The workes of Geffray Chaucer newlye printed, wyth dyuers workes whych were neuer in print before: as in the table more playnly doth appere. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.

¶De Auaricia.

AFter Accidie woll I speke of Auarice, and of couetyse. Of whych syn saynt Poule sayth the rote of al harmes is coue∣tyse, ad Timoth. vi. For soth∣ly whan the hert of man is cō¦founded in it selfe and troubled, and that the soule hath lost the confort of god, than seketh he an ydell solace of worldlye thynges. Aua∣rice, after the discryption of saynt Augustyn, is a lycorousnesse in hert to haue erthly thyn∣ges. Some other folke saye, that auaryce is for to purchace many erthely thynges, & no∣thynge to yeue to hem that haue nede.

And vnderstonde that auarice stōdeth nat onely in londe ne catel, but somtyme in sciēce and glorye, & in euerye maner of outragious thynges is Auaryce. And couetyse is thys. Couetyse is for to coueit suche thynges that thou hast nat. And auarice is to with holde & kepe suche thynges as thou haste wythout right. Sothly this auarice is a synne that is ful dāpnable, for al holy writ curseth it, & spe¦keth ayenst y^e vice, for it doth wrong to Iesu christ: for it taketh fro him the loue that men to hym owe, & tourneth it backeward ayenst al reason, and maketh that the auarycious man hath more hoope in hys catell, than in Iesu Christ, and dothe more obseruaunce in kepyng of hys treasour, than he dothe in the seruyce of Iesu Christ. And therfore saythe saynt Poule, ad Ephesios quinto: That an auarycious man is the thraldome of idola∣trye. What dyfference is there betwyxt an ydolaster and an auaricyous man? But that an ydolaster perauenture ne hathe nat but a mawmet or two, & the auaricious man hath many. For certes euery floreyn in hys co••re, is his maumet. And certes the synne of mau∣metry is the fyrste that God defended, as in the .x. commaūdements it beareth wytnesse, in Exodi Capitu. xx. Thou shalte haue no false goddes before me, ne thou shalte make to the no graue thynge. Thus is an auarici∣ous man, that loueth hys treasour before God, an idolaster. And through this cursed synne of Auyryce and Couetyse, cometh these harde lordeshyppes, through whyche they ben streyned by tyllages, customes, and ca∣riages, more than her duetye or reason is, or elles take they of her bondmen amercya∣mentes, whyche myght more resonablye be

called extortions than mercyamentes. Of whiche amerciamentes or raunsomynge of bondmen, some lordes stewardes say that it is rightful, for as moche as a churle hath no temporel thynge, that it ne is his lordes, as they saye. But certes these lordshyppes do wrong, that bereue theyr bondmen thynges that they neuer yaue hem. Augustinus de Ciuitate dei. Libro. ix. Sothe is, that the con¦ditiō of thraldom, and the fyrst cause of thral∣dome was for synne.

Thus may ye se, that thoffence deserued thraldome, but nat nature. Wherfore these lordes ne shulde not moche glorifye hem in her lordeshyps, sythe that they by natural cō∣dycion ben not lordes ouer thralles, but for that thraldome came fyrste by the deserte of synne. And more ouer there as the law sayth, that temporel goodes of bonde folke ben the goodes of her lorde: ye, that is for to vnder∣stonde, the goodes of the Emperour, to de∣fende hem in her ryght, but not to robbe hem ne reue hem. Therfore saythe Seneca: thy prudence shulde lyue benygnly with y^e thral∣les. Those that thou callest thy thralles, ben goddes people: and for humble people ben Christes frendes, they ben contubernyall w^t the lordes. Thynke also that of suche sede as chorles sprynge, of suche sede spryng lordes: as wel may the chorle be saued as the lorde. The same dethe that taketh the chorle, suche dethe taketh the lorde. Wherfore I rede do right so with the chorle as thou woldest that thy lorde dyd wyth the yf thou were in hys plyght. Euery synful man is a chorle to syn: I rede the lorde certes, that thou werke in suche wyse with thy chorles, that they rather loue the thā drede the. I wote wel that there is degree aboue degree, as reson is, and skyll is that men do her deuoyre there as it is due: But certes extorcions and dispyte of your vn¦derlynges is dampnable. And ferthermore vnderstonde wel, that these conquerours or tyrauntes make ful ofte thralles of hem that ben borne of as royal bloode as ben they that hem conquere. This name of thraldom was neuer erst knowe, tyl that Noe sayd that his sonne Canam shulde be thral to his brethern for hys synne. What saye we than of hē that pyl and do extorcions to holy church: Certes the swerde that men yeue fyrste to a knyght, whan he is newe dubbed, sygnyfyeth that he shulde defende holy churche, and not robbe and pyl it, and who so doth he is traytour to Chryst. And as saythe saynt Austyn, they ben the dyuels woulues that strangle the shepe of Iesu christ, and done worse than woulues for sothely whan the woulfe hathe full hys wombe, he stynteth to strangle shepe: But sothlye the pyllours and dystroyers of holy church goodes ne do not so, for they ne stynte neuer to pyll. Nowe as I haue sayde, sythe so is that synne was fyrste cause of thraldom than is it thus, that at the tyme that all thys world was in synne, thā was al this worlde in thraldom and in subiection, but certes syth the tyme of grace came, god ordayned y^t some folke shulde be more hye in estate and in de∣gre, and some folke more lowe, and that eche shulde be serued in hys astate. And therfore in some coūtreys there they be thralles, whā they haue turned hem to y^e faythe, they make her thralles free out of thraldome, and ther∣fore certes the lorde oweth to hys man that the man oweth to the lorde. The pope cal∣leth hym selfe seruaunte of the seruauntes of God, but for as the estate of holy churche ne might not haue ben, ne the comen profyte myght not haue be kept, ne peace ne reste in erthe, but yf god had ordayned that some mā had hier degree and some men lower. Ther∣fore was soueraynte ordayned to kepe, mayn¦tayne, and defende her vnderlynges and her subiectes in reason, as ferforth as it lyeth in her power, and not to distroye ne confounde hem. Wherfore I say, that those lordes that ben lyke wolues that deuour the possessyons or the catel of poore folkes wrongfully, with out mercy or mesure, they shal receyue be the same mesure y^t they haue mesured to poore folke, the mesure of Iesu Christ but it be a∣mended. Nowe cometh disceyte betwixt mar¦chaunt and marchaunt. And thou shalt vn∣derstonde that marchaundyse is in two ma∣ners, that one is bodily, and that other is goostly: that one is honest and leful and that other is dishonest and vnleful.

The bodily marchaundyse that is lefull & honest is thys: that there as god hath orday∣ned that a reygne or a countreye is suffysaūt to hym selfe, than it is honeste and lefull that of haboundaunce of hys countrey, men helpe an other countrey that is nedy: And therfore there muste be merchaūtes to bring

fro one countrey to that other her marchaun¦dyse.

That other marchaundyse that mē haun∣ten with fraude, and trecherye, and disceyte, with leasynges and false othes, is right cur∣sed and dampnable. Espirituel marchaun∣dyse is properly Symonye, that is ententife desyre to bye any thynge espyrituel, that is a thynge whyche apertayneth to the sayntua∣rye of God, and to cure of the soule. This de∣syre yf so be that a man do hys dilygence to perfourme it, al be it that hys desyre ne take non effecte, yet it is to him a deedlye synne, & yf he be ordred, he is irreguler. Certes sy∣monye is called of Symon Magus, that wolde haue bought for temporell catell the yefte that God had yeue by the holy goost to saynt Peter and to the Apostels: And ther∣fore vnderstonde that he that selleth and he that byethe thynges espyrituels, ben called Symonyakes, be it by catell, be it by procu∣ring or by fleshly prayer of his frendes, flesh∣ly frendes or espyrituell frendes, flesshly in two maners, as by kynred or other frendes: Sothlye yf they praye for hym that is not worthy and able, it is symonye yf he take the benefice, and yf he be worthy and able there is none. That other maner is whan man or woman prayeth for folke to auaunce hem on¦ly for wycked fleshly affection, whyche they haue vnto the persons, and that is foule sy∣monye. But certes in seruyce, for which men yeuen thinges espyrituel vnto her seruaūtes it must be vnderstonde that the seruice muste be honest, or els not, and also that it be with∣out bargeynyng, and that the person be able. For as sayth saynt Damasen: Al the synnes of the worlde at regarde of this synne, are as a thyng of naught, for it is the greatest synne that may be after the synne of Lucifer and of Antichrist: For by this synne God forleseth the churche and the soule whyche he bought wyth hys precious bloode, by hem that yeue churches to hem that bē not worthy, for they put in theues hondes that steale the soules of Iesu Christ, and distroy hys patrimony. By suche vnworthy preestes and curates haue lende men lesse reuerence of the sacramentes of holy churche, and such yeuers of churches put the chyldren of Christ out, and put in the churche the dyuels owne sonnes: they sel the soules that lambes shulde kepe to the wolfe which strangleth hem, and therfore shal they neuer haue parte of the pasture of lambes, that is the blysse of heuen. Nowe cometh ha∣sardrie wyth hys apertenauntes, as tables and rafles, of whyche cometh disceyte, false othes, chydynges, and al rauynesse, blasphe∣mynges, and renyenges of God, and hate of hys neyghbours, waste of goodes, myspen∣dynge of tyme, and somtyme manslaughter. Certes hasardours ne mowe not be without great synne. Of auarice cometh also lesynges theft, false wytnesse, and false othes: and ye shall vnderstonde that these be great synnes, and expresse ayenst the commaundementes of God, as I haue sayd. False wytnesse is in worde, and also in dede: In worde as for to byreue thy neyghboures good name by thy false wytnesse, or byreue hym his catel or his herytage, by thy false wytnessyng, whā thou for yre or for mede, or for enuye, bearest false wytnesse, or accusest him, or excusest thy selfe falsly. Ware ye questmongers and notaries: Certes for false wytnessynge was Susan in ful great sorowe & payn, and manye another mo. The syn of thefte is also expresse ayenst goddes hest, & in two maners, corporell and spirituel, the temporel theft is: As for to take thy neyghbours catel ayenst his wyl, be it by force or by sleight, be it by mette or by mesure by stealynge also of false endytementes vpō hym and in borowyng of thy neyghbours ca¦tell, in entent neuer to paye it ayen, and sem∣blable thynges. Espyrituel thefte is sacry∣lege, that is to say, hurtyng of holye thynges sacred to Christ in two maners, by reason of the holy place, as churches or churche yerdes For which euery villaynous synne that men don in suche places maye be called sacrylege, or euerye vyolence in the semblable places. Also that they withdrawe falsely the rightes that longe to holye churche and pleasynge. And generally sacrilege is to reue holy thing fro holye place, or vnholye thynge out of ho∣lye place, or holy thynge out of vnholy place.

¶Releuatio contra pecca∣tum Auaricie.

HOwe shal ye vnderstonde, that releuynge of auarice is miseri∣corde and pyte largely taken. And men might aske why that misericorde and pyte are rele∣uyng of auarice: Certes the auaricious man sheweth no pyte ne misericorde to the nede∣ful man. For he delyteth hym in the kepynge of hys treasure, and nat in the rescuynge ne releuynge of his euyn christen. And therfore speke I fyrste of mysericorde. Than is my∣sericorde (as saythe the Philosopher) A ver¦tue, by whyche the corage of man is stered, by y^e mysease of hym that is myseased. Vpon whyche mysericorde foloweth pyte, in per∣formyng and fulfilling of charitable workes of mercy, helpeth and comforteth him that is myseased. And certes these thynges moue and stere a man to mysericorde of Iesu christ that he yaue hym selfe for our offence, & suf∣fred dethe for mysericorde, and forgaue vs our original synnes, and therby released vs fro the paynes of hel, & mynished the paynes by penitens, and yeueth grace wel to do, and at laste the blysse of heuen. The speces of mysericorde ben for to lene, and also for to yeue: for to foryeue and releace, and for to haue pyte in herte and compassyō, of the mis∣chefe of his euen christen, and also to chastyse there as nede is. Another maner of remedy ayenst Auaryce, is resonable largesse: but sothlye here behoueth the consyderacyon of the grace of Iesu Christ, and of the tempo∣rell goodes, and also of the goodes perdura∣ble that Iesu Christ yafe to vs, and to haue remembraunce of the dethe whyche he shal receyue, he knoweth not whan where, ne howe: and also that he shall forgo all that he hath, saue onely that whyche he hath expen∣ded in good werkes.

But for as moche as some folke been vn∣mesurable, menne ought for to auoyde and eschue folyshe largesse, the whiche some peo∣ple cal waste.

Certes he that is foole large, yeueth not hys catel, but he leseth hys catel?

Sothlye what thynge that he yeueth for veynglorye, as to mynstrels and to folke to beare his renome in the world, he hath synne therof & none almesse: Certes he leseth foule hys good that he ne seketh wyth the yefte of hys good nothyng but synne. He is lyke to an horse that seketh rather to drynke drouy or troubled water than for to drynke water of the clere welle. To hem apperteynē the sayd cursynges, that Christ shal yeue at the day of dome, to hem that shal be dampned.