the Philosopher, saith he, vpon a day a mā asked of him why he laughed. And he sayd: for I see great theeues leden a lytle theefe to honging. I pray thee, whether is he a greater thefe that bynimeth a man hys house and hys land from hym and from hys heyres for euermore, other he that for making of great nede, steleth a shep or a calfe.MarginaliaValerius Maximus libro. 7. Whether trow we nought, that it happeth such extortioners to be other while iudges, & demieth men thus: But I read the that thus demest other, thinke on that thou shalt come to, to yelde the rekening of thyne baily.

MarginaliaThe third Baily.The thirde Bailife that shall be cleped to this dredfull a counte shalbe euery Christian man, that shal rekenyng to his Lord God, for goods that he hath had of his. And here I will speke but of the first question, þ^t is this: How ētrest thou here. And by the way, ye that haue goten any wordly good, other take by extortion, by rauayne, by vsury, other by disceit: Wo shall be to him þ^t this dredfull day as S. Austen saith. MarginaliaAusten.
The third admonition in generall to euery christē mā.If he be cast into the fire that hath nought giuē of his own good: wher trowest thou shal he be castin, that hath reued other mens from them. And if he shulle brenne with the fend that hath nought clothed the naked, where trowest shall he brenne that hath made him naked that was erst clothed. But as S. Gregory sayth, two thinges maketh men to liue thus by rauayne of other neighbours, that they desire heynes and drede pouertie, and what vengeaūce falleth of this sinne of couetise. MarginaliaMoralli.
Greg. 8.I may se by figure in holy writ, whan the aungell sayd to Prophet Zacharie. MarginaliaZacha. 6.Rere vp thine eyen and see what is that goeth out. And the Prophet sayd what is it? Than the angel said, this is the pot goyng out, this is þ^e eize of hem on all the earth. And there was a weizgt of lede I bore, and there was a woman sitting in the midle of this potte. And the angell sayd, this is impietie: And he tooke her, and cast her into the middle of this pot, and he tooke the goberte of leed and caste it into the pots mouth. And the Prophet lift vp his eye, and he saw twoo women commyng out, and spirites in her wingis like two kytes other gledes: and they arerid vp this pot bytwene heuen & the earth, and than the Prophete spake to the aungell, whider wol these bere this pot? MarginaliaExpositio.And he sayd, into the lōd of Seymar: This pot is couetise. For right as a pot hathe a wyde open mouth, so couetise gapeth after worldly good: & right as the licour in the pot, profiteth nought to the pot, but to men that draweth and drinketh therof: so worldly good oft, profiteth not to churchis, but to other that commeth after, as it is written. He þ^t hath mony shall haue no frute of it. MarginaliaEccl. 5.And this couetise is the eye of couetous men: for they ben blynde to see how thei shuld see to go to heuē, but to winning of worldly things they see many wayes like to owles, & nightcrowes, that seen better by night than by day.

The gobbet of lead, is the syn of obstination. The womā that sat in þ^e pot, is vnpitty, as the angell said, that foloweth vnrightousnes & auarice. For through auarice, a mā leeseth þ^e pity þ^t he shuld haue of the mischiefe of hys soule. For oft tyme, men leese the lyfe of theyr soule, by deadly synne that they do to haue worldly wynning: and also they leese the pitie that they should haue of their body, puttyng them selfes to many great bodelye trauayls and perils both by sea, and land, and all maketh couetise. Thys pot is stopped wyth the gobbet of leade, when vnpitye is thus by synne of obstination closed in couetise, that he may not goe out of the chinches harte by penaunce. For as Iob sayth: when he is fulfylled, he shall be stopped. MarginaliaIob. 22.The ij. wemē that bare vp this pot, are pride & lust of flesh, that be cleped in holy wryt the twey daughtrē of the water Lethe, crying: bring, brīg. And they had wings: þ^e fyrst wyng is grace spiritual, as cunnyng, wysdō, & coūsel w^t such other many. MarginaliaAgainst couetise.For which gifts many mē wex proud. The 2. wyng is bodely grace, as strength, fayre hood, gentry, and many other such, whereof men wex proud. The wynges of the second womā that is fleshly desire, beth glotony and slouth. Of glotony speoketh S. Gregory: when the wombe is fulfylled, the prickes of lechery beth mened. MarginaliaGregory.And of slouth S. Austyn sayth: Lot the whyle he dwelled in busines among shrewes in Sodome, he was a good man. But when he was in the hyll slowe, for sykkernes, he in hys dronkennes lay by hys daughtren. MarginaliaAugust. de conflictu virtutis & viciorū
Bartholomeus de proprietatibus rerū Austen.And these women had wynges lyke Kytes, that with a crying voyce secheth their meate, as Bartholomeus sayth. And thus fareth couetise of men. Witnessing saynt Austine, what is the greedynes of fleshlye desire. In as much as the rauenous fyshes haue sometyme measure, yet when they hunger they rapin, and when they fulfil, they spare: But onely couetise of men may not be fulfylled. For euer he taketh, and neuer hath inough. Neither he dreadeth God, neither shame of men. He ne spareth hys father, ne knoweth his mother, ne accordeth with hys brethren, neyther keepeth truth wyth hys frende. He ouerpresseth widowes and fatherles children. Freemē he maketh bond, and bringeth foorth false wytnes, and occupieth dead mens things, as he shoulden neuer dye. What manhoode is this, sayth this doctour, thus to leese lyfe & grace, and get death of soule? Wyn gold, and lese heauen? MarginaliaAugustin. Psal. 54.And herefore saith the prophet, haue trauail in the midst, and leaue vnrightousnes. Also Innocent speaking of the harmes that come of couetoise, sayth thus: O how many men hath couetise deceiued & spilt? MarginaliaInnocētiusWhen couetise Balaam would for giftes that the kinge profered hym, haue cursed Gods people: His own Asse reproued hym, and hurt hys foote agaynst a wall. Achor was stoned to death: for couetise made him steale gold and clothes, against the commaundement of God. Gresy was smyt with mesilry, for he sold Naamans heale, that cam of Gods grace. Iudas for couetise sold Christ, & afterward hong himself. Anany & Zaphira his wife wer dead sodainly, for they forsokē to giue Peter their mony þ^t thei had. MarginaliaNume. 22.
Iosue. 7.
4 Reg. 5.
Acts. 5.And couetise maketh also þ^e richmen eate the poore, as beastes done holding thē their lesous low. This may we see all day, in deede I dread. For if a rytche man haue a field, and a poore man haue in the myddest or in the side therof one acre, and a riche man haue all a strete saueth O house, that some poore brother of hys oweth: he ceaseth neuer till he get it out of the poore mans hand, either by prayer, or by bying, or by pursuing of disceit. Thus fared it by king Achab, that thoughe hys false Queenes ginneslowe the poore man Naboth, for that he woulde not sell hym hys vyneyard that was nye to the kings palace. Vpon which proces, thus sayth S. Ambrose: MarginaliaAmbrosius de suo libello de Naboth.How far wyll ye rytche men stretche your couetise? Wyll ye dwell alone vppon the earth, and haue no poore man with you? Why put ye out your felow by kinde, & chalenge to your self the possession comen by kinde. In commune to al ritch and poore the earth was made. Why wyll ye ritche chaunge proper right herein? Kynde knoweth no riches, that bringeth forth all men poore. For we be not got with rich clothes ne borne with gold ne with syluer. Naked he bringeth them to this world, nedy of meate and of drinke and clothing. Naked the earth taketh vs, as she naked brought vs hither. She cānot close with vs our possession in sepulchre, for kinde maketh no difference betwene poore and ritch, in comming hyther, ne in going hence. All in o manner he bringeth forth, all in o manner he closeth in graue. Who so will make difference of poore and rytche, abyde tyll they haue a lyttle whyle leyne in the graue. Than open and looke among dead bones who was rych, and who was poore, but if it be thus þ^t mo clothes rotteth with the ritche, then wyth the poore: and that harmeth to them that beth on lyue, and profytte not to them that beene deade: MarginaliaIohn. 24.Thus saythe the Doctour of suche extortion as it is wryt. Other mens fields they repeth, & fro the vyne of hym that the harme oppressed, they plucke away the grapes: they leueth men naked, and taketh away her clothis that hath nought wherewith to helle them in cold, and liften vp this pot bytwene heuen and earth. For couetous mē nother haueth charite to ther brethren vpon earth neither to God in heuē: and they bare this pot into the lond of Seymar, that is to say, into the londe of Stenche, that is hell, for there shalbe stench, in stede of sweete smellyng as Isay sayth. Beware I rede, þ^t ye nought haue to do with this pot ne w^t the woman therin: and on all maner that ye be nought weddid to her, for thā ye must be both one. This is thilk soule lecherous woman: the kynges and marchaūtis of the earth haue done lechery, and of her vertue they haueth be made riche, whose dampnation is writen in the booke of princes in these wordes. In o day, shall come all this vengeaunces of her deth, wepyn, & hunger and fire shall brenne her, for stronge is God that shall venge him on her, and than shulleth weepe and howle vp on her the kynges of the earth, that haueth done lechery with her, and haueth liued in delices when they shull see the smoke of her brennyng, stondyng aferre wepyng and weyling and seying. Alas alas thilke great citie that was clothed with bys and purpre and brasile, & ouergilte with gold & precious stones and perls. For in one houre all these great riches shalbe destroyed, than shall they sey that shall bee damned with her. We haue erred fro the waye of trouth & rightwisnes, light haue not shyned to vs, and the sonne of vnderstondyng haue not resē to vs: we haue be made wery in euerich way of wickednes and of lust, and haue gone hard wayes but the ways of god we knew nought: what hath pride profited to vs, or the boost of riches what hath it brought to vs? All this is as a shadow of deth, and we mow now shew no tokyn of holines: in our wickednes we be wasted away. Thinke therfore I read, that thou shalt yelde rekening of thy bayly. Here endeth the first part of this Sermon, and beginneth the second part.

IN whiche part with the helpe of God I will shewe first, who shall clepe vs to this rekning. Afterward, to fore what iudge we shall rekyn: and last what punishyng shal be do to them that ben found false seruauntes and wikked, and what reward shal be gyue to them that be founde good and true. For the first ye shall weten that there shall be twey domes. The first doome anone after the departyng of body and of soule, an this shal be speciall. And of this rekening or doome speketh the Gospell of Luke. The secund reknyng or dome shalbe a none after the general resurrection, and that shalbe vniuersall. And of this is to speken in the Gospell. MarginaliaMath. 27.To the first euery man shalbe cleped after other, as the world passeth. To the secunde shall comen togedre in the stroke of an eye all mankind. Marginaliaiii. sumners.
Sicknesse.
Age.
Deathe.To the first, men shalbe cleped with iij. sumners other sergeauntes: the first is siknesse, the second is elde, and the third is deth: the first warneth, the second thretneth, and the third taketh. This is a kyndly order, but otherwise it faileth, for sume we seeth dyeth that neuer wist what was sicknes ne elde, as children that ben sodenly slayne. And sume, ye the most parte that deyeth now a dayes deieth, byfore her kynde agee of deeth: therfore I say, that the first that clepeth to this special reknyng is sicknes, that folowith all mā kynd, so that euery man hath it: and sum is sicknesse that sume men haueth but nought all. Yet the first sickenesse is double, for sume is withinne in the mightes of the soule, & sume is without in feblenes of the body that needis mo be stroyed, whan time by hem sill is cause of corruptiō as Philosophie saith, that thereby feblenes & siknes. And so may we see hereby, though þ^t a mā shut out of the house to hys hart all maner of worldly and fleshly thoughtes: yet vnneth shall a man for ought that he can do, think on God onely, the space of o Pater noster, but þ^t some other thing that is passing, entreth into the soule, and draweth her from contemplation. But O Lorde God, what seekenes is this, an heuie burden on the sonnes of Adā, that on fowle moock & fen of the world we may think long ynow. But on that the soule should most delectatiō haue by kinde, mow we nought thinke so little a space, but if the cokle enter among the whete. Of thys secknes speaketh Poule, where he sayth. I see a lawe in my limmes fighting agenes the lawe of my sprite, and taking me into the law of sinne. So that it fares by vs, as by a man that would looke ageyns the sun, and may nought do it long for no thyng. And forsoth that is for no default that is in the sunne, for she is most clere in her self, and so by reason best should be seyn, but it is for feblenes of mans eye. Ryght so, syth Adam our first fader was put out of Paradyse: All hys ofspryng haue ben thus sicke, as the Prophet seyth. Our fadres haue eat a bitter grape, & the teeth of the children be wexe an degge. The second sicknes, that is commune to all mankind, commyth of feblenes of the body: as hunger and thorst, cold and hete, sorowe and werines, and many other as