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 this pouerte was kepte in the begynnyng of the churche. The .v. Chapitre.

WHerfore we done rede / that many holy fathers / hauyng great desyre vnto {per}fec∣tion of this counsayle: dyd entreprise & take vpon them to folowe the same / with out any vowe / bonde / or promyse. So that if they loke backe / and went therfrom: they had no paine / but only the shame / and rebuke of theyr en¦treprise. And yet dyd they in that tyme: make many statutes and streyt ordinaūces / for the {per}fourmaūce of theyr entrepryse / to exclude vtterly al maner of {pro}¦priete

/ and to folowe the maner of the Apostles / all to lyue in cōmune / as dothe appere by saynt Iohan Cassian in his boke of the collacions of the olde fa∣thers / specially in the fourth boke.* 1.1 * 1.2 De institutis re∣nunciancium. That is: of the statutes and ordinaū∣ces of suche persones / as dyd that tyme forsake the worlde. And in the .vi. boke of y^e spirite of auarice. Where they ordoned:* 1.3 nat onely y^t no persone shulde haue any thyng {pro}per: but also y^t no {per}sone shulde na∣me / or call any thyng myne or thyne / as my mantell my veyle / thy boke / thy tables / or any other lyke thynge / out alway our boke / our hāde. &c. For myne or thyne: ben wordes of {pro}priete / whiche in y^e mouth of a religious persone: was among thē abhomina∣tion. They ordened also / that no {per}sone shulde haue in proper vse any thyng that they sende into the mo¦nasterie byfore theyr entre. Nor yet y^t they / brought with them. Nor that were gyuen / or sent vnto them from the worlde. Ne that thynge nother: that they yerned / or gate by any labour in the monasterie. And yet aboue all this / that is more precise:* 1.4 No per¦sone shulde vse any thynge in any maner of singula¦rite / as to marke any thyng with any proper marke as apperteinyng vnto this / or that persone. Nor to put any thynge vnder locke and key. Nor yet to lay or set any thinge / in any priuey place for theyr owne vse / or from the cōmune vse of other persones. Nor any thyng to vse in any maner: without knowlege and licence of the souereyne. Alas good religious {per}¦sones. What shall we say of our selfe and thynke. Syth they without promyse or vowe: dyd so streyt¦ly kepe and folowe theyr entreprise / and purpose w^t out violaciō or offēce. And we: that haue nat onely

enterprised / bygonne / and taken in hand this {per}fec∣tion or pouerty: but also haue in the face of the chur∣che openly promysed and professed / vnto our lorde god / his blessed mother / and vnto all sayntes / speci∣ally the patrons of our religion. And vnto our pre∣lates on theyr byhalfe / and that by solemne vowe.

The holy sacrament of Christes blessed body and sacred blode thervpon receiued: firmely to obserue / kepe / and perfourme / that holy counsayle / and per∣fection of wylfull pouerte / vnto the vttermuste of our power / continually: duryng our lyfe. Alas (I say) what may we (so bounde) suspecte and drede of our selfe. Syth in diuerse monasteries we done se & perceyue: that some persones professed / haue orde∣ned thynges for theyr owne priuate vse:* 1.5 byfore they were {pro}fessed / some after: done {pro}cure for theyr owne ease and pleasure / seuerally to be vsed: many thyng{is} and locke them fast / or hyde for thē selfe alone. And if by chaunce any of theyr felowes happe to fynde / & for a nede do vse that thynge / that so they haue ap∣poynted for thē selfe / thā wyll they anone be moued discontēt / & angry therw^t / & sometyme take it frō thē by violence / or w^tout any charitable or good religi∣ous maner. And yet forther {per}aduēture chyde / brale / & speake suche wordes as shulde neuer passe a reli∣gious mouth. I fere moche surely & dred: lest many {pro}fessed {per}sones / done by suche meanes fall into the daūger of y^e moste perilous pestilence / & moste depe dāpnable synne of {pro}priete For in y^t tyme they toke and dyd account the goodes of the monasterie:* 1.6 as consecrate goodes vnto our lorde. And therfore to be vsed w^t all due reuerēce. To be vsed: nat at plea∣sure & selfe wyll: but for very & vnfeyned nede. And

alway by the knowlege / & licence of the souereyne. For that thynge y^t were nat nedeful: shulde no {per}son vse by any licence. And yet euer (as I sayd) they shulde vse all thynges w^t reuerēce. For in y^t tyme: they dyd vse & intreate the good{is} of the monasterie w^t suche reuerēce: y^t if any {per}sone: dyd breake / lose / or yet misintreate / any goodes of the monasterie / they shulde haue meruelous great rebuke / & streyt punis¦shement.* 1.7 And y^t for a thynge of lytell price or small value. For there is shewed / what rebuke an officer / & religious {per}sō of a monasterie had / for losīg of thre graynes of otemele / y^t by negligēce dyd ouerfall hī as he broght otemele vnto y^e potte. Suche rebuke & penaūce had he: as we nowe wolde think rygorous to be gyuen / for the losyng of an oxe / or certen nōbre of bestes. Hereby may we take: that nothyng in any monasterie: shulde be reserued vnto the proper vse of priuate persone. For no persone in the monastery professed / may haue any maner thynge in any wyse / or fourme in {pro}priete. Yet maye the selfe monasterie all holly to gether haue {pro}priete.* 1.8 For all the landes possessiōs and other goodes of the monasterie done apperteyne vnto the hole monasterie: as proper / to be (natwithstandyng) diuided and ministred by the souereynes / or officers vnto the {pro}fessed {per}sones / and vnto eueryche of them / nat vnto any proper or cer∣teyne vse: but vnto the very / and vnfeyned nede of the persones. So (natwithstandynge) that nat onely the selfe thyng: but also the vse of euery thyng be euer vnto euery persone (as moche as is possi∣ble) at vncerteynte / alwaye at the wyll and discre∣cion of the souereyne / euer to be vsed in the moste commune conuenient maner. And this maner

maner of vse and fourme of priuite: is affirmed for the moste holy and moste hyghe perfection of pouer¦ty / bycause it is moste lyke vnto the lyfe of heuen.* 1.9 Where all thynges bene and shalbe moste hyghly & generally cōmune. For god ts and euer shalbe al / in all. And also bycause that our sauioure / and all his Apostles: were of that fourme and maner of lyuing And therfore many persones and nerehande al chri¦stianes in the fyrste begynnyng of the churche: dyd vse & kepe the same maner / in so moche that in some one monasterie: were. M. {per}sones or mo. And this was generall: throughe all christiane landes in eue∣ry region and countre. And euery where dyd they obserue and kepe the statutes / and ordinaunces of this perfection in moste precise and streyte maner / vtterly excludyng al maner of spices / kyndes & cōte¦naunces of propriete. And yet (as we sayd byfore) they were nat bounden thervnto / but only folowed that maner: of deuocion and fre wyll / without pro∣fession or promyse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Io. Cassiā.
• * 1.2

  Ca. 6.
• * 1.3

  4. libro. Ca. 13.
• * 1.4

  Ibidem.
• * 1.5

  Ibidem. Ca. 15.
• * 1.6

  Ibidem. Ca. 20.
• * 1.7

  Ibidem.
• * 1.8

  Antonin{us} 4. pte ti. 12. Ca. 4.
• * 1.9

  Beda su{per} act. 4.