Middle English Literature

Sermons.

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DIVES: Reson and holy writ cachyn me to grantyn that bothin avouterie
and symple fornicacion ben wol grevous synnys, but mor grevous is avouterie,
and fayn Y wolde kepyn me from bothin synnys. But women ben the fendis
snaris and so temptyn men to lecherie that it is wol hard to me for the
kepyn me. “Adam, Sampsonem, Petrum, David, and Salomonem femina
decepit; quis modo tutus erit?” “Woman deceyvyd Adam and Sampson,
Petir, Davyd, and Salomon; ho may than ben sykyr from womanys gyle?”
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PAUPER: Many man hat ben deceyvyd be wyckyd women mor be his owyn
folye than be deceyt of woman, but many mo women han ben deceyvyd
be the malyce of men than evere wer men deceyvyd be malyce of woman.
Therfor, the woman lechour is clepyd the snare of the fendis that huntyn
aftir mannys soule, for Salomon seith: “Inveni amario-rem morte mulierem,
etc.,” “Y have foundyn woman mor byttyr than deth. She is the snare of
the hunterys, hyr herte is a net and hyr hondis ben harde bondys. He
that plesith God schal ascapyn hyr, but the synful man schal be takyn of
hyr,” Ecclesiastes 7
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But men ben clepyd nout only the snare of the fend
but also thei ben clepyd his net sprad abrod on the hyl of Thabor for to
takyn many at onys, Hosea 5
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. Mannys malyce is clepyd a net sprad abrod
on an heye hil for it is opyn and boldeliche don, nout in a fewe but in
manye, and therfor whan holy wryt reprovyt the malyce of men, he spekith
in the plurer numbre as to manye, but whan he reprovyth the malyce of
woman he spekyt in the singuler numbre as to fewe in tokene that ther ben
mor schrewis of men than of women and comounly mor malyce in men
than in women, althou sum woman be wol malicious. Fyghtynge, roberye,
manslaute, opyn lecherie, glotonye, gyle, falsnesse, perjurie, tretourie, fals
contr[y]vynge, and swyche othir horrible synnys regnyn mor in man than in
woman.
This fals excusacioun that men so excusyn her synne be the malyce of
woman began in Adam and les
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Adam and al mankende, for synfullyche he
excusyd hys synne be woman whan God undirnam
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hym of hys synne and
putte woman in defaute; and also he put God in defaute that made woman
and answeryd wol proudlyche, as men don these dayys, and seide to God:
“Woman that thu geve to me to ben myn felawe gaf me of the tre, and Y
24
Salimbene de Adam (1221–ca. 1287).
25
Ecclesiastes 7.27.
26
Osee 5.1.
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lies with.
28
reproved.
Marriage
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Conventions and Institutions
eet therof,”
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as ho
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seye: “Haddist thu nout govyn hyr to me to ben myn
felawe, Y schulde nout a synnyd.” And so noutwithstondynge that he was
mor in defaute than woman, yet he wolde nout knowlechyn ony defaute
but he putte woman and God principaly that made woman in defaute.
DIVES: Hou was Adam mor in defaute than woman? PAUPER: For to
hym pryncipaly God gaf the precept that he schulde nout etyn of that tre,
and Eve knew it nout but be Adam. Woman was temptyd be the fend
wondirfolyche in the neddere, whyche wente that tyme righth up and hadde
a face lyk a woman, as seith Bede and the Maystyr of Storiis,
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and she was
deceyvyd with his fayre behestis and his false slye speche, for he hyghte
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hyr
that thei schuldyn nout deyyn but ben as Goddis, connyng good and wyckyd.
Adam hadde non temptacioun fro outward but a symple word of his wyf
that profryd hym the appyl, for we fyndyn nout that she seyde to hym ony
deceyvable word. And therfor sith man was forbodyn of Godys mouth, and
she nout but be man, and man hadde lesse temptacioun than woman and
therto in nothing wolde accusyn hymself ne yeldyn hym gylty but putte
defaute al in woman and in God, therfor he synnyd mor than woman, for
woman yald hyr gylty,
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but she askyd no merci. She made non swyche
excusacion but in gret party yald hyr gylty in that she seyde, “The neddere
hat deceyvyd me.”
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For in that she knowlechyd that she was deceyvyd, she
knowlechid that she hadde don omys, and unwiselyche, and othirwyse than
sche aughte a don. And for that woman lowyd hyr and knowlechyd hyr
unwisdam and hyr folye, therfor God putte in woman that tyme onon hope
of our savacioun whan he seyde to the neddere: “Y schal puttyn enmyte
atwoxsyn the and woman, and atwoxsyn thi seed and hyr seed, and she
schal brekyn thin hefd.”
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That was the fend, whyche was hefd and ledere of
the neddere that tyme. The seed of the fend ben wyckyd warkys and wyckyd
folc, to whyche God seyde in the gospel: “Vos ex patre diabolo estis,” John 8,
“Ye ben of the fadir the fend.”
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The seed of woman gostlyche ben hyr
goode dedys, with whyche the fend and the fendis lymys han gret envye,
and comounly women wlatyn
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mor horriblete of synne than don men. And
29
Genesis 3.12.
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though he.
31
The Venerable Bede (672–735); Peter Comestor (d. 1178).
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promised.
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yielded herself as guilty.
34
Genesis 3.13.
35
Genesis 3.15.
36
John 8.44.
37
abandon.

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be our lady, blyssyd mote she ben, the fendys power is dystryyd. Also, the
seed of woman was Crist, born of the maydyn Marie withoutyn part of man,
and so ther was nevere man propyrly seed of woman but Crist alone, and
alwey is enmyte betwoxsyn Crist and the fend and his seed . . .
And so ben men yit these days ovyrcomyn with lecherye withoutyn
womanys companye and withoutyn doyng of women for, as Crist seyth in
the gospel, “Hoso loke on a woman in wil to don omys with hyr, though
she thinke nout on hym, he that doth lecherye”;
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and if he handele hyr, or
smelle hyr, or speke to hyr, or go to hyr, or seke be whilys and sleyghthis to
han his lust of hyr, thou the woman consente nout to hym and though he
be lettyd of his wyckyd wil, yit is he gylty in lecherye and doth agenys this
comandement of God: “Non mechaberys.”
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Men lechourys gon and rydyn
fro town to town to getyn women at her lust. Thei sekyn the women and
nout the women hem. They castyn many wylys to getyn womanys assent in
synne. Men comounly ben warkeris and begynnerys of lecherie, and than
wether the woman assente or nout assente, yit the man is gylty. And for
oftyntyme it fallit that whan men wendyn ben sekyr of the womanys assent,
than the woman wil nout assentyn for dred of God; and if she assentyd
aforn and hyghte the man to folwyn his lust and aftir repentyth hyr and
withdrawith hyr from hys wyckyd companye, than schal that lechourys man
diffamyn al women and seyn that thei ben false and deceyvable, for swyche
lechouris spekyn mest vylenye of women for they mon nout han her foul
lust of hem at wille. And for thei mon nout defylyn hem with her body,
they defylyn hem with her tunge and spekyn of hem wol evele and diffamyn
hem falslyche and procuryn to hem the harm that they mon . . .
DIVES: And, though, many woman wil assentyn to lust of the flesch wol
lyghthlych if it be profryd. PAUPER: That is soth, but women be nout so
redy to assentyn as men ben to profryn it, and he that profryth it and
begynnyth, he assentyth first and is mor in defaute. DIVES: Thu excusist
mychil women and accusist men. PAUPER: Y accuse non good man but
wyckyd men, lechouris, ne Y excuse no wyckyd woman but goode women
that ben falslyche defamyd of lecherie, nout only in here personys but in her
kende generaly, for the proude malyce of man diffamyth unskylfolyche
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the
kende of woman and, as Adam dede, put his synne on woman and nout wil
accusyn hys owyn malyce to getyn mercy.
38
Matthew 5.28.
39
“Thou shalt not commit adultery,” Exodus 20.14.
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unjustly.
Marriage
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Conventions and Institutions