A BRIEF METHOD OR WAY teaching all sorts of Christian people, how to serve God in a most perfect manner. Written first in Spanish, by a Religious man, named Alphonso. And reduced out of Latin into English in manner of a Dialogue for the easier understanding and capacities of the simpler sort.  
By I. M.   

TO THE RIGHT Worshipful, & virtuous Catholic Lady, the La. M. C.  
ALbeit mankind, by the sting of original sin, be deadly wounded in body & s●ule, as spoiled of immortality & all divine graces, brought into a woeful state of all miseries, & naturally inclined to do evil, to the greater increase of his own damnation: yet the grace & mercy of God, hath not altogether abandoned nor forsaken us, but (without any our good desert) hath left us in this exile & vale of woes, divers helps, remedies, & means, whereby we may attain to his gracious fanoure again, & (after this transitory life) be advanced to high glory and the eternal joys in heaven. These means are his holy graces & virtues by which we may be moved & made able to serve him, & to conform ourselves to his will in all things. Our perfect sanctity & friendship with god standeth in this point, that we be of same spirit with him, in every thing we do. And though he be a most gracious & bountiful Lord, & exceedingly desirous of our eternal happy estate: And hath moreover abundantly provided whatsoever may be necessary or convenient for our welfare: yea & through the excess of his divine love, hath left nothing undone that might help or do us good: yet hath he left it in our own choice, & free liberty, whether we will accept and use his graces, endeavour to get perfect holiness, & serve him as he desireth for our good, or no. Great ruin and destruction of all good, is made in our souls by sin, but it is in our own power to repair again this loss & calamity, and to obtain perfect holiness, which we may do, if (cooperating with god's grace) we suffer ourselves to be moved in all our actions only by gods holy spirit & will, as S. Paul saith his children to be.  
To instruct this, many devout books & Treatises have been written by learned & holy men in all ages, teaching what we ought to do, discoursing at large of the natures of all virtues & vices, & yielding sufficient matter for all sorts of holy Meditations touching the majesty, goodness, & other perfections of god: Touching heaven, hell, judgement, death, sin, virtue, and the rest: Persuading to good life & terrifying from evil: All commodious works & commendable travels of good men. But among them all I never found hitherto any comparable to a little book, dewlged by a religious man named Alphonso, in the Spanish tongue. In which golden Treatise, he giveth us an exact & perfect way, how we may repair again the ruin & woeful state of our souls, by sin: & by rightly serving God, attain to the perfection of true holiness & love of him. This Author leaveth the large & goodly discourses of virtues & vices, their reasons, examples, persuasions, & allpoynts of Meditations, (as all being sufficiently Taught and handled, by others innumerable and to be found every where,) and briefly touching the end for which God created and placed us on earth, what bound & duty we have of serving him: what abjection & misery our souls & bodies are brought unto by sin: He showeth a brief, yet a most exact way and manner, how by the instruments and powers of our soul, namely our understanding and free will, helped by gods grace, we may put in practice and execution, to his most holy honour, and our own greatest profit, whatsoever is taught & contained in other books, how we may repair our state again, cast of all wicked customs, expel all vicious habits, enrich & beautify ourselves with all virtues, make all our works most precious, acceptable, & meritorious, in god's sight, become holy change ourselves out of poor, naked, & abject persons: into most glorious & divine creatures: And finally be united to God in most perfect manner of friendship & love.  
This precious jewel, I send you, as a token of my good affection, towards your spiritual welfare, which I have translated out of latin, not yielding word for word, but (culling out the principal points & pith of every Chapter) have reduced it into the form of a Dialogue, thereby making it more easy & plain, for the capacities of the simpler sort, whom also I wish, may take commodity thereof, as I assure myself, your La. and every one may do, that read & diligently practise, what is taught therein: without which practice, all knowledge is unprofitable and vain. It is not written for vicious persons, such as delight to live & wallow in sin, without regard of God or their own soul's health, for these will take no benefit hereof, but the Author hath prepared & directed this work, for the great good of virtuous souls who are resolved to serve God: & standing in battle against the world, the flesh & the devil, have a sincere desire, to live well & work their own salvation. This good every one that readeth it, may reap: that knowing thereby their own poor & imperfect state, & beholding how far of they are from that degree of perfection they should & might arrive unto; They may abase themselves in their own conceit, carry an humble mind before heaven & earth, of their own imperfections & unworthiness, which is a good step to further virtue: and be moved now & then, to work some particular acts after the manner hereof which assuredly will be most pleasant to God, & most meritorious to their own souls above all other works they shall do.  
Now in your afflicted state wherein you are tossed too and fro dangerously, by the enemies of gods holy church, for your constancy in the catholic Faith: Alphonso will teach you how to fraught your ship, with all sorts of virtues, more precious than the Indian Treasures, that you may come well loaden to the port, when your Lord shall end your voyage.  
How also to endure patiently, the raging & furious storms of Gods enemies: And how finally to keep allow sale, and an humble conceit of yourselves in all the good you do, & to refer all the honour & praise thereof unto God the owner & giver of all good gifts. For it is a most certain way to loss & shipp-wracke of all, to impute any good to yourself, or to carry a high conceit of your own well doing.  
Many virtuously disposed souls, delight greatly in variety & change of their spiritual Exercises, & embrace with great affection every novelty, seeking to know many ways to serve God: & ever think that to be preferred as the best, which is strange and unknown to them, & that which they thoroughly know and have used, they either loath or little esteem, such is the inconstancy of our nature. But this newfangled mutability, exceedingly hindereth all spiritual good and the progress in all virtue. And with out comparison better it were diligently to keep & practise one (though it be a meaner) then to be either negligent in the best, or to be always inconstantly flitting from one to an other: for so should a man neither go forward, nor grow perfect in any.  
Be familiar therefore & stay yourself with Alphonso (good Madam) for so shall you profit greatly. And beware you be not content with the virtue you have already gotten: For our Lord & God was made man, & vouchsaifed to die, for to advance us to a higher & perfect state of holiness in this life: For this same end also he would that Angels should minister unto us: And finally for the same end he hath gruen us the use of heaven & earth with all his creatures in them. Remember me I beseech you in your devotions. And thus I commit you to God.  
Your servant in our Lord. I. M.   

THE PREFACE OF The Author Alphonso.  
Saint Ambrose saith, that ignorance of the order & manner how to work, greatly troubleth the quality of our merit. Neither is it to be thought (as the same Author affirmeth) that we have full knowledge of a thing which we know we ought to do, unless we know withal the order of proceeding in the same.  
Whereupon it is manifest, that it profiteth very little, if one know what is written for serving God, & be ignorant in what manner and order it is to be done. And albeit art & knowledge of every good thing, floweth from God the supremest artificer, & many be illuminated by his goodness, & prevented with benedictions of delight & sweetness: yet for all that we must not omit to do what is in us, to seek (as we are bound) his commandments & will, & other things which be necessary for doing perfectly whatsoever is pleasing unto him. For which purpose the brief form & Method which here we set down, will be profitable, that we may know & work those great things, which the holy scriptures teach us. The which to do it is no less needful that some art be sought out, then for doing any other thing which we covert rightly to know or work. To find owte this art, the holy Doctoures have spent much time, & have left it written at large in divers volumes: of all which, we will gather a brief conclusion or some. But this short work being chief ordained for the exercises of the soul: it will seem sometimes very obscure to them which have not been exercised in the knowledge & operations of the powers of their soul. Yet we shall show after a while in the prosecution of the book this Method to be so far from obscurity, that it bringeth great light to all other books of like argument.  
Neither let any think it superfluous or vain, that we give Documents whereby we may be helped to serve God, when as all the Scripture witnesseth such to be necessary. And S. 
1 Cor. 3  Paul saith, that we are helpers or coadjutors of God: but he either helpeth not rightly, or not sufficiently, that helpeth not as much as he can & ought. Neither is it any other thing in us that we help God, then that we move our soul in all our works, according to the prescript rule of this present art, as sacred divinity at large declareth.  
The Philosopher in his metaphysics affirmeth, that mankind live the by art: in which place he seemeth by this property to distinguish man from unreasonable creatures, for that all these are moved only by natural instruct without art: but man is ruled by art & reason: Wherefore he may be said to serve God as it we are only by natural instinct, like to creatures void of reason, that is moved to serve him that way, by which he feeleth greatest consolation & sweetness without regarding by his understanding & reason, whether there be any other manner, whereby he may be able, to serve God more excellently.  
Moreover there is no cause, why any should allege the unction of the holy Ghost, to teach us in all things, & therefore any art or Method where by we may learn to serve God, isneedeles: which saying is true, presupposing that we ourselves also be his coadjutors or helpers, endeavouring to know & work, as we are taught in the sacred scriptures, & in this art which we are to give. For the unction of the holy ghost, teacheth not them that are unwilling to learn, nor them that are idle, or make resistance.  
Furthermore lest the sweet yoke of our Lord seem heavy to any, let us consider that it is not a thing to be marveled at, if some days are to be spent, for getting so high knowledge & wisdom, as is hear contained and taught in this art. For if in learning Grammar or Logic (arts far inferior to this) one consume & spend 3 or 4 years, yea all his lyfo, if he will be perfect in any of them: how much better is our life bestowed (yea if it be wholly spent therein) for the perfect learning of this art most high & divine of all other arts, which our supreme master jesus Christ, came to teach us, with his so great toil & pain.  
Moreover, he that beginneth to learn this art, must consider, that it will happen to him, as it is wont to happen to infants, who having perfect souls, yet want the use of reason: and having in their bodies hands & foot, yet can not go or work: but when they once begin to wax and to move their limbs, they go, yet with great difficulty, & with falling now & then: but growing elder, & using daily Exercise, they go so freely, that they can run at their pleasures.  
The same happeneth in these Exercises, whiles one desireth purely to serve god aster this Method: For albeit our souls be perfect & intyere, yet so mightily are we bound & oppressed & without strength to move ourselves in the perfect way manifested in the holy gospel, & declared in this art which we set out, that at the first, we can not walk or go at all, or if we be moved or attempt this, it is with such difficulty, that our going is well near nothing. Yet notwithstanding let us manfully endeavour to do what is here prescribed so well as we can: for whiles we shall scarce dare, to hope to get the perfection taught us, we shall by practise yea so run by these high paths that it may be said truly, our motions to be rather the motions of an Angel flying, then of a man walking on earth.  
None ought to pretend any excuse why he serveth not God after the manner we have here set down, contenting himself with the literal observation of some religious rule, or the commandments of God, as sufficient to salvation. For as the Apostle saith, God's will is that we be holy and perfect. seeing therefore riches already gotten, do not suffice nor content the lovers of the world, but always they wish & covet more, yea often contrary to God's commandment. Neither in like manner ought we to be content with these spiritual riches we have already: but labour to increase them daily, & augment the reward we expect, seeing God doth vehemently desire that we so do. But if our appetite covet not this, for the profit we may girt thereby, at the least it should extend itself to desire it, because we know it to be gods will that we be magnified & enriched in all things, as the children of so eternal & glorious a Father in heaven, who admonisheth us saying, Be you holy, because I your Lord god & Father am holy.  
This book may be entitled, The Way, Art, or Method, of fitly serving God: which may be divided into three parts. The first containeth certain universal documents, instructions, or rules, whereby we may be directed in all our actions. The second part containeth certain particular exercises, in which the servant of God must be exercised, that he may repair the ruin and corruption which sin haithe brought into his soul.  
The Third part treateth of the love of god, and those things which he commandeth to be loved, in which love consisteth the fulfilling of the Law, and of all our good. And let him mark that shall read this, how much labour & diligence he bestoweth, that desireth to be cunning and furnished in some profane art, and how meet it is, that more diligence be used in this affair.  
These considerations therefore had & chiefly relying upon the assistance of our supreme master jesus Christ, our eternal God and Lord, we will begin the foresaid art & Method.   


THE FIRST CHAPTER. HOW THE PILGRIM and the Ermit met, & of their conference.  
IN Mantua, there once dwelled a Knight called Probus, who for his valour, wisdom, & other virtues, was much renowned in his country, & of all states very dearly beloved. He was of a most devout & religious disposition, studying more to serve & please the omnipotent king of heaven, than the world or any earthly prince.  
About the solemn feaff of Easter, he would go on pilgrimage, to visit jerusalem & other devout places of the holy land. And as he traveled through a desert in Syria, he miss his way & was benighted: And wandering too & fro, he espied at the last a candle shining from the side of a rock: thither he went with all haste, & called of them within. By and by there came forth a fatherly old man named Alphonso, & asked who he was that called so untymelye at his Cell? I am a pilgrim for the holy land said Probus, & going astray in this wilderness, I espied by good hap your candle, & am come to crave harbour with you this night. All that come in gods name be welcome to me said Alphonso. I thank you good Father said Probus.  
When they were come within the Cell & set down, each beheld other very earnestly. And Probus said, I marvel good Father, how you can endure to live this austere life in your comse attire of sack cloth, with slender fair in this uneasy hole. I have endured it said Alphonso, these many years I thank God, and during this mortal life, I desire no change. In what sort I pray you said Probus, have you spent your life in this solitary place, & what business have you had to keep you here thus long? This manner of life seemeth very horrible to man's nature. Man's nature indeed my son said Alphonso, would not endure this, if it were not drawn on & fed with greater comforth an other way.  
The only business wherein I bestow myself in this place, is continually to serve my Lord & God: which trade of life, is to me so sweet, pleasant, & profitable, that it overcometh all the horror, pain, & other difficulties, which the frailty of my nature findeth. What exceeding joys also I have by the hope of mine eternal reward with God for serving him as I do (if by his grace I persever to the end) my tongue can not express.  
It seemeth said Probus, your serving of God is more than ordinary: For I serve him also as I think, yet have I not any such joy therein as you speak of. My dyetr is dainty, mine apparel rich, my house sumptuous, and yet with all these, I find small pleasure or ease in serving God.  
These temporal commodities said Alphonso, I want voluntarily, because it best pleaseth my Lord that I so do, & that I be content with necessaries, without encombring myself with such superfluous things as you speak of, which if I had or desired, would pethapps much hinder me in gods service, & are assuredly needless, to my life, health, or good estate: But the perfect service of God, which bringeth to man true comforth delight, & beneftte in this life, and a joyful hope of inestimable reward in heaven, consisteth not in the want or having of these temporal commodities: For you also in your wealth and abundance (if you knew the way) might perhaps serve God with as much pleasure & benefit, as I do in this poverty wherein you see me live. For our Saviour said: Blessed be the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Which happy blessing & poverty not only they may enjoy that want all earthly treasures & commodities: But also the greatest princes in the world, in the midst of their wealth & abundance.  
If this be so said Probus, I beseech you teach me the way, for I confess I know it not: & if I can learn this lesson, I think I have great advantage of you, that live thus austerely in this desert. Perhaps no great advantage said Alphonso, for it is no less grateful & acceptable unto god & no less meritorious to ourselves, to forsake all temporal commodities for his service, then to possess & use them to the same end: yea the frailty of man and the corruption of our natures considered, it is much less peril to want them then to have them. For the more we encumber & distract our small abilities about earthly things the less able are we to attend and wholly yield ourselves to heavenly.  
But I shall willingly teach you the best way of serving God that hitherto I have known. Set aside therefore all other thoughts; & mark well what I shall say. When you conceive me not, ask boldly what my meaning is: For it is lost time to us both, if I proceed, & teach more than you understand. Good Father said Probus, seeing you give me leave, I will make bold to interrupt you when either I conceive you not, or doubt in any point. So do in gods name said Alphonso.  
First then I must lay you down a few considerations & instructions, of great importance, and which are the foundations & groundwork whereon we must stay & raise up all the frame we are to build. And you must often and very carefully call them to mind, if you think to profit in this way of serving God I shall do my best endeavour therein said Probus.   

THE FIRST INSTRVCTIon, showing to what end God created Man, & placed him upon earth. CAP. 2  
THe first instruction said Alphonso, & the foundation of all often & seriously to be considered, is, that God (as the holy Scriptures and Fathers teach) created and sent us into this world, not to enjoy & rest in the transitory commodities & pleasures thereof: but that (taking of gods creatures so much as may suffice our necessities) we occupy & bestow ourselves and all the rest we have, in serving & honouring our lord, who hath prepared for our reward, the bliss of heaven, wherein we shall possess for ever, God himself, that is, an infinite good, and in him, all good things more abundantly than we can imagine. To honour & serve God therefore (my son) are we come into this world. All we do besides this is nothing else but lost labour, vain & hurtful trifling, dishonourable to the noble children of such a father as God is. No doubt father said Probus, but we were created to serve God as you say: But what kind of service doth God require of man, & is by man of bound & duty to be performed.   

THE SECOND INSTRVCtion, of two manners how to serve god, & how Man is bound unto them. CAP. 3.  
THere be two sorts of serving god said Alphonso, & two ways in like manner are we bound to serve him. The sirste is in the observing of gods commandments, which we are all bound to keep under pain of eternal damnation to hell fire. The second is more perfect, & is this, that (forsaking all earthly things, and withdrawing our hearts from the love thereof) we cast our affection wholly upon our heavenly Father which is an infinite goodness, & in all things labour to be of the same spirit & will with him, according to the example which our saviour the natural son of God left us whiles he served here on earth, not for any need of his own, but to instruct us how we ought to serve our Lord. This way Christ taught the young man which had kept the commandments when he said, If thou wilt be perfect, give all thou hast to the poor, & come & follow me. How are Christians bound to this manner of service said Probus?  
Not under pain of eternal damnation said Alphonso, as in the first way, but by a Law of friendship with god of equity & gratitude, wherein all the children of God that would not be reckoned base-minded, ungrateful, & foolish, should most carefully keep themselves, that they may appear the worthy children of so gracious a Father. For to all it is given in commandment, that we love our Lord with all our soul, with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our strength. And to all he said: Be you perfect as your heavenly Father is.  
As he deserveth much blame that going to some place for dispatch of some weighty & necessary affairs, & neglecting & leaving the thing he went to do, trifleth away his time in vile sports & abject things: so likewise is he much blame worthy, that being borne into this world to serve the high majesty of God with all his powers & abilities, (which service is most due unto God, & most profitable to the servant) yet omiteth it because it is not commanded him under pain of death, bestowing himself in the mean season, in a meaner and more abject kind of service, mixed with much worldly vanity, that most swiftly passeth away, & bringeth with it much evil. And albeit God hath left it in our free choice and curtefye, yet the bound of friendship, equity & gratitude, requireth that we endeavour to serve him (to whom all honour and service is most due) in the best manner we are able. The first way to serve God said Probus, is plame & manifest to all Christians, but the other appertaineth only to you Eremites, to religious persons, and Clergy men.  
As the first said Alphonso, is common to all Christians, & taught every where: so there is no Christian but he may be taught, learn, & perform the second. I can hardly think so said Probus, for we may not all forsake the world & cast all our hearts upon this perfect serving of God you speak of. No person said Alphonso, is made a Christian, before he first solemnly renounce the world, with all the pomps & vanities thereof, & yield himself to the obedience & service of God. And therefore the profession, not only of Ermits, religious persons & Priests: but of all true Christians also, is to forsake the world, & serve their Lord with all they are & have. For as I said God created man for this end, & for all temporal & earthly things, no man doth rightly use them or can have them, but to his exceeding harm, unless he turn them wholly to the service, & honour of his Lord, whose in truth they be & not mannes but for a little time to use as god hath ordained & commanded, which service we ought to yield to God, not only in keeping his general commandments, but in the perfectest manner, as Christ our Lord by his own exawple hath taught us all. And this second is that, which now I purpose to teach you, that is, how rich men, artificers, & all sorts of people, may serve their Lord and God most perfectly. This will be most comfortable to us of the world said Probus, but it seemeth a most difficult thing to be done.   

THE THIRD INSTRUCTION Of the woeful ruin & destruction made in man's soul & body by sin, by reason whereof, he findeth great difficulty in serving God. CAP. 4  
YOu must know moreover said Alphonso, that if man had continued in the happy state wherein God created him at the first when he placed him in paradise, it had been no difficulty for him, to have served God in most perfect manner, & to have wrought any good. For then by original justice, his sesuality & inferior powers were kept in most seemly order & perfect obedience to his reason & will. And these again were guided & assisted, by singular & abundante graces, easily to obey & serve God & work any good. But after once by the evil use of his free will, he sinned & transgressed the commandment of his Lord: he with all his progeny were spoiled of those gracious gifts & cast out of that happy state & place into the banishment of this miserable world. His appetites, his will, and whole soul, became so infirm & diseased, that (loathing the infinite good for which he was created, as a thing wherein now he took no delight or pleasant taste, & averst from all good) he is ever since inclined to evil, and can desire or love scarcely any other things, but abject, viceous, & hurtful. By reason of that grievous loss & woeful change, mankind ever since hath found much difficulty in the service of god, or doing well.  
Our concupiscence and inferior powers, being now for want of original justice, let lose and set at liberty: never cease mightily to repugn and disobey, the reasonable parts of our soul: yea & to draw them to any thing they like, without regard what either reason or God commandeth.  
We have still left us said Probus, the powers of our reason and free will, and God giveth the assistance of his grace to all that call for it: by these them we may serve God in the best manner he requireth, notwithstanding the corruption & repugnance of our inferior powers. We may serve him so indeed said Alphonso, but not with such facility, promptness, & alacrity▪ as we might have done in the state of our innocency. For not only the inclinations & motions of our sensuality be very disordered & contrary to our reason, yea exceedingly importune & vehement to draw us from good to evil: but our reason also is much darkened, by that fall from original justice, & our will sore weakened and wounded, yea and of themselves quite disabled either to resist the continual assaults of our sensuality & inferior parts, or effectually to work any good. The grace of god indeed enableth us to do well, but yet (as it is ordinarily bestowed on men) it taketh not from them, nor quite overcometh, the repugnancy & difficulties, which our corrupt natures have in doing well. Can we not said Probus overcome this difficulty by any means? Yea in great part said Alphonso, by singular & extraordinary graces given by God, & by the good habits of virtues which we may plant in our souls, by diligent exercise of our superior powers as I shall tell you hereafter. But now remember that this great confusion and perturbation in our souls, our aversion from good, our inclination to evil, with difficulty of working well, came all from sin: & yet the same bound of doing well & serving God which we had before this destruction, is not taken away from us. For though we not do our duties but with much difficulty, yet do them we may by the assistance of gods grace, & by little and little, repair again the loss and wrack we have gotten by sin, in our soul & appetites. How may this reparation be made said Probus, for I think the nearer we bring our souls & powers to their former state, the better shall we be disposed, and with more facility shall we be able to do our duties in serving God. Yea moreover said Alphonso, we may profit so much herein, that we may obtain well-near the same facility to work with great delight in this corruptible life, which we should have had in the state of innocency.   

THE FOURTH INSTRVCtion, by what powers of our soul, we may repair our ruin, & of the way how to use our understanding and will. CAP. 5  
IN what manner said Probus, is this Reparation to be made? It can not be made otherwise said Alphonso, but by the powers and abilities of our soul helped & assisted with the grace of God. Wherefore you must understand, that as man is made, and consisteth of a body & soul: so hath he infirmities in them both to work with, as the body hath feet to go, hands to labour, tongue to speak, & the like. In the soul, there is the understanding & will, with divers other sensual powers. The corporal instruments and their actions of themselves, are of small wotth & little profitable, as S. Paul said to Timothy. But the understanding and the will, may of their own natures, be of excellent dignity & profit, as if we occupy them to know God & love him, or to consider any good thing, and to desire it, or to know what is evil, & to hate & shun it: which operations of these two powers, are greatly commodious, though the body rest all the while & do nothing. For by the Exercise of such actions about any particular virtue, we should produce & bring forth good habits in our soul & destroy the evil, which is a commendable thing, though it be done but only for the love of virtue, as the heathen Philosophers did: much more when a Christian doth it having faith: but most of all if such a man do it with actual intention, for the love, honour, & service of God, as I shall declare anon.  
These two instruments therefore, the understanding & the will, & their operations, are the means (gods grace ever concurring with us) wherewith we may perfectly serve God and work the reparation of our soul.  
They be indeed said Probus, the chiefest and most noble powers that man hath, and therefore fitteste for such an end: but in what sort should we use them rightly? Our sensual appetite said Alphonso, naturally desireth the thing which it is inclined unto, that is, what soever seemeth unto it pleasant, delectable, and sweet for the present, to these naturally it is carried without further respect: And in like sort it fleeth whatsoever seemeth hard, sharp, and unpleasant.  
But our will is not moved in this sort, for before it desire or shun any thing, it consulteth with the understanding, whether the thing be convenient or not, and according as the understanding, judgeth, so the will freely desireth or refuseth it: So that the understanding, is as it were, a light and guide to the will, shewing the truth of every thing as it conceive the it, & directing the will how to work.  
Wherefore above all other things we must be careful, that our understanding do not err or be deceived in any thing we go about to desire or shun. For if it be blinded by ignorance, passion, or malice: it can never judge rightly, nor consequently the action of the will ever be good.  
But again, though the understanding be without error & judge truly what the thing is, or show rightly what is to be done in any occasion: yet so marvelous is the power of man's will, that it standeth in free liberty, to follow, & work as the reason judgeth, or to refuse. Only it of all other powers and abilities in man, haithe freedom & perfect liberty. It is subject to none, & commandeth all the rest: yea and in a marvelous sort the same power can predominate over itself, both freely command and enforce itself to obey: so that hereupon cometh all our evil, if either the understanding err, or (it judging rightly) the will by reason of her lidertie, will not work accordingly. In this sort therefore we must proceed with these two powers for the reparation of our souls.  
And first for the understanding, in every thing which either by our natural teason, or by the light of our faith, we know to be good, or disposing or furthering us to virtue, & nevertheless we find great difficulty, horror, & aversion in ourselves to do or desire it as were for our good: we must presently use the power of our understanding, & with it, consider and apprehend, those same things (which seem so sharp & grievous to our natures) as things most precious, and to God also most acceptable, & which may further us also, to eternal life & joys: And after once we have considered & known them to be such, the will which had aversion and horror of them before, may now be encouraged to love, desire, & embrace them, & to work them in effect.  
When they are thus considered & known to be such said Probus: yet is the will free to choose, to do them or not. You say truly said Alphonso, the will ever remaineth free, & hath perfect dominion & liberty to do, or not to do: but yet often it is terrified with the difficulty & sharpness of the thing which is offered to it, & thereupon ceaseth to work, and so sinneth or omitteth the good that it might have done. But if we endeour by our understanding, to prepare the way in manner abovesaid, it will take such courage upon the knowledge of the excellency of that work, that (be it never so painful) it will love and desire it, and do it also with as much facility and delight well near, as any other thing which it coveteth naturally. Mark this point well my son, for I assure you that he which would work & use his understanding in this manner, should easily and in short time, come to great perfection of virtue, & work with much delight & comforth. I think it well said Probus: But may I entreat you to deliver me this by some example?  
With good will said Alphonso: but it will fall more conveniently after I have showed you how also you must use your will, for this is the chiefest point of all. Then proceed I pray you said Probus.  

THE Use of the will.  
SVpposing said Alphonso, gods holy grace ever to assist and concur with our free will (for otherwise we were not able to think any good expedient for our salvation, much less to desire & work the same) you must know that it is in our own power to desire or leave to the desire, any thing judged good or evil by our understanding, & the same we may do for this or that end, and as often every day as we will.  
Now to wake the will desire to do a good thing which naturally it doth abhor, by reason perhaps it is painful, hard, or unpleasant: we must (as I said before) consider & apprehend the same thing, as most precious & grateful to God, & commodious to ourselves: & then incline our will (enforcing it after a sort) to desire & covet that thing, as a sick man desireth a bitter potion, because he apprehendeth it as wholesome, the which narurally he doth loath and abhor. In like manner also is produced the act of refusing or not desiring the evil, which we naturally covet or are inclined unto; that considering it to be ungrateful to God, evil & hurtful to ourselves, we incline our will, & as it were violently enforce it, not to desire that thing. For example, to covet to be despised, contemned, or little esteemed among men, is a thing horrible, unpleasant, & difficult to our nature: And in like manner to forsake all sensual delights & pleasures.  
Now he that would have an act of desiring such contempts & wants of pleasures; must first consider and apprehend them, as most excellent & worthy things, most grateful to God, & greatly meritorious to himself, & then compel as it were and enforce his will, to accept and desire them. In like sort also to be honoured, highly esteemed, & be loved of all men, to have sensual pleasures & other things delightful, sweet, & pleasant to our nature: He that would make an act of refusing and hating them, must consider and judge them with his understanding, as things of base value, displeasant & ungrateful to God, & hurtful to himself. And then upon this true conceit of these harms in them, cease to desire them & make an act of hatred or contempt of them, as the sick person doth abhor & refuse a most sweet potion or other meat pleasing his appetite, because he knoweth it to be hurtful unto him, though otherwise he had a vehement natural desire & inclination to the same.  
In using our understanding & will in this manner said Probus, shall we feel no repugnance in our sensuality? Yes said Alphonso & that often very great, but this notwithstanding, our act is a true desire or refusal of our will: As we behold in the sick man, that will not eat the meat to which he hath a great affection & appetite, because it is unwholesome for him, and that same will of his not to eat it, is profitable unto him, though his inordinate appetite be not taken away. But by often working with the will in that sort, the repugnance & all difficulties, will be lessened daily by the good habits we get by our particular actions. And albeit we seem little to profit or go forward, & to find small pleasure in working thus, by reason of the contrary vicious habits, inclinations, & customs in our soul, which make ouractions seem weak & could: yet must we not cease to do them, for by practice & exercise, we get daily more strength & readiness, and we go forward with great merit.  
Is this all said Probus I am to learn about the use of these two powers?  
This which I have told you said Alphonso, is the way to use them: but one thing more I must tell you, which all that would perfectly & assuredly repair their souls, must with great diligence, carry in mind and practise: for it is as it were the key of all our reparation. What is this I pray you said Probus? My son said Alphonso, it is that besides the continual study & care we ought to have of exercising the will, in desiring the good things we should desire, & omitting the desire of evil things, thereby to destroy evil habits in our soul, and plant good, that besides this I say, we be diligent by the use of our will, to repress & resist the first thoughts, motions, & appetites, which often assail even virtuous persons, and which may be consented unto without mortal sin. As for example, to be delighted that our deeds or words, be well esteemed, or to be sorrowful & displeased for injuries, & aversion of other persons from us, & such like: In all which, though it be not a mortal sin, that we be occupied or consent to them, yet few know what great loss & harm they bring to us, for by them our soul is made dull & heavy towards good things it should do. He therefore that desire the to be lord over his own actions, & be able with facility to work well: ought presently with his will, to resist these first motions or suggestions: That where he was assailed with a motion of grief for such injuries & aversion, or such like: he presently oppose himself & resist such sorrow & grief, with an actual desire of injuries, vexations, contempt, & contradiction. And contrariwise in the motions of honour, credit, favour, & all other sweet, & delectable things, whereupon presently arryseth in us a complacency & delight: We must be ready by & by to work with our will an act of not desiring or delighting in such things as naturally we are inclined unto and covett. For by so doing, we shall not only escape vanity & sin but by often practise, & use, obtain excellent habits, & expel the evil. Mark this well, & it may suffice for this point & instruction.  
I perceive said Probus, those good habits would take away all or most of our difficulty in working well: What way then may we get them?  
I shall teach you this also by & by said Alphonso, but first I must tell you what intention & end you must have in the use of your powers, & in all your actions; for without knowledge of this, all you can do, will be to small purpose or commodity.  
I pray you let me here it then said Probus    

THE FIFTH INSTRUCTION, What end, scope, & intention, the servant of God should have in all his actions. CAP. 6.  
YOu must know therefore said Alphonso, That in all things which we desire or do, the end, intention, and motive, why we do it, maketh the act good or evil precious in god's sight & meritorious, or vile & sinful: In so much as a good work done for an evil end, is evil, though otherwise of it own nature it were good.  
Doth a good end in like manner said Probus, make an evil work good?  
Not so said Alphonso, For as a good work must be every way void of evil, as well, in it own nature, as in the end for which it is done: So an evil work is made evil, either for that it is evil of it own nature, or done for some evil end. For which cause the Apostle said, that it was unlawful to do evil, for a good purpose. Go forward said Probus for I understand this.  
Every work said Alphonso, that is good of it own nature, or that is indifferent, that is, which being neither good nor evil of itself: may yet be made good by a good end or intention, or evil by an evil end. Every such work I say, may be done or desired for divers good ends, as for the love of virtue, or for the benefit of ourselves or our neighbours, or for the imitation of our Saviour and his Saints, or finally for the love of God, & thereby to serve, please, & honour him.  
Now as one end is better than an other: So consequently, that work is better, which is done for a better end, & that the best, which is done for the best end. Wherefore because god is an infinite goodness, that work is the best which is wrought purely & wholly for his sake, or to yield him honour or service, without respect of any other end. The servant of god than that desireth in the best manner to please & serve his Lord, must do all things both in body & soul, for God, to please, serve, obey, & honour him thereby: That (forgeating as it were the good & glory that may come to ourselves by doing any act of virtue, & mindful only of God which desireth our well doing, and delighteth in it, & is most worthy to be served & honoured by us in every thing) we be moved to work only for pleasing & honouring him, and for fulfilling his will: Like to a man, that for recovering his own health, hath prepared a medicine, & before he take it, perceiving his dear friend to be fallen sick, and to have greater need of the same: In this case (forgeating as it were his own infirmity, & the desire he had to that medicine, & mindful only of his friend) he rejoiceth to forego it himself, & to bestow it for relieving of his friends necessity: So should we I say again, serve God, & ever (forgeating ourselves & all other things) desire and work only, because it is gods will we do it, & because his majesty requireth it at our hands. For this end & motive we should covet to love god, desire virtues, desire & pray for pardon of our sins, for graces, for glory: For this end we should flee sin, fear hell, abhor damnation, & desire or refuse whatsoever. It seemeth hard & unpleasant at the first, but after a while, it will be easy and delightful. And such as have their wills inflamed with devotion & the love of god, at the first hearing of this way, can work thus without difficulty: and in short time come to exceeding great perfection.  
But how said Probus, shall beginners which have but could devotion, and weak love of God, come to get this motive actually in all they do?  
They may get it said Alphouso by the use of their understanding & will in this sort. Let them consider, apprehend, & set God as their chiefest friend & most worthy Lord on the one side, and themselves on the other. This done, when their will is moved to covet any virtue, or do any good work: Let them consider for what end they are moved, and they shall find it usually, either for fear of punishment, or for their own benefit, or for the love of virtue, or desire of heavenly bliss. None of these motives should suffice or content the servant of God, though they be not evil: But seeing his will is so free (gods help ever presupposed) that it may refuse any one end, and choose an other, as I told you before: And seeing also he beleevethe gods will to be more excellent and worthy, & that it should move him rather than his own: He must violently enforce himself to omit & refuse to desire or will any thing after his wont manner &, bring his will to desire the same thing for a better end & motive, that is, to desire to do it, for fulfilling the blessed will of God & pleasing him, and for that he (worthy of all service, obeisance, & honour) would have him to do it.  
This lo is the way to get this divine motive in all our actions, which so incomparably excelleth the motives of our own natural desires, & all other motives (how good & virtuous soever they be) as no tongue can express. For the perfection of all our holiness & charity, consisteth in this point, that we conform ourselves in all things to gods will, & be of the same mind with him. For which cause, and for that it is God's high pleasure & desire, that upon this motrue we serve him: we should endeavour to have it in all our works both corporal & spiritual both great and small: yea in those also which we are naturally to work according to gods ordinance, as to eat, sleep, etc.  
For as we can not leave these undone: so doing them for the love of God, they help us much to the increase of our spiritual life: And so the least work that we do in Gods sight, as to eat, sleep, recreate, & the like: shall be of more dignity, than the greatest work which he doth that hath not the same end: as to fast, to watch, to give alms, to afflict the body, & such like, for the kingdom & joys of heaven, or any other end be it neverso good.  
Thus may we exceedingly enrich ourselves every day: thus may we be made as it were divine, when we are moved in all our actions, only by the spirit & will of God. And therefore when we are about to do any thing we should not pass unadvisedly from on thing to an other, nor ever begin any thing, without casting of our eyes before upon God: nor be content and satisfied with this neither, till we feel ourselves to will & desire the work for pleasing God, who exceedingly joyeth & delighteth in our well doing, which once perceived and sensibly known, let us set upon the work we are to do, without thinking upon any good of our own. For it is fit & due, that his omnipotent and blessed will that created all wills, have such precminence & dominion over all wills, that not only they obey him in all he haithe commanded them: but moreover, that they do every thing they are to work, for the fulfilling his holy will, without any further respect. At the beginning it will seem very difficult & hard to work upon this motive, & small devotion or joy will appear in this Exercise: & the reason ●s, for that we work not now, nor love not, for any good of our own, as we were accustomed to do, & as it is natural to us: But working only for the love of God, we as it were remove away from us, the root from which all joy and delight, was usually & naturally wont to spring, that is, we leave all respect of our own proper good & rest, & take for the rest & end of all our labours, an unusual or strange good, that is, the service, pleasure, glory, or love of God: which being a supernatural motive & end, and strange to us at the first, no marvel if this change, bring unto us great pain & trouble at the beginning: But by daily exercise, & frequent actions, we shall get an habit thereof & work readily, with much delight & comforth.  
I believe it well said Probus, for all beginnings of good things, are ever difficult & unpleasant: and diligent use & practise, make promptness.  
But I pray you Father, let me ask you two questions, first how shall I know and be assured, that it is gods holy will & desire, that I work in this manner, and serve him upon this motive, and for this end in all things?  
This may you know said Alphonso, both by your natural reason, and the light of our Catholic Faith. For God created us all to serve him, and greatly desireth, yea most strictly chargeth us to love him, with all our hearts and abilities. And because his dreadful Majesty, is worthy of the chiefest and best service & in the best manner also that his creatures can devise, to yield him, which is, to be moved in our actions, and to do all we do, for his love, will, and honour, as himself doth in all his works: It is manifest that his will & desire is, that we imitate him, working and serving him in all things, for the same motive and end. For nothing can be more acceptable to his majesty, then that we conform ourselves to him, and do all for his sake. What is your other question now said Alphonso.  
Why then said Probus, is not this end and motive (being the most perfect of all other) commanded or taught us in the holy Scriptures, but for the most part, they threaten us with punishment, or muite us with rewards of heaven? etc. The son of god our Saviour jesus said Alphonso, as he condescended for our good, to take upon him our infirmities, as to be hungry, weary, to fear, to be sorrowful, and the like: So would he also have his evangelical doctrine written in such words, as our base condition and frailty required: which for the most part is moved (now after the corruption of our natures by original sin) either by hope of good rewards or for fear of punishment. But withal we must consider, that as our redeemer took upon him those infirmities of our nature, with the cheefeste perfection and charity that might be, in fulfilling the will of his Father by doing and suffering all for his love and glory: so he would have his servants to follow his example: And (that hearing gods threats or promises) they be indeed woved with them, & do their best to escape the one, and get the other: but all this, not for the pains and punishment threatened, or the rewards promised: but because they proceed by them, that it is gods will & desire, they labour to escape pains and damnation, in which state they can never serve God more, nor do his will: and to obtain the reward of heaven, where they shall be with God for ever, and have no will, but to honour and praise him. So the sinner once brought to grace, feareth gods threats, because his will is, that he fear them: He doth penance, because it is gods will he do it: He doth good works for heaven, because it is gods will he so do: By reason of which end & motive, in his actions, they are of most high perfection and merit. And so the holy scriptures though they show that owtwardly, which is agreeable to our infirmity: yet withal they contain inwardly, their highest perfection in this point, as is manifest in the commandment given, that we love our Lord with all our hearts and strength in all things, 
Mat. 12  which is perfectly kept, when we desire gods will to be fulfilled. But because out natures are much inclined to evil, and by reason of our vicious habits and evil customs, we wax soon weary of well doing: I must teach you how to extirpate such evil habits out of your soul, and to engraft good: For unless you learn this, all we have said hitherto is to little purpose, and you shall never work with alacrity of mind, nor proceed with profit. Do so I pray you said Probus, for in all your speech hitherto, I have perceived that good habits would take away either all, or the most part of difficulties, which are to be found in serving God this perfect way you have taught me. They do so said Alphonso, and moreover, the whole reparation of our soul, consisteth in them, as the wrack & destruction of all our good, is by the evil habits.   

THE sixth INSTRUCTION. How to plant good habits in our soul, & extirpate the evil. CAP. 7  
YOu must know therefore said Alphonso, that as these habits be in our souls: so the actions whereby they are gotten & made, are wrought principally, by the powers or instruments of the soul. And unless we diligently use & exercise these instruments, especially our understanding & will, we shall never get the habits of any virtues. As for example, if a man be impatient or testy, & would have this vice amended in himself, and obtain the habit of patience, this man how much soever he be wronged with injurious words or deeds: how much soever he desire the habit of patience, yea how much soever he refrain from words or deeds of revenge: yet shall he never produce or bring forth in his soul, the habit of patience, except he help himself by often moving his understanding, to consider the great good of patience, and by stirring his will as the necessary instrument to bring forth this habit by inclining it (as I said before) to desire to suffer injuries and persecutions for the love, pleasure, and glory of his Lord, that exhorteth us all to it, and hath suffered the like for us.  
Living among good and civil people said Probus, and Christians especially that have the fear of God: we shall very seldom, have any such occasions of impatience offered us by injurious words or deeds, & so shall we have small exercise, & consequently, be long in getting the habit of patience, or never get it at all. In like sort also may we say, of the habits of other virtues.  
Not so said Alphonso, for where or with whom soever we live, we may work, and exercise ourselves at all times, to get any virtuous habit, & get it in deed. How may this be said Probus.  
At all times said Alphonso, you may produce it thus. For example, the habit of patience. Cast at any time, your cogitation upon some injury that you much abhor, and think what you would do if it were offered or done to you: Presently you shall perceive, a great repugnancy and horror of that injury arise in your mind, by reason of the evil habit of impatience in you. Forthwith therefore call to mind the great good that followeth, & how is pleased in the patiented suffering of such injuries: and then enforce your will to desire them. And cease not to enforce yourself to this though it seem but a constraint and compulsion, for there is ever some part voluntary therein. And if you practise often these actions, that which seemed to be but a little voluntary, will increase, and you shall come to suffer injuries and tribulation most willingly: & withal the habit of patience will be planted in your soul. In like manner may you at any time plant and enrich yourself with habits of humility, of poverty, Temperance, Chastity, and other virtues, ever considering the great good that is in the exercise of them, and compelling your will to desire them upon this motive, because it is the desire, will, and glory of god that you have them.  
But yet you must understand again said Alphonso, that by this forethought and acceptance or desire of injuries, which indeed are not done us; this habit of patience is not so quickly nor so well gotten, as it is when some injury or disgrace is actually done, and this before others, if then you compel your will to accept it: Because the actions of our will accepting such present injuries, are more vehement, & more subdue the soul, than those which are of accepting an injury offered only by our thought, & may happen, but doth not. And a few vehement actions, work more strongly and effectually to the producing of an habit, than many which are remiss and weak.  
This is the way, to root out evil habits, and to plant good. For working of which effect, it is moreover greatly profitable, to keep always a very firm will and purpose, in the desire and love of good, and in the hatred of evil, to which end serve greatly the high considerations, and weighty reasons which many books yield, why good things and virtues are to be loved, and vice to be hated.  
Now hereby you may perceive how the mightiest Princes of the world, may enrich themselves with the habits of Patience, of Poverty, Humility, Temperance, & of all other virtues: and beautify their Souls in gods sight, no less than a religious person, if they be willing and diligent to do as I have told you.  
I perceive it well said Probus, but after we perceive ourselves to have gotten these good habits, may we not assure ourselves to be in good state and holy? Albeit said Alphonso, a man have gotten excellent habit●s of virtues, yet can he not be sure that he hath gotten the grace of god, without which, a man can be in no good state with him, or in truth holy.  
Gods grace is given infallibly unto them that have all which I have told you already, and which followeth after, but naturally we can not know in this life, whether we have these things as gods will is we should, and consequently we can not be certain, that we have his favour and grace. But a chief sign that we have it is, when in the same manner we behave our selves towards those virtues whereof we have gotten habits, as we do towards the virtues of other men, that is, if our hearts be not extolled or any whit proud for them, but praise & thank God, whose is every thing that good is: And joy as much in other men's virtues as in our own, because gods honour and glory, are equally manifested in them both.  
But my son said Alphonso, I forgeat myself, it is good time now, you rest a little, and make collation.  
By this which I have hitherto said, you may know in some part, first, how God created us all to serve him, & to use all temporal things to his honour, and for relief of our necessities.  
Secondly, how there be two manners of serving God, and that we are all bound to serve him in the perfectest sort.  
Thirdly how by sin, we are fallen from gods favour, into a miserable state both of body & soul, the bound of serving God still remaining.  
Fourthly how we may repair again this calamity and destruction in our soul, by the powers thereof, working with gods grace: & of the use of our understanding and will, to the same end.  
Fifthly to what end you are to direct all your actions, thoughts, & desires, and how to do it.  
Sixtly, what way to extirpate evil and vicious habits, which cause much harm in our soul, and how to plant the habits of virtues.  
After we have made collation, I shall instruct you, how to exercise yourself in a sew principal things, which are necessary for the reparation of your soul, before you can be rightly disposed, to love and serve God, in such manner as he requireth.    

THE SECOND part.  
THE SECOND part, Containing certain spiritual exercises, whereby the soul is adorned, beautified, and rightly disposed to the perfect acts of loving & serving God.  

THE first Exercise how the servant of God should purge his soul from all sin.  
AFter they had refreshed themselves with bread and water, which was the Ermits' usual fair: he began & said. My son, the first thing and Exercise, wherein a man must occupy himself, to get a fit disposition, to love and serve God, is to extirpate or root out of his soul, all evil, that is, the silthe of sin: that when he would do any service to his lord, there be nothing that may offend the eyes of so high a Majesty. This done, he must adorn and beautify his soul with good habits and virtues, whereby he may appear grateful & acceptable to him in his service. Of these two things, I will therefore now speak, and first how to root out and destroy sin.  
You must know then, that sin is the most vile and detestable evil that can be devised, & bringeth to any reasonable creature that committeth it, unspeakable harms and mischiefs. For by sin, we lose God, who is an infinite goodness. By it we contemn, dishonour, and injury, our loving Lord, in the foulest manner that may be. By it, we frustrate in ourselves, the effect and fruit, of Christ's painful life, and most bitter passion, and conculcate or tread under foot, his precious blood. By it we defile and make most loathsome & abominable our own souls, washed and sanctified with the blood of our Saviour, and chosen to be the sacred temples of Gods Majesty. By it we pollute our hearts, the Altars & Tabernacles of the holy Ghost, where he delighteth to dwell. By it we lose gods favour, and all his graces, the eternal joys of his kingdom, with all our right and title thereunto. By it only we are made the boundslaves of the devil, the fellows and companions of all wicked men both alive & dead, & of the damned spirits in hell. By it, we are made the reproachful enemies of God, the most abject, contemptible, and dishonourable of all his creatures. And finally by it we purchase assuredly to ourselves, endless damnation, eternal woes, and the horrible torments of hell fire.  
All which evils and miseries, are justly dew to him, that by sin committeth high treason against his supreme Lord, who vouchsaifed to die for him.  
Now the sorrows and tears of all god's creatures are not sufficient to destroy or take away one sin: much less the penance & tears of one man that hath committed the same.  
But the mercy and clemency of our Lord is so great, that he will not have us to despair: And desirous of our weal, hath provided us a remedy, & is content to pardon & forgive our sins, assoon as we for our parts, have hearty sorrow & contrition for the same: What beside is needful or requisite, he supplieth it of his own, & restoreth us again to his grace & favour. It is meet therefore that we lament & sorrow for out sins, considering we have done so many evils by them both against God & ourselves.  
How should we do this as becometh us said Probus?  
The way is this said Alphouso.  
With your understanding present to yourselves, the cuills which come of sin as before: & then compel your will (principally for the offence & dishonour of God, and because it is his will that you sorrow for them) to lament, and to desire that you had not committed them, nor injuried gods majesty: which act of your will, you must often labour to produce; now in general for all your sins: now for one particular sin, now for an other, & this with the greatest endeavour you can, to have hearty grief and contrition, notwithstanding you feel yourself sometimes void of sensible sorrow or pain, for this is in gods hand and not in your own, to have at your pleasure, but doubtless he will bestow it also on you, if you endeavour to get it as you may.  
I understand all this said Probus.  
Then will I pass said Alphonso, to the second thing, which I told you was requisite, for the expelling of our corruption & evil habits.  
What is that said Probus?   

THE second EXERCISE necessary for them that would serve God, which is the hatred of our selves.  
IT is the hatred of ourself said Alphonso: And this Exercise among all other, is of greatest weight and importance for them that desire perfectly to love God and to serve him: For from self love, springe innumerable evils, by which are engendered viceous habits: And this self love seasinge at the entrance of that holy hatred (which the holy scriptures much exhort us unto) all sin will be destroyed in us, with all other wicked habits.  
How may we come to this holy hatred of ourselves said Probus?  
first said Alphonso, of all things which may bring us delectation and pleasure, as meat, sleep, recreation, rest, apparel, and the like, we must take or desire no more, then that we can not omit or leave untaken without offence of god, that is, only necessaries: And necessaries also must we take, not for our own consolation, or for satisfaction & contentment of our own appetites and sensuality, considering how unworthy we be of all delectation, through the grievousness of our sins: but only for fulfilling gods holy will, who hath ordained & appointed that we use and take such things, to able us more in his service, for which cause we admit them willingly, for relief of our necessities: otherwise we would notadmitt them at all. What in these necessaries is sufficient, a man's own experience with a devout mind, will tell him.  
Secondly all things which be painful & grievous, as labours, toils, abiections, contempts, injuries, afflictions, and the like: We must take unto us, and desire or will they be done to us as much as may be without offence of God, our own or neighbour's harm.  
Thirdly if we would serve God, & hate ourselves in most commendable manner, we must not only refuse delectable things, and desire painful & grievous as I said: but more over we must joy and be glad, when any adversities or sharp things happen unto us, & when we are deprived of pleasant things, yea of necessaries, & this chiefly, when they are done by some others against our wills, or upon evil intention: which yet we ought not to judge without manifest signs, Noah nor then neither with absolute & full determination: but pray for our persecutors, and love them with all our hearts, because in truth they do us much good: & otherwise we should lose the inestimable reward we are to receive for suffering patiently persecutions & troubles.  
All these three things necessary for the holy hatred of ourselves, the son of God taught us, both by his word & by his own example, as S. Peter saith he suffered for us, 
1 Pet. 2  leaving us an example to follow his steps, whose most blessed soul was free from all sport of sin, & therefore his holy body should not have been entreated sharply, or have suffered any grievance at all: Yet would he for our example (whom he most tenderly loved) refuse and set nothing by all delectable things, & consent that his body & soul should suffer exceeding torments & gretues, as it is manifest in his holy gospel. Wherefore much shame & reproach it is, to all that profess themselves to be Christians and scholars of Christ, not to learn this holy hatred, neither by his word saying: He that hateth not himself, can not be my Disciple: nor by his example, but stand ever unwilling to suffer any pain or injury for his service, or to hear of it either.  
I confess said Probus, it is great reproach & dishonour to a Christian in this lesson, to forsake & not to imitate his Lord & God, considering he suffered all for our sakes & instruction, and the commodity of our labours being all our own. But what reasons besides this can we consider, why we should thus hate ourselves? For unless our wills be animated & encouraged by our understanding in this point, chiefly, which (for the natural love we bear to ourselves) seemeth terrible & horrible to be thought upon, we shall never desire this hatred, much less exercise ourselves to get it.  
The doctrine and example of our Saviour said Alphonso, should suffice, but I will give you two or three reasons more. The first is, because what soever evil is in us, with all our want of good & virtues: all I say, cometh because we hate not ourselves, but love and desire things either against the commandment of God, or contrary to his counsels & advise.  
Wherefore self love being so hurtful to us, and hatred of ourselves so commodious, we have good cause to desire & labour for this later, and to flee that other.  
another reason may be, because by sinning, we have been traitors against the majesty of God: Wherefore it is meet & just, that we yield him all possible satisfaction. And seeing that satisfaction should be answerable in greatness, to the grievousness and malice of our sins, & we ourselves can yield but little, and also in that we can do, are very negligent & slack, to use our own bodies hardly any way for making what satisfaction we are able: At the least for this cause we ought to hate ourselves as is declared, and to desire & be joyful, that every one hate, persecute, & afflict us as much as they may without the offence of god that thus at the least we may satisfy unto him, considering I say our own abilities otherwise suffice not.  
The third & most high reason of all why we should hate ourselves is, that our souls being void & empty of self love, as far forth as may stand with Gods pleasure: They may be filled with God himself, whose goodness in no wise can suffer, that being empty of self love, we should not be filled with the love of him, & consequently his holy will, reign & bear all sway in ours. But of this principal reason I shall tell you more, when we come to speak of the love of God.  
How shall we said Probus, use the instruments of our soul, to obtain this holy hatred of ourselves?  
When we would said Alphonso, refuse & not admit, things delectable & pleasant, or desire & accept hard & painful things, as contempts, revilings, injuries, and the like: we must forgeat a little these things, and not offer them thus nakedly to our will, but turn our mind to consider the innumerable good things which come to us, by refusing the one sort, & accepting the other: And principally the infinite treasure of god's love, which we get by hatred of ourselves according to his will. And then upon these considerations, move and incline our will to reject the pleasant & to embrace the grievous, as necessary means to obtain these inestimable goods, ever withal being mindful that you do all this, for the service of your Lord, and for fulfilling his holy will & pleasure.  
But touching the joyful acceptance of painful things & adversities: I shall tell you more, in the matters of Humility & Patience.  
There is no more than to be learned said Probus, for the hatred of ourselves.  
Yes one thing more said Alphonso, which marvelously helpeth them that are desirous to obtain this holy hatred, which is, that continually and without ceasing, we persecute certain innumerable little desires of our own, which if we mark, come running upon us in every moment, & incline us to self love. Wherefore we must in all occasions, be watchful over our own actions, & very circumspectly mark, whether perhaps we desire any thing which is not belonging unto God, or not furthering us towards him: And incontinent so soon as we espy any thing to delight us without God, we must incline our will, to contradict & refuse it. And when we perceive any thing to happen grievous & displeasant: We must by & by, incline our will to covett & accept it. If you be diligent in this, you shall both much sooner get this holy hatred, and withal such dominion & government over yourself, as can not be expressed in words. Mark therefore this well I say again, & exercise it, for assuredly this point is the key & gate to chief perfection.  
This hatred said Probus, seemeth contrary to charity, whereby we are all bound to love ourselves.  
Not so said Alphonso, but so soon as a man hateth himself in this sort, & not before: he hath all the love that he ought to have towards himself, & which is most profitable & glorious to him, and that which God would he should have. For than hath he the love of God, of virtues, of eternal glory, and of all things which help him thither, which love doth not suffer with it the company of any vice.  
But now let us go to the second thing, that is, to know how we may adorn & beautify our souls with virtues. As it pleaseth you said Probus.   

THE THIRD EXERCISE. How the servant of God, should behave himself in prayer.  
YOu must know therefore said Alphonso, that he is said to have his soul adorned & beautified, that hath his natural appetites conformable with his reason and gods will & Law. And this conformity is none other thing, but a certain heap of virtues, which placed orderly in the soul make it beautiful, and direct it as is convenient for the great dignity thereof, mitigating & repressing, all false and evil concupiscences, which had stook in the soul by sin, & disposing it to serve, & without all contradiction, to yield grateful obeisance to the will of him that created it.  
And because our own strength & powers, are very weak & unable to obtain such things: I will reach you first, how to call for help from God by prayer. Secondly, how by many particularactes: you must build these habits of virtues, speaking of some few which be principal. Thirdly, how you must subdue & keep in seemly order, your four natural passions, joy, Sorrow, Hope, & Fear.  

OF PRAYER.  
FOr Prayer then, you must know that God's pleasure is, that we stand need of his supernatural help, because the end & felicity whereto he haithe created us, is supernatural, that is the bliss of heaven. His will also is, that we ask & demand it of him, not, but that he desireth more to give it us, than we to take or ask it: But first that we may possess and enjoy the thing with more honour, which we get with greater endeavour & labour in suiting for it, & that we may as it were merit the same: And secondly, that as importune beggars, we may the oftener present ourselves before him, and so come into more knowledge of his majesties greatness, pre-eminence, & perfections, & more joy in him, and love him with a true knowledge & contempt of all things, which either are not God, or not furthering to him, & finally, with a perfect love of virtue, and an hatred of all sin. By which our necessity of praying to him, he keep the us with him as with a pledge: For unless we stood ever in need of him, we should quickly without doubt, forgeat him.  
To present ourselves often before our Lord by prayer said Probus, must needs bring to us, many good things you say: But in what sort may our prayer be acceptable to god, & commodious to ourselves?  
That our prayer said Alpho so, may be grateful in Gods sight, meritorious & effectual, it is not so much needful, that the thing we ask, be of great value, as that in our prayer we have an high motive or end. For if his motive that prayeth for the kingdom of heaven, and his that ask the bread to eat, or health of his body, be all one or equal: their paayers be of equal merit, notwithstanding the things they pray for, far exceed, the one the other.  
What motive & end said Probus, should we have, to make our prayer most excellent & acceptable?  
We should ask or pray for every thing said Alphonso, because it is Gods blessed will that we ask and have it by prayer, and that obtaining it, we may be more disposed, & better abled, to love & serve him.  
Thus the prayer for bread, or any other mean thing, is of excellent merit, & so disposed should we be in our hearts, when we come to prayer, that if we thought it displeasing or ungrateful to God, for us to have the thing: we would forthwith, neither desire nor ask it. The hungry man commonly is moved to pray for bread, in relief of his necessity: but the servant of god that rightly prayeth, ought not to ask meat, virtues, grace, glory, or any other thing, for his own necessity or benefit, but for fulfilling the will of his Lord, who much desireth that he have them, expecting only his petition, that he may give them: so that the will of god (desirig that I have the good I ask, & that I pray for it, & that by it I may be better disposed to serve him) must more move me to desire & pray for it: them any joy or good I look for thereby.  
May we not said Probus, pray for Grace, virtues, forgiveness of our sins, the joys of heaven, or other good things, for some other good end besides this? A praeir said Alphonso, may be devout & good, which is for any good or indifferent thing, to a good end, but there is none end or motive, which can make it so perfect and acceptable as this, in which I am moved to pray only for the love of God, & for fulfilling his blessed will & pleasure, and not upon any love to myself, or to the thing I ask, or for any other respect. And yet may we in our prayers for this end, keep also a love, to the good thing we ask & wish to ourselves also with great perfection & merit: so that we actually refer it thus, that therefore we love the thing and wish it, because it is gods will we love it, and desire to have it. And so we make God, and neither the thing nor ourselves, the end of our prayer.  
I will give you an example of this said Alphonso, again, and withal let you see, how to use your will rightly in praying.  
A man may ask any thing of his friend, either for the love he beareth to it, or for his own commodity, or for the love of his friend: Vsuallye men ask it for their own good and benefit, & not for the love of their friend. Now the servant of god should refuse with his will to ask any thing, for the love he beareth to the thing or for his own commodity: and ask it only for the love of his Lord, because it pleaseth his Majesty that he ask & have it, that he may serve and please him the more: As he that prayeth for pardon & remission of his sins, & sorroweth for them, should do it more, because he seeth that to be in his soul which offendeth God, & for a desire he hath to have it pure, that so he may yield grateful & acceptable service to his Lord: Then for any fear of punishment or other harm or loss to himself whatsoever. And again, as he that prayeth to escape tribulations, aught to feel in his heart a desire, & accordingly to pray to escape them, not chiefly for avoiding danger, harm, or trouble: but for that tribulations may be to him, an impediment to serve God, carrying ever withal, an unfeaned desire and will, that gods blessed will be done therein, if at any time it please him to be served by his troubles & pains. And so finally in asking any other good, that we ask it, not for our own consolation, but that having it, we may thereby be more stirred up & furthered to serve and love God.  
It will seem easy to you, if you remember what I told you before concerning the use of your will, and the end that you should have in doing all things: & the example I gave you then, of him that regarding more his friends necessity than his own, bestowed on him the medicine, which he provided for himself, will serve here also.  
I remember well said Probus, what you said there.  
Remember it said Alphonso, & be diligent to produce according to those instructions, many acts: and in short time, you will find great sweetness to pray upon this motive, though in the beginning, you seem to be dry or without comfort and devotion, happeneth, because you leave your own self love, which ever moved you before to pray. But Gods love increasing in you: devotion and sweetness with exceeding great merit, will also increase.  
See therefore you pass not from ask one thing, to ask an other, before you first incline your will to ask it, because God would have you to ask it, & that you intend to serve him by asking it.  
I understand all this said Probus.  
If you so do said Alphonso, then may we speak of getting virtues for adorning our souls.    

THE FOURTH EXERCISE. How to get the virtue of Humility, which is one of them, that our saviour willed us to learn of himself.  
ALL virtues said Alphonso, may best be red, & learned in the book of lice, & fountain of wisdom our Saviour christ. And let none hope nor think they can be enriched with virtues, unless they learn them of the son of God made man, & principally of his sacred passion, for this is given unto the world by the Father of heaven, as a most plentiful gould-myne, that out of it we may gather all treasures, see & hear the excellency of every virtue.  
Therefore happy is he that by continual meditation, entereth into the hidden & inner secrets of this mine: for there he shall find stored up, all the treasures of God.  
What virtues said Probus, will he that we first learn of him?  
He hath willed us said Alphonso, to learn of himself two, which are, Humility, & Patience, saying, Learu of me, that I am patiented, and humble of heart: which two, when we have learned: we shall be full of true wisdom and not before. Of these two therefore, I will tell you how they may be gotten.  
Many have written of the steps & degrees of Humility, for it is a virtue which reacheth very high, & descendeth very low: & without steps let no man hope to climb to the top thereof: but he that once arrive the thither, shall presently come into such knowledge of himself, & all things: that thereby he shall most clearly see how of himself, he is and hath vetie nothing, and that only God is the thing, that truly is. For which cause he desireth that all the thoughts and powers of men be bent to praise & magnify him only, whose is every thing that is. Moreover he wisheth (because Humility coveteth no more then is it own) that the whole world entreat & esteem him as he is, that is for nothing: And that men's hearts be not occupied, yea for any little moment, in esteeming that to be of some worth, which in truth is nothingor a vessel of iniquity which is worse than nothing, as every sinner is.  
Herein therefore consisteth the key of Humility, that this which I have now said, may be fixed in our hearts, by many acts of good consideration: coveting withal, that they which harm or despise us, & that they also which see it, may think us to suffer, not upon humility, but because we can not otherwise do, as S. Bonaventure saith, that he which laboureth to please God, must endeavour to be thought vile & abject, not humble and modest.  
Me think said Probus, it were good to show our Humility to others, for their edification.  
If a man said Alphonso, were of such perfect virtue, that without any repugnance or difficulty, he could wish to be esteemed of all men vile, abject, & nothing, as I said before: such a one might desire, for the edification of his neighbours, that they should think him to suffer injuries willingly, & with joy, for the love of God and humility, & this were heroical humility, which was most perfect in our Saviour.  
I pray you Father said Probus, declare to me the humility of our saviour, seeing I must have it before mine eyes as a pattern to imitate.  
The humility of our Saviour said Alphonso, containeth in it, most high & unspeakable mysteries, & better may all creatures admire it, then come nigh in following it. For our Saviour being God omnipotent, of infinite goodness, and a most perfect man, did choose & will with great joy, to be esteemed for a most mean thing, yea almost for nothing, & for such a one he would be hardly entreated with injuries, contumelies, reproaches, & tribulations, from the first day of his birth till he suffered a most sharp & shameful death. All which he did, not for that they wear needful for himself: but that we who have great need thereof, might learn the manner of humbling ourselves by his example.  
Now the servant of God must study & do his best endeavour, to frame his humility, like to this of our saviours: that is, considering his own vileness, abjection, and unworthiness, he ought to covet & desire, with great joy (I say again with great joy, for for this is the pith of all) that in the eyes & hearts of all men, he be reputed as worthless, and accordingly to be entreated, for of ourselves we are none other, nor deserve better. This is the humility which our saviour would have us to learn of him.  
Why doth God said Probus, require of us so great humility & contempt of ourselves; & why would he teach it us with so great cost & harm to himself?  
He requireth it of us said Alphonso because in truth it is convenient for us, & because that of ourselves we have no good, nor deserve any at all, thoe we receive many good things from the magnifical hand of God, from whom we ought to acknowledge to have received them, & therefore glorify him & not ourselves. Again he requireth it, because it (being voluntarily taken) is the perfect medicine of our mortal infirmity, which cometh by pride. Neither shall any man ever be sound cured of that disease, without perfect humility.  
And the more we want of perfect curing, the more also we shall want of the purity of our soul: & the more we want of the purity of our soul, the more shall we want of gods graces & benefits, and so much the less shall we be his. Now that he would teach it us with so much harm to himself, proceeded from his infinite goodness, & from his most tender & ineffable love to us, not appointing men, or Angels to this office, but delighting himself to be our instructor and guide, notwithstanding any harms or inconveniences, that might befall him therefore.  
How may we said Probus, come to get this Humility, and to rejoice in contempts, injuries, & tribulations, for it is very hard to desire these things?  
We may obtain all this, said Alphonso, by much considering the Humility of gods son, which I told you of before, & the profit that cometh to ourselves by it: & chiefly because we are so abled & made fit, to yield acceptable service unto God, and to please him. Wherefore we must very often incline our wills, to covet and with joy desire, abiections, contempts, and injuries, which are so precious & so profitable.  
O how deservedly ought he to be humbled, or to be humble, & to desire to be despised, that so often hath been traitorous against his eternal lord yielding his soul to the devil by sin, & taking it from god, that so lovingly died for it. Surely if we would seriously mark this, we should receive honours (if at any time they were offered us) with much grief, considering they hinder us of the inestimable goods which we might get by imitating & accompanying the King of heaven, in contempts, dishonoures, contumelies, & the like.  
May not a man with humility said Probus, desire sometimes to be esteemed & honoured?  
Yes said Alphonso, he may desire this in some cases, as when (without respect of his own estimation) he hath his eye, respect, & intention only to some service, & honour which he seethe, may redounded to god thereby.  
But in this case also he ought to desire such estimation with fear and some sorrow, that he must be honoured, & with great circumspection, that he be not deceived with self love.  
How may I know said Probus, whether in such case as this I keep humility, with that desire of honour?  
You may know & discern this said Alphonso, if you joy no whit in that estimation & honour, but only in the service & honour which is done to god by it. And again, if you feel in your heart an unfeaned desire or disposition, that leaving all honour & estimation (if so it might please God) you had rather for your own part, chose to yield him your service, by suffering contempts, despisings, disgraces, & injuries, then by that estimation, credit, & honour.  
And lastly, if you find your heart as desirous & joyful, that other men be esteemed & honoured for the service & honour of God, as yourself, or that they be preferred before you: without any emulation.  
When a man said Probus, haithe received benefits & good gifts from God, why may he not delight & rejoice in them?  
He may joy & delight in them said Alphonso, so he keep humility withal, & fall not into vayneglorye: for otherwise he should turn all gods gifts to his dishonour, & his own grievous ruin. I must therefore by the way, give you warning of vaynglory, which is a vice that defileth & destroyeth, all our virtues and good deeds, unless we avoid it well.  
I pray you said Probus, teach me to escape it.   

THE FIFTH EXERCISE. HOW to overcome the vice of vainglory, which is a mortal enemy to Humility & all virtue.  
Vainglory said Alphonso, is the Mother of all evil, & it above all other things, hindereth the increase of Humility. It is a complacency or delight & joy, which one taketh of some thing he ought not, or in some sort as he ought not. And there be divers kinds of it: As first a man may glory & rejoice for his own wicked facts & evil deeds. This kind of glory & joy, is not among God's children and servants, but proper to graceless & most wicked persons, and therefore I will let it pass.  
Again one may glory and joy for some good thing or gift which he hath not: This also is most foolish, vain, & ridiculous, yet is it often incident to the good, as ordinary to the bad, proceeding from a disordered self love, & a proud mind, delighting in it own praise & flattery.  
Again, one may glory & rejoice vainly, for some good he hath or doth, or heareth of himself: This is that kind, which assaulteth much gods servants. Now a man may well joy in the gifes which he hath of God, so far forth as he seeth and hopeth thereby, some service to God or profit to his own soul. For God hath left it in our own liberty, that we may so much joy for every good gift of God, as we know it to be from God, & to redound to god's honour & service: But when it once passeth this ordinance appointed by god, by & by it becometh vainglory, or vain joy exceeding the limits appointed by God, as glorying and rejoicing in ourselves, where we should glory only in God.  
How may we discern said Probus, when our glory & joy is vain, or true & spiritual as it should be?  
This vainglory said Alphonso, is so deceitful and subtle: that one yet a novice & weak in virtue, may often think himself to joy in God for the good he hath, and nevertheless much vainglory is mixed therewith. Wherefore till a man evidently know, & have thoroughly tried virtues to be in himself, he should ever flee all kind of joy and complacency whiles he calleth to mind the benefits that he hath received from God or the good gifts he hath or heareth spoken of himself, and rather accustom his heart to motions of fear, at these times, as suspecting vain glory which very secretly useth to creep upon us in such occasions. And surely he ought to suspect o● think it vainglory & joy which he hath of gods gifts given him: so long as he hath not as much joy & glory in the gifts & benefits, which he knoweth other men to have received from god, as he hath of his own. For albeit we ought to desire and choose virtues for ourselves, before other, & also to joy that (seeing it is gods will and ordinance that both we & others should have them) it hath pleased him to bestow them upon us: Yet when both we & they, have received gifts from gods bountiful hand, seeing god himself equally joyeth in both: our joy & glory in like fort, ought to be equal for them both in God only, & that his blessed will is fulfilled.  
I understand this satd Probus: but teach me I pray you, how I may avoid this fowl sin of vainglory, and vain joy.  
You may said Alphonso, by the use of your understanding & will, overcome it, & escape all the danger thereof. For by the assistance of gods grace you can hate that, which you once know to be vain & false. Consider therefore the vanity & falsed thereof by this example or comparison.  
You will confess it to be a fowl thing, if some courtier would esteem it for a matter of great value or worth or would glory in his heart, that he had offered himself to a little danger for the service & love of his Prince, who had yielded himself before, to most grievous torments & cruel wounds for the courtier's sake & cause.  
But if the same courtier, did not only in his own conceit, highly esteem that little he had done for his Prince, to whom he was so infinitely bound & behoulden: but moreover before others, would proudly vaunt himself thereof: it were most ridiculous, to-too gross folly, intolerable pride & levity: Yet were it more abominable vanity by far, if that Prince had suffered all his torments & wounds voluntarily & without any comforth or secure of his courtier, but the courtier contrariwise, had suffered his little with great favour, assistance, & comforth, of the Prince, & having promise also before his labours, of great benefits & rewards, & received the same afterwards: So in like manner he falleth into no less abominable vanity, yea & into worse incomparably, that followeth after vainglory. For our high God, and King of incomprehensible Majesty, of infinite power & honour, through his own goodness only without any bound, beholding our extreme necessities, for our sakes and saifties, exposed himself, to a most sharp and ignominious death: In which we not only gave him no comfort nor succour, but moreover we yielded him no thanks, yea all that were with him, fled & forsook him: & we also more forsake him now through defect of our virtue, when his godhead, mercy, and goodness, are manifested unto us. Which things being thus, let us acknowledge how vain it is for any man to glory for his service he doth to God, omitting in the mean season, to glory & joy in god only. And moreover let us consider how exceeding vain it is, to desire for this small service, to be highly esteemed with others, whereas for that time whiles their hearts are occupied, in judging us to be of some worth, they cease to be occupied in worthily esteeming & praising God, of whom we have, & whose is, all our good.  
God forbid, that the heart which is not occupied in highly esteeming & praising God, to whom all praise is due, should be occupied in judging of any worth, to whom no such thing is due. And he also deserveth much blame for his consenting, that thinketh other to occupy their hearts, in praising & esteeming him being so vile & abject, seasinge in that mean time to magnify god for all his goodness & gifts, & is not ashamed nor grieved, for so great disorder & abuse of things. It augmenteth also greatly our vanity, that whatsoever we do, or suffer, all is by the mighty grace & help of our most high God. It is said Probus, a thing both glorious & meritorious, that we accept the gifts & graces of God, & not reject or resist them: and then why may we not glory & think well of ourselves that we accepted them? We never saw man said Alphonso, that would vainly glory & boast, only because he had accepted benefits, done him by a Prince, but rather it would have been judged plain madness, to have refused them. And it is great folly for a man to glory and boast, that he would not be mad when he might, or proudly to behave and esteem himself, because he would not leap into a pit & drown himself when he might have done it. Much less cause surely hath any man to glory, because he accepted gods gifts & refused them not, considering that their very accepting and will to receive them, is not done by their own power & ability or nature, 
1 Cor. 4  but principally by the grace and help of God, as S. Paul saith: What hast thou that thou haste not received? & if thou haste received it, why dost thou glory?  
Now after your understanding hath had these & such like considerations of this vice: move & incline your will as I taught you before, to refuse & hate it: And standing firmly in the true conceit of your own baseness & unworthiness, yield all praise & glory to God to whom it is due, & in him only, let all your joy and glory be, & rest.  
The actions of your will, you must diligently use in all occasions, where this vainglory would creep in, and draw you to delight in yourself, or in any thing you have. This may suffice concerning the evil vice of vainglory. Now will we speak of patience which is the second virtue we are to learn of our Saviour Christ, unless you teste unsatisfied in some thing I have said.  
Go forward said Probus, I pray you, for I understand you well, and have nothing to reply.   

THE sixth EXERCISE. HOW to plant in our souls, the virtue of Patience, which is one of the two virtues, which our Saviour would have us to learn of him.  
PAtience said Alphonso, is so dear a sister & companion to Humility, that commonly they are found together: And by what ways & paths the one is found, you may find the other also. And as we said before that to get Humility, it is necessary we set before our eyes, the humility of gods Son: so must we do also the same here, for obtaining this virtue of Patience. For who can complain or repine in sufferinge injuries, or any tribulation (having deserved them as we all have) when he considereth with how great mildness and patience, his Lord god voluntarily did choose to suffer so many & so great injuries, contumelies, persecutions, & torments, together with a most bitter death: who (besides that he was true God & Lord of all) was also a man of more noble, delicate, & tender complexion, than any other man in the world, & more feeling, any affliction.  
Who will not patiently & mildly sustain for curing his own sins, any toil, vexation, or distress that may befall: if he consider his God to have sustained far greater for the sins of other, & to bring remedy to our evils.  
The example of our saviour said Probus, should indeed move & suffice us to take any adversity patiently: but our frail natures, can not away with trouble or affliction.  
Naturally indeed said Alphonso, we are inclined to flee & abhor them: But gods grace preventing our wills & cooperating with us, we may be brought in short time, to accept and embrace them, and this the rather, if we consider, not only this example which our Saviour hath given us, but moreover cast our eye, to the great commodity we get thereby, which our Lord also is desirous we labour to obtain.  
For persecutions & tribulations, are as it were a hammer or fire, wherewith the rust or canker of our souls is taken away: or as a lancing knife, thrust into our souls, to let out the poison of ourself love, which festreth there & draweth us from all good; that once freed from that filth, we may work the high work of God, that is, love & serve him as we should.  
For which cause, we ought heartily to love & pray for our persecutors, & thank God that provideth us so good surgeons.  
Teach me the way said Probus, I pray you, to get this virtue.  
If you remember said Alphonso, 
1 P. C. 7.  I taught it you before, when we talked of the way, how to plant virtuous habits in our soul. For there I put the example of Patience, which may suffice also for this place.  
I remember it very well said Prohus.  
That also which I taught you said Alphonso, of the hatred of yourself, 
2 Part. 2 Exer.  you must call to mind again in this matter, for the reasons I gave you why you should hate yourself, may serve fitly, to move you to suffer patiently, any adversity or affliction. Now let us propound one example of some odious matter, that may befall.  
You either suspect or certainly know a man to speak or report some evil of you, which you never committed.  
Hereby three darts are cast at you to wound your soul: from all which the soldier and servant of God, must clear & acquit himself, that by his fight, his Lord may be served & honoured, and his own soul beautified.  
The first is the dart of evil suspicion or judgement, against the man, or against his intention. From this dart you must withdraw yourself, and let it pass, inclyninge your will, not to accept or deal with it, as consenting to any such suspicion or judgement, but to refer it wholly unto God, who is the high judge of all, and hath willed us not to judge. For fulfilling of whose will, we ought with great joy to forbear to judge, and not to usurp or cake upon us his office.  
The second is the dart of grievous impatiency; To this you must oppose yourself with all your strength, joying in the pain and injury, which cometh to you by that occasion, and the more you seem to joy of it, the less will the devil assault you with impatience, lest he give you occasion of so great merit.  
That you may well demean yourself in receiving this dart, remember what I said of the hatred of yourself.  
The third is the dart of hatred, of him whom you suspect or know, to have done you wrong. To this also you must oppose yourself, inclyninge your will, to produce some singular act of love towards him, because it is gods will, that you love and pray for your enemies. And in truth as I said, they do you exceeding great good, if yourself hinder it not, and they be as surgeons, to cure the festering wounds of our soul.  
Thus in all occasions of adversity, the servant of God should be watchful, and ever stand prepared patiently to endure, whatsoever it pleaseth his Lord to let befall for his trial, that in so doing, he may honour his Lord, benefit, and (as our saviour said) possess his own soul, which remaineth as void of all good, captive to the devil, and quite lost, if it be spoiled of this virtue of patience.  
Now if you think good, let us speak of the four affections or passions of the soul.   

THE seventh EXERCISE. HOW to moderate and keep in order, the four natural passions of the soul.  
THese passions said Alphonso, be joy, Sorrow, Hope, & Fear: & they be natural to every one, as to joy for a present good, to sorrow for a present evil, to hope for a future good, and to fear a future evil.  
I will teach you how to guide and bridle them conveniently for the service and honour of God, and the repairing of your soul. For they may bring us much harm if they be left at liberty unrestrained, because they never cease ranging up and down in our souls, now one, now an other.  
And we may well say, that all our evils come upon us, because they are permitted, to wander about, and run unbridled. Yea they bring much annoyance and hurt to spiritual persons, how lightly soever they walk in them.  
He only may keep them in good order & great moderation, that worketh all thnges, aswell internal as external, for God, as I told you before, & walketh in the hatred of himself, as you have hard.  
When are these affections said Probus, kept in due order & moderation?  
When we yield said Alphonso, no consent to any of their motions, further than we know pleaseth God, & whereby he may receive some grateful service: Otherwise, we ought ever to repel their motions & banish them from us, if we desire to walk a saife way toward God.  
May we not said Probus, be glad and joyful for any good thing that happeneth unto us, & in like sort be sorrowful for evil?  
The servants of God said Alphonso, should be glad & joy in nothing but God, or things which belong or direct & further them to him. The reason is, for that having in God, & in such things, so great cause & matter of joys: they are very foolish and mad vain, that occupy themselves, in joying for any other, considering their powers & force to joy in God & love him, are the weaker, by how much more they are divided, into divers joys & business. And considering again, that albeit we yield ourselves wholly to joy in God, yet are we not able to do it sufficiently: How much less can we do it, if we distract ourselves to joy in many things?  
Wherefore by the use & power of our will, as I told you before, we must do one of these two, either presently so soon as it offereth itself, repel & put away all joy and gladness which is not in God, or things belonging unto him: or direct & order it for God, as the end thereof, so it be not some vain or unlawful joy.  
And thus shall we do as the Apostle willeth us saying: 
Phil. 4  joy in our Lord at all times: I say again, joy. For he which cause, we must look warily about us, for daily innumerable things of small weight, occur & ofter themselves to us, bringing occasions and causes of joy & gladness: from which forthwith we ought to unwind ourselves, knowing all joys which are offered unto us by the world, are assured harms, & no good to us at all.  
In a most potent and rich King, you know it would be judged, a very base & vile disposition, to make so great reckoning of a penny, that the winning of i● would make him very joyful, & the losing of it, very sorrowful & grieved: But far greater is our baseness & vilitye, if when always we have present, the infinite goods which God possesseth for himself & us, in which we ought incessantly to joy: we turn ourselves to joy in other trifling things which occur in the world, when especially we ought to love our Lord more than ourselves, & more to respect his glory then our own, which yet he will give us most abundantly, if we faithfully and sincerely serve him, in this our banishment.  

OF SOROW.  
IN like sort may we speak of him that sorroweth for any thing of this world that may happen, except sin & things inducing thereto. For it may be well judged great baseness, to sorrow for any such temporal thing of this life, whearas we have before our eyes, so great glory and inestimable goods as I said God hath provided for us, for which we ought ever to rejoice & be glad. Wherefore the servant of God, must suffer no sorrow nor heaviness to stay in his heart, but that only which is for sin: because this sorrow being a passion which respecteth some present evil, or some good lost, & true evils & losses can not happen, but only for sin: He ought with reason to sorrow for none other thing. And having present so infinite an evil to sorrow for as sin is: he doth most foolish, if dividing his force & strength, he sorrow for any other thing beside, considering especially, that all his powers & abilities collected to this one work, suffice not to sorrow so much for sin, as he should do.  
These sorrows which offer themselves daily to us upon any tribulation or adversity, we may easily repel, if we consider, that we be gods more than our own, & that he hath more tender care over us, than we can have of ourselves, and best knoweth what is expedient for us. And therefore what painful thing or adversity soever happeneth, it ought to be welcome to us, so long as it endureth, & we must take it joyfully as from the hand of our loving Lord, and as a thing fit and convenient for one that is gods, & sorrow no more for it, than God (whose we are) willeth that we sorrow, speaking thus within ourselves: Why have I greater care of myself, than my Lord god willeth that I have, seeing I am not mine own but his, who loveth me tenderly, & can not but continually behold me.  
May we not then said Probus, seek means to deliver and free ourselves from suffering such painful things and adversities, or we should bear them still with joy, & let them alone to gods care & providence.  
As it is gods will said Alphonso, that so long as we have them, we ever suffer them with joy, how painful soever they be, & take them as from the hand of our most loving father (which joyful patience, will greatly mitigate their pain) so it is also his will, that we procure & use with joyful moderation, such means for our remedy, & deliverance, as we know he hath left us, and would have us to take, as physic in sickness, meat in hunger, peace & saifty in persecution, and the like: But all this because it is his will we do it, and that our frailties may serve him the better, being delivered from such molestations & troubles.  
How shall we said Probus, drive away & expel, these motions of sorrows and grieves, which the miseries of this world bring hourly upon us, & how shall we get this joy, whiles we are in the pains of them?  
The servant of God said Alphonso, must be always provident and watchful, and so soon as the passion of sorrow or grief beginneth to rise by occasion of any adversity presently reject and refuse it by the act of his will, as I told you in the use of that power, in the first instruction: Yea he must endeavour to move and enforce his will to covet and embrace the things whereupon those pains, grieves, and afflictions, grow. For whiles these things be desired the sorrow ceaseth as it rose at the first, because the same things were disliked or hated. He should therefore acquaint and accustom himself, to joy and be glad, in all painful and sorrowful things, and contrariwise, to sorrow in all things which are joyful and bring delight, as it is said. 

Sorrow for joy, & joy for pain.  
Keep with thee as a certain gain.   Why should we said Probus, covet these things, whereby such grief and molestation come to us?  
First said Alphonso, 
Cap. 2  because they come all from the hand of God as job saith. Again because we deserve them by our sins. lastly because they bring to us many commodities, and cure the festered ulcers of our soul.   

OF HOPE.  
Now by Hope (not as it is the third supernatural virtue, but a natural affection or passion, common to all mankind) we expect and look for many things of this life either pleasant or commodious to us. Yet nothing we hope for, should settle itself or take place in our hearts, but only God, & these things whereby we think ourselves, to draw nearer to him & serve him. Whatsoever is beside, we ought to esteem it as nothing. And if we perceive the Hope of any thing, to be more fixed in our heart, or to occupy & delight our minds, than the bliss of heaven or virtues, which we hope from God: it must forth-withe be expelled, as a most hurtful and disordered thing.   

OF FEAR.  
IN like manner also all fear is to be left that is not of God, as our Saviour willed us, not to fear them that kill the body, and can do no more: but God that can cast both body & soul into hell fire. And David said, God is the protector of my life; whom shall I fear. All the moments of our lives, with all things belonging unto us, are in the hand of god, and can not happen to us, otherwise than he will permit. And therefore we should rather wish our own eyes to be pulled out, then advisedly commit any thing that may displease his Majesty: For all other things, there is no cause why we should fear them.  
For though all the calamities of the world fall upon us: yet if we fear them not, they can do us no harm nor true evil, but rather if we encounter them courageously & boldly, & receive them joyfully, because it is our Lords will we suffer them in memory of those he suffered for us: they will increase in us, eternal merit of glory & honour.  
Wherefore we should be prepared always to repute as nothing, or rather to este me as most precious jewels & ornaments: all troubles & molestations of the world. And if at any time some fear creep upon us: presently with our will, to encounter & repel it, lest it occupy the place, in which the reverent fear of God most necessary for us, should be harboured.  
He that can moderate, rule, and subdue, these passions in this sort, shall enjoy great peace, and arrive shortly, to high perfection of virtue, & be able rightly to judge of all things, as the christian philosopher Boetius saith.  

If thou wilt the truth behold with light most clear:  
Away with joy, Sorrow, Hope, and Fear.   
Having declared, what way you may repair the ruin & destruction of your soul: it remaineth now that we speak of the love of God, which Exercise is the most principal service can do him, & the end of all which we have spoken of hitherto.  
Take your rest now, for you are weary with travel: in the morning God willing, we shall make an end of this matter.     

THE third part. CONTAINING the way how to love God, our neighbours, and ourselves.  

OF THE LOVE OF God.  
AFter they had slept a while, & Alphonso finished his usual devotions: they came together again, & Alphonso said.  
Now my son, if you be satisfied in all things we talked of yester night: Let us go forward as I promised you. I rest fully satisfied said Probus, in all you have said hitherto: Therefore I pray you proceed to teach me how I may love God.  
The love of God said Alphonso, is a fire, which God would have always burning, on the Altar of our soul, & if you throughly knew the worthiness and excellency thereof, all would seem little, that hitherto we have said, of the reparation & adorning of the soul, by which so high a work is to be performed. For the act of loving God is of so great excellency, that not Saint in heaven, nor any thing that is or can be created, can do any work more high or perfect. For which cause the son of God himself, 
Mat. 22  calleth this the greatest and first commandment. Yea if all the endeavours & strengths of Angels & men, were heaped together in one Angel or man▪ he could do nothing more worthy, then is the act of loving God. And nothing that is or can be made, by the omnipotent power of God: can be sufficient to love God with that perfection which his infinite goodness & worthiness doth deserve.  
This love of God, incomparably excelleth all other supernatural virtues or works, & without it, none other gift or quality that man hath, profiteth him anything at all, or is to be esteemed, 
1 Cor. 13  as S. Paul saith larglye. This is the incessant & eternal work of God himself: For he being of infinite goodness & excellency, is infinitely to be loved, and is continually occupied with all his infinite power, in lou●nge his own infinite goodness & joying in the same. And nothing being more consonant to equity, nothing so profitable or glorious to ourselves, then that we love him, who is an infinite good, & infinitely to be beloved, & whom we can not sufficiently love as he deserveth, albeit our strength & abilities were infinite: His most holy and righteous will is, that we do the same thing, with all our forces, which he doth continually with his: that is, love him & joy in him with all our hearts, power, & strength. Yea & so greatly he requireth & desireth this most divine work of us, that he would yield himself to a most cruel death, that so he might procure & provoke us to love him, & all this for our good, & not for any benefit of his own.  
All other things besides this love of God which are commanded us, or in the holy scriptures required of us, are but for that they be helps to this love, & to omit them, would greatly hinder the same. Vices & sins forbidden us, are nothing else, but Turrian inordinate love of vain things, which occupy the place of our hearts, deputed only for God. Neither do virtues serve for other end, then fitly to dispose the soul for this love: Which virtues notwithstanding, are so necessary for this love of God, that it were great presumption, to think we could obtain it, without great exercise in them.  
To love God said Probus, must of necessity be a work, of great excellency and worthiness: but I pray you tell me what this love is, and how it may be done.  
I must tell you first said Alphonso, how there be two sorts of loves, or lovers of God. The one loveth him, for that he is a sweet and bountiful lord, most liberally communicating his goodness to his creatures: These are also much delighted in his service, and they ask many gifts of him, & pray with great contemplation of his Magnificency and knowledge of the excellency of virtues & graces which they pray for. Often also they come to him, as to the fountain of all sweetness. And by reason of the great delight & consolation, which they feel in their soul, they imagine this love of theirs to be most perfect & of highest merit.  
This seemeth said Probus, to be a perfect lover of God.  
I wish said Alphonso, that all they which love not God: would love him at the least in this sort. But the Majesty of God permitteth not his true lovers to be content with this kind of love though it be good, & may suffice to exercise beginners & novices in for some time, because from this they easily pass, to the highest & most perfect love, whereof by & by I will tell you.  
How may we know said Probus, that this kind of love, is imperfect & frail?  
They that love in this manner said Alphonso, forthwith when this sensual sweetness is wanting & depatteth, go with an heavy heart, and dull courage about things which belong to God. And they are so overcome with the frailties of their own nature, as almost if they had not had any such love at all. For they procure & seek for corporal delights, as to eat and drink daintily: They desire and accept worldly favours, frendshipps, honours, praise, estimation, & other vain things, pleasing their sensuality (yet without mortal sin) as much as other persons, that never had tasted of things pertaining to god. Yea & often in the very time when they are visited with such sweetness: they are entangled with certain vain affections, & such as be sometimes not a little sensual, as delighted with the sweet natures, conditions, familiarities, & beauty, of some persons. Again, these lovers commonly covet to be seen and accounted devout, and they are grieved when they perceive, they are not reputed for such, neither do they joy when they perceive other persons to be reckoned more devout & better qualified then themselves. These & such like sports & imperfections they have: All which be so abject, that the high love of God (which we are to speak of) doth not brook them with it, no not when it wanteth that sweetness in the sensual appetites: whereby we may rightly conclude, this kind of lover, to be frail & imperfect, as loving chiefly for his own commodity or delight.  
If this love will not serve: to what purpose is it said Probus?  
It is very profitable said Alphonso, first, because he that hath it, may easily cast from him the foresaid imperfections and spots, with the love of vain things.  
Secondly, because such a lover, is in a verieneare disposition, to produce many acts of the highest and most perfect love, when he knoweth it.  
Which is then this second kind of love said Probus?  
It is said Alphonso, A certain act or work of our will, vehemently (& sometimes also with sweetness) loving or desiring, that God be that infivite goodness he is: And possess as much glory, dominion, & power, as indeed he possesseth to himself, over us & all things. And again, that whatsoever is or may be, love him, serve him, and glorify him, for his infinite goodness & worthiness only. And all this is done for that the excellency of his Majesty requireth that we do it, with all our ability & strength.  
He therefore that would truly and perfectly love God, must often meditate & call to mind what God is, & delight in him. Moreover think what great glory he hath, and what dominion over us & all creatures, & joy for it, as men are wont to joy for the dignity & dominion of their dearest friends. And with this also be must wish, that all things may serve & love him, desiring this a thousand ways, & procuring it ten thousand, & all this for God & his goodness only. For it is meet & just, that we love his infinite goodness & power, in most excellent manner that may be devised. And seeing no end is higher than God himself, who is the beginning & end of all things; it followeth, that he ought to be loved principally, not for that which we receive or hope for of him, but for himself which is infinitely amiable.  
Wherefore we should accustom our wills, that they be moved to love & to be delighted, in the perfection, glory, & treasures of our Lord, not because we feel sweetness in this love nor for the gifts we have received or hope to receive hereafter, but forgeating as it were these things, love him as most worthy to have all the wills & powers of Angels & men occupied, in desiring & delighting that his Majesty have all the infinite good it hath without respect that any part thereof, may redound to us, though indeed so much the more shall come to us, by how much more we love him without respect of our own good.  
By what certain mark or sign said Probus, may we know, when a man hath this love?  
He hath it said Alphonso, that loveth god asmuch when he showeth himself severe & sharp, as when he is sweet & my Ide; asmuch when by justice he punisheth, as when mercifully he giveth benefits: as much in adversity as prosperity. Such a man loveth not God because he is dulce & sweet: Yet he loveth sweetness, because it is given by God, & bringeth him courage to serve God more diligently: He is not terrified nor affrighted with chastisements, but taketh them with that love which the holy hand & fatherly will of God that scourgeth doth require. He prayeth not, as drawn with love & sweetness of the gift, but that his soul enriched thereby, may wax stronger & more fervent in gods service. He is not offended or troubled to see himself desolate of consolations, yet he sorroweth if any thing be in him which hath displeased or doth offend, the eyes of so high a Majesty. He asketh not forgiveness & pardon of his sins for escaping pain, or recovering his lost grace, virtues, title, & right to eternal glove, but that his soul (having obtained pardon) may be more grateful & acceptable to God, & may love & serve his highness in purity.  
He hath no affection, that may withdraw his heart any other way from God. He doth not remember or regard, whether men think of him or Noah. He is not grieved, when he is contemned or rejected. He shuneth & is sorrowful for credit & honour offered him, fearing lest they be unto him, hindrances to humility. He joyeth for the good & honour of others, thinking that they accept or desire them, without ambition or vanity, for the better service of God and help of his people. Such a lover hath all things, and yet hath nothing.  
He submitteth himself to all, & all serve him. He shuneth all sweetness, and he feeleth nothing but that is sweet. In God whom he loveth, he knoweth what he ought to do, to speak, to think: & for him only he thinketh, he speaketh, he doth every thing. He living, is not he that liveth, but it is Christ that hueth in him, giving him to live a divine lice. In loving himself, he loveth not himself, but he loveth God almighty, for whose sake he desireth all good things. He joyeth in nothing, but that whereby his Lord is served, & that he thinketh grateful in his sight. And finally, he ever joyeth in his heart and thanketh God who in loving himself infinitely, doth supply what is due to him from all his creatures.  
How may we get this love of god said Probus?  
It is vain presumption said Alphonso, for any man to think, he can leap to it at his pleasure, without making due preparation, & following the same path which gods son hath made us both by his own example & docrrine.  
What preparation or paths are these said Probus?  
He that would receive this precious liquor into his soul said Alphonso, must first of necessity occupy himself for many days in these exercises which I told you of in the second part, but before all, in the holy hatred of himself: otherwise he shall be deceived & profit nothing at all.  
I understand you well said Probus.  
That done said Alphonso, he must work diligently in this sort, whether he be prevented by God with benedictions of sweetness or not. He must briefly call to mind, how unmeasurable & infinite the good & glory is that God possesseth, considering him as the best and most worthy, that all creatures joy for his goodness, & thereupon by & by incline his will to desire, & joy for so great a good of his Lord, & let him continue in that act so long as he can. If he be a little distracted or wax could in it, let him forthwith return to it again in the same manner, his heart ever leaping with joy, in considering God to be full of infinite perfections & goodness, And by continuance, he shall doubtless be advanced to this perfect love.  
The honour, glory, & perfections of our Lord are infinite & of infinite excellency, and in like sort, every thing in particular that he worketh or createth, doth show forth and declare to us, a singular goodness & worthiness in him. And seeing that all the moments of our life, suffice not fully to hear, or consider them as they are in him: we ought at the least, under name & title of infinite goodness, honour, & perfections, to heap them together, & to produce acts of coveting, that God have them all, and to joy all the minutes of our life that he hath them considering we own all this to him as most due. And so much may we exercise ourselves in these acts (although we want that sweetness which they call devotion) that in every place & business, we may oft love God in this sort, without seeking any solitary places, as it happeneth daily when one friend joyeth suddenly without more opportunity of place or company, when he heareth or remembreth some good to have befallen his dear friend. That which I told you before of the use of your will, & of the end of all your actions, help much in these acts how you should produce them, & that you must do all for this end, because God is most worthy of it, & desireth that we do it for him.  
Perhaps said Probus, we might get this love more easily by prayer, doing as you taught me, when you spoke of it, & by the exercises of those virtues you rehearsed before.  
He shall obtain it said Alphonso, the sooner & better, that together with prayer, will help himself with the acts of his will, as I told you before: which he may do both in prayer and without it. For in every such act, there is a new service to God, & a new increase of the love of God, of grace, & of merit.  
And as no artificer, how skilful soever he be, profiteth any thing by his art, but only whiles he worketh in it, so the servant of God, is made richer in the love of God, but only when he produce the special acts of the same love: Which act of love, how short soever it be, being a far greater, better, more precious, and a more inestimable good, than all things else that any creature can do in heaven or earth: We ought every hour many times to work it, that doing our best endeavour in it during this life, we may receive more grace and ability to work it for ever in heaven, where those blessed Saint's love God more fervently & more perfectly, which more loved him hear on earth.  
Wherefore we should deeply consider and condemn our own negligence and folly: and seeing we ought never to cease from this act of loving god (both because it is dew to his majesty, and the act of itself is of an inestimable profit) we should most bitterly lament every moment of our life that we let pass without this love.  
And specially we ought to bewail our sins, which (if they be mortal) are deadly enemies to it, or (if they be venial) hinder so great a good, and cool the fervour thereof. In like sort also should we reprove ourselves if we be not exceeding glad and joyful, of every thing that may further us to it as injuries, contempts, persecutions, etc. Or if we sorrow not so much when any impediment is given us to it, as are humane favour, sensual and profane delectation, temporal honours, credit, praises, etc.  
Out frailty is such said Probus, & our necessity so great, that oftentimes we can not be glad of injuries, tribulations, and the like, nor refuse things delectable and prosperous.  
It sometimes said Alphonso, through weakness of body, or because as yet we have not gotten so much virtue as were needful for our suffering of adversities joyfully, but we must flee them and our persecutors, or again procure and receive delicate and pleasant things: In such cases I say, we must look that we do these things with actual intention for avoiding greater evils, and sorrow also much, in that by fleeing adversities and troubles, we depart from a thing which should further us to so great a good as is the love of God. And again that by taking delectable things, we omit and forego the sharp, which are most due unto us for punishment of our sins & negligences.  
All this moreover we ought to do with humble prayer to our Lord, that he would vouchsafe to strengthen us in body and soul, for better resisting our own frailty, whereby through defect of our virtue, it is needful we avoid such trouble, or use such delightful things, and that also by his grace, we may be disposed, notwithstanding these impediments of our infirmity, perfectly to love him.  
What remedy & help have we said Probus, if we find ourselves very dull & heavy, whiles we endeavour to produce these acts of love, & to bring all our motions, into the obedience & service of God: for so it often happeneth in other exercises of devotion & well doing.  
The same may happen also in this high work said Alphonso, but then we may assure ourselves that it cometh because we want the holy hatred of ourselves, which is the foundation & most principal disposition to this love of God. Or again, because there cleaveth in our hearts some inordinate affection to some earthly thing, as love of need less delectation, or affection to some person or business not rightly ordered. Wherefore he that feeleth himself so dull, must search out diligently in himself, such defect or affection, and take it away by contrary acts, as we taught before, and shall more hereafter.  
For to incline our will to produce acts of the love of God, above all things, without having first gotten the holy hatred of ourselves, or whiles our affection to any earthly thing that may deilght us endureth (not being ordained or referred either actually or virtually to God) is much like as if a man would cut with a hammer, things requiring a raisoure or sharp knife. For the perfection & excellency of this love (the least act whereof, may advance a man to a high degree of eternal glory in heaven) doth not permit with it, any such vile & baise thing. Besides this also the servant of God, must be wary of the assaults of his mortal enemy the devil, who never ceaseth to molest and hinder them that go forward in any virtue, but most maliceously goeth about to harm and overthrow them, that endeavour to obtain, this most holy love of God.  
What way I pray you said Probus, can he chiefly hinder us?  
Among many other said Alphonso, he hindereth us by one, which is very secret, & yet much dangerous & hurtful, that is, by a certain mean estimation, contempt, negligence, & coldness of the mind, towards the work of the love of God, which some persons have, whiles they think, hear, or read, the chief point of it to consist, in the desire of Gods perfections, goodness, & glory, & in joying in them as I said before.  
How can this said Probus, happen to any man in this holy work?  
It happeneth said Alphonso, because they little conceive or mark the worthiness of this thing, & the enemy doth assail & trouble them withal: And principally it chanceth to them that are not prevented with the sweetness which this love is accustomed to bring with it.  
For they hearing as I said even now this love to consist in this, that we desire & inwardly feel in ourselves, a complacency & joy, for all the infinite goodness and glory which are in god: & this only for God: they wax could, thinking this work not to be so high & excellent as it is, but judge other works aswell corporal as spiritual, to exceed this, & to be more beseeming gods servants, as preaching, disputing governing others, fighting for the faith, alms deeds, fasting, afflictions, and the like.  
Whereupon said Probus, cometh this false conceit of theirs?  
It cometh said Alphonso, first by reason the devil tempteth them, and withal, the taste and appetite of their soul, is distempered and corrupted, as I told you yester night, in the fourth instruction, by the example of the sick man, that by reason of his infected taste, desireth hurtful meats, and taketh loath with wholesome.  
What remedy have we against this noisome impediment said Probus?  
We must provide first said Alphonso, that our corrupt appetite be cured, as I said in the fourth instruction: which done, they that feel this coldness, & have this wrong estimation, shall incontinent perceive, all other works, how worthy & marvelous soever they seem, to be very abject & base, 
1 Cor  in respect of this love, as S. Paul teacheth us. And our Saviour himself, being the eternal wisdom of God, (which can not err or deceive us) hath chosen & commanded the same above all things which may be done in heaven or earth. A reason hereof you may have also, if you consider that albeit our free will & the acts thereof (which I told you before in the fourth instruction, to be of greatest dignity in us) be of themselves, little worth or of small commodity: Yet may we make them of inestimable dignity & value, if we unite our will & most strongly fasten it, to the will of God, which is of an infinite excellency, in such manner joining ours unto his, that it be not carried to any other thing, but what his blessed will desireth. For then the act & desire of our infirm & base free will, groweth to be of infinite value and dignity, when (forsaking ourselves) we take the desire of that infinite will which is God, who incessantly willeth, loveth, & joyeth, for the infinite good & worthiness he hath.  
Why requireth God said Probus, that we should desire love & joy in this sort: as he ever doth?  
He would have us do it said Alphouso, first for that his love & goodness to us, would have our abject free will, advanced to so great nobility & honour, as to have an act of infinite and divine value. Again, because (seeing he hath created us to so great a good as to enjoy himself) it is just that we yield him this service at least as to occupy ourselves all the time of our mortal life, in loving him and joying for his good & glory, as we see faithful servants & loving, exceedingly to rejoice, for the goods & honour their Lords get. thirdly, that hear on earth we may occupy ourselves, & begin that work wherein our eternal glory and beatitude in heaven, chiefly must consist. For gods holy Saints, clearly beholding his nature & essence, are replenished with an infinite knowledge, to judge what goodness & glory his Majesty is worthy of: & also with an infinite desire and love, that he possess the same. Which burning desire & love of theirs, when (beholding God) they see it fulfilled in more perfect sort than they can wish, imagine, or comprehend, they are ravished with unspeakable joys & gladness.  
The happy Saints in heaven, have the manifest vision & perfect fruition of all his goodness, & therefore their knowledge, love, & joy, is perfect. We sinful worms on earth by the light of our catholic faith (though obscurely, yet most certainly & firmly) believe the same, which they behold. And therefore God will, that we occupy our powers as much as we can, in the same love, desire & joy, of the infinite goodness & glory of our Lord. For the more we love him, & joy in his goodness here on earth: the more perfect and greater, shall our love & joys be in heaven.  
I conceive all this said Probus, but many without doubt, have obtained the perfect love of God required in this life, without all this ado, or knowledge of this way you have taught me.  
Many have indeed said Alphonso, loved God perfectly, before this way was either known to me, or taught in this manner, by any that I have hard: but surely the ordinary way to get it, hath been this in substance. For it is gathered out of the holy Scriptures, according to the declaration of the holy Doctoures, which have written of this matter.  
Many have thought & think still that they have gotten it very easily without these reasons & means, but commonly they failed of it, & got but the weak & imperfect love which I spoke of before.  
If you think good we will now pass to the love of our neighbours.  
Do so I pray you said Probus.   

OF THE LOVE OF OUR Neighbour.  
AS the love of God said Alphonso, required before it, all the exercises and considerations we spoke of: so the love of our neighbour & of ourselves, required before them the love of god. For it is necessary that these two loves proceed from the love of god, otherwise they can not be good or well ordered. You must know then that he which desireth to serve & please God: must mark and observe two things. The first is, what God would have him to do: The second, in what manner he would have it done. For he should have small thank, or reward with God, that should do his commandment, if he did it not in the manner he commanded it. He hath bidden us to love one an other saying, This is my precept, that you love one an other: and with this, in what sort also we should do it saying, as I have loved you.  
He than that doth the first, shall not have the high reward due to that love, except also he do the second.  
Now therefore to know how we ought one to love an other; we must consider how our Lord loved us.  
First by many ways & means, he drew & induced us to the love of god: Then he taught us by his own example, to suffer patiently, all the adversities of this world, never sacking the reins to vain delights, above that which might be necessary to the sustentation of his body. Then he died for us, that we might have thereby virtues, grace, & glory. In this kind of love he marvelously exceeded, & was a most vehement enemy to all vain love which now passeth among us, & is ordinarily very corrupt & infecticus to our souls, created to be the temples of God. according to this example therefore of our Lord, we ought to frame our Love towards our neighbours, casting away all vanities, which are accustomed to mix themselves with our love, as to be much affected to some persons, for that we see them virtuous & devout, and in their conversat on, to be mild, graccous, & amiable: In the love of whom often good men's hearts, are taken captive, finding grief, disquietness & trouble of mind, to be without them, or not to talk with them or not to be mutually beloved & esteemed of them: All which kind of affection & love is vain and hurtful to the servants of God.  
Me think said Probus, we might well love others in this fort, because we see them gods servants, chiefly if we do it for God.  
If your friend said Alphonso, had a servant, the love of whom, should so hold captive your heart, & so greatly increase, that it more delighted you, to conu●se and talk with him, then with your friend: were it not manifest that now you love not the servant for your friend, but because his conversation & nature is sweet & grateful to you. For though your love towards that servant, beg●n for your friends sake, yet now it is become inordinate and excessive & more for your own pleasure & delight you take in the servant, then wholly for respect of your friend: Even thus we may speak of that love you rehearsed. It is plain mockery to say it is love of our neighbour purely for god, notwithstanding there be perhaps some part of spiritual love therewith. But he that is truly & wholly addicted to God, taketh no part from him, but giveth him all, occupying & bestowing his whole affection on him, or in some thing, that is wholly ordered or directed to him, as such vain love can not be, being more for some thing in a creature, then for God.  
Our love should be towards all the servants of our Father, aswell our enemies as friends, with so great affection as may proceed, from the love we have to him, that all other affections set aside, only that may have place which we own unto God.  
To avoid & cast of all which supersivous affections, those things may help, which I told you of before, speaking of the natural affection of joy, & of the use of our will.  
How then said Probus, should we love our neighbours?  
Our love to them, said Alphonso, should springe altogether from the love of God, that (considering they are so highly beloved of him, that he would yield himself to death for them when yet they were his enemies) we should love them all so much, as to help them in all that is good & needful for their bodies & souls, like as we are wont love them that much delight us: Yea & this we should do, though their conversation wear molestfull & odious unto us, entreating them courteously, & providing for their necessities, as for them which are tenderly beloved of our heavenly Lord & Father, who willeth & commandeth us so to do. All this we ought to do, with as servant a will as we can, for gratifying, pleasing, & obeying our Lord, how injurious & noisome soever they be unto us.  
It is very hard said Probus, for to bear such tender affection to our enemies, as we may do to our friends & benefactoures.  
Our corrupt natures said Alphonso, find difficulty to love our enemies, but the children of God must not measure nor order their actions, by the inclination & motions of their corrupt affections, but by the rule of gods holy will and commandment. And a resolute will of serving God, maketh them no less firm & constant in loving him, whom their own inordinate affections would hate, then him whom by the abundance of benefits & good turns, they are inclined to love.  
Yet with all this you must know, that albeit our love ought to be in this sort equally to every one: yet ought we first to show it in good effects and benefits, towards them that are virtuous, & them we are behoulden unto. For gods will is, that our charity be orderly disposed, preferring in these good benefits, every one, according as we are diversly bound unto them.  
God hath also said Probus, commanded us to love our neighbours, as we love ourselves, which is an other manner of loving them, then as our Saviour loved us.  
He hath commanded so indeed said Alphonso, but this manner & the other, are all one in effect & substance if they be rightly understood. For the love which we should have to ourselves, aught to be the same, and in the same manner, as our saviour loved us. We will therefore if it please you go forward, & declare in what sort we are to love ourselves.  
Do so I ptay you said Probus, for it can not but be a pleasant hearing, & without all peril of offending any, every one being desirous, to love himself as much as may be.   

OF THE LOVE OF OUR SELVES.  
Our natural inclination said Alphonso, to the love of ourselves, is so great & vehement, that God hath not given us any commandment thereof, yet by the blindness & corruption of sin, we have in most part lost our judgement & knowledge, how we ought to do it.  
He therefore that would truly love himself, must observe three things.  
First that by all means he procure any thing whereby he knoweth any good may come to himself.  
Secondly that he flee and avoid, whatsoever may bring him damage or evil.  
Thirdly that he refuse not to offer & yield himself to any difficulties for obtaining his own good.  
Our natural reason and the light of our Catholic faith, sufficiently teach us, which be true goods & evils, & which be apparent & deceitful. And we must be very circumspect & diligent that we err not, in discerning these, or follow not the unreasonable inclinations & appetites of our own sensuality, taking that for good, which indeed is hurtful, or fleeing that as evil, which in truth is our good.  
Now he that would enrich himself with good things, must know, that in every good he desireth, or may obtain, two things are to be considered. One is, the good that may come to himself, by that thing. The other is, that it is gods will & desire, that he have that thing. Of these two he ought little or no whit, to esteem the benefit or good that may hap to himself of the thing he desireth or doth as it is his own: In respect of the second; that it is the service of God, & the fulfilling of his holy will as I told you before in the fifth instruction, speaking of the end of all our actions & desires.  
Our Lord hath given us a precious ornament or jewel, wherewith we may exceedingly enrich ourselves at any time, that is our appetite and will, the which we (as it were) gild with copper or tin, when we desire & love anything for our own good & benefit: And again, we adorn & beautify it with divine gold, when (forgeating ourselves) we desire and love any good thing, only for pleasing & serving our Lord, & fulfilling his will. For the more we forgeat ourselves, & have care of gods honour & glory, the more care haithe God over us agiane to enrich us with all goodness. Wherefore he that spiritually loveth himself, must ever (as worldly men do) study how to make better, all his goods & substance when he knoweth the way how it may easily be done. What more is to be said of this point, I refer you to our conference of the hatred of ourselves.  
For the second also, which is the fleeing of all evil: I need to say no more, but he that truly loveth himself must este me nothing evil or hurtful to him, & so flee it, but only f●inne & the occasions thereof.  
Now for the third, which is to offer himself to any difficulty or dangers for getting his own good: I must admonish him diligently to exercise himself in the things that I have said before, but principally, in the hatred of himself, in humility, in patience, and in the four natural affections or passions of his soul.  
Is there then no more necessary said Probus, for obtaining this true love of ourselves?  
One thing more said Alphonso, is to be observed and practised diligently, and that is. It happeneth daily, that we do or say something, otherwise than we should have done or becometh us, for which they that see or hear, (knowing our defect or imperfection) may think the worse of us, & the less esteem us. In which case we must consider, first the confusion that followeth us thereby. In this confusion we must not comfort or animate ourselves, in thinking that others perhaps regarded not what we did or said, or that perhaps they have forgotten it, or that it should not trouble us, because other men fall often into the like defects: This I say we should not do, but with great love embrace that confusion, & think that others marked us very well, & account worse of us, & worthily contemn us as unprofitable & unperfect men. For in doing thus, we make a vehement act of patience and humility, and shortly produce, most excellent habits of them, and finally, do great service to God, if we refer it to him.  
The other thing we are to consider in such cases, is the evil example we give thereby, and the dishonour or less glory to God. For this therefore the servant of God, must produce an act of sorrow, for that he hath been by that speech or fact, perhaps some occasion of evil, or less serviceable to his Lord, than he might or should have been, and thus shall he reap commodity both on the one, and the other.  
This is all I have to say of the love of ourselves, unless you be unsatisfied in some thing.  
I am very well satisfied in all you have spoken said Probus, & I vetelye think, that whosoever would frame himself to serve God in this sort you have told me, should not only increase exceedingly his own merit & glory in heaven: but moreover lead a most joyful & sweet life in earth.  
He should no doubt find much comfort, joy, & sweetness said Alphonso, serving God in this sort, but he must beware, he rest not in this sweetness, nor serve God for it, because God giveth it not for that end, but that by it we may come to take delight & joy, in the consideration of that good, glory, & dominion, which God possesseth, and that with great courage, we laud & praise him.  
What is our praising of God said Probus?  
All praise of God said Alphonso, is none other thing in us, than a jove that we have, to manifest and make known to all persons, the wonderful works & inestimable goodness of our Lord, in whom his servants ought to delight & joy, as worldly men do, when they hear their dear friends, or themselves praised.  
Now let us end with thanks giving to God for his gifts and goodness.  
Tell me this also said Probus, how shall I give thanks to God?   

OF THANKS GEVING.  
Thanksgeving to God, said Alphonso, is nothing else but an internal act of the soul, whereby he that hath received a gift or benefit from God, first recogniseth him to be an infinite God & Lord, from whom floweth all good in heaven & earth, and then joyeth, not because he is more enriched thereby, but for the glory & goodness of his Lord, and for that he seethe himself by that gift, more abled to love & serve him.  
Is there nothing besides this said Probus, necessary in yielding thanks to God?  
Besides these acts of our understanding & will said Alphouso, gods servant ought upon receipt of any benefit, to offer unto God all he is, abasing & annihilating himself in his own conceit & will, that so he may wholly in body & soul, be devoted into gods service, producing at that time great acts of joy, for the infinite power & goodness of god, from which that benefit came. For he that would be accounted grateful, aught to requite his benefactor with an other thing of as great or greater value & worth, then that was, which he received of him before.  
And seeing we have received of god all we have: whatsoever we yield to his service, is very small to requite, yea, the least of his benefits. We ought therefore at the least, to render him thanks for them, in the manner I have said, & this with as much love and force, as possibly we may.  
And not only to do this, for the benefits bestowed on ourselves, but also for the gifts & graces given to all his Saints, to our friends, to our enemies, and all his creatures in heaven & earth. For in so doing, we make (in a strange and marvelous sort) the goods of all gods creatures, our own, & without regard of our own commodity, we exceedingly increase the same.  
Now is it time, you were traveling. I will bring you into your way again.  
I thank you Father said Probus.  
And being come to the way, they embraced each other and departed, Alphonso to his solitary cell, & Probus toward jerusalem.  
Deo gratias.    

A Table of the contents.  

How the Pilgrim & the Ermitt met. Cap. 1. fol 1.  
To what end God created man. 3.  
Two manners of serving God. 4.  
Of the ruin & destruction of man's soul & body by sin. 6  
By what powers of our foul we may repair our ruune, & how to use our understanding & will. 8  
The use of our will. 12  
What end and intention we should have in all our actions. 15  
How to plant good habits, & extirpate the evil. 21   

THE second part.  
How to purge our soul from sin. 25  
Hatred of ourselves. 27  
Of Prayer. 32  
Of Humility. 35  
HoW to overcome the vice of vainglory. 40  
Of Patience. 44  
Of the four natural passions of the soul  
Of Sorrow. 49  
Of Hope. 51  
Of Fear. 52   

The third part.  
Of the love of God. 53  
Of the love of our Neighbour. 66  
Of the love of ourselves. 69  
Of Thanks giving. 72    

Faults escaped in the printing  

Fol. 9 pag. 1 lin. 4 Helped. read, ever helped.  
Fol. 14 pag. 2 lin. 2 grief, read, sorrow & grief.  
Fol. 16 pag. 1 lin. 11 For god. read for none other end but only for,  
Fol. 34 pag. 2. lin. 27 unfeaned, read, ready & unfeaned.  
Fol. 42 pag. 1 lin. 6 hate, read bate & refuse.  
Fol. 52 pag. 1 lin. 7 God is, read our Lord is.  
Fol. 94 pag. 2 lin. 20 good & glory, read, infinite good.