Ii8 168. Almsdeeds pleasing to God. 



168. \ Almes-dedes pleaseth god moche. 



Almsdeeds. Almes-dedes pleseth god very moche, and it is great 



sygne that thou loueste bothe god and thy neyghboure. 



And he of whome almes is asked, oughte to consyder 



4 thre thynges, that is to saye, who asketh almes, what he 



God asketh. asketh, and wherevnto he asketh. Nowe to the fyrste, 



who asketh almes, Deus petit. God asketh. For saynte 



Terorae Jerome sayth, Quia deus adeo diligit pauperes, quod quicquid 



8 fit eis propter amorem suum, reputat sibi factum. That is 



to saye, bycause that god loueth poore men so moche, 

 'Foi 8 1 what-someuer thynge is gyuen vnto them for the loue of 



hym, he taketh it as it were done to hym-selfe ; as it is 

 Matt XXV ^^ sayde in his gospell, Quod vni ex minimis meis fecistis, 

 ^5- michi fecistis. That thynge that ye gyue or do to the 



least of those that be myne, ye do it to me. Thanne to 

 He asks not the secondc, what asketh god ? Non nostrum, sed stium. He 

 ours.buthis. ^^ asketh not that thynge that is ours, but that thynge that is 



his owne. As saythe the prophete Dauid, Tua sunt domine 



omnia : Et quce de manu tua accepimus, tibi dedimus. Good 



lorde, all thynges be thyne, and those thynges that we 



20 haue taken of the, of those haue we gyuen the. Thanne 



He asks ^^ ^^^ thyrde, Where-vnto dothe god aske } He asketh 



Wow, and iiot to gyue hym, but all-onely to borowe, Non tamen ad 



hundredfold. triplas, sl/yiicet, immo ad centuplas. Not all-onely to haue 



24 thryse soo moche, but forsothe to haue an hundred tymes 



soo moche. As saynt Austyn saythe. Miser homo, quid 



Augustine. ■' 



veneraris homini ; venerare deo, et centuplum accipies, et vitam 

 ceternam possidetis ? Thou wretched manne, why doste thou 

 28 worshyp or dreade manne: worshyp thou god and dreade 

 hym, and thou shalte receyue an hundred tymes so moche, 

 and haue in possessyon euerlastynge lyfe, the whiche many- 

 folde passeth all other rewardes } Prouerbiorum xiiii. 



[Fol. 855.] ^ 



32 Veneratur domino,^ qui miseretur pauperibus : He wor- 

 Prov xix shyppeth our lorde, that hath mercye and pytye on poore 



^ Printed dominus ; but the right reading is Faneraiur domino. 



