ABSTRACT
Good men and woymen, þys day ys called in holy chyrch Sonday yn Quadragesin. Þen ys quadragesin a nowmbur of 12 fourty ; for fro þis day to Astyr ben forty dayes þat byth þe teþedayes of þe 3ere. And for ych man dothe forfet more oþer las, þerfor, forto make satysfaccyon for þat gylt, yche man ys holden by þe lawe of holy chyrch to fast þes fourty dayes, outtaken hom 16 þat þe lawe dyspensyth wyth for nede. That ben chyldyr wythyn xxi 3ere, woymen wyth chyld, old men passed age and myghtles to fast, pylgrymys, and seke, and pore, and þes þat labryn sore fore hor lyaelod : þus þe lawe dyspensyth wyth apon hore || 20 concyens. Þen for bycause þat Sonday ys no day of fastyng, 49 a þerfor 3e schull begyn your fast at Aske-Wanysday, and þat day 2 com to holy chyrche, and take askes at þe prestys hond, and ber forth in your hert þat he sayth to you, when he layth askes on 24 your hedys. Þen he saythe þus : ‘Man, thynke þat þou art but 3 eskys, and to eskys þou schalt a3eyne turne.’ Þen byn þer þre dyuerse skylles why 3e schull fast þes fourty dayes.
