Diues [et] pauper

Caplm .v.

DIues. Is it ony synne to by¦leue a thynge that is false. ¶Pauper There is falsehe¦de of the sayer / & falsehede of y^e thyn¦ge that is sayd. Falsehede of y^e sayer somtyme is pernycyous & wycked / & to byleue lyghtly / suche falsehede it is dedely synne & dampnable. Somty∣me falsehede of the sayer is profyta∣ble as touchynge worldely thynges & not noyous as to the worlde / & somty¦me it is neyther profytable ne noyous to the worlde / as lesynges made only for bourde y^t harmeth no man worlde¦ly ne {pro}fyteth. And to byleue tho two maner of falsehedes it is venyall syn¦ne Also ther is repronable falsehede of a thynge y^t is sayd. And eyther that thynge longeth to the nedefulnesse of our salutacyon as be artycles of the fayth & to byleue suche falsehede it is dedely synue / or it longeth not to the nedefulnesse of our saluacōn & to by∣leue suche falsehede lyghtly it is veny all synne or ellys noo synne / as sayth Dockynge su{per} Deutron^•. Nathelesse ther sholde no wyse man be to hasty to byleue thynges of charge that shol¦de eyther be grete prosperyte or grete aduersyte. For the wyse man sayth. Qui cito credit leuis ē corde. He that soone byleueth is lyght of herte & vn¦stable. Eccl .xix. And therfore sayth he / byleue not euery worde that men telle the. Ibidem. The foole symple man sayth he byleueth euery worde / but the wyse man taketh hede to his paas / & goth ne byleueth not chaūg••a¦bly after mēnes speche ne after lesyn¦ges but after the lawe of god that is not chaūgeable. Prouer .xiiij. et Eccl. xxxiij. ¶Diues. Sythen it is so that a man may synne berynge false wyt¦ne s;se of hymselfe / whether synneth he more praysynge hymselfe falsely / or lackynge hymself falsely. ¶{pro}auper Bothe ben foly / & in case grete synne For Caton sayth. Nō te collaudes nec¦te culpaueris ip̄e. Prayse y^u not thyself ne lacke y^u not thyself. And Salomon sayth. Laudet te alien{us}. et nō os tuū. Extrane{us} et nō labia tua. Let an o∣ther man prayse the & not thyn owne mouth / straungers & not thy lyppes. Prou .xxvij. And therfor by comon o∣pynyon of clerkes it is more synne a man to prayse hȳself falsely by auaū¦tement than it is to lacke hȳself false¦ly For auaūtemēt cometh of pryde y^t is worst of all synnes / but lackyng of hȳself may come of lownesse medeful¦ly For euery man of hȳselfe is more

to lacke than to prayse. And therfore sayth y^• prophete. Omnis homo men dax. Euery man & woman of hȳself is false & a lyer. And Salomon sayth y^t no man wote whether he is worthy loue or hate of god. And so no man wote what he is worth in goddes sygh¦te / & as moche as he is worth in god∣des syght so moche he is worth & noo more. Therfore sayth Arystotle .iiij. Ethico{rum}. That y^e auaūter of hȳselfe is worse than the lacker of hymselfe. Iactator vituperabilior ē {quod} vitupator Et idē dicit Ricardus de media villa super sentencias li .iij. di .xxviij. q̄ .iiij. ¶Diues. Whiche ben called by the lawe false wytnesses. ¶Pau{per} They that ben brought to bere wytnesse & ben sworne to saye the sothe and doo ayenst theyr othe / saynge false or hy∣dynge the treuth & thynge that shol∣de be sayd / or transpose thynges that sholde be sayd. Or a man saye a thyn¦ge for certayn that he is not syker of though it be treuth y^t he sayth. And al¦so he is false wytnesse that swereth a treuth w^t slyght speche for dysceyte. Suche maner folke saynt Austen ly∣keneth to Iudas / & moche folke sayth he these dayes despyse the deed of Iu¦das / & yet they do the same y^t he dyd / or ellys worse. For why sayth he. Alle tho that for mede bere false wytnesse they selle cryste y^t is souerayne treuth for mede. Et ē su{per} illud Math. Quid vultis michi dare et ego eum vobis tradam. But suche false wytnesses be worse than was Iudas. For he solde cryste for thrytty pens. But many false wytnesse selle cryste for moche lesse / & somtyme for nought onely to shewe malyce or to be venged. Iudas made restytucyon of the moneye that he toke to betraye cryste & wolde not reioyse it. But false wytnesses these dayes make no restytucōn but lyue by suche false synfull lucre. Iudas byle∣ued not y^• cryste sholde ryse fro deth to lyue & deme the quycke & the deed. But we byleue that he rose from de∣the to lyue & shall come to deme all mankynde verry god & verry man. And therfore crysten men false wyt∣nesses ben more to blame than was Iudas.