9. Of the Third Kind of Evil Men

OF the third kind there are false men and hypocrites who do good works simply for temporal gain. This kind of feigned men is divided into four. The first are those who feign with regard to themselves, and who fawn upon their superiors, and bear before themselves their good works externally and their righteousness, and all the moral virtues, whereby they are elevated above others in honour, advantages, riches or privileges : so that perhaps they may be advanced to the supreme pontificate, or the episcopate, or some degree of dignity : or if they be Religious, of whatever rank they may be, so that they may obtain the duties of Abbot, Prior or Abbess ; or if they be laymen, that they may be possessed of secular power ; and thus feign themselves and thrust their flattery on others and fawn on them, and show and manifest themselves humble and upright, and thoroughly grounded in all the virtues. All these things issue either from pride or from greed. And this is Pretence. And because men of this kind are hypocrites and pretenders, whatever good works they perform~in this mind or with this intention are all to be considered as lost. Others feign themselves and accomplish great achievements so that they are held in repute as Saints, either on account of some temporary or earthly gain. The greatest number of men is of this kind. Whosoever do their good works openly, in order that they may receive the praises of men, are false, and actions of that kind merit no reward of God. If a priest celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass with the in tention, most of all that he may reap temporal gain, or that he may appear good, he is a hypocrite, to be smitten with eternal death. A monk, a solitary, a professor of any religious institution whatever, a Begard, a sister, a Beguine, or whatever they are called, if they bestow pains on external good works, that is if they fast or watch, if they pray or wander over the earth as pilgrims, whether they go about unclothed or harangue assemblies, or maintain a poor bodily condition or are given up to much silence, if they dwell in desert places as solitaries, if they adopt those unusual and unaccustomed modes of living, and the more that they may encourage be lief in their holiness, or. receive profit from something temporary, are obviously feigned persons and hypocrites. The third are those who manifest certain good works, in order that they may please their own will in the dealing out of food and drink, and may be able to live an easy, pleasant and refined life. Sometimes such persons are extremely sharp and clever. They esteem not greatly worldly honours, and they desire no worldly goods, but are fastidious and dainty, and thus flatter and fawn upon those from whom they hope that they may gain anything grateful to the stomach. The fourth are those who in secret design evil or in secret spend a wicked life, yet nevertheless outwardly feign themselves otherwise and adorn themselves with cer-

4o THIRD KIND OF EVIL MEN tain external virtues, whereby they may be able to cover up their malice and wickedness and be the more freely at liberty for it. There fore all those whom we have mentioned are false persons and hypocrites, and unworthy of divine grace. Nevertheless if they are willing to be converted, and to be rendered worthy of divine love, they shall retain all their good works, which were done either on account of some temporal honour or riches, or in order that they might be preferred to others, or that they might appear holy, or for some earthly advantage of certain external things or other, or that they might please someone, or cover up their own perversity, — all those good works I say, they will retain but will change the corrupt and vicious intention, so as to regard in all their actions the praise and honour of God and their own eternal happiness, and to despise and trample upon all temporal things : thus will they be able to obtain divine charity and eternal life.