poore mens writs, with tarde venit, but gif they feelen meede in their hands. And yet I heare saie, men that hauen seyen both lawes, that ilke court that is cleeped Christes court, is much more cursed. Therefore it is writ: Marginalia Pro. 13. giftes they taken out of mens bosoms, to ouerturne the right way of dome. But it is to dread the word of Christ: Marginalia Math. 7. In what dome ye deeme, ye should be demed when ye comen to yelde a reconing of your bayly.

Marginalia How hast thou liued.The third question is: Howe hast thou lyued, thou that deemest and punishest other men for their trespas. A great doctor saith: thee behoueth to flee the wickednes of other men, that thou chastieest them for their trespas. For if they selfe do vnlawfullich in deeming other men, thou damnest thy selfe, sythe thou doest that thou damnest. And MarginaliaRom. 5. Poul saith: why teachest thou nought thy selfe, that thou teachest other? Why stealest thou, that teachest nought other men to steale? Saint Gregorie saith: He shall not take gouernaile of other, that can not go before them in good liuing. And when anye man stand before him in dome, he must take heede to fore what Iudge he shall stand him selfe, to take his dome after his deedes. But it is to dread, that manie fareth as the twe false priests that woulden haue damned to death holie Marginalia Susan Susan, for she would not assent to their leacherie. Of the which is writ: they turned awaie their eyen, for they would not see heauen, ne haue mynde of rightfull domes. So it happeth ofte, they that were more woorthie to bee hanged, damneth them that be lesse woorthye, as a clarcke telleth of Marginalia Socrates. Socrates the Philosopher, sayth hee, vpon a day a man asked of hym why hee laughed. And hee sayd: for I see great theeues leaden a little theefe to hanging. I pray thee, whether is hee a greater theefe that bynimeth a man hys house and hys land from hym and from his heyres for euermore, other hee that for making of great neede, stealeth a sheepe or a calfe. Whether trow wee nought, that it happeth such extortioners to be other whyle Iudges, and demeth men thus: But I read thee that thus deemest other, thinke on that dome thou shalt come to, to yelde the rekening of thine bayly. Marginalia Valerius Maximus libro. 7.

Marginalia The third Baily. The third Baylife that shall be cleped to this dreadfull acount shall bee euerie Christian man, that shall geue rekening to his Lord God, for goods that he hath had of hys. And heere I wyll speake but of the first question, that is this: How entrest thou. And heere by the waie, yee that haue goten anie worldly good, other take by extortion, by rauayne, by vsurie, other by disceit: Wo shall be to him at this dreadfull daie as Sainct Austen Marginalia Austen. The third admonition in generall to euery christ? man. sayth. If he be cast into the fire that hath nought giuen of his owne good: where trowest thou shall 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 earst clothed. MarginaliaMoralli. But as Sainct Gregorie Marginalia Greg. 8. sayth, two thinges maketh men to liue thus by rauaine of other neighbours, that they desire heynes and drede pouertie, and what vengeaunce falleth of this sinne of couetise, I may see by figure in holy writ, whan the Angell sayd to Prophet Marginalia Zacha 6. Zacharie. Rere vp thine eyen, and see what is that goeth out. And the Prophet sayd what is it? Then the Angell sayd, this is the pot going out, this is the eize of hem on all the earth, And there was a weihgt of lede I bore, and there was a woman sitting in the middle 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 gobette of leed and caste it into the pots mouth. And the Prophet lift vp his eye, and he saw twoo women comming out, and spirites in her wingis like two kytes other gledes: and they arerid vp this pot betweene heauen and the earth, and than the Prophete spake to the Aungell, whider wol these beare this pot? And he sayd, into the lond of Sennaar: Marginalia Expositio. This pot is couetise. For right as a pot hathe a wide open mouth, so couetise gapeth after worldly good: and right as the licour in the pot, profiteth nought to the pot, but to men that draweth and drinketh thereof: so worldlie good ofte, profiteth not to churlles, but to other that commeth after, as it is written. He that hath money, shall haue no frute of it. Marginalia Eccl. 5. And this couetise is the eye of couetous men: for they ben blinde to see how they shuld see to go to heauen, but to winning of worldly things they see manie wayes, lyke to owles, and nightcrowes, that seene better by night than by day. The gobbet of lead, is the syn of obstination. The woman that sat in the pot, is vnpittie, as the Angell sayd, that foloweth vnrighteousnes and auarice. For through auarice, a man leeseth the pitie that he shuld haue of the mischiefe of his soule. For oft tyme, men leese the lyfe of theyr soule, but deadlie sinne that they doo to haue worldly winning: and also they leese the pitie that they should haue of their bodie, putting them selfes to manie great bodelye trauayls and perils both by sea, and land, and all maketh couetise. This pot is stopped with the gobbet of leade, when vnpitie is thus by synne of obstination closed in couetise, that he may not goe out of the chinches harte by penaunce. For as Iob Marginalia Iob. 22. sayth: when he is fulfylled, he shall bee stopped. The two women that bare vp this pot, are pride and lust of flesh, that be cleped in holie writ the twey daughtren of the water Lethe, crying: bring, bring. And they had wings: the fyrstwing is grace spirituall, as cunning, wisedome, and counsell, with such other manie. For which gifts manie men wexe proud. The second wing is bodely grace, as strength, farehood, gentrie, and manie other such, whereof men wexe proud. The winges of the second woman that is fleshlie desire, beth glotony and slouth. Marginalia Against couetise. Of glotonie speaketh S. Marginalia Gregory. Gregorie: when the wombe is fulfilled, the prickes of leacherie beth meued. And of slouth S. Marginalia August. de conflictu virtutis & viciorum Austine 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 his dronkennes lay by hys daughtren. And these women had wynges lyke Kytes, that with a crieng voyce seecheth theyr meate, as Marginalia Bartholomeus de proprietatibus rerum. Bartholomeus sayth. And thus fareth couetise of men. Witnessing Sainct Marginalia Austen. Austine, what is the greedynes of fleshlye desire. In as much as the rauenous fyshes haue sometime measure, yet when they hunger, they rapin, and when they fulfill, they spare: But onely couetise of men may not bee fulfilled. For euer he taketh, and neuer hath inough. Neither hee dreadeth God, neither shame of men. He ne spareth hys father, ne knoweth his mother, ne accordeth with his brethren, neyther keepeth truth with hys frende. He ouerpresseth widowes and fatherles children. Freemen he maketh bond, and bringeth foorth false witnes, and occupieth dead mens things, as he shoulden neuer dye. What manhoode is this, sayth this Marginalia Augustin. doctour, thus to leese lyfe and grace, and get death of soule? Win gold, and leese heauen? And herefore sayth the Marginalia Psal. 54. Prophet, haue trauaile in the midst, and leaue vnrighteousnes. Also Marginalia Innocentius. Innocent speaking of the harmes that come of couetoise, sayth thus: O how manie men hath couertise deceiued and spilt? When couetise Balaam would for giftes that the kinge profered him, haue cursed Gods people, his owne Asse reproued hym, and hurt his foote agaynst a wall. Marginalia Nume 22. Achor was stoned to death, for couetise made him steale gold and clothes, against the commaundement of God. Marginalia Iosue. 7. Giesy was smit with mesilrie, for he sold Naamans heale, that came of Gods grace. Marginalia 4. Reg. 5. Iudas for couetise sold Christ, and afterward hoong himselfe. Anany and Zaphira his wife were dead sodainlie, for they forsoken to giue Peter theyr money that they had.Marginalia Acts. 5. And couetise maketh also that rich men eate the poore, as beastes done their lesous holding them lowe. This may we see all daye, in deede I dread. For if a ritche man haue a field, and a poore man haue in the middest or in the side thereof one acre, and a riche man haue all a streete saueth O house, that some poore brother of hys oweth, he ceaseth neuer till he get it out of the poore mans hand, eyther by prayer, or by bying, or by pursuing of disceit. Thus fared it by kyng Achab, that throughe his false Queenes ginne slowe 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 Sainct Ambrose: Marginalia Ambrosius de suo libello de Naboth. How far wyll yee ritche men stretche your couetise? Wyll yee dwell alone vppon the earth, and haue no poore man wyth you? Why put yee out your felow by kynde, and chalenge to your selfe the possession comen by kynde? In commune to all rich and poore the earth was made, Why will yee ritche chalenge proper right heerein? Kynde knoweth no riches, that bringeth foorth all men poore. For wee bee not got with rich clothes, ne borne wyth golde ne wyth syluer. Naked hee bringeth them to this world, needie of meate and of drinke and clothing. Naked the earth taketh vs, as she naked brought vs hyther. She can not close with vs our possession in sepulchre, for kynde maketh no difference betweene poore and rich, in comming hyther, ne in goyng hence. All in o manner hee bringeth foorth, all in o manner he closeth in graue. Who so wyll make difference of poore and rytch, abyde tyll they haue a little whyle leyne in the graue. Than open and looke among dead bones who was rych, and who was poore, but if it be thus that 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: Thus sayth the Doctour of suche extortion as it is writ. Marginalia Iohn. 24. Other mens fields they repeth, and fro the vyne of hym that the harme oppressed, they plucke awaye the grapes: they leueth men naked, and taketh awaye her clothis that hath nought wherewith to helle them in cold, and liften vp this pot bytwene heauen and earth. For couetous men nother haueth charite to ther brethren vpon earth, neyther to God in heauen: and they bare this pot into the lond of Sennaar, that is to say, into the lond of Stenche, that is hell, for there shall be stench, in stede of sweete smelling as Isay sayth. Beware I rede, that yee nonght haue to do with this pot, ne with the woman therein: and on all maner that ye be nought weddid to her, for than yee must be both one. This is thilke foule lecherous woman: the kynges and marchauntis of the earth haue done lechery, and of her vertue they haueth bee made riche, whose dampnation is writen in the booke of priuities in these wordes. In o day, shall come all this vengeaunces of her death, weping and hunger and fire shall brenne her, for stronge is God that shall venge hym 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 brenning, stonding aferre weping and weyling and saying.