Dominica undecima secundum Lucam. In illo tempore:1 Dixit Jhesu Criste ad quosdam qui. Duo homines ascendebant.2
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 160 165 170 175 180 185 190 195 200 205 210 215 220 225 230 235 240 245 250 255 260 265 270 275 280 285 290 295 300 305 310 315 320 325 330 335 340	He es begabbid laithelie, That lates of other men hetheli, And wenes that he have swilk grace, That none to him may be pigase; For to chasti wele swilk men, Criste with ensawmpil will us ken, In oure Gospell of todaie; I rede ye bere it wele awaie, And drawe oure hertes to mekenes, That es rute of all gudenes. Pride and no meknes tho men schawes, That lates hetheli of thaire felawes, Als in oure Gospell of todaie, I rede ye here what I sall saie. Two men into the tempil yede, To praie God for thaire missedede: The to man was a Pharisene, The tother war a a publiene. The Pharisene made his prayere To God of hevene on this manere: “I thank thee, Lorde of Hevenerike, That I am noght other like, That lives in synne and robbrye In covetise and liccherye. Of swilk men,” he saide, “I mene Als es this synfull publyene. I fast two daies in a sevene night, I give mi tendes leelly and right.” This publicane stude fer on dreye, And prayede mekeli withouten crye, And saide, “Of me, God, have mercye, For I am synfull and sarie.” He durst noght lift his eye to hevene, Ne Goddes name with tonge wele nevene, Bot stude and praied God mekeli, And knockid his breste and askid mercie. Forthi, saide Criste in that stede, God herd his prayere and his bede Wele bettir than this Pharisene, And rusid him with wordis kene. For he that makis himself to hye, With thoght or worde or sight or eye, And latis hetheli of his felawe, Forsothe he sall be made so lawe, That all may him to hethinge drive: For pride will thole no man to thrive. This er the wordes of oure Gospell. Als man in Ynglihsse tonge may tell.    This Pharisene, als saise Sainte Bede, Betaknes man that duse gude dede, And castes oute all that he dus; With his pride and with his ruse, He mase him bettir than he es, For in his hert es na mekenes, Forthi in prayere may he noght spede, For proude wordes getes no mede; Forthi thir halimen I rede, That thai in mekenes thaire life lede, And wene noght that thaimself er slike, That nane other may be thaim like, Als did ane ermete in alde sithe, That I will tell and ye will lithe.    In Yngelande be alde dawes, Was sevene kinges als gestis us schawes; Att Bawmborghe in Northe Humberland, Was one of tho kinges wonande That hight Oswald that saynte es now, Als all Hali Kirk and we trowe. In his land bi a watir than, Woned ane hermite that hight Godeman. When he had dwellt thare thritti yere, Him thoght that naman was his pere In halye life, and forthi, Was he somwhat in herte jolye And thankid Criste that he was slike, That nane in lande might be him like. Bot als he him thus hali held, On this maner his pride God felld: He satte a daie be the watir brymme, And sawe tharein twa fihssis swim. The more fondid the lesse to gete, And folowid gapand it to ete; And thare schewid God ferli rathe, For thir fihsses spak bathe. The lesse saide unto the mare: “I praye thee that thou will me spare, For this hali ermite lufe, That sittes on the bank here above.” The more answerd and saide full yare: “For his lufe will I noght thee spare, Bot to mi mete will I thee take.” And than eftsones the lesse spake, And saide to the tother, “I praye thee For Oswalde kinge lufe, spare thou me.” And at that worde he left him qwite — And ferli thoght the hali ermite, How kinge in welthe might bettir be, Or of halier life than he. And to Bawmborghe he than him plette, And with kinge Oswald sone he mette; And when the kinge saw this ermite, Doune of his palfraie light he tyte, And haylsid him sone and yare, And askid him his benisoune thare; And att him spired he what he walde, And privelie the ermete talde, What he of this fihssis herd, And spirid how it of his life ferd. The kinge nitid his halines, And saide, “In me es no godenes; I lede my life in jolyté, With thir knightis als thou mai se I live in werldes welthe and wynne And in me es nathinge bot synne.” This ermite saide, “That maie noght be Bot for his lufe that died on tre Lat me of thi hali life witte That I mai take ensaumpil of it.” Oswald gave him a gold ringe And saide, “To the quene bere this in takeninge And bid hir do right so with thee Als scho es wont to do with me.” The ermite come to the qwene and talde His erande, and faire scho him callde, And in kinges wede sone was he cledde, And into hall the qwene him ledde. Knightis and squiers aboute him droghe, Ladies and maydens fayre ynoghe. He wehsse and was sette on hye dees, Whare he wende wele bene made atees. Plenté was broght of brede and wyne, And riche meesis of the kicchine. He walde of mete and drink have taste, Bot it to the almis was borne in haste. This ermite satte and was full wa, That his mete was borne him fra. The qwene sperid at him tithandes, Bot mete come thare none in his handes; And thus with talkinge scho held him aie, Till all was broght and borne awaie. Bot attelast to the borde was broght A lofe that paied the ermite noght: Of roghe barli and yitt full small, With awnes and clettis baken withall.3 Bot it was corven cortaiselie, And well watir sette tharebye. And the qwene bad him ete gladlie, And he satte still, evil paied forthi, That he ne had eten or he come thare, Sithen he thare might gete na mare. At evene he was to chaumbir ledde, And broght with the qwene in bedde. The qwene began him to hals and kisse, And held him wakand mawgré hisse. This wafull ermite that was hongrie, Felid the hete of hir bodie, And made buskinge to lepe oloft, For he felid hir wombe soft. Eftir helpe hoscid the qwene And thare come redi, als I wene. Of bed than was he fouly drawene, And in a fatte of watir thrawene. Lange was he halden in that watire, Till all his tethe began to chatire. Than was he taken and laide agayne With the qwene, and scho was bayne Him for to kisse, and make redie His flehsse to lust of liccherie. And sone in haste his flehsse rase, And walde fayne have plaied in the plase — All ye wote wele what I mene. And eftsones hoscid the qwene, And of bed was this ermite tane And dippid eft in flom Jordane, And halden thare to he was calde, That all he trembild, be ye balde. Yit bi the qwene eft was he laide: “Allas, allas,” this ermite saide, For him had lever at hame have bene, Than ligge in bed thare with the qwene. For on that o nyght was he thrise Servid with the kinge servise. Lust and likinge sare him lathid, For thrise that o night was he bathid. The thrid tyme was he lappid in haire, And spredde ovre with coverletis faire. Apon the morne the qwene him callde, And askid him if he eft walde Be gestind als he was that night; And he saide, “Naie, be Goddes might, Bot haylewaite of thi gestinnge! For lange ynoghe have I bene kinge!” Than the qwene saide, “Now hase thou sene The kinges life all bedene. I trowe that thou lives more at aise, Than mi lorde duse in his palaise. Thus lange hase he mi lorde bene, And yitt er we bothe maydens clene. If thou have nede of ani thinge, Come to me and to the kinge; For bletheli we will thee give, Bothe mete and clothis whiles we may live.” He thankid hir and yode his gate, And was full fayne he gatte the gate. Be this ensaumpil may we se, That no man aght to wene that he Ware bettir and more halie, Than an other fer or nye. For he that so duse, duse amisse, With privé pride begabbid he is.    For thrinnefalde pride, als saise Sainte Bede, Es schewid in trouthe in worde and dede. The first pride es fals wenynge, That geres men wene that all thinge Comes of his awne doghtines (That right noght in himselven es), And noght of God that all thinge gives, Wharewith bothe man and beste lives. Thus Lucifer fro heven fell, Thorghe swilk fals weninge into hell, For he wende that all his fairnes, Had commen of his awne doghtines, And noght of God that him makid, And forthi his pride God slakid, And made him Devil in hell full lawe, For walde he noght himselvene knawe. Forsothe whosoever wenes so, To hell begin thai for to go: For of oureself have we no winne, Bot filthe and wafulté of synne, Of his grace comes all oure gode, That boght us apon the rode. The tother pride es wickid langinge, That geres a man have likinge, To bere sembleand for doghti thewe, All thof he be ane ebbir schrewe; And mase him wyser than other men That can him wisdome lere and ken. He wald be halden bettir man, Than another that more gude can, To ger men wene that he es wise, With countenaunse of mikil prise. The thrid pride es ogert ruse, That man makes of that he duse, Als did the proude Pharisene, Wham in oure Gospell I gon mene. In oure Gospell God us settis Ensaumpil of pride that thrift lettise; Bot bi the seli publiene, Meke men oure Gospell will mene, That hase no pride of thaire dede, Als saise the gude clerk, Saynte Bede. Full litile of thaimselve thai give, And mikil of God of wham thai live. Saynte Austine spekes of mekenes, And tellis graytheli what it es: He saise it is a willfull heldinge Of mannes thoght, and behaldinge Of his sekenes and his unmight, That geres man oft leve syn and plight. For when a man umthinkis him right, That he es bot a wricchid wight, That of himself hase he no wynne, Bot full of filthe and wafull synne, Than gretis he for his synnes sakes, And of himselvene litil makes; And mikil on God that hase him wroght, And on the rodetre dere him boght. For he seis wele he may noght live, Bot if oure Lorde grace him give. He thinkis how he was geten in synne, And borne to bale that will noght blynne, In this life full of wandrethe, Of payne, of barette, and of lethe. Yitt he thinkes that he sall dye, And strenge pyne and sorow drye; For thare es na wa ne no wounde, Als es the pyne of dede stounde. Forthi saise Salamon the wise, That dede geres thaim growe and grise, That hase thise welthis that thaim buse leve, When dede thaire saule sall fra thaim reve; And tharwith all thaire catele, That in this werld thai lufe so wele. Than sall the saule be full wa, And mikil willare than the ra, For it wate never whider it sall wende, Whether in hevene or hell to lende. Thare mou it find full redilie, How it haves livid here in folie; Whether in pride or in mekenes, Or in ogert or bowsomnes, In liccheri and chastité, In este and nythe or charité, In wisdome or in fule folie, All sall the saule find thare redie. That it hase wroght with the bodie, All mou the saule full dere abye, Bot man be here thareof schrivene, And it with penaunce be forgivene. Swilk thinge aght to make us meke, For this life es noght worthe a leke, Agayne the life that lastis aie, Thare evermore es gammen and plaie. Thir forbisnis er here sette, The pride of mannes hert to lette, And ger him fle ogert ruse, Of the gude dede that he duse, That geres men schamesli tyne thaire mede, Do thai never so almus dede. Swilk rusinge als I of mene, Schewid the proude Pharisene, In oure Gospell thare he him rosid, Wharethorghe he all his mede losid. Bot God wote the publiene, Be whaim Criste will meke men mene, And methe of mete or gluttrie. Me think he wroght full wiselie, For mekeli askid he mercie, Als man bowsome to mende folie. He saide he was with sin begane, And gudenes of himself had nane; For he wist wele that all gudenes, Come of him that all mighti es. He made his praiere mekeli, And God him herd full wele forthi; For mekenes es the best thewe, That ani man in dede mai schewe; For this mekenes whareof I mene, Gert Mari be bothe modir and qwene; Forthi full blissefull es scho to nevene, Goddes modire and quene of hevene, Als scho hirself saise in hir sange, Full wele es thaim hir lufe mai fange; And in mekenes folow hir trase, For God gives to meke men his grase, And geres thaim come unto that blisse, That to all mekemen graithid is. Oure Lorde of hevene us thidir bringe To joye, that es withouten endinge, And give us grace oure life to lede, That we that joye take to oure mede. Amen.	deluded dreadfully scorns other men believes; such equal; (see note) chastise teach advise; keep it in mind (t-note) those The one man publican the Heavenly Kingdom covetousness week tithes loyally far off name prayer; supplication praised Because; too high scorns low scorn suffer (t-note) (see note) Signifies nullifies boasting makes himself succeed these; counsel such olden times listen (see note) poems dwelling (see note) believe stream was named Godeman; (see note) no one; equal pleased such bigger one; tried; smaller a miracle quickly love of this holy hermit readily food at once free Bamburgh; hurried; (see note) he alighted quickly embraced; eagerly blessing inquired; wanted privately denied joy cross learn greeted garments; clothed drew washed; dais at ease dishes wished as alms was taken away asked him for news kept him occupied table pleased rough barley sliced poorly pleased For not having eaten before he came there Since night embrace despite himself made haste to leap up; (see note) called; (see note) Out of; thrust tub; thrown ready incite arose (see note) called out taken river Jordan; (see note) you may be sure would rather have been at home three times Treated in the same manner as the king lechery; he despised wrapped in haircloth entertained thank you for your hospitality; (see note) (t-note) entirely gladly went his way found the gate does wrong deluded threefold; (see note) imagining strength nothing in themselves animal strength diminished joy misery redeemed The second type of pride makes a man wish To have the appearance of good habits utter fool makes himself out to be Who can teach and show him wisdom virtue knows think great worth arrogant boasting; (see note) pointed out prudence hinders blessed The Gospel means to signify meek men They give very little credit to themselves through whom readily bending; (t-note) reflection Upon abandon; evil doing considers creature joy weeps cross dearly begotten misery; cease wretchedness strife; misfortune suffer Like the pain of the moment of death make them tremble; quake that they must leave tear possessions much wilder than the roe-deer knows dwell may arrogance; obedience; (t-note) or hatred and envy; (t-note) What may Unless leek; (see note) In comparison to examples prevent arrogant boasting lose; reward so [many] charitable deeds boasting signify restraint; gluttony begotten quality name (see note) for those who may receive her love path made ready

[Homilies 47–48 not included in this edition. See Explanatory Notes.]