COnsyderynge o myghty Empe­rour thou hast the highest and hono­rableste dignite of all dignites: thou shuldest honour & worshyp hȳ aboue all other / whiche hath reputed the worthy of suche honour. For why / god in likenes of his celestiall empere / hath delyuered to the / the sceptre and gouernaunce of this worlde / to instructe and teache thy subiectes to kepe iustice / and to punyshe them / whiche persuade the contrary / folowynge and obeyenge his lawes and his preceptis / and or­derynge thy subiectes as right and [Page] equite requirethe.

ii. As the gouernour of a shyppe in tempest doth watche diligētly bothe for his owne sauegarde and his: so an emperour muste kepe suche dili­gent watche / that equite and iustice be in surete: and so strongely repelle the vehement wawes of iniquite / that the [...]ot of his worldly cōmonwelth be nat frushed and brokē with the wawes of wickednes.

iii. Therfore we mortal men specially are taught and īstructed with ho­ly scripture / to knowe our selfe. For who that knoweth hym selfe / shall knowe god: and he y ^t knoweth god / shall be likened to god: truly he shal be likened to god / that is goddis ser­uant: he is goddis seruāt / that doth nothyng contrary to goddis cōman­dement / but that he thynketh be ꝑ­teynynge [Page] to god: he speketh as he thynketh / and dothe as he speketh: whiche thynge no man may do effe­ctually / with out perpetuall conty­nuance in goodnes.

iiii. No man shulde glorifie or delite in the nobilite of his kyndrede. For why / both riche and poure be ingendred of erthe. Therfore no mā ought to exalte and prayse his vile & erthly kyndrede / but onely glorifie and re­ioyce in good and godly maners.

v. O mā loke and knowe thou / that the higher thou art by goddis helpe in dignite: so moche thou arte more in his dette: therfore thanke thy be­nefactour therof / whiche acceptethe that is due to him as merite / and for frendshyppe doth frendshyppe: god is always the first that gyueth / and yet as he were our detter / he quiteth [Page] agayn our goodnes to hym shewed. onely requirynge for his gentylnes and kyndenes to vs / effectuall loue and thankes.

vi. Truly ther is nothyng that maketh a man so cōmendable or preyse worthy / as to do / that he desyreth to do: and to wyll and do / that is good and rightous. Consyderynge than that this power is gyuen the by al­mighty god / of the whiche in our be halfe thou haddest great nede: thou shalte wyll and do nothynge / but as god (that hath gyuen the suche fa­culte and power) wylleth and com­maundeth. For truely nothynge is more pleasant both to god and man / than to do iustice.

7. The vnstedfastnes of these worldly riches ensue and folowe the cours of flowyng waters / whiche ryches [Page] he shall possesse & enioye but a while that thynketh hȳ selfe of them most sure. For shortely after / with the fal­lyng water / they wyll leue hym and enriche some other. Therfore good and mercifull dedes be to man most sure and stedfaste: for the merite of them returneth euermore to the profite of the good dede doers.

viii. Bicause of this high & worldly empere thou art harde to be spoken with all: and yet by reason of suche power thou shuldest humiliate thy selfe: and therfore y ^e spedilier admyt poure mē to thy speche and presence. Thou shalte therfore the sooner (fo­lowing goddis rules) listen to poure men / that god maye in thy necessite bothe kyndly harken to the / and also helpe the. For loke howe we order o­ther / so of god we shal be ordred.

[Page]ix. The pēs;iful and troubled mynde of an emperour muste be euermore as pure as the glas / that so hit may by diuine and godly lyght / continu­ally glyster & shyne: and also that he by quietnes of mynde may lerne di­stincte and true knowelege of thyn­ges. For truely there is nothynge y ^t causeth man so wel to marke and be holde what is to be done / as a quiete mynde and clere conscience.

x. Lyke as the mariner / a lytell go­ynge out of cours / hurteth & is noy­full to those that sayle with hym: & as the shyppe by negligence of the gouernour peryssheth and goeth to wracke: euen so do the citees. For if a subiecte do amys / he hurteth hym selfe more greuously than the welth publyke: but whan the ruler / the gouernour / or prince mysdoeth / he hurteth [Page] y ^e holle cōmunalte: Therfore for as moche as he must gyue a strayte counte if he rule nat well: hit were nedefull that he with exquysite dili­gence both speke & do euery thynge / and so auoyde all danger.

xi The cercle & whele of these worldly thynges be often tymes turned / the whiche are turned somtime this way somtyme that way. Truely in these thynges is no equalite: for in them is neither constāce nor yet any sure fūdaciō. Therfore o most migh­ty emperour amonge these change­able mouynges / and vnstedynes of thynges / loke that thou haue a sted­faste thought and mynde / with true feythe and pitie.

xii. Thou shalt flie and withstande the entycyng cōmunicacion of flat­terers / as thou woldeste eschewe a [Page] sort of rauening crowes. For crowes pecke out the corporal eies: but flat­terers blinde the vnderstandynge of mans soule / whan they wyll nat suf­fre hym to ꝑceyue the trouthe of thȳ ­ges: for either they preyse thynges that are worthy to be dispreised / or els dispreise thinges most worthy to be preysed: so that one of these two must nedes folowe / that is / either y ^e commendacion and laude of yll and wicked caytyues / orels the cōtempt and dispreyse of good men.

xii. An emperours mynde must al­way be constant. For why / to chāge with euery wauerȳg and vnstedfast thinge / is a token of an inconstaunt minde. Therfore thou shuldest cleue and affixe thy selfe to good and ver­tuous men / whiche shall stablishe & make stedfaste thy kyngdome & em­pere. [Page] Nor thou shuldest nat proudly eleuate thy selfe / nor yet without re­son to moche submytte thy selfe: but prudently after the vse and custome of wise men / surely to groūde the inconstance. For who so euer grondely thynkethe vpon the disceitfulnes of this lyfe: and wyll also beholde the vilenes and shortnes therof: consy­derynge farthermore the bodily fyl­thines / he wyll neuer waxe proude / be he in neuer so high a dignite.

xiiii. Aboue all other precious orna­mentis that any kyngdome hath / y ^e crowne of pite and of diuyne seruice dothe most hight and ornate a kyn­gis and an emperours maieste. For why / erthely richesse / fauour of the cōmunalte / laude & preyse do soone vanishe away / but the glorie of good and vertuous life / is immortall / and [Page] shall neuer be forgotte.

xv. Me thynketh hit moche vncon­uenient / that the poore man and the riche shulde suffre like harme by cō ­trarye and dyuers causes: the riche by abundance and great welfare are corrupted: y ^e poure perishe through famyne and scarsite. Farther more the riche possesseth al the worlde / the poure man hath nat where he maye set his foote. Therfore / to the entent that they bothe may be holpe / they must be ruled by deduction / that is / the riche muste gyue to the poure: & so the inequalite shall be brought to equalite.

xvi. The tyme and season of prospe­rous life / whiche certeyne olde pro­phettis dyd ꝓnosticate shulde come / whan wyse men shulde gouerne and rule / or kynges waxe philosophers / [Page] is nowe manifested and opened: for truely you gyuynge nowe and appliyng your selfe to philosophie & wyse­dome / are estemed worthy to be ru­lers: but specially whan in your au­ctorite and gouerning / ye decline nat frō reason & wysedome. For if to loue wisedome maketh the philosopher / and the begynnyng of wisedome is the fere of god / whiche ye must euer more remēbre: who can say / but my writing is true / & as clere as true?

xvii. For certeyne we affirme the to be an emperour / seinge thou wylt o­uercome & subdue thy voluptuous pleasures. and than thou arte crow­ned with the [...]deme of Chastite / & thā thou shewest thy selfe arayed w ^t the [...]urpul robe of Iustice. As for al other thinges vanishe away: these vertues be immortall: al other pleasures [Page] and worldly dignites peryshe: but as these vertues be fer frō al pe­rell / so they be euerlastyng.

xviii. If thou wylt be beloued & ho­nored of all men / loke thou helpe all men. For certeynly ther is nothyng that causeth a mā to be beloued and honored so soone / as to helpe and succour poure mē: for y ^e capping & kne­lyng that is done for feare / is fucate & figured flattery of feyned honour.

xix. Thy empere by all right & rea­son is therfore the more worthy to be honored and preysed / that it feareth and kepeth his ēnemies vnder: and shewing to his subiectis al kyndnes kepeth them in good ꝓsperite. Therfore as it ouercometh his ēnmies by strengthe of armes / so his subiectes by charite and good loue surmoūt & ouercome his gentylnes & goodnes: [Page] truly betwene these .ii. kyndes of humanite & loue is no more difference / than is betwene the tame shepe and other wylde beastis.

xx. Though an emperour ī body be like all other / yet in power he is lyke god / & maister of al men. For in erthe he hath no pere. Therfore as god be thou neuer chafed or angry / as man be thou neuer proude. For though y ^u be like god ī face / yet for al that thou art but erthe: whiche thing techeth the to be egall to euery man.

xxi. Accept and fauour them y ^e gyue the good coūsaile / but nat those that flatter the: good coūseilers consyder what ought to be done: flatterers cō syder what may please mē of might: whiche flatterers are like mens sha­dowes: for they gaynesay nothyng / but alowe & preise what euer is said.

[Page]xxii. Be so to thyne / as thou woldest that god shulde be to the. For as we here other / so we shall be harde / & as we fauour other / so god wyll fauour vs. Therfore let vs fyrst shewe mer­cy and be mercifull / that in lyke ma­ner we may opteyne mercy.

xxiii. As a fayre glasse expresseth the very true fisnomy of man / that is of goodly & beutifull ꝑsons theyr beutifulnes: and of yll fauored theyr yl fauour: so the rightousnes & equite of god is likened to our dedes. For after our dedes / god wyll rewarde vs.

xxiiii. Do that y ^•e entende coldly / but yet do hit spedily y ^t ye purpose to do. For folishe hastynes in euery thinge is very perillous. Truly who y ^t marketh diligentely / what mischiefe ry­seth of hastynes / shal soone ꝑceyue & like wise vnderstāde the cōmodite of [Page] good coūseile / as sicke folke aft theyr sickenes vnderstande the pleasure of helthe. Therfore most prudēt prince with sage coūseile and deuoute prayers made to god / loke thou diligent­ly serche and inquere what shalbe ꝓfitable for the / to rule and gouerne this worlde.

xxv. Thou shalt best gouerne thy noble empere / if thou ouerse al thinges thy selfe / & suffre nothing negligētly to passe. Nor it is nat a small thinge in the / that in cōparison of thy sub­iectes appereth to be smalle. For the leest worde of an emperour / is amōg all folkes right highly estemed / and of great auctorite.

xxvi. Bicause ther is no erthly man that can cōstraine the to obserue and kepe thy lawes / enforce thy selfe to vse & kepe them. For if thou diligētly [Page] obserue them / thou shalt manifestly shewe / that the lawe is worthy to be obserued / and the breker of hit / wor­thy to be punyshed.

xxvii. It is one thinge to syn / & nat to chastise synners. For who so euer dwelleth in a cite / & ther in suffreth wicked liuers / before god he is an yl lyuer. Therfore if thou wylt be este­med to be indifferent / honor them y ^t do well / & punyshe them that do yll.

xxviii. I thynke hit very expediēt to eschewe yl company. For who y ^t is cō uersant with yll lyuers / shall eyther suffre harme / or lerne some yll. But he that leadeth his lyfe amōge good & honest cōpany / eyther he shal lerne to folowe honestie / orels to diminishe his fautes and vices.

xxix. Sith it is so y ^t god hath gyuen to the rule of al the worlde / loke y ^u vse [Page] no yl officers. For he that promoteth them shal answere for theyr offēces. Therfore great offices must be deli­gētly gyuē / & wel & wisely bestowed.

30. I esteme these two thinges to be lyke yll / to be chafed with y ^e leude de­ling of our ēnemie / or to be mollified with the plesant swete wordis of our frēdes. For we ought to resist & with stande them bothe / that is / neuer to decline frō comelines / nother in reuē gyng the vnresonable yll wyll of our foos / nor in rewarding the feyned beniuolence of our frende and louer.

31. Esteme nat those thy feythful frē des / that wyl preyse al thinges that thou spekest: but those / whiche with out any feyning / do all that they can for the: and be glad & reioyce / whan thou sayest or dost any thynge well / & agayne be sory & heuy / if thou do or [Page] say yll. For certayne these betokens of frendship aborryng all fraude.

32. Let nat the greatnes & might of this thy erthly empere chāge thy noble mynde / but ruling thy frayle empere / and subiect to diuers fortunes / haue amōge these mutable thinges a stedfast and īmutable mynde / nat lyfting vp thy selfe by to moche ioy / nor yet hurtȳg thy selfe by to moche heuynes & sorowe. For lyke as golde though it by crafte & wytte of mā be turned nowe thus nowe other wise / & wrought in diuers fashions of or­namentes: yet hit remayneth golde styl nor wyl nat be chāged from his nature: so thy selfe most noble emperour / though frō grice to grice haste borne one office after an other / & arte come to the most highest honor / yet thou remaynest y ^e same thinge thou [Page] were. Kepe y ^u therfore amonge these diuersites of thinges an inalterable and a cōstant mynde / the whiche frō this worldly empere / shal bringe the to ꝑpetuall blys & ioye euerlastinge.

33. If thou wylt haue y ^e dominiō of thy empere cōmended / deme thyne owne offences as worthy punysshe­mēt as y ^e defautes of thy subiectis. For in this worlde no man / but only thyn owne consciēce can punishe the.

34. He that opteyneth high power and dignite shulde ensue & folowe as nere as he may / y ^e gyuer therof. For if themperour represent god / lorde of al thinge / and by his liberalite hath the gouernance of euery thinge: he than (but namely ī this poynt) shall folow hym / & esteme no erthly thȳg so precious / or so moche of man to be desired / as to be mylde & mercifull.

[Page]35. Aboue golde and precious stone we shuld lay vp as treasure y ^e riches of well doing. For they in this p̄sent lyfe / through hope of the fruicion to come wyll delite vs: and in y ^e lyfe to come / by experience and tast of euer­lasting ioy / they shalbe to vs swete & pleasant. These worldly thinges / y ^e seme to vs pleasant / shuld be eschewed and vtterly auoyded / as vnmete / and nothing ꝑteyninge to vs / y ^t they by enticement disceyue vs nat.

36. Loke thou quite them with gay rewardes / whiche with good wyl do thy cōmandemētes. For by y ^e meane thou shalt encreace y ^e corage of good men / and teache y ^e yldoers to lament theyr offences. For it were to moche vniuste deling to reward alike aswel them y ^e deserued nat as deserued it.

37. Than truly the empere excedeth [Page] all other thinges / whan y ^e ruler therof enclyneth nat to vndiscrete cruel­nes / but to amiable equite & iustice / fleynge beastly cruelnes / and ensu­yng godly kyndnes.

38. Aswel thou shalt iuge rightfully thy ēnemy as thy frēde / nat fauorȳg thy frēde for frendshyp / nor hurtyng thy ēnemy for hatred. For it is a like incōueniēce and offence / to helpe thy frēde desiryng that is agaynst eqte / as it is to hurte thy ēnemy demaun­ding iustice: y ^e misdede in both cases is like / though y ^e ꝑsones be dyuers.

39. Iuges must diligently harken to their causes. For hit is a very harde thinge breuely to ꝑceyue y ^e trouthe / the whiche frō negligēt ꝑsons soone skapeth. But if a rightful iuge wyll leaue the feyned eloquence of attour­neis / and cōsidering the true entēciō [Page] wyl flie y ^e likelyhod of causes / he shal shortly ꝑceyue y ^e trouth. And farthermore auoyde .ii. diuers fautes / that is / they shal neither do / nor yet ꝑmit any other to do agaynst honestie.

xl. Though thou haue as many vertues / as be sterris ī y ^e firmamēt / yet thou shalt neuer ouercome the good­nes of god. For what so euer we offer to god / we offer to hȳ but his owne. And as no mā can go fro or before his shadowe in y ^e son / alway going afore or nere folowing hym: so y ^e goodnes of god is insuperable / and can nat be exceded w ^t good warkes of any man.

xli. The treasure of liberalite is infi­nite. For who that liberally spēdeth getteth / and spending his goodes o­ther gether them. Loke than most liberal emperour: y ^t thou mynde those thinges: and that thou gyue large­ly [Page] to poure men. For whan the tyme of rewardes and thākes shall come / thā for this thy liberalite / thou shalt haue infinite thankes & great luker.

xlii. Seing thou haste opteyned and gotten thy kyngdome by god / folow thou hym in all good warkes / that men may knowe thy liberalite. For thou art of the numbre of them that may do good / & nat of poure mē and those that couet to be holpē. For god therfore hath gyuen the so abundāt riches to helpe & succour poure men.

xliii. An emperour is no otherwise ordeyned to rule the worlde / thā mans eies to rule and watche for the saue­garde of his body. He is deputed of god to ministre those thynges / that may be profitable for mā. Therfore an emperour ought to do none otherwise for al men / than he wolde do for [Page] hym selfe: that so by his tuiciō they may auoyde al dangers / and ꝓspere in goodnes.

xliiii. Thynke thou the most sure de­fence of thy ꝓsperite / to hurte nor to iniury no man. For he that offēdeth no man / suspecteth no man. If than to iniury no mā dothe cause good cu­stody and sauegarde: then truely by liberalite thou shalt y ^e soner opteyne hit. For as liberalite getteth and en­gēdreth defence: so it cōserueth good and honest loue. For if we do that is honest / men wyl loue and kepe vs.

xlv. Be thou (o moste mekest empe­roure) to thy subiectes through thy excellent power / terrible: and by thy liberalite and goodnes be thou ami­able. Nor y ^u shuldest nat by to moche fauour / set at light and nothynge re­gard thy high power: nor yet regarding [Page] to moche thy power / despise fa­uour. But kepȳg a mean / thou shalt as well shewe louely kyndnes to thy subiectes / as by asperite & sharpnes chastise to great familiarite.

xlvi. Suche thinges as y ^u by worde dost p̄scribe to thy subiectes / loke by example of pure life thou accōplishe. For if thou do reason / and with rea­son doste lyue as thou sayest / euery man shall greatly cōmende the.

xlvii. Loue them moste noble empe­rour / that mekely desyre thy gyftes / more than those / whiche diligētly desire to gyue y ^e gyftes. For these thou art boūde to thāke / & also to rewarde them: the other truly shal assine god to thāke y ^e / whiche reputeth to be gyuen to hym / & for his loue / what so e­uer is gyuen or done for poure men.

xlviii. The vertue of the son is to illuluminate [Page] the worlde / themperours vertue is to be mercyfull / & to helpe poure men. Truly a meke & a merci­ful prince excedeth y ^e brightnes of y ^e son: for y ^e son gyueth place to y ^e night but a good vertuous prince suffreth no extorciō / but by y ^e light of trouthe and iustice / he castiseth iniquite.

xlix. Thy predecessours haue gretly ornated theyr empere / but thou tru­ly by thy humanite & affabilite / nat esteming thy ryal & mighty power / hast moche more greatly ornated it. Wherfore al they y ^t nede mercy rūne to thy grace / whiche delyuered from theyr pouerte & aduersite / do highly thanke the.

l. Loke how moche thou excellest al other in power & dignite / so moche y ^e more y ^u shuldst endeuer the / by noble & vertuous dedes to excelle & shyne [Page] aboue all other. For high power req­reth great honestie. God also wyl re­quire / thou helpe (after thy power) nedefull and honest ꝑsons. Therfore if y ^u desire to be truly preysed / & to be by god / as it were bi a trōpeter declared a cōqueror: ioyne y ^u to y ^e crowne of thy inuincible ēpere / by helping y ^e poure) y ^e crowne of euerlasting ioye.

li. Er thou cōmande that right and equite ꝑsuadeth / loke thou wel vpon it. For verily so thou shalt euermore cōmande that right is. Mans tōge is a very slippery instrumēt / y ^e whi­che hath brought many one ī to gret perill & danger. Therfore if y ^u prefixe to the forsaid instrumēt y ^t is goodly & honest / hit shall soūde only y ^t is plea­sant / & right to be executed & done.

lii. A prince ī al thinges must be subtile & wise / but namely in iuginge of [Page] great & weighty causes / seldome an­gry / and nat to be angry without a great cause. But bicause neuer to be angry is nat laudable / an emperour to refrayne the furiousnes of misdo­ers / and y ^t men may purge theyr fautes / shall measurably vse his anger.

liii. Loke y ^u be diligēt to knowe ꝑfetly the maners & cōdicions of thy seruā ­tes / & of all those / whiche charite en­forceth the to loue. And also be y ^u dili­gent to knowe those / whiche disceit­fully do flatt y ^e. For oft tymes disceit­ful louers & flaterers do great hurt.

liiii. Whan so euer thou herest suche cōmunicacion or coūsaile / y ^e may profite / do nat only here hit / but also fo­lowe it. For truly y ^e emperours ma­ieste is than ornated / whan he hym selfe cōsidereth / what is necessary to be done: and despiseth nat other mēs [Page] profitable inuecions & coūsayle / and is nat ashamed to lerne / and quicke­ly executeth that he hath lerned.

lv. As a castell / whiche by reason of his strōge walles is inuincible / and setteth light by his ēnemies: so thy empere / wel walled with liberalite & fortified with deuoute prayer / is in­uīcible / and by goddis helpe shal tri­umphe of his aduersares & ēnemes.

lvi. Vse so this inferior kyngdome / that it may be to y ^e a way to y ^e kyng­dome of heuen. For who so euer go­uerneth well this erthly kingdome / is estemed worthy to opteyne celesti­al ioye and pleasure. He ruletth this worlde rightfully / that charitably loueth his subiectes / and of his subie­ctes is duely honored & dredde / and whā he procureth / that none occasiō of yll be amonge them.

[Page]lvii. Liberalite & charitable dedes is a ꝑpetual & incorrupt garmēt. Therfore who so euer wyl raygne charita­bly / must ornate and clothe his soule with suche goodly vesture and apparaile. For who that helpeth y ^e poure men / shal opteyne ioye euerlastinge.

lviii. Cōsidring that god hath gyuen the / y ^e imperial sceptre / loke thou en­deuer thy selfe vtterly to please him. And bicause he hath preferd y ^e aboue al other: thou must honor him aboue al other. Truly god estemeth hit the most singularst benefite y ^t thou canst do hym / to defende his creatures as thy selfe / and liberally to helpe them as bounde therto.

lix. Euery man y ^t desireth his helthe must call vpon god / but specially the emperour / whiche laboureth for the welth of al men. And he defended by [Page] god / shal as well ouercome his enne­mies as defende his subiectes.

lx. God nedeth nothing. An emperor hath onely nede of god. Therfore fo­low him y ^t hath no nede / & shew mer­cy abūdātly to them y ^t aske it. nat re­kening straitly thy expēses of house hold: but rather helpe euery mā y ^t desireth to liue. For it is better to helpe y ^e vnworthi for honest mēs sakis thā for y ^e vice of y ^e vnworthy to defraude the worthy of that they deserued.

lxi. As y ^u woldest haue forgyuenes of thy synnes / so forgyue other y ^t the of­fēde. God forgyueth them y ^t forgiue. & where forgiuenes is / there is god.

lxii. A prince y ^t wold demene hȳ faut­lesly / must diligētly take hede / y ^t his peple be vtuous / & y ^t he be ashamed to syn / & y ^t he giue no opē exāple to o­ther to do am [...]s / & y ^t he absteyne pri­uatly [Page] lest he offēd opēly. For if subie­ctis be ashamed to do amys / moche more y ^eir ruler ought to be ashamed.

lxiii. It is a priuat mās vice to do yll & liue viciously / but a prīce to forget his owne welth & honestie is moche more vicious. For y ^e abstinēce frō yll dothe nat iustifie mā / but y ^e doyng of honestie & goodnes. Therfore no mā shulde only absteyne frō yll / but also endeuer him to do iustice.

lxiiii. Deth dredeth neither kyng nor emperor / but egally deuoureth eue­ry mā. Therfore before his fearefull comyng / let vs gether our riches in heuē. For no mā can cary worldly ry­ches thither / but all left in ertthe / he shal ther naked giue acōpt of his life

lxv. As an ēperor is lorde of al mē / so w ^t all other he is goddis seruāt. And shall thā be called a lorde / whā he by [Page] vtue of chastite ouercometh his sen­sual lustis / & with an inuīcible mȳde despiseth the transitory pleasures & ioyes of this worlde.

lxviii. As mās shadow foloweth the body / so syn foloweth y ^e soule: whiche soule ones seperated frō y ^e mortal bo­dy / shal giue arekening to god of his good & yl dedes. Nor thā is no tyme to deny any thyng. For euery mans dede shal beare witnes / nat bi worde but representinge & openinge euery mans dede / as he dyd hit.

lxix. As a shyp hauing winde at wyl brīgeth y ^e passagers oft times into y ^e hauē soner thā they wold a thought so y ^e swift time of this mortal life passeth away / & we aproche to our ende: Therfore let vs leue to loue worldly thīges / whiche this world estemeth so moche / & let vs studi how to get to [Page] y ^e port of heuē / where is no wayling / but eternal ioye and pleasure.

lxx. No man bi reason of his dignite shuld be haute & proude / but cōside­ring y ^e substāce of y ^e fleshe / shulde re­presse the swelling pride of hart. For though he be made a prince ī erthe / yet he must mȳde / he was engēdred of erthe: & y ^t frō erthe he asēded to y ^e seate royal / & frō y ^e seate roial he shal agayne descēde to vilē erth & ashes.

lxxi. Be neuer careles prince most excellēt. & as they y ^t go vp a ladder stint nat til they come to y ^e highest rōge or grice: so y ^u desiring to haue vtu / shul dest neuer cesse tyl y ^u cōe to y ^e kingdōe of heuē. Whiche thing Christe / y ^e ke­per and encrecer of all thing (whose name mē shall glorifie & preise etnal­ly) grant the & y ^e empresse thy wife.