ROLLE (Richard), *Hermit of Hampole*. [Emendatio Vitae] f.1, Heer begynnyth a tretise þat seynt rychard of hampole made hou synful men shuld amend her lyfis. And it conteynyth .xii. chaptees. f.24, Here endith þe twelue chapetris of seint Richarde of ham-pole, and her begynnyth a tretiis [Ego dormio] which tellith of þe nyne ordris of aungels & how men shuld be set in heuen as he wrot to an Ankeresse.

Sm. 4to. (7¼ x 5¼ ins.), *English manuscript on vellum*, ff.37 in gatherings of 8, the last 3 leaves apparently blanks cut away; written in a neat Gothic hand, 25-31 lines to a page, a number of capital letters and initial strokes in red; a tear in one leaf repaired, but in fine condition; bound in seventeenth century limp vellum. About 1400.

Richard Rolle, one of the most famous of English hermits and religious writers, was born in Yorkshire towards the end of the thirteenth century and died in 1349. After some wanderings he eventually established himself at Hampole near Doncaster where he wrote many works both in Latin and English. The present manuscript is an early translation of two of his well known Latin treatises.

Bound in the same volume is a fifteenth century manuscript, *Tractatus de Quinta Essentia*, by Joannes de Rupescissa. It is written on paper (68 leaves) in a rather untidy Gothic hand with the chapter headings in red.

Hoc benjymyth a trenſe yat ſeynt a ychapeſe of
Champote made you ſynſul me ſhuld a mend
her lyſis. And it contemyth. vii. chapters.

The firſte chapter is you wicſid men ſchuld turne
hem from ſynne.

The ſeruide 16 of diſpſyngſe of this worlde.

The thirdde 16 of poſite.

The myth of godiſny of a miſaſe life.

The vth of tribulation.

The viijth patience.

The viijth of preſence.

The viijth of hoſpít ymkyngſe.

The viijth of parſit lowyng.

The viijth of clenſſe of ymkyngſe.

The viijth of good lemynge.

The xijth of conteplacion of godis ordynance and
workſynne. How wicſid men ſchuldyn turne
hem from ſynne.

Et tarte commerti ad domini. That is to ſene.
ne lette you notth to turne az to thyne lo те

god for to make no delaye fro day to day. And seye I schal
turne to morwe for thre compyth Sodeynly when a man
leste trowith. And with outyn mercy denourith hym.

And if the fynde hym in fynne he ledith hym crueely a wey
to peyne ycat eir schal laste, / Alas alas for soz we how
fele for wicwid triste And false presumpcony of the mercy
of god. At the laste ende hatt y fend dissepuryde and made
hym obestat I fynne be cause of wisse, yei hane ben
dampnyn endeles ly. / And zit no man or fere wel
te ware hon tret y synne is for to trist I y mercy
of god. And not to cesse from fynne but trowyn y y
mercy of god be so methe y he wele not pumpsteyn
for fynne. / And yer for thei wolde not cese fro fynne
til thei be takyn to endeles peyne Sodeynly fro y life.
foz up the wer kis y we done theer we schuld resepyny
of god. epyr wie epyr peyne. Hon mpzte we w owt wyre
nouc dampnacion lede oure life theer in liste. / And lenyn
in vainte of this wozld eir man be sekr of this, that
y is non lenynne I erthe ne wab be for this tymc ne
aftir this tymc schal be that may passe fro deliys. And
w deliys oure of y wozlde. And cum to olysse y euil pal
laste. / ffor crist hym self dere not soo. / Lomerte nos
comme et comieremir ad it. / That is to seye. Lozd
god turne you v6 from fynne. / And than schuld we
be tirmyd to the. / Sele thou v6 and than we schall be

made saf. / ogeny men ben helyd. / But aſtirward her
woimdiſtynk wol ſonle. / Afoz ſi men turne he
to god to day and thei ſeyne þ thei will trewely ſer
upn hym and for ſake al ſyne. / An on the neget
day thei bene god and for ſake chriſt and goodnesſe
that he hath zonyn to hem. / And thei tak azen her wit
bid uſio þ thei han uſio before. / And than þe diul is
mor chlad of ſuch on than of many ponsande þ con
tymialp duelith i his ſince. / And if he may eathc
ſuch on azen þ ypuſ wab ſcapid fro hym. / If an he
bypodith hym harder w many ſonle bondiſ þ eur
he deſe be before. / An opyn en ſample we mounſe of this.
If a chailer bepe pereſimeris þ with muſt nedis Anſwer
for hem. / And if thei prekyn his preſon and al her
bondiſ and none away fro hym. the wyl ſele beſily
w al his myzte to tak hem azen. / An when he hatth
canzte hem. he wil putt hem to mor peyne and bynd
hem w strenger bondiſ yan eil he deſe before. / For
the wold be ſekir if he may. þ thei ſchuld no mor ſape
away fro hym. / Kitt ynuþ deul wer chith w men
þ turne hem holy to god. / And aſtirward lenyn that
holy purpob and turne azen to ye luſtis of þ world.
What is turmynge to god holy. / For ſakynge of this

world and of synne and of ye demyl and also of flesthe.
What is turnynge fro god. / for sakynge of hym and
of his itte and of his vertues. / And denye to ful fille
ye dede þ god bidith hym. And worsthepitsh yo ymgis
þ god for beddith hym. / And doth besily pe werbis
of ye demyl. ye werbis of ye flesthe and ye desprys
of this world. / for many men seyne þ if thei wil
leyn in pis world i pes. thei must coferme them to
pe worlde. / And so he must coferme them to pe demyl.
for pe demyl and pe worlde is at on a corda. / And the
fernaimtis off / crift be not of pis worlde. As crift
hym self seith. / Butt when we turne vs to god we
mistre nedis keppn his gestis. / And when so eð we stod
sittyn on yone. / We mistre loke þ ye lone and the drede
of almychte god passe neð from vs. / I speke not of þ
drede pcyne. But of ye drede of lone and of charite.
that longith to god hym self. / turnynge from pis
worlde is no ymys ellis. But to for sabe alle lustis
and lyknygis per of. / And to lone selfnesse forswyge
ð weppynge and bitturnesse and all opir adiisites
of pis worlde snadly to sufre for pe lone crift. / And to
forzete worsthepis ð riche his. Veyne iores. plepes. Iðil
ottipacions. / And all maner nedis ð offices seruler.
Iðil spekynis ð veyne lokynis. / For it notth leful
to se and beholdyn onyt. But þ that is leful hym

for to hane. / And per for who so wil turne holy to god,
he miste lone al þ god lonyth. And he may lone no
pintse þ god hatith. And if he do. he lonyth not god.
And hym be honyth eiu mor i aft his wer kis. to hane
god be forne his eizen. / And w ontyn cesynt or wery
nesse eiu more to loke on hym as ye pfyte seyth.

Dionielam dum in conspectu med semper. / If pon
wilte do ony dede her i pis lyne, first lefte vp thyne eze
and thyme herte to god. / And sepe to hym. lord god is
pis pi wil þ i doo pis dede. / And if pime conscienceth
thi soule answere to ye þ seie ze. / It is god dis will.
And than boldely doo pon þ dede in the worlchip of
god. / And if thei tell it is not god dis welle. / Loke
þ doo it neiu for no myschef þ may falle heer i pis lyfe.
he þ doth azens his consience. / he edifyeth to hym
an habitation in hell. for god seith be ye jphete.

Druli mei semp ad dum qum ipse enellet de laspiedo
pedes medos. / That is to seie my eizen schuld eiu mor
be fixhid to god. / That he de lyner my fete from ye
snares of þ denyl. / the snares of temptacions moni
we neiu passe. / But if we lefte oure mostly ezne
goly to god. / But we schuld not sett oure ezne ne
oure lone ne oure wil ne oure yonzte. But only putt
it on god. / And pfily turne vs to hym. / any let
tynthis per ben i pis wrechid worlde. þ is for to seye

Ablente of richessis, faire hed of flaterynge of women,
freningtse. Welthe, Woz schip of honouer. / This is a dzed
ful conde. / that is ful hard for to beste. But it be it
nei so stronge, grostyn it misste be. / And al seft at
noutt dispise it for pe lone of god. / And pue be
gome of al wile to doo, that wil lone god p.fiztly of
truste ly turne to hym. / Who so wil lone ihin crift p/
fustip. Che misste w get ioye caste a wey from hym all
yoo ymans p. myzte be ony wey lett yat lone. / And
nen spare to fadir ne to modir ne to hym self. / He
take no hede of wepynge of no fle schely frendis. / for
such frenschep is enmy. / ther for che misste caste all pue
a wey. / And set all at noutte. / And take gladly poite.
reppofe. And felony w all man of pacienae for pe
 lone of god. But eiy man be ware yat is turnyd to god.
yat he fle w all his myzte solas. plepes. of veyne ioes
of pue wrecchid wozlde. / And trade vyn all his wittis
to gedere. / And sott hem holy upon ihin crift. / And
when me see hym wene yat he were sorp. / than is
he ful pretty ioyed in god. / any me per ben yat
seyne thei wolde be turnyd to god. / but thei moni
noust for wozly occupacions of besyngesse per of. / but
fotly ye se men lone more pe wozlde yan ihin crift.
as it sche with opy nly of proynd be her dede. / for w
ontyn doute. if yei were touchid w ye lefte drape

for he may no more fynne he tinnyth hym to god. yis
festynge is no yinte delions to ye fad of henyn. but
hit god is so tracions of his grete mcy þe releynyth
yis vintene zeste. / If he offeryd to hym w a nflade
there ð w a trewe pinpos to kepe hym clene ð serne
his lord trewly to his laste day. /BLISFID BE Y' LORE THAT
releynyth hym i y' tyme when all his frendis for
faktyg hym ð aðn wery of hym. / And meche more de
fryn this deth yan his lone. / Alas pon wychid man
who iointe pon or hafte pde or lykynge i mcheses of
yis wortez or m firenysthe oz of fayer hed of thyne
flesche y is noth ellis but a kener the to hil w a fonle
yinte. / So is thyne skyn þ chilth yme fonle flesche
w ìmme. / Sone y pon hafte yat comyth of yme selfe. /
And pon schalt fynð ryth noth but fynne. / And yer for
all pat haf of ùti is lenete ye of god for a tyme til
it plese hym to tabe hem from y what woodnesse is y
pat aðan iointh hym self for to hæne pde of goodis y
he hæth borowyd of oyn men. / And he wot neí what
day ne what tyme ye lozde of ye good wele tabe hem
a wey holy from hym. / For yel be not lenite to hym but
up a condition. / While yat he serneth trewly to his lozde.
And per for al oirre wies all oirre ope and al oirre com,
forte minste nedys be in hym only. / And neí paste from
yis but ein more besyly cyne y to. / And yis schall we

lere to lone god 4 drez god and wozlesep god. / and dispise
sted fastly yis wozlze, and all vuleful lustis 4 lykynge
yat ye demyhe semnantis plese her forz de which is clepyd pnce
of yis wozlze. / And also kynge of pid for or his fals hed 4
myschemye yat resne in yis wozlze schulze make a man
be reson to dispise it. / for malice yat regnyth on brz. and
the enyve yat itse hathe to oyer. sacbitynge fastly 4 bittr
stanARDS and veni hathe. / Wath emyve es to my lechery
and false comytise. / And ymysis is turmyd a wey from ye
ordinance of god. / and mth wnesse is not be lonyd and
trewnth is ganlythyd in ury londe and falsehe 4 ppocesse
regnyth in itse deme. / frenschep of yis wozlze feynt 4
false. / for while pon stondift in pspite false feynyd
frenschip wil viy ye. but when pon comest to adulfte.
feynyd frenschip sothly failith ye. / and yese ben yefruit
of yis wozlze which yat misse nedis stere good me for
to dispise yis wozlze. / And many other ymysis as short
nesse of yis life. sekwnesse of dethe. for we know not
when we xal deye. ne where we schal deye. ne what
dethe we xal hane. ne whedir we xal when we be deed.
whedir to peyne or to blisse. / but these you whedir pon
withe lone yis wozlze or lene for sothly I feye to ye if pon
lone yis wozlze. pon xalte preche w̃ pis wozlze. / and if
pon lone ith lorde ithi. pon xalte resynn w̃ gym ende,
lessely in blesse. /

9

nonibyr. / not as yei þchainge her abite. / And encresyn þwicid
wyl of here Sonle. / And chauge noth þbut from wicid to
werse. / thei seyne þthei for sakyn riches of þworlde þ
mythe instly hane ben her owne. / but thei encresyn Æt taký
oper meþs richesses fro hem Æt makyn hem pore and hem
selfe riche onte of mesnre with slyztis Æt cantelis of þfende.
And ther with thei gaderyn vices to hem selfe with
ontyn nonibze. And zenen en sample of wicid leuryge
to many other meny. / Seynt Austyn askiteth what is
werse pan a pore pronde man. / Or he þlitil good can
to hold hym self wisse. / And repzene hym Æ in whom
science is appynde in worde and in dede. / What yngis is more
tirspyd pan vinctene benyers wicid m leurynge. / pon þ
forsakiste all pinge foz pe lone of god. / loke thyme dedis Æ
þmaneris how pon folwiste god. / foz god seyth yns. / lerne
ze of me foz I am meke and mylde of herte foz w ontyn
tgis poite pfiztith litil of nonite. / foz poite be thym selfe is
no verti. ne nonzte worði to be preispyd. but it is an mstrui
ment of vtu. / foz it helgith a man to pincourse þe lyngtam
of henen. / and makith hym to fle many oatalions of fyne.
Wypful poite of spytte is meche preisid m þrizte of god. foz
it makith a man to be worſchepid m this life Æ lonyd Æ dzede
of all trewe seruaimtis of god. / And foz to be dispisid of all
myzti men Æ riche þ ben lounis of this worlde. but who so
sufferith this foz lone of criste. his mede is of deynyd foz hem
m þblisse of henen. / And per for crift m this lif wolde be þ
poreste man and þmost mekeste man to zene vs en sample
to folow hym m þwele. / foz Oemte Austeyn seith. It were
impossible to vs to passe onte of this worlde from deliciis Æ