The summe of the holye scripture and ordinarye of the Christen teachyng, the true Christen faithe, by the whiche we be all iustified. And of the vertue of baptesme, after the teaching of the Gospell and of the Apostles, with an informacyon howe all estates shulde lyve accordynge to the Gospell.

¶Of governours / Iuges / baylifes / and other lyke an informa¦cion ofter the gospell Chapitre xxvij. (Book 27)

THe gospell is wryten for all parso¦nes aud for all estates of the worl∣de. And there is none estate yn the worlde but that he may fynde yn the gos∣pel howe that he shulde lyve yf that he will folowe it. Let none thinke that he is not bound to ••yve after the gospell tho∣ugh he be never so greate a person / be he duke prynce Emperour or pope. For god hath commaunded that the gospell be pre¦ached to euery creature that is to sey to all mankind. B••fore god there is no diffe¦rence nether distinction whether thou be a comon husbond man or a governoure / of a towne or of a cuntrey / noble or igno∣ble / we haue all promissed at oure baptes∣me the one as moche as the other. we haue all taken one rule that is the teching of the gospell after the whiche we must lede and governe onre life. we may not sey / let the monkes and prestes kepe it

for we haue all promised at oure baptesme the one as moche as the other. Wherfore when the lordes will lyve as they shu••d do after the gospell they must first obser∣ve and kepe .ij. thinges / that is to sey mer∣cy and iustice. And also that they knowe when they must be mercyfull and when they must vse iustice.

Then ••irst 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••ehoueth that thyne in∣tent be to defende the ryghtuous and in∣nocent and so with the secu••er ryght to co¦me yn ayde vnto the ryght of the gospell reproving and rebuking openly and wit∣hout ony favour all vnryghtuousnesse to th••••tēt that the people may lyve frely vn¦der thi protection preserved from theves 〈◊〉〈◊〉. therars and from all maner oppressiō and iniurye as ferre forth as it is possible vnto the / when thou doest so thou art god¦des servaunt. But it behoveth that thou be well ware yn suche thinges to aduen∣ge thi silf yn thy iugement and that thou gyve no iugement nor sentence but onely where thou knowest that thy iugemēt is ryghtfull and that nether for hatred en∣dye nor favour. And yet thou must do it with as grete mercy & compassion & as ten¦derly

as thou woldest cut of a corrupte mē¦bre from thyne owne body / whiche by the malice of hys corruption if thou dydest let hym alone wolde corrupt thy hole body. It were also no hurte yn this mater to ke¦pe the ordynaūce somtyme made by Theo¦dosius Emperour whiche ordined that none shulde be put to deth bifore that he had byn .xxx. dayes yn pryson to thintent that yn the meane tyme he myght be well aduysed to make answer. And to thintent that the iuge shulde cause no man to dye hastyly and with out aduysement / but that he mought haue tyme to ••ole hys en¦chauffed courage.

And whē eny of the comynaltie shulde happē to do eny evill by mysfortune age∣inst ryght and iustice the whiche hath al∣weys bifore byn of good life & name / su∣che a one may a iuge helpe ageinst the la∣wes & procure hys delyueraūce without synne. For if it be so that the lawe of Mo¦ses had so grete distreciō that therby they dyd not put theym to deth whiche vnwa¦rely & by case of mysaduenture had cōmit¦ted murther ageynst theyre will.* 1.1 As it ys wryten yn Deuterono. So that Mofes

had assigned thre citees vnto the whiche they that had cōmytted homycyde by mis¦fortune ageynst theyre will mought fle for theyre safegard. Howe moche more shulde we whiche are christē that lyve af∣ter the gospel and love oure enemyes ha∣ue & kepe discretiō & regard yn this mater

This I saye to thintent that the iuges shall not thinke that they offende if they helpe suche. For whē they haue hope & ly¦klyod that the evill doer shall amēde they* 1.2 must be alweys mercyfull. As christ was vnto the woman whiche was founde yn aduoutrye As saint Iohn reherseth. The temporall lawe must obey and serve vnto the gospell: hit may in no wyse be cōtrary therunto wherfore if en•• thing theryn ••e ageinst the gospell then the tēporall lawe must gyve place & perisshe yn that poynt: For we must alweys obey more vnto god then vnto ••en: As teacheth vs saint Pe¦tre. Theym that we may amende by war¦nyng we shall not correct theym by iusti∣ce. All that a iuge may do without synne yn the cause of an other he may not do it yn hys owne. For none may ad••••ge hys owne iniurye / nor vexe his christē brother

for his owne proufit: As it is bifore sayde that the true christen never playneth vn∣to the iuge of the iniurye that men do vn∣to hym but suffreth all pacyently. As sa∣yeth saint Paule.* 1.3 Nowe is synne yet al∣weys yn you bicause that ye haue stryves to gyther ••mong you. whi do ye not ra∣ther suffre wrōge? whye do ye not rather receyve hurte. It behoveth the iuges to lo¦ke dylygētly that the one do not wrōg the other without lokīg that euery mā shuld cōpleyne vnto him & al by charite seching nothing but the rest & quietnesse of theyre christē brother whome the evill people do oppresse. The prophete Esaie reproveth the princes & inges that in theire iugemen¦tes & sentences take regard vnto richesse / seching theire owne proufit: or bering fa∣voure vnto theire frendes / saying on this wife: Thy princes be vnfeithfull / felo∣wes of theves. They al love bribes they folowe rewardes / they iuge not vnto the orphantes / and the cause of the wydowe entreth not vnto theym. They ought to determine the cause with good aduy∣sement and as shortly as were possible / & to exhort the parties to make brotherly

appoyntement the one with the other she¦wing theym by the gospell that the chri∣sten ought nat to haue sute and proces a∣mong theym. They ought to be verey so∣ry of the dissention of theyre christē bre∣theren / and of the evill governaunce of e∣vill doers.

Hit behoueth also that the lordes enforce theym silues to put a wey al evill custu∣mes and that they forbid streytly that no yong stronge parsones go on beggyng. For therof comyth grete evill / but shall cōstiayne theyme to i••rne a cra••••e. There is a place yn the Ciuile lawe that forbid∣deth that no strong parsones beyng yn he¦••th shall begge theyre brede. A••d therfore I merveyle gretely that the temporall lor¦des kepe not this l••we / seyng that it is good & not cōtrary but agreable vnto the gospell whiche cōmaunde••h that he that laboureth not shulde not eate. The lordes shulde procure and counceyle the riche fol¦ke that they shulde do theyre dyligence to cause the pore yong folke to lerne a crast to thintent that they shulde not go a begging and that they haue none occasion to take theym to the w••let.

The ruelars shulde also ordeyne some ho¦nest provision that the poore impotent / yong children / and old peple that can not get theyre brede / and haue not wherof to lyve / shulde not be constreyned to go from dore to dore. But it wer ••rather better that they shulde ordeyne thre or foure ho∣nest parsones yn enery parisshe whiche of a comon treasure / as of the treasure of the poore / myght provide every weke as mo¦che as shulde be nede to enery house of the poore. And that by porcyon after the nombre of the poore. And that they shul∣de exhorte the ryche to gyve theyre alme∣fie to that comon treasure and to bequeth that that they wold bequeth by theyre te∣stamentes other weys to that comon trea∣sure. For we can fynde the meane to buyl¦de grete abbayes for to nourisshe yn de∣licate lyving strong people that may labou¦re and some t••me me hores and bawdes also And whye can we not aswell fynde the meane to do oure charytable workes accor¦ding to the gospell to the poore impo••ent syke and feble: we shulde also by houses for the poore to dwell yn as are the hospi∣talles situate yn a fayre plesaunt and lar∣ge

out of the towne. And likewise shulde we provide vnto theym an honest mā that mought every day make vnto theym a ser¦mon shewing vnto them the word of god for to comforte theym in theyre povertye / and languores: whiche shulde be a service honest holsome and verey acceptable vnto God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.2

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 8
• * 1.3

  1. Cor.