handes of men And for as moche as the erthe is moder
of alle thynges And that we were first formed and
toke oure begynnyng of the erthe/ the same wyse at
the laste. she shall be the ende vnto alle vs and to
alle thynges/ And god that formed vs of the erthe
hath ordeyned that by the laboure of men she shold
gyue nourysshyng vnto alle that lyueth/ and first
the labourer of y’e erthe ought to knowe his
god that formed and made heuen & erthe of nought And
ought to haue loyaulte and trouth in hymself/ and
despise deth for to entende to his laboure And he ought
to gyue thankyngis to hym that made hym And of whom
he receyueth all his goodes temporall/ wherof his
lyf is susteyned/ And also he is bounden to paye the
dismes and tythes of alle his thynges And not as Caym
dyde. But as Abell dyde of the beste that he
chese allway for to gyue to god & to plese hym/ For
they that grucche and be greuyd in that they rendre
and gyue to god the tienthes of her goodes/ they ought
to be aferd and haue drede that they shall falle in
necessite And y’t they might be dispoyllyd or
robbed by warre or by tempeste that myght falle or
happen in the contrey And hit is meruayll though hit
so happen For that man that is disagreable vnto god
And weneth y’t the multiplynge of his goodes
temporell cometh by the vertu of his owne co[=u]ceyll
and his wytte/ the whiche is made by the only ordenance
of hym that made alle. And by the same ordenance
is soone taken away fro hym that is disagreable/ and
hit is reson that whan a man haboundeth by fortune
in goodes/ And knoweth not god/ by whom hit cometh/
that to hym come some other fortune by the whiche
he may requyre grace and pardon And to knowe his god/
And we rede of the kynge Dauid that was first symple
& one of the comyn peple/ that whan fortune had enhaunsed
and sette hym in grete astate/ he lefte and forgate
his god/ And fyll to aduoultrye and homicyde and other
synnes/ Than anon his owne sone Absalom assaylled &
began to persecute hym And than whan he sawe that fortune
was contrarye to hym/ he began to take agayn his vertuous
werkis and requyred pardoun and so retorned to god
agayn. We rede also of the children of ysrael
that were nyghe enfamyned in desert and sore hongry
& thrusty that they prayd & requyred of god for remedy/
Anon he changed his wyll & sente to hem manna/ & flessh
&c./ And whan they were replenesshid & fatte of the
flessh of bestes & of the manna/ they made a calf of
gold and worshippid hit. Whiche was a grete synne
& Inyquyte/ For whan they were hongry they knewe god/
And whan theyre belyes were fylde & fatted/ they forgid
ydoles & were ydolatrers. After this euery labourer
ought to be faythfull & trewe That whan his maystre
delyuereth to hym his lande to be laboured/ that he
take no thinge to hymself but that hym ought to haue
& is his/ but laboure truly & take cure and charge
in the name of his maistre/ and do more diligently
his maisters labours than his owen/ for the lyf of
y’e most grete & noble men next god lieth in