wyselye / yf thou saye how shall it bee lerned I shall now telle to the. Thou oughtest to knowe that this lyf nys but deth For deth is a departynge / this knoweth euery man And therfore it is sayd of a man whan he deyeth that he departeth / whan he is deed he is departed This lyfnys no thynge but a departynge / ye truely a moche shorte departynge For all the lyf of a man yf he lyued a thousande yere / it is not onely a moment to the regarde of that other lyfe / whiche alway dureth In tourment or in Ioy pardurable This witnesseth to vs the kynges / the dukes / the erles / the prynces / and the emperoures whiche had somtyme the glorye of this worlde Now wepe they in hell / crye and howle / cratche and sayth alas / what auayleth vs our power / honour / noblesse / Ioye / beautees and all rychesses Soone is all this departed and fayled as a shadowe or smoke and moche faster fledde from vs than byrdes fleynge / or quarelles oute of a crosse bowe Thus departeth away our lyfe Now we were / and anone we ben deed / and all our lyfe was not a lytel moment Now be we in pardurable tormentes Our Ioye in wepynge Our carolles and feestes in sorowe Roobes / hoodes / feestes / dygnytees / games / rychesses / and all welthes ben fayled vs. Suche ben the songes of hell lyke as holy wryte recounteth For to shewe to vs that this lyfe is nothynge but a departynge / and this dethe is nothynge but a departynge / and to lyue is nothynge but to departe Thenne the lyuynge in this worlde is noo thynge but for to deye / and this is true as the pater noster For whan thou beganest for to lyue / anone thou begannest / for to deye / and for too approche vnto the dethe / and all thy yonge aege and thyn olde aege and all thy tyme the whiche is passed / the deth hath conquered and retayned Thou sayst that thou hast .xl. yere whiche is not trouthe the dethe hath theym And neuer shall he yelde them to the agayne Therfore the wytte of the worlde is but all folye And certayne the clerkys seynge / seen noo thynge at all / daye and nyght they done one thynge / the more they do the lasse they knowe / alwaye they deyen and can not deye / for nyght and daye thou deyest as I haue sayd to the. Yet in another maner I shall teche the this clergye / to th ende that thou knowe well to lyue and well to dye Now take hede vnderstonde the deth is no thynge but the deceuerynge of body soule / this knoweth well euery man vnderstondeth Now techeth vs Cathon the wyse man / lerne sayth he to deye To departe and deceuere oft thy soule and thy spyryte fro they body / lyke as dyd many of the grete phylosophres that soo moche hated this lyf despysed the worlde soo moche desyred to deye that they slewe them lelf by theyr owne agrement but it auaylled thym no thynge For they had not the grace ne the faythe of our lorde Ihesu Cryst But the holy men whiche loue god drede hym / of thre dethes haue they passed the tweyne For they ben deed as touchynge synnes / and deed as touchynge that worlde Now abyde they the last deth that is the thyrde / that is the deceuerauÌ„ce of soule and body Bytwene them heuen is but a lytel walle / for they passe it by thought and by desyre And thoughe the body is in this worlde on this syde / the herte and the spyryte is on that other syde in that other worlde / there where theyr conuersacion is in heuen / lyke as sayth saynt poule Theyr solace theyr Ioye / theyr consolacion is by thought on the ferther syde in heuen / where theyr conuersacion is lyke as sayth saynt Poule And therfore they hate theyr lyf whiche is but deth desyre the bodely deth For this damoysell bereth Ioye that is the deth that crowneth al the sayntes set them in Ioye infynyte Deth is to a good man ende of all his euyls / gate and entre of all goodes Dethe is the ryuer that departeth dethe and lyfe Dethe is on this syde lyfe / and on the other syde also But the wyse men of this worlde whiche ben on this syde of the ryuer of this worlde seen so clere And on that other syde they se nothynge And therfore ben they called in scrypture fooles and blynde For this dethe they call departynge And the dethe that is comune to good they call the ende And therfore they hate soo moche the dethe For they knowe not what it is / ne on that other syde of the ryuer they haue not conuersed / ne knowe nothynge what gooth therout Thenne yf thou wyll knowe what is good and what is euyll / yssue out of thy selfe / yssue out of the worlde / lerne to dye Dysseuer thy soule fro thy body by thought Sende thyn herte in to the other worlde That is in heuen / in hell / and in purgatory There shalte thou se what is good and what is euyll In hell thou shalte se mo sorowes and dyuers tourmentes than ony man may or can deuyse / or ony herte thynke / In purgatory also thou shalte se moo tourmentes than ony may endure In heuen thou shalt se more Ioye and glory than ony may desyre In hell shall be shewed and ensygned to the how god vengeth deedly synne Purgatory shall shewe and ensygne the how god purgeth deedly syÌ„ne In heuen thou shalt se clerely vertues good werkes how hyely they ben gouerned and rewarded And in the se thre thynges vnderstande how all that / that the behoueth to knowe to lyue well and deye well ¶ How men lyue dyenge in this worlde Ca. lxi Remembre frendes grete and small For to be redy whan dethe dothe call NOw beholde and take hede a lytell / and ennoye ne greue the not at these thre thynges Therfore to knowe and wyll to hate synne Forgete thy body one tyme in the daye go to hell lyuynge / to th ende that thou go not thyder at thy dethe Thus doone ofte the good men the wyse There thou shalte se all that the herte hateth / colde / hete / honger / thyrst / and dyuers tourmentes / as wepynges syghes / and waylynges / that the herte may not thynke ne â—onge deuyse / alway shall endure without ende / therfore is this payne by right called perdurable / which is alwaye dethe in lyuynge / and lyfe in dyenge / whan thou shalte se thenne that this one deedly synne muste nedes be so dere bought / thou haddest leuer be flayne al quycke tofore thou sholdest consente for to doo one onely synne After go to purgatorye / there shalt thou see the paynes of soules / whiche haue had very repentauÌ„ce of theyr synnes in this
we requyre in the thre fyrst petycyons of the holy pater noster / whan we saye Sanctificetur nomen we shewe to our good fader curteysly our pryncypall desyre / whiche we ought alwaye to haue That is that his gloryous name be sanctyfyed / and that it be confermed in vs. Thenne whan we say Sanctificetur nomen tuū we shewe to our good fader Ihesu cryst curteysly our desyre That is to saye Syr this is our souerayne desyre This requyre we aboue all thynges that thy blyssed name be sanctyfyed in vs. That is thy good renoume / thy knowlege / thy faythe be confermed in vs. In this fyrst petycyon we requyre the fyrst the pryncypall gyft of the holy ghoost That is the gyft of sapyence whiche maketh stedfast and confermeth the herte in god / and Ioyneth hym so to hym that he may not be dysioyned ne deceuered Sapyence is sayd of sauoure and for to sauour / for whan a man receyueth this gyft / he tasteth and assauoureth and feleth the swetenes of god / lyke as is felte the swetenes of good wyne by the taste better than by syght But to this that thou vnderstande better what it is to say Thy name be sanctyfyed Thou oughtest for to knowe that this worde Saynt is as moche to say as pure / as golde / as erthe / as dyed in blode / as confermed In these fyue maners is sanctyfyed the holy ghoost of sapyence in the herte of a man Fyrst he clenseth and purgeth lyke as the fyre fyneth and purgeth the golde and the syluer / after he taketh it awaye fro the erthe / that is fro all carnall affeccions / maketh all to bycome lothely that whiche he was wonte to loue / lyke as the water is hated to hym that is lykorous to the good wyne After he haloweth hym self all to the seruyce of god For he leueth all charges / and putteth hym self all to thynke on god and to loue serue and honoure hym / lyke as the chirche and the monasterye is halowed to the seruyce of god Soo that he ought none other thynge doo but to serue and honoure god After he dyeth hym self in blode For he putteth hym self in one so stronge and ardant loue in soo swete loue of Ihesu Cryst / of deuocyon / that whan he thynketh on hym on his passyon / he is as he were all dronke of that precyous blood that Ihesu Cryst shedde for hym in his holy passyon lyke as is a soppe of hote brede / whā it is put in wyne This is a newe bapteme For to dye to baptyse is all one After he confermeth hym in god so strongelye / that nothynge may dysseuere ne desioyne hym Nowe thenne / wyll thou to saye this worde / thy name bee sanctyfyed in vs. That is to saye gyue to vs yefte of sapyence by whiche we maye be soo fyned as is the golde / and the syluer in the fornays / and clensed fro all ordures of synne / by whiche we be dronken of his loue and that al other loues be to vs bytter by whiche we be soo gyuen to the and vnto thy seruyce / that we neuer retche of none other charge / too th ende that we be not onelye wesshen fro all synnes / but dyed in grayne / renewed and rebaptysed in the precyous bloode of Ihesu Cryst by deuocyon of feruent loue to this that the blyssed name of our good fader Ihesu cryste be so confermed in vs / that he be our good fader / and we his sones / his seruauntes / as veray obedyent vnto to all his commaūdemementes / and in suche maner / that nothynge what someuer it be / may come ne happen to dysioyne this fastnes ne this grace Moche is grete the grace of god whā the wyll of the creature humayne is so rooted in god and confermed that it may not wagge ne moeue for no temptacyon Moche greter a thynge it is / whan one is soo affermed in the loue of god and so dronken in his swetnes that noo solace / ne no comforte / ne noo pleasaunce may not be had but in hym / and then is the herte parfytely cōfermed in god / whan the memory is so fastned and Ioyned to hym / that it may not thynke on no thynge but on hym And this requyre we whan we say Sanctificetur nomen tuum This is to say Syr thy name be sanctyfyed in vs. ¶ Here is the seconde petycyon and request of the holy pater noster Ca. lxxx ADueniat regnū tuum This is the seconde petycyon request of the holy pater noster / where we pray requyre / that the realme of heuen come to vs / be wtin vs. Our lorde sayth in the gospel to his disciples The reame of is in you vnderstonde well how this may be / whan god gyueth to a persone in his herte the spyryte of vnderstandynge Thus as the sonne taketh away the darkenes of the nyght And dooth waste the cloudes and the mystes in the mornynge Ryght soo wasteth this spyryte and dothe take awaye all the derknesses of the herte / and sheweth hym all his synnes and defaultes grete and small / lyke as the rayes of the sonne sheweth the motes and the duste that is in the hous ¶ Also this spyryte of vnderstondynge sheweth on that other parte / not onelye that whiche is within hym / but that whiche is vnder hym / helle / and that whiche is aboue hym / heuen / and that whiche is aboute hym / all the fayre creatures / whiche all preysen god wytnessen how god is fayre / good / wyse / puyssant swete / and grete And who that seeth moost clere the creatures / is moost desyrynge to see god / but lete hym consydere that he is not pure ne worthy to see hym Thenne the good herte / trewe and deuoute chauffeth hym / and is angry with hym self Thenne he begȳneth to entre in to his herte and to examyn hym And there he fyndeth soo many synnes / vyces / pouertees / defautes / troublynges of herte and of thoughtes euyll wyll / that he is angry with hym selfe by grete contrycyon and dyspleasyr that he hath of his synnes And thenne he begynneth to clense his herte and purge hym of al ordures of synne by bytter repentaunce / and by deuoute confessyon / and after by sharpe and condygne penaunce But whan he hath longe ledde this lyf / and hath caste oute al his synnes by veray confessyon Thenne he fyndeth pease reste and consolacion And fereth soo moche god to falle ageyne to synne / that hym semeth that all the worlde be to hym helle to the regarde of this clerenesse and this pease that that he fyndeth in his herte And this demaunde we of god whan we saye Adueniat regnum tuum / that is to saye Fayre fader plese it to the that the holy ghoost wyll enlumyne in vs the herte / and clense and
so humbled and voyde of theyr spyryte / that theyr spyryte is al mynuysshed / for god hath it al / and the holy ghoost hath replenysshed the hous of his herte / and is there lorde / enhaunceth them that ben poore of spyryte These ben the veray meke and humble / whome he maketh to regne in heuen by holy hope and by holy conscyence / and therfore sayth our lorde in the gospel / that the royame of heuen is theyres Not onely by promesse / but by fyne certeynte / lyke as they that begane somtyme to receyue the fruytes and the rentes how they sholde be blessed in that other worlde That may no man knowe vnto the tyme that he be there For the herte of a mortal man may not thynke it / ne expresse with mouthe / ne also here it with his ecrys ¶ Of the gyftes of holy drede of pyte Ca. Cviii. THe fyrst gyfte of the holy ghoost maketh the herte humble dredefull and to doubte god and hate all synnes / and therfore it is named the gyftes of drede ¶ The seconde gyfte of pyte maketh the herte swete debonayre and pyteous And therfore is it named the gyfte of pyte And that is proprely a dewe and a traycle ayenst the venym of felonnye / and in especyall ayenste the venym of the synne of enuye / of whiche we haue spoken tofore For this gyfte of pyte taketh awaye plucketh of the herte the rote of enuye / there heleth it parfyghtely Thenne the herte that receyueth this gyft / and feleth in hym a dewe / whiche maketh hym to germyn a swete rote / and ryght well attempred / that is good loue / oute of whiche groweth a fayre tree berynge grete fruyte / that is a fayre vertue and good that is called in latyn māsuetudo That is to say swetenes and debonayrte of herte / whiche maketh a man swete / debonayr / charytable / and amyable For this vertue maketh a man to loue his neyghbour parfytely / hym selfe after god This tree hath vii degrees by whiche he moūteth on heyght These .vii. degrees sheweth to vs saynt Poule / there where he admonesteth and prayeth that we doo payne to that / that we be all one in god The fyrst reason is that we haue al one herte / the hye and the lowe / the poore and the ryche That is that we haue all one fader in heuen That is god whiche made vs all comunely to his ymage and semblaunce And bycause that all we haue one creatoure and maker whiche made vs all of one mater and of one fourme / to one ende / that is that we be all in hym and with hym Lyke as he sayth in the gospel It is moche grete reason that we loue eche other / for the beestes / and the byrdes loueth his semblable The seconde reason is that we be all crysten baptysed in the sacrament of baptym poore and ryche That is that we be all wasshen with the precyous blode of Ihesu cryste And we were redemed with one maner money / and as moche cost that one as that other Moche thenne owe we to loue eche other to honoure for god hath moche loued vs and praysed vs / hath made vs of grete dygnyte The thyrde reasō is bycause we haue all one fayth and ben bounden all to one lawe whiche all is accomplysshed / Lyke as saynt Poule sayeth in this worde / Loue thy neyghboure as thy selfe Of this det is no man quyte for ony thynge that he can do / this det oweth eche man to other / and who that moost rendreth moost oweth ¶ The fourth reason is that we haue all one mayster and one lorde that is god of whome he holde all body and soule / and all that we haue / he made vs all and fourmed / hath vs all redemed of a lyke pryce / he shall Iuge vs all / and rewarde largely to all them that shall haue kepte and holden his commaundementes / that haue loued eche other truely The fyfthe reason is bycause that we be all felawes in the hoost of our lorde / And we be all his knyghtes and souldyours / whiche we all abyde one rewarde / that is the glory perdurable / and loue and cōpany of all sayntes ¶ The .vi. reason is that we lyue all of one speryte spyrytually / lyke as we lyue of one ayre corporally By this spyryte we ben all sones of god by adopcyon That is by aduoery / and sones of holy chyrche / brethren germayne of fader and moder / a spyrytuell fraternyte / whiche is better worthe than a carnall fraternyte / lyke as the speryte is of more value than the body ¶ The seuenth reason is bycause that we ben all membres of one body / of whiche Ihesu cryste is the hede / and we ben the membres the whiche lyueth all of one meet That is of the precyous flesshe and blode of our sauyour Ihesu cryste / the whiche so moche loueth vs / and vs holdeth so dere and well be loued / that he gyueth vnto vs his ryght precyous blode for too drynke / and his dygne and precyous flesshe for to ete Therfore remembreth vs so oft saynt Poule this loue whiche he sheweth vnto vs. For a more quicker reason ne more fayrer example may he not shewe vnto vs of veray amyte and frendshyp / yf so be that thou thynke well and stedfastly on these toforesayd reasons Thou shalte fynde .vii. degrees of amytye and frendshyppes the whiche cometh of the gyftes of pyte ¶ Of .vii. maners of spyrytuell loue Ca. Cix OF this stocke and oute of this rote growen vii braunches For this vertue sheweth hȳ in seuen maners lyke as loue is knowen / whiche is emonge the membres of a body in vii maners Fyrst the one of the membres kepeth and countregardeth the other / that it do to hym none euyll / ne that it faylle hym not / ne that it doo hym none harme ne domage to his power / and herin we vnderstonde our Innocency whiche we ought to kepe eche anenst other For this commaundement is wryton in the herte of euery persone That is that thou do to another after god that / whiche thou woldest that he dyd to the and that thou sholdest not do to another / otherwyse thā thou woldest sholde not be doone to the. Ne the thy ryght honde sholde smyte the lyft honde Also that one membre suffre swetely that other that it doo to it no harme / ne no vengeaunce ne wrathe But yf that one membre haue harme or hurte / that other membres fele it And in this vnderstonde we parfyght debonayrte whiche hath iii. degrees The fyrst is that he reuenge hym not The seconde that he reteyne not wrathe ne yre The thyrde that he ne fele no moeuynge of hate ne yre towarde his neyghboure for ony thynge that he doth ¶ Also the membres obeyen al to theyr souerayn For
one curseth that other And this is so grete a synne as the scrypture sayth that who curseth his neyghboure / he is cursed of god And saynt poule sayth that suche folke may not haue the realme of of god And Salomon sayth that theyr mouthes ben lyke as the potte that boyleth and casteth out on all sydes / and scaldeth them that ben about it After cometh the reproches whiche ben yet more synne that is whan a man reprocheth another of his synnes and his defautes / or of his folyes / his pouerte / his poore kynne / or other defautes that he hath in hym / he wexeth angry and synneth After cometh the menaces and thretenynges thenne begynne the medlynges and warres But aboue all the syÌ„nes the we haue here named / passeth the synne of them that by theyr wycked tonges areyse and moeue dyscordes deuysyons and euyll wyll amonge theym that ben frendes togyder / and that dystourbe and lete the peas accordes God hateth moche suche people as wytnesseth the scrypture ¶ Of the synne of murmure Ca. lvii AS we se that it happeth oft tyme that they that dare not answere ne chyde / begyn to murmure and too grunte with his teeth Therfore after the synne of chydynge we sette the synne of murmure / how moche this syÌ„ne is grete and how god taketh vengeaunce and correction of it we shall shewe For god oftymes hath taken vengeaunce on suche / lyke as the holy scrypture recordeth For / for this the erthe opened and swolowed in dathan and abyron / and they descended all quycke in to helle And for this synne god sente a fyre from heuen that brente chore and all his felowes / that is to wete .ii. hondred and .xl. thousande of the grettest that were in the hoost of our lorde in deserte For this synne loste the Iewes the londe of promyssyon whiche god had promysed So that of .vi. C. thousande that god hadde delyuered and put out of seruage of the kynge of Egypt pharao / and that had nourysshed theym .xl. yere in deserte with the manna of heuen Of all theym there entryd in to the holy londe of promyssyon but two persones onelye / whiche were named Caleph and Iosue / but all deyed with sorow in deserte This synne hath two braunches For somme murmure ayenst god / and somme ayenst man The synne of murmure ayenst man is in many maners lyke as seruauntes ayenste theyr lordes and maysters / and chamberers and women ayenst theyr ladyes and maystresses / chyldren ayenst fader moder The poore ayenst the ryche The vylaynes ayenst the nobles The laye peple ayenst the clerkes ayenst the prelates And the cloysterers ayenst thabbotees pryours and the offycers And this murmure groweth ageynst these persones of mobedyence / by cause that there is made to them ouer harde commauÌ„dementes / or of drede / or of inpacience by cause all thynges be not done ryghtfully / or of enuye / or of felonnye / by cause that one is auaunced more than another / and many other euyll rancours ¶ Murmure ayenst god hath many occasyons that is he that loste grace and pacience wolde be more thaÌ„ god For suche thynge as god hath made in erthe / yf he hath not made it after his wylle / anone he grutcheth ayenst god / and syngeth the deuyls pater noster For lyke as the holy ghoste enseygneth techeth his chosen to synge in theyr herte the swete songe of heuen / that is deogracias / of all that he hath made gyuen vs / of al that he sendeth vs. In lyke wyse the wycked spyryte maketh his dyscyples to synge the songe of helle That is murmure that alwaye shal dure in helle Certeyne suche a man is a moche fool and woode that wyll that god sholde gyue to hym acomptes of all that he hath made / yf he sende to hym pouerte or maladye or dere tyme / or yf he take fro one gyue to another / and all this be not done at his deuyse / anone he taketh ayenst god murmureth ayenst hym / can hym maugre / and what meruayle is it thoughe god auenge hym on suche folke whan they wolde take fro hym his seygnorye / his sapyence and his puyssaunce ¶ Of the synne perylle that is in rebellyon Ca. .lviii. EVyll thynge is it of murmure / but moche more euyll is it of rebellyon Rebellyon is a vyce that cometh fro the herte / whiche is harde / frowarde dyuers alwaye wyll that his wyll be done his sentence holden / he that wyll that other humble bowe to hyÌ„ / he wyll not bowe ne enclyne to no man This is an herte dyuers of whiche salamon sayth that he may not faylle of an euyll ende / and lyke as murmure is ayenst god and also it is ayenst man Ryght soois suche an herte rebell ayenst god and man This vyce hath .iiii. braunches / for suche an herte is frowarde rebell to beleue counceyle / and to accomplysshe and do the coÌ„mauÌ„dements of god and to suffre chastysynge / and to receyue doctryne Of this vyce thou haste herde in the chappytres of pryde ¶ Of the synne of blasphemy Ca. lix BLasphemy is as sayth saynt Austyn as moche as it groweth c. Seche all the condycynes in the chapytre of pryde tofore wryten in the rubrysshe of arrogaunce in the ende Now we haue shewed .x. maners of synne of the toÌ„ge / of whiche the fyrste is ydle wordes / the laste is blasphemy And this is that Salomon sayth / that the begyÌ„nynge of the euyll tonge is foly / and the ende shall be ouer euyll / here fynysshe thenne the deedly synnes and al the brauÌ„ches that dyscende of them And knowe ye for trouthe that who sholde well studye in this boke / he myght well prouffyte and lerne to knowe all maner of synnes / to confesse hymselfe well / for none may confesse his synnes well / yf he knowe theym not Now thou oughtest to knowe that he that redeth in this boke ought to thynke and take hede dylygently yf he be culpable of ony of these synnes aforesayd And yf he fynde hyÌ„ culpable of ony he ought to repente hym / anone to confesse hym dylygently / and to kepe hym to his power fro other synnes in whiche he is not culpaple / and also he ought to prayse thanke god humbly / to pray hym deuoutly that he wyl kepe hym by his swete grace ¶ How this lyfe is but dethe as it appereth Ca. lx 〈…〉 Furore consumor Heu infame Animam aâ—â—isimus Spes no bis â—â—lla GReuously dyeth he that hathe not lerned too deye / lerne thenne to dye yf thou shall conne lyue / for no man shall can lyue / that hath not lerned to dye / and he is by ryght called a caytyf that can not lyue ne that knoweth not to dye / yf thou wyll lyue frely and surelye lerne to deye
purge it fro all synnes And that he vouchesauf to come and dwelle as a kynge and a lorde / gouernour / and commaundour in houre hertes / so that all the herte be his / and that he be kynge lorde and alwaye that we mayse hym For it is lyfe pardurable to haue the reame of god within vs. Therfore sayth our lorde in the gospell / that the realme of god is as a treasour hyd in a felde / that is in the herte of a good man / whiche is more grete than all the worlde The .iii. petycyon request of the holy Pater nrÌ„ Ca. lxxxi FIat voluntas tua sicut in celo et in terra This is the .iii. pytycyon request / where we pray our lorde that his wyll be done in vs / lyke as it is done in heuen / that is in holy aungelles that ben in heuen / whiche ben so inlumyned confermed in god / that they may wyll none other thynge but that whiche god wyll / we may not haue this petycyon ne this perfeccyon but we haue the gyft of couÌ„ceyle / whiche is the thyrde gyft of the holy goost / that techeth vs to do his good wyll / that he conuert our caytyfe frayle wyll so that in vs growe no propre wyll / but that his wyll be onely lady of the herte holy / doo in vs what someuer he wyll / lyke as his wyll is done in holy aungelles of heuen whiche may not synne And that alway dooth the wyl of god wtout myspryse and gaynsaynge ¶ Now hast thou herde the thre petycions and fyrst requestes of the holy pater noster / whiche ben the hyest moost worthy In the fyrste we demaunde the yeft of sapyence In the seconde the gyft of vnderstandynge / and in the thyrde the gyft of counceyle / lyke as I haue tofore shewed ¶ These thre thyÌ„ges we do not requyre demauÌ„de / bycause we sholde haue them in this mortall lyf parfytely But we shewe vnto our good fader Ihesu Cryst our desyres / that they be alwaye in heuen where they ought to be To the ende that these thre requestes petycyons be doone and accomplyshest in vs in the lyfe pardurable / we demaunde them in this present lyfe In the other foure petycyons that cometh after we speke an other langage For we say to our good fader Ihesu cryst Gyue to vs ê‘done vs / kepe vs / delyuer vs. For yf we haue not of Ihesu cryst these foure petycyons requestes in this present worlde / we ben but deed For they be necessarye vnto euery persone in this mortall lyfe ¶ The .iiii petycyon and request Ca. lxxxii DAnem nrÌ„m cotidianuÌ„ da nobis hodie Well techeth vs our good mayster Ihesu cryste / to speke humbly and wysely For he techeth vs to say Fayre fader gyue to vs this daye our breed cotydyan or dayly What may the sone lesse demaunde of his fader / than onely breed for to passe forthe the daye / he demaundeth none outrage / ne wyne / ne flesshe / ne fysshe / but he demaundeth breed no more not for a yere / ne yet for a weke / but for to passe with the day onely This semeth that it is a lytel thynge that we demaunde / but certaynly we requyre a moche grete thyÌ„ge / whan we requyre of an abbot the breed of an abbay / or requyre the fraternyte / the companye / the parte / the ryght in al the godes of thabbay Ryght so it is of hyÌ„ that axeth of god this dayly breed / he hath fratnyte parte company / and ryght in all the goodes that ben in heuen This is the blyssed breed of heuen / of that blyssed couente The brede of heuen The brede of aungellys / the brede delectable / the brede of the lyf perdurable For it gyueth lyf vnderstondynge / neuer to deye / and preserueth a man / wherof god sayth in the gospell I am the brede of lyf whiche descended fro heuen / who that shall ete of this brede shall alwaye lyue wtout deyenge This brede is ryght good mete For it stauncheth all the hongres of the worlde / and fylleth a man and replenyssheth this doth not other mete / this is the breed and the mete that thou takest at the sacrament of the aulter And this mete thou oughtest to take in grete ardour and in grete deuocyon of herte / and in grete desyre That is to vnderstonde that thou oughtest to byleue feythfully that this mete so moche precyous is the veray body of Ihesu Cryste / and the soule / and the godhede all togyder without errour and withoute to demaunde or aske ony ferther For god may more than man may vnderstonde After a man ought to vnderstonde and chewe this precyous mete / lyke as the oxe fedeth of the grasse and cheweth his cudde / and then he taketh it in That is to saye that one ought to remembre deuoutlye and ofte by partyes / the bountes and graces of our lorde / and all the sorowes that Ihesu Cryste suffred in erthe for vs. Thenne the herte fyndeth the sauour of this precyous mete and causeth a ryght grete ardour of the loue of god in ryght grete desyre and wyll to do and to suffre all that he may for hym / and more than he may And all this doth the vertue of this blessed brede celestyall of the sacramente of the masse whiche is the veray precyous body of Ihesu Cryst This is the brede that comforteth and enforceth the herte to that / that he be well stronge to suffre to do grete thynges for the loue of god But this may not be but yf he haue the fourthe gyft of the holy goost / whiche is called the gyft of strength / whiche armeth and encourageth the knyght of god / and maketh hyÌ„ to renne gladly to martyrdome and to suffre Ioyously the tourmeÌ„tes Now mayst thou se / whan we demaunde this breed of aungelles We demaunde the gyft of strength For lyke as the bodely breed or materyall susteyne the body and enforce it Ryght so the gyft of strength maketh the herte stronge to suffre and to do grete thyÌ„ges for god This breed celestyall of aungelles / we call our for he was made of our paste he was sone of god the fader / was sone borne of the gloryous vyrgyn Mary Blyssed be this gloryous vyrgyn fro whome came this blyssed floure For that was the debonayre Ihesus / that was crucyfyed on the crosse for to redeme the worlde fro paynes of hell And this dyde he for the grete brennynge loue that he hadde vnto vs. This is the bysquyt of whiche he garnysshed his shyppe of holy chyrche for to passe the grete se of this peryllous worlde / he is oures / for he left to vs at his departynge leue takynge at his laste testament the swete Ihesu cryst / the ryght large / as the moost grete and moost ryche
drynke Then shewed god to Moyses a staffe of tree / sayd to hym that he sholde put it in to the water that was so bytter And whan he had put it therin / it was all swete The bytter water ben the trybulacyons of the worlde The staffe of the tree that made it swete / that is the crosse on whiche the debonayre Ihesu cryste was hanged on for vs. For who that remembreth well this sorowe that he suffred on the crosse There is no payne ne aduersyte / ne tribulacion temporall / but it it is swete and lyght to suffre The fourth thynge is to thynke on the spyrytuall godes that the trybulacyons dooth to them that suffreth them pacyently For the trybulacyons proueth the knyght of god A knyght knoweth not well his strengthe / vnto the tyme that he hath ben in batayle in prees Wherof saynt Poule sayth / that the pacyence proueth a man / and an aungel of heuen sayd to Thoby / by cause that thou were pleasaunte to god It behoueth that temptacyon shall proue the. ¶ Also trybulacyon purgeth the soule as the fyre purgeth the golde in the forneys / and as the flayle the corne whan it beteth it And as the hamer the yron / as sayth saynt Gregory Also trybulacyons ben the medycynes of the maladyes of synne For lyke as sayth the holy scrypture The greuous malady maketh a man sobre whome sȳne hath made dronke oftymes Wherof saynt Gregory sayth Lete it not be harde to the that thou suffre dysease on thy body whan thou arte guarysshed of the malady of synne within forth Also by trybulacyons is won the crowne of glory / whan one hath good pacyence Wher of saynt Iames sayth / blyssed is that man that suffreth temptacions / that is aduersyte trybulacyon / lyke as a good knyght that suffreth the strokes / for whan he shall be well assayed proued / he shall haue the croune of glory These .iiii. remembraūces aforsayd comforte moche thē that ben in trybulacion The .v. spyrytuell braunche of mercy is to pardone his maltalente euyl wyll to euery body For lyke as saynt Gregory sayth / who gyueth his pens or his almesse to the poore and pardoneth not his euyll wyll / his almesse is nothynge worth For god receyueth not the gyfte as longe as the felonnye is in the herte / for god weyeth / preyseth / and taketh the gyfte after his wyll And therfore our lorde sayth in the gospel ¶ Yf that we forgyue not eche other / our fader of heuen shall not forgyue vs our synnes Thenne he that wyl not pardonne and forgyue sayth ageynst hym self / as ofte as he sayth the pater noster / for he prayeth that god pardonne hym / lyke as he pardonneth his euyll wyll to other It is sayd of themperour theodose / that he helde it for a grete shame / yf one dyd to hym vylonye or Iniurye that prayed hym to forgyue hym / and whan he was moost angry / then he forgaue moost sonnest For he had lyuer drawe to hym people by debonayrte and by loue / thenne by drede ¶ The .vi. braunche of this vertue is to haue in the herte pyte and compassyon of the synnars / and of them that be in trybulacyon or in pouerte / or in aduersyte For that one membre ought to bere the maladye of that other wherof saynt Poule sayth / who that is seke / and I am seke with hym And saynt Gregory sayth / that so moche is a man more parfayt / as he feleth more in hym self the sorowe of another ¶ The .vii. braunche of mysyry corde is to praye for the synnar / and for his enemyes / and for all trespasses For soo commaundeth our lorde Ihesu Cryste in the gospell Praye ye sayd he for theym that done to you euyll / and so shal ye ben the sones of your fader whiche is in heuen / as who sholde saye / otherwyse ye ben not the sones of god / and thenne ye haue nothynge in his herytage ¶ Now is it then̄e grete almesse and grete prouffyte for the soule to praye for the synners / for Mekenes rote Mercy and pyte atrēpaūce Iustyce Compassyon Prudēce Force Forgiuenes Faythe Hope Charyte his enmyes / and for all them whiche ben departed out of this presente lyfe These ben the seuen braunches of mercy of this tree on the ryghte syde ¶ Here after foloweth the seuen braūches of mercy vpon the lyfte syde Ca. C.xxxii LYke as this tree of mercy hath seuen braunches on the ryght syde / so ben there seuen braunches on the lyfte syde These ben the seuen werkes of mercy corporell / whiche holdeth the body / lyke as the other beholdeth the soule too foresayd ¶ The fyrst braunche is to fede the hungry the nedy and the myseased / this admonesteth vs the holy scrypture in many places Fyrst Thobye whiche sayd to his sone Ete thy brede with the nedy the poore that deye for hungre and Salamon sayth / yf thyn enemye haue hūgre gyue hym to ete / yf he haue thyrst gyue to him drynke Also our lorde sayth in the gospel / whā thou shalte make a grete dyner / calle the poore people / the blynde / the lame the Impotent and thou shalte be blessed For they may not yelde it to the ageyn But god shal yelde to the in the resurreccyon generalle / an hondred folde double This is ageynste ryche men that done grete oultrages of mete / for bobaunce / pryde / vaynglorye of the worlde haue no pyte on the poore people But they ought to haue grete drede that they falle not in meschyef / lyke as it byfell to the ryche gloton / of whome god sayth in the gospel / whiche ete euery daye delycyously / and suffred the poore Lazare deye for hungre at his yate But as to the deth of that one of that other was a grete chaunge For Lazare was borne with aūgellys in to Abrahams bosome / the ryche man auarycyous gloton had his sepulture in helle / where he desyred to haue one drope of water for to refresshe his tongue Alas yf all the water of the see had ronne ouer his tongue / it sholde not haue ben coled in that fyre perdurable of helle whiche may not be quenched Therfore it is good to fede the poore peopell For there by may one escape fro the paynes of helle / and wynne the glorye of heuen / lyke as sayth holy scrypture / wherof our lorde Ihesu Cryste shal saye at the daye of Iugement Come ye blessed of my fader in to the royame of heuen whiche is redy to you For whan I had hungre And thyrste ye gaue to me to Eete and to drynke For that whiche that ye dyd to the leste of my poore people / ye dyd it to me ¶ The seconde braunche of mercy .. Cxxxiii THe seconde braunche of mercy is to clothe the poore naked people That is
And Saynt Iherome sayth that to the couetous mā faylleth that whyche he hath and that whyche he hath not ¶ Now thynke thenne whan thou woldest praye god / for to demaunde wysely dylygently and perseuerauntly And he shalle gyue vnto the all that shal be nedeful to the prouffyte and helthe of thy soule The thyrd thynge that ought to be in prayer / is deuocyon of herte that is to lyfte vp the herte to god wythout thȳkyng no wher ellys wherof our lord sayth whan thou wylt praye to god entre within thyn hert and close the dore wpon the that is to for say put out all thoughtes seculer flesshely foule wycked worldly and vylaynous And thus praye thy fader of heuen in hyddles in thy hert / that the herte thynke on none other thynge but on that whyche it ought to thynke saynt ysodore sayth that thēne we praye god truly whan we thynke nowher ellys ¶ And Saȳt Austyn sayth what auaylleth to moeue the mouth and the lyppes / whan the herte sayth not a worde As grete dyfference as is bytwene the chaffe and the corne and the brenne and the floure of whete so grete dyfference is bytwene the prayer and deuocyon of the herte God is not a ghoote to be fedde wyth leues God cursyd the tre wheron he fonde no thynge but leues Ryght so the prayer whiche is alle in leues of wordes wythoute deuocyon of hert / pleaseth noo thynge to god but it dyspleaseth hym he torneth hys eere For he wyl not vnderstonde suche langage who that prayeth god wythoute deuocyon vnto hym / it semeth that he mocketh and scorneth our lorde god lyke as he that wyll mocke scorne with a deef man and with a dombe man the whiche canne not speke that meueth his lyppes onely as he spacke / no thynge sayth To suche people god maketh a deef ere / but the prayer that cometh fro the depnes of the herte / that hereth our lorde as he sayth in the gpspell God is a spyryte / therfore who wyll praye god and haue his requeste graunted / hym byhoueth that he praye in spyryte and in trouthe Dauyd the prophete enseygneth and techeth vs in the psaulter to prayer to god deuoutely whan he sayth / lorde myn oryson be adressyd tofore the lyke to thensence Thensence whan it is vpon the fyre it smelleth swetely Ryght so doth the prayer that cometh fro the herte brennynge in loue of god smelleth moche swetely tofore god / otherwyse the prayer may not be enhaunced tofore god yf it come not fro the herte / lyke as a messager whiche bryngeth no letters / ne hath no knowleche / entreth not gladly tofore the kynge Oryson or prayer without deuocyon is as a messager without letters / who suche message sendeth to the courte / he doth euyl his erandes who thenne wyll praye god veryly / he ought to crye to god fro the depthe of his herte / as dyd Dauyd / whiche sayd in the plaulter / lorde god here my voys For I crye to the fro the depnesse of my herte The feruour of loue is the crye fro the depnesse of the herte / this sayth saynt Austyn Suche a voys and suche a crye pleseth moche to god / and not the noyse of wordes polysshed / wherof saynt Gregorye sayth that veryly to praye to god / is in the teres and bewayllynges of conpunccyon of herte This crye chaseth awaye the theues / that ben the deuyll les whiche lye in awayte for to trouble robbe vs. And therfore ought we ofte to crye and praye vnto god that he wyll kepe deffende vs fro the theuys of helle Thus ought we strongely to crye vnto god ageynst the fyre of couetyse / or of lecherye / that he gyue to vs the water of teres for to quenche suche fyre that it enflamme not our hertes Also we ought to crye too god ageynst the euyll thoughtes that come ofte to the herte / that the herte and the soule perysshe not by consentynge Therfore cryed Dauyd to god sayd Lorde saue me / and kepe me fro the perylle of waters the / whiche ben now entred in to my herte / and the dyscyples of our lorde whan they sawe the tempest of the see vpon theym they cryed sayenge lorde saue vs for we ben in grete perylle And for these thre thynges that I haue here sayd one ought ofte to crye to god that he saue vs fro these thre perylles / that is to wete fro the theues of helle / and fro the fyre of couetyse / fro the flodes of euyl thoughtes of temptacyon Now oughtest thou to knowe / that in all tymes / and in al places may a persone praye to god But he ought specyall and moost deuoutely ought he to praye in the chirche on the sondayes and in festes whiche ben stablysshed for to praye to god to preyse honour hym / and therfore then they seace and ought to cease al persones fro bodyly werkes and temporall / for the better tentende to praye to god and honoure hym / and to spyrytuell werkys God commaunded so straytly to kepe the sabotte daye in the olde lawe that he made a man to be stoned tofore the people by cause he had gadred a fewe styckes on the sabotte daye what shal god do thenne of them that do the grete synnes on the sondayes and the festes / and waste the tyme in vanyte and in folyes / and yet werse done they on the sondayes / on the festes and on solempne dayes than they do on other dayes Certeynly they shall be more punysshed and dampned in that other worlde / than the Iewes that brake theyr sabot daye For the sonday is more holy thā the sabot So ben the pryncypall feestes whiche ben establysshed in holy chyrche for to serue god / and to honoure and thanke hym of his goodnes and bountees that he hathe done to vs / and dothe euery day / lyke as holy chyrche remembreth In suche a feest as is crystmas / that is of his natyuyte / how he was borne of the vyrgyn Marye At Ester how he arose from dethe to lyfe At the ascencyon how he styed vp in to heuen At whytsontyde how he sēt the holy goost vpon thappostles After there ben establysshed to kepe the feestes of sayntes for to prayse and worshyp god and his sayntes / to remembre the holy myracles that he dyde for to conferme our faythe And therfore we ought to kepe the feestes of sayntes / to pray thē deuoutly to ayde and socoure vs vnto our lorde / whiche hath so moche honoured theym in heuen in glory and in erthe / and therfore they synne greuously that kepe not theyr feestes For they do ageynst the commaundement of god and of holy chyrche But here some may say to me Fayre syr a man may not all daye praye to god ne be at the monastery / ne in the chyrche / what harme is it
the deuyl may not take a waye for it kepeth the yates of the castel / wherim the tresour is enclosed The yates of the castel of the hert where the tresour of vyrgynyte is in ben the wittes of the body These yates kepē the drede of god that they be not opened to the enemye of helle / by vayn curyosyte of seȳge or of heeryng / or of smellyng of spekyng or tastyng / or goyng in euyl companye For curiosyte of seynge or of herynge the vanytees of the world ben waye and cause of the synne of lecherye / wherof is sayd in the scrypture that Dyna doughter of Iacob whan she went musyng by curyosyte to see the women of the contre / where anone she was rauysshed and corrupte of the sone of the lorde of the toune / and therfore who wyl kepe vyrgynyte / hȳ byhoueth moche to withdrawe and kepe his .v. wyttes bodyly fro al vayn curyosyte / and this ought be done by holy drede / for a persone oweth alwaye to drede to angre god This is the sence of the .v. vyrgynes of whome our lorde sayth in the gospell / whan he sayd that the royame of heuen is lyke to .x. vyrgynes / of whome fyue were wyse / and the other fyue were fooles He calleth here the royame of heuen holy chirche / whiche is bynethe in this worlde / wherin ben alwaye good and euyll / foles wyse / whiche ben membres of holy chirche / by the fayth that they haue receyued in baptesme The fyue wyse vyrgyns sygnefye them that kepe and gouerne well the fyue wyttes of the body of whiche we haue spoken The fyue vyrgynes foles sygnefye them that folysshly kepe them The .v. leef is sharpenes of the lyf of penaunce For who wyll kepe vyrgynyte / he muste moche chastyse his flesshe and subdue it by penaunce / and that the body do the wyll of the soule by fastynge / by wakynge in prayers / other penaūce Sharpnesse of lyf is lyke a stronge hedge for to kepe the gardyn of the herte / that the euyll beestes assaylle it not / that ben the fendes of helle to th ende that they may not entre / whiche entende studye for to stele and take awaye the tresour of vyrgynyte / therfore ought this tresour to be well enclosed and wel kepte that it be not loste For who that leseth it may neuer recouer it no more than the lampe that is broken may not be made hole ageyn ¶ The .vi. leef of vyrgynyte is perseueraūce that is to haue ferme purpoos to kepe well that is promysed to god / wherof Saynt Austyn sayth in the boke of vyrgynyte and adresseth his wordes to the vyrgyns sayenge Folowe ye the lambe sayth he / that is Ihesu Cryste / in kepynge stronglye that whiche ye haue auowed to god Doo ardauntly as moche ye may / that the we le of vyrgynyte perysshe not in you For ye may not do that thynge / by whiche vyrgynyte may be recouerd / yf it were loste / lyke as we haue shewde by ensaumple of the lampe / and saynt Bernarde Sayth / estudye ye to the vertue of perseueraunce / for she onely wynneth and geteth the crowne of glorye The syxthe leef aforsayd enbelyssheth and maketh moche fayre the lylye of vyrgynyte / but it byhoueth to haue withinforth thre graynes of golde / whiche sygnefyen .iii. maners to loue god For vyrgynyte without loue is lyke as a lampe without oyle / wherfore the fooles vyrgyns by cause they fylled not theyr lampes of this oylle / were shette out fro the weddynge / and the wyse vyrgyns that fylled theyr lampes of this oyle entred in to the weddynge with the spouse The thre maners for to loue god whiche ben sygnefyed by the thre graynes of the lylye / saynt Austyn enseygneth them whan he sayth thus Thou shalt loue god with all thyn entendement without errour / with al thy wylle without gaynsayenge and with all thy mynde withoute forgetynge In suche maner is thymage of god parfayte in a man after .iii. dygnytees that ben in the lyf That is to wete / entendement memorye / and wyll / whan these .iii. thynges ben wel ordeyned to god / thenne ben the thre graynes of golde of the lyly / of the golde of charyte whiche gyueth bounte / beaute / and valure of all vertue For wythout this golde noo vertue is tofore god neyther fayre ne precyouse Otherwyse sayth saynt Bernard of the manere to loue god and sayth thus O thou that arte a crysten man / lerne how thou oughtest to loue god / lerne to loue hym wysely / swetely and strongely / wysely that thou be not deceyued by nycete Swetely that thou be not moeued by prosperyte Strongely that thou be not ouercomen by aduersyte In this maner is fayre the flour delys of vyrgynyte / whan she is suche as is sayd tofore / and this is the seconde reason by whiche thestate of vyrgynyte ought moche to be preysed for her beaute the thyrde reason wherfore thestate of vyrgynyte ought moche to be preysed is for her bounte and for the prouffyt that cometh of it For vyrgynyte is a tresour of soo grete value that it may not be preysed / wherof the scrypture sayth that noo thynge is worthy to be compared to a chaste herte / of the chastyte of vyrgynyte / for vyrgynyte aboue all other estates bereth the moost grettest fruyt the moost grettes proffyt They that ben in maryage and kepe it well as they ought to do haue the .xxx. folde fruyt They that ben in wydowhede haue the .xl. folde fruyt But they that kepe vyrgynyte haue the hondred folde fruyt For lyke as our lorde sayth in the gospel that the seed that falleth in good lande maketh fruyt .xxx. folde .xl. folde / and an hondred folde These .iii. nombres xxx.lx an hondred apperteyne to .iii. estates toforesayd The nōbre of .xxx. whiche is of .x. thre tymes whiche maken .xxx. apperteyneth to thestate of maryage / where ought to be kept the .x. commaundementes of the lawe in the faythe of the holy trynyte The nombre of .lx. is more grete and is of x.vi tymes For .vi. tymes .x. maken .lx. and apperteyneth to thestate of wydowhede For in such estate ought to be kept the precepts / thē ought to be done the .vii. werkes of mercy of whiche we haue spoken tofore / but the nōbre of an hondred whiche is moost grete moost perfyte for it representeth a fygure rounde / whiche is moost parfyght moost fayr emonge the other fygures For lyke as the rounde fygure / the ende retorneth to his begynnyng maketh it roūde lyke a crowne Ryght so the nombre of an C. ioyneth the ende to the begȳnyng For .x. tymes .x. maken an hōdred which sygnefyeth the crowne that the wyse vyrgyns hadde / and how be it that in that state of maryage / in the state of wydowhede may be wonne the crowne of
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
thynge that loue hath moost trauayle for / by moost payne is goten / ought to be moost loued / moost dere worthely kept / and this sapyence is moche necessary and prouffytable to all them that wyll go with god / For thus as sayth holy scrypture / by many trybulacyoÌ„s behoueth vs to entre in to the realme of heuen And this manyfesteth and sheweth to vs the lyues of sayntes / the whiche for to come to god haue so moche suffred and endured After it is to wete / that to thaccomplysshement of the sayd commaundement .iiii. thynges admonesteth the creature ¶ The fyrst is to haue in mynde contynually the goodes that the creature hathe receyued of god as sayd is tofore For whan the creature consydereth that he hath receyued of god body soule / all other godes that he hath / spyrytuall and temporall / the perylles also whiche he hath escaped The glory of heuen whiche he hath apparayled to vs. The creature humayne shall Iuge that he oweth to loue god with all his herte The .ii. reason is to haue in consyderacion the grete puyssaunce / excellence / nobles of god And with that the grete mysery pouerte of our self / by the whiche consyderacyon the creature shall Iuge / the whan he shall loue god with all his herte / he shall serue hym with all his myght / whiche yet he doth full lytel vnto the regarde of his grete excellence noblenesse and puyssaunce ¶ And therfore the creature humayne sholde alway the more for to enforce hym to loue / to serue / for to honour god ¶ The thyrde reason is to take away the loue and affeccyon of worldly thynges as sayd is to fore For where all the herte suffyseth not for to loue almyghty god suffycyently / consydered his grete excellence noblenes and puyssaunte magnyfycence as is tofore sayd / thenne he that putteth in his herte the loue of thyÌ„ges temporell / the whiche ben but stynkynge fylthe and ordure to the regarde of god / semeth well that he dooth to god grete velony / and in this case he loueth not god with all his herte after the sayd commauÌ„dement / for of so moch as the herte of the creature is set to loue other thynge than god of so moche it is lesse in god The fourth reason is to kepe hym selfe and to put from hym all synnes and in especyall deedly synne / for no creature beynge in deedly synne may loue god For by deedly synne the creature offendeth god and is pryued and out of grace / whiche thynge is contrary to his loue ¶ Of the fyrst commaundement of the law Ca. iii. WE ought thenne accordynge to the sayd fyrst commaundement to loue with all our herte The whiche thynge the creature dothe / whaÌ„ in all his werkes his entencyon is ryghtfull and after goddes wyll For the entencyon of the creature is suche vertu that he rendre his werkes operacyon after god good or euyll / and therfore what so euer werke that the creature do yf his entencion be euyl the operacyon and al the werke is without meryte / and conuerted fro it / in to do euyll / herof it is sayd in the gospell by our sauyour Ihesu cryst / yf thyn eye be euyll all thy body is derke That is to saye yf thyn entencyon be euyll / all thy werkes ben derke and in synne and wtout meryte And therfore it behoueth to rendre the werke of the creature good and merytorye and that his entencyon be ryghtfull accordynge to goddes wyll But bycause that for to rendre the werke of the creature good and merytoryous accordynge vnto god / suffyseth not onely good entencyon But it behoueth also to haue the ryghtfull entencion and good wylle lyke as it may appyere in hym / that wyll stele and take other mennys goodes for to nourysshe and fede the poure peple / For thentencyon of the wylle to gyue for goddes sake to the pore peple is good But the wylle to stele or take awaye other mennes goodes is euyll for to so do And therfore that dede shal be euyll / and may not be excused For by cause that an euyll werke for ony good entencyon may not be excused It is sayd after in the commaundement / that the creature ought to loue god with all his soule That is to saye that his wyll accorde in all his werkes to the wyll of god / this demaunde we of god whan we say our pater noster whan we praye god that his wyll be done in vs. ¶ Also by cause that yet for to accomplisshe the sayd commaundement / suffyse not onelye good entencyon and good wyl it is after sayd in the same commaundement / that the creature ought to loue his god with all his entendemeÌ„t and vnderstondynge That is to saye that in thentendement of the creature be no deedly synnes delybered by consentynge ne concluded For alle consentynges concluded in thynge that sholde be as touchynge the dede of deedly synne / though soo be that the dede be not done outward as touchynge the werke that ony thynge ensie we therof / yet it is deedly synne And the creature beynge in deedly syÌ„ne may not loue god as aboue is sayd Also by cause that yet for taccomplysshe the sayd commaundement suffyse not onelye good entencyon good wyll as touchynge the werkes withoutforth / that in thentendement of the creature groweth deedly synne by consentynge / but it behoueth that the creature put and employe all the strengthe and puyssaunce that he hath in good werkes and dedes Iuste and vertuous / that they be to thonoure and worshyp of almyghty god and to the saluacion of hym self and his neyghboure It is sayd afin the foresayd commaundement that the creature ouÈt for to loue his god with all his myght and with all his strengthe And therfore all they that put and employe all theyr myght and strengthe in the werkys of synne / done ageynst the sayd commaundemenet synne deedly Thus it appyereth clerely that for taccomplysshe the sayd fyrst commaundement pryncypall The creature ought to gyue vnto god entencyon / wyll / entendement and all his strength and good wyll by the maner that is aforesayd ¶ The seconde commaundement of the lawe is how eche man ought to loue his neghboure Ca. .iiii. FOr to haue knowleche of the seconde commaundement pryncypall aforsayd touchynge the loue of his neyghboure whome the creature ought to loue as hym self It is to wete that to the loue of our neyghbour four thynges ought to moue vs. Fyrst for by cause that we all ben chyldren of god by creacyon And naturally brethern and systers loue that one that other And thus we ben all members of Ihesu Cryst / whiche is our heed and one membre loueth another naturally Secondly to this ought to brynge vs the loue obeyssaunce that we owe to god as aforesayd is / whiche commaundeth vs to loue our neyghboure Thyrdly to
apperteyneth to the loue and to the dylection of his neyghboure / accordynge to the other commaundement pryncypall ensyewynge And of the same .x. commaundementes there ben two affyrmatyues onely the whiche enduceth the creature for to doo well / and .viii. other negatyues whiche defende to do yll The cause is for so moche as for to kepe hym from doynge euyll / is the puyssaunce of the creature for the fre wyll that he hathe to the whiche he may not be constrayned / but to doo well is not in the puyssaunce of the creature / but it is the specyall grace of god ¶ Of the thre fyrst commaundementes partyculer Capitulo vii FOr to haue the knowlege of the .iii. fyrst commaūdementes apperteynynge to the loue dyleccōn of god It is to wete that a veraye subgect oweth to his lorde thre thynges / the whiche the creature oweth vnto god soueraynly The fyrst is fayth or fydelyte / that is to say that thonour / seruyce / and obeysaunce that the subgect oweth to his lorde / and the sygnoury that he ought to haue ouer hym be not by hym delyuered to an other For in suche a case he sholde be holden for a traytre and for false and euyll And vpon this was gyuen of god to Moyses the fyrste commaundement the whiche is suche ¶ Thou shalte not adoure no straunge god That is to say / the obeysaunce / honour and seruyce that the creature ought to do to god / lyke as it is deuysed vpon the fyrst commaundement pryncypall / he shall in no wyse do vnto ony other than to god ¶ Ageynst this commaundement doth and synne mortally all the people that entremet them of dyuynacyons / of sortyleges and sorceryes For after saynt Austyn suche thȳges may not be made ne done without to haue ony or some couenauntes with the deuyl / by the whiche all suche thynges ben sayd and made And therfore all suche people be cursed excomenyed of holy chyrche ¶ And yet also all they that holde and beleue that the planettes and the sterres gouerne the soules of the creatures For god onely gouerneth man and woman / and for to serue man and woman they ben made and created Thyrdly all they that in ony other maner thynge what so euer it be that set more theyr hope in than in god / be it in goodes temporell or in creatures or that more loue theym than god The whiche happeth whan for suche loue / or for to gete suche a thynge / the creature dysobeyeth vnto the commaundementes of god and of holy chyrche ¶ Fourthly all they that for to obey to theym and to do theyr pleasures make theyr subgectes and seruauntes to dysobeye the commaundementes of almyghty god and holy chyrche ¶ Fyfthly all they that in suche a case obey vnto the creature And yet also all theym that more beleue to theyr owne wytte than they do vnto the commaundementes of god / and to the ordynaunces of holy chyrche As do they that retche not to knowe the cōmaundementes of god / the artycles of the fayth / and all other thynges that of necessyte ben to be beleued / kepte / and holden for to haue glory lyfe pardurable But many beleue for to gete heuen by theyr folysshe presumpcyon And therfore they wyll gouerne them at theyr pleasure and wyll / and yet all they that for to haue the delectacyons and the eases of the flesshe and of theyr bodyes dysobey to god and to his commaundementes ¶ The seconde thynge that the veray subget oweth to his lorde Ca. viii THe second thynge that the veray subget oweth to his lord / and in especyall to god / is that he ne say ne do thynge that may be to his vylonnye / or to his Iniurye or dyshonour And vpon this was delyuerd the seconde commaundement apperteynynge to the loue of god whiche is suche Thou shalt not take the name of thy god in vayne That is to say for to afferme and do byleue thȳge the whiche thou sayest or doost / thou shalte not swere the name of god / but for thynges the whiche ben very table and for good and Iust cause And in case of nede of necessyte For othe is ordeyned for to sette an ende in thynges lytygyous and debatefull / of the whiche fayth or demonstraunce may in none other wyse be knowen but by othe and true swerȳge And in this was restrayned to the crysten that / whiche was graunted to the Iewes For it was leful to them to swere and not to be periured But to the crysten people is not onely defended to pariure and forswere hym self / but also to swere Excepte in caas of necessyte as sayd is ¶ And therfore it is sayd by our sauyour Ihesu Cryst yf thou wylt ony thȳges afferme or denye late thy word be / it is thus / or it is not thus / and yf thou makest oth of haboundaunce / but in caas of necessyte it is euyll and it is synne ¶ And the cause of thys restraynte or defence is by cause that the creature hath noo membre so feble ne to the kepynge may by a creature be lasse sette / thenne in the tongue ¶ And to this purpose sayth Saynt Iames thappostle / that alle nature of beestys / of byrdes and of serpentys may be dompted and taken by the creature humayne but no ne may not / nor wyll not refrayne and with holde his tonge / ne kepe hym frome euyll saynge or of ouermoche superfluous spekynge / sclaundrynge and detraccyon ¶ And therfore sayth the holy appostle saynt Iames that the man is perfyte and wyse that setteth to his tonge suche garde that he myspryse not ne synne not in his spekynge And for that fraylnes the creature that vseth or accustometh hym for to swere periureth or forswereth lyghtly The whiche thynge of hym self is deedly synne whan the periurynge is made in ernest by delyberacyon / and the moost gretest synne that is after / is for to adoure straunge goddes / whiche is sayd synne of ydolatry And therfore not to take the name of god in vayne by the maner that sayd is / was the seconde commaundement gyuen of our lorde to moyses as tofore is sayd ¶ The thyrde thynge that the veray subgecte oweth vnto his lorde Ca. ix THe thyrde thynge that the veray subgect oweth to his lorde and soueraynly to god / is seruyce / vpon this was delyuered to Moyses the thyrde cōmaūdement apperteynynge to the dyleccion and loue of god and is suche as foloweth Thou shalt halowe and sanctyfy the sonday / that is to saye Thou shalt cease the sayd day fro all worldly werkes / and in especyall of the werkes of synne And that daye thou shalt occupye thy selfe and employe the in the preasynge and in the seruyce of almyghty god in knowlegynge the benefaytes and the grace that thou hast of hym And god wolde that by the Iewes the sabot day sholde be employed in his
take hede and to here them it is a synne / but the lesynges greuynge and noyenge ben deedly synne / whā they be sayd ernestly with a fore thought for to harme and hurte ony other To this braunche appertayne all the falsetees / the fallaces the deceytes and gyles that ben done sayd throughe out all the worlde for to deceyue and hurte ony other in soule or in body in hauoyre in renoume or in fame ¶ Of the synne of forswerynge Ca. lv IT is euyll to lye But it is moche wers and greter sȳne a man to sorswere hȳselfe It is a peryllous thynge to forswere hymselfe / and therfore our lorde defendeth it moche / not for that bycause that one may in no wyse swere wtout synne For ofte to swere maketh a man often to forswere hym and ofte to synne For in seuen maners may a man synne in makynge of othes ¶ Fyrst whan one swereth ardauntly / this is by despyte and gladly / lyke as it semeth that he delyteth or that he were fro hym self Saynt Iames defendeth not onely too swere whan it is of nede / but the wylle to swere Also whan one swereth for nought It is for nought / whan one swereth lyghtly withoute cause and withoute reason This is deffended in the seconde commaundement of the lawe / whiche god wrote in the tables of stone with his blessyd fyngre delyuerde them to Moyses the prophete for to preche them to the people After whan one swereth accustomably / lyke as many done that ben euyll taught and that can no thynge saye withoute swerynge For for to swere is none other thynge but to calle god to wytnesse / the cause ought to be moche grete resonable and trewe / where as sholde be called or dare calle so grete a lorde as god is to witnesse / his gloryous moder and his sayntes Also whan one swereth folyly / and this cometh happeth in many maners as where swereth by yre or sodaynly / of whiche whan he is repreued he repenteth anone / or whan one swereth for a thynge whiche he may not kepe without synne Suche swerynges ought to be lefte / and of theym do penaunce of the folysshe othe Or whan one swereth certeynly of the thynge of whiche he was not certayne how well it be trewe Or whan one swereth certaynly of that whiche he knoweth not / or that he may not accomplysshe Or whā one swereth by the creatures as somme saye by the sonne that shyneth / or by the fyre that there brenneth Or by my heed Or by the soule of my fader Or suche semblable thynges God deffendeth all these othes in the gospell For too that whiche I ought to conferme I ought not too take too wytnesse but the souerayne trouthe / that is all myghty god omnypotente the whiche that knoweth all / and nothynge the pure creatures whiche be nothynge but vanytees For whan men swere ernestly by them they do dyshonoure to god For thonoure of god ought alwayes to be kepte in all thynges But whan men swere by the holy gospelles / men swere by hym of whome the wordes ben that ben there wryten And whan one swereth by the holy relykes or by the sayntes of heuen / they swere by them and by god that Inhabyteth in them After whan one swereth vylaynsly of god and of his sayntes In this ben the crysten men werse than the sarasȳs that swereth in no maner / ne suffreth that ony swere vylaynsly tofore theym of Ihesu lyke as crysten men doo And who that swereth in theyr law Mahomet theyr god he shall be stoned In this ben the crysten men more cruell than the Iewes that crucyfyed Ihesu cryste For they brake none of his bones But they that swere by hȳ rent and make mo pyeces of hym than is made of a beest in the bouchery And there be many false crysten men that in lyke wyse breke in pyeces our blessed lady other sayntes in swerynge vylaynesly And certaynly it is meruayle how cryste my suffre After whan one swereth falsely or bereth fals wytnes to his wetynge in ony maner that he swereth couertly or openly / or by arte colour or sophȳ For the lawe wryten sayth God that loueth symplesse trouthe in suche a thynge / he receyueth the othe and vnderstondeth the worde / as they say that entende it / and that symply and wtout barate vnderstonde it Moche is the grete debonayrte of god / whan suche men swere the / whiche they knowe for certaynte that it is not trouthe Or that they promyse or graunte a thynge the whiche they wyll not kepe ne holde / that the deuyl strangle them not anone ryght For whan they saye as god kepe me / or els as god wyll me helpe / he putteth hym self out of the grace of god of his ayde helpe Now ought they of veray ryght too lese wytte and mynde / and all that they holde of god ¶ The last braunche of this synne is whan one breketh the fayth that he hath promysed and greaūted / by his fayth or by his othe For fayth lyed and othe broken is all one ¶ Of the synne peryll that is of chydynge Ca. .lvi. SAynt Austyn sayth that there is none soo lyke to the deuyll as is the chydar This crafte withoute doubte pleseth moche the deuyll / and dysplayseth moche vnto god whiche loueth aboue all other thynges pees and concorde This braunche departeth hym in to .vii. bowes / of whiche the fyrst is too stryue The seconde to chyde The thyrde ledenger The fourth to curse The fyfthe too reproche or to repreue The syxte to menace or to threte The seuēth dyscorde and to reyse hate This is whan the deuyl seeth pees loue bytwene two persones it moche desplayseth hym / for to make theym dyscorde he dooth his power to make them to stryue / whan they begynne to stryue the deuyll begynneth to blowe the fyre of angre Then after the stryffe and angre cometh the noyse chydynge Thenne as the fyre is lyght and the smoke is vp anone cometh the flamme and lepeth out Stryuynge is whan the one sayth to the other It is so / it is not so / it was it was not so Chydynge is whan they demene and saye one to that other grete wordes After cometh the ledanges that is whan they pynche shoue that one to the other saye grete vylanyes grete felonyes there ben some so felons the cuttynge than a rasoure / more percynge than arowes or alles Suche folke resemble the porpyn whiche is full of pryckes and sharpe poyntures / and is ouer fell angry / and whan he is wrothe he launceth and casteth his pryckes lyke arowes out of bis body and throweth on the ryght syde and on the lyft syde Also he resembleth the felon mastyf that byteth or barketh on all them that he seeth go by the way After this cometh the curses and maledyccyons / this is whan that
worlde but they were not parfytely purged Now make they the remenaūte of theyr penaunce vnto they be clere and nette / lyke as they were at the tyme houre whan they were baptised / but this penaunce is moche horryble and harde / for all the payne that women euer suffred in trauayllynge delyuerynge of theyr thyldren / and also saynt bartylmewe suffryd to beflayne all quycke saynt stephen to be stoned with stones / saynt laurente saynt vyncent to be brente rosted vpon brennynge cooles All these martyrdoms and tormentes ne ben not but as a bayne in colde water after the wytnesse of scrypture to the regarde of tormentes of purgatorye where as the sowles brenne vntyll they be purged of all theyr synnes / lyke as golde syluer be purged fyned in the fyre / tyll no more be founde to be purged For this fyre of purgatorye is of suche nature / that all that they fynde in the soule is it of dede of worde and of thought that hath torned to ony synne lytell or grete / all is there brente and purged And also there ben punysshed and purged al the synnes venyal / whiche we calle lytel synnes whiche we ofte do Lyke as foule thoughtes / ydle wordes Iapes trufes lyes and all other vanytees so longe tyll the soule haue no more to be purged of / and that she be so clene so pure so nette and so worthy that she be sayntefyed for to entre in to heuen / where as none may entre but yf he be ryght fyne ryght clene ryght cleer This fyre dreden all they that to theyr power kepe theym fro deedly sȳne / and the kepe holyly theyr body theyrmouth theyr eerys theyr eyen / and all theyr fyue naturell wyttes fro all synnes And also lyuenas they sholde euery daye dye and come tofore the Iugement And by cause that none may lyue all withoute synne / lyke as sayth Salamon For seuen tymes in the daye falleth the ryght wysman And therfore by holy confessyon / by teerys by orysons by almesses other good dedes ought euery man to be relyeued / and putte a way fro synne and a mende his lyfe And to Iuge hym selfe of his sȳnes to the ende that he a byde more suerly the last Iugemente ¶ Also to lerne to knowe euyll / and to fle it and all synne grete and lytell And that he be thenne in the grete drede of god whiche is the begynnynge of all good and of good lyfe ¶ How we ought to lyue holyly lerne to do wel ca lxii NOw it suffyseth not to leue al sinnes and all euylles But that it be lerned too do good / and yf we lerne to gete the vertues / by the whiche we may cast and put a waye the vyces and all sȳnes with out whiche vertues no man may lyue well ne ryghtfully Then yf thou wylte lerne to lyue well after vertu lerne also to dye as I haue a fore sayd to the / deseuer thy spyryte fro thy body by thought and by desyere And go out of this worlde deynge / and go into the londe of lyuȳge where none shal dye ne wexe olde that is in heuen There is lerned to lyue well / and al wysedome and all curtesye For there may entre no vylayne There is the gloryous companye of god and of the gloryous virgyne his moder saynt marye of Angelles and of sayntes There surhabounde all goodes beautees Rychesses honoures strengthe lyghtnes scyence fraunchyse vertues wytte glorye and ioye perdurable There is no poynte of ypocresye ne of trycherye / ne of losengerye / ne of dyscorde / ne of enuye ne hungre ne thryst ne hete ne colde ne euyll ne sorowe ne drede of enemyes But alwaye feestes and ryall espousaylles songe and ioye withoute ende This ioye is so grete / that who that shall haue tasted one onely drop of the moost leste ioye that is there / he sholde be fyred soo entalented in the loue of god that all the ioye of this worlde sholde be vnto hym stenche and tormentes and rychesses dunge / honoures but fylthe vyletees And the desyre for too come thyder shall make hym an hondred thousand tyme more ardauntly to hate synne / and to loue vertues and to do well For loue is more stronge than drede / and then is the lyf fayre and honeste / whan a persone fleeth all euyls synnes And enforceth hym to do al the good that he may / not onely for fere to be dampned but for the desyre of the glorye perdurable and for the loue of god And for the grete clennesse that vertues haue and good lyf / and theym whome the loue of god ledeth / moche hastelyer soner and more ardauntly comen therto / and lasse costeth / than they that serue god for drede The hare renneth and soo doth the greyhounde That one for drede that other by desyre That one fleeth the other chaceth The holy man renneth to god lyke a greyhounde For he hath alwaye his eyen and his desyre too heuen where he seeth the pray that he chaceth / for that he forgeteth the goddes of this worlde / lyke as the gentyll hounde whā he seeth his pray This is the way and the lyfe to the fyue good and true louers of god / to gentyll hertes that so moche loueth vertues and hateth sȳnes / that yf they were certayne / that they ne sholde ne myght knowe the sȳnes / ne that god sholde not auenge them / yet they wolde not deygne to do ne to consent to synne / but al theyr thought and payne of theyr herte is to kepe theym clene from all synnes And to apparayle them that be worthy to se and haue pardurably the glory of heuen / where as herte velanous entached with synne shall neuer entre / ne foole ne felonous ne proude man ¶ Of .iii. maner of spyrytuell goodes Ca. lxiii NOw haue I well shewed to that how one shol lerne to dye lede and vse good and holy lyfe / for to gete vertues so that a man knowe well euedently clennes / and what is synnes / what is almesse what is vertue Also that one knowe well and certaynely / and to Iuge what is euyl / and what is good / what is synne / and to can deuyse the veray good the grete good fro the lytell For a thynge not knowen is neyther hated ne desyred / therfore oughtest thou to knowe that the scryptures sayth that there ben some small thynges that be called the lytell good / and some the myddle good And some the grete good / and some veray good that is ryghtful to al the worlde is somtyme deceyued For they gyue the grete godes for the lytel / or the grete for the myddle For this worlde is as a fayre / where as be many folysshe marchaūtes / and fooles / that bye glasse for saphyres / and brasse for golde / bladders for lanternes
the holy ghoost / the whiche arouseth and bewatâ—eth all the gardyn Now beholde the ryght grete curteysye of our lorde / the whiche came in to this worlde for to seche saue that whiche was loste / by cause that he knewe well our pouerte and our feblenesse / by whiche we may falle in to synne But by our self we may not releue vs ne yssue out of synne ne gete vertue / ne do none other good / but yf it be by the grace of god / or that it come of his yefte / therfore he cesseth not to excyte vs that we praye requyre hym these yeftes And promyseth moche to vs / that yf we requyre demaunde hym ony thynge that is good for vs / and that it be ryghtfull we shall haue it And yet the debonayre Ihesus doth vnto vs more of his curtosye For he is our aduocate that formeth for vs our requeste and our petycyon For we haue not the wytte yf he formed it not to vs. ¶ The petycion / the requeste or oryson that the swete Ihesus enformed and taughte vs with his blyssed mouth / is moche fayre / moche good / but shorte by cause we sholde reteyne it well That is the pater noster / wherin ben .vii. petycyons and requestys / by the whiche we requyre our good fader Ihesu Cryst / that he gyue vs the .vii. yeftes of the holy ghoost / that he delyuer vs fro the .vii. deedly synnes / that he take them awaye fro our hertes And in stede of the sayd synnes / that he by his grace wyll plante there and nourysshe the .vii. vertues / whiche brynge vs to the .vii. blessynges of perfeccion and of holy lyfe / by whiche we may haue the promysses that the debonayre Ihesu made promysed to his chosen people in the seuen wordes aforesayd ¶ Thenne our entencyon is with the ayde and grace of the holy ghoost to speke fyrst of the seuen petycions of the holy ghoost whiche ben conteyned in the holy pater noster ¶ After I purpose to saye of the yeftes of the holy ghoost After of the seuen vertues / ageynst the seuen deedly synnes ¶ The .vii. petycyons and requestes ben lyke as .vii. fayre maydens that neuer cease to drawe the lyuyÌ„ge waters out of seuen ryuers for to water and arouse these seuen trees that bere the fruyte of lyfe pardurable ¶ Of seuen petycyons and requestes that be conteyned in the Pater noster Ca. lxxvi Our fader that art in heueÌ„ sanctified be thy name thy kingdom come to vs / thy wyl be done in erth as in heuen / our dayly brede gyue vs to day forgyue vs our dett as we forgyue our detts lede vs not in to teÌ„ptacoÌ„n but delyuer vs froÌ„ euyl ameÌ„ AS a lytell chylde is sette to scole / at the begyÌ„nynge he lerneth his Pater noster Who the wyll lerne of this Clergye and knowe it / he must be lytell and humble as is a chylde For our good mayster Ihesu cryst techeth his scolers this clergye whiche is the moost prouffytable / and moost fayre that is What man or woman that this dotryne well knoweth / vnderstandeth well retayneth it For suche there be that wene well for to vnderstonde it / that no thynge knowe therof / by the barke or rynde wtout forth That is the lettre whiche is good But lytell is it worthe to the regarde of the marghe / of the godnes and of the grete substaunce whiche withinforth is soo swete It is moche shorte in wordes moche loÌ„ge in substauÌ„ce lyght to saye subtyll for to vnderstonde This prayer and oryson passeth surmounteth all other in thre thynges That is to wytte In shortnesse In dygnyte / and in prouffytablenesse ¶ The dygnyte is in that / that the ryght blessed sonne of god made it / too god the fader in shorte wordes God the holy ghoost touchynge his demaunde / he wyll that it be shorte in wordes / by cause that none excuse hym to lerne it and to conne it And also by cause that none sholde be greued to say it wyllyngly and ofte And for to shewe that god the fader hereth vs ryght soone / and graunteth it gladly whan we praye hym with good herte / so that it be not of longe ryotte ne of wordes polysshed ne rymed ¶ For swete saynt Gregory sayth Verayly for to werke is not to saye fayre and glosynge wordes with the mouthe / but too caste oute wepynges and depe syghes from the herte ¶ The valure and the prouffyte of this oryson or prayer is so grete / that it compryseth and encloseth in wordes moche shorte / all that whiche may be desyred of herte / and prayed and demauÌ„ded of mouthe That is to be delyuerd of al euylles / and replenysshed with all goodes ¶ Thus begynneth the holy pater noster Fader our that arte in heuen ¶ Beholde now how that our blyssed aduocate / our ryght good and blyssed mayster and souerayne our redeÌ„ptour and sauyour Ihesu cryste / the whiche is the sapyence wysdom of god the fader omnypotent / that knoweth al the vsages and al the lawes of his courte / techeth vs for to plete well / and to speke wysely / subtylly / and shortely But certaynly yf the fyrst worde that thou sayst Fader our that arte in heuen / yf that it be well vnderstanden well pursued he shall gyue to the all thy request and all thy demaunde ¶ For saynt Bernarde sayth that the orayson that begynneth by the ryght name of god the fader / gyueth to vs hope to Impetre and gete all our prayers and requestes This swete worde fader whiche maketh swete all the remanaunt / sheweth to the that / whiche thou oughtest to beleue and somoneth the to that / whiche thou oughtest to doo And these two thynges saueth the man whan he beleueth well and aryght And whan he dooth after that he ought to do / whan thou callest hym fader thou knowest that he is lorde of the house / that is of heuen and of erthe / and capytayne and begynnynge And fountayne of whome all creatures and al godes cometh This knowlegest thou in that / his puyssaunce myght ¶ After I say by cause that he is a fader / he is ordeyner gouerner / and purueyer of his meyny / and specyally of his chyldren / that is of the men of whome hymself hath created / made and fourmed to his semblaunce / in this thou knowlegest his sapyence / yet also syth that he is fader by nature by ryght / he loueth that whiche he hath made Lyke as sayth the boke of sapyence And he is debonayre and loueth and nouryssheth his chyldren / and dooth theyr prouffyte better than they can deuyse And he beteth and chastyseth them whan they mysdone or offende / for theyr prouffyte and welthe as a good fader / And gladly he receyueth and taketh theym vnto mercy
and to pardon / whan they haue trespaced or offended / and retorne to hym by grete repentaunce And by this we knowe his boūte and his grete debonayrte ¶ Now I haue shewed to the thenne this worde / whan thou sayst / Fader his puyssaunce / his sapyence / his bounte / and his debonayrte On that other parte he remembreth thy selfe / thy noblesse / thy beaute / and thy rychesse ¶ Of more grete noblesse ne mayst thou not be sone Ne vnto so grete a kynge Ne vnto so myghty and puyssaunt an Emperoure as is god For more greter ryches mayst thou not haue / than to be heyre of all that he hath / More grete beaute mayst thou not haue than to resemble hym by right The whiche beaute is so grete that it passeth the beaute of man and of aungelles Thenne this worde fader remembreth the that thou arte his sone / bycause that thou paynest thy selfe to resemble hym / as a good sone ought to resemble his fader and to ensue thy good fader / in all good vertues and in all good werkes That is to saye that thou be wyse / and noble / vygorous / stronge / and puyssaunt to do well / to kepe the from all synnes / and strongely resyst ayenst the temptacyons of the fende And that thou be wyse / and aduysed / large / curteyse / swete / debonayre / clene without velony / and without synne / lyke as is thy fader our lorde Ihesu cryste And that thou hate synne and fylth and all euyll / as dooth thy good fader Ihesu cryste / so that thou forsake hym not This worde thenne fader remembreth the all the tymes that thou sayest it / that yf thou be his good true sone thou oughtest to resemble hym by nature / by commaundement by ryght For thou owest to hym loue / honoure / reuerence and drede / seruyce / and obedience Now thynke than whan thou sayest thy pater noster / that thou be vnto hȳ a good sone and true yf thou wylte that he be vnto the a good fader swete and debonayre / It is sayd to a knyght thynke whos sone thou arte / for to gyue to hym the greter courage / whan he entreth in to the tournoyenge / here seest thou how this fyrst worde whan thou sayest fader / how swete it is / and how it admonesteth the / that thou be valyaunte and noble and techeth the what thou sholdest be ¶ Wherfore thou sayst fader oure / and not fader myn Ca. lxxvii NOw demaunde I of the wherfore that thou sayest fader oure / and thou sayest not fader myn ¶ And vnto whome thou accompaniest the / whan thou sayest gyue to vs not gyue to me None ought to saye fader our / but he that is his sone by nature withoute hegynnynge and withoute endynge That is the blessed sone of god Ihesu Cryst But we ben not his sones by nature / but in as moche as we be made to his ymage and to his semblaunce So ben the sarasyns and the Iewes / we ben his sones by grace and by adopcyon Adopcyon is a worde of lawe For the lawe of the Emperours whan an hye man hath no chyldren / he may chese the sone of a poore man yf he wyl / and make of hym his sone and his hayre yf he wyll by adopcyon This is by aduoerye And by that he shall be his herytyer and his heyre and haue his herytage ¶ This grace hath gyuen to vs the sone of god the fader withoute our deserte / lyke as saynt Poule sayth / whan he made vs come to baptesme / where as we were poore and naked / and all sones of wrathe and of helle ¶ Thenne whan we saye fader our / and we saye gyue to vs / we accompany with vs all our bretherin by adopcyon / the whiche ben sones and chyldren of our moder the holy chyrche / the fayth that they receyued in baptysme ¶ Now we shewe thenne by this worde ours the larges and the curteysye of god our fader / whiche gyueth more gladly ynough than lytell to many than to one / wherof saynt Gregory sayth / that the prayer that is comyn is moche worthe and prouffytable In lyke wyse as the cādel is better employed and is more prouffytable that serueth and lyghteth many men / than that whiche serueth lyghteth but one man alone This worde fader our admonesteth vs to yelde thankynges with al our hertes of this grace whiche god hath done to vs / by whiche we ben his sones and his heyres / and that moche ardauntly we ought to loue our broder and fader Ihesu cryst whiche hath accompanyed vs with hym to this grace This worde our admonesteth that we kepe in our hertes the holy ghoost whiche is our wytnesse of this adopcyon ✿ ¶ And lyke as it were a gage or wedde This sayth the appostle saynt Poule By whome we be sure / that we shall haue the herytage of our fader our lorde Ihesu cryst / that is the glory of our fader of heuen This worde fader our techeth vs and sayth that we ben al brethren / bothe grete and small / poore and ryche / hygh and lowe / of one fader and of one moder That is of god and of holy chyrch And that no man ought for to dyspyse / ne myspryse an an other / but to loue hym as his owne broder / and that one ought to ayde and helpe an other / lyke as the membres do of one selfe body And also we ought to pray the one for that other lyke as sayd the blyssed appostle swete saynt Iames. And in this our prouffyte is moche grete / For whan that thou sayest thy prayers in comyn / thou hast parte in all the comynalte of our moder holy chyrche ¶ And for one Pater noster that thou sayest / thou wynnest more than an hondred thousand This worde our techeth vs to hate thre thynges in especyall Pryde Hate / and Auaryce Pryde putteth a man oute of companye / whā he wyll be aboue al other people Hate putteth hym oute of company For whan he hateth and warreth one / he warreth all the other Auaryce putteth hym out of companye For he wyll not hym self / ne that his thynges comyne with other And therfore suche people haue no parte ne cōpanye in the holy pater noster This worde our / sheweth that god is oures / yf it be not in our deffaulte / yf we wyll The fader the sone and the holy ghoost That is yf we kepe his commaundementes lyke as the gospell sayth ¶ Why we saye / qui es in celis Ca. lxxviii AS that I saye / qui es in celis / that is to saye / whiche art in heuen I saye two thynges / lyke as I shall saye The kynge is at parys I saye two thynges / that he is a kynge and that he is at parys Ryght so whā I saye
that he is in heuen I saye that he is / and that he is in heuen ¶ It is founden in holy scrypture in two bokes of the lawe that god appyered to Moyses the prophete in a moūtayne sayd to hym Go thou in to Egipte saye to kynge Pharao on my behalue that he delyuer my people the chyldren of Israhell from the seruage wherin he holdeth theym Syr sayd Moyses yf it be demaunded of me how ye bee named what shall I saye I am that I am / sayd god Thus shall thou saye to the chylderen of Israhell He that is sendeth me to you Now sayen the holy and good clerkys / that amonge all the hye names of our lordes this name is the fyrst and moost propre And that moost aryght techeth vs what god is For all his other names / eyther they speke of his bounte / or of his excellence / or of his sapyence / or of his puyssaunce / or that he is suche or suche That is the ryght good / the ryght wyse / the ryght fayre / the ryght puyssaunt / many other wordes as ben sayd of hym to his loenge praysynge / and the whiche say nothynge of the beynge of god But we that ben grosse and rude to speke of so hye a thȳge / speke of god / lyke as one speketh and deuyseth of a man of whome he knoweth not the name Thus as it is sayd / he is a kynge / he is a duke / he is an erle / he is so grete / he is so fayre / he is so ryche / he is so large And many of suche propryetees and accydents How and by what maner one may knowe what he is / what maner man But he sayth not his propre name a ryght ¶ But thus as we speke of god / we fynde many fayre and swete wordes The whiche sheweth vnto vs some thynge of hym / But there ne is no worde so propre / as this same worde here folowynge qui est whiche soo proprely is shewed to vs and so subtylly / in as moche as our entendement may stratche and compryse For our blyssed lorde Ihesu cryste is he that is onely Lyke as Iob sayth / he is onely for to say ryght For he is onely pardurable without begynnynge and without endynge But this may not be sayd of none other thynge ¶ After he is very trouthe / veryte For he is waye and trouthe All maner thynges that ben created and that ben creatures / ben vayne and vanytees As the wyse kynge Salamon sayth / And be as nothynge vnto the regarde of hym And to nought shall they come / fro whens they came yf that he witholde and sustayne theym not And also preserue and kepe theym by his vertue / yet also he is onelye establement and stedfastnesse For he is alwaye hym self / and in one self poynte withoute trouble without to chaunge hym / without to moeue hymn ony maner / this sayth saynt Iames. All other thynges ben moeuable in somme manere of theyr nature Thenne is he proprely called / that is For he is verayly withoute vanyte / establysshement without begynnynge / withoute ende / without he was and without he shall be / for in hym is no departynge Now oughtest thou here vnderstonde that he is And that there is no thynge that may better be knowen than this / that god is And therfore I counceyll the that thou muse not tenquyre ferther For thou mayst sone erre go out of the waye / late it suffyse to the that thou saye Fader our the whiche arte in heuen ¶ Trouth it is that he is oueral present in erthe in heuen / in see / and in helle lyke as he is in heuen But it is sayd that he is in heuen by cause that he is more seen there / more knowen / more byloued / and more honoured ¶ After I saye that the debonayr Ihesus is in persones spyrytuell and dououte That is in the holy hertes / that ben hye / clensed / clene and purged from all synne as is the heuen For in suche hertes is he seen / knowen / honoured and loued ¶ Now hast thou herde these .iiii. wordes Pater noster quies in celis The fyrst worde somoneth the to honour god The seconde to loue god The thyrde to redoubte god For how well he be fader and oure / alwaye he is Iuste and not meuable The fourth worde somoneth the to engyne thy self to hym and to encorage and enforce the / for syth he is so hye thou arte so lowe / yf thou be not hardy and vygorous to vaynquysshe al sȳnes / to resyste al the temptacons of the enemye / to kepe hooly his cōmaūdemētes thou shalte not come in to the glorye of heuen The fyrst worde abouesayd sheweth to vs the lengthe of his eternyte The seconde the largesse of his charyte The thyrde the depnesse of his veryte and trouthe And the fourth the hyenesse of his mageste / who someuer shall haue these foure thynges attayned wtout doute he shal be blessed How Sctificetur nomen tuū is expowned Ca. lxxix NOw hast thou herde the prologue of the holy Pater noster whiche is lyke vnto an entre in to a towne A lorde god who the wel coude all this songe / he sholde fynde therin many swete notes For it is no doubte that in the prayer and songe spyrytuell whiche the sapyence of god made / he that taught the byrdes to synge / hath many notes and wordes subtyll swere in his holy songe and prayer of the holy Pater noster / how well that it conteyneth lytell letter In this songe excellente oryson ben the seuen petycyons requestes of the holy Pater noster whiche gete and Impetre the seuen gyftes of the holy ghoost / whiche put awaye and destroye the seuen vyces capytall of the herte those ben the seuen deedly synnes And they plante / and nourysshe the .vii. vertues / by the whiche one may come to the seuen blessynges Of these vii petycions and requestes The thre fyrst make a man holy as moche as he may be in this worlde The .iiii. after maketh hym parfytly Iuste All the holynesse of a man that is made to thymage of the holy Trynyte after thre thynges that ben in the soule / that is to wete / memorye entendement and wyll is in thre thynges In this that the soule be parfytely purged / and the wyll parfytely enlumyned / and the vnderstandynge parfytely confermed in god / with god in the memory And the more the soule receyueth of god these thre thynges / the more habundauntly and more proprely she approcheth more too his ryght grete beaute naturall That is to the semblaūce of the fader / and of the sone / of the holy goost That is whan god the fader confermeth vnto hym his memory God the sone enlumyneth to hym his vnderstandynge God the holy ghoost purgeth in hym his wyll These thre gyftes
treasoure that he myght leue to vs. For he gaue hym selfe to vs as the moost fayrest Iewel that he myght gyue to vs. And we ought deuoutly / clenly / reuerently kepe hym without synne / of this breed of auÌ„gelles we ought euery daye to vse for the loue of hyÌ„ / and in mynde of his holy passyon / he is verely ours For noo maner thynge may he taken away frome vs ayenst the wyll of ours / that is of hymselfe / we doo call our breed cotydyan / the whiche is for to saye of euery day / that is for to vnderstande the cotydyan dystrybucyon the whiche he gyueth to his preestes relygious people eche day whiche done his seruyses and synge his masses and his houres / that is to all good crysten men and wymmen that euery daye by veray loue deuoutely make remenbraunce of the dolorous passyon of Ihesu Cryste that he suffred for vs ¶ The groos of the prouende of this brede of aungellys we take in haruest / that is in heuen whan we shall see the swete Ihesu Cryst dyscouerd / in his ryght grete beaule lyke as he is Therfore is it sayd cotydyan / that euery daye is to vs necessarye And euery one ought to take the holy sacrament of the aulter lyke as done the preestys / whiche ben therto ordeyned ¶ Or otherwyse euery good crysten man or woman ought to take hym by ryght fayth This brede is ryght precyous / ryght noble and ryght well arayed This is meteryall in whiche ben all maner of delyces and all good sauours lyke as sayth the boke of sapyence This is none erthely mete that ought to be gyuen to raskayll / but to hertes gentyll and noble whiche ben purged clensed fro all ordure of synne by veray repentauÌ„ce / by deuoute confessyon / and by entyer satysfaccion and penaunce ✿ ¶ Of the vertue of this brede of aungellys sayth saynt mathe we theuangelyst / and calleth it brede sursubstancyall That is to saye / that it passeth and surmounteth all substaunce and all creatures of praysynge and of vertue / of all dygnytees / and in all maners of valure Nor none may better name it ne descryue it ne more suffysauÌ„tlye than to calle it / brede sursubstancyall ¶ It is sayd that a mete is substaÌ„cyous / whaÌ„ there is therin ynough of substaunce and of nourysshynge And for soo moche more as it is nourysshynge / so moche more it is sayd that it is substancyall ¶ And by cause that in this precyous brede of Aungellys is more of nourysshynge of vertue / and of good than euer may be thought and sayd is not sayd onelye that it is substancyous bytwene ony vnderstondynge supposynge / but it is sayd sursubstancious This brede requyre we at our good fader Ihesu Cryst and we praye hym that he wyl gyue it to vs in this day that is in this present mortall lyfe / to th ende that we may make a good Iourneye / and abyde more gladly our rewarde / that is in the ende of our lyfe the glorye pardurable of heuen ¶ Here foloweth the .v. petycyon request of the holy pater noster Ca. lxxxiii DImitte nobis debita nrÌ„a sicut et nos dimittimê° debitoribus nrÌ„is In this request petycyon we requyre and demaunde our good fader of heuen / that he wyl pardone forgyue vs our syÌ„nes our trespaces / lyke as we forgyue them that haue trespasced to vs / or that trespace to vs Thenne we saye thus Fayre fader quyte to vs our dettes lyke as we quyte our detters Our dettes be our synnes whiche we haue encreased vpon our soules This is the best and moost dere wedde that we may fyne / wherof the synner for one deedly synne whiche is soone passed as too the delyte / or as touchynge the dede is bounden to so grete vsure that he hath no power to paye ne to fynysshe / that is the payne of helle whiche is without ende ¶ After he oweth vnto god whom he hath dyspleased so grete amendes that he hath noo power for to paye it For in all his lyfe yf he lyued an hondred yere or more he myght ne coude not make suffysaunâ— penaunce For one deedly synne onely / yf god wolde vse his ryght full Iustyce / it sholde neuer be forgyuen to the ¶ And therfore it byhoueth that in bytter and grete repentaunce the wycked synner retorne vnto the mercy of the debonayr and blessed lorde Ihesu Cryste And that he cry hym mercy and demaunde pardon foryeuenes ¶ For by the ryght of the courte of Iustyce / the synner shal be Iuged condempned vnto deth perdurable And therfore our good fader Ihesu Cryst whiche is softe and debonayr for to foryeue and pardone / large and curtoys for to yeue / we praye hym that he wyll pardone and foryeue to vs our synnes and trespaces But thynke and consyder well how thou prayest For thou sayest pardone to vs our syÌ„nes as we ê‘don other God shall not foryeue ne pardone to vs / as he hym self sayth in the gospel yf we forgyue not and pardone to other that haue trespaced to vs. Thenne he that sayth his Pater noster yf he kepe in his herte rancour felonnye he prayeth more ayenst hym self than for hym self For he prayeth to god that he forgyue hym not his synnes / whan he sayth forgyue me lyke as I forgyue / and therfore all the tymes that thou shalt saye thy Pater noster tofore god the seeth thyn herte Thou oughtest to forgyue all euyll talentes and cast out of thyn herte all Ire and al rancour Otherwyse thy prayer is more ayenst the than with the / yf it seme to the an harde thynge and greuous to forgyue and pardone to theym that hate the / and that wyll the euyll or that haue moche trespaced to the / or myssayed Thynke that god pardoned his deth to theym that crucefyed hym / for to gyue to the an exaumple for to forgyue / and more yet for to praye for them that haue trespaced to the that god forgyue them / and more yet for to do well and good to theym / to helpe theym yf they haue nede For as he sayth in the gospell / that it is not a grete thynge ne grete meryte ayenst god to doo good to theym / that do vs good / ne to loue theym that loue vs. For so done the paynyms and the Sarasyns Iewes and other synners But we that ben the chyldren of god by fayth by grace and ben named crysten of our blessed Lorde Ihesu Cryst and ben heyres with hym of the herytage of heuen ought for to forgyue eche other And also ought for to loue our enemyes That is to saye theyr persones praye for theym and to doo good to theym yf they haue nede For so comauÌ„deth god in the gospell Thenne we ought onely hate the synnes and to loue theyr soules Lyke as the membres of
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
doth / and sayth that the vertue prudence is the loue of herte / whiche veryly and wysely refuseth al that whiche may greue and ennoye hym / and cheseth al that whiche may ayde to haue that whiche he loueth / that is god / the vertue of attemperaunce is the loue of herte by whiche he gyueth hym self entyerly and without corruptyon to that whiche he loueth / that is god The vertue of strength is the loue of the herte / by whiche a man serueth onely that whiche he loueth / that is god / and for hym setteth a man all other thynges vnder his fote / despyseth them Thenne the vertue of Iustyce setteth a man in his ryght estate / that is aboue all thynges / and vnder god / without these .iiii. vertues / there is none that may mounte in to the moūtayne of perfectyon / for who that wyl moūte soo hye / hym byhoueth / that alther fyrste he haue prudence whiche maketh a man to despyse the worlde / and that he haue with it the vertue of strengthe / the whiche gyueth to hym grete herte stronge and stable courage to enpryse to pursue grete thynges / on the other partye that he haue the vertue of attempraunce / by cause that he be not ouer charged ne euyll caryed / and that he haue with hym the vertue of Iustyce that may lede hym by the ryght path / and by a good Iust way that he be without synne / and that he shewe to hym how by holy werkes he oweth to conquere the reame of heuen / lyke as god dyde to Iacob / as sayth the boke of sapyence / who that thus may haue these .iiii. vertues he shall be well parfyte and blyssed in this worlde and more in that other / for he shal be in peas of herte and in Ioy spyrytuell / and nothynge shall fayle hym / but he shall habounde in the grace of god that he shall haue with hym / in whome he shall delyte ¶ Here after foloweth how a man may take awaye put from hym the seuen deedly synnes and gete the vertues Ca. lxxxxvi NOw lete vs come ageyne to our mater / and pray we with all our herte to the holy goost / that he wyll enspyre and ensygne our hertes / that he be our aduocate / and teche vs to shewe how he by the seuen gyftes of the holy goost he plucke out and take away the seuen deedly sȳnes fro our hertes / and that he therin wyll vouchesauf to plant the seuen vertues ¶ Of the gyfte of holy drede the whiche maketh a man Iust Ca. lxxxxvii THe gyftes of drede is the fyrst of the gyftes / for he casteth out of the herte all the synnes lyke as we haue sayd tofore But proprely this gyfte of drede plucketh oute / taketh awaye and destroyeth the rote of pryde / and planteth there in his place the plante of humylyte Now beholde and vnderstonde well how the synner that holdeth hym and slepeth in his synne / is lyke to a rybaulde that slepeth and is dronke / and hath all lost at tauerne / and is all naked and so poore that he hath no thynge but he feleth no thynge ne complayneth not / but weneth that he be a moche grete lorde But whan he hath slepte and cometh ageyne to him self / and that he is out of his dronkennesse Thenne feleth he his harme and knoweth his folye Now complayneth he his losse and his domage This is the fyrst good that the holy ghoost doth to a synner whan he vysyteth hym For he gyueth to hym agayn his wytte and his mynde / and bryngeth hym ageyne to knowe hym self So that he aduertyseth and seeth what goodes he hath loste / and in what pouerte and in what perylle he hath be for his synne / lyke as dyd the sone of the good man / whiche wasted and dyspended his herytage in dyssolucyon and rybauldrye In suche confusyon and myserye he became that hym byhoued to kepe the swyne and fede them / and to lyue of theyr releef and mete / lyke as our Lorde Ihesu Cryst sheweth vs by example in the gospell Yet also the synner as sayth Salamon is lyke to hym that slepeth in the myddle of the see / and is in grete peryll tormente / he feleth no thynge ne hath no fere therof But whan the holy ghoost awaketh hym he felyth seeth his perylle / begynneth to haue drede of hym self ¶ Yet also the synner is lyke to hym that is in pryson feterydin yrons / is in boltes and hath many kepars / lyke as saynt Peter was in the prysone of kynge Herode And the caytyf synner thynketh no thynge on the prouoste / ne on the Iustyce / ne on the galowes that tarye for hym / but he slepeth and dremeth that he goeth to a weddynge and to a feste But the grace of the holy ghoost is lyke to the aungell that awoke saynt Peter / delyured hym fro the hande of kynge Herode For the grace of the holy ghoost awaketh the synner and delyuerth hym from the hande and fro the puyssaunce of the deuyl of helle / yet also the synner is lyke to hym that weneth to be stronge and hole / and he hath the dethe vnder his teeth For he hath the humours euyl and corrupte within the body / thenne dyeth he within a moneth / that wende to haue lyued .xl. yere Lyke as sayth Elyuans in the verses whiche speken of the deth and sayen thus Go ye awaye ye whystelers and gapars / for suche be couerde vnder theyr clothes / that wene to be hole and fatte that shall not lyue vnto marche ¶ But the holy ghost is lyke vnto a good physycyen that sheweth to hym his maladye and sekenesse / and moeueth fro hym his humours and gyueth vnto hym a bytter drynke whiche heleth hȳ a rendreth to hym his lyfe / ryght so troubleth our lorde the synner by bytter contrycyon whan he helyth him fro his synnes by the bytter drynke lyke as sayth the prophete in his psaulter / and fereth hym / bryngeth hym ageyne to knowe hym self / lyke as dyd Adam our fyrst fader / whan he hydde hym emonge the trees of paradys terrestre And thenne sayd god to hym Adam where art thou Thre other demaundes made god by his aungell to the chamberyer of holy Abraham whiche was named agar whan she fledde fro her lady The aungell sayd Agar from whens comest thou / whyder goest thou / what doost thou These thre questyons or demaūdes maketh the holy ghoost vnto the myserable synner / whan he awaketh hym out of his synnes / where as he was aslepe / and he reyseth hym / and openeth vnto him the eyen and the syght of his herte / gyueth to hym agayne his wyt and his vnderstondynge / the whiche was loste in the slogardye of synne Where arte thou sayth he / that is to say Beholde thou poore and myserable caytyf
veray meke and humble obeyeth generally ouerall and in al places / where he byleueth that it playseth god / and in all thynges lyke as doth the asse of the mylle / that as gladly bereth barly as whete / and lede as golde / whete to a poore man as to a ryche man ¶ Also the veray meke is made stronge For he chaungeth his strength with the strength of god / lyke as sayth the prophete Isaye and therfore there is no thynge but the veray humble may well bere For god bereth hym and his dedes Thenne he obeyeth vygorously and perseuerauntly For he is neuer nomore wery than the sonne is / that god ledeth and conduyteth / and the lenger it lyueth the more groweth her force and her vygour Now mayst thou see clerely how humylyte techeth the well parfytely to serue obeye god Of the techynge and doctryne of our lorde Ca. C v. OVr sauyour Ihesu cryste the grete mayster of humylyte and mekenes whan he had preched and fedde his people / and heled the seke men and lame Thenne he fledde awaye fro the people in to the mountayne / for to be in oryson for to ensygne and gyue vs an example to flee the praysynge and laudynge of the worlde and therfore the true humble herte lyke as he payneth to do wel whaÌ„ he obeyeth Ryght soo he payneth hym to fle the praysynge of the worlde / and to hyde hym for to kepe hym fro the wynde of vaynglory And to fyxe hym in the shadow of the roche / lyke as Ysaye the prophete sayth fro the tempest of euyll tonges This roche is Ihesu Cryst hym self whiche is the refuge and the charyte to humble and meke To this roche that is our sauyour Ihesu cryst fleeth the humble and debonayre herte charged with thornes / lyke as is the yrchyn / that is to say of sharpenesse of penaunce This is the douehous in to whiche fleeth for refuge the doues of our lorde / that ben the meke humble and symple hertes flee thyder to refuge for the foules of proy or rauayne / the whiche ben the deuylles whiche alwaye seche to dampne the soules whan an humble herte hathe done so moche that he is entred in to this roche as the doue in to a doue hous / that is whan he remembreth well the lyfe of Ihesu cryste / and his blyssed passyon / thenne he forgeteth all his sorowes / and prayseth lytell all that the worlde hath and is worthe / and may be of value a good herte that hath assayed this / desyreth no thynge soo moche as to be forgoten to the worlde The worlde is to hyÌ„ a grete burden and charge / and moche besynes / for as the wyse man sayth The good man is neuer more sure than whan he is alone without company and felaushyppe / ne more in werkes than whan he is ydle / for he is than with .ii. of his best frendes / that is with god and with his owne self ¶ There a deuout contemplatyfe herte treateth of his grete quarelles and complayntes by the whiche all other werkes and operacyons semeth to hym truffes nought / al vanytees There he acompteth with god / and god with hym by holy thoughtes by feruent desyres Thenne he feleth the grete swetnes of consolacions comforte that god gyueth to them that drede hym / loue hym / lyke as Dauyd the prophete sayth in the psaulter Thenne al langages and al wordes ennoye greue hym / yf they be not of god / to god / or for god Thus begynneth the soule to loue solytude scylence And thenne cometh to hym in his hert an holy shamefestnes whiche is one of the fayr doughters of humylyte / for al in lyke wyse as a damoysel that loueth paramours with grete shamefastnes whan she is apperceyued she hereth that it is spoken of In lyke wyse the humble persone and deuoute whan he hereth that one speketh of hym / of his spyrytuel goodes that god hath done to hym / and no thynge lasse doth he / than the mayde doth which is ardantly surprysed of loue / for what someuer the world say to hym / it is knowen Neuertheles he secheth his corners hydles lyke as he that requyreth none other thynge / but to be rauysshed in god lyke as was saynt Poule ¶ Of the pryuyte that god hath to an holy soule ca. C vi OF this acqueyntaunce and of thys preuyte thys holy soule begynneth to haue of god / bytwene hyr an holy pryde For whan the holy soule is rauysshed vnto heuen / she beholdeth the erthe fro ferre / lyke as sayth Ysaye the prophete / there seeth it soo lytel to the regarde of the gretenes of heuen / so foule to the regarde of that grete beaute / so troublous to the regarde of that grete clerenesse / soo wyde to the regarde of that grete plente Thene he dyspreyseth and dyspyseth certaynly all the rychesses of the worlde / beautees / honoures / and noblesses ThenÌ„e it semeth to hym that it is but a playe of chyldren that playe in the waye / and moche trauayle theym selfe and wynne nothynge It semeth that all is but wyÌ„de and dremes as sayth Salamon Thenne he begynneth to deye to the worlde / and lyue to god as sayth saynt Poule TheÌ„ne is the soule so poore of spyryte that it hath nought For god hath his spyryte taken from hym and rauysshed it and replenysshed with his gyftes / as he dyde to thappostles on whytsonday Thenne the holy ghoste gyueth to hym so grete an hert / that the prosperyte ne aduersyte of the worlde he prayseth noo thynge at all / with this he gyueth to hym so holy and so ferme a coÌ„scyence / that he awayteth hardely the dethe / and he hath in god so grete faythe / and hope / that there is nothyÌ„ge but he dare entrepryse it for the loue of god / for he hath that faythe of whiche god speketh in the gospell / whiche is lykened to mustarde sede / by whiche he may commaunde to roches and mountaynes / they shall obey to hym Of the coÌ„parysoÌ„s of mustarde sede to the loue of god C.vii THe sede of mustarde is moche lytell / but it is moche stronge and sharpe And it is hote in the fourthe degree as the physycyens sayeth by the heet is vnderstanden loue The fyrste degre of loue as sayth Bernarde / is whan a man feleth nothynge of loue but of hyÌ„self / of his owne ê“ffyte The .ii. is whan he begyÌ„neth to loue god The .iii. is whan he loueth best god / and loueth hym proprely for his bounte The fourth is whan he is soo esprysed with this holy loue / that he ne loueth hym self ne none other thynge but god / or for god / or with god And vnto this loue bryngeth him veray humylyte ¶ Now mayst thou see clerely that the poore of spyryte ben blessed For they be
he aske councell alway of a wyse man / Salamon sayth that there where as is no good gouernour the peple fayleth anone is anone dystroyed / but it is sauf where there be good coūceyles / the wyse Tullyus sayeth that lytell is worthe the armes wtout forth / yf there be not kepe the well sayth the scryptue fro euyll counceyllours / and coūseylle the not with fooles For they loue no thynge but that whiche pleseth them / not that whiche pleaseth god Also the scrypture counceylleth that one sholde aske and seche counceyl of the olde and auncyent men / not of the yonge men whiche ben not proued in the werkes For in the auncyent men that haue seen proued many thynges / is good wysome good counceyll By cause that Roboas the sone of Salamon lefte the counceyll of the olde auncyent men that were wyse / toke the counceyl of yonge men / he loste the moost partye of his royame Also who that hath this gyfte late hym examyne consyder the counceylles that be gyuen to hym and thynke with grete aduysement yf he be well counceylled and truly / not lyghtly to byleue to the counceyl of one ne of tway / ne / how well that they be of his pryue frendes Therfore Seneke sayth that a wyse man exmyneth his counceylles / byleueth them not lyghtly For he that byleueth lyghtly / he fyndeth that he is ofte deceyued Also who that hath this gyfte / he obeyeth to good counceyll whan he fyndeth it For for nought asketh he counceyll / that hath no wyll to do therafter / wherof sayth Salamon It semeth to a fool that he be in the ryght waye / but the wyse man hereth gladly good counceyl / that is to say / that the wyse man obeyeth to the good counceyles / whiche the foles despyse The moost prouffytable counceyll that a man may haue / is the coūceyll that our good mayster Ihesu cryste whiche is the fontayne of alsapyence of whome cometh all good coūceyl / that is in the holy gospell whā he sayth / yf thou wylte be parfyte / go selle al that thou hast gyue it to the poore people / come folowe me / thou shalt haue grete tresour in heuen / beholde and thynke who gyueth suche counceyl For he is as I saye the fountayne of sapyence The veray god that came in to therthe for to counseylle that / for tenseygne the the ryght way for to go / to paradys That is the path of pouerte of the spyryte / by whiche the holy ghoost ledeth theym whome he enlumyneth with the gyfte of coūceyll Trouthe it is that in another manere a man may be sauyd As by the waye of the cōmaūdementes of our lorde to holde kepe them One may be saued in maryage or in wedowhode / or in rychesses of the worlde whan they be well vsed But the holy ghoost by the gyfte of counceyl ledeth and conduyteth more ryght more surely by the waye of veray pouerte of the spyryte / by whiche one despyseth put vnder fote all the couetyse of the worlde for the loue of god / this gyfte taketh awaye fro the herte the synne of auaryce of couetyse / and soo planteth the fayre tree of mercy / whiche is to haue sorowe and compassyon of other mens harme / and of other mennes suffraunce ¶ Of the degres of the vertue of mercy Ca. Cxxx. THis tree of mercy hath seuen degrees lyke vnto the other / by whiche it groweth and prouffyteth These ben seuen thynges whiche moeue moche and drawe a man vnto mercy / to haue compassyon of others harme The fyrst thynge that moeueth a man to mercy is nature For as the boke sayth whiche speketh of the nature of beestes No byrde eteth another byrde of his owne nature Ne a beest alsoo eteth not another beest of his owne nature Also the same boke sayth that a mare nouryssheth the foole of another mare / whā she is deed Also it hath ofte be seen preuyd that a wulfe hath nourysshed the whelpes of another wulfe / hath defēded them fro other beestes / well than ought a man to haue pyte compassyon on an other / of his euyll and harme / whiche is semblable to his nature For we be all made of one mater one forme and one ymage The seconde thȳge that ought to drawe a man to mercy to compassyon of an other mannes harme is grace For we be all membres of one body / that is of holy chyrche by grace / one membre helpeth an other naturally / hath pyte and cōpassyon Also we be brought redemed with one pryce that is with the precyous blode of Ihesu cryst / that henge on the crosse for to redeme vs fro dethe perdurable / whan our sauyour Ihesu cryste was then so pyteous mercyfull towarde vs. well ought we then haue pyte compassyon one of another / to ayde and socoure that one that other Also we be all bredren of fader and moder by faythe by grace For we ben all sones of god and of holy chyrche / the one broder ought to helpe that other whan he seeth it is nede / for at nede is seen who is a frēde The iii. thynge that ought to moeue a man to mercy is the commaundement of the holy scryptue that counceyleth and commaundeth the werkes of mercy aboue all other thȳges Wherof Salamon sayth Se well to sayth he that thy hede be not wtout oyle / for by thoyle / that nouryssheth that fyre the lampe is vnderstonden mercy that ought alwaye to be in our tonnes For in lykewyse as thoyle surmounteth in the lampe aboue all other lycoures Ryght so mercy surmounteth the other vertues And also as the oyle nouryssheth kepeth the fyre in the lampe / whan thoyle fayleth the fyre quencheth Ryght so mercy kepeth the fyre of the loue of god in the herte / whan mercy fayleth / the loue of god fayleth As sayth saynt Iohan / who that shall se sayth he his broder his neyghboure hauȳge dysease necessyte in nede / closeth the dore of his herte / that is to saye that he hath no pyte ne compassyon / helpeth hym not yf he may / how sayth he / shall the loue charyte of god be in hym / lyke as he sholde saye That may not be For the oylle of mercy is faylled in the lampe of his herte Also the good thobye taught his sone sayd thus / fayre sone be thou mercyfull / as moche as thou mayst / yf thou haue plente of goodes gyue gladly largely / yf thou haue lytel yet of the same gyue gladly to the poore And our lorde sayth in the gospel Go sayd he selle al that thou hast and gyue it to the poore This is the vertue that the holy scrypture prayseth moost generally And
to saye that he that may sholde gyue to theym clothynge hosen and shoon Thus taught Thobye his sones whan he sayd Couer the naked whith thy gowne and Ysaye the prophete sayth / whan thou shalt see the poore naked couere hele hym For suche werke saynt Peter reysed that good woman named Dorcas For she clothed the poore people as the scrypture sayth Herof hast thou a fayre example of saynt Martyn as I haue sayd tofore The gowne or vesture or what someuer almesse one gyueth to the poore / is a memoryall to them that praye for hym that hath gyuen it And is represented to god of his aungellys ¶ The thyrde braunche of mercy Ca. Cxxxiiii THe thyrde braunche of mercy is to lene to the poore people at theyr nede / and to forgyue vnto theym the dette that they owe whan they may not paye ne rendre For it is not onely almesse to gyue / but it is grete almesse to lene without vsure / and ony prouffyte and without euyll entencyon / but purely for goddes loue In lyke wyse ought a man to pardone and quyte his dette / whan the dettour is poore and may not paye it / this is that whiche god commaundeth in the olde lawe / where he sayth / yf one of thy bredren fall in pouerte thou shalte not enhard thy herte / ne withdrawe not thy hande fro hȳ But thou shalt open it to the poore / and shalte lene to hym that wher of he hath nede And our lorde sayth in the gospell / lene sayth he to hym that hath nede / and that requyreth the without hope of wynnynge ony temporall thynge / and god shall rendre to the an hondred folde double in glory This mater is ageynst the vsurers that wyll alway haue more than they lene / in money or in seruyces / or in other thynges But god commaundeth to lene to the poore nedy purely for his loue / and he shall rendre to the an C double / and to the poore man to whome man to whome thou hast lent / or that oweth to the / or that may not pay to the / thou oughtest to forgyue and pardon hym For so commaundeth to the god in the gospell / sayth thus / yf ye forgyue not eche other / god shal not forgyue you and herof sheweth god an ensample of an euyll seruaunt to whom his lorde had pardoned his dette / and bycause he wolde not pardone hym that ought to hym / the lorde repeled the curteysy and bounte that he had done to hym / and dyde do dystrayne and helde hym tyll he had rēdred all that he ought Ryght so shall our lorde doo / yf we forgyue not eche other ¶ The fourth braunche of mercy Capitulo C.xxxv. THe .iiii. braunche of mercy is to vesyte / cōforte / to ayde the seke people / that is a werke that moche pleseth to god / and more thenne trauaylle / or fastynge / or other bodely penaunce / wherof we fynde in vitas patrum / that an hermyte demmaunded of one of the auncyent faders / the whiche was of moost grettest meryte / of hym that fasted .vi. dayes in the weke and trauaylled and laboured with his handes / or of hym that serued the seke malades The good fader answered that he that fasted and trauaylled thoughe he henge by the nosethrylles myght not compare to hym that serued the seke people This werke auaylleth moche to eschewe synne / and is a grete remedye ageynst synne And therfore sayth Iob vysyte thy semblable / that ben the seke men that ben semblable to the in nature For they be men as thou arte / and yf thou so do / god shall kepe the fro synne for to do suche a good werke And holy saynt Iawes sayth that it is a relygyon holy and clene tofore god to vysyte the orphanes / the seke and poore men / the wydowes and theym that ben in trybulacyon / wherof is counted of a moche grete synnar whiche wente euer the see vnto the yle of roodes / and put hym self in an hospytal for to awayte serue the seke people / it haped on a tyme that he had grete abhomynacyon of a seke man of whome he wesshe the feet Anone all ageyn his herte he dranke of that water his full draught And whan he had dronken / he felt a ryght swete and good smellynge odour / and this was a grete token and sygne that his synnes were pardonned by this good werke Also by this werke is goten grete perfecyon of holy lyf / wherof the wyse man sayth in holy scrypture / be thou not ennoyed to vysyte the seke people For by that thou shalt be confermed in the loue of god Also therby is goten grete rewarde as is sayd in the gospell wherof is tolde the a lady named Marye whiche was a moche holy woman conuerted her husbonde so moche / that they left all that they hadde / and went to the mesel hous for to serue the seke creatures / by whiche they came too grete perfeccyon After it was shewed to the same Mary / that her husbonde that had ben her felawe in humylyte for to serue the seke men and women / sholde be her felawe in the glory of heuen Of the same our lorde gyueth vs ensample in the gospell that he touched the seke people and heled them The seruaunt ought not to haue dysdayne ne shame to vesyte the seke people ne to serue theym / whan the lorde of heuen came in to this worlde for to serue vesyte them Of whome he toke the fourme and semblaunce of his seruaunt This sayth saynt Poule for to serue vs that were seke by synne ¶ The .v. braunce of mercy Ca. C.xxxvi THe fyfth braunche of mercy is to her borowe the way farȳge man / the poore people / the pylgrymes that haue noo lodgynge This is one of the werkes of mercy that pleaseth moche god / as it appereth by ensamples of holy scrypture Fyrst Abraham receyued oft tymes the aungelles of heuen in semblaunce of poore pylgrymes / and they promysed to hym that his wyfe Sara whiche was olde and barayne sholde conceyue a sone And Loth by cause that he receyued the poore and seke men and kepte hospytalyte / he receyued the aungelles the whiche kepte and delyuered hym from the peryll of Sodome and gomor And therfore sayth the appostle saynt Poule Lete vs not leue hospytalyte / for therby many good mē haue ben moche playsaunt to god and in his loue and in his grace / for they receyued aungellys in stede of the poore It is not meruaylle yf suche people receyue aungellys For they receyue our lorde lyke as he sayth in the gospel For who receyueth theym receyuen hym as he sayth / that whiche is done to the poore is done to hym / wherof saynt Gregory recounteth of a good man whiche was moche pyteous gladly receyued the poore people into his hous / he receyued on
other myscreauntes to do this / moche more ought pyte compassyon to moue the crysten men to do this / whiche by our faythe see that the bodyes be reysed rewarded with the soules And therfore who that loueth the soule of his neyghboure he ought to loue the body / doo bury it whan it is deed with all humanyte and mercy that he may ¶ Now hast thou herde the braunches of the tre of mercy ¶ These ben werkes of mercy corporell and spyrytuell ¶ Here after is sayd how almesse ought to be done Ca. Cxxxix IT is soo that there is moche people that lese theyr almesse and theyr other good dedes whiche they do / bycause they do theym not as they ought to do Therfore I wyll shewe here shortly how almesse ought to be done / and how it is prouffytable pleasaunt to god Fyrst I wyll shewe shortely how a persone ought to do almes / wherof he sholde doo almesse For a mā must doo it of his owne good not of an other mannes / and of suche good that is well and truely goten God setteth nothynge of none euyll gyfte Almesse whiche is made of thefte / or of takynge awaye of other mennes good / of rauyne / or of vsure / or of other euyll goten good pleaseth nothynge to god Wherof the holy scrypture saythe Thou shalte not make sacrefyce ne oblacyon vnto god of heuen / of oxen / nor of shepe / ne of thynge wherin is ony spotte of synne For god hath grete abhomynaciō of suche sacrefyse The wyse man sayth that who that doth sacrefyse to god of the catayll or godes of the poore man He dooth lyke to hym that sleeth the sone tofore the eyen of his fader And saynt Austyn sayth what gyfte is that / whiche the one taketh gladly / and that other wepeth And therfore ought euery man take hede wherof he dooth his almesse ¶ Also he ought to take hede of whome he dooth it wherof the scrypture sayth / Beware to whome thou shalte doo good / do well to the good That is to hym that thou wenest that he be good And gyue noo thynge to the wycked for cause of theyr wyckednesse Lyke as they do whiche gyue to rybauldes to menestrellys for theyr wyckednesse / whiche is a grete synne as saye the sayntes / but who that gyueth to them not for euyll / but for pyte and compassyon for theyr pouerte / or of theyr wyues / or of theyr chyldrē yf they haue ony / or of theyr faders or moders / or for ony other good cause or reason / as for to withdrawe thē fro synne he dooth well ¶ Thenne the almesse ought to be gyuen vnto the poore / more to theym that be veray poore of herte and of wyll whiche haue lefte for goddes sake that whiche they had / moche more thanne to other that be not poore with theyr wyll / but somtyme of pure necessyte And somme there be trewauntes and sloufull for to doo ony good / and myght gete theyr lyuynge yf they wolde ¶ And somme there be that by fayntyse she we somme hurtes and be faytours of theym self that deceyue the worlde To suche ought a man not to gyue his almesse / but it ought to be gyuen to the poore orphanes / to shamefast people to to poore wydowes / to the dyseased and lame / and vnto seke poore people where as it is nede / and whan one may do it And yf a man is bounden to gyue to straungers / he is moche more bounde without comparyson to his fader moder more than to ony other For nature ensygneth it / and god commaūdeth it ¶ It is redde of the storkes / that they nourysshe fader moder whan they be olde and may not purchase theyr meet Thenne nature techeth that one ought to do good to his fader moder / and therfore it is well ryght and reason that myschefe fall to all them that do euyl to theyr faders as it oftyme happeth Also a persone ought to take hede how he ought to do almesse and the maner of gyuynge For .iii. condycions ought to be had in gyuȳge almesse The fyrst is that a man ought to gyue gladly and with good herte For god hath more regarde to the hert than to the handes Wherof god in his sacryfyce as saynt Gregory sayth / be holdeth not onely the thynge that is gyuen / but with what herte Lyke as it appereth well in the gospell of the poore woman that had nomore but two mytes whiche she offred in the temple And our lorde sayd / that she had offred more than all the other whiche had offred grete thinges / for more pleaseth somtyme to god a peny that a poore man gyueth gladly for goddes sake / than yf a ryche man had gyuen an hondred marke in syluer with grutchynge And therfore sayth the wyse man in the scrypture Make alwaye good chere he sayth in all thy gyftes And saynt Poule sayth that god loueth moche the gyuer that is gladde and curteys There ben some people ryght ryche / and be so rude velaynous to the poore / that whan they demaunde theym almesse they answere to theym so vylaynously and so churlysshely / that they do call theym truauntes / and vagabundes / and say vnto them mo than an hondred reproches and vylonnyes Suche almesse pleseth not god and therfore sayth the wyse man in holy scrypture Enclyne and bowe thyn eere to the poore man without heuynesse and answer hym swetelye ¶ The seconde thynge that apperteyneth to do almesse / is that it be done anone and hastelye wherof Salamon sayth saye thou not to thy frende / goo and come ageyn to morne / and thenne I shall gyue to the / whan thou mayst gyue anone And also god sayth / withdrawe not longe thy gyfte fro the poore and fro theym that be nedy That is to saye / make thou not hym abyde / whan thou mayst gyue forthwith This is ageynste many ryche men whiche make poore men to crye after theym / that haue to doo with theym And soo moche delaye them / that they must ofte praye requyre theym tofore that they wyll ony thynge doo They selle ouer dere theyr bounte curtosye / that they do to them for lyke as seneque sayth / nothynge is so dere bought as that whiche is requyred and the prouerbe sayth that it is ouer dere bought that is demaūded Thus sholde euery man hastely do for his soule / as longe as he is alyue and hole / wherof the wyse man sayth Fayre sone sayth he do well to thy self yf thou haue wherof / offre to god worthy offrynges as longe as thou lyuest For the deth shall not tarye but that she cometh ¶ And in another place he sayth do well to thy frende tofore thy deth / that is to thy soule / to whome thou oughtest to do well tofore thy deth / as to thy true frende /
And yet he wyll also that they haue in the chirche theyr hedes couerd / soo that no man be styred by theym to euyll / ne synne not in beholdynge of theym / but they ought to be arayed as deuoute and good women / whiche shewe the bounte of theyr herte by good werkys / and therfore sayth saynt Ambrose / who wyll be herde in prayer / he ought to take awaye fro hym al sygne of pryde / and ought to enclyne hym to god with his herte by veray confessyon / and by penaūce in profounde humylyte / for to moeue god to doo hym mercy For as he sayth proude habyte geteth no thynge of god / but it gyueth cause to Iuge euyll of hym the weereth it ¶ Now I haue shewed to the thre thynges that ought to be in prayer / fayth / hope and deuocyon But to that / that prayer may be perfyghtly agreable and playsaunte to god and worthy to be enhaunced and herde / it behoueth foure thynges That is that it haue .ii. wynges whiche bere it tofore god These two wynges ben almesses and fastynges / or other penaunces / wherof the aungell sayd to Thobye Prayer is good whan it hath in hym self fastynge and almesse / without these two wynges the prayer may not flee to god For as sayth saynt Ambrose / good lyf maketh the prayer to flee to god But synne letteth it and with draweth it ageyn / wherof thou oughtest to wete that in two maners is prayer lette / lyke as sayth saynt Ysodore One is by cause a mā kepeth hym not fro synne and fro doynge euyll And for that a persone wyll not forgyue the euyll wylle that he hath to another persone For in lyke wyse as the oynemētes wyll not hele the wounde / as longe as the yron is wythī Ryght so auaylleth not ne prouffyteth noo thynge the prayer to hym that sayth it as he hath euyl wylle to another And therfore sayth the prophete / lete vs lyfte vp our hertes our handes to god He lyfteth vp his hert his hādes to god that lyfteth vp his prayers by good werkes And thappostle sayth that he that lyfteth vp his pure handes to god in prayer lyfteth vp in pure clene conscyence without synne For god enhaūceth not the prayer that cometh of a conscyence full of ordure and of synne wherof he sayth by the prophete whan ye shal multeplye your prayers I shal not here them / for your handes be all blody ful of synne who ben they that haue theyr hādes blody but they that dystresse the pour peple which ben vnder them take awaye fro them their good by force they haue the handes ful of blood of the blood of pour peple for they take a way fro them their lyf / their sustenaūce by couetyse by theyr rauyne do grete oultrages etē the morsellys ful of synne wherfore they shal paye the scotte in that other worlde For the scripture sayth that god requyreth the blood of the pour peple For they must gyue a rekenyng or sytte therfore and therfore who wyl be enhaūced herde of god in his prayers late hym not come tofore God the swerde drawen Ne the hādes blody ne wyth voyde handes That is to say in wyll to synne ne spotted of vntrouthe ne voyde of good werkes For thus sayth our lord in the gospel Thou shalt not come tofore me with voyde handes / he cometh with empty handes tofore god that cometh to praye and requyre hym withoute makyng present of good werkes / for to hym he shytteth and closeth his yate that requyreth hym and bryngeth no thynge / herof haue we example in the gospell / whiche sayth that the yate was shytte to the folysshe vyrgyns that had none oyle in theyr lampes / god sayd to them I knowe you not For god knoweth none but them that haue theyr lampes ful of oylle that is to saye them that haue the herte full of pyte and of grace purged and clene of all synnes and shewe it by good werkes Suche people hereth god gladly and openeth to them his yate / and receyueth gladly theyr prayers Now saye I thenne that prayer lyke as it rested on four pylers as it is sayd tofore / and is moche playsaunt to god For it geteth lyghtly of god all that it hath nede be it in body or in soule as sayth the scrypture / wherof saynt Iames sayth that moche auaylleth the besy prayere of a ryghtwyse man For it auaylleth to hele al maladyes of body of soule / and sayth yet that prayer that cometh of fayth heleth the seke persone / yf he be in synne it shall be perdonned The holy scrypture sayth that Moyses the prophete vaynquysshed Amalech and his hoost / not by bataylle / but by holy prayers For as it is sayd of an holy man Moche more auaylleth the prayer of a saynte than the fyghtynge of many thousand synnars The prayer of a good man perceth heuen Thenne shall he ouercome his enemyes in erthe A good olde and deuoute woman geteth more soone a good requeste of god in glorye in prayenge hym deuoutely / than a thousande knyghtes may gete of londe in longe tyme by force of armes / and therfore it is good to praye and requyre god with the orysons of good folke / and specyally of couentes of relygyous people / whiche ben assēbled for to serue god for to praye nyght daye deuoutely for al theyr benefactours For the prayer is moche worthe towarde our lorde For lyke as sayth the scrypture More auayleth more may doo towarde god the prayer of many good persones than ony can expresse or say For as it is sayd of an holy man It may not be but the prayers of many good persones togyder be herde of god and graunted The prayes and requestes of all the hole couent togyder / is sooner passed and herde of thabbot / than the request and prayer of one monke alone In lyke wyse hereth god more soone the request of theym that ben assembled for to serue hym And therfore sayth god in the gospell / yf twayne of you accorde togyder to aske and requyre me All that they requyre my fader of heuē I shall do it ¶ Now haue I spoken of seuen degrees of the tree of the vertue of chastyte / by whiche this vertue groweth mounteth / prouffyteth Now behoueth to saye of the braunches of this tree whiche ben seuen / after the .vii. estates of the people the ben in this worlde ¶ Of the fyrst estate of them that ben entyer and chaste of body Ca. C.xlviii THe fyrst estate of the worlde is of them that ben hole chast of body / haue kept theyr maydenhede / but neuertheles they be not bounden to this / but that they may be maryed In suche estate ought a persone to kepe chastyte that is clennes purete of hert of body / wherfore the
of body / lyke as we haue shewed afore And therfore sayth our lorde Ihesu cryste in the gospell / that blessed ben they that ben clene of herte For they shall see god This blessynge begynneth here / for they ben purged fro derknesses of errour / as to the vnderstondynge / and fro the spottes of synne / as to the wylle / and therfore they see god by fayth enlumyned of clerenes / whiche cometh of the gyfte of vnderstondynge by whiche a man knoweth his creatour / and all that apperteyneth to the helth of his soule / without slydinge / wtout doubtynge / and without wauerynge in the fayth of Ihesu Cryste where they be so Ioyned and fermly fouÌ„ded / that they may not departe theym for deth ne for to suffre ony tormente what someuer it be ¶ And therfore ben blessed they that be clene of hert in this mortall lyf For they haue the eyen of the herte / the vnderstondynge and the wyll soo clere and so clene that they see god and byleue hym by fayth ferme and certayne lyke as we haue sayd tofore ¶ wherof our Lorde sayd to saynt Thomas / by cause thou hast seen me / thou hast byleued me But they ben blessed that haue not seen me bodyly / and haue byleued me certeynly / but this blessynge shal be perfyght in the lyf perdurable / where he that is clene of hert whiche here seeth hym by fayth / that is alwaye derkly There in his glory shall se hym face to face all clerely as sayeth saynt Poule That is the blyssynge to aungelles and to sayntes whiche se hym in his precyous vysage / to knowe one god in thre persones / to beholde clerely in that myroure where all thynges shyneth / aungelles all the sayntes loketh therin / and meruayleth them / and taketh there theyr glory / and neuer may they be ful for to loke therin For there is all beaute / all bounte / all swetnes / fouÌ„tayne of lyfe pardurable / and all that whiche herte may wyll and desyre But yet I shall say a lytell For lyke as sayth the scrypture The eyen mortall may not beholde ne ere here ne herte of man thynke / what that god hath arayed and made redy to his frendes / that loueth / serueth / and kepe his commaundementes / and that kepe theÌ„ from synne Wherof saynt Ancelme sayth Soule sayth he lyft vp thyn entendement there aboue / and thynke as moche as thou mayst what we le / how grete and how moche delectable is that good whiche conteyneth in himselfe the Ioye and the delyte of all godes And not suche Ioy and suche delyte as is founden in creatures / but as moche more Ioye / as the creatoure and maker is more grete and more worthy / more excellent / than his creatures O sayth he thou faytour thou man that goest soo folyly for to seche dyuers goodes / to thy soule and to thy body Loue thou and seche one good / wherin ben all godes / and he shall suffysethe For the good that god hath graunted and gyuen to his frendes / that is hym selfe the whiche is the souerayne good of whom cometh and sourdeth all other goodes / as stremes / the whiche yssueth out of the quycke fountayne ¶ Certaynly right blyssed shal he be sayth saynt Austyn / the whiche without vylonye shall se the vysage dyscouered and the glory of god / and shal be transformed in to thymage of glory where as he shal see god as he is / the whyche syght is glorye crowne without ende / and all the rewarde and meryte of sayntes This shall be al the good of man This sayth mayster hughe of saynt vyctor The man that made all and formed For therfore wolde god by come man / whiche made in himself al men blessyd in body and in soule / by cause that the man sawe hym with the eyen with his body in humanite And that the soule sawe hym in his deyte so that he founde swetnes and delyte in his creatour maker / within and without within his deyte and with oute in his humanyte This shall be the Ioye of euery creature his Ioye his delyte lyfe perdurable of his blessyd vysyon That is the blessynge / that they attende whiche kepe clennes and chastyte of herte and of body ¶ Of the yefte of sapyence Ca. Cliiii THe last yeft the souerayne and the moost hye is the yeft of sapience or of wysedom whiche is a grace that the holy ghoost gyueth to the herte contemplatyf / by whiche he is esprysed of the loue of god that he desyereth ne secheth none other thynge but to see god / to haue hym / to delyte in hym / to loue hym / to honoure and serue hym / and dwelle with hym This is the somme of perfeccyon / and the ende of contemplacyon ¶ The gyfte of vnderstondynge of whiche we haue spoken tofore maketh god to be knowen and the thynges spyrytuell as by syght symple byholdynges But the gyfte of sapyence maketh to fele knowe god by taste / then sapyence is none other thynge but a sauery knowleche / whiche is with sauoure grete delyte of herte / for otherwyse knoweth not he the wyne that drynketh it in a fayre voyre or glasse / yf he drynke and taste it not sauour it Many phylosophres knewen god by scrypture and by the creatures / lyke as by a myrrour wherin they behelde by reason and by vnderstondynge his myght / his beaute / his wytte and his bouÌ„te / in that whiche they see the creatures that he hath made so grete so fayre and so well ordeyned Then they knewe hym / by symple byholdynge of vnderstondynge and natural reason But they neuer felte hym by taste of ryÈt loue ne by deuocyon Ryght soo ben there many crysten persones / clerkes and laye / whiche well knowe hym by fayth and by scrypture / but by cause they haue theyr taste dysordynate by synne / they may not fele hym nomore than the seke persone may fynde taste or souour in good mete ¶ The gyfte of sapyence whiche the holy ghoost putteth in a perfyght herte / purgeth and clenseth it fro all ordure of synne / lyfteth vp soo the spyryte of a man that he Ioyneth hym to god by ardaunt desyre of loue / soo that he is al with god / there he fyndeth hym / there he nouryssheth hym / there he fatteth hym / there he delyteth and resteth hyÌ„ / and there he slepeth There he forgeteth all his trauaylles / all his flesshely desyres and erthely / hym self / so that he remembreth no thynge but god whome he loueth aboue all thynges This is the laste degree of the laddre of perfeccyon that Iacob sawe in his slepe whiche touched heuen / by whiche auÌ„gellys mouÌ„ted descended / the degrees of this laddre ben the .vii. gyftes of the holy ghoost / of whiche we haue spoken tofore / by these .vii. degrees
moūten the aūgellys / these ben they that lede the lyf of aūgellys in erthe by purete clen̄esse of conscyence / whiche haue the herte in heuen by veray desyre holy cōuersacion Whan they prouffyte fro vertue to vertue / tyl they se god clerely and loue hym parfytely But whan they be mounted to the laste degree / somtyme / behoueth it to them to descēde by humylyte For of as moche as a good man is more parfyte / of soo moche he is more humble / lasse preyseth hym selfe Thenne is a good man and a perfyte / ought for to be lyke a tree the whiche is charged laden with fruyte For the more that the tree is charged and laden with fruyte / the more he enclyneth boweth to the erthe In a nother maner may be vnderstonden that the aungelys descenden for the good men that lede the lyfe of aungelys in erthe by theyr holy lyfe whā they be moūted in to the souerayne degre of contemplacion where the yeft of sapyence lede them so that they be ioyned to god that they forget al that whiche is vnder god for the grete swetensse that the herte feleth Whiche is so rauysshed in god whiche passeth all other delytes Soo that it byhoueth them ofte to descende froo this swetenes such rest and fro suche delyte that they fele of the cōforte of god whiche haue yeue them to souke in suche swete contemplacion / where they that ben perfyte ought to entende ¶ Another reason there is wherof it byhoueth too descende froo the hye degre of contemplacion where the spyryte of sapience hath ledde hȳ For the corrupsyon of the flesshe of the body of the creature humayne is so grete that the spyryte may not in this mortall lyfe longe abyde in so hye estate of contemplacion ne fele that grete swetenesse / whiche passeth all the grete delytes the whiche may be felte in this worlde / lyke as they knowe whiche haue proued it / wherof the countrepoys of the flesshe is so heuy / that it draweth doune the spyryte wyll it or nyll it And therfore this grete swetenesse that the herte contemplatyf feleth by the gyft of sapyence in this mortall lyfe / ne is but as a lytell taste by which one may assauour and fele how god is swete and sauoury But whan he shall come to that grete tauerne / where the tonne is / and shall be sette a broche / that is in the lyfe pardurable / there where god of peas / of loue / of Ioy of solace / and of all swetnes shall be abandoned to euery persone in suche wyse / that all shall be fylled / lyke as Dauyd sayth in his psaulter For all the desyres of the herte shall be accomplysshed whan god shall make dyscende vpō his frendes a flode of peas / lyke as sayth the prophete / wherof they shall so moche drynke / that they shall be all dronke Of this dronkenesse speketh Dauyd in his psaulter and sayth thus Of the glory of paradyse shall all be dronken sayth the prophete to god / of the grete plante that is in your hous And ye shall gyue them drynke of your swetenes and of your delyces For with you is the fountayne of the lyfe pardurable / the whiche fayleth not That is god hym selfe whiche is the fountayne of lyfe that may not deye / wherof sourdeth descendeth vpon all the sayntes that ben and shall be in heuen a flode of Ioy / of delyte and of peas / so grete / that all they that drynketh therof ben all dronken That is the peas and the blyssȳge that shall be in the worlde that is to come For whiche Ioye to wynne and to haue / one ought to lyue sobrely in this worlde as sayth saynt Austyn For none ne drynketh in this ryuer / ne is not dronke of the plante of Ioy but yf he kepe sobrenes This is the vertue that the gyft of sapyēce planteth in the herte / ageynst the outrage of glotony For sapyence ensygneth sobrenesse as Salamō sayth / whiche sayth in this wyse Sobrenes is a tree moche precyous and good / for it kepeth the helthe of the soule and of the body as scrypture sayth / and of the oultrage of glotonnye / of etynge / of drynkynge comen many maladyes and of tyme the deth For of ouermoche etynge and drynkynge deyen many folke and ofte the deth taketh theym sodeynlye / lyke as one taketh the fysshe with an hoke / that is too saye the morsel in the mouthe This vertue of sobrenes ought one to kepe aboue al thynges For the goodes that it dooth to hym that well kepeth it Fyrst sobrenes kepeth to reason and to vnderstondynge his fredome and fraunchyse / so that it putteth taketh awaye dronkenesse For he that is dronken is so surprysed of wyne / that he leseth reason and vnderstondynge is lyke as he were drowned in ale or wyne And whan he weneth to drynke the wyne / the wyne drynketh hym The seconde good that sobrenes dooth / is that it delyuerth a man fro ouer foull seruytude / that is fro the seruytude of the bely For the glotons they that ben oultragous of wyne and metes maken of theyr bely theyr god as sayth Saynt Poule Certaynly he putteth hymself in grete fylthe / and in foule seruytude / that serueth so foule a lorde as is his bely / out of whiche may no thynge yssue but fylthe and stynkynge ordure But sobrenes kepeth a man in his seygnorye For the spyryte ought to haue seynorye vpon the body And the body ought to serue the soule / lyke as the chambryere that serueth her maystresse / and sobrete kepeth this ordre The thyrde good that sobrenes dooth / is that he kepe well the yate of the castell ageynst the oost of the deuyll / that is the mouthe whiche is maystre yate of the castel of the herte / whiche the deuyl asseylleth maketh warre to vs as moche as he may But sobrenes deffendeth the yate thentre / that is the mouthe And whā the yate of the mouth is open / thoost of sȳnes entren lyghtly And for nought fyghteth he ayenst other synnes that reteyneth not his tongue / who hathe this vertue of sobrenes he hath the lordshyp of his body / lyke as man maystryeth the hors by the brydle Sobrenes hath the fyrst bataylle in thoost of the vertues and kepeth deffendeth the other vertues / wherewith the deuyl tempted fyrst Adam our fyrst fader and Eue our fyrst moder that was towarde the mouthe that they sholde ete of the fruyt whiche god had deffended / the deuyll ouercame them whan they consentyd to the temptacyon For to kepe sobrenes nature enseygneth vs and the holy scrypture Nature techeth vs. Foremonge beestes a man hath the leste mouth after his dody Also a man hath his membres double / as two eyen / two ere 's / but he hath but one mouthe / and therfore