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book_n	church_n	life_n	write_v	3,140	5	5.7901	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00412	The contempte of the vvorld, and the vanitie thereof, written by the reuerent F. Diego de Stella, of the order of S. Fr. deuided into three bookes, and of late translated out of Italian into Englishe, vvith conuenient tables in the end of the booke; Vanidad del mundo. English	Estella, Diego de, 1524-1578.; Cotton, George.	1584 (1584)	STC 10541; ESTC S101688	253,878	566

●HE CONTEMPTE OF THE VVORLD AND THE VAnitie thereof written by the reuerent F. Diego de Stella of the order of S. Fr. deuided into three bookes And of late translated out of Italian into Englishe vvith conuenient tables in the end of the booke In nomme Iesu omne genu flectatur Philip. 3 Anno domini 158● O maiestas domini quantū inclinaris Cum Deus ex femina oriri dignaris Nūquid in palac●s rex coeli locaris Non sed in praesepio breui reclinaris Iesus qui angelico coetu veneratur Vestibus purpureis natus non ornatur Sed in satis vilibus pannis inclinatur Sicque mundi gloriā pauper detestatur TO MY DEARE AND LOVINGE countreywomen and sisters in Christ assembled together to serue God vnder the holie order of S. Briget in the towne of Rone in Fraunce THis discourse treating of the vanitie and contempte of the vvorlde after I had perused and in myne ovvne opinion conceyued a speciall liking thereof I fell into some desire vvith my selfe to haue it made common to certaine of my freindes and vvelvvillers such as I vvist vvell vvold like of the argument and vvold be delighted to see it vvell cōningly handeled And because I cold not haue the effect of my desire nor they the fruite of that good I vvished them except it vvere made cōmunicable by some mans trauayle and industrie in reducing it out of the spannishe or Italian language vvherein it vvas first vvritten into our vulgare mother tongue I thought good since I vvanted not goodvvill and therto had store of good leysure beinge at that tyme secluded from all companye rather then to leaue so good a vvorke vndoone that might tend to the benefite of many to aduenture vvhat I cold doe my selfe therein and by myne ovvne experience to make triall vvhat a meane diligēce vvas able to doe euē in the most vnusuall exercises vvhereinto vvhen I vvas entred being daylie dravven vvith desire to see so good a vvorke at an end continually entised forvvard vvith the svveetenes of the vvorke soundnes of the matter and the good handelinge thereof I founde no greate difficultie in the attempt but passed throughe the same in a moch shorter time then I supposed it possible for mee at the first to haue done Thus loue maketh labor light and harde thinges are made easie by delighte yea euen the vearie thing it selfe that this booke intreateth of vvhich to vs vvordly men is of all others the most hard as that vvhich our corrupted nature most misliketh abhorreth is made by loue not onely easie but most pleasant and delectable VVee see daylie hovv the vvicked and vngodlie leaue no mischeefe vndone vvhat daunger so euer they incurre in the doing thereof to haue their pleasure and satisfie their desire vvhich is caused onely by the peruerse loue and levvde affection ouer firmelie fixed vpon the thinges that they fansie and desire It seemeth that loue alone is the directer guyde of all our actions eyther good or euill so as the vvell or euill orderinge thereof doth make vs eyther good or euill Nothing then can be more conuenient for vs ●hen to haue a good order and methode proposed vvhat is meete to be beloued and folovved and vvhat is meete to be detested eschevved This ●ath bene the teachinge of almightie God hym ●elfe from the begynnynge of the vvorlde It vvas ●he first lesson that hee taughte our father Adam 〈◊〉 Paradise vvhen hee gaue hym order vvhat ●e sholde take and vvhat hee sholde refuse Both ●he lavve the prophets tended to no other end ●ut to instruct the people vvhat they shold loue ●lovve and vvhat they shold hate and auoyde Our Sauiour Christ hym selfe comminge in ●●she to redeeme mankinde preached no other ●octrine to the vvorld but this His holy Apostles ●●d teachers sithence haue trauayled aboute no ●●●er thinge The scope of all that hath bene ●●ther vvell taughte or vvritten in the vvorlde ●●till this day hath bene to no other effect but ●●●ly to instructe vs aright vvhat vvee haue to ●●vve and vvhat to flie and to prescribe vs or●●●lie meanes vvhich vvay vve shold doe it best Amongest those that haue labored in this ●●d busines and haue bestovved their trauaills ●●framyng and cōpilinge some necessarie vvorke ●●hich mighte aptlie teach the vvaye to lyue ●●ell and to rectefie the mynde of man in the ●●fect and true loue of God and contempt of the ●●orld vvhich be as it vvere tvvo inseperable cō●●ions and haue their connection alvvayes together so as vvee can not loue God but if vv● contemne the vvorld nor contemne the vvorld 〈◊〉 vvee ought if vvee loue not God Amongest 〈◊〉 I say that haue taken paynes in gods Church 〈◊〉 teach the readie vvay to a good lyfe none hat● in my small iudgemēt more happelie atchieued that vvhich hee hath gone aboute then the auth●● of this booke vvho leadinge a most religious an● contemplatiue lyfe hym selfe hath by due obser●uation and diligent labor chosen out so man● good rules preceptes for that purpose hat● as aptlie applied them and in so good order digested them so bevvtefyinge them vvith apt sim●●litudes and sentences of holie scripture to ma●● them asvvell h●dthfull as gratefull that heard 〈◊〉 vvere I thinke any vvhere to finde a vvorke● better fruite and more likelie to profit the re●●der And as it is novve made familier to oth●● christian nations abrode and vvell receyued 〈◊〉 thē so can I not thinke but that it shall be asvv● vvellcome to you vvhen you are once made a●●quaynted therevvith but if the habite that 〈◊〉 cometh clothed in doth seeme ouer rude ho●● for so good a guest remember I pray you fir●● from vvhome it cometh and at vvhose handes hath receyued this simple aray next to vvho● it goeth that is to them that haue vvholie both 〈◊〉 acte and vvill vtterlie cast of the desire 〈◊〉 ●vorldlie conuersation so as to you the difference 〈◊〉 not greate betvvixt a kendall coate and a pur●e Roabe the substance not the shevve is that ●vhich you desire Lastlie the booke it selfe is such as asketh 〈◊〉 outvvarde settinge out nor glorious shevv of ●vordes the vvhole argument thereof entrea●ge of nothing els but onely of the contēpt of the ●vorld and the vanitie thereof so as it vvere nei●●er agreeable vvith the matter nor conuenient 〈◊〉 the persons to come either richelie arrayed or ●y better then meanelie appareled If the letter selfe be trulie expressed and the authors minde ●●thfullie delyuered I haue that I sought for ●●s it that vvhich I trauayled to doe both for 〈◊〉 ovvne honestie and the readers satisfaction ●●vv vvell I haue fulfilled it let the learned ●●der be Iudge vnto vvhose examination and ●●sure I referre it My trauayle herein I haue ●ore others dedicated vnto you for that I ●●ughte it a meete vvorke for you and the ar●●ment thereof so vvell agreeing vvith your pro●●ion VVherein if you fynde any

regard fur●●●he matter that is written in them ●e not thou like vnto a little child ●●●e thou arte now come to mans estate 〈◊〉 doe not rest thy selfe in the con●●●plation of the bewtie of that thinge which thou beholdest but let it serue th●● as a booke to finde out the true caus● the geuer thereof that thou mayst there be moued the more to loue hym and gyue him the greater glorye theref●●● Thou shalte finde written in euerie of 〈◊〉 creatures yf thou consider thē well th●● is God which is the Creator of them a●● The creatures be as it were spectac●● which serue vs not to see our selues but to make vs to see other thinges 〈◊〉 better by them So must thou vse th● creatures not for to see thē nor thy 〈◊〉 in thē but to see beholde God in the If thou doest loue and esteeme thy se●● because thou art bewtifull and fayre I 〈◊〉 then aske of thee doth not this be●● proceed● from the soule Take from thy body thy soule 〈◊〉 then what thinge is vyler and more 〈◊〉 then thy bodie If thy bodie then ser●● vnto thee bewtifull how muche 〈◊〉 owghtest thou to thinke thy soule be●●●●full and to loue that which is the cause thy bodies bewtie If the onelie prese●● of thy soule be cause of the bewtie of 〈◊〉 bodie of what bewtie then mayest 〈◊〉 thinke thy soule to be of In the soule ●●●●sisteth the trewe perfecte bewtie fo● other bewty is but as a shadowe that 〈◊〉 passeth awaye and vanisheth Thou 〈◊〉 not consider the barke nor the outwa●● apparence but rather cast thyne 〈◊〉 toward the roote loue and esteeme● ●●●ynninge of all that which appeareth so ●●●e on the outside vpon that as vpon a 〈◊〉 foundation grounde both thy loue 〈◊〉 affection And of bodelie bewtie make no ac●●●te which is by a litle sickenes or other ●●●alties soone taken awaye Thy dayes 〈◊〉 awaye in hast Thy yowth is soone ●●●e And toward thine olde age and so ●●●sequentlye vnto death thou passest ●●●y as fast which when it cometh what 〈◊〉 then become of all thy bewtie and 〈◊〉 fayre lookes If eyther in thy selfe or ●●●y other bodie thou findest any bew●●●●l countenance calle to thy remem●●●●ce in how shorte space death will ●●●re that fayre white skynne and how ●●●w will those eyes be and fea●●full to ●olde that were before so brighte and 〈◊〉 to looke vpon And how filthie and ●●●e will all that bodie be that seemeth 〈◊〉 so bewtifull to thyne eye ●his veritie is now for the tyme coue●●● with falsehood and this deceyuable ●●warde shew hydeth the certaynetie of 〈◊〉 ●ruth This outwarde shew of vayne ●●●e doth nothing els but secretlie de●●●e our eyes It burneth worse then the 〈◊〉 of the fyre for no man is burned 〈◊〉 the fyre but he which toucheth it ●●●ewtie burneth a farre of Vnder this ●●●terfeyt signe is their muche matter ●●●e let the eyes of thyne vnderstāding ●●●e out the secret misteries thereof I wolde not haue thee to abuse th● eyes with the verie fyrst shew or 〈◊〉 ouerthrowen at the first blow but as so●● as thou seest any bewtifull sighte whic● like to enflame thy mynde with any va●●● affection calle straight to thy mynde 〈◊〉 thinge man is And yf thou woldest exercise thy 〈◊〉 often tymes in the consideration the●● Thou shouldest take such an habituall ●●●ceyte thereof that thou mightest euer 〈◊〉 serue God with a pure a cleane my 〈◊〉 and quite dischardge thine affection 〈◊〉 such fond vanities Labour to bewtif●●● to adorne well thy soule for al other 〈◊〉 is nowght els but vayne corruptible 〈◊〉 transitorie whiche tyme consumeth 〈◊〉 quicke●●e bringeth to nothinge THE VVEARINGE OF G●●●gious and braue apparell is not co●●●nient for a true proffessor of Chri●● Religion cheefelye because th●● tokens of a vaine glorious mynde CHAP. 16. NEVER boast thee of thy ●●●●mentes sayth Ecclesias●●●●● If the superfluitie of ●●●rell had not bene rep●●●●sible Christ wolde 〈◊〉 haue commended S. 〈◊〉 Baptist for his moderation and 〈◊〉 ●●at behalfe Nor S. Luke the Euange●●●●n wryting of the rich man wolde ne●●● haue touched him for that he vsed to ●●●re pretious and sumptuous apparell ●●●nd our Sauiour him selfe sayeth That 〈◊〉 which doe apparell them selues in 〈◊〉 and costly array doe dwell in kinges ●●●ses in the howses he sayeth of tem●●●●ll kinges not the howse of the eter●●●● kinge of heauen Since the holy Ghost the author of ●●●●pture condemneth the proude appa●●●●ng of the rich man that was damned 〈◊〉 commendeth the holy precursor S. 〈◊〉 for the sharpenes and austeritie of 〈◊〉 cloathinge It is a greate argument to 〈◊〉 in how great daunger they doe lyue 〈◊〉 delyghte in rich aray and how vayne ●●●se persons be that doe spende their ●●●e and welth in such kinde of vanitie 〈◊〉 If thou doest not apparell thee gorgi●●●●y to any ill ende yet at the leaste thou ●●●st lose much tyme therein which is 〈◊〉 most pretious thing that thou hast And although it be not alwayes di●●●●lye a sinne to weare such curious and ●●●●ycate apparell yet hath it alwayes some ●●●itie annexed vnto it for commonly 〈◊〉 which doe weare it doe loue the ●●●re to be seene and commēded of men ●●●cy little doe profit in vertue and their ●●rite doth wax colde in deuotion And 〈◊〉 when thou hast bestowed all thy la●●●r to make thy selfe syne and trymme yet shalt thou neuer be comparable 〈◊〉 the poore flower of the field For Salo●● with all his glory was neuer lyke vnto 〈◊〉 of the fresh flowers of the field The Apostle sayeth That if we 〈◊〉 wherewith to cloth vs let vs be con●●●ted It sufficeth for the simple folower 〈◊〉 Christ to weare such comly apparell 〈◊〉 most conformable to his estate and ●●●ling Flye from all curiositie for it is a ●●●ken that who so setteth much by 〈◊〉 outwarde stuffe is little occupied abo●● the adorning of the inward man King ●●●lomon by meanes of much adorning 〈◊〉 him selfe and his Courte fell to be f●●●getfull of his duetie towarde God 〈◊〉 tooke little care of his soule so as he 〈◊〉 at last to the adoring of Idolls Men 〈◊〉 vse to beholde the outside but God l●●●keth into the harte and they seeke 〈◊〉 how to content men that are so much ●●●cupied in these exterior thinges But harken what the Apostle S. Pa●● sayeth If I shold attend vnto the plea●●●● of men I sholde not then be the seru●●● of Iesus Christ. If thou wert mortific●●● thou oughtest to be thou woldest 〈◊〉 all these superfluous cares The outw●●● busines driueth away the good though●● from the hart One man cannot suffice●● so many cares at once he must needes 〈◊〉 in the one of them and for the setti●● out of his bodie confounde his soule 〈◊〉 Apostle saith that the holie fathers 〈◊〉 olde testament went appareled with 〈◊〉 made of camels goates heare 〈◊〉 were men as wee are but conside●●●● with them selues that they

world as though th●● sholdest alwayes enioye it There be ma●● which build fayre howses and when th●● haue done other men doe make th●● dwelling in them Take not these sligh●● thinges of the world to be any better th●● they are in deede And since thou art eu●●ry howre and momente departing hen●● by death esteeme no such vanities of th●● world in which there is no stedfastnes n● assurance Euery man is well contented wi●● one euill nightes rest in his Inne when 〈◊〉 remembreth that the nexte day folowi●● he is to rest at home in his owne howse●● his ease This onely consideration migh●● suffice thee to suffer with patience all th● troubles of this present lyfe remembri●● with thy selfe that they are not long to ●●●dure and continew here but that thou 〈◊〉 ready still euery day to take thy iorn●● thine owne howse which is heauen 〈◊〉 thou mayest take thy rest for euer Haue alwayes in thy mind the 〈◊〉 of the holy prophete Dauid saying 〈◊〉 I am a stranger here before thee and ●●lgrime as my parentes haue bene be●● me If thou doest consider how eternall 〈◊〉 durable that lyfe is which we looke 〈◊〉 hereafter that neuer is to haue ende 〈◊〉 compare it with this lyfe which we 〈◊〉 leade here now all were it a thou●●●d of yeares yet in comparison of that ●●er lyfe to come which is perpetuall 〈◊〉 wilt thinke this to be scarse halfe an ●wer Make well thine accompte and thou ●●●te finde as the truth is in very deede ●●at this presente lyfe is in comparison 〈◊〉 that other to come but euen a moment 〈◊〉 This moued the Apostle to suffer with ●●ience the great trauailles turmoyles 〈◊〉 his Pilgrimage here sayinge to the Co●●●thians VVe doe take paynes here and doe ●●●uaile but yet wee be not forsaken wee ●●fer persequutiō but yet wee shrinke not ●t wee are throwen downe but yet wee ●●rish not we fainte not because our tri●●lation is here in this present tyme but ●ie and short wee lyue now beholdinge 〈◊〉 that which wee see with our bodelie ●es but those thinges which wee see not 〈◊〉 visible thinges be but for a tyme but 〈◊〉 inuisible thinges be for euer VVith ●s contemplation both of the breuitie 〈◊〉 this lyfe and of being but as a Pilgrime 〈◊〉 it did the holye Apostle disgest the heauie stormes which he suffered here 〈◊〉 his Pilgrimage toward heauen And whylest thou takest thy selfe 〈◊〉 be but a wayfaring man here thou ned● not greatly to care for that thou arte 〈◊〉 better regarded of men here in this lyf● If the trauaile of thy lyfe seeme ou●● burdenous vnto thee remember it is 〈◊〉 endure but for a short space Of the sai●● of the old Testament S. Paule sayeth Th●● they confessed them selues to be but pi●●grims and strangers vpon the earth liui●● in caues and vaultes vnder the earth 〈◊〉 that in this lyfe they neuer had reste 〈◊〉 continewed still in wandering on of the●● pilgrimage Lyue not here as though thou we●● an inhabiter in this world Cain began 〈◊〉 buylde cities here vpon the earth and a●●ter he lost the chefe citie of heauen Th● first that sought to lyue on this earth ly●● an inhabiter thereof being in deede 〈◊〉 a pilgrime was Cain who was afterwar● damned S. Peter was worthely reprehend●● by our M. Christ for as much as he bei●● but a pilgrime vpon the earth wolde 〈◊〉 needes haue had a howse builded on th●● mounte Thabor as though he had 〈◊〉 to haue made his mansion stil on the ear●● and haue continued an inhabiter there●● They which trauayle throughe stran●● countries towardes their owne dwelling● doe neuer vse to buy any thinge by 〈◊〉 ●ay as they trauayle but that which they ●ay easalie carry with them they neither ●●y howses nor trees nor such vnporta●●e ware but onlie things of easie cariage 〈◊〉 Pearles or Iewells whiche be of more ●●ice greater value then they be either ●●mberous or heauie to carrie with them ●●to their countrye Remember that thou 〈◊〉 a trauailer and a pilgrime and that of ●●●y worldlie substance thou canst not car●●e ought hence with thee Here must thou ●●edes leaue all thyne honours riches ●ehynde thee Thy good workes be onelie ●●e thinges that thou must looke to carrie ●ith thee and therefore labour thou to ●ette good store of them All other things ●olde anoy thee and comber thee These ●●ll comforte thee and releeue thee VVhat wisdome were it for thee to ●●eke to be rich here from whence thou 〈◊〉 dayly passing in haste and after when ●●ou arte gone hence to lyue a beggerly ●●●d a bare lyfe at home in thyne owne ●owse Seeke to carry with thee in thy ●●lgrimage the pretious iewels of good merites that thou mayest come rich home and lyue in prosperitie and honorable welth for euer in heauen THAT THE BEVVTIE OF TH● soule is more to be set by thē the bevv●● of thy bodie vvhiche is but a ver●● small thinge to be made accompte 〈◊〉 and therefore is thy mynde to be fixe● vpon the contemplation of diuine an● celestiall thinges vvhich ought onelie 〈◊〉 be loued and esteemed CHAP. 15. BEVVTIE is but a vayn● thing sayeth the wyse ma● And if all vanitie be to 〈◊〉 esteemed as nothinge the● with greate reason ought this bodily bewtye of ou● be accomted as nothing Amongest all o●ther vanities which worldly men doe de●lyght in all which thou that arte a goo● seruante of Christ oughtest to despise there is none greater then that delyght which is taken in the bewtie of our body And truly they seeme to wante the vse 〈◊〉 reason and are to be esteemed litle bette● then fooles that take felicitie in any suc● vayne pleasure Let not thyne owne bewtie decey●● thee nor be not delighted with the vay●● shadowe thereof lest it happen to th●● as it did to that fond felow Narcissus 〈◊〉 ●●e delyghte that he tooke in his owne ●●●e fell into such a foolish fantasie 〈◊〉 often beholdinge the shadowe of ●●ce in the water that he after perished 〈◊〉 shamefullie thereby ●●solons goodlie faire lockes of heare 〈◊〉 but the instrumentes of his owne 〈◊〉 ●hat bewtie which almightie God hath ●●●wed vpon his creatures is to the end 〈◊〉 the Creator might the more be glo●●●● thereby and hym selfe the better ●●●vē by his creatures Doth it not often ●●●nce vnto thee as thou trauaylest by ●●●aye to espie a small streame of water ●●●●inge which when thou folowest thou ●●●st thereby the fountaine from whēce 〈◊〉 ●●●e So of euerie ●●●porall bewtie that 〈◊〉 beholdest thou ●●st looke to finde 〈◊〉 by due examyning and diligent sear●●●●ge of one thinge by an other vntill 〈◊〉 thou doest fynde out the principall 〈◊〉 and fountaine thereof which is God ●●●selfe from whome all bewtie procee●●● It is the propertie of litle children 〈◊〉 they looke in their bookes to marke 〈◊〉 be the goodliest gay letters in all 〈◊〉 bookes and nothing to