The rule of saynt Augustyne, bothe in latyn and englysshe, with two exposicyons. And also the same rule agayn onely in englysshe without latyn or exposicyon The tra[n]slatour doth aduyse [and] cou[n]seyll all the disciples of this rule to bere alway one of these bokes upo[n] them syth they ben so portatyue, [and] may be had for so small a pryce.

¶ The fyfth chapytre.

But what so euer parson do passe so ferre in to synne & mysordre and so ferre be ouersene: y^t they done receyue preueyly / lettres / bylles or ony other / gyftes or / token of ony maner of parsone: yf they do wylfully cōfesse and knowlege theyr defaute: let them be fauourable delt with / & let prayer also be made for them. But yf (without suche confessyon) they be founde and taken w^t the defaute / and therof accused / conuycte and / proued gylty by wytnes: let them than accor∣dynge vnto the iudgement of the presydent or of y^e souerane: be more greuously punysshed. You shall also put your clothyng: in y^e kepynge of one offycer or twayne / or as many: as may be suffycyent to kepe them clene & saufe that they be not corrupte nor hurte with mothes. And as you be fedde out of one celary: so shal you be clothed out of one vesty¦ary or chambre. And yf it may conuenyently com∣to passe that the garmente be mete for y^e body and

wyll serue the parsone: take you than no care (as thoughe ony garment were yours) what garmēt you haue or whiche garment be offred & brought vnto you / whether ye haue y^e same y^t (for y^e season of the yere) ye layde away / or an other garmente y^t one of your felowes had. So y^t vnto no parsone that thynge that is necessary: be denyed. But yet yf (by occasyon of that exchaūge) cōtencyon / stryfe murmure / or grudge / do aryse & begyn to growe amōge you / so that some parsons wolde cōplayne that they haue nowe wors garmentes than those were that they had before / and that they haue not deserued so to be clothed / nor to haue as theyr felo∣wes haue: you maye therin proue & se your selfe / how moche you wante or lacke inwardely of the holy habyte and spyrytu••ll apparell of your herte and soule that so done stryue for the habyte & aray of y^e body. Notwithstondynge yf your infyrmyte & fraylte: be so consydred and suffred of y^e offycers / y^t eueryche of you haue agayne y^e same garmentes that before they had / and that (for the tyme) they layd away: yet shall you put your stuffe all in one place / vnder the kepynge of the cōmune offycers. So that none of you werke ne laboure ony thyng for them selfe / but y^t all your werkes and laboures be done vnto the commune profite. And that with more study / more care / with better wyl / and with more dylygence. And with more gladnes of herte & cherefull countenaunce: than yf eche of you dyd werke and laboure for them selfe. For the charyte wherof saynt Paule sayth: doeth in y^e charytable parsone: nother seke couet / ne desire propre auayle

or selfe pleasure: is to be vnderstond / that charyte doeth euer put the cōmune profyte before y^e propre or synguler profyte / and not the propre or synguler auaūtage: before the commune welthe. And ther∣fore: how moche more you do care for the cōmune welth: rather than for your owne propre or syngu∣ler profyte. So muche y^e more (I wyl you knowe) you shall profyte vnto this perfeccyō / that is that charyte whiche doeth euer remayne and y^t lasteth for euer be rather preferred / and more set by: than these trāsytory thynges / which (here in this lyfe) we done vse for nede. It foloweth therfore as con∣uenyent / that yf vnto a relygyous parsone a gar∣ment or ony thynge els that maye be deputed / or appoynted amonge the cōmune necessaryes vnto the commune vse: be gyuen by theyr parentes or frendes: it shold not be receyued pryuely or secret∣ly / but that it be in the power and wyll of the soue¦rane to be put vnto the commune profyte or gyuē vnto them that hath nede therof. And therfore yf ony of you do hyde and kepe secrete: ony thynge so gyuen or sende vnto them: let them be cōdempned and iudged as theues / by suche iudgemente as apperteyneth vnto thefte.

Notes

• xij. q. j. nō dicatis.
• cassian{us}. li. iiij. ca. xiiij. de institut{is}. renūtiāc.
• extra de statu mo∣nachorū. ca. cū ad monaste∣rium F. prohibe∣m{us} ī fine.