persoones so foundid ben miche to be blamed, but [Perhaps we should read but if.] thei in the meene tyme wijsly and weel kepe thilk ricchessis and wijsly and weel hem expende, as suffi|cient resoun wole deme.
But of al this, (thouȝ founderis and endeweris of couentis, of collegis, of statis, and of persoones in state ouȝten for to in this maner endewe, whilis thei en|tenden forto warde and wilne that her werk come not into beggerie; and thouȝ Salamon preied to God that he schulde not haue lasse than the seid suffi|cience declarid now bifore to be of his meenyng, and that he schulde not falle into the [the is interlineated by a later hand.] beggerie also now bifore declarid to be of his meenyng,) schal it be seid therfore of this to folewe, that it is a perfiter lijf forto lyue in such a now seid sufficience or in the seid richessis, than forto lyue in the seid beggerie? Nai certis, this folewith not. For thouȝ Salamon so preied for more suerte to his freelnes, and for that he was not so perfit that he couthe bere beggerie at ful [the ful, MS. (first hand).] withoute sclaundre, bi cause, as Scripture witnessith weel, he was a ful freel man; and ther|fore he hadde more nede forto seke aftir the surer to him weies, than aftir the hardir and the bateil|fuller weies and therfore the perfiter to him weies; and thouȝ founders and endeweris of collegis and of couentis and of persoones in state founden and endewen into more suerte, bi cause that in multitude of persoones fewe schulden be founde disposid to hiȝe perfitnes, (in reward of hem whiche schulen be dis|posid to meenes [Probably we should read meener.] and louȝer degre of lyuyng than is perfitnes:)—ther of folewith not, that ech other maner of lyuyng, dyuers fro this which Salamon askid, and dyuers fro this whiche the seid endewers entenden in her seid fundacioun and endewing, is not so holi and
