it call That is a fayre pryson / as telleth the boke where oure forne fathers / were in yloke And of all these foure / men maye one hell make And eueryche of them / for hell maye be take And therfore holy churche / that for soules prayth Calleth purgatorye hell / and thus therof sayth . Domine Ihesu christe / libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de manu inferni / et de profundis aquaram . &c. Lorde Ihesu chryste / delyuer out of hell honde All chrysten soules / that ben there vnder bonde That is from that place / in to heuen blysse For moche pyne / haue soules there ywysse But from the lowest hell / without any doute Maye no soule thens / be delyuered oute Of mercy to haue / is no hope ne truste As holy Iob telleth / that the soth wyste . Quia in inferno / nulla est redemptio . He sayth that in hell / that is so farre adowne Is neuer delyueraunce / for no raunsowne And therfore masses & prayers / helpeth them nought To the same soules / that thyther be brought For masse ne prayer / abateth not theyr pyne As wytnesseth the holy man / saynt Austyne . Si sarem patrem aut matrem in inferno / non pro eis orarem . He sayth / yf my father and my mother were In the pytte of hell / and I wyst them there I wolde neuer / by daye ne by nyght Praye for them to god / that is full of myght But purgatorye so longe / last not maye For it lasteth no lenger / than tyll domes daye For after domes daye / as clerkes can se The place of purgatorye / shall no where be Than shall hell be full of fendes within That euermore shall last / to auenge synne But some men haue wonder / and asketh why That purgatorye is ordeyned / with mercy And hell without mercy / that is so lowe The cause why / men must well knowe For the same synne / that in erth is wrought From the erth vpwarde / ne passeth nought Than nedes punysshed / must be that synne Here vpon erth / or elles within That is here in erth / there that we dwell Other elles in purgatorye / or elles in hell For the soule synne / is so heuy and harde That it draweth the soule / euer downewarde And tyll the synne / with penaunce be awaye nome Erst maye the soule / neuer to heuen come .
Of two Purgatoryes / that god hath ordeyned . YEt telleth these clerkes / more openly That two purgatoryes / there be namely One is common / for to tell That is within erth / aboue hell And the other / is specyally through grace That is here in erth / in dyuerse place For some ben not / in common stede pyght But they ben punysshed here / by daye or nyght In many dyuerse stedes / within in theyr ghost There that they / haue synne done most But that pyne / maye be brought out of drede Through prayer of frendes / and almes dede To the whiche / they maye ghostly appere Through great grace / in dyuerse stede here That payne as I erst tolde / wonder sore greueth But it is a warnynge / to them that here lyueth And thus maye men here / truely se where that purgatorye / nedes must be .
Of the paynes that ben in Purgatorye . IN purgatorye / as the boke wytnesse beryth Ben dyuerse paynes / that the soule deryth Many mo certes / than I can neuen But I fynde therof / wryten seuen That maye be called / paynes full well And to you of them / I wyll tell somedell . The fyrste payne / of the seuen ywys As men maye knowe / that redeth this Is the great drede / that the soule is in whan the body and it / departeth atwyn For the soule seyth / than aboute it stonde Many foule deuylles / to do it shonde And that syght is a payne / wonder greuous For the deuylles ben / so foule and hydeous So that so hardy man / was neuer none Here in erth lyuynge / in flesshe and in bone But yf a man sawe / that syght that he shall se Anone for drede / woode shulde he be A great payne it is than / to se suche a syght But more is to the soule / that therwith shall fyght . The seconde payne / is next than afterwarde Is great drede of deth / that is wonder harde That the soule shall haue / with moche care Tyll the dome be gyuen / howe it shall fare For many aungelles / shulde all redy be there And many deuylles / with horryble chere Than shall the soule / betwene them stande And aungelles shall be / in her ryght hande And the deuylles shall be / in her lefte syde So that the soule / nedes must there abyde Tyll that her contakes / ben brought to ende For erst he wot not / whyther to wende whyther that god / wyll dampne it or saue Than shall the soule / so great drede haue Ryght as a man / that is amyddes the se In great peryll / and wot not whyther to fle whan tempestes falleth / and storme smarte Than may he thens / neuer starte And as a man hath here / bodely drede whan he is enpeched / of any peryllous dede Before the kynges iustyce / and of the countre That ben charged / yf he gylty be Than wot he not / yf he shall be spylte Other ben delyuered / and the lawe fulfylte In great peryll of lyfe / maye that man be Yet hath the soule mordrede / than hath suche thre For yf it haue the dome / of dampnacyon here Than goth it to hell / and the deuylles fere And yf the soule be dampned / in to that place Than is no maner hope / of mercy and grace what wonder is than / though the soule haue drede That to god after / mercy dare not ones grede . The thyrde payne / is an exyle whan that the soules / here some whyle Ben exyled from lyfe / and to deth brought For the commynge agayne / they knowe nought Therfore they shulde haue / moche mournynge whan they be dampned / from theyr lykynge And the mournynge that they haue / without lysse Shall than be to them / great anguysshe . And the fourth payne / is dyuerse syckenes That soules haue / in moche dystres For dyuerse euylles / they shall haue therin For dyuerse dedes / that they dyd in synne And some for pryde / that they vsed ofte Shall haue the colde feuer / that is not softe For that shall greue the soule / more bytterly Than euer any feuer / dyde the body And some shall haue there / for couetyse Stronge dropsye / that they shall not aryse And some shall haue / in all theyr ly●es aboute For slouth in theyr lyfe / the podagre and goute And byles and felones / and postumes also That in mannes body / doth moche wo And some for wrath / shall haue the palsye That to the soule / shall sore derye And some for glotony / shall haue euermore The harde quynsy / that shall greue them sore And some for lechery / shall haue also A foule mesylry / go whyther they go Thus shall the soule / that god wyll saue For dyuerse synnes / dyuerse paynes shall haue That in erth here / had veray repentaunce And had not in erth / done theyr penaunce Nowe thynke we / what payne the body suffreth here Through dyuerse euylles / that greuyth euery where Though that it last / but a lytell stounde Yet it bryngeth a man / full soone to the grounde And as the maladye / greuyth the body sore Yet it greuyth for the tyme / the soule well more So that the soule / hath there more penaunce Than hath the body / for any maner greuaunce But nowe a man / maye speke there agayne And axe howe the soule / maye fele payne That after deth is so sottel / as in boke we rede That it maye occupye / no maner stede And to this questyon / I maye answere well As I haue clerkes / herde therof tell The soule of the body / the lyfe is Of euery man / both more and lesse And without lyfe / is nothynge lyuynge For in no deed thynge / maye be any felynge Than is all the felynge / of the lyfe hooly All in the soule / and nought in the body For whan a mannes soule / is passed awaye Than is the body / but ●oule erth and claye And that is than / as deed as any stone That no thynge feleth / but hym selfe one Yet maye some men aske / more therto Nowe maye the soule / that is in wo Be pyned / with suche maladye withoute That is in dyuerse lymmes / of the body aboute Syth it hath / neyther body ne hed Ne none other lymme / theron byleued To this / I maye answere shortly That the soule / though it haue no body It shall haue payne / as in lymmes there with whiche it dyd / most synne here For eche to other than / shall seme ywys As though it had the shape / as a man is And in this maner / shall a soule another se But certes none of them / maye feled be Nomore than maye / a mannes breth here whan it passeth from hym / in no manere Ensample of Lazar / and a ryche man That cordeth to this mater / as I proude can The ryche man warned / the lazar mete That in Abrahams bosome / had his sete But the ryche man / was buryed in hell And sawe lazar / in heuen dwell He cryed to Abraham / and bad fayre withall That a drope of water / myght downe fall Upon his tonge / from lazarus fyngers ende For he myght not / out of that payne wende By the ryche man / that spake so to that other Had no lymme / ne tonge nother Ne lazar / as ye maye well vnderstande Had nother fynger / ne hande For they were / spyrytes both onely That had nother lymme / ne body But the ryche mannes soule / feled pyne in hell As though it had ben a body / in flesshe and fell And lazarus soule / semed to hym than As though he had ben / a lyues man But I haue herde / some clerkes mayntayne Suche maner opynyons / as I wene That a soule / that is in purgatorye Other in hell / hath of the ayre a body To suffre payne / in his lymmes there After that he hath / in erth synned here But whyther a soule haue / a body or none It shall haue payne / as the body hath done . And the fyfth payne / though it be somwhat late Is hote brennynge fyre / that northynge maye bate But almes dede / masses and prayere That of frendes / for them ben done here To abate that fyre / tho thre ben best For they brynge soone / mannes soule to rest But that fyre / is hotter and more kene Than any fyre of this worlde / that maye be sene For all the water / that a man maye on thenche One sparcle of that fyre / myght not quenche For one sparcle of that fyre / is more brennynge Than all the fyre / in this worlde lyghtnynge And the soule is also / more tendre and nesshe Than a mannes body / with blode and flesshe Than the soule / that is so tender of kynde Must nedes theyr penaunce / more harder fynde Than any maner body / that euer alyue was Though it shulde there through / make his pas But no soule maye / from thens wende Tyll all theyr penaunce / be brought to ende And that fyre / werketh not through kynde a ryght In the same soule / that to penaunce is dyght As doth the fyre / that in erth brenneth here But euermore it werketh / in another manere As god hath ordeyned / for why it is so As it were an instrument / that longeth therto Through the whiche / the soule clensed maye be In the payne of purgatorye / or that it god se For why all maner fyre / that is therin It is a maner fyre / for to waste synne For as the fyre in the worlde / maye all thynge brenne And make metall melt / and abrode renne And ryght so the fyre / there through longe heat wasteth there / both small synnes and great There be nowe fyres / some more some lesse But all one maner fyre / that neuer shall cesse For as the sonne / maye ouer all thynge passe That men greuyth / some more and some lesse Ryght so the same fyre / that in purgatorye is brought Some soules it pyneth sore / and some nought For all soules / must nedes dwell therin After that theyr charge / is there of synne But some soules / shulde delyuered be thens soone That here in erth / haue theyr penaunce doone But some soule shall abyde there / many a yere That lytell penaunce hath done / with his body here And hath lyued longe / in his synne also And therfore / saynt Austyn sayth thus therto . Necesse est vt tantus sit dolor : pro peccatis quantus fuerit amor / tanto divtius anima torquetur in penis : quanto affec● tus mundanis inherebat desiderus . &c. Saynt Austyn sayth / that nedefull it is That as moche sorowe / he haue here and no les For euery synne / and eke trespas As lust and lykynge / in the synne was And he sayth also / as before as rad That the more lykynge / that a man in synne had And euer gyueth therto / his lust and wyll His flesshely lykynge / all to fulfyll The longer must nedes / the soule in payne be In purgatorye / that he maye not fle And or the soule maye se god / in his face As thre thynges / they must brenne in that place That is to saye / as woode and haye also And stoble / that wyll awaye with the fyre go For the most venyall synnes / shulde brenne longe As a tre that is great / and hath rotes stronge But the small synnes / soone shall brenne awaye As doth stoble in erth / whan fyre commeth there nye But the meane synnes / brenneth not so soone For they brenne slowly / and haue more to doone Ryght as doth the haye / that with fyre is tende That longe lyeth & smoketh / or it be through brende Thus shulde they ben brende / and wasten sore For theyr venyall synnes / both lesse and more And for deedly synne / that they ben of shryue And the trespasse therof / god hath forgyue And penaunce therfore / nought haue done here They shall there be brende / in the same manere And whan they be fyned / and made bryght Than shall they come / before goddes syght In to mery Paradyse / that is a ioyfull place That is euermore full / of mercy and grace . And the fyxte payne / is for to tell For the soules vnclensed / shulde there dwell Styll in purgatorye / and be bounde fast with bondes of synne / to make them agast And as many soules / as be in that prysone For no gyfte they maye / ne for no raunsome From that harde payne / them selfe wynne Tyll that fyre haue brent / theyr bondes of synne And thus they ben bounde / both handes and fete In hote brennynge fyre / that is wonder greate Certes than me thynketh / no payne maye be more Than the soules suffreth / that greuyth them sore For nothynge thens / maye them borowe Nother abrydge any thynge / of theyr moche sorowe Nother to helpe them / thens to be brought For theyr owne prayer / ne helpeth them nought But yf in erth / they any good dyde As masses done / songe and almes dede Of theyr frendes in erth / the to god for them besought That made this worlde / and all thynge of nought Full harde ben the paynes / the the soules suffre there Yf hope of mercy / soone after ne were But some tyme they shulde / so moche payne haue That they take no kepe / that god wyll them saue Therfore we shulde thynke / that in erth ben here what payne the soule suffreth / that is there Amonge soule fendes / that there haue leue Some tyme the soules / to tourment and greue As longe as they haue / any spotte of synne For erst from that place / maye no man them wynne Tyll they ben clensed / and made all clene Of all maner synnes / that none be sene And whan they ben deyuered / of all maner synne No more payne / shall they fele therin But soone than after / they shall euen wende To the blysse of heuen / that hath none ende . And the seuenth payne / is in lykenesse There that the soules ben / as in wyldernesse There that defaulte is / of all good thynge That a man myght haue / of his lykynge For theyr payne to them / is manyfolde For nowe they ben in great hete / and nowe in colde And that payne to them / is full longe As nowe in great hete / and after colde stronge And there shulde suffre / both hungre and threst And many great that paynes / without any rest And sore ben bette / to make more theyr payne with great stormes of hayle / and of rayne And that betynge / is both sharpe and kene But suche stormes / neuer erst were sene As the soules there / shulde fele and se And with dyuerse tourmentes / tourmented be For some many a yere / shall abyde there for synne Tyll they the syght of god / cleanly maye wynne And suche maner paynes / they shall haue euermore with many other tourmentes / the shall greue them sore But amonge all other / a great payne that shall be The moche coueytyse / that they haue to se The swete face of god / that is euer so bryght And the longe taryenge / of tht fayre syght But to that same syght / maye they neuer come Tyll all theyr synnes / from them be nome And here I haue tolde / somedell to you Of the paynes of purgatorye / that be harde ynowe .
Of the soules that wendeth in to purgatorye / and abydeth there tyll they ben pourged of synne / and whiche soules abyde not there . THe soules that / to purgatorye shulde wende whan that deth / of them hath made an ende Nedes they must / in purgatorye dwell And suffre paynes / that ben smart and fell For eueryche synne : there shal be punysshed after kynde Through bytter paynes / that there they shulde fynde After that theyr dedes / ben more or lasse And theyr penaunce haue done / or they hens passe But all soules / abydeth not in that place For some after theyr deth / anone haue grace And sykerly / shulde wende to blysse As holy Innocentes / that neuer dyd mysse And other soules / of good men and parfyte That neuer in erthly thynge / had any delyte But onely on god / that them dere bought And here in erth / great penaunce wrought But some men that deth / sodaynly doth take And in deedly synne / theyr ende make Euen in to hell / they shulde wende And there dwell in payne / euer without ende And that is no wonder / me thynketh in my mynde For eche deedly synne / so heuy is of kynde That it maye than / within a lytell stounde Brynge a mannes soule / in to hell grounde But a soule that is / of deedly synne shryue And his trespase in erth / is clenely forgyue And also the penaunce / that is hym enioyned Ben not done here / at dayes apoynted wherfore the soule / is not clensed clene Of other small synnes / that ofte commeth betwene Than these soules / shulde ben saue But yet in purgatorye / them behoueth to haue Harde payne and bytter / and there abyde longe Tyll the soules haue / theyr clensynge a fonge As they fyrste were / whan they toke flesshe and bone And the holy baptysme / at the font stone Yet telleth these clerkes also / in this manere That so clene out of synne / lyueth no man here Nother none so parfyte is / in chrysten lawe Nor a chylde / that is from his mother drawe That after his deth / to heuen wendeth on hye Tyll he haue passed / through that strayte waye And tyll he haue seen there / the paynes euerychone But the yonge chyldren / therof shall fele none For they coulde neuer / no maner synne werche But went in the true waye / of holy churche Therfore they shulde / through purgatorye fle As doth the foule in the erth / as euery man maye se without any pyne / that myght them dere And from all wyckednes / me shall them were But vnneth maye any man / quyte there through go That ne shall of purgatorye / fele some wo For that fyre / wyll fonde hym to brenne Yf it maye on hym / any venyall synne kenne For ye shulde vnderstande / as I tell can That there is lyuynge / none so parfyte a man That he some tyme / ne thynketh an ydell thought And lyghtly letteth it passe / and chargeth it nought Of the whiche / he shall clenled be Or that he maye / the face of god se For as golde / that shyneth clere and bryght Semeth well pured / vnto a mannes syght And yf it were put / in to the fyre eft soone It shulde be the clerer / by hym selfe alone Ryght so the soules / in the same manere Of the parfyte men / that semeth most clere Of all synnes / and maketh them to god y are Yet they shall in purgatorye / somedell fele of care For all they must nedes / there through passe Both yonge and olde / more and lasse For that same fyre / that is there within Shall fynde on them / some spotte of synne As lyght thought / the whiche ben in vayne And for them / they shulde there suffre payne For so pure golde fyned / neuer in erth was As they ben through that fyre / or they thens passe .
For whiche synnes , a soule goth to hell . MAny maner synnes / the the soules greuyth Reygneth amonges men / the in erth lyueth And some ben deedly / in thought & in dede And some ben venyall / as I in boke rede But synnes that men / deedly doth call Shulde not in purgatorye / be clensed all But tho ben punysshed / euermore in hell And whiche these ben / I wyll you tell These ben the heuy synnes / that I wyll descrye Fyrste pryde than wrath / and afterwarde enuye Glotonye and slouthe / in goddes seruyce The foule synne of lechery / and eke coueytyce Manslaughter also / and false othes swerynge And sacrylege also / and false wytnesse berynge Robbrye and to poore men / to done rauayne These ben the synnes / that bryngeth men to payne For eueryche of all these / is a deedly synne And letteth mannes soule / heuen to wynne And hatred also / is deedly synne amonge Yf it be holde / in mannes herte longe And dronkennes / is deedly synne also Yf a man vse it / and ofte wyll it do And therfore euery man / that gylty be of this And thynke his soule / to brynge to blys But he hym amende / or he hens wende He shall not though he wolde / after his lyues ende And in to purgatorye / shall he neuer come But without ende / in to hell be nome And yf he be repentaunt / and shryfe Of all suche synne / here by his lyfe Fro hell pyne / than he maye hym saue But penaunce in his body / yet must he haue Than must the soule gone / after as I wene In to purgatorye / tyll of synnes it be clene For penaunce done for synne / as I tolde ere Nedes must be fulfylled / here or there . And whan thou att hole in body / and thy myght last And ofte thou etest / whan thou shuldest fast And whan the lyst slepe / and wylt not aryse And euer commest to late / to goddes seruyce And makest for thy synnes no maner sorowynge whan thou arte in good state / and in lykynge Or whan thou prayest / and makest thyne orayson And hast in thy prayer / but lytell deuocyon Or whan thou hast lykynge / through lust and lyfe In thy bed flesshely / to medle with thy wyfe Onely thy lykynge / more there to fulfyll Than to begette a chylde / through goddes wyll And also whan thou / vysytest men to late That haue great syckenes / and ben in feble state Or men that lyeth here / in stronge pryson Or haue in theyr bodyes / any trybulacyon Or men that ben / synfull and sory For theyr frendes soules / that ben in purgatorye Them to vysyte / it were great mede Through good prayers / and almes dede And also yf thou do not / after thyne estate To make them frendes / that ben in debate And yf thou speke to any man / but yf thou wyt why Bytterly with noyse / and with lowde cry Or whan thou praysest / any man more For encheson of glosynge / than for his lore Or whan in churche / makest any iangelynge Or thy waye is / in any ydle thynge Be it out of churche / or elles within It is accompted / for a venyall synne And also whan thou arte / ouer lyghtly wrothe And swerest / and myght not holde thyne othe Or whan thou cursest / any maner man And haste no cause / hym for to ban Or whan thou supposest / any wyckednesse Through euyll suspycyon / or euyll trowenesse These ben thynges / as saynt Austyn telleth That maketh in purgatorye / the many soule dwelleth That haueth there / moche sorowe and wo And there ben yet / of other wyckednesse many mo And of venyall synnes / full many a score without them that I / haue tolde before But so wytty / is none erthely man That all venyall synnes / tell can For oft tymes / in the daye men falleth In to synnes / that men venyall calleth And euery he synne / is worthy a payne That is done in dede / or in worde in vayne That must clenely / be fordone Here or in purgatorye / euerychone Therfore I counceyll / eche man that be wyse To haunt this lore / that is of pryse That fordoth / through holy mannes lore All venyall synnes / both lesse and more And yf any man fall / in deedly synne Lette hym aryse / and lye not therin And take a preest / and do hym to shryue And do his penaunce / by his lyfe And euermore / haue in his thought Sorowe for synnes / that he hath wrought And do his penaunce / with all his myght And praye to god / both daye and nyght And go woolwarde / and fast and wake And suffre dysease / for our lordes sake For no man maye / in to heuen go But yf he suffre here / both sorowe and wo And whan god greuyth a man / in any wyse Than shulde he suffre it / without fayntyse what syckenes that maye / any man greue Or losse of catell / that god wyll hym reue Or vnkyndenes / falshed other treason Or any dysease / that myght be agaynst reason Than suffre it mekely / and thynke in thy thought That without encheson / ne commeth it nought But god wottes all / and why it is Perchaunce for thynges / that he hath done amys To chastyce hym / in suche manere For synnes that he / hath done here Or it maye be / hym to preue To the loue of god / the more hym to meue For oft tyme that thynge / that god wyll saue Angre and dysease / he must haue Other for his synnes / is that sonde Than shulde he thanke / goddes honde And take mekely / that god hym sendeth And fle all euyll thynge / that he defendeth For through dyseases / and angres here He maketh a man / as a prysonere Penaunce to suffre / for his folye That he hath done / through the deuylles trecherye For yf he suffre it / without grutchynge It standeth hym in stede / of penaunce alowynge And afterwarde / god wyll more to hym do Gyue hym great mede / and grace also And full blysse in heuen / haue therfore Yf he take it mekely / though it greue hym sore As a good chylde / suffreth mekely and styll whan his father chastyseth hym / after his wyll And done all goodnesse / and lette all quede And so shulde eche man / suffre god and drede And namely / almes dede ofte to make Cloth the naked / and to the hungrye mete take And other werkes of mercy / ofte to werche As techeth vs / good men of holy churche And lede clene lyfe / in to his lyues ende And after his deth / his soule shall wende To blysse / and all paynes lyghtly passe That ben in purgatorye / both more and lesse And nowe / I haue tolde to you all The synnes that saynt Austyn / venyall doth call And nowe wyll I tell / what helpeth in certayne The soules that in purgatorye / haueth payne .
Of the helpe that soules hath that ben in purgatorye , of good frendes that ben left behynde them lyuynge in erthe . THe soules that / to purgatorye wendes Be brought thens / through helpe of frendes That done almes dede / for them well afyne And so sayth the holy man / saynt Austyne . Non est negandum ꝙ spiritus defunctorum pietate amicorum suorum viuentium possint refeuari ab omnibus penis . &c. He sayth it is not to gayne saye / in no manere That the soules of them / that deed ben here From payne myght soone / vnbounde be Through frendes in erth / that had of them pyte Foure maner of helpes generall / me maye call That in purgatorye auayleth to the soules all That is byddynge of Pater noster / and eke fastynge And almes dedes / and masses syngynge And in two maners / as clerkes can se The soule from purgatorye / delyuered maye be One is / through grace and mekenesse And another / through waye of ryghtfulnesse By waye of grace / in two manere As it is wryten / in this boke here Fyrst prayer to chryste / that is our heed whan he is offred / in fourme of breed In the preestes handes / with good entent whan the breade is tourned / in to the sacrament As through prayer / of goddes seruauntes here That euer ben busye / in theyr prayere Than maye the soule / that in purgatorye is Through waye of grace / specyally haue this Delyueraunce of payne / that there sore greuyth Through masses and prayers / that there releuyth And by waye of ryghtfulnesse / it is helpe also By two wayes / that I can shewe therto Fyrste through almes dede / that me gyueth the poore It is brought of payne / that greuyth it sore Another is / of theyr penaunce abrydgynge Through penaunce of frendes / and of fastynge Thus maye the soule / as the boke is wytnesse Be helpe / through waye of ryghtfulnesse That is to saye / that they maye in that nede Be brought from payne / through almes dede And through penaunce / and through pardon Tyll there ben payed / a certayne raunsom Than maye the soule / be delyuered awaye Through frendes that wyll / theyr raunsome paye And thus maye the soules / that hens wendes To purgatorye be helpe / through theyr frendes But some maye helpe / and some maye nought The soules / that in to purgatorye be brought But through suche frendes / they maye helpe be That lyueth here in erth / in parfyte charyte For the helpe of them / that charyte fayleth To the soules in purgatorye / no thynge auayleth For they ben all / as lymmes of one bodye That ben in erth here / and tho in purgatorye And as we maye se / proprely here One body haue / many lymmes sere And eche of them / both lesse and more Maye another helpe / yf it greue them sore But yf one of the lymmes / begynneth to fayle That lymme maye to the other / lytell auayle Ryght so it fareth / in the same wyse By hym that lyeth in payne / and may not aryse As they that be in purgatorye / in theyr penaunce without helpe of frendes / haue none alegaunce But who that in deedly synne / is brought And charyte / in his herte hath nought He ne is / but as deed in soule within As longe as he is / in that deedly syn And his helpe ne is / but as in vayne To soules that dwelleth / in that payne For that helpe standeth / in no maner stede Nor nought auayleth / that they haue bede And neuerthelesse / all though that he so be In deedly synne / and out of charyte Yet maye the soule / be helpe thus Yf he to the poore man / gyue almes That they for the soule / specyally praye That lyeth in purgatorye / as I you saye Yet maye the helpe / and the trauayle Of a synfull man / to the soule auayle Yf it in byddynge / done here be Of a frende / that is in charyte That helpe maye auayle / the soule soone For his sake / that byddeth it to be done That in his herte / hath charyte knyt And for his sake / wolde do it For god wyll nothynge do / for his sake That wyll not charyte / in his herte take This case falleth ofte / as I vnderstande Betwene a lorde / and his seruaunt bonde There that the lorde / good and ryghtfull is And his seruaunt / is wycked ywys And yf his seruaunt do / any maner thynge That is good / to the lordes byddynge Yet it maye auayle / to some profyte Though he in goodnes / haue no delyte And that is through reason / and goodnes ywys Of hym through whom / that prayer is For though it be / agaynst the doers wyll Yet as agaynst the bydder / it standeth styll But yf in charyte / they were bothe The more were the helpe / to the deth for sothe And also though a preest / in any maner tyme be Synfull / and out of charyte Yet he is goddes mynyster / and holy churches That the sacrament / vpon the aulter werches That is nought / the lesse of myght All thoughe / the preest lyue not aryght For though a preest / that syngeth the masse Be neuer so full / of wyckednesse Yet that sacrament / that is so holy Maye not be enpayred / through his foly Than maye a masse / from payne soules brynge Though a synfull preest / doth it synge For he syngeth the masse / in goddes name Under whiche ordre / he maye do no shame But preuy prayers made with good entent That be sayde / besydes the sacrament Of a good preest / doth more god paye Than of a synfull preest / vsed eche daye But the offrynge / of goddes body so swete Bryngeth many soules / from paynes greate wherfore me thynketh / that masses syngynge Maye rathest a soule / from payne brynge That goth out of this worlde / in charyte And in purgatorye / clensed shall be But to them / that be dampned for aye No good dede / to them auayle maye Nother almes dede / prayer ne masse For they ben / as the boke bereth wytnesse Departed fro chryste / that of Mary was borne And the soules of them / euer be forlorne And as lymmes ben deed / and layde in claye And all ben / from the body awaye Than maye nothynge helpe / in no maner kynde The lymmes that ben dryed / as it were a rynde Ryght so all the helpe / that a man can tell Nothynge auayleth / to them that be in hell But yet helpe of frendes / that be in goddes seruyce Maye auayle to the soule / in some maner wyse For suche seruyce maye / to the good be wrought So that in lesse payne / they shall be brought For therto auayleth / almes dedes and bedes To the soules that ben / in all thre stedes For it auayleth to the soule / that in purgatorye is To brynge it rather thens / to blys Also it auayleth them / that in heuen be sette For eche daye / theyr ioye encreaseth therfore the bette And the mo that commeth / in to that holy place The more is theyr ioye / before goddes face Also it auayleth them / that be in hell For the fewer / shulde come there to dwell And the fewer / that commeth there for syn The lesse payne they haue / that ben therin And the mo / that in to that place doth wende The more is theyr payne / without ende Thus maye helpe of frendes / auayle by reason To the soules that ben / in that stronge pryson And namely to them / that be in hell And to them also / that in purgatorye doth dwell But suche helpe / maketh no soules fro payne wende But charyte be with them / at theyr ende For in hell / was neuer no charyte And in heuen / therof no nede maye be And as a man maye / here with his honde Make a sete for another / that is vnder bonde And is not of power / it to make But another maketh it / all for his sake Ryght so maye a man / for the deed body do For of helpe / he hath moche nede therto And the soules / that ben to paradyse gone Nede of helpe / they haue ryght none But yf any good dede / for them be wrought It maye to the nedefull / in helpe be brought For all the helpe / that specyally is done here Auayleth to the soules / that in purgatorye ere And to some more / and to some lesse After that they be tolde / of worthynesse And after that charyte / is in them clere ynowe Of them that lyueth in erth / amonges you That euer most be busye / well for to do As well for hym selfe / as for them in wo For whan a man / shall from this worlde flytte Than can no man tell / by no maner of wytte whether that he shall than / in to purgatorye wende Other in to heuen blysse / that hath none ende For some men semeth good / and parfyte alone That after theyr deth daye / be dampned full soone For perchaunce / they ben full foule within And passeth of this worlde / in deedly syn And some men semeth here / that they lyue amysse That soone ben saued / and wendeth to blysse For perchaunce in erth / before theyr dyenge They ben amended / of theyr myslyuynge But of this maye no man / in certayne be For it falleth hooly / to goddes ●ryuyte And neuerthelesse / we shulde here byleue aye That all tho that dye / go in good waye That we saye in erth here / good werkes werche And hath all the sacramentes / of holy churche And whether so they be / oure frende or fo All thynge that is in us / we shulde do And praye to almyghty god / both lowde and styll For all chrysten soules / as it is goddes wyll Yet men maye aske / why me doth masses synge For yonge chyldren / after theyr dyenge That of masses ne prayer / hath no maner nede For they dyd neuer / no maner synfull dede To this I maye answere / by good reason That for reuerence of god / is the encheson That masses me doth synge / and prayers make That god both to yonge and olde / his mercy take And also for the custome / of holy churche And for them that ben deed / some good to werche Nowe ye haue herde / as the boke is wytnesse Nowe almes dede and prayers / penaunce and masse That ben done / through frendes true and certayne Maye helpe the soules / that ben in stronge payne And nowe I wyll tell to you / more therto what profyte pardon / the soule maye do That is pourchased in erth / in a good manere And also in clene lyfe / whyle he lyueth here .
what pardon auayleth to mannes soule . PArdon helpeth them / by many wayes That haue purchased it / ● theyr lyfe dayes For pardon of popes / & of bysshoppes hys That in erth is graunted / or a man dye Maye auayle to the soule / that in purgatorye is Yf it be purchased / worthely ywys And yf they haue for theyr synnes / contrycyon And ben shryuen / before that same pardon Than may pardon after theyr deth / through godes sonde In purgatorye to them / great profyte ●●nde For pardon that is / ryght full and certayne Maye a man release / both of dette and payne As farre as the pardon / maye it areche For thus haue I lerned / through clerke speche Pardon is nothynge elles / to vs in lykenesse But of payne that is dette / forgyuenesse Pardon maye no man haue / but he well werche For it is a treasoure / of holy churche That gadred is / for mede of pardon Through vertue / of Chrystes holy passyon And of the worthynesse / and of the dedes Of holy sayntes / and of theyr medes And it is gadred / of mykell goode Fyrste through martyrdome / and shedynge of blode Of holy Martyres / that moche loued Chrystes laye For whose loue they were brought / in to great afraye And in penaunce / and trauayle of confessours And through good techynge / of wyse doctours And of chastyte / of good vyrgynes and clene That to god euer / wolde theyr mone mene And also / of all holy churche werkes And of prayers / of holy preestes and clerkes And of all this / that I haue nowe before tolde Is gadred this treasoure / both newe and olde And of that treasoure / the Pope bereth the kaye That openeth and closeth / and synnes doth awaye For that falleth to hym / of offyce to holde For he is vycar in erth / god hym make wolde The kayes be nothynge elles / to vnderstonde But ful power / gyuen to hym through goddes sonde Through whiche power / he maye the lawe fulfyll Bynde and vnbynde / after his wyll For the same power / hym falleth to haue That god gaue to Peter / soules to saue For god gaue to Peter / in erth full power And sayde to hym / in this maner . Quodcumque ligaueris super terram / erit ligatum et in celis : et quodcumque solucris super terram / erit solutum et in celis . All that thou byndest / in erth sayth he Shall euer in heuen / bounde be And all that thou vnbyndest / in erth ryght Shall be vnbounde / in heuen bryght This power to all popes / gaue our lorde After saynt Peter / to holde that worde As telleth therof / in an exposycyon Of the Gospell / in a lesson Than semeth it well / by this reason That eche pope hath / a great iurysdyccyon To assoyle a man / and hym forgyue All dettes of payne / that he shulde be to dryue But yet must a man yelde / forsothe also All that he hath wrongefully / take or do For the pope / whan he graunteth that grace He byndeth holy churche / in that same place For hym / to whom that grace auayleth To fulfyll all thynges / that hym fayleth But the bysshoppes / that ben of lesse state Haue lesse power / as clerkes knoweth that For theyr dygnyte / is moche lasse Therfore they / maye not theyr power passe And though it be / not so suffysaunt As is the popes / yet they maye make a graunt Of theyr power of pardon / a great partye To theyr vnderlynges / both lowe and hye But yet it must / as I before haue sayde Be gyuen through holy churches treasour : by god rede And neuerthelesse / there maye no man pardon wynne But he ben out / of deedly synne For he that hath / the kepynge of that treasoure That to mannes soule / is so precyous a floure Maye not gyue it / to holy churches foose Lest he gette hym therby / an euyll loose For suche men they ben / and none other ywys That dwell in deedly synne / and euer doth amys For they ben out / of holy churche lawe Therfore they maye / no pardon to them drawe But frendes of holy churche / maye well craue After pardon / for they shulde it haue For they be suche / that euer be fre Of deedly synne / and in parfyte charyte To them suche pardon / shall neuermore fayle But in purgatorye / to them shall auayle To brynge out of payne / theyr soules clene As ferforth / as the pardon maye mene As clerkes telleth / that god wyll sette For the remenaunt of paynes / that ben of dette That perchaunce is lefte / and not done here As it maye fall / in dyuerse manere A partye of penaunce / that is enioynt And is not done here / before dethes poynt And in partye / of venyall synnes wrought And in partye of synnes / that ben out of thought And in partye / for lytell repentaunce And in partye / for ouer lytell penaunce And in partye / of penaunce enioynt and not do And perchaunce / with lytell deuocyon also And all these maye be called / the remenaunt Of dette of payne / that is not suffysaunt That shulde be fulfylled / in erth here Other in purgatorye / to make the soules more clere But suche dette / maye soone there be quyte who that to suche pardon / hath any delyte In forgyuenesse of all penaunce / the maye be thought whether it be enioyned here / or be nought For so moche pardon / maye a man pourchace Here in his lyfe / that he maye haue grace In purgatorye to be quyte / of all maner dette That from the blysse / myght hym lette For so large / is holy churches treasoure That it maye brynge soules / from all doloure And from all paynes of dette / that maye be Of all men that ben / in chrystente And thus pardon / i purgatorye to soules may auayle But some clerkes / gyueth vs counceyle That we shulde kepe it / and hooly spare Tyll we to purgatorye / come all yare And in erth do penaunce / whyle we maye For a man in purgatorye / shall thynke one daye Longer than hym thought / euer in erth here The space and tyme / of an hole yere Than is one daye of pardon / in forgyuenesse More worth / than all this worldes rychesse For the soule had leuer / that suche payne shall dryue One daye of pardon / than any thynge on lyue For all this wyde worlde / and it were his He wolde gyue to haue rest there / one daye ywys Of this mater / that I make of mencyon Is good helpe of frendes / and eke of pardon That auayleth to them / that in pryson be sette wherfore I haue / myne auctours for me fette And so sayth Innocent / and saynt Austyne That speketh in theyr bokes / of this well afyne And mayster Raymonde also / speketh of the same In a boke / that is called after his name And Thomas Alquin / speketh also Of this mater / and other mo In a boke that is / of great phylosophye That is called / Ueritas theologye And to you / I haue many maters red That in this lytell boke / before ben sped In the whiche / ye haue herde me specyfye Of the condycyons / of Purgatorye And nowe I wyll / no further wende But of this mater / thus I make an ende . Finis ▪ Here endeth the Boke of Purgatorye . And hereafter foloweth a lytell regestre or table of the same .
Here begynneth the regestre or table . FYrste the Prologue . Folio . primo . Here he telleth what Purgatorye is . Folio . i. In what place purgatorye is . Folio . ii . Of two purgatoryes / that god hathe ordeyned . Folio . iii. Of the paynes that ben in purgatorye . Folio . iii. Of the soules that wendeth in to purgatorye / and abydeth there tyll they ben pourged of synne / & whiche soules abyde not there . Folio . viii . For whiche synnes , a soule goth to hell . Folio . ix . Of the helpe that soules hath that ben in purgato rye , of good frendes that be left behynde them lyuynge in erth . Folio . xiii . what pardon auayleth to mannes soule . Folio . xvi . Here endeth the regestre or table of this present Boke .

Cum priuilegio Regali ▪

Imprynted by me Robert wyer , dwellynge at the sygne of saynt Iohan Euangelyste / in saynt Martyns parysshe in the felde / in the bysshop of Norwytche rentes / besyde Charynge Crosse .