his catel, but he leseth his catel.

Sothely, what thing

that he giveth for vaynglorie, as to mynstrals, and to folk for to bere his renoun in the world, he hath synne therof, and noon almes; certes, he lesith foule his goodes, that sekith with the gift of his good no thing but synne. He is like to an hors that sekith rather to drynke drovy watir, and trouble, than for to drinke watir of the welle that is cleer. And for as moche as thay give ther as thay schuld not give, to hem appendith thilke malisoun that Crist schal give at the day of doom to hem that schal be dampned.

De gula.

After avarice cometh glotenye, which is expresse eke agayns the comaundement of God. Glotenye is unresonable and desordeyned coveytise to ete and to drynke. This synne corruptid al this world, as is wel schewed in the synne of Adam and of Eva. Loke eek what saith seint Poul of glotouns; many, saith he, gon, of whiche I have ofte said to yow, and now I say it wepyng, that thay ben thenemyes of the cros of Crist, of whiche thende is deth, and of whiche here wombe is here God and here glorie; in confusioun of hem that so saveren erthely thinges. He that is usaunt to this synne of glotonie, he ne may no synne withstonde, he moste be in servage of alle vices, for it is the develes horde, ther he hideth him inne and resteth. This synne hath many spices. The firste is dronkenes, that is thorrible sepulture of mannes resoun; and therfore whan man is dronken, he hath lost his resoun; and

this is dedly synne. But schortly, whan that a man is not wont to strong drinke, and peraventure ne knowith not the strengthe of the drynk, or hath feblesse in his heed, or hath travayled, thurgh whiche he drynkith the more, and be sodeynly caught with drynke, it is no dedly synne, but venial. The secounde spice of glotenie is, whan the spirit of a man wexith al trouble for drunkenesse, and bireveth him his witte and his discressioun. The thridde spice of glotouns is, when a man devoureth his mete, and hath no rightful maner of etyng. The ferthe is, whan thurgh the grete abundaunce of his mete, the humours in his body been distemprid. The fifte is, forgetfulnes by to moche drinking, for which a man somtyme forgetith by the morwe, what he dide at eve, or on the night bifore.

In other maner ben distinct the spices of glotonye, after seint Gregory. The firste is, for to ete or drynke byfore tyme to ete. The secound is, whan man giveth him to delicate mete or drinke. The thridde is, whanne man takith to moche therof over mesure. The ferthe is, curiosité, with gret entent to make and apparayle his mete. The fifte is, for to ete to gredely. These ben the fyve fyngres of the develes hand, by whiche he drawith folk to synne.

Remedium contra gulam.

Agayns glotonye the remedie is abstinence, as saith Galien; but that hold I nought meritorie, if he do it oonly for the hele of his body. Seint Austyn wol that abstinence be don for vertu, and with pacience. Ab

stinence, he saith, is litil worth, but if a man have good wille therto, and but it be enforced by pacience and by charité, and that men doon it for Goddes sake, and in hope to have the blisse of heven. The felawes of abstinence ben attemperaunce, that holdith the mene in alle thinges; eek schame, that eschie with al dishonesté; suffisaunce, that seeketh noone riche metes ne drynkes, ne doth no force of to outrageous apparaillyng of mete; mesure also, that restreyneth by reson the dislave appetit of etyng; sobernes also, that restreyneth the outrage of drinke; sparing also, that restreyneth the delicat ese to sitte longe at mete, wherfore som folk stonden of here owne wille to ete, because they wol ete at lasse leysir.

De luxuria.

After glotonye thanne cometh leccherie, for these two synnes ben so neih cosyns, that ofte tyme thay wol not departe. Unde Paulus ad Ephes., nolite inebriari vino in quo est luxuria, etc. God wot this synne is full displesaunt thing to God, for he sayde himself, Do no leccherie. And therfore he putte gret peŷne agayn this synne. For in the olde law, if a womman thral were take in this synne, sche scholde be beten with staves to the deth; and if sche were a gentilwomman, sche schulde be slayn with stoons; and if sche were a bisschoppis doughter, sche schulde be brent by Goddis comaundement. Fortherover, for the synne of leccherie God dreinte al the world at the diluvie, and after that he brent fyve citees with thonder layt, and sonk hem into helle.

Now let us thanne speke of thilke stynkyng synne of leccherie, that men clepen advoutry, that is of weddid folk, that is to sayn, if that oon of hem be weddid, or elles bothe. Seint Johan saith, that advouterers schuln be in helle in watir brennyng of fuyr and of brimston; in fuyr for the leccherie, in brimston for the stynk of her ordure. Certis the brekyng of this sacrament is an horrible thing; it was makid of God himself in Paradis, and confermed of Jhesu Crist, as witnesseth seint Mathew; a man schall lete fader and mooder, and take him to his wif, and thay schul ben two in oon fleisch. This sacrament bitokeneth the knyttyng togider of Crist and of holy chirche. And nat oonly that God forbad advotrie in dede, but eek he comaunded, that thou scholdest not coveyte thy neyhebors wif. In this heste, seith seint Austyn, is forboden al maner coveytise to do leccherie. Lo what seith seint Mathew in the Gospel, that who so seth a womman, to coveytise of his lust, he hath doon lecchery with hir in his herte. Here may ye se, that nought oonly the dede of this synne is forboden, but eek the desir to do that synne. This cursed synne annoyeth grevously hem that it haunten; and first to here soule, for he obligith it to synne and to pyne of the deth that is perdurable; unto the body annoyeth it grevously also, for it dreyeth him and wastith him, and schent him, and of his blood he makith sacrifice to the devel of helle; it wastith eek his catel and his substaunce. And certes, if that it be a foul thing a man to waste his catel on wommen, yit is it a fouler thing, whan that for such ordure wommen

M

dispende upon men here catel and here substaunce. This synne, as saith the prophete, byreveth man and womman her good fame and al here honour, and it is ful pleasaunt to the devel; for therby wynneth he the moste pray of this world. And right as a marchaunt deliteth him most in chaffare that he hath most avauntage of, right so delitith the feend in this ordure.

This is the other hond of the devel, with fyve fyngres, to cacche the poeple to his vilonye. The firste fynger is the foule lokyng of the foule womman and of the foule man, that sleth right as a basiliskoc sleth folk by the venym of his sight; for the coveytise of eyen folwith the coveytise of the herte. The secounde fynger is the vileynes touchinge in wikkid manere. And therfore saith Salomon, that who so touchith and handelith a womman, he farith lik him that handelith the scorpioun, that styngith and sodeinly sleeth thurgh his envenemynge; or as who so touchith warm picche, it schent his fyngres. The thridde is foule wordes, that farith lik fuyr, that right anoon brenneth the herte. ferthe is the kissyng; and trewely he were a greet fool that wolde kisse the mouth of a brennyng oven or of a forneys; and more fooles ben thay that kyssen in vilonye, for that mouth is the mouth of helle; and namely thise olde dotard fooles holours, yit wol thay kisse, and flikkere, and besien hemself, though thay may nought do.32 Certis thay ben like to houndes; for an hound whan he cometh to a roser, or by other bussches,

The

32 kisse... nought do. The Harl. MS., supported by the Lansd, MS., reads, kisse, though thay may nought do and smater hem. The reading in the text, which is that of Tyrwhitt, seems to me better.