most acceptable to god/ For ellys wold not thise religious men as monkes
freris chanons obseruantes & all other auowe hem & kepe the wilfull
pouerte that they ben professid too/ For in trouth I haue my self ben
conuersant in a religio'9 hous of white freris at gaunt Which haue all
thynge in comyn amonge them/ and not one richer than an other/ in so
moche that yf a man gaf to a frere .iii. d or .iiii. d to praye for hym
in his masse/ as sone as the masse is doon he deliuerith hit to his
ouerest or procuratour in whyche hows ben many vertuous and deuoute
freris And yf that lyf were not the beste and the most holiest/ holy
church wold neuer suffre hit in religion And acordynge thereto we rede
in plato whiche sayth y't the cyte is well and Iustely gouernid and
ordeyned in the whiche no man maye saye by right, by cuftome. ne by
ordenance/ this is myn/ but I say to the certaynly that syn this custome
cam forth to say this is myn/ And this is thyn/ no man thought to
preferre the comyn prouffit so moche as his owen/ And alle werkemen
ought to be wise & well aduysyd so that they haue none enuye ne none
euyll suspecion one to an other/ for god wylle that our humayne nature
be couetous of two thynges/ that is of Religion. And of wysedom/ but in
this caas ben some often tymes deceyued For they take ofte tymes
religion and leue wisedom And they take wysedom and reffuse religion And
none may be vraye and trewe with oute other For hit apperteyneth not to
a wyse man to do ony thynge that he may repente hym of hit/ And he ought
to do no thynge ayenst his wyll/ but to do alle thynge nobly, meurely.
fermely. and honestly And yf he haue enuye vpon ony. hit is folye For he
on whom he hath enuye is more honest and of more hauoir than he whiche
is so enuyous/ For a man may haue none enuye on an other/ but be cause
he is more fortunat and hath more grace than hym self/ For enuye is a
sorowe of corage y't cometh of dysordynance of the prouffit of another
man And knowe thou verily that he that is full of bounte shall neuer
haue enuye of an other/ But thenuyous man seeth and thynketh alleway
that euery man is more noble/ And more fortunat that hymself And sayth
alleway to hymself/ that man wynneth more than I/ and myn neyghebours
haue more plente of bestes/ and her thynges multiplye more than myn/ and
therfore thou oughtest knowe that enuye is the most grettest dedely
synne that is/ for she tormenteth hym that hath her wythin hym/ wyth
oute tormen