Here endith a compendiouse treetise dyalogue. of Diues [and] paup[er]. that is to say. the riche [and] the pore fructuously tretyng vpon the x. co[m]man̄mentes ...

¶The iii. chaptre.

DIues.

What sayst thou thanne to this Criste ihe∣sus sayde thus Beacius est ma∣gis dare {quam} accipere. act xx. It is he saith more blisful to yeue thā to take But the riche man may betr̄ yeue than may the pore / for he hath more wherof Ergo it is more blisful to be riche. than to be pore But he that wole nat bi¦sye him to haue the better parte. is a fole Ergo nunc tibi conclu¦ditur. Nowe thou art cōcludid.

Pauper.

That crist saith may nat be false But ye riche men ta¦ke ful moche and yeue oftenty∣me fulle lytel for the loue of god ¶ye take the grete and yeue the smalle / ye take moche more thā takith the pore. And the more that ye take the harder ye be boū¦den / and the harder reknyncte ye ninste yeue / For as sayth Gre∣gory. Quanto dona crescunt tā to crescunt raciones donorum. The more that giftes encrease. the more encrease reknynges of gifte / & seint poule sayth to the riche mā Quid hēs qd nō accepi¦sti. what haste thou. y^t thou hast

nat receyued of god Right nou∣ght but synne. So ye riche men been alle on the takynge syde / & lytel or the yeuynge syde. The pore man takyth but lytel / and yeueth fulle moche For one pe∣ny yeuyn of the pore man is mo¦re in goddes sighte in case / than twenty pounde yeuen of the ri∣che And therfore Criste sayth in the gospel Luce. xxi. that the po¦re wydowe whiche offryd but ii. mytes in the tēple / that ben but one ferthynge / she offryde more than dyd alle men and wymen y^t day / and yet it was fulle greate offrynge For as Criste sayth she offride al that she hadde to lyue by. Other men myghte haue of∣fryd moche more than they dyd and not haue be the worse. And as touchyng cristes wordes whi¦che ye allegge. Beacius est dare &c. It is more blisfulle to yeue thanne to take. Worshypful Be de sayth vpon the same text. act xx. The lorde he sayth prefer ryth natt by thyse wordes ryche men y^t yeue almes / bifore theym that forsake al thyngis and sue Criste But Criste commendith them most which forsake world¦ly richesse and trauayl natheles with their hondes with suche ly¦tel as they may get iustly to hel¦pe the pore nedy Or ellis it may be vnderstonde thus That to euery man be he riche be he pore if he haue any thinge whiche he may forbere / it is better to hym with suche as he may to helpe o∣ther that been pore & nedy. than hym self to take yeftes of other men. Moreouir sithen the pore wydowe that offryd but ii. mytes yaf so greate a gyfte. bi∣cause of her gode wylle. A man that forsakyth the worlde / and yeueth away alle that he hathe. for the loue of god / and also for¦sakith therwith couetyse of ha∣uynge / saue only that him bare nedythe / bicause that he soo dis∣chargyd of worldlye besynesse / may be the more goostly occupi¦ed yeueth a fulle grete gyfte / ye so greate a gyfte that a riche mā as he kepith his richesse with co¦uetyse may nat yeue soo moche as suche a pore man yeueth Er¦go sir by youre owne wordes su¦che a pore man is more blyssed. thanne many that ben ful riche.