Handlyng Synne :: :: University of Virginia Library

Now shul we speke of couetyse,
How hy ys haunted on wykked wyse.
Coueytyse ys þe fryst vyce;
Þat streyte ys holde, y halte auaryce.
Coueytyse ys of vs echone,
But auaryce wulde haue echone.
Coueytyse, ys desyryng of þoght,

175

But auaryce, wulde þat none had oght.
Coueytyse, cumþ oþerwhyle of gode;
But auaryce wyþdrawyþ mannys fode.
Coueytyse, to gode men mowe hyt charge;
But auaryce, ys noþer gode ne large.
Coueytyse, ys of wylle, as ys a bayte,
But auaryce, ys nygun haldyng strayte;
Coueytyse, cumþ of kynde of blode;
But auaryce, ys noþer kynde ne gode.
As y kan telle, þys ys þe assyse,
Betwyxe auaryce and coueytyse.

Here, y aske at þe bygynnyng,
Ȝyf þou with wrong ȝerned oþer mennys þyng,
Or falsly purchased: þat ys grete synne,
So with wrong mennys gode to wynne.
Ȝyf þou withholde, and ȝelde hyt noght,
Auaryse to hellë haþ þe broght.
Yn þy lyfe, y rede þou ȝelde hyt aȝen,
Þy saluacyun ys ellës alle veyn.

Ȝyf þou madest euer any delay,
And ledyst one lyte fro day to day
with þy wurdys pryuyly,
Or perauenture al on hy,
For to haue hys þyng with wrong,
Euyl coueytyse þou mengest among.
Þogh þou broghtest hyt neuer to dede,
Ȝyt ys þy wylle moche for to drede.

Or ȝyf þou dedyst euer þy myght
To false a chartre, þat ys grete plyght.
Þat ys a dede of tresun
Ȝyf hyt be of dysheresun,
Ouþer of lond, ouþer of rent,
Oþer of ouþer gode þat God man haþ lent;
But þou þe peynë nyȝt and day
To amende þat charge, ȝyf þat þou may,

176

Ȝyf hyt ne be, þou art to blame;
Ordeyned to þe ys mochë shame.

Ȝyf þou yn batayle, or in fyȝt,
Toke oght of man with-outë ryȝt,
And namely of relygyun,
Þe harder ys þy synnë doun:
And but þou sone amendë þe,
Þarfor mayst þou acumbred be:
Hyt ys wurþy hym for to dere
Þat holy cherche wyl nat forbere.

Ȝyf þou of rychesse be wel beforne,
And a ȝere or two holdyst þy corne
Þat þou myȝt selle hyt ryȝt dere,
And to helpe þe pore þou wylt nat here,
Salamon seyþ, þat mochë kan,
Þou shalt be weryed with many man;
For þou ȝyuest myys to ȝete
Þat was ordeyned to mannys mete;
For who so wyl hys myys wel fede,
And spare hyt fro þe pore at nede,
hyghly shal he go a-lone
To þe deuyl, body and bone.

Ȝyf þou haue of ouþer tresour,
More þan susteyneþ þyn onour,—
Syluer, cloþes, or ouþer store,
Or of ouþer þyngës more,—
Ȝyf þe pore for defautë deye,
And þou mayst hym helpe, y seye,
Þou are a-couped of þys vyce
Of coueytyse, and of auaryce;
And before God, of þeft, a þefe,
And for hys deþ, of slaghter grefe.

Ȝyf þou yn falshede so moche ȝede,
For coueytyse or for grete mede

177

To consente to a fals Iuggyng,
Or hyredyst a voket to swyche þyng,
Or myghtyst haue sturbled hyt, & wust noght,
But for coueytyse þe wrong were wroght,
Moche shal God challengë þe,
Þat day þat þou Iuged shal be.

As for lordynges cunseylours,
wykked legystrys or fals a-countours,
Þey ne recche of no ryȝt fey,
Ne more þe lordynges þan do þey;
Cunseyl to wykked lawes þey ȝeue,
So þat þe pore men mow nat lyue:
Þarfor, þey and here lordyngys
Doun moche wrong yn many þyngys;
Þarfor shul þey and here cunsayl
Go to helle, boþe top and tayle.
Many man ys broght ful bare
For cunseylours þat coueytous are;
And many a land yn grete errours
Are ouer-turned þurgh cunseylours.

Among hem, stywardes mow be tolde,
Þat lordyngës courtys holde,
For nyrhand euery a styward,
Þe dome þat þey ȝeue, ys ouer hard;
And namely to þe porë man,
Þey greuë hym alle þat þey kan.
who-so-euer to mercy wyl hym drawe,
he seyþ, he shal do hym but lawe;
But who so shal þe lawe alle do,
And no mercy do þar-to,
he may neuer for mercy craue
To God whan he wulde mercy haue;
For ȝyf God shal deme with lawe ryȝt,
Shal no man come to heuene lyȝt.
But þurgh grace and hys mercy,
Þan are we saued certeynly.

178

Þarfor, ȝe stywardes on benche,
Þer-on shulde ȝe allë þenche,
‘Ȝyf þou of þe porë haue pyte,
Þan wylle God haue mercy on þe.’
For hardë dome and coueytyse
y shal ȝow telle of swych a Iustyse.