not grace verue Then yf thou wylte knowe what is veray fraūchyse of a man of a woman by ryght Thou oughtest to vnderstonde that a man hath .iii. maner of fraunchyses One of nature / another of grace / and the thyrde of glorye The fyrst is free wyll by whiche a man may chese do frely good or euyll This fraunchyse holdeth euery man of god so frely that no man may do it wronge / ne all the deuylles of helle may not enforce a man ayenste his wyll to do a synne without his accorde and consentemente For yf a man dyd euyll ayenst his wyll / he sholde haue therof no synne / for as moche as he in no wyse myght eschewe it / lyke as sayth saynt austyn This fredom and fraūchyse hath euery man But this fredō is not in chyldren / ne in wood men / ne in fooles / by cause they haue not the vsage of reason by whiche they can chese the good from the euyll A man putteth awaye from hym this fraunchyse in grete partye whā he synneth deedly For he selleth hymself vnto the deuyll for the delyte of his synne And yeldeth hym self vnto hym and bycometh his seruaunt by synne so that he may not caste hym self out / ne put hym fro his wyll / for he hath deserued the deth of helle / yf the grace of god helpe hym not The seconde fraunchyse is suche that the wyse man hath in this worlde / whome god hath fraunchysed by grace and by vertues from the seruyce of the deuyll / and fro synne / that they bee not bonde to golde ne to syluer / ne to temporall godes of this worlde ne to theyr bodyes whiche is caroyn / ne to godes of fortune / whiche the deth may soone take awaye / but they haue theyr hertes lyft vp and gyuen to god / so that they preyse noo thynge the goodes of the worlde / ne the honours / ne the vanytes / ne kynge / ne duke / ne meschaunce ne pouerte / ne shame / ne deth For they ben now deed to the worlde / and haue the herte soo deceuered taken awaye fro the loue of the worlde / that they desyre the deth lyke as the werkman his payment of his Iourney or dayes labour / and the labourer his hyre / and also lyke as they that ben in the torment and in the fortune of the see / desyre to come to port salue And lyke as the prysonner desyreth good delyueraunce / and as the pylgrym desyreth to come ageyne in to his contreye And yf they be parfytelye free in this worlde lyke as a creature may be / thenne fere they ne doubte they no thynge but god / ben in gret pees of herte For they haue then theyr herte in god and ben in heuen by desyre And this fraunchyse cometh of grace and of vertue But yet all this fraunchyse nys but seruytude vnto the regarde of the thyrde fraunchyse that they haue that been in glorye They be verayly free For they be verayly delyuerd fro all perylles and fro all tormentes / fro fere of deth and of deth / fro the grynnes and empesshements of the worlde fro myserye / fro pouerte / and fro all payne of herte of body wtout retornynge / of whiche thynge there is none fre in this worlde / how parfyte that he be ¶ Of veray noblesse Ca. .lxxii. THey that shall haue the seconde fraunchyse of whiche I haue spoken shal come to grete noblesse The veray noblesse cometh of gentyll herte Certeyne none herte is gentyll but yf he loue god There is no noblesse but to serue and loue god and to kepe hym fro all synnes and from the seruage of the deuyll Ne there is no vylanye but to angre god by synne Ther is no man by ryght gentyl / ne noble of the gentylnesse of his body For as touchynge the body we ben all sonnes of one moder That is of the erthe and of sylthe of whiche we al haue taken flesshe and blood Of this parte there is none gentyll ne free But our swete fader Ihesu Cryst whiche is kynge of heuen that fourmed the body of the erthe and created the soule to his ymage and semblaunce / and all in lyke wyse as it is of the carnall fader / that is moche glad and ioyous whan his sone resembleth hym Ryght so is it of our fader Ihesu Cryst For by the holy scrypture / and by his messagers he techeth vs / that we sholde payne our self to resemble hym And therfore he sent to vs his blessed sone Ihesu Cryst in to therthe for to brynge gyue to vs the veray exemplayre / by whiche we may be reformed to his ymage and semblaunce lyke as they that dwelle in the hye cytee of heuen That been the aungellys and the sayntes of heuen / where eueryche is of soo moche more hye and more noble As more proprely he bereth this fayre ymage therfore the holy men in this worlde payne hem self to knowe god / and to loue hym with all theyr herte / and purge theym clense and kepe them from all synnes For of soo moche as the herte of a creature is more pure and more clene without synne / of so moche he seeth more clerely more euydently the precious face of Ihesu cryst / and of so moche he loueth more ardauntly / of soo moche he resembleth more proprelye And by that he hath the more gretter glorye And this is the veray noblesse that god hath gyuen vs. ¶ And therfore sayth ryght well Saynt Iohan the appostle and euangelyst / that then̄e we shall be the sonnes of god / and we shall resemble hym proprely / whan we shall see hym euydently lyke as he is This shall be in his glorye / whan we shall be in heuen For no man seeth so dyscouerd ne so clerely the beaute of god / lyke as sayth saynt poule But thenne we shall see hym face to face proprely and clerely whan we shal be in glorye in his Ioyous companye ¶ The veray noblesse of a man thenne begynneth by grace and by vertues / that is parfyght glorye This noblesse maketh the holy ghoost in the hertes that he purgeth and enlumyneth in trouthe and in parfyte charyte These ben the grettest goodes that god hath doone to aungellys lyke as saynt Denys sayth by whiche they resēble theyr maker Thus werketh the holy ghoost by grace and by vertue in the hertes of good men / by whiche they be reformed to thymage and too the semblaunce of theyr maker Ihesu Cryst as moche as it may be in this mortall lyf For they reyse theym self soo in god / and enbrace theym self so with the loue of god And all theyr entendement / al theyr entencyon / theyr wyll / theyr memorye is all conuerted to god And this loue and this enbracement and desyre whiche encreaceth Ioyneth and vnyeth so the herte to god / that they may noo
gyuer gyueth ony gyft for his ê“ffyte / that is no gyft / but it is marchaundyse whan he beholdeth bounte receyued or seruyce / that is not a gyft / but it is bounte and curteysy / receyued to be rendred and yelded agayne But whan the gyftes is gyuen frely and lyberally without entencoÌ„n to haue prouffyte without drede without ony doute Thenne it is by ryght called gyfte / herof sayth the phylosophre that a gyft is a gyft gyuynge / agayne / or without to awayte ony rewarde but onely for to gete loue In this maner god gyueth to vs these gyftes purely for the loue that he hathe to vs / and for to gete our hertes and all our loue vnto hym Why they be called the giftes of the holy goost Ca. lxxxviii NOw for what cause ben they called gyftes of the holy goost and / not the gyftes of the fader and of the sonne / for all theyr werkes and theyr gyftes ben comyne To this purpos ben two reasons That one lyke as the werkes of puyssaunce and myght ben appropred to god the fader / and the werkes of sapyence to god the sone / ryght so ben the werkes of grace and of bounte appropred to the holy ghoost For bountes ben lyke as sayth saynt Denys / to spende and to gyue hym self For yf a man yeue that whiche coste hym nought / that is not grete bounte But by cause that the holy ghoost by these seuen gyftes expendeth gyueth hym self in our hertes lyke as sayth saynt Poule / lyke as it were by seuen stremes / and therfore ben they called proprely the gyftes of the holy ghoost For he is the fountayne and they ben the stremes ¶ That other is by cause that the holy ghoost is proprely the loue that is bytwene the fader and the sone and by cause that loue is the propre / the fyrst / and the pryncypall gyfte / that a man may yeue / Thenne with ryght in this gyftes ben gyuen all the other and with / out this gyftes none other is not called gyftes truly ne ryghtfully Therfore is the holy ghoost a gyfte / and gyuer For he gyueth hym self and is gyuen in eueryche of these .vii. gyftes / that he gyueth for to conferme our loue vnto his / so that it be feruent / fyne veray and clene ¶ Why there be .vii. gyftes no mo ne lasse Ca. lxxxix FOr ii thynges a man is saued for to fle the euyl / to do good / for to hate to fle the euyl causeth vs the gyfte of drede / the other .vi. gyftes cause vs to do good / the gyfte of drede is the vssher at the grete masse / that is to saye at the grete menace of the sentence of god / and of the paynes of hell / whiche is alway redy and apparaylled ageynst the synners / this is the watche of the castell that neuer slepeth This is the weder of the gardyn that wedeth and plucketh vp all euyll herbes This is the treasorer that kepeth the herte and all the goodes that be therin These be the other syxe gyftes that make vs to do all good dedes Now oughtest thou to knowe that lyke the clerenes of the sonne / whiche thou seest with thyn eyen / gyueth clerenes to the worlde / and vertue enuygoure and strength all the thynges that growe and come in to the worlde Ryght so dooth the holy gooost whiche enlumyneth in heuen and also in erthe all theym that ben in grace / men women and aungelles / and in lyke wyse as there be in heuen thre estates of aungelles as saynt Denys sayeth / of whome one is moost hye / that other meane or myddle / and the thyrde more lowe The moost hye ben lyke theym that ben of the kynges counceyle They be alway with god more nere to hym than the other and se hym and here hym in his secretes The meane or myddle ben as barons and bayllyes that gouerne loue and kepe all the reame and go and come / and lerne of theym of the counceyll that whiche they commaunde / and make it to done to other / the lowest ben lyke as seruauntes and offycers whiche haue theyr craftes / and dothe theyr offyces and messages as it is sayd to them By this maner and ensamble there ben thre estates of the chyldren of god in erth that the holy ghoost conduyteth as sayth saynt Poule The one estate is of them that be in the worlde lyue after the coÌ„maundementes of god of holy chyrche after that they here and beleue of theyr prelates The other estate is of theym that ben parfyte / that all haue theyr herte out of the worlde and of this mortall lyf / and haue theyr conuersacyon in heuen and theyr body in erthe and theyr herte with god The thyrde ben in the myddle estate whiche gouerne theym self well and other / and lyuen after the counceyll of the gospell / and not onelye after the commaundementes These thre maner of people techeth the holy ghoost / and ledeth gouerneth by these .vii. gyftes / departeth to them his graces / to eueryche after his benygne volente and wyll as sayth thappostle The two fyrst of these .vi. gyftes apperteyne to theÌ„ that ben of the fyrst estate The gyftes of scyence techeth theym / and the gyftes of pyte maketh them to werke The .ii. myddle apperteyne to them of the moyen estate The gyftes of counceyll gouerneth theym / and the gyftes of strengthe accomplyssheth the werkes The .ii. last apperteyne to them of the moost hye estate The gyftes of vnderstondynge enlumyneth them / and the gyftes of sapyence confermeth them and Ioyneth theym with god Another reason there is wherfore there ben .vii. gyftes / for the holy ghoost by his seuen gyftes wedeth / plucketh and taketh awaye the .vii. synnes and vyces fro the hertes of persones / and planteth there and nouryssheth vii vertues contrarye whiche make perfytely a man to be honoured These ben the goodes that the holy ghoost maketh in the hertes where as he descendeth by these seuen gyftes But tofore that I descende vnto the vertues whiche ben contrarye to the seuen deedly synnes I wyl shortly speke of seuen other vertues / of whiche thre ben called dyuyne / and the other foure ben called the foure cardynall vertues ¶ Of seuen vertues of whome there ben thre dyuyne / and foure cardynall Ca. lxxxx THe thre fyrst vertues dyuyne Saynt Poule the thappostle calleth them Fayth / hope / and charyte And they be called dyuyne by cause they be godly and ordeyne the herte to god / fayth lyke as saynt Austyn sayeth setteth vs vnder god / and maketh vs to knowe hym / and knowleche hym a lorde of whome we holde all that whiche we haue of good Hope sayth he enhaunceth vs to god / and maketh vs stronge and hardy and to enterpryse for the loue of god that / whiche passeth the vertue and
disciplynes and by other penauÌ„ces Ellys the fyre of lecherye may not wel be quenched / who that wyll take a cyte or a castel he ought as moche as he may to take a waye and wythdrawe fro it al the vytaylles / al metes / and the water for to enfamysshe theÌ„ For after that the castel is infamyned and all vytaylle is take fro it It may not longe be holdem ne kept ayenst his aduersarye Ryght so the castel of the bely / which is the fortresse of the flesshe / may not holde ayenst the spyryte whan it is enfamyned by fastynges / by abstynences by other penaunces ¶ Also the estate of relygyon ought too be withdrawen fro the worlde that they that ben in suche estate ne fele ne retche no thynge of worldly thynges / for they ought to be deed to the worlde and lyue with god as sayth saynt Poule For lyke as he that is deed bodyly hath loste all his wyttes bodyly / as seeynge / spekynge / tastynge herynge and smellynge Ryght so owen the relygyouse to be deed as to the worlde that they fele nothynge that apperteyneth to synne / soo that they may veryly saye the worde that saynt Poule thappostle sayth of hym self For worlde sayd he is crucyfyed to me / and I to the worlde Thappostle wolde saye that lyke as the worlde helde hym for foule and for abhomynable lyke as one were hanged Ryght so had he the worlde for foule and for abhomynable / as to hym that is hanged or crucyfyed for his trespace In lyke wyse doth he that is in suche estate dooth â—lee the worlde and hate it That is to say the couetyse and shrewdnesse of the worlde / that he fele noo thynge by loue ne by desyre / soo that his conuersacyon be in heuen / as saynt Poule sayth of hym self / of theym that ben in the state of perfeccyon Our conuersacyon is in heuen For yf the body is in erthe the herte is in heuen by loue and by desyre ¶ A good relygyouse persone ought to haue no propre in erthe / but he ought to make his tresour in heuen / lyke as sayth our lorde in the gospel Yf thou sayth he wylt be perfyght / go and selle all that thou hast and gyue it to poore And thou shalt haue thy tresour in heuen whiche neuer shal faylle The tresoure of a relygyouse man is veray wylfull pouerte For the veray pouerte of the spyryte and of wylle is the money of whyche the royalme of heuen is bought / wherof our lorde Ihesu Cryste sayth in the gospell Blessed be the poore of spyryte / for the realme of heuen is theyrs Certayne who that is poore of spyryte / that is of the wyll of god / he secheth not in this worlde only delyces / ne rychesses / ne honoures / but put all in forgetynge In suche wyse ought to do good relygyous people / that wyll mouÌ„te vp into the mountayne of perfeccyon Wherof the auÌ„gelles sayd to Loth whan he was gone out of the cyte of Sodome / reste ne tary not thou nyghe the place that thou hast lefte / but saue thy selfe in the mountayne For he that is gone out of the conuersacyon of the worlde ought not to holde hym nyghe the worlde by his wyll ne by his desyre But ought to withdrawe hym as nyghe as he may And to entende to his helth wtout lokynge backewarde or behynde hym That is to say / that he sette not agayne his herte to the worlde The wyfe of Loth ageynst the coÌ„maundement of the aungell behelde the cyte fro whens she came out whiche brenned / and therfore she was torned to an ymage of salte The wyfe of Loth sygnyfyeth them that after they haue left the worlde / and be entred into relygyon / retorne agayne backewarde by wyl and by desyre / whiche haue the body in the cloyster / but the herte in the worlde They ben lyke thymage of salte / whiche hath but the lykenes and semblaunce of a man / and is harde and colde as a stone Ryght so ben suche people colde of the loue of god / harde without humoure of pyte and of deuocyon / and they retche nothynge but of the habyte of theyr relygyon / and nothynge of the obseruauÌ„ces and werkes The ymage the whiche was of salte sygnyfyeth in scrypture wytte and descrecyon For in lyke wyse and semblably as salte gyueth sauour vnto the mete Ryght so ought euery relygyous persone to haue wyt and dyscrecyon in his dedes / and in his wordes This ymage thenne of salte ought to gyue wytte and vnderstandynge and example to them that ben in relygyon / after retorne to that whiche they haue left And therfore sayth our lorde in the gospel to his dyscyples Remembre you of the wyfe of Loth. That is to saye Beholde ye not that whiche ye haue left for the loue of me / leest ye lese the lyfe of grace / lyke as the wyfe of Loth loste the lyfe of the body bycause she loked to the place whiche she had left / wherof our lorde sayth in the gospell / who that putteth his hande to the ploughe and loketh behyÌ„de hym / is not worthy to the kyngdome of heuen For lyke as he that ledeth the ploughe seeth alwaye tofore hyÌ„ to lede streyght and to conduyte ryght his plough Ryght soo ought he to do that putteth his hande to the ploughe of penaunce or of relygyon alway he ought to haue the eyen of his hert tofore That is to say his vnderstandynge and his wyll to that whiche is tofore hym / and not behynde That is the goodes perdurable whiche ought to be tofore the hert and not to the goodes temporell / whiche ought to be behynde ¶ Thus dyde saynt Poule whiche sayd that he had forgoten that whiche was behynde hym That is the worlde and all the couetyse of the worlde whiche he praysed at nought And went alway tofore hym For he had alway his entencyon and his desyres to god But many men of relygyon setteth the ploughe tofore the eyen For many folke there ben and that is theyr domage / that more secheth and frequenteth the thyÌ„ges bodely and worldly than the thynges spyrytuell or goostly They put that tofore whiche sholde be behynde / that ben the goodes temporall tofore the goodes perdurable / spyrytuell Such relygyous ê‘sones ben in moche grete peryl of theyr daÌ„pnacyon For they haue nought but the habyte of theyr relygyon By the example of Saynt Poule / the good relygyouse persones forgete the worlde / and leue it byhynde them / the goodes perdurable they haue tofore theyr eyen / and gone tofore alwaye fro vertue to vertue / tyll they come to the montayne of Ioye perdurable / where they shall see god clerely / and shall loue hym perfyghtly and shall adoure hym perdurably This is the beneurte or the gyfte of vnderstondynge / whiche ledeth theym that kepen clennesse of herte and
warreth the castell of the herte / whan that they fynde the gate open that is the mouthe they do take lyghtly the castell And therfore sayth Dauyd in the plaulter I haue sette good garde vnto my mouthe ayenst myn ennemy / that is ageynst the deuyll The garde of my mouthe is reason and dyscrescyon / the whiche examyn the wordes tofore that they yssue out of the mouthe This is the balaunce of the wyse worde as I haue sayd tofore Now ought the worde to be peysed tofore that it be spoken And it ought to be knowen that trouthe holdeth the worde ryght Trouthe accordeth the entencyon of the herte / and the worde of the mouthe to gydre / so that the mouthe saye no thynge but trouthe / lyke as it is in the herte This brauÌ„che ought not to hange on the ryght syde ne on the lyft For neyther for loue pryue / ne for prouffyte temporal / ne for hate of other / ought not to be lefte to saye the trouthe / there as it ought to be sayd and nede is Ne lesynge ne falsenesse ought not to be sayd for no persone ¶ Of the .iiii. degree of sobrenes of mesure Ca. Clviii LYke as a persone ought to kepe mesure in spekynge Ryght soo ought he to kepe mesure in herynge and herkenynge For as moche may one synne in euyl herynge / as in euyl spekynge Thenne he that gladly hereth to speke euyl of a another / is parteyner and felowe of the synne of hym that sayeth it For none ought to say gladly euyll of another / specyally to a grete man / yf he wene that it pleseth to him that hereth it / wherof an holy man sayth / that there sholde be none myssayer ne euyll speker / yf oone wolde here hym ¶ These grete and hye lordes ought well to kepe them and take hede what they here and what they byleue / for they fynde but fewe that tell them trouthe And flateryes and lesynge ben grete chepe in theyr courtes The grettest derthe that is aboute these grete lordts is of veryte and of trouthe / therfore ben they ofte deceyued For they here gladly and by leuen lyghtly that whiche pleaseth them Seneke sayth that there lacketh noo thynge to grete estates and vnto grete lordes but trewe spekars / and sayâ—…s of trouthe For of lyars they haue grete plente A man ought to haue his ere 's open / for to here gladly the good wordes / whiche auayllen and prouffyten to the helthe of the soule And a man ought to haue his ere 's closed and stopped to lewde and folysshe wordes whiche may noye and greue / may not helpe / wherof the wyse man sayth in the scrypture Stoppe thyn ere 's with thornes / and herkene not the euyl tongue The euyll tongue is the tongue of the serpent of helle whyche the euyll sayers bere and enuenymeth hym that hereth them ¶ Ageynst suche tongues one ought too stoppe his ere 's with thornes of the drede of our lorde / or of the thornes / of whiche our lorde was crowned in remenbrauÌ„ce of his passyon / they sholde not gladly here the euyl sayers / ne the flaterers / ne lewde wordes ne dyshonest ¶ In another manere may this worde be vnderstonden Stoppe thyn ere 's with thornes The thornes that prycketh / sygnefyen harde wordes / by whiche one ought to repreue the euyll sayers / and shewe to them that they wyl not gladly here them There is a serpent whiche is called in latyn aspis whiche is of suche nature that he stoppeth one of his ere 's with the erthe And that other ere he stoppeth with his taylle to the ende that he here not thenchauntour ¶ This serpent enseygneth vs a grete wysedome / that we sholde not here thenchauÌ„tour That is the flaterer / the lyar / and euyll sayers whiche enchaunte ofte the ryche men / how that wolde stoppe one of his eerys with erthe / and that other with his taylle / he sholde not retche to be enchaunted of the deuyl / ne of euyll tongues He stoppeth one of his eeres with erthe / that thynketh that he is of the erthe / and to the erthe shall retorne And thus a man remembreth his Infyrmy◠〈…〉 â—ylete wherfore he ought to humble hymselfe nothynge prayse That other ere he ought to stop with his tayle 〈◊〉 remembraunce of dethe whiche he ought moche to fere and drede / who that thus coude and wolde stoppe his ere 's â—e wolde not gladly here ne remembre / ne say / ne herken / wordes that sholde dysplease god Thus shall he be well mesured in herynge in this fourth degre of sobrenes of attemperaunce ¶ The .v. degree of sobrenes of mesure Ca. C.lix THe .v. degree of the vertue of sobrenes / is to kepe mesure in habyte in vestymentes / in precyous robes where a man or woman passeth oft mesure / dothe grete outrage And bicause that the makynge of them is ouer curyous / or ouer proude / or ouer grete and excessyf of dyspences it is grete syÌ„ne oftymes causeth many other to do syÌ„ne / in suche thynges one ought to kepe mesure For yf ouer precyous ouer curyous aray were not syÌ„ne / our lorde wolde not haue spoken so hardly in the gospel / ayenst the euyl ryche man that clad hym so proudly with soft byse precyous purple And truely he is moche a fole / a chylde of wyt that of a gowne / robe / or what someuer precyous clothyng it be / that is proude therof / for there is none of what so hye estate he be / but that he is cladde arayed of deed bestes for to consyder well / it is all but vanytee and fylth / and all becometh stynkynge ordure / Certaynly he or she sholde well be holden for a fole the whiche wolde be proude for to bere the habyte or the vesture the which sholde not be but as a sygne / and a memoryall of the shame of his fader / and of his synne This is the vsage 〈…〉 / whiche was neuer fouÌ„de but for the synne of â—â—am our fyrst fader / and of Eue our fyrst moder / for togâ—â—er their confusyon and oures / whan we see a byere 〈◊〉 a dede corps / whiche is couerd and apparaylled aboue It is a sygne that there is within a dede body Ryght so it happeth oftymes that vnder these fayr rebes / the soule is deed by synne Specyally in them that gloryfye them ben proude Yf the pecocke be proude of his taylle / or the cocke of his creste / it is no meruaylle / for nature hath gyuen it to theÌ„ and they do after theyr nature But a man or a woman that hath wytte and reason / whiche knoweth well that nature hath not gyuen to hym suche a robe or gowne he ought not to be proude of the arayement of his body / whiche is not but of dede beestes / or of that
whiche cometh fro the erthe / ne also of the queyntyse or parementes that be in his heed Therfore sayth the wyse man in the scrypture Ne gloryfy that not in fayre robes And saynt Poule sayth that the women ought to araye theym with sobrenes and mesure That is to saye by mesure without outtrage / after that the state of the persone requyreth / certeynly it is not without oultrage whaÌ„ a persone hath for his body soo many gownes and robes that many poore men myght be susteyned of the surplus and of it whiche is ouermoche / yet yf they were gyuen at the laste for goddes loue / it sholde be somwhat / but they be gyuen to rybauldes whiche is soo grete synne Therfore ought to be kepte in suche thynges mesure and good ordenaunce / after that / that the state of the persone requyreth / as I haue sayd tofore ¶ The fyfthe degree of the vertue of sobrenes and of attemperaunce Ca. C.lx. THe syxt degre of sobrenes of attemperaunce is that eueriche kepe mesure in good maner where of Senecke sayeth / yâ— thou arte sobre or attemporate take good hede that the moeuynges of thyn herte of thy body be not foule ne disauenaunte For of the dysordynauÌ„ce of the herte cometh the dysordynaunce of the body / some be so chyldysshe of so nyce manere that they make theÌ„ selfe to be holden for a fole It appertayneth to a man of of value whiche is in grete and hye estate / that he be well ordeyned well amesured in al his dedes all his sayenges of fayre good countenaunce tofore all people so that none take euyl example of hym / that they be not holden for a fool For as a phylosopher sayth A childe of age a chylde of wyt of maners ben al one the scrypture sayeth that a chylde of an hondred yere shall be cursed That is to say that he that is of grete age / lyueth as a childe shall be cursed Whereof saynt Poule sayeth of hym selfe whan I was childe I dyde as a childe but whan I came to the age of a perfeyte man I lefte my chyldehode For who that holdeth a maÌ„ of age for a childe / he holdeth hym for a fool And therfore sayeth saynt poul Be not a childe of wytte / but in malyce be lytell as a childe whiche hath no malyce Now is it thenne a fayre thinge honest proufytable honourable / specyally to grete men of hy state to kepe mesure resonable in couÌ„tenaunce and in all his gouernaunce and that he be wel ordeyned ouer al tofore god and tofore the people And this is the .vi. degre of this tree ¶ The seuenth degree of the vertue of sobrenes and of attemperaunce Ca. Clxi. THe .vii. degre of the vertue of attemperaunce of sobrenes is to kepe mesure of ouermoche drynkynge etynge / for thoultrage of etynge drynkynge doth moche harme to the body and to the soule / lyke as I haue sayd tofore Therfor sayth our lorde in the gospell / take good hede that your hertes be not greued ne charged with glotonnye ne dronkennesse That is to saye that ye doo noo oultrage of etynge and drynkynge Sobrenes kepeth mesure in etynge and drynkyÌ„ge that he do none oultrage Of thoultrages that a persone doth in etynge and drynkynge I haue spoken tofore where as is treated of vyces / there as I spake of the synne of glotonnye / to whiche this vertue of sobrenes and of attemperaunce wherof I haue here spoken is contrarye specyally / wherof I wyl now nomore saye ¶ Now hast thou herde wherby this tree of sobrenes and attemperauÌ„ce groweth and prouffyteth / and yf thou wylt knowe the brauÌ„ches of this tree / byholde the other vertues whiche be conteyned in this boke / thou shalte fynde oueral this vertue For as I haue sayd tofore / this vertue is suche that it setteth mesure in al thynges The vertue of whiche I haue spoken tofore ben braunches of this vertue / for it sheweth it self in all the other / wherfore I wyl sette none other braunches but the vertues toforesayd ¶ This tree bereth moche fayre fruyt That is pees of the herte lyke as I haue tofore shewed For he that hath this vertue / he hath hys herte dysseuered fro the loue of the worde is Ioyned to God by charyte / that is the dere loue of god whiche putteth al other thynges in oblyuyon / whiche 〈◊〉 not ordeyned to god And 〈◊〉 suche manere the herte reâ—â—eth in god / where he hath all his comforte and his Ioye that he thynketh on none other delyte Suche comforte and delyte setteth the holy ghoost in the her that is parfyte in the vertue of sobrenes and of attemperaunce / whiche cometh of the gyfte of sapyence / lyke as I haue sayd tofore Certaynly who that myght haue suche pees of the herte / and fele that he rested in god whiche is the ende and the accomplysshement and the suÌ„me of all good desyres he sholde be well blessed in this worlde and in that other For then sholde he wynne that blessynge that god promyseth in the gospel to theym that kepe this pees entyerly without brekynge whan he sayth / blessed be the peasyble For they shall be called the sones of god They be peasyble sayth saynt Austyn that ordeyne and setten all the moeuynges of the herte / vnder the seygnorye of ryght reason of the spyryte / they ben called by ryght the sones of god / for they bere the semblaunce of theyr fader / whiche god of pees and of loue soo sayth saynt Poule Thenne pees and loue of god is the thynge that moost pleaseth god and maketh a man resonable to god / and the contrarye to the deuyl whiche is enemy of god Also they ben called the sones of god For they folowe theyr fader more nyghe than the other For pees and loue folowe theÌ„ more nyghe than ony other vertue ¶ Also they say theyr houres to theyr fader Ihesu cryst For god came not in to thys worlde but for to make peas bytwene god and man / bytwene man and aungell / bytwene man and hym self / for whan he was borne the aungellys songen for the pease that God had brought in to the erthe Gloria in excelsis deo in terra c. and therfore that the peasyble people seche no thynge / purchace but pees as moche as they may / to wardâ— god / theyr neghboure / and themselfe / they be called speâ—yally the sones of god / for they do the werkes of theyr fader Therfore thenne bycause they be the sones of god / ben they blyssed in this worlde by specyall grace / but this blyssynge shall be blyssed whan they shall be in peasyble possessyon of therytage of god theyr fader / that is of the reame of heuen / where they shal be in sure peas / and in perfyte peas / where all theyr desyres shall be accomplysshed There shal not mowe be euyll / ne sorowe / ne aduersyte / ne defaulte / but haboundaunre of all goodes / and plente of Ioye glorye without ende That shall be pees honourable / pees delectable / pees perdurable / and pees whiche surmounteth all wytte as sayeth saynt Poule And syth this peas passeth all wytte / and sence it passeth all wordes For herte may not thinke ne tongue deuyse / neere here the pees and the glorye that god kepethe to his frendes therfore I can not saye that thyng that may be suffysauÌ„t to the lawde preysyÌ„ge therof / wherof now I wyll say nomore But here I shal fynysshe make an ende of my matere to the praysynge and lawde of oure lorde To whome be gyuen all honour / whiche brynge vs in to his companye / there / where as is lyfe perdurable without ende AMEN FINIS THis boke was coÌ„pyled made at the request of kynge Phylyp of FrauÌ„ce in the yere of thyÌ„carnacioÌ„ of our lorde M.CC.lxxix translated or reduced / oute of Frensshe into englysshe / by me wyllyaÌ„ Caxton at requeste of a marchauÌ„t mercer of London whiche InstauÌ„tly requyred me to 〈…〉 for the we le of alle theâ— that shalle rede or here it / as for a specyall 〈…〉 to knowe all vyces and braunches 〈◊〉 them / and also an vertues by whiche well vnderstonden and seen may dyrecte a parsone to euerlastynge blysse / whiche boke is callyd in frensshe / le lyure Royall that is to saye thâ—â—…yall boke / or a boke for a kynge For the holy scrypture calleth euery man a kynge / whiche wysely and parfytly can gouerne and dyrecte hyÌ„self after vertue / and this boke sheweth and enseygneth it se bubtylly / so shortly / so perceyuyngly and so parfyghtly / that for the shorte comprehencyon of the noble clergye and of the ryght grete substaunce / whiche is comprysed therin It may and ought to be called well by ryght and quycke reason aboue all other bookes in frensshe or in englysshe / the boke ryall or the boke for a kynge / and also by cause that it was made and ordeyned at request of that ryght noble kynge Phelyp le bele kynge of FrauÌ„ce / ought it to be called Ryall / as tofore is sayd / whyche translacyon or reducynge out of frensshe in to englysshe was achyeued / fynysshed accomplysshed the .xiii. day of Septembre in the yere of thyncarnacyon of our lorde M. CCCCC .vii. The .xxii. yere of the reygne of kynge Henry the seuenth ¶ Here endeth the boke called the ryoall Enprynted at London in fletestrete at the sygne of the sonne by Wynkyn de worde wynkyn de worde