Diues [et] pauper

Caplm .xiij.

DIues. To whom shal I do myn almesse. ¶Pauper Doo as Cryste byddeth in the gospell. Omni

petenti te tribue. Gyue to euery nedy that axeth the yf y^u myght. Luce .vi. ¶Diues. Contra. Cryste in y^• gospell Luce .xiiij. sayth thus. Whan y^u makest a feest nyll y^u calle therto thy frendes thy neyghbours / thy cosyns and ryche men / but calle y^u poore men / feble / blyn¦de & halt / by whiche wordes it semeth to me y^• I sholde do none almesse but to poore y^• ben feble blynde and lame ¶Pau{per}. Cryste fordydeth not men to byd ther frendes & ther neyghbours & ryche men to y^e feest. But he bad hē y^• they sholde not only byd theyr fren¦des & y^• ryche / but also poore folke ne¦dy & teble. Also he bad y^t men sholde not byd y^e ryche folke & theyr frendes to feest w^t no wycked emencōn in ho¦pe of false wynnynge / for pompe / for glotonye / for lecherye / or to gete them a grete worldely name / but pryncypa∣ly for to nourysshe peas & charyte / & in token y^t feest is made w^t good en∣tencōn both to ryche & poore ben ple∣saūt to god / cryste called vs al ryche & poore to y^• endelesse feest. And cryste hymself though he were poore in our manhede / he was not feble blynde ne halt whan y^• pharise to whom he sayd tho wordes bad him to mete / ne whan he was at the brydales with his mod in the chane of galyle / ne whan Ma∣ry magdaleyn & her syster Martha & Zacheus made him grete festes & yet they were praysed of cryste for ther de¦des / & all that fedde cryste & his apo∣stles & his dyscyples whan they went about the worlde prechynge & techyn¦ge ben praysed. And yet the apostles and his dyscyples were stronge men / neyther blynde ne lame. And cryste hymselfe fedde his dyscyples neyther blynde ne lame. And somtyme he ••ed foure thousande of men / somtyme fy¦ue thousande that folowed hym fro contre to contre to here his prechyng & to see woūdres that he dyd / and yet were they not blynde ne lam••. For as the gospell sayth he made them hole of theyr bodely seknesse or y^t he fedde them Luce .ix. et Math .xiiij. Also tho two dyscyples y^t toke cryste to herbo∣rowe in y^e lykenesse of a pylgryme on ••ester daye at euen ben praysed & yet was he neuer blynde ne lame. Also Abraham & Loth & many other holy men resceyued angels in the lykenesse of worshypfull men neyther blynde ne lame to mete & herborowe. And saynt Peter resceyued knyghtes and worshypfull men to mete & to herbo∣rowe whiche came to hym on messa∣ge from y^e grete lorde Cornely / as we rede in holy wrytt. Actuū .x. And all these ben praysed of god / & had mo∣che thanke of god for theyr almesde∣de. Therfore I sayd fyrst. Cryste bad that men sholde do almesse to al that nede both frende & foo. And the apo∣stle byddeth / yf thyne enemye haue hongre fede hym / yf he haue thurste gyue him drynke. The charyte of cry¦sten fayth outaketh no persone man ne woman ne state ne degree / ne secte hethen ne crysten frō almesdede whā they had nede / but we must haue pyte on all & helpe all at our power. Na∣thelesse we muste kepe ordre in gyuyn¦ge & takynge hede to the cause and to the maner of nede in theym that

we gyue almesse to. For why some be poore by theyr wylle and some ayenst theyr wyll. And they that ben poore by theyr wyll some ben poore for the loue of god / & some for the loue of the worlde. They that ben poore for the loue of god muste be holpen passyng other / for theyr pouerte is medefull / parfyght & vertuous. They that ben poore wylfully not for god / but for y^e worlde / as the Romaynes were / & as these dayes moche folke dysmytte them of theyr owne good and take it to ther childeren to make them grete in this worlde / and moche folke take so moche hede to other mennes prou∣fyte / that they take none hede to them selfe / and so falle in pouerte & in ne∣de / suche poore folke muste pryncypa∣ly be holpen of them to whom theyr goodes profyted / & rather helpe them than other y^• ben poore ayenst theyr wyll / but they shall not be put byfore them that be poore for the loue of god but the nede be the more.