102 



151. Prodigality in dress. 



[Fol. 66.] 



I have seen 

 noblemen's 

 inventories 

 of apparel 

 very mode- 

 rate as com- 

 pared with 

 what is worn 

 now. 



Other men 

 try to dress 

 like them. 



Even 

 servants 

 dress too 

 much. 



[Fol. 663.] 



The proud 

 man is a 

 child of the 

 devil. 



151. ^ Prodigalite in outragious and costely aray. 



I haue seen bokes of accompte of the yomen of the 

 wardropes of noble men, and also inue«torys made after 

 theyr decease of their apparell, and I doubte not but at 

 4 this daye, it is .xx. tymes more in value, than it was to 

 suche a man of degree as he was an .C. yere a-go : and 

 many tymes it is gyuen away, er it be halfe worne, to a 

 symple man, the whiche causeth hym to weare the same ; 

 8 and an other symple man, or a lyttell better, seynge him 

 to weare suche rayment, thynketh in his mynde, that he 

 maye were as good rayment as he, and so causeth hym to 

 bye suche other, to his great coste and charge, aboue 



12 measure, and an yll ensample to all other : and also to see 

 mens seruantes so abused in theyr aray, theyr cotes be so 

 syde, that they be fayne to tucke them vp whan theyryde, 

 as women do theyr kyrtels whan they go to the market or 



1 6 other places, the whiche is an vnconuenient syght. And 

 ferthermore, they haue suche pleytes vpon theyr brestes, 

 and ruffes vppon theyr sleues, aboue theyr elbowes, 

 that yf theyr mayster, or theym-selfe hadde neuer so 



20 greatte nede, they coude not shoote one shote, to hurte 

 theyr ennemyes, tyll they hadde caste of theyr cotes, or cut 

 of theyr sleues. This is fer aboue measure, or common 

 weale of the realme. This began fyrste with honour, 



24 worship, and honesty, and it endeth in pryde, presumption, 

 and pouertye. Wherof speketh saint Austin, Quemcunque 

 superbum esse videris, diaboli jiliuva esse ne duhites : That is 

 to say, who-so-euer thou seest that is proude, dout the not, 



28 but he is the diuels chylde. Wherfore agaynst pryde he 

 byddeth the remembre : Quid fiiisti, quid es, ei qualis post 

 mortem eris : That is to say, what thou were, what thou 

 art, and what thou shalte be after thy death. And S. 



32 Bernarde saythe. Homo nihil aliud est, ^uam sperma 

 fetidum, saccus stercorum, et esca vermium : That is to saye, 



