Diues [et] pauper

Caplm .iiij.

ALso there is a theeft of worl∣dely good. Of suche theeft Iob sayth. Agrū nō suū de∣metūt. They repe other mennes fel∣des & make vyntage of ther mennes wyues / & take mennes clothynge fro them & late them naked in the colde wynter / & robbe moderlesse childern & poore wedowes by myght & spoyle & robbed the poore people. The theef sayth / he ryseth vp in the morowe & sleeth the nedy & y^• poore / & by nyght he steleth as a mycher. Sed de{us} inul∣tū abire nō pati••. Iob .xxiiij. ¶Diues How many spyces be ther of theeft. ¶Pauper. Full many. For somtyme a thynge is stolen preuely without we tynge of the lorde or of the keper and ayenst ther wyll / & it is called myche rye / somtyme it is do openly by myght & vyolence wetynge the lorde & the ke¦per ayenst ther wyll / & that is propre¦ly rapina raueyn. Somtyme it is do wetynge the lorde or the keper and a parte ayenst ther wyll / but not all a∣yenst ther wyll vnder certayn condy∣cōn of wynnynge / not lefull in the ta¦ker / & than it is called vsura / gouel or vsure in englysshe. Also al maner vn¦ryghtfull occupyenge of ony thynge lordshyppe or ony other auer in this worlde / is called theeft. And therfore saynt Austen sayth thus. The thyn∣ge y^t man or woman hath by the lawe y^t is his by the lawe & none other mā¦nes And man hath by the lawe y^t he hath ryghtfully & he hath y^t ryghtful¦ly y^t he hath well. And therfore sayth he / euery thynge that is mys had is o∣ther mennes / & euery man hath his good amys that vseth his good amys In epla ad Macedoniū. Also with∣holdynge of almesse from the poore nedy folke is theeft in goddes syght. For the couetous ryche men withdra¦we fro the poore folke y^t longeth to them / & myspende the poore mennes good wherby they sholde be susteyned And therfore the wyse man sayth. Sone defraude thou not the almesse of the poore man / ne torne not awaye thyne eyen fro the poore / ne despyse not the hongry soule / ne tene ne an∣gre

thou not the poore in his mysche¦ue Tourment thou not the herte of the nedy / ne delaye thou not the gyf∣te from hym that is in anguysshe. Caste not awaye the prayer of hym that is dyseased / ne tourne thou not thy face awaye fro the helplese for wrath / ne gyue y^u not hym that axeth the good none occasyon to curse the behynde the. For yf the poore man cur¦se the in bytternesse of soule / his pray¦er shall be herde. For he that made hym shall here hym. And therfor ma¦ke the plesaunt in speche to the con∣gregacōn of poore folke / & bowe thyn eere to the poore without heuynesse / and yelde thy dette & answere peasa∣ble thynges & mekenesse / not to arunt them ne rebuke them ne chyde them but onely thou haue the more open cause. Eccl .iiij. Therfore saynt Pou∣le sayth / that god loued a gladde gy∣uer. ¶Diues. By the lawe of kynde and by goddes lawe all thynge is co∣mon. And therfore sayth the lawe .xij q̄ .i. dilectissimis. Ryght as the ayer ne the lyght of the sonne may not be departed by lordshyppes ne apropred more to one persone than to an other ne to one college more than to a no∣ther / no more sholde other thynges y^t be gyuen comonly to helpe of man∣kynde be departed by lordshyppes / ne apropred more to one than to an other but al thynges sholde be comon. And therfore we rede Actuū .iiij. That in the begynnynge of holy chirche all thynges were comon to the multytu∣de of crysten people. And ayenst lawe of kynde is no dyspensacōn. Distinc. xiij .S. i. Why bad god than that men sholde not stele syth all thynge is co¦mon to good men. ¶Pauper. By goddes lawe all thynge is comon to good men. For as saynt Austen sayth Oia sūt iusto{rum}. All thyngis be y^• right full mennes. But as y^• lawe sayth .xij q̄ .i. dilectissimis Dyuysyon & properte of lordshyp is made amonges man∣kynde by wyckednesse of false couety¦se both of ryche & of poore. For the ry¦che drawe to themselfe y^t longeth to other. For why all y^t the ryche man hath passynge his honeste lyuynge af¦ter the degre of his dyspensacōn / it is other mennes & not his. And he shall gyue full harde rekenynge therof at the daye of dome whan god shal say to hym. Redde racionē villicacō••s tue Yelde acounte of thy balye. For ryche men & lordes in this worlde be god∣des balyfes and goddes reues to or∣deyne for the poore folke & to sustey∣ne them. And therfore sayth saynt Poule. Habentes alimēta et {qui}{bus} tega¦mur hijs ••tenti simus. Yf we haue nedeful lyuelode & helynge, be we pay¦de therwith & coueyte we no more. Al¦so poore folke be not payed with suf∣fycyent lyuynge but couete more than theym nedeth. And for couetyse more than for nede take thynges ayen the lordes wyll in hynderynge of hym & of other that be more nedy & sholde be holpe therby. And therfor god for∣bade all maner theeft y^t men sholde take no thynge for ony mys couetyse ayenst the lordes wyll.