Lord if it might please your highnesse for to heare mée I shall shew you a subtill and a deceitfull imagination Say on quod the Emperour The steward quod Fulgencious that now is dead came to mée and sayde that ye tolde him that my breath dyd stinck and there vpon he counsailed mée that when I serued you of your cuppe I should than turne away my face I take God to witnesse I lye not When the Emperour heard this he beleued him said O my neuew now I see through the right wise iudgement of God the steward is brent and his owne wickednesse and enuie is fallen on him selse for he ordained this malice against thee and therfore thou arte much bound to almightie God that hath preserued thée from death The Morall Déere friends this Emperour béetokeneth euery supreame magistrate and other inferiours And Fulgentious his neuew béetokeneth euery true christian man which should duely truely serue them with faithfull homage and duetifull loyalty like as Fulgentious serued the Emperour of his cup wherefore ye shall be greatly loued of God This steward betokeneth euery false Christen man as Cayne which oftentimes turneth the harts of right wise men from God saying that his breath stinketh that is to say that the life of the magistrate is not acceptable to GOD nor man which is against this Scripture saying thus Nolite iudicare c. That is to say iudge not and ye shall not be iudged But oftentimes such malicious peole accuseth righteous men wherefore they shal be cast into the euerlasting fire of hell where is wayling wéeping and misery without charitie And rightwise shall ascend to euerlasting lyfe Unto the which bring vs our Lord Jesu Christ Amen The Argument ¶ Tyrants and vngodly persons walke without knowledge of the truth tyll they come to the Church of God the wicked persecute the godly But they are preserued by the mightie prouidence of god so we ought not to sleep in sinne A figuratiue speach of three seuerall meanings videlicet Take Yeelde and Flee the significacion thereof The 42. Historie THere dwelt sometime in Rome a mightie Emperour named Delphinus which had no childreÌ„ saue onely one daughter which was a fayre creature and welbeloued of hir father As this Emperour walked on a day on hunting in the Forrest sodainly he rode out of his way and lost his men wherfore he was greatly discomforted for he wist not whether he rode ne in what place he was till at the last when he had rydden thus all the day alone in the euening he saw a house and thether hée rode a great pace knocked at the gate Immediately the good manne of the house heard him and asked the cause of his knocking and what he would haue Deere friend quod the Emperour lo it is night as ye may se therfore I desire you of lodging for the loue of God When he had thus sayd the goodman of the house vnware that he was the Emperour aunswered thus and sayd Good friend quod he I am the Emperours Foster and haue plenty of venison and other vittailes for you When the Emperour hearde this he was right glad in his mind neuerthelesse he told him not that he was the Emperour And the Foster opened the gate and receiued him as worshipfully as hée could and set him to his supper and serued him honestly And when he had supped the Foster brought him to his chamber and when time was he went to bed In the same night it befell that the Fosters wife was trauailing of childe in another chamber fast by and was deliuered that same night of a faire sonne And as the Emperour lay in his bed sléeping him séemed he heard a voice saying to him thrise these words Take take take And with that hée awoke meruailed greatly what it might bée saying to himselfe thus A voyce biddeth mée take take what shall I take And immedately he fell a sléepe againe and the second time hée heard a voyce saying vnto him these wordes Yelde yelde yelde And with that he wakened againe and wondred greatly saying vnto himselfe What may this signifie First I heard a voyce that sayed take take and nothing I receiued And right now I heard another voice that sayde yeld yeld yeld what shoulde I yelde And as he laye thus thinking to him selfe he fell a sléepe againe And when he heard the third voyce saying these wordes thrice flee flee flee for this night is a childe borne that after thy decease shal be Emperour When the Emperor heard this he wakened wondred greatly what it might bee In the morning carely solowing the emperour arose called to him the foster and said Deere friend I pray thée that thou wâ—lt tell me if any childe be borne this night to thy knowledge My wife quod the Foster this night is deliuered of a fayre son I pray thée sayd the Emperour shew me thy sonne When the Emperour had séene the childe he saw a marke in the childes visage whereby he might know him an other time and than he sayd to the Foster thus Déere friend knowest thou who I am nay southly quod the Foster for I saw you neuer before this time as farre as I am remembred neuerthelesse it séemeth that ye be a gentleman Than answered the Emperour and sayd I am quod he the Emperour your Lord whome yée haue lodged this night wherefore right hartely I thanke you This hearing the foster fell downe vpon both his knées at his féete besought him of mercy if that he had offended his hightnesse in any thing praying him of forgiuenesse Then aunswered the Emperour and said be thou nothing afrayed for I thanke thee hartely of thy good chéere and thy sonne that was borne to night I wil haue for to nourish and bring vp in my court aud to morrow I shall send for him O my gratious Lord quod the foster it is not agréeable that such a noble Emperour should nourish the childe of his subiect and seruaunt neuerthelesse your will be fulfilled for when your messengers come I shall deliuer them my son Whan this was sayde the Emperour tooke his leaue and rode home towarde his pallaice And whan he was come home he called vnto him such seruaunts as hée trusted best and sayd to them thus Goe yée quod hée vnto my Foster with whom I was lodged this night in the forrest and receiue of him his sonne of which his wife was deliuered thys night and vpon payne of death I commaund you that yee destroy him by the way and cast his flesh to the dogges but bring with you the hart to mee And except ye fulfill my commaundement yée shall dye the most foulest death that can be thought Anone his seruaunts went to the forrest and receiued the Fosters sonne and brought him with them and when they were come néere vnto the pallaice one of them said How shall wée doe that we may fulfill our Lords commaundement in distroying of this
armour of our humanitie till he went to the graue that is to say to the wombe of the glorious virgin Mary by the annunciation of the Angel saying The holy Ghost shall light in thee c. Lo thou shalt conceiue and beare a sonne And thus in the wombe of the virgin he toke the armour of the dead knight that is to say hée toke the manhood of Adam our forefather and saued the Citie that is the world with mankinde from perill by his blessed passion that he uffered on the crosse and that he put the armour againe into the graue when his blessed body was buried but the citizens â—nâ—ied him that is to saye the Jewes of Iury accused him to Pilate and laid the law against him saying If thou suffer him thus thou arte not the Emperour Caesars freinde we haue a law and after the law hee ought to dye And thus our Lord Jesu Christ of his enimies was condempned to the death of the crosse and after ascended vp to heauen where our Lord Jesu bring vs all Amen The Argument ¶ The fornication of wicked worldly men is here detected by the prouidence of God and by his gratious fauour deliuered out of the thraldom of sinne vnto the libertie of life euerlasting The History THere raigned sometime in Rome a mightie Emperour a wyse named Betolde which ordained a law that what woman were taken in aduoutry hir husband beeing a liue shée should bee cast into perpetuall prison There was that time a knight that had a fayre lady to his wife which committed aduoutry hir husband being a liue and was with childe therefore by the law shee was put in prison wher within short tyme after shee was deliuered of a fayre sonne This childe grew vp till hée was seuen yeeres old his mother dayly wept hartely And when the child haâ—d this hee said to his mother O mother why wéepe yée thus and for what cause are you thus perplexed Then saide his mother O my swéete sonne I haue great cause to mourne and thou also for aboue our heads is people walking and the sunne shineth in cléerenes and great solace haue all men that are aboue vs and wee bée héere continually in such darknes that I may not sée thée ne thou me alas that euer I conceiued thee Then sayd the sonne such ioye ne such light as yée spake of sawe I neuer for I was borne here in this darknes therfore if I had meate and drink ynough heere would I liue all the dayes of my life therefore mother weepe yée not but show mee solace This lamentation that was betwéene the mother the sonne heard the Emperours Stewarde that stoode aboue their heads wherof he had great compassion and wept vnto the Emperour and kneeling beesought him of his grace that the mother the sonne might bee deliuered out of prison The Emperour as a mercifull Lord graunted that they should bee deliuered Neuerthelesse if they trespassed so in time to come they should bée punished with double paine and after that they were deliuered this woman ended hir life in that Citie The Morall Déere friends this Emperour is the Father of heauen that made this law that what wedded woman that is to saye what soule that is wedded to our Lord doth commit aduoutry that is to say doth worship strange gods should be cast in the prison of hell therefore a sinfull soule hath great cause to wéepe for shee is departed from light that is to saâ—e from the ioys of heauen Hir sonne that desired meate and drinck are the weaâ—thie wicked worldlings of this worlde that say to the prelates of the Church and to the preachers that preach vnto them the ioyes of Heauen that while wee may liue and haue all the solace of the world wee desire none other heauen The Steward that heard their lamentation is our Lord Jesu that knoweth all the priuities of our sorowful and repentant harts for our sinnes bâ— sought the Father of heauen for vs that wée might bee deliuered from the prison of sinne and that wee might come to euerlasting life to that which bring vs all our Lord Jesus Amen The Argument ¶ Christ proclaimeth the ioyfull feast of heauen wherin the Lambe to say the poore Preachers of the Gospell hauing their sight or knowledge iâ— gods word are suppoâ—ed of the blind layâ—â— and ech doe mutuâ—lly comfort other till they approch vnto the proclaymed feast of perpetual felicitie The Morall SOmetime in Rome dwelt an Emperour named Pompeâ— which aboue all other things was mercifull This Emrerour procliamed throughout all his Empire a great feast and that poore and rich should come to this feast And whosoeuer came to that feast should not onely bee well fed but also hee should haue great giftes When the herawld had warned all maner of men to come to this feast at that time there ware two poore men lying by the way the one was lame and the other was blinde This blinde man sayde to the lame man Alas and wo to vs both how shall wée doe for themperour hath proclaimed a feast and who so euer commeth there shall not onely bée well fedde but also hee shall haue great guifts and I am blinde and thou arts lame how shall wee doe Then sayde the lame man to the blinde man I shall tell thée counsell if thou wilt doe after mée thou shalt let for nothing I am lame and feeble may not goe neuerthelesse I may see thou art blinde and strong and maist not see take thou mée vpon thy beack and beare mee and I shall leade thee the right way thus shall wée both come to the Emperours feast Then sayde the blind after thy counsell let vs doe come on my back I shall beare thee and thou shalt leadâ— mee the right way and so they did that they came both to the feast recuied great rewards and giftes among other men And thus ended their liues in peace The Morall Déere friends this Emperour is our sauiour Jesu Christ that proclaymeth a feast that is to say the ioyes of heauen vnto the which ioyes he called all mankinde and forsakeht no man that will come vnto hâ—m This lame man betokeneth the poore mini sters of the gospel which wanting worldly pleasures liue by the prouideÌ„ce of God And this blinde man béetokeneth the lay men which konw not the right way to heauen It bée loueth the the blind man to wit the late mâ—n to beare the lame man that is to saie the ministers of the gospell sustaining feeding theÌ„ with the duties of the church then the ministers for gods cause are bound to teach to enforme vs the way to heaueÌ„ wher as we shall not onely haue a feast but also great rewarde ioy vnto that which god bring vs all Amen The Argument Heauen hell are heere â—oÌ„pared to two cities to theâ—e two cities are two contrary waies To heauen which is the city of all heauenly
saying thus Est arta via que duâ—â—t ad vitam It is a strayte way that leadeth to euer lasting lyfe In this way are thrée armed knights that is to say the diuell the world and the flesh with whome it behoueth vs to fight and to obtaine the victory or wée may come to heauen The second Citie that is in the North is hell and to this accordeth Scripture saying thus Ab aquilone pondetur omne malum Out of the North commeth all euill Certainely to this Citie is the way playne and broad and walled about on euerie side with all maner delicates wherfore many men walk by this way The three Knights that giue to euery man going this way what thing them needeth are these Pride of lyfe couetousnesse of the eyes coÌ„cupicence of the flesh in which thrée the wretched man greatly deliteth at the last they leade him to hell This wittie knight betokeneth the soule the foolish knight betokeneth the flesh the which is alway foolish and at all times redie to doe euill These two are felowes knitte in one for either of them drinketh others blood that is to say they shall drinke of one cup either ioye or paine shall they haue after the daye of dome The soule chooseth the way of repentaunce and in as much as she may she stirreth the flesh to doe the same But the flesh thinketh neuer what shal come after and therefore she goeth in the delight of this world and fléeth the delight oâ— repentaunce and thus the soule after the death is cast into hell and the flesh is cast into the ditch that is to say into the graue But then the Justice commeth that is our Lord Jesus Christ at the daye of dome to iudge all mankind Than the Soule shall complaine vpon the slesh and the flesh vppon the Soule But than the Justice that will not bee deceiued neither by prayer ne by price shall condempne the Soule bicause shée folowed the fra â—tie of sleshe and allso hee shall condempne the flesh bycause it would not beleeue the Soule wherefore let vs studie to tame our flesh that wée may obay God and than shall wée haue euerlasting lyfe Unto the which bring vs our Lord Jesus Christ Amen The Argument The soule of man beeing possessed in the princely territory of Paradyse was by the diuell prouoked to sinne against hir creator and for the same transgression so beeing thence into this wide world exiled lost that hir former heritage But by Christes precious death and passion was restored vnto a more happie heritage of euerlasting felicitie The 11. History THERE dwelled sometime in Rome a mightie Emperour named Fredericke which had no childreÌ„ saue one only daughter to whom this Emperour after his decease béequethed all his Empyre This vnderstanding an Earle that dwelt there béeside came vnto this young Lady wooed hir and prouoked hir to sinne all that hée might wherefore this young ladie in short processe of tyme enclyned to the Earle and this Earle anone lay with hir and defiled hir and after that shée departed from hir heritage and exiled hir out of hir Empyre wherefore shée made a great lamentation and fled vnto a realme there beside where as she dayly wéept and mourned It befell after on a day that while she sat mourning by the hye way side there came riding by hir a fayre young knight vpon a good horse which came toward hir a great pace and very courteously saluted hir asked the cause why she mourned so sore Then answered she and saide My reuerend lord I am an Emperours daughter descended of roiall blood my father is dead which left me all his Empyre bicause he had none other heyre and after his decease an Earle there beside deceiued me deslowred my virginitie and after that he put me violently out of mine heritage so that now I am fayne to begge my bread from dore to dore and this is the cause of my sorrow Then sayde the knight farre damosell I haue great compassion on thy beautie and on thy gentlenesse therfore if thou wilt graunt me one thing I shall fight for thée against the Earle I protest vnto thée the purchase of the victory Then sayd shée alas good sir I haue nothing that I may giue vnto you but my selfe And I aske no more of thee said the knight but that thou wouldest be my wyfe and loue no man so much as mée Then sayde she Reuerend sir that I will doe gladly and more if I might Then said the knight I will that thou doe for mée one thing that if it fortune mée to dye in fight for thée and obtaine the victorie thou shalt take my bloodie shert and hang it vpon a beame in thy chamber and this shalt thou do for two things The first is that when so euer thou beholdest the shert thou shalt wéep for mee The second is that what so euer man come to wooâ— thee to be his wyfe then shalt thou hastely runne vnto thy chamber and béehould my bloodie shert and thinke heartelye within thy selfe thus The Lord of this shert dyed for my loue in baftayle the which recouered my heritage God forbid that I should take any other man after his death Then saide shée Reuerend sir all this shall I fulfill by the grace of God And when the knight heard this hee assaylled to fight against the said earle and obtained the victory and the Earle was ouercome and fledde and this yong lady was brought and receiued agayne into hir heritage Neuerthelesse this knight was deadly wounded in that battayle whereof hee died but or hée died hée béequeathed his bloody shert vnto this damosell desiring hir to keepe hir promise WheÌ„ this yong Lady heard of his death shée wept sore made great lamentation for his death And in his shert was cuÌ„ningly wrought this verse Think on him and haue in minde that to thee was so kinde Anon when she had receiued the shert shée haÌ„ged it vpon a beame in hir chamber and as oftentimes as she beheld it she wept bitterly It béefell not long after that the states of hir Empire came to hir desired hir to take a husband But then she went to hir chamber beeheld the bloody shert then wared shée sorofull sayd oftentunes woe alas thou sufferedst death for my loue thou also recoueredst againe myne heritage God forbid that I should take any other man moe but thee And thus shee answered euery man that came to hir and so they went away disapointed of their purpose and ended hir life in peace and rest The Morall Déere friends this Emperour is the father of heauen his daughter is the soule of man made to the similitude of God to whome God gaue and bequethed the Empyre of Paradise But ther came an Earle that is the diuell prouoked hir to sinne wheÌ„ shée eate of the apple and said to hir thus In what houre yee eat of the apple
leaue of the king and redde foorth and the King kept the broad high way When themperour heard of the Kings comming he went towards him with a great company royally receiued him causing him to shift his wet clothes and attyre him againe with new clothes And when the Emperour and the king were set to meat the Emperour welcommâ—d him with all the chéere solace that hée could And when they had dined themperour asked tidings of the King My Lord said hée I shall tell you what I heard this day by the way There came a knight to mée and reuerently saluted mee and anone after there came a great raigne which greatly spoiled my apparell anone the knight saide sir thou hast done foolishly for so much as thou broughtst not with thee thy house Then said themperour what clothing had the knight on him A cloake qd the king TheÌ„ said themperour forsooth that was a wise man for the house wherof hée spake was a cloake therefore hée saide to you that yée did foolishly because yée came without your cloake for if you had brought with you acloake then had not your clothes ben spoiled with raine Then saide the king when wee had riden a little farther we came to a déepe water I smote my horse with my spurres and almost I was drowned and hée 〈◊〉 on the other â—â—de of the water and found no peril and then said he to mée ye haue done folishly for so much that ye ledde not with you your bridge Forsoth said themperour he sayd truth for he called the bridge your â—quires that should haue ridden before you and assayde the déepenes of the water Then said the king we rode farther at the last he prayed me to dine with him and when we had dined he saide I did vnwisely for I ledde not with mée my father and my mother Sothly saide the Emperour he was a wise man and said trouth for he called your father mother bread and wine and other vitailes Then said the king we rode farther and anone after he asked mée leaue to goe from mée and I asked diligently whether he went And he answered agayne and sayde This day vii yéere I left a Nette in a priuie place and now I will ryde to visit it and if it bee broken or torne than will I leaue it and if it bée whole as I left it then shall it bée to mée right precious and I shall beare it with mée Whan themperour heard this he cryed with a lowde voice and said O ye my knights and my seruaunts come ye with mée spedily vnto my daughters chamber for sothly that is the nette whereof the knight spake And anone his knights and his seruaÌ„ts went vnto his daughters chamber and found hir not the soresayde knight had taken hir with him And thus the knig was deceiued of the damosell And hée went home againe to his owne country ashamed The Morall Déere friends this Emperour is our Lord Jesu Christ and this faire daughter is euerlasting life the which themperour had ordained for kings knights and other men The knight that loued this young Lady is euery good christian soule which holdeth him selfe not worthy to come in the sight of God vnto such ioy as the apostle saith Non est condigne passionis huâ—s temporis ad futuâ—aÌ„ gloâ—aÌ„ They be not so worthy of suffering this time to attaine vnto y glory that is to come This knight was viiyéeres absent from his loue like as a good Christian man all the dayes of his life should labour and â—rauaile in â—ulfilling the vii workes of mercie By the king that came without a cloake in the raine is to vnderstande some nyghtie men of this world as that haue cloaks to couer all their other clothes By this cloake is vnderstood charitie as the apostle saith Charitas cooperit multitudinem peccatorum Charitie couereth the multitude of â—innâ—s But many men haue not this cloake wherefore they be wet in the rayne of pride auarice and lecherie This king also was almost drowned bicause he lacked his bridge that is to saye perfect faith For we see dayly that there may no man passe ouer a greate water broad déepe without a bridge or some other thing that is able to beare him Right so with out faith it is impossible to please God And thus may no man be saued without faith when theilet their life in worldly â—oy or worldly helpe more than in the help of God which is mightie to doe all thinges wherefore he saith himselfe thus Si habueritis fide sicut granum sinapis poteâ—â—s c. If ye haue faith as the grayne of musterd then may ye say to the hills remoue out of your places they shall remoue But many of vs now a dayes hath ouer féeble faith therefore they shall sodainly fall in the clay of desperation and by deadly sinne oftentymes they offend God Also this king had not brought with him his father his mother By â—he father which is cause of generation is â—o vnderstande humilytie without whom there is no vertue in any man And thereto accordeth sainâ—t Gregory saying thus Si quis ceteâ—â—â— vertutes sine humilitate congregat c. He that gathereth all other vertues without humilytie is like a man that 〈…〉 th dust in the winde His mother betokeneth hope therefore he that will obtaine euerlasting lyfe him behoueth to haue the cloake of charitie bridge of faith a father of méekenes a mother of hope as the apostle saith â—pe saluâ— facti sumus Also this knight went the straight path way the king the broad way For he that will be saued it behoueth him to go a strayt way that is to saye the way of fasting almes déedes chastitie and repentaunce Of the which way speaketh the apostle Stricta est via que ducit ad vitam eternam The way is strayte that leadeth to euerlasting life But many men goe the other way which leadeth to hell that is to say by the way of sleshly lust such men bene gone out of the way of euerlasting lise but such men be deceiued through the way Therfore studie we to walke that way wherby we may obtaine euerlsting life The Argument ¶ By this history is figured as apeareth in the morall the soule of euery good christian to him holden as his daughter But beeing seduced caryed away and defiled by sathan our fowle enimy she is reduced by the helpe and valiant prowes of our heauenly champion Christ Iesus vnto his former habitation Yet man being vngrateful to his Redeemer forgetteth his dutie and for good rewarding euill to his champion Christ Iesus deliuering him to be iudged by the law as an offender but when the champion auoucheth what he hath done for man his soule than is he with shame of his ingratitude constrained to haue remorse call for grace to repent amend his life by the death passion of this champion Christ
Unto the which bring vs our Lord Jesus Amen The Argument The soule of manne espoused to Christ in baptisme yet dyeth by meanes of sinne leauing behinde hir sonne called reason or rather the word of God which healeth the disease of man hir sinfull father and beeing sent for to cure the maladie of hir stepmother will refuseth to administrate ghostly comfort vnto hir The 24. History SOmetime in Rome bare sway a mightie Emperour named Gorgonie which had married a courteous Lady and a fayre to his wife This yong Lady in due processe of time conceiued and bare a sonne a fayre child an amiable When this child was ten yéere old his mother the Empresse died And anon after the Emperour maried an other wife The second wife loued in no wise the Emperours sonne but dyd him all the shame and reproch that she might When the Emperour perceiurâ— this willing to please his wife exiled his sonne out of his Empier And when this child was exiled he went and studyed Phisicke so that within short time hâ—â— when he heard that hâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—â—â—â— such a Phisition he sent for â—â—Spandâ—â— letters praying him that he would câ—â—â—â—â— him without any delay And then the sonne willing to obey and sulsill hâ—s â—â—thers commaundement in all hast came vnto him And when he had sâ—ene his father and felt his ulâ—â—s and his veines all the iâ—knesse he had was soone healed with his medicines from all manner of dangers Soone after that the empresse his stepmother began to ware sicke and many phisitions said that she would dye And when the emperour heard this he praied his sonne to helpe hir of hir sicknesse Then said his sonne certainely father I will lay no â—and on hir Than the Emperour began to ware wroth saide If thou wilt not obay my commandement thou shalt hâ—refoorth depart mâ— empyre His sonne answered and saide If â—â—e dâ—e so deeâ—e father ye do vnrightfully for well you knâ—w that you â—xâ—lâ—d â—â—ée out of your Empyre through hir suggestion and mine absence was cause of your sorrow and sicknesse in likewise my presence is cause of hir sicknesse and therefore I will not meddle with hir also I wâ—ll â—sâ— no morâ— medicines for ofâ—entimes phisitions are deceiued and therefore I dare not â—â—ye hand on hir lease mâ—n would say if it fortuned hir to dye that I wâ—re the cause thereof Then sayde the Emperour She hath the same sicknesse that I had His sonne aunsshered sayd though shée hath the same sicknesse neuerthelesse yâ—â— bee not both of onâ— complection For whatsoeuer I did to you yée helde you content and when yée sawe mée come within the Pallace yée reioyced of my comming and greatly were caâ—ed to sée him that yee bâ—â—gat But when my stepmother saw mée shée swâ—ilâ—d for anger and toke corâ—ie at hir heart and therfore if I should speake to hir hir sorrow should increase and if I should touch hir shee would bée from hir selfe And also a Phisition proâ—iteth naught but whereas the sicke patient delighteth in him And when the Emperours sonne had sayd his mind hée escaped and went his way The Morali This Emperour béetokeneth euerie christiaÌ„ man which is wedded to Christ in the baptisme of regeneration For then the soule is made the spouse of Christ on whome man getteth a sonne that is reason But this wife that is to say Christendome dieth whensoeuer a man lyeth in deadly sinne and after hir a man matcheth himselfe with a bitter woman a stepdame that is to say wickednesse as oftentimes as hée is ruled by will and not by reason wherefore a man that liueth by fleshly lust oftentimes exileth reason then anone the soule waxeth sicke for the absence of reason is that cause of the sicknesse of the soule For when Gods word is working in the reasonable soule as a good ghostly Phisition shée recouereth health vnto the sicke soule But when the stepmother waxeth sick that is to say when froward will waxeth sick then is the flesh kept in awe by repentance And therfore studie wée to keepe in awe our fleshe so by repentance that we may come to euerlasting ioye Amen The Argument ¶ Iesus Christ the sonne of God ought to bee cherished and fostered in our harts by faith and fruitfull good lyfe Which is taken from vs when we are vnthankfull vnto him in gods graces Wherfore the prechers of gods word as good Phisitians are comfortably sent vnto vs for the admonishment of vs in perseuerance to amendement of lyfe and constancie in Christes merits so to harbour him in our harts as he may therby bestow on vs the promotion of heauenly blisse euerlasting The 25. History SOmetimâ— dwelt in Rome a mightie Emperour named Folenus who had taken to wife the Kings daughter of Germany â—â—â—re lady a courteous which w 〈…〉 short time conceiued and bare a sonne 〈…〉 thâ—s childe was borne the states of the Empyre come to the Emperour and euery one of them beesought the Emperour to nourish his sonne The Emperour answered and said To morow shall be a to 〈…〉 y and there shall ye all be which of you doth best obtaineth the victory shall haue the keeping of my sonne And if â—ee traine him vp well I shall promote him to great dignitie honour And if he doe the contrary he shall dâ—e the foulest death that can bée thought Then sayd they Deere Lord all this pleaseth vs well On the morow when euery man was come to the tourney the states lusted held tourney with great valiance a long time till at the last there same a worthie knight named â—osias that so couragiously bare himselfe among theÌ„ that he obtained the victory And immediatly after the tourney was all done this â—osias toke the childe and led him forth with him And béecause this Emperours sonne should be receiued in his couÌ„try he sent before to his Castle commaunded his officers that it should bee royally prouided for and prepared both without and within that the childs lodging should be in the middest of the Castle and also that the seuen Sciences should bee pourtrayed about the childs bed that when the Childe waked out of his sleepe hée might lye in his bedde and beehold the same This knight had a fruitfull and a wholesome well by the childes beddes side wherein bée vsed to bath himselfe the knights wife bare the keye of this well and there was a window where at the Sunne might comfortably shine vpon him It fortuned vpon a daye the Lady that kept the keye left the window open through negligence Which beeinge so done there came a Beare and sawe the Window open and went to the well and bathed him therein of whose bathing the well sauâ—uâ—ed after for the great hâ—aâ—e which was the 〈◊〉 in the chafed beare wherefore who so euer dranke thereof waxed leperous with in short time And so it fortuned within a little space that by meanes of vsing