William Dunbar: The Maner of Passyng to Confessioun

Pages	Line number	Line
136	1	O synfull man, thir ar the fourty dayis
	2	That euery man sulde wilfull pennence dre.
	3	Oure lorde Iesu, as haly writ sayis,
	4	Fastit him self, oure exampill to be.
	5	Sen sic ane mychty king and lorde as he
	6	To fast and pray was so obedient,
	7	We synfull folk sulde be more deligent.
	8	I reid the, man, of thi transgressioun
	9	With all thi hert that thou be penitent.
	10	Thow schrive the clene and mak confessioun
	11	And se thairto thou be deligent,
	12	With all thi synnis into thi mynde presente,
	13	That euery syn be the selfe be schawin,
	14	To thyne confessour it ma ne kend and knawin.
	15	Apon thi body gif thou hes ane wounde
	16	That caussis the gret panis for to feill,
	17	Thair is no leiche ma mak the haill and sounde
	18	Quhill it be sene and clangit euery deill;
	19	Rycht sua thi schrift, bot it be schawin weill,
	20	Thow art not abill remissoun for to get,
	21	Wittandlie and thou ane syn for#et.
	22	Off tuenty wonddis and ane be left vnhelit,
	23	Quhat awalis the leiching of the laif?
	24	Richt sua thi schrift, and thair be oucht conselit,
	25	It avalis not thi sely saule to saif,
	26	Nor #it of God remissioun for to haue.
	27	Of syn gif thou wald haue deliuerance
	28	Thow sulde it tell with all the circumstance.
137	29	Se that thi confessour be wys and discreit,
	30	That can the discharge of euery doute and weir,
	31	And power hes of thi synnes compleit.
	32	Gif thou can not schaw furth thi synnes perqueir
	33	And he be blinde and can not at the speir,
	34	Thow ma rycht weill in thi mynde consydder
	35	That ane blynde man is led furth be ane vther.
	36	And sa I halde that #e ar baith begylde:
	37	He can not speir nor thou can not him tell
	38	Quhen nor how thi conscience thou hes fylde.
	39	Thairfor I reid that thou excus thi sell
	40	And rype thi mynde, how euery thing befell,
	41	The tyme, the place , and how and in quhat wys,
	42	So that thi confessioun ma thi synnes pryce.
	43	Awys the weill, or thou cum to the preist,
	44	Of all thi synnes, and namelie of the maist,
	45	That thai be reddy prentit in thi breist.
	46	Thow sulde not cum to schryfe the in haist,
	47	And syne sit doun abasit as ane beist.
	48	With humyll hert and sad contrycioun
	49	Thow suld cum to thine confessioun.
	50	With thine awin mouth thi synnes thou suld tell;
	51	Bot sit and heir the preist hes not ado.
	52	Quha kennes thi synnes better na thi sell?
	53	Thairfor I reid the, tak gude tent thairto.
	54	Thow knawis best quhair bindis the thi scho.
	55	Thairfor be wys afor, or thow thair cum,
	56	That thou schaw furth thi synnes, all and sum.
	57	Quhair seldin compt is tane and hes a hevy charge
	58	And syne is rekles in his gouernance
	59	And on his conscience he takis all to large
	60	And on the end hes no rememberance - 
	61	That man is abill to fall ane gret mischance.
138	62	The synfull man that all the #eir oursettis
	63	Fra Pasche to Pasche, rycht mony a thing for#ettis.
	64	I reid the, man, quhill thou art stark and #oung,
	65	With pith and strenth into thi #eris grene,
	66	Quhill thou art abill baith in mynde and toung,
	67	repent the, man, and kepe thi conscience clene.
	68	Till byde till age is mony perrell sene:
	69	Small merit is of synnes for to irke
	70	Quhen thou art ald and ma na wrangis wyrke.


