Diues [et] pauper

Caplm .ij.

DIues. Io flaterynge ony goostly maslaughter ¶Pau¦per In so moche as it sleeth the soule bothe of hym that flatereth & of hym that is flatered / in so moch it is goostly manslaughter. ¶Diues Is euery flaterynge goostly mansla∣ughter & dedely ••ynne. ¶Pauper. Naye. For flate••ynge is ••••peche of vayne pray ynge sayd to man or wo¦man with Intencyon to please them And that may b•••• do in thre maners / as praysynge man or woman in go∣denesse & in good that he hath. Or el¦lys pray ynge them in goodnesse and good that they haue not Or els pray¦synge them in threwydnesse & false∣nesse / of whiche maner flaterynge speketh Dauyd & sayth. Qm̄ lauda•• peccatur in desiderijs ••ie sue & iniqu{us} benedice••. Forsothe sayth he the syn∣ner is praysed in desyres of his soule & the wycked man is blessyd of folys For whan threwes haue forth theyr wyll in shrewdenesse / than the worlde prayseth them & worshyppeth theym The fyrste maner of praysynge yf it be do only to please man & not god it is synne & in case dedely synne. And therfor saynt Poule sayth / that yf he wolde only please man & not god / he were not cryste seruaūt But it be do to plese god & for a good ende it is co¦mendable and medefull. For in good folke vertue that is praysed wexeth.

Virtus lauda•• crescit. But this ma∣ner praysynge is no flaterynge. The seconde maner of praysynge yf it be do for god & for a good ende it is suf∣ferable / & in cas••cōmendable & mede∣full. But yf it be do wetyngly / onely to please man & not god / it is dedely synne. The thyrde maner of praysyn¦ge / yf it be do wyllynge & wetynge it is dedely synne. And therfor Dauyd sayd. Oleū pccōris nō ipinguet caput meū. Lorde god sayth he / lete not the oyle of the synner make fatte my he de / y^t is to saye / lete my herte neuer ha¦ue no lykynge ne Ioye in false flate∣••ynge. For as saynt Austen sayth / the tonge of y^• flaterer doth more harme than y^t swerde of y^• enmye pursuynge Therfor Salomon sayth it is better to be vndernomen of the wyse man / than be desceyued by flaterynge of fo¦les Eccl .vij. This lynne of flateryng is so grete & greuous y^t yf ony man of holy chirche were customable therin / he sholde be degraded. Also yf he we¦re a traytour or a teller of shryfte. dis¦tinc . xlvi. cleric{us}. God gyueth curs to all false flaterers saynge in this wyse Ve q̄ consuūt puluillos sub oim cubi to manus et faciūt ceruicalia sub ca∣pite vniuerse etatis ad capiendū aias Who be to theym y^t so we smale softe pelowes vnder euery elbowe / & make pelowes vnder the hede of euery age to take y^t soules of my people. They quyckened soules y^t were not quycke / but depe in dedely synne / & so defou∣led me before my people. For bycause of ther flaterynge they gyuen no tale of me / ne drede me / ne worshypp me. For an handfull of barly sayth he & for a gobbet of brede they slough sou¦les that were not deed / & they quycke¦ned soules that lyued not / makynge lesynges to my people that loued le∣synges. And they conforted synners in theyr synne & in ther falsenesse / & dysconforted good folke in theyr go∣denes & in theyr t••outh. Eze.xiij.