Vitas patrum.

¶Of a Ryche man that was fallen in grete pouertee / And begynnyth in latyn ¶Descendente sanctissimo. &c. Caplm .C.xv.

THe holy Patryarke Iohn̄ the Almoner. on a Sondaye goo∣ynge to the chyrche came byfo¦re hym a poore man. that some tyme hadd be ryche / And had hadde moche goode / But he had be robbyd of theues that had lefte hym noo thynge / wher∣of he myghte mayntene his poore ly∣fe ¶Soo was he constrayned to begge his brede for goddis sake / And askyd of the sayd saynt Iohan the Almoner his almesse / ¶The whyche hauynge compassyon of his wretchyd falle / And by cause he hadde somtyme noble fa∣der and moder. ordeyned that his Al∣moner sholde gyue hym the somme of fyftene pounde of golde / ¶But the sa¦yd Almoner complaynyng the grete al¦messes that the said saynt Iohan ma¦de was moche dysplaysed and aggre∣uyd of that he muste voyde out of hys hondes. and take to this poore man so grete a somme of moneye / ¶And for this cause he went Incontynent to spe¦ke wyth the Stiewarde. that was won¦te to gyue accountes of alle the moneye that eche daye were spente and alowed for the necessaryes of the sayde saynt Iohan / ¶And to whom eche one ma¦de his acountes / and yelded his Reke∣nynge of the moneye that was taken by his hondes for to be tornyd to the sa¦yd dedes and necessaryes / They two to¦gyd{er} spekynge and comynynge of thys forsayd matere. bi the temptacōn of the

cursyd spyryte Mammona y^e tempted theym of the brennynge and Insacya∣ble synne of couetyse. purposid & conclu¦ded that of y^e sayd xv.li. of golde. shold be taken out x.li. and but v.li. gyuen to the sayd poore man. the whyche thyng was soo done / ¶Now it is trouth that theyr lorde saynt Iohan the Almoner was sore famyd & renōmed y^e he glad∣ly dyde grete almesse / ¶Wherfore ma¦ny notable lordes & other persones. desi¦rynge to playse hym / and somwhat to content his sauourous appetyte. and y^e deuocōn that he hadd to recomfort the poore seruauntes of god / They gaaf & sende oft tymes to hym grete som̄es of money for to gyue for goddis sake. as∣well for the helthe of the soules of so∣me dede. as for the prosperitee of them that were on lyue / ¶And thus a ryche & notable wydowe. that had a chylde & noo more· came towarde the sayd holy man / ¶The whyche wydowe for so∣me pytenous consyderacōus her mony¦ge purposyd for to do certayn a••messes by the sayd holy manes honde / ¶And for to doo this she toke hȳ a lytyll wry¦tynge that she hadde wryten wyth her owne honde / By the whyche she lete hym vnderstonde that she wolde haue dealed to poore folke the som̄e of .v.C· li. ¶And in receyuynge & openynge of y^e sayd wrytyng by the sayd holy man He knewe by the wyll of god. that she had be wyllynge for to doo her sayd al¦messe vnto the som̄e of xv. hūdred po¦de / ¶Soo dyde be calle the sayd wy∣dowe / And in the presence of his sayde Almoner and Styewarde / whyche in lyke wyse by the shewynge of god / he knewe to haue wythholde to theyr be∣houffe ten pounde of the fyftene po∣unde that he afore had ordeynyd to be yeue to the poore man that had he rob¦bed / ¶He charged the same wydowe that she sholde tell hym trouthe / Why∣che she promysed hym to doo soo / Now herke sayd he my frende. by the faythe that thou owest to god. Haste not thou had late a wyll to make a gretter al∣messe than of fyue hūdred poūde. She answerde Ye / And that she herself had wryten the writynge that she had dely¦uerde vnto hym / And she was well cer∣tayne that by y^e sayd wrytyng she had declared that her wyll was to yeue fyt¦tene hūdred poūde for goddis sake to poore peple / ¶But by cause that sone after as she wolde haue take the sayde wrytynge. she had seen as she lokyd in ••••. that where she had wryten that her wyll was to giue an almesse of fyftene hundred pounde to the poore peple she founde but fyue hundred pounde oonly in nombre / And for this cause she had restrayned her fyrst wyll / And had pur¦posyd & thoughte that she sholde gyue oonly the sayd fyue hundred pounde / Supposynge by the retornynge & cha∣unge of the sayd wrytynge. the wyll of god to be / That she sholde not gyue but this fyue hundred pounde / And that she shold kepe the remenaunt for her sone / ¶Thyse wordes soo spoken And after that she had delyuered to sa¦ynt Iohan the sayd fyue hundred po∣unde / And was gone from hym / He sa¦yd to his sayde Stiewarde and Almo∣ner / ¶I praye to god that he call you and aske you ones acompte of a thou∣sande poūde y^t this wydowe hath with holde. as ye be boūde to yeue hem ayen

¶For and yf he had taken to the poo¦re man the xv.li. that I hadd ordeyned for hym / And wherof ye haue wythhol¦de .x.li. our lord shold haue suffred. that this wydowe sholde haue gyuen to the poore peple the same thousand pounde that she hath wythholde in her honde. ¶Thenne the sayd Almoner & Stye∣warde knowynge theyr mysdedes pros¦ternyd or ••aste theymself at his fete & requyred hym mercy & amendement. and they sholde neuer doo suche a no∣ther offence /