See section 3.4.1.3 on the ills within the church, criticized by both orthodox churchmen and Wyclif.
1
I.e. Will postpone the day of [eternal] happiness (see also the note to the title)
2
A GOOD MAKYNGE OF IOUR DELAYE
SUMMARY
As its main theme, the poem stands out against abuses among the secular clergy. In particular, it inveighs against those who take tithes without looking after the souls of their parishioners, and against beneficed clergymen who are only interested in increasing their temporal possessions.1
The poem starts off with a general warning: man is answerable for his own deeds, and whether he deserves the bliss of heaven or the pains of hell is entirely his own responsibility. In stanza (3) the focus shifts to a specific target: the parish priest who neglects his divinely ordained duty of caring for the souls of his parishioners, but takes their tithes all the same. With an authoritative ‘y 3ow forbede’the writer then raises his aim and attacks the ecclesiastics of high rank who devote their time to the pursuit of wealth, status and leisure, hiring others to perform their religious duties, and presumptuously relying on God’s mercy and Christ’s redeeming death. Pious words without the deeds to match, in the end will be judged accordingly. So make haste to make good, before unheralded death overtakes you.
TEXT
(1)
Man, haue hit in þy þou3t Of what matere þou maked is.
3 God made the of nou3t, nothing
Al þat þou hast, þou wost, is his. know
Wheþer hast þou serued pyne or blisse, deserved
6 Seche þy werkis and assaye. Investigate; test [their quality]
Þy getyng, þy holdyng, þy spendyng mysse, wrongly
Fro blisse wolde make Iour delaye.2
(2)
9 To þy bed whan þou shalt go,
Þenk what þou hast don sen morn,
You will here (i.e. in this life) be answerable for wasting your time
3
Ll. 19–20: They make their conscience large, / If they take tithes and are not prepared to teach[the Gospel]
4
Serving the other is wasting your time
5
Ll. 39–40: So theydefraud the souls (i.e. of their parishioners) of [heavenly] bliss. / You waste time [that
6
should be spent] in God’s service
12 Or Goddis name in ydel sworn, taken in vain
Or ellys fals witnesse born, given
Letted pore men of here pray, Deprived; what is theirs
15 In þy defaut here goodis lorn: fault; possessions; lost
Þou shalt answere here iour delay.3
(3)
Who takeþ cure, he bereþ charge accepts a benefice; has the task 18 By Goddis lawe þe folk to preche.
Þey make conscience large,4 nota
Take tyþe and nyl not teche. tithes; teach [the Gospel]
21 Crist his postles tau3t in speche
Fro worldis worschip to wende away, from; esteem; turn away
Gostly and bodyly þe soules to leche, redeem (spiritually)/heal (physically)
24 And bad hem: make no iour delay. (i.e. seek no excuses for delaying)
(4)
Worldis good nes not holichirche; [meant for] the clergy
Richesse and worschep y 3ow forbede. renown
27 Þe folkis cherche, in hem 3e worche, people
Here noo oþer to don þy dede. hire; perform; task
Þat doþ þe dede is worþy mede. work; reward
30 Þou mayst not serue two lordis to pay; cannot; satisfy/please
Þat on he serueþ in loue and drede, The one; fear
Þat oþere he serueþ wiþ iour delay.5
(5)
33 Who ressayueþ benefys for richesse and ese, benefice; physical comfort
To haue his lyuyng in sykernes, For a secure livelihood
Raþere þan serue God to plese,
36 He ressayueþ hit o mys. falsely/wickedly
For ri3t as Iudas dede kys just
Ihesus, and after hym betray, afterwards
39 So þey gyle þe soules fro blisse,6
Of Goddis seruyce make iour delay. In; you waste time
(6)
Why should God be angry, if I go [my way] merrily?
7
Many people of shaky belief may say
8
In a college (i.e. the resident body of ecclesiastics of a collegiate [= endowed] church), or any other body
9
in the Church hierarchy
The souls will challenge the curates (having ‘cure’ [= spiritual charge] of souls) [before God’s throne]
10
42 Endeles ful of alle mercy;
God nyl not, þou3 y be nys, does not want; foolish
Lese me þurgh myn owen foly. Damn
45 So dere God mankynde dede bye; dearly; bought (i.e. through Jesus’ redeeming death)
What greueþ God, þou3 y go gay.7 why; merrily
Þat synnen in ouerhope, in helle mon ly3e; presumptuous/unjustified hope; must; lie
48 Þereof mon be non iour delay. cannot; postponement
(7)
Many wole say, þat leue vneuene:8 believe; insecurely
And it were soþ þat clerkis telle, If; true; clergy
51 Fewe folkes shulde come in heuene, [That]
So fele as shulde renne hedlyng to helle. As many
Hit were hard þere to dwelle,
54 Wiþ helle houndis stonde to bay. By; cornered
Synne mon be punsched, as saiþ þe gospelle; must be punished
Þerof mon be no iour delay. (8)
57 That ouere puple haue astate, authority
Colege or eny oþer degre,9
Mayntene no debate Do not engage in disputes
60 For synguler profyt of temperalte. personal; worldly goods 1oure rule is groundid in charyte,
As li3t of lanterne to lede þe way.
63 To gouerne þe puple in vnyte,
God bad hem: make no iour delay. (9)
Beter is litel ry3twys wonne, in a just manner; obtained 66 Þereof among þe pore to dele,
Þan ouermoche geten wiþ synne, too much (i.e. more than is one’s due) Wiþouten desert take pore mennys wele, undeservedly; possessions
69 And helpe not þe soule to hele, heal
But crye in pyne weylaway. woe!
Þe soules þe curatours wole apele10
I.e. We become ever more indebted [to God]
11
I.e. of Judgement Day
12
(10)
Why ressayue 3e worschipe þat 3e haue. [the] esteem
For 3oure vertues or for 3oure vys.
75 And 3e ful worschip saue, If; true; [wish to] preserve
In word and werk 3e mot be wys.
Þis worldly wysdom is gostly nys, folly
78 Whan werk acordeþ not wiþ wordis 3e say.
Heuene blys, and þis worldis delys,
Þat on wil make iour delay. One of the two
(11)
81 Thow may not knowe a cristen man cannot
Þou3 þou here hym say his crede, hear
Þe ten comaundementis tan profess
84 And speke, and do not þe dede, but
Ne serue God in loue and drede,
Is heretyk, out of fay. outside the faith
87 After 3oure werkis ressayue þy mede; In accordance with; reward
Þerof mon be no iour delay. must
(12)
Thou3 worldis richesse on þe falle, befall you
90 And wolde gon bytwen God and þe,
Suffre not þy soule be þralle; Do not permit; slave
Þenk, God bou3t it to make þe fre.
93 Þou3 þy mayster a tyraunt be,
Fro Goddis lawe wolde say nay, Against; no
Do as [thapostle] Poule bad þe:
96 Abyde, and suffre wiþ iour delay. Endure your lot
(13)
Man, þou wost wel þou shalt dy3e;
What deþ, ne where, þou nost whenne. do not know
99 And synnes wolde þy soule ny3e, afflict
Ay more and more [in] rerage we renne,11 debt; incur
And sodeyn deþ nyl no man kenne. unexpected
102 I rede we drede domesday; urge [you]
Be euene wiþ world er 3e gon henne, Get square; from here
See Wright & Wright (1972, p. 203).
13
NOTES
title In Robbins (1975, p. 1420) as ‘Evils in the church’. Agood makynge] A ‘making good’, i.e. ‘atonement’ (see MED s.v. god ((adj.) sub 4.a)),punning on makynge, ‘poem’ (see MED s.v. making(e
(ger.)). delaye] ‘postponement’; Iour delaye, legal term: ‘day set for a postponed trial’ (see MED s.v. delaye
(n.) sub 3.c); maken delaye, ‘procrastinate, tarry, waste time’ (ibid. sub 1.c), and [4] sub. 5.b.
1–2 Similarly worded in XXII.1–2, Thenke hertely in þy þou3t / Of what matere þou dede bygynne. 1–3 See Ps. 103:14, ‘For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust’, and Gen. 3:19, ‘... for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return’.