Vitas patrum.

¶Of the scarnesse and derthe of scor∣ne and suche goodes / ¶And of a man that required to be made Deaken. and begynnyth in latyn ¶Qui Abraham &c. Caplm: C.vii.

[illustration]

GOd that tempted Abraham for to knowe his obeyssaunce / Towchynge the offrynge vp of hys sone Ysaac / ¶In lyke wyse be tempted the good Patryarke Iohan as herafter folowyth /

¶It is rehercyd here aboue. how the Assiryens that had be sore oppressyd of the Percyens For to eschewe theyr wo¦odnesse. forsoke and lefte theyr owne londe / And many of theim came to A∣lexandrie for to be socoured in theyr po¦uertee by the holy Patryarke Iohan / ¶They beynge in Alexandrye. hap∣ped there a grete derthe and scarcitee of corne. thorugh the occasyon of the flo∣de of the ryuer of Nyle that bedewyth and watreth the londe had be soo my∣nysshyd & lessed of water. that it mygh¦te not yeue hys moyst••es & ouer flowē¦ges acustomyd to the erthe. ¶Soo had

act that tyme the Patriarke gyuen for goddis sake to the poore peple alle hys tresour. and wyste not where to borow more nother golde nor syluer / Wherof he was ryght sory. and namely by cau¦se he myghte nor contynue his almesse / as he had of custome / ¶He sett hȳself to praye. & contynued in his orysons lō¦ge tyme ¶In the sayd cite was a man bygame / that is to wyte. the whiche by cause he knewe y^t the holy man was in grete necessytee. wolde constrayne hȳ to make hȳ a deaken in his chirche / And by cause he sholde not haue durst speke to hym therof. he sent hym a letter. by y^e whyche he besoughte hym that he wol¦de make hym deaken in his chirche / to the ende that in seruynge god wyth hȳ he might haue remyssōn of his syn̄es. & he sholde gyue hym .ii. C.M. Rasers of whete. wyth a .C. & four score poūde of money / ¶His lettres seen. the Patryar¦ke sent for hym & after made to go ou¦te of his chambre all his folke that we¦re there / By cause y^t he wolde not repre¦ue hym by for theim / ¶After that they were gone. the holy Patryarke sayd to hym / ¶My frende thy proffer is mo∣che necessary. seeng the tyme of the der¦the that we haue now / But neuerthele¦sse it is defoylled with the synne of Sy¦monye. ¶In the olde testament men offred not y^e bestes to god· were they gre¦te or lytyll / but yf they were pure & cle∣ne / ¶For of those that were bespotted man dyde neuer offrynge / ¶And ther∣fore god had not agreable the sacrefyce of Caym / ¶And as towchyng my bre¦dern. or euer thyself or I were god had p••rueyed and nourysshyd theym / And he shall yet doo soo to theim and to me as I hope / ¶For all they that kepe the cōmaundements of god / shall not haue nother nede nor pouerte. but all plentee & habundance of goodes / ¶Our lorde that multeplyed the .v. loues of barley / maye well multeplye also .x. Rasers of whete that are in my Garnere / ¶And therfore my frende I shall tell y^e for an answere. that whiche is wryten in that tes of thapostles / That is y^t thou shalt not haue in the chirche nother part nor porcōn ¶And as he sayd thise wordes came Incontinent tidynges to the holy Patriarke. how two shyppes of the chir¦che were londed wythin the hauen. and came out of Cecyle lade wyth whete / ¶Then̄e the holy man thankyd oure lord sayeng / My god I thāke y^e that y^u wolde not haue suffred that I shold ha¦ue solde thy grace for ony nede that I haue had / ¶Certaynly my god I byle¦ue stedfastli. that thou shalt neuer forsa¦ke in the grettest nede theym that shall obeye the / & that wyth good herte shall fulfylle thy cōmaūdements /