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¹ He seide also to hise disciplis, Ther was a riche man, that hadde a baili; and this was defamed to him, as he hadde wastid his goodis.² And he clepide hym, and seide to hym, What here Y this thing of thee? yelde reckynyng of thi baili, for thou miyte not now be baili.³ And the baili seide with ynne him silf, What schal Y do, for my lord takith awei fro me the baili? delfe mai Y not, I schame to begge.⁴ Y woot what Y schal do, that whanne Y am remeued fro the baili, thei resseyue me in to her hous.⁵ Therfor whanne alle the dettours of his lord weren clepid togider, he seide to the firste, Hou myche owist thou to my lord?⁶ And he seide, An hundrid barelis of oyle. And he seide to hym, Take thi caucioun, and sitte soone, and write fifti.⁷ Aftirward he seide to another, And hou myche owist thou? Which answerde, An hundrid coris of whete. And he seide to hym, Take thi lettris, and write foure scoore.⁸ And the lord preiside the baili of wickydnesse, for he hadde do prudentli; for the sones of this world ben more prudent in her generacioun than the sones of liyt.⁹ And Y seie to you, make ye to you freendis of the ritchesse of wickidnesse, that whanne ye schulen fayle, thei resseyue you in to euerlastynge tabernaclis.¹⁰ He that is trewe in the leeste thing, is trewe also in the more; and he that is wickid in a litil thing, is wickid also in the more.¹¹ Therfor if ye weren not trewe in the wickid thing of ritchesse, who schal bitake to you that that is verry?¹² And if ye weren not trewe in othere mennus thing, who schal yyue to you that that is youre?¹³ No seruaunt may serue to twei lordis; for ether he schal hate `the toon, and loue the tothir; ethir he schal drawe to `the toon, and schal dispise the tothir. Ye moun not serue to God and to ritchesse.¹⁴ But the Farisees, that weren coueytous, herden alle these thingis, and thei scorneden hym.¹⁵ And he seide to hem, Ye it ben, that iustifien you bifor men; but God hath knowun youre hertis, for that that is hiy to men, is abhomynacioun bifor God.¹⁶ The lawe and prophetis til to Joon; fro that tyme the rewme of God is euangelisid, and ech man doith violence in to it.¹⁷ Forsothe it is liyter heuene and erthe to passe, than that o titil falle fro the lawe.¹⁸ Euery man that forsakith his wijf, and weddith an other, doith letcherie; and he that weddith the wijf forsakun of the hosebonde, doith auowtrie.

¹⁹ There was a riche man, and was clothid in purpur, and whit silk, and eete euery dai schynyngli.²⁰ And there was a begger, Lazarus bi name, that lai at his yate ful of bilis,²¹ and coueitide to be fulfillid of the crummes, that fellen doun fro the riche mannus boord, and no man yaf to hym; but houndis camen, and lickiden hise bilis.²² And it was don, that the begger diede, and was borun of aungels in to Abrahams bosum.²³ And the riche man was deed also, and was biried in helle. And he reiside hise iyen, whanne he was in turmentis, and say Abraham afer, and Lazarus in his bosum.²⁴ And he criede, and seide, Fadir Abraham, haue merci on me, and sende Lazarus, that he dippe the ende of his fyngur in watir, to kele my tunge; for Y am turmentid in this flawme.²⁵ And Abraham seide to hym, Sone, haue mynde, for thou hast resseyued good thingis in thi lijf, and Lazarus also yuel thingis; but he is now coumfortid, and thou art turmentid.²⁶ And in alle these thingis a greet derk place is stablischid betwixe vs and you; that thei that wolen fro hennus passe to you, moun not, nethir fro thennus passe ouer hidur.²⁷ And he seide, Thanne Y preie thee, fadir, that thou sende hym in to the hous of my fadir.²⁸ For Y haue fyue britheren, that he witnesse to hem, lest also thei come in to this place of turmentis.²⁹ And Abraham seide to him, Thei han Moyses and the prophetis; here thei hem.³⁰ And he seide, Nay, fadir Abraham, but if ony of deed men go to hem, thei schulen do penaunce.³¹ And he seide to hym, If thei heren not Moises and prophetis, nethir if ony of deed men rise ayen, thei schulen bileue to hym.