and with gret devocioun; and generally shrive thee ofte; if thou ofte falle, ofte thou arise by confessioun. And though thou shryve thee ofter than once of synne of which thou hast ben shriven, it is the more merite; and, as saith seint Augustyn, thou shalt have the more lightly relessyng and grace of God, bothe of synne and of payne. And certes once a yer atte lest way it is laweful to be shriven, for sothely once a yer alle thinges in the erthe renovelen.

De Tertia Parte Penitentiæ

Now have I told of verray confessioun, that is the secounde partye of penitence. The thridde partye of penitence is satisfaccioun, and that stondith generally in almesdede and bodily peyne. Now be ther thre maner of almesdede; contricioun of herte, where a man offereth himself to God; the secounde is, to have pité of the defaulte of his neighbor; the thridde is, in geving of good counseil and comfort, gostly and bodily, where men have neede, and namely in sustenaunce of mennes foode. And take keep that a man hath neede of thise thinges generaly, he hath nede of fode, of clothing, and of lodging, he hath neede of charitable counseil and visityng in prisoun and malady, and sepulture of his dede body. And if thou may not visite the needeful with thy persone, visite by thy message and by thy giftes. These be general almesses or werkes of charité, of them that have temporal riches or discrecioun in counselynge. Of these werkes shalt thou hieren at the day of doom.

This almes shalt thou doon of thin oune propur thinges, and hastily, and prively if thou maist; but natheles, if thou maist not do it prively, thou shalt nought forbere to do almes, though men see it, so that it be nought don for thank of the world, but oonly for thonk of Jhesu Crist. For, as witnessith seint Mathewe, a cite may not be hid that is set on a mountayn, nor non men lighten not a lanterne and put it under a busshel, but men sette it on a candel-stikke, to lighte the men in the hous; right so shal youre light lighten biforn men, that they may see youre goode werkes, and glorifien youre Fader that is in heven.

Now as to speke of bodily peyne, it is in prayere, in wakinges, in fastynges, in vertuous techinges. Of orisouns ye shul understonde, that orisouns or prayeres, is for to seyn, a piteous wil of herte, that redressith it in God, and expressith it by word out-ward, to remove harmes, and to have thinges spirituel and durable, and som tyme temporel thinges. Of whiche orisouns, certes in the orisoun of the Pater-noster hath oure Lord Jhesu Crist enclosed most thinges. Certis it is privileged for thre thinges in his dignité, for whiche it is more digne than any other prayer; for Jhesu Crist himself maked it; and it is short, for it shulde be cond the more lightly, and for to withholde it the more esily in herte, and helpe himselfe the oftere with this orisoun, and for a man shulde be the lasse wery to say it, and for a man may not excuse him to lerne it, it is so short and so easy; and for it comprehendith in itself alle goode prayeres. The exposicioun of this holy praier, that is so excellent and so digne, I bitake to these maystres of theology, save thus moche wol I sayn, whan thou prayest that God shulde forgive thee thy giltes as thou forgivest them that they gilten to thee, be ful wel war that thou be not out of charité. This holy orisoun lesseneth eek venial synne, and therfore it appendith specially to penitence.

This praier moste be trewely sayd, and in verray faith, and that men praye to God ordinatly, discretly, and devoutly; and alway a man shulde putte his wille to be subject to the wille of God. This orisoun moste eek be sayd with greet humblesse and ful pure, and honestly, and nought to the annoyaunce of eny man or womman. It most eek be continued with the werkis of charité. Hit avaylith agayns the vices of the soule; for, as seith seint Jerom, by fastyng ben saved the vices of flessh, and by prayere the vices of the soule.

After this thou shalt understonde, that bodily peyne stant in wakyng. For Jhesu Crist saith, wake and pray, that ye entre not into temptacioun. Ye shul understonde also, that fastynge stout in three thinges, in forbering of bodily mete and drink, and in forberyng of worldly jolité, and in forbering of worldly synne; this is to sayn, that a man shal kepe him fro dedly synne in al that he may.

And thou shalt understonde eek, that God ordeynede fastyng, and to fastyng appurteyn foure thinges: largesse to pover folk, gladnes of hert spirituel: not to be angry nor annoyed nor grucche for he fastith; and also