CONSCIENCE

All this you say, is against conscience Even sin, vary shame marry fie These goods are got untruly Many a man is undone thereby To take this beware to deer I no God wot Thou shalt repent it another day I charge the as far as I may Such false ways never Begin Is every man accursed, that doth buy and fell Then shall no man with merchandise mell How shall the world then be uphold you may not fell the dearer for days if you do, it is contrary to Gods laws that is the more pity One such is able to destroy a City And God show not his great mercy All such are dampened by his equity Thou mayest be the more sorry Do make restytucion Restore such goods as you have got wrongfully by oppression. Then shall I have little in my possession I will make God amends, another way I will fast and I will pray And I will give alms every day That I have done amiss, I am sorry therefore This is not sufficient, thou must restore Quia non dimittitur peccatum Nisi restituatur ablatum you must restore to them, you have offended unto Make amends man for thy guilt Rather spill thy body then thy soul That causeth them to rest in their sin yesterday thou canst not again call when thou art dead y e gate of mercy is shut y u cannot come in So of thy soul thou hast no doubt yet often falsehood hath a great fallen And example by king Ahab with this sooth Desired the vineyard of that poor man Naboth By counsel of Jezabel that kings wife Because he would not fell his possession Of two false witnesses he was peached of hie treason ̄ And through the mouth of a false quest it rane which caused the poor man to less both land & life After that of gods own bidding Came Helas the prophet to Ahab the king Saying he should have evil ending And so he had, for by the way as he road He fell and brake his neck, where dogs lapped his Blood this exa ̄ ple to all usurers & opp ̄ ssours as thinketh me continued ̄ trary Shul cause them of God soar a dreaded to be. So every evil disposed parsone does say The fraylte of man doth often offend then call for grace, and shortly amend Therefore I counsel thee to pretend to repent and be sorry for thy misdeed Oh dule wit plunged by ignorance Regarding nothing by ghostly instruction Setting more his mind on worldly substance Then to the everlasting life that is to come God will strike when he list, you know not how soon therefore to every man this counsel I give To be sorry of your sin, & do penance while you live ¶Here comes envy running in laughing, & says to conscience. Where should I have be. Where at laugh you so fast Good fellow thou art to blame Such words to have no good thou can. Shortly hence that way thou came For here thou shalt not be What is thy name, shortly show me Fear not say on hardly Simony is now in the spiritualty Bonus pastor ovium, thereto will see Therefore me think this is a lie In holy Church simony can not abide That you speak is upon envy Therefore I think you be not Charity For charity alway will say the best How do you with the temporalty Then be you with the commonalty This is to me a strange case What hear you by conscience. Why what fault have they found with him so to do Charity I pray you show what remedy In this matter for me may be found I know well it is not as you say For I am conscience y e hie judge of the law And falsehood the somner, for the courts promotion. This is to me much sorrow and woe I will go into some far country Fare well gentle cousin charity Who so doth they are to blame In mysorderyng them in such wise