instruction vnto vs which thyng I was loth vnto bothe bycause I lacked abilite thervnto and also bycause this werke whiche I intēded to be short shuld be therby inlarged Notwithstondyng bycause this werke is so diuided ī particles that as we sayd euery person may take what he wyll accordynge vnto his leyser and deuocion therfore we shall sumwhat to satesfye say our mynde ¶ Of the fyrste cosyderacion and of the fyrst day of creaciō THe fyrst consyderaciō was of the power of god in creacion and productiō of all creatures Gene. i. And we rede in the begynnyng of scripture that almyghty god in the begynnynge made heuen and erth spirituall corporall or bodyly creatures resonable and vnresonable creatures And that he made also the lyght / dyuided that lyght frō darknes And the lyght he called the day and the darknes he called the nyght and this was the werke of the fyrst day of creacion whiche in vs may teche vs how our lorde hath made in euery person an heuen an erth a spirituall partie and an erthly partie and made in vs also the lyght of vnderstandynge and reason / wherby we shulde diuide in our dayly werkes the spirite frō the fleshe the soule from the body / whiche is done by contemplacion or meditaciō after the fourme beforesayd That is to saye that in euery daye of our lyue we shulde somtyme be as well actyue as contemplatyue / and this for the fyrste daye ¶ Of the seconde cōsyderacion / of the seconde day of creacion THe seconde consyderacion was of the wysdom of god in orderyng and guydynge of his creatures And in the seconde day of creacion our lord god made the fyrmament or the skye and so dyuided the waters that were vnder the firmamēt from them that were aboue the firmamēt and called that firmament heuyn Note here that almyghty god made two heuyns / the tone vpon the fyrste day aboue / and the tother the seconde daye / and byneth to diuide as is sayde waters Loke now groūdely vppon this order of the creatures Some be aboue / and some bynethe The hygher heuyn spirituall to rule / order / and guyde the lower heuen temporall and erthely / And the spirituall creatures to rule the bodyly creatures And so those that be vnder and bynethe to be subdued / obedient / ordered in all thynges by thē that be aboue The same order shuld be kepte in vs / not onely euery person in hym selfe but also eueryche vnto other For almyghty god made in man / not onely as is sayde an heuyn hys soule but also an erthe / his body So that the whole man of soule body dothe bere the towme and place of this firmament / whose office and duety is to dyuide the water that is bynethe apperteynynge vnto the sensualite from the water that is aboue called aqua sapientie salutaris the water of helthfull wysdom and of saluatiō Eccl xv A That is to say that mā shuld euer deuyde and departe vice from vertu erthly conuersaciō from heuēly exercise vayne and voyde cogitacion from fructuouse and profytable meditacion and this for the seconde daye ¶ Of the thyrde consyderacion / and of the thyrde day of creacion THe thyrd cōsyderaciō was of the bountie and goodenes loue and liberalitie of god / whiche doth appere in the vtilitie and profyte of the creatures And in the thyrd day of creaciō / our lorde god cōmaunded the waters that were vnder the sayd firmament called heuyn to gader hepe them selfe together into one place and that the drye erthe yet bareyn shulde appere / and whiche thynge done the erth that then was drye and bareyn he called and named to be erthe tyllable / and apte / or disposed to be tylled And the congregacions and hepes of waters he called the see or sees And then he commaundeth the sayd erthe to bryng forth fruite In the vtilitie profyte wherof dyd apere the boūtie goodnes remembred byfore in this thyrde consyderacion But now muste we in lyke maner commaūde by reason all the water of our voluptuous disposicions and viciouse appetites to be gathered and heped into one place that is the worlde leue all those disposicions vnto worldly persones and vnto infidels viciouse and synfull people And lett our bodyly werkes appere synles And although they be yet baren yet maye they be apt by the meane of the sacrament of penaunce to be tylled / and brynge forth the fruitful werkes of vertu grace And thus an ende of this thyrde day ¶ Of the fourth consyderacion / the fourth day of creacion THe fourth cōsideraciō was of the werke of our iustificacion And in the fourthe daye our lorde made the son and the mone / and the sterres / to dyuide the daye and the nyght / the tymes houres / dayes and yeres / and to gyue lyght vnto the erthe The son doth signifie our sauiour Iesu the very sonne of iustice / the mone doth signifie the catholike churche of Christe that taketh lyghte of the sayd sonne our sauyour and so don the sterres also by whō the holy doctours preachers and curates ben signified For these done illumine and gyue lyghte of grace vnto the erthly synfull people / that by theyr ministracion of the blessed sacramentes ben iustified and made apte persones vnto saluacion / and so is the fourthe day applyed and sped ¶ Of the fyft consyderacion and the fyft day of creacion THe fyft consyderacion was of the werke of remuneraciō or rewarde whiche rewarde euery person shall haue accordyng vnto his werkes And in the fyft day our lord made fysshes and foules the fysshys to byde in the see the foules in the ayre By the fysshes euyll werkes bē sygnified and also euyll wordes and thoughtes Mathei xii c For of them sayd our sauiour accountes muste be rendred and made vnto eueryche due reward gyuen And these do remayne in the see of the synfull world / and shall be rewarded there after in payne And the good werkes wordes thoughtes that ben sygnifyed by the byrdes of the ayer / done dwell and abyde in heuenly conuersacion and shal be rewarded in ioy and blysse and let this stand for the fyft day ¶ Of the syxt consyderacion and the syxt day of creacion THe syxt consyderacion was of the werke of gloryficaciō And in the syxte daye our lorde made man after vnto his owne ymage / similitude / and lykenes And surely that was vnto man a great glory an excellent honour and dignitie / vnto the whiche no man may atteyne and come / but he onely that alone dyd ascende vnto heuyn / our lord sauyoure Iesu Ioh. iii. b In the whiche saynge you muste vnderstande Christe and his mēbres all faythfull people that ben lyke vnto hym and done folowe his stepes And thus an ende of the syxt day of creacion ¶ Of the seuenth consyderacion / and of the
/ or els Benedicite after the coÌ„mune beuer The places of scyleÌ„ce ben the church and cloustre / the fraytour and the dortour / yf you be sclaundred / and do take occasyon at the defaute or offence of any ê‘son / then loke well vpon your selfe / whether you be in the same defaut soÌ„tyme your selfe / and than haue compassyon vpon your brother or syster If there be none suche defaut in you / thynke verely and beleue there may be / than do as in lyke you wolde be done vnto And thus as in a glas you may se and beholde your selfe Grudge nat ne complayne vpon any person for any maner cause / except you se and perceyue by large coniecture that you may profyte edyfy therby Nother deny nor afferme your mynde or oppynyon styfly or extremely but that your affyrmacyon denegatioÌ„ or doubt be euer powdered with salt / that is to say / wysdome / discrecyon and pacyence Vse nat in any wyse to mocke / checke or scorne / ne yet to laugh or smyle but ryght seldome And that alway to shewe reuereÌ„ce or louynge maner / lyght countenauÌ„ce or loude behauyour becommeth nat a sad person Let your coÌ„municacyon be shorte with fewe ê‘sones / alway of vertue lernyng / or good and chrystyane edyfycacyon / and euer with suche warenes that no persone in thynges doubtfull maye take any auctoryte of your wordes or sentence Lette all your pastyme be spended in bodely laboures / good and profytable or els godly in study / or that passeth all in holy and deuoute prayer So that the hert mynde be occupyed with the same you speke And whaÌ„ so euer that you praye for any certayne persons / remembre theyr degree state and condicyon For a forme ordre of your prayer / this may be good and a redy waye To folowe the ordre of the .vi. grammatycall cases The nominatyue / the genityue / the datyue / the accusatyue / the vocatyue and ablatyue The nominatyue that is fyrste to praye for your felfe / that you may haue ghostlye strengthe and constancye / that you nat fall in to any deedly offence by fraylte And the ii that you may haue right knowledge of god by fayth and of your selfe by due consyderacyon of your estate and condycyon / and of the lawes of god / for your condyte contynuaunce And thyrdly that you may haue grace and good wyl accordynge vnto the same strenthe knowledge / that hauyng vnto god a reuereÌ„de drede you neuer offeÌ„de hym iÌ„ thought / word nor dede but that ye may euer loue him for him selfe and all his creatures in due ordre for hym and in hym The seconde is the genityue case Then must you pray for your genitours / your progenitours and parentes / that is to saye / your fathers your mothers spirytuall and carnall as your ghostly fathers / or spirytuall soueraynes / your godfaders / your godmothers / youre naturall father and mother / your graundfathers and graundmothers / your brothers and systers / and all your kynne In the thyrde place is the datyue case There must you praye for your benefactours / good doers of whome you haue receyued any maner of gyftes spirytuall or temporall vnto the welth of your soule body In the fourth place is the accusatyue case where you shulde pray for your enemyes / such ê‘sons as by any meanes haue noyed / hurt or greued you / eyther ghostly or bodely / that is to saye / in your soule or maners by any suggestioÌ„ / intysynge / euyll counseyll or euyll example In your fame or good name / by detraccyon / bacbytynge or sclauÌ„deryng / or yet by familyer companye For a person comunely is reputed and supposed to be of suche condicyon / as they ben with whome he hath conuersacyon and companye And for them that haue hurt your body eyther by strokes or by any other occasion haue hyndred the state helthe therof And lykewyse of your goodes or possessyoÌ„s For all these maner of enemyes must you pray / that our lord god wolde forgyue them as you do / and as you forgyuen wolde be and that they may come to ryght charyte and peace The .v. case is called the vocatyue that is to saye the callyng case / where you conuenyently may call / crye and praye vnto our lorde for all maner of ê‘sones that ben out of the state of grace Eyther by infydelyte as turkes sarasyns and suche other / or els by erroure as all maner of heretykes / or els by any deedlye synne or offence to god Pray for al these maner of persones that they may come to the ryght waye of theyr saluacyon In the .vi. last place is the ablatyue case / where you must pray for all them that be taken out of this life / and that dyed or passed the same lyfe in charyte / and that nowe haue nede of prayer In the which you may kepe a forme of the same ordre that is before / that is to saye In stede of the nominatyue where you prayed for youre selfe you may nowe praye for all those that do byde in payne for any defaulte or offence done by your example or occasyon And for the genytyue in the seconde place / for your parentes and all youre kynne departed this lyfe And in the .iii. place for the datiue / pray for your benefactours passed And for the accusatyue in the iiii place / you may praye for them that lye in payne for any occasyon or any example that they gaue vnto you And in the .v. place / for the vocatyue Praye for all them that haue greatest paynes and leaste helpe here by the suffrage of prayers And for the ablatyue in the .vi. and last place Pray you for all soules in general And that you may be the more apte to pray / call thre thynges to your remeÌ„brauÌ„ce / that is to say what you haue ben / what you be and what you shal be Fyrst by reason of your body you were conceyued of the most fylthy abomynable mater of man / shamefull to be spoken / ferre more vyle then the sluch or slyme of the erth / after borne a synfull soule / purged onely by grace And nowe as vnto the bodye you ben a mucke hepe or donghyll more vyle then any vpon erthe / yf you remembre what doth yssue dayly come forth out of the meates ben yssewes of your body / your soule is daylye in some synne or at the least ful lyke to be What you shal be as vnto your body ye may se in experyeÌ„ce / wormes meate and erth agayne And what shall become of youre soule / no man in this worlde can assure you To remembre than the ioyes of heuen and paynes of hell / and that bothe be infynyte endles / and without rebate / but both euer encreasynge and neuer seasynge / neuer haue ease nor reste / but euer contynue and euerlastyng To remembre
whan they se the rodde or whyppe Deth therfore is nat to be feared / nor dredde for any peyne that is therin Many done dye departe this lyfe nat onely as we sayd without peyne / but also with desyre and pleasure Which thyng we haue before Probacyon by reason proued by auctoryte / and good reason / wyll conclude the same For yf peyne be in dethe / that peyne muste nedely be / other in the body or in the soule But in the body at the poynte of dethe is no peyne For than ben all the senses and wyttes of the body wherby he shulde feale peyne or pleasure / gone and departed the bodye than in suche case as for fealynge peyne as whan it is full dede And as vnto the soule / deth is nat peynefull but rather pleasant and ioyfull / as a person that long had ben in prison / and then were sodenly loused and put at lyberte De bono mortis For as saynt Ambrose sayth The soule is in prison / whyle it is in the body therfore is it glad to be delyuered by deth And to saye trothe whan the poynt of deth approcheth and draweth nere bothe the partes in maner ben glad to deê‘te in souÌ„dre / that is to saye Marowse they cal in the couÌ„trâ— .ii. housbaÌ„d men that done tyll their laÌ„de together the soule from the body / the body from the soule / as by example of .ii. marowes or .ii. suche persones that muste nede labour bothe to gether vnto such an effecte / purpose / as can nat come to pas and be fulfylled by one of them alone / then at nyght or when theyr purpose is ended they ben gladde wher the tone is nat able theruÌ„to alone with out helpe to depart vnto theyr owne propre whomes logynges and places So is it of the soule and the body / that here as .ii. marowse or mates done labour to gether as in an exyle or straunge countrey for as saynt Paule sayth non habemê° hic ciuitatem manentem / we haue nat here sayth he any cytie or dwellynge place / and whan that labour of them bothe to gether hathe fulfylled the course of nature vnto the periode / poynt assygned of god / than done they gladly depart eueryche towarde his propre whome / that is the bodye vnto the erthe from whens it came Gene. iii. d. And the soule vnto heuyn / except it be letted with any synne which may neuer entre into heuen Thus haue we proued vnto you bothe hy auctoryte and by reason / that in deth is no peyne and so that no feare shulde be taken of any or for any suche peyne yet shall I go forther and proue the same by experyence Probacyon by experyence For lady experyence hath shewed oftymes / vnto many persones that in dethe is no peyne For some persones haue ben in traunce / that for the tyme haue had a large experyence of dethe / whan the body was so desolate of the soule / that the body felt nothynge ne any thynge perceyued by any of the senses or wyttes / and yet hath the soule in the same tyme sene / perceyued the state of heuen hell or any other place ii Cor. xii a. Saynt Paule was so in suche rapte / that he coulde nat tell him selfe whether the soule was in his bodye or nat And that was a large and nere experyence of dethe / but yet nother he ne any of those so takyn in trauÌ„ce or rapt / haue made any mencyon of any peyne in theyr rapte ergo there is no peyne in deth Swonynge also or talmynge / is in maner a dethe / syth the body for that tyme is destytute / and voyde of all the wyttes and some in suche swones talmes done expyre dye and departe this lyfe yet those that done suruyue / recouer lyue agayne / done euydently shewe what peyne they had or suffred / that so departed in theyr swone or talme / but they confesse / and say playnly they felte no maner of payne / but rather a greate ease of all peynes ergo in dethe is no peyne Some ê‘sones also haue expyred and dyed slepynge which I doubt nat shulde haue ben waked yf a pynne or a nedell had ben thraste or put through theyr eares or yf fyre had brent theyr fynger / ergo no peyne in deth Let vs yet go vnto a forther experyence of deth Io. xi d. Lazare brother to Magdalene and Martha as the Gospell sheweh was dede .iiii. dayes and yet reysed by our sauyour many haue ben reysed by myracle I knewe and spake with one suche my selfe But nothynge haue I herde / or redde of any peyne that any of them suffre in dethe / ergo no peyne in deth and so doth saynt Ambrose plainly / affyrm in a boke that he wrote of the goodnes and profyte of dethe Amb. de bonomor tis .ii. li. de Cain et Abel cap. x. The feare sayth he that the frayle persones haue of dethe / is rather by the opinyon that they conceyue of deth / then for the selfe deth Bycause they haue sene or herd tell of many great paynes syckenesses and passyons that many done suffre before theyr dethe / and that causeth theyr frayle flesshe to abhorre De bono mortis cap. viii and to lothe deth / bycause of those peynes and greues And specyally suche persones as haue a loue inordynate vnto the vayne pleasures of this present lyfe And those also that iÌ„ a whole body haue a sycke soule / foyled conscyence moste done they feare dethe that halte and ben faynte in the faythe And no meruayle thoughe suche maner of persons do feare In tusvbi sup drede deth For as the lerned Cicero sayth yf theyr lyfe had nothynge coÌ„myttes ne done / that were to be feared they shulde of dethe haue no drede wyse men done feare synne whiche is the acte / and dede of quycke and nat of dede persones We shulde sayth saynt Ambrose feare drede our life / the actes and dedes wherof De bono mortis de supra done appertayne and belonge vnto our selfe / and ben iÌ„ our owne power and at our owne will / nat feare dethe that is nother in our wyll ne power For whether we wyll or nat that is / wyll we nyll we expire / and dye / nedely we must De remedis fortuit coruÌ„ Cice. vbi supra Than as we sayd before as the wyse maÌ„ Seneke saythe / it is great foly to feare and drede that thynge / that by no meane maye be escaped ne auoyded And who so euer wyll remayne in suche feare or drede Cicero vbi sup shal neuer lyue in quietude and rest of mynde Wyse men sayeth Cicero / done nat feare dethe / but rather done they contemne dispyse dethe / set nought therby / which thynge doutbles doth moch auayle
displeasure may remayne ne folow but vnto them that well hope / shal wel happe / what tyme so euer they go But yet ben they most happye / and gracyouse that in state of saluacyon done dye and departe this lyfe in theyr youthe / and strength For vnto them immedyately after theyr deth must nedely folowe one of these twayne that is that they must go streyght way vnto heuyn or els vnto payne If they go vnto payne / than the soner they dye / the shorter tyme they lyue the lesse there and the shorter tyme shall be theyr payne And ouer that they shall haue the greattest comforde that any creature may haue beyng out of heuyn For the whiche comforde to be had any faythfull person wold be glad to suffre any maner of most cruell horryble payne or passyon that is to say surety of saluacyon SaÌ„ctus Thoma iiii sent di xv q. .iii. ar l. For all the soules beynge in payne ben coÌ„munely sure certayne of theyr saluacyon that whaÌ„ theyr penaunce is paste and theyr synnes purged / they knowe for certente they shal go into heuen vnto euerlastynge ioy and comfort But remembre that I sayde / they ben communely sure certayne of saluacyon For it may be that some one or fewe soules haue nat that knowledge / but that god for some specyall offence / and for a speciall payne punysshement therof doth hyde kepe that knowledge from them as we haue in the reuelacyons of our holy mother saynte Byrget And that payne is more alone thaÌ„ all the paynes of the other soules For that sure knowledge of saluacyon Live vi c. xxxix r. is vnto them a synguler confort in all paynes and dothe cause them to suffre the paynes with good wyll in the charyte of our lorde glad to suffre moche more at his gracyous wyll and pleasure If those that departe this lyfe go streyght vnto heuyn than ben they ferre more happye that from the miseryes of this wretched worlde they be come vnto the pleasaunt possession of so great vnspekeable ioye For you may be sure it is an excellente ioye to be there in companye with the pure virgynes the holy confessours / the gloryous martyrs / diuyne apostles sage patryarches / bryght shynynge aungels / and the virgyn mother our blessyd Lady and all these to se and beholde with our reuerende lord and souerayne sauyour Iesu Chryst / And all before the presence of the blessyd Trinyte / father son holy ghost there prayenge all for vs and lowly besechinge the hygh mageste eterne euerlasting god For al maÌ„kynd I thiÌ„ke verely beleue that any faithful christiane wold be glad to expire suffre dethe euery day newely / if it were possible oftimes in the day so he were sure that he therby myght atteyne come vnto the pleasure / why thaÌ„ nowe I speke with stomake why for shame shuld we as cowardes or chyldren fere drede deth specially sith deth is nothiÌ„g but like vnto a slepe For the old philosophours said that slepe was a very ymage of deth as one maÌ„ may knowe an other by his ymage althogh he had neuer se ne hiÌ„ before ii Mac. xii IohaÌ„ xi Iob. so may we know what deth is by the ymage which is slepe so is it called also iÌ„ scripture iÌ„ diuers places our sauiour him selfe said the lazarê° slept whaÌ„ he was ded / deth also is called a shadow / but your ê‘ceyue wel se that folkes beÌ„ nat afrayde of a shadow nor yet of step nother For oftimes we slepe with our feare or drede and without any payne or grefe / but rather with desyre and pleasure / why shulde we than feare deth syth we so euydeÌ„tly done se perceyue by the ymage howe lytle dethe is to be drede / let vs therfore put awaye this opinyonatyue feare and drede of dethe / and syth it dothe dayly approche wayte for vs let vs agayne with glad mynde and redye good wyll abyde and wayte for it and haue therof a thurst and a desyre / rather than any feare or drede howe be it of a suretye dethe is than lest feared and most desyred whan the lyfe of the persone / may at the tyme of deth be of sure and vnfayned godly frendes / conforted with the true testymonye and prayse of vertue / wherfore good deuoute chrystynes althoughe your reason lernynge be nat sufficyent to cause or to perswade you / vtterly to dispyse deth / yet let your well spente lyfe clere conscyence perfourme and so satisfie you that you be perswaded and verely beleue as a trothe euydent and opyn vnto you / that to lyue lenger were more miserye / that your lyfe hath be verey longe or rather ouerlonge If it had pleased our lorde before and erste to haue called you Thus now good Chrystianes let vs without any care of deth leaue the carnall mournynge and waylynge therof / vnto our suruyuyng frendes / that with lamentacyon / and shal inteere and burye our bodyes And let vs take an other maner of care and dilygence / to prepare apparell and to order our selfe vnto that thynge that we knowe well no persone shall auoyde nor escape / byleuynge and trustyng verely that he that made vs of nought / and whan we were lost wold so derely bye vs agayne / wyll nat suffre vs to dye But rather as I sayd before to chaunge this wretched lyfe for an other more precyous and ioyful / onely to be desyred All this hytherto haue I sayde to the intente that you shulde exyle exclude and put away ferre from you the commune feare full fantasye of the odious opinyon of deth / and somwhat to ingendre and bylde in you a contrarye opinyon A couetous desyre to be with our lorde Amen ⧠Nowe shall folowe the seconde parte of this interpryse / of the dayly exercyse and experyence of deth ⧠Of the exercyse and experyence of dethe The seconde parte of this interpryse FIrst you must knowe what is exercyse / and what is experynce / howe by them you may come vnto the knowledge of deth An exercyse than is an acte dede an vse of workynge or laborynge Than done you exercyse vertue Defini of exercice whan you put it vnto vse and workyng therof the exercyse of deth / is the acte and vse of the workyng therof Defini of experyence 1. Meth. Experyence is a knowledge that without any maister or techer is founde out and gotyn by exercyse and vse Ibidem And by many experyences sayeth Aristotle arte / crafte or connynge is ingendred and gotyn so the experieÌ„ce as he sayth doth apê‘tayne by long proprely vnto singulare ê‘sones art craft or coÌ„nyng vnto al ê‘soÌ„es And although that artcraft or connyng that is called speculatyue may be had by lerning of a techer or by dylygent studye / yet this arte or craft