The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

v. CHAPITER.

THE iiij^e. principal processe of the Newe Testament, bi which myȝte seeme endewing of prestis to be vnleeful, is writun i^e. Thimoth. vj^e. capitulum., where Poul blamed sum men "whiche deemeden wynnyng to be pite," and there he seith to Thimothie bischop thus: A greet wynnyng is pitee with sufficience, for we brouȝten yn no thing into this world, and no dout that we mowe not bere awey eny thing; but we hauyng foodis and with what thingis we schulen be hilid, be we content or paied with these thingis. For thei that wolen be maad riche fallen in to temptacioun, and into snare of the deuel, and into manye vnprofitable desiris and noiose, which drenchen men into deeth and perdicioun. For the roote of alle yuelis is coueitise, et cætera. But thou, man of God, fle these thingis; but sue thou riȝtwisnesse, pitee, feith, charite, pacience, myldenes. This processe lettith not the seid gouernaunce of endewing. Forwhi, if this processe schulde so streitli be vndirstonde, that a bischop schulde not haue more than mete and drinke, hous and clooth, certis thanne it muste be seid that Poul wolde no bischop haue eny stoor of bokis, neither money forto bie or lete make therwith eny bokis, which is aȝens Poulis owne meenyng, ij^e. Thimothie, iiij^e. [iij ^e., MS.] capitulum. toward the eende. And also a bischop schulde not haue an hors forto on him ride, (if the bischop were oold or sike,) neither a staffe forto go by in his eelde for sijkenes. Wherfore bi "foode and couering" Poul vnderstondith al that is necessarie into good cure

keping and mynystring, euen as ofte tymes in Holi Scripture [See Deut. viii. 3.; Matth. iv. 4.] bi "breed" is vndirstonde al maner of foode. And if this be trewe, certis sithen the hauour and possessioun of immouable godis helpith and fortherith a bischop into the bettir bering and vsing his cure vpon hise vndirlingis, (as schal be schewid aftirward,) it folewith that vnder these ij. thingis schortli expressid of Poul here to Bischop Tymothie, "foode and couer|yng," is conteyned possessioun of vnmouable godis, in the maner and mesure and vce as thei helpen the bischop forto make the better cure vpon hise vndir|lingis. Also it is to be markid weel that Poul seith: A greet wynnyng is pitee with sufficience. Lo, how Poul allowith weel al that makith a sufficience into eny purpos or effect which muste be doon; and sithen into sum degre of good cure bering availith moche plente of vnmouable ricchessis had and receyued withoute labour of it wynnyng and geting, it folewith that it stondith weel with the proces of Poul in this present processe, that bischopis haue endewing of vnmouable possessiouns.

Ferthermore, whanne Poul seith thus: Thei that wolen be maad riche fallen into temptacioun, and into snare of the feend, et cætera; it is to be vnderstonde that not oon but dyuers it is forto seche and wille be mad riche bi [mad bi, MS. (first hand).] wynnynge of tho ricchessis thoruȝ craftis or marchaundisis or other meenys of bisynessis, and dyuers it is forto receyue ricchessis mouable or vn|mouable redy whanne thei ben profrid. Certis, thouȝ the firste maner may not be doon withoute the perels which Seint Poul spekith of here, the ij^e. maner may weel ynouȝ be doon withoute such perels. Ȝhe, perauenture more perel schal befalle [be falle, MS.] in ouer greet pouerte than in ouer grete ricchessis so freli profrid and receyued; but if it be in a fewe persoones in|disposid forto entirmete with ricchessis, whiche ouȝte forbere for the while the prelacie, into which suche

ricchessis ben ȝouun, rather than appeire hem silf in receyuyng tho ricchessis, or apperre her successouris aftir hem in removing awey tho richessis; sithen not alle men ben in lijk maner thoruȝ out disposid naturali and gracioseli. Forwhi, ij^e. Tessal. iij^e. capitulum. and ij^e. Cor. xj^e. capitulum., mensioun is mad, that in Poulis daies, bi cause endewing was not maad to prechouris other than it wher of Poul spekith i^e. Cor. iij^e. [Probably we should read ix^e. See 1 Cor. ix. 3-14.] capitulum., therfore prechers ȝauen hem to flaterie and to plesaunce forto the more likingli fille her wombis and her pursis so myche and so thikke, that for to putte hem awey out of the peplis fauour Seint Poul suffrid labour and peyne in this, that he laborid for his owne lijflode and for the lijflode of hise mynystris, not withstond|ing that he myȝte bi riȝt haue askid his lijflode and fynding of hem to whom he prechid. And therfore bi experience sufficientli take in tho daies greet pouerte and lak of stable endewing and forto stonde to deuocioun of the peple in ȝeuing and offring, (with mannys natural freelnes to suffre peyne of bodi, whanne he schal lacke hise necessarie esis,) is as peri|lose or more perilose in prelatis than is habundaunce of ricchessis (mouable or vnmouable) freeli profrid and withoute greet seching in the prelatis sides receyued.

To which now seid sentence sowneth it what Sala|mon writith, Prouerb. xxx^e. capitulum. toward the bigynnyng, whanne he preied to God thus: I preied to thee twey thingis, denye thou not to me bifore that y die. Make thou fer fro me vanite and wordis of leesing; ȝeue thou not to me begrie and ricchessis; ȝeue thou oonli necessaries to mi lijflode; lest perauenture y be fillid, and be drawe to denye and seie, Who is the Lord? and lest y compellid bi nedynes stele, and forswere the name of my God. Lo, how that, thouȝ Salamon sauȝe perel in ricchessis and perel in beggerie, ȝit he

expressith the gretter perel of synne to come bi begrie than to come bi ricchessis. And if herto be cast that noon persoon, noon comounte can be en|dewed into his oonli sufficience and forto abide in thilk sufficience thoruȝ manye ȝeeris in successioun, but if the endewing be mad in the bigynnyng forto be ouer the sufficience as for thanne being, (as her of is miche experience had in Englond, Fraunce, and othere londis, and cause her of is this, that euer more the world decrecith in peple,) the seid sentence wole seme the trewer.

The v^e. principal processe of the Newe Testament is writun to Thimothie Bischop, ij^e. Thimothie ij^e. capitulum., where Poul seith to him thus: Noman holding knyȝt|hode to God wlappith him silf with wordli nedis, that he plese to him to whom he hath preued him silf. For he that fiȝteth in a bateil schal not be crowned, but if he fiȝte lawfulli. Certis this processe dooth not aȝens the seid gouernaunce; forwhi grete lordis han lasse nede forto wlappe hem silf in worldli nedis aboute her londis than lasse lordis han, for as miche as greet lordis mowe avorthi to haue and fynde with her costis officers vndir hem forto attende sufficientli to alle the wordly nedis of her londis, and ȝit thei mowe haue ynouȝ bisidis. In so miche that expe|rience hath ȝouun bifore these daies, that grete lordis and ladies being worthi householders and ful grete forȝeuers of dettis to her tenauntis, ȝhe, and gretter and habundanter forȝeuers than othere, couthen [couthe, MS. (first hand).] not rekene a summe into an hundrid schilingis; and han had her londis and householdis in best maner reulid bi othere officers weel thryuyng vndir hem; and the lordis han had therbi ful riche and preciose leisers forto haue serued God in hiȝer and deuouter weies, if thei wolden; and in lijk maner it myȝte fare with

bischopis and louȝer persoones of the chirche richeli endewid, ȝhe, and bi such greet riche endewing thei schulen haue lasse thouȝt and lasse kark and clayng lest her godis be lost and spilled, than thei schulden haue if thei were not endewid ouer what were to hem oonli sufficient. Forwhi thei mowe wite weel and wolen considere weel that thouȝ thei lese miche, ȝit thei schulen haue ynouȝ bisidis into her nede and into her sufficience; and therfore, thouȝ thei ouȝten not be ouer myche recheles in lesing her godis, ȝit thei mowe at sumtyme ful vertuouseli and wijsly lete sum passe into lost, lest that better attendaunce to goostli deedis be therbi lost. And perauenture this cause moued deuoute temperal [It would have been better to have read temporal (there is a contraction in the MS.) here ... and elsewhere.] lordis in the oold daies forto so richeli endewe bischopis and othere statis of the chirche; and therfore noman may argue and proue that, as bi strengthe of her riche endewing, that [The repetition of that is need|less and awkward, and seems at first sight to be a mere clerical error; yet the very same redun|dancy occurs in the third sentence of the following paragraph.] the statis of the chirche ouȝten or schulden be lad into wors plijte than thei schulde be, if thei were porelier endewid; or if thei were not endewid with immou|able godis at al. Wold God the bischop writer of this book hadde so sure knowing of his saluacioun as he hath experience vpon the trouthe of this now of him affermed sentence.

The vj^e. processe of Holi Scripture in the Newe Tes|tament, which myȝte seeme meete aȝens the seid endewing of prelatis in the preesthode, is writun Math. v^e. capitulum. thus: If thi riȝt iȝe sclaundre thee, pulle him out and caste fro thee; for it spedith to thee that oon of thi membris perische, than that al thi bodi go into helle: and if thi riȝt hond sclaun|dre thee, kutte him awey and caste fro thee; for it spedith to thee that oon of thi membris perische, than that al thi bodi go into helle. Lijk processe with

more ther of is write Math. xviij^e. capitulum. and Mark ix^e. capitulum. Certis of this proces folewith not that, if myn iȝe or myn hond sclaundre me not, that y schal caste him awey fro me. And ther fore bi this processe folewith not that tho persoones, whiche han natural disposi|cioun and grace forto weel vse and dispose ricchessis, (and for to not ouer miche truste vpon hem, and not ouer miche loue hem, and not ouer miche be thouȝtful and troublid aboute hem,) ouȝten forsake hem and not receyue hem, if thei be to hem profrid. And if eny man be in contrarie wise vndisposid vnscapabili, lete him abstene and forbere that he come not into prelacie endewid; and not that for his vndisposicioun he schulde prouoke, procure, and make that manye hundridis of hise successouris schulden lacke the greet help and fortheraunce into gode deedis, whiche thei myȝten haue bi riche endewing. For the philsophir feelid bettir than so, seiyng that ricchessis ben instru|mentis of vertu, thouȝ in indisposid persoones bi her vndisposicioun oonli thei ben instrumentis and occa|siouns of vicis. [Pecock without doubt has Aris|totle in his eye. The following passage from the Ethics, among others more or less similar, will elucidate his allusion: "…." Eth. Nic., lib. iv. c. i.]

Thus miche, fro the bigynnyng of the iiij^e. chapiter hidir to, is ynouȝ forto schewe that Holi Scripture of the Newe Testament in his parti, which is of the ij^e. there seid sort, (that is to seie, which is pure doc|trinal,) lettith not the endewing of preestis bi im|movable possessiouns. For if it be weel answerid to these vj. now bifore going processis of doctrinal Scrip|ture, sownyng sumwhat aȝens the seid endewing, (as it is now bifore at ful [the ful, MS. (first hand).] to hem answerid,) certis ful

esy and liȝt it schal be therbi forto answere to alle othere doctrinal textis and processis of Holi Scripture in the Newe Testament, if eny of hem be sownyng aȝens the seid endewing.