¶ Here begynÌ„eth a newe Treatyse deuyded in thre parties The fyrst parte is to know haue iÌ„ mynde The wretchednes of all mankynde The seconde is of the coÌ„dycion and manere Of the vnstedfastnes of this world here The thyrde parte iÌ„ this boke you may rede Of bytter death and why it is to drede THe myght of the Father almyghty The wyt of the Sone all wytty And the goodnes of the holy Ghoste God and Lorde of myghtes moste Be our helpe and our spede Nowe and euer in all our nede And specyally at this begynnynge And brynge vs all to good endynge AMEN BEfore or that any thynge was wrought And or begynnynge was of ought Before all tymes we shulde mene The same God was euer in godhed clene And euer is full in his godhed And thre persons and in onelychehed And wolde euer with the father and the sone With the holy Ghoste in one hed bewone And is Lorde in substaunce and beynge And euer was without begynnynge Begynnynge of hym myght there neuer none be For euer he was God in Trynyte And euer is wyse and full of wyt And euer almyghtye God as he is yet That myght was euer in his trone There was neuer God but he alone The same God was without begynnynge And maker fyrste of all thynge Without begynnynge we shall hym call And endles Lorde of creatures all And ende of all thynge is he As men may in holy bokes se And as he made all thynge So shall he at the last make anendynge Of all thynges both in heauen and hell Of man of fende and of aungell That after this lyfe shall euermore leue And all other creatures to death be dreue But God that vs made and the worlde began Is nowe and euer shall be both God and man And all thynge throughe his myght made he For without hym may nothynge be All thynge he ordeyned after his wyll In his kynde to stande styll And therfore creatures that dombe be Can no reason but buxom men them se Loueth hym as the boke beareth wytnes In theyr maner and as theyr kynde is For all thynges that God hath wrought Doth theyr kynde and passeth it nought And loueth theyr maker and honour in kynde And so in that maner they haue hym in mynde And syth creatures that reason hath none Loueth hym in kynde that they haue taken Than shulde man that hath reason and fay His Lorde honour by all maner of way And nat to be of worse condycyon Than the brute beestes that can no reason For all thynge that God made both more and lasse Man is pryncypall and shulde all other passe As ye shall here afterwarde soone That God made of all thynge for man one For God to mankynde had great delyte Seynge that he made all thynge for mannes proffyte Heauen and earth and all the worlde brode He made fyrste but man tyll the last abode And hym in lykenesse of semely stature As hym thought moste worthye creature Passynge all beestes that haue any kynde And gaue hym reason both wyt and mynde Euer for to knowe both good and euyll And therto gaue hym wyt at wyll Both to chuse and to holde Good or the euyll whyther he wolde GOd â—rdeyned man also to dwell In earth here both in flesshe and fell And knowe his werkes and hym honour And kepe his coÌ„mauÌ„dementes in euery houre And yf a man to God boxum become To heauen blysse he shall be nome And yf he wyll from goodnes wende To paynes of hell that hath none ende Therfore I holde a man woode That taketh the wycked and leueth the good And God made man of moste dygnyte And of all creatures in earth moste fre For after his lykenes he made hym ywys As he shulde haue parte of his blysse And moste God our Lorde to hym gyueth More than to any creature that in earth lyueth For when Adam had done amysse And for his synnes brought from blysse God toke mankynde for his sake And for his â—oue harde death can take And with his blode agayne hym bought And after to heauen blysse hym brought Thus great loue God shewed vnto man And moche more kyndenes than I tell can Wherfore euery man both learned and lewed Shulde thynke vpon the loue that God shewed And that kyndenes haue in his mynde That God hath done to all mankynde And serue hym both nyght and day And fynde to please hym in all that he may And spende his wâ—ttes in his seruyce And theym wyll holde in all maner wyse But a man knowe kyndely what God is And hym selfe also that he be one of his And howe a man greueth God that doth nought well And maketh hym throughe synne both fearse and fell And howe mercyable God is nyght and day And howe greuous to euery mannes pay And howe ryghtfull and howe sothfast And euer more hath ben both fyrste and last And what he doth to all mankynde That euer shulde haue hym in mynde For the way that bryngeth a man to heauen blysse And bryngeth a man also out of anguysshe Pryncypally that is the way of mekenes Drede and loue of God in all symplenes Than may that before the way of wysdome Unto the whiche way may no man come Without full knowynge of God here And of his power also and his werke so dere And or that he may that knowynge wynne Hym behoueth to knowe hym selfe within And elles he may no knowynge haue The foresayde way of wysdome to craue But many men hath good vnderstandynge And yet be of many thynges vnknowynge And of some thynges hathe knowynge none That myght oft make Goddes wyll to be done Suche men had nede to lerne euery day Howe that they shulde here God pay And knowe the thynge that myght them lede To mekenes and loue and God to drede The whiche is the way as I tell ywys That leadeth a man euen to heauen blysse For in great perryle of soule is that man That hath wyt and mynde and no good can And wyll nought learne for no sawe The werkes of God neyther his lawe And knoweth nat the tenne hestes But lyueth as vnskylfull beestes That hath neyther reason nor mynde But leueth euer agaynst his kynde For he excuseth nought his vnconnynge That vseth nat his wyt in learnynge And namely of the thynge that he shulde knowe That shulde make his herte full lowe And he that can nought shulde learne more To knowe what hym nedeth in Goddes lore For an vnconnynge man throughe learnynge May be brought to good vnderstandynge And of many thynges both knowe and se That hath ben before and after shall be That to mekenes myght moue his wyll The more to loue God and to flye the euyll MAny man delyteth tryfles to here And aboute folye setteth all his chere And euermore is besy both in wyll thought To lerne thynges y â— helpeth the soule nought And thynges that nedefull were to knowe To lysten or to learne they be full
For theyr loue moste in the worlde is set The whiche the loue of God slaulyche doth let And for the loue of this worldes vanyte A man at the last for barred may be From the hye heauen where all ioye is There a man shall dwell without ende ywys But a great clarcke telleth that is Bartylmewe There be two worldes pryncypally to eschewe And that one worlde is inuysyble and clene And that other bodely as men may sene And the ghostly worlde that no man may se Is the hye heauen where God sytteth in trynyte And thyther shall we come and there lyue ay If that we thytherwarde holde the ryght way Nowe wyll I no longer vpon this matter stande For soone after it shall come more to hande BUt the same worlde that men may here se In two partyes well deuysed may be For both partyes men may well knowe For that one is hye and that other lowe The hyer lasteth from the moone ful euen To the hyest place of the sterred heauen And that worlde is bryght and fayre For there is no corrupcyon but clene ayre But sterres and Planettes bryght shynynge As euery man may there haue vnderstandynge But the lowest worlde that may befall Conteyneth holly the Elamentes all And in this worlde is both well and wo And ofte tyme chaungeth both to and fro To some it is softe and to some men harde As ye shall here soone afterwarde But that worlde that passeth all maner thynge Was made for mannes endeles dwellynge For euery man there shall haue a place Euer to be in ioy that here hath grace And that was made for our aduauntage For there is ordeyned our kynde herytage But that other worlde that lower is atwyne Where that the sterres and planettes be set in God ordeyned onely for our behoue By this reason that I shall proue For the eyre from thence and the hete of the SoÌ„ne Susteyneth the earth here where that we woÌ„ne And noryssheth all thynge that fruyte here gyueth To helpe man and beest that in earth lyueth And tempreth our kynde and our complexyon And setteth the tymes of the yere in theyr season And gyueth vs lyght here where that we dwell Elles were this worlde as darke as hell And the lowest worlde was made for man And for these encheasones that I tell can For man shulde therin haue his dwellynge And lyue in Goddes seruyce and do his byddynge And holde his coÌ„maundementes and done his wyll Them to knowe and kepe and flye all euyll And here to be proued in ghostly battayles Of many ennemyes that man often assayles So that throughe ghostly myght and vyctorye He may gete to hym endeles glorye And haue than the crowne of endeles blysse Where all ioye is that neuer shall mysse Twayne worldes togyther here may befall That all men may earthly call One is this dale that is our dwellynge Another is man that is therin abydynge And this same dale that we dwell in Is full of sorowe and all maner synne That of wyse Clarckes in bokes called is The more worlde that men may knowe by this And of the lesse worlde yet wyll I nought speke For in to that matter soone I wyll brekâ— And of the more worlde yet wyll I tell Or I go further therin to dwell Than wyll I tell afterwarde as it falleth The cause why men a man the worlde calleth THe more worlde God wolde in earth set For it shulde to man be subget Man to serue after his owne delyte And so God ordeyned for mans proffyte But nowe this worlde that man lyueth in So wycked is and so full of synne For many maketh the worlde theyr soueraygne So that all theyr workes tourneth in to vayne And some man doth therto all that he may To serue the worlde both nyght and day But this worlde is nothynge elles But the condycyon of men that therin dwelles For the worldely men knowe may nought But by the condycyons that they hath wrought For what myght men by the worlde vnderstande If none worldely men lyued in lande But he that serueth the worlde and hath therto loue Serueth the worlde and nothynge God aboue For the worlde is here the deuylles seruaunt And he that it serueth and therto wyll graunt And many a man nowe after the worlde lysteneth But I holde hym nat wyse that theron trusteth For this worlde is false and deceyuable And in all thynges wonderly vnstable Therfore I holde a man nothynge wytty That aboute the worlde maketh hym besy For a man may nat Goddes seruaunt be But he the maners of the worlde wyll fle 〈◊〉 he may nat loue God but he the worlde dyspyse 〈◊〉 the holy Gospell sayeth in this wyse ¶ â—emo potest duobâ—s 〈◊〉 â—eruire aâ—t vnum odio habebit 〈…〉 vnum susâ—inebit asterum contempâ—â—et ¶ He sayeth no man can serue God at wyll Neyther two lordes that he ne doth full euyll For els he shall hate one in his dede And that other loue in his manhede Other he shall mayntayne that one outryght 〈◊〉 that other despyse and set full lyght The worlde is Goddes ennemye and so men shulde it call For it is contraryous to his workes all 〈◊〉 so be euerychone that the worlde loueth well As the holy euangelyst sayeth in the Gospell ¶ 〈◊〉 vust esse amicus hâ—ius muÌ„dâ— inimicus dei coÌ„stitultur ¶ 〈…〉 he that wyll the worldes frende be Goddes ennemye forsoth than is he And sore worldly men greueth God ywys Therfore the Apostell in his epystell sayth this ¶ Noâ—â—te diligere mundum nec ea que in mundo suâ—â—t ¶ Loue nought the worlde sayeth he Ne nothynge that in the worlde may be For all that is in this worlde that any man teâ—â— can Other it is couytous or lust of flesshe of man Other couytous of eyen that men may with loke Other pryde of lyfe as wytnesseth the boke ¶ Omne quod est in mundo aut est concupiscentia carnis aut concupiscentia ocuâ—orum aut superbia vite ¶ Couytous of flesshe that is seynge That parteyneth to a mannes lust or lykynge Couytous of eyen as euery man may gesse Is ryches that coÌ„meth to a man with blysse And pryde of lyfe that men kepeth in thought And euer desyreth to great honour to be brought And lyckynge and lust of flesshely maiestye Engendreth the foule synne of lecherye But God made the worlde as he is wytnes For to serue man in all maner of goodnes Wherefore is man seruaunt to the worlde than And make hym the worldes bonde man Syth he may serue God and euer be â—re And out of the worldes thraldom be But wolde a man knowe ryght as he shulde What the worlde is and her falsenes beholde He shulde haue no wyll as I vnderstande After the worlde any thynge to fonde Lo what sayth Bartholomewe the great clarke That speaketh of the worlde and of her warke ¶ Mundus nichil aliud est ê™ quodâ—am exilium erumpna labore
slowe Therfore no wonder thoughe they gone amysse For euer in darcknes theyr goynge is All far from the lyght of vnderstandynge And from thynges that falleth to the ryght knowynge Therfore euery chrysten man and woman That hath any wyt and reason can Shulde be besye by all maner of way To learne suche thyâ—ges that longeth to the say And euermore learne both lowde and styll Whiche is the good way and whiche is euyll And he that the ryght way of knowynge wyll loke Shulde thus begynne as telleth the boke Fyrste for to knowe hym selfe in clennes And than may he come to all mekenes For that is the grounde of all to last In whom all vertues be set fast For he that knoweth it and well can se What hym selfe was and is and after shall be The more wyser man he myght be calde Whyther that he be yonge man other olde Therfore euery wyse man fyrste must lere For to knowe hym selfe whyle that he is here And yf he knowe hym selfe within and without Than shall he haue euer God in doubte And vpon his endynge his thought must be cast And vpon the dredefull dome that shall come last And also knowe what this worlde is That is but vanyte and full of wretchednes And forsake synne and foule lustes all And thynke what shall after this lyfe fall For knowynge of all this shulde hym lede To haue mekenes in mynde and also drede For so may a man come to good lyuynge And at the last haue good endynge And when he shall out of this worlde wende Come vnto the ioy that hath none ende The begynnynge of this matter is The ryght knowynge of a man hym selfe ywys But some men hathe great lettynge So that they may nat haue full knowynge Of them selfe that fyrste they shulde knowe And with mekenes euer make them lowe And of that matter foure thynges I fynde That maketh mennes wyttes full blynde And the knowynge of them selfe letteth youth the whiche hym selfe he forgetteth Therfore saynt Bernarde speaketh to vs And in his wrytynge sayeth all thus ¶ Forma fauor popuâ—i sensus Iuuenilis opesque Suppi puere tibi noscere quid sit homo ¶ That is fauour of fole and moche fayrenes And hete of youth and mothe ryches Blyndeth a mannes reason and mynde For to knowe hym selfe what he is of kynde And thus these foure letteth hym in syght So that he forgetteth hym selfe out ryght And maketh his herte prowde and hawteyâ—e And all waywarde from God his souereygne For these nouryssheth both pompe and pryde And maketh other synnes in them to byde For in what man any of these foure is Seldome is sene in hym any maner mekenes And letteth a man that he may nat sâ— The maners of the worlde full of vanyte Neyther the tyme of death when he shall come Neyther when he shall hence to dome be nome Neyther he ne can vnderstande ne se The perryll that after this lyfe than shall be To all synfull men that loueth folye Nay the ioy that good men shall haue so hyâ— But in great delytes setteth theyr hertes fast And fareth as theyr lyfe euer more shulde last And gyueth them here to all ydlenes And to suche thynges that no profyte is And suche men be nat with reason lad But in theyr folyes euermore be sad And thynges that they shulde drede they knowe nat Therfore they haue no drede to set on theyr thought And that is for defaute of knowynge Of thynges that myght to drede theym brynge Yet some men wyll nat vnderstande Suche thynges that myght them brynge to shonde For they wyll here nothynge that them mysspeaketh Therfore saynt Dauid in his boke thus sayeth ¶ Nosuit intellegere vt bene ageret ¶ He sayeth man hath no wyll to be snell To vnderstande thynges to make them do well These wordes be sayde by them here That wyll nought vnderstande neyther do lere To drede God and to do his wyll But foloweth theyr lustes and lyueth full euyll And for defaute of trewe fayth this may be For they lyueth nothynge but they â—t se But grutcheth when they shulde ought lere Therfore sayeth the Prophete in this manere ¶ Non crediderunt set murmurauerunt ¶ The Prophete sayeth that they beloued nought But grutched and were heuy in thought Thus fareth many men that lyueth nothynge That men telleth them agaynst theyr lykynge But grutcheth and waxeth all frowarde When men speaketh ought that them thynketh harde Some can in boke suche thynges rede But lyghtnes of herte bryngeth them drede So it may nat with them dwell As God wytnesseth in the Gospell ¶ Quia ad tempus credunt in temptationis recedunt ¶ He sayth for the tyme some leue a thynge And soone passeth there fro in tyme of temptynge As wytnesseth the prophete saynt Dauid In a verse of the Psalter that accordeth therwith ¶ Et crediderunt in verbis eius laudauerunt laudem eius ¶ He sayeth in his werkes they byleued well And praysed his werkes as they cought somdell But soone they had his workes forgyt And thought of his counceyll no more to wyt Suche men be euer vnstedfast That neyther loue ne drede may on them last But who that can nought drede may soone lâ—re That hereth this matter with good ere With suche thynges that he may conceyue therby And do good dedes and flye folye Therfore these bokes be out drawe Of dyuerse matters that be of Goddes lawe To lewed men that be nâ—t of vnderstandynge And of latyn speche be all vnconnynge To make hym selfe fyrste for to knowe And all synnes away to throwe And to brynge them to perfyre drede When they this treatyse wyll here or rede That shal moue his conseyence within And throughe that drede may alone begynne Throughe comforte of the ioyes of heauen bryght As men may hereafter haue a syght ¶ Here begynneth the fyrste parte of this boke that speaketh of mannes wretchednes FIrste when God made all thyng of nought Man of the foulest matter was wrought That was of earth to skyles to beholde That is for almyghtye God so wolde Of soule matter make man in despyte Of Lucyfer hym therwith to a twyte When he fell in to hell for his pryde And many one mo that fell that tyde For they shulde haue the more shendshype And the more sorowe when they toke kepe That man of so foule matter shulde dwell In that place from whens they fell An other cause is for man shulde se That a man the more meker shulde be Euer when he sethe and thynketh in thought Of the foule matter that he was wrought For God throughe his great myght Wolde sygne that place in heauen bryght That was made voyde throughe synne of pryde Wolde haue it fylled in euery syde As throughe vertue of holy mekenes That contrary to all maner of pryde is He thought to amende it in some wyse Wherfore men shulde Lucyfer dyspyse For there may no man in to heauen come But he
rerum habundancia eterna dampnacionis sunt indicia ¶ He sayth contynuall hele and worldly wele As to moche ruches and goodes fele Be tokens as in boke wryten is Of hell dampnacyon endles ywys And to these wordes that some men mysspeaketh Accordeth saynt Gregory and thus he sayeth ¶ Continuus successus rerum temperasium eterne dampnacioâ—â— est iudicium ¶ He sayeth that contynuall hap coÌ„mynge Of worldly goodes is a tokenynge Of dampnacyon that at the last shall be Before God that then shall fall without pyte But the worlde prayseth none men onely But them that to the worlde be happy And vpon wordly thynges setteâ—â— theyr herte And euer flyeth the symple state of pouerte Suche men be besy and gathereth fast And fareth as theyr lufe shulde euermore last To them the worlde is queynt and fauourable Iâ— all thynge that thynketh them profytable And can moche of worldly queyâ—tyse The worlde calleth them good men and wyse And to them falleth ryches many folde But it is theyr dampnacyon as I haue tolde For in heauen may no man haue an home That foloweth the worlde and his wysoome And suche wysdome sayeth a wyse clarcke and 〈◊〉 That before God it is holde but foly ¶ Sapiencia huâ—u◠〈…〉 ¶ But many to the worlde mothe lystetâ— And he is nat wyse that theron trusteth For it ledeth a man with wrynches and wyles And at the last hym it begyles A man may be calde both wytty and wyse That setteth the worlde at lytell pryse And hateth the thynges that the worlde loueth moste And thynketh to blysse to brynge his ghoste And to the worlde trusteth ryght nought But euer in that other worlde setteth his thought For no sure dwellynge shall we here fynde As the apostell Paule wytnesseth thus sayende ¶ Non manentem ciuitatem hiâ— habemus set futuram inquitimus ¶ He sayeth no sure dwellynge here haue wâ— But seke we another that euer shall be And as geâ—â—â—s haue our soâ—â—urne A lytell tyme tyll we hence tourne And that may fall rather than we wenâ— For man is here but as an alyaâ—e To trauayle here in way all tymes To wende in to our countre as doth pylgryines Therfore the Prophete vnto God speaketh thus As Dauid in the Psalter telleth to vs. ¶ 〈…〉 aduena ego sum apud te 〈…〉 vt omnes patres mei c. ¶ Be thou styll Lorde sayeth he For why I am coÌ„mynge towarde the And a pylgryme as all my fathers were Thus may euery man se that lyueth here That is to say Lorde be thou nat styll That 〈◊〉 make me here knowe thy wyll And 〈…〉 to my soule thou gyue That may make her both glad and blyue And say thus therto I am thy saluacyon For thou arte my pylgryme trowe in deuocyon ¶ Of two wayes in this worlde TWo wayes there be in this worlde full ryfe One is way of death another of lyfe This worlde is the way and also passage Throughe the whiche lyeth our pylgrymagâ— By this way all we must nedes go And eche man beloueth that it is so In this worlde be two wayes of kynde Who that wyll assay the soth he may fynde One is the way of death here tolde And that other is the way of lyfe holde But the way of death semeth large and easy For that may vs lede euen and lyghtly To the horryble lande of darckenes Where sorowe and payne is and wretchydnes But the way of lyfe semeth narowe and harde That ledeth vs euen to our countre warde And that is the kyngdome of heauen bryght Where we shall be in Goddes syght And as Goddes sones there ben ytolde If we do well both yonge and olde For the way of the worlde is here vnstable And our lyfe also well chaungeable As often is sene in many maner wyse Through tempest of wethers that maketh men anguyse For the worlde and the worldly lyfe yfere Chaungeth full ofte and in dyuers manere And in her state dwelleth but a whyle Unneth the space of a lytell myle And for the worlde is so vnstedfast For all thynge theron soone is ouercast Of the vnstedfastnes of this worlde GOd ordeyned as it was his wyll Uaryaunce of the season to fulfyll And dyuers wethers and other seasones In token of the false worldes condycyones That so vnstable be to mannes hande That lytell tyme in theyr state may stande For God wyll that men throughe tokens may knowe Howe vnstable the worlde is in euery throwe So that men theron the lesse shulde trust And for no welth theron to moche haue lust The tymes chaungeth often and be nat in one state For nowe is the morenynge and nowe it is late And nowe it is day and nowe it is nyght And nowe it is darcke and nowe it is lyght And nowe is there colde and nowe great hete And nowe it is drye and nowe it is wete And nowe it is hayle and snowe full stronge And nowe fayre wether and Sonne shyne amonge And nowe is the wether clere and fayre with all And nowe it is darcke and rayne doth downe fall By all the varyaunce men may vnderstande Are tokens of the worlde that is varyande â—et there be mo tokens that we may lere Of the vnstablenes of this worlde here For nowe is great myrth and nowe mournynge And nowe is laughter and nowe wepynge And nowe men be well and nowe be wo And nowe is a man frende and nowe is fo And nowe is a man lyght and nowe is heuy And nowe is a man glad and nowe is drery And nowe haue we ioy and nowe haue we pyne And nowe haue we cattayle and nowe we it tyne And nowe we be ryche and nowe we be poore And nowe we haue lytell and nowe we haue more And nowe we haue rest and nowe we haue trauayle And nowe fynde we our strength what it may auayle And nowe we be great and nowe we be bare And nowe we be well and nowe we be in care And nowe we be lyght and nowe we be slowe And nowe we be hye and nowe we be lowe Nowe loue nowe hate nowe peace and stryfe All these be the maners of mannes lyfe That euer betokeneth moche vnstedfastnes Of this worldes welth that so chaungeable is And as this lyfe is euer away passynge So is the worlde euery day apparynge For the worlde to her ende draweth fast As clarckes by many thynges can cast Therfore the worlde as clarckes hath me tolde Is as moche to mene as the worlde that is olde For two earthly worldes to this lyfe befalleth As tolde is before as clarckes it calleth But the more worlde and also the lesse Full chaungeable be and away doth passe The more worlde is this worlde longe and brode But the lesse worlde is lykened to manhode ¶ Howe the rowndenes of this worlde is lykened to a man ANd as the more worlde is rownde yset So is the lesse as a man that is mer For in y â— brede of a man
as god worlde sende As moche space fro the longe fyngers ende Of the ryght hande the armes out spredynge To the fyngers ende of the left hande out stretchynge And also fro the top aboue at the crowne Streyght to the soole of the fote there downe Than yf a man his armes out sprede No more is the lenght of hym than is the brede And so may a man be met all aboute Euer as acompas hym selfe without And thus hath the lesse worlde that a man is Euen after the shape of the more worlde ywys But these two worldes the more and the lesse At the last tyme away shall passe For the more eldre that they shall bere The more they enpereth and become feblere As me â— may se that gyueth here entent And so wytnesseth the great clarcke Innocent ¶ Senuit iam muÌ„dus vâ—erque maior mundus minor quanto proluxius vtriusque senectus ê“ducitus tantâ— deterniâ— vtriusque natura conprobatur ¶ He sayeth as it is in latyne tolde Eyther worlde nowe waxeth full olde And the longer that theyr tyme is here sought And the age of eyther other forth ybrought The more in malyce aâ—d in feblenes ywys The kynde of eyâ—her other mâ—â—led â—s Of the condycyons of worldlyâ—â—â— OF those worldly meÌ„ great outrage meÌ„ may se Of pompe and pryde and all vanyte In dyuerse maner and in dyuerse guyse That nowe is vsed in many maner wyse In worldly hauynge and hye bearynge As in ydle apparyle and foule werynge The whiche asketh ouer great costage And at the last it tourneth to moche outrage For suche dysguysynge and suche manere As yonge men nowe hath as we may lere For nowe is euery day contynually say That myght before haue be by no way For thynge that somtyme was called vylonye Nowe yonge men holdeth it for great curtesye And that men somtyme for curtesye wolde call Aâ—we in lytell tyme to bylonye it is fall For nowe maketh men so oft theyr chaungynge In many maners and also of dyuerse clothynge Nowemen vseth short clothes and nowe wyde And other whyle narowe clothes and ouer syde And some haue theyr clothynge hangynge as stooles And some goeth tatered as it were fooles And some goeth wryckynge towarde and fro And some goeth skyppynge as doth ado And so vseth men all the newe get And therwith the deuyll taketh them in to his net And throughe suche vncomely pompe and pryde They ne wote whyther they may gone or ryde For so moche pryde as nowe is ywene Was neuer before amonge men sene For suche guyses that coÌ„meth of wantonhede I trowe that they may be tokens drede Of great myschyfes and hasty to vnderstande That is nowe in to this worlde coÌ„mande And therfore Goddes wrath with them shall mete As wytnesseth Dauid the prophete ¶ Etirritauerunt deum in vanitatibus suis. ¶ And they meued hym to wrath sayth he In theyr newe fyndynges of vanyte This may be called as the boke proueth By them that suche dysguyses vseth For suche men therwith God greueth And therfore from them his grace he reueth And God at the last to them wyll sende Great vengeaunce but they them amende God suffreth them a whyle to haue theyr wyll And in theyr folyes for to abyde styll And that may be knowen by many maner of guyse As saynt Dauid wytnesseth in this wyse ¶ Eâ— dimisi â—os secundum desideria cordis eorum ¶ The prophere Dauid speaketh and sayeth thus In Goddes name as the Psalter telleth vs I let them he sayeth without all maner couerte After iustes and lykynge of theyr owne herte And in theyr newe fyndynges they shall go Well may this be sayde by them and other mo That God suffreth in folye and theyr tyme leseth And after theyr lustes newe fyndynges cheseth That to the worlde maketh them gay And from God tourneth both nyght and day And at the last they shall hence wende To the 〈◊〉 that be without ende Therfore I counceyll all vanyties to forsake And in this worlde betymes amendes make yet hath the worlde that is so trecherous Many other maners that be contraryous For nowe is vertue tourned in to vyce And playeth myrth and game in to malyce And nowe is deuocyon in many a mannes syde Tourned all in to boste and to foule pryde And nowe is wyt and wysdome holde folye Both amonge yonge and olde tourned to trecherye And nowe is folye holde great wysdome And therto is tourned nowe both mayster and grome And nowe is clene loue tourned to lecherye And all ryghtfulnes in to trecherye And thus is this worlde tourned vp so downe To many a mannes soule great dampnacyown But suche semeth as they were wode For good thynge they holde euyll and euyll thynge gode Wo shall they be therfore as clarckes can tell For God hym selfe wytnesseth it in the Gospell Wo to you sayth Chryst that thynketh with your wyll That euyll thynge is good and good thynge euyll That is to say that them selfe shulde be wo That in this worlde myslyueth theyr lyfe so And thus is the worlde and mannes lyfe therin Full with vanyte and wretchednes of synne But some men loueth so moche this lyfe And also the worlde that is full of stryfe And so they thynke neuer to wende there fro But euer to dwell here yf it myght be so And loueth so moche this worldes vanyte And neuer desyreth here in other lyfe to be But wolde a man well hym vnderstande That the worlde is besy a man for to shoâ—de And what he shall haue therof at the last ende When he shall from the worlde wende Than shulde hym lyst both nyght and day To forsake myrthes and synge well away A man therfore must suche workes forsake And to Goddes mercye all his herte take And lede here his lyfe in mekenes and pouert In fâ—stynge and in penaunce and other workes smert And knowe his conseyence that is inwarde To haue the ioy of heauen than afterwarde And thus shulde euery man hym well be thynke If he wyll Goddes grace in hym synke Nowe haue I tolde you in dyuerse manere The condycyons of maÌ„nes lyfe and of the worlde here And nowe I wyll passe furthermore And speake of the thyrde parte and of his lore That telleth specyally as I shall rede Of death and wherfore it is to drede ¶ Here begynneth the thyrde parte of this boke that speaketh of death DEath is moste dredefull thynge that is In all the worlde as the boke wytnesseth this For there is no quycke thynge lyuynge That agaynst death is sore dredynge Fleeth it as long as he may but at last it is deathes pray And when death coÌ„meth and maketh debate All thynge he bryngeth in to another state For no man may agaynst hym stande Whyther he come by water or by lande ¶ Of thre maners of death AS Clarckes fynde wryten they redeth Thre maners of death ben y â— men dredeth One is bodely that after kynde doth wende And y e
speaketh ¶ Domine non est in morte qui memor sit tui ¶ Lorde he sayth that man alyue is nought That in tyme of death hath nat the in thought But men may vnderstande therby The death of soule throughe synne namely For the man that of God myndeles is It semeth in soule that he deade is For God vysyteth vs by euery maner way Where that the tokens of death fele we may For yf we coulde vs well vnderstonde The tokens of death eche day doth vs fonde Wherfore me thynketh all that here semeth Is more deade than alyue as wyse men demeth For the boke telleth and wytnesseth before That a man anone as he is bore Begynneth towarde his death to drawe And with dyuerse euylles often is guawe As angers and syckenes that falleth all day The whiche deathes throwes call we may And in other wayes and perylles many one That oft greueth men in flesshe and in bone Than is our byrth here but abydynge A bodely death that is our endynge For the longer that a man waxeth olde The more may this lyfe death be colde Than semeth our lyfe here nothynge elles But as it were death as the boke telles And to that other lyfe come we nought Tyll death this lyfe to ende hath brought But when death of our lyfe hath made an ende Than knowe we nought whyther for to wende Whyther that we shall to well other to wo But certes to that one we shall go And to good men than death is the way To the ioy of heauen that lasteth ay And to the wycked men that passeth that entre In the payne of hell they shall euer be Therfore saynt Dauid the holy prophete Thus speaketh to God with wordes swete ¶ Qui â—xaltas me de portis mortis vt annuÌ„cieÌ„ oeÌ„s landes tuas ¶ Lorde almyghty God forsoth thou arte he That from the gates of death hast take me So that I may tell passynge all thynges The great multytude of thy praysynges In the holy gates of thy doughter Syon That gate as Clarckes telleth that can theron Is holy Churche that God fyrste cheaâ—e Throughe the whiche men coÌ„meth to the gateof peace And by the gates of death as we may se The bytter death of hell vnderstande may be From that same place God kepe vs myght and day And grauâ—t vs his loue as he well may Therfore we shulde hym serue and his wyll worche In the trewe beleue of holy Churche So that we may than afterwarde wende To the cytte of peace that hath none ende But all men that shall to that place come Hence shall wende throughe death all and some But that death to them is nothynge euyll That lyueth here in earth after Goddes wyll And in suche holy lyfe stedfastly dwelleth As saynt Austyne the holy man in a boke telleth ¶ Mala mors illi putanda non est quem in vita sua boni actus processerunt ¶ He sayeth men shulde nat to them euyll death wene That in good dedes wolde his lyfe mene For nothynge maketh a man so hye of boste As euyll dedes that foloweth the death moste For all be deedly that synne wyll do And therfore saynt Austyne sayeth thus therto ¶ Non potest male mori qui bene vixerit vix bene moritur qui male vixerit ¶ He sayeth he may no euyll death haue That lyueth on earth throughe Goddes lawe But vnneth may men by any reason Dye in good death that leadeth his lyfe in treason But that man that hateth this lyfes lykynge Dare neuer drede of deathes coÌ„mynge or after his death here no payne hym deres As Caton wytnesseth in this verse ¶ Non metuit mortem qui sit contempnere vitam ¶ He sayeth he that can this lyfe despyse Shall nat drede death in no maner wyse For so dyd martyres that theyr death sought For after this worlde nothynge they wrought And also holy men wylled to death be dyght To dwell in heauen with God almyght As the bokes of theyr lyues telleth to vs For so dyd an holy man that sayeth thus â–ª ¶ â—upio dissolui â— esse cum christo ¶ I couet he sayeth hence for to wende Out of this lyfe and be with Chryste without ende For holy men thought here this lyfe Was nothynge els but sorowe and stryfe Therfore they coueyted the ende of theyr day As sayeth an holy man as I tell may ¶ Melius est dies mortis ê™ dies natiuitatis ¶ He sayeth better is the day of death alone Than the day of byrth that is full of mone For a good man dyeth for to go vnto rest Theyr lyfe is endeles and ioy alther mest When the soule from the body shall begon As in Apocalyps wytnesseth saynt IohnÌ„ ¶ Beati mortui qui in domino moriuntur ¶ Blessyd be all they in dede and in worde That dyeth here in earth in the honour of our lorde For all that men seth in good lyfe ende They dye with God and to hym shall wende In to the ioy of heauen that is on hyghe Well is hym that throughe death that stede may nyghe And doubteles thoughe holy men dyed here wele yet the paynes of death they shall fele But when they shall a newe lyfe wynne When the body and soule departeth atwynne Somedele they shall than haue drede Throughe mankynde and throughe manhede Syth that Chryste dred death in his passyon Throughe kynde of his flesshe as it was reason Than ought a man both lesse and more The bytter paynes of death drede full sore ¶ The .ij. encheasoÌ„ why meÌ„ dredeth death THe seconde encheason is as I in boke rede Why that death is so greatly to drede For the dredfull syght of many foule fendes That a man shal se than few other frendes When that this lyfe here draweth to y â— ende And woteth nat whyther he shall with them wende For when the lyfe of a man is in doubte Than wyll deuylles come hym aboute To take the soule with them away In to the payne of hell and that is theyr pray For as wode Lyones they shall than fare And on hym grenne rore and stare And horryble rollynge and on hym blere And with hydeous lokes to make hym fere And so they wyll stande at his endynge If that they myght in wanhope hym brynge Throughe suche thretuynge as they wyll than make And throughe drede that they shall take Throughe hydeous syghtes that they then wyll shewe The horryble company that stande shall in rewe And therfore the prophete saynt Ieromye Wytnesseth these wordes in his propheâ—ye ¶ Omnes amici eius apprehend crunt eam inter angustias ¶ He sayeth that amonge his anguysshes great His ennemyes shulde hym take and nought let Than is no wonder thoughe the deuylles come To the synfull man when death hath hym nome As the deuyll to saynt Bernarde came at the last day To brynge the holy man in to great afray ¶ Howe the deuyll came and appered vnto
saynt Bernarde IT is founde in the lyfe of saynt Bernarde When he drewe to his deatâ— warde That the deuyll of hell so horryble of hewe Asked of saynt Bernarde w t wordes fewe Wherfore he asked the kyngdome of heuen Syth he had gylt in the synnes seauen Then answered saynt Bernarde to hym this That I am nat worthy I wote ywis Throughe myâ—e owne synnes it for to haue 〈◊〉 I shall hence wende to my graue But throughe my lorde Iesus full of myght That all thynge gouerneth as it is ryght As throughe ryght of his fathers herytage And also for chrysten mennes auauntage And throughe ryght of his harde passyon That he suffred here for our saluacyon That herytage frely he graunted me And also that other parte to hym shulde be Of whose ryght I aske that heauen ryche After his mercye that nothynge is lyche When the deuyll harde hym thus say As ouercome he went his way And anone saynt Bernarde when this was done Came agayne to his mynde that erst was gone And anone dyed afterwarde the And euen his soule to blysse gan go But it is more wonder all for to tell Why that God suffreth the deuyll of hell To appere to hym that is of myght moste Whan that he dyed and gaue vp his ghoste For the great Clarckes wytnesseth it In theyr owne bokes that be of holy wryt Than semed it well that God wolde thus Suffre the deuyll of hell to appere to vs In tyme of death at our last ende When we shall all hence wende But a stronge payne to vs that shall be The great syght of deuylles that than we shall se For they be so horryble as telleth the boke And so blacke and dredefull vpon to loke So that all maner of men that I may deuyse Of the foule syght of them may sore agryse For all maner men that be in earth alyue So horryble a syght can neuer descryue Nor none so quâ—ynte a payntour y t myght brynge to passâ— Neyther man so wytty neuer yet was That coulde ought ymagyne of theyr horryblenes Other paynte any poynte after theyr lykenes For theyr shape in this worlde may no man make Ne se the same fourme that they haue take But yf the deuylles had of God so large powere In theyr owne fourme to shewe them here Lese they shulde theyr mynde and be sore agast For cause that they be in to suche fourme cast But so hardy man was neuer yet none That lyued in earth in flesshe and bone If he sawe the deuyll in his fourme aryght That he ne shulde for drede of that foule syght Anone ryght to dye other to lese his wyt As soone as he had beholden it But in the same fourme as I tell can Sethem neuer here no lyues man But onely to them that death is nere For God hath bynome them theyr powere So that they may tempte no man ne greue Further then our lorde God hath gyuen them leue But anone as death asayleth a man In the foulest fourme they wyll appere than For bycause that euery man dredynge shulde be Agaynst the same tyme that he shulde them se. BUt to you all I wyll tell sothly Wherâ—ore the deuylles be all so gresely For when that they were Aungels bryght As tho y â— be in heauen before Goddes syght And from y t place throughe synne they fell And anone bycoÌ„men foule fendes of hell And were horryble fygured throughe synne And so they were all wrapped therin For yf synne ne were they had be styll Bryght Aungelles as they were throughe Goddes wyll And nowe they be horryble and vnsemely And that was throughe synne of pryde onely Than is synne fouler and more lothsome Than is the deuyll that from hell may come For Clarckes telleth it that be of coÌ„nynge That synne is so foule and so horryble a thynge That yf a man myght se before hym his synne In the same lykenes that he falleth in He shulde rather than for drede it fle Than any deuyll of hell that he myght se Than is the soule of a synfull man within Fouler than the deuyll yf he be in synne Therfore a man shulde where that he wendes More drede synne than any syght of fendes That shall come to hym at his endynge For his synnes indyspayre hym to brynge Of whiche synnes he woulde hym nat shryfe Ne take no repentaunce here in his lyfe For vs behoueth euerychone in Goddes owne syght yelde our accomptes of wronge and of ryght And of all thynges that euer we haue wrought Both in werke and in wyll and euery mysthought ¶ Of the thyrde encheason why men dredeth death THe thyrde encheason is to our vnderstandynge Why euery man dredeth deathes coÌ„mynge For all thynge shall be shewed and seâ—e Both good euyll foule and also clene And there ben rehersed as the boke telleth ryght Bytwene foule fendes and Aungelles bryght Than shall they despute there all our lyfe With great sorowe both care and stryfe For in the same tyme all thynge shall be knowen And in the same day nothynge ben hydden But onely synne that is clensed here And all good dedes done in good manere Than shall we all there both here and se All maner pryuyties that euer wrought we And therfore God sayeth in his Gospell In the same maner that I wyll you tell ¶ Niehil opertum quod non reuelabitur ¶ There is no maner of thynge here so hydden That ne shall than be shewed and knowen And styll there abyde must we Tyll there all our lyfe clene examyned be Therfore saynt Ancelme as the boke telleth vs Speaketh to the soule sharpely thus Thou wretched soule sayth he what myght thou wyn When thou from thy body departe shall atwyn For than behoueth the acomptes to yelde Of all that thou hast done in youth and in elde From the begynnynge that thou couldest wyt Unto the last day for thou myght nat flyt And than shall welaway forsoth he thy songe For thou hast spended thy lyfe here in wronge And than shall all thy synnes here ben shewed Whyther so that thou be lered other lewed Of whiche synne thou shalt more drede Than of all the deuylles that thyther the wyll lede And thus shall euery man at his endynge There be brought to an harde rekenynge For no synne than to hym shall be vntolde Be it neuer so pryue other kept in holde And I fynde wrytten thre causes why That no man may trust than sykerly Upon his good dedes that he hath done here And the causes why be good to lere One is that all thynges that good be From God they come and nat from the So that all good dedes that here be wrought Be Goddes owne dedes and ours ryght nought But all our synnes that we may do knowen CoÌ„meth all from our selfes and they be our owne And an other cause there is also For bycause that we be redy euermo An hondred tymes rather to do synne Than once a good dede here to