Falsembiante
«Ancor sì non comanda la Scrittura
Che possent' uon di corpo cheg[g]ia pane,
Né ch'e' si metta a viver d'altrù' ane:
Questo non piace a Dio, né non n'à cura;
Né non vuol che·ll'uon faccia sale o mura,
De le limosine, alle genti strane;
Ma vuol c[h]'uon le diparta a genti umane
Di cui forza e santade à gran paura.
E sì difende 'l buon Giustinïano,
E questo fece scriver nella leg[g]e,
Che nes[s]un dia limosina a uon sano
Che truovi a guadagnare, e·ttu t'aveg[g]i[e]
Ch'a lavorare e' non vuol metter mano;
Ma vuol che·ttu 'l gastighi e cacci e feg[g]i[e].
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False Seeming
"Moreover, Scripture does not order
a man with a healthy body to beg for bread
nor to live off another's labor:
this does not please God, nor is He responsible for it;
neither does He want rooms and buildings to be built
for foreigners from collected alms;
rather He wants them to be divided among those people
whose strength and health give Him concern.
The good Justinian prohibited
--and he had this written in the law--
that charity be given to a healthy man
who can earn his keep and who, as you can see,
is unwilling to do any work;
but he requires that you punish and exile and beat him."
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Falsembiante
«Chi di cotà' limosine è 'ngrassato,
In paradiso non dé atender pregio,
Anzi vi dé atender gran dispregio,
Almen s'e' non è privilegïato;
E s'alcun n'è, sì n'è ?fatto? ingannato
E 'l papa che li diè il su' col[l]egio,
Ché dar non credo dovria privilegio
C[h]'uon sano e forte gisse mendicato:
Ché·lle limosine che son dovute
A' vec[c]hi o magagnati san' possanza,
A cui la morte seria gran salute,
Colui che·lle manuca i·lor gravanza,
Elle gli fieno ancor ben [car] vendute:
Di questo non bisogna aver dottanza.
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False Seeming
"Whoever has gotten fat from such alms
should not expect a reward in paradise;
rather, he should expect great punishment,
unless he has special privilege.
And if someone is in this position, both the Pope
who gave it to him and his college are fooling themselves,
for I don't think that they should give
strong and healthy man the privilege of begging.
Indeed, alms are rightly given
to the old or the weak and disabled,
to whom death would be great blessing;
but the alms that are consumed to the detriment of those
who need them will cost the one who eats them dearly,
and of this there is no doubt!"
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Falsembiante
«Tanto quanto Gesù andò per terra,
I suo' discepoli e' non dimandaro
Né pane né vino, anzi il guadagnaro
Co·le lor man, se·llo Scritto non erra.
Co' buon' mastri divin' ne feci guerra
Perché questo sermone predicaro
Al popolo a Parigi, e sì 'l provaro,
C[h]'uon ch'è truante col diavol s'aferra.
Ancor, po' che Gesù si tornò in cielo,
San Paolo predicava i compagnoni
Ched e' sì non vendes[s]er lo Guagnelo:
Sì che di grazia fecer lor sermoni;
Di lor lavor vivien, già no'l vi celo,
Sanza fondar castella né magioni.
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False Seeming
"As long as Christ went throughout the world,
his disciples did not ask
for bread or wine, but earned it
with their hands, if the Scripture does not lie.
I fought over this with the good masters of theology
because they preached this sermon
to the people of Paris and backed it up with proof:
that the man who lives on alms is in the devil's clutches.
Moreover, after Jesus returned to heaven,
Saint Paul exhorted his companions
not to profit from the Gospel.
And so, without reward, they preached their sermons;
they lived from their work, and this I don't conceal from you,
without building castles or palaces."
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Falsembiante
«Ver è ch'e' ci à persone ispezïali
Che van cherendo lor vita per Dio,
Per ch'i' vi dico ben c[h]'al parer mio
Egli è mercé far bene a que' cotali.
Di questi sono alquanti bestïali
Che non ànno iscïenza in lavorio,
Ed altri v'à che l'ànno, ma è rio
Il tempo, e' lor guadagni sì son frali.
À 'ncor di gentil gente discacciata,
Che non son costumati a lavorare,
Ma son vi[v]uti sol di lor entrata.
A cotà' genti dé ciascun donare,
Ché lor limosina è bene impiegata,
Sì è mercé atarli governare.
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False Seeming
"It's true that there are certain people
who go begging for food in the name of God,
for which I say to you that, in my opinion,
to do good for these people is a meritorious act.
Of these some are quite ignorant
and have no concept of work,
and there are others who do have it, but times
are bad, and their earnings are very small.
Some are exiled noblemen,
who are unaccustomed to working,
living solely from their revenues.
Everyone must contribute to people such as these,
for the alms they give are well employed,
it is merciful to help them get by."
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Falsembiante
«Ad alcun altro che·ffa lavoraggio,
Ma ben sua vita trar non ne poria,
Sì gli consente Idio ben truandia
Per quel che gli fallisce al su' managgio.
Od altro pover c[h]'avesse corag[g]io
Di volere studiar in chericia,
Gran merced' è a farli cortesia
Insin ch'e' sia de la scïenza sag[g]io.
E se 'n cavalleria alcun volesse
Intender, per la fede con sé alzare,
Non fallerïa già sed e' chiedesse
Infin ch'e' sé potesse ben montare,
E avere spezierïa ch'e' potesse
Condursi nella terra d'oltremare».
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False Seeming
"Some people work at odd jobs
but could not survive from these alone;
thus God allows them to beg
for that missing portion of their household needs.
Another poor man would like
to study for the priesthood,
and it is a meritorious act to be generous towards him
until he is done with his studies.
And if someone would desire to learn chivalric skills
in order to elevate himself and promote the faith,
he would not be wrong to beg,
until he could amass a goodly sum
and have the necessary capital with which
to travel to the land beyond the sea."
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