20 11. Seed of discretion. 



11. ^ Sede of discretion. 

 SeedofDis- There is a sede, that is called Discretion, and if 



cretion. 



a husband haue of that sede, and myngle it amonge 

 his other cornes, they wyll growe moche the better ; 

 4 for that sede wyll tell hym, how many castes of corne 

 euery lande ought to haue. And a yonge husbande, and 

 may fortune some olde husbande, hath not sufficyente 

 Borrow dis- of that scdc : and he that lackethe, let hym borowe 



cretion, if 



you have it 8 of his ncyghbours that haue. And his neyghbours 



be vnkynde, if they wyll not lende this yonge hous- 



bande parte of this sede. For this sede of Discretion 



hath a wonders property : for the more that it is taken 



12 of or lente, the more it is. And therfore me semeth, 



[Foi. 93.] it shoulde be more spyrituall than temporall, wherin 



Temporal is a greate dyuersitie. For a temporall thynge, the 



things, when 



divided, more it is deuyded, the lesse it is : and a spirytuall 



wane. 



16 thynge, the more it is deuided, the more it is. Verbi 



gratia. For ensaumple, I put case a wyfe brynge a 



lofe of breade to the churche, to make holy breade 



of; whan it is cut in many smal peces, and holy 



20 breade made therof, there may be so many men, women, 



and children in the churche, that by that tyme the priest 



hath delte to euery one of them a lyttell pece, there 



shall neuer a crume be lefte in the hamper. And a 



Spiritual 24 spiritualle thynge as a Paler-noster, or a prayer, that any 



divided, man can say, let hym teache it to .xx., a .c, or to a .M., 



wax. 



yet is the prayer neuer the lesse, but moche more. And 

 so this sede of Discrecio« is but wisdome and reason : and 



28 he that hath wysedome, reason, and discretion may teche 



it, and enforme other men as he is bounde to do. Wherein 



he shall haue thanke of god : and he doth but as god hath 



Matt. X. 8. commaunded hym in his gospell. Quod gratis accepistisy 



32 gratis date : That thynge that ye toke frely, gyue it frely 

 again, and yet shall ye haue neuer the lesse. 



