of body / lyke as we haue shewed afore And therfore sayth our lorde Ihesu cryste in the gospell / that blessed ben they that ben clene of herte For they shall see god This blessynge begynneth here / for they ben purged fro derknesses of errour / as to the vnderstondynge / and fro the spottes of synne / as to the wylle / and therfore they see god by fayth enlumyned of clerenes / whiche cometh of the gyfte of vnderstondynge by whiche a man knoweth his creatour / and all that apperteyneth to the helth of his soule / without slydinge / wtout doubtynge / and without wauerynge in the fayth of Ihesu Cryste where they be so Ioyned and fermly fouÌ„ded / that they may not departe theym for deth ne for to suffre ony tormente what someuer it be ¶ And therfore ben blessed they that be clene of hert in this mortall lyf For they haue the eyen of the herte / the vnderstondynge and the wyll soo clere and so clene that they see god and byleue hym by fayth ferme and certayne lyke as we haue sayd tofore ¶ wherof our Lorde sayd to saynt Thomas / by cause thou hast seen me / thou hast byleued me But they ben blessed that haue not seen me bodyly / and haue byleued me certeynly / but this blessynge shal be perfyght in the lyf perdurable / where he that is clene of hert whiche here seeth hym by fayth / that is alwaye derkly There in his glory shall se hym face to face all clerely as sayeth saynt Poule That is the blyssynge to aungelles and to sayntes whiche se hym in his precyous vysage / to knowe one god in thre persones / to beholde clerely in that myroure where all thynges shyneth / aungelles all the sayntes loketh therin / and meruayleth them / and taketh there theyr glory / and neuer may they be ful for to loke therin For there is all beaute / all bounte / all swetnes / fouÌ„tayne of lyfe pardurable / and all that whiche herte may wyll and desyre But yet I shall say a lytell For lyke as sayth the scrypture The eyen mortall may not beholde ne ere here ne herte of man thynke / what that god hath arayed and made redy to his frendes / that loueth / serueth / and kepe his commaundementes / and that kepe theÌ„ from synne Wherof saynt Ancelme sayth Soule sayth he lyft vp thyn entendement there aboue / and thynke as moche as thou mayst what we le / how grete and how moche delectable is that good whiche conteyneth in himselfe the Ioye and the delyte of all godes And not suche Ioy and suche delyte as is founden in creatures / but as moche more Ioye / as the creatoure and maker is more grete and more worthy / more excellent / than his creatures O sayth he thou faytour thou man that goest soo folyly for to seche dyuers goodes / to thy soule and to thy body Loue thou and seche one good / wherin ben all godes / and he shall suffysethe For the good that god hath graunted and gyuen to his frendes / that is hym selfe the whiche is the souerayne good of whom cometh and sourdeth all other goodes / as stremes / the whiche yssueth out of the quycke fountayne ¶ Certaynly right blyssed shal he be sayth saynt Austyn / the whiche without vylonye shall se the vysage dyscouered and the glory of god / and shal be transformed in to thymage of glory where as he shal see god as he is / the whyche syght is glorye crowne without ende / and all the rewarde and meryte of sayntes This shall be al the good of man This sayth mayster hughe of saynt vyctor The man that made all and formed For therfore wolde god by come man / whiche made in himself al men blessyd in body and in soule / by cause that the man sawe hym with the eyen with his body in humanite And that the soule sawe hym in his deyte so that he founde swetnes and delyte in his creatour maker / within and without within his deyte and with oute in his humanyte This shall be the Ioye of euery creature his Ioye his delyte lyfe perdurable of his blessyd vysyon That is the blessynge / that they attende whiche kepe clennes and chastyte of herte and of body ¶ Of the yefte of sapyence Ca. Cliiii THe last yeft the souerayne and the moost hye is the yeft of sapience or of wysedom whiche is a grace that the holy ghoost gyueth to the herte contemplatyf / by whiche he is esprysed of the loue of god that he desyereth ne secheth none other thynge but to see god / to haue hym / to delyte in hym / to loue hym / to honoure and serue hym / and dwelle with hym This is the somme of perfeccyon / and the ende of contemplacyon ¶ The gyfte of vnderstondynge of whiche we haue spoken tofore maketh god to be knowen and the thynges spyrytuell as by syght symple byholdynges But the gyfte of sapyence maketh to fele knowe god by taste / then sapyence is none other thynge but a sauery knowleche / whiche is with sauoure grete delyte of herte / for otherwyse knoweth not he the wyne that drynketh it in a fayre voyre or glasse / yf he drynke and taste it not sauour it Many phylosophres knewen god by scrypture and by the creatures / lyke as by a myrrour wherin they behelde by reason and by vnderstondynge his myght / his beaute / his wytte and his bouÌ„te / in that whiche they see the creatures that he hath made so grete so fayre and so well ordeyned Then they knewe hym / by symple byholdynge of vnderstondynge and natural reason But they neuer felte hym by taste of ryÈt loue ne by deuocyon Ryght soo ben there many crysten persones / clerkes and laye / whiche well knowe hym by fayth and by scrypture / but by cause they haue theyr taste dysordynate by synne / they may not fele hym nomore than the seke persone may fynde taste or souour in good mete ¶ The gyfte of sapyence whiche the holy ghoost putteth in a perfyght herte / purgeth and clenseth it fro all ordure of synne / lyfteth vp soo the spyryte of a man that he Ioyneth hym to god by ardaunt desyre of loue / soo that he is al with god / there he fyndeth hym / there he nouryssheth hym / there he fatteth hym / there he delyteth and resteth hyÌ„ / and there he slepeth There he forgeteth all his trauaylles / all his flesshely desyres and erthely / hym self / so that he remembreth no thynge but god whome he loueth aboue all thynges This is the laste degree of the laddre of perfeccyon that Iacob sawe in his slepe whiche touched heuen / by whiche auÌ„gellys mouÌ„ted descended / the degrees of this laddre ben the .vii. gyftes of the holy ghoost / of whiche we haue spoken tofore / by these .vii. degrees
preasynge and his seruyce In mynde of that whiche he had made and fourmed all thynges / and the seuenth day he ceased / and dyde rest for to make newe creatures And by the crysten people in the steed of the foresayd Sabotte day that the Iewes halowed ¶ The day of the sonday hath ben ordeyned in mȳde of the recreacyon of the creature resonable made by the resurrexcyon of our sauiour Ihesu cryst / Whiche a rose on suche a day And semblably the sayntes / and the solempnytees commaunded by the chyrche for to be kepte and also lyke as the sondaye ought euery creature to employe in the praysynge and lounynge to god and of his sayntes and to seace and rest erthely and also worthely werkes / and also in especyal fro synne And in especyall the creature ought to cease of two thynges / fyrste fro all werkes temporall / erthely / and also corporell excepte foure cases The fyrste is for to haue the necessyte of his lyfe The seconde also is for the necessyte of the lyfe of his neyghbour The .iii is for the necessyte of holy chyrche The fourth is for the auctoryte of his souerayne and his cōmaūdemēt whan in such dayes he cōmaundeth to werke for ony causes Iust and resonable In whiche foure causes it is lefull to a creature vpon the sayd daye for to do werke corporell ¶ The seconde thynge whereof the humayne creature ought for to cease in especyall vpon the sayd dayes is to do synne / and in especyall for dedly synne / for how well that a creature ough for to kepe hym selfe from all synne and in especyall fro deedly synne Neuerthelesse synne doone in the sayd dayes is moche more greuous than in other dayes The thyrde thynge wherof a creature ought to kepe hym in the sayd dayes is of ydlenes / for to be ydle is cause of ouer moche euyll of synnes in especyall on the sayd dayes ought a creature to occupye and enbesye hym in thre thynges Fyrst in makyng sacrefyce to god of hȳ selfe / of all that he hath in especyal a creature ought on the sayd dayes to gyue hȳ selfe to god by deuout oraysons and prayers And to haue grete sorowe and bytter repentaunce of his synnes Secondely a creature ought to occupye hym in the louenge and praysynge of his maker and creatour And bycause that in the mouthe of a synner / praysynge is not pleasaunt to god euery creature ought to make clene his herte from all synnes by bytter repentaunce / by deuout confessyon and by penaunce ¶ Thyrdly a creature ought to occupye hym in the sayd dayes in doynge almesses for the loue of god / of suche goodes as god hath gyuen to hym / to to them that haue nede and necessyte / and more largely ought to be gyuen in the sayd dayes than in other Also yet in the dayes of the feestes of sayntes the creature ought to tourne his entendement in the consyderacyon of thre thinges ¶ Fyrst the creature ought to consyder the grete lyberalyte and largesse of god that the saynt of whome the feest is / for a lytell seruyce that he hath doone to god God hath so gretely rewarded and guardoned that hath gyuen to hym glorye and Ioye pardurable with him And with this god wyll that of his creatures he be honoured and praysed in this worlde And by this cōsyderacyon the creature ought to be all towarde god / ought desyre with all his herte to doubte / to loue and serue deuoutly and perseuerauntly suche a lorde the whiche payeth so well and truely his vertuous seruauntes ¶ Secondely a creature ought in his herte to ymagyn thynke of the glory and Ioye inestymable that the saynt hath with all myghty god / whiche is soo grete that herte humayne may not thynke ne mouthe expresse ne speke / by suche consyderacyon he desyreth to haue suche we le / And by this the creature desyreth with all his herte to serue / loue and also to drede god / the whiche for this gyueth suche we le to a creature Thyrdly a creature ought consyder in the sayd dayes the grete myserye of hym self the dyuers trybulacyons / afflyccyons / maladyes / and euyll accydentes / fortunes and seruytudes / and many moo parylles that ben euery day in thys poore worlde And by this consyderacyon a creature ought to haue the worlde in despyte / and not to preyse worldly thynges / and to serue god with all his power And to desyre to be oute of this myserye / for to haue the grete Ioye and glorye of heuen whiche the saynt hath with god ¶ Here after folowen the seuen other commaundementes / apparteynynge to the loue and dyleccyon of his neyghboure Ca. x. AFter the thre commaundementes aforesayd apparteynynge to the loue and dyleccyon of god Folowe the seuen other apparteynynge to the loue of his neyghboure accordynge to the seconde commaundemente pryncypall aforesayd For to haue the knowleche of theym / is to wete / that the creature that loueth his neyghboure after the sayd commaundemente / ought to haue .ii. thynges / that is to wete not to do euyll / and for to do well And therfore of the sayd seuen commaundementes partyculer / the fyrst enduceth and excyteth the creature to do wel But how be it that euery creature is bounden to do well to his neyghboure Neuerthelesse he is moost bounden by especyall to do good to tho persones that to hym be moost nygh and moost conioyned And therfore the sayd fyrst commaundement of these vii enduceth admonesteth the creature to do wel / cōmaunded to honoure serue and ayde fader and moder / whiche ben the persones moost conioynt to vs / and too whome we ben moost holden after god And it is suche / honour thy fader and moder to the ende that thou haue good and longe lyfe vpon the erthe The cause wherfore we ought to honour our faders and moders / is for the grete benefaytes that we receyue of them in thre thynges pryncipally Fyrst the chylde receyueth of fader and moder his beynge For therfore the chylde ought to bere to them more gretter honour and obeyssaunce than too ony other after god Secondly the chylde receyueth of fader and moder nourisshynge in his chyldehode And therfore the chylde is bounden to gouerne them in theyr olde aege / and of his goodes for to admynystre vntoo them theyr necessytees after his power yf they haue nede ¶ Thyrdly the chylde receyueth of fader and moder techynge doctryne And therfore in all thynges / that be not ageynst god the chylde oweth to obeye to them / in thys doynge .v. thynges ben promysed of god by the prophete to the chylde ¶ Fyrst grace in this worlde and glorye perdurable in the other Secondly lōge lyf whiche ought not to be nombred in the nombre of yeres / but in the nombre of good vertues And in lyf whiche is withoute synne Thyrdly ioye
humylyte of that whiche they haue not done And fro suche a lesynge ought a creature moche for to kepe hȳ and for to be ware ryght gretely there of / for such humylyte is wycked For after the saynge of saynt Austyn Lyke as a creature ought not for to hele ne hyde in his confessyon that whiche he hath doone In lyke wyse ought he not for to saye that whiche he hathe not done ¶ Somtyme a creature lyeth in his owne dede for shame That is to wete whan he sayth some thynge whiche he weneth be true And in sayng it he auyseth hym and knoweth hym selfe that it is not so And neuerthelesse for shame he dare not withdrawe that he hathe sayd / accordynge vnto the trouthe ¶ And sometyme a creature lyeth for to haue some prouffyte therby / or for to escape some peryll Sometyme for to do prouffyte vnto an other Or to delyuer or kepe hym from some peryll or for to empesshe his prouffyte Or to lette his domage Also somtyme the creatures maketh lesynges or lyes or Iapes or playes / and for to gladde and enioye the people with whiche they are in companye with all ¶ And from all these lesynges after the sayenge of swete saynt Austȳ A creature ought all way to kepe hȳ fro makynge of lesynges For euery lesynge that a creature maketh is synne And the two fyrst ben deedly sȳnes / and the other by euyl custō may brynge a creature to deedly synne / after these .iiii. commaundementes aforesayd whiche defende to do euyll by werke and by worde folowe the other two whiche defende the wylle of lyberte to greue doo euyl to another The first deffendeth the wyl to hurte another in his godes teporall And that is this Thou shalt not coueyte the thynge of thy neyghboure Ayenst this commaundement mespryseth synneth a creature sōtyme mortally or deedly / that is to wete as ofte as by delyberacyon he coueyteth wolde haue the goodes of another and ayenst reason Somtyme venyally that is to wete whan he coueyteth the goodes of another But he wolde not haue them but by reason as for the prys that they be worthe / and by the good wyll of hym or them that owe them The seconde commaundement defendeth the wyll delybered or concluded to coueyte the wyf of another mā for to haue carnall companye with her For to haue the knowleche of the sayd commaundement it is to vnderstonde that in .iii. maners concupyscence carnall is in a creature Fyrst in the herte whan it is by consentynge delybered and concluded To this purpose sayth our sauyour Ihesu Cryst / that he that byholdeth a woman by carnall concupyscence / that is to say by a wyl concluded to haue hyr companye flesshly in his herte / he hath commysed fornycacyon / synneth deedly Secondly in the mouth in expressynge and declarynge the euyll desyre that is in the herte by consentynge the whiche consētynge is called deedly synne / thyrdly in werke whan the euyll purpose or consentynge is done in dede After it is to wete that .iiii. thynges pryncypally kepeth a creature fro fallynge into the synne of concupyscence ¶ The fyrst is to flee euyll companye all occasyons that gyuen moeuen cause of concupyscence As for to frequent and to se women oft and to here speke of them The .ii. is to put out not remembre in his herte the euyll thoughtes and the temptacyōs that come by the thynges that he hath seen and to chastyse his body and holde in penaunce afflyccyon The .iii. is to haue recours to god by deuout orysō and prayer whan flesshely temptacyon cometh in requyrynge deuoutly his helpe The fourthe is also in occupyenge hymselfe in good werkes accordynge to god And alway to fle ydlenes whiche is cause of all euyll Thus it appereth clerely by the cmaundementes aforesayd declared that the creature that loueth god hath of necessyte for to do thre thynges Fyrst that he adoure and worshyp but one god after the fyrst commaundement partyculer Secondly that the name of god he receyue not in vayne after the seconde commaundement Thyrdly that he honoure god after the thyrde commaundement In lyke wyse a creature that loueth his neyghboure hathe of necessyte to do .vii. thynges The fyrst is that he doo honoure and reuerence due after the .iiii. commaundemēt The seconde that he doo none euyll ne Iniurye by werke Fyrst as touchynge to his persone after the .v. cōmaundement Secondly as touchynge the persone to hym conioyned after the .vi. commaundement Thyrdly as touchynge to his godes after the .vii. cōmaundement Also do not ne bere domage by his worde after the .viii commaundement Ne also by thought and wyll concluded Fyrst whan he coueyteth his wyfe after the .ix. cōmaundement Secondly as touchynge to coueyt his thynges after the .x. commaundement The whiche god gyue vs grace to accomplysshe Amen ¶ Thus endeth the cōmaundementes of the crysten lawe whiche eche man ought to holde and kepe entyerly for to haue the lyf and glorye pardurable Deo gracias ¶ Here foloweth the twelue artycles of the fayth made by the .xii. apostles S. Peter S. Andrewe S. iames the more S. Iohan. S. Thomas S. iames the lesse ¶ These ben the .xii. articles of the crysten fayth whiche euery man ought too byleue fermely For otherwyse he may not be saued / yf he haue vnderstondynge reason in hymself and they ben .xii. artycles after the nombre of the twelue apostles / whiche establysshed theym to holde and kepe / of whome the fyrst apperteyneth to the fader The seconde to the sone / and the .iii. to the holy goste For this is foundement of the fayth to byleue in the holy trynyte That is in the fader / and in the sone / and in the holy ghoost one god in .iii. persones Al these artycles ben conteyned in the grete Credo and in the lytel credo / the whiche the .xii. apostles made / of whiche eche of theym made sette a clause of whome the fyrst is thys ¶ The fyrst artycle of the fayth capitulo .xi. S. Phylyppe S. Barthylmew S. Mathewe S. Symon S. Iude. S. Mathyas I Byleue in god fader all myght creatour or maker of heuen erthe / this article made saint peter sayenge Credo in deum patrem omnipotem creatorem celi terre The .ii. apperteyneth to the sone as touchynge his deyte / that he is god / and that is thys I byleue in our lorde / sone of the fader / and in this we ought for to byleue that he is semblable egall vnto the fader to all thynges the whiche apperteyne vnto the deyte / and is one thynge with the fader / sauf the persone whiche is other than the fader as touchynge thumanyte This artycle made saynt Andrewe saynge Et in Ihesum xp̄m filium eius vnicum dn̄m nostrum ¶ The .iii. artycle is of the cōcepcyon of cryst / and was conceyued of the holy goost
theym slepe in theyr synnes by theyr fayre syngynge They enoynte the waye of helle with the hony of flaterye by cause that the synners sholde go it the more hardely This synne is departed in to fyue partyes that ben lyke as fyue leues on this braunche The fyrst is of these flaterers / the whan they see that he or they / that they see dyspose theym too saye well or to doo well / anone they shewe and telle it to hym / by cause that he sholde haue therof vayne glorye / But his defautes they shall neuer say ne tell hym The seconde synne is that the lytell good that the chyldren do they double it That is to saye / that them that they prayse and fede by slatery / they encrease it and double it / and adioust therto so moche that it is more lesynge than trouth and therfore ben they called false wytnes in holy scrypture The thyrde synne is whan they make a man or a woman to vnderstande that he hath in hyÌ„ many good vertues and moche grace / where as he hath none And therfore holy scrypture calleth suche flaterers enchauntours for they enchaunte so moche the man or woman / that they beleue theÌ„ better than them selfe that they beleue better that they here than the whiche they se / that they say to them better that they knowe and fele The .iiii. synne is whan they synge alway the placebo of flatery That is to saye my lorde or my lady ye say trouthe / my lorde dothe well tourneth all thynge by flaterye what someuer he doth or sayth be it good or euyll / and therfore ben they called Ecko That is the soune that redoundeth in hye mountaynes and wodes and accordeth alway to that whiche is cryed and sayd / be it true be it false The fyfth ben the flaterers that defendeth excuseth and couer the vyces and the synnes of them that wyll flater and prayse / and therfore ben they called in wrytynge tayles / for they couer the ordures and synnes of the ryche men for some teÌ„porall good / and therfore ben they lykened in scrypture to the tayle of a foxe / for theyr flatery barate trechery ¶ Of losangery and flatery THe losengyers and myssayers ben of one scole These ben the .ii. seraynes other wyse called mermaydens / of whiche we fynde in the boke of the nature of bestes / whiche is a monster of these whiche is callyd serayns / whiche hath the body of a woman the taylle of a fysshe / and vngles or clawes of an egle / they lynge so swetely that they make the maronners to slepe / after they deuoure theym These ben the losengyers and flaterers whiche by theyr fayre speche make men to slepe in theyr synnes There ben somme serpentes whiche haue the name of serayns / that renne more swyftely thaÌ„ aâ—â—hors / and somtyme they flee / and theyr venym is soo stronge that tryacle may not auayle ayenst it For sooner cometh the deth thaÌ„ the bytynge of the serpentis selâ—â— These ben the myssaryers of whome Salamon sayth / that they byte in trayson lyke a serpent / with this been slayne thre at ones That is he that sayth it / he 〈…〉 it / and he of whome is myssayd This is the ryght cruell beest that is callyd hate / whiche fynyssheth destroyeth / and bryngeth out of the erth the bodyes of the dede men and eteth theym These ben they that byte and ere the goodmen of relygyon that ben in the worlde Suche manere peple ben more cruell than is helle whiche deuoureth the wycked / but these peple renne vpon the good and beuoureth theym Suche maner peple resemblen these â—e / whiche whan she hath pygges gladly wyll byte a man clad with whyt clothes They ben lyke the huppe whiche maketh his nest in the ordure of a man and there testeth hym / and lyke the dorre or waspe that flee the floutes / and louen dunge and ordure this braunche hath fyue leues The fyrst is whan they contryue the lesynges and euyll for to hurte blame and defame other The seconde is whan they haue herde the blame and harme they saye it forth and reporte it too the peple and adiust anâ—re of them self therin The thyrde is whan they quenche and sette atte nought all the good dedes the whiche that a man hath done / and make it to be holden for euyll They ete the man al hole / the other ete it not all But they byte hym and bere away a pyece This is the fourth leef of this braunche / whiche is proprely called detraccyon For he alway withdraweth cutteth of a pyece of good that he hereth spoken of other For whaÌ„ ony good is spoken of ony other tofore hym / alway he contryueth some thyÌ„ge to say to his reproche / and gyueth therto a but / as thus / he is ryght a good man and I loue hym well / but there ben suche defautes in hym / certaynely I am sory therfore This is the scorpyon whiche blandissheth with his face and prycketh with his tayle The fyfth is whan he peruerteth and tourneth all to the wers party / and the good in to euyll And for that cause he is a false Iuge vntrue also ¶ Of the synne to say lesynges Ca. liiii LEsynge falseth a man / lyke as one falsed the kyÌ„ges seale / or the bulles of the pope / and bycause that suche men false the money and bereth forthe false letters he shall be Iuged at the day of day of dome as a false man The lyer is amonge the good true men as the false peny amonge the good / and as the chaffe amonge the corne The lyer is lyke to the deuyll whiche is his fader / lyke as god sayth in the gospell / for he is a lyer / and the fader of lesynges / lyke as he that forged the fyrste lesynge And yet he forgeth and techeth them forth all day The deuyl sheweth hym in many maners and in many fourmes / and transfygureth hym selfe in many guyses for to deceyue the people Ryght so dothe the lyer Then is he lyke the plouer that lyueth of the wynde and of the ayre / and hath nothynge in his entrayles but wynde And also to euery coloure that he seeth he chaungeth his sonne In this braunche ben thre bowes / for there is one maner lesynge brennynge / another pleasaunt / and another noyenge / and in al thre is synne For lyke as sayth saynt Austyn / how well he that lyeth / and with his lesynge dooth good and prouffyte to another / neuertheles he dooth his owne hurte and wroÌ„ge / thenne these lyes ardaunt ben synnes But the lyes pleasaunt ben more greter synne / lyke as ben the lyes of losengyers / of flaterers / of mynstrelles / of truffars whiche that sayen these bourdes lesynge / and derysyons for to solace the folke and to make them laughe / and it is no doute for to
therin plāted These ympes ben the vertues whiche the holy goost bydeweth with his grace The blyssed sone of god / whiche is the veraye sonne / by the vertue of his clerenes maketh them to growe on hye / and prouffyte These thre thynges be necessarye to all thynges that growe in erthe / that is to wete / erthe conuenable / humoure nourysshable / and heet reasonable / without these thre thȳges spyrytually may not the ympes of vertues growe ne brynge forth fruyte These thre thynges maketh the grace of the holy ghoost in the herte of the persone / maketh to wexe grene / to flourysshe to fructyfye / it maketh hym as a gardyn moche delectable full of good and precyous trees But in lyke wyse as god planted in paradys terrester plente of good trees and of fruyte And in the myddle he planted a tree whiche was called the tree of lyfe By cause that his fruyte had strengthe and vertue to kepe lyfe to theym that sholde ete of it without deyenge / and without euer to haue ony maladye or sykenesses Ryght so dooth he spyrytually in the herte of a persone The grete gardyner / the whiche is god the fader For he planted the trees of vertues And in the myddle he sette the tree of lyf That is Ihesu cryst / whiche sayth in the gospell / who that eteth my flesshe and drynketh my blood hathe lyf perdurable This tree enuerdureth embelyssheth by his vertu all the whiche is in paradys By the vertu of this tree growen and flourysshen fructefyeth all the other trees In this tree is all good / as moche as there is This tree is to be preysed and to be loued for many thynges For the rote / for the fruyt / for the stocke for the floure / for the odour for the leef / and for his fayre shadowe The rote of this tree is the ryght grete loue and the oultrageous charyte of god the fader / of whiche he loued vs so moche / that for to bye ageyne his euyll seruaunte / he gaf his ryght blessed sone and delyuerd hym to deth and to tormente Of this rote speketh the prophete sayth thus That a rodde shall yssue of the rote of Iesse This worde is as moche to saye as embracer of loue The stocke of this precyous tree / is the precyous flesshe of Ihesu Cryst The herte of this tree / that was the holy soule in whiche was the precyous marghe of the sapyence of god The barke of the tree was the fayr conuersacion without forth The droppynges of this tree and the body / weren thre precyous thynges and of ryght grete vertu / whiche yssued and dropped out of the preyous membres of Ihesu cryst that were the water / the teres the swete and the blode The leuys of this tree weren the precyous and holy wordes of Ihesu Cryst whiche heleden all maladyes The floures were the holy thoughtes of Ihesu Cryste whiche were fayre / honest and berynge fruyt The fruyt weren the twelue apostles / whiche fled all the worlde and nourysshed it with theyr holy doctryne / by theyr examples / by theyr good werkys / and with theyr benefaytes The braunche of this tree in one sens / ben all the chosen that euer were / and that ben / and that euer shall ben For lyke as our sauyour Ihesu Cryste sayd to his appostles I am sayd he the vygne / and ye ben the braunches ¶ In another sens / his braunches were his fayre vertues / his gloryouse exemples / whiche he shewed by werke / taught theym with his mouth These were the parfyte vertues and full of veray beneuerte and blyssednesse / whiche Ihesu Cryst shewed to his pryue frendes to the xii appostes / whome he ledde in to the moūtayne / and there he satte as sayth the gospell / his dyscyples were aboute hym And thenne the debonayr Ihesus opened his mouth and sayd Blessed be the poore of spyryte / for the reame of heuen is theyres Blessed be the debonayr for they shall be lordes of the erthe Blessed be they that wepen For they shall be comforted Blessed be they that haue hongre and thurst for Iustyce / for they shall be ful fedde Blessed be the mercyfull / for they shall fynde mercy Blessed be they that be clene of herte / for they shall see god Blessed be the peasyble / for they shal be called the sones of god ¶ These ben the seuen braunches of lyf of the blessed sone of god Ihesu Cryste In the shadowe of this tree ought the synne / good herte to shadowe hym / ought to se and beholde these fayre braunches / whiche bere the fruyte of lyf perdurable In these braunches and in these seuen wordes is enclosed all hyenesse / all perfection of grace / of vertu and of blessednesse / as moche as may be had in this worlde / to haue and atteyne in that other For these be seuen rules of holy lyf whiche Ihesu Cryst taughte to his chyldern This is the veray phylosophye that the maystre of angellys enseygned vnto his dyscyples ¶ In these wordes is enclosed all the somme of the veray perfeccyon of the newe lawe of loue and of swetenes And it is well sayd newe .. For it may well waxe olde / lyke as dyde tholde lawe to the Iewes And bycause that the soule was waxen olde by synne / it is made youge agayn and becomen newe by these wordes aforesayd It is veray newe and dysguysed fro the other lawes / lawe is sayd bycause it is bounden But the other byndeth and this vnbyndeth The other lawe chargeth / and this lawe dyschargeth The other lawes menaceth and thre teneth This lawe promyseth In other lawes is plee / in this newe lawe is peas In other lawes is drede / in this newe lawe is loue The other lawes haue maledyccyon / and cursynge / this newe lawe hath benedyccyon blyssynge ¶ Thenne is this newe lawe all full of beneurte and blyssednes And therfore ben blyssed all they that kepe it and accomplysshe it This sayth Salamon For all they that kepe it well wynneth the tree of lyfe pardurable Then these .vii. wordes abouesayd whiche god sayd ben called blyssynges For they make a man to be blyssed as moche as he may be in this present lyfe / and yet more blyssed in that other Now hast thou herde what the tree of lyfe is / whiche is in the myddle of paradyce the whiche god planted in the holy soule In the shadowe of this tree groweth and prouffyteth the fruyte The tree of vertues whiche god the fader the whiche is the grete gardyner planted and sette in this gardyn / and dyde bedewe it with the fountayne of grace / the whiche maketh it for to wexe grene / growe and to prouffyte / and holdeth it in vertue and in lyfe This foresayd fountayne is departed in to seuen ryuers These ben the seuen gyftes of
strengthe of man Charyte / sayth saynt Austyn Ioyneth vs to god For charyte is none other thynge but chyere vnyte / that is / dere one hede / for she maketh the herte and god all one as sayth saynt Poule Fayth byholdeth in god souerayn vnyte hope beholdeth in god souerayn hyenesse / and charyte souerayn bounte These .iii. vertues ben deuyded by .iii. degres of loue / for for .iii. thynges a man is loued One is by cause that one hath herde or hereth grete good of hym Or by cause that he hath receyued grete good of hym Or by cause he entendeth to haue grete good of hym These iii. maners of loue ben in these .iii. vertues Loue of fayth hereth and werketh / loue of hope feleth the sauour and requyreth it / loue of charyte taketh seeth it / tasteth holdeth it ¶ Of the foure cardynall vertues / by whiche a man ought to gouerne hym Ca. lxxxxi OF the foure cardynall vertues speken moche the auÌ„cieÌ„t phylosophres but the holy ghost gyueth theÌ„ ensygneth them better an hondred tymes as sayth Salamon in the boke of sapyence The fyrste of these foure vertues is prudence the seconde attempraunce / the thyrde strength / and the fourthe Iustyce These .iiii. vertues ben called cardynalles / by cause they ben the moost pryÌ„cypall amonge the vertues of whiche the auncyent phylosophers speketh For by these .iiii. vertues a man gouerneth hym selfe in this worlde Lyke as the pope gouerneth al holy chyrche by his cardynalles PrudeÌ„ce kepeth a man that he be not deceyued by none engyne of the ennemy AtteÌ„praunce kepeth a man that he be not corrupt by none euyll loue Strength kepeth hym that he be not vaynquysshed ne ouercome by wrath / or by drede / or by sorowe This is that holdeth a man in good estate toward hymselfe Iustyce setteth a man in ryght estate anenste hymselfe and other / for Iustyce rendreth to eche man the whiche is his These ben the .iiii. toures at .iiii. corners of the hous of the good man that maketh it stronge / sure good Prudence garnyssheth it towarde the eest by purueyaunce for al perylles Attempraunce garnyssheth it towarde the southe ageynst the euyll heetes Srengthe garnyssheth it towarde the northe for the euyll coldes Iustyce garnyssheth it towarde the west ayenst the euyll raynes ¶ Yet agayne of the foure cardynall vertues as here foloweth Ca. lxxxxii THese .iiii. vertues haue dyuers offyces / ben moche dyuers in theyr werkes / lyke as sayth an auÌ„cyent phylosophre named Plato in his boke that he made of these .iiii. vertues / deuydeth them moche subtylly / sayth that prudence hath .iii offyces For by this vertue all that whiche a man doth sayth / thynketh is ordeyned all and ledde by lyne / rule / and reason and in all his werkes he pourueyeth / that he vse theym after thordynaunce of god that all seeth and Iugeth A grete lorde sholde he be as me semeth that sholde haue this onely / vertue / and by these thre thynges sholde gouerne hym ¶ Of the vertue of attemperaunce lxxxxiii THe vertue of attemperauÌ„ce hath .iii. offyces for the herte that hath this vertue wyll not ne coueyteth not to do a thynge of whiche he ought to repente In noo thynges he breketh not the lawe dysmesurably / but putteh hym self alwaye vnder the yoke of reason And no thynges doubteth of all the couetyses of the worlde That is to saye / who hath this vertue he kepeth hym that he be not corrupt by the thre thynges that foulen shamen the worlde ¶ Of the vertue of strength Ca. lxxxxiiii THe vertue of strength hath also .iii offyces / for a man that hath this vertue in his hert he lyft hyÌ„ vpon hye aboue the perylles of this worlde and no thynge doubteth he sauf vylonye and synne / he bereth aduersyte and prosperyte / and suffreth without to bowe on the ryght syde ne on the lyfte syde Moche good sholde be the knyght of god that in these thre thynges sholde be well proued These .iii. vertues armen / ordeyne / adourne a man as touchynge the thre partes of the herte whiche ben called / reason / loue / vygour Prudence kepeth the reason that it be not deceyued Attempraunce kepeth the loue / that it be not corrupte Strength kepeth the vygoure or myght that it be not ouercome ¶ Of the vertue of Iustyce Ca. lxxxxv IVstyce maketh a man to lyue ordynatly amonge the other For lyke as Plato sayth the phylosophre This is the vertue that maketh that a man dooth vnto euery man the whiche he oweth to do For he rendreth reuerence honoure vnto them that be aboue hym Frendshyp pease and concorde to them that ben lyke to hym / grace and pyte to them that ben vnder hym By these .iiii. vertues sayth the sayd phylosophre / that a man is theÌ„ worthy that he be gouernoure of hymselfe / and after of other In these .iiii. vertues studyed the auncyent phylosophres whiche dyspysed all the worlde for to acquyre and gete vertue wysdome / and therfore were they called phylosophres / whiche is as moche to say as loue of sapyence ¶ O good god how sholde this confounde vs and make vs aferde that they that were paynyms without law wryten and nothynge knewe of the veray grace ne of the gyftes of the holy goost / and neuertheles they styed vp in to the mountayne of perfeccyon of lyuynge by force by theyr propre vertue / and dayned not to take hede of the worlde / ne to do euyll / ne to consent to synne / we that ben crysten men that haue the veray fayth / knowe the coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes of god / haue the grace of the holy goost / yf we wyll our syÌ„nes cause it not / that we may more prouffyte for our helth anenst god in a day / thaÌ„ they myght in a yere / we defoule vs / lye here beneth as a swyne in a mire / in the ordure of this worlde / and synne in the fylthe and donge of delyces of this worlde Therfore sayth saynt Poule that the paynym that is without lawe shall Iuge vs at the daye of Iugement / that haue had here the lawe / we neyther holde ne kepe it / and by cause they had not ryÈt fayth ne the grace of the holy ghoost ne no vertue ne quycke ne very fayth / they may not well knowe how these vertues be good and fayre / for as moche dyfference as is bytwene a brennynge cole / and a deed cole / and a lyuynge man and a deed man Soo moche dyfference is there bytwene vertue that is without charyte / vertue that is with charyte / whiche is the bounte / the valure and the lyf of other vertues / wherof saynt Austyn sayth whan he speketh of these .iiii. vertues / he deuydeth theym by .iiii. maner of loues and by .iiii. thynges that veray loue
in to the herte / lyke as sayth the prophete Many grete wyse men haue be taken and ouercomen by this / that they kepte not well the yates And yf thou wylte haue example of this matere / thynke that no man was more stronge than Samposon Ne more holy than Dauyd the prophete Ne more wyse thaÌ„ Salamon And neuertheles they fylle and were all deceyued by women Certaynly yf they had well kepte theyr yates of theyr fyue wyttes corporell / the fende had not taken so grete fortresses For as saynt Gregorye sayth The toure of the herte may not be taken yf it be not opened too the hoost of the deuyll / wherfore the auncyent phylosophres fledde in to ferre places / in desertes / by cause they myght not see / ne here / ne fele thynges delectable / by whiche theyr strengthe and vertue sholde wâ—x feble / ne by whiche they myght lese theyr chastyte ¶ Other phylosophres there were that by cause they sholde not be lette to thynke on theyr phylosophres put out theyr eyen by cause they sholde see no thynge that myÈt drawe theym fro contemplacyon Then the bodyly wyttes ben lyke an hors that renneth without bytte or brydle whiche maketh his lorde to ouerthrowe or falle But the chaste herte holdeth hym by the rayne by the brydle of reason ¶ Of the .iiii. degree of the vertue of chastyte Ca. Cxliiii THe fourth degre of the vertue of chastyte / is sharpnesse of penaunce / too subdue his flesshe whiche is rebelle / make it subget to the spyryte / lyke as sayth saynt Poule For he that wyll quenche the fyre of lecherye he ought to take awaye the ryse fagotte / and al tho thynges that make it to brenne and that nourysshe the fyre These ben the delyces and the eases of the body whiche quyckene and lyghten the fyre of lecherye corrumpeth chastyte / wherof saynt Bernard sayth that chastyte peryssheth in delyces And therfore who that wyll kepe hym fro brennynge / he ought to take awaye by abstynence / and by sharpnesse of penaunce of his body all the occasyons that may quyckene the fyre of lecherye / wherof the scrypture sayth that the chyldren that were nourysshed with grosse metes wolde not vse delycyouse metes / and were saued in the fournays of babylone / by whiche is vnderstonden the synne of lecherye / whiche is quenched by abstynence and by sharpnes of penaunce But the fatte metes delycyouses / and the stronge wynes enflame and nourysshe this synne of lechery in lyse wyse as oylle and grece alyght and enflammeth the fyre / and enforce it to brenne ¶ Of the .v. degre of the vertue of chastyte Ca. C.xlv THe fyfth degree of the vertue of chastyte / is to flee euyll companye and the occasyons of synne Moche people haue fallen to synne by euyll company / whiche otherwyse had ne not fallen / lyke as the leuayne corrupteth the paste and drawe it to sauoure Ryght so the euyll company corrupteth the fame and renomee of the persone An apple roten yf it be amonge the souÌ„de and hole / corrupteth the good apples yf it lye amonge them A brennynge cole anone setteth on fyre an heep of coles whan it is layde amonge them Wherof Dauyd sayth in the psaulter / with the holy thou shalte be holy and with the shrewes thou shalte be peruerted ¶ Thus thenne yf thou wylte kepe chastyte and clennes / folowe the company of the good For yf thou loue the company of euyll shrewes / thou shalt be euyll as they be For who that loueth the company of a fole / it behoueth that he be lyke to him / as to that scripture sayth Thus behoueth it to flee all the occasyons of synne As to speke secretly with a woman / in suspecyous place one alone to one For suche thynges gyuen occasyon to synne / whan there is place and tyme / wherof we rede in the boke of kynges / that Amon whiche was the sone of Dauyd / whan he had his syster Thamar in his chamber he corrupted and defouled her The lady of Ioseph whan she founde hym alone she wolde haue made hym to synne with her But he fledde as a wyse man left her with his mantell ¶ Therfore sayth the holy appostle saynt Poule Fle ye fro the synne of fornycacyon / that is for to say / all the occasyons that may brynge or lede a persone vnto the synne of lechery For a man may not better ouercome the synne of lecherye ne kepe chastyte than by fleynge the companyes and the occasyons of this synne wherof the aungell sayd to loth that he sholde yssue departe fro the cytee of Sodome / from all the marches For it suffysed not to leue the euyl companye ne the synne / but that he sholde leue the marches of synne It is sayd that so longe gooth the pete to water / that at the laste it breketh And the gnat fleeth soo longe at the flamme of the candel / that at laste it brenneth In lyke wyse may one seke thoccasyons of synne / that he falleth therin who so wyl then kepe hyÌ„ wel fro suche fyre / that he brenne not / he ought to wtdrawe hym fro it The syxthe degre of the vertue of chastyte Ca. Cxlvi THe syxthe degree of the vertue of chastyte / is the one be wel occupyed wel sette a werke of good werkys and honeste For the deuyll whiche slepeth not / whan he fyndeth a man ydle and slowe to do well / put hym self to laboure and maketh hym falle lyghtly in to synne / wherof the scrypture sayth / that ydlenesse / that is to saye neclygence and slouthe for to do good / is maystresse of many euylles / and that is enemye of the soule ¶ And therfore sayth Saynt Poule Ne gyue thou no place to the deuyll That is to saye ne be thou not ydle / that the fende fynde not place to tempte the. For who that is ydle to do good werkes / he gyueth roume and place to the deuyll for to tempte hym Therfor sayth Saynt Gregory doo all waye somme good werkes a and operacyon that the deuyll fynde the not ydle For he is lyghtly taken of the fende / that occupyeth not hymself alway in somme werkes For he that is ydle may not longe kepe hym fro fallyÌ„ge in to synne Of this sayth the prophete / that the cause of the synne of Sodome the cyte was plente of breed wyne / ydlenes That is to vnderstonde that they ete dranke / and dyde nothyÌ„ge And therfore they fell in to synne soo horryble that it ought not to be named Ryght so do moche people that lese theyr tyme / employe it in vanytees and in outrages of mete drinke and leude games / in Iolytees of leude songes / of dauÌ„ces / of playes not lefull / and other deduytes And in suche vanytees they waste theyr tyme / and therfore they fall often
thynge that loue hath moost trauayle for / by moost payne is goten / ought to be moost loued / moost dere worthely kept / and this sapyence is moche necessary and prouffytable to all them that wyll go with god / For thus as sayth holy scrypture / by many trybulacyoÌ„s behoueth vs to entre in to the realme of heuen And this manyfesteth and sheweth to vs the lyues of sayntes / the whiche for to come to god haue so moche suffred and endured After it is to wete / that to thaccomplysshement of the sayd commaundement .iiii. thynges admonesteth the creature ¶ The fyrst is to haue in mynde contynually the goodes that the creature hathe receyued of god as sayd is tofore For whan the creature consydereth that he hath receyued of god body soule / all other godes that he hath / spyrytuall and temporall / the perylles also whiche he hath escaped The glory of heuen whiche he hath apparayled to vs. The creature humayne shall Iuge that he oweth to loue god with all his herte The .ii. reason is to haue in consyderacion the grete puyssaunce / excellence / nobles of god And with that the grete mysery pouerte of our self / by the whiche consyderacyon the creature shall Iuge / the whan he shall loue god with all his herte / he shall serue hym with all his myght / whiche yet he doth full lytel vnto the regarde of his grete excellence noblenesse and puyssaunce ¶ And therfore the creature humayne sholde alway the more for to enforce hym to loue / to serue / for to honour god ¶ The thyrde reason is to take away the loue and affeccyon of worldly thynges as sayd is to fore For where all the herte suffyseth not for to loue almyghty god suffycyently / consydered his grete excellence noblenes and puyssaunte magnyfycence as is tofore sayd / thenne he that putteth in his herte the loue of thyÌ„ges temporell / the whiche ben but stynkynge fylthe and ordure to the regarde of god / semeth well that he dooth to god grete velony / and in this case he loueth not god with all his herte after the sayd commauÌ„dement / for of so moch as the herte of the creature is set to loue other thynge than god of so moche it is lesse in god The fourth reason is to kepe hym selfe and to put from hym all synnes and in especyall deedly synne / for no creature beynge in deedly synne may loue god For by deedly synne the creature offendeth god and is pryued and out of grace / whiche thynge is contrary to his loue ¶ Of the fyrst commaundement of the law Ca. iii. WE ought thenne accordynge to the sayd fyrst commaundement to loue with all our herte The whiche thynge the creature dothe / whaÌ„ in all his werkes his entencyon is ryghtfull and after goddes wyll For the entencyon of the creature is suche vertu that he rendre his werkes operacyon after god good or euyll / and therfore what so euer werke that the creature do yf his entencion be euyl the operacyon and al the werke is without meryte / and conuerted fro it / in to do euyll / herof it is sayd in the gospell by our sauyour Ihesu cryst / yf thyn eye be euyll all thy body is derke That is to saye yf thyn entencyon be euyll / all thy werkes ben derke and in synne and wtout meryte And therfore it behoueth to rendre the werke of the creature good and merytorye and that his entencyon be ryghtfull accordynge to goddes wyll But bycause that for to rendre the werke of the creature good and merytoryous accordynge vnto god / suffyseth not onely good entencyon But it behoueth also to haue the ryghtfull entencion and good wylle lyke as it may appyere in hym / that wyll stele and take other mennys goodes for to nourysshe and fede the poure peple / For thentencyon of the wylle to gyue for goddes sake to the pore peple is good But the wylle to stele or take awaye other mennes goodes is euyll for to so do And therfore that dede shal be euyll / and may not be excused For by cause that an euyll werke for ony good entencyon may not be excused It is sayd after in the commaundement / that the creature ought to loue god with all his soule That is to saye that his wyll accorde in all his werkes to the wyll of god / this demaunde we of god whan we say our pater noster whan we praye god that his wyll be done in vs. ¶ Also by cause that yet for to accomplisshe the sayd commaundement / suffyse not onelye good entencyon and good wyl it is after sayd in the same commaundement / that the creature ought to loue his god with all his entendemeÌ„t and vnderstondynge That is to saye that in thentendement of the creature be no deedly synnes delybered by consentynge ne concluded For alle consentynges concluded in thynge that sholde be as touchynge the dede of deedly synne / though soo be that the dede be not done outward as touchynge the werke that ony thynge ensie we therof / yet it is deedly synne And the creature beynge in deedly syÌ„ne may not loue god as aboue is sayd Also by cause that yet for taccomplysshe the sayd commaundement suffyse not onelye good entencyon good wyll as touchynge the werkes withoutforth / that in thentendement of the creature groweth deedly synne by consentynge / but it behoueth that the creature put and employe all the strengthe and puyssaunce that he hath in good werkes and dedes Iuste and vertuous / that they be to thonoure and worshyp of almyghty god and to the saluacion of hym self and his neyghboure It is sayd afin the foresayd commaundement that the creature ouÈt for to loue his god with all his myght and with all his strengthe And therfore all they that put and employe all theyr myght and strengthe in the werkys of synne / done ageynst the sayd commaundemenet synne deedly Thus it appyereth clerely that for taccomplysshe the sayd fyrst commaundement pryncypall The creature ought to gyue vnto god entencyon / wyll / entendement and all his strength and good wyll by the maner that is aforesayd ¶ The seconde commaundement of the lawe is how eche man ought to loue his neghboure Ca. .iiii. FOr to haue knowleche of the seconde commaundement pryncypall aforsayd touchynge the loue of his neyghboure whome the creature ought to loue as hym self It is to wete that to the loue of our neyghbour four thynges ought to moue vs. Fyrst for by cause that we all ben chyldren of god by creacyon And naturally brethern and systers loue that one that other And thus we ben all members of Ihesu Cryst / whiche is our heed and one membre loueth another naturally Secondly to this ought to brynge vs the loue obeyssaunce that we owe to god as aforesayd is / whiche commaundeth vs to loue our neyghboure Thyrdly to
apperteyneth to the loue and to the dylection of his neyghboure / accordynge to the other commaundement pryncypall ensyewynge And of the same .x. commaundementes there ben two affyrmatyues onely the whiche enduceth the creature for to doo well / and .viii. other negatyues whiche defende to do yll The cause is for so moche as for to kepe hym from doynge euyll / is the puyssaunce of the creature for the fre wyll that he hathe to the whiche he may not be constrayned / but to doo well is not in the puyssaunce of the creature / but it is the specyall grace of god ¶ Of the thre fyrst commaundementes partyculer Capitulo vii FOr to haue the knowlege of the .iii. fyrst commaūdementes apperteynynge to the loue dyleccōn of god It is to wete that a veraye subgect oweth to his lorde thre thynges / the whiche the creature oweth vnto god soueraynly The fyrst is fayth or fydelyte / that is to say that thonour / seruyce / and obeysaunce that the subgect oweth to his lorde / and the sygnoury that he ought to haue ouer hym be not by hym delyuered to an other For in suche a case he sholde be holden for a traytre and for false and euyll And vpon this was gyuen of god to Moyses the fyrste commaundement the whiche is suche ¶ Thou shalte not adoure no straunge god That is to say / the obeysaunce / honour and seruyce that the creature ought to do to god / lyke as it is deuysed vpon the fyrst commaundement pryncypall / he shall in no wyse do vnto ony other than to god ¶ Ageynst this commaundement doth and synne mortally all the people that entremet them of dyuynacyons / of sortyleges and sorceryes For after saynt Austyn suche thȳges may not be made ne done without to haue ony or some couenauntes with the deuyl / by the whiche all suche thynges ben sayd and made And therfore all suche people be cursed excomenyed of holy chyrche ¶ And yet also all they that holde and beleue that the planettes and the sterres gouerne the soules of the creatures For god onely gouerneth man and woman / and for to serue man and woman they ben made and created Thyrdly all they that in ony other maner thynge what so euer it be that set more theyr hope in than in god / be it in goodes temporell or in creatures or that more loue theym than god The whiche happeth whan for suche loue / or for to gete suche a thynge / the creature dysobeyeth vnto the commaundementes of god and of holy chyrche ¶ Fourthly all they that for to obey to theym and to do theyr pleasures make theyr subgectes and seruauntes to dysobeye the commaundementes of almyghty god and holy chyrche ¶ Fyfthly all they that in suche a case obey vnto the creature And yet also all theym that more beleue to theyr owne wytte than they do vnto the commaundementes of god / and to the ordynaunces of holy chyrche As do they that retche not to knowe the cōmaundementes of god / the artycles of the fayth / and all other thynges that of necessyte ben to be beleued / kepte / and holden for to haue glory lyfe pardurable But many beleue for to gete heuen by theyr folysshe presumpcyon And therfore they wyll gouerne them at theyr pleasure and wyll / and yet all they that for to haue the delectacyons and the eases of the flesshe and of theyr bodyes dysobey to god and to his commaundementes ¶ The seconde thynge that the veray subget oweth to his lorde Ca. viii THe second thynge that the veray subget oweth to his lord / and in especyall to god / is that he ne say ne do thynge that may be to his vylonnye / or to his Iniurye or dyshonour And vpon this was delyuerd the seconde commaundement apperteynynge to the loue of god whiche is suche Thou shalt not take the name of thy god in vayne That is to say for to afferme and do byleue thȳge the whiche thou sayest or doost / thou shalte not swere the name of god / but for thynges the whiche ben very table and for good and Iust cause And in case of nede of necessyte For othe is ordeyned for to sette an ende in thynges lytygyous and debatefull / of the whiche fayth or demonstraunce may in none other wyse be knowen but by othe and true swerȳge And in this was restrayned to the crysten that / whiche was graunted to the Iewes For it was leful to them to swere and not to be periured But to the crysten people is not onely defended to pariure and forswere hym self / but also to swere Excepte in caas of necessyte as sayd is ¶ And therfore it is sayd by our sauyour Ihesu Cryst yf thou wylt ony thȳges afferme or denye late thy word be / it is thus / or it is not thus / and yf thou makest oth of haboundaunce / but in caas of necessyte it is euyll and it is synne ¶ And the cause of thys restraynte or defence is by cause that the creature hath noo membre so feble ne to the kepynge may by a creature be lasse sette / thenne in the tongue ¶ And to this purpose sayth Saynt Iames thappostle / that alle nature of beestys / of byrdes and of serpentys may be dompted and taken by the creature humayne but no ne may not / nor wyll not refrayne and with holde his tonge / ne kepe hym frome euyll saynge or of ouermoche superfluous spekynge / sclaundrynge and detraccyon ¶ And therfore sayth the holy appostle saynt Iames that the man is perfyte and wyse that setteth to his tonge suche garde that he myspryse not ne synne not in his spekynge And for that fraylnes the creature that vseth or accustometh hym for to swere periureth or forswereth lyghtly The whiche thynge of hym self is deedly synne whan the periurynge is made in ernest by delyberacyon / and the moost gretest synne that is after / is for to adoure straunge goddes / whiche is sayd synne of ydolatry And therfore not to take the name of god in vayne by the maner that sayd is / was the seconde commaundement gyuen of our lorde to moyses as tofore is sayd ¶ The thyrde thynge that the veray subgecte oweth vnto his lorde Ca. ix THe thyrde thynge that the veray subgect oweth to his lorde and soueraynly to god / is seruyce / vpon this was delyuered to Moyses the thyrde cōmaūdement apperteynynge to the dyleccion and loue of god and is suche as foloweth Thou shalt halowe and sanctyfy the sonday / that is to saye Thou shalt cease the sayd day fro all worldly werkes / and in especyall of the werkes of synne And that daye thou shalt occupye thy selfe and employe the in the preasynge and in the seruyce of almyghty god in knowlegynge the benefaytes and the grace that thou hast of hym And god wolde that by the Iewes the sabot day sholde be employed in his
of auaryce many bowes whiche been moche grete deedly syn̄e The fyrst is vsure The seconde thefte The thyrde raueyne The .iiii. chalenge The fyfthe sacrylege The .vi. Symonye The .vii. malygnytees The viii marchandyse The .ix. in wycked craftes The .x. in euyll wycked playes / and eueryche of these bowes departeth hym in to many maners ¶ Of dyuers maner spyces of vsure Ca. .xxxv. THe fyrst bough of vsure departeth hym in to .vii twygges For there is one maner of vsurers lenynge openly whiche lene theyr monye for other mony And aboue the catell they take and leueye theyr gayne / or in money / or in hors / or in whete or in wyn or in fruyt of therthe / whiche they take in gayne withoute to rekene the fruytes in payement And yet that werse is / they wyll rekene two tymes in the yere or thryes for too areyse theyr vsures / and wyll yet haue bountees or rewardes aboue for euery terme / thus be they holpen aboue that they lene pryncypally Suche people ben vsurers couched vylaynous But there ben other maner vsurers lenynge curtoys whiche lene theyr monye withoute makynge of ony couenaunte Neuerthelesse they entende to haue prouffyte and rewardes therfore / in money or in catayll / or in golde or in syluer / or in yeftes or in presents / or in robes or in ton̄es of wyne or in fatte swyne or in seruyces Or in labour of horses or of oxen or asses or of cartes or waynes Or of prebendes for theyr chyldren / or in other thynges / and in all these and suche thynges is vsure / whan it is lente for occasyon to haue somme prouffyte This is the fyrst maner of vsure / that leneth his good wyckedly shrewdly ¶ The seconde Ca. xxxvi THe seconde maner of vsure is in them that lente not the money in theyr owne persone But that whiche theyr faders or theyr moders / theyr wyues / or theyr husbondes / or theyr predecessours haue goten by vsure they retayne it / and wyll not rendre it ne yelde it a gayne The thyrde maner of vsure is in them that daygne not ne wyll not lenne by theyr owne hande / but they make theyr seruauntes and other people to lenne for thē theyr money / tho ben the maysters vsurers ¶ Of these synnes be not quyte the grete and hye lordes that kepe sustayne the Iewes and lombardes of pyemoūt other places / whiche dystroye the contraye / and they take the rewardes and grete gyftes somtyme the raunsones or redempcyons / whiche ben the catayle and cheuyssaunce of the poore people The fourthe maner is in theym that lene other mennes money / or that borowe it with lytell coste Suche people ben dyscyples of vsurers whiche lerne this foule and wycked stynkynge crafte The fyfthe maner is in marchaūdyse / whan ony selleth ony maner thynge what someuer be for more than it is worthe for the abydynge of the terme than he wolde do for redy money and that more is the vntrue seller and wycked whan he seeth the people more at grete myschefe / thenne he shall sell his waare the more derer / ye twyes or thtyes more than it is worthe Suche maner people doo ouer moche harme For / for theyr longe terme they doo destroye and appourysshe the knyghtes and other hye men the whiche folowe the assembles / the warres and the tournoyes that they delyuer to theym theyr londes and theyr herytages in gayge and wedde / and so lyenge in gayge they deye neuer quytte ne paye The other synnen in byenge the thynges as corn wyn or other thynges lasse the halfe than it is worth for the money that they paye tofore hande / and after they selle the same thre or foure tymes more dere than the thynge was solde delyuerd to theȳ fore Other marchauntes bye the thynges whā they be at no prys and good chepe / as whete in haruest wyn in the vynyerde or other marchandyse / for to selle ageyn in the tyme whan they shall be more dere The other bye theyr whete in the stalkys and erys and the wyn in the flourynge whan they shewe fayr forth / by suche couenaunte that they haue theyr achate sauf theyr mesure The .vi. maner is of theym that delyuer theyr money to marchauntes in suche wyse that they shall be felowes parte in the gayne / and no thynge in the losse Or that delyuer theyr beestes to halues / soo that they be as yron That is to saye that yf they deye or perysshe he that taketh theym to halues shall sette put other beestys in theyr place / of so moche as grete of valure prys as were-they that ben deed or perysshed at his propre charge / dyspence The .vii. maner is of theym that put and sette theyr nexte neyghbours in theyr werke and labour / by cause that they haue lente theim golde or syluer or corne or hath done to theym ony curtosye or frendshyp / and whan they see theym poure and nedy / then̄e make they with theym bargaynes for theyr auayle / and for the money that they delyuer to the poure man / or for a lytyl corne that they selle to hym well dere and for more than it is worthe in market He wyll haue of hȳ syxe peny worth werke or labour for two pens These ben the bowes that growe out of the euyll braunche of vsure ¶ Of thefte Ca. xxxvii THe seconde braunche of auaryce is theft / this is to take or retayne other mennes thynge wrongfully without knowelege or ayenst the wyll of hym that oweth it And this synne may be done in foure maners / after foure maners of theues For there ben some theues openly Some couertly / some priuely / and some felawly The comyn and open theues ben they that stele in suche wyse that there is Iustyce done on them whan they ben taken And of them ben dyuers maners / as well on these as on the londe The couert theues ben they that take away secretely and couertly grete thynges small thynges by theyr barate / treason / or by subtyll wytte and engynne The preuy theues ben they that take awaey no thynge from straungers / but of theyr neyghbours / and knowen / and of them ben bothe grete and small as / the vntrue receyuour / shryues / prouostes / exchetours / bayllyues / sergyauntes / and other suche as taketh the amēdes / and restrayne the rentes to theyr lordes / and acoūt moche in costes and dyspences and lasse receytes and rētes Thus done the grete offycers whiche ben in the houses of the grete lordes and ryche men that maketh grete coostes and dyspences / and gyue largely the goodes of theyr lordes and maysters without theyr knowynge ageynst theyr wyll In this synne synneth the wyfe the whiche causeth by her synne that the chylde the whiche that she knowerh ryght well that she hathe hadde it of
another man than of her propre husbande / enheryteth and hathe the herytage where as he hathe noo ryght therto ¶ In this synne also synneth the wyf that taketh awaye the goodes of hir husbonde / for to dyspende and put it to euyll vsage ¶ That other theef is the lytell theef that taketh awaye out of the how 's the breed or wyne other thynges / or fro theyr neyghboure theyr capons or hennys / or the fruyt oute of theyr gardyns or other thynges Suche ben they that reteyne the thynges that they haue founden and knowen well to whome they belonge / and therfore they sholde not reteyne theym But they ought to do by the counceyll of holy chirche / or by the counceyl of theyr confessour The theuys the ben felowes ben they that parteth theyr thefte / or by composycyon or by yefte or by achate or by other manere ¶ Also they that consente to the thefte / or counceylleth or that commaundeth it to be done Also they that counceylle the theuys or deffende theym or sustayne them in theyr malyce / or receyue theÌ„ in to theyr hous or in to theyr londe / or the gadre togyder the thefte Also the wycked Iustyses that suffre theym for yeftes / or by prayers or by ony other euyll reasons and wyll not ne dare not do Iustyce ¶ The thyrde braunche of the synne of Auaryce is rauyne as foloweth Ca. .xxxviii. THe thyrde brauÌ„che of auaryce is Rauyne whiche hath many bowes The fyrst is an euyll executour of testamentes Suche people robbe theim that ben dede whiche is ouer grete an vntrouthe ¶ The seconde is in wycked euyll lordes / be they knyghtes or other lordes or bourgeyses whiche ete and fle the poore peple by tayllees / by aydes Imposycyons amendes or by other maner / whiche seche purchace that whiche may greue theyr subgettis / and accomplysshe theyr euyll wyll / and they ought to kepe deffende them In this syÌ„ne ben the grete prynces the barons / whiche by theyr myght taken awaye fro the poore other that they may subdue theyr castellys theyr rentes and theyr baronnyes And also other ryche men that take awaye by strengthe fro theyr propre neyghburs londes vygnes and other thynges And taken on all sydes soo that noo thynge may escape theym ¶ The thyrde ben robbours of euyll hostryes or Innes whiche robbe the pylgrymes the marchauntes and other that passe and walke by the countrey ¶ The fourth is in theym that wyll not paye that they owe. And that reteyne wrongfully and wythout cause the hyre or wages of theyr seruauntes or of theym that doo theyr werke ¶ The fyfthe is in these grete prelates that pylle theyr subgettes / and that raunson theym by ouer grete procuracions / or by other exactions extorcions that they do in many maners ¶ These ben the wulues that destroy the sheep that they sholde kepe ¶ The syxte thefte is in bayllyes Shyreues bedellys sergeauÌ„tes and other offycyers / whiche doo the grete rauyne and extorcions vpon the poore peple and bye the grete herytages / and so moche there is of other maner of rauyne whiche sholde be ouerlonge to reherce here But the moost grete parte is conteyned in the thynge aboue sayd ¶ Of the synne of chalenge Ca. .xxxix. THe fourth of Auaryce is chalenge / that is to renne on another wrongfully To this synne aperteyneth all barate trycherye and falsnesse that happeth in plees In the clargye hath dame auaryce many scolers in especyall seuen maner of people that studye therin Of .vii. maners of the synne of chalenge Ca. xl THe fyrst ben the false pledours that make the false partycyons and demaundes / and seche false Iuges / and the false wytnesses / and the false aduocates And false letters for to trouble other / and trauayle the people wrongfully in the spyrytuell courte / or in the teÌ„porall courte ¶ The seconde ben they that put awaye set at nought that is ryght And seketh barates and delayes for too take awaye frome other theyr chyuaunce ¶ The thyrde ben the false and vntrue wytnesses For they make the false vnryght maryages weddyÌ„ges They take away the herytages They doo so moche harme and domages that none may amende it / and all this they do for theyr grete couetyse ¶ The fourthe ben the false aduocates that sustayne the euyll causes all wetynge / and empesshe and lette the good people / for the hyre and the gyftes that they take on bothe sydes And they make oft the good causes to be loste / and the quarelles of good men and maketh of ryght wronge / and of wroÌ„ge ryght by theyr wyckednes and couetyse lyke as they that ben maysters of the barate of the trechery ¶ The fyfth ben the false notaryes that make false letters and Instrumentes / and falseth the seales / and maketh false lybelles and many other vntrouthes ¶ The .vi. thefte doone the false and vntrue Iuges whiche entende and ben more fauourable ayenst reason more to one partye / than to an other / for gyftes for promysses for ê“pryetces or for loue / or for hate / or for drede / or for fauour / yf that they delaye the causes and the quarylles wrongfully and make men to do grete costes and dyspences / and taken grete yeftes and somtyme of bothe partyes / and sellen Iustyce / or they leue to do Iustyce / and done to poore peple so grete domages and hurte that they may not ne can not amende ne repayre The .vii. ben the euyll accessours whiche gyuen euyll counceylle to Iuges / and causen that the causes and quarellys be loste by the offyces and seruyces that they haue All these persones tofore sayd ben bounden and holden to rendre yelde agayn all the whiche they haue thus had and taken euyl of other and also all the costes and domages that the other haue had and suffred for theym ¶ The .v. braunche of auaryce is sacrylege Ca. .xli. THe fyfth braunche of Auaryce is sacrylege / whaÌ„ one breketh or hurteth or treateth vylaynously the holy and blessyd thynges or the persones of holy chirche or ellys the holy places / whiche been appropred or longynge to the seruyce of god / and this doeth the synne of couetyse in many maners Fyrst whan one treateth vylaynsly the body of our lorde / lyke as done the heretykes the Sorciers or wytches / and the wycked preestes for wynnynge / in lyke wyse saye I of thother sacramentes Also whaÌ„ one breketh taketh awaye or treateth vylaynsly the sayntuaryes / the crosses / the chalyces / the cresme the corporalles / that halowed vestymentes and other thynges mysteryes of the chirche Also whan one brenneth and destroyeth chirches / or holy places / or chirchyerdes or howses of relygyon / or whan ony drawe out theym the beÌ„ fledde for refuge or socour in to monasteryes or chyrcheyardes for theyr suerte or warraunt ¶ Also whan
the tauerner that sustayneth suche people dyshordonate ben parteyners of all theyr synnes that they do in theyr tauernes / And certayne yf a ê‘sone sayd as moche shame to his owne fader or to his moder / or to his knaue / as suche maner people do to theyr fader of heuen and to our lady to the sayntes they sholde be moche angrye / fynde and set other remedye than god dothe ¶ Of the synnes of the tonge Ca. l. WHo that wyll knowe and thynke of the synnes of the tongue / hym byhoueth to thynke and acounte to thynke what the tongue is fro whens she cometh and what harme euyll she doeth For it happeth that somtyme the worde is synne in him self / by cause it is euyl and happeth by cause that it is synne / men synne for as moche that she yssueth and cometh of an euyll herte And also it happeth that the worde is grete synne by cause it dooth euyll / how well that it be fayre and well polysshed ¶ Now thou oughtest to knowe that the euyll tongue is the tree that god curseth in the gospell / by cause he founde theron no thynge but leeuys By the leeuys ben vnderstonden in holy scrypture wordes And lyke as it sholde be a thynge dyffycile and herde to nombre the leeuys of trees Ryght so it is Impossyble to compte and nombre the synnes that growen of the tongue But we shal sette and put ten chyef brauÌ„ches whiche growen oute of this tree And these .x. braunches may thus be named / ydlenes / auauntynge / losange rye / detraction / lyes or lesynges Forswerynges / contencyons murmure / rebellyon and blasphemye ¶ Of the synne that ben in ydle wordes Ca. .li. THey that abandoÌ„ne theym to ydle wordes geten grete dommage and grete perylle / whiche they apperceyue not ¶ And also they lese the tyme whiche they may neuer recouere And lose also the good dedes that they sholde myght do vnto theyr owne salute helthe And lesen the ioye of heuen / and the tresour of theyr herte and replenysshe it of vanyte of synnes They discouer the potte the flyes entre therin They calle theym ydle wordes / but they ben not For they ben moche costyous damageous peryllous as they that auoyde fro the herte al goodnes / and replenysshe it whith vanyte For they shall rendre reason and yelde acompt of theym too god straytly at the day of Iugement / lyke as god sayth in the gospell This is not thenne a lytel thynge ne lytell ydlenes / whan it byhoueth to yelde reason and accomptes at the daye of dome vnto a lytel thought / and in so hye a court as is tofore god and all his sayntes In this ydle wordes men synneth in syxe maners There ben some vayne wordes of whiche some tongues be soo full that so moch speke a fore and after that they be lyke the clyket and the clappe of a mylle whiche may neuer reste and also somme wordes ben so curyous of theym that gladly heren tydynges tolde / that they ofte set theyr herte to the desease of them that here theym / so that the recounters ben ofte holden for fooles and lyars After comen the rehersayll and the fayre wordes / wherin is moche vaynglorye / in theym that can subtylly shewe and saye them for to make the herars to laughe / after been the truffes bourdes lyes full of fylthe of ordure and of synne whiche been callyd ydle wordes / but they be not / for they be peryllous greuable After ben Iapes / the esbatemens and playes not lefull / that saye somtyme vpon good men vpon them that wolde fayne do well / by cause that they myght withdrawe fro theyr herte the goodnes that they haue conceyued purpose to do These be not ydle wordes / for thou art lyke an homycyde yf thou withdrawe by they tongue a man or a woman or a chylde fro doynge well or fro doynge a good dede And god shall conne the as good thanke / as the kynge sholde doo too the / yf that thou haddeste slayne or mordred his owne sone or stolen away his treasoure ¶ Of the synne of auauntaunce Ca. lii AFter cometh the synne of auauntaynge whiche is moche grete / moche foule / falfe / moche vylanous / it is moche grete For the that auaunteth hymself is moche hateful to god for he taketh awaye his glory and also his Ioye Also as we haue sayd tofore / this is a moche false syÌ„ne / for his goodes of whiche he myght gete heuen he gyueth for a lytell wynde / and so it is a moche foule synne For all the worlde holdeth hym for a fole / for a vylayne / and for nyce / and this braunche hath .v. leues There be v. maners of vauÌ„tours That one is of tyme past This is the synne of them that so gladly remembre theyr werkes and theyr prowesses / and that whiche they wene to haue done well / or sayd well That other is of tyme present / that is the synne of them that no thynge do gladly ne payne them to do well / ne to say well whan they ben not seen ne herde They in doynge or in saynge / or in syngynge auaunt them self and sell for nought all that they haue done To this man appertayneth the syÌ„ne of them that so auaunt and boost them of the good that they haue / or of that whiche thy wene to haue of theyr noblesse or of theyr rychesse They ben lyke to the Cuckowe / that can not synge but of hym selfe ¶ The thyrde is of them that ben surquydrous and that thynke and say in themselfe I shall auenge me herof I shall make hylles and valayes The fourthe is more subtyll / that is of them that dare not prayse themselfe for shame But all that euer the other dothe and say they blame and dyspyse lyke as noo were worth / but that whiche they can do or saye ¶ The fyfthe is yet more subtyll / that is of theym that wyll whan that men preyse theym / and they dare not saye it openly they make it all contrarye and make theym self humble and saye that they be no thynge worth and synners thre tymes wers thaÌ„ they be / by cause they wolde be preysed and for that men sholde holde theym for well humble meke Alas sayth Saynt Bernarde that this is a sorouful auauntynge They make theym self deuylles by cause they sholde be reputed for auÌ„gellys / and fayne themself to be euyll / to th ende that men sholde repute theym for good But certeynly a man sholde not more angre them than to saye ye saye trouthe To this apperteyneth the synne that seketh the aduocates for to preyse them / and to crye theyr oublyes / by whos mouth they speke more hardely ¶ Of euyll sayenge of other Ca. liii THe losangers ben nouryces of the deuyl that gyue souke to the chyldren and make
But he is a good marchaunte that of euery thynge knoweth well clerely the trouthe and the propre vertue / lyke as the holy ghoost enseygneth vs / another maystre techeth vs too knowe the grete thynges fro the smale the precyouse fro the vyle / the swete from the bytter ¶ Of the goodes of fortune Ca. .lxiiii. THey calle the smalle goodes the goodes of fortune whiche dame fortune hath aboute her whele / alwaye taketh awaye and gyueth / and torneth that whiche is aboue to falle vnder These ben the precyouse stones that the fooles haue bought for rubyes for saphyrs and for emerawdes These ben also as Ieweles and yonge chyldren whiche god gyueth to vs for to solace vs with / and for to drawe our loue to hym By cause that he knoweth well that we been tendre feble and that we may not holde the sharpe wayes of penaunce / of anguysshe and of martyrdome / lyke as done the good knyghtes of god whiche conquere the royame of heuen by strengthe and take it by theyr prowesse and theyr good vertues Thenne that is not the grete good ne well ryghtful For yf that were the grete good and veray Then were foles the blessyd chyldren of god Ihesu Cryst whiche chosen pouerte shame and sharpnesse for to gyue and to shewe to vs ensaumple And refused the ioyes the honoures and the rychessys of this worlde / yf these goodes transytorye worldly and temporall ben veray good / thenne be not al the veray goodes in heuen Then is not god parfytelye good and happy by cause he wyll not vse suche goodes / Thenne god is not good ne naturall by cause he gyueth not these worldly goodes to his frendes / but he gyueth theym more largely to his enemyes / yf these were veray good / thenne were foles all the sayntes / al the good clerkys the wyse phylosophres that fledde fro suche worldly goodes despysed theym as dunge / yf these be veray good / thenne fayleth the holy scrypture that calleth them lyes and vanytees / nettes and grynnes of the deuyl / this is as trewe as the pater noster For these ben the engynes of the deuyll / by whiche he deceyueth the soules in a thousande maners / and byndeth theym and taketh and holdeth theym But the wyse marchaunte that is the wyse man / whome the holy ghoost enlumyneth by veray knowleche / that oueral knoweth and can decerne what euery thynge is worth / he seeth ryght well vnderstondeth that all the worlde is not a good morsell for too fylle the herte of one man / and that there is therin moche euyll and lytell good And therfore he beholdeth the euylles perylles that ben therin / and knoweth well that it is trouthe that is comunelye sayd / who that gyueth not that whiche he loueth / he taketh not whiche he desyreth Suche folke gyuen the worlde for to haue heuen / forsaketh ouerall rychesses for ioye / fylthe ordure for golde / and leue all for godes sake / rychesses delyces honoures / and bycome poore in this worlde for to wynne good and for to gete the rychesse of heuen This is the moost fayrest lyf moste sure that may be in this worlde There ben other that see that in many maners may one do his prouffyt his sauacyon with goodes temporall that he may haue without ouermoche to loue theym For god commaundeth not a man to leue al. They reteyne them / but lytel they preyse them They vse them but lytel they loue them / lyke as dyd Abraham Iob and Dauyd / many other whiche eschewed fledde the peryls And they do spyrytuell prouffyte with temporall goodes / wyll by heuen with theyr almesses and other good dedes They can bye out theyr synnes helpe theyr neyghboures They can the more loue god / drede doute hym for the perylles that they be in / and the more humble them selfe whan they se and consyder theyr synnes theyr defautes / whan in sharpe and strayte wayes of penaunce they dare not go / whan so lytel for goddes sake they wyl suffre gyue / whiche so moche suffred to saue them / and wolde .xxxii. yere in this worlde be poore for to enryche them in heuen They saue them selfe well but it is harde to do For it is a more lyght thynge to leue all the godes at ones / than to retayne them not to loue theym ¶ Of the godes of fortune whiche folowe here Ca. lxv THe meane or myddle of goodes ben the goodes of nature and of doctryne Of nature lyke as beaute of body / prowesse / force / or strengthe / vygour / lyghtnes / debonayrte / clere wytte clere engyne for to fynde / good memorye for to retayne well / good voyce for to synge well All these goodes aforesayd nature bryngeth theym in the natyuyte or byrth of a persone Doctryne clargy all other godes be goten by studye or by accustomaūce / lyke as ben good vertues / good maners / and other vertues But these be not yet veray good ryghtfull For they doo not that whiche is perfytely good For many a phylosophre / and grete clerkes Emperoures Kynges / and many other prynces and other grete lordes the whiche hath had many of these goodes ben dampned in hell pytte ¶ Also all these goodes hath our lorde gyuen to his enemyes as well as to his frendes To Sarasyns To Iewes To false crysten men lyke as he hath too good men Also this is not veray good that faylleth at nede / and that may be loste maulgre hym self And thought theuys may not take theym and robbe theym Yet the deth taketh them alwaye at the laste Also I saye that the veraye goodes aydeth alwaye and greuen neuer / but certeynlye suche goodes and suche graces forayne ben oft domage greue them that haue them / yf they vse them not well accordȳge to god For some auaunt them and ben proude and dyspyse the other / whan they to whome god hath gyuen suche graces and suche goodes as I haue tofore sayd and named / yf they vse them not well and Iustly accordynge to god / they shall bee in gretter tormente in helle And straytly they must acompte and yelde a rekenynge at the daye of dome / of that they haue done / and how they haue vsed and despended it Notwithstondynge they haue goten goodes that god hath lente to them for multeplyenge and encrees Here after is shewed of the goodes of grace Ca. .lxvi. NOw haue I shortly shewyd the tytell good and the meane good Now wyll I shewe to the whiche is the veray good ryghtfull parfyte This doeth he whiche hath the good with ryghte and vnderstondynge For withoute the whiche was neuer no good with ryght This good is called the grace of god and vertue charytee Grace by cause that she gyeueth lyf and helthe too the soule For withoute
that / the soule is deed For lyke as the body is deed withoute the soule So is the soule deed without the grace of god It is called vertue by cause it adourneth the soule with good werkes with good maners / it is called charyte bycause it Ioyneth the soule to god / also dooth all thynge as it were with god For charyte is nothynge elys but a dere vnyte / That is the perfeccyon and the beneurte to whiche we ought to entende Moche were deceyued the auncyente phylosophers that so curyously dysputeden enquyreden who was the souerayne good in this lyfe / and neuer coude they fynde ne knowe it / For some sette theyr stuyde and theyr wytin delytes of the body The other in rychessys the other in honeste but the grete phylosopher saynte Poule whiche was rauysshed vnto the thyrde heuen / and passed all the other phylosophers techeth vs by many reasons that the souerayne good in this lyfe and that the quene of vertues is for to loue god and to haue veray charyte in hym selfe For with out this good ne aualen all the other goodes ryght nought And who that hath this good of charyte he hathe all other goodes / and whan all other goodes shall fayle / this good shall not fayle and aboue all the grete goodes that ben this charyte is lady And thenne the gretest good the whiche is vnder heuen Is charyte And also after by cause that thou wylte and desyerest this good the whiche by ryght is called vertue / and that thou desyerest to loue it moost / and to seche it aboue all other goodes And I wyll yet shewe vnto the his valure it is acustomed for to deuyle thre maner of goodes in the worlde / that is to wyte goodes honourable godes delectable goodes prouffytable There be no mo goodes ne veray ne good ne fayre but these thre maners / and this seest thou openly of the worlde that none desyreth ne loueth ony thynge but that he wene that it be honourable or delectable or prouffytable The proude secheth thȳge honourable The couetous man seketh thynges prouffytable The delycious secheth thynges delectable And whan they sechen this thynge vaynlye Euery man ought to knowe that vertues haue these thre propretees For vertue is moche honourable and delectable and prouffytable ¶ What vertues been goodes honourable Ca. .lxvii. ALl vertues ben goodes honourable / this mayst thou see in this manere Syxe thynges been in this worlde moche desyred by cause that they seme moche honourable / that is to wyte beaulte wytte prowesse power fraunchyse and noblesse These ben .vi. fountaynes of vanyte Of vayne glorye cometh and sourdeth a plante Beaute is a thynge moche loued For it is a thȳge moche honourable / and neuerthelesse beaute that the eyen and the body se and loue / is a thynge fals couerte and vayne It is fals for he or she is noo thynge fayre But our eyen ben vayne and feble that see noo thynge but the skȳne wtoutforth Thenne who myght see as clere as a beest that is called a lynx whiche seth thorughe oute a walle he sholde clerely see that a fayre body nys but a whyte sacke ful of stynkynge dunge / lyke a dunghylle couerd with snowe or with grene grasse ¶ Also I saye to that the this beaulte is moche shorte not abydynge For it is sone faylled and anone passed as a fume or a smoke and as the flour of the felde or of the medowe Anone as the soule departeth fro the body / fayre well all the beaulte is faylled and gone Thenne the beaute that the body hath / the soule hath gyuen it too hym And therfore moche fooles ben they that for the beaute of the body gloryfye themselfe But the beaute of the soule is the ryght beaute / whiche alwaye encreaceth and neuer shall fayle This is the veray beaute by whiche the soule pleaseth god to the aungelles that seeth the herte This beaute rendreth gyueth to the soule graces vertues and loue of god For she reformeth reparaylleth and rendreth her ryght enprynte That is the ymage of her maker / which is beaute without cōparyson / and who best resembleth in getynge the vertues / in pluckynge vp and caste from hym all synnes / kepe his cōmaundemētes entyerly he is moost fayre Then the moost fayre thynge that is vnder god / is the soule whiche hath parfytly his ryght four me and his ryght clerete / coloure of floure / clerenes of the sonne / fygure of man / and pleasaūce of precyous stones And all that the eye of the body seeth of beaute is fylthe foule to the regarde of the soule / all that may be thoughte of beaulte may not be cōpared to the soule ¶ Of veray sapyence Ca. lxviii CLere wytte and clergye is a thynge moche honourable / and moche to be praysed But and thou wylte be wyse a ryght and lerne verey clergye / do so that thou haue veray good / that is grace and vertues That is the veray sapyence that enlumyneth the herte of a man / lyke as the sonne enlumyneth all the worlde This wytte passeth sourmounteth all the wytte of the worlde / lyke as the sonne passeth the clerenes of the mone / For the wyt of the worlde is but foly / lyke as the scrypture sayth / and chyldehode wodenes Foly is in them that so moche loueth the worlde and his beaute / and that can not knowe the day fro the nyght Ne Iuge betwene grete and lytell / and bytwene precyous and vyle They wene the mone to be the sonne For they wene that the honoure of the worlde be veraye glorye / and a lytell apple to be a grete mountayne / for they wene that the worlde be a grete thynge But to the regarde of heuen it ne is but pouerte They wene that a glasse be a saphyr And they wene that theyr strengthe theyr power be moche grete / whiche is more feble more frayle than is glasse ¶ Also I saye that this chyldehode of the wytte of the worlde is in them that so moche make them wyse for to kepe and ease the body and to be in delyces whiche lyuen as a chylde / that seche nothynge ellys but to do theyr propre wyll In suche people reason is deed and therfore they lyuen as beestys / for theyr wytte is al torned and corrupt / lyke as is the taste and sauour of a seeke man or of a woman grete with chylde / whiche fyndeth more sauour and appetyte in a soure apple than in brede made of whete / and more sauoure in a cool than in good metes Also these people may not byleue that there is more Ioye delyte in louynge god and to serue and to honoure hym / than in doynge the wyll of the caroyne of theyr body For they can not ryght fully Iuge betwene swete and bytter Also I saye that the wytte of
the holy ghoost / the whiche arouseth and bewatâ—eth all the gardyn Now beholde the ryght grete curteysye of our lorde / the whiche came in to this worlde for to seche saue that whiche was loste / by cause that he knewe well our pouerte and our feblenesse / by whiche we may falle in to synne But by our self we may not releue vs ne yssue out of synne ne gete vertue / ne do none other good / but yf it be by the grace of god / or that it come of his yefte / therfore he cesseth not to excyte vs that we praye requyre hym these yeftes And promyseth moche to vs / that yf we requyre demaunde hym ony thynge that is good for vs / and that it be ryghtfull we shall haue it And yet the debonayre Ihesus doth vnto vs more of his curtosye For he is our aduocate that formeth for vs our requeste and our petycyon For we haue not the wytte yf he formed it not to vs. ¶ The petycion / the requeste or oryson that the swete Ihesus enformed and taughte vs with his blyssed mouth / is moche fayre / moche good / but shorte by cause we sholde reteyne it well That is the pater noster / wherin ben .vii. petycyons and requestys / by the whiche we requyre our good fader Ihesu Cryst / that he gyue vs the .vii. yeftes of the holy ghoost / that he delyuer vs fro the .vii. deedly synnes / that he take them awaye fro our hertes And in stede of the sayd synnes / that he by his grace wyll plante there and nourysshe the .vii. vertues / whiche brynge vs to the .vii. blessynges of perfeccion and of holy lyfe / by whiche we may haue the promysses that the debonayre Ihesu made promysed to his chosen people in the seuen wordes aforesayd ¶ Thenne our entencyon is with the ayde and grace of the holy ghoost to speke fyrst of the seuen petycions of the holy ghoost whiche ben conteyned in the holy pater noster ¶ After I purpose to saye of the yeftes of the holy ghoost After of the seuen vertues / ageynst the seuen deedly synnes ¶ The .vii. petycyons and requestes ben lyke as .vii. fayre maydens that neuer cease to drawe the lyuyÌ„ge waters out of seuen ryuers for to water and arouse these seuen trees that bere the fruyte of lyfe pardurable ¶ Of seuen petycyons and requestes that be conteyned in the Pater noster Ca. lxxvi Our fader that art in heueÌ„ sanctified be thy name thy kingdom come to vs / thy wyl be done in erth as in heuen / our dayly brede gyue vs to day forgyue vs our dett as we forgyue our detts lede vs not in to teÌ„ptacoÌ„n but delyuer vs froÌ„ euyl ameÌ„ AS a lytell chylde is sette to scole / at the begyÌ„nynge he lerneth his Pater noster Who the wyll lerne of this Clergye and knowe it / he must be lytell and humble as is a chylde For our good mayster Ihesu cryst techeth his scolers this clergye whiche is the moost prouffytable / and moost fayre that is What man or woman that this dotryne well knoweth / vnderstandeth well retayneth it For suche there be that wene well for to vnderstonde it / that no thynge knowe therof / by the barke or rynde wtout forth That is the lettre whiche is good But lytell is it worthe to the regarde of the marghe / of the godnes and of the grete substaunce whiche withinforth is soo swete It is moche shorte in wordes moche loÌ„ge in substauÌ„ce lyght to saye subtyll for to vnderstonde This prayer and oryson passeth surmounteth all other in thre thynges That is to wytte In shortnesse In dygnyte / and in prouffytablenesse ¶ The dygnyte is in that / that the ryght blessed sonne of god made it / too god the fader in shorte wordes God the holy ghoost touchynge his demaunde / he wyll that it be shorte in wordes / by cause that none excuse hym to lerne it and to conne it And also by cause that none sholde be greued to say it wyllyngly and ofte And for to shewe that god the fader hereth vs ryght soone / and graunteth it gladly whan we praye hym with good herte / so that it be not of longe ryotte ne of wordes polysshed ne rymed ¶ For swete saynt Gregory sayth Verayly for to werke is not to saye fayre and glosynge wordes with the mouthe / but too caste oute wepynges and depe syghes from the herte ¶ The valure and the prouffyte of this oryson or prayer is so grete / that it compryseth and encloseth in wordes moche shorte / all that whiche may be desyred of herte / and prayed and demauÌ„ded of mouthe That is to be delyuerd of al euylles / and replenysshed with all goodes ¶ Thus begynneth the holy pater noster Fader our that arte in heuen ¶ Beholde now how that our blyssed aduocate / our ryght good and blyssed mayster and souerayne our redeÌ„ptour and sauyour Ihesu cryste / the whiche is the sapyence wysdom of god the fader omnypotent / that knoweth al the vsages and al the lawes of his courte / techeth vs for to plete well / and to speke wysely / subtylly / and shortely But certaynly yf the fyrst worde that thou sayst Fader our that arte in heuen / yf that it be well vnderstanden well pursued he shall gyue to the all thy request and all thy demaunde ¶ For saynt Bernarde sayth that the orayson that begynneth by the ryght name of god the fader / gyueth to vs hope to Impetre and gete all our prayers and requestes This swete worde fader whiche maketh swete all the remanaunt / sheweth to the that / whiche thou oughtest to beleue and somoneth the to that / whiche thou oughtest to doo And these two thynges saueth the man whan he beleueth well and aryght And whan he dooth after that he ought to do / whan thou callest hym fader thou knowest that he is lorde of the house / that is of heuen and of erthe / and capytayne and begynnynge And fountayne of whome all creatures and al godes cometh This knowlegest thou in that / his puyssaunce myght ¶ After I say by cause that he is a fader / he is ordeyner gouerner / and purueyer of his meyny / and specyally of his chyldren / that is of the men of whome hymself hath created / made and fourmed to his semblaunce / in this thou knowlegest his sapyence / yet also syth that he is fader by nature by ryght / he loueth that whiche he hath made Lyke as sayth the boke of sapyence And he is debonayre and loueth and nouryssheth his chyldren / and dooth theyr prouffyte better than they can deuyse And he beteth and chastyseth them whan they mysdone or offende / for theyr prouffyte and welthe as a good fader / And gladly he receyueth and taketh theym vnto mercy
/ that is to saye with veray teerys whiche comen of the grace of god and of ryght felynge of the herte For hym semeth that he is lyke a chylde that is all naked tofore his maystre that can not his lesson / or that he is lyke to the poore man endetted / whiche is fallen in the hondes of his credytour / hath not whereof he may fyne ne paye his debte Or that he be lyke a theef proued that is taken with an hondred trespaces / and that hath the corde aboute his necke / or that he be lyke the lame man that lyeth at chirche dore / whiche hath no shame to shewe his maladye and his soores to them that passe by / for cause that eche body sholde haue pyte on hym Yf the wylte thenne lerne to praye god / praye and adoure hym aryght / these .iiii. thynges aforsayd shall enseygne and teche the that is to wete / the chylde / the man endetted / the theef / and the lame man ¶ Of hym that is veray humble and meke Ca. C.i. THe custome is of a veray meke humble man to prayse another gyue hȳ loos / to hȳ afore alowe hym with his mouthe / by werkes to bere hym honour he is lyke the lytell bee that maketh the hony / whiche escheweth stynkes / and secheth floures of the felde souketh the dewe and the substaunce of them / and maketh hony for to garnysshe with his hous Thus dooth the veray humble / whiche taketh none hede of the stenches / the synnes / and defautes of other But all the godes that other do / he holdeth theym loueth and prayseth and souketh the swetenes of deuocyon of his herte with whiche his conscience is replenysshed The veray humble seeth none so ylle a thynge / ne so harde / ne so synfull / but that he can drawe mater to alowe and prayse god In his herte he preyseth other in thre maners For he beleueth more the wyt of an other man / than the wytte of hymselfe / he wyll that the wyll of other men be do soner than his owne All the contrarye dooth the proude man lyke as we haue shewed tofore After also the veray meke and humble man alloweth prayseth other men by worde The good dedes the other haue done he enhaunceth and prayseth them / and the euyll dedes he excuseth and maketh them lesse The veraye meke man tourneth to the meane thynge in to good / and vnderstandeth them alway to the best / this is ayenst the euyll tatches of the myssayers / whiche enhaunce the euyll dedes mynysshe the good / the meane preuerteth torne to the werst The veray meke and humble prayseth by werke / honoureth in dede euerych as he ought to do as he may doo without mysdoynge Thus dooth not the proude man / but all the contrary lyke as we haue sayd tofore in the treatyse of the synne of pryde ¶ Of hym that is humble of hert Ca. C.ii. THe custome is of hȳ that hath an humble hert that all his good dedes he hath behynde hym at his backe / and all his euyll / his sinnes all his defautes he hath alwaye in mynde tofore his eyen / the good dedes of other he hath alwaye tofore his eyen / and the euyll defautes and sȳnes of all other he setteth them behynde hym at his backe as in oblyaunce or forgetinge And herof happeth oftymes that the veray meke and humble man the more he prayseth other and honoureth / so moche more he dysprayseth hymselfe The veray humble and meke persone of herte is lyke the auarycyous and coueytous man that hath alway his eyen on the goodes that other haue / and that they do And alway hym semeth that he hath noo spyrytuall good in hym For lyke as there is an euyll proude man / so is there veray meke and humble He that is veray hūble of herte is lyke a lytell chylde whiche is sone of a kynge and heyre of the realme / whiche wepeth cryeth / and knoweth nothynge of his hyenes ne of his ryches He is also lyke vnto the symple shepe / in whome all is good prouffytable / the wolle / the felle / the flesshe / the mylke / and his donge / and the shepe knoweth nothinge of it / ne he thynketh on it / and in this maner sayth the grete Patryarke Abraham of hym selfe / that he was nothynge but asshes and poudre And holy Iob that was soo grete ryche in the worlde sayd in lyke wyse And saynt Andrew that sayd also of hym selfe / what am I but asshes / duste fylthe / rotynnes / a worme / wynde / shadowe / leues that the wynde bereth away / drye stupple which is nought but for the fyre And lyke as the veraye humble persone of herte prayseth honoureth other with his hert mouth also in dede as we haue sayd Ryght so dyspyseth he hȳ self in these .iii. maners It semeth to hym lyke as saynt Iherome sayth of hym selfe / whan that I ete or drynke or that I wake or slepe / alwaye me thynketh that the fereful trompe of the daye of Iugement bloweth in mynerys sayenge / come to thy Iugement / come to thy Iugement / and by cause that he wyll not be Iuged of his synnes / he seeseth not but euery daye purgeth hymself / kepeth and clenseth hym from all synnes and Iugeth / condempneth / and repreueth al his werkes and his wordes / he cryeth nombreth / poyseth counterpoyseth and repreueth / for he fyndeth more chaffe than grayne / that is to vnderstonde more of synnes than of good dedes And by cause that he wyll not be Iuged at the dethe of Iustyce / wyll he not leue but that lytell and grete be examyned and sayd / and also Iuged in the court of mercy that is in holy confessyon In that court who counteth well aryght / is all quyte of his synnes But in the courte of Iustyce whiche shal be at the daye of Iugement / whome someuer he oweth he must paye Ne neuer shall he mowe be aquyted / and therfore he shall be perdurably dampned For he must rendre or pendre / that is hanged Alas caytyf what shal he paye that hath no thynge / but the body whiche is charged and all full of deedly synnes who that well vnderstode felte these thynges / he sholde holde kepe hym fro all synnes / shold withdrawe hym fro mockeryes and lesynges / whiche they contryue ayenst the veray meke humble persones whiche drede god and loue hym / by cause they fere drede hym / they wyll kepe them clene without ordure of synne and cōfesse them gladly and ofte / but lytell auaylleth confessyon without repentaunce / and without penaunce / with-good Iugement / and that Iustyce be not done truly / therfore all in lyke wyse as the veraye meke and humble persone maketh
of hymselfe veray Iugement in bytter contrycyon of herte / and in veray confessyon of mouth / and satysfaccyon penaunce of veraye Iustyce / he Iugeth hym selfe as a these and putteth hym verely on the gybet of penaunce without fayntyse wtout ypocrysye ¶ How a man ought to hate pryde Ca. C.iii. HE that hateth pryde / he loueth pouerte / and setteth his herte lowe in humylyte / therfore all they that ben veraye humble loueth pouerte / ben poore of speryte The veray humble persone loueth pouerte for thre reasons / that is to wete / for the perylles that ben in gouernaunce of rychesses / for the goodes that ben in good and veray pouerte / and for by cause that god loueth soo moche pouerte / as whan he was here in this worlde he loued it / yet loueth / and all them that loue it / lyke as holy scrypture wytnesseth it / wherof Ihesu cryste sayth by Dauyd in his psaulter / that god hereth the prayers / and desyres of poore men / pourueyeth to them mete swetely in good sauour For he is theyr refuge and theyr sauyour Iob sayth that god is the fader of the poore / hath gyuen to them power to Iuge the other And our lorde at the begȳnynge of his fayre sermon sayth that blyssed be the poore / and then he accursed the ryche that haue here theyr heuen But the veray heuen celestyall he hathe gyuen to the poore / so that they may gyue it sell it / and the worlde wyll not beleue that god say trouthe / ne that pouerte be blyssed But god sayth thus in the gospell / fayr fader I praye the thanke the / that the hast hyd these thynges fro the wyse / and hast manyfested and shewed it to the humble and meke The humble and poore of spyryte seen god / here hym wel and byleue hym well / and louen better an hondred folde theyr pouerte / than the couetous man loueth his rychessys In threthynges sheweth a man that he loueth pouerte / whā he loueth and holdeth gladly the companye of the poore / and loueth them and holdeth them companye / lyke as Ihesu Cryste dyd as longe as he was in this worlde for naturally the lambes flee fro the wulues and withdrawe fro them / and the chyldren withdrawe them and flee the companye of grete people / and the humble and meke people withdrawe them gladly fro the proude people The lyf of a poore persone is lytel and poore / for he requyreth not ne axeth precyous metes ne oultrageous vesture ne clothynge / ne he secheth no bobaunce / ne no pryde / in robes ne in rydynge / ne in householde / ne in meyne ne in feeste ne in companye And it suffyseth to the veray poore that he haue onelye his sustenaunce The veray poore persone suffreth in pacyence hungre and thryste / colde and hete / lothynges and vylonnyes many bytter trybulacyons for the loue of Ihesu Cryst and of his passyon And all these the euyll poore man doth suffreth ayenst his wyll The veray humble and the veray poore suffreth gladly all euyls all aduersytes for the loue of god / yet ageyne it is the custome of a poore man / that yf he haue no thynge / and may gete ne wynne no thynge / he is not ashamed to aske and demaunde / and the veray humble beggeth all daye and requyreth the prayers and the orysons of good people and of the frendes of god / and the veray humble trusteth more in theyr ayde / than he doth in his owne good dedes ¶ Of dyuers estates of pryde Ca. C.iiii. DRyde loueth the hye place aboue Humylyte loueth the lowe place bynethe This is the dyamonde of the noble nature that dayneth not to sytte in golde / but in poore metall as in yron / in lyke wyse as is the sheef of wheet beten / the grayn is vnder and the chaffe is aboue But our lorde shall sell his whete at the day of dome al wynewed as sayth the gospell / and he shall caste the chaffe in to the fyre of hell / and the grayne in to the garner of heuen / how moche more the golde is fyne and pure / soo moche more is it heuy / and the more it weyeth the sooner it gooth doune to the botom / and the more that a man is meke hūble / the more loueth he the lowe place / lyke as dyde Ihesu cryste and his swete moder whiche gaue to vs ensample to serue and to obeye Not onely to the gretest but to the leest And how moche more the seruyce is vyle dyspysable so moche gladly dooth it the humble and meke Therfore our lorde Ihesu cryst taught his appostles to wasshe the fete by humylyte Thenne humylyte is proprely moder of obedience / and nouryssheth it / ensygneth kepeth it that it be not corrupt by vaynglory / by heuynes ne by murmure / ne by propre wyt / ne by propre wyll / ne by aduersyte / ne by ony other maner / it is to wete that there be .vii. adournementes of obedyence The fyrst the one obeye anone prestly / gladly / sȳply / purely / generally / vyly / vygorously The humble is poore tofore his eyen naked / hath not to do for hym selfe / therfore he is alway redy / as the morones in the see in theyr shyppes the anone as they here the voyce of the gouernour / they obey vnto hym renne as they were enraged The humble obeyth gladly / that the paynes / the perylles / and the deth he receyueth to his power with grete ioye for the loue that he hath to obedyence Therfore sayd Dauyd the prophete in the psaulter / that he loued better the commaundementes that god made / than he dyd golde ne syluer / ne precyous stones The humble obeye al symply / as doth the hors / or the sheep / whome the shepeherde ledeth where as he wyl / and that neuer sayth / wherfore go I more here than there For one of the moost honest doughters that humylyte hath is holy symplesse The humble is ryght true to god / lyke as is a ryght good wyfe to her husbonde / whiche wyll to no man obeye folyly / but to her husbonde onely And therfore none obeyeth so Iustly ne in so good entencyon as doth the veray humble / whiche hateth not / but for to playse the worlde / and desyreth noo thynge but to plese god After the veray humble is ryght vygorous / ryghe swyfte open / whan he bereth the vertue of obedyence and the loue of god and doth it to his prelate But whan his owne wyl bereth hym and ledeth Thenne he is heuy and slowe to do well / lyke vnto the sterre named saturnus that renneth as moche in one daye with the fyrmament / whan the fyrmament ledeth her / as she doeth in .xxx. yere in her propre cours Also the
ysopus a tale or a fable / of a lytell hounde and of an asse / whiche asse sawe the hounde that as oftymes as his lorde came home / he ranne ageynst hym and lepe vpon his necke / and the lorde played with hym and made hym grete feste / and the asse thought sayenge More ought my lorde to make to me feste whiche serue hym all daye / than to his dogge whiche serueth of no thynge It was not longe after that this asse sawe his lorde come to his hous And he ranne ageynst hym / and caste his .ii. fore feet aboute his necke / and began strongly to lycke and fawne hym The seruauntes of the lorde whiche sawe this / ranne with grete staues and beten ryght well the asse And of that / of whiche the asse had supposed to haue had grace / honour / and prouffyte / he had shame and domage ¶ By suche fables the wyse men were wonte tenseygne teche them self by suche ensaumple And by this ensaumple he sheweth / that no man sholde desyre suche graces as he may not attayne ne come to / and the same techeth Salamon sayenge Sone caste not thyn eyen to rychesses That is to the graces that thou mayst not atteyne Therfore he hath grete nede of dyscrescyon that he see of whome he taketh ensaumple ¶ Also it is necessyte that a man see clerely on his lyft syde / and that is the fyfthe degre For one ought to beholde the fooles and the shrewes whiche ben as on the lyft syde / for they be on the werse syde To them ought one to take hede / fyrste by cause that a man sholde haue pyte and compassyon Also that one sholde not ensyewe theyr foly ne theyr predycyon / soo as the wyse Salamon sayth I passed sayd he by the vyneyarde of the slouthfull foole / and sawe that it was full of thornes and nettles / and by this ensaumple I haue lerned wytte and prouydence Also that one loue moost god by whome he is quyte of suche synnes and of suche perylles But hym behoueth on this syde to kepe dyscrecyon and equyte For whan I se a foole and a synner I ought to haue pyte and compassyon / and not to make of hym mockerye ne derysyon I ought alway to hate the synne / and loue the persone / moche I ought to kepe me that I wyll no grefe ne harme in my herte to no persone / ne to condempne hym Ne compare my selfe to an other that is soo euyll For he is this day euyl that shall be to morowe good / and suche is this day good / that to morowe shall be euyll Also I ought as moche as I may without mysdoynge vnto other enploye my selfe / humble and condescende in werkes and in wordes for to wynne hym to god / and to withdrawe hym fro synne For lyke as sayth Seneke saynt Gregory We may not better releue them that ben fallen / than by that whiche is aforefayd / and lete vs not wyll our self how that it be enclyne towarde them ¶ The .vi. degree of the vertue of equyte Ca. Ca. xiiii THe .vi. degree of the vertue of equyte is that .vi. eye that the wyse man hath That is that he se clerely behynde the nette and the engyns of the deuyll / whiche ben to vs as behynde vs. For the fende seeth vs / and we may not se hym ¶ The fende our ennemye that is the deuyll / whiche is moche stronge / wyse / subtyll and besy for to deceyue vs. For he ceaseth neuer day ne night / but alway is in a wayte for to deceyue vs by his false crafte / and by his engynnes that he vseth in moo than a thousande maners And lyke as sayth saynt Austyn The deuylles see moche subtylly the state of a man and his manere / and his complexyon and to what synne / to what vyce he is moost enclyned / by nature or by custome / and to that parte wherto a man enclyneth hym self Therto the deuyll assaylleth moost strongely The coleryke man to wrath and yre The sanguyn man to Iolyte and to lecherye The fleumatyke to glotonnye and to slouthe / and the malencolyke to enuye and heuynesse And therfore euery man ought to deffende and kepe hym fro that parte where he seeth that his hous is moost feble And ayenst this vyce and this synne ought one to fyght and resyste moost / of whiche he is moost assaylled And how moche more he shall resyste strongely ayenste all synnes Soo moche more meryte shall he haue in paradyse or in heuen / and vnderstonde well that the enemye of helle spareth no persone For he is hardy and aygre / as he that assaylleth our lorde Ihesu Cryst in temptynge hym Knowest thou sayth our lorde to Iob / in how many guyses the fende desguyseth hym / and in how many maners Lyke as he sholde saye No man knoweth but I onely For lyke as sayth saynt Denys All the aungelys the good and the euyll / and all the spyrytes of men ben lyke as a myrrour spyrytuell Then lyke as a myrrour receyueth all the fourmes and then pryntes that comen tofore hym Rygh soo doth a spyryte of a man / be it in slepynge be it in wakynge Now then take a myrrour set it ayenst another Anone al the formes that ben in that one / thou shalt see in that other ¶ In suche it is sayd that the deuyll sheweth to a man suche fygures suche fourmes as he wyll that god suffreth hym And the soule receyueth maulgre hym self somtyme in thought and in ymagynacyon / lyke ayenste my wyll / me byhoueth to loke / se and receyue in the syghte of myn eye the fourme that cometh before me Now it is a ryght grete grace of god and a ryght grete gyfte of the holy goost to vnderstande well all the languages of the deuyll / and to knowe al his temptacyons / and all his engynes For lyke as sayth the holy saynt Bernarde It is ouer subtyll a thynge for to knowe and dyscusse bytwene the thoughtes that the herte cōceyueth and bryngeth forthe / and them that the deuyll planteth And the fende sheweth to a man how the synnes ben pleasaunt and delectable / lyghtly may a dyscrete man and reasonable knowe this But whan the fende cometh to tempte one in guyse of an aungell sheweth to hym good for to drawe hym to euyll Thenne is the tēptacyon moste stronge And therfore sayth saynt Iohan that one ought not to beleue al spyrytes / but they ought to preue and well examyn theym tofore that one beleue them / to consyder yf they be of the parte of god Ryght so dooth they that haue theyr confessoures good and holy men / wyse and well approued in theyr fayte To whiche confessoures they that confesse them / sheweth often theyr thoughtes whiche come vnto theyr herte / bothe the good and euyll For lyke as Salamon sayth Blyssed be they that
he aske councell alway of a wyse man / Salamon sayth that there where as is no good gouernour the peple fayleth anone is anone dystroyed / but it is sauf where there be good coūceyles / the wyse Tullyus sayeth that lytell is worthe the armes wtout forth / yf there be not kepe the well sayth the scryptue fro euyll counceyllours / and coūseylle the not with fooles For they loue no thynge but that whiche pleseth them / not that whiche pleaseth god Also the scrypture counceylleth that one sholde aske and seche counceyl of the olde and auncyent men / not of the yonge men whiche ben not proued in the werkes For in the auncyent men that haue seen proued many thynges / is good wysome good counceyll By cause that Roboas the sone of Salamon lefte the counceyll of the olde auncyent men that were wyse / toke the counceyl of yonge men / he loste the moost partye of his royame Also who that hath this gyfte late hym examyne consyder the counceylles that be gyuen to hym and thynke with grete aduysement yf he be well counceylled and truly / not lyghtly to byleue to the counceyl of one ne of tway / ne / how well that they be of his pryue frendes Therfore Seneke sayth that a wyse man exmyneth his counceylles / byleueth them not lyghtly For he that byleueth lyghtly / he fyndeth that he is ofte deceyued Also who that hath this gyfte / he obeyeth to good counceyll whan he fyndeth it For for nought asketh he counceyll / that hath no wyll to do therafter / wherof sayth Salamon It semeth to a fool that he be in the ryght waye / but the wyse man hereth gladly good counceyl / that is to say / that the wyse man obeyeth to the good counceyles / whiche the foles despyse The moost prouffytable counceyll that a man may haue / is the coūceyll that our good mayster Ihesu cryste whiche is the fontayne of alsapyence of whome cometh all good coūceyl / that is in the holy gospell whā he sayth / yf thou wylte be parfyte / go selle al that thou hast gyue it to the poore people / come folowe me / thou shalt haue grete tresour in heuen / beholde and thynke who gyueth suche counceyl For he is as I saye the fountayne of sapyence The veray god that came in to therthe for to counseylle that / for tenseygne the the ryght way for to go / to paradys That is the path of pouerte of the spyryte / by whiche the holy ghoost ledeth theym whome he enlumyneth with the gyfte of coūceyll Trouthe it is that in another manere a man may be sauyd As by the waye of the cōmaūdementes of our lorde to holde kepe them One may be saued in maryage or in wedowhode / or in rychesses of the worlde whan they be well vsed But the holy ghoost by the gyfte of counceyl ledeth and conduyteth more ryght more surely by the waye of veray pouerte of the spyryte / by whiche one despyseth put vnder fote all the couetyse of the worlde for the loue of god / this gyfte taketh awaye fro the herte the synne of auaryce of couetyse / and soo planteth the fayre tree of mercy / whiche is to haue sorowe and compassyon of other mens harme / and of other mennes suffraunce ¶ Of the degres of the vertue of mercy Ca. Cxxx. THis tree of mercy hath seuen degrees lyke vnto the other / by whiche it groweth and prouffyteth These ben seuen thynges whiche moeue moche and drawe a man vnto mercy / to haue compassyon of others harme The fyrst thynge that moeueth a man to mercy is nature For as the boke sayth whiche speketh of the nature of beestes No byrde eteth another byrde of his owne nature Ne a beest alsoo eteth not another beest of his owne nature Also the same boke sayth that a mare nouryssheth the foole of another mare / whā she is deed Also it hath ofte be seen preuyd that a wulfe hath nourysshed the whelpes of another wulfe / hath defēded them fro other beestes / well than ought a man to haue pyte compassyon on an other / of his euyll and harme / whiche is semblable to his nature For we be all made of one mater one forme and one ymage The seconde thȳge that ought to drawe a man to mercy to compassyon of an other mannes harme is grace For we be all membres of one body / that is of holy chyrche by grace / one membre helpeth an other naturally / hath pyte and cōpassyon Also we be brought redemed with one pryce that is with the precyous blode of Ihesu cryst / that henge on the crosse for to redeme vs fro dethe perdurable / whan our sauyour Ihesu cryste was then so pyteous mercyfull towarde vs. well ought we then haue pyte compassyon one of another / to ayde and socoure that one that other Also we be all bredren of fader and moder by faythe by grace For we ben all sones of god and of holy chyrche / the one broder ought to helpe that other whan he seeth it is nede / for at nede is seen who is a frēde The iii. thynge that ought to moeue a man to mercy is the commaundement of the holy scryptue that counceyleth and commaundeth the werkes of mercy aboue all other thȳges Wherof Salamon sayth Se well to sayth he that thy hede be not wtout oyle / for by thoyle / that nouryssheth that fyre the lampe is vnderstonden mercy that ought alwaye to be in our tonnes For in lykewyse as thoyle surmounteth in the lampe aboue all other lycoures Ryght so mercy surmounteth the other vertues And also as the oyle nouryssheth kepeth the fyre in the lampe / whan thoyle fayleth the fyre quencheth Ryght so mercy kepeth the fyre of the loue of god in the herte / whan mercy fayleth / the loue of god fayleth As sayth saynt Iohan / who that shall se sayth he his broder his neyghboure hauȳge dysease necessyte in nede / closeth the dore of his herte / that is to saye that he hath no pyte ne compassyon / helpeth hym not yf he may / how sayth he / shall the loue charyte of god be in hym / lyke as he sholde saye That may not be For the oylle of mercy is faylled in the lampe of his herte Also the good thobye taught his sone sayd thus / fayre sone be thou mercyfull / as moche as thou mayst / yf thou haue plente of goodes gyue gladly largely / yf thou haue lytel yet of the same gyue gladly to the poore And our lorde sayth in the gospel Go sayd he selle al that thou hast and gyue it to the poore This is the vertue that the holy scrypture prayseth moost generally And
a daye the poore lyke as he had be acustomed / and whan he had supposed to haue gyuen water to a seke man that was there / as sone as he torned hym / he that was in lykenes of the poore man vanysshed / none knewe where he bycam / wherof he moche meruaylled And the nyght after our lorde aperyed to hym sayd that he had on other dayes receyued hym in his membres / but on the daye he receyued hyÌ„ in his propre persone Also hospytalyte is better more worth than abstynence or ony other labour / wherof is fouÌ„de in vytis patrum that in egypte was an holy fader whiche receyued all them that passed forth by that had nede / gaf to them suche as he had It happed that a man of moche grete abstynence was herberowed in his lodynge / whiche wolde faste / wolde not ete at the prayer of the good man that had receyued hym Thenne the good man that had lodged hym sayd to hym / late vs goo fayre brother vnder that tree there without / and praye we to our lorde Ihecu Cryste that this tree enclyne and bowe doune at the prayer of hym that best pleaseth god / and whan they had made ther prayers / the tre enclyned doune to hym that receyued the poore people / not to hym that made the grete abstynences there ben many moo fayre examples of the hospytalyte but it sholde be ouer longe a thynge to reherce ¶ The .vi. braunche of mercy Ca. C.xxxvii THe .vi. brauÌ„che of mercy is to vysyte coÌ„forte ayde them that be in pryson and in holde / theym to delyuer yf they may To do this admonesteth vs thappostle Poule that sayth RemeÌ„bre ye them that ben in pryson / lyke as ye were bounde with them / that is to say that ye vesyte / conforte and helpe them Lyke as ye wolde that ye were conforted / vesyted holpen yf ye were bounde in pryson as they be Thus dyde Thobye that went to them that were in pryson and comforted them with good wordes And SalamoÌ„ sayth in his prouerbes Delyuer thou theym sayth he the men lede to deye In suche wyse delyuered Danyell Susanna fro dethe And our lorde delyuered the woman that had be taken in aduoutry / whiche sholde haue be stoned to dethe after the lawe / not for bycause that Iustyce shold not be done vpoÌ„ malefactours But in suche dede fayt he taught the Iuges what they sholde be / and how they ought to Iuge other / wherof in this ensample he ensygneth foure thynges that euery Iuge ought for to haue kepe in Iugement The fyrst thynge is grete delyberaon / and grete auysemente of counceyle good and hole / Wherof Iob sayth The cause that I knewe not I enserched it and requyred it dylygently / and this is to vnderstande in that / whiche our lorde Ihesu cryst whan the Iewes hadde accused the woman / he wrote in the erthe with his fynger / he that is without synne of you throw the fyrste stone For to stone the woman And by the scrypture made with the fynger we vnderstonde dyscrecyon and grete delyberacyon The seconde thynge is good entencyon that he bowe not ne enclyne more on that one party than on that other / ne for prayer ne for gyft / ne for fauour / ne for loue / ne for hate / and this is to vnderstande in that whan Ihesu cryste wrote he helde hym styll in the place The thyrde thynge is good lyfe and to kepe hym well from synne For he that Iugeth other ought to be of good lyfe / of good conscyence / lyue Iustly For yf he be other / he ought to haue grete drede of the IugemeÌ„t of god / whiche sayth in the gospell / that suche Iugement as ye doo to other / shall be doone to you And saynt Poule sayth thus of euyll Iuges In that thou Iugest other thou condempnest thy selfe / for thou doost that for whiche thou Iugest other Wherfore our lorde sayd whan he arose fro wrytynge / he of you that is without synne caste on her the fyrst stone / whaÌ„ they herde this senteÌ„ce / they departed went away all ashamed / the one after an other wtout takynge leue / for they were greter synners than the woman / whome they wolde haue stoned The fourthe thynge is to haue pyte compassyon / that the Iuge ought to haue on hym that he shall Iuge / for he ought more to enclyne by humanyte and mercy than to enhardy hym by rygoure to doo Iustyce For Iustyce without mercy is cruelte / and mercy without Iustyce is leudnesse And therfore that one of these two vertues holdeth ofte company with that other in holy scrypture But alway sayth the scrypture / that mercy surmounteth Iustyce And saynt Iohan with the golden mouthe sayth / that at the daye of Iugement / that it shall be more of value to rendre reason of doynge mercy than of the rygoure and cruelte of Iustyce And the holy man saynt Iames sayeth that Iugement without mercy shall be done to hym that hath doo no mercy And therfore our lorde after that he was relyeued he enclyned hym towarde therth / and after delyuerd the woman / for the Iuge ought to enclyne by pyte and compassyon to hym / whome he ought to Iuge / and haue grete drede / and also agyenst his wyll ought he to Iuge the other For yf he Iuge wyckedly he shall be Iuged at the daye of Iugement Now is it grete almesse to vysyte the prysoners / and them to rede me delyuer that may And therfore our lorde Ihesu Cryst wolde descende in to helle for to delyuer the soules of sayntes that were there ¶ The .vii. braunche of mercy Ca. Cxxxviii THe seuenth brauÌ„che of mercy is to burye the deed bodyes Of this werke is moche preysed in holy scrpture Thobye / whiche buryed the deed bodyes and lefte his mete And our lorde praysed Marye Magdalene for the oynemente that she shedde on his heed / wherof he sayd that she had doone it in sygnefyaunce of his sepulture Also Ioseph demaunded the body of our lorde / buryed it moche dylygently The other were ryÈt besy of theyr sepulture / and had grete bewayllynge and grete deuocyon to the holynesse / good / and holy lyf / of theyr faders / and therfore they wolde be buryed with them Of whome Iacob sayd to his sone Ioseph Burye me not in egypt / but with my faders / and therfore it is good to be buryed amonge good relygyous meÌ„ for to haue theyr prayers nature ought to moeue a man to this good werke / and vertuous operacyon Wherof it is redde of the nature of beestes the the dolphyns whan they se a dolphyn deed / they assemble theym togyder / bere hym to the botom of the se / and there bury hym Yf nature / pyte moeue styre the Iewes sarasyns /
other myscreauntes to do this / moche more ought pyte compassyon to moue the crysten men to do this / whiche by our faythe see that the bodyes be reysed rewarded with the soules And therfore who that loueth the soule of his neyghboure he ought to loue the body / doo bury it whan it is deed with all humanyte and mercy that he may ¶ Now hast thou herde the braunches of the tre of mercy ¶ These ben werkes of mercy corporell and spyrytuell ¶ Here after is sayd how almesse ought to be done Ca. Cxxxix IT is soo that there is moche people that lese theyr almesse and theyr other good dedes whiche they do / bycause they do theym not as they ought to do Therfore I wyll shewe here shortly how almesse ought to be done / and how it is prouffytable pleasaunt to god Fyrst I wyll shewe shortely how a persone ought to do almes / wherof he sholde doo almesse For a mā must doo it of his owne good not of an other mannes / and of suche good that is well and truely goten God setteth nothynge of none euyll gyfte Almesse whiche is made of thefte / or of takynge awaye of other mennes good / of rauyne / or of vsure / or of other euyll goten good pleaseth nothynge to god Wherof the holy scrypture saythe Thou shalte not make sacrefyce ne oblacyon vnto god of heuen / of oxen / nor of shepe / ne of thynge wherin is ony spotte of synne For god hath grete abhomynaciō of suche sacrefyse The wyse man sayth that who that doth sacrefyse to god of the catayll or godes of the poore man He dooth lyke to hym that sleeth the sone tofore the eyen of his fader And saynt Austyn sayth what gyfte is that / whiche the one taketh gladly / and that other wepeth And therfore ought euery man take hede wherof he dooth his almesse ¶ Also he ought to take hede of whome he dooth it wherof the scrypture sayth / Beware to whome thou shalte doo good / do well to the good That is to hym that thou wenest that he be good And gyue noo thynge to the wycked for cause of theyr wyckednesse Lyke as they do whiche gyue to rybauldes to menestrellys for theyr wyckednesse / whiche is a grete synne as saye the sayntes / but who that gyueth to them not for euyll / but for pyte and compassyon for theyr pouerte / or of theyr wyues / or of theyr chyldrē yf they haue ony / or of theyr faders or moders / or for ony other good cause or reason / as for to withdrawe thē fro synne he dooth well ¶ Thenne the almesse ought to be gyuen vnto the poore / more to theym that be veray poore of herte and of wyll whiche haue lefte for goddes sake that whiche they had / moche more thanne to other that be not poore with theyr wyll / but somtyme of pure necessyte And somme there be trewauntes and sloufull for to doo ony good / and myght gete theyr lyuynge yf they wolde ¶ And somme there be that by fayntyse she we somme hurtes and be faytours of theym self that deceyue the worlde To suche ought a man not to gyue his almesse / but it ought to be gyuen to the poore orphanes / to shamefast people to to poore wydowes / to the dyseased and lame / and vnto seke poore people where as it is nede / and whan one may do it And yf a man is bounden to gyue to straungers / he is moche more bounde without comparyson to his fader moder more than to ony other For nature ensygneth it / and god commaūdeth it ¶ It is redde of the storkes / that they nourysshe fader moder whan they be olde and may not purchase theyr meet Thenne nature techeth that one ought to do good to his fader moder / and therfore it is well ryght and reason that myschefe fall to all them that do euyl to theyr faders as it oftyme happeth Also a persone ought to take hede how he ought to do almesse and the maner of gyuynge For .iii. condycions ought to be had in gyuȳge almesse The fyrst is that a man ought to gyue gladly and with good herte For god hath more regarde to the hert than to the handes Wherof god in his sacryfyce as saynt Gregory sayth / be holdeth not onely the thynge that is gyuen / but with what herte Lyke as it appereth well in the gospell of the poore woman that had nomore but two mytes whiche she offred in the temple And our lorde sayd / that she had offred more than all the other whiche had offred grete thinges / for more pleaseth somtyme to god a peny that a poore man gyueth gladly for goddes sake / than yf a ryche man had gyuen an hondred marke in syluer with grutchynge And therfore sayth the wyse man in the scrypture Make alwaye good chere he sayth in all thy gyftes And saynt Poule sayth that god loueth moche the gyuer that is gladde and curteys There ben some people ryght ryche / and be so rude velaynous to the poore / that whan they demaunde theym almesse they answere to theym so vylaynously and so churlysshely / that they do call theym truauntes / and vagabundes / and say vnto them mo than an hondred reproches and vylonnyes Suche almesse pleseth not god and therfore sayth the wyse man in holy scrypture Enclyne and bowe thyn eere to the poore man without heuynesse and answer hym swetelye ¶ The seconde thynge that apperteyneth to do almesse / is that it be done anone and hastelye wherof Salamon sayth saye thou not to thy frende / goo and come ageyn to morne / and thenne I shall gyue to the / whan thou mayst gyue anone And also god sayth / withdrawe not longe thy gyfte fro the poore and fro theym that be nedy That is to saye / make thou not hym abyde / whan thou mayst gyue forthwith This is ageynste many ryche men whiche make poore men to crye after theym / that haue to doo with theym And soo moche delaye them / that they must ofte praye requyre theym tofore that they wyll ony thynge doo They selle ouer dere theyr bounte curtosye / that they do to them for lyke as seneque sayth / nothynge is so dere bought as that whiche is requyred and the prouerbe sayth that it is ouer dere bought that is demaūded Thus sholde euery man hastely do for his soule / as longe as he is alyue and hole / wherof the wyse man sayth Fayre sone sayth he do well to thy self yf thou haue wherof / offre to god worthy offrynges as longe as thou lyuest For the deth shall not tarye but that she cometh ¶ And in another place he sayth do well to thy frende tofore thy deth / that is to thy soule / to whome thou oughtest to do well tofore thy deth / as to thy true frende /
that is to Ihesu Cryste to whome thou oughtest to do well / tofore thy deth in almesse for the loue of hym to the poore people For that whiche is done to the poore people is done to Ihesu cryst lyke as he sayth in the gospell Thenne the almesse that is done in a mannes lyf and in his hele / is moche more auaylable / than that whiche is done after his deth / lyke as the lanterne that is borne before a man conduyteth and ledeth hym better and more surely / than that whiche is borne byhynde his backe / and therfore admonesteth vs saynt Poule / that we do wel as longe as we haue the tyme that god hath lente vs whan a ryche man or lorde is comynge vnto a cyte or toun / he sendeth his messagers tofore his herbours for to take his lodgynge / for to make redy prouysyon ageynst his comynge or ellys the lorde his people sholde be euyll pourueyed The good herbegeour and messager that taketh the lodgynge and maketh all thynge redy to ryche men in the glorye perdurable ben the almesse other good dedes that they do in theyr lyues whiche ben represented by the aungelles tofore god The almesses that ben done after the deth / ben lyke as the slowe seruauntes that comen late to the lodgynge / soo that the lorde is somtyme euyll pourueyed euyll herberowed The thyrde condycyon that ought to be in almesse / is that one ought gyue gladly largely / after that he may forbere at his ease / wherof the wyse man sayth / gyue to god after that he hath gyuen to the. And Thobye sayth also / after thy power be pyteous and mercyfull / yf thou haue moche gyue largely and gladly / and yf thou haue lytell departe of that lytell with a good wyll / and euery man ought to gyue after his estate / and after that god hath gyuen hym It is redde of a kynge / of whome a poore man axed a peny he answerd / that so lytell a gyfte apperteyned not to hȳ that was a kynge / of alysaunder it is redde that he gaue a cyte to one of his seruaūt And the seruaūt thought the gyfte ouer grete and wolde haue refused it ¶ Then alysaunder sayd to hym I haue no regarde what is conuenyent to the for to take / but to me what I ought to gyue The fourth condycyon is that the almesse be doone in humylyte in deuocyon / to th ende that there be noo vaynglorye therin / ne to the poore people to whome the almesse is gyuen / be not dyspysed / ne for almesse done with other mennes godes / ne to gyue for to synne / ne for to haue presumpcyon therby to be saued Some people there ben that whan they do almesse they wyll that euery body knowe it But the scrypture sayth that almesse sholde be doone in the bosome of the poore For as sayeth saynt Gregory It ne suffyseth onely to a good man that he se of whome he attendeth his rewarde / and therfore sayeth our lorde in the gospell / whan thou shall gyue thyn almes sayth he / lete not thy lyfte hande knowe what thy ryght hande dooth / so that thyn almesse be hydde / for to eschewe the loos and praysynge of the worlde / and thy fader of heuen whiche seeth in hydde place shall rewarde and yelde it to the. That is to say whan thou shalte do thyn almesse / kepe the well that vaynglory whiche is vnderstonden by the lyfte honde be not medled therwith / but do thyn almesse in true entencyon / that is vnderstonden by the ryght hande I say not but that one ought to doo good werkes sometyme openly tofore the people for too gyue good ensaumple wherof god may be praysed For ryght so sayth god in the gospel / that we sholde do good werkes tofore the people / bycause that god sholde be gloryfyed and praysed / not for the praysinge of the people as dothe the Ypocrytes A good seruaunt ought to be ashamed to serue his lorde tofore the people / for to honoure hȳ Wherof god sayth / who that shall haue shame of me tofore the people / shal haue shame tofore thaūgels / I shall haue shame to se hȳ This is good ageynst them the leue to lye / by cause they wolde not be reputed ypocrytes And therfore sayth saynt Gregory / that who that doth his werkys openly that the entencyon be ryght to god withinforth And that doo it to please god onelye Also who that wyll do almesse he ought not to despyse the poore to whome he doth almesse Therfore sayeth the prophete / ne despyse not thy flesshe That the poor man whiche is semblable to the / and of suche nature of flesshe blode as thou arte / of suche fylthe There be some people that despyse the poore deyne not to speke to them / yf they speke / they speke rudely and proudely Thus dyd not Iob that sayd / that he neuer despysed them that passed by / for ony thynge that they dyd / but gaf to them clothynge and mete Also there were holy men as wel kynges other many grete lordes that were not ashamed to serue the poore men / how wel that some there be that do almesse to the poore / but they haue theym in desdayn in despyte / and yf they were veray humble / they sholde loue better the companye of poore men that ben good / whiche ben poore for the loue of god / and may edefye them wel by ensaumple / by worde / than many of the ryche men that ben about them / where as is in thē but flaterye / couetyse / vanyte / done them moche harme by euyll counceyll / and lette theym for to doo many good dedes Also there ben somme people that do almes ynough / but neuertheles they leue not to doo grete synnes / suche almesses shal not saue them For yf they deye in that estate / theyr almesse shall neuer kepe theym fro dampnacyon Then suche maner people ben lyke to thē that make theyr how 's on that one syde / and depesshe and throwe it downe on that other syde And therfore scrypture sayth / yf thou wylt plese to god / haue fyrst pyte and mercy on thyn owne soule / for who that is euyll and vntrue to hym selfe / shall neuer be good to an other And therfore sayth saynt Austyn / who that wyl ordynately doo almesse / he ought tofore to loue more his soule than another or ony other thynge except god / none sholde saye that he were pyteous ne mercyfull that had not pyte of his owne soule poore seke / how wel that he had pyte on others Also I say not that he is pyteous ne mercyful that hath no pyte on his owne soule / whan he knoweth that it is seke to the dethe by deedly sȳne Now haue I shewed to the ynough of mercy / the
And yet he wyll also that they haue in the chirche theyr hedes couerd / soo that no man be styred by theym to euyll / ne synne not in beholdynge of theym / but they ought to be arayed as deuoute and good women / whiche shewe the bounte of theyr herte by good werkys / and therfore sayth saynt Ambrose / who wyll be herde in prayer / he ought to take awaye fro hym al sygne of pryde / and ought to enclyne hym to god with his herte by veray confessyon / and by penaūce in profounde humylyte / for to moeue god to doo hym mercy For as he sayth proude habyte geteth no thynge of god / but it gyueth cause to Iuge euyll of hym the weereth it ¶ Now I haue shewed to the thre thynges that ought to be in prayer / fayth / hope and deuocyon But to that / that prayer may be perfyghtly agreable and playsaunte to god and worthy to be enhaunced and herde / it behoueth foure thynges That is that it haue .ii. wynges whiche bere it tofore god These two wynges ben almesses and fastynges / or other penaunces / wherof the aungell sayd to Thobye Prayer is good whan it hath in hym self fastynge and almesse / without these two wynges the prayer may not flee to god For as sayth saynt Ambrose / good lyf maketh the prayer to flee to god But synne letteth it and with draweth it ageyn / wherof thou oughtest to wete that in two maners is prayer lette / lyke as sayth saynt Ysodore One is by cause a mā kepeth hym not fro synne and fro doynge euyll And for that a persone wyll not forgyue the euyll wylle that he hath to another persone For in lyke wyse as the oynemētes wyll not hele the wounde / as longe as the yron is wythī Ryght so auaylleth not ne prouffyteth noo thynge the prayer to hym that sayth it as he hath euyl wylle to another And therfore sayth the prophete / lete vs lyfte vp our hertes our handes to god He lyfteth vp his hert his hādes to god that lyfteth vp his prayers by good werkes And thappostle sayth that he that lyfteth vp his pure handes to god in prayer lyfteth vp in pure clene conscyence without synne For god enhaūceth not the prayer that cometh of a conscyence full of ordure and of synne wherof he sayth by the prophete whan ye shal multeplye your prayers I shal not here them / for your handes be all blody ful of synne who ben they that haue theyr hādes blody but they that dystresse the pour peple which ben vnder them take awaye fro them their good by force they haue the handes ful of blood of the blood of pour peple for they take a way fro them their lyf / their sustenaūce by couetyse by theyr rauyne do grete oultrages etē the morsellys ful of synne wherfore they shal paye the scotte in that other worlde For the scripture sayth that god requyreth the blood of the pour peple For they must gyue a rekenyng or sytte therfore and therfore who wyl be enhaūced herde of god in his prayers late hym not come tofore God the swerde drawen Ne the hādes blody ne wyth voyde handes That is to say in wyll to synne ne spotted of vntrouthe ne voyde of good werkes For thus sayth our lord in the gospel Thou shalt not come tofore me with voyde handes / he cometh with empty handes tofore god that cometh to praye and requyre hym withoute makyng present of good werkes / for to hym he shytteth and closeth his yate that requyreth hym and bryngeth no thynge / herof haue we example in the gospell / whiche sayth that the yate was shytte to the folysshe vyrgyns that had none oyle in theyr lampes / god sayd to them I knowe you not For god knoweth none but them that haue theyr lampes ful of oylle that is to saye them that haue the herte full of pyte and of grace purged and clene of all synnes and shewe it by good werkes Suche people hereth god gladly and openeth to them his yate / and receyueth gladly theyr prayers Now saye I thenne that prayer lyke as it rested on four pylers as it is sayd tofore / and is moche playsaunt to god For it geteth lyghtly of god all that it hath nede be it in body or in soule as sayth the scrypture / wherof saynt Iames sayth that moche auaylleth the besy prayere of a ryghtwyse man For it auaylleth to hele al maladyes of body of soule / and sayth yet that prayer that cometh of fayth heleth the seke persone / yf he be in synne it shall be perdonned The holy scrypture sayth that Moyses the prophete vaynquysshed Amalech and his hoost / not by bataylle / but by holy prayers For as it is sayd of an holy man Moche more auaylleth the prayer of a saynte than the fyghtynge of many thousand synnars The prayer of a good man perceth heuen Thenne shall he ouercome his enemyes in erthe A good olde and deuoute woman geteth more soone a good requeste of god in glorye in prayenge hym deuoutely / than a thousande knyghtes may gete of londe in longe tyme by force of armes / and therfore it is good to praye and requyre god with the orysons of good folke / and specyally of couentes of relygyous people / whiche ben assēbled for to serue god for to praye nyght daye deuoutely for al theyr benefactours For the prayer is moche worthe towarde our lorde For lyke as sayth the scrypture More auayleth more may doo towarde god the prayer of many good persones than ony can expresse or say For as it is sayd of an holy man It may not be but the prayers of many good persones togyder be herde of god and graunted The prayes and requestes of all the hole couent togyder / is sooner passed and herde of thabbot / than the request and prayer of one monke alone In lyke wyse hereth god more soone the request of theym that ben assembled for to serue hym And therfore sayth god in the gospell / yf twayne of you accorde togyder to aske and requyre me All that they requyre my fader of heuē I shall do it ¶ Now haue I spoken of seuen degrees of the tree of the vertue of chastyte / by whiche this vertue groweth mounteth / prouffyteth Now behoueth to saye of the braunches of this tree whiche ben seuen / after the .vii. estates of the people the ben in this worlde ¶ Of the fyrst estate of them that ben entyer and chaste of body Ca. C.xlviii THe fyrst estate of the worlde is of them that ben hole chast of body / haue kept theyr maydenhede / but neuertheles they be not bounden to this / but that they may be maryed In suche estate ought a persone to kepe chastyte that is clennes purete of hert of body / wherfore the
chyldreÌ„ of ryche men ought to haue good kepers honest that they ben delygent for tensygne them / and kepe them fro euyl company fro synne For euyll company fouleth oft the chyldren / ensygne them euyll games / shrewde wordes of rybaudry / leude touchynges dyshonest by whiche they fal in to the synne of lechery whiche is ayenst nature Wherof we haue spoken tofore in the treaty of vyces / therfore it nedeth not to reherce it agayne / for such mater is abhomynable And therfore the chyldren ought to be chastysed well drawen forthe in good maners / holde and kepe them nyghe that they do no harme ne synne as longe as they be yonge / to accustome them to kepe thensygnementes For also as sayth Salamon / that which a chylde is lerned in his yongth / that wyll he holde in his olde aege And the phylosophre sayth that it is no lytell thynge to accustome well or euyl in his yongth / for that is al For it is sayd / that whiche is lerned in yongth is mayntened in aege Suche forme as the sho taketh at the begyÌ„nynge / the same holdeth it forth alwaye in suche estate Thenne hath chastyte nede of good kepynge / for elles it sholde be soone lost ¶ The .ii. estate is of them that ben corrupt Ca. C.xlix THe .ii. estate is of them that ben corrupt of body haue lost theyr chastyte / maydenheed / yet were neuer maryed ne bounden with bonde that myght let them to mary And netheles they be confessed repentaunte of theyr synnes In this estate ought one to kepe chastyte For he that is in suche estate of repentaunce ought to haue stadfast purpose / that neuer he shall fall agayne in the synne / but all his lyf to kepe hyÌ„ to his power / sauf that he may mary hym yf he wyll / he or she that wyll kepe hym chaste in suche estate / hym behoueth that he chastyse his body by sharpnes of penauÌ„ce This is the seconde braunche of this tree so / and that is neyther synne ne lecherye The thyrde case is whaÌ„ a man requyreth his wyf for suche werke / for to kepe her fro synne Also whan he seeth that she is soo shamefast that she neuer requyreth her husbonde of suche thynge / and doubteth that she sholde lyghtly falle in to synne yf he requyred her not who in suche entencyon rendreth or requyreth suche thynge of suche dette / he syÌ„neth not / but he may deserue towarde god meryte For pyte moeueth hym to do it In these thre thynges is no poynte of synne in the werkes of maryage / but in other caas there may be synne venyall or mortall And specyally in thre caas The fyrst is whan this werke is requyred onelye for his delyte and lecherye / and in this caas may one synne venyally and deedly / venyally whan the delyte passe not the bondes and the termes of maryage That is to saye whan the delyte is so subgette to reason that he that in this werke and in suche estate / wolde not do this thyÌ„ge but onely to his wyf But whan the lecherye and the delyte is soo grete in his wyf that reason is deed and so blynde / that as moche he wolde do to her yf she were not his wyf In suche a caas the synne is mortall For suche delyte passeth the boundes of maryage / wherof god is ofte dyspleased to suche people / gyueth somtyme to the deuyl grete power to noye greue them lyke as we rede in holy scrypture / of Sara doughter of Raguell whiche was wyf to yonge Thobye / had / had seuen husbondes tofore / and al were slayne of the deuyl the fyrst nyght that they wolde haue layen by her and haue knowen her Of whome the aungell sayd to Thobye that he sholde haue her to his wyf I shal saye to the sayd he / in what people the deuyll putteth hym in / and hath power on them that putten god out of theyr herte and of theyr thought that they ne entende to no thynge but to theyr delytes and for to acomplysshe their wycked desyres lyke as dooth an hors or a mule ¶ And god taketh a waye fro them somtyme theyr lygnage and theyr fruyt that they may not haue chyldren by theyr synnes ¶ Yet may they synne mortally in another manere that is to wete whan that one treateth that other ayenst nature or otherwyse than nature of man requyreth ne lawe of maryage graunteth Suche people synnen more greuously than the other toforesayd but they that in theyr maryage kepe the drede of our lord kepen clenly and holyly theyr maryage Suche people plesen god ¶ The second caas that may be synne in maryage is whaÌ„ a maÌ„ gooth to hys wyf in suche tyme as he ought not that is whan she is in the maladye or sekenesse that cometh vnto wymmen oftyme He that spareth not hys wyf whan she is in suche estate / for the parylle of the lygnage that she myÈt thenne conceyue shold be mezel or lepre he synneth dedely For as Saynt Iherome sayth In that estate be conceyued the lame ofte tyme the croked / the lepres And that tyme the woman ought for to telle it to hyr husbond / whan she is in that plyte / desyryng hym to abyde and suffre all soo longe as she is in suche poynte ¶ Aso they bothe ought for to spare and absteyne them fro the werke of maryage in holy tymes That is to say as in the grete solempne feestys / for the better to entende to praye god and to serue and honoure hym And in the tymes of vygyles / of lente and of fastynges commaunded by holy chyrche they ougth to suffre and forbere suche werke / not for that it is synne to do suche thynge in that tyme. For in a good and entyere entenâ—y on he may doo it / but somtyme they ought to suffre of that they may do / for to gete the better of god the thynge whiche they demaunde of hym as sayth saynt Austyn Also in the tyme the woman lyeth in gesyne / or nyghe the tyme of chyldynge a man ought to kepe hym fro the werke of maryage for shame / and also for the perylle that myght come therof It is founden in the boke that speketh of nature of beestys / that the olyfaunt shall neuer abyde with the female as longe as she is conceyued and bereth / and a man by reason ought to be better attempred than a beest / and therfore ought a man in suche tyme withdrawe hym But neuertheles I saye not that is synne to doo the werke of maryage in suche tyme for good cause / and trewe entencyon wherof god is Iuge The thyrde caas is / that in whiche one may moost greuously synne in his maryage / that is in holy place For in holy place as is the chirche / whiche is ordeyned for to praye god serue
the deuyl may not take a waye for it kepeth the yates of the castel / wherim the tresour is enclosed The yates of the castel of the hert where the tresour of vyrgynyte is in ben the wittes of the body These yates kepē the drede of god that they be not opened to the enemye of helle / by vayn curyosyte of seȳge or of heeryng / or of smellyng of spekyng or tastyng / or goyng in euyl companye For curiosyte of seynge or of herynge the vanytees of the world ben waye and cause of the synne of lecherye / wherof is sayd in the scrypture that Dyna doughter of Iacob whan she went musyng by curyosyte to see the women of the contre / where anone she was rauysshed and corrupte of the sone of the lorde of the toune / and therfore who wyl kepe vyrgynyte / hȳ byhoueth moche to withdrawe and kepe his .v. wyttes bodyly fro al vayn curyosyte / and this ought be done by holy drede / for a persone oweth alwaye to drede to angre god This is the sence of the .v. vyrgynes of whome our lorde sayth in the gospell / whan he sayd that the royame of heuen is lyke to .x. vyrgynes / of whome fyue were wyse / and the other fyue were fooles He calleth here the royame of heuen holy chirche / whiche is bynethe in this worlde / wherin ben alwaye good and euyll / foles wyse / whiche ben membres of holy chirche / by the fayth that they haue receyued in baptesme The fyue wyse vyrgyns sygnefye them that kepe and gouerne well the fyue wyttes of the body of whiche we haue spoken The fyue vyrgynes foles sygnefye them that folysshly kepe them The .v. leef is sharpenes of the lyf of penaunce For who wyll kepe vyrgynyte / he muste moche chastyse his flesshe and subdue it by penaunce / and that the body do the wyll of the soule by fastynge / by wakynge in prayers / other penaūce Sharpnesse of lyf is lyke a stronge hedge for to kepe the gardyn of the herte / that the euyll beestes assaylle it not / that ben the fendes of helle to th ende that they may not entre / whiche entende studye for to stele and take awaye the tresour of vyrgynyte / therfore ought this tresour to be well enclosed and wel kepte that it be not loste For who that leseth it may neuer recouer it no more than the lampe that is broken may not be made hole ageyn ¶ The .vi. leef of vyrgynyte is perseueraūce that is to haue ferme purpoos to kepe well that is promysed to god / wherof Saynt Austyn sayth in the boke of vyrgynyte and adresseth his wordes to the vyrgyns sayenge Folowe ye the lambe sayth he / that is Ihesu Cryste / in kepynge stronglye that whiche ye haue auowed to god Doo ardauntly as moche ye may / that the we le of vyrgynyte perysshe not in you For ye may not do that thynge / by whiche vyrgynyte may be recouerd / yf it were loste / lyke as we haue shewde by ensaumple of the lampe / and saynt Bernarde Sayth / estudye ye to the vertue of perseueraunce / for she onely wynneth and geteth the crowne of glorye The syxthe leef aforsayd enbelyssheth and maketh moche fayre the lylye of vyrgynyte / but it byhoueth to haue withinforth thre graynes of golde / whiche sygnefyen .iii. maners to loue god For vyrgynyte without loue is lyke as a lampe without oyle / wherfore the fooles vyrgyns by cause they fylled not theyr lampes of this oylle / were shette out fro the weddynge / and the wyse vyrgyns that fylled theyr lampes of this oyle entred in to the weddynge with the spouse The thre maners for to loue god whiche ben sygnefyed by the thre graynes of the lylye / saynt Austyn enseygneth them whan he sayth thus Thou shalt loue god with all thyn entendement without errour / with al thy wylle without gaynsayenge and with all thy mynde withoute forgetynge In suche maner is thymage of god parfayte in a man after .iii. dygnytees that ben in the lyf That is to wete / entendement memorye / and wyll / whan these .iii. thynges ben wel ordeyned to god / thenne ben the thre graynes of golde of the lyly / of the golde of charyte whiche gyueth bounte / beaute / and valure of all vertue For wythout this golde noo vertue is tofore god neyther fayre ne precyouse Otherwyse sayth saynt Bernard of the manere to loue god and sayth thus O thou that arte a crysten man / lerne how thou oughtest to loue god / lerne to loue hym wysely / swetely and strongely / wysely that thou be not deceyued by nycete Swetely that thou be not moeued by prosperyte Strongely that thou be not ouercomen by aduersyte In this maner is fayre the flour delys of vyrgynyte / whan she is suche as is sayd tofore / and this is the seconde reason by whiche thestate of vyrgynyte ought moche to be preysed for her beaute the thyrde reason wherfore thestate of vyrgynyte ought moche to be preysed is for her bounte and for the prouffyt that cometh of it For vyrgynyte is a tresour of soo grete value that it may not be preysed / wherof the scrypture sayth that noo thynge is worthy to be compared to a chaste herte / of the chastyte of vyrgynyte / for vyrgynyte aboue all other estates bereth the moost grettest fruyt the moost grettes proffyt They that ben in maryage and kepe it well as they ought to do haue the .xxx. folde fruyt They that ben in wydowhede haue the .xl. folde fruyt But they that kepe vyrgynyte haue the hondred folde fruyt For lyke as our lorde sayth in the gospel that the seed that falleth in good lande maketh fruyt .xxx. folde .xl. folde / and an hondred folde These .iii. nombres xxx.lx an hondred apperteyne to .iii. estates toforesayd The nōbre of .xxx. whiche is of .x. thre tymes whiche maken .xxx. apperteyneth to thestate of maryage / where ought to be kept the .x. commaundementes of the lawe in the faythe of the holy trynyte The nombre of .lx. is more grete and is of x.vi tymes For .vi. tymes .x. maken .lx. and apperteyneth to thestate of wydowhede For in such estate ought to be kept the precepts / thē ought to be done the .vii. werkes of mercy of whiche we haue spoken tofore / but the nōbre of an hondred whiche is moost grete moost perfyte for it representeth a fygure rounde / whiche is moost parfyght moost fayr emonge the other fygures For lyke as the rounde fygure / the ende retorneth to his begynnyng maketh it roūde lyke a crowne Ryght so the nombre of an C. ioyneth the ende to the begȳnyng For .x. tymes .x. maken an hōdred which sygnefyeth the crowne that the wyse vyrgyns hadde / and how be it that in that state of maryage / in the state of wydowhede may be wonne the crowne of
of good lyf Also Also the people of holy chirche ought too be pure clene of all fylthe of synne / and ought to be moche holy / by cause they clense and sayntefye and halowe other For lyke as sayth Saynt Gregorye The honde that is foule and fylthy may not wel take awaye the fylthe fro other And the scrypture saith he that is foule may not clense another That is to vnderstonde as touchynge his meryte / for the sacrament that is made and mynystred by the honde of an euyl mynystre is of no lasse value to hym ne werse ne he is no lasse myghty ne vertuouse to halowe them that receyue it / than yf they sholde receyue it by the honde of a good mynystre For the euyll of the mynystre appayreth not the sacrament / ne his bounte neyther / and also amende it not But alwaye the euyl of the mynystre may empayre other people by euyl example / and also he may by his bounte edefye theym by example of good lyf / therfore they that sayntefye clense other / in that they mynystre the sacramentes of holy chirche ought to be more holy and more clene than the other For yf they be euyll they shal be more punysshed than the other This is the syxthe estate in whiche oughte to be kepte the vertue of chastyte The seuenth estate of the vertue of chasttyte Ca. Cliii THe seuenth estate in whiche ought to be kept the vertue of chastyte of herte and of body / is the estate of relygyon For they that ben in that state haue promysed to god and auowed that they shal lyue chastly Then they be holden bouÌ„den by suche auowe that they may neuer marye after that they ben professed And yf they maÌ„rye after that they be professyd the maryage shall be none ¶ And therfore ought they to sette grete payne and dylygence in kepynge well theyr chastyte / and for theyr estate / whiche is the state of holynesse and of perfeccyon For of so moche as the state is more holy of so moche is the synne of them more grete and more foule And also as the spotte is more grete and foule and more apparaunt in a whyte robe than in another cloth And who falleth fro moost hye hurteth hym moost greuously / and for to vaynquysshe theyr aduersarye that is the deuyll / whiche moche payneth hym to tempte / and to make falle in to synne them of relygyon / and more he Ioyeth whan he may ouercome one of relygyon / than many of other people For lyke as the auÌ„gellys of heuen haue grete Ioye of the synnar whan he repenteth hym and doth penaunce and confessyon of his synnes ¶ Ryght so emoyeth the deuyl whan they may ouercome a good man and make hym to fall in to synne And whan he is in grete estate and parfyght soo moche hath the fende more Ioye whan he may deceyue hym / lyke as the fyssher hath more grete Ioye to take the grete fysshes that the smale ¶ We rede in the boke of the lyues of faders that an holy man recounted how he was bycomen a monke / and sayd that he had be sone of a paynem sarazyn whiche was preest of thydolles And whaÌ„ he was a chylde on a tyme whan he entred into the temple with his fader / he hydde hym / and there he sawe a grete deuyll that satte in a chayer and many deuylles aboute hym ¶ And thenne came one of his prynces and adoured hym ¶ Thenne he that Satte in the trone demaunded hym fro whens he came / and he answerede and sayd vnto is lorde that he Came frome the erthe / and that he had moeued purchaced many warres and many euylles soo that moche people were deed moche bloode shed The mayster deuyll demaunded of hym in how longe tyme he had done this / he ansuerd in .xxx. dayes / and the mayster sayd hast thou be so longe tyme out for to do soo lyte Then he commaunded anone that he sholde be beten and euyl treated After hym came another deuyll whiche adoured hym as dyd the fyrste and the mayster demauÌ„ded hym fro whens he came / and he answerd that he came fro the see / where he had made many grete tempests by which many shyppes were broken / and moche people drowned The mayster asked of hyÌ„ in how longe tyme he had done it / he ansuerd in twenty dayes Anone the maystre commaunded that he sholde be beten as that other was tofore / by cause he had no nomore harme in so longe tyme. After came the thyrde deuyll of whome the maystre asked fro whens he came and he sayd that he came fro a cyte / where as he had ben and meued stryfe debate and had purchaced medlynges that moche people were slayn / and also he had slayn the husbonde of a weddynge The mayster deuyl asked hym in how longe tyme he had done it / and he ansuerd in .x. dayes Thenne he commaunded that he also sholde be beten Atte laste came another deuyl whiche adoured the maystre deuyl / the prynce of the deuylles demaunded of hyÌ„ fro whens comest thou / he ansuerd that he cam fro an hermyte / where he had abyden .xl. yere for to teÌ„pte hyÌ„ whiche was a monke in the syÌ„ne of lecherye / he had so moche laboured that nyÈt he had ourcomen hyÌ„ had made hym to falle in the syÌ„ne of lecherye Thenne the maystre deuyll in braced kyssed hym / sette a crowne on his heed / made hym to sytte by hym / and sayd that he had done a grete thynge and a grete prowesse ¶ Now sayd the good maÌ„ the monke that he had seen thys and herde it thought that it was a grete thynge to be a monke for thys cause and vysyon he was bycom crysten a monke In these wordes a forsayd may appyere that the deuylles haue grete Ioye whan they maye make a man of relygyon to falle in to synne for after that a maÌ„ is in relygyon he is lyke to hym that is entred into a felde of batayl for to fyght ayenst the deuyl and all hys temptacyons / whan our Lord wold be tempted of the deuyll he went in to deserte For the deserte of relygyon is a felde of temptacyon Relygyon is called deserte For lyke as deserte is a place sharpe and drye and ferre fro people So ought to be the state of relygyoÌ„ sharpe of holy and parfyght lyf which is a stronge helpe a stronge armure ayenst the fendes of helle Sharpnes of penaunce is the remedye ayenst lecherye For who that wyl quenche the fyre of lecherye in hym self he ouÈt to take a waye withdrawe fro hym al the flesshly delytes eases / and soulaces of this world For al relygyouse people ought to take away and cutte fro his flesshe fro al his body al delytes worldly eases by fastynges / by wakynges by deuoute wepynges by
lygnage of chyldren Fourthly fame or renomme lowable Fyfthly rychesses After it is to wete that some be not sayd fader for cause of carnall generacyon / but for many other causes Somme ben sayd fader / and to eche of theym we ought for to bere honour and reuerence Fyrst some be sayd fader for good and holy doctryne / and good ensaumple that they haue gyuen and shewed of good and holy contemplatyf lyf As the apostles and other sayntes / for by theyr holy doctryne they haue made as chyldren of Ihesu cryst by faythe And to them we ought to bere honoure / reuerence / and obeysaūce / not onely with the mouth / but by ensyewynge theyr werkes / and theyr good and holy lyues and doctryne Secondly some ben sayd fader for the admynystracyon that they haue of god / lyke as the prelates ben of holy chyrche / to whome we ought to gyue honoure in obeynge to them and to theyr commaundemētes / as to the mynysters of god Thyrdly some be sayd fader for the garde and defence that they ought to doo theyr people as ben the kynge / the prynce and other lordes whiche haue the people to gouerne and to kepe and them we ought to loue and honoure and to them obeye by subiection / for theyr power cometh of god Fourthly some ben sayd fader / and ben to be honoured for the we le and good that is receyued of them / as ben they that socoure the poore in theyr necessyte / as fader by pyte and by compassion Fyfthly some be sayd fader and ought to be honoured for theyr olde aege / as ben the people whiche ben of grete aege AFter the sayd fyrst commaundement partyculer touchynge the loue dyleccyon of his neyghboure / whiche enduceth and somoneth a creature to doo wel Folowen the other .vi. whiche defende to a creature to doo euyll And therfore that amonge all the euylles that a creature may do to another / the gretest euyl is to sle him / this was gyuen to moyses in the seconde commaūdement of the .vii. is Thou shalt not slee / that is to wete creature reasonable of thy propre wyll auctoryte To the knowleche of whiche commaūdement is to wete that after holy scrypture been slayne creatures resonable in many maners / Fyrst by smytynge in the body and hurtynge in suche maner that deth ensyeweth therof / and this is not only agaynst the secōde cōmaūdemente pryncypall a fore sayd whiche commaundeth hym for to loue his neyghboure as hymselfe But it is agaynst nature for naturally all thyngees lyke semblable loue eche other Secondly by gyuynge counseyll fauour or ayde tendeth a creature to slee a nother bodyly / or to make hym to fall into dedly synne Thyrdly in makynge conforte and also ayde vnto a creature for to sle a nother corporally or for to cause hym for to fall in to dedly synne Fourthly in consentynge hym selfe to the bodly deth of another spyrytuall as touchynge to dedly synne / as to make a nother for to fall The whiche consentynge is vnderstonde / as oftymes as I may lette a nother fro deth corporall or spyrytuall as touchynge dedly synne and I let hȳ not By this it appereth clerely ynough that a creature somtyme sleeth a body / by iniurye done to his body in suche wyse that deth ensyeweth And sometyme the soule for to make it fall in to dedly synne and somtyme body and soule to gyder / by sleynge hym selfe or a woman grete with chylde lyuynge The seconde commaundemente defendeth hym too do euyll to a persone conioyned in maryage and that is this Thou shalte do none aduoutrye / that is to saye with a woman conioyned to a nother by maryage thou shalte haue no commyxyon / or flesshely company Ne a woman also maryed with ony other man thā her husbōde it is to wete that man woman in doynge a gaynst the sayd cōmaūdement synne fyrst a gaynst the lawe of god whiche hath defēded auoutrye by the sayd commaūdement / and yet they synne ageynst the lawe of god / by the whiche it is sayd / that this whiche god hath conioyned by maryage / that by man it may not be deceuered ne departed In gyuynge ouer his body by carnall copulacyon to another For after the holy scrypture man and woman by maryage ben constytued tweyne in one flesshe Yet eft they synne ageynst the sacrament of maryage made in the face of holy chyrche By the whiche man and woman promytte theyr trouth to other By vertue of the whiche othe the body of the man lōgeth to the woman / and the body of the woman is to the man / and ne ought not to be abandoned ne delyuered to other by cōmyxcyon carnall / alwaye how well that in the thynges aforesayd they synne deedly as sayd is yet the offēce and synne of the woman / that abandoneth her body to an other man than her husbonde by company carnall / and commyxcion / is more greter whan chyldren or lygnage ensueth than is of the man For with the sȳnes aforsayd she commytteth theft / in gyuynge to her husbonde heyres for to succede to hym of an other man than of hymselfe / and by this the woman cōmytteth sacrylege / treason and theft And in other cases the synne of the man that hathe commysed aduoutrye / is to be reprehended more than of the woman / by cause that he ought for to haue more greter knowlege / and to be more stronge for to keke hym from synne / than the woman whiche is frayle / and deceyued lyghtly by concupyscence Also a man is ordeyned and constytued heed and mayster of the woman / and in doynge that synne he gyueth to his wyf euyll ensample And also it is to wete that by the commaūdemente aforesayd is not onely defended aduoutrye of the man and woman assembled by matrymony / but also all fornycacion cōmyxcion / and flesshely companye bytwene man and woman other than in lawfull maryage is deedly synne / and deffended by the sayd commaundement / and to holde the contrarye is heresye For to take awaye fro god that whiche is gyuen and consecrate in the holy sacrament of baptesme for to gyue to a creature is more grete Iniurye and mysprysion and more greter synne than to take it fro a creature Thenne sythe that it is defended that suche Iniurye be made to a creature by more stronger reason / it ought in no wyse to be done vnto god Also yet ageynst the sayd commaundement ne mespryseth not onelye man woman by aduoultry and fornycacyon as touchynge the dede or fayte / but all the tymes that for to doo it they haue the wylle delyberyd and concluded Without the dede be doone or folowe it is deedly synne / also all byholdynges touchynges and kyssynges made by deliberacion for to come to the dede of carnall cōmyxcion and fornycacion as well by man as by woman out of
glorye haue more meryte anenst god than haue many virgyns For many ben in heuen of thē that haue been in maryage in wydowhede whiche be more nygh to god haue more meryte / than many of the vyrgyns Neuer theles the virgyns haue a specyal crowne aboue the crowne of glory whiche is comyn to al saȳtes by cause the vyrgȳs haue a specyal vyctorye of theyr bodyes For for to folowe the lambe what someuer waye that he gooth / that is Ihesu cryst / to whome they be espowses / they haue left theyr carnal spowsayles / for to be with hym in the spowsaylles perdurable There shal they been well arayed nobly apparaylled of a specyal parement so gente so fayr so auenaunt that no tongue may tell therfore I wyl nomore say but that whyche the scrypture sayth that speketh of the fayr parementes that they haue more especyal thā they that ben of other estates to foresayd yet sayth the scripture that they synge newe sōges so melodyous soo fayr that none other synge that ben not in their estate That newe sōge that they sȳge sygnefyeth a newe Ioye especyal meryte preysȳg that they haue by cause that they haue wel kept theyr estate of vyrginyte And this is the .v. estate of chastyte and the fyfthe braunche of this tree The .vi. braunche of the vertue of vyrgynyte Ca. Cli THe .vi. estate that ought to kepe the vertue of chastyte / is in the clerkes ordred for to serue in holy chirche / as ben subdekens / dekens / preestes / prelates / and relygyouse Al the people ben bounden to kepe chastyte by many reasons Fyrst for the ordre whiche they haue receyued / whiche requyreth to lyue holyly / by cause that the holy sacrament of the masse is so hye and so holy / that all they that receyue it be bounden to kepe chastyte for they may not marye after that they haue promysed too holy chyrche For they be appropred to serue god in his chyrche / and at his aulter / and treaten touchen with theyr handes the thynge sayntyfyed as the vessels halowed the chalyce corporas And that whiche is gretter without comparyson the body of Ihesu cryst whiche the preest sacreth and too theym it byhoueth to gyue it to other ¶ Now thenne owen they to be moche clene and lyue ryght holyly / for reason of the hye lorde to whome they serue / that is the saynt of all sayntes and lorde of all lordes / whiche hateth all ordure of synne / wherof he hym self sayth Be ye holy as I am holy / for suche a lorde suche meyney / for the reason of the place wherin they serue This is the chirche whiche is dedycate too serue god It is founden that emonge the paynyms and the sarasyns / the preestes of theyr lawe that seruen in the temple kepen chastyte / and ben deuyded deceuerd fro the other by cause they sholde not lese theyr chastyte Moche more ought to be clene wtout romparyson more chaste the prestes of crystyante / that seruen to god in his temple whiche is saynte fyed dedycate / approued to serue god / yet ought they to be more holy and clene by cause they serue at the table of god of his cup of his mete The table of god is the auter The cuppe is the chalyce / his brede and wyn is his propre body and his propre blood Moche owen to be holy all they that suche seruyce done to god / wherof saynt Poule sayth that it byhoueth that a bysshop the other mynystres of holy chirche be chaste and without synne This vertue of chastyte was sygnefyed in the olde lawe there where god comaunded to theym that ought to ete the lambe without spotte / whiche sygnefyed the body of our lorde Ihesu cryste they sholde be gyrde on they raynes The gyrdle of the mynystres of holy chirche owen to be gyrde / that is with the vertue of chastyte whiche restrayneth and quencheth the delytes and the vyces of the flesshe wherfore god commaunded to Aaron whiche was preest and bysshop of the lawe / that he and al his sones sholde be cladde with synnen clothes of chastyte / gyrde aboue with / whyte gyrdylles of lynnen Aaron the chyldren that serueden in the tabernacle sygnefyen the mynystres of holy chirche / whiche owen to be cladde with lynnen roobes of chastyte / whiche is sygnefyed by the whyte lynnen For lyke as the lȳnen towayl tofore it be well whyte it must be beten and ofte wasshen In lyke wyse byhoueth it the flessh to be beten and corrected by penaunce / and ofte wasshe his herte and his conscyence by veray confessyon and repentaunce to th ende that they myght haue the whyte cote of chastyte / but this cote ought to haue aboue the whyte gyrdle That is to saye that chastyte ought to be straytly kept / strayned by abstynence as moche as reason may suffre whiche is the boucle of this gyrdle Otherwyse may it be sayd that the lynnen cote sygnefieth chastyte of hert The gyrdle aboue sygnefyeth chastyte of body whych oweth to restrayne the desyres the wylle of the flesshe for to kepe the chastyte of the soule This same is sygnefyed to vs in the aube in the gyrdle that the mynystres of holy chyrche vse to clothe them whan they wyl say masse For they owen to be chaste within theyr hert and wythout in the body Moche foule is the spotte of synne and specyally of lecherye in the mynystres of holy chyrche For they ought to be the eyen of holy chyrche as sayth the scrypture For lyke as the eyen aduysen the body shewen to hym the waye by whiche he ought to goo Ryght so in lykewyse owen the prelates and alle the other mynystres of holy chyrche to shewe the waye of helthe to other Thenne also as the spotte of the synne of lechery is more foule in them thā in other persones Also as the spotte that is in the eyen is more foule greuous than in the other membres of the body Ryght soo is the spotte of the synne of lecherye more foule and more peryllous in clerkes / in prelates in relygyous and in all other peple of the chyrche than in other folke ¶ Also all the peple of holy chyrche ben or owen to be myrrour and exaumple there wherin the laye people ought to loke in for to take good doctryne in good example but whan the myrrour is rusty and foule men may wel se the spotte and thordure that is in the myrrour But he that in suche a myrrour loketh / seeth not the spotte that is in hym self ne what is in the myrrour whiche so is foule and troubled But whan the myrrour is wel clere and clene thenne may one wel see hym self therin and knowe his spottes Also whan the prelate is of good lyf and of good fame / than ought one to take example