Saynt Hugh.

¶ The preceptes and cōmaundementes of this holy rule were gyuen and ordeyned to be kept in dede / and not to be onely redde or herde: how be it they must al∣so Page  lxxxj bothe be redde and herde. And yf ony poynt be ouer passed and not kepte / it must shortly be refourmed and amended. For y^e soueraynes may not negligently ouer passe ony poynt without peryll and ieoperdy of soule / and the subiectes haue by vowe professed and sworne to kepe all. The psalmist sayth.* Tu mandasti man∣data tua custodiri nimis. Good lorde thou hast cōmaū¦ded all thy cōmaūdementes to be straytly kepte. And the apostle sayth.* Yf a persone kepe all the hole lawe / and offende but in one poynt alone / he is culpable and gylty of all the hole lawe. Therfore it dothe apper∣tayne vnto the presydentes as kepers of the ordre and religyon / to shewe vnto the soueraynes: and vnto the soueraynes appertayneth to shewe vnto the ordyna∣ry all maner of doubtes / that by the expresse rule be not determyned. For y^e prelates ben ordeyned in Chry∣stes chirche to conserue and kepe the well ordred sta∣tutes / and to refourme that is amysse / and specyally that by the example of theyr wordes and werkes the lyfe and good maners of the subiectes sholde be edy∣fyed vnto good religyon and vertue / after y^e doctryne of saynt Paule / sayenge vnto his disciple.* Argue / ob¦secra / increpa. &c. Reproue thou (sayth he) and praye thou or entreate / and blame some other persones. All he ment for the tyme and place / and as the mater re∣quireth & the state of the persone: now to speke sharp∣ly / & an other tyme gentylly. Reproue y^e rude / wylde / and vnrestfull {per}sones. And curteysly entreate y^e meke obedyent & pacyent persones. And the proude / negly∣gent & slouthfull persones shold the souerayne eyther blame or correcte forthwith / and neuer dyssymule the defautes of the subiectes / lest they fall in the daunger Page  [unnumbered] of god / as dyd Hely the preest of the olde lawe.* They must therfore warne the honest & lerned / or wyse per∣sones / ones or twyse before ony open correccyon / and the cōmune dayly trespacers y^t ben proude / frowarde disobedient / and that lytel done fere or drede to offende god & the statutes / they must be shortly & sharply cor∣recte with discyplynes / fastynges / and (yf it nede) by imprysonment.* For y^e wyse man sayth. A fole or a fro∣warde persone / is not corrected by wordes. And in an other place.* Correcte and bete thy childe with a rodde and so thou shalte delyuer his soule from dethe. The lettre. Ille autē qui vobis preest: non se existimet po∣testate domināte / sed charitate seruiente / felicē. That is. And as vnto your soueraynes that ben aboue you all / let not them thynke themselfe happy or well at ease for the power and auctorite of theyr dominacyon and hygh rome / but rather for the charite / good wyll and desyre they haue (in our lorde) to be as mynistres and to do seruyce. Here appereth that I sayd before / the soueraynes sholde not thynke themselfe lordes or maysters ouer theyr subiectes / but rather as faders or moders.* For (as our sauyour sayd) Prīcipes gen∣tium dominantur co{rum}. That is. the maner and beha∣uyour of worldly prynces and potestates is that they ben extolled and enhaūced in pryde by theyr power & dominacyons: but amonge religyous {per}sones it may not be so. But rather the soueraynes there and supe∣ryours must be as mynystres and seruauntes. It is an olde sayenge. Vinum et magistratus / ostendunt hominem. Good drynke and hygh rome / wyll soone shewe what the persone is. For the brayne and wytte of many persones done seme very good tyll they come Page  lxxxij vnto the stronge wyne or good ale / and than ben they soone gone. And the maners of many persones done seme full sobre whyle they be vnder: but yf they come ones aboue / than they shewe themselfe. Take hede now vnto your holy