CAP. V.

Also freris seyn and mayntenen, þat begginge is leveful, þo *. [Friars live by begging, which is clean against Holy Scripture,] whiche is dampned by God, bothe in þo Olde Testament and in þo New. For in þo fyveȝt boke of holy writt, God seis to his Page  371 puple, Algatis a nedy mon and begger schal not be amonge ȝowe a. [The reference is to Deuteronomy xv. 4, where the Wycliffite versions, following the Vulgate, translate as in the text. The authorized version, following the Hebrew, gives quite another meaning: 'Save when there shall be no poor among you,' or, as it is better given in the marginal reading, 'To the end that there may be no poor among you.']. Also þo Holy Gost tauȝte Salomon to preye þese two *. [Prov. xxx. 8.] þinges of God:—God, make vanite and leesinge wordis fer fro me, and gif not to me beggyng, or beggyngnesse 1. [beggynnesse, X.], and richesse 2. [So in X; W omits and richesse.], bot gif oneliche þinges þat ben nedeful for my lyvelode in avauntre, lest I, fulfilde, be drawen to renaye, and sey, Who is Lord? as who sey, I knowe no Lord; and lest I be compellid or made of force by nedynesse to steele, and to forswere þo name of my God. Also þo Wise mon seis, Hit is a wicked or *. [Ecclus. xxix. 31.] weyward lif to seke herberow for hous to hous; and he schal not do tristiliche, þere he schal be hereberowid, and he schal not open his mouthe. Also Crist biddes his apostils and his disciplis, þat þei schul not bere a sachel ne scrippe, bot loke what meyneȝ is hable to here þe gospel, and eete and drinke þerinne, and passe not þennes, and not passe fro hous to hous. Also Seynt Poule laborid or travelid wiþ his hondis, for hym and for men þat weren wiþ hym, and coveytid nouþer golde ne silver ne clothes of men þat he tauȝte, to gif oþer teechers ensaumple to do þo same in tyme of nede. And Seynt Petre fischid after Cristis resurreccioun. Also Seynt Poule biddes þat *. [2 Thess. iii. 10.] men þat wil lyve in ydelnesse and curiouste, and not travel, schulde not eete.

Also Seynt Clement ordeyned þat Cristen men schulden not *. [and at variance with the teach∣ing of saints and fathers.] begg opunly. And, for to putt awey þis beggynge, Seynt Aus∣tyne makes twoo bokes, hou munkis owen to travel wiþ her hondis for her lyvelode b. [S. Aug. De Opere Monachorum.]. And þo same techis Benett to his munkis, and Seynt Bernarde; and so does Fraunceys to freris. And Jerom seis þat munkis schulden travel wiþ hor hondis, not onely for nede, bot raþer to exclude ydelnesse and vanyte. Ffor in state of innocense God ordeyned mon to travel, and aftir∣ward in þo state of synne God gaf þis labour to mon to his Page  372 penaunse. Þen sith iche open beggynge is þus scharply dampned in holy writt, hit is a foule erroure to mayntene hit; bot hit is more erroure to sey þat Crist was suche a begger, for þen he moste have ben contrarie to his owne lawe; bot hit is moste erroure to contynue in þis dampned beggynge, and robbe þus, ageyns charite, þo pore puple, and make hom to byleve þat Crist was suche a begger, and þat þis beggynge is wil done.