169. The first kind of ahtis. 119 



folkes. And the glose therof sayth, Centuplum acceptunis. 



And thou shalte receyue an .C. tymes so moche. And it 

 36 is to be vnderstande, that there be thre maner of almes- ^j^^""*^ 



dedes, that is to saye : Egenti largire quicquid poteris : <ie«^- 



dimittere eis a quibus lesus fueris : Errantem corrigere, et in 



viam veritatis reducere. That is to saye, to gyue to the 

 40 nedy what thou well mayste, to forg}'ue the}-m that haue 



trespaced to the, and to correcte them that do amysse, 



and to brynge them into the way of ryghte. 



169. f The fyrste maner of almes. 



Egenti largire quicquid poteris. Gyue to the nedye what 

 thou well maye. For our lorde sa}'the in his gospell : Date Luke li. 41 



Ti. 38. 



elemosinam, et omnia munda sunt vobis. Et alibi. Date, et 

 4 dabitur vobis : Gyue almes, and all worldly rychesse is 

 yours ; gyue, and it shall be gjTien to you. Almes-dede 

 is a holy th)Tige, it encreaseth a mans welthe, it maketh 

 lesse a mannes synnes, it lengtheth a mans lyfe, it maketh 

 8 a man of good mynde, it delayeth yll tymes, and closeth [FoI. 86.] 

 all th}Tiges, hit delyuereth a manne from deathe, it ioj-neth 

 a manne with aungelles, and seuereth h}-m from the d}aiell, 

 and is lyke a wall vnable to be foughten agaynst. And 



1 2 saynt James saythe : Sicut aqua extinguit ignem, ita elemo- 

 sina peccatum. As water slecketh fyer, soo dothe almes- 

 dede slake synne. Salomon saythe. Qui dat pauperi, nan Prov. xxviu. 

 indigebit. He that giueth vnto a poore man, shal neuer 



16 haue nede. And also he sayth. Qui obturat aurem suam Vroy.ui.iz. 

 ad clamorem. pauperis, et ipse clamabit, et non exaudietur. 

 He that stoppeth his eare at the clamoure or crie of a 

 pore man, he shall cr}-e, and he shall not be gracyousely 



20 herde. There maye no manne excuse hym from g}uynge 

 of almes, thoughe he be poore. And let hym doo as 

 the poore wydowe dyd, that offered a farthynge, wherfore Mark, xii. 

 she hadde more thanke and rewarde of god, thanne the Liie,xxi. 2. 



24 r}che men that offered golde. And if thou mayste not 



