<County: Lincolnshire>
<Code: L0210>
<MS reference: London, BL Egerton 657>
<Text: Prick of Conscience>


<fol. 1r>For yi alle yat haue skylle and mynde
Suld thyng of ye wrechydnes of this kynde
yat is foule and fule whalsome
yat man <?>eys fro hys body come
Fra a-bouen and fro be-nethe
Alkyns stynk and alkyns breth
For mare fylth es nane herd no nesshe
yan ye fylth yat comes fro mans flesshe
yat may a+man both se and fele
yf he beholde hym-seluen wele
how foule he is vnto mans syghte
And yerfor says seint Bernard ryghte
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he says yf yow besyly be se
And behold . What comes fro ye
What thurgh nese and mouth cominly
And thurgh ouertours of his body
A fouler myddyng saw yow neuer nane
yan es mans body of flessh and bane
Alletyme yat man here lyues
Nan oyer frute his body gyues
Wether he lyues lang or schort whyle
Bot thyng yat es whatsome and vyle
Als sthynk fylth and nothyng elles
Als Jnnocent yus says and telles
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yus a grete klerk tells in a boke
Be-halde he says and graythely loke
Tylk herbes and tres yt yow sees spryng
And whatkyns froyte yt yai forth bryng
herbes brynges forth floures and sede
And trees froyte and braunches to sprede
<fol. 1v>And yow . bryngs forth of yi seluen here
Nites and lyse and oyer . wermyn sere
Of herbes and trees sprynges baume full gode
And oyle and wyne for mans fode
And of ye comes alle foule thyng .
Als fen and vryne and spyteyng .
Of herbes and trees comes suete flauoure
And of ye comes stynk and ille sauoure
Suylk as ye trees are wyth ye bowes .
Suylk es ye frute yat on yem growes
Jlk tree may no gode frute bere
and so says a gode gardinere
A man is a tre yat standys noght herd
Of wylk ye crope is torned dounward
And ye rote toward ye firmament
Als says ye grete klerke Jnnocente
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He says a+man in schap is bot a tre
Turned is vppe yat doune suld be
of ye wylk ye rote yat on it springes
Js ye here yat on mans heued hynges
ye stoke next ye rote growande .
Js ye heued wyth ye neke . folowande
ye body of yat tre yer-by
Js ye brest wyth ye body
ye bowes are ye armes with the handes
And ye legges with ye fete yat standes
ye braunches may men kyndly kalle
ye taas with ye fyngers alle
yis is ye lefe yat is noght faste
Blawen away with wyndys blaste
And ye body all so of ye tre
yat wych ye sonne may dryed be
A+man yat is 3onge and lyth
Be he neuer so strong and wyghte
And of face both bryth and fayre
<fol. 2a>Angers and euels may sone hym payre
And al hys strengh and bente abate
And make hym in full sympyll state
And chaunge alle his faire colour
and gars ˆ [him] fade als dos ye flour
A . flour yat semes faire and bryght
Wyth stormes fades and tynes ye myght
Also euels and grete myscheues
comes to a man yat here lyues
as feuer dropsy and Jaundys
Tysyk goute and oyer maledys
yat garres hym force and strenght tyne
as stormes garres ye floures dwyne
for yi a+man may lykend be .
To a floure yat is faire on to se
yat seyen when it is forth broght
Welkes and dwynes til it be noght
yis suld be ensaumple tille vs
Als Jobe in a boke says yus
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he says man als a floure bryght
Comys fo3th fyrst vn-to his lyght
And brekys sone and passes away
als a schadowe on somerse day
And neuer in ye same state duelles
Bot ay passand als Jobe telles
Of yis ye profete Wytenese beres
Jn ye sauter . be yis veres
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ye profete says and so it es
Arly a+man passes as dos ye grys
Arly at ye begynnyng / of the day
He florices and he passes a-way
Be it euen he es doune broght
And fades and failes & tornes to noght
Jn ye fyrst be-gynnyng of man
ix C wynter luyude yai yan
<fol. 2v>His clerks in bokes beres wyttenes
Bot sethen wex man lyuyng les
So wolde godde yat it suld be
For vn-to noe alle yus sayde he .
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My gaste he sayde salle noght ay duelle
Jn man for he hys flesshe and felle .
Hys dayes salle be for to duelle here .
A hundreth and tuenty 3ere
Bot so grete elde may now . none bere
For why mans lyfe is comen schortere .
For ye compleccion of ilk man
Js febuller~ yan it was yan~
Nowe is it febuller to se .
For why mans lyfe schorter~ bus be
And ay ye lengar a man may lyue
ye more his lyfe salle now hym greue
And ye lesse salle hym thynke it swete
Als Jnne a psalme wyttenes ye profete
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Jffe in myghtnes foure score falle
Mare es yaire swynk & yair~ with alle
For seldome a+man of yat elde
Haues hele or may hym seluen welde
And now falles shorter mans dayes
Als Jobe . ye haly man says
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Now he says my fo dayes sere
Salle ende wyth a schorte tyme here
Fo may now fourty 3ere passe
And fewar~ fyfty als same tyme wasse
Bot als tyte als man waxes alde
yan waxes hys kynd wayk and calde
yan chaunges hys compleccioune
hys maners and hys condiciounne .
hys hert waxes herd and heuy
And hys heued febull and desy
<fol. 3r>yan wexes his gaste seke and sare
his face runkuls ay mare and mare
hys mynde is schorte when he oght thynkes
hys nese droppys his ande stynkys
hys syghte waxes dyme yat he has
hys bake crokys stoupand he gas
hys fyngers hys tas fete and hande
And alle hys touchis are trembelande
hys werkys noght worth yat he begynnes
his hare moutes his eghen rynnes
his heres wex defe and herd to here
his tonge failes his speche vnclere
hys mouth slauers hys tethe rotes
his wytte fayles and ofte he dotes
he is lyghtly wrathe and waxes froward
To turne hym fra wreth it es harde
he shouthes and trowes sone a thyng
And late he turnes fra yat trowyng
He is couetous and herd haldande
His chere is dredy and his semblande
he is swyfte to speke on his manere
And lath and slawe for to here
And prayses alde men and lattes yem wysse
And 3onge men lyste hym wele dyspys
He louys alde men yat be-fore hauys bene
And lakys ye men yat now are sene
he es oft seke & ay gronande
And oft angyrd and ay playnande
And yis kyndely to aldemen falles
Propertes of elde klerks yaim calles
3ytte are yere more yan . i . haue talde
yat falles to man when he wexs alde
yus may men se yat ken yem kane
What ye maners are of an ald mane .
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ye last ende of mans lyfe harde
es when he drawes to dede warde
<fol. 3v>Whene he is seke and alle doune lyse
And so febyll he may noght ryse
yan ere men als vncertayne
Wether he salle dy or couere agayne
Bot 3yt kan sum+men yat are slygh
wyte yf he salle of yat euylle dy
Be certayn tokyns als he salle here
yat be-falles when dede is nere
hys frount begynnes yan dounward to falle .
And his browys heldys doune with alle
ye lefte hygh of hym yan semes lesse
And narowere yan ye ryght egh es
his nese at ye poynte is scharp and smalle .
And yan begynnes his chyn to falle
his pouce . ar~ stille with-outen steryng
his fete wax calde his body clynges
And yf nere dede be a 3onge man
he wakys & may noght slepe yan
And an alde man to dede drawand
May noght wake bot is ay slepand
Men says yt alle yis takyns sere
Ere of a man yat dede ys nere
Whyles a man lyues he is lyke man
When he is dede what is he yan
yan may men yaire lykenes se
chaunged als it hade neuer bene he
when mans lyfe es broght to ende
On ye same wysse salle he hethen wende
Pore and nakyd als he came
ye fyrst day Fro his modur wome
Nothyng he broght with hym yat day .
Nor nothyng salle he bere a-way
Bot a wyndyng cloth only
yat salle be lappyde on his body
And yus wrechydly endes ye lyfe of man
And yf he be alde what es he yan
When ye lyfe is passyd away
yan is he noght bot erth and clay
<fol. 4r>yat turnes to more corupcioune
yan any stynkande carioune
for ye corupcioune . of hys body
Jf it sulde longe abouen erth ly
it myght ye ayre so corumppede make
yat men yer of yaire dede may take
so is it vile . and violent
yer-for ye gret klerk Jnnocent
telles in a boke . yus openli
of ye wrechydnes . of mans body
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he sais what thyng may foulere be
yan mans carioune it is to se
Or what is more oribylle in stede
Yan mans body when he is dede
Also he says is noght so vgly
als here is a+mans dede body
And when it is in erth layd lawe
wormes salle it alle to-gnawe
To ye flessh be fro ye banys bytyn
For yi in bokes yus fynde we wrytyn
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ye boke says yat when a man
dyes yere salle come to hym yan .
Wormes and neddurs vgly in syght
To whome mans flessh falles wt ryth
for yi in erth man salle slepe
Among wormes yat on hym salle crepe
And gnaw on yat stynkand karkays
Als is wryten in a boke yat says
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he sais in poudyr salle slepe ilk man
And wormes salle alle couere yem yan
for in yis werld es non so wytti
So wyght so fayre no so myghty
Emperoure duke no kaysere
non oyer yat beres gret state here
Ne lerede ne lewede bonde no fre
<fol. 4v>Ne rych ne pouere what so yai be
yat he ne salle turne at his last day
To erth and poudyr al away
And wormys salle ryue yem alle in sundyr
And yerfor haue J mykylle wondyr
yat vnnes any man may wille se
What he was is and salle be
Bot who so wolde in hert caste
What he was and salle be at ye laste
And what he is whyles he lyues here
he suld haue fulle lytill manere
for to make ioy to whyles he here duelles
Als a versifioure in metyre telles
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he says who so wolde fele and se
When he come and weyir~ sulde he
Suld he neuer~ be blyth bot ioy forsake
And euyr grete and sorow make
Wherto is man here so myry
And so tendur of his foule body
yat salle be gnawen wyth wormes kene
And so vgly is yan to be sene
Who so of hym yan hade a sythe
When yat wormes hym so hade dyghte
When he is bare vn-to ye bane
So grysly syght sawe he neuere nane
As he myght se on yat carcayse
For seint Bernard in yis metyr says
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aftur man he says wormy es ,
And aftir wermyn stynk & vglynes
And swo salle ilk man turnede be yan
fro a man vn-to no man
yus may ilk man in yis party se
what he was and what he salle be
And what he es whiles he here lyues
And what kyns frute his kynde geues
Her may men se als wryten es
Mykylle of mans wrechydnes