Relevacio contra peccatum Avaricie.
Now shul ye understonde that the releevynge of Avarice is
misericorde, and pitee largely taken. And men myghten axe why
that misericorde and pitee is releevynge of Avarice.
Certes, the avricious man sheweth no pitee ne misericorde
to the nedeful man, for he deliteth hym in the kepynge of his
tresor, and nat in the rescowynge ne releevynge of his evene-Cristen.
And therfore speke I first of misericorde.
Thanne
is misericorde, as seith the Philosophre, a vertu by which the
corage of a man is stired by the mysese of hym that is mysesed.
Upon which misericorde folweth pitee in parfournynge of
charitable werkes of misericorde.
And certes, thise thynges
moeven a man to the misericorde of Jhesu Crist, that he yaf
hymself for oure gilt, and suffred deeth for misericorde, and
forgaf us oure originale synnes,
and therby relessed us fro
the peynes of helle, and amenused the peynes of purgatorie by
penitence, and yeveth grace wel to do, and atte laste the blisse
of hevene.
The speces of misericorde been, as for to
lene and for to yeve, and to foryeven and relesse, and for to han
pitee in herte and compassioun of the meschief of his evene-Cristene,
and eek to chastise, there as nede is.
Another
manere of remedie agayns avarice is resonable largesse; but
soothly, heere bihoveth the consideracioun of the grace of Jhesu
Crist, and of his temporeel goodes, and eek of the goodes
perdurables that Crist yaf to us;
and to han remembrance of
the deeth that he shal receyve, he noot whanne, where, ne how;
and eek that he shal forgon al that he hath, save oonly that he
hath despended in goode werkes.
But for as muche as som folk been unmesurable, men oghten
eschue fool-largesse, that men clepen wast.
Certes, he that
is fool-large ne yeveth nat his catel, but he leseth his catel.
Soothly, what thyng that he yeveth for veyne glorie, as to
mynstrals and to folk for to beren his renoun in the world, he
hath synne therof and noon almesse.
Certes, he leseth
foule his good that ne seketh with the yifte of his good nothyng
but synne.
He is lyk to an hors that seketh rather to drynken
drovy or trouble water than for to drynken water of the clere
welle.
And for as muchel as they yeven ther as they sholde
nat yeven, to hem aperteneth thilke malisoun that Crist shal
yeven at the day of doom to hem that shullen been dampned.
