cost him deere For hee saw himselfe soe vgly and soe abominable that he vttered loud cryes and said O Lord I beseech thee euen for thy mercies sake take this spectacle from before myne eyes for I can looke noe longer vpon this figure From hence growes alsoe that holy kinde of hate and detestation of them selues in the seruants of God whereof I spake before For how much more they know the immense goodnes of God and loue him more soe much the more doe they abhorr them selues as hauing bene opposites and enemyes of God according to that of Iob. Quare posuisti me contrarium tibi factus sum mihi metipsigrauis They see that in themselues they haue the roote of all mischeife which is the wicked and peruerse inclination of our flesh and vpon this knowledge they raise them selues vp against them selues and abhorr them selues Doe you not thinke it reason to abhorre him who made you forsake and sell soe greate a good as God is for a little contentment or gust Doe you not thinke it reason for you to hate him whoe made you loose eternall glory and deserue Hell for euer him who wrought you soe much hurt and still persistts in doeing it Doe you not thinke that you haue cause to detest Well now this person is your selfe an opposite and enemy of God an opposite and enemy of your owne saluation That the knowledge of ones selfe doth not cause dismay but rather giues courage and strength CHAPTER X. THere is another great benefitt which growes from the exercise of knowinge a mans selfe that not onely it causes no dismay or base feare as perhaps some might doubt but rather a great hart and courage towards all those things which are good And the reason of this is that when a man knowes him selfe hee sees that here is noe colour why he should rely vpon him selfe but that distrusting himselfe hee must put all his confidence in God in whome he findes himselfe stronge and able for all things Hence it is that theis are the men who are apt to attempt and vndertake great things and theis are they who goe through with them For in reguard they ascribe all to God and nothing to them selues God takes the busines in hand and makes it his and holds it vpon his ownes accounte and then he is wont to doe mightie things and euen wonders by the meanes of weake instruments Vt ostenderet diuitias gloriae suae in vasis misericordiae quae preparauit in gloriam To shew the riches and treasures of his mercies God will doe wonderfull things by instruments whoe are miserable and weake Hee vses to put the treasures of his mercy into the poorest vessels for thus doth his glory shine most This is that which God said to Saint Paule when being euen tyred with temptations he cryed out and begged that hee might be deliuered from them and God made him this answere Sufficit tibi gratia mea nam virtus in infirmitate perficitur My grace shall be sufficient for thee how great soeuer thy temptations and miseries may be and then doth the power of God proue it selfe to be more stronge and perfect when the weakenes and infirmitie is more apparent For as the Phisition gaines more honour when the sicknes which he cures is more daungerous soe when there is more weakes in vs our deliuery brings more glory to Gods arme and power and soe doth Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose expound this place So that when a man knowes and distrusts himselfe and puts all his confidence in God then doth his Maiestie come and helpe and when on the other side a man putts confidence in himselfe and in his owne diligences and meanes he is forsaken by Almightie God This saith Saint Basile is the cause why when we desire to make our Prayers best and to haue most deuotion in certaine principall festiuities it falls out many tymes that we haue lesse because wee put our confidence in our owne meanes and in our owne diligences and preparations And at other tymes we are preuented with great benedictions and sweetenes when we looke for them least to the end that we may knowe that this is an effect of the grace and mercy of our lord and of no diligence or meritt of ours So that a mans knowing his misery and frailty causes noe cowardise or dismay but rather giues courage and strength in regard that it makes him distrust him selfe and place all his confidence in God And this is alsoe that which the Apostle saith Cum infirmor tunc potens sum and againe Cum humilior tunc exaltor For thus doe both Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose declare it When I humble and a base my selfe and know that I am good for nothing then am I exalted and raysed vp Whilst I know and see my infirmitie and miserie fastning my selfe vpon God I finde my selfe more stronge and more full of courage for hee is all my confidence and strength Et erat Dominus fiducia eius Heereby you may vnderstand that it is not Humilitie nor any thing which springs from thence when there come to vs some tymes certaine dismaies and deiections concerning our little progresse in Spiritt and when we feare that we shall neuer obtaine such or such a vertue and neuer ouercome such an ill condition or inclination or that we shall not be fitt for this or that office and ministery in which we are or may be imployed by Obedience as when we question whether we shall be fitt to take Confessions or to be sent to or fro in Missions or the like This may seeme to be Humilitie but many tymes it is not soe but rather springs from pride For such a one cast his eyes vpon himselfe as if by his owne strength and diligences he were to goe through with that busines whereas he ought to cast them vpon God in whome we are to be full of confidence and courage Dominus illuminatio mea saluâ— mea quem timebo Dominus protector vitae meae a quo trepidabo Si consistant aduersum me castra non tiâ—ebit cor meum Si exurgat aduersum me praelium in hoc ego sperabo si ambulauero in medio vmbrae mortis non timebo mala quoniam tu mecum es If whole armies shall rise against me my hart shall not be affraide If they shall bidd me battaille yet will I hope in God Though I walke in the midst of the very shandow of death and arriue euen at the very gates of hell yet my hart shall not feare because thou O Lord art with me With what varietie of words doth the holy Prophett expresse the selfe same thing and indeede we haue the Psalmes full of this to signifie the aboundance of pious affections and of the confidence which he had and which we ought to haue in God In Deo meo transgrediar murum In my God I vill passe ouer a wall how high soeuer it may be
wherein he would not thinke seriously of somwhat which might putt him to confusion and meane opinion of himselfe And he tooke this Counsell soe much to hart that from the tyme that he vsed the exercise of Mentall Prayer he imployed euery day the two first howers there of vpon this knowledge contempt of himselfe And besides what soeuer he heard and read saw it all serued him towards this abaseing confusion And besides he had another Deuotion which helped him much and it was that euery day as soone as he rose he kissed the ground three tymes to put him in minde that he was dust and earth and that into earth he must returne And it well appeers how much profitt he drew from thence by the great example of Humilitie and sanctitie which he left behinde him Lett vs therefore obserue this Councell and practise it Lett no one day passe wherein we spend not some tyme of prayer and consider not somewhat which may tend to our confusion and contempt and lett vs not grow weary nor giue ouer this exercise till we finde that our soule hath euen drunke vp a profound cordiall desire to be disesteemed and despised and till we may feele our selues to be greately ashamed to appeere with soe much basenes and misery as ours is before the high presence and Maiestie of Almightie God We haue very much neede of all this for our pride and inclination to be honored and esteemed is soe very great that if we walke not contynually in this exercise we shall finde our selues euery hower to be lifted vp aboue our selues as corke goes swyming vpon the water for noe corke is soe light and vaine as wee Wee must euer be repressing and beating downe that swelling and pride which heaues vs vp and we must looke towards the feete of our deformity and basenes that soe the wheele of our vanitie and pride may be broken in peeces Lett vs remember the Parable of the Figg tree which is mentioned in the holy Ghospell and which the owner thereof had a minde to pluck vp by the rootes because in three yeares it had borne noe fruite but the gardner moued that it might be suffered to grow a yeare longer and said that he would digg about it and that if then it gaue not fruite it might afterwards be rooted vp Digge you in like manner about the dry and barraine figg tree oâ— your sowles and lett the dunge and miseries of your sinnes be cast round about it since you haue such store thereof and soe you shall be also fertile and beare fruite To the end that we may be the more animated to vse this exercise and that noe man take ocasion to giue it ouer through any vaine apprehensions We are to vnderstand two things The first that no man must thinke that this exercise belongs onely to beginners because it alsoe concernes Proficients and most Perfect men since we see that they and euen S. Paule himselfe did vse it In the second place it is fitt for vs to vnderstand that this exercise is no afflictiue or melancholy kinde of thing nor causes trouble or disquiet but rather brings with it greate peace and rest yea and great coÌ„tentment and ioy for any man to coÌ„sider knowe himselfe how many defects and faults soeuer hee committ how perfectly soeuer he vnderstand that because he is soe wicked he deserues that all men should despise and hate him For when this knowledge of our selues growes from â—rue Humilitie that paine comes accomâ—anied with such a kinde of swauitie and contentment that a man would be sorry â—o be with out it Other paines and troubles which some feele when they consider their faults and imperfections are temptations of the diuell whoe on the one side procures by this meanes to make vs thinke that we are truly humble and on the other would be content to make vs distruct the goodnes of God and to be dishartned and dismayed in his seruice Indeede if we were still to pawse vpon the knowledge of our owne misery and weakenes we should haue occasion enough to be afflicted and sadd yea and to be discouraged and dismayed but wee must not stay there but passe on to the consideration of the goodnes and mercy and liberalitie of God and how much hee loues vs and what hee suffered for vs and in this are we to place all our hope And soe that which would be an occasion of dismay and sorrow by looking vpon our selues serues to animate and incourage vs and is an occasion of greater comfort and ioy when wee lift vp our eyes towards God A man behoulds himselfe and sees nothing buâ— cause of greife but looking vp to God he confides in his goodnes without fearâ— of being forsaken notwithstanding thâ— many faults and imperfections and miseryes which hee discernes in himselfe For the goodnes and mercy of God vpon which hee hath placed his eyes and his hart doth infinitely exceede and outstripp all that which can be ill in vs. And with this consideration being rooted in the very strings of the harte a man vntyes himselfe from himselfe as from some broken reede and euer goes resting vpon God and confiding in him according vnto that of the Prophett Daniel Neque enim in iustificationibus nostris prosternimus preces ante faciem tuam sed in miserationibus tuis multis Not confiding in our selues nor in any meritts or good worke of ours doe we presume to lift vp our eyes to thee O Lord and to begg fauour at thy hands but by putting our confidence in thy greate mercy Of the second degree of Humilitie and heer it is declared wherein this degree consists CHAPTER XIII THe second degree of Humilitie saith S. Bonà uenture is when a man desires to be held by others in small accounte Amâ— nesciri pro nihilo reputari Desire to be vnknowne and disesteemed and that noe body may haue you in accounte If we were well grounded in the first degree of Humilitie we should already haue made most of our way towards the second If really we esteemed our selues little it would not seeme very hard to vs that others should alsoe esteeme little of vs yea and we would be glad thereof Will you see that this is true saith S. Bonauenture All men are naturally glad when others conforme them selues to our opinion and thinke the same that we thinke Well then if this be soe why are we not glad when others haue vs in small account Doe you know why Because we esteeme highly of our selues and we are not of their opinion S. Bonauenture vpon these words of Iob Peccaui vere deliqui vt eram dignus non recepi saith Many with their tongues speake ill of them selues and say that they are this that but they beleeue not what they say for when others say the same yea and lesse then that tâ—â—y cannot indure it And these men when they speake ill of them selues say it
his temptations but was euen sett on fire by them and was sometymes in danger to fall and to leaue the institute of a Moncke Being then in this trouble the holy Abbott Isidorus came to him and told him on the parte of God that for that tyme forweard his temptations should cease in the name of IESVS CHRIST our Lord and soe they did and neuer sett vpon him more And the Saint by way of declaring the cause adds this that till then God had not giuen compleat victory to Abbot Moyses least he should haue growne vaine and proud as conceiuing that he had conquered by his owne strength and therefore that God had till then permitted it for his greater good Moyses had not yet obtayned the guift of distrusting himselfe and now to the end that he might obtaine it and not grow proud by confiding in himselfe God left him soe longe a tyme and he obteyned not by soe many and soe great indeauours the compleate victory ouer this passion which others by diligence had obteyned The like did Palladius relate to haue hapned to the Abbot Pacon for euen whilst he was seauenty yeares old he was very much molested by vncleane temptations and he saith that the other affirmed it to him with an oath that after he was fiftie yeares old the combat had bene soe vsuall and soe very fearce as that there had not passed either one day or night in all that tyme wherein he had not bene tempted to that sinne Hee did very extraord nary things to free himselfe from theis temptations but they did not serue the turne And lamenting one day and euen halfe fearing that our lord had forsaken him he heard a voice which interiourly said thus to him know that the cause why god hath permitted this sharpe assault to be made against thee that beene to the end that thou mightst know thine owne pouertie and miserie and the little or nothing which thou hast of thy selfe and therefore see that thou humble thy selfe heereafter and conside not in thy selfe at all but in all things haue recourse for helpe to me And he saith that he was soe comforted by this instruction that he neuer felt that temptation againe In fine the will of our Lord is that we put all our confidence in him and that we distrust our selues with all our owne diligences and meanes This is the doctrine not onely of Saint Augustine Cassian and those antient Fathers but of the holy Ghost himselfe and that in those very termes whereby we haue expressed it heere The wise man in the booke of wisedome setts expresly downe both the Theory and the practise of this pointe in theis words Et vt sciui quoniam aliter non possem esse continens nisi deus det hoc ipsum erat sapientia scire cuius esset hoc donum adij Dominum deprecatus sum illum ex totis precordijs meis When I know saith Salomon that I could not be continent but by the spirituall guift of God Now Continent is heere the generall word which embraces not onely the conteyning or restrayning that passion which is against Chastitie but all the other passions alsoe which rebell against reason And that other place also of Ecclesiasticus Omnis autem ponderatio digna est continentis animae No weight of gold is able to goe in ballance with a continent sowle No pretious thinge is soe much worth as the person who is continent Hee meanes that kinde of man who intirely containes all his affects and appetites that they may not passe beyond the bounds of reason And now saith Salomon knowing that I could not containe theis passions and powers both of my body and sowle within the moderation of vertue and truth without the especiall guift of God but that sometymes they would exceede the knowledge whereof is a high pointe of wisedome I had recourse to our lord and begged this guift of him with my whole hart Soe that in fine this is the onely meanes whereby a man may become continent and may be able to continue continent to restraine and gouerne our passions and binde them to the good behauiour and to obtaine victory ouer all temptations and the perfection of all vertues And soe the Prophet vnderstood it rightly when he said Nisi Dominus aedificauerit Domum in vanum laborauerunt qui adificant eam Vnlesse our lord build the howse he labours in vaine who desires to build it Nisi Dominus custodierit Ciuitatem frustra vigilat qui custodit eam If our lord doe not guard the Cittie he labours in vaine who seekes to guarde it It is he who must giue vs all good things and when he hath giuen them must conserue them to vs or els all our labour will be lost That Humilitie is not contrary to Magnanimity but rather that it is the foundation and cause Thereof CHAPTER XXXVI SAint Thomas treating of the vertue of Magnanimitie makes this question On the one side the Saints say yea and the holy Scripture alsoe saith that Humilitie is very necessary for vs and with all that Magnanimitie is alsoe necessary especially for such as exercise high ministeries and liue in high place Now theis two vertues seeme to bee contrary in them selues because Magnanimitie is a greatenes of minde to attempt and enterprise greate and excellent things which in them selues may be worthie of honour and both the one and the other seeme to be contrary to Humilitie For as for the first which is to enterprise greaâ—e things this seemes not to sute well with this vertue because one of the degrees of Humilitie which the Saints assigne is Ad omnia indignum inutilem se confiteri credere To confesse and hould himselfe vnworthie and vnprofitable for all things and now for a man to attempt that for which hee is not fitt seemes to be presumption and pride And as for the second pointe which is to enterprise things of honor it seemes alsoe to be contrary because the true humble man must be very farre from desiring honour estimation To this Saint Thomas answeres very well and sayes that although in apparance and by the exteriour sound of the words theis two vertues may seeme to be contrary betweene themselues yet in effect and truth one vertue cannot be contrary to another in particular he saith coÌ„cerning theis two vertues of Humility and Magnanimâ—ty that if wee will attentiuely cast our eyes vpon the truth and substance of the thing we shall not onely finde that they are not contrarie but that they are direct Sisters and depend much vpon one another And this he declares very well because as for the first which is to enterprise and attempt great things which is proper to the magnanimous person it is not onely contrary to the humble man but rather is very proper to him and he who is the one may well do the other If confiding in our owne diligence and strength wee should vndertake great
and senced by humilitie both in the beginning in the middle and in the end thereof for if we be negligent neuer soe little and suffer vaine complacence to enter in the winde of pride carries all away And it will helpe vs little that the worke in it selfe be very good nay rather in good works wee haue most cause to feare the vice of vaineglorie and pride Vitia quippe caesera in peccaus superbia vera etiam in vectè factis timenda est ne ilia quae laudabiliter facta sunt ipsius laudis cupiditate amittantur For other vices haue relation to sinns and wicked obiects as Enuy Luxuriousnes and Wrath which carry a kinde of ill superscription vpon them to the end that wee may take heede thereof whereas pride is euer treading as it were vpon the heeles of good workes that soe it may destroy them Superbia bonis operibus insidiatur vt pereant A man went prosperously sayling with his hart raysed vp towards heauen because at the beginning of the action he had addressed it to the glory of God and behould when suddenly there comes a winde of vanitie and casts him vpon a rocke by procuringe to make him desire to please men and to be celebrated and esteemed by them taking some vaine contentment therein and therewith the whole busines sincks And soe both S. Gregory and S. Bernard say very well Qui sine humilitate vertutes congregat quasi in ventum puluerem portat Hee whoe assembles any other vertues without humilitie is like a man whoe carries a little dust or ashes against the winde in which case the same winde will be sure to scatter and carry it all away That Humilitie is the foundation of all vertue CHAPTER II. SAinct Cyprian saith Humilitas est sanctitatis fundamentum S. Hierome Prima virtus Christianorum est humilitas S. Bernard Humilitas est fundamentum custosque virtutum They all say that humilitie is the foundation of sanctitie and of all vertue And S. Gregory in one place calls it the mistris and mother of all vertue and he saith alsoe in another place that it is the Roote and very of springe of vertue This metaphor and comparison of the Roote is very proper and doth very well declare the properties and conditions of humilitie For first S. Gregory saith that as the roote sustaines and supports the flower and when the Roote is pluckt vp the flower doth instantly dry and wither soe euery vertue whatsoeuer is instantly lost if it perseuer not in the Roote of Humilitie But as the Roote which lyes vnder ground and is trampled and troden vpon hath noe beautie or odour in it and yet the tree receiues life from thence iust soe the humble man is buried and disesteemed and disgraced and seemes to carry noe lustre nor brightnes in himselfe but is cast a side into a corner and forgotten and yet this very thing is that which conserues him and makes him thriue But with all as to the end that the tree may be able to growe and continue and beare much fruite it is necessarie that the roote lye deepe and how much the more deepe it is and more couered with earth soe much more fruite will the tree yeild and soe much the longer will it contineue according to that of the Prophet Esay Miâ—eâ— radicem deorsum faciet fructum sursum it shall send the roote downeward and make the fruite growe vpward soe the fructifying of a soule in all vertue and the conseruing it selfe therein consists in laying a lowe roote of Humilitie Howe much the more humble you are soe much the more will you profitt and growe in vertue and perfection To conclude as pride is the beginning and roote of all synne according to that of the wise man Initium omnis peccati est superbia soe the Saints declare that Humilitie is the foundation and roote of all vertue But some man will say perhaps how caÌ„ you affirme that Humilitie is the foundation of all vertue and of all spirituall building when commonly wee are taught by spirituall men that faith is the foundation according to that of S. Paule Fundamentum enim aliud nemo potest ponere praeter id quod positum est Christus Iesus To this S. Thomas answears very well Two things are necessary for the well founding of à howse first it is necessarie to open the ground vell and cast out all that wich is loose till at length you arrive to that vhich is firme that soe you may builld afterwand vpoÌ„ it aÌ„d vheÌ„ this is done you beginne to lay the first stone which with the rest then laid is the principall foundatioÌ„ of the building After this manner saith S. Thomas doe Humilitie and faith behaue them selues one towards another in the spirituall building of vertue Humilitie is that which opens the soyle and the office thereof is to digge deepe into the earth to cast out all that which is loose which signifies the weakenes of mans force Soe that you must not lay your foundation vpon your owne strength for all this is noe better then said all this is to be cast out distrusting your selues and still you must be digging on till you come to the firme stone and the liuinge rocke which is Christ our Lord. Petra autem erat Christus This indeede is the principall foundation but yet not with standing because for the setling of this foundation there is neede alsoe of that other humilitie is alsoe called a foundation And soe hee whoe by meanes of humilitie will open the soyle well and digge deepe into the knowledge of himselfe and cast out all the saind of his owne esteemation and confidence in himselfe will arriue to that true foundation which is Christ our Lord and this man will raise a good building which will not be driuen downe though the windes blowe and the waters beate because it is founded vpon the firme rocke But on the other side if hee build without humilitie the buildinge will instantly sincke downe because it is founded vpon saind They are not true vertues but apparant onely and false which are not founded vpon Humilitie And soe S. Augustine saith that in those Romans and antient Philosophers there was noe true vertue not onely because they wanted Charitie which is the forme and giues life and being to all vertue and without which there is noe true and perfect vertue but besides because they wanted alsoe the foundation of humilitie and in their Fortitude Temperance and Iustice they desired to bee esteemed and to be talked of when they were dead and soe their vertues were but certaine empty things and without substance and indeede they were but shadowes or shewes of vertue And soe as they were not perfect and true but onely apparant the Saint saith that God rewarded the Romans for them with temporall blessings of this life which are alsoe blessings but of apparence If therefore you meane to build vp true vertue in your soules procure
they should be like God since they could not become like him in the pointe of his diuinitie they endeauoured to make him like them in the pointe of their sinne soe they made it greater by defending it then they had done by comitting it And now as being Children of such parents and in fine as being men we still remaine with this infirmitie and with this defect and ill custome and when we are reproued for any fault we instantly haue a minde to couer it with an excuse as vnder bowes and leaues yea and some tymes a man is not content to excuse himselfe but he must needes be casting the fault vpon others A Saint compares such as excuse themselues to the hedge-hogge which when it perceiues that they goe about to take her shee shrinks in her head and feete with extreame speede and remaines as a bowle being circled on euery side as it were with thornes soe that a man cannot touch her without pricking himselfe first Vt prius videas sanguinem tuum quam corpus suū Soe that you shall sooner see your owne blood then her body In this manner saith the S. be they whoe are wont to excuse themselues for if you wil but thouch them by telling them the faults which they made they instantly defend themselues like the hedgehog and some tymes they pricke and gaule you and giue you also to vnderstand that you as wel deserue reproofe At other tymes they will be telling you that there is a Rule which forbids one to finde faulte with another and at others that there be some whoe make greater faults which yet men are content to dissemble and in fine doe but touch the hedgehogge and you shall see whether he will pricke you or noe All this busines growes from our great pride whoe would not haue our faults knowne nor be held for defectiue and it troubles vs more that they be vnderstood and for the estimation which wee thinke vee loose thereby them for hauing committed them and soe we procure to conceile and hide them the most we can Nay there are some soe vnmortified in this kinde that euen before you say any thing they preuent you and excuse themselues and giue reasons for that which they thinke you may obiect and they say If I did this it was for this reason and if I did that it was for that and the like But whoe in the meane tyme pricks you now that you must skipp soe high The goade of pride it is which you carry soe deepely rooted in your harts This is that which pricks you and which makes you leape euen before your tyme. It will therefore be well done by him whoe findes this old and ill custome in himselfe to examine himselfe particularly thereof till at length he may come to parte with all desire of couering his faults but rather since he committed them lett him be gladd to be held faulty in recompence and satisfaction thereof Yea and though you haue made noe faulte and yet they reprehend you as if you had yet doe not you excuse your selues For when the Superiour shall haue a minde to know the cause or reason which you had for doeing it he can aske you the question and perhapps he knowes it already and desires but to make tryall of your Humilitie and to see in what manner you take the admonition and reprehension which he giues The fifth is alsoe very good for a man to examine himselfe vpon namely the restrayning and cutting of all thoughts of pride A man is soe proud and vaine that many idle and presūptious thoughts will be rushing in vpon him and he will imagine himselfe to be in some high office and performing of some great function Already you fancy your selues to be preaching in the places where you were borne with great allowance likinge and you imagine that you produce great fruite Already doe you conceiue that you are reading or disputinge against such Conclusions with great applause of the hearers and such things as theis All this growes from our great pride which lyes spronting and breakinge out into theis thoughts And therefore it will be very well done to make a particular examination vpon the clipping and cutting of theis thoughts which are soe haughtie and vaine And soe will it be fitt so to stopp instantly to cutt off all impure thoughts and rash iudgments or any other vice whereby we may finde our selues to be molested The sixt pointe shall be to carry a particuler examination vpon your selues whether you esteeme of all men as your Superiours according to what our Rule saith Namely that we must animate our selues towards Humility by procuring and desiring to giue the aduātage to others esteeminge them all from our very soules as if they were our Superiours and exteriourly bearing them that respect and reuerence which the condition or state of euery one of them shall beare with plainenes and Religious simplicitie of hart and this is alsoe taken from the Apostle And how soeuer there is to be a difference amongst men according to the distinction of their persons and states yet for as much as may concerne the interiour and true Humilitie of our sowles our Fathers will is that as this Society was called by him the least of all other religious Orders soe euery member thereof must hould himselfe for the least of them all and must hould them all for his Superiours and betters This shall therefore be a very good and profitable examination but yet soe as that it be not onely speculatiue but that in the exercise and practise thereof we procure to carry our selues soe towards all with such Humilitie and respect as if they were indeede our Superiours For if you esteeme that other man as your Superiour you will not be talking to him with such libertie and harshnes and much lesse in words which may mortifie and offend him nor will you soe easily passe your iudgment rashly vpon him nor be disgusted that he should treate you or speake to you in this or that manner And so you are to sett downe and note all theis things for faults when you examine your selfe there vpon The seauenth thing whereof we may particularly examine our selues vpon this subiect is vhether we make good vse of all those occasions which offer themselues towards the getting of Humilitie Are you wont to be troubled when another speakes some little word to you which you would not heare or when they commaunde you any things in to resolute and imperious manner or when you thinke they make not soe much accounte of you as of others Examine your selues whether you make good vse of theis as alsoe those other occasiōs which some tymes present thēselues redounding to your disestimation This is one of the most proper and most profitable examinations which wee can vse towards the obteyning of the vertue of Humilitie For besides that we shall thus goe prouiding our selues for all those things which may