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From The Parson's Tale, paragraph 9:
The second move to contrition
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From The Canterbury Tales:
The Parson's Tale
Paragraph 10
The third move to contrition, fear of the day of doom


§ 10        The thridde cause that oghte moeve a man to contricioun is drede of the day of doom and of the horrible peynes of helle. For, as Seint Jerome seith, "at every tyme that me remembreth of the day of doom I quake; for whan I ete or drynke, or what so that I do, evere semeth me that the trompe sowneth in myn ere: 'riseth up, ye that been dede, and cometh to the juggement.'" O goode God, muchel oghte a man to drede wich a juggement, ther as we shullen been alle, as Seint Poul seith, biforn the seete of oure lord Jhesu Crist; whereas he shal make a general congregacioun, whereas no man may been absent. For certes there availleth noon essoyne ne excusacioun. And nat oonly that oure defautes shullen be jugged, but eek that alle oure werkes shullen openly be knowe. And as seith Seint Bernard, "ther ne shal no pledynge availle, ne no sleighte; we shullen yeven rekenynge of everich ydel word." Ther shul we han a juge that may nat been deceyved ne corrput. And why? for, certes, alle oure thoghtes been discovered as to hym; ne for preyere ne for meede he shal nat been corrupt. And therfore seith Salomon, the wratthe of God ne wol nat spare no wight, for prevere ne for yifte; and therfore, at the day of doom, ther nys noon hope to escape. Wherfore, as seith Seint Anselm, "ful greet angwyssh shul the synful folk have at that tyme; Ther shal the stierne and wrothe juge sitte above, and under hym the horrible pit of helle open to destroyen hym that moot biknowen his synnes, whiche synnes openly been shewed biforn God and biforn every creature; and in the left syde mo develes that herte may bithynke, for the harye and drawe the synful soules to the peyne of helle; and withinne the hertes of folk shall be bitynge conscience, and withoute forth shal be the world al brennynge. Whider shall thanne the wrecched synful man flee to hiden hym? Certes, he may nat hyden hym; he moste come forth and shewen hym." For certes, as seith Seint Jerome, "the erthe shal casten hym out of hym, and the see also, and the eyr also, that shal be ful of thonder-clappes and lightnynges." Now soothly, whoso wel remembreth hym of thise thynges, I gesse that his synne shal nat turne hym into delit, but to greet sorwe, for drede of the peyne of helle. And therfore seith Job to God: "suffre, Lord, that I may a while biwaille and wepe. Er I go withoute returnyng to the derke lord, covered with the derknesse of deeth; to the lond of mysese and of derknesse, whereas is the shadwe of deeth; whereas ther is noon ordre or ordinaunce, but grisly drede that evere shal laste." Loo, heere may ye seen that Job preyde repit a while, to biwepe and waille his trespas; for soothly oo day of respit is bettre than al the tresor of this world. And forasmuche as a man may acquiten hymself biforn God by penitence in this world, and nat by tresor, therfore sholde he preye to God to yeve hym respit a while to biwepe and biwaillen his trespas. For certes, al the sorwe that a man myghte make fro the bigynnyng of the world nys but a litel thyng at regard of the sorwe of helle. The cause why that Job clepeth helle the "lond of derknesse"; understondeth that he clepeth it "lond" or erthe, for it is stable, and nevere shal faille; "derk", for he that is in helle hath defaute of light material. For certes, the derke light that shal come out of the fyr that evere shal brenne, shal furne hym al to peyne that is in helle; for it sheweth him to the horrible develes that hym tormenten. Covered with the derknesse of deeth, that is to seyn, that he that is in helle shal have defaute of the sighte of God; for certes, the sighte of God is the lyf perdurable. The derknesse of deeth been the synnes that the wrecched man hath doon, whiche that destourben hym to see the face of God, right as dooth a derk clowde bitwixe us and the sonne. Lond of misese, by cause that ther been three maneres of defautes, agayn three thynges that folk of this world han in this present lyf, that is to seyn, honours, delices, and richesses. Agayns honour, have they in helle shame and confusioun. For wel ye woot that men clepen honour the reverence that man doth to man; but in helle is noon honour ne reverence. For certes, namoore reverence shal be doon there to a kyng than to a knave. For which God seith by the prophete Jeremye, thilke folk that me despisen shul been in despit. Honour is eek cleped greet lordshipe; ther shal no wight serven other, but of harm and torment. Honour is eek cleped greet dignytee and heighnesse, but in helle shul they been al fortroden of develes. And God seith, "the horrible develes shulle goon and comen upon the hevedes of the dampned folk." And this is for as muche as the hyer that they were in this present lyf, the moore shulle they been abated and defouled in helle. Agayns the richesse of this world shul they han mysese of poverte, and this poverte shal been in foure thynges: in defaute of tresor, of which that David seith, "the riche folk, that embraceden and oneden al hire herte to tresor of this world, shul slepe in the slepynge of deeth; and nothyng ne shal they fynden in hir handes of al hir tresor." And moore-over the myseyse of helle shal been in defaute of mete and drinke. For God seith thus by Moyses: they shul been wasted with hunger, and the briddes of helle shul devouren hem with bitter deeth, and the galle of the dragon shal been hire drynke, and the venym of the dragon hire morsels. And forther over, hire myseyse shal been in defaute of clothyng; for they shulle be naked in body as of clothyng, save the fyr in which they bree and othere filthes; and naked shul they been of soule, as of alle manere vertues, which that is the clothyng of the soule. Where been thannne the gaye robes, and the softe shetes, and the smale shertes? Loo, what seith God of hem by the prophete Ysaye: that "under hem shul been strawed motthes, and hire covertures shulle been of womres of helle." And forther over, hir myseyse shal been in defaute of freendes. For he nys nat povre that hath goode freendes; but there is no frend, for neither God ne no creature shal been freend to hem. And everich of hem shal haten oother with deedly hat. The sones and the doghtren shullen rebellen agayns fader and mooder, and kynrede agauns kynrede, and chiden and despisen everich of hem oother bothe day nad nyght, as God seith by the prophete Michias. And the lovynge children, that whilom loveden so flesshly everich oother, wolden everich of hem eten oother if they myghte. For how sholden they love hem togidre in the peyne of helle, whan they hated everich of hem oother in the progenitee of this lyr? For truste wel, hir flesshly love was deedly hate, as seith the prophete David: "whoso that loveth wikkednesse, he hateth his soule." And whoso hateth his owene soule, certes, he may love noon oother wight in no manere. And therfore, in helle is no solas ne no freendshipe, but evere the moore flesshly kynredes that been in helle, the moore cursynges, the more chidynges, and the moore deedly hate ther is among hem. And forther over, they shul have defaute of alle manere delices. For certes, delices been after the appetites of the fyve wittes, as sighte, herynge, smellynge, savorynge, and touchynge. But in helle hir sighte shal be ful of derknesse and of smoke, and therfore ful of teeres; and hir herynge ful of waymentynge and of gryntynge of teeth, as seith Jhesu Crist. Hir nose-thirles shullen be ful of stynkynge stynk; and as seith Ysaye the prophete, "hir savoryng shal be ful of bitter galle"; and touchynge of al hir body ycovered with "fir that nevere shal quenche, and with wormes that nevere shul dyen," as God seith by the mouth of Ysaye. And for as muche as they shul nat wene that they may dyen for peyne, and by hir deeth flee fro peyne, that may they understonden by the word of Job, that seith, "ther as is the shadwe of deeth." Certes, a shadwe hath the liknesse of the thyng of which it is shadwe, but shadwe is nat the same thyng of which it is shadwe. Right so fareth the peune of helle; it is lyk deeth for the horrible angwissh, and why? For it peyneth hem evere, as though they sholde dye anon; but certes, they shal nat dye. For, as seith Seint Gregorie, "to wrecche caytyves shal be deeth withoute deeth, and end withouten ende, and defaute withoute failynge. For hir deeth shal alwey lyven, and hir ende shal everemo bigynne, and hir defaute shal nat faille." And therfore seith Seint John the evaungelist: "they shullen folwe deeth, and they shul nat fynde hym; and they shul desiren to dye, and deeth shal flee fro hem." And eek Job seith that in helle is noon ordre of rule. And al be it so that God hath creat alle thynges in right ordre, and no thyng withouten ordre, but alle thynges been ordeyned and nombred; yet, nathelees, they that been dampned been nothyng in ordre, ne holden noon ordre. For the erthe ne shal bere hem no fruyt. For as the prophete David seith, "God shal destroie the fruyt of the erthe as fro hem; ne water ne shal yeve hem no moisture, ne the eyr no refresshyng, ne fyr no light." For, as seith Seint Basilie, "the brennynge of the fyr of this world shal God yeven in helle to hem that been dampned, but the light and the cleernesse shal be yeven in hevene to this children"; right as the goode man yeveth flessh to his children and bones to his houndes. And for they shullen have noon hope to escape, seith Seint Job atte laste that "ther shal horrour and grisly drede dwellen withouten ende." Horrour is alwey drede of harm that is to come, and this drede shal evere dwelle in the hertes of hem that been dampned. And therfore han they lorn al hire hope, for sevene causes. First, for God, that is hir juge, shal be withouten mercy to hem; and they may nat plese hym ne noon of his halwes; ne they ne may yeve no thyng for hir raunsoun; ne they have no voys to speke to hym; ne they may nat fle fro peyne; ne they have no goodnesse in hem, that they mowe shewe to delivere hem fro peyne. And therfore seith Salomon: "the wikked man dyeth, and whan he is deed, he shal have noon hope to escape fro peyne." Whoso thanne wolde wel understande thise peynes, and bithynke hym weel that he hath deserved thilke peynes for his synnes, certes, he sholde have moore talent to siken and to wepe, than for to syngen and to pleye. For, as that seith Salomon, "whoso that hadde the science to knowe the peynes that been establissed and ordeyned for synne, he wolde make sorwe." "Thilke science, "as seith Seint Augustyn, "maketh a man to waymenten in his herte." § 10        The third cause that ought to move a man to Contrition is fear of the day of doom and of the horrible pains of hell. For as Saint Jerome says, "at every time that I remember the day of doom I quake; for when I eat or drink, or whatever I do, ever it seems to me that the trumpet sounds in my ear: `Rise up, you that are dead, and come to the judgment.'" O good God, much ought a man to fear such a judgment, "where we shall be all," as Saint Paul says, "before the seat of our Lord Jesus Christ"; whereas he shall make a general assembly, whereas no man may be absent. For certainly there avails no legal excuse nor forgiveness. And not only shall our faults shall be judged, but also all our works shall openly be known. And, as says Saint Bernard, "There shall no pleading avail, nor no ingenuity; we shall give reckoning of every idle word." There shall we have a judge that can not be deceived nor corrupt. And why? For, certainly, all our thoughts are revealed to him, neither for prayer nor for bribery he shall be corrupt And therefore says Solomon, "The anger of God will not spare any creature, for prayer nor for gift"; and therefore, at the day of doom there is no hope of escaping. Wherefore, as says Saint Anselm, "Very great anguish shall the sinful folk have at that time; there shall the stern and angry judge sit above, and under him the horrible pit of hell open to destroy him that must acknowledge his sins, which sins openly are showed before God and before every creature; and in the left side more devils than heart can imagine, for to harass and draw the sinful souls to the pain of hell; and within the hearts of folk shall be the biting conscience, and outside shall be the world all burning. Whither shall then the wretched sinful man flee to hide him? Certainly, he can not hide himself; he must come forth and show himself." For certainly, as says Saint Jerome, "the earth shall cast him out of itself, and the sea also, and the air also, that shall be full of thunderclaps and lightnings." Now truly, whoever will remind himself of these things, I guess that his sin shall not turn itself into delight, but to great sorrow for dread of the pain of hell. And therefore says Job to God, "Grant, Lord, that I may a while bewail and weep, ere I go without returning to the dark land, covered with the darkness of death, to the land of suffering and of darkness, where is the shadow of death, where there is no order nor ordinance but grisly dread that ever shall last." Lo, here can you see that Job prayed respite a while to weep and bewail his trespass, for truly one day of respite is better than all the treasure of this world. And forasmuch as a man can acquit himself before God by penitence in this world, and not by treasure, therefore should he pray to God to give him respite a while to weep and bewail his trespass. For certainly, all the sorrow that a man might make from the beginning of the world is but a little thing at regard of the sorrow of hell. The cause why Job calls hell the "land of darkness.": understand that he calls it "land" or earth, for it is stable and never shall fail; "dark," for he who is in hell has a lack of physical light. For certainly, the dark light that shall come out of the fire that ever shall burn shall turn him all to pain that is in hell for it shows him to the horrible devils that torment him. "Covered with the darkness of death" -- that is to say, that he that is in hell shall have lack of the sight of God, for certainly the sight of God is the life eternal. "The darkness of death" are the sins that the wretched man has done, which prevent him from seeing the face of God, right as does a dark cloud betwixt us and the sun. "Land of suffering," because there are three manners of faults, against three things that folk of this world have in this present life; that is to say, honors, pleasures, and riches. Instead of honor, have they in hell shame and confusion. For well you know that men call honor the reverence that man does to man, but in hell is no honor nor reverence. For certainly, no more reverence shall be done there to a king than to a knave. Honor is also called great lordship; there shall no creature serve other, but of harm and torment. Honor is also called great dignity and high rank, but in hell shall they be all stomped upon by devils. And God says, "The horrible devils shall go and come upon the heads of the damned folk." And this is forasmuch as the higher that they were in this present life, the more shall they be abated and defiled in hell. Against the riches of this world shall they have misery of poverty, and this poverty shall be in four things: In lack of treasure, of which David says, "The rich folk, that embraced and united all their hearts to treasure of this world, shall sleep in the sleeping of death; and they shall find in their hands nothing of all their treasure." And moreover the misery of hell shall be in lack of mete and drink. For God says thus by Moses: "They shall be wasted with hunger, and the birds of hell shall devour them with bitter death, and the bile of the dragon shall be their drink, and the venom of the dragon their morsels." And furthermore, their misery shall be in lack of clothing, for they shall be naked in body as of clothing, save the fire in which they burn, and other filths; and naked shall they be of soul, as of all manner virtues, which is the clothing of the soul. Where are then the gay robes, and the soft sheets, and the delicate shirts? Lo, what says God of them by the prophet Isaiah: that "under them shall be strewed maggots, and their covers shall be of worms of hell." And furthermore, their misery shall be in lack of friends. For he that has good friends is not poor; but there is no friend, for neither God nor any creature shall be friend to them, and every one of them shall hate the other with deadly hate. "The sons and the daughters shall rebel against father and mother, and kindred against kindred, and chide and despise every one of those others both day and night," as God says by the prophet Micah. And the loving children, that once loved so fleshly each other, would every one of them eat other if they might. For how should they love them together in the pain of hell, when every one of them hated the other in the prosperity of this life? For trust well, their fleshly love was deadly hate, as says the prophet David: "Whoso that loves wickedness, he hates his soul." And whosoever hates his own soul, certainly, he can love no other creature in any manner. And therefore, in hell is no solace nor no friendship, but ever the more fleshly kinsmen that are in hell, the more curses, the more chidings, and the more deadly hate there is among them. And furthermore, they shall have a lack of all manner of pleasures, For certainly, pleasures are a consequent of the appetites of the five wits, as sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. But in hell their sight shall be full of darkness and of smoke, and therefore full of tears; and their hearing full of lamentation and of grinding of teeth, as says Jesus Christ. Their nostrils shall be full of stinking stink; and, as says Isaiah the prophet, "their tasting shall be full of bitter bile"; and touching of all their body covered with "fire that never shall quench and with worms that never shall die," as God says by the mouth of Isaiah. And forasmuch as they shall not suppose that they can die for pain, and by their death flee from pain, that can they understand by the word of Job, who says, "there is the shadow of death." Certainly, a shadow has the likeness of the thing of which it is shadow, but shadow is not the same thing of which it is shadow. Right so fares the pain of hell; it is like death for the horrible anguish, and why? For it pains them ever, as though they should die at once; but certainly, they shall not die. For, as says Saint Gregory, "To wretched caitiffs shall be death without death, and end without end, and lack without end. For their death shall always live, and their end shall evermore begin, and their lack shall not cease." And therefore says Saint John the Evangelist, "They shall follow death, and they shall not find him; and they shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." And also Job says that in hell is no order of rule. And although it be so that God has created all things in right order, and no thing without order, but all things are ordained and numbered; yet, nonetheless, they that are damned are not at all in order, nor hold any order, for the earth nor shall bear them no fruit. For, as the prophet David says, "God shall destroy the fruit of the earth as from them; nor water shall not give them any moisture, nor the air any refreshing, nor fire any light." For, as says Saint Basil, "The burning of the fire of this world shall God give in hell to them that are damned, but the light and the clearness shall be given in heaven to his children," right as the good man gives flesh to his children and bones to his hounds. And for they shall have no hope to escape, says Saint Job at the last that "there shall horror and grisly dread dwell without end." Horror is always dread of harm that is to come, and this dread shall ever dwell in the hearts of them that are damned. And therefore have they lost all their hope, for seven causes. First, because God, that is their judge, shall be without mercy to them; and they can not please him nor any of his saints; nor they can not give any thing for their ransom; nor they have no voice to speak to him; nor they can not flee from pain; nor they have no goodness in them, that they can show to deliver them from pain. And therefore says Solomon: "The wicked man dies, and when he is dead, he shall have no hope to escape from pain." Whoso then would well understand these pains and consider well that he has deserved these pains for his sins, certainly, he should have more desire to sigh and to weep than to sing and to play. For, as says Solomon, "Whoso that had the knowledge to know the pains that are established and ordained for sin, he would make sorrow." "This knowledge," as says Saint Augustine, "makes a man to lament in his heart."


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From The Parson's Tale, paragraph 11:
The fourth move to contrition
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