houses, or in thin owne, in feld, or in chirche, or in chircheyard, in chirche dedicate, or noon. For if the chirche were halewed, and man or womman spillede his kynde withynne that place, by way of synne or by wycked temptacioun, it is enterdited til it be reconsiled by the bishop; and the prest sholde be enterdyted that dede such a vilonye to terme of al his lyf, and sholde no more synge no masse; and if he dede, he shulde do dedly synne, at every tyme that he song masse. The ferthe circumstaunce is, by which mediatours, as by messagers, or for entysement, or for consentement, to bere companye with felawshipe; for many a wrecche, for to bere companye, wol go to the devel of helle. For thay that eggyn or consentyn to the synne, be parteneres of the synne, and of the damnacioun of the synnere. The fyfte circumstaunce is, how many tymes that he hath synned, if it be in his mynde, and how ofte that he hath falle. For he that ofte fallith in synne, despiseth the mercy of God, and encreseth his synne, and is unkynde to Crist, and he waxith the more feble to withstonde synne, and synneth the more lightly, and the latter arrisith, and is the more eschewe to shrive him, and namely to him that hath ben his confessour. For whiche that folk, whan thay falle agayn to there olde folies, eyther thay forletin her confessours al utterly, or ellis thay departen there shrifte in divers places; but sothely such departed shrifte hath no mercy of God of his synnes. The sixte circumstaunce is, why that a man synneth, as by which temptacioun; and yf himself procure thilke temptacioun, or by excityng of other folk; or if he synne with a womman by force or by hir owne assent; or if the womman maugre hir heed hath ben enforced or noon, this shal she telle, and whether it were for coveytise or for poverté, and if it was hire procuryng or noon, and alle such maner harneys. The seventhe circumstaunce is, in what maner he hath don his synne, or how that she hath suffred that folk have doon to hire. The same shal the man telle pleynly, with alle the circumstaunces, and whether he have synned with commune bordeal womman or noon, or doon his synne in holy tyme or noon, in fastyng tyme or noon, or biforn his shrifte, or after his latter shrifte, and hath paradventure broken therby his penaunce enjoyned therfore, by whos help or by whos counseil, by sorcery or by other craft, al moste be told. Alle these thinges, after thay be grete or smale, add to the consciens of a man; and eek the prest that is the judge, may the better be avysed of his judgement in givyng of thy penaunce, and that is after thy contricioun. For understonde wel, that after the tyme that a man hath defoulde his baptisme by synne, if he wol come to salvacioun, ther is noon other wey but penitence, and shrifte of mouthe, and by satisfaccioun; and namely by those tuo, if ther be a confessour to which he may shryve him, and the thridde if ye have lif to parforme it.

Thanne shal men loke it and considre, that if he wol make a trewe and a profitable confessioun, ther moste be foure condiciouns. First, it moste ben in sorweful bitternesse of herte, as sayde the king Ezechiel to God, I wol remembre me alle the yeres of my lif in bitternes of myn hert. This condicioun of bitternes hath fyve signes; the first is, that confessioun moste be shamefast, not for to covere nor hyde his synne, but for he hath sinned against his God and defoulid his soule. And herof saith seint Augustyn, the herte tremblith for shame of his synne, and for he hath gret shame-fastnes he is digne to have gret mercy of God. Such was the confessioun of the publican, that wolde nought heve up his eyen to heven, for he had offendid God of heven; for which shamefastnes he had anon the mercy of God. And therefor seith seint Augustyn, that such shamefast folk be next forgevenes of remissioun. The secounde signe is humilité of confessioun; of which saith seint Petre, humblith yow under the might of God; the hond of God is myghty in confessioun, for therby God forgiveth the thy synnes, for he alone hath the power. And this humilité shal be in herte, and in signe outward; for right as he hath humilité to God in his herte, right so shulde he humble his body out-ward to the prest, that sittith in Goddes place. For which in no manere, since that Crist is soverayn, and the prest is his mene and mediatour betwix Crist and the synnere, and the synner is the lasse as by way of resoun, thanne shulde nought the confessour sitte as lowe as the synnere, but the synnere shulde knele biforn him or at his feet, but if maladye distourbid it; for he shal take no keep who sittith there, but in whos place that he sitteth. A man that hath trespassed to a lord, and cometh for to axe him of mercy and to maken his accord, and settith him doun anoon by the lord, men wolde holde him outrageous, and not worthy so soone for to have mercy ne remissioun. The thridde signe is, that thy shrifte shulde be ful of teeris, if men may wepe; and if he may not wepe with his bodily eyen, let him wepe with his herte. Such was the confessioun of seint Peter; for after that he hadde forsake Jhesu Crist, he wente out and wepte ful bitterly. The ferthe signe is, that he lette nought for shame to shryve him and to shewen his confessioun. Such was the confessioun of Magdaleyn, that sparede for