Vitas patrum.

¶Of two clerkes that dyde falle in to synne / And begynnyth in latyn ¶Qui¦busdam / Caplm .C.xviii

TWo yonge Clerkes. hauynge questyon togyder. smote wron¦gefully eche other / ¶And for this cause by the holy Patryarke Iohn̄ they were denouncyd acursyd / ¶That one of theym tweyne knowle¦ged his synne / But the other abydyn∣in his obstynacy dyspysed the sayd sen∣tence of cursynge / ¶For he was well

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gladde to haue occasyon for to flee the chyrche. & to abyde in his wyckydnesse / And neuerthelesse he thretenyd the say¦de Patryarke to dysplayse hym in hys persone / ¶And men sayde comynly. y^t it was he that had born to the Patryce Niceta the money of the chyrche y^t was taken vnder the bedde of the sayd Pa∣triarke / And that had be yelden again afterwarde. as it is sayd afore / ¶The malyce of this outrageous acursyd mā was shewed to the holy Patryarke. but this notwythstondyng he had of hym pyte / And remembred the worde of the apostle saynt Poul. sayenge / Who is he y^t is seke & not I / ¶Now was the cha∣ryte of the sayd Patryarke soo grete / y^e whan he sawe one in syn̄e. he wepte vp¦on hym / And as to hym was aduys. he felte well his sykenesse / ¶He then̄e ma¦de the sayd acursed man to be callid to hym / And wa••tyd him of his conscyen¦ce. as he was wonte to warne his other subgettes / ¶But whan he sawe his e∣uyll frowardnesse. and that he was ma¦de harde in his synne / He lefte and for∣soke hym as a rotyn membre / ¶This neuerthelesse vpon a Sondaye. the say¦de Clerke beynge yet in his frowardes As the holy Patryarke came to the aw¦ter for to offre his sacryce vnto god / af¦ter his custome / ¶He remembred hym of the counseylle of Ihesu Cryste. that sayd / ¶Whanne thou shalt brynge thi¦ne offrynge vnto the awter / And that thou shalt thynke that thy brother ha∣the some euyll wyll and hate agaynste the / Thou oughtest to leue that. y^t thou woldest offre to god / And goo to hym thyne enmye for to reconcyle the wyth hym / ¶Wherfore the holy Patryarke willynge to doo soo· sente Incontynent for the sayde acursyd man / And made the messager praye that he sholde come to speke wyth hym vnder surete / And whanne he was come / This holy Pa∣tryarke knelyd on his knees afore him And beloughte hym of mercy / ¶Wher¦of it happed that the sayd acursyd per¦sone had knowlege of his sinne. and he hymselfe requyred mercy / ¶Thorugh his humylyte was the prowde frow••∣de man mekyd in his pryde / ¶And by his charytee. was the hate of the sayde acursyd man paste / ¶And fynably he dyde penaunce of the sinne that he had done / And had of it grete contrycyon & dyspleysaunce /