122 



172. W/mt is man's greatest offence. 



[Fol. 88.] 



Isidore. 



Jerome. 



Thirdly, as 

 a judge. 



Matt, xvi.27. 



Augustine. 



Gregory. 



[Fol. 88^.] 



correction profyteth more than a troublous correction. 

 For yf thou spake courteysly to a man that hath offended, 

 and with sweete wordes of compassion, he shall rather 



16 be conuerted by theym, than with hye wordes of great 

 punysshement. And Isodorus saythe, Qui per verba hlanda 

 castigatus non corrigetur, acrius necesse est, vt arguatur. 

 He that wylle not be chastysed by fayre wordes, it is 



20 necessary that he be more hardlyerand straytlyer reproued 

 or punysshed. To the thyrde saythe sayncte lerome, 

 Equum iudicium est, vhi non persona sed opera considerantur. 

 There is an euen lugemente, where the personne is not 



24 regarded, but the warkes are consydered. And alsoo hit 

 is wrytten. Reddet vnicuique iuxta opera sua. He shall 

 yelde vnto euery manne after his workes. And sayncte 

 Augustyne saythe, Sicut meliores sunt, quos corrigit amor, 



28 ita plures sunt quos corrigit timor. As those be better, 

 that be chastysed by loue, soo there be many moo that 

 be chastysed by feare. For and they feared not the 

 punyshement of the lawe, there wolde be but a fewe 



32 chastysed by loue. And saynte Gregory sayth, Facientis 

 procul duhio culpam habet, qui quod potest corrigere negligit 

 emendare, et illicita non prohibere consensus erroris est. He 

 that maye correcke, and dothe not, he taketh the offence 



36 to hym-selfe of the dede ; and he that dothe not forbede 

 vnlawefull thynges, consenteth to the same, &c. 



Isidore. 



172. ^ What is the greattest offence that a manne may doo 

 and offende god in. 



In myne opynyon, it is to be in despayre of the mercye 

 of god. And therefore what soo euer thou haue doone 

 or offended god, in worde, warke, thought, or dede, be 

 4 neuer in despayre for it ; for Isodorus saythe, Qui veniam 

 de peccato desperat, plus de desperatione peccat quam de culpa 

 cadit. He that despayreth to haue forgyuenes of his 

 synnes, he synneth more in despayrynge than he dyd in 



