what is this / art thou here coÌ„dempned for to suffre euerlastyng tourmentes Alas where ben the fayre wordes / that thou saydest / whan thou woldest ayenst my good wyll entre in to Relygyon / saynge that in this maner thou wolde do the saluacoÌ„n of thy soule Heryng the whiche wordes and seeyng the gryuouse tourmentes that his moder suffred / he founde hymselfe so ouercome so abasshed that he wyst not what he sholde answere ¶ And after this by hym seen herde his goost came in to his bodye ayen / and as by the wyll of god it was suffred / he retorned from his syknesse vnto good helth ayen So thought he in hym selfe that this vysyon was to hym by god his mercy done / and for this cause he shâ—tt hym selfe within his celle / thynkynge to enforce hym selfe there to his soules saluacoÌ„n / whiche for to gette / he made there grete sharpe penaunces for his synnes and neclygences passed And in effect he was somoche bowed to weryâ— and trauaylle his bodye there by paynes and afflyccyons / that many one requyred hym that he sholde not take so moche vpon hym And namely bycause that euer without seassyng he wept syghed / prayed hym that he sholde somtyme absteyne hymselfe from wepyng to th ende that he sholde not lese his syght by it / or that he sholde renne in to some other Inconuenyences But neuerthelesse he wolde not be coÌ„forted / saynge that syth he myght not susteyne noâ— endure the Rebukes of his moder that he had seen in these wretched and horryble tourmentes / with more grete hardenesse payne he sholde abyde or endure the wrath of god of his sayntes atte the daye of his grete Iugemente ¶ A Relygyouse was in Egypte moche solytarye / that amonge the other bycause of his grete humylyte / was sore famed He had a syster that lyued wantonly among men / the whiche was cause of the dampnacyon losse of many one So was this Relygyouse oftentymes Requyred pursyewed of dyuerse good men / that he sholde goo towarde her in the cyte where she kepte herselfe to th ende that by meanes of his admonycyons he myght do so moche that she wolde forbere withdrawe her from suche dampnable wantonnesse And where he came to the place openly where she helde herselfe / a man of her knowloge wente hastly towarde her sayd Here is thy brother that cometh towarde the She y moeued with grete gladnesse / leueyng her louers whiche she wolde fayne haue pleased / with her hede all bare wente out of her lodgys for to renne ayenst her brother / where thenne she enforced herselfe for to haue taken hym in her armes kysse hym / he sayde vnto her Alas my syster my right dere frende I praye the that thou wyll haue pyte vpon thy soule in consyderynge the grete paryll in whiche thou lyuest where so many a wretchyd man thrugh the occasyon of the is perysshed / wherof atte the last thou shalt must suffre Infynyte paynes for it and tourmentes Intollerable ¶ She heryng the wordes of her brother / and shakynge horrybly / thynkynge vpon the same / beganne for to saye vnto hym Alas my brother / thynkest thou that after soo many euylles whiche I haue done I myght yet come for to gette my soules saluacyon / Wherat he answered I ensure the my frende / yf thou wyll doo thy deuoyre / that lyghtely thou shalte be saued ¶ Thenne she castynge her selfe atte her brothers fete Requyred hym right besyly that he wolde led her with hym there as she myght do penaunce And thenne he answered vnto her My syster I wyll well / but goo fyrst and couere thy hede / and thenne come after and folowe me To whome she sayd agayne Goo we my brother goo we It is better for me to walke and goo amonge the men bare hede and all dyfformate / than for to Retourne to the synnes abhomynable wherat I haue tysed them / ¶ And as they sette them selfe for to walke togydre / her brother excyted and warned her for to doo penaunce And seeyng that some folke mette them by the waye / he sayd to her My frende bycause that euery man knoweth not that thou art my syster / and to th ende that we gyue none occasyon to folke that goo by to thynke or saye ylle / me semeth to be necessarye that thou sette thy selfe a lytyll out of the waye tyll that they be passed / and thenne I shall calle the agayne to me The whiche thynge she graunted him with a good wyll And anone after when hym thought that they sholde not mete nomore ony folke / he called her to hym ayen saynge My syster lete vs go our waye And after that he had called her two or thre tymes she answered hym not / he wente there as she was behynde an hedge fouÌ„de her dede / founde also the trayne of her passes where she had tredde all full of blode bycause that she had putte of bothe her hosys shone And where as her brother hadde shewed this thyng vnto some of his brethern Relygyouses / they had amonge them grete doubte of her saluacyon / but our lorde shewed vnto one of them / that bycause that in walkyng she had forsaken the flesshly desyres worldly pleasurs / by merueylouse contrycyon had sette herselfe for to wepe to complayne vpon the gryfâ—es of her synnes For this cause he had receyued agreably her deuoute penauÌ„ce ¶ Saynt Athanasye obteynynge the archebysshopryche of Alexandrye and dwellyng there / many heretykes enforced themself for to bespotte with theyr errours the holy fayth of crystendom And atte this cause for to haue destroyde the sayd errours / he made saynt Anthonye to come in the cyte / whiche beynge there / an olde blynde man named Dydymus came towarde him whiche was well lettred wonderfully taught in holy wryte In spekyng and dysputyng of whiche saynt Anthonye meruaylled moche of the grete engyne vnderstandyng that this blynde man had theim And gyuyng a laude to the hyghenesse of his corage / askyng hym yf he was not heuy sory that he had lost his bodely eyen ¶ And where the same Dydymus shamefast dyspleased with it dyde not answere nothyng to his askyng ¶ Saynt Anthonye the seconde tyme and also the thyrde tyme questyoned hym as afore / but he answered hym nomore than he had done att the fyrst tyme / wherby he gaue to knowe vnto saynt Anthonye the heuynes that he bare in his corage to haue lost the bodely lyght ¶ Thenne saynt Anthonye this knowyng sayd in this maner I meruayll me how a man prudente sage maye be sory of the domage losse of that thyng whiche the pyssemyers the bees the flyes haue where as they sholde be gladde of that thyng whiche the postles other sayntes haue deserued to haue Veryly it is a better thyng more
was not cladde with precyous clothyng For suche people soo clothed serue not god / but to temporell lordes / he was cladde with skynnes of Camellys oonly And therfor yf he that was saynctefyed of god in the wombe of his moder / and was so moche loued of god and was a very prophete more than a prophete hath be cladde with the skynne of a Camele / we that be myserable synners oughte to be contente with vyle vestementes without to desyre other / eueryche after his astate Yet furthermore saynt Peter in his epystle defendeth precyous clothyng / but yf it be to please the worlde TheÌ„ne we ought not to seche theyÌ„ / but rather we ought to seche vertuous clothynge for our soule / and not for our bodye / the whiche clothyng is charyte / fayth / humylyte / bounte / and benygnyte / for of these vertues our soule ought to be garnysshed for to lyue perpetuelly with god And how well that our bodye be aorned with golde and syluer or with precyous vesture Alway it ne is but duste and fylthe / and therfore we ought not to demaunde the eases of our bodye For yf we nourysshe it after his appetyte / we nourysshe our enemye with vs / by cause that a man hath noo gretter enemye than his bodye / the whiche draweth his soule to synne yf he maye Therfore eche persone ought to holde it subgette and to chastyse it by thexample of saynt Poul whiche sayth I chastyse my bodye / and rendre it to seruytude ¶ How alle thynges ought to be doon by reason mesure Caplm .vij. OVre body ought to be chastysed by wakyÌ„ges by dyuerse other maners / to the ende that it drawe not our soule to synne / but neuerthelesse it must be doon in suche maner / that in chastysyng it / he leue not to do good werkes / for he that wolde make lene put his bodye to afflyccoÌ„n in suche wyse that he may not contynue in vertuous werkes he sholde not be wyse ne dyscrete And thou oughtest to vnderstonde that the vertues of scylence / nakednes / abstynence / chastysyng of his bodye ought to be doon with dyscrecyon / the whiche is a souerayne vertue / without the whiche none operacoÌ„n is vayllable / where she shall be / it shal be merytorye / by defaulte of dyscrecoÌ„n the operacoÌ„n is not prouffytable / wherfor we may saye that dyscrecoÌ„n is moder of the other vertues And therfor I admoneste the that thou take dyscrecoÌ„n in al thy werkes / to the ende that thou falle not on that one syde ne on that other Of this vertue of dyscrecoÌ„n thou hast in the lyfe of faders called in latyn Vitas patâ—uÌ„ for thabbot Anthonye sayth / that there be some that make lene theyr bodyes / but for that they do it not dyscretly they ben well ferre fro the Royame of god ¶ Of the we le of conpunccoÌ„n whiche pryncypally cometh for a man to mortefye hym selfe Caplm .viij. BVt for as moche as in all operacyon is requyred conpunccyon It byhoueth fyrste to knowe the dyffynycyon of it Thenne I trowe that very mortyfycacyon may not be goten by ony persone without conpunccyon And therfore I praye the that in all thy werkes / be it in kepynge abstynence / or that thou louest to be euyll clothed / or that thou wylâ— wake / or doo ony other helthfull werke / that thou doo it all to the honour of god / yf thou wepe for thy synnes / there shall ensyewe therof conpunccyon and dyspleasaunce / but thou oweste to doo it in suche wyse that noo persone be sklaundred / but rather edefyed in to good / haue thenne conpunccoÌ„n and heuynes in thyn operacoÌ„ns / to th ende that thou mayst saye with the psalmyste Lorde god I offre to the my sacrefyce all full of the marghe of conpunccyon Thenne oughtest thou to knowe that he offreth sacrefyce to god the whiche gyueth hym selfe alle ouer to god / the whiche thyng apperteyneth proprely to relygyous people / to theyÌ„ of theyr vocacyon By the marghe of whiche sacrefyce / we vnderstonde the conpunccyon / dyspleasaunce contrycyon at the herte of hym that sacrefyceth to god Thenne sacrefyce without marghe is operacoÌ„n without conâ—â—ycoÌ„n The psalmyst speketh of this marghe in a place sayeng thus Thy sacrefyce be made fatte of the fattenes of contrycoÌ„n / whiche we calle marghe The vertue of conpunccoÌ„n is moche grete For in the lyfe of faders is wryten of an holy man the whiche sayd / that to vs it were ryght necessarye to wepe incessauntly The whiche cam agayne after that he was deed sayd to his brethern in wepyng bytterly bycause they wolde not wepe MaledyccoÌ„n be to you Maledyccyon be to you And by cause we may see here what is to vs necessarye duryng this lyfe alwaye to wepe / to the ende that after our deth in this worlde we descende not in to the tourmentes of helle / the whiche thyng we ought gladly do / consyderyng that this lyfe mortalle is myserable and transytorye / but that other shall neuer haue ende / in the whiche the Iuste persones shall haue Ioye perpetuelly with the auÌ„gellys And the myserable synners shall be tourmented by the deuylles with the dampned in helle perpetuelly without remyssyon For it is wryten that in helle is noo redempcoÌ„n that is to theym that by theyr demerytes and deseruynges be dampned And therfore yf we maye not wepe as ofte as we wolde / lete vs persyste and coÌ„tynue in deuoute prayer For it is in the puyssaunce of our lorde to gyue to vs habondaunce of teeres And to this purpose is conteyned in the lyfe of faders an example of a relygyous man whiche complayned to an holy man sayeng My soule desyreth to haue teres and to wepe / lyke as the other olde faders haue wepte / but it can not haue it To whom the holy man answered Thou oughtest to persyste in prayer / for thou mayste not obteyne soo soone that whiche thou demaundeste / knoweste thou not well that the childeren of Israell were by the space of fourty yere in deserte tofore they myght come in to the londe of promyssyon The teres theÌ„ne ben the londe of promyssyon / to the whiche yf thou mayst come / thou shalt nomore drede th assaultes temptacyons of the enemye of helle It is reherced of thabbot Arsenius / that had alwaye tofore his eyen a clothe to wype awaye the teres that yssued out contynuelly So thenne ought we by example dyspose vs to wepynges wayllynges / yf he and the other holy faders whiche were so Iuste / mortefyed theym selfe in this maner / by moche more greter reason we synners ought to wepe in thynkyng on the deth and on the terryble daye of Iugement of god And for this cause sayth Amon to one of his brethern / we ought to be as the theef in the pryson / the whiche awayteth none
not to praye for me / To the ende that I maye haue mercy atte the ende of my dayes / ¶ Zozimas herkenynge wepte moche strongely / ¶ And she beganne to telle how she was born in Egypte / ¶ And how in forsakynge her fader and moder and theyr fayre Instruccyons and shewynges / she beynge twelue yere of aege transported putte her in to Alexandrye / ¶ After that aege and durynge the tyme of seuentene yeres and more she hadde contynuelly made resydence atte the open bordell of the same towne wyth other comyn wyÌ„men there beynge In abandonnynge and vsynge 〈◊〉 be propre body to all that came / ¶ And wyth noo other thynge gate her lyuynge in passynge soo her yongthe ¶ On a tyme she liuynge in this folye sawe a multytude of people of Lybye and of Egypte / whiche sayden wolde passe the see ¶ Thenne she asked one of theym whyther they wolde goo / And wherfore they made soo grete haste / ¶ To whom he ansuered that shortely sholde be in Iherusalem the feest of the Exaltacyon of the holy Crosse / On whyche god hadde be crucyfyed / ¶ And therfore they made theym redy for to goo to the sayde solempnytee ¶ Vppon that she demaunded and enquyred of theim yf they wolde take her in to theyr companye To whom was answered ye / Soo that she hadde money for to paye the Maronnar / ¶ She sayde that she hadde noo thynge / But yf she wente in to the shyppe / And for her freyghte she sayd that shold abandouned to hym her body / ¶ And this sayd she requyred Zozimas that it sholde playse hym that she sholde telle noo more / For the ayre and he were therof enfected / ¶ Zozimas ansuered / Ha my frende saye hardely wythoute hydynge ony thynge / ¶ Thenne beganne she to recounte to Zozimas this that folowyth / ¶ Whan the yonge man hadde herde alle thyse wordes he beganne to laughe and wente his waye / ¶ Thenne she threwe awaye her spyndle that she helde / wente towarde the shyppe to saylle fourth with the other / ¶ Thenne sawe she x. yonge men atte ryâ—age of the see after her Iugement good and honeste / The other were thenne goon to the shyppe / ¶ And she prayed theym that she myghte goo wyth theym in to the shyppe And that they sholde not refuse her / ¶ And by many lewde and fowle wordes she mouyd theym to laugh / Theâ—e they tooke her in to theyr shyppe / ¶ As towchynge the Insolences by her done in the sayde shyppe she wolde noo more recounte to Zozimas / But prayed hym that he wolde be contente wyth that she hadde sayde wythout to recyte and shewe ony more / ¶ She in lyke wyse arryued in Iherusalem was abandouned to alle synne / ¶ And was not oonly contente to doo synne wyth theym of the shyppe but also with many other pylgrymes ¶ Whan the daye of the feest of the holy Crosse was come / She wente tofore the yonge pylgrymes for to excyte them to the synne of secherye / ¶ But neuerthelesse she wente wyth the other in to the chyrche for to worshyppe and adoure the Crosse And came vnto the porche / Wenynge to entre in / ¶ And notwythstondynge that she was borne wyth grete payne vnto the yate of the chyrche / Yet myghte she not entree / How well that alle the other entred lyghtly that wold entre ¶ But by the power of god whyche wythstode her she was reiecte caste abacke from the yate / ¶ And fyrste she supposid that the cause why she mighte not entree was by cause that she was feble as wymmen ben whiche be not soo stronge as men ¶ Thenne she enforcyd her for to entree more asprely thanne she dyde tofore / But all her enforce auaylled her not / ¶ For she was ofte reiected and caste abacke / In suche wise that her body was shouen and brused / ¶ Thenne she abode longe tofore the gate / in beholdynge alle the worlde whiche entred in wythoute ony force or vyolence / ¶ And began to thynke that the grete multytude of synnes whyche she hadd commysed and done was the cause and lettynge for whyche she myghte not entree / ¶ And thenne she beganne to wayle and wepe bytterly and smote her breste wyth grete contrycyon and dysplaysure of her lyfe / ¶ And beholdynge on hyghe she sawe an ymage of the vyrgyne Marye· whiche hadd borne the god of heuen and of erth / sayenge that for my horryble synnes whyche I haue done and commysed I am not worthy to beholde oonly thyn ymage / For thou arte a vyrgyne tofore thy chyldynge and after / ¶ And therfore it is noo thynge Iuste ne ryghtfull that a poore and a lecherous detestable make prayer vnto the / ¶ Neuerthelesse by cause thou haste conceyued and engendred hym that woll alwaye calle agayne synnars to penaunce / I byseche the that it maye playse to helpe to conuerte me to hym / In gyuynge to me ayde and comforte for to entree in to his chirche / To the ende that I maye worship and adoure his ryght worthy Crosse / in whyche he shedde his precyous blode for to Redeme me from the paynes of helle / ¶ CoÌ„maunde blessyd lady and vyrgygyne that the yate be open to me / And I promyse to thy dere sone whyche is my god and to the also that I shall neuer retorne to synne / But Incontynente that I haue adoured and worshipped this precyous Crosse I shall forsake al the worlde / ¶ She recited and tolde ferdermore to the sayde Zozimas that in contynent after her prayer made as sayd is / She trustynge in the grace of oure lorde Ihesu Cryste and of his blessyd moder wente to the yate / Where tofore she cowde not entree / And in grete fere as half deed she entred lyÈtly wyth oute ony dyffycultee / ¶ And after came to the place where as was the ryghte worthy Crosse of our Sauyour / To fore whyche she knelyd on her knees / â— And in feruente deuocyon she adoured lyke to other / ¶ And after came to the ymage of the virgyne Marye moder of god for to gyue thankynges to her the beste wyse she cowde of that whiche bi her Intercessyon she hadde soo grete a pryuylege to worrhyppe his precyous Crosse / ¶ In sayenge / O gloryous virgyne Mary glorye be to god almyghty whyche by thyne worthy Intercessyons hathe wylled to Receyue me synfull woman to mercy / ¶ What oughte I more to doo thanne to accomplysshe that whyche I haue promysed / ¶ And yet agayne I praye the that thou helpe me to conduyte me and sette me in the way of saluacoÌ„n for to the I yelde me as to her whiche may helpe socour me ¶ Anone she herde a voyce whiche sayde to her / Woman passe ouer the flom Iourdan / And thou shalte fynde there thyne helthe and reste of thyne soule / ¶ Inconcynent
ensygnes of his vysage and clothynge and habyllements of the sayd holy fader with many other tokenes / By the whyche her Husbonde knewe certaynly the sayd visyon to be true / Wherefore he sore amerueylled retorned to the sayd holy fader for to rendre and gyue thankynges of the thynges afore sayde / The whyche rendred he demauÌ„ded of hym his bene dyccyon / And after came Ioyously home to his howse / ¶ In a nother tyme a Prouoste or Capytayne of men of warre lefte his wyffe nyghe her tyme for to chylde Came for to see the sayde holy fader / And in the tyme that he aryued in the place where as he dwelled And the same day she was in grete peryll for her chyldynge / Thenne the holy fader forsayde aduertysed the sayde Prouoste and shewed to hym how she was delyuered of a fayre sone and brought fayre a bedde In sayenge to hym Thou art bounde to gyue thankynges souerayne to god / For thy wyfe whiche was in grete daungeour is delyuered oute of peryll / But haste the to retorne home and thou shalte fynde her hoole and guarysshyd wyth her chylde seuen dayes olde Whom thou shalte name IohnÌ„ / And thou shalte nourysshe hym seuen yere in thyne howse wythoute to haue ony comynycacion wyth the Pay nyms to th ende for to kepe hym from theyr vyces / The whyche seuen yere so passyd thou shalte delyuere hym to some holy relygyous man for to Instructe and teche the Crystyn fayth and doctryne / And thus the holy man as well to peple of the prouynces nygh by him as to straungers yf they requyred hym gaaf good counseyle in repreuyng theym of theyr vyces and secrete synnes ¶ He prophecyed the famyne to come / for the synne of the peple and other persecucyons comynge In excytynge the synners to penaunce and amendement of lyfe And as to Inpotents and Paralytyks whan they were broughte to hyÌ„ he blessyd hem wyth holy oyle· of whyche whan they were ennoynted they recouered helthe and guaryson of all theyr maladyes / ¶ A Senatour of Rome had a wyfe blynde whiche exorted him to lede and brynge her to the sayde holy Heremyte / To whom the sayd Senatour her husbonde answerd that he wolde neuer see ony wymmen / ThenÌ„e she prayed hym that he wolde goo to hym / And praye hym to make his oryson and prayer to god for her / For by this moyen syngulerly she hoped to recouere her syghte / The same Senatour came to this sayde holy man / and after that he hadde made his Requeste He blessyd a lytyll oyle / And sente it to the sayde blynde woman / Wyth whyche she ennoynted her eyen thre dayes And Incontynente she receyuyd her syghte in gyuynge thankynges to god ¶ Many other dedes worthy to be remembred dyde this holy man / ¶ The whyche sholde be ouer longe to wryte ¶ But saynt Iherom hathe yet wryten one in this boke / By cause he him self was there present wyth syxe other brethern / The whyche togyder came for to see the sayde holy man / ¶ And after they were aryued / And that they had salwed eche other / He receyued theym wyth grete gladnesse / And spake to eche of theym humbly / In admonestynge theym to praye to god wyth hym / As it was acustomed to the holy faders of Egypte / whanne ony came for to vysyâ—e theym / ¶ Thenne he demaunded theym yf ony of theym were a clerke / The whyâ—he answerde to him â—aye ¶ Neuerthelesse he knewe in spytyte of prophecie that one of them was a Deaken / ¶ And by humylytee he reputyd hymself vnworthy to be with lo grete and persyghte men as his felowes wâ—ee / And hydde hym behynde theym / ¶ The holy man seenge the sayde Deaken whyche was the yongest of theym And shewed hym wyth his fynger and sayde / Loo this is the Deaken The whiche answered that he was no ne / ¶ Thenne the holy man toke him by the honde and kyssyd hym and sayde / Haa my sonne denye not the grace that god hathe giuen to the. To the ende that thou take none harme for goode / And for humylytee to lye / ¶ For aboue all thynges â—â—synges oughte to be eschewed be it for good or for euyllâ— The whyche Deken receyuyd benygnly his correceyon / ¶ And this done they togyder prayeng god / One of theym had a grete Feuer· In suche wyse that he supposyd to haue deyed / ¶ Thenne he prayed the same holy man that he myghte by hym be heelyd and guarysshyd / To whome he answered / ¶ My frende thou desyreste to putte from the that thinge whiche is to the necessarye to haue / ¶ For lyke as the body is puryfyed and wasshyd by the Nytree Whyche is a spece of Salte puryfycatyff / or by other wasshynges / ¶ In lyke wyse also is puryfyed and heelyd the sowle by maladyes and other Infyrmytees corporell / ¶ Neuerthelesse after that he hadd enfourmed and taughte hym of many enscynements and doctrynes He blessyd a lytyll oyle / And gaaf it to hym to drynke / By the moyen of whyche he caste oute sodaynly of his mowthe the humoure causynge the Feuer / And retournyd alle hoole· and guarysshyd of his Feuer / ¶ This myracle done thus and after many other Instruccyons and spyrytuell refecâ—yons to theym gyuen by the sayd holy fader / He dyde admynystre to theym that was nedefull / for theyr refeccyon corporell / ¶ And in the meane whyle he wythdrewe hym in to his Celle / There beynge solytary by Reason / ¶ For to wryte his abstynence it sholne be a thynge merueyllous / For he neuer ete tofore Euen / And yf he therme ete it was ryght lytyll / ¶ Of corpulence he was lene by his abstynence / And he hadde but lytyll heere of his heede also of berde / As he that was in langour / By cause he ere noo thynge wherof his nature myghte be susteyned / He beynge of aege foure score yeres ete noo mete that was boylled ne by fyre ne other wyse / ¶ Whanne they hadde take theyr Refeccyons they retorned to him ¶ And they beynge sette tofore hym / He demauÌ„ded for what cause they were comen thyder / The whyche answered that for the helthe of theyr sowles / they were comen from Iherusalem to hym / And also for to see hym bodyly By cause of the merueyllous thynges whyche were of hym to theym recyted / ¶ For more formely is reteyned and reduced to remembraunce that whyche hathe be seen thanne that whyche hathe ben herde tolde or spoken / ¶ Thenne the holy man replenysshyd wyth Ioye in smylynge answered / I merueylle of you my chylderen that ye haue enterprysyd soo grete a waye For as ye maye see to me is noo thinge digne ne worthy of praysynge / Certaynly I am a man lytyll and pooer / Hauynge noo vertue that ye oughte to desyre / ¶ And whanne it soo
AmÌ„on in walkyng thrugh the desert towarde the South / They sawe in theyr waye the trace of a grete serpent merueylousli of xv cubytes of lengthe the whiche fered theym gretly / But the bredern that conduyted theym coÌ„forted theim in exortynge theim to haue good hope sayenge / Ye shall knowe what is our fayth whan ye shall see the dragon slayn by vs / We haue slayn many bestes be ye no thing afride we haue credence in god whiche hath sayd that we shall haue domynacoÌ„n vpon the serpentes dragons vpon all our enmyes / what someuer thynge that the bredern sayd saynt Iherom his felowes were aferde in prayeng theym that they shold goo nomore by the waye of the dragon / but sholde goo seke a nother waye / Neuertheles one of hem wythoute drede went fourth the same waye / A nother broder came the whiche warned heÌ„ also the broder that folowed the dragon that they shold goo no ferder for he was so feerfull the vneth durst ony beholde hyÌ„ Finably all they went in to the monasterye of the broder that was therby / the whiche tolde to them that nye to his hous was a deuoute man moche famous / of whoÌ„ he was dyscyple by whom many myracles had be done shewed That same maÌ„ was namyd AmÌ„on / by cause some theues had done to hym moche payne in robbyng fro hyÌ„ his brede his sustenauÌ„ce / coÌ„mauÌ„ded to it dragons that they sholde kepe the dore of his monasterye to th eÌ„de that the theues shold haue no power tentre in / The theues camÌ„ lyke as they were wont to doo / whan they sawe the dragons they wold haue slayne theim / ThenÌ„e the holy man aperceyuyd that the bestes were almost deed· blamed the theues sayeng that ther were of harde euyll nature for they dradd not god ne his seruauÌ„tes by cause that they had putt to deth the bestes that he had coÌ„mysed to kepe his hous After he dide do entre the theues in to his hous set hem at the table in tyme while they ete he amonested hem of the helth of her soules / in suche wyse that he conuerted hem / And at laste thei were as perfite as the holy man whiche had preched to hem / ¶ A nother tyme there was a dragon that destroyed alle the Regyons nyghe by abowte hyÌ„ ¶ And the Inhabytauntes neyghboures to the holy man came to him / And broughte to hym the sonne of a Heerd man / The whyche was as deed oonly by the syghte of the sayde dragon / And prayed hym that he sholde praye to god hertely / to the ende that by hys prayers merytes the chylde myght be reysed to lyf / ThenÌ„e the holy man blessyd hym gaaf to hym of the holy oyle and anone he reuyued came agayne to lyf / And after the holy man went to the place where that forsayd dragon was And whan he had fonde hym he knelyd down on his kneâ—s for to make his prayer / Incontynent that the dragon aperceyued hym he came to hym siflinge and enforcyng hym by grete Impetuosite for taproche the sayd holy man for to deuoure hym / But as he the drad hym noo thynge sayd to hym The sone of god att this tyme come for to slee the / And incontynent the dragon cleft in the myddes and deyed sodenly / After he was deed he stanke / and enfected all the countree / The habytauntes assembled theym And broughte a grete masse of eithe to laye on hym / But yet they durst not approche the place where he laye deed but that the holy man we represent ¶ Herupon we ought to note that whan ony doo to vs dysplaysure we oughte not to take vengauÌ„ce but wroughte to labour for to conuert our enmye and aduersary like as this holy man dyde to the theues / ¶ Secondly that euery man oughte to labour for to conserue and kepe the comyn wele vnto the deth / Lyke as this holy man dyde whaÌ„ he aduentured hymselfe to slee the dragon / ¶ Of saynt Coprete preest and Heremyte / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Erat quidam / Caplm ix THere was an holy man in the same hermitage named Coprete of lxxx yere of aege the whiche in his sayeÌ„ges dedes was moche vertuoê° He heled hem that were seke chaced the deuylles out of menÌ„es bodyes dide many myracles / Some he dide us the presence of saynt Iherom whiche for his grete renoÌ„mee went to see him and was of hyÌ„ moche humaynly receyued After that sayÌ„t Iherom his felowes hyÌ„ prayed that he wold recouÌ„te to hem of his faytes his dedes also of his merites for whiche he made so many myracles werkes / ThenÌ„e he recouÌ„ted of hyÌ„self his predecessours / but as touchyÌ„g hyÌ„self he nas as touchyÌ„g to vertues but a disciple of chauÌ„ciens And that sayd he by humilite / First he tolde of a fader named Mucins whiche fyrste had he heremyts in the sayd hermytage had begâ—n fyrst to shewe the way of helâ—h / but at he was heremyte he had â—e the strongest â—heyf in sâ—tree suche was his coÌ„uersacoÌ„n / It happed on a night that he supposid to haue pylled robbed the hous of a vyrgine sacred / And by cause he myghte not lyÈtly entre in he mouÌ„ted vpon the couerture tylyng of the hous· was the â—â—soo longe that he slept there / He beynge thê° a slepe herde a voys whiche said to him / Lesse euyll man of thy murdres pylleries conuerte the to lede a solytary lyf / And yf that so doo I shall make the prynce lorde ouer many knyghtes / he beynge yet a slepe in his dreme / was shewed to hyÌ„ a grete multytude of hermytes / And the voys coÌ„mauÌ„ded hym that he sholde be their gouernour / After the sayde theyf awoke sawe tofore hym the mayde whiche he wolde haue robbed ThenÌ„e the mayde sayd to him Alas â—m frende who are ye fro whens come ye wherfore be ye here come / And the man as wythout ony entendement answerde noo thynge / But onÌ„ly demauÌ„ded that she shold shewe hym the way to some chyrche for he demauÌ„ded onÌ„ly to be in a monastery / The mayde theÌ„ne knewe that this came fro god / And broughte him to the chirche delyuerd hym to the preest / To whom the sayde man prayed that he myght be cristned knelyng downe on his knees tofore the preest / And requyryng place in whiche he myght do his penauÌ„ce Wyth this he demauÌ„ded the coÌ„mauÌ„dementes by the whiche he miÈt walke in the way of hel the / The preestes seenge this were abasshed by cause they knewe hym to be a theyf full of alle synne merueyled of this thynge / And this notwystondyng they delyuerd to hym thre the fyrst verses of the fyrst psalme of the psaulter that is to say Beatê° vir Sed in lege
/ Yf thou wolt be perfyghte selle all that thou haste gyue it to the poore and come folowe me And for that thou shalt haue tresour in heuen / ¶ And Incontynent lyke as the holy scrypture makych mencyon he gaue ouer all his possessions / And thre huÌ„dred mesures or acres of londe whyche apperteyned to hym he lefte to his neyghbours / to th ende that he wolde noo thynge of theyrs ne of his syster / Al his other moeuable goodes he solde and toke the money and gaue it to poore people excepte a lytyll whyche he gaaf to his syster whyche was of â—asâ—e aege more fâ—ble of complecâ—nn than he was ¶ And after agayne he retorned to the â—hyâ—â—he / And herde â—adde in the gospel that noo man ought to thynke how he sholde lyue on the morne / And thenne he distrybuted the rysydue of his godes to poore peple And after that he wold no more retorne home to his hous / But recomended his syster to the vyrgynes / To th ende that by theyr good ensamples she sholde be the better enfourmyd in good maners ¶ All his desyre was to enquyre where he sholde fynde ony holy men for to vysyte theym to the ende that he myghte receyue some fruyt / Like as the bee gooth fro floure to floure for to gadre some thynge for to make his hony ware / ¶ Emonge the other there was one solytary man not ferre fro his hous / Whom he ofte vysyted / After that he was retorned to his hermytage he gate his lyuynge by the labour of his hondes / consyderynge that he whiche labourith not is not worthy to ete / ¶ Helas he had somoche ryches whyche he had gyuen for goddis sake / For the honour of whom and in obeyenge his worthy Instruccyons he was content afterwarde to labour / to begge / ¶ What shal thou doo · thou cursyd auaricyous man whyche wolt no thynge gyue for goddis sake / Vneth with grete payne woldest thou nourysshe a poore persone one hoole daye / ¶ Take ensample on saynt Anthonye / whyche lefte al for to be a poore beggar / Yet of that he wanne wyth his grete laboure / he kepte for hym but brede for his sustenauÌ„ce / And the remenauÌ„t he gaaf to the poore / He gouerned hym soo honestly that he was merueylously biloued of all his bredern / ¶ Of al theym that he vysyted he helde to hymselfe some vertue / Of that one he wanne contynence chastytee of an other gladnesse of an other mekenesse lowlynesse of a nother studye pacyence / And fynably he had the fayr vertue of charytee / whyche is the maystresse of all vertues / And in suche wise he profited fro vertue to vertue that emonge alle his bredern there was none lyke to hym / ¶ The deuyll of hell enuye to mankynde seenge the holy lyfe whyche saynt Anthonye began to lede was enuyuous and enterprysed to tempte him / ¶ Fyrst he layed tofore his eyen to th ende that he shold departe out of his hermytage the noblesse of his byrth his sister whom he had lefte alone thabuÌ„daÌ„ce of his godes of the goodes that he myght gete / the dyuerse metes that he might ete generally he presented to him all thynges playsauÌ„t to nature / ¶ And after he shewed hym how it was harde to gete vertue seen consydered the freelte of his bddy· And that he myghte yet lyue longe tyme / Wherfore thenne sholde he be thenne longe in deserte / ¶ All thyse thynges putt he in his mynde for to haue reuokyd hym from his good purpoos / But this notwithstondyng he ouercame alwaye the deuyll by deuowte prayers and ferme constaunce ¶ Often tymes he tempted hym in the synne of the flesshe that was by cause he was in his yonge aege But by longe fastynges and contynuell abstynences he wythstode it manly / ¶ Some tyme by nyght the deuyll apperyd to hym in the lykenesse of a fayre woman / But Incontynente for to wythstonde it he remembred how hys flesshe sholde rote in wormes hastely / ¶ A nother tyme the deuyll moeuyd styred hym to lyue Ioyoeusly in lustes of his flesshe and of the worlde / And thenÌ„e anone he wolde bringe to remembraunce the paynes and tourmentes of helle and the Ioyes of heuen / And by this manere he wythstode all the temptacyons of the deuill / ¶ Fynably whan the deuyll sawe that he myghte not ouercome the good holy man / He knelyd downe to hym in the semblaunce or lykenesse of a lytyll horryble chylde blacke and howlynge / And also in cryenge sayde to saynt Anthonye / ¶ I haue deceyued many heremytes and holy men but by the I am ouercome and put vnder fote / ¶ Saynt Anthonye thenÌ„e asked hym what he was to whom he ansuerde / I am the grete solycytour of Lecherye the deceyuer of yonge peple· called the spyryte of fornycacyon whyche ofte tymes haue tempted the. alwaye thou hast ouercome me / And whan the gode knight saynt Anthonye herd this ansuere / he began to yelde thankynges to god of this that he had put hym vnder fote and sayd / My god be thou my ayde and my Protectoure / And I shall neuer fere ne drede myn enmye ¶ And Incontynent the deuyll whyche was seen by saynt Anthonye as a fantasme vanysshed away / and he sawe hym no more / And thus was the fyrste vyctory gyuen to saynt Anthonye / ¶ But this notwythstondynge he was not well assured / For he knewe by holy scrypture that the deuyll had diuerse maners for to tempte men / Wherfore he kepte him more strongely thenÌ„e and put his body in grete suffraunce to th ende that yf he had vyctory in ony thynges ayenst the deuill he shold not be ouercom by other And for this cause he occupyed his tyme in prayers orysons more than ony of his bredern heremytes ¶ The moost parte he woke nyghte daye / he ete but one tyme on the day and that was after the sonne gooynge downe / Some tyme in thre or foure dayes he ete not but ones and that was brede salte a lytyll water / His bedde was of Ionckes and his vestyment of hayre / ¶ Ofte tymes he laye all naked vpon the grounde / And how well that he had longe tyme suche abstyneÌ„ces yet were they to hym noo thynge greuous / But thoughte alwaye to be att the begynnynge of his penaunce in encreacyng alway his sayd abstynences / ¶ And for teschewe vayÌ„glory / he dyde payne to forgete theim / And in dede he forgate al the good dedes that he hadde doone And enforced to doo more than he had done tofore / ¶ He remembred alwaye in his herte the prophete Helye that sayde / My god seeth to whom we oughte to be clene and apparayled to obeye him wyth redy wylle / ¶ He considerynge alwaye also how he oughte to gouerne hymselfe
regyon that we pretende to haue / Lyke as god wytnessyth in the gospell is wythin vs / ¶ Ne doubte not that yf our soule be not maculate or spotted ne defoyled wyth synne / That in her shall be the fountayne of alle vertues / ¶ TheÌ„ne it is of necessyte that it be good / For it is created or made of a mayster / whyche is souerayne good / that is god oute Creatoure and Maker / ¶ Lete vs consydre the wordes of oure Sauyoure Ihesu Cryste sayenge ¶ Doo ye soo that ye haue the herte clene to the god of Israhell / ¶ And in lyke wyle sayth saynt Iohan / whiche sayth / ¶ Doo ye soo that your wayes be ryghtfull pure and clene / Gouerned by the faythe of god / ¶ Now for to doo soo it byhouyth vs for to kepe vs from the spotte of synne / ¶ We oughte souerainly and â—â—atly for to kepe vs from yee or wâ—athe / ¶ For whanne the man is angry / Wyth ryght grete payne maye he doo ony werke agreable or playsaunt vnto god / By cause that yre or wrathe empessheth and lettyth vertue / The whyche is none other thynge but god / ¶ Yet after also sayd saynt Anthonye to the Relygyouses / My lytyll chyldren kepe you from vayne wordes and fro pryde / ¶ Some there ben that enterpryce and avaunte theym to doo well / But they folowe not the dede whyche they enterprysed and purposed / ¶ Other there ben that clothe theim and araye theym wyth vestymentes of Relygyouses / and folowe Relygyon / to the ende to seme and appyere good / But within their hertes they ben wulues enraged / And ben werse thanne deuylles ¶ For vnder the shadow of good / they done Infynyte harmes and euylles / ¶ After the holy fader saynt Anthonye shewed to theym some fallaces or disceytes whyche the deuylles done in dyuerse maners and mockynges / In sayenge that often tymes the deuyll sheweth him to the holy men in lykenesse of men / In blaundysshynge theym and flaterynge theym wyth fayte and swete wordes / And in praysynge theyr estate and constaunce / ¶ And often tymes promyseth that / whiche they may not gyue / That is the glorye and Ioye of heuen / ¶ For to eschewe suche Illusyons and mockynges / Whanne they ben felte comynge Oughte men to enseygne and blesse theym wyth the sygne of the Crosse / And Incontynent it shall tourne in to noughte / ¶ For by the meryte of the passyon that our souereyne lorde and Redemer Ihesu Cryste suffred in the Crosse / Alle suche Illusyons or mockynges shaâ—â—lese theyr strengthe and vertue / ¶ He sayde also that some tyme come some Illusyons or deceyuynges whyche cause terrour drede to theym that the deuylles admynystre theym And that done they for to takeÌ„ awaye from men theyr mynde ¶ But agaynst suche Illusions or scornynges byhouyth to haue stedfaste faythe / And soo shall it be wythstonde lyghtly / ¶ For to knowe thenne the dyfference of good and euyll angellis / It oughte to be knowen / that whanne the good angell comyth / Hys chere and regarde is swete and amyable or louely ¶ And by cause he desyreth but peas / He makyth none noyse ne clamoure / And his voyce is not herde / ¶ He gyuyth Ioye and exultacyon to synnars / ¶ For oure lorde is wyth hym / whyche is welle and fountayne of alle good / Incontynent also as oure soule seeth hym / yf it were to hym possyble he sholde breke the membres of the body / and wold goo wyth the good angell whan he is there presente / ¶ The benygnyte of the same aungell is soo grete / that yf he caused ony drede atte the begynnynge for his grete lyghte Incontynent he takyth awaye from the man all drede and fere / ¶ Ryght soo dyde Gabryell to Zatharye beynge in the Temple / also with the Shepeherdes / whanne he shewed the Natyuyte of Ihesu Cryste ¶ But of the euyll Aungelles / the countenaunce and chere is crimynell dredefull / ¶ His entree horryble· Theyr mocyon and waye is Inconstaunte / As of fooles or of theues / ¶ And Incontynent as they ben tofore men the soule feâ—eth and dredyth / ¶ Alle the fyue wyttes ben trowbed / And feere of dethe folowyth / ¶ Desyre of shrewdnes Lachednesse of vertue / And wekenesse of courage ¶ Thenne whanne to the vnderstondynge comyth a thoughte or a presentacoÌ„n in lykenesse of an angell After the drede presentyth hym Ioye Hope in god and charyte / ¶ We oughte veritably to byleue that this comyth from god / Whyche sendeth to vs his ayde and socoure / ¶ In suche wyse Abraham the Patryarke seenge god reioyced him / ¶ In lyke wyse saynt Iohan Baptyste beynge in the wombe of saynt Elyzabeth his moder / Whanne the gloryous vyrgyne Mary moder of our Sauyoure Ihesu Cryste came to vysyte her / He whyche was not yet borne· reioyced hym merueyllously / ¶ By whyche it apperyth that the good aungell atte his comynge gyueth consolacyon and comforte / And makyth the persone to be assured As he dide whan he shewed the ryght Ioyeous Natyuyte of our Sauyour Ihesu Cryst to the same gloryous vyrgyne Marye in sayenge to her / ¶ Marye be not aferde for thou haste founde grete grace towarde god / ¶ And the contrarye by apperynge and represeÌ„tacions of euyll angellis haue be many tymes deceyued the gentyles and Paynems / ¶ But we Crysten men ben preseruyd By cause that god hath taken awaye from the deuyl the domynacyon and power that he hadde vppon vs. whanne he sayde to hym ¶ Goo thou abacke Sathanas / It is wreton that thou shalte adoure and worshipp thy god / and oonly shal thou serue to hym / ¶ By thyse same wordes whiche god sayde to the deuyll He toke his power from hym / ¶ There is also gyuen to vs power to saye to hym whan he wolde tempte vs Goo abacke Sathanas ¶ And Incontynent he shall be vaynquysshed / And shall departe from vs / ¶ After saynt Anthonye prayed they that they shold not be curyous to doo myracles / to the ende / That yf they or one of theym by the vertue of our lorde made ony / they sholde not renne for that cause in to dampnable vyce of pryde and of vayne glory / ¶ In lyke wyse he defended to theym that they sholde not dyspyse that one the other But exhorted theim that they sholde payne theymselfe to lede togyder good lyfe and honeste / ¶ Also sayde he for to doo and make myracles is not in oure power / But in the power of god / ¶ For he sayth in the Gospell in spekynge to his dyscyples / ¶ Gloryfye ye not yf the deuylles ben subgett to you but reioyece ye you that your names beÌ„ wrete in heuen ¶ Here it is to be noted that they that done miracles and prodygees by arte magyke / Wythoute to haue the gyfte
the faythe of god shall be chacyd a waye / And Relygyon shall be encreacyd and augmented / ¶ And therfore my brethen and frendes take to you and haue stronge and grete faythe / to the ende that ye be in ony wyse subuerted / ¶ For theyr doctryne is not of the appostle / But of the deuyll semblable or like to Iumentis or fooles bente beestes / ¶ Soo many Reuelacyons were shewed and made to saynt Anthonye / And soo many men guarysshed heelyd by his prayers / that wyth grete dyffycultee maye not wel be put in writynge / ¶ And therfore we oughte well to consydre the grete fayth that he had to god / Whanne he suffred by hym soo grete quantytee of myracles to be made / ¶ It is wreton yf we haue ferme faythe and we saye to one mountayne That he departe and moeue out of his place / It sholde remoeue and doo it / ¶ Noo thynge is to vs Impossyble as ferre as we demaunde or aske thynges lawfull and helthful / ¶ Neuer for ony prayer was it of duke or ony prince Saynt Anthonye abode not longe oute of his monastery / ¶ And he sayde to his Relygyouses / That lyke as fysshes vpon the drye erthe anone deyen Ryght soo the Relygyouses by longe abydyng wyth the Seculers anone shal be deed by dedely synne ¶ Saynt Anthonye wrote to Balencuis Heretyke Arryan / the whyche was gouernour of the countree of Egypte vnder Nestor / that he sholde not trowble ne vexe the Crysten people But to ceasse of his tyrannye / ¶ Balancuis dyspysed his lettres / And dyde many oultrages to the messager / ¶ And wyth that he commauÌ„ded that he and his Relygyouses sholde receyue his dyscyplyne / ¶ Anone after he beynge wyth the sayde Nestor in the pryncypall towne of Alexandrye called Cherâ—um An horse the moste mekest of all the other / And vpon whyche the layde Nestor whyche was lorde of Egypte rode moost vpon smote the sayd Balancius downe to the grounde / and ete his thyghe / And thre dayes after he deyed Wherof alle they of Alexandrye were admerueylled / And sayde that it was by cause he had dyspysed the enseynementes and techinges of saynt Anthonye ¶ Some other knyghtes came to hym / the whyche he admonested to leue the honoure of the worlde / And that they sholde goo wel ferre for to gete blessydnesse and honour eternall whiche neuer shall haue ende / ¶ He counseylled the Iudge / that for loue ne hate they sholde nor Iudge / But they shold haue alway the drede of god tofore theyr eyen / In consyderyng the comyn Prouerbe / ¶ Suche Iugement as they Iuge Lyke Iugement sholde they haue / ¶ Thenne who that shall Iuge ryghtfully after Iustyce / He shall haue the rewarde of Iustyce / ¶ Saynt Anthonye after that he had lyued an hundred and fyue yeres shewed his dethe to his Relygyouses / Whyche were therfore so heuy and sory that they beganne to wepe in kyssynge hym and enbracynge by grete charytee / And after he began to enforme theym with many eseynementes doctrynes / And emonge alle other / that they sholde not be ennoyed ne greuyd to haue begonne the estate of Relygion / ¶ But alwaye sholde be constaunte and perseuere in vertues / ¶ Secondly he sayde to theim that they sholde haue alwaye in theyr entendement and remembrauÌ„ce the hour of dethe / For by that they sholde dysspyse the worlde / ¶ Thyrdly whanne they sholde see the Arryens persecute the chyrche / Lyke as it hathe be shewed by ReuelacoÌ„n / That they shold haue sted faste faythe in folowynge alwaye the tradycyon and lyfe of holy faders / ¶ After he retorned in to a place solytary wyth one his frende / And toke leue of his Relygyouses in salewynge theym and gyuynge his benedyccyon / ¶ And it is to wyte that he deyed not in Egypte / Where as was the custome to burye the dede bodyes in clothes of noble martyrs and other persones wythout to put theyr bodyes in therth ¶ Of whyche custome saynt Anthonye hadd ofte repreuyd the bysshops of the countree / To the ende that they sholde correcte theyr subgettis In sayenge to theym / That our lorde had be buryed vnto the thyrde daye in a Tombe closed / ¶ For whyche saynt Anthonye dredinge that they wolde not soo doo to hym wolde not deye in the sayde countree of Egypte / ¶ He seenge the houre of hys dethe to be nyghe / He callyd two of his Relygyouses and sayde to theym / My chyldren / God hathe late boden me to come to hym / Wherfore I goo the waye that owe to goo / That is to the dethe / ¶ It is longe tyme syth I desyred to see the heuenly thynges I recoÌ„mende me to your prayers / ¶ After he admonested theym in this manere / Knowe ye the estate that ye haue taken / Ye haue seen many temptacyons of the deuyll / And they maye be ouercome / ¶ Desire ye alwaye to be wyth Ihesu Cryste ¶ Remembre ye of myn admonycyons and doctrines / And flee ye the cursyd Heretykes / For they ben enmyes of Ihesu Criste / ¶ Besye ye yourself to kepe the commaundementes of god ¶ And see ye wel to yf ye loue me that my body be not borne in to Egypte to the ende that it be not kepte vaynly in honoure / ¶ For. for this cause I am to men to deye with you / But ye shall couere my body soo pryuely in the erthe / that none knowe my sepulture but ye oonly / ¶ After he made his Testament ordenaunce of his laste wyll / By the whiche he lefte to saynt Athanase bisshopp a vestyment of heyre namyd Melote / whyche couuered hym from the sholders vnto his thyes / ¶ Vpon the whyche he had ofte tymes lyen wyth a mantel in maner of a sclauynt / the whyche the sayd bysshop hadd gyuen to hym all newe / ¶ Serapyon a nother bysshop had that other vestyment lyke to the other / And the brethern Relygyouses had the heyre / ¶ His Testamente accomplysshed he sayde to theym / Fare well my frendes / Anthonye gooth his waye / He shal be no longer wyth you in this worlde / ¶ And thyse wordes sayde / alle his brethern Relygyous beynge there present And wepynge bytterly for the occasyon that they sawe his deth soo nye kyssed him / ¶ And Incontynent he rendred his spyryte to god / The aungellis that were there receyued it singyng me lodyously / ¶ And notwythstondynge that euer he hadde frequented or vsyd by the space of an hundred yere or there abowtes the desertes / And neuer had be bayned ne wasshed / And that he had not ete ony delycate metes / Yet neuerthelesse his flesshe and skynÌ„e was as precyous as fayre / and more clene thanÌ„e ony myghte be seen / ¶ By the ensample of him ye see how god enhaceth theym whyche deuowtly serue hym / ¶
serpentes and venymouse beestes roo◠vp agaynst the peple / Of the Infeccion of whom they deyed in dyfferently wythout remedye yf Incontynent they had not be brought to saynt Hylaryon whiche gaaf theim oyle blessyd Of whiche anone as theyr woundes were touched were hole guarysshed / ¶ And by that cause that in those partyes he was soo moche knowen / And that there was done to hym ouermoche grete honour He went in to Alexandrye and came in to a monasterye namyd Oason / ¶ Ferdermore bi cause he had not dwellid in no towne walled syth he had be religyous He went to Brynchion by Alexandrye wyth some of his brethern that he knewe where he was receyued benygnely / ¶ But anone after by cause that they sawe the discyples of the holy man make redy his asse for to departe / they prayed hym wyth Ioyned hondes that he wolde abyde / For they hadd leuer haue deyed than he sholde departe fro theym ¶ Thenne the holy man for to comforte them sayd that he was constrayned hastly to depart / To th ende that by his ouerlonge taryenge there wyth theym he sholde be cause of heuynesse / ¶ Sayeng to theym ferdermore that for some thynges that they sholde see after come They sholde well know that not with oute grete cause he sholde not departe soo hastely from theym and theyr monastery / ¶ And the day after it happed that the Pryncypall of the cyte of Gaza / A cytee nyghe by wherin dwelled Paynems and enmyes to the lawe of oure lorde Ihesu cryste / Whyche were aduertysed of the comynge of saynt Hilaryon to the sayde monastery / Knowynge that their lawe was in waye and daūger to be all destroyed by the moyen of the sayde saynt Hylaryon / And for to eschew the same concluded to goo to the sayde monastery for to putte hym to dethe / ¶ And soo Incontynent they wente thyder ¶ And they fyndynge that soo hastely was departed from thens / And wythoute to be aduertysyd· ne warned of theyr enterpryse and purpose / Imposed and put to him that he was a Magycyen / Sayenge emonge theim that that they myghte cleerly knowe that he sawe before thynges that comen after / ¶ Now it oughte to be vnderstonde that whanne saynt Hylaryon was departed from Palestyne / They of Gaza demaūded of Iulyan whyche thenne was emperoure lycence for to slee his discyple Esicius / ¶ And for more lyghter to take him / they had wreton to alle the londes there abowte ¶ His chyrche was thenne dystroyed beten downe / And his Relygyouses slayn / ¶ The whyche thynge he had perceyued by reuelacyon / wherfore he was departed by cause he wold not see that dystruccyon / Lyke as tofore is sayde / ¶ Saynt Hylarion soo departed from Bruchyon and the desertes retournyd in to Oason / Where he was a yere or there abowte ¶ But by cause his renomee and fame was thrugh that londe spradde· He wold goo to places where he sholde not be knowe / ¶ And wente for to passe ouer the see / and to dwell in yles where he sholde not be knowen ¶ In that tyme Adryan whyche was his dyscyple comynge from Palestyne arryued to hym sayenge / That Iulyan the Emperoure was slayne / And that in his place regued an Emperoure that was Crysten / ¶ Whanne the holy man herde his purpoos he blamyd hym / ¶ And neuerthelesse he wolde not retorne / But he and Zazanius one his discyple went in to a shippe for to come in to Cecyle / ¶ And whanne they were in the myddill of the see / the sone of the maronner was rauisshed of a deuyll Whyche entred in to his body ¶ And by cause that saynt Hylaryon by force of coniuracyon wold haue constrayned hym to departe oute of the sayd sone He sayde to hym ¶ O seruaunt of god why suffrest thou not me to be in peas wythin the water / Gyue me spase to goo to the londe / ¶ For yf I departe here / I sholde falle in to the abysme / ¶ The holy man ansuered to the deuylll Yf my god hath gyuen to the puyssaunce and power to abyde / Abyde thou And yf thou haste noo myghte I shall caste the oute / ¶ Anone after the chylde was hoole and guarysshed / ¶ After this saynt Hilaryon to the ende that he sholde not be knowen made the Maronners to swere other that were there that they shold not shewe his name / ¶ And whanne he was arryued in an hyghe mountayn in Cecyle named Pachumum he wold haue gyuen to the Maronner for his solaire a boke of the gospellis whiche he hadd doo make in his yongthe for hym and his dyscyple Zazanius / ¶ The Marōner seenge that he had none other thynge wolde noo thynge haue / ¶ And to th ende that he wold not there be knowen of the Marchaūtes of the Eest partyes / He wente ferre in to the myddyll of the lond well twenty myle from the see / ¶ And there in a desert he made of the broken bowes and wode fagottes and brusshes / and charged and layd in the necke of his dyscyple for to bere to the market in the nexte towne / To the ende that he sholde brynge breede for theyr sustentacyon / ¶ Alas lete vs consydre the pouertee of this holy man / and how moche euyl he suffred for to come to heuen / we that haue soo moche good / How suppose we to haue it / I byleue that it shall be wyth grete payne / ¶ And how well that the holy man was goon in to a straūge countree by cause he wolde not be knowen / ¶ Neuerthelesse anone after by the moyen of his merueyllous werkes· Hys fame was grete thorugh alle the countree of Cecylle / ¶ And the fyrste knowlege of hym was by a a man whyche had a deuyll wythin his body / the whyche man was broughte in to the chirche of saynt Peter of Rome / ¶ And on a daye amonge the other / the deuyll cryed by the mouthe of the seke man with in shorte tyme Hylaryon shall entre in to Cecylle the whyche wenyth to hyde hym / But I shall goo to him and shal manyfeste and shewe him thorugh out the londe of Cecylle / For suche is the playsure of god / ¶ Anone the same man wyth his seruauntes wente to the see came a londe in Pachumium / ¶ And lyke as the deuyll broughte hym tofore the hermytage of saynt Hylaryon And Incontynent was alle hoole / ¶ The whyche curacyon was the fyrste myracle that he made in Cecylle / ¶ And after came to hym Innumerable seke people / Of whom he refusyd many grete gyftes whyche they wolde haue gyuen to hym / ¶ Consyderynge by hym that whyche oure Sauyour sayd to his dyscyples / ¶ I haue gyuen to you grace / wythoute ony thynge to gyue therfore Gyue ye in lyke wyse wythout takynge of ony thynge / ¶ Esicius dyscyple
/ ¶ A merueyllouse thynge in sayenge thyse wordes the membres of the seke man were restored in theyr strength and helthe / In suche wyse that he wente vppon his fete / ¶ Of whyche thynge and myracle the fame sprange and spradde there alle abowte / ¶ Wherfore the holy man Hylaryon wolde noo lenger abyde there / Not for to departe from thens for ony mutabylyte or chaungynge of thoughte / But by cause he desyred to lyue solytaryly wythoute to haue knowlege of ony persone / ¶ Whanne he was foure score yeres olde he felte himselfe moche feble / And by cause that Esicius his dyscyple was thenne absente / He made a cedule or letter of his honde / By the whyche he lefte to hym alle that he hadde / ¶ That is to wyte his Robe Whyche was made of a sake / His Frocke his Pelycon and his Gospellis / ¶ Alle thyse were noo greteâ—ychesses / ¶ Many deuowte Relygyouses of the cytee of Pafun And wyth theym a notable-woman named Constance att prayers of whom he hadd heeled her sone and her doughter / Camen to hym by cause he was in dysposicyon to deyeed / And spoken wyth hym as he hadde To whom he requyred and neuerthelesse commaunded that Incontynent as he sholde be deed They sholde putt hym in to the erthe in a gardine nyghe to his hous / ¶ And tofore that he deyed there as he hadde noo more charyte he sayd to his soule / What dredest thou my soule / Goo oute of my body / Wherfore arte thou aferde / ¶ It is now gone thre score and ten yere syth thou seruedeste Ihesu Cryste / And now thou dredest to deye / ¶ And thus sayenge he rendred his spyryte to god / Incontynent they buryed hyÌ„ wythin the gardyne ¶ Anone after his dyscyple Esicius whyche was in Palestyne knew his departyng / And thenne he came in to Cypre / ¶ And whanne he was in the gardyne where as he was buryed / He fayned that he wolde dwelle there / ¶ To the ende that they that kepte hym sholde haue noo suspecyon ne mysdemyng that he wolde transporte and carye away the body of saynt Hylaryon / But he wroughte soo pryuely that ten monethes after that he stele hym a waye transported or caryed hym to Maxymian his auncyen and olde chyrche in the whyche the same Esicius and also all the men and Relygyouses there abowte buryed hym in his frocke and his pelycon / Whyche as it is sayde is there alhoole / ¶ And saynt Hylaryon is yet as he was in playne lyfe / Gyuynge out odoures sauours merueyllously smellynge swete / ¶ The good woman Constaunce / whyche hadde be acustomyd in curyouse wakinges to passe the tyme in makinge her prayers there as he had be burybe alyue / ¶ Whanne she knewe that he was transported and taken from thens She wynge the grete loue that she had to him Rendred and gaaf Incontinente her spyryte vnto god / ¶ And yet preseÌ„tly by this occasyon is there grete questyon bytwene theym of Cypre and of Palestyne / ¶ By cause they of Cypresayen that they haue the spirite / ¶ And they of Palestyne sayen to haue the body / ¶ Neuerthelesse in Cypre atte this daye ben done to the praysynge of him moo myracles thanne in Palestine / ¶ And perauenture for almoche as he loued more the place ¶ Or by cause onely that it playsyth god that soo it be done / ¶ Thus endeth this Prossesse of the ryghte holy and deuowte man saynt Hylaryon / ¶ Here folowyth the life of saynt Malachye / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Caromas / Caplm .xxxviii. CAromas is a cyte in Syrie distaunt or beynge of fernesse fro Anthyoche abowte thyrty myle / In the whyche dwelled Malachye a man soo named / ¶ Malachye is a sayeng Syryaque / The whyche in latyn tongue is asmoche to saye as kynge / ¶ This same Malchus or Malachye was an holy man borne of Syrye with hym was alwaye an olde woman the whyche was so olde that she semyd alwaye redy to deye ¶ Thei two were so contynuelly in the chirche that they myghte be lykenye to Zacharye and Elysabeth in deuocoÌ„n / ¶ Saynt Iherom beyng in Syrye some cyteyzyns of the same cyte axed yf the sayd Malachie same woman were maryed or kynnes folke / By cause he sawe theym soo contynuelly togider / ¶ To whom was ansuered that they were holy and deuoute persones towarde god / Thenne saynt Iherom wente to vysite the holy man for to demaunde and enquyre of his life / ¶ The holy man Malachyas sayd to him that he was born of a place namyd Nyzibam / and oonly Herytour of his fader and moder / ¶ The whyche for to contynue their lygnage wold haue constrayned hym to take the Sacrament of Maryage / And nothwythstondynge that he was by his fader strongly menaced and threrenyd / And of hys moder affectuously requyred for to marye hym / ¶ Neuerthelesse he loued beter to these the state of Relygyon and to renounce and forsake the world / ¶ After he sayde to hym that for doubte of the Romayns that made watche vpon the passages and of other men of the sayde countree / He durste not goo in to the Eeste / But wente hym in to the Weste ¶ He sayde to hym also that he had be in an Hermytage whyche was namyd Calcidâ—s and stode towarde the Southe bytwene Mynas Heroas / ¶ And that he had founde there good Relygyous vnder whyche werkynge and laborynge he had lyued longe tyme. ¶ After he was in wyll to retorne in to hys countree / By cause that he wyste well that his fader was deed ¶ And for this cause he wold haue the goodes that were lefte for to gyue a parte to poore peple / Another parte to make a churche the Resydue for to susteyne his lyfe / ¶ The whiche thinge he had declared to his Abbot as he sayd / And he Incontynent blamyd hym / sayenge that it was temptacyon of the deuyll / ¶ And alleged and shewed to hym for the same many fayre hystoryes of some Relygyouses whyche in lyke caas hadd be deceyued / ¶ For the denyll vnder the coloure of good thynge temptyth alwaye the persone for to make him to accomplysshe and doo some euyll / ¶ He sayde ferdermore that his Abbott hadde sayde to hym / That he resembled and was lyke the hounde the whiche after he hadd made his vomyte Retourned and receyued it agayne / ¶ And for prayer that the Abbot cowde doo he wolde not consente to abyde ¶ How be it that he knelyd downe on his knees tofore hym / Prayenge that he sholde not goo / but abyde wyth him in prayenge and shewyng that he that putteth his honde to the plough· That is to saye that entreth in to Relygyon And he loke backewarde / Is not worthy to haue the kyngdom of heuen / ¶ Alas sayde Malachye to
Anthonye seenge his Imbesilyte and symplenesse / commaunded that he sholde holde his peas and departe Incontynente ¶ Soo he departed by obedyence wyth oute to answere ony thynge / ¶ And whanne saynt Anthonye sawe that he was soo humble and obeyssaunt / ¶ He was moche admerueylled / ¶ And after he coÌ„maunded hym that he sholde speke / And that he sholde saye wherfore he spake not / ¶ To whom he answered that he hadde soo done by cause he hadde soo commaunded hym / THenne saynt Anthonye was moche Ioyeouse and gladde of hyâ— ansuere ¶ And yet agayne he admonested hym tabyde alwaye and peâ—ceuere in obedyence / ¶ And ofte tymes he commaunded hym to doo thynges agaynst reason / ¶ As to drawe water oute of a depe pytte alle daye a longe / And to caste it on the erthe / And sometyme to vnsowe his gowne / And after to sowe it agayne / And soo of many other thynges / ¶ But in all he was moche obeyssaunte and lowely / ¶ And by that manere he came to perfeccyon / ¶ And therfore sayde saynt Anthonye Who some euer woll be perfyte / He oughte not to be mayster ne obeye to hys owne wyll / ben they resonable or none ¶ For oure Sauyoure sayth that tofore alle thyuges / one oughte to renounce his owne wyll / ¶ And wyth that he sayth in a nother place / ¶ I am not descended and comen in to this worlde for to doo and fulfylle myn wyll but the wyll of hym that hath sente me / That is my god almyghty / ¶ Neuerthelesse the wyll of the sone was neuer contrary to the wyll of the fader / ¶ Also he that was Doctour of obedyence whan he hadde done his wyll he hadd not be Inobedyente / ¶ Alas thenne syth that god wolde not vse his owne wyll / But was somoche obedyente / ¶ Wherfore ben not we obedyente to hym / Wythoute to obeye to our sensualyte / In leuynge all thinges contrary to equyte and reason / ¶ The vertue of obedyence is more agreable to god thanne ony sacrefyces ¶ For this vertue god shewed moo greter myracles for saynt Poule than for saynt Anthonye / ¶ From alle Regyons came seke folkes to hym / for to recouuer helthe / ¶ The whyche thynge saynt Anthonye seenge And dredynge that he sholde be ouermoche lette / For that cause he made him to goo in a nother secrete place / Where as he myghte not be founde / To the ende that saynt Anthonye sholde receyue theym that sholde come / ¶ And yf ony fayllyd to recouere theyr helthe by the prayers of saynt Anthonye / He sente theym to saynt Poul / And anone they were hoole and guarysshed / ¶ Emonge other there came one to the whyche was madde and soo ferre from himselfe / That by the reason of his maladye he bote alle theym that came to hym / ¶ Saynt Poul beganne to praye to god / And commauÌ„ded the deuyll whyche tourmented hym / that he sholde departe oute of his body ¶ But by cause the deuyll departed not wente not oonly Incontynent after he had commaunded hym / ¶ Saynt Poul beganne to speke to god as lytyll chyldern done / sayenge / ¶ Truely my god / I shal not ete this daye / yf thou heele not this seke man / ¶ And anone he was heelyd / ¶ Alle the myracles that he dyde god hadde graunted to hym the power for the grete obedyence that was in hym / ¶ Thenne oughte euery persone to enforce him to be obedyent to god in obseruynge and kepynge his coÌ„maundementes / ¶ Thus endeth the lyfe of saynt Poule the symple Heremyte ¶ Here folowith the lyfe of saynt Paula or Paulyne / And begynnynth in latyn ¶ Si cuncta corporis mei membra c. Caplm .xl. SAynt Iherom sayth / Yf alle my membres were torned in to tongues / And alle they longen thynge worthy of praysynge / Yet cowde they not saye suffysauntly of the venerable saynt Saynt Paula / She was noble of parentes / but moche more noble of holynesse of lyfe / Ryche of patrymonye / But more ryche for as moche as she had renounced and forsaken the goodes of this worlde ¶ All the dayes of her lyfe she complayned to god sayenge / ¶ Alas poore synnar what shall I doo My life is lengthed I dwelle ouer longe in this corruptible worlde in whyche is no thynge but synne and fylthe / ¶ And for asmoche as she sayd her selfe a pylgryme in this worlde Often she desyred dethe / and to be wyth Ihesu Cryste / ¶ The moost parte of her tyme she was lyke by the grete abstynences that she made / ¶ Neuerthelesse armyd wyth pacyence she sayde / I chastyse my body and putt it in seruytude / To the ende that by myselfe I be not repreuyd / Whanne I repreue other / ¶ And in this grete pacyence she sawe heuen open for to receyue her / And sayde / ¶ Who shall gyue to me wynges that I maye flee and reste myselfe in Paradyce / ¶ She loued alle the tyme of her lyfe the sure astate of pouertee / ¶ For whanne she deyed she was more pore than they whom she gaaf her almesse / ¶ Her fader was called Topocius / The whyche was of the lygnage of Agamenon / Whyche ten yeres duringe helde siege tofore Troye the graunte / And att laste by hym it was destroyed ¶ Her moder was namyd Basylle extracte of the lygnage of Scypyons Grekes / ¶ This whyche saynt Iherom â—eeâ—tyh and spekith of No thynge for that he woll saye that the man ne the woman â—en to be praysed for asmoche as they ben comen of grete parentele and lygnage in worldly honour ¶ But for asmoche as whanne some ben come of hyghe byrthe and of grete place / And they dyspyse the Rychesses of this worlde / They shewe theymself in soo dooynge to be of the very lygnage of Ihesu Cryste / And to haue towarde hym greâ—ter loue / thenne to theym whyche haue noughte or lytyll thynge in value ¶ And say that they renounce and forsake alle / ¶ As some done whyche putt theym selfe in to Relygyon for to haue prouysion suretee of theyr lyuyng ¶ Wythoute to haue Regarde to oure sauyour Ihesu Cryste / Sayenge that who that shall leue alle for the loue of god He shall haue an hundred tymes more in the ende / That is to saye the Reame of heuen / The whyche is true in saynt Paulyne / ¶ For for the cytee of Rome whyche she lefte wyth all rychesses and vaynglorie of the same cyte / ¶ She is right merueyllous renommed as emonge many precyous stones the moost precious and in excellent vertue shynynge / ¶ Lyke as the sonne gyueth gretter lyght thanne the mone / in lyke wyse saynt Paula emonge al holy wymmen moost excellently she shynyth / ¶ She fleenge and eschewynge the glory of this worlde / ¶ And
enmye is ouercome by pacyence / And by humylytee pryde / ¶ Sayth not the holy scrypture / That who that shal be smeton on that one cheke He ought to profre that other / ¶ The appostles also went Ioyenge whanne they sholde be martred for the honoure of Ihesu Cryste / ¶ Oure sauyour meked hymself in takynge our nature whan he tooke man kynde / ¶ Yf Iob hadd not ben in pacyence in his aduersytees He hadde not herde the voyce of oure sauyour in sayenge to hym / ¶ Thynke Iob that I haue sente the persecucion and trowble but to the ende that thou sholdest be reputed and holden Iuste / ¶ They that endure trybulacyon ben reputed thoughte well happy in the Gospell / ¶ She coÌ„syderynge thyse thynges / and for to fructefye her pacyence ¶ Whan the enuyous Adad some tyme bote her by wordes Iniuryous and wrongfull / She sayde wyth the psalmyste / Whan the synnar adressyd hym to me for to doo me wronge / I haue restrayned or hydde my worde as I hadde be muette or dombe / As a deef man I herde noo thynge / And as a dombe man opened not my mouthe / ¶ The temptacyons come not to the persones but for to preue theym yf they loue god wyth all theyr herte and wyth alle theyr soule / ¶ She reduced and called to her mynde the worde of Ysaye whyche saythe / ¶ Ye that ben now oute from the pappes that is to saye in aege / Abyde trybulacyon vppon trybulacyon / ¶ Hope vppon hope oughte to be hadde agaynste an euyll and serpentyne tongue full of venyme / ¶ For pacyence is proued in trybulacoÌ„n / ¶ By pacyence is goten strengthe By that vertue is goten hope ¶ And who that hathe stedfaste hope / shal neuer be confounded / ¶ Who that is in aduersitee he oughte to arme him wyth strengthe wyth pacyence wyth hope / ¶ But some tyme they that ben Impacyent sayen / I endure ynough / and take the beste wyse I maye in pacyence / ¶ Neuerthelesse god helpyth me not / ¶ I haue hope he shall helpe me / But it is longe er it come / ¶ Suche murmurers done grete wronge and be not pacyent But full of alle Impacyence / ¶ For god hath sayde In tyme due and oportune I haue enhaunced the And in the daye of helthe I haue holpen the / ¶ It behouyth not thenne to drede in ony wyse the venymouse and wyckyd tongues / ¶ But we oughte to reioyce yf we ben wrongefully blamed in requyrynge alwaye the helpe of god ¶ Yet what some euer aduersytee that we haue Yet we ben not worthy to haue the glorye of heuen / ¶ Whanne saynt Paula was moche seke she sayde that she was more stronger thanne whanne she was hole / For by aduersytees and maladyes / her body gate Inmortalytee / ¶ And yet she sayde / Lyke as the passyons of Ihesu cryste abounded in me In lyke wyse by Ihesu Cryste in aboundance cometh to me consolacyon and comforte / ¶ They that ben felowes of passyon / shall also be felowes of consolacyon ¶ In heuynesse wepynge and wayllynge sange saynt Poul sayenge / Wherefor arte thou heuy my soule / Wherfore trowblest me / Haue hope in god For yet I shal confesse him as my god and Sauyour of my soule / ¶ Whanne she was in peryll she sayd wyth oure lorde / Who that woll kepe his soule and saue it he muste lese it And who that woll lese his soule for the loue of god he shall saue it / ¶ Whanne it was sayde to her that she was ouer liberall / And that bi this moyen alle her Patrymonye was dysspended She ansuered / ¶ What prouffyteth to wynne alle the worlde yf one lese his soule that it be dampned what marchaundyse maye a man take in recompence of his soule / ¶ As yf she wolde saye / Lyke as the Rychesses of thys worlde ben cause of the dampnacoÌ„n of the soule ¶ She sayde also I am borne in this worlde alle nakyd / And alle nakyd I shall retorne / ¶ Neuer oughte to be desyred ony thynge in this worlde / For alle that is in the worlde is none other thynge but fleshely desyre / And the euyll concupyscence of oure eyen / ¶ And in the ende alle shall passe / but the good vertues that we gete in thys mortall worlde shallen be contynuelly wyth vs and tofore the dethe / And in lyke wyse shall accompanye vs oure euylles and fowle synnes / ¶ On a tyme came to the sayde gode lady saynt Paula a good Relygyouse man The whyche sayde to her· that for the ryght grete aboundaunce of heâ— good vertues / And that for the ryghte grete loue that she hadde to god / she semed to moche people to be as a foole Ydâ—ote / ¶ And that for that cause / it were full necessary and grete nede to take medycynes for her brayne / ¶ To the wordes and proposycyons of whyche good Relygyous man the good lady ansuered / ¶ My brother in god we ben alle semblable and lyke / That is to saye in a place comyn where as alle the men in this worlde shall be assembled ¶ And we all ben called fooles for the loue of Ihesu Cryste / ¶ By cause that we haue in him sette our loue and deuocyon / ¶ And therfore I recomfort me in the sayenges and wordes of god our maker / whyche sayth to his apposles / ¶ For this cause the worlde hateth you / For ye ben not of the worlde / And yf we were of the worlde the worlde sholde loue you / ¶ The Iewes sayde to oure swete Sauyour and Redemer Ihesu Cryste that he was a Samarytane / And that he hadd a deuyll wyth in hym in his body / ¶ And that in the name of Belzebub whiche is the prynce of deuyllis he chassed and caste oute deuyllis of the bodyes of creatures the whyche oughte to requyre of hym hys mercy / ¶ After whyche wordes the gode and deuowte saynt Paula adressyd her wordes to god oure Sauyour and Redemer Ihesu Cryste In sayenge to to hym in this manere / ¶ Ha my god my Sauyour and Redemer Ihesu Criste / thou knoweste the affeccyon and desyre that I haue towarde the / And the grete loue that I bere / And how I am redy and apparaylled to obeye and accomplyssh wyth my lytyll power al thi commaundementes / ¶ Thou wotest knowest alle the thoughtes of myn herte / ¶ On that other syde thou seest wel and knoweste alle the Iniuryes whyche haue ben done to thy seruauntes / ¶ And neuerthelesse they remembre alwaye the / ¶ Yf we kepe alle thy commaundementes / And haue our hert on ony other thanne on the / We ben lyke and semblable to beestes the whyche be broughte to sacrefyce / ¶ My lorde god I counte noo thynge in suche fryuolouse wordes and deceyuable / ¶ For I haue
/ ¶ She recounted theym to saynt Iherom / ¶ The whyche in spekynge to the sayde Heretyke and in enfourmynge hym other questyons confounded his in this manere / ¶ Fyrst saynt Iherom demaunded hym yf he byleuyd the Resurrexcōn generall / ¶ The Heretyke ansuered Ye / sowe oughte to byleue / ¶ For it is an artycle of the faythe / ¶ Secondly he demaunded yf the same body that deyed sholde ryse agayne / ¶ He ansuered Ye For it is also trouth / ¶ Thyrdly he demaunded yf the bodyes sholde aryse in the sexe or kynde in the whyche they sholde be deed / That is to wite yf the man shall aryse in the lykenesse of a man / And also in like wise the woman in lykenesse of a woman / ¶ To this demaunde or question the Heretyke ansuered nought / ¶ Saynt Iherom sayde after to him / ¶ Syth that thou wolt not ansuere I shall saye to the by manere of ansuere / ¶ That yf a man ryse not in lykenesse of a man / And a woman in lykenesse of a woman / Thenne it sholde not be Resurreccyon of theym that deyed The whiche Resurrexcyon thou grauntest to be / And also it is true / ¶ We haue prouff herof by oure lorde Ihesu Cryste / The whyche whanne he was arysen shewed his woūdes whyche he hadde receyued in the Crosse / ¶ And also whanne saynt Thomas towched him in his worthy side / ¶ Sayd not oure lorde to his dyscyples / Beholde and see my woundes / To the ende that certaynly ye byleue that I am he that hathe be crucyfyed ¶ Thenne that syth oure lorde after his Resurrexcyon was seen and towched / And that his discyples herde him speke / ¶ It aperyth cleerly thy his membres that he arose in lykenesse of a man and not of a woman / ¶ For by his membres it apperyth that he hadd a body / ¶ By cause that the body is not wythoute membres ne the membres also wythout body / ¶ Therfore it muste conclude that the men shall aryse as men / And wymmen as wymmen / ¶ As towchinge the conclusyon that the Heretyke made in sayenge That maryages oughte to be made in heuen / ¶ Saynt Iherom ansuered that there sholde be none / ¶ For oure lorde saythe that after the Resurreccyon generall shall neuer be maryage made / ¶ And by this the scrypture sayth that there shall none be maryed / And yf it be argued to be wryten that we shall be lyke to good aungellis the Proposycyon oughte to be vnderstonde that we shall be sēblable or lyke to theym in conuersacyon and blessydnesse / As is promysyd to vs. Not by nature / ¶ Saynt Iohan Baptist tofore that he was byheded was called an aungell But for that he hadde not the nature of aungellis / ¶ The symylytude or lylenesses of aungellis is oonly promysed in holynesse of lyfe / ¶ But the nature not for that shal be chaunged / ¶ Yf ony argued in sayenge that god ete after his Resurreccyon Thenne we shall ete after that we were reysed / ¶ The argumente is not prouffytable / ¶ For that whyche was done was for the approbacyon and veryfyenge of the sayyd Resurrexcyon / ¶ He also whanne he hadde Reysyd the sayde good Lazare / Whyche hadde be deed foure dayes ete wyth hym / ¶ Also the doughter of the Synagoge anone after that god hadde reysed Commaunded that mete sholde be gyuen to her / To the ende that they that sawe thise and herde of thise reysinges sholde ne myght not saye that they were bodyes fantastyke / But were very bodyes whyche hadd ben deed and reysed agayne / ¶ As towchynge the question of the chylde vexed of the deuyll whyche had not synned / ¶ And also in what aege we shall aryse / ¶ Saynt Iherom fyrste sayth that the Iugementes of god aren as a grete swolowe / ¶ His scyence is also to vs vnknowen / ¶ Neuer man knewe what god hathe in his entendemente and purpoos / ¶ Secondly ought to be noted with saynt Iherom / That a man whanne he is ten or twenty or thyrty Or a hūdred yere olde is none other than whā he is but two or thre or foure yere olde ¶ And neuerthelesse after the tradycyons and sayenges of the chyrche and the doctryne of saynt Poul / we shal ryse in the aege of perfeccyon In whyche oure lorde aroos fro thyrty to two and thyrty yeres / ¶ And in whyche aege was Adam fourmyd after that the Iewes wytnesse / ¶ In retournynge thenne to saynt Paula / And for to speke of her entendemente sayth saynt Iherom that ofte she kepte and obserued the commaundement that sayth Andi israhel ettace That is to saye ¶ Man here and bestylle / For the good lady Paula was well lyghte to here / And slowe to speke / ¶ She was curyous and besie to haue bokes of holy scrypture / And radde theym gladly / ¶ And for better to prouffyte in theym / She constrayned saynt Iherom to expowne to her the olde Testamente and the newe / ¶ But whanne for ony doubtes he differred to expowne to her certayne proposycyons / Sayenge to her that he cowde not expowne theym / She wolde not byleue hym / ¶ But by contynuell Interrogacyons and desyres she constrayned him to expowne theym after the Sentence moost apparent or lykely and after trouthe and good sens / ¶ Her vnderstondynge was soo grete that she lerned of saynt Iherom the Ebrewe tongue / In suche wyse that she songe the psalmes of the Psaulter in Ebrewe tongue / And songe noo more in latyn / ¶ After that we haue recyted of her holy lyfe conuersacōn that is to saye of her gloryous departing oute of this worlde ¶ Whanne the good lady saynt Paula felte that she had no more hete but a lytyll in her stomack / ¶ She beganne to saye thyse wordes that folowe in wepynge and wayllynge bytterly ¶ O my god I haue desyred the beaultee of thy heuen and glory / ¶ O lorde that thy Tabernacles and dwellynge places ben fayre shynynge / O lorde god I haue more desire to be in thy hous that is in the chyrche than to dwelle with them of the worlde ¶ Anone after she cessed to speke saynt Iherom seeng that she ansuerd not to ony thyng that he demaunded or asked of her / ¶ He asked why she ansuered not / ¶ And yf she hadde in her herte ony heuynesse or gryef / ¶ The goode lady ansuered in Greke / Naye / but she sawe alle Ioyousete and gladnesse / ¶ After she spake noo more / But sygned her wyth the sygne of the Crosse / ¶ There were dyuerse bysshoppis as well of Iherusalem as of other places And wyth theim were grete nombre of preestes and Innumerable companyes of vyrgynes and Relygyouses / ¶ In presence of whom she herde oure lorde / whiche callyd her sayenge / ¶ Come to me my
that by that the deuyll had made hym to falle in to vayne glorye ¶ And thê° as he was in this same fantasye / An auncyent fader came and sayd to hym / ¶ My frende I wote well that in alle thyne operacyons and werkes thou haste ouercome the deuyll saut oonly in this that thou wenest that in thise partyes ben none relygyous persones lyuynge more perfyte thanne thy selfe ne that better knowen the wayes of helthe thanne thou doost / ¶ But for as moche as I knowe the contrary / Yf thou wolte come wyth me / I shall lede the in to a monasterye faste by the flood of Iourdan / In whyche for to take from the this folye / Thou shalte mowe see of Relygyouses more perfyte thanne euer thou were / ¶ Thenne wente forthe the goode man Zozimas in folowenge the holy fader / ¶ Now it is to be noted that it was the aungell of god whyche in the lykenes of an holy fader conduytted hym The whyche Incontynente as they were att the sayde flood vanysshed a waye / Neuerthesse Zozimas beynge by the flood Iourdan herde a voyce resownynge / ¶ And in comynge nyghe to the same he arryued atte a monasterye ¶ And after that he had knocked atte the gate / He that kepte it shewed it to the abbot Whyche for contemplacyon of his habyte / And also by cause that he semyd to be a man of holy lyfe made hym to entree in and receyued hym honestly / ¶ After that he hadd made his oryson The Abbot demauÌ„ded of hym the cause why he came to vysyte theym / And Zozimas answered for to lerne the helthe of his soule / ¶ For he had herde say that grete myracles and sygnes of vertues were made there wythin / ¶ The Abbot sayd to hym / My brother a man maye not teche a nother of hymselfe yf he helpe not hymselfe in prayenge god his conduytour in alle his werkes / And therfore I praye to god that he make vs suche that we maye obserue and kepe his commauÌ„dementes / ¶ But syth it hathe playsed the to vysyte vs. thou shal abyde wyth vs yf thou be for that cause come hyder / ¶ And I byleue that god shall accompanye vs togyder alle in his grace / ¶ For he is the Pastour of Pastoures / Whyche hathe putte hys soule / That is to saye his propre lyfe for to redeme and saue vs / ¶ Zozimas beynge in this same monasterye sawe some Relygyouses shynynge in vertues / ¶ And in esperyte incessauntly wakynge daye and nyghte in orison and prayer / ¶ And neuer proferred they one vayne worde / Ne occupyed theym in ony thynges teÌ„porell / But as they hadde ben deed theyr names were vnknowen / ¶ Theyr lyfe and passety me was of holy wordes / ¶ And for to susteyne nature ete but brede and water oonly / ¶ This considerynge Zozimas he prouffyted moche gretly in folowyng theyr holy lyfe / ¶ After that he hadde ben there a certayne tyme / The holy tyme came the whyche they muste faste the Lente / ¶ Wherfore alle they made theym redy to saynctefye and make them holy agaynste the tyme of the passyon and Resurrexion of oure lorde / ¶ Now it was soo that the yate of the sayde monasterye was neuer open / To th ende that noo man sholde entre· whiche sholde lete theym to praye to god / ¶ For to knowe thenne how they proceded in their fastynges / It is to be noted that the fyrste Sondaye of Lente alle togyder came to the chyrche / And there receyued theyr maker in grete seruente deuocyon / ¶ And after that they had done and accomplysshed theyr oâ—ysons / The auncyentes embracyd and kyssed eâ—he other in sygne of synguler loue / ¶ Enuye for to opteyne benefyces and pryouryes for to haue occasyon to lepe oute of theyr monasterye was not lodged there / ¶ And they resembled not the birde that fleeth alwaye abowte the cage for to fynde an hole That is to say an Abbaye or Pryorye for to flee thorugh the feeldes and countree / ¶ For to retorne thenne to our purpoos after that they hadde kyssed eche other They prayed humbly to thabbot that he wolde make to god deuowte prayer for theym / To the ende that they myghte strongely fyghte agaynste the fende / ¶ Thyse thynges done alle the yâ—tes were opened / And alle togyder songen the songe or psalme Dominê° illuminacoÌ„ Psalmo .xxvi. ¶ And whan they were oute of theyr monasterye for to goo in to desertes / Two of the Relygyous men abode wythin the chyrche / Not for doubte ne fere that they shold lese ony thinge / But to the ende that theyr Oratory sholde not be without prayer ¶ Eeueryche of theym bare his necessytees for to lyue by / ¶ Some a lytyll brede Other fygges or dates Or pesen or benes for to make potage wyth a lytyll water / ¶ Some other bare no thyge but her mantellis with whiche they were cladde / ¶ And in the Desertes ete but herbes that grewe there / Eche after his appetyte and wyll / ¶ For beynge there they ladde suche rule as they wolde By cause they wente not one with an other / ¶ Thus passed they the flom Iourdan separate and ferre from the cyte in goynge by the desertes / ¶ And yf by aduenture one saw a nother come agaynst hym he toke anone a nother waye Wythoute spekynge one to a nother / ¶ And in this wyse ladde they a lyffe moche solytarye / And theyr fastynges thus contynued tyll palme Sondaye / ¶ Atte whyche daye they alle were retourned to theyr monasterye / ¶ And eueryche broughte the fruyte of his abstynence / ¶ Neyther neuer asked they one of a nother how they hadde lyued in the deserte / To the ende to eschewe vayne glorye / ¶ For some of theym ladde a lyfe full harde and sharpe ¶ And yf the other hadde knowen it / They hadde praysyd hym / And wolde haue tolde it eche to other / By whyche the deuyll myght haue tempted theym by vayne glorye / ¶ And by this it apperith that they fledoe the praysynge of men / Whyche mighte brynge forthe noo prouffyte / ¶ But it is ryght peryllous and dommageable to the soule / ¶ Zozimas thenne passyd the flom Iourdan by the example of the other and bare a lytyll brede wyth hym for to susteyne his poore body / ¶ And yf he was sobre in etynge Yet he was more in slepynge / ¶ And soo passynge thorugh the deserte / Alwaye he desyred to fynde some holy man / By whom he myghte be the better enfourmyd and Instructe thanne he hadde ben tofore / ¶ After that he hadde walkyd by the space of twenty dayes / Aboute the hon iâ— of Syxte he taryed to praye and to make his orysons to god / as he had be accustomyd / ¶ For his custome was at the houre of Tyerce Syxte and None for to ceasse
faders he shall haue for hys herytage the reame of heuen / ¶ Whanne the chylde herde thyse wordes he knelyd downe tofore him sayenge / ¶ Thou arte my fader and my moder / And wyth this I take the for my Dyrectour of alle my werkes and operacyons / Thou haste this daye sauyd my soule· the whyche was in the waye of perdycyon ¶ Now I shall goo in suche wyse as thou haste taughte me Or god shall conduyte and lede me / ¶ His wyll of me be done / ¶ Yet the good fader enfourmyd hym that he sholde haue pacyence in aduersytee / ¶ And after this the sayde Symeon wente vnto a monasterye of a ryght perfyghte man namyd Thymothee Tofore the yates of whiche monastery he taryed fyue dayes wythoute mete and wythout drynke / ¶ After the sayde fyue dayes the holy Abbot Thymothee came out of the sayde monasterye And founde the chylde Symeon / ¶ And he askyd hym of whens he was / And yf he hadde done ony harme by cause he was fugyâ—yf / ¶ Saynt Symeon answered sayenge Syre I haue not begyled ne trowbled my frendes ne none other persones of the worlde ¶ But I desire to be the seruaunte of god yf it playse hym / ¶ To the ende that I may saue my soule the whiche is loste / ¶ And therfore I praye the / that thou receyue me in to thy monasterye for to serue alle the brethern therin ¶ Thenne the good Abbot tooke hym by the honde as he hadde knowen hys grete deuocyon / And ladde hym in to the monasterye / sayenge to the relygiouses ¶ Alle ye my brethern I delyuer to you this chylde namyd Symeon for to teche and enfourme hym in the Rules of oure monasterye / ¶ And therfore I coÌ„maunde you that eche of you be to him as his fader / For I byleue that he shal be of the nombre of perfyghte men / ¶ The chylde Symeon seruyd the sayde Relygyous by the space of foure monethes / In whyche foure monethes he lerned the Psaulter In lyuynge allone spyrytuelly / ¶ For the refeccoÌ„n that he hadde wyth the Relygyouses he gaaf it secretely to the poore people / ¶ And notwythstondynge that the brethern toke theyr refeccyon alwaye atte euyn saynt Symeon tooke noo thynge but on the seuenth daye / ¶ On a daye amonge the other he tooke the corde of the pytte by whyche they drewe the water / and bounde it on his bare flesshe abowte his raynes and his sholdres / ¶ And soo faste he bounde it abowte that the corde entred wyth in his flesshe vnto the bone / ¶ And for this cause his flesshe roted and was ful of vermyn The whyche fell from hym in suche wise as the good Symeon walked ¶ Now it happed that the bredern knew that he ete not but from one son daye to a nother / And they founde him gyuynge his porcyon to the poore people ¶ And soo they accused hym to the Abbot sayenge That he brake the rules of the abbay / And also that he was alle enfecte And they felte hym moche stynkynge / ¶ The Abbot made hym to come speke to hym In repreuynge hym of his strayte lyfe By cause he ete not euery daye ones lyke as he hymselfe dyde / And there was noo dyscyple aboue his mayster / ¶ And after he made hym to be dyspoylled / And thenne they founde how he was bounde wyth a corde And that it was the cause why he stanke soo / ¶ The Abbot was gretly abasshed and prayed hym that he wolde goo oute of the monasterye But fyrste they tooke it from hym wyth grete payne and smarte / And dyde doo hele hym / ¶ And that done he departed oute of the monasterye secretely / And went vnto a deserte place whyche was not ferre from the sayde monasterye / Where he founde a pytte whyche was not vsyd / And in whyche was noo water / but there were therin euyll spyrytes ¶ The nyghte folowynge was shewed to the Abbot Thymothee that many armyd people came for to assyege the howse for to haue the good seruaunt of god Symeon / ¶ And yf they wold not delyuere hym / That they wolde thretene to brenne theym and all theyr monasterye / ¶ Whanne Thymothee was awakyd consyderyng this reuelacyon / And that he hadde soo blamyd the seruaunte of god was sore aferde and recyted to his brethern the sayde reuelacyon / ¶ And how he was therwyth sore trowblyd / ¶ The nyghte folowynge came abowte the howse moche people that cryed wyth an hyghe voyce / ¶ Thymothee delyuer to vs Symeon ¶ He is better bylouyd wyth god thanne thou / Wherfore haste thou trowbled hym soo hardely / ¶ Alle the heuenly courte is wrothe wyth the / ¶ By cause for hym god shall doo merueyllous thynges / whyche man neuer dyde / ¶ Incontynente Tymothee aroos and went to his brethern commaudynge theim that wyth oure delaye they sholde goo and fynde Symeon / or ellis they were all in way to deye wythin theyr monasterye / ¶ The brethern anone wente oute of their chyrche for to go seche where thei myghte fynde the good Symeon / but they cowde not fynde hym / ¶ Thenne they retorned to the Abbot sayeng that they hadde serched ouer alle sauf in the pytte of the deserte / ¶ The abbot whyche of thise tydynges was moche dysplaysed tooke wyth hym fyne of hys brethern wyth whom he transported hym vnto the sayde pytte wherin the good Symeon was descended / ¶ And tofor â—r they wolde goo downe in that place they made theyr prayers to god to haue grace for to fynde the good relygyous Symeon / And that he wolde kepe theym from Inconuenyent / And that done they descended in to the pytt ¶ The holy man Symeon seenge theym there sayde to theym / O ye seruauntes of god / I praye you suffre ye me to abyde here that I maye yelde my spyryte to god / For I haue but a lytyl whyle to lyue / And my soule is yet alle greuyd of that I haue enfecte your house / ¶ The Abbot ansuerd / Certaynly my frende we shall not leue the here / But thou shalte come with vs in to our monasterye / For we knowe that thou arte louyd of god / ¶ Thyse wordes sayde they broughte hym wolde he or noo into theyr chyrche / In whyche alle they felle downe to his fete and cryed hym mercy of the offence that they had done to hym / ¶ Saynt Symeon wepynge sayde to theym / Helas my brethern ye grieue me to exalte me thus that am a poore synnar / And ye ben soo holy faders / ¶ A yere after dwelled saynt Symeon in the sayde monasterye / And after he departed secretely in to a solytary place Whyche was not ferre from the sayde monasterye / ¶ And there edefyed a lytyll cloysture of stones / And there dwellyd he thre yeres / ¶ In that tyme beganne his fame to
of halfe an hour / ¶ And after he approchyd nere to hym / And layed his ceâ—e to his vysage for to knowe yf he were deed or a lyue / ¶ But he felte noo thinge but an odoure soo swete that all the place was replenysshyd wyth all / ¶ ThenÌ„e knewe he wel that he was departed out of this worlde / ¶ Thenne Incontynent he beganne to kysse hym his eyen hys berde Wepynge bytterly and sayde Helas my lorde and my mayster Wherfore leuest thou me / Who shall be he that shall gyue to me doctryne as thou hast doon ¶ What shall I saye to the malades and seke people that shall come hyther to haue helthe / ¶ Helas now I see the. and tomorne I shall lese the / ¶ After many lamentacyons the good Anthony slepte / And as he slepte he beâ—de a voyce that sayde / Anthony I shal not leue the here in this place ne in the mountayne in whyche I am Illumyâ—ed wyth the grace of god / ¶ Thou shalte goo secretely in to Anthyoche / to the ende that the people moeue theym not / And shalt telle the tydynges of my dethe / ¶ For now I am departed lyke as it hathe playsed to my Redemer / ¶ Thou shalte neuer cesse to pray god in this place here / And he shall rewarde the in heuen / ¶ Whanne Anthony was awaked he merueylled moche sayenge ¶ O my lorde and mayster remembre thou me in the glorye in whyche thou arte now ¶ After he kissed his fete and layed his hondes vppon his eyen sayenge / ¶ My lorde I praye the gyue to me thy blessynge / ¶ And beganne agayn to wepe sayenge / Helas for to haue myÌ„de of the. What pyece of a Relique shal I take of thy body / ¶ And soo sayeng the body beganne to moeue Wherfore he was affrayed that he durste not towche it / ¶ And bi cause none sholde knowe therof / He sente secretely one of hys brethern to the Bysshop of Anthyoche The whyche accompanyed wyth two other Bisshoppis and also wyth Ardahoruis Prynce of the chyualrye of Anthyoche transported theym thyder and dyde laye the holy corps tofore the aulter of his chyrche / ¶ And thystorye sayth that the byrdes fledden abowte the place where as he was makynge grete cryes and chaterynge in manere of wepinge and waylynges / ¶ The people also and the beestes assembled in soo grete nombre that they were estemyd well atte seuen thousande demeanynge for his dethe a merueyllouse heuynesse / ¶ The mountaynes the feldes trees and also herbes of the places nighe by suffreden for his dethe / ¶ For ouer alle there abowte they were enuyronned wyth a derke clowde testefyenge and wytnessynge the bytternesse that they hadde ¶ Also the good Anthonye abode seuen houres the aungell of god shynynge as a lyghtnynge And his clothes whyte as snowe Wyth whom were seuen auncyent faders whiche longe tyme were by the corps / But what they dyde ne sayd knoweth none Lyke as sayth saynt Iherom / ¶ Durynge the tyme that the body was in the chyrche The Patryarke of Anthyoche wolde haue taken of his berde By cause he knewe that he was a man of holy lyfe But Incontynent thonde wyth whyche he wolde haue towched it waxyd drye / But after by the prayers of theym that were presente and by the euydente myracle he was heelyd / ¶ ThenÌ„ sware he that neyther man ne woman sholde towche it / ¶ Thyse thynges thus done in grete solempnyte torches and tapres beynge lyghte / The body was borne to Anthioche / ¶ But whan he was withdrawen fiue myle to a place callyd Mere. myghte neuer man make hym departe from that place / ¶ There was a man that hadde be fourty yere deyf and dombe and began to crye / Ha seruaunte of god thou arte ryght welcome / Thy comynge hath yeuen to me heryng and spekynge / ¶ I promyse the yf I lyue long· that alway I shall serue the wyth body and soule / ¶ After he aroos and tooke one of the beestes that ladde the corps of the holy man / And anone he was helyd / The cause of the accydente of this deyf and dombe man was this / ¶ He hadde ben amerous of a fayre yonge woman maryed the whyche he had strongely solycited for to haue her company To the whyche he cowde not come / ¶ And after it happed that she deyed whyche dethe came to the knowlege of this man all enraged for her loue / ¶ And after that she was buryed he wente to her sepulture and there deffoyled her And forthwyth he was deyf dombe lame / and soo abode in the same place duryng fourty yere / ¶ All the cyteyzyns of Anthioche came in grete tryumphe and mete wyth the body and bare it in to the grete chyrche / ¶ And there in the chyrche whiche is namyd Penytence in the whiche after his buryenge to the exaltacoÌ„n of his gloryous name ben shewed done Infenyte myracles / And more merueylous than theâ— that haue be done in his lyfe / ¶ Many prynces lordes haue layed oute of theyr tresours to the layd chyrche for to haue of hym some relyke But none myghte â—e had be cause of the othe that the bysshopp made / that his body sholde neuer be towchyd ¶ Of saynt Symeon byleue ye stedfastly that who someuer for the honour of god of hym shall haue the lyfe of hyÌ„ by wrytynge and shall rede it deuowtly and seruynge hym wyth good deuocyon He shall be rewarded for his merytes in the celestyall glorye ¶ To the whiche by his Intâ—essions lete vs prayes almyghty god that we maye obteyne / Amen / ¶ Of saynt Eufraxe vyrgyn / Whyche begynnyth in latyn ¶ In diebus theodoâ—u / Caplm .xlvii. IN the tyme that regned Theodocyen the Iust emperour of the Romayns There was at Rome a Senatoure namyd Antigonius the whiche had a doughter namyd Eufrare / ¶ The sayd Antigonius was a man soo prudent and of soo godâ— counseylle that he gouerned after the lawe of the Romayns all the countree of â—â—â—ye / ¶ He was soo moche humayn that he had compassion of eche persone and admynystred to the poore all theyâ— necessytees / ¶ The emperour louyd hym not oonly by cause he was his kysnesman· but also by cause he was of right good prouffytable couÌ„seylle / ¶ He hâ— bounded in rychesse goodes temporal asmoche as ony man of the cyte / And he had a wyfe descended of the propre very lygnage of Emperours the whiche also was called Eufraxe a woman Iuste mercyful and garnysshyd with alle other vertues / ¶ Antigonius after thenne certayne tyme that god had sente hym his fayre doughter Eufraxe Thynkynge the saluacyon of his soule / Deuysed wyth his wyfe Eufraxe of holy wordes deuowte / ¶ And emong alle other he sayde to her / ¶ Eufraxe my syster and loue thou knoweste that this lyfe is
in the monasterye where as her doughter was ¶ The Emperoure hadde tydynges therof / And callyd the Senatoure that hadde promysed to take the yonge doughter Eufraxe / And sayd to hym that she was a Relygyous / ¶ Thenne the Senatour was moche abasshed therof ¶ And dide doo soo moche that at his Requeste and desyre the Emperoure wrote to her that she shold come to Rome for to accomplysshe and fulfyll theyr maryage ¶ The lettres beynge by her radde she ansuered in this manere / ¶ Lorde Emperour I haue receyued thy lettres / and me semyth that seen the loue that in tyme passed thou haste hadd to my fader and moder ¶ Yf I shold of the demaunde and aske counseylle of the thynge of whyche thou haste wryten to me Thou woldeste not counseylle me soo to doo For also it is not lawfull Syth that longe agoon I haue gyuen myselfe to my god Inmortall Ihesu Cryste and desyre to be his spowse Wherof I haue gyuen to hym my faythe ¶ Sholde I gyue hym ouer for to haue a man mortall and Incorruptyble the whiche shall be eten with wormes / ¶ Ne knowest thou not wel that if I be here this daye I shall not soo to morowe God forbede that I shold doo to god and to me suche Innyquyte and wyckednesse / ¶ Wherfore I praye the that thou sende noo more for me / For thou shalte lese thy traueylle and laboure By cause that I knowe to be to me inpossyble to leue my espowse Ihesu Cryste / ¶ Wyth this I praye the that thou haue mynde of my parentes and kynnesfolke / In giuynge for the helthe of theyr soules and for the honoure of god al the goodes temporell whyche they haue left to me / ¶ I knowe wel that my fader alle his lyfe hathe well and truely seruyd the. Wherof he accepted thy loue and benyuolence ¶ Thenne in distrybutynge his goodes thou shalt haue remembraunce of hym In fauour of whom yf it playse the And I praye the also that thou wolt put alle thy bonde men and prysoners in fraunchyse and playne lyberte / ¶ And that the thou wol sende for alle the Receyuours of my fader / And quyte and forgyue theym peasibly alle that they owen of rentes and Reuenues / To the ende that I maye without solicytude or besynesse serue my god and espowse / ¶ The emperour radde thyse lettres many tymes and al mooste alle the nyghte / ¶ And on the morne by tymes he assembled alle the Senatoures And the fader of hym that hadde fyauncyd her ¶ And in the presence of theym alle were the lettres radde / Whereof alle they beganne to wepe for Ioye ¶ And of comyn assente they sayde Verely lorde Emperoure Eufraxe is doughter of Antigonius and of holy Eufraxe her moder / Whyche weren of thy lygnage and generacyon ¶ And now she shewyth it well certaynly For of an holy Rote procedyth and comyth fourth gladly an holy braunche ¶ All they praysyd and gloryfyed god in prayenge for her / ¶ And after the Emperoure dystrybuted alle the godes of the mayden accordynge to that she hadde wryten ¶ And after the Emperoure deyed and was buryed wyth hys parentes and kynnesmen / ¶ Saynt Eufraâ—e thenne ladde a moche strayte life ¶ For at one tyme was that she ete but ones on the daye / And after she constrayned herselfe to ete but ones in two dayes ¶ And after that one 's in thre dayes / ¶ She allone made clene the chambres of the systers / Made theyr beddes And bare water in to the kechyn / ¶ The custome of the same Abbaye was yf ony of the systers were tempted wyth ony temptacyon of the deuyll she tolde it to the Abbesse ¶ The whyche prayed and dyde doo praye god to the ende that the deuyll sholde departe fro her / ¶ On a daye it happed that the goode Eufraxe was tempted of the fende / And for to resyste wythstonde hym She putt asshes on her cowche / ¶ And she laye on them and slepte / The whyche thynge seenge the Abbesse knewe that she was vexed wyth some temptacyon / ¶ And prayed for her in sayenge to god / ¶ O my god whyche haste created and formyd this mayde after thy dyuyne bountee and goodnesse / ¶ I praye the that thou wolt conferme her in thy drede / ¶ After the Abbesse callyd her and sayde to her / Wherfore haste thou not shewed to me thy temptacion giuen to the by the deuyll / ¶ Incontynent she felle downe to her fete And cryed her mercy In sayenge· ¶ Pardonne me madame For I durste not notyfye and shewe it to you / ¶ The Abbesse sayd to her Mi doughter thou haste begonne to fyghte agaynst the deuyll / Be stronge and coÌ„staunte to the ende that thou be crowned wyth Laureoâ— wyth the vyrgynes gloryously ¶ A lytyll whyle after she was agayn tempted / And shewed her temptacyon to out of her systers namyd Iulyan / the whyche counseyllyd her that she shold shewe it to the Abbesse to the ende that she sholde praye for her / ¶ After she said to her / ¶ We alle ben tempted of the deuyll / But whanne we haue good hope we ouercome the deuyll our temptatour / ¶ Eufraxe thankyd her of her gode counseylle that she hadde gyuen to her to the edyfycacyon of her soule and went to the Abbesse And shewed to her her temptacyon ¶ The Abbesse comforted her in sayenge / My doughter fere the noo thynge but enforce put thyself to wythstonde hym / ¶ For it is the deuyll whyche dooth this euyll / ¶ And yf thou wythstoÌ„de hym constantly and stedfastly / thou shalte ouercome hym alwayes / ¶ Knowe thou my doughter that thou shalte haue many other temptacyons / for to resyste and wythstonde To whiche yf thou fele the feble of spyryte It behouyth the to doo more abstynence thanne thou haste done here tofore / And in soo dooynge thou shalte be ryghte well belouyd of thy spowse Ihesu cryste / ¶ A nother tyme the Abbesse asked her how longe it was syth she ete ony mete She ansuered thre dayes / ¶ Thenne sayd the Abbesse to her That she sholde yet abyde a nother daye or that she sholde ete / The whyche she dyde wyth a good wyll in rendrynge herselfe redy and prompte in obedyence / ¶ Whanne she was twenty yeres olde lyke as her yeres grewe so she augmented and encreacyd her penaunce / ¶ She was fayre and curteyes / By her maner she shewed euydently that she was descended of noble folke / But that notwythstondynge she was humble and obeyssaunt ¶ In a place of theyr monastery was a grete multytude of stones / ¶ And the Abbesse for to proue her humylyte commaunded her that she bere theym vnto an euen by the chyrche whyche was ferre from the place where as the sayde stones laye / ¶ Emonge the same stones there were grete
And tooke her awaye from her / And after thretened her to bete her / And sayde to her Yf she euer dyde Insolence to the systers she shold bete her wythoute mercy / ¶ And thenne the poore Demonyake helde her stylle by the worde of saynt Eufraxe ¶ On the morne after the seruyce done / came saynt Eufraxe for to vysyte the poore pacyent And founde that she hadd rented her clothes And ete that whyche departed from her bynethe oute of her body / ¶ Thenne saynt Eufraxe hauyng compassyon and pyte of her made her prayer to god her maker bi the space of an hoole houre in wepynge and wayllynge for her helthe / ¶ On the morne the abbesse sent to seche saynt Eufraxe And sayde to her / ¶ Wherfore haste thou not shewed to me that thou madest thy prayer to god Redemer our lorde Ihesu Cryste for this poore pacyente / ¶ Eufraxe cryed her mercy And sayde to her / ¶ Certaynly madame I praye you to pardonne me / ¶ For I founde her in so pyteuous astate and condycyon that I cowde not lenger tarie wythoute to praye thenne for her / The Abbesse after sayd to her / ¶ My loue I shall saye to the one thynge in secrete / But kepe that the fende dysceyue not thou by vaynglorye in ony manere / ¶ I haue hadde by the reuelacyon of god that god oure Creatoure hathe gyuen to the puissaunce to chace a waye the deuyllis oute of the body of this pacyent / ¶ Eufraxyne herynge thise wordes casted asshen vppon her heed and fel downe to the grounde sayenge / ¶ Alas me whyche am a poore synnar What shall I doo for the my god / whyche haste gyue to me puyssaunce and myghte to hele guarysshe this poore pacyente / ¶ And my systers haue soo longe tyme prayed for her without to obteyne and purchaâ—e her helthe / ¶ The Abbesse ansuered My doughter the tyme hathe abyden the Be thou suffyâ—ed For thy rewarde is grete in the reame of heuen ¶ Thenne she entred in to the chyrche and prayed god in requirynge his ayde / To the ende that by her prayers the seke syster myghte be guarysshed and helyd / ¶ After the aroos / accompanyed wyth alle her systers / and came to the pacyente / to whom she sayde ¶ O poore woman god whiche hathe created and foâ—urmed the make the by his mercy now hoole and guarysshe the / ¶ And after she made the sygne of the Crosse on the fronte or forhede of the sayde pacyente ¶ Thenne the deuyll whiche was wtin her body beganne horrybly to crye / Ha a muste I departe from this myserable body wherin I haue be soo longe ¶ And after sayde to saynt Eufraxe / Wherfor thou payllaide and Infamed suffreste thou not me here as I haue be accustomyd wythoute to persecute me ¶ Eufraxe ansuered to hym I persecute the not But it is my god and my maker whyche coÌ„maundyth the to voyde / ¶ The deuyll ansuered / O meschaunte and Infamyd I shall neuer departe hens for the / For thou haste noo myghte to caste me oute / ¶ Eufraxe sayde I knowe well that I am poore and a myserable synnar / But neuerthelesse yf thou departe not from her I shal tormente the wyth the Pastoralle staffe of my lady the Abbesse / ¶ Fynably she toke the staffe and smote thre strokes vppon the pacyent / ¶ By the mouthe of whom alwaye the deuyll ansuered that he myghte not departe / ¶ And sayde thus Where woll thou that I goo Eufraxe sayde to hym Goo in to derkenesse and euerlastynge fyre / ¶ Alle the systers were there whyche durste not approche ne come nyghe to her / ¶ After that she had longe foughte against the deuyll She made her prayer to god in sayenge ¶ O my god I praye the that I be not confounded by the fende / But that it maye playse the to preserue me in suche wyse that he ouercome me not ¶ And in this presente houre commaunde hym that he departe and goo hys waye / Leuynge peasyble this poore pacyente / ¶ And the deuyll Incontynentâ— departed scumynge and gryntynge the teeth of the sayde pacyente / The whyche att the same houre was guarysshed and helyd / ¶ Thenne alle the systers ladde and broughte her humbly and in grete reuerence to the chyrche Louynge and magnefyenge the name of oure sauyoure Ihesu Cryste / ¶ After the sayde myracle saynt Eufraxe humbled and meked herself more thanne to fore And durste not slepe dredynge the temptacyon of the fende of helle / ¶ And euer she contynued to fast alle the weke / wythoute etynge ony more thanne ones in the weke ¶ Certayne tyme after the Abbesse sawe in her slepe that saynt Eufraxe sholde departe oute of this worlde Wherof she was moche heuy and sory / ¶ Her sisters seenge her grete heuynesse Prayed her by grete humylyte that it myghte playse her to shewe to to theim and tell theym the cause of her sorowe / But in noo wyse she wolde telle theim ¶ And by cause that more and more thei exhorted her to telle it to theym / ¶ She was constrayned to saye it to theim And declared to theym in the manere that folowyth / ¶ My denowte doughters tomorne we must leue the good lady Eufraxe Wherof I am moche Ioyous on one syde By cause she shall be in eternall felycyte / ¶ And on that other syde I am heuy and sorowfull ¶ For we shall be pryuated fro her gracyous syghte corporall / ¶ But of this reuelacion saye ye noo thynge to her leest she sholde take ony fere or drede / ¶ Thenne alle the systers made lamentacions soo grete that thayre resouned of theyr wepynges / ¶ One of theym came to Eufraxe wher as she made brede wyth Iulyan and sayde to her My sister the abbesse and all the Couent make for the soo grete lamentacyons that it is merueylle / ¶ They were moche abasshed bothe two / Iulyan sayde thenne that perauenture the Abbesse myghte haue hadde tydynges of the Senatour / whyche wold come fetche for to rauyssh her by force oute of theyr monasterye / ¶ Eufraxe ansuered to her By the lyuynge god fro the loue of whom yf all the foundemens of the erthe sholde foundre and faylle / I shall neuer departe ¶ But my syster Iulyan I praye the goo see yf thou mayst knowe in ony wise the cause of theyr wepynges and wayllinges to th ende that my soule be not trowbled / ¶ Iulyan wente for to speke to the Abbesse / And she beynge tofore the yates or doores of the Chapytre Herkenyd the Abbesse and herde how she recounted her vysyon in this manere / ¶ I sawe two men comynge in hyder whyche soughte Eufraxe And haue sayd to me / Abbesse enseygne and counseyle Eufraxe for she hath nede / ¶ After came some other whyche sayde to me Take Eufraxe and lede her tofore thy lorde god /
¶ Thenne we toke her and wente to a gate soo noble and soo fayre that I can not declare / ¶ And after that the sayde gate was opened to vs. We entred in to a palays wherin were made solempnysed weddynge merueyllously honourable / And ferther we myghte not entree / ¶ But Eufraxe was taken and presented afore the lorde Imperyall of the sayde palays / And whanne she was tofore hym / She knelyd downe humbly to the grounde and kyssed the fete of the sayd lorde / ¶ And in the same place I sawe ten thousand aungellis wyth Innumerable multytude of sayntes the whyche there were awaytynge / ¶ After came the moder of the sayde lorde The whyche made redy a moche fayre crowne in the chambre of maryage / ¶ In whyche chambre the sayd moder soo fayre / soo playsaunt and soo amyable made her to entree And saye to her in delyuerynge to her the sayd crowne / ¶ Eufraxe my loue / Holde Loo here thy rewarde whiche thou shalte haue by cause thou hast vaynquysshed alle thyne enmyes / ¶ Now goo thi waye And after ten dayes thou shalte come agayne in to the glory and selycytee of heuen / ¶ And yet sayd more after the Abbesse Alas this daye is the nynthe daye / ¶ And therfore I byleue that â—omorne Eufraxe shall mouÌ„te in to heuen ¶ Iulyan whyche herkenyd all thys purpoos beganne merueyllously to wepe and waylle That she bywepte alle her body wyth teeres / ¶ And thus wepynge she came ayen to the ouen / where as Eufraxe was knedinge the brede ¶ Whanne Eufraxe sawe her she aduiâ—ed her sayenge / ¶ I commauÌ„de the in the name of god that thou saye me the cause wherfore thou wepest / ThenÌ„ Iulyan râ—counted the â—aas lyke as the hadd vnderstonden / ¶ And whanne the holy lady hadde heâ—de the narracyon / She fell downe to the erthe alle full of anguysshe and of heuynesse / ¶ Iulian laâ—e by her wepynge strongely ¶ And Eufraxe sayd to her / My syster gyue to me thyne honde lyft me vp fro heirs And brynge me where the fagottes or brusshes heâ— and leue me there ¶ Take also the brede whyche is in the ouen And heâ—e it to the systers / ¶ Iulyan dâ—de lyke as Eufraxe hadde sayde to her And tolde noo thynge therof to the Abbesse / ¶ Eufraxe beynge layde on the pament And adressynge her wordes to god sayde to hym ¶ My god my maker Why haste thou me now in abhomynacyon / Or wherfore dyspysesâ—e thou me / whiche am a pore pylgrym Orpheline ¶ Alas now is the tyme in whyche I ouhte to fyghte agaynst the deuyll myne enmye ¶ I praye the moche affectuously as moche as I maye that thou be to me pyteuouse And lete me lyue yet by the space of a yere / To the ende that I maye by waylle and lamente my synnes / For yet neuer in my lyfe haue I done suffysaunt penaunce / ¶ Alas they that ben in helle may not prayse the. But oonly they that ben lyuynge / ¶ One of the sisters herde Eufraxe wepe And wente Incontynent to the Abbesse for to shewe to her what she hadd herde / ¶ The Abbesse blamyd the systers Bi cause she hadde deffended that none sholde telle her therof / ¶ And coÌ„maunded that Eufraxe sholde be broughte to her / The whiche thynge so done / The Abbesse demaunded her / My doughter what eylest thou that wepest thus / ¶ Madame I wepe bi cause that thou knowest my dethe And neuerthelesse thou haste tolde to me noo thynge therof / Yf I hadde knowen it / I wolde haue by wepte the grete synnes of whyche I am maculate and defoylled ¶ Alas madame haue pyte on me and praye to god wyth me that he gyue to me yet a yere of respyte to doo penaunce / ¶ Thenne the Abbesse ansueryd to her / Certaynly my doughter god oure Redemptour rewardeth well in heuen / But I praye the that thou wolt praye for me To the ende that by thy merytes and prayes I maye haue wyth the partyeypacyon in the heuenly glorye / ¶ Anone after the stronge feuer tooke the good lady Eufraxe / ¶ And that seenge the systers bare her in to the Oratorye / And there kepte her tyll euen / ¶ The euyn comen / the Abbesse commaunded to her Religyouses that they sholde goo and take theyr Refeccyon / alle sauf Iulyan / whyche abode wyth the Abbesse ¶ And they two shytte the doore to theym and abode wythe Eufraxe ¶ Thynke ye that here this hystorye what lamentacoÌ„ns they made togyder / ¶ Iulyan sayde / My lady my syster my frende and my dere felowe / I praye the remembre me / And lyke as I haue alwaye holden to the faythful coÌ„panye here in erthe that I maye accompanye the in heuen / And praye to god that I maye deye wyth the / ¶ Alas I haue soo moche louyd the bodyly spyrytuelly and now thou leuest me / ¶ The morne comen / the Abbesse sent for alle the relygyouse systers· To th ende that they sholde come and take leue of saynt Eufraxe / ¶ Incontynent as they were comen they sayde to her / O oure good syster haue in heuen mynde of thy systers ¶ And after came the other whom she hadde guarysshed and helyd by her prayers and Intercessyons soo moche desolate and tormented that vnneth she myghte speke / ¶ She kyssyd the hondes of saynt Eufraxe whyche hadd chaced and put oute the deuyl of her body / ¶ And by cause that Eufraxe ansuered not to the wordes that she sayde to her / The Abbesse sayde to her / ¶ My doughter my loue thou spekest not to thy syster whyche is soo moche sorowfull and desolate / ¶ Thenne she sayde / Wherfore syster wepest thou Lete me alone for I deye Praye to god wyth alle thyne herte and he shall saue the. Also praye for me / For atte this hour suffryth my soule a grete bataylle / ¶ Thenne the Abbesse and alle the systers put theim in deuowte prayers Durynge the whiche the good Eufraxe beynge in the aege of thyrty yeres rended to god her benygne spyryte / ¶ And after was buryed by the deuowte systers in the tombe of her moder / In louynge the name of god of that they hadde an espowse soo holy and soo agreable to god / ¶ The good Iulyan whyche hadde he mastresse· and after felow of saynt Eufraxe was thre dayes longe vppon the tombe wepynge there grete habundance of teeres wythoute thynkynge to ete or drynke / ¶ The fourthe daye she came to the Abbesse and sayd to her Madame praye for me / For oure lorde Ihesu Cryste by the Intercessyon of his â—izte holy spouse Eufraxe hathe somoned me to his weddynge / ¶ And the fyfthe daye she deyed And was buryed by saynt Eufraxe / ¶ In lyke wyse twenty dayes after the dethe of saynt Eufraxe The Abbesse was bi the prayers of the sayde Eufraxe
thynge for deuocyon But to the ende for to enryche theym wyth goodes and rychesses of the chyrche for to lyue atte theyr playsure God knowyth what shall be the ende ANd folowynge thenne the doctryne and tethynge that Pastumyen gaaf to his Religyouses ¶ He commaunded theym ferthermore to loue not oonly the one that other But to loue god pryncypally wyth all theyr herte / That was the fyrste commaundement that god gaaf to Moyses in the moutayne of Synay / ¶ But wyth the same commaundement must be Ioyned the lone that we oughte to haue that one wyth a nother / ¶ Whanne alle Relygyouses louen eche other / and god pryncypally and fyrste / Yet muste they haue the vertue of obedyence / ¶ Loue wythoute obedyence is noo thynge ¶ For lyke as the grasse lettyth the corne to fructefye and encreace / In lyke wyse who that is in obedient and fastyth and prayeth / bryngyth fourth noo fruyte for fawte of obedyence / ¶ After he commaunded theym to excercyse the nyghtes in prayers / ¶ For by nyghte the deuyll makyth moo lettynges to deuowte persones thanne he dooth in the daye Lyke as the Gospel saythe / ¶ Who woll doo euyll Hatyth lyghte / ¶ And to this purpoos sayth the Gospell Awake awake For ye know not the howre whanne the theyf of the soules woll come / ¶ He commaunded theym also that they sholde wryte in a Table of theyr conscyences all the commaundementes of god / And that ofte they sholde laye the clothe for to take refeccyon spyrytuell in sauourynge and etynge the ten loues composyd of the ten commaundementes of the fayth ¶ The twelue artycles of the lawe / And the werkes of mercy / ¶ More ouer he sayde / O ye my brethern / whyche desyre to be very obedyent and charytable to loue eche other / byleue ye after the sentence of Baruth the prophete whyche sayth / that ye ben now the felowes of god / ¶ And in a nother place the holy scrypture sayth well happy â—en the peasyble For they ben the sones of god / ¶ Now they that ben peasyble ben obedyent and charytable / ¶ They thene that shall desyre in this corruptyble world to enioye the fruytes of heuen / He muste renounce and forsake his propre wyll in hauynge perfyghâ—e charyte / ¶ After he coÌ„maunded theym yf they hadde amonge theym ony dyscencyon or debate / that Incontynente it sholde be appeasyd / For god oure lorde dwellyth ne abydeth but in one place of peas / ¶ And the contrarye where as is dyssencyon the deuyll regnyth ¶ And ferthermore he deffended them that they neuer sholde be angry ne wrothe ne to theyr brethern ne to straungeres / ¶ And that for ony gayne of the worlde that they myghte gete They sholde not oâ—cupye theym wyth temporell thynges But oonly in werkes spyrytuell By the whyche they myghte lyghtely gete the herytage of the Reame of heuen / ¶ And whanne ony temptacyons sholde come to theym the whyche with grete payne the ymyghte eschewe / ¶ He admonested theym to torne to god / In lyf tynge theyr hondes to heuen And sayenge ¶ O my god I pray the that it playse the to helpe me / And to enforce my poore freyltee to the ende that I maye vaynquysshe and surmounte my mortall enemye / ¶ And he sayde that anone after oure prayer made to god Comen his aungellis to oure ayde for to comforte vs / ¶ And for to proue thys thynge to be true He tolde thenÌ„e to theym that on a tyme. he beynge on a mountayne came tofore hym a grete companye of deuyllis in lyckenesse of men humayne And bi cause that by the will of god he knewe well that they were deuylles / He all resoluyd / And wythoute hauynge ony drede kneled downe on the erthe in prayenge god that it wolde playse hym to make the same deuylles to departe / ¶ And Incontynent they vanysshed awaye as a fume or a smoke tofore the wynde / ¶ Many other temptacions the deuylles made to hym But god delyuered hym alwaye by the deuowte prayers that he made / ¶ Therfore in concludynge he sayde to his Relygyouses / My chyldren be ye ferme and stable in the faythe in resystynge the deuylles temptacyons / And that ye ben clymynge by feruente charyte to the loue of god / The whyche in soo dooenge he shall to you be alwaye a protectour / And by his helpe ye maye gete the reame of heuen / ¶ Thus endyth the storye of the ryght holy man Pastumyen ¶ Here folowyth of saynt Onuffryen Heremyte / And begynnyth in latyn Beate memorie paphoncius et cetera / Caplm .l. SAynt Phaphunce hauynge desyre for to vysyte alle the Relygyouses that weren in the hermytages for to accomplysshe the helth of his body more lyghtly his waye bare wyth him a lityll water and brede / ¶ And whanne he hadde walked by the space of foure dayes his vytaylle faylled him / And became all confusyd and halfe deed By cause he was soo feble that he hadde neytheyr foote ne legge that myghte susteyne hym / by cause he had neyther to ete ne to drynke / ¶ But neuerthelesse he was by the helpe of god made alle hoole and guarysshed / And hadde as moche strength as though he hadde well eten and dronken / ¶ And thenne beganne to walke agayne And contynued soo foure dayes without mete and drynke ¶ The sayd foure dayes passed / by cause he felte hymselfe feble / He was constrayned to lye downe on the erthe as he hadde be deed / ¶ And he lyenge on the erthe Sodaynly sawe by hym a man in merueyllous glory ferdfull and terryble in shynynge / Worthy of prasynge in beawte / Longe of corpulence and right clere of regarde / Whom Paphunce seenge hadde grete fere but anone after he comforted hym / ¶ For in approchyng towched his lyppes and his houdes / And restored and gauf to hym strengthe / ¶ And Incontynent aroos vpp and walkyd seuentene dayes after tyll he came to a place where as god wolde brynge hym ¶ To whyche place he came and saw a man as he rested hauynge his face terryble all coueryd wyth heer lyke as a brute beest / ¶ And fro the raynes downe alowe he hadde a vestement of leues and of herbes / ¶ Whanne Paphunce sawe thys man soo deformyd / He was sore abasshyd / And not wythoute cause / ¶ For he hadde neuer seen suche lyckenesse of man ne of woman and wyst not what to doo But fledde in to a mountayne whyche was nyghe to that place And there hydde hym vnder the braunches of the trees / He was soo sore aferde / ¶ And there he beganne to syghe merueyllously ¶ Knowynge that by cause of his aege and abstynence he myghte goo noo ferther / ¶ This man seenge that Paphunce was fledde tofore him / and that he was aferde came nyghe to hym And callynge and cryenge with an hyghe
Infamyd ryght myserable and lyar of alle lyars / syth that thou knoweste theym that ben happy humble seruauntes of god Wherfore ye ueste thou to theym heuynesse and lettynges that they may not doo theyr penaunces suche as they desyred / ¶ The deuyll ansuered that the cause wherfore he trowbled the seruauntes of god / was to th ende that they sholde leue theyr gode conuersacyons and abandonne and gyue theym to synne / ¶ ThenÌ„e the holy man sayde to hym / Thynkeste thou spyrite Infamyd that they that ben ferme in the loue of IhuÌ„ Cryst may be deceyued by thy suggestions Thou deceyuest none but theym that ben vnhappy And ben contente to doo thy wyll / And that worse is they done payne to synne mortally / ¶ Thou knowest whan the seruauntes of god ben assaylled of the / That by one prayer that they make to god thou arte constrayned to flee / And Incontynent as the holy man hadd sayd thyse wordes / The deuyll fledde awaye as a raye or beme of the sonne ¶ Yet agayne fyue dayes after came the deuyll And made in the ayre a noyse / as he hadde hadd a grete multytude of people / That one sayeng to that other ¶ Lete vs goo and throw Abraham into a dyche and putte hym to dethe / ¶ The good holy man whanne he herde thyse wordes sayede / ¶ The enmyes of god haue gone rounde abowte me as flyes or bees and ben enforcyd agaynst me as fyre in thornes ¶ Alle be done in the name of god our lorde Ihesu Cryste / For by the puyssaunce dyuyne I shall vaynquysshe the cursyd deuyll / ¶ After that the enmye had herde thyse wordes of the sayde good holy man / He beganne to crye sayenge / Helas Helas I knowe noo more by what manere ne by what moyen the to dysceyue I knowe now that I am dysceyued / Neuerthelesse I shall neuer departe fro the vnto the tyme thou rendre thyself to be my subgette / ¶ Thenne the holy man ansuered to hym Maledyccyon come to the / Glory be gyuen vnto god and noo thynge vnto the / ¶ Thou knoweste that our sauyoure and redemptour Ihesus gyuethe to alle his true seruauntes strength to fyght agaynst the. and knowlege of thy dysceyuable temptacyons and mockynges for to kepe them from thy mortall and dampnable grynnes ¶ By many assawtes was assailed the holy man Abraham of the deuyll oure enmye But of what some euer temptacyon that he was tempted wyth He neuer fered ne doubted / but hadde alwaye stedfaste faythe / ¶ And of soo moche more as he was tempted vexid and traueylled of the deuyll / Of soo moche more he augmented his charytee towarde god / Wherfore fro day to day encrecyd his grace / ¶ And by that lyghtly by the helpe of god he suppedyted and put vnder fote the deuyll / ¶ Whanne the holy man apperceyued that the tresoure of grace was to hym ottroyed and gyuen He took thre precyous stones / Of whyche the fyrste was Faythe The seconde Hope / And the thirde Charyte To the ende that by thyse thre the other vertues mighte be decorate and made fayre / ¶ His charyte was soo grete that it stratched not oonly to good men / For whom he prayed affectuously / to the ende that the deuyll sholde not greue ne noye theym / But also he desired the conuersyon of the euyll peple in prayenge in lyke wyse for theym And in wepynge grete habundauÌ„ce of teeres / ¶ To the ende that god wolde dyuerte theym from theyr euyll lyfe / and tourne theym to the waye of helthe / ¶ He neuer laughed / And neuer after his conuersion wysshe his feete ne his hondes· ne his vysage / Estemynge euery daye that he sholde deye / ¶ He had his vysage not lyke the floure that neuer dryeth / ¶ And in seenge hym by his vysage· he sholde be Iuged to be a vessell full of alle vertues· ¶ Alwaye he was Ioyeous wythoute heuynesse / ¶ And for that cause atte houre of his dethe he was Iuged neuer to haue doo penaunce soo moche was his visage fayte and rodye / ¶ And that more is in fyfty yere he chaunged not his garment of hayre / Whiche he toke and hadde worne syth he beganne to doo penaunce fyrste / By the whyche thynges it apperyd euydently that he was strongely the frende of god / ¶ A nother myracle dide the holy man Abraham in his olde aege / He hadde a cosyn germayn / Whiche departed oute of this worlde and deyed leuynge after hym a doughter seuen yere of aege / ¶ The frendes of the sayde chylde secuge that she had neyther fader ne moder / broughte her to the holy man / where as she was enclosyd nyghe by to a wyndowe whyche was on the syde of his lytyll house And by the same wyndowe he taughte to her the Psaulter other holy scryptures / ¶ And there in soo dooyng and sayenge Ympnes and psalmes they were longe togyder / In suche wyse / that in alle abstynences the yonge mayde ensyewed her vncle Abraham / The whiche seeng the good way and wyll by her begon / He deuowtely wythoute cessynge prayed god for her / To the ende that he wolde gyue to her suche grace that she neuer solde retourne to the worlde And that her thoughte sholde haue none affeccyon to worldly thynges / ¶ For he hadde therof grete doubte by cause that her fader hadde lefte to her grete plentee of goodes temporell / ¶ The whyche goodes Abraham seenge her grete prudence and perfeccyon made theym to be dystrybuted to the pore people / In prayeng god that the deuylles by theyr subtyll suggestyons myghte haue noo power to chaunge her from her good purpoos / ¶ Soo contynued longe tyme the goode mayde in the rule that her vncle had gyuen to her / ¶ And she hadde in her soo grete constaunce that in twenty yeres he founde not her varyable / But obeyssaunte as a yonge lambe or shepe / ¶ Durynge this tyme. the deuyll whiche slepyth not ymagyned many subtyll meanes by whyche he myghte dysceyue theym / ¶ And by cause he cow â—e in noo wyse come to his entente / He dyde do begyle and disceyued her by a myserable Relygyous / The whyche were ofte to vysite the sayd good man Abraham Faynynge soo to doo for the saluacyon of his soule / ¶ But the cursyd Relygyous man tempted of the deuyll vnder the shadow of deuocion He wente for to defoyle the sayd vyrgyn / And soo longe he contynued by the space of a yere that he drewe her oute of her Oratorye / ¶ And by cause that in suche caas the lasse to knowe and expresse is beste and mooste honeste / It suffyseth to wryte that the poore doughter was defoylled / ¶ And that after the synne commysed and done / she became soo sorowfull and desolate that vneth maye be expressyd and wryten her
togyder the poore woman hauynge a stedfast byleue in god the sayth in the gospel / Haue coÌ„fydence thy fayth shall saue the. tooke fro behynde of the vestyment that the holy fader had vpon his heed touched it wyth grete drede / wherof it happed merueilousli that she was anone heelyd hoole souÌ„de / Soo fell she downe vpon her knees afore saynt Pachomyen thanked god of thâ—â— that he made soo grete myracles bi his seruauntes that haue to hym a stedfast hope ¶ The deuoute preest knowyng ytâ—o man hoole praysed the name of god / went agayn homewarde / ¶ How saynt Pachomyen by his deâ—â—nayâ—te was cause of the good lyfe of a Relygyous / And it begynnyth in latin ¶ Aliquando vero et cetera Caplm lxxxv CErtayne dayes after a Relygiouse that wold be a preest was broughte to saynt Pachomien by one his frende / that was mynystre at abbot of many Relygiouses / ¶ And the whyche mynystre or abbot was ofte vexed by the same Relygyouse / For by cause he wolde not conferme ne graunte the clerkely sheerynge / The whiche thenne he defferred longe / by cause it semyd hym not the sayd Relygyouse to be able ne suffysaunte for to be promoted there vnto / ¶ Fynably by cause he cowde noo lenger resyste to his Importunyte / Brought hym to saynt Pachomyen / trustynge that he sholde well contente hym / ¶ Saynt Pachomyen whanne he had vnderstonde the entencoÌ„n of the sayde Abbot He sayd to him ¶ My brother thou art come to me for as knowe the wyll of god / I counseyle she that thou gyue to him that that he askyth / And by aduenture thus dooynge his soule shall be delyuerd fro the thraldom of the deuyll ¶ For some tyme the wyckyd soo constytued in offyce or benefyte tourne theymselfe and take good maners / ¶ And therfore the wyll of god is that we shall haue pyte the one of that other / ¶ The answere well vnderstonde / the sayde Abbot confermyd and gaaf hym that that he askyd ¶ After that the sayde Religyous was constytued to a clerke he beganne all togyder to bowe to alle good condycyons / And afterward he came agayne to the holy man Pachomyen / and knelynge downe afore hym sayde / ¶ O man of god I knowe that thou arte moche agreable to god / whanne he dooth graunte the power for to dyscerne know of the saluacyon of men / ¶ Thy bounte hath vaynquysshed my malyce / For yf thou had not be pytuouse and swete I sholde haue lefte the habyte of Relygyon and sholde haue gone agayne to the worlde to fynysshe my dayes wretchydly / Wherof blessyd be thou of god / by the whyche thou haste gyuen saluacyon to my soule / ¶ The holy fader toke hym vpp from the erthe and sayde to hym / ¶ My brother I praye the that thou contynue alwayes in werkes behouynge and apperteynyng to thy dygnytee / And soo kyssed hym / And commended hym to god / ¶ How saynt Pachomyen delyuered a woman soore traueylled of the deuyll And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Adhuc autem cetera / Caplm lxxxvi SAynt Pachomyen beynge yet in the sayd place came a man to hym that prayed hym swetely that he wolde haue pyte of his doughter / the whyche was vexed and traueylled wyth the deuyll / ¶ The holy man entred within his monastery and left this man at the gate / And after he sente hym worde by the Porter that he not his Relygyous were not wonte to vysyte ony wymmen / ¶ And yf he had ony of her Rayments that he shold sende it to hym / And it sholde be halowed and blessyd / And after in puttynge the same vpon her / yf he had in god faythfull byleue and hope / His doughter by the grace of god myghte be delyuered of the sende and broughte to good recouerynge of helthe / ¶ The fader broughte the gowne of his sayd doughter And whan the holy man sawe it / He sayde to hym that it was not hers / The fader answeryd and sayd it was ¶ Thenne sayde the good holy fader to him / ¶ By cause I knowe that she kepe not her chastyte / Therfore I sayde that it was not her gowne / For she oughte to lyue chastely / Soo must she promyse to lyue in contynence / And after god shall helpe her / ¶ The fader questyoned his doughter / And she answerde that the wordes of the holy man were true / ¶ But notwythstondynge she promysed that she sholde neuer retourne to her synne / ¶ Thenne toke saynt Pachomyen an oyle and blessed it And gaue it to her fader / ¶ And after that she was enoynted wyth the same oyle she was hoole and sounde / And so she lyued afterward holyly in grete chastytee and contynence / ¶ How he helyd a childe that was traueylled wyth the fende / And begynÌ„yth in latyn ¶ Tali igitur et cetera Caplm lxxxvii AFter this a nother man that had his sone seke hauinge the deuyl in his body purposyd to lede hym for to recouere his helthe to the monasterye of saynt Pachomyen / But he cowde not / For the deuyll letted hym / Wherfore he desyred meâ—â— the holy man that he wolde praye goo for his sone and he dyde soo / And 〈◊〉 he sente hym a lytyll of halowed brede And commaunded that men sholde gyue it hym to ete afore all other mete ¶ The Spyryte dampned that was wythin the body of the forsayde chylde wold not suffre him to ete of it how well that he lete hym ete of the other brede his fylle / ¶ Thenne the fader wenynge to make his sone ete of this halowed brede brake the crommes in his honde / But it auayled not / For he wolde not take it in his mouthe ¶ The fader aduysed him that he sholde lete his sonne faste longe / And after he gaaf to hym of the sayd breed / And thenne for grete hungre he ete of it / ¶ Soone after he felle a slepe and was heeled and all togyder delyuered of the passyon of the deuyll / ¶ Soo came he and yelded graces and thaÌ„kynges to the holy man Pachomyen in gloryfyenge the name of god that dooth soo many myracles by his seruauntes / ¶ Alwayes the holy man for noo myracle that he dyde in the name of god / neuer gloryfyed hymselfe for it ¶ And wherof he is more to be praysed / Whan he made some requeste to god notwithstondynge it were not graunted to him Men sholde neuer haue knowen in hyÌ„ any sygne of sorowe or dysplaysure / But sayd by his grete mekenesse that god wolde not graunte hym that whiche he axed / By cause that his askyng myghte be contrary to his saluacyon / ne to the saluacoÌ„n of theym for whom he prayed / Notwythstondynge that he trowed to askt that that was good for the soule / ¶ Of the Conuersion of saynt Syluayn
whyche he was clothyd / It was done as he coÌ„mauÌ„ded / And Incontynent in the presence of theym all he made the vestyments to be brenned And after he made the corps to be borne to the graue wythout ony syngynge of ony psalmodye / ¶ The relygiouses also the frendes of the deed seeng his coÌ„maundement to be contrary to theyr custome were sore abasshed / And notwythstondyng his coÌ„mauÌ„dement they prayed hyÌ„ that he wold suffre the sayd relygiouses to saye the orysons psalmodies in suche caas acustomed / To the whiche peticoÌ„n the holi man wold not consent / Wherof the frendes seenge his wyll blamyd hym askynge hym wherof the foly came / Theâ— after sayd the relygiouses / What is that man but he oughte to haue pite on a deed body / though it were his enmye What woll theÌ„ne doo Pachomien a beest vnresonable wold not be soo vnkynde / What maye men saye / that it were to vs a grete repreyf yf we dyde this that he sayth / Wold god that we hadd neuer come here / that Pachomyen had neuer be relygyous we sholde not haue had suche a shame so sayd they to him ayen We pray the fayr fader that it woll playse the to consent the men synge ouer this corps as it is of custome / The holy man answerd Certes my bredern ye thynke not but to the thyÌ„ges visible / I consydre thynuysible / the worshyp that ye wold doo to hyÌ„ sholde soner be to hyÌ„ more cause of tormeÌ„te laboure than other helpe or reste / thyniurye that ye saye I woll doo to hym shal be cause of his sauacoÌ„n / Wherfor I wol not procure ne assent that men make honour to the body that is all redy deed but to his soule whiche is Inmortall God that is foÌ„tayne of al sapyeÌ„ce / sayth in his gospel Who soeuer shal synÌ„e ayenst the holy ghost· he shal neuer haue remyssion in this worlde nor in the other / By this is gyue vs to vnderstonde that there be some synÌ„es of the whiche men haue pardon after the deth thrugh the prayers of other / therfor I pray you that ye do as I haue told you / For god is almyghty to take hyÌ„ in to the felycyte eternall at oure prayers without his presence / And thê° they made hyÌ„ to be buryed in a mouÌ„tayn there they were wont to bery ¶ How the holy man Pachomien saw the angels bere awaye the soule of a relygyous in to paradys / begynnyth in latyn ¶ Moratê° eÌ„ / Caplm lxxxxi IN the sayd cyte of Panos in the monasteries abowte by the coÌ„maundement of the bysshop of the sayd cyte duryng the space of ii yere dwellyd saynt Pachomyen acompanyed of two relygyous / Hangyng the whyche tyme he taughte the peple excytynge the folke to drede god to fight ayenst the deuyll by vertuous werkes / ¶ In this meane whyle was shewed to hym that a relygyous of one of hys monasteryes was take wyth a greuoê° sykenesse and was askynge after hys laste blessinge / And Incontynent he came to theym that had brought hyÌ„ thise tydynges / toke his way wyth theym for to goo vysite this poore relygious / ¶ Whan he was come thre myle nye the monastery / he herde in the ayre a songe moche melodyous / And heuynge his sighte toward heuen he sawe the soule of the sayd relygyous borne by the angels in a carte coÌ„passed wyth a merueyllous lighte / The felowes of the holy man that herde noo thynge seeng that he had his vysage towarde the Eest / had fyxed his sight soo longe thyderwarde askyd him why he taryed soo longe in one place / Sayenge to hym that he sholde come fourth a pace as goodly as he myghte / to th ende he sholde socour the poore pacyent / Wherat he answerd we shall doe noo thynge there / For I see his soule wyth thangels that bere it in to heuen / ¶ The whyche wordes sayde â—â—re of the sayd felyshipp went to the sayd monastery and enquyred the houre of the dethe of the sayd relygyous / And by his InquysicoÌ„n / he fonde that the same relygious was deceased in the same hour that the same holy man had said it / ¶ How some wer brent by fire dyuyne by cause they letted the buyldynge of a monastery· begynÌ„yth in latyn ¶ SaÌ„ctus ergo / Caplm lxxxxii THe holy man Pachomyen acoÌ„panyed of some of his relygyouses went towarde the said bisshop of Panos that receyued hym honourably makynge grete soleÌ„pnyte of hys comyng / And after many deuoute wordes sayd bitwene theim the bysshop gaue him certayn grounde places for to buylde monasteryes after his good dyscrecoÌ„n / He began to buylde one rounde aboute the whiche he caused to be made a grete wall to th eÌ„tent the men shold not entre in it lightly / So happed that some wyckyd shrewes tempted by then mye of helle came to this place / wenynge to breke that that was begon / But the angell of god sodaynly enbracyd them wyth fyre dyuyne wasted theym as small as asshes / And after this the freres builded there at theyr wyll And no man was not syth soo hardy that durst lette theym in makynge theyr edifyces ¶ The holy man after they were achieued ordeyned there relygyouses to the whyche he preposed gaaf for abbot the holy man Samuell· that was right wise meke recicatyf / But neuerthelesse by cause that the sayde monasteryes were buylded in the feldes the holy fader wolde dwelle there tyll that he cowde knowe / that ther that he had ordened for to dwell there were somwhat dysposed to receyue the grace of our lorde IhuÌ„ cryste / ¶ Of the Inquysâ—cyons of a philosophre / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Interea / Caplm lxxxxiii HAngynge this tyme was a philosophre in the sayd cyte of Panos that wolde enquire wyte of the conuersacoÌ„n of the religyouses / So he saw some to that whiche he sayd Call me your fader abbot I wâ—ll apose dyspute wyth hym of some necessary thynges / ¶ The holy man seenge that it was a philosophre he wold not goo but sente to hym Cornylle Theodore his relygyouses / To whom he coÌ„mauÌ„ded that they shold answer prudeÌ„tly to his questyons answers / Whan they were come to the phylosophre he began to say Ye haue grete rendmee are wyse and prudent / And soo ye kepe besily the rules of your relygyon / therfore I woll appose you of that ye rede euery daye Wherat Theodore answerde hyÌ„ / Now saye what thou wolt / ¶ ThenÌ„e the philosophre askyd hym yf he had scyence ynough for to answer to the questyons that he sholde aske hym / And Theodore sayd vnto him that he sholde declare that whiche semyd hym good / ¶ The phylosophre askyd him Who was that neuer was bornÌ„ yet he deyed / Who was that was bornÌ„ yet
trauers letted theym soo that they cowde not depart fro the botomÌ„ of the sayd valey / Some forcyd theim to clymÌ„e vp but anone they fell doune ayen to the lowest parte of the valeye / Some other wepte byneth / And some came vpp the whiche gaue thankes to god of the peryll that they were passyd / ¶ And therfore the holy man thought that there shold be some relygiouses blynde / that whiche sholde not knowe theyr astate / The other sholde bere the habyte of relygyon but they sholde not doo the werkes that longe therto· namly they that sholde haue the rule ouer theym sholde not knowe theimself / Wherof shold folowe grete scismes diuysions in the chyrche / ¶ ThenÌ„ saynt Pachomyen full sory in grete heuynesse made his callyng vnto god / saeng O my god almyghty yf thise thinges happe to come soo / Why hast thou grauÌ„ted that soo many torments shold be edefied done / ¶ Alas yf the prelates ben euyll what shall the relygiouses doo that shall be in theyr gouernaunce / Truely whan a blyÌ„de ledith the other they fall in the pitte bothe atones ¶ Alas that I am well vnhappy I haue well laboured in vayn / My god alas remeÌ„bre the of the labours that I haue take in buildyÌ„ge soo many monasteries to thonour reuerence of thy holy faythe / ¶ Thou knowest that syth the tyme that I receyuyd thabite of relygyon I haue meked me afore the· ¶ And sayeng thises wordes he herde a voys that sayd to hym / Pachomyen prayse not thiself for thou hast nede of the grace of god not onely thiself but also al his creatures / Anone he caste hymselfe to the grouÌ„de / and made to god this requeste / ¶ O mi god almyghty I beseche the that thy mede fulnesse come downe now vpon me to th eÌ„de that I liue distourne not away fro me thy medefull face / For thy trouthe mercy hath euer receyued me mekely / I knowe syre that all thynges resen fall but yf they be holde vp with thyn ayde defence / ¶ And in sayeng this oryson descended vpon him a multytude of angels amonge whom was a chylde crowned with thornes / seeng this vysion / The holy man Pachomyen was lyft vp by the sayd angels well hyghe fro the grouÌ„de in to thayre / the sayd to hym / Pachomyen by cause that thou hast axed the medfulnesse of god mekely thou shalt haue it euyn now / Beholde the very redemer Ihesu cryst· that hath be sent in to this world crucifyed for the sauacyon of mankynde / berynge in his heed a crowne of thornes / ¶ ThenÌ„ sayd the holy man o my god haue I not crucyfyed the / And god swetely answerde to him / Naye not thyself but thy parentes Neuertheles comfort thiself / For thy posterytee shall abyde vnto th ende of the worlde / All they that after the shall come soo that they lyue in deuowte abstynence shall be delyuerde of the paynes of helle / And all they that folowe the shall folowe herafter shal shyne in the lyghte euerlastyng / And the sayd our lorde ascended agayn to heuen compassed wyth soo grete a bryghtnesse that noo tonge mighte telle / ¶ An exhortacoÌ„n for to wythstonde the deuyll / Begynnyth in latyn ¶ TuÌ„c pachomius c. Caplm lxxxxvii THe holy fader after this gadred his bredern and made togyder a seruyse well solempne / ¶ And after the endynge of the same they came all abowte hym for to here his holy prechynge / ¶ Soo he exhorted them for to batayle wyth all theyr strengthe vertues ayenst the deuyll soo courageously that they sholde not be ouercome Shewynge to theym that they that duringe theyr lyfe had be slouthfull neclygent sholde neuer haue but wepynge wayllynges / ¶ After he sayd to theym My chyldren lete vs not lese our dayes in vayne but in eschewyng the dangeroê° vice of ydlenesse lete vs labour seke vertues for to saue our soules / I telle you plainly thise wordes / For yf ye knewe the rewardes that ye shall haue in heuen yf ye ouercome the deuill / And to the contrary the grete tormentes that ye shall suffre in helle if ye be ouercome of him ye sholde neuer cease nother daye ne nyghte but forge armours· speres sheeldes / And euer ye sholde be armyd dysposyd to goo to the felde of bataylle ayenst hym / ¶ Torne your dayes thenÌ„e better better meke yourself to th ende that whan your soules shall depart fro the body that thennâ—ye haue noo cause to accuse it / ¶ What profyteth to a maÌ„ to reyse hyÌ„self by vaynglory syth that we ben but asshes / ¶ Alas why are we proude / I wold fayne wyte syth that we be but erthe asshes / fro whens may comÌ„ our pryde / ¶ Wepe we my bredern wepe we our grete synnes durynge the tyme that we haue space tyme to doo soo / ¶ Alas lete vs consydre the short tyme that we haue here to abyde / And kepe ourself besily in wythstondyng the teÌ„ptacoÌ„ns of the deuill in suche wyse that we haue the Ioye whiche is wythout ende / ¶ The deuyll watchyth contynuelly for to take vs by stelth / Watche we theÌ„ne lyke as he dooth / to the ende that he sleeth vs not by treyson / ¶ Lete vs all â—â—ye haue afore our â—yen our last day whiche is the deth we shall neuer do synÌ„e / ¶ For who shall thynke well vpoÌ„ thise thynges he shall haue the hert meke the thought pure clene And soo shall dispyse pryde vaynglory HauyÌ„ge awaye from his thoughte the curyosytee of the erthly thynges that are perysshyng corruptyble / ¶ Chastyse we thenÌ„e our flesshe by fastynges abstynences / And constrayne our sensualyte to obeye in all thynges to reason in restreynynge our inordynat wylles in suche maner that we ben not enclyned ne redy to doo euyll but besy to lyue vertuosly / wythout to trespace one onÌ„ly mynute / but that it be done to the seruyce of god To th ende that after the shorte paynes wretchydnesse of this worlde we maye haue the Ioyes vnspekable / To that whyche for to come lete vs put our eyen to teeres wayllynges in watchyng euer more in good werkes / ¶ For yf we doo otherwyse / certaynly we shall haue paynes wythout noÌ„bre / ¶ But we woll thynke well to it we shall be the teÌ„ple euerlastyng of god in vs shall dwell the holy ghoste wherby the deuyll shall not gyue vs so many assawtes / but that we shall be more stronger than he / For we shall haue good defence that is the kyÌ„ges of kynges the whyche suffreth neuer the Iuste to perysshe / ¶ After that he had coÌ„forted his relygiouses he made a lytyll oryson / prayeng god that he wolde conferme theym in peas kepe theim in his worthi grace / And
the deuyll answerd to hym I am come for to warre ayenst the Theodore and ayenst all tho that ben thy lyke / But I may not towche you by cause that my strengthe is only to tempte you / ¶ So axed him the holy man / why he hadd no myghte ouer theyr bodyes / And he answerde that yf he towchyd theym they sholde haue more mede of god for it for the grete victory that thei sholde wynne / And pryncypally thyselfe Pachomyen that hast be worthy to see with thy bodyly eyen the Ioye of heuen ¶ With this he thretned the sayd relygyouses sayeng that after the decesse of the holy man / the deuylles sholde doo al at theyr wyll wyth them ¶ ThenÌ„e the holy man that myghte not forbere thyse wordes sayd to hym / Go vnhappy wretche / What canst thou tell of the thinges that ben to come the religyouses that shall lyue after vs shal be more perfyte than we ben / And the deuyll answerde / I knowe now that thou hast made a lye / That hast thou thyself prynce of lesynge sayd the holy man / Thou canst noo thyng knowe of that that is to come For none knowyth it but god oonly to whom all thynges passed to come are present / ¶ ThenÌ„e the deuyll sayd to hym stedfastly that it was trouthe but by the thynges passed he had some crowyÌ„ge of those that were to comÌ„ / ¶ Soone after the holy man axyd hym / yf it is soo that thou ceasest not to teÌ„pte the gode men and that by thy craftes ouer subtyll that by cause of the losse of the soules / Wherof comyth that thou can not bringe vnder fote the very seruauÌ„tes of god / ¶ And he answerde / I haue tolde that by the IncarnacoÌ„n of the sone of god all our strengthe hathe be broughte vnder / ¶ We cease not to gyue troubles lettinges to the seruauÌ„tes of god ¶ And whan we knowe that they consent to some temptacions thenÌ„e we assayle hem more strongly than euer we dyde / bryÌ„gyng a for heÌ„ foule thouÈtes somoche tyl we haue brought hem subget to our wyll myÈt the coÌ„trary yf they obeye not by no wise to our entysyÌ„ges· but contynue stedfastly in ther vertuoê° werkes anone depart all teÌ„ptacoÌ„ns fro ther hertes thouÈtes ¶ But we haue not that miÈte to tempte all persones so sharply as we shold wel doo For some there ben that coude not suffre all our temptacoÌ„ns / ¶ And yf it were soo that god wold lete vs continue Many are in thy keping that shold fall ofte the whyche be preseruyd kepte by thy prayers / ¶ ThenÌ„e saynt Pachomyen began to crye with a hye voyce sayeng cursyd serpents eâ—uâ—yoê° and that cease neuer to yeue infynite lettyÌ„ges to the seruantes of god tyll that the might of god bryngyth you downe / ¶ He maye well calle hymselfe happy that canne wythstoÌ„de to your cursyd entysyÌ„ges / After he coÌ„iured in the name of god al this multytude of deuylles that soone went awaye as the smoke dooth / The nexte daye in the mornyng he callyd to hym his bredern rehercyd to theim al that he had seen in the nyghte of the deuilles And to theym that were absent he made it to wryte by wrytynge warnynge theym that they shold euer wythstonde ayenst their temptacoÌ„ns / The whiche relygiouses seeÌ„ge the grace the god had do to the holy fader abbot to theym / they were confermed in the fayth ¶ And afterwarde wythstode more besily ayenste the temptacoÌ„ns of the fende encreacynge euer in vertuous werkes / ¶ How the holy man Pachomyen helyd a man that was bytte of a Scorpyon / And begynnyth in latin ¶ Interea c. Caplm C.i. A Brother beynge in his prayers was bytten of a Scorpyon in the foote / Soo that the venym was come vp all redy to the herte ¶ And how well he suffred grete sorowe and payne / He contynued alwayes his prayers / ¶ Thenne saynt Pachomyen seenge his grete stedfastnesse made to our lord a deuowte oryson for hyÌ„ ¶ And Incontynent his helthe was to hym restoryd / ¶ How sykenesse prouffiteth oft to the saluacyon of the soule / Begynnynge ¶ Tali quoque / c· Caplm C.ii. SAynt Theodore in his yonge aege bare often grete sykenesse in his heede whiche was cause to hym of sharpe sorowes / Soo prayed he to saynt Pachomyen that it wolde playse hym to praye goo for his helthe / ¶ To whom he answerd / My childe thou ought to byleue that the passyons that we suffre come not to vs but by the wyll of god therfor haue pacyence in thy sores god shall yeue the helth whaÌ„ it playsith him / ¶ Be thou remembred of Iob that was somoche perfyte pacyente the whyche in all his passyons he blessyd the name of god / ¶ Certaynly it is a good thynge of abstynence and contynuyng in prayer / ¶ But alwaye the seke axyth a grete rewarde whan he is fonde pacyent and of stedfast courage ¶ And by cause that we haue spoken of that meÌ„ of stedfast courage / I haue thouÈt to the profyte of many one to shewe the merueylous stedfastnes and suffrauÌ„ce of a man that is somoche to be coÌ„mended that it maye as to this excede all manly praysynge / ¶ Of the pacyence of Zacheus that was a relygyous begynÌ„yth in latyn ¶ Zacheus quidaÌ„ monachê° / Caplm C.iii. SOmtyme was a religyous namyd Zacheê° that whyche after grete contynence bi cause of a grete sykenesse that god sende hym was had in an hous fâ—â—re fro his biedern / In that hous he ete but onÌ„ly brede salt But notwythstondyng the sayd departyng he was contynuelly in the chirche at al houres of the day / His custome was euery nyght afore he yede to bed to reed some histories of the holy scripture after be armyd hyÌ„ with the signe of the crosse slept tyll mydnyght / To the whiche houre he rose / ocupyeng hymself in oryson fro that same houre vnto marynes / ¶ And to this surplus for teschew ydlenesse he wroughte mattes wyth suche grete myghte dylygence that in weuynge of theym he claaf brake al his hondes that the blode came out soo sharply he drewe the cordes / ¶ One of the bredern seenge his hondes thus broken asked hym why he was soo gredy in his werke seenge that he was so greuyd wyth sykenesse Sayeng moreouer to hym / Thynkes thou my broder yf thou wroughte wythout to force thyselfe soo moche that thou sholdest be holden foâ— ydle as toward god· Truely naye / For he knowyth well not oonly thy myght but also that thou arte sore greuyd with sykenesse / Wherfor I ensure the that it is not nede that thou werke soo contynuelly as thou doost / Thenne answerd Zacheus / My broder it is possyble that I coude forbere me therof / The broder beryng his answere sayd to
the seruauntes of our lorde to all theim that ben lyuinge vnder our pouertee / that by the suffrauÌ„ce of god are submytted to our rule gouernauÌ„ce / Herke after the sayeng of saynt Poule in his pystle / ¶ Obeye to your prelates yelde yourself subgettes to theym / For certaynly they wake as that they muste yelde acounte of your soules / ¶ My lytylnes byleuyth that yf ye obeye to the wordes of god / ye shall haue your petycyons not onÌ„ly of men but of god ¶ And bi cause I know this that I wryte to you to be trouthe / I praye you of your charite that ye doo noo thyng contrary to the coÌ„mauÌ„dements that I haue done to you but be obeyssaunt / ¶ It is writen in his holy scripture that god hath in hate the grete balauÌ„ce and the lytyl / ¶ After this my warnyng yf ony goo ayenst my biddynge touchyng the weighte the mesure / Wyte he that al his godes shall be dealyd to the pore ¶ How he corrected theym that receyuyd ony yeftes begynÌ„ith in latyn ¶ RelatuÌ„ est autem / Caplm · C.ix. IT was shewed to the sayd saynt IohnÌ„ that some bought men after solde theym ayen to an hyer pryce than they had bought them Soo made theym al to be assembled without grete blame or rebuke shewed theym that it was euyll done / syth toke theym more moneye than they had bestowed in this marchauÌ„dyse And charged theym that they shold not doo in tyme comyÌ„g suche dedes / after this some left theyr takyng of theyr pryce so grete that they were wont to take aboue the comyn taxe of theyr marchauÌ„dyses / ¶ How he gaaf lycence leue to them that wold comÌ„ to hym begynnyth in latyn ¶ DisceÌ„s vero c. Caplm C.x. Saynt IohnÌ„ the Almoner knowyng that some of his subgettes suffred many wronges of theyr enmyes / were aferde to come to hym for to coÌ„playne by cause of his seruauÌ„tes that coÌ„tynuelly assysted hym / ¶ He for the same cause dyde make a chayre iâ— benches byfore the chyrche vpon the whyche the Wenesdaye the Frydaye in comynge fro the sayd chyrche he restyd hym deuysed wyth some notable persones other while he helde the holy gospels in his hondes / And there were certayn his deputes to whom he gaf power leue to stonde nyghe hym / the whiche had the charge to kepe the rightes of the chyrche ¶ And yf ony body came to complayne / they shewed it to the said saynt IohnÌ„ / the whiche coÌ„mauÌ„ded the chapâ—tre sholde be callyd assembled for to purueye therto / And they thê° asseÌ„blyd he proposyd vnto theym sayenge ¶ Yf we men haue lyght dedes to the onÌ„ly god that is aboue all nature for to make to hyÌ„ our requestes whan we pray hym deuoutly we gete that we aske In lyke wyse we ought to doo to theim that come to vs. bryÌ„gyng in our mynde the worde of god sayeng / ¶ Wyth suche a mesure as ye mesure ye shall be mesured / also in recordyng the sayeng of the prophete that shewyth to vs / That lyke as we doo we shall be done vnto / For thise causes the holy bisshop made that thei came to hyÌ„ to be spedd of theyr matere wtout ony delay ¶ And one tyme emoÌ„ge other he was one daye tyll .v. of the clocke beynge in the same place where he was wont to sytt herynge the questions of his peple / And by cause no body came there the daye that wold require of hym ony thyng he departed retorned in his house wepyÌ„g / ¶ So were his folke gretly merueylled wherof came this wayllyÌ„ge none durste axe hyÌ„ the cause why but to a holy man namyd Sophronyen that herof famylyerly axyd hyÌ„ The holy man answerd that he was â—â—â—che of this that none was come speke with him wherby he had spende the day wtout to haue done ony mercyfull dede / ¶ Now it is trouth as it is sayd about that the cause whiâ—he helde hyÌ„ in the open place was by cause he sholde acorde al maner folke / that in manere of processe or otherwise had ony discorde or euyl wylthe one ayenst thother / the whiche oft tymes he acorded peasyd atte his owne propre costes / ¶ Sophronyen thenÌ„e sayd to hym certaynly my lord thou art wel happi / For the subgets that thou hast in thâ— gouernauÌ„ce are by thy meanes soo prasyble soo kynde that they haue noo cause to haue ony hate or rancour theâ—e ayenst thother by this he saw knew that this was the cause that none was came to hym that daye / Wherof he gaue thenÌ„e 〈◊〉 â—â—ynges to our lorde / at this example ¶ We rede that Constanciê° whiche was Emperour sone of Heracle had this custome maner at Rome in peasynge of the Romayns / ¶ How the holy bsshop receyued mekely the folke that were fled for to schewe the madnesse of theim of Percy beginÌ„ith ¶ Cuâ—us sancti / Caplm C.xi. HAngynge the tyme that the holy bysshop Patryarke IohnÌ„ the Almoner being in Alexandrie they of Percy had werre ayenst the Syrryens in the reame of Syrrye the whiche reame the subgettes of the same / â—er brought to thraldom· by the Percyâ—on / ¶ Wherfore many of the sayd Sirâ—â—â—ns / the bare full vnpacyently that they were brought in bondage· came yelded the ymself in the subieccoÌ„n of the sayde Patryarke / The whiche he receyued mekely swetly / in comfortyng theim not as in tharldom fleers but as his bredern / They that were hurt sike he made to be heelyd / after suffred theym goo where as they semyd good ¶ Some of his seruauÌ„tes the grutchyd the grete almesses that were done out of his howse reported shewed to the holy Patryarke how some Sirryens clothyd with clothe of golde of other precyous raymeÌ„tes were come to his house to fetche an almesse / ¶ But not wythstondynge that he was swete of vysage of speche yet he lokyd vpon theym as wroth sayeng ¶ Knowe ye not wel the god hathe coÌ„mauÌ„ded / that men shall gyue to all theym that shall aske vs / And by cause that the goodes that I yeue be not min but they ben goddis / therfore I woll in gyuyng theim kepe his coÌ„mauÌ„dement ¶ Yf ye thynke that the almesse mynisshe in gyuyng theym to theym that ben rychely clothed ye haue lytyll faith / I bileue that yf all the worlde were beggers that they came to Alexandrye that the godes of the chyrche sholde not mynysshe therfore / And by this he comforted hys seruauÌ„tes / And the poore for this cause grutchyd noysed ayenst the other / ¶ Of the shappe of a woman that apered to saynt IohnÌ„ the Almoner Patryarke of Alexandrye / begynnyth in latyn ¶ CuÌ„que illis c. Caplm C.xii. THe sayd saynt
in the thyrde fourth partes consequently folowynge / and all togyder translated from Latyn in to Frensshe out of the bookes that therof haue be made by the right deuote approued doctour in holy chirche saynt Ierome And fyrste the prologue begynneth in latyn Vere munduÌ„ c. WHat is he that doubteth / but that the worlde is kepte and preserued by the meryte of sayntes / and amonge other by thoos of whome the lyfe is wryten in this presence volume / the whiche haue fled all concupyscence in all haue forsaken the worlde Reputynge as for nought alle that is in it And for to withdrawe therfrom fully theyr affeccyons and them to tourne vnto god wolde enhabyte dwelle in wodes deserte Some in â—aues / and other in roches hyghe montayns / without to haue hadde ony care or besynesse of theyr mete or of theyr drynke And as hauyng theyr oonly coÌ„fydence in the medefulnes of god / they haue gone without syluer / without brede and without ony other mete in to solytary places where as no persone hauÌ„ted nor no goodes grewe there but herbes wylde fruyte O thyng wouÌ„derfull They neuer had honger ne thurst but haue be susteyned fedde oonly of the grace and mercy of our lorde Soo ought we well to loue our god whan his wyll is that thrugh theyr merytes we may be asswaged of our euylles by theyr supplycacyons wherby we obteyne the remyssyon of our synnes ¶ Ye that rede this presente booke take noo hede to the langage rude and yll ornated / but oonly to the substaunce whiche is frutefull The dyuyne scyence Requyreth not to be fulfylled with sophistycacyons nor proposycyons ornate or polyshed / but oonly of matere of trouthe Somtyme ornatynge of wordes maketh the proposycion to be withdrawen fro the trouthe The holy lyues and deuote conuersacyons of the worshypfull Patryarkes and prophetes / as Abraham Ysaac· and Iacob Moyses Hely and Iohan ben reduced and shewed by wrytynge / not oonly to the ende that they shall be gloryfyed here / For they are gloryfyed of god in heuen right hyghely but also to th ende that by theyr vertuous werkes we maye take doctryne of trouth and ensample of good lyfe ¶ Dyuerse exhortacyons here folowen whiche begynne in latyn QuideÌ„ sanctorum senior c. SOme Relygyouses persones questyoned one of the holy faders of Egypt why he dyde so grete abstynence Wherunto he answered in this maner My childern it is of necessyte that we hate all the reste of this present lyfe and all bodely delectacoÌ„ns and repleccyon of bely / without to Requyre ony honours to be done vnto vs of men / and our lorde Ihesu cryst shall gyue vs honours celestyall / lyfe with reste eternall / and gloryous gladnesse with his angels This holy man sayd that mete and drynke are to man behouyng of necessyte / but not withstandynge men ought not to take theym but for to susteyne the body and not to the full bely as moche as it coude well take Slepe in lykewyse behoueth kyndely vnto man / but also we ought not to slepe as moche as the bodye desyreth / the reason why is / bycause whan we slepe as moche as nature appetyte is / the bodye therby wexeth slowthfull wherby he is not so redy for to werke And to the contrarye watchyng yeldeth the thought the wytte of man more subtyll and more clene And therfore sayd the holy faders that watchyng in good werkes well ordeyned Illumyneth the thought And the watchynges super flu and Inordynat bryng forth franesye and madnesse and greue the hede and the body full fore Semblablyyre behoueth vnto man not agaynst some other for to moeue his passyons / but for to be angry agaynst hym selfe and his synnes / to the ende that more easely he maye put them from hym in amendyng of his lyfe ¶ Therfore when we see our neyghbours or other doo ony thyng agaynst the coÌ„maundemente of god / we ought to angre oure selfe agaynst theym for theyr synnes / and suche sharply to correcte in all dylygence to th ende that after theyr correccion and amendement they may be saued and come to euerlastyng blysse ¶ A nother holy fader beyng in the myddes of the desertes lyuyng there in meruayllous abstynence as Inpossible to be borne / was enquyred and questioned of some of them that sore meruaylled of his perseueraunce / and how he myght endure in a place soo drye and barayne the grete penaunces that he bare there Where at he answered that the pouerte that he suffred in this worlde was not one houre of the paynes of helle ¶ And more he sayd that it was behofull to vs for soo lytell a tyme as we haue to abyde in this mortall lyfe to do penaunce and resyste agaynst the desyre of the flesshe / to th ende that we maye haue the recompense that neuer shall fayle / that is the glorye eternall ¶ God in dyuerse maners gyueth socours and ayde to them that for the worshyp of hym doon and accomplysshe thynges that be aboue nature And to this purpose men fynde that some tyme was a holy fader in Egypte / the whiche by his holy conuersacyon was wounderfully enuyed of the deuylles that oftentymes greuously bete hym ¶ And one daye amonge other they tourmented hym soo sore that on the morowe by the houre of pryme he fouÌ„de hym selfe soo vnable by feblenes of his bodye / that hym semed he was come to his last daye / aswell by cause of the gryef that they hadde doon vnto hym / as also by cause he had fasted to longe / but notwithstandyng he dysposed hym to faste vnto the houre of certe ¶ Soone after atte the same houre to hym selfe he sayd that he sholde cary vnto the houre of seâ—te / alwayes he deyed for honger ¶ Consequently when seâ—te approched / he purposed to fast vnto the houre of none And thus by many dayes he toke vpon hym suche penaunces ¶ One daye as he trowed to haue taken his repast he sawe a grete smoke come out of the baskete wherin he layde his brede / and the whiche smoke went out atte the wyndowe of his lytyll â—elle Soo purposed he to hym selfe that he sholde not ete that daye / and by these abstynences was the sayd holy fader soo confeâ—ned in the fayth / that he was two dayes without honger ne thrust ¶ And by meane of whiche abstynences and the helpe of god he restrayned and brought vnder feet the temptacyons of lecherye and glotonye ¶ On a tyme certayne brethern went oute of theyr monasterye for to vysyte the holy hermytes in the deserte And as god ledde them they arryued in the lytyll house of the good holy fader for sayd / of whome they were right souyngly receyued And bycause that he sawe that the sayd brethern were wery he made them ete before the houre acustomed them presented of suche goodes as he hadde ¶ Comyng towarde euen and
heryng the noyse of the rede / as he wolde haue sayd / that a man that desyreth for to do the saluacyon of his soule / can not be to moche withdrawen parted from the charges besynesse of the worlde / whiche are to hym of more lettyng / the more that he delyteth hym to lyue solytaryly ¶ Men fynde that his cellle was departed ferre from all habytacoÌ„ns of folke .xxxij. myle or there about / wente not out often / but he had folke that admynystred vnto him his necessytees ¶ And some holy fader sayd somtyme that the londe of Sychye was destroyed that no bodye dwelled there / the sayd holy fader sayd these wordes The worlde hath lost Rome / the Relygyouses Sychye ¶ The sayd abbot makynge a whyle his abydyng in a place called Canap / a holy matrone an olde virgyne born of Rome the cyte whiche was moche riche / dredyng god / desyrynge hertely to see the sayd holy fader Arsenyen / and came in to Alexandrye towarde the archebysshop Theophyle / and besought hym that he wolde be the meane towarde the sayd holy fader / that his pleasyr were to graunte that she sholde see hym And the sayd Theophyle seeynge the grete affeccyon of the sayd Matrone wente towarde the sayd holy fader Arsenyen / made vnto hym the sayd Request / to the whiche he wolde not consente ¶ So came Theophyle agayne made his report to the matrone / whiche not contente therwithall / made all thynges redy for her selfe to goo there sayeng I byleue haue this stedfaste trust in god / that he shall suffre me to see hym / for all be it that in our cyte of Rome be many holy men that maye comforte me / neuerthelesse for his grete fame I haue purposed for to vnder take this vyage to th ende that I maye see hym ¶ So laboured she so moche by her Iourneyes / that she came to the place where he dwelled ¶ And it happed as our lorde wolde suffre it / that for to haue by her leyser to see the sayd holy fader / she fouÌ„de hym walkyng without his celle She thenne layed herself IncoÌ„tynent to his fete / but neuertheles he toke her vp agayne anone by grete dyspyte / beholdyng vpon her â—yerlly he sayd vnto her ¶ Now yf thou wylt see me in the face beholde me thenne ynoughe here I am ¶ She heryng his rygorouse wordes / was so sore ashamed / that she wyst not what she sholde answere namely she was not too bolde that she durst loke hym in his vysage ¶ And to her sayd agayne Arsenyen / My ymagynacyon is that syth that the woldest see me / thou haste herde speke of my werkes what neded the for to vndertake so grete awaye for to see me / the whiche that hast herde saye of me myght haue suffysed the Knowest not the well that thou art a woman / that it apperteyneth not to thyn astate that the sholdest go from thy place for to go in a strange place I byleue that thou art come hether to th ende that the mayste to telle to the women of Rome Incontynente as that shall come there ayen / that thou hast seen me / to thentente that by the meane the waye be founde in the see for to make the women to come towarde me ¶ Thenne she sayd vnto hym I promyse the holy fader / that yf it please god that I maye retourne to Rome ayen I shall not tell that I haue ben here / nor I shall not be the cause that ony bodye shall come to that / but I praye the that it wyll please the for to praye for me / with this to haue alwayes remeÌ„braunce of me ¶ Wherat he answered I praye god that he wyll put the soone out of my thought She heryng these thynges wente awaye from hym alle wrothe sory And Incontynent that she was come ayen to Alexandrye the cyte because of the grete sorowe heuynesse that she had / a sykenesse toke her with a sharpe fyuer The whiche thynge was tolde vnto the holy archebysshop Theophyle So came he towarde her for to comforte her ¶ And he askynge what she eyled / she answered to hym Alas my lord wolde god that I hadde not come here At my departyng from that holy fader I prayed hym that he wolde woushesauf to haue me in mynde And he hath answered me / that he prayed god / that he wolde take awaye from hym the Remembraunce of me The whiche answere hathe angred troubled me so sore that I am in dauÌ„ger for to deye ¶ Thenne sayd to her Theophyle / knowest not that that the art a woman / that by woman the deuyll tempteth the holy men For this cause the holy man hath gyuen the this answere But neuerthelesse thou ought not thynke but that he wyll praye god besyly for thy soule The good Matrone thenne heryng these wordes ceassed anone her wrath / in grete Ioye gladnesse retourned ayen to the cyte of Rome ¶ The abbot Euagrius sayd that he that wyll kepe hym that he shall not falle in trybulacoÌ„n / to kepe his goost with rest / ought nought to haue dyuerse affeccoÌ„ns towarde many folke ¶ A brother cam in to Sychye towarde the abbot Moyses / to whom vysytyng hym he requyred hyÌ„ that he wolde telle hym some good worde edyfycatyue for to bere it in his mynde to the ende that he sholde haue remembrauÌ„ce of hym So answered vnto hym Moyses / that he sholde go kepe hyÌ„ within his celle / it sholde lerne hym all thynges that be good ¶ The sayd Moyses sayd / that the man that fleeth the companye of men / is lyke a grape of Reysyns rype and swete / but he that seketh theyr felysshyp acompanyeth with them / is lyke vnto the grape that is sowre and bytter ¶ The abbot Nyle sayd that the man that loueth to lyue solytaryly / yeldeth hymselfe soo stedfast to denye withstande ayenst the arowes / that is to wyt ayenst the temptacyons of the fende / that they sholde not touche nor entre in hym / but he that hauntyth comynyth with the men is oftentymes dauÌ„gerously wounded ¶ The abbot pastor sayd / that to apply his thought vnto dyuerse thynges / is the begynnyng of all euylles / more ouer he sayd / that to flee from the temporall thynges was a good a sure lyue Certaynly when a man dresse hym self nyghe a place where men fyght bodely / he is lyke hym whiche is vpon a depe water / to th ende that at suche an houre as his aduersary shal seme good he maye take hym make hym for to falle vnto the botom But yf he partyth hym selfe gooth ferre from the bodely thynges / he is lyke hym that is ferre from the welle / when the fende wyll cast hym from aboue to benethe / for to do this
not wonte to see ony men / wolde not gyue vnto her broder none occasyon to come vnder her shadowe for to comoÌ„ne amonge women of Relygyon / wherfore she lete him wyt that she wolde nother see hym nor speke with hyÌ„ / that he sholde retorne to his owne monastery ayen that he wolde praye god for her / to th ende the helpyng the grace of god she myght see hym in the Royalme of heuen ¶ A monke walkyng by the waye mette somtyme an abbesse acompanyed with some Relygyouse wyÌ„men whiche this monke made grete force to loke vpon them for to knowe what they were and of what monastery / and for this cause lefte his waye toke theyrs To whome the abbesse sayd / that yf he had be a parfyte Relygyouse he sholde not haue putte hym in payne for to loke vpon them somoche that he sholde haue knowyng that they had be women / as she wolde haue sayd / that in goyng on his waye / he ought to open so soberly his eyen that he sholde not see nor apperceyue thoos that cam ayenst hym or that passed theyr wayes by hym ¶ An holy man whiche was Archebysshop of the Cyte of Alexandrye / and hadde to name Theophyle requyred som holy faders Relygyouses / that they shold come toward hyÌ„ in the sayd cyte of AlexaÌ„drye / trustyng that by theyr prayers merytes he sholde dystroye some temples where were done many ydolatryes within the sayd cyte in the contree about it These holy faders ones among other etyng with the sayd archebysshop were serued with veell where of they ete not takyng hede to theyr mete The archebysshop whiche desyred to make theym good there toke a capon that was in his dysshe afore hyÌ„ and sette it before one of the sayd holy faders / saynge that it was good that he sholde ete of it The holy fader answered vnto hym Certaynely I haue wende to this houre that I hadde eten coles / but syn I perceyue that it is flesshe I shall no more ete of it After the whiche wordes sayd the other Relygyouses lefte theyr etynge of suche flesshe that was brought before them ¶ An other Relygyouse desyred some for to ete of his lytyll loues of newe brede that he had baken hym selfe vnder the asshys And when they hadde ete eche of them one of this small loues / they left theyr etyng The brother that had boden them therunto seeyng the pacyence of theyr abstynence / and that they sholde well haue eten yet more of them / prayed them in the name of god that they wolde yet ete some / tyll that they had theyr fylle of them So began they ayen for to ete of the sayd loues of brede to the nombre of ten euery man / whiche thyng they dyde as veraye Relygyouses / not for noo necessyte that they had of it / but pryncypally for to obey vnto the request of the sayd Relygyouse that therto had desyred them in the name of our lorde god ¶ An other holy fader was somtyme syke of a gryuouse sykenesse whiche was suche / that out of his entraylles he casted blood by grete plente And for to socoure hym atte his nede a Relygyouse brought hym some almauÌ„des / wherof he made hym a cawdell whiche he presented vnto the good holy fader saynge Fayr fader I praye the that thou wyll ete this / for I hope that it is good for to Restowre the thy helthe And after that the holy fader had loked vpon hym a long whyle / he sayd to hym Certaynly my brother I dyde desyre that god sholde holde me .xxx. yere in this sykenesse / for this cause he wolde not obeye to the Request of the sayd Relygyouse / nother ete of the candell the he had brought to hym / was coÌ„strayned to bere it ayen with hym to Retourne in to his celle ¶ An auncyent fader hauyÌ„g his celle ferre within the desertes / and departed from all folke / was vysyted of a brother whiche founde hym sore syke So he wasshed hym his face that was all bespoted and wasted for bycause of his sykenesse And after he made redy certayne thynges for hym to ete that he hadde brought there with hym And the good olde fader seeyng this / he sayd vnto hym Certaynely my brother I hadde forgoten that men hadde taken ony solas or pleasures in etynge And after he presented hym with a cuppe of wyne for to drynke / whiche good aeged fader beholdynge the sayd cuppe beganne for to wepe and sayd / that he hoped not to drynke of ony wyne tyll that dethe sholde take hym ¶ An other olde fader purposed ones in hymselfe that he sholde not drynke duryng the space of .xl. dayes contynuelly And there as he was in a grete necessyte bycause of the hete / he dyde fylle a glasse full of water / that whiche he henge vp before hym within his celle And when his brethern asked hym why he dyde so / he answered he dyde it to th ende that in seeyng the same water within the sayd glasse / where as he sholde haue a lust and desyre to take of it for to stynte his thrust withall neuertheles sholde not cast of it / he myght by this meane receyue of our lorde more grete Rewarde ¶ An other broder walkyng by the waye with his moder that was alredy come to a grete aege / fouÌ„de a streâ—e thrugh whiche they must passe / whiche thyng his moder sholde not haue conne doo withstandyng her olde aege feblenes Wherfore the brother constrayned for to haue her ouer / toke of his mauÌ„tell and be wrapped her handes withall / to th ende that he sholde not couche her naked flesshe And thus he toke her vp on his necke bare her ouer the sayd streme And where his moder asked him why he had be wrapped her handes in his mantell he answered that he had done it / bycause that he knewe that the bodye of a woman is lykened vnto fyre that all wasteth And for this cause to thentente he sholde eschewe that in touchyng her naked flesshe the remembrauÌ„ce of other women sholde not be brought in his mynde / he wolde thus be wrappe her handes ¶ An other aeged holy fader sayd that he knewe a Relygyouse whiche was wonte to fast all the holy passyon weke And the satyrdaye of the sayd weke whan he came to the masse with the other Relygyouses he wayted tyll the masse were begonne for to entre within the chirche And the masse done / after he had receyued the holy sacramente of the aulter he departed hastly out of the chirche / to the ende that he sholde not be constrayned by his brethern for to ete with them / for he loued better to lyue solytaryly etynge within his celle alone some colles or beetes soden in water salt than for to comyn with them ete other metes ¶ Many brethern in Sychye were ones
was the deuyll of helle for his holy lyfe and conuersacyon moeued to enuye ayenst hym / as he is wonte to be enuyouse ayenst the holy and vertuouse men And waytyng for to deceyue hym dyde bryng in to his mynde suche an ymagynacyon / that is to wyte / that vnto hym whiche was of suche conuersacyon / was nother leyfull nor good to lete hym selfe be serued or to suffre his necessytees to be admynystred vnto hym by other men / whiche he ought to serue hymself and admynystre vnto theym that was necessary to them And yf he myght not or wolde not do to them noo seruyce / at the lest he ought to serue his owne selfe / and not lette them from theyr vertuouse werkes to be done by them for theyr saluacyon / wherfore he dysposed hym for to go to the next Cyte by for to selle there some panyers and maundes that he hadde made / to th ende that he sholde bye of the moneye that he sholde haue therof suche thynges that were nedefull for his lyuynge without to gyue ony body traueyll or charge wherfore he myght be letted by And how be it that in this his purpose was some lykenesse of good / neuertheles the deuyll that was enuyous of the rest and tranquylyte of the conscyence of the sayd relygyouse / and of the byhoyffull tyme that he hadde to the seruyce of god / to the prouffyte and saluacyon of many one hadde brought tofore hym this folysshe ymagynacyon pretendyng of all partes to take hym in his grymes and to make hym falle in synne whiche semed hym not to be possyble or atte the lest harde or not to be done lyghtly but yf he made hym to companye and hauÌ„te with the folke of the worlde Thenne this Relygyouse folowyng his purpose whiche serued hym good Iuste / departed from his dwellyng place and cam to the Cyte for to doo that that he hadde supposed for to doo And bycause that euery body hadde hym in grete merueylle for his holy lyfe by cause of the whiche he was sore famed and named among the worldly folke / he helde hym selfe there more longe than it was nede for hym to doo not takyng hede to the sleyghte and wyckednes of the fende / whiche in spyeng lokyng for an houre conuenyent and necessary for to deceyue hym / presented vnto hyÌ„ the syght of a yonge doughter full fayre / wherof he was Incontynent taken with the fyre of concupyscence And thrugh the besynesse and couenable tyme that the deuyll gaaf to bothe partes / they wente togydre / soo that they knowe eche other flesshely And after the dampnable synne fulfylled / knowynge this Relygyouse to haue be deceyued / he departed and came to the deserte / the deuyll alwayes folowyng of nyghe / vnto tyme that he cam to a water where he lete hym selfe falle donne by the shorts / and thynkyng that the deuyll sholde be gladde of his myshappe or fallyng / he wolde dyspere hymselfe / namely bycause he sayd that he had angred our lorde and his holy angels / and hadde done grete sklaunder and shame to the holy faders / and namely to many that hadde vsed the Cytees / and were yet dwellyng there without to haue be ouercome by the temptacyons of the deuyll And lokyng that he was not worthy to lyken and compare hymself to one of them / was full sore troubled in his corage / and remembred not hymselfe of the bounte and mercyfulnesse of god / that gyueth vertuouse corage to thoos that deuoutely tourne them selfe to hym He thenne blynded and not seeyng the Remedye of his synne / he wolde haue caste and drowne hymself within the sayd flode to th ende he sholde reioysshe perfytly the deuyll of helle And of the sorowe and grete tourmentyng of his corage he was meruayllously â—yke and febled of his bodye wherof he was in suche wyse dysperate / that yf the grete mercy of god had not gyuen hym couÌ„seyll helpe afterward / he sholde haue deyed without repentauÌ„ce to the grete Ioye parfytte gladnesse of the wycked fende of helle Fynably he thynkyng in hym selfe to retourne vnto god / by grete labour of penauÌ„ce in teerys sobbynges hyÌ„ to beseche to haue mercy of hyÌ„ retourned ayen to his habytacoÌ„n monasterye And as soone that he was come there / closed his dore / shettyng the same as he had be decessed deed And there he sette hymselfe to wepe makyng for his synne right humble supplycacyons deuoute prayers vnto our lorde And fastyng contynuyng in watchynges grete traueylles febled wekyd wonderfully his bodye / but it was not yet in his corage that he had done suffysaunt penaunce And when ony brethern came towarde hym for to aske hym couÌ„seyll of some thyng profytable / prayde hym to open his dore / neuerthelesse he wolde not open it to them / sayng that it laye not in hym to do it / bycause that by othe he had strayned hyÌ„ selfe from openyng his dore a yere duryng / to make there all that whyle fruytfull penauÌ„ce / but he prayed them that they wolde praye god for hym And all be it that they were sklauÌ„dred in hym ylle content of that they had herde saye of hyÌ„ bycause they helde hym to be honourable a vertuouse Relygyouse / neuerthelesse he enforced not hymself for to lay vnto them ony excusacoÌ„ns / but sette al his entent affeccyon to abyde contynue in fastynges deuoute orysons that he dyde a hole yere durynge makyng his penauÌ„ce Hangyng the whiche tyme on the resurreccoÌ„n nyght of our lorde / this holy fader desyryng to knowe yf his synne was forgyuen to hym / he toke a newe lanterne garnysshed it with a lampe after dyde sette it within a newe cawdron and couered it with a lydde And this done / he sette hym selfe to oryson sayng O my god right mercyfull pyteouse that wyll desyreth euery one to be saued to come to the knowloge of thyn stedfast trouth / I atte this houre come vnto the to helpe / as to the veray sauyour of thy good trewe seruauÌ„tes / notwithstandyng that I haue offended the sore / obeyng and pleasynge to the fende of helle / so that obeynge hyÌ„ I am falle to deth euerlastyng Always my god / bycause I wote knowe that by thy grete mercy thou art alwaye redy wyllyng to haue pyte of the wycked folke / of thoos that be not mercyfull / when they tourne themself ayen towarde the. I beseche the my god that it wyll please the to haue pyte of myn humylyte / as thou mayst do it / for to the is nothyng Impossyble And suffre not the my soule the whiche thou hast created and made after thyn owne symylytude whiche is alredy by synne brought to the gates of helle / falle nor entre therin / but as thou art mercyfull pyteouse of thy meke
moneye whiche was alredy inutylly spende / began for to wepe syghâ— full sore / repentyng hyÌ„self that he had so offended god the poores / began to saye thus O my god I beseche vnto thy benygne bouÌ„te that thou wyll not take hede vpon my grete ingratytude towarde the / but please that to haue remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the lytyll almoses that I haue done for thy sake in tyme passed the tyme that I dyde labour in my gardyn / wherof I dyde fede thy poore seruauÌ„tes And sayng the same the angell of god descended afore hyÌ„ whiche sayd to hym Come hether good man I praye the telle me where the hope that thou haddest in thy moneye is now which so curyously thou had spared kept The good man herkenyng after these wordes answered Alas syre I haue syned pardoÌ„ne it me / from hensforthoâ— I shal nomore do so Thenne the angell of our lord touched his fote whiche was anone hole / redyly he stode vp / went to labour in his gardyn as he was wonte to do He beynge in his gardyn the cyrurgyen cam to the house of this good man bryngyng with hyÌ„ his yrons instrumentes for to haue cutte of his fote with / but men tolde hyÌ„ that he was rysen in the mornyng erly was gone for to werke labour his gardyn The whiche thyng herde / beleuyÌ„g the same the sayd cyrurgyen / he wente towarde the poore man whiche he fouÌ„de deluyng that erthe his fete ouer the spade And seeyng in hyÌ„ the trouth of that was tolde him / the grete socours that our lord had gyuen to hyÌ„ / he began to gloryfye to prayse the dyuyne puyssance ¶ A Relygyouse questyoned an aeged holy fader askyng of hym yf he wolde well that he sholde holde kepe towarde hyÌ„ the value of two shelyng for to helpe socour to hyÌ„selfe ayenst syknes yf ony happed to come vpon hyÌ„ The olde fader knowyng the affeccoÌ„n that the sayd Relygyouse had to reserue kepe this two shelyng / sayd that he wolde well that he sholde do so Thenne this Relygyouse retourned to his celle thynkyng vpon the answere that the olde fader had done to hyÌ„ cam vnto hyÌ„ dyuerse cogytacoÌ„ns thought the tormented hyÌ„ all his corage sayd to hyÌ„selfe / wenest thou myserable man that the olde fader hath tolde the trouth certeynly I can not say whether he sayd it in ernest or no / in effecte for to pease his corage / he departed ayen out of his celle went ayen towarde hym repentyng hyÌ„selfe sayd to hym Good fader I praye that in the name of god that it wyll please the to telle me trouth touchyng that the I haue asked to the / that is to wyte yf I sholde kepe my two shelyng or no for to ayde to my necessyte / for I fynde me sore tourmenâ—ed of thought cogytacoÌ„ns whiche come to me bycause of the same wherat the olde holy fader answered to hyÌ„ Certes my broder bycause I dyde see the wyll that thou haddest for to kepe them to the ward I dyde telle the that thou sholdest kepe them / but neuertheles I wyll well that thou knowe / that it is not well done to kepe or withholde towarde hym selfe more than it nedeth for the bodye / yf thou withholdest these two shelynge / doubte not but that thy hope shal be sette therupon And yf by aduenture they be lost / syn that thy hope was torned therupon / god shall nomore haue a cause to remembre thynke â—pon the. And therfor we ought to fixe tourne all our hope thought oonly in god / thus dooyng he shall see that we shall be holpen socoured in oure affayres necessytees ¶ An other lytyll treatyse herafter consequently foloweth of the vertue of force of pacyence / and it begynneth in latyn Sanctus abbas Anthonius c SAynt Anthonye the abbot he beyng in his hermytage was meruayllously vexed his corage sore perturbed confuse by the occasyon of dyuerse thoughtes cogytacions the cam ouer hym / began to say to our lorde Alas syre I wolde fayne be saued / but the dyuerse thoughtes fantasyes whiche come me ouer / letten me totally from the gettyng of my saluacoÌ„n Alas syre what ought I to doo in this trybulacoÌ„n / or how shall I mowe saue my selfe And after he yssued out of his celle sawe a man that satte wrought / whiche anone after rose cessed his labours sette hyÌ„selfe to praye make oracoÌ„n vnto god / thenne after he wente ayen to his werke toke labour to haÌ„de makyÌ„g mattes or mauÌ„des soone after went to oryson ayen as he dyde afore It is to wyte that this man was an angell that had tourned hyÌ„ selfe in that forme of a man / the whiche hadde be sente from our lord vnto saynt Anthonye for his correccoÌ„n / for to gyue hyÌ„ a good cautele awaye for to resyst ayenst the temptacoÌ„ns of the deuyll So herde he the voyce of this angell the sayd vnto hyÌ„ Anthonye werke labour as I do / thou shalt be saued Saynt Anthony heryng these wordes was moche reioysshed takyng in this vysyon a veray hope of his saluacoÌ„n / he began to do as he had seen the angell do / thê° doyng he fouÌ„de the salute that he sought ¶ A relygyous sayd to the abbot Agathon that he had be sente for / for to come to a place that was not vnto hym well agreable / bycause he hoped not to be there without batayll nor in peas of his coÌ„scyence / but nethelesse he was purposed to go theder for to obey to that was to hyÌ„ coÌ„mauÌ„ded / how be it that he fered redoubted sore to go theâ— for the cause abouesaid ¶ The abbot Ammoras sayd that he had dwelled .xiiij. yere in the desertes of Sychye prayng god there nyght day the pryÌ„cypally he sholde gyue hyÌ„ vertue strength for to ouercome the passioÌ„s of yre ¶ The abbot Besaryon sayd / that he had soyourned by .xl. dayes amonge the thornes without slepe ¶ An other solytary broder that was in his werkes sore synguler was bycause of the same oftentymes in his corage / wherfore he went towarde the abbot Theodore called the ferme / tolde hyÌ„ how he was thus sore troubled often To whom he sayd My sone thou must huÌ„ble thy corage put thyselfe vnder the other brethern / thus thou shalt mowe in lykewyse dwelle with them This Relygyous went incoÌ„tynent to the montayne / dwelled there with the other a certayne whyle / theÌ„ne he cam ayen towarde the sayd abbot Theodore / sayd to hyÌ„ that in coÌ„uersauÌ„t with the men / he coude not fynde there no rest / wherat the holy fader answered yf thou canst not haue peas by thyself alone nor with the relygyouses / why hast
born in the whiche where tofore er be cam in to his faders hous the deuyll departed from hyÌ„ And after weuyng that his fader had be deed / entred in to the hous for to do that whiche he had entreprysed / but he fouÌ„de his fader a lyue and in good poynt / the whiche knewe not the yong relygyous / but asked what he was Thenne this yong relygyoê° man sore troubled knowyng that he had be euyll seducet deceyuyd by the deuyll / coude not answere to his fader one worde That seeyng his fader that he answered not / began to aske ayen of hyÌ„ whens he was To whom all confused he answered that he was his sone / thenne his fader asked hym why he was retourned from his hermytage / bycause he was ashamed to saye hym the trouthe / excused hym sayd that for grete loue that he had to hym he was come for to see hym Thus thenne this yong Relygyous man abode in his faders hous a certayne tyme duryng the whiche in conuersyng among worldly thynges he was peruerted in suche wyse abused by the fende of helle that he fylle in to the synne of fornycacoÌ„n / the whiche thyng comen to the knowloge of his fader / he was of hym ryght rygourously entreated But neuertheles he sette not therby / ne dyde therfore no penauÌ„ce And obstynat in his synne / not feryng god ne the shame of the worlde / retorned nomore in to his hermytage / but lyued dyssolutely to the grete peryll daÌ„pnacoÌ„n of his soule And this hystorye recyteth the sayd olde fader for to couÌ„seyll persuade a yong relygyoê° man whiche had asked of hyÌ„ couÌ„seyll how he sholde resyste his temptacoÌ„ns / that he sholde neuer departe out of his celle for ony maner teÌ„ptacoÌ„n what someuer the deuyll dyde to hym ¶ Some certayn seculer men cameÌ„ in to deserte vnto a venerable olde fader / asked of hyÌ„ how he lyued conduyted hym in his celle or hermytage / yf he was well content of his astate in whiche he suffred so moche payn The whiche olde fader answered to them / that he had no cause to be ylle content / seen that in trauayllyng and labouryng he myght gete the glorye of heuen / esche we eternall dampnacoÌ„n / sayng forthermore that all the labour and trauayll that he had suffred in his hermytage / and yet had entente to suffre endure / though it were to the deth / it were not suffysauÌ„t to compare to a Iourneye of the soroufull tourmentes that ben prepared to myserable synners / the which for ther outrageous crysmes trespaces shal be perpetuelly dampned with the horryble fendes of helle ¶ An other olde fader sayd that the olde faders transported not themselfe from one place to an other / but yf by aduenture and pryncypally for thre causes The fyrst was whan ony was angry with his brother / and he had done all his deuour to pacyfye hym / and neuer thelesse was not contente with hym / In this caas for to eschewe the dauÌ„ger of his soule he ought to departe leue the place That other was whan that a relygyous man was ouer moche knowen praysed for his werkes to th ende that he eschewe the synne of vayne glorye And the thyrde whan he is euyl ruled / that he hath coÌ„mysed the synne of lecherye ¶ A yong brother requyred on a tyme of the holy fader Arsenye / that he wolde gyue to hym couÌ„seyll / how he ought to by haue hyÌ„ / sayd that he was in contynuell afflyccyon / bycause that his conscyence pryckyd hyÌ„ sayng thus / wherfor fastest thou not / wherfor labourest thou not / why goost thou not to vysyte the seke people seen that they ben the werkes of whiche ben worthy to be praysed to haue rewarde The holy fader consyderyng the suche ymagynacoÌ„ns were deceytes of the deuyll sayd to hyÌ„ My frende go ete drynke yf thou mayst not fast / but aboue all thynges / kepe that from goyng out of thy celle For in perseueryng there coÌ„tynuyng thy resydence / thou shalt come to the state of perfeccoÌ„n So thenne thou broder went forth / whan he had made contynuell resydence by the space of thre dayes in his sayd celle / he fouÌ„de hyÌ„self gretely ennoyed gryued But neuerthelesse desyryng to abyde / he dyde soo moche that he fouÌ„de a fewe palmes that whiche he teÌ„pryd / the next daye folowyng he made mattes / as he was in makyÌ„ge they / he had huÌ„gre / for to coÌ„strayne hyÌ„selfe to fast / he sayd to hyÌ„selfe / that he had a fewe moo palmes / whome he wolde dyspose ordeyne for to sette a werke after he wolde ete After that be he had wrought that he sayd that yet he sholde not ete / tyll that he had a lytyll redde prayd And whan he had a lytyll redde he began to psalmodye / soone after he beyng appealed of his fantasyes / he toke mete began to ete And in this maner by the helpe of god whiche sawe his good purpose / he prouffyted in suche wyse that he fonde byselfe well dysposed to abyde tarye in his celle / to do the whiche he ough to do after the InstytucoÌ„ns of his order / trustyÌ„g in hyÌ„self / that the teÌ„ptacoÌ„ns the shold come to hyÌ„ / myght be belthfull to hyÌ„ yf be resysted theym / he toke in hyÌ„selfe so good corage / that lightly he ouercam theyÌ„ surmouÌ„ted ¶ An other aeged fader was demaunded by a yong relygyous broder From whens it myght procede / that a Relygyous persone beyng abydyng resydent in his celle suffred bare so grete gryeuaunce To whome he answered thou hast not yet seen ne well consydere in thy thought the generall resurreccoÌ„n to come / ne hast not enbraced the tormeÌ„tes the thenne shall be made redy to theyÌ„ that shall be thenne perpetuelly tormeÌ„ted Certaynly yf thou haddest well seen consydered theym / it sholde nothyng greue ne ennoye the to be in thy celle / suppose yet that it were so full of wormes that thou sholdest be therin vnto thy necke thou sholdest endure it / and be neuer ennoyed ¶ Some Relygyous persones hauyng compassyon of the grete trauayll and payne / that in ouermoche labouryng an holy fader suffred they prayed hym a lytyll for to rest / and leue somoche to trauayle To whom he answered My childern I praye you to byleue me of that I shall now saye to you I assure you that the holy fader Abraham / whiche all his lyfe contynued in grete lakours for to gete the souerayne helth of his soule / whan he shall see the grete excellent yeftes of god in the eternall glorye / he shall repente hym shall be moche desplaysauÌ„t of that he hath not take on hym more greter labours payne that
thenne moost ardauÌ„tly he mynystreth that to hyÌ„ But yf he knewe certaynly the temptacoÌ„n to whiche the soule sholde be moost enclyned / be sholde not admynyster to hyÌ„ so many temptacoÌ„ns ¶ Some rehercen of thabbot Nathere whiche was dyscyple of thabbot Syluayn / whiche made resydence in his celle in the mount Syna / he lyued only with thynges whiche were necessarye for his bodye But after that he was made bysshop of the Cyte of Pharan / he made moche more abstynence than he hadde doo byfore / the whiche thyng seeyng his dyscyple sayd to hym My lord whan we were in the desertes / we tourmented not our bodyes by strayt harde afflyccyons lyke as we do now To whom he answered / whan we made in thermytage our dwellyng / we were in a place solytary in rest And for that cause I wolde well gouerne my poore bodye to th ende that I ranne in to noo sekenes But now we ben in the worlde / conuersyng with worldly thynges / where we haue moo occasyons to synne than we had before / the whiche it behoueth necessaryly to cutte of and cast awaye / wherfore it is nede to vs to lyue the more sobrely And on that other parte yf of aduenture I were seke I sholde fynde here / whiche sholde better helpe me / than I sholde in thermytage / by whiche I shall not lese the purpose of relygyon ¶ A broder dwellyng in an hermytage nygh vnto thabbot Pastor / sayd to hym on a tyme / that he was sore troubled / that he wolde forsake his place and go in to an other Thabbot Pastor demauÌ„ded hym what moeued hym to doo soo He answered that he herde saye of a brother beyng there some thyÌ„ges / by whiche he was not well edyfyed Thabbot answered to hym that they were not true / he replyed to hym ayen that they were For the brother whiche had reported theym to hyÌ„ was verytable true Thabbot sayd yet ayen that the relygyoê° was not true / for yf he had be suche / he hadde neuer reported suche thyÌ„ges our lord heryÌ„g the voys of the sodomytes cryeng to hyÌ„ for theyr syÌ„ne wold not byleue it / but descended wolde see it with his eyen The relygyous answered the right so he had seen it Thabbot Pastor heryÌ„g these wordes / began to loke on the grouÌ„de / toke vp a strawe / askyng hyÌ„ what it was that he helde / the relygyous sayd that it was a strawe After he loked vp on hye towarde the coueryÌ„g of his celle / lokyng shewde to hym a balke or a beme / he asked hyÌ„ what it was And he answered that it was a balke that susteyned the weyght charge of the celle Thenne sayd to hyÌ„ thabbot My broder hardyly sette in thyn herte byleue that thy synnes be suche also heuy as is the balke / the synnes of whom thou spekest synystryly ben lyke as lyght as the strawe Sysoy heryng this worde was moche admeruaylled of his grete dyscrecoÌ„n sayd to hym Holy fader as moche as I may I blesse prayse the. Certaynly thy wordes ben vertuous as precyous stones ¶ On a tyme prestes of the relygyon came in to a monastery nygh by / in whiche also was thabbot Pastor And thyder cam thabbot Anub / the sayd to hyÌ„ that he sholde praye thoo prestes to take with theym in charyte suche as god had gyuen to theym Thabbot Pastor beyng long without meuyÌ„g hyÌ„ or to make to hyÌ„ ony answere Thenne the sayd abbot Anub was angry went out of the monastery they that were by the sayd abbot Pastor axed wherfor he had gyue none answere to thabbot Anub / bycause sayd he that I haue no cause so to do / ye knowe well that I am deed / a man that is deed speketh not / therfor though I be here with you / ye ought not to repute me lyuyng ¶ A relygyous of a monastry of thabbot Pastor wente on a tyme a pylgremage / arryued in a place where as dwelled a solytary relygyous / the whiche was moche loued of all theym there about And for his vertues cam ofte for to vysyte hyÌ„ The same broder in dyuysyng with hym / receyued to hyÌ„ some of the vertues of the sayd Pastor And for that cause the sayd relygyous desyred sore to see hym And after the sayd relygyous was retourned in to his monasterye whiche was in Egypte Certayne tyme after / the sayd solytarye man departed for to go thyder / and so longe walked that he cam in to the place / where that the other relygyous had tolde hym where he sholde fynde hym And whan the sayd relygyous sawe the solytary monke / he was moche Ioyous made to hym good chere And after the sayd solytary monke prayed hyÌ„ for saynt charyte that he wolde shewe to hym his abbot Pastor / whiche he dyde brought hyÌ„ vnto his sayd abbot saynge to hym O venerable fader loo here is a solytary relygyous man / whiche in his prouynce is moche honoured praysed of all men / the whiche desyryng to see the for the good renoÌ„mee that he hath herde of the is comeÌ„ oonly hyther to see yt. After that they were entresalued / thabbot Pastor receyued hyÌ„ Ioyously / after they had rested theyÌ„ togydre / began the sayd solytary to speke of holy scrypture of spyrytuell heueÌ„ly thynges / but thabbot Pastor gaaf to hyÌ„ none answere / the solytary relygyous seeyng that he spak not / all wroth departed froÌ„ hyÌ„ And to the broder that had brought hym thyder sayd in this maner I haue well taken in vayn for nought this waye that I am comen to this holy fader for to see hym to speke with hyÌ„ / that he dayneth not to speke to me The relygyoê° heryng the coÌ„playnt of the other / transported hyÌ„ selfe to the sayd abbot Pastor sayd to hyÌ„ Fader abbot this notable relygyoê° whiche hath so grete a fame in his couÌ„tree is comen hyther for to see that thou wylt not speke to hyÌ„ Thabbot answered to hym I am not a man for to speke to hym / he speketh not but of bye of heuenly thynges And I whiche am a man can not speke but of lowe erthely thynges / yf he had spoken of the passyons of the soule / certaynly I sholde wâ—ll haue answered hyÌ„ / but to hye spyrytuell questyons I can not answer for I knowe theym not The broder after that he had herde this answer / retourned to the other solytary man / sayd to by that the abbot Pastor sayd to hym He thenne touched of coÌ„punccoÌ„n / retorned vnto the sayd abbot / axed hym what thyng he had for to do / of that his passyons surmouÌ„ted hym Thabbot beholdyng by sayd Now thou art ryght welcome / now I shall open my mouth to the And yf I can ony good
man to entre in to her chambre / where as was a bedde richely arayed / couered with a precyous couerynge vpon whiche she laye / byddyng hym to come to do his lecherye But he that desyred other thyng than to coÌ„myse that dyshonest synne / by a maner of drede / prayed her that yf ther were a place more secrete within there that she wolde lede hyÌ„ thyder / to th ende that none sholde see theym To the whiche she answered in this wyse that her chambre was secrete ynough / that ther sholde no persone see theym there But she sayd that ther is no place so secrete in the worlde that ony thyng can be hydde from god / whiche knoweth and seeth all thynges The holy fader heryng this answere sayde to her / my frende knowest thou well that ther is a god / ye sayd she And I byleue the resurreccyon generall / and after the same we shall haue the royame of heuen / yf we doo the werkes requyred for to come thyder And ferther more I byleue that ther is helle / in whiche shall be tourmented the myserable dampned persones for the perpetuell vengeaunce of theyr synnes The holy fader Paphunce heryng these wordes sayd to her Now my frende I aske the syth thou knowest these thynges / how thou art so hardy to lyue so meschauÌ„tly / to be cause of the perdycyon and losse of so many myserable soules / whiche ben by thoccasyon of the soo yrremyssybly loste and dampned / and of whom thou must relde acompte to fore god Thays heryng the holy fader / and his meruayllous remonstraunces was at the hour touched to the herte / that she fyll doun on her knees to fore hym sayeng Fader I hope that by grete penaunce and meane of thy holy prayers I shall mowe obteyne remyssyon of my grete and foule stynkyng synnes And therfore I requyre the that it please the to gyue me the space of thre houres And them passed I shall accomplysshe alle that whiche thou wylt commaunde me / the whiche requeste the holy Paphunce accorded to her And assygned to her a place to the whiche she promysed to come yelde her to hym And incontynent the doon / she toke all the goodes that she had goten by her lecherye / bare theym in to the myddes of the cyte / and there she threwe theym in to a grete fyre / whiche she had kyndled for to brenne And in so doyng she sayd Come hyther ye dyshonest lecherous people whiche soo moche shamefully haue synned with me / see how I dyspose that whiche ye haue gyuen to me And sayeng the sayd wordes she brente alle generally that she hadde of ony valewe / whiche well amounted after that the hystorye conteyneth to fourty pounde of golde That doon she wente to the place to her assygned by the sayd fader / whiche taryed there for her And fro thens he ledde her in to a monastery of virgyns where as she was by hym closed in a celle lytyll strayte / of the whiche he closed the dore / as he sholde neuer haue opened it / made a lytyll wyndowe a lowe by the grouÌ„de by whiche she myghte receyue a lytyll brede and water / without ony other thyng to ete or drynke And with that she had none withdraught / where as she myght doo her aysement / but vnder her Whan she was shette and closed in / she requyred humbly the holy fader Paphunce / that he wolde Instructe and teche her the maner after that whiche she sholde praye vnto god To the whiche he answered that she was not worthy to adoure hyÌ„ ne to lefte vp her vysage ne her handes towarde heuen / whiche hadde be cause of coÌ„mysynge soo many fylthes and corrupcyons ¶ And yet sayd the holy fader Thays thy prayer shall be made in this maner / thou beyng layde on the erthe towarde the eest shalt saye many tymes My god whiche haste formed me haue pyte on me ¶ This good woman Thays dyde this penauÌ„ce thre yere duryng / the whiche thre yere passed / the holy fader Paphunce had mercy and pyte of her / but yet neuerthelesse he wolde not lete her out / without to haue counseyll of the abbot Anthonye / the whiche after that the sayd Paphunce hadde recounted the grete penaunce that she hadde doon / made to be assembled and putte to prayer all his dyscyples for to knowe yf her synne were forgyue and pardonned / hopyng that god sholde shewe or doo be shewed some thyng They beyng in deuoute and feruent prayers / one of theym named Paulus whiche was of the pryncypall dyscyples of saynt Anthonye was sodaynly rauysshed / and hym thought that he sawe in heuen a bedde â—orned right precyously / and kepte with four virgyns meruayllously fayr Thenne he sayd to hym selfe / that this fayr bedde was prepared for his mayster Saynt Anthonye and for none other ¶ And he beynge in this ymagynacyon / herde a voys sayeng to hym that it was for Thays whiche in her tyme hadde be a comyn woman ¶ On the morn erly the sayd Paulus recouÌ„ted to his brethern the sayd vysyon / the whiche herde by the sayd fader Paphunce / he knewe that the sayde Thays hadde obteyned pardon and remyssyon of her synnes And thenne departed from thens and wente vnto the monasterye / where in she was enclosed And whan the good Thays sawe that her dore was opened / she began to crye that they sholde lete her abyde there vnto her laste daye But Paphunce wolde not agree vnto her petycyon And sayd to her that she sholde come forth / and that her synnes were pardonned and forgyuen After that she was out / for to declare how she had doon her penaunce She sayd to the sayd abbot / that all the tyme that she hadde be closed and shette in / ther was not one mynute / but that she hadde consydered all her synnes whiche she hadde coÌ„mysed in wepyng and wayllyng habondauntly ¶ Thenne thabbot sayd to her For the drede that thou hast hadde of thy synnes / god hath forgyuen the / and not for thy penaunce Fyften dayes after / that she yssued out of her celle / she rendred and gaaf vp her soule to almyghty god as the hystorye conteyneth ¶ Here begynneth an other hystorye of Contemplacyon FOr as moche as it is notoyre and knowen / that amonge other vertuous werkes Contemplacyon is ryght excellent as that whiche incontynent adresseth to god Therfore in this present treatyse by the grace of the holy ghoost we shall determyne of contemplacyon / in procedyng forthon by examples / lyke as we haue doon to fore Thenne in the fyrst partye of this fyrst chapytre / is shewed the grete excellence of contemplacyon by one example as it foloweth ¶ An holy man cam in Sychye to the abbot Arsenye beeyng in his celle / and whan he was come he founde his dore shette / and he
vs the sayd celle for he wolde departe / to th ende that we sholde byleue hym the better / he sayd he wolde haue lefte it though we had not comen thyder / wherfor we toke it / he wente and made an other with grete labour dyffyculte And after by grete charyte he gaaf it to other pylgryms with alle the vtensylles that were therin And after he made an other in whiche he dwelled ¶ Of two yonge childern the whiche berynng fygges to a seke Relygyous deyed by the waye / begynneth in latyn Quidā c. Caplm .xxx. ABbot Iohan beyng in Sychye cam to hym a brother / whiche brought to hym fygges / the whiche afterwarde sente theym by two yonge childern to an holy man moche seke / the whiche dwelled in deserte in an hermytage dystaunt fro the chirche of the sayd abbot Iohan .xviij. myle or ther aboutes The whiche childeren beryng these fygges went towarde the sayd brother that was seke And thus as they wente they were surprysed with a clowde so thycke that they lost theyr waye / and so gooyng nyght and daye coude not fynde the celle of the sayd hermyte / but were constrayned to abyde in the waye / bycause they were moche wery and trauaylled / as well for cause of the grete hōgre / as for the grete and terryble thurst that they had suffred And soo they kneled on theyr knees in prayeng to our lorde And in soo dooyng they rendred and yelded bothe theyr soules vp to god ¶ After two or thre dayes / the abbot Iohan seeyng that these two yonge childern that they came not agayne / he sente for to seche theym thrugh the deserte / and they were folowed by the trace of theyr paas and feet / the whiche were enprynted in the sonde in suche a wyse that they bothe were founden deed knelyng on theyr knees / and the fygges all hole by theym / of whiche they wolde not ete / but they hadde be more contente to suffre the dethe corporell / than without the permyssyon of theyr abbot to ete that whiche they were cōmaūded to bere to the sayd seke Relygyous brother ¶ Of the monkes of Egypte and of theyr dylygence / begynnyng in latyn Per totū Caplm .xxxi. THrugh all the regyon of Egypte / the Relygyouses ben neuer ydell / but wynne dylygentely theyr lyuyng with labour trauaylle of theyr bodyes / and gyuen for the loue of god that whiche they wynne aboue theyr lyuyng / not only to pylgryms but also to theym of lybye that ben nedy Indygent / also to prysoners / seke malades of townes cytees to theym neyghbours / estemyng that by suche werkes they make a pleasaūt sacrefyce acceptable to god For they saye that a relygyous persone / how well that he do or make some thyng / yet is he alwaye tempted of some deuyll But he that nothyng dooth is vexed and tempted of Innumerable quantyte of deuylles Thabbot Paulus moche holy approued relygyous dwelled in a deserte so barayne that there ne grewe ony thyng but palmes of whiche he lyued For he was so ferre fro men / that whan he had made ony thyng / he coude neuer selle it / bycause of the grete dystaunce of the place And to th ende that he sholde not be ydell / he gadred euery daye of the palmes weyed them oftentymes / to the ende that he sholde not ete more at one tyme than at an other / and made of the leuys of the palmes lytyll mattes or maundes soo many that he fylled with all a fosse or dyke And atte the ende of the yere / seeyng that ther cam no man for to bye haue his werke / he putte fyre on them and brente theym And after the nexte yere folowyng he made as many for to eschewe ydlenes for he sayd that it is not possyble that a relygyous persone may lyue Iustely / yf he be ydell ¶ Of a brother whiche was a blasphemer of god / the whiche by punycōn dyuyne was enbraced with lecherye Capitulum .xxxij. I Haue knowen an other broder the whiche was in suche wyse tempted in the synne of lecherye / that vnneth he myght withstande it / wherfor he cam to an holy man to whom he sayd Alas fader what ought I to do I am all brente with the fyre of lechery The holy fader answered to hym in syghynge I byleue my childe that god hath not sente to the this passyon so stronge and so vehemente / yf thou haddest not blasphemed in some wyse hym or his sayntes The poore Relygyous heryng the holy fader / fylle doun to his fete confessyd hym that he had blasphemed the name of god / that he mought not haue perfeccōn of vertue in his soule ¶ Of dyscrecyon the whiche is moder of all vertues / begynnynge in latyn Quodam Caplm .xxxiij. ON a tyme camen some holy faders to the abbot Anthonye / demaūdyng of hym coūseyll Instruccōn for to lyue salutaryly / thenne he made to theym a collacōn that whiche endured from euyn tyll on the morn in the mornyng / after that he made a questyon the whiche endured to mydnyght folowyng And this was the questyon / whiche vertue amonge all the other preserueth moost the relygyous persones fro the grynnes laas of the deuyll / bryngeth one in to felycyte eteternall To this questyon eueryche of theym answered after his capacyte vnderstandyng And some sayden / that the Relygyous persone was delyuered fro the deuyll by fastynges / by wakynges / other vertues The other sayden that neuer the deuyll shall be surmoūted of a brother / but by very pouerte of speryte The other sayden that oonly they that were in the depnesse of deserte myght surmoūte the deuyll of helle / so that they haue parfyght loue charyte to god The other affermeden that they that receyueden the pylgryms / doon to theym due seruyce myght lyghtely ouercome the fende Thus were these brethern in cōtrauersye vpon this mater / therfore the sayd abbot sayd to theym My brethern this that ye haue sayd is well necessary to theym that wyll folowe god by very relygyon / but this is ouer lytyll for to be delyuerd fro the puyssaūce of the fende For we haue seen some of our brethern lyuynge Iustely in the thyckest of deserte whiche in th ende haue fallen / hath be cause of theyr ruyne faulte of dyscrecyon / the whiche they had not in theyr operacyons And alwaye it is ryght necessary to a relygyous persone / bycause that it sheweth alwaye the ryall waye to paradyse / and it kepeth that one be not ouer moche / ne ouer lytyll contynent in his werkes / and it is manyfeste that without dyscrecyon may be hadde noo vertue And these wordes sayd / the sayd brethern were all of that opynyon / that dyscrecyon is she that may delyuer the Relygyous persones fro the grynne of
the Ryuage / and after leyde hym in a shyppe / and ledde hym to Saynt Anthonye Now hadde Saynt Anthonye a custome / whan his dyscyple cam to hym for to sygnefye the comyng of ony people / whether they were of Egypte / or of Iherusalem And aboue this he had or deyned / whan hym semed that they were deuoute people / he sholde answere that they were of Iherusalem But and yf they were symple and ydeottis / he sholde saye that they were of Egypte Thenne Saynt Anthonye demaunded his dyscypl◠what people were come The dyscyple answered / fader some of theym be of Egypte / and the other be of Iherusalem Thenne saynt Anthonye made to theym good chere / and after all the nyght he was with theym in prayers orysons in admonestyng theym for theyr helthe In the whiche nyght after that he had called some that he knewe / he called thre tymes Eulogius / but he answered not / wenyng that he had called some other so named Thenne saynt Anthonye sayd to hym answere / for I speke to the that art come fro Alexandrye And thenne after sayd Eulogius / what wylt thou that I saye Saynt Anthonye sayd / wherfor art thou come hyther Thenne Eulogius answered sayd / he that hath shewed to the my name / shal also wel shewe to the / the cause of my comyng Saynt Anthonye sayd I knowe well wherfor thou art comen / but I wyll that thou saye it tofore all thy brethern Thēne began Eulogius to saye I foūde this seke man in the comyn waye despysed of euery man / I haue taken hym in promysyng to god to socoure hȳ in all his necessytees after my power / to the ende that fynably we both two myght be saued / haue ben .xv. yere togydre lyke as it hath ben shewed to you / but for as moche syth certayne tyme / he hath greued and molested me by grete Iniuryes I come vnto you to th ende that ye coūseyll me what I shal do therin I haue some tyme thought to put him awaye from me / as well by reason of the sayd Iniuryes / as for as moche as I can not contente hȳ Thēne answerde to hȳ saynt Anthonye moche rudely how hast thou dar thynke to put hym fro the. I assure the / that yf thou puttest hym out from the / he shall fynde an other that shall better thynke than thou By this answere was Eulogius soo abasshed that he wyst not what to saye That seeyng saynt Anthonye began to speke to the seke man / come hyther thou man vnworthy of heuen of the erthe / foull and Infecte / shalt thou not cesse to grudge and murmure ayenst the seruaunt of god / whiche for the honour of hym hath so benyngly the receyued After he went to his brethern and exhorted eche of theym after that he had necessyte Anone after he retourned to the seke man and to Eulogius and sayd to theym My brethern departe you not a sondre syth ye haue so longe lyued in peas And god shall vysyte you by his mercy grace / whiche hath suffred thyse aduersytees to come to you for to preue you For he knoweth that your ende is nygh / and ye shall be fynably crowned in beatytude euerlastynge And these wordes sayd they wente to theyr celles / and fourty dayes after Eulogius deyed / thre dayes after the seke man deyed / wente to our lorde ¶ An holy fader named Cronius sayd that saynt Anthony prayed an hole yere to god that he wolde shewe hȳ the place of good people the place of the euyll Thenne appyered to hym a geaūt so grete that he touched the clowdes / had vnder his feet a flood lyke vnto the see And furthermore he sawe soules flee lyke byrdes / all they that flewhe aboue the hondes of the geaunt were saued but they that flewhe lowe were plunged in the water And after this vysyon he herde a voys sayeng to hȳ / that the soules that flewh aboue the hondes of the geaūt were the soules of Iuste good people whiche wente strayt in to heueuen / but the other were they that wente to dampnacōn perdycōn for theyr voluptees and flesshely pleasaūces ¶ Of the drede of god THe psalmyste sayd that the drede of god is the begynnyng of sapyence And therfor in this chapytre is made mencōn of the same by suche an example ¶ A monke demaūded of thabbot Pyemon how the soule that dredeth not god / maye resyste the temptacōns Thenne answered the holy fader The soule somtyme dredeth god / but not whan it is tyme / and thus parfyghtly it may not withstonde the enemye yf it dredeth not actuelly For the drede of god is the cause of the grete perfeccōn of the soule ¶ A brother demaunded on a tyme of an olde fader / how the drede of god may come in the soule Thenne answerde the holy man sayeng / yf a man be humble / that he condempne no persone And also yf he be large to do almesse after his faculte he shall drede god ¶ An auncyent olde fader sayd to a Relygyous brother / that he ought to haue thre thynges in hym That is to wyte / the drede of god / parfyght humylyte / and pouerte of spyryte ¶ A monke cam and complayned to an aged fader sayeng to hym I haue an herte so enbarded that I can not drede my god / to whom the holy man sayd I byleue that yf a man take good hede in hym selfe Iugyng hȳ a synnar / that he sholde fere drede god After the brother asked what it was to saye to take hede of hym selfe Tehnne the holy man answered / he that taketh hede of hymself thynketh that he is a grete synnar / haue remembraūce of the grete Iugement of god / at the whiche euery man shall be / to rendre gyue acōptes of his werkes good euyl And for so moche yf a man thynke on this he shall fere drede god Here ben to be noted two thynges that engendren the drede of god / that one is very humylyte / that other is to thynke of the grete daye of the Iugement of god ¶ Here foloweth of the temptacyons of thenemye A Brother demaunded of thabbot Achyles how the deuylles had power ouer vs. To whome the holy man answered by our wylles For yf our wyll consented not to do euyll / it sholde be no synne In lyke wyse thenne / yf we submysed not our wyll to the deuyll / he sholde haue no power ouer vs. For by symylytude the trees be cutte hewen with an axe / whiche is helued with the selfe tree / yf it were not helued / it myght not be hewen All in lyke wyse is it of vs. For the tree sygnefyeth our soules / and the helues our wyll / and the axe the deuyll whiche maye not hewe without an helue /
that is our wyll / by the whiche he beteth our tree / that is to saye our soule Thenne yf we refuse to hym the helue / he maye not hewe doun with his axe the tree of our soule ¶ How a man may mortefye the vyces OO brother demaūded of thabbot Moyses / how a man myghte mortefye hȳselfe To whom the holy man sayd Yf a man repute not hȳself to haue be thre yere in his sepulture / he may not be veryly mortefyed in this worlde whiche hath two thȳges / that one is that he hate the rest of his bodye / the seconde that he loue no vayne glorye ¶ An holy man sayd that a relygyous man that is occupyed in good operacōn may not be surmoūted of the fende For whan the deuyll cometh fyndeth hym besy in good werkes / he departeth Incontynent / but yf he excercyse ony euyll werke / he is persecuted ofte of the fende / maketh hym to do werse yet yf he may ¶ Here foloweth of perseueraunce THabbot Anthonye sayd that yf a monke labour / soone after resteth without to contynue thenne agayne laboureth / thenne agayne leueth his labour / he is not very perseueraūt For perseueraūce must be contynued vnto the ende Also the scrypture sayth he that shall perseuere vnto the ende / he shall be saued ¶ Here foloweth of the payne labour of the olde holy faders AN holy man sayd that a man ought alwaye to labour vntyl that he hath wōne Ihesu cryste by grace For he that shall haue goten hȳ ones shall neuer retche of the daūger of the fendes of helle / alway a man oughte contynuelly labour to th ende that in thynkyng on the payne he kepte hȳselfe that he drede to lose his rewarde / for god for this cause wolde that the childern of Israell were in captyuyte in deserte by the space of .xl. yere in suffryng there grete payne to th ende that in hauyng remembraūce of theyr payne they sholde not forgete god by synne Here foloweth exhortacōn of doctryne A Man on a tyme demaūded of thabbot Permenyon / how an obstynat man myght lerne the worde of god To whom he answerd that the nature of the water is to be softe the nature of the stone is to be herde / yet alwaye by contynuacyon not by force yf the water falle vpon the stone it maketh there a concauyte And all in lyke wyse it is of the worde of god / for it is swete softe / our herte is harde / but yf one here it ofte / thynke on it affectuously / the drede of god shall come to the soule / whiche was fyrst enharded / shall make it to relynte in to an hole or concauyte whiche shall be replenysshed fylled of grace ¶ How curyosyte ought to be eschewed AN holy man sayd that a good relygyous persone ought not to demaunde how that one lyueth / ne how lyueth that other / to the ende that by the answeres that he sholde here / he be not withdrawen fro holy prayer And therfor to be more sure / he ought to be stylle saye nothyng ¶ A brother demaūded of his abbot / yf ony come in to my celle / that to me recoūteth vayne wordes vnprouffytable / ought I to saye to hym / that he be stylle The holy man answered Ne saye to hym nothyng / for thou mayst not kepe hȳ fro spekyng / ne thy selfe some tyme. And therfor we ought not to repreue our neyghbour of a vyce / in whiche we falle after Thenne sayd the brother / what ought thenne to be doon The holy man answered / yf we wyll do well / we ought to gyue good example to our neyghbour / for the good example is of more grete effecte / than ben the wordes ¶ How one ought teschewe noyse AN holy man sayd / yf ony speke with the / eyther of scrypture or of ony other mater / thou oughtest neuer to stryue with hym / But and yf he saye well / accorde ye to hym / and yf he saye euyll / saye to hym Ye knowe and can better than ye saye In folowynge the Appostle whiche sayth Stryue not with wordes And yf thou thus doo thou shalt eschewe hate / shalt gete parfyght humylyte And yf thou abyde in thyn opynyon in defendyng thy wordes / thou shalt mowe engendre sklaundre Some tyme also by ouermoche praysyng an other foloweth noyse / of the whiche moeuyng thou oughtest soueraynly to kepe the. For ther myght to the come soo grete Inconuenyente / that thou sholdest neuer be in peas nor in reste Wherfore it auylleth more to be styll in resystyng his euyll thought to reyse hȳselfe dylygently in the drede of god for to praye as well on euenyng as on mornyng / yf thou so do thou shall not fere ne drede the temptacōn of the fende ¶ How one ought to kepe scylence SAynt Anthony sayd to his dyscyple / yf thou desyre to haue scylence / thou owest not for that / to esteme that thou be for that cause the more vertuous / but in kepyng it / thou oughtest to repute thy selfe vnworthy to speke ¶ A brother sayd to thabbot Sysoy that he desyred to saue his soule / but he wolde knowe the maner how he myght do it Thenne thabbot answered to hym / how may we saue our soules / whan our tongue alwaye speketh As who sayth / he that is not styll kepeth not scylence may not be saued ¶ An other broder asked yf it neded alwaye to be stylle / to whom was answered / that ye / atte leste vnto that he were asked For yf a man be stylle / he shall be in peas ouer all whersomeuer he be in kepyng alwaye scylence / the whiche to kepe is none other thyng but to make a defycyle pylgrymage ¶ An holy fader sayd that the pylgrymage that is made for the honour of god is good / so that he kepe scylence ¶ Here is made mencōn of the medytacōns of .xij. deuoute hermytes TWelue holy faders hermytes deuoute and solytarye were togydre as brethern touchynh the pryncypall thoughtes and cogytacōns spyrytuell that they had herde in theyr celles habytacōns for to lyue vertuously to resyste the temptacōns of the deuyll Thenne sayd the fyrst whiche was moost oldest I haue enforced my selfe with all my power to resyste the operacōns exterior or outwarde / contrary to my helthe / hauyng remembraūce of the psalmyste sayeng Lete vs breke the bondes of our enemyes / and caste we abacke behynde vs all theyr temptacōns And I haue edefyed in my thought / as a walle bytwene my soule the bodely operacōns / to th ende that I see theym not For all in lyke wyse as he that is within the walle seeth not hym that is without All in lyke wyse ought not a man to see ne to beholde his outwarde werkes / to th ende that he gloryfye not hym selfe