one of his officers to bring that vnthankefull fellowe vnto him in all the haste possible and also sent for the honest and charitable man to come béefore him and when they were come the Iudge said to the honest and charitable man Doe you know this fellow Yea my Lorde I knowe him saide he By what occasion were you acquainted with him saide the Iudge tell truth and looke that you doe not fable with me in any wise Well saide hée séeing youre Lordship commaundes me I will doe it which otherwise I woulde be loath to doe As I rode by the way not very long since I heard one grone pitifully by the sound whereof I came to the place where this fellowe didde lye on the grounde both extreame colde and verye sicke whome I carryed home to my house and there wyth suche as I had I did nourishe and cherishe him and by Gods helpe gote him hys former strength againe And this is the very occasion that I was acquainted wyth hym Then sayde the Iudge euery one findeth not such a commoditie at their first acquaintaunce as he did Howe sayste thou said the Iudge to the poore fellowe is this true Yea my Lorde I can not deny it thou haddest better lucke saide the Iudge than many an honester man than thou hathe But haddest thou neuer occasion to shewe hym anye fryendshippe or pleasure since that time No my Lord sayd the fellowe Take héede saide the Iudge that you lye not for if you make a lye before me I will make you that you shall neither lye nor tell trueth of a good while after Then the Iudge sayde to the godly man that was so friendly to him tell mée whether it lay in his power since to haue shewed you pleasure or not Then he saide indéede my Lorde it laye once in his power since to haue done me pleasure to whome the Iudge sayde then there is no doubte but he did it Why do you not tel me did he it or not then he saide to the Iudge as I could be contente not to vtter the trueth euen so I am loath to tel youre Lordshippe a lye Truely he did it not Then said the Iudge to the fellow How sayst thou to this then the fellow sayd truely my Lord as I went hastily by the way vpon great and waightie businesse I sawe one lye vnder his Horsse in a little shallow place but I did not knowe that this manne was he Then saide the Iudge Diddest thou neuer speake with this man since that time No forsooth my Lorde sayde he to whome the Iudge aunsweared Howe dosâ—e thou knowe nowe more that it was he than thou knewest then that it was he then the fellowe hanged downe hys heade and was ashamed to speake whereat the Iudge sinyled and all that were there This felowe saide the Iudge hath vttered the trueth againste his will thoughe he woulde lye hys tongue will not lye And then the Iudge said to the godly manne What aunswere made he you when you craued his helpe truly my Lord I haue too great hast to tarry nowe to helpe you to whome I aunsweared againe aâ— my friend I did not vse you thus I care not for that said he doe you thinke that I haue nothing else to doe but to tarry here to helpe you Let theÌ„ that come after helpe you if they wil and so churlishly he departed And if this good man a méere stranger to me had not come by as God woulde and helped me I knowe not to what extreamitie I hadde béene driuen Then saide the Iudge this man hath done good two manner of wayes the one is which was duetye in helping you vppe being fallen vnder your horse the other is in vttering to me the intollerable ingratitude of this pestiferous person come neare to me saide the Iudge to the fellowe Suppose this good man in that distresse had bene vnknowen and a straunger to thée as it is most sure thou didst knowe him as appeareth both by thy answere then made vnto him and by thine owne wordes vttered here before vs all yet is that a sufficient excuse that therfore thou shouldest not help him in his necessitie or saue his life this good and charitable man that founde thée almost dead was a méere straunger to thée and neuer knewe thée before and wouldst thou haue thought it a good and sufficient aunswere and bin well pleased withall if he shoulde then haue saide vnto thée I am but a stranger to thée and knowe thée not and therfore lette some of thy kinred friendes or other that knowe thée help succour and reléeue thée I haue other businesse with my mo ney than to bestowe it vpon thée Howe saist thou woulde this aunsweare haue pleased thée or not but the fellowe answered neuer a worde Then saide the Iudge thou doest well to holde thy peace for else eyther thou muste incurre the danger of lying or condemne thy self by saying of truth thou varlet pitty would haue compelled anye body that had altogither a stony hart to haue stayed so long to help a shéep or a beast but much more his Christan brother but most of al suche a friend that so lately had saued his life Couldest thou suffer him to perish that lately did preserue thée couldest thou suffer him to lye in daunger that so louingly didde rydde thée out of daunger couldest thou to spare thy shorte labor without one peny expence suffer hym to die that both with the labour of hys body the care of his minde and the spending of his substaunce did make thée to liue Consider the dumbe Dogge whose kindenesse is suche to his friend and Maister that no gifte can procure hym no meate can moue him nor no way can winne him to forsake his friende or Maister no thoughe he beate hym and shall wée then that are reasonable creatures the Image of God the members of Christe the children of GOD and the brethren of Christ flye from our friendes whome oure finger maye helpe that with body and goodes did defend vs from death shall wée make our selues worse than Dogges that GOD doeth preferre before the Aungels haue not some Dogges loued their friendes and Maisters so well that they haue leapt into great waters rather endaungering themselues to be drowned to followe their friendes and Maisters than to tary behind them with the safegard of their liues Some Dogges haue had suche a feruent loue to their friende and Maister that after their death they haue neuer eaten any meate and so haue dyed for sorrowe Some also haue scraped vp the earth where their maisters were buried and so haue buryed themselues in their Maysters graues and what saye you to that Dogge that loued his friend and Maister so alyue that burned hymselfe to death on hote coales when his Maister was dead Nowe if these dumbe Dogges brute beastes and vnreasonable creatures that knowe not howe a good tourne should bée recompenced that knowe not a méete rewarde
Christ who would haue him their friend at the last day let them follow him in humilitie loue mercie modestie and patience going soberly decently attired And sometimes he thundreth forth Gods threatnings vengeaÌ„ce of eternall damnation in hel fire to such as did continue in pride couetousnesse enuy hatred vnmercifulnesse vncleannesse filthi nesse drunkennesse idlenesse in other sins and vices that they were wonderfully altred immediatly after the sermoÌ„ For some weÌ„t wéeping away lamenting repenting their sins some did holde vp their hands looked vp to Heauen desiring God to seÌ„d them his spirit to guide them in a new kind of life And some séeyng their fond gawdy going dyd hold down their heads being maruelously ashamed therof the sequele whereof shewed that it was not fained for y e next time they came to the Churche or Sermon there was such a maruelous change that the preacher thanked God wept for ioy for the richer sort did cast off their too sumptuous costly gawdy gazing attyre came in such modest decent apparell as was rather vnder than aboue their degrée they ript their costly gawdy garmentes solde the same to such as would buy it for other necessary vses y e mony wherof they distributed amoÌ„g the pore And the inferior sort that were not able to buy new garments altered their old into a decent fashion according to their degrée so that there was neuer such a chaÌ„ge in such a short time I beléeue SIVQILA Suche a change God sende vs I feare it will neuer come it hath bin so long a comming I haue séen gret changes with vs betwéen one Sermon and an other in one place for where the Preacher persuaded them gently and cryed out against them vehemently for their proude sumptuous and gaudie attyre yea and in such sort that it would haue made the very Infidels to haue relented truly at the next Sermon after they were more costly prowdly more gawdely attyred with more newer and fonder fashioÌ„s than before And was not this a change as wel as yours OMEN But not so good as ours SIVQILA Surely yours was a wonderful good change I feare it is Too good to be true OMEN And truely yours is a maruellous euill change and I thinke it is Too euil to be false SIVQILA The more euil it is the more néed to be false and the more good the more néede to be true Wel though commonly there is such excesse of apparell suche gawdy going and such pecockly new fashions euery day for al the preaching and teaching yet your alteration taketh place in some of our people OMEN It is an euil soile that bréeds nothing but sin It is an euil winter that hath neuer a fair day that is a mad kind of people that are al giuen to pride Surely such braue attire and such shifting fashions must néeds aske great cost great cost wil quickly consume So that I beléeue by these your sayings many thereby are broughte into suche a consumption that they are houselesse landlesse their purses penilesse and they at length meatlesse then they néed not feare to faint in their furres nor to be sicke of surffetings one good turne they shal haue besids they shal not be troubled with taxes and subsedies nor with paying of house reÌ„t and some of them besides may boldly brag that they haue spent as muche in one yeare as their fathers got in twenty SIVQILA They that can make these brags may be bold to beg their bread surely if there were no preaching at all me thinks reason should rule them their own wits should wil them and the want of wasters might warn them from being so prodigall and spending so vainely OMEN What wil you say to them that are so bewitcht for vnlesse they were so they woulde neuer do so A maruelous thing that they wil pay so deare for Gods displeasure to spend so much to séeke their owne sorrow to go a while gaye to begge euer after But truely if they knew the price of Gods displeasure they wold rather go naked than weare such attire and though they thinke that they shal be disdayned and mocked if they do not goe according to the fashion yet many do mocke them bicause they go so out of fashion SIVQILA What more fondnesse than to bestow mony to be mocked certainely if the auntient fathers that lyued vertuously that went decently and fared temperatly were aliue at this preseÌ„t they wold maruel at the going of many Truly our father Adam which was Lord of y â— whole earth had but a leather Pelte to couer his nakednesse and to kéep him from the cold and God thought it good inough for him else he wold haue giuen him a better to weare and he was wel pleased withal But now many that haue scante a village of their owne yea and a great deale lesse than that do so vaunte themselues in their veluets and so sway in their sâ—â—kes that one woulde take them vnlesse they knew them to be rather superiors than subiectes And whereas one of y â— causes why Adam did weare hys garmentes was to hide or couer his vndecent partes they haue turned the vse of their garments quyte an other way and weares them for plaine pride So that they are proud of that that shoulde make theÌ„ ashamed Who woulde be proud of the shéete he weares in doing his penaunce OMEN None but fooles I thinke vnlesse he be proud for the offence he committed For his offeÌ„ce is the cause why he doth weare the shéete So that the shéete should rather put him in minde of his offence whyche made hym weare the shéete than to be proud of the shéete SIVQILA Euen so the wearing of our garments should rather make vs remember our imperfections our vndecent parts and our vilenesse the rather to allure vs from pride than thereby to be proud OMEN You haue spoken the truth with much reason It is strange that that should puffe vp our hearts that should plucke downe our hearts SIVQILA I pray you do your people kéepe one fashion and order in their apparell OMEN What else for if any with vs happe to change the fashion of his apparel and goe otherwise than the auncient custome of our Countrey doth allow he shall not onely bée pointed at and mocked therfore but also noted of suche inconstancie that he shal neuer after be called into any office or place of credite And furthermore he shall loose halfe hys goods which shal be distributed for the reléefe of the poore for that he séemed to disdaine the fashion of his forefathers It séemes by your former talke that either you haue no suche lawe or it is not so kept SIVQILA No truely we haue no such order for so many fancies so many fashions with vs. Or euer one garment is worne an other newe fashion is come
shalt loue thy neyghbour as thy selfe whyche if I ought to doe then I must not haue my neighbor to lose to make my selfe to winne For his losing by that meanes can not be my winning Therefore thoughe I séeme to winne by his losse yet I lose as wel as he Loue biddeth me rather lose to make my brother win and Hate bids me win with my neighbors losse therefore if I loue my neighbour as my selfe then I cannot win with his losse thoughe I séeme to win theÌ„ I must néeds lose if he lose Thus it is proued that he that doeth winne at play is a loser And also he that winneth at Dice or at any other game whereby any hath losse that playeth with hym léeseth the fauour of God bicause he fauoureth not him that hée playeth withall as himselfe and doth laughe wyth his losse which shewes he doth rather loath thaÌ„ loue his neighbour And further he that winneth at Dice or at any other kind of game loseth Time a pretious treasure not to be recouered againe in which time whiles he was doing of euil in playing he shoulde haue vsed some godly exercise Thus he that winneth at Dice or at any other game is a thréefold loser Now if they that thinke themselues winners be such great losers as I haue proued then I count them more fonder than fooles that wil play at Dice or at any other game where the loser is hurt or hindred thereby Therefore if the winners muste néedes make an accompt that they are such great loosers then the loosers by no meanes can proue they are winners So that if these Diceplayers and other gréedie gamesters woulde be ruled by me they should leaue Diceplaying and such like which are the games of the Diuell and fal to perfect prayer the exercise of the sonne of God If Diceplayers and other vaine gamsters did déepely discerne what gaine Dicing Carding and other couetous gaming do bring they would shunne them as a Serpent and detest them as the Diuel For first this Diceplay such like doth kindle Gods furie it spendes the time vainly it enticeth to enuy it consumes goods immoderatly it makes meÌ„ sweare horribly it freats the minde wonderfully it brings age vntimely it maketh a néedelesse necessitie it bringeth the rich to pouertie it tempteth a great sorte to théeuerie it helpeth many to hanging spéedily it maketh many liue miserably and I feare it driueth some to dye desperately al whiche do please the Diuel excéedingly OMEN These are braunches that suche Brambles doe beare If this be y e gain that groweth of Dicing or gaming a man can not wel put his son to a worse occupation than it Wel if you would execute the law for Dicing and suche other gaming that we haue you shoulde haue as fewe Dicers and other vnthrifâ—ie gamsters as we haue to marke it so I like your lawes excéeding well and I like the executing of them as well I pray you sir are the Lords and Ladies and suche like curteous gentle and affable with you OMEN Maruellous as euer you knew the more higher of degrée with vs the more curteous affable and gentle if there may be any excéeding therin The Lords Ladies other higher powers with vs haue alway in their mind that Christ the sonne of God was as wel borne as they especially on the fathers side and is of as high a degrée as the best King or Emperour on the Erth none excepted If I said one degrée higher I lyed not And they séeing that hée being the sonne of God was moste humble gentle and méeke of all other doe thinke that it were a méere madnes for them to be haughtie stubborne proude and stout They remember hâ—â— words very wel which saide Learne of me for I am humble and meeke And bycause they knowe that they can learne of none better than of him therefore they doe learne by him to be humble and méeke And I beléeue they shall gaine more at length by learning humblenesse méekenesse of him than by learning proudnesse and stoutenesse of the Diuel SIVQILA Are all your Nobilitie of that humilitie you speake of OMEN What else For it is as harde a thing to fynde with vs a haughty heart in the Nobilitie a lostie looke in the Ladies or a disdainefull countenaunce in the Gentlemen or their wiues as it is to finde a méeke mind in a froward woman a chast heart in a Harlot or liberalitie in a niggard â—or Sâ—udge SIVQ. Truly there are many such noble men Ladies Gentlemen and GentlewomeÌ„ with vs but I wil not say that all are so least happily I may be found a lyar Then belike they brag not of their bloude are not stoute of theyr stocke or proude of their progeny OMEN That were as though a scuruy iade should brag bycause he came of the race of Bucephalus Greate Alexanders Horsse none doe winne estimation with vs by the exploytes of other but by their owne deserts as good reason is else might manye lewde lozels loke loftily bicause they descended long since of the liue of some Lorde Naye wyth vs he that will haue prayse himselfe muste winne prayse himselfe and he that will be counted a Gentleman must vse himselfe like a Gentleman and I thinke there is none so fonde with you that meanes to merite by other mennes manners that will prate of their parentes that treade not in their steppes and will bragge of that thing they neuer did SIVQILA Thinke you so in déede then you are muche deceyued I tell you there are suche with vs and that not a fewe OMEN Then I must néeds count them fooles that brag of burthens that other men beare SIVQILA I will assure you that manye with vs will boaste of their byrth that cannot boast of their life that wil blaze out their Pedigrée that knowe not Gentilitie and that wil-prate of their Progenie that is shame to their kindred OMEN Such kinde of persons is vanitie of Uanityes What prayse can it be to a Peare trée to bryng foorthe a Crab and what dispraise for a Crab trée to bring foorthe a Peare Truly the Crab is a discommendation to y â— Peare trée that bare it and the Peare is a commendation to the Crab trée that bare it Euen so a proude and statelye sonne is a dishonoure to the gentle Parentes but a gentle son of good and worthye qualities is an honoure to his vngentle Parentes And truelye one borne of a poore parentage that doeth chaunce to aspire to promotion by Learnyng Uertue and good qualities is to be reuerenced and estéemed and he that procéedes from a greate parentage and falleth to pouertie miserie or mischiefe thoroughe ryot wickednesse or his owne follie is not to be estéemed but rather to be reproued For as the one bringeth the firste fame to hys pore kindred so the other bringeth the fâ—â—ste shame to his riche progenie SIVQILA You haue spoken both truly and