Hic incipit passus tercius /C
ALas eye quaþ Eolde / and holynes boþe
Þat wit schal turne to wrechednesse / for welþ haþ al his wyl .
Couetyse of eyen / conforted me aftur
And seyde rechelesnesse / recche þe neuere
By so þow riche were / haue þow no concience
Hou þat þow come to goode / confesse þe to som frere
He schal assoile þe þus sone / how þow euere wyn hit
¶ For while fortune is þi frend / freres wollon þe louye
And fastne þe in here fraternite / and for þe by-seche
To here priour prouincial / his pardon to haue
And prey for þe pol by pol / ȝif þou beo pecunious .
Pena pecuniaria non sufficit & cetera .
¶ By this of þis wenche y dude / hure wordes were so swete
Tyl y for-ȝat ȝouthe / and ȝorne in-to elde
¶ Þenne was fortune my fo / for al here feire by-heste
And pouerte porsuede me / and put me to beo lowe
¶ And flittynge found y þe frere / þat me confessede
And seyde he myhte me nat assoille / but y suluer hadde
To restitue resonably / for al vnryht-ful wynnynge
¶ Owh houȝ quaþ y tho / and my he{f}d waggede
By my faith frere quath y / ȝe fare lyke þe woware
Þat wilneþ þe wydue / but for to wedde hure goodes
Riht so by þe rode quath y / rouht þe neuure
Where my body buryed were / by so ȝee hadde my goodes
¶ Þanne louh leaute / for y lourede on þe frere .
¶ Why lourest þou quath leaute / leue sir y sayde
For þis Frere flatered me / while he found me riche
Now y am poure and penyles / at litul prys he set me
I wolde hit were no synne y seyde / to seye þat were truthe
¶ Þe sauter saith hit is no synne / for suche men as beon trewe
For to seggen as thei seon / and saue only preostes
Existimasti inique quod / ero tui similis . Arguam te & statuam contra faciem tuam .
Þei wollon allegen al-so / & by þe gospel preuen hit
nolite iudicare quemquam .C
¶ Wher-of serueþ lawe quod leaute / and no lyf vndurtoke
Falcenesse ne faiterye / for som-wat þe apostel sayde
Non oderis fratrem tuum secrete in corde .
¶ Þynge þat al þe worlde wot / where-fore scholdest þou spare
To rehersen hit by retoryk / to a-rate dedly synne
¶ Ac beo þow neuere þe furst / þe defaute to blame
Þauh þow se sey nat / som tyme þat is trewe
¶ Þynk þat wolde beo pryuey / publisse þow hit neuure
Noþur for loue labbe hit nauht / ne lak hit for enuye .
Parum lauda / vitupera parcius .
¶ He seith sothe quath scripture / and skypte an hy and prechede
Ac þe matere þat he mouede / if lewede men hit knewe
Þe lasse as y leue / louye þei wolde
Þe byleue of oure lord / þat lettrede men techen .
Of here teme and of here tales / y tok fol good hede
He seyde in heore sermon / selcouþe wordes
multi to a mangerie / and to mete were sompned
And wan þe people was plener come / þe porter vn-pynned þe gate
And pluhte In pauci pryueyliche / and let þe remenant go roome .
¶ Al for teone of here tixt / tremblete myn herte
And in a were can y wexe / and with my-self to dispute
Wheþer y were chose or nat y-chose / on holy churche y þouhte
Þat vndurfynge me at þe font / for on of godes chosene
¶ For cryst clepede vs alle / com ȝif ȝe wol{e}de
Sarysynes and Scismatice / and so he dede þe Iuwes
And bad hem souken at his breost / sauete for synne
And drynke bote for bale / brouke hit ho-so myhte
O vos omnes sicientes venite ad aquas /
¶ Þenne may al cristone come / and cleyme þer-to entre
By that blod þat he boute vs with / and baptisme as he tauhte
Qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit & cetera
¶ For þauh a cristone man coueytede / his cristondam to reney
Rihtfolliche to reney / no reson hit wolde /
¶ For may no cherl a chartre make / ne his catel sulle
With-oute leue of þe lord / no lawe wolde hit graunte
¶ Ac he may renne in arerage / and rome from home
As a recheles caytyf / or reneyhed as hit semeþ
¶ Ac reson schal rekene with him / and rebuke him at þe last
And concience a-counte wiþ him / and caste him in arerages
And putte him þenne in pryson / in purgatorie to brenne
Rewardyng hym þere for his rechelesnesse / riht to þe day of dome
¶ But contricion and confession / crye by his lyue
Mercy for his mysdedes / with mouth and with heorte /
¶ That is soth seyde scripture / may no synne lette
Mercy þat heo ne may amende al / ȝif meoknesse heore folwe
Þei boþe as oure bokes telleþ / aren a-bouen godes werkes
Misericordia eius super omnia opera eius .
¶ Ȝe baw for bokes quaþ on / was broken out of helle
I Troianus a trewe knyt / y take witnesse of a pope
How y was ded and dampned / to dwellen in helle
For an vncristone creature / seynt Gregore wot þe soþe
Þat al þe cristondom vndur cryst / ne myhte me cracche þennes
But onliche loue and leaute / as in my lawes demynge
Gregore wust þis wel / and wilnede to my soule
Sauacion for þe sothnesse / þat he sey in my werkes
¶ And for he wilnede wepynge / þat y were saued
God of his godenesse / seih his grete wil
With-out mo bedes-byddynge / his bone was vndurfonge
And y-saued as ȝe may see / wiþ-oute syngynge of messes
¶ Loue with-oute lel by-leue / and my lawe rithful /
Sauede me sarasyn / soule and body boþe
¶ Lo lordes what leaute dude / and lel dom y-vsed
Wel auȝte ȝee lordes þat lawes kepon / this lesson to haue in munde
And on Troianes truthe to þenke / alle tymes in ȝoure lyue
And louye for ȝoure lordes loue / and do leaute euur-more
For lawe with-oute leauhte / leye þer a bene
Or eny science vndur sonne / þe seuene ars and alle
But loue and leaute hem lede / y-lost is al þe tyme
Of hym þat trauailleþ þer-on / but treuthe beo his lyuynge
¶ Lo loue and leaute / beon oure lordes bokes
And cristes owne Clergie / he com from heuene to teche hit
And sythen seynt Iohan / seyde hit of his techyng
Qui non diligit manet in morte /
¶ And nameliche poure people / here preyeres may ous helpon
For god as þe gospel seith / goþ ay as þe poure
And as þe Euuangelist witnesseþ / wen we maken festes
We scholde nat clepie knyhtes þer-to / ne none kyne ryche
Cum facitis conuiuia / nolite vocare amicos & cetera .
¶ Ac calleþ þe careful þer-to / þe crokede and þe poure .
¶ For eche Frend fedeþ oþer / and fondeþ hou he may quite
Meles and manschupes / eche a riche mon oþer
¶ Ac for poure may not paie / y wol paye my-self
And louyeþ hem and loneþ hem / largeliche schal y quite
¶ At caluary of cristes blod / cristondam gan sprynge
And blod breþeren by-cam we there / of o body wonne
As quasi modo geniti / gentul men vchone
No beggare ne boy amonges vs / but if synne hit make
Qui facit peccatum / seruus est peccati /
¶ In þe olde lawe as lettrure telleþ mennessones men cald ous
And Adames vsue and Eue / ay tyl god man deyde
And aftur his resurrexioun / Redemptor was his name
And we his blody breþeren / as wel beggares as lordes
¶ For-þy loue we as leue childeren / and lene him þat neodeþ
And Euery man helpe oþur / for hennes schul we alle
To haue as we han deserued / as holychurche witnesset
Et qui bona egerunt ibunt in vitam eternam /
¶ For-þi lerne we lawe of loue / as oure lord tauhte
Þe poure people faille we nat / whil eny peny vs lasteþ
For in here lyknesse oure lord / lome hath beo knowe
Witnesse in Pasche-woke / when he ȝeode to Emaus
Cleophas ne knew hym nat / þat he cryst were
For his poure apparail / and pilgrymes clothes
Til þat he blessed here bred / and brak hit by-twene hem
So by his werkes þei wuste / þat he was ihesus
Ac by his cloþinge thei knew hym nat / so caytifly heo ȝeode
¶ Al was ensaumple sothly / to ous synful here
We scholde beo louh and louelyche / and lel eche man to other
And pacient as pilgryms / for pilgryms aren we alle /
¶ In þe parail of a pilgrym / and in poure lyknesse
Holy seyntes him seih / ac neuere in secte of riche
And seynt Marye his modur / as Matheu bereþ witnesse
Was a pure poure mayde / and to a poure man wedded
Martha on marie magdalene / a hugy pleynt heo made
And to oure sauyour self / seyde þeos wordes
domine non est tibi cure quod soror mea reliquid me sola ministrare .
¶ And here aytheres wil / hastelyche god assoilede
And aytheres werkes and wil / riht wel he alowede
Ac god putte pouerte by-fore / and preoued hit for þe betere
Maria optimam partem elegit / & cetera
And al þat wyse þat euere were / by out y can aspye
Preysede pouerte for best / ȝif patience hit wolde
And boþe betere and blesseder / by mony fold þat rychesse
Þat hit beo sour to soffre / þer comeþ a swete aftur
¶ As In a walnote with-oute / is a bittur barke
And aftur þat byttur barke / beo þe scale a-weye
Is a cornel of confort / kynde to restore
¶ So aftur pouerte and penaunce / pacientliche take
Makeþ man haue mynde in god / and his mercy craue
Þe wuche is cornel of confort / for alle cristone soules
¶ And wel sykeror he sclepeþ / þe seg þat is poure
And lasse drat by daye / or in deorke to ben robed
Þan he þat is ryht riche / reson bereþ witnesse
Pauper ego ludo dum tu diues meditaris & cetera .
¶ Holychurche witnesset ho-so forsakeþ
His fadur or his frendes / fremde oþer sybbe
Or eny welþe in þis worlde / his wyf or his childeren
For þe loue of oure lord / loweþ hym to beo poure
He schal a hondred-fold / of heuene-ryche blysse
And lyf lastyng for euere / by-fore oure lord in heuene
Quicumque relinquit patrem et matrem & cetera .
¶ Cryst acordeþ eft herwyþ / clerkes wyten þe soþe
What god hym-self seyde / to a sek þat he louede
¶ Yf þe lykeþ quaþ god to lyue / þe lyf þat is parfite
Al that þou hauest here / hastely go sulle hit
Ȝiue poure people þe pans / þer-of porce þow none
Ac ȝyue hem forthe to poure folk / þat for my loue askeþ
For-sake al and suwe me / and so is þe beste
Si vis perfectus esse vade et vende omnia & cetera
¶ Thus consailleþ crist / in comyn vs alle
Ho-so coueyteþ to come / to my kyn-riche
He mot for-sake hym-selue / here suster and her brother
And al þat þe worlde wolde / and my wil folwenN .
Nisi renunciaueritis omnia que possidetis & cetera .
¶ Mony prouerbes y myht haue / of mony holy seyntes
To testifie for trewþe / þe tale þat y s{c}hewe
And Poetes to preouen hit / porforie and Plato .
Aristotele / Ouidius . and elleuene hondred
Tulius / tholomeus / y can nat telle here names
Preouen paciente pouerte / pryns of alle vertues .
¶ And by greyn þat groweþ / god ous al techeþ
Meschiefs of þis molde / meokliche to soffren
Nisi granum frumenti cadens in terra mortuum fuerit & cetera .
But if þe seed þat sowen . is / in þe slow sterue
Schal neuere spir spryngen vp / ne spik on strawe curne
¶ Scholde neuere whete wexe / but wete furst deyde
And oþer seedes al-so / in þe same wyse
Þat beon leyd on louh eortheN / y-lore as hit were
And þrow þe grete grace of god / of greyn ded in eorþe
At last lauynceþ vp / wher-by we lyuen alle
¶ Ac seedes þat beon sowen / and mowen suffre wyntres
Aren tydyour and towour / to mannes by-hofþe
Þan seedes þat beon sowen / and mowen nat myd forstes
Wiþ wyndes ne with wederes / as in wyntur tyme
¶ As Lynseed and leeksed / and lente-seedes alle
Aren not so worþi as whete / ne so wel mowen
In þe feeld with þe forst / and hit frese longe
¶ Riht so for sothe / þat suffre may penaunces
Worth a-lowed of oure lord / at here last ende
And for heore pacience beo preysed / as for a pure martyr
Or for a confessour y-kud / þat counteþ nat a rusche
Fere ne famyne / ne falce menne tonges
¶ But as a housebonde hopeþ / aftur an hard wyntur
If god gyueþ hym þe lyf / to haue a goode heruest
¶ So proueþ theos prophetes / þat paciensliche suffreþ
Meschiefs and myshappes / and mony tribulacions
By-tokeneþ ful trewly / in tyme comyng aftur /
Murthe for his mornyng / and þat muche plente
¶ For cryst seyde to his seyntes / þat for his sake þoledenN
Pouerte penaunces / persecucion of body
Angelus in here angre / on þis wyse hem grette
Tristicia vestra vertetur in gaudium /
¶ Ȝoure sorow in-to solas / schal turne at þe laste
And ouȝt of wo in-to wele / ȝoure wyrdes schulle change .
¶ Ac ho-so redes of þe riche / þe reuers he may fynde
Hou god as þe gospel telleþ / gyueþ hym foul tow name .
And þat his gost schal go / and his good by-leue
¶ And askeþ him aftur / ho schal hit haue
Þe catel þat he kepoþ so / in cofers and in bernes
And art so loþ to leue / þat leue schalt neodes
O stulte ista nocte anima tua egrediatur . thesaurizat & ignorat
¶ An vnredy Reue / thy residue schal spene
Þat mony mouthe was maystur Inne / in a mynte-while
Vpholders on þe hul / schullen haue hit to selle
¶ Lo lo lordes lo / and ladyes takeþ hede
Hit lasteþ nat longe / þat is licour swete
AsP pesecoddes and per{e} Iunties / plomes and chiries
Þat lithliche launceþ vp / litul while dureþ
And þat þat raþest rypeþ / roteþ most sannest
¶ On fat lond and ful donge / fowlest wedes groweþ
¶ Riht so for sothe / suche þat beon byschopes
Eorles and erchedekenes / and oþere riche clerkes
Þat chaffaron as chapmen / and chyden but þei wynne
And hauen þe worlde at here wil / oþer wyse to lyuene /
Riht as wedes wexen / in wose and in donge
{...?...?...}So of richesse vpon rychesse / aryst alle vices .
¶ Low lond ouurlayd / with marl and with donge
Whete þat waxeþ þer-on / worþ ligge ar hit rype
¶ Riht so for soþe / fort to segge treuthe
Ouer plente pruyde noryscheþ / þer pouerte destrue{þ}d hit
¶ For how hit euure beo wonne / but hit beo wel despendit
Worldeliche wele is wikkede þing / to hym þat hit kepeþ
¶ For if heP beo feer þer-fro / ful ofte hath he drede
Þat fals folc facche a-waye / felonliche his goodes
And {...?...}ȝut more hit makeþ men / mony tyme and ofte
To synegen and to souchen / sotylytes of gyle
For couetyse of þat catel / to kulle him þat hit kepeþ
¶ And so mony man y-mordred / for his owne goodes
And þo þat duden þat dede / y-dampned þe-fore after
¶ And he for his hard holdynge / in helle paraunter
So couetyse of catel / was combraunce to hem alle
¶ Lo how pans purchased / faire places and drede
Þat rote is robberes / þe richesse wiþ-Inne /
¶ Hic explicit passus tercius
de Freres
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