io8 



157. The property of a rich man. 



Augustine. 



[Fol. 72.] 



Suppose I 

 sell 1000 

 sheep, 100 

 to each of 

 10 men. 



Those who 



do not pay 

 1 imprison 

 for debt. 



These men 

 buy their 

 sheep dearer 

 than the 

 others. 



12 



16 



24 



So it is with 



men who 



buy heaven. 28 



32 



[Fol. 72i.] 



157. ^ What is the propertie of a riche man. 

 In myne opynyon the propertye of a ryche manne is, to 

 be a purchaser ; and if he wyll purchase, I councell hym 

 to purchase heuen. For sayncte Austyne saythe, Regnum 

 ccelorum nulli clauditur, nisi illi, qui se excluserii : The 

 kyngedome of heuen is to noo man closed, but to hym 

 that wyll putte oute hym-selfe. Wherfore this texte 

 maye gyue the a courage to prefixe thy mynde, to make 

 there thy purchase. And Salomon saythe : Quod mali 

 carius emunt infernum, quam boni cczlum : 111 men bye 

 hell derer, thanne the good men bie heuen. And that me 

 semeth maye well be proued by a common ensample : As 

 if I had a .M. shepe to sell, and dyuers men come to me, 

 and bye euery manne a .C. of the shepe, all of one price, 

 to paye me at dyuers dayes. I am agreed, and graunt 

 them these dayes ; some of the menne be good, and kepe 

 theyr promesse, and paye me at theyr dayes, and some of 

 theym doo not paye me. Wherfore I sue theym at the 

 lawe, and by course of the common lawe, I doo recouer 

 my duetie of them, and haue theyr bodyes in prisone for 

 execution, tylle they haue made me payment. Nowe these 

 men, that haue broken me promesse, and payed not theyr 

 dewetye, bye theyr shepe derer thanne the good menne 

 bought theyrs. For they haue imprysonment of theyr 

 bodyes, and yet must they pay theyr duetyes neuer the 

 lesse, or elles lye and dye there in pryson : the whiche 

 sheepe be derer to them, then to the good men that 

 kepte theyr promes. Righte so euery man chepeth 

 heuen, and god hath sette on it a pryce, and graunted 

 it to euery man, and giuen to them dayes of payment : 

 the pryce is all one, and that is to kepe his commaunde- 

 mentes, duryng theyr lyues : the good men kepe his 

 commaundementes, and fulfyll theyr promesse, and haue 

 heuen at theyr decease. The yll men breake promesse, 

 & kepe not his commaundementes, wherfore at theyr 



