De Accidia

After the synne of envye and ire, now wol I speke of sloth; for envye blendith the hert of a man, and ire troublith a man, and sloth makith him hevy, thoughtful, and peevish. Envye and ire maken bitternes in herte, which bitternesse is moder of accidie, and bynimith the love of alle goodnes; thanne is accidie the anguische of a trouble hert. And seint Augustyn saith, it is anoye, it is anoye of goodenesse and anoye of harme. Certes this is a damnable synne, for it doth wrong to Jhesu Crist, in as mocht as it taketh the service that we oughte to do to Crist with alle diligence, as saith Salomon; but accidie doth noon such diligence. He doth alle thing with anoy, and with peevishness, slaknes, and excusacioun, and with ydelnes and unlust; for which the book saith, accursed be he that doth the service of God necligently. Than is accidie enemy to every astaat of man. For certes thestate of man is in thre maners; eythere it is thestate of innocence, as was thastate of Adam, biforn that he fel into synne, in which estate he is holden to worche, as in praising and honouryng of God. Another astat is thestate of sinful man; in which estate men ben holden to labore in praying to God for amendement of their synnes, and that he wolde graunte them to rise out of there synnes. Another estaat is thestate of grace, in which he is holde to werkis of penitence; and certes, to alle these thinges is accidie enemye and contrarie, for it loveth no busynes at al. Now certis, this foule synne accidie is eek a ful gret enemy to the maintenance of the body; for it hath no purveaunce against temporal necessité, for it for-slowthith, and forsluggith, and destroyeth alle goodes temporels by rechelesnes.

The ferthe thing is that accidie is like them that be in the peyne of helle, bycause of their slouthe and of their hevynes; for thay that been damned, ben so bounde, that thay maye nought wel do nor wel thenke. Of accidie cometh first, that a man is annoyed and encombrid for to do eny goodnes and makith that God hath abhominacioun of such accidie, as saith seint Johan.

Now cometh slouthe, that wol suffre noon hardnes ne no penaunce; for sothely, slouthe is so tendre and so delicat, as saith Salomon, that he wol suffre no hardnes nor penaunce, and therfore he spoileth al that he doth. Agayns this roten hertid synne of accidie and of slouthe shulden men exercise themself to do goode werkes and manly and vertuously get corrage wel to doo, thinking that oure Lord Jhesu Crist payeth every good dede, be it never so lyte. Usage of labour is a ful greet thing; for it makith, as saith seint Bernard, the laborer to have stronge armes and harde synewes; and slouthe maketh hem feble and tendre. Thanne cometh drede to bygynne to werke eny goode deedes; for certes, who that is enclined to don synne, he thinkith it is so gret emprise for to undertake to doon werkes of goodnes, and castith in his herte that the circumstaunces of goodnesse ben so grevous and so hard for to suffre, that he dar not under-take to do werkes of goodnesse, as saith seint Gregory.

Now cometh wanhope, that is, despair of the mercy of God, that cometh som tyme of to moche outrageous sorwe, and som tyme of to moche drede, ymagynynge that he hath do so moche synne that it wil not availe him, though he wolde repent him, and forsake synne; thurgh which despeir or drede, he abandounith al his herte to alle maner synne, as saith seint Augustin. Whiche damnable synne, if that it continue unto his lyves ende, it is clepped the synnyng of the holy gost. This horrible synne is so perilous, that he that is despaired, ther is no felonye, ne no synne, that he doutith for to do, as shewede wel by Judas. Certes, above alle synnes than is this synne most displesant to Crist, and most adversarie. Sothely, he that despeirith him, is like the coward recreaunt, that seith recreaunt withoute neede. Allas! allas! needeles is he recreaunt, and needeles despaired. Certes, the mercy of God is ever redy to the penitent, and is above alle his werkes. Allas! can not a man bythenk him on the Gospel of seint Luk, wher as Crist saith, that as wel shal ther be joye in heven upon a synful man that doth penitence, as upon nynety and nyne that ben rightful men that needen no penitence? Loke forther in the same Gospel, the joye and the fest of the goode man that hadde lost his sone, whan the sone with repentaunce was torned to his fader. Can not thay remembre eek that as saith seint Luk, xxiij°, how that the thef that was hangid biside Jhesu Criste, sayde, Lord, remembre of me, whan thou comest into thy Kingdom? For sothe saith Crist, to-day thou shalt be with me in paradis. Certis, ther is noon so horrible synne of man, that it may not in his lif be destroyed with penitence, thorugh vertue of the passioun of the deth of Crist. Allas! what needith it man thanne to be despaired, since that his mercy is so redy and large? Aske and have.