HERE BE THE GATHERED COUNSELS OF saint Isodorie to inform man, how he should flee vices and follow virtues. ❧  
☞ Thomas Berthelet regius impressor excudebat. An. 1534. CUM PRIVILEGIO.   

Consideration of man himself.  
O Man know thyself, know what thou art, know thy beginning why thou were borne, unto what use or end thou were gotten, why thou were made, 
Eccl. 12.  of whose making thou were made, to what thing in this world thou were formed: have mind of thy making, be such as thou were made, yea such as thy maker form the. Every day rensake thine heart, every day examine thine heart: keep thy soul from synfulle thought, let not fowl thought overthrow thy mind. When a shrewd thought toucheth thee, consent not to it.  
Kill the serpent, when he first appeareth, tread down the serpent's heed. Cast under foot the beginning of evil suggestion or stirring to sin. amend sin there, where it is known. In the beginning withstand a shrewd thought, and thou shalt escape well the remanant.   

¶ against Lechery.  
BE thou not defouled with any uncleanness, 
Gal. 5.  be thou not spotted through any foul lust: Let lechery grow no more in thee, Chastity joineth a man to god. To chastity is behight the kingdom of heaven. If thou yet feel the stirring of thy flesh, if thou be touched with prickings of thy flesh, if thou yet be stirred with the suggestion of lust, if the mind of lechery yet tickle thy will, if thy flesh yet fight against thee, if lechery yet tempteth thee, if lust yet stirreth the to sin: set before the the mind of death, put before thee, the day of thy death, set before thine eyen the end of thy life, put before the the straight doom that is to come, put before thee, the hard torments that been to come, set before the the everlasting fire of Hell, put before the the horrible pains of Helle.   

Business in Prayer.  
PRay with weeping continually, 
The. 5.  pray busily, beseech god day and night: Mourn and sorrow ever for sin. Arise in the night to prayer, let prayer be to the a continual armour.  
This is the first virtue against temptation. devils been overcome by prayer: Prayer availeth against all evils.   

Fasting and Abstinence.  
CHastise thy body by fasting, by abstinence, and by scarcenesss: thou mayst not overcome temptations in their high heat, but if thou be learned to fast. Through meat forsooth groweth lust, Plenty of meatis steereth men to lechery: but by fasting, lust is restrained, by fasting lechery is overcome.   

drinking.  
Drink forsooth is instrument of lechery. Fire by casting to of wood, increaseth more and more, the more matter is in the fire, the more is the flame.   

The sight.  
Thine eyen been the first dartis of lust. Sight is desire of woman, mind is caught by the eyen. 
Psal. 118.  Withdraw thine eien from wantonness: set them not in the beauty of flesh. Behold not a woman for to desire her.  
Do away the cause of sinning. 
Eccl. 25.  Say besides thee, the matter of trespasing. If thou wilt be sure from lechery, be thou dissevered from woman in body and in sight.   

fellowship of women.  
IF thou be departed in body from women, thou shalt fall from the intent of sin. If thou sit besides a serpent, thou shalt not long be unhurt. If thou be long afore a fire, although thou were made of iron, sometime thou shalt melt. If thou abide right nigh peril, thou shalt not long be sekyr: oft times leisure hath overcome, whom will might not.   

travail.  
Lechery overtornethe soon a man given to idleness. Lust brenneth grievously, whom she findeth idle. Lust giveth place to travail, to work, to business, and to labour. Therefore beware of idleness, spend thy good in labour, use some manner of business, seek unto the a profitable work: whereupon the intent of thy soul may be set.   

reading of holy Scripture.  
Give the moche to reading, take heed in Meditation of scripture, busy the in the law of god, have a customable use in divine books. reading declareth truly, what thou shalt shone. reading showeth, what thou oughtest to dread. reading telleth whether thou goest. In reading wit and understanding increaseth. Thou shalt much profit in reading, if thou do as thou readest.   

meekness.  
BE thou meek, be thou grounded in meekness, be thou least and lowest of all. By meekness make thyself least. Set thyself tofore no man. avant not thyself, boast not thyself wanton. stretch not forth thy wings of pride. So moche thou shalt be the more precious afore god, that thou settest little price by thyself. Bear therefore shamefastness in cheer by minding of thy defaults. For shame of thy sin be dismayed to look proudly. Walk with a low cheer, with a meek mouth, and a sad visage. In high worship, have great meekness. All though thou be high of power, restrain highness in thyself. Let not worship make the proud. The higher thou art in dignity, the lower by meekness make thou the.   

sickness and disease.  
BE not sorry in thy diseases. In thy sickness thank thou god. Be busy rather to be hole in thy soul, than inbodye. If prosperity come, be thou not proud: if adversity fall, be thou not heavy. Know thyself, that god hath proved the in sorrow, for thou shouldest not be proud. Be even therefore in all things. For joy ne for sorrow, change never thy mind. understand well, there is nothing, but it may fall as god will. And if those things be thought on before, they been the easier when they fall. And what so ever therefore happeth, suffer it meekly with free will.   

Sufferance.  
BE more ready to suffer disease than to do it. Be patiented, be meek, be soft, be busy. Keep patience in all things: Keep softness: Keep meekness. Set before a sharp word, the shield of Sufferance. Though any man stir the to wrath, though he whet thee, though he blame thee, though he reprove thee, though he chide thee, though he do wrong to thee: be thou still, hold thy peace, set not thereby, speak not a word, strive not therageynst, by silence thou shalt the sooner overcome. Learn at Christ manliness, take heed at Christ, and be not heavy: he suffering wrongs left to us ensample, 
Mat. 26.  he was bobbed and buffeted, 
Luc. 22.  spit upon, and scorned, nailed hand and foot, crowned with thorns, dampened to the cross, and ever more held his peace.  
Therefore what disease that falleth to thee, wit it well, it cometh to the for sin and for thy best. And so temper thy disease by consideration of righteousness. And thou shalt suffer it the lightlier, if thou take heed, wherefore it cometh.   

love peace.  
Love peace without fourth, love peace within forth, keep peace with all men, withhold all men in mildness, beclyppe Charity. Prove more thyself to love then to be loved. Make piece there hate is. Have stableness of mind. Have goodness of will. Be ready in good desire. 
Eccl. 28.  Speke gladly to all men: Flee chiding. Beware of strifes. Do away the occasion of Strife, Despise strife, and live alway in peace, strive not in any wise.   

Compassion.  
BE not glad upon the death of thine enemy, 
Eccl. 8.  lest peraventure upon the fall the same, lest god turn his wrath from him to the. For who so ever joyeth in the fall of his enemy, he shall soon fall in the same. Be glad to sorrow upon him that is diseased. In other men's miseases be not hard hearted: and for other men's mischiefs mourn as thine own.   

Following of goodness.  
IN all thy business, in all thy work, in all thy living follow good men▪ follow holy men, have before thine eyen the ensample of saints, take heed to work well after the virtues of holy men, learn to live well by the teaching of righteousness.   

¶ Despising of praising.  
DEspise thou praising, cherishing and favour of people. Study rather to be good than to seem good. Take none heed who praiseth thee, or who dispraiseth thee, lest praising deceive thee, or blaming let the. If thou set nought by praising, lightly thou shalt set besides the blaming. Therefore suppose not thyself good, though thou behold good in other men's tongues, ask thine own conscience, dame thyself by thin own doom, and not by other men's speech, but in thine own mind inserche thyself. There may no man know better what thou art, than thou that knowest thyself. What profiteth thee, sithen thou art wicked▪ to be hold good?   

¶ Honest conversation.  
flee thou simulation, feign not holiness in dark clothing. Such as thou wouldest been hold, such be thou in deed. Show thy profession in living and not in tokens. In clothing and in going have with the simpleness: in thy gate and in thy moving cleanness, in thy bearing sadness, in thy walking honesty, nothing of villainy, nothing of uncleanness, nothing of wildness.  
Be ware in thy governance, that there appear nothing of beastliness. give not to other cause for to scorn the. give thou not to any man cause to backbite the.   

Good fellowship.  
SHone evil men, 
Nu. 16.  beware of wicked men, i'll shrews, deal not with brothels: flee the companies of those men, which been ever ready to vices. join the to good men, Desire the fellowship of discrete men: Seek the company of virtuous men. Who so goth with wise men, he shall be wise: & who so draweth to fools shall be like to them. For like to like is wont to be joined.   

The hearing.  
Shut thine ears, 
Eccl. 28.  that thou hear none evil. Forsake unchaste speeches. flee unhonest words. For a vain word soon defouleth the soul: and that that is light done, that is gladly hard soon.   

The mouth.  
LEt nothing pass out of thy mouth, that might let virtue. Let the son of thy voice break forth nothing, but that needeth. Let that proceed from thy lips, that fouleth not the ears of the hearers. vain word is token of a void conscience. The tongue of man showeth his manners: and such as the word is such is the soul. 
Mat. 12.  For the mouth speaketh of abundance of the heart. 
Luc. 6.  refrain thy tongue from evil speech and idle. For an idle word shall not pass unpunished. Who so will not refrain his tongue from idle words, he shall fall lightly into sinful words. Let thy word be without reproof. Let it be profitable to the help of the hearers. busy the not to speak that that liketh, but that that needeth. Take heed what thou speakest, & what thou spekeste not. And both in speaking & not speaking be right well ware, take good avisement what thou sayest: lest thou mayst not call again, that thou saidst. flee thou the chances of tongue. Let not thy tongue lose the. Have ever more silence to thy friend.  
Speke when time is, be still when time is. Speke thou not ere thou here. Let asking open thy mouth.   

¶ Against the sin of backbiting.  
backbite not the sinner, but be sorry for him. Kit from thy tongue the sin of backbiting. Here not an other man's life. defoul not thy mouth with an other man's sin. That thou backbitest in an other, dread it in thyself. When thou blamest an other, reprieve thine own sins. If thou wilt backbite, think on thine own sins. Look not on other men's defaults, but see thine own. Thou shalt never backbite, if thou well behold thyself. Here no backbiters: listen not to tale tellers. For like guilty been the backbiters and the hearers. Desire not to wit that that pertaineth not to the.  
That that men speak between themself, busy the not to know. Ask thou never what any man speaketh, saith, or doth: be not to busy, leave business that pertaineth not to the. By as great business amend thine own sins, by how much thou beholdest other mens.   

Of dying.  
flee busylye all manner of dying, 
Eccl. 7.  and neither by hap nor by advisement say thou not false. The mouth forsooth that lieth, 
Sap. 1.  slayeth the soul. Therefore flee disobeyed, Aduoyde lying, beware of falseness, speak cleanly, be true of word, deceive no man in lying, ne bring no man to miswening. Speke not one thing and do an other. say not one thing and mean an other.   

Of swearing.  
PUt fro the swearing, Do away the use of swearing. 
jac. 5.  It is perilous soothly, for to swear. For oft swearing maketh custom of swearing. 
Eccl. 23.  And a man moche swearing, shallbe fulfilled with wickedness, & the plague shall not depart from his house. Truth needeth none oath. A faithful speech holdeth the place of a sacrament: as who saith, a faithful word is as much as all the swearing of the world.   

A vow made.  
DO the good that thou haste behote. 
Deut. 23.  Be not light in word and hard in deed. 
Eccl. 5.  Thou shalt be moche guilty to god, 
Baruc. 6.  if thou yield not that thou haste avowed. They displeasen god, that fulfil not their vows. They been accounted among heathen men, that perform not their vows, I say not vows that been evil but good. For if thou through thy folly hast made a fonned vow: through the doom of a discrete man be it wisely turned into good.   

¶ To god all thing is open.  
Say not one evil word in thin heart. An evil word may not be hid in silence, that thou dost or sayest within thyself. Believe thou that it is open before god. 
Sap. 1.  If men been still, beasts speaken. Therefore fly sin, as though thou mightest not keep it prive. Sin thou there, where thou knowest god is not. There is no thing hid from god, thou shalt be found guilty in the iudgementis of god, though thou be hid to man's judgements. For he beholdeth the heart, 
Psal. 7.  that is within forth. 
Rom. 8.  He seeth & knoweth, 
Apoc. 2.  that man himself knoweth not. Turn thy counsel and thy work evermore to god. In every deed ask God's help. Arect all things to God's grace, and to god's gift. Trust not in thine own desertis: in thine own virtue presume nothing.   

Good conscience.  
THere may no man i'll from himself: and though an open fame harm the not, yet thin own conscience, damneth the. For there is no pain greater than pricking of conscience. If thou wilt never be sorry, live well. A sicker conscience suffereth easily heaviness. A good liver is ever more in joy: the conscience of a sinful man is ever more in pain. A guilty soul is never more sicker. Nother wound needeth shall fear thee, if thou live well and truly.   

hide virtue.  
IF thou wilt multiply thy virtues, show them not. By thy will, hide thy virtues privily for dread of pride and vain glory. flee to be seen, & then thou deservest meed. That thou maistlese by showing, keep it by hiding.   

Confession.  
Show the sins of thine heart, make open thy shrewd thoughts. A sin showed is soon healed: a default forsooth hid, is made more sin, by silence it increaseth more and more. truly than it behoveth to show evil to amend it.   

Fore thinking.  
BE think the long before the deed: Advice the long before the work. That thou wilt do, inserche it long, prove it long: and so do it, when thou hast long bethought the. Do than as thou hast proved, in things that been certain. Of well doing tarry not, ne put it not over till to morrow. In good things tarrying harmeth, & letteth tho things that been needful.   

Wisdom.  
THere is no thing better than wisdom, nothing better than cunning, nothing lustier than knowledge: nothing worse than lewdness. It is an high cunning to know what thou shalt flee: and it is an high wretchedness, not to know whither thou goest. Therefore love wisdom, and it shallbe showed to thee: go to it, and it shall come to thee, be busy there about, and it shall learn the.   

teaching.  
Learn that thou canst not, lest thou be found an unprofitable teacher, the good that thou haste hard, say it: the good that thou hast learned teach it. The more that is given, the more it waxeth: but yet let deeds go before the word. The which thou showest with thy mouth, fulfil it with work: that thou teachest by words, show it in ensample. For if thou teach and do it, than shalt thou be hold glorious. In thy teaching keep the from man's praising. So inform other, that thou keep thyself. So teach, that thou lose not the grace of meekness. Beware, lest while thou resistest other by teaching, thou fall not thyself by praising. When thou teachest, use not darkness of words: say so that thou be understanden. The diversity of persons is to be seen: And when and how thou teachest, be advised. Speak common things to all men: And to few men show that is hid. Be not ashamed to speak, that thou canst well defend. That thou wantest of cunning, ask of other men. By cunning truly showed, hid things been opened, & hard things made light.   

Curiosity.  
BE not busy to know: that is hid, covet not to know. In disputing do away strife: do a way frowardness, and assent soon to troth. Say not against ryghtousenesse. strive not to avoid that is right. Love more to here than to say. Here in the beginning, and speak last of all: the last speech is better than the first.   

Obedience.  
VUorshyp every man for the merit of holiness. After their worthiness given to every man worship. Suppose not thyself even to thy sovereign. give obeisance to thine elders. Serve their biddings: bow to their authority: follow their will. Obey to all men in good biddings: yet so obey the to man, that thou offend not the will of god. Therefore fulfil meekly the charges that thou hast take upon thee, be obedient to god's ordinance: be not hardy to do against his will. Dispose all things not with a sturdy but with an easy heart. Beware of worships, which thou mayst not have without sin.   

sovereignty.  
BUsy the rather to be loved of thy subjects then to be dread. Let thy subjects rather worship and serve the for love, than for dread or for need. Quite the such to thy subiectis, that thou be more loved than dread. With a sovereign goodness govern thy subjects. Be not fearful to thy subjects: be such lord to them, that they be glad to serve the. Both in punishing an cherishing, keep a mean: be not to straight, ne forgive not to soon. Keep manner in all thy work. It longeth to a wise man to measure all things, lest of good be made evil. Behold certainly, what is covenable for the time, where, when, how, and wherefore thou biddest any thing to be done. That thou wilt to be done to thee, do thou to an other. Be such to other men, as thou desirest other men to be to the. hinder no man with thy witness. Do no man harm, lest thou suffer the same. Keep manliness, keep righteousness, defend no man against troth. When thou deemest, be he poor, be he rich, behold the cause & not the person. Keep truth in all things. Sit never in doom without mercy. Be as meek in other men's defaults as in thine own. So dame other men, as thou desirest to be deemed thyself. While thou art merciciful in other men's gilt, thou hast mercy on thyself. The doom that thou puttest upon an other, thou shalt bear thyself. 
Mat. 7.  In what measure that thou measurest, 
Mar. 4.  shallbe measured to the. deem no man by suspection: first prove and so dame. In domes reserve the sentence to god's judgement. And that that thou knowest, to thine own doom: and that that thou knowest not, to god's doom.   

Despite of the world.  
IF thou wilt be in rest, desire nothing of the world. Thou shalt have rest of soul, if thou put fro the the business of the world. Cast fro the all that may let a good purpose, be measured to the world, and the world to thee, as though thou were dead. Behold not the glory of this world. Set not by that while thou livest, that thou mayst not have when thou art dead. What so ever thou givest, give it with a good will. Do mercy without gift: give alms without heaviness. The good will is more than that is given. That that is given with good will, 
Eccl. 3●.  that god accepteth: 
2. Cor. 9  but he that giveth with heaviness, shall lose his meed. There is no mercy, where is no good will. Do nothing for praising, nothing for worldly opinion, but only for life ever lasting. Amen.  
FINIS. ❧