¶ A compendius & a moche fruitful treatise of well living, containing the hole sum and effect of all virtue. Written by S. Bernard & translated by Thomas Paynell.  
Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum.   

¶ To the high and excellent Lady marry, dear daughter to our most pusaunte sovereign lord the king. T. Paynel, sendeth greeting.  
AFter I had gathered and translated certain chaptters of this fruitful and virtuous book Lady most excellent: I with myself imagining and revolving to whose tuition & defence I should give or commit the same, your excellence appeared to my mind most meetest, and among all other the most aptest, and for this thing most convenient For who can deny but that your grace thus well learned (as in deed you are) & thus inclined to the observation of Chrystes laws, is a right good bulwark, & a sure defence against the gnawers of other men's labours & this proper book replenished with all godly and spiritual learning? I dare bebolde to say, that your grace (pondering the sayings & intent thereof) never read thing in english, that aluerde or stirred you more to devotion, to the love of god and your neighbour, to fulfil his sweet & easy commandments, to eschew and utterly avoid all wantonness, all idleness, all vanity, all trifling, dalliance, all worldly pastime and pleasure, then doth this book, the which. S, bernard at his sisters request compiled & made, exhorting her, and all other to god's service, to his fear and love, & to the compliment of his most sweetest precepts & commandments. considering then, the utility, the devout pretence, and sweet argument of this treatise, remembering also the integrity of him that made it, & again the devout purpose of her it was made for, pondering also your grace's most curius and exquisite ensuing of their virtues and heavenly living, could I have dedicated this my simple & rude translation (rude it is and not eloquently painted, because I would be plain) to any other, then to your excellence a very mirror & glass of all goodness, of all virtue, of all devotion, and perfect faith? Marvel it is to hear how men ertoll your pure and virtuous living, and there with your constancy in all goodness, your bountifulness & opened hand to the poor, virtuous most commendable, & the true pathway to conduct and bring all such as truly & customably use them, to eternal beatitude. I will not at this time express your many fold other virtues, and gifts of nature, nor speak of your divine and human knowledge, of your patience and lowly behaviour, nor of your humility & chastity, things (considering your graces estate and age) to be wunderde at. But by this your clean living and long continuance thereof men may now see, perceive and feel, the effect of godly and virtuous education the very rote and spring, of all godly operation, of all virtue and clean life. What needeth me (I say) to speak of your beutyfulnesse, of your most amiable and lowly countenance, of your wise and chaste communication, or of your well proportioned body in every behalf? The which gyftis of nature to many other, are as inticementes and occasions of evil disposition. But to your grace, they are (as I conjecture) virtuous provocations, & the fresh remembrance of the high and marvelous works of almighty God, whom I heartily beseech, and pray to continued your grace this new year & ever in virtue, and to send you long life to his pleasure.   

¶ Here beginneth the table of this present book.  

The prologue.  
OF faith. Folio iii  
Of esperance and hope. fol. five  
Of grace. Fo. vi  
Of fear. Fol. xi  
Of charity. Fol. xviii  
Of the contempt of the world fo. xxiii  
Of convenient garments. Fo. xxviii  
Of compunction Fol. xxxii  
Of heaviness Fo. xxxix  
Of the love of God Fo. xlv  
Of the love of thy neighbour. Fo. xlvii  
Of compassion Fol. lii  
Of mercy Fol. liv  
Of examples of saints Fol. lv  
Of contention and strife Fo. lx  
Of discipline & correction Fo. lxii  
Of obedience Fo. lxviii  
Of perseverance. Fo. lxxiiii.  
Of virginity Fo. lxxx  
Of continence Fo. lxxxiii  
Of fornication Fol. lxxxvii  
Of abstinence. Fo. lxxxxiii  
Of drunkenness Fo. lxxxxvii  
Of sin. Fol. ci  
Of confession of sins & penance. fo. ciiii  
Of communion Fo. cxiii  
Of thought Fol. cxviii  
Of silence. Fo. cxx  
Of dying Fo. cxxii  
Of perjury Fol. cxxiii  
Of detraction Fol. cxxiiii  
Of envy Fol. cxxv  
Of anger Fol. cxxvi  
Of hatred Fo. cxxviii  
Of pride. Fo. cxxix  
Of vain glory Fo. cxxx  
Of humility Fol. cxxxiii  
Of paryence Fo. cxxxv  
Of concord Fo. cxxxvi  
Of sufferance Fo. cxxxix  
Of sickness Fol. cxlii  
Of covetousness Fol. cxlvi  
Of cupydyte Fol. cxlviii.  
Of poverty Fol. cxlix  
Of murmuration Fo. cliii  
Of prayer Fo. civ  
Of holy lessons. Fol. clvii  
Of works Fo. clix  
Of life artyve & contemplative. fo. clxi  
Of curiosity Fol. clxix  
Of watch Fol. clxxi  
Of wisdom Fol. clxxvi  
Of temptation. Fol. clxxx  
Of dreams Fol. clxxxiiii  
Of shortness of life Fo. clxxxvii  
Of death. Fol. clxxxxi  
Of judgement. Fol. clxxxxiii  
The brothers exhortation. ●o c. xcvii   
Finis Tabula.   

¶ A very convenient form and manner of living, for every man o● woman that is minded to live in Chrystes laws.  

The prologue.  
MY right webeloved sister in God, it is long sense that you very effecteously desired me to write you a few of good and holy admonitions. But it is (as men do say) a point of pride for a man to go about to teach his betters: and therefore esteeming myself unworthy, to take this thing upon me, I have differde and prolonged to accomplish your desire, but for asmuch as you have renewed your petition, and instanstly desired me to the same. I remembering also the words of Chrystes saying, 
M●●h. u  whosoever shall constrain the to bring him a mile of his way, go with him two miles And again give to those that 
 shall require of the such things as shallbe for there profit that requireth them, & his ease that shall give them. I found that I was constrained by charity, & led there unto through your holy orations and prayers. Therefore I have gathered under the table of good holy fathers a few crumbs of bread, if I have not gethered them as I aught to do yet I have done the best I could the which crumbs I send unto you comprised in this book, for your instruction. Therefore my well-beloved sister take this book and set it as a glass before your eyes, and behold it well, & continually, for the commandments of God be as it were glasses, in the which man's soul should evermore be looking.  
For by them men shall know the filthiness of sin (for there is no man clean from sin and) amend 
john 1  there evil thoughts, washing there faces clean from all lubricite, and ordure of sinfulness, if men set all there mind upon god's commandments, & behold well these glasses there is no doubt but they shall see & know all that shallbe both pleasant, & displeasant unto god. Therefore my webeloved sister, read this book willingly, and read it over again and again, for by it you shall know, how you shall love both god and your neighbour, how you shall regard and despise these worldly and transitory things, how you shall desire & covet that is eternal and celestial, how you should suffer patiently for god's sake all worldly adversities, and little or nothing regard flattery and worldly prosperity, how that in your infirmytes and sickness you shall thank god, & not to be proud of your health, and how that in prosperity you shall not elevate or exale yourself, nor in adversity underpresse yourself. Therefore my well-beloved sister in christ/ it shall pertain to your wisdom diligently to study, and to read this book & to ensue and follow the same. Thus god aimyghtye save you and keep you from all evil.   

Of Faith. j cha.  
THe lord sayeth that all thing is possible 
Math. ix.  to him that be leaveth. No man can come to etnal bliss without faith, he is right fortunate and happy, that believeth well, & believing well liveth well, and living well, keepeth well his faith. For. s. Paul sayeth, that it is impossible to please GOd 
Hebre. vi.  without faith, and S. Isodore sayeth, that no man can please God without faith. Men are not constrained to believe, but they are drawn unto it by goodly examples/ and reasonable persuasions, for if man should be constrained to believe, the constraint and fere onse go, he would return and wax worse, than ever he was before. faith without good, and chartable 
jam. two.  works is but dead, & of none effect, for he that is not ornared with good works, let him trust nothing to faith, for it is but dead. He that beareth the cross, aught to be as dead in this world, for why to bear the cross, is nothing else but to mortify himself. And he that sayeth he beareth the cross, and doth not mortify himself in this world, is a very hypocrite, and a false dissembler. But he that doutythe not at all, but fermly and steadfastly believeth all that is heavenly and good, look what he demandeth he shall obtain it. He that believeth 
johan. three  in jesus the son of God, shall obtain etnal & everlasting life, & who so believeth not in him, shall never come thither. S. james 
Ia●, two.  saith, y● as the body without the soul is but dead, so in likewise, faith is but dead, & of none effect without good works. My well 
i Cor. xiii  beloved sister faith is an excellent, & a great thing, but of no substance without charity. Therefore look you have good faith & keep it as pure, & as net as you may, take heed that you be uncorrupted, that it continued in you. And that you confess the self faith, without any corruption, or foolish communication of christ jesus, suspect no cruelness or evil in him/ jest the so thinking by him, you offend, and diminish the love you have, or should have unto him be just in your faith, and look you have joined to right faith the holy conversation, and that in deeds you do not deny him that you do pray unto with mouth, for an evil thing mingled with that, that good is doth infect and mar all, as through a little pride, all other goodness and virtues are stained, look therefore that you (the which through grace are perfaith in Faith) do not amiss in deed, nor that you besmutter not your faith nor pollute not the integrity thereof by naughty living nor that you mingle not vice with virtue, nor join ill to good. Thus my good sister God preserve you in health.   

Of esperance & hope. ij. c.  
THe lord sayeth despere not 
Mark. xi.  but look that you have the faith of God in you hope that may be seen, is no hope, for 
Roma. viii  what Hope is in that thing a man saith, but if we Hope that thing we see not we do patienly tarry for it/ whereupon Solomon 
Provet. x.  sayeth that the abode and expectation of just men is joyfulness, but the hope of evil men shall perish Therefore my right well beloved sister tarry for the lord, and keep his ways that is, keep his commandments and he shall so exalt you, that you shall have heaven for your heritage. Dear sister I say tarry for the lord, and decline from all evil, and at the day of doom and judgement he shall exalt you, for they the will not leave to doyl, do lose but there labour to tarry for his mercy, of the which they might be sure of, if they would leave there miss living. Whereupon ss. Isidore saith that we should fere jest y● through the great hope the god doth promise us, we continue in sin. And again, that we fall not in dyspere, because of his just punishment, & correction, the which are to great faults, that is to continue in sin, & to despere of Goddis mercy. And therefore it shallbe best to eschew them both, that is to avoid & to renounce that is ill, & to have good hope in the great mercy of god, for every good man doth enforce himself through hope, & fere to come to everlasting life, hope elevathe a man to joy, & anon aft the remembrance of everlasting pain bringeth a man to fear: & truly who so despaireth to obtain remission & pardon of his sins, doth condemn himself more by desperation then by sin. Therefore good sister, let your hope be stead fast in chryst jesus, for mercy shall compass them that trust in god, trust 
Psal. xxxvi  steadfastly in him therefore, and do well & inhabit the earth, that is the holy church, & you shallbe nourished with his goods, the which the church possesseth, for the thing that is done without the authority of the church is of no valour nor yet of no merit. Good syst leave of, all varyghtfulnesse that is all works which are contrary unto god, or your neighbour, and trust in god mercy, leave of all iniquity and specially all pride, the which is called iniquity and trust in thy savour chryst jesus, amend yourself, and hope in the great mercy of god, put away all pravite and all naughtiness, and hope to have pardon, correct your life, and trust to have life eternal, to the which I desire him to bring you that hath choose you before all worlds.   

Of grace. iij. chap  
Saint Paul say 
Roma. u  thee, where hath been much sin, there hath been moche grace, so that where sin hath reigned unto death, grace may 
Roma. vi.  also reign through pardon to come to eternal life, for the salare and reward of sin is no nother thing but death's, but the grace of god, is eternal beatitude god hath distributed & given 
Ephe. iiii.  grace to every man according to the measure of the gift of christ Well-beloved sister, the profit of a spiritual man (as sayeth. s. Isidore) is a gift of god, then if when profit through the grace of god, it must needs follow, & necessary it is that we laud god, of our good deeds, and not ourselves. Nor no man can be corrected, but it must come of God for man hath nothing that is good of himself, nor the occasion or ways to do well cometh not of man, as sayeth the Prophet 
Hiece. x.  Hierime: good lord saith he, I know well that the ways of man is not sufficient to order his affares, that is to say, it is not in man's power to wauke in the ways of justice, if God lead him not, the which faileth noman that wylduly are him the way But there are many that deserve to be deprived of that way. And when man hath received any gift of god, he should require nothing else, but well to use the same, jest be the usurping of another man's office, he lose the gift that was given high before. For why he troubleth all the hole order of the body, that is not content with his own office, but usurpeth another man's. In the division of god's gifts, y● one taketh one, that other another, for they are never given all 
Roma. xiii  to one man, but to divers, so that by humility, some one may have that another may marvel at For when it is written in Ezechiel 
Ezeche 〈◊〉  that the beasts wings smite one upon another, be that is sygnified, that the holy saites through there manifold, & divers virtues, provoke and move each others affections, and that the one through good examples teacheth the other. O honest virgin I would you should know, that with out the grace of god preventing accompanying, and helping of us, we can do nothing that good is, the grace of god doth prevent us, to th'intentintent we should will that is good, and virtuous, it accompanieth us, because we should begin to do that good is, it helpeth and worketh with us, to th'intent we may make perfit and bring to pass that, that is good and virtuous.  
Then it is given unto us by GOD, to will well, to begin well, and to do well, it fo●t followeth then that virtue is given us by god, and that vice and sin cometh of ourselves of god cometh charity, purite, and honesty, but as for pride covetusnesse, and cupidite is of ourselves, for when can do nothing the good is without the aid & help of god, and through the grace of god when may do great good, without God's grace when be very tradius slothful & cold to all goodness, but his grace cading us we be right diligent to all virtues operation, without God, that is without his help, we be ever more ready to sin, and to all noutynesse, but by his grace when be delivered thereof without the help of god when be inclined to love these worldly things more than it becometh us a great deal, but by his grace and gracious assistance we despise these vain transitoryous and worldly things, and delyre celestial, we war e●ected out of the celestial paradise for Adam's mistaute, but through his grace we trust to come thither again, through Adam's wretchedness and sin we descended to hell. But by god's grace we trust to ascend to everlasting joy. And not withstanding we be rich, wise, and strong, yet it is all of his grace. And I would you should know my dear sister, that all the good that we have in this world, we have it of him, and that all our adversities and sorrowfulness do come of our mislyving, god through his great mercy divideth his gifts among us but all evil cometh for our sins. Of the grace of god cometh all prosperity, and of our sin and wickedness, all adversity by Goddes' grace we obtain that is necessary, and through vice the contrary. Therefore it is very expedy●t and necessary evermore with thanks according to remember the great benefits of God, of the which our holy mother the church speaking to christ jesus her spouse saith. They that remember thy grace, thy 
●an. 1,  mercy, and thy benefits, love thee, the is to say, they love y●, that are well minded, they are well mynnyd and of good heart, that ascrive no rightfulness, nor no holiness to there proper merits but all to the grace of GOD. And they love thee, which are saved and remember thy grace. O honest virgin look you remember evermore the grace of god, for all the goodness that you have, is by his grace. Hear what Paul saith, by the grace of god, saith paul, I am 
Cor. xv.  that I am. Also by the grace of GOd you are that you are, for that you have despised the world, and utterly left your father's house, and are appointed to serve god, and to live with the handmaidens of god, all these virtues, & goodness do only proceed of the grace of GOD, and that you are a pure and a clean virgin, and so doth intend to continue, it is not of yourself, but of the great grace of god.  

The sister's demand.  
GOod brother Irequyre you 
Mark. x. Luke. xviii.  to tell me, what this text of scripture means. There is no man that is good, holy, or just, but only god.   

The brother's answer.  
GOod sister, it is even so, as it is written For god is alonely good, holy & just, for he is good only of himself, and by himself. But men are not good of themself, but by God, and holy and just through his grace, the which thing is well declared in the canticles. 
Can. ●i.  I am the flowers of the field and the lilies of the vallee●, for I spread the sweet saver of my virtue throughout all the world.  
I am the holiness, the goodness the justice of them that humly do trust in me, for there is noman that can be holly or good without me, as I have said in the holy Gospel, without me you 
Iohn. xv.  can do nothing, I am the flowers of the fleldes, and the lillees of the vallees. For as the fields are ornated and goodly beset with flowers, so all the world, shineth and is ornated with the faith and knowledge of christ jesus, I am the flowers of the fields, & lilees of the valles, for I give abundantly of my grace to such as trust more in me, then in there own goodness. Therefore I exhort you that you attribute nor ascrive nothing to your own merits, nor that you presume no thing of yourself, nor that you put nor trust nothing to your own virtue, nor yet to your audacity or boldness, but I will you ascrive all to the gift of god, and to his divine grace. And in all your works thank god, in all your deeds thank god, and in all your conversation thank god, let your hope be evermore in GOD, that made you of ●ought.    

Of fear. iiij. cha.  
MY we beloved siter, hearken what I say, hearken unto my admonition, and to my words, fear God above all things, and 
Ecclesi. 〈◊〉  keep always his commandments, for the eyes of GOD, are always upon those that fear him, and upon those that fear him, and upon those that trust to his mercy. And Solomon 
Prover. three  sayeth, fear GOD, and leave all wickedness, he that fears god forgetteth nothing, and a certain wise man sayeth, that the fear of god is glory, and that gloriation is the mirth, & crown of all exultation, the fear of 
Eccle. i  god shall delight the heart, and with long life give joy & mirth, for he that is without the fere of GOD, can not be justified 
Eccle. i  the fear of god, is wisdom and discipline, doubt not in the fear of god, nor approach not towards him with a double heart.  
You that fear God, sustain & keep well his mercy, & departed not from him, lest you fall, you that fear god, believe in high, & your reward shall not be diminysshed. You the 
Ecclesi. two.  fear god, love him, and your hearts shallbe illuminated, and inflamed, they that fear god, believe his words, and they that fear him, will keep and follow his waves, they that fear god will inquire for such things as shall please him, & are replenished with his laws. They that fere God will prove there hearts, and in his presence sanctify there souls, they that fear god, keep his commandments, and have patience until he look upon them, that is until they depart the world. God's eyes are always upon them that fear him, & 
Eccle. xv  he knoweth all there works, wisdom is the end of the fear of god, he that fears god, is very fortunate, and god in time of temptation shall deliver him from all evil. The spirit of those that fear god shallbe required, and sought for, and be blessed in his sight. The fear of god is likened to paradise, and shallbe covered with all benediction and glory. Hap is he, unto whom god hath given his fear, for the fear of god, is the beginning 
Eccle. twenty-five.  of the love of god. O my well-beloved sister, there is nothing that keepeth or defendeth us better from sin, than the fear of hell & the love of god to fear god is to do no evil, & to leave no goodness undone, the which are much necessary to cause and to engender in man the fear of god, that is the fountain of wisdom. blessed shall he be at the hour 
Eccle. i  of his death, that feryth GOd. Good sister, it is a very good 
Iohn, ii●●  thing to fear God, for the fere of god doth exile and banish sin, and repress vice, the fear of god causeth a man to be wise and diligent, where is no fere of god, there the soul is in great apparel and danger. Where is no fear of God, there is miss & dissolute living, where there is no fear of God, there is abundance of sin. Therefore honest virgin, look that fere and hope be in your heart, and that they continue in you. And trust so unto the mercy of GOd, that you always fear his justice.  
But yet you shall understand the there are four manner of fears, fear human, fear servile, Iniciall, and chaste fear, fear human (as sayeth Cassiodore) is when we fear to suffer any danger of the body, or the fear of loss of our worldly goods and substance, this worldly and naughty fear is left in the world, in his first degree, for the Lord 
Math. xv.  sayeth, you shall not fear them that kill the body, & can not touch the soul. The second fear is called Servile, as saith blessed S. Austen, for he that for the great fere of the pains of hell leaveth to sin, and doth no good for Goddes' sake, but for fear of pain, he fearythe after the manner of a servant, the which doth such good as he doth, not for fear of lesinge of that he loveth not, but for fear of punishment which he fears to suffer, such men fear not to lose the sweet embracings of there sweet spouse jesus. But they fear to be condemned, of this fear, saint Paul sayeth. verily sayeth he, you have not received 
Roma. viii  the spirit of servitude in fear, but you have received the spirit of childly adoption.  
This fear servile is good and profitable, notwithstanding it be not sufficient nor yet perfit, for thereby, groweth by a little & a little, a custom of justice and of good works. For when man beginneth to believe the day of judgement, he beginneth also to fear it. But he that fears it, hath not perfit trust thereof, nor there is no perfit charity in him that fearyth, for if he had perfit charity, he would not fear for perfit charity should 
johan. iiii  'cause perfit justice in man. And so he should have no cause to fere but rather a good cause to desire that all iniquity war paste and go, and that the kingdom of heaven war come. What other thing is perfit charity, but perfit holiness, he hath perfit charity, that liveth perfitly, & he that liveth perfetly, hath no cause to be condemned, but to be crowned in heaven, he that hath in himself, perfit charity needeth not tofeare to be danued but to hope to be a glorious saint in heaven. And of this speaketh David, saying. All they that 
Psal. u  love thy name, shallbe glorified in thee, so it followeth the fear is not in charity, but that perfit charity chaseth all fear away. To this kind of fere succeedeth the third fear called Iniciall, that is when a man beginneth to do that thing for Chrystes sake, the which at the beginning he did for fear of eternal damnation, of this fere speaketh David saieuge, that the fear of 
Psal. cx.  god, is the beginning of all wisdom, for Inicial is, when a man beginneth to love God, whom he feared before And so the second kind of fear, is excluded from the heart of man. Unto this Iniciall fear succedyth the fourth kind of fear, called chaste fear be the which we fear lest that the lord tarry to long from us, and that he will leave us, and that we shall offend him, and move him by our sins, and finally lose him. This manner of fear doth descend and springeth of love, of the which we read in the psalter. The fear of god, 
Psal. xviii  sayeth David, remaineth eternally for evermore, fere cometh first to man's heart, why so? To prepare a place for charity, when charity shall begin to be in the heart of man, then fear which had prepared a place for charity, is rejected and send from thence.  
listen good sister unto this example or similitude. We see that by the bristell the thread is brawen throw, for the brystell enter the first, & ledithe the thread throw the seem In like manner, fear doth first enter into man's soul, and after it, cometh charity, but after that charity is onse enterde she chaseth fear away This chaste fairy, is a very holy fear for it engendereth all goodness in man's thought. This is a holy fear, that bringeth to man's thought perfit charity, for ꝑfet charity, is perfit holiness, this is a fear that is very chaste, for it falls into no avoutery, but loveth GOD above all thing, and preferthe nothing above the love of GOd, this fear is also caulde childly fear, for it fears not god, as a servant feareth his cruel master, but as a child fears his sweet father. But what meaneth David be this saying 
Psal. xviii , that fear of god remaineth for evermore. When saint john layeth, that perfect charity doth repel and chase fear away. 
Iohn. iiii   
This is that we told you before, that he hath chaste fear in him, that feareth not GOD because of the pains of hell, nor for the torments of the fire, but for the reverence & love he hath unto GOd, and this reverent, & loving fear to God shall endure for evermore. He that fears god for the pains of hell, hath not this chaste fere, but the fear called servile, nor he hath no perfit charity, for if he loved god perfetly, he would have perfit justice in himself, & should not fear god for fear of the pa●es of hell, but only for reverence and good love, & therefore the fere of pain is not in charity for perfit charity putteth all fear away. A servant fears his master after another sort, than the child the father. The servant fears his master with dispeare and hatred, the child feareth his father with all love and reverence.  
Therefore I advise you to fear god with all love and reverence I will not you should be evermore under the yoke of fear, but that you should lift up yourself unto god the father, that made and created you as his own daughter. Also I exhort you to love god chastely, and that you prefer nothing above his love, but that for his sake & love, you esteem little all worldly things. furthermore honest virgin, I desire you to amend your living as much as you may possible, & in such manner that your words and communication may be pudyke & chaste, your pace all honest, your countenance humble & meek, your tongue affable, your soul replenished with the love of God, your hands full of good works, the lord helping you, without whose aid it is impossible to do well. My dear sister in chryst, yfye fear GOd, withal your heart, you shall have great abundance of riches not only in this present life, but also in time to come.   

Of charity. u cha.  
THe king hath brought 
〈…〉.  me into his wine cellar, & hath ordained charity in me. This wine cellar is the church in the which is the wine of preaching of the gospel. Into this cellar is brought the lover of the spouse that is the devout soul of man wherein charity is ordained & set, for every thing aught not to be equally beloved but in divers manners, we should not love all things alike and with one affection, but one more and another less, for why to know what we aught to do, and not to know how to order it, is no perfit science, for if we love not such things as we should love, or if we love such things as we should not love, our charity is not well orderde, or if we love any thing more or less than we should do, our charity is not well ordered, for charity well ordered, willeth that we fear god above all thing, we should love god with all our heart, that is with all our under 
Math. xxii  standing, and with all our mind, & that is with all our will, and with all our thought, that is with all our memory, we should also exalte and life up unto god all our understanding, all our thought, all our life, of whom we have allthing. And beware that there be no part of our life in idleness, but what soever that cometh to our mind: redress it unto him, from whom finally all ferventness of love doth descend and flow. Therefore my dear sister it is a right worthy thing & a very necessary, that we love God above all thing, for he is the sovereign goodness then to love the sovereign goodness, is sovereign beatitude, & the more a man loveth god, the more he is fortunate, he that loveth god is reputed to be good, and if he be good, it followeth that he is fortunate. Of the which thing it is written in the canticles. The love of god is as strong as death, that is well said, for as death doth violently separate the soul from the body, so the love of god, doth violently separate man from all carnal, and worldly love, and verily the love of GOD is, as strong as death, for when that through the love of god, we be mortified from vice, than what soever death doth in man's body, the same doth the delection of god in the cupidites and pleasures of this world. God should be beloved for his own sake, for he is the sovereign goodness of all goodness and he that hath created us of naught. charity is the delection, by the which the lord is loved for his own sake, and a man's nyghbour for goddꝭ sake. Above all thing & first god aught to be beloved as I have showed you, that is before all other thing, and secondarily your neighbour in god, that is in all goodness. charity hath two commandments and precepts. The first pertaineth to the dilection of god, the which is the principal point of all. The second pertaineth to the dilection of your neighbour, the which is like unto the first, as it is written. Thou shalt 
Math. xxii  love thy lord god, & thy neighbour as thyself, as though he would say, that should love thy neighbour for the thing & to the end y● dost love thyself, the i●, the he may be good & come the bliss of heaven. And of this godly & neighbourly dilection chryst in the Canticles sayeth unto his spouse, charity, for if charity were in him god should be in him, for God is charity. Also we should love our neighbours & kinsfolk, if they be good, & god's servants, but yet we should rather love a stranger copelyd unto us by charity, than our kinsfolk that neither love nor serve GOd: Why so? For the conjunction & copulation of men by charity, is of a more perfection & holiness, then only bodily conjunction. We should love all faithful people, but for as much as we cannot profit them all, we aught principally to profit them the which by reason of in habitation time, & other oportunites, are straightly joined unto us by charity, but yet with like love, we should desire every man's saluatton, & love all manner of people charitable that is, we should love them to th'intent they may love God and be saved, yet we aught not to show the works of mercy equally to every man, but to some more, to some less. My well-beloved sister, if we keep true, and perfit charity, by Goddes' help, and grace we may come to salvation, and for the love of god, we should love our enemies, as it is written.  
love your enemies, do good to 
Luke. v●.  those that hate you, and pray for them that persecute you, that even so, you may be the children of GOD. Then good sister, charity is very necessary for without it no man can please GOD, he loveth not GOD that hateth his people, nor he loveth not god, that dispeseth his 
Heure. twelve.  commandments, charity is the very rote of all virtue, without charity what soever we do, it helpeth not, all our diligence is vain without charity, where that charity is not there reigneth flesly cupidite and lust, and therefore a man is called perfit, when he is full of charity, for without charity (notwithstanding a man believe never so well) he shall never come to eternal beatitude, the virtue of charity is so excellent and so noble, that without it, all other virtues avail not, but if charity be in man, as it aught to be, he hath all thing, he that loveth not GOd, loveth not himself. Therefore now at this time, I monish you, that by perfit love you annex & join yourself to your inviseble spouse chryst jesus, and that be no means you covet not, these worldly things. And haste you also be affection to be out of this dale of wretchedness, & think it a pain to be long here, nor take no pleasure therein, but with all your might and desire be as fervent as you may to depart unto god your lover, & that for the love of him, you esteem and repute your proper health as nothing. And look that you be evermore throw pierced with the wounds of his excellent love, and so, that you may say these words, I am wounded with charity. My well-beloved lyster in chryst jesus, hearken unto god's words. Whosoever seethe, that he loved me, shall 
john. xiiii  be beloved of my father, & I will love him, and manifestly vysclose myself unto him. Therefore good sister, love him in this transitory world, that he may love you with his father in perpetual beatitude.  
Amen.   

¶ Of the contempt of the world. viii. cha.  
MY Well-beloved sister, 
Math. nineteeen. Mark. x. Luke. xvii.  hearken unto christ jesus the which saith. Whosoever will forsake and seve his house, his father and mother, his brethren and sisters, or his children, his fields, or his heritage for the love of me and my name, he shall receive a hundred times as much, and therewith eternal and everlasting life. Wherefore good sister it is for our great lucre & profit, to leave all earthly 
jaco. iiii.  things for God's sake to get eternal, for whosoever be a friend and a faverer of the world, he is god's enemy. Wherefore let us not love the world, lest that God shall hate us. He shall easily despise all thing, that rememberth evermore that he shall die. If we daily call our death to memory, we shall willingly despise all earthly things, if we think daily upon the day of our death, we shall efthsones forget and despise all worldly pleasures.  

The sister's demand.  
O My good brother I would be well content for the name & the love of god, to leave all the is in the world if I had any thing but forasmuch as I have neither gold, silver, nor yet no other riches of this world, I can not tell what I should leave for god's sake.   

The brother's answer.  
O Chrystes spouse you leave many things when you leave your will to have, you leave many things when you put back your desire of baving, you leave moche, when you leave all carnal and flesly desire you leave much, when that for the name of god you leave all delectations and pleasures of this world, you leave much, when you renounce these worldly, & covetous desires, GOd loveth more the soul of man, than he doth worldly riches. The lord loveth moche more the holy & pure mind of man, than any worldly substance, good sister the kingdom of heaven is worth all that ever you have, god axeth no more, than he hath given you. Therefore tender up unto him that he hath given you, the is, a holy, a devout, a chaste, a pure, a religious, a fere full mind, and a well manerred. Then good sister, the kingdom of heaven is as much worth as you are able to give or make, give and offer up yourself unto god, & you shall soon obtain the kingdom of heaven. Let not the price thereof trouble you, trouble not yourself for the price, nor think it not much, for chryst jesus to deliver you, from the hands of the devil to win, & to bring you to god, delivered himself up. Therefore give yourself willingly and holy unto him, that hath bought & delivered you from the hands of your enemy, for why to save you, he did holy deliver himself: good sister set not by the muck of this world, that you may obtain the riches of heaven, riches doth bring and lead man to the danger both of body and soul.  
riches bring a man to his death, Many a man hath been destroyed by riches, by riches many a man hath been in extreme danger. Many a one hath been banished and outlawed for riches riches hath been the death of many a man Who so troubleth himself with these earthly and worldly businesses shall never be at rest nor yet inquiet. The care of worldly substance doth trouble a man's mind marvelously, and man given and occupied about such vile, and earthly matters, is in continual vexation and trouble. Wherefore if you will be at rest and in tranquillity, desire noon of these worldly things. You shall be evermore in quietness of mind, if you leave these worldly cures, you shall be at rest, if you avoid and leave all worldly actions and businesses, for riches are never got without the great danger of sin. No man melleth with worldly matters, without parel of sin, & it is a very rare & a seldom seen thing that they come to eternal rest, that 
Math. nineteeen.  meldle with the world. He that in wrappeth himself in worldly matters, goeth from the love of god. He that is fixed in the love of these earthly things, taketh little or no pleasure in god, these temporal cares and matters, elienate a man's mind from god, there is no man that at once can both love the glory of heaven, and of the world. No man can love god and the world together, it is a very hard thing to apply celestial, and worldly things together. It is a hard point to love god and the world together, no man can perfetly 
Math. vi.  love god and the world, noman can equally love them both, at once. O honest virgin, I pray you to hearken unto me, for not withstanding a man do flourish in the glory of this world, not withstanding he be clothed with purpur and gold, notwithstanding he seemeth to be excellently well arrayed, flourishing in gold, and precious stone, not with ding he hath his guard of goodly men about him, and his armed watch men, and environed with innumerable company of servants. Yet he is evermore in pain, in anguish and heaviness, in apparel and danger. And not withstanding he be among his goodly tapettes and rich hangings, yet vexed & much troubeled he lieth in his beds of gold and silver, and being full feeble and frail he rests in his beds of down, all mortal.  
Good sister in chryst, I do show you these things, to th'intent you may know how vain these worldly things be. The felicity of this world is very short, the glory of this world is small, this temporal power is exceeding frail and brittle. Wherefore, look you despise all worldly abundance, and that willingly you forsake these earthly things, to come to eternal. Refuse that is transitory, to come to everlasting give away these trifling and worldly things that god may give you eternal, exchew and fly the world, and the company of man, that you may come to that goodly and celestial company of angels, to the which company I desire he will bring you, that bought you with his precious blood.   
Amen.   

Of the ha●yte, & convenient garments. cap. ix.  
THe lord sayeth 
Math. vi.  They that are delicately and softly beseen, are in great men's houses. A man's garment is called soft & delicate, because it mollefyeth & corrupt the mind, great men's houses delight in such wanton, & delicate vesture, but the church of god delighteth, & taketh pleasure in humble and sharp array. In the vesture of chryst servants & of his hand maidens should not be, nor yet a pear newfangelnesse, no vanity, no superfluite, nor no sign of pride, or of vain glory. Whereupon. S. Jerome sayeth that the tender and soft vesture doth not ornate nor set forth gods servants, but the clearness of thought.  
Therefore my well-beloved sister, let us deck us, with spiritual ornaments, that is with charity, humility, gentleness, obedience, and patience, these be the very ornaments with the which we may please our celestial spouse chryst jesus, for our invisible spouse requireth no erteryoure beauty, but the interior & inward beauty, as David the Prophet sayeth. All the glory of the kings daughter, that is of god, is 
Psal. liv.  inwardly, and all such glory is in a good, in a humble, and in a pure conscience, and in such things they that be good, do only glory, but these idiots do ever more glory in these exterior things. Therefore let good manners be your riches, let good living be your beauty, for I would my good sister, that that thing might be said by you, that is read in the canticles. My sweet 
Canti. x.  heart you are all goodly, nor there is not a spot in you. And again it is written, come from the mountain of Libano, for you shall be crowned. Truly that soul may well be called fortunate, that serveth god undefiledly, you shallbe very fortunate, if you may serve god your spouse without any spot of sin, in dever not yourself to please god with your fair face, but with your heart, your vesture shall neither be to precious, nor yet to vile, but moderate and competent. And so sayeth saint Austen of himself.  
I confess (sayeth he) that I am a shamed of my goodly array.  
And again he sayeth, that such goodly array beseemeth not his profession, it pertaineth not to these membres, it beseemeth not these grey ears. Be therefore good virgin well and honestly beseen, not to appear to be beautiful, but only for bodily health, lest that when you are trymblye beseen, you fall to sin, for the more that the body is wanton set forth invayneglorye, so much the more the soul is inwardly bespotted and defiled. Therefore good sister show your profession to your pace and in your habit, & that in your pace be simplicity and honest, in your moving pureness in your gesture gravity, and in your manner of going honest, and that therein appear no dishonest, no wantonness, no pride, no sluggesneshe, nor no lightness, for why the will and mind of a man doth appear, and is known by the gesture of the body, the gesture of the body is the declaration of the mind, by a man's gesture his courage is soon perceived. Therefore good sister let your manner of going and pace have no similitude of lightness in it. Let not your pace oftende man's sight. Let it not 'cause men to gaze upon you, or be any occasion, why men should slander and speak evil by you Good sister cleanse your conscience so, from all malice and iniquity, that chryst jesus your spouse may say thus unto you. 
Canti. 〈◊〉.  O you are fair, you are fair, your eyes are as goodly as the doves you are fair by perfection of heart & clenlynesse of mind, you are fair for your intention is good, and full of all simplicity, for all that you have done, you have not done it all to please man withal, but only for the pleasure of god.  
Look your eyes be like unto the doves eyes, for so shall you keep them undefiled from all malice, sublation, and fiction. I write unto you these things good sister, because you should rather rejoice inwardly of your excellent good virtues, then outwardly of your fresh and gay clothing Whereupon saint Gregory sayeth, that noman desireth rich, & goodly apparel but only for vain glory, that is because that men should extol and laud him, and think them more honourable than all other. There is no man that desireth to be well decked but there only, where he may be seen, and so it is manifest that he desireth it only forvaine glory. O good virgin, by the desire of such rich and worldly apparel, men know we do love this world, for he the loveth not the world, careth little or nothing for such vanites. When man rejoiceth in such goodly & rich habit, than his heart is far from the love of god his maker, how moche the more we delight in the fashoning and trimming of our bodies, so much the more farther of be we from the love of god. How much the more we take our pleasure in these earthly, & transitory things, so much the less we desire celestial and heavenly things. Truly that woman that delighteth and loveth precious array, can not be but defiled with sin, the spouse of chryst loving such cleanly and goodly apparel can not be without sin The handmaid of GOd, that hath earnestly left the world, desireth no such apparel, humble and simple vesture is a token of the contempt of the world. Therefore good sister I pray you that good manners may be your habit, and be no nother inwards, than you be outwardꝭ. Look you be in very deed the self you would be esteemed and reputed to be And as you be to man's sight, so be in all your operations & workis, & as you are in countenance, so look you be in very deed.   

Of compunction the, x. cha.  
THe compunction of the heart, is the humi●ite of the mind, the which proceedeth of the remembrance of sin, and of the fear of God's judgement, this compunction is a perfit thine g, by the which all carnal delectation is avoided, and the mind intention & study of man fixed in the meditation, and contemplation of god. We read of two manner of compunctions, the tone is when the soul of god's servant is moved, and therewith reduceth his sins to memory, the other is, when the soul with great & deep scythes desireth to come to everlasting joy the soul of every just man is moved by compunction four manner of ways. The first is by the remembrance of his sin, the second by the remembrance of the pains that be to come. The third is by remembrance of the peregrination of this mortal life. The fourth, by the desire of heaven, the which the soul of man doth greatly covet. Every wretched sinner knoweth that god doth then visit him, when that by compunction he is provoked to weep, for. S. Peter did weep through great compunction, when god beheld him, for it is written, that our lord turned him, and beheld 
Luke. xxii.  peter, and that incontinently he went out and wept bitterly, & of this speaketh the Psalmist. 
Psal. xuj.  God looked; and the earth moved and trembled. The earth doth then tremble, when the poor & wretched sinner is moved to bewail his si 〈…〉 es. Wherefore good sister I would counsel you, to call your sins to remembrance in prayer, and sorrowfulness, for his prayer is not clean nor yet acceptable, that prayeth without compunction or contrition. I pray you to hearken unto the examples of holy saints, the which by compunction and lamentation have obtained of god pardon, and forgiveness of their sins. As Samuels mother by compunction 
i Reg. 〈…〉  deserved to have a child, and furthermore she obtained of god the gift of prophecy David by long wailing and compunction obtained pardon of his adventure and murder, 
〈◊〉. Reg. twelve.  for the prophet said thus unto him. Thou shalt not die, for the lord hath translated thy sin. And good father Tobias by such compunction & tears, was restored to his sight, and helped of his poverty, for the angel Raphael said thus unto him, be glad quod Raphael, & again/ 
●●be. xi  be of good cheer, for y● shalt be shortly holpen. And the glorious Magdalene through great compunction and manifold tears 
Luke. seven  hard these words of Gods own mouth, thy sins be for gynenthe. Good sister I have recited these examples of holy saints unto you, that your tears & lamentation for your missautes with compunction may be sweet unto you, for compunction is a desireful treasure, and to man's mind a joy inenarrable, he that prayeth with true compunction, doth prophet his soul very moche A strong champion is no less worthy of praise, being in lamentation, then being in battle, considering then that after our bapteme, we have bespotted and defiled our life with stynken sin, set us now baptize & rinse our conscience with tears, for where is weeping, there is spiritual & ghostly fire, the which shall illuminate & kindle the secrets of man's mind, the weeping & the tears of penitent persons, are unto God as a christendom. Well-beloved sister in christ, if you have compunction, you are hap, for compunction of the heart is the health of the soul the compunction of the mind, & thought, is the illumination of the soul, for them the soul is kynled when that by compunction it is moved to weep, the compunction of tears is the remission of sins, for then a man's sins are for given him, when with bitter weeping and tears he remembereth them, compunction doth bring the holy ghost to man, for as soon as the holy ghost doth visit man's mind, by and by the poor sinner shall bewail his mislyving.  

¶ The sisters demand  
O Good brother, I require you to tell me for what causes in this mortal life, we should weep.   

The brother's answer.  
GOod sister there are four causes the first is, for our own sins. The second for the wretchedness and misery of this world. The third is, for the compassion of our neighbour. The fourth is for the pleasure of the celestial, and heavenly reward. He wept for his sins that said, I will 
Psal. 〈◊〉.  wash my bed every night, and with my tears, I will weet the coverlet of my bed. And again bewailing the misery of this wretched world, he said. Alas I am in great sorrowfulness, for 
Psal. cxix.  why my labour, that is my life is prolonged, and in these my wretchedness I dwell not among good men, but among sinners, the which are understanded by this word cedar, my soul hath been very long absent from god Also the good lord wept through pite and compassion upon Lazarus, 
Luke. nineteeen.  and upon the city of Jerusalem, saying, for if thou haddest known the time of the visitation. etc. And S. Paul commandeth, 
Roma. twelve.  that we should rejoice with those that are in joy, and weep with those that weep, and being in great heaviness he said. Who is sick, and I am 
 not sick. And they that are good just men weep for joy of the ●eward of life everlasting, rehearsing the words of David saying. We sat upon the floods of 
psal cxxxvi  Babylon, & wept, when we remembered the Zion, that is, when we remember our celestial reward. This present life is but death, for it is full of misery & wretchedness the which things are not in heaven, but only in this present life, the which is never at home, but always as vanished, for being in this world we be never in the city, but wandering abroad, and as strangers (as it is written) 
Hebre. xiii.  we have no perpetual demore in this world, but we seek & search for a place that is to come, that is for heaven. Therefore good sister first above all thing, I would you should bewail your sins, secondarily the wretchedness of this world thirdly your neighbour & fourthly for the love of the celestial reward. Honest virgin look you pray to god with good devotion desiring him to give you true compunction of mind and of heart contrition, for compunction causeth god to be with us, as he himself sayeth, I and my father will come to him that 
Iohn. xiiii.  hath compunction, and we will tarry with him. Where is moche weeping and wailing, there are lightly no evil thoughts, and if peradventure at some time they approach nigh, yet they take no rote, and therefore they can not abide, long weeping causeth a man to have good confidence in God. hearken good sister unto gods own words. Stand up good daughter, and 
Canti. two.  come unto me, for truly winter is go and passed, the flowers begin to appear, and the time of lopping is come, for we have hard the voice of the turtle in our country, that is to say, the voice of the preachers, and of the apostles, are hard in god's church. This turtle is a very chaste bird, whose custom is, to build her nest in high trees, and by her, is signified the apostles and other good doctors, which may say, our inhabitance and dwelling place, is in heaven, the which turtle rather mourneth than singeth, whose mourning doth signify the tears and sorrowfulness of good saints, exhorting there friends to mourning and lamentation saying, be pitiful and mourn you. Therefore well-beloved sister taken an example by the turtle, and weep until you may see the lord in his high majesty it were better for you to weep for the love of chryst jesus, then to weep for the fear of hell. Thy cheeks are as fair as the turtle doves, the nature of the turtle is, that if by any occasion or chance she lose her mate, never to take no nother O Christ's spouse, follow & be like the turtle, and look that beside christ jesus you take no nother spouse nor lover. Be like the turtle, & weep both day and night with the desire of christ jesus your lover, for he is now ascended to heaven, where you may see him sit upon the right hand of his father. Your cheeks are as goodly as the turtylles, honest shame fastness is wont to be showed, and appear in the cheeks, you have the cheeks of the turtle, if for your spouse christ jesus sake, you do nothing against his will, you have the cheeks of turtle, if you have no nother lover than christ jesus: that is to say, if you love no nother creature more than him, and all other for the love of him: you have the turtylles cheeks, if for the love and reverence of GOd, you leave of all things that should displease him Therefore good sister bewail & wheshe out your sins, and wheshe them with compunction and many fold tears wheshe away your neglygenses, and your manifold transgressions with continual tears, obtain by compunction and wailing the remission of your sins, & be sorrowful & often sighings find the means to obtain and possess joy ever lasting, bewail your iniquites bewail the horribilnes of your sins, and by great lamentation call them to memory, and all to besprinkle them with the abundance of water, and with continual and bitter tears, deface them with continual deploration, and with manifold tears wheshe out, that you have done by iniquity and against god's laws, for if you lament not your sins in this world, when shall you say these words. Good lord you have received and laid my tears before you, if you bewail not your iniquity in this 
Psal. four.  world, when shall you say. My tears have been to me as bread, both by night and by day.  
Therefore Christ's spouse I monish, 
Psal. xli.  and exhort you to bewail your sin in this mortal life, that you may be comforted in heaven, for it is written, fortunate be 
Luke. vi. Math. v.  they that weep in this world, for they shallbe comforted.    

Of heaviness the xi Cham  
THe lord sayeth/ 
Iohn. xuj.  Amen amen, this is god's oath, & his manner of swearing, as though he would say I swear unto you, that you shall weep, but the world shall rejoice, you shallbe very heavy but your heaviness shall be turned into great joyfulness and pleasure, and Solomon saveth, a merry 
Provet. xv  heart, causeth a merry countenance, a heavy spirit is dejected in to the heaviness of the soul. A joyful heart and mind maketh a man lusty, but a heavy spirit, 
●●o. xvii  drieth up man's bones, good child make no strife, nor no contradiction in good things, and in all thing that is given you, look you use no angry nor no evil words, for tribulation is the heaviness of the heart, and the joyfulness of the heart, is man's life, a troublous mind engendereth heaviness, but a wise man will resist it, by heaviness cometh death, heaviness doth altar the force and strength of man's heart, but a merry and a light heart engendereth health, heaviness drieth up man's bones. And the holy man Athanasius, sayeth, that a heavy and a melancolius person, is evermore malitius, and causeth the holy ghost given unto him by GOd, to be heavy, as S. paul sayeth. 'Cause 
Ephe. iiii.  not the holy ghost, that is in you to be heavy, by whom you are marked in the day of redemption.  
Therefore good sister take good heed you 'cause not the holy ghost being and dwelling in you to be heavy, lest he leave you, & depart from you, put all manner of doubt, and all high myndefullnesse from you. For they do 'cause the holy ghost to be in care, & heaviness, therefore leave of all heaviness, for heaviness is sister both unto doutefulnes & high myndefulnes, verily secular heaviness is of all evil spirits the very worst, & very noyful to god's servants, secular heaviness hurteth, & feblished the servants of god the holy ghost can not away in no manner of means with bodily heaviness Therefore good sister order yourself so that you may be evermore in spiritual gladness & joyfulness, the which god alloweth greatly, all spiritual gladness is good, and thinketh upon nothing but that good is, despising all vain and worldly heaviness, if spiritual mirth were not good, the Prophet David 
Psal. xxxi.  would not say, be you merry, and joyful in God, and you that are just men, rejoice you, and you that are right hearted men glorify 
Psal. lxiii.  yourselves in god, and again The just man shall be merry in god and shall put all his trust in him, and all that are right hearted men shall be rejoiced and comforted.  

¶ The sisters demand  
O Good brother, if heaviness be so evil & noyful to god's servants as you make it, how chanceth it then, that Solomon 
Eccle. seven.  sayeth, that a wise man's heart & mind is where is heaviness, and a foles' heart, where is joy and mirth.   

The brother's answer.  
Worshipful sister, these words of SAlomon, a wise man's heart is where is heaviness, and the foolish man's heart, where is mirth, and joy, are to be understanded only of spiritual heaviness, and worldly joy, as though he would say more plainly, a wise man's heart & mind is there, where is spiritual and ghostly heaviness. And the heart of a foie is there, where is worldly mirth and joy, they are wise, that are in ghostly heaviness, but they are very fools, that are in worldly joy. And of this thing speaketh the lord 
Luke. x  saying, be you glad and merry for your names are written in heaven. And saint Paul sayeth, 
〈◊〉. Lor. vi.  be as though you were heavy, but trusting and rejoicing evermore in god. And again he sayeth, be you merry in god, I say again, be you merry in god, so it followeth then, that spiritual joy 
Philip. ●iii  is very good and comfortable.  
But the sorrowfulness that cometh by the covetousness of worldly goods is very evil, of spiritual heaviness you have in the 
Math. vi. Luke. vi.  gospel: blessed be they that weep for they shallbe comforted: and of 
Ecclesi. thirty  worldly and secular heaviness Solomon sayeth. heaviness hath been many a man's death, and hath no manner of utility ne profete in it: and of spiritual joy David sayeth, his heart that seeketh 
Psal. ciii●.  god, shall be in joy, of the worldly joy, it is written. Out 
Luke. vi.  upon you that laugh and be merry now, for you shall wale & weep Yet good sister listen unto saint Paul's words, saying, that 
two. Cor. seven  such spiritual heaviness bringeth a man to penanunce, and that worldly heaviness bringeth a man to death.  
His prayer that is evermore in heaviness is of no virtue, nor ascendeth not up to GOD, for who so ever he be that appeareth heavy to the holy ghost, his prayer is not acceptable, but feeble, and not able to ascend unto god, wherefore leave all heaviness, leave of to be heavy, set all heaviness apart, give not youreself to heaviness, continued not in heaviness, set not your heart & mind upon heaviness, heaviness is one of the seven principal vices, & therefore gods servants should clearly and utterly avoid, and fly it. Whereupon the holy. S Isedore sayeth, if you have loved well and mercifully, you shall never be heavy, for a good life is always in joy and gladness.  
Therefore honest virgin avoid all heaviness, for as the moth consumeth the gown, and as the worm gnaweth asundre and consumeth the wood, so doth heaviness noye & hurt man's heart. Therefore purge your mind from all worldly mournefulnes, and so shall your oration & prayer be acceptable unto God, weep for your sins, and rejoice in the love of god, bewail your mysfautes when you remember them, and rejoice in the hope of the celestial and eternal reward be sorry for your sins and negligences, and merry that GOd hath promised you to come to heaven, be heavy for such things as you have misdone, and glad of the eternal reward, to the which I desire and pray god to guide and to bring you.    

Of the love of god the xii. Chap.  
THe lord sayeth, 
Iohn. xv.  he that loveth me, will keep my commandments, and my father shall love him, and we will come unto him and devil with him. And saint johan sayeth. We love god 
1. john, iiii  for he hath first loved us, he the loveth god shall pray for the forgiveness of his sins, and take heed he fall no more. My well beloved sister, love almighty god, and call unto him for help for the love of God, is the very life, and his hatred very death. God will not be beloved only with word, but with heart and good works, he loveth not god that dispyseth his commandments, the mind of him that loveth God is not in earth, but in heaven, and evermore desiring of celestial and heavenly things. Good sister I exhort you to love God above all thing. We should rather love GOD, than our friends, why so? For he hath created and made both us and them with his own hands, that is, through his own proper virtue and power as it is written. 
psal. x 〈…〉   
He hath made us, and not we have made ourself. Also he hath given us greater gifts, than either father or mother did and therefore we aught to love him above them. It is a great fooly to love any thing more than GOD, yea he sinneth greatly that loveth any creature more than GOD, he is in great arrour that preferth the love of any creature above the love of GOd, and therefore God must be beloved above all thing. O honest virgin, I pray you to say thus by chryst jesus with love 
Canti. two.  and dilection. My well-beloved god, of whom I am greatly beloved, the which pastorth among the liles until it be day, that is, as long as it is day, and till the clouds go downwards, that is, until the cloud of this present life, suage and avoid, and that the day appear, that is, until the clearness of the spiritual beatitude & bliss doth appear. It is a point of justice to love god with all your heart, and willingly to cleave unto him. And to love the sovereign goodness is sovereign beatitude, he that loveth god is good. If he be good, he must needs be blessed, & how much more a man loveth god, so much the more he is blessed. Dilectation and love is the proper virtue of saints, I have said these things unto you, to th'intent that the love of this transitory world, should not separate you from god And herewith I pray you to tell and to declare unto us somewhat of the love of your spouse christ jesus. My 
Canti. 〈◊〉.  lover is unto me as a handful or a sheaf of myrrh, he resteth upon my pappꝭ. Declare this thing a little more plainly to us, that we may the better understand it. My lover (I say) is unto me as a little sheaf of myrrh, he shall rest betwixt my paps, the place of a man's heart is betwixt the pappꝭ, that is to say, the memory, 
Canti. i  the dilection, the love of christ jesus shallbe evermore in my heart And whether it be in prosperity, or in adversity, I will evermore call and reduce to my memory all the goodness that he showed me, for he hath loved me, and suffered his death for me, and is ascen did to heaven, to th'intent I should come unto him. He doth daily call me, saying. Leave the world my spouse, come unto me and you 
Canti. iiii.  shallbe crowned. The left hand of my lover and spouse, is under my head, that is to say, the gift of the holy ghost rests in me in this present life, and I would the understanding of holy scripture were in my mind that I might love him & know him perfitly. His right hand shall in brayce me, that is, he shall 
Canti. 〈◊〉  convey and bring me to eternal life & bliss. O good sister say thus unto the handemaydes of GOD, underset me with flowers, underbolster me with appelles, 
Can. two.  for why, I consume away in the love of my spouse christ jesus. O my holy sisters, the love God above all thing, and prefer 
Can. two  no worldly thing above his most sweetest love, uphold me by your good examples, & show me how I may find my lover christ jesus, for I am sick for the love of my spouse. This love is sweet, this sickness is very holy, this dilection is chaste, this conjunction is intemerate, this copulation is inviolate, this embracing is with out any spot of sin.  
O my holy sisters sustain me with the flowers of your good examples & of your holy converfation, for I am sick for the love of my spouse. verily you keep your bed of contemplation for his sake, if you love him above all things, verily you are sick for god sake, if you esteem that is celestial above that is earthly, verily you consume and waste away in the dilection and love of chryst and in your bed of inward dilection and sweetness, if you be strong in holy operations and works, & feeble in worldly work and operation. Good sister, if you love christ with all your heart, nor prefer nothing above his love, you shall be with him in great joy in the kingdom of heaven, if you follow God with all your mind, and love him with all your heart, without any doubt, you shall be with him in heaven, and follow him with other holy virgins whether soever he go. If you cleave unto god with all devotion, and with great desire do sith in this present world to come unto him, without doubt you shall be with him in great joy, and pleasure in the high palece of heaven, and with other holy virgins you shall sing to his laud and praise, holy songs, and devout hymns, as it is written in the cantykels. Thou that art 
Can. i●  nuryshed among the lilees, environed and compassed with the companes of virgins, glorifyenge your spouses with glory, and giving them great rewards, and gifts, whethersoever you go the virgins do follow you, and singing behind you, they beset you, and delight and comfort you with many fold sweet songs and hymns, that is, with deep love, and devout prayer. O well-beloved sister let nothing be sweet unto you, but only christ jesus, require no nother love but his only, love no nother man's beutefulnes but his only and look you weep and wail to come to his love, and until you may see him sit upon the right hand of his father.   

Of the love of thy neighbour the xiij chap  
My well-beloved sister, hearken what the lord sayeth to his 
Iohn. xiii.  disciples. Men shall know that you are my disciples if one of you do love another. Whereof followeth this good learning, that who so will be & intends to be Christ's disciple, must endeavour himself to love his neighbour as himself: neyghbourly love causeth no harm for the consummation of the law, is dilection and love. And saint Paul sayeth. Walk so in love, as god hath 
Roma. xiii  loved us, & delivered himself for us. And saint johan sayeth 
i Iohn. two.  He that loveth his brother, is in the light, and there is no shame in him. He that hateth his brother is in darkness, and knoweth not weather he goeth, for the darkness hath blinded him. Who so ever sayeth that he loveth god, & hateth his brother, he lieth falsely, & there is no truth in him, and this is god's commandment, that he that loveth god must love his brother. For 
i Iohn. iiii prover xvii  how shall he love god whom he seethe not, that loveth not his brother, whom he seethe? And salomon sayeth a friend is always in love, and a man's brother is proved in necessity. And S. austin saith. A man is overcomed by human felicity, and the deveil by loving of our enemy. But yet good sister among god's servants must be no carnal love, but only spiritual love. There is nothing more acceptable to god, than the virtue of love, nor nothing that the devil desireth more them to quinche charity, good spiritual love containeth nor hath no shame in itself. And look you think every good faithful man, to be your brother and remember that one workman made us all, true love hath no bitterness of shame by loving of your neighbour, you shall learn and know how to come to the love of god, and as love doth elevate man's mind, so doth malice and hatred depress it, you can never love GOd truly and as you aught to do, with out your neighbour, nor your neighbour without god, you have them true charity, if you love your friend in god, and your enemy for God's sake, and the more large and fervent you are in the love of your neighbour, the more higher shall you be in the love and favour of god. If you love your neighbour truly, your mind is in tranquillity and rest, he that hateth his neighbour, is beset and compassed with darkness and envy, by loving of your neighbour, you shall purge the eye of your heart and mind, & see god the better. Yet good sister I would you should love no man carnally, whereupon sayeth saint Isydore. That man (saith he) is very deep in earth, that loveth any mortal ma● more than he should do, we cannot be in god company if we love not one another. A friend is known in time of nicessite. If we keep God's commandments, we must love our neighbour as oureselfe, and if a man love his brother without dissimulation, he shall soon please the father of heaven. He that loveth his neighbour, can not commit murder, adultery, theft, perjure, nor bear false witness, nor have any enviousness or strife in him. Therefore good sister let us evermore think upon the love of GOD, and of our neighbour, in the which 
Math. xxil  two, dependeth all the law and Prophets, and let us do so indeed, for if we can be sorry for our neighbour when we see him in tribulation, or sickness, in any loss, or in prison, than we be of Chrystes church, but if we be not sorry for him, we be even as people separated from christ, and his congregation.  
For as long as any part of man is adherent, and joined to the body, so long it sufferth with the body, but after it be cut of, it can not feel, nor nor suffer, if a man's hand, or foot, or any otherpart of his body be cut from the body or if it be divided in many partis, or cast into 
Cor twelve.  the fire, the for said hand or foot, feeleth nothing, because it is divided from the body, so in like manner it is with all such Christians, the which are nothing sorry for their neighbours tribulation, loss, or necessity, but rather reioyleth therein, such a neighbour is divided from the body of the church, and is none of Christ's flock. Honest virgin if we keep true and perfit charity, we must needs love all faith full people as ourself, for through such concord, charity, and true dilection we shall appear with him in his glory. We love our friends if we love them for god's sake, & not for their own sake. Whereupon sayeth S. Isodore, he that intemperately and immoderately loveth his friend, loveth him more for his own sake, then for God's sake. And who so despiseth his friend smit ten with adversity, doth contrary to the justice, and goodness of god, trewlove by no manner of occasion can be defaced, nor lost at no time, for how soever the world goeth it remaineth steadfast. But there be very few that charitably do continued in friendship, and that is reputed to be true love, that only requireth of his friend, his good benevolence, that is, love for love. Therefore I exhort you, to love your friends in god, that is in all goodness, and in like manner your enemies for God's sake, as it is written. love your enemies and do good to them that hate you. And if your enemy be an hungerde, give him meat, if he be a thirst, give him drink 
Luke. vi. Roma, twelve.  And again, bless and say well by them, that trouble you, bless them, but speak no evil by them Dilection is charity, charity was never without dilection, nor dilection or love without charity. Therefore good virgin dilection and love is very necessary, out of the which do spring many great virtues, Dilection hath two wings, the right wing is the love of god, the left wing is the love of our neighbour, there is no man that can fly to heaven with one wing alone, for the love and dilection of god without the dilection and inter love of our neighbour helpeth nor availeth not to come to heaven nor the love of our neighbour without the love of God prevaileth not to come to eternal beatitude. wise and prudent virgin take these two wings unto you, that is the love of GOD and the love of your neighbour, for so without any impediment or let you shall fly, and come to the celestial kingdom of heaven   

Of compassion the xiv. Chapter  
MY well-beloved sister, listen what the lord christ jesus 
Math. seven Luke. vi.  sayeth. All such goodness as you would other men should do to you, look you do it unto them And s, Paul sayeth, be merry with those that are merry, & weep & be 
Rom. twelve.  sad with those that be sad. And 
i Thes. five prover xiiii  again, receive the poor man unto you, & be patiented with every man. And Solomon sayeth, he that despiseth his neighbour doth sin, keep your promise with your neighbour in his poverty, and rejoice in his prosperity, be faithful to your neighbour in his tribulation, he that maketh a hole to deceive his neighbour shall fall in to it. And he that prepareth a lake for his neighbour shall perish in it, of the which thing speaketh the Prophet David 
Psal. seven  saying. He hath opened the lake and the dyche, and is fallen into it, he doth not perfitly love his neighbour, that doth not sunccoure and help him in his necessity, how much the more we secure & help our neighbours in there necessity & poverty, so moch the more we approach unto god, we should so care for ourself, that we forget not our neighbour. Wherefore good sister look what thing you would not that should chance to yourself, you shall not delyre it may chance and happen to your neighbour. Be sorry for poor strangers and enforce yourself to be sorry and to weep for other men's losses and damages.  
Be heavy for other men's tribulation, and be sick with those that be sick, bewail other men's pains and heaviness, as your own. Weep with those that weep be to all other, as you would they should be to you, do not the thing to another, that you would not another should do to you, forgive other as you would be for given, if you see your enemy in misfortune, rejoice not in his adversity, nor in your adversires' death, lest any such mischance should fortune unto yourself, be not glad of your enemies fall, lest god turn his anger upon you, misfortune shall soon fall upon him that rejoiceth in his enemies adversity, let us therefore be loving to the misfortunate, let us sorrow & take compassion upon the poor, let us have mercy upon the wretched, if your enemy be a hungerd give him meat, if he be a thrust, give him drink despise not the poor, nor the 
Rom. xiii  poor orphalines, be no occasion of heaviness to no man, let no man departed from you in sorrowfulness, visit the syckman and comfort so the week, that you may have gods aid and comfort, in the kingdom of heaven.   

¶ Of mercy the xu cap.  
Well-beloved sister hearken what GOd 
Math. v.  sayeth. blessed be they, that are merciful, for they shall have and obtain mercy. And again, be you merciful, for your 
Luke. vi.  father of heaven is merciful.  
And Saint Paul sayeth, be you good and merciful one to another, & cloth you with this virtue of mercy as the elect children 
Ephe. iiii.  of god. Solomon sayeth, the pity & 
Pro. xxi.  justice pleaseth god much more, then doth sacrifice, mercifulness prepareth a place for man after his merits and deservings, the pite and mercy that man hath, is but only for himself, & his neighbour, but the mercy of god is upon every man, to be mercy full is as it were a sacrifice unto god, it is called mercy, because it should have pite and compassion upon another man's misery and wretchedness. For he that will not be pitiful unto other, shall never find ne obtain the mercy of god. Therefore good sister look that justice, & pite be ever more in your sight, never leave of to be merciful for if you be merciful to other, you shall do yourself great good He that is pitiful unto other, shall find god merciful unto himself. Good sister bestow such things as you have, in works of mercy, and show mercifulness without any grudge or murmuration, for your works shallbe esteemed after your intention. Where is no benevolence, there is no mercy, and take heed you do your good deeds mercifully, and not for vain glory, do nothing for worldly laud ne praise, but only to obtain joy and reward everlasting, do nothing for any temporal opinion, but for celestial remuneration, do nothing for worldly name and fame, but to conquer and get life everlasting, to the which almighty GOd bring you my good sister.  
Amen   

Of the examples of saints the xuj Chap.  
THe good examples of saints, are very necessary and profitable for the amendment of christian people. And therefore good sister there mysfautes and sins, and likewise there good amendment are written, that we most wretched sinners should not fall in to desperation, but rather hope & trust after our fall to amend ourself by penance, considering through the great goodness of god to what amendment, & joy these blessed saints after there fall be comen unto. And therefore god to our example hath opened there good virtues, that following of them and doing as they have done, we may obtain the celestial kingdom of heaven, but if we follow not the steps of there pain and penance in this world, we can not be eccused from such pains as we have meritoriously deserved.  
The holy saints for the time they were in this world, never seized to occupy themself in good works, as in fasting, almis deed, chastity, continence, longanimity, patience, prayer, persecution, benevolence, hunget, thrust, cold, going bore, & in manifold other good works for god sake The blessed saints despised the world, to conquer & get the kingdom of heaven, nor being in this world they have not taken nor yet received the wretched promises & miserable riches thereof, the which bring them to the torments & pains of hell, the miss use them but with all their intention and will they have forsaken this miserable world, lifting up their eyes to hierusalem that heavenly mansion. These blessed men have avoided sin, both in word & deed, in thought in sight, in hearing, in moving there eyes, and there hands, in anger, in going, in scolding, in fury, in dissension, in vain glory, in pride, in elation, in covetousness, in gluttony, in tomochslepe in fornication, in violence. And to save both body and soul, they have fasted two manner of ways Two abstain from delicate meats is very good, but yet to abstain from vice, is much better, of the which to our mother the holy church sayeth. My hands have distilled myrrh, what 
Canti. u  signify the hands but the good works of blessed saints, and what other thing betokeneth the myrrh, but the mortification of the flesh, and the mortification of vices, the hands of the church are the holy and blessed saints of heaven, the which do, & have done many good deeds, of the which saint Paul sayeth, they have done good works, and the hands of the church have distylled the myrrh of good works for they have showed examples of good living, and of mortifying the flesh, of the which one of them sayeth, if you live after the appetite of the flesh, you shall 
Rom. viii.  die, and again. You that are in the world, mortify your membres, that is to say, you that are dead in soul through vicious living, mortify your members, that is your body, the which hath many members. And again the church sayeth. My fingers 
Can. two.  are full of myrrh most approved, then truly it is myrrh most approved, when the flesh is perfetely mortified: and all manner of vice and sin clean set a side & removed. Therefore well-beloved sister, if we desire the society and fellowship of saints, it is requisyted we follow there examples, but if we sign, we have no manner of means how to excuse it, why so? For the law & the commandments of God do daily exhort us to live well, and the examples of good holy fathers, do daily incite and provoke us to do well. And if peradventure we at any time be prompt & ready to follow those, & there examples that are nought, why be we not much more ready & diligent to follow the examples of those that are good? Let us therefore good sister pray unto almighty god, that such holy virtues as he hath prepared to the salute & coronation of his saints, be not to our damnation, but to our salvation & profit, for we doubtless believe, that if we follow there good examples, that after this mortal and transitory life, we shall reign with them in everlasting bliss.  
And how much the more we read there holy lives not following there good example, so much the more we shall be blamed & found faulty O honest virgin I beseech god almighty, to grant you the virtue of the holy fathers. That is the humility of chryst jesus, the devotion of saint Peter, the charity of saint Iohn, the obedience of Abraham, the patience of Isaac the tolerance of jacob, the chastity of joseph, the mansuetude and sweetness of Moses, the constancy of joshua, the benignity of Samuel, the mercy of David, the abstience of Daniel, and the other good deeds of our fore fathers, the after this wretched & mortal life, you may come to their blessed company. O good virgin consider I pray you, with what moderation, with what intention, with what compunction Christ's servants have pleased him? Of the which thing in Christ's person, it is written in the canticles. 
Canti. seven.  O kiges daughter, how goodly are your goings in your prynsely shoes. The Lord through his divine power is lord of all creatures, and therefore our holy mother the church, is called his daughter, for by holy and devout preaching, he hath reduced her to a new manner of living. And what other thing is understanded by the shoes of the church, but only the examples of saints, by the which she is defended, and by there aid passeth over all worldly tribulation. Good sister we do then put on our shoes spiritually, when we accept the good examples of holy fathers, for by following of them, we may over come all worldly temptations.  
And again it is written in the 
Canti. vi.  cantycles. I went down in to a garden, to look upon the appelles of the vales, and to know whether the vines were flourished or not, and weather the poone Garnettes were sprung or no.  
The wines do flourish, when we return to Chrystes church, to his faith and to good and holy conversation grounded upon good works, the poone Garnettes do spring, when that perfit good men, through the examples of there good works, edify their neighbours in virtue, and when that be good living, good works, & holy predication they reduce them to holy conversation. Wherefore my spiritual friend I exhort you, that as long as you shall live, that your good examples, and good living may iluminate all other, for as sayeth saint Gregory. They that hide there good living are as touching themself well inflamed, but they give no light to no nother, but they that by examples of virtue, by good living, by goodly sermons, declare & show to other the ways of salvation, for they are the burning lamps, they show to other the ways of salvation. Of the which thing the lord sayeth. Let your light 
Math. v.  that is your good works, glister and shine in the sight of men, that they may see them, and glorify your father that is in heaven, for all glory should be only attributed & given to god. Yet nevertheless good virgin I counsel you so to open & so to manifest your good workis to y●, profit of your neighbour, the your intemcyon be ever more close and secret in god, & that you look for no worldly praise, for it is but vain.  
And as I have showed you before, in all your actions, in all your works, and in all your conversation, you shall follow the blessed saints, having continually there noble, and virtuous examples before you, conterfeting and following them and accepting them as a glass of good and godly learning, mark and consider well there virtues for following of them, you may do well, understand there good doctrines to live well, for in so doing nothing shall stain, nor yet defile our life, nor no evil opinion shall bring you to any sorrow or heaviness, learn to shine by good manners, have good witness in you keep your good name, and beware in any wise it be not defiled with the dark spots of sin, nor imbrued with any other opprobryusnesse or villainy.   

Of contention and strife the xvij chap.  
Saint paul the Apostle sayeth. When 
i Cor. iii  there is envy and contention among you, you walk as men, and you are carnal. And Solomon 
Pro. xiii.  sayeth, among proud men there is always strife and debate, a evil person is always seeking for contention & strife, and the evil angel is sent against him. He that goeth by ioperdus ways, is soon down, and he that is evermore at debate and words with his neighbour cometh very soon to shame, all such as have this goodly virtue commended unto us by christ, called mansuetude neither speaketh, nor doth evil to no manner giveth no evil examples, but doth for every man. All such as have this goodly virtue be never contentius, nor love neither debate, nor strife. Few or none do love those that are continually in strife & contention. And therefore peace and concord is very necessary for all men. O dear sister hearken unto saint Austin's saying, O how irreprehensible shall we be, if we would be as diligent to amend our own vices, & sin, as we be to correct other men's? But if we take good heed we may soon spy and correct many of our own faults. I would you should know, that there is nothing more unhonest, then is strife & contention among us Christians, the which should be in concord love & unite, and no nother wise shine and glister in this world, than the stars in the firmament. contention is wont to proceed of envy and detraction, but if contention, debate, and strife, be among us Christians, where is charity, then where is peace and unity, where is brothely concord, and lowlyfelowshyp. Alas, alas. all these things are come to naught, fraternal charity is greatly dimynyshed & debated if they the should live in peace beginonce to strive and stroggell, where is all quietnesses, all honest all modestiusnesse become, where is then (I pray you) the contemplative and the angelical life? verily there can be no perfect peace, where slanderous tongues do rule, there can be no perfect charity where strife and debate doth reign.  
Therefore good sister take heed I pray you, that you loose not your time & your labour, by such contention & strife. Look that you loose not by such detraction & contention the heavenly promises.  
Beware that by light & foolish communication you lose not the ever lasting joy of heaven, refrain your tongue, & you shall be counted a good christen woman, for if you refrain not your tongue, you can not be religious. Hear what S james sayeth. If any man believe 
jam. i  he be religious, the is, of Christ's religion, & refraineth not his tongue, but seduceth his own heart and mind, his religion is but vain, the tongue is but a small part & member of man, yet if it be not well brydylde and well ruled, it corrupteth all the body. For as a little dow destrueth the hole mass, & as a little fire 
james. three,  burneth a hole forest, so the unruled tongue putteth both lord, master, & subject, to rebuke & shame, & provoketh them to anger, if the contemciꝰ tongue be unbridled, there is noman that can live in peace, for a debateful tongue is full of venom, and poison, and if it be not moderated and chasted, it shall bring his friends & fellows to shame. Good sister it shall be for your great utility & profit to charm your tongue from evil, & your lippis from all fraud & deceit, consider from whence & wherefore you are come You are come from the world to god's tents, you have refused all worldly riches, and are come he there to obtain the riches of heaven, and for this cause willingly you have choose wilful poverty, therefore you must now utterly forget all such things as you have left and forsaken for god's sake. And therefore take good heed you prefer not yourself above all other, & the higher & greater you be, the more look you do humble yourself in all thing, and leave these conventicles of conspiration and detraction, listen to no murmuration eschew and avoid these slanderous people as poison, for they infect them, that give them audience, he that bacbyteth and slandereth man, and he that willingly, and gladly doth hear him, be both in sin. Honest virgin hearken what the psalmist sayeth. I have not been 
Psal. twenty-five.  sayeth he, in the counsel of vanity, nor I meddyll/ nor am not among those that do iniquity. Wherefore good virgin look you sit not with the counsel of vanity, nor meddle not with them, that speak of iniquity. Nor you shall not strive nor contend in no cause, for contention ingenderth debate, contention taketh away the tranquillity and peace of the mind, contention ingenderth strife, contention kindeleth the fire brandꝭ of hatred contention breaketh all concord, contention (as David sayeth) troubeleth the eye 
Psal. iii  of the soul. My fure (sayeth he) troubeleth mine eye. Wherefore I warn and exhort you, to contend, and strive only, how you may please almighty god.   

¶ Of discipline and correction. xviii. Chap.  
THe wise man salomon sayeth. My 
Prover i  son (sayeth he) hearken unto my discipline, 
Pro. i●●i.  and forsake not thy mother's laws, that grace may come to thine head, and a goodly chain to thy neck keep discipline and for sake it not? Keep it well for it is thy mother: receive discipline & refuse it not, he is but a very fool that refuseth correction, he that setteth little by good monitions & correction doth are very sore, he that dyspreyseth discipline and correction is in great sin.  
And who so will not keep and regard correction shall perish. He that setteth little by correction, shallbe always in necessity, shame, and poverty. He that will here him that correcteth him shall come to glory, a fool regardeth very little his father's correction, but he that keepeth and taketh heed to correction is reputed to be wise: a word among wise men doth more than a hundred stripes among fools. He that is wise & corrigible shall never be myscontente with him that correcteth him. And yet castigation must be used moderately, whereof saint Ambrose says, he that is menely and gently corrected beareth reverence and giveth thanks unto his corrector, but he that is violently and without measure chasted and corrected, is never the better. They must be gently supported and born that by infirmity and feebleness cannot be corrected. And after the difference & quality of the misdoer, some must be corrected, and some other gently and lovingly supported. The prelate's of the church should support and be●e with those they do correct, and correct and chasten all such as comfort them in sin. And therefore Solomon sayeth, that under the pyllers of god's temple, he caused Lions o●en and cherubins to be made What other thing betoken these 
〈…〉 gum. three Can. vi.  Images, but the prelate's of the church, for all such as take upon them to govern & to rule, are as the foundation of pyllers, to support & bear that, that shall be laid & set upon them. Cherubin is as much to say, as the fullness of ꝑfytenes of science & lernig, so that the cherubins declare that the foresaid prelate's should be full and perfit in the celestial science. Be the Lion is signified the fear of severity and punishment, and be the ox is declared patience in all sweetness & gentleness, be the Cherubins is signified that the foundation should be perfit in science, nor the lions are not graved & set without the oxen, nor yet the oxen without the lions, for the prelate's at sometimes should sharply and earnestly correct their subjects, and sometimes softly, sometimes be words sometimes by strokes. For he that is corrected be word and amendeth not, must needs be otherwise handled. verily such wounds and sores as can not be easily healed, nor without pain, must needs be healed with pain, he that is secretly & ameable warned, and regardeth it not, nor will not amend his faults must be openly corrected and before witness, that so the sore that could not be helped secretly, may be helped apertly and manifestly. For they that hurt their neighbour openly must be punished openly, that be such open punishment, they that ensued and followed there naughtiness, may the sooner be helped, & that the punishment of the one, may be the amendment of the other, for it is much better that one be punished for the salvation and safeguard of many, than that for one ungracious person, many should perish. And Saint Gregory saith, there are many that hearken diligently to their words that chasten and correcteth them. But nevertheless they return not to penance. Every man doth here of the joys of heaven, and it pleaseth them, but let them also here of the pains of hell to fere them, that if they return not to God for love, at lest way that they return unto him for fere. These are the words of saint I sydore, they that are good men receive correction and reprehension very gently. Good sister discipline is the thing that amendeth all faults, the which ought not to be abjected.  
And therefore we be bound to love our prelate's and other our superyours and to accept there words gentylly, for be their correction and castigation they take away our will and cupidity from us, and of these prelate's it is written in the canticles. The keepers of the city have found me, they have beaten me, and wounded me, and they have taken away my cloak, be the keepers 
Canti. u  of the walls and watchmen, we understand the prelate's and such as keep and defend the state of our holy mother the church, the which also do find out the devout soul, and be there preaching strike & wound her with the love of Chrystes charity: neither doth this suffice them but they also take away her cloak from her; that is, all temporal substance, & earthly delectatio, that so they may sand her (free from worldly riches & sin) to the kingdom of Heaven.  
Wherefore dear sister in christ, it is very fit that we love our prelate's so that we may receive from them the dycypline of our salvation, according to the counsel of King David saying Apprehended discipline lest 
Psal. 2●  sometime the Lord be wrath, & y● perish out of the just way. It is expedient that we embrace discipline. If he that receive it not shall perish out of the right way: doubtless he shallbe confirmed in the just way that recevyeth discipline.  
Now therefore venerable sister I monish you that you wittyngly accept discipline, that you may be freed from the anger of God almigntye & confirmed in the just way. give him many thanks that shall chastise you. If your Abbess, or Prioress shall reprehend you for your good, be not grieved: & when they shall show you the way of salvation, listen wittyngly unto their doctrine: when any one seeketh to advance you in the spiritual course which you have undertaken, be not rebellious towards him. Love them that shall reprehend you for your offences revile not them that rebuke you: neither tender evil for good, ne answer churlishly to good instructions: tender not unto them cross words for their courteous admonitions. And why so? For he that learneth discipline loveth wisdom, & therefore if you will love 
Pro. 12  discipline you will become wise & prudent, if you will patiently endure chiding, you will become patient, if you endure correction humbly. Honest virgin, for this cause we are chastised of our Lord & of our superiors in this life: that with the world we be not damned. It is far better for us to be corrented in this life by our superiors for our negligences, then to be damned in that life to come. It is better for us to be chastised now for our transgretions & faults them to be punished in the next world. It is better for you to be scourged by the hand of your Abbess, then to endure eternal sorrow & anguish. It is better for you to be chastised by the hand of your Abbess them to sustain those torments that are endless, those torments that shall never cease, those torments internal which shall last for ever. It is better for you to be temporal lie scourged with twigs by the hand of your Abbess or Priores them to be eternally scorched in those hellish flames. Fron which he vouchsafe to deliver you, who with his precious blood hath redeemed you.  
Amen.   

Of Obedience. Chap. nineteeen.  
My dear sister, hear the words of the Apostle S. Poule Let every soul be subject to the higher powers, for there is no power but of God. Those that are of God are ordained. To resist the power of god is to resist the ordinance of God, we should despise no man's power, whether he be of the church or of the world, for they be ordained of God. Therefore when so ever be inobedience we resist against our prelate's, we do injury unto almighty god, and when that be pride or be inobedience, we be rebellious and sturbburne against our superiors, we do against god's commandment, and as inobedyente personnes, we despise god saying, They that here you here me, that 
Luc. ix.  is to say, they that obey you obey me, and they that despise you, despise me. Good sister in God they that despise their prelates, despise god, & they that honour their platꝭ honour god, & they that be obedient to their prelate's, are obedient to god. The Prophet Samuel doth greatly praise obedience, saying, that obedience is much greater and much more acceptable to god, then is sacrifice 
i Reg. xv.  And to obey, is moche more acceptable, than to offer up the fat of sheep, for why, to repugue & not to will obey, nor accord to our superyoures, is reputed as Idolatry. Marry through pride and inobedience murmured against her brother Moses, and 
Annie. twelve.  by and by she was smitten with the leper. This Mary that rebelled against Moses that is against her prelate, doth signify the soul of every man, that by iobedyence and pride doth mumur against his prelate, to the which he will not obey, nor receive his good and wholesome precepts of salvation, and therefore it is smitten with the leper that is with stinking sin. And in like manner Chora, Dathan and Abyron, the which by pride and inobedience withstood Moses and Aron, were through the represumptyon punished as it is written by David. The earth 
Psal. cv.  did open and swallowed in Dathan, and closed itself upon the congregation of Abyron, and the fire burned their church and them. And when king Ozyas 
two. Para. xxvi.  be pride and inobedience took upon high to sense against god's law, intending to do sacrifice the Lord smit him with the leper in the forehead to learn him that he should have been a shamed of his foolish enterprise. And king Shall through his 
i Reg. xv.  inobedience lost his kingdom and was taken by his enemies. And the whale swallowed in the prophet jonas, the which fled his ways be inobedience, and keep him in the bottom of the See three days.  
Therefore we must take good heed we rebel not against our 
johan. i and. two. cap.  prelettes and our superyoures lest the Lord visit us and sharply punish us be them, for they are in his stead & place. Good sister the lord hath appointed & ordained the prelettes of the church with other rulers for our soul health, to provide for us, & to give high acoumpt of our demeanour, & to conserve & keep us from all sin & unthriftiness, of the which thing sait Paul writeth saying, Be obedient to your superyours, 
Heb. xiii.  and subject unto them, for they watch to give acountes for your souls The superiors & prelate's of the church should take heed & rule Christ's people with all solicitude and diligence, of the which thing it is written in the Canticles.  
Three score of the most strongest & valyanstes of all Israel, stood 
Canti. iii  about Salomons bed holding sword in their hands, & well appoint to fight, and every one had his sword hanging upon his thigh for the fere of the night The true Solomon is christ h● self for he is very peaceable, and hath made peace & concord betwixt god & man. By Salomon'S bed is understanded the congregation of faithful people with whom god doth devil & rest. The valiant and strong men which do compass about Salomons bed, be the prelate's of the church the which be reproving correcting, and exhorting of men to virtue, do compass and defend god's church against vice & other enemies, both visible and invisible: the which prelate's are therefore called strong, because they are or should be perfect in the observants of god's commandments holdyng● their sword in their hands, that is the word of god, for in their preaching they should repress the vice and sins of their subjects. And they are very well appointed 
i Ephe. seven  to war, for it is needful that they be always ready to withstand all spiritual battles. And they have their swourdes upon their thighs, that is they should first repress and correct themselves of all carnal and fleshly lust: and then their obediences and subjects. They do all this for the fear of the night that is against the secret temptations of the devil, the which in the night of this world doth prove, and attempt the foresaid prelate's very sore, to this intent, that after they have deceived them, they may the more easilyer bespot and defile the for said Solomon, that is the foresaid congregation of faithful people, & goods servants, in the which through grace, the true Solomon Christ jesus do the rest.  
Well-beloved sister I have declayred these things unto you because you should know that humbly we ought to obey our prelate's and superyours'. Obedience is the only virtue, that bringeth all other virtues to the soul, and when they be there it keepeth them there, of the which obedience the wise man sayeth Obedience is better than sacrifice. 
i Reg. xv.  For by sacrifice other strange flesh is devoured and slain, but by obedience a man's proper flesh and will is ruled. He that is obedient, speaketh of victory, for who so meekly 
Prover. xxi  is obedient to another man's word overcometh himself. Adam fell because he was inobedient, christ mounted up to heaven because he obeyed his father even to death, and as by Adam's inobedience, there are many sinners, so be the obedience of christ, there are many just men. And as by Adam's 
Rom. 〈◊〉  mysfaute and sin every man and woman is in the way of damnation, so by the justice of chryst every man is in the way of justification. And as the inobedience of our first father engendered death, so the obedience of christ engendered life.  
Therefore my sister, if for the love of god, you be obedient and buxum to your superyours, you shall obtain the kingdom of heaven, say nothing nor be never rebellious against them Look that in no case you speak aghast those that be ordered to rule you, honour those the are better than you in science, and in good living, honour every man as his good life doth require and deserve, do reverence to those that are in high degree, do them reverence after your possibylyte, be obedient to your elders, and humble at their commandment, give place to those that be in authority, and do condige service to your superyoures, be obedient to every man: in all good works and godly commandments.  
O Chrystes spouse, obey man so, that you offend not the will and pleasure of God, be never obedient in evil, be not obedient to him, that shall command you to do that is noughtes, nor never consent to evil deed, be obedient to no man in evil, of what power or authority so ever he be, notwithstanding he command you under pain of death, it were better to suffer death, than at any man's commandment to do evil, or again god's commandments, better it were to be hanged with all abomination and shame, then to be dampened etenally. We own our obedience to god only nor to no nother man, but only for his sake, our prelates & our superyours are in god's room, and for his sake, we be obedient unto them. Therefore good sister, look you be to them obedient, and god shall give you the crown of everlasting life.  
Amen.   

Of perseverance .. xx. cha.  
Weelbeloved Sister, hearken unto saint Hieromes words, Men do not seek among christen men for their beginynges, but for their end, and their continuance, Saint Paul begun but easesly 
〈◊〉. ix.  yet he made a good end, judas Skaryot began well, but 
Math. 27.  he made a shrow end judas beginning is allowed, but the end of his life is reproved. And sait Gregory says, the perseverance & continuance is the virtue of all good works, he laboureth in vain that beginneth well, and leaveth of, and saint Isydore sayeth, God doth not judge a man after his living in time paste, but after his end. For it is written as I find thee, so shall I judge the. And glorious saint Magdalane, 
Mar. xuj,  because she continued still seeking of christ, she after his resuscytatyon deserved to see him first of all other, it is also written in the Canticles. In my 
Canti. iii  little bed be night I sought him whom my soul doth love.  
Therefore I exhort you good virgin, to seek Christ jesus in your bed, that is in rest and quietness and in contemplation of the mind, and you shall seek him by night that is in this world, sything unto high & desiring him, that you may perfitly find high in time to come, & see high reign in his father's seat, seek him continually be good life, that you may see his blessed face, in the celestial kingdom of heaven.  
I pray you good sister to say with David: my soul is marvelously a thirst, that is it hath 
Psal. xli.  great desire to come to god the fountain of life. And when shall I go, and apere before the face of god. verily your soul doth desire god, if it love him above all thing, truly your soul doth desire god, if for his love, it despise all earthly things, certainly your soul doth desire god, and doth love him, if it desire to see him sitting in heaven upon the right hand of his father. And the prophet David exhorting us saith. Seek 
Psal. c. i●i●.  the Lord, and you shallbe confirmed, seek to come to his face, that is in prosperity & in adversity, in poverty and abundance, in sickness and health, in youth and in age, we should seek him, and axe for him, with all our mind, and all our intention, to be confirmed in all devouce and holy conversation, and if we covet to see him in the kingdom of heaven, we must cleanse ourself from all filthiness, for why at the day of the general resurrection, there shall no man come to eternal bliss, nor see the glory of his divine majesty, but they only, that are clean and pure both of mind and heart. The kingdom of heaven shall not be given to idle personnes, nor yet to no vagabonds, but to those only, that seek and demand it, and that enforce themself to get it, for the Lord saith. Axe and you 
Math. seven.  shall have, seek & you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you,  
Therefore we must go to the gates of heaven be good prayer, and seek them by good life, & knock at the gate, by perseverance & the continual service of God. Nor it is not sufficient to begin well, but we must study to begin well, and enforce ourself so to continue all the days of our life. For it were much better not to know justice, then 
two. Peter. two.  after a man knoweth it, not to follow it. And hereof sayeth the Lord.  
Such as put to and prepare 
Luke. ix.  their hands to do well, and after they have begun, look backwards, are not meet for the kingdom of heaven,  
Therefore good sister it is greatly necessary that we with great desire and affection do knock continually at god's ears, and that we never leave of to do well, until heaven gates be opened unto us, me thinketh that to continue still in god's service is an excellent virtue.  
For they that leave his service to be worldly, are made much blacker than coals, why so? For through a certain feebleness and unlustynes of mind, they are deed, and clean without the heat and fire of charity.  
And of such sayeth saint Isodore. They that return from a good life to an evil are through ●upedytye be smuttered with the blackness of vice and sin, and are removed far from the light of charity. They that go from god's service to the world, are separated from the company of angels, and associated to wicked devils. They that leave the holy congregation to come to a worldly life, are put out of god's company and do submit themselves to the devils good grace.  
Good sister take good heed what you have done, & ever more remember from whence you came whether you be come, and wherefore, you have left and despised for god's sake all worldly thiges, & for his love you have choose to continue & dwell in holy congregation, you have bought heaven & paid your own body for it, labour therefore with all diligence, that you lose not this goodly kingdom, the which you have thus conquered and got.  
Look you lose not this kingdom the which you have bough with your own body, hearken what. s. paul sayeth. There shall no man be crowned, but they that fight lawfully, 
i Timo. two.  he fighteth & laboureth lawfully, that continueth all his life in good works, he fighteth lawfully that without fraud or any dissimulation continueth in god's service, he serveth god worthily, that followeth his good works begun. He laboureth well in good works, that finyshethe that he began well. And the church of his membres continuing in goodness sayeth. The beams and the timber of our houses, 
Canti. x.  are of Cedern, the coveryngen of Cypers, that is to say, the houses of the church, are the holy congregation of faithful people, and gods servants that continue in such things as shall please him, for Cedar and cypers be such trees, as never putrefy, & they syngnyfye the blessed saints of god the which with a marvelous and a continual affection, do desire him, continuing in good operation, and works as long as they live. Therefore good sister look you be the cyper tree in god's house, by the continuance of a good and a devout life.  
And also that you be the Cedar tree in the house of god, the which thing you may be, if you will give the example of good life, & the sweet fragraunte saviours of good conversation, thus I do write, because you should with all your heart and mind despise the world, and continue in virtue. For you should not will to leave virtue, to require this worldly life. Also and again I counsel you to tarry still in god's service, and never to return to the world again, why so? For in that, is life contemplative, and in the world, nothing but labour, in that, is a holy life, in the world, a sinful life, in that, a spiritual and a ghostly life, in the world, a carnal and a fleshly life, in that, a heavenly life, in the world, a earthly life, in y●, is a peaseble life, in the world a troublous life, in that, is a a quiet life, in the world a man's life is full of contention & strife: in that is tranquylyte and rest, in the world, a lytygeus and a contentious life, full of all reproach, in that, is a chaste and a perfit life, in the world, a luxurious and a vycyus life, in that, is a life full of all virtue, in the world full of all vice and unthriftiness, in that, is a very devout and a holy life, in the world a life full of all iniquity. Now good sister you have hard both of life & death, now you have set before you both good & evil, you see both ꝑdycyon & soul health, you see both life and death, fire & water, put forth your hands, take what you think best & most necessary you see before you the way to heaven and hell, the tone leadeth a man to life eternal, the t'other to perpetual death. Therefore take which ways you will, I desire you only to take the best.  

¶ The sister's demand  
Well-beloved brother, I will accept and receive your counsel, and chose the best way Also it is moche for my profit to follow counsel, and to walk in that way, that may bring me to eternal joy and bliss.   

¶ The brother.  
HOnest virgin I am right glad and thank god that you will take and follow the best way. Therefore look you leave not the way you have begun all ready, but that you keep your purpose of good life as long as you shall live, for than shall your works be perfit, if they continue. God doth promise heaven 
Math. x.  to those that continue in goodness. Reward is given to those that continue, he is not good that doth good only, but that continually doth good. Therefore if you continue in faith, & good works, you shall be saved.    

Of virginity the xxi. chapi.  
THe prudent, and 
Math twenty-five.  wise virgins took and put oil in their lamps. hearken unto my words, they 〈…〉 are clean virgins both of body and mind, are no fools, but very wise and, may go to meet their spouse, for they have oil in there vessels, that is they have chastity in their souls, but such as ve only virgins of body & not of mind, be very fools, nor can not go to meet their spouse, for they have no oil in their vessels, the is, they have not chastity in their souls And ss. Isodore sayeth. She the is a virgin in body, & not in soul shall have no remuneration ne reward. And the lord speaking of these foolish virgins sayeth. I know not what you be. 
Math. twenty-five.   
Wherefore I exhort you, to be a virgin both in soul & body, y● hereaft you may be set in the celestial rhābre of your spouse christ jesus. Uirginite is not commanded but yet our holy fathers do counsel 
1. Cor. seven.  us to keep it, as a thing most excellent. The gift of virginity is double, for it hath no carefulness in this world, and in time to come, it shallbe excellently rewarded, without doubt they that continue chaste and in virginity, shallbe equal with god's angels. And the prophet Izaye, doth bear witness that virgins above all other shallbe most fortunate in the eternal beatitude, be sayeth those words, speaking unto the Enuques, that is to those that be chaste & 
I●a lvi  live chastened for god's sake.  
I will give them my house, & a place within my walls, and a better name than hath my children a name that shall dure for evermore, and never perish. All manner of sin through penance deserveth pardon & forgiveness, but virgynite once perished and lost can in no manner of wise be recovered, for not withstanding a man by penance doth obtain pardon thereof, yet he by no manner of means can return to his first estate, & pureness. O my good sister bodily virginity is of no valour, where is no integrity of heart, & mind. All such virgins as glorify themself of their merits, are compared to Ipocrytes, the which require exterior glory for their good works and deeds, the which they should have inwardly and in conscience And this is it that is written.  
How the foolish virgins had 
Mah. twenty-five  no oil in their vessels, that is how they kept not inwardly in their conscience the testimony of good works, but that they would be glorified hear in this world among men, and not in heart with God. Saint Austen sayeth that the virginity of the body helpeth not, where that anger doth rule. And there is a great difference betwixt pure virginity of the soul, the which is not polluted ne defiled with contagyousnesse, and that, that hath been subject to many bodily pleasures. Good sister I pray you hearken unto. Saint Hierom words, saying. That it profiteth nothing, that the body be chaste if the mind be married. Also it is as nothing to keep the body chaste, if man refrain not his eyes from concupiscence & wanton looks. Norvirgynyte profiteth nothing, if their be in the mind no charity, nor no humility. Wherefore good sister I would counsel you, to take the oil of good works with you, and that you garnish your lamps with good & clean manners, and that you kindle and light them with good and ghostly virtues, that when so ever you shall hear, that the bride groom is coming, you may go and meet him, that is to say, you may go and meet with christ jesus your spouse, and be received and set in his celestial chamber.   

¶ Of continence the xxij chapitur.  
Good sister I pray you to hearken with all devotion unto my admonition.  
The number of thyrte, is the first number, and it signifieth the confederation of marriage. The number of three score, is the second degree of numbers, & it sygnifeth the continence of widows. A hundred is the third degree of numbers, the which is deputed unto virgins, for the glory and crown of their virginyte, Saint Isodore sayeth that there be which in there youth lived luxuriusly, & in age do intent to live chastened, and that will live then in continence and chastity when voluptuousness & bodily pleasure hath forsaken & left them, but such men shall have little or no reward, for they have taken no pain to resist temptation. They shall be rewarded, & the crown of glory appertaineth to them, that valiantly have fought and warsteled for it, the fruit of chastity is sweetness. chastity is the safeguard of the soul, and the health of the body. luxuriousness doth feeble a man's body, and causeth man to seem old and aged before his time, continual and long chastity is reputed for virginity. Therefore good sister the beutifulnesse of chastity, ought to be loved and much made of. They that live continently and chastely, prepare themself as and humble sinner, is more to be lauded a great deal, than the proud just man. Therefore dispraise no women, for many a holy woman hath been married, and have had children, truly if you blame or accuse any such, you are culpable before god. For the holy prophet saint ●n, was married. Yet nevertheless she prophesied 
Luke. two  of christ, and deserved to see him. Also Marry Magdalene 
Mark. xuj  was a secular woman, and yet she saw chryst after he was risen from death to life, and deserved to be Christ's messenger to his apostles, we should never have them in contempt, the which god hath choose to be his servants. Wherefore I exhort you that for the love of chryst, you do them the service, and pleasure you may or can, and that you love them, as mothers. And good sister, you aught to love them as your own children, for god hath converted and drawn them from the world to his service. If you then despise them, because they be his handmaidens and servants, you do him injure. O good sister in christ jesus, never say, or think yourself a dry stock or an unfruitful tree. For if you love the lord as you should do, you have seven goodly children. The first is called shamefastness, the second patience, the third soberness, the fourth temperance, the fift is charity, the sixth humility, the seventh chastity. Behold now good sister, how that by the great grace of GOD without any grief, or corporal corruption, you have brought forth to Goddes' honour seven fair children.  
And so you have fulfilled that is written. The barren hath brought 
Reg. two.  forth seven children. Therefore good sister, you must nourish repast comfort and chasten these your goodly children, you must nourish them with good manners, with devout contemplation, with the milk of eternal sweetness, you must repast them with the love of heavenly pasture, you must comfort them, with the bread of the word of God. You must chasten them, with the rods of the fear of god, and command them to fly, and avoid all pride, and lightness, & that they never transgress his commandments, and that they never go ne depart from you. Now you see then, how that virgins find out and obtain the most excellentes and most soveraunce place of the kingdom of heaven, & not without a great cause, for they have despised this present world. And therefore they are come to everlasting joy, to the which I desire that he do bring you to whose service you have consecrated both body and soul.  
Amen.   

Of fornication the xxiij chap.  
Dear sister I exhort you, that with all devotion you listen unto the words 
Luke. twelve.  of our lord jesus. Look that your loins be girded, and that you have burning lamps in your hands we gird our loins when that by continence we repress all fleshly and bodily lusts. We hold burnyngelampes, in our hands, when we show good example to our neighbour, bodily fornication if it be taken largely, is (as sayeth saint Isodore) adultery. But fornication of the soul, is idolater. The first assaults of fornication, are by the eyes, the second by words. He that is not taken by the eyes, may soon resist and withstand words. All filth pollution is called fornication, notwithstanding that all the kinds thereof, buy divers voluptuous pleasures, are comen. And of this vain fornication are in gendered divers great sins, by the which the kingdom of heaven is closed up, and man separated, & put from god. And among all other capital and deadly sins, fornication is the cheyffest by extension, that is because it is more comen then any other, or else because it hath more branches than any other. By the uncleanliness of the flyshe the temple of god is defeyled, & by taking away of chrystis members, they make it the member of a strumpet, that is of that vile woman, the which out of wedlock 
Cor. vi.  doth make herself a comen brodel. Wherefore good virgin, if this be true, that god liveth in you, look that all fornication be dead in you. Lechery is Goddis enemy, & the perdition of eternal bliss, and of all worldly substance. fornication doth not only bespot man's body, but also his soul and conscience, and notwithstanding that he that committeth fornication seemeth to live, yet for all that he is dead, god shall judge these adulterers and fornicators 
Hebre. xiii.  that is, he shall condemn them. hearken good sister unto Saint Isodore words.  
It is a great deal worse, to be defiled with fornication, then with any other sin. For fornication, (as I have said before) is greatest of all sin. Fornication is a very grievous sin. fornication surmounteth, and exceedeth all other faults. Fornication is more grievous than death. It were better to die, then to commit fornication, or to be in any manner of wise bespotted withal It were better to die, than a man by fornytion should damn his his own soul. Lechery bringeth a man to the pains of hell Lechery drowneth man's soul in hell. Lechery sendeth a man to damnation. The eyes are fornications messengers. The sight is the first cause of fornication, the soul is oftentimes taken by a man's eyes, by the eyes the dart of love cometh to the soul. Wherefore my well-beloved sister in christ jesus, refrain your eyes, pluck back your sight. Fasten not your sight upon the goodliness of the flesh. Look you cast your eyes upon no man, to dysyre his company. Behold no man's face to love him in evil, turn away your eyes from all vanity, look you never desire the beutyfulnesse of man. O my good sister tell me I pray you. What utility is there, in the carnal beauty of man? Is not man as dry as hay? And doth 
i Peter. 1.  not his goodly beauty vanish away, as doth the shadow? And when death cometh, I pray you tell me, what goodliness shall remain in the body? when you shall see his body swollen, and turned into all filthy stench, and saver, shall you not then stop your noose from such unsavoury saver? And from such a stinking body? Tell me I pray you where shall his goodly and his amable face be then? Where shall his sweet words be, with the which he was wont to melt their hearts he spoke unto? Where is then his sweet and merry communication? Tell me honest virgin where that his laughing countenance, and his unhonest sports be then? Where shall his vain and his unprofitable joyfulness, and mirth, become then? It is go consumed to naught, and vanished away in likeness of smoke. This is the end and the consummation of bodily beauty. Therefore good sister, learn now that beutyfulnesse is but a vain thing. considering them good 
〈◊〉. ●1.  sister, that bodily shape is but a vanity, a corrupt matter, nothing but earth, nothing else but dust and asches, look you behold no man to desire him. Why so? For the world and all his concupiscence and pleasure vanysshet 
i Iohn. two.  away. And all that is in the world, is but the concupiscence of the flesh, or of the eyes. Therefore this world should be despised for god's sake with all that is in it. And you that have left it for the love of God, should never rejoice in the beutyfulnesse of man. Therefore I exhort you to love chryst jesus your spouse above all thing, for if the desire of carnal fornication doth delight and please the soul, more than the love of chaslite, it is in continual sin. But if the most excellent virtue of chastity please the soul more than filthy fornication, than there is no sin in it but justice. And notwithstanding a man be chaste of body and in mind luxurius, yet sin doth remain in him. fornication of the mind is taken for idolater.  
There is another spice of fornication of the which the lord speaketh saying. Who so looketh upon a woman desiring her company, committeth 
Mah. five  fornication in heart & mind Men are more subject to the devil by bodily fornication, them by any other sin, or vice. chastity is the goodliness of the soul, and by chastity man is made equal, to the merits of Angels many a one for fault of keeping there sight have fallen into the danger, and apparel of their souls.  

¶ The sister's demand  
I Pray you dear brother tell me, whether you have known any man that hath been deceived by his eyes.   

The brother's answer.  
YOU verily good sister, I have known many that have been deceived, and wrapped in the devils snares, by there sight, & I will show you of some that I have read of. The first is Dina the which went into strange countries to behold and see the men of those regions, and anon Sychen emors the prince of 
gene. xxxiiii  that country son, beheld her, and was taken with her love, and ravished her, and deflowered her. And so the poor wretched woman, because she was desirous to see that becomde her not to see, lost her virginity.  
And king David standing in his chamber, saw a woman named Bersabe, and in continent 
two. Reg. xi.  he was taken with her love and ravished her, and for her love committed advoutrey, and murder, and so doing, he transgressed the laws, and beholding of that thing he should not have looked upon, ne regarded he was in greatfaute.  
And Samson the strong went into the region of the 〈…〉 ilistyans, where he saw a certain woman and fallen in love with her and sleeping in her lap, she cut of the here of his head, and delivered him to his enemies, the which by & by put out both his eyes. And so the poor wretched man for asmuch as he beheld that he should not have looked upon, he lost his sight, and was in danger of his life.  
Now good sister you see that many a one by the sight of the eye, have been both in danger of body and soul. Wherefore I exhort you, to make a bargain with your eyes & that you never look wanton upon such things as you should not look upon, & beware that death enter and descend not by your eyes 
jere. ix  into your soul, but if your flesh (as I have said before) do assale you, if lechery do tempt you if misorderd appetite do provoke you, if the remembrance of fornication do yet torment you, set death in the presence of all these things, & cast before your eyes, the end of your life, call also to your remembrance the pains of hell that be ordained for sinners. Let the horrible day of judgement be before your eyes & in your mind, and imagine with yourself how straight it shall be, for if it were not the great mercy of God, there were no man able to abide it. The remembrance of the horrible pains and vehement fire of hell, shall quynche the heat of fornication the memory of the perpetual flame & fire of hell shall 'cause you to forget all manner of fornication. For the greater heat quinched always the lesser, & overcometh it. And the oft thinking upon the horrible fire of hell, quinchet the vehement and burning fire of fornication.  
Good sister I beseech GOd to give you true chastity both of body and soul.    

¶ Of abstinence the xxiiij chapter.  
THat is called, a perfit fast when we fast outwardly, and pray inwardly. By fasting man's prayer is soon hard. By fasting & praying, man's soul is joined to the angels, and coupled to God. Fasting is as strong armour to fight against the devil as may be, by fasting and praying the wicked spirits are overcomed.  
My well-beloved sister in GOd, will you know how fornication may be best restrained, and kept under? You good brother, if it please you I pray you show me: hearken then unto me. By fasting and by abstinence, fornication is soon laid a side. By fasting, voluptuous pleasure & lechery is quickly restrained. Never fill yourself, & luxuriousness shall never rule you. abstinence overcometh the flesh, abstinence doth bridle bodily pleasure, abstinence doth break & diminish all fleshly lust & more cyon. abstinence doth utterlyè destrowe the power of fornication, hunger and thirst doth over come all carnal concupisbence and lust. That soul that is given to diversity of meats, and drinks, loseth the vigure and effect of good prayer. That soul that of long season hath not been repasted, nor fed with the word of god, is like the body that hath been long without meat. Saint hierome sayeth, that a man must fast meanly, & with moderation, lest that to much fasting should feeblish the stomach. For meat moderately taken, is both profitable for the soul & the body. A fat belly and much abundance of meat causeth dull wyttis, & dull understanding. Also it is much better daily to eat little, then to eat but seldom and much, he fasteth well, that exchuyt sin Better it is to abstain from vice then from meat, but to abstain that you may afterwards fill yourself, is not laudable, nor such abstinence is nothing commendable. A void belly provoketh a man to prayer and devotion, and a full belly to sleep and slothfulness, keep the body dry by the desire of the kingdom of heaven to th'intent you may fulfil that is written. My soul & my flesh doth greatly desire god, the flesh 
Psal. twelve.  doth then desire God, when by much fasting it abstayneth and waxeth dry. Good sister if you perfitly desire god in this mortal life, he shall satisfy & content your mind, in the glorious kingdom of heaven: abstinence doth both kill & give life for it quickeneth the soul, & mortifieth the body. abstinence doth edify & engender virtue in man's soul, & destroyeth the vicyousnes of the body. We should with all diligence despise gluttony, the concupyscens & desire of delicate viands & meats, should be left and little regarded. A man should not care for his belie, when the belie is to much replenished, than the body is inflamed with wantonness & lechery. We should not ear to fill the belly, but to sustain the body. For when the belie is full, then is the fire of fornication kindled, that body that is chasted, and kept low by abstinence, is never inflamed nor hurt with the fire of voluptuous pleasure. The rich man clothed in purpur, 
Luke. xxi  the which to every man's judgement & sight, lived in great abundance, because he would not abstain in this world from immoderate meats and drinks, was cast into the fire of hell, & desired but one drop of water to refresh & coal his tongue withal, yet he could not have it 
Luke. xuj.  nor never shall. And as be abstinence all virtue is rooted and edified in the soul of man, so be the abundance of meat and drink, vice is nourished in man's body, nor man shall never obtain the perfytenes of virtue, if he do not first tame and refrain the gluttony of the belie. The three children were not burned nor consumed, because they were abstinent and sober. And Danyell 
Daniel. iii  was delivered from the lion because he was abstinent. No man of himself can repel temptation, if he refrain not 
Daniel. vi. and. xiiii.  from immoderate eating & drinking.  

The sisters demand  
Dear brother I pray you to tell me how I should chasten my body with abstinence   

The brother's answer.  
GOod sister you must nourish your body under such a fashion that it wax not proud and rebellious, you must so keep it under, and so repress it, that it fall not, you must so refresh your flesh, that it may do you service, & so chasten your body with abstinence, that it perish not, if you punish your body more than needeth, you kill your friend, if you keep it to wanton, you nourish your enemy. Good sister in all abstinence, beware you hurt not your body, but the viciousness thereof, abstain from meats, look your face be pale and not ruddy, look your body be lean and not fat, eat so, that you may be always a hungerde, never inferce nor fill your belly with moche meat. Be evermore a hungerde, a thirst, in abstinence, and leanenes, you can not overcome temptation if you chasten not your body. For by much eating & drinking, lechery doth increase, the abundance of wine & dainty metes, doth stir the flesh to bodily pleasure, luxuriusnes is evermore joined to saturite, y● cold of much watching doth quench the heat of carnal lust, evil spirits are very moche there, where is superfluity of meat & drink. Therefore good sister in christ jesus, if you intent (as I have said) to avoid and fly the temptation of the body, keep abstinence, not only from meats and drinks, but also from all manner of worldly delectation, that after this wicked life, you may rejoice in heaven with gods angels.    

Of drunkenness. the xxv Chapi.  
Dear Sister, I pray you hearken to gods own words. Take head your 
Luke. xxi.  bodies be not grieved with ebryete & drunkenness. And saint Paul saith, be not drunken with wine in the which is excess. 
Ephesi. u  And Solomon saith, wine is a lechetous thing, & drunkenness 
Prover. xx.  is full of strife & debate, be hold not wine when his colour is goodly & pleasant, for it goth down full sweetly, but at length it will bite & cast out his venomous poison. Where dronkenship ruleth, there is no secretness. Wine hath brought many a man to great peril & danger both of body and soul. Wine was made in iocundyte & mirth, and not in ebryete & drunkenness. Where so 
psal. c. 3.  ever fulthsunnesse doth abunde, there ruleth fornication & lecher, voluptuous pleasure foloth a well fed belly. Drunkenness doth feblyshe the body, & deceiveth the soul, drunkenness troubleth man's understanding, & augmenteth the fury & madness of the heart, drunkenness doth nourish the flame & fire of fornication, drunkenness doth so alienate a man's under standing, that he knoweth not himself. A drunken man is so far be sides him self, that for the most part he knoweth not where he is. It is to many a man a laud to drink well, & not to be drunken, & of those speaketh the prophet, saying. Out upon you that 
Iza. u  are strong to drink wine, & to follow drunkenness, & again he saith. Out upon you that rise betimes to drink from morning till evening. And the prophet crieth saying. Awake you dronkardꝭ & weep awake you that drink wine in sweetness, 
joal. i  he sayeth not awake you that drink wine for necessity, but you that drink wine in sweetness, that is, with great delectation & pleasure drunkenness acustomed is deadly sin, drunkenness is a grievous sin, drunkenness is reckoned among murder, adultery, & 
Gala. v.  fornication. Drunkenness casts a man out of heaven, drunkenness doth drown & cast man into hell. No drank wine and afterwards dysclosed such privy parts of his body, the which he had 
Gene. ix.  kept close the space of six hundred years. And Loth overcummed with wine, lay with his 
Gene. ix.  own daughter, yet he felt no sin, for his mind and under standing was alienate. Now good sister think & esteem you, how excecrable a thing the drunkenness is, & how much god servants aught to eschew & to avoid it.  

The sister's demand.  
GOod sister it is then sin to drink wine?   

The brothers answer  
WOrshipful sister to drink wine temperately, is no sin, that is to drink it with soberness, for saint Paul writing to his disciple Tymothe, says. Drink 
Timo. v.  a little wine, to ease your stomach, and your many fold sickness, and Solomon saith, 
Eccle. xxxi.  wine mesurably drunken, is health some both for the soul and the body, wine without measure, is poison, wine taken without measure overcometh a man's understanding, by to much wine man's wits be troubeled, by wine lechery doth increase, by over much wine voluptuousness is moved and provoked, by moche wine voluptuousness is nourished. God hath given & prepared wine to rejoice man's heart with all, and not given it to be drunken with all.  
Therefore let us not drink as much as gluttony, but asmuch 
psal. ciii.  as necessity shall require, let us beware we use not that thing to superfluity, that god hath given and ordered to sucker man's body with all, let us take heed we use and turn not to vice that thing, that god hath given to man for his bodily health. Let us beware that we turn not our carnal medicine to the vice of ebryete and drunkenness, many a man through wine, hath been destroyed by evil spirits, and drunkenness itself is no nother thing, but even a manifest devil.  
Therefore my well-beloved sister in christ jesus, if you drink wine moderately and temperately it shall be for your bodily health, and the ioyefulnes of your soul. Drink wine soberly, and it shall deliver you from all sluggyshenes, and 'cause you to be diligent and devout in god's service. For wine mesurablye used, causeth a man to be diligent and fervent in prayer.    

Of sin. the xxvi Cham  
Sister listen unto god saying. Who so ever doth sin 
Iohn. viii.  is servant to sin. Sin is committed and done two divers manner of ways, for either it is done by cupydyte and desire, or else for fear, as when a man would have that he desireth, or when he fears to come to that, that he should come unto. Sin is committed in man's heart four manner of ways, and four manner of ways in deed. It is committed in heart by suggestion & the instigation of the devil, by delectation of the flesh, by voluntary consent, & by the defence of pride It is committed in deed sometimes secretly sometimes manifestly, sometimes be custom, and sometimes be desperation. Under these for said manners, we sin in heart, and do it in deed. Sin is also committed three other ways, that is by ignorance, by infirmity, and industryously, that is malycyously. Eve sinned by ignorance, as saith Saint Paul. The 
two. Cor xi.  man was not deceived but the woman, so that Adam committed sin industryously, and Eve by ignorance. He that is deceived knoweth not to what thing he consenteth unto: Saint Peter committeth sin by a certain infirmity and weakness, when 
Math. xxvi  for the fere of a maid servant he denied the lord his master. Synon done by infyrmyte is much more grievous than that, that is done by ignorance: but yet that is more grievous that is committed by malice, them y●, that is done by ignorance, and sin which is done openly, is much more grievous than that, that is done secretly. He that sinneth manifestly, doth double his sin. For he sineth himself and giveth evil examples to other, it is a great point & a part of justice, for a man to know his own iniquity, and to be ashamed of his mislyving. It is much better to abstain from sin for the love of god, them for fere of the pains of hell. Also it is better not to sin than after that a man hath sinned, to correct and to amend his fault. Every sinner is bespotted with pride. For he that doth that, that is forboddom him, dyspiseth god commandments. hearken unto me good sister, hark I pray you what I say unto you. By one mysfaute many virtues do perish, keep therefore your soul from sin. For he that sinneth 
james. two.  in one, is culpable in all, by one sin, many meritorious works do perish. Incline nor bow not your mind to those things that the body desireth. Nor set not your soul in the power of the flesh, consent not to no fleshly delectation, for if you live after the flesh you shall soon perish. Look therefore that your conscience be purged from all sin, & that your thought be net and clean, purify your body from all iniquyte, & your heart from all manner of spottꝭ of sin, the body can not be defiled, but that the soul must be first bespotted, if the soul stumble by and by, the body is priest and ready to follow, the soul goeth before the flesh, and in all iniquity & sin the soul is the first that sinneth, the body can do nothing, but as the soul will.  
Therefore keep your soul from all iniquity, and your flesh shall never sin.  

The sisters demand.  
I Pray you good brother tell me, whether the soul of a sinner bespotted with sin be stinking and black, and the soul of a good just man fair, and full of all beauty.   

The brother's answer.  
Well-beloved sister in god, there are three things blacker and worse, than any other, that is, the soul of a continual sinner. The ill angels which shall receive it when it deperteth the world, and hell, into the which it shallbe cast for evermore. There is nothing worse nor nothing more blacker in this world, then are those three things. Also there are three other things which are the best of all other, that is the soul of a just man, continuing in good works. The holy angels, the which shall receive it, at the day of his departing, and heaven, where it shall rest perpetually. There are no better things in the hole world, than these three things are, the holy angels receive the just soul, & present it before god, saying. Behold good lord the thing that you have choose, and taken, it shall continue & devil perpetually in your eternal palace. Good sister if you pourg your soul of all iniquity, and if you continue in God's service as you have promised, without doubt you shall reioye with him in his celestial chamber of heaven, so be it    

¶ Of confession of sins and penance, the xxvij chap.  
THen a man beginneth to be just when he accuseth himself of his sins, & here of speaketh the wise that saying. A just man first of all 
Prover. 〈◊〉.  accuseth himself, & there is nothing worse for amam than to knowledge his faults, & not to be sorry for them. A sinner should bewail his misdeeds two manner of ways. first because that through negligence, he hath not done so well as he should have done, and again because that through boldness, he hath committed & done the evil, the which he should not have done. He that bemourneth, & bewaileth his sins (taking good heed he faule to no more) doth condign and very good penance, but he that lamenteth his misdeeds, & beginneth to fall to them again, is likened to him that wessheth a raw bryke, that is, he laboureth in vain. For the more he wessheth, the more filthiness cometh thereof, but he that doth penance when he might sin, & in time of his life correcteth his living, withdrawing himself from sin, shall have everlasting rest. But he that leaveth evil, & beginneth to do penance when death calleth him, then as it is uncertain whether he shallbe damned, so it is uncertain whether he shall be saved. And therefore he that will be sure at his last end to have remission & pardon of his sins, must do penance whilst he is in good health & prosperity, & in health must lamē● & bewail his misdeeds: & considering that the mercy of God, is secret & so far from man's knowledge it shall be & is very necessary that we continually bewail our sins. hearken good sister unto. S Isodores words. A man that doth penance should not, nor it is not necessary he should have sure knowledge that his sins be forgiven him, wherefore? For such sure knowledge doth engender negligence, the which negligence oftentimes maketh many a one to take no heed, and so leadeth them again to there first nautye manner of living. Therefore my well beloved sister accept & take this my counsel, & whilst you may, look you amend & correct your living, whilst the god doth give you leave, open your sin lament your sins, do penance confess your sins, whilst you live lament your misliving, and let them that be called to die, by your amendment. amend your misdedꝭ whilst you may, revoke and with draw yourself from sin, call upon god whilst you may, and whilst you live, seek for remission of your sins, do penance or ever death do come. Do penance or ever the pit of hell do swallow you, lament your disordonate living, or ever that hell do take you. Bewail and morn your sins, or ever you be drowned in the deep pit of hell, for there is no pardon to be got, there is neither joy nor yet pleasure, nor no licence or space to do penance, nor no time to amend, nor no place of confession, why so? Because that in hell is no redemption. In this world, (withstanding you be never so great a sinner) yet through penance you may obtain remission and pardon. Nor there is no sin so grievous, but by doing of penance a man may obtain and get forgiveness & pardon thereof desperation increaseth a dim darkness do enwrap me. O good lord aid me and help me or ever I come to pain, or ever the fire of hell devour me, or ever I be tormented in hell. O my lord god what shall I do at the day of thy terrible judgement. Alas what shall I answer at the examination of thy judgement? Alas what shall I wretched sinner say, when I shallbe presented before the judicyall seat of chryst jesus? Cursed be the day that I sinned and misdid and falsely transgressed the commandment of god. Would to god the son had not shined, nor risen upon me. O wretched day O abominable day, oh a day unworthy to be named, that first brought me into this world, that opened my mother's wome for me to come out at. It had been better I had never been born, than to be perpetually dampened. It had been better I had never been born than to be born to suffer the eternal pains of hell. It had been better I had never been, than to suffer perpetual torment & pain. O heaven & earth lament me. O all you creatures of god lament me. O all you creatures that have any feeling of life, bewail me, & shed your tears upon me. For I have sinned grievously, unhappily, miserably, my sins are innumerable. I have oftentimes promised to live well and to amend, but I kept not my promise, I return evermore to sin again, and have increased and renewed them, nor I never changed my unthrifty manners nor I never ceased from doing evil O you holy fathers pray for me. O you holy saints pray for me. O all you that are good men pray unto the lord to have mercy upon me. And that it will please his grace, to deface my faults, & to wipe out all mine iniquity.  
O my wretched soul who shall have mercy upon the. Who shall comfort y●. O miserable soul who shall bewail the. Alaswhere is the keeper of man. Where is the redeemer of all souls? O goodshepparde where are you. Alas why have you despised me? why turn you your face from me? Good lord forget me not at the last. Leave me not good lord for evermore Leave me not in the devils power. I am a sinner, I am a wretched person, & yet good Lord I come to the for help, you are very kind, you are sweet, & merciful You refuse, nor despise no man, nor put no man from your mercy. Ah good lord show thy great mercy upon me, I heartily beseek the deny me not that thing, that you mercifully have granted to many other. I do not defend my misdeeds. I hide not my sins. I am right sorry for them. Alas wretch that I am, I have sinned, I confess my error, I open my fault. I knowledge mine iniquity. Good lord I have done amiss, be merciful unto me wretched sinner, pardon me my misdeeds. For give me my sins. O good Lord if you regard 
psal. c. xxix.  iniquity, who shall sustain it. No man can then be sure at the day of your examination, nor yet the just man, with all his justice, for who is he, be he never so just, that dare say, he is without sin? there is no man with out sin. There is no man clear 
i Iohn. i  from sin in thy sight, nor among all the holy saites, there is none unbespotted nor they that served god, were not steadfast, and iniquity hath been found among the angels, the stars be not clear before the lord, and heaven in thy sight is not clear. Then good 
job. twenty-five.  lord if no man be without spot in thy sight, then can not I being a vile sinner, a vile piece of earth a vile worm, the child of man the which hath drunk up iniquity as water, and multiplied and increased in sins, be clear and without sin. And yet I sit in dust, and dwell in a house clay, and my foundation is but earth. Good lord give me wretched sinner thy right hand, I pray the good Lord to remember of what substance and where of I am made Remember good lord that I am but earth, but powder & ashes. give me some manner of medicine, where with I may be helped, where with I may be cleansed and purified from all sin. For I am fallen into the dept of all my sins, I am fallen into the deep pit of hell, deliver my soul good lord from the captivity of hell, that the deptnesse thereof do not enclose me, that hell do not swallow me, and that the deep pit of hell open not his wide throat upon me, and that the profoundness and deptnesse of hell let me not to departed from thence Now the dreadful day of donie approchet nigh, the last day is come, the time of death is at hand I have now nothing left me but my grave, good Lord forgive me or ever I go to the place of darkness. Help me good lord 
job. x.  or ever I go to the land of wretchedness. O redeemer of man's soul succour me or ever I depart. Unbind and loose me from all my sins or ever I come unto death.  

The brother's answer.  
Well-beloved sister in christ jesus, I be seek God almighty to have mercy upon you, and to forgive you all your sins, all your n●sdedes, and to pardon you of your sins all your misdeeds, & to pardon you of all that ever you have done, and from hence forward do as you should do. Purpose steadfastly in your heart never to sin more, stablish your mind never to misdo, never to return unto sin, never to defile yourself with sin again: & after penance return not again to unthrifty living. He is not reputed nor taken as penitent but as a gester & a discem let that renueth that he hath done penance for, nor he is not esteemed to pray humbly but rather to mock with god, that renueth the thing for the which he hath done penance, for ss. I sodore sayeth, that penance to be but as vain, the which afterwards is defiled & arrayed with sin, for a renewed wound or sore, can hardly be cured again, and he that sinneth oft and repent him oft shall scarcely be saued. Therefore be stead fast in doing of penance, and leave not of the good life you have begun, for everlasting life is promised to those that continue in goodness, and David sayeth. Blessed be they that evermore 
Psal. cv.  keep judgement and do justice, & it is written. That he that continueth until the end shall be 
Math. 24.  laved. Honest virgin I exhort you to have always a shamefast countenance, & to be ashamed of your sins when you remember them Be a shamed to lift up your eyes when you think upon them, when you walk hold down your heed: let your countenance be sorrowful.  
Let your smock be made of here let the earth be your bed, you are but dust, sit therefore in dust, you are but ashes, therefore sit in ashes, be evermore in heaviness, evermore sobbing & sything, and having remorse of conscience, & in heart compunction, be always weeping, & morning, be always ready to weep. The servants of god good sister, in this world be they never so good should never be in surety, god's servants should always be watching and with great lamentation & many fold tears reduce their misdeeds to memory. To the laud of 
Canti. u  christ, it is written in the Canticles, that his heir is as high as is the palm try, & as black as the crow. By Chrystes hear is understanded good faithful people, the which keeping in heart the holy faith of the trinity. & clevige unto god, do that they believe & as hanging upon his head, do honour him The palm tree growing upwards of height, doth betoken victory. Christ's heir is likened unto apalme tree, for good people mounting & evermore ascending to the height of virtue, are brought through god grace to victory, but yet they are black as the crow. For not withstandynge that by virtue, they do evermore ascend towards heaven, yet they knowledge themself to be sinners. So good sister, notwithstanding you live well and serve god justly & devoutly, yet I would you should never leave weeping. Therefore if you will wash clean away your black spotted sins, love to be ever more mourning & weeping, let your tears be sweet unto you, let wailing & weeping delight you, be as inclining and ready to weep, as you were to do ill, and as ready to do penance, as you were to faule. A man's me dicyne must be minystred unto him after as his infirmity is.  
Great sin requireth much wailing & great repentance. Good sister I pray him to comfort you, and help you in this world, the which the angels do worship in heaven,    

Of communion, that is of the receiving of the very body and blood of Christ. the xxviii Chapter.  
WHo soever shall eat the bread of the lord and drink of his cup unworthily shallbe culpable of his blood & body, that is to say, he shall sin greatly, & fylthyly bespotte his soul, why so? For there cometh that is bespotted & noughtꝭ to that thing that is good. And therefore man should prove himself, that is, he should reason with himself & so eat of this bread & drink of 
Corin. xi.  this cup. As though. s. Paul woide say, that every man should consider his own living and purge his mind of all sin & mischief, to the tent he may worthily come unto the blessed sacrament of the altar. For who so receiveth the precious body & blood of Christ jesus unworthily, he doth eat & drink his own judgement, that is to say, he eateth the cause of his damnation And of this thing says. s. I sidore that all such as live ill in Christ's church, receiving daily the blessed body of christ thinking that by such daily communion they may be purged of their sins. I would all such should know saith he, that it profiteth them nothing toward the purgation of their sins, for it is written. Why hath my lover 
Hiero. xi.  committed so many crimes & sins in my house, holy flesh shall never purge him of his faults.  
Therefore he that will receive the blessed body of christ, must or ever he receive it stand steadfast in faith & delection of god. And saint Iohn saith. He that eateth my flesh & drinketh my blood, is in me & 
Iohn. vi.  I in him, as though he would say, he is and doth devil in me, that doing good works fulfilleth my commandments. For if devil not first in me by faith & good works, and I in him, he can not eat my flesh nor drink my blood. What thing is it them, that men receive, the which do commonly receive the sacrament of the altar? They do receive it in very deed, but some receive and eat his flesh & drinkth his blood spiritually, & sacramentally, some other receive it only sacramentally, that is the very body of Christ under the sacrament, but not the thing of the sacrament. This sacrament is called the very body of christ born of the clean byrgyn Mary, but the spiritual thing thereof is Christ's flesh. The good christian man being in the state of grace, receiveth this sacrament, both sacramentally & spirytually, but so doth not the evil liefer, for he receiveth it unworthily, & therefore (as saith the apostle) he, receiveth his 
●Corin. xi.  judgement, for he proved not himself, or ever he received it, nor made no difference betwixt the flesh of Christ, & other flesh. What thing doth the mysliver receive them? Truly he receiveth nother flesh nor blood spiritually, nor yet for his soul health, but he receiveth his judgement to his dampnatyon, not with standing it appear that he receiveth the sacrament as other do. And so the one receiveth the body of Christ to his salvation, & the other to his damnation. He that received it as judas did, shallbe dampened with judas, And he that receiveth it with saint Peter & other faithful people devoutly & lawfully is santified in the bydy of christ with s. Peter & the other apostles hearken good sister unto saint Austen words. He that cometh to theauter to be howfled, being chaste of body, clean of heart, with a pure conscience, & a devout mind, shall come to the heavenly altar before the face of god. Well-beloved sister listen to the wisdom of the sarpent, when the sarpent doth intent to drink, or ever he come to the well, he enforceth himself to vomit out all such venom as is in him, & then he drinketh. I pray you good sister to follow the serpent in this thing and to vomit out all your poison, or ever you come to the fountain, that is, or ever you come to receive the very body & blood of our lord Christ jesus, vomit out all hatred, anger, malice, envy, evil will, hurtful thoughts, & forgive all your neighbours & all such things as they have wronfully done unto you, that your sins also may be forgiven you. For the lord saith, forgive 
Luke. vi  & you shall be forgiven, and doing thus as I have told you you may come to the fountain of life, that is to Christ jesus, the lountayne of all goodness. For he saith, I am the bread of life that is 
Iohn. vi,  cum from heaven, & of this bread speaketh Da. Men hath eaten angels 
Psa. lxx vi●  bread, and not withstandynge this bread came from heaven, yet because it is a bodily thing, it was nothing convenient for angels, but that thing only that was prefygurde & meant by that bread & wine. God is the angels bread, & the sacrament of the altar is his very flesh & blood, the which man doth eat and drink spirytually, and by the self same thing that angels do live by in heaven, by the self same, man doth live in earth, for that thing that man doth receive is spiritual, but as the apostle saith. Some 
i Corin. i  that were in wilderness did eat this meat spiritually, & yet they be dead, & so it is now in god church. For to some the body of christ is very life, & to some other it is pain, and the punish meant of sin, without doubt this blessed sacrament is a very life to those that be god's servants, & to those that through negligence & ignorance are members of the devil it is death. Wherefore good sister A exhort you the whensoever you receive this blessed sacrament, that you steadfastly believe it, to be another thing, than it seemeth to be by the taste. Here good virgin what the priest says when he doth conseerate this blessed sacrament. We desire & pray (says the priest) that this oblation may be made blessed, by the which we be blessed, and to be written, by the which all we are written in heaven, & ratified, by the which we are reckoned to be in christ, and to be reasonable, by the which we are delivered from all bestyalyte, & that it will please god to make it acceptable, to that intent that we being dysplesed with our misliving, may be acceptable unto his blessed son Christ jesus. Therefore good virgin Christ (as I have told you be fore) in himself doth feed the angels in heaven, and also in earth, he in himself, doth nourish all good faithful people. Christ by his only presence doth feed the angels in heaven. Christ of himself doth feed us by faith in this world, that we faint not in the way. Christ doth repast both angel & man of himself, & yet he remaineth holle in himself. O how good is this bread. O how marvelous a thing is it, by the which the angels of heaven & we of the world are satisfied.  
christ is the bread of life, which is the angels food and refection, and our only redemption.  
Now good sister pray unto god with all your heart & mind, that it will please him so to purify your conscience, that you may receive the mystery of his precious body and blood.  
Amen.   

☞ Of thought the xxxix Cham  
Dear sister hear I pray you what God says by the prophet Isa. Take & remove all evil from your cogitations 
Ezai. l.  & thoughts, not with standing a man cease & leave of to do evil, yet if he be in thought & in heart defiled, he is not without faute, and therefore saith. s, Isodory. Man doth not sin only in deed, but also in thought & mind, if such thoughts do delight & please him. For as the viper is killed and destroyed by his yonglinges being yet in her belly, so our own evil and mischievous thought consume and slay our souls if we nonrishe them within us. Wherefore good sister I counsel you, that with all diligence you take good heed to your heart & mind, for from the heart cometh both life and death. hearken also what the spouse saith in the canticles, to the laud of the holy church. The heat of thy 
Canti. seven.  head is like the kings purpur joined to prelates. The hear of the church is the little bed of the devout soul, & it is in memory as is the kiges purpur joined unto the prelates, for purpur is bound by handfulles to those prelates, whereupon they cast water, the which water runneth through the prelates, upon the clot & so is purpur died, & of this doth purpur take his name. And all this doth agree & is right convenient and meet for the devout soul. For the hears of the head are the thought of the mind the which are bound unto these condettes, for they are fast bound in holy scripture, because they should not run over & belost in vain. Therefore keep your heart & mind from such noyful thoughts, & look it be net & pure jest that any such vain thought cum creeping in unto it. For god doth not only examine man's body, but also he examyneth his soul. God judgeth man's conscience, God judgeth man's thought & the soul of man, if any vain thought do move or trouble you, consent not in no manner of wise unto them, but incontinent eject them from you. And as soon as the scorpion shall appear break his head, that is break and cast away all such evil cogitations. A fault must be amended there where it hath his beginning, that is in man's heart, put out of your heart the heed of all evil thoughts, for there can no thing be hidden from god. God is every where, the spirit of god 
Sapi, i  fulfilleth all manner of places, the majesty of god almighty pereseth the elements, god knoweth man's thought. Good sister will you never be heavy? You good brother. Then intent to live well, for if you live well you shall never be heavy. For a sure & a uncareful mind setteth little by heaviness, a good & a clear conscience is ever more in mirth, if you continue in goodness, all heaviness shall from you depart, if you continue in holiness & devotion, you shall have none occasion of heaviness, If you live well, you need nother to fere plague, nor yet death. But the conscience of a sinner is evermore in pain, he that is gylthy is never at rest. And a sinful mind, is always vexed with the pricks of his own conscience. Good sister listen what the lord sayeth of the woman to the serpent, she shall break thy head. The serpentis head is then broken 
Gene. iii  when a man's fault is there amended, where it had his beginning. I pray GOd to purify your heart & your mind from all sin, and evil cogitation, that you may serve him in all pureness and cleanliness both of mind and thought.   

¶ Of silence the xxx cha.  
I Say the prophet sayeth. That silence is the honour of justice & his perpetual 
Ezai. xxxii.  safeguard and surety, & the prophet David sayeth, put some defence & custody about my mouth 
Psa. c. lx.  & a door of circumstance about my lips. The holy fathers keeping there silence applied & gave all there mind to know & to see the sweetness of the lord, & leaving of all worldly care, they gave themself holy to contemplation. Good sister I pray you to despise & to avoid all unhonest communication, & to i'll from all uncleanly words, for vain communication doth right soon pollute & defile man's soul. And man doth that thing right willingly that he heareth gladly, never speak such words, that may let any virtue or goodness, nor never speak the thing, that shall not become you to speak. Let no such words scape you, that may hurt those that hear them, flee all uncleanly & wanton communication. For vain words betoken a vain conscience, man's tongue declareth, and openeth his conscience, and look what a man's words be, such is his heart and mind. For the mouth speaketh after the abundance and courage of the heart. Refrain 
Math. xil.  yourself from all idle words. Use to tell no vain fables, for idle words shall be condemned. Every man shall give a tekening of his words, and at the day of judgement every man's 
Mah. xil.  words shall stand before his face. Look therefore that your words be full of gravity, of sadness, and of good learning and that they be irreprehensible.  
Look that your tongue be not the cause of yourdamnation, environ your mouth with good watch men and seal up your lips. Put the clausures of silence unto them Look what time you do speak, and in what hour, and speak in convenient time, hold your peace when time shall require, speak not until you be spoken unto. Let another man's demand open your mouth, speak but few words, & pass not your measure, for in many words is sin. A babbeling and 
Provet. x.  a chattering made, is counted but a fool. For she that is wise, useth few words. wisdom causeth few words, and it is a great folly to speak many words. 〈◊〉 Look therefore the in words you pass not your measure Good sister I pray him to keep your mouth, the hath choose you to his spouse and servant.   

¶ Of lieng the xxxj cha.  
Liars are often times the occasion & cause, that men believe not those which tell the truth. Man should avoid & eschew all kinds of lies, notwithstanding there are some of less sin, than some as when a man feigneth some pretty lie for the wealth of many other. But yet because it is written, the mouth that lieth killeth 
Sapi. i  the soul, perfit good men have also avoided this manner of lying, nor would in no manner of wise defend any man's life by deceit lest that by helping of other men they should hurt there own souls. But yet I believe that such manner of dying is lightly for given. My well-beloved sister in god. I exhort you to flee asmuch as is possible, all manner of lies, nor willigly you shall not speak that is false nor study to lie, notwithstanding you may do another man pleasure withal, nor you shall defend no man with dying. There is no lie, that is just. Lies in every thing are sin. And all that agreeth not with truth, is iniquity. The temporal law punished those that are false, & those that are liars, if every man reprove lying, if the law of man punish all falsehood, consider how much more that such liars shallbe punished before god, the very witness 
Math. x●.  of word & deed, before whom, every man must give account of every idle word he hath spoken, & be punished therefore. Of this thing speaketh David saying. 
Psal. u  Thou shalt destrew & condemn all those that lie. Shall false witness be unpunished? no verily. There 
Pro. nineteeen.  fore good sister i'll & avoid all lying, & all false communication, speak that thing the is true, nor never lie for no man. Be true, & deceive no man by lying, nor say not one thing & do another. I pray god send you the grace to speak that thing that is true   

¶ Of perjury the xxxij ca  
THe lord sayeth. Swear 
Math. five  neither by heaven, nor yet by the earth. For heaven is god's seat, & the earth is his foot stolen, nor swear not by thy head for thou canst not make the lest here of thy head neither white nor black. But let your oath beye you, nay nay, for if it be any more it is of evil. And as he that speaketh not, can not lie, so he that sweareth not can not be for sworn How craftily so ever a man doth swear yet god that beareth witness every man's conscience, taketh every man's oath after the mind & intent of him that sweareth, nor we should not fulfil that we have promised if it be noughtes. Good sister will you the I show you how you shall never be for sworn? never swear. For if you swear not, you shall never be forsworn. So without swearing, a man shall never fall into perjury. Leave the use of 
Eccle. xxiii  swearing, for the custom thereof, bringeth many a one to perjury, swear by you, and by nay. For the truth hath no need of oaths, & faithful and true words are in the place of anoath. The holy ghost give you grace to speak and to use your words moderately, and modestyously.   

☞ Of detraction the xxxiij cha.  
Well-beloved sister hearken unto my words, and to my exhortation, & consider well what I say unto you Detraction is a very grievous sin, a grievous vice, a grievous exclamation, and a very grievous crime, every man doth reprehend detraction, every manspeaketh shame by staunderous. Every man doth dishonour them, except such as be slauderous & bacbyters, or such as favour them, and take pleasure in them, & David 
Psal. c.  sayeth. I did persecute him that secretly bacbited & slandered his neighbour. There is nothing more haynus then detraction.  
detractors bark as dogs do, and as dogs do bite those that pass by, so these detractors & batbyters do gnaw & bite there neighbours good name & fame Therefore good sister, remove this slanderous vice of detraction from your tongue. Gnaw at no man's living, reprehend nor hurt no man's living. Defile not your mouth with no nother man's iniquity, backbite not the sinner, but have compassion upon him, and fear that thing in yourself, that you reprove in another, and amend that thing in yourself, that you reprove in another, & look that you be as diligent to correct and to amend yourself, as you be to correct & to reprove other. And when you intend to slander another man, look well upon yourself, and first or ever you backbite or slander any other man reprove your own mysliving. For if you look well upon yourself, you shall never hurt nor yet slander no nother man.  
Therefore take good heed that with all diligence you reform your own self, and amend your own evil demeanour. Listen not to these detractors, nor give no ear to these whisperers and mutterers. For he that slandereth a man, and he that hearkeneth unto him, are in like fault These detractors are never like to come to heaven, that virgin that intends to come to everlasting joy, must slander no person.  
O venerable virgin, if you remove your hearing from there detractors & comen bacbyters, & refrain your tongue from all evil and uncleanly communication, you (as I have said before) shallbe counted among the prudent and wise virgins.   

¶ Of envy the xxxiiij ca  
THe envious man is 
Sapi. li.  a member of the devil By whose envy death came into the world envy consumeth clean away all the branches of virtue. Envy through his pesty ferus heat, deourneth all goodness envy is the moth, and the worm that consumeth & destroyeth the soul, envy hurteth itself sooner than any other man. Envy gnaweth & biteth itself moche sooner, than any other. Envy biteth his own master first of all, envy consumeth a man's senses & understanding. It burneth & wastes his breast. It teareth his soul, & as a pestiferus thing, it pierceth and runneth through man's heart. And therefore goodness must with stand envy, and charity must be prepared against it.  
Good sister look you never be sorry of another man's virtue, nor of no nother man's, perfit, torment not yourself, that your neighbour doth prospero, there is no virtue but the envy hateth it, & is clean against it. And there is nothing (except misery) but the envy is as an adversate to it, why so? For noman hateth the wretched, the virgin that desireth to inhabit heaven, must envy nor hate no person, the virgin that desireth to go to the marriage with chryst jesus, must not be sorrowful of another man's promotion & honour. Dear sister I beseech & pray almighty god, to cleanse & to purify your heart & mind from all maliciousness & envy, to th'intent you may serve him in all pureness & cleanliness of life.   

❧ Of anger the xxxv cha.  
HOnest virgin hearken 
Pro. xv.  unto Salomon'S words. A gentle and a louly answer, breaketh anger. And hasty words make anger and debate, & again he saith. Sweet & gentle words do mitigate anger, & increase friends. The more 
Provet. xv  that a man is unpatient the more men do judge him to lack wisdom. By anger, the eye of the heart is troubeled, by anger wise men lose there wisdom. By anger men fall be side themself. Many men are soon angry & soon pacified & pleased. Some there be that are very slow to anger, & very hard to be again. Some other there are which are soon angry, & very hard to be pleased, but yet better is he that is soon angry & soon pleased, them he, that will belong or ever he be angarde, & long or he be pleased. Dear sister I pray you hearken unto. s. james words 
james, i  saying. Let every man be (sayeth. s james) hasty & diligent to here, & tardius to speak, & slow to anger, why so? For the anger of man doth not effectuously 'cause the justice of god, nor the anger of a virgin can not work after his justice a virgin that should be the temple of almighty god, should in no manner of wise be angry, it is against all good honest, that the spouse of god should frete & be angry. A virgin the which prepareth in her heart a dwelling place for god, should enforce herself to expel & eject all anger from her heart & mind. A virgin that desireth to come to GOd, & to his celestial chamber should avoid from her heart all anger. Good sister if anger prevent you refrain it, if it take you suddenly, mitigate and appease it. Cowl your furiousness, & your indignation, bridle in all manner of motions of anger. If you can not avoid anger, or suage it, yet let it not cast you in to a fury, or in to much hastiness or iudyngnatyon, let not the son go 
Ephesi. iiil  down upon your anger, that is, be not long angry nor continue not in anger.   

❧ Of hatred. the xxxvi Cham  
HOnest virgi hearken what I shall say. Hatred doth separate a man from the kingdom of heaven. Hatred removeth a man from paradise. Hatred doth draw a man from heaven. Hatred nother by passion nor by merterdome nor yet by effution of blood can be defaced purged or washed away. We should not hate man but the vice of man, he that hate the his 
Psa. ix viii  brother is a murderer. He that hateth his brother is in darkness. He loveth not god that hateth man Their is as great difference be 
Iohn. three,  twixt anger & hatred, as there 
Iohn. il.  is betwixt a rish & a great beme for hatred is an old rooted anger, by anger the eye of the heart is troubled, but by hatred the joy of the heart is utterly extinc & put out. Well-beloved sister hark unto my words. If so be you have angerde your friend make him by and by amendss, if you have offended him, do penance before him, and if you have slaunderde or put any man to rebuke, desire him to forgive you and make haste to be reconciled, sleep not until you come to satisfaction rest not until you be set at one, if your enemy do fall, rejoice not there at, nor be not glad of his death, nor yet of his misfortune lest peraventure like fortune chance unto you, & jest that god turn his anger upon you, take a pleasure to be sorry for those, that are in affliction, & misfortune, have compassion upon other men's poverty & misery, be heavy for other men's tribulation, weep with those 
Rome. twelve.  that weep. Good sister be not hard hearted, revenge not yourself upon him, that hath done you displeasure. forgive the god may forgive you, for if you forgive not, you shall not find nor yet have forgiveness, exclude all hatred 
Luke. vi.  out of your heart, & beware hatred never remain in you, or in your mind. My good sister, god sand you his delectyon, and the love of your neighbour.   

Of pride. the xxxvii cha.  
Pride is the beginning and 
Eccle. 〈◊〉  the rote of all evil, the proud man is odious, & hated both of god and man, the proud man is likened to the devil, pride & covetous are under such a fashion one evil, that pride can not be without covetousness, nor covetousness without pride, the devil by pride said. I will ascend in 
Isai. xiiii.  to heaven, but Christ with great humility said, My soul is humilyated 
Psal. xliii.  unto dust, the devil by pride said, I will be like god above, Christ by humility was obedient to his father unto death the devil through pride was thrust in to hell, & christ by hu 
Phill. two.  mylyte exalted to heaven. What other thing is sin, but the contempt of god, whereby we regard not but despise his commandments. O dear sister if our long watchings, out prayer, our chartable deeds, & all our labour & pain we take, end with pride, god reputeth it as nothing. Therefore extend not the wings of pride, nor lift not up his feathers, why so? For pride hath deposed the angels, & ovetrhrowen the mighty, god hath dejected the proud, & doth resist them, and giveth his grace to those that are humble. Also 
Luke. i  good sister, I exhort you to rejoice more in the society & feloshyppe of good men, then in the nobility of your stock or lineage, & pray you to rejoice more in the company of virtuous and poor men, them in the nobility of your rich & abundant kinsfolk, Wherefore? For god maketh 
Rom. two.  no difference nor yet no exception of people, and he that dyspiseth the poor, doth god in iure, he that dyspyseth the poor man rebuketh his maker. Good sister god send you profound humility and true charity.   

Of vain glory. the xxviii Chapt.  
WE should eschewe & avoid vain glory as well in deed, as in word. Wherefore good sister, look well upon yourself, and appropryate nothing that is in you, to yourself, but only your misdeeds & sin. Keep yourself from vain glory, take heed you desire not vain glory, glorify not yourself, boast not yourself, presume nothing of yourself, life not up yourself with pride, ascrive nothing to yourself that good is. Glorify yourself of no good work, despise the laud & praise of man, inquire not whether any man praise or dispraise you, let not worldly laud or praise deceive you, nor dispraise break or discomfort you, he that desireth not to be lauded setteth by no contimelious words nor be no injury, all such virgis as do glorify themself of their good works before man, have no oil in their vessels, for through the desire & appetite of vain glory, they lose their rewards, the which they trusted to have had of god They should daily behold and mark their sinful filthiness and fragylytie, and despise all vain glory, and be right sorry that they have lost their good works, the which they did for vain glory, of the which thige the lord saith. Ueryly says he, 
Math. vi  they have received their reward the virtues of good men through the desire of vain glory, are submitted unto the devil. As king Ezechyas, the which moved with pride, showed all his treasure 
i Reg. xx.  & riches to the Caldens, & therefore the prophet brought him word he should lose them. And the pharisee that came to the church to pray, lost his good deeds, because that by jactance & vain glory, he showed & opened them. 
Luke. xulii  And as the eagle cometh from above to seek her food, so man through the appetite of vain glory cometh from the height of good conversation to these inferior things. My well-beloved sister, set not your conscience in another man's tongue, let another man praise you, but in no manner of wise praise not your self, be your own judge, and judge yourself by your own judgement, & be no nother man's. For there is no man that knoweth you & your conscience so well as you yourself. Good sister will you that I show you, how you may increase in all virtue? You good brother, and I pray you show me: hearken then unto me, If you will increase your virtues, look you disclose them not, but hide them for fear of elation, hide your good works for fear of arrogance, evermore fly to be seen, or esteemed such as in very deed you be, hide your virtue, & open your mysfautes, and the vices of your heart & mind. And if you ever did well or said well, never show it in the presence of other, open incontinently your evil thoughts, for sin detected with humility & displeasance is lightly pardoned & forgiven, sin doth increase by keeping in, & hiding thereof, for if it be cloaked of a little it waxeth great, if it be manifestid & showed out it decreaseth, and again, if it be kept in, it increaseth, when virtue is cloaked in, than it augmenteth and increaseth if it come abroad & be known, it vanisheth away & decreaseth. Virtue through vain glory cometh to noughts but if it be hidden, & with humility kept in. it augmenteth marvelously. Wherefore good sister ascrive your counsel & all your acts to god, and in all your operations & works call upon god for help & ascrive all thing to the gift & grace of god, nor appropriate nothing to your own merits, presume nothing upon your virtue. hearken good sister unto the words of the apostle, he that glorifieth, should glorify in god. 
2. Cor. x.  Therefore let all your glorification & laud be in your spouse christ jesus.   

Of humility the xxxix cha.  
ODrare sister hearken unto your spouse christ jesus, the which saith in his gospel. Learn of me for I am meek & humble of heart, 
Math. xi.  good sister humiliate yourself under the mighty hand of god, that in time of tribulation he may ex 
iPeter. five,  alte you & help you, the conscience of a virgin should evermore be humble & heavy, that be humility it may be preserved frompride, & by heaviness from all lascivyusnes & wantonness, humility is the most sovereign virtue a virgin can have, pride is a very evil vice and a mischievous, a virgin that is humble (wthstandyng she be but evil decked) before god is glorious in virtue, but the proud & stately virgin (withstanding in the sight of man she be good & well beseen) yet in god sight, she is but vile & reproved, why so? For the soul of the just man, is god's seat, and he saith, upon whom should I rest, but on 
isaiah. 66.  lie upon him, that is humble, quiet, & fearing my words? Good sister be hamble & ground yourself upon humility, be the jest of all other, never prefer yourself above other, repute not your self to be superior to other, but thick all other to be above you, for the more higher you be, so much the more, you aught to humilitate yourself in all thing, you shall come to the glory, if you keep humility, 
Eccle. iii  and the more humble and meek that you show yourself, the more higher shallbe your glory, come down, that you may ascéde, hymylyate yourself that you may be exalted. exalt not yourself, jest you be humilyated & deposed. For it is written, who 
Luke. xilii.  so humilyateth & mekethe himself, shallbe elevated & exalted, and he that exalteth himself, shallbe humylyated & brought low, the higher a man doth fall the more grievous is his fall, humility knoweth not what falling means, humility is subject to no ruin. O good virgi 
Philip. two.  remember that god came very meekly in to this world, & that he humylyated him self in form of a servant, & was obedient to his father unto d●th. Good sister walk & follow his example, & fotesteppꝭ, be vile, despised, abject, & displesaunt in your own sight, for he that judgeth himself here to be vile, in the sight of god he shallbe highly esteemed, he that hateth himself in displeasure, shall please almighty god highly. O drare sister, be humble & low in your own conceit and presence, that you may be made great & high in the presence of god almighty, how much the less you esteem yourself, so much the more shall god esteem you. If you have profound & perfit humility, you shall (being associated with the wise virgins) rejoice in the eternal bliss of heaven.   

Of patience. the xl cha.  
THe lord saith, blessed be 
Math. five,  they that live peacibly, for they shall be named the 
Luke. vi.  children of god. Then good sister, if they the live in rest & peace be blessed, and called the children of god, patience is very necessary for you, patience is a perfit thing of itself, a patient virgin is reckoned to be wise, & she that is impatient & testy, is counted a fool, you may (if you so will) be marterde without any sword, that is, if you keep true patience. A patient person, shall come to the company of angels, but the envious and the impatient shall be partycypant & part taker with the devil, the peacyble man avoideth all discord, and the impatient styreth up strife & debate, a meek virgin is content to take & to suffer injury, a patient maid prepareth her heart as a place for god to devil in. Why so? for Christ jesusis the very peace, and is wont to rest 
Roma, vi.  in peace, the daughter of peace should love peace. O good vyrgi you should rather prepare yourself to take and to suffer injury them to do any, learn rather to suffer harm, than to do harm. Be patient, modestyous, & amiable, love peace, & be at peace with every man, love every body in charity & meekness, & strive to love all other, better than they love you. But yet be not to light in love, break no friendship, be always patient in mind, be gentle, and affable in your words and communication, show yourself merry spryted i'll all occasion of debate, despise strife, & live in peace and rest. And good sister if it be possible be at one with all the world, overcome all slanderous injuries with patience, with the buckler of patience, break the darts of all injury. Hold out the shield of good conscience against the sharp and litigius tongue, for as. s. Paul sayeth. 
two. Corin. 〈◊〉.  The witness of good conscience shallbe sufficient for you. You are well armed with virtue if you hurt not him, that burieth you, you are worthy of great glory, if you forgive him, & let him go, whom you may displease The piece of god which passeth all understanding, defend your heart & soul from all parel & danger.   

¶ Of concord the xli. ca  
THere are six things (sayeth the lord) 
Pro. vi  that my soul hateth and the seventh is, that I detest and abhor, that is, a man that soweth discord among his brethren, he is accursed that soweth discord among god's servants, he doth 
Ephe. two  greatly against god, that breaketh peace and concord. And he that causeth discord among god's servants doth christ great injury, why so? For chryst is our peace, the which hath made of two things one, that is the angels, & man to be of one accord. The concord of evil men, is the contrariete of good men. And as we should desire the good men might be in peace, so we should desire that the peace, concord, and unite of evil men might be broken. For concord and unity to do evil is not laudable.  
But concord to do well, to serve GOD, to follow justice, is laudable. And the congregations and coming together of christian people into the church is to serve god in one spirit, & in one will. For so should they do, that inhabit god's house For it prevaileth not to be together, if our wills be not all one, for GOD loveth much better the humility of the will, than the humility of the place. We be many together in one house, of divers manners, of divers hartis, of divers mindis, all these thigꝭ must agree in one intention, in one mind, and one love in god.  
Therefore we must be all of one mind, of one will, to serve god, and to love him with all our hearts, with all your souls, and our neighbour as ourself. And therefore concord is very necessary for us, for if I follow my will & pleasure, & you yours, & he his, then must there needs be division, contention & anger, the which things as saith paul are works of the flesh. They 
●●la. u  that do such things, shall never obtain the kingdom of heaven. believe me good sister, all our fasting, praying & sacrifice pleaseth not god so much as doth good concord, and therefore he sayeth. Go thy ways first, and 
Math. five  reconcile thyself to thy brother, and then come and offer up thy gift. Honourable sister the virtue of concord is very great, to ward god, without the which our sacrifice can not please him.  

¶ The sister's demand  
TEll me good brother whether the devil be a feared of any thing.   

The brother's answer.  
MY worshipful sister, there is nothing that he fears so much as concord, and charity, if we give all that ever we have for Goddes' sake, he fears it not. For he getteth nothing thereby. If we fast he fears it not, for if he never eath. If we watch he fears it not, for he never sleepeth. but if we live in good concord and charity, he fears it very sore, why so? For than we observe & keep that thing in earth, that he kept not in heaven. And this is the cause why men say that our holy mother the church is as fearful & as terrible to her enemyse, as is a great company 
Canti. vi.  of men of war, well armed & set in good order. For as our enemies be in great fere, when they sethere adversaries coming against them in good array & order, so the devil is in great fear, when he seethe the christian men be well armed with virtue, concord, & unite. Therefore all we should live together in good accord, the is in the church, to overcome the devil. The handmaid of GOd, that will live in concord & tranquillity must first of all, leave and cast a way all evil customs, lest by her ꝑuersite she put other to rebuke and shame. Also she must moderate her works & deeds, her moving, her words, and all her life, and after the laws of God agree with all other.  
Therefore good sister, I exhort you to live in good accord, and in humility, and to revoke all hatred and strife to peace and concord. Use no such words as may break good agreement and concord.    

¶ Of sufferance the xlij. chapter.  
Dear sister learn modestyusnesse, and sufferance of christ jesus, & mark him well, for so doing no man shall put you to heaviness he hath suffered death for us all and hath left us an example of sufferance. He was beaten scourged, whipped mocked, bespued, naylde to the cross, crowned with thorn, & condemned to be hanged upon the cross, & all this while he held his peace, nor murmured not against it. But if any man doth us injure, it is for our sins, our myschevousnesse, & sinful living is the cause thereof, for whatsoever doth chance against us, all is for our sins, & we shall the better suffer all such adversities, if we consider upon what occasion & for what cause they do chance unto us. Therefore if a man do you displeasure, speak fair unto him, if he curse you bless him. if he be angry 
Rom. twelve.  with you, speak patiently unto him. Dissolve his furiusnes with gentle words, overcome his iniquity with softness, his malice with goodness & his injure with tranquillity. Good sister prepare yourself, and be always ready both to good and evil. And as they chance, so suffer & bear them, suffer both prosperity and adversity, & as they chance take them meekly, & set not by iniurius nor by contumelyus reproaches, for by despising of such iniurius words, you shall overcome all der●sion, & by dissembuling of such things, you shall little or nothing regard such men's faults and errors. And notwithstanding good sister, that men do stir you, provoke you, assail you, reproach you, and blame you, although they speak iniuryusly unto you and do you injury, although they provoke you to anger, & do you great wrong, yet for all that hold you your peace, keep your silence, care not for it dissemble the matter, answer not to their injures, speak no crabbed words unto them, set apart all contumeliꝰ & iniurius words, say nothing, for by holding your peace you shall soon over come them O chrystis spouse, strive against these worldly griefs & wretchedness, be steadfast & strong in all adversity, suffer allthing patienly, take it well in worth, and suffer that is comen to all men.  
For he that troubeleth, and he that is troubeled are mortal, and he that doth wrong, and he that suffereth wrong shall die. believe me good sister. No man can trouble you, no man can be against you, if god suffered him not, nor the devil himself hath no power upon you, but by 
acts. xiii●  god's sufferance. We must come to heaven by great tribulation, yet all the passions, and adversities of this world are not to be 
Rom. vi 〈…〉  compared to the great glory and joys of heaven It is impossible being a woman, but nedesye must taste the troubelsumnes, and misery of this world. And being in this world, we aught to suffer every thing in like manner There is noman living in this world, but must needs sigh & mourn atsome times, for this mortal life is full of heaviness, the beginning of this life is wailing, & weeping. The child that is now born, beginneth his life with weeping. The child when it cometh out of his mother's womb, or ever it laugh, it waileth & mourneth, worldly tribulation is very necessary.  
The storms of this world are profitable, the more we be tormented & troubled in this world, the more we be confirmed, & the more we be vexed in this vale of misery, the more shall our joy be in heaven. If we be troubled and punished in this world, we shall be, god willing, found pure and without fault atthe day of judgement.   

¶ Of sickness the xliij ca  
THe lord sayeth. Those that Idolove 
Hebre. twelve.  I chasten. God doth chasten & correcteth men in this world, three manner of ways, he correcteth those that are noughtes to their damnation. Those that he hath choose if they do are, to there purgation. And those that are good men, to the augmentation of their glory. God punished the Egyptians to their damnation. Lazarus to his purgation. And job, to his probation. God also at some time doth punish man or ever he sin, and that because he should not sin, as was saint Paul. The which by the instigation of the devil, suffered 
two Corin. xi●  the temptation of the flesh. Also God punisheth man after that he hath trespassed, to th'intent he should amend, as he that is delivered to the devil to be punished in body, for the salvation of his soul. Also it is very 
two Lorin. twelve  profitable for those that are wealthy and in good health to be troubeled with sickness, lest that be to much health they take greater pleasure in these transytore and earthly things, them they should do, such bodily health as causeth the soul to be sick is not good But bodily tribulation & sickness bringing a man's soul to salvation is right profitable. The apostle praiseth the sickness of the body, saying. The weaker I am in body, the more stronger 
two. Herald twelve.  I am in spirit, A man should never murmur against god's punishments for by such correction he amenth his disordinate life and mislyving. But if we would remember the sins we have displeased God withal, we should suffer the sickness of the body much better than we do. A man should not murmur 
Psal. c. viii  against GOd, when he visete him with sickness, why so? For god whose judgements are just, hath judged him to have deserved it. If then in his sickness he mumur against gods visitation, he esteemeth the judgement of GOd to be untrue, and so he provoketh God to anger. Nor that thing cannot be just, that pleaseth not god the right judge. God doth 
Apoca. three,  chasten those that he loveth, & scourgeth all such children as he draweth unto him. And taketh no less pleasure in them, than doth the father in his children. God in this life doth spare and is very gentle to sinners, & not to those that are good men. But in another world he doth not so. For there he doth spare & uphold the just, & sharply correct the unjust & misdoer. Dear sister dolour & heaviness is comen to all men. There is no man with out sorrow in this world. God doth ever more correct & chasten those he would should be saved. Good sister be not moved, nor chafe not in your sickness. But when you be sick, thank god thereof & rather desire soul health, them bodily health. For the adversities of the flesh, is the remedy of the soul, Sickness woundeth & hurteth the body but it cureth the soul, sickness consumeth vice, sickness couleth & quencheth the heat of all bodily lust, by sickness a man is proved, & not dystrude, gold is proved by fire, purge yourself in the chimney of tribulation, that you may be & appear undefiled, suffer to be burned with the fire of persecution, that you may appear immaculate & pure, for all these things that you suffer are for your probation. Therefore my well-beloved sister in god, mumur not in your sickness, blaspheme not, nor you shall not say. Why do I suffer all this tribulation, why doth god punish me? Good brother I pray you tell me what I should say when I am sick & in tribulation, & how I should accuse myself. Dear sister accuse yourself after this form & manner, I have sinde and done a miss, I am not punished as I have deserved, I perceive not that god taketh equal vengeance upon my sins, I feel that I am gentlier entreated them I have deserved, my tribulation is much less, then is my fault, my pain is nothing in comparison of my sins, my torments are nothing like my misliving. O good sister, will you be purged of your sins? then in tribulation and pain accuse yourself, & extol the justice of god, it is sufficient for your purgation, if you ascrive your punishment and pain to god's justice, if you humlye & meekly glorify god, for the sickness and trouble he scenteth you, for god doth correct you with the scourge of pitiful castigacton, he doth use very gentle correction, and he that letting you unchasted did despise you and cast you of, doth now correcting you, desire you should return unto him again. O honest virgin, think and call all worldly torments to your mind, and all manner of pain all manner of crudelity and tyranny, all oppression, all heaviness, and compayre me all these things to the pain of hell and you shall find that your pain is very easy & light. Good sister if you fear any pain, fear the pains of hell. For the pains of this world are temporal, & the pains of hell eternal, if a man desceyse & die in these pains the pain remaineth here, but if he be in the pains of hell, they succeed still, and continue for evermore. Ueryly if you fortune to amend and return to goodness, them all the pains and tribulation that you suffered were your amendment, for tribulation doth loose him that is converted from sin. These present & worldly troubles are as a purgation to him that is amended, he that is tormented and chasted in this world, is delivered in another but they that are not chastened nor corrected here, are in danger to be dampened both temporally & eternally. For they are first judged in this world & finally in another for evermore, and such have double pain & damnation, they are twysevexed and trouled, for they are here judged and troubled, & hereafter in perpetual pain. So it followeth them, that it is god's hand that doth punish you, & his indignation that doth vex you, and being angry with you, he hath commanded you should suffer such torment & tribulation. That you are brought low by sickness, that you are tormented with the sharp temptations of the flesh, that you are vexed with sorrow, and with the passions of the mind, that you are troubled with evil spirits, all this the justice of god doth send you for your sins, your own wepens fighteth against you, you are wounded with your own arrows, you are hurt with your own da●te, for that, that hath caused you to trespass doth trouble & vex you, and because you have followed your bodily lust, you are tormented in your body you complain of that thing, that you trespaste with all. Good sister you are tormented in your body, because you have sinned with the body, you are troubled in that thing, that hath been the cause of your tribulation, look by what thing you fallen to sin, in the self you suffer pain and torment. O good Christ's spouse you are justly punished, you are justly scourged, and justly condemned, the pain and torments you are in, do justly chasten you.   

Of covetousness, xliiii. cha.  
THe Lord saith in 
Luke. twelve.  his gospel, fly from all covetousness, for the life of man is not in the abundance of those things that he possesseth upon earth. And saint Paul 
Ephe. 〈◊〉.  saith. Let no fornication, no immundycyte, nor yet no covetousness, be spoken of among you, And again he saith, such as are fornycators, uncleanly of life, or covetous, shall not be part takers of the kingdom of heaven, & of this thing saith Solomon. He that followeth covetousness, 
Prover. xv  doth trouble his house, the covetous shall never be satisfied with money, he that loveth riches, shall never have profit be them, there is nothing worse, 
Eccle. 〈◊〉.  than to love money, for his soul that loveth money, is evermore ready to be sold, & as covetousness doth drown a man in hell, so doth almous deed done with liberality, elevateth & bringeth man to heaven. The covetous man is likened to hell, for as hell is never satisfied, no more is the avaricious man, and the more that he that hath the dropsy doth drink, the more he may, so the more that the covetous man getteth the more he desireth. Auarycyousnes & covetousness are sisters, and pride is their mother, for pride was never without avarycyousnes, nor avarice without covetousness. Good sister let not yourhandes be ready to take and receive, but rather ready to give. I would you should delight more in giving than in taking, it is a greater virtue and much 
●cia. xx.  better to give than to take. Good sister take heed that avarice fasten not her roots in you, look there be no spot or smack of covetousness in you, if for Christ sake you utterly despise all worldly things, you shall rejoice eternally with him in heaven.   

Of cupidity the xiu cha.  
CUpidyte is the root of all 
i Timo. vi.  mischief, no man can perfitly take upon him to make spiritual war, without he tame and refrain all bodily pleasure, the soul of man can not be set nor given to contemplation, if it be entangled with cupidity and the desire of transitory and worldly things, the eye of the soul can not behold celesty all things, if the dust of earthly cupidity do blind it, cupidity is a grievous sin, & the matter and very occasion of all other crimes, Wherefore it is no marvel if they be tormented with the fire of hell, that in this world would not quench the flayme of their cupydyte. Good sister not with standing you have no money, yet that shall nothing prevail you if you be desirous thereof. It puayleth not to be bore, if a man be desirous of goodly array, judas through cupydyte sold christ, we came bore in to the world, & shall depart from hence bore, why should we then covet or desire these worldly and 
job 〈◊〉.  transitory things? And if we know that the goods of the world shall perish & come to noughtes, why do we love them so effectuously? If we love these transitory things more than reason requireth, we offend greatly. Therefore good sister consider the course and briefness of your time, and you shall manifestly know and perceive, that a very little thing will serve you, If cupydyte (as I have said before) be the rote of all other mischief, it is necessary you expel it, lest it be the occasion of other, let there be no evil, nor no perverse cupydytye in you, the good lord give you of his grace to despise for his love only, the prosperity of the world and not to fear the adversities thereof.   

Of poverty the xlvi Chapi.  
BLessed be they that 
Math. u Luke. vi.  are poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. There are many power men, whose poverty maketh them rather wretched than blessed, because they suffer nor take not their poverty patiently for god's sake, but full sore against their will, other there be, that patiently do suffer their poverty for god sake, & through their meek sufferance are blessed, of the which it is written, blessed at they that are poor in spirit. You have hard 
Math. v.  good sister of the tribulation & patience of job. Wherefore I exhort you, to take heed that nother worldly tribulation do oppress you, nor prosperity exalt you, you read that the patryarches were very rich of substance, and marvelous humble & meek of stomach, such a one was Abraham, that said. I will speak to my lord god, which I, am but 
Gene. xviii.  earth and ashes. So my good sister, if in your wealth & woe you give thanks unto almighty god, you shall believe & well perceive that the felicity of this temporal life vanisheth away as smoke & cometh to nothing, for saint Paul saith, If we trust only upon goods reward in 
i ●omi. xv  this world, we are the most wretched of all other, the which take the fruition of their goods here, & we great pain & torment. Christ jesus promising us perpetual life, taught us to despise gold & all other gifts, & because we should not fere hunger, he fasted forty days, because we should 
Math. iiii.  not fear to be bore, he commanded his disciples they should 
Luke. iii  have but one cote, because we should not fear tribulation, he suffered great tribulation. And because we should not fere death he suffered death for us. All these worldly things, are but fleshly concuptscence, the concupiscence of the eyes, and worldly ambition, 
i Ioh●. two.  & the world shall perish with all his concupiscence. Therefore good sister let us not love these worldly things lost we perish with them. King David was a mighty prince, and notwithstanding he had great treasure, & ruled his people with strong hand, yet he knowledge & showed himself to be full of humility, saying, I am but poor, and in commmual labour. And again 
Psa 87.  he saith, I am poor & in great necessity. And again, I am but 
Psal. 28.  as a poor labouring man, in this world, and a pilgrim as my fore fathers have been before me. Good sister let not the flattery of this transitory world delight and please you, take no pleasure in this worldly commodity, nor rejoice not in worldly lucre, nor be not moved with earthly losses. For it is written, If riches come plentifully and abundantly unto you, set not 
Psal. lxi.  your heart nor your mind upon them, for if man be in amours and love with them, he shall lose them with great pain & sorrow. O Chrystes spouse listen unto me, he (whom heaven and earth doth serve) made himself, poor for our sakes. Why so? that by his poverty he might inryche us. Therefore good virgin follow the way of Christ jesus & leave not of to follow his foot steppis for without doubt, if you follow him, you shall come to the everlasting kingdom of heaven. Behold good sister the virginity & poverty of our blessed lady the which was so in god's favour, that she by him deserved to be his mother, & yet at the time of. Chrystes birth she was in such poverty, that she had nother midwife, nor yet maid to help her, her goods were so scarce, that she was fain to say her dear child in a crib, and yet not with standing her husband joseph was a very good & a iustman, yet through poverty he was fain to labour for his living. For it 
Luke. two.  is written, that he was a carpenter. Also we read of the holy apostles that they served god in great hunger & thirst of the which thing saint paul saith. In hunger & 
two, Corin. xi  thirst, in fasting, in cold, bareness & great watch, you have many examples, by the which you may learn to despise these worldly riches, & desire celestial. For such 
i Th●. 〈◊〉  as covet to be rich & abundant in this world, do fall into many temptations, & in to many gins, & snares of the devil, & in to such hurtful desires, as doth bring them to everlasting damnation. But they that willingly & perfitly trust to obtain celestial riches, set little by worldly substance, for wylfulpoverte, bringeth a man to heaven. We come not into this world to live in pleasure. But that by great watch, fasting, praying, & fighting against our adversary the devil, we may by the aid of god come to the everlasting bliss of heaven. And therefore we come bore into the world, & are born bore to the font of bapteme, that we in like manner may come 
job. i  bore and without any impediment to joy everlasting. O what a shame, and how inconvenient a thing were it, for man that cometh bore in to the earth, to enter in to heaven with great treasure & riches? It is much more easy to needle a gabelle of a ship, them for a rich 
●u●e. xviii  man to come to heaven. It were better to have to little, than to much He is to avaricius the god can not content & satisfy. Good sister if we suffer for god's sake, hunger thirst, & bareness in this world we shallbe with him for evermore in his ꝑ petual kingdom of bliss.   

¶ Of murmuration the rlvijs. cha.  
THe mansion & dwelling place of our heart, is sanctified by the grace of almighty god, & by the inhabitation of the holy ghost, that is, when charity, peace, goodness, humility, concord with other like virtues, are in us.  
These are our riches, that is good manners and virtue are our riches. But if we begin to strive & to murmur in continent we lose these spiritual virtues, and remain clear without them. Why so? For virtue and vice can not devil together. And a little dow 
i Corni. 〈◊〉  marthe a great deal of levent.  
And therefore every good servant of OOD, should think and revolve in his mind how grievously he offendeth that murmurth for these worldly goods, for he impoveresheth high self of that he should be rich of. Why what is our riches? Virtue, them if we mumur either for meal or drink, or for any other thing we lose virtue, for murmuration is a haynus & a grievous sin, and ss. Gregore sayeth. That he that murmurthe, shall never come 
Eccle. xxiii  to heaven. No man that murmurth, shall obtain the celestial court of heaven, the heart & mind of a unwise man is compared to the cart wheel, that carrieth hay, & murmurth, of this condition are many christen men & whomen, the which being subject & obedient to carnal desire, never cease to mutter Therefore good sister s. paul's counsel is very necessary, saying You shall not mumur as some 
two. Corin. x.  of the children of Israel did in wilderness to their destruction So then it is a very daungerus 
i Corin. 〈◊〉  thing to murmur. Lest we perish here, as they did in wilderness. Let us therefore charm and tempour our tongues, that in time to come we misfare not, as they did in this world, let us not murmur, jest we suffer in soul, that they suffered in body. And S, Paul 
i Corni. 〈◊〉  giving us counsel, sayeth. Let us not tempt god, as some of them did the which were destroyed with serpents, he tempthe God that murmurthe other for meat or drink 
psal. . lviii  or clot. And again it is written. They mourmurde in their tabernacles, & would not hearken 
Psal. c. five  to gods saying. He tempthe god that with murmuration requireth that is superfluus. They were destroyed with serpents, why so? By cause they were full of venom & poison so there tongues y● murmur are infected with devilish poison &. s. james saith, the tongue is a shrewd & a unquiet thing, & full 
james. iii  of deadly poison, and therefore we should eschew all murmuration & beware that we be not smitten & that we perish not by such devilish poison. Well-beloved sister hearken what god sayeth. I woldye should neither care for food nor yet for clothing saying these 
Math. five,  & like words, what meat shall we eat, or where with shall we be clothed? As though he would say more plainly. God that hath given you life, will, puyde you shall lack neither meat, nor yet clot to sustain your bodes withal. He sayeth also. Behold the birds of the air, the which neither so we nor thrash, nor make no manner of provision, & yet God doth nourish them, that is, if god nourish the poor bird, the which is mortal, how much more diligently shall he nourish man & his soul the which is immortal, & to whom he hath promised the kingdom of heaven. And again he sayeth. Consider & look how the goodly lyles grow, they neither spin nor card, & yet the lord doth cloth them. How much more shall he cloth you his servants and handmaids. God will never undo his servants for lack of meat drink or clot. Ferther more he sayeth. Seek for the king doom of heaven & his justice, & you 
Math. vi.  shall lack nothing of all these for said things, as though he would say, serve God in all melody & fear, & he shall minister unto you, all that shall be necessary, 
Psal. xxxiii  for they that seek god, shall lack nothing.   

¶ Of prayer the xlviij ca  
hearken unto my words good sister. To pray or necessity compelleth man, is called providence, to pray at times appointed is called obedience. But to let pass the time of prayer is called negligence. The more profitable the prayer is, the more oft it should be used. The lord sayeth. Look what soever you demand 
Mathe. ix.  by prayer being in good steadfast bylyve, you shall have it. And S. paul exhorteth us to pray 
〈◊〉. u  continually. And. s. james saith That the continual prayer of a 
james. v.  just man, is much worth. Good sister or ever you begin to pray, prepayre your heart unto it, and be not as one that would tempt god. prepare yourself to prayer, & open your heart & conscience, that you may have cause to obtain the more of his grace. Aman prayeth truly when word & heart accordeth together. And the sooner the the sinful man leaveth his misdoing, the sooner is his prayer hard.  
A prayer must be spoken & pronounced with heart & not with thy lips only, & it is better to pray under silence with heart, them in word with out good intention. Amans prayer is then most purest, when it is not corrupt with suꝑfluus thoughts, such men's minds are far from god, whose prayers are troubeled with worldly business. Prayer is let from his purpose two manner of ways. The first is, when man intends not to leave his sinful living. The second is, when man will not forgive such msfautes & injuries as hath been done unto him. A man's soul & mind is then celestial & wholly in the meditation of god, when it is not disturbed nor troubeled with worldly works and businesses When a man doth pray, he calleth the holy ghost unto him, after whose coming all such devilish temptation as do vex & trouble his mind vanissheth away, for the devil can not abide the presence of the holy ghost. He that is hurt, must pray continually for those that did hurt him, or else he is in great default & sin. For as the surgeon or medicine cannot remedy the wound as long as their is hyerne in it, so the prayer of him that beareth malice doth profit him little 
Luke. xviii.  or nothing. And he doth sin, that in his prayer to GOd doth repeat & open his good deeds, as did the pharisee lauding him self more than god of his good dedis O good sis● pray to god continually with tearꝭ, pray night & day, cease not from prayer. Be evermore well armed with harnis made of good prayer, Let prayer never fall from your mouth, be oft in prayer, weep & wail continually. Ryseup in the night to pray, watch and pray, watch all night in prayer, take a little nap and then pray again For continual prayer putteth a way all devilish temptation. Quotidiane and daily prayer overcometh the devels dartis & all his malice, prayer is the first & cheyfest virtue against the assauttes of the wicked fend & his temptations oration & prayer doth overcome all the temptations of our ghostly enemy, it sermounteth & overcometh all evil spirits. Good syst let your prayer be pure & clean, and I exhort you to pray for those that be good, that they may continue in their goodness And for those that are noughtes, that they may turn frontheyr noughtinesto goodness. Pray for your friends and for your enemies, and for all christian souls.   

Of holy lesson the xlix. cha.  
BY prayer we be purified from all sin. By good lessons we be taught what we should do, both are good. But yet it is better to pray, than to read. For when we pray, we speak to god, when we read, god speaketh to us Good syst if you desire to be continually with god, be always praying & redinge for divine lesson, is very necessary & profitable. By such lessons we learn what we should do, what we should eschew, and where to we should tend, of this thing sayeth David. The word of god is as a lantern for my feet, that is, for my affections. 
psal. c. xiiii  And as a light to my foot patthes & going, by divine lesson a man's understandng is increased● good lessons do instruct man to prayer & good works, good lessons do inform both life active & contemplative. And therefore it is written. blessed is he that doth 
Eccle. xiiii.  think both day & night upon the law of god. Prayer & good lessons are the wepens, with the which the devil is overcomed, & the instruments, be the which men con to eternal beatitude. By prayer & lesson vice is expelled & virtue in mā● soul increased. The hand maid of god, should continually pray and read. For it is written. I shall never 
Psal. c. x viii  be confounded, if I consider wealthy commandments. Therefore my well-beloved syst in god, pray often, & continue in the meditation of holy scripture, by diligent in reading of God's laws. Use yourself to read scripture. Let it be your daily lesson, your daily meditation. For such holy and devout lessons remove the mind from worldly vanity, & augmenteth the understanding, such divine lessons do tech man what he should do, what he should eschew & fly, you shall profit greatly if you follow that you read. I pray the lord to open your heart in his laws & commandments   

¶ Of works the l cha.  
THe prophet jeremias sayeth. 
Three. two.  Let us life up our hartis with our hands to god. He that prayeth & laboureth doth life up his heart & his hands to god. But he that prayeth & laboureth not, lift up his heart to god but not his handis And he that laboureth & prayeth not lifteth up his handꝭ to god but not his heart. Wherefore good syst it is very necessary that we life up our hartis by prayer, & our hands by good operation & works why so? Lest that we be rephended to be negligent in observing & keeping of god's commandments, thinking to obtain by only prayer, or by only labut the thing that we demand & desire, of this sayeth s. Paul. 
i. Thess. three  He that will not labour shall not eat you should evermore pray, read, or labur, jest peradventure the spirit of fornication deceive your Idle mind all fleshly & carnal desire is overcome by labour. O welbe loved sister divide your time in three parts, in the fyrstye shall pray, in the second you shall read, & in the third you shall labour & work. King Solomon through Idilnesse wrapped himself in to 
three ●●g. xi  divers kinds of fornication, & through the great and fervent desire he had there unto, he worshipped Idols. Good sister these three things prayer, lesson & labour, are very necessary. For by prayer we be purged, by divine lesson, we be instructed, & by labour & works we be beatified & blessed. As it is written.  
Thou shall eat the laboururs of thy hands, that shallbe blessed & well 
Psal. c. xxvii  y● shalt be. And it at any time you do leave of reding, them to avoid idleness, you shall labour for idleness is enemy to the soul, the devil doth very easily deceive those that he finds idle. O Christ's spouse, beware jest when he shall behold & inquire of other men's doings, that he find nothing in you, he may accuse you of. And therefore I exhort you, that you be never idle, & pray god that you may show all other the love of god, not in words only but also in good works, for them you love god when for his love you do all the good you can, for every good & devout soul should manifestly both in word & deed open & show, that he loveth god, of the which thing it is written. The bride groom that is, christ jesus, appareling 
Canti. viii  the bride, that is the devout soul saith, Lay me upon your heart as a sygnacle, & allo upon your arms. In the heart, is man's thought in his arms, his labour, So the well-beloved bride groom is laid upon your heart & harms as a sign For by the good will & operation of man it is soon known what love the soul beareth to her bride groom christ jesus, for the love of god, is never Idle, & if it be true love, it doth many great works. Therefore good sister, I pray you to love god perfitly, & that for his sake you be never idle, if you love god perfitly, you shall never be idle, if you love god truly, you shall avoid all idleness, if you love god with all your heart, & with all your mind, then for his sake you shall say aside & despise all idleness, the kingdom of heaven shall not be given to those that are idle, but to those that be studius & diligent in god service, nor to no vacabundes or erroneous persons, but to those that for god's sake do truli labour in his service. They that are slothful to do good works shall not be partakers of the kingdom of heaven. Lururiousnes & bodily lust doth soon deceive those that a● idle & great wanderers Luxuryousnes doth trouble him very sore whom she findeth idle, carnal appetite & lust giveth place to work to diligence, to labur & occupation. Aman may be diligent labourovertred such wanton lustis & desyrꝭ, for when the body is well traveled & we ●yd with labour, it setteth not greatly by such trifling matters. Wherefore good sister beware and prevent idleness, love no idleness, weary your body with labour, exercise your body with good works, & inquire evermore for some profitable work, that your intention & mind may be occupied, Let your good works and your good intention be evermore in god.   

¶ Of life active and contemplative. the. 〈◊〉. Chapter.  
I Acob saw a lather standing upon the ground, & angels ascending, 
E'en. xxviii.  & descending, and the top of this lather touched heaven, All those that are pndestynate to be saved, & those that are in the way of salvation, are set upon this lather. This lather doth signify the church, aswell militant as triumphant. The militant is the church of this world, the triumphant the celestial church of heaven. There is upon this lather three orders of men, seculars, actyves, & contemplatyves, The seculars are in the lowest degree, the actyves, in the higher, & the contemplatives in the highest, of these three orders sumare in the mill, some in the field, & some in their beddis. The mill is the secular life, the field is the will of the secular man, In the field are the preachers of the word of of god, In thebed, is the love of god, they that are in the mill, be they that compass the world, and that leek & love these worldly things they that are in the field, are they that ear the land, & sow the word of god among the people, they are in their beddis that utterly despise all worldly substance & riches, at the foot of this lather, stand they that are worldly. In the middle part thereof, at they, that are called acryves & in the highest part thereof are the contemplatyves the which are very nigh unto heaven. For they think upon nothing, but y●, that is heavenly, they that go up & down this lather, are the angels, the which ascend up to god by contemplation, & descend to their neighbour, by compassion, life active is the inocency of good works, the contemplative life, is the imagination & speculation of celesty all things, the active life is common to many, the contemplative to very few, the active life, useth well all worldly things, but the contemplative given all to god's service, doth little or nothing regard the world.  

¶ The sister's demand.  
Well-beloved brother, I pray you to open unto me the differences between the life active and the contemplative.   

The brother's answer.  
Dear sister there is a great difference between them, for the active is to give him breed that is a hungerde, to give wise counsel, to teach his neighbours, to reduce & correct those that are in error, to brige the proud to humility, to accord those that are at debate, to visit the sick, to very the deed, to redeem poor prisoners, to dispense & provide for every man as need shall require, you have hard the works of life active. Now I pray you hearken to the works of life contemplative. This contemplative life keepeth together the chatyte of god & man, & is quiet from all exterior action, hanging & clening only to god desire, taking no manner of pleasure in these worldly things, but despising them to come to the very sight & fruition of god, and being very sorry to remain long in this miserable world, and ponderous body, desireth effectuously to come to the company of angels, there to laud god with hymns and other spiritual songs, desiring also to be among the celesty all cytyzens of heaven, and there in the sight of almighty god to re: oyce in the eternal incorruption. Now good sister you have hard both of the active and the contemplative life, and therefore I would that with Mary. 
Luke 〈◊〉.  Magdalene you chose the best part, that is the contemplaty us life, the life active is right good, but the contemplative much better, he that can profit in the active shall the better come to the contemplative, of this you may take an example by jacob, the which loved Rachel intearely, Rachel 
Gene. nineteeen.  doth signify the contemplative life. Then they gave him Lya, the which doth signify the active life, this active life doth serve god in great labour & travail, that is feeding, nourishing, receiving, clothing, visiting, comforting, & burying of the poor, with many such works of mercy, and yet Lya is the second child, for there are many more active people, then contemplative, but Rachel is as much to say, as a sheep, or syeing the beginning, for contemplative people are simple & as Innocent as sheep, far from all worldly tumult & strife, cleaving only to divine contemplation, and that to come to his sight that saith, I that speak unto you, am the beginning. This 
Iohn. viii.  Rachel had two daughters, for there are two manner of contemplatyves, some there are that live in comen, other there are, that are solitary, & separated from all other, but life contemplative is much more perfit, then is the active life. And as the eagle doth fycher eyes in the son beams, nor removeth them not, but when he taketh some sustenance, so devout persons given to contemplation, at some times return from contemplation to the active life. For not withstandynge heavenly things are much profitable, yet these inferior & worldly things are so necessary the we can not well be without them. In so moche that Christ speaking unto the devout soul given all to contemplation saith thus. Rise up, & hast you my well-beloved & fair lover, 
Can. two.  & cum unto me, as though he would say more plainly. Rise up & hast you my lover by delection & faith, my dove by innocence & simplycyte, my fair sister by the virtue of chastity. Rise up from your sweet estate, that is from your rest of contemplation, in the which you desire to content & to please me in salmode hipnes, prayer, & such other spiritual songs & melody, hast you therefore & come hither, that is, come out to profit your neighbours & 'cause them by pndycacyon & good example to follow you. The vision 
Ezechi. 〈◊〉.  of the beasts in Ezechyel, the which went & returned not again, do ꝑtaine to the continuance of the active life & the bestis that went & returned again, pertain to life contemplative, for when man boweth his mind thereto by & by through his infirmity, he is dejected & clean turned, but after he remembreth himself again, he returneth from that he came fro, the which thing cannot be done in active life. For if a man fall from it never so little, by and by he is inwrapte & entangled with vice. Often times the soul of man is exalted from the earth to heaven, and overcomed with carnal infirmity, it descendeth again from heaven to earth. Also god doth visit many secular men, & through his great grace, doth lift them up, in to contemplation, Also by his secret & unknown judgement, he suffereth many a contemplative man to fall to these earthly matters & so leaveth them. And as he that is deed, & buried doth cease from all worldly business, so doth the contemplative man cease from all worldly works, and as they that come from the active life, be buried in the quietness & rest of contemplation, so the contemplative life doth receive them as buried in it, that departed & come from the worldly life, and as the active life is the grave of the secular and worldly life, so is the contemplative the monument & grave of the active life. And as good holy men at sometimes come from the secretness of contemplation to the active life, so they return again to the secretness of life contemplative, and their in ward contemplation, there to laud god where they lernde how to do good works abroad to the laud & praise of almighty god, and as it is gods will that man given to contemplation at some times should leave it, & come abroad for other men's profit, so at some times his mind is that no man should disturb or unquiet them, but that they should rest in their secret & sweet contemplation, the which thing, god doth declare for bidding the maidens of Jerusalem, that they awake not his spouse, laying. O you madens of hierusalem, I adjure you, by the wild gottes & hearts of the fields, 
Canti. two.  that you awake not my lover until she have lust to rise, that is to say, that you call not up nor awake not the devour soul given to contemplation, & occupied in prayer, & divine lectures, nor provoke her not to any outward operation, until that she will herself, that is awake her not until the time of her contemplation, be exspyred, & until she will be awaked from her interior rest & sweet quietness, yet in this mortal life, there is no man that can perfitly contemplate god as saith saint Iohn in his apocalypsies. There was silence in heaven about 
Apoca. viii. cha.  half an hoüre, heaven is taken for the soul of every just man, as god saith by the prophet Esay. Heaven is my seat, so that 
Isai. lxvi  when quietness of life contemplative is in the mind, than there is silence in heaven that is in the soul, for the tribulation of all earthly things are then in quiet & far from man's cogitation & thought. But for as much as contemplation cannot be perfit in this world we said not that there was silence, in heaven a hole hour, but half an hour, but he that will live perfitly in contemplation, must leave all worldly matters, & of this speaketh God in the canticles. I sleep, but my heart is a 
Canti. u  wake, as though he would say more plainly. When I sleep and keep me from worldly troubles, inwardly in my mind, I revolve & think upon celestial & spiritual things. Also the arch of No the which was double chambered, signifieth the life active & contemplative, of the which two, the active is lowest & the contemplative highest. And it had (as some say) three chambers the which do signify three orders of men, that are comprised in the church, that is, those that are married, those that are continent, and those that live chaste as virgins of this contemplation like god saith in his gospel. If you will be perfit, sell all that you have, & give all to the poor 
Math. nineteeen.  and you shall have a treasure in heaven, & come & follow me. And again he sayeth. Mary hath 
Luke. 〈◊〉.  choose the best part, the which shall not be taken from her. For the life contemplative shall neither be taken away in this life nor in no nother, but the active life taketh his end in this world So doth not the life contemplative for it continueth for evermore. The life active doth end in this world, the contemplative beginneth hear, & is made perfit in heaven. Good sister I exhort you for the love of god to despise this present world, and for his love to leave of all worldly cares & thoughts. give all your mind & study to god. Let no worldly care withdraw you from god's service. Avoid & cast from you, all such things as may let your good purpose. And I would counsel you to hate withal your heart & mind, all that the world doth love. Be dead in this world, and with draw yourself as a dead person from this present life, and as a dead person desire not y●glorye of this world Good sister have no mind upon the world but even as thought you were beryed, withdraw yourself from all worldly businesses for if you so do, you shall obtain the eternal and everlasting bliss.    

¶ Of curiosity che. lij. cha.  
MY well-beloved Sy●er I exhort you to study continually to profit in good works, and that you desire not the vanites which other do desire. But I exhort you to consider the goodness you should do, for a certain wise man sayeth. In vanite● and vain things be not curious, nor it is not for your profit, nor yet needful to know that passeth man's wit to know And reason would that heshuld 
i Corni. iiii  leave of to judge other men's minds that can not perfetely know what men think. Why so? For we judge that, that is uncertain until the lord come the which shall give clear knowledge of all such things which a● secret & far from man's knowledge, & shall manifestly open the secret counsel of men's hearts. Also reason requireth that he refrain from sin, that desireth to correct other men's, unwise people of ten-times by the correction of other men's faults, disclose their own. For as long as man knoweth not his own faults (the which he should both know & bewail) he goeth curiously about to know other men's. But if he remember & behold himself well, he shall not greatly inquire of other men's misdeeds, for he shall find in himself, that he may be wail & amend. Saint I sodore sayeth. That we can sooner correct other men's vices, than we can augment, or increase their virtues. Nor we be not so diligent to know what good men do as we be to know what evil they do. Wherefore good sister I exhort you reyther to amend your own faults them to correct other men's. And first to look upon your own misdeeds, and then upon other men's. Be diligent for your own correction, & careful for your own wealth & amendment. Never desire to meddle with that thing, that you have nothing to do with all.  
Nor be not curius to know where of men do speak, nor what other men do. Fly curiosity, leave to be curiose, and to know how other men live. Let no curiosity trouble or deceive you. Look not so upon other men's manners that you for get your own, & take heed you be as diligent to correct your own misdoings, as you would be to correct other men's Be not curiose to know the thing that is secret, beware yeinquire not to know that pertaineth nothing unto you. Keep that thing secret that you have learned by holy scripture. Seek for no more than is written, seek for no more than holy scripture doth show you, nor never go about to learn that you should not learn, learn the curiosity is a very daungerus and a perilus presumption, curiosity is a perilus science, for it provoketh man to heresy, and bringeth a man's mind to noughty tales & fables, & maketh a man bold in the thing, that is very dark, & hard to be understanded & doth cast him into ignorant matters. Good sister amend your life with all the diligence you can, the you may hereaft come to everlasting   

¶ Of watch the liij cha  
MY well-beloved sister listen to the lord saying. Watch, for 
math. xxii. two  you know not when the lord shall come. And again I say unto you all, watch you, and S-Peter sayeth. Be wise & watch 
i Peter. iiii  in prayer. For when men shall say that their is peace and security, then shall sudden death & destruction come upon them, & Solomon sayeth. They are just and wise, and their works are in god's 
Eccle. ix.  hands, and yet they can not tell whether they be forth to be loved or hated. Why so? For all uncertain things are reserved to the time the is to come, My good sister, god hath kept & hidden from us the time of his coming, that by such uncertainty & long tarrying, we should often times think that he is evermore ready to come. For we be ignorant of his coming. We must so pass forth the joy of this world, that we forget not the bitterness of the judgement that is to come.  
The devil doth often times deceive man, and so leadeth him to sin. For when he perceiveth that man is troubeled and sorry for his misfaute, then by a certain security & sureness he deceiveth him again. Wherefore good sister when so ever we do any good deeds, it is needful also that we remember our misdeeds, lest that by ignorance of our faults, we rejoice unwisely in our good works. And god would we should be ignorant of our last hour, because we should be evermore indoute thereof, & readily prepare ourselves unto it with out any assurance. s. Isodore sayeth. Let not the just trust in his justness, nor the sinner mistrust nor despere of the great mercy of God but let them have in heart both hope & fear. And so to trust unto his mercy, that they forget not to fere his justice. For notwithstanding that the conversation of holy men is probable & well allowed, yet it is uncertain, to what end they are prepared unto. And therefore a man should never be without fear, for it is not man, but GOd that judgeth man's penance & satisfaction. And of this thing sayeth Cesarius, how much as man is in surety of his mysfautes the are past so moch the more he must take heed & i'll those that are to come. Good sister believe me, that meditation of death is the very life of a wise man. Therefore you shall do wisely, if you continually do think upon god, & at some timꝭ upondeth for a certain wise man sayeth.  
Blessed is he that is always in fear. Wherefore good virgin I exhort & monish you, to be always in fear, in doubt, diligent, & subtle against the temptations of the devil, and to be in continual watch, stryte, & battle, against him, his subtle, & crafty temptations. hearken good Christ spouse, what god sayeth. blessed is that servant, whom God at 
Luke. twelve.  his coming doth find watshing Wherefore if you will watch and set all your mind upon him, you shallbe counted in eternal beatitude among those that are fortunate & blessed. You shallbe esteemed to be blessed, if you lift up the eyes of your soul with good devotion unto god the very true light, and without doubt you shall be greatly fortunate & blessed, if you diligently and effecteously do watch to god ward, for he hath promised to crown those that watch of this it is written, her eyes are like doves eyes upon y●ful rivers 
Canti. u  the which are washed with milk, the eyes of the spouse, are the good & devout people, the which like doves do live in simplicity, and by their good preaching & good example giving bring many other to the way of salvation. They are esteemed to be upony ● river because they are continually in y●cōuersaciō & study of holy scripture & washed with milk, that is, they are through the grace of god, & the blessed sacrament of bapteme purged from all sin, & what other thing may we vederstande by the full river, but the profound & secret learning of holy scripture, the which when we here it, doth comforth & refresh us. furthermore the doves sit most commonly upon the river to see the shadow of the birds that i'll in the air, the which by going into the water, avoid all danger, so good men by reading of holy scripture, perceive & see the subtilite & craftiness of the devil, & by such description of things, they know him as by a shadow, & so avoideth both him, & his deceytefulnesse. Therefore look that you be continually occupied in the meditation of holy scripture, for in that you shall find how to avoid all Satan's craftiness and wiliness. And again good virgin I exhort you, to commit yourself holy to the good counsel of holy scripture, that is, that you do nothing but as holy scripture shall learn and inform you, for you shall find therein, how you may eschew and avoid the deceits of the devil. furthermore I exhort you to keep you upon the banks of holy scripture for fear of reveners, that is, least the wicked spirit do suddenly engrype you, & deceive you. Therefore I would counsel you to watch, & with all diligence to avoid his fraud & deceytefulnes. Alas wretches as we be, why do we not learn & understand that all our thoughts are openly known to god, or ever we put them in execution? David sayeth, God 
psal. xiv.  is he only that knoweth & searcheth man's heart and mind. Therefore good sister let us think that we be continually before God, let us learn & know that we be but earth & ashes. Let us also consider that the lord is ter●yble rewarding every man after his deserving. He is not far from us, nor will not tarry very long. He will come & save us. Let us therefore watch continually with good devotion, that at his coming & when he shall knock at our doors, he find us not a sleep, but broad waking in his laud, love, & holy service. Let us therefore run 
Ioh 〈…〉. ●ii.  whilst we have light, lest y● darkness do over take us. For Solomon saith Blessed is he, the hears 
Pro. viii  me, & that keepeth daily watch at my door, & at my postornes. For he that shall find me, shall found life, & shall have the goodness of god. Therefore good sister I monish you, that with all your heart & mind you watch in the love & service of god, that at the dreadful day of doom, you may find him kind and merciful unto you. Let no chance find you unprepared, think upon all chances, & remember that there is nothing but that may chance. think evermore upon the wretchedness that is to come And in prosperity, remember y●aduersite may assail you, think evermore upon evil, jest any such thing chance, for it is a point of a wise man, to pmmeditate & fore think the loss of such chances, for if it be thought upon it is the more easier to be suffered, & born if amam look for amishap it may be the bet born the premeditation & forethynking of a thing, breaketh & diminisheth the grief thereof, but if any such thing chance unlooked for, it grieveth a man very sore, for sudden harm troubeled a man grievously, that a man hath not provided for doth vex him shrewdly, all sudden tempest do put men in great fear and every sudden thing is much more troublous, then is y●, that man thinketh upon. Therefore prepare your heart & mind both to good & evil, & in prosperity remember adversity, & inaduersyte remember prosperity. Be always wa● thing, ●est evil thought assail you. love holy scripture, & despise all carnality, for so shall you come to the celestial court & joy everlasting.   

Of wisdom the liiij cha  
MY dear sister har●ē unto god's words, be you as wise as the Serpent, & 
Math. x.  as simple as the dove and Solomon saith. The simplicity of just men shall direct 
Prover. xi.  them, and the subplantation of perverse people, shall destroy them. The good simple man's way, is god's way, & they that do naughtly, shallbe ever more in fear, the justice of the simple man shall guide his soul, but the proud man, shall die in his naw tynes, the Innocent person believeth every body, they that deceive the just and lead him to sin, shall die, and the simple shall possess his goods, they that are evil, do hate the simple, but they that are just, shall guide them, holy & simple rusticyte profiteth itself only, & as much as it through good life, doth augment & profit the church so much it damageth & hurteth it, if it resist not those that withstand verity and truth. And. s. Jerome saith, that man should not require of god servants bodily ornaments, but the simplycyte & meekness of mind, nor esteem all holiness to be in their tongues, but to be only in the pure and simple conscience. And of two unperfect things, holy rusticyte is moche better than sinful eloquence, holy rusticyte is much more allowed, than vain loquacite. Good sister if your intemcyon & mind be simple before the sight of god, your works at the day of judgement shall not be obscure and dark. And they that can not be chasten by the works of justice, can by no means be innocentes by simplicity. The church doth begin the way of truth and of simplycyte with fear, and endeth it with charity. God doth not only take heed to man's words, but also to the heart and mind of man, and he loveth those that serve him with the simplicyte of heart, of this speaketh god in the Canticles saying. My dove is but 
Canti. vi.  one, my perfit is alone & only choose out for her mother. Our mother be generation is the grace of god, to the which there is choose out a dove, for she bringeth them only together, that abide in simplicity, and unity, For when many faithful people set their hole mind and intention upon god, when they with one mind desire god only, & when they are assembled in charity with one heart & one mind, them they so joined make of divers members but one body. And all they that live in simplicity & unity are but as one dove, & they that men do dispraise and gest at, in this world are greatly in god's favour. Therefore good sister let us pray 
Sapi. v.  god, that it will please him to send us from heaven the holy ghost by whose aid we may obtain the simplicyte of the dove, the wisdom of the Sarpent, & that we may be simple in malice, & wise in doing of good works. A sarpent is a very subtle beast for we read of the Serpent called jaspys, the which perceiving the enchanter coming towards her, doth say one of her ears upon the ground, & stoppeth the other with her tail, jest she should hear the voice of the enchanter. And the prophet speaking of those that are cruel & wise in all naughtiness 
Psal. lvii.  says, that they are in a fury as is the death sarpent stopping of her ears, because she would not here the voice of the enchanter. Therefore good sister in christ jesus, follow the sarpent in this case, that is, stop your ears that you here no evil words, pray god that the oil of sinners anoint not 
psalm. cxl.  your head, the oil of the sinner, is the laud of a flatterer, the sarpent stoppeth her ears because she will not here the enchanters voice, & so must you stop your ears, that you hear not the viciousness of flatterers and slanderers, the sarpent jaspis is wise for he will not here that words of the enchanter, jest he should die loon after, be you wise also, & let no evil words enter in by your ears to your soul, jest he destroy you, therefore yemust nother have the wisdom of the sarpent without the simplicity of the dove nor the simplicity of the dove with out the wisdom of the sarpent, to them tent that the wisdom of the sarpent may ●uycken up simplicite, to avoid that, that is not good, & that the simplicity of the dove, may temper wisdom to do that thing that is good. This dove hath, seven. propre virtues in her, the which you yourself through the grace of the holy ghost may have. The dove doth sit very oft upon the river side to see the coming of the hawk, so to avoid him & to be out of danger. The dove chooseth evermore of the best corn The dove never smiteth with her bill. The dove doth often times feed the yonlynges of other birds. The dove hath no gall, the dove maketh her nest in the holes of old walls, & for her song she hath lamentation & mourning. Therefore pray god with all diligence, that it will please him to send you these goodly virtues, that is to say, that you may rest yourself upon the river side of holy scripture, to avoid by the good admonition & learnings thereof, the wilyves of the devil. Choose out the best sentences and sayings thereof to feed yourself with all, & feed the yonlinges of other beasts, that is to say, revoke those by good example, & simple communication, that by sin are alienate from god, convert them & bring them to god again. Smite not with your bill, that is to say, You shall nother say nor do no evil to your neighbour. Nor you shall have no gall in you, that is, you shall not be furious nor angry, you shall build your nest in old walls, that is, you shall have all your hope in god. Take mourning for your song, that is to say, As men of this world rejoice in worldly music, so take you your delight & comfort in spiritual sything and heaviness. Therefore good sister as I have said unto you before, with all study & diligence you must fly & avoid the subtle craftynes of the devil, and with the simplycyte of life, you must have wisdom. For he that doth not mingle simplicity & wisdom together, shallbe deceived. And again good sister I exhort you, to pmpayre a dwelling place for god in your heart, that when it shall please him to come with the father and the holy ghost, he may remain continually in you.   

Of temptation the lu cha.  
GOod sister hearken unto. s. james words. resist the 
james. iiii  devil, and he shall fly from you, and saint Jerome saith. There is nothing stronger than he is, that overcometh the devil. And likewise there is nothing more feeble and wake, than he is, that the flesh overcometh. The devils darts must be quenched and overcomed with cold, with watch & great fasting, our subtle enemy the devil looketh daily how he may deceive us, nor he careth not to destroy our bodies, so that he may destroy our souls, he doth destroy our souls, when be temptation of sin he destroyeth the christen & faithful people, but yet he tempteth god servants no more than god doth suffer him, such temptation is right profitable for god's servants, for by such temptation he doth not deceive them, but le●●e & instruct them, for god doth often times turn such temptation prepared for man's destruction, to the comfort & profit of man's soul, for y● servants of god could never suffer such devilish temptation, but that god through great pity refrained their malice. And not with standing the devil doth covet & desire to tempt man yet if god suffer him not he shall never prevail, the devils mind & intent is evermore wicked, yet by god suffrance his power is just, the devil naturally doth seek to tempt man unjustly, but yet he can not tempt him, with out the licence & sufferance of god, & of this thing it is written, The spirit of god did vex saul full shrowedly, 
i Reg. xuj  he was there as the spirytie, of god, Why was he evil then? and if he were evil, wherefore was he the spirit of god? In this place is comprised in two words the just power of god, and the unjust will and intent of the devil, For this spirit of him self was noughtes, he was the spirit of god through the just power, the which he received of god, nor it is not the devil, that sendeth vice to man, for he is the only nourisher thereof, nor he can no where noury she nor increase it but there only, where he perceiveth to be great delectation and pleasure, but if we would reject such vile delectation & thought he as utterly confounded would soon leave us, and so might we break the weepen & armour of all his temptation. The devil feigneth him self to be a good spirit & the angel of light, & would of ten times deceive god's servants but the discretion of good men must be such as may judge betwixt good & evil, to avoid his fraud & trumpery, or else by this inqnsicyon of joshua saying. Are you our friend or our adversary? And 
joshua. u  it is written in Hieremy, if you divide that is good from that, that is ●uil you shall be to me as my noun mouth. The devil to the sight of worldly men is terrible, but he is but vile to the sight of the choose servants of god, unfaithful people fear the devil as a lion, but they that are strong in believe & faith, set no more by him than by a small worm, & when they see him, they despise him. The devil is a very slyperus sarpent, for if his first suggestion & temptation be not with standed & resisted, he creepeth into man or ever he feel him, the vicious temptation of the devil, is a easy thing to be broken, but if it be not well taken heed of & avoided, or if we let it run in a custom it will so increase & prosper, that it shallbe very hard to overcome it. The devil or ever he tempt man doth first consider his nature, prepayre his wepens, & then besiege him on that side, where he supposeth he may by sin so●est overcome him, & ss. Isydory saith, that he tempts man most in that thing, whereto he perceiveth his complectyon most inclined, as he doth that draweth water, the which will draw in no nother place, but where he perceiveth that it runneth most swiftest. The devil coveteth to deceive man at all times, but specially, at his departing, and that is it, that was said unto the sarpent at the beginning. Thou shalt lay watch for him at his end, notwithstanding a 
Gene. i●i.  man be never so good & upright yet he is not sure in this world, And therefore he must daily humiliate high self, & take good heed that he be not deceived. Wherefore good sister, it is very necessary we pray unto god almighty that he suffer us not to be tempted in this world, more than we may bear or suffer, for god doth restrain our enemy's power, because he should not do such hurt, as his will is to do. And in the Canticles the holy ghost reproveth him 
Canti. iii●.  saying. lift thyself up thou north wind, & come hither thou south wind, & blow over all my garden, & then shall the aromatic & sweet fragrant saviours come forth. The north wind the which through his great & fervent cold causeth slothfulness, doth signify no nother thing but our ghostly enemy the devil, the which at the hath once tempted man, & is imposse ssion of him, causeth him to be slothful in all good works the southwind being both sweet & hot doth signify the holy ghost the which after he hath never so little touched the souls of good men loseth them from all slothfulness, making them steadfast in the love of god, let therefore this north wind, that is, this evil spirit depart from god's church and from every devout soul, that he tempt no man more than behoveth, & let the south wind come & blow upon the garden, & the aromatic saviours shall comfort, then shall the holy ghost come & power the fire of charity into their minds, & unbind them from all temptation & slothful negligence. The which thing once done the sweet & redolette saviours shall spring and come abroad, for at the coming of the holy ghost, the heart that was slothful shall change, & be moved to good works, and shall flower like a garden, & after the flower it shall bring forth sweet redolent, and nuryshing fruit with the which he may by good example repast and refresh both himself and his neighbour.  

The sisters demand.  
GOod brother I pray you to show me what remedy there is, against the temptation of the devil,   

The brother's answer.  
MY well-beloved sister in christ jesus the best remedy for him that is yet sore vexed & tempted with vice and devilish temptations, is this, that the more he is tempted the more he taketh him in his prayers. And therefore if any worldly thought do trouble your mind, or entice and persuade you to do any thing wrongfully, by pure prayer & devout watch it may soon be shaken of. And therefore when you pray, be customably with all devotion in the sight of almighty god, that the temptation that is now at hand, may the more easily be repelled and overcomed. Also good sister, you shall understand that we must not only strive against such devilish temptations but also against the vice of the foul filthy & stinking flesh, why so? For the flesh doth covet against the spirit, & the spirit 
●ala. u  against the flesh. And therefore we should so contyne w in prayer that through the grace of god we might overcome such suggestions, such carnal desires, & devilish temptations, for continual prayer doth quench & debate such vicious impugnations, continual prayer doth surmount & overcome the devils darts, prayer is the head virtue against the assaults of all temptation. Therefore good sister as I have told you, by pure orason & prayer, with holy watch, you may overcome all diabolyke temptation: but if you feel the molestiousnes of the flesh, if your flesh doth yet prick you, if as yet the remembrance of carnal delectation doth trouble you, if your flesh do ve●e you, if lechery do tempt you, if delectation do provoke you to sin, call death to remembrance, think upon the ingement that is to come remember the torments & pains of hell, the perpetual fire of hell, & the horrible pains that be there, for the remembrance of the hot burning fire of hell shall quinche the heat of all luxuriusnes and lychery.    

¶ Of dreams the lvi ca  
MY well-beloved sister hearken unto me. The wicked spirits do oftentimes by night trouble men's minds & understandings with divers visions and oftentimes they do manifestly beat men's bodies. Dreams do chance after divers manners, some by repletion, and some chance as we know by experience by evacuation, & some by thought, for most commonly of that thing that man thinketh upon in the day, he shall dream in the night. And many dreams do chance by the illusyons of the devil, as sayeth Solomon.  
Dreams have caused many a 
Eccle. 34.  one to err, and they that have trusted in them, have been destroyed. There are certain visions which are to be regarded for they chance by Godly revelation, as we do read in the old testament of joseph jacobs' son, the which through dreams was preferred 
Gene. xli.  before all his brethren. We do read like wise of joseph, husband 
Math. two,  to our blessed lady mother and maid, the which in a dream was warned he should i'll with the child into Egypt. Sometimes such visions are mingled with cogitation & illusions, or with cogita cyon & revelation as sayeth Daniel. 
Dany. two  He that openeth the mistress, shall show things that are to come. And notwithstanding that some of these dreams be true, yet we should not lightly believe them. For they chance by divers Imaginations & we know not perfetly from whence or by what means they come, and therefore we should not be light of credence jest that the find tranfigure himself 
i Corni. xi.  into an angel of light & through our siplicite deceive us. At sometimes the fyndes deceive those that be curius to take heed to dreams, & tell them the truth in some things, to deceive them in many other. And notwithstanding such dreams chance to be even so as they said, yet men should not believe them, jest they proceed of illusion, as witnesseth scripture saying If they tell you and it chance to be so, yet believe it not. Dreams are likened unto augurs, the which do judge things by the chattering and flight of birds, and they that behold such things, are called auguriens, therefore men should not believe them, notwithstanding they appear to be true they that trust in dreams or in these so the sayers have no trust in god, & they are likened to him that followeth the wound, & to those that go about to take a man's shadow These so the sayngis are but lies dreams, and deceytefulnesse, we should never believe dreams lest they deceive us, let our hope be only fired in god, and as for dreams let us not care for, the which thing shallbe very acceptable unto god. And therefore my good sister I exhort you, that you put not your confidence in dreams, but in almighty god. For if you trust to such vanitꝭ, you shall be right soon deceived. Therefore regard them not, but set your hope perfetly in the providence of god, and so allthing both in this world, and in time to come, shall prosper with you.   

Of the shortness of life the lvii. Chapter.  
Dear sister, hearken unto Salomon'S words. A● that you cando, 
Eccle. ix  do it out of hand.  
For neither work, nor reason, nor science, nor yet wisdom shallbe in the inferior ꝑtis to the which you are going. Amanalonly may do good in this world, for in another world good works are not looked for, but the reward of good works. This life is very caduke & short, where of s. Isodore sayeth, that his thought is good and profitable that considereth by the space & end of this life, how long, & how short & likewise how miserable it is.  
Therefore my good sister in christ, if you seek for the true way, go toward chryst & seek for eternal life, for that is everlasting and this but mortal. And therefore in body you must be in this world as a dead woman, that in soul you may be quick and gods servant, for he is esteemed a live, that is deed carnally giving his hole mind unto GOd, to whom he promised to live after his lawis, it is a pain for a good man to live long in this world for he thinketh it long or ever he come to the perpetual joys of heaven. Noman knoweth the end of his life, and when a man thinketh himself most surest thereof, by and by he is go.  
Let every man therefore make haste to amend himself, lest he depart in iniquity, & end his life and his mis●iuyng together For the devil goeth about to bring them to perpetual torment and pain at their last end, the which in this life he enticed and brought to sin. And not with standing a man be both good & just yet when he shall departed, he fears he shallbe punished, the peaceable & the gentle departing of good men out of the world, causeth men to think that they departed in good estate, & to be associated with angels in everlasting joy. Of this speaketh the spouse in the canticles, saying. My lover is come into my 
Canti. vi  garden, to the crown of bliss & of all sweet aromatic saviours. For GOD visiting his church, cometh unto them with great grace, the which he knoweth hath given the good saviours of good examples & virtues renome unto their neighbours, he taketh a delight in gardens, rejoicing in the virtue of good souls, he gathered lilies, when he calleth his elect & choose servants from this life to everlasting joy. Whereof it is written. The death of holy saints, is very precious to god 
psal. c. xv  Cloth is ended by thredꝭ, & a man's life by days, when death cometh the souls of gods choose servants are in great tear, & uncertain wether they shall be saved or dampened. Sum good men at there departing are purged of all their venial sins. some other at the same self time, are in great joyfulness remembering the joys that are to come. And it is God's pleasure we should not know the time of our departing because we should think that it is evermore at hand. For the more that a man is uncertain thereof the more he shall apply & give himself to good works. The devil at the departing of all miss livers doth receive their souls, the their inticers to pleasure & sin, may be their punisshers & torments in pain. At man's departing the wicked spirits give & employ all their diligence to bring to man's remembrance all that ever they persuaded them to do in this world, and that to bring them & their poor souls to everlasting pain. The sinner after his death is brought to torment and pain, but the good syver to continual joy and bliss. And as we do believe that good men after their great pains & labour taken in this world do rest & be in quiet, so must we believe that mildoers be in great pain & torments. Good sister I tell you this, because you should know, that it is very needful, and necessary for us, to despise all earthly things, & to remember that we shall die. Hark what the apostle sayeth. What other thing 
james. iii●  is our life but even a vapur appearing for a while. And Solomon sayeth. Never put trust 
Pro. xxvii.  in the next day following for you can not tell to what chance it shall prepare you, & therefore my well-beloved sister you should in continually consider the end of your life and despise the flattering inticementes of this world to come to everlasting joy & bliss In all your businesses consider 
Eccle seven.  your last end, and you shall never do annsse. And therefore I exhort you that you take no pleasure in these worldly trifylles. For with out doubt you shall heuse, trust not to these temporal things, for their isno ways to sckape d●ath, a why should this wretched and slynking flesh rejoice in worldly goods, considering it is prepared to feed worms, This I tell you good sister, because you should not for get the order of your estate and condition. Remember you are but ashes, 
Gene. iii  and that you shall return to ashes, & that you are but dust, and shall return thereto again, and so said the Lord unto Adam. Remember also what job was wont to say unto himself, 
Gene. iii  I shallbe consumed as dust, and like unto the vesture that is eaten 
job. xiii.  with moths, call to remembrance that you shall die, and remember it continually that through the remembrance there of you may eschew and avoid all vicious living.   

¶ Of death the lviij cha  
WHorshypfull sister I pray you to hearken unto the saying of the wise man. O death, 
Eccle. xli  how bitter a thing is it for him that is in quiet, & restfulnesse of his substance to remember thee? And again. O death thy judgement is good to those that are in wretchedness, & poverty. Unto this agreeth S. I sodore, saying. O death how sweet art thou to wretches, and to those that live in bitterfulnes How pleasant unto those that be in heaviness and lamentation? Death is the end of all worldly mysere, of all wretchedness and of all calamity, death bringeth a man to the end of all worldly tribulation, but alas death cometh very late & slowly, to those that are in tribulation. Wherefore good sister it were better to die well, then to live wretchedly, it were better not to be, than to die unhappily and miserably.  

¶ The sisters demand.  
Dear brother I pray you telme, whether we should bewail those that ate dead and weep for our friends that are departed.   

¶ The brother's answer.  
GOod sister unto this saint I sodore doth answer you, saying, that not with standing pitty enforceth and willeth us to bewail such as die in good belief, yet our faith do the inhybyte us to weep for them. And therefore we should not weep for the death of such good people but rather thank god that it hath pleased his grace to deliver them out of all worldly wretchedness, bringing them (as we do believe) to perpetual light, rest and peace. And therefore we should not he wail such good christian souls, as we verily suppose to be saved. hearken unto me good sister, I say that we should lament their death, the which the wicked spirytꝭ do hale & carry to everlasting pain & torment, and not those the which the angels receive to great joy & honour, and to the celestial court of paradise. I say we should mourn their death the which are buried in the deep pit of hell, and not those the which are exalted to the perpetual joys of heaven, we should weep for those that die evil, and in sin, and not for those that die well. Good sister when I bewail them that die well, I hurt myself, and do them no good, and they that lament and weep for those that die, they in a manner deny the general resurrection, and that god rose from death to life. And therefore good sister we that believe that all such as die are in heaven with christ, should not weep for them, nor lament their death, but rather pray for them, that if perchance they be in any danger of pain that it would please his gracious mercifulness to deliver them.    

Of judgement the lix cha.  
THere are two divine judgements, the one in this world, the other in the world that is to come. Many are so judged in this present world by sickness, by poverty and by other divers worldly tribulations, that here after they shall not be judged, for such temporal pains to some are in stead & place of their purgation. Other there be that begin their damnation in this present world, of whose salvation there is often times nother trust nor hope because they continue in sin & ungracious living. Some there be that are judged in this world by tribulation. Some other are judged in time to come by fire, after the examination of the strait judge, nor the justice of the just man shall not then be sure, and therefore job says. He 
job. ix.  consumeth the Innocent and the wicked, for the innocent shall be consumed, and as nothing regarded, if his innocence become pared with god's innocence GOD shall consume the wretched & wicked sinner & through the subtilyte of his divine examination his naughtiness shallbe showed him, and he himself rightfully condemned. christ after as the life of good men shall require so in his judgement he will be favourable and good unto them, but to those that be wicked sinners he shall appear very terrible and fearful, and at the day of judgement christ shall show himself to every man, as every man's conscience was being upon earth, & remaining still in his piece & tranquillity, he shall appear terrible to them only, whose proper conscience shall accuse them. My good sister hearken unto. s. Isodore words There 
Iohn. i  is no man clean without sin. And therefore their can no man be sure of god's judgement for then we shallbe contable of every idle 
Math xiii  word that is spoken. Alas what shall we wretches say at the day of judgement, the which do not only amiss using of idle and filthy words, but that commit daily so many abominable, and enorm crimes, never leaving our naughtiness, with other unrightful operations and works? And if to be that the right dealing man be not then sure of god's judgement, what shall be come of us most wretched sinners? and if the justice of the upright and just man be in no surance, at the examination of this strait judge, what shall we catyves do then, that daily do augment and increase our noutynesse and sin? And if at the day of doom the just man 
i Peter. iiii  shall scarcely be saved, where shall we that have sinned without measure and without end appear upon that day? Who shall not be in dread and fear when heaven and earth shall shake, and quake, & all the elements be resolved by heat? Of this day it is written. This is the day of ire of tribulation, of misery, & vengeance, 
Isai. xiii  the day of dim darkness, of the trumpet and of all horrible sound, upon this day the strongest man that ever was shall be troubled.  

¶ The sisters demand.  
ALas good brother what shall we say when the straight judge shall come unto us, For when you put me in remembrance of his coming, you 'cause me to weep, and by the rehearsing of that terrible and fearful day, you have provoked me to heaviness.   

¶ The brother's answer.  
MY good sister it is well done if you for fear of this eracte & straight judge do weep. For or ever this day doth approach and come, we must appear in confession and great wailing before him. The acceptable and healthsome day, is whilst we be in this world of the which it is written. Seek god whilst he may be found, 
Ezai. lv.  call upon him whilst he is at hand. The judge can not be seen in this present life, and yet he is even by us, he shall be seen in another world, and shallbe far from us. Therefore good sister we must needs seek god with all our heart and mind in this present life, if we intend here after to find him, for if we diligently seek him now abstaning from all evil works, at the day of judgement he shall be favourable and merciful unto us, for he is marvelous gentle and full of all mercy. For it is written, that he is sweet and gentle to every man, and that is mercy is above all his 
Psal. 144.  works. Therefore good sister let us pray unto this terrible & most just judge, with tears and great lamentation, with all devotion, that at the day of his judgement, he reward us not after our merits and iniquites, but after his great and abundant mercy, and that we with other misdoers here not this terrible sentence. Get you hence you damnable sinners in 
Math. five  to perpetual fire. But that it will please him we may with his elected & choose out servants here these most joyful words. Come hither you moste blessed & receive the kingdom of heaven the which hath been prepared for you sense the beginning of the world.   

The brother's exhortation  
GOod sister now I trust I have brought my ship into the haven, & made an end of my exhortations and good monitions, yet that notwithstanding, I return once again, intending to speak a few more words with you. You desired me to writ you a few good monitions the which thing I have accomplished & done, not peraventure so well as I should have done, but yet by god's grace as well as I could, I have choose out of holy father's sayings for your instruction the best sentences I could find, the which I have presented unto you in this book, Take heed therefore my go sister, for you have now the good admonitions and instructions of perpetual life, you have now good counsel and as it were a rule to live well. Now there can no ignorance of sin excuse you, you know now how you shall live well and virtuously, you can not say now that you did a miss & fell by ignorance, why so? For now the law is expound and declared unto you, the which you must follow, the precepts of good living are showed you, & how you shall order yourself in god's house. You have now the knowledge of god's commandments, you know now how to live justly. Therefore take heed you fall not, take heed that from hence forwards, you forsake not such things as you know are good and virtuous. For by sinful living, you despise the goodness of god's laws, if you little regard such virtuous points as you do need, and live naughtelye, god shall greatly blame you, why so? For it were much better not to know the ways of virtuous living, then to leave them after that we know them. And therefore retain & keep in mind and deed, the gift of science & knowledge that hath been showed you, fulfil that you have learned, and with all diligence, keep the fruitful precepts and admonitions of this book.     

¶ Imprinted at London in Paul's church yard, at the sign of the maidens heed, by Thomas Petyt.  
Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum.