The praise and commendation of such as sought comenwelthes: and to the contrary / the end and discommendacion of such as sought private earths.  
Gathered both out of the Scripture and Phylozophers.  proverb. xxiij. 
Some are rich though they haue nothing: again some are pooore having great riches.   

Epicure in his moral sayings.  Yf a man having goods in abundance do not repute it sufficient / he is but a wretch and a catyfe, although he were lord over the whole world. four things follow covetousness. 

i. Vnsaciablenes being never contented.  
ij. Scarcenes of all things amongst the commons.  
iij. deceit among the people.  
iiij. And the desire of worldly honour.    

ARistotle in the first book of politykes the .x. chap. saith, howe that diuers men esteem riches to be nothing but only an heap or quantity of gold and silver. And it is great folly either to think or say the same: For the phylozopher saith that and if the course of gold and silver were restrained / that then it should no more be profitable to commenwelthes / neither yet to those things which are needful to mannes life. For many times it may chance to him which hath abundance of gold and silver, to perish for lack of food. wherefore it is great folly to nominate or name those things to be riches which a man possessith in great abundance, and yet nevertheless perissheth for lack of food: As Duyde recyteth in his .xi. book / howe that king midas was so strike in covetousness / that his desire could not be satisfied with gold: where upon he made his prayer to the Gods / that al things which he touched / might be gold: which he obtained. So that all things which he put in his mouth, was gold: and thus dyed for lack of sustenance. The Phylozopher in the same book saith / that riches obtained by an unsatiable desire, is infinite: And howe that the desire of such hath no end of their vnsaciable covetousness / thorough the which they live after their sensual pleasure and delight. And therfore the scripture saith: Quod insatiabilis Cupido oculus: and furthermore / quod avarus non implebitur pecunia. hereupon Beda in an homilye / and yield in libro faustorum / saith: that covetousness is like unto the dropsye. 
Lib. i cap. xxvij.  And Vincent in his mirror historical saith: that covetousness is a right cruel pestilence / and causeth all those to suffer which receive hir. For she hath never sufficient. Ecclesiasticus saith: There is nothing worse then a covetous man.  
What aduauncest thou the / saith he / o thou ashes? There is not a more j thing thē to love money. And why? Such a one( saith he) hath his soul to sell. Here is an hard saying: And yet we see in these dayes men so given to unsatiable covetousness / in procuring their own private earths / that the commen wealth decayeth / and no man looketh to it. We are commanded to love God above all / and our neighbour as ourselves. But how do we love our neighbour as ourselves when we put them out of their houses and say their goods in the streets? Gods lawe saith. Thou shalt not unjustly desire the neighbours house. wherefore he unjustly desireth his neighbours house / which for lucre putteth out one and putteth in an other. For what is he / having a house / be he rich or poor / that wolde be put out of his house? saint John saith: 
1. John. 4  If a man sayt I love God / and yet hate his brother / he is a liar. peradventure some will say / though he put his brother out of his house / yet he hateth him not: though his poor brother hath not where with to obtain an other. saint james in the second chapped. of his Epistle saith: harken my dere beloved brethren: Hath not God chosen the poor of this world / which are rich in faith, and are heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? But ye haue despised the poor. Are not the rich they which oppress you, and they which draw you before iudges? Do not they speak evil of that good name / after which ye be name? I pray you / who in these dayes are such oppressors / such grasyers / such shepherds / such inhauncers of rents / such takers of incommes / as are those which profess the gospel? What is this but to speak evil of that good name of Christ / after whom we be name Christians. He saith more / yf ye fulfil the Ryall lawe according unto the scripture which saith. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: Ye do well. Wolde to God that in these dayes men wolde be as careful for their poor brethren, as they are for their dogs. We see the city of London can of the Chambers cost provide a house to keep .xx. or .xxx. dogges in / and to give r. pound by year for one to keep them: but they will not allow .x. pens by year out of the Thambre, towards the finding of the poor: But the the poor artificers must bear parte and parte like / to the most extremity that can be invented / as lately apered by the commen counsel. By hear say / there is a good some yearly coming to the chamber of London / and no man knoweth how it is spent but the gray cloaks: yet can their not be a poor spring fet two flight short out of the city / but the poor commens must hear parte therof. I trust within this .xx. yeres men will make suit to be Mayers of the city. To these good gospelers. S. james saith: What availeth it my brethren / though a man say he hath faith / when he hath no deeds? Can such a faith save him( saith he)? If a brother or sister be naked or destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them / depart in peace / God send you warmenes and food / not with standing ye give them not those things which are needful to the body / what helpeth it? even so / faith / if it haue no deeds is deade in itself. There is a fault: and by the Emperour Marcus Aurelius saying / I conjecture it to be in the higher powers. For he saith: If the higher powers dance / all dance: And if they hunt / all hunt. If they be covetous all are covetous with more: but this sufficeth. By like in these dayes the higher Powers study private earths / for all men study the same / & no man passeth vpon the commenwelth. Aristotle giveth counsel / that vnsaciable covetous men should not bear rule in commenwelthes / and declareth furcher how such are known by their works. For they( saith he) are given to enrich them and theirs, and howe that such nether love the commen wealth ney ther yet good policy. The philozopher in the third book the .vij. chapter of pollitiques saith: All policies either counsels which prefer and set forth things profitable to the commenwelth / are right taythfull and just: But those( saith he) which prefer and set forth things profitable to the gouernours and rulers / are wicked corrupt / and the breaking of good policy. In the compendyall history of politics is written / howe that such as covet dominion / not regarding worldly famed and praise, pass even the brute beasts in vices / and specially in two poyntes / to wit / in lechery and cruelty: and that dyvers romans were of this sort, which passed not on the famed of the world / for those deeds which they did, neither yet cared what was surmised on them / in committing those evils which they did although they did many / thorough their vnsaciable covetousness to reign and bear rule. We haue now no samuels / which will ask the commens / saying: haue I taken any mans ox or ass / if I haue done any man violence or wrong / if I haue oppressed any man? yf I haue received a gift of any mans hand and kept it secret / I will restore it you again. And the people said / no. We haue none of these / neither yet Danyels, nor Eleseusses to deny gifts. But we haue plenty of Gehasis in all places to receive: god defend them from the leprosye. For as uem as they are blinded in pride thorough covetousness: even so are they blinded from all godly knowledge. queen Hester / after she was promoted / was noe like unto these: for as appeareth in the second book of Hester in the .xv. chapped. She said help me desolate woman which haue no defence nor help but only thou lord / thou knowest all things / thou wottest that I love not the glory and worship of the unrighteous, and that I hate and abhor the bed of the uncircumcised / and of all heathen. Thou knowest and wottest my necessity that I hate the token of my pre●●miencie & worshp / which I bear vpon my head / what time as I must show myself & be sene: and that I abhor it as an unclean cloth. And that I were it not when I am quiet alone by myself. O weaker vessel. Where may one in these days find a man that hateth his preemiencie. No scant shal a man finde a bys shop which wylleaue the preemience of his shaven crown / which as saint Jerome vpon the .xliiij. of ezechiel saith: They received from Isys and Serapies. Salomon saith. provver xx. that a mouth of understanding is more worth thē gold / many precious stones & costsy jewels. Hester had a much of vndstanding / & our bishops haue costly mytets / cross staues & gloves, set after the letter with costly pearls & stones. The spirit killeth( say they) but the letter quickeneth as appeareth by their playing garments. As saith. S. Bernard upon the Canticles. He that readeth the scriptures & the ancient writers / shall perceive our bishops both in works & apparel as like unto Christ & his apostles / as is the wolf & the lamb. It is told that a monk of great famed in Italy, being name Robert of licio: many yeres sense / should haue preached before the pope & his cardy nallen. Who / being in the pulpit and seeing the pope and his cardinalles coming to hear his sermon in pomp & pride more then royal / said: fie upon. S. Peter & fie upon. S. paul. And with these words went out of the pulpit. And when he was demanded why he did say so? He answered, saying: Haue I not good occasion? Were they not very fools and unlike to you? for they were but miserable & power wretches / and went naked / barefoot / dying for hunger / into heaven: and could not finde the means to ride on horses nether yet on moyles / richly appareled with so great triumph as ye do? wherefore the pope nor his cardynalles / neither yet his shauelinges in this realm / no nor yet vnsaciable covetous men which seek private earths to the decay of the commen weal / unless they repent / may not entre into heaven, although they bear the name of Christians, neither yet may they be compared to the famous gentiles which sought famed in this world / in spending their goods and adventuring their parsons for the comen weal / of which sort Marcus Aurelius was one: who of custom in the city or town where he was resident wolde in the evening go with .xij. pages thorough the streets, hearkening and inquering if any of his officers or retynue had done any man wrong: And in case yea: forth with redressed the same / punisshing the offenders. Here was a noble act of an Emperour parteyning to a comen wealth. lord / if in this ream the kings majesty would appoint but a faithful counsellor to go thorough this realm / think ye there wolde be no complaints? yes, yes / to many / God amend it. I dare not write for offending: But this dare I write / that, if dyvers officers within this realm should show their accounts from year to year how they haue gotten their goods, as merchants may do, it should be found that it were no marvel though the kings majesty lacked money, and his poor commons complain. Salomon provver .xiiij. saith. The increase and prosperity of the commens, is the kings honour: But the decay of the people / is the confusion of the prince. this counsel found Rehobohā true. Also next unto Marcus Aurelius / I finde worthy of famed / Marcus Curius to whom the ambassadors of the Samuytes / at this present calls Bonynent / brought a weight of gold for a present or gift / desiring him to receive it & to do his will therwith: But he / whom they found syttinge by the tyre on a rustical bench sething rapes for his supper / which he did eat in trene diss●es, began to laugh, saying to thē: ye are the min●sters of a foolish and vain Ambassadourship. return again and tell the Samuites that Marcus Curius had rather to be lord and master over richesse / thē to be made rich. therefore bear again your gifts / the which as they are precious, even so were invented for the evil of men: and think not that I may be vanquished in batayleneyther also corrupted by gold nor sylner. This Marcus / after that he had chased king Marcus out of Italy / would take nothing of the spoil / but enriched his army and city of Rome with the same. And reputed that citizen little worth to the comenwelth, that was not content with those things that sufficed other. Also Cneus Marcus, who was of the royal blood and kindred of king Ancus / unto whom / after that he had done the acts of a valiant and worthy knight / were offced such presentes and gifts / as of custom were given to valiant and worthy knights. To wit .c. journeys .x. 
Valerius maximus li. 4. ●. c. 3.  prisoners at his choice .x. horse well appareled for the warres. C. oxen and as much sylv{er}as he could bear yet wolde he take nothing / but one prisoner / which had been his host / and a horse to bear him in the warres From these mennes school camme fabricius / whom his time was in great authority and in high estimation among the romans: but in substance / was like unto the poorest. And for this cause the Samuytes / over whom he was made governor and ruler, thought his estate very simplo and his train very small. hereupon they sent him great gifts and sums of silver, 
Agelius. li. 1. cap. 4  which they presented him: but when Fabricius had heard them he paused a little, and after laid his hands to his ears / then to his eyes / after to his nose and so to his mouth / and last on his belly / and therwith answered and said unto them: So long as I may belorde and haue power over these membres which I haue touched. I shall haue lack of nothing: wherefore bear again your money and give it unto such as ye know to haue need thereof. Also / Quintus Tubero being consul of Rome / they of Erolle sent him by their ambassadors / lyluer vessel being of a great weight and of agoodlye and curious workmanship / and of high estimation. Forcerteyne men of Erolle which alytle to fore had been to see him and to do him homage, reported that they had found him at his table / eating in earthen vessel: But when Quintus Tubero saw the vessel / he commanded them to return and to bear again their present / saying unto them: Do not think the train which I keep to be of poverty either of necessicie, but of virtue and abstinency. These things remembered king Agathocles / when he was come unto the crown, who / although he was king wolde daily be served at his table in earthen vessel / to declare that he was not ashamed to be known to be the son of a potter: And thereby reduced to his memory / his first estate and felicity with he was comen unto, should not abuse him, nether yet cause him to forget his first estate. I could bring in plenty of like gouernours and rulers which abhorred private earths / but it would be tedious to the reader. And therfore I trust this to be sufficient whereby vnsaciable covetous men may know in what state they stand in. Forneyther may such look with out repentance, to be of Christes flock: nor yet to obtain any worldly famed with the famous Gentiles. Now / what shal become of such is written in the compē dial history of polytikes in the .xxvi. chapped. as followeth. Tell me / saith he / I pray the: where are those become now / which haue so loved the world, and taken pains day and night / leaving their contreyes / wives and children / trauay linge by sea and by land / and in innumerable perils to obtain woorldlye famed and to praise their prince and sorde in obtaining honour and riches? where are they now? Yea or what haue they won in serving the world / and in taking so great pains for the same? In the end, the world hath played them the part of a feigned companion, as he hath done / and doth to all his louers and servants: yea, and left thē in their need. And as touching honour / riches and authority which he gave them / doth he not / when the end cometh / take all again from them? Yea in so much that sometime as touching carnal friends hath he promised them a winding sheet to bear their charon carcase in: And they ones dead / the service done and the belles rung, what remaineth of thē more then doth in the jugglers box? blow / and ye shall finde nothing. Perijt memoria eorum cum sonitu. Thus saith david: Ther remaineth nothing of thē but worms and ashes: yet were they men as we are. They haue eaten and drunken as we do. There haue been kings / Dukes and earls and great Rulers peradventure greater then any be now: yea, and they haue taken their delight and pleasure in this world / till they haue forgotten God / and transgressed his commandments / peradventure even in the point of death / and are so fallen in the deep of hell / where their souls remain and their carcase to the worms / their abiding the resurrection of their body: So that at the day of Iudgement, both body and soul shall ever after be tormented together. So that, as they were companions together in wealth and delyciousnes / they may also remain in pains and torments. Remembre I pray you what their vain glory hath profited them / their short Ioy and worldly famed. Their power / their pomp / honour and great estate. Their multitude of household and family. Their voluptuousness and delight of their bodies. Their lycorish morsels and fleshly carnaltie. Their goodly houses and sumptuous palayces. Their chambers hanged / their beds appareled. Their vnsaciable covetousness and rjches / peradventure evil gotten. Where is their pride, their will and arrogancy? where is now their smiling playing and dancing? where is their singing their minstrels with their clarisons and trumpets wherein they so much delyded and reioyced? Yea, and where are their great trains? hear what the scripture saith. Factum est vt moriretur & dives, et sepultus est in inferno Which is to say: The time came that the glotton dyed and he was butted in the deepest of hell / where his mirth is turned into great calamity & sorrow he is fallen from a loft to less then no thing / and from great ease / into great torments. And therfore let us call these things to mind / and fear GOD / and withdraw our mindes from the foolish love of this world. And this doing it may come otherwise to us, then did to him. Yf not / the pains which he endureth / shalbe our reward. For we are m●n and made of the flyme of the earth as he was. We came from the earth / and to earth we shall return. And know not howe soon, neither in what estate death shall take vs. neither do we know whether we shall go after death. Therfore if we remember these things we may by the help and grace of God, despise this world and obtain the everlasting kingdom / with God. To the which he bring us / that bought us on the cross / thorrowe his precious blood.  
Amen.  
Finis.  Sapient .ij. a 
What soever happeneth unto the / receive it / suffer in heaviness / and be patient in chy trouble.  
¶ four necessary things / meet for a man to govern himself well in this world.  
And first. 
 To remembre the time past. To dispose for the time present. To provide for the time to come. And to open things doubtful.   

IMPRINTED At London / by Anthony Scoloker Dwelling in the Sauoyrents. without Templebarre.   

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