Here begynneth the boke called the Pype, or tonne, of the lyfe of perfection The reason or cause wherof dothe playnely appere in the processe.

¶Howe contarie vnto this example of Christe: the souereynes and officers done cōmunly spende y^e goodes of the monasterie. The .xiiii. Cha.

NOwe let the souereynes & officers take pa¦cience / if they fortune to rede this boke.

For here wyll I somwhat shewe / as well in parte by myne owne knowlege / in pla∣ces where I haue ben: as by the relaciō of credible religious {per}sones: that moche dyd mourne & wayle the decay or religiō. And also by the cōmune / & opē∣ly knowen lyfe of the souereynes & officers: howe moche / & ferre cōtrarie vnto the exāple of christ: the good{is} of y^e monasteries ben spēded / & distributed or rather depopulate & wasted / For wher one {per}t shuld be spēt to y^e honor of god / & to y^e maītenāce of y^e chur¦che / y^e ornamēt{is} of y^e same / & diuine seruice: it is now spēt / & dispēsed / vnto y^e homage of y^e dyuel. And yet wote I wel / what herevnto many wyll say. Syr y^e

churches and monasteries: were neuer better ne so well garnisshed / and decked with plate / Iuelles / and clothes / of golde / syluer / and sylke: as they ben nowe in this tyme. I muste nede graunt. But yet I say they done nowe as the chyldren of Israel dyd in the olde testament that wolde worshype god somtyme / and somtyme thyr ydoles / and sometyme bothe together. So done they / spende some of the goodes of the monasterie: in the ornamentes of the churche / vnto the honour of god. And yet done they spende a nother great parte / vnto the homage of the dyuell / the mayntenaunce of pryde / whiche they done saye communly is vnto the honour of the pla∣ce / for myne lordes honoure / or for myne ladyes ho∣noure / meanynge therby: the abbotte or the priour / the abbesse or the prioresse. But I wolde knowe where they fynd any auctorite: that can shewe: that any of the auctores of theyr rules / saynt Basyle saīt Augustyne / saynt Benedicte / or saynt Franciske: were caled lordes / or where they spent any of y^e goo∣des of the monasterie / for theyr honoure / or yet for y^e honoure of the place. Or where fynde they / that any of the sayd auctores of theyr rules: dyd ryde vpon so royall horses and mules and go forthe beamed w^t suche astate / very pompe and pryde / as the souerey∣nes done in this tyme. Och syr (say they) the worlde was thā nothyng lyke as nowe. And y^e people must cōforme them selfe vnto the present worlde. And so done they graūt that I proposed / that is / that with the honoure of god / the pryde of the dyuell hate {per}te also. And forther: where as we sayd by the example of Christe: the goodes in a nother parte shulde be spended and distributed / vnto the necessarie exhibi¦cion

of the persones of the monastery without pyn∣chynge or penury: they done graunt that parte of y^e goodes of the monasterie: bene / and muste be spente vnto the honoure / and vayne pleasure of the world. They muste (say they) confourme them selfe / and fo¦lowe the custome. And they knowe well / and done se openly: that the worlde doth / and of longe tyme hath continually drawē / and retourned vnto mere gentilite. And vnto the same maner of lyuyng: that was vsed among infideles byfore christianite / and by reason: if any people shulde resiste gentilite / and brynge the people therfrome: religious persones shulde moste conueniently laboure therin / & shewe moste expressely the example of Christe. For thervn¦to they haue bounde them selfe / why shulde they say and suppose to be a sufficiēt excuse for thē: passynge theyr fathers / and auctores tradicions: they muste confourme themselfe vnto the worlde? Syth also they haue vtterly forsaken the worlde / and in theyr profession proclamed them selfe enemies vnto the worlde. Why shulde they nowe make peace / or take truce with the worlde. Or rather why shulde they yelde them as bonde caytiues vnto the seruitude & thraldome of the worlde? For if they loke wel vpon theyr astate / and maner of lyuynge: in theyr maner places / graunges / lodges: so costly and pleasaūtly bylded / cyled / hanged / & rychely stored with al thyn¦ges of pleasure / plate of golde / syluer / and other me¦talles / a bushement / and company of waiters / some gentelmē / some ye men & gromes: well decked / and clenly arayde in sylkes / & cheynes of gold & syluer: & the abbesse w^t treyned gentlewemē wayters after the same maner / & all after y^e moste courtly fashon:

they may {pro}ue euidētly: they done more ap{pro}che vn∣to gentilite / & ben more like gentiles (Theyr entre∣prise of {per}fectiō weyed & accoūted) thā the prophane princes / & lay people of y^e world. Nowe for y^e thyrd: where the exāple of Christe doth shewe: howe all y^e residue / & remayne of the goodes of the monasterie / after all charges allowed: and reasonable {pro}uision made for the yere to come: all I say holly: shulde be delte / and gyuen our vnto the pore: they natw^tstan∣dynge done gyue a great parte vnto the thyrde ge∣nerall enemy of mankynde / that is the flesshe / nat o∣nely ī theyr aboūdaūce of dysshes / & su{per}fluous fare & that takē both our of due tyme & place: but also vn¦to theyr kynsfolke / & carnal frēdes. Which (as the cō¦mune sayng is) done take great parte frō the couēt. And vnto the mayntenaūce of this misordred mini¦sterie / & mispence of the goodes of monasterie: y^e so∣uereynes ben nat ashamed to take: by pacte / & com∣naunt / & by cōsent of the subiectes: a certeyn porciō of propriete (they say) vnto theyr chābre / but it is in dede / as well vnto the hale / as the chābre / & vnto the kychyn & stable. And generally to be spent & vsed / or rather misused / after theyr owne wyl & priuate plea¦sure. And if y^t be nat {pro}priete: there can be (ī my rea∣son) no propriete. Whiche thus (contrarie vnto the exāple of Christ / & the tradiciōs of theyr rules) mis¦vsed: doth cause thē the more lyghtly to dispence / & gyue licence vnto the officers / & other of the subiec∣tes: to do as they done / & so eueryche to haue a sin∣guler porcion of {pro}priate: vnder the fourme byfore sayd. I sayd to dispense / but I shulde haue sayd ra∣ther: to presume to dispense aboue theyr power / or yet (as is sayd) aboue / & beyonde any power vpon

yerth / & so done they make double offence / both vn∣to the daūger of theyr soules / & the blyndfull deceyt of theyr subiectes. These & many other offences in the souereynes: ben great occasiō of the misorder / & ruine of religion. For the souereynes muste rendre gyue account / & answere for the subiectes. And ther¦fore is nat sufficient for thē to say vnto theyr subiec∣tes: go forthe / do this / or that reguler obseruaunce: but rather shulde they say / as our sauiour sayd vn∣to his disciples: come you after me / folowe me.* 1.1 Do as ye se me do. For it is sufficient vnto the disciple: if he be as his mayster is / but that is to meane / whā he supposeth / or trusteth that his mayster doth well or els nat amys. If than the souereynes: wold leue / forsake / and clene put away this poyson of {pro}priete / in thē selfe: I doute nat it shulde nat long remayne in the subiectes / but shortely vanysshe / faynte and deye.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Matth. 4. C. Matth. 10. E. Mar. 10. C Luce. 9. C