Diues [et] pauper

Caplm .vi.

DIues. May all maner men bere wytnesse in ony dome. ¶Pauper Nay. For bounde seruaūtes sholde bere no wytnesse in causes of theyr lordes / neyther ayenst them ne with them / but in as moche as the cause toucheth other of his ser¦uau tes .iiij. q̄ .iij. S. criminali. v. Item serui. Ne wymen sholde bere no wyt∣nesse of preef in causes of felonye / but in matrymonye and in causes of purgacyon of wymens euyll name / they may bere wytnesse of preef. And wymen may accuse in causes of felo∣nye. Also no yonge folke within .xiiij yere / ne foles / ne beggers / ne ful poore folke / ne hethen men / ne crysten men openly loosed of falsehede / or ones teynt false & forsworen / ne open wyc∣ked lyuers & of euyll name / none of these is able to bere wytnesse in dome byfore a Iuge .v. Condicio sexus etas discrecio fama. Et fortuna fides in

testibus ista require. By false wytnes¦ses the Iewes slewe saynt Steuen / & by false wytnesses they slewe Cryste and by false wytnesse the true man Naboth / & by false wytnesse they wol¦de haue slayne the holy woman Su∣sanna / but god saued her & brought the false wytnesses to the same deth / that she sholde haue had yf her wyt∣nesse had ben true / and that was the lawe that tyme / and yet it is in ma∣ny londes And yf they dysheryte ony man or woman / or doo hym lese ony¦thynge by false wytnesse / they ben bounden to restytucyon. Also bacby∣ters forfet ayenst this cōmaūdement ••hiche by malyce bacbyten them that ben good / and by lesynges dyffame ••••ym. Also flaterers y^t falsely prayse them y^• be wycked / so to fauour them in theyr synne. And so both the bac∣byter bacbytynge the good man / and the flaterer praysynge y^• wycked man haue goddes curse / that he gyueth to all suche thus saynge. Ve qui dicunt bonū malū. et malū bonū. Wo be so all them that saye the good wycked / & wycked good. Ysaye .v. And name∣ly they that ben nyghe to lordes & to grete men and ben theyr gouernours or ther counseyllours or confessours and to please them & to flater theym be it neuer so false / and take none he de to god ne to treuthe / but onely to please / and saye nay or ye / not after the treuth is / but after the lorde wyll haue it and soo harden hym & blyn∣den hym in his folye. Suche flaterers be lykeneth to a beest y^t is called Ca∣m••lyon / whiche beest chaūgeth his co¦loure after the thynges y^• be besydes hym / now whyte / now blacke / now re¦de / now grene / now blewe / now yelo∣we. Ryght so suche flaterers chaūge theyr speche after y^t they hope best to please ther lordes & other men. For now they speke good of a man why le the lorde is his frende. And yf he falle enemye to hym / anone they spe¦ke hym harme & velonye so to please the lorde & other also that ben y^• mā∣nes enemyes. In presence of his fren¦des they speke a man good thoughe they wyll hym no good / and in presen¦ce of his enemyes they speke hym e∣uyll. And as the fane of the steple tor¦ned after the wynde / soo torne flate∣rers & bacbyters theyr speche as com¦panye speketh that they ben in. The mosell and the face of the Camelyon is lyke a swyne and an ape. For eue∣••y flaterer is a bacbyter. And as a swyne hath more lykynge to lye in a foule slough than in a fayre grene / & with wrotynge of his snoute defou∣leth the place there he gooth / so hath the bacbyter more lykynge to speke of other mennes defautes & of theyr vnhonestes & synne / than to speke of theyr goodnesse & honeste and wysely speche wrotynge vpon theyr defautes to appere & defoule theyr good name And in that he is a flaterer he is lyke the ape / that what he seeth other men do he wyll do the same. For flaterers rule theyr tonge not after the treuth / but after the pleasaunce & speche of other men. But this beest Camelyon though it be fayre whyle it is a lyue / yet as soone as it is deed it is ful fou¦le

/ as sayth the mayster of kynde. Ryght so suche flaterers & fayre spe¦kers y^e speke well & doo full euyll / all though they seme fayre & worshypful in this worlde / in the other worlde af¦ter theyr deth they shall be full foule & fendes felowes in helle payne / but they amende them. And all y^• speke well & do not therafter forfet ayenst this cōmaūdement. For they denye by theyr dedes the treuth y^t they saye w^t theyr mouth. Of suche saynt Poule sayth / y^• with theyr mouth they know∣lege themself to knowe god / but with ther dedes they denye it. Confitent se nosse deū factis autē negant. Tite .i. And therfore god warneth folke of suche false wytnesses that speken the treuth with theyr mouth & d••nye it in dede / & sayth thus. Omnia quecū{que} dicerint nobis facite. scdm vero ope∣ra eo{rum} nolite facere. Math .xxiij. Alle thynge that they bydde you do / do ye it. But do ye not after theyr wycked werkes.