the sayenge of our lorde in his gospel, Quid prodest 12 homini, si vniuersum mundum lucretur, animæ vero suæ detrimentum paciatur: What profyteth it to a man, thoughe he wyn all the worlde, to the hyndraunce and losyng of his soule? Howe be it, it shoulde seme vnconuenient 16 for a temporall man to take vpon hym to shewe or teache any suche spirytuall matters; and yet there is a great diuersytie betwene predication and doctrine.

155. ¶ A diuersitie betwene predication and doctrine.

[Fol. 70.]

   As sayncte Iherome saythe, there is greate difference or

Difference between preaching and doctrine.

diuersitie betwene preachinge and doctrine. A preachyng or a sermon is, where [is] a conuocation or a gatherynge of people on holye dayes, or other dayes in churches or 4 other places, and times sette and ordeyned for the same. And it belongeth to theym that be ordeyned there-vnto, and haue iurisdiction and auctorytie, and to none other. But euery man may lawefully enforme and 8 teache his brother, or any other, at euery tyme and place behouable, if it seme expedient to hym, for that is an almes-dede, to the whiche euery man is holden & bounde to do, accordyng to the sayenge of saynt 12 Peter, Vnusquisque, sicut accepit gratiam, in alterutrum illam administrare debet. That is to saye, as euery man hath taken or receyued grace, he oughte to mynyster and shewe it forthe to other. For as Chrisostome saythe, 16 great merite is to hym, and a great reward he shall haue in tyme to come, the which writeth or causeth to be writen, holy doctrine, for that entent, that he may se in it, howe he may lyue holylye, and that other may haue 20 it, that they maye be edyfyed or sanctyfyed by the same; for he saythe surely, knowe thou, that howe many soules be saued by the, soo many rewardes thou shalte haue for eyther. For saynt Gregory saythe, Nullum sacrificium ita 24 placet deo, sicut zelus animarum: There is no sacrifyce that pleaseth god so moche, as the loue of soules. And also he saythe, Ille apud deum maior est in amore, qui ad eius amorem plurimos trahit: He is greateste in fauour 28 with god, that draweth moste men to the loue of god. Wherfore me semeth, it is conuenient to enforme and shewe them, how they maye gette heuenly possessions, as well as I haue shewed them to get worldly possessions. 32 Than to my purpose, and to the poynt where I lefte, ‘nowe thou art ryche.’

156. ¶ What is rychesse.

What is riches.

   It is to be vnderstande what is rychesse; and as me semeth, rychesse is that thynge, that is of goodnes, and can-not be taken awaye from the owner, neyther in his temporall lyfe, nor in the lyfe euerlastynge. Than these 4 worldly possessions, that I haue spoken of, is no richesse, for why they be but floures of the worlde. And that may be wel consydered by Iob, the whiche was the rychest man of worldely possessions, that was lyuynge in those 8 daies, and sodeynely he was the poorest man agayne that coulde be lyuynge, and all the whyle he toke pacyence, and was content, as appereth by his sayenge, Dominus dedit, dominus abstulit: sicut domino placuit, ita factum est, sit 12 nomen domini benedictum: Our lorde hath gyuen it, our lorde hath taken it awaye, and as it pleaseth our lorde, so be it, blessed be the name of our lorde. The whiche Iob may be an ensample to euery true chrysten man, of 16 his pacyence and good liuing in tribulation, as appereth in his storye, who that lyste to rede therin. And saynte Austyne saythe: Qui terrenis inhiat, et æterna non cogitat, utrisque in futuro carebit: he that gathereth in worldly 20 thynges, and thynketh not vppon euerlastynge thynges, shall wante bothe in tyme to come. For sayncte Ambrose saythe, Non sunt bona hominis, quæ secum ferre non potest: They are not the goodes of man, the whiche 24 he can-not beare with him. And saynte Bernarde saythe: Si vestra sint, tollite vobiscum: Yf they be yours, take them with you. Than it is to be vnderstande, what goodes a man shall take with hym. And these be the good dedes 28 and warkes that thou doste here in this temporall lyfe, wherof speketh Crysostome: Fac bene, et operare iustitiam, vt spem habeas apud deum, et non desperabis in terra: Doo well, and worke ryghtwysly, that thou mayste haue truste 32 in god, and that thou be not in despayre in this worlde. Accordynge to that saythe the prophete Dauyd, Iunior fui, etenim senui, et non vidi iustum derelictum, nec semen eius querens panem: I haue ben yonge, and I haue waxen 36 olde, and I haue not seen a ryghtwyse man forsaken, nor his chyldren sekynge theyr breade.

157. ¶ What is the propertie of a riche man.

   In myne opynyon the propertye of a ryche manne is, to be a purchaser; and if he wyll purchase, I councell hym

Augustine.

to purchase heuen. For sayncte Austyne saythe, Regnum cælorum nulli clauditur, nisi illi, qui se excluserit: The 4 kyngedome of heuen is to noo man closed, but to hym that wyll putte oute hym-selfe. Wherfore this texte maye gyue the a courage to prefixe thy mynde, to make there thy purchase. And Salomon saythe: Quod mali 8 carius emunt infernum, quam boni cælum: Ill men bye hell derer, thanne the good men bie heuen. And that me

[Fol. 72.]

semeth maye well be proued by a common ensample: As if I had a .M. shepe to sell, and dyuers men come to me, 12

Suppose I sell 1000 sheep, 100 to each of 10 men.

and bye euery manne a .C. of the shepe, all of one price, to paye me at dyuers dayes. I am agreed, and graunt them these dayes; some of the menne be good, and kepe theyr promesse, and paye me at theyr dayes, and some of 16 theym doo not paye me. Wherfore I sue theym at the

Those who do not pay I imprison for debt.

lawe, and by course of the common lawe, I doo recouer my duetie of them, and haue theyr bodyes in prisone for execution, tylle they haue made me payment. Nowe these 20 men, that haue broken me promesse, and payed not theyr

These men buy their sheep dearer than the others.

dewetye, bye theyr shepe derer thanne the good menne bought theyrs. For they haue imprysonment of theyr bodyes, and yet must they pay theyr duetyes neuer the 24 lesse, or elles lye and dye there in pryson: the whiche sheepe be derer to them, then to the good men that

So it is with men who buy heaven.

kepte theyr promes. Righte so euery man chepeth heuen, and god hath sette on it a pryce, and graunted 28 it to euery man, and giuen to them dayes of payment: the pryce is all one, and that is to kepe his commaundementes, duryng theyr lyues: the good men kepe his commaundementes, and fulfyll theyr promesse, and haue 32 heuen at theyr decease. The yll men breake promesse,

[Fol. 72b.]

& kepe not his commaundementes, wherfore at theyr decease they be put in pryson, that is to say in hell, there to abyde his ryghtuousenes. And soo the yll men 36 bye hell derer, than the good menne bye heuen. And therfore it is better, to forgoo a lyttel pleasure, or suffer[33] a lyttell payne in this worlde, than to suffer a moche greatter and a lenger payne in an other worlde. Nowe 40 sythe helle is derer than heuen, I aduyse the specyally to bye heuen, wherin is euerlastynge ioye without ende.

158. ¶ What ioyes or pleasures are in heuen.

Augustine.

   Saynt Austyn saythe, Ibi erunt quæcunque ab hominibus desiderantur, vita et salus, copia glorie, honor, pax, et omnia bona: That is to saye, There shall be euery thynge that any man desyreth, there is lyfe, helth, plenty of ioye, 4 honour, peace, and all maner of goodnes. What wolde a

1 Cor. ii. 9.
Isa. lxiv. 4.

man haue more? And saynt Paule sayth, Occulus non vidit, nec auris audiuit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quæ preparuit deus diligentibus se: That is to say, The eye hath not seen, nor 8 the eares hath herde, nor the herte of a man hath thought

[Fol. 73.]

of so goodly thynges, that god hath ordeyned for theym that loue hym. O what a noble acte that were for an husbande or houswyfe, to purchase suche a royall place in 12 heuen, to whiche is no comparyson. Than it is to be knowen, what thynge pleaseth god most, that we myght do it.

159. ¶ What thynges pleaseth god most.

1 Cor. ii. 9.

   By the texte of sayncte Paule, before sayd, loue pleaseth god aboue al thinge, and that maye be well proued by the

Prov. xxxiii. 26.

sayinge of our lorde hym-selfe, where he saythe: Da mihi cor tuum, et sufficit mihi; Gyue me thy harte, and that is 4 sufficiente for me; for he that hath a mannes harte, hath all his other goodes. What is this mans harte? it is nothyng elles, but very trewe loue. For there can be no true loue, but it commeth meryly and immediately from 8 the harte: and if thou loue god entyerlye with thy harte, than wylte thou do his commaundementes. Than it wolde be vnderstande and knowen whiche be his commandementes, that a man may obserue and kepe them. 12

160. ¶ What be goddes commaundementes.

[Fol. 73b.]

   There be in all .x. commaundementes, the which were to long to declare, but they be all concluded and comprehended

Deut. vi. 5.
Lev. xix. 18.

in two, that is to say: Diliges dominum deum tuum super omnia: Et proximum tuum sicut te ipsum: Loue thy 4 lorde god aboue al thing, and thy neyghboure as thy-selfe. These be lyghte commaundementes, and nature byndeth a man to fulfyll, obserue, and kepe them, or els he is not a naturall man, remembryng what god hath doone for the. 8 Fyrste he hath made the to the symylytude and lykenes of his owne ymage, and hathe gyuen to the in this worlde dyuerse possessions, but specyally he hath redemed thy soule vpon the crosse, and suffered great payne and 12 passion and bodelye deathe for thy sake. What loue, what kyndenes was in hym, to doo this for the? What

God asks love for love.

couldest thou desyre hym to do more for the? And he desyreth nothynge of the agayne, but loue for loue. What 16 can he desyre lesse?

161. ¶ Howe a man shulde loue god and please hym.

   Surelye a man maye loue god and please hym very many wayes: but fyrste and principally, he that wyll loue god,

[Fol. 74.]

and please hym, he muste doo as it is sayde in Symbalo

Athanasian Creed.

Athanasii: Quicunque vult saluus esse, ante omnia opus est 4 vt teneat catholicam fidem, Who so euer wyll be saued, aboue all thynge he must nedes be stedfast in the faythe of holy churche. And accordynge to that, saythe sayncte

Heb. xi. 6.

Paule: Sine fide impossibile est placere deo; Without faythe 8

Seneca.

it is impossible to please god. And Seneca sayth: Nichil retinet, qui fidem perdidit: There abydeth no goodnes in hym, that hath loste his faythe. And soo thou mayste well perceyue, that thou canst not loue nor please god, 12 without perfyte fayth. And ferther-more thou mayste not presume to study, nor to argue thy faithe by reason. For saynte Gregory saythe: Fides non habet meritum, vbi humana ratio prebet experimentum: Faythe hath no meryte, where 16 as mannes reasone proueth the same. This faythe is a pryncypall sygne, that thou loueste god. Also thy good dedes, and thy warkes, is a good sygne, that thou loueste god. For saynt Iherome saythe: Vnusquisque, cuius opera 20 facit, eius filius appellatur: whose warkes euery man dothe, his son or seruaunt he is called. And sayncte Bernarde saythe, Efficatior est vox operis, quam vox sermonis: The dedes and the warkes of a man is more euydent profe, 24 than his wordes. The fulfyllynge of the .vii. workes of mercye is an other specyall sygne, that thou louest god: and many mo there be, whiche were to longe to reherse them all. 28

162. ¶ Howe a man shulde loue his neyghbour.

Love of our neighbour.

   Thou must loue thy neyghboure as thy-selfe, wherin thou shalt please god specially: for if thou loue thy neyghbour as thy-selfe, it foloweth by reason, that thou shalte do nothyng to hym, but suche as thou 4 woldest shulde be done to the. And that is to presume, that thou woldest not haue any hurte of thy body, nor of thy goodes, done vnto the, and lykewyse thou shuldest none do vnto hym. And also if thou 8 woldest haue any goodnes done vnto the, eyther in thy bodye, or in thy mouable goodes, lykewyse shuldest thou do vnto thy neyghbour, if it lye in thye power, accordynge

Gregory.

to the sayinge of saynte Gregorye, Nec deus sine proximo, 12 nec proximus vere diligitur sine deo: Thou canste not loue god, with-out thou loue thy neyghbour, nor thou canst not loue thy neighbour, without thou loue god. Wherfore thou muste fyrste loue god pryncypallye, and thy neyghbour 16 secondaryly.

163. ¶ Of prayer that pleaseth god very moche.

Prayer pleaseth God much.

   Prayer is honour and laude to god, and a specyall thynge that pleaseth hym moche, and is a greate sygne, that thou louest god, and that thou arte perfyte and stedfaste in the faythe of holy churche: and that it is so, 4 it maye be well consydered by our forefathers, that haue for the loue and honour of god made churches. And a man muste dayly at some conuenyente tymes exercyse and vse prayer hym-selfe, as he oughte to doo. For saynt 8

Ambrose.

Ambrose sayth, Relicto hoc, ad quod teneris, ingratum est spiritui sancto quicquid aliud operaris: If thou leaue that thynge vndone, that thou arte bounde to doo, it is not acceptable to god, what-so-euer thou dooste elles. Than 12 it is necessarye, that thou do praye, and a poore manne doynge his labour trewely in the daye, and thinketh well, prayeth well: but on the holye daye, he is bounde to come to the church, and here his diuyne seruyce. 16

[Fol. 75b.]

164. ¶ What thynge letteth prayer.

   There be two impedimentes, that lette and hynder prayer, that it maye not be herde. And of the fyrste impedimente

Isa. i. 15.

speketh Ysaye the prophete: Quia manus vestræ plenæ sunt sanguine .i. peccato, ideo non exaudiet vos dominus: 4 Bycause your handes be full of bloude, that is to saye, full of synne, therfore our lorde dothe not graciousely

Prov. xv. 29.

here you. And also prouerbiorum tertio, Longe est dominus ab impiis, et orationes iustorum exaudiet. Our lorde is ferre 8 fro wycked men, and the prayers of ryghtewyse men he

Bernard.

gracyously hereth. And sayncte Bernarde saythe, Qui a præceceptis dei auertitur, quod in oratione postulat non meretur: He that dothe not goddes commaundementes, he 12 deserueth not to haue his prayer harde. The seconde impediment, saythe Anastasius, is, Si non dimittis iniuriam, que tibi facta est, non orationem pro te facis, sed maledictionem super te inducis: If thou forgyue not the wronge done 16 vnto the, thou doste not praye for thy-selfe, but thou enducest goddes curse to fall vppon the. And Isodorus saythe, Sicut nullum in vulnere proficit medicamentum, si adhuc ferrum in eo sit: ita nihil proficiat oratio illius, cuius 20 adhuc dolor in mente vel odium manet in pectore. Lyke as the playster or medycyne can-not heale a wounde, if there be any yren styckinge in the same, ryghte soo the prayer of a man profyteth hym not, as longe as there is sorowe 24 in his mynde, or hate abydynge in his breste. For sayncte Austyne saythe, Si desit charitas, frustra habentur cetera. If charitie wante, all other thynges be voyde. Wherfore thou muste se that thou stande in the state of 28 grace, and not infecte with deedly synne, and than praye if thou wylt be harde.

165. ¶ Howe a man shulde praye.

   It is to be vnderstande that there be dyuers maner

Public prayer.

of prayinges, Quedam publica, et quedam priuata; That is to saye, some openlye, and some priuately. Prayer openly muste nedes be done in the churche by the 4 mynystratours of the same people. For it is done for all the comynaltye, and therfore the people in that oughte to conferme theym-selfe to the sayde mynystratours, and there to be presente to praye vnto god after a dewe 8

Private prayer.

maner. Oratio priuata. The prayer pryuately done,

[Fol. 81b.]

oughte to be doone in secrete places, for two causes. For prayer eleuateth and lyfteth vp a mannes mynde to god. And the mynde of man is sooner and better 12 lyfte vppe whan he is in a pryuye place, and separate frome multytude of people. An other cause is to auoyde vaynglory that myghte lyghtely ensue or ryse thervppon, whan it is doone openly; and therof speketh our 16 sauyour, where he sayth, Cum oratis, non eritis sicut hypocritæ, qui amant in sinagogis et in angulis platearum stantes orare. That is to saye, whan ye praye, be not you as the hypocrytes, the whiche loue to stande in 20 theyr synagoges and corners of hyghe-wayes to praye. Also some folkes pray with the lyppes or mouthe, and not with the herte, of whome spekethe our lorde by his prophete, Hij labiis me honorant, cor autem eorum longe 24 est a me; They honour me with theyr mouthe, and theyr hertes be ferre from me. And sayncte Gregory saythe, Quid prodest strepitus labiorum vbi mutum est cor? What profyteth the labour of the mouthe, where the 28 herte is dombe? And Isodore saythe, Longe quippe a deo est animus, qui in oratione cogitationibus sæculi fuerit occupatus. His soule is far from god, that in his prayer his mynde is occupied in warkes of the worlde. There 32 be other that pray both with the mouth and hart, of whom speketh sayncte Iohan .x. Veri adoratores, adorabunt patrem in spiritu et veritate. The true prayers wylle worshyp the father of heauen in spirite and with trouthe. 36 Isodorus saythe, Tunc veraciter oramus, quando aliunde non cogitamus. Than we praye truely, whan we thynke on nothynge elles. Richardus de Hampole. Ille deuote orat, qui non habet cor vacabundum in terrenis occupationibus, 40 sed sublatum ad deum in cælestibus. He prayeth deuoutly, that hath not his harte wauerynge in worldelye occupations, but alwaye subleuate and lyfte vppe to god in heuen. There be other that praye with the harte. vnde 44 Mat. vi. Tu autem cum oraueris, intra [in] cubiculum tuum .i. in loco secreto, et clauso hostio, ora patrem tuum. Whan thou shalte praye, entre into thy chambre or oratory, and steke the doore, and praye to the father of heuen. 48 Isodorus, Ardens oratio est non labiorum sed cordium, potius enim orandum est corde quam ore. The hoter prayer is with the harte than with the lyppes, rather pray with thy herte than with thy mouth. Regum primo. Anna 52 loquebatur in corda. Anna spake with the harte.

166. A meane to put away ydle thoughtes in prayinge.

Against idle thoughts.

   And to auoyde wauerynge myndes, in worldlye occupations whanne thou shalte praye, I shall shewe vnto you the beste experience that euer I coulde fynde for the same, the whiche haue benne moche troubled therwith, and that 4

If you understand Latin, keep your eye on the book, and remember the English of it.

is this. He that can rede and vnderstande latyne, let hym take his booke in his hande, and looke stedfastely vppon the same thynge that he readeth and seeth, that 8 is no trouble to hym, and remembre the englysshe of 8 the same, wherin he shall fynde greatte swetenes, and shall cause his mynde to folowe the same, and to leaue other worldly thoughtes. And he that canne-not reade nor

If not, think of Christ’s passion,

vnderstande his pater noster, Aue, nor Crede, he must 12 remembre the passyon of Christe, what peyne he suffered for hym, and all mankynde, for redemynge of theyr soules. And also the miracles and wonders that god hath doone, and fyrste what wonders were doone the nyghte of his 16

and of His miracles;

natiuitie and byrthe. And howe he turned water in-to wyne, and made the blynde to se, the dombe to speake, the deafe to here, the lame to go, the sycke to be hole.

[Fol. 83.]

And howe he fed fyue thousande with two fysshes, and 20 fyue barley loues, wherof was lefte .xii. coffyns or skyppes of fragmentes. And howe he reised Lazare from deathe to lyfe, with manye moo myracles that be innumerable to be rehersed. And also to remembre the specyall poyntes 24

how He was betrayed,

of his passion, howe he was solde & betrayed of Judas, and taken by the iewes, and broughte before Pylate, than to kynge Herode, and to bysshope Cayphas, and than to Pylate agayne, that iudged hym to death, and howe he 28 was bounde to a piller, and how they scurged, bobbed, mocked hym, spytte in his face, crowned hym with thornes, and caused hym to beare the crosse to the mounte of Caluary, whervppon he was nayled both handes and 32 fete, and wounded to the harte with a sharpe spere, and soo suffered deathe. And howe he fette out the soules of our forefathers forthe of hell. Howe he rose frome deathe to lyfe, and howe ofte he appered to his discyples and 36 other moo. And what myracles he wroughte afterwarde, and specyally what power he gaue to his dyscyples, that were noo clerkes, to teache and preche his faythe, and worke many myracles, and specyally whan they preached 40 before menne of dyuers nations and languages, and euerye man vnderstode in theyr own language, the whiche is a sygne that god wolde haue euery manne saued, and to knowe his lawes, the whiche was a myracle able to 44 conuerte all the infydeles, heretykes, and lollers in the worlde.

167. ¶ A meane to auoyde temptation.

   It is ofte-tymes seen, that the holyer that a man is, the

The holier a man is, the more he is tempted.

more he is tempted, and he that soo is, maye thanke god therof. For god of his goodnes and grace hath not gyuen to the dyuell auctoritie nor power to attempte any man 4 ferther and aboue that, that he that is so tempted, maye withstande. For sayncte Gregory sayth, Non est timendum

Gregory.

(sic) hostis, qui non potest vincere nisi volentem. An enemye is not to be dradde, the whiche maye not ouercome, but if a 8 manne be wyllynge. And it is to presume, that he that is soo tempted, standeth in the state of grace. For sayncte Ambrose saythe, Illos diabolus[34] vexare negligit, quos iure hæreditario se possidere sentit. The dyuell despyseth to 12 vexe or trouble those, the whiche he felethe him-selfe to haue in possessyon by ryght inheritaunce. And if thou be so tempted, vexed, or troubled, I shall shewe vnto the two verses, that if thou do therafter, thou shalte be eased 16 of thy temptacyon, and haue greatte thanke and laude of god and rewarde therfore; these be the verses. ¶ That is to say, The gostly enemy hurteth not, but whan he that is tempted obeyeth to his temptation. Than his ghostly enemy plaieth the lyon, if that he that is so tempted syt styll and obey to hym. And if he that is 24 tempted, stande styfly agaynste hym, the ghostlye ennemye flyeth awaye lyke a flye. This me semeth maye be wel proued by a famylier ensaumple. As if a lorde had a castell, and deliuered it to a capitayne to kepe, if there 28 come ennemies to the castell, and call to the capytayn, and byd hym delyuer them this castell. The capytayne cometh and openeth them the gates, and delyuereth the keyes. Nowe is this castell soone wonne, and this 32 capytayne is a false traytour to the lorde. But lette the capitaine arme hym-selfe, and steke the gates, and stande styfly vpon the walle, and commaunde them to auoyde at theyr peryll, and they wyll not tary to make 36 any assaut. Ryght so euery man is capitayne of his owne soule, and if thy gostely ennemy come and tempte the, and thou, that art capytayne of thyne owne soule, wyll open the gates, and delyuer hym the keyes and let hym 40 in, thy sowle is soone taken prysoner, and thou a false traytour to thy soule, and worthye to be punysshed in pryson for euer. And if thou arme thy-selfe and stande styfly agaynste hym, and wyll not consente to hym, he 44 wyll auoyde and fle away, and thou shalt haue a greate reward for withstandynge of the sayde temptation.

168. ¶ Almes-dedes pleaseth god moche.

Almsdeeds.

   Almes-dedes pleseth god very moche, and it is great sygne that thou loueste bothe god and thy neyghboure. And he of whome almes is asked, oughte to consyder thre thynges, that is to saye, who asketh almes, what he 4

God asketh.

asketh, and wherevnto he asketh. Nowe to the fyrste, who asketh almes, Deus petit. God asketh. For saynte

Jerome.

Jerome sayth, Quia deus adeo diligit pauperes, quod quicquid fit eis propter amorem suum, reputat sibi factum. That is 8 to saye, bycause that god loueth poore men so moche,

[Fol. 85.]

what-someuer thynge is gyuen vnto them for the loue of hym, he taketh it as it were done to hym-selfe; as it is

Matt. xxv. 15.

sayde in his gospell, Quod vni ex minimis meis fecistis, 12 michi fecistis. That thynge that ye gyue or do to the least of those that be myne, ye do it to me. Thanne to

He asks not ours, but his.

the seconde, what asketh god? Non nostrum, sed suum. He asketh not that thynge that is ours, but that thynge that is 16 his owne. As saythe the prophete Dauid, Tua sunt domine omnia: Et quæ de manu tua accepimus, tibi dedimus. Good lorde, all thynges be thyne, and those thynges that we haue taken of the, of those haue we gyuen the. Thanne 20

He asks only to borrow, and to repay a hundredfold.

to the thyrde, Where-vnto dothe god aske? He asketh not to gyue hym, but all-onely to borowe, Non tamen ad triplas, s[c]ilicet, immo ad centuplas. Not all-onely to haue thryse soo moche, but forsothe to haue an hundred tymes 24

Augustine.

soo moche. As saynt Austyn saythe, Miser homo, quid veneraris homini; venerare deo, et centuplum accipies, et vitam æternam possidebis? Thou wretched manne, why doste thou worshyp or dreade manne: worshyp thou god and dreade 28 hym, and thou shalte receyue an hundred tymes so moche, and haue in possessyon euerlastynge lyfe, the whiche many-folde

[Fol. 85b.]

passeth all other rewardes? Prouerbiorum xiiii. Veneratur domino,[35] qui miseretur pauperibus: He worshyppeth 32 our lorde, that hath mercye and pytye on poore folkes. And the glose therof sayth, Centuplum accepturus. And thou shalte receyue an .C. tymes so moche. And it is to be vnderstande, that there be thre maner of almes-dedes, 36 that is to saye: Egenti largire quicquid poteris: dimittere eis a quibus lesus fueris: Errantem corrigere, et in viam veritatis reducere. That is to saye, to gyue to the nedy what thou well mayste, to forgyue theym that haue 40 trespaced to the, and to correcte them that do amysse, and to brynge them into the way of ryghte.

169. ¶ The fyrste maner of almes.

   Egenti largire quicquid poteris. Gyue to the nedye what

Luke xi. 41 vi. 38.

thou well maye. For our lorde saythe in his gospell: Date elemosinam, et omnia munda sunt vobis. Et alibi. Date, et dabitur vobis: Gyue almes, and all worldly rychesse is 4 yours; gyue, and it shall be gyuen to you. Almes-dede is a holy thynge, it encreaseth a mans welthe, it maketh lesse a mannes synnes, it lengtheth a mans lyfe, it maketh

[Fol. 86.]

a man of good mynde, it delayeth yll tymes, and closeth 8 all thynges, hit delyuereth a manne from deathe, it ioyneth a manne with aungelles, and seuereth hym from the dyuell, and is lyke a wall vnable to be foughten agaynst. And saynt James saythe: Sicut aqua extinguit ignem, ita elemosina 12 peccatum. As water slecketh fyer, soo dothe almes-dede

Prov. xxviii. 27.

slake synne. Salomon saythe, Qui dat pauperi, non indigebit. He that giueth vnto a poore man, shal neuer

Prov. xxi. 13.

haue nede. And also he sayth, Qui obturat aurem suam 16 ad clamorem pauperis, et ipse clamabit, et non exaudietur. He that stoppeth his eare at the clamoure or crie of a pore man, he shall crye, and he shall not be gracyousely herde. There maye no manne excuse hym from gyuynge 20 of almes, thoughe he be poore. And let hym doo as

Mark, xii. 42;
Luke, xxi. 2.

the poore wydowe dyd, that offered a farthynge, wherfore she hadde more thanke and rewarde of god, thanne the ryche men that offered golde. And if thou mayste not 24 gyue a farthynge, gyue lesse, or gyue fayre wordes, or good information, ensaumple, and token: and god shall rewarde the bothe for thy dede and for thy good wyll. And that thou dooste, do it with a good wyll. For saynte 28