thynge for deuocyon But to the ende for to enryche theym wyth goodes and rychesses of the chyrche for to lyue atte theyr playsure God knowyth what shall be the ende ANd folowynge thenne the doctryne and tethynge that Pastumyen gaaf to his Religyouses ¶ He commaunded theym ferthermore to loue not oonly the one that other But to loue god pryncypally wyth all theyr herte / That was the fyrste commaundement that god gaaf to Moyses in the moutayne of Synay / ¶ But wyth the same commaundement must be Ioyned the lone that we oughte to haue that one wyth a nother / ¶ Whanne alle Relygyouses louen eche other / and god pryncypally and fyrste / Yet muste they haue the vertue of obedyence / ¶ Loue wythoute obedyence is noo thynge ¶ For lyke as the grasse lettyth the corne to fructefye and encreace / In lyke wyse who that is in obedient and fastyth and prayeth / bryngyth fourth noo fruyte for fawte of obedyence / ¶ After he commaunded theym to excercyse the nyghtes in prayers / ¶ For by nyghte the deuyll makyth moo lettynges to deuowte persones thanne he dooth in the daye Lyke as the Gospel saythe / ¶ Who woll doo euyll Hatyth lyghte / ¶ And to this purpoos sayth the Gospell Awake awake For ye know not the howre whanne the theyf of the soules woll come / ¶ He commaunded theym also that they sholde wryte in a Table of theyr conscyences all the commaundementes of god / And that ofte they sholde laye the clothe for to take refeccyon spyrytuell in sauourynge and etynge the ten loues composyd of the ten commaundementes of the fayth ¶ The twelue artycles of the lawe / And the werkes of mercy / ¶ More ouer he sayde / O ye my brethern / whyche desyre to be very obedyent and charytable to loue eche other / byleue ye after the sentence of Baruth the prophete whyche sayth / that ye ben now the felowes of god / ¶ And in a nother place the holy scrypture sayth well happy â—en the peasyble For they ben the sones of god / ¶ Now they that ben peasyble ben obedyent and charytable / ¶ They thene that shall desyre in this corruptyble world to enioye the fruytes of heuen / He muste renounce and forsake his propre wyll in hauynge perfyghâ—e charyte / ¶ After he coÌ„maunded theym yf they hadde amonge theym ony dyscencyon or debate / that Incontynente it sholde be appeasyd / For god oure lorde dwellyth ne abydeth but in one place of peas / ¶ And the contrarye where as is dyssencyon the deuyll regnyth ¶ And ferthermore he deffended them that they neuer sholde be angry ne wrothe ne to theyr brethern ne to straungeres / ¶ And that for ony gayne of the worlde that they myghte gete They sholde not oâ—cupye theym wyth temporell thynges But oonly in werkes spyrytuell By the whyche they myghte lyghtely gete the herytage of the Reame of heuen / ¶ And whanne ony temptacyons sholde come to theym the whyche with grete payne the ymyghte eschewe / ¶ He admonested theym to torne to god / In lyf tynge theyr hondes to heuen And sayenge ¶ O my god I pray the that it playse the to helpe me / And to enforce my poore freyltee to the ende that I maye vaynquysshe and surmounte my mortall enemye / ¶ And he sayde that anone after oure prayer made to god Comen his aungellis to oure ayde for to comforte vs / ¶ And for to proue thys thynge to be true He tolde thenÌ„e to theym that on a tyme. he beynge on a mountayne came tofore hym a grete companye of deuyllis in lyckenesse of men humayne And bi cause that by the will of god he knewe well that they were deuylles / He all resoluyd / And wythoute hauynge ony drede kneled downe on the erthe in prayenge god that it wolde playse hym to make the same deuylles to departe / ¶ And Incontynent they vanysshed awaye as a fume or a smoke tofore the wynde / ¶ Many other temptacions the deuylles made to hym But god delyuered hym alwaye by the deuowte prayers that he made / ¶ Therfore in concludynge he sayde to his Relygyouses / My chyldren be ye ferme and stable in the faythe in resystynge the deuylles temptacyons / And that ye ben clymynge by feruente charyte to the loue of god / The whyche in soo dooenge he shall to you be alwaye a protectour / And by his helpe ye maye gete the reame of heuen / ¶ Thus endyth the storye of the ryght holy man Pastumyen ¶ Here folowyth of saynt Onuffryen Heremyte / And begynnyth in latyn Beate memorie paphoncius et cetera / Caplm .l. SAynt Phaphunce hauynge desyre for to vysyte alle the Relygyouses that weren in the hermytages for to accomplysshe the helth of his body more lyghtly his waye bare wyth him a lityll water and brede / ¶ And whanne he hadde walked by the space of foure dayes his vytaylle faylled him / And became all confusyd and halfe deed By cause he was soo feble that he hadde neytheyr foote ne legge that myghte susteyne hym / by cause he had neyther to ete ne to drynke / ¶ But neuerthelesse he was by the helpe of god made alle hoole and guarysshed / And hadde as moche strength as though he hadde well eten and dronken / ¶ And thenne beganne to walke agayne And contynued soo foure dayes without mete and drynke ¶ The sayd foure dayes passed / by cause he felte hymselfe feble / He was constrayned to lye downe on the erthe as he hadde be deed / ¶ And he lyenge on the erthe Sodaynly sawe by hym a man in merueyllous glory ferdfull and terryble in shynynge / Worthy of prasynge in beawte / Longe of corpulence and right clere of regarde / Whom Paphunce seenge hadde grete fere but anone after he comforted hym / ¶ For in approchyng towched his lyppes and his houdes / And restored and gauf to hym strengthe / ¶ And Incontynent aroos vpp and walkyd seuentene dayes after tyll he came to a place where as god wolde brynge hym ¶ To whyche place he came and saw a man as he rested hauynge his face terryble all coueryd wyth heer lyke as a brute beest / ¶ And fro the raynes downe alowe he hadde a vestement of leues and of herbes / ¶ Whanne Paphunce sawe thys man soo deformyd / He was sore abasshyd / And not wythoute cause / ¶ For he hadde neuer seen suche lyckenesse of man ne of woman and wyst not what to doo But fledde in to a mountayne whyche was nyghe to that place And there hydde hym vnder the braunches of the trees / He was soo sore aferde / ¶ And there he beganne to syghe merueyllously ¶ Knowynge that by cause of his aege and abstynence he myghte goo noo ferther / ¶ This man seenge that Paphunce was fledde tofore him / and that he was aferde came nyghe to hym And callynge and cryenge with an hyghe
peasybly / ¶ A nother tyme came to hym two Phylosophers on hyghe on the mountayne / The whyche by subtyll dysputacyons supposyd to haue ouercome hym and dysceyued / ¶ Whan he sawe theym he Iudged theym to be Paynemes and sayde to theym / I wonder of you that ben soo wyse how ye come to me from soo ferre / for to see a man folysshe / To whom they ansuerde that he was noo foole / but he was ryght wyse / ¶ Saynt Anthonye ansuered to theim that he was a fole / by that they had loste theyr labour and waye / And yf it soo be that I be wyse lyke as ye saye / And for to loue wysdom it is vtylyte prouffyte / Folow ye that ye alowe and prayse And soo ye shall doo your duete / ¶ For thoose men ben to be praysed whan they ensyewe the good and wyle men / Yf I had goon to you I wolde haue folowed your lawe / Thenne syth ye ben come to me Come and folowe my fayth and be ye crystenyd / ThenÌ„e the Phylosophers wente theyr waye / ¶ Other came to hym in mockynge him by cause he was noo clerke ne lettred / To whom he askyd the whyche had be fyrste or the wytte or the scrypture / And yf the scryptures were by the wytte and vnderstondynge / Or yf the wytte and vnderstondynge came of the scriptures / ¶ They ansuered him· that alle the scryptures proceded and were made by the vnderstondynge / Thenne sayd saynt Anthonye / He that hath vnderstondynge good and hoole nedyth not to be lettred by scryptures / ¶ And in this manere he delyuered theym all confused / ¶ Constantyn the Emperour and his two sones Constante Constanciyus wrote to hym on a tyme in salewynge hym To the ende that it myghte playse hym to wryte some thynge to theym for theyr comforte consolacoÌ„n ¶ Saynt Anthonye seenge the lettres was not abasshed / ne chaunged noo thynge for the salutacyon of soo grete lordes / But as Inmobyle canstaunt not wyllynge to beholde the sayd lettres called to hym alle his brethern and after sayde to theym / ¶ The kynges of thys worlde sende to vs lettres whiche semeth to be thynge merueyllous And herof we maye be gladde / ¶ For alle men notwythstondyng they haue dyuers dygnytees lordshyppes ben borne and deye the one wyth that other / ¶ And therfore we oughte to honoure the scryptures lettres pryncypally suche as god hathe wryten to men / as ben the coÌ„maundementes of the lawe / And bi cause there is none conuenyence amonge kynges and Relygyouses / I woll not take the lettres that the kynges sende to vs / For I knowe not the scyence manere to salewe theym be lettres / ¶ In the ende the brethern prayed hym that he wolde wryte agayne to the sayd kyÌ„ges / In admonestyng theym to flee the vyces and to ensiewe the vertues / And soo he wrote to theym in this manere / ¶ Ye kynges I counseylle you that ye kepe the Crysten lawe / But I praye you / Wene ye not that your puyssaunce temporell be grete / For that is but a lytyll thynge to the regarde of the puyssaunce of god / ¶ And therfore ye oughte not to be prowde / ¶ Esteme of yourselfe that ye be noo thynge more thanne other / For assoone and as well shall ye be Iuged of god as the moost poore of the worlde / ¶ Wyth this I praye you that ye ben pyteuous and debonayr toward your subgettes / Hauynge cure and besynesse to doo Iustyce as well to the poore as the ryche / ¶ Consydre ye that there is a kinge aboue you eternall not oonly vpon you but vpon al mankynde ¶ Thise lettres seen by the sayd prynces tofore namyd thei were gretly comforted ¶ And the fame renoÌ„mee of saynt Anthonye was ouer all the countree publysshed and knowen / ¶ After that the Paynems Gentyles were confused of theyr argumentes And the kynges comforted by his lettres / He retorned in to the mountayne / in whyche he had many vysyons / by that whyche he knewe and by reuelacoÌ„n all that was done in Egypte / And sent to the bysshopp of Egypte namyd Serapyon / Emonge the whyche he sawe a moche pyetable caas / and worthy of sorowfulnes / whiche was this / ¶ He beynge wyth his brethern sette / lyfte hys eyen vpp to heuen wayllynge and wepyng / ¶ And a lytyll whyle after that he had seen the reuelacoÌ„n whyche was shewed to hym / ¶ He sette hym on his knees prayenge to god that it sholde not come ne happen / ¶ And soo doyng he shedde oute grete teeres in merueyllous habundance and plentee / ¶ Wherfore the brethern that were there present trembled and quoke / ¶ And questyned him what reuelacyon he hadd hadde / ¶ Ha haa my chyldren sayd saynt Anthonye / The fayth of cristendom shall in shorte tyme be subuerted / The men semblable or lyke to beestes / Iumentes or fooles / Whiche shall destroye the godes of the chyrche / ¶ I haue seen the aulter of oure lorde enuyronned or closed wyth mulettes / The whyche wyth theyr fete haue broken the aulter / And thyse thynges ben cause of my wayllynge / ¶ Two yeres after was publysshed and shewed the cursed secte of the Heretykes Arryens / The chyrches were pylled / And the sacred vessellis vilypended or dyspysed wyth the Sacramentes of the chyrche / by the pollute or defoylled hondes of the Ethnycyens Iuâ—ydelis / And Paynems dide and made in Alexandrye sacrefyces to ydollis / made wyth theyr hundes / In makyng to theym adoracyon and prayer as to theyr goddes / in offrynge to them bowes of palmes / whyche ben in the sayd countree a ryghte grete ydolatrie / ¶ And the Crysten men were constrayned to dod in lyke wise suche Insolences with the Aâ—yens / In suche wyse that there was noo dyfference bytwene the one the other / ¶ The courage sayd sayne Anthonye sholde haue abhomynacyon and horrour to reherse the horrible and detestable synnes that were done / ¶ Is it not a thynge well abhomynable afore god that the vyrgynes and matrones were shamed and vylonyed / and were not ashamed to lese theyr vyrgynyte / ¶ The blood of crysten people was by cruell occysion shedde wythin the chyrches / In suche wyse that the aulters were alle deyed and sprynkcled wyth the blood / ¶ A lytyll whyle after this heuy and desolate Reuelacyon saynt Anthonye had a nother Reuelacyon ryght Ioyous / Of whyche he comforted his Relygyous sayenge / ¶ My chyldren be not sorowful / For after this persecucyon of the chyrche of god / The crysten people shall be releuyd / And the chyrche shall be broughte hoole in his honoure / And all they that shall kepe well the fayth in this persecucyon shall be tofore god more shynynge thanÌ„e the bryghtnesse of the sonne / ¶ False satellytees persecutours of
watred theym / ¶ And yf ony knocked att the doore of the chyrche he was the fyrste redy to open it / ¶ He serued theym that were seke and admynystred to theym theyr necessytees / ¶ In doynge thyse thynges he gaaf ensample of humylyte to all his dyscyples / and occasyon to serue not oonly to theyr auncyents and elders but also to theym that came after theym to the Relygyon / ¶ Also he admonested to excercyse them after theyr vocacyon callynge / And coÌ„maunded theym to make contynuelly prayâ—es and estudye hesyly in especyall in the holy gospelles / to the ende that therby they myght acustome theym gladly in the coÌ„maundementes of god And to loue hym aboue all thynges hertely And payne theym for to acomplysshe theim in getynge of vertues for fynably to obteyne the Ioye felycyte eternall / ¶ Of thre men that came to saynt Pachomyen and begynnyth in latyn Exâ—â—nt autem Caplm lxxiiii IT happed that thre men / that one namyd Postentesus that other Surys and the thyrd Oblys came for to vysyte the holy heremyte Pachomyen the whyche by his wordes by ensamples of holy lyf moued theym to doo penaunce / ¶ And whan they had contempled his bountee that one of theym sayd to the other / ¶ Certainly we knowe now that they erre openly that saye that the chyldern ensiew folowe the maners of theyr faders moders / and saye not wel / For oftymes of euyll fader euyll moder descende ryght good chyldren as it aperyth by this holy man Pachomyen whiche is soo Iuste that in his lyf he neuer brake ony of the coÌ„mauÌ„dements of god / And neuerthelesse he is extracte descended of the lignage of Paynyms ydolatours all contrary to the lawe of god / And ayenst theim that haue folysshe ymaginacoÌ„ns sayenge that thei haue good to doo well or euyll / For yf they ought to be sauyd they shall be sauyd / And yf they oughte to be dampned thei shal so be / Thyse ben fooles and enraged / For we fynde in holy scrypture our blessyd sauyour to haue sayde / ¶ Come to me ye that ben charged wyth many euylles and I shall dyscharge you / And in this sayenge he excepted not one / ¶ Also he woll not the dethe of a synner / And therfore euery one oughte to perseuere in his goodnesse to his lyues ende / ¶ Thyse thre men came ayen afterwarde to the holy man prayeng hyÌ„ that he wold telle theym the cause wherefor he toke that payne vpon hym to serue all his religyouses / Wherat he answerde sayenge to theym in this wyse / ¶ Whan men woll lerne a mare or some other beest for to bere a grete burthen they gyue her firste a lytyll charge And after by contynuance men encrease her burthen / For who sholde fyrst gyue her almoche as she myghte bere she haply wolde not endure with it but sholde be rebell / ¶ All thus muste I doo to my bredern whyche god hath gyue me to kepe in a good rule / ¶ Fyrste I gyue theym a lytyll charge And after by example I shewe to theym how they oughte to doo whan they haue seen the burthen that I haue borne nowe / I haue be longe â—â—fore theym in this monastery / And they ben come theim but a while agoon / Wherfore I oughte to bere a more charge than they done now / ¶ How he resceyued many one to the state of Relygyon / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Regulas igitur et cetera Caplm lxxvi AFterwarde by the grace of god that benygnly callyth euery one to doo penaunce / came many deuowte persones to the holy man for to lyue solytaryly wyth hym / AmoÌ„ge whyche came Pawle / a nother Pachomyen and one namyd Iohan. the whyche lyued there a holy lyfe and honeste wythout ony spotte of synne / After this he stablysshed some for to haue the gouernaunce and rule of the monastery / And pryncypally the moost vertuouse humble aboue the other / ¶ And sayd the holy man that lyke as a spâ—â—cle of fyre that fallith amonge an kepe of sheuys of corne may not be but with grete paynt queÌ„chyd And often tymes it is seen that it brennyth all the hooâ—e hepe / In lyke wise yf in a relygyon be some Relygyouses that chaunge there thoughtes to that cursyd vyce of ambycyon / Desyrynge to be fyrste and princypall in the Ordre / And to haue there grete offyces / ¶ Yf from theyr hert thê° enflammed they putt not awaye soone the bronde of this euyll suggestion rihtlyghtly / They lese Incontynente that they haue soughte by longe tyme afore ¶ And for this cause the holy man wolde not consente nor suffre that the one sholde haue ony lordshyp or premynence ouer the other / And namly vpon a solempne feeste / ¶ And to the ende that this Inordinate affeccyon were take fro theym and wyll to precede that one the other / He made a preest to come that was not of that monasterye for to doo there the offyce and seruyce that sholde admynystre theym the sacramentes / ¶ And more ouer he sayd that it is better to lyue in charyte and in humylyte than in dysordynate worshypp / ¶ And yf some clerke or preest came to hym for to be Relygyous He made to hym honour after his astate / and lyke as it aperteyneth to a man of the chyrche / ¶ Of the humylyte of saynt Pachomyen To the chapitre that begynnyth in latyn ¶ Omnes autem et cetera / Caplm lxxvi THe humylyte of the holy fader Pachomyen was so grete that al the seruauntes of god he honoured and louyd ¶ To the olde to the seke and to the lytyll he dyde all ghostely and bodyly seruyses / Counseyllynge and comfortynge theym for the saluacyon of theyr soules / ¶ And soo he seenge that the nombre of his Relygyouses encreaced / he made and constytued some of theym his Coadiutours and helpers / And other he ordeyned as Pryours for to helpe hym to saue theyr soules / And techynge theym the Rules to hym gyuen by the angell ¶ He constrayned theym all to be very obedyent and to haue the drede of god in their hertes ¶ And whan he that had the gouernaunce and charge of the werkes of the monastery was fayllynge in ony thynge / The good holy fader Pachomyen toke the charge vpon hym / And amended the fawte as seruaunt of all the other Not for to seme meke by vaynglory / But by very affeccyon and goode loue / ¶ Of the charytee of saynt Pachomyen / To the chapytre whyche begynÌ„yth ¶ Quodam vero tempore et cetera Caplm lxxvii SAynt Pachomyen was moche pytefull and charytable / He seenge that in the places beynge night to his monastery were many folke that ocupyed them in none other wise but to kepe the beestes / wythoute comynge to chyrche / And wythoute receyuynge of theyr creatoure / Came to
¶ But this notwithstandynge he serued hym moche swetely kyndely So it happed that when the sayd holy fader Amon came to the last houre of his lyfe that his soule must departe / where many holy faders were present / he toke afore them all the sayd Iohan his seruauÌ„t by the honde thre tymes he sayd vnto hyÌ„ Iohan saued mote that be And thenne he sayd to the holy faders that were with hym My brethern I betake you this good relygyouse / he is no man / but an angell Certaynly duryng my sykenes / he neuer had of me a fayr worde / neuerthelesse in grete humylyte pacyence he hath done to me Infynyte seruyces / so recomeÌ„de I hyÌ„ to you asmoche as I can ¶ The holy fader Agathon where he ones came to the cyte that was moost nygh his hermytage for to selle some hande werke that he had made for to lyue vpon he fouÌ„de at the gate of the sayd cyte a man that was sore lyke whiche was forsake lefte of all men The whiche thyng seeyng that sayd holy fader Agathon he hyred a lytyll chambre where in he brought hyÌ„ cheryshed hyÌ„ kept him the space of four monethes vnto tyme that he was recouered and was hole And after retorned this holy fader in to his hermytage ¶ An other holy fader for to moeue to the vertue of pacyence a dyscyple of his that was sore passyoned tourmented of a greuous maladye / sayd vnto hyÌ„ in this wyfe My sone thou muste bere pacyently thy soroufull afflyccions without to be wrothe with them It is a souerayne vertue to a man for to prayse thanke god in his trybulacoÌ„ns aduersytees Yf that be harde as is the yron thou shalt lese thy Rustynes by fyre / yf thou be golde / thou shalte also be preued by fyre / and from grete thynges thou shalt come to thynges more grete Yf god wyll sende vs some sykenesses we oughte not to grutche there ayenst / yf we bere them not with pacyence we shall haue noo mede for it towarde him So must we be vsed to be pacyent / prayeng hym huÌ„bly that he wyll sende vs all that pleaseth hym / to th ende that by the meryte that we shall gete in enduryng pacyently the afflyccoÌ„ns tourmentes of this worlde / we mowe haue the glorye euer lastynge ¶ An other holy fader that was often takeÌ„ with syknesses / was ones a hole yere without / wherfore he began to wepe strongly beryng his helth noyously / sayeng to our lorde suche wordes Syre thou hast lefte me / thou woldest not vysyte nor see me this yere As he wolde haue sayde / that god vysytyng his frendes sendeth to them pouerte syknes for to make them to be rewarded for it in heuen ¶ Some holy faders reherced of one of them that dyed in Sychye / that they beyng about hyÌ„ / they dothed him as they were wont to clothe the one of thordre at theyr decesse And doyeng this they began to wepe sore for pyte that they had to see hyÌ„ dey He heryÌ„g theyr wepyÌ„g is sorowes opened his eyen / in beholdyng them he lough thre tymes vpon them The whiche thyng seyng the sayd brethern / anone after they asked hyÌ„ why he lough when they wept / he answerd to them I haue laughed twyes to mocke you with all / the fyrst tyme that I lough was bycause that ye fere deth / the seconde tyme was bycause that ye knowe well can not Iuge otherwyse but ye must ones dey ye wote not when / yet ye dyspose not your selfe therto / thyrdly I haue laughed reioysshyÌ„g my selfe / because that in leuyÌ„g the labours of this worlde I goo vnto the place of rest / these wordes thê° sayd he closed his eyen swetely he yelded his goost to our sauyour Ihesu cryste ¶ Thabbot PaÌ„mon at the houre of his deth sayd to the brethern that acompanyed hym My brethern because that syn the tyme that I came to this solytarye place where I haue buylded for myn vsage this lytyll house wherin I do dwelle I am not remeÌ„bred that euer I ete other brede / but of the same whiche I haue goten with labour of myn hondes / nor to haue sayd nor tolde vnto this houre ony vayne worde wherof I ought to repence me in this maner I go now to oure blessyd lord Ihesu cryst / wherof I ought well to thanke hym And I meruaylle gretely how he wouchesaufe take the laste of me / seen that I fyrst was occupyed to gete my lyuyng / haue not as yet begoÌ„ne to hyÌ„ ony suffysauÌ„t seruyse ¶ The abbot Agathon goynge out of this worlde / thre dayes before his deces hylde his eyen coÌ„tynuelly open by no maner he moeued them not The whiche thyng seeyng his brothern that were about hym sore coÌ„playnyng wepynge asked hyÌ„ O our fader telle vs yf it please the wherat thou thynkest now / where thou are atte this houre To whom he answered I am called tofore the presence of god whiche is in his seete for to Iuge me ¶ A as sayd they to hyÌ„ ayen / ferest thou hym To whom he sayd ayen I haue euer with all my strength enforced my selfe for to do that coÌ„mauÌ„dement of god But neuerthelesse I consyder that I am a synner / wherfore I can not say yf my werkes haue be vnto hyÌ„ agreable And how sayd the holy faders haste not thou byleue in thy werkes whiche haue euer be vertuoles after his lawe Thenne he answered I not dare trust therupon in his presence / for there is to moche dyfference betwix his Iugemente the Iugement of men ¶ The abbot Sysonyn beyng att the houre of deth / many aeged faders that togyder were come there for to see him apperceyued sodaynly his face whiche shynyng bryght wonderfully And in that selfe caas he sayd vnto them My brethern see to it / the holy fader Anthonye cometh to vs here ¶ Anone after he sayd ayen My brethern / here is the companye of the postles And sayeng the same his vysage wexed more bryghte ¶ So began he to saye ones agayne that he sawe the postles that came there / and it semed that he sholde speke vnto them And whether these holy faders or some of them dyde Requyre hym that he sholde telle them to whome he spake ¶ He answered that he spake with the angell that came for to sette his soule / and besought them that they sholde forbere a lytyll or they sholde haue hym awaye tyll that he shold haue done some lytyll penauÌ„ce Then sayd there ayenst the holy faders to hyÌ„ / thou hast no nede fayre fader to do ony penaunce ¶ The whiche answered to them Surely my brethern I can not Remembre me that euer I began yet to do ony suffysaunt penaunce By the whiche answere they knewe that he was veray
aforsayd lyued To whom answered the sayd Sysoy / that more strongly the deuyl tempted in the sayd tyme / than he had done in tyme passed For as moche as the ende of the worlde approcheth / of moche enforceth he the more to make the poore soules to falle in to the horryble paynes of helle ¶ Other brethern wente towarde the sayd Sysoy for to receyue his doctryne but he sayd nothyng to theym / but my brethern pardonne me / lyke as he wolde saye I am not worthy ne suffysauÌ„t to proferre fro my mouth holy wordes And for as moche as they sawe in his celle many hostyes / they asked of his dyscyple Abraham what he dyde with theym The dyscyple answered that he sente some this daye to one hous / to morowe to an other The holy fader heryng that / sayd to theym thus / My brethern Sysoy eteth here there not that he be a begger here there in dyuerse houses / for he maketh hottes paners for to serue theym of that they haue to do Of this humylyte were the brethern conforted Ioyously retourned to the place from whenâ— they were comen ¶ To the sayd holy fader a brother sayd these wordes I knowe tayr fader that my mynde is dyrectly sette all to god To whom he answered / that is noo grete thyng yf thy soule be addressed to god by contemplacoÌ„n But it is a gretter thyng yf thou see well thy selfe / in reputyng the by very humylyte the lest of all creatures / for to come to that / thou muste make lene thy bodye / and in that doyng thou shalt gete lyghtly humylyte / by the whiche thou shalt knowe thy selfe ¶ And to this purpose sayd the deuoute relygyous saynt Syncletyce / lyke as it is Impossyble to make a shyppÌ„ with out dyuerse poynte of nayles and other maters In lyke wyse it is Impossyble to be saued without humylyte ¶ In lyke wyse the holy abbot Ypericius sayd The tree of lyfe is in heuen aboue whiche mounteth the humylyte of a monke / yet furthermore he sayd that we ought all tenâ—yewe the publycan / the whiche in the temple reputed hym selfe vnworthy to be named and called the seruauÌ„t of god our sauyour Ihesu cryste in cryeng askyng mercy And on the contrarye we ought teshewe flee the pharyseen whiche gloryfyed hym in his vertues / we ought also to ensyewe the clemens mekenesse of Moyses / to th ende that the proude enhauÌ„synges we myght conuerte in to the see that is to saye in to teres of very contrycoÌ„n penauÌ„ce ¶ For to gyue couÌ„seyll to eschewe resyste to our euyll temptacoÌ„ns / thabbot Orysyus made suche a comparyson / lyke as cyle or breke put in to asshes / yf it be not well baken / it shall neuer make good fouÌ„dement in a walle / sette in a watry place / or other ¶ In lyke wyse a man lyuynge in this worlde shall neuer be well edefyed / but yf he be wel â—aken by the fyre of dyuerse temptacyons / proued by the same / for in temptacoÌ„n is proued our vertue ¶ Herof we haue example of Ioseph solde by his brethern / the whiche beyng in the hous of Pharao ydolatrer / suffred endured many grete aduersytees tourmentes / notwithstandyng he serued god in kepynge dylygently his coÌ„maundementes his lawe / how be it that he was in the couÌ„tree of ydolatrye / in whiche thydoles were adoured worshypped ¶ And to this purpose sayden the holy faders that euery persone ought to knowe his strength possybylyte For none ought to entrepryse more strongly than he can accomplysshe / as some that wyll take the burthen charge of relygyon And anone as they be entred / that the deuyll hath gyuen to theym assault they recuâ—e goo backe / and renounce that / whiche they haue entreprysed Of whom it is sayd / that they shall not be crowned / for they resyste not vnto the ende ¶ An hermyte estemyng hyÌ„selfe to be parfyght vyctoryous in his temptacoÌ„ns replenysshed with all vertues made a requeste to god / that it wolde please hyÌ„ to shewe what perfeccoÌ„n other than he had had that myght be to hyÌ„ necessary TheÌ„ne he herde by reuelacoÌ„n that by his hermytage was an herdemen / that whiche sholde couÌ„seyll hyÌ„ whiche he had to do / that done the angell went to the sayd herdeman sayd to hym how the sayd hermyte sholde come to hyÌ„ for to haue couÌ„seyll of his helth And whan he sholde be come that he sholde delyuer to hyÌ„ a fouet his hogges to kepe All this dyde the goodnes of god for to humble the sayd hermyte It happed that the sayd hermyte went to the sayd herdeman / lyke as it was shewed to hym / to whom the herdeman anone asked hym fyrste / yf he wolde do all that he sholde coÌ„mauÌ„de hym / he answered / ye / theÌ„ne he delyuered to hym a fouet his hogges to kepe The sayd hermyte folowyng his promysse / dyde all that the herdeman coÌ„mauÌ„ded hym / kepte his hogges a longe tyme. Many sayd of hyÌ„ that he was become a fooll / or that he had the deuyll in his bodye God consyderyng his humylyte called hym ayen in speryte And he retourned in to his hermytage ¶ An other monke solytary moche humble was smeten in the Iowe by a demonyake / that is to saye that he was vexed with a deuyll The same monke in kepyng the couÌ„seyll of Ihesu cryst profred to hyÌ„ that other Iowe to th ende that he sholde smyte ayen Thenne the deuyll whiche myght not abyde in the place of humylyte / bycause that he is prynce of pryde / lefte the man / and sprang out of his bodye ¶ An olde fader sayd that they that be humble whiche desyre to obserue theyr humylyte / whan they be tempted with elacoÌ„ns ambycyous pryde / pryncypally they that wene to be deuoute parfyght in vertues / oughten incontynent to thynke on theyr conscyence / consyder yf they haue well kepte the coÌ„mauÌ„dementes of god / yf they haue loued or hated theyr enemyes / yf they be angry of theyr wele promocoÌ„s / and yf they reioyce theym of theyr trybulacoÌ„ns / in thynkyng on suche thynges / a very meke persone shall repute hym an vnprouffytable seruauÌ„t / and worst of all synners ¶ In lyke wyse sayd an other holy fader that a man sholde neuer repute hym selfe more sobre / more contynent / ne more wyse than an other / but alwaye to Iuge hym selfe subget and symple seruaunt of god hauyng nede of his grace / all this by veray humylyte without fyccyon or ypocresye And by this one shall kepe from lesyng of the fruyte of the labour that he sholde haue goten by penaunce / for as moche as one sholde eschewe arrogaunce / or estymacyon of his merytes / in remyttyng all to god And this