Of the sale of his lordeshyppes and almysse

THre yere before his deth (to thende that all the charge & besynes of rule or lordshyp set a syde he myght lede his lyfe in rest and peace wele consyderynge to what ende this erthely honour & worldly dignite cometh) all his patrymonye and dominyons y• is to say the thyrde parte of therldome of Mirandula and of concordia: vnto Iohan francis his neuewe he solde / and that so good chepe that hit semed rather a gyft then a sale. All that euer he receyued of this bargayne partly he gaue out to poore folke / partely he bestowed in y• byenge of a lytell londe to the fyndynge of hȳ & his housholde. And ouer y• moche syluer vessell & plate with other precyouse & costly vtensiles of howsholde he deuyded amonge poore people. He was content with meane fare at his table how be hit sō what yet reteynȳge of ye olde plenty in deynty vyande & syluer vessell. Euery daye at certayne houres he gaue hym selfe to prayer. To pore men alway yf ony came he plentiously gaue out his money: & not cōtent onely to gyue that he had hym self redy: he wrote ouer y• / to one. Hierom Benineuiꝰ a florentin a well letred man (whom for his grete loue towarde hym & ye integrite of his cōdycions he singulerly fauored) yt he sholde wt his owne money euer helpe poore folke: & gyue maydens money to theyr maryage: and alway sende him worde what he had layde out that he myght paye hit him ageyn. This offyce he cōmytted to hym that he might ye more easely by hȳ as by a faythful messēger releue ye necessyte & miseri of poore nedy people suche as hȳ selfe happely coude not come by ye knowledge of.