an the deuyll wyll take one of the
castellis of Ihesu cryst/ that is to wete the body of a man or of a
woman/ he doth as a prynce that setteth a siege to fore a castell that
he wold wynne/ whiche ent[=e]deth to wynne the gate/ For he knoweth well
whan he hath wonne the gate/ he may sone doo hys wylle wyth the castell.
And in lyke wyse doth the deuyll wyth euery man and woman For whan he
hathe wonne the gate/ that is to wete the gate of y'e mouth by glotonye
or by other synne He may doo wyth the offices of the body alle his wylle
as y'e haue herd to fore/ And therfore ought euery man ete and drynke
sobrely in suche wyse as he may lyue. And not lyue to ete glotonsly &
for to drynke dronke. y'e see comunly that a grete bole is suffisid wyth
right a lityll pasture/ And that a wode suffiseth to many olefauntes And
hit behoueth a man to be fedde by the erthe or by the see/ neuertheles
it is no grete thynge to fede the bely/ no thynge so grete as is the
desire of many metes Wherof Quyntylian sayth/ That hit happeth ofte
tymes in grete festes & dyners/ that we be fylde wyth the sight of the
noble and lichorous metis and whan we wolde ete we ben saciat and fild/
And therfore hit is sayd in prouerbe/ hit is better to fylle the bely
than the eye/ And lucan sayth that glotonye is the moder of alle vices/
and especiall of lecherye/ and also is destroyer of all goodes And may
not haue suffisance of lityll thynge/ A couetous honger what sekest thou
mete and vitayllis on the lande & in the see/ And thy Ioye is nothynge
ellis but to haue playnteuous disshes & well fylde at thy table lerne
how men may demene his lyf with lityll thynge/ And Cathon sayth in no
wyse obeye to glotonye whiche is frende to lecherye/ And the holy
doctour saynt Augustyn sayth/ the wyn eschausseth the bely that falleth
anone to lecherye/ The bely and the membrers engendreurs ben neyghebours
to lecherye/ And thus the vice of glotonye prouoketh lecherye/ wherof
cometh forgetenes of his mynde and destruction of alle quyk and sharp
reson And is cause of distemance of his wittes/ what synne is fowler
than this synne and more stynkynge ne more domageous For this synne hath
taken away the vertue of the man/ his prowesse languisshed/ his vertue
is torned to diffame/ the strengthe of body and of corage is torned by
the/ And therfore sayth Basille le grant/ late vs take hede how we serue
the bely & the throte by glotonye lyke as we were dombe bestes/ and we
studye for to be