The Lansdowne ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[The Remedy against Avarice.]

[804] Nowe scholne ȝe vnderstonde þat þe releuynge of Auarice is misericorde & pite largely taken ¶ And me myht axen whi þat mysericorde & pite is releueinge of Auarice; [805] Certes þe Auarice man scheweþ no pite ne misericorde to þe nedful man; ffor he deliteþ him in þre kepinges of his tresoure; & not in þe restoreinge ne releueinge of his euen|cristen; & þerfore spek .I. first of mysericorde; [806] ¶ þan is misericord as seiþe þe philosofre a vertue bue whiche þe Corage of man is stered be þe corage of him. [folio 247b] þat is my[s]esede [807] vpon whiche misericorde foloweþ pytee in perfourmynge of charitable werkes of misericorde. [808] And certes þes meuen man to þe mysericord of ihesu criste þat him self for oure gilt suffred deþe for misericorde; & forȝaf vs oure originale sinnes; [809] & þere-by relessed vs fro þe peyne of hell; and amynuseþ þe peyne of purgatorie be penitence. And ȝeueþ grace well to do & att þe last þe ioye of heuen; [810] ¶ The spices of mysericorde bien as for to lene & for to ȝeue; & eke for to forȝeue & relese & haue pyte in herte & to haue compassione of þe meschef of þine

[6-text p 658] euecristene; & eke chastice þere as nede is. [811] ¶ Anoþere manere of Remedie aȝeine avarice is resonable largesse; Bot soþely here be-houeþ þe con|sideracioun of þe grace of ihesu criste & of his temporil goodes . . . [no gap in the MS.] perdurables þat crist ȝaff vs [812] and eke to haue remembrance of þe deþ þat he schal receyue he note when; and eke þat he schal for-gone al þat he haþe; . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

[813] Bot for as muche as summe folke bien vnmesur|able men ouhten eschiewe foole largesse þat men clepen wast; [814] Certes he þat is foole large ne ȝeueþ nouht his catel bot he leseþ his catel; ¶ Soþely what þinge þat he ȝeueþ for veineglorie as to menstrals & to folke for to beren his renoune in þe werlde he haþe do synne & none almos [815] Certeȝ he leseþ foule his good; þat he ne sekeþ no þinge of his goode bot sinne [816] He is ylike to an hors þat sekeþ raþer to drinke drouy or trouble water þan of þ^e clere well; [817] And for as muche as þei ȝeue þere as þei schold not ȝeue to hem apparteneþ þilke malyson þat crist schal lyven att þe daye of dome to hem þat schal be dampned.