LIBER VIARVM DEI.
THIS IS the boke of the wais of god whiche was shewed from the Angell of god almighti, most high vnto Elizabeth the hād mayden of Christe, and of the lyuynge God, in the fyft yeare of the visitation of her, In the which yere the spirite of our Lorde hathe visited her, to the health of all theim whyche perceyue and take the fatherlye monicions or warnynges of our lord god with a thankful blessyng and benediction. And it was in the yeare of our Lordes incarnation a thousande, a hundred fyftye and sixe.
¶ The fyrst Chapter.
IT was doone in the beginnyng of the fyfte yeare of my visitation, then drawynge nere the feast of Pentecoste, called whit sontyde, I Elizabeth in the vision of my spiryte haue sene a highe hylle, lightned in the toppe of that hill, with plētuous light. And as thre wais set or stretched from the fote or roofe of that hyll vnto the height therof. And of those thre ways one which was the middell waye sette and put right agaynste me, that way had the semyng or likelyhode of the cleare heauen, or of the stone Iacynctyne. And that [Page] way whiche was on the right partes to me appered grene. And that wai which was on the lefte partes was pourple.
There stode forsooth a certayne noble man in the toppe of that hyll, agaynst the mydle waye, and he was clad with a iacinetyne cote, and gyrt at the raynes, with a white brode gyrdle, and his face shinynge as the sonne. His eies trewly bryghtly glitterynge in maner of sterres. And the heares of his head as woull moste whyte. He had forsoothe in his mouth a swerd of either part sharpe. And in his right hande he hadde a key. In his lefte hande trewelye he hadde as thoughe tt were a kynges [Page] steptre.
The second vision. ¶ The .ii. Chapiter.
IN the solempnite of Penthecost called whitsontide I didde see agayne in the height of the said hyl on the left parts of the said mā next vnto the ways of the fyrst vision, other thre ways hauyng such varietie or difference as foloweth. One forsothe of those thre ways whiche appered nexte vnto the greene waye, was fayre or pleasaunt, but on euery parte therof so walled & couered with thick brembles that thei whiche walked by that way must nedes be pricked with those br [...]les [Page] without or excepte they diligently streygned togither, & bowed downe myghte go that waye. There appeared also a certayne pathe delectable, very straite, and as but littell troden or vsed, & that waye had no brembles, but was of either part walled with pleasaunte grasse, and plentuousely with floures of dyuers kyndes. Forsoothe the myddell waye betweene those twoo wayes was one waye, hauynge more breadthe than the other wayes: & it was playne or smoothe, and as it were hauynge a pauemente of readde tyles: whyche waye whan I diligently had loked on, the angell of the Lorde [Page] whiche was assistant to me, sayd: Thou lookest on this waye, and it semethe to thee fayre and proufitable to walke in it: But it is perillous, and they that walke by it sone or easily do falle.
¶ The thyrde Vision. ¶ The .iii. Chapiter.
AGayne in the Vtas of Pentecoste called Whitesontide, in the tyme of the midday rest, sodeynely the eies of my hert were opened withoute vexing of my fleshe, as and in the foresayd visions, and I did see agayn all that I didde se afore in the visions afore rehersed, And besyde those waies whiche I did see afore, our Lorde dydde [Page] shewe to me other foure wais next the .iii. waies of the first vision on the right partes of the mā whiche stode on the top of that hylle. One of those wais whiche was next to the purple waye seemed to haue greatte difficulte vnto the middes of the hyll, because of the thicknes of brembles, with whiche that way was sette on bothe sydes. The other parte truly of that waie vnto the top of the hylle was pleasaunt with floures, & free without lettynge or impedimente, but it was narrowe or straite and it appered but a littel trodden or vsed. The waye whiche was next to that semed to be drye and in maner of a fielde [Page] eared, sharp with great cloddes and very comberous to them that go or walke therein. And I was thynkyng to my self of these two wayes how harde the goinges therein was: And the angell whyche stode by me answeryng, sayd: If any doo walke by these waies, let hym beware that he offende not, nor hurte his foote: He forsothe that dothe offende and hath fallen, if he do not ryse agayne, but bideth in his fall, he shall not see the euerlastyng lighte. Truely the other two wayes whiche together with these wais didde appere, they were playne, and spedye to walke, and fayre to the syghte hauyng bryghtnes [Page] as the ground well vsed or trodden in the hyghe waie. And when I beganne to looke on those waies, I hearde agayne the angell, saiing: The waie of rightwise mē is made right, and the iurney of sainctes is made redy.
The Interpretacion of the first vision. ¶ The fourth chapiter.
THis is the Interpretacion of the first visyon, as by thangel I haue lerned. The highe hil is the altitude or heighte of the heauenlye blisfulnesse. The lyght in the toppe of the hyll is the clerenes of euerlasting lyfe. The dyuers wayes in the hyll, they be the dyuers [Page] and varyable ascenciōs of them whiche bee chosen, wherewith they ascend to the kyngdome of clerenes. The Iacinctine waye, is the study of the diuine contemplacion: they walke in that way which with busye meditacion, and holy desyre, make sure or fast the eye of theyr mynd in heauenly thinges. The greene waye longeth or pertayneth to them which studie to be perfite & irreprehensible in the actiue lyfe, going forth in al the cō mandementes of oure lord without quarell, & thei in all their workes take no hede to transitorie thynges, but attende & set the goynges of theyr mynde in the [Page] grene way to attain to the high & euerlasting gift of the high & great reward of euerlastyng life. The purple wai is the ascēding of the blessed martirs, who workyng in the Iustice of god by pacience in the torments of their passions in the purple of their blud, thei contēde to passe & to go to the diuine or godly lighte. The noble man vpon the hill is Christe, the shinyng of his chere or face is the signe of his diuine or godly clearenes. His eies with bemes glittering, is his plesant lokes or aspectes vpon his elects or chosē. His heares like white wol shewth him to be old of dais, altho [Page] he was borne after his manhoode in the laste dayes. The two edged swoorde in his mouthe is the sentence of hys tetrrible iudgement, to procede frō his mouthe strikynge them that be reproued wyth double contrition of bodye and soule. The keye in his right hande hath appered, for why, he it is whyche onely openeth the gate of lyfe, and no mā shutteth it: and he shutteth, and none can open it. Hee it is also, whyche also to whome he will, sheweth & openeth the profounde and secrete thynges of the mysteries of God, and ther is none can shet it. And he signeth or shutteth, & none can lose or [Page] open that signe or shuttynge. The sceptre in his lefte hande, is his kyngly or roiall power, which he hym selfe beareth wytnesse, that he hath receyued & taken that power, accordyng to his manlye nature, saying: There is giuen to me all power in heauen and in earth. The Iacinctine coate sheweth the vertue of heauenlye contemplation, which perfectely possessed al the whole mynde of our sauior. Forsothe he tooke not the spirite to measure, as other men do. For in hym all fulnes of the godheade dwelleth and abidethe in hym corporally. The brode whyte gyrdle betokenethe in hym the [Page] beautye or bryghtenes of inuiolable innocēcie. He dydde appere in the waie whiche signifieth the Contemplation of his diuinitie or godhed: for why, so he will haue that waye abyde for euer, where as the other waies shall not be euer permanent & abidynge. He didde not appere in all the wais, and neuerthelesse he was in euery of those waies. For why eche one of theim betokeneth syngular vertues, by the whiche iust or rightuous men come to that high hill, where they receyue for syngular vertues syngular rewardes. And in alwais of truthe God almighty is to be hadde in contemplation.
¶ The Interpretation of the second vision. The fyfte Chapter
THe misterye of the seconde vysion is of this maner.
Three wayes whyche haue appered of the left partes of the man standyng in the hyll next to the grene waie, they expresse y e propretie of .iii. orders in the churche, y t is to say, of thē y t be maried, of them that liueth chaste or continent, & of prelates & gouernors. The waye walled with brembles, is the waye of them whiche be maried. This waye appereth pleasaunt, for that this lyfe frome the beginnyng was institute or ordeyned of God.
And yf laufullye it bee [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] obserued or kepte, it is faire & well pleasyng in the sighte of our lorde. And they whiche walke so in it, without doubte they ascend into the hill of the lorde. but infinite thornes & prickes of secular cures & busynesse commeth on of euerye parte, with the whyche the walkers or goers in that way muste needes bee pricked, excepte that with scarcelye lyuyng all maner waies they constrayne theymselues, & alwaies humbling thēselfe afore god and men, they muste go as it wer bowed doune. The way which is free from brēbles, and walled aboute euery where with plesant floures, is the way of them which [Page] lyueth continente and chaste. Forsoothe the propretie of them is to withdrawe their minde frome all cares and busynesses of this present lyfe, and to thinke what theyr duetie is to oure Lorde, that they maye bee holy bothe in bodye and soule: Strayte or narrowe is this waie: For why that laufullye and wyselye this waye maye bee obserued and kepte, it is necessarye to sette straightely the goinges of theym whiche walke in this waie in the custody of greate discipline or correction, lest perauenture they liuynge after their owne will, maie fall into fornication, or els be deputed with folish virgins, [Page] or with delicate wydowes, which here liuing are dead. This waie is but a lytell troden or vsed: for in respecte of other, few there be whiche enter by this waie: and fewer there be whiche abydeth or continueth in it. That waie is walled about very pleasauntly with floures of diuers kindes. For why all kinde of vertues adornethe or beautifyeth the liues of them which lyue in continencie and chastitie. The myddell way betwene those two wayes is broader than they bee, and that is the way of the prelates and rulers. Forsothe where as that waie is instituted or ordeyned to gouerne the way of them [Page] that bee maryed, or the waie of them that lyue chast or continent, or of bothe, therfore the lesse they bee restreigned or coarcted, the more freelyer they maye vse or exercise their owne wyl And by that the goynges of theym whyche doo walke in that way maye easylye slyppe or slyde in it, and that the playnnesse of that waie aptely doothe signifie. And therfore that way is sayd to be perillous, for so manny there bee whyche falleth in it, so in that waie very fewe be found stable or sure. Forsoothe because that waie seemeth to haue a pauement of redde tyles, whyche are sodden or roasted in the earthe [Page] with fyres: That signifieth the busynes and charge of Prelates, wherwith it is necessary theyr myndes busily to bee occupied, and or as it wer soden among their subiects, to whom they owe procuration bothe of sowle and of bodye.
The Interpretacion of the thirde vision. The .vi. chap.
WHan I asked of the angel myne instructour the Interpretacion of the thirde vision, he sayd to me: Lo thou haste begonne the bokes of the wais of god, as it was promysed to thee: therfore the angell sayd so: [Page] for in the yere afore on a certayne day, when I was in spirite, he ledde me as into a certayne medowe, in whyche me dowe there was a tent fixed and sette vp. And we entred thereinto it. And the Aungelle shewed to me a great heap of bookes there layde, and hee sayde: Seeste thou these bookes? All these are yet to be made afore the day of Iugemente. And forsoothe, he lyftynge vppe one of those bookes, sayde: This is the booke of the Ways of God, whiche is to bee shewed by thee, whan thou shalte visyte thy syster Hyldegarde, and shalt haue hearde her. And so forsoothe it beganne continually [Page] to bee fulfylled when I wente agayne frome her.
¶ The declaration of the .iiii. waies. Cap. vii.
THis is the signification of the foure wayes which wer shewed in the thyrde vysion. The fyrste whiche was nexte to the purple waye in the nether or lower part was sharpe with thornes, and in the vpper parte forsoothe it was speedy and flourishynge, it signifieth the lyfe of them whiche laufully lyuing in the worlde, do make halfe theyr dayes in cares or busines of world lye thynges. And from [Page] thensefoorthe go forth to the flouryshynge and speedie waye of theym, which lyueth continent and chaste. They with theyr rule constrainyng them selues ascende togyther with theim into the hylle of god.
The drye waye, and sharpe with cloddes, that is the hardest kynd of lyfe, in that waie goeth foorthe holye heremites, and manny other hauynge their conuersation in company or felowshyppe of men.
These men make theyr fleshe leaue beyonde all measure of manne, and drye it vp with fastynges, watchynges, knelynges, scourges, heare and with manny moste greuous afflictions.
All such thynges be as mooste sharpe cloddes. Muche vigilaunt and good discretion is necessary to them, whiche do walke in that waie, lest peraduenture with to muche sharpnesse of suche thynges they maye offend, and fal more greuousely then other men Of the two wayes whiche appered with those waies whiche afore are written or described: One of them as it was sayde, semed to be more vsed or more trodden, and also more spedy. Of that waye the aungelle myne instructour spake sayenge: By this waye go forth the holy soules of infantes, whiche are sanctifyed in the holye baptsme, and go frome [Page] this lyfe within seuen yeares, for whye they which do not expert nor know the malice of the worlde they with moste free and with spedy goinges come to the kyngdome of god. Truly of the other way the angel sayd: this is the way of yong men adolescence, whiche more slowlyer than the other go forth. And therfore their way apperith lesse spedy and lesse vsed or troden. Lo these be the visions and the interpretacions of them. Without doubte he whiche hath opened myne eies, y t I mighte se the visions of god he by his angell as it pleased hym thoose visions to be vnderstand in this maner as is afore written [Page] haue showed.
¶ An other vision. The .viii. Chapiter.
IT ws doone in the feaste of saynt Iames, whan I was in spirite, and did see the vision or sight of the wais of god, I was take vp and as it were nere to the toppe in the hylle of god and I behelde. And lo that great light which occupied or spred the toppe of the hil it semed to be cut or departed in the mids, and I loked in by it and did se a multitude of sainctes the number of them coulde not be estemed. And the aungelle my leader sayde vnto me.
Looke and see and consyder all these, whyche thou nowe seest. Here thou seest Martyrs, holy byshoppes and confessours of our Lorde, virgins, religious persons of bothe kyndes, widowes and secular, maried persones, and noble persons, and them that were not noble, all these reignyng with Christe. All these haue walked the wayes of our lorde, the holy wayes whyche thou hast sene, and they haue come to, and haue attayned and receyued the euerlastynge glorye of Christe oure Lorde with his aungelles.
Nowe therefore euery one oughte to consyder his waye: And he whyche hath walked vnrightousely [Page] or not truely, he must or ought to correct himselfe with humilite charitie and obedience, and so dresse his way, & if he perfectly commeth to, he shal receiue euerlastyng rewarde.
¶ Of the waie of contemplatiue liuyng. The fyrste Sermon.
AFter this, I was restyng in my lyttell bedde, but yet I tooke no sleape: And sodeynely the spirite of our lorde dyd visite me, and fulfilled my mouth with this sermon as foloweth. Take hede now therefore you, whyche haue forsaken and renoūced worldly desyres and haue chosen to folowe the steppes of [Page] hym whiche hath called you into his meruaillous lyght: and also he hath named you his electe chyldren to hym, and hath ordeyned you in the end of the worlde to iudge the children of Israel. Thinke to your selfe how you may lyue with lowlynes or mekenesse, and with obedyence, and with charitie, withoute grudge, and wythoute detraction, and without enuy, and wythoute pryde, and frome all other vyces absteyne your selues.
Loue you eche one togyther with brotherlye loue that your heauenly Father bee not blasphemed in you, and so he to be displeased: and then you maye perisshe [Page] frome the ryghte waie, that is from the way of contemplation of hym. Then the aungelle of the Lord prosecuted settyng to this sermon in this maner: if forsothe there bee amonge you striues and discensions detractions, grudgynges, wrath, hate, enuy, extollyng of eies, appetyte of vaynglory, vayn speeches, scurrilities, whyche is yll behauior in their deedes, fyllyng of the bealy, sluggyshnesse or sleapynge, vncleannesse of the fleshe, ydelnes, and such other lyke vices, in whyche doo walke the chyldren of this worlde, what place to the diuyne or Godlye contemplation shall there bee in you? And [Page] be reiterent to aungels: And the pure and clean thynges of the sacramentes of Christ whyche ought to be worshipped, thei dyshonor with theyr vnreuerent ministerie and with vnlawful hert: who so reproue them, they laugh him to scorne: & him thei make heuy with cursyng and persecutiō. They which seme to bee beste of that sort, they be abhominable afore the lord. They walke in clothes of humilitie, but their hert is farre from it: they multiplie praiers, but what profitteth that while in their hertes they speake agaynst god, while brotherly charitie they neglect or forsake: one enuieth an other and back [Page] biteth, and for prelacye they stryue. They professe the despising of the world, but those things whiche beelonge to the world, they do worship, and those they without shame couer and desire: And they be born about w t euery wynd of theyr owne will. Thei cast away the ordinaunces of the anciēt holy fathers. They set thēselues gredily into the cares or busynes of the world, and thei fulfill the church w t sclaunders. And lo for y e cause religion suffereth despisyng, and faith suffreth diuision or cutting asunder. And what shal I adde to theym more saith our lord: Lo I cry after them, and thei wil not heare nor harken. [Page] The voyce of my warnynge they put & strike it away as it wer with theyr hele or foote. I visite theim by suche my graces which haue not ben harde of afore, and their visitation thei wil not know. And more ouer they do laughe it to scorne. I smyte them & they recke not, nor be sory therfore: I cast them hedling doune, and thei are not afraid: The wo of them is an wo horrible, it is reposed to me. Lo it shall come anone, and as a soden flowing & ragyng water, it shall fall vppon them, & shall wynd them into pardition or losse vncurable: those whiche he findeth without feare. You therfor my peple nat people [Page] of fained religion, you which haue determined in your mindes to fight agaynst the world, & to beare heauen in youre mynde: You (I saye) go away from them which be of that sort afore rehersed, and bee you nat partetakers of theym. Stande in the waie of the vysion whyche you haue chosen, and make cleane the eyes of your herte, that you may lift theym vp into the contemplation of the light, in the whiche dwelleth lyfe, and your redemption. Forsothe these be th [...]se thynges whyche maketh cleaue the eyes of youre heartes, that they may be lifted vp to the true lyght. The castyng away of worldly [Page] busines, affliction of the fleshe, contrition of the hert, often & priuie confession of syn, & the washing or lauer of wepīg for the offence of synne. And whā all vnclennes or foulenesse is sent out or put quite away: then these thynges be those, which extol or set vp the eies of your herte. The meditation of y e meruailous essence of god, and the inspectiō or inwardly loking on the chast or pure truthe. A strong & clean praier. The ioyfulnes of y e praise or laude of god, & the burning desire in god. Halfe you these thynges, & be you still in these, and runne you towarde the viuifical light, which light offreth him selfe to you as [Page] to his children, and wilfully setteth himself into your myndes. Withdraw your hertes from your selues, & geue thē into those thynges whiche you haue now herd. and your hertes shalbe fulfilled with godly splē dour or shinynge, & you shalbe y e childrē of light and as the aungelles of god, which angels cesse not desirously to drawe in toward the lord maker, and agayn to shede or to poure in y e strēgth [...] of their contemplation into his original. O you chyldren of Adam, seemeth it vnto you but a small thyng to be made the children of god? And whi turn you awei your face frō y e contēplatiō of his there, or frō the pleasant [Page] loke of him whiche hath geuen such power to men to you singularly which haue chosen to be pesible in this world and in the earthe to bee conformable to angels. You are the lanternes burning which the lord hath ordeined in his holy hylle to lighten or to geue lyght with youre wordes, & with your examples y e darknesses of the world. Se and take you hede that the lighte whiche is in you, be nat made voide or taken awaie with the wynd of pride or of couetousnes, whiche wynd blew out the light of your fyrste parentes in Paradise: bowe away youre eare frome the cries of this world, and geue silence [Page] to the spirite the whiche speaketh in you. Make perpetuall holyday [...] of oure Lorde in your hartes, and the peace of God shall reste vppon you, whyche ouercommethe and is aboue all wytte or knoweledge, and you shall delighte in the multitude of the sweetenesse of hym.
Bee not moued nor let nat youre myndes bee troubled all though the worlde despise you, and esteeme you to bee as deade and barayne: bee not sorye or heauye all thoughe with sorowes, throwes, and with pouertie your life be made thinne, nor bowe not away your eies from the sight of the light of him whiche is afore youre [Page] face. Lo forsoothe it is nere and at hande, that thys worlde shall vanysshe awaye, and the flower therof must dye, and you shall iudge the louers thereof, and you shall treade the neckes of theym whyche waxe proude. And they seyng shall stonny fearefully vpon your glory, when your richesses shall bee shewed foorth the whyche you haue treasured to youre selfe in heauen: and then that whiche is imperfect of your contemplation shall be made voyde. And the face of euerlastinglight shall take the eyes of his Egles, and as the floud ouerflowynge, so shall redound his lightnyng or shinynge in the [Page] heartes of men, whiche haue sought hym in truthe. The angell had not yet ended these wordes which he by times spake to me, when there tel to me a certayne doubt of the distinctiō of y e waies of God which were described. And I asked hym, sayeng, My lorde, Are not we Cenobites, that is, religious persones in the way of contē plation, where as we be in the way of continencie, may it be so that wee maye bee in bothe waies? and the angell sayde: The way of contemplation is common to you with them of the clergy, as y e way of cōtinency is cōmon to thē of the clergie w t you, know thou neuerthelesse, that [Page] many be in the way of continencie, which are not in the way of contemplation. And there be many of the clergie which neither walk in the way of cōtemplation, nor in the way of continencie, & those be vnhappye. Neuer the les thei suppose thē selues to be in the way of contemplation when they are not so in dede. And agayne I asked more, sayinge: What shall we say of the byshops & other gret prelates of the churche? And the angell answered to me these woordes: Pride reigneth in the hertes of prelates & of them which be greatte persones, and thei thruste god backe [Page] from their hertes, and he wyll not rest but vpon hym which is lowly or meke, and vppon him that is quiet, and vpon him which dreadeth his wordes. Forsoth ons our sauior cō manded his disciples, sayeng: Thei which receiue not you, go forth from them, & smite the dust frō your fete into the testimonie of them And what thinkest y t of god, sauior & maker of all creatures, whan he shal com, what shal he do to them which will not receyue hym, but put him back frō them Without dout he shall send them into euerlastyng fire, where shall be weping of eies, and gnasshynge of teethe. [Page] What shall profite thā to them pride & riches? And all these sermons or wordes performed in y e day which we had the memory of saincte Michael: the angel agayne presented hym to me, and I spake to him, saying: My lorde may we surely affirme al these wordes or sermons to procede from thee? Therefore this I saide, for in parte he spake these woordes, neuer the lesse so that I coulde not see his face, and truely these wordes in parte were pronounced by my mouthe in spyryte.
The angell therefore with great seueritie or sharpenes lookyng on me, said: Beleue with [Page] all thy herte all these wordes whiche be described or afore rehersed, haue proceded frō my mouthe: Blessed is he which shal rede and shall here the wordes of this boke: for why, they be tru, nor neuer they decline frō truth.
Of the waie of actiue lyuyng or lyuers.
ANd by and by the angell began an other sermon w t these wordes, sayinge: I warne them whiche be oppressed in worldly busynesse & cares sometyme: or at one tyme or other to think & to remēbre what be y e preceptes of life, that is to loue god aboue al thyng, and their neighbour [Page] as thēselues not to flea or kill, not to do thefte or felony, nor to couet any other mens goodes. These & other thinges which ar written in the lawes of the lord, to kepe & obserue with al diligēce, and so they may know y t they may entre y e kyngdom of god. If thei bee not able to lifte or to rayse vp theimselues to the helth of contemplatiō: Thei must study to fulfill the office of laufull dedes: They must and ought to haue always in theyr myndes, the drede and feare of the lord, & he shall dresse al theyr woorkes & theyr doynges. They ought oftē to come to y e house of praier, which is the [Page] churche, and that with greate reuerence. And with their faculties or goodes when nede is, they muste honorably helpe it: Thei ought to worshyp the sacramentes of y e lord in faith & ī humilite, & thei must gladly giue ere to here the word of god: Thei ought to esteme y e sāctified mynisters of god worthy of all honor: & thei must be cōsenting & agre with mekenes to their disciplin. They ought to giue peasibly to euery man y t is his right or duty, nor they may geue to none any occasiō of quarel. And if any wrong be don to them, thei must suffer, leauyng the reuengemēt therof to y e iudge [Page] of al men. Thei ought and muste speake constantly the word or sermon of truthe, when tyme serueth: nor they may not refuse to take labour on them selues for Iustice sake. They must defende a fatherlesse child & a widowe, and them that haue no helpe when theibe oppressed, & w t pitie to cō fort thē in ther anguishes or troubles. Thei ought to refreshe hym whiche is hungry and thirsty, they must cloth the naked, they oughte to gather into them suche persons as lacketh lodging they must visite them whiche be in prison or diseased with sicknes: thei shuld liue gratis, that is without [Page] reward, and intend to do all workes of mercy and equitie. They which are wise & haue knowledge oughte to teache & instruct them whiche be vntaughte: thei ought to cal them again to truth whiche do erre: or those which walke shrewdly out of the waie: they must set neighbors that striue at a cōcord: thei ought to flee from drunkennes, & from muche eatyng, and from vnclennes of the fleshe: they must leaue and fle frō vaine plaies & synnes of woordes & ydelnes and arrogancy of gaie clothes and thornes of cares, as the worde of god commandeth, setting all their busynes [Page] find mynd toward god, nor thei may not forget the affliction of y e flesh [...]. I sai to them that serue to workes of necessitie: worke you in your workes with a good & a simple hert without grudgyng, & without vayne speeche, & that none be greued by you, and that you may help hym that suffreth nedynesse. Beware of all auarice or couetousnesse. Forsoth that causeth y t all your workes maie be deceitful, and you shal lie and defraude or deceue your neighbors, and so forsweare the name of our lord, & gather togither riches wickedly, which drowneth to deth them that possesse them. You which be in high authoritie [Page] do not proudely or sternely to them whych be aboute you, nor oppresse theym not wickedlye, but rather defende theim, and in all benignitie kepe theym, and make fyrme and sure peace among you. For therfore you ar set vppe of oure Lorde.
This is the waie of the Lorde ryght and faire, the waye of holy deedes. He that walkethe in this waye vnto the ende, he shall fynd lyfe, and shal also rest in the holye h [...]lle of god, and his chaunce or lotte is with the chylderne of lyghte.
¶ Of the waye of Martyres. A Sermon.
A Feastful day was in hande, and we were assistyng in office of diuine seruice, where as of custome the angell appered to my syghte, When afore hym I accused and blamed my selfe of my faultes or synnes, thynkynge them to bee the cause why he taried longer thenne he was wont to do, and I sayd vnto hym: My lorde, it may plese the now that thou wyll tell to vs the discipline of the thirde waie which is of holye martirs, n [...]r be not refrained frō this thy benignitie bycause of my faultes. Then he openyng his mouth spake, sayeng: Christ the lābe goth afore his holy martyrs, [Page] & they folow hym with psalms & crounes ioyeng together to hym with a noble triumphe. And Christe hym selfe appereth in theim as a glasse and example, and as a glorious beautyfulnes. Much and many are the passions by the whiche it behoueth the chyldren of God to bee crowned, and none shall be crouned, but he y t laufully hath fought. Heare you these thynges, and with your hert perceiue you that suffre persecution for iustyce, go you ioying by the noble way, by the waye of the menne of warre of oure Lorde, made purple with the bloudde of Saynctes, and of the lambe. Wayle not you, [Page] nor let no grudge ascēd into your hert against our lord, as though you were of hym forsaken, and as some new thing myght chaunce to you. Reade you in the scriptures of the holy ghost, and thynke agayne on the olde daies. All they as many as haue been afore you whiche haue walked in this way ech one haue plesed god in their laboures, and by many anguishes or paines they haue gon into the brode libertie of the glory of the children of god. The firste whiche ranne afore the lambe was Abell, whiche dyd shede his bloude in the earthe afore the lord vnder the hand of his wicked brother, in testimonie [Page] of innocencie, faithful Abraham father of faithful people was stired of wicked people to do idolatry, and he dyd those rather to be dissolued with fyre, than to syn in his and our lorde god, and by the hand of y e lord he was broughte out from the fyre of the Caldeis. Ioseph where he was a louer of innocēcie, and he accused the fauit or crime of his brethren to his father, he was sold to aliens. And agayn where he wolde not consent or agree to the wickednes of y e harlot the aduouterer, he therfore suffred prisonment a long tyme with a pleasant mynde. The seruantes of truth, the prophetes of the Lord [Page] haue fought vnto deth agaynst the preuaricatours of the lawe, and by many passions haue beene consumed. The children of the lorde in Babylon dydde speake gaynst the commandement of y e proude kyng whom al the earth feared, and they chose rather to be giuen to horrible fyres, than to the contumely of our lord & creatour, to bowe theyr knees afore a made creature. Daniell loued of god for that he gaue honour to the lorde god of his fathers, he was gyuen to the teeth of liōs. Plentuous is the numbre of sainctes, whiche afore the coming of our sauiour haue giuen examples of worthy passions [Page] and suffrynges laudable, & with their deth haue preuēted the deth of our lorde. Last of all was innocent. Baptist, a greatter than he dyd not rise among the children of women, and he for testimony of truthe lost his heade, and was gyuen to a mayden in price of a skyp or leape, so it was comely to bee done, and it was pleasyng afore the lord, that not onely the bloude of lambes and of wethers and of other beastes, shuld be sent forth afore in figure to the bloud of the lambe whiche was to be offred for the helth of the worlde, but that also the blod of the chi [...] dren of god, which were to be redemed shulde be [Page] shedde in the coming against him. Forsothe in the last days was sente frome the secrete of the father the offerd lambe taried & abiden for from the begynnynge of the world whom Cherubin and Seraphin and all the multitude of angels do worship to clense the sinne of the world, and they whome he came to saue, haue done in hym what thei wold. Bokes be full of his labours, and of his anguishes, and you rede his passions, and you do not perceiue them with hearte and mynd. O you children of men howe long wil you be hard herted? The earth whiche hath no sense or feelyng toke the drops of his bloude [Page] frome the woundes of our sauiour, and coulde not susteyne the maiestie therof, but was moued and trembled, and stones most hard were cut asunder. And lo by scriptures y e manyfolde passions of the sonne of god for you slayn, droppeth on y e hertes of you which haue reason, and may you then conteyne your selues from waylyng wepyng and feares? You here vanities whiche perteyn not vnto you, and you can not conteyn from laughing And agayn after these, he layde to more, & said: You whiche goe by the way of the tribulation of the lorde Iesu, take heede and se if there be any sorowe lyke as is [Page] his sorow. He hath not synned, he onely was borne withoute synne vpon the erth, and they fulfylled his soule with sorowes of them which were synners or yll doers, and all these thynges which foloweth did not stirre to sharpnes y e mekenesse of the lābe, y e bondes of the wycked wherwith they bounde hym, their lieng▪ fautes which vntruly thei laid to his charge, theyr naughti mocking, their makyng of hym naked, their scourgyngs, their smitinges & claps, their filthy spittings, y e thorn pricking his forhed and head, the crosse, the nailes & the speare, and the shedding out of his innocent bloud. But in althynges [Page] his pacyence did ouercome, & had the victorye, and he diynge brake asunder the prick of death. You y t be children of the crosse, take heede with your mynde the way of the lambe & walke surely, and with a ferme mynd after the steps of his blud. He is y e leader of your iorney, & crieth to you, sayeng: Be of good chere & trust well, I haue ouercome y e world. & why ar you afrayde of the face and fearyng of men, you hauyng suche a leader or capitayn which can not be ouercom, and also so many thousande of his folowers goynge afore you with a meruailous victory. Lo forsoth euē a litle afore your tyme, [Page] innumerable fightynges of the seruantes of god is made and doone both of thapostles and of martyrs, and of perfect virgines, and they haue giuen plesant spectacles or lokyng on to y e companies of heuen in their victories, & thei loued god more thā their owne soules, & for his name thei haue set forth their soules to all kyndes of deth: and as cley whiche is troden of euery one, so they haue suffred to be troden & suppressed: and the louers of the worlde in their cō mon places and counselles haue laughed to skorne the nakednesse of sainctes: & they haue be full fed with the mockynge of the confusion [Page] of them, and they haue been merye in the drawyng away of ther f [...]eshe as a beast is mery whā he deuoureth his pray, and they haue dispersed the Innocent bloud by tormentries, & by wordes by fiers and by gurgettes of waters, by yron nayles, by teeth of beastes, and all kynde of tormentrie, whiche the cruelnesse of wicked mē, by their mind could imagynde or deuise, that was assayd in the mortification or kyllyng of them. And the knyghtes of god ioye in their confraction or tormentes, as though they had bene in great delires or pleasures: and they delited in the chalice of bitternes, as they whiche [Page] ioy in many pleasures & delectatiōs. Then was the pacience of sainctes found faithfull in their examination, & stronge aboue the strengthe of kynges and princes of this worlde. Therefore lo they be brought oute in refreshyng of consolation or comfort, & thei rest in the halsing of the right arme of god and of his holy angels, bycause they haue borne his ignominy afore the dwellers of the earthe. O thou man, which art weake hearted to these thynges, take hede, and with a vigilant mynde draw thy self to the sufferynges of the passion of Christe: take thy contemplation of the ioye and myrthe whiche is [Page] enuyronned all aboute with Martyres of the lord, and thou shalt not drede nor dout to make thy self cōmon or parte taker to the sorowes & anguished of thē. But first is, that thou muste haue the substaunce of this worlde vnder thy feete, and to esteme the glory thereof to be nothyng, nor of any valu: whiche this day is, and to morowe it appereth not. Forsothe if thou louest those thyngs, than shall flee frō the strēgth in tyme of pressure and despection. And now I say, lette not thy lyfe be precious in thy eies, but esteeme it all vile and worthy to bee despised. Forsoth thei which loue themselues and in their [Page] owne mynde to theym selfe be great, they may not susteyne or indure any paine or treadynge doune in persecution, & to the fyght of sayntes, they be not mete or apt, a happy chaunge with great gayne is set forth to the: Denie or cast away this lyfe of a small tyme, and of miserable condition, & thou shalte receyue agayn therfore a lyfe, whiche knoweth no faute nor no disease or molestyng: and that lyfe is full of glory and ioy whiche no tong can tel. O thou mā of darke vnderstandyng, lyft vp thyne eies, and beholde in time to come the blisfull reformation of thy body, which shall come to the from thy sauiour [Page] when he shal pul away and roote out from thy body the thorne of Adam, and shall configure it to the clerenesse of his body, and thus it is shall or may be done that with myrthe and quicknesse thou shalte make haste to shed out, or to sette out thy life or soule into all peryll, in the feruencie of the charite of hym, and so thou shalt esteme the state of this thy lyfe, as a drop of water smitten out of a bucket into the groūd O thou manne of god, why art thou yet in anguyshe or aferde of the face of thy persecutour? Be of good comfort, be of good chere, Christ is with the in persecution and his angels ar with [Page] she in thy fyght, & they nūbre al thy labours, & they susteyn thy werynesse. And also for thee, they fyght throughly agaynst thyne enemies: remembre the wordes whiche the lorde said to his seruantes: He that toucheth you, he toucheth the balle of myne eie. O thou seruant of God, what shalte thou geue to thy sauior whiche hath so ioyned thee to hym that withoute wrong be done to hym thou can not bee hurte. Ones he hath suffered for the, and yet euerye day in the, and in thy felowes his seruauntes, he suffereth, and is had to open scorne. If thou bee sorye or heauy, not for thy hurt or wrong [Page] be sory, but for his hurt or wrōg, be thou sorowful or heuy, therfore for thy selfe ioy and be mery, for by trouble thou art preparid or made redy to glory and to euerlastyng ioye. Thou art the golde of the lord by fyre he examineth thee, that thus thou beynge proued he may receyue the into his treasours. And forsoothe afore the angel which spake with me had ended these wordes, it was so, that ther came on the feast of the blessed virgins Vrsula and her felowes the eleuen thousand. And thā was in the seruice of matens these goodlye woordes of scripture, which is thus in latin: Reddet Deus mercedem laborum [Page] sanctorum suorum et deducet eos in via mirabili, and in englyshe thus: God shall yelde or geue the hier or rewarde of the labours of his saintes, and he shall leade them forth in a meruailous waie: and thereof I takyng occasion whē the angel myn instrucctor apered to me in the secretes of Masse time (as mostly his custome was) I asked hym sayeng: My lord, Shewe to me what is that way meruailous, wherof y e scripture maketh mencion, sayēg: And he shal leade them foorthe in a meruailous waie. And streight wais the angel answerd, saying: That is the way of holy martires. And agayn I asked [Page] saying? And why is it called meruaylous? And he said, it may wel bee called meruailous. It is not forsooth merueylous in the eyes of men, that god so inflamethe the mynde of a man which is frayle or weake that through the bignesse of loue wherwith he bournethe inwardly toward god, he forgetteth his own life, in so muche that he is made as it were insensible or nat felynge the most greuous tormentes, and withoute any care for hym self, gladly he suffreth all thynges for his name. This mayst thou see in these holye virgines, whose feast of martyrdom you celebrate this day, they [Page] wer fraile both in kynd and in age, nor they ne had any defender: and neuerthelesse they neyther feared the tyrantes nor their swordes, but with all constance offered their tender membres and bodyes into deth for our lords sake, and for cause they were comforted with the burnyng of the loue of god in theyr spirite, so that death outwardely they felt nat. And certaynly that was muche meruailous in the eyes of men, but nat in the eies of our lorde, to whome all thynge is possible. And hast not thou sene this waye meruailous in spirite, and it was fayrer and more notable than any of the other [Page] waies: & so knowe thou that the retribution or reward of martyrs is more excellente than anye gyfte or rewarde, and to the glory of theym, there is nothyng to be compared. After these whenne the feast of sainct Martin was come about mydnyght afore the vigil of Matins, sodeynely I was afrayde, and the slepe fledde from myne eies. And lo the angell of the lorde stode afore me, & I spake to hym, saying: My lord I pray the now that thou wilt fulfyll the exhortation of thy sermon of holye martyrs, and conclude with a competent ende: and when he had caused me to be in contemplation, [Page] and to see certaine hyghe thynges in heauenlye places, of whose syght I was vnworthy, he fulfilled my petition, saying: Agayn I sayde to thee, and I warne you the children of god, that more diligentely you attende to youre antecessoures or goers afore, whiche are afore to you in this present sermon howe they dyd bourne in the charitie of Christe. Runne and bee confirmed or made sure, and thynke nat afore. Lo forsoothe there watcheth vppon you the soonne of peace which may receyue and reward you aboue any mans estimation, that spirite of burnyng and of charitie of Christe, [Page] whiche ouerrometh all fraylenesse he myghte vouchsafe to graunt to you, whiche in perfecte trinitie lyueth and reigneth very god by the infinite world of worldes. Amen.
¶ Of the way of them that are maried. A sermon.
I Was in prayer, & as it was the customed maner, my lorde the angel appered to me, and I asked of hym the discipline of that way, whiche perteyned to the order of them whiche be maried: and by and by he assented to my petition, & thus he began: Lo I say and I warne [Page] you seculers that be maried, absteyne you from your shreude woorkes, wherwith you are defiled, and the erth is defiled, or made fowle of your most noughty wickednes, which are auarice, lechery, fornication adultery, maslaughter, pride, wrath, hate, enuy blasphemye and drunkēnes. Take hede therfore & looke vpon your wai how you mai walk by it: for why, it is impossible to you with suche vices to entre into it, and this spoken he wēt his way. And whē he appeared agayne, I praied him that he wold prosecute or folowe on the exhortation of his sermon begun. And he saied: But for cause the [Page] lorde god is benigne & mercifull, els he myght be brought into irksomnesse or wearynesse, for that he warneth so many waies the dwellers of this world. And trulye they take his warnynges for nothynge, nor no waies they take heede or remembre the loue, wherewith they ought to be kyndled toward hym, and his fatherlye monytions or warnynges, they turne them to indignation & despise them, and to his messages they disdaine to take hede, yf it were possible any trouble to be in hym, for that certayn he might be troubled, that so many wais this worlde is raised agaynst hym, for whiche [Page] he was borne and suffred passion, and hathe wroughte many myracles, and yet dayly doo woorke, although they take no heede thereto. And lo, he commaundethe his warnynges also to theym whyche in this worlde all maner of wayes are set agaynste hym for his thankefull benignitie, and also for the loue of them, whiche although they be conuersaunt in the world, yet neuer the lesse thei loue and serue hym, but wo, of theim are few in numbre: forsothe more abundantly he wolde doo this, and shewe his grace, if with a better deuotion, they wolde take hede to his warnyngs. After these [Page] he opened his mouthe. and spake, saying: O generation lackyng witte and combrous or greuous to your lorde god, wherfore with so great studye loue you those thynges, whiche youre heuenly father hateth, and you ar not afrayde to prouoke the lorde of heauens, in whose eye sight or loke al the multitude of angelles doo tremble, telle me what fruite or proufitte they haue gotten in these shreude noughty thynges, whyche I haue afore numbred to you, all they which from the beginning of the world haue be found to walke in those vices, if they haue not plesed agayne the face of our lord with [Page] penaunce doyng afore theyr departyng, what haue al thei which bear witnes to truth shewed vnto you of theym. If you haue forgottē it, lo again I wyl tel & shew to you afore the lyuyng god that heuen is shut from them with an eternal & indissoluble shuttyng, and the pleasant & desirous face of oure lorde god is and shalbe hidden from them, and they be alienated from the feast of the euerlastyng myrth of saintes, and those sainctes haue euer abhorred their wicked wais: And lo those synners are made the felowes of the mooste harde and cruell deuyl, and of his vnhappy angels, whiche withoute [Page] mercy, & without ceassyng are scurged, & thei treade the neckes of them, which necks thei haue reised vp agaynst their lorde maker, and they be fed in the moste bitter plages of them. And bycause they haue shutte theyr eyes that shulde not see the lyght of the knowlege of god and of his holy iustifications, and they haue loued the woorkes of darknes, therfore they are deputed to the horrible roryng or swalowynge of darkenesses, whiche haue none outgate, nor it can not bee lightned neuer with no light. They haue despised to haue y e holy drede of god in their mindes, & they haue prouoked [Page] hym in the myrthe of their voluptuousnes or lust: and they haue kindeled in themselues the vnlaufull bournynges of lust and of wrath, & of vnsaciable auarice, therefore there abideth vpon thē dredeful horrour and heuynes with out comforte, and a bitynge indignation, and they be made the coles of euerlastyng fyre, whiche can neuer be quenched nor cōsumed with any bournynge. Heare these thyngs you whyche be prouokers of god & while you haue tyme of correctiō, forsake and go awai from the wais and woorkes of theim that are lost, and turne agayne to the way vndefiled, which god hath [Page] prepared to you frome the begynnynge: take heede howe you maye walke with the drede & fere of god in that way forsooth your honorable mariage is nat of the inuencion of man, but it was instituted in paradise of innocencye of hym that is lord maker of all thynges whā he made or created your fyrst parents male and female, & he spake in y e tong of Adā, who was first made: Seing for y t a mā shal forsake father & mother, & draw to his wife, & they shalbe two in one flesh. O you mā & woman geue honour to your order, which the lord vouchsafe to make honorable, and se that you sette nor bryng no [Page] spot nor diuision or cuttyng to your copulation. The law of the lord might ioyn and halow you: and there must bee to you bothe one house, one table, one common substance, one bed, and one soule, which is one minde and one wil, and geue place to the drede and feare of the lord in the middes of you. For soth the drede & feare of our lord is y e faire beautyfulnes of the chaumber of theim whiche be maried, and he which is voide from the drede & feare of our lord, is reputed of our lorde to be vncleane and accursed. And there his lust shal ouercome himself whiche knowe the no staye nor good or holsome [Page] form, & also such works there shall be exercised y t are not worthy to be spoken of, which nature hath not ordeined, nor it is not belonging nor perteining to generatiō They which work that which is ylle afore our lord, I wold thei might here and vnderstand, & that thei might take awaye y e filthy spot from their conches, therfore the drede & feare of our lord must bind your hartes, that you maye set a bridle to your selues in that worke to you granted, so that not lyke in facion of beastes, you shall not folowe euery brūt of your desire. You ought to honor by continence or chastite feast full daies, and daies of [Page] fasting ordeined by the law, & times of purgation, & if you adde more thereto, our lorde shall adde and geue grace to you & to your generation. Forsoth thei whiche will not make no difference betwene day and day, betwene time and time, to kepe thēselues in continence or chastitie, thei shal fele the vengeance of the lorde in thēselues, and in their sede what hour or tyme they shall thynke leaste therof. Eche one of you must exhort other to cō tinence or to chastitie, & eche one of you pray for other, and also pray together that you may cō teyne, and that the spirite of vnclennes may flee from you. Forsothe [Page] when infirmitie preuaileth, with remedy granted, it ought to be expurged, lest it fal to y t thing which is not lauful, as y e doctour of the gentils writeth. A mā hath no power of his own body but y e womā, & y e womā hath no power of her body but the mā: and you may not deny together duetie. But this truely you must knowe, that y e prīcipal cause of your mutual cōiunction is to bring forth a child, & yf any other cause therbe, it perteineth to infirmitie, and if it haue moderation of the dread and feare of our lord, & with remedy of almes to obtein pardon. The mā of the womā, & the womā of the mā must support [Page] and bere one anothers infirmitie with paciēce and cōpassion: nor you may not one despise an other, but rather studye to geue reuerēce one to an other. Stryuyng or bitter wordes may neuer be herd betwixt you but reproue your excesses or fautes togither w t a soft spirit, and with good seueritie or streitnes. The woman must be obedient to the mā, & as to her superiour she ought to giue place, and to him ministration of seruice, as our lord maker of them bothe hath ordeyned frō the beginning. Also the woman must suffer the maners or doyng of y e husband although thei be shreud & she must forgeue his [Page] fautes or wikednes, she must preuente y e face of our lorde in almes and praier. Honest & comly garmentes, softenes of worde and speche & demurenes of her goings and lokes ought to testifie outewardely the inward purenes and clennes of her mynde. Her eye shuld not loke in an other mans face, but w t ai care she must auoide the occasion of all suspicion and yll saying. He that hath a witty and a timorous wife, shoulde not dishonor her with a foule or bitter word but he ought to honour her as the vessel of the glory of god, and must yeld himself consentynge in felowshyp to her, & he ought to geue thankes [Page] to our lord god of heauē, whiche hath blessed hym w t such a mariage. Here me y t nowe speake to the, and bewaile or lamēt the children of men. Men of these dais in a great nū bre haue declined vnto y e folishnes of women, and ar made starke fooles in consentyng to y e madnes of them. The arrogancy of clothes or garmentes which thou hastsene, and thou dyd detest or abhor it in the women & doughters of this world which cam to the, that is increased out of mesure in y e lā des, and y e womē ar mad therin, and thei bring the wrath of god īto y e world and they glory or ioye to walke trym in trippyng and dancyng goinges in y e multitude of their gay [Page] and new facion clothes, and they study to cōsume vnprofitably those thynges whiche be necessary to the vses of theim that are nedy. O vnhappines O most miserable blindnes: that thynge whiche was gotten with muche swette & labour thei committe it to durt, to drawe the eyes of aduouterers to loke on them and that wherewith they myghte get the kingdom of heauen, therwith they bye y e fyre of helle. O you men take away that yll from the eies of our lord, and ioye you n [...]t in the vanities of your wynes, but rather haue disdayn, and be displeased therewith: for why they dresse them selues after the maner & facion of harlots. This [Page] superfluitie of clothes & the streitenesse of their garment is to nothynge profitable, but strangle their cōceiuinges of children, and the arroganye of the coueryng and shewyng of their heare, and many suche lyke facions are the inuēcious of women that will setforth & sel them selues, and such things do nat pertayn to lauful matrons. My cry from the lord to you whiche haue put awaye the grauitie of manhod, and haue put on the molichenes or faynt softnesse of womē. O you fooles and most vayne, why haue you forsaken the earnest good maners of old and ancient rightuous men, which were your predecessours, and you are declined [Page] into vanities and into madnes of y e diuels inuention, whiche profit to you nothing, but to the increacyng of your payn and burnyng. Wo to you whyche waxe proude in your gaye or bryght clothings and superfluous and delicately made or facioned: and that which was deerely gotten, you ioye or are glad to bryng it to nothyng. Wo be to you which be lasciuious or take delite in the braidyng of womens heare, and are not ashamed to make foule the forme of a man in your selfes. Wo to you whiche in vayne plais, and wo to you whiche spende your tyme in muche eating and dronkēnes. Wo to you which haue a busy tong to scornes [Page] and detractions, and to talk of that thyng whiche profiteth nat, and to imagine deceites, and to subuerte the cause of an innocent. Wo to you whiche haue your wordes or tale in counsel to sel, and ioy to fulfyll your bealy of the anguishes and loseses of them which be oppressed. Wo to you which be striuing and fearefull amonge citisens. Wo to you raueners and deepe in herte for to multiplye the substāce of the world whiche vanisheth awaie with you. Suppose you not that he, whiche hath planted an eare, shal not heare? or he whiche hath fained or compouned an eie, can not consyder? O you children be in peace, and leaue prouokyng of [Page] our lord: for it is at hand that he wyl awake & deuoure them in the fire of his zele, which hath prouoked him. Agayn I say to you, whiche are vnder y e yoke of mariage, drede you and fear god, & kepe togither your faithe immaculate and vndefiled. Norish your sonnes and doughters and your familie in the dreade and feare of oure lorde with chastitie. You maye not kepe with you vnpayd y e tenth or tithe of our lord nor the wages of the hyred man or labourer, nor you may not forget your good doynges to a poore man, and all other thynges whiche I haue shewed and charged you to kepe, in the sermon of holye and holsome deedes, whiche [Page] priuylye he defileth his neighbours wife: and agayn, the wyfe taketh on her the husbande of an other woman: And this is moste greate wyckednes or iniquite, and most is the numbre of theym whiche offendeth therin. Forsoth the world is full with the vncleannes of fornication, as thoughe there were a thyrsty hast vnto it, and scante there is to be foundeth that doth not cast doune hym selfe into the pitte or dyke.
Whan they burne in concupiscence, they scantely may abyde tyll thei haue brought about and done the dede: and when that they haue fulfilled their noughty and worst desyres, they rest nat, but agayne and agayne they [Page] go and doo the same, and they suppose themselues neuer to be saciate, or to haue inoughe: ye & afore they be ripe, and or they can exercise this shreude noughtines, many wais they defyle theyr innocencie. Forsothe therfore in blamynge the fautes of them that are maried, I put to the name of fornication, for why, they also afore they take the lawe of matrimonye on theym, they defyle them selfes oute of measure, and prouoke the wrathe of God on them. Therof it is, that somme whiche are maried, haue no fruite of childerne, and they meruaile howe that so chanceth to them, not knowynge the cause of their bareynnesse. Forsoothe [Page] they of that sorte whiche haue haue generation, eyther, in theyr chyldren, orels in other thynges or wayes, they are stryken with punishment by the diuine iugemente, and all thynges chaunceth to theym vnhappily, or nat luckilye. Agayne whan I asked hym of the name of blasphemye, he answered, I haue sayde, that bycause of theym whyche dishoneste theyr neyghboures with fowle tauntes and rebukes. Also I asked of hym what were the doubtynges, whyche he semed to reproue in this sermon. And to that he thus answered: There be many in the churche, hauynge the fourme of christen men, & yet they [Page] are doubtful of the christen faith, and they be openly conuersaunt with them whiche are catholike, they enter into the house of praier, they receyue with other the sacramentes perteynynge to the fayth, and yet they gyue no faith therto, nor esteeme theim to be any thyng profitable to their helthe: that forsothe they openly proue by their yll workes whyche they do. Forsoth if in them were true fayth, they wold absteyn from many iniquities whiche they worke: and he said more: Many heresies be in these days priuily, and many heretikes priuilydo impugne and ar agaynst the catholike faith, and they turne many frō the true faith. [Page] Then I asked hym, sayeng: My lord, what sayst thou of them whiche are called catharis, for they fully reproue the lyfe of them which are maried? and he answered, saying: There liue of theym, of whom thou ask this question is abhominable afore the lorde: and they can not blame or rebuke the lyfe of theim whiche laufully doo marye, and dwel togither accordyng to the lawe of the lorde, kepyng in the drede and feare of god holy feriall dayes or feries and feastes, and geuynge theyr mercye to the needes of theim whiche are poore. Forsothe agayn I spake to hym, sayeng: Lord as I haue herde somme of them affirme, that there [Page] is nor can be lawful mariage but betwene them whiche on bothe partyes haue kept theyr virginitye vnto the tyme of ther lawful copulacion, what saiest thou to that? And he answerd saieng: wher suche mariage is or may be, that is very pleasaūt and thankefull to oure lorde, but that chaunceth very rare or selde, neuertheles of them whyche haue not conteined them selues, the mariages be acceptable afore our lord which walke in the commaundementes of oure lorde, or els the number of the people of god shuld be into a greate skarsenes, and these of whome thou speakest, they haue nothinge a do to reproue any thinge in the church [Page] of god: for by the waye they themselues are worthy to be reproued. And thou shalt know for certayne, that they be the ministers of Sathanas, whose shrowed workes they doe exercyse, and he is the leder of them, and he goeth afore thē, with all examples of wyckednes, and they folow hym in all thinges, with most noughtye workes. And I sayed: Lord what maner of faythe haue they, & what is their life? And he aunswered? Shrewed and noughtye is theyr fayth, and theyr workes are worsse. And agayne I said, they seme though to be ryghteous or iuste in the syght of men, and thei be praised as though they were doers of good [Page] workes, and he sayd, so it is, they make a semblāce of theyr outwarde face, as though they were of a right and innocent lyfe, and thereby they drawe many to thē and disceiue them, forsoth inwardlye they are full of moste worst and rotten poison.
¶ Of them the which liueth in continencye or chastitye A sermon.
WE celebratynge the solemnitie of blessed Iohn the Euangeliste, I was intendyng to prayer, after the vigil of matens, and with a strong and harty intent of mynde or hert I praied the lord, that accordyng to his customed benignitie, it wold please him to vouchsafe to open [Page] to me the discipline of the the waie of them whiche liue in continencie or in chastytie. And also I praied the holy euangelist, and the angel my leader, that they therto bee my helpers, & whē I was weary of prayeng, I did set myn eies to slepe, and after a litle while I was afrayde, and lo the angel standynge by me, began with these words the sermon whiche I desyred. I say to you, O you the chyldren of God, O you the children of light, loke and beholde your waye, howe it florysheth, and howe delectable it is to runne in it, runne therefore, and haste you redily to mete w t youre spouse, whiche abideth and tarieth for you. Loue you [Page] chastite, and kepe to him the integritee of youre virginitie. A virgin araied or adorned with chastite & charitye, with prudence and with humylytye runneth wele. And whan he had sayed these, he than spake no more: trewly the nexte daye folowynge whan the office of the masse of the blissed innocētes was in doing, I taking occasion of the lesson of the Apocalipse, whiche than was redde. I prayed my Lorde the angel which againe stode by me, sayeng. Lord if I haue founde grace afore the, I beseche the to tell me, what maner a songe is that song, which these holy martyres doe synge afore the sete of God and of the lambe, as this present [Page] lesson testifyeth, or howe folowe they the lambe, wheresoeuer he goeth. And he answering sayed. What doest thou aske me, no tonge on the erthe hath knowen that tonge, nor I wyll tel the nothinge therof. Forsoth of that thou asked me, what is that they folowed the lambe wheresoeuer he goth, this is that they folow hym in al vertues, whych may be considered in the lambe they folowe hym in virginitie whiche is in them without anye spotte, euen as that holy lambe is without spot, they were meke and symple without disceyte, euen as the lambe was, they had pacyence in theyr martyrdome in the likenes of the lambe, [Page] which neuer shewed any impacience in his passion, wherby he quenched the synne of the worlde: Ther be not virgins nor any martyres, whiche so properly or nerely folow the steppes of the lambe as these doo, except oure quene, whiche fyrst kept her virginitie to the lord cleane, and not defyled. That noble virgine and these blessed martyrs are a glasse to all holye virgins, and many haue folowed them, which haue shedde theyr bloudde for theyr vyrgynitie, and therefore they bee crowned and glorified in the syght of the Lorde. All virgins ought to loke on these virgines, and to consyder with what holinesse they are gone aforsoth [Page] felte heate in my hande. Therof he sayde: It is hote, and the more hotter it be, the more labour it muste haue to be washed away, and so the more a man defileth or maketh himselfe foule in vncleannes of concupiscence, the more labour he must haue to purify him selfe thereof. Neuer the lesse he maye be made in sorowe of holsomme penance, and with wepyng teares, and with good woorkes, so that he may be made more acceptable to god than he was. Is not thy hand cleane and fayre inwardly: so is virginitie as long as the vnclennesse of the yll worke or deede come not to the inward part therof, then it maye bee made cleane, [Page] fo that the integritie therof shall suffer no hurt, in lyke forme as thy hande easily may be made clean when it is only outwardly defiled. But forsothe if the vncleannesse cometh to the inward partes to y e effect of the dede, it shall be impossyble to make it then so clean that it may come agayne to his first beautie or holines: neuertheles they ar many, whiche although they bryng not their lust to the dede of cōmixtiō or mingling, yet they neuer the lesse many wais defile the integritie of their virginitie, and thei take no hede nor put nat to their mind or hert, that they may be made cleane fullye with remedy of penance, and that they maie satisfye to [Page] god, and so they abide & tary vnto thend: the virginitie of them is not acceptable to god, and their mede or reward is taken awaye from them: When the angel had sayd these, I was afraid lest peraduenture the order of his wordes shulde fall frome my mynd, therfore I asked of him, that he might speake them agayne, and in that gently he herd me Forsothe whan in the vtas of saynt Iohn, he presēted himself again to me he preuented my wordes thus meryly speakyng to me: Thou wylt aske me some thyng: aske, and I shall answer the. And I said as I was afore warned of hym that taughte me: Lord that whiche is written, Vo [...]ntas pro facto [Page] reputabitur, which is in englishe, The will shall be reputed for the dede, mai that be againste thy sayenge next afore rehersed by the. And he answered Not one whitte: Also he said more. True certainly is that thou sayest is writtē: Loke what work a man hath wille to performe, so that he will nedes perform in dede that which by his wyll dothe couete, and so he intendeth abidyng in that wil or mynd vnto thend, that is reputed afore god as though it wer done. And if any yll there be that a man desyreth to doo, that yll may bee put away by the vertue of true penāce what soeuer a man shall doo with thought or wyl it maie bee so anulled afore [Page] God, as thoughe it neuer had ben. Remembre what I sayde to thee the seconde tyme, that thou shuld put thy hande agayne in the myre or durte, and then I affirmed, that it was to thee more harde to make thy hande cleane agayne: so fyrste a man is polluted onely with thought, and then after also with will, and than it is more difficile or hard for hym to be made cleane, and yet neuerthelesse the integritie of his maidenhod or virginitie remaineth hole. And thenne he brought foorth a scripture, wherof I thought to ask hym sayenge: It is written: Qui viderit mulierem ad concupiscendam eam, iam mechatus est in corde suo and that [Page] is in englisshe thus: He that shall se a woman to couet her, euen nowe he hath done lechery in his herte, that is so if a man be permanent or abideth in wyll and mynde to exercise his luste, and will not nor doth not go from his desyre, but as muche as in hym is, dooeth to bring it to effect, and that shreude wil he put nat away with the fruite of penance, though the integrite abideth, yet it is vnprofitable, nor no fruite he shal get therof. Again I ioyned to more, saying Lord, ther ar som whiche in tentaciō against their wille haue experience of the prickes of the fleshe, and ar sory therfore, and beare cōbrousely the burning which is aduersant [Page] to the cleannes of theyr bodye, nor by no repugnyng can eschue it, shall that be reputed to thē for synne? And he saide: If they suffer that agaynste their will, nor with their mynd consent not therto with a lyghter penance, they shal get forgiuenes of their faute, which therby thei draw to them, and shall obteyne a great reward. And he shewed to me of a persone familiar in Christ, whether it wer man or woman, god knoweth, and that person suffred of y e aduersary great impugning and temptacion against his chastite, and therfore he scourged his soule w t many huge molestes or doyngs, and the angell saide: Shewe thou to him comfort, and [Page] say to hym that he maye spare som of his afflictiō, and tell to hym y t he may cal to his mynd that whiche is writen of the electes of the lord: Tanqua aurum in fornace probauit eos. That is in englishe: As gold in a fornace he hath proued theim, and ioy be to hym, neuerthelesse his ioy is not without heuynes, for that whiche our lorde, hath vouchsafed to put vpon hym some suche thynge, wherby he is made redy to a great rewarde, & yet nat without heuines, for that in that temptation, synne is not therin fully eschued. And I said, lord, by what meanes may he resist the aduersary, and with what armour shal he ouercom hym. And the angel said: [Page] He must fight with praier & with cōfessiō, & with scourgyng of the flesh, & thus he shal ouercom: also he mai not cesse to prai to our lorde, that he may be deliuered frō y t pricke, & he must pray this praier, y t our lorde may haue mercy on hym in tyme of tentacion, if he shalbe in secret place, he mustknele on his knees .iii. times afore our lorde, forsothe if there lack the oportunitie of place, he then shall signe his hert thre times w t the signe of the crosse, & must thus say: Saluator mundi salua nos, qui per crucē & sanguinē tuū redemisti nos, auxiliare nobis te deprecamur deus noster & in englishe it is thus. O sauiour of the world, saue thou vs, whiche by the crosse & by thy [Page] bloud haste redemed vs, we beseche the which art our god to help vs. After these, one dai he reised vp his tong into these wordes: O you virgins behold the diuine voice crieth to you, the voyce of youre spouse knocketh & calleth at your eares, opē to hym, & leade him into the palace of your hart, & halse him, for he is fayre and more amiable then any creature. And again he said: The lord of maiestie, the only begotten of hym which is most high, the kyng of goodly companies or hostes, fulfyllyng heuen & erthe with his magnificall glorye, great and dredeful in all his mighty strength and power, sweete & amiable in his incomparable benignitie, [Page] and fully and al wholly to bee desyred in the clerenesse of his perfect beautie, in whose amiable cheere visage or face, Cherubin and Seraphyn, and all their felowshyp or company delite to loke vpon with an incessable desyre. O virgins, this is he which coueteth youre beautie, he calleth and byddeth you to his chaste halsynges, he asketh of you the glorious lylies of your virginite, that with them he maye dresse and adorne his chambre, that chamber knoweth no spotte of vnclennes, & any thyng which is corrupt, entreth not there, the precious floures of virginitie ther doo not drye awaye, nor there they fal not away, [Page] but they abide styll in vncorruptible and perfecte beautie, and the immaculate lābe gladly coucheth in them, and they breath to hym an odour or smell of swetenes, holy virgines so shyne in the chamber of their spouse as precious stone and perle desyrable to syghte, he the moste specious virgine which hath washed them in the bloude of his side, and hathe signed the face of them: he is glad in the lokynge of them, and the mysteries of his beautie and clerenes he sheweth to them which be to hym most dere: ther soundeth the organes of election, the concordance of peace in spirite, and a songe is song desirous to the eare a song of singular myrth [Page] which only is to be song of vyrgines, and of the highe spirites familiars of the chābre, the spouse leadeth the quyer in a clere and excellent voyce and in thousandes of them whyche syng, there is not one can be lyke to hym. The voyce of hym is a sweete voyce in the fulnesse of grace, whiche fulfyllethe all heauens with myrth: blessed are they whiche heare that voyce, and hyghly they are blessed whiche synge togyther to hym, among the whyche the virgyne Theothocos oure princesse hathe obteyned the primacye, to her onely is gyuen to exalt her voyce aboue all the voyces or tunes of angels. O you doughters take heede of [Page] the wordes of my ministery, and marke them in the hydde place of youre mynd, if your herte be to the especiall and noble spouse. and he is worthy to be beloued, why aryou negligent, and wherfore doo you tarye to extende your selues with al vertue in him most specious whom nothynge is more clere, nothyng more amiable in heuen or in erth: & if you loue glory, what thyng is more glorious thā to haue such a spouse & to possesse al thyngs in hym, if you couet to haue delites and ioyes, make you haste to the chambre of pleasure and myrthe which is made redye for you, to whose pleasure and sweetenesse, all that eie hathe seene, or eare [Page] hath herd, or that which hathe ascended into the harte of man can not be cōpared therto, and whā he had sayd these, I dyd remembre the woordes whiche he spake of the virgins song, and asked hym, sayeng: My lorde, is it so that also aungels sing that song, and whether not also all virgins? And he sayde, truely angels syng that song, and euery one whiche frome this lyfe withoute spotte or defilyng comme to the kyngedome of heauens. And agayne, I sayde: Howe is than that scripture vnderstande, which sayth: That none myght saye that songe but those fortye and foure thousand? are al virgins vnder that numbre compreprehended? [Page] and he sayde, so it is that noumbre is perfect, and it signifieth the perfection of theim, which haue kepte theimselues immaculate or vndefiled, as the infancy of the innocentes is withoute spotte, and what he sayde more of that numbre, the weakenes of my witte or senses coude not beare it away. Agayn he takyng the worde of exhortation spake, saying: O you virgins, go and bye to you mariage clothes, and enter with hym to maryage, and leste peraduenture you maye bee deputed with them whiche bee reproued, thynke you nowe wyth all busynesse of mynde, howe you maye please your spouse when [Page] he shall come, orelles it shall be sayde vnto you, Howe haue you entred hyther, not hauyng mariage clothes. Wake or watche you therfore, lest he find you slepers with the folyshe virgins, and agayn he said: Here you therfore O you virgins and open the eares of your hart, & vnderstāde how your spouse stireth and calleth you, if that you knewe howe fayre and howe amiable he is whom all the heauenly multitude beeholdethe, without doubt with all defyre you wold alwais despise the worlde with all the ornament therof, and all the glory of this worlde you wolde caste behyde you, and you wolde put al your study [Page] fully to loue your holye spouse Christ our lorde, and you wold be alwais busye to keepe to hym your hert & youre bodye clean and immaculate: and after these I asked hym, sayeng: Lord whiche be those mariage clothes, of which thou hast spoken. And he answered: Virgines ought to go to the inward partes of their hertes, & there to bye thre kindes of ornamentes: one clothyng or ornamēt, it behoueth them to haue whiche is white & vndefiled that is innocency of the flesh and it is necessarye for them a coueryng or mā tel, wherwith they must be cladde rounde about, whiche is charitie, and therwith Christe theyr [Page] spouse of theym oughte to bee beeloued. The third ornament of them is in latyne called Torques aurea, in englishe, a wrethe braided of golde for their necke, which in latin is called Pudicitia, in english, maidenly behauior, wherwith a virgin ought to constrayne her selfe, that she shulde be shamfaste to speake, to heare, to laugh, or to do any thynge which is not pure or honest, that is the signe, wherof it is said: He hath put a signe in my face, he saide that as I suppose, for that in the feast of saynt Agnet I asked of that word, & than he gaue none answer to me therof: again I said, Lord with what price these ornamentes [Page] are to be bought to these virgins. And he sayde: With chastifyng of their owne bodies, and with one peny, whiche is the Contemplacyon of the purenesse of the spouse, whyche they oughte to putte in the myndes of theyr hart, that peny is signed with the kynges ymage: for why he is kyng of al kynges, blessed in the worldes.
Agayne I asked hym, sayeng: Lorde remembre of that godly word, whiche thou dydst saye: A virgine araied or dressed with chastitie, charitie prudence, and humilitie runneth weil: therfore there thou madest distinction of foure ornamentes: and now forsoth in this later distinction, [Page] the two firste thou forsoth hast assigned, truly thou seemest to let go or owytte. And he sayd: Thou mayst be called a person of desires, that so diligētly inquireth this. Then he aunswered to my questiō, saying: The two which to thee seme to be left or omitted, are comprehēded vnder the name of Torques, in latin, in english, a wreath braided, forsoth it requireth greate prudence or wysedom, that a virgin shuld constrain her hert agaynst al thyng which is nat pure or vncomly. And if there be true prudence, there must nedes be humilitie. And again after certayne daies, I asked an other question: Lorde, seynge there are [Page] no vrgins which shal entre with the spouse in mariage which shal be founde without mariage clothynge: with what reason may it be sayd to thē How haue you entred he ther, not hauīg mariage clothes. To that he answered, saying: this worde perteyneth to the laste iudgement, there shal be gathered to gether afore the face of Christe his elect spouses, al they araied in mariage clothes, accordynge to the iust workes which they haue don in thys worlde. There shall be also those, whyche are reproued, hauing no beautyfulnes perteynyng to the mariage, by cause thei haue neglected to woorke or to doo any good things in their life [Page] therfore the spouse shall say to them: Go you accursed into euerlastyng fyre: In that voyce they shall receyue y t blaming or rebuke, Howe haue you entred hither not hauynge mariage clothes. Agayn forsoth he made exhortatiō, sayeng: Herkē to, and bowe thy hert to me thou symple virgin and amyable of the lord, folowe not y e maydēs and doughters of y e worlde which go prosperously in their delites, & they seke to please in the eies of men & not of god they studye to be trīmed and dressed all aboute y t they maye haue prayse of the mouthes of them which looketh on them, and that they maye be made in snare & subuersion [Page] of many. And as y e woorde of them whyche praise them, so the farrenesse of them is lastyng but of one momente, as the frooth of water is easily dyssolued, and as a sparke risyng from fyer, is sone out, so sone is quenched the beautye of fleshe, and all his glory, and it is as a floure of a tree, which in one howre appereth, and streyght ways is it smyttē away with the mouynge or blaste of the winde: but forsoothe y e doughter, set thy hert y t thou maye be trimed or dressed to walke spectable ī the sight of thy cōtynēt louer, our kī ge, which loketh on y e frō heuē, & nūbreth all thy ways: take to y e that beauty, which nether with [Page] sore, sycknesse, nor with age, can not decaye nor perishe, nor y e nedinesse of this worldelye perysshyng substaunce dothe make it fowle, the fairer y e art in face, thou muste take hede to be the more faire & specious in mid, a disceiuyng grace is of the face, thy glory muste be inwardly, that thou please thy spouse, which loketh on thy herte. Beholde the way of chastitie, & take heede it haue pleasaunt grenenesse of gre [...]e on bothe partes, and outwardly beautyfulnes, gyue thou place to chastitie, not onely in fleshe, but in spirite, for why, vayne is the chastitie of the flesh, where as reigneth the incontinency of the spirite, and [Page] any other thynges whyche defileth y e soule, take hede what I say: As a lāpe can not shew light without nouryshyng of fatnes, so can not y e chastitie of the fleshe shyne afore the heuenly spouse without the chastitie of the spirite. And I set to these wordes this question: Lord? in the vision our way apered narow or straite: and what is that which the scripture speketh. And I walked in breadthe, bycause I sought thy commandementes, what is that brodenes? and how can I consider that breadth or brodenes ī that way? To this he thus answered, That brodenesse or bredth is the strong intēt of the hert, & the burnyng [Page] charitie inwardly wherwith the chast foules doo bourne to theyr spouse Christe the lord, which is the breadth or brodenes, & plentuousnes of all the wayes of god, consider the libertie of this waye, that it is without thornes or lettes, that is the effecte of charitie whiche he worketh most in virgines, where he sendeth foorth the thornes of charges, and of all malice, that they may be vacant, and thynke those thynges, which belongeth to god, and how they may plese hym whom they loue aboue all thynges. And whā again I asked him of the narownes of the way, he said: That is y t virgins shuld constrayn [Page] them selfe, y t in nothing shuld excede from them selues, & to hym I said: Lorde may they excede from them selues? And he said. they myght, and I sayd: What thynges be those, by whiche they may excede from theim selues? And he sayde: Those be ydeines, fabulation, that is telling of tales, and all thynges which taketh awai their heuenly spouse frō their myndes. And he sayde more: The narownesse of the way & of the torquis which afore I told to you, they shewe vnder one signification. that they must walk to christ theyre spouse alwayes in narrownesse in those thynges the whiche perteyne to thys worlde.
And whan these words ware completed, in the seconde sonday of the holy feast of lent in y e feastfull day of sayncte Mathy apostle in the tyme of dyuine office or sacrifyce, the holy blyssed angell of the lord appered to me. And I sayde to hym. I beseeche the my lorde, yf it be now tyme, if it pleaseth the, nowe to set an ende to thy sermon, whiche hetherto y e haste prosecuted and folowed on to the virgins of the lorde: skāte I had fulfylled my prayer, and by and by he opened his mouth w t these wordes. Lo I shal sette to more ouer to admonysshe or warne you most beloued chyldren to the lorde.
Absteyne you from the [Page] noughty lusts or delites of vices, which fyghteth agaynst the spirite caste the thoughtes of youre hartes on the lorde, and he shall norishe you, as it shall be pleasynge to hym, and he shall bryng you into the feasts of euerlastyng lyfe, whiche he maye vouchesaue to graunte to you, Iesus Christe the sonne of the liuing god, which with the holye ghoste lyueth and reygneth lorde god by all world of worldes. Amen.
¶ Of the wave of prelates. A Sermon.
THe sermon afore written broughte to an ende, the angell of the lord differred his cōmyng to visite me [Page] longer tyme thanne he was wont to do, & that I dyd impute vnto my synnes, and I was anguished in my selfe, and I gaue my selfe more diligently, with wepynge teares and prayers, and our couente holpe me w t their comon prayer. and whan seuentene dayes were past from that the sayd other sermon was ended, aboute the third houre of the day I stode alone in the oratory, she dyng my herte afore the lorde, and sayinge. Not by my merites lord thou haste loked in all these thynges whiche y e haste wroughte with me, but in thy me [...]ye thou haste doone all these, therfore I beseche the not to bee refreygned for my synnes [Page] or fautes, or for the synnes of any other, but that it may please the of thy goodnes to bring to ende those thynges whiche hytherto thou haste begon with me. Of the way of the gouerners of thy churche, which thou haste shewed to me in mystery, it maye please the to wytsafe to shewe to vs a congruent discipline or teachyng, of the which some fruite of correction may comme, as thou knowest it to be necessary to thy people. Yet I speaking these and other like wordes in praier, lo the aungel of my desire, sodeynly appered afore me, and with these woordes he began, sayenge: Thus saithe the lorde: Beholde, I sende [Page] myn angel that he may shewe to you which are set in high power, & you are prouokers: forsothe I saye to you, that the wickednes of the earthe which you haue hidden for golde and syluer ascendethe afore me, as smoke frō fyre: Are soules thinke you no better then golde or siluer? and them you strāgle in euerlasting fire for your auarice. Therfor your own religion accuseth you afore me: lo forsothe you haue made your sanctification to stynke in the sight of the people, and it is turned to me in abhomination: you haue occupied the principate of my saynctes, and I knewe it not: you haue defiled my bedde, and I [Page] haue hold my peace, and said nothyng: What is a doo with me and with you, whiche are the exasperatours or sharpers of my mekenes: From whens ar you ascended to trouble my flock, and to aggrauate my heart vpon my childrē, which I haue begotten in the bitternes of my soule in the day of my labour & of myn anguishes. And agayne the angell set to speake more to me, sayeng: Are not my shepardes obdurate or made hard, as it were in a greuous slepe, & howe shall I make them to awake vpon my flockes, which ar dispersed as shepe be whē they ar fed ingrene pastures: my people are made vagant, euery one [Page] foloweth his own mind and in the bront of their herte, they runne about eche one after their concupiscence, and there is neither voyce nor wytte with my shepeherdes, to blame and to gather together them whiche are dissipate, to me they are dombe sayth the lord, to me they are made foles, forsothe to theimselues they are wyse and ware or subtil, their mouth is open, and their tonge is versatile or sharpe to gather the grape or vine, in the whiche they haue not laboured, swifte is their foote, and they run in tumulte or in greate noyse to roote vp and to suppe vp the carnal thinges of my peple, to whō they doo minister no spirituall [Page] thynges, they ar so slow that thei wil not moue ther fīger to teach my sowles frome wyckednes, for whō I haue tasted death: they ar not afrayed to persecute me as a peple which knoweth not my name, they walke vnder my name, & thei make heuy y e hert of my peple, with vnlauful exaction, & thei mind not to take awaye from mine eyes, the wyckednes of y e adulterer, & of the fornicator, & of the smyter, and of hym that is violent in his neighbor, & of a thefe, & of an yll doer, & of him that is forsworn, & of an vsurer & of him that disceyueth in weight & measure, & of him whiche polluteth my saboth dais in plais [Page] of filthynes, and of him whiche depriueth the couenant of sanctimonie, and of hym which is vncircuncised, dishonoring myn aultar, not deming or iudgyng that whiche is cleane or pure, & most cleane or most pure, and of hym whiche selleth & bieth my sanctification, and exercisynge pride in the heritage of my sanctuary: these & other thinges whiche with my lawes I haue forbidden, waste my house as a flame of desolationi, & they make me yrke or weary vpon the chyldren of mē and my shepeherdes are dombe in their maners, and rest in the desires of their soule, they go well their gates after theyr plantacion: and our lord [Page] saithe: that thereafter their goynges shal fynd a woorthye retribution or rewarde: The aungell thus prosecutynge, whyche spake to me by dyuers tymes: I sayde vnto hym, Lorde, what is that wakynge whyche our lord hath thretned to his shepeherdes? and thereto he takynge agayn the worde, as in anger of threatnynge, sayde: You whych slepe in my blamynges, and your hearte is blynded in youre sleape, I shall make you to wake: whē olde death shall comme on you, and that inueterate serpente, and he shall deuoure you with a greate brunte or violence: for why you haue treasured to you treasures [Page] in the paynes of helle, O you vnhappye and insensate or vnwise: Open youre eyes, and rede scriptures, and remembre with what religion your antecessors haue gone afore you: agayn after a little while or tyme, the aungell added, saying: Behold and see the great byshop and high aboue all thynges our lorde Iesu Christe, howe he walked in his dayes in the myddes of his dysciples, not in heighte as of bearynge lordshyp, but in humble lowelynesse, as he that doth ministration of seruice, as a meke or pituous folower of his flock vnto the consummation of death for them. Loke vpon his sede, whiche is [Page] blessed, the ministers of his callynge his blessed apostles, and their successours, in who [...]e companies you glory to be, and you feede the wille of your hearte in their labours: are your wais as theyr wayes hathe beene, thynke not so, theyr wayes were faire and ryghte wayes, forsoothe your wayes are defyled, and there is none order in them, thei haue not walkid in highnesse of theyr spiryte or mynde, nor in the tumult or noise of a proud companye folowynge, not in couetousnesse of gettyng, not in magnif [...]cence of ryche twa-thynge, nor in dissolution of hearte, not in muche eatynge, drynkyng [Page] and foule spottes of the flesshe, not in vanitie of theym whyche play, nor theyr running was not afterdogge nor byrde. Forsoth they drue towarde the steppes of the great shepard or pastoure in sinceritie and purenes, wakynge and watchyng faithful watchinges vpon the flocke of our lorde bothe daye and nyght, in laboures and in throwes, in penurie of necessitie, and as patient in anguisshe they haue fulfilled their ministery, sufferyng abiection and contumelye of menne, and persecutions more then any mā can noumbre, and they haue giuen theyr soules to deathe for that they might fulfyll the earthe [Page] with the gospell of god, & that they myght wyn or get the soules of the electes. We halowynge the feaste of Easter in tyme of sacrifice, after y e readyng of the gospell, there appered to me the angell of the lorde standyng afore me, and whē I asked of hym that he wolde vouchsafe to procure that no negligence shulde chaunce in that holy cōmunion, whiche we taried for: & I praied hym further, that he would vouchsafe to folow on the sermon, whiche he had begun of the rulers of the Churche. Wherevnto he gaue me a short answere, saying: If they were woorthy, oure lorde wolde shewe many great thynges of [Page] them. And that spoken, he went streyght waies to the aultar, and stoode with two angelles, whiche came in the begynnynge of Masse, with great diligence tyll that we wer all houseled: the next day about the same tyme comynge, thus he beganne, sayenge: The head of the churche crieth, and his membres are dead: for why the apostolical seate is obsessed with pride, and it is tylled with auarice, and it is fulfylled with iniquitie and wickednesse, and they sclaunder my shepe, which they ought to kepe and gouern, the worde is with the lorde with his power. Shall my right hande forgette this, no without doubt, [Page] excepte they shall be conuerted, and shall correct theyr noughtye worste wayes. I the Lorde shall breake theym asunder. Agayne, an other day, he added therto sayeng: These sayth oure Lorde to the great prelate [...] of the churche. Remembre you what accompt you shall yelde in my dreadefull iudgement of my shepe, whyche you haue taken to gouerne and to keepe, whan you haue apprised the spirituall gyftes of my people with the price of vnhappynesse, trowe therfore I send to you fatherly monitions or warnynges: see that you bee not iudged, but be you conuerted frome your most yll vices, and [Page] make clean your consciences, and I shall be reconciled to you, or els I the Lord shal put away your memory frome the lande of them whych liueth: after these he as in spirite of softnes shewyng the worde of god, sayde: I the Lorde crie and warne my shepardes, and why here they not the voyce of my admonition or warnyng: I stande and knocke at the doore of their herte, and they wyll not open to me: Heare harken & vnderstand the wordes of my warning, and delite you in my loue, for why, I warne the shepardes & my shepe with a fatherly warning: for soth there be among my shepeherdes, whiche are [Page] seue to me good and peasyble, to howe fewe of them there be, and other many ylle and peruerse or frowarde which prouoke me to anger, therfor it behoueth to warn the good to profyte into better, and forsoothe to warne the ylle and the peruerse frowarde, that they may be conuerted, that they perysh not frō the right waye. And agayne when he dyd visite me, he ioyned more wordes to: Lo our lord hath yet set to his shepe herdes, sayeng: With all busynesse of mynd take heede your way bee the right waye and erre not therin. Wake or watche you, and kepe the vigils of the nyghte vpon my flock, as good folowers [Page] lest peraduenture there maye come ouer you a flocke of goates, which be malignaunt spirites, of the which the flockes of my sheepe are dispersed: Ioy you with gladnes, you whiche are peasible saith the lorde, and remembre my woordes whiche you haue found in this present sermon, and keepe you from the vnlaufulle. thynges of this world, and loue my warnyng: forsoth I am to bee beloued for suche warnynge, & if that you loue me, and giue honor to my name. for of me you haue receyued that honour, I shall honour you afore my holy aungelles. As yet the holye angelle speakyng to me these wordes of the pastors [Page] or shepards of the churche. it was seene or some behorable that I shuld aske for them whiche are doubtefull, and take occasion of their erroure, I asked therfore not as doubtīg in fa [...]the but as couetīg our faith to be made ferme, of the angelles authorite, and I sayd, Lorde, haue the offices of those bishopes whiche wrongfully and nat after god haue ētred to their bisshopprickes, lyke truthe in the sacramentes of the church, as of those byshops whose entree is good. And he answeryng, said: Many whan they fear the suche thinges so depely ar rather made therof worse, than better, and therby not amended, and the [Page] lorde wolde shewe suche thynges, if they would not the more frelyer offende, they to whom suche thinges do perteine. and these spokē, streight waies he was taken frō myn eies. Forsooth the next day when he came agayne to me, I asked hym, repetyng the same words, and he said, they haue lyke vertue, but it is more pleasyng to god in the offices of theym which haue wel entred. And agayne I sayde: My lord is it not so that priests ordeined of them whose entre is nat good haue the same power to consecrate in the aultar the body and bloudde of our Lorde, as they whiche are ordeined of them whyche laufullye haue [Page] entred. And he sayd: Let neuer that doubt hereof ascende into thy hearte, but knowe for certayne, that all they which haue taken priesthoode in the ordinaunce of the churche haue the same power in the consecration of the lordes sacrament whether they, whyche haue ordeyned theym, haue entred well or yll, those dyuyne woordes whyche in the holye canon are sayde, are of suche vertu afore the lord, that trewely in the pronunciation of those wordes, there is the bodye and bloude of our lorde of what so euer prieste they be pronounced: for so the neither by the merites of theym that bee good it is made, nor by [Page] nor by the synnes of thē that be yll is letted that consecration, forsoth although ther be no insufficient efficacie in the diuine sacramentes aswel the priestes as ordinaries, neuer the lesse for their yll they be damnable, and hereafter shall be punisshed with more greuous damnatiō. By cause all this sermon semed to pertaine to oure spirituall fathers, hauyng Iudgementes in the churche, I prayed the angell of the lorde, saying: Lord I pray the that as thou hast ministred hitherto wordes of admonition or of warnyng to the spiritual gouernoures, so it maye please the to shewe from the lorde to them which [Page] haue auctoritie of secular iudgementes, some admonitions or warnynges, whereby they maie be corrected. And he streight wais geuing consente to my petition with these woordes beganne a sermon perteynyng to them, sayenge: Lo our Lorde hathe ordeyned vppon his people princes and Iudges that they shoulde doo iudgement and iustice, and confirme truthe and peace betwixte man and man, that all the people shoulde bee well pleasyng afore the lynynge God. Nowe forsoothe sayeeth oure Lorde: My Princes and iudges ar as a hors or a mule, in whome there is no vnderstandynge: [Page] They walke afore me with the necke extended, and blowen with pride, not geuyng glory to god, of whome is all power in heauen and in earthe, but they glory in theyr vertues. I haue exalted theym & made theym honorable on the earth: and lo they despise to knowe that, and to geue me the glory. Forsoth if they knew my name, whyche is great, and to be feared, and my stronge righte hande, whyche I haue stretched vpō them, peraduenture they shuld be made low and meke vnder hand, & shuld withdrawe agayne to theym selues theyr necke whiche they haue erected into the contumelie or [Page] displeasure of me, and shulde bowe down their there into the earthe frō whens I toke them and their fathers: I saye to you kyngs of the earth, whyche are lyfted vp in heighte, and the crye of your iniquite ascendeth into heauen afore me, heare you the voyce of my blaming, and I shal discept or with strife dispute with you in the eares of my people. Know you not that al the kingdoms of the worlde are myne, and all the glorye of them, & that I haue power to geue theym to whom I will, & agayn what hour I wil to take them awai? Do you not know, that al thyngs lyuyng stand vnder the cō mādemēt of my mouth, [Page] and that my woorde is mighti to diuide betwen your spirite and fleshein the twinkling of an eie: and why is your hert set vp in pride in these thynges whiche by my ordynance you haue taken, & not rather you to be busy to minister to me in y e degree of youre height, and to geue thankes to me for the multitude of my benefites: go agayn to your hert, & see what I haue done to you, and what you haue yealded agayn to me. I the lord youre dominatour haue founde you without me rite of thankes geuing afore me, & neuertheles I haue takē you vp, as I wyl of al the numbre of muche people, and I wyll lifte you vp aboue the [Page] heigh of prynces, and of Iudges of the earthe, & I haue shed on you vnction of my holynesse, & I haue put the diademe of glory on your head, and I haue porrected or reched vnto you the rodde of the kyngdom to your right hand: and I haue girt you with the swerd of my vengeance, and I haue glorified you afore all my people in ryches, in high power, & I haue giuē to you gret strēgth to rend asunder the vertue or strength of the rebellers against you, & I haue dilated & set abrode the fame of your name, accordyng to the bredth of therth. I y e lord haue done to your al these, to y e intent y t you shuld magnifi y e praise of my name [Page] vpon the earth, and that you shuld exercise my iustice or lawes in theym which I haue made subiect to you, aswel to high as to the low, to y e more as to the lesse, and that you shulde set at one all my people in the bandes of peace and of equitie, and that you shuld faithfully giue your selues to be a refuge or helper to euery one whiche is oppressed, or to hym which suffreth wrōg, and that you shuld be my dēgers against thē, which break or violate peace or iustice & y t you shuld make the erth to rest frō thē whiche troubleth it, & make it desolate with sword & fire, & with violent pray deuoureth other mēs labors, & make y e tillers of [Page] the erthe to be vagant & beggers, & thei dishonor my holy name, wherw t I haue signed & marked them, and I haue disseuerde thē in heritage to me. This was y e yoke of my thraldom or seruice, which I haue put vpon you in the daye y t I dyd exalt you ouer thē whiche ar most high aboue my people: you forsothe haue smitten away that yoke from your neckes, and for al y e glory which I haue giuē to you, you haue yelded againe not drede & honor, but despit and prouoking, and you shutte the eies of youre mind that you shuld not loke to your iuge which is in heuens, & you haue subuerted that which is right for y e auarice and [Page] pride of your hert, & you haue cōfirmed wickednes in the earth, & haue set that vp in high place where you walk abrode on the earth: I here wepyng and wailyng after you, and a great & much quarell accuseth youre pride, for your cōpany of horsmen is intollerable and it is beyōd numbre, the iniquitie of thē whiche walke in the circuite of you: you ar combrous & chargeable to my people, & that to you semeth but a trifle, but also to your lorde god, you are greuous and abhominable of the defilyng or filthynes of your shamful vnclennes, wherw t you ar not afraid to prouoke me to indignation, and you haue dishonored the [Page] holy oile, wherw t I haue anoynted you, and you haue polluted my honorable name, whyche I haue put on you, & haue made it to bee blasphemed in the multitude of people for the insaciable sinne whiche hath lordeshyp in you: therfore saieth y e lord, I haue sworn in y e strēgth of my right hand: for why, lo nere at hande I shall yelde my moste harde vengeance on your heades, and as you haue myghtyly fynned, so I shal make you myghtilye to bee tourmented, and to bee troden downe togyther of yll and vncleane spirites, to whome you haue mynistred, & the scourge shall not go from you in this tyme, excepte you [Page] shall doo penaunce, and go away from your wicked wais, wherwith you haue brought my wrath into your kyngdeomes. Doo penaunce therfore and tary nat, and studye with all vigilance to fulfyll your ministerye, to which I haue called you and I shall remembre my auncient mercies in you, and shal haue mercy of your manyfold wickednesses, and I shall magnifie you after the magnitude of my seruā tes kynges, which haue ben afore you, & I shall set vnto you the crowne of glory in my kingdom whiche shall not perish-frō your head into euerlastyng. Behold all you princes and my iudges these my woordes, you [Page] which beare the wickednes of your kynges, and correcte youre shrewed wayes in my blamyngs in whiche I haue chydē them, and go you frome auaryce & dysceytfulnes you whiche do suffocate or strangle my Iustice, for rewards and fauour of men, and you lyft vp the hertes of my people, that one may noye another, trustynge in youre vnrightuousnesse. I the lorde haue made subiect my people to your dominacyon, that you should be to them in defence, from the face of the violente, and of the robber, and lo your herte ys lyfted vp in pryde, and as dyrte in the streete, you treade them downe, by whome you ar glorious [Page] and as rauenous wolfes you exercise madnes in youre propre flocke. I haue likened you to my principates, whiche are ouer the knighthode or chyualrye of heauen, and you wold not vnderstand your owne honor and you haue clad your selfes with the similitud of the prynces of hell, in the multitude of malyce wherw t you skourge my people in the boldenes of your spirit, and in the spottes of your Intemperaunce, wherewithe you haue dishonored my face, whiche lokethe on you from heuen therfore the lorde sayth, I lyue, and the strength of my righte hande lyuethe, yf you wyll not here of my warning, and be turned [Page] agayne to me, I shall drawe you downe from your height, whiche you haue ylle vsed into the depenes of hel, and you shal be felowes of them to whō you haue made your selfes like, in quick bournynge fyre euerlastyng. In the holy daye of Penthecoste, called Whitsontide in the fyrst houre afore the celebration of the diuine office when I was in prayer, the angel appered afore me, and settynge hereto with the adding of these woordes, fulfylled this sermon. Thus saith the lorde, kyng of kynges, and lorde of them whiche haue lordeshyppe ouer all the earth: Here you, and vnderstande you the woordes of my [Page] mouth, and amend your waies in my eie syghte, for if you study to please and to appease me, the more hygher you are in this, the more hygher place I shal geue to you named in my kyngdom that you may lyue and reigne with me without ende. Amen.
¶ Of the way of them that ar wydowers or widows. The .vii. sermon.
IN the feaste of saint Martin betwixte the silence of the Masse, I spake to the angell, sayenge: Lorde it please the now that thou may exhibite to vs a conuenient discipline of that way, wherof one parte is occupied with brembles, and truly [Page] the other part is pleasant and fruitfull with floures, and narow, hauyng nothyng of brembles and of lettynges or impedimentes. Scante I fulfilled the woordes of my petitiō, & straight wais he saied: Lo I say to you, whyche in this world be wydowes lyuyng in fleshe, in labors and in many anguishes absteyn you from the vices of this worlde, and walke you in the way of continencie or of chastitie, which waye is pleasantly dressed, and so liuyng accordynge to the spirite, go out frome the myddes of thornes, whiche are in the circuite of you. for lo your snare is dissolued wherwith you wer boūd to this world, [Page] and as captyues you were led to serue to the will of an other, & you wer not your own whā you did or performed the wyl of the flesh, after all the desires of the heart, you tooke than excuse of the necessite of mariage. And if you will againe obey to the fleshe, what excuse shall you haue? Wherfore couete you to please againe to y e syght of man in a proude clothing, in the ornamente or dressing of your face? to whom more now doo you bye or set your flesh partly deade in the delites of this worlde, and in those desyres whiche be aduersant against the spirit?, and you heape to youre selues vayne and superuacante busynesse [Page] more then is expedient. Heare you rather godly counsell, and go awaye from the voluptuousnes of this lyfe: for they are disceyuable, leste peraduenture you be afore occupied with theim, and your laste dooynges bee worse thā the fyrst, take to you quietnes of mind & spirituall delites whiche god offereth to you, doo the residue of your daies in obsecrations & in vigils, and in chastisyng of your fleshe, and in workes of pitie. And in the vigile of the apostles, he set to more, sayeng: and what shall I more adde to warne or admonisshe you: Lo I haue shewed you the way, I haue instructed you with doctrine, feele here [Page] and there, consyder the wordes, reteyn the exā ples: Loue chastitie and runne to the clerenes of god, and of our lord Iesu Christ, which he may witsaufe to graunte to you, which liueth & reigneth by all worlde of worldes. Amen. In the day of the translation of sainct Benet, I dyd couet to take y e beginnyng of the .viii. sermon, but that day my praiers wer letted with the presence of gestes, and my des [...]re was translated vnto the next day. Then forsothe I standing in praier after the houre of the chapiter, the aungell of our lorde presented himselfe to me, and I asked that he mighte begynne the sermon to theim, whose [Page] life in vision appered to be occupied as with cloddes, and streight waies he opened his mouthe, and spake these wordes.
¶ Of the waie of heremites, & of them which liue solitarily or alone. A sermon.
TAke heede you y t haue chosē to dwel in wildernes what discrecyon you maye haue. Forsoothe discretion is mother of al vertues, the sharpe clodde is youre waye, for the hardnesse of lyfe, se you leste peraduenture your foote maye offende, and if it offend, beware that the lyghte whiche is in you bee made voyde or extincted: forsothe therfore it is necessarye for you to haue discretion, [Page] that you may not folow to soone euery brunt of your zele or desyre, whiche impelleth you to the height of perfection, nor go not ouer the measure of your vertu or strēgth with immoderate labors, many walkyng in the presumptiō of their spirite, with to muche affliction, haue quenched their lyfe, and they haue parished in their inuencion, many exceedynge their measure haue subuerted mans vnderstanding in themselues, and haue ben made vnprofitable like iument beastes, sauoryng no witte or knowledge: many by immoderate fatigatiōs haue ben broughte into irkesomnes, & the vertu therof hath waxed sycke [Page] or wery, & they went awaie backward, and are reuolued agayne to carnal or fleshely voluptuousnes, & they are made a laughyng to scorne to wicked spirites: good is the vexatiō or punisshement of the flesh, bicause it is aduersant agaynst the concupiscence of vncleannes, but if it exceede measure, it is vnprofitable bicause it suffocateth or strangleth the deuotion of contemplation, & quencheth the light therof. O thou man, haue thou mynde therfore of thy fraylenes, that thou mayst go warely in the harde way, whiche thou hast entred into, and do paciently in thy hasting or festination, lest y u suffre ruine or decay, dresse [Page] al thy labors in the coū cels of wise mē & not in thyn owne wit or mynd and thou shalt not be cō foūded in thyn outgate, tempt not the lord of heuen, as they whiche nat takyng hede, outwardly cast awaye the charge & cure of themselfes, and they haue trust that the power of our lorde shall be made meruailous in them after as in the ancient dais. To these take to thee the eruditiō and discipline of cōtēplation whiche I haue shewed from the lord & comfort in that thyne abiection. We sittyng togither in y e chapterhous to heare a lesson of the rule in the feaste of saincte Mary Magdalen, my lord the angell stode afore me, & [Page] fulfilled this present sermon w t a cōuenient end saying: O mā now take hede, y u which hast chosen to leade thy life alone, & thou haste renounced or forsaken y e voluptnousnesse of y e worlde, what fruite thou bryng forth. Truly ther ar som men which loue more to be a lone for the libertie of their owne wil, than for frute of good worke, but if thou perseuer or abide in goodnes, the lord shal geue to thee the thynge which the eie hathe not sene nor y e eare hath not hearde nor hath not ascended into the heart of man, whiche he myghte vouchsafe to graunte to you, whiche lyueth and reigneth god by the infinite world of worldes. Amen. ¶Whā the feast [Page] of saynt Iames the apostle was in hande in the first euen song the angel of the lorde appered afore me, and I did as the writer of these sermons enticed me, and I asked of the aungelle that he wolde please or vouchesafe to pronounce the title whiche was to bee writē in the begynning of this boke. And by & by he assented to my petition, and sayd: This is the booke of the wayes of god, which was sheweo of the angel of god, most high to Elizabeth the handmayd of Christ the lyuynge God, in the fyft yere of her visitation in the which yere the spirite of the lorde hath visited her, to the helthe of all them whiche take & perceyue these fatherly [Page] monitiōs or warninges with a thankefull blessyng. and it was the yeare of our lordes incarnation, a thousand, a hundred fifty and six.
¶ Of the way of adolescence, that is of them whiche be yong, and aboue seuen yeares. A sermon.
IN the moneth of August the .v. day of that moneth, in the mornyng after matens, when I was couched in my little bed, nor as yet I toke no sleape, sodeinly appeared afore me the angel of our lord and began thenyneth sermon of this presēt boke with these words. Lo or behold I haue somwhat to say to you, which are put or set in youth as a [Page] lyly which afore y e sonne risyng or springing was close or shette, and when the sonne shined in his vertue, then he openeth him selfe and deliteth in the ardure or heate of y e son, so is a man, & so his fleshe flourisheth in his youth or yonge age, and he many waies touched deliteth his mynde, and is resolued of the softe glosyng or flatteryng of his naturall heate: here you therfore chylderne, and in the words of my ministery perceyue the calling of your most best father from heuen, whiche shall geue to you a place of most swete amenitie or pleasure afore y e seate of his glory, if you wyll chose to walke in his counsels: lerne first [Page] to dreade or feare y e lord of heauen, and often custome your selues to be bowed doune vnder the yoke of his dread or fear from the beginnynge of your youth. Lo he hath prepared in the cruel hel fyre and brymstone, and hugely many scourges and most bitter bitings of the horrible spirites, doyng yl to small and to great, and spareth none age: therefore I saye to you, learne to conteyne your selues from all yll works, & kepe your innocency as chosen gold, whose price in beautifulnesse as yet you knowe not, forsothe when your vnderstandynge shall growe in age, than you shall know, and you shal taste therof the fruite of [Page] myrth which no manne knoweth, but he that taketh it, O you litle children, the counsell of our lorde is that whiche I say, lo there is in youre bosome a treasure desyrable & precious aboue al the rychesse of the worlde, that is the precious stone of your virginitie, you shall be blessed if you wyll keepe it, caste nat that thynge so precious in y e myre, nor chaunge it not for a vile delectation, whyche is but of one moment, for ones caste awaye, it can no more be found again that is the propre signe of our fraternitie in heuen, and therfore singularly we delite in theym in the earthe whiche we fynde or see signed with [Page] our title, and if it please your soule or mynde to keepe it, take heede to youre selues, that you defyle it not with the negligence of your lightnesse, decline with the feare of your harte from the prouokinges of vncleannesse, and flee from the confabulations and collusyons of yong weuches, and keepe you no felowshyppe with the corrupters of theym.
Kepe your mouth from vncleane or foule wordes or talkynge, & bowe away your eare from it, and absteyne youre eies and your handes frome all fowle fylthynesse.
Heare you and vnderstande the scripture of a wyse manne, whiche sayth, Happy is she whiche [Page] hath not knowē the bedde in synne, she shall haue fruite in respect of holy soules: and he whiche is gelded, and hathe not wrought by his handes iniquitie, there shall bee gyuen to hym the chosen gyfte of faythe, and the moste acceptable lotte or chaunce in the temple of the lorde. Whā I required of hym of that scripture whose it shoulde bee, he sayde: The holy ghoste spake it by the mouthe of a wyse man. And streight ways he was taken frō myne eies, nor he wold not more suffre no question to be asked of him. After these agayne he sette to and sayde: Yet I shall adde to speake to my bretherne and felow [Page] seruantes, the warnyngs or admonicions of the father of them. O you children bring it in custome to you, the maners of holynes in your floryshinge age, whyche you maye exercise in the tyme of your rypenesse, sharp your maners therin, that you may be abashed from yll, meke and sobre, lowly and mercyful, and be pacyent to correction, loue you & serch the doctrine of wisemen and fle from lying wordes, and frō wordes of malice, and theft or stealing, muche eatyng, and striues, and such playes or gamyng, which auarice hath found, and fle from them whiche gyue occasion of vncleane voluptuousnes: it is expediente [Page] also to you to intende to often praier, for why a praier procedyng from an vndefiled conscience, is in heauen as incēse of swetnes, make supplication to your maker whiche hath created you, that he may keepe you vndefiled from this worlde, and trust not in the lengthe of this lyfe present: for youre ende from hens is vncertain: this is the beautie and fayrenes of your waye. O you adolescentes and yong persons immaculate, walke therin, and you shall be chyldren amiable to our lorde, and lyke to the aungelles of god in heauen, to whose felowshyp our lord Iesu Christe may vouchesafe to bring you, and he [Page] is blessed and laudable with the father, & with the holy ghoste in euerlasting worldes. Amen.
¶Of the waye of Infantes. A sermon.
IN the vigill of the assumption of our Lady, whan the sermon afore rehersed, was completed by the angell, in the same feast full daye, in the tyme of diuine office, the angell visited me agayne, and sayde: Lo yet I wyll say and make an end of my sermons, for there is yet place, and I haue some what shortly to say to infantes, whiche can not keepe them selfe for ignoraunce, therefor it behoueth [Page] to admonyshe or warne theyr mothers, that they maye kepe thē with the dreade or feare of god chaste and immaculate, that by chaunce they perishe not. And to that I asked and sayd: Lord what is that whiche thou hast sayd (chast and immaculate) what can infantes do wherof they mai defile their chastitie, and if they do any thyng amysse, dothe not ignorance excuse theim. And he sayde: They defyle oftentymes theyr chastitie with vncleane wordes, and with workes, suche as they may performe, and although they may doo it by ignoraunce, yet they bee not without faute, for that they were not therefore [Page] chastised of any bodye, nor they knewe not of them selues how to doo penaunce for their faut, therefore they ought to bee chastised of their parentes for theyr fautes, for as they are accustomed or vsed to dooe yll: so should they learne to doo well, yf they were nourished therto by chastitie: In that I sayde, Immaculate, I sayde it for theym, which whē they a lyttell bee paste seauen yeares, then the more they defyle theym selues with yuell workes: for why they than knowe to thynke more of euyll, for also they as muche as they maye, woorke the woorkes of vncleannesse, so that they whyche bee ioyned [Page] in kynrede, are often coupled, not knowynge what they doo: Therefore suche if when they dye frome this worlde, they suffre great peynes tyll they may bee made pure, for why, no spotte may enter into the kingdome of heauen, that therefore is theyr peryshyng, wherof I sayde afore, and the lesse they bee holpen with prayer and almesse of theyr frendes, forsoothe the more greuous and more longer they are punished, for that they beleeue that they neede no healpe of prayer or almesse to bee doone for theym. I saye to you theyr parentes, and to you whyche haue keepynge of yonge lyttell [Page] chyldren, loke vnto how you maye keepe theym with muche cautele or beynge ware of theym, for in you redoundethe their fautes, yf you bee neglygent of them: all fleshe by hym selfe is redy to noughtynesse or to yll: and therfore norishe nat them in your vanities, nor incline theym not to dronkennes and to vain and shreude talkyng or tales tellynge, nor induce not thē by delicate educatiō to pride: forbyd them from conuitious and vncleane or foule woordes, & frome sylthy songes, and from yll playes, & from strife, & from vnware vagatiō laugh not at their fautes, but make thē afraid with words of correctiō [Page] and with y e rod of mekenes: for they wille bee stoute bold and sturdye, if they bee lefte to theyr owne wyl. Begyn therfore in the mornyng of theyr age, to bow them to the dreade and feare of oure lorde, and take you charge to styll into theyr eares, and to teache them the articles of they holy fayth and praiers to god, and al thyng whyche perteynethe to good maners. Forsothe the angell made an end of this sermon in the vtas of the Assumption of our Ladye, with the settyng to of these wordes: Nowe forsoth you moste deare chylderne, how fayre is your way, runne in it. O howe amyable is your father? [Page] Howe precious is your rewarde, and the kyngdome of heauen, whiche he may please, & vouchesaue to graunte to you, y e soonne with the holye ghost ī worldes of worldes. Amen.
¶ The protestacion of y e angell of the shewynge of the booke of y e wayes of god.
WHAN al these sermōs war allmooste consūmated or fynished, to the feaste of the apostles of Peter and Paule, afore the houre of the dyuyne office▪ I was prayeng in secrete place & there appered in my sighte the angel of the lord, and I herynge him, he spake these wordes. [Page] To the byshoppe of Treuerense, and to the byshoppes of Colayn & of Maguncies, it muste be showed to you, from the lord god greate and to be fered, and from the angell of the testament of thys booke, that you may shew these wordes whyche you shall fynde in thys present booke, so the Churche of Rome & to all the p [...]te, and to all th [...] [...]rche of god, amende youre selfes, and be you conuerted frome youre errours, and take not disdaynfully this holye and diuyne monicion or warnyng, for they be not of mans Inuencyon, truely I speake to you by name, for that in thys prouince, you haue the name of religion, [Page] rede and here these dyuyne monicions, or warnynges, and take them with a pleasaunt mynde and suppose not them to be fygmentes, or faynynges of women, for they be not so, but they bee of god the father almighty, who is the well and sprynge, and beginnyng of al goodnesse: for sooth that I say to you, I saye to all other.
THys is the adiuracion of hym, that wrote these sermons or boke. I adiure by y e lord and by his angell euery one that shal transwrite thys boke, that diligently he may amend it, and that he may wryte thys adiuracion to this boke.
Laus deo.