From the Office for the Visitation of the Sick.

From the British Museum Manual, MS. 32,320 (xv cent.).

How men þat ben in hele sculde visite sike men.

1Beleuyst þow in god, fader almythi, makere of heuene and of erthe?

I beleue.

Beleuyst þow i{n} his sone, þe secunde p{er}sone in trinite, crist ih{es}u, the whiche was conseyuyd be þe myght of þe holy gost, and born of þe blessid mayden, owre ladi seynt marie?

Credo.

Beleuest thow that he leued here two and thritty ȝer and more, and suffred at þe last, deth on þe cros for þe loue of mankende?

Credo.

Beleuyst þow that he wente to helle & took owt adam and eue and the sowles þat were þerynne, the whych myȝth not come to blysse til cristes passiou{n}?

Credo.

Beleuyst thow þat he ros vp fro deth on estir day, and dwellede her til ascensiou{n} day, to preue ve2rily his resurrecciou{n}?

Credo.

Beleuyst þow that thanne he styed vp in-to heuene be his myȝth, god and man, and there is euyn in maieste w{i}t{h} his fader?

Credo.

Beleuyst þow þat he schal come at the day of dome to deme þe gode and þe badde?

Credo.

Beleuyst þow in þe holi gost, the thridde p{er}sone in trinite, and in holy cherche, and þat þe sacrementis of holy chirche aren ordeyned in remissiou{n} of ma{n}nys senne?

Credo.

Beleuyst þow in þe sacrament of þe auter, þat is cristes bodi whiche was born of marie, wiche criste lefte her among vs as for þe most p{re}ciows iewel, whan he schulde departe be deth from his disciples?

aMy dere sone or douȝtere in god, hyt semith þat þou hyest þe faste in þe wey fro þis life to godward, þere þou schalt cee al þy forme-fadris, apostelis, martiris, confessouris and uirgynis, & all men and bwo{m}men þat bene saued; and fore gladnes of suche felauschip be þou of good co{n}fort in god, þynke how þow muste after þis lyfe leye a stone in þe waỻ of þe cite of heuene, sclely witħ outen noise or strife, and þ{er}fore, or þou wende out of þis world, þou polisscħ þi stoon and make it redi, ȝif þou wolt not þere be lettid.

¶ Þis stoon is þy soule, whiche þou muste make stronge þorougħ right bileue; and faire þ{o}u muste hit clense, þorougħ hope of goddis m{er}ci and p{er}fite charite, the whiche coueritħ þe multitude of synnes. þe noyse ..——

cHow a man schulde conforte annothere, þ{a}t he gruche nought when he is seke.

Broþer or sisterʼ, louyst þou god þi lorde? he or sche, ȝif þey may speke, woỻ sey ‘ȝhee,’ dor p{er}auenture, ȝif þey may not speke, þenke ‘ȝhee.’

¶ þan þus, ȝif þou lovest god....

eȜiffe detħ goo faste on a man, Speke to hym thesse wordis.

Broþer or Systere in god, ȝif þou see or....

fNow when þou hast seyde aỻ þis, or ȝif þow maist not seye aỻ for hastynge of detħ, beginne her{e} or his mynde go from hy{m}.

Broþer or sister, art þou glad þ{a}t þow schalt dye in cristyn feythe?

R’. ȝhe.

knowlechist þou ...

[Rest missing.]

Credo.

Beleuest þow þat alle tho þat been in good lif schul haue part of alle the3 gode dedys, and preyeres that been doon in holy chirche, and [þat] alle tho þat been knet to-gedere here in holy chirche be grace, schul ben knet to-gedere in eu{er}lastyng ioye?

Credo.

Trustis thow in þe mercy of god, wiche wil not the deth of a synful man ȝif he be sory of hys senne and schreuen, and in wyl to amende hym?

Credo.

Trustis þow þat thow schal haue mercy ȝif þow be sori of þin senne?

Credo.

Trustis thow þat thow, and eu{er}y man and woman, schal rise vp at þe day of dome in body and in sowle, the badde to be dampned in endeles peyne, and þe gode to be take, bodi and sowle, in-to euerelasty{n}g blisse?

4Credo.

Art þow in wil fulli to forȝeue alle maner of men and women that þat þey haue trespased to the, so that þow art in wil to kepe no rancowr ne malise to hym in þe herte, but to be in loue and charite with eche man and woman?

I knowliche to god, and to owre lady seynt marie, and to alle þe halwen of heuene, that I haue senned, with mowth spoken, with feet goon, w{i}t{h} eyen seyen, with eren hered, with nose smelled, with herte þowht, and with al myn senful body myswrowth; therfore i preye owre ladi seynt marie and alle the halwyn of heuene, prey for me; and the prest, þat thow beseche for me, and me asoyle, for charite.

Ȝif the seke mai speke after that he is schriue, and hath mad his gen{er}al confessiou{n}, asoyle the prest hym on þis wyse.

5Now, brodir or sister, ȝif þow beholde any cros, or ony ymage mad with ma{n}nes hond, wite wel þat it is not god; therfore thinke or seye in þin herte: I wot well that þow art not my{n} god, but maked aft{er} hym, to make me haue more mynde on myn god; therfore, lord fader þat art in heuene, m{er}ci i aske of alle þe sennes that i haue trespased aȝens the wilful passiou{n} of owre lord ih{es}u crist, the whiche he suffred for al mankende. merciful fader, of thi goodnesse and thi grete mercy, do awey al my{n} wikkednesse!