Chapter II: Part 2

These are the six vices that rob the man of good beginning. Because of six other vices the slothful cannot have good beginning or amendment. They are the bad habits of an evil servant, who causes that no good man shall receive him (them) into his service when he is so slothful, untrue, careless, forgetful, slack, and failing. The first vice is untruth. For when God sets in the heart of man goodwill to do well, then comes the devil and says to him: ‘Thou shalt easily recover it; thou art young and strong; thou shalt live long,’ and so the devil makes him to cease from doing well. Afterwards comes sloth; for he that does well and does it delayingly, it is no wonder if he does it slothfully. That is a vice whereby all the world is besmutted, (as) whoever takes good heed [may see]. For few folk there are that are diligent in what they are bound to do as regards God and their neighbour.

After sloth is forgetting. For whoever is slothful often forgets. Because of these two sins of forgetting it often befalls that he cannot be shriven; he forgets his shortcomings and his sins, which is great peril. For none can have forgiveness without true shrift, which produces repentance of heart, confession of mouth, obedience in deed; that is, amending and reparation. There is no man so good that, if he saw well his own shortcomings, would not find enough to say each day in his shrift. But sloth and forgetting make the sinners blind, so that they see not in the book of their conscience.

THE PERIL OF SLACKNESS.

Afterwards comes slackness, which comes of want of heart, and of evil habit, which so binds the man that with difficulty he gives himself to well-doing. Sometimes it comes of ignorance and of foolish heat, whereby the man so starves his heart and his body by fasts and by vigils and by other deeds, that he falls into feebleness and into such sickness that he cannot labour in God’s service, and perishes in the slackness because he has neither taste nor devotion for well-doing. Afterwards comes weariness, which makes the man become weary and worse from day to day, until he is quite defeated and overcome with weariness. And this is the sixth vice of the evil servant, that he fails ere he come to the end or to his term, and one can say, whoever serves and serves not fully, he loses his reward.

THE SIX POINTS OF SLOTH THAT BRING MAN TO HIS END.

And yet again there are six evil points whereby sloth brings man to his end. The first is disobedience, when the man will not do what one tells him in penance; or (when) one commands him something that seems to him hard, he excuses himself that he cannot do it; or if he receives it, he does it either little or naught. The second point is impatience; for as he can bear nothing in the way of obedience, he cannot endure in the way of patience, so that none dare speak to him of his good. The third is murmuring, for when one speaks to him for his good, he is angry and murmurs, and thinks that one despises him, and therefrom he falls into sorrow, which is the fourth vice. And the same sorrow overcomes him so much that all that one says to him, all that one does to him, all that he hears, all that he sees, it all annoys him, and so he falls into sorrow and into disinclination to live, so that he himself hastens and desires his death; and this is the fifth vice. After all these sorrowful points of sloth the devil gives him the deadly stroke, and brings him to despair. Therefore, he compasses his death and slays himself, as desperate and gives himself to all evils, and dreads not to do sin, whatever it be. To such an end sloth leads the man. These are eighteen points that the devil throws upon the slothful; it is no wonder though he lose the game.

THE FIFTH HEAD OF THE BEAST.

The fifth head of the beast before mentioned is the sin of avarice and of covetousness, which is the root of all evil, as says St. Paul. That is the mistress who has so large a school that all go therein to learn, as says the Scripture. For all manner of folk study in avarice, both great and small: kings, prelates, clerks, both lay and religious. Avarice is inordinate love, so inordinate it shows itself in three ways generally, in winning boldly, in withholding straitly, in spending niggardly. These are the three principal boughs which grow from this root.

But specially and properly from the root of avarice go out many small roots, which are very great, deadly sins. The first is usury, the second theft, the third robbery, the fourth false claim, the fifth sacrilege, the sixth simony, the seventh wickedness, the eighth is in chaffer, the ninth is wicked craft, the tenth is in evil folk, and each of these small roots divides in many ways.

Then the first root, which is usury, divides into seven outcastings. For there are seven kinds of usurers: lending, who lend silver for others, and, above the principal, take the profits, either in pence, or in horses, or in corn, or in wine, or in fruit of the ground, which they take in mortgage, without reckoning the fruit in payment, and what is worse, they will reckon twice or thrice (in) the year in order to make the usury increase, and will yet have gifts over and above for each term, and often make of the usury a principal debt. These are usurers evil and foul. But there is another lender, courteous, who lends without bargain-making, always for profit, either in pence, or in horses, or in cups of gold or of silver, or robes, or tuns with wine, or in fat swine, material services of horses, of carts, or food, to them or to their children, or in other things, and everywhere for usury, when one takes it by reason of the loan. The second kind of usury is in those that lend not to their parson, but what their fathers and the fathers of their wives or their elders have obtained by usury they withhold, and will not give it up. The third kind of usury is in them that have shame to lend with their own hand; but they cause their servants or other men to lend of their pence. These are the master usurers. Of the same sin the great men are not quit, who support and sustain Jews and the Saracens, who lend and destroy the country, and they take payments and great gifts, and sometimes the ransoms that are for the goods of the poor. The fourth kind is in them that lend of other men’s silver, or take in pledge at little cost in order to lend at greater cost. These are like usurers that learn such foul craft. The fifth kind is in unfair dealing: when one sells the thing, whatever it be, for more than it is worth at the time, and what is worse, the dishonest time-setter, when he sees the folk most necessitous, then will he sell twice as dear as the thing is worth. Such folk do too much evil. By means of their time-setting they destroy and make beggars the knights and the nobles that follow the tournaments, who assign their lands and their heritage in pledge of mortgage, which is not paid. Another sins in buying things, as corn or wine or other thing(s for) less by half than it is worth, for the pence which he pays at first, and then sells it them again twice or thrice as dear. Another buys things when they are worth least (and) very abundant (_or_ a great bargain), corn in harvest, wine in vintage (vendage _in Glossary_), or wares, in order to sell again, (and keeps them) until they are most dear, and desires the dear time in order to sell the dearer. Another (buys) corn in grass, vines in bloom, when they are of fair appearance, by such a bargain that they may have, whatever chance befall, their property safe. The sixth kind is of those that take their pence to merchants, so that they may be partakers in the winning and not in the loss, or who entrust their beasts, as many as half, (to them,) so that they may be of high price; that is to say, that if they die in the meantime [they have to] put others in their stead worth as much. The seventh kind is in those that do [this] to their poor neighbours in their needs—(and) because they have lent them a little silver or corn, or done some kindness, (and) when they see them poor and needy, then make they a bargain with them to do their jobs, and the pence that they delivered before to the poor man, or lent him a little corn, they have three pennyworths of work for one penny.

THE SECOND BOUGH OF COVETOUSNESS.

The second bough of avarice is theft; that is, to take or withhold other men’s things wrongfully, and without the knowledge and will of the owner. And that one may do in four ways after the manner of thieves. For there is a thief open and a thief hidden, a thief privy and a fellow-thief.

The thief common and open are those that by such craft live, on whom one does judgment when one takes them. Of such there are many kinds on land and on sea. The hidden thief is he that steals in corners and secretly, great things or little by (their) fighting, or by treason, or by cunning.

The privy thieves are those that steal not of strangers, but of private persons. And of such there are of great and of small. The great are the sinful and dishonest reeves, provosts, beadles and constables, that steal the fines and withhold the revenue of their lords, and reckon more in deeds and in expenditure, and less in receipts and in revenue. Such are the great officials that are in the house of rich men, that make great outlays, and give liberally the goods of their lords without their knowledge and without their will.

To this sin belong the sins of the wife, that does so much by her sin that the children, that she knows well that she has by adultery, bear away the legitimacy. Such is the sin of the wife that steals the goods of her lord in order to give to her kin, or to put to sinful use; and of them of religion that are owners, for they promise to live without possession.

The others are the little thieves, that steal in the house bread, wine and other things, whatever they may be; or of their neighbours, their capons, hens, fruit of their gardens, or other things, whatever it may be. Such are those that withhold the things that they find, and know well whose they are, and will not give them up. For if thou findest and restorest not, thou stealest it. And though they know not whose they are, they shall not therefore withhold it, but they shall act by the advice of holy Church or that of their father confessors.

The thieves in fellowship are those that share in the theft, either because of partnership, or by gift, or by buying, or in other ways; afterwards those that consent, or advise, or command to do it. And those that excuse the thieves, or support them in their wickedness, or receive them into their house, or into his land, with their theft; afterwards the wicked judges that suffer them, either through gifts, or through entreaties, or for other evil cause, and will not, or dare not, do right.

THE THIRD BOUGH OF AVARICE.

The third bough of avarice is robbery, which hath many small roots. The first is in evil executors of bequests. The second is in evil lords, be he knight or other, that fleece the poor men that they should protect, by tolls, by duties on corn and cattle (_read_ coruees), by loans, by evil customs, by lines, by threatenings, or by other customs that they seek or bethink how they may have of theirs. In this sin are the great princes or barons that by their power take cities, castles, lands, baronies, and the other rich men that rob their poor neighbours by force of lands, vines, or other things, and take on the right hand and on the left, so that nothing can escape them. The third is in robbers and evil innkeepers, that rob the pilgrims and the merchants and other wayfaring men. The fourth is in them that will not pay what they must, and that withhold wrongfully the wages of their servants, or of them that attend to their needs. The fifth is in these great prelates, that deprive and rob their underlings by too much procuring, or by some unlawful exactions, which they make in too many ways. Those are the wolves that devour the sheep. The sixth is in such reeves, provosts, beadles, or official men, whatever they may be, as commit great robberies and wrongs upon the poor, and buy great heritages. There are so many other kinds of robberies, which it would be a long business to tell, but some are continued above that that is (here) related.

THE FOURTH BOUGH OF AVARICE.

The fourth bough of avarice is false claiming; that is, running upon others wrongfully: to this sin belong all the fraud, all falsehoods, and all guile(s) that come in pleading. In this learning Dame Avarice has many scholars, both of clerks and of laymen, and especially seven kinds of folk that all study thus. The first is the false plaintiffs, that make false pleas, and seek false judges, and long time, and false witnesses, false advocates, false letters, in order to grieve others and oppress the people wrongfully, either in a Christian court or in a secular court. The second are the false fugitives that flee and [do] not what is right, and seek exceptions and respites, in order to deprive others of their own. The third is the false witnesses; these make the false marriages; these steal the heritages, (and) thus do so much evil and harm as none can amend; and all this they do through their great covetousness. The fourth is the false pleaders, that receive and sustain wittingly false causes, and plead them for hire and for gifts, which they take on the right hand and on the left, and often lose good suits by their sin, or because of ignorance or through sloth turn aside the rights and do all the wrongs on account of their covetousness, as those that are masters of guile and of dispute and of false accusation. The fifth is the false notaries that make false letters and forge the seals, make wicked libels and too many other falsehoods. The next is the false judges, that incline more to one side than another through gifts or through promises or through entreaties, or for love or for anger or for dread, and unbind suits wrongfully; and have great costs made, and take great gifts, sometimes from the one, sometimes from the other, sometimes from both, and sell their judgments, or let them come to nothing; and do poor men great harm, which they cannot amend. The last are the evil assessors, that give evil advice to the judges, and cause suits to be lost on account of the services that they give. All the persons before mentioned are bound to give up what they have had wrongfully of others, and the harm that others have had by them.

THE FIFTH BOUGH OF AVARICE.

The fifth bough of avarice is sacrilege. Sacrilege is when one breaks or injures, or takes away foully, the holy things, or the men of holy Church, or the hallowed places that are appropriated to God’s service, and that often cause covetousness in many ways. First, when one takes away foully the body of our Lord, as do the heretics and the witches and the wicked priests, in order to make gain. Also I speak of the other sacraments. Afterwards, when one breaks, or steals, or takes away foully, the hallowed things, the crosses, the chalices, the chrism, the fine linen, the consecrated vestments, and other consecrated things. Afterwards, when one burns or breaks churches, or holy places, church-towns, or religious houses, or when one takes those out that flee to holy Church, or into church-towns, in order to be protected. Afterwards, when one makes quarrels in church so that there is blood shed, or when one commits sin of lechery. Afterwards when one lays hands wickedly on clerk, or on man or on woman of religion. Afterwards, when one steals, or carries out of the holy place for an evil cause consecrated things or unconsecrated, whatever it may be. Of these sins those are not quit that spend the goods of holy Church, the patrimony of Jesu Christ, for an evil purpose, nor those any the more that steal, or withhold by wrong or by force, or hide the things that are appropriated to holy Church, or pay them badly, as the rents, the offerings, the tithes, and the other rights of holy Church. Of this same sin those are not quit that break Sundays, and the feasts that are to be observed. For the holy day has its freedom, as have the holy places. These are the small boughs that grow from the bough of sacrilege.

THE SIXTH BOUGH OF AVARICE.

The sixth bough of avarice is simony, which is so named because of a wizard, that was called Simon, who wished to buy of St. Peter the Apostle the grace to do miracles, and offered great wealth, and therefore all those are called Simoniacs, that will sell or buy spiritual things, which is, among all the deadly sins, one of the greatest. And this bough has many twigs. The first is in them that sell or buy the holy orders, or the body of our Lord, or the other sacraments of holy Church. The second is in them that sell God’s Word, and preach principally for pence. The third is in them that by gifts, or by promises, or by entreaties dreadful or carnal, prevail so far that they or others are chosen to dignities of holy Church, such as bishoprics, abbeys, or deaneries, or other dignities that one fills by election. The fourth is in them that through gifts, or through promises, or through terrible entreaties, or through unclean service, give the prebends and the parishes, or other benefices of holy Church. The fifth is in them that by bargain-making let or change their benefices. The sixth is in them that by bargain-making go into religion, and in them that in such manner receive them.

Many other sins there are, and of divers cases, in simony. But they belong more to clerks than to laymen. And this book is made more for laymen than for clerks who have books. But always it is necessary for laymen that they should keep themselves from this sin in three cases. One is when they will help their kin or their friends to rise in dignities of holy Church. The second when they give prebends or benefices that are in their gift. The third when they yield their children to religion. In these three points, if they give or receive gifts or evil entreaties or evil services, they might soon fall into this sin of simony. For, as say the holy writings, there are three kinds of gifts that make simony: gift of land, gift of mouth, as entreaties, gift of uncleanly service. I call uncleanly when the services are done for an uncleanly cause, or principally for a spiritual matter.

THE SEVENTH BOUGH OF AVARICE.

The seventh bough of avarice is wickedness. I call wickedness, when the man is so wicked and such a devil, that he dreads not to do a great sin, deadly and horrible, or great harm to others, for a little gain or for advantage to himself. This bough has many twigs. The first is when any for dread of poverty or for covetousness, in order to make gain, forsakes (denies) God and the Christian belief, and becomes a Bulgar, or Jew, or Saracen. To this sin belongs the sin of them that for pence have the devil summoned, and make enchantments, and cause to look into a sword or into the nail of the thumb, in order to overtake thieves or for other things. And of them also that cause or obtain by charms or by witchcraft or by evil, whatever it be, that folk that are in wedlock together hate one another, or cannot have fellowship the one with the other in wedlock; or that folk, that are not in wedlock, love one another foolishly and in sin. The second is the sin of grudging and of treason (fraud), when the man for gain or for reward doth thing(s) whereby they lead others to death, either by sword, or by poison, or in other way, whatever it may be. The third is the sin of them that for gain burn houses, towns, castles, cities, or churches, or destroy the vines, or corn, or do other harm for reward. The fourth is the sin of them that sow discord, and obtain strife and wars in cities, or in capitals, or between the nobles, because they think to gain more with strife in war than in peace. The fifth is the sin of reeves, of provosts, of beadles, of servants, that accuse and challenge poor folk, and cause them to be charged, and use them ill, for a little gain that they have besides.

To this sin belongs the sin of false judges, and of false advocates, and of false witnesses, of whom we have spoken above. In many other ways the sin of wickedness is done. But it were a long business to tell, and better may each man read the same sin and the others in the book of his conscience, than in any sheepskin.

THE EIGHTH BOUGH OF AVARICE.

The eighth bough of avarice is unfair dealing, wherein one sins in many ways for temporal gain, and especially in seven ways. The first is to sell things as dear as one can, and to buy as cheap as one can. The second is lying, swearing, and forswearing, the dearer to sell their chaffer. The third way is what one does in weights and measures, and that may be in three ways. The first when one has diverse weights or diverse measures, and buys by the greatest weights or by the greatest measures, and sells by the least. The second way is when one has just weights and just measures, and sells dishonestly, as do these tavern-keepers that fill the measure with scum. The third way is when those that sell by weight so procure and cause that the thing that one shall weigh shows more heavy. The fourth way to sin in unfair dealing is to sell to time; of this we have spoken above. The fifth way is to sell another thing than one is shown before, as do these scriveners that show a good letter at the beginning and afterwards make a bad one. The sixth is to hide the truth about the thing that one will sell, as do the fraudulent dealers. The seventh is to cause (to procure) that the thing that one sells seems to have a better appearance than it has, as do these sellers of cloth that choose dark places, where they sell their cloth. In many other ways one may sin in unfair dealings, but it would be a long matter to tell.

THE NINTH BOUGH OF AVARICE.

The ninth bough of avarice is in evil crafts. In this sin much folk in many ways; as these foolish women, that for a little gain give themselves to sin: also these heralds and these champions and many others, that for pence or for temporal profit give themselves to dishonest craft, which cannot be done without sin, both of those that do it and of those that support them.

THE TENTH BOUGH OF AVARICE.

The tenth bough of avarice is evil games, such as games of dice and of tables and others, whatever they may be, where one plays for pence or for other temporal gain. Such evil games, especially of dice and of tables, are forbidden by right because of many sins that follow such games. The first is covetousness, to win, and to despoil his fellow. The second is too great usury, as nine for twelve, not for a month, nor for eight days, but in one self-same day. The third is to increase lies and idle words and, what is worse, great blasphemies of God and of His saints, wherefore God is angry, as oftentimes He has taken too little vengeance. For sometimes their visage turns round, with the front behind.

_A Tale._

There was a knight that swore by God’s eyes; in haste his one eye leapt upon the checker. An archer, because he had lost at gambling, took his bow and shot upwards at God. In the morning, when he sat at play, his arrow fell upon the checker all bloody.

The fourth is the evil example, which he that plays gives to others that see the game. The fifth is loss of time that one should occupy in good works. And many other sins which it were a long matter to tell. One thing I shall not forget, that he that wins cannot well withhold what he wins, but shall give it for God’s love, except it be in such a way that he had it by fraud or by force, like him that by force causes others to play. In that case he should restore it to him that has lost it. Also I speak of what one wins at a tournament.

These are the boughs of avarice: there are enough others. But they are more for clerks than for laymen. And this book is made more for laymen than for clerks, who know the writings.

THE SIXTH HEAD OF THE BEAST.

The sixth head of the evil beast is lechery; that is, excessive and inordinate love, in lust of loins or in fleshly lust. As regards this sin the devil tempts in five ways, as says St. Gregory. First in foolish sight, afterwards in foolish words, afterwards in foolish handling, afterwards in foolish kissing, afterwards one comes to the deed. For from foolish sight one comes to the speech, and from the speech to the handling, from the handling to the kissing, from the kissing to the deed. And thus subtlely the devil makes (one) go from one to another. This sin divides first into two kinds, for there is lechery of heart and lechery of body. The lechery of heart has four steps. For the spirit of fornication, which attends on the fire of lechery, embraces the hearts; first makes the thoughts come, and the delights, and the imaginations of sin to the heart, and makes (it) think. Afterwards the heart dwells on the thoughts, and so is delighted; yet it does not the deed for anything. And in this dwelling and in the same lust is the second step, which may be deadly sin. The great sin may be the lust. The third step is the consenting of heart, and of the reason, and of the will. And such consentings are always deadly sin. After the consenting comes the desire and the great heat that they have to sin, and do more than twenty sins in the day, in sight of ladies and of maidens, who show themselves fairly adorned, who often show and adorn themselves the more quaintly and the more beautifully in order to make fools wonder at them, and think not to sin greatly because they have no will to do the deed. But forsooth they sin very grievously. For by reason of them are many souls lost. And there is much folk brought to death and to sin. For, as says the proverb, ‘Lady of fair adorning is arbalest to the tower.’ For she has not a limb in her body that is not a trap of the devil, as Solomon says. Then it behoves at the day of judgment to give account of the souls that by reason of them are lost: that is to say, when they give occasion to sin wittingly.

Lechery of body is divided into lechery of eyes, of ears, of mouth, of hands, and of all the senses of the body, and especially of the foul deed. And how is it a foul deed since it is natural? Because God forbids it in His Gospel, and His Apostle Paul, who thus says: ‘Let each man have his own, because of fornication;’ that is to say, his own wife. To that sin belong all the things whereby the flesh rises and desires such a deed, such as the great drinkers and eaters, the soft bed, pleasant clothes, and all manner of ease of body unnecessarily, and especially idleness.

The sin of the deed of lechery is divided into many boughs according to the state of the persons that do it, and goes upwards from bad to worse. The first is of man or of woman that have no bond, either of widowhood, or of wedlock, or of orders, or of religion, or of another kind. That is the first deadly sin in the deed of lechery. The second is with a common woman. This sin is harder because it (she) is older, and because such women are sometimes wives, or (women) of religion, and forsake no one, neither father, nor brother, nor son, nor kin. The third is of a single man with a widow, or the converse. The fourth is with a single woman. The fifth is with a married woman; that is the sin of adultery, which is very wrong, because there is breaking of troth, which the one shall bear to the other; afterwards there is a sacrilege, when one breaks the sacrament of marriage; sometimes desertion of heir befalls, and false marriages. This sin is sometimes doubled, when it is of a married man with a woman that has a husband. The sixth is when the man, (that) has his own wife, does a thing that is forbidden and inordinate, against the nature of man and orders and marriage. And with his own sword a man may slay himself. Also he may with his own wife sin deadly. Therefore God smote to an evil death Onan, Jacob’s nephew. And the devil that was called Asmodeus strangled the seven husbands of the holy maid, Sara, who was afterwards the wife of young Tobias. For all the sacraments of holy Church one shall use cleanlily and with great honour. The seventh is of a man with his godmother or with his goddaughter, or of a godson with the children of his sponsors, for those children cannot come together without deadly sin, not even in marriage. The eighth is of a man with his kin, and the same sin is increased and lessened according as the kinship is near or far. The ninth is of the man with the kin of his wife, or, on the contrary, of the wife with the kin of her husband. The same sin is very dreadful. For when the man hath fellowship with any woman, he can no longer in marriage have any of her kin, and if he takes any the marriage is naught. And if he takes a wife and afterwards [another woman] on the side of her kin, he loses the right that he had to his wife, inasmuch as she may not afterwards dwell with him, except she beg for it before. The tenth is of women with hooded clerks. This sin is increased and lessened according to the hoods and the esteem. The eleventh is of a man of the world with a woman of religion, or, on the contrary, of a woman of the world with a man of religion. The twelfth is of a man of religion and a woman of religion, and this sin is increased and lessened according to the state of the persons that do it. The thirteenth is of prelates, who should be a pattern and example of holiness and of cleanness to all the world. The last is most foul and most loathsome, which is not to be named. The same sin is against nature, which the devil teaches to man or to woman in many ways, which are not to be named because of the matter, which is too abominable. But in shrift the same shall name it, to whom it is befallen. For as much more foul and more horrible the sin is, the more shrift avails. For the shame that one has in the telling is a great part of the penance. This sin is so hateful to God that He did rain burning fire and stinking brimstone upon the city of Sodom, and of Gomorrah, and caused five cities to sink into hell. The devil himself, who brings it about, has shame when man does it, and the air is envenomed with the deed.

THE SEVENTH HEAD OF THE BEAST.

The seventh head of the evil beast is the sin of the mouth; and because the mouth has two offices, whereof the one belongs to the swallow, as to meat and to drink, the other is in speech; therefore the same sin is divided principally into two parts: to wit, into the sin of gluttony, which is in meat and in drink; and into the sin of an evil tongue, that is, foolish speaking. And first let us speak of the sin of gluttony, which is a vice that the devil is much pleased with, and (which) much displeases God. Through such sin has the devil very great power over man. Whereof we read in the Gospel, that God gave the devils leave to go into the swine, and when they were in them (they) drowned them in the sea, as a sign that gluttons lead the life of swine, and the devil has leave to go into them, and drown them in the sea of hell, and to cause them to eat so much that they burst asunder, and to drink so much that they drown themselves.

When the champion has felled his man and holds him by the throat, with great difficulty he arises. And so it is with those that the devil holds through sin, and therefore blithely he runs at the throat, like the wolf to the sheep, in order to strangle him, as he did to Eve and to Adam in the terrestrial paradise. That is the fisherman of hell, who takes the fish by the throat and by the chin. This sin much displeases God. For the glutton works too great a shame when he makes his god of a sack full of dung, that is, of his belly, which he loves more than God, and in it remains, and serves it. God commands him to fast; the belly says: ‘Thou shalt not, but eat long and continuously.’ God commands him in the morning to arise; the belly says: ‘Thou shalt not; I am too full, it behoves me to sleep; the church is no hare, it can well await me.’ And when he arises, he begins his matins and his prayers and his orisons, and says: ‘Ah, God! what shall we eat to-day? whether one shall find anything that is worth (eating)?’ After these matins come the praises, and he says: ‘Ah, God! lo, we had good wine yester evening and good meats.’ And after that he beweeps his sins and says: ‘Alas!’ he says: ‘I have been nigh dead to-night; too strong was that wine last evening. My head aches; I shall not be at ease until I have drunk.’ Thus, too, the evil man says. This sin leads man to shame. For first of all he becomes a tavern-goer, then he plays at dice, then he sells his own, then he becomes ribald, a whoremonger and thief, and then one hangs him. This is the scot (payment) that one often pays.

This sin is divided, as by St. Gregory, into five boughs. For in five ways one sins by meat and by drink; either in that one eats and drinks before time, or too greedily, or out of measure, or too ardently, or too plenteously. The first bough, then, of this sin is to eat before time, and too foul a thing it is of a man that has age when he cannot wait for the time to eat; and of great lechery of throat it comes that a man who is strong and whole of body without reasonable cause yearns for meat before the right hour, as does a dumb beast. And many sins come of the same habit. Then it comes about that such a man says, that he cannot fast or do penance; for he has said this: ‘I have too bad a head.’ And he says true, for he has made it such, and an evil heart also, which that sin has made, and has caused him to break the fasts, which is a great sin. And if he damned himself by himself, thereof no matter; but he will have fellows, that do as he does, whom he draws from well-doing, and leads them with him into hell. For he causes them to break their fasts and do their gluttonies, wherefrom they would keep themselves, if there were no evil companions. For the drinker and the whoremonger, among the other evils that they do, [commit] one sin that is properly the devil’s, when they withdraw [others] from well-doing. They say that they cannot fast, but they lie. For little love of God possesses them that I speak of. For if they loved the true joy of heaven as much as they do the idle bliss of this world, as they fast because of temporal needs until night, as well might they fast until noon for God, if they loved Him so much. But they are just like the child that will always have the bread in his hand. And thou shalt know that as one sins by too early rising in order to eat, so also one sins in supping late. The folk, then, that love to sup late, and to keep awake at night, and waste the time in idleness, and go late to bed and rise late, sin in many ways. First, in that they waste the time and misspend it, when they make of the night day and of the day night. Such folk God accurses by the prophet. For one shall by day do good, and by night praise God and pray; but whoever lies abed when he should arise, sleep he must when he should pray, and his service hear, and praise God; and thus he loses all his time, both by night and by day. Afterwards in such vigils one does many evils, as play at chess or at games of hazard, and one says much scorn and folly, and thus the wretch wastes his time and his wits and his goods, and angers God, and harms his body, and still more his soul.

The second bough is excess and want of moderation in meat and in drink. The same are properly gluttons, who devour all, as does the kite with his sparrow. There is great sense in observing moderation in meat and in drink, and great health, for many people die, and often there come great sicknesses. But whoever will learn this moderation, he shall know and understand that there are many ways of living in the world. The first lives by the flesh, the second by his jollity, the third by his physic, the fourth by his honesty, the fifth by what his (their) sins require, the sixth by the spirit and by the love of God.

Those that live by the flesh, as says St. Paul, slay their souls, for they make their god of their belly. The same observe neither reason nor measures, and therefore they shall have in the other world torment without measure.

Those that live by their jollity will keep their foolish fellowships, so that they neither know how, nor are able to observe measure.

Those that live by hypocrisy, who are the devil’s martyrs, have two measures, for the two devils that torment the hypocrite are much opposed to each other. The one says to him: ‘Eat enough, until thou art fair and fat;’ the other says to him: ‘Thou shalt not, but thou shalt fast until thou art pale and lean.’ Now, it behoves to have two measures, one little and (one) scant that he uses before people; and another good and liberal, which he uses so that none sees; this holds not the right measure. He whom covetousness leads has such a measure as the purse wills, who is lady and hostess of the house. Then shall we between the purse and the belly of the glutton have a fair strife. The belly says: ‘I will be full;’ the purse says: ‘I will be full.’ The belly says: ‘I will that thou eat and drink, and that thou spend.’ And the purse says: ‘Thou shalt not; I will that thou keep and retrench.’ Alas! what shall he do, this wretch who is thrall to two such evil lords? Two measures make the wight mad: the measure of the belly, in other men’s house good and liberal; and the measure of the purse, of her who is sorrowful and sparing.

Those that live by physic observe the measure of Hippocrates, which is little and narrow; and it often befalls that he that by physic lives by physic dies.

Those that live by their honesty, the same observe the measure of reason and live honourably to the world, who eat at the time and at the hour, and take with goodwill what they have both courteously and gladly.

Those that live by what their sins demand observe such manner and measure as one enjoins on them in penance.

Those that live by the Spirit are those that dwell in the love of God, whom the Holy Ghost teaches to observe order and reason and measure; those that have control over their bodies, who is so taught that he asks for no extraordinary thing, and does what the Spirit commands without murmuring and without contradiction.

Now canst thou see, from what we have said here, that the devil has many gins to take people by the throat; for first he shows them wines and meats that are fair and pleasant, as he did the apple to Eve. And if that avails not, he says to him: ‘Eat and drink like so and so and so and so; it behoves thee to keep fellowship, if thou wilt that one should not starve thee, nor esteem thee a hypocrite;’ or he says to him: ‘The health of thy body thou shalt look after, for whoever hath not health hath naught. Be not thine own manslayer; thou owest to thy body sustenance.’ Or he says to him: ‘Take heed to the good things that thou dost or mayest do; thou eatest not for the lust of thy body, but to serve God; thou shalt keep thy strength for God, as David says.’ These reasons are so convincing that the wisest and holiest man is sometimes beguiled.

The third bough of this sin is to run hastily after meat, as does the hound after the hare; and the greater the haste is, the greater is the sin. For as it is no sin to have riches, but to love them too much; just so it is no sin to eat good meats, but to eat them too hastily or immoderately. To eat meats is good for the good, and for them that use them in reason and in measure, and take them with the sauce of the dread of our Lord. For one shall evermore have dread lest one mistake through excess, and one shall praise God and yield Him thanks for His gifts. And by the sweetness of the meat, which otherwise cannot be, one shall think of God’s sweetness and of that meat which fills the heart. Therefore one reads in a religious house at meat, in order that when the body takes its meat on the one hand the heart should take its on the other hand.

The fourth bough of this sin is of those that will live too nobly, who spend and waste, in order to fill (up the measure of) their gluttony, (that) whereby a hundred poor might live and sufficiently be filled. Such folk sin in many ways. First, in the great spendings that they make; afterwards in that they use it in too great heat and in too great lust; and afterwards in the idle bliss that they have. For it is not only lechery of taste, but it is very often for boasting that they seek such rich meats and make so many messes, whereof come often many evils.

The fifth bough is the anxiety of gluttons, who seek only the delight of their swallow. These are properly lechers, who seek only the lust of their swallow. In three things especially lies the sin of such folk. First, in the great anxiety that they have to purchase and to prepare; afterwards, in the great lust that they have in the use; afterwards, in the bliss that they have in the recalling. And who (is there) that could tell what trouble they take in order that their meats may be well prepared, and each to his own smack, and how they may make of one meat many disguised messes because of their foul lust. And when the messes are come, one after the other, then are (there) jests and trifles for _entrements_, and in this manner goes the time. The wretch forgets himself, reason sleeps, the stomach (in complaint) cries and says: ‘Dame Swallow, thou slayest me; I am so full that I burst asunder.’ But the tongue, the lickster, answers him and says: ‘Though thou shouldst burst asunder, I will not let this mess escape.’ After the lechery that is in eating comes the bliss that is in him who recalls (it). Afterwards they wish that they had the necks of a crane and the belly of a cow, in order that the morsels might remain longer in the throat, and (that they) might devour more.

Now thou hast heard the sins that come of gluttony and of lechery. And because such sins arise commonly in the tavern, which is a well of sin, therefore I will touch a little upon the sins that are done in the tavern. The tavern is the school of the devil, where his disciples study, and his own chapel, where one performs his service, and where he does his miracles, such as it behoves the devil (to do). At church God can show His virtues and do His miracles, to give sight to the blind, to make the crooked straight, to restore the wits of the mad, speech to the dumb, hearing to the deaf. But the devil does all, on the contrary, in the tavern. For when the glutton goes into the tavern, he goes upright; when he comes out, he has not a foot that can sustain or bear him. When he goes therein, he sees and hears and speaks well and understands; when he comes out, he has lost all this, just like one that has not wit or reason or understanding. Such are the miracles that the devil does. And what lessons he reads there! All filth he teaches there, gluttony, lechery, swearing, forswearing; to lie, to slander, to deny God, to misreport, to dispute, and too many other kinds of sins. There arise chidings, strifes, manslaughters; there one teaches to steal and to be hanged. The tavern is a ditch to thieves, and the devil’s castle in order to war against God and His saints; and those that sustain the taverns are sharers in all the sins that are done in their taverns; and forsooth if one said or did as much shame to their father or to their mother or to their lads, as one does to their heavenly Father and to our Lady and to the saints of paradise, they would grow very angry and take other counsel in regard to it than they do.

_To Dr. Skeat our cordial thanks are tendered for kindly looking over
the proof-sheets and making some valuable suggestions._

Transcriber’s Notes

--Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
is public-domain in the country of publication.

--Silently corrected several palpable typos.

--In the text versions only, delimited text in italics by _underscores_.