Sin makes

many a one thrall that ought to be free;

sin brings man down,

and disturbs
God's peace.
[leaf 191, bk.]

Sin makes a man beweep what he once laughed at;

sin is sweet and pleasant in the committing, and tastes Sour when avenged.

Sin makes

ever new shame

though it be forgotten;

it makes all the misery

on earth,

IV. [De septem mortalibus peccatis.] (102)

(1)

(Enne makep many pral,

S

bat scholde be wel fry;
And senne makeþ many fal,

þat he ne mote iþy.
(2)

Senne bryngeþ man a-doun,
þat scholde sitte a deys;
Senne makep storbylo[u]n,
þar scholde be godes peys.
(3)

Senne makeþ by-wepe
þat somman er by-l03;
Senné bryngep wel depe

þat hym wel hyze droz.
(4)

Senne hys swete and lykep,

Wanne a man hi dep;
And al so soure hy brykep,

Wanne he ueniaunce y-sep.

(5)

Senne makep nywe schame,

paz hy for-3ete be;

And senne bryngeþ men in grame,

þar er was game and gle.

(6)

And senne makep al pe who

bat man an erpe hep,

8. peys, MS. peays, the a inserted (and the s added) by a later hand.

13. Between hys and swete some letters erased.

20. and gle later hand.

21. who wo; same spelling, 11. 29, 46, etc.

22. hep, MS. hap.

4

8

12

16

20

32. dereynt. In the MS. the second e is written close to the long-tailed r, and a stroke drawn through the tail of the r, such as generally occurs in the letter p; so that the word intended by the scribe may really have been depeynt. See note.

34. Hy bep in MS. at the end of the preceding line.

35. what so meue men telleþ, men (above the line), and the þ in tellep in a later hand.

41. eny later hand.

43. peny, MS. peyne.

Either experience the torment after death,

or taste the sorrow following sin, so that only purgatory may fall to thee.

When tempted to sin,

consider how
short is the
delight, and
how great
the shame,
and how thou

wrathest the
King of
Heaven.

Lay folk need detailed

[leaf 192, bk.] instruction

how sin comes about.

And þat was ked in londe

By some nauzt fern ago.

(13)

þanne ich may wyssy ase ich can,
Mi self þaz ich be spreþ,

bat, bote pou wylle wondy, man,
by pyne after by dep,

(14)
Wonde pe sorze þat hys her
Folgende after þy queed;
And get þe tyt þe lasse fer,
Whanne pe falp to be dead.
(15)

Whanne pou scholdest senezy,

By-penche, leue frend,

And þaz þy flesch þe menezy,
be wordle oper pe fend,

50. Mi self, MS. I Mi self, Mi (in a different hand) inserted between

I and self.

51. wondy, 53. Wonde, read wondy, Uonde?

52. þy pyne, read þe pyne ?

58. By-penche, read By-pench pe?

63. wrepest, the r written over the e.

64. wh (underdotted) after heuene in MS.

57. enezy in lighter ink.

65. moze, MS. mo30. After porz, resoun is written, but has been crossed out and underdotted.