virgyns Seynt Mathewe sayth in his xxv chapitre Lo here is the spouse come thoes that were redy been entred with hym to the weddyng Wheruppon seint Gregory seyth That the palays of the herte myght wele asauoured how wondrefull was that worde Here is the spouse which is come How swete was that worde to them that entred with hym to the weddyng And how bitter was the other worde The yates be shitte closed My dere frende If thou dide sauour vndrestonde wele all this thinges beheldest them wele in thynÌ„ hert Certeynly thou woldest renne with all diligence for to do penauÌ„ce wolde not lese so vnproufitably without fruyte yâ— acceptable tyme dayes of thy helthe for no maner of voluptuous plaisers or other ydelnesse And as it is writen in the Apocalips in the secunde chapitre Remembre the fro whens thou art fall or departed do penaunce It is red how in dayes passed it happened in the Abbey of Cleruaulx that an holy man beyng in his prayers herde a voys makyng a peteous lamentacion And as he asked who it was A sowle answered seiyng I am the sowle of a dampned man compleynyng mynÌ„ vnhappy cause of condempnacionÌ„ And thenÌ„ he demauÌ„ded hym of his payne which answerd that of al thinges that causeth moost payne to a dampned sowle was losse of tyme that god hadde ordeynd man by his grace that he in a litle tyme myght haue doon penaunce which shulde deliuere hym from the euerlastyng paynes of the gehenne of helle To this purpose seide Hugh of seint Uictour The lakkyng of the sight of our lorde fayllyng of alle the goodes of grace that we myght haue had shulde surmounte and be more greuous vnto the. than all the infernal tormentes Lete vs do good werkes while we haue tyme lest we seye in repentaunce As is seyd in Iheremyas in the viij chapitre That is to wite Heruest is past Somer is finyssed and we be not saued Wherfor my frendes I require and humbly pray you That ye will amende your self in shorte tymâ— and make you redy in this x. hour for the euenyng hasteth hym And the Rewardeur shal come to yelde euery man after his werkes Hit may appere by thies examples howe Remembraunce of deth shulde induce a man to do penaunce It is redde of a felonous and a cruell knyght whiche wolde neuer accept nor do ony penaunce enioyned hym by pope Alexandre And atte last the pope gaue hym his Rynge that he shulde bere hit on his fynger by wey of penaunce And as often as he behelde hit to thinke on his deth And whan he hadde bornÌ„ hit a space of tyme with that Remembraunce on a day he come ageyn to the pope sayng he was redy to shrine hym to fulfill eny other maner of penaunce that he wolde enioyne hym It is red of an other synner that in like wise wolde do noo penaunce atte last his confessour enioyned hym that he shulde commaunde his seruaunt to present hym euery daye at his table with the first messe a staffe the rynde scorched of seiyng Sir remembre that necessarely ye must dye not knowyng where whenÌ„e in what maner nor howe And as this was a good while contynued because of that Remembraunce alle that he ete turned hym to greef and trouble And thenne he called ageyn for his confessour seiyng he was redy to do and obeye ony penaunce that he wolde ordeyne For his herte vâ—s meruelously brought in greet trouble by the fere of dethe whiche he was in Lo by thies thynges aforhersed appereth thenÌ„ clerly I noughÌ„ howe Remembraunce of dethe causeth a man to humble hym self to dispise alle worldly thinges acceptably take vppon hym to do penauÌ„ce and consequently to eschewe synnes And therfore my right dere brethren and frendes remembre you often ye and right often that ye shal dye And if ye bere in your myndes the dethe ye shalt wele come by that remembryng to the most happy resorte of lyf That is to wite The herytage of our Lorde Ihesus Crist ¶ And thus endeth the first parte of this tretys deuided in foure ¶ Here begynneth the prologue of the secunde partie of the foure last thinges THe secunde parte of the foure last thynges wherof frequentyng the Remembraunce reuoketh and calleth vs from synne Is the last and fynall daye of Iugement of whiche the Remembraunce draweth vs not oonly from the dedely greet synnes But also from the smale venyall And therfore it is redde in Uias Patrum in the lif of fadres That an Auncient man seyng a yong man laugh dissolutely seyde sone we must geue accompte of all our lyf before heuen and erth Why laughest thou so faste As who seyth If thou knewest howe strayte a Rekenyng shal be atte the daye of dome of all synnes aswel greet as smale Certeynly thou woldest not laughe But rather sorowe and compleyne Nowe is here the place to wepe and to put a wey synnes And thoes that nowe wepe for their synnes shal laughÌ„ hereafter Seynt Gregory seyth in his Omely That the gladnesse of this tyme present ought to be but suche as therby the bittirnesse of the daye of Iugement be â—ot put out of remembrauÌ„ce Therfor it is writen in Ecclesiastes the xxxviij chapitre Bere my iugement in remembraunce And also our lord by his ê“phete in the psalter seith whenÌ„ I shal se or take the tyme I wil deme do iustice to euery oonÌ„ And Iohel seyth in his last chapitre All men arise and come to gydres into the vale of Iosephath For there I shal fitte Iuge all maner of peple about me Iheremyas in his seconde Chapitre seyth that our lorde seyth I shal amownte with you in Iugement Of this Iugement is wreton in Ozee the iiij chapitre Ye childeâ—n of Israhel here ye the worde of our lorde of the finall Iugement that perteyneth to our lorde vppon thenhabitantes of the erthe Sothely this Iugement is greetly to be dowted Therfor seyth the. Prophete I dred for thy Iugementes It is wreton in the book of Sapience in the fyfthe Chapitre They that see the greet Iuge shal be horribly troubled playnyng and waylyng the drede of their sowles Certeynly in this day shal all peple be troubled and they that dwelle in the vtterest partye of the worlde shal fere thoes tokens and signes and they shal dowte them and not without cause For they shal be merueylously horrible Seynt Luke seyth in his xxj Chapitre WhenÌ„e the sone of man shal shewe hym self That is to seye The chilâ—e of the virgyn marie comyng in a clowde in mageste with a greet puyssaunce thenÌ„e shal the sygnes shewe in the sonne in the mone and in the sterres And on the erthe shal â—e pressure of peple dredyng to be confused with the sounde of the â—â—awes of the see Men vniuersally of all the worlde shal fall downe for the drede and fere that they shal haue thenne O thou wretched man
Book of Sapience in the first Chapitre He that speketh euyll and peruersely shal not mowe hyde hym atte the daye of Iugement And correction shal not passe besydes hym Veyne thouhtes semethÌ„ but a lytle thyng Neuerthelesse it is writen in the. Booke of Sapience in the first Chapitre Howe felonous and euyll thouhtes must be answered vnto For he will serche alle our thouhtes Iâ— is also wreton in Isaye in the last Chapitre I shal serche their werkes and their thoughtes and shal come and assemble my self with peple That is to sey to deme them as I shal Iuge them Therof speketh Iohell also in his thirde Chapitre I shal assemble alle maner of peple in the last dayes and shal bryng them to the vale of Iosaphath And ther I shal dispute with them techyng my peple and mynÌ„ heritage of Israhell Alle our thoughÌ„tes our wordes and our werkys shal be thenne right straytely Iuged And as Seint Gregory seyth vppon the. Gospell of Seynt Mathewe the thre and twenty Chapitre Alle the heres of our hedes be nombred Semblably God considereth alle our goynges and stappes And wyll that all our vayne thoughtes and our Idelle wordes shal not rest vndiscussed at the daye of Iugement Certeyne alle our werkes shal be thenne as manyfestly shewed vnto alle peple as thoughÌ„ they were writen in our forhedes As it is writen in Ecclesiastico in the enleuenth Chapitre Atte ende of man alle his werkys and dedys shal be vncouered and made opynÌ„ Fyftely it behoueth to yelde Rekenyng and accomptes not oonly of the synnes that we haue doon but also of the vertuous and good dedys that we haue lefte vndone Seynt Mathewe seyth in the fyue and twenty Chapitre Thenne shal the greet Kyng seye to thoes on his lyfte hande Departe fro me ye wykked synners and go into the fire euerlastyng Whiche is made redy for the deueles and their angelis I haue been hungred and ye haue not fedde me c. whichÌ„ oon of the causes why the fals riche glotonÌ„ fonde no water to refresshe hym with was that he ne wolde suffre the pouer Lazar to haue the croÌ„mes that fill from his table Oon shal not Rekynne oonly of thinges doon and forgetyn but also of tyme lost in executyng euyll thynges and lefte that that was good vndone It is wreton in Ecclesiastes the .xvij. Chapitre That our lorde hath geuen man a nombre of dayes and a season to th entent he shulde vse hit wele and holsemly to his pleasyr and their owne helthe Wherof many folkys taken noonÌ„ hede and Inprofitably waste their tyme. Wheruppon Seynt Bernard compleyneth hym to his Scolers seiyng Ther is no thing more precious here than tyme. But alas nowe a dayes it is most vily lost The dayes of Saluacion passen and no man hedeth hit Ther is noon compleyneth hym of the losse of a daye and yet it can neuer be recouered Ther shal not be lost an here of an hede nor a moment of a tyme. But all shal come to a due rekenâ—ng O what drede hadde Seynt Ancelme in his meditacions seiyng O vnprofitable and drye tree What shal be thyn answere the daye whenne thou shalt be questioned to geue Rekenyng of all thy werke and accompte for the leest twynkylling of thyn eye and all the tyme of lyf that hath beenÌ„ lent the. Howe thou hast dispended hit And therfor seyth Sapiens in Ecclesiastes the fourth Chapitre My dere beloued sone kepe and spende wele thy tyme ¶ The syxth and the last thyng that behoueth to geue Rekenyng and accomptes for is all the yeftes that we haue resceyued of our Lorde God Suerly our lord hath geuen vs no thyng but that he wyll haue therof bothe Reason and Rekenyng Where by hit semeth rather that he hath but lent hit vs then geuen hit vs absolutely Certeynly he shall call vs to rekene For alle his gyftes be they spirituell as the gyftes of grace to the sowle or temporall as strengthe deliuerance and beautee of the body or worldly richesse power and worshyppe in this lyff of alle thies thinges It appereth by Example and by a Parabole in the Gospell of Seynt Mathewe in the fyue and twenty Chapitre of the fyue talentes whiche be peces of money And of Seynt Luke in the Nynetenth Chapiâ—tre Howe the noble man deliuered to his seruauntes certeyne richesse Wherof they were fayne to yelde Reason and do accompte for euery thyng therof pertyculerly As it is writon in Iob. the .xix. Chapitre Knowâ— ye that atte Iugement alle thies thynges aforseyde shal be rekened for full streytely Wherfore seyth Iob in his .ix. Chapitre What shal I do whenne our Lorde shal ryse vppe to Iuge alle men And whenne he shal questyone me what shal I answere thenne O howe lyghtly and howe sone shal he come askyng a due Rekenyng and accomptes of alle our werkys Our perdicion is nyghe and the tyme hasteth faste and is alweye commyng That is to seye Whenne our Lorde shal come and Iuge his peple For as seyth Abdeas in his oonly Chapitre The daye of our Lorde shal come in the euenyng at mydnyght At Cokke crowe or in the mornyng As is to seye Iff he come sodenly That he ne fynde you slepyng This that I sey to you I seye it in like wise to all other Be ye wakyng thenÌ„e and slepe not For if ye wacche not I shal come to you as a thef and ye shal not knowe whenÌ„e ne what houre ¶ It is redde in Apocalips in the last chapitre Lo see how I come a non and brnig with me rewardes to yelde euery man after their desertes Now thenÌ„e my right dere frend sens thou must nedely of so many thinges and of eueriche of them yelde due rekenyng and accompt be not vnpurueied but wake diligently ExamynÌ„ thy self diligently and purge wele thy conscience to the bothom to th entent that whenÌ„ our lord shal come to Iuge all thing aswel dede as quik Thou mayst couenably and resonably answere and therby to haue his mercy grace and pardon of all thy synnes And this is that Ecclesiasticus ammonyssheth vs in the xviij chapitre seyng Examyne thy self before the daye of Iugement And that shal be to thy helpe in the presens of our lorde Ihesu Crist ¶ How thorrible abyding of the last day and extreme day of Iugement is to be dowted ¶ The thirde chapitre of the secunde part THe last thnig that rendreth the final Iugement to be dredeful and doutable is the terrible sentence that thenÌ„e shal be pronounced by the Iugement of god the rightful iuge This sentence shal be terrible fereful and specially for in thingys The first is the doute the incerteynte of the sentence for ther is no man sure whether it shal be youen with hym or ayenst hym And as it is writon in Ecclesiastes the ix chapitre They be Iust and wyse and their werkes be in the
handis of god how be it ther is no man here that knowes whether he stonde in hate or loue and al thinges to come be in nowne certeynÌ„ To this purpose it is redde in Uitis patrum howe that an abbot called Agathon beyng in the article of deth And so liyng by the space of iij dayes without meuyng or openyng of his eyen His brethren seyng hym so liyng pusshed hym seiyng vnto hym Fadre abbot where art thou Atte last he answered I am in the presens of all folkes Wherfor they seide vnto hym Then thou dredest art aferde Vnto whom he answered Though I haue kept the commaundementes of our lord as vertuosly as to me was possible yet I am a man wot not whether my workes be agreable vnto hym for the domes of our lord be all other then the Iugementes of men and that is the cause of my drede I haue neeither hope ne wanhope before god Seint Austijn seyth That that we deme to be Iustice we le examyned before the deuine iustice is often inuistice And therfor it is writen in the Prouerbes of Salomon the xiiij chapitre Ther is oonÌ„ weye whiche semeth iust to a man but the ende therof ledeth hym to deth And forasmoche as this holy fadre Agathon counterpoisyng in his hert all thies thinges aforseyd al be it that he was right diligent to kepe the coÌ„maundementes of our lorde Yet alwey he dead ful sore the last day of Iugement It is also red in Uitis patrum howe ther was somtyme an auncient fadre whiche seide I drede iij thinges that is to seye First whenÌ„ my sowle shal depart out of my body seclide whenÌ„ she shal come before our lord The iij whenÌ„ she shal abide here the final sentence of the last day of iugement Lo see how many holy faders haue dead this last day of iugement for the nowne certeynÌ„ of the doutfull sentences that there shal be geuen Now certeynly it is a thing whichÌ„ of reason ought timerously to be drad It is writen in the Gospell of Seynt Mathewe in the vij chapitre by the wordes of our lorde Ihesu Crist. Many men shal sey to me Sir sir haue we not ê“phecied in thy name cast out the deuels of men doon many vertuoê° dedis ThenÌ„ he shal seye vnto them I knowe you not nor euer knewe you depart fro me If the prophetes thoes that haue chased out deuels thoes that haue doon miracles in the name of our lord be so put a bakke who shal then mowe be sure who shal conne liue here so holily but atte day of dome he ought to tremble fere Certeynly noonÌ„ for vppon the erthe is ther no body purely clene without filthe not a childe of oon day olde for it is bornÌ„ in original synne Therfor it is writen in Isay the lxiiij chapitre We be all made as a fowle cloth and we ought to drede al our werkis whichÌ„ shal be shewed befor vs atte dome al though we thinke them good vertuous iust Therfor seith Iob in his ix chapitre I haue dead al my werkis Semblably seint powle whichÌ„ was a delectable chosynÌ„ vessel al be it he was then ful clene in conscience in so moche he seide in the xxiij chapitre of Thactes of Apostoles I haue been conuersant wtth our lorde with al my myght in good conscience to this day And yet it is According wherto the same holy Apostle ferefull wrote in his first Pistle ad Corintheos the .iiij. chapitre seyde I fele not my self gilty in ony thyng that notwhithstondyng I fere yet by cause I am not iustified Seint Gregory seide The Iust men drede in al their werkes WhenÌ„ they wysely considere howe they must come afore the hyghe Iuge For as Thappostel writeth vnto the. Romaynes the xiiij chapitre We shal come all before the tribunal sete of Ihesu Crist. Alas thenÌ„e I wretched sinner what shal I seye or what shal I do whenÌ„e I shal come before so greet a Iuge wtthout goode werkes for my helpe The secunde thing whiche causeth this sentence to be terrible Is the harde lamentable and intollerabile vtterance of the seide sentence Whenne our lord Ihesu Crist shal seye Go ye fro me ye cursed peple To that purpose is writon in the. Gospel of seint Mathewe in the xxv Chapitre Whenne the sone of manÌ„ shal come in his mageste and al his angeles with hym ThenÌ„e he shal sitte in the hyghÌ„ iudicial sete al maner of peple shal assemble before hym And shal deuide the oonÌ„ from the other as the sheparde kepeth the shepe from the wolues Certeynly he ordeyneth setteth the shepe on his rigbt hande and the wolues on the lifte hande And thenÌ„ shal the kyng of glory seye to thoes that shal be an his right hande Come ye â—n with me that be blessed of my fadre and possesse the royalme of glorie that is enorned for you from the begynnyng of the worlde I haue been houngry and ye haue fedde me c. TheenÌ„e he shal seye to thoes on his lifte hande Departe fro me ye that be cursed and go into eternal fire Whiche is arredied for deueles And theruppon seith a wise man The wordes of the iuge in sentence ar but short as come ye and go ye For he shal seye to thoes that be reproued Go on your weye And to thoes that be iust come ye with me O how gracioê° shal the word of our lord IhÌ„uÌ„s Crist be whenÌ„e he shal seye come ye with me O how harde bitter and intollerable shal the pronownsyng of that worde be Departe ye fro me or go ye fro me Suerly Go ye fro me is a full sharpe worde And come ye with me is a full blessed worde Seynt Bernard seyth O hou cruel shal thoes wordes be Go ye fro me to them on the lifte hande spoken by the kyng of kyngis geuer of al lif which shal sey to other Come ye with me This is the cuttyng swerde with two edges issewed out of the mouth of the sone of man as it is writon in the first and the xix chapitre of the Apocalips Certeynly he shal thenÌ„e smyte the erthe with the Rodâ—e of this mouth and shal slee the felonous synner by his werkis As it is writen in Isaye the xj chapitre O how terribâ—â— a thyng shal be to here this voys Therfore seith Seynt Austyn vppon the Gospell of Seynt IohÌ„n Thoes that fill bakkewarde by oon worde of Ihesus Crist whenÌ„e he went towardes his passion What shal they do whenÌ„e they here the voys of the same Ihesus Crist whenÌ„e he shal Iuge all the worlde for certayne he shal braye like a lyon As Amos seide in his iij chapitre WhenÌ„e the lyon shal braye who is he that thenÌ„e shal not be a ferde Isaye in his v chapitre seith His braâ—yng shal be like a lyon Iheremie also seith in his xxv chapitre Our lorde shal braye
what auayleth the thus for to tempte the peple parde it is a greet foly for whenne thou hast broght ony to synne thy trespas is the gretter and consequently thou augmentest thyn owne payne To whom the fende answered Certeynly all that is trew but I knowe wele the mo folkes that I cause to synne the more I deferre the commyng of the daye of dome I drede that daye aboue all thinges and the hering thenne of that harde sentence Go ye wykked and cursed into the eternall fire whiche is made redy to the deuell and his angeles And therfore I do my power to prolonge the tyme of comyng of that sentence O goode lorde what cause of drede haue thies fendes and thies vnhappy synners thenÌ„e If thou wylt be assured in this orrible and dredefull Iourney Sowe nowe in thy lif the werkes of Mercy Pite and Iustice. O howe blessed and how happy shal he be that nowe entendeth to the poure langwysshyng nedy peple For in that harde Iourney our Lorde wil deliuere them therfore from alle daungier It is writenÌ„ in the Prouerbis of Salomon in the xj chapitre The mercifull man dothe greet good vnto his sowle doth also the digne fruites of penauÌ„ce For they that nowe sowe teres and lamentacions the rewarde therof shal come and bryng them into the lodgyng of Ioye and of gladnesse But ther be many that sowen nowe presently thorues and cokill wenyng to repe Inne good whete but ywys foles it wil not be so â— For as Thappostel seith ad Galathas in the vj chapitre Suche as a man hath sowen here suche shal he repe thenÌ„e for hym self And therfor seyth our Lorde by his prophete Ozie in his .x. Chapitre Ye haue sowen felony and haue reped Inyquite and he that hath sowen synne and euyll werkes he shal be repynÌ„ and Inned into the paynes of helle But he that hath sowen vertues and the good werkes of penaunce He shal repe and gadre the euerlasting glorye And all that haue doon wele shal rest in the Ioyes of heuen And thoes that haue doon synne and wykkednesse shal go and rest in the paynes of helle Certeynly their werkes folowe them As it is writen in Thappocalips the .xx. chapttre After their werkes menÌ„ shal be bothe saued and dampned It is redde in the. Gospel of seynt IohÌ„n the v. chapitre An howre shal come in the whiche all that be in Monumentes or tombes shal here the voys of our Lorde And they that haue doonÌ„ wele shal go in the ResurrectionÌ„ of lyf And they that haue doonÌ„ wykkedly shal go vnto the Iugement of dethe It is writon in the secunde chapitre of Thappocalips howe the Iuge shal sey I am he that ensercheth the hertes of persones and shal geue to euery of you his Reward after his werkes And as seith Abdeâ—s It shal be doon vnto the as thou hast doon To the same purpose is writon in Iheromye the .l. chapitre And thies be the wordees of the eternal Iuge vnto the euyl angell spekyng of the dampned synners yelde and do hym after his dedis and werkes And therfor if thou wilt haue a good heruest and habundaunce of frute sowe good werkes largely in the tyme of this present lif for he that soweth them now largely shal gadre them thenÌ„ habundantly And he that now soweth them sparingly shal thenÌ„ gadre them scarsely And he that soweth them with blissingis shal gadre them with greet Ioye gladnesse As it is writen in the secuÌ„de Epistle ad Corintheos in the ix chapitre For he that soweth his sedys in synne malediâ—cions semblably shal Inne gadre them And as it is writen in a Prouerbe The sede that man sowes in this pÌ„sent lif shal be his hous whenÌ„e the Iuge shal seye Come ye go ye The thirde thing why the dome of the Iuge shal be terrible Is to remembre how dampned sowles shal be by the mournyng sentence full of all sorowe eternally separated and departed from god and his seintes of paradys and put on the lifte hande vnto the fendes of helle Certeynly incontinent and without tariyng that this oâ—rible sentence shal be pronounced by the mouth of Ihesu crist The perpetul deueles shal be there arredied and redy for 〈◊〉 take and rauayne the sowles of the wretched synneâ—â— Whiche they shal lightly bryng vnto the euerlasting turmentis and paynes This may appere vnto vs by a figure in the boke ef Hester the vij chapitre of the mynestres of kyng Assuer Whiche were desirous and redy to take Amon. as it is conteyned in the same Chapitre How the worde was not all out of the mouth of the sayde kyng But that the mynestres hadde couered the visage of the same Amon. In like wyse the deueles in this hideous Iourney shal be more thenÌ„ redy to resceiue the sowles of thies wretched synners And this is writen in the lamentacions of Iheremy in the first chapitre All his persecutees haue taken hym IohÌ„n CrisostomÌ„ seyth in the booke of Repayryng of forfeiturs Remembre thies cruel and terrible turmentours that neuer may shewe mercy on ony body and ledeth downe the vnhappy synners vnto eueâ—lastyng tormentes And HughÌ„ of seint Uictour seith That the horrible minystres of helle shal be appareyled and arre died incontinent as the sentence is geuen to take the condempned vnto tormentes And thenÌ„e the wretched vnhappy caitiffes lamentably shal sey they haue caughÌ„t me like as a deuoryng lyonÌ„ lurkyngly hath taken his pray O what sorowe payne wherof may not be estemed in mannes mynde nor by tellyng pronounced Wherfor Seynt Bernard seyth in his Meditacions What thynkest thou What wepyng What waylyng and what sorowe shal be whenÌ„e the synners shal be expulsed out of the companye of Iust men and put from the sight of God and deliuered and cast vnto handes of the deuels to go with them into euerlastyng fire and vtterly banysshed from all the Ioyes of heuen to abide in the derkenesse there sufferyng paynes for their demerites after the quantite of their synnes And thenÌ„e the myserabile synners beyng in despeir of the RedempcionÌ„ shal entre into the lowest parties of the erthe in the handes of our lordes glayue there to remayn without seyng of ony light Of this payne of separacionÌ„ or departyng seyth also CrisostomÌ„ SomÌ„ foles wene and thynke to haue their wisshyng yf they may escape the geâ—â—â—ne of helle But as to me I seye that ther be other turmentes moche more greuous That is to seye to be estrauÌ„ged cast a wey from the grace of the souereigne glory and I deme that the banisshyng therfrom is the moost egre and greuous turment Wheruppon seyth Seynt Gregory He is greetly tormented that is constrayned to be put a parte from the presens of our lorde And I deme that it is the moost greuous thyng that may be and passeth all the gehennes of helle The same Seint Gregorye seyth of this worde of the Gospel of Seynt
Mathewe the xvj chapitre He shal be cutte and sent into the eternall fire Certeynly the gehenne of helle is a thing in tollerable and noonÌ„ canÌ„ comprehende how intolleraâ—le it is Neuertheles yf there were a M gehennes in helle ther is noonÌ„ so lamentable payne as to be exempte from the honour of the blessed glory of heuen and to be hated of our rede mour Ihesu Crist maker of al thingis For as seint Austyn seith The wikked reproued shal leuer sustene alle the turmentes of helle then to beholde the rightfull iuges face angred with them Iohel seith in his secunde chapitre The erthe hath trembled for his face and meuyng of his eyen the sonne the mone haue derked the sterres haue withdrawen their shynyng the peple haue been turmented beholdyng his visage Certeynly synners shal thenÌ„e perisshe before his face thorowe the greet sorowe they shal haue of them self And whenÌ„e they shal see hym turnyng his visage from them it shal meue them to myserably And thenne the Iuge egrely shal saye as is writon in Iheremye the .xviij. chapitre In the daye of therâ— perdicion I shal shewe them my bakke and not my face O what shal be that seperacion O how bitter and sorowful shal it be to the synner to departe fro the face of our lorde WhenÌ„e he shal horribly sey I tell you I knowe you not And therfor seyth a wise man The departing of frendys is right sorowful But the seperacion of the body and the sowle from the presens of the deite is the moost sorowful thing For all this thinges aforseyd and many other whiche infenitely myght be rehersed for breefnesse of tyme I passe them ouer But yet awake ye awake ye my dere frendes and lifte vppe your hedes abhorryng and fering that tymerous and dredeful day of Iugement For as Sophomas in his first chapitre seyth The daye of our lorde approcheth nygh and shal not tary It is writon in Isaye in the xiij chapitre Sorow ye crye for the daye of our lorde is nyghÌ„ Slepe not thenÌ„e For ye knowe not the daye ne the hour as is writon in the. Gospel of seint Mathewe the xxv chapitre It is also writon vnto the Tessalonyes in the last chapitre of the first epistle My brethren ye knewe wele that the daye of our lorde shal come by nyght as a thef and whenne menÌ„ shal thynke them self assuredly in peas He shal come sodenly and take them in a mortall default Wherfor my brethren Rest not in the synne of wretchednesse Leest that daye supprise you not sodenly as a thef Surely we be all the children of daye and the sones of light Then let vs not slepe as other do But let vs awake and be sobre as it is writon in the same chapitre It is writen in the Gospel of seint Luke in the one and twenty chapitre Geue attendaunce in your self Lest perauenture your hertes be fulfilled with gloteny drunkshippe and in other vayne werkes of this present lif And lest that the forseide daungerous daye fall not sodeynly vnto you whiche shal fall vniuersally to all thoes that shal be vppon the erthe Be ye thenÌ„e in your prayers so that at al tymes ye may be the more digne and able to flee all the daungers that be to come whenÌ„e ye shal be afore the sone of man As it is writon in the same chapitre for a trougth There shal be thenÌ„e tremblyng fere and sorowe intollerable And therfore seide Iohell in his secunde chapitre Our lordes daye shal be greet right terrible And who shal be he that shal mowe sustene or suffix it Isaye seid also in his ij chapitre they shal entre into the cauernes emonges stones and hid places of the erthe for drede of our lordes face of the glory of his mageste WhenÌ„ he shal arise to smyte punisshe the erthe And as it is redde in Abacuk in the thirde chapitre In his fersnes he shal trede downÌ„ the erthe the peple shal be abasshed of his furour Isaye in his x chapitre seith What shal ye do in the day of visitacion and of calamite comyng from ferre parties to whom shal ye renne to haue socour helpe Certeynly the synner shal haue thenÌ„ no refuge solace nor socours And therfor seid Ancelme in his boke of meditacions On the right hande shal synnes be accusing the wretched synner on the lifte hand infenite nombre of deueles vndrenethe the confusion of helle whichÌ„ is greetly to be dowted ouer this the pÌ„sens of the wrothfull iuge and without al the worlde brennyg and within this the consciences glowyng This ought to be remembred Alas the miserable synners taken in that trappe whyther shal they flee It shal be thenÌ„e impossible to hide them It shal be an intollerable dredeful thing to appere in that daye The seyd sentence is more fereful and daungerous be cause it iugeth not oonly the body but also it condempneth the sowle To that purpose is ther red an example how that ther was somtyme ij brethrenÌ„ wherof the oonÌ„ was a fole ignorant and the other was wise whichÌ„ went to gedres in a weye and as they walked they come atte last to a forked wey whiche ledde to sondry places Wherof the oonÌ„ was fayer and pleasaunt and the other sharpe no thing inhabited And whenÌ„ the fole sawe the faier delectable weye he seid Brother go we this weye ThenÌ„e the wise brother answered I knowe wel that this wey whiche thou wilt lede vs is fayer delectable but natheleâ— in the ende it wil bryng us to right an euell logyng And therfor I counseil that we take the other wey For al be hit that it be sharpe and not inhabited finally it wil being vs to right a good honest harberoughÌ„ and full of rest Wherunto the fole answered I wil rather trust mynÌ„ eye in that I see than thynÌ„ in that thou seest not And so sette hym â—orthe in the softe and delectabile weye Which thing the wyse brother seyng that he cowde not make hym relinquisshe his purpose folowed hym And whenÌ„e they hadde goonÌ„ to gydre a litle space they fortuned anonÌ„ to be taken with soldeours whiche disseuerd them and put them into diuerse prisones Nowe it happened that the kyng of that contree comaunded on a day that all prisoners shulde be brought afore hym that he myght iuge them according to their demerites And whenÌ„e thies two brethrenÌ„ came afor hym and echeonÌ„ knewe other the wyse brother seyde O sir kyng and our Iuge I compleyne me greetly of this man my brother for as we went to gydres in a weye he beyng reputed a fole and I wys Yet neuer theles he wolde not beleue me nor go after me the good weye that I toughÌ„t hym but hath made me to folowe hym in the euyll weye wherin we were taken and so he is gylty of my dethe And to the contrarye the ignorant fole
Ecclesiastico the xlviij chapitre The peines of a woman traueling shal come vnto them The same also is writen in Ozee the xiij chapitre So as it appereth ther be many scorges and fleyles in hell for to bete sinners ther with Certeynely the dampned sowle shal mowe saye with the Psalter The sorowes of deth haue compassed me and the paynes of hell haue fouÌ„den me It saith It hath compassed me for this cause For it is to him a vestiment or couring of malediction whiche shal be bothe within hym and without hym O what vestiment shal this be that shal be wouen with so paynfull thredes and thoes without nombre whiche can neuer be vndoon nor taken away For with an inmortale string it shal be inseparabily bouÌ„den vnto the synner This shal be a sore and a biting vestiment to be suffred This is the vestiment that is writen of in Isaye in the thertenth Chapitre sayng Thy vestiment shal be wormes The consideracion of these manifolde paynes reuoked callid Dauid from synne caused hym to do penauÌ„ce And therfore he saide to our lord How many sore tribulacions hast thou shewed me thou conuerted hast reuiued me The consideracions also of these forsaide paines moeued somtime an heremite forto take vppon hym a right sharpe peinfull lif whiche he ledde in his heremitage as is redde in Uitis patrum It was axed of him why he wolde so slee him self And he answered All the labour of my lif is not sufficient to be compared to oon of the dayes of tormentes that be ordeigned and reserued for sinners in time to come Beda sheweth vs in his writing of Englande how that in the tyme of yong Constantine ther dyed a knyght about the yeres of our lorde eght hondeet vj. whiche knyght reuiued and after for the paynes that he hadde seen he fledde into an heremitage as it is redde in Uitis patrum and he made hym a litle hous by a Riuier side In the whiche Riuier he wolde renne often times al clothed in the wynter time and wolde suffre his clothes to frese vnto his flesh and thenne after he wolde â—epe into a bayn as hoot as hit was possible to hym to suffre And this lyf he ledde vnto his dethe And whenne folkes sawe hym do so they blamed hym therfore and he sayde to them If ye hadde seen that I haue seen ye wolde do as I do and rather more Seint Gregory sayth The visyon of the paynes of helle is the moost excellent moeuyng that can be to penaunce and contricion The thirde condicion encrescing the paynes of helle is the euerlestyngnesse therof It is writen in the book of sapience the iiij chapitre Our lorde shal mokke them That is to vndrestande sinners after they shal fal from their worship emong them that be sempiternally dede Seint Mathew saith the xxv chapitre They be thoes that shal goo into tormentes In Iudith the xvj chapitre is redde That our lorde shal sende wormes of fier ayens their fleish that they may brenne and yet lyue and fele the paynes for euer To that purpose speketh Isaye in his last chapitre thus Their wormes shal not dye nother their fier quenche And therfor saith our lord in Deutronomy in the xxxij chapitre The fier is kindeled with my furour and shal beenÌ„e into the lowest part of helle and that shal be perpetuelly and endelesly Isaye in his xxxiij chapitre saith O whiche of vs shal mowe suffre and endure the deuoring fier who shal mowe be emong those that shal be brenâ—e sempiternally In the xxxiij chapitre of the same Isaye is saide The gronde where they shal dwelle shal be conuerted into breÌ„nyng piche nyght and day and shal not quenche and the smoke shal be from generacion to genacion vpon them during the world of worldes It is writen in thapocalips in the xx chapitre The deuill shal be sent into the lake of fier and of sulpher and brymston where the euyll brest and the false prophete shal be tourmented nyght and day in the world of worldes And he that shal not be fonden in the book of lif shal be sent into the lake of fier there forto dwell in the shadowe of deth where is noon ordre but sempiternale horrour and sorowe It is writen in Iob the x chapitre and also seint Gregory saith in his moralis a right horrible worde That is to wite ThenÌ„e shal the miserable synners suffre a greet payne with a greet feer a greet flame with a derkenesse and deeth without deeth an ende without finisshyng for that deeth shal euer liue and that ende shal begynne alwaye ageyn that faulte shal neuer faile And a Poete sheweth how that miserable deeth can not dye nor finisshe but semeth alway that it begynneth and reneweth wepnigis and languisshingis Petre de bloys saide in a pistle There shal be non ordre of ony maner of tormentes nother sparing but endelesly the paynes shal renue begynne ageyn dethe can not dye there for it shal be alway permanent and neuer cessing to thentenâ— that the condempned sowles may miserably alway encrece in their paynes sorowes and be norisshed in eternal deeth The Psawter seyth They be casten into helle as shepeâ— dethe fedeth them Mowe thenÌ„e these synners haue their feding of dethe what shal be their drink Herkene what is writen in deutronomij in the xxxij chapitre The burging of the grape and the vine that they shal haue shal be aisil and galle of dragons and the venym of the Adder called aspe whiche is incurable O wherwith shal the synners be norisshed seest thou not how they be perpetually tormented with the moost cruell dethe they shal liue thenÌ„ in dying and shal be dede liuyng Seint Bernard saith in a book that he sent vnto pope Eugeny The byting worme and the liuyng dethe I grouge and feere greatly I drede to falle into the handes of the dethe that euer lyuth and of the lif that neuer dyeth Seynt Girgorye seith That the felon synners shal dye of inmortale deth O good lorde eternal why hast thou suffred me do contrarie thy will and werke myn owne sorowe why helpest thou not me out of synne wherby I myghte escape this perpetuel dethe O how happy o how blissed shal he be that shal not be fowlid nor smouged with the filthes of synne that hath not reioysshed him in the sensuale voluptacions of this transitorie worlde nor in temporale vanitees CertaynÌ„ I am feerd that we miserable synners haue erred from the waye of lif and that the light of Iustice hath not shined vpon vs. We haue not folowed the wayes of our lorde but haue taken the vnhappy wayes of iniquite and perdicion It is writen in Isaye in the xlix chapitre We haue labured in vaynÌ„ for nought we haue wasted al our strength What hath our pride auailed vs what hath proufited our pompe and the vanite of the richesses of this worlde
Yet in th ende he shal torne to nought and be like a donghill And they that haue seen hym shal axe wher is he now and no thing shal be founde of hym no more than of a fleyng dreme passed in the nyght Baruch in his thirde chapitre demaundeth Where be now the princes of the peple that where wonte to haue dominacionÌ„ ouer the beestis and take recreacion with houÌ„des and with hawkes of the ayer And assembled grete tresurs of gold and siluer wherin men gyue their affyaunce truste What is th ende of theym that were besy and diligent here to forge golde and siluer to gadre and kepe it Certeynly their tyme is eytermyned and they be descended into hell and now ben ther other enhaunsed and liue in their places And therfor seyth Prosper in his sentence where be the oratours not surmountable where be they that haue couenably disposed their feestis Where ben also the palfreymen that kept the shynyng palfreyes in their stables Where ben the captayns of men of armes And wher ben the lordes and tyrantes Ben not they al consumed and brought to powdre Yes of their dayes And so shal be of oures Is not theffect of lif altered into wormes Beholde and loke into to their graues whether thou canst knowe there whiche is the lorde whiche is the seruaunt whiche was the poure whiche was the riche Disceuere if thou can by knowleche the prisoner from the kyng the stronge from the weke the fayt from the fowle CrisostomÌ„ seyth What hath it auayled them that haue liued in lechery and in the voluptuousnesse of this present lyf til their last dayes Auise you now and beholde in their sepulcres and see yf thou canst aspye therin ony signe of pryde Yf thou can haue ony knowleche of their richesse or of their lecherye Axe where is become their riche araye and their strange disguysed garnementis with their voluptuous and nyce lookis And where be nowe their grete companyes and nombre of seruauntis that folowed them Where be their lawhynges their playnges and their outrageous gladnesses out of mesurable temperance Where is al this become and whither is it passed Beholde diligently first the ende of one thyng and then of that other and drawe the nere their sepultures And thou shalt fynde nothing therin but only asshes and the remenaunt stynkyng and ful of wormes A remembre thy self what is th ende of all mortal men be it so that they haue passed the cours of their lyues in delectable pleasures or ellis in labour or in contynence of their flessh Yet all must dye Seynt Bernard seyth in his meditacions Tel me now where be the Amerouse peple of this world that late were emong vs. In trouthe ther is nothyng left of them but asshes and wormes Thynke thenÌ„e and remembre often tymes What thyng they be and what they haue been hertofore Parde they haue be men as thou art they haue eten and dronken lawhed and made grete chere in their tymes And after in a moment they descended into helle And their flessh delyuered for wormes mete and their sowle geuen into helle There to be turmented by fyre vnto that the body shal come and Ioyne ageyn ther vnto And to be plunged to gedre in thembracements or peyneful Iehennes sempiternel with them that haue ben their felaws in doyng synnes and committyng vices without repentaunce penaunce and satisfaccion O what hath it prouffyced their vayne glorie their short Ioye and the puissance of this worlde the voluptuousnes of the flessh the disceyuable richesse the grete nombre of their seruauÌ„tes the vnhappy concupiscens where be their playes disportes their playes and disportes Where is their bostyng and their worldly pride The more they had their delectacionÌ„ and Ioyed therin here the more shal be their payne and sorow there And so after a greet voluptuous playsir they shal haue a myserable and a perpetuel paynful sorow And their beyng shal torne them to Ruyne and harde turmentes Lo al that is comyn vnto them may happen vnto yow Thou art but a man and homo de humo That is to seye a man made of erthe Thou art of therthe and thou lyuest of the erthe and to erthe shalt torne agaynÌ„ Of these forseyd amerouse peple of this world lyuyng flesshly and not dredyng deth whiche is their neyghburghÌ„ speketh Seynt Bernard vnto the brethren of the mount of our lorde O ye myserable synners that suffre the wretchednesse of this present lyf to retorne and lede you from the right weye And the mene tyme ye passe your dayes in makyng good chere Ye ar descendyng to helle beyng on lyue And thenÌ„e eueriche of you may seye the anguysshes of sorowful deth haue enuironned me And I haue founde my self in the peryll of helle These ben the myserable creatures that this present lif disceyueth Of whom is writen in Iob. the xxj chapitre These felons whos lif is inhaunsed in pompe and pride and be comforted by their riches They thynke that their seed shal abyde alway by the multitude of their frendes and of their neighbours their houses to be alway assured and in pees The rodde of god not to come vpon them their sâ—â—en to conceyue not to be bareyn thencrece of them to growe and not to be take from them they reioyce them self in Iapees disportes they loue the harpe the taborynÌ„ the organs alle vanitees they contynue a while in that myrthe and sodenly they descende into helle O how gretly is he defrawded and begyled O how folisshly is he mocked that for the flouryng vayn beaute of this world shal descende doun into helle lose the dyademe of theternal glorye Sothly the riche man that by synne hath deserued the paynes of helle had ben better to haue liued vertuously in grete nede and pouerte al his lyf than to haue grete habondauÌ„ce of riches and atte last for his synful lyf to be dampned Alas what proufiteth it thenÌ„e the grete tresurs and hepes of gold and siluer whan synners shal be sent in to lowe tenebres of helle ther to be payned and tormentid euerlastyngly with out seasyng Mi right dere brother and frende what seist thou of the riche and myghty peple of this world Dye they not aswel as other In good faithÌ„ me semeth they be nothyng priueleged for as it is wreton in the book of sapience the seuenthe chapitre the entre of this lyf is one and comune to alle and semblably so is the Issue Iob seith in his .xxj. chapitre This man dieth strong lusty and riche his bowell is be ful of grece and his bones ful of mary And this other dieth lene and feble ful of sorow and without ony richesse that notwithstandyng they shal slepe bothe in pouldre and wormes shal ete them Lo bow the riche and puissaunt men of this world haue their deth comune and egal with the pouer peple And therfor it is wreton in Ecclesiaste in the x chapitre The
made and wote not wheerof And after we shal be as we hadde neuer been For our dayes passen as dothe a shadowe It is redde in the same booke of Sapience in the same chapitre That our lif passeth like the trace of a clowde and shal fayle as the litle clowde that is broken by the myght of the sonne beames It is writen in Iob. the vij chapitre Beholde howe my dayes be all passed and I shal goo forthe in the pathe and shal neuer retourne ageyn Also the same Iob. seyth in the ix chapitre My dayes ar passâ—d more lightly than a Currour or a messanger They ar goon lightly aweye as shippes doon that be charged with appelles Or as an egell dothe fle for his mete Iob seyth also My dayes be passed more lightly than clothe is cutte from the lome and they be all wasted wythout ony hope of recouerey O lord god remembre then is my lif ought but wynde and shal not my eyen retourne ageynÌ„ to see the good thinges to come To that purpose spketh Petre de Bloys in his boke called Aurora My lif shal be sonÌ„er out of this worlde than a webbe of clothe cut from the lome Remembre the then how thy lif may be resembled to the wynde Lo nowe my right dere frende howe shorte how litle howe mutable howe disceyuyng is this our lif present for as it seid in Ecclesiastes in the xviij chapitre It is grete age in a man to be C yere olde But by succession of tyme it is greetly aminysshed It is wreton in the. Psalter The dayes of our yeres be lxx and if we may come to four score yere the surplus is no thyng but labour and sorowe But what is it of .lx. yere or yet of C. ought this to be taken for a long tyme and a greet space of yeres Certeynly nay in regarde to warde the sempiternite It ought rather be named a moment than a space of tyme. For to our lord a. M. yere is but as yesterday whiche lightly is past Vereily this lif is short and transitory payneful and wretched hit is not onely to be thought nor poysed for the shortenesse But moche more for the nicerteynte therof whiche is doutefull and ful of casuel parell and we be not sure therof daye nor hour And whenÌ„e it sheweth vs suwerte and peas thenne sodenly cometh deth and with hit perauenture that fals thef Sathan Therfor seyth to vs a poete Who is he knowyng hym self to liue many yeres sens we knowe not whether we shal dye tomorowe or sonner It is wreton in Isaye the xxxviij chapitre seyng Dispose thy house for thou shalt dye sone and not longe liue Isaye seith also in the same chapitre That my lif is kit from me as a pece of clothe from the lome And whenne I began first the liue thenÌ„ began dethe to approche toward me For this cause it is seyd in the book of Sapiens in the fyfth chapitre We be sone bornÌ„ and sone leue our beyng To this purpose seyth Senek in his pisteles Euery daye we dye euery day is taken awey from vs parte of our lif Than thus what is our lif ought ellys but a passage or a rennyng toward deth And therfor it is not vnresonable that she be likened to an Orylage whiche goothe alweye from degre to degre continually mouyng till it come to a certeynÌ„ poynt thenÌ„e hit striketh sodenly vppon the belle whiche constreyneth the sowne Semblably our lif passeth alwey and renneth till hit come to a certeyne poynt That is to wite The hour of our dethe whiche our lorde hath prefixed and no man may hit passe and than our lif falleth and fayleth without remedye Awake thenÌ„ and entende wysely to the ende of thy lif For thynÌ„ Orylage hath but fewe degrees to renne and euery houre she ouerpasseth many And whenÌ„e it cometh to the last thou shalt stomble sodenly into the cauerne or caue of dethe Nowe herken what a Poete seyth The present lif is shorte alwâ—ey fleyng and fadeth as a shadowe and departeth falleth sodenly whenÌ„e on wenes that she be moost permanent and abidyng and in the myddes of our lif we be often at our deth And therfor haue we in Ecclesiastes in the ix chapitre That man knoweth not his ende but as a fisshe taken with a nette the bryddes with a trappe Semblably men be taken at inconuenient tymes thus cometh our ende deth is the last thing to all thinges bering lif It is writen in a boke of the lif of the dedes of greet Alexandre O how happy shulde a man be if he had alwey in remembrauÌ„ce of the eternal Ioyes drad dethe that is ordeyned as wel to the nobles as to the poure peple Whiche cometh to the greet perell daungyer of the sowle whenÌ„e it is vnpurueied Lo here thenÌ„e my right dere frende thou seest wele that the lyf of man is but a thing dyked about and enuirounde with ruyuous deth our flessh is but asshes And suche as was the begynnyng suche shal be the ende Seynt Bernard seyth Whenne I Remembre that I am but asshes and that myn ende approcheth my drede and fere is without ende and I wex colde as asshes And therfor as Seynt Gregory seyth That man sollyciteth wele his goode werkes that thenketh alwey vpponÌ„ his last ende And we shulde drede that euery day shulde be our last day And alwey haue in mynde that necessarily we must dye Who may haue thenne a bolde corage consideryng â—he shortenesse the greâ—t incerteynte of our lyf the approchyng of our deth whiche is comyng Who is he also that ought not thenke dilygently that our dayes our yeres fayle and waste as the smoke And that manÌ„ naturelly bornÌ„ lyueth but a short space and fadeth as a floure and fleeth a wey like a shadewe Who is he also that calleth thiese thinges to mynde and peises them wele in his hert and so subdeweth the deuell the flesshÌ„ and the world and repenteth hym in this short space To sey you trouth ther be noon that deferre and be negligent so to do but oonly thoes that be all blinded in malice and lakke of grace O howe greet a payne shal ensewe of negligens Thappostel seyth to the. Hebrues in the seconde chapitre How shal we flee that dispise so greet an helthe As to seye we myghte haue heuenÌ„ iff we wolde And Seynt Effran seyth My ryght dere brotherenÌ„ and frendes If we be necligent in the litle space of tyme that we haue now we shal haue no maner of excusacion to allegge for remede of our synnes Therfor disprayse not the shortnesse of this tyme. But do penauÌ„ce whyle ye haue space here for after it wyll be to late and without fruyte And better is to do penauÌ„ce here than infenytely world withâ—ut ende to repente hit Now haste ye therfore tary not Lest that ye fynally be shet out with the v fatuat fonned
remembre of the terribil comyng of this Iuge that is bothe god and man Whiche afore hym hath a brennyng fire And a strong tempest I seye ther shal a fire goo afore hym Whiche shal flame hoolly abowte his enemyes It is writon to the. Hebrues in the tenth Chapitre Right terribyll is the abydyng of this Iugement And the fere therof whiche shal destroye hys aduersayres And Malachyas seyth in hys thirde Chapitre See here the daye that shal come flamyng like a Chemenye And thenne hit shal brenne alle prowde men and thoâ—s that haue committed felonye It is redde in Isaye in the. xlvj Chapitre Here is our Lorde that shal come and Iuge by fire And Iohell in his secunde Chapitre seyth He shal haue a fire before his face deuouryng and behynde hym a brennyng flame For this cause seyth Malachyas in his thirde Chapitre who shal he be thenne that shal mowe see our Lorde For he shal be as a fire glowyng sette to make clene and purge siluer Who is thenne he of deuout corage that shal not drede with all his hert this Iuge his comyng And theâ—for seith Seint Gregory vppon Ezechiel Who may haue that corage but that shal fere drede the presens of the eternal Iuge whenÌ„ all thinges shal come thenÌ„ to the sight of euery man all thinges doonÌ„ afore by delectacion shal be with right greet drede called to remembraunce CerteynÌ„ as it is writen in the Prouerbys in the xxxviij chapitre The euyll men thinken not of the Iugement But they the desiren dreden god haue in their hertes all good thinges Seint Bernard seyth in a prose Truly I drede â—ore the visage of the Iuge that shal come to whom no thyng can be hydde shal no thing rest vnpunysshed And who shal he be of vs that shal not dred whenÌ„ the iuge shal come whichÌ„ shal haue fire brennyng before hym to the destructionÌ„ of alle synners Certeynly this last Iugement ought greetly to be dred and for iij causes ¶ The first thaccusamentes shal be in many maners whiche all synners ought greuously to wayle The seconde is the right strayte sentence vppon our gouernance that syngulerly shal be made to euery thyng The thirde is the horrible feerful abydyng of the Iugement whiche thenne by the Iust Iuge shal be terribly geuen These thinges all synners ought tymerously drede whiche by consequens the Remembraunce therof sholde withdrawe man from doyng synne ¶ Here endeth the prologe of the seconde parte ¶ How the Accusacion that shal be at the day of doâ—â—e is to be drad ¶ The first chapitre of the seconde part THe first thing thenne wherby th final Iugement ought specially to be drad is the many and dyuerse accusacions Whiche shal be there ageynst all synners Wherfor it is to be knowen that we fynde in holy scriptures seuen thinges that accuse synners at the greet daye of Iugement ¶ The firste is our propre conscience Whiche shal argue ageynst the synner not secretly but manyfestly thenne afore all It is wreton in Damele in the seuenth chapitr Thy Iugement is set and the bookes be open That is to wete the consciences whiche thenne be opynly vttered In those bokes be conteyned the sciences of lif or of deth of glory and of confusion of saluacion perpetuell or dampnacion eternall It is redde also in the .xx. Chapitre of the Apocalips That dede men shal be Iuged of the thynges writen in their owne bookes That is to seye in their consciences Therfore it is writon in the Pistle to the Romayns in the secunde Chapitre That their consciences shal bere them wittenesse For as wittenesse of the euyll conscience is thaccusacion the payne and the turment of synners Right so shal the goode conscience be helpe and saluacion to the goode creatures The secunde thyng that shal accuse the synners shal be the fendes and the euyll spirites Whiche falsly and trayterously haue procured and sturred men to synne And of alle that the synner hath doon they wylle accuse hym as one thef accuseth an other of oon felony doon by them bothe It is writen in the. Apocalips the. xij Chapitre The fende is called the accuser of brethren And Seynt Austyn seyth They be alle before the Iudiciall sete of Ihesu Criste And there the deuels shal be redy Whiche shal reherse the wordes of our profession and shal appose to our face that we haue doon and wherin we haue synned and in what place and what we ought to haue doon and left it vndoon Truly our aduersary that same fende shal seye thenne O right wyse and Iuste Iuge Deme this man to be myn for his synnes For he wyll not be thyne by grace He is thyne by nature He is myn by hys mysery He is thynÌ„ by thy passyonÌ„ He is mynÌ„ by persuasions He hath been disobeysaunt vnto the. He hath been concentyng vnto me He hath resceyued of the the stole of Immortalite and of me this blakke garment that he wereth of perpetuel deth he hath lefte thy liuere and hath taken myn he hath lefte thy Ioye and blisse and hath taken my sorowe and payne O thou Iuste Iuge Iuge hym therfor to be myn and that he be condempned with me perpetually Thies wordes seyd our lorde vnto Seynt Austyn The thirde thing that accuseth synners shal be angeles and the happy goode spirites Certeyne it is to be beleued that he that hath geuen them our sowles to kepe shal require to haue Reason of that kepyng And as thoes that neuer lye nor wol take vppon them the synne or faute of other must nedys seye they be not to blame But the gilt is in vs synners Whiche wolde not obeye nor beleue them Semblably it is nat the default of the physycien whiche doth his cure as it apperâ—â—â—neth if he he le not his pacient whiche is disobeâ—sâ—unt vnto hym And therfor it is wreton in Iheremye the one and fyfty chapitre We haue hadde Babylon in Cure and yet she is not heled Thees be the wordes of the Angeles as they will seye We haue doonÌ„ all that was necessary to be doonÌ„ to Babylon to th ende that she shulde be cured and beled But it is in her defaut that she is not beled This. Babilon is to be lykened to mannes Sowle The fourth thing that shal accuse synners shal be creatures And if thou ayed me Whiche creatures they be I answere the all and eueriche oonÌ„ of them by them self For and the creatour of all thinges be offended all the good creature shal haue hym in hate that hath displeased hym For as Iob. seyth in his .xx. chapitre The heuens shal shewe and lifte vppe the euyll werkes of the synners and the erthe shal adresse hym ageynst them For our Lorde shal calle vnto hym the heuen aboue and the erthe be nethe to discerne his peple And therfor seyth CrisostomÌ„ vppon the. Gospel of seint Mathewe There is no thyng that we
shal mowe remedye by answere that daye Whenne the heuen and the erthe the sonne and the mone the nyght and the daye and alle the worlde shal bere wytnesse ageyns vs for our synnes Therfore seyth Seynt Gregory If thou axe me Who shal accuse the. I seye to the alle the worlde And that the creatures shall not oonly accuse the synners But also shal require the Creatour of alle thynges to take vengeance on them for their synnes To this purpose it is writen in the booke of Sapience in the fyfth Chapitre He shal arme alle creatures to take vengeance on his Ennemyes And with hym shal fyght alle the worlde ayenst thoes that haue been Insensate That is to wite Ayenst synners Alle creatures seyng hym that is maker of alle thynges shal chase them to cause turmentes to be geuen vppon thoes that haue not be Iust The fyue thynges that shal accuse the Synners they shal be myserabyll persones that haue suffred so many wronges For thenÌ„ they shal accuse thoes that haue doon them wrong payne turmente At the tyme shal the worde of the profete be verified whichÌ„ seith I haue knowen wele that our lorde wil gyue Iugement for the poure folkes that haue suffred wrong and shal auenge the quarell of thoes that be impotent for he that beholdeth the depe botoms of the sees and sitteth a boue al the Cherubynnes and Seraphyns and gothe a boue al the wyndes He is more terrible to be drad in his counselles and willes than is the sonnes of men He shal Iuge thenÌ„e poure mennys causes that haue been constant And shal holde ageyns thoes that haue doon them many angwisshes ThenÌ„e shal the fadre of Orphans and the Iuge of wydewes benge all wronges the paciens of poure folkes shal not thenÌ„e perisshe The subgettes shal also accuse the felones and negligent prelates curates And therfor seith Seint Bernard vppon the. Canticles O how cruel our lord shal be vppon the sonnes of men CerteynÌ„ the wretched synnere shal sey thenÌ„e all for nought to the monteynes Fall ye vppon vs and to the Rokkes couer ye vs. They shal come thenÌ„e before the tribunal sete of Iesu Crist where shal be herde ful greuous accusacions by thoes that haue payd their wages and bornÌ„ their dispenses wrongfully and their synnes shal not be defaced nor hidde of thoes that fraudelently haue blynded their doctours and confessours The vj thinge that shal accuse synners shal be malice and synne We rede in Iheremye the seconde chapitre Thy malice shal accuse the and thy refusyng shal blame the. For the synnes shal thenÌ„e be boundenÌ„ vnto the nekke of synners To this purpose seith Ozee in his xiij chapitre The iniquite of effraym ys bounde to gedre and his synnes be not hid We rede myn iniquitees be trussed and leyde in myn nekke and as the stolen good taken in the nekke of a thef accuseth hym semblably synne shal then accuse the wretched synner It is wreton also in the. Prouerbijs the fyfthe chapitre Iniquitees shal take the felonÌ„ synners and there eueriche of them shal be taked and strayned with coordys of their synnes And the. Prophete seith the cordys of my synnes haue enuirouÌ„de and goon rouÌ„de about me By the whiche cordys I sey also the wikked folkes by deueles shal be drawen in to helle Certeynly they fall into their nettes and be taken by their baytes We rede of the proprete of anÌ„ Irchyn whiche that when he entreth into a gardeyn he lodeth hym with apples stikyng on his prikkes And when the gardener comes he wolde flee but he is thenÌ„e so ladyn that he canÌ„ not awey And so he is there taken with all hiâ— apples Semblably falleth hit to the synner that is all â—adynÌ„ with synnes and at the greet day of Iugement he is with them taken accused Wherfor seyth the psalter Our lorde shal be knowen in makyng his Iugementes handweerkes and the synner shal be taken Vppon the whiche seith CrissostomÌ„ Our owne thoughtes and specially our werkes shal be afore our eyen and shal accuse vs afore god And therfor seith Seynt Bernard Our werkes and we shal speke to gydre and sey O myserable synner thou hast made vs we beenÌ„ thy werkes we will not leue the but go with the to thy Iugement It is red in Ezechiell the .xviij. chapitre Like as the Iustice of the Rightwys man shal be on and for hym Right so the felony of the felonÌ„ shal rest vppon hym The. Psalter seyth Here ye all peple here and reteyne wele in your ere 's all ye that dwellyn in this worlde Wherfore shal I not be dredefull in that euyll daye That is to wyte The daye of dome Whiche shal not oonly be euyll to me But it shal be righÌ„t euyl to euery synner Wherunto he answereth hym self saiyng I shal drede thenne For the Iniquite of my fete shal enuyron me The seuenth and the last thyng that shal accuse synners shal be the turmentes and instrumentes of the passyon of Ihesu Criste. And also Ihesu Criste hy semlf Wherfore seyth Seynt Iherome The crosse of Ihesu shal fyght ageynst the Ihesu Crist shal shewe and allegge his woundes ageyn the And the trace of the seyde woundes shal speke ayenst the The nayles shal compleyn on the. As Seynt Austyn seith in his trete of symboll Perauenture our lorde hath kept in his body the trace of tokenes of his wouÌ„des to th entent that at the daye of dome he will shewe them ageynst synners to their reproche And in venquissyng them seye Lo here beholde the man that ye haue ocucified See here god and man in whom ye wolde haue no beleue Loke vppon the woundes that ye haue made hym knowelege the side that ye haue wounded and hurt whiche hath been opened for you But ye haue not wele entred therin Ihesu Criste also thenÌ„ accusyng the synners shal sey as Naum seyde in his thirde chapitre I shal shewe thy defawtes afore thy face shal shewe to the peple thy nakednesse to the reames thy shame Ozee in his secunde chapitre seyth I shal manifeste shewe thy foly afore the eyenÌ„ of thy louers and ther is no man may drawe the out of my handes O howe desolate and howe sorowfull that the myserable synners shal be in the daye of the greet Iugement For thenne as it is writon in the first Chapitre of the. Apocalips Euery eye shal see hym and all the lynages of the erth shal compleyn on hym Thenne synners seyng all this shal be full of anguissches and sere ¶ How the last Iugement shall be terrible For thenÌ„e shal be geuen rekenyng of all thing ¶ The secunde chapitre of the secunde part THe secunde thing that shal cause the extreme and last Iugement to be dredefull shal be the strayte Rekenyng and accomptes of our vyle dedys in all thing Seynt Luke sayth in his .xvj. Chapitre Yelde Reason of thy dedys for after this
from an highe from his tabernacle shal descende his voys Wherof the sowne shal extende vnto thextremite of the erthe and shal make his dome and iugement vnto the peple The voys of our lorde shal be thenÌ„e in greet magnificens It is the voys of our lorde that shal breke downe the highe Cedres of the mount of LybanÌ„ That is to vndrestonde His enemyis prowde peple enhaunsed And yet al be it they haue been so raised It shal thenne fayle and vanysshe as smoke And at that Iugement they shal be made humble and reduced to no beyng This voys so comyng from our lorde shal be like a thundre betyng the erthe Therfor seyth Iob. tremblyng in his fyue and twenty Chapitre Who shal mowe beholde the thundre or sowne of the magnytude of our lorde And the. Psalter seyth Our lorde hath thundred from heuen and the moost hyghâ— hath vttred his voys Iob. seyth in his .xxxvij. Chapitre Our lorde shal thundre meruelously by his voys and he dothe many greet thynges Whiche ought not to be enserched nor mused one And Seynt Ancelme seyth in his Meditacions Wherfor slepest thou slougthfull sowle worthy to be cast out of all light 〈◊〉 that waketh not nor dredeth not this greet thundre slepeth not but rather is dede The worde of our lorde shal be in maner a Right hote lightenyng Wherfor Zacharie in his .ix. Chapitre seyth His darte shal depart like a lightenyng And our lorde shal sowne the trompe certeine as it is writon in Isaye in the xxvij chapitre In that last daye shal sowne the greet trompe And therfor seyth CrisostomÌ„ vppon the. Gospel of seint Mathewe the .xxiiij. chapitre The vertues of heuen shal be moued nowe truly that shal be by a greet voys whiche is of the terrible trumpe wherunto all wyndes and elementes obeyen Whiche voys renteth stones and openeth helle and breketh the gates of brasse and breketh the ligatures of dede bodyes and restoreth the sowles to the bodyes ageyn constrayneth them to come to the greet iugement And all thies thinges be consumed ageyn more lightly then the flight of an arowe passing in the ayre Witenesse of Thappostle that seyth in his first pistle ad Corintheos in the xv chapitre In a moment in the twynkelyng of an eye in the sownyng of the last trumpe shal be the Iugement Of this trumpe speketh seint IheromÌ„ vppon the Gospel of seint Mathewe seiyng WhenÌ„e as often as I thenke on the last daye of Iugement I tremble for fere be it whenÌ„ I ete or whenÌ„ I drynke in ony of my werkiâ— me thinketh alweyes that terrible trumpe sownes in myn ere saiyng Arise ye arise ye dede folkes and come to your Iugement All men troubled or greued ought by penaunce to thinke of tentymes on this daye and it shal be a greet we le and â—ase to their sowles And therfore seith Seynt Gregorye in an Omely My right dere brethren and frendes let that daye of Iugement be alweye afore your eyen For what greuous thyng so euere ye here it is but softe in comparyson of that sore daye We ought also to fere and drede the same daye For that is the greet Iourney the Iourney of wrath and of bytternesse Sophonyas seyth in his first Chapitre The weye of our Lordes Iourney shal be full bitter For ther shal be no man so strong but thenÌ„ he shal be troubled that shal be the verray daye of wrath tribulacion angwisshe chalange myserie and derkenesse of clowdes of stormes and of the sowne of the trompe Isaye in his xiij chapitre seith The daye of our lorde shal come whiche shal be ful of Indignacion wrath of furour Iohell also in his iij chapitre seith The sonne shal be conuerted into derkenesse and the mone into blode afore the commyng of the greet and horrible daye of our lorde O howe drad Seynt Bernard that same daye whenÌ„e he seyde Whiles I that am a mortall man remembre what I shal be after my dethe The fere therof putteth me in terrible doutes For I am not verrely assured of that that I longe after for the daye of fere of wrath of Ire and of furour the daye of waylyng and the vengyng of synners affrayeth me hideously Of this same daye seith he also in oon of his sermons They shal be al bare and naked before the tribunal sete of Ihesu Criste to th entent that they may here the voys of his Iugement Be cause they haue stopped here ere 's from the weyes of good conseil Nowe what seyth our lord God Do ye penaunce neuerthelesse ther be many that dissimilingly close their ere 's and wil not here hit and thynke it is to harde to do O remembre ye felons because of your obstinacy ye shal here therfore the harde and lamentabile worde prominced vnto you That is to seye Go ye cursed peple into euerlasting fire What shal thenne thoes poure wretched perpetuel dampned peple seye Seyng the holy blessed peple called vppe Ioyefully into the eternall glory and blisse of heuen And they that be dampned into the Infenite paynes of helle Certeynly as it is writen in the book of sapience in the v chapitre They shal wepyngly seye in them self for the greet angwysshe of their sowles Let vs do penaunce for we be thoes that haue blasfemyd hit And as foles out of all witte and reason hadde in derision the liuyng of the penitent follies thinkyng it was no worshpfull lif How be it we see them nowe taken and accepted with the sone of god and their werkis allowed and cherisshed so that they be accompanied with the happy blessed seintes and we with the dampned fendes of helle We haue erred from the wey of trouthe the light of iustice hath not shyned in vs nor the sonne of rightwissnesse risenÌ„ in vs. We haue lefte the weyes of our lorde Ihesu Criste and haue goon daungerous and euyll weyes that is to seye The weyes of Iniquite and perdicion What hath our greet pride proufited or auyaled vs. or what auantage haue we hadde of all our greet richesse parde al is past as a byrd fleyng in the skye or a shyppe glidyng thurghÌ„ the water wherof the traces can not be apperseyued Nowe thenne to make confession is ouer late for their repentaunce groweth but for the payne they suffre And therfore they canÌ„ obteygne no pardon also they ar past the place of mercy and grace and be in the place of equite and Iustice. For whenne the Iuge whiche ought so greetly to be dowted hath pronounced his Iugement and sentence seiyng Go fro me ye wykked and come to me ye blessed their Remedye is past To this purpose rede we in Uitis patrum How ther was somtime an holy man whiche was tempted with the spirit of fornicacion and he besought our lorde that his enemy the fende whiche tempted hym myght appre visibly vnto hym and so he did ThenÌ„e the saide holy man seide vnto the fende
seide to the same kyng Sir I haue gretter cause and strenger Reason to compleynÌ„ me ageynst my brother for where he ought not to haue beleued me nor folowed me lightly in the weye whichÌ„ he knewe wele was euyll and daungerous for he wolde not a folowed me I wolde haue retourned ageyn folowed hym whereby I shulde in no wyse haue fallen in this daungier and therfore he is verrey gylty of my dethe WhenÌ„e thies wordes were hadde on eyther partye The kyng pronounsed gaf a sentence seiyng Thou fole thou woldest not truste thy wyse brother and thou wyse hast folowed this fole in his euyl weyes wherfore ye bothe shal be hanged condempned to dethe Semblably shal it be at the daye of Iugement in the consummacion of this worlde whenÌ„ by the almyghty power of god the sowle of euery man woman shal retourne ageyn be reioyned to their owne bodyes appering before the hyghe Iuge to resceiue dome iugement of al thinges knowen forgotin for the folisshÌ„ body because it wolde not folowe the counseil of the wise sowle And the wyse spirit because it wolde not resiste but ensieu the folisshÌ„ body they shal be bothe dampned to gydre in the last extremite of iugement For this cause the sentence of the Iuge is called a swerde with two edges as is writen in thapocalips in the first chapitre For it shal strike the wretched synner bothe in body sowle It is writen in the gospel of seint Mathew in the x chapitre Drede him that shal mowe lese put bothe the body the fowle in the gehenÌ„e of hell The qualite of the saide iuge yeldeth sheweth the said sentence to be dredeful dauÌ„gerous Certeinly it shal be pronouÌ„ced by a circumspect a right prudent iuge whichÌ„ shal neuer faile for euery thing is notarily to him knowen for god knoweth the hidde thingis of the herte sercheth the werkis of men Wherfor it is writen ad hebreos in the iiij chapitre All thinges be opynÌ„ to his eyen for he lokith into the hertes as it is redde in the first book of Kingis in the xvj chapitre Also it is redde in ecclesiastico the xxiij chapitre The eyen of our lorde be moche clerer then the sonÌ„e for they beholde all the wayes of man the profouÌ„de depnesse the hertes of men see all the hidde thingis of the erthe And as Boece de consolacione saith Greet curiosite to do wel is introducte vnto vs because al that we do is doon afore him that seeth all thingis Iheremy seith in his xxij chapitre Thyn eyen be open vpon all the wayes of the children of Israhel I shal yelde to euerich of them after his wayes and after the fruite of his administracions Certeinly the Iuge is greetly to be dâ—ad whiche loketh vpon all thingis bothe opynÌ„ shette and al secreet thingis to hym knowen alle derke thingis to him be clere all domÌ„ thingis answere vnto hym and all thoughtes speke to hym without voys and all silences confesse them vnto hym This sentence is to be geuen by the Iust Iuge whiche wâ—l not be bowed and he shal Iuge al the circuite of the erthe and the peple in equite He gruggith not atte the myght of ony body nor he excepteth no persone what so euer they be nor he ne wel be appesed then by ony gyftes It is writen in deutronomij in the x chapitre God is greet mighty terrible whiche wil fauour no ê‘sone nor he resceiueth no giftes Certeynly a pure and a clene conscience thenÌ„e shal be more worthe then the purses ful of siluer The habondance of riches shal not proufite thenÌ„e nor ony thing that longeth to riche peple But only shal proufitâ— the werkis of Pite and of Iustice. It is writen in Ezechiel in the vij chapitre Their mony shal be thenÌ„e their donghil neither their golde nor their selues shal mowe deliuere them in the day of furour of our lorde ThenÌ„ shal appere the frawde and the falshâ—de of this worlde the vilenesse of al richesse O how swete a thing and how greet a Ioye shal it be thenÌ„ to thoes that haue hated this worlde and how sorowful bitter shal it be vnto them that haue had it in lust in delectacion This sentence is also to be geuen by the iuge that wil not be corrupte thenÌ„ by prayers nor appesed by desires And as it is writen in the Prouerbis of Salomon in the vj chapitre He wil not obtempee then nor bowe to ony requestes what so eâ— they be Crisostom seith the angeles wil not thenÌ„ intercede nor pray for the men for the iust iuge wil shewe there no misericorde but wil yelde to euerichÌ„ after his merites demeritis egally not bowyng iustice And therfore seith he by his prophete Ezechiel in the vij chapitre I shal do the right after thy weyes shal iuge the after thy iugementes and I shal make the knowe that I am thy lord For the cause seid Iob al dredefully Irefine al my werkes knowyng that thou ne wilt spare ony thing the delinqueÌ„tes or trespassours Of all thies thinges speketh Seint Bernard in a prose which he made saiyng Certeinly our lord shal iuge iustely shal except no ê‘sone nor shal be corrupt by ony prise nor gyftes Semblably he shal not bowe for ony man of praier O my right dere frende labour then diligently to bere iustice thyder as thou shalt fynde no misericorde For as it is writen in the Prouerbis of salomon The richesse shal not proufite in the day of vengeance but iustice shal cause thenÌ„ deliuerance from dethe And if the scolers that can not their lessous drede greetly to be examined of their maister left they shulde be egrely punisshed how moche shulde the sinnerâ— drede thenÌ„ thextremie examining of the soueraygnÌ„ iuge whenÌ„ they haue not studied in the book of iustice of trouthe Certeinly in the apposaile is examined al thingis that now be nought the vniust synners shal be punisshed the seed of felons shal perish and to the contrary the iust peple shal be thenÌ„ in the eternale memory and shal not drede in ony wise ony euil accusacion It is writen in Ecclesiastico the xviij chapitre Make redy Iustice afore the Iugement This final sentence shal be also geuen by a iuge cruelly moued whiche in no wise shal mowe be appeased For our lord Ihesus Crist that naturally is now amyable meke as a lambe shal appere thenÌ„e as a lyon right cruel greetly moued And therfore saith Ozee in his xiij chapitre It may wel be the wordes of our lord by the couetous gletons prowde peple at the day of iugement saiyng thus They haue fulfillled them self in their pastures and arreised vppe their hertes and forgotynÌ„ me I wole be to them as a lionesse as a leoparde in the weye of assirience I shal come ageynst
right dere brother frende drede this daye and dowte cordyally the saide Iuge and lord that shal deme alle thingis to th entent that thou mayst the more diligently eschewe alle synnes And it is redde in an other place That in dredyng our lorde it withdraweth euery man from euil doyng Ther is yet an other thing whiche agrogith this sentence ther is no place to apele to ony other nor space for to flee To that purpose saith the Psalter Whyther shal I goo bakward from thy spirit how shal I fle bakward from thy face if I mount vp into the skye thou art there if I descende into hell thou art present there besides me And therfor seith our lorde of synners by Amos in the xix chapitre They shal fle and ther shal be noon saued of them If they descende into hell my hande shal pulÌ„ them vp from thens and if they hyde them in the mounteyne of Carmele I shal seke them til I haue put them thens And if they hyde them in the botomÌ„ of the see I shal sende a dragon whiche shal deuour them And if they goo into seruage emongis their enemyes I shal sende a swerde which shal sle them and shal cast mynÌ„ eye vpon them in wrath not in loue Iob saith in his x chapitre Our lorde ought to Iuge all thingis and is noon that may escape his handes Certeinly I see clerely the hande of our lorde almyghty wylÌ„ fynde vs ouerall And therfore saith the Auctour of the chare of the sowle What wilt thou riche man do that neuer shalt liue surely whyther shalt thou retraye the whyther wilt thou turne thy body for thou art not sure here nor ellis wher fore and thou stye vp into the skye or descende into hell he that hath dominacion is that cruell and myghty kyng If thou goo into the see that kyng hath gouernaunce there thou shalt not mowe thenne goo no part surely for thou shalt be founde euery where Certeynly thou shalt haue no place to flee to nother in thy dethe nor in thy lif O how wele comprehended this Elezearus that saide I wil neither fle quiâ— nor dede from the handes of the almighty As it is writen in the secunde book of Machabe the vij chapitre Lo by thies our lordes saiyngis it appereth in many maners that finall Iugement is to be redouted of all and shal be for thaccusacion of diuerse thinges whiche must be violently suffred sustened and bornÌ„ and for the iust Reason that must nedes be yelden singulerly and generally of al thinges And for the diffinitif sentence that shal be thenÌ„ pronounced right horribly by the Iust Iuge The Remembraunce then of thies thinges diligently continued that is to seye of the finall Iugement and of the sentence that shal be geuen there as it is seide shal preserue and defendâ— and not without reason euery man from fallyng into syâ—â—ne and eschewe to do euyll to the ende to come finally to the glorie with the happy seyntes of Paradys â–ª And thus endeth the secunde parte of this tretys deuided in four parties Here beginneth the prologue of the thirde parte of the four last thingis to come THe thirde of the iiij last thingis wherof the remembrauÌ„ce pÌ„serueth from sinne is hell or thinfernale gehenne And therfor saith Anastasie of seint anthonie the heremite whenÌ„ the deuell tempted him to ony sinne he remembred the paines of hell due vnto synners whichÌ„ thought was so enprinted in his herte that finally he therby venquisshed the deuill was delyuered from his temptacions rested free from alÌ„ sinne It is to be noted how touching this matier pÌ„sent iij thingis ar principally to be considered First the diuerse nominacion of the peinfulÌ„ places of hell Secundly the manifolde afflictions of thinfernalÌ„ minestres Thridly the strange diuerse maners of the tormeÌ„tes of hell of the whichÌ„ iij thingis the remembrauÌ„ce ê“fiteth greetly withdraweth a man from falling to sinne ¶ How hell is named by holy scripture in diuerse wise ¶ The first chapitre of the thirde part principal IT is now first to be declared priÌ„cipally the nominacion of the peinfulÌ„ places of hell Wherfor it is to be knowen that helle is a place fulÌ„ of fire is so called de infero infers That is to saye to bere in for the sowles of sinners be bornÌ„ into it for to suffre peine ther eternally And therfor saith Iob in his vij chapitre He that shal descende into hell shal not come ageyn ne euer retorne vnto his house And also hell is oftentymes called gehenne of fire The forsaid Seint Gregory in his fourth boke of his dyalÌ„ogis saide Certeinely it must be beleud that there is oonly but oon fire in the gehenÌ„e of hell but it tormenteth not all sinners after oon maner for euery man shal haue payne after the quantite of his gilte and trespace Isidorus in the book of souerayn goodnesse seith that the fire of the gehenne of helle shal shyne leight to the dampned folkes in encrecyng of their paynes to th entent that they may see their owne sorowes it shal neither light nor shyne to their consolacion nor geue them cause of ony reioysing The paynÌ„ of thoes that be dampned is doubled by sorowe paynes that tourmentith the sowle and fire that brenneth the body Of this fire of hell speketh the sawâ—â—r saiyng The coles shal fal vppon synners whiche shal be cast into the fire hauyng no conforte in their miseries our lorde shal tourmente them with his Ire the fire shal deuour them Wherfore it is writen in Isaye in the ix chapitre The peple shal be as meete vnto the fire it is also seid to euery synner in Ezechil in the xxj chapitre Thou shalt be fireâ— meete In Iheremy the xv chapitre saith our lord to the dampned folkes then brasyng fire inferrour shall broil brenne vppon you all â–ª this fire is of the nature that â—petually it sâ—al brenÌ„ shal neuer haue nede to be renued It is writen in Iob the xx chapitre The fire whiche can 〈…〉 be quenched shal vtterly deuour them O how sore shal our lorde venge hym thenÌ„ vppon the dampned synners As it is saide in Ecâ—lesiastico in the vij chapitre The flesshe of synners shal haue vengeance by fire This fire of the gehenne of helle is different from the materiall fire principally in 〈◊〉 thinges First in fyersnesse egernesse foâ— the power of it in brenning is infenite wherfor seith seint SebastianÌ„ WhenÌ„ the angel of heuen rowned hym in the ere he seyde that our sensible fire is no more like the fire of hell then the fire peynted vpon a wall is like our materiale fire Secundly in enduring For our materiale firâ— may be quenched and so may not that It is writen in Isay in the last chapitre that the fire for siÌ„ners shal noâ— be quenched Thridly in wasting for our sensible materiale fire may consume
wast al thingis as the philophre seith but the fire infernal may not wast nor consume neither the body nor the sowles of sinners by brennyng Iob sayth in his xx chapitre of the synners beyng in helle He shal bye full dere now that he hath doon yet he shal not be wasted IohÌ„n Crisostom saith also that our materiale fire consumeth al thing that is leyd in hit but the fire of hell tourmenteth continuelly thoes that be therin yet it preserueth them alway in lengthyng their peines Therfor it is said that it is not to be quenched not oonly because it can not be put out but that it shal not sease to distroy them that shal come therin For that cause saith the holy scripture that the siÌ„ner shal be clothed with corrupcion not oonly of their lif but in languisshing tormemendes alway comÌ„yng Certeinly no voyce coude expowne nor no word coude expresse the greetnes of the peine nor the feruentnes of that fire Alas what shal we do therfor there what shal we answere for in hell shal be but grinding of tethe yowling criyng weping in payne but thenÌ„e penaunce is to late and from all partes shall comforte and helpe be put away there shal be no thyng but augmentacions of peynes as that fire of helle is not of nature to deuour no more is it to geue no comfortable lyght It is an obscure fire and the flamÌ„ therof tenebrous Secundly hell is called locus inquietus that is to sey a restles place euer enduring shal neuer haue ende wherfor it is seide in this lif that ther is one place which is alwey stil. that is to wite the centre of the skye Other be somtyme troubled as mene partis of the ayer semblably it may be proued that the lowest parte is alweyes in trouble without rest And therfore it is called tartarus For after papy tartarus is as mycle to say as troubled obscure Certeinly the vnrest tribulacion comyth there specially of iij thingis First the variance of paynes as one seith the weder is troubled whenÌ„ it is now medled with reynÌ„ now with haill now with snowe or such stormes which as it is sayd be of al thoes maners in hell as witnessenÌ„ prophetes sayng It shal raynÌ„ vppon synners bothe fire brimâ—â—on the spiretes of tempest shal geue them parte of their â—â—urmentes SecuÌ„dly of the ministres infernal As it is writen in Iheremy the xvj chapitre Thoes deueles that ye haue serued nether nyght nor daye shal suffre you in rest Thirdely of thentercheauÌ„ged cry as it is writen in Isay in the lxv chapitre ye shal wepe for sorow by contricion of sowle howle In trouth our lord shal answere to al thoes that so shal howle cry as it is seid in Iheremy the xxx chapitre Wherfore criest yâ— and howlist thou now by contricion sithe thy sorowe is not to be heled I haue punisshed the thus for thy wikked felonous synnes Thridly hell is called a place right distempred as Auernus that is as mykel to saye as a thing without a temê‘ance of delite for the paynes be no thing moderated there but continue in grete excesse of trouth there is therin without mensure excessesiue tenebres whiche be called exteriores as seint Mathewe saith in his xxij chapitre We haue example of this in Exode in the x chapitre by the maniable tenebres that were somtime in Egipte O how mykel shal the tenebres of helle be more greuous than thoes It is writen in Iob in the xx chapitre Alle horrible tenebres shal comÌ„e on him Ageyn thenne shal the synners saye as it is saide in the Psalter They haue cast me into the lowest lake and in the tenebrous place and in the shadowe of dethe they haue logged me in the obscure place as dede fro this world wherfore my sowle is angry with me Semblably it is writen in the Lamentacions of Iheremy They haue logged me with thoes that be sempiternally dede there is therin an excessife hete As Iob saith in his xiiij chapitre The hete is greet therin the cause is that it breketh not out but is closed in as the hete in an ouen The Psalter saith WhenÌ„e thou art an angred thou shalt put the synners in an ouen full of fire Also our lord shal tormente them with his wrath fire shal deuour them there is ther also a right sharpe coolde as is writen in Iob in the said chapitre It is said the water of snowe is colder then al other waters yet the waters of helle may not be compared with of chilling nor coolde And therfor seith Fulgencius in his pistles Ther is in hell ij principale maner of tormentes that is to wite by intollerable coolde by inquencheable hete It is writen in the xxiiij chapitre of seint mathew There shal be in hell bothe weping coolde certeinly the effluccion of teeris by weping comÌ„ith of hete but the inward sorowes is caused by coolde To this purpose witnesseth Iob in the said xxiiij chapitre the sinner oupassed with the coold water of snowe goeth after into the greet firy heates It is founde also in a litle book of the dedis of Alexandre the kyng of MacedonÌ„ That whenÌ„ he was for clommeâ— with the Isse with the colde of the snowe he wolde goo to the fire of colis O how myserable paynfull shal this trouble be to thoes that shal not dye nor haue lightnyng in the prison of helle but be tourmented there infenitely Fourthly hell is called a noyfull wayling place and therfore after Papie it is named Acheron that is as mycle to seye as a place without Ioye lackyng all goodnesse For this cause saith the Comentator Aueroys in the iiij chapitre of poetrie That hell hath a continuell sorowe wepyng with out consolacion In trouth the dampned folkes ther benethe haue no counfort in the worlde for the orisons prayers that been saide in the chirche mylitant may profeite them no thing and from aboue comyth there no helpe to them ther falleth on them no misericorde wherfore they be in dispaire of ony grace in tyme comyng and knowe certeynly that they without Remedy and not to be quiâ—ee out of the prison so they rest sempiternally in waylyng in sorowe and in desolacion It is writen in the boook of Sapiens in the iiii chapitre That the dampned sowles shal be vtterly in desolacion Also the dampned sowle seith in the first chapitre of the Trenys of Iheremye I am cast in desolacion am conuicte into wepyng It is writen in Isaye in the xxxiiij chapitre That the wretched synner shal be in desolacion during the worlde of worldes Alas alas what payne is that to be endured O moost cruell payne O desolacion ful of al turmentes therfor o thou man remembre the and printe often in thy herte and mynde thies thinges abouesaid to th entent thow may eschewe and withdrawe
Theodorus whiche sone after sodenly began to crye with a lowde voyce saiyng I yelde louyng thankis and grace to god my creatour for nowe that dragon whiche shulde haue deuoured me is driuen and chased away fro me by your good and deuoute prayers and orisons Also Seint Gregorie telleth an example in the fourthe boook of his Dyalogis that how in the partes of Anchone in a monastery called Congolathon be fell somtime that there was therin a monk which was taken for a very holy man meruelously wele disposed towarde god But whenÌ„e his brethren went that he hadde fasted he was accustumed secretely to ete And whenÌ„e he was atte the batayl of deth he called generally for alle his brethren saiyng vnto them I am deliuered nowe vnto a dragon to be deuoureed whiche with his taill hath knytte to gydre my fete also my kneys putteth his hede into my mouth draweth my sowle out of my body and after he hadde saide thoes wordes he dyed forth withall It may seme thies wordes be for the condempned sinners which ben writen in Iheremy in the lj chapitre He hath eten me like a dragon This dragon is hideous and greet and hath vij hedes x hornes in the same as it is writen in the Apocalips in the xij chapitre Ther hath been a greet bataile in the skye so that seint Michiel his angell hath fought with the dragon his angell whichÌ„ might not resist sith their rowmes in heuen coude not be fouÌ„de but were cast downÌ„ and so the dragon auncient serpent whichÌ„ is called the deuilÌ„ sathan enforceth him self to make warre vpon the uniuersalÌ„ world here And for that cause is it red in the same chapitre That harme come to the erthe and to the see for the deuill is descended emong you with alÌ„ his greet furious anger This deuil hath a meruelous greet hate vnto alÌ„ good peple which disposeth them to take possession in the rowme of heuen from whens he was put out chased into theternal paines and the more that the day of â—ome approcheth the more tempteth he more cursedly more forseth him self to do euil in distroyng of sowles O how greet is the wikkidnesse and the malice of this deuilÌ„ of hell Wherof Seint Bernard talketh in a prose saiyng O how felonows shal thenÌ„ this tormeÌ„tours be which shal paine tourmente synners how terrible shal their vengeance be in vengyng vices wretchednes sinnes Certeinly their cruel malice is yet augmented in diuerse maners First because they be so innumerable and of so diuerse soortes The Psalter saith Why be thoes so multiplied that tourmenteth me and ther be many that dresse them ayenst me And as it is writen in Iob in the xix Chapitre They haue asseged my Tabernacle about me It is writen in Uitis patrum That ther was a good Auncient Man that sawe the deuill enuyronyng the Peple and were as thik as beis that make hony Wherfore it is saide also in the Psawter They haue compassed me as beis be cause they be many of grete myght as Thappostle witnessith in his pistle ad the epheseos in the vj chapitre wher he calleth them princes potestates gouernours of the world be cause they be subtil myghty to noy sowles The psalter seith The strong haue sought my sowle this strength is vndrestonde by the deueles It is redde also of the strength in Iob the xlj chapitre There is no myght vppon the erthe to be compared with that that hath doon so that it dredeth no man sauf hym that seith all thing from aboue is king ouer all the children of pride the deueles shal ernstfully exorcise their might in pride to the pumisson of synners them shal cruelly tourmente It is writen in Ecclesiastico the xxxix chapitre Ther be spirites that be ordeyned to take vengeaunce hath confermed the tormentes in their furour enduringly till the consummacion of the worlde Iob seith in his xvj chapitre He hath compassed me with his fperis hath not spared me but hath hurte my reynes he hath cast my bowell to the erthe and geuen me woundes vppon wounde this come shuldering ayenst me like a gyand Thirdely the malice and cruelte of the deuell is comforted is more greuous be cause they ar neuer wery of tormenting As it is writen in the book of Daniel in the iij chapitre The mynistres shal not seasse in sturryng the fires of the fourneis to the causing of paynes Therfore said a wise man that there be tormentours whiche be more to be lothed then serpentes and they be blakke and defourmed and will not be beten downe And they be neuer wery to do harme but newly encreasen their malice al way redy and boyling desirously to put soules to payne and incessantly they excersise their cruelte more and more And it is saide to all sinners in Deutronomy in the xxviij chapitre Thou shalt serue for thynÌ„ enemy whenne our lord shal sende the naked vnto him in honger and thirste and in alle pouerte And theâ—â—e shal thy sore woundes enereace perpetuelly O how greet shal the paynes be there to dampned folkes whiche shal last continuelly in anguishÌ„ and miserie without intermission lacking peas or reste It is red of the sinners in Ezechiel in the vij chapitre That whenÌ„e they shal fele thâ—es anguisshiâ—ê° paine they shal desire and requirâ— to haue peas but thenÌ„e they gete nonÌ„ for they shal hâ—ue conturbacion and sorowe vpon sorowe It is writen in Thapocalips the xiiij chapitre That thoes that haue been bâ—estly shal therfore haue no rest by daye nor nyght ThenÌ„ mowe the sinners we le say as it is writen in Isay in the xxxviij chapitre I shal not see our lord god in the kuyng lond nor I shal no more beholde ony man that is inhabitour of rest Semblable as it is writen in Iheremye the xlv chapitre Alas I am vnhappy for oure lord hath addid in me sorowe to sorowe for I can finde no reste Sorowe shal be thenÌ„e cast at his hede and alle Iniquite shal descende vpon him Now by thies thingis aboue said it manifestly appereth how suche as descendeth into hell be punisshed with many diuerse payneeâ— therfor me thinkith dere brethren how it shold be often in your remeÌ„brauÌ„ce to defende you from fallyng to sinne whereby ye shulde lâ—se the companye of the â—â—â—py and blisshed seinâ—eeâ— and the celestiale glorie whiche is perourable and shal dure world withouten ende ¶ How there be many condicions of tormentes encreasyng the peynes of Helle ¶ The thirde chapitre of the thirde part principal NOw resteth to declare the thirde parte of this matier whiche is in shewyng the condicion of thinfernale tourmentes whiche be full diuerse Certeyne there be sondery condicions that specially encreace by occasions the peynes of helle ¶ The first is bitternesse wepyng grindyng of teeth compleynyng the perpetuell dethe peynfull languissing in despaire
and the wrath and blamyng of the creatour of all thingis with other many tourmentes and paynes innumerable to be recited whiche doubteles shal be wel felt and vndrestonde there by sinners as it appereth in diuerse places of holy scripture and as it is writen in Thapocalips in the xvj chapitre They haue eten their tonges for greet sorowe and haue blasfemed the god of heuen for their anguisshys and their woundes Seint Gregory saith that he that is condempned to the tormentes findeth more paine there then can be supposed or thought Seint IheromÌ„ saith that the force of the sorowe in hell shal be so â— greet that it can not addresse his corage but as the force of the said sorowe wil constrayne Certeyn the sinner shal say thenÌ„ as is writen in Iheremye in the viij chapitre My woo encreaseth in sorowe vppon sorowe The egrenesse of the paynes of hell shal be so greet that sinners shal hate and disprayse â—â—f which vniuersally is delited with a brenÌ„yng desire wisshe to fynde deth which eâ—y man wolde flee As it is writen in Thapocalips in the ix chapitre A day shal come that men shal desire wisshe for deth and shal not haue it they shal require deth it shal flee away fro them In trouthe our lorde winesseth yâ— egrenes of the peynes of hell in Iheremy in the ix chapitre where he seith I shal fede my peple with absinth comuÌ„ly named worm wode the whiche is a bitter herbe I shal geue them to drink galle Wherby is signified the bitternes of the tormentes of hell It is red that this egrenes was wele considered by a yong man which was deliciously norisshed Neuerthelesse he entred into thenâ—â— of prâ—chers and wheâ—e he hadde been in the saide ordre a while there camÌ„ a man from his kynsfolkes to amonissh hym to deparâ—e thens or he were professed shewyng hym how deliciously he hadde ben brought vp and therfore he myght not susteine the dures paynes troubles perteinyng to the saide ordre The yong man answered I haue entred into this ordre knowyng wele that I was voluptuously norisshed and myght not wele suffre But I remembre wele that the troubles paynes of hell shal be importable wherfore I hadde leuer susteyne the litle peynÌ„ of this ordre then the paynes which ar incomparable For Iob seith in his vj chapitre The snowe shal fall vppon them yâ— shal drede the litle myst This consideracion moued an heremite callid piers to enterprise a meruilous penaunce which he accomplisshed as seint gregory sheweth in the iiij book of his dyalogis this heremite dyed by a sekenesse yet after his deth his sowle was restored ageyn to his body Also Seint Gregory saith that ther was somtime a monk borne of Irelond called piers this monk affermed how he had seen the greuous tormeÌ„tes of hell the innumerable peinful places flameâ— of fire tolde how he had seyn there certeyn mighty men of this world honged vp in the saide flames And he seide as he was brought for to be cast in sodenly appered an angel clothed al in white which saued hym and hade him go thens and attentifly to remembre how he shulde liue from thens forthward to kepe him out of the danger of the peines After that he had herde that voice he reuiued and came to hym self litel and litel and shewed vnto his brethren ther all the thingis that he had feled seen and from that day forthward he vsed liued a blessid lif in fasting doyng penaunce so that by his conusacion after it myght wel seme the paynes of hell ar to be dred The secuÌ„d condicion encreasing the paynes of hell is the multipliyng of the tourmentes there In certeynÌ„ they be innumiable And as the psalter saith The paines whiche be without nombre haue enuiround be clipped me It is writen in deutronomy the xxxij chapitre I shal assemble many diuerse paynes vpon them I shal accomplish or spend the schot of mynÌ„ arowes in them and as it is writen in Isaye the v chapitre His arowes be ful sharp all his bowes ar bent our lorde hath many arowes in his quiuer whichÌ„ he hath not yet shot forth but after the Iugement he shal smyte all sinners with them Thies arowes ar the diuerse paines of hell where as sinners shal be thenÌ„ tormeÌ„ted in many mans the Psawter seith The arowes of the myghty That is to saye of our lorde be sharpe amonges the colis of desolacion Our lorde satth in Deutronomy the xxij chapitre I shal embrwe mynÌ„ arowes in their blode my swerd shal deuour their flesh they shal perishÌ„ by famyne the birdes shal strangle them with a full bitter morsel I shal sende ayens them the teeth of wilde bestis with the furour of thoes that rampe deuoure vppon the erthe Owtward the swerd shal destroye them and inward fere and drede shal waste them Off this multitude of paynes speketh Seint Gregorye in the viij chapitre of Seint Mathewe saiyng They shal be cast out into thuttermeste tenebres that is to say helle where shal be an vnsuffrable colde an vnquencheable hete an inmortale wormÌ„ an intollerable stinche a derkenesse mamable an orrible vision of deuels thresshing beting a confusion of sinners a sepacion of all ioyes And therfor said a wise man that hell is a mortifiyng pit ful accomplâ—sshed with alle paines miseries The psalter seith It shal reine brimston vpon sinners the spirites of tempestis whiche be part of the sorowes tormentis of hell And that saiyng is to be noted by cause that there be many other partes of tormentes impossible to be expressed al that euer we haue spoken of the peines of hell is a ful litle thing in regarde of the grete infenite multitude of them but to th entent that the multiplicacion of these peines may be yâ— more expressely declared It is also to be noted how daÌ„pned sowles shal be ful of all miseres sorowes for they shal â—u haue weping eyen grinding of their teeth stinche in their noses wailling in their voices fere in their ere 's beenning of fier in all their membres therin shal be bouÌ„den hande foot Lo how the wretched sinner descending into helle shal be fulfild with alle tormentes It is writen in Iob the xv chapitre of the dampned man how tribulacion shal holde him and anguishÌ„ shal enuyronÌ„e him And in y xiij chapitre of Isay How all mennys hertes shal be abasshed ferd for the sorowes and torcions that shal holde him hauing the payne the women suffre traueling of chylde eche on shal sorowe vponÌ„ his neighburgh and their broyled faces shal affraye eueriche other Therfore Baruch saide in his vj chapitre Their faces be blakked with smoke for the faces of all sinners shal be brought to the likenesse of a rownde pot as it is writon in Iohel the ij chapitre Also it is saide in
what be we amended by our Iewelles or precieux garnementes by our delicious meetes and drinkes our glotomies our lawhingis and ydle disportes Now what auantageth vs all thinges wherin we haue vaynely vnproufitably and dampnably spent our tyme. Alas alas we haue lost and passed our dayes without fruit and may be likend to were then a donghil and all thoes thinges be past but our wretchednesse shal remaine to our eternal tormentes Our lorde shal saye to euery dampned sowle as is writen in Iob in the xx chapitre He shal suffre tormentes peines after the multitude of his wikked operacions and in the xviij chapitre of thappocalips is writen As moche as he hath glorified hym self in delites and plaisers as moche torment and peine shul be yeuen hym therfore to remayne therin eternally Now is it not a greet folye for the riche or vaynÌ„ pleasir of this world or ony other miserable thing a man to submitte him to perpetual tormeÌ„tes bothe of his body of his sowle IohÌ„n crisostom saith in his book titled of the reparacionÌ„ of defaultes what continuance of lecherie space of delectacions wilt thou compare to the sempiternal paines Now take that thou liue C yeer in delectacions sette therto an other C yet C after the ten hondert if thou wilt yet what comparison is this to theternite May not all the tyme of our bodily lif though we entended neu so voluptuously be resembled vnto a dreem of the night in regarde of the sempiternale lif Is ther ony persone that aughte wil to haue oon playsant and delectable night in dremes and therfore to finde the sempiternale paines and so change for a playsant dreme so litle enduring to haue the paines of hell which be perpetuel What shal we speke of this playsir or of these paynes The playsirs passe lightly away and the paynes must remaygne euerlestingly Now take it that the tyme and the space of the playsirs and of the paynes were egale Is ther ony that aught to be so mad or so folysshe as to chese for to haue for oon daye of playsir here a day of dampnacion in hell Remembre how that oon houre of bodyly sekenesse in this world putteth a waye alle playsir for the sayson right so remembraunce how the perpetuell paynes ought to resist ayens alle synnes O how greet tourment and payne shal be to the dampned sowles their euerlestyng dampnacion and perpetuell dethe is so harde and so sore that I wore not how that I coude expresse hit greuousely I nowâ— for certeinly it can not be sufficiently spoken conceiued in mynde nor comprehended in herte Now take we that therâ— were a pece of metall as greet as mighte be comprehended withinne the concauite of the viij spere and euery M yeer ther shulde be taken from hit a litle pece like agreynÌ„ and so consequently til it were all brought to no thing shuld not the eternite be finisshed by that time and the dampned sowles deliuered out of their paynes I answere and saye you nay for the perpetuite shal be thenÌ„e but at the begynnyng there can be no proporcion in a thyng infenite as Aristotile the philosophre saith in his viij book of his phisikes Certeynly if dampned sowles mighten knowe and vndrestande that they shulde be deliuered out of thin tâ—llerable paynes of hell assone as the saide pece of metalle were so wasted and goon as is aboue saide yet they might haue hope of their redempcion ayens that saison and haue som maner of confort knowyng that their tormentes shulde somtime taken ende yet the yeers wolde be incomprehensible and innumerable Now surely oon of the grettest paynes is the desolacion and defaulte of hope euer to be redemed and deliuered out of theternall tormentes For as it is writen in Isay the xxxiiij chapitre The sinner shal be in desolacion tyme and worlde withouteen ende It is writen in the boook of Trenis the thirde chapitre MynÌ„ ende and mynÌ„ hope in god is perisshed Iheremy in his xv chapitre asketh Why is my sorowe made imperpetuel and my woundes in desperacion Wherunto is answereed in the x chapitre of the Prouerbis That whenÌ„e the felon sinner is oones dede there is thenne noon hope to be hadde Entende remembre this all ye that be forgeters of oure lord lest that this moost cruell and sorowfull place of helle swalowe you from whens ye may neuer be puld out Lo now ye may see clerely how the wretched synner can not be redemed out of helle Wherfore my right dere frendes I amoneste and require you bere that Remembraunce wel in your myndes and conceyue wel they ample of the pece of metall aboue specified And now tell me what thou felist and what thynÌ„ owne herte demeth and iugeth in this matier I wene certeinly thy discrecion wo begyue therunto credence for trewe it is to trouth by Reason then must nedis applie Also bethink the of the diuerse prouinces of londs ymagine euery Region of them Considere the sees the Riueres and the poondes Enclose in thy mynde the circuite of the wild and goo euery where therof Flie vp into the ayer and thenne descende into the lowest parte of therthe and of all this thinke in thy mynde thou hast made an hool substance and ymagine and extende how greet a thing this shulde be and yf hit myghte not be consumed by 〈◊〉 of tyme. and thenne telle me what thou thinkist of thinfenite paynes of sinners Whether shulde be longe enduring the consumyng of the same substance or the relessing of the perdurable paynes I trowe thou wilt agre that ther can no thyng be compared to a perpetuite wherfore we ought all in our coragis timerousely to tremble and fere it Now who is he that dredeth hit not who to he that alussheth not therof Who is he that hadde not leuer abyde the consumyng of the forsayde substance than the tyme of eternite Late this saide substance and this tyme of eternite be cowched vppon thynÌ„ herte and thou shalt fynde it aproufitable thing greetly to thynÌ„ auantage For if thou wilt not correcte and reuoke thy self from thy sinnes by the loue that thou owest to bere vnto god Yet the mirour and Remembraunce of thintollerable and infenite paynes shulde reuoque sequestre withdrawe the from sinnes O lorde god that this perdurable peyne is to be eschewed and drad And wepyngly we ought to remembre oure sinnes by grete contricion that we myght therby come to the euerlesting saluacion Lo here afore hath be shewed thencrecing of thinfernal paynes and how they may neuer cesse nor finisshe whiche was well considered by oon somtime callid Fulson of Mercelles Whiche was in his dayes an excellent Iougulier al abandouned and yuien to the vanitees of the worlde In a daye he be thought hym of the peines of helle and of theternite therof and remembred in his herte If he were compelled to lye in a faire and a softe
writen Make you dronken but not with wynÌ„ and wherwith thenÌ„e shal they make them dronken with Ioye and with gladnesse and with felicite and with many maniers of the celestiale glorie O good lorde god eternal how swetely shal thy goode and trewe seruauntes be dronken with the plentiueusnesse of thynÌ„ hous and with the voluptuousnesse of the For in the is the fontayne of lif the fontayne of beatitude and of glorie permanent and neuer failling Certeinly al swetenesse belongeth to thynÌ„ hous It is the hous of our lorde the cite of god whiche is ful of al richesses and resplendisshed with alle goodes Therfore saith Isay in hâ—s xxiij chapitre ThynÌ„ eyen shal see Iherusalem full habundant of all goodes The greet multitude of the copiâ—use habuÌ„dance of the thinges beforsaide of this cite shulde not hoolly satisfie to calle vs thydre but also right specially the restful multitude of this peas wherin those that be happy shal delite them enheriting that contrey aboue specified The same Isay saith in his lv chapitre Ye shal passe out in Ioye and shal be brought into peas O how grete shal the habundance of this peas be in Iherusalem wherin it shal remaine perpetuelly without ony werre Isay yet saith in the ix and xxxij chapitres My peple shal be in the beaute of peas and in the tabernacles of confidence and in the riche habundance of Reste Also Thoby saith in the xiij chapitre O Iherusalem Cite of god happely blissed be those that loue the and reioyse them in thy pess It is in Ezechiel the xiij chapitre The seintes see in the vision of peas there is ioye peas with peas which is so precious that it surmouÌ„teth and is by yonde all humaine vndrestanding Now then he that wole be participable of so greet a Ioye and peas with the saynctis eternally an hyghe in heuen he muste lerne now to suffre humbly and haue pacience here a lowe in erthe For as it is writen in a book callid Aurora drawen out of the Bible By souffrance is wonnen that moost noble rest and ther is noonÌ„ so wise that can reioyse that peas but oonly it is had by trauail and suffring of tribulacions and paines paciently in this mortale world â—â—◠¶ How the Royame of heuen is praysed and lauded for the Ioye and blis that is therin euerlestingly ¶ The thirde chapitre of the last parte THirdely the Royame and KingdomÌ„ of god is to be recomÌ„endâ—d for the greet Ioye and gladnes that is therin eternally enduring And theruppon saith Seint Gregory in an Omelye Who hath that tongue that can suffisantly declare and expresse the Ioyes of that souerayne Cite Or who hath couuenably the vndrestandyng to comprehende how greet those Ioyes be to the companyes of Angeles and to the happy sowles And how inestimable is that moost blisfull eternale Ioye and glorie in beholdyng the visaige of our lord god hauing no manier of trouble ne feer of dethe but liue in reioysing them of that moost preciouse yifte of grace which shal euer be permanent and without corrupcionÌ„ Certaine that Royame that Cite of our lord must be vndrestande Iherusalem whiche Ihrlm is moost bontiueusely plentiueusely blissedly edified O cite of citees whiche is so habundantly ful of blisful ioyes to the happy sowles loued be thou It is writen in Isay the last chapitre Reioyse you with Ihrlm and disporte you in her to th ende that ye may knowe be fulfild and fedde with the pappe of consolacion and that ye may be habundant in all maniers with the delectacions of that glorie Of the whichÌ„ inmesurable felicite glorie of that noble cite speketh Seint austyn in his book of the cite of our lord saiyng O how greet shal the felicite bâ— there where shal be nother payne nor harme nor we le nor good thing hidde but entending hoolly vnto the louynges and praysingis of our lord It it is writen in Isay in the lxiiij chapitre Ther was neuer eye that sawe without the that ioye whiche thou hast ordeigned to them that abide the nor more grete gladnesse can be than that thou wilt yiue those that thou louâ—st which they shal possesse perpetuelly It is redde in the same Isaye the xxxv chapitre They shal come into syon and alle louinges sempiternal ioyes vpon their hedes The Psalter saith Our lord hath knowen the dayes of those that be pure and not smouged and their heritage shal be perpetuelle It is writen in Thoby the xiij chapitre Lord thou art right greetly eternal and thy Royalme is in all worldes Seint Austyn saith in his book of the cite of our lorde We shal be vndrestanding and shal see preyse and loue our lorde This shal be in th ende whiche is withouten ende Now what shulde we desire to be our ende but to serche and seke the wayes to atteigne the â—omyng into the royame wherin ioyes haue nonÌ„ ende whichÌ„ royame is the royame of all the worldes certainly thy power lordship is vpon alÌ„ genacions Toby saith in the xiij chapitre Blissid be our lord whichÌ„ hath so highÌ„ reised Irlm to th entent that his royame be aboue in the world of worldes O how glorious is the Royame wherin the blissed sainctes reioyse them with Ihesu Crist. and they cladde as in white aulbes folowe alwayes the lambe Now of this worlde to come speketh seint austyne in his book of the debâ—te bitwix vertues vices saiyng The loue of this pÌ„sent world is departed from me for ther is no creature but he must nedis finisshe and dye here Hit alÌ„ other wise of the loue of the world that is to come In the whiche alle be so viuified that they can neuer dye after therin And therin is noon aduersiâ—e no trouble non anguishÌ„ no payne no disease eÌ„noyng nor werynesse but therin reignen sempiternale Ioyes The Psalter saith The Iusâ— folkes eten and drinken and reioysen them in the presens of our lord deliting them in gladnesse And all sorowe and waylingis flieth from them It is writen in Thapocalips the xxj chapitre Our lord shalÌ„ drye the teeres of their eyen More ouer there shal be thenÌ„e no wepyng criyng sorowe nor dethe for all that shal be passed before Isay saith in his xxv chapitre Our lord shal take away the teeres of euery face and shal take away the repreuys of his peple in euery londe And thenÌ„ the folkes shal saye Here is our lord god whom we haue abiden whiche shal saue vs we haue susteigned and suffred for hym And therfore we reioyse vs with and by him in saluacion O how greet shal be that ioyeful gladnesse to thoes that shal be glorified not oonly in sowle but also in body It is writen in Isay the lxj chapitre They shal be dowble possessed in their lande And in the Prouerbis the last chapitre is writen All his familiere housholde â— seruauntes shal be cladde double That is to
loued brethren how greetly shal ye reioyse you if ye be transported vnto that eternale glorie CertainÌ„ ye shal saye thenÌ„e in criyng syngyng as it is writen in Isay the lxj chapitre I glad ioyeful shal reioyse me in our lord and my sowle shal be myry in my god by cause he hath clad me with the vesthment of saluacion Of trouthe as it is writen in Iob the xxij chapitre Thou shalt be habundant thenÌ„e in the deleâ—tacion of the most mighty lord shalt lifte vp thynÌ„ eyen towarde god the light shal shine in thy wayes Of this light is writen in Ecclesiastico the xj chapitre It is a delectable light to see the sonÌ„e that is to vndrestande Ihu crist which to knowe beholde ê‘durably passeth surmonteth al the ioyes of this world and is no meruail for the knowlichÌ„ vision is the fode glorie lif sempiternale of the happy sainctis Seint IohÌ„n saith in his xviij chapitre eternale lif is this to knowe the sool veray god Ihu crist whom thou sendest downÌ„ into this erthe for our redempcion Now then he that may obteygne come to that blisful knâ—wlich after diuine lecture and to see god face to face that shal be the most eycellente ioye a springyng of all ioyeful gladnesses Seint Bernard saith in his sermon Meraily that is a trewe a souerainÌ„ ioye which is conceiued and had not oonly by oon creature but also by the creatour and maker of all creatures whiche ioye thou shalt haue whenÌ„ he shal shewe the his face Wherfor the ê“phete desiringly saide Lorde I require the late me see thy gracious faceful of all ioye gladnesse Alas my delectacion is prolonged from me til I may haue the greet wee le and til I may be drawen vnto god my saueour I shal shede teeres night daye Certeinly the vision by the whiche our lorde is seen face to face is in thou thirde heuen and if it might be saide it is the paradise of M. heuens wherin the fontayne of clere water is seen by the happy lif Isay saith in his lx chapitre Thou shalt see thenÌ„ the face of our lorde and shalt be habuÌ„dant in delectacions and ioyes sempiternally O how good art thou lord of Israel to them that haue rightful hertes whiche wole yiue them so grete so riche and so playsante ioyes My right dere brethren ye here gladly speke of these delectacions ioyes and take playser therin Neuerthelesse ye ought not to be ignorante to vndrestande that the blessed seintes come neuer to these ioyes but by grete peines labours Seint Gregory saith in his Omely The greetnesse of the rewardes yiueth me corage and my labours ought not to feer me for oon may neuer atteigne to the greet rewardes but by greet labours That noble precheur seint Powl in the secunde epistle to tymothe the secunde chapitre saith How that there shal be non crouned but suche as haue manfully foughten Veryly euery man shal receiue his Rewardes whiche shal be after his labours Ther be diuerse that wole not liue we le and yet they desire to dye wele They may knowe the dethe of seintes is ful preciâ—â—se in the presens of our lorde they may knowe also that whenÌ„ our lord hath yeuen reste to his sowles they shal dwelle in his heritaige ê‘manently by cause they haue be those that alwayes haue folowed him in resisting temptacions Many of you wolde regne with Ihesu Crist but ye wole suffre no thing for his sake Balaam ariolus was such oon for in considering the castel of the children of Israhel he entended the hauing of theternale beatitude and saide in him self Die my sowle as iust folkes die be my last thingis semblable vnto theirs he delited greetly their glorious ende but he grouged to take their labours paynes wherby they hadde deserued the glorie eternale O god lord Ihesu we wolde gladly regne with the Neutheles we wol not labour nor be participable to thy suffrances Thou chasest miserie pouerte we haue taken vs vnto voluptuousenesses delectacions Thou hast taken vpon the suffred bitternesses sharpenesses to thy body we haue chosen folowed our sensuale plaisirs Seint bernard said The sone of god is bornÌ„ to whoe 's wil was granted al that might please him He chose to be bornÌ„ in the moost grieueuse tyme the blissid litle babe bornÌ„ of a poure moder vnne thehauing clothes to wrappe coure it in the cribbe Certeinly IhuÌ„s crist whiche neuer is deceiued chace that that moost molested grieued his flesh Lo thenÌ„e it is best swettest and moost profitable to chese the hardest paine in this world And who so euer amonesteth or techeth other wise oon oughte to beware of him and yiue him litle credence It was oons promisid by Isaye alitle childe that coude repreue the euyll and chese the good The euyll was the voluptuose playsir of the body and the good was the peine affliction therof A trouthe this child is the sone of god whichÌ„ chose thafflicti on s repriefued and forsook the voluptuous plaifiers As seint Bernard saide O right dere child thou hast chosen from thy beginning here corporale afflictions in suffrance hast entred into thy glorie whiche was proprely thynÌ„ owen we lyuing in delectacions wolde entre into that glorie wherin we be but strangiers and not digne to come thidre but by thy grace Ther ayens speketh Seint Austyn saiyng If it haue behoued Ihesu crist lord king whoe 's name is aboue alle names to haue suffred therby hath entred into his eternal glorie what hope or trust shal we haue to come thidre without suffrance sithen we be straÌ„giers can haue none entre there but by hym O how folish how hard herted we be to trust in reioysing vs in this world after to regne with IhuÌ„ crist in heuen he entred therin al naked yet was he therin lord and we wolde entre therin that be al charged with supfluous garnementis with richesse of golde siluer and precious stones He entred therin chast fasting thou wilt entre thâ—in ful of glotonie lecherie He dyed vpon the crosse forto redeme the that deliciously slepist in thy bed Shulde thenÌ„ the seruauÌ„t haue that the master hadde not and wole not bye it as he dede Certeinly nay and me thinketh it were a thing to vnraisonable Herkene now what a poete saith The lorde hath swet vpon the crosse shal not the seruauÌ„t do the same Now bere your crosse for he hath bornÌ„ his Taste of the vinegre as he dede The reuerence nor the case of the seruauÌ„t shulde not be more than that of the lorde If thou wilt folowe him thou must ensue his tormentes and holde for certaine thou canst not come in heuen by delites playsirs And therfore whenÌ„e thou shalt paye vnto our lorde thy dette of naturale dethe whiche thou owest
bitwix eternale dampnacion and perpetuale ioye and blys Forsake and renouÌ„ce your synnes and defende you from the fendes power whiche ye may surely do with contricion and in axing helpe and grace of our lord Iwys it is meruail that man whiche aboue all erthely thing is a creature raisonnable ensueth not the veray originale of raison but disprayseth forsaketh that that is most profitable eternally good for that that is mortale and moost harmful O good lord what vnhap causeth it and wherfore shulde we by out folye lose thoo sowles that thou hast bought so dere with thy moost precious blood Certainly the cause is lak of prudence good counseil grace cordiale remembraunce of the saide four last thingis O our redemptour almighty and merciful Ihesu graunte vs so thy grace that we may yet surely pourueye for our last thingis so cordyally frequente the remembraunce of thy godhede that it cause vs here after to repelle reuoque our synnes resiste our goostly enemy conforme vs in alle good werkes vnto thy blissed wil to thobteigning finally with the happy sainctes of thynÌ„ eternale glorie To whiche beinge vs the fader the soone the holy goost reigning in vnite sempiternally world withouten ende AMEN THis book is thus translated out of frenshe into our maternal tongue by the noble and vertuouse lord Anthoine Erle Ryuiers Lord Scales of the Isle of wight Defenseur and directeur of the câ—uses apostolique for our holy fader the Pope in this Royame of Englonde Vncle gouernour to my lorde prince of wales which book was deliuered to me william Caxton by my saide noble lorde Ryuiers on the day of purificacion of our blissid lady fallyng the tewsday the secunde day of the moneth of feuerer In the yeer of our lord M. CCCC lxxvijj for to be enprinted and so multiplied to goo abrood emonge the peple that therby more surely myght be remembred the four last thingis vndoubtably comyng And it is to be noted that sythen the tyme of the grete tribulacion and aduersite of my saide lord he hath been ful vertuously occupied as in goyng of pilgremagis to Seint Iames in Galice to Rome to Seint Bartylmew to Seint Andrew to Seint Mathew in the Royalme of Naples and to Seint Nicholas de Bar in Puyle and other diuerse holy places Also hath procured and goten of our holy fader the Pope a greet and a large Iudulgence and grace vnto the chapel of our lady of the pielle by seint stephens at west mestre for the relief helpe of cristen sowles passed out of this transitorie world whiche grace is of like vertue to thindulgence of Scala celi â–ª And not withstonding the greâ—t labours charges that he hath had in the seruice of the kyng of my said lord prince as wel in wales as in Englonde whichÌ„ hath be to him no litle thought besines bothe in spirite and in body as the fruit throof experimently sheweth Yet ouer that tenriche his vertuous disposicion he hath put him in deuoyr at all tymes whenÌ„ he might haue a leyser whiche was but startemele to translate diuerse bookes out of frenshÌ„ into englishÌ„ Emong other passid thurgh mynÌ„ honde the booke of the wise sayinges or dictes of philosophers the wise holsomÌ„ ê“uerbis of xpristime of pyse set in metre Ouer that hath made diuerse balades ayenst the seuen dedely synnes Furthermore it semeth that he conceiueth wel the mutabilite and the vnstablenes of this present lyf and that he desireth with a greet zele and spirituell loue our goostly helpe and perpetuel saluacion And that we shal abhorre and vtterely forsake thabhominable and dampnable synnes whiche comunely be vsed now a dayes as Pride periurye terrible swering thefte murdre and many other Wherfore he took vpon hym the translating of this present werke named Cordyale trusting that bothe the reders and the herers therof sholde knowe them self herafter the better and amende thair lyuyng or they departe and lose this tyme of grace to the recouure of their saluacion Whiche Translating in my Iugement is a noble a meritorious dede Wherfor he is worthy to be greetly comÌ„ended and also singulerly remembred with our goode prayers For certaynely as well the reders as the herers well conceyuyng in their hertes the forsayd foure last thinges may therby greetly be prouoqued and called from sinne to the greet plentiuouse mercy of our blissid saueâ—ur whiche mercy is aboue all his werkis And noman beyng contrite and confessed nedeth to fere thobteyning therof as in the preface of my saide lordes booke made by hym more playnly it appereth ThenÌ„e in obeying and folowyng my said lordes comandement In whiche I am bounden so to do for the manifolde benefetes and large rewardes of hym had and receyued of me vndeseruid I haue put me in deuoyr â—â—ccomplisshe his saide desire and comauÌ„dement whom I beseche almighty god to kepe and mayntene in his vertuous and laudâ—ble actes and wakis And sende hym thaccomplisshement of his noble and ioyous desire and playsirs in this worlde And after this short daungerous and transitory lyf euer lasting permanence in heuen Amen Whiche werke present I beganÌ„ the mornÌ„ after the saide Purificacion of our blissid Lady Whiche was the the daye of Seint Blase Bisshop and Martir And finisshed on the euen of thannunciacion of our said bilissid Lady fallyng on the wednesday the xxiiij daye of Marche In the xix yeer of Kyng Edwarde the fourthe