Accordynge to that saythe the prophete Dauyd, _Iunior [Sidenote: (Ps. xxxvi. 25, Vulgate.)] fui, etenim senui, et non vidi iustum derelictum, nec semen eius querens panem_: I haue ben yonge, and I haue waxen 36 olde, and I haue not seen a ryghtwyse man forsaken, nor his chyldren sekynge theyr breade. 157. ¶ What is the propertie of a riche man. In myne opynyon the propertye of a ryche manne is, to be a purchaser; and if he wyll purchase, I councell hym [Sidenote: Augustine.] to purchase heuen. For sayncte Austyne saythe, _Regnum cælorum nulli clauditur, nisi illi, qui se excluserit_: The 4 kyngedome of heuen is to noo man closed, but to hym that wyll putte oute hym-selfe. Wherfore this texte maye gyue the a courage to prefixe thy mynde, to make there thy purchase. And Salomon saythe: _Quod mali 8 carius emunt infernum, quam boni cælum_: Ill men bye hell derer, thanne the good men bie heuen. And that me [Sidenote: [Fol. 72.]] semeth maye well be proued by a common ensample: As if I had a .M. shepe to sell, and dyuers men come to me, 12 [Sidenote: Suppose I sell 1000 sheep, 100 to each of 10 men.] and bye euery manne a .C. of the shepe, all of one price, to paye me at dyuers dayes. I am agreed, and graunt them these dayes; some of the menne be good, and kepe theyr promesse, and paye me at theyr dayes, and some of 16 theym doo not paye me. Wherfore I sue theym at the [Sidenote: Those who do not pay I imprison for debt.] lawe, and by course of the common lawe, I doo recouer my duetie of them, and haue theyr bodyes in prisone for execution, tylle they haue made me payment. Nowe these 20 men, that haue broken me promesse, and payed not theyr [Sidenote: These men buy their sheep dearer than the others.] dewetye, bye theyr shepe derer thanne the good menne bought theyrs. For they haue imprysonment of theyr bodyes, and yet must they pay theyr duetyes neuer the 24 lesse, or elles lye and dye there in pryson: the whiche sheepe be derer to them, then to the good men that [Sidenote: So it is with men who buy heaven.] kepte theyr promes. Righte so euery man chepeth heuen, and god hath sette on it a pryce, and graunted 28 it to euery man, and giuen to them dayes of payment: the pryce is all one, and that is to kepe his commaundementes, duryng theyr lyues: the good men kepe his commaundementes, and fulfyll theyr promesse, and haue 32 heuen at theyr decease. The yll men breake promesse, [Sidenote: [Fol. 72_b_.]] & kepe not his commaundementes, wherfore at theyr decease they be put in pryson, that is to say in hell, there to abyde his ryghtuousenes. And soo the yll men 36 [Sidenote: Ill men buy hell dearer than good men buy heaven.] bye hell derer, than the good menne bye heuen. And