¶ The Rote or mirror of consolation & comfort.  
PEr multas tribulaciones oportet introire in regnum dei. ¶ Thus saith the apostole saint Poule in the book of acts and deeds/ that is to say in english. By many tribulations we must enter in to the kingdom of god wherefore all those which intend to come in to the kingdom of heaven must patiently take temporal tribulation. For that is the way thither by the ordinance of god. And those that moest patiently take there tribulation/ they shall have there most consolation. For saint Poule saith in the second epistle to the corinths. ¶ Sicut socu sumus passionis. sic erimus consolacionis. ¶ That is to say. Like as we are partners in tribulations so shall we be partners in joy and consolation. Thus tribulation is bitter/ but the end that it bringeth to is most sweet & delectable. And remembrance of that everlasting sweetness maketh faithful souls sweetly to take matter of tribulation.  
Temporal adversity & trouble profiteth no thing to the reward of eternal Joy but if it be patiently taken. Thus patience maketh tribulation profitable. And the profit of temporal prosperity cometh of the virtue of meekness whereby prosperity is little set by. The perfit pacyente heart maketh moche of adversity. And the perfit meek heart setteth little by temporal prosperity/ & little Joyeth therein but rather sorroweth/ because he feareth that he useth not parfeytly according to the great pleasure of god the goods of this prosperity. If thou ask me why our lord will give these temporal goods to such as he knoweth that are wretched sinners and use them evil. I answer. One cause is to show his perfit & habondant goodness which giveth good things not only to such as be good/ but also to such as are evil & wretched sinners. And to give us example to follow him in doing good for evil/ as he biddeth in the gospel of Matthew. love your enemies saith he/ & do well to such as do evil to you and pray for such as pursue you & speak evil of you. For ye do thus than ye may know that ye are perfit in virtue like as your father in heaven is perfit & maketh the son to give light as well to the evil men as to the good men. And maketh the unryghtwysse men to have profit of the rain as well as the rigtwise. And this is a great comfort to take patiently tribulation. For if we will for the love of god break our one froward heart and for to win the love of god & love such as trouble us & pray for them/ and do good against evil/ than we have one of the greatest tokens that we are perfit in the sight of god as his own children/ and followers of him/ which thing if we will remember us is most Joyful to us. Also it maketh us more patient if we duly remember the goods that we have received of god/ the goods of nature/ as wit/ eloquence/ seblenesse of body/ health/ beauty & goods of fortune/ as gold/ silver/ cloth/ livelihood and how we have misspended them sinfully/ & how patiently he hath suffered us long time to abide in sin to the intent that fynaly remembering his goodness/ his patience/ & long suffering/ we should turn to him/ wherefore when he stowe geth us if we remember how well we have deserved it we shall by his grace more perfectly be again it. Our lord gived good things/ as health/ richesse & prosperity to evil men & women/ that remembering his kindness they should be the more moved to penance & sorriness when they see they have offended so kind a lord which so gently calleth them of his great goodness. And he sendeth oft-times tribulation to good folk which are not perfectly good for they take not thankfully tribulation/ but some time grudge under the rod of chastysement wherefore he keepeth them still under the rod till they be so accustomed therewith that they can take it patiently. Thus by his kindness he bringeth evil folk to penance/ and by his sharpness he bringeth good folk to patience. Also he giveth prosperity and goods of this world to good men and women to nourish them & cherish them in his love/ like as the father telleth the child to follow him by a fair appell/ he sendeth also tribulation to evil folk to make them dread him. And thus the good folk he bringeth to love by worldly prosperity. And evil folk he bringeth to dread by adversity.  
ONe cause why our lord will that good folk have adversity and tribulation is this/ because that evil folk shall not think that tribulation is so evil that our lord accepteth it nought ne loveth them which hate it for they see the contrary that those which be most in virtue have most tribulation/ as our saviour which never did sin had most bitter pain and trouble. Also his blessed mother/ his apostles and his disciples. And like wise now in these days such folk as our lord loveth best such he sendeth most sorrow in their heart/ and most pain or labour in body/ with the which in the beginning they grudge/ but finally they are taught to suffer it sweetly and to give thankings to our lord thereof/ which by tribulation delivereth them from great sin/ and brnngeth them to great grace in this world/ and ordaineth for them plentifully the pleasure perpetually and glory of the life that is to come.  
¶ He giveth also the goods of this life to such as be wretched and sinful livers after their own will and not after the will and law of god/ because that good men and women shall not set their heart to much on these goods which they see that wretched people have with the hatred of god/ but that they shall love those goods most which have none but such as be good/ & are specyaly beloved of our lord. And these are the goods of virtue which bring us to the abundance richesse of the rial empire of heaven. The good souls set little by the vain prosperity of this world for hitis transitory and rather occasion of vice than of virtue/ and shey see that they are given to them only well to dispense & that they have no lordship in them but only use & that they shall be straightly examined and give account how they have used them/ and by the rightful judgment of god they shall have great punishment in this life or after this life for every thing that they mispend/ wherefore these faithful souls have more fere than favour/ more pain than pleasure in great possession of worldly goods/ they are not inflate ne exalt in themself by pride in prosperity. For among great possession of worldly & bodily goods they find themself right poor in the ghostly goods/ wherefore if the worldly prospe rite richesses & honour's be taken fro them they are not cast down by sorrow/ for they know that our lord hath lent it them only as long as it pleaseth him/ wherefore when the worldly goods go they think it is of his ordinance which ordaineth every thing to the best to such souls as are willing to live according to his will with an obedient heart/ these know that it is for the best that he taketh them away & therefore they bliss him/ wherefore loss of worldly prosperity troubled little the souls of good folk/ the sinful folk think that they are very lords of temporal goods/ & that they may spend them after there own pleasure having little regard or none to the will of god. And in these goods they put they most felicity and pleasure/ wherefore they be high and proud in possession of these and in loss of them they are cast down in to great sorrow and pain/ and the more sorrow they have in loss of them/ the more corrupt and vicious love they had in having of them. Our lord also giveth worldly goods to sinful folk/ for if he should strike every sinful man & woman with the stroke of sharp tribulation as soon as they had sinned/ than they should thyuky that all sin were punished in this life/ and that there were no punishment for sin ordained after this life wherefore our lord suffereth many one for to live in this life after their own pleasure/ and to multiply sin at their pleasure and to his great displeasure/ having no punishment in this world by cause we shall understand that it is reserved to the other world/ for god is so rightful that he may leave no sin unpunished/ wherefore sythen these sinners are not punished in this world/ there must need punishment be done after this world. And it shall be to hard to abide the tribulation/ wherefore well is them that have in this life their tribulation/ for this is little or nought in regard of that. Also some sinners in this life have great tribulation & punishment/ and specially such as be commonly known of wretched living/ & one cause is that other shall be afeard to follow them by example of living/ and an other is that we may see in this life that god taketh great displeasure with the life of such as be wretched. if he should punish no sin in this life/ than it should be thought that he little forced of the life of man/ ne gave none attendance thereto. Also if he would give no temporal goods to such as ask them of him it should seem that they were not in his power. And if he should give temporal goods to eachone that asketh them undstanding that they be so greatly desired in this life/ the people would rather serve him for goods of this life than for goods of the life to come/ wherefore to some he giveth prosperity/ and to some he giveth adversity Wherefore such as ask temporal prosperity and receive it of our lord they may see that he may give it/ but if they set their heart more on it than on the prosperyous life to come/ they shall never after this life have prosperity but perpetual tribulation and adversity. Also such as be lovers of god and virtue and have in this life pain and adversity/ our lord hath ordained in the life to come to have great prosperity. And such as he seeth that should be blindeth with temporal prossperyte/ he sendeth them thtemporal adversity/ by cause that they should little make of this life where as they suffer so great tribulation/ and make moche of that life whereby they shall receive the great prosperyté of that flowering felicity that never shall fade by adversity/ but ever be a like fres he without end in eternity. Thus who so will have that prosperity they must take patiently and thankfully this adversity. For the profit of pain and tribulation is in the manner of well taking thereof. The good thief and the evil thief the which were crucified with our saviour suffered one manner of pain/ but the good thief took it faithfully and patiently and therefore it brought him to the paradise The evil thief took it not faithfully ne patiently and therefore it nothing died profit to him to deliver him fro sin and to procure grace for to bring him to glory. oftentime the pains that diverse persons suffer is like but the taking of it is not like/ therefore one person is purged by pain and the other is broken and hurt thereby/ for that one taketh it patiently and thanketh god thereof/ and that other grudgeth therewith and forgetteth god/ and so the pain that they suffer is like/ but the sufferers are not like/ for that one hath virtue with the pain/ and that other hath vice/ like as in one fire gold glistereth and the green block smoketh/ and under one flail the wheat is purged and the chaff is broken/ so one manner of pain or tribulation purgeth the patient/ and fileth and destroyeth the unpatient. The good man or good woman loveth and thanketh god thereof for it is his work/ and they pray to him that it may stand them for their purgatory/ for allmaner synet cometh of vice/ & all manner pain cometh of god to the more profit of those that desyren to love him more than all the wit of mortal man can tell/ the evil man or woman grudgeth with god and thinketh little what profit that he hath ordained to them by pain & tribulation.  
THere is no temporal pain that any christian soul suffereth in this life but they deserve it well and much more both for offences that they do in themself and also against their neighbours. There is no man neither no woman the which liveth so Innocently and so virtuously in this life/ but many times they offend doing not after right and reason/ but after the evil desire of their flesh. Not with standing that by special grace of our lord there are full many the which live long time without deadly sins and do no great mischievous deeds/ for which mischievous deeds and for punishment of that which our lord fulfilleth the word with great battle/ pestilence/ and great hungers/ and many great tribulations/ and yet they can not excuse them but they do many venial sins the which deserve more punishment of the rigour of rightwiseness than any that is felede in this life. And if it were so that any man or woman lived without sin of themself/ yet they live not without sin in daily conversation with their neighbours/ for with their neighbours they live not alway as they should do exciting them to virtue by words and example. Also when they here or see them offend they correct them not as they ought to do by broderly charity. For sometime of idleness they will not study how they might say or do to the correction of their neighbour. And sometime they are a shamed to speak to them fearing that they should be rebuked again/ other in like things or in worse/ or for covetise that they fear if they should speak they should displease/ and by that they should lose such things as they desire to have or they should lose thereby such things as they have. Nevertheless every man is not bound to correct other folk when he seeth them offend/ for peradventure if he speak openly to him amongs many he should make him worse than he was before/ wherefore if his mind give him that he might more profit at an other time/ than he may without ofence cese till such a time that he think he should more profit. But every man that seeth his neighbour offend and deemed in his mind that by his speech he might reform him/ he is bound to speak ta his reformation. And by cause they do not so notwithstanding they live virtuously to themself/ yet they deserve to have pain and tribulation according to the rightwiseness of almighty god wherefore every man ought patiently to take tribulation for the right wiseness of god will that it be so for causes the which oft-times are known only to him.  
tribulation for hit self is not to be desired but for the profit that groweth thereof & for the special help that the soul hath thereby/ for the sinful soul is reformed & restored to the love of god by the well taking of trybulacy on/ wherefore that soul which hath offended god & would be glad to win his love/ again/ it may be glad when he sendeth it tribulation & pain for thereby they may win his love. And for this cause saith the prophet David. ¶ Da nobis dne auxilium de tribulacione. ¶ Lord help us by tribulation/ he saith not give us tribulation/ but give us help by tribulation. As no man will desire a bitter drink but only for the help that he may have thereby/ if he trust that he may have his bodily life thereby he will he right glad to drink it be it never so bitter rather than he should bodily die Like wise a sinful soul that hath deserved everia sting death should be right glad to drink a sharp draft of tribulation for to be delivered there by fro the endless pain of everlasting death. Thus to wise folk in god which ordain all their life principally to god/ tribulation death great profit And to wise folk of the world that put their most pleasure in this world & little remember the life that is to come/ tribulation doth great hurt/ for it is so sore against their will which our lord sendeth to their health & profit to make them set little by this world that our lord is wroth with them/ & so by the disobedient taking of this temporal tribulation they deserve to have everlasting trybulacyonn. Thus every man if he will may have great help & profit by trybulacyoon. And this god will: thou shalt have the sooner if thou remember how precious this virtue of patience is in the sight of god/ and how profitable it is to the soul without which no virtue pleaseth god in the ne profiteth the. Than think that thou can lose no bodily things whose loss is troublous to thee/ that is so profitable as patience which thou losys if thou take not easily thy tribulation. And so learn to comfort thyself within in that thou feelest thyself dyscon fort without/ for if thou take patiently advercyte and things done against thy will/ thou gettest more richesse Inwardly in thy soul/ than is possible to the to lose outwardly. And of all gladness that is the most precious & acceptable to god the which groweth of tribulation & is one of the most gladness that thou can have that thou haste an holy soul/ but this gladness none may have but such as know the fruit & profit of tribulation which ye may learn in part by reading of this treatise of tribulation/ & specially if ye emprynte well the sentence thereof in your mind/ for like as evil chawed meet profiteth little nature/ so light reading with little at tendannce of the sentence profiteth little the soul.  
THere are. xx. fruits the which cometh of tribulation well taken. The first is that tribulation well taken as the work of our lord to reformation of the soul/ keepeth the good soul in the state of grace fro the hands of the enemies thereof/ and it rescueth & delivereth the evil soul fro the enemies. These enemies that are sub pressed & dyscomfet by tribulation/ are the falls Joys of this world & deceivable prosperities of fleshly pleasure/ which take as prisoners the hearts of men & women that be without discipline and cunning of virtuous living to battle right with these fleshly pleasures/ they are so deceivable for they show as they were friends & they are enemies/ they show they would bring to great pleasure/ but finally they bring to great pain sorrow & destruction These are the enemies that fools of this life desire to be conversant withal/ & they take them not as enemies/ but as true friends & helpers/ they make so fair countenance & pretence of favour/ & yet they intend to kill & destroy as Joab capteyn to the people of king david took the man Amas by the chin & laughed on him as he had been his friend by cause he should not have him suspect/ and with that other hand he thirst him into the belly with a dagger. Thus when worldly prosperity laughed on a man that he hath all things to his pleasure/ than he standeth in most Jeopardy to lose the love of god that is very life to the soul/ for than he shall be drawn to many vices/ & therefore prosperity is more to be dread than adversity in that it deceiveth traitorously/ like as the enemy that hurteth secretly by deceit is more to be dread that he that assoileth openly. tribulation is not only in loss of goods/ loss of friends/ loss of health/ loss of liberty▪ but it is also in loss of transquylyte & peace of mind which a soul hath that is in great temptation & battle against the world/ the flesh/ or the devil. Of all troubles it is most when a soul is troubled to do a thing contrary to the pleasure of god whom it desireth of all thing to please. tribulations are not only send fro god to those that intend to serve & please god/ but himself leadeth the host of tribulations as captain & marchall of the host to ordain them so wisely that they shall be to the succour & rescu of his friends. And so he saith by the prophet. ¶ Cū●p̄o sum in trybulacione eripiam eum. ¶ I mine own self saith our lord am with Him that is troubled & I shall deliver him. And specially he is with them in temptation & trybula con that put their principally hope of help in him As he saith. ¶ Qm in me speravit liberabo eum. ¶ By cause he hath trusteth in me saith our lord I shall deliver him. Than thou that haste almighty gods help in thy tribulation & abiding with the to help the when the tribulation doth assoil thee/ resort than with hearty desire to the presence of thy lord god/ beseeching him for grace to take it so that he may be pleased with thee/ & thou to have special help against thine adversaries by the good taking of tribulation & sithen our lord cometh to the tribulation/ the more thy tribulation groweth theby more nigh he draweth to thee. But peradventure thou wilt say here. Sir the presence of tribulation I feel/ but the presence of my lord god which as the prophet saith beareth me fellowship in tribulation I feel not/ for if he made me feel joyfulness of heart by his presence like as tribulation maketh me to feel bitterness of heart. I should be well content to suffer tribulation/ & gladly I would receive it. Also an other thing stoneth me greatly for before the tribulation came/ & things contrary to my will I had more feeling in god & more pleasure as it seemeth me than in the time of tribulation. How is it than that in tribulation he is more nigh to me & I less feel him/ for a solution of this doubt thou shalt understand that thou haste the presence of god where ever thou be/ for the presence of god his divinity fulfilleth heaven & earth as he saith by the prophet jeremy. ¶ Celum & terram ego impleo. ¶ Wherefore thou ought to be right well advised in every corner what thou dost or what thou sayest for thou haste thy▪ Juge present that shall damn the or save the but specially he is present with the when thou art in his grace and growest in virtue. As when thou feleste that by great temptation and tribulation thou settest less by the worldly vanity and by thy life/ and givest the more to prayers/ fasting/ watching/ alms deed doing/ pilgrimage going to reding of good books of virtue/ of holy meditations/ to have thy mind more contained to god with will to serve him better/ when thou feelest these profits grow in the than thou feelest our lord ghostly. These profits our lord maketh by temptation and tribulation as saint Poule saith. ¶ Be n●dictus deus qui facit cum temptacione proventum. ¶ blessed be god that worketh by temptation profit. Thou wilt say peradventure that thou haste hurt sometime by tribulations/ for sometime thou fallest by temptation and lovest virtue. I answer to this/ that if thou have a will finally to do well or would have a will to do well which is one of the great tokens thou shalt be the child of salvation/ than standing thou be the elect and chosen child of god/ what somever happen to the thou shalt have weal thereby/ not withstanding that thou dost deadly sin yet our lord shall work a weyle the upon. As the apostle saith ¶ Diligentibus dnm oia coopant in bonum hus qui sc●m ꝓpositum vocati sunt sancti ¶ To such as love god all thing returneth to their weyle/ and specially to such as are the elect children of god/ or for such as be the chosen children of god after they have fallen in to deadly sin/ they feel in themself rumours and bitterness of conscience/ they will be confessed thereof/ they set less by themself saying they are but wretched synnérs. They set less by dignities and worships of this world/ for they think themselves be worthy to have no worshypes/ but rather to have great shame & rebuke/ they set less by rich reparel and clothing. They set less by costly and delicate fedynnge of the body/ for they think they have deserved rather bodily pain than pleasure. Also saying how they were brought to sin/ they are more wise to avoid such occasions hereafter. Also they love god more that after their fall taketh them to grace again/ and of very love they dread more to offend him. And thus many that fall tosynne come to more grace than some that have not such fall like as Mary magdalen/ in heaven above is many that keeped in this life continually their virginity I say not this to give comfort to any soul for tosynne in hope that they shall come to more grace. For who cometh to such grace & who not/ it is not in themself but in god. And not withstanding many come to such grace after great sin. Yet those that continue in innocency may have this grace and much more in that that they are vel occupied the time that the other were wretchedly occupied by sin. And so that time they win upon them that fall. Also our lord is feeled by consolation and by comfort which he sendeth the time of tribulation. Many a soul is lost without caunseyll and comfort of man which our lord of his great mercy suddenly doth comfort/ that they think for the time the trouble is cléne gone fro them. The apostle saith. ¶ Sicut passiones xpi abundant in nobis. sic ꝓ xpm habundat & consolacio nostra. ¶ Like as the pains of christ habonde in us/ so habondeth in us consolation by him and such as have sinned/ when they have grace of tears & weeping for their sins/ with the same riseth a spiritual Joy in god that which giveth them such grace to be sorry for their sins. As saint Austen saith/ the sinner sorroweth for sin/ & of his sorrow he doth joy. Every soul that containeth in virtuous living aught to be content though he feel no great ghostly sweetness/ for commonly our lord sendeth it to such as he seeth are wek to bear great labour and temptations/ and by it he comforteth them as by milk the child is nourished But such as be mightily grown in grace and in virtue he sendeth them feeding by bitter temptations and trybularyons/ as saint Poule saith ¶ Perfector est solidus cibus qui habent sensus exercitatos ad discrecionem bom et mali. ¶ And the more a soul hath of ghostly sweetness in this life/ so much lesser it shallhave in the life to come. As he that taketh part of his wageafore his term day the less he shall receive when his term day cometh Such oftentyme as our lord loveth best/ he sendeth lest ghostly delectation but leaveth them only to their mighty faith and by that to good worker of living. For in this lyfehe keepeth puy his love because he will keep them low that they shall not make to much of themself. And yet to some which he loveth specially he sendeth great sweetness in ghostly feeling of him and by wonder revelations. And oftentime more to the profit & to quicken other to his service & faith which known not such wonder workings than to the profit of themself. But after this life he will make openly known to all the world every deed of virtue. And what great temptations they have resisted for the love of him. He letteth not the troubled soul always neither oftentyme feel his presence by ghostly sweetness by cause he will keep it low and in fere/ for the more low that a soul maketh himself/ and the less that it setteth by himself and thinketh that it is so wretched that it is not worthy to have any ghostly comfort of god/ the more our lord maketh of him/ and the more glory and Joy there is ordeyed to him. For as he saith. ¶ Omnis qui se humiliat exaltabitur ¶ Every person that meeketh himself he shall be exalted. And thus many a soul groweth in virtue and little perceived it as by any ghostly sweetness. But who so might have a little taste of the perfit delectation to the which he shall be brought by tribulation if he take it well. He should not complain but Joy of tribulation. As saint Poule saith? ¶ Gloriamur in spe filio● dei et non solum in hoc sed in tribulacione scientes qm tribulacio pacienciam operat. pacientia probacionem probacio spem spes autem non confundit quia caritas dei diffusa est in cordibus nostris ¶ We joy saith he not only that we hope to be the child of god and inheritors of his Joy/ but we Joy also in tribulation/ knowing that tribulation maketh a patient herteyf it be well taken/ and patience of heart is the great proof that a person is the very chosen child of election/ and after that proof cometh hope of salvation/ not as of our merits but by the grace of god/ which is yielded in to our hearts by the holy ghost which is given to us. The great comfort cometh not fro god to such a time as the place be made ready for it in the soul/ and the herberers which take and dress this lodging are tribulations/ as it is written in the book of Thobye. ¶ Post lacrimacionem et fletum exultacionem infundis ¶ After tribulation and we ping thou sendest comfort and Joy. Than if thou have great labours and business with these herberers think it well spent for they will quite it one of these days. And great tribulation maketh room and place for great Joys/ it is decreed and determined as alawe by the great wisdom of god/ that first he shall come to his dear beloved children with tribulation to deliver them fro the false Joys of this world/ and after he shall dwell with them by true Joy where as they shall have no need of tribulation for to exclude the false Joy s. But afore that he come with very true Joy he will make the heart by tribulation and temptation to set nought by all the false Joys of this world. When as tribulation is passed and hath made an holy place by patience and by meekness than cometh in joy. But peradventure thou complainest and sayest. Sir it is long or this consolation cometh. A this is the complaint of lovers/ what thing so ever it is that is greatly beloved the deferring thereof is painful. And not withstanding that if it be never so sharply hasted yet it is thought very long in coming. As Solomon saith. ¶ Spes que differtur affligit animam. ¶ When as a man hath hope for to have a thing that he loveth the deferring of it is bitter to the soul. Also peradventure thou will reason to me this. Sir I marvel not that wretched men and women which set all their heart & pleasure in wretched living/ and spend their time not profytabli but occupy all about sins and vanities of this world/ though these have tribulation & see the try bulaconn is profitable to them which are fallen in the hands of their enemies/ as these be to draw them fro there hands and make them flee sin & wretched living. But to such as live holily and do no great sin. I marvel why these have great tribulation/ for they fall not so in the hands of theyrenemyes as the other do. To this I answer that our lord delivered from the false Joys of this world both sinners and also the Innocentes which should be taken with them except his grace prevoked them by tribulation and temptation/ & preserved them fro these false sinful Joys/ also an other wise our lord rescues his enemies and other wise his friends. For he rescues his enemies fro tribulation delivering them when they are taken of their enemies. But his friends he delivereth sending them help by tribulations that they come not in to the hands of their enemies. And so both are holden to laud and to thank god both the sinful which by patience and great tribulation is drawn fro sin to virtuously ve and little setting by all the false worldly joy. And also the virtuous Innocent which is preserved by temptation and tribulation that it is never blinded and deceived by that Joy. Thus no man neither woman may think that they be out of the love of our lord by trybulacyan/ but rather think that they are specially beloved of him the which sendeth them tribulation to keep or to deliver them fro false deceivable pleasures of this world and from the inordinate and foul delights of the flesh. These pleasures are called false/ for they are full sweet in the beginning but they end with great bitterness and sorrow. As Solomon saith ¶ Extrema gauditluctus occupat. ¶ The end of worldly joy is occupied with weeping and sorrow. A thou wise gracious man and womanbeware of this false worldly joy/ that thou be not brought to great sorrow thereby. Thou seest it is butlytell and after it shall follow sorrow of inestimable greatness/ it is but short but it hath a long tail of sorrow that nevershall have end. Hit is no hole joy for it is meddled with sorrow. As Solomon saith. ¶ Risus dolore miscebytur. ¶ The laughing joy of this world is meddled with many matters of sorynes. Those which thou thinkest have most of worldly Joys they have moche sorrow/ trouble/ and labour with them. They are so bitter to a perfit heart that feeling them once vit would never have them if it might have them perpetually. They go fast away but the sorrow that followeth upon them shall ever abide. A this is a false Joy where is so little pleasure and so great pain and goth so swiftly away and never shall come again wherefore I exhort you all which would have the love of our lord and continue a virtuous life that ye thankfully welcome tribulations as your defenders fro your great enemies/ which tri bulacyons are send from our lord as his knight to defend you. And think that your expenses made in them shall stand you in great service. And if ye can not welcome heartily these soudyoures of our lord yet chide not with them nor maling not against them/ for if ye fight with them ye fight with your friends and that is a perilous battle where a man putteth no difference betwixt his friend & his enemy. The Joys of this world I say are enemies to the soul & bring it to sin & perdition. Troubles of this world/ sickness/ & pain are friends to the soul for they draw it from sin Wherefore if thou hate thy friends & love thine enemies thou seest what Jeoperdy thou standest in/ wherefore say welcome my friend tribulation/ and fie of earthly Joy  
THe second consolation and fruit in tribulation is to remember how the heart is closed up fro vanities whereby it stoppeth the eeres of the soul so that it may not here the callings and the motions of temptation as other do which feel no tribulations. For in such hearts as do flower in prosperity/ the vain pleasure of the world doth keep their perleament at liberty. And those hearts give attendance and withstudye apply them how they may attain to fulfil the desires of worldly pleasures in making of goodly bill ding and of goodly fations of clothes and to be well acompanyed with goodly servants. And together treasure to be called rich/ and to come to honour and dignity/ and to be much set by/ and to be called fair in face/ and goodly in body. These vain and transitory pleasures do so replenish & fulfil the soul with such motions that in manner it forgetteth himself/ both in time of prayer and when it should be virtuously occupied/ it is so a customed to take heed and attend to the speakings of these deceivable pleasures that in manner it hath no pleasure to here things profitable to the pleasure of god & the perpetual weyle of the soul. But when tribulation cometh/ all this vain speech cesseth as the motions of vain pleasures are withdrawn. This is figured & signified in the book of Job where it is said the time that he was in great tribulation. ¶ Nemo loquebatur ei verbum videbant enim dolorem eius vehementem. ¶ The friends that came to Job when they see him have so great pain and tribulation they spoke no word to him. By these friends are signified the temptations of prosperity which make pretence by the pleasant semblance & countenance they show to the soul that they were very friends and they are veri traitors for they cease not till they have brought the soul to much sorrow oftentimes in this world. And if there follow no sorrow and penance in this world there followeth damnation with perpe tuall pain and torment after this world in hell with the devils which most labour to make the hearts most to love the temporal prosperity of this life/ and the world and the flesh do help the devil to make the soul to set the love in prosperity of this life which should be fixed of the felicity of the everlasting life/ for all the time that it shall abide here is granted it to learn to set little by the vain Joys & pleasures of this life. For by the ordynaune of god the less it setteth by the Joys of this word the more it shall have of those most excellent and eternal Joys in heaven. what our lord of his special grace sendeth tribulation. These Joys are little set by & therefore they dare not speak lest they should be forsaken for ever/ and therefore as in this time they go away as atoned and a shamed. O than this tribulation is of great authority which stoppeth the mouth of the vain pleasures of the world. Than lechery is set onlyde she dare nor spekefor her speech in that time is no thing set by. Like wise gluttony & pride/ for as that time the heart delighteth neither in delyctable meet and drink ne in fresh clothes. Than the eyen of the soul which were blinded with prosperity that it neither see himself ne god/ now they are opened and can discern that all is but wretchedness in this world/ & that there is no true love but the love of god and virtue/ and than it feareth god. And than it called busily for his help and maketh many a good purpose and promise to amend the life and to do things to his pleasure. Thou shall understand her that what manner of speakings the temptations make in thy soul other by thoughts or imaginations contrary to the soul which sometime seem abominable and shameful/ fere thou no thing as long as thou answerest not to them saying ye be consenting but nay by dyscenting of. For as long as the consenteth not to the thought be they never so erronus or never so abominable they shall nothing hurt the to the decresse of thy merit. This is figured in the books of the kings where king ysachy commanded that people of Jerusalem which stood upon the walls of the city that they should not answer to the blasphemus spekynges of Rapsaces which was marchall of the host of king Senacheryb & saide siege to the city. But peradventure thou will say to me/ sir how shall I know that I consent not to my thoughts. To this I answer/ that one token is that thou consent not when thou would have them away. An other is when thou feelest a remorse/ a sorowenes & a displeasure growing in thyn heart of such thoughts/ for this sorrow cometh of a ●traryousnes which is between thy will & thy mind/ an other is when thou canst find in thine heart to pray god to take them away/ for notwithstanding that they hurt the not yet they trouble sore/ abash & stonysshe an Innocent soul. And as for thoughts contrary to the faith fear them not as long as thy will is to believe as the church of god believeth. For than the faith of the church is thy faith/ & after that thou shalt be taken & not after thy running mind. Thus sithen tribulation putteth to silence the great temptations of this world that they dare not come nigh the troubled soul/ & openeth the eyen thereof that it may see hit self & god/ and that the worldly prosperity is but misery/ and maketh the soul to cry to god & keepeth him in mind. I counsel the to make moche of adversity when it cometh and thank god thereof. For he sendeth ever to the for thy weal and more than thou can thynken and for other causes than thy mind is able to know/ except the haste it by revelation of him.  
THe third consolation & comfort in tribulation is to remember the profit of tribulation in purging of the soul fro sin & wretchenesse. Here is to be understand that theridamas are five manners of purgations which are remembered in scripture. One is of the body by medicinable drink or by letting of blood/ & that is other by striking of the vain or crasing or cutting of the flesh. The second is purging of metal and that is other with the fyrelyke as gold is gurged/ or by furbysshing like as iron is purged. The third is purging of wines & tress when the superfluous branches are cut away with a knife or with a saw. The fourth is the purging of the corn fro the chafe with the flail. The fifth is the purging of wine which is purge with the pressure. For the first purgation which is made by drink I say our lord giveth to the this drink of tribulation to purge thine heart fro corrupt humours of worldly & fleshly love/ for like as the bitter medicinable drink purged the body/ like wise tribulation purgeth the heart. wherefore dear beloved soul I pray the drink heartily and with Joy in god in hope of thine endless salvation. This drink of tribulation which this sovereign phesycyens giveth to the. And knoweth best thine complexion thine infirmity/ and what drink is most profitable to the. And this gentle physician for to comfort the in thy drinking/ and for to show to the that he giveth no thing to the but which is profitable. He hath begun and drunken of this drink to the by his most painful and bitter passion He drank to the the most bitterest part of this drink/ for his pains were most sharpest as it is written in the book of Trenos. ¶ Uidete si est dolor sinulis sicut dolor meus. ¶ See ye saith he/ it therebe any pain like to my pain/ it passeth thy power to drink so bitter a draft as he began to the. And standing that he is thy father and thy maker which giveth to the this drink and hath so heartily begunnen to the himself/ than thou mayst well think that this drink is very profitable to thee/ and for this profit take it sweetly. O thou world say that if the king of very love did drink to his servant it were a vylenous dedeto this servant to cast the cup down when the king offered it him. Like wise when almighty god giveth the chastisement by tribulation/ and thou would not take it but with a froward heart that is in the thou cast it away/ so much thy deed is more vylenous and oryble/ as this king exceedeth all other kings/ and his love to the passeth all other love/ and if thou take it heartily of his hand so much it is the more meritorious to thee/ and to the great honour and pleasure of him. Wherefore I counsel the when he offereth to the the cup that thou drink it of all heartily if it were the bitterness of death that he did give thee/ for he hath drunken that bitter draft himself for thee/ which had no thing to purge in him. wherefore thou that art full of many unclean humurs and of ghostly corruption ought heartily to drink this drink as thou lovest thy salvation for the which this drink is send the. And cast it not down after the counsel of Solomon there he saith. ¶ Fili disciplinam dm ne abicias. ¶ Child cast not away the dyscyplye of punishment which our lord giveth to the. For as he saith in an other place. ¶ Qui abicit disciplinam infelix est. ¶ He that casteth away chastising is unhappy. This bitter drink our lord giveth to all his friends to whom he hath ordained the sweet drink of his glory after this life. Of this drike he speaketh to saint James and to saint Johan when he said. May ye drink the drink that I shall drink. all the martyrs have drunken this drink. Confessors & holy men & women which now are put in possession of the endless & Joyful kingdom of heaven. Therefore saith the prophet. ¶ Calicem salutaris accipiam. ¶ I shall drink the wholesome drink/ & if it be so bitter that thy stomach may not well away withal/ than call to our lord that maketh & giveth this drink that he will give thy power & tempre thy stomach & appetite heartily to take it. wherefore it followeth in the prophet ¶ Et nomen domini invocabo. ¶ I shall call the name of my lord god. Many there are which in the beginning with good Instruction drink this drink heartily but with a little countenance they wax marvelously weary therewith/ to such I say as the physician doth. sithen ye have drunken the more ꝑarte lose not your health for this little/ but steel upon it swiftly & drink it every soap/ & think it is the most profitable drink that ever ye drank/ for in drinking of it ye drink your health/ let it not long abide in your mouth but hastily let it go down/ for else hi● will make the heart to have ab homynaconn the● with & grudge/ & than shall be lost the profit of the working/ as if a man would chew the pylles Kasy which are given him they should little profit him. He chewech & breaketh the pylles which grutche●h greatly with the tribulations and chideth & is angry with every thing for the angrenesse that he hath to his tribulation. Every good soul ought not only to ●ere patiently tribulation but they should desire to have temporal tribulation & their purgatory here that they might avoid the great pains & torments which are ordained for purgation of sin after this life to such as depart in the state of grace. As our saviour for our we'll not only without chyding or weeping suffered the pain of his passion but he wilfully offered himself thereto. Sometime the physician giveth a good me dycyne to purge the body and it ●oth no profit. For the humours are so hard and not digested the the medicine purged not the nature from them. Like wise our lord sendeth tribulation/ but the heart is hard without patience and meekness that it nothing profiteth. Like as the tribulation that our lord send to king Pharaoh no thing did profit to him/ for the more trouble he had the more proud/ anger/ and envious he was/ and so that thing which is given of our lord as medicine to the heart the evil taking thereof turneth it to poison. ¶ An other purgation of the body is by letting of blood/ & one manner is to let out the blood by the vain/ for like as the evil blood corrumpeth the good blood/ like wise ●ynne which is likened to evil blood corrumpeth the soul & bringeth it to endless pain. The mouth whereby this blood of sin eschew is the mouth of a penytentman or woman when by confession it putteth out the sin/ as Solomon saith. ¶ Os iust● vena vite. ¶ The mouth of the rigtwise man is the vain of life for thereby he is delivered fro sin/ which if he were not delivered thereof it should bring him to endless death For this blood desired the prophet david to be delivered when he said to our lord. ¶ Libera me de sanguinibus deus deus salutis me. ¶ My lord god of my health deliver me fro blood/ that is to say/ fro sins. And our lord said by the prophet isaiah to the people of Israel ¶ Auertan oculos a vobis quia manus vestre plenesunt sanguine. ¶ I shall thorn my face fro you/ for your hands are full of blood that it to say/ your works are full of sin/ the evil blood of the heart/ that is to say sin & evil motions ought to be put away/ & the good blood that is the good motions ought to be kept still to nourishing of the heart. And like as he is a fool that would all his good blood should be let out & all the evil kept/ so he is a more great fool which showeth out ward his good deeds by hypocrisy to have vain laud/ & keepeth close his evil deeds specially when he should she we them by confession/ wherefore who so will that tribulation patiently taken shall be profitable to them/ see that they keep their soul clean by confession/ for there is no pain that shall be rewarded in heaven except the sufferer thereof be in the state of grace/ yet it is good to a person notwithstanding they dame that they be in deadly sin patiently to take pain/ for the● shall thereby the sooner rise to grace & their contrition may be so great with will to be confessed that they may deserve to have grace before they come to confession nevertheless though the contrition be as much as a person may have for sin which will to be confessed/ yet they are bound after to be confessed thereof once in the year or else they sin deadly again. confession to many a soul is full troublous. For some have great pain to confess them for shame that they have of abominable sins/ & some think that they never confess them plainly enough/ and also for pain of contrition and satisfaction that the true penitent hath it may be numbered enough tribulations. another mean to minish blood is by garsing & ventosing or boxing/ & so as many tribulations as thou haste as many garsynges thou haste/ & so many strokes are stry ken of thine heart to purge it. But like as the fles she afore the garsing aught to be inflamed with fire put in flexe in the vessel of glass & so much the stroke of garsing shall grieve the less that the flesh hath been altered with the heat afore. Thus if the heart be inflamed with the fire of love of god it shall the less feel the grieve of the stroke of tribulation. For if the heart have the love of god it is content with his working which in this world sendeth tribulation to all those that he loved/ & or deigneth in the other world with himself to have the great consolation/ without this fire of love in a disobedient heart the strokes of tribulation they are full grievous & full of anguish & pain. For as saint Austen saith. ¶ Omnia sena et immania leva ac facilia amor facit. ¶ All things which are ragens & fail love maketh light & easy to bear.  
Thus our lord did enflamme the hearts of his apostles afore they suffered the great persecution & tribu laconn in preaching of the faith/ he sent to them the holy ghost the spirit of love in similitude of fire in token that he had kindled the fire of love in their hearts. Thus saint Peter afore his heart was heted with this love he might not bear the word of a woman which called him one of Christ's disciples/ but after that he had received the spirit of love he was glad to be called so & glad to suffer his flesh to be garsed & wounded on the cross for the great love that he had to our saviour christ. This love made him so patient/ that not only bitter words were sweet to him but also bitter strokes. The great love & de sire that he had to be with christ made him glad to take tribulations/ which he knew was the way to come to christ ¶ An other purgation is of metal as gold is purged in the fire & made more brighter & is departed from other metal/ so the fire of tribulation formeth the heart & maketh it more clean/ & maketh to depart therefro rosty metal of sin. In this fire were the martyrs & the confessors fined & purged as it is written in the book of wisdom. ¶ Tanque aurum in furnace ꝓbavit electos dominus. ¶ God hath proved his elect children by tribulation like as the gold is proved by the fire. Here ye shall understand that like as of all metals gold is the most precious/ so lead is most little in valdure/ & yet there may no gold be well fined without led. For the lead melted with the gold draweth to him all the matter of corruption fro the gold. Thus the good folk which are likened to gold are purged by the evil folk which are likened to lead. For by great Injuries & wrongs that they do to the good folk in word and deed they purge them fro sin for they take all the wrongs done to them well, And by the good taking thereof thinking they have deserved such trouble & more and thank god that sendeth them their purgatory in this life/ they grow in grace and in the great favour of our lord And the wretched people that wrongfully trouble them & of a malicious intent grow in the indignation of our lord and indette of the great pain which they shall pay after this mortal life. Thus by persecutions of tyrants were crowned the martyrs An other wise tribulation purgeth the heart like as frobysshing scoureth the iron and like as the knife which lieth and is not occupied roasteth/ and as the sword which is not drawn out of the scabbard. So men and women which rest in the pleasures of this life and are not frobysshed with sharpe tribulation they lose the brightness of their soule and wax rosty by sin. And their souls are as abominable in the sight of god/ as their bodies are pleasant in the sight of man/ wherefore thou that art a faithful soul and seest thou may not have thy pleasures in this world and in the life that is to come also/ grudge not greatly if our lord scour thyn haberton with tribulation and make the a bright sword to strike the fiends by holy living & wilful taking of tribulation. For more pain thou canst not do to the devil than to take pain patiently/ for than he is confounded in the when he can not by tribulation bring the to Inpacyence/ our lord scoureth the to make the know thyself/ and to set little by thyself/ and to know him and make moche of him which by tribulation tamporal shall deliver the from all tribulation eternal and bring the to perpetual consolation. ¶ An other purging is as the gardener purgeth the vine & other tress by cutting away of superfluous branches Of this purgation speaketh our saviour where he saith. ¶ Omnen palmiten in menon ferentem fructum purgabit eum. ¶ My father shall purge every branch which is planted in me by faith & bringeth forth no fruit of virtuous life. By this vine is understand the heart of man which is fulfilled with the humours of holy love of god and of virtue and bringeth forth great fruit to the comfort of many/ like as the humour in the vine maketh it to bring forth fruit. And like as the humour when it is superfluous and more than need it is speedeth to much in branches without fruit Like wise when the superfluous love habondeth in man's heart of worldly vanities and of fleshly pleasures it withdraweth the fruit of ghostly living/ than marvel thou not sithen the wise gardener will cut away the superfluous branches which let the tree of their fruit/ if thy lord god which hath taken the cure of thine heart cut fro the with the sharp knife of tribulation all those things which thou loves vainly or shrewdly which let in that the ghostly fruit of virtue & make the humours of love to continue in his proper bounds of thine heart and of such things as are profitable to thy salvation/ for he will not that thine heart be to far drawn fro him/ ne that it spread by foreign & unprofitable branches of vaynne & worldly thing. ¶ An other manner of purgation is like as the corn is purged fro the straw & the chafe by the stroke of the flail And as the stroke of the flail purgeth the corn/ lyke wise the stroke of tribulation purgeth the heart And like as the corn is made to depart fro the stra we/ like wise the heart is made to depart fro the great love of this world which should steel the heart fro god were not the flail of tribulation. And this maketh them to love god & greatly desire to be with him saying these world so unstable and full of tribulation & pain. And for this consideration saith the prophet. ¶ Ecce ego in flagella paratus sum. ¶ Behold I am ready to the flail. To this holy prophet purposed with a glad heart to bear the stroke with the flail of god. Than thou that will have the grain & corn of thine heart purged/ plain ye not of the stroke of tribulation/ for thou can not be put in the garner of heaven there none shall be put but such corn as is purged with the flail of our lord. And like as when the corn is green & not well dried than it brasteth under the flail & cleaveth faster to the chafe/ also the hearts which are full of moisture of fleshly pleasure & carnal affections they burst by unpatience under the flail & than the char of sin cleaveth faster to them. ¶ An other wise tribulation purgeth the heart like as the pressure purged the wine/ for like as the pressure which straineth the resyns maketh the wine depart fro the foul gross matter of the dregs/ like wise temptations/ persecuconns'/ & tribulations of this life purgeth thine heart fro the foul lusts & inordinate affections of this life wherefore refuse not the pressure if thou will be laid in to the seler. Thus the holy martyrs left their bodies in the pressure & torments & the soul as precious wine was tonned in to the seler of perdurable life.  
THe fourth consolation in time of tribulation is to remember the profit of cunning to the which a man or a woman is brought thereby/ for of all connynges the most necessary cunning is a man to know himself & his lord god for if he know himself well he shall know a wretch & a sinful soul which hath great need of the help of our lord if ever he shall be the child of salvation And if he know himself well he shall there by come to the knowledge of our lord. For his mind shall than be so moche upon him that he shall souke moche knowledge out of him. To this know lege a man is brought by tribulation/ for thereby he shall be made to setlytell by the world & little by himself & the less he setteth by himself the more clearly he shall see his own defaults and the more perfectly know the goodness of god & after that the more he shall love him. For as saint Austen saith The city of god/ that is is to sayé/ a holy soul in whom our lord dwelieth by grace it beginneth at the contempt & despising of himself/ & endeth at the love of god. And the city of the devil beginneth at the & endeth at the Wherefore saint Austen saying the cunning that cometh by tribulation he beginneth his prayer in this wise. ¶ Noverim me noverim te. ¶ Lord teach me to know myself & to know the. And like as the stroke of the rod maketh the scholar to bow his neck & look well on his book & to can well his lesson & to come again to such knowledge as he hath forgotten/ like wise great tribulation maketh a soul to below to our lord which is the great master & teacher thereof. And maketh it to look well on the book of contemplation/ that is to say/ to remember his goodness & there own wretchedness/ to remember the gifts which it hath received of him & the great unkindness that it hath showeth to him/ and the great pains which be ordained to it for unkindness. And the great Joy for the love that it hath to god & kindness. Also this rod of tribulation maketh it can his lesson well of virtuous lie ving/ as to pray/ to fast/ to watch/ to give alms & to apply it to all such things whereby it trusteth to get special help of our lord. And to good customs & conditions which it hath forgotten it maketh it to put them in exercise again. And thus it maketh them to letne well the lesson of their salvation. And therefore saith Solomon. ¶ Uirga et correctio tribuit sapiencian. ¶ The rod & correction bringeth the soul to wisdom. The young child when it is put first to learning by the frail & unstable disposition of the body that is moved to have the eyen fro the book & want only to look about the walls & rather to pick straws & to clatter to his fellows than to learn the lesson to his great profit/ but when the master lifteth the rod to strike him/ than he looketh up to him & said he will amend & is sorry that he laboured not better his lesson. Like wise the frail soul looketh down to earthly things & vanities of this life/ as to richesses/ ho nours'/ beauty of body/ good apparel in clothes & the speaking of such things most delighteth it. But when the great master almighty god lifteth the rod of tribulation that it seeth great trouble is like to fall to it than it lifteth up the eyen to him & crieth mercy for myspending of time/ and promiseth it will amend. And with great beating at the last it is brought to the book and to learn well the lesson. Thus prosperity closeth the eyen of the soul to god/ and the rod of adversity openeth them and maketh them to know him. Wherefore saith the prophet. ¶ Cognoscet dnns judicia faciens. ¶ Our lord shall be known in making judgement of punishment & pain/ and thus many a soul to whom he sendeth pain & tribulation in this mortal life/ he preserveth them fro the judgment o● everlasting damnation Therefore saith the apostle. ¶ Cum iudicamur a deo corripimur ne cum hoc mundo dampnemur. ¶ when the judgment of god is showed upon us by temporal pain for secret causes that we know not/ but his wisdom knoweth which sendeth pain to no man ne woman but for great cause. When we are thus punished than we are correct by cause we shall not be dampened with this world/ that is to say with worldly folk which set there hearts on the felicity & pleasures of this world so greatly the in manner they little remember ne desire the pleasure that is ordeyed with god for the holy souls which are the despisers of this worldly felicity. A woe woe many they be which have little or none worldly tribulation/ for moche sorrow is ordained to them in time coming & sorrow perpetual except the great mercy of god/ for there is none that liveth so Innocently in this life but they deserve great pain both by commission of things which they ought to do & do them not. And also by commission of things which they should not do & yet they do them. Wherefore if they have no punishment in this life/ great punishment is ordained for them after this life/ & lack of punishment maketh the soul that it forgetteth himself & god as it is said before & like as it is rehearsed in the book of Danyel that Nabugodonosor the king of Assyrye was so far drawn by worldly prosperity fro the knowledge of god/ that our lord to the knowledge of Nabu godonosor & to the sight of man changed him in to the similitude of an ox/ &. seven. year he was among the beasts. But after this great punysshemen the looked up to henen with the sight of his soul askin goe mercy of god. And after that he was restored to his own form & dignity which he had afore. By ghostly undstanding those folk life up their eyen to heaven which have their meditations to god & order their love to him and knowledge him their sovereign lord of whom descendeth all their veil & grace to ꝓcevere in virtuous living. For like as all floods come of the see like wise all grace's benefices bodily & ghostly come of god/ & like as they return again to the see/ so we ought to refer & order them all to him & not principally to our pleasure as the prophet saith. ¶ Quod de manu tua accepimus hoc reddimus tibi. ¶ That thing that we have taken of thine hand that we give to the. Thus such gifts as we receive of our lord if we spend them in the works of virtue & give them to the poor in the name of him than we give him them again/ as he saith himself. ¶ Quicqd fecistis uni ex minimis meis in nomine meo. michis fe cistis. ¶ What so ever ye do to any of the lest in my name ye do that to me/ wherefore such as referre & give the goods that they receive of our lord to him again they continue the floods of grace. For as they give to him he is so liberal that he can not but give again such things as he knoweth most expedient to his lovers. And if the flood of his bontyfulnesse come not to him again/ than the flood of grace is stopped by our defau●. For like as he is the beginning & ending of all goodness which cometh of him must be returned finally again. Thus by the deeds of thy life that confessys/ & shows that there is one god/ & in these that thankest him & worshypest him. Many there are which do the contrary/ as the apostle saith ad Titum. There are many which say they know god but they deny him in their deeds of their living/ for their life is abhoiable in the sight of god & they live wretchedly as folk that had no faith/ & rather as the reprobate & despised enemies of god than like unto his children & friends. ¶ Multi fatent se nosce dnm factis autem negant cum sint abhoinabiles & incredibiles ad oen opus reprobi. ¶ Thou which hast given thy lord god again such goods as thou hast received of him/ at the hour of death thou shalt be lightly delivered of thy acounte/ for in this life thou deliverest the of these goods that thou hast received of him & pute them in his hands again. And therefore it shall be said to the in that hour like as it is written in the gospel of Matthew. My trusty seruaunt thou haste been faithful & true in few things that I did give thee/ now I shall make the lord of many things enter into the Joy of thy lord. Than thou that hast misspended the goods of our lord to thy pleasure contrary to the will of him and contrary to thy profit/ thou may be woe/ for hard account shall be laid against the. Wherefore if thou amend the not thou shalt have straight passage to thy salvation. wherefore if our lord send the tribulation for myspending vainly the time of thy youth & of such goods as he hath sent the in this he showed that he would have the saved/ and that thou should amend thy life and once begin to look upward to thy master for abuse thee/ he is which striketh the. Our lord when he seeth that the rebel hearts will not turn to him by kindness which he showeth to them in his gifts than he beateth them to make them come to him by tribulation and sharpness/ and yet oftentimes they will not come to him as he saith in the book of isaiah. ¶ Populus non est reversus ad percuicentem se. ¶ The people turn not to him that beateth 'em. For in sickness their mind runneth more for help by man in phesyke than it doth to his help/ and when wrongs and Injuries be done to them they are ready to revenge them and to do one shrewd turn for an other/ and are not ready mercifully to forgive it for his sake/ that they might obtain forgiveness of him. And so underneath the rod of tribulation they come not to correction/ for they look not as they are bound by the benefice of their creation & redemption to keep his commandments and holy counsel in reformation of their living here yeshal understand that every true lover hath his heart toward his love/ and they dread to be of get of their love & they heart to bef orgetes there they love. And thus our lord which hath to us love unmeasurable hated to be forget of us. And when we forget him he beateth us & pulleth away from us such things as we most love in this world/ as health of body/ friends/ worldly goods. And often times he suffereth the good name & commendacyon to be pulled away fro such as hath vain glory in the laud of name without great deserving by holy merits of good living of the laud of god. And so he maketh 'em to call on him & to know him by adversity which forget him by prosperity. Like as the butteler of Pharo had forget Joseph when he was comen to prosperity which exponed to him his dream to his great solace & comfort when he was in adversity. And because that worldly prossperyte brygeth a soul to forgetefulnesse of god/ our lord when he promised to the people of Israel great cities with plenty of richesses/ he warned hem afore that they should not forget him saying thus ¶ Non obliviscaris dni dei tui. ¶ See that thou in the time of thy great prosperity forget not thy lord god. And to show to the that he forgetteth not thee/ he saith himself that he hath written the in his hands ¶ Non obliviscartuin manibus enamels descrip si te. ¶ He beareth yet & ever shall the print of the wounds in his hands which he suffered for thee/ and also in his heart which was wounded for the. Learn thou than to bear some sharp token on the to remember. him & the great pains that he hath suffered for the If he give the great richesse & great prosperity in this temporal life/ think not for all this that he loveth the so specially that thou shalt have with him his richesse in heaven/ for many which shall never come in heaven have great plenty of these goods.  
And the misusing of hem is cause of their damp nation. wherefore richesse & dignity of this world are called in scripture the gift of the lift hand/ as Solomon writeth. ¶ In sinistra eius diuicie et gloria. ¶ great multitude of rich folk at the day of judgement shall stand at the lift hand of the Juge/ & the poor at the right hand/ if thou shalt have any love of our lord for thy richesse it is for the good/ use of 'em/ that is to say/ by cause thou spendest hem to his honour & relief of him which have little to help himself for the love of him. And ever in the time of prosperity take some wilful pain to remember him like as he hath given example to the. For verily like as bodily pleasure maketh the soul to forget himself and god/ like wise bodily pain maketh it to remember himself & god. And this pains is meritorious when it is patiently suffered/ but it is of a marvelous great merit when it is taken Joyfully & as a remedy to purge the soul fro sin & bring it to special grace and love of our lord/ which peradventure thou say/ sir I marvel not if our lord with the rod of tribulation beat the froward & ungentle hearts which know▪ him not. But I marvel greatly why he beateth the gentle & merciable hearts which know him & love to worship him. To this I answer/ this beating is not only profitable to such as be unkind and of sinful living/ but also to such as be good & virtuous which be not yet comen to the great perfeccy on of virtue to such time as they be made perfit by resisting of great temptation & gladly taking of tribulation. For many souls which trust that they be strong to resist temptation before they feel it/ when it cometh upon them fiercely they feel themself right feeble in comparison as they trusted they had been. But by continual beating of temptation they come to great might of virtue & knowledge of themself/ and of what valour they be in virtue. Therefore saith Solomon. ¶ Qui non est temptatus quid scit ¶ He or she that hath no great temptation what can they/ as who saith right little. And thus our lord suffereth right merciful and gentle hearts to him to suffer great temptation/ for in that they learn to love god. For of all proves of love the greatest is when a soul resisteth mightily against great temptations for the love of god/ and because they would not offend his grace. And so they make a mighty conquest of themself and do against their own inclination to prefer the will of god against their own will and desire. That holy man Job was brought to great perfection by adversity And Solomon that was so wise was brought to great foolishness and unclean living by prosperity. Here is example that bodily adversity bringeth the soul to ghostly prosperity which standeth in ghostly wisdom and virtue. And the bodily prosperity beginneth to ghostly foolishness and loss of virtue and finally to everlasting adversity pain & tribulation. And there is no soul so graciously disposed but it would rather choose with temporal adversity to have the ghostly richesse with the love of god in this life/ and after it be passed hens end less Joy and fely●yte/ than with temporal prosperity ghostly poverty with hatred of god & perpetual damnation. sithen Solomon that was so wise lost wisdom in prosperity/ thou art not sure that thou shalt keep thy wisdom in worldly pleasures & prosperity/ than arm the to tribulation if thou wilt come to any perfection. And when thou thinkest the tribulation painful & heavy to bear/ comfort the again with remembrance that it is but short & shall bring the Joyfully out of the world/ for thy last day shallbe the end of thy trouble for ever/ & think that our lord calleth the to him thereby where thou shalt see him in his majesty and be replenished with the solations sight of his perdurable glory. And think verily that he which putteth the to this great proof ordaineth great things for the. For like as the knight getteth not of his king to such time that he be proved in acts of chivalry & have mightily foghten for his king/ so look thou for no great tewarde of god except thou have great temptation for his sake/ other against the devil by ghostly temptation or against thy flesh with temptation of gluttony sloth or lechery/ or against the world with covetise. But of all those battles the ghostly battle in faith & conscience is most troublous & heavy to bear/ & of all other it is most profitable to that soule which will fight in this battle is most direct against the devil/ and the conquest of him is most principal as saint Poule saith. ¶ Nemo coronabi● nisi qui legittime certaverit. ¶ There shall none be crowned but such as lawfully figureth and prevaileth by keeping of their soul fro consent to sin ne. And the more dignity that a knight or a clerk is call dto the more proof to be made before of his ability. Thus by these teachings thou mayst understand that tribulation is ordained of god in this life to call the & lead the again in to knowledge of thyself & in to remembrance of thine own heart. And know thou verily that the heart which hath not cast out of himself the Joy of worldly prosperity/ may not perfectly feel ne know himself For the pleasure of this false Joy so inchothes the heart that it may not return in to himself/ but it is all occupied with worldly matters which in that it may not/ it ordaineth to the increase of this vain joy/ & so it laboureth ever more & more to blind himself as long as it runneth outward in worldly prosperity/ & thereof complaineth him the prophet David in the person of asynner where as he saith. Lumen oculorum meorum ipsum non est niccum. ¶ Thelyght of myn eyen is not with me/ alas they may be sorry to whom our lord hath given great natural will & knowledge & they spend the candle of their wisdom in ordering of worldly vanities/ in ordering of themself they spend but little or none/ & it is given to them specially for themself/ that is to say/ to the weal of their soul & not to the pleasure of their body. Like as every man is most nigh himself so under god he ought most to love himself/ & in order to those things which shall be most to the avail of himself as to god & virtue/ and nothing is so nessarye to be known of man as himself. For all knowledge without knowledge of himself is but vain to bring a man to the end that he was made fore/ and like as he that hath not himself hath nothing/ for if a man have no perfit power to rule himself no thing is well ruled that cometh in his hands. For there is no outward deed well ruled except it come of a well ruled soul/ for the goodness of the outward deed presupposeth the goodness of the good deed of the will Inward/ & so if thou have not a good will there is no thing good that thou dost. But peradventure thou wilt say than thou dost never no good deed. For commonly when thou haste will to doony good deed there cometh in thy mind some shrewd intent/ as vain glory & laud of the world or to have a temporal profit thereby/ or to please thy friend or for fere to displease him/ or of enmity thou dost to the rebuke of other which do not see like as thou dost. Or thou levest things undone by cause thou wouldest not that other should follow the. Thus commonly thy will is not good/ and than after this doctrine thy will is not good. Here I answer that it is unpossible to the to let such thought to come to thy mind. But as long as thou would do any good things for the love of god & profit of thy soul if that vain or evil thought were away than thou dost it principally for god/ & that evil or vain thought letteth no thing the merit of thy deed. As thus peradventure thou seest a poor man & would give a penny in alms to him/ & forth with cometh in thy mind that thou shalt have a laud of the world therefore or such as see thee/ this thought shall not make the to lose thy merit as long as thou would give that penny to the poor man for the love of god if no man should see the than thou dost it principally for god/ this will is meritorious & the deed following thereupon. Than returning to my saying before like as he which hath not himself hath no thing. Like wise he that knoweth not himself knoweth no thing/ that is to say/ profitable to himself/ as to purchase the reward of our lord in the everlasting Joy after this mortal life. The wretched man or woman that fixeth their love most on this worldly prosperity he forgetteth himself for he is not with himself. Look what thing the soul most loveth there it is most by conversation of the mind/ and the workers of the soul most run thither As our saviour saith. ¶ Ubi thesaurus tuus ibi cortuum. ¶ Look where that thing is that thou lovest there is thine heart. Thus the heart of the covetous man is with his gold and silver. The heart of the leech man is with the person there he hath most fless hely pleasure to. The heart of the proud man is there he hath most reverence and with his fresh clothes Thus the worldly prosperity & false transitory joy in heartily creatures draweth the heart of men and woymen fro themself/ and with moche sorrow oftentimes they come to such things as they love/ and therefore they by them with less labour & sorrow they might buy great excellent Joy in heaven/ than they buy this salt worldly joy the which hastily they shall lose and than they shall have everlasting sorrow. But like as a man that is besieged when he would eschew and go out of his house he is compelled to return and is betyn in again by such as have besieged him and is brought thereto that he dare not once set out his foot at the door. Like wise our lord of his great mercy sendeth the soudyoures of tribulation to such souls and hearts as he loveth and would that they should abide at home and beateth them in to themself/ and the more tribulations there are and also the more they be so moche the hearts have less power to stroy abroad from themself. Than thank god theros which sendeth the adversity whereby thou art made to leave the love that thou haste to worldly prosperity & learn to know & to love god and thyself in order to god & thus to abide at home and keep well ordered the love of thy soul. For when there is no dweller in an house soon it falleth to ruin & decay. Like wise the souls which are not Inhabit in this manner fall to waste & come to nought. blessed is that man or woman which abideth in himself & learneth to know himself how they shall keep their body obedient to their soul/ & their soul obedient to god. And above all thing attendeth to keep himself that the flesh draw not the soul to the love of the world/ but that the soul draw the flesh to the service of god/ and hath the great Joy in the clearness of conscience/ is when it liveth without rumours in his conscience of deadly sin as it is commonly said. A clean heart a Joyful heart. And sorrowful may that heart be that is likened to a common minstrel or a Jogular which is more in other men's houses than in his own. And when he singeth & maketh most mirth in other men's houses than soon after he is most sorrow in his own house. Like wise the heart which most seeketh solace in worldly things outward/ it hath less Joy of ghostly things Inward. A than I say to the which feelest thine heart fro the in delectations of the flesh or pleasures of the world/ & than thou haste such pleasure to abide there that thou hast nowyl to come home & to forsake him utterly which thou seest are not to the profit of thy soul/ than call to our lord that he will send his soudyoures of tribulation & drive the home again & to constrain thine heart to know thyself & to attend wisely in keeping of thyself that thou do no thing contrary to the will of god & to thine everlasting avail/ as the poor minstrel is constrained to torn again to his house when the feasts are done/ for than he hath none other place for to torn to. So after all worldly pleasure when it is paste & tribulation make the not to torn afore thou shalt torn home to the house of thine heart & thou shalt find there a sorrowful house. For every vain joy that thou haste had in this life thou shalt find there a great sorrow/ yetand thou take to the tribulation of penance afore thou depart fro this world it shall keep the house of thine heart fro the most sharp brenning fire of hell/ for as the prophet saith. ¶ Contritum et humiliatum deus non despicies. ¶ Good lord thou despisest not an heart which is meeked & brought to know 'em self by tribulation. Than thou which lovest everlasting consolation & feelest thine heart is run to vain delectation pray tribulation to come & return the home again Like as the dove constrained turned to the ship of Noah because she could find no ground to set her feet upon. No is as much to say in our language as rest/ the ship is the heart/ the dove is the love pray god that the flood of tribulation so cover all vain things fro thy love that it be constrained to return to Inwardly rest of thine heart by tranquillity & pnsse of a clean conscience & holy occupying of thine heart with holy meditations of god & of virtue with perfit desire of good works & blessed customs to the pleasure of god & thy great promotion. Thou that seekest rest in worldly things thou art deceived/ for thou shalt find no rest but in god for none other thing may sacyate & content the soul but god/ he shall fulfil the desire of thy soul as the prophet saith ¶ Saciabor cum apparuerit glia tua. ¶ I shall sacyate & replenish with joy when I shall see the good lord in thy glory. Therefore it is written in Ecclesiastice. ¶ In omnibus requiem qnsivi et in hereditate dni morabor. ¶ I have sought rest in all things & now I shall dwell in the heritage of god/ that is to say/ mine heart shall dwell in desire of the kingdom of heaven where is the perfit rest/ therefore saith david to our lord ¶ Convertere anima mea in requiem tuam. ¶ Torn mine heart in to thy rest. The soul of man may find no such rest in the things of this world as in themself when it is ordered in the living according to the laws of god & such a soul doth rest for it is content in all things with the working of our lord & that soul is the dwelling place of our lord of whom it is written. ¶ In pace factus est locus eius. ¶ His place is made where is peace/ & peace of conscience is his peace for that cometh of him. Therefore saith the prophet. ¶ convertere anima mea in requiem tuam. ¶ Torn my soul in to thy rest/ & Solomon saith ¶ Intrans in domum meam conquiescam cum ea. ¶ I entering in to the house of my conscience there I shall rest. Than thou may be woe which seekest rest in outward things & lookest little for the rest of thy house at home in thy conscience. If thou would take labour to return home and well search the house of thy conscience/ thou which art a great lover of the world thou shalt find there a troublous house/ wherefore to such as be the renners out our lord saith by the prophet Mychee. ¶ Hiis qui forissunt dicet ve ve. ¶ To these that more are occupied with other things than with himself it shall be said woe woe be to you/ that is to say/ those which have their heart so set of outward things that they forget themself/ & specially that heart hath cause to be woe which is departed fro themself & sitteth so fast in worldly vanities & in manner it is so fast holden with these vanities as with an host of enemies that it can not torn again home to themself. Every worldly pleasure that appeareth outward it is a snare to rye it fast & keep it fro themselves/ wherefore every soul remember well himself & see whereit set that love if the love be fixed on any thing which god would not it should love than it is taken in a snare of damnation axcept it have help of deliverance by the grace of our lord wherefore it must daily cry for help to him to such time he have loved it The love also of every creature which is more than it ought to be is a snare thereto/ wherefore it must beseech god that it may love no things but such as are good/ & also that it may love good things in order to god and profit of the soul. To an heart that hath not set the love on the vanities of the world it is little dyf fyculte to keep 'em out of the heart/ but when they have once taken their lodging in the heart by that love that the heart hath to them without great labour & diligence they will not be driven out again And oftentime when our lord saith that it is not expedient to such as he loveth that these vanities abide in the heart & also he seeth that the person that he loveth helpeth not himself to drive him out/ or peradventure would not have 'em out. Than he as a true lover sendeth out his host of tribulations to compel and to drive out of the heart these vanities whchey and they might abide would finally destroy the house of the heart and rob it of all the goods of virtue which is in it. Wherefore Ecclesyastes saith. ¶ Precurre prior in domum tuam. ¶ That is to say. When thou seest the worldly vanities run in to thine heart/ run thou before and stoppeth them and shut the door of thine heart that they have no lodging there by remembrance of the hurts that they do ther. For they keep the heart fro the love of god fro the love of themself in order to god fro the love of virtue/ from holy meditations/ from holy desires fro devout prayers/ from deeds of penance. And commonly when the vanities occupy it is disposed to no virtue or to little. Such men & women as most labour to get & to keep the pleasures & goods of this world/ & labour little to keep their heart but let it run where it will these are great fools/ for finally these shall lose. All these tran sytorye vanities they labour most to get and keep. and also themself from the eternity of joy/ & be brought to perpetual pain in default that they keeped norther heart as they should have done the time of this life. And those which giveth little keep to the worldly vanities & prosperity/ but most they apply their mind how they may their hearts keep well accupyed. These after the passing of all worldly pleasures shall have their hearts replenished with the most delicate & plesauntes heartily delights of the glory of god & of the inestimable bliss and Joy of the felicity of angels & saints in heaven. These which ordain them most specially to keep their hearts & little set by those things which worldly folk most desire are called fools in this world/ but they are called wise of god/ & their wisdom shall be commended of all the heavenly multitude in the kingdom of god. For this cause saith Solomon in his proverbs. ¶ Omni custodia serva cor tuum quia ex ipso vita ꝓcedit. ¶ With all thy dy gence keep well thine heart for thereof cometh life/ & damnable death cometh if it be not well keeped.  
This heart is the longing of thy lord god which hath great pleasure to abide in it when it is cleanly keeped fro filthy motions of sin as he saith in the book of proverbs. ¶ Delicite mee esse cum filiis hoim. ¶ My delight is to be with the children of men For their love he became a child himself borne of the virgin mary wherefore like as thou desirest to be welcome to his house see that thou keep well thine house of thine heart/ and oftentimes turn thereto & dress it that he with no thing there be offended/ but that he may have a pleasure for to behold it as he saith in Canticꝭ. ¶ Revertere ut intueamur te. ¶ Torn again that we may behold the. He saith not that I may be hold the but that we may behold thee/ that is to say/ if thou see well to thyself than I shall have a great pleasure to see thee/ for than I shall garnish thy soule with my grace to thy most profit & my pleasure Than I exhort the which returneth not to thy self as thou should/ take patiently the tribulation which our lord sendeth the to the intent that thou shalt give good attendance to the keeping of thine heart & forsake the love of those wretched or vain pleasures which let thine heart fro the love of him. Thou thinkest that thy trouble & pain greatly hurteth the▪ but it is the greatest profit & help that thou mayst have in this life & the greatest token that our lord loveth the & of this thou should be most glad for his love thou shalt find finally to thy most joy & comfort after this transitory pain & trouble. This tribulation bringeth the both to god & to thyself/ like as thy vain pleasures in prosperity had driven the fro both. And for this cause pain & trybulacy on is called the band of god/ for it tieth the to god like as prosperity looseth the from-hym and bindeth to such wretched & perilous liberty of the world/ and in these bands thou shalt learn to know god and thyself and to change thy life in to an other manner of living. And when thou by holy customs of this life art tied to him/ than he will tie the by pain to keep the at home with himself And thus he sendeth tribulation not only to bring the heart home to themself but also to keep it at home that it go not fro themself. Thy lord god dealeth gracyousely with the when he called the fro plenty to poverty. I mean not that he make the to lose all thy good/ but when he maketh the to set little by thy good so that thine heart is poor and naked without them/ that is to say/ without great affection and love of home. So saith Solomon. ¶ Est pauper in divicus. ¶ There are some which are poor in richesses/ that is to say/ which that set their heart in manner no more on them than if they had no richesses. To this ghostly poverty the which in the sight of almighty god is most habondaunt richesse are the souls brought to him when that they are sore hunted by great adversity and trouble and tied to our lord with the band of tribulations. And not withstanding that our lord keepeth the thus tied that thou mayst not run at thy will at large as thou haste been accustomed afore time/ think not that thou loses thereby any liberty/ but rather our lord putteth the in more liberty. There is no very perfit liberty of the soul but only in things of virtue. This liberty to run with thine heart & love to vanities or to sinful works of this life/ this liberty is thraldom & not rmendable more than it is to suffer a seek man as he that is in an hot axes to eat & drink what he will desire/ for his appetite is so dysordred with corrupt humours that commonly he desireth those things which be most contrary to his health/ like wise that soul is in a perilous liberty which at his own pleasure hath power to sin. But when our lord by tribulation called it to him & to be the lover of virtue at liberty this is the perfit liberty. And the other liberty to sin is rather servage for it maketh the soul servant to the devil & finally bringeth to the boundshyp of him in hell. And the liberty of virtue bringeth to the most perfit freedom of heaven. When the physician suffereth the patient to take what meet & drink that his appetite is most to it is a sign that he dyspeyreth of his health/ & commonly they will say he is but a deed man wherefore let him take what he will/ like wise when our lord the great physician letteth the live after thy fles shely pleasure & maketh no restraynth by tribulation it is a token that he setteth little by the. And that thou haste ghostly sickness which is not likely to have remedy/ for such are more desirous to fulfil there own will than the will of god. They despise god as he saith by the prophet isaiah. ¶ Filios enutrivi et exaltavi ipsi autem spreverunt me. ¶ I have nourished my children with goods of this world & I have exalted them to honour & they have despy said me. if thou will ask me what is very. freedom I say that he is not most free which may do most what he will/ but he is most free which lest may do evil/ & so there is most liberty where lest power is to sin. Than according to this doctrine afore rehearsed/ sithen our lord maketh the by tribulation to know thyself & him & tieth the to him that thou shalt not go fro him/ & bringeth the fro thraldom of the fiend & wretched living to perfit liberty of his love & execution of virtuous deeds. wherefore if thou feel thyself discomforted by trouble & pain reduce these great profits to thy mind & they shall comfort the again. For thy comfort is to remember that he loveth the. And the most token of his love is that he leadeth the by tribulation to himself. where fore joy thou in him & he shall joy in thee/ and than all things to thy most avail shall prosper with the.  
THe fifth consolation in time of tribulation is to remember how thou art made thereby hastily to spend the in the way to heaven/ & to the blessed presence of thy lord god. For as it is said before. Every pain cometh of god/ wherefore every pain is rigtwise. And every sin cometh of us & every sin is unryghtwysse. wherefore as many tribulations & pains as thou hast as many messengers thou hast sent fro heaven to speed the thither like as a man which in the flowering time of summer going thorough a field full of fair flowers & a sweet medo we of time will guider of the flowers & for the sweetness & solacyous abiding in the place he will sit or lay him down/ & sometime fall on sleep/ & so the night cometh upon him afore he have endeth his Journey/ And the man which laboureth in the foul way the winter tide he findeth no place to rest in to he come to the end of his Journey & yet maketh him to haste fast that he may come to an end of his labour. Like wise the folk which are in the pleasant prossperyte of this life/ they are so occupied with gade ring things of pleasure as richesses/ fleshly delec tacios/ honour's & dignities that they forget there Jor neye whether they are bound out of this world. For here they seek rest in the pleasure of this life in manner as there were none other felicity ordained for man/ & here they lie sleeping in sin & wretchedness to the night of death come upon him/ & than they are taken with the devils of hell/ & never come to see god in his glory which should have been the end of her pilgrimage. But such as be in the winter way of adversity full of great blast of temptations in the soul/ full of sharp thorns of pains & bodily sickness/ full of great floods of worldly tribulation these folk haste him/ for in their way they find but bitterness/ & therefore they haste him that they may come to rest him sweetly at the end of their Journey after there sore labour. For the bitterness of tribulation taketh fro the heart all false pleasure of this world/ & so it maketh the good souls which our lord utterly & specially loveth to speed them to him/ & will not suffer 'em to rest hem & abide in the way/ the things which he calleth the to by tribulation patiently taken are sogrete/ so precious/ so perdurable/ & everlastingly abiding that he will not that thou shalt make tarrying in the little things which shortly shall slip & vanish away. A good marvel it is that such persons to whom god hath given great knowledge make their abiding in the little things/ & by the tarrying they make in the small things & great labours they have about 'em to order hem fylty to their pleasure they show well they have forgotten the great things that our lord called 'em to. All things which delight the heart Inmoderatly make the heart to tarry & loseth moche time of his pilgrimage/ but when pain & tribulation take away vain delight fro the heart & maketh the thing bit which was wont to be beloved than it maketh the heart to stir him forward sweetly and leaveth the vain tarrying. And therefore the prophet saith. ¶ Multiplicate sunt infirmitates eorum postea acceleraverunt. ¶ When sickness is multiplied than such as have tarried before they haste 'em forward full fast. Ha good lord many one should go full slowly in their journey of they were not hasted forward with sharp calling by trybulaconus & in manner compelled with violence to proceed in their way. And like as the crooked feet & affections are feeble & oftentime would rest in the vain pleasure excent they were excited to go/ so our lord such as he specially loveth he calleth oftentime upon 'em. And therefore it is written in the book of Exodi. That the Egypcyens constrained the children of Israel to go out of Egypt in token that tribulations which are understand by the Egypcyens constrain the hearts of the chosen children of our lord to go out of this world by the affections of their love & speed them to that live there the great pleasure standeth in love/ & there no thing is but that is detely loved. And when the love goth fro the world the heart goth fro the world. For like as the body goth with the foot so the soul goth with the love/ and where the love is there the heart is O how glad the hearts should be to depart from those things where they have more pain than pleasure/ more sorrow than solace/ & go to those things where they shall ever have mirth & sweetness and never feel point of bitterness where is full joy full peace which out dystemperaunce of pain or tribulation. And here that haste no great pleasure in any worldly things according to thy dyfordynate appetite/ but fynaly it shall torn the to torment of heart. Than comfort thyself in tribulations for they drive the out or the prison of pain to the rial kingdom of pleasure/ fro the fetters & chains to the crown/ as Eccl. saith ¶ Interdum deducit ●s de carcere ad regnum. ¶ Some time a prisoner is drawn out of prison to come to a kingdom. The heart is in prison when it is tied by love to the low earthly things of this world/ & the more the love is on him the more deep is the heart in prison. Out of this deep prison our lord draw thee with the bands of tribulation when he maketh thy love to depart fro those things which thou lovest so much/ like as the angel stroke saint Peter on the side & bad him rise swystly & go out of prison/ as it is written in the book of Act. So our loorde striketh the many a time by his angel on the lift side by adversity to make the hastily to depart fro this prison/ when he fulfilleth thine heart so with sorrow/ or the body with pain that the pleasure is gone that thou hast in things of this world/ or when he whithdraweth 'em fro the with loss or death/ or when he sufereth 'em to be unkind to the or trouble the and thwart with the which thou loved so moche/ than he caseth the out of prison. Like as saint Peter plained not of the stroke whereby he was brought out of pry son/ so see that the plain the not of the stroke which bringeth the out of the ghostly prison of thy soul & maketh the to depart fro love not profitable to the. For this is a suffraunt stroke which delivereth the of the fearful prison of which followeth the prison of hell to such that never will depart fro this prison of sin in this life/ or else pnrgatorye to such as lately depart therefro. And if thou will not suffer this stroke of thy side patiently for thyself/ yet suffer it for his sake which was stricken in to the side with a spear for thy sake/ & receive not grutchyngly thy lords messengers which are sent to bring the to him & bring the fro perilous place but welcome him heartily and thank thy lord god upon thy knees which hands & heart which sendeth 'em to thee/ and than thou shalt do great pleasure to him great profit to thyself/ and the sooner they shall depart fro the when they have brought the to him by very true love/ when thou murmurs against thy tribulation than thou dost that is in the to repel the messengers of god fro the. This is figured & betokened in the messengers which were send to hem that were beyond the flome Jordan and they resisted against the princes message & send the messengers again without worship & with empty hand. Flome Jordan is as much to say as lowness or meekness the which teacheth the hearts to love god. And though that dwell beyond the flood which pass meekness and are proud of the benefit and creatures of god. And the proud folk that unreve cently receive tribulations the messengers of the king/ and so the tribulations go void without reward by these ungentle receivers/ and that that the messengers are dysworshypped/ that lord and king is dysworshypped which died send them. Thou shouldest as well or better receive tribulations for the love of him that sent them to you as for the love of that thing that they are send fore. tribulations they are sharp but they are profy table/ for they torment the heart in purging and they purge it tourmentyng in tourmenting when the rebel hearts receive tribulations unworthily than thty have the torment but they wanten the purgation of the soul/ for by the unpatience they foul themself more than they were before. And they may well sore lament the which have the pain and do lose the fruit thereof. Than I exhort the and pray the in the part of our lord god that the which that knowed himself a sinner and would love god and come to his kingdom that thou receive thankfully tribulations of his sending. And when that thou feelest the pain think than that thou hearest the voice of our lord god calling the to himself from the perilous place that thou ar● in/ and should stand in great fear and in great Juberte for to come to him except he thus called the to come.  
The sixth consolation followeth here to such as have pain and tribulation which cometh of remembrance how these pains are det● which of duty must be paid to almighty god fro whom no sinner shall escape without punishment. Ne no man may take from him that thing that which is his duty ne deceive him. This det● are the pains with which god of his rightwiseness doth ponysshe sins which are not unknown to him whether they be done by body or soul/ there is no sin may be hide from his infinity knowledge/ as Ecclesiastes saith. ¶ Oia videt ocl'os illius. ¶ His eye seeth all things. ¶ Oculi dni ml'to plus lucidiores sunt super solem circumspicientes oens vias hoim & profundum abissi. ¶ No thing is so clear in our sight with the light of the son as all things are in his sight which seeth clearly all the secret euten● of her●. Thus he knoweth all offences & of rightwiseness he must punish 'em/ & his power is sufficient punish every sin after the deserving/ wherefore after the rightwiseness of god every sinner is debtor to render pain to our lord And notwithstanding that the eternal pains of hell are translate in to temporal pains by the sacrament of confession which was deutes for deadly sins yet there is great pain beside their penance ordained to sinners other in this life or in purgatory. For many sins are done in this life which are never showed in confession for they are forget/ & the ghostly father giveth penance but only for such as he hath showed to him by confession. Nevertheless he assoileth from all as well from those sins that thou art not confessed of as for those that thou do confess which standing thou would be confessed of them if they came to thy mind so that thou shall not be dampened for them/ but thou must suffer temporal pain for them here or in purgatory. Than think that thou art debtor of great pain to god for many a deadly sin ne that thou haste forget sithen thou was borne which thou had not in mind the time of confession. And in the that everlasting pain is ordained for deadly sin ne thou mayst understand that when the outrageous pain of hell is committed in to temporal pain that this pain must be great which must be paid for deadly sin. Also moche penance which is enjoined is not fulfilled perfitly in this life & therefore there leaveth moche to punish. Also daily we multe ply venial sins which deserve great temporal pain/ & by tribulation patiently taken thou art made quite of these deutes & as much as the suffres shall be rebated when the comest to thy count. And like as in the count a counter of lead or laton lieth for an hundreth ponnde & yet in himself is not so much worth. So one day pain well taken shall stand for the pain of a year in the which is contained CCC days/ as our lord saith by the prophet Ezechyell. ¶ Diem ꝓ anno ded● tibi. ¶ I have given the a day for a year. O how glad should thou be than of one days pain which delivereth the fro the more bitter pain of a year. O how gentle should thou take this pain which maketh to the such a quytaunce/ sithen thy lord whom thou art debtor to of his great mercy & gentleness with this little delivereth the fro the more therefore I counsel the what payve that so ever thou suffer set it in thy compet and beseech god that it may stand for thysy nne to acquit the fro the great pains that thou haste deserved by sin. Thus the thief which did hang on the right hand of our lord he turned his heart to him/ and by that pain well taken he was delivered from all pains and had the clear sight and fruition for ever of the most glorious trinity. Woe may that man or woman be that which daily multeplyeth debt bysynne and little or nought he paid by pain. For neither he suffereth the pain meekly to his profit as a very penitent the which god sendeth unto him/ ne taketh to him wilful lie any painful thing for to deliver him out of his debt/ and so he shall come afore the Juge at the hour of death charged with the hole count in manner of his life which shall be straight to him/ for and he labour not for mercy when the soul is in the body he shall never have mercy after that it be departed ne be rebated of his deutees. In hell shall no duty be rebated neither by long ne by bitter suffering. There shall lords and ladies weep for their apareyll and the vain beauty of her bodies the which they had ordained to pride/ to lechery and to vain honours of the world. There shall also every crafts man weep for the misusing of his craft. And also clerks the which have not well used their cunning to the avail of the souls. And merchants for their false penny worths And sinful men and women which provide not here for their souls which are called merchants of the earth/ for their labour is for to get earthly solace/ and there they shall see that they have but small pennyworths for the labour of their life/ for all the great solace and heartily joy shall be gone from them for ever. But the heavenly merchants the which ordain their labours of this life to buy the heavenly Joys and than they shall see the great pennyworths passing all the estimations of all the earthly creatures the which they shall receive of the hands of almighty god in those great Joys of endless bliss/ as it is written in the book of sapience. ¶ Just● autem imperpetuum vivent et apud dominum est merces corum. ¶ The rigtwise men shall live everlastingly and with our lord is reserved the reward of their great labours Than thou the which knowest thyself a sinner without great pain thou mayst not comethyder for none shall enter in to the kingdom of heaven afore that they have paid all their debts of pain for there is no place to pay duty of pain. For the great and the perfit felicity of that kingdom may suffer there no misery to be neither of sin ne pain. Wherefore all you the which are faithful souls and believe the promise of god to have Joy after this life if that ye will be ruled after his will. I exhort you & pray you to receive with a good heart these present tribulations and pains that ye feel in this life the which tribulations deliver you of great pains without comparison which ye should suffer & long time be retrayed fro your Joy after this life. And now if ye take these little pains Joyfully ye shall go lightly away & hastily to that Joyful inheritance & most blessed fellowship there it shall not be possible to suffer any pain/ thy pain shall be lesser in comparison to these Joys than the leaden counters are which lie in the count in comparison to the great sums that they lie fore/ as Ecclesyastes saith. ¶ Est qui multa redimit modico precio. ¶ Some are which acquit 'em of great debt by little payment. And if thou be of such perfection that by the merits of thine holy living & blessed labours taken for god that thou haste deserved remission of thy fin & art acquitted of thy pain/ yet if tribulation come receive it gently/ for it is not send to the without great cause other to the increase of thy merits or to save the fro sin which thou should fall in except by tribulation & pain that our lord preserved the from it. For many which are Innocentes & full perfit should lose their Innocency andvertue except they were keeped by tribulation. Than all ye which would go quite out of this world from all duty of pains make your payment whiles that this money of tribulation temporal is of so great a valour that a little of it more may redeem you fro that Infenyte pain & tribulation which shall never have end after this life and purchase to you eternyte of joy.  
THe seventh consolation is to remember that tribulation strengthened the heart & maketh it able to receive the precious gifts ot grace. For like as the hamer of the goldsmythe and the betinge thereof maketh the metal to stretch on long under his hand according to his will/ of the which he maketh his vesseyll. So almighty god he maketh by tribulation the heart to stretch on broad & to be a vesseyll to receive & retene the bekefyces of his graces there afore it was a hole mass as a lump of metal without ability any thing to receive of our lord/ wherefore in tribulation thank thy lord god which maketh of thine heart a chalices to receive great abundance of his grace. Of this driving on broad of the heart with strokes of tribulation speaketh the prophet there he saith. ¶ In tribulecione dilatasti micht. ¶ Lord thou haste dilated & enlarged mine heart by tribulation. wherefore I counsel the which desires to be the elect vesseyll of grace a while patiently to suffer the stroke of the hamer of tribulation in the forge & smith of this world. This lord never will strike the above that thou may bere if thou order the to suffer/ as he saith in the gospel. ¶ Dedit unicuique scdm ꝓprian virtuten. ¶ He hath given to every man after his power. And the more he beateth the the more large he intendeth to make the vesseyll of thine heart/ & with the more quantity of his grace to replenish it with all. And like wise as the more precious metal is more obedient vnd the hands of the work than that metal which is of lesser valour/ as gold is more apt in the golds mythes hand than iron & more precious work he may work therein for it is more obedient under the hamer Like wise the pacyenthertes are the precious golden heart which are obedient to the strokes of tribulation after the will of our lord/ & in these he worketh precious works of grace & many fair virtues/ & the see curious & most precious works of the great wise doom of god shall everlastingly apere in these obedient & patient heart to the honour of god & great pleasure to all his lovers in the kingdom of heaven where clearly shall be showed all the secret werkynges of the heart which are had in this life. Suffer thy lord than easily to beat away that rosty motions & sinful desires of thine heart & to make it a clean vessel apt to receive the Infusyon of his grace. And if the stroke of that hamer be painful & hard to abide recomfort the again in that the goldsmith is so wise & so good that he may strike no stroke but to the most avail of the vessel of thine heart & according to his will which no thing may do but well. And if that be gentle in suffering his strokes and left thyn heart to him desiring that he do therewith like as it pleaseth himself thou shalt find him gentle in tempering of his strokes & that he will more easily work after as the form of work requireth. But commonly the goldsmith striketh most strokes on that vessel which is most precious work. The hearts which are without discipline & teaching they are hard and dysobedyent under the hamer & rather they break than they will bow after the intent of the worker. Be not as an old broken pan which when the worker striketh it breaketh & maketh many more holes than were before. Thus hard heart & dry without love ordevocyon to god increase her pain under the stroke of tribulation for they have no regard but only to their pleasure & none to their demeryte & the right wiseness of god which may not leave sin unpunished in this world he striketh because he would spare the after this life where the strokes shallbe most bitter to such as than shall suffer 'em. And like as the heart groweth in faith believing that the pain & trouble cometh of our lord. Also in patience by wilful taking & thanking god thereof/ also in meekness thinking that he is worthy to have such pain & moche more/ so the heart groweth in the grace and love of our lord & the reward of glory. Thus moveth the Ecclesyastes saying. ¶ Sustine sustentacōes dei & riungere deo & sustine ut crescat in novissina vita tua. ¶ Suffer the sufferings of our lord & be thou Joined to him. Suffer thou thy life may wax in the end. This saying may be understand diverse wise as thus/ suffer thou that god suffer for thee/ or suffer thou that god suffereth with thee/ or suffer thou that god suffereth in thee/ and the first sense is that thou shall suffer that god suffereth for the in this world. He suffered for thegrete trouble and enemyte of the world/ he suffered for the great slander & evil report/ he suffered for the contempt & despising/ he suffered for the great poverty wilfully/ he suffered for the great pain in body as weariness/ watch/ hungers/ thirst/ great sorrow in soul/ great pain in body/ & finally the most great outrage pain of death/ & more than may be suffered by natural power For he retained his soul in his body in sufferance of pain above the power of nature largely to recompense for our offence/ so that he yield up his soul with a great cry as scryptute saith ¶ Uoce magna tradidit spiritum. ¶ But by the course of nature the body is so feebled before the departyuge of the soul that it hath no power to sormeony voice. And so should the body of our saviour have be had not he retained his soul to suffer plentifully pain for our salvation/ as he saith in the gospel of Johan. ¶ Potestatem habeo ponendi Eccliam meam & potestatem habeo iterum resumendieam. ¶ I have power to put my soul fro my bobye when I will/ & I have power to receive it again & Join it to the body. And as the prophet saith. ¶ Apud dnm mina & copiosa apud eum redempcio. ¶ With our lord is mercy and plenteous redemption. Remember that thy lord god for thine offence suffered these great pains of his great mercy & pity that he hath of the which be●ynge a sinner may not be saved without his pain/ for without his pain no pain is able to satisfy for sin. Than I exhort the remember his great gentleness & learn to suffer for him again/ & in part recompense for his great gentleness & for thine offence For sithen he that was an Innocent suffered for the moche more thou that art a syuner ought to suffer for thyself. The hamers of this goldsmythe which is almighty god are not only the pains & tribulations which he worketh in thee/ & by cause thou shalt so think oftentime that his working is so secret that the reason of man can not find the cause thereof perfitly/ but also the adversaries which he suffereth the to have are his hamers to beat the & forge of the a perfit vessel by patient suffering according to his pleasure & to receive himself here by grace & in the life to come with the great glory of his eternal felicity. And like as the hamer is ordained fynaly to the profit & making of the vessel & not the vessel to the hamer/ and the hamer in making of the vessel and with the strokes it is hurt in himself & consumeth and finally breaketh. So the wretched & reprobate people which inworde & in dread trouble the chosen children of our lord they hurt himself/ & finally are brought to destruction & damnation thorough the great malice that they have to other/ and the patient takings of their malice purgeth the souls which the have the wrong done unto them/ and thus their works are profitable to other & damnable to themself. And therefore saith Solomon that the fool serveth to the wiseman. ¶ Qui stultus est seruit sapienti. ¶ That personen is a fool which wilfully will do that thing whereby it intendeth to hurt an other & most hurteth himself. And that person is wise which so wisely taketh that thing that might hurt him that getteth great profit thereby. Than thou which would be a clean vesseyll & honourable to god suffer the strokes of tribulation/ suffer the strokes of troublelers. Also thou which would have the crown of victory in this world & the crown of glory in the life to come/ for the great sufferers are the great cqonuerours. And with the beating that they suffer of pain & tribulation their crown is forged on the flethy of their heart. Than thou which desirest to have the crown forsake not the strokes of the hamers/ for by these our lord hath ordeyed that thy crown shall be made/ and at such times that the strokes are most profitable to the when thou with very faith remembering the profits of a patient & chartable heart keep his perfit obedience to our lord and love to thine enemies that thou canst find in thine heart to forgive them & heartily to pray for them that they may have forgiveness of our lord. This fire of charity maketh thy work to go forth spedefully like as the hot metal dylateth & goth abroad underneath the hamer/ yet which this charity thou mayst defend thy right & oppress the malice of thine enemy by means according to justice & equity if thy power be thereto/ and specially when of likelihood by great sufferance their malice should increase. Also thou shalt abstain that god susteneth with thee/ for he susteneth with the & beareth the up in suffering aversyte by his sustening of the thou art borne up that thou fall not under the great strokes of adversity other by bodily death or great unpatience or rancour of heart many souls should have great falls by false worldly prosperity & they were not keeped under the strokes of adversity/ and also these strokes they might not abide except they had supportation of the hand of almighty god with these tribulations thou art also sustened and feed & made strong like as the body is made mighty to bear great burdens by material mete. This tribulations are bitter but they purge the soul & make it to grow in perfection of ghostly life/ wherefore I counsel the as the ghostly physician of thy soul to refuse not this dish of our lord set it before thee/ for he hath not only tasted this dish to thee/ but he hath plentifully taken himself of it/ as the prophet jeremy prophesied upon him. ¶ Saturabitur ob probriis. ¶ He shall be sacyate said he with rebukes Thus thou shalt not think thyself rebuked in that thou haste tribulations & great wrong done to the in this world/ but rather thou art worshipped in the that thou art called to the dish of our lord. Of this dish was feed that holy man Job as he saith in his book. ¶ Non levabo caput saturatus afflictione. ¶ I shall not life up mine heed with pain and woe Than as thou hast great tribulation & moche to suffer thank thy lord god which so largely ꝓuydeth for the for after the quantity of tribulation shallbe the quantity & measure of thy glory & consolation. And therefore as thou will have the sweet receive the sour for thy great sweetness must come of bitterness. Also thou shall abstain that god susteneth in thee/ for he within the so reteneth the motions of tribulations that if he sustened hem not they should oppress the down/ and therefore followeth. ¶ Comungere deo et sustine. ¶ As who said/ draw thou nigh & cleave to god for he is fellow to the in this suffering & bearing of tribulation/ wherefore be not astonysshed in bearing thinking that the burden passeth thy power. For he beareth with the which will suffer the no more to bear but according to thy power & the residue of the burden he beareth it with the. He is so merciful & so gentle that he will suffer no soul to bear above his power in weight of temptation & tribulation/ as the apostle saith. ¶ Fidelis deus q non paciet nos temptari ultra quam potestis. ¶ Wherefore complain not of thy burden for he layeth upon the which best knoweth thy power/ & no more chargeth the withal but that thou may bere & the residue he beareth himself/ and that is the greater part/ & yet in that part thou bearest thyself he helpeth the and comforteth thee/ for without him thou mayst no thing do/ as he saith in the gospel of saint Johan. ¶ Sine me nichil potestis facere. ¶ Wherefore all ye which desire to have the life of joy I counsel you patiently to take this life of tribulation/ for by the storks of tribulation ye are made able to receive & strong to retene the grace of our lord whereby ye shall shortly be delivered from all tribulation & come to the plentefulnesse of the flood of delectation which shall flow upon you trow the great essencyall majesty of god/ & so replenysshe you that all your power shall be sacyate eternally after this little and short pain of this transitory life.  
THe eight consolation is to remember the pain & tribulation maketh the to seche & labour for the solace above in heaven. For naturally every man & woman hath apetyte to solace & delectation/ wherefore when they are put therefro in this light by bitter tribulation than their mind runneth for to have it in the other world. For in this life & there both no man may fulfil his appetite after his pleasure/ for after the ordinance of god great pleasure in this life he hath ordained great pain for it in that life/ for this pleasure is not without misery of sin/ and great pain here he hath ordained great pleasure for it there. Wherefore tribulation in as much as it excludeth fro the and Interdy●eth earthly pleasure & solace/ so much it provideth and openeth to the the heavenly solace. Like wise as the lord of the town where as great plenty of wine is for to be sold/ as in the country there it groweth/ he will make the taveners of the town to be shut up to such a time that he have uttered his own wine. So our lord maketh the tavern of this world to be shut up to the by tribulation to such a time that thou have bought his wine of consolation by merits of this life. So if thou wilt have wine of consolation thou must go to him/ as the prophet Johell saith. ¶ Bestie agri quasi area sciciens inspexerunt ad te quomam excecati sunt fontes aquarum. ¶ He calleth the beasts of the field fleshly affections and desires of our heart/ and the wells of the waters he calleth the pleasures of sensual delectation. Which when they are dried with adversities they coustreyne the heart to look upward to heaven for drink for than it can find none in earth and fain it would drink. And so much the glory of god & the pleasure of the perfit joy is more desired of the heart. And in this also he showeth to the his special goodness which maketh all things so bitter to the that no thing thou haste pleasure to think on but only of him. Wherefore saith saint Austen in his confessions. ¶ Paciebar in cupiditatibus amarissimas dissicultates to ꝓpicio tanto magis quamto minus sinebas dulcescere quod tu non eras. ¶ In my desires of worldly pleasures I found most bitter difficulties▪ for thorough thy mercy thou would suffer no thing to be sweet to me but only thyself. But peradventure thou wilt say. Sir I complain me not of the closing of this earthly tavern so that the tavern above were opened to me that I might have some sweet dranught of the wine of contemplation fro thence/ but I feel that all the taverners are closed to me/ for no solace mine heart findeth neither in bodily ne in ghostly things. To this I answer that not withstanding that the tavern beneath is shut up/ yet thou shalt not marvel why the tavern aboufe is not opened anon to the. For after the shetting of this thou must desire the lord thereof to open it to the and beseeching him oftentime that he will open it to thee/ for the desiring of the opening is to the increase of thy merit for the seeking of the delight & ghostly sweetness is of more merit than to delight and have delectation in him for that ghostly sweetness cometh only of him/ but the labour whereby thou art ordained to have his comfort cometh both of him and of the by his grace whereby the deeds of thy soul and of thy body are acceptable to him. And therefore be not mysmade if thou abide a while at the tavern door afore it be opened to the For the longer thou abidest at the door knocking the more thou shalt have when it is brought to the suffer thy thirst to wax for the more delectable the wine shall be to the. david the prophet forsook the pleasures of the world for to have the ghostly so lace from above and by cause he haddehem not anon he complained him as he that had paid his silver and might not have his pennyworth. And there he saith. ¶ Quid enim michi est in celo et a te quid voluit super terram. ¶ Lord what solace have I desired to have in earthly things/ as who said none/ and yet thou givest me no solace from heaven Thus he speaketh in the person of a sekesoule and Impotent to abide the ordinate workings of god but in manner complaineth as god were in default to whom our lord may answer & say/ friend I thank the that thou haste forsaken the pleasures of the world for me/ but yet thou haste not deserved only to have forgiveness of all such dysplesures as thou haste done in the world/ and much more to have the pleasures of me which be ordained for him that are made clean and perfitly purged fro their offences whereby they have displeased me. To this saying yet he answereth in the person of a frail soul thus. ¶ Uelociter exaudi me defecit spiritus meus. ¶ Good lord here me hastily and grant me that I desire for my soul faynteneth me for tarrying and it may not longer abide. But after the great and continued desire of god he sendeth such comfort that the soul than saith. ¶ Deus cordis mei et pars mea deus ineternum. ¶ Thou art the god of mine heart and my part everlasting. For only thou mayst cause the Joy which I feel in mine heart/ and of that great Joy that thy children shall have in the. I trust that I shall with them be partner everlastingly. Ever complain of thyself and think thou art not worthy to have ghostly comfort of god thy wretchedness is such wherefore beseech him that he will comfort them in thy faith that thou fall not in despair by the subtle craft of the devil which laboureth all that he can to discomfort the. Set not thine heart on worldly comfort ne desire not of god the ghostly comfort but in that time that it please his mercy to give it the. meek thyself and thou shalt have the more/ as saint Peter saith ¶ Humiliamini sub potentem anu dei et ipse exaltabit vos. ¶ Meek yourself under the almighty hand of god and he shall exalt you/ wherefore I counsel the dearly & thankfully to take tribulation for this withdraweth thyn heart fro transitory and vain delectations of this world & maketh the desire delectation in thy lord god which is most natural to thy reasonable nature in whom shall be thine eternal Joy and felicity.  
THe ninth consolation is to remember howthat tribulation bringeth god in to the mind & maketh the soul to think on god and to bear him in remembrance/ which without pain and tribulation should little be thought upon. Wherefore our lord sendeth tribulation as propters & rememberes to a dull mind. And so when he beateth the by tribulation he teacheth the to know him & Joineth himself to thy soul by knowledge & when thou sufferes the tribulations patiently for the love of him than thou joinest thyself to him And the more thy pain & trouble be the more troth thou remembered of god. Thou shalt understand here that the infinity mind of god knoweth all things together which ever are or ever shall be more distinctly & perfitly than any mind create of angel or man may understand on things by himself. And he may no thing forget/ for than he should be mutable fro knowledge to Ignorance but after the manner of speaking of scripture is said that our lord forgeteh such as he loveth not & setteth not by after the common speaking as we say/ this man knoweth not me when he taketh little keep of me. So our lord such as he loveth he knoweth by the knowledge of approbation ordaining him to reward & great Joy with him. This knowledge he hath not of wretched folk that he praiseth not he approbateth them. And those after scripture our lord thinketh upon which he sendeth comfort in tribulation & deliverance in overcoming in temptation and increase of grace and well spen ding of time/ by good labour & occupation wherefore if thou would be Joined to god in thought where is the rote of thy salvation & in forgetting of him the rote of damnation be glad of tribulation for this well taken knitteth the & god to guider by blessed meditation in thy suffering/ see thy mind run to him & than doubtless his runneth to the. The bitter tribulations of this life make the thought● of Ihesu christ to habonde & multiply in the hearts of his friends like as the thought of man when he is in trouble lightly will run to his friends which he trusted that specially might help him in his vexation/ & such time this friend cometh ofter in his mind than an other tyme. And thus our lord by his suffreayne purveyance ordeyeth meditations of him to be multiplied in the minds of his friends to the greater increase of grace & virtue in hem. Wherefore in tribulation recomfort the in the that thou art thereby life up by meditation to almighty god/ and hath excluded fro the that vain thoughts which were wont to occupy thy mind right unprofitable/ & the god thoughts well ordained to our lord more profit the without measure than any bodily good which tribulation may take fro the & in token that his mind is moche on his servants which are in trouble he saith in the book of Exodi. ¶ Uidi afflictionem populi mei et recordatus sum pacti mei. ¶ I have seen the tribulation of my people & I am remembered of the covenant and promise that I have made to 'em. As who saith thou that art in trouble if thou take thy trouble patiently our lord hath made a conuenaunt to work avail thereof which as thou shalt know hereafter the it shall be to thy most perfect/ king david when his own son Absalon had put him fro the kingdom and he went like an outlaw from place to place for salvation of himself. One that was called Symey a wretched man when he see him he scorned him and cursed him and cast at him stones and the foul stinking derte/ & when the servants of david would have been upon him to have stricken him & to have revenged their master. david commanded they should not do so saying thus. ¶ dimit eum ut mala dicat si forte respiciat dns et reddat michi bonum ꝓ maladictioens hac hodierna. ¶ Suffer him let him alone in cursing and rebu king me/ for by this suffering I trust god will reward me/ and for this cursing patiently taken he will give me some good reward. Thus david would suffer the cursing & Injury of his enemies as the mean to make him to have special help of our lord in his great need when his own son pursued him to put him to death. Therefore suffer thou patiently the evil saying & Injuries of evil folk/ such bringeth the to the blessing & special help of our lord in such things there thou haste special need of his help. I said before that our lord remembreth his covenant to such as be in tribulation. Here thou will ask me what covenant that it is. He maketh covenant with such as patiently take tribulation to deliver 'em & that they shall have power of deliverance/ and that he shall be fellow with hem as long as they are in tribulation in bearing the trouble as it is said before. This is figured in the book of Danyell when he & his fellow were put in the brenning oven there appeared one with 'em like the son of god which made the oven as so temperate as it had been full of aprety cold wind with a temperate dew therewith that the fire hurt them not in the oven but it flow out of the oven upon such as kindled the fire and destroyed them/ and those in the oven were delivered. Like wise if thou blessedly take tribulations and bliss god like as the three children blessed god which were in the oven than thou shalt have deliverance/ and the tribulations shall be cast on thine adversaries which brought the to trouble by the help of Ihesu christ the son of god which if thou feloushyp with him with thine heart shall suage the fire of adversity & burn them thereby which bloweth and kindled the fire upon the. Also our lord maketh promise to his friends the which are in tribulations that he shall reward them with the goods of his glory and more than thou mayst conveniently ask of him than the deliverance of thy pains and troubles and rewards of his excellent goods in his kingdom of glory. And this covenant is written there he saith. ¶ Cum ipsosum in tribulacione eripiam eum & glorificabo eum. ¶ with my friend I am in tribulation I shall deliver him and I shall glorify him. Than sithen it is so profitable to the to have god in thy mind with feeré to offend him/ and to this great avail thou art brought by tribulation/ than I counsel the which would be the lover of our lord and have him to thy reward after this life whom thou haste specially in thy mind the time of tribulation that thou take patiently pain & temporal venxacyon.  
THe tenth consolation is to remember that tribulation patiently & thankfully taken maketh our lord more merciful to thee/ it maketh thy prayer more meritorious & sooner to be except of god which hath ordained that mercy shall be had through asking of him. Wherefore such duly souls as will not ask mercy our lord beteth them to make them cry for mercy as the child doth under the rod/ wherefore our lord is ready to give mercy to such as faithfully & perseverant lie call for it at their petition & prayer. And that he accepteth the prayer of them is written in the book of Ecclesyastes there he saith ¶ Deprecationenlesi exaudiet dns. ¶ Our lord shall here the prayer of such a person as is hurt/ wherefore if thou feel hurt in the by pain & tribulation comfort thyself again that these hurts make thy prayers the sooner to be herd of almighty god for remission of thy sinew & to the great reward of thy salvation. Our lord beateth such as he will have saved with pain & trouble to constrain them to cry for help by cause he will they shall understand that their help cometh of him which after long continuance of crying granteth them their petition. Many a mouth is closed by prosperity that it crieth for none help to god which is opened by adversity. And so is written of Jonas the prophet the when he fled in to the country of Tharse he sleped profundly in the feloushyp there he was as long as the weather was fair and calm/ but when tempest died rise mightily than he was wakened & to make him cry for help to his god/ the shipman cast him in to the see there a qualle received him & swallowed him in to his womb/ & there in great fere of his life amongs the bowels of the qualle he cried with fervent spirit to god & with countenance/ & that cry was herd of god. Such hearts sleep with Jonas as in thief als Joy and deceivable prosperity of this life forget themself & are brought to the state that they little atende ne take heed to any thing but such as are to their bodily pleasure or bodily hurt & little take heed to things of their damnation or salvation/ & the more prosperity they have the faster they are on sleep/ & their sleep is the more perilous & the more kyghe they are to damnation. But like as prosperity maketh them to sleep/ like wise adversity maketh them to wake And there they hold them still in sleeping there they cry when they are waking. And for this cause our lord maketh to rise great tempests of tribulations to such folk that be profoundly in this perilous sleep. For he will that they cry on him & heartily beseech him for such things as he will give them, For like wise he hath ordained what he will give them/ also he hath ordained that they shall come thereby by petitions and by asking of him. And therefore saith david in the person of such as have their help of god by their petition and prayer. ¶ Add dnm cuntribularer clamavi et exaudivit me. ¶ When I have been troubled I have cried to god & he hath heard me and granted me my petition. Such folk as are in prosperity they call sometime to our lord/ for many which are in prosperity the are not brought so fast on sleep that they forget themself and god like as they do which are very fools/ yet in time of prosperity the souls are slomering toward sleeping so that the cry is not so mighty to obtain the help of our lord as in time of adversity. peradventure thou wilt say to me/ that the pain & adversity which thou hast encumbered thine heart so sore that thou less prayest & less callest to god the time of adversity than in time of prosperity. To this I say that if thou speak no word in the time of thy pain/ but only apply the to take it patiently than thy pain crieth for the. For as many sores & infirmities as Lazarus had in his body/ as many mouths he had crying to god. And if thou have but a little prayer with thy heart or mouth that time the virtue of well taking thy tribulation maketh it of great merit & dearly to be received of god. As many tribulations as thou haste and takest them well thanking god of them/ as many proptours & advocates thou haste in the court of heaven to speak for the & call before the throne of god for expedition & help for the. And thus if thy mouth be shut at sometime for grieve & bitterness that thou feelest by tribulation/ thy tribulation than crieth for the with a great voice in the hearing of god/ tribulations also make thy prayers sooner to speed. Thy tribulations are as payments for the charter of thy deliverance/ therefore patiently suffer tribulations as thou will have the letters of thy deliverance. And of this giveth the example that holy man. Job which speaketh as he that had long time abiden at the court desiring to have his letters & hath not to pay for them. ¶ Quis michi det ut veniat peticio mea et quod exspectabo tribuat michi dns. ¶ who shall give me that my petition may come to me and that our lord shall give to me those things which I desire of him. And specially among all other prayers the (Pater noster) is most special. And that thou mayst well understand when he gaaf it to the by his own mouth for he himself knoweth best what petition most pleaseth him. He not weary to cry notwithstanding that thou haste not soon deliverance after thine own will at the court of our lord/ for he knoweth the order of his court wherefore it is most expedient that thou submit thy will to his beseeching him that after the order of his will he will deliver thee/ and than thou shalt be sure of blessed deliverance/ & thou which thus abidest that thou graciously labour for thy deliverance. The wretched people take not themself as abyders/ for he that abideth he hopeth to have some thing/ but these men look for no reward of their tribulations They abide for no thing but for worldly good worship or solace/ their hearts be so fixed in these worldly goods that they look little to the goods of heaven and the reward of god. The rigtwise people which see by the rightwiseness of god that no sin may pass unpunished/ they desire of god to have labour and tribulation in this world whereby they may escape the bitter pains and torments the which been ordained for sinners that have little pain in this world/ and they Joy of their tribulation. For the pain which is patiently taken for the love of god in this world it purgeth not only the soul fro sin/ but also it ordaineth great Joy after this world. And the pain the which is suffered after this life it only profiteth to purgation of sin in such as depart fro this life in the state of grace. Wherefore the holy man Job saith. ¶ Qui cepit verberare me ipse conterat me. ¶ He which hath begunnen to beat me he spare me not but beat me enough/ and in that only I will comfort me for that he giveth me so great pain and sorrow and that he spareth me not. O take good heed of this holy soul which had lost all his richesse/ all his children/ all his bodily health that the flesh fell rotten fro his bones/ and was despised of his friends/ and scorned of his wife. And yet all his sufferance he held it but as a beginning of his beating and besought god to beat him fully/ as who would say/ that god had but little done to him in all these/ and other comfort he had not ne none other he desired to have but that god would not spare him. He understood that his beating was payment to obtain his letters of deliverance/ and therefore he besought god that he would give him payment enough that he should not be tarried after his deliverance in default of payment. Also he understood that such as our lord spareth in this life he spareth them for to be beaten after this life. And such as that our lord loveth he beateth them in this life because that he will spare them after this life. The wretched folk are spared here by the great wrath and great ire of god for he will here after him revenge of them. And therefore Job desired to make all his paymenthere. Thus if that thou be discomforted in that that thou art greatly beaten with pain and tribulation/ thou must comfort thyself again in remembering how that our lord loveth the and will spare the in time coming. Our lord will not beat the twice for one thing when as one beating is sufficient/ and the suffycyence is made by a good will and by the good taking of beating. For one gentle and obedient will maketh a little pain as acceptable to god for remission of sin and increase of grace as any great pain without such a good will. For as it is written in Genesis. ¶ Respexit deus ad abel et ad munera sua. ¶ Our lord did behold Abel and his offerings. ●yrste he be held his heart and his good intent/ and than his gifts/ as who would say/ he made more of his good and his loving heart than he did of his gifts/ for there is no gift acceptable to god except it come of a good heart. Thus this holy father Job offered his pain to god with a good heart and with a good will when he desired that he should not spare him and all was by cause that he would that he should spare him in an other place/ and therefore like as he desired to be beaten here also he desired for to be spared there. Wherefore he saith thus. ¶ Parce michi domine. ¶ Lord spare me. wherefore I counseyl the which our lord here doth visit with pain & trouble that thou thank him thereof which so lovely remembreth the that he will in time to come spare the in that place where the wound of his stroke shall never be heeled for the sin which deserveth forgiven after this life standing thou knowest thyself a sinner and must needs be beaten. I counsel the take thy beating so that it may be profitable to the and avoid the beating in time coming/ for else thou shalt be beaten both here and there here thy wound may be heeled but there it shall never be heeled.  
THe. xi. consolation is to remember how the heart is keeped and nourished by tribulation. Our lord hath ordained that the goods of the heart shallbe under the keeping of tribulation/ & which out such keeping of time they are lost as it was preu●n in the wise man Solomon of whom saint Gregory saith. ¶ Ideo sapina cor salomonis deseruit quia nulla tribulaconis disciplina illud custodivit. ¶ The wisdom of god did forsake the heart of Solomon for no discipline of tribulation did it keep. For like as the fire is keeped under the ashes & the seed under the snow/ like wise the hearts of the friends of our lord are keeped under the covering of tribulation. In token of this our lord commanded that his tabernacle should be covered with here which is sharp to the intent that this sharp covering should defend the precious curtains of silk which was undertheym So our lord covered the souls of his lovers with sharp trybulacyonsto the intent that the great tempests of fleshly/ temptations shall not fade the fair ornaments of virtue which clotheth the soul. And this tribulation bringeth in to our mind the miserable state of our nature how soon it is brought to sickness of body/ temptation of soul by inordinate pleasure of malice & of will & how unable it is to bear perfitly the weight of any tribulation but only by the special supportation of the grace of our lord. And thus we are maden by tribulation to meek ourself where as prosperity made us to have more pleasure in ourself than we ought to have/ and made us higher in our conceit than we should have be. And therefore of such that have no tribulation in this life it is written in the spalter. ¶ Cum hoimbus non flagellabunt ideo tenuit eos suꝑuia ¶ such as are no● scourged by tribulation they are holden with the vice of pride/ wherefore thou which art a prisoner with pride as thou mayst understand in that thou haste to much love to thyself and to little to god/ thousehold pray our lord to beat the & to break this band of Inordynaie love. For as long as thou haste this love to thyself thou mayst not have that love to god which that thou ought to have Thou mayst know when that pride hath possession of thy soul by the effects and weeks that grow of pride/ as when thou art moved to say things commendable of thyself to the intent that thou should be commended having no respect to god ne to the commendation of him. This avaynting and boosting groweth of the vice of pride and when that thou art disobedient and froward and will follow rather thine own will than the counsel and bidding of such which speak to the for thy profit and is disposed to chide & to braulle with the when thy will is not fulfilled. Also tribulation doth nourish thine heart as it is written in deuteronomy. ¶ Inundaciones maris quasi lac sugges. ¶ Thou must suck the bitter floods of tribulation as they were milk/ like as the child soaked the milk to the increase of the bodily help & health. So thou must suck the bitter tribulation to thy ghostly health/ for if thou take them sweetly than thou growest in virtue & in the grace and favour of our lord wherein standeth the health of thy soul/ wherefore in thy tribulation comfort the with this milk which shall bring upon the sweet flood of the glory of god.  
THe. xii. consolation in the time of tribution is to remember that tribulations do testify and bear witness to thine heart that our lord doth special love thee/ and therefore thou ought to receive them gladdly/ for they come for to bear witness that thou shalt have the greatest thing & of the most valour that thou mayst desire in this life which is the love of god. And this showeth Solomon where as he saith. ¶ Qui diligit filium assiduat illi flagella. ¶ The father which that loveth his child he beateth him oftentimes. Thus our lord keepeth his children ever underneath some rod/ for he beateth not alway with one rod for sometime he beateth by trouble of the soul/ sometime by pain of the body/ and sometime when it seemeth that he spareth & yet he beateth. As when he suffereth the to go at liberty and thou thinkest thyself out of trouble/ yet he suffereth the thoughts and temptations to come in thy mind as that thy conscience is grieved and there he beateth thee/ and thus he spareth the sometime in beating & he beateth the in sparing. But such as he sparetij in this life/ he ordained that after this life that all his scourges shall come upon them all at ones in the bitter pain of damnation. And than he shall advance & promote to the great & endless prosperity to his children which he hath beyet in this life. And there shallbe showed the great love of him which he did beat in this life/ & the hatred & wrath of them which he spared in this life/ for than he shall cast of him to gydre all his vengeance and all the torments & pains which they deserve here shall be hylled upon them there as our lord saith in the book of deuteronomy. ¶ Congregabo super eos mala et sagittas meas complebo in eyes. ¶ I shall geder to gydre the pains upon them & I shall strike them fully with mine arrows. Than thou which desirest to have the love of our lord and to know that he loveth thee/ be glad when the witness of his love cometh to the. peradventure thou sayest that prosperity is also witness of his love/ for such as our lord loveth sometime receive prosperity of him like as other time they receive adversity/ and thus thou sayest that sithen both come from one hand & one manner of folk that the one is no more witness of the love of god than the other. To this I answer that not withstanding that both prosperity and adversity come of our lord/ yet the most token of love is adversity more than prosperity. For that is the most token of love which the father of heaven giveth to him that heloveth best/ but he gave to our saviour his son & his blessed mother whom he loved best most tribulation in this life & little prosperity/ wherefore adversity is the most sure token of love. Also sithen our saviour come in to this world as a merchant in to a feyre to choose the good & leave the evil as isaiah saith. ¶ Ut sciat eligere bonum & reprobare malum. ¶ But this wise our lord refused prosperity & the kingdom of Jure when it was offered to him & chose adversity and great labour & pain all his life/ and with the most bitterest death endeth his life. Than if thou wilt be awyfe merchant follow him which can not be deceived in his merchandise. Than cheese with him here tribulation/ & thou shalt have with him the infinity joy & consolation.  
THe. xiii. conforth in tribulation is to remember that if thou suffer thy pain and tribulation patiently than thou makest a great conquest of thy ghostly enemies & utterly confoundest all their malice. For all their labour is to make the to take thy tribulation with grudging and a woeful heart because thou art let thereby fro such pleasures as thou art disposed to have if thou were without such pain & trouble. Wherefore if thou take thy trouble patiently & with a meek & obedient heart referring it as a mean & merit to come to the everlasting. joy & pleasure. And that thou haste a will not to be sor● in that thou art let by trybulacunn for those deceivable pleasures which should make the to lose this pleasure of eternal felicity/ than thou obteynest victory of the fiends which tempt the to the contrary/ and they shall have more pain after that they been conquered/ therefore saith the prophet. ¶ Perdes o●s qui tribulant Eccliam meam. ¶ Thou shalt undo & punish all those which trouble my soul And of every fiend that thou getteest the better of/ thou shalt have the place of glory in heaven which he should have had if he had not fallen as Orygenes saith of these words in Deutro? Omnis locus quem calcauerit pes vester. vester erit. ¶ And scripture saith that these holy & gracious souls which overcome & break the purpose of the devil/ they. Illude him & deceive him as david saith. ¶ Draco iste quem formasti ad illudendum ei. ¶ This dragon the fiend thou haste made him that should be deluded & deceived which at all time laboureth to deceive. For good souls use the temptations of the devil contrary to his intent/ for by those things they are meek whereby he would bring them to pride/ and by that they are patient whereby he would make them unpatient/ and by those things they are brought to chastity whereby he would bring them to lechery. And thus they give him a fall in his own turn and with that same croak they cast him down/ with the which he intended for to have wrestled them down. O how glad mayst thou than be which patiently haste taken adversity. For by the merits of this life thou hast deserved to have full domination of thine enemies at the hour of death than they shall be afeard of the for than thou shallbe confirmed in grace and shalt have power to tie and to bind them like as the bear warder & keeper bindeth his bears. For thou which puttest them to fere & shame in this life resisting their temptacyous thou must then be terrible to them for than thou shalt receive thy great power of god in reward of thy battle/ wherefore thou which would have a Joyful hour of death take patiently pains & troubles of this life.  
THe. xiiii. consolation is to remember that if thou take tribulation patiently thou drawest to the the merciful look of our lord/ and meekest him with great pleasure to behold thee/ & of this mayst thou be Joyful that any thing should be in the wherefore our lord should have a special pleasure to behold thee/ for this thou mayst be sure that if he have pleasure to look on thee/ by that look thou shalt have profit of him/ wherefore patiently suffer a while for thou shalt be sure that of this sufferance shall grow great profit. This profit thou mayst not look to have hastily/ for after the order of wisdom of our lord it mufte have a time in growing. Like as the husband man looketh not for reaping of his corn as soon as he hath sown it. Our lord is nothasty in his working but doth all thing by time & deliberation as thou mayst see in the works of nature. Thy nails & thy here groweth contynualy but they grow so softly that the mayst not perceive their growing look upon them as perfitly as thou canst/ and yet by process of time thou mayst see that they be grown under thine eyen yet thou perceivest not Like wise grace & great virtue groweth in thy soul by patient taking of adversity/ & that thou shalt well perceive if thou persever in patience/ thus virtue groweth yet though thou perceivest it not. Than specially our lord hath pleasure to look on the when thou takest tribulations to the intent that he doth send them to thee/ that is to say/ as penance for that thou haste sinned/ and to obtain thereby grace & virtue. And that by thy patient & thankful suffering thou shalt give good example to such as do know thy trouble. And than thou mayst say as it is written in the book of Trenos. ¶ Uide dne qm tribulor. ¶ Behold lord for I am troubled. As who said/ well taken trouble is the cause that thou lookest on me/ & this trouble thus taken maketh of crooked souls rigtwise souls/ of the whom david saith. ¶ Oculi dni suꝑiustos et aures eius ad preces corr. ¶ The eyen of our lord are set upon the rigtwise men/ & his eeres are nigh to their prayers. But thou wilt peradventure say that also he beholdeth wretch men/ for it followeth. ¶ Uultus autem dni super faciences mala. ¶ The face of our lord is upon them that done moche evil/ but attend ye then what followeth in the same verse. ¶ Ut ꝑdat de terra memo riam eorr. ¶ Our lord looketh on the wretched men to the intent that after a little while they shall never be remembered after to the honour of god & their commendation. But by the good souls which here patiently take tribulation our lord shall ever have honour/ & they also shall have perpetual laud & commendation/ like as we see in the church of god contunuall honour done to god by such as have greatly suffered for god and for their sins in this life. There was never king in this world which had so great honour as now have some saints which was afore time but a poor man or a poor woman & in their time were little set by among the people of the world. And therefore saith the prophet. ¶ Nimis honorati sunt amici tui deus. ¶ Thy friends good lord are highly honoured. Of the rich man of whom is spoken in the gospel of Luke which was clothed in purple & richly fed every day the people of this world did look & did him gretereverence/ but almighty god little attended him ne the company of heaven/ for he little attended the people of our lord/ & contrary wysefewe gave keep to the poor lazar that lay at his door & desired but the crumbs that fell from his table & none was given him/ but almighty god & the heavenly creatures beheld him lying with great pain afore the gates of this rich man. And that was showed in their departing fro this life/ for there was send of god a rial Imbasset of angels to receive the soul of the leper & to bring it with great Joy in to Abraham's bosom. And the soul of the rich man which had prosperity & felicity of this world was buried in hell & there it is yet for in hell is no redemption. These the now whether thou wilt that the sight of our lord be set upon the for thy patience in the time of thine adversity & thereby to have this comfort when thou shalt depart fro this world/ or to have thy pleasure after the transitory course of this worldly prosperity and in manner be forgotten of god & the dwellers of heaven/ and at the hour of death to be taken with the terrible tyrants of hell/ and thither to be brought to dwell without hope of remission of sin or deliverance of pain ever without end. There was never Emperor ne king that had so great pleasure to see his servant fight for his love as almighty god hath in the which that bearen patiently tribulation against all the malice of the devils for his sake. There is no great evil done in this life but it is soon showed among the company of hell/ so there is no great thing of perfection done ne suffered in this life but it is showed to the court of heaven to their great Joy. Than see that thou suffer Joyfully pain & trybulary on as thou wilt that god & the heavenly multitude have joy in the & greatly desire that thou shalt be fellow with them in their beatitude & felicity.  
THe xv. consolation is to remember that our lord sendeth the tribulation to make the to come to knowledge not only how thou should rule thyself according to the pleasure of him/ but also that he hath ordained the to be a teherof other. For like as none can so comfortably deal with a seek perlone as the physician which hath been in the same sickness afore/ so none can give so comfortable a counsel to a soul in trouble as that person the which afore time hath had such atrouble/ & by the grace of god hath well guided hem self therein. As saint Poule saith. ¶ Tribulamur pro vestra exhortacome et salute. ¶ We are troubled for your exhortation and ghostly health. As who said. Our lord sendeth us trouble to the intent that we should teach you both by example of patience suffering/ and also by holy exortacyonon of word that ye be obedient for the great reward which is ordained for patience in trouble. And that by like reasons as we find in ourself by the inwardly teaching of our lord whereby we more Joyfully take tribulation such or like we should show to you for to make you like wise patiently to soffre adversity/ and like as the good soul whicho is in trouble teacheth an other both in word & in deed how it shall patiently & holily & take tribulation so that it hath ordained for it double reward in the glory of god. Thus thou shalt have reward of god in that thou patiently suffres sickness & trouble than kefully in thyself. Also thou shalt have reward in that thou showest thy patient taking to other to the intent to give them good example and to the laud of god principally and not to thy commendation Also thou shalt have reward in that thou teachest with thy mouth to other after the good motions & meditations that thou feelest in thyself whereby thou feelest thyself comforted in thy pain and trouble And in the Joy of heaven thou shalt have singular reward of glory by each one of them which are profited here by thy teaching. And they shall give the thankings everlastingly for the ghostly help that they have had of the here in this life. And so thou which such usest thy tribulation to the profit of many thou shalt have grace joy given to the by tribulation/ as the prophet Danyel saith. ¶ Fulgebunt justi tanquam stelle in perpetuas eternytates et sicut splendor firmamenti qui ad justiciam erudiunt multos. ¶ The rigtwise men shall shine as stars/ and those the which teach other to live rightwisely shall shine as the hole firmament. Thus like as the light of the firmament the which containeth the son the moan and the stars/ so the glory of those that teach other for to do and to suffer virtuously shall pass the glory of those the which are not such teachers. wherefore I counsel the in the time of thy pain and trouble that thou apply thy mind diligently to learn well for to take thy trouble to the good example of other that thou be numbered amongs the glorious multitude of teachers.  
THe. xvi. comfort is to remember that our lord by the high providence of his wisdom & most right order of his justice hath made this statute that thou which haste lost him by prosperity & false inordinate pleasure of this world shalt find him again by adversity of pain and tribulation/ as it is written in the book of Deutro? ¶ invenies em̄ si cum toto cord inqueras eum & trybulacione. ¶ Thou shalt find him if thou seek him with all thine heart in tribulation. O how glad mayst thou be which art set by the very ordinance of our lord in that way & state that thou may find him if thou wilt. Peradventure thou wilt say Sir if I understood that this pain & trouble that I feel at mine heart or in my body came of our lord I would be glad thereof & it should be welcome to me but I think that I am the cause thereof myself. To this I say that what sowever sorrow that thou haste in heart or pain in body god is the principal cause thereof/ and it is ordained by his will and rightwiseness that thou shalt have it. He giveth pain in this world which he shall give Joy in the other world/ and the devil is principal cause of sinful pleasure in this world which shall torment & punish the vain occupied souls in the other world. It is laborious and painful to the to seek god thus with so great fere in tribulation/ wherefore in thy seeking remember the finding of him how Joyful it shall be to thee/ for thou shalt find him thereby if thou take it thankfully which shall turn all thy pain in to pleasure/ thy sorrow in to solace/ thy transitory adversity into the perdurable Joy & prosperity. wherefore saith the prophet. ¶ Letetur cor quenrencium dnm querite faciem eius semper. ¶ They have cause to have a light heart which seeketh our lord wherefore seek ye the Joyful face of him ever. The pain of sehing is bitter but he is sweet whom thou seekest by pain/ & if thou seek him by pain to the intent that thou would be a lover of him thy pain shall apere the lesser as david saith. ¶ Letent in teoens qui queruntte. ¶ All those which seek the they shall be lightened in the. But the beftyall folk which ordain not their pain as a mean whereby they should come to our lord but only take it as a great hurt to their body/ & right little or nought remember what profit their soul may have thereby they are very woe with all for they hate more the misery of pain than the misery of sin & more labour to avoid things to their displeasure than to the displeasure of god. And yet our lord keepeth such folk in pain to such a time till he have made them to set little by themself & be more ready to apply them to do after his will than after their own will/ like as the master cesseth not to punish his servant to such a time till he hath brought him to work after his will specially when it is such a servant that he hath a favour to him & will not put him from himself. Thou wilt peradventure say/ a they speak falsely upon me & slander me how can this come of god/ for this is deadly sin/ & no sin may be Imputed to god. To this I answer that our lord of his secret doom & unknown judgement suffereth the to sin/ & of that sin he will work virtue in the & make the to have will to forsake sin/ which will cometh of sorrow & confusion that thou hast in thyself/ & this pain of sorrow which thou feleste bite thine heart right bitterly cometh of god/ and also the good will which followeth thereof in forsaking of sin/ & therefore the prophet saith. ¶ Imple facies eorum ignomina et querent nomen tuum dne. ¶ Fulfil the face of their soul with shame & rebuke & than they shall seek the. And therefore our lord suffereth many a soul to fall in great and openly known sin whereby they have great shame and are brought thereby to forsake sin/ & to set right little by themself which before made to moche of themself/ & had great pride and vain glory in the good name & report that was made upon them And by this common shame and shameful report which gooth upon them this vain pleasure is clean taken from them. Thus god is so good that he suffereth none evil to be done in the world neither in his elect children but of the which that he worketh a great avail to them. They shall clearly see upon the day of judgement that like as they never did good thing unrewarded/ so they never did evil thing but our lord did work great avail thereof to their reward. if thou seekest our lord in the way of painful poverty and wantest things as it is seen to the that it is necessary to thy living & sustentation/ remémbre that if thou patiently take thy poverty thou shalt have the greetest richesse that ever was/ for thou shalt have god himself/ & all the richesse that he hath shall be thine. As he saith in the gospel. ¶ Omnia meam tua sunt. ¶ All my richesse. are thy richesse. O than be thou glad to bear thy poverty Joyfully for a while which hastily shall be made so rich. It were a great pleasure to a poor man to have promised the richesse of a temporal king/ but much more pleasure it is to a faithful soul to have promised the Inestimable richesse of god which is the king of kings and lord of lords. Thou sayest peradventure. Sir I have lost my bodily health whereby I might have done many good works to the honour of god and profit of my soul/ & fro these I am letted now by great sickness & oftentyme fere of death. I answer the in this/ that peradventure when thou had thine health thou occupied full simply/ & more thou used it to thy pleasure than to the pleasure of god/ and thou should have comen to more Inconuenyentes thereby if thou had continued therein. And for misusing of thine health our lord hath send the now this sickness/ & there as thou would not serve him well in time of they health in well doing/ serve him well now in time of sickness by good suffering. Be thou sure that if thine health had been more to his pleasure than sickness/ thou should have had it standing that he is the principal cause of all bodily sickness, and there thou lesest thy bodily health which is better to the than all the richesse of the world that thou getteest again thereby if thou graciously take it which goods pass thy bodily health & all bodily richesse of the world/ that is to say the grace of our lord in this world with virtue of meekness patience and charity/ & fleshly pain is the special remedy to avoid flessly sin for the time of pain the will hath but little pleasure in remembrance of fleshly delectation/ & therefore if it be tempted it is the more stronger to resist it/ and therefore saith the apostle ¶ Cuninfirmor forcior sum. ¶ When I am seek in my body I am stronger to resist the temptation of vice in my soul. By pain the seek person is brought to set little by himself/ for if it be full of pain it setteth little by precious clothes/ it setteth little by worship & worldly honour. And that person is meek which setteth little by himself/ but patience is more painful/ that is to say wilfully & thankfully to take the sickness with hand & heart to give loving to our lord therefore/ nevertheless a faith full soul remembering these profits which come by sickness is full glad thereof & conformeth the will to the will of god/ but this patience to god must have charity to those which are about it. if thou have these three/ that is to say/ meekness in little setting by thyself/ obedient patience to god/ charity to such as be about the without chyding & brawling than thou haste great witness the which shall bring the to the glory of god & to the crown of victory. O how glad mayst thou be to seek thy lord god and finally to find him by sickness/ whose glorious sight is of so great a pleasure that thou would cheese to suffer the great pains of hell long time after a short sight so that thou might see him again. And if a soul which is in the pains of hell might see him/ the great Joy of the sight of god should stop for the time all the pains of hell that it should feel none/ for that joy should so fulfil the will with delectation & pleasure that it should feel no pain for there should no place be left for any contrary feeling. In this life there is no pleasure so great but there is pain much more/ but after this life there shall be pleasure incomparable more than any pain may be now. I exhort the to seek thy lord truly by tribulation & pain which hath sought the & found the by incomparable more pain than thou which haste lost him mayst suffer to find him again.  
THe xvii. comfort is to remember that our lord hath send tribulation to the to the intent that he will make the afeard to of offend him/ for commonly our frail nature refuseth no thing which is pleasant to it except it be moved of fere/ and many there are which in lack of perfit faith fere right little the pains to come/ wherefore such should be taken in the snares of the devil and fall to continuance in sin if our lord of his great mercy did not send them pain & tribulation in this present life. But he keepeth them so occupied with fere & bitterness of pain that their mind is withdrawn fro their disordinate pleasure. And if they have that special grace to think that their pain is mind to them from our lord to make them to flee sin/ than their pain and trouble putteth them in great fere to sin & maketh them to flee it. Wherefore Job speaking of such saith. ¶ Terrebit eos tribulacio et angustia. ¶ tribulation and anguish shall fere them. Many there are which as young children that have little use of reason live all after sensuality & pleasure of their flesh and that is their great sport & delight in this world And often time in the mids of their playing time without any warning they are called out of this world to their account & judgement where the sentence of dampnatonn is shortly given of them & forth with they are put in to pain of the vengeable fire of hell there they shall abide ever without end. That soul which fleeth sin principally for fere of pain or for worldly shame or for any other creature it shall have no reward therefore in heaven/ but yet by that it offendeth less to god than it should have done if it had no such fere & sooner riseth to grace. This fere of pain is called a servile fear/ for thus feareth the servant for to offend his master by cause he feareth he should have great strokes and punishment. But the good child feareth his father principally for love that he hath to him & because he would not offend him. And right so the good wife loveth her husband & for love that she hath to him she will not offend him. But the evil wife feareth to make transgression of her spousage more for fere of strokes than for love. Thus the childly fere of god is meritorious & shall have great reward of our lord when a soul fleeth sinew for love that it hath to god/ & because it would not finally be sperate from him. Nevertheless for servile dread the soul is brought to childly dread oftentimes. Than sithen no thing shall depart the soul fro god & bring it to perpetual pain but on lysynne/ our lord sendeth the pain to depart the fro sin/ than he will by temporal pain deliver the fro the eternal pain & Join the to him in perpetual glory/ wherefore if the life thy mind to god in the time of pain & tribulation seeing so faderly he dealeth with thee/ & what profit he ordaineth to come of thy pain & trouble thou ought to take it patiently and give him great laud and praising therefore which thus merciful dealeth with the.  
THe. xviii. consolation is to remember how our lord provideth for the which art in tribulation if thou take it well that after thine heart be constrained to god with anguish of pain it shall be dilated with joy and opened again/ as the prophet saith. ¶ In tribulacome dilatasti michi. ¶ Thou have dilated by tribulation mine heart to me. And as it is written in the book of Tohbye. ¶ Post tribulacionem et flectum exultacionem infundis. ¶ Thou givest to the heart after tribulation & we ping Joy & gladness. There is none after the ordinate law of our lord that cometh to great gladness in him but after great sorriness of this life/ & specially if the sorrow and trouble be taken for the love of god in order to him/ as the prophet saith. ¶ Detorrente in via bibet propterea exaltavit caput. ¶ He shall drink of the bitter water in the way of tribulation & therefore he shall exalt afterward his heed with Joy in god & delectation. That thing which maketh man or woman to set less by himself that same disposeth 'em to make more of god. Some time a person is made to set less by himself by misery of sin/ for many one which made right moche of himself/ when they are fallen in to great & abominable sin than they are ashamed & abhor with himself. And after this little making of himself they begin to learn to make moche of our lord and come as Mary magdalen did to great grace & pleasure in god. By misery of pain also many come to the same pleasure in god and that is the better way/ for misery of sin can never be good/ & the time is lost of ghostly profit as long as a soul is in this misery & our lord hateth this wretchedness of sin. But wretchedness of pain if it be well taken is of great pleasure to our lord & it is of great merit & the time is well spended they that be in this misery well taken/ wherefore I exhort the which haste had pleasure in sin/ & world have pleasure in god take patiently pain & tribulation/ and than thou shalt see that thou shalt learn to make moche of god & he shall make moche of the.  
THe. nineteen. consolation is to remember how a dull soul by tribulation is made quick to serve god/ as the prophet saith. ¶ Si ambulavero in me dio tribulaconis vivificabis me. ¶ if I shall walk in the mids of tribulation thou shalt receive and quyken me. Like as a dull servant by strokes is made sharply to apply his labour/ so are dull souls which had little appetite to serve god be made to spend their time the better in the service of god/ and specially such as have grace to remember what pain that he suffered for them this faith is quyckening and life to them/ as saint Poule saith. ¶ Quod em̄ vivo in fide filii dei vivo qui dilexit me et tradidit semetipsum ꝓ me. ¶ My life is in the faith of the son of god which loved me and did offer himself wilfully to suffer great pains for me. peradventure thou wilt say. Me think I served god better when I was out of pain and tribulation for than I had my liberty of my mind/ now I am constrained with pain to have my mind so of god that I can but ytell remember god beside it. To this I answer that if thou haste been well occupied the time of thy prosperity by good working/ now thou art weloccupyed the time of thine adversity by good suffering/ and both these are requisite to perfit living if thou mayst not multiply so many good deeds as thou did before if thou have patience in thy tribulation than thou haste one thing that is worth many things/ and this virtue of patience can never be had but in sharp adversity/ like as the sweet rose groweth on the sharp thorns/ so groweth this sweet and soft virtue of patience of the sharp thorns of pain and tribulation/ wherefore I counsell the to take patiently thy tribulation and thank god heartily thereof/ and than thou haste the virtue of perfit suffering which shall obtain of our lord after thy pain be passed the virtue of good doing.  
THe. xx. consolation and comfort in time of tribulation is to remember how it worketh to the the precious crown of glory as the prophet isaiah saith. ¶ Dominus coronabit te tribulacione. ¶ Our lord shall crown the by tribulation. Thus all the blessed multitude in heaven have gotten their crowns of whom the angel said to saint Johan evangelist. ¶ Hii sunt qui venerunt ex magna tribulacione sed absterget deus lacrimas ab oculis sancto● et iam non erit amplius neque luctus neque dolor qm priora transierunt. ¶ These are those which have comen fro great tribulation/ but our lord shall wipe away the tears fro the eyen of the holy folk and they shall never after have weeping ne sorrow for all the first occasions of sorrow are passed with these that are in bliss. And it is impossible that they should feel the lest pain or sorrow that might be thought. Thus the apostle writeth of our saviour. ¶ Humiliavit semet ipsum factus obediens usque ad mortem mortem autem crucis ꝓpter quod deus exaltavit illum et donavit illi nomen quod est super omne nomen ut in nomine thesu omne genu flectatur celestium terrestrium et infernorum. ¶ Our saviour did make himself obediently to the great pain and tribulation of the cross/ wherefore the father hath given him a name above all names that in the name of Ihesu every knee be bowed of heaven of earth and of hell/ That is to say/ that all creatures shall be obedient to him which was so obedient to the will of the father for to suffer so great pain and so great trouble. Thou which desirest to come to the great felicity and Joy of god/ thou mayst not look to have rest and pleasure in this life/ for none may have the false felicity of his world and the true felicity of that other world/ wherefore the apostles of god did forsake the pleasures of this world & took them to a painful life/ as the apostle saith. ¶ Nos stulti ꝓpter xpm infirmi et ignobiles esurimus. sicimus. nudi sumus. colaphis cedimur. instabiles ●umus. laboramus manibus nostris oꝑantes. maledicim et unndicimus ꝑsecucion●patimur & sus●●nemus▪ blasphemamur et obsecramus. tamquam purgamenta huius mundi sumus dim ꝑipsima. ¶ We are saith saint Poule of himself & the other apostles taken as so les for that we live as the disciples of christ/ & are taken as folk of little valour/ & as little to be set by/ we are hungry/ we are thirst/ we labour for our lyunge with our hands working/ we are beaten/ we have no place to abide in/ we are naked wanting clothes/ the folk curse us & we bless them/ they pursue us to hurt us and we suffer them/ they speak dyshonourably of us & we pray for them/ we are reputed as the filth of the street & as the paring of an apple which as no profit is cast away The lives of these holy apostles were all in trouble & pain/ & now they be replenished with joy and shall never have pain/ therefore arm the with patience to take pain & tribulations/ for though they sting sharply now they shall bring the to treat sweetness. Therefore saith the prophet. ¶ Circumdederunt me sicut apes. ¶ They have comen about me as bees/ the be stingeth but she bringeth forth sweet wax and honey. So tribulations they sting sharp but they bring forth the wax of ghostly works which shall burn clearly in the soul with the clear sight & vision of god & also the honey of the fruition of god Thou than which would come to this blessed vision & glorious fruition of god/ learn in this life to love tribulation for the great Joy and consolation which thou shalt have by tribulation. Remember that our lord hath ordained the in this life to have no rest but trouble & battle as the holy man Job saith. ¶ Milicia est enim vita hominis super terram. ¶ The life of man upon the earth standeth in battle & in knighthood. Thou must battle with thy flesh in time of health with fasting/ watching/ & with sharp clothing praying & with great labouring/ & in the time of sekevesse thou must fight ayenstit with patience & Joyful suffering and giving therefore singular loving to our lord. Thou must fight with the world in fleeing evil feloushypp & evil examples thereof & do good against evil. Thou must fight against the evil thoughts & evil suggestions of the devil by great labour to put them soon out of thy mind/ & labour to life thine heart to god & for to get good thoughts against the evil. Thus I counseyl the to fight this good battle of faith that thou mayst have in reward everlasting life/ that in the day of thy departing thou mayst say with saint Poule remembering thy life. ¶ Bonum certamen certau●▪ cursum consummam fidem seruavi. de reliquo reposita est michi corona iusticie quam reddet michi dns in illa die justus judex. ¶ I have made the time of mylyfe a good battle/ & now I have made an endeof the course of this life. I have keeped my faith/ now I trouste in my lord to receive the crown of right wiseness which crown in that day when I shall come to him the rightwise Juge shall give it men. Our lord Ihesu by the merits of his passion give us grace patiently in this life to take according to his will this temporal tribulation whereby we may be delivered from the endless damnation. And of the hand of our lord to receive the crown of our glorification  
Amen.   

¶ Here endeth the Rote or mirror of consolation and comfort. imprinted at westminster by winken de word.  
 printer's or publisher's device