in our bodies, right anon is contract original sinne; and that, that was erst but only peine of concupiscence, is afterward both peine and sinne: and therfore we ben all yborne sones of wrath, and of dampnation perdurable, if ne were Baptisme that we receive, which benimeth us the culpe: but forsoth the peine dwelleth with us as to temptation, which peine hight concupiscence. This concupiscence, whan it is wrongfully disposed or ordeined in man, it maketh him coveit, by coveitise of flesh, fleshly sinne by sight of his eyen, as to erthly thinges, and also coveitise of highnesse by pride of herte.

Now as to speke of the first coveitise, that is concupiscence, after the lawe of our membres, that were lawfully ymaked, and by rightful jugement of God, I say, for as moche as a man is not obeisant to God, that is his Lord, therfore is his herte to him disobeisant thurgh concupiscence, which is called nourishing of sinne, and occasion of sinne. Therfore, all the while that a man hath within him the peine of concupiscence, it is impossible, but he be tempted somtime, and moved in his flesh to sinne. And this thing may not faile, as long as he liveth. It may wel waxe feble by vertue of Baptisme, and by the grace of God thurgh penitence; but fully

ne shal it never quenche, that he ne shal somtime be meved in himselfe, but if he were refreined by sikenesse, or malefice of sorcerie, or cold drinkes. For lo, what sayth Seint Poule: the flesh coveiteth ayenst the spirit, and the spirit ayenst the flesh : they ben so contrarie and so striven, that a man may not alway do as he wold. The same Seint Poule, after his gret penance, in water and in lond; in water by night and by day, in gret peril, and in gret peine; in lond, in grete famine and thurst, cold and clothles, and ones stoned almost to deth; yet sayd he, alas! I caitif man, who shal deliver me fro the prison of my caitif body? And Seint Jerom, whan he long time had dwelled in desert, wheras he had no compagnie but of wilde bestes; wher as he had no mete but herbes, and water to his drinke, ne no bed but the naked erth, wherfore his flesh was black, as an Ethiopian, for hete, and nie destroyed for cold: yet sayd he, that the brenning of lecherie boiled in all his body. Wherfore I wot wel sikerly that they be deceived that say, they be not tempted in hir bodies. Witnesse Seint James that said, that every wight is tempted in his owen conscience; that is to say, that eche of us hath mater and occasion to be tempted of the norishing of sinne, that is in his body. And therfore sayth

Seint John the Evangelist: if we say that we ben without sinne, we deceive ourself, and truth is not

in us.

Now shul ye understonde, in what maner sinne wexeth and encreseth in man. The first thing is that nourishing of sinne, of which I spake before, that is concupiscence: and after that cometh suggestion of the divel, this is to say, the divels belous, with which he bloweth in man the fire of concupiscence and after that a man bethinketh him, whether he wol do or no that thing to which he is tempted. And than if a man withstond and weive the first entising of his flesh, and of the fend, than it is no sinne: and if so be he do not, than feleth he anon a flame of delit, and than it is good to beware and kepe him wel, or elles he wol fall anon to consenting of sinne, and than wol he do it, if he may have time and place. And of this mater sayth Moyses by the devil, in this maner: the fend sayth, I wol chace and pursue man by wicked suggestion, and I wol hent him by meving and stirring of sinne, and I wol depart my pris, or my prey, by deliberation, and my lust shal be accomplised in delit; I wol draw my swerd in consenting: (for certes, right as a swerd departeth a thing in two peces, right so consenting departeth God fro man) and than wol I

VOL. IV.

D

sle him with my hond in dede of sinne. Thus sayth the fend; for certes, than is a man al ded in soule; and thus is sinne accomplised, by temptation, by delit, and by consenting: and than is the sinne actuel.

more.

Forsoth sinne is in two maners, either it is venial, or dedly sinne. Sothly, whan a man loveth any creature more than Jesu Crist our creatour, than it is dedly sinne and venial sinne it is, if a man love Jesu Crist lesse than him ought. Forsoth the dede of this venial sinne is ful perilous, for it amenuseth the love that man shuld have to God, more and And therfore if a man charge himself with many swiche venial sinnes, certes, but if so be that he somtime discharge him of hem by shrift, they may wel lightly amenuse in him all the love that he hath to Jesu Crist: and in this wise skippeth venial sinne into dedly sinne. For certes, the more that a man chargeth his soule with venial sinnes, the more he is enclined to fall into dedly sinne. And therfore let us not be negligent to discharge us of venial sinnes. For the proverbe sayth, that many smal maken a gret. And herken this ensample : A gret wawe of the see cometh somtime with so gret a violence, that it drencheth the ship: and the same harme do somtime the smal dropes of water,

And

that enteren thurgh a litel crevis in the thurrok, and in the botom of the ship, if men ben so negligent, that they discharge hem not by time. therfore although ther be difference betwix thise two causes of drenching, algates the ship is dreint. Right so fareth it somtime of dedly sinne, and of anoious venial sinnes, whan they multiplie in man so gretly, that thilke worldly thinges that he loveth, thurgh which he sinneth venially, is as gret in his herte as the love of God, or more: and therfore the love of every thing that is not beset in God, ne don principally for Goddes sake, although that a man love it lesse than God, yet is it venial sinne; and dedly sinne is, whan the love of any thing weigheth in the herte of man, as moche as the love of God, or more. Dedly sinne, as sayth Seint Augustine, is, whan a man tourneth his herte fro God, whiche that is veray soveraine bountee, that may not chaunge, and yeveth his herte to thing that may chaunge and flittee: and certes, that is every thing save God of heven. For soth is, that if a man yeve his love, which that he oweth to God with all his herte, unto a creature, certes, as moche of his love as he yeveth to the same creature, so moche he bereveth fro God, and therfore doth he sinne: for he,