WITCHCRAFT AND DREAMS

(Handling Sin, Ul. 339–556)

9

ΤΟ

GYF thou ever thurgh folye
Dydyst ought1 do nygromauncy,
Or to the devyl dedyst sacryfyse
Thurgh wychcraftys asyse,2
Or any man gaf the mede
For to reyse the devyl 4 yn dede,
For to telle, or for to wrey
Thyng that the was don awey;
Gyf thou have do any of thys,
Thou hast synned and do a-mys,
And thou art wurthy to be shent®
Thurgh thys yche7 commaundëment.
Gyf thou yn swerd, other yn bacyn,
Any chylde madyst loke theryn,
Or yn thumbe, or yn cristal,
Wycchëcraft men clepyn hyt al.
Beleve nought yn the pyys 10 cheteryng;
Hyt ys no trouthe, but fals belevyng.
Many belevyn yn the pye:
Whan she comyth lowe or hye
Cheteryng, and hath no reste,
Than sey they we shul have geste.11
Manyon 12 trowyn 18 on here wylys,
And many tymes the pye hem gylys.14
Also ys metyng on the morwe
When thou shalt go to bye or to borwe;
Gyf than thy erende spede ne sette,
Than wylt thou curse hym that thou mette.
Hyt ys the tycement of the devyl
To curse hem that thoght the no evyl.
Of hancel 15 y can no skylle 16 also;
Hyt ys nought to beleve tharto:
Me thynketh byt ys fals every deyl,
Y beleve hyt nought, ne never shal weyl.17
For many havyn glad hancel at the morw,
And to hem or evyn comth mochyl sorw;
And manyon havyn yn the day grete noy,"
And yyt or evyn cometh to hem mochyl ioye.

7 very.

20

30

18

1 at all. ? mode. 3 hire. 4 Call him up-the origin of our colloquial phrase. 5 hide. • punished. 8 One divined by the white flecks on the thumb-nail. 9 call. 10 magpie's. 11 doingsor possibly, a guest. 12 Many a one. 13 believe. 14 deceives. 16 prognostication.

good of it.

17 well. 18 annoyance.

16 I know no

So mayst thou wyte, gyf thou gode can,19 That hancel ys no beleve to man.

Belevë nought moche yn no dremys, For many be nat but gleteryng glemys. These clerkys seyn that hyt ys vanyte, That nought ys, ne never shal be; And ofte mayst thou fynde hyt ryght That thou hast mete 20 upon the nyght. But therof to have mochyl affyaunce The may betyde the sunner a chaunce.

On syxë maners may a man mete: Sum beyn to beleve, sum beyn to lete.21 Sum men dremyn for surfeture, That etyn or drynkyn over mesure; And sum dremë on veyn thyng For over mychyl and grete fastyng; And sum beyn the fendes temptacyoun That to the trowthe ys fals tresoun; And sum come of over mochyl thought Of thyng that men wuld have wrought; And sum beyn Goddys pryvyte That he shewyth to warnë the; And, sum come thurgh grete stody, And shewë to the apertly.22

26

40

50

60

These syxë maners a clerk us tellyth,
Seynt Gregory, that mochyl spellyth.28
The fyrst twey 24 maners, we wote weyl,
Beyn oure defautë every deyl.
The ton 25 ys for over mychel outrage,
The touther ys febylnesse of corage,
As yn mete, or drynk, over moche takyng,
Or yn feblyng the body with moche fastyng.
The touther fourë thys clerkys wytyn,
For yn the byble they ben wrytyn.
Gyf they ne come thurgh temptacyun
Of the fende, that ys a felun,
Nevere had seyd Salamon

71

'That dremys men deseyve 27 manyon.' For tho that to dremys over moche trastys, 28 To scornë hem the fende then frastys.29

Gyf they come nat also thurgh thoght, The wyse clerk hadde tolde hyt noght, 80 Ne suffryd hyt be wrytyn yn boke That men alle day rede yn, and loke,