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OF COVETOUSNESS

IT happened one day that Evaft and Aloma the chief square1 of the city, that some man m t° dine, and they found none who bade them. 8a ' f<>-

went through light bid them Now in that

OF COVETOUSNESS

square1 there lived a wealthy money-changer who had ever much gold before him, and he was a man whose covetous¬ ness knew no bounds. Evaft and Aloma begged him for the love of God to give them food, or else some piece of money wherewith they could buy it. The money-changer, who was enslaved by the sin of covetousness, answered them and said that he would give them no food, nor aught beside of all that he had. Then he rose from the table at the which he sat, and went to visit a shoemaker, to the end that he might make him some shoes.

2. Evaft: and Aloma went through the ftreets begging for the love of God, and it chanced that they passed before the house of the shoemaker by whom the money-changer was being shod. The shoemaker called Evaft and Aloma, saying : “ It is the hour to dine. I am a poor man, and I have a wife and children who live on that which I gain ; there is a little meat in the pot and I can spare a coin for some wine. But in my house there is not bread sufficient for all ; for the love of God, I pray that one of you will dine with me and take a share of that which God has granted me to gain.”

3. Evaft said to Aloma that she should dine that day with the shoemaker, and that he would go and seek to dine elsewhere. But Aloma, who loved and honoured Evaft greatly, said that she would go and seek elsewhere, and that he should remain. Charity and love was there between Evaft and Aloma, and each had compassion on the other, for the cold was great and the rain fell heavily, so that they went through the ftreets with great diftress. They ftrove then together thus, and each desired the other to remain ; but Evaft at all hazards resolved that Aloma should remain. So Aloma, who was ever obedient to the will of Evaft, remained, and Evaft went elsewhere to seek alms for the love of God.

4. While Evaft and Aloma gave proof of the love that each had toward the other, and the shoemaker recounted

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to them his poverty and bade one of them to dine with him, the money-changer thought upon his great riches, and upon death and the juftice of God, and spake within himself these words: “ Alas, thou wretched one ! How haft thou lived up to this present time in blindness? And wherefore art thou the captive and slave of the sin of avarice ? And how do thy riches and thy money avail thee without love ? And where is the thank that thou haft toward God for the goods that He has given thee? All this that thou haft is of less worth than the good-will of the shoemaker towards the friends of God. Nor couldft thou with all thy wealth buy the love and charity which is between Evaft and Aloma.” Deeply did the money-changer think upon the holy lives of Evaft and Aloma ; and through their good example and the good-will of the shoemaker he freed himself from the bond¬ age of avarice, and from that time forward was a generous and liberal friend to the poor of Chrift ; and through the virtue of liberality which was in him he had increase of many other virtues.