Moses and the Ten Commandments

Introitus Moyses

The to plesyn in all degré,
Gracyous God and Lord ovyr all,
þu graunte us grace wherso we be,
And saue us sownd fro synfull fall.
Thy wyll to werke to us, þi thrall,
Enforme and teche us all þi plesans.
In purenesse put us þat nevyr [m]ot fall,
And grounde us in grace from all grevauns.

Hic Moyses videns [rubum] ardentem admirande dicit:

A, mercy, God, what menyth 3on syte?
A grene busch as fyre doth flame
And kepyth his colowre fayr and bryghte,
Fresch and grene withowtyn blame!
It fyguryth sum thynge of ryght gret fame;
I kannot seyn what it may be.
I wyll go nere, in Goddys name,
And wysely loke þis busch to se.

Loke þat þu preche all abowte;
Hooso wyll haue frenshipp of me,
To my lawys loke þei lowte,
þat þei be kept in all degré.
Go forth and preche anon, let se;
Loke þu not ses nyght nor day.

Custodi precepta Domini Dei tui: Deutronomini vj.

The comaundment of þi Lord God, man, loke þu kepe
Where þat þu walk, wake, or slepe.

Euery man take good hede,
And to my techynge take good intent,
For God hath sent me now indede
3ow for to enforme his comaundment.
3ow to teche God hath me sent
His lawys of lyff þat am ful wyse.
Them to lerne be dyligent;
3oure soulys may þei saue at þe last asyse.

The prcceptys þat taught xal be
Be wretyn in þese tablys tweyn.
In þe fyrst ben wretyn thre
That towch to God, þis is serteyn.
In þe secund tabyl be wretyn ful pleyn
þe tother vij, þat towch mankende.
Herk now well, man, what I xal seyn,
And prent þise lawys well in þi mende.

Ius Primum mandatum: non habebis deos alienos.

The fyrst comaundement of God, as I 3ow say,
Of þe fyrst tabyl, forsothe is this:
þu xalt haue neythyr nyght nore day
Noon other God but þe Kyng of Blysse.
Vndyrstonde wele what menyth this,
Euery man in his degré,
And sett nevyr 3oure hert amys
Vpon þis werdlys vanyté.

For if þu sett þi loue so sore
Vpon ryches and werdly good,
þi wurdly rycches þu takyst evyrmore
Evyn for þi God, as man ovyrwood.
Amend þe, man, and chaunge þi mood;
Lese not þi sowle for werdlys welth.
Only hym loue which bodyly food
Doth 3eve all day, and gostly helth.

2. Secundum mandatum: non [assumes] nomen Dei tui in vantum.

The secund precept of þe Fyrst tabyll:
þe name of God take nevyr in vayne.
Swere none othis be noon fals fabyll;
þe name of God þu nevyr dysteyn.
Bewhare of othis, for dowte of peyn,
Amongys felachepp whan þu dost sytt.
A lytyl othe, þis is serteyn,
May dampne thy sowle to helle pytt.

Man, whan þu art sett at þe nale
And hast þi langage as plesyth the,
Loke þin othis be non or smale,
And 3ett alwey loke trewe þei be.
But swere not oftyn, by rede of me.
For yf þu vse oftyntyme to swere,
It may gendyr custom in the.
Beware of custom, for he wyl dere.

3. Tercium mandatum: memento vt sabbatum sanctifice[s].

The iijde comaundment of God, as I rede,
Doth bydde the halwe well þin haly day.
Kepe þe well fro synfull dede,
And care not gretly for rych aray.
A ryght pore man, þis is non nay,
Of sympyl astat, in clothis rent,
Maybe bettyr than rych with garmentys gay
Oftyntyme doth kepe þis comaundment.

For rych men do shewe oftyntyme pompe and pride
On haly days, as oftyn is sene.
Whan pore men passe and go besyde,
At wurthy festys riche men woll bene.
Thyn haly day þu kepyst not clene
In gloteny to lede þi lyff.
In Goddys hous 3e xulde, bedene,
Honoure 3oure God, both mayden and wyff.

4. Quartum mandatum: honora patrem tuum et matrem tuam.

Off þe secunde tabyll þe fyrst comaundment,
And in þe ordyr þe iiijte, I sey in fay,
He byddyth þe euyrmore with hert bent
Both fadyr a[n]d modyr to wurchep alway.
Thow þat þi fadyr be pore of array,
And 3ow neuyr so rych of golde and good,
3itt loke þu wurchep hym nyght and day
Of whom þu hast both flesch and blood.

In þis comaundmente includyd is
Thi bodyli fadyr and modyr also.
Includyd also I fynde in þis
Thi gostly fadyr and modyr þerto.
To þi gostly fadyr evyr reuerens do;
þi gostly modyr is Holy Cherch.
These tweyn saue þi sowle fro Woo;
Euyr them to wurchep loke þat þu werch.

5. Quintum mandatum: non occides.

The fyfft comaundement byddyth all us
Scle no man, no whight þat þu kyll.
Vndyrstonde þis precept þus:
Scle no wyght with wurd nor wyll.
Wykkyd worde werkyht oftyntyme grett ill;
Bewar þerfore of wykkyd langage.
Wyckyd spech many on doth spyll;
Therfore of spech beth not owtrage.

6. Sextum mandatum: non makaberis.

The sexte comaundement byddith every man
þat no wyght lede no lecherous lay.
Forfeit neuyr be no woman
Lesse þan þe lawe alowe þi play.
Trespas nevyr with wyff ne may,
With wedow nor with non othyr wyght.
Kepe þe clene, as I þe say,
To whom þu hast þi trowth plyght.

7. Septimum mandatum: non furtum facies.

Do no thefte, no thynge þu stele
þe vijte precept byddyth þe ful sore.
Whyll þu arte in welth and wele,
Euyll-gett good loke þu restore.
Off handys and dede be trewe evyrmore.
For yf þin handys lymyd be,
þu art but shent, þi name is lore
In felde and town and in all countré.

8. Octauum mandatum: non loqueris contra proximum tuum falsum testimonium.

The viijte precept þus doth þe bydde:
Fals wyttnes loke non þu bere.
þe trowth nevyrmore loke þat þu hyde,
With fals wyttnes no man þu dere.
Nowther for love, ne dred, ne fere,
Sey non other than trowth is.
Fals wytnes yf þat þu rere,
A3ens God þu dost grettly amys.

9. Nonum mandatum: non desiderabis vxorem proximi tui, et cetera.

The ixte precept of lawe of lyff
Evyn þus doth bydde every man:
Desyre not þi neyborys wyff,
þow she be fayr and whyte as swan
And þi wyff brown; 3itt natt for-than
þi neyborys wyff þu nevyr rejoyse.
Kepe þe clene as evyr þu can
To þin owyn wyff and þin owyn choyse.

10. Decimum mandatum: non concupisces domum proximi tui, non seruum, non ancillam, non bo[vem], non asinum, nec omnia que illius sunt, et cetera.

The xde comaundement of God and last is þis:
Thi neyborys hous desyre þu nowth;
Maydon, nor servaunt, nor nowth of his,
Desyre hem nevyr in wyll nor thowth;
Oxe nere asse þat he hath bought,
Nere no thynge þat longyht hym to.
Godys lawe must nedys be wrought;
Desyre no thynge þin neybore fro.

The vjte comaundement of lechory
Doth exclude þe synfull dede.
But theys tweyn last most streytly,
Both dede and thought þei do forbede.
In wyll nere thought no lechory þu bede:
þi thought and wyll þu must refreyn,
All þi desyre, as I be rede;
In clennes of lyff þiself restreyn.

Frendys, þese be þe lawys þat 3e must kepe.
Therfore every man sett well in mende,
Wethyr þat þu do wake or slepe,
These lawys to lerne þu herke ful hynde,
And Godys grace xal be þi frende.
He socowre and saue 3ow in welth fro woo.
Farewell, gode frendys, for hens wyll I wende;
My tale I haue taught 3ow, my wey now I goo.

Explicit Moyses