treasoure that he myght leue to vs. For he gaue hym selfe to vs as the moost fayrest Iewel that he myght gyue to vs. And we ought deuoutly / clenly / reuerently kepe hym without synne / of this breed of auÌ„gelles we ought euery daye to vse for the loue of hyÌ„ / and in mynde of his holy passyon / he is verely ours For noo maner thynge may he taken away frome vs ayenst the wyll of ours / that is of hymselfe / we doo call our breed cotydyan / the whiche is for to saye of euery day / that is for to vnderstande the cotydyan dystrybucyon the whiche he gyueth to his preestes relygious people eche day whiche done his seruyses and synge his masses and his houres / that is to all good crysten men and wymmen that euery daye by veray loue deuoutely make remenbraunce of the dolorous passyon of Ihesu Cryste that he suffred for vs ¶ The groos of the prouende of this brede of aungellys we take in haruest / that is in heuen whan we shall see the swete Ihesu Cryst dyscouerd / in his ryght grete beaule lyke as he is Therfore is it sayd cotydyan / that euery daye is to vs necessarye And euery one ought to take the holy sacrament of the aulter lyke as done the preestys / whiche ben therto ordeyned ¶ Or otherwyse euery good crysten man or woman ought to take hym by ryght fayth This brede is ryght precyous / ryght noble and ryght well arayed This is meteryall in whiche ben all maner of delyces and all good sauours lyke as sayth the boke of sapyence This is none erthely mete that ought to be gyuen to raskayll / but to hertes gentyll and noble whiche ben purged clensed fro all ordure of synne by veray repentauÌ„ce / by deuoute confessyon / and by entyer satysfaccion and penaunce ✿ ¶ Of the vertue of this brede of aungellys sayth saynt mathe we theuangelyst / and calleth it brede sursubstancyall That is to saye / that it passeth and surmounteth all substaunce and all creatures of praysynge and of vertue / of all dygnytees / and in all maners of valure Nor none may better name it ne descryue it ne more suffysauÌ„tlye than to calle it / brede sursubstancyall ¶ It is sayd that a mete is substaÌ„cyous / whaÌ„ there is therin ynough of substaunce and of nourysshynge And for soo moche more as it is nourysshynge / so moche more it is sayd that it is substancyall ¶ And by cause that in this precyous brede of Aungellys is more of nourysshynge of vertue / and of good than euer may be thought and sayd is not sayd onelye that it is substancyous bytwene ony vnderstondynge supposynge / but it is sayd sursubstancious This brede requyre we at our good fader Ihesu Cryst and we praye hym that he wyl gyue it to vs in this day that is in this present mortall lyfe / to th ende that we may make a good Iourneye / and abyde more gladly our rewarde / that is in the ende of our lyfe the glorye pardurable of heuen ¶ Here foloweth the .v. petycyon request of the holy pater noster Ca. lxxxiii DImitte nobis debita nrÌ„a sicut et nos dimittimê° debitoribus nrÌ„is In this request petycyon we requyre and demaunde our good fader of heuen / that he wyl pardone forgyue vs our syÌ„nes our trespaces / lyke as we forgyue them that haue trespasced to vs / or that trespace to vs Thenne we saye thus Fayre fader quyte to vs our dettes lyke as we quyte our detters Our dettes be our synnes whiche we haue encreased vpon our soules This is the best and moost dere wedde that we may fyne / wherof the synner for one deedly synne whiche is soone passed as too the delyte / or as touchynge the dede is bounden to so grete vsure that he hath no power to paye ne to fynysshe / that is the payne of helle whiche is without ende ¶ After he oweth vnto god whom he hath dyspleased so grete amendes that he hath noo power for to paye it For in all his lyfe yf he lyued an hondred yere or more he myght ne coude not make suffysaunâ— penaunce For one deedly synne onely / yf god wolde vse his ryght full Iustyce / it sholde neuer be forgyuen to the ¶ And therfore it byhoueth that in bytter and grete repentaunce the wycked synner retorne vnto the mercy of the debonayr and blessed lorde Ihesu Cryste And that he cry hym mercy and demaunde pardon foryeuenes ¶ For by the ryght of the courte of Iustyce / the synner shal be Iuged condempned vnto deth perdurable And therfore our good fader Ihesu Cryst whiche is softe and debonayr for to foryeue and pardone / large and curtoys for to yeue / we praye hym that he wyll pardone and foryeue to vs our synnes and trespaces But thynke and consyder well how thou prayest For thou sayest pardone to vs our syÌ„nes as we ê‘don other God shall not foryeue ne pardone to vs / as he hym self sayth in the gospel yf we forgyue not and pardone to other that haue trespaced to vs. Thenne he that sayth his Pater noster yf he kepe in his herte rancour felonnye he prayeth more ayenst hym self than for hym self For he prayeth to god that he forgyue hym not his synnes / whan he sayth forgyue me lyke as I forgyue / and therfore all the tymes that thou shalt saye thy Pater noster tofore god the seeth thyn herte Thou oughtest to forgyue all euyll talentes and cast out of thyn herte all Ire and al rancour Otherwyse thy prayer is more ayenst the than with the / yf it seme to the an harde thynge and greuous to forgyue and pardone to theym that hate the / and that wyll the euyll or that haue moche trespaced to the / or myssayed Thynke that god pardoned his deth to theym that crucefyed hym / for to gyue to the an exaumple for to forgyue / and more yet for to praye for them that haue trespaced to the that god forgyue them / and more yet for to do well and good to theym / to helpe theym yf they haue nede For as he sayth in the gospell / that it is not a grete thynge ne grete meryte ayenst god to doo good to theym / that do vs good / ne to loue theym that loue vs. For so done the paynyms and the Sarasyns Iewes and other synners But we that ben the chyldren of god by fayth by grace and ben named crysten of our blessed Lorde Ihesu Cryst and ben heyres with hym of the herytage of heuen ought for to forgyue eche other And also ought for to loue our enemyes That is to saye theyr persones praye for theym and to doo good to theym yf they haue nede For so comauÌ„deth god in the gospell Thenne we ought onely hate the synnes and to loue theyr soules Lyke as the membres of
hath stolen and mysused the goodes of his lorde whiche ben but lent to hym for to wynne wt. Tho ben the godes of nature / of grace / and of fortune / of whiche he must rendre gyue acompte and rekenynge moche straytely / how he hath folyly dyspended them hath put them to euyll vse Also he is a murderer of the doughter of a kynge / that is of his owne soule / the whiche was doughter of the kynge of glory by grace / whome he hath slayne put to dethe by deedly synne Also he is a traytre For the castell of the herte and of his body whiche god hath gyuen hym to kepe / he hath yelded to the deuyll whiche is his mortall ennemy / well ought he to demeane grete sorowe that is in suche peryll / ought ofte for to wasshe his bedde / that is his conscyence The teeres chase dryue awaye the deuyll out of his hert / lyke as scaldynge water dryueth a dogge out of the kechyn After the repentaunce ought to come confessyon / that is the good chamberyer whiche maketh cletnehe hous casteth out al the ordures with the brome of the tonge / wherof Dauyd sayth in the psaulter ¶ Now vnderstonde well how a man ought to confesse hym ¶ Here after is conteyned how that a man ought to confesse hym Ca. Cxxviii VNto that / that confessyon auaylleth to the sauacyon of the soule byhouen syxe condycions ¶ The fyrst is that it be made wysely and this is in two thynges / the fyrst that he take good hede / to whome he ought to confesse hȳ after wherof he ought to be confessed / saynt Austyn sayth / that it whiche one sholde doo for to eschewe and flee the deth of the body / ought one do for to eschewe the dethe and the dampnacyon of the soule The seke man for teschewe and to flee the dethe / and for to haue helthe secheth gladly the best physycian and the moost wyse that he may fynde Thus sayth sayth Austyn / who so wysely wyll confesse hym and fynde grace anenst god / he ought to seche suche a confessour / whiche can and may bynde and vnbynde / and also counceylle That is that the confessour can well knowe synne / and counceylle the synnar and that he haue power to assoylle hym / and to gyue hym penaunce after the synne For accordynge to his synne he ought to haue penaunce Also who so wyll confesse hȳ wysely he ought dylygently remēbre his synnes tofore or he confesse hym and enserche all his herte and his conscyence / how he hath dysplesed god and his blyssed moder and all his company of sayntes and ought to remembre all his lyfe in grete drede Lyke as dyde the good kynge Ezechyas whiche sayd thus I shal remembre all my yeres in the grete bytternes of my soule and my hert The synner ought to entre in to the hous of his hert / and not to passe through lyke a mynstrell whiche a bydeth not gladly in his hous For he hathe no werse home than his owne But in his hert a man ought to dwell and consyder all his sȳnes defautes Wherof he ought to yelde accomptes and reason truely to god and to his confessoure / and ought to remembre to ordayne wel his acompte / lyke as he that is adiourned tofore his lorde for to rendre acomptes of all his receytes paymentes And also well to take hede tofore the wrytynge of his conscyence / that he fayle not to accompte all his lyfe For yf he fayle of his acompte / god shall not fayle of his Whan a man hath dylygently remembred his synnes / and beholden how and in how many maners he hathe dyspleased god / and how oftentymes / and how gretely he hath synned And how longe he hath abyden in synne Then̄e he ought to confesse hym anone and hastely ¶ And this is the seconde condycyon that ought to be in confessyon The kynge Dauyd rose at mydnyght for to confesse hym Lyke as he sayeth in the psaulter / and abode neuer vnto a moneth / ne to the ende of a yere And the wyse man sayeth thus in an other place Ne tary thou not to conuerte to god / ne withdrawe the not ne seke no delayes fro day to day For in taryēge is moche peryll for many reasons Fyrst for the condycyon of synne For synne is a fyre brēnynge / whiche may not be quenched but by lacrymable cōfessyon And moche were he a fole that sawe his hous brēnynge / wolde not hastely ren to fetche water to quenche the fyre Also it is a grete malady sekenes to dwell in synne and the veray medycyn is confessyon / and certayne lytell prayseth he his helthe / that feleth hym selfe seke to the dethe / and desyreth not to be guarysshed and heled Also the dethe whiche is nyghe and all about for to espye the synner / ought to moeue and excyte hym hustely to confessyon For he knoweth not the day / the houre / ne the poynte or mynute whan the dethe shall come the whiche surpryseth oft the synner / there where he taketh no hede And certaynly who that knewe what day he sholde deye he sholde make hym redy in the best hastyest wyse that he myght Also yf a synner sawe well the peryl wherin he is For he is in the holde pryson of synne and in the throte of the lyon of hell and of the dragon that wyl deuoure hym / he sholde hastely go to confession / and that as soone as he myght Also a synner ought for to se what he hath lost by his synne / the goodes pardurable the goodes spyrytuell His tyme and hym self whiche he myght al recouer by deuoute confessyon Moche thenne were he a foole yf he hasted not to recouer that whiche he had loste Also the mercy of god that abydeth for the sȳner and knocketh at his dore as sayth thappocalyps For he that ought to haste hym to be confessed For of as moche as god abydeth so longe the sȳner / of so moche is his Iustyce more harde and more cruell / whan he seeth hȳ slowe and neclygent For lyke as the archer gyueth his bowe more bente / and tharbelaster to the crosse bowe so moche more smitteth it the harder and stronger And certaynly god hath his bowe bent and redy to lose as sayth the psaulter for to sle the synners yf they wyl not conuerte them and yf they take not good hede Also the synner that ouer longe taryeth to confesse hȳ forgeteth ofte his synnes Soo that it happeth that vnneth that he is well and truly confessed For he forgeteth many synnes whiche he shall neuer remembre / so of them shall he neuer repente / ne neuer be confessed / of whiche it is to hym grete perylle ¶ Also whan a synnar is tofore his confessour he ought to expresse saye his synnes clerely / soo that his confessour see euydently
his herte / all thentencyon of hym that confesseth hym For the seke man ought to descoure his malady vnto the physycyen / ellys the physycyen myght not werke Ne the Surgyen ne myght not hele the sore but yf he sawe the wounde And therfore sayth the wyse man yf thou wylte that the Surgyan hele the / thou must dyscoure to hym thy wounde or sore ¶ Thenne the truaunte the lame techen the to confesse the whiche shewen theyr maladyes / and laye forth the foulest tofore to haue almesse Thus thenne ought the synnar to dyscouer his synnes to his confessour for to haue mercy / and this is the thyrde condycyon that ought to be in confessyon Also the synnar ought to confesse hym entyerly / hooly this is the fourth condycyon For he ought to saye al his synnes grete and lytell and al the cyrcumstaunces of the synnes Thenne he ought fyrste to beholde the deedly synnes / of whiche I haue spoken tofore / to confesse hȳ hooly of eueryche of them / after that he feleth hym culpable / without to hyde ony one thynge and without sayenge more / and without excusynge hym / and without to accuse ony other ¶ Rygh so confessed hym Dauyd that sayth in the Psaulter I shall confesse me and shall saye all mysȳnes ageynst me / and not ageynst other / lyke as ypocrytes whiche put alway the fayrest outwarde / and tell theyr good dedes hyde theyr euyl dedes And accusen other of that / whiche they them self be more culpable gylty of For they can espye se and apperceyue well a lytell festue or a lytell mote in the eyen of other / beholde not a grete beme or blocke that is in theyr owne eyen / that is to saye the grete synnes that ben in them Suche was the pharyse of whome the gospell sayth that he remembred his good dedes / dyspysed the publycan that humbly smote his breest in the temple / and cryed god mercy sayd Lorde god haue pyte and mercy on me poore synner Thus ought the synner Iuge hymselfe fofore god / not aledge his synne but to agreue / poyse / and recounte clerely withoue lyenge Also confessyon ought to be hole and not departed to dyuers cōfessoures For it ought to be sayd al to one confessoure / not one parte to one / and an other parte to an other / god loueth not suche departȳge Also a man ought not to say onely the synnes / but all the cyrcumstaunces whiche agreueth moche the synnes For the synnes ben paraduenture more grete in one persone than in an other / as in a relygyous man more than in a seculer In a prelate than in a symple man ¶ Also this is a more grete synne in one place than in an other / as in a monastery or in an other holy place more than in an other vnhalowed place / also in one tyme more than in another / as in lent or in feestful dayes Also whan one synneth wytyngly and in ernest / he synneth more than whan one synneth ygnourauntly Also one ought for to say the condycyon of the synne For it is greter synne with a wedded woman than with a syngle / or in a man or woman of relygyon / or in a persone ordeyned a preest / or a deken / after that the ordre and the estate is more grete / so moche is the synne more grete ¶ Aso yf that the synne be ageynst nature / and how longe tyme that he hath abyden and dwelled in the sayd synnes Also he ought for to saye yf that he haue lytell or nought resysted and withstonde temptacyon / or yf he haue sought temptacyon / or yf he haue be beten in temptacyon Also he ought to saye the cause and the entencyon that moued hym to do the synne / and all the other occasyons of the synne ¶ Also a man ought for to thynke consydere by al his membres how he hath synned Fyrst he ought to go to his herte / and saye all his synnes what someuer they be carnall or spyrytuell Spyrytuell as ageynst the fayth or of vayne glorye / or of enuye / of auaryce / of rancour / or of other maners / of whome there be many The synnes carnall or bodely / apperteynen to the delytes of the flesshe of the body or yf he haue not kept hym well in all thoughtes / that therin hath ben consentynge / or longe abydynge Or delyte / whiche somtyme is as moche as the consentynge and of all these thoughtes he ought to confesse Also one ought to take hede yf he haue synned by the membres of his body / for a man synneth in them in many maners Fyrst in the hede / whan one setteth ouer grete cure grete cestes to dresse it / as done these ladyes and wymmen whiche so curyously araye theyr hede with precyous adournementes for pure vanyte for to playse drawe men to synne In whiche they synne ofte greuously / specyally they that make thē hye hornes of theyr heer / or of other thynge / whiche resemblen comyn wymmen Ther be vanytees ynough aboute the heed / in wasshynge / in kembynge in dyenge in poorynge in a myrrour / of whiche thynges god is ofte dysplesed / of this vanyte folye the men be not all quyte / for they arraye theyr heer lyke women / force it to be yelowe / yf they be blacke / they by crafte make thē bloūde abourne / late thē growe longe more like to a woman thā to a man / whiche is a sygne of grete euyl moche pryde / of al this suche thynges a man ought for to confesse hym / and of all other vanytees and kepe hym that he do them noo more ¶ Also a man ought to remembre and well consyder to the fyue wyttes of his body / wherin he hath oft synned in many maners By the eyen in folyly seynge and beholdynge Or by the ere 's in herynge gladly the myssayers / losengers / lyers / and other folyes Or by the mouthe in foly spekynge / in ouermoche drynkynge and etynge Or by the nose in ouermoche delytynge hymself in swete odoures or wycked odoures Or by folyly touchynge in hym selfe / or in his wyf / or in other that is wors / be it man or woman ¶ Also a persone ought too confesse hym of the outragyous araye of his robes and of his garmentes in hosynge and shoynge / of all other defautes / of whiche he hath mynde / and thus the confessyon is good and hole / whan one sayth all his synnes grete lytell / this is the fourth condycyon that ought for to be in confessyon ¶ The fyfth condycyon is that one ought for to confesse hym humbly For the synner speketh to god whiche seeth all his herte Thenne the confessour is but the ere of god that whiche he hereth / ne knoweth not as a man / but as god
temptacyon was not soo stronge / as is this vaynglorye Of whiche Dauyd sayth in his psaulter / that the deuyll beteth doune the stronge on the lyfte syde by aduersyte And the ryght stronge on the ryght syde by vaynglorye This vertue prayseth moche Seneke the wyse man whiche sayth That there is noo vertue but that whiche gooth tofore proudly bytwene that one fortune and that other / and to the grete despyte of that one and of that other The .vi. degre of the vertue of prowesse Ca. Cxxiiii THe .vi. degre of prowesse is magnyfycence / this vertue expresseth and declareth also the phylosophere sayenge Magnyfycence is an hye werke happy achyeuynge our Lorde Ihesu Cryst the souerayne phylosophere calleth this vertue perseueraunce / by whiche the good knyght of god endureth the euylles vnto the ende / in that hye waye of perfecyon whiche he hath emprysed Of this vertue sayth saynt Poule that all the vertues renne / but this vertue wynneth the swerde All they fyght but this hath the vyctory and the crowne Al werken But this vertue of perseueraūce bereth awaye the rewarde and the meryte For our lorde Ihesu Cryst sayth / who that shall perseuere vnto the ende he shal be saued and none other The phylosophre coude noo ferther declare this vertue of prowes But the dyscyples of our grete maystre Ihesu Cryste seen moche more ferther For lyke as Salamon sayth whan they haue al remembred perfourmed Then them seme that all is to begynne agayne The vertues and the prowesse of phylosophres were all for to vaynquysshe the synnes and vyces / and for to gete the vertues But the prowesse of sayntes was not onely to vaynquysshe synnes and vyces and to gete vertues / but with all this pryncypally for to kepe Iustyse and trouthe towarde Ihesu Cryst He is not trewe ne Iuste / that rendreth not that he oweth to his power And certeynly it is a thynge moche ryghtfull and resonable that I gyue my lyfe and my deth for hym that gaf his lyf and deth for me And as moche as he is of more value and is more worthe than I / so moche I am more redeuable to him by ryght Iustyse Lyke as sayth saynt Ancelme This Iustyse I owe to desyre but I may not here rendre it ne paye it fully / as we haue sayd tofore And therfore is the seuenth degree of this vertue this whiche our lorde Ihesu cryst hath put to To the whiche the phylosophre myght neuer atteyne / whan he sayd blessed be they that haue hungre and thyrst of Iustyce They thenne be blessed that be mounted in to these seuen degrees of prowesse / and haue hungre and thyrste and grete desyre to theyr power to mounte vnto the seuenth degree ¶ Of the spyrytuell batayll ayenst synne Ca. Cxxv. IN this tree lyke as in the other we fynde .vii. braūches for in .vii. maners the vertue the prowesse of the good knyght of god sheweth hym For by .vii. maners of bataylle there cometh .vii. maners of vyctory / and by .vii vyctoryes / he cōquereth seuen maner of crownes of glory These ben the rewardes and the seuen merytes of whiche speketh saynt Iohan thappostle and euangelyst in thappocalyps For as sayth saynt Bernarde Moche is he a fole / and ouer wenynge that without vyctory atteyneth to haue the crowne / that without batayle weneth to haue vyctory / wherof saynt poule sayth That he shal neuer be crowned in glory that fyghteth not truely ayen synne and vyces / whiche is the champe of the batayle in this worlde The mayster of this felde of bataylle is Ihesu cryst / whiche preueth his newe knyghtes lyke as it is wryten in the boke of kynges This mayster is the debonayre Ihesu cryst / whiche is ryght true as sayth saynt Poule / and knoweth well the power of euery man / wherfore he suffreth not that ony enemye or fende tempt vs aboue our power / ne that no aduersary assayle vs so but that we may ouercome hym yf he wyll by the helpe of god whiche encreaseth our strengthe in the batayle as sayth saynt Poule / and saynt Iohan also as we haue sayd and deuysed .vii. vyctoryes / .vii. crownes That is to saye / vii maner of rewardes and of merytes the whiche god promyseth vnto theym the whiche ouercome the synnes and the vyces ¶ Of the fyrst batayle ageynst all vyces Ca. C.xxvi THe fyrst batayle and fyghte that a crysten man hathe is ageynst deedly synne ¶ There is none ouercome nor vaynquysshed in this foresayd bataylle but yf he wyll For who that wyll not consente to synne he vaynquyssheth the batayll / whiche is lyght to do to a good herte vygorous / and moche harde to hym that is slowe and latchous and euyll encoraged to doo well and to the seruyse of god / whiche is not stronge by drede / ne hoot in prayer to god and in well doynge as / saynt Iohan sayth For who that falleth is vaynquysshhed in this batayll / hath moche to do and is more harde for hym to releue hym and to defende hym / than he that is in hye spyrytuell estate For he hath no power to releue hym / but yf it be by the grace of god For lyke as the fysshe entreth by hym self in to the nette / yet may he not yssue ne goo out / but yf he be caste or put out / ryght soo a man falleth by hym self and by his wyll in to synne but he may not yssue ne go out without the grace of our lorde and his ayde and helpe / as whā he gyueth to hym repentaunce to do penaunce for his synnes / and that is the armour that saynt Poule comaundeth to take in this bataylle Now oughtest thou to knowe / that whan a man is armed for to vaynquysshe and ouercome hardely synne and parfyghtly hym byhoueth that he haue thre thynges whiche ben in veray penaunce The fyrst is repentaunce of herte The seconde confessyon of mouthe The thyrde is satysfaccyon and penaunce / that is the amendes of synne / yf one of these thre faylle the confessyon is nothynge worth ¶ Of veray repentaunce of herte Ca. Cxxvii REpentaunce requyreth grete sorowe / and grete by wayllynges of herte of that whiche he hath angred and dyspleased god / and of so moche as he hath more sȳned and dyspleased god / so moche more ought be the sorowe / and the repentaunce greter Thus repented hȳ the good kynge Dauyd whan he sayd in his psaulter I haue laboured and trauaylled in my bewaylynge / and haue wasshen in the nyghtes my bedde / and my couche with my wepynge teres He that hath dyspleased god by deedly synne / ought to wepe wayle in the depnes of his herte / and with grete syghynge crye god mercy / lyke as the theef / the murderer / and the traytour that had deserued to be hanged on the gybet of hell The synner is the theef to god For he
sholde be good for all thynges That is mercy whiche wynneth the goodes temporall / the goodes spyrytuell / the godes perdurable of glorye / of the godes temporell sayth Salamon / honoure god of thy rychessys of thy godes tēporel gyue to the poore / god shal replenyssh thy garners of wheet / the cellers of wyne But vnderstande well this worde / that he sayth of thy rychesses and of thy godes / and not the goodes of other / as dooth some that wyll doo almesses of that whiche they haue taken fro other by force / by rauyne / by vsure / or by other euyll cause / maketh oft of other mens leder large thonges But of thyn owne propre good whiche thou holdest truely honoure god For that other thou arte bounden to yelde rendre agayne Also he sayth that thou gyue to the poore not to the ryche / god shall yelde to the an C. double therfore lyke as he sayth in the gospell Mercy is a sede that fructefyeth better in the lene londe than it dooth in fatte How that mercy multyplyeth the goodes temporell we haue many fayre ensamples / of whiche I wyll remembre some here ¶ It is sayd of saynt Germayne of Ancerre / that whan he came frome Rome / as he went out of Melane he demaūded his deken yf he had ony money / he answered that he had but thre pens For saynt Germayne had gyuen all to poore people Then commaunded saynt Germayne to his deken that he sholde gyue tho .iii. pens to the poore people / for god had well wherof to fede them that day The deken with grete payne grutchynge gaue two pens / reteyned the .iii. peny / and as they wēt on the way the seruaunt of a ryche man brought to saynt Germayne fro his lorde CC. shelynges Then called saynt Germayne his deken / sayd to hym that he had stolen fro the pore a peny For yf he had gyuen the .iii. d. to the poore / the knyght hadde sent hym CCC shelynges After it was sayd in the way to saynt Germayne / that to saynt Iohn̄ thamener came a gentylman whiche was robbed of theues so that he had nothynge / and tolde to saynt Iohan thamener his case / he had grete pyte and compassyon on hym / and he commaunded his dyspencer that he sholde gyue hym .xv. poūde / of golde / his dyspencer for couetyse gaf hym but .v. Anone a noble lady sent vnto the sayd saynt Iohan fyue C. pounde / of golde Thenne he called his dyspencer and demaūded hym how moche he had gyuen to that man He ansuerd sayd that he gyuen hym xv poūde The holy man sayd nay / that he had gyuen hȳ but .v. pounde / whan he knewe the trouth by hym that had receyued it / he sayd to his dyspenser / that yf he had gyuen that .xv. poūde Our lorde had sente to hym by the good woman M. vC poūde / whan he demaunded of the good lady whome he called to hym / how moche she had gyuen lefte to hym in her testament / she answerd that she had ordeyned a thousand fyue hondred poūde for to sende hym And whan she sawe the M. pounde raced put out of the wrytynge she thought that god wolde that she sholde sende to hȳ no more but .v. hondred pounde ¶ Also saynt Gregoyre reherceth of saynt Bonyface / that fro that tyme that he was a chylde he was soo pyetous / that he gaf his sherte his gowne vnto the poore / how be it that his moder bete hym ofte therfore ¶ Now it happed that the chylde sawe many poore people that suffred moche dysase / he espyed that his moder was not at home / he ranne to the garners / all that his moder had assembled for the yere he gaf to the poore people And whan his moder came knewe what he had done / she was as out of her wytte Thenne the chylde prayed our lorde the garners were full of whete ¶ Also there as a poore man as it is sayd that had but one cowe / whiche harde saye of his curate in his sermon that god sayd in the gospell / that a man sholde haue an hondred folde double for all that he sholde gyue for goddes sake The good man by the counceyll of his wyfe gaue his cowe vnto his curate in hope to haue an hondred kyen for his cowe / whan he had longe taryed / that promesse abode longe after / he wende that his curate had deceyued hym / and thought that he sholde sle hym / arose on a nyght for to sle hym / and whan he was in the way he founde a grete masse of golde / thenne he thought that god hadde rendred and yelded his promesse and retorned in peas Also of an other poore man bycause that he hadde herde that god wolde so gyue an hondred for one / he gaue his cowe vnto his curate whiche was ryche The preest toke gladly this cowe sent her to his pasture where as his other kyen were And at the euyn the poore mannes cowe came agayne home brought an C. kyen longynge to the preest with her / whan the poore man sawe that / he thought that god had kepte his promysse accordynge to the gospell And the sayd kyen were Iuged tofore the bysshop to the poore man ageynst the preest These ensamples to fore sayd sheweth well / that mercy is good marchaundyse for it encreaseth well the goodes temporall Also mercy empetreth and geteth of god the goodes spyrytuell perdurable Wherof saynt Poule sayth that it auayleth to all thynge For she gyueth lyfe and grace in this present lyfe / the lyfe of glorye without ende in that other And therfore sayth Dauyd in his psaulter / that god loueth mercy trouthe For she gyueth grace in this worlde / glory in that other Also mercy and almesse kepeth a mā fro all perylles delyuereth hȳ fro spyrytuell dethe that is of helle For many deed men haue ben raysed vnto lyfe by the werkes of mercye / the whiche haue ben doone / wherof there ben many ensaumples in wrytynge of the lyues of sayntes / the whiche is of the deth pardurable of helle Therfore sayd Thobye to his sone Be thou sayd he pyteous and mercyfull as moche as thou mayst For almesse delyuerth kepeth fro all synne fro the deth of helle / and defendeth the soule that it goo not in to the derknesse of helle ¶ Now hast thou herde the braūches and the degrees of mercy / by whiche she groweth and prouffyteth Now the byhoueth to see the braunches of this tree / by whiche she mounteth / and by whiche it descendeth ¶ Here after folowen the braunches of the vertue of mercy and of almesse Ca. C.xxxi THis tree hath mo braunches than thother toforesayd / for it extendeth more than the other wherof there ben braūches on