[6-text p 237] a man / to do manye yueles ‖ [2754] And ther|fore clepeth Cassidore / pouerte / the moder of Ruyne / [2755] that is to seyn / the moder of ouerthrowynge / or fallynge down [2756] ¶ And therfore / seiþ Piers Alfonce ‖ Oon of the gretteste Aduersitees of this world / is / [2757] whan a free man by kynde / or of burthe / is constreyned by pouerte / to eten / the almesse of his enemy ‖ [2758] And the same seith Innocent in oon of his bookes ‖ he seith / That sorweful & myshappy / is the condicion of a poore beggere / [2759] for if he axe nat his mete; he dyeth for hungir / [2760] [folio 229b] And if he axe / he dyeth for shame / and algates necessitee constreyneþ hym to axe ‖ [2761] And therfore seith Salomon ‖ That bettre is to dye / than for to haue swich pouerte ‖ [2762] And as the same Salo|mon seith / Bettre it is / to dye of bitter deeth / than for to lyuen in swich wise [2763] ¶ By thise resons / þat I haue seyd vn-to yow / and by manye othere resons / þat I koude seye / [2764] I graunte yow / þat richesses been goode / to hem þat geten hem wel / and to hem / þat wel vsen tho richesses ‖ [2765] And ther-fore wol I shewe yow / how ye shul haue yow / and how ye shul bere yow in gaderynge of richesses / and in what manere ye shul vsen hem
[2766] ¶ ffirst ye shul geten hem / with-outen greet desir by good leiser sekyngly and nat ouer hastily; [2767] ffor a man þat is to desirynge to geten richesses / abandoneth hym first to thefte / & to alle othere yueles ‖ [2768] And therfore seith Salomon ‖ he þat hasteth hym to bisily to wexe riche / shal be noon Innocent ‖ [2769] He seith also / that the richesse / þat hastily cometh to a man; soone & lightly gooth and passeth from a man ‖ [2770] But that richesse þat cometh litel & litel / wexeth alwey & multiplieth ‖ [2771] And sire / ye shullen gete richesses by youre wit & by youre trauaille vn-to youre profit / [2772] and that with-outen wrong or harm doynge / to any oother persone ‖ [2773] ffor the lawe
