The Paternoster

Publication Statement:

This file is part of the facsimile-edition of the Auchinleck Manuscript was co-edited by Professor David Burnley and Dr Alison Wiggins. The HTML versions of the resource are freely available at http://www.nls.uk/auchinleck/

Notes:

This manuscript file was originally supplied as pater.html and the header file was located in heads/pater_head.html both of which were converted to TEI XML by Dr James Cummings of the Oxford Text Archive. The notes below were taken from the header file and each HTML paragraph placed in a separate note.

Scribe 3

Short couplets. 136 lines, not including contemporary heading and Latin text. Ends imperfect with line beginnings on stub f.72a. Lines defective on ff.2v and 3r. Surviving lines correspond to lines 269-1330 in the Vernon text; see: C. Keller, Alt- und Mittelenglische Texte, 6 (Heidelberg: Sampson Low, 1914).

Unique copy.

Edition:
E. Kölbing, 'Kleine Publicationen aus der Auchinleck-hs', Englische Studien, 9 (1886): 47-49.

Another edition:
D. Laing, A Penni Worth of Witte, Abbotsford Club (Edinburgh, 1857): 92-96.

Index 206.

Source:

The Auchinleck Manuscript (NLS Adv MS 19.2.1) is one of the National Library of Scotland’s greatest treasures. Produced in London in the 1330s, it provides a unique insight into the English language and literature that Chaucer and his generation grew up with and were influenced by. It acquired its name from its first known owner, Lord Auchinleck, who discovered the manuscript in 1740 and donated it to the precursor of the National Library in 1744.

The Paternoster


Alle þat euer gon and riden [f.72ra] [Image]
Þat willeȝ Godes merci abiden,
Lewede men þat ne beȝ no clerkes,
Þo þat leuen on Godes werkes,
Lesteȝ, and ȝe sschollen here, iwis,[5]
What ȝoure Pater noster is.
Ech man hereof take hede.
Godiliche while Ihesu ȝede
In erthe wiȝ his apostles twelue,
Ihesu Crist made hit him selue,[10]
And als hit telleȝ in þe bok,
Hise apostles he hit bitok,
For þai sscholden habben hit in minde
And techen hit to al mankynde.
Of alle þe clerkes vnder sonne,[15]
Þer nis non of hem þat conne
A beter oreisoun, iwis,
Þanne þe Pater noster is.
Þus seggeȝ þise clerkes wise
Þat mochel connen of clergise.[20]
Seuen oreisouns þer beȝ inne
Þat helpeȝ men out of dedli sinne
And ȝif ȝe willeȝ a while dwelle,
Al on Englissch ich wille ȝou telle
Þe skile of hem alle seuene,[25]
Wiȝ help of Godes miȝt of heuene.
Pater noster, qui es in celis, [f.72rb] [Image]
Þat is to segge þis:
‘Oure fader in heuene-riche,
Þi name be blessed euere iliche.’[30]
Þis is þe ferste oreisoun of seuene.
We clepen oure fader þe kyng of heuene,
And ȝif he houre fader is,
Þanne be we hise children, iwis,
And Ihesu is ful of alle godnesse,[35]
Wiȝ him nis no wikkednesse.
Þanne mote we, so mote ich þe,
ȝif we willen hise children be,
Fonden to liuen in god lif,
Wiȝouten contek, wiȝouten strif,[40]
Wiȝouten pride and enuye,
Coueitise and glotonye.
Þanne mowe we seggen, iwis,
Þat Ihesu Crist oure fader is.
ȝif we wile be clene isschriue[45]
And in clene lif liue,
Þanne mowe we whan we beȝ of age
Claymen oure fader heritage,
Þe blisse þat lasteȝ wiȝouten ende.
...... ....... ...... ....[50]
Saunctificetur nomen tuum.
Þat is to segge al and sum:
‘Ihesu, God in trinite,
Þi name iblessed mot hit be.’
Þat is to vnderstonde þis:[55]
Whan we blessen his name, iwis,
We bisechen swete Ihesus
Þat his name mote be wiȝ ous
And we ben clene isschriue
And out of sinne þenken to liue.[60]
His name nel nowt wiȝ ous be,
To holden hit we ne habbeȝ no poste,
But ȝif we liuen in god lif,
In loue and charite wiȝouten strif; [f.72va] [Image]
Þanne wille his name wiȝ ous dwelle[65]
And sauuen vs fram þe fend of helle.
Ihesu þat boughte lewede and clerkes
Schilde vs fram þe fendes werkes.
Adueniat regnum tuum, iwis,
Þat is to segge þis:[70]
‘Louerd, to þi kyneriche
Lat ous comen al iliche.’
Here we bisechen þe heuene-kyng
Þat we moten comen to his wonyng [ wonyng: MS reads womyng.]
And we be in gode liue inome;[75]
To his wonyng mowe we nowt come,
Þanne is oure bidding for nowt,
But ȝif we ben in god lif kaut;
Þerfore ech man amende him here,
Þat we moten wenden al ifere[80]
Into blisse þat ne haueȝ non ende;
To þilke blisse God vs sende.
Þer noman comeȝ, maiden ne wif,
But he be nomen in god lif.
Fiat voluntas tua [85]
Sicut in celo in terra.
Þat is to segge þous:
‘We biddeȝ to swete Ihesus,
Þat his wille be ido
In heuene and in erthe also.’[90]
Þat is to vnderstonden þous:
Þat we sscholden seruen swete Ihesus
To his paie and to his wille,
Oure bidding to fulfille.
And ȝif we ne serue him nowt ariȝt,[95]
Ihesu Crist, bi houre miȝt,
Þanne do we in þat bidding
Nowt bote scornen oure heuene-kyng.
Þerfore ech man, ȝif he mai,
Fonde boþe niȝt and dai[100]
To serue Ihesu Crist to wille, [f.72vb] [Image]
Oure biseching to fulfille;
For, forsothe, Godes wille is,
Þat we ne sscholden nowt don amis.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie [105]
Is to segge, so mot ich þe:
‘Oure bred ordeined for eche dai,
Louerd, ȝiuet vs todai.’
Þat is to segge þous:
We bisechen swete Ihesus[110]
Þat he graunte vs alle þinges two:
Soules fode and lif also.
Nammore mai þe soule liue
But þe bodi hit mete ȝiue,
Nammore þan þe bodi lif mai[115]
Wiȝouten erthliche mete a dai.
Þan is þis þe soule fode
Almesdede and bedes gode,
Loue and charite, wiȝouten strif,
Þis mai holde be soules lif,[120]
Als þe bodi liueȝ wiȝ bred,
For honger þat hit nis nowt ded.
Þe sixte bede is þis:
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut &
nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris
Þis is þe sixte bidding,[125]
Þat we bidden oure heuene-kyng:
‘Forȝiue vs þat we habbeȝ misdo
Als we forȝiuen oþer also
Þat vs habben here agult
Þat in oure mercy ben ipult.’[130]
ȝif ani man þat is in londe
Liueȝ in nyht oþer in onde
Þourgh counseil of þe fendes red,
He biddeȝ aȝenes his owene hed
And makeȝ him heiere in erthe[135]
Þan Ihesu Crist þat more is werthe.
Þat w... .... ... [f.72(a)va] [Image]
Þat w... ....
And w ................
Þat w[140]
Þous..................
Þerfor...............
To liue...............
And liue...............
God gra...............[145]
Þe se.................
Et........ ...........
Set liber.............
Here w................
Sschilde..............[150]
And del...............
Fram þ................
Þat is..............
To cache..............
For to br.............[155]
Euere m...............
Þise beȝ
Þe beste..............
Wiȝ help..............
To help..............[160]
Ech ma .... ........
Who so................
ȝif þ.................
Þanne.................
Þerfo................[165]
ȝonge.................
ȝif.................
Ani...................
And...................
Niȝt..................[170]
Þan...................
Þer..................
At..................
Þer................
.... ... .... ... [stub f.72v_a] [Image]