¶ The convention of swearers. ❀ THe fruitful sentence & the noble works To our doctrine wry teni old antyquyte By many great & right notable clerks Grounded on reason and high authority Died give us example by good morality To follow the trace of troth and righteousness leaving our sin and mortal wretchedness By their writing doth to us appear The famous acts of many a champion In the court of fame renowned fair and clear And some indited their intention Cloaked in colour hard in construction specially poets under cloudy figures Covered the truth of all their scriptures So hystoryagraphes all the worthy deeds Of kings and knights died put in writing To be in mend for their memorial medes How should we now have knowledging Of things past/ but by their inditing Wherefore we ought to praise them doubtless That spent their time in such good business. Among all other my good master Lydgate The eloquent poet and monk of bury Died both contrive and also translate Many virtues books to be in memory touching the truth well and sentencyously But sith that his death was intolerable I pray god reward him in life perdurable Among all things nothing so profitable As is science with the sentencyous scripture For wordly richesse is often transmutable As daily doth appear well in ure Yet science abideth and is most sure After poverty to attain great rycheste science is cause of promotion doubtless I little or nought expert in poetry Remembering my yough so light & frail Purpose to compile here full breviately A little treatise woeful to be wail The cruel swearers which do god assail On every side his sweet body to tear With terrible oaths as often as they swear But also for dread plunged in negligence My pen doth quake to presume to indite But hope at last to recure this science exhorteth me right herdely to write To devoid idleness by good appetite For idleness the great mother of sin Every vice is vedy to let in. I with the same right gret●ly infect Likely to die till grace by medicine Recured my sickness my pain to abject Commannding me by her high power divine To draw this treatise for to enliunyne The readers thereof by penytencyall ●yte And to pardon me of their benyguyte Right mighty princes of every christian region I send you greeting moche heartily & grace Right well to govern upright your dominion And all your lords I great in like case By this my letter you hearts to embrace beseeching you to print it in your mind Now for your sake I took on me mankind And as a lamb most meekly died incline To suffer the death for your redemption And ye my kings which do now domine Over my comens in terrestrial mansion By princely premynence and jurisdiction In your regal courts do suffer me be rend And my tender body with blood all be sprent. Without my grace ye may nothing prevail Though ye be kings for to maintain your see To be a king it may nothing avail But it my grace preserve his dignity Beh●lde your servants how they do tear me By cruel oaths now upon every side About the world launsing my wounds wide All the graces which I have you showed Revolve in mind right oft intentively Behold my body with bloody drops endued Within your realms now torn s●pyteously Towsed and tugged with oaths cruelly Some my heed some mine arms and face Some my heart do all to rend and race They new again do hang me on the road They tear my sides and are nothing dismayed My wounds they do open and devour my blood I god and man most woefully arrayed To you complain it may not be denayed Ye now to tug me/ ye tear me at the root Yet I to you am chief refuyte and boat Wherefore ye kings reigning in renown reform your servants in your court abused To good example of every manner town So that their oaths which they long have used On pain and punishment be wholly refused Meek as a lamb I suffered their great wrong I may take vengeance though I tarry long I do forhere I would have you amend And grant you mercy and ye will it take O my sweet brethren why do ye offend Again to tere me which died for your sake Lose my kindness and from sin a wake I died redeem you from the devils chain And spite of me ye will to them again Made I not heaven the most glorious mansion In which I would be glad to have you in Now come sweet brethren to mine habitation Alas good brethren with your mortal sin Why flee ye from to turn again begin I wrought you/ I bought you/ ye can it not deny Yet to the devil ye go now willingly See Me Be kind ¶ Again My pain Retain. in mind ¶ My sweet blood On the rood Died the good my brother ¶ My face right red Mine arms spread. My wounds bled Think none other ¶ Behold thou my side Wounded so right wide bleeding sore that tide All for thine own sake ¶ Thus for the I smerted Why arte thou hard hearted Be by me converted & thy swearing aslake ¶ Tere me now no more My wounds are sore Leave swearing therefore and come to my grace. ¶ I am ready To grant mercy To the truly For thy trespass ¶ Come now near My friend dear And appear before me. ¶ I so In woe Died go See see ¶ I Cry high (The Unto me dear brother my love and my heart Tourment me no more with thy oaths great Come unto me my joy and again revert From the devils snare and his subtle net Beware of the world all about the set The flesh is ready by concupycence To burn thy heart with cursed violence Though these three enemies do sore the assail Upon every side with dangerous iniquity But if thou list they may nothing prevail Nor yet subdue the with all their extremity To do good or ill all is at thy liberty I do grant the grace thine enemies to subdue Sweet brother accept it their power to extue And ye kings and princes of high nobleness With dukes and lords of every dignity Endued with manhood wisdom and riches Over the commons having the sovereignty Correct them which so do tere me By cruel oaths without repentance amend by time lest I take vengeance ¶ Exodi vicesimo. Non accipies nomen dei cui in vanum. Unto the man I gave commandment Not to take the name of thy god vaynfully As not to swear but at time convenient Before a judge to bear record truly Naming my name with reverence meekly Unto the judge than there in presence By my name to give good credence A my brethren if that I be wroth It is for cause ye falsely by me swear Ye know yourself that I am the very truth Yet wrongfully ye do me rend and tear Ye neither love me nor my justice fere And if ye died ye would full gently Obey my bidding well and perfitly The wordly kings having the sovereignty Ye do well obey without resistance Ye dare not take their names in vanity But with great honour and eke reverence Thou my name more high of magnificence Ye ought more to dread which am king of all Both god and man and regne celestial None earthly man loveth you so well As I do which meekly incline For to redeem you from the fiends of hell Taking your kind by my godhead divine You were the fiends I died make you mine For you sweet brethren I was on the road giving my body my heart and my blood Than why do ye in every manner of place With cruel oaths vvb my body and heart My sides and wounds it is a piteous case Alas sweet brethren I would you convert For to take vengeance ye do me coherte From the house of swearers shall not be absent The plague of justice to take punishment unde. Ecclesiastici xxxiii. Vir multum iurans imple bitur iniquitate et non descendet a domo plaga A man moche swearing with great iniquity Shall be replete and from his mansion The plague of pest ylence shall not seized be Wherefore ye brethren full of abusion Take good heed to this discretion Come now to me and ask forgiveness And be penitent and have it doubtless ¶ Augustinus. Non potest male mori qui bene vixit et vir bene moritur qui male vixit. Who in this world liveth well and rightwisely Shall die well by right good knowledging Who in this world liveth wrongfully Shall hardly scape to have good ending I do grant mercy but no time enlonging Wherefore good brethren while that ye have space A mend your life and come unto my grace My words my prelate's unto you do preach For to convert you from your wretchedness But little availeth you now for to teach The world hath cast you in such blindness Like unto stones your hearts hath hardness That my sweet words may not reconcile Your hearts hard with mortal sin so vile Woe worth your hearts so planted in pride woe worth your wrath and mortal envy Woe worth sloth that doth with you abide Woe worth also immeasurable gluttony Woe worth your tedious sin of lechery Woe worth you whom I gave tree will Woe worth covetise that doth your souls spill Woe worth short joy cause of pain eternal Woe worth you that be so perverted Woe worth your pleasures in your sins mortal Woe worth you for whom I sore smerted Woe worth you ever but ye be converted Woe worth you whose making I repent Woe worth your horrible sin so violent Woe worth you which do me forsake Woe worth you which willingly offend Woe worth your swearing which doth not aslake Woe worth you which will nothing amend Woe worth vice that on you doth atttende Woe worth your great unkindness to me Woe worth your hearts withouten pity. woe worth your falsehood and doubleness Woe worth also your corrupt judgement Woe worth delight in worldly richesse Woe worth debate without extynguysshement Woe worth your words so much impatient Woe worth you unto whom I died boot And woe worth you that tere me at heart root. blessed be ye that love hum ylyte blessed be ye that love truth and patience blessed be ye following the works of equity blessed be ye that love well abstinence blessed be ye byrgyngs of excellence blessed be ye which love well virtue blessed be ye which doth the world eschew. blessed be ye that heavenly joy do love blessed be ye in virtuous governance blessed be ye which do pleasures reprove blessed be ye that consider my grievance blessed be ye which do take repentance blessed be ye remembering my passion blessed be ye making petition blessed be ye following my trace blessed be ye loving tribulation blessed be ye not willing to trespass blessed be ye of my castigation blessed be ye of good operation blessed be ye unto me right kind blessed be you which have me in your mind blessed be ye leaving evil company blessed be ye haunting the virtuous blessed be ye that my name magnify blessed be ye teaching the vicious blessed be ye good and relygous blessed be ye in life temporal Which apply yourself to joy celestial The byrtyll world right often transmutable Who will it in this life and time well spend Shall joy attain after inestimable For in this world he must first condescend To take great pain as his power will extend Against the world the flesh and the devil By my great grace for to withstand their evil For who can be a greater fool than he That spendeth his time to him uncertain For a brevyat pleasure of worldly vanity Than after that to have eternal pain Who of the world delighteth and is fain Shall after sorrow and cry ve be In another world quante sunt tenebre Who is wiser than he that will apply In the world take great pain by due diligence After short pain to come great glory Which is eterne most high of excellence Where he shall see my great magnificence With many angels which for their solace Insacyately do behold my face Regard no joy of earthly consistory For like as phoebus doth the snow relent So passeth the joys of the world transitory Time runneth fast till worldly life be spent Consider this in your entendemente blessed be they that my words do here And keep it well/ for they are to me dear Therefore good brethrens your hearts incline To love and dread me that am omnipotent Both god and man in joy celestine Behold my body all to torn and rent With your spiteful oaths cruel and violent I love you ye hate me ye are to hard hearted I help you ye tear me lo how for you I smarted. Mercy and peace died make and unite between you and me but truth & right wiseness Do now complain bidding my goohede see How that ye break the league of sooth fastness They tell me that by justice doubtless I must take vengeance upon you sickerly That by your swearing again me crucify For at the request of good mercy and pease I have forborn you long and many a day Yet more and more your sins do increase Wherefore my justice will no more delay But take vengeance for all your proud array I warn you oft ye are nothing the better But ye amend my vengeance shall be greater. ¶ Contra iuratores xꝑm in celo crucifigentes: per bernardum nardun dixit duns. Nun satis prote vulneratus sum? nun satis afflictus sunedesine amplius peccare: qr magis aggravat vulnus peccati ꝙ vulnus lateris me. Am not I wounded for the sufficient Have I not for the enough affection Leave more to sin by good amendment The wound of sin to me is more passion Than the wound of my side for thy redemption Though I do spare I shall not destiny But ye amend to burn eternally With my bloody wound I died your charter seal Why do ye tear it why do ye break it so Sith it to you is the eternal heal And the relief of ever lasting woe Behold this letter with the print also Of mine own seal by perfit portraiture print it in mind and ye shall health recure And ye kings and lords of renown Exhort your servants their swearing to cease Come unto me and cast your sin adown And I my vengeance shall truly release With grace and plente I shall you increase And bring you which revolve inwardly This my complaint to eternal glory AMEN ¶ The author. Go little treatise devoid of eloquence Trembling for dread to approach the majesty Of our sovereign lord surmounting in excellence But under the wing of his benignity submitting the to his merciful petty And beseech his grace to pardon thy rudeness Which of late was made to eschew idleness ¶ Thus endeth the conversion of swearers made & compiled by Stephen Hawys groom of the chamber of our sovereign lord king Henry the seventh. ¶ Imprinted at London in Fleetstreet at the sign of saint johan evangelist by me johan Butler blazon or coat of arms printer's device of John Butler