Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ Capitulum 30

WHan Alysaunder had goone aboute the last clyff of occeā he arayed him to werre in the Ilond Bragmans / They sente him suche a letter Kynge we haue herd of thy bataylles / & of thy vyctoryes / but what shal suffice the whō all the world suf¦fiseth not. rychesse we haue none for the whiche me shuld werre on vs. Al our good is comune to vs all / Mete is our ryches / Vy¦le clothyng and sckars we haue in stede of gold and grete araye Our women be not arrayed for to plese For grete aray is acomp¦ted charge amonge vs and not highnesse and fayrenesse Our women desire no more fayrenesse than they haue of kynde ¶ Our drye dyches and dennes standeth vs in double stede / in stede of oure herberowe while we lyue and in stede of oure graues whan we be dede· ¶ Yf we haue somtyme a kynge / It is not for to doo right· but for honeste of kynde / We haue among vs neyther domes ne plee· for we do not thing that nedeth redres¦se by plee owther by dome· we desire no more than reson of kynde axeth· we holde nedefull that we knowe is mesurable and not to moche / Euenesse of pouert maketh vs all ryche· our peple hath one lawe and dooth nothynge ayenst the lawe of kynde we vse no trauayll that slhod make vs couetous we shone and forsake

fowle sleuthe and lechery we doo no thynge that nedith punys∣shyng / It is vnlawfull to vs to wounde the hilles with culture and with share. we vse no gloteny ne outrage of mete and dryn∣ke and therfore we be not seke / we dwelle in drye dyches heuen fyndeth vs keueryng & erth fyndeth vs bedding We be no wer¦riours we make pees with good liuyng and not with strength Also noo fader foloweth thoffyce of his sonnes deth

¶ Committatur exequias

¶ We seche no playes & Iapes for it is right lyking to vs to be¦hold the firmament and the sterres of heuen / we be men of simple speche· It it commune to vs all not to lye / god of al is our god for he hath lykyng in wordes and in beedes by a maner lykenes¦se of loue / He is a worde spyryte and thought and is not plesid with wordly Rychesse but with hooly werkes and thankynges of his grace Rn̄o allexandri If it be as thou sayst dindim{us} bragmans allone be acompted in the nombre and tale of man∣kynde they be withoute vyces and ryches. they acompte wronge∣full all the dedes that we doo· they acompte greuous the benefy∣ce that god hath graunted to the help of mankynde. helpe and ser¦uice of craftes they acompte synfull and atte laste they destroye the lawes of lyuyng. than eyther they sey / that they be goddes· or that they han enuye to god and bi cause therof they blame the fayrest of creatures Respōsio dindimi ¶ We be not at home in this world but from home as gestes / we come not to dwelle he¦re but to wende hens. we be not alayde with charge of synnes / but withoute suche maner charges / We drawe nyghe oure owne hows and hye faste homeward / we say not that we be goddes we haue none enuye to god / But we sey that we wol not mysuse goodnesse of god almyghty. We say not that al thynge is seme∣ly that is lawful / god hath putte the vse of thynges in mānes fredome than he that leueth the wors and foloweth the better / is not god but he is made goddes frende· ¶ Whan the swellynge of welth hath bolned vp pryde than ye forgete that ye be men and seyn that god rekketh not of mākynde / ye bylde temples to youre self in the whiche ye sheden blode Therfore I calle yow. woode for ye wytte not what ye doo and yf ye despyse god wyttyngly than ye holden in the synne sacrylege Epistola Allexandri Thou callest thy self a man of welthe for thou dwellest ther noo

man may come to the / ye prayse the lyuynge and doing of youre scarsete but by the same skylle they be in welthe that be in perpe∣tuel prysonne. for they haue noo vse of ryches. but they be with oute ryches right as ye be· lawe of kynde dooth to you as prison doth to hem That ye tille neyther gardyns ne feldes that ma∣keth defawte of yre that kynd voucheth not sauf to yeue you / that yet lyue by rootes / soo ye muste nedes for ye maye not sayle in to other londes to gete you other lyuelode ¶ Somtyme beestes ly∣ued by rootes right as ye doo therfor it is good to lyue in good rule and in plente and not in strayte skarste and meschyef Elles blyndenesse and pouerte shold be noble vertues allone Blyndenesse for he seeth not what he coueyteth / and pouerte for he hath not what he desireth That your women ben not lykyng∣ly arayed I graunt for ye haue neyther connyng ne wher wyth That ye haue no grete flesshely lykynge it is no wonder for that maketh your grete nede and meschyef and fowle sight and na∣kednesse / that ye haue no lawes and domes men and studye in no l••ttrure and axen neyther grauntmercy / therinne ye acorde with fysshes and vnskylful beestes / Mannes sowle in dyuers ti¦me for dyuers happes of causes is able to dyuers maner of do¦yng / dyuers manere of sowles torne and chaūge with the chaū¦gynge of heuen and be wyttede in a cl••er day and dull wytted and heuy whan the day is dym and clowdy / Also the reason of wyttes as it maye be in many maner wyse soo it is chaungeable and not only by dyuersyte of other thynges but also by dyuer¦site of ages ¶ Therfor childhode is myld and yong men be wyl∣de and old men be soft and wexen feble Also al the wyttes ben plesed with thynges that longe to her owne felyng ¶Treuisa / Ye may knowe how the wyttes han lykyng in thynges that lon¦geth to her owne felynge yf ye take hede how the sighte hath ly∣kyng in fayr hew and colour the heryng in swete voys and sow¦ne / the nose in swete odour & smelles / the mouth in swete tast & sauour / the gropyng in hote and cold drye and wete nessh and hard but nesshe is knowen by many wyttes / for it is knowen both by gropyng and by sight. ¶Than it foloweth in thystorye The elementes yeueth vs matier of wyttes and of all that we fele. the stature of the body of mankynde is made of the elemen¦tes medled ••o geder. for euery shold make good for his owne partye and yeue vs special help and subsydye by his owne dis¦pensacion. than yf thou wolt not vse the benefyce / that we haue

by thelementes the whiche benefyces ben seedes. fysshes and fow∣les and many other Thou shalt be accused of pryde / for thou forsakest yeftes / eyther for enuye for they be yeuen of hym that is better than thou Responsio dindimi / ¶ Ye moeue werres and bataylles and werre outward ayenst men· for ye haue not ouercomen your enemyes within / but we bragmans had ouer∣come the ynner bataylles of our owne membrys and reste siker¦ly and haue no bataylles outward / We beholden the firmamente and the sterres of heuen and her foules song we be heled and fed¦de with leues and fruyte of trees· we drynke water and sing son¦ges in worship of god / and take hede and thynke of the lyf that is comyng We be apayed with fewe wordes and be sone stylle and hold our pees / Ye say what shold be doo but ye doo it not Your wytte and wysedome is in your lyppes. ye be hongry and thyrsty after gold· you nedeth hows and seruauntes. ye coueyte reuerence and worship / water quencheth our kinde thirst ¶Gold heeleth not your woundes nowther withdraweth / ne refreyneth your couetise but maketh it moore ¶ Therfor it is openly kno∣wen that the thyrste and hongre of gold / cometh of kyndely nede. whan it were ones had it wold somtyme quenche suche honger and thyrst One calamus fledde from vs to you· we despysed hym and ye worship hym ¶Than Alysaunder sente one Onesi∣critus to dindimus that lay in a wode vpon leues of trees with these wordes Alysaunder the grete god Iupiters sonne and lord of the worlde chargith and commaundeth that withoute delaye thou come to hym and if thou comest he wold yeue the many gre¦te yeftes and if thou come not / thou shalt thi hede and thy lyf for goo ¶Dindimus lay styll and answerd him in this maner Sothfaste god yeueth men lyght and doth no man wrong / He auoydeth manslaughter / and arereth no stryf ne werre ¶ But Alysander shal dye than he is no god. ¶ What he promyseth to me is not nedeful to me· Me nedeth noo suche thynges· I goo frely wheder me lyketh· If Alysaunder smyte of my heede and slee me / he may not slee my sowle ¶ The gronyng of hem that suffren wronge is begynnynge of peyne and tourmentes of hem that doth the wrong Say than to Alysander that I drede not my deth / yf he wol ought of myne lette hym come to me Than Alysaunder lefte of all pompe and boste and cam to dyndimus fete· and dindimus to hym sayde. why distourbest thou our peas What desirest / we haue no thyng. & what we haue is not nedeful

to the We worship god and loue men. we rek not of gold / we despyse deth / Ye loue gold and hate men and despyse god Than Alysaunder sayd teche thou me wytte and wysedom that thou hast receyued. of god as it is sayde ¶Than dyndimus an∣swerd and seyde. thou haste not wheron to doo. suche a yefte / for thy sowle is ful of couetyse / than howe shal I suffyce to the. to whome all the world suffyseth not / god hath made the lytil / and though thou desire al the world / It nedeth the to haue atte last as lytel londe as thou seest me lye on owther thy self sitte on / If thou lerne this wysedome of me al thou shalt haue / though thou desire nought / for couetise is moder of pouert God is my frende / I haue heuen for my roof. the erthe in stede of my bed. the Ryuer fyndeth me drynke / and the wode is my mete borde· flesshe of beestys roteth not within my guttes / I am not buryels of de∣de bodyes / I lyue as I am made / I knowe goddes pryuytees. for god wyl that I be pertener of his werkes / ¶Than whether seyst thou is more ••ightful to mysbede men owther to defende hem and doo hem right to shede and to shyfte owther to kepe and to sa∣ue. If thou slee me I goo to god and thou maist not escape his hand / ¶Than destroye thou not that god hath wrought and ma¦de ¶Than Alysaunder sayd thou comest of god and lyuest in a place of pees and reste· I liue in grete drede and effray / myne ou∣ne wardeyns I drede I drede mote my frendes than myn ene∣myes I may not leue hem ne trust to other ¶ A day I greue men and I am greued at nyght and drede ful soore yf I slee him that I drede than am I sory and full of woo ¶ And yf I be easy and softe than I am despysed. and yf I wold dwelle with the in valeys and in dennys I myght not endure· whan these ta∣les were tolde. Alysaunder profered to dindymus gold syluer clothes breed and oyle ¶And dindimus sayde to hym may thou make the briddes that here singe the better for gold & siluer & yf thou maye not / why wolt thou make me wors than the briddes· and make me receyue thynge that maye not stande me in steede / but of a free man make me bonde but for I wold not greue the to swyth this oyle I wolle receyue And whan dindimus hadde sayd soo he threwe the oyle in a fyre of wode and sang an ymp∣ne to god almyghty / And alysaunder sawe that and went his way