a daye the poore lyke as he had be acustomed / and whan he had supposed to haue gyuen water to a seke man that was there / as sone as he torned hym / he that was in lykenes of the poore man vanysshed / none knewe where he bycam / wherof he moche meruaylled And the nyght after our lorde aperyed to hym sayd that he had on other dayes receyued hym in his membres / but on the daye he receyued hyÌ„ in his propre persone Also hospytalyte is better more worth than abstynence or ony other labour / wherof is fouÌ„de in vytis patrum that in egypte was an holy fader whiche receyued all them that passed forth by that had nede / gaf to them suche as he had It happed that a man of moche grete abstynence was herberowed in his lodynge / whiche wolde faste / wolde not ete at the prayer of the good man that had receyued hym Thenne the good man that had lodged hym sayd to hym / late vs goo fayre brother vnder that tree there without / and praye we to our lorde Ihecu Cryste that this tree enclyne and bowe doune at the prayer of hym that best pleaseth god / and whan they had made ther prayers / the tre enclyned doune to hym that receyued the poore people / not to hym that made the grete abstynences there ben many moo fayre examples of the hospytalyte but it sholde be ouer longe a thynge to reherce ¶ The .vi. braunche of mercy Ca. C.xxxvii THe .vi. brauÌ„che of mercy is to vysyte coÌ„forte ayde them that be in pryson and in holde / theym to delyuer yf they may To do this admonesteth vs thappostle Poule that sayth RemeÌ„bre ye them that ben in pryson / lyke as ye were bounde with them / that is to say that ye vesyte / conforte and helpe them Lyke as ye wolde that ye were conforted / vesyted holpen yf ye were bounde in pryson as they be Thus dyde Thobye that went to them that were in pryson and comforted them with good wordes And SalamoÌ„ sayth in his prouerbes Delyuer thou theym sayth he the men lede to deye In suche wyse delyuered Danyell Susanna fro dethe And our lorde delyuered the woman that had be taken in aduoutry / whiche sholde haue be stoned to dethe after the lawe / not for bycause that Iustyce shold not be done vpoÌ„ malefactours But in suche dede fayt he taught the Iuges what they sholde be / and how they ought to Iuge other / wherof in this ensample he ensygneth foure thynges that euery Iuge ought for to haue kepe in Iugement The fyrst thynge is grete delyberaon / and grete auysemente of counceyle good and hole / Wherof Iob sayth The cause that I knewe not I enserched it and requyred it dylygently / and this is to vnderstande in that / whiche our lorde Ihesu cryst whan the Iewes hadde accused the woman / he wrote in the erthe with his fynger / he that is without synne of you throw the fyrste stone For to stone the woman And by the scrypture made with the fynger we vnderstonde dyscrecyon and grete delyberacyon The seconde thynge is good entencyon that he bowe not ne enclyne more on that one party than on that other / ne for prayer ne for gyft / ne for fauour / ne for loue / ne for hate / and this is to vnderstande in that whan Ihesu cryste wrote he helde hym styll in the place The thyrde thynge is good lyfe and to kepe hym well from synne For he that Iugeth other ought to be of good lyfe / of good conscyence / lyue Iustly For yf he be other / he ought to haue grete drede of the IugemeÌ„t of god / whiche sayth in the gospell / that suche Iugement as ye doo to other / shall be doone to you And saynt Poule sayth thus of euyll Iuges In that thou Iugest other thou condempnest thy selfe / for thou doost that for whiche thou Iugest other Wherfore our lorde sayd whan he arose fro wrytynge / he of you that is without synne caste on her the fyrst stone / whaÌ„ they herde this senteÌ„ce / they departed went away all ashamed / the one after an other wtout takynge leue / for they were greter synners than the woman / whome they wolde haue stoned The fourthe thynge is to haue pyte compassyon / that the Iuge ought to haue on hym that he shall Iuge / for he ought more to enclyne by humanyte and mercy than to enhardy hym by rygoure to doo Iustyce For Iustyce without mercy is cruelte / and mercy without Iustyce is leudnesse And therfore that one of these two vertues holdeth ofte company with that other in holy scrypture But alway sayth the scrypture / that mercy surmounteth Iustyce And saynt Iohan with the golden mouthe sayth / that at the daye of Iugement / that it shall be more of value to rendre reason of doynge mercy than of the rygoure and cruelte of Iustyce And the holy man saynt Iames sayeth that Iugement without mercy shall be done to hym that hath doo no mercy And therfore our lorde after that he was relyeued he enclyned hym towarde therth / and after delyuerd the woman / for the Iuge ought to enclyne by pyte and compassyon to hym / whome he ought to Iuge / and haue grete drede / and also agyenst his wyll ought he to Iuge the other For yf he Iuge wyckedly he shall be Iuged at the daye of Iugement Now is it grete almesse to vysyte the prysoners / and them to rede me delyuer that may And therfore our lorde Ihesu Cryst wolde descende in to helle for to delyuer the soules of sayntes that were there ¶ The .vii. braunche of mercy Ca. Cxxxviii THe seuenth brauÌ„che of mercy is to burye the deed bodyes Of this werke is moche preysed in holy scrpture Thobye / whiche buryed the deed bodyes and lefte his mete And our lorde praysed Marye Magdalene for the oynemente that she shedde on his heed / wherof he sayd that she had doone it in sygnefyaunce of his sepulture Also Ioseph demaunded the body of our lorde / buryed it moche dylygently The other were ryÈt besy of theyr sepulture / and had grete bewayllynge and grete deuocyon to the holynesse / good / and holy lyf / of theyr faders / and therfore they wolde be buryed with them Of whome Iacob sayd to his sone Ioseph Burye me not in egypt / but with my faders / and therfore it is good to be buryed amonge good relygyous meÌ„ for to haue theyr prayers nature ought to moeue a man to this good werke / and vertuous operacyon Wherof it is redde of the nature of beestes the the dolphyns whan they se a dolphyn deed / they assemble theym togyder / bere hym to the botom of the se / and there bury hym Yf nature / pyte moeue styre the Iewes sarasyns /
Now thyÌ„ke ryght well dylygently in thyn herte how oft tymes thou hast mysprysed here in whiche thou haste in thyn herte / thyn owne self and other falsely praysed And the better dyspraysed dyspyted and the wors praysed / and how ofte thou haste dyspysed in thyn herte them that ben of more value than thou arte And how thou haste dyspysed them for some forayne grace that god hath gyuen to the Or for noblesse / or for beaute / or for prowesse / or for streÌ„gthe of body / or for lyghtnes Or for what soÌ„euer other good that it be / by the whiche thou haste praysed more thy selfe than thou oughtest to do / and the other thou haste lasse praysed than thou oughtest After thynke how many tymes thou hast borne lytell honoure and reuerence to theym that thou oughtest Fyrst to god to his swete moder and to all the aungelles sayntes of heuen For there is none but thou hast trespaced to by dyspyte or by Irreuerence In that thou hast oft tymes euyll kepte the feestes and holy dayes After thynke how many tymes thou hast serued euyll our lorde Ihesu cryst Or in that / that thou hast not not gladly herde his seruyce / ne sayd his houres / ne herde his sermons And whan thou wenest to here the masse in the chirche or the holy sermons thou Ianglest and bourdest tofore god and lettest other to do well / after thynke how thou haste many tymes done lytell honoure to the body of Ihesu cryst whan thou seest hym / or whan thou receyuest hym In this thou art not worthely apparaylled ne made redy by confessyon by repentaunce Or by aduenture that wers is thou hast receyued hym in deedly synne thy selfe wetynge The whiche thynge is a grete dyspyte vnto god as to crucyfy hyÌ„ After thynke how vnto thy swete felawe / to thy good keper thyn auÌ„gell whiche all way is with the / all way kepeth the / how many velanyes thou hast done to hym in so moche as thou hast commysed synne tofore hym / after thynke how oftyme thou hast be inobedyent to thy fader to thy moder and to theym to whome thou oughtest obbeye and bere honour Yf thou wylt in this maner recorde thy lyf thou shalte see that thou hast ofter synned in this maner of pryde whiche is called despyte / thaÌ„ thou canst recounte or telle / ¶ Of the .iii. braunche of pryde / that is arrogance Ca. xix THe thyrde braunche of pryde is arrogance whiche is callyd surquydrye or presumpcyon / that is to wete whan a man weneth more of hym self than he ought That is to saye that he weneth to be of more valure than he is worthe / or to knowe more / or to mow more than other Thys synne is the fortresse of the deuyll For he kepeth and nouryssheth all the grete synnes This synne sheweth hym in many maners by werke and by worde But namely he sheweth hyÌ„ in vi maners That is to wyte in syngularyte For the proude surquidrous that weneth to be more of valewe and power / and to knowe more than the other / daygneth not to do as thother doo whiche ben of more value than he is Also he wyll be synguler in his werkys This is the fyrst synne for whiche surquydrye sheweth hym in werke or by dede The seconde folye is enterpryse of grete dyspences of his owne or of other for to be preysed and renoumed And that he be holden the more large and the more curteyse The thyrde euyll that groweth of surquydrye is folysshe empryse of leude stryffe For thus sayth Salamon / emonge the proude men ben alwaye stryues and plees The .iiii. boughe of thys braunche by whiche the proude man sheweth the pryde of his herte is auauntynge / whiche is a moche foule synne to god and to the worlde / he that auauÌ„teth hym is lyke vnto the cuckow that can synge no thynge but of hym self / this synne is foule in hym / that by his owne mouthe auanteth hym / of his wytte or of parage / or of his werkys or of his prowessys But this synne double in theym that folowe and flatre these vauntours / and losengers / and suffre theym for to preyse theym and for to saye of theym that they durst not saye and for to lye and for to crye theyr oublyes The fyfthe tacke of this braunche is derysyon For that is the custom of the proude surquydrous / for it suffyseth not ynough to despyse the other in his herte / that hath not the grace that he weneth to haue / but he maketh his mockeryes / and derysyons And yet that werse is he scorneth and mocketh the good wyse men / and theym that he seeth be good and honeste / whiche is a moche grete synne and perylous For by theyr euyll tongues they lette moche peple to do well The .vi. boughe of this brauÌ„che is rebellyon That is whan a man is rebell to all theym that wolde hym good For yf one repreue the proude surquydrous he deffendeth hym / yf one chastyse hym anone he is angry / yf one couÌ„ceyll hym he byleueth it not but his owne wytte This is a peryllous maladye that may not suffre that he be touched to whome euery medycyne torneth to venym It is an euyll thynge to murmure / but moche werse is rebellyon / rebellyon is a vyce of the herte whiche is harde froward and dyuers / that wyll alwaye that his wyll be done and his sentence holden / and kepte wyll that all other bowe and enclyne to hym / and he shall not bowe ne humble hymself vnto noo maner persone ¶ This is the harde herte of the worde of salamon whiche may not fayle to come to an euyll ende / and lyke as murmure is ayenst god and ayeÌ„st man ryght so is suche an herte that is rebell ayenst god and ayenst men This synne and thys vyce whiche is called rebellyon departeth and deuydeth hym in to foure braunches Suche an herte is repugnante and rebell to byleue counceyle and to suffre chastysynge / and to receyue doctryne yf ony of theyr frendes wolde counceyle and shewe theyr prouffyte / or theyr defautes / he dayneth not to take hede there to ne here it But bycause that they haue spoken he wyll the more gladlyer do all the contrary And on the other partye they be moche rebell to the counceyles of our lorde / as to the counceyle of the holy gospelles / of the other holy scryptures / and sermons To whiche they be bounden to doo and to accomplysshe the wyll of god for to haue glory ê‘durable And the deuyll lyeth tofore them eyther Impotence / or youth or aege / or other euyll reasons / so that at the laste they may nothynge do After whan men repreue and chastyse theym / they defende theym as a bore so that they wyll not knowe theyr folyes / and so moche more as they excuse them / so moche more
The goodes of grace ben vertues and good werkes Ayenst these goodes bloweth somtyme the wynde of vaynglory / oftyme throweth doune the moost gretest trees and the moost hye These ben the moost wyse men / and it is to wete that in good vertues and good werkes the deuyll tempteth by synne of vaynglorye in thre maners That one is in the herte withinforthe whan a persone enioyeth hym of the good that he hath done pryuely / as of prayers / orysoÌ„s or of pryue good werkes / and weneth that he be better with god than he is That other is whan he suffreth a folysshe gladnes come in to his herte of that he hereth / or seeth his good fame or renoume and that he is reputed and holden for a good and noble wyse man The thyrde is whan he desyreth secheth purchaseth praysynge loos good fame / in that enteÌ„cyon he dooth his good dedes werkes nothyÌ„ge for god proprely but for the worlde ¶ The .vi. brauÌ„che of pryde is Ypocrysye Ca. xxii THe .vi. braunche of the synne of pryde is Ypocrysye This is a synne that sheweth good dedes with outforth / whiche ben not withinforth Thenne they ben Ypocrytes whiche counterfayte the wyse man withoutforthe / and they be nothynge soo withinforthe For they doo more in the entencyon to haue the name of a goâ—… man than the trouthe and the holynes And this is departed in to thre partyes For there is one Ypocrysy folysshe / one foule / and one subtyll They be foule Ypocrytes that done the ordures and fylthes of synne secretly in hydde places / and counterfayte the good men tofore the people Our lorde calleth them in the gospell sepulcres paynted and gylte They ben folysshe Ypocrytes that kepe them clene ynough as towarde theyr body do moche grete penaunce good werkes / pryncypally for the praysynge of the worlde / bycause they wolde be reputed and holden for good and holy Suche people ben well fo folysshe ✿ For of good metall they make false moneye They ben subtyll Ypocrytes that wyll mouÌ„te in hye estate and taketh away and steele the dygnytees and offyces They do all that a good man ought to do so subtylly / that no man may knowe it vnto the tyme that it be achyeued goten / all redy mounted raysed in to hye estate dygnytees / thenne they shewe theyr vyces / theyr fayntyses and the Ypocryses that were in theym within theyr herte That is to wete pryde / auaryce / and malyce / and other euyl werkes wherby may be clerely knowen theyr wyckednes theyr Ypocrysy And that the tree was neuer good / that all the werke dede of suche a ê‘sone was fayntyse Ypocrysye of that he had shewed tofore ¶ The seuenth brauÌ„che of pryde is fooll drede Ca. xxiii THe seuenth braunche of pryde is fooll drede and fole shame that is whaÌ„ one leueth to do well for the worlde / to th eÌ„de that he be not reputed and holden for an ypocryte and a. papelart / and fereth doubteth more the worlde than god This shame cometh of euyll pleasauÌ„ce And therfore is she doughter of pryde And the seuenth braunche pryncypall maketh a persone oftyme too leue to doo well / for to playse wyckedly the worlde ¶ The .ii. heed of the beest of helle is enuye Ca. xxiiii THe seconde heed of the beest of helle is enuye This is the serpente that enuenymeth all Enuye is moder of the deth And by the enuye of the deuyll came the dethe to the worlde ¶ This is the synne the whiche moost ryght and sone maketh a man to resemble to the deuyl his fader / for the deuyll hateth nothynge more than the we le of another And loueth nothinge but the harme of another And by this synne the enuyous man may not se the we le of another / no more than the owle may se the clerenes of the day or clerenes of the sonne ¶ This synne is departed in to thre braunches whiche be pryncypall For this syÌ„ne poysoneth fyrst the herte of thenuyous persone / and after the mouthe And after that the werkes The herte of thenuyous is so poysoned ouertorned that it may not se the good of another / but that it greue his herte withinforth and Iudgeth euyl that whiche he seeth / or that he hereth he taketh and demeth alway the werste And all this he dooth to his owne harme ¶ The herte of an enuyous ê‘sone hath so many venymous thoughtes and fals demimynges and Iugementes that they may not be noÌ„bred After this whan the enuyous persone dooth or hereth ony euyll of ony other what someuer he be / is it of harme of his body / as euyll of his dethe or of his sekenes / or of euyll fortune / or of pouerte / or euyll spyrytuell lyke as whan he hereth that some whiche haue ben holden for good men ben blamed and defamed of some vyces and defautes Of these thynges enioyeth the enuyous persone in his herte After whan thenuyous persone hereth the we le of another Thenne cometh to hym a sorowe and an heuynes to his herte that he may not be eased ne make ony good chere ne fayre semblaunt Now mayste thou se that the venymous herte of thenuyous persone synneth generally In malyce in gladnes and Ioye of the harme of other / and in sorow of the we le of another Thus syÌ„neth the enuyous man by his mouth For nedes muste suche wyne come out of the tappe as there is within the vessel And by cause that the herte is all full of venym / it by houeth that suche yssue oute of the mouth Thenne by the mouthe of thenuyous persone yssue thre maners of venymous wordes of whome Dauyd speketh in his psaulter / that the mouthe of thenuyous persone is full of maledyâ—tyon For of the good we le of another he myssayeth appayreth and lasseth as moche as he may Of hurtynge For all the harme deffaultes of another he secheth and sercheth / and sheweth forth to his power Of Trayson For all that he seeth or hereth he peruerteth to hys power / and tourneth it to euyll and Iudgeth it falselye ¶ After the enuyous persone hath thre maners of venym in werke lyke as he hath in his mouthe and in his herte For the nature of the enuyous is to quenâ—â—… and too destroye to his power all goodnesses / be they lytyl be they grete / or myddle or perfyght ¶ Thenne he is of the nature of a basylyke that may suffre noo verdure nygh vnto hym / neyther herbe ne busshe ne tree ¶ Thenne after the gospell the good or wel hath in hym self thre estates For it is fyrst as in the herte after in the ere / and after it is full of grayn Thenne al thus there be somme that haue good begynnynge to come well forth / and to prouffyte well / ben lyke as the herbe Theym the enuyous thynketh
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
one body loue and supporte eche other yf one membre hurte that other by aduenture / the other aduengeth hym not And therfore we that ben all one body in Ihesu Cryst lyke as thappostles sayth we ouÈt to loue and supporte eche other / not to hate ne to greue / and who that dooth otherwyse he is an homycyde of hym self / this sayth the scrypture Suche there be that can saye theyr pater noster / that it were better for them and more auayllable that they coude say it a ryght For who that pardoneth not / nor forgyueth with herte / and with mouthe / he moeueth his Iuge ayenste hym And in this prayer that we make to god / we requyre of hym the yefte of scyence whiche maketh a man wyse and also cunnynge This spyryte sheweth vnto hym what he is and in lyke wyse from whens he cometh / whether he goeth / and what he hath done and what he hath trespaced how moche he hath lente / and how moche he oweth and whan he seeth that he hath not wherof to paye / thenne this spyryte maketh hym to repente / to wepe and also to â—yghe / and crye god mercy and say O good lorde forgyue and pardone to me my dettes / that be my syÌ„nes For I am moche endetted to the / for the euylles synnes that I haue commysed and done / for the good dedes that I haue forgoten and left to do / whiche that I ought myght haue done and for the godes benefayres that thou hast done to me / the grete bountees whiche I haue all day receyued and euyll vsed theym / haue euyll serued the. And bycause lorde that I moche drede doubte to make my payment I requyre the to pardone me that / whiche I owe vnto the. Whan this spyryte of scyence hath thus enlumyned hym that he knoweth his defautes and synnes Thenne he casteth out of his herte all hate and rancoure and pardoneth all his euyll wyll anger yf he haue ony And yf he haue none / and is in wyll in purpose to pardone forgyue with good herte yf ony haue trespaced to hym Than may he well saye Fayre fader forgyue vs our trespaces / lyke as we do to them that haue trespaced vs. The .vi. petycyon request of the pater nrÌ„ Ca. lxxxiiii ET ne nos inducas in temptacionem Brente chylde fyre dredeth / he that somtyme is falin to synne / whan his synne is pardoned hym he is more doutous and more a ferde / hathe more drede of the temptacyon of synne than he hadde tofore / and therfore he prayeth vnto all myghty god vnto whome he hathe soo moche trespaced / and also that he hathe forgyuen and pardoned hym / that he wyll kepe hym frome fallynge in to it agayne / and sayth thus Et ne nos inducas in temptationem That is for to saye Fayre swete fader / suffre not thou that we entre in to temptacyon / and that we consent not to ony syÌ„ne The deuyll is the temptoure of synne / for it is his crafte / of the whiche he serueth in the hous of god to preue the newe knightes of god And yf the temptacyon were not good and prouffytable to good people God the whiche dooth all thynge for our prouffyte / wolde neuer suffre that temptacyon sholde come But as saynt Bernarde sayth whan our temptoure smyteth vs on the backe He forgeth vnto vs our crownes of glorye / lyke as he that smyteth on the backe of a good knyght / forgeth to hym his praysynge and his glorye / The deuyll tempteth a man proprely to th ende that he take hym aweye and departe hym holly frome the loue of our lorde Ihesu Cryste ¶ Therfore prayed and prayeth to vs saynt Poule the appostle / and vnto his dyssyples / that they be founded and ferme as a toure / and roted as a tre / in charyte / and in the loue of god so that no temptacyon may moeue theym ne make them for to staker ne quaure ¶ And therfore in this petycyon and requeste we requyre and demaunde the ayde and helpe of god in our bataylle ayenst the fende / that he wyl gyue to vs the yefte of pyte That is a grace that arouseth and bedeweth the herte / and maketh hym swete and pyetous / and maketh hym al to rendre and were grene / and to bere fruyt ynough of good werkes without forth / and withinforth And within to make stedfast and ferme his rootes in the londe of lyuynge people / that is lyke as the good cyment of whiche ben made these walles sarazynoys / whiche may not be broken ne defeated with pykeys ne with hamer whan we say thenne Et ne nos in ducas in temptacyonem That is to saye swete fader make thou our hertes ferme and in lyke wyse stable / that they moeue not ne quauer for no temptacyon that come to them by the grace of the gyft of pyte / we praye not that we be in no wyse tempted For that were a folysshe prayer and shamefull / lyke as the sone of a lorde / or of another noble man / that sholde be adoubed a newe knyght / he sholde say to his fader Fayre fader I pray you that ye me deporte or forbere kepe that I neuer se batayle ne tournoy We ought well wyll to be tempted / for it is our grete prouffyte in many maners For we be the more humble and the more doutous the more wyse in many cases / the better proued and the more hardy For as Salomon sayth ye. Who that hath not be teÌ„pted / he may knowe nothynge a ryght / but lyke as one knoweth of the batayle of Troye by here saynge for he may not knowe hym selfe ne his Infyrmyte / ne the strength of his ennemyes / ne theyr subtylte / ne how god is true redy at nede to ayde his frende / ne how many tymes he hathe kepte vs from many perylles synnes / and by all these reasons he shal not conne loue god aryght / ne thanke hyÌ„ of his yeftes yf he be not tempted / but pray we hym that he kepe to vs our hertes that they entre not in to temptacyon / that is to say that the herte consent not therto / as touchynge our selfe we be so poore / that we may not an houre of the daye sustayne thassautes the dyuers temptacyons of the fende wtout the helpe of our lorde And whan he faylleth for to ayde and helpe vs we entre in to temptacyon And whan he helpeth vs we resyste we fyght and vaynquysshe the fende our enemy whan that we coÌ„sent not to synne ¶ The .vii. petycyon of the pater noster Ca. lxxxv SEd libera nos a malo amen / saynt austyn sayth that all the other temptacyons ben to vs eyther for to doo well or for to leue to do well But all
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
ysopus a tale or a fable / of a lytell hounde and of an asse / whiche asse sawe the hounde that as oftymes as his lorde came home / he ranne ageynst hym and lepe vpon his necke / and the lorde played with hym and made hym grete feste / and the asse thought sayenge More ought my lorde to make to me feste whiche serue hym all daye / than to his dogge whiche serueth of no thynge It was not longe after that this asse sawe his lorde come to his hous And he ranne ageynst hym / and caste his .ii. fore feet aboute his necke / and began strongly to lycke and fawne hym The seruauntes of the lorde whiche sawe this / ranne with grete staues and beten ryght well the asse And of that / of whiche the asse had supposed to haue had grace / honour / and prouffyte / he had shame and domage ¶ By suche fables the wyse men were wonte tenseygne teche them self by suche ensaumple And by this ensaumple he sheweth / that no man sholde desyre suche graces as he may not attayne ne come to / and the same techeth Salamon sayenge Sone caste not thyn eyen to rychesses That is to the graces that thou mayst not atteyne Therfore he hath grete nede of dyscrescyon that he see of whome he taketh ensaumple ¶ Also it is necessyte that a man see clerely on his lyft syde / and that is the fyfthe degre For one ought to beholde the fooles and the shrewes whiche ben as on the lyft syde / for they be on the werse syde To them ought one to take hede / fyrste by cause that a man sholde haue pyte and compassyon Also that one sholde not ensyewe theyr foly ne theyr predycyon / soo as the wyse Salamon sayth I passed sayd he by the vyneyarde of the slouthfull foole / and sawe that it was full of thornes and nettles / and by this ensaumple I haue lerned wytte and prouydence Also that one loue moost god by whome he is quyte of suche synnes and of suche perylles But hym behoueth on this syde to kepe dyscrecyon and equyte For whan I se a foole and a synner I ought to haue pyte and compassyon / and not to make of hym mockerye ne derysyon I ought alway to hate the synne / and loue the persone / moche I ought to kepe me that I wyll no grefe ne harme in my herte to no persone / ne to condempne hym Ne compare my selfe to an other that is soo euyll For he is this day euyl that shall be to morowe good / and suche is this day good / that to morowe shall be euyll Also I ought as moche as I may without mysdoynge vnto other enploye my selfe / humble and condescende in werkes and in wordes for to wynne hym to god / and to withdrawe hym fro synne For lyke as sayth Seneke saynt Gregory We may not better releue them that ben fallen / than by that whiche is aforefayd / and lete vs not wyll our self how that it be enclyne towarde them ¶ The .vi. degree of the vertue of equyte Ca. Ca. xiiii THe .vi. degree of the vertue of equyte is that .vi. eye that the wyse man hath That is that he se clerely behynde the nette and the engyns of the deuyll / whiche ben to vs as behynde vs. For the fende seeth vs / and we may not se hym ¶ The fende our ennemye that is the deuyll / whiche is moche stronge / wyse / subtyll and besy for to deceyue vs. For he ceaseth neuer day ne night / but alway is in a wayte for to deceyue vs by his false crafte / and by his engynnes that he vseth in moo than a thousande maners And lyke as sayth saynt Austyn The deuylles see moche subtylly the state of a man and his manere / and his complexyon and to what synne / to what vyce he is moost enclyned / by nature or by custome / and to that parte wherto a man enclyneth hym self Therto the deuyll assaylleth moost strongely The coleryke man to wrath and yre The sanguyn man to Iolyte and to lecherye The fleumatyke to glotonnye and to slouthe / and the malencolyke to enuye and heuynesse And therfore euery man ought to deffende and kepe hym fro that parte where he seeth that his hous is moost feble And ayenst this vyce and this synne ought one to fyght and resyste moost / of whiche he is moost assaylled And how moche more he shall resyste strongely ayenste all synnes Soo moche more meryte shall he haue in paradyse or in heuen / and vnderstonde well that the enemye of helle spareth no persone For he is hardy and aygre / as he that assaylleth our lorde Ihesu Cryst in temptynge hym Knowest thou sayth our lorde to Iob / in how many guyses the fende desguyseth hym / and in how many maners Lyke as he sholde saye No man knoweth but I onely For lyke as sayth saynt Denys All the aungelys the good and the euyll / and all the spyrytes of men ben lyke as a myrrour spyrytuell Then lyke as a myrrour receyueth all the fourmes and then pryntes that comen tofore hym Rygh soo doth a spyryte of a man / be it in slepynge be it in wakynge Now then take a myrrour set it ayenst another Anone al the formes that ben in that one / thou shalt see in that other ¶ In suche it is sayd that the deuyll sheweth to a man suche fygures suche fourmes as he wyll that god suffreth hym And the soule receyueth maulgre hym self somtyme in thought and in ymagynacyon / lyke ayenste my wyll / me byhoueth to loke / se and receyue in the syghte of myn eye the fourme that cometh before me Now it is a ryght grete grace of god and a ryght grete gyfte of the holy goost to vnderstande well all the languages of the deuyll / and to knowe al his temptacyons / and all his engynes For lyke as sayth the holy saynt Bernarde It is ouer subtyll a thynge for to knowe and dyscusse bytwene the thoughtes that the herte cōceyueth and bryngeth forthe / and them that the deuyll planteth And the fende sheweth to a man how the synnes ben pleasaunt and delectable / lyghtly may a dyscrete man and reasonable knowe this But whan the fende cometh to tempte one in guyse of an aungell sheweth to hym good for to drawe hym to euyll Thenne is the tēptacyon moste stronge And therfore sayth saynt Iohan that one ought not to beleue al spyrytes / but they ought to preue and well examyn theym tofore that one beleue them / to consyder yf they be of the parte of god Ryght so dooth they that haue theyr confessoures good and holy men / wyse and well approued in theyr fayte To whiche confessoures they that confesse them / sheweth often theyr thoughtes whiche come vnto theyr herte / bothe the good and euyll For lyke as Salamon sayth Blyssed be they that
it is the vertue that moost playseth god as the scrypture sayth Herof sayth god by the prophete I wyl sayth he mercy not sacryfyse And saynt Austyn sayth that there is no thynge that so moche maketh a man amyable vnto god as doth pyte / to haue mercy on other Moche people do seruyse and sacrefyse to god in fastynges / or in plygremages / or in sharpe penaunce of the body / but to do almesse / they ben scarce caytyf strayte Also moche people of grete estate to whome god hath gyuen largely of his temporel gooddes do sacrifyse seruyse not to god / but to the worlde / or to the deuyll in that / that they dyspende folyly theyr goodes in vanytees in oultrages / in honoures of the worlde But for to gyue for godes sake to the poore they ben harde as ademont Also lyke as mercy pleseth to god / ryght so despleaseth it to the deuyl / for it is the armure the vertue by whiche he is moost soonest vaynquysshed / as is sayd in a glose vpon the plaulter / he may not suffre the good odour of suche an oynemēt / nomore thā the crapaulde may fele the smellynge or odour of the vygne / this odour myght not Iudas smelle ne fele whā the holy Maudelyne enoynted the heed of Ihesu cryst with the precyous oyntemēt For it semed to Iudas that it was a thynge loste / had leuer the money that it cost in his purse by couetyse Of suche people that be thus couetous and auarycyous is lorde mayster a deuyll that is called Closepurs / whome a holy hermyte sawe / that he had the offyce to close shyt the purses of couetous men / that they sholde not be opened to do almesse The fourth thynge that ought to moue a man to mercy is the grete largesse of our lorde / whiche gyueth largely to euery man after that they be / as sayth saynt Iames / maketh his sone to shyne vpon the good euyl / lyke as it is sayd in the gospell Syth that the debonayre Ihesus is so large to vs / that he gyueth to vs hath gyuen / all that we haue that is good / we ought to be large and curtoyse that one anenst that other For so cōmaundeth to vs god in the gospell whan he sayth Be ye mercyfull / lyke as your fader of heuen is mercyfull He ought to resemble his fader / ought to ensue hym whā he is good and wyse Or otherwyse he forsaketh hym / therfore sayth the wyse man in scrypture Be ye mercyfull pyteous to the poore / to the orphans / lyke as thou were theyr fader or theyr moder / be thou as theyr husbonde thus thou shalt be called the sone of god The fyfth thȳge that ought to moeue a man to mercy is the honoure of god For as Salamon sayth / he honoureth our lorde that dooth well to the poore For that whiche is done to the pore is done vnto god lyke as hym self wytnesseth in the gospel That that ye haue done to one of the leest of my seruaūuauntes / ye haue done vnto me This sayth our sauyour and redemptour Ihesu cryste The poore ben the lytell meyney of our lorde / who so honoureth thē by the werkes of mercy he honoureth god For who honoureth the meyne he honoureth the lorde / who that doth vylonye to the famylye seruauntes / doth vylanye to the lorde ¶ Hereof haue we a fayre a good ensaumple of the holy saynt Martyn To whome god apperyd in the nyght after that he had departed and gyuen his mantell to the poore man / he was couerd with the sayd mantel / and god sayd to his aungellys Martyn hath clad me with this vestement ¶ The syxthe thynge that ought moche to moeue a man to mercy / is the drede of the Iugement For as sayth saynt Iames Iugement without mercy shall be do to hym that doth not the werkes of mercy For lyke as god sayth in the gospell / whan the daye of Iugement shall come / the sentence shall be gyuen ayenst them that haue not to theyr power done and accomplysshed the werkes of mercy For god shall leye a deef eere to theym that now leye a deef eere to the poore / lyke as it appyereth in the exaumple that he recounteth of the ryche man that wolde gyue none almesse to Lazare / and by cause he refused to gyue to hym almesse / god refused to hym a drope of water whan he was in the fyre of helle In lyke wyse dyd he to the folysshe vyrgyns that had none oylle in theyr lampes God closed to them the yate at the weddynge and sayd to them I knowe you not / and so they abode without and came not in ryght so shall it be do at the daye of Iugement to the auarycyous and to the couetous men whiche haue not the conduytes of mercy whiche ledeth the soules to heuen / and maketh to theym a ryght waye to come tofore god as holy scrypture sayth Lyke as waye is made the yate opened to hym that bryngeth a presente Certeynlye acursed shall he be by ryght to whome pyte mercy shal torne theyr backe at the daye of Iugement / whā god shal gyue sentence so ferme / stable / dredefull For it shall be soo establysshed by Iustyce confermed / that it shall neuer be repeled And thenne shall god doo as souerayn pope bysshop kynge / caste out his grete excomynycacyon For he is kynge bysshop as sayth the scrypture / for he toke nature humayn in the lynage of kynges of bysshoppes This excomynycacyon shall be cast vpon them that shall be on the lyft syde None of them shall be except They shal be wycked people whome god shall curse for theyr synnes for theyr falsehede Thus shall he saye to them Go ye wycked and cursed in to the fyre of helle perdurably / whiche is ordeyned to thoryble deuyls / to them that haue done theyr wyll Alas this sentence how well that it is shorte / certeynlye it shall be ouer anguysshous ouer harde whan Ihesu cryst shal chase them out of his companye Suche harde a departynge ought moche to be doubted ¶ The seuenth thynge that ought moche to moeue a persone to mercy / is the fruyt and the good that groweth of this tree / whiche appyereth in many maners Fyrst in that whiche mercy geteth pardon to synnars Of whiche mercy hath the lettres of pardon and of Indulgence For god sayth in the gospel Blessed be the mercyful / for they shal haue mercy After in the same letter sayth he / yf we pardone not that one the other / god shall not pardone vs. ¶ Also mercy is the good marchauntes purs / whiche wynneth ouerall / neuer leseth For as sayth saynt Poule / mercy auaylleth to all thynges A precyous stone sholde be moche worthe that
sholde be good for all thynges That is mercy whiche wynneth the goodes temporall / the goodes spyrytuell / the godes perdurable of glorye / of the godes temporell sayth Salamon / honoure god of thy rychessys of thy godes tēporel gyue to the poore / god shal replenyssh thy garners of wheet / the cellers of wyne But vnderstande well this worde / that he sayth of thy rychesses and of thy godes / and not the goodes of other / as dooth some that wyll doo almesses of that whiche they haue taken fro other by force / by rauyne / by vsure / or by other euyll cause / maketh oft of other mens leder large thonges But of thyn owne propre good whiche thou holdest truely honoure god For that other thou arte bounden to yelde rendre agayne Also he sayth that thou gyue to the poore not to the ryche / god shall yelde to the an C. double therfore lyke as he sayth in the gospell Mercy is a sede that fructefyeth better in the lene londe than it dooth in fatte How that mercy multyplyeth the goodes temporell we haue many fayre ensamples / of whiche I wyll remembre some here ¶ It is sayd of saynt Germayne of Ancerre / that whan he came frome Rome / as he went out of Melane he demaūded his deken yf he had ony money / he answered that he had but thre pens For saynt Germayne had gyuen all to poore people Then commaunded saynt Germayne to his deken that he sholde gyue tho .iii. pens to the poore people / for god had well wherof to fede them that day The deken with grete payne grutchynge gaue two pens / reteyned the .iii. peny / and as they wēt on the way the seruaunt of a ryche man brought to saynt Germayne fro his lorde CC. shelynges Then called saynt Germayne his deken / sayd to hym that he had stolen fro the pore a peny For yf he had gyuen the .iii. d. to the poore / the knyght hadde sent hym CCC shelynges After it was sayd in the way to saynt Germayne / that to saynt Iohn̄ thamener came a gentylman whiche was robbed of theues so that he had nothynge / and tolde to saynt Iohan thamener his case / he had grete pyte and compassyon on hym / and he commaunded his dyspencer that he sholde gyue hym .xv. poūde / of golde / his dyspencer for couetyse gaf hym but .v. Anone a noble lady sent vnto the sayd saynt Iohan fyue C. pounde / of golde Thenne he called his dyspencer and demaūded hym how moche he had gyuen to that man He ansuerd sayd that he gyuen hym xv poūde The holy man sayd nay / that he had gyuen hȳ but .v. pounde / whan he knewe the trouth by hym that had receyued it / he sayd to his dyspenser / that yf he had gyuen that .xv. poūde Our lorde had sente to hym by the good woman M. vC poūde / whan he demaunded of the good lady whome he called to hym / how moche she had gyuen lefte to hym in her testament / she answerd that she had ordeyned a thousand fyue hondred poūde for to sende hym And whan she sawe the M. pounde raced put out of the wrytynge she thought that god wolde that she sholde sende to hȳ no more but .v. hondred pounde ¶ Also saynt Gregoyre reherceth of saynt Bonyface / that fro that tyme that he was a chylde he was soo pyetous / that he gaf his sherte his gowne vnto the poore / how be it that his moder bete hym ofte therfore ¶ Now it happed that the chylde sawe many poore people that suffred moche dysase / he espyed that his moder was not at home / he ranne to the garners / all that his moder had assembled for the yere he gaf to the poore people And whan his moder came knewe what he had done / she was as out of her wytte Thenne the chylde prayed our lorde the garners were full of whete ¶ Also there as a poore man as it is sayd that had but one cowe / whiche harde saye of his curate in his sermon that god sayd in the gospell / that a man sholde haue an hondred folde double for all that he sholde gyue for goddes sake The good man by the counceyll of his wyfe gaue his cowe vnto his curate in hope to haue an hondred kyen for his cowe / whan he had longe taryed / that promesse abode longe after / he wende that his curate had deceyued hym / and thought that he sholde sle hym / arose on a nyght for to sle hym / and whan he was in the way he founde a grete masse of golde / thenne he thought that god hadde rendred and yelded his promesse and retorned in peas Also of an other poore man bycause that he hadde herde that god wolde so gyue an hondred for one / he gaue his cowe vnto his curate whiche was ryche The preest toke gladly this cowe sent her to his pasture where as his other kyen were And at the euyn the poore mannes cowe came agayne home brought an C. kyen longynge to the preest with her / whan the poore man sawe that / he thought that god had kepte his promysse accordynge to the gospell And the sayd kyen were Iuged tofore the bysshop to the poore man ageynst the preest These ensamples to fore sayd sheweth well / that mercy is good marchaundyse for it encreaseth well the goodes temporall Also mercy empetreth and geteth of god the goodes spyrytuell perdurable Wherof saynt Poule sayth that it auayleth to all thynge For she gyueth lyfe and grace in this present lyfe / the lyfe of glorye without ende in that other And therfore sayth Dauyd in his psaulter / that god loueth mercy trouthe For she gyueth grace in this worlde / glory in that other Also mercy and almesse kepeth a mā fro all perylles delyuereth hȳ fro spyrytuell dethe that is of helle For many deed men haue ben raysed vnto lyfe by the werkes of mercye / the whiche haue ben doone / wherof there ben many ensaumples in wrytynge of the lyues of sayntes / the whiche is of the deth pardurable of helle Therfore sayd Thobye to his sone Be thou sayd he pyteous and mercyfull as moche as thou mayst For almesse delyuerth kepeth fro all synne fro the deth of helle / and defendeth the soule that it goo not in to the derknesse of helle ¶ Now hast thou herde the braūches and the degrees of mercy / by whiche she groweth and prouffyteth Now the byhoueth to see the braunches of this tree / by whiche she mounteth / and by whiche it descendeth ¶ Here after folowen the braunches of the vertue of mercy and of almesse Ca. C.xxxi THis tree hath mo braunches than thother toforesayd / for it extendeth more than the other wherof there ben braūches on
yf I go play and dysporte me / as longe as I playe I thynke none harme To that I shall answere All the tyme that thou employest in folysshe playes and in vanytees / and in werke the whiche is not ordeyned in ony maner vnto god thou lesest it For thou oughtest to knowe that al the tyme that thou thynkest not on god / thou oughtest for to accompte for loste / this sayeth the scrypture That is for to vnderstande whan thou thynkest on vanyte / and in thynge that is not in ony maner ordeyned vnto god And certaynly he leseth a grete thynge that leseth his tyme This sayth Seneke / for he leseth the goodes that he myght doin as moche as he soo loseth in worldly playes playes and in vanytees / and that is not without synne for to despende the tyme in euyll vsage For god requyreth rekenynge at the daye of Iugement / this sayth saynt Ancelme / and therfore ought one alwaye well to employe his tyme as longe as he lyueth in this worlde And the tyme is shorte as sayth the scrypture Ne no man knoweth how longe tyme he hath to lyue / ne no man knoweth whan he shal deye / ne how he shal passe out of this worlde who then wyll kepe the holy dayes as he oweth he ought to kepe hym fro doynge that desplayseth god and his sayntes / and well to employe his tyme in god / in prayenge hym / praysynge / and gyuynge hym thankes of his goodes / and to here the sermons and put them in eure and to entende to other good werkys and nedes that ben accordynge to god ¶ Also whan a man is in the chirche he ought to conteyne hym moche honestlye / and do reuerence to god and to his sayntes deuoutelye For the chirche is ordeyned for to pray god and his sayntes / not for to Iangle ne for to lawghe / ne for to Iape / ne for to speke ydle wordes ne for to talke too other of seculer thynges For our Lorde sayth My how 's is the hous of prayer And therfore a man ought not to doo none other thynge therin / than it for whiche it was establysshed / this sayth saynt Austyn / he that shall come tofore the kynge in his chambre for to empetre / and gete ony grace he ought well to kepe hym fro sayenge of ony thynge that sholde dysplese the kynge Moche more ought he to be ware that cometh in too the chirche whiche is the chambre and the hous of god / what he sayth and dooth tofore god and his aungelles / and that specyally that sholde dysplease hym Thenne god wyll not that a man sholde make of his hous a market ne an halle For he hym self chaced and droof out of his temple with good scourges them that bought and solde therin Also he wyl not the ony plee sholde be made therin / ne noyse ne no seculer nede / but he wyll that we sholde entende to praye god deuoutely and prayse And thanke hym of all his benefaytes There ought a man to calle ageyn his herte to hym self and put awaye all worldly werkys and all euyl thoughtes / and thynke on his creatour / on the bountees that god hath done to hym / and dooth euery daye / and to remembre his synnes and his deffaultes / and to humble hym self tofore god / and to requyre hym of pardon and grace to kepe hym from synne / to haue perseueraunce in good werkes vnto the ende ¶ Also in the chirche ought the grete lordes and the grete layes to forgete all theyr glory / theyr rychesse / theyr power / theyr dygnite / theyr hyenesse / and theyr puyssaunce / and ought to thynke that they be tofore theyr Iuge / whiche shall straytely examyne theym / and rekenne straytely of the goodes that he hath done to theym / of the dygnytees and estates that he hath sette them in / and how they haue vsed theym and he shall rewarde theym after theyr deserte Therfore ought they moche to humble theym to god / not to gloryfye them of theyr hyenesse / ne of theyr fayre araye / ne of theyr ryche robes They may take example of kynge Dauyd / whiche forgate his dygnyte whan he prayed tofore god / and despysed hym self so moche that he sayd to our lorde Ihesu Cryste I am sayd he a lytyll worme and not a man In this Dauyd knowleched his lytelnes / his pouerte / and his deffaultes / and made hȳ nought For lyke as a worme is lytell nought / and groweth naked of the erthe / al in lyke wyse is man of hȳ self a vyle thynge / for whan that he entreth in to this worlde he bryngeth nothynge / ne nothynge shall bere away / al naked he entred / and so he shall go hens / wherof saynt Bernarde sayth / what is a man but foule sperme / a sacke full of donge / and meet to wormes / he is moche foule and made of foule sede in his concepcyon / a foule sacke full of donge in his lyfe / and meete to wormes after his dethe ¶ Also the grete ladyes that ben soo arayed with golde and syluer / with precyous stones / robes ought in the chyrche tofore god well to take example of the good quene Hester / whiche toke of her precyous vestymentes and robes whan she came for to pray god / and humbled herself / and knowleged her pouerte and her defautes tofore god / and sayd to hym / lorde thou knowest that I hate the synne of pryde / and the glorye of vestymentes and of Iewelles whiche me behoueth to sette doune fro my heed / in grete abhomynacion of them / that in suche thynges trusteth / delyteth / gloryfyeth / weere theym for to shewe them to please the fooles God hath not to do with suche parementes in his chyrche / but of a clene conscyence and of an humble herte ¶ Saynt Poule ensygneth techeth ryght well how the women ought to araye them whan they come to praye god / he sayth that they ought to haue honeste habyte without ony outrage / that is to vnderstonde after that it appertayneth to the estate of a persone For that the whiche is outrage in one persone / is not outrage in an other / some is conuenyent to a quene whiche is not conuenyent to a burgeys wyf / or another symple woman Also thappostle techeth that the women of what estate that they be / that they sholde be symple of beholdynge / and regarde / and humble / that is to vnderstande that they sholde be symple / humble and shamefaste / and not afronted / ne openly shewe her vysage / as done these comyu women / whiche gone with theyr necke stratched out as an herte in the launde / and loke a syde or a trauers as an hors of prys Also he wyl that they be not curyous for to araye theyr heed with golde ne syluer ne with precyous stones
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
nature techeth vs that one ought to ete and drynke lytyl and sobrely For nature is susteyned with lytell mete / and by ouermoche mete is ofte beten doune The holy scrypture enseygneth sobrenes in many maners by many examples / lyke as they may see that connen vnderstonde scrypture / and byholden the lyues of sayntes ¶ Also euery creature techeth to vs sobrenes For in all nature god hath sette a ryght mesure whiche alwaye holdeth the moyen bytwene ouermoche and ouer lytell / after that whiche reason enlumyneth enseygneth by the grace of god For in these temporall goodes / that whiche is ouermoche to one / is lytel to another / that whiche sholde be oultrage to a poore maÌ„ sholde be lytel oftymes to a ryche man / but sobrenes atteÌ„perauÌ„ce setten oueral mesure As well in spyrytuel goodes as in fastynges in wakynges and in other werkes of vertues / whyche been done and made for the Loue of god And For the helthe of the Soule as moche as Reason wyl The vertue of attemperaunce is of sobrenes This vertue kepeth mesure resonable / not onely in etynge drynkynge but in al vertues / lyke as sayth Saynt Bernard For this vertue setteth all thoughtes and al the menynges of the herte / and all the wyttes of the body vnder the lordshyp of ryght reason / as sayth Tullyus the wyse man / so that reason enlumyned by gyfte of sapyence / holdeth in pees the lordshyp of the herte and of the body And this is the ende and thentencyon of all vertues that the herte and the body be wel ordeyned to god / soo that god onely be lorde souerayn in suche manere that all be in his obedyence And this maketh sobre the loue of god whiche putteth hym with all the herte to the wyl of god wherof Saynt Austyn sayth / that the vertue of attemperaunce and of sobrenes is a loue whiche kepeth hym in entyernesse without corrupcyon / and withdraweth vs fro the loue of the worde / whiche troubleth the herte and putteth it to dysease / and taketh fro hyÌ„ ryght knowlech of god and of hym self / lyke as a persone seeth not clerely in water troubled But the loue of god whiche is pure and clene / and is departed fro all erthely loue and fro carnall affeccyon setteth the herte in pease For it setteth it in his propre place That is in god / there he resteth / there he is in pees Ne he hath no pees ne Ioye ne reste but in god wherof our lorde sayth in the gospel / ye shal be oppressed in this worlde / but in me ye shal fynde pees / saynt Austyn sayd to god / lorde myn herte may not be in pees / vnto the tyme it reste in the / suche loue cometh not of an erthly hert / ne of the maryce of this worlde but it descendeth fro that hye roche vpoÌ„ whiche it sette and fouÌ„ded the grete cyte of heuen of holy chirche / that is Ihesu cryste / whiche al is sette founded fermly by true fayth that ben the holy hertes of good men Fro this hye roche descendeth that fountayne of loue in to the herte that is well purged and taken awaye fro the loue of the worlde This welle is so clere that he knoweth hym self and his maker / lyke as one seeth hyÌ„ self in a fountayne wel clere and clene / vpon this fountayne he resteth and the herte â—ast by / after the trauayll of good werkes So as we rede of our lorde Ihesu cryst / that whan he had so moche gone that he was wery / he sat doune and â—ested hym vpon the welle This is the fountayne vpon whiche a good herte that wyll saue hym self / resteth hym in the loue of god This fountayne is so swete that he that drynketh therof forgeteth all other swetenes and all other sauour and therfor it is soo swete and good to drynke / for of so moche as the fountayne feleth better the erthe so moche is it more holsom and better to drynke This is the fountayne of wytte of sauour For he that drynketh therof he knoweth / feleth sauoureth the grete swetenes that is in god / that is the souerayn wytte of man / to knowe wel his maker / and to loue hym / drede hym / serue honoure hym with all his herte For without this phylosophye / al other wytte nys but folye Suche wytte setteth the holy ghoost in the herte / whan he gyueth the gyfte of sapyence / whiche fedeth nourissheth the herte with spyrytuell Ioye maketh it dronke with his holy loue / that is the wytte whiche the holy ghoost setteth in the herte that is wel purged clensed fro al ordure of synne lyke as tofore is sayd This spyrytuell wytte that cometh of the parfyght loue of god maketh the herte sobre attempred in al thynges by mesure / so that the herte that is in suche estate is in pees lyke as it may be in this mortall lyf For in this worlde none may lyue without tournoyes bataylle of temptacyon / whiche god sendeth for to preue his knyghtes / by cause they can vse the armes of vertue For other wyse they myght not be good knightes / yf they were not preued how they can resyste to temptacyons And men be woned to make tournoyes in tyme of pease / but whaÌ„ a good knyght hath ouercomeÌ„ the tournoye / he retorneth home to his hous / there he resteth hyÌ„ at his ease Ryght so doth the good herte whan he hath wel foughten ouercomen the tournoye of temptacyons wel strongly resysted them Then he cometh ageyn to hym self resteth in god / whiche comforteth hym after his trauayl whiche he hath resysted ageynst the synnes / so that he forgeteth there al his trauaylle / thynketh on no thynge but on god in whome he fyndeth all that he desyreth This is the fruyt that the tree of sobrenes bereth whiche cometh of the gyft of sapyence / lyke as I haue shewed tofore Sobrenes nys none other thynge / but to kepe ryght mesure in al thynges / in .vii. maners ought a persone to kepe mesure / whiche ben lyke to seuen degrees by whiche groweth prouffyteth the tree of sobrenesse ¶ Of the fyrst degree of sobrenes of mesure Ca. Clv. THe fyrst degree of sobrenes is that a man ought to set mesure in his vnderstondynge Specyally in the poyntes of the artycles of the fayth / he passeth me sure whiche wyll seche reason natural / in that whiche is aboue reason / aboue the vnderstondynge of a man / as done the heretykes and myscreauÌ„tes whiche wyl mesure theyr fayth after theyr vnderstondynge but they ought to mesure rheyr vnderstondynge reason / vnto the mesure of the fayth / as done good crysten men Therfore sayth saynt poule / that one shold not be wise more thaÌ„ fayth bereth but by sobrenes after the mesure of
The boke named the Royall â—ego Colligo â—â—â—do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Re HEre foloweth the table of the â—ubtyces of this present boke entytled named Ryal whiche speketh fyrst of the ten commaundementes Fyrst of the two tables of the lawe whiche god delyuerd vnto Moyses for to preche to the people Ca. primo Of the fyrst commaundement Ca. ii Of the fyrste commaundement of the lawe Ca. iii. Of the seconde commaundement of the lawe Ca. iiii How one ought to loue his neyghboure Ca. v. Here folowe the .x. coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes of the lawe ê‘ticuler vi Of the iii. fyrst coÌ„mauÌ„dementes partyculer and the fyrst thynge that a subget oweth to his lorde Ca. vi Of the seconde thynge that a subget oweth to his lorde vii The thyrd thynge that a subget oweth to his lorde Ca. ix Of the seuen other commaundementes apperteynyng to the loue of his neyghboure Ca. x. Of the .xii. artycles of the fayth Ca. xi Of the beest that saynt Iohan theuangelyst sawe in thapocalyps Ca. xii The deuysyon of the seuen deedly synnes Ca. xiii Of the braunches of the synne of pryde Ca. xiiii Of the fyrst braunche and of the fyrste bowgh Ca. xv Of the seconde bowgh of the fyrst braunche Ca. xvi Of the thyrde bowgh Ca. xvii Of the seconde braunche of pryde Ca. xviii The thyrde braunche of pryde Ca. xix The fourth braunche whiche is ambycyon Ca. xx The .v. braunche whiche is vaynglorye Ca. xxi The .vi. braunche is ypocrysye Ca. xxii The .vii. braunche of pryde Ca. xxiii The seconde heed of the beest Ca. xxiiii The thyrde heed of the beest of helle is Ire Ca. xxv The fyrst warre of the synne of yre C. xxvi Of the synne of slowth the clerkes calle accidie Ca. xxvii Of pusyllamynyte of delayeng werynes Ca. xxviii Of delayenge to do well Ca. xxix Of the synne and vyce of neclygeÌ„ce Ca. xxx Of forgettynge the vyce that cometh therof Ca. xxxi Of the vyce of latchednes Ca. xxxii Of euyl poyntes of slouth Ca. xxxiii Of the synne of auerice Ca. xxxiiii Of dyuers maners spyces of vsurye Ca. xxxv The .ii. maner of vsurye Ca. xxxvi Of thefte Ca. xxvii The .iii. braunche of the synne of aueryce Ca. xxxviii The synne of chalenge Ca. xxxix Of seuen maners of the synne of chalenge Ca. xl The fytte braunche of aueryce Ca. xli Of the synne of symonye Ca. xlii Of the fyrst bough of symonye Ca. xliii Of the synne of malignite that cometh of aueryce Ca. xliiii Of marchaundise Ca. xlv The .ix. braunche of auaryce Ca. xlvi Of the synne of lecherye Ca. xlvii Of dyuers estates of lecherye Ca. xlviii Of the synne of glotonye Ca. xlix Of the synne of the tongue C. L. Of the synne that is in ydle wordes C. li. Of the synne of auauntynge C. lii Of euyll sayers of other C. liii Of the synne to say lesynges C. liiii Of the synne of periurye C. lv Of the synne peryll that is in chydynge C. lvi Of the synne of murmure C. lvii Of the synne and peryll that is in rebellyon Ca. lviii Of the synne of blasphemye Ca. lix That this lyf nys but deth as it appyereth Ca. lx How man lyueth deyenge in this worlde Ca. lxi How a maÌ„ ought to lyue holyly lerne to do wel Ca. lxii Of .iii. maners of goodes spyrytuell Ca. lxiii Of the goodes of tortune Ca. lxiiii Of the goodes of nature Ca. lxv Of the goodes of grace Ca. lxvi What vertue is honourable good Ca. lxvii Of vecay sapyence or wysedome Ca. lxviii Of the prowesse of the knyghtes of Ihesu cryst Ca. lxix Of the veray seygnorye that gyueth grace vertues C. lxx Of veray fraunchyse Ca. lxxi Of veray noblesse Ca. lxxii That charyte is moost grettest of vertues Ca. lxxiii Of two maners of goodes delectable Ca. lxxiiii Of vertues in specyall Ca. lxxv The seuen petycyons requestys that ben conteyned in the holy pater noster Ca. lxxvi wherfore thou sayst fader our / not fader myn Ca. lxxvii Why it is sayd qui est in celis Ca. lxxviii How sanctificetur nomen tuum is expowned Ca. lxxix The .ii. petycyon requeste of the pater noster Ca. lxxx The .iii. petycyon request of the holy pater nrÌ„ Ca. lxxxi The fourth petycyon and requeste Ca. lxxxii The .v. petycyon requeste of the pater noster Ca. lxxxiii The .vi. petycyon requeste of the pater nrÌ„ Ca. lxxxiiii The seuenth petycyon of the pater noster Ca. lxxxv Of the seuen gyftes of the holy ghoost Ca. lxxxvi They be called gyftes for thre reasons Ca lxxxvii Why the gyftes of the holy ghost be called gyftes lxxxviii why there be seuen gyftes no mo ne lasse Ca. lxxxix Of .vii. vertues / wherof thre ben deuyne / iiiii cardynall Ca. lxxxx Of the foure cardynall vertues Ca. lxxxxi Yet of the foure cardynall vertues Ca. lxxxxii Of the vertue of attemperaunce Ca. lxxxxiii Of the vertue of strength Ca. lxxxxiiii Of the vertue of Iustyse Ca. lxxxxv How a man ought to take fro hym the .vii. dedely synnes Ca. lxxxxvi Of the gyfte of holy drede Ca. lxxxxvii Of foure rotes of the synne of pryde Ca. lxxxxviii Of the vertue of humylyte Ca. lxxxxix Of the vertue of humylyte Ca. C. Of hym that is veray humble Ca. Ci. Of hym that is humble of herte Ca. Cii How a man ought to hate pryde Ca. Ciii Of dyuers estates of pryde Ca. Ciiii. Of thensygnement doctryne of our lorde Ca. Cv. Of the pryuyte that god hath to the soule Ca. Cvi Of the comparyson of the mustard seed to the loue of god Ca. Cvii Of the gyfte of holy drede and pyte Ca. Cviii. Of seuen maners of loue spyrytuell Ca. Cix Of the seuen gyftes of the holy ghoost and fyrst of the gyfte of scyence Ca. Cx. Of the seconde degre of equyte ryghtwysnes Ca. Cxi Of the thyrde degree of the vertue of equyte Ca. Cxii Of the fourthe fyfthe degre of the vertue of equyte Cxiii Of the syxte degree of the vertue of equyte Ca. Cxiiii Of the seuenth degree of the vertue of equyte Ca. Cxv. The vertues ageynst the seuen dedely synnes Ca. Cxvi How one ought to lyue in the 〈◊〉 estate C. Cxvii Of the deuysion of vertues after the phylosophers C. xviii Of the fyrst vertue magnanymyte C. Cxix Of the vertue of fraunce or trust Ca. Cxx Of the vertue of surte Ca. Cxxi Of the fourth degre of the vertue prowesse Ca. Cxxii Of the fyft degre of the vertue of prowesse Ca. Cxxiii Of the syxt degre of the vertue of prowesse Ca. Cxxiiii Of the spyrytuell batayle agaynst synne C. Cxxv Of the fyrst batayle agaynst all vyces Ca. Cxxvi Of very repentaunce of hert Ca. Cxxvii How a man ought to confesse hym Ca. Cxxviii Of the vertue of the yeft of counseyll / and of god / and meryte that is therin Ca. Cxxix Of the degrees of the vertue of mercy Ca. Cxxx.
to destroye yf he may / thother ben also lyke theerys of corne that floure wel and prouffyte wel to god and to the worlde And theym the fende cryeth to destroye and to shame too his power The other been perfyte in grete estate and do moche good to god to the worlde For to bete doune theyr good loos and renoume for to mynisshe theyr good dedes / the enuyous dresseth all hys engynes For as moche gretter as the goodnes is So moche more sorow he hath This synne is soo perylous that vnneth may one that vseth it come a ryght to veray repentaunce For this synne is contrary to the holy goost / whiche is fountayne of all goodnesses And god sayth in the gospell Who that synneth ayenst the holy ghoost he shall neuer haue forgyuenes ne mercy in this worlde ne in the other For he synneth of his propre malyce And it ought holy for to be vnderstande that there is noo synne how grete it be / but that god forgyueth and pardoneth in this worlde yf a persone repenteth with good herte But vnneth it happeth that ony repente of this synne For suche one warreth with his power the grace of the holy goost / in that / that he warreth the spyrytuell good of another In lykewyse as the Iewes warred agaynst our lorde Ihesu cryste for the good that he dyde ¶ And ye ought to knowe that there be .vi. synnes specyally agaynst the holy goost That is to wete presumpcyon the whiche enlargeth ouer moche to synne / and prayseth lytell the Iustyce of our lorde / and ouer moche to truste in his mercy / therfore moche people synne in hope The .ii. synne ageynst the holy goost is dyspayre whiche benȳmeth and taketh awaye frome god his mercy Lyke as presumpcyon taketh frome hym his Iustyce The .iii. is obstynacyon This is hardenes of herte Whan one is so enharded in his synne and in his malyce / that he may not be humbled ne meked ne bowe and wyll not repent hym ne amende The fourthe synne agaynst the holy goste is dyspyte of penaunce That is whan a man purposeth in his herte / that he shall neuer repente hym of his synne The fyfth is to warre agaynst the grace of the holy goost in an other The syxth is to warre agaynst the trouthe in ernest wetyngly / and in especyall the trouthe of the Crysten faythe ¶ All these foresayd synnes ben ageynst the bounte and goodnes of the holy ghoost / and they ben soo grete that vnnethe they come too veray repentaunce And therfore ben they vnnethe forgyuen pardoned ¶ The .iii. heed of the beest of helle is Ire or wrath Ca. .xxv. THe thyrde heed of the beest is Ire But thou owest to knowe that there is an yre whiche is vertuous / that the good men haue ayenste thys synne / whiche geten the vertues ayenste the vyces There is another Ire whiche is a moche grete vyce / that is felonnye of herte / oute of whome yssueth many braūche And in especyal foure warres that the felons haue ¶ Of the fyrst warre of the synne of yre / whiche is suche Ca. .xxvi THe fyrst warre of the synne of yre / is to hym self for whan Ire surmounteth the man / she tourmenteth the soule and the body so moche that the man may not slepe ne reste Somtyme yre taketh awaye the etynge and drynkynge / and maketh one falle in a feuer or in so grete heuynesse or malancolye / or despayr that he taketh the deth This is a fyre that wasteth all the goodes of the how 's ¶ The second warre that the felon hath that is to god For yre and felonnye surmounte and fyre somtyme all the people / by aduersyte temporalle / or by maladye and sekenesse / or by dethe of frendys Or by ony manere of meschaunce that his wylle is not done that he grutcheth and murmureth ayenst god our lorde sayth maugre / and in despyte of god and of all hys Sayntes And swereth and blasphemeth ayenst god and his blyssed sayntes The thyrde warre of Ire that the felon hath that is vnto theym that ben vnder hym / that is to his wyf and to his meyne and breketh pottes and cuppes lyke as he were oute of his wytte / so is he The fourth warre is withoutforth to his neyghboure by dwellers aboute hym and of this braunche growe .vi. bowes For whan Ire ryseth bytwene two men / there is then stryfe dyscorde / wordes / vylonyes / wronges And after rancour whiche dwellyth in the herte / after cometh hate medlynge and bataylle / after desyre for tauenge hym / after other whyle homycyde manslaughter After cometh ofte mortalle warre emonge the frendes / out of whiche yssuen ofte euyll in dyuers maners / and many that may not be amended For whan there is warre bytwene two hye grete men it happeth ofte that many men be slayne whiche neuer had blamed ne trespaced / monasteryes chyrches ben broken vp / and throwen doune / and ben somtyme brente townes destroyed and brent Abbayes and grete pryoryes destroyed / men women chyldren dysheryted and put to pouerte / robberyes / women maryed / and maydens defouled and corrupt / and ouer many other euylles that ben doo for that cause And al this be they bounde to rendre and to make amendes / al they by whome so many myscheues and harmes haue be done And all they that haue be in theyr helpe in suche wycked and euyll werkes / therfore they be in grete peryll of dampnacyon / and ferre frome theyr saluacyon For they may not amende ne rendre the domages that they haue done / they behoue to restore or to be forlore ¶ Of the synne of slouthe the whiche is sayd accyde Ca. xxvii THe fourthe heed of the beest of hell is slouthe / the whiche is called of clerkes accydye This sȳne is greuous to do wel This sȳne is an ouer yll rote casteth out many euyll braunches For this synne causeth a man to come vnto euyll amendemente / and more euyll begynnynge / and ouer euyll endynge The slowe persone hath euyll begynnynge by .vi. maners synnes The fyrst vyce is fayntnes / that is whan a man loueth lytyl and fayntly our lorde / whome he oweth to loue ardauntly / and this happeth whan he is flawe latchous and slowfull to do well The seconde vyce of slouthe is tendrenesse / that is the bedde wherin the deuyll resteth hym and sayth to the man or woman Thou hast be euer tenderly nourysshed thou arte of ouer feble complexyon Thou mayst not do grete penaūces / thou arte ouer tendre thou sholdest anone be deed / and for this the caytyf suffreth to be cherysshed / and to do all the eases and the delyte of his body The thyrde vyce is ydlenesse This is a synne of whome cometh many euyls as the holy scrypture sayth For whan the deuyll fyndeth a man ydle he putteth him anone in his werkes
the one maketh medles or batayle in the chyrche so that blode be shedde / or whan the sinne of lechery is done therin Also whan honde is layde in wrathe and euyll on preest or clerke or on ony man or woman of relygion Also whā one bereth awaye by euyll reason oute of holy place ony thynge blyssed and halowed / or vnhalowed what someuer it be Of this synne be not quyte they that the godes of holy chyrche the patrymonye of Ihesu cryste dyspendeth in euyll vsage Ne they that reteyne it by auaryce / Whan they ought to gyue it to the poore people in holy chyrche or put it in good vsage Ne they also that take a way or retayne with wronge or with force / the thynges whiche are longynge to the poore in holy chyrche / or who that payeth them euyll / lyke as the rentes / the offringes the dysmes and the other ryghtes dutyes of holy chyrche ¶ Of this same synne be not quyte they that breke the sonday and other feestes commaunded For the holy dayes haue theyr fraunchyses lyke as haue the holy places These ben the bowes the whiche growe out of the braūche of sacrylege ¶ Of the synne of symony Ca. xlii THe syxte braunche of auaryce is Symony Symony hath taken the name of an enchauntoure the whiche was named Symon / the whiche wolde haue boughte of saynt Peter the appostle the grace for to do myracles And therfore he offred to hym grete hauoyce and good And therfore ben they called Symonyakes all they that wyll selle or bye ony thynges spyrytuell whiche is emonge all deedly synnes one of the grettest and thys braunche hath many bowes ¶ Of the fyrst boughe of Symonye Ca. .xliii. THe fyrst is in theym that selle or bye the thynges halowed / or blessyd or the body of our lorde or other sacramentes of holy chirche ¶ The seconde is in theym that selle the worde of god / preche pryncypally for money The thyrde is the synne of theym / whiche by yeftes or by promysses / or by prayers of frendes doo soo moche that somme be promoted to dygnyte of holy chirche / lyke as ben bysshops Abbotes Deene archedeken or or other whiche ben made by electyon The fourth is the synne of theym that for yeftes or for promysses for prayers or by force of armes / or for seruyses dyshonest gyue the prebendes the cures or other benefyces of holy chirche The .v. is the synne of theym whiche by couenaūte made entre in to relygyon / and in theym that in suche manere receyue theym Ther ben many other dyuersȳnes in symonye / but it apparteyneth more to clerkes thā to laye men and this boke was more made for the laye men than for the clerkys whiche knowe and haue the bokes / yet neuerthelesse it is necessarye nede to laye men that they kepe theym fro this synne in .iii. causes One is whan they wyll ayde and helpe theyr kynnesmen and theyr frendes too ryse vnto dygnytees of holy chyrche The other is whan they gyue the prebendes that ben of theyr yefte / and the benefyces ¶ The thyrde is whan they sette and put theyr chyldren in to relygyon / in these thre poyntes yf they gyue or receyue yeftes or prayers not leesfull or euyll seruyse / they may soone falle in too this synne of Symony For lyke as sayth the lawe wryton There be thre maner of gyftes of symony Gyftes of the honde / lyke as golde / or syluer / or other Iewell / Gyftes of the mouthe / as ben prayers Gyftes of seruyce dyshonest I call gyftes dyshonest wher the synne is done pryncypally for thynges spyrytuall ¶ Of the synne of malygnyte whiche cometh of auaryce Ca. xliiii THe seuenth braunche of Auaryce is malygnyte Whan a man is so wycked that he fereth not to do a grete synne / deedly and horryble / or to do grete harme to other for lytell conquest of prouffyte for hym selfe ¶ This braunche hath many bowes The fyrst is whā ony persone for drede of pouerte or for couetyse of wynnynge he rynyeth and forsaketh god or for to denye the crysten fayth / and becometh heretyke or Iewe / or sarasyn To this synne appertayneth the synne of them that for money dooth call the deuylles make the enchauntements and maketh to loke in the swerde of crystall / or in the vngle or nayle of the fynger / for to attayne and fȳde the theft or other thynges lost And of them also that pourchase the charmes by sorcerye or by other wycked crafte what soeuer it be whan persones ben in maryage hate eche other and may not dele ne haue cōpany one with an other by maryage Or persones that be not in maryage hate eche other by synne folyly ¶ The seconde is the synne of cursynge / or by euyl saynge / by treason or by detraccyon / whan a mam for wynnynge or for hyre dooth thynge / for whiche ony persone is put vnto dethe / or by swerde / or by venym / or by ony other maner ¶ The .iii. synne is of theym that for to wynne / brenne howses / or tounes / castelles or chyrches / or dystroy the vynes or cornes / and doo other dyuers grete domages ¶ The .iiii. is the synne of them that oft pourchace the plees / debates / and the warres in cytees or in castelles in chapytres / or amonge other hye and grete men bycause that they wene too gete and wynne more in warre than in the peas ¶ The fyfthe is the synne of bayllyes and suche offycers that accuse and chalenge the poore people and make thē to be raunsoned and tourmented for a lytell gayne that they haue therof To this synne appertayneth the synne of false Iuges / of false men of lawe / and aduocates / and of false questes and wytnesses of whiche we haue spoken tofore / and in many other maners is the synne of malygnyte But it were ouerlonge for too wryte it here And better may eche man rede and consyder his synnes many other in his conscyence than in the skynne of a shepe or in paper ¶ Of marchaundyse Ca. xlv THe .viii. braunche of auaryce is marchandyse / wherin men synne in many maners / for tempo goodes / and specyally in seuen maners ¶ The fyrst maner is to sell as deere as he may The seconde is to lye / swere / and forswere the more for to selle his marchaūdyse The thyrde is the deceyte fraude that is doone in the weyght in the mesure / and this may be done in thre maners The fyrste is whan a persone hath dyuers weyghtes dyuers mesures / and byeth by a more greter weyght / and lēger mesure and selleth by a lasse The seconde is whan one hath a trewe weyght and a trewe mesure wayeth or meteth vntruly and falsely as the tauerner whiche fylleth his mesure with scum fome / the .iii. maner is whan they that selle by weyght /
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
/ it appereth moche precyous But whan a man hath holdeth them / anone they be lost / become truffes and dremes Thynke on the delyte of the last yere / and of thy dreme to nyght / thou shalte se that all is one / anone they passe anone they come agayne / in no maner may they fulfyll the herte of a man And yf in a droppe be as moche swetenes / that it is the swetenesse of all the foūtayne Then is that a delectable good And therfore the wyse holy men in all that they sawe in this worlde / sauoured of the delectable goodes of the worlde preyseden god / and moost desyred the loue of hym / and the more that they sawe the droppes swete / the more they desyred to come to the foūtayne celestyal And therfore it is wel knowen that the more that one forgeteth the droppe / the more he loueth the fountayne / the reuerse The more that one loueth the droppe the more he hateth the fountayne and forgeteth it And the more that the swetenesse of the worlde pleaseth to a creature whiche he so moche desyreth / the lasse hathe he of the swetenesse of god Therfore the gode men take the lasse of the swetenesse of the worlde as moche as they may and wyll not vse the flesshly delytes ne the deduytes that comen by the fyue wyttes bodyly A good lorde god how moche ben they fooles / and more than beestes / that knowe well that the body of a man is the moost foule thynge that may be / that the soule of a man is the moost noble thynge / the moost precyous and the moost noble creature that may be Therfore they sholde not wene that the goodes that come of the body be more delectable and swete / than they of the spyryte / whiche ben veray good / pure / and perdurable / and may fulfyl the herte and replenysshe it Suche godes gyueth god to a man in this worlde / whā he gyueth to hym pease of herte and vyctorye ayenst his synnes and ayenst thenemyes of helle And gyueth to hym glorye of conscyence and apeasyble herte / whan he replenyssheth the herte with loue spyrytuell Ioye Of suche Ioye ne of suche delyte / no semblaunce ne no comparyson may be foūden in the ioyes of the worlde ne ben not but drops to the regarde of the foūtayne of swetenesse that is Ihesu Cryst This is the fountayne of swetenes of whiche our lorde speketh in the gospell / who that shall drynke of the water that I shall gyue hym he shall become a lyuynge foūtayne whiche shall make hym lepe in to the lyfe pardurable This is the fountayne of Ioye / of swetenes / and of charyte / the whiche may fylle and replynysshe the herte And none other thynge what someuer it be / may not fyll it ¶ Of this fountayne hath tasted Dauyd the prophete whiche sayth in his psaulter O lorde god how moche is the multytude of thy grece swetenes / whiche thou kepest to thy seruauntes and departest to thy frendes And certayne who had well tasted and sauoured this swetenes that god hath gyuen to his frendes / he sholde dyspyse all the delyces and all the Ioyes of this worlde / and sholde chese retayne the spyrytuall Ioye And sholde do lyke as they that bulte the meele and deceuereth the floure fro the bren and grous / and as they that make oyle / that take the clere pure fatte / and leue the grosse matere For Ioye of the herte that cometh of god to loue / to serue / and honoure hym whiche is veray Ioye parfyte / lyke as sayth the prouerbe That none hath parfyte Ioye yf it come not of loue And therfore this Ioye is called oyle in holy scrypture / lyke as our lorde sayth by the prophete I shall gyue sayth he oyle of Ioye for wepynge This is Ioye of herte pure and veray for wepynge of penaunce Of this oyle ben enoynted they that god hath made kynges and lordes of the worlde and of them selfe And then̄e is a man parfyte crysten whan that he is enoynted with holy cresme For of crysme is sayd cryste / and of Cryst is sayd crysten / that is of Ihesu cryste And who that is enoynted of suche oyntemente / the whiche is of Ioye and loue of god / he lyueth in god / and god in hym Lyke as the holy appostle sayth And this is thenne the lyf of a crysten / that is to speke ryght / the lyf of a man / this is a good lyf and blyssednes that crysten men ought to seche and desyre for to gete the lyf perdurable / ye knowe moche wel that he is not in lyf / but in langoure / that alwaye lyueth in payne / in thought and in anguysshe This is no thynge but now wepe / and anone laughe Now is at ease / now is he at mysease / now is he in angre / now is he in pease / now in Ioye / now in sorowe Thenne who that wyll lede a good lyf / and lyue Iustly without synne / seche he that he haue the veray good / thenne he shal haue lyf honourable / delectable and prouffytable And thenne he shal lyue as a man resonable That is to saye holyly / ordynatly / wysely Ioyously meryly Meryly without angre / wysely without erroure / and. Ioyously without sorowe / and this lyf hath one by grace and by vertue / and none otherwyse ¶ Here after is spoken of vertues in especyal Ca. lxxv NOw I haue shewyd to the generally here tofore the dygnyte and the valure of the vertue of charyte / and wherfore one ought to gete it For grete prouffyt cometh for to haue it / as Ioye / honoure / and glorye perdurable But by cause men knowe not the thynge so wel in generall as they do in specyall Therfore is myn entencyon to speke of vertues in especyall / in suche manere that eueryche that wyll studye in this boke may ordeyne his lyf by vertue and by good werkes For otherwyse lytell sholde auaylle to knowe the good yf he do it not For lyke as sayth saynt Iames the appostle / who the knoweth the good doth it not / he synneth mysdoth / he is a fooll That knoweth the ryght way / and ernestly go out of it The holy scrypture sayth thus The wyse man or wyse woman hath a fayre gardyn full of verdure and fayre trees / and of good fruytes / wherof god sayth in the boke of loue to the holy soule My syster / my frende thou arte a gardyn enclosed of two closures That is of the grace of god and of aungelles This gardyn planted the grete gardyner That is god the fader whan that he admolysshed and made softe the herte of the creature humayne / and made it swete and treatable lyke waxe chaufed And as good erthe well arayed and cultyued / and worthy that good ympes sholde be
in what sorowe / in what myschyefe / and in what peryll thou arte in this present worlde For thou art semblable and lyke vnto a man the whiche peryssheth in these slepynge fast in a shyppe or other vessell / ne feleth / ne vnderstandeth / ne also apperceyueth his peryll and daunger the whiche he is in That is to vnderstande and saye caytyf beholde agayne thy lyf fro now backewarde For thou comest fro the tauerne of the deuyll / where as thou haste wasted mysspent thy lyfe and tyme in foule ordure and fylth of synne / and loste al thyn aege / and all the goodes che whiche god hath gyuen vnto the. What doost thou That is to say / consyder how thou arte faynte and frayle wery slowe towarde thy body and towarde thy soule Thou wenest to be hole and stronge / but peraduenture thou hast the humours corrupte in thy body whiche shall lede the to the deth And in thy soule thou hast euyl maners / that shall lede the to the dethe of hell yf the grace of god kepe the not After whither goest thou / that is for to saye Caytyf thȳke beholde and vnderstande that thou goest to thy deth wherin thou shalte fall in to the hondes of Herode / that is the deuyll of hell and his meyne Thou goest vnto the Iugement and dome where thou shalte se the Iustyce our lorde god soo cruell / soo strayte / and soo puyssaunt Thou goost in to hell where thou shall fynde fyre styn kynge sulphre / and mo than a thousande tourmentes that The tree of sȳnes the rote of pryde Enuy. Symony Blasphemynge Yre Auarice vayn glory Slouth Glotony Lechery neuer shall fynysshe to tourment the. Thus dooth the holy ghoost to the synner to opē his eyen / to beholde aboue hym / and vnder hym / and tofore hym and behynde hym ¶ These ben foure strokes of dethe the whiche fereth the sinner and maketh hym to trȳble and too haue drede And these foure beholdynges and consyderacions proprely ben the foure stremes of the vertue of humylyte that the gyfte of drede planteth in the hert of the synner whan god vysyteth hym ¶ Here foloweth of the foure rootes of the synne of pryde Ca. lxxxxxviii THe foure thoughtes and consyderacyons the whiche ben tofore reherced pulleth out and taketh awaye frome the roote out of the gardyn or herber of the herte the foure rootes of pryde / that is of the proude man the whiche weneth for to knowe moche thynge / Or for to be of the valour of moche thynge / or that he may do and compryse moche thynge / or to haue moche thynge These ben the foure hornes That is for to vnderstande the foure cowardyses the whiche shamed the countree that our lorde god shewed vnto the holy man Zacharye the prophete But the foure thynges that he shewed hym proprely after that they came for to be et downe these tofore sayd foure hornes the whiche ben the foure thoughtes and cōsyderacyons toforesayd For whan a man frome whens he cometh / and whan that he vnderstandeth and alsoo knoweth the pouerte / the vylete / and veraye fraylte of his byrthe / how and in what maner he was conceyued as in synne / of soo foule mater and fylthe made fourmed In so poore an house herboured and lodged In so grete pouerte borne and brought forthe In what paynes and myseryes nourysshed and fostred In what laboures and trauayles he hath lyued And he hath loste spente his tyme folysshely about vayne and transytorye vanytees / he seeth and consydereth the grete nombre multytude of his synnes and trespaces And knoweth clerely the good dedes the whiche he hath lefte and not doone by his slouthe and neclygence Thenne the grace of the holy ghoost maketh him to fele / to Iuge and for to knowe in his herte / that he is of noo value / ne noo thynge worthe / after whan he thynketh where he is / and seeth this worlde whiche is nothynge but an exyle / a desert full of berys lyepardes / a forest full of theuys and engynes a see full of tempest and perylles / a fourneys brennynge and enbraced with fyre and of all synnes / a felde of bataylle and of anguysshe / where alwaye byhoueth to lyue in warre fyght ayenste the deuylles whiche ben so subtyll and so sage Thenne the grace of God maketh hym for to fele aryght and perceyue that he felt nothynge for to gouerne hym well touchynge his saluacyon yet agayne whan the synner thynketh / consyderethe and knoweth his synnes and his defautes that he is full of synnes / and voyde of all good dedes and werkes Thenne thē holy ghost maketh him to fele and to know his pouerte / and that he hath no spyrytuell good in hym After whan the synnar seeth tofore hym whiche waye he goeth / and he seeth the deth / to whome noo man may gaynsaye On that other parte the synnar seeth the Iustyce and the vengeaunce of god so Iuste soo ryghtfull whiche is so moche to be doubted / by whos handes he must passe / he seeth and knoweth the paynes horryble of helle from whome the synnar may not escape Thenne god gyueth hym to knowe that the power of a man and of a woman is nought / and that they may do no thynge wtout the specyall grace of god Thenne the synnar begynneth to haue the spyryte and yeft of drede In these thoughtes and consyderacyons ben the braunches of the rote of the tree of humylyte This tree is planted besyde the fountayne of the drede of god / of whiche it is alwaye arowsed watred as well in wynter as in somer Now oughtes thou to knowe that these .vii. vertues of whiche I purpose to speke of haue eche of them seuen degrees / by whiche it prouffyteth / aryseth / and groweth in the herte of a creature / and his good werkys by whiche is sheweth outewarde For vertue groweth on hye / lyke as doeth the palme / the cypres or the cedre / and after spredeth and casteth his braunches on all sydes ¶ Of the vertue of humylyte Ca. lxxxxix OF the vertue of humylyte speketh saynt Ancelme / and sayth that it hath .vii. degrees by whiche it mounteth on hye before that it come to perfecion Now vnderstonde well how the fyrst degree of humylyte knoweth his pouerte / his synnes / and his defautes For lyke as sayth saynt Bernarde humylyte is the vertue that maketh a man to mespryse and despyse hym self / and holde hym for vyle whā he knoweth hym self verayly ¶ This knowleche groweth of the .iiii. rotes tofore sayd But ther ben somme that knowe well theyr deffautes and theyr synnes / and theyr pouertees / but they fele theym not Therfore the seconde degre of humylyte / is to fele and to complayne his synnes / his defautes / his sorowe / and his maladye he renneth gladly to the leche / that feleth
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
herte ¶ But now vnderstonde and beholde that this that God gyueth vnto the poore of spyryte is the heuen / and to the debonayre the erthe / where shal be the auarycyous men thenne and the felons / but in the tormentes of helle ¶ Of the seuen gyftes of the holy ghoost / and fyrst of the gyfte of scyence Ca. C.x. THe fyrst gyfte of the holy ghoost is the gyfte of scyence / whiche maketh a man humble dredefull The seconde maketh hym swete and pyteous The thyrde maketh hym clere sceynge / and connynge / and therfore it is called the gyfte of scyence For it maketh a man wyse and connynge in mesure in all thynges / whan this gyfte descendeth in to the herte of a persone / he extyrpeth and casteth out the rote and the synne of yre and of felonnye whiche troubleth the herte / and maketh a man lyke as he were fro hym self so that he seeth no thynge ne for hym self ne for to conduyte other But this gyfte enlumyneth the herte on al partes so that he may not be deceyued of ony persone / lyke as the gyfte of pyte maketh the man Innocent / soo that he wyll none deceyue / wherof saynt Iohan sayth in thappocalyps in spyryte / that the holy man that was all full of this espyryte / was all full of eyen tofore and after And an aungell shewed to Zacharye the prophete a stone wherin were seuen eyen These ben the eyen that the good men haue / for they see clere within theyr herte and all aboute them That is to saye vnder and aboue / on the ryght syde and on the lyft syde This gyfte of scyence is maystre of the werkes / and that is to saye of vertues of the soule For he maketh all Iuste to a poynte by lyne rule plombe / he taketh fyrst his bounde and his poynte / and that is that the wyse man sayth In all that thou begynnest / beholde the ende / to what ende thou shall come / after he holdeth the lyne For he goeth by ryght waye afore by ryght entencyon After he maketh all by rule For he maketh it all playne and by mesure For he loueth the comyne waye of good people without to fynde noueltees After he preueth his syght and his werkes by plombe For he taketh hede that his body enclyne not towarde the ryght syde by prosperyte ne to the lyft syde by aduersyte This gyfte of sapyence is lyke to the pryour of a cloystre of the soule / whiche kepeth thordre / maketh it to be kept oueral / Fyrst in the herte after in other offyces in this herte ben .ii. sydes .ii. thȳges / the vnderstōdynge the wyl / the reason affecion whā these two sydes and these two thynges accordeth togyder / they make moche swete melodye and moche fayre seruyce That is to wete whan the wyll / wyll all that whiche the vnderstondynge ensygneth to god / and that affeccyon feleth all that whiche reason vnderstandeth / yf they vnderstande well in these .ii. sydes whiche ben in the soule / whan and how they ought to accorde In one syde ben .iiii. lockes / and in that other syde .iiii. for reson hath foure offyces That is to enquire / to Iuge / to remembre and to shewe that whiche they vnderstande by worde This gyft ensygneth the reason that whiche he ought to lerne and enquyre / and in what ordre / and in what maner / and what ende / and this is a moche grete craft For the mysprysynge in these thynges is moche peryllous / it behoueth to vnderstonde the reason / and to lerne that whiche is necessarye / prouffytable / and honeste / and for to withdrawe fro the contrarye O god how a creature leseth his tyme / and dyspences for to lerne thynges that ben of no value / but vaynglory and synne But the holy ghoost by this gyft ensygneth lyghtly and maketh a man to lerne ordynatly that / whiche is moost necessarye to the prouffyte of the soule And that ledeth hym moost ryght vnto the loue of god for the helthe and the prouffyte of his soule / and to helpe his neyghboure Also it behoueth the reason well to enquyre the trouthe of the thȳges And also how he ought for to beleue Well to beleue is whan a man beleueth symply / and stedfastly all that whiche god sayth commaundeth without ouer moche to enquyre / and without to enserche the counceyles of god and the profounndnesse of his Iugementes the heyght of his magnyfycenciall magesty / and the reasons of his holy Sacramentes / Well to beleue is whan one beleueth not ouer hastely / ne ouer late / ne to eueryche / ne to none / for that one and other is vyce as sayth seneke After good enquyrynge cometh wel to Iuge For to Iuge well it apperteyneth that one afferme no thȳge to the tyme that he hath enquyred the trouthe of the thynge / that he be well encerteyned / and that he entremete not to Iuge that whiche apperteyneth no thynge to hym / lyke as ben the secrete thynges and hydde / thentencyons of hertes / the thinges that may not be torned on the ryght syde ne on the lyfte syde / that yet they be vnderstonde to the better parte Of whiche the spyryte by this gyfte maketh the reason to Iuge well / and to knowe the ryght / and to determyne bytwene good thynges and euyll thynges bytwene the lytel thynges and the grete thynges / for he must prayse euery thynge after his valure Also this spyryte maketh the reason to remembre For he remembreth a man all that is nedefull to hym / lyke as god sayth in the gospel The thynges that ben passed he must remembre and brynge ageyne to memorye The thynges that ben present he must vnderstonde remembre and ordeyne The thynges that ben to come he must purueye fore ordeyne and aduyse These ben the seuen partyes of the vertue of prudence / after that whiche the phylosophre sayth Also he maketh the reason for to speke by mesure and be stylle gladly / and not to speke tyll it be nede Soo that the worde be tofore well aduysed and well thought or it come to the tongue And that the worde be wayed and poysed as good money preued lyke as Salamon sayth ¶ Soo that the worde be accordynge vnto god and without synne of good mater and of good fourme That is that it haue not ouermoche / ne ouer lytel And that it be well employed For good money ne a good worde ought not to be gyuen for nought ¶ Herof sayth god in the gospell that we sholde not caste the precyous stones tofore hogges and swyne That is to vnderstonde the precyous wordes of our lorde god before them / and to suche persones that sette them selfe not to werke for theyr helthe But lyueth in the ordure of theyr synnes Therfore holy scrypture calleth them hogges This gyfte aforesayd ordeyneth and accordeth
selle / to wynne and to gete good / and the ende of his entente is all for to be ryche and noble and honoured in his cyte or towne ¶ The newe knyght gooth al another waye For he desyreth and entendeth to doo curtosyes and to gyue largely To lerne chyualry and for to vse armes To suffre payne and dysease / and to shewe prowes to conquere loos and honoure and to mounte in to hye estate ¶ These two estates we se openly and appertly in these two maner of people / of the whiche some ben / that wyll kepe theym frome grete synnes / for they wyll doo penaunce and gyue almes / and holde and kepe the coÌ„mauÌ„dementes of our lorde Ihesu cryst and of our moder holy chyrche And well sholde suffyse them / yf they myght for so moche saue them at the laste There ben other vnto whome the worlde ennoyeth and greueth for the perylles / synnes / and the paynes of the whiche it is full Soo that none may haue pease of herte / ne sure conscyence They se also agayne on the other syde / that there is noo treasure whiche may be compared vnto the loue of god Nor noo swetenes so grete / as is the peas and tranquylyte of hert Ne noo glory mondayne and worldly / that I may compare to the glorye of a pure conscyence It semeth vnto them and trouthe it is that who someuer myghte gete these thre thynges he sholde be more than ony Emperoure ¶ This is a grete thynge / but there ne ben but fewe persones whiche vndertake this empryse But whan god gyueth to a man this grace and this gyft / the whiche is called the spyryte of strength / he gyueth vnto hym a newe herte / a noble herte / and an herdy herte and couragyous Noble for to dyspyse and set at nought all the whiche the worlde may take and giue vnto the. And of this foresayd hardynesse speketh our lorde Ihesu cryst in the holy gospell / whan that he sayth Blyssed ben they whiche haue honger and thyrste for Iustyce Salamon sayth that he is Iust the whiche dyspyseth his domage for his soule or for his frende And holy saynt Bernarde sayeth that he is not Iuste that seeth not that his herte feleth and vnderstondeth / that he is bounde in his herte anenste god to loue hym aboue all thynges They that verayly desyre with all theyr herte to rendre this debte to god / ben they of whome our lorde speketh in the gospel whan he sayth that blessed be they that haue hungre and thyrst for Iustyce He sayth not blessed ben they that do ne Iustyce / but that haue hungre thyrst to do Iustyce For this Iustyce may not be holden / nor playnly rendred in this world But in this worlde it shal be desyred and in that other payed Therfore our lorde sayth not they be blessed that shall rendre and yelde this Iustyce / but he sayth more curtoysly As he that well knoweth our pouerte Blessed be they that of this Iustyce haue hungre and thyrst For Ihesu Cryste requyreth not that we paye to hym here his debte / but it suffyseth to hym yf we haue good wyll desyre to rendre and yelde And how shall I saye that they be Iuste / that rendre not that / whiche they owe / ne haue no wyll ne lust to paye This desyre whan it is veray in the herte / hym byhoueth that he shewe it by werke For lyke as Salamon sayth Noo man may bere fyre in his lappe but yf that his gowne brenne ¶ This demonstraunce may not be without vertue without prowesse For by wytnesse / ne by pletynge ne by preef may not be that one be a good knyght / but by many good feetes of armes / and by moche suffrynge and endurynge of trybulacyons myschyef And this is the fourthe vertue that the holy ghoost gyueth to a man to extyrpe plucke all out the fourth deedly synne That is the synne that is called in clergye accydye / that is slouthe This vertue aforesayd is of so grete dygnyte that emonge al other vertues / this vertue onely bereth by hym selfe proprely the name of vertue For vertue prowesse is al one God gyueth this vertue of prowes to his seruauntes / whan he suffreth and wyll make theym knyghtes lyke as he dyde his appostles at penthecost or whytsontyde Of whome we rede that they were soo cowarde tofore that they had receyued this vertue of prowesse / that they durst not go out of theyr lodgynge / vnto the tyme that they were armed with this vertue / but after the had this vertue of ê“wes they suffred gladly al martyrdomes all maner tourmentes ¶ Of the dyuysyons of vertues after the phylosophres Ca. C.xviii Plato Dyogenes Seneca THe phylosophres that treate of these vertues departe this vertue of prowesse in .vi. partyes / whiche ben lyke .vi. degrees / wherby this vertue mounteth and prouffyteth / but oure mayster whiche made the phylosophres and the phylosophye / that is Ihesu cryste / he put to the .vii. poynte of prowesse The fyrst poynte of prowesse is called magnytude The seconde is affyaunce The thyrde suerty The fourth pacyence The fyfthe constaunce The syxte magnyfycence And the seuenth whiche our mayster Ihesu cryst adiousted / that is hunger and thyrste of Iustyce This vertue may not soo proprely be named in englysshe / as thentendement or vnderstondyÌ„ge of the worlde is sayd in latyn ¶ The fyrst of the vertue of magnanymyte Ca. C.xix MAgnanymyte / is hyenes / gretenes / and nobles of courage by whiche a man is hardy / as a man of grete empryse This vertue hathe two partyes / that is to wete to dyspyse grete thynges / or nought to prayse / and more greter thynges to entrepryse and to chese ¶ Of the fyrst partye sayth saynt Austyn Prowesse is whan courage dyspyseth al that whiche he hath not in his power That is all that he may lese ayenst his wyl And Senek sayth in worldly thynges there is no thynge grete / but the herte whiche dyspyseth grete thynge Of the seconde party sayth the phylosophre / that magnanymyte is reasonable enpryse of hye thyÌ„ges ferdâ—ull / he that hath this vertue / he beholdeth the worlde fro ferre as sayth Ysaye And thus hyÌ„ semeth that all the worlde be a lytell thynge / lyke as a sterre semeth to vs a lytel thynge Thenne al the worlde / and all the charges / and the grete werkes and nedes of the worlde semen to hym as nought / wherof Salamon sayth whan he had well enserched the worlde / and had desputed of all the states / of the fooles wyse men He sayd his sentence in this manere / vanyte of vanytes and all that I see is vanyte That is to saye that all the worlde is vanyte / all full of vanytes And a man hym self for whome the worlde is made / he peryssheth with all vanyte / for in
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
degrees / the brauÌ„ches / the fruyte the spyrytuell good that cometh therof in this worlde and in that other Of the fruyte of this tree sayth Dauyd to vs in the psaulter in this wyse Blyssed is he that entendeth to the nedy to the poore That is to say that he abyde not so longe tyll the poore demaunde hym / but that he gyue without askynge Ne he hath no herte to gyue that gyueth not wtout askynge / he dooth wel that gyueth to the pore but he dooth moche better that gyueth wtout demaundyÌ„ge And therfore sayth Dauyd the prophete / blyssed is he that entendeth to the poore / wherfore is he blyssed / he sayth after in the sayd place / that god shall delyuer hym in the euyl daye fro his ennemyes That shall be at the daye of dome whiche shall be harde and euyll to them that shall be dampned bycause they haue not fulfylled the werkes of mercy ¶ Thenne shall the Iuge say to them at that day Goo ye cursed in to the fyre of hell with the deuylles to be dampned / whan I had honger and thyrst ye gaue to me neyther meet ne drynke I haue be seke and ye vesyted not me I was naked and ye clothed me not And therfore they shall be delyuered to theyr enemyes / that ben the deuylles of hell / and they that haue ben pyteous and that haue entended to the poore people shall be delyuerd that daye and sholde be put in the possessyon of heuen Lyke as our lorde sayth in the gospell For he shall saye vnto them that haue done and accomplysshed the werkes of mercy Come ye blessed of my fader Receyue ye take ye the kyngdome of heuen whiche that I haue made redy for you syth the begynnynge of the worlde For that whiche ye haue done to the poore / ye haue done to me Grete honoure shall god doo to them / whan he shall thanke theym of the werkes of mercy / and shal gyue to them the glorye perdurable And therfore sayth he in the gospell Blessed ben the mercyfull For they shall haue mercy / by cause they haue enlonged the lyf of the poore people by theyr almesse / and therfore they that haue had pyte of the membres of Ihesu Cryst / and haue susteyned them in this worlde / and haue comforted and ayded them in theyr aduersytees It is wel reason that he do to them mercy whiche delyuerth fro al aduersytes and fro all myserye / and so shall he do whan he shall gyue to them the lyf perburable / wherto mercy shall lede them and herberowe theym ¶ Of the lyf actyf of the lyf contemplatyf Ca. Cxl. THe holy scrypture wytnesseth enseygneth to vs .ii. maners of wele and goodes / by whiche a persone cometh to the lyf perdurable / the fyrst is called the lyf actyf / by cause it is in labour of good werkes / and maketh a man to entende to the proufyte of hym self and of his neyghbour The seconde is called conteÌ„platyf / by cause it is in reste of good werkes / and ne entendeth to noo thynge but to loue and to knowe god Thenne is he ydle of werkes without forth / and lyke as he were in a dreme / or heuely a slepe / but he is awaked withinforthe for to thynke vpon god / and for to loue hym And for the loue that he hay e to god / he put all other thynges in forgetynge / lyke as he were all rauysshed and fyxed in god / and desyreth for to be dysceuered fro the mortall body / for to be alway with Ihesu cryste The fyrst lyfe / is the felde of good werkes where the knyghtes of god assaye and preue them The seconde reste theym with all myghty god in the chambre of clene conscyence The fyrst entendeth for to fede god with the meet of good werkes The seconde entendeth for to be fedde and fulfylled of god by veray comfort spyrytuell ¶ Of the fyrste is sygnyfyed by Martha whiche was besy to fede our lorde / as it is sayd in the gospell The seconde is sygnyfyed by Mary magdaleyn whiche sate at the fete of Ihesu cryst / herde his wordes The fyrst is a way and entre to the seconde For noo persone may come to the lyfe contemplatyf / yf he be not fyrst proued well in the lyf actyf Lyke as sayth saynt Gregory The gyftes and the vertues wherof we haue spoken tofore / appertayneth to the fyrst lyfe / whiche is called actyf The two last gyftes of whiche we shall speke / by the helpe ayde of the holy goost / that is to wete the gyfte of vnderstandynge and of the gyft of wysdome and sapyence appertayneth to the seconde lyfe / whiche is called contemplatyf This lyfe hath two thynges lyke as we haue tofore touched / that is to wete in the ryght knowlege of god and in parfyte loue The gyft of vnderstandynge ledeth to perfeccyon of ryght knowlege The gyft of sapyence ledeth to perfeccyon of loue We shall saye fyrst of the gyft of vnderstandynge after that the holy goost shall teche and ensygne vs. This gyft that is called the gyft of vnderstondynge ne is none other thynge after the sayntes and the doctours / but a lyght and a clerenes of grace the whiche the holy goost sendeth in to the hert by vnderstoÌ„dynge a man is lyft vp to knowe his maker and the thyÌ„ges spyrytuell whiche may not be seen bodely And all the thâ—ges that apperteyneth to the helthe of the soule / and to naturall reason to whiche the vnderstondynge of a maÌ„ by hym selfe may not come This gyfte is called lyghte / for it purgeth the vnderstondynge of a man fro the derkenes of Ignouraunce / and fro the spottes and fyfth of synne For lyke as the bodely â—yght taketh away the derkenes / and maketh the bodely thynges to be seen clerely Ryght so this spuÌ„â—ll lyght purgeth the vnderstondyÌ„ge of a man / to that whiche he may see clerely and knowe certeynly / as a man may knowe in this mortal lyf god his maker / and the spyrytuell creatures / lyke as ben the aungellys and the soules and the thynges that apperteyne to the helthe of soules That ben the artycles of the feyth of whiche we haue spoken tofore This knowleche is not but in conscyence wel purged / pure and clene For lyke as sore eyen charged with fylthe may not beholde the clere lyght Ryght so the vnderstondynge of a man / whan it is of hym self may not beholde / ne knowe spyrytuell thynges / yf it be not wel purged fro al tatches of errour and of fylthe of synne / by veray fayth whiche purgeth the hertes as the scrypture sayth But the gyfte of the holy ghoost of whiche we speke here perfourmeth this purgacyon at the hert so that the holy soule whiche is purged enlumyned with this lyght of vnderstondynge may see and knowe god / and all that whiche is to hym necessarye
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
tofore other vertues whan it is without spotte and without ordure of synne for who that is hool chaste of body is corrupte of hert of thought he or she is lyke a sepulcre which is whyt fayr withoutforth within is ful of careyn of dede bodyes stynkyÌ„g rotyÌ„ vyrgynyte is lyke to a whyt robe wherin the spottes be more foule more apparauÌ„t / than in a robe of another colour Thys robe ouÈt to be wel kept fro .iii. spottes that is of fylthe / of blode and of fyre / thyse .iii. spottes defoule more thys whyt robe than other The spotte of fylthe / is the couetyse of the worlde / which ought not to be in the hert that wyl plese god the world his enemye / as sayth sayÌ„t gregoire / he sheweth that there is no frende of god that wyl plese the world whyche is enemye of god wherof sayÌ„t IohaÌ„ sayth / who that wyl be freÌ„de of the world shal be enemy to god saint poul saith yf I wold plese the peple of the world I shold not be the true seruauÌ„t of Iesu cryst It is a sygne that he wyl not plese the world that his hert is al set to god he that hath ouer grete araye curyous aboute hys body is not so for no ê‘soÌ„e secheth neuer beaulte ne couryosyte of roobes ne of paremeÌ„tes yf he supposed not to be seen of the peple who that secheth moost of suche beaute leseth most the beaute of his soule of his coÌ„scieÌ„ce wythinforth by which they shold plese god wherof sayÌ„t Bernard sayth to theÌ„ that secheÌ„ these fayre precyous robes the fayr paremeÌ„tes for to please the worlde to shewe theÌ„ The doughters of babylone beÌ„ of coÌ„fusyon for theyr glorye shall torne to perdurable dampnacyon yf they be not ware kepe them well They clothe them sayth he with purple and of fayre precyous robes / and vnder those fayre robes is ofte the conscyence poore and foule / naked of good dedes and of vertues / ful of synnes They shyne withoutforth of precyous stones / of ouches of glode syluer / but they be foule byfore god and abhomynable / and saynt Bernard sayth that they that so araye them in euyll entencyon / and done more than theyr estate requyreth / synnen greuously / but al the glorye of the doughter of the kynge of glorye / as Dauyd the prophete sayth is withinforth / that is in holy conscyence and in good vertues / where as is no poynte of couetyse but for to playse to god / and in this wyse the spot of fylthe defoylleth not Also a persone ought to kepe hym fro the spotte of blood That is of thoughtes and of flesshly desyres / wherof saynt Ierome sayth that suche vygynyte is sacrefyce offrynge to Ihesu cryste / whiche is not entatched in the herte of ony euyl thought or consentynge for lyke as hym self sayth No thynge auayleth vyrgynyte of body where as is corrupcyon of herte or of thought or of consentynge Also the fruyt is not good how well that it be fayre withoutforth / whan it is full of wormes and of retynnesse withinforth ¶ Also he ought to kepe hym fro the spote that cometh of the fyre / the fyre brenneth and bruleth the whyte robe of chastyte of vyrgynyte / that is whaÌ„ gladly they here or herkene foule wordes that may moeue them to synne For thus as sayth saynt Poule / also other tymes we haue sayd it tofore The euyll wordes / corrupten the good maners And therfore sayth Seneke / kepe the fro euyl wordes dyshonest For who that is so accustomed / he dredeth not ne ferreth no shame / falleth the more lyghtly in to synne / therfore who that wyll clenly kepe the whyte robe of vyrgynyte hym behoueth to kepe hym well fro saynge herynge suche wordes as therby he myght brenne The catte brenneth oft her skynne / so dooth not the wylde catte Vyrgynyte amonge all other vertues is compared and lykened to the floure de lys / whiche is a moche fayre floure / and moche whyte Wherof our lorde sayth in scrypture by the mouth of Salamon My frende / that is the holy soule of a vyrgyn / is as the lely amonge the thornes The specyall frende of our lorde is the soule of them that kepe vyrgynyte of herte of body For that is a vertue by whiche the soule geteth moost specyally the loue and the famylyaryte of our lorde / wherof saynt Iohan theuaÌ„ge lyst was a clene vyrgyn / and was amonge all thappostles moost famylyer whith our lorde moost pryue / as it appereth in the gospell / neuertheles he loued well thother / but he loued saynt Iohan moost for his virgynyte this floure de lys or lylye that kepeth his beaute amonge the thornes of temptacyons of the flesshe / for the flesshe that is our body humayne is but a smoke / that hath noo charge as of hym selfe but as thornes and nettles / that is the euyll menynges / whiche oft prycketh the soule / but the floure of vyrgynyte taketh noo hede of the thornes / whan it is well rooted in the loue of god whiche defendeth it fro thornes of temptacion / this floure ought to haue .vi. leues / thre graynes of golde tofore The fyrst leef is the holenes of thy body / that is to say that the body de entyer and hole wtout corrupcyon of lecherye For yf a vyrgyn were corrupte and all ageynst her wyll / she sholde not lese therfore the rewarde of vyrginyte Wherof saynt Lucye vyrgyn martyr sayd to the tyraunt yf thou corrupte me ayenst my wylle / my chastyte shal be doubled as touchyng the meryte of the crowne of glory The second leef of vyrgynyte is clennesse of hert For lyke as saynt Iherome sayth nought auaylleth to haue vyrgynyte of the body / that hath wylle for to marye hyÌ„ or hyr he speketh of them that hath auowed chastyte For who that hath auowed to kepe vyrgynyte or chastyte / he ought to kepe his hert clene and chaste The thyrd leef of vyrgynyte is humylyte For vyrgynyte wyth pryde pleaseth not god And therfore sayth saynt bernard that it is a moche fayre thyÌ„ge of humylyte wyth vyrgynyte And that soule moche pleaseth to god that iÌ„ humylyte gyueth preysyng of vyrgynyte vyrgynyte embelyssheth humilyte I dare wel say sayth he that wythoute humylyte the vyrgynyte of our lady saynt marye had neuer pleased our lord The fourth leef of the lylye of vyrgynyte is drede of god For they that ben veray vyrgynes ben woned to be tymerous ferful shamefast / that is no meruayle For they bere a moche precyous tresour in a moche feble vessel TheÌ„ne our blessyd lady the vyrgyn marie was alwaye hyd and had drede whan the aungell appyered to her But the drede of god is the tresorer whiche kepeth the tresour of vyrgynyte / which
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
glorye haue more meryte anenst god than haue many virgyns For many ben in heuen of thē that haue been in maryage in wydowhede whiche be more nygh to god haue more meryte / than many of the vyrgyns Neuer theles the virgyns haue a specyal crowne aboue the crowne of glory whiche is comyn to al saȳtes by cause the vyrgȳs haue a specyal vyctorye of theyr bodyes For for to folowe the lambe what someuer waye that he gooth / that is Ihesu cryst / to whome they be espowses / they haue left theyr carnal spowsayles / for to be with hym in the spowsaylles perdurable There shal they been well arayed nobly apparaylled of a specyal parement so gente so fayr so auenaunt that no tongue may tell therfore I wyl nomore say but that whyche the scrypture sayth that speketh of the fayr parementes that they haue more especyal thā they that ben of other estates to foresayd yet sayth the scripture that they synge newe sōges so melodyous soo fayr that none other synge that ben not in their estate That newe sōge that they sȳge sygnefyeth a newe Ioye especyal meryte preysȳg that they haue by cause that they haue wel kept theyr estate of vyrginyte And this is the .v. estate of chastyte and the fyfthe braunche of this tree The .vi. braunche of the vertue of vyrgynyte Ca. Cli THe .vi. estate that ought to kepe the vertue of chastyte / is in the clerkes ordred for to serue in holy chirche / as ben subdekens / dekens / preestes / prelates / and relygyouse Al the people ben bounden to kepe chastyte by many reasons Fyrst for the ordre whiche they haue receyued / whiche requyreth to lyue holyly / by cause that the holy sacrament of the masse is so hye and so holy / that all they that receyue it be bounden to kepe chastyte for they may not marye after that they haue promysed too holy chyrche For they be appropred to serue god in his chyrche / and at his aulter / and treaten touchen with theyr handes the thynge sayntyfyed as the vessels halowed the chalyce corporas And that whiche is gretter without comparyson the body of Ihesu cryst whiche the preest sacreth and too theym it byhoueth to gyue it to other ¶ Now thenne owen they to be moche clene and lyue ryght holyly / for reason of the hye lorde to whome they serue / that is the saynt of all sayntes and lorde of all lordes / whiche hateth all ordure of synne / wherof he hym self sayth Be ye holy as I am holy / for suche a lorde suche meyney / for the reason of the place wherin they serue This is the chirche whiche is dedycate too serue god It is founden that emonge the paynyms and the sarasyns / the preestes of theyr lawe that seruen in the temple kepen chastyte / and ben deuyded deceuerd fro the other by cause they sholde not lese theyr chastyte Moche more ought to be clene wtout romparyson more chaste the prestes of crystyante / that seruen to god in his temple whiche is saynte fyed dedycate / approued to serue god / yet ought they to be more holy and clene by cause they serue at the table of god of his cup of his mete The table of god is the auter The cuppe is the chalyce / his brede and wyn is his propre body and his propre blood Moche owen to be holy all they that suche seruyce done to god / wherof saynt Poule sayth that it byhoueth that a bysshop the other mynystres of holy chirche be chaste and without synne This vertue of chastyte was sygnefyed in the olde lawe there where god comaunded to theym that ought to ete the lambe without spotte / whiche sygnefyed the body of our lorde Ihesu cryste they sholde be gyrde on they raynes The gyrdle of the mynystres of holy chirche owen to be gyrde / that is with the vertue of chastyte whiche restrayneth and quencheth the delytes and the vyces of the flesshe wherfore god commaunded to Aaron whiche was preest and bysshop of the lawe / that he and al his sones sholde be cladde with synnen clothes of chastyte / gyrde aboue with / whyte gyrdylles of lynnen Aaron the chyldren that serueden in the tabernacle sygnefyen the mynystres of holy chirche / whiche owen to be cladde with lynnen roobes of chastyte / whiche is sygnefyed by the whyte lynnen For lyke as the lȳnen towayl tofore it be well whyte it must be beten and ofte wasshen In lyke wyse byhoueth it the flessh to be beten and corrected by penaunce / and ofte wasshe his herte and his conscyence by veray confessyon and repentaunce to th ende that they myght haue the whyte cote of chastyte / but this cote ought to haue aboue the whyte gyrdle That is to saye that chastyte ought to be straytly kept / strayned by abstynence as moche as reason may suffre whiche is the boucle of this gyrdle Otherwyse may it be sayd that the lynnen cote sygnefieth chastyte of hert The gyrdle aboue sygnefyeth chastyte of body whych oweth to restrayne the desyres the wylle of the flesshe for to kepe the chastyte of the soule This same is sygnefyed to vs in the aube in the gyrdle that the mynystres of holy chyrche vse to clothe them whan they wyl say masse For they owen to be chaste within theyr hert and wythout in the body Moche foule is the spotte of synne and specyally of lecherye in the mynystres of holy chyrche For they ought to be the eyen of holy chyrche as sayth the scrypture For lyke as the eyen aduysen the body shewen to hym the waye by whiche he ought to goo Ryght so in lykewyse owen the prelates and alle the other mynystres of holy chyrche to shewe the waye of helthe to other Thenne also as the spotte of the synne of lechery is more foule in them thā in other persones Also as the spotte that is in the eyen is more foule greuous than in the other membres of the body Ryght soo is the spotte of the synne of lecherye more foule and more peryllous in clerkes / in prelates in relygyous and in all other peple of the chyrche than in other folke ¶ Also all the peple of holy chyrche ben or owen to be myrrour and exaumple there wherin the laye people ought to loke in for to take good doctryne in good example but whan the myrrour is rusty and foule men may wel se the spotte and thordure that is in the myrrour But he that in suche a myrrour loketh / seeth not the spotte that is in hym self ne what is in the myrrour whiche so is foule and troubled But whan the myrrour is wel clere and clene thenne may one wel see hym self therin and knowe his spottes Also whan the prelate is of good lyf and of good fame / than ought one to take example
of good lyf Also Also the people of holy chirche ought too be pure clene of all fylthe of synne / and ought to be moche holy / by cause they clense and sayntefye and halowe other For lyke as sayth Saynt Gregorye The honde that is foule and fylthy may not wel take awaye the fylthe fro other And the scrypture saith he that is foule may not clense another That is to vnderstonde as touchynge his meryte / for the sacrament that is made and mynystred by the honde of an euyl mynystre is of no lasse value to hym ne werse ne he is no lasse myghty ne vertuouse to halowe them that receyue it / than yf they sholde receyue it by the honde of a good mynystre For the euyll of the mynystre appayreth not the sacrament / ne his bounte neyther / and also amende it not But alwaye the euyl of the mynystre may empayre other people by euyl example / and also he may by his bounte edefye theym by example of good lyf / therfore they that sayntefye clense other / in that they mynystre the sacramentes of holy chirche ought to be more holy and more clene than the other For yf they be euyll they shal be more punysshed than the other This is the syxthe estate in whiche oughte to be kepte the vertue of chastyte The seuenth estate of the vertue of chasttyte Ca. Cliii THe seuenth estate in whiche ought to be kept the vertue of chastyte of herte and of body / is the estate of relygyon For they that ben in that state haue promysed to god and auowed that they shal lyue chastly Then they be holden bouÌ„den by suche auowe that they may neuer marye after that they ben professed And yf they maÌ„rye after that they be professyd the maryage shall be none ¶ And therfore ought they to sette grete payne and dylygence in kepynge well theyr chastyte / and for theyr estate / whiche is the state of holynesse and of perfeccyon For of so moche as the state is more holy of so moche is the synne of them more grete and more foule And also as the spotte is more grete and foule and more apparaunt in a whyte robe than in another cloth And who falleth fro moost hye hurteth hym moost greuously / and for to vaynquysshe theyr aduersarye that is the deuyll / whiche moche payneth hym to tempte / and to make falle in to synne them of relygyon / and more he Ioyeth whan he may ouercome one of relygyon / than many of other people For lyke as the auÌ„gellys of heuen haue grete Ioye of the synnar whan he repenteth hym and doth penaunce and confessyon of his synnes ¶ Ryght so emoyeth the deuyl whan they may ouercome a good man and make hym to fall in to synne And whan he is in grete estate and parfyght soo moche hath the fende more Ioye whan he may deceyue hym / lyke as the fyssher hath more grete Ioye to take the grete fysshes that the smale ¶ We rede in the boke of the lyues of faders that an holy man recounted how he was bycomen a monke / and sayd that he had be sone of a paynem sarazyn whiche was preest of thydolles And whaÌ„ he was a chylde on a tyme whan he entred into the temple with his fader / he hydde hym / and there he sawe a grete deuyll that satte in a chayer and many deuylles aboute hym ¶ And thenne came one of his prynces and adoured hym ¶ Thenne he that Satte in the trone demaunded hym fro whens he came / and he answerede and sayd vnto is lorde that he Came frome the erthe / and that he had moeued purchaced many warres and many euylles soo that moche people were deed moche bloode shed The mayster deuyll demaunded of hym in how longe tyme he had done this / he ansuerd in .xxx. dayes / and the mayster sayd hast thou be so longe tyme out for to do soo lyte Then he commaunded anone that he sholde be beten and euyl treated After hym came another deuyll whiche adoured hym as dyd the fyrste and the mayster demauÌ„ded hym fro whens he came / and he answerd that he came fro the see / where he had made many grete tempests by which many shyppes were broken / and moche people drowned The mayster asked of hyÌ„ in how longe tyme he had done it / he ansuerd in twenty dayes Anone the maystre commaunded that he sholde be beten as that other was tofore / by cause he had no nomore harme in so longe tyme. After came the thyrde deuyll of whome the maystre asked fro whens he came and he sayd that he came fro a cyte / where as he had ben and meued stryfe debate and had purchaced medlynges that moche people were slayn / and also he had slayn the husbonde of a weddynge The mayster deuyl asked hym in how longe tyme he had done it / and he ansuerd in .x. dayes Thenne he commaunded that he also sholde be beten Atte laste came another deuyl whiche adoured the maystre deuyl / the prynce of the deuylles demaunded of hyÌ„ fro whens comest thou / he ansuerd that he cam fro an hermyte / where he had abyden .xl. yere for to teÌ„pte hyÌ„ whiche was a monke in the syÌ„ne of lecherye / he had so moche laboured that nyÈt he had ourcomen hyÌ„ had made hym to falle in the syÌ„ne of lecherye Thenne the maystre deuyll in braced kyssed hym / sette a crowne on his heed / made hym to sytte by hym / and sayd that he had done a grete thynge and a grete prowesse ¶ Now sayd the good maÌ„ the monke that he had seen thys and herde it thought that it was a grete thynge to be a monke for thys cause and vysyon he was bycom crysten a monke In these wordes a forsayd may appyere that the deuylles haue grete Ioye whan they maye make a man of relygyon to falle in to synne for after that a maÌ„ is in relygyon he is lyke to hym that is entred into a felde of batayl for to fyght ayenst the deuyl and all hys temptacyons / whan our Lord wold be tempted of the deuyll he went in to deserte For the deserte of relygyon is a felde of temptacyon Relygyon is called deserte For lyke as deserte is a place sharpe and drye and ferre fro people So ought to be the state of relygyoÌ„ sharpe of holy and parfyght lyf which is a stronge helpe a stronge armure ayenst the fendes of helle Sharpnes of penaunce is the remedye ayenst lecherye For who that wyl quenche the fyre of lecherye in hym self he ouÈt to take a waye withdrawe fro hym al the flesshly delytes eases / and soulaces of this world For al relygyouse people ought to take away and cutte fro his flesshe fro al his body al delytes worldly eases by fastynges / by wakynges by deuoute wepynges by
whiche cometh fro the erthe / ne also of the queyntyse or parementes that be in his heed Therfore sayth the wyse man in the scrypture Ne gloryfy that not in fayre robes And saynt Poule sayth that the women ought to araye theym with sobrenes and mesure That is to saye by mesure without outtrage / after that the state of the persone requyreth / certeynly it is not without oultrage whaÌ„ a persone hath for his body soo many gownes and robes that many poore men myght be susteyned of the surplus and of it whiche is ouermoche / yet yf they were gyuen at the laste for goddes loue / it sholde be somwhat / but they be gyuen to rybauldes whiche is soo grete synne Therfore ought to be kepte in suche thynges mesure and good ordenaunce / after that / that the state of the persone requyreth / as I haue sayd tofore ¶ The fyfthe degree of the vertue of sobrenes and of attemperaunce Ca. C.lx. THe syxt degre of sobrenes of attemperaunce is that eueriche kepe mesure in good maner where of Senecke sayeth / yâ— thou arte sobre or attemporate take good hede that the moeuynges of thyn herte of thy body be not foule ne disauenaunte For of the dysordynauÌ„ce of the herte cometh the dysordynaunce of the body / some be so chyldysshe of so nyce manere that they make theÌ„ selfe to be holden for a fole It appertayneth to a man of of value whiche is in grete and hye estate / that he be well ordeyned well amesured in al his dedes all his sayenges of fayre good countenaunce tofore all people so that none take euyl example of hym / that they be not holden for a fool For as a phylosopher sayth A childe of age a chylde of wyt of maners ben al one the scrypture sayeth that a chylde of an hondred yere shall be cursed That is to say that he that is of grete age / lyueth as a childe shall be cursed Whereof saynt Poule sayeth of hym selfe whan I was childe I dyde as a childe but whan I came to the age of a perfeyte man I lefte my chyldehode For who that holdeth a maÌ„ of age for a childe / he holdeth hym for a fool And therfore sayeth saynt poul Be not a childe of wytte / but in malyce be lytell as a childe whiche hath no malyce Now is it thenne a fayre thinge honest proufytable honourable / specyally to grete men of hy state to kepe mesure resonable in couÌ„tenaunce and in all his gouernaunce and that he be wel ordeyned ouer al tofore god and tofore the people And this is the .vi. degre of this tree ¶ The seuenth degree of the vertue of sobrenes and of attemperaunce Ca. Clxi. THe .vii. degre of the vertue of attemperaunce of sobrenes is to kepe mesure of ouermoche drynkynge etynge / for thoultrage of etynge drynkynge doth moche harme to the body and to the soule / lyke as I haue sayd tofore Therfor sayth our lorde in the gospell / take good hede that your hertes be not greued ne charged with glotonnye ne dronkennesse That is to saye that ye doo noo oultrage of etynge and drynkynge Sobrenes kepeth mesure in etynge and drynkyÌ„ge that he do none oultrage Of thoultrages that a persone doth in etynge and drynkynge I haue spoken tofore where as is treated of vyces / there as I spake of the synne of glotonnye / to whiche this vertue of sobrenes and of attemperaunce wherof I haue here spoken is contrarye specyally / wherof I wyl now nomore saye ¶ Now hast thou herde wherby this tree of sobrenes and attemperauÌ„ce groweth and prouffyteth / and yf thou wylt knowe the brauÌ„ches of this tree / byholde the other vertues whiche be conteyned in this boke / thou shalte fynde oueral this vertue For as I haue sayd tofore / this vertue is suche that it setteth mesure in al thynges The vertue of whiche I haue spoken tofore ben braunches of this vertue / for it sheweth it self in all the other / wherfore I wyl sette none other braunches but the vertues toforesayd ¶ This tree bereth moche fayre fruyt That is pees of the herte lyke as I haue tofore shewed For he that hath this vertue / he hath hys herte dysseuered fro the loue of the worde is Ioyned to God by charyte / that is the dere loue of god whiche putteth al other thynges in oblyuyon / whiche 〈◊〉 not ordeyned to god And 〈◊〉 suche manere the herte reâ—â—eth in god / where he hath all his comforte and his Ioye that he thynketh on none other delyte Suche comforte and delyte setteth the holy ghoost in the her that is parfyte in the vertue of sobrenes and of attemperaunce / whiche cometh of the gyfte of sapyence / lyke as I haue sayd tofore Certaynly who that myght haue suche pees of the herte / and fele that he rested in god whiche is the ende and the accomplysshement and the suÌ„me of all good desyres he sholde be well blessed in this worlde and in that other For then sholde he wynne that blessynge that god promyseth in the gospel to theym that kepe this pees entyerly without brekynge whan he sayth / blessed be the peasyble For they shall be called the sones of god They be peasyble sayth saynt Austyn that ordeyne and setten all the moeuynges of the herte / vnder the seygnorye of ryght reason of the spyryte / they ben called by ryght the sones of god / for they bere the semblaunce of theyr fader / whiche god of pees and of loue soo sayth saynt Poule Thenne pees and loue of god is the thynge that moost pleaseth god and maketh a man resonable to god / and the contrarye to the deuyl whiche is enemy of god Also they ben called the sones of god For they folowe theyr fader more nyghe than the other For pees and loue folowe theÌ„ more nyghe than ony other vertue ¶ Also they say theyr houres to theyr fader Ihesu cryst For god came not in to thys worlde but for to make peas bytwene god and man / bytwene man and aungell / bytwene man and hym self / for whan he was borne the aungellys songen for the pease that God had brought in to the erthe Gloria in excelsis deo in terra c. and therfore that the peasyble people seche no thynge / purchace but pees as moche as they may / to wardâ— god / theyr neghboure / and themselfe / they be called speâ—yally the sones of god / for they do the werkes of theyr fader Therfore thenne bycause they be the sones of god / ben they blyssed in this worlde by specyall grace / but this blyssynge shall be blyssed whan they shall be in peasyble possessyon of therytage of god theyr fader / that is of the reame of heuen / where they shal be in sure peas / and in perfyte peas / where all theyr desyres shall be accomplysshed There shal not mowe be euyll / ne sorowe / ne aduersyte / ne defaulte / but haboundaunre of all goodes / and plente of Ioye glorye without ende That shall be pees honourable / pees delectable / pees perdurable / and pees whiche surmounteth all wytte as sayeth saynt Poule And syth this peas passeth all wytte / and sence it passeth all wordes For herte may not thinke ne tongue deuyse / neere here the pees and the glorye that god kepethe to his frendes therfore I can not saye that thyng that may be suffysauÌ„t to the lawde preysyÌ„ge therof / wherof now I wyll say nomore But here I shal fynysshe make an ende of my matere to the praysynge and lawde of oure lorde To whome be gyuen all honour / whiche brynge vs in to his companye / there / where as is lyfe perdurable without ende AMEN FINIS THis boke was coÌ„pyled made at the request of kynge Phylyp of FrauÌ„ce in the yere of thyÌ„carnacioÌ„ of our lorde M.CC.lxxix translated or reduced / oute of Frensshe into englysshe / by me wyllyaÌ„ Caxton at requeste of a marchauÌ„t mercer of London whiche InstauÌ„tly requyred me to 〈…〉 for the we le of alle theâ— that shalle rede or here it / as for a specyall 〈…〉 to knowe all vyces and braunches 〈◊〉 them / and also an vertues by whiche well vnderstonden and seen may dyrecte a parsone to euerlastynge blysse / whiche boke is callyd in frensshe / le lyure Royall that is to saye thâ—â—…yall boke / or a boke for a kynge For the holy scrypture calleth euery man a kynge / whiche wysely and parfytly can gouerne and dyrecte hyÌ„self after vertue / and this boke sheweth and enseygneth it se bubtylly / so shortly / so perceyuyngly and so parfyghtly / that for the shorte comprehencyon of the noble clergye and of the ryght grete substaunce / whiche is comprysed therin It may and ought to be called well by ryght and quycke reason aboue all other bookes in frensshe or in englysshe / the boke ryall or the boke for a kynge / and also by cause that it was made and ordeyned at request of that ryght noble kynge Phelyp le bele kynge of FrauÌ„ce / ought it to be called Ryall / as tofore is sayd / whyche translacyon or reducynge out of frensshe in to englysshe was achyeued / fynysshed accomplysshed the .xiii. day of Septembre in the yere of thyncarnacyon of our lorde M. CCCCC .vii. The .xxii. yere of the reygne of kynge Henry the seuenth ¶ Here endeth the boke called the ryoall Enprynted at London in fletestrete at the sygne of the sonne by Wynkyn de worde wynkyn de worde
the vylaynnous dede and werke To this synne apperteyneth all the thynges of the flesshe / that moeuen and desyre to do this synne As done these oultrages and the excesse of mete and drynke / of swete beddes and softe / of delycyoê° robes and in all maner of excesse of body without necessyte ¶ Of dyuers estates of the synne of lecherye Ca. xlviii THe synne of lecherye hathe many estates and is departed in many braunches after the estate of the persones that done it And it goeth mountynge fro degree to degree / and fro euyll in to werse The fyrst is of syngle man and syngle woman that holden no bonde of vowe / ne of maryage / ne of ordre ne of relygyon / ne of other thynge This is the fyrst synne of lechery The seconde synne is of comyn wymmen / and this is more foul more abhomynable For by cause suche wymmen ben somtyme maryed and haue lefte theyr husbondes / or somtyme ben of relygyon / and refuse no man ne broder ne cosyn ne kynne ne other The thyrde synne is of the man syngle with a wydowe / or the reuers That is a wydower with a syngle woman The fourth too defoule a vyrgyn The fyfth is with a wedded woman This is the synne of aduoutrye whiche is moche greuous For there is brekynnge of feyth that the one ought to kepe to another After there is sacrylege whan the sacrament of maryage is broken / and herof happeth somtyme dysherytaunce and fals maryage This synne doubleth hym somtyme whan it is of a wedded man to a woman maryed to another man The .vi. synne is whan a man vseth his wyf in thynge deffended and dysordeyned ageyn nature and ordre of maryage A man may sle hyÌ„ self with his owne swerde So a man may syÌ„ne deedly with his owne wyf For this cause god smote Onam the neuew of Iacob with an euyll deth / and the deuyll whiche was named asmodeus strangled the seuen husbondes of the holy damoysell Sara whiche after was wyf to yonge thobye For all the sacramentes of holy chirche ought to be treated clenly holyly / and to holde and kepe theym in grete reuerence The .vii. synne of lecherye is too haue flesshly companye with his godsyb / or goddoughter / ne with the chyldren of theym / for suche persones may not assemble withoute synne / ne also by maryage The .viii. is of man with his kynneswoman / and this synne encreaceth / and dyscreaseth after that the kynne is nyghe or ferre The ix is of a man with the kynne of his wyf / or the reuerse / the wyf with the kynne of hyr husbonde / this synne is moche peryllous For whan the man hath hadde companye with suche a woman / he may not after haue his maryage of the cosyns of his wyf And yf he take her the maryage is none after the lawe / and yf he take a wyf after her cosyn / he loseth the ryght that he hath too his owne wyf / in so moche that he may not ne ought not to dwell with her / yf she requyre it not tofore The .x. of a woman to a clerke This synne aryseth and aualeth moche after thorder and after the dygnytees ordred The .xi. is of a man of that worlde / with a woman of relygyon / or the reuerse / a woman of the worlde with a man of relygyon / this synne encreaseth and dyscreaseth after thestate of the persones that done it The .xii. is of the prelates / whiche ought to be forme and ensample of clennes / of chastyte and of holy lyfe to all the worlde The laste is moost foule and soo abhomynable that it ought not be named This synne is ayenst nature / whiche the deuyll entyseth and sheweth a man in many maners whiche ben not to be named for the mater / whiche is ouermoche abhomynable But in confessyon it ought to be sayd / yf it be he or she to whome it hath happed For of so moche as the synne is more grete and more horryble / of so moche auayleth the more the confessyon For the grete shame that a man hathe to to saye his synne / is a grete parte of the penaunce / after holy scripture ¶ This synne dyspleaseth so moche vnto god / that he dyde doo rayne fyre brennynge and stynkynge sulphre vpon Sodom and Gomor / and dyde doo synke for this synne fyue cytees doune to hel The deuyl hym selfe that purchased this synne / hath shame and abhorred it whan it is doone ¶ Of the synne of glotonye Ca. xlix THe seuenth heed of the beest of helle is the synne of the mouth / otherwyse callyd glotonnye whiche hath two offyces / of whiche that one apperteyneth to the taste / as to ete and drynke and that other is in spekynge Therfore this vyce and this synne is deuyded in two partyes pryncypally / that is to wyte in the synne of glotonye / whiche is in etynge and drynkynge / in the synne of the shrewde tongue / that is in foule and folysshe spekynge and fyrst we shall saye of the synne of glotonye / whiche is a vyce that moche pleaseth the deuyll / and dyspleaseth to god By this synne hath the deuyl grete power in man wherof we rede in the gospell that god gaf lycence to deuylles for to entre in to swyn / whaÌ„ they were entred they drowned theym in the see This sygnefyeth that the glotons that lede the lyf of hogges and of swyn the deuyls haue leue to entre in to theym and to drowne theym in the see of helle And maketh theym to ete so moche that they brest / drynke so moche that they be drowned whan the champyon hath ouerthrowen his felowe he holdeth hyÌ„ by the gorge / by cause he sholde not relyeue Ryght so is it of hym that the deuyll holdeth by his synne in his mete the deuyll renneth to his gorge lyke as the wolfe doth to the shepe for to straÌ„gle hym / lyke as he dyde to Adam and Eue in paradyce terrester This is the fyssher of hell whiche taketh the fysshes with the grynnes by the throte This vyce dyspleaseth moche For the gloton dothe to hym grete shame whan he maketh his god of a sacke ful of donge This is the bely whiche he loueth more than god and douteth and serueth it God commaundeth that he sholde faste The bely sayth nay / thou shalt not / but thou shalte ete longe and take it by layser ¶ Also god commaundeth to ryse erly His god his bely sayth thou shalt not I am ouer full me lyst to slepe The chyrche is none hare / she wyll not fle away / and it is not yet open It shal wel abyde and tary for me And whan the gloton aryseth he begynneth his matyns and his prayers sayth O god what shall we ete this day / shall we not fynde that is ony thynge worthe After these matyns cometh the lawdes and sayth A
lorde how well dranke we yester euen the good wyne / and how good mete ete we Thenne after this be wepeth the gloton his synnes and sayth Alas sayth he I wende well this nyght to haue dyed / the wyne yester euen was ouer stronge / myn heed aketh I shal not be eased tyll I haue dronken This god of the wombe of glotonye is ouer euyll For fyrst he becometh a tauerner goer / and frequenteth tauernes / after he playeth at the dyse / and after he selleth his good away / after he becometh a rybaude / an holyer and letchour / and at the laste he hangeth on the galowes This is the salary and scotte that is ofte payde for the synne of glotonye This synne is departed after saynt Gregory in to .v. braūches For there is synne in fyue maners in etynge drynkȳge therfore some drynke tofore tyme / or wtout reasō or mesure / or ouer ardauntly or ouer plentyuously or ouer curyously Thenne the braunche of this synne is to eete tofore tyme. Ouer moche to ete is a foule thynge to a man that hath aege dyscrecyon whan he may not abyde a due houre for to ete and drynke By grete excesse of glotony it happeth ofte that a man that is hole and stronge of bo drynketh and eteth without cause reasonable tofore tyme ordeyned / and that he cometh to the meet as dothe a dombe beest And moche sȳne and maladyes bodely happen oft by the customes / therof it cometh that this gloton sayth that he may not faste ne doo penaunce For he sayth he hath an euyll heed and an euyll herte also And certaynly he sayth trouthe / and for to breke the fastynge dayes and vygylles commaunded is ryght a grete sȳne For he dampneth hym selfe / and also wyll haue company with hym / and withdraweth and letteth them to doo well And ledeth them vnto hell For he maketh theym to breke theyr fastes / to doo glotony / whiche they wolde kepe yf it were not the euyll company and felaushyp For these glotons and these lechoures amonge all other euylles that they do / done a synne that is proprely the crafte of the deuyll / that is whan they lette and withdrawe all them that they may fro well doynge / and mocke and scorne all them that loue to do wel ¶ These glotons say that they may not faste / but they lyen falsely For lytell loue of god causeth theym to say so For yf they loued as moche the veray glory of heuen as they do the vayne glory of the worlde For lyke as they faste for theyr worldy occupacyon and temporall goodes often vnto the nyght as well myght they faste vnto noone for the loue of god yf that they loued hym And yf that they dyde desyred theyr saluacyon But they be lyke vnto the chylde that all day wyll haue breed in his honde And trouthe it is the lyke as one synneth by etynge and drynkynge ouer erly Ryght so one synneth by ouer late souper These people that so moche loue to wake by nyght and wast the tyme in ydlenes / and go late to bedde / and aryse late synneth in many maners Fyrst in this that they waste lose the tyme and torne it / whan they make of the nyght the daye and of they daye the nyght God curseth suche people by the prophete For men ought on the day to do good occupye hym in good and holy werkes And in the nyght to prayse god / and to praye hym deuoutly / and to yelde hȳ thankȳges of his gyftes But they that then lye in theyr beddes whan they sholde be vp and rysen must nedes slepe whan they sholde praye to god and worshyp hym / and here the seruyce of our lorde / and thus lese all the tyme / and the daye and the nyght Also in these grete wakynges ben commysed many synnes / as play at the chesse at tables at the dyse / and is there spoken many folysshe wordes and corrupte / of whiche many synnes folowe ensyewe And also the caytyues waste theyr bodyes theyr tyme / theyr soule / theyr wytte / and theyr good The .ii. braunche of glotony is to ete and drynke outragyously and without mesure These that so done ben lyke vnto a gulfe that swaloweth all / in lyke wyse as an abysme It is ouer grete wysdome to kepe mesure in etynge and drynkynge Also it is grete helthe for moche people dye ofte tofore theyr tyme by outragyous etynge / and drynkynge / and by suche excesses and suche outrages comen and sourdeth many maladyes and sekenesses But he the wyll knowe and take this mesure / he ought to knowe that there be many maners for to lyue in the worlde Some lyueth after the flesshe and after the eases of the body Some after theyr Iolyte Other after theyr Ypocrysye Other after physyke Other after theyr honeste Other after that theyr synne requyreth Other after theyr spyryte / and after the loue of god ¶ They that lyue after the flesshe as saynt Poule sayth sleeth theyr soules / for they make of theyr bely theyr god They retayne neyther reason ne mesure / and therfore they shall haue in that other worlde payne and tourment without mesure ¶ They that lyue after theyr Iolyte wyll holde company with foles / suche folke can not / may not / ne wyll not holde ne kepe measure ne reason They that lyue after Ypocrysye ben they that ben marters to the deuyll Suche Ypocrytes haue two mesures For the ii deuylles that tourmenteth thypocryte ben moche contrary that one to that other / the one sayth ete ynough that thou mayst be fayre and fatte The other sayth thou shalte not / but thou shalte faste so that thou be pale and lene / to th ende that the worlde holde the for a good man And that it may appere that thou doost moche penaunce Now it behoueth that the Ypocryte haue two mesures / one lytell and another grete / of the whiche they vse the lytell mesure tofore the people / and the grete mesure they vse so that no man seeth them / they retayne not the true mesure that ben auarycyous In suche maner as the mouthe wyll / whiche is lady of the house / and commaundour Thenne bytwene the bely and the mouthe of the gloton ben thre dysputacyons The bely sayth I wolde be full / the mouth sayth I wyll not be ful the bely sayth to hȳ I wyll that thou ete take ynough and dyspende largely The mouthe sayth I shall not I wyll that thou restrayne the. And what shall the sory caytyf do whiche is seruaunt to his two euyll lordes Two mesures maken the peas The mesure of the bely in an other mannes hous good and large / and the mesure of his mouth in his owne hous soroufull and ouerscars ¶ They that lyuen after physyke kepen the mesure of ypocras / whiche is lytel and streyte / and it happeth ofte