ouerte/ for he entended more to the comyn prouffyt than to his
owen/ And of thys pouerte speketh saynt Augustyn in the booke of the
cyte of god That they that entende to the comyn prouffyt. sorowe more
that wilfull pouerte is lost in rome/ than the richesses of rome/ For by
the wilfull pouerte was the renomee of good maners kept entierly/ thus
by this richesse pouerte is not only corrupt in thyse dayes ner the cyte
ner the maners/ but also the thoughtes of the men ben corrupt by thys
couetyse and by felonnye that is worse. than ony other enemye And of the
cruelte of the peple of rome speketh the good man of noble memorye Iohn
the monke late cardynall of rome in the decretall the syxte in the
chapitre gens sancta where he sayth/ that they ben felo[=u]s ayenst god.
contrarye to holy thynges. traytres one to that other. enuyous to her
neyghbours. proude vnto straungers. rebelle and vntrewe vnto theyr
souerayns Not suffringe to them that ben of lower degree than they and
nothinge shamfast to demande thinges discouenable and not to leue tyll
they haue that they demande/ and not plesid but disagreable whan they
haue resseyuyd the yeft They haue their tonges redy for to make grete
boost/ and doo lityll/ They ben large in promysynges/ And smale gyuers/
they ben ryght fals deceyuours/ And ryght mordent and bitynge
detractours/ For whiche thynge hit is a grete sorowe to see the humylite
the pacyence And the good wisedom that was woute to be in this cyte of
rome whiche is chief of alle the world is peruertid & torned in to
maleheurte and thise euylles/ And me thynketh that in other partyes of
crestiante they haue taken ensample of them to doo euyll/ They may saye
that this is after the decretale of seygnourye and disobeysance/ that
sayth That suche thynges that the souerayns doo/ Is lightly and sone
taken in ensample of theyr subgets/ Also thise vicayres shold be large
and liberall/ In so moche that suche peple as serue them ben duly payd
and guerdoned of her labour/ For euery man doth his labour the better
and lightlyer whan he seeth that he shall be well payd and rewarded/ And
we rede that Titus the sone of vaspasian was so large and so liberall/
That he gaf and promysyd somewhat to euery man/ And whan hys moste pryuy
frendes demanded of hym why he promysid more that he myght gyue/ he
answerd for as moche as hyt apperteyneth not to a prynce that ony man
shold departe sorowfull or tryste fro hym/ Than hit happend on a day
that he g