fol. 198rb Ici comencent les unze peynes de enfern les queus Seynt Pool vist.

Plest vus oyer une demaunde Ke li Deable fist estraunge De un cheytif peccheur. Ke hors fu mys de grant tristur,line5 De mort en vie resuscite Par la volunte de De.

“Unsely gost, hwat dostu here? Thu were in helle myne vere. Hwo haveth helle dure unloke,line10 That thu ert of pyne ibroke?”

Dunke respund le mort a lu En le secle u il fu, Cunte en ordre, e cunte e dist Les .xi. peynes ke seynt Pol vist,line15 Des autres ke il an senty. Un sul mot ne menty.

“Wiltu ihere me, Sathan, Hw ich am of helle igan? Wrmes habbeth my fleys ifreten,line20 And mine freond me habbeth foryeten. Ich mon wes, as thu wel wost,fol. 198va And nu ich a wrecche gost. In helle ich habbe yare ibeo, That mon may on myn hewe iseo!line25 Of me, mon may forbysne taken That wile his sunnes forsaken — To wrothere hele he wes ibore, That for sunnes is forlore, For the mon that her wrcheth swoline30 That his saule to helle go, In mo pyne he schal beo Than foweles under heovene fleo!

Erest, ther beoth bernynde treon No mon ne may herre iseon,line35 Ther the saulen beoth anhon That her habbeth sunnes idon And nolden never to chireche gon. Forthi, hi tholieth ther such won. Thickure hi hongeth her over alline40 Than don been in wynter stal.

Seththen, ther is on ouen ihat. Seove deovlen thar stondeth at, And the saulen underfoth, And heom into the fure doth.line45 Thinges ther beoth al abuten That mon auhte muchel duten: Snou and is, and lyvred blod; Snaken and neddren stingeth for wod Of that fur heo doth heom therline50 And eft also hi weren er. Hwich saule the ther cumeth to Naveth heo never reste ne ro. Heo wolde deye ac heo ne may —fol. 198vb Ac ther heom tyd beon alne way.line55 Swich pyne heo tholie schal That wes of his fleysse to gal And nolde leten his fleysses wil, Ac folewede al that wes unskil; And ther heo tholyeth swich wondrawen,line60 That her arereden unryhte lawen; Thider cumeth the saulen ilome That her demde false domes. Mo saulen tholieth ther swich wo Thene fysses swimme other fueles go!line65 Heo gredeth lude and wepeth sore, Ac bote ne tyd heom never more.

A hwel of stele is further mo, And berneth lihte and turneth o; A thusend spoken beoth theron,line70 And pykes over al idon. Ther schule the saulen beo todrawe That her arereden unryhte lawe. Mo saulen tholieth ther sucche wowe Thane be flothre in the snowe.

line75 Further, ther is a water wallinde hot, That is deop and long and brod, Blakkure than the swarte pich, And stynketh so forholde lych Of uych a wrm that atter berethline80 Other hit stingeth other hit tereth. Ifulled is that fule pool That ever is hot and never cool. Bisydes stondeth an feondes trume, And wayteth hwenne the saules cume.line85 Heo hire awarieth al athrepfol. 199ra Al so wulves doth the scep. Hwenne the feondes heom forleteth, Snakes and neddren heom imeteth And dreyeth heom into a welline90 Ther heo tholyeth al unsel. Hwenne heo habbeth so idon, Eft hit beoth heom al fornon. Ne may he segge ‘waylawei’ That so schule pynes nyht and day.line95 Summe me may ther iseon That stondeth up to heore kneon, And summe to heore mydtheyh, And summe to heore uvere breyh, And summe riht to heore theth,line100 As he her his sunnes deth. Bakbiteres weren theo That stondeth up to heore kneo; That wes heore other copynere Stondeth up to heore swere;line105 And heo that her wedlac breketh, To heore muthe the flod taketh; He that is glad of othres harme Stondeth up into than arme; That spek in chirche that nes no god,line110 To his muthe taketh the flod; That wreyeth his sibbe other him fled, Abuven his eyen the flod geth; That doth his wil that nys noht ryht, Of him, ne may me iseo nowiht!line115 Hwo is wis bi me, beo war That his saule ne cume thar, For theyh the middenerd ago,fol. 199rb Heore pyne ilesteth o.

Vurthur, is a ful deop fenline120 Ful of wowares and of wymmen. The stude is thustrore thene the nyht, For ther ne cumeth never lyht, And stinketh fulre thane the hund For brunston walleth at the grund.line125 Ten thusend feondes and wel mo Thar freteth heore tunge a two And dreyeth ut heore brayn Vor heo weren of gavele vayn; Such is heore pyne ther,line130 Vor heo weren gavelers her. Thenne beoth the wymmen further idon That nowiht nabbeth heom upon — Heom me drepeth myd the piche As we brede with the spiche.line135 Neddren heore breosten suketh, And snakes heore eyen luketh; Hellehundes gnaweth heore feet, And four feondes heom stondeth at, For heo heore maydenhod lureline140 Er heo come to chireche dure, And furduden heore istreon That hit ne moste ifulled beon. Heo hit wurpen hundes other swin. Forthi, hi tholieth thar such pyn.

line145 Vurther, ther beoth wimmen and wapmen bo That feondes dreyeth al a two; Hwenne hi beoth so todrawen, Gripes freteth heore mawen. Half heo doth in o fur,fol. 199va And half into a froren mur;line151 And heore ineward, uych del — Ne beo the tharm ne so smel — Eft heo werpeth, al in al, And wurcheth to that ilke gal.line155 Uvele, heo beoth ipyned ynouh, That her duden with heom woh, Other reveden wrecches heore lond, And brohten heom to muchel scond, He ne funde fader ne freond hom by.line160 Forthi, me drof hom of londe awy; Of heom hi token unriht mol! Forthi, hi drayeth myd such sol.

Vurther, ther is o wateres flod That is ymeynd al with blod;line165 A thusen saulen ther beoth bi Sore ofthurst and ful hungri. In fure hi berneth al awey, And so doth that water, nyht and day. Ne moten heo biden never o sope,line170 Nabben heo never so muche hope. Such pine hi habbeth imet, That breken the hesten that weren iset In Holy Chirche over al. Forthi, hi pleyeth myd such bal.

line175 Vurther, ther beoth olde men That among neddren habbeth heore den; Heom heo tostyngeth uychon, And freteth heore fleys to the bon, And neddren suketh heore braynfol. 199vb And creopeth ut and in ayeyn.181 Summe beoth furbrend and summe ifrore, And alle the bones beoth todrore. Hwenne hi beoth ifrete uychon, Eft hi beoth al in on,line185 Noht for to wenden heom from, Ac for eft tholie that wrecchedom. Heo woneth and groneth day and nyht, Ac hit ne helpeth heom nowiht, For heo nolden beon ischrivenline190 The hwile that hi mosten lyven. Four deofle heom stondeth bi, That pyneth heom ful reuly. Unsely men, hwi neren hi war The hwile that hi lyveden her?line195 Hwi nolden heo don for him no god That heom lesede wyth his blod, And yef us hus and lond and wif, And wit and wisdom and joye and lyf, And al that wes in worlde god?line200 And non of heom hit ne understod; Heo nolden noht thenche theron, Ne povre wrecches no god don. Heo wenden hit scholde lesten o. Forthi heo beoth in suche wo!line205 Preostes heste ne Godes lay Ne heolden hi noht bi heore day, Ac trichurs and lyeres, and les That weren her — wo is ham thes! Ne wenden heo nevermore beon ded,fol. 200ra For that wes thes feondes red,211 Ac ever as heo lyveden lengur, So here pynen were strengur. Heo beoth iput in thilke trume That ne levede nouht in Godes Sone,line215 Ne that Ihesuc wes iboren Of that mayde that wes icoren For to nymen that holy streon. Wel wes him that hit moste iseon.

Inhelle is a deop gayhol;line220 Tharunder is a ful hot pol. Ten thusend deoflen and wel mo Ther doth the wrecche saulen wo, That nymeth eaules and heom totereth. Nis ther non that heom atdareth.line225 Ho stondeth, thustrur thane the nyht, Theo that demde Jesu Crist; Nis non other pine so strong As the stunch that heom is among. An heyh tofore than hevene King,line230 Of heom ne speketh me nothing; Ne dar no seynt heom bidde fore Forthi heo beoth ever furlore.

Vurther, ther his onother put That ne cumeth never undut;line235 Seove duren ther beoth on The saulen for to underfon. Lyhtliche me may cume therinne, Ac up never for none gynne; To so deop hit is wel neyhfol. 200rb As heovene is, from the eorthe, heyh.line241 Therinne goth soulen thikkure inouh Than leves fallen of the bouh. The put is hot at helle grunde. Tharinne, is mony on hungri hund —line245 Mo hundes therinne beoth Thane foweles under heovene fleoth — And the lyun that wes so strong, That al the worlde underfong Er that he was ibrouht adunline250 With Cristes holy passyun.

Therunder, is of iren a wal That is of saulen ifuld al, On heom is mony yrene beond, That is hatture thene the brond.line255 Therinne beoth the saulen idon That weren biheaveded other anhon, Other that so hedden isped That leyen hedden in theovene bed, Other weren mansed bi nomeline260 Forthi heo habbeth Godes grome.”

Ich wile segge eu a soth: Hwoso hit halt, god hit him doth. Hit is iwriten on the Bok, For witnesse therof ich tok.line265 Theyh on hundred heveden iseten Seoththe Kaym wes biyeten, And nyht and day heveden iwaked, And teth and tunge of stel imaked, And tolden of helle pyne o,fol. 200va Yet ther beoth a thusend mo!line271 Hwose is wis beo ywar That his saule ne cume thar! Vor theyh hi greden evermo Ne helph heom wurth o slo.line275 Ac bidde we Crist that is us buve, For his swete moder luve, Leve us suche werkes wurche And so anuren Holy Chireche Hwarthurh we beon iborewe,line280 And ibrouht ut of kare and seorewe.

Ki ces .xi. peynes escryvera; Bon aventure ly avendra.

Hwoso wrot thes pynen ellevene, His soule mote cumme te heveneline285 And pleye ther myd engles bryhte, Ther heo beoth in hevene lyhte; And nabbe he never Godes grome, For Hug’ is his rihte nome, And he is curteys and hendy.line290 Thi, god him lete wel endy. Amen.

Expliciunt .xj. pene inferni quas vidit beatus Paulus.

fol. 198rb Here begin the eleven pains of hell that Saint Paul saw.

I ask that you please listen To how the Devil had a dispute With a miserable sinner. He was released from great sorrow,line5 Raised from death into life By the will of God.

“Miserable spirit, what are you doing here? You were my companion in hell. Who’s unlocked the door of hell,line10 Releasing you from pain?”

Then responds the dead to him In the world where he was, Recounts in order, describes and tells The eleven pains that Saint Paul saw,line15 And others that he’d experienced. Not a single word lies.

“Will you listen to me, Satan, About how I’ve been freed from hell? Worms have gnawed my flesh,line20 And my friends have forgotten me. I was a man, as you well know,fol. 198va And now I’m a miserable spirit. I’ve been in hell a long time, As anyone can see by my hue!line25 In me, one may learn a lesson So that he may give up his sins — To destruction he will be borne, Lost because of sins, Because whoever behaves hereline30 Such that his soul goes to hell, He’ll be in pains more numerous Than than the birds flying under heaven!

First, there are burning trees Like none that one may see here,line35 Whereon are hung the souls Who here have committed sins And refused to ever go to church. For that, they suffer there such woes. There they hang in greater thicknessline40 Than do bees in their winter’s hive.

Next, there is a hot furnace. Seven devils stand at it, With souls underfoot, Tossing them into the fire.line45 There are things all around That men fear greatly: Snow and ice, and clotted blood; Snakes and adders fiercely sting Whoever’s thrown in that fireline50 And also those already there. Whichever soul they attack there Has never any rest or relief. They want to die but can’t —fol. 198vb What they get there is something else.line55 Such pain will they suffer Who were of their flesh too lascivious And wouldn’t control their flesh’s desire, But followed all that was wrong; There they suffer such miseries,line60 Who here enacted unjust laws; Thither come often the souls Who here judged false judgments. More souls suffer there such woe Than fish swim or birds fly!line65 They cry out loudly and weep hard, But remedy helps them nevermore.

A wheel of steel is further along, And burns bright and turns perpetually; A thousand spokes are on it,line70 And spikes set all over it. Thereon will the souls be torn apart Who here enacted unjust laws. More souls suffer there such woe Than are snowflakes in the snow.

line75 Further on, there’s a river boiling hot, Deep and long and broad, Blacker than swarthy pitch, And stinking like an overripe corpse With poisonous worms thatline80 Sting it or tear at it. Befouled is that foul pool That’s always hot and never cool. Beside it stands a devil’s troop, Awaiting when the souls come.line85 They strangle them in flocksfol. 199ra Just as wolves do sheep. When the fiends let go of them, Snakes and adders come upon them And draw them into a wellline90 Where they suffer terribly. After this has been done to them, It happens to them again and again. He cannot utter ‘waylaway’ Who suffers such pains night and day.line95 There are some seen there Who stand up to their knees, And some to their thighs, And some to their upper brows, And some right to their teeth,line100 Just as he committed his sins here. Backbiters were they Who stand up to their knees; Those who were whores or paramours Stand up to their necks;line105 And those who broke wedlock, To their mouths receive the river; He who’s glad of others’ harm Stands up to his arms; He who speaks idly in church,line110 To his mouth receives the river; He who accuses or abandons his brother, The river goes above his eyes; He who willfully does what’s not right, Of him, one sees nothing at all!line115 Whoever seeks wisdom from me, beware That his soul never come there, For even if the world passes away,fol. 199rb Their pain lasts forever.

Further on, is a very deep swampline120 Full of wooers and women. The place is darker than night, For light never comes there, And stinks fouler than a mongrel Because brimstone wells from the ground.line125 Ten thousand fiends and even more There chew their tongues in two And draw out their brains For they were desirous of tribute; Such is their pain there,line130 For they were usurers here. The women are placed further on Having nothing at all on them — They baste them with pitch As we roast meat with grease.line135 Adders suck their breasts, And snakes close up their eyes; Hellhounds gnaw their feet, And four fiends stand near them, Because they lost their virginityline140 Before they came to the church door, And destroyed their offspring So that it couldn’t be baptized. They cast it out to hounds or swine. For that, they suffer there such pain.

line145 Further on, there are women and men Being split in two by fiends; As they are drawn in such a manner, Vultures devour their stomachs. They throw half into a fire,fol. 199va And half into a frozen marsh;line151 And their innards, every bit — No matter how small is their gut — They cast out likewise, all in all, And similarly treat the gall bladder.line155 Vilely, they’re made to suffer plenty, Whoever here caused woe with them, Or stole from poor wretches their land, And brought them to great disgrace, Those who were fatherless and friendless.line160 For that, they drove them off their land; From them they took an unjust tribute! For that, they are gutted so filthily.

Further on, there’s a watery stream That’s all mixed with blood;line165 Therein are a thousand souls Desperately thirsty and very hungry. All of them always in fire burn, And so does that water, night and day. They may never expect a sip,line170 Nor do they ever have any hope. Such pain are they in, Who broke the commandments set In Holy Church over everyone. For that, they play with so much sorrow.

line175 Further on, there are old men Who dwell among adders; They sting every one of them, And gnaw their flesh to the bone, And adders suck their brainsfol. 199vb And crawl out and in again.line181 Some are burning, some freezing, And all the bones have fallen apart. When they’ve been all consumed, Again they join all into one,line185 Not in order to leave them, But to suffer again that wretchedness. They lament and groan day and night, But it doesn’t help them at all, For they wouldn’t be shrivenline190 When they were alive. Four devils stand near them, Torturing them grievously. Wretched men, why weren’t they wary While they lived here?line195 Why wouldn’t they do good for him Who delivered them with his blood, And gave us house and land and wife, And wit and wisdom and joy and life, And all that was good in the world?line200 Yet none of them understood it; They wouldn’t consider that, Or do good for poor wretches. They thought it’d last forever. For that, they’re in such woe!line205 Neither priests’ words nor God’s law Restrained them in their day, But these traitors and liars, who Were false here — woe to them! They never thought about being dead,fol. 200ra For so did these fiends advise them,line211 But the longer they lived here, The stronger were their pains. They’re put in that same troop That didn’t believe in God’s Son,line215 Nor that Jesus was born Of that maid who was chosen To bear that holy offspring. Fortunate was he who understood that.

In hell there’s a deep dungeon;line220 Under it is a very hot pool. Ten thousand devils and even more Torture there the wretched souls, Taking awls and tearing them to pieces. No one there escapes their notice.line225 There stand, darker than night, Those who judged Jesus Christ; There’s no other pain so strong As the stench that’s among them. On high before heaven’s King,line230 They never speak of them; No saint dares intercede for them Because they’re forever lost.

Further on, there’s another pit That never becomes unshut;line235 Seven doors are on it To receive the souls. Easily may they come therein, But never go back up, by any trick; It’s well nigh as deepfol. 200rb As, from the earth, heaven is high.line241 Therein go souls much more thickly Than leaves fall off the branch. The pit is hot at hell’s floor. In it, there are many hungry hounds —line245 There are in it more hounds Than are birds flying under heaven — And the lion that was so strong, That appropriated all the world Before he was conqueredline250 By Christ’s holy passion.

Down below, there’s an iron-walled enclosure Entirely full of souls, With many iron bands on them, Hotter than a branding-iron.line255 In there are consigned the souls Who were beheaded or hung, Or who’d gone about Lying in a bed of thieves, Or were excommunicated by nameline260 For they received God’s anger.”

I’ll tell you the truth: Whoever obeys, it does him good. It’s written in the Bible, Of which I give witness.line265 Even if a hundred men had sat Since the birth of Cain, And stayed awake night and day, With teeth and tongues of steel, And spoke always of hell’s pains,fol. 200va There’d still be a thousand more!line271 Whoever’s wise should beware That his soul not come there! Even if they were to cry out forever It wouldn’t help them even a bit.line275 So let’s pray to Christ above us, For love of his blessed mother, To allow us to perform such works And thus honor Holy Church So that we may be saved,line280 And brought out of care and sorrow.

Here are written the eleven pains; Have good fortune by it.

He who wrote these eleven pains, May his soul come to heavenline285 And play there with bright angels, Where they’re in heaven’s light; And may he never have God’s anger, For Hugh is his true name, And he is courteous and kind.line290 For that, may his ending be good. Amen.

Here end the eleven pains of hell that Saint Paul saw.