C.xlv FOr to styre his peple to mekenes· openly gaaf the holy Patryarke thise exortacoÌ„ns / My chyldern lete vs consyder put in our hertes the grete godenes of god his grete merci And certaynly we shal not desire to be put in grete honours that ben so dangeroous / But playnly we shall desyre to lyue in symple astate and pouertee / ¶ Alas what pouertee cowde we haue for to be also poore as hath be the lord our Sauyour and Redemer Ihesu Criste that kyng was bothe of heuen of erthe / ¶ Lete vs thynke vpon his mede fulnesse grete goodnesse that hath be shewed to vs / Where as we neuer shold haue ben yf he bi his grace had not formed Adam / The whyche by Inobedyence caused vs subget vnto euerlasting dethe / ¶ And alwayes thrugh his grece mercy paynfull passyon so moche benygnely he hath boughte vs ayen ¶ We also shall consydre that at all times that we fall in dedely synÌ„e the deuyll maye slee vs. brynge in to helle / And in dede he sholde doo it ne were the perfyghte loue that our lord hath to vs ¶ For coÌ„tynuelly by his doughter that is the chyrche· he prayeth vs to retorne to penaunce to th ende we maye haue hys grace / ¶ O moost swetnes whan he that may both daÌ„pne saue vs at his wyll And that alle thynges maye wythoute vs / And wythout hym we maye no thyÌ„ge / Neuerthelesse he prayeth vs that we woll loue him / ¶ How many theues euyll dooers are in the worde that god punysshyth not but coueryth theyr synnes / How many ben in the see that god preseruyth that they ben not robbed of the Pyrates / or drowned in to the deppest botomes But coÌ„maundeth the see that it suffreth theym to come to porte sauf / in abydynge the amendement of theyr lyfe / ¶ How many receyue the body of our lorde in dedely synne whiche he punysshyth not forth with / How many brybers theues are kepte from the wylde bestes / ¶ How many synÌ„ars ben preseruyd the anone after theyr synÌ„e thei ben not take of the deuyll of hell How many lurdens lye bi harlottes aduoutrers dronkelew glosâ—ets and other to all vyces ben wrapped / neuerthelesse god abydeth theym to gyue vnto them his mercy yf they woll aske it ¶ The bee fleeth in Somer in hylles valâ—es for to make hony swete for oure monthes that haue vttred sayd soo many fowle wordes and shamful / The floures shewe theim for to reioyce our â—yen whiche enforce theym for to loke on comyn wymmen / Or dysceyue a manÌ„es wyfe / ¶ We thenne that done suche dedes / And haue soo many rewardes of god / What drede oughte we for to haue whan oonly we consydre the last hour of oure dethe / ¶ Dyuerse ensamples of dethe gaaf the holy Patryarke to the ende that they that were prowde folysshe louers sholde mekely and lowely obeye theymself for to haue contrycyon / takynge sorowe for theyr synnes ¶ This holy man sayde It suffysyth me for to be sauyd to haue a coÌ„tynuell mynde of dethe / For at the selfe hour none shal acoÌ„pany wyth vs / but onÌ„ly our gode bad dedes ¶ Alas lete vs thyÌ„ke how our gode angel shal be wroth whaÌ„ aft our deth he shall finde noo gode dedes done bi vs wherby he miÈte kepe defeÌ„de vs ayeÌ„st thacusyÌ„g of our enmie the deuyll of hell / Alas thenÌ„e shall we pray god the he wol yeue vs space to liue yet a lytyl while to doo penauÌ„ce but to vs shal be answerd / Pore creature that haste euyl speÌ„ded the time that thou hast lyuen thou shalt neuer haue no respite sayd of hyÌ„self / Alas pore IohnÌ„ how shal thou passe the way for to goo in paradys / whaÌ„ afore the thou shal see somany enmies of horrible accusars byfore the rightwys Iuge / ¶ Alas IohnÌ„ what fere and drede shalt thou thenne haue whan Incontyâ—â—â—e after thy dethe thou shalt be presentes afore the Iugement of god ¶ This holy man had euer in his remembrauÌ„ce the good Symeon that had be so iusce And that whiche whan the hour of his dethe was come / that his soule ascended to paradys / mette wyth a grete coÌ„pany of deuilles in dyuers orders / Fyrst mette the soule of the sayd Symeon the order of proude deuylles And there she was questioned yf she had not be proude After he mette with the deuylles princes of sklaundrynge / and in lyke wyse she was there askyd yf she had not reported euyl of other / After this she met wyth other deuylles prynces of fornycacoÌ„n the whiche wolde accuse hym of flesshely dedes and flesshely desyres / And whan the soule is styed vnto heâ—uen and that she muste nedes yelde acounte afore god / the angels gyue her nomore socours / and hath thenne noo comfort ne helpe but of suche good dedes as he hath done in this worlde / As to this tyme the good Patryarke consydered how the soule hath noo comforte but onÌ„ly of her good dedes / ¶ And for to moue the more his spyryte / he broughte vnto his mynde the dethe of saynte Hâ—larion the whyche at the laste houre of his deth sayd vnto his soule / O my soule goo hardly out of my body Lxxx. yere thou hast serued god / Why ferest thou now thy departynge / ¶ O wonderfull a thyng / o moost drede o charyte vnable to be colde The good Hilarion the was ·lxxx yere al his lyfe had seruyd god in doynge grete penauÌ„ce neuer had synÌ„ed dedely but al his dayes was Ioyned to the goodnesse of god as he had hadde in erthe the perfeccyon of an angel / This notwythstondyng that he lyued an heuenly lyfe in makyng wonderfull miracles yet he feryd the dethe namely the sayd holy Patryarke that sayd ¶ What shall thou my soule answere to the horryble accusars that somoche ben subtyll / I fere me full sore that we shall be taken at our answers whaÌ„ the deuyls shall gyue vnto vs somany accusacoÌ„ns As of leesynges of couetise of myssayeng of vnpyte of euyll mynde· of hate and of all other synÌ„es / TheÌ„ne shall we well nede to haue gode aduocates that shall speke for vs / ¶ For the grete fere that we shall thenne haue shall kepe vs that we shall not answere noo thyng / And therfore we must pray god that we maye haue good angels for to lede vs in all our dedes whan that we oonly goo fro one cyte to a nother we take our guides / to th ende that they lede vs the streight waye / ¶ ThenÌ„e muste we well praye whan we shall depart from the erthe to heuen / that we be not ladde from our streyght waye but ledd guyded by good conduytours / Thys holy patryarke layed suche medyacoÌ„ns afore his eyen for to meke hyÌ„self / And who that
in to the sayd place among the dwellers / begyÌ„neth in latyÌ„ CoÌ„fessor Caplm .lxxxiiij ¶ How the gowne of saynt Pachomyen heelyd folke of the blody flux / and begynneth in latyn Mulier et cetera Caplm lxxxiiij ¶ How saynt Pachomyen by his debonayrte was cause of the good lyfe of a relygyous / it begyÌ„neth in latyn AliqnÌ„ vero c. Caplm .lxxxv. ¶ How saynt Pachomyen delyuered a woman soore traueylled of the deuyll begynneth in latyn Adhuc auteÌ„ c. Caplm lxxxvi ¶ How he helyd a childe that was traueylled with the fende / begynnyth in latyn Tali igit c. Caplm .lxxxvij ¶ Of the coÌ„uersyon of saynt Syluayn begynnyth in latyn Taliter igit c Caplm lxxxviij ¶ How the holy man coÌ„mauÌ„ded that a deed bodye sholde be vnclothed of his vestymeÌ„tes / begyÌ„nyth in latyn EodeÌ„ vero tempe Caplm lxâ—xx ¶ How the holy man Pachomyen sawe the angels bere a waye the soule of a relygyous in to paradys / begynnyth in latyn Moratê° eâ— Caplm lxxxxi ¶ How some were brente by fyre dyuyne bycause they letted the buyldyng of a monasterye / and begynnyth in latyn Sanctus ergo Caplm lxxxxij ¶ Of the Inquysycyons of a phylosophie / begynnyth in lacyd â—nterea Caplm lxxxxiij ¶ Of the abstynence of the religyouses begynnyth in latyn Prouide Pachomius Caplm lxxxxiiij ¶ How saynt Pachomyen lawe corrected by reuelaâ—on of god the euyl thoughâ—es of chanachorytes that were relygyouse heretylâ—es begynnyth to latyn Hee in Pachomius Caplm lxxxxv ¶ Of the reuelacoÌ„n the saynt Pachomyen had of the gouernyng that his relygyouses sholde holde after his deth / also the prelates that were to come after hym / begynnyth in latyn Monacis vero c. Caplm lxxxxvi ¶ An exhortacoÌ„n for to withstonde the deuyll / begynnyth in latyn TuÌ„e pachomius c. Caplm lxxxxvij ¶ How saynt Pachomyen by his meryces knewe the thoughtes of men / begynnyng CuÌ„que ê‘gâ—reÌ„t Caplm lxxxxviij ¶ How the deuyll shewed hymselfe to saynt Pachomyen / begyÌ„nyng Alio veâ—o tempe Caplm lxxxxix ¶ How the myght of the deuyll was shewed to the holy man Pachomyen / begynnyth in latyn In hoc eciaÌ„ c. Caplm C. ¶ How the holy man Pachomyen helyd a man that was bytte of a Scorpyon / begynnyth in latyn Interra c Caplm C.i. ¶ How lykenesse prouffyteth oft to the saluacoÌ„n of the soule / begynnyng Tali quoque c. Caplm C.ij ¶ Of the pacyence of Zacheus that was a relygyous / begynnyth in latyn Zacheus qdaÌ„ monachê° Caplm C.iij ¶ Of the deth of saynt Pachomyen / begynnyth in latyn Certus â—taque Pachomius Caplm C.iiij ¶ Of the lyfe of saynt Crysten the relygyous / begynnyth in latyn QuidaÌ„â—enomanensis Caplm C.v. ¶ Of saynt Iohan the almoner Patryarke and bysshop of Alexandrye / after that it is rehercyd in the lyfe of the faders by saynt â—eonce / in his tyme bysshop of Naples / to the chapytre begynnyng in latyn Cumque peruenissem c Caplm C.vi ¶ How the sayd saynt Iohan ordeyned to the poore â—olke of the cyte of AlexaÌ„drye theyr sustentacoÌ„n dayly fode ordynately callyng theyÌ„ his lordes / begyÌ„nyng in latyn Promotê° ergo Caplm C.vij ¶ How he stablysshyd in the cyte weyght mesure equall / begynnyth in latyn IustuÌ„ vero Caplm C.viij ¶ How he corrected theym the receyuen ony yetres begynnyth in latyn RelatuÌ„ est auteÌ„ Caplm C.ix. ¶ How he gaaf lycence leue to them that wolde come to hyÌ„ / begyÌ„nyng in latyn Discens vero c. Caplm C.x. ¶ How the holy bysshop receyued mekely the folke that were fled for to schewe the wodenesse of theym of Percy begynnyth Cuius sancti Caplm C.xi. ¶ Of the shappe of a woman that apered to saynt Iohan the Almoner Patryarke of Alexandrye / begynnyth in latyn / CuÌ„que illis c. Caplm C.xij ¶ Of a pylgryme that wolde teÌ„pte saynt Iohan the Almoner / begynnyng in lytyn Adorione c Caplm C.xiij ¶ Of a maryner of the tynne that was torned to syluer / begynnyng in latyn Nauclerus quidaÌ„ c Caplm C.xiiij ¶ Of a Ryche man that was fallen in grete pouerte / And begynnyth in latyn Descendence sanctissimo cetera Caplm C.xv. ¶ Of Nyceta Patryce ruler of the comyn wee le in Alexandrye / begynnynge in latyn Intuens Niceta et cetera Caplm Cxvi ¶ Of the scarnesse and derthe of corne and suche goodes And of a man that requyred to be made Deaken / begynnyth in latyn Qui Abraham c Caplm C.xvij ¶ Of two clerkes that dyde falle in to synne / begyÌ„nyth in latyn QuibusdaÌ„ Caplm C.xviij ¶ Of the noyse that the holy Patryarke Iohan had ayenst the ruler Nyceta / begyÌ„nyth in latyn Deifri quidaÌ„ Caplm C.xix ¶ Of Gregorye the neuewe of the holy Patryarke / begynnyth in latyn Isle memoriabilis Caplm C.xx ¶ Of the DyacoÌ„n of the sayd holy Patryarke named Damyen / begynnynge in latyn Nunciatum est et cetera Caplm C.xxi. .xxij ¶ Of the tombe of saynt Iohan the Almoner / the whiche he wolde not suffre to be full made / begynnyth in latyn DiffinicoÌ„em c Caplm Cxxiij ¶ Of the yeftes that saynt Iohan the Almoner sent to the Patryarke of Iherusalem for a socour ayenst the Paynyms / begynnyth in latyn DuÌ„o c Caplm C.xxiiij ¶ How a marchauÌ„t gaaf to saynt Iohan the Almoner a ryche couerlet for to couere ouer his sory bedde / begyÌ„nyth Arripuit sanctus Caplm C.xxv ¶ Of a chaunger named Peter / that made hymself to be solde by his seruaunt as a bonde man for to socoure the poore people / begynnyth in latyn DignuÌ„ Caplm C.xxvi ¶ Of saynt Cerapyon / and begynnyth in latyn Omnibus et cetera Caplm C.xxvij ¶ How the holy Patryarke wolde not herken to the accusacoÌ„ns that men made agaynst the Relygyouses / And begynnyth in latyn Semper quidem c Caplm C.xxviij ¶ How the holy Patryarke vysyted the syke labouryng to theyr dethewarde / of hym that was brought prysoner in Perse / begyÌ„nyth in latyn Moralitate c Caplm C.xxix ¶ Of hym that prayed for his sone / for his shyppe that was vpon the see / bycause it sholde not perysshe / begynnyth in latyn Quod in actibus apl'orum Caplm C.xxx ¶ Of a coueytous bysshop / the whiche louyd moneye Inordynatly ouermoche / begynneth in latyn Vrgebat c Caplm C.xxxi ¶ Of the shyppes of the chirche / and how all the goodes that were therin were loste / whiche chapytre begynneth in latyn Dominus qui diuicias et cetera Caplm C.xxxij ¶ Of a seruauÌ„t to whom he gaaf two pouÌ„de of golde / begynneth in latyn / Ad extremaÌ„ c Caplm C.xxxiij ¶ Of a duke that refused to leue fyfty pouÌ„de of golde /
ensygnes of his vysage and clothynge and habyllements of the sayd holy fader with many other tokenes / By the whyche her Husbonde knewe certaynly the sayd visyon to be true / Wherefore he sore amerueylled retorned to the sayd holy fader for to rendre and gyue thankynges of the thynges afore sayde / The whyche rendred he demauÌ„ded of hym his bene dyccyon / And after came Ioyously home to his howse / ¶ In a nother tyme a Prouoste or Capytayne of men of warre lefte his wyffe nyghe her tyme for to chylde Came for to see the sayde holy fader / And in the tyme that he aryued in the place where as he dwelled And the same day she was in grete peryll for her chyldynge / Thenne the holy fader forsayde aduertysed the sayde Prouoste and shewed to hym how she was delyuered of a fayre sone and brought fayre a bedde In sayenge to hym Thou art bounde to gyue thankynges souerayne to god / For thy wyfe whiche was in grete daungeour is delyuered oute of peryll / But haste the to retorne home and thou shalte fynde her hoole and guarysshyd wyth her chylde seuen dayes olde Whom thou shalte name IohnÌ„ / And thou shalte nourysshe hym seuen yere in thyne howse wythoute to haue ony comynycacion wyth the Pay nyms to th ende for to kepe hym from theyr vyces / The whyche seuen yere so passyd thou shalte delyuere hym to some holy relygyous man for to Instructe and teche the Crystyn fayth and doctryne / And thus the holy man as well to peple of the prouynces nygh by him as to straungers yf they requyred hym gaaf good counseyle in repreuyng theym of theyr vyces and secrete synnes ¶ He prophecyed the famyne to come / for the synne of the peple and other persecucyons comynge In excytynge the synners to penaunce and amendement of lyfe And as to Inpotents and Paralytyks whan they were broughte to hyÌ„ he blessyd hem wyth holy oyle· of whyche whan they were ennoynted they recouered helthe and guaryson of all theyr maladyes / ¶ A Senatour of Rome had a wyfe blynde whiche exorted him to lede and brynge her to the sayde holy Heremyte / To whom the sayd Senatour her husbonde answerd that he wolde neuer see ony wymmen / ThenÌ„e she prayed hym that he wolde goo to hym / And praye hym to make his oryson and prayer to god for her / For by this moyen syngulerly she hoped to recouere her syghte / The same Senatour came to this sayde holy man / and after that he hadde made his Requeste He blessyd a lytyll oyle / And sente it to the sayde blynde woman / Wyth whyche she ennoynted her eyen thre dayes And Incontynente she receyuyd her syghte in gyuynge thankynges to god ¶ Many other dedes worthy to be remembred dyde this holy man / ¶ The whyche sholde be ouer longe to wryte ¶ But saynt Iherom hathe yet wryten one in this boke / By cause he him self was there present wyth syxe other brethern / The whyche togyder came for to see the sayde holy man / ¶ And after they were aryued / And that they had salwed eche other / He receyued theym wyth grete gladnesse / And spake to eche of theym humbly / In admonestynge theym to praye to god wyth hym / As it was acustomed to the holy faders of Egypte / whanne ony came for to vysyâ—e theym / ¶ Thenne he demaunded theym yf ony of theym were a clerke / The whyâ—he answerde to him â—aye ¶ Neuerthelesse he knewe in spytyte of prophecie that one of them was a Deaken / ¶ And by humylytee he reputyd hymself vnworthy to be with lo grete and persyghte men as his felowes wâ—ee / And hydde hym behynde theym / ¶ The holy man seenge the sayde Deaken whyche was the yongest of theym And shewed hym wyth his fynger and sayde / Loo this is the Deaken The whiche answered that he was no ne / ¶ Thenne the holy man toke him by the honde and kyssyd hym and sayde / Haa my sonne denye not the grace that god hathe giuen to the. To the ende that thou take none harme for goode / And for humylytee to lye / ¶ For aboue all thynges â—â—synges oughte to be eschewed be it for good or for euyllâ— The whyche Deken receyuyd benygnly his correceyon / ¶ And this done they togyder prayeng god / One of theym had a grete Feuer· In suche wyse that he supposyd to haue deyed / ¶ Thenne he prayed the same holy man that he myghte by hym be heelyd and guarysshyd / To whome he answered / ¶ My frende thou desyreste to putte from the that thinge whiche is to the necessarye to haue / ¶ For lyke as the body is puryfyed and wasshyd by the Nytree Whyche is a spece of Salte puryfycatyff / or by other wasshynges / ¶ In lyke wyse also is puryfyed and heelyd the sowle by maladyes and other Infyrmytees corporell / ¶ Neuerthelesse after that he hadd enfourmed and taughte hym of many enscynements and doctrynes He blessyd a lytyll oyle / And gaaf it to hym to drynke / By the moyen of whyche he caste oute sodaynly of his mowthe the humoure causynge the Feuer / And retournyd alle hoole· and guarysshyd of his Feuer / ¶ This myracle done thus and after many other Instruccyons and spyrytuell refecâ—yons to theym gyuen by the sayd holy fader / He dyde admynystre to theym that was nedefull / for theyr refeccyon corporell / ¶ And in the meane whyle he wythdrewe hym in to his Celle / There beynge solytary by Reason / ¶ For to wryte his abstynence it sholne be a thynge merueyllous / For he neuer ete tofore Euen / And yf he therme ete it was ryght lytyll / ¶ Of corpulence he was lene by his abstynence / And he hadde but lytyll heere of his heede also of berde / As he that was in langour / By cause he ere noo thynge wherof his nature myghte be susteyned / He beynge of aege foure score yeres ete noo mete that was boylled ne by fyre ne other wyse / ¶ Whanne they hadde take theyr Refeccyons they retorned to him ¶ And they beynge sette tofore hym / He demauÌ„ded for what cause they were comen thyder / The whyche answered that for the helthe of theyr sowles / they were comen from Iherusalem to hym / And also for to see hym bodyly By cause of the merueyllous thynges whyche were of hym to theym recyted / ¶ For more formely is reteyned and reduced to remembraunce that whyche hathe be seen thanne that whyche hathe ben herde tolde or spoken / ¶ Thenne the holy man replenysshyd wyth Ioye in smylynge answered / I merueylle of you my chylderen that ye haue enterprysyd soo grete a waye For as ye maye see to me is noo thinge digne ne worthy of praysynge / Certaynly I am a man lytyll and pooer / Hauynge noo vertue that ye oughte to desyre / ¶ And whanne it soo
heede of al synÌ„e ye shall resyste all vyces / for who resystith the herde he may lyghtly resyst gainsay the meÌ„bres / Wyth this he exhorted hem to vaynquisshe eche other / in surmouÌ„tyng eueryche his broder in vertues / For he say de the eueryche ought to desire to be more perfyte than his neyzbour also he sayd that the man is more perfyte in vertues that is not subdued ne vaynquysshed by worldly teÌ„ptacoÌ„ns for to resyst the sinnes fowle wylles is the begynÌ„yng of the yeftes of god / And after he sayd to hem yf ony of you do ony myracle / therefor he ouÈte not to glorifye hyÌ„self ne to repute hyÌ„ more worthi than his felowes / Also he ouÈte not shew to the peple the god hath gyue to hyÌ„ suche grace For otherwyse he seduceth deceyuyth hyÌ„selfe lesith his reward / yf the sayd holy man had excellent grace in doctryne yet more grete had he in operacoÌ„ns Al that he demauÌ„ded of god was to him acorded grauÌ„ted wyth this many reuelacoÌ„ns were shewed to him ¶ Amonge the whiche of one of his felowes wyth whom he had longe tyme vsyd his lyf was shewed to hym that he was in heuen in the sete of thapostles in lyke glori A nother tyme he prayeÌ„g for hyÌ„self to god that it wolde pleyse hym tabrdge his dayes to brynge hym in to the reame of heuen God shewed to him that he sholde be yet a lytyll tyme in the world for to be an exaÌ„ple of vertues to many other hermytes whiche by him shold be enformyd in holy coÌ„uersacoÌ„n as it was shewed to hym so it happed / For after that came to hym many hermytes fro dyuers places couÌ„trees whiche ensewyd hym in doctryne in vertues in suche wyse the many renounced the world for to folowe him made a monastery in the sayd mouÌ„tain wher as they lad a lyfe comyn / And those religyoê° men wer clene of body of soule notwythstondyng that they were in Egypt where as habounded synÌ„e malyce Yet were they vertuoê° reputed as angels / And therby is verefyed the sayeng of thapostles sayeng that where as habouÌ„dith synÌ„e there also habouÌ„deth grace Now ouÈt to be noted that thabycauÌ„ts of the sayde Egipte by theyr grete ydolatry worshiped the oxen by cause they laboured the feldes by whiche they lyued / also they worshypped the water of the ryuer of Nyle by cause it watred aroused the regyons of Egypte / In lyke wyse they adoured the erth as the moost fertyle of all other the dogges also apes dyuerse herbes / And the reyson whi moued heÌ„ so to doo was by cause they sayde that the dyuers ocupacoÌ„ns that they had somÌ„ to ere the londe other to nouryssh her dogges apes other to plante herbes / so of other operacoÌ„ns had be cause that they in besines had be lett empesshed that they went not wyth Pharao were not drowned wyth hym whan he entred in to the reed see wenynge to haue persecuted the chyldner of Israel whyche had happened to them yf they had not be taryed by the moyen of the sayd operacoÌ„ns / And for asmoche as that hadd be cause of her preseruacoÌ„n helth they worshypped hem as godes / After this the afore is writen of the doctryne of the holi man now resteth to-see of his werkes operacoÌ„ns ¶ ThenÌ„e it is to be noted that amonge his other werkes he saw in a temple of a cyte nyghe by his hermytage an ydolle· whyche soÌ„tyme was by prestes other peple born in processyon for to obteyne vberte habuÌ„dance of rayne / The whiche thyng seenge the holy man moued wyth pyte made his prayed to god for to take this foule creauÌ„ce mysbyleue fro theim His prayer soo made they their ydoll abode all vnmouable in suche wyse that they myght not moue ne go froward ne backeward / And were there all that day with out departyng frothens / in suffrynge susteynynge the brenÌ„ynge of the sonÌ„e / ThenÌ„e the preestes sayd that the orysons prayers of the holy cristen man that dwelled there by theyr cyte namyd Apolonyus was cause that they myght not moeuene depart thens / And yf they were not loâ—ourd by him they sholde longe tyme tary abyde there / And thenÌ„e some of theim sayd that it myght well be trouthe by cause that thenÌ„e he passed forthe by Neuerthelesse they brought many oxen wenynge for to moue thydoll but they cowde not make hym for to depart fro the place fynably they sent to the holy man promysed hy that yf he wolde delyuer theim fro the payne in whyche they were they shold renouÌ„ce theyr goddes byleue in IhuÌ„ cryst / ThenÌ„e camÌ„ the holy man to theim made his prayer the whyche made they were all delyuerd fro theyr trybulacoÌ„n / And for this miracle some of theim abode wyth hyÌ„ in his hermytage other went in diuerse places shewyng publysshynge this myracle by cause wherof they coÌ„uerted heÌ„ to the crysten fayth / And anone but ryght fewe dwelled in that regron / but they were coÌ„uerted to the fayth ¶ A nother myracle worthy to be remembred dyde the sayd holy man as here folowyth / Two townes on a tyme had war one ayenst a nother bi cause of the bouÌ„des lymytes of theyr londes of whyche that one was crysten that other paynym / By cause of this dyuysion were assembled of that one part that other man / men of warre The whyche thyÌ„ge seenge the holy man was moued by charyte enforced hym tacorde appese them togider / ThenÌ„e one whiche was namyd for cheif of the sayd paynyms / cause of the warr sayd that neuer he wolde acorde vnto the deth / The holy man answerde thenÌ„e be it soo in suche wyse as the demauÌ„dest / None shall deye but thyself thou shalt haue sepulture suche as aperteyneth to the / For thou shalt be buryed in the belyes of bestes byrdes so it befell / For he was fouÌ„de dede alone vpon therth all detrenched deuoured with bestes· all thother wer abasshed how the worde of the holy maÌ„ was soo verytable / And for that cause they began to drede the god of the holy man were alle coÌ„uerted to the crysten fayth leuynge their ydolatrye / ¶ Now shal we speke of a nother myracle whiche he dyde at the begynÌ„ynge whan he rendred hyÌ„selfe in to a cauern or caue wyth certayne bredern / In an holy daye of Ester he beynge at the table wyth his bredern after the seruyce acoÌ„plisshed in stede of delycate mete he hadd a lytyll drie brede wortes of chool made with a lytyll salte onÌ„ly / And the seenge the homan sayd / yf we ben the true seruauÌ„tes of god haue very fayth we shall opteyne bi our prayers / that whiche we desyre to ete in this holy soleÌ„pnyte / TheÌ„ne the
of the grace of god whanÌ„e they shall crye to god ¶ Haue we not dryuen awaye the deuylles in thy name / And many other vertues haue ben done in callynge the / and makynge Inuocacyon to god the blessed and very Iudge / ¶ To theym that he knowyth that heryth not hys sygne / He shall ansuere to theym / Certayne I knowe you not / for ye haâ—e neuer myn enseygne / ¶ After god shall say to theim / Goo ye a backe from me for ye haue ben alwaye euyll chyldren of Inyquyte / ¶ Saynt Anthonye sayd afterward / By cause it is harde to knowe the comynge of the good angell or euyll / ¶ We oughte to praye hym that it playse hym to gyue to vs scyence to conne dyscerne / ¶ For after the scrypture we oughte not byleue euery spyryte / ¶ On a tyme the deuylles came to saynt Anthonye / Whyche sayde to hym ¶ Anthonye we come to shewe to the oure lyghte / And Incontynent saynt Anthonye closyd his eyen and wolde not see theym / But putte hymselfe to prayer his even closyd / And anone the lyghte of the deuyllis quenched / ¶ A nother tyme they came and songe tofore hym / And spake togyder of holy scrypture / But that notwythstondyÌ„ge saynt Anthonye stopped his eeres / ¶ A nother tyme they made his monastery to tremble and shake / But he in his thoughte abode vnmoeuable / And prayed to god constauntly / ¶ Ofte tymes they came spryngynge and syflynge tofore hym wyth an hyghe voyce ¶ But Incontynent as he retorned to god theyr noyce and tempest torned into lityll noyce / that vnneth sayde saynt Anthonye myghte here it ¶ On a time camÌ„ one whiche had his body wonderly grete and sayde he had the vertue of god / The whiche demauÌ„ded of saynt Anthonye what he wolde haue of hym / ¶ And whanne he sawe hym soo grete He armyd him Incontynent wyth prayer / And toke the sheelde of fayth / By whyche anone he became as lytyl as half a fote ¶ A notherey me came the deuyll in fourme of a Relygyous man broughte to hym and sayd to hym / It is tyme that thou ete / thou haste ouerlonge fasted / Take corporell refcceyon to th ende that thou be not seke / ¶ Anone after saynt Anthonye byhelde hym and sawe that his face was pale / And putt hymself to prayer / And thenne the deuyll wente his waye by the wyndowe lyke vnto fume or smoke / ¶ A nother tyme he presented hym golde for to dysceyue hym / But he neuer wolde loke on it / ¶ A nother tyme came the deuyll knocked atte the doore of his monastery whan saynt Anthonye went out he sawe hym soo grete that him semed that his heed raughte to heuen ¶ ThenÌ„e saynt Anthonie demaunded hym what he was and what thyng he soughte / And he ansuered that he was callyd Sathanas / And that he came thyder by cause the Relygyouses dyspysed hym / And alle Crysten men cursyd hym / ¶ And saynt Anthonye ansuerd that it is well right and requysyte that all Crysten folke despyse curse hym / ¶ For ofte by his temptacyons he broughte theym in hate / the one agaynste a nother / ¶ Where vpon the deuyll ansuered· that he dyde not But they theymself were angry togider / ¶ And more ouer the deuyll sayde to hym / That the myghte and puyssaunce of the deuylles was faylled by the moyen of the passyon of Ihesu Cryst / And that they had noo more noo cytee ne other place for to enhabyte in / By cause the name of god was reclamed and named in al townes and cytees / And also in desertes whyche ben enhabyted by Relygyouses and heremytes / Thenne saynt Anthonye hauynge the grace of god with him ansuered prudently / ¶ I byleue not that thou weneste to saye trouthe / For thou arte the capitayne of lesyÌ„ge and of fallaces ¶ But thou art constrayned to saye this sentence whyche is true / ¶ Certaynly Ihesu Cryste pryued the of alle thy strengthest and vertues syth the tyme that thou lostest thy beawte of an aungell by the spotte of thy synne / ¶ And Incontynent that saynt Anthonye had achyeuyd his prayer / The sayde deuyll vanysshed awaye ¶ Saynt Anthonie sayde thenne to his relygiouses / My brethern drede not the Illusyons of the deuyll / ¶ For god whyche hathe putt from vs the deuylles / And that aybdyth wyth vs / As longe as we ben in grace / He shall kepe vs from theyr dyuerse temptacyons / ¶ Lete vs sette oure charge to resyste wythstonde theyr tytulacyons and cauyllacyons as moche as we maye / For whanne they knowe that oure thoughtes ben vayne freeyll and Inconstaunt They putte theym in to the bodyes of men / ¶ And as theues houndes wulues enraged they rauysshe body soule / ¶ Iob by his stedfaste fayth ouercame the deuyll / ¶ And Iudas was the contrarye / ¶ The pryncypall thynge and moost necessarye for to vaynquysshe and ouercome the deuyll is to take playsaunce in spyrytuell thynges / and to haue contynuelly his herte to god / ¶ This vertue makith the deuylles to flee as the smoke vanysshyth awaye / ¶ Therfore my brethern sayde saynt Anthonye yf ony vysyon come to vs / it must hardely be demaunded who is he that preseÌ„tyth hym tofore vs / whens he comyth / ¶ And yf it be the aungell of god / The drede that we had shall to urne Incontynent in to Ioye / ¶ But yf it be the deuyll / And yf he be demaunded of a deuoute soule / Incontynent he shall departe / ¶ After that saynt Anthonye had made his exhortacyons / Eeuery one of the brethern was merueyllously enioyed / And after they enforcyd theym to gete vertues / ¶ And they that hadd hadde tofore but lytyll faythe were confermyd· and hadd perfyâ—ghte fayth / ¶ And the other toke awaye all folysshe oppynyons from theyr thoughtes / In suche wyse that after they dradde not ony temptacion of the deuyll / But were more abasshed how saynt Anthonye hadde theym soo highly Instruct or taught theym to knowe dyfference of the good aungell and of the wyckyd and euyll / ¶ In the tyme that Maxymyan persecuted the Crysten people / Saynt Anthonye lefte his monastery sayenge to his brethern / Lete vs goo wyth our brethern martyrs / To th ende that we ben martred wyth theym / Or att leest that we see theim suffre martyrdom / ¶ By the whyche wordes it appyereth many festly that thenne was saynt Anthonye martyr in wyll / ¶ And whanne ony was broughte tofore the Iudge He comforted theym in sayenge / that they sholde not feere the dethe / But sholde be constaunt or stedfaste in the faythe / ¶ The Iudge seeng the constaunce of saynt Anthonye of his felowes was honâ—â—bly an angryd And dyde doo for bede that noo Relygyous sholde abyde in the towne
clothes by his blessyd moder / ¶ And lyke as she had be there drawynge oute her pappes or teetes to gyue hym souke / ¶ She sawe also in her faythe the thre kynges worshyppyng the lytyll chylde / And the sterre that conduyted and ladde theym / ¶ Also she contempled and bywaylled the Innocentes there slayne / ¶ And how the blessyd â—vrgyne Marye fledde in to Egypte wyth her swete sone Ihesus Whyche Ioseph and she bare / And in thise contemplacyons she wepte sayenge / ¶ O cytee of Bethleem sayde cytee of brede In whiche is borne the brede whyche is descended from heuen / That is the sone of god / ¶ And of whom Micheas the prophete hathe prophecyed / Thou Bethleem howse of Eufrates thou arte not the lytyll cytee / But the nobleste of the cytees of Iudee / ¶ Also saynt Paula sayde to herselfe Ha vnhappy synnar that I am God hath shewed to me more thanne apperteyneth to me / ¶ WhanÌ„e now I maye kysse the Crybbe wherin my lorde god laye after he was borne ¶ Also to pray in the place where the vyrgyne bare and was deliuered of a chylde / ¶ Here shall my body reste perpetuelly lyke as Dauyd sayth in the Psaulter in the hundred and one and thyrty psalme / ¶ Thenne after this sayde saynt Paula / Now I am in the couÌ„tree where the Sauyour of the worlde hath chose for to make Redempcyon of mankynde / ¶ My soule and alle my lignage shall serue hym / ¶ And after she descended to the Toure of Ader Nyghe by to the whyche / Iacob dyde doo pastoure hys shepe / ¶ And the Shepherdes also herde the aungellis synge att the Natyuyte of oure lorde sayenge Gloria in excelsis deo et cetera That is to saye Glory be to god in heuens / And in the erthe peas to men of good wylle / ¶ From thens she went to Gaza and toke the waye on the right honde and came to Bethsur and to Eschol / ¶ After she wente to Sare / And from thens she came in to Ebron whyche is callyd Cauatharbe / Whyche is as moche for to saye as the castell of foure men / Abraham Isaac Iacob and Adam the Graunt / For after that whiche is wreten of Ihesus name the Ebrewes saye that they were there buried / Nowythstonding that many say that the fourth maÌ„ was called Caleph ¶ She came after to the place where that Lazare was reysed in to the hous of Mary Mawdeleyn and Martha / ¶ In folowynge the same waye to Iherico / Wenynge yet to fynde the good man whyche was hurt with theues / Of whom is made mencion in the Gospell / And the whyche hadd be lefte of the preestes and â—cuites as dede / Wythoute hauynge pyte on hym / ¶ But a Samarytane putte hym on his beeste And broughte hym in sauegarde / ¶ Whanne she came to Iheryco she sawe there the cyte whyche Ayel founded in Abâ—ram for his fyrste chylde / She sawe also the castellis of Galgala And the mystery of the Cyrcumsicyon / ¶ The twelue stones broughte from â—â—om Iordan sygnesyeng the foundement of the twelue Appostles / In lyke wise the fountayne of Taby whiche some tyme hadde he soo bitter that noo man ne persone mighte drynke of at / The whyche by Helysee was corned in to swetnesse / ¶ Tofore the nyghte was passed she came to Iordan the ryuer / Vppon the ryuage or brynke wherof she arested / ¶ And att the sonne rysynge she remembred the Sone of Iustyce / And how the preestes passed the same flood / ¶ How also by the commaundement of Helye and Helyâ—ee the waters taryed for to make to theym waye ¶ She remembred also the puryfycacyon of waters made by the baptym of oure Sauyour Ihesu Cryste By cause that alle the waters were fowle and stynkynge of mankynde / ¶ A longe thynge it were to recounte the mysteryes of the valeye of Achoâ— / In the whyche were Aâ—aryce and thefte condempned ¶ And of Bethel for the flode and also for thoccasion of the house of god where Iacob slepte hauynge a stone vnder his heed / ¶ She passed by Syllo and came to Sychen / And after to the syde of the mouÌ„tayne of Gaazym night to the pytte of Iacob / And there she entred in to a chyrche where god taryed / And demaunded drynke of the Samarytane / ¶ After from thens she departed and went for to vysyte the sepulcres of the twelue Patryarkes and Sebasten namyd Samarye / Whyche londe was called Auguste by kyng Herode to the honoure of Auguste the emperoure / ¶ There were Helysee Abdias the prophete and saynt IohnÌ„ Baptyste / ¶ In that place sawe saynt Paula merueyllous thynges / ¶ For she sawe deuylles tofore the sepulcres of Helyzee and Abdyas tourment men The whiche men howled as wuluâ—s / barked as dogges brayed as lyens Syfled as serpentes cryed lyke bulles and therâ—e theym to the grounde / ¶ And fynably she sawe many myserable wretchyd wymmen inhumaynly hange by the fete / ¶ Thenne she hauynge pyte and compassyon of theym beganne to wept tenderly In prayeng for theym the clemence and mekenesse of our Sauyour Ihesu Cryste / ¶ And how well that she was moche wery she wente vpp in to the mountayne And sawe the two fosses in whyche in the tyme of persecucoÌ„n and of famyne Abdias the prophere nourysshed an hundred Prophetes wyth brede and water ¶ And after she wente ferder and came in to Nazareth where oure lorde was nourysshed / Also to Canaam and Capharnaum / where god shewed many myracles / ¶ And to the lake of Thiberiadis halowed bi our lorde / Whyche saylled ouer the same in to deserte / ¶ In whyche wyth fiue loues two fysshes were fyue thousande men fedde and susteyned / ¶ And twelue baskestes weren fylled wyth the fragmentes and Resydue / ¶ And after she wente vpp in to the mounte of Thabor / In the whyche god transfygured hymselfe / ¶ And from thennes she sawe the mountaynes of Hermon and Hermonium / and the countreye of Galylee / Where the Excercyte of Cisara was by Baruth vaynquysshed and putt vnder / ¶ She sawe also the Torrent of the flood of Cyson / The whiche deuydyth alle Galylee / And the castell by Naym / In whyche was reysyd the sone of the wydowe / ¶ She came also in to Egypte and in Sochot / where Sampson made to sourde or sprynge a fountayne oute of a grete tooth of a Ioywe / And after she came to the flode of Syor / Whyche is to saye trowble And to the sepulture of Micheas the prophete thenne beynge there a chyrche ¶ She passed also by Choreos Gethe â—s Marsea Ydumeum and Lachis / ¶ And generally by alle the desertes of Egypte / ¶ By the fyue cytees of Egipte / In whyche is spoken the langage of Chanaan / And by Sychen and Chanaos / Where as god dyde merueyllouse thynges / ¶
And to the cyte of Noo / whyche after is called Alexandrye / ¶ In that longe vyage saynt Isodore Confessour acconpanyed with Innumerable Relygyouse people came and mette wyth her / ¶ And how well that she reputed or Iudged her Indygne or vnworthy of soo grete honoure / Neuerthelesse she enioyed for the honoure of god / ¶ She was soo feruent in charyte and in the loue of Ihesu Cryst that she and her vyrgynes were contente to abyde togyder wyth alle the Relygyouses of deserte / ¶ And peraduenture she hadde abyden there ne hadd be the grete affeccyon and desyre that she had to see the holy places and for the grete hete that was thenne in the countree / ¶ She toke after the see And fro Pelusio came anone after in to Bethleem and tooke her lodgynge / Where as she dwellyd thre yeres / ¶ O gloryous Paula / Marye Ioseph cowde fynde noo lodgyng thou founde it well / ¶ God dooth more honoure in this worlde to his seruauntes / thanne he dyde for hymselfe / ¶ There dide saynt Paula doo make many celled and monasteryes for to lodge the pylgrymes / ¶ Hyther to is wreten of her pylgrymage ¶ Here folowyth of her dedes and vertues / THe fayrest of whyche is humylyte whyche was in her soo perfyghtly that she helde and reputed herselfe in vertue lasle thanne her chamberers / And nothwythstondynge that she had by her many vyrgynes / Alwaye in clothynge in langage and in walkynge she was the leest of alle other / ¶ After that her husbonde was deed vnto her last daye she ete neuer wyth man what some euer knowlege or ymagynacyon that she hadde of his holynesse or dygnyte approued / ¶ Ne neuer she bayned her but for necessyte of sykenesse / Ne neuer hadde she also ony softe bedde for what some euer feuer or sikenesse that she endured / But laye on the grounde layenge vnder her the hayre or her Robe made of skynnes / ¶ And she consyderynge the psalmyste / that sayth in his eyghte psalme / ¶ I shal wasshe al the nightes my couche and my bedde with teeres / Ryght soo dyde she / For nyghte and daye contynuelly she was in prayers / ¶ And whanne she was enforcyd to reste from prayer by cause of hurtinge of her sighte / by cause she wepte contynuelly / ¶ She ansuered sayenge It byhouyth well to chastyce and to defoylle the face / The whyche I haue soo curyously made fayre / ¶ Is it not wel reason that I chastyce my body by penaunce / The whyche hath ben soo moche nourysshed in worldly delytes and flesshly playsaunces / ¶ Longe laughynges and Ioyefull games owe to be chaunged in to wepynges and waylynges ¶ And for the clothes of sylke that I haue wome / I shall dooth me alle my lyfe wyth the hayre / ¶ And in soo moche as I haue playsed my husboÌ„de and the worlde I desyre now to playse god ¶ For to declare her chastytee and the vertues of her It sholde neuer be possyble / Therfore it byhouyth to wryte of other ¶ There was neuer none more debonayâ— nor meker thanne she was Ne more softe to theym that were meke humble She fledde from them that were myghty and ryche ¶ And yf she sawe a poore body He was by her susteyned and holpen / ¶ Yf she knewe one that was ryche she admonested and desyred hym for to doo well / ¶ And neuer the poore departed from her but if he hadd her almesse / ¶ In hauynge alwaye in her remembraunce the worde of our sauyoure sayenge That well happy and blessed ben they that accomplisshe and fulfylle the werkes of mercy / For they shall fynde god mercyfull / ¶ And also lyke as the water quenchyth the fyre Soo dooth almesse the synne / ¶ Whâ— that euer shall doo almesse he shall be made clene from alle fylthe / ¶ Danyel the prophete admonested and warned Nabugodonosor sayenge thenne to hym / ¶ Bye thy synnes by almesse / Her money was not atatchyd not putte to bye precyous stones for to make rynges of golde to put on her fingres / As now done burgeyses wyues / But she torned it in to fayre margarytes That is to saye in to vertues makynge fayre the soule and noo chynge the body / ¶ It suffyseth not oonly to doo almesse / Many there ben that done grete almesses / And semen wythout for the lyke people full of the grace of god But they ben ofte ouercomen and vaquysshyd by the temptacoÌ„n of the flesshe / And wythin forth in soule they ben roten and mortefyed / ¶ It behouyth not oonly to gyue houses golde syluer / ne other Reuenues for the honoure of god / But also it is of nececessyte to gyue his skynne / ¶ The good Iob was not oonly persecuted in his goodes and his chyldren but also in his body / ¶ Right soo dyde the deuowte saynt Paula / For with this that she gaaf her goodes for the loue of god / She gaaf and abandonned her body to penaunce by fastynges and prayers and to were the hayre and other maceâ—acyons of the flesshe / ¶ Vnneth and wyth grete payne but yf it were a daye of grete feest wolde she take ony oyle for her mete and Refeccyon / ¶ As the thonder tempeste is moche enclyned by his nature to tormente and caste downe hyhe places and mouÌ„taynes enhaunsed and reysed on heyghte / ¶ Right soo is enuye of his cursyd Inclynacion more actyf and obstynate to quenche and brynge to noughte the loos and good fame of vertuous persones and wel renoÌ„med ¶ The whyche thynge happed to the holy and deuowte Paula / ¶ Noo thynge to the detriment and hurte of her fayr vertues / But to the exaltacyon and souerayne perfeccyon of theym / ¶ She thenne fructefyenge in good werkes was enuyed of an euyll Papelart and Ypocryte / ¶ Whyche by enuye contynuelly tempted and detracted her Wenynge to brynge her to Impacyence / ¶ But she dyde ryght prudeÌ„tly and wysely her vtylyte and prouffyte / For in gaderynge and hepynge vertue vppon vertue agaynst the sayde detraccyons she meked and humbled herself as moche as she myghte / Lyke as she had be grettest synnar of alle the other wyÌ„ men ¶ And whanne she was counseyled that the sholde goo her waye lyke as Dauyd by cause Saul pursewed hym And as Iacob for his brother Esau / whyche wolde haue slayne hym / ¶ She ansuered I knowe that the deuyll gyuyth alwaye batayles to the creatures of god / In what some euer place that they ben ¶ And therfore yf I yede awaye yet he sholde gyue in other places empesshemens or lettynges and bataylles peraduenture gretter thanne thyes that he gyueth me now / ¶ On that other syde by cause that I knowe well / that there is noo countrey soo holy as this is of Bethleem / ¶ I haue concluded not to departe fro the place wherin I am / ¶ The
I was admynystred in the chyrche of saynt Iohan in Iherusalem / ¶ I praye the that thou dyspyse not my requeste / But doo as I haue sayde to the / ¶ Wyth this thou shalte saye to IohnÌ„ Abbot of thyne monasterye that there ben some thynges to be corrected in his chyrche and Abbaye the whyche I wol not tell to the now / ¶ But neuertheles thou shalte aduertyse hym to take hede to his Relygyouses / ¶ Thyse wordes sayd the goode woman retourned in to her caue and dwellynge place accustomed ¶ The good Zozimas retornyng to his monastery kyssed the grouÌ„de where as she hadde markyd / In praysynge god / And sayde non thynge alle that yere of that he hadde seen / ¶ For by cause he durste noo thynge saye / He enterteyned wyth his brethern whanne they were retourned from the Desertes after theyr custome / ¶ Alle the yere syghed Zozimas somoche desyre hadde he that it were passyd ¶ Whanne the tyme was come that the brethern sholde departe for to goo in to Deserte to make theyr fastynges as they hadde ben accustomyd / ¶ Zozimas was taken with a feuer / And therfore he abode in the monasterye / ¶ ThenÌ„e he remembred that she had sayde to hym whanne he wolde haue gone wyth the other he myghte not ¶ The daye of the Cene comen / And after that alle the brethern were retourned from Desertes / ¶ Zozimas in obeyenge that whyche that the goode lady saynt Marye Egypcyen hadde sayd to hym / ¶ He tooke a chalys and the precyous body and blood of oure Sauyoure Ihesu Cryste / ¶ And after he putte fygges and Dates in a lytyll panyer and in a lytyll potte potage wyth water / ¶ And soo wente forth as he hadde ben cauzâ—e vnto the rynage of the flom Iourdan / In abydynge the good woman Marye Egypcyen / ¶ And notwythstondyng that it was longe â—â— she came thyder / Yet Zozimas slepte not / Ferynge that she hadde ben there tofore his comynge / ¶ Wherfore he wepte and prayed god in sayenge / My god whyche haste wylled to yeue to me the grace to se this holy woman / I byseche the that it maye pleyse the to graunte to me agayn that I maye yet ones se her / ¶ And in prayenge and makynge hys orysons came to hym a nother fantasye / ¶ And after he sayd / Alas what shal I do whan she shall come / how shall she come ouer the Ryuer ¶ Alas I haue noo Boote to rowe her ouer / Alas that I am vnhappy / ¶ And thus sayenge the holy woman came and taryed on that other syde of the flom Iourdan / ¶ Whanne Zozimas sawe her he was replenisshed wyth Ioye and thanked god / Alwaye thynkynge how she myghte come ouer wychoute boote / ¶ And he beholdynge her what she dyde He sawe her make the sygne of the Crosse vppon the water / ¶ And after she beganne to walke vppon the water / In passynge ouer as stedfastly as she hadde walked vppon drye londe ¶ She beynge yet vppon the water sayd to Zozimas / What doost thou faynt fader whyche arte preest and seruaunte of god kepynge the holy thynges / ¶ And thus sayeng she came vnto the other ryuage of the flood where as was the holy man / Whom she salewed righte humbly / ¶ Thenne he answered I was soo admerueylled of this myracle that I was in maner of a aslepe / Now I knowe / that alwaye it is trouth that god saythe whyche hathe promysed to theym that puryfye theym by penaunce / That they ben agreable to hym ¶ Alas I knowe now / how well I be lasse in perfeccoÌ„n thanne they that ben in this place / ¶ And I helde me the moost perfyghte in my former monastery ¶ This done the holy Marye Egypcyen sayde to hym that he sholde begynne the Symbole Quicunque vult saluus esse et cetera ¶ After they sayde the orayson Domynycall / That is to saye the Pater noster / The whyche achyeued she kyssed the holy fader Zozimas / ¶ And after receyued the holy sacrament of the aulter her maker and â—â—res / ¶ And after lyfte vppe her hondes to heuen and sayde / ¶ O my god suffre now thy honde mayde and poore seruaunte in peas after thy worde / ¶ For myn eyen hathe seen thy helthe ¶ After she sayd to Zozimas Goo now in to thy monasterye and lyue in peas wyth god / ¶ And whanne this yere shall be passed thou shalte come agayne vnto the lytyll Broke where I fyrste spake to the / And yet thou shalte see me agayne yf it playse to my god / ¶ Zozimas answered / Wolde god that I myghte alwaye be wyth the / ¶ My moder I praye the that thou mote ete a lytyll of the mete that I haue broughte to the / ¶ Thenne she toke thre graynes of his LeÌ„tylle and put it in her mouthe sayenge / ¶ It suffyseth to haue the grace of the holy ghost for to susteyne the soule vndefoylled of synne / ¶ Thenne sayde Zozimas pray for me / And remembre myn Infelycyte / ¶ Zozimas tooke her by the fete in prayenge her that she wolde haue the state of the poore synnars and hymself for recommended / ¶ Thyse thynges thus done the good woman made the sygne of the Crosse vppon flom Iourdan and went vppon the water as she dyde tofore / ¶ Zozimas dredefull and Ioyeous retourned agayn in to his monasterye / ¶ But he was dysplaysed by cause he hadde not asked her name / ¶ The yere passed he came agayne in to the place afore sayde / ¶ And byholdynge on alle sydes yf he myghte se her ¶ But he cowde fyude none apparaunce nor knowlege ¶ And lyftynge vppe his eyen to henen made his prayer sayenge / ¶ O my god playsyth it that to shewe to me the Aungell to whom alle the worlde is not worthy to be compared or lykened / ¶ And thyse wordes thus proferred and vttred / he saw ouer the sayde broke a clerenesse shynyng as the sonne / ¶ Vnder whyche bryghtnes laye deed the body of the holy Egypcyen / Hauynge the face towarde the Eest And her hondes Ioyned vppon her breste / Thenne Zozimas aroos and wente vnto the sayde body / ¶ By whyche he wepte a longe whyle / wasshynge her fete wyth his teeres wythout towchynge ony other parte of her body / ¶ Thynkynge in hyÌ„selfe that he was not worthy to towche her / ¶ But by the prouydence of god he founde a letter in whyche was wreton this that folowyth / ¶ Fader Zozimas putte in sepulture the poore body of Marye Egypcyen To the ende that in soo dooynge thou rendre to the erthe that whiche is hys / And poulder to poulder / in prayenge god for my soule / ¶ Zozimas was moche admerueylled In thynkynge how thyse lettres hadde ben wreten / Neuerthelesse he reioyced hym of that he knewe her name / And praysed and
I knowe that I shal not lyue longe And that god hathe holpen me to fyghte agaynste the deuyll vnto now / It restyth oonly that I gyue the consolacyon of thy doughter Eufrosyne / ¶ Byleue surely that I am she / And therfore be constaunt and myghty wythoute in ony wyse to angre the ¶ And this that I shewe to the. ne shewe ne declare it to ony man lyuynge / ¶ But thou allone tofore that I be putt in the erthe shall wasshe me To the ende that noo man knowe that I am a woman / ¶ I haue promysed many londes and possessyons to the chyrche here wythin / ¶ And therfore thou shalte accomplysshe and fulfyll my promyse It is a place of grete deuocyon / ¶ Praye for me I commaunde the to god and my body and my soule / ¶ And in sayenge thyse wordes she rendred and gaaf her spiryte to god ¶ Whanne Pafunce the fader of the good lady hadde herde thyse wordes / seenge that she was thenne deed fell doune to the erthe as deed / ¶ After this ranne Agapytus and he seenge that Smaradyn was deed And Pafunce fallen downe to the erthe casted water in to the vysage of Pafunce In sayenge / ¶ What eylest thou my lorde and frende Aryse vppe / ¶ Pafunce ansuered Alas that I deye not ryght here / This daye haue I seen thynges enarrable / ¶ After he roos vp and fell vppon the face of his doughter wysshe her wyth his teeres / ¶ And whan̄e he hadde longe waylled and wepte vppon the body / He sayde wyth an hyghe voyce ¶ Alas my swete doughter why haddeste not thou more sooner shewed and manyfested thyselfe to me To the ende that I hadde deyed gladly with that ¶ Vnhappynesse is comen to me syth that· thou haste hydde thyselfe soo longe from me ¶ Alas how haste thou vaynquysshed and putt vnder thy fete the aduersytees of this worlde And now thou arte in eternall glorye / ¶ Agapyton that herynge wente to the Abbot and shewed hym alle the caas / ¶ Whanne the Abbot was comen / In lyke wyse he began to wepe wyth Pafunce in sayenge / ¶ O Eufrosyne spowse of Ihesu Cryste / The tyme is comen that thou oughtest to remembre thy brethern / ¶ Praye for vs. to the ende that we maye come to the porte of helthe / ¶ Alle the bredern there assembled and seenge this myracle gloryfyed worshypped god in sayeng ¶ Honour and praysynge be to god of heuen and of erthe / Whyche that makyth not oonly to men merueyllouse thynges but also to wymmen / ¶ And thus as alle were there assembled for to burye the corps / A brother whyche hadde but one eye kyssed her And Incontynent he sawe clerly wyth that other eye / ¶ Her fader dystrybuted and dealed al his possessyons and lyuelood to the sayde chirche and monastery And rendred and became hymself Relygyous in the same place and monasterye / Where as he lyued ten yeres after / And after hys dethe fynably was buryed bi saynt Eufrosyne his oonly doughter and sauyd in heuen / ¶ To the whrche by theyr intercessyons and prayers it maye playse god that we maye all come atte the ende of oure dayes / ¶ The whyche graunte vs the fader sone and holy ghost / Amen / ¶ Thus endyth the lyfe of the gloryous saynt Eufrosyne / ¶ Of saynt Frontynyan Whyche begynnyth in latyn ¶ Quomam sepe desideratis / Caplm .xlv. ¶ Those ben the condycyons of theim that lyuen in the worlde / ¶ Lete vs demaunde and aske fyrste the Reame of heuen / ¶ And lete vs doo after Iustyce ¶ And by this moyen alle good thynges shall come to vs / ¶ After that euer yche of theym after his power entended to prayer the beste wyse they myghte ¶ But the good fader prayed not onely for hymselfe but for alle the other ¶ Longe tyme after that they hadde lyued in the sayde Deserte / The enmye of nature whyche is alwaye enuyouse / Pryncypally of theym whyche done penaunce / Tempted theym· and assayled wyth many assaultes / In suche wyse that he made theym alle to murmure and to grutche agaynst theyr Abbot / And sayde that one to that other / Wherfore is it that oure Abbot hathe made vs to come in to this Deserte / ¶ They that ben in townes and castellis shall haue as well heuen as we Soo that they done good werkes ¶ And we slee ourselfe here by fastynges And by abstynence we deyen for hungre / ¶ And thus the moost parte of theim were mouyd to retourne to the worlde / ¶ This knowynge saynt Frontinyan came to theym and sayde / Wherfore alye my bredern come ye hyther with me for to murmure and grutche agaynste god / Knowe ye not well by holy scrypture that a Iuste man shall neuer deye for hungre / ¶ And yf he haue not for to ete God shall sende hym some by his aungell Lyke as he hathe doon to many of whom we rede / ¶ Thynke that god hathe alwaye his eye vppon the deuowte soules / Thynke also how god nouryssheth the rauen̄s wythin theye neest whanne the fader ne the moder woll not nourysshe them by cause they ben whyte / ¶ Whanne they ben fyrste hayghte or borne / ¶ My brethern haue ye alwaye the loue of god in youre hertes And I assure certefye you for trouthe that ye shall neuer haue defaulte of mete ne of drynke / ¶ And yf it soo happened / whyche I byleue shall neuer come that ye sholde haue hungre or thurste / And whan̄e it soo were / Thenne myghte ye haue cause to accuse god of the wordes that he hathe sayde in the gospell / thus sayenge to hym / ¶ O god we haue kepte thy commaundementes And haue byleuyd that thou haste sayde that is to wyte that thou shalte nourysshe thy seruauntes wyth heuenly mete / We haue had in the hope neuertheles thou haste lefte vs / But I praye you alle ne murmure ne grutche noo more thus in likewyse as oure faders auncyente dyde in Deserte whanne they were delyuered from the honde of kynge Pharao / ¶ Abyde ye and tarye a whyle And ye shall knowe how god pourneyth to theym that dredyth hym and louyth hym ¶ After thyse wordes of saynt Frontynyan alle they ceaseden theyr murmuracyons and grutchynges / ¶ And of that they hadde soo done they were moche sorowfull and dysplaysaunte / ¶ On a nyghte after that they had soo ben corrected / An aungell apperyd to a Ryche man / ¶ And sayde thus to hym / ¶ Thou man that lyuest in grete delyces worldly playsures and hauinge habundaunce of goodes and the poore seruauntes of god ben in Deserte whyche haue grete hungre / ¶ I aduertyse and counseylle the that thou aryse vppe And that thou sende theym some mete for to ete / ¶ Or ellis thou shalte renne in to the Indygnacyon of
of halfe an hour / ¶ And after he approchyd nere to hym / And layed his ceâ—e to his vysage for to knowe yf he were deed or a lyue / ¶ But he felte noo thinge but an odoure soo swete that all the place was replenysshyd wyth all / ¶ ThenÌ„e knewe he wel that he was departed out of this worlde / ¶ Thenne Incontynent he beganne to kysse hym his eyen hys berde Wepynge bytterly and sayde Helas my lorde and my mayster Wherfore leuest thou me / Who shall be he that shall gyue to me doctryne as thou hast doon ¶ What shall I saye to the malades and seke people that shall come hyther to haue helthe / ¶ Helas now I see the. and tomorne I shall lese the / ¶ After many lamentacyons the good Anthony slepte / And as he slepte he beâ—de a voyce that sayde / Anthony I shal not leue the here in this place ne in the mountayne in whyche I am Illumyâ—ed wyth the grace of god / ¶ Thou shalte goo secretely in to Anthyoche / to the ende that the people moeue theym not / And shalt telle the tydynges of my dethe / ¶ For now I am departed lyke as it hathe playsed to my Redemer / ¶ Thou shalte neuer cesse to pray god in this place here / And he shall rewarde the in heuen / ¶ Whanne Anthony was awaked he merueylled moche sayenge ¶ O my lorde and mayster remembre thou me in the glorye in whyche thou arte now ¶ After he kissed his fete and layed his hondes vppon his eyen sayenge / ¶ My lorde I praye the gyue to me thy blessynge / ¶ And beganne agayn to wepe sayenge / Helas for to haue myÌ„de of the. What pyece of a Relique shal I take of thy body / ¶ And soo sayeng the body beganne to moeue Wherfore he was affrayed that he durste not towche it / ¶ And bi cause none sholde knowe therof / He sente secretely one of hys brethern to the Bysshop of Anthyoche The whyche accompanyed wyth two other Bisshoppis and also wyth Ardahoruis Prynce of the chyualrye of Anthyoche transported theym thyder and dyde laye the holy corps tofore the aulter of his chyrche / ¶ And thystorye sayth that the byrdes fledden abowte the place where as he was makynge grete cryes and chaterynge in manere of wepinge and waylynges / ¶ The people also and the beestes assembled in soo grete nombre that they were estemyd well atte seuen thousande demeanynge for his dethe a merueyllouse heuynesse / ¶ The mountaynes the feldes trees and also herbes of the places nighe by suffreden for his dethe / ¶ For ouer alle there abowte they were enuyronned wyth a derke clowde testefyenge and wytnessynge the bytternesse that they hadde ¶ Also the good Anthonye abode seuen houres the aungell of god shynynge as a lyghtnynge And his clothes whyte as snowe Wyth whom were seuen auncyent faders whiche longe tyme were by the corps / But what they dyde ne sayd knoweth none Lyke as sayth saynt Iherom / ¶ Durynge the tyme that the body was in the chyrche The Patryarke of Anthyoche wolde haue taken of his berde By cause he knewe that he was a man of holy lyfe But Incontynent thonde wyth whyche he wolde haue towched it waxyd drye / But after by the prayers of theym that were presente and by the euydente myracle he was heelyd / ¶ ThenÌ„ sware he that neyther man ne woman sholde towche it / ¶ Thyse thynges thus done in grete solempnyte torches and tapres beynge lyghte / The body was borne to Anthioche / ¶ But whan he was withdrawen fiue myle to a place callyd Mere. myghte neuer man make hym departe from that place / ¶ There was a man that hadde be fourty yere deyf and dombe and began to crye / Ha seruaunte of god thou arte ryght welcome / Thy comynge hath yeuen to me heryng and spekynge / ¶ I promyse the yf I lyue long· that alway I shall serue the wyth body and soule / ¶ After he aroos and tooke one of the beestes that ladde the corps of the holy man / And anone he was helyd / The cause of the accydente of this deyf and dombe man was this / ¶ He hadde ben amerous of a fayre yonge woman maryed the whyche he had strongely solycited for to haue her company To the whyche he cowde not come / ¶ And after it happed that she deyed whyche dethe came to the knowlege of this man all enraged for her loue / ¶ And after that she was buryed he wente to her sepulture and there deffoyled her And forthwyth he was deyf dombe lame / and soo abode in the same place duryng fourty yere / ¶ All the cyteyzyns of Anthioche came in grete tryumphe and mete wyth the body and bare it in to the grete chyrche / ¶ And there in the chyrche whiche is namyd Penytence in the whiche after his buryenge to the exaltacoÌ„n of his gloryous name ben shewed done Infenyte myracles / And more merueylous than theâ— that haue be done in his lyfe / ¶ Many prynces lordes haue layed oute of theyr tresours to the layd chyrche for to haue of hym some relyke But none myghte â—e had be cause of the othe that the bysshopp made / that his body sholde neuer be towchyd ¶ Of saynt Symeon byleue ye stedfastly that who someuer for the honour of god of hym shall haue the lyfe of hyÌ„ by wrytynge and shall rede it deuowtly and seruynge hym wyth good deuocyon He shall be rewarded for his merytes in the celestyall glorye ¶ To the whiche by his Intâ—essions lete vs prayes almyghty god that we maye obteyne / Amen / ¶ Of saynt Eufraxe vyrgyn / Whyche begynnyth in latyn ¶ In diebus theodoâ—u / Caplm .xlvii. IN the tyme that regned Theodocyen the Iust emperour of the Romayns There was at Rome a Senatoure namyd Antigonius the whiche had a doughter namyd Eufrare / ¶ The sayd Antigonius was a man soo prudent and of soo godâ— counseylle that he gouerned after the lawe of the Romayns all the countree of â—â—â—ye / ¶ He was soo moche humayn that he had compassion of eche persone and admynystred to the poore all theyâ— necessytees / ¶ The emperour louyd hym not oonly by cause he was his kysnesman· but also by cause he was of right good prouffytable couÌ„seylle / ¶ He hâ— bounded in rychesse goodes temporal asmoche as ony man of the cyte / And he had a wyfe descended of the propre very lygnage of Emperours the whiche also was called Eufraxe a woman Iuste mercyful and garnysshyd with alle other vertues / ¶ Antigonius after thenne certayne tyme that god had sente hym his fayre doughter Eufraxe Thynkynge the saluacyon of his soule / Deuysed wyth his wyfe Eufraxe of holy wordes deuowte / ¶ And emong alle other he sayde to her / ¶ Eufraxe my syster and loue thou knoweste that this lyfe is
to praye god for Antigonius and his doughter the whyche I presente you tofore youre faces / ¶ The Abbesse ansuerd / My dere and ryght playsaunt lady youre seruauntes haue noo nede of youre rentes and reuenues / ¶ For for to dyspyse worldly goodes they haue put theymselfe in to this monasterye and woll be poore in thys worlde for to be ryche in that other / ¶ But to the ende that ye be the more content we praye you that it may playse you to gyue to vs some oylle and candellis for to accomplisshe the seruyse of god And that shall comforte vs more than other goodes / ¶ Thus dyde Eufraxe in prayenge theym humbly that they wolde praye deuowtly for her husbonde and her doughter / ¶ On a daye it happed as the good moder brought her doughter wyth her in to the abbaye / ¶ The Abbesse for to knowe the wyll that the lytyll doughter Eufraxe hadde askyd her fyrste yf she louyd theyr monasterye / ¶ The doughter ansueryd that ye and all the sisters in lyke wyse / ¶ The Abbesse after sayde to her in manere / for to passe the tyme. My loue syth that ye loue vs wel Woll ye dwell with vs for to serue god ¶ The chylde ansuered that yf it were not for drede of her moder she wold neuer departe from theym / ¶ Yet agayn the Abbesse sayde to her / My doughter whom loue you better youre husbonde or vs / She ansuered I knewe hym neuer ne he me But I knowe you and loue you ¶ And ye whom loue ye best of vs. or hym or me / And they ansueryd / that they louyd beste god theyr maker ¶ The mayde ansueryd Certaynly I loue you and god also / ¶ The goode moder hering the doughter / whyche ansueryd so prudentely seen that she was not yet seuen yeres olde fell in to wepynge of grete habundaunce of teeres / ¶ And after sayde to her doughter Come now hyther my doughter it is tyme that we retorne home to oure hous· For it is nyghe euyn and late / ¶ The chylde ansuered that she wolde abyde wyth the Abbesse To whom the Abbesse sayd that she myghte not dwelle there in their monastery / but yf she auowed her to Ihesu Cryste / ¶ The mayde thenÌ„e askyd her where is Ihesu Cryst The Abbesse shewed to her the ymage of the Crucifyxe ¶ The mayde Incontynent wente and kyssed the same ymage and sayde to the Abbesse / ¶ Certaynly madame I gyue myselfe to my Sauyoure Ihesu Cryste / ¶ The Abbesse sayd after to her that she hadde noo place for her ne wyste not where to putte her / ¶ The chylde ansuered that she wold abyde with her / ¶ Whanne the Abbesse sawe that she was soo constaunt she knewe well that she was espyted wyth the holy goost ¶ And sayde to her moder / That she sholde leue her there in the sayde monastery ¶ The moder beynge strongely comforted in her spyryte toke her doughter And ladde her byfore thymage of Ihesu Cryste / Tofore whyche she made her prayers in sayenge / ¶ Looued and thankyd be thou my god for as moche as it hath playsed the to enspire my doughter In gyuynge to her suche affeccyon / that she hathe gyuen herselfe to the in her yongthe / ¶ Alas my god take the charge of her body of her soule syth that she desyryth to serue the / ¶ After she tourned her towarde her doughter and sayd to her / ¶ My dere doughter god whyche hath made the mountaynes vnmoeuable make the so ferme in his loue that the worlde haue neuer power to moeue the / ¶ And whan she hadde sayde thyse wordes she delyuered her in to the hondes of the Abbesse / In wepynge and wayllynge soo habundantely / that alle the Relygyouses wepte wyth her / ¶ The daye foloweng the Abbesse clothed her wyth the vestyment of the Relygyon / And prayed oure lorde for her sayenge / ¶ O kynge of kynges whyche haste begonne soo grete a werke in this chylde / I byseche the mekely that it maye playse the. that this begynnynge maye achyeue fro good to better / to the ende that alwaye she maye prayse and gloryfye thy ryght holy name / ¶ The moder thenne beinge by the doughter askyd her in sayeng / ¶ My childe louest thou well this vesture whyche thou haste now / The chylde ansueryd Truely moder ye / ¶ I byleue that the vestymentes and clothynge of this Relygyon ben to me the erneste peny for to haue god in maryage / ¶ Thenne sayde the moder / I praye to hym that thou now haste chosen to thyne espowse that he make the worthy to be chamberer in his heuenly chambre / ¶ Thyse wordes sayde the good moder tooke leue of the Religyouses and kyssed her doughter And retourned home to her house / ¶ Thorugh alle the londe were the tydynges How the sayde good moder distrybuted her goodes vnto poore people and to chyrches / ¶ And also the tydynges came to the Emperour and to alle the Senatours / The whyche were moche Ioyouse of her vertuouse conuersacion / ¶ Euery day she ete but cole wortes or peâ—e potage and but one time on the daye And dranke noo wyne / ¶ A lytyll whyle after the Abbesse sawe in spyryte how Antigonius husbonde of the same good widowe prayed god that she myghte departe oute of thys worlde for to be wyth hym in heuen / ¶ And she shewed it to the good Eufraxe / The whyche was therby gretly comforted / And putt herselfe to prayer / And she hadde lyke reuelacoÌ„n / ¶ And thenne she tooke alle her goodes· put theym in the hondes of her doughter / for to dyspose in suche wyse that she myghte gete euerlastynge rente / ¶ After she sayde to her how oure Sauiour Ihesu Cryste hadd called her for to goo to her husbonde in heuen / ¶ The good doughter beganne to wepe sorowfully in sayenge / ¶ Allas what shall I doo that shall be now an Orphelyne straunger ¶ Her moder comforted her and sayde / ¶ My doughter thou art wyth thy Ihesu Cryste / ¶ Thou arte noo straunger to hym / ¶ Also thou haste thyne Abbesse Whyche shall be to the a moder / By whiche thou shalte be none Orphelyne ¶ It byhouyth to my loue to drede god and honoure hym / And worshyppe alle the systers In seruynge theym benyngnely / ¶ And thou shalte accomplysshe and perfourme that whyche thou haste bygonne / ¶ I pray the that thou thynke not on thy temporell noblesse And esteme nor thynke not that they shall doo to the ony seruyse / ¶ Be poore and humble in this worlde / And thou shalt be Riche and a grete lady in heuen ¶ Thou shalte gyue alle oure possessyons to the chirche for thy fader and for vs tweyne / To the ende that we maye haue mercy tofore god / ¶ The thyrde daye after deyed the good moder And was buryed
aferde / and knowe thou that bi the wyll of god thou arte comen vnto this place / To the ende to burye me laye my body in the erthe / ¶ Anone my soule shall departe fro my body shall be borne in to the heuenly Reame / ¶ My brother I knowe thy desire and thy wyll / ¶ And therfore whanne thou shalte be retournyd in to Egypte· I praye the that thou remembre me and of my name / ¶ And to the ende that thou and alle thy brethern be desyrynge to haue of me remeÌ„braunce I shall saye to the the prerogatyues and specyall gyftes that I haue obteyned of my lorde and god Rededemer of alle the worlde / ¶ Fyrste euery persone that shall make to hym Immolacyon or sacrefyce be â— in messes or otherwyse in soo dooynge haue mynde of my name He shall be preserued and kepte from alle frawdelous decepcyons and temptacyons dyabolyke and worldly / ¶ And att laste be shall haue partycipacion wyth the aungellis in the reame of heuen / ¶ And yf ony haue noo power to make the sacrefyce / And in gyuynge oonly for the loue of god and of me an asmesse to some poore man Wythout faâ—â—e I shall praye for hym in heuen to then de that god make him worthi to haue part of his excellent glori ¶ yet yf he may not doo neyther that one ne that other In gyuynge a candell or in makynge a lytyll oblacyon As encencynge wyth â—â—ence or other offrynge / Certaynly I shall soo make prayer to god To the â—â—â—e that he haue euerlastynge Ioye / ¶ Paphunce herynge thyse alle thyse â—â—ynges made to hym this demaunde â—â— question Now fader yf some or ony persone haue noo power to doo ony of thyse thre thynges / By what moyen maye he doo for to be in thi recommendacyon and prayer / To the ende that as what trybulacyon he be in / thou make thyne oryson for hym / ¶ The holy man ansuered / My brother and frende yf it happed as thou sayst / That the suppliaunt haue noo facultee ne power to doo ony of the thynges aforsayd Yf he knele downe on his knees In lyftynge his hondes Ioyned to god and sayenge deuowtly thre tymes the Pater noster Aue maria in the honoure of the glorious Trinyte of heuen / and remember my name / Surely I shall doo soo moche anenste the same ryght holy Trinyte that he shall haue parte in the reaâ—e of heuen with all the sayntes that ben there / ¶ Or yf ony be in doubte or hesytacyon of the thynges tofore sayde He maye rede saynt Iherom in his boke whyche he hathe composyd in latyn Intytulyd of the lyfe of faders / Of the whyche hath be made this present traÌ„ssacyon as in other places hathe be sayd And there he shall see alonge this that is sayde here tofore / ¶ In retournynge to purpoos the holy Paphunce was gretely content wyth the wordes of saynt Onuffryen ¶ And for asmoche as he reputed the same place where as they wereÌ„ to be holy / he prayed to the sayd Onuffryen that he wolde gyue him lycence to dwelle there after his dethe / The whyche thynge the good holy fader wold not But commaunded hym that he sholde retorne in to Egypte / And there perseuere in goode werkes / For in the ende he sholde haue felycyte eternall / ¶ Whanne Paphunce hadde herde his ansuere He knelyd doune tofore the holy fader Onuffryen and sayde to hym this that folowyth ¶ Alas my dere fader frende I knowe and byleue that alle that thou shalte demaunde of god For the loue of whom thou haste be lxx yeres in this deserte thou shalte lyghtly obteyne· ¶ Thenne gyue to me now thy blessynge To the ende that I be also perfyghte as thou / ¶ The holy fader ansuered / My brother Paphunce be not angry For thy demaunde shall be obteyned / Be thou stedfaste in the faythe in seruynge god wyth all thyne herte and wyth alle thy thoughte / And by this moyen thou shalte haue eternall lyfe / ¶ I praye to oure lorde that thou be kepte alwaye of his worthy aungellis in alle thy cogytacyons and wylles To the ende that thou be clene and puryfyed tofore the face of Ihesu Cryste ¶ Whanne the holy man hadde sayde alle thyse wordes He knelyd downe to the grounde / And in wepynge sayde ¶ O my god now in to thyne hondes myghte puyssaunce and streyngthe I coÌ„mende my spyryte / And thyse wordes sayde sodaynly came a grete lyghte / whyche enuyronned alle his body / ¶ Thenne after came many aungels to grete multytude / whyche songen songes melodyous Wherof alle the ayre resowned And bare the soule vnto the reame of heuen / ¶ Paphunce whyche herde those aungellis synge / Beganne to wepe and drowne in teeres sayeng / Alas I haue well cause to make lamentacyon whanne wyth soo grete payne I haue founde the holy man Onufryen And hane be soo lytyll whyse wyth hym / ¶ After whanne he hadde longe waylled wepte· He departed his garment in to two partes / And of that one he cladde hymselfe / And in that other he wounde the body of the holy man putte it in a Sepulture of stone whiche was there / ¶ Paphunce seenge that he was there alone wepte more thanne he dyde byfore / ¶ And supposyd to haue entred in to the caue of the holy man / But whanne he was atte the entree a grete parte of the roche fell downe / By whyche he knewe that god wolde not that he sholde vse the resydue of his lyfe in the sayde place / ¶ And soo thenne he came agayne in to his monastery in Egypte / Where as he recounted this bistorye lyke as tofore is wreton / ¶ And the holy man saynt Onuffryen deyed the twellyfth daye of Iuyn the day of saynt Barnabe the appostle / ¶ Here folowyth the lyfe of saynt Abraham the Heremyte And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Cupio et cetera Caplm .li. ¶ Soo it happed that the tyme to halowe the Sacrament of maryage approched and drewe nyghe / But by cause that he wolde not abyde thereby and persyste / His parentes and kynnesmen were angry wyth hym soo gretely that for the greyf that he hadde of theyr heuynesse He concluded in hymself to procede forthe therin / ¶ Thenne the mariage of theym solempnysed / And he beynge in his chambre and layed a bedde wyth his spowse and wyfe / ¶ Sodaynly there came vpon him a feruent wyll for to departe and goo oute of the cyte / ¶ And soo departed from thens that he was well two myle from the cyte / Where he founde a lytyll house Wherin noo man frequented nor vsyd / And entred in and kepte hym there a certayne tyme prayenge and makinge deuoute prayers to god / ¶ Whanne his parentes and kynnesâ—es knewe that he was goon they were moche angry / And for to seche
wytte / And fynably came in to a cyte namyd Panos / And there as enraged threwe hymselfe in to a depe caue full of hote water In whiche sodainly he deyed / ¶ How Pachomyen went thorugh the desertes And begynnith in latyn ¶ Igitur pachomius / Caplm .lxii PAchomyen after wente bare fote thorugh the deserte and bi mountaynes Endurynge pacyently the pryckynges and hurtes of thornes whereof his feet were swollen and moche soâ—e / ¶ And he enioyed in hymselfe reducynge to remembraunce how our lorde hadde in his feet and his hondes holes perâ—yd by foâ—e of grete naylles recourbled blout / Whyche were more greuous than yf they hadde ben sharpe pryckynge ¶ Alle his herte and desire was for so dwelle in place solytarye for to praye god by grete desyre / To the ende be and alle the worlde myghte be preseruyd and kepte from the trawdes decepcyons and temptacyons of oure enâ—â—ye the sende of helle / ¶ How a voâ—â— from heuen spake to Pachomyen And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Quodam vero tempore et cetera / Caplm .lxiii. IT happed on a tyme that saynt Pachomyen entrynge in a towne namyd Thebayde ferre ynough from his hermytage / In whiche towne whan he entred dwelled noo persone ¶ He putt hymselfe in prayer / and was there longe / ¶ Soo herde he a voys from heuen whyche sayd to hyÌ„ Pachomyen abyde in this place where thou arte And edefyâ— here a monastery Many shall come to the. desirynge to prouffyte by thy Instytucyons ¶ And thou shalte gyue to theym the rule whiche I shall desyner to the / ¶ After that appyered the aungell whyche broughte to hym a table in whiche was wryten the rule whiche be sholde teâ—he all theym that sholde come to the sayde place for to be relygyous vnder hym / ¶ The whyche rule yet kepen the Tabenesiens ¶ Saynt Pachomyen ryght affectuously alle that whyche thangell had broughte to hym / ¶ And after came agayne to the holy fader Palemon / To whom he recyted alle that whiche was happed to hym In prayenge hym that he wolde goo with him to the place where the aungel had spoken to hym as sayd is / ¶ Palemon whiche was humble wolde not trowble his dyscyple / went in to the towne wyth hyÌ„ / And there ariued Incontynent after the coÌ„maundement of god made a lytyll hous / In the whyche longe tyme they prayed to god deuowtely / Bysechynge hym that they myghte perfourme the chirche lyke as the angell had warned Pachomien ¶ Longe tyme after Palemon sayd to Pachomyen Now I knowe that the grace of god is descended vpon the. that thou arte dysposyd for to dwelle in this place where thou arte / Wherfore I praye thou that we make this paccyon couenanÌ„t togyder That durynge all the tyme of oure lyfe we be not separate in courage ne deuyded / But by vysitacyon fraternall we gyue consolacyon eche to other The whyche paccyon they made and entrehelden / For after ofte tymes they vysited eche other / ¶ Of the deth of saynt Palemon And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Inter heâ— venerabilis c / Caplm .lxiiii. A Lytyll tyme After Palemon strongly enfebled of nature by the extreme abstinences that he made felle in a grete maladye / by cause of the whyche well ofte he ete wythoute drynke And somtyme he ete not / But his refeccyon was eyther to ete or to drynke oonly / ¶ Some brethern came thither for to vysite him / And prayyed hym to enforce to take refeccoÌ„n suffisauntly for to susteyne his body / But the holy man herynge theyr requeste toke oonly mete for to comforte his membres Whiche were moche enfeblysshed by his sayd abstynences But neuertheles that auayled noo thynge / ¶ For his maladye was to hyÌ„ more greuous whaÌ„ he ete more thanne he was accustomye ¶ And therfore he wolde not ete but after his appetyte and suffred pacyently his maladye Consyderyng that many marters had ben despieced in to pyeces ¶ Some hadd theyr heedes smyten of The other haue ben brent in fire And alwaye they perseuered vnto th ende for the loue of Ihesu Cryste / ¶ And the holy man sayd he had by theyr examples farye ample matere of pacyence And that he ought not for a lytyll maladye corrumpe by gormandyse his lytyll penaunces and fastynges acustomyd / ¶ He sayd ferther that they had gyuen hym more payne by the metes that he had eten in his maladye thanne the abstynences that he made And soo retourned to his fyrste penaunce / ¶ And a moneth after in perseuerynge in fastynges he deyed rendred his soule to god ¶ But tofore his dethe came to hyÌ„ saynt Pachomyen whiche behelde hyÌ„ as his fader in kyssynge enbracynge hyÌ„ As he had sayd to hym fare well And after he buryed his body in the erthe / his soule was enhauÌ„ced gloryously with changellis in to the Ioye glory of heuen / The whiche graunt to vs the fader the sone the holy ghost / Amen / ¶ How the sayde saynt Pachomyen one his brother namyd Iohn conuerseden togyder And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Quo peâ—â—o / Caplm .lxv. AFter the saynt Palemon was bi saynt Pachomyen buryed the same saynt Pachomyen came agayne in to his monastery where god hadde Instytuted to hym / ¶ And after came to hyÌ„ his broder germayn named IohnÌ„ whiche longe tyme hadde sought hym / ¶ The holy man seenge his brother was moche Ioyous for sith he had be Crysten he had seen none of his freÌ„des ¶ The gode IohnÌ„ dwellyd with his brother / yf they were bredern carnally yet were they moche more bredern spyrytuelly / They two had but one will one selfe desyre Nyghte daye they thoughte on the faythe of oure lorde renouncynge all worldly rychesses ¶ They wanÌ„e theyr lyuynge onÌ„ly wyth makynge of celles / yf they had ony thyng superflue of theyr labour / Incontynent it was dystrybuted vnto poore for thono in of god / ¶ All theyr clothyng was of one vesture made of lynÌ„en clothe / As the Relygiouses were then robes / ¶ But the holy man Pachomien ware thayre for to kepe his body in seruytude / whanÌ„e soÌ„tyme be slepte by nyghte He laye not on the erthe but lenynge / Ferynge that yf he laye downe that he sholde reste ouer moche atte his case therby he myght falle in some â—yÌ„ne or euyll teÌ„ptacoÌ„n / ¶ Of the grete repentaunce and dysplaysaunce that had the sayde Pachomyen for IndygnacoÌ„n and angre that he hadde agaynst his brother / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Inter hec et cetera Caplm .lxvi. Saynt Pachomyen bi the grace of god dyde encreace the place where he IohnÌ„ his broder dwellyd to the ende that they that shold comÌ„ to dwell in the sayde place lyke as thangell had shewed sholde fynde place for to dwell in / ¶ IohnÌ„ whiche was thelder was wrothe with hyÌ„ by
cause he made thedefice so grete sayd to hȳ My broder leue this that thou haste begon it is a thynge superfluous to make so large this place that we dwelle in / The holy man Pachomyen hering thise wordes ansuerd to hȳ noo thyng but endured in his courage how wel that he was euyll content wyth hȳ estemyng to be eniuryed bi the wordes aforesayd / The nyght folowynge Pachomyen descended in to a lowe place that he had begon to edefye fell downe place in prayer wepinge waylyng· by cause that for thoccasōn aforsayd he had be wrothe ayenst his broder / in his lamentacions he sayd / Helas maledyccōn is happed to me I walke yet in obeyenge to the flesshe / Lorde god haue pyte on me to the ende that I perisshe not / also that by decepcōn of the deuil I be not deceyued Alas lord yf I be withdrawe fro thy grace / the deuyl fynde ony vyce in me he shal subdue me sore in his vile seruytude for it is wryten that he that is of ony put vnder he is made his serfe or bonde man / And yet ayen it is wryten that he that shall haue entyerly kepte obseruyd the lawe / after in one on̄ly sȳne shall haue offended he shall be as towarde god reputed of all culpable out of his helthe / Notwythstondyng my lorde god I byleue that thy mercyes ben soo grete that they shall helpe me how someuer poore myserable sȳnar I be / For soo haue ben thyne seruauntes by thy sure proteccōn preserued fro the power of the deuyll in th ende enlumyned wyth thy glorye felycite eternall ¶ Thenne haue I hope by that thou shalte giue me knowelege of thy name That after my dethe I shall be of the nombre of theym that shall be sauyd / ¶ Ellis my lorde god yf thou gyue me not scyence and cunnyng lyke as thou haste promysed to me / I shal not cunne teche ne enseygne the relygyous people whyche thou haste commysed and gyuen the charge and gouernaunce to me Seen and consydered that I haue not curyously ouercome the voluptuosytee and passyons of the flesshe / ¶ Ne also obseruyd and fulfyllyd thy ryght worthy lawe wyth vndefoylled thoughte as I oughte to doo / ¶ Wherfore I am not worthy to be ruler and gouernour vnder thy honde of so many relygyous men whyche shall come to me / ¶ And therfore my lorde my Sauyoure and my Protectour I beseche the that it maye playse the to pardonne and forgyue me In grauntynge to me absolucyon of all my synnes / ¶ The holy man was alle the nyghte contynuelly in wepynges and lamentacyons / In suche wyse that his robe or vesture and his body was alle bayned and bydewed in teres and water / And how wel that he was replenysshed and endowed wyth alle vertue Neuertheles he Rendred hym selfe alle obeyssaunte to his brother germayne vnto his deth and endynge of his lyfe / Whyche happed soone after ¶ In buryenge makynge sepulture of whom he was an hoole nyghte / wepynge vpon his body makynge for him prayers and deuoute orysons how well that his soule was in heuen / ¶ How saynt Pachomyen resysted the temptacyons of the deuyll / And begynnith in latyn ¶ Tūcinfatigabilis c. Caplm .lxvii. SAynt Pachomyen Incōtynent as one afflyccyon came to him Sodaynly by the grace of god he putt it abacke / For he was alwaye in the deede of god / ¶ Now who someeuer dredith god He employeth him in good werkes ofte remembrynge on the paynes of helle Lyke as fyre whiche is eternall / ¶ And on the wormes whiche wroten the dampned soules Whiche neuer shall deye / ¶ The deuyll enuyouse of alle good / supposyd to haue bendyd his grynnes to haue caught and taken hym in some synne / ¶ But neuerthelesse by cause he was armyd wyth the shelde of stedfaste faythe He ouercame alwaye his aduersarye / ¶ Of the Illusyons that the deuyl made to the sayde Pachomyen And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Quadam vero die c. Caplm lxviii ON a daye as the holy Pachomyen came fro sayēge of his deuoute orysons prayers a goode waye fro his lytyll celle lyke as he had be acustomyd came tofore hȳ many deuyllis in grete nōbre sayēg one to a nother lyke as they had be tofore a Iuge Make place to the seruaūt of god· but the holy man hauȳge in our lorde ful hope dispised all theyr machinacōns lyke as it had be barkynge of dogges / whan the deuillis sawe the grete constaūce of hȳ they enforcid theim to bete downe that is ūdement of his edefyce whyche he begon / Thenne began to say the holy man O my god whihe art on̄ly refuge the defence of our good people whom thou comforteste in alle theyr trybulacyons / yf our enmyes meue and take the erthe awaye tofore v◠ye for that we fere ne drede theym no◠¶ And Incontynente theyr Impetuosyte sessed and as a fume or smoke vanysshed awaye / ¶ But yet they came agayne after as wood houndes / ¶ And in the same wyse an other tyme as he came from his prayer / The deuyll apperyd to him in lykenes of a capon makynge a crye soo merueylous / That alle the place redounded / The whyche thynge seenge the holy man / he blessyd hym wyth the sygne of the holy Crosse / And bleugh agaynst the deuyll And Incontynent he departed / ¶ And thus he helde him as as a stronge tour inexpugnable tofore his enmyes / ¶ Ofte tymes he moche thanked god as here after shall be shewed / And after the deuyll shewed hym to hym in lykenesse of a fayre woman Enforcinge hym by lokes dyssolute subtyll yllusyons to excyte and moeue hym to the dyshoneste detestable synne of lechery ¶ But the holy man seenge tofore hys cursyd temptacyons And for to eschew theym closyd his bodily eyen Openynge the syght of his entendement towarde god Whiche enseyneth vs to gete the vertue of strengthe and of charyte sayenge to the ryghtfull men / ¶ My frendes drede ye not For I am wyth you for to kepe you / ¶ How saynt Pachomien was greuously beten of the deuyll / ¶ And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Alia quoque et cetera Caplm .lxix. THe deuyll tooke hym a nother tyme / and bete hym soo moche that he was constrayned by feblenesse to lye downe fro the mornynge to the euenynge wythout to cunne speke / But notwythstondyng that he made noo mencyon by wordes of god Neuertheles his herte woke and callyd vppon hym as he whiche neuer leuyth the good in temptacōns / ¶ Thenne came there a religyous man named Appollo for to vysite hȳ· to whom the holy man expowned his decepcōns of the deuyll how he had be beten ¶ The holy fader Appollo sayd to hym in this maner / A holy fader it is nede that that thou take in the
to me as to a synÌ„ar that by the temptacoÌ„n of the deuyll that arte cruell rude to thy chyldern or seruauntes I praye the ceasse thy wrathe / so that it ne haue no place wythin that / God hath not gyue vnto vs chyldren for to noye theim but for to serue vs. or for to cherysshe nourisshe theym of the godes that he hath lent vs / I put a question vnto the / what whing hast thou in thy body fote honde or soule more than thy seruaunt hath / Is he not lyke vnto the in all thynges / Thou ought to knowe that we ben all formed made at thymage of IhuÌ„ Cryst / Thy seruauÌ„tes thenÌ„e are men as thou art Herke after saynt Poul that sayth / ¶ Ye al that are crystned haue IhuÌ„ Cryste in to youre possessyon / be it Iewe or Crysten free or bonde / We ne are but one in IhuÌ„ Cryst / ThenÌ„e syth we ben egall in IhuÌ„ Cryst that oure Sauyour by his grete humylytee hath take our nature / he techith vs that we sholde flee pryde ayeÌ„st our seruauÌ„tes / There is but one god of heuen that beholdyth onÌ„ly the meke dystroyeth the proude ¶ God hath made the heuens thenâ— the see all that is in it for the man for the woman / And soo hath he also worshypped man in takynge our manly flesshe / ¶ Thou art thenÌ„e well acursed the ceassest not to smyte vpon thy seruauntest / ThauÌ„gels fere man / thou doost dyspyse hym / God hath be crucyfyed for man and that doost noo thynge but tormentest crucyfyest thy seruantes that ben men I aske of the / Woldest that well at euery tyme that thou doost euyll that god sholde take vengauÌ„ce of the / I byleue naye / ¶ Euery day in sayeng thy Pater noster thou prayest god that he pardonÌ„e the thy synÌ„es as the pardonÌ„est to other netheles thou doost the contrary / So oughte â— to dowte the lyke as thou desyrest wyllest take vengauÌ„ce of thy seruaâ—â—â—t or enmye god beholdyng thy prayer toke of the rygorous vengaunce / ¶ Of the chylde Orphenym the whyche was made ryche / And begynnyth in laâ—in ¶ Audiens cetera Caplm C.xxxviii SOmtyme in Alexandrye was an Almoner the whyche had one onÌ„ly sone / The fader seenge his ende to drawe nygh made his sone to be called sayd vnto hym / My chylde by cause that I shall dey I woll make the well to haue knowlege of alle that I am worthe / ¶ Wyte it for trouthe that of all goodes ryches I haue but x.li of golde / And therfore chose whether thou woll be myn heyre or elles that the blessid moder of god be the same / The childe had leuer that the Tresoresse moder of Orphanes shold be his faders heyre than he hymself and suffred that al sholde be yeue for goddis sake / ¶ The fader soo deceased the childe contynuelly nyghte daye kept hyÌ„self in the chyrche of the blessid moder of god makyÌ„g to her deuowte prayers orysons / Of the whyche thynge the holy Patryarke had knowlege / that neuertheles made couÌ„tenance as he had knowen no thynge / ¶ Wythin short tyme after he made to be called a Notary to whom he coÌ„mauÌ„ded to take an olde skynne of parchemyn therin to wryte a Testament for in the name of one namyd The ophente / And that he sholde afferme by the Testament that the fader of the sayd childe the sayd Patryarke were bredern germayn / Chargynge morouer the sayde Notary to shewe the chylde of the same shewynge to hym the sayd Testament for to the entent he shold gyue hym courage boldnesse to aske of the sayde Patryarke ayde socours / The whiche thyng the sayd Notary dyde in contynent but neuerthelesse the chylde durste not goo to hym ¶ Soo sente he twyes for hym / And fynably came towarde hym toke kyssed hym sayeng Thou arte welcome my neuewe And made to be knowen that he was of his kyn / ¶ And whan he was grete he gaue hym an hous and alle thynges that to hym were nedefull / And maryed hym honestly / ¶ Wherby it apperyth that god leuyth neuer those that haue theyr hope in hym / ¶ Of a begyler that borowed thyrty pounde of golde of the holy Patryarke And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Inpretermisse / Caplm C.xxxix TRouthe it is that the forsayde holy Patryarke had this good lawdable custome that men neuer went heuely abasshed from hym ¶ Soo it happed that a begyler Papelarde borowed of hyÌ„ xx.li of golde / This holy man vnware that he was of thylke nyce haskers / begylets licorous false butters the begyle deceyue the worlde lente hym gladly wythout ony spekynge therayenst / ¶ Soo departed this Papelaide from byfore hym mockyÌ„ge sayeng that he had lent hym no thyÌ„ge / The Iustycers prayed the holy Patryarke that he wolde suffre hym to be had in to pryson / ¶ But the sayd holy man sayd to theym / Frendes be mercyfull as god our fader that makyth the sonÌ„e to shyne aswell ouer the badd as ouer the good to rayne asmoche ouer the Iust as ourâ— the vertrue / forbadd them to doo vnto hyÌ„ ony harme / Wherof they angred theymself ayenst the holy man sayenge / Truely it noo right that suche a knawe shal haue thus your money better it were to gyue to the poore / ¶ ThenÌ„e he answerd vnto theym / Ye shal doo two euylles / The fyrst is that ye shal be holden impacyent in our harmes and to other ye shall be ensample of impacyence / And thother euyll shall be that in this doynge ye shall be dysâ— beyeng vnto god that sayth / Yf ony take the money or thy substauÌ„ce fro the / aske it neuer ayen ¶ Of that other parte saynt Poul sayth / Why do we not endure forbere more pacyently wronge dysceyte or wyles / It is a good dede almeses to gyue to theym that aske do And better bestowed it is to theim that aske noo thynge / But it is a souerayn goodnes to gyue our gowne to theim that from vs take awaye our mantell / And who that dooth thus he is of an angelles and of the nature of god / ¶ God commaudeth vs that we soâ—ur euer our euyn crysten of that we truly haue goten / And not of that we haue wonne and goten to the hurte of other wrongfully / ¶ Of the Abbott Vitalyon / And begynÌ„yth in latin ¶ Senex quidem maâ—nua c· Caplm C.xl. AN olde abbot named Vitalion of thage of .lx yere that dwellyd wyth a nother holy abbot / that hyghte Serydon had herde shewed many good propretees of the goode Patryarke IohnÌ„ / of his holy lyf / So wolde be assaye yf he mighte make hyÌ„ to falle in synne and namely yf he were soo constauÌ„t that he neuer condempned ony persone / ¶ Thenne
daungeour to be drowned / The holy Patryarke thenÌ„e toke vpon hym for to comforte the poore folke that were in the same vessell / And wyth theym he called the grace of almyghty god ¶ Soo sawe he in this stormous tempeste a man vpryght byfore hym / Hauynge the face of a wonderfull briÈtnesse holdyÌ„ge in his honde a ceptre al of golde / The whiche man sayd to hym / Patryarke come on for the kynge of kynges askith for the / ¶ Thenne the holy Patryarke thynkynge vpon the sayde vysion / Incontynent he callyd the Patrice Niceta vnto hym and wyth grete syghes teeres he shewed it vnto hym Sayenge how the emperour of emperours regnynge in heuen had callyd hym And that without fawte he might not goo to theÌ„perour of the erthe to whom the sayd Niceta wolde brynge hym / ¶ The good Patrice herynge the wordes of the holy Patryarke was moche sory of his departynge and gladde of his helthe / Soo sente he hym ayen there as he wolde goo / That is to wyte in the reame of Chypre in the cyte of Amathanque / where he hadde taken his â—â—tynite / ¶ The fourme of his Testament folowyth / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Adueniente / Caplm C / liii AFter that the holy Patryarke was come in Chypre in the cyte namyd AmathuÌ„que where he was borne / He askyd after penne ynke for a skynÌ„e of parchemin / And in contynent he made his Testamente to be wryten in manere as here folowyth ¶ I IohnÌ„ fyrst bonde sith afrauÌ„chised made free by the dygnytee of preesthode of the grace of god to me yeuen To the my god I yelde graces of that it hath pleysed the to enhauÌ„ce my prayer to the wee le of my soule / It is that att the houre of my dethe men shall fynde in my tresour but onely do piece of money / ¶ Whan I was promoted to the dignytee of Archebysshopp ensacred receyued in the holy chyrche of Alexandrye / The whiche dignytee by the leue and InspyracoÌ„n I haue obteyned I foÌ„de there tresours wythoute nombre / I thenÌ„e knowyng that the sayd tresours were bylongyng to god purposed to yelde vnto him ayen that that was his owne by cause that now of all the sayd tresours is to me in remaynyng but onÌ„ly the pyece of money forsayd whyche byloÌ„gyth vnto god· I coÌ„mauÌ„de that it be yeue vnto hym ayen in to the hondes of the pore folke his seruauÌ„tes / ¶ O thyng ryghte gloryoê° worthy to be rehercyd O ye riche that haply haue gadred your money tresours vniustely the whiche ye woll kepe holde as your owne noo thynge wol yeue for goddis sake but hyde kepe them as ye myght bere theim with you / Loke now wyth me in this myrrour consydryng how the holy Patriarke gadred a tresour that neuer can be mynysshyd as worldly riches is / ¶ Certaynly we ought to bileue that he is worthy to be glorified / For our lord sayth in his gospell / Who soeuer shall honour or gloryfye me I shall gloryfye hyÌ„ / ¶ It is so that for the worshyp of our lorde for to exalte his praysynge he founded many monasteryes in whiche he ordened grete multytude of Relygyouses / that contynuelly gaue lawde praysynge to god For whiche cause is to him rewarded that meryte of al the orisons there made of the sayd relygyouses / ¶ And to the ende that by fable lesynge this that afore is of hym wryten be not reputed / We haue therof a veri knowlege that he was of the nombre of the Iust / ¶ For after that he had yelded his holy soule in to the hondes of our lord god as done the soules of the Iuste that are in the honde of god / His sepulture was by the clergy ordened in a sepulcre wherin of longe tyme afore two good bysshops his Predecessours had be buryed / ¶ But a wonderfull thynge happed there / For at the openyng of the sayd sepulcre the two bysshops that there rested theyr bones of longe space dede byreuyd of life wythdrewe theymself fro theyr places / Makynge honour to the sayd Patryarke and gyuyng vnto him his place bytwene theim in the myddes of the graue / ¶ Wherby it is to vs openly shewed that our lorde hym rewarded moche largely· whan he wold his body in this worlde to be soo openly honoured / And his soule aboue in heuen gloryfyed worshypfully enhaunsed / ¶ Of the woman that gaaf her synne in wrytynge to saynt IohnÌ„ the Patryarke / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Aliud autem / Caplm C.liiii YEt lyuynge the sayd Patryarke Iohan. he made a nother myracle ryght grete the whyche begynnyth in his lyf and endeth after his dethe / ¶ A woman of the sayde cyte where he was borne had done soo horryble a synne / that she durste neuer confesse it / Soo it happed that the sayde Patriarke came to the cyte / And she hauynge knowlege of his comynge came and caste herselfe at his fete / sayenge by grete coutrycyon / ¶ O reuerende lorde I haue done a synne the whyche for the grete loothlynes of it I dare not confesse / But this notwythstondyng I wote wel that yf it playse that thou shalt gyue me therof remyssyon / ¶ The holy Patryarke seenge her grete contrycyon / He wolde not correcte her rygoriously / Doubtyng that she sholde neuer make shryfte therof to a nother / And that bi this she were in dangeour of her soule but sayd vnto her / My freÌ„de yf thou haste that fayth that I maye clense thi soule fro synne and that I maye gyue the remyssyon therof / Confesse it vnto me and I shall doo al that thou requyrest of me / Wherunto she answerd that she sholde not dare telle it / For it was soo dyshoneste shamefull that it sholde cause horrour at the ceres of the holy man / ¶ Thenne he sayde vnto her Thus thenne yf thou arte soo shamefaste of the confessyon of it / gyue it vnto me by wrytynge / ¶ She yet answered that she sholde not dare doo soo / And the holy man yet agayne sayd vnto her / Thou muste doo it but yf it seme the good / thou shalt close the letter in suche wyse that noo body maye see it / ¶ Thenne this woman consentyng to the wordes of the holy Patryarke / wrote her synne wyth her owne honde And after closyd the letter and toke it to hym / But he ne lyued but fyue dayes after that / ¶ Soo it happed by casuell aduenture that at his dethe this we man was oute of the towne / Whanne she came agayne and knowyng his deceasse / She ymagyned that her synne had be shewed thorugh all the cyte / by cause that the holy man was deed / hauynge towarde hym her scrowe / ¶ And as for answere therupon she had none of / ¶ Soo wente she to his tombe where he
was buryed / And there she kepte herselfe thre dayes wythoute ony mete or drynke / Makyng there wayllynges wythoute nombre and wepynges / Hauynge alwayes an hope that the holy Patryarke sholde lete her vnderstonde some tydynges of her synne / ¶ She often sayd vnto hym / Alas holy Patryarke I hadd soo grete an hope of thy lyfe the whyche I byleue not to be ended ¶ For god and his chyrche wytnessen vnto vs. that the Iuste lyue euerlastyngly / And therfore I byleue that thou arte not deed / But rather arte more lyuynge as to the euerlastynge lyfe· than thou were afore in this worlde / ¶ Alas my frende I ne requyre of the none other thynge / but oonly that thou wolte lete me wyte where my scrowe is become that I toke the / ¶ O my souerayne god that sayd to the woman Cananâ—e That thorugh her faythe she was sauyd / ¶ Syth that I haue in the stedfaste byleue that thou mayst make me att thys tyme acertayned of my scrowe / I byseche the / that thou woll be playsed I to haue it agayne / ¶ One a daye she sayenge suche wordes / ¶ The holy Patryarke acompanyed wyth two bysshops wyth the whyche he was entered aroos oute of his gaue· and sayde to the sayd woman / ¶ O poore nedy woman why leuest thou not in rest theym that ben here wyth me / Thou hast wepte soo moche that we ben all bedewed wyth thy teeres / And wyth this he toke her agayne her scrowe / And askyd her yf she knewe it / The whyche wordes sayd he and the sayde two holy bisshops layed theymselfe downe agayne wythin theyr tombes / ¶ And the sayde woman openyd her letter And founde therin wryten the wordes that here folowe ¶ For the loue of Iohan my seruaunte thy synne is enrased oute / ¶ O what is he that cowde or myghte reherce the power of our lorde the whiche is soo mercyfull and louely bothe to men and wymmen / And that soo freely grauntyth and dooth the wyll of all those that drede hym / And that wyth goode herte sekith hym / Whyche gloryfyeth theym that loue hym / And by myracle magnyfyeth theym / ¶ The holy Patryarke forsayd was not onÌ„ly gloryfyed in one place but in all countrees of the Eest partyes / And now saynt Iherom makyth vs to knowe hym ferdermore in thyse partyes of the Weste / ¶ How the dethe of the forsayd holy Patryarke Iohan was shewed to a relygyouse namyd Sauyn / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Eadem enim die c / Caplm C.lv. THe daye that this holy Patryarke deyed / a Relygyous man namyd Sauyn beynge in Alexandrye sawe by the wyll of god the holy Patryarke Iohan / The whyche accompanyed wyth a grete nombre of clerkes was ladde by one of theym tofore an emperour in his palays / After he sawe hym come out of the gate / ¶ The whyche vysyon bytokened the departynge of his body from the soule Whan he was out of the gate came to hym a fayre lady a yonge mayde shynynge bryghter than the sonne / Hauynge on her heed a crowne of Olyue tree· The whiche toke him anone by the honde and ladde him forthe / ¶ Bi this visyon the good relygyouse man ymagyned that the holy Patryarke was passynge oute of this worlde at that houre vnto euerlastynge glory And this he gaaf to knowe vnto dyuers persons It happed thenÌ„e that oute of Chypre came many marchauÌ„tes in to AlexaÌ„drye To whom was askid after the hour of the Patryarkes forsayd dethe / And by theyr answere was cleerly knowe that the sayd vysyon was true / And that at the same hour that as the Relygyouse man had shewed it the sayd holy Patryarke was deed / Gyuyng stedfast fayth by this that sayd is to this vysion and namly for cause of the mayde that ladde hym by the honde / For they Iudged that is was Almese / that afore tyme in this worlde had shewed herselfe to this holy Patryarke forsayd in lykenesse of a mayde / And had promysyd hym as here afore is sayd / That yf he wolde loue her / she sholde present hym byfore the souerayne emperour that is our blessed Sauyour Redemer Ihesu Cryste / ¶ Of a nother vysion that a Citeyzyn of AlexaÌ„drie had touchyÌ„ge the deth of this holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ the Almoner / begynÌ„yth ¶ CuÌ„ auteÌ„ / Caplm C.lvi. ANd not onÌ„ly by cause of the visyon of the forsayd religyoê° / but also for a nother vysion that happed to a pore man feryng god whyche dwelled in Alexandrye the enhabytauÌ„tes of the same cyte byleuyd the Almese Mercy had presented the forsayd holy Patryarke vnto god / This good pore man that same nyghte that the holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ deyed sawe by spirytuell vysyon all the poore folke of the cyte of Alexandrye / Aswell children faderlees and moderlees as wymÌ„en and other what so euer persone in grete noÌ„bre / Beryng in theyr hondes brauÌ„ches of Olyue tree the whyche wente to the seruyce and Dirige of the holy Patriarke / ¶ Wherfore it was cleerly shewed Almese dede presented hym afore god / as it is sayd aboue / ¶ How out of his sepulcre flowed and ranne oyle· And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Hymnodia c· Caplm C.lvii YF we had of the gloryfycacion of the holy Patryarke none other reason to shewe but the same that here folowith / Yet ought we onely to be certayne withoute ony doubtfull demynge that he is of the nombre of sayntes / ¶ After that this holy body was enteryd buryed our Redemer wyllyng to shew the worthynes of hym· coÌ„maunded that out of his graue sholde flowe and renne oyle of whose swetnes swete smelling sauour by syÌ„guler grace were the folke beynge present fulfylled namely all the sike folke that were enoynted therwyth receyuyd fully theyr helthe ayen / And not oonly this myracle happed in the londe of Chypre aforsayd to the worshyp of the sayde holy Patryarke / But also in dyuers other to the ende that we that see how they haue contynued and lyued holyly in this worlde· sett and applye our courages to ensewe theym in theyr dooynges / ¶ We shall praye mekely the gode saynt IohnÌ„ the Almoner that it wolde playse hym of his large mekenesse for to spare for vs after oure mortall lyfe the tresours that neuer shall haue ende that he hath spared for hyÌ„self thrugh his grete almese other grete werkes so that we ensewe the same maye be wyth hyÌ„ fedde in the glory of heuen / Amen / ¶ Here begynnyth the lyfe of saynt Eugene / whose feest is halowed the day after the feest of the Natiuyte of our sauyour IhuÌ„ Cryste / And begyynyth in latin ¶ In septimo igitur et cetera Caplm C.lviii SOmtyme an Emperour of the Romayns namyd Chomodrê° for to rule gouerne the cytee of Alexandrye the londe of Egypte vnder the lordshyp of Rome sent in to
the emperour / The whyche coÌ„mauÌ„ded that she shold be caste in to the ryuer of Tibre with a mylstone at her necke it was done soo / But assone as she was caste in the grete â—â—â—me the stone claue all in pieces the gâ—od lady was seen walke vpon the waâ—â— to th ende that the Crysten sholde knowe / that the god that had sauyd saynt Peter in the see was that tyme wyth the good lady sayÌ„t Eugene to kepe her that she sholde not be drowned wythin the sayd ryuer of Tyber / ¶ After Incontinent as she was had out of the streme / put in to an hote furnayse oute of whyche Incontynent that she was caste in it the heete wexed cold And after they put her in a derke place the sayd emperour coÌ„maunded that she sholde be lefte there the space of .x. dayes without mete nor drynke also wythout ony lyght / But neuertheles wythin the place where she was thê° kepte was seen a grete lyghte soo bryghte that al was lyghte as it had be the lyght of the sonÌ„e / ¶ After this god that neuer faylyth his seruauÌ„tes came vysited her and broughte her a loof of brede as white as the snowe / sayde vnto her / ¶ Eugene my true spouse frende take the brede that I bryÌ„ge for the / I am thy Sauyour that thou haste loued yet louyth of all thy herte / I shall lede the in to heuen vpon suche a daye as I came downe in the erthe / Incontynente he deparred ¶ Soo it happed that the day of the Narâ—uyte of IhuÌ„ Cryste that hang man was sent towarde her whiche slewe her wythin the pryson / ¶ Her body was take of the Crysten buryed in the waye Latyne In the same place where she had buryed many crystens / Her moder Claudia camÌ„ oft to wepe vpon her graue / ¶ And amonge the other she beyng vpon the sayd graue abowte the hour of mydnyght saynt Eugene her doughter aperyd vnto her clothed in a gowne of purple coueryd wyth fyne gold acoÌ„panyed wyth a grete nombre of virgyns and sayd to her / Reioyce thyselfe my moder for god hath sett me amonge the glorioê° sayntes in his paradys my fader wyth the Patriarkes / vpon Sonday nexte comynge thou shalt be receyued wyth grete Ioye in Paradys / ¶ CoÌ„mauÌ„de to thy childern that they haue alway in theyr remeÌ„brauÌ„ce the passion of IhuÌ„ cryste to th ende that they be parteners wyth vs of the souerayne Ioyes of heuen / And as she parted away· she gaaf suche a lighte in the sayd place that noo manÌ„es eye cowde beholde it / Wherbi men maye bileue that she was accoÌ„panyed of the right gloryous Trynyte of Paradys / To thou whyche be Infynyte glory also loouynge euerlastyng / by all the syecles of the syecles / Amen / ¶ Here folowyth of saynt Basille bysshop of Capadoxe / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Basillius itaque et cetera / Caplm C.lix SAynt Basyll amoÌ„ge the other of his tyme shewed in erthe as well by werkes as by wordes a lyfe couenable ordeynynge dysposyng his sayd lyfe by ghostly wysdom / ¶ He gaaf vnto IhuÌ„ Cryst his body his soule puttynge hyÌ„self to dyuers dauÌ„geours perylles for the fayth of our lorde repreuynge many errours whyche he ouercame broughte downe In his seuenth yere of aege / he was of hys frendes sette to scole where he was abidynge the space of .v. yere / Duryng the whyche tyme. he almost knewe all Philosophye ¶ After he departed oute of Capadoce his naturell couÌ„tree / went to the cytee of Athenes that thenÌ„e was moder of all scyences / there chastely heued wyth a Doctour namyd Eubole / Wherby he had the very knowlege of all scyences / For he studyed full besyly wyth many excellent men / ¶ Gregory the grete that after the sayd tyme was pope of Rome by the space of .xii. yere In lyen also Lybanyen they .iii. were discyples of the sayd saynt Basylle / ¶ He made a promyse vnto god that he sholde neuer ete brede nor drynke wyne tyll that he sholde haue by the suffrauÌ„ce of god knowe the secretes of ghostly wysdom ¶ During the tyme of .xv. yere that he studyed in Athenes / He knewe all Ppylosophye after the enformyng of the Grekes / And fynably he was ryght experte in the scyence of Astrologye other aâ—ter lyberall / But yet he had not lerned the very wysdom by the whyche folke lerne to knowe their Creatour / ¶ Soo it happed on a nyghte as he studyed / that he was Inspyred wyth the holy ghost / purposed to knowe the holy scryptures / Wherfore he departed out of Athenes went in to Egypte In whiche loÌ„de / entrynge the hons of a deuoute bysshopp namyd Porphyre the ladde a lyfe moche solytary / He requyred hyÌ„ mekely that he wolde comyn wyth hym in the bokes of the holy scryptures dyuyne techynges / The whiche the sayd Porphire toke him vnto hym / and there he studyed by an hoole yere takynge a grete delyte playsure in the sayd holy scryptures / ete none other mete but herbes dranke water / ¶ After he axed of the sayd Porphire leue for to goo in pylgrimage to Ihrl'm aswell for to god worshypp the holy places as for to knowe the grete myracles that were done there to th ende he shold come to a more knowlege of the fayth / Porphyre seenge hys deuoute affeccoÌ„n gaue hyÌ„ leue / recommended hym to the grace of god / And whan he had done his pylgrymage / he retorned to Athenes where he had studyed a longe season afore / ¶ He beyÌ„ge there amonge the grekysshe Phylosophers he spake euer to theym of the holy scriptures / exorted the mysbileuyd to byleue in IhuÌ„ Cryste / shewynge vnto theym the waye of helthe / namely hauÌ„ted gladli hourly with his mayster Eubole / ¶ And by cause he desyred to rewarde hyÌ„ of the gode that he had done to hym in his chyldhode / he wolde serue hym in the fayth of Cryst ¶ So soughte he hym for this cause in all places where men dysputed / dyde somoche that he fonde hyÌ„ in the subarbes of Athenes disputyng with the other philosophers / ¶ Saynt Basylle herynge his maister that proposed a conclusion fals rebuked hym of it / Wherof many at theym present were somwhat abasshyd and asked what he was that soo bâ—â—ly rebukyd Eubole / Wherat hyÌ„selfe answerd that it was god or elles Basille ¶ ThenÌ„e knowynge that it was he leuyÌ„ge all the Pphilosophers came to hym made to eche other a gladde knowlege / Thre dayes they were togyder dysputyÌ„g of dyuers maters / ¶ Eubole that had be mayster to Basylle apposed hyÌ„ of the dyffynycoÌ„n of Phylosophie / he answerde thâ—â—t his fyrste dyffynycoÌ„n was medytacoÌ„n contynuell vpon dethe / After he asked hym what was
vnto the holy faders by reuelacyon dyuyne the trouth of this befalle / that the one gafe his bodye to penauÌ„ce for the salualoÌ„n of his felawe / how be it that he had not done the synne ¶ Men maye doo no fayrer almose than to gyue his body for to saue his euencrysten to praye god for his soule ¶ An other brother there was that semblably was tempted of the synne of lecherye / wherfore by dyuerse tymes he camto one holy fader that was dwellyng ynough nyghe him euer he besought hym that he wolde praye god for hyÌ„ / but the more that the holy fader prayed / the sayd brother to more besely requyred him to praye for hym ¶ And for this cause the sayd holy fader was both nyght daye in oryson for him / but it prouffyted hyÌ„ nought / wherof the sayd holy fader was sore dyscomforted knowyng that his oryson was not herde ¶ But our lord for to comforte hym shewed to hym a vysyon the cause why he was not herde / that it was by occasyon of the neglygence of hyÌ„ for whom he prayed / the whiche wolde not helpe hym selfe for to resyst corageously ayenst the temptacoÌ„n of the deuyls / but rather toke a plesure to see the Illusyons that the deuyll presented vnto hym puttyng in his mynde the remeÌ„braunce of many dyshonost women And how well that in these folysshe Illusyons his good angell that was full heuy and sory as him semed of that he resysted not ayenst the sayd temptacyons / neuertheles he made no force for it So sayd he to the sayd brother My frende but yf the take corage of thy self castyng a backo the delectacoÌ„ns that the deuyll presented to the I can not helpe that by my prayers And therfor thou must put thy selfe in oryson to fast / to sygh to wepe / other abstynences to do Thou knowest that the leche whan he wyl gyue to the pacyent some remedyes ayenst his maladye / yf the seke kepe not hyÌ„selfe from suche metes that ben contrarye to his helthe / with grete payne the leche shall he le hyÌ„ ¶ Also thy selfe the arte in dedely synne thou puttest no payne to recouer the grace of god that thou hast lost / but doest the contrarye of that he coÌ„mauÌ„deth the to do thrugh the pleasure that thou takest in the temptacoÌ„ns of the flesshe Therfor helpe thy selfe / god shall helpe ye. For otherwyse the holy faders that are leches spyrytual sholde not conne because to restore to thy soule her helthe ¶ The brother by these remonstracoÌ„ns toke at his herte so grete contrycyon that he obteyned the mercy of god / the sclauÌ„deroê° wycked passyon of lecherye wente a waye from hym ¶ For no maner of nede that a man hath he ought not to suffre the ony yong woman serue in his house / all be she his kynneswoman or otherwyse ¶ An her myte beyng in his hermytage doynge there penauÌ„ce was by one his kynnes woman wretchedly deceyued For the deuyll styred the same his kynnes womaÌ„ for to see the sayd hermyte in his hermytage where he receyued her benyngly / at this cause she bode with hyÌ„ a space of tyme / the whiche tyme / he knewe her carnaly Not ferre froÌ„ the same hermytage dwelled a holy fader right deuoute / the which by many dayes afore the caas was happed / when he put water in a vessell of his owne for hyÌ„ to dryÌ„ke / incoÌ„tyneÌ„e as he wold take the vessell trowyÌ„g to haue droÌ„ken of the water / the vessell tourned vpsodoÌ„ne in his hande spylled the water coude not drynke out of it Thenne he thought he wolde shewe this to his felawe for to knowe what it mente Soo toke he his waye for to come to his hermytage / but he was beclypped of the nyghte and constrayned for to goo lye in a Temple where Yooles were ¶ As he slepte within the sayde Temple / he herde the deuyls that sayde one to the other / how that nyghte they hadde made an hermyte to falle in the synne of fornycacyon with a woÌ„man that was of his sybbe ¶ The holy hermyte herynge these wordes was therof sore meruaylled ¶ On the morowe acte sprynge of the daye he began to walke forth on his waye vnto the tyme that he was come there as his felawe was ¶ And entryng in his hermytage he founde hym trystefull and sore to the deth ¶ After his gretynge yeuen vnto hym tolde hym how his water dyde spylle oute of his vessell when he sholde drynke / and that for to haue his counseyll in this matere / he was come towarde hym ¶ That other that hadde done the sayd synne of lecherye answered ¶ Alas my brother I haue gretter nede of thy counseyll / than thou of myne / for the last nyght I felle in to the fowle dyshonest and abhomynable synne of fornycacyon / wherof I haue offended my god and my maker wyckedly ¶ Thenne his felawe sayd to hym / that he wyst it well and shewed hym the maner / how he beynge a slepe within a Temple of Ydoles hadde herde the deuyls sayeng the one to the other that whiche is sayd ¶ Thenne he that hadde synned as withoute hope wolde haue gone to the worlde and forsake his hermytage But that other recomforted hym aswell as he coude / praynge hym to abyde styll in his telle / and that better it was to sheue oute the sayde woman to th ende they two togyder myghte doo penaunce tyll that god had pardonned hym his synne / the whiche thynge he dyde / and syth ledde a lyfe moche deuoute and holy ¶ Whan men are ouermoche vexed trauaylled of the deuyll / and tempted of the synne of fornycacyon / the souerayne remedye is to occupye hym selfe in prayers and orysons / or in temporall werkes / and I lee ydlenes whiche is the rote of all vyces ¶ To this purpose we rede that an holy hermyte beyng in a place named Celya / the whiche by the deuyls was sore tempted for to acomplysshe the synne of lecherye He consydered in hym selfe that it was of necessyte that he sholde sette hym selfe to some werke by the whiche his bodye were strongly trauaylled ¶ Now this broder was a potmaker / so aduysed he that he sholde make a woman of erthe / in dede he dyde so / after that she was made / he sayd to his thoughtes the tourmented him of the synne of fornycacyon that he had a woman to kepe But bycause that this notwithstandyÌ„g he was euer teÌ„pted as aboue / he ymagyned to labour more than he had done tofore / made childern of erthe saynge after to his thoughtes when they moeued hyÌ„ to lecherye that he hadde bothe wyfe and childern Morouer for to ouercome his passyons / he purposed to laboure more than he had done afore / sayng that nedes he muste trauaylle / aswell for to gete his wyfe
and consequently the felycyte eternall ¶ An other abbot named Danyell testyfyed of the sayd abbot Arsenyen / that he aplyed hym self gladly for to make baskettes of leues of certayn trees / to the whiche werke he muste haue water for to wete his leues / often it happed that the water wherwith he halpe hymselfe stanke right sore / wherof his habytacyon was infecte marred / neuertheles he wolde not cast a waye the sayd water / but when there was lytyll of it / he put more to the same / wherof some of his brethern dede blame him / askyng why he cast not the olde water awaye toke of the fresshe by it self ¶ To whom he answered that in tyme passed he was wonte to haue in his chambre all maner of swetnesse lycours smellyng swete by cause it shold be swete of smellȳg / wherfore in stede of the sayd sauours full swete smellyng of that whiche he had delyted long / he wolde haue other that were rotyn stynkyng to th entent that he sholde not be repreued nor shent to haue lyued in this worlde ouermoche deyntely / bryngyng ayen to this purpose the horryble stenches tourmentes of helle that they that be dampned do fele / the hystorye of the wycked ryche man the lyued here so deyntely / the whiche is now buryed in the pyete of helle ¶ An other brother demaūded of hym how he ought to make his orysons / sayeng that for no prayer that he made he coude not haue a very nor stedfast cōpunccōn / namely by cause he vnderstode not the scrypture ¶ The holy abbot Arsenyen answered hȳ / that they the vnderstand not the holy scrypture ought contynuelly to praye god as well as the were grete clerkes / gaf an exemple of the serpente that herkeneth after the voyce of the enchaūtour / for all be it that he vnderstandeth hȳ not / alwayes he yeldeth hȳselfe subget to the sayd enchaūtour ¶ Also they the proferen the holy wordes of the fayth of holy chirche / all be it that they vnderstande no thyng of it / alwayes in sayeng them / they chasse put awaye by the vertue strengthe of suche holy worde◠/ the stedfast byleue that they haue in god the deuyls fro them / pryncypally bycause that the deuyll maye not here the holy wordes that whiche haue be sayd by the true prophetes and holy sayntes ¶ Somtyme not ferre fro the celle or habytacōn of saynt Machary was a murdre done / of the whiche iniustly was a sȳple man accused / when he sawe that by auctoryte of the Iustyce men wolde haue take hȳ for the sayd caas He fled awaye to the monasterye of saynt Macharye The offycers the pursued hȳ for to fynde the meanes to bryng hȳ with them / sayd to the Relygyouse / that yf he were not yeldē in theyr hādes / they theyr abbot Macharye sholde deye for it ¶ And bycause that this Macharye wyst not how to resyste / he requyred the sergeantes that they sholde bryng him there as he that had be murdred was buryed / they dyde soo And thenne be made his prayer to god anone he called the deed bodye / the whiche answered / here I am ¶ Saynte Macharye thenne adiured hym / that he sholde telle yf he hadde be slayne by hym that men wolde take oute of his monasterye or noo / wherat he answered naye / wherof tho same sergeantes were sore meruaylled / and kneled before saynt Macharye / and prayed hym that he wolde wyt of the deed who had kylde hym The holy man answered that he wolde not do it / for it suffysed hym that the sayd Innocente sholde be delyuered / and that it aperteyned hym not make the malefactour to be accused / the whiche myght do penaunce saue his soule ¶ And by this that is sayd aboue / it appyreth ynoughe that men of the chirche ought not to accuse ne knowe of synfull befall / atte lest in maner that deth folowe not therby ¶ A brother gaue a grape of Rasyns to the sayd saynt Macharye the whiche he sent to one of his brethern that was syke / the syke sende it to an other / thus consequently it was sente from celle to celle so moche the fynally / he that last receyued it sente it agayne vnto Saynte Macharye The whiche when he knewe that the sayd grape hadde be gyuen sente from one brother to the other / namely consyderyng that the celles habytacōns were sore ferre from eche other / he thanked god by synguler affeccyon / of the grete charytees whiche by this he knewe was amonge his Relygyouses ¶ Of hym selfe it is wryten / that the deuyll for to deceyue hȳ / transtygured hym lyke a monke / came knocked atte his dore sayeng Macharye aryse come with the other monkes that longe syn are in oryson ¶ The holy man knowyng that it was the deuyll he answered to hym O false lyer enuye of trouthe / what hast thou to do now to brynge thy selfe with the company of the deuoute relygyouses whiche enforce them selfe for to praye god wherat the deuyl answered to hym O Macharye thou knowest not thenne how that they neuer doo praye without vs. Now come on thy waye / thou salt see yf I saye trouthe or not ¶ Thenne saynt Macharye sette hym selfe to oryson / prayed god that he wolde shewe to hym yf it was trouthe that the deuyll had tolde hym ¶ After he wente to the chirche where the brethern sayd matyns / incontynent that he was within the chirche / he sawe a multytude of deuyls as blacke as Ethyopyens or men of Inde the were with his relygyouses To some they shette theyr eyen to the other they closed the mouth to the ende that they sholde not synge / afore the other that after matyns sette them self to oryson / the sayd fendes for to kepe them therfro / they transfygured them self in dyuerse speces of women And what soeuer prayer that the sayde bretheren made / thoo same fendes brought ayen dyuerse fantasyes in to theyr myndes ¶ Alwayes some of them were moche deuoute / and in suche wyse they resysted agaynste the temptacyons and mockynges aboue sayde / that the sayde fendes taryed nor arrected not nyghe them / but wente awaye all confuse ¶ Whenne Saynte Macharye hadde seen this scorne or derysyon / he began to syghe and to wepe made suche an oryson to our lorde O my redemptour I beseche the right humbly that it wyll please the to gyue helpe and socours to our poore soules / the whiche be all fulle of wycked deceyuynges After he called togyder all his Relygyouses and questyoned them of theyr conscyences after that he hadde seen the deuylles tempte them when they were in oryson Some to hym answered and sayd that they hadde be of purpose to forsake theyr monasterye And some sayd that they
the deuyll Sathanas / thy blasphemye be it vpon the / for I ought not to blame no bodye ¶ And by this meane / the sayd man resysted to the sayd temptacyon ¶ The abbot Moyses sayd that by foure thynges the persone falleth in payne traueylle temptacoÌ„n and grete sykenesse ¶ The fyrst by Inordynat takyng of mete drynke ¶ The seconde by ouer longe slepe ¶ The thyrde by holdyng hym selfe ydle ¶ And the fourth by ouer curyousely to goo arayed ¶ Also the abbot Poemen sayd / that euen thus as they that assyste ony kyng or prynce / ought to be euer redy armed garnysshed with glayues for to kepe defende his body from oppressyon vyolence / in lykewyse the soule of euery crysteÌ„ man wyllynge to serue god / ought alwayes to be redy garnysshed of vertues for to withstande ayenst the deuyll ¶ An other sayd that lyke as tryakell putteth away the venym / so oryson with fastyng casteth out shoueth abaâ— the foule thoughtes vayne thynkynges ¶ The abbot Macharye alone dwellyng in his celle / had vnder hyÌ„ many relygyouses whiche abode in dyuerse habytacoÌ„ns one from another Vpon a tyme as he went out of his monasterye / he mette with the deuyll the clothed was with a garmeÌ„t made of lynnen clothe whiche was all full of holes / at euery hole was haÌ„gyng a lytyll potte full of water / whan saynt Macharye sawe hyÌ„ he asked hyÌ„ where he was bouÌ„de for to go / wherat he answered that he yede for to tempte his Relygyouses ¶ After he asked hyÌ„ wherunto serued the sayd potâ— wherat he sayd that it was for to gyue present teÌ„ptacoÌ„ns vnto the relygyouses / that yf the taste of one of the vesselles pleased not to one he presented hyÌ„ of an other yf the seconde was not to hyÌ„ agreable he pÌ„sented hyÌ„ yet a nother / this sayd the deuyll went his waye ¶ Saynt Macharye taryed there tyll that he came ayen whiche soone appered for hyÌ„ Thenne the sayd saynt greted hyÌ„ sayeng / thou be saued The deuyll theÌ„ne answered to hyÌ„ why flatarest thou me when all that other be couÌ„trarye to me wyll not falle vnto my wyll ¶ Thenne hast that no frendes sayd saynt Macharye / the sayst trouthe answered the deuyll / but oonly one called Theopantus / that whiche bowed lyghtly to the temptacoÌ„ns that I gaue hyÌ„ ¶ Anone after saynt Machary departed went vnto the hermytage of the sayd TheopaÌ„tê° And after that he had desyred hyÌ„ to resyste ayenst the teÌ„ptacoÌ„ns of the deuyll / he desyred hyÌ„ for to fast vnto the euen were come / that when suche deceyuynges sholde be presented vnto hyÌ„ / he sholde heue vp his hoÌ„des towarde heueÌ„ / without hardnesse he sholde haue socours Anone after retourned saynt Macharye with the deuyll he mett ayen / to whome he asked how the brothern fared / he answered that they dyde euyll for him / for there was not one that wolde obeye hym ony more ¶ And namely he sayd / that he whiche was wonte to tourne there as he wolde haue hym / was full chauÌ„ged he myght nomore tourne hym from his good purpose ¶ An other Relygyouse that whiche was coÌ„tynuelly teÌ„pted with dyuerse temptacions whiche he myght not bere / came vnto an other relygyouses / asked hyÌ„ couÌ„seyll how he myght resyste He answered hyÌ„ that he had be neuer shamed or sclauÌ„dred / when he had vnderstande his answerd he was euyll apayed with hit went vnto an other to whom he sayd that in askyng couÌ„seyl of an other he had be sclauÌ„dred bycause he had answered to hym presuÌ„ptuously aboue kynde ¶ The seconde blamed hyÌ„ gretly saynge that the fyrst had not tolde hyÌ„ oonly that he had be neuer sclauÌ„dred of the temptacoÌ„ns of the deuyll / wherfore he sente hyÌ„ ayen to the fyrst ¶ And after he was come to hym ayen / he cryed hyÌ„ mercy sayeng that he had done amys of that he was departed from before hyÌ„ without reuerence / with this he prayed hym that he wolde expowne vnto his answere ¶ Thenne this fyrst Relygyouse sayd vnto hyÌ„ / that neuer syth that he was made moÌ„ke he had not taken his fylle of brede nor of water / wherfor he had not obeyed the deuyll And therfore it ought to be noted that an abstynent man / is not so subget vnto the fende of helle / as is a lykerouse gloton ¶ A broder questoned the abbot Poemen of his thought for to wyt how he sholde rule them / the whiche answerd vnto hym that yf he kepte hyÌ„ from fyllyng of bely / his tonge from spekyng / that he sholde neuer be ydle and that his hope sholde alwayes be sette vpon god / certaynly he sholde be saued ¶ Two brethern that often were tourned with vayne thoughtes came vnto the abbot Helyas whiche when he sawe them so fat / as he wolde haue spoken to his dyscyple he began to lawhe sayeng / certes brother I am ashamed that thou arte so fatte seen that thou art a monke A colour pale whyte with lennesse wrapped in humylyte is the honour of a monke ¶ A woman virgyn of the nacoÌ„n of Rome sore dredyng god departed out of the sayd cyte cam to alexaÌ„drye for to see the abbot Arsenyen She beynge within the towne of Alexandrye / the archebysshop Theophyle wellecomed her with grete honour / to whom she prayed that he wolde doo so moche of his grace that she myght speke with the sayd abbot The sayd archebysshop made hymselfe her supplycacoÌ„n vnto the sayd ArsenyeÌ„ / to that whiche Request he wolde not graunte And when she wyste that he sholde not come to her / as a woman of grete stedfastnesse / hauyng her trust in god purposed in herself for to go vnto hyÌ„ atte his celle / not ferre there from she fouÌ„de hyÌ„ walkynge / IncoÌ„tynent kneled before him ¶ Thenne Arsenyen sayd vnto her / woman yf thou art come hether for to see my face oonly / loke beholde me al thy fylle Thou ought not to take hede vnto my bodye / but atte my vacacyon yf it be good The good virgyne durste not loke vp soo moche she was ashamed The abbot after rebuked her of that she had come fro soo ferre ouer the see for to see oonly a man mortall ¶ And she answerd to hyÌ„ humbly I am not come oonly for to see the / but bycause that thou shal remembre me in thyn oracions ¶ The abbot answered My frende I praye god that I maye neuer remembre the. Whan she had vnderstande the answere of the holy fader / she wente ayen to the cyte for to haue deyed for sorowe ¶ The archebysshop coÌ„forted her sayeng that she ought not to angre herself / bycause that many grete men haue be deceyued begyled of women ¶ The abbot Moyses sayd Yf a kyng wyl take a towne for
he was a paynem and wyste not what he dyde as touchyng our fayth The preest sayd to hym Certes I am touched with compunccoÌ„n thrugh thy salutacyon / by the whiche I haue knowen that thou arte goddes man / but I haue mette with one I wote not what a wretched monke that hath wronged me ouer moche And also rewardynge by of his scornefull wordes I haue gyue vnto hym greuous wouÌ„des Incontynent he was tourned and swore that he sholde not lat hym go / tyll that he made him a monke ¶ After they two wente togydre to the place where the dyscyple was hurte / and bare hym in the chirche ¶ Alle the monkes were glad of the conuersyon of the preest / for by him many were tourned ¶ So sayde the abbot saynt Macharye to this purpose / that oftentymes proude and scornefull wordes tourne and tyse the good folke for to doo euyll Also humble langage moeueth the euyll folke vnto goodnesse ¶ Saynt Anthonye sayd often / that none can be good how well he desyreth to be so / yf god be not with him for no man is good but he oonly / what soeuer vertue is in vs thenne / we muste euer accuse our selfe and holde vs for euyll folke And thus mekyng our selfe we shall gette mede ¶ One tyme the good saynt Anthony sawe all the grennes snares of the deuyll spredde ouer the erth Thenne began he to wepe to weyle askynge to god Alas who shall mowe eschewe the subtyll snares of the deuyll Incontynente he herde a voyce that sayde to hym Anthonye humylyte all oonly maye preserue folke fro the wyckednesse of the deuyll / to the whiche the proude can not come by no wyse ¶ An other tyme as he was in his oratorye / he herde a voyce that sayd Anthony thou hast not yet knowen the vertues of a man that taweth leder in Alexandrye And in the mornyng nexte after / after this voyce y herde / saynt Anthonye toke his staffe / departed ceassed not his pas tyll he came atte AlexaÌ„drye the cyte Whan saynt Anthonye had fouÌ„de hyÌ„ he questyoned hyÌ„ of his vertues Then the sayd holy man sayd to hym that he dyd no good att all / but that euery mornynge when he rose fyrst he sayd in hym selfe that all they of the cyte sholde be saued by theyr Iustyce And to the contrarye for the synnes that he made / he demed that he was worthy of euerlastynge dampnacyon And in lykewyse when he yede to bedde att nyght / he remembred this thyng as for trouthe ¶ This seynge saynt Anthonye answered to hym / certaynly my sone I haue be longe in the desertes with grete besynesse care / but I had neuer so vertuouse a coÌ„syderacoÌ„n ¶ A broder axed ones to the abbot Poemen what betokened a proposycyon of the postle whiche is suche / that is to wyte that to those that be clene without spot of synne / all thyng semeth clene The abbot answered vnto hym / that he that myght come therto in maner that he coude vnder stande it well / he sholde holde hymself the lowest of all other creatures The broder sayd there ayenst / how can it be / shall I holde my selfe for a gretter synner than is a mansleer ¶ The abbot sayd / whan we see a maÌ„sleer we ought to consyder / that by aduenture he dyde neuer none other synne / we haue done Infynyte offenses / haue be murdred of ourselfe sleeyng ourselfe thrugh synne ¶ And where the sayd broder asked hym how this coude be do / he answerd to hym The Iustyfycacyon oonly of man is to repreue correcte hymselfe / then is the man Iuste / when of hyÌ„selfe he accuseth condeÌ„pneth his syÌ„nes ¶ Many Relygyouses were ones with the abbot Poemen / wherof one began to prayse a nother sayeng Yonde is a good man / for he hath horrour of synnes The abbot then asked hym / what horrour of syÌ„nes was to saye To whiche askyng the relygyouse not knowyng what answer he shold saye / requyred the abbot that he wolde expowne what it mente So the sayd abbot expowned it sayng that he that hath horrour of that is done amys / the blessyth loueth his broder / he hath horrour of his synnes ¶ A broder axed of the abbot Poemen how he myght kepe hyÌ„ that he sholde not saye yll of his euen crysten / wherat he answered that he his euen crysten were two ymages / when he sholde dispyse his / he sholde Iuge the other that is to wyt his neyghbour to be good fayre And to the contrarye in praysyng his owne / he sholde dyspyse that other his euen crysten / when one repreueth his owne selfe â—esyly he habyteth none other persone And he that consydereth his freyltee / he doeth lyke as he that dyspyseth a vertuous bodye ¶ The abbot Ipictus sayd the lyke as a lyon is ferfull to the wylde asses / the whiche he enforceth hyÌ„ to deuoure / all thus a Relygyouse that is proued knowen for a stedfast man / is ferfull corageouse to withstande ayenst flesshly desyres ¶ Morouer he be sayd that lyke as a proude horse is sodeynly taken by the brydell lykewyse by fastynge is a Relygyouse refrayned from the synne of coÌ„â—pysâ—ence ¶ He sayd also that the bodye of a monke drye lene by fastyng mayâ—eth his soule from the lowe thynges vnto the souerayne / all the delecâ—aâ—oÌ„ns sensuall carnall he dryet and sleeth ¶ Item the monke that it chaste shall be honoured in erthe / crowned in paradyse ¶ Item he that can not kepe his tonge besyly ayenst wrathe / with grete payne he shall coÌ„ne be mayster of his passyons or temptacyons ¶ Item men ought not to speke of nothynge but it be vertuouse or longyng to vertue for after the comon prouerbe of yeâ—abondauÌ„ce of herte speketh the mouth ¶ He sayd yet / that the vyne bereth neuer no thornes that it were better to a relygyouse for to ete flesshe drynke wyne than for to ete his euen crysten by bakbytyng ¶ And he tolde the somtyme in Sychye was made a grete feest where men wolde haue gyuen wyne to an holy fader for to drynke / whiche makyng refuse of it / sayd that they sholde haue it a waye / that the drynkyng of it sholde be his deth ¶ An other tyme men broughte vnto certayne brethern some wyne of the fyrst makyng out of the cuppe / or haply as for theyr thydes wherof many of this brethern dranke ¶ An olde broder that sawe his brethern drynke of it / fledde anone to his caue / the whiche IncoÌ„tynente fell donne vpon hyÌ„ The other brethern seeyng this Inconuenyente raÌ„ne therat founde hym halfe deed Thenne sayd some of them / that by his syÌ„ne vayn glorye he was gone in to his sayd caue But theyr abbot sayd to them / lat hyÌ„ alone it is my sone / the caue
god for to be Iuged to be dampned perpetuelly or saued euerlastyngly ¶ An other holy fader seeyng a man that loughe sayd to hyÌ„ My frende I meruayll me how thou darest laugh as thou doste seen that afore god our maker that daye that we shall deye we shall haue to answer straytly of all our werkes / yf thou were well aduysed forgetyÌ„g to laughe / thou sholdest consydere / that thus as she shadowe foloweth the body in what place that he is / also in what place that we be we ought to haue a bytter coÌ„punccyon of herte / and wepe contynuelly ouer our synnes ¶ A brother axed an holy fader some holsom worde And he colde hym / that when Egypt was punysshe of the hande of god / there was no house but euery body wept that was in ¶ An other axed a lyke questyon / that is to wyt what thyng he ought to doo for to be saued / wherat the holy fader answered vnto hym / that he sholde wepe without ceassyng / for our lorde wyll that our soules be tormented scorged by contrycyons waylynges / and atte the last we shall haue that we aske of hym And this wytnesseth the psalme that sayth in the psalter / that the herte contryte and humylyed / shall neuer be dyspraysed of hym Of that other parte he sayth in the gospell Thoo be blessyd that wepe in this worlde / for they shall be comforted euerlastyngly ¶ Here fynyssheth the treatyse of compunccyon ¶ An other treatyse foloweth coÌ„sequently of contynence â—ohrenes ayenst glotony and other vyces And begyÌ„neth in latyn Fratres aliqui c. ¶ The abbot Danyell sayd to the abbot Arsenye that he slepte neuer but a lytyll towarde the mornyng for to socour nature / when slepe came vpon hym / he sayd O euyll seruauÌ„t / that nourysshed the man all oonly with vyces / why comest thou when I call not the. And anone after all syttyng he toke a lytyll rest incontynent he rose ayen This Arsenyen sayd that a monke yf he be a veray champyon for to befyght his enmye / ought not to slepe but an houre of the daye ¶ The abbot Danyell certyfyeth ayen of the sayd Arseny / that a lytyll mete whiche men gaue hyÌ„m suffysed hym for a hole yere And yet at the ende of the yere when the brethern vysyted hyÌ„ they ete of it with hyÌ„ This Arseny for to correcte hyÌ„self bere penauÌ„ce of the odours flagrauÌ„t swete of smell wherof he had vsed in the paleys of themperour afore that he was Relygyouse / ones in the yere oonly he chauÌ„ged the water of his vessell wherin he weted his wekker roddes for to make withall panyers mauÌ„des baskettes / endured the stenche the infeccyon of the sayd water in stede of the sayd good odours that he had smelled afore ¶ The abbot Agathon bare within his mouthe the space of thre yere a stone to th entent that he myght acustome hyÌ„self to kepe sylence The sayd Agathon ones walkyng fouÌ„de a bouÌ„dell of fetches with theyr hulles / that whiche bouÌ„dell one of his Relygyouses that was wyllyng for to take bere it with him ared the sayd Agathon yf he sholde do so And the abbot seeyng this / axed hyÌ„ yf he had sette it there / the monke answered not Thenne sayd to hym Agathon / why wyll thou bere awaye that that is not thyn / that thou hast not brought there as thou wyll take it ¶ The abbot Achylles bled ones atte his mouthe / a monke that sawe this / axed hym wherof that came Soo answered to hym the sayd Achylles / that the worde of a brother had angred hyÌ„ / that for to withstande ayenst his wrath he had prayed god that he wolde take awaye from hym the remembrauÌ„ce of the sayd wronges / to th ende they sholde not abyde in his thought / wherfore our lord had tourned them in to blood as he casted spued he was hole of his heuynesse ¶ The abbot Amoys beyng syke many brethern sent vnto hym dyuerse metes / but bycause he sholde not ete of theÌ„ he shette his eyen when his dyscyple entred in to his chambre beryng the sayd metes ¶ The abbot Benyamyn tolde of many brethern the whiche went for to vysyte a holy fader in Sychye / bare hyÌ„ a lytyll oyle To whom he sayd that alredy the space of thre yere was passed / that theymselfe had brought hyÌ„ some in a vessell / the whiche was yet full in that astate as they had brought it vnto hyÌ„ / had not touched it syn So wondred they moche of his contynence / how he had kept the sayd oyle so longe ¶ Some brethern reherced of the abbot Dyoscore that he vsed for his etynge but brede of barley / euery yere constrayned hymself to kepe a stronge rule / as thrughe a hole yere he wolde not see no bodye ¶ An other yere he wolde not speke to no bodye / or he woldeÌ„ not cast of oo mete soden rost or baken / or suche lyke abstynences he made ¶ The abbot Euagrius sayd that who wolde withstaÌ„de ayenst wrath / all flesshely desyres must be fyrst cast taken awaye the whiche thyng he dyde ¶ Epyphaniê° bysshop of Cypre when he sholde deye he sent towarde the abbot Hylaryon for to praye him that he sholde come speke with hyÌ„ / for he desyred for to see hyÌ„ or euer he sholde deye And after that he was come to hym theyer togydre The bysshop made a byrde to be presented afore the sayd saynt Hylaryon for his mete / the whiche answered to the sayd bysshop that syn he had taken the habyte of a monke he had not eten no mete that for his fode sholde haue receyued deth And the bysshop sayd to hyÌ„ ayen / that syn that he had taken the bysshopryche in his hande / yf ony persone had hate or questyon with hyÌ„ / he had neuer suffred his enmye to sâ—ep in that astate / but sholde fyrst haue peased hym Also he neuer slept tyll that he had reconcylyed hym selfe with his enmye Thenne saynt Hylaryon sayd to hym that his conuersacon was worthy of greter praysyng than his owne ¶ Some sayd of saynt Paladyon that he was â—â— yere in his celle without his eyen to cast vp so that duryng the sayd â—â— yere / he sawe neuer the â—ouffe nor the coueryng of his celle ¶ The abbot Zenon as he walked thrugh the contree of Palestyne fouâ—de hy selfe nyghe a place where some gordes grewe bycause that he was sore hongry he wyllyng to contente his appetyt wolde ete some of them neuerthelesse bycause hym thought yf he ete of them that he sholde do thefte he wolde preue fyrst yf he myght suffre the tormente that was ordeyned for theuys He toke of his clothes all naked he abode there in the hete of the sonne by the space of fyue dayes / which
was the punycyon that men dyde vnto the theuys And when he sawe that he coude not endure the sayd hete / he sayd to hymselfe Syth that I can not endure the payne that I sholde suffre yf I were apeched of this theeft It is better that I fast than that I sholde do this dede ¶ Iohan the lesse sayd / that when a kynge or a prynce wyll take a cyte by force bryng in to his subgeccyon his aduersaryes that be within / he fynde the meanes for to dystourne theyr waters for to lette that they shall haue no vytaylles / and by this meane they be compelled for to do as his wyll is And thus it is of relygyouses / whan they restrayne mete from theyr bodyes / they be not so subgett vnto the temptacōns of the flesshe whiche be enmyes of the soule / but they make them subgete vnto the soule reasonable And yf a man by fastyng is tourned to vertue / the deuyls the enforce themself for to bryng hȳ vnder fore shal be subgett vnto hym / and not he to them ¶ He sayd ayen that ones goyng in Sychye where he was gone for to cutte roddes leues to occupye hymself therwithall he founde a heerde or keper of Camels the whiche wolde haue troubled hym but for to eschewe that he sholde haue no debate with hym / he cast donne his boūdell lefte it behynde hym so flee awaye ¶ The abbot Ysaac sayd that he knewe well a relygyouse / the whiche helpyng to repe corne / ared vnto hȳ for whom he wrought / yf he sholde dare take oo corne of it for to ete / the whiche y merueylled of the fere and of the daūgrour that he made to take of it answered to hym / that he gaue hȳ not oonly one corne of it / but all the hole felde ¶ A broder axed to the abbot Ysodore how it myght be that the deuyls drad hȳ so sore / wherat he answered / that syn the tyme he was fyrst yolden in to Relygyon / he euer kepte hym selfe that he fell not in wrathe / yf oo sparkell of synne was kyndled within hȳ / he dyde put it out incontynent / by this meane the deuyls had no myght ouer hym ¶ And morouer he sayd / that he beynge atte his .xl. yere of age more / he had neuer consente to do synne / nor he had not be ouercome of ony coueytynge of the synne of wrathe ¶ The abbot Cassanius wytnessed ◠on a daye he went to vysyte the abbot Iohan whiche by the space of .xl. yere had dwelled on the hyghest of a montayne with the abbot Esyon whiche the sayd abbot Iohan loued with a loue moche charytable Soo questyoned he hym by the charyte that he hadde vnto the sayd Esyon / sayng vnto hym / where he by so longe tyme had lyued with out to haunte amonge the worlde / and without to haue be greuyd or troubled of our persone / what he had done durynge that tyme for the saluacyon of his soule / wherat he answered that duryng the sayd .xl. yere / he ete neuer tyl the sonne was gone vnder / nor he had neuer he on angred duryng the tyme. ¶ The abbot Moyses tolde of a Relygyouse named Serapyon whiche helde hym selfe with the abbot Theon This Serarapyon after that he hadde taken his refeccyon in comon he toke alwayes of a custome a ferdynge loffe and ete it secretely in the absence of his abbot / was so customed withall that he coude not kepe hym selfe therfro / but that after his repast he ete euer the sayd loffe in a secrete place ¶ It happed by the wyll of god that some Relygyouses came to vysyte his abbot / whiche exhorted them all to haue in them the vertue of abstynence / and of sobryete / sayeng with this to them / that the deuyls hadde no thyng soo aggreable / than to make a synner that he shall not shewe nor telle his synne by confessyon to his goostly fader For thrugh this meane / the shryfte of hym that soo kepeth his synne within hym styll prouffyteth hym not in noo maner of wyse ¶ The sayd Serapyon heryng these wordes he ymangyned that god had done his synne to be knowen vnto his abbot Soo he soone after shroue hym selfe vnto his abbot whiche to hȳ sayd O my sone thou art now out of thraldome / wyt it that the deuyls hadde the in theyr possessyon / but by thy confessyon they are chassed from the / and thou art no more vnder theyr myght ¶ And as the abbot sayd vnto hym these wordes / there lept out of the sayd Serapyons bosom a brounde of fyre that Infected and poysoned all the chambre / soo that all the place stanke after brymstone ¶ The whiche thynge seeyng the abbot forsayd / how be it that he was of it sore merueylled sayd with a mery contenaunce vnto the sayd Serapyon ¶ O my dere frende / thou seest now by effecte / how god thrugh his grete powre hath delyuered the in shewyng of them that thy synne is forgyuen of his godly godenesse ¶ The abbot Machary when he was with his brethern / somtyme for to please them he dranke wyn with them / but neuerthelesse he bare afterwarde a grete penaūce for it / for as many tymes as he had dronk of it / asmany dayes after he absteyned hȳself from all maner of lycour were it water or other drynke what soeuer it was ¶ The abbot Machary that called was the grete in Sychye / after that the seruyce was done in the chirche / he sayd vnto his Relygyouses that they shold flee some of them axed hym where they sholde flee / yf they sholde leue theyr monasterye Thenne he putte his fynger afore his mouth / sayd My brethern I doo shewe you this that ye ought to flee / by this token they knewe that he shewed them to kepe sylence without to speke the one to the other / atte lest of thynge that were vayne ¶ The abbot Pastor sayd Yf Nabuzardam prynce of glotony had not be / the Temple of god had not be brente Also yf the man be not brente by abstynence from mete and drynke / the soule shall not withstande ayenst the deuyll Some reherced of the sayd abbot Pastor / that when he was desyred of his brethern for to ete with them where as he had no wyll to it he constrayned hym selfe to the same / thether he went wepyng not for to ete / but for to shewe hȳselfe toward them obeyssaūt / that he sholde not gyue to them mater or occasyon that they sholde bē wroth with him ¶ Some also to the sayd abbot Pastor tolde of a monke that dranke no wyne / he sayd vnto them ayen / the a Relygyouse ought not to drynke ony drynke ¶ Item he sayd that lyke by the smoke men constraynen the bees to leue forsake theyr honny for to take it bere
awaye / also repleccyon of bely glotony chasseth putteth aback the drede of god from the soule ¶ The abbot Peter otherwyse called Payen / he beyng takeÌ„ with som syknesse / wolde neuer drynk no wyn / but for all substauÌ„ce he dranke luke water Many brothern beyng vpon a daye in the montayn where the abbot Anthony helde hyÌ„ self / after that the masses were songe / they fouÌ„de a vessell full of wyn One of the elders toke theÌ„ne a lytyll chalyce / presented twyes of the sayd wyn for to drynke vnto the abbot Sysoy / whiche toke it at the .iij. tyme he sayd to hyÌ„ the preseÌ„ted it to hyÌ„ / broder rest thyself / thou knowest not yf the deuyll be in it or no. ¶ A broder axed of the sayd Sysoy couÌ„seyll bycause the ofteÌ„ when he went to the chirch his bredereÌ„ by charyte withhelde hyÌ„ for to ete with them / wherat he answered that it was a thyng ouermoche dauÌ„gerouse peryllouse for the soule Abraham whiche dyscyple was to the sayd Sysoy / axed hyÌ„ yf he drank wyn thre tymes vpon the sondaye / whether that was to moche or noo / he answered nay / yf that synne folowed not therby ¶ The abbot Syluayn and Zachary his dyscyple walkyng on a daye came to a monastery there they toke theyr repast / and after toke theyr waye ayen Zachary by the waye was a thurst and wold drynk water / his abbot sayd vnto hyÌ„ My son it is fastyng day what wyl thou do The dyscyple answered Fader we haue ete The abbot sayd Ha my childe / that was a refeccyon of charyte with our brethern / but neuerthelesse we must kepe our fast ¶ Saynt Syncletyce sayd / that he is not parfytly chaste that laugheth and beheldeth dysordynatly notwithstandyng that he dooth not actuelly or in dede the synne of the flesshe ¶ Item he sayd that as the oynementes chassen awaye the bestes venymouses the venym / in lykewyse fastyng oryson chassen fro man fowle and wycked thoughtes ¶ Item he sayd that Ryche folke ought not for theyr rychesses to take cure nehede to ete dyuerse metes dressed with dyuerse sawses For they sholde be cause to make them falle in to many synnes / but must passe therouer as he that roweth ouer the water ¶ The abbot Syson sayd / syth that we be pylgrymes in this worlaâ— / lete vs kepe our mouth from many wordes ¶ Ypericius sayd that the monke ought to be as rebelle ayenst the temptacoÌ„ns / as the lyon ayenst the asses ¶ Item fastyng is to a monke the brydell ayenst synne / for he that fasteth not / but pleaseth his desyres as an horse brydelesse / is lyghtly and for lytyll thyng taken with a dysordynate loue of wymmen ¶ Item fastyng rendreth the bodye of a Relygyouse lene drye / and arayseth his soule on hyghe / bryngeth to noughte his vayne thoughtes delectacyons ¶ Item a man chast here in erth shall be of god worshypped crowned in heuen ¶ Item he that can not kepe his tonge in tyme of wrathe / may not be mayster ouer his passyoÌ„s of his body ayenst the temptour ¶ Item the mouthe ought neuer to speke fowle or euyll worde / bycause that the vyne bereth noo thornes ¶ Agayne he sayd that better it is to a monke for to ete flesshe and drynke wyne / than to ete his brother by bakbytyng ¶ Somtyme in Sychye was a fest made where some wyne was brought vnto an holy fader whiche sayd to hym that brought it Brother take awaye that deth from afore me / as he wolde haue sayd / that wyne excessyuely taken is deth to a man ¶ A Relygyouse preest in Sychye wente ones to speke with the bysshop of Alexandrye / and when he was comen ayen his brethern axed hym what it was of the Cyte / wherat he answered / that feryng to see there ony thyng that sholde moeue hym to synne / he had soo refrayned the syght of his eyen / that he had not seen there none other man but the bysshop / and after the other brother atte his exemple kept theyr eyen from lokyng a hyghe ¶ A relygyouse went ones to see a broder of his Relygyon whiche at his comyÌ„g made his dyscyple make redy a fewe herbes for to feste the broder that was come / hauyng the tyme that theyr refeccoÌ„n was a makyng redy / they went togyder in to the oratory / there they were vnto the morowe at the houre of sexte deuysyng of spyrytuell thynges / thenne cam sayd ayen to his dyscyple that he sholde make redy theyr repast / the whiche dyscyple sayd vnto hym that it was made all redy syt the daye byfore ¶ Two other brethern beyng togydre waytyng after theyr wortes were made redy for theyr mete / the one sayd to the other / that they sholde sette them to praye god afore that they sholde take theyr repast / soo toke the one of them vpon hym for to rede the psalter / and that other two bokes of the prophecyes the next daye they had no mynde at all to theyr mete / but had forgete that they sholde ete / so wente they awaye from eche other ¶ A brother hauyng honger from that houre that he rose out of his bed fouÌ„de hym selfe constrayned for to ete / but he ayenst his wyll constrayned hyÌ„ self to faste vnto the houre of tyerce / fro tyerce tyll seâ—te Thenne he sette hym for to ete / incontynent stode vp ayen sayd that he sholde fast vnto none / atte whiche houre he made his prayer vnto god / coÌ„tynuyng the same he sawe the deuyll that went a waye from hyÌ„ lyke a smoke wherby he knewe that by the same deuyll he hadde be tempted for to ete ¶ A holy fader beyng syke so that he coude not ete was coÌ„strayned by his dyscyple for to ete a lytyll mâ—â—cion made of oyle honny meele And in the dressyng of it he poored in it sayd oyle all stynkyng wenyng to hyÌ„ to haue poored in some honny / be gaaf to his mayster therof for to ete / whiche holy fader knowyng that his dyscyple had not done it by malyce ete of it thre dayes for to gyue to his body more payne sharpnesse ¶ An other holy fader bycause he desyred to moche affectuelly for to haue eten of a concombre for to correcte punysshe his dysordynat aptyt / he dyde hage one in his celle / to th ende that lokyng vpon it and not etyng of it he sholde bere penauÌ„ce vpon hym of the lust and desyre that he had taken therupon ¶ An other Relygyouse hauyng a syster in a relygyon / was shewed that she was sore syke So came he to her monasterye to th entent that he sholde vysyte see her / but she that was constante in fayth right holy / and that syn she was betaken to Relygyon was
he answered / yf thou hast noo charge ne besynes of thy selfe in prayeng god that he kepe the fro synne / he shall haue no pyte of the / ne more shall I also ¶ An other tyme sayd the sayd saynte Anthony of some folke that he knewe to be feble hertles God suffreth not this people here to haue ony warre or bataylles / bycause that he knoweth that they be feble may not be it ¶ Thabbot Euagriê° sayd to thabbot Arsenye that he meruaylled moche / how it myght be / that in soo grete a multytude of relygyouses as were there that had so grete scyence InstruccoÌ„n / had noo vertues Sayeng furthermore that the labourers werke men in Egypte were endowed with Infynyt vertues / and sayd that many relygyouses were not vertuoê° / by cause they applyed ouer ententyfely theym selfe to worldly thynges / but the labourers werke men of Egypt had goten the vertues by theyr owne propre labours ¶ The holy fader Arsenye sayd that a Relygyous straunger dwellyng in a straunge prouynce / yf he wyll be in rest tranquyllyte / he ought not to entremete with ony worldly thyng ¶ Thabbot Marke sayd to the holy fader Arsenye that it was a good thyng whan a Relygyous man taketh some coÌ„solacoÌ„n in his celle And that he had seen a relygyous man / the whiche had but one oonly plante of a coole in his gardyn / he had plucked it vp / to the ende that he sholde not take therof ouer grete pleasyr / or ouer grete delectacyon To whom the holy fader Arsenye answered / that the holy fader Marke sayd well / how well that it is necessary to some man to byhaue hym selfe after his excercytacoÌ„n For yf the same persone that had dysplanted pulled vp the sayd coole / yf he had not in hyÌ„ this vertue to endure it / he had noon other thyng to do / but to plante it ayen ¶ Thabbot Peter whiche was dyscyple of thabbot Loth sayd that he was on a tyme in that celle of that holy fader Agathon where as cam to hyÌ„ a relygyous persone sayeng / that he had wyll to dwelle with the relygyouses / for the cause he prayed hyÌ„ that he wolde saye how he ought byhaue hyÌ„ among theym To whom the sayd fader answered / that it was necessary / that for the fyrste daye he entred he shold take suche so good maner of lyuyng / that he sholde neuer chauÌ„ge it / that he sholde take in hyÌ„selfe no trust of his werkes The holy fader Macharye to this purpose asked hym / what dooth trust To whom he answered that it is lykeneth to the grete hete / the whiche whan it brenneth / maketh euery man to flee from hym And also it corrupteth the fruytes of the trees Thenne sayd the holy fader Macharye / trust is an euyll thyng The fader Agathon answered / that it is noo worse passyon than is confyaunce / the whiche is moder of all other passyons And it is a thyng couenable necessary to a relygyous persone / that he applye hym selfe to vertuous werkes / that he take not in hyÌ„ selfe confyauÌ„ce of the same werkes / how be it also that he be resydent allone in his celle ¶ We fynde that for the dyscrecyon of thabbot Agathon Some desyryng to see hym to experyment / yf he were a man moderat pacyent / not subget to angre or to yre / cam transported theym to hym / sayd to hyÌ„ many Iniuryes in this maner Thou art thabbot Agathon / of the we haue herde saye / that thou art a grete fornycatour / replenysshed with all pryde ambycoÌ„n To whom he answered / it is true / where of it me dyspleaseth After they sayd to hyÌ„ / thou art Agathon / the grete rayller full of Ryotous wordes of detraccoÌ„n And he yet answered that he was so And furthermore they sayd Thou art an heretyke / heryng the whiche Iniurye / he sayd without troublyng ne moeuynge hyÌ„ selfe in wrath / that he was none heretyke And they seeyng his grete pacyence / asked hym wherfore he had suffred endured so longe so grete Iniuryes / as were the fyrste / in confessyng theym to be true And he had not in lyke wyse suffred the last Iniurye To whiche askyng he answered / that as to the regarde of the sayd fyrst Iniuryes he had attrybuted to hyÌ„selfe / was prouffyte to his soule to haue endured theyÌ„ But as touchyng to the last / by the whiche they accused hyÌ„ of the right enorme synne of heresye / consyderyng that this synne is the pryncypall that departeth a man from the companye of god And that for nothyng he wolde not be separate fro hyÌ„ / therfor he wolde not endure it They heryng his right honest answere were moche meruaylled of his right grete dyscrecoÌ„n / departed from hym moche well edyfyed ¶ The sayd abbot Agathon asked that whiche labour was more grete whether to kepe his body / or to kepe his soule He answered that the bodye was lykened to a tree And sayd that to kepe his bodye / was as moche as to kepe the leues of the tree But to kepe the soule is as moche / as to kepe the fruyte And therfore it is wryten that euery tree not beryng good fruyte shall be hewen doun put in the fyre to brenne / it behoueth vs for the conseruacoÌ„n of our fruyte to haue besy solycytude of the kepyng of our soule And in so doyng to haue coÌ„stauÌ„ce in our good thoughtes cogytacyons Also alwaye we haue nede of couerture ornement whiche is labour corporall ¶ Thabbot Agathon well dyscrete sayge for well to entende vnderstonde / nothyng slouthfull for to labour / suffysaunt in all thynges And moche strongly ententyfe besy in labouryng with his poore handes / and moche sobre in etyng vestymentis ¶ In a chapytre generall where as were assembled all the relygyouses of Sychye for the determynacyon of a certayne cause After the delyberacyon of the same cam to theym thabbot Agathon / whiche sayd to the sayd relygyouses / that they had not well ordeyned The whiche heryng these wordes sayd to hym / who art thou that thus spekest To whom he answered I am the sone of a man Certaynly it is wryten O ye sones of men yf ye speke veryly Iustyce Iuge ye ryght wysely ¶ The sayd abbot Agathon sayd that yf a man yracundyous were so vertuous that he myght reyse the deed bodyes yet it sholde not please god bycause of his yre ¶ On a tyme cam to thabbot Achylles thre olde faders / amonge whom there was one whiche was moche obstynate in an ylle opynyon The other tweyne eche after other requyred the abbot Achylles that he wold make a nette for to fysshe / to th ende that theyr monasterye sholde haue remembrauÌ„ce of hyÌ„ And he answered to
theym that he wolde none make That other after made to hym lyke request To whom he answered / that gladly he sholde make it for hym The other tweyne som what hauyng IndygnacoÌ„n of that he had refused to make the sayd nette / neuertheles he had condescended to make it to that other whiche was opynate And asked hym / what had moeued hym to make it sooner for hym than for them To whom he answered I haue answered to you tweyne that I wolde not make it / that it was not my pleasyr / for as moche as I knowe well / that ye be neuer angry ne wroth But to this man I haue grauÌ„te to make it / bycause that yf I had not accorded to hym to make it I sholde haue gyuen to hym occasyon to saye that by you or by other I had be aduertysed of his euyll opynyon / for that cause I haue wylled to make to hym the sayd nette / and began to cutte of the corde for to make the sayd nette to th ende for to appease his corage / that he shold not perysshe in that heuynesse ¶ Some rehercen of an aged holy fader whiche had ben duryng fyfty yere without etyng of ony brede / and with out drynke sauf a lytyll water / the whiche sayd that he hadde quenchyd and mortefyed in hym fornycacyon / auaryce / and vayne glorye ¶ The holy fader Abraham aduertysed that he had sayd these wordes / asked hyÌ„ yf he had sayd theym The whiche answere / ye / and for to shewe that he had euyll sayd The same Abraham made to hym suche a demaunde I put caas that thou entrest in to thy celle And in gooyng in thou foundest a woman vpon thy matte / Wenest thou to kepe the well fro thynkyng what she is To whom he answered that / nay / But he sholde repugne well to his thought that he sholde neuer touche her Thenne sayd Abraham to hym / thenne thou haste not slayne fornycacyon For the passyon is yet lyuyng / but it is bouÌ„den And yet he sayd to hym / yf in gooyng by the waye thou sawest stones and pyeces of pottes / among the whiche thou sawest and apperceyuedest some to be of fyne golde / now sholde it seme to the / that thou myghtest repute suche and no better than the stones He answered nay / but he myght well withstande it to his thought in suche maner / that he wolde not take ne gadre theym ¶ And furthermore Abraham sayd to hym / yf it be reported to the of two brethern / that the one loueth the well / and speketh honestly of the / and that other hateth the and hath the in euyll wyll / and speketh euyll in detraccyon of the and of thyn honour I aske the yf they bothe came to the / sholdest thou receyue theym egaly with lyke corage He answerd nay / but he wold well coÌ„strayn hyÌ„selfe to doo as moche good to hym that wolde hym euyll / as to hym that loued hym well And thenne sayd the abbot Abraham / the passyons lyuen yet / but they be som what bouÌ„den withdrawen by the strayt lyuyng of holy men ¶ One of the holy faders recouÌ„ted that ther was an olde relygyoê° man lyuynge vertuously labouryng in his celle The whiche cladde hym with a matte On a tyme he transported hym vnto the holy man Ammon The whiche seeyng hym to be cladde with a matte / sayd to hym that the vesture was not hyÌ„ vtyle ne prouffytable The sayd relygyous man sayd that he was moche molested and trauaylled with thre cogytacyons and thoughtes / the whiche he declared to hyÌ„ to be suche / that is to wyt that it constrayned hyÌ„ to departe from his place / and to go in to an hermytage That other was that it excyted hyÌ„ to go in to a place so strauÌ„ge that none sholde knowe hym And the thyrde / that it admonested hym to enclose hyÌ„ in his celle in suche maner that he sholde not see ony persene / and that from two dayes in to two dayes he sholde not ete To whom thabbot Ammon answered that it was not expedyent to do ony of the thre thynges / but he couÌ„seylled hym that he sholde be resydent in his celle as he had be accustomed / ete euery daye a lytyll / hauyng alwaye in his herte the worde of the publycan the whiche is conteyned in the gospell / and that in so doyng he may be saued Thabbot Danyell sayd / that whan a man shall kepe his herte in verdure / he shall make his soule drye Furthermore sayd the same abbot Danyell that whan the bodye is strongly nourysshed it maketh the soule to become drye / whan by abstynence it becometh drye / it maketh the soule to be well nourysshed Yet reherceth the sayd Danyell that the abbot Arsenye beyng in Sychye had a monke whiche alwaye stale and robbed that whiche the olde faders hadde The abbot Arsenye desyrynge to kepe hym fro dooyng suche theftes / to th ende that he sholde not be fynably dampned yf he perseuered Brought hyÌ„ in to his celle sayeng to hym / that he sholde take all that were nedefull to hym / and that he sholde gyue hym leue to take all / forseen alway that he sholde noo more stele ne robbe ony thyng And in dede he gaaf to hyÌ„ golde and syluer / and all that he hadde in his power But neuerthelesse he coude not gyue to hym soo moche / that he coude kepe hym from stelyng The olde faders seeyng that he wolde not amende ne kepe hym fro stelyng / puttynge hym out of theyr companye in sayeng / yf to ony brother cam ony bodely sekenes he muste thynke on it and suffre it But and yf he be a theef / and that he be warned to withstande hym fro robbyng / and he wyll not doo it / It behoueth to putte hym out For he dooth the detryment of his soule And all they that dwell with hym ben troubled with his vyce ¶ Thabbot Euagrius atte begynnynge of his conuersacoÌ„n / transported hym vnto an olde fader / and requyred hym that he wolde gyue to hym some good Instruccyon and to helpe hym that he myght be saued The olde fader answered to hym / yf thou be with ony persones / kepe the from spekyng tyll thou be requyred Euagrius touched with conpunccyon by that worde / repented hym to haue ouer soone spoken And sayd to the olde fader / that he hadde redde many bookes / but he hadde not founde suche Instruccyon / and concluded to prouffyte well therwith / and departed from hym The sayd abbot Euagrius sayd that thre thynges / that is to wyte / ofte to rede / to wake / and to praye god / yelden stedfast and constante the thought that is wauerynge and erryng by vayne cogytacoÌ„ns and thoughtes Furthermore he sayd that abstynence ob mete / labour / and besynesse / lassen maken colde the brennyng of
his mynde / coÌ„syderyng theyr werkes he began to wryte in the erthe in sayeng these wordes Pambo fasted two dayes hole in the weke / eteth two lytyll loues baken in the asshes / is he therfor a monke / nay and after he wrote sayeng Pambo receyueth of his werkes .ij pens dystrybuteth in almes / is he therfore a monke / certaynly nay And after that he was styll a lytyll he sayd to theym that the werkes that they dyde were good But yf they kept theyr conscyences ayenst theyr neyghbours in soo doyng they sholde be saued And with these wordes that sayd relygyoê° beyng well edyfyed / departed retorned in grete Ioye ¶ An other broder Relygyous asked the sayd abbot Pambo / how he myght do that the euyll spyrytes / that is to saye the deuylles of helle defended hym to do ony good werke to his neyghboures To whom the holy fader answered / that he sholde saye nomore so / for in tho wordes he made god a lyer / but he sayd to hyÌ„ absolutely these wordes I wyll not do mercy / sayd that god purueyeng for our caas ayenst the sayd enemyes of helle / had sayd these wordes That is to wyte I haue gyuen to you power to marche vpon the serpent scorpyons / to trede theym vnder your fete And in lyke wyse I haue gyuen to you power vpon the strength of thenemye Thenne sayd the holy fader to the Relygyous / why defoulest not that the stynkyng and foule enemyes ¶ Thabbot Paladius sayd that it is of necessyte / that the soule that wyll lyue coÌ„uerse accordyng to the wyll of Ihesu cryste / to lerne in the fayth tho thynges whiche he knoweth not / also that he shewe teche manyfestly that whiche he had lerned And yf the soule do not eueryche of these two thynges there as she may do it / it may be sayd of suche a soule that she is withholden with a maladye enraged For the fyrst pryncypall begynnyng to departe hyÌ„ selfe fro god / is to haue ennoye greuauÌ„ce to shewe teche the good that he can And whan we haue appetyte that the soule alwaye loue god ¶ An other relygyous axed of thabbot Sysoy wherfor it was that his passyons myght not departe froÌ„ hyÌ„ To whom the holy fader answere / that it was bycause that the vessellys of the same passyons were within hyÌ„ / as who sholde saye he receyued theym ouer lyghtly And furthermore he answered hyÌ„ that he sholde gyue to theym theyr wages the they were worthy to haue / they shall goo theyr waye ¶ Saynt Syncletyce sayd that they whiche by grete labours / in peryll of the see gadre assemble teÌ„porall rychesses haue grete thynges Thenne they desyre to gete yet more repute lytyll or nothyng that they haue And the worse is they sette all theyr entent affeccoÌ„n to haue gete thoo thynges that they haue not But we our selfe whiche ought to enforce vs to prouffyte in relygyon / haue no charge or besynesse of thynges that is to saye of vertues that we ought to gete / also we wyll not possesse theym whiche ben to vs necessary for to gete that loue of our lord Yet sayd that good lady Syncletyce that the ther be two maner of heuynesses / that one is to the soule vtyle prouffytable / that other corrupteth is ryght doÌ„megeable TheÌ„ne the heuynesse whiche is prouffytable is that / whaÌ„ by cause of our synnes we wayle wepe for theym / for thyngnorauÌ„ce of our neyghbours / also in feryng that we fall not fro our good purpose / to th ende that we may come to the perfeccoÌ„n of all bouÌ„de / this is the veray spece of heuynesse That other heuynesse the corrupteth the soule / is that whiche the fende sendeth to vs without ony reason / that whiche tholde faders calle it ennoye or greuauÌ„ce / therfore it is necessary to vs to cast it away with all dylygence / in makyng to god contynuell prayers psalmodyes orysâ—â—s ¶ Yet sayd the holy lady Syncletyce / that the fende by his euyll cautell excyteth somtyme theym that ben conteÌ„platyfe to make grete inmoderate abstynences And otherwhyle he putteth in to theyr ymagynacoÌ„n that whiche is but resonable / to be harde dyffycyle to bere / whan theÌ„ne we wyll dyscerne thabstynence dyuyne holsome fro the whiche is tyraÌ„nyke dyabolyke / we ought to obserue kepe the thynges / that is to wyte / that in all tyme we haue one vnmutable rule in fastyng / that we determyne not sodaynly to faste four or fyue dayes coÌ„tynuell / after we to fyll the bely with grete multytude of metes / for that reioyceth moche strongly our enemye aduersary the deuyll / for alway that whiche is done without mesure / gooth to corrupcoÌ„n / lete vs not thenne sodaynly caste awaye our armour / to th ende that we be not fouÌ„de naked in the bataylle / by this nakednes taken lyghtly put to deth Now our armour ben our bodyes / the knyght is our soule / wherfore it behoueth vs to be dylygent kepe vs that we be redy to socour that one that other ¶ On a tyme two olde faders camen fro the partyes of Peluse vnto the abbesse Sarre / in comyng thyder they sayd that it was nede to meke theymself / that is to say / to purpose to her some wordes whiche sholde gyue to her cause of humylyte They theÌ„ne arryued to her in deuysyng togyder the one of them tweyne sayd to her / that she sholde take hede be well ware / that she enhauÌ„sed ne lyfte vp her self in her corage / that she sholde not be proude in auauÌ„tyng sayng that to her whiche was a woman were comen solytary relygyouses To whom prudently she answered that how be it that she was a woman of sexe femenyne / neuertheles she had the corage of a man as she wolde saye that she was not so indyscrete for tenhauÌ„ce her self by ouer moche vauÌ„terye And morouer the sayd abbesse sayd to theym / yf I requyred of god that euery maÌ„ sholde haue of me good reputacoÌ„n eyther were of me well edyfyed I sholde do so moche that I wolde be fouÌ„de doynge penauÌ„ce tofore theyr yates / but I seche not this vayne glorye / but praye god that my corage my werkes be reputed of lytyll estymacoÌ„n ayenst all men ¶ Thabbot Ypericiê° sayd that he is veryly wyse that by his werkes / not by worded ensygneth techeth other ¶ On a tyme cam a noble maÌ„ of Rome be cam made hyÌ„self relygyous in a chirche of Sychye / whiche had had tofore a palays moche gretly renoÌ„med / had a seruauÌ„t whiche mynystred to hyÌ„ his necessytees The preest hauyng the pryncypall mynystracoÌ„n of the same chirche / coÌ„syderyng that this relygyoê° man had be in
olde fader mente / fylle doun to the grouÌ„de offryng hyÌ„selfe to do penauÌ„ce therfor sayeng Fayr fader I praye that that ye forgyue me my folye Veryly I me gloryfyed strongly of that whiche I supposed to haue well sayd / where as I vnderstode not well my selfe ¶ Two brethern germayn renounced the worlde / of whom he that was the lasse of age had fyrst begoÌ„ne to ensyewe thestate of relygyoÌ„ A lytyl tyme after the they wer relygyoê° / cam to theyÌ„ an olde fader for to vysyte theyÌ„ / to whom they preseÌ„ted a bacyâ—e for to wasshe his feet / he that was yongest of age offred hyÌ„ to wasshe his feet Thenne the olde fader helde his handes put hyÌ„ awaye / suffred hyÌ„ that was oldest for to do to hyÌ„ that seruyse / how be it that the fyrst comyng to the monastery had ben acustomed to do it / the whiche thyng seeyng the brethern that were there assystent sayd to hyÌ„ Reuerende fader this broder whiche is yonger of age hath ben relygyoê° tofore the other I retche not sayd the olde fader I wyll take awaye the fyrst entryng fro the yonger / I wyll gyue it to hyÌ„ that is moost of age ¶ An olde fader sayd / the ê“phetes haue togydre wryteÌ„ the bokes seruyÌ„g to our doctryne Our faders ben comeÌ„ after whiche haue put to many thynges / after ben comeÌ„ theyr successours whiche haue recoÌ„mauÌ„ded theyÌ„ to theyr remeÌ„braunce / that is to saye that they haue wel studyed theym / fynably they ben comeÌ„ of the generacoÌ„n that we ben of / whiche haue wryten theyÌ„ in skynnes of parchemyn and that done they haue lefte them lyestylle in theyr wyndowes ¶ An olde fader sayd that the stocke that the relygyouses vsen to were / is the sygne of Innocencye that other habyte of whiche they couer theyr sholdres byndeÌ„ theyr heedes / is the sygne of the crosse / the gyrdell by whiche they gyrde theym is the sygne of strengthe / therfore sayd he that they ought to be conuersauÌ„t after the sygnefyauÌ„ce of theyr habyte / sayeng that in dooyng all thynges by good desyre / they shall neuer faylle ¶ Here after foloweth an other lytyll treatyse techyng how a man ought to lyue sobrely And begynneth in Latyn Frateâ— quidam A Broder moeued of deuocyon prayed thabbot Arsenius that he wolde saye some doctryne or techyng To whom the holy fader answered / what someuer thyng that thou doest / enforce the alwaye that thy wyll thought be rewled after the wyll of god / in suche wyse that the werkes of withoutforth / â—e fyrst withinforth ruled after the Iugement of right reason / the sayd holy abbot sayd / yf we aske for god / we shal fynde hym / yf we kepe hym / he shall dwelle with vs. For as the gospell sayth Aske ye shall haue / knocke it shall be opened to you ¶ Thabbot Agathon sayd that a relygyous man ought not to suffre the his coÌ„scyence remorde ne grudge of ony thyÌ„ge The sayd abbot had be .iij. dayes duryng his eyen open whaÌ„ he sholde deye the whiche seeyng his brethern / touched hyÌ„ askyng Abbot where art yu. To whom he sayd I am in the presence of the grete Iuge for to receyue my salayre after my meryâ— deseruynges / how fayr fader / ye haue lyued alwaye after the lawe of god / wherfor drede ye / theÌ„ne aÌ„swerd thabbot Alas my childereÌ„ I knowe not yf euer daye of my lyfe I dyd ony werke pleasauÌ„t to god / for I am of frayl coÌ„dycoÌ„n / theÌ„ne after sayd the brethern / hast that not very trust affyauÌ„ce that the werkes that be done in charyte / bryngeÌ„ a man all strayt to heueÌ„ To whom he answered all that we do is on certayn vnto the tyme that we come tofore the grete Iuge / therfor I presume not of my werkes / for the Iugement of god / they of the men ben well dyfferent / as they wolde furthermore haue axed hyÌ„ of some thyÌ„ges / he sayd to theym / kepe ye charyte among you / speke nomore to me / anone after he rendred yelded vp his soule to god / in his deth appered a sygne / by whiche he shewed in his spyryte / that he reioyced hyÌ„ as he had saluwed his freÌ„dis And this ê“ceded of that whiche he had well kept the coÌ„mauÌ„dementes of god / without the whiche none may come to the porte of helthe ¶ It is recouÌ„ted of thabbot Ammoys / that whan he went to the chirche / he wolde neuer his dyscyple come nygh hyÌ„ / yf by adueÌ„ture he approched hyÌ„ for to axe hyÌ„ ony thyng Anone he sayd to hyÌ„ the he sholde with drawe hyÌ„ ferre fro hyÌ„ / sayeng the in spekyng of thynges ê“uffytable / meÌ„ may somtyme speke of vayne thynges peryllous for the soule / therfor it is better to be styll and speke not / than to speke euyll ¶ We haue also of saynt Iohan baptyst / that in thage of his youth he fledde in to deserte / to th ende the he sholde not defoylle hyÌ„ selfe with euyll spekyng Thabbot Ammoys asked of thabbot Asee Fayr fader how seest thou me Thabbot Asee answered as an angell And after that yet ayen the sayd abbot Ammoys asked ayen How seest thou me now / thabbot Asee aÌ„swered / me semeth now sayd he the I see sathanas / for incoÌ„tynente that thou warnedest me for to make my salewyng / it semed that thou smotest me with a glayue thrugh the herte By this is shewed that the proude euyll persones may not endure / tyll that some man correcte theym of theyr vyces ¶ Thabbot Alones sayd the yf a man saye not in his herte I my selfe god oonly ben in this worlde / a man shall not haue reste in his conscyence / that he vnderstode thus In the worlde arn but two maners of lyuyng / the one is to lyue after the lawe of god / that other after the worlde ¶ The same abbot Moyses sayd that a man yf he wyll / may in a daye deserue by good operacoÌ„ns so moche / that he shall wynne heuen at th ende ¶ Thabbot Bysaryon in his deyeng gaaf to his brethern one suche a techyÌ„ge or enseygnement My brethern sayd he / a relygyous persone ought to be the very lyght of other / by good lyfe by good example For it is wryten in the gospell / ye ben the lyght of the worlde ¶ Thabbot Danyell thabbot Ammoys on a tyme walked togyder / thenne sayd thabbot Ammoys Fayr fader whaÌ„ shall we go in to thy celle / thabbot Danyell sayd / who is he that may take away god fro vs / ther is no persone that may take hyÌ„ fro vs / for whan we were in our celles / he was with vs / now that we be out of
goostly / he answered / yf a man wyll lyue clenely as touchyng the bodye the soule / he ought to lyue sobrely aswell in metes as in wordes / for a maÌ„ glotonoê° may not lyue Iustly ne longe / after the comyn sayeng / glotoÌ„ny maked caused mâ— meÌ„ to dey thaÌ„ the swerd or glayn ¶ It is sayd the thabbot Pastor made ne dyd euer ony good werke / but yf he remeÌ„bred it coÌ„tynuelly an houre tofore And thenne after he achyeued his werke / wyllyng by this to shewe / that in all werkes / he ought fyrst thynke on it / to fore he doo it ¶ A man axed on a tyme of thabbot Paysyon / how he myght drede god / to whom he answered Goo Ioyne the with a man dredyng god / and anone thou shalt drede as he dooth And herto accordeth the psalmyste Thou shalte be holy with holy men / euyll with euyll men The same holy man sayd that the drede of god is the begynnyng the ende of all goodnes / wytnes of the psalmyste the sayth / that the begynnyng of sapyence is the drede of god We haue also example of Abraham to whom our lorde sayd after that he had made an aulter for to sacrefyse to hym his sone Ysaac I see well now that thou dredest god Yet also the sayd abbot sayd / the none ought to dwelle with men full of noyse debatefull / ne with theym that loue stryfe He sayd also that an abbot named Loth sayd on a tyme to thabbot Peter / whan I am in my celle I am in peas of conscyence / but whan ony cometh thou to me recouÌ„teth worldly thynges I am troubled And this holy abbot sayd whan one axed hyÌ„ of worldly thynges Broder thy key hath opened my dore And whan he was axed what that was to saye He answered / yf ony come to the that is in thy celle the axedest hym of worldly thynges / the openest the gate of his thought / hereth ofte thynges that prouffytes to hym nothyng ¶ A Relygyous man ought whan he seeth ony broder speke to hym to exhorte hyÌ„ to wepe bewaylle his synnes And in soo dooyng he shall gyue hym good doctryne For there / where as is neuer we pyng ne dyspleasaunce of euyll dedes / there may be no pure conscyence ¶ An other broder sayd to the sayd abbot / whan I am alone in my celle I by wepe my synnes But whan ther is ony with me / or ellâ—s that I go out I fynde none occasyon to wepe Thenne answered to hym thabbot Thus thenne is not lamentacoÌ„n alwaye subget to that but thou hast it oonly for a tyme. After this the broder asked hym what was it to saye / the holy fader answered / that a man the desyred to gete ony vertue / he ought to seke it in tyme in all houres / yet vnneth shall he mowe fynde it And yf he serche seke well he shal fynde it to his prouffyt ¶ A broder sayd to thabbot Sysoys Fayr fader I haue grete desyre to kepe myn herte clene from synne / to whom the holy fader answered How may we kepe our herte clene / yf our toÌ„gue hath the gate open / as who sayth / that a man ouermoche spekyng may not be without blame / thou that cessest not to speke euyll / how wenest thou to kepe thy conscyence clene fro synne ¶ Thabbot Syluayn dwellyng in the montayn of Syna had a dyscyple / the whiche wyllyng to goo in thexpedycoÌ„n of some of his affayres / prayed the sayd abbot that he wolde arrouse or water his gardyn The holy abbot rauysshed in contemplacoÌ„n toke water his vysage watred the sayd gardyn And in so doynge cam an other that asked hym whyhe had couered his face The whiche answerd that he had done it to th ende that he sholde not see the floures of the trees the were there / that in seeyng theym he were not enpesshed ne lette to leue his contemplacoÌ„n ¶ Thabbot Serapyon sayd / all in lyke wyse that as the knyghtes whiche ben tofore theyr prynce captayne in batayll / ought not to loke here there for to flee / but owen to fyght vayllyantly In lyke wyse the relygyouses and other that haue gyuen theym selfe to god ought not to beholde the worldly thynges / ne also to beholde the bodely payne / for yf they so do / they shal be herteles ferdfull ¶ Saynt Syncletyce sayd / we desyre all to be saued / but by our neclygence we lese ofte our helth / we wyll do no payne to haue gete it ¶ Furthermore sayd saynt Syncletyce / lete vs lyue sobrely For by the fyue wyttes of our bodye / the theues entre for to robbe the vertues of our soule And we see yf the wyndowes of an hous be opened that the smoke entreth lyghtly in to hit In lyke wyse yf our fyue wyttes be opened vnto the thynges of the worlde / anone our soule is obfusked by the smoke of synne ¶ Yet sayd the same saynt Syncletyce that we must be armed on all partyes ayenst the enemyes / for they entre bothe within without And as we see somtyme the shyppe withoutforth troubled with the wawes flood of the water / oftymes it is fylled withinforth without the flood without ryght soo is it of vs. For somtyme we synne by werkes outwarde / and somtyme by werkes inwarde oonly It sholde not be ynough to a man of armes to be armed on the hede all oonly / for he myght soone be hurte of his enemye thrugh his body Thus it suffyseth not ynoughe to resyste the outwarde temptacoÌ„ns but also the inwarde temptacoÌ„ns In this partye is shewed to vs that ther is no surete in this worlde / in what soÌ„euer state it be And of this wytnesseth thappostle sayeng / see well to and kepe hymselfe that stondeth vpryght by vertue / that he falle not ne ouerthrowe by synne / we ben in this worlde as the maryners that knowe not where they be / wytnesse of the psalmyst the sayth that our lyfe is lyke to the see / in the whiche ben some partyes full of stones / the other full of dyuerse maner of bestes some ben moche tempestuous Other ben peasyble / but amonge theym that lyue some saylle by the stones in the stonye partyes / as they that ben obstynate Other by the partyes full of dyuerse bestes monstres / as they that be proude Other by the partyes stylle peasyble / as ben the Relygyouses whiche ben out of the tempest of the worlde Other saylle by the places tempestyous full of tempest And neuertheles oftymes it happeth that the seculers whiche seylle in the derkenesse of IgnorauÌ„ce / for fere to lese theyr shyppe comen to the porte of helth And the relygyouses whiche ben with god in peas and tranquyllyte / by neclygence drowne theym self in the see of all euyll synnes
the prestes other men clerkes lettred And bycause that the prestes coude not appease this errour by theym selfe They ordeyned a prouoost cruell and terryble whiche corrected the sayd errours / whiche he dyde in grete cruelte / that the relygyouses were constrayned to flee had no place where they durste enhabyte ne dwelle ¶ Of the conuersacoÌ„n of Ierome Iherosolymytayn begynnynge in latyn Igitur inde Caplm .iij. THenne leuynge that contree I traÌ„sported me in to Bethleem whiche is not ferre fro Iherusalem / and aryued in the hous of Ierome that was a man prudent wyse meruayllously Instructe / not oonly in lettres greke latyn / but also in the langage hebrew / wherof he had so grete renoÌ„me / that none was knowen the durst compare to hym in scyence And I abode there .vi. monethes with hyÌ„ / the whiche contynuelly sharply stroof ayenst theym that were euyll obstynate For I knowe that in his bokes is nothyng but that it hath ben ouerseen corrected of hym And pryncypally he blamed auaryce pryde He sayd also all a longe the famylyaryte ought to be amonge the relygyouses both men wyÌ„men / by cause he sayd trouthe many hated hyÌ„ specyally theretykes / for he cessed not to enpugne repreef theyÌ„ / after the prestes For he declared repreued theyr vyces synnes / but the Iuste and good men loued hym for his holy lyfe conuersacoÌ„n And therfore they that wyll saye that he was an heretyke ben fooles ouerseen / for his doctryne is good holy And he slept not daye ne nyght so moche he gaaf hymself to studye in holy scrypture And yf I had not be relygyous I wolde neuer haue departed from hym Neuertheles I lefte there my felawes that folowed me / wente my selfe to vysyte the brethern that dwelleden in the last parte of Egypte For ther ben there meruayllous hermytages good relygyoê° folke It sholde be ouer longe to recounte all those thynges / but neuertheles I shall reherce the pryncypall parte in substaunce ¶ How the abbotes were bouÌ„den to gyue theyr lyuyng to the brethern whiche they receyueden in to theyr couentes / begynnyng Hand longe Caplm .iiij. IN an hermytage by the Ryuer of Nyle / there were many abbayes / and the brethern of the same dwelleden to gydre / and ben subgettes to one abbot / and doo nothyng after theyr wyll / but all after the wyll of the abbot And for this cause yf ony of theym wolde go in solytude or wyldernesse for to be more parfyght / it behoueth hym that he doo that by the consentynge of theyr sayd abbot For it is the fyrste and the pryncypall vertue for to obeye the coÌ„maundement of his superyor And whan they be receyued in to thermytage by the auctoryte of the same abbot / there is admynystred to theym brede and other mete after theyr necessyte ¶ Of a Relygyous brother whiche in his hermytage was fedde with heuenly brede / begynnyng Casu super illos dies Caplm .v. A Frere or broder solytary was a lytyll ferre fro this monasterye to whom for his lyuyng thabbot sente to hym brede by two childern of whiche that one was .xv. yere olde that other .xij. One tyme amonge the other thus as these two yonge childern wente towarde the sayd hermyte cam to theyÌ„ a serpent meruaylloê° cruel for to deuoure theym / but by the bouÌ„te Innocence of theym the serpent laye doun at theyr feet And anone the yongest of theym both toke hym with his honde put hym in his robe and bare hym to the freres in the cloystre without ony auauntyng or vayne glorye Thenne sayden alle the relygyouses that these two childern were sayntes But the holy abbot of the monasterye doubtyng that these two childern sholde wexe therof proude punysshed theym ryght well with roddes sayeng that the cam from god This knowyng the sayd solytary brother was moche abasshed aswell for the betynge as for thynuasyon of the serpent And therfor he prayed the sayd abbot that he sholde sende to hym nomore ony thyng And he was by that space of .viij. dayes without ony mete in so moche that he was alle drye / but his thought was alwaye enhauÌ„ced to god And there where the bodye faylled for hungre the soule was rauysshed to heuen The sayd abbot by thynspyracoÌ„n of the holy ghoost wente to vysyte the sayd solytary relygyous for to knowe wherof he lyued The whiche seeyng his abbot cam to fore hym brought hym in to his celle / and as they entred in / thabbot felte a sauour of brede all hoot And there they fouÌ„de a loof whiche had be sente from heuen to the sayd brother / the whiche was nygh deed for hunger And sayd to the abbot that by his merytes and vertues that wele and good was comen to theym Thabbot sayeng the contrarye / that it was by hym that was solytarye And after in praysyng thankyng god they brake the loof ete therof / and this doon the abbot retourned shewed it to his brethern / whiche for this cause they desyreden to be hermytes to lede a solytary lyfe ¶ In that monasterye had ben two holy men whiche had not gone out by the space of .xl. yere / they were neuer angry ne neuer wente out of theyr cloystre But by cause ye haue herde the lyfe of one hermyte I wyll that ye here the lyfe of an other ¶ How a lyonesse ete out of the hande of an holy man / lyke as she hadde be tame / begynnyng in latyn Ego vbi Caplm .vi. INcontynent after that we were come in to the fyrst partye of deserte with a man that knewe the places we wente atte fote of a montayne there where we founde an holy man whiche had a pytte / which thyng was not moche fouÌ„de in that contrey Also he had an oxe whiche with a whele drewe the water out of the pytte whiche was ryght depe Also he had a gardyn full of cooles whiche was ayenst the nature of deserte / where for the ardeur and hete of the sonne myght nothyng growe ne fructefye / but by the labour of this holy man / whiche aroused ofte watred the grouÌ„de / that it becam fertyle in suche wyse that coules other herbes fructefyed And of these coules lyued this hermyte his oxe / the whiche hermyte gaaf to vs plente ryght Ioyously Thenne after souper he broughte vs vnder a palme of the whiche he lyued otherwhyle And ther be none other herbes in thermytages but suche palmes wherof ben nourysshed the holy hermytes and they that ben solytary Whan we cam to the place of the sayd palme we fouÌ„de a lyon / the whiche made vs sore aghaste / but the sayde solytary man without drede approched to the sayd beest / made hym to recuyelle go a backe a lytyll ferre After he gadred with his hondes of the
was not cladde with precyous clothyng For suche people soo clothed serue not god / but to temporell lordes / he was cladde with skynnes of Camellys oonly And therfor yf he that was saynctefyed of god in the wombe of his moder / and was so moche loued of god and was a very prophete more than a prophete hath be cladde with the skynne of a Camele / we that be myserable synners oughte to be contente with vyle vestementes without to desyre other / eueryche after his astate Yet furthermore saynt Peter in his epystle defendeth precyous clothyng / but yf it be to please the worlde TheÌ„ne we ought not to seche theyÌ„ / but rather we ought to seche vertuous clothynge for our soule / and not for our bodye / the whiche clothyng is charyte / fayth / humylyte / bounte / and benygnyte / for of these vertues our soule ought to be garnysshed for to lyue perpetuelly with god And how well that our bodye be aorned with golde and syluer or with precyous vesture Alway it ne is but duste and fylthe / and therfore we ought not to demaunde the eases of our bodye For yf we nourysshe it after his appetyte / we nourysshe our enemye with vs / by cause that a man hath noo gretter enemye than his bodye / the whiche draweth his soule to synne yf he maye Therfore eche persone ought to holde it subgette and to chastyse it by thexample of saynt Poul whiche sayth I chastyse my bodye / and rendre it to seruytude ¶ How alle thynges ought to be doon by reason mesure Caplm .vij. OVre body ought to be chastysed by wakyÌ„ges by dyuerse other maners / to the ende that it drawe not our soule to synne / but neuerthelesse it must be doon in suche maner / that in chastysyng it / he leue not to do good werkes / for he that wolde make lene put his bodye to afflyccoÌ„n in suche wyse that he may not contynue in vertuous werkes he sholde not be wyse ne dyscrete And thou oughtest to vnderstonde that the vertues of scylence / nakednes / abstynence / chastysyng of his bodye ought to be doon with dyscrecyon / the whiche is a souerayne vertue / without the whiche none operacoÌ„n is vayllable / where she shall be / it shal be merytorye / by defaulte of dyscrecoÌ„n the operacoÌ„n is not prouffytable / wherfor we may saye that dyscrecoÌ„n is moder of the other vertues And therfor I admoneste the that thou take dyscrecoÌ„n in al thy werkes / to the ende that thou falle not on that one syde ne on that other Of this vertue of dyscrecoÌ„n thou hast in the lyfe of faders called in latyn Vitas patâ—uÌ„ for thabbot Anthonye sayth / that there be some that make lene theyr bodyes / but for that they do it not dyscretly they ben well ferre fro the Royame of god ¶ Of the we le of conpunccoÌ„n whiche pryncypally cometh for a man to mortefye hym selfe Caplm .viij. BVt for as moche as in all operacyon is requyred conpunccyon It byhoueth fyrste to knowe the dyffynycyon of it Thenne I trowe that very mortyfycacyon may not be goten by ony persone without conpunccyon And therfore I praye the that in all thy werkes / be it in kepynge abstynence / or that thou louest to be euyll clothed / or that thou wylâ— wake / or doo ony other helthfull werke / that thou doo it all to the honour of god / yf thou wepe for thy synnes / there shall ensyewe therof conpunccyon and dyspleasaunce / but thou oweste to doo it in suche wyse that noo persone be sklaundred / but rather edefyed in to good / haue thenne conpunccoÌ„n and heuynes in thyn operacoÌ„ns / to th ende that thou mayst saye with the psalmyste Lorde god I offre to the my sacrefyce all full of the marghe of conpunccyon Thenne oughtest thou to knowe that he offreth sacrefyce to god the whiche gyueth hym selfe alle ouer to god / the whiche thyng apperteyneth proprely to relygyous people / to theyÌ„ of theyr vocacyon By the marghe of whiche sacrefyce / we vnderstonde the conpunccyon / dyspleasaunce contrycyon at the herte of hym that sacrefyceth to god Thenne sacrefyce without marghe is operacoÌ„n without conâ—â—ycoÌ„n The psalmyst speketh of this marghe in a place sayeng thus Thy sacrefyce be made fatte of the fattenes of contrycoÌ„n / whiche we calle marghe The vertue of conpunccoÌ„n is moche grete For in the lyfe of faders is wryten of an holy man the whiche sayd / that to vs it were ryght necessarye to wepe incessauntly The whiche cam agayne after that he was deed sayd to his brethern in wepyng bytterly bycause they wolde not wepe MaledyccoÌ„n be to you Maledyccyon be to you And by cause we may see here what is to vs necessarye duryng this lyfe alwaye to wepe / to the ende that after our deth in this worlde we descende not in to the tourmentes of helle / the whiche thyng we ought gladly do / consyderyng that this lyfe mortalle is myserable and transytorye / but that other shall neuer haue ende / in the whiche the Iuste persones shall haue Ioye perpetuelly with the auÌ„gellys And the myserable synners shall be tourmented by the deuylles with the dampned in helle perpetuelly without remyssyon For it is wryten that in helle is noo redempcoÌ„n that is to theym that by theyr demerytes and deseruynges be dampned And therfore yf we maye not wepe as ofte as we wolde / lete vs persyste and coÌ„tynue in deuoute prayer For it is in the puyssaunce of our lorde to gyue to vs habondaunce of teeres And to this purpose is conteyned in the lyfe of faders an example of a relygyous man whiche complayned to an holy man sayeng My soule desyreth to haue teres and to wepe / lyke as the other olde faders haue wepte / but it can not haue it To whom the holy man answered Thou oughtest to persyste in prayer / for thou mayste not obteyne soo soone that whiche thou demaundeste / knoweste thou not well that the childeren of Israell were by the space of fourty yere in deserte tofore they myght come in to the londe of promyssyon The teres theÌ„ne ben the londe of promyssyon / to the whiche yf thou mayst come / thou shalt nomore drede th assaultes temptacyons of the enemye of helle It is reherced of thabbot Arsenius / that had alwaye tofore his eyen a clothe to wype awaye the teres that yssued out contynuelly So thenne ought we by example dyspose vs to wepynges wayllynges / yf he and the other holy faders whiche were so Iuste / mortefyed theym selfe in this maner / by moche more greter reason we synners ought to wepe in thynkyng on the deth and on the terryble daye of Iugement of god And for this cause sayth Amon to one of his brethern / we ought to be as the theef in the pryson / the whiche awayteth none
Emperour his absolucyon And that doon he suffred hym to entre in to the chirche In whiche he entred not vpryght but prosteâ—ned and flatte to the grounde vpon the pament And beganne to saye with the psalmyste Lorde god my tongue clyue to my chekys / please if the to quyckene me after thy worde And in takyng his hede with his two hondes rendynge his heere 's and wetynge the pament of the chirche with grete habundaunce of teeres / demaunded humbly pardonne and mercy of oure sauyour Ihesu cryste And the hour comen for to go to the offryng made his oblacyon in grete wepynges and wayl lynges And after that he sette hym doun in the quyre or â—hore lyke as he tofore hadde be accustomed The whiche thyng seeyng Saynt Ambrose asked hym what thyng he made there To whom humbly he answered / that he entended to receyue the holy sacramente of the aulter And anone after Saynt Ambrose dyde doo saye to hym by an Archedeken that the chore or the quyre of the chirche was oonly ordeyned for the preestes And that it was not leeffull to other to entre in to it / commaundynge hym that he sholde go out abydyng the percepcyon of the precyous bodye of Ihesu Cryste with the other Theodosius herynge these wordes / mekely answered thus I am not sette here by presumpcyon / but for as â—oche as in Constantynople the custome is suche that the Emperour / whan the seruyce of god is in doynge sytteth in the chore or quyre with the preestes And in his excusacyon thus made / he yssued in thankyng humbly Saynt Ambrose of his good exhortacyon By whiche example may be knowen the grete Iustyce of that one and of that other How be it / that I haue grete meruaylle of the grete hardynes of Saynt Ambrose towarde the sayd Emperour And also of the obeyssauÌ„ce of hym In whiche thou hast matere to take good example of the endes tofore alledged And therfore I praye the that ofte thou rede this hystorye / And yf thou so do puttyng it in effecte / thou shalt eschewe all vyces and synnes / the whiche thynge neuerthelesse thou mayst not do without the specyalle ayde and helpe of our sauyour and redemer Ihesu Cryste / as sayth Saynt Iohan in his fyrste gospell / spekyng in the persone of our lord Ihesu Cryste sayeng thus Without me ye may do no good thynge that is merytorye Thenne ought not the stronge man to gloryfye hymself in his strengthe ne the wyse man in his wysedom / ne in lyke wyse the ryche man in his rychesse / but they ought to gloryfye theym in the knowleche of god / as he hym selfe sayth in spekynge by the mouthe of the prophete Iheremyas And to this purpose sayth saynt Poull in one of his Epystles spekynge to the Corynthyens My bretheren / he that wyll gloryfye late hym gloryfye in god and nothynge in hym selfe / the whiche wordes ben well to be noted pryncypally by theym that mayntene that a man may conduyte and gouerne his propre wylle without helpe of god / whiche we ought not to byleue For yf we may not without hym thynke ony thynge / by more gretter reason we may do noo thyng without hym And therfore yf thou doo ony good werke / presume not that it procedeth of the / but of god whiche hath gyuen to the his grace to do accomplysshe it ¶ How one ought gladly rede the scryptures / begynnyng in latyn Sanctarum c Caplm .xv. TO rede the scryptures / is in partye to knowe the felycyte eternall For in theym a man may see what he ought to doo in conuersacyon Also that lyghtly he may see his face in a myrrour Ofte to rede purgeth the soule from synne / it engendreth drede of god / and it kepeth the soule from eternall dampnacyon And all in lyke wyse as we be nourysshed with bodely mete as touchyng the bodye In lyke wyse as touchyng the soule we ben nourysshed by the lecture and redynge of scrypture To this purpose sâ—â—â—â— psalmyste My god that thy wordes ben swete to myn eeres to here and to vnderstonde But yet is he more happy whiche redeth the scryptures / and dooth that whiche he fyndeth therin For they be made to the ende / that in knowyng theym we may lyue in this worlde well and Iustely And as it is sayd that the blynde byhoueth ofte more on his waye / than he that seeth moche clere In lyke wyse well ofte he that knoweth not the lawe of god synneth / there as he that knoweth it synneth not And a man without a techer / is as a blynde man without a leder And therfore be dylygent and besy to rede the scryptures For in redyng theym the naturell wytte and vnderstandyng ben augmented in soo moche that men fynde that whiche ought to be lefte / and take that wherof may ensyewe prouffyte Infenyte And also he shall fynde in theym what he ought to do ¶ Of the yefte of peas / begynnynge in latyn Saluator c. Capittulum .xvi. THe yefte of peas the whiche amonge all other is souerayne / lefte our lorde Ihesu Cryste to his appostles / whan he ascended in to heuen the daye of his ascencyon to the right syde of god the fader in sayeng to theym I gyue to you my peas I haue lefte to you peas / and soo shall I fynde you agayne And this that he gaaf to theym / that is to saye peas / he desyreth to fynde agayne at the day of dome in euery crysten man And he hymself sheweth to vs in an other place of the gospell the goodes of peas where he sayth Blessyd be the peasyble / for he that is very peasyble in his conscyence is the sone of god / but he that hath noo peas in his herte is the sone of the deuyll And this we ought to vnderstande of very peas / whiche is oonly in the conscyence of ryghtfull men For the euyll persones haue peas with theyr felawes but in theyr coÌ„scyence they haue it not The fyrste peas bryngeth ledeth to saluacoÌ„n / the seconde to dampnacyon Peas is with the good vertuous / warre is with the euyll vycyous / peas is cause of the receyuyng of the holy ghoost Peas is moder of loue dyleccoÌ„n / peas is sygne of holynesse / of the whiche sayth the prophete Loue ye peas and veryte Peas is the helth of the people / the grete honour of the prynce / the Ioye of the contree / and the drede of enemyes Thenne it ought alwaye to be kepte / for who is with it is with god Thoffyce of a preest is to admoneste the people of the whiche they ought to do And the people ought to here huÌ„bly For the herdeman ought to deffende his sheep from all thynges vniuste And the people ought to be to hym obeyssauÌ„t ¶ Here foloweth the pystle of saynt Macharye to monkes / whiche begynneth in latyn In primis c.