[Illustration]
_The thirde tractate of the offices of the comyn peple. The fyrst
chapitre is of the office of the labourers and werkemen_.
For as moche as the Noble persone canne not rewle ne gouerne with oute
y'e seruyce and werke of the peple/ than hit behoueth to deuyse the
oeuurages and the offices of the werkemen/ Than I shall begynne fyrst at
the fyrst pawne/ that is in the playe of the chesse/ And signefieth a
man of the comyn peple on fote For they be all named pietous that is as
moche to saye as footemen And than we wyll begynne at the pawne whiche
standeth to fore the rooke on the right side of the kinge for as moche
as this pawne apperteyneth to serue the vicaire or lieutenant of the
kynge and other officers vnder hym of necessaryes of vitayll/ And this
maner a peple is figured and ought to be maad in the forme & shappe of a
man holdynge in his ryght hande a spade or shouell And a rodde in the
lifte hand/ The spade or shouell is for to delue & labour therwith the
erthe/ And the rodde is for to dryue & conduyte wyth all the bestes vnto
her pasture also he ought to haue on his gyrdell/ a crokyd hachet for to
cutte of the supfluytees of the vignes & trees/ And we rede in the
bible that the first labourer that euer was/ was Caym the firste sone of
Adam that was so euyll that he slewe his broder Abel/ for as moche as
the smoke of his tythes went strayt vnto heuen'/ And the smoke & fumee
of the tythes of Caym wente downward vpon the erthe And how well that
this cause was trewe/ yet was ther another cause of enuye that he had
vnto his broder/ For whan Adam their fader maried them for to multyplie
y'e erthe of hys lignye/ he wolde not marye ner Ioyne to gyder the two
that were born attones/ but gaf vnto caym her that was born wyth Abel/
And to Abel her that was born with caym/ And thus began thenuye that
caym had ayenst abel/ For his wyf was fayrer than cayms wyf And for this
cause he slough abel with the chekebone of a beste/ & at that tyme was
neuer no maner of yron blody of mannes blood/ And abel was y'e first
martier in tholde testament/ And this caym dide many other euyl thinges
whiche I leue/ for hit apperteyneth not to my mater/ But hit behoueth
for necessite y't some shold labour the erthe after y'e synne of adam/
for to fore er adam synned/ the erthe brought forth fruyt with out
labour of handes/ but syn he synned/ hit muste nedes be labourid with
y'e handes of men And for as moche as the erthe is moder of alle thynges
And that we were first formed and toke oure begynnyng of the erthe/ the
same wyse at the laste. she shall be the ende vnto alle vs and to alle
thynges/ And god that formed vs of the erthe hath ordeyned that by the
laboure of men she shold gyue nourysshyng vnto alle that lyueth/ and
first the labourer of y'e erthe ought to knowe his god that formed and
made heuen & erthe of nought And ought to haue loyaulte and trouth in
hymself/ and despise deth for to entende to his laboure And he ought to
gyue thankyngis to hym that made hym And of whom he receyueth all his
goodes temporall/ wherof his lyf is susteyned/ And also he is bounden to
paye the dismes and tythes of alle his thynges And not as Caym dyde. But
as Abell dyde of the beste that he chese allway for to gyue to god & to
plese hym/ For they that grucche and be greuyd in that they rendre and
gyue to god the tienthes of her goodes/ they ought to be aferd and haue
drede that they shall falle in necessite And y't they might be
dispoyllyd or robbed by warre or by tempeste that myght falle or happen
in the contrey And hit is meruayll though hit so happen For that man
that is disagreable vnto god And weneth y't the multiplynge of his
goodes temporell cometh by the vertu of his owne co[=u]ceyll and his
wytte/ the whiche is made by the only ordenance of hym that made alle.
And by the same ordenance is soone taken away fro hym that is
disagreable/ and hit is reson that whan a man haboundeth by fortune in
goodes/ And knoweth not god/ by whom hit cometh/ that to hym come some
other fortune by the whiche he may requyre grace and pardon And to knowe
his god/ And we rede of the kynge Dauid that was first symple & one of
the comyn peple/ that whan fortune had enhaunsed and sette hym in grete
astate/ he lefte and forgate his god/ And fyll to aduoultrye and
homicyde and other synnes/ Than anon his owne sone Absalom assaylled &
began to persecute hym And than whan he sawe that fortune was contrarye
to hym/ he began to take agayn his vertuous werkis and requyred pardoun
and so retorned to god agayn. We rede also of the children of ysræl
that were nyghe enfamyned in desert and sore hongry & thrusty that they
prayd & requyred of god for remedy/ Anon he changed his wyll & sente to
hem manna/ & flessh &c./ And whan they were replenesshid & fatte of the
flessh of bestes & of the manna/ they made a calf of gold and worshippid
hit. Whiche was a grete synne & Inyquyte/ For whan they were hongry they
knewe god/ And whan theyre belyes were fylde & fatted/ they forgid
ydoles & were ydolatrers. After this euery labourer ought to be
faythfull & trewe That whan his maystre delyuereth to hym his lande to
be laboured/ that he take no thinge to hymself but that hym ought to
haue & is his/ but laboure truly & take cure and charge in the name of
his maistre/ and do more diligently his maisters labours than his owen/
for the lyf of y'e most grete & noble men next god lieth in y'e handes
of the labourers/ and thus all craftes & occupacions ben ordeyned not
only to suffise to them only/ but to the comyn/ And so hit happeth ofte
tyme that y'e labourer of the erthe vseth grete and boystous metes/ and
bringeth to his maister more subtile & more deyntous metes/ And valerius
reherceth in his. vi. book that ther was a wife & noble maistre y't was
named Anthoni9 that was accused of a caas of aduoultrye/ & as the cause
henge to fore the Iuges/ his accusers or denonciatours brought I
labourer that closid his land for so moche as they sayde whan his
maistre wente to doo the aduoultrye/ this same seruant bare the
lanterne. wherof Anthonyus was sore abasshyd and doubted that he shold
depose agaynst hym But the labourer that was named papirion sayd to his
maister that he shold denye his cause hardyly vnto the Iuges For for to
be tormentid/ his cause shold neuer be enpeyrid by hym/ ner no thynge
shold yssue out of his mouth wherof he shold be noyed or greuyd And than
was the labourer beten and tormentid and brent in many places of his
body But he sayd neuer thynge wherof his mayster was hurte or noyed/ But
the other that accused his maister were punysshid And papiryon was
deliuerid of his paynes free and franc/ And also telleth valerius that
ther was another labourer that was named penapion/ that seruyd a maister
whos name was Themes which was of meruayllous faith to his maystre For
hit befell that certain knyghtes cam to his maisters hows for to slee
hym And anone as papiryon knewe hit/ he wente in to his maisters chambre
And wold not be knowen For he dide on his maisters gowne and his rynge
on his fynger/ And laye on his bedde And thus put hym self in parill of
deth for to respite his maisters lyf/ But we see now a dayes many fooles
that daigne not to vse groos metes of labourers. And flee the cours
clothynge And maners of a seruant Euery wise man a seruant that truly
serueth his maister is free and not bonde/ But a foole that is ouer
proude is bonde/ For the debilite and feblenes of corage that is broken
in conscience by pryde Enuye. or by couetyse is ryght seruytude/ yet
they ought not to doubte to laboure for feere and drede of deth/ no man
ought to loue to moche his lyf/ For hit is a fowll thynge for a man to
renne to the deth for the enemye of his lyf/ And a wyse man and a
stronge man ought not to flee for his lyf/ but to yssue For ther is no
man that lyueth/ but he must nedes dye. And of this speketh claudyan and
sayth that alle thoo thynges that the Ayer goth aboute and enuyronned.
And alle thynge that the erthe laboureth/ Alle thyngys that ben
conteyned wyth in the see Alle thynges that the floodes brynge forth/
Alle thynges that ben nourysshid and alle the bestes that ben vnder the
heuen shall departe alle from the world/ And alle shall goo at his
comandement/ As well Kynges Prynces and alle that the world enuyronned
and gooth aboute/ Alle shall goo this waye/ Than he ought not to doubte
for fere of deth. For as well shail dye the ryche as the poure/ deth
maketh alle thynge lyke and putteth alle to an ende/ And therof made a
noble versifier two versis whiche folowe Forma. genus. mores.
sapi[=e]cia. res. et honores/ Morte ruant subita sola manent merita/
Wherof the english is Beaulte. lignage. maners. wysedom. thynges &
honoures/ shal ben deffetid by sodeyn deth/ no thynge shal abide but the
merites/ And herof fynde we in Vitas patrum. that ther was an erle a
riche & noble man that had a sone onely/ and whan this sone was of age
to haue knowlech of the lawe/ he herde in a sermone that was prechid
that deth spareth none/ ne riche ne poure/ and as well dyeth y'e yonge
as the olde/ and that the deth ought specially to be doubted for .iii.
causes/ one was/ y't noman knoweth whan he cometh/ and the seconde/ ner
in what state he taketh a man/ And the thirde he wote neuer whither he
shall goo. Therfore eche man shold dispise and flee the world and lyue
well and hold hym toward god And when this yong man herde this thynge/
he wente oute of his contrey and fledde vnto a wyldernesse vnto an
hermytage/ and whan his fader had loste hym he made grete sorowe/ and
dyde do enquere & seke hym so moche at last he was founden in the
hermitage/ and than his fader cam theder to hym and sayde/ dere sone
come from thens/ thou shalt be after my deth erle and chyef of my
lignage/ I shall be lost yf thou come not out from thens/ And he than
that wyste non otherwise to eschewe the yre of his fader bethought hym
and sayde/ dere fader ther is in your centre and lande a right euyll
custome yf hit plese yow to put that away I shall gladly come out of
this place and goo with yow The fader was glad and had grete Ioy And
dema[=u]ded of hym what hit was And yf he wold telle hym he promysid him
to take hit away and hit shold be left and sette aparte. Than he sayde
dere fader ther dyen as well the yong folk in your contrey as the olde/
do that away I pray yow/ Whan his fader herde that he sayde Dere sone
that may not be ner noman may put that away but god only/ Than answerd
the sone to the fader/ than wylle I serue hym and dwelle here wyth hym
that may do that. And so abode the childe in the hermytgage & lyuyd
there in good werkes After this hit apperteyneth to a labourer to
entende to his laboure and flee ydlenes/ And thou oughtest to knowe that
Dauid preyseth moche in the sawlter the treve labourers and sayth/ Thou
shalt ete the labour of thyn handes and thou art blessid/ and he shall
do to the good And hit behoueth that the labourer entende to his labour
on the werkedayes for to recuyell and gadre to gyder the fruyt of his
labour/ And also he ought to reste on the holy day/ bothe he and his
bestes. And a good labourer ought to norysshe and kepe his bestes/ And
this is signefied by the rodde that he hath. Whiche is for to lede and
dryue them to the pasture/ The fiste pastour that euer was/ was Abel
whiche was Iuste and trewe/ and offryd to god the bestes vnto his
sacrefice/ And hym ought he to folowe in craft & maners But no man that
vseth the malice of Caym may ensue and folowe Abel/ And thus hit
apperteyneth to the labourer to sette and graffe trees and vygnes/ and
also to plante and cutte them And so dyde noe whiche was the first that
planted the vygne after y'e deluge and flood For as Iosephus reherceth
in y'e book of naturell thinges Noe was he that fonde fyrst the vygne/
And he fonde hym bitter and wylde/ And therfore he toke .iiii. maners of
blood/ that is to wete the blood of a lyon. the blood of a lamb, the
blood of a swyne. and the blood of an ape and medlid them alto geder
with the erthe/ And than he cutte the vygne/ And put this aboute the
rootes therof. To thende that the bitternes shold be put away/ and that
hyt shold be swete/ And whan he had dronken of the fruyt of this vygne/
hit was so good and mighty that he becam so dronke/ that he dispoylled
hym in suche wise y't his pryuy membres might be seen/ And his yongest
sone cham mocqued and skorned hym And whan Noe was awakid & was sobre &
fastinge/ he assemblid his sones and shewid to them the nature of the
vygne and of the wyn/ And told to them the caufe why y't he had put the
blood of the bestes aboute the roote of the vygne and that they shold
knowe well y't otherwhile by y'e strength of the wyn men be made as
hardy as the lyon and yrous And otherwhile they be made symple &
shamefast as a lambe And lecherous as a fwyn/ And curyous and full of
playe as an Ape/ For the Ape is of suche nature that whan he seeth one
do a thynge he enforceth hym to doo the same/ and so doo many whan they
ben dronke/ they will medle them wyth alle officers & matiers that
apperteyne no thynge to them/ And whan they ben fastynge & sobre they
can scarfely accomplisshe theyr owne thynges And therfore valerian
reherceth that of auncyente and in olde tyme women dranke no wyn for as
moche as by dronkenship they myght falle in ony filthe or vilonye And as
Ouide sayth/ that the wyns otherwhyle apparaylle the corages in suche
manere that they ben couenable to alle synnes whiche take away the
hertes to doo well/ They make the poure riche/ as longe as the wyn is in
his heed And shortly dronkenshyp is the begynnynge of alle euyllys/ And
corrompith the body/ and destroyed the fowle and mynusshith the goodes
temporels/ And this suffyseth for the labourer.
[Illustration]
_The seconde chapitre of the thirde tractate treteth of the forme and
maner of the second pawne and of the maner of smyth_.
The seconde pawne y't standeth to fore the knyght on the right side of
the kynge hath the forme and figure of a man as a smyth and that is
reson For hit apperteyneth to y'e knyghtes to haue bridellys sadellys
spores and many other thynges made by the handes of smythes and ought to
holde an hamer in his right hande. And in his lyfte hand a dolabre and
he ought to haue on his gyrdell a trowell For by this is signefied all
maner of werkemen/ as goldsmithes. marchallis, smithes of all forges/
forgers and makers of monoye & all maner of smythes ben signefyed by
[55] the hamer/ The carpenters ben signefyed by the dolabre or squyer/
And by the trowell we vnderstande all masons & keruars of stones/
tylers/ and alle them that make howses castels & tours/ And to alle
these crafty men hit apperteyneth that they be trewe. wise and stronge/
and hit is nede y't they haue in hemself faith and loyaulte/ For vnto
the goldsmythes behoueth gold & siluer And alle other metallys. yren &
steel to other/ And vnto the carpenters and masons/ ben put to theyr
edifices the bodyes and goodes of the peple/ And also men put in the
handes of the maronners body and goodes of the peple/ And in the garde
and sewerte of them men put body & sowle in the paryls of the see/ and
therfore ought they to be trewe/ vnto whom men commytte suche grete
charge and so grete thynges vpon her fayth and truste. And therfore
sayth the philosopher/ he that leseth his fayth and beleue/ may lose no
gretter ne more thynge. And fayth is a fouerayn good and cometh of the
good wyll of the herte and of his mynde And for no necessite wyll
deceyue no man/ And is not corrupt for no mede. Valerius reherceth that
Fabius had receyuyd of hanybal certayn prysoners that he helde of the
romayns for a certayn some of money whiche he promysid to paye to the
sayd hanyball/ And whan he cam vnto the senatours of rome and desired to
haue y'e money lente for hem They answerd that they wold not paye ner
lene And than fabius sente his sone to rome & made hym to selle his
heritage & patrimonye/ and fente the money that he resseyuyd therof vnto
hanibal/ And had leuer & louyd better to be poure in his contrey of
herytage/ than of byleue and fayth/ But in thyfe dayes hit were grete
folye to haue fuche affiance in moche peple but yf they had ben preuyd
afore For oftentymes men truste in them by whom they ben deceyuyd at
theyr nede/ And it is to wete that these crafty men and werkemen ben
souerainly prouffitable vnto the world And wyth oute artificers and
werkmen the world myght not be gouerned/ And knowe thou verily that alle
tho thynges that ben engendrid on the erthe and on the see/ ben made and
formed for to do prouffit vnto the lignage of man/ for man was formed
for to haue generacion/ that the men myght helpe and prouffit eche other
And here in ought we to folowe nature/ For she shewed to vs that we
shold do comyn prouffit one to an other/ And y'e first fondement of
Iustice is that no man shold noye or greue other But that they ought doo
the comyn prouffit/ For men saye in reproche That I see of thyn/ I hope
hit shall be myn But who is he in thyse dayes that entendeth more to the
comyn prouffit than to his owne/ Certaynly none/ But all way a man ought
to haue drede and feere of his owne hows/ whan he seeth his neyghbours
hous a fyre And therfore ought men gladly helpe the comyn prouffit/ for
men otherwhile sette not be a lityll fyre And might quenche hit in the
begynnyng/ that afterward makyth a grete blasyng fyre. And fortune hath
of no thinge so grete playsir/ as for to torne & werke all way/ And
nature is so noble a thynge that were as she is she wyll susteyne and
kepe/ but this rewle of nature hath fayllid longe tyme/ how well that
the decree sayth that alle the thynges that ben ayenst the lawe of
nature/ ought to be taken away and put a part And he sayth to fore in
the .viii. distinction that the ryght lawe of nature differenceth ofte
tymes for custome & statutes establisshid/ for by lawe of nature all
thinge ought to be comyn to euery man/ and this lawe was of old tyme And
men wene yet specially y't the troians kept this lawe And we rede that
the multitude of the Troians was one herte and one sowle/ And verayly we
fynde that in tyme passid the philosophres dyde the same/ And also hit
is to be supposyd that suche as haue theyr goodes comune & not propre is
most acceptable to god/ For ellys wold not thise religious men as monkes
freris chanons obseruantes & all other auowe hem & kepe the wilfull
pouerte that they ben professid too/ For in trouth I haue my self ben
conuersant in a religio'9 hous of white freris at gaunt Which haue all
thynge in comyn amonge them/ and not one richer than an other/ in so
moche that yf a man gaf to a frere .iii. d or .iiii. d to praye for hym
in his masse/ as sone as the masse is doon he deliuerith hit to his
ouerest or procuratour in whyche hows ben many vertuous and deuoute
freris And yf that lyf were not the beste and the most holiest/ holy
church wold neuer suffre hit in religion And acordynge thereto we rede
in plato whiche sayth y't the cyte is well and Iustely gouernid and
ordeyned in the whiche no man maye saye by right, by cuftome. ne by
ordenance/ this is myn/ but I say to the certaynly that syn this custome
cam forth to say this is myn/ And this is thyn/ no man thought to
preferre the comyn prouffit so moche as his owen/ And alle werkemen
ought to be wise & well aduysyd so that they haue none enuye ne none
euyll suspecion one to an other/ for god wylle that our humayne nature
be couetous of two thynges/ that is of Religion. And of wysedom/ but in
this caas ben some often tymes deceyued For they take ofte tymes
religion and leue wisedom And they take wysedom and reffuse religion And
none may be vraye and trewe with oute other For hit apperteyneth not to
a wyse man to do ony thynge that he may repente hym of hit/ And he ought
to do no thynge ayenst his wyll/ but to do alle thynge nobly, meurely.
fermely. and honestly And yf he haue enuye vpon ony. hit is folye For he
on whom he hath enuye is more honest and of more hauoir than he whiche
is so enuyous/ For a man may haue none enuye on an other/ but be cause
he is more fortunat and hath more grace than hym self/ For enuye is a
sorowe of corage y't cometh of dysordynance of the prouffit of another
man And knowe thou verily that he that is full of bounte shall neuer
haue enuye of an other/ But thenuyous man seeth and thynketh alleway
that euery man is more noble/ And more fortunat that hymself And sayth
alleway to hymself/ that man wynneth more than I/ and myn neyghebours
haue more plente of bestes/ and her thynges multiplye more than myn/ and
therfore thou oughtest knowe that enuye is the most grettest dedely
synne that is/ for she tormenteth hym that hath her wythin hym/ wyth
oute tormentynge or doyng ony harme to hym/ on whome he hath enuye. And
an enuyous man hath no vertue in hymself/ for he corrumpeth hymself for
as moche as he hateth allway the welthe and vertues of other/ and thus
ought they to kepe them that they take none euyll suspec[=o]n For a man
naturally whan his affection hath suspecion in ony man that he weneth
that he doth/ hit semeth to hym verily that it is doon. And hit is an
euyll thynge for a man to haue suspecion on hymfelf/ For we rede that
dionyse of zecyll a tyrant Was so suspecionous that he had so grete fere
and drede For as moche as he was hated of all men/ that he putte his
frendes oute of theyr offices that they had/ And put other strangers in
theyr places for to kepe his body/ and chese suche as were ryght Cruell
and felons/ And for fere and doubte of the barbours/ he made hys
doughters to lerne shaue and kembe/ And whan they were grete. He wold
not they shold vse ony yron to be occupied by them/ but to brenne and
senge his heeris/ and manaced them and durst not truste in them/ And in
lyke wyse they had none affiance in hym And also he dyde do enuyronne
the place where he laye wyth grete diches and brode lyke a castell/ And
he entryd by a drawbrygge whiche closyd after hym/ And hys knyghtes laye
wyth oute wyth his gardes whiche wacchid and kept straytly thys
forteresse/ And whan plato sawe thys Dionyse kynge of cezille thus
enuyronned and set aboute wyth gardes & wacche-men for the cause of his
suspecion sayd to hym openly to fore all men kinge why hast thou don so
moche euyll & harme/ that the behoueth to be kept wyth so moche peple/
And therfore I saye that hit apperteyneth not to ony man that wylle
truly behaue hym self in his werkis to be suspecyous/ And also they
ought to be stronge and seure in theyr werkes/ And specyally they that
ben maysters and maronners on the see/ for yf they be tumerous and
ferdfull they shold make a ferde them that ben in theyr shippis/ that
knowe not the paryls/ And so hit might happene that by that drede and
fere alle men shold leue theyr labour/ And so they myght be perisshid
and despeyred in theyr corages/ For a shippe is soone perisshid and lost
by a lityll tempest/ whan the gouernour faylleth to gouerne his shippe
for drede/ And can gyue no counceyll to other than it is no meruayll/
thangh they be a ferd that ben in his gouernance/ And therfore ought be
in them strengthe force and corage/ and ought to considere the peryls
that might falle/ And the gouernour specially ought not to doubte/ And
if hit happen that ony paryll falle/ he ought to promyse to the other
good hoope/ And hit apperteyneth well/ that a man of good and hardy
corage be sette in that office/ In suche wyse that he haue ferme and
seure mynde ayenst the paryls that oftetymes happen in the see/ and with
this ought the maroners haue good and ferme creance and beleue in god/
and to be of good reconforte & of fayr langage vnto them that he
gouerneth in suche paryls/ And this sufficeth to yow as touchynge the
labourers.
[Illustration]
_The thirde chapitre of the thirde book treteth of the office of
notaryes aduocats skryueners and drapers or clothmakers_.
The thirde pawne whiche is sette to fore the Alphyn on the right side
ought to be figured as a clerk And hit is reson that he shold so be/ For
as moche as amonge y'e comon peple of whom we speke in thys book they
plete the differencis contencions and causes otherwhile the whiche
behoueth the Alphins to gyue sentence and Iuge as Iuges And hit is reson
that the Alphin or Iuge haue his notarye/ by whom y'e processe may be
wreton/ And this pawne ought to be made and figured in this mamere/ he
muste be made like a man that holdeth in his right hand a pair of sheres
or forcetis/ and in the lifte hand a grete knyf and on his gurdell a
penuer and an ynkhorn/ and on his eere a penne to wryte wyth And that
ben the Instrumentis & the offices that ben made and put in writynge
autentyque/ and ought to haue passed to fore the Iuges as libelles
writtes condempnacions and sentences/ And that is signefied by the
scriptoire and the penne and on that other part hit appertayneth to them
to cutte cloth. shere. dighte. and dye/ and that is signefied by the
forcettis or sheres/ and the other ought to shaue berdes and kembe the
heeris/ And the other ben coupers. coryers. tawiers. skynners. bouchers
and cordwanners/ and these ben signefyed by the knyf that he holdeth in
his hand and some of thise forsayd crafty men ben named drapers or
clothmakers for so moche as they werke wyth wolle. and the Notayres.
skynners. coryours. and cardewaners werke by skynnes and hydes/ As
parchemyn velume. peltrye and cordewan/ And the Tayllours. cutters of
cloth, weuars. fullars. dyers/ And many other craftes ocupye and vse
wulle/ And alle thyse crafty men & many other that I haue not named/
ought to doo theyr craft and mestyer/ where as they ben duly ordeyned
Curyously and truly/ Also ther ought to be amonge thyse crafty men
amyable companye and trewe/ honest contenance/ And trouthe in their
wordes/ And hit is to wete that the notaries ben right prouffitable and
ought to be good & trewe for the comyn And they ought to kepe them fro
appropriynge to themself that thynge y't apperteyneth to the comyn And
yf they be good to them self/ they ben good to other. And yf they be
euyll for themself/ they ben euyll for other And the processes that ben
made to fore the Iuges ought to ben wreton & passid by them/ and hit is
to wete that by their writynge in the processis may come moche prouffit
And also yf they wryte otherwyse than they ought to doo/ may ensewe
moche harme and domage to the comyn Therfore ought they to take good
heede that they change not ne corrumpe in no wyse the content of the
sentence. For than ben they first forsworn And ben bounden to make
amendes to them that by theyr tricherye they haue endomaged/ And also
ought they to rede visite and to knowe the statutes. ordenances and the
lawes of the cytees of the contre/ where they dwelle and enhabite/ And
they ought to considere yf ther be ony thynge therein conteyned ayenst
right and reson/ and yf they fynde ony thinge contraire/ they ought to
admoneste and warne them that gouerne/ that suche thynges may be chauged
into better astate/ For custome establisshid ayenst good maners and
agaynst the fayth/ ought not to be holden by right. For as hit is sayd
in the decree in the chapitre to fore/ alle ordenance made ayenst ryght
ought to be holden for nought Alas who is now that aduocate or notaire
that hath charge to wryte and kepe sentence that putteth his entente to
kepe more the comyn prouffit or as moche as his owen/ But alle drede of
god is put a back/ and they deceyue the symple men And drawen them to
the courtes disordinatly and constrayned them to swere and make othes
not couenable/ And in assemblyng the peple thus to gyder they make moo
traysons in the cytees than they make good alyances And otherwhile they
deceyue their souerayns/ whan they may doo hit couertly For ther is no
thynge at this day that so moche greueth rome and Italye as doth the
college of notaries and aduocates publicque For they ben not of oon a
corde/ Alas and in Engeland what hurte doon the aduocats. men of lawe.
And attorneyes of court to the comyn peple of y'e royame as well in the
spirituell lawe as in the temporall/ how torne they the lawe and
statutes at their pleasir/ how ete they the peple/ how enpouere they the
comynte/ I suppose that in alle Cristendom ar not so many pletars
attorneys and men of the lawe as ben in englond onely/ for yf they were
nombrid all that lange to the courtes of the channcery kinges benche.
comyn place. cheker. ressayt and helle And the bagge berars of the same/
hit shold amounte to a grete multitude And how alle thyse lyue & of
whome. yf hit shold be vttrid & told/ hit shold not be beleuyd. For they
entende to theyr synguler wele and prouffyt and not to the comyn/ how
well they ought to be of good wyll to gyder/ and admoneste and warne the
cytes eche in his right in suche wise that they myght haue pees and loue
one with an other And tullius saith that frendshippe and good wyll that
one ought to haue ayenst an other for the wele of hym that he loueth/
wyth the semblable wylle of hym/ ought to be put forth to fore alle
other thynges/ And ther is no thynge so resemblynge and lyke to the bees
that maken honye ne so couenable in prosperite and in aduersite as is
loue/ For by loue gladly the bees holden them to gyder/ And yf ony
trespace to that other anone they renne vpon the malefactour for to
punysshe hym/ And verray trewe loue faylleth neuer for wele ne for
euyll/ and the most swete and the most confortynge thynge is for to haue
a frende to whom a man may saye his secrete/ as well as to hym self/ But
verayly amytye and frendship is somtyme founded vpon som thinge
delectable And this amytye cometh of yongthe/ in the whiche dwelleth a
disordinate heete.
And otherwhile amytie is founded vpon honeste/ And this amytie is
vertuouse/ Of the whiche tullius faith y't ther is an amytie vertuous by
the whiche a man ought to do to his frende alle that he requyreth by
rayson For for to do to hym a thynge dishonneste it is ayenst the nature
of verray frendshipe & amytie/ And thus for frendshipe ne for fauour a
man ought not to doo ony thinge vnresonable ayenst the comyn prouffit
ner agaynst his fayth ne ayenst his oth/ for yf alle tho thynges that
the frendes desire and requyre were accomplisshid & doon/ hit shold seme
that they shold be dishoneste coniuracions/ And they myght otherwhile
more greue & hurte than prouffit and ayde/ And herof sayth seneque that
amytie is of suche wylle as the frende wylle/ And to reffuse that ought
to be reffusid by rayson/ And yet he sayth more, that a man ought to
alowe and preyse his frende to fore the peple/ and to correcte and to
chastyse hym pryuyly. For the lawe of amytie is suche For a man ought
not to demande ner doo to be doon to his frende no vyllayns thynge that
ought to be kept secrete And valerian sayth that it is a fowll thynge
and an euyll excufacion/ yf a man conffesse that he hath done ony euyll
for his frende ayenst right and rayson/ And sayth that ther was a good
man named Taffile whiche herde one his frende requyre of hym a thynge
dishonnefte whiche he denyed and wold not doo And than his frende sayth
to hym in grete dispyte/ what nede haue I of thy frendship & amytie whan
thou wylt not doo that thynge that I requyre of the And Taffile answerd
to hym/ what nede haue I of the frendship and of the amytie of the/ yf I
shold doo for the thynge dishonefte And thus loue is founded otherwhile
vpon good prouffitable/ and this loue endureth as longe as he seeth his
prouffit And herof men faye a comyn prouerbe in england/ that loue
lasteth as longe as the money endureth/ and whan the money faylleth than
there is no loue/ and varro reherceth in his smmes/ that y' riche men
ben alle louyd by this loue/ for their frendes ben lyke as y'e huse
whiche is aboute the grayn/ and no man may proue his frende so well as
in aduersite/ or whan he is poure/ for the veray trewe frende faylleth
at no nede/ And seneque saith y't some folowe the empour for riches/ and
so doon y'e flies the hony for the swetenes/ and the wolf the karayn And
thise companye folowe the proye/ and not the man And tullius saith that
Tarquyn y'e proude had a neuewe of his suster which was named brutus/ and
this neuewe had banysshid tarquyn out of rome and had sente hym in
exyle/ And than sayd he first that he parceyuyd & knewe his frendes
whiche were trewe & untrewe/ and y't he neuer perceyuyd a fore tyme whan
he was puyssant for to doo their wyll/ and sayd well that the loue that
they had to hym/ endured not but as longe as it was to them
prouffitable/ and therfore ought till the ryche men of the world take
hede/ be they Kynges Prynces or ducs to what peple they doo prouffit &
how they may and ought be louyd of theyr peple/ For cathon sayth in his
book/ see to whom thougyuyst/ and this loue whiche is founded vpon theyr
prouffit/ whiche faylleth and endureth not/ may better be callyd and
said marchandyse than loue/ For yf we repute this loue to our prouffit
only/ and nothynge to the prouffyt of hym that we loue/ It is more
marchandyse than loue/ For he byeth our loue for the prouffit that he
doth to vs/ and therfor saith the versifier thise two versis Tempore
felici multi murmerantur amici Cum fortuna perit nullus amicus erit/
whiche is to saye in English that as longe as a man is ewrous and
fortunat he hath many frendes but whan fortune torneth and perisshith,
ther abideth not to hym one frende/ And of this loue ben louyd the
medowes, feldes, Trees and the bestes for the prouffit that men take of
them/ But the loue of the men ought to be charyte, veray gracious and
pure by good fayth/ And the veray trewe frendes ben knowen in pure
aduersite/ and pers alphons saith in his book of moralite that ther was
a philosophre in arabye that had an onely sone/ of whom he demanded what
frendes he had goten hym in his lyf. And he answerd that he had many And
his fader sayd to hym/ I am an olde man/ And yet coude I neuer fynde but
one frende in alle my lyf/ And I trowe verily that it is no lytyll
thynge for to haue a frende/ and hit is well gretter and more a man to
haue many/ And hit appertayneth and behoueth a man to assaye and preue
his frende er he haue nede And than comanded the philosopher his sone/
that he shold goo and slee a swyne/ and putte hit in a sack/ and fayne
that hit were a man dede that he had slayn and bere hit to his frendes
for to burye hit secretly/ And whan the sone had don as his fader
comanded to hym and had requyred his frendes one after an other as a
fore is sayd/ They denyed hym/ And answerd to hym that he was a vylayne
to requyre & desire of them thynge that was so peryllous And than he cam
agayn to his fader and sayd to hym how he had requyred alle his frendes/
And that he had not founden one that wolde helpe hym in his nede And
than his fader said to hym that he shold goo and requyre his frende
whiche had but one/ and requyre hym that he shold helpe hym in his nede
And whan he had requyred hym/ Anone he put oute alle his mayne oute of
his hows/ And whan they were oute of the waye or a slepe he dide do make
secretly a pytte in the grounde/ And whan hyt was redy and wold haue
buryed the body/ he fonde hit an hogge or a swyne and not a man/ And
thus thys sone preuyd thys man to be a veray trewe frende of his fader/
And preuyd that his frendes were fals frendes of fortune/ And yet
reherceth the sayd piers Alphons/ That ther were two marchantes one of
Bandach and that other of Egipte whiche were so Joyned to gyder by so
grete frendshippe that he of Bandach cam on a tyme for to see hys frende
in Egipte/ of whom he was receyuyd ryght honourably And thys marchant of
Egipte had in his hows a fayr yonge mayden whom he shold haue had in
maryage to hymslf/ Of the whiche mayde thys marchant of Bandach was
esrysd wyth her loue so ardantly that he was ryght seeke/ And that men
supposid hym to dye. And than the other dyde doo come the phisicyens
whiche sayd that in hym was none other sekenes sauf passyon of loue/
Than he axid of the seeke man yf ther wer ony woman in hys hows that he
louyd and made alle the women of his hows to come to fore hym/ And than
he chees her that shold haue ben that others wyf and sayd that he was
seek for the loue of her/ Than hys frende sayd to hym Frende conforte
your self/ For trewly I gyue her to yow to wyf wyth alle the dowayre
that is gyuen to me wyth her/ And had leuer to suffre to be wyth oute
wyf than to lese the body of his frende And than he of Bandach wedded
the mayde. And wente wyth his wyf and wyth his richesse ayen in to his
contrey And after this anone after hit happend that the marcha[=n]t of
Egipte be cam so poure by euyll fortune/ that he was constrayned to
feche and begge his brede by the contrey in so moche that he cam to
bandach. And whan he entrid in to the toun hit was derke nyght that he
coude not fynde the hows of his frende/ but wente and laye this nyght in
an olde temple/ And on the morn whan he shold yssue oute of the temple/
the officers of the toun arestid hym and sayd that he was an homycide
and had slayn a man whiche laye there dede And an[=o]n he confessid hit
wyth a good wylle/ And had leuyr to ben hangid/ than to dye in that
myserable and poure lyf that he suffrid And thus whan he was brought to
Iugement And sentence shold haue ben gyuen ayenst hym as an homicide/
his frende of bandach cam and sawe hym and anone knewe y't this was his
good frende of Egipte And forthwyth stept in and sayde that he hymself
was culpable of the deth of this man/ and not that other/ and enforced
hym in alle maners for to delyuer and excuse that other/ And than whan
that he that had don the feet and had slayn the man sawe this thynge/ he
considerid in hym sels that these two men were Innocente. of this feet/
And doubtynge the dyuyn Iugement he cam to fore the Iuge and confessid
alle the feet by ordre/ And whan the Iuge sawe and herd alle this mater/
and also the causes he considerid the ferme and trewe loue that was
betwene the two frendes And vnderstode the cause why that one wold saue
that other/ and the trouth of the fayte of the homicide And than he
pardoned alle the feet hoolly and entierly/ and after the marchant of
bandach brought hym of egipte wyth hym in to his hous/ and gaf to hym
his suster in mariage/ and departid to hym half his goodes/ And so bothe
of hem were riche/ And thus were they bothe veray faythfull and trewe
frendes/ Furthermore Notaires. men of lawe and crafty men shold and
ought to loue eche other And also ought to be contynent chaste &
honeste/ For by theyr craftes they ought so to be by necessite/ For they
conuerse & accompanye them ofte tyme with women And therfor hit
apperteyneth to them to be chaste and honeste And that they meue not the
women ner entyse them to lawhe/ and Iape by ony disordinate ensignees or
tokens/ Titus liuyus reherceth that the philosopher democreon dyde do
put oute his eyen for as moche as he myght not beholde the women wyth
oute flesshely desire/ And how well hit is said before that he dide hit
for other certayn cause yet was this one of the pryncipall causes/ And
Valerian telleth that ther was a yonge man of rome of ryght excellent
beaute/ And how well that he was ryght chaste/ For as moche as his
beaute meuyd many women to desyre hym/ in so moche that he vnderstode
that the parents and frendes of them had suspecion in hym/ he dyde his
visage to be cutte wyth a knyf and lancettis endlonge and ouerthwart for
to deforme his visage/ And had leuer haue a fowle visage and disformed/
than the beaute of hys visage shold meue other to synne/ And also we
rede that ther was a Nonne a virgyne dyde do put oute bothe her eyen For
as moche as the beaute of her eyen meuyd a kynge to loue her/ whyche
eyen she sente to the kynge in a presente/ And also we rede that plato
the ryght ryche and wyse phylosophre lefte hys owne lande and Contre.
And cheese his mansion and dwellynge in achadomye a town/ whiche was not
only destroyed but also was full of pestelence/ so that by the cure and
charge and customance of sorowe that be there suffrid/ myght eschewe the
heetes and occasions of lecherye/ And many of his disciples dyde in lyke
wyse/ Helemand reherceth that demostenes the philosopher lay ones by a
right noble woman for his disporte/ and playnge with her he demanded of
her what he shold gyue to haue to doo wyth her/ And she answerd to hym/
a thousand pens/ and he sayd agayn to her I shold repente me to bye hit
so dere/ And whan he aduysed hym that he was so sore chauffid to speke
to her for tacc[=o]plissh his flesshely defire/ he dispoyled hym alle
naked and wente and putte hym in the middes of the snowe And ouide
reherceth that this thynge is the leste that maye helpe and moste greue
the louers And therfore saynt Augustyn reherceth in his book de Ciuitate
dei that ther was a ryght noble romayne named merculian that wan and
toke the noble cyte of siracuse And to fore er he dyde do assaylle hit
or befyghte hit/ and er he had do be shedde ony blood/ he wepte and
shedde many teeris to fore the cyte And that was for the cause that he
doubted that his peple shold defoyle and corrumpe to moche dishonestly
the chastyte of the toun And ordeyned vpon payne of deth that no man
shold be so hardy to take and defoylle ony woman by force what that euer
she were/ After this the craftymen ought to vnderstond for to be trewe/
and to haue trouthe in her mouthes And that theyr dedes folowe theyr
wordes For he that sayth one thynge and doth another/ he condempneth
hymself by his word Also they ought to see well to that they be of one
Acorde in good, by entente, by word, and by dede/ so that they ben not
discordant in no caas/ But euery man haue pure veryte and trouth in hym
self/ For god hym self is pure verite/ And men say comynly that trouthe
seketh none hernes ne corners/ And trouthe is a vertu by the whyche alle
drede and fraude is put away/ Men saye truly whan they saye that they
knowe/ And they that knowe not trouthe/ ought to knowe hit/ And alleway
vse trouthe/ For Saynt Austyn sayth that they that wene to knowe
trouthe/ And lyuyth euyll & viciously It is folye yf he knoweth hit not/
And also he sayth in an other place that it is better to suffre peyne
for trouthe. Than for to haue a benefete by falsenes or by flaterye. And
man that is callyd a beste resonable and doth not his werkes after reson
and trouthe/ Is more bestyall than ony beste brute/ And knowe y'e that
for to come to the trouthe/ Hit cometh of a raysonable forsight in his
mynde/ And lyenge cometh of an outrageous and contrarye thought in his
mynde/ For he that lyeth wetyngly/ Knoweth well that hit is agaynst the
trouthe that he thynketh/ And herof speketh Saynt Bernard and sayth/
That the mouthe that lyeth destroyeth the sowle/ And yet sayth Saynt
Austyn in an other place For to saye ony thynge/ And to doo the
contrarye. maketh doctryne suspecious/ And knowe y'e veryly that for to
lye is a right perillous thynge to body and sowle For the lye that the
auncyent enemye made Eue & adam to beleue hym/ made hem for to be
dampned wyth alle theyr lignage to the deth pardurable And made hem to
be cast oute of Paradyse terrestre/ For he made them to beleue that god
had not forboden them the fruyt. But only be cause they shold not knowe
that her maister knewe But how well that the deuyll said thise wordes
yet had she double entente to hem bothe For they knewe ann as they had
tasted of the fruyt that they were dampned to the deth pardurable/ And
god knewe it well to fore But they supposid well to haue knowen many
other thynges And to belyke vnto his knowleche and science And therfor
fayth saynt poule in a pistyll/ hit ne apperteyneth to saure or knowe
more than behoueth to saure or knowe/ but to fauoure or knowe by mesure
or fobrenes/ And valerian reherceth that ther was a good woman of
siracusane that wold not lye vnto the kynge of *ecylle whiche was named
dyonyse And this kynge was so full of tyrannye & so cruell that alle the
world defired his deth and cursid hym/ Saauf this woman onely whiche was
so olde that she had seen thre or .iiii. kynges regnynge in the contre/
And euery mornynge as sone as she was rysen she prayd to god that he
wold gyue vnto the tyrant good lyf and longe And that she myght neuer
see his deth/ And when the kynge dyonise knewe this he sent for her And
meruayllid moche herof For he knewe well that he was fore behated/ And
demaunded her/ what cause meuyd her to pray for hym. And she answerd and
said to hym Syre whan I was a mayde we had a right euyll tyrant to our
kynge of whom we coueyted fore the deth And whan he was ded ther cam
after hym a worse/ of whom we coueyted also the deth/ And whan we were
deliueryd of hym/ thou camst to be our lord whiche arte worste of alle
other. And now I doubte yf we haue one after the he shall be worse than
thou art/ And therfore I shall pray for the And whan dionyse vnderstod
that she was so hardy in sayynge the truthe/ he durste not doo tormente
her for shame be cause she was so olde.
[Illustration]
_The fourth chapitre of the thirde book treteth of the maner of the
fourth pawn and of the marchants or changers._
The fourth pawn is sette to for the kynge And is formed in the fourme of
a man holding in his ryght hand a balance/ And the weyght in the lifte
hand/ And to fore hym a table And at his gurdell a purse fulle of monoye
redy for to gyue to them that requyre hit And by this peple ben
signefied the marchans of cloth lynnen and wollen & of all other
marchandises And by the table that is to for hym is signefied y'e
changeurs/ And they that lene money/ And they that bye & selle by the
weyght ben signefyed by the balances and weight And the customers.
tollers/ and resseyuours of rentes & of money ben signefied by the purse
And knowe y'e that alle they that ben signefied by this peple ought to
flee auaryce and couetyse/ And eschewe brekynge of the dayes of
payement/ And ought to holde and kepe theyr promyssis/ And ought also to
rendre & restore y't/ that is gyuen to them to kepe/ And therfor hit is
reson that this peple be sette to for y'e kynge/ for as moche as they
signefie the resseyuours of the tresours royall that ought all way to be
redy to fore y'e kynge/ and to answere for hym to the knightes and other
persones for their wages & souldyes And therfore haue I sayd that they
ought to flee auarice. For auarice is as moche to say as an adourer or
as worshipar of fals ymages/ & herof saith Tullius that auarice is a
couetise to gete y't thing that is aboue necessite/ & it is a loue
disordinate to haue ony thynge And it is one of the werst thyngis that
is And specially to prynces and to them that gouerne the thynges of the
comunete And this vice caufeth a man to do euyll/ And this doynge euyll
is whan hit regneth in olde men And herof saith Seneque That alle wordly
thynges ben mortifyed and appetissid in olde men reserued auaryce only/
whiche alleway abideth wyth hym and dyeth wyth hym But I vnderstande not
well the cause wherof this cometh ne wherfore hit may be And hit is a
fowle thynge and contrarie to reson That whan a man is at ende of his
Iourney for to lengthe his viage and to ordeyne more vitayll than hym
behoueth And this may well be lykened to the auarycious wolf For the
wolf doth neuer good tyll he be dede And thus it is sayd in the
prouerbis of the wisemen/ that thauaricious man doth no good tyll that
he be ded/ And he desireth no thynge but to lyue longe in this synne For
the couetouse man certaynly is not good for ony thynge For he is euyll
to hymself and to the riche and to the poure. And fynde cause to gayn
saye theyr desire/ and herof reherceth seneque and sayth that Antigonus
was a couetous prynce/ & whan Tinque whiche was his frende requyred of
hym a besa[=u]t/ he answerd to hym that he demanded more than hit
apperteyned to hym And than tinque constrayned by grete necessite axid
and requyred of hym a peny/ And he answerd to hym that hit was no yefte
couenable for a kynge and so he was allway redy to fynde a cause nought
to gyue For he myght haue gyuen to hym a besa[=u]t as a kynge to his
frende/ And the peny as to a poure man And ther is no thynge so lytyll/
but that the humanyte of a kynge may gyue hit Auarice full of couetyse
is a maner of alle vices of luxurye And Josephus reherceth in the book
of auncyent histories/ that ther was in rome a ryght noble lady named
Paulyne/ And was of the most noble of rome/ right honeste for the
noblesse of chastete/ whiche was maryed in the tyme that the women
gloryfied them in theyr chastete vnto a yonge man fayr. noble. and riche
aboue alle other/ and was lyke and semblable to his wyf in alle caasis/
And this paulyne was belouyd of a knight named emmerancian And was so
ardautly esprysed in her loue that he sente to her many right riche
yeftes/ And made to her many grete promissis/ but he might neuer torne
the herte of her whiche was on her side also colde and harde as marbill
But had leuer to reffuse his yeftes and his promisses. Than to entende
to couetise & to lose her chastete/ and we rede also in the historyes of
rome that ther was a noble lady of rome/ whiche lyuyd a solitarye lyf
and was chaste & honeste/ And had gadrid to gyder a grete some of gold/
And had hid hit in the erthe in a pytte wyth in her hous/ And whan she
was ded/ the bisshop dyde do burye her in the churche well and honestly/
And anone after this gold was founden & born to the bisshop/ And the
bisshop had to caste hit in to the pytte wher she was buryed. And .iii.
dayes men herd her crye & make grete noyse/ and saye that she brennyd in
grete payne/ and they herd her ofte tymes thus tormentid in y'e chirche/
the neighbours wente to the bisshop & told hym therof/ and y'e bisshop
gaf hem leue to open the sepulcre/ and whan they had opend hit/ they
fonde all the gold molten with fyre full of sulphre/ And was poured and
put in her mouth/ and they herd one saye/ thou desiredest this gold by
couetyse take hit and drynke hit/ And than they toke the body out of the
tombe And hit was cast oute in a preuy place Seneque reherceth in the
book of the cryes of women that auarice is foundement of alle vices/ And
valerian reherceth that auarice is a ferdfull garde or kepar of
rychessis for he that hath on hym or in his kepynge moche money or other
rychessis/ is allway a ferd to lose hit or to be robbid or to be slayn
therfore/ And he is not ewrous ner happy that by couetyse geteth hit/
And alle the euyllys of this vice of auarice had a man of rome named
septemulle For he was a frende of one named tarchus And this septemulle
brente so sore and so cruelly in this synne of couetyse/ that he had no
shame to smyte of the hede of his frende by trayson/ For as moche as one
framosian had promysed to hym as moche weyght of pure gold as the heed
weyed And he bare the sayd heed vpon a staf thurgh the cyte of rome/ and
he wyded the brayn out therof and fyld hit full of leed for to weye the
heuyer This was a right horrible and cruell auarice Ptolome kynge of the
Egipciens poursewed auarice in an other manere For whan anthonie
emperour of rome sawe that he was right riche of gold and siluer/ he had
hym in grete hate and tormentid hym right cruelly And whan he shold
perishe be cause of his richessis/ he toke alle his hauoyr and put hit
in a shippe And wente wyth alle in to the hye see to thende for to
drowne and perishe there the shippe and his rychesses be cause Anthonie
his enemye shold not haue hit/ And whan he was there he durst not
perisshe hit ner myght not fynde in his herte to departe from hit/ but
cam and brought hit agayn in to his hows where he resseyuyd the reward
of deth therfore. And wyth oute doubte he was not lord of the richesse
but the richesse was lady ouer hym/ And therfore hit is sayd in prouerbe
that a man ought to seignorye ouer the riches/ and not for to serue hit/
and yf thou canst dewly vse thy rychesse than she is thy chamberyer/ And
yf thou can not departe from hit and vse hit honestly at thy playsir/
knowe verily y't she is thy lady For the richesse neuer satisfieth the
couetouse/ but the more he hath/ the more he desireth/ And saluste sayth
that auarice distourblith fayth poeste honeste and alle these other good
vertues/ And taketh for these vertues pryde. cruelte. And to forgete
god/ And saith that alle thynges be vendable And after this they ought
to be ware that they leue not to moche/ ner make so grete creances by
which they may falle in pouerte/ For saynt Ambrose saith upon tobye.
pouerte hath no lawe/ for to owe hit is a shame/ & to owe and not paye
is a more shame/ yf y'u be poure beware how thou borowest/ and thinke
how thou maist paye & rendre agayn yf y'u be ryche y'u hast none nede to
borowe & axe/ & it is said in the prouerbes y't hit is fraude to take/
that y'u wilt not ner maist rendre & paye agayn/ and also hit is said in
reproche/ whan I leue I am thy frend/ & whan I axe I am thy enemye/ as
wo saith/ god at the lenynge/ & the deuyll at rendrynge/ And seneque
sayth in his au[*c]torites/ that they y't gladly borowe/ ought gladly to
paye/ and ought to surmonte in corage to loue hem the better be cause
they leue hem & ayde hem in her nede/ For for benefetes & good tornes
doon to a man ought to gyue hym thankinges therfore/ And moche more
ought a man to repaye that Is lente hym in his nede/ But now in these
dayes many men by lenynge of their money haue made of their frendes
enemyes/ And herof speketh Domas the philosopher and sayth that my
frende borowed money of me/ And I haue lost my frende and my money
attones/ Ther was a marchant of Gene & also a chaungeour/ whos name was
Albert gauor/ And this albert was a man of grete trouth and loyaulte/
for on a tyme ther was a man cam to hym and said & affermed that he had
delyueryd in to his banke .v. honderd floryns of gold to kepe whiche was
not trouth for he lyed/ whyche fyue honderd floryns the said Albert
knewe not of/ ner coude fynde in all hys bookes ony suche money to hym
due And this lyar coude not brynge no wytnessis/ but began to braye.
crye and deffame the said albert And than this Albert callid to hym this
marcha[=u]t and sayd/ Dere frende take here v. honderd florins whyche
thou affermest and sayst that thou hast deliuerid to me And forthwyth
tolde hem and toke hem to hym And lo this good man had leuer to lose his
good than his good name and renome And this other marchant toke these
florins that he had wrongfully receyuyd/ and enployed them in diuerce
marchandise in so moche that he gate and encresid and wan with them .xv.
thousand florins And whan he sawe that he approchid toward his deth/ and
that he had no children He establisshid albert his heyr in alle thingis
And sayd that with the .v. honderd florins that he had receyuyd of
albert falsely/ he had goten all y't he had in the world And thus by
dyuyne pourueance he that had be a theef fraudelent/ was made afterward
a trewe procurour and attorney of the sayd albert/ But now in this dayes
ther ben marcha[=u]s that do marchandise with other mens money whiche is
taken to hem to kepe/ And whan they ben requyred to repaye hit they haue
no shame to denye hit appertly/ wherof hit happend that ther was a
marchant whyche had a good & grete name and renome of kepynge well suche
thynges as was delyueryd to hym to kepe/ But whan he sawe place and
tyme/ he reteynyd hyt lyke a theef/ So hyt befelle that a marchant of
withoute forth herd the good reporte & fame of this man/ cam to hym and
deliuerid hym grete tresour to kepe/ And this tresour abode thre yer in
his kepynge. And after this thre yer thys marchant cam & requyred to
haue hys good deliueryd to hym agaym/ And thys man knewe well that he
had no recorde ne wytnes to preue on hym this duete/ Nor he had no
obligacion ne wrytynge of hym therof/ In suche wyse that he denyed alle
entyerly/ And sayd playnly he knewe hym not. And whan thys good man
herde and vnderstode thys. he wente sorowfully and wepynge from hym so
ferre and longe that an old woman mette wyth hym/ And demanded of hym
the cause of hys wepynge/ And he sayd to her/ woman hit apperteyneth no
thynge to the Go thy way/ And she prayd hym that he wold telle her the
cause of hys sorowe/ For parauenture she myght gyue hym counceylle good
and prouffytable. And than this man told to her by ordre the caas of his
fortune/ And the old woman that was wyse & subtyll demanded of hym yf he
had in that cyte ony frende whiche wold be faythfull and trewe to hym
And he sayd y'e that he had dyuerce frendes/ Than said she goo thou to
them and saye to them that they do ordeyne and bye dyuerce cofres &
chestis/ And that they do fylle them with som olde thinges of no value/
and that they fayne And saye that they be full of gold, siluer & other
Iewels and of moche grete tresour/ And than that they brynge them to
this sayd marchant And to saye to hym that he wold kepe them/ For as
moche as they had grete trust and affiance in hym And also that they
haue herd of his grete trouthe and good renome/ And also they wold goo
in to a fer contre And shold be longe er they retorned agayn And whilis
they speke to hym of this mater/ thou shalt come vpon them and requyre
hym that he do deliuere to the/ that thou tokest to hym/ And I trowe be
cause of tho good men that than shall profre to hym the sayd tresour/
And for the couetise to haue hit/ he shall deliuere to the thy good
agayn/ But beware late hym not knowe in no wyse that they ben thy
frendes ner of thy knowleche This was a grete and good co[=u]ceyll of a
woman And verily hit cometh of nature oftentymes to women to gyue
counceyll shortly and vnauysedly to thynges that ben in doute or
perillous and nedeth hasty remedye/ And as y'e haue herd/ this good man
dyde And dyde after her counceyll And cam vpon them whan they spack of
the mater to the marchant for to deliuere to hym the sayd cofres to kepe
whyche his frendes had fayned and requyred of hym that he had taken to
hym to kepe/ and than an[=o]n the sayd marchant sayd to hym I knowe the
now well. For I haue auysed me that thou art suche a man/ And camst to
me suche a tyme/ And deliuerest to me suche a thynge whiche I haue well
kept/ And than callyd his clerck/ and bad hym goo fecche suche a thynge
in suche a place/ and deliuere hit to that good man For he deliuerid hit
to me/ And than the good man receyuyd his good. And wente his way right
Ioyously and gladd/ And this marchant trycheur and deceyuour was
defrauded from his euyll malice/ And he ne had neyther that one ne that
other ony thynge that was of value/ And therfore hit Is sayd in prouerbe
to defraude the beguylar is no fraude/ And he that doth well foloweth
oure lord And seneke faith that charyte enseygneth and techeth that men
shold paye well For good payement is sometyme good confession/ And this
marchant trycheour & deceyuour resembleth & Is lyke to an hound that
bereth a chese in his mouth whan he swymmeth ouer a watre For whan he is
on the watre He seeth the shadowe of the chese in the watre/ And than he
weneth hit be an other chese/ And for couetyse to haue that/ he openth
his mouth to cacche that/ And than the chese that he bare fallyth doun
in to the watre/ And thus he loseth bothe two/ And in the same wise was
seruyd this marchant deceyuour/ For for to haue the coffres/ whiche he
had not seen/ He deliueryd agayn that he wold haue holden wrongfully &
thus by his couetise and propre malice he was deceyuyd/ And therfore hit
apperteyneth to euery good & wyse man to knowe & considere in hym self
how moche he had resseyuyd of other men/ And vpon what condicion hit was
deliuerid to hym And hit is to wete y't this thinge apperteyneth to
resseyuours & to chaungeours And to alle true marchans and other what
som euyr they bee/ and ought to kepe their bookes of resaytes & of
payements of whom & to whom and what tyme & day. and yf y'e demande what
thynge makyth them to forgete suche thynges as ben taken to them to kepe
I answere & saye that hyt Is grete couetyse for to haue tho thynges to
themself and neuer to departe from them/ And it is all her thought and
desire to assemble alle the good that they may gete For they beleue on
none other god/ but on her richessis theyr hertes ben so obstynat/ and
this sufficeth of the marchantes.
[Illustration]
_This fifth chapitre of the thirde book treteh of phisiciens spicers and
Apotyquarys._
The paw[=o]n that is sette to fore the quene signefyeth the phisicyen/
spicer and Apotyquaire/ and is formed in the figure of a man/ And he is
sette in a chayer as a maystre and holdeth in his right hand a book/ And
an ample or a boxe wyth oynementis in his lyft hand/ And at his gurdell
his Instrumentis of yron and of siluer for to make Incysions and to
serche woundes and hurtes/ and to cutte apostumes/ And by thyse thynges
ben knowen the cyrurgyens/ By the book ben vnderstanden the phisicyens/
and alle gramaryens. logicyens/ maistres of lawe. of Geometrye.
Arismetryque. musique and of astronomye/ And by the ampole/ ben
signefyed the makers of pigmentaries spicers and apotiquayres/ and they
that make confections and confytes and medecynes made wyth precyous
spyces And by the ferremens and Intrumentis that hangen on the gurdell
ben signefied the cyrurgyens & the maistres And knowe y'e for certain
that a maystre & phisicyen ought to knowe the proporcions of lettres of
gramayre/ the monemens the conclusions and the sophyms of logyque. the
gracio'9 speche and vtterance of rethorique/ the mesures of the houres
and dayes/ and of the cours and astronomye/ the nombre of arsmetryk/ &
the Ioyous songes of musyque And of all thyse tofore named/ the maistres
of rethorique ben the chyef maistres in speculatyf/ And the two laste
that ben practisiens and werkers ben callyd phisicyens and cyrurgyens/
how well they ben sage and curyous in thyse sciences/ And how well that
mannes lyf is otherwhile put in thordonance of the phisicyen or
cyrurgyen/ yf he haue not sagesse and wysedom in hym self of dyuerce
wrytynges and is not expert/ And medlyth hym in the craft of phisique/
He ought better be callyd a slear of peple than a phisicyen or
cyrurgyen. For he may not be a maystre but yf he be seure and expert in
the craft of phisike that he sle not moo than he cureth and maketh
hoole/ And therfore sayth Auycenne in an Enphormye/ yf thou curest the
seke man. And knowest not the cause/ wherof the maladye ought to be
cured/ Hit ought to be sayd that thou hast cured hym by fortune and
happe more than by ony comynge. And in alle thyse maner of peple/ Ther
ought to be meurte of good maners/ Curtoysie of wordes/ Chastite of the
body promysse of helthe/ And as to them that ben seke contynuell
visitacion of them/ And they ought to enquere the cause of theyr
sekenessis and the sygnes and tokens of theyr maladyes/ As is rehercid
in the bookes of the au[ct]ours by ryght grete diligence/ And specially
in the bookes of ypocras galyene and of Auycene And whan many maysters
and phisicyens ben assemblid to fore the pacyent or seke man/ They ought
not there to argue and dispute one agaynst an other/ But they ought to
make good and symple colacion to geder. In suche wyse as they be not
seen in theyr desputynge one agaynst an other/ for to encroche and gete
more glorye of the world to them self/ than to trete the salute and
helthe of the pacyent and seke man/ I meruayll why that whan they fee
and knowe that whan the seke man hath grete nede of helthe wherfore than
they make gretter obiection of contraryousnes for as moche as the lyf
of man is demened and put amonge them but hit is be cause that he is
reputed most sage and wise that argueth and bryngeth in moste subtyltes/
And alle this maner is amonge doctours of lawe that treteth no thynge of
mannes lyf. But of temporelle thynges/ that he is holden most wyse and
best lerned/ that by his counceyll can beste acorde the contencions and
discencions of men And therfore ought the phisicyens and cyrurgyens leue
whan they be to fore the seke men all discencions and contrariousnes of
wordes/ in suche wyse that hit appere that they studye more for to cure
the seke men than for to despute And therfore is the phisicien duly
sette to fore the quene/ So that it is figured that he ought to haue in
hymself chastite and contynence of body For hit apperteyneth somtyme
vnto the phisicien to visite and cure Quenes duchesses and countesses
and alle other ladyes and see and beholde some secrete sekenessis that
falle and come otherwhile in the secretis of nature And therfore hit
apperteyneth to them that they be chaste and followe honeste and
chastite/ and that they be ensample to other of good contynence/ For
valerian reherceth that ypocras was of meruayllous contynence of his
body/ For whan he was in the scoles of Athenes/ he had by hym a ryght
fayr woman whyche was comyn And the yonge scolers and the Ioly felaws
that were students promisyd to the woman a besa[=u]t/ yf she myght or
coude torne the corage of ypocras for to haue to doon wyth her/ And she
cam to hym by nyght and dyde so moche by her craft that she laye wyth
hym in his bedd/ but she coude neuer do so moche y't she myghte corrumpe
his chaste liuynge ne defoule the crowne of his conscience/ and whan the
yonge men knewe that she had ben with hym all the night And coude not
chaunge his contynence/ they began to mocque her/ And to axe and demande
of her the besant that they had gyuen to her. And she answerd That hit
was holden & gaged vpon an ymage/ For as moche as she might not change
his contynence she callyd hym an ymage/ And in semblable wyse reherceth
Valerian of Scenocrates philosopher that ther laye with hym a woman all
night And tempted hym disordinatly/ but that ryght chafte man/ made
neuer femblant to her/ Ner he neuer remeuyd from his ferme purpoos/ In
fuche wyfe as fhe departid from hym alle confufid and fhamed/ Cornelius
fcipion that was fent by the romayns for to gouerne fpayne/ as fone as
he entryd in to the caftellis & in to the townes of that lande He began
to take away all the thynges that miht ftyre or meue his men to lecherye
wherfore men fayd that he drof & chaced oute of the ofte moo than two
thoufand bourdellys/ And he that was wyfe knewe well that delyte of
lecherye corrupted and apayred the corages of tho men that ben
abandonned to that fame delyte/ And herof hit is fayd in the fables of
the poetes in the first book of the Truphes of the Philofophers by
figure. That they that entryd in to the fontayne of the firenes or
mermaydens/ were corrumpid and they toke them away with hem/ And alfo y'e
ought to knowe that they ought to entende diligently to the cures of the
enfermytees in cyrugerye/ They ought to make theyr playfters acordynge
to the woundes or fores/ yf the wounde be rounde The enplaftre muft be
round/ and yf hyt be longe/ hyt mufte be longe/ and otherwhile hit mufte
be cured by his contrarye/ lyke as it apperteyneth to phifique/ For the
hete is cured by cold/ and the colde by hete/ and Ioye by forowe/ and
fbrowe by Ioye/ and hit happeth ofte tymes that moche peple be in grete
paryll in takynge to moche Ioye and lefe her membris/ and become half
benomen in the fodayn Ioye/ And Ioye is a replection of thynge that is
delectable fprad a brode in all the membris with right grete gladnes And
all men entende and desire to haue the sayd ryght grete Ioye naturelly/
But they knowe not what may ensue and come therof And this Ioye cometh
otherwhile of vertue of conscience/ And the wyse man is not wyth out
this Ioye And this Ioye is neuer Interrupt ne in deffaulte at no tyme
For hit cometh of nature And fortune may not take a waye that nature
geueth. And merciall saith that Ioyes fugitiues abide not longe But flee
away an[=o]n And valerian reherceth that he that hath force and
strengthe raysonable/ hath hit of verray matier of complection and that
cometh of loue And this Ioye hath as moche power to departe the sowle
fro the body/ as hath the thondre/ wherof hit happend that ther was a
woman named lyna whiche had her husbonde in the warre in the shippis of
the romayns/ And she supposid verily that he was ded/ But hit happend
that he cam agayn home And as he entryd in to his yate/ his wif met wyth
hym sodeynly not warned of his comyng. whiche was so glad and Ioyous/
that in enbrasynge hym she fyll doun ded Also of an other woman to whom
was reportid by a fals messanger that her sone was ded/ whiche wente
home soroufully to her hows/ And afterward whan her sone cam to her/ As
sone as she sawe hym/ she was so esmoued wyth Ioye y't she deyde to fore
hym/ But this is not so grete meruaylle of women as is of the men/ For
the women ben likened vnto softe waxe or softe ayer and therfor she is
callid mulier whyche Is as moche to saye in latyn as mollys ær. And in
english soyfte ayer/ And it happeth ofte tymes that the nature of them
that ben softe and mole/ taketh sonner Inpression than the nature of men
that is rude and stronge/ Valerye reherceth & sayth that a knyght of
rome named Instaulosus that had newly conquerid and subiuged the yle of
Corsika/ And as he sacrefyed his goddes/ he receyuyd lettres from the
senate of rome In whiche were conteyned dyuerse supplicacyons/ The
whiche whan he vnderstood he was so glad and so enterprysed wyth Ioye/
that he knewe not what to doo And than a great fumee or smoke yssued out
of the fyre In whiche he dispayred and fyll in to the fyre/ where he was
anone ded/ And also it is sayd that Philomenus lawhed so sore and
distemperatly that he deyde alle lawhynge/ And we rede that ypocras the
phisicien fonde remedye for thys Ioye/ For whan he had longe dwellyd
oute of his contreye for to lerne connynge and wysedom/ And shold
retorne vnto his parentis and frendes/ whan he approchid nyghe them/ He
sente a messanger to fore for to telle to them his comynge/ and comanded
hym to saye that he cam/ for they had not longe to fore seen hym/ And
y't they shold attempre them in that Ioye er they shold see hym/ And
also we rede that Titus the sone of vaspasian whan he had conquerd
Iherusalem and abode in y'e contrees by/ he herde y't his fader
vaspasian was chosen by alle the senate for to gouerne the empire of
rome/ wherfore he had so right grete Ioye that sodaynly he loste the
strength of all his membres And be cam all Impotent And whan Iosephus
that made the historye of the romayns ayenst the Iewis/ whiche was a
ryght wyse phisicien sawe and knewe the cause of this sekenes of the
sayd Titus/ he enquyred of his folk yf he had in hate ony man gretly so
moche that he myght not here speke of hym ner well see hym And one of
the seruantes of Titus sayd that he had one persone in hate so moche.
That ther was no man in his court so hardy that durste name hym in his
presence/ and than Iosephus assigned a day whan this man shold come/ and
ordeyned a table to sette in y'e sight of Titus/ and dide hit to be
replenysshid plenteuously wyth alle dayntees/ and ordeyned men to be
armed to kepe hym in suche wyse that no man shold hurte hym by the
comandement of Titus/ and ordeyned boutellers. Coques/ and other
officers for to serue hym worshipfully lyke an Emþour/ and whan all this
was redy/ Iosephus brought in this man that tytus hated and sette hym at
the table to fore his eyen and was seruyd of yonge men wyth grete
reuerence ryght cortoisly/ And whan titus behelde his enemye sette to
fore hym wyth so grete honour/ He began to chauffe hym self by grete
felonnye And comanded his men that this man sholde be slayn/ And whan he
sawe/ that none wold obeye hym But that they all way seruyd hym
reuerently/ he waxe so ardante/ and enbrasid wyth so grete yre/ that he
that had lost alle the force and strengthe of his body and was alle
Impotent in alle his membres/ Recoured the helthe agayn and strengthe of
his membris/ by the hete that entryd in to the vaynes and sinewis And
Iosephus dide so moche that he was recouerid and hole/ And that he helde
that man no more for his enemye/ but helde hym for a verray true frende/
And afterward made hym his loyall felawe and compaignon And the espicers
and Apotecayres ought to make truly suche thynges as Is comanded to them
by the physicyens/ And they ought taccomplisshe theyr billis and charge
curyously wyth grete dilygence/ that for none other cause they shold be
ocupied but in makynge medicynes or confections truly. And that they
ought vpon paryll of theyr sowle not to forgete/ by negligence ne
rechelesnes to gyue one medecyne for an other/ In suche wyse that they
be not slears of men/ And that they do putte no false thynges In her
spyces for to empayre or encrecynge the weyght. For yf they so doo they
may better be callyd theuys than espiciers or apotecayris/ And they that
ben acustomed to make oynements they ought to make hyt proprely of true
stuf and of good odoure after the receptes of the auncyent doctours/ And
after the forme that the phisicyens and cyrurgyens deuyse vnto them/
Also they ought to beware that for none auayle ne gyfte that they myght
haue/ that they put in theyr medicynes no thynge venemous ner doynge
hurte or scathe to ony persone of whom they haue none good ne veray
knowlege/ to thende that they to whom the medicynes shold be gyuen/
torne not to them hurte ne domage/ ne in destructions of theyr
neyghbours/ and also that they that haue mynystrid tho thyngis to them/
ben not taken for parteners of the blame and of the synne of them The
cyrurgyens ought also to be debonayr. amyable. & to haue pytye of their
pacyents. And also they ought not be hasty to launse and cutte apostumes
and soores/ ne open the heedes/ ner to arrache bones broken/ but yf the
cause be apparant/ For they myght ellys lose theyr good renome And myght
better be callyd bouchers than helars or guarisshors of woundes and
soores And also hit behoueth that alle this maner of peple foresayd that
haue the charge for to make hole and guarisshe alle maner of maladyes
and Infirmitees that they first haue the cure of themself/ and they
ought to purge themself fro alle apostumes and alle vices/ In suche wyse
that they be net and honeste and enformed in alle good maners/ And that
they shewe hem hole and pure & redy for to hele other And herof sayth
Boecius de Consolacione In his first booke that the sterres that ben hid
vnder the clowdes maye gyue no light. And therfore yf ony man wole
beholde clerly the verite. Late hym wythdrawe hym fro the obscurete and
derkenes of the clowdes of ignorance/ for whan the engyne of a man
sheweth in Ioye or in sorowe/ The pensee or thought is enuoluped in
obscurete & vnder the clowdes.
[Illustration]
_The sixthe chapitre of the thirde book treteth of the sixth pawn/
whiche is lykened to tauerners hostelers and vitayllers._
The sixthe pawn whiche standeth to fore the Alphyn on the lyfte syde is
made in thys forme. For hit is a man that hath the right hande stracched
oute as for to calle men/ And holdeth in his lyfte hande a loof of breed
and a cuppe of wyn/ And on his gurdell hangynge a boudell of keyes/ And
this resembleth the Tauerners. hostelers. and sellars of vitaylle. And
thise ought proprely to be sette to fore the/ Alphyn as to fore a Iuge
For ther sourdeth ofte tymes amonge hem contencion noyse and stryf/
whiche behoueth to be determyned and trayted by the alphyn/ whiche is
Iuge of the kynge/ And hit apperteyneth to them for to seke and enquyre
for good wyns and good vitayll for to gyue and selle to the byers/ And
to them that they herberowe/ And hit apperteyneth to them well to kepe
their herberowes and Innes/ and alle tho thyngis that they brynge in to
their loggynge and for to putte hyt in seure and sauf warde and kepynge/
And the firste of them Is signefyed by the lyfte hande in whiche he
bereth brede and wyn/ and the seconde is signefied by the right hande
whiche Is stracched oute to calle men/ And the thirde is representid by
the keyes hangynge on y'e gurdell And thyse maner of peple ought
teschewethe synne of glotonye/ For moche peple comen in to theyr howses
for to drynke and to ete for whyche cause they ought resonably to rewle
them self and to refrayne them from to moche mete and drynke/ to thende
that they myght the more honestly delyuere thyngis nedefull vnto the
peple that come vnto them/ And no thynge by oultrage that myght noye the
body/ For hit happeth ofte tymes that ther cometh of glotonye tencyons.
stryfs. ryottes. wronges. and molestacyons/ by whiche men lese other
while their handes. theyr eyen. and other of their membres/ And somtyme
ben slayn or hurt vnto the deth/ As it is wreton In vitas patrum As on a
tyme an heremyte wente for to visite his gossibs/ And the deuyll apperyd
to hym on the waye in lykenes of an other heremyte for to tempte hym/
and saide thou hast lefte thyn heremitage And goost to visyte thy
gossibs/ The behoueth by force to doo one of y'e thre thynges that I
shall saye to the/ thou shalt chese whether thou wylt be dronke/ or
ellys haue to do flessly wyth thy gossib or ellys thou shalt sle her
husbond whiche is thy gossip also/ And the hermyte that thought for to
chese the leste euyll chace for to be dronke/ and whan he cam vnto them
he dranke so moche that he was veray dronke And whan he was dronke and
eschaussed wyth the wyn/ he wold haue a doo wyth hys gossib/ And her
husbonde withstode hym. And than the hermyte slewe hym/ And after that
laye by his gossib and knewe her flessly/ And thus by this synne of
dronkenship he accomplisshid the two other synnes/ By whyche thynge y'e
may vnderstande and knowe y't whan the deuyll wyll take one of the
castellis of Ihesu cryst/ that is to wete the body of a man or of a
woman/ he doth as a prynce that setteth a siege to fore a castell that
he wold wynne/ whiche ent[=e]deth to wynne the gate/ For he knoweth well
whan he hath wonne the gate/ he may sone doo hys wylle wyth the castell.
And in lyke wyse doth the deuyll wyth euery man and woman For whan he
hathe wonne the gate/ that is to wete the gate of y'e mouth by glotonye
or by other synne He may doo wyth the offices of the body alle his wylle
as y'e haue herd to fore/ And therfore ought euery man ete and drynke
sobrely in suche wyse as he may lyue. And not lyue to ete glotonsly &
for to drynke dronke. y'e see comunly that a grete bole is suffisid wyth
right a lityll pasture/ And that a wode suffiseth to many olefauntes And
hit behoueth a man to be fedde by the erthe or by the see/ neuertheles
it is no grete thynge to fede the bely/ no thynge so grete as is the
desire of many metes Wherof Quyntylian sayth/ That hit happeth ofte
tymes in grete festes & dyners/ that we be fylde wyth the sight of the
noble and lichorous metis and whan we wolde ete we ben saciat and fild/
And therfore hit is sayd in prouerbe/ hit is better to fylle the bely
than the eye/ And lucan sayth that glotonye is the moder of alle vices/
and especiall of lecherye/ and also is destroyer of all goodes And may
not haue suffisance of lityll thynge/ A couetous honger what sekest thou
mete and vitayllis on the lande & in the see/ And thy Ioye is nothynge
ellis but to haue playnteuous disshes & well fylde at thy table lerne
how men may demene his lyf with lityll thynge/ And Cathon sayth in no
wyse obeye to glotonye whiche is frende to lecherye/ And the holy
doctour saynt Augustyn sayth/ the wyn eschausseth the bely that falleth
anone to lecherye/ The bely and the membrers engendreurs ben neyghebours
to lecherye/ And thus the vice of glotonye prouoketh lecherye/ wherof
cometh forgetenes of his mynde and destruction of alle quyk and sharp
reson And is cause of distemþance of his wittes/ what synne is fowler
than this synne and more stynkynge ne more domageous For this synne hath
taken away the vertue of the man/ his prowesse languisshed/ his vertue
is torned to diffame/ the strengthe of body and of corage is torned by
the/ And therfore sayth Basille le grant/ late vs take hede how we serue
the bely & the throte by glotonye lyke as we were dombe bestes/ and we
studye for to be lyke vnto belucs of the see/ to whom nature hath gyuen
to be alleway enclined toward the erthe & ther to loke for to serue
theyr belyes/ And herof saith Boecius de consolacione in his fourth
book/ that a man that lyuyth and doth not the condicions of a man/ may
neuer be in good condicion/ Than muste hit nedes be that he be
transported in nature of a beste or of a belue of the see. How well that
ryght grete men and women full of meruayllous sciences and noble
counceyll in thise dayes in the world ben kept and nourisshid in this
glotonye of wyns and metes/ and ofte tymes ben ouerseen/ how suppose y'e/
is hit not right a perillous thinge that a lord or gouernour of the
peple and c[=o]mun wele/ how well that he be wyse/ yf he eschauffe hym
sone so that y'e wyn or other drynke surpryse hym and ouercome his
brayn. his wisedom is loste/ For as Cathon sayth/ Ire enpessheth the
corage in suche as he may not kepe verite and trouthe And anon as he is
chauffed/ lecherye is meuyd in hym in suche wyse that the lecherye
maketh hym to medle in dyuerse villayns dedes/ For than his wyfedom is a
slepe and goon/ And therfore fayth Ouide in his booke De remedio amoris/
yf thou take many and dyuerce wyns/ they apparylle and enforce the
corages to lecherye And Thobie witnessith in his booke/ that luxurye
destroyeth the body/ and mynussheth richesses/ she loseth the sowle/ she
febleth y'e strengthe she blyndeth the syght/ and maketh the wys hoos &
rawe/ Ha A ryght euyll and fowle synne of dronkenship/ by the perissheth
virginite/ whiche is suster of angellis possedynge alle goodnes and
seurte of all Ioyes pardurable/ Noe was one tyme so chauffed with wyn/
that he discouerd and shewid to his sones his preuy membres in suche
wyse as one of his sones mocqued hym/ And that other couerd hem/ And
loth whiche was a man right chaste. was so assoted by moche drynkynge of
wyn/ that on a montayne he knew his doughters carnelly/ And had to doo
wyth them as they had ben his propre wyues. And crete reherceth that
boece whiche was flour of the men/ tresor of rychesses/ singuler house
of sapience myrour of the world/ Odour of good renome/ and glorye of his
subgettis loste alle thyse thynges by his luxurye We haue seen that
dyuerce that were Ioyned by grete amyte to geder whiles they were sobre/
that that one wolde put his body in paryll of deth for that other/ and
whan they were eschauffed with wyn & dronke/ they haue ronne eche vpon
other for to fle* hem/ And somme haue ben that haue slayn so his frende/
Herodes Antipas had not doon saynt Iohn baptist to ben beheded/ ne had
y'e dyner ben full of glotonye and dronkenship/ Balthazar kynge of
babilone had not ben chaced out of his kyngdom ne be slayn yf he had ben
sobre amonge his peple whom tyrus and dares fonde dronken and slewe hym
The hostelers ought to be well bespoken and courtoys of wordes to them
that they receyue in to their loggynge For fayr speche & Ioyous chiere &
debonayr/ cause men to gyue the hostelyer a good name/ And therfore it
is said in a comyn prouerbe/ Courtoyse langage and well saynge is moche
worth and coste lityll/ And in an other place it is said that curtoysie
passeth beaulte/ Also for as moche as many paryls and aduentures may
happen on the wayes and passages to hem that ben herberowed with in
their Innes/ therfore they ought to accompanye them whan they departe
and enseigne them the wayes and telle to them the paryls/ to thende that
they may surely goo theyr viage and Iourney/ And also they ought to kepe
their bodies, their goodes. And the good fame and renomee of their
Innes/ we rede that loth whan he had receyuyd the angels in to his hous
right debonairly whiche he had suppofid had ben mortall men and
stra[=u]gers/ to thende that they shold eskape the disordinate and
vnnaturell synne of lecherye of the sodamites/ by the vertu of good
fayth/ he sette a part the naturell loue of a fader/ and proferd to them
his doughters whiche were virgyns/ to thende that they shld kepe them
and defende them fro that vyllayne and horrible synne/ And knowe y'e for
certayn that alle tho thynges that ben taken and delyueryd to kepe to
the hoste or hostesses they ought to be sauf and yelden agayn wyth out a
payringe For the ooste ought to knowe/ who that entryth in to his hous
for to be herberowhed taketh hit for his habitacion for the tyme/ he
hymself and alle suche thynges as he bryngeth wyth hym ben comysed of
ryght in the warde and kepynge of the hoost or hosteler And ought to be
as sauf as they were put in his owen propre hous And also suche hoostis
ought to hold seruantes in their houses whiche shold be trewe and wyth
oute auarice In suche wise that they coueyte not to haue the goodes of
their ghestes And that they take not away the prouender fro theyr horses
whan hyt is gyuen to them/ that by thoccasion therof theyr horsis
perisshe not ne faylle theyr maister whan they haue nede/ and myght
falle in the handes of theyr enemyes/ For than sholde the seruantes
because of that euyll/ wherfore theyr maisters shold see to For wyth
oute doubte this thynge is worse than thefte Hit happend on a tyme in
the parties of lomberdye in the cyte of Iene y't a noble man was logged
in an hostelerye wyth moche compaignye/ And whan they had gyuen
prouendour to their horses/ In the first oure of the nyght, the seruant
of the hous cam secretly to fore y'e horses for to stele away their
prouender/ And whan he cam to the lordes hors/ The hors caught wyth his
teth his Arme and helde hit faste that he myght not escape/ And whan the
theef sawe that he was so strongly holden/ he began to crye for the
grete payne that he suffryd and felte/ In suche wyse that the noble
mannes meyne cam with the hooste/ But in no maner/ ner for ought they
coude doo They coude not take the theef out of the horses mouth vnto the
tyme that the neyghbours whiche were noyed wyth the noyse cam and sawe
hit/ And than the theef was knowen and taken and brought to fore the
Iuge And confessid the feet and by sentence diffinytyf was hanged and
lost his lyf/ And in the same wyse was an other that dyde so/ And the
hors smote hym in the visage/ That the prynte of the horse shoo and
nayles abode euer in his visage/ Another was right cruell and villaynous
fylle at tholouse/ Hit happend a Ionge man and his fader wente a
pilgremage to saynt Iames in Galyce And were logged in an hostelrye of
an euyll hoost and full of right grete couetyse/ In so moche that he
defired and coueyted the goodes of the two pilgrimes And here vpon
auysed hym and put a cuppe of siluer secretly in the male that the yonge
man bare/ And whan they departed oute of their loggynge/ he folowed
after hem and sayd to fore the peple of the court that they had stolen
and born away his cuppe/ And the yonge man excused hym selfe and his
fader/ And sayde they were Innocent of that caas/ And than they serchid
hem and the cuppe was founden in the male of the yonge man And forthwyth
he was dampned to the deth and hanged as a theef/ and this feet doon all
the goodes that langed to the pilgrym were deliuerid to the ooft as
c[=o]fisqued And than the fader wente for to do his pilgremage/ and whan he
cam agayn he muste nedes come & passe by the place where his sone henge
on the gibet And as he cam he complaygned to god and to saynt Iames how
they might suffre this auenture to come vnto his sone,' Anone his sone
that henge spack to his fader And sayde how that saynt Iames had kepte
hym with out harme And bad his fader goo to the Iuge and shewe to hym
the myracle/ And how he was Innocent of thot fayte/ And whan this thynge
was knowen the sone of the pilgryme was taken down fro the gibet/ and
the cause was brought to fore the Iuge And the hooste was accused of the
trayson/ and he confessid his trespaas/ and sayd he dide hit for
couetyse to haue his good And than the Iuge dampned hym for to be hanged
on the same gibet where as the yonge pilgryme was hanged And that I haue
sayd of the seruantes beynge men/ the same I saye of the women as
chambriers and tapsters For semblable caas fille in spayne at saynt
donne of a chamberier/ that put a cup in lyke wyse in the scrippe of a
pilgryme/ be cause he wold not haue a doo wyth her in the synne of
lecherye/ wherfore he was hanged And his fader & moder that were there
with hym wente and dyde her pilgremage/ And whan they cam agayn they
fonde her sone lyuynge/ And whan they wente and told the Iuge/ whiche
Iuge sayd that he wolde not byleue hit tyll a cok and an henne which
rosted on the fyre were a lyue & the cok crewe. And anon they began wexe
a lyue & the cok crewe and began to crowe and to pasture/ and whan the
Iuge sawe this miracle/ he wente and toke doun the sone/ and made the
chamberyer to be taken and to be hanged/ wherfore I saye that the
hoostes ought to hold no tapsters ne chamberyers/ but yf they were good
meure and honeste/ For many harmes may be falle and come by the
disordenat rewle of seruantes.
[Illustration]
_The seventh chapitre of the thirde Tractate treteth of kepars of townes
customers and tolle gaderers &c._
The gardes and kepars of of cytees ben signefied by the .vii. pawn
whiche stondeth in the lyfte side to fore the knyght/ And is formed in
the semblance of a man holdynge in his right hande grete keyes And in
his lifte hande a potte & an elle for to mesure with And ought to haue
on hys gurdell a purse open/ And by the keyes ben signefyed the kepars
of the cytees and townes and comyn offices/ And by the potte and elle
ben signefyed them that haue the charge to weye and mete & mesure truly
And by the purse ben signefyed them that reseyue the costumes. tolles.
scawage. peages/ and duetes of the cytees & townes And thyse peple ben
sette by ryght to fore the knyght/ And hit behoueth that the gardes and
offycers of the townes be taught And enseygned by the knyghtes/ And that
they knowe and enquyre how y'e cytees or townes ben gouerned/ whiche
apperteyneth to be kept and defended by the knyghtes. And first hit
apperteyneth that the kepars of the cyte be dilygente. besy. clere
seeynge and louers of the comyn prouffit & wele/ as well in the tyme of
pees as in the tyme of warre/ They ought allewaye to goo in the cyte and
enquyre of all thynges and ought rapporte to the gouernours of the cyte
suche thynge as they fynde and knowe And suche thynge as apperteyneth
and to the seuerte of the same/ and to den[=o]nce and telle the defaultes
and paryls that ther bee/ And yf hit be in tyme of warre they ought not
to open the yates by nyght to no man/ And suche men as ben put in this
office/ ought to be of good renome. & fame, trewe. and of good
conscience/ In suche maner that they loue them of the Cyte or town/ And
that they put to no man ony blame or vilanye with out cause by enuye.
Couetyse ne by hate/ but they ought to be sory and heuy whan they see
that ony man shold be complayned on for ony cause. For hit happeth ofte
tymes that diuerce officers accuse the good peple fraudulently/ To
thende that they myght haue a thanke & be preysed and to abide stille in
theyr offices And trewly hit is a grete and hye maner of malyse to be in
will to doo euyll and diffame other wyth oute cause to gete glorie to
hymself Also the kepars and officers of cytees ought to be suche that
they suffre no wronges ne vylonyes to fore the Iuges and gouernours of
cytees wyth out cause to be doon to them that ben Innocents/ but they
ought to haue theyr eyen and regarde vnto hym/ that knoweth the hertes
and thoughtes of alle men/ And they ought to drede & doubte hym wyth
oute whos grace theyr wacche and kepynge is nought And that promyseth to
them that doubte hym shall be ewrous & happy/ And by hym ben alle
thynges accomplisshid in good/ Hit is founden in the historyes of rome
that Temperour Frederik the seconde dide do make a gate of marble of
meruayllous werke and entayll in the cyte of capnane vpon the watre that
renneth aboute the same/ and vpon this yate he made an ymage lyke
hymself sittynge in his mageste/ and two Iuges whiche were sette/ one on
the right side and that other on the lifte side. And vpon the sercle
aboue the hede of the Iuge on y'e ryght side was wreton/ Alle they entre
seurly that will liue purely/ And vpon the sercle of the Iuge on the
lifte side was wreton/ The vntrewe man ought to doubte/ to doo thynge
that he be put to prison fore/ and on the sercle aboue thempour was
wreton/ I make them live in misery/ that I see lyue dismesurably/ And
therfore hit apperteyneth to a Iuge to shewe to the peple for to drede
and doubte to doo eyull/ And hit apperteyneth to the gardes and officers
to doubte the Iuges and to do trewly their seruyces and offices And hit
apperteyneth to a prynce to menace the traytours and the malefactours of
right greuous paynes. And herof we fynde in the auncyent historyes of
cecylle that the kynge denys had a broder whom he louyd sore well/ But
allway where he wente he made heuy and tryste semblant/ And thus as they
wente bothe to gyder on a tyme in a chare/ ther cam agayn hem two poure
men wyth glad visage but in foule habite/ And y'e kynge anon as he sawe
them/ sprange out of his chare and resseyuyd them worshipfully with
grete reuerence/ wherfore his barons were not only ameruaylled but also
angry in their corages/ notwithstandynge fere and drede letted them to
demande hym the cause/ But they made his broder to demande the cause and
to knowe the certaynte/ And whan he had herde his broder saye to hym the
demande/ and that he was blessyd & also a kynge whiche was ryche and
full of delites & worshipis/ he demanded hym yf he wold assaye & knowe
the grace and beneurte of a kynge And his broder answerd y'e/ And that he
desired and requyred hit of hym/ and than the kinge comanded vnto alle
his fugettis that they shold obeye in alle thynges only vnto his broder
And than whan the oure of dyner cam and alle thynge was redy/ the broder
was sette at the table of the kynge And whan he sawe that he was seruyd
wyth right noble botelliers and other officers. And he herde the sownes
of musicque right melodious The kynge demanded hym than/ yf he supposid
y't he were benerous and blessid. And he answerd I wene well that I am
right well blessid and fortunat/ and that I haue well proued and fele
and am expert therof And than the kynge secretly made to be hanged ouer
his heed a sharp cuttynge swerde hangynge by an hors heer or a silken
threde so small that no man myght see hit where by hit henge/ and whan
he sawe his broder put no more his hand to the table/ ne had no more
regarde vnto his seruantes/ he sayd to hym why ete y'e not/ ar y'e not
blessid/ saye yf y'e fele ony thynge otherwyse than blessid and well/ And
he answerde for as moche as I see this sharp swerde hangynge so subtilly
and parillously ouer my hede I fele well that I am not blessid for I
drede that hit shold falle on my hede/ and than discouerd the kynge vnto
hem alle wherfore he was allway so heuy cherid and triste For where he
was/ he thought alleway on the swerde of the secrete vengeance of god/
whiche he behelde alleway in his herte/ wherfore he had all way in
hymself grete drede And therfore he worshipid gladly the poure peple
wyth glad visage and good conscience And by this sheweth the kynge well/
that what man that is all way in drede is not all way mery or blessid.
And herof fayth Quyntilian that this drede surmounteth alle other
maleurtees and euyllys/ For it is maleurte of drede nyght and day/ And
it is verite that to hym that Is doubtid of moche peple/ so muste he
doubte moche/ And that lord is lasse than hys seruantes that dredeth hys
seruantes/ And truly hit Is a ryght sure thynge to drede no thinge but
god/ And sumtyme right hardy men ben constrayned to lyue in drede/ Drede
causeth a man to be curyous and besy to kepe the thynges that ben
commysed to hym that they perisshe not/ But to be to moche hardy & to
moche ferdfull/ bothe two ben vices The comyn officers ought to be wise,
discrete. and well aduysed in suche wyse that they take not of y'e peple
ne requyre no more than they ought to haue by reson/ ne that they take
of the sellars ne of the byars no more than the right custom and toll/
for they bere the name of a c[=o]mun þsone/ and therfore ought they
to shewe them c[=o]mune to all men/ and for as moche as the byars and
sellars haue somtyme moche langage/ they ought to haue with them these
vertues/ that is to wete pacience and good corage with honeste/ for they
that ben despiteus to the c[=o]mun/ ben otherwhile had in vilayns
despite/ therfore beware y't thou haue no despite to the poure
mendicants/ yf thou wilt come and atteyne to thingis fouerayn/ for the
Iniurye that is don wyth oute cause/ torneth to diffame hym that doth
hit/ A Iogheler on a tyme beheld socrates and sayd to hym/ thou hast the
eyen of corrumpour of children & art as a traytre. And whan his
disciples herde hym/ they wold auengid their maister/ But he repreuyd
hem by suche sentence saynge/ Suffre my felaws for I am he and suche one
as he saith/ by the sight of my visage/ But I refrayne and kepe me well
from suche thynge/ This same socrates hymself was chidde and right fowll
spoken to of his wyf/ and she Imposid to hym many grete Iniuries with
out nombre/ and she was in a place a boue ouer his heed And whan she had
brawlid I nowh/ she made her watre and pourid hit on his heed And he
answerd to here no thynge agayn/ sauf whan he had dryed and wypid his
heed he said/ he knewe well that after suche wynde and thonder sholde
comen rayn and watre And the philosophres blamed hym that he coude not
gouerne two women/ that was his wyf and his chambrere/ And shewde hym
that one cokke gouerned well .xv. hennes He answerd to them that he was
so vsed and accustomed wyth theyr chydynge that the chydynges of them ne
of estrangers dyde hym no greef ne harme/ gyue thou place to hym that
brawleth or chydeth/ and in suffrynge hym thou shalt be his
vaynquysshour/ And Cathon fayth whan thou lyuyst ryghtfully recche the
not of the wordes of euyll peple/ And therfore it is sayd in a comyn
prouerbe/ he that well doth reccheth not who seeth hit/ & hit is not in
our power to lette men to speke. And prosper sayth that to good men
lacketh no goodnes/ ner to euyll men tencions stryfs and blames And
pacience is a ryght noble vertu/ as a noble versifier sayth That
pacience is a ryght noble maner to vaynquysshe. For he that suffreth
ouercometh. And yf thou wylt vaynquysshe and ouercome/ lerne to suffre/
The peagers ner they that kepe passages ought not to take other peage ne
passage money but suche as the prynce or the lawe haue establisshid/ so
that they be not more robbeurs of moneye than reseyuours of peage and
passage And hit apperteyneth to them to goo out of the paryllo*9 weyes
and doubteuous for to kepe their office and they ought to Requyre theyr
passage of them that owe to paye hit wyth oute noynge and contencion/
And they ought not to loue the comyn prouffyt so moche/ That they falle
in the hurtynge of theyr conscience/ For that shold be a manere of
robberye And herof sayth ysaye Woo to the that robbest/ For thou thy
self shalt be robbed/ The gardes or porters of the gates of cytees and
of the comyn good ought to be good and honeste. And alle trouthe ought
to be in them and they ought not to take ne withdrawe the goodes of the
comyn that they haue in kepynge/ more than apperteyneth to them for
theyr pension or ffee/ So that they that ben made tresorers and kepars
ben not named theuys/ For who that taketh more than his/ He shall neuer
thryue wyth alle/ ner shall not enioye hit longe/ For of euyll gooten
good the thyrde heyr shall neuer reioyce/ And this suffisith &c.
[Illustration]
_This chapitre of the thirder book treteth of Rybauldis players of dyse
and messagers and corrours_
The rybaulders, players of dyse and of messagers and corrours ought to
be sette to fore the rook/ For hit apperteyneth to the rook whiche is
vicayre & lieutenant of the kynge to haue men couenable for to renne
here and there for tenquyre & espie the place and cytees that myght be
contrarye to the kynge/ And thys pawn that representeth thys peple ought
to be formed in this maner/ he must haue the forme of a man that hath
longe heeris and black and holdeth in his ryght hand a lityll monoye And
in his lyfte hande thre Dyse And aboute hym a corde in stede of a
gyrdell/ and ought to haue a boxe full o lettres And by the first/
whiche is money is vnderstand they that be fole large & wastours of
theyr goodes/ And by the seconde whiche is the dyse Ben represented the
players at dyse/ Rybauldes and butters/ And by the thyrde whiche is the
boxe full of lettres ben representid the messagers. corrours/ And berars
of lettres/ And y'e shall vnderstande that the roock whiche is vicaire of
the kynge whan he seeth to fore hym suche peple as ben folelarge and
wastours. He is bounden to constitute and ordeyne vpon them tutours and
curatours to see that they etc not ne waste in suche maner theyr goodes
ne theyr heritages/ that pouerte constrayne hem not to stele/ For he
that of custome hath had haboundance of moneye and goth and dispendith
hit folily and wasteth hit away/ whan he cometh to pouerte and hath
nought/ he must nedes begge and axe his breed, orellis he must be a
theef/ For suche maner of peple/ yf they haue ben delicyous they wyll
not laboure/ for they haue not lerned hit And yf they be noble and comen
of gentilmen/ they be ashamed to axe and begge/ And thus muste they by
force whan they haue wasted theyr propre goodes yf they wyll lyue they
muste stele and robbe the goodes of other And y'e shall vnderstande that
folelarge is a right euyll vice/ for how well that she dooth good and
prouffyt somtyme to other yet she doth harme and domage to hym that so
wasteth. Caffiodore admonesteth the fole larges to kepe theyr thynges/
that by no necessite they falle in pouerte/ And that they be not
constrayned to begge ne to stele of other men For he faith that hit is
gretter subtilte to kepe well his owne goodes/ than to fynde strange
thynge/ and that it is gretter vertue to kepe that is goten than to gete
and wynne more/ and claudian saith in like wise in his book that hit is
a gretter thynge & better to kepe that is goten Than to gete more And
therfore hit is sayd y't the poure demandeth and beggeth er he felith/
and also hit is sayd that he y't dispendith more than he hath/ with oute
strook he is smyten to the deth/ Ther was a noble man named Iohn de
ganazath whiche was ryght ryche/ And this man had but two doughters whom
he maryed to two noble men/ And whan he had maryed them/ he loued so
well his sones in lawe their husbondes/ that in space & succession of
tyme/ he departed to them alle his goodes temporell/ And as longe as he
gaf to them they obeyed hym & were right diligent to plese and serue
hym/ so hit befell that on a tyme that he had alle gyuen in so moche
that he had ryght nought/ Than hit happend that they to whom he had
gyuen his goodes/ whiche were wonte to be amyable & obeyssant to hym as
longe as he gaf. Whan tyme cam that he was poure and knewe that he had
not they becam unkynde Disagreable and disobeyssant/ And whan the fader
sawe that he was deceyuyd by his debonayrte and loue of his doughters/
He desired and couetyed fore teschewe his pouerte/ At laste he wente to
a marchant that he knewe of olde tyme. And requyred hym to lene to hym.
x. thousand pound for to paye and rendre agayn wyth in thre dayes/ And
he lente hit hym/ and whan he had brought hit in to his hows/ Hit
happend that hit was a day of a solempne feste/ on whiche daye he gaf to
his doughters and her hufbonde a right noble dyner/ and after dyner he
entrid in to his chambre secretly wyth them/ And drewe out of a coffre
that he had do make all newe shettynge with iii. lockis/ the menoye that
the marchant had lente hym And poured out vpon a tapyte that his
doughtres and theyr hufbondes myght see hit/ And whan he had shewid hit
vnto them he put hit vp agayn and put hit in to the cheste saynynge that
hit had ben all his And whan they were departed he bare the money home
to the marchant that he had borowed hit of/ And the next day after his
doughters and theyre hufbondes Axid of hym how moche moneye was in the
cheste that was shette wyth. iii. lockis/ And than he fayned and saide
that he had therein. xxv. thousand pound/ whiche he kepte for to make
his testament and for to leue to his doughters and hem/ yf they wolde
here hem as well to hym ward as they dyde whan they were maried/ And
than whan they herde that/ they were right Ioyous and glad And they
thoughte and concluded to serue hym honorably as well in clothynge as in
mete and drynke & of alle other thynges necessarye to hym vnto his ende
And after this whan the ende of hym began tapproche/ he callyd his
doughters and her husbondes and sayd to hem in thys mauere/ y'e shall
vnderstande that the moneye that is in the chest shette vnder. iii.
lockes I wylle leue to yow Sanynge I wyll that y'e gyue in my prefence er
I dye whilis I lyue to the frere prechours. C. pound and to the frere
menours. C. pound/ And to the heremytes of saynt Augustyn .I. pound to
thende that whan I am buryed and put in the erthe y'e may demande of them
the keyes of y'e cheste where my tresour is Inne/ whiche keyes they
kepe/ and I haue put on eche keye a bille & writynge In witnessinge of
the thynges abouesayd/ And also y'e shall vnderstande that he dyde do to
be gyuen whilis he laye in his deth bedde to eche churche and recluse
and to poure peple a certayn quantyte of moneye by the handes of his
doughters husbondes/ whiche they dyde gladly. In hope to haue shortly
the money that they supposid had ben in the cheste/ And whan hit cam to
the last day/ that he deyde/ He was born to churche and his exequye don
and was buryed solempnly/ And the eyght daye the seruyse worshipfully
accomplisshid/ They wente for to demande the keyes of the Religious men
that they had kept/ whiche were deliueryd to them/ And than they wente
and opend the coffre where they supposid the money had ben Inne/ And
there they fonde no thyng but a grete clubbe/ And on the the handlynge
was wreton/ J Iohn of canazath make this testament/ that he be slayn
wyth this clubbe/ that leuyth his own prouffit. And gyuyth hit to other/
as who sayth hit is no wysedom for a man to gyue his good to his
children and kepe none for hym self/ And y'e shall vnderstande that it is
grete folye to dispende and waste his good/ In hope for to recoure hit
of other/ be hit of sone or doughter or ryght nyghe kyn/ For aman ought
to kepe in his hande in dispendynge his owen goodes/ to fore he see that
he dyspende other mennys/ And he ought not to be holden for a good man/
That hath lityll renome and spendeth many thyngys/ And I trowe that
suche persones wold gladly make noueltees as for to noye and greue
feignories and meue warres and tencions agaynst them that habounde in
rychesses and goodes/ And also make extorcyons clamours & trybulacyons
ayenst theyr lordes to thende to waste the goodes of the peple. lyke as
they haue wasted theyris And suche a wastour of goodes may neuer be good
for the comyn prouffit. And y'e shall vnderstande that after these
wastours of goodes we saye that the pleyars of dyse and they that vse
bordellis ben worst of alle other For whan the hete of playnge at the
dyse/ And the couetyse of theyr stynkynge lecherye hath brought hem to
pouerte/ hit foloweth by force that they muste ben theuys and robbeurs
And also dronkenship. glotonye. And alle maner of euyllis folowe them
and myschief/ And they folowe gladly the companyes of knyghtes and of
noble men whan they goon vnto the warre or batayllis And they coueyte
not so moche the victorye as they do the robberie And they do moche
harme as they goo And they brynge lityll gayn or wynnynge/ wherof hit
happend on a tyme that fsaynt bernard rode on an hors aboute in the
contrey And mette wyth an hasardour or dyse-player/ whiche sayd to hym/
thou goddes man wilte thou playe at dyse wyth me thyn hors ayenst my
sowle/ to whom saynt Bernard answerd/ yf thou wilt oblige thy sowle to
me ayenst my hors/ I wolle a lighte doun & playe wyth the/ and yf thou
haue mo poyntes than I on thre dyse I promyse the thou shalt haue myn
hors/ And than he was glad/ and an[=o]n cafte. iii. dyse/ And on eche dyse
was a fyfe/ whiche made. xviii. poynts And anone he toke the hors by the
brydell/ as he that was fewr that he had wonne/ and said that the hors
was his And than saynt Bernard sayde abyde my sone For ther ben mo
poyntes on the dyse than. xviii. And than he caste the dyse/ In suche
wyse that one of the. iii. dyse clefte a sonder in the myddes/ And on
that one parte was fyfe and on that other an Aas/ And eche of that other
was a fyfe/ And than Saynt Bernard sayde That he had wonne hys sowle for
as moche as he had caste on thre dyse. xix. points/ And than whan thys
player sawe and apperceyuyd thys myracle/ He gaf hys sowle to saynt
Bernard and be cam a monke and finysshid his lyf in good werkes/ The
corrours and berars of lettres ought hastely and spedily do her viage
that comanded hem/ with oute taryenge/ For their taryenge might noye and
greue them that sende hem forth/ or ellis them to whom they ben sent
too/ And torne hem to ryght grete domage or villonye/ for whiche cause
euery noble man ought well to take hede to whom he deliuere his lettres
and his mandements/ and otherwhilis suche peple ben Ioghelers &
dronkelewe/ And goon out of their waye for to see abbayes and noble men
for to haue auantage And hit happeth ofte tymes/ that whan suche
messagers or currours ben enpesshid by ony taryenge/ That other currours
bere lettres contrarye to his/ And come to fore hym/ of which thinges
ofte tymes cometh many thinges discouenable of losse of frendes of
castellys & of lande & many other thinges as in the feet of marchandise
&c. And otherwhile hit happeth that a prynce for the faulte of suche
messangers lefeth to haue victorye vpon hys enemyes/ And also ther ben
some that whan they come in a cyte where they haue not ben to fore/ that
ben more besy to visyte the Cyte and the noble men that dwelle theryn/
Than they ben to doo theyr voyage/ whyche thynge they ought not to doo/
But yf they had specyall charge of them that sente hem forth so to doo.
And also whan they be sente forth of ony lordes or marchauntes they
ought to be well ware/ that they charge hem not wyth ouer moche mete on
morenynges ne with to moche wyn on euenynges/ wherby her synewis and
vaynes myght be greuy/ that they muste for faute of good rewle tarye But
they ought to goo and come hastely for to reporte to their maistres
answers as hit apperteyneth And this suffisen of the thynges aboue sayd.