Sequitur de Gulâ.
After Avarice comth Glotonye, which is expres eek agayn
the comandement of God. Glotonye is unmesurable appetit to ete
or to drynke, or elles to doon ynogh to the unmesurable appetit
and desordeynee coveitise to eten or to drynke.
This synne
corrumped al this world, as is wel shewed in the synne of Adam
and of Eve. Looke eek what seith Seint Paul of Glotonye:
"Manye," seith Saint Paul, "goon, of whiche
I have ofte seyd to yow, and now I seye it wepynge, that been the
enemys of the croys of Crist; of whiche the ende is deeth, and
of whiche hire wombe is hire god, and hire glorie in confusioun
of hem that so savouren erthely thynges."
He that is
usaunt to this synne of glotonye, he ne may no synne withstonde.
He moot been in servage of alle vices, for it is the develes
hoord ther he hideth hym and resteth.
This synne hath manye
speces. The firste is dronkenesse, that is the horrible sepulture
of mannes resoun; and therfore, whan a man is dronken, he hath
lost his resoun; and this is deedly synne.
But soothly, whan
that a man is nat wont to strong drynke, and peraventure ne
knoweth nat the strengthe of the drynke, or hath feblesse in his
heed, or hath travailed, thurgh which he drynketh the moore, al
be he sodeynly caught with drynke, it is no deedly synne, but
venyal.
The seconde spece of glotonye is that the spirit of
a man wexeth al trouble, for dronkenesse bireveth hym the
discrecioun of his wit.
The thridde spece of glotonye
is whan a man devoureth his mete and hath no rightful manere of
etynge.
The fourthe is whan, thurgh the grete habundaunce of
his mete,
the humours in his body been distempred.
The fifthe is foryetelnesse by to muchel drynkynge, for which
somtyme a man foryeteth er the morwe what he dide at even, or on
the nyght biforn.
In oother manere been distinct the speces of Glotonye,
after Seint Gregorie. The firste is for to ete biforn tyme to
ete. The seconde is whan a man get hym to delicaat mete or
drynke.
The thridde is whan men taken to muche over mesure.
The fourthe is curiositee, with greet entente to maken and
apparaillen his mete. The fifthe is for to eten to gredily.
Thise been the fyve fyngres of the develes hand, by
whiche he draweth folk to synne.
