¶ The cō••anyes of the proude and of the ryche 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to be es∣chued. The loue of God. Lyke do cōpany with theyr lyfe.
CAPI. XIII.
WHo so toucheth pytche, shalbe fy∣led [unspec A] with all: and he that is famyli∣er with the proude, shall cloth him selfe with pryde. He taketh a burthen vpon him / that accompanyeth a more honorable man then hym self. Therfore / kepe no famy∣liarite with one that is rycher then thy selfe Howe agre the ketell and the pot together? for yf the one be smytten agaynste the other / it shalbe broken. The ryche dealeth vnrygh∣tuously, and threateneth with all: but y• poore beyng oppressed and wrongefully dealt with all / suffreth scarnesse, and geueth fayre wor∣des. If thou be for his protyte, he vseth the: but yf thou haue nothynge / he shall forsake the. As long as thou hast any thyng of thyne owne / he shall be a good felowe with the: yee he shall make the a bare man / and not be so∣ry for the. If he haue nede of the / he shall de∣fraude the: and (with a preuy mocke) shall he put the in an hope, and geue the al good wor¦des / and saye: what wātest thou? Thus shall he shame the in his meate / vntil he haue supt the cleane vp twyse or thryse / and at the laste shall he laugh the scorne. Afterwarde / when he seyth that thou hast nothyng / he shal for∣sake the and shake his heade at the. (Sub∣mytte thy selfe vnto God / and wayte vpon hys hande.
Beware / that thou be not bysceyued and [unspec B] brought downe in thy symplenesse. Be not to humble in thy wysdome: least when thou art brought lowe, yu be disceyued thorowe fooly∣shnes. If thou be called of a myghtye man / absent thy selfe, so shall he call the to him the more oft. Preasse not thou vnto hym, ye thou be not shut out: but go not thou farre of / least he forget the. Withdrawe not thy self from his speach, but beleue not his many wordes. For with muche communicacion shall he tē∣pte the / & (with a preuye mocke) shall he que∣styon the of thy secretes. The vnmercyfull mynde of his shal marck thy wordes, he shal not spare to do the hurte, and to put y• in pre∣son. Beware, and take good hede to thy self / for yu walkest in parel of thy ouerthrowynge.
Nowe when thou hearest hys wordes / [unspec C] make the as though thou werest ī a dreame, and wake vp. Loue God all thy lyfe longe, and call vpon hym in thy nede. Euery beaste loueth his lyke, euē so let euery man loue his neyghbour. Al flesh wyl resorte to theyr lyke, and euery man wyl kepe company with such as he is hym selfe. But as the wolfe agreeth wt the lābe, so doth y• vngodly with the rygh∣tuous. * 1.1 What felowshyp shuld an holy mā haue wt a dogge? Howe can the ryche & the pore agre together? The wylde Asse is the ly¦ons pray in the wyldernes, euen so are poore men the meate of the ryche. Lyke as y• proude may not away wt lowlynes, euen so doth the rych abhorre the poore. If a riche mā fal, his frēdes set hī vp agayne: but when y• poore fal leth his acquayntaūce forsake him. If a rich mā fal into an errour, he hath many helpers: he speaketh proude wordes, & yet men iustify hym.
But yf a poore man go wrong, he is puny¦shed: [unspec D] yee though he speake wysely, yet can it haue no place. Whē the rych mā speaketh / e∣uery body holdeth his tonge: & loke what he sayeth, they prayse it vnto the cloudes. But if the poore mā speake, they saye: What felowe is this? & yf he do amysse, they shal destroy hī. Riches are good vnto him ye hath no sinne in his cōscience, & pouerte is a wycked thing in the mouth of the vngodly. The hert of man chaūgeth hys countenaūce, whether it be in good or euyl. A chereful coūtenaunce is a to¦kē of a good hert, for els it is an harde thyng to knowe the thought.