<County: Durham>
<Code: L0388>
<MS reference: London, BL Harley 237, fols 93r-94v>
<Text: Exhortacio infirmi in lingua materna>


<fol. 93r><lat></lat>
Mi der frende in god~ 3e hy fast in 3our way to god ward . wher 3e
shal se al 3our forn fadirs : Apostels martirs . confessours . virgyns
and all men and women yat ar sauyd . And yer-for be of gud comfurth
in god . And 3e most ly as a stane in ye wall of ye cyte of heuyn~
wt-outy~ ony noys or stryf . And yer-for or 3e wend out of yis warld
3e ned mak 3our stan redy and yan shal se no3t be lett ¶ ye
stane is 3our saul whilk 3e ned mak clene . ye noice quilke
3e ned make her is vmbethinkynge of 3our syne qwilk 3e <exp>mer</exp>
bus tel ye prest . ye strak is pennance . yat 3e shal be sory
for 3our syne and smyt 3our-self on ye brest . And qwen 3e haue
mad redy yus 3our stane yan may 3e gay ga 3our way in god
and lay ˆ [leif] 3our stane sekirly wt-outyn outyn nois in cite of heuen
And yer-for j concel 3ow yat <exp>s</exp> 3e shryfe 3ow clene and mak
3ou redy And yis al anly no3t to sek+men bod also to hall
For euery day a man nyhist his ded ner and nere And of a
man it is said ye mor he waxis ye mor he vnwaxis And
for sais ye gospel . wak for 3e wat neuer qwat tym god will
com And yerfor luk yat 3e be all way redy . And 3e shal wete
and knaw yat god visites mony a man for his syn diuersly Som~
wt presonynge . Som wt diuers seknes And if ye syn wer all
a-way yan ye seknes shuld a-slak her as beris wittnes ye
gospel . wher god sais yus to ten mesels when he had helid
yam of yer lepir ga he said and Syn na mor and shew
3ow to prestes And yer it is ordand be ye law yt yer shal no
lich gif no bodely medicyn to no sek man to he be helid gostly
and yat he hau takyn gostly medecyn . yer is to say shrift &
housill And if he ben~ wele shreuyn~ and verra repentant J
dred
no3t yt sekenes shal a-slak whilk he had for syn~ or els it
shal turn~ him to ye most blis efter his ded And yerfor : if
his sekenes slak no3t yu shal comforth him on yis m~aner
How yu shal comfort a man yat he groch no3t when he is seke
Son lufis yu god yi lord he wil say . 3it . you yus . gif
yu luf god yi lord yu lufis yt he dois and he scorges ye
and yer yu sall gladly suffir it her of spekes salamon & sais
<fol. 93v>Son spek yu no3t agan~ chastesyng of yi fadir for he is no son~
yt fader chastes no3t And it acord wt comon~ maner of speking
For if a man se a-noyer mans child do schrewidly in his
fader presens and ye fadir chasty him no3t . yan wald ye oyer
man sai he war no3t his child or els he lufis him no3t
For if wer his child or els he lufid him . he wald chasty
him An yerfor be no3t ill apaid of yi faderres chastesyng
of heuen~ For he sais him-self . wham J luf J chasty
Also sekenes of body makes saul hell . And saul hele is
no3t bod of god And yerfor dispice no3t godes scorges bod
when god punych ye thank him and luf him yat he
amendes and blamys ye and punych no3t ye in his wrath
ne in his wodnes bod in his gret mercy Thank yi god and
think yt his mercy passis al his gret wreth . he is yi juge
he will no3t dame ye bod he will haue mercy of ye . mercyfully
he chastes ye And wher yu has deseruyd to haue his
wreth and be damnyd for euer he puttes ouer his Venganges
and sufferes of his gret mercy and punych punych ye her
bod a whill And yerfor dispice no3t his 3erd of mercy
ne groch no3t yer a-gan~ bod suffir it gladly For al ye
domys of god ar ri3tful Now sen seknes of ye body
is hele of ye saul and will yu or nyll yu . yu shal hafe it
gif yu groch a-gan~ ne god and wt yi grochyng yu makes
yi saul mor febil and sa yu profettes no3t to yi-self wt groching
a-gan~ yi fader qwilk is yi lech bod greuys yi-self on
diuers maners Ane is yt yu greuys yi god Anoyer is yt yu
shal haue mekil gastly med as yu suld gif yu suffird
ded mekly And yu shal knaw yt god fader of heuen~
punys no3t ane twis And yer-for wt a glad hert yu
shal suffers sekenes yt god send ye her For it sall
lyghty~ ye on pyne of purgatory So yt yu sal ye soner
com ˆ [to] ye kingdom of heuen~ . Think yt if ye kinge to
wham yu has ben tratour for-geuys ye yi ded and punych
ye bod a litil in a esy preson yt yu art mekil haldyn~
<fol. 94r>to hym . So yu art to yi lord god al-my3ty to wham yu has ben~ tratour yt he
forgyfes ye euer-lestand ded and punech ye bod wt a+litil seknes her~
Gyf a man be ner~ ye ded spek to him on yis maner
Man b if yu vmbethinkit ye and se ye mischef of yis warld yu
shuld desir~ to dy and be wt god . holy writ beris wittnes and
sais . blessid be yai yat dies in god luk ye begynninge of ye life .
kar~ and sorow . yi foly leuynge kar~ and sorow and also trauel and
tene and deses and so yu ledes yi life <1 or more chars> Now wheder is it better
to dy wele and go to blis . And for to dy euyl and go to pane
of hel qwer sorow sal neuer be sesit . yu may now leue <1 or more chars> wele
in yis wrechid warld For holy wyrt sais : euery man is a lier~
yat is to say synful . Also it sais . Vij Sithis on a day fallis a
ri3twis man and yat sais sant paul . yat man leuys wt-outyn
For if a man kepe him fro synful wirkynge . 3it he kan no3t
kype him fro synful thinkinge . her to beris wittnes <1 or more chars>
and sais yus to god J desir to be ded and be wt god For
ye wrichenes of yis warld can no man tell . her is
houngir and trist . cald and hett trauel and werenes
h Jn Jnvi and wrath . glotony and licheri . prid and sloth . Couetise
and falsnes manslaughter and theft and mony oyer And yer is
no man yan he has som~ of yis For euery man is sinful as J said
be-for And yer-for yes old philosofurs maad euer sorow qwen
yer childir war born~ . and fayn qwen yai died . and passid
out of wo of yis warld And sant Austyn . qwen yt he suld
dy he spak to ded on yis maner A yu ded end of al wekydnes
yu ded end of trauel . begynnyng of esse and al ioy . qwat
man may thinke ye profettes and ye blis yt yu bringes wt ye
ytt<?> art deser to me . For a cristyn man may no3t euil dy
and lyue with crist .
When yu has tald him al yis or els if yu haue no3t tyme
to tel al for hast of ded Begyn her and spek t<?> him
on yis maner . qwen yu seis . he is ner~ ye deth

Brothir yu art glad yt yu sal dy in cristyn faith R~ . 3a
knawleg yu yt yu has no3t wele levid as yu shuld R~ j do .
. 3a . Art yu sory yer-for . 3a . has yu wil to amend ye if yu
had space of lyfe . 3a . Trowest yu in ye fader and ye son~
<fol. 94v>and ye hali gast iij persons in a god . 3a leuys yt our lord ihesu
crist god son of heuyn was conceuyd of ye holi gast and tuk
flech and blud of our ladi sant mari and was born of hir she
beinge madyn and moder . 3a Trowis yu yat he suffird
pyn and ded for our trespas and no3t for his awn gilte
vnder pounce pilat And yt he was don on ye croce and
deid for ye on gud fryday and was berid 3a thank
him yerfor . 3a . Trowis yu yt ye saul of him went to hell
and herid it and tuk out adam and eue and our oyer forn-
faders . ye body bidinge in ye graue . 3a . Trowis yat he ye
ˆ <add>saule</add> sal com a-gan~ to ye body . and ˆ [ye] body and ye saul rase togeder
on ye third day fro ded to life and efter yat he stut
to heuen and sett him yer on his fader ri3t hand in his
mageste And at ye day of dom he sal com and
deme ye whike and ye ded and yt all men sal rise
body and saule . after yer deseruiynge to receue gude
and euil And be resauynge of sacramentes of haly kirk
haue for-gefnys of all yer syns and com to euer-lestand
life wt communicacon~ of santes in heuyn~ . 3a J beleue
as haly kirk be-leuys . Trowis yu yt yu may na3t
be sauyd bod be his passion and be his ded <gap>
<lat><three words></lat> Whil yi saul is in yi body put al yi traiste
in his passion and in his ded and think haly yer-on and on na
oyer thinge . no3t thinkand on ye vanite of yis warld on yi
wife on yi childer ne on yi riches bod on ye passion of crist
and haue ye croce be-for ye & say yus . <lat></lat>
<lat></lat> J wat wele yt yu art
no3t <1 or more chars> my god bod yu art a ymage after him and mak
me to haue mor mynd on him after wham yu art emagnyd
lord fader of heuen ye ded of our lord ihesu crist yi sonn ye
whilk is her ymagined J sett be-twix ye and my euil
ded and desert of ihesu crist J offer for yat J shuld haue
deseruyd and haue no3t . lord ye dede of lord ihesu
crist yi son whilk was born~ of lady saite marye modir and m<ill><rest of word></ill>
J-sett be-twix [me] ye and yi wrath And Say In sa to yi handes
lord J tak my saule for yu god of truth boght has me
And So say thris