Dindimus to Alexander. Of the goodly ways of the Brahmins. 87

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ȝour lyffng and ȝour maners commes mare of foundnesse þan
of wysdom. For sen ȝe are men ȝe schulde hafe þe vetuȝ of
a resonable creature, and þat hafe ȝe noghte.' When Dindimus
4 hadd redd þis lettre, onane he wrate anoþer to kyng Alexander
of þis tenour.
1 'Dyndimus, þe mayster of þe Bragmayns, vn-till Alender,
gretyng. We hafe vndirstand þe tenour of þi lettres & þus we
8 ansuere. We are noȝte lordeȝ of this werlde, as we sulde euermarae
lyffe þare in. But we ere pilgrymes in þis werlde, and when
dede commeȝ we wende till oþer habytacions. Oure Synneȝ
greueȝ vs noȝte, ne we duelle noȝte in þe tabernacles of
12 synners.2 We do na thyfe. And for þe conseynce þat we
haue, we gaa noȝte furthe in open. We say noȝte þat we ere
goddes, ne nane envy has vn-to þam. Godd þat made all þat
es in þis werlde, he ordeyned many diuerse thyngeȝ. For
16 warne dyuersitees ware of thyngȝe þe werlde myȝte noghte
stande. Godd gaffe man fre will, for to discerne all thyngeȝ
þat ere in þe werlde, and chese whilke hym lyste. Whare-fore
he þat leues þe ill & heseȝ þe gude, noȝte godd, but goddes
20 frende he may be called. Be cause þat we luffe contently,
and in quite & reste, ȝe sya þat we were goddeȝ, or elles
þat we hafe envy to goddeȝ. But this suspeccion þat ȝe
hafe of vs, perteneȝ to ȝow. For ȝe þat ere blawen full of
24 þe wynde of ride ȝe aray ȝour bodys wit gloryous clethyng,
and on ȝour fyngers, ȝe putt iowells of golde & precyous
stanes.
'Bot I pray ȝow, what profit does þis ȝow: Golde and siuer
28 saues noȝte a manes saule, ne susteneȝ noȝte mens bodys. Bot
we þat knawes þe verray profitt of golde, and þe kynd þare-
offe, when vs thirteȝ, & gase to þe ryuere for to take vs a
drynke, if we fynde golde in þe way, we trede apon it wit oure
32 fete. For golde noþer filleȝ vs when we hunger, ne slokens
our thirste & drynke water, it putteȝ away his thirste. Also if a
man hunger & ete mete, it does away his hunger. Bot and
36 golde ware of þe same kynde, als son als a man hadd it, þe vice
of Couetyse suld be slokynde in hym. Be þis cause es golde ill.

' Two lines with small red capital D and
small cursive d in the margin beside.

2 MS. synners with a contraction mark
over the y.

[In margins]
due either to
pride or
peevishness.
He deems the
Brahmins live
so through
folly.

Dindimus to
Alexander.

*Leaf 36 bk.

Man is not
lord of this
world, but a
pilgrim in it.
The virtue of
the Brahmins.

God made
things di-
verse so that
the world
might endure.

He gave man
free will to
choose of all
that which
him list. Not
they, but the
Greeks seem
envious of
the gods.

Gold and
silver save
none. They
despise it as
useless,
quenching
neither
hunger nor
thirst.

Neither does
it slack the
vice of
covetousness.

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