werkes. For in the accomplishing of grete goode werkes lith the grete guerdoun. Thanne is ther constaunce, that is stablenes of corrage, and this shulde ben in herte by stedefast faith, and in mouthe and in berying, and in cheer, and in deede. Eek ther ben mo special remedies agayns accidie, in dyvers werkis, and in consideracioun of the peyne of helle and of the joye of heven, and in the trust of the hyhe grace of the holy gost, that wil geve him might to parforme his good entent.

De Avaritia

After accidie I wil speke of avarice, and of coveytise; of whiche synne saith seint Poule, that the roote of alle eveles and harmes is coveytise. For sothely whan that the hert of man is confoundid in itself and troublid, and that the soule hath lost the comfort of God, thanne seekith he an ydel solas of worldly thinges. Avarice, after the descripcioun of seint Austyn, is a likerousnes in hert to have erthely thinges. Some other folk sayn, that avarice is for to purchase many erthely thinges, and no thing geve to them that have neede. And understonde, that avarice stont not oonly in lond nor in catel, but som tyme in science and in glorie, and every maner of outrageous thinges is avarice or covetyse. And the difference bytwixe avarice and coveytise is this: coveitise is for to coveyte suche thinges as thou hast not; and avarice is to withholde and kepe suche thinges as thou hast, withouten rihtful nede. Sothely, this avarice is a synne that is ful damnable, for al holy writ curseth it, and spekith agayn that vice, for it doth wrong to Jhesu Crist; for it bireveth him the love that men to him owen, and turnith it bakward agains al resoun, and makith that the avarous man hath more hope in his catel than in Jhesu Crist, and doth more observaunce in kepynge of his tresour, than he doth to the service of Jhesu Crist. And therfore saith seint Poule, ad Ephes. that an averous man is in the thraldom of ydolatrie.

What difference is ther bitwen an ydolater and an avarous man, but that an ydolater peradventure hadde but an idol or tuo, and the avaricious man hath monye? for certes, every floreine in his coffre is his idol. And certes, the synne of idolatry is the firste thing that God forbiddeth in the ten comaundementz, as berith witnes in Exod. cap. xx, Thou shalt have noone false goddes biforn me, nor thou shalt make to thee no graven thing. Thus is he an averous man, that loveth his tresor toforn God, and an ydolater. Thurgh this cursed synne of avarice and coveytise comen these harde lordshipes, thurgh whiche men ben destreyned by talliages, custumes, and cariages, more than there dueté of resoun is; and elles take thay of there bondemen amercimentes, whiche mighte more resonably ben callid extorciouns than mercymentis. Of whiche mersyments and raunsonyng of bondemen, some lordes stywardes seyn, that it is rightful, for as moche as a cherl hath no temporel thing that it is not his lordes, as thay sayn. But certes, thise lordeshipes doon wrong, that bireven here bondemen thinges that thay never yave them. Augustinus de Civitate Dei, libro ix. Soth is that the condicioun of thraldom, and the firste cause of thraldom is for sin. Genes. v.

Thus may ye seen, that the gilt deserved thraldom, but not nature. Wherfore these lordes shulden nought to moche glorifie in there lordshipes, sith that by naturel condicioun thay ben nought lordes over here thralles, but for that thraldom com first by the desert of synne. And forther-over, ther as the lawe sayth, that temporel goodes of bondefolk been the goodes of their lordshipes; ye, that is to understonde, the goodes of the emperour, to defend them in there right, but not to robbe them nor to steal from them. And therfore seith Seneca, thi prudence shulde live benignely with thi thrallis. Thilke that thay clepe thralles, ben Goddes poeple; for humble folk ben Cristes frendes; thay ben home friends with the Lord. Thenk eek as of such seed as cherles springen, of such seed springe lordes; as wel may the cherl be saved as the lord. The same deth that takith the cherl, the same deth taketh the lord. Wherefore I rede, do riht so with thi cherle as thou woldist thi lord dide with thee, if thou were in his plyt. Every sinful man is a cherl as to synne. I counsel thee certes, thou lord, that thou werke in such a wise with thy cherles that thay rather love thee than drede thee. I wot wel, ther is degre above degre, as resoun is and skil, that men don her devoir ther as it is dewe; but certes, extorciouns, and despit of oure undirlinges, is damnable.

And forthermore understonde wel, that conquerours or tyrauntes maken ful ofte thralles of them that born be of as royal blood as be thay that them conqueren. This name of cherldom was never erst known