This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
IN Alexandrye was a grete mar¦chaūte / the whiche knowyng yt Iohn̄ the holy Patryarke slepte on a sory bedde and was couered with a couerlet of wull. sent him a nother co¦uerlet. of ye price & valew of xxxiii. pe•••• of golde. Prayenge hym as it had not
be for his honestee to haue a bedde soo euyll apparayled. that he wolde laye it vpon his bedde. hauyng hym in a re∣membraūce / The holy Patryarke gra∣unted to the request of the said marcha¦unt. couered hym wyth alle the nyghte folowyng. ¶And as his chambrelaȳs dyde reherce & shewe. he sayd all nyght in hymself / Where is he that shall dare saye that the Patryarke Iohn̄ is meke fyth that he is heelyd wyth a couerlett. worth .xxxvi. pens of golde. and the po∣re peple dey for colde / ¶How many is there now that chattre her teeth for col¦de. whyche haue no clothes to couer the¦ymselfe wyth / ¶How many holy fad{er}s in wyldernesse goo euery nyghte to bed wythout supper & wythout lyghte. ha∣••ynge dowble passyon. the one of colde thother of hungre / ¶How many is the¦re yt sholde holde theymself well fedde wyth the leues of the coole wortes that men cast out of my kechin. ¶How ma¦ny is there that wold haue of the broth that my coke castyth a waye. And that wolde well haue of the wyne of my cel¦ler / ¶How many pylgryin̄s is there in this towne that wote not where to lod¦ge / And yt chaūge not theyr clothes. be it wynter or somer / How many is ther that syth a monyth or two ete nother oyle nor other lycour / And thiselfe poo¦re Iohn̄ hast yu an hope to haue playsu¦re euerlastȳg· and thou etest & drinkest of the best breede. wyne & fysshe. and ly¦est in a bedde well apparayled / And a thyng that is more excedynge. thou ha¦••e a ryche couerlet. vnder the whiche yu art warmed. Certaȳly who that lyueth in suche delyces. wyth grete payne he may gete ye lyf euerlastyng. Alas Iohn̄ remembre in thyself of the sharpe wor¦de proferred & sayde to the euyll Ryche man. that was suche / ¶Thou wyckid ryche haste had many goodes in thy ly¦fe. & the poore / many sorowes. the why¦che thou dispysed in puttyng theim fro the as foule & vyle / Therfor now thou arte wyth good ryght tormented / & the poore comforted in euerlastynge Ioye / ¶Whan ye holy Patryarke Iohn̄ had consydred all thyse thynges / he conclu∣ded in hymself. that the nyghte folow∣ynge he sholde not beele hym wyth the sayd couerlet that the sayd marchaunt had sente hym / but he dyde consydre ye more better & couenable a thinge it we¦re that an .C.lxxxiiii. pore men. ye whi∣che he callyd his lordes shold be heelyd wyth. than hym alone / ¶It is trouth that in Alexādrye folke made couerlets of Rede. wherof men had four for a pe¦ny / and the couerlet that was gyuen to hȳ had coste .xxxvi. pens of golde / The next daye he sent it to be solde / & it hap¦ped that he yt had yeue it to the sayd Pa¦tryarke. boughte it for the sayd som̄e. & sente it ayen to ye sayd Patryarke / that made it to be solde thre tymes / and the marchaūt thre tymes sent it ayen. pray¦enge hym that he sholde heele hymself wyth. & that he sholde haue hym in re¦membraūce / ¶The holy man toke it supposynge a thynge to be leyffull & co¦uenable to fynde a meane. by the why∣che men may. for the sauynge of the ry¦che. yeue theyr moneye for goddis sake Pryncypally whan they ben couetous folke & wythout mercy / For by this me¦ane men wynne ofte theyr soules / and also grete mede wythall / ¶And for to approue his entencōn. he toke for a wit¦nesse
saynt Typhanye that subtylly to¦ke the money of saynt Iohn̄ the Pa∣tryarke of Iherusalem. And dealyd it to the poore peple /