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WHan our lord god created the man / he gaf to hym power to doo his fre wylle. That is to wete to doo good or euyll whiche he wolde / For yf god had made the man suche as he myght not haue synned ne to haue doon nothyng but well. he shold haue take from hym somwhat
of his power / For he myght not thenne haue doon euyll whan it had plesyd hym / And thenne it shold haue fo∣lowed / that wold he or not / he shold alwaye haue doon well wythoute reson / ¶And thus he shold not haue ben cause of the goode that he sholde haue doon / but it sholde haue proceded of another whiche by force sholde haue cau∣sed hym and haue gyuen hym the wylle / ¶And he by the moyen of that he so sholde doo / sholde deserue the gwer∣don / and not onely he / For lytyl deserueth he that by force of other doth seruyse / who that to morow shold put me in a stronge pryson ayenst my wylle for to doo goode / I sholde not holde hym for wyse / For he shold doo me wronge / Neuertheles it was well in our lordes power yf it had plesed hym to haue made man suche that he shold not haue synned ne haue don ony harme ne euyll / But he had not deseruyd yet suche meryte ne reward as he now doth in noo tyme of the world / And therfore god gaf to man playn fre¦wylle to doo well or euyll to thende that in wel doyng and leuyng the euyll he myght haue more meryte / For other∣wyse he myght not deserue so moche / yf god had made than∣gels suche as myght not haue synned dedly / ne haue don e∣uyll / For that yet shold not they deserue so noble a yefte as the men / And who that wyll deserue these hye merytes / he ought gladly wyth entyer herte and parfyght serue by grete loue and grete reuerence hym that hath made hym for to conquere and come to the most hye honour. And our lord god wolde that man were suche / that by ryght he myght deserue as moche goode a boute hym as he hym self hath. ¶And therfore he gaf to hym witte and r••son for to haue entencion to hym / For by ryght he ought well to serue hym / Thenne is he a moche fooll that pourueyeth
not to doo wel whiles he is here lyuynge / For all the good that euery man shal do. shal be for hym self / & alle the euyll also. And eche man shal haue for one good thinge / an hon∣dreed good thynges / and for one euyll an hondred euellis / For he is a moche fool that weneth to doo god ony bounte of his goodys in ony maniere that it be / And whan he ab∣steneth hym fro doyng euyll. so moche our lord holdeth hym the derrer. and loueth hym the better. For yf he loste alle the world. Our lord shold neuer be the lasse worth. ne none of the goodys that ben in his power / yf alle the sayntes that euer here to fore in the world or euer shal be / had neuer don goode / ¶And that alle by her demerytes were perpetuelly dampned in helle. yet for alle that our lord god shold neuer haue the lasse Ioye ne consolacion. And shold not be the las¦se worth. ne noo thynge that is in heuen / But the sayntes were wyse prudent. and constaunt for to doo well and prouffyt / as they that playnely knewe that this world is not but a vayn thynge and transsitoyre. And had moche leuer to suffre paynes & trauaylles / and offre their bodyes to tourment and martirdom & to haue shames / blasphemies and other Iniuryes for the loue of our lord in this misera∣ble world that so lytyl whyle endureth / And to haue the goodes of heuen euerlastyng. than to haue ease chaungea∣ble to the body / for to haue payne perdurable / They retched not ne had no charge of suche goodys that atte laste shold be of noo value / ¶But they toke the brydle by the teeth for to gete the right hye wytte and vnderstandyng of he∣uen. And ther ben many of them that hol••e them for foolys in this world / the whiche now at this tyme haue their nee∣kys charged. of whiche the other be deliueryd. For they ben herberowed in heuen / And yet holde they many a wyse
man for fool that preyse not moche their wordes. Ther ben plente of wyse people in heuen now / that yf they had prey∣sed the foolissh dictes or sayngis And the folishe werkys of the people that so moche coueyte the honouyr and loos of this world for the worde of foles. that they had lefte the commaundement{is} of god / In whiche the sayntes in heuen dyde gretely their deuoyr / For they lefte not for the delytes of the world to serue their maker and creatour for to gete heuen where they haue Ioye and alle honour as they that ben lordes and shal ben wythout ende / ¶And yf they had doon otherwyse they shold haue perpetuelly shame fylthe & tourmentis of helle where as ben alle the euyllys that man can deuyse. ¶It is moche grete meruayle of this world how that it is so. that ther ben so moche people that wyl suf¦fre payne and trauaylle more for to gete loos of the people or for to amasse grete tresours. the whiche so lytyl tyme a∣byde wyth hem / that in an one hour fayll / than they wylle doo for to conquere the goodes of our lord the whiche shal neuer fayll. whiche the blyssyd sayntes haue goten by a ly∣tyl hard lyf that they haue endured in this world that me semeth but a right delyte to them that of good herte doo it / ¶And in thend••it semeth to them. that for litil or nought they haue goten heuen / and alle thus may euery persone ge¦te it. and be comyn of the goodes of our lord and haue the Ioyes and glorye of heuen / yf the defaulte be not in hem self. But they that desyre the Ioyes the glorye and henours of this world / they empayre them self so moche that they may not lerne no good ne entende to their sauacion / And had moche leuer the ease and consolacions of the body of whiche they ben so sone put out. and brought to sorow and payne than they doo the ease of the soule whiche endureth
wythout ende / Ne they preyse not the witte ne entendemēt of the man yf he can not wel haue hym in the world and haue plente of temporal goodes. by whiche he may be en∣haunsed and lyft vp in the world / but saye he is nyce and folissh by cause he can not knowe their malyces & cawteles ¶But alle they ben cursed of god by the mouth of dauid the prophete that so payne them to plese the world by alle the wayes that they can doo / For suche pryde is vayne thynge by whiche ye soule is enpayred / of whom dauid saith in the psaulter accursid be alle they and confused / as peo∣ple of exyle that playse the world / For of all goodes they extende them and discorde fro god and fro his loue / Syth they haue gyuen them and that they accorde them to the world to his vanytees and delytes. For god hath them all in despyte / and put them fro his grace / by cause they seche ye loos and the glorye. of the world / In whiche he was put out and sette a backe and in thende crucyfyed and helden for a fool. ¶Thus sayth our lord god in his gospel / that alle they shal be blyssyd that haue the world in despyte / ¶And shal be as people hated defowled and cast out as foles for the loue of me and of my name / For they shal haue in heuē their reward and guerdon / And this may euery man see yf god hym self lye not / And trouthe may not be false / that they whiche plese the world / and wylle haue and take the loos and glorye of the world / it may not be but they after haue sorowe. ¶Therfore he is a fool that secheth to haue it by cause alle they that weeshe or pourchace it. be euyl coun∣seyled / For alle suche maner of people ben by the deuyl led¦de in to helle where they haue a ryght sorouful guerdon / And ther is nowher so valyaunt a kynge ne so puyssaūte prince / duk. erle. knyght. or noble man to whom the deuyll
hath regard but that he do to hym as moche gryef to his po¦wer / as to the most vyle and most poure that cometh in¦to helle / whan he hath so vsed his dayes and lyf that he is fallen in his handes / For alle they that ben dampned for to goo theder of what estat that they be. ben called rybaul¦dis For he myght haue conquerd in heuen more noble and more worthy Royamme than is in this world / For who that in thys world serueth our lord vnto the deth / he is mo¦re honoured in heuē than alle the kynges that euer were in this world that so lityl endureth wyth vs / Now serue we him thēne & leue we the euyl / the glorye & ye vanyte of this world / Syth thenne that hereto fore we haue deuysed how & wherfore god hath created the world & wherfor he made mā / we shal deuyse to yow herafter the fourme of ye world and the facyon after that it conteyneth & compryseth / and how it is made and composed rounde aboute. But it is ex∣pedyent that to fore this we speke of the vij Artes lyberal and of their resons. And how they were founden by them that apperceyued the sciences and vertues. For by the vij. Artes ben knowen the faytes of the world / And how it is sette. And therfore we owe now to speke therof for to vnderstonde the better that we shal saye here after.