lorde / to kepe theÌ„ with disdeyne / rude maner / hasty / careles boldnes / onely of custome wtout deuocion / as they were done onely for det / duety / for the bondage of the religion rather thaÌ„ for the increace of grace vertue For the pleasure or praise of outwarde ê‘sones rather than for any inwarde affection of herte and mynde And rather sometyme for the seruile drede of peyne / rebuke correction thaÌ„ for the honoure loue of god For very vnfeyned loue doth worke all thynges with care diligence / glad mynde good wyll if religious ê‘sones wolde take hede well remeÌ„bre with howe great honoure reuereÌ„ce / with howe great care drede / with howe great thought diligence / howe great laboure peyne that people of the worlde done kepe theyr obseruauÌ„ces ceremonies vnto the priÌ„ces great states that ben theyr souereynes maisters / in curtesy / knelynge / waytynge / standynge vp right wtout sittynge or leinynge bare heded bare haÌ„ded in hete colde / with many other ceremonies that ben labourious peynfull they shulde oftymes be sore abasshed ryght sore ashamed of theÌ„ selfe / in doyng theyr duety obseruauÌ„ces vnto our lorde god vnto theyr souerynes / that done beare vse his rowme place so dully so negligeÌ„tly / as oftymes it is done Our lorde god most swete sauiour Iesu gyue vs al grace to note these thingê wel / iÌ„ effect to folowe the best Amen And thus an ende of this fyrst parte of our similitude / that is to say the wykers that done bynde kepe fast the hopes of our vessell by the whiche wykers the sayd ceremonies of religion coÌ„teyned in the constitucions or statutes ben signified ¶ The seconde parte of this poore wercke whiche is of the rules of religion / concluded shortely in one Chapitre alone WE ben lothe to put the reders vnto labour / in tournyng agayne to haue redely the remeÌ„braunce of our ê“ces / therfore we done the oftener set it forth where we dyd assimule lyken the lyfe of ê‘fection vnto a holsome wyne coÌ„teined in a Tonne or Pype whiche coÌ„munely is made of bordes / those bordes bouÌ„de with hopes / the same hopes fastened with smale wykers / so that if the wikers breake our louce the hopes sterte of / all goth to waste So say we is it by the lyfe of ê‘fection / coÌ„teyned iÌ„ religion / religion by the vowes / the vowes by the rules / the rules by the ceremonies / wherof nowe haue we intreated for the fyrste parte / whiche ceremonies as we sayd ben sygnified by the wykers Nowe must folowe in this seconde parte of the hopes of our vessell / wherby we done meane vnderstaÌ„de the rules of euery religion / wherof after the order of our enterpryse institucioÌ„ we shulde nowe here intreate But bycause we done wryte priÌ„cipally vnto the disciples of our rule whiche is the rule of saynt Augustyne / whiche rule after our poore wyll vnderstaÌ„dynge we haue translated out of Latine into Englysshe settyng forth the texte fyrst iÌ„ Latine after in Englysshe And somewhat wryten shewed our poore mynde vpoÌ„ the same in declaracion of the letter And also we haue ioyned there vnto of our owne traÌ„slacioÌ„ also the ê“fitable exposicioÌ„ of the great clerke a reuerent father of the same rule a holy sait caled Hughe de saÌ„cto Victore For this cause I say we haue here nowe in this seconde parte very lytell to do / natwithhstaÌ„dyng yet shal I somewhat shewe of my poore mynde vnder the fourme of couÌ„saile / which is this I thynke it very ê“fitable moche expedieÌ„t for al such ê‘sones as by the grace electioÌ„ of our lord ben moued or stered iÌ„ soule or minde vnto religion that fyrste after the due examinacioÌ„ ê“fe of theyr calynge they appoint theÌ„ selfe vpon some certeyn auteÌ„tyke religioÌ„ And yet keping theÌ„ selfe fre at liberty of any vowe or ê“mise they make diligeÌ„t meanes to se and knowe the rule of the same religion and to haue sufficient vnderstaÌ„dyng therof other by study or by informacion For as we haue written in our prologe vpon the said rule I haue knowen diuerse ê‘sones both men women of diuerse monasteries that were professed yeres byfore they knewe or yet herde tell of any rule / but only the terme in generall saynt Augustynes rule / or saint Benettes rule / and yet ouer that some ê‘sones coulde nat tell of what rule they were nor whether they kepte any auteÌ„tike rule or nat / they thought supposed sufficieÌ„t for them that they were ê“fessed as the company was where they were / to lyue after the custome of the place / whiche custome in very dede was ferre froÌ„ any rule / yet had they in theyr ê“fession ê“mised to obserue kepe a certeyne rule / there vpon receyued the holy sacrament The fyrst poynt thaÌ„ for suche ê‘sones as wold after due maner be good and godly religious persones is to knowe vnderstande the rule byfore they labour in any place for the religion And for the cause we toke the poore laboure to translate the rule of saynt Augustyne to set forthe declaracioÌ„ there vpoÌ„ in the Englysshe tonge / that no ê‘sones wyllynge to be of the rule shulde iustly make excuse by ignorauÌ„ce and defaulte of knowlege of the same And so in lyke maner of the other rules / of the coÌ„stitucioÌ„s of the order / which knowen well by due vnderstandynge ê‘ceyued I wolde aduyse the ê‘sones to ê“ue theÌ„ selfe in the fâ—me / whether they be able in bodely strengthe diete / to coÌ„tinue the laboures of the religioÌ„ / whether in lernyng as syngyng / reding / other abilitê they may ê‘forme the duetê of the same For as afteÌ„ we haue said euery good vertuous ê‘son is nat mete to be a good religious persone / profe therfore is good before the habite be receyued For after the ê‘sone be admitted a yere of profe is by the lawe appoynted For whan the profession is perfourmed and solempnized / than is nat due tyme to study for the knowelege of the duete / but rather with care / diligence / and good awayte / to perfourme and kepe the promyse A wyse man sayth Antea quam incipias consulto Salustius et postquam consulueris mature opus est facto Before thou begynne any sad matter it is good and coÌ„uenient to haue good couÌ„sayle And after that thou depely throughly haste counsayled and taken good aduisement / thaÌ„ maiste thou boldely go forthe with thy purpose / and perfourme the same And yet let no deuoute religious persone thynke it ynoughe to perfourme and barely to kepe the letter of the rule / but rather with all due reuerence / deuocion / and feruent desyre of herte to attayne vnto the
¶ Here begynneth the boke called the Pype / or Tonne / of the lyfe of perfection The reason or cause wherof dothe playnely appere in the processe ¶ Vnto the deuoute readers THis worke was wrytten yeres ago And nowe thought necessarye to be sende forth bycause of these newe tangle persones / whiche in dede ben heretykes / all though they wyll nat so be called / that done write newe oppinions / and do nat onely depraue all religions that commenly ben called by that name religion But also done corrupt the high religion of all religions The newe testament of Christe / agayne whome they fare Here is somwhat spoken in our commune tonge / that all you may knowe all their false and subtyll deceites / and the rather beware of them I beseche you applie all vnto the best / and I most mekely do submitte my selfe vnto charitable correction And that is the veray and only cause as oft we haue shewed that we done sette forth our name The olde wreched brother of Syon / Richarde Whytforde ¶ A worke of the thre vowes of religion / contrary vnto the great Heretikes Lutheranes / moche profitable vnto religious persones gathered by a brother of Syon / Rycharde Whytforde ¶ The preface ¶ In our lorde god / and most swete sauiour Iesu salutacion GOod deuout religious doughter you haue often and instantly required me / to write vnto you / vnto your systers / some good lesson of religion And yet you knowe well / I am but as a nouisse in religyon my selfe more mete to lerne / then to teche religion And to saye trothe moche vnworthy to speke of good religion Nat withstandynge / trustynge in the grace / helpe of our lorde by your holy prayers I shall accordinge vnto my poore abilite inforce / gyue diligence somwhat to satisfie your deuoute mynde / religious desyre Wherfore call vnto your remembraunce the similitude / lykenes / or example / that I haue made vnto you / diuers of your systers nat without the authorite of holy doctours of the lyfe of parfection That is to say / that the lyfe or maner of lyuing / of perfection as in this state of our mortalitie is moche lyke vnto a pleasaunt / precious / holsome wyne / contayned / preserued / and kept in a pype or tonne Whiche vessell ben communely made of planed bordes And those bordes coÌ„passed about / and bounde fast with hopes And yet those hopes bounde and made fast with small wykers So that if the wykers by any chaunce be losed or broken the hopes forthwith / done flye or starte of The bordes than done lose / and ben deuided or departed in sondre And so dothe the wyne flowe out perisshe In lyke maner is it of the lyfe of perfection whiche is closed and kept moost surely in religion And religyon is made and standeth principally / in the .iii. euenciall vowes / obedience / wilfull pouertie / and chastitie For these thre as in maner the bordes of the sayd vessell ben the substanciall partes of religyon Whiche vowes nat withstanding ben compassed bounde to gether as the sayd vessell with the hopes with the preceptes / counsell of the holy rules other of saint Augustine / saynt Benedicte / or saynt Franciske Vel in graecis Basilij or in greke of Basilius And yet those rules ben knytte made fast to gether as the sayd hopes with the wykers with the holy seremonies of religion whiche ben contayned in the statutes / and constitucions / addicions / iniunctions And in the laudable customes of euery singuler monasterie or of the generall ordinaunces of the same religion Note well nowe the example / or similitude For as in the sayd pype whanne the small wykers ben broken or losed all the residue doth folowe fayle decaye / vnto the distruction of the wyne So in lyke maner / whan the holy cerimonies of religion ben neglected / forgoten / lost / put a waye / broken / despised / littell or nought set by Than done the rulers decaye and the vowes losed ben litle regarded or of no strength Rreligion is gone and the life of perfection clene distroyed and loste The decaye of religion in this present tyme of our age pytie to say is euident And surely the great cause / and occasion therof is the contempt / and negligeÌ„ce of the wykers the small cerimonies For you may take this for a sure trothe That person in religion that doth dispise or sette litle by the least or smallest cerimonie / shall neuer be good ne perfyte religious ê‘sone Hit doth therfore seme vnto me moost conuenient that we speke fyrste of the holy cerimonies of the religion As of the wykers / than of the rules / as of the hopes And in the thyrde place of the essencials of religion That is the .iii. vowes / obedience / wilfull pouertie / and chastitie / as of the bordes In the .iiii. place of the selfe religion As of the vessell / pype / or tonne And last in the fyfte place / of the lyfe of perfection as of the pleasaunt / precious / moost holesome wyne This shal be the ordre of our institucion and purpose in this your deuour and religyous request Nat withstandynge we haue of late / sene diuers werkes in latyn / sende out openly in prynte agayne all maner of religion For the great heretyke Luther with all his discyples done depraue / and vtterly condempne all maner of religyons / except onely as they call hit the religyon of Christe And specially to make any vowe / or promise vnto any of the sayd essencials / that is to saye / obedience / pouertie / or chastitie / accordynge vnto any of the sayd rules Wherfore I thought necessarye vnto the comfort of all suche persones as haue or done purpose or intende to entre religion somewhat after my poore vnderstanding / to speke therof And so to aunswere / that the reders may haue some reasons and trouthes redy to auoyde the perylous poyson of suche blaterers / and to gyue the lesse credence vnto their wordes 1. Cor. 15. D. For trouthe it is that the holy Apostle sayth Corrumpunt bonos more 's colloquia mala Yuell communicacion / yuell talkyng / and yuell wordes done corrupt and distroy good maners and vertues Fyrste than we shall reherce their reasons and sayenges agayne religion And than shall we make aunswere as it may please our lorde vnto the same ¶ Here endeth the preface ¶ Of the reasons of the Heretikes agayne religion And firste of their reason in generall The first chapiter HOwe deuout reders you must ymagen that the selfe heretikes done speke / for the reasons that done folowe ben their reasons / and done seme to be suerly grounded vpon scripture And by reason therof / they ben the more ieoê‘dous more subtylly done deceyue / and more perilously done poyson the simple and vnlerned soules ¶ The fyrste reason generall
is euidente in many places of bothe the testamentes And yet dyd that bonde nothynge let his libertie of wyll So in vs all thoughe the wyll of the flesshe be sometyme contrarious vnto our holy promyse / yet is the wyll of the spirite at more libertie therby as oftymes we haue shewed byfore Wherfore to make these vowes is nat as they saye a sure dampnation but rather a great and moste sure suretie of our saluacion And this vnto theyr theyrde proue ¶ Answere vnto theyr fourthe assercion and reason The .vii. Chapitre THeyr fourthe reason is that to make these vowes muste nedes be a great ieopardy and peryll of dampnacion And scripture saythe Eccle. â— D who so loueth peryll shall lyghtly fall therinto / but all religious persones done wylfully vndertake / put themselfe vnto that peryll or ieopardy / Ergo they be moste lyke to fall therin That suche enterpryse and vowe is of suche peryll ieopardy Anmonitione 15. theyr owne auctours done testifie Cesarius one of them saythe / that as religion obserued and kepte is of moste hygh merite / so neglecte brokeÌ„ and nat kepte is it of moste depe dampnation But all the worlde may se and perceyue say they that religion is nat kepte / Ergo is it as is sayd of sure or at the least great peryll and ieopardy of dampnacion To ê“ue that religion is nat kepte they done make processe agayne all .iii. vowes by order Nowe to make full aunswere / fyrste we graunte and done assente vnto theyr auctorities aswell of the wyse man as of the holy father Cesarie / that is that religion kepte is moste hyghe merite / and contrarie / nat kepte of moste depe dampnacion But yet dothe nat folowe that they done suppose / that is that the religious ê‘sones ben in more ieopardy or peryll of dampnacioÌ„ than the other persones that neuer made suche promyse / all thoughe in dede they bene worthy more peyne and punisshement if they breke theyr ê“myse / wyll you se a pleyne example hereof Example Euery kynge and prynce hathe subiectes / some coÌ„mune people / and some more nere aboute hym that bene more streytely sworne and bouÌ„de to mo secretes greatter charges / and therfore ben they more in fauoure and haue more large fees and rewardes than haue the coÌ„mune people / if than these persones so specially fauoured wolde breke theyr promyse and othe and be traytoures or otherwyse false vnto theyr souerayne good reason wolde they shulde haue more sharpe iugemente and more greuous paynes or correction / thaÌ„ the coÌ„mune people shulde haue for lyke defaulte or trespase And yet natwithstandynge they ben nat in more ieopardy and peryll of that punisshemente ne of the cause therof than bene the coÌ„ mune people that made nat so depe promyse But rather ben they in moche lesse ieopardy and peryll / bycause they haue lesse occasioÌ„ to be false and more cause to be true and faythfull So do I conclude for religion contrarie vnto them / that religious ê‘sones bene in lesse ieopardy and more out of peryll than any other persones / whiche thynge shall appere more euidentely here after But where they lay vnto our charge that we done nat kepe the rules and the promyse of our profession / if they meane vniuersaly that all done nat kepe them it is true / if they say none do kepe them that is false I can nat deney but that monasticall religion is sore dekeyde and dothe dayly so continue / I am sory therfore Shewe vs saye they one monasterie where the ê“myse of theyr professioÌ„ is perfourmed I can shewe diuerse of the reuerend father of the obseruauntes / the charterhouses / with other And I myghte saye in true conscience I haue knowen manye monasteries that haue ben noted of great negligeÌ„ce in kepynge of theyr rules / and yet iÌ„ the same places were some that alway kepte ryght well bothe theyr rule and constitutions But myne institucion and purpose here is nat to excuse the misdoers and brekers of of religion For theyr yuell dedes done ê“ue no defaulte in the state and maner of lyuynge of religion ¶ Of answere vnto theyr finall conclusion The .viii. Chapitre YEt saye they we se so many of those brekers and so fewe of the kepers / that we thinke better were to haue no suche sectes but al one rule religion of Christe Oh Iesu bone Oh good lorde / howe wyse done these persones thynke them selfe I shall nowe make vnto them a like reason In the worlde be many nacions of people / and all of the creacion of god and yet ben they of diuerse sectes / of diuerse religioÌ„s / of diuerse feithtê / byleues / as Iues sarasynes / turkes / christianes / we ben iÌ„ certeinte none shal be saued but onely christianes / and thoughe in case some of them myght be saued / yet maye we be sure none shall haue so great / and hyghe rewarde ne any of them ben so sure of saluacion as the christiane people if they kepe the lawes of Christe / the promyse and profession made in baptisme But if contrarie they done nat kepe the same they shall without doute more depely be daÌ„pned than other the Iues / sarasynes / turkes / or any other infideles ergo after these heretikes the christianes ben more in peryll and ieopardy than ben the infideles And also trouthe it is no man can deney that fewe fewe and verey fewe christianes done kepe the religion of Christe and the turkes and infideles done better kepe theyr lawes than we ours / ergo after theyr reason better were for vs to leue and forsake our christianitie / and be turkes and infideles But vnto this I byleue good deuout reders you wyl nat grauÌ„t / Ergo theyr lyke reasoÌ„ of our religioÌ„ is right nought Sythe thaÌ„ iÌ„ very trouth al thoughe nat to be sayd wtout great sorowe christianitie is greatly dekeyde / and religioÌ„ moche dekeyde it were in my mynde more myte and more conuenient for them and for all feythfull christianes to pray for bothe / to gyue studie and diligence eueryche after theyr power rather to refourme and amende bothe / than thus to blaspheme / detracte / depraue / and to speke yuell of any of them / where they saye it is agayne reason and contrarie vnto the coÌ„mune welthe / that suche persones shulde be suffred to gyue awaye / departe / and forsake theyr owne goodes / and landes / and than to lyue in slouthe and mere ydelnes vpon other folkes goodes here done they presuppose as theyr custome is a great falshede / that is that al religious persones done lyue in slouthe and ydelnes where in true trouthe no persones of this worlde bene more continually occupied in holy and moste profytable occupacions for the coÌ„mune welthe as in the legendes of the Apostles and other holy sayntes dothe openly appere And also here done they presuÌ„ptuously
chastite wtout great merite And by them that were made Eunuckes by force ben suche ê‘sones signified / as ben restreyned of theyr owne wyll and concupiscence / as yong persones that ben vnder tuicion and gouernaunce / and many other that wolde do amys if they were at libertie and power / whiche haue chastite by force / yet althoughe this chastitie be nat meritorious / yet maye it be profitable vnto the persones For it doth restreyne them from synne vnto theyr lesse payne / also by custome they shal be the lesse vexed and the furie of the flesshe / the rather quenched For the custome and vse dothe alter and chaunge nature / and dothe make in a persone in maner a newe or an other nature / and so that thinge that was vnto theyr disposicion greuouse / and paynfull shall by vse be vnto them comforte / pleasure / and ioy in conscience for it shal ministre vnto the soule vertue / and good maners And vnto the name or fame / honoure / and prayse And vnto the body puritie / clennes / and honeste That is than a fortunate and happy force that doth cause so great profyte and goodnes The thyrde sorte of Eunukes that as our sauiour sayd dyd wylfully depriue them selfe of al possibilite vnto the acte of generacion doth signifie suche persoÌ„s as done wylfully bynde them selfe vnto chastite by vowe and promyse / and specially iÌ„ religion where they do nat onely auoyde occasions / but also vtterly depriue them selfe of all possibilitie vnto the contrarie / if they kepe theyr rules and ordinaunces Here some persones wyll say that by this sentence all religious persones shulde be inclosed or els be they nat depriued of all possibilite as the Eunukes bene 〈…〉 Vnto this I saye they muste remembre what were my laste wordes byfore If they kepe sayd I theyr rules and ordinaunces For by the rule and ordinaunce of euery religion euery religious persone shulde be close / and sure kepte from all possibilitie vnto that myschefe For as we haue shewed in our exposition vpon saynt Augustynes rule and also as we shall more playnly shewe in the thyrde parte of this werke no religious persone may any tyme be alone iÌ„ any place / with the contrarie sexe / that is to saye male and female / sole or alone For as we there done proue no religious persone maye lawfully go out of theyr clausure vnto any other place or coÌ„pany but onely for a cause reasonable and necessarie / and yet nat so alone but alwaye accompanied with suche persones / as the souereyne doth assigne Nor yet shulde no seculer persone entre or come within the clausure of any monasterie but vnder the same fourme / and neuer to be alone with any of the couent Thus therfore done we coÌ„clude that euery religious persone is an Eunuke Euangelicall And so dothe folowe that to entre religion / to flee auoyde the occasions of the synnes of the flesshe the worlde / and the dyuyll / is nat vnlawfull but rather good and meritorious ¶ Of suche persones as done entre religion nat of theyr owne mynde / or desyre there vnto / but onely put or aplied there vnto by the auctorite / or mocion of theyr parentes or frendes The .xvii. Chapitre DIuerse ê‘sones haue diuerse tymes axed my mynde and iugemente of suche persones as bone entre into religion / in youthe vnder the yeres of discrecion applied / and put there vnto by theyr parentes or frendes / and lykewyse of ydeotes that haue nat the full vse of reason Vnto this thynge the auctorite and the actes of holy fathers done gyue aunswere For many holy sayntes / and religious fathers haue receyued chyldren into theyr habyte / and theyr rules And I suppose they dyd nat so without auctorite For that the parentes may promyse / and appoynt theyr chyldren vnto religion within age 1. Reg. 1. and also byfore they ben bourne or yet gotten doth appere iÌ„ scripture / as of Samuel / our blessed lady / and other And our lorde hathe also shewed vnto the parentes by his holy Angelles / byfore the byrthe of theyr chyldren / that they shulde be religious / as of Sampson Iudic. 13. Luce. i. And of saint IohaÌ„ baptiste And our sauiour dyd nat dysdaine the coÌ„pany of chyldren / but rather he semed to be well content with them and coÌ„maunded that his disciples shuld nat prohibite or let / ne forbede the chyldren to come vnto his presence / he also cured many chyldren / and receyued thankfully the laude prayse of infauÌ„tes And he sayd that no persone shulde entre into the kyngdome of heuen but suche as were lyke vnto smale chyldren And trouthe it is that in chyldhode a persone maye be more lyghtely framed vnto vertue / and broken in good maners than in forther age For the potte or vessell saythe the Poete / dothe continually sauoure or smell of that thynge Oratius thynge wherwith it was seasoned in the begynnyng And certeynly the beste and moste ê‘fecte educacion or bryngynge vp of youthe vnto vertue good maners is in religion Sythe than after an other lerned man Educacio et doctrina efficiunt mores The educacion and bryngynge vp of a persone / and the doctrine / teachynge / and lerninge of the same doth fourme and make the maners and condicions there after And syth therw t as is sayd the best bryngynge vp is in the monasteries amonge religious ê‘sones it semeth vnto me that chyldren may conuenientely be receyued into religion And specially sythe that by the lawe and ordynaunce of the churche / they must be of age sufficient and of discrecion / byfore they be bounde and make profession vnto any religion But yet haue I herde of some persone that haue entred in to religion in youthe / and yet after theyr ê“fession made in the due and lawfull tyme haue nat withstandinge for thought theyr enterprise / haue cursed theyr parentes and frendes that brought theÌ„ there vnto Here vnto muste I say that so done we knowe of them that in sad yeres and with great lernynge and semynge vertue and perfection / haue entred religion and lyued therin full vertuously / and haue done moche good in the churche of Christe and ryght well haue edefied the people and yet nowe ben apostatas and open heretikes Syr wyll some persones say these persones haue good knowelege of them selfe / and had byfore theyr entre but the other had nat so / it semeth therfore they may rather be excused than the other Certeynly nother may be excused / but whan the profession and promyse is made / it muste nede and without remedy be kepte For the scripture saythe Deut. 23. Si nolueris polliceri absque peccato eris c. If thou wylt make no promyse thou mayst so do without synne / but that promyse that hath passed thy lyppes / that thou hast spoken with thy mouthe muste thou nedely obserue
of Iacob / that in rydynge towarde her mariage ware clothes for her coÌ„modite and ease / but as sone as she sawe the honorable persone of Isaacke and knewe by informacion that he was her spouse vnto whome she shulde be maried / she lyght downe and couered her selfe saythe the scripture with a pall / or mantell / a garment of honoure and honesty Gene. 24. Our lorde god hymselfe / put difference of clothynge and araye bytwene the spirituall parte of his people of Israel / whiche was the tribe of Leui. Exod. 28. And the temporall parte of the same people all the other tribes And yet whan Aaron / or any of those spiritual persones shulde do sacrifice / or ministre vnto god they dyd chaunge those coÌ„mune garmentes vnto other / ordeyned for the same ministerie Here the heretikes make obiection / saynge that the ceremonies of the olde lawe ben ceassed and ended / and of all other Obiection the ceremony specially ended by the acte of our sauiour Christ in the consecracion of his holy sacred body / whiche acte he dyd in his coÌ„mune clothes or garmeÌ„tes Answere Yet saye I therof dothe nat folowe the vniformite / of clothynge or / oraye as they requyre in vs / but rather maye we take of the gospell that the habite or garmente of the Christe was notably different from the Apostles Marci 14. E. For whan Christe was taken saynt Iohan fled saythe the gospell naked that was in his cote / and left his pall or mantel behynde hym Matth. 1â— D. And the garment of Christe was / de super contexta knytte or wouen all ouer and ouer So was it notable and yet religious and honorable So that it was nat deuided / but lot se caste therfore / moche set by And where they saye that Christe dyd consecrate in his coÌ„mune / and dayly clothes that was so for that tyme conuenient For he dyd than consecrate in a priuate and secrete maner amoÌ„ge his disciples alone / where he made his Apostles preestes / and gaue theÌ„ the same auctorite to consecrate wtout any appoyntemeÌ„t of aparell / or clothynge there vnto And so dyd they after many daies / of loÌ„ge time consecrate after the same maner priuely secretely / bycause the tyme were but fewe ê‘sones of the feythe byleue / yet had they many enemies But afterwarde whaÌ„ they had goten / gadred moche people thaÌ„ dyd they coÌ„secrate in open maner / dyd ordeyn make preestê / diacons / other ministres / with vestimentes clothynge therto accordynge And yet no man dothe say that any clothynge is so necessary vnto the coÌ„secracioÌ„ that no preestê may coÌ„secrate wtout suche clothes For if a pÌ„ste duely ordred / wolde pÌ„sume or els by ignorance dyd say masse / consecrate in any maner of clothes / yet shulde he verely coÌ„secrate the very sacrameÌ„te of the aulter / natwithstaÌ„dyng that he shulde therin by disobedience vnto the churche greuously offende Furthermore also / the sacrameÌ„t that Christe hym selfe dyd than coÌ„secrate was nat the full sacrifice final oblacion for the redempcion of maÌ„ / but a memoriall for euer to endure of that sacrifice / and oblacion / that was that tyme to come / that afterwarde was ê‘fourmed fully accompleshed fulfylled offred vp vpon the aulter of the crosse by the deth resurrexion of our sauioure for the redeÌ„pcion of all mankynde / whiche complete and hole sacrifice is nowe dayly represented iÌ„ the masse / by the consecracion and oblacion of the holy sacrament / wherfore if they wolde as they do contende and holde that we shulde folowe our sauiour as well in all his maner of sacrifice / as in vesture araye / we muste thaÌ„ be all naked vpon a crosse / whan so euer we shulde consecrate You may se therfore what wyse reasons these men done make / and of what strengthe yet here done they saye Obiection Syr althoughe there be moche variety and difference in the clothynge or araye of the seculer persones yet thynke we it were moche conuenient that all religious persones that done ê“fesse the same vowes shulde accordynge vnto the sexe or kynde be of one and lyke habite ¶ Of reason why in religion / diuerse orders haue diuerse habites The .xxiiii. Chapitre Answere THese heretikes done take for inconuenience that religious persones accordynge vnto theyr orders ben diuerse in habite and yet shewe they no reasoÌ„ therof / but that bycause they done ê“fesse the same thynges / that is the vowes caled / esseÌ„cials It were conuenieÌ„t they saye they shulde be of one and lyke habite And I saye that by that reason it were conuenieÌ„t that all christianes shulde be of one and lyke habite For they ben all of one essenciall profession / and that se they well is nat so / and yet accounte they none inconuenience therin / we shall natwithstandynge shewe it is none inconuenience but rather of good and conuenient reason / that the habite be accordynge vnto the order different where vnto moche maye auayle to remembre that byfore we haue shewed of the effectes and causes of garmentes / that is to saye necessite / coÌ„modite / and conueniency For as vnto curiosite we leue out of this treaty or draught Some holy fathers of religion than dyd thynke and ymagyne bycause our fyrste parentes / Adam and Eue / had but one maner of habite / one garment alone / whiche dyd serue theÌ„ for all the sayd effectes / that is to say to couer the nakednes of body / to garde and defende them frome the noyance of weders were content to deuise and ordeyne an habite of the same maner / that shulde be also coÌ„modious and profitable / comely and honest / and of smale price without curious coloures / as nature brought forthe So done the reuerente fathers of the obseruauntes after the institucion of theyr patrone saynt Franciske And so done diuerse other orders Some other fathers / consideryng they had red in scripture of certeyne persones / that for great sorowe and for penauÌ„ce to be done for theyr synnes dyd for the tyme vse and were garmeÌ„tes therafter harde / rough / and sharpe And some for the deth of theyr frendes and other chaunces dyd were garmeÌ„tes of mournyng as yet ben vsed in these dayes / caled mournynge clothes 2. Re. 12. Ionas 3. As of kynge Dauid for the sekenes of his chylde And of the Niniuites that ware sackes and heere / and dyd caste asshes dust vpon theyr hedes and bodes For these or lyke occasions some holy fathers accountynge them selfe as perpetual mourners and persones of perpetuall penaunce dyd deuise theyr garmentê and habite there after / as the fathers of saynt Benettes order and other Some other holy fathers consyderynge that maner of habite or garment by the example of holy scripture was conuenieÌ„t by significacion for some degrees of ê‘sones dyd ordeyne for theyr disciples habite
wherfore they conclude / there shulde be no suche obedience vnto any spirituall persones For they saye there bene no spirituall persones but onely the seruauÌ„tes of the dyuell Answere For the dyuell say they is a spirite suche as done call theÌ„ selfe spirituall persones ben of his flocke and housholde Nowe muste we answere vnto these thynges althoughe by digression I praye you of pacience / whiche surely I can nat well take towarde them For without feile / I haue great merueyle of theyr madnes and of theyr presumptuous falshede And specially the merueylous malice they haue agayne the churche catholyke / and also of the crafty labourê / and wyly wayes they take with ferueÌ„t study to deceyue the symple and vnlerned people They done flater the seculer prynces exalte theyr power bycause they shulde defende them and theyr heresy And yet in the meane tyme they make them no better than hethen houndes For they done compare the Christiane princes / vnto hethen prynces / that by moste cruell tyranny dyd persecute and destroye the ryght feythe / yet saye they saynt Paule dyd coÌ„maunde his disciples to be vnto these prynces obediente / trouthe saye I in all theyr lawes that were nat contrarie vnto the feythe of Christe / whyle they were vnder theyr tyranny and lordshippe / so bene nowe many good christianes vnder the Turke / vnto whose lawes they may shulde be obedient whyle they lyue vnder hym in all as I sayd that ben nat contrarie vnto the feythe of Christe And so dyd Christe hym selfe pay the tribute vnto the Emperour nat of any duete as ryght but as vnder theyr rule dominacion Syr say they So may euery christiane prynce more reasonably take of his subiectes obedience This saye I is the laude they gyue vnto theyr prynces / they wolde I say make them tyrannes as the hethen houndes ben And bycause Christ wolde wylfully suffer tyranny and wronge both in his goodes and body for the loue of man / bycause that his Apostles and many other holy men dyd in lyke maner suffer for his loue therfore wolde they it shulde be lawfull for christiane prynces to do as the hethen houndes dyd Saynt Paule made appellacion vnto the Emperoure whan he was vniustly vexed vnder the power of them that were subiectes vnto the Emperour and hethen as he was But where done they rede that saynt Paule or any of the Apostles dyd appele from any christiane power vnto a nother 1. Cor. 6. A. Saynt Paule was discoÌ„tent with his disciples bycause that in theyr seculer causes they wolde sue and pleade byfore the hethen iuges / and that rather they wolde nat amonge them selfe chose certeyne persones to be iudges in suche causes / and those iuges shulde be of the moste vyle presones amonge them For those he thought good ynoughe to meddell with seculer causes / let all the heretikes shewe if euer any of the Apostles or any of theyr disciples in the fyrst begynnynge of the churche were subiecte and vnder the obedience of any christiane prynces But contrarie they shal fynde that kynges as sone as they were conuerted to Christes feythe and baptized and so christianes they forthwith left and put away theyr Dyademes and crownes Vt in legeÌ„ ad Matt. Apostoli and were subiectes vnto the clergie and vnder theyr obedience And shortely to conclude they shall fynde by the order of all scripture as well in the olde testament as in the newe that euermore the spirituall parte of the people of god had the gouernauÌ„ce and rule of the temporall parte / and the temporall parte in all thynges obedient vnto the spirituall Christe as we sayd in the fyrste parte of this werke was lorde of all his flocke / as well in temporalte as spiritualte / yet these heretikes say that Christe wolde gyue no iugement betwene two bretherne the stroue for temporaltes / but asked who made hym iuge betwene them And I saye agayne / they were none of his flocke but whan his owne flocke byganne to stryue for temporall power he toke than quyckely the Iugement in hande and satisfied the parties The Apostles after Christes AsceÌ„cion were the souereynes of al christianes and toke also requyred of them due obedience / as well in temporaltes as spiritualtes / whiche thynge dothe playnly appere in Ananie and his wyfe Saphira / that for the defraudynge and deceyt of theyr temporall goodes were iuged by saynt Peter and suffred dethe Act. 5. A. Dyd nat saint Paule committe the charge and gouernaunce of all the christianes that he had conuerted vnto Timothe / Tite / Appollo / and suche other spirituall fathers / whome he had made bysshopes / prestes / and deacons / amonge them Saynt Ignacius also / that was disciple vnto the Apostles iÌ„ his epistoles vnto the christiane people wrytteth / that they shulde nothynge do without the commaundement condicte and counsayle of the prestes / or els of the diacons that were ordened theyr gouernoures and gyders Forther than to conclude All maner of christiane prynces / Emperoures / Kynges / and suche other temporall rulers of the people done yet vnto this daye in theyr consecracions and coronacions receiue the auctorite of theyr power of the spirituall parte of Christes churche / and done make solempne othe of theyr obedience thervnto So that euermore amonge the wel ordred people of god the temporall or seculer persones haue ben bounde vnto the obedience of the spirituall persones And nat contrarie as these fals heretikes done flater the seculer prynces For the great heretyke Tyndall / wrytethe in his Englysshe boke of obedience that there is no spirituall parte in Christes churche / but the dyuels lymmes For he sayth the dyuell is a spirite / and all the spirituall parte is the flocke saythe he of the dyuell And I say thervnto that where he sayth the dyuell is a spirite he sayth trouthe / and I graunt thervnto But I saye agayne / that god is also a spirite The dyuell is any yeuell spirite / and god is the good spirite / and maker and gouernour lorde and maister of al good spirites And he create and made the dyuell a good and glorious spirite / but he as a fals apostata made hym selfe an yuell spirite / and dothe continue the lorde and maister of all apostatas / of Tyndall I saye and of his mayster Luther with all theyr disciples And our lorde god is also a spirite and a good spirite / and the gouernour and gyder of his flocke as well spirituall as temporall For our sauiour hathe made and ordered his churche lyke vnto hym selfe in the ende of the worlde as in the begynnynge he made fyrste the hole worlde of two partes / one spirituall and heueÌ„ly And the other bodely and yerthly Gene. 1. A. In principio sayth the scripture creauit deus celum et terram God in the begynnynge / hathe made heuen yerthe Heuen is the spirituall parte /
1. D. IbideÌ„ 3 A. And in a nother place he doth complayne that certeyn persones were vnto hym disobedient And yet after that / howe persones wolde be disobedient and what shulde be theyr peyne and punisshemente therfore TituÌ„ 1. C. And he coÌ„mauÌ„ded his disciple saynt Titel that he shulde sharpely correcte the inobedient persones Heb. 1. A. And vnto the Ebreuse he sayth that inobedieÌ„ce hath ben euer iustely punisshed / and therfore let nat vs byleue or truste to escape if we be disobediente Saynt Iames in his epistle doth perswade his disciples vnto due obedience Iaco. 1. C. reuoke theÌ„ froÌ„ inobedience For our lorde god sayth he doth resiste the proude disobedient persones / vnto the meke and obedient ê‘sones Iaco. 4. B. 1. Pe. 1. C. he gyueth grace And saynt Petre sayth / go forth in grace as chyldreÌ„ of obedieÌ„ce leue vtterly your fore vsed disobedience and all the malice / gyle / dissimulacion / enuy / all detractions bylongyng thervnto Ibi. 2. A. And agayne he warned the people to by ware of the ê‘sones of inobedieÌ„ce / shewyng the ieoê‘tes therof 2. Pe. 2. A. ibi B. C. D And yet agayne he sayd that euer there haue ben some false ê“phetes of disobedience / suche shuld come amoÌ„g theÌ„ / there he shewed what vengeauÌ„ce our lorde wolde take vpon theÌ„ for theyr disobedience 1. Io. 2. A. And saynt Iohan sayth / that who so euer saith he knowith god is inobedieÌ„t vnto his coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes is a false lyer and trouth is nat in that persone And agayne / Who so euer is inobedient vnto the doctrine of Christe 2. Io. B. hath no god / but is feythles And in a nother place 3. Io. C. Iude. B. he rebuketh a certen ê‘sone by name for disobedience And the holy Apostle Iude / sayth that the ê‘sones of disobedience entryng amoÌ„g the good people dyd moche hurte / and after he sheweth what veÌ„geauÌ„ce our lorde wyl take vpon the ê‘sones of disobedience IbideÌ„ E. The Appocalips ouer all Appoca doth chalenge and rebuke the persones disobedient doth shewe the peyne and punisshement therof The doctoures of the churche in lyke maner Saynt Hierome iÌ„ his epistles Iero. ti 1. sheweth of a monke caled Malchus / that for his inobedience vnto his abbote suffred great trouble and ieopardy bothe of soule and body Augustinê° de ci dei And saynt Augustyne doth allowe the iustice of a pagan or paynem caled Marcus torquatus a capitayne of the Romaynes / that put his owne sone vnto deth for disobedience / bycause that contrarie vnto his commaundemente he made batayle agayne his enemies / natwithstandyng also that he had a noble victorie / as wryteth Valerius maximus And he sayth in a certeyn place that the principall moste great yuell and mischefe of all thynges Valerius maximus suê‘ Gene. ad litteraÌ„ li. 8. Ca. 6. C. is to folowe selfe wyll / whiche is caled sayth he inobedience A certeyn persone that by saynt Benet was delyuered of a wyked spirite was by inobedience accepte and taken agayne of the same spirite And in vitas Patrum bene many exaÌ„ples of many sondry and diuerse peynes and punisshementes that haue folowed this great abominable synne of disobedience / and shewed vnto the monicion and warnyng of all christianes / specially religious persones I byseche our lorde we maye all take hede thervnto euer for the reuerent drede of hym we may auoyde and flee all occasions therof Amen And thus an ende of this fyrste membre of this thyrde parte whiche is the fyrste borde of our vessell / Toune / or Pype / the other with the helpe and grace of our lorde shall shortly folowe ¶ A worke or boke of the reuereÌ„t father noble clerke holy saynt Bernarde / named by the tytle thus De precepto et dispensatione That is to saye / of commaundement and dispensacion / whiche is to meane howe / and in what thynges / and in what fourme or maner the souereynes of religion / maye coÌ„maunde and dispense with theyr subiectes And agayne howe and wherin the subiectes shulde be obedient / which sayd worke is translate and tourned in to Englyshe by a brother of Syon Rycharde Whytforde ¶ The preface of the translatour as argument vnto the worke that foloweth Bycause good deuout readers the matter that folowethe may be vnto you the more open playne you shall vnderstande the two religous men monkes of saynt Benettê rule made instaÌ„ce meane and requeste by wrytyng of diuerse epistles vnto saynt Bernarde / to haue knowlege and exposicion or declaracion for theyr conscience of certeyne poyntes of theyr sayd rule And he to satisfie theyr deuout mynde made this boke or worke for an answere And dyd dedycate / directe / and sende forth the same worke vnto a father of religion / the abotte of Columbens / and by hym to be sende vnto hym that was abbotte souereyne vnto the sayd religious brethreÌ„ The ende of yepÌ„face ¶ Saynt Bernardes Epistle The tytle ¶ Brother Bernarde / caled abbote of Clareuall vnto the lorde abbote of Columbens / salutacion I Haue cured and gyuen diligence to sende fyrste vnto you accordynge vnto my promyse my wrytyng of answere vnto the epistles of the two bretherne moÌ„kes of Carnoteus / wherin also the other thyng that you coÌ„mauÌ„ded is fulfylled For where I had determined shortely to writte vnto theÌ„ agayne to haue rendred an epistle for answere vnto bothe theyr epistles I haue now at your request as you may se drawen my style mater in lengthe vnto the fourme of a boke or worke So that by many thynges put so in length and in more large declaracion many persones maye be the more largely edified / whiche worke whan you haue red and sene ouer Delyuer I pray you nat vnto them for whome it was made but fyrste vnto theyr abbote And after if theyr abbote so coÌ„maunde let it come vnto them / for they bene religious ê‘sones Note that nothyng may be sent forth ne receiued without licence And therfore as by the lawe and ordinaunce of theyr rule they ben prohibitte and forboden to sende forth any epistles / writynges or letters without knowlege and lycence of theyr abbotte So ben they lyke maner ê“hibite forboden any thyng to receiue For whiche cause I haue as you knowe well differred and taried the answere or in makyng answere althoughe it were moche and often requyred of them For bycause as it semed vnto me they presumed to sende theyr epistles vnto me without licence or knowlege of theyr abbote / the thing dyd nat I suspect without cause / as after I playnly perceyued and proued I gaue vnto this worke at the begynnyng as vnto the reders maye appere the name of an epistle But bycause that nowe by your coÌ„mauÌ„demente the mater hath passed the measure and coÌ„mune
be violate or defouled But where nede is sayth he forthwith vnto the vtilite ê“fitte of the churche or coÌ„gregacion let hym that hath power dispeÌ„ce therw t / for chauÌ„ge of lawe maye be made for necessite The secoÌ„de membre of this subdiuision necessarie Forthermore now the necessary or necessite / that byfore I named iÌ„uiolable or vnderfoulable in no maner to be brokeÌ„ ne chauÌ„ged I vnderstande meane the necessary or nedefull statute that nat by maÌ„ ordened but by god him selfe coÌ„mauÌ„ded publyshed may iÌ„ no wyse be chaÌ„ged ne brokeÌ„ but only by god that made ordened it As by exaÌ„ple of these coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes Thou shalt slee no man Thou shalt do no lechery Thou shalt do no theft / so forth of the other coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes of the table of the lawe / whiche sayd coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes although they do nat admitte ne suffre iÌ„ any wyse any dispeÌ„sacion of maÌ„ nor yet al though it be nat lawfull ne euer may be lawfull for any maÌ„ to breke or chauÌ„ge any of theÌ„ by any meane god natwtstaÌ„dyng hath of theÌ„ brokeÌ„ which he wold whaÌ„ he wolde / as doth appere in scripture Exo. 12. Other whan he coÌ„mauÌ„ded the Ebreus / the chyldreÌ„ of Israel to robbe the Egipciens the people of Egipte Osee 1. A. Or whaÌ„ he coÌ„mauÌ„ded the holy ê“phete to haue mixtion act of generacioÌ„ with a womaÌ„ fornicary that is to say of vnclenlyuyng Of the whiche .ii. thyngê one had ben theft the other fylthy lechery / excepte the auctorite of god the so coÌ„mauÌ„ded had excused both the dedê / wherfore if we rede of any lyke dede done by any holy ê‘sones holy scipture nat shewyng the god so coÌ„mauÌ„ded other we muste grauÌ„t byleue that as frayle men they dyd offende therin or els as holy ê“phetes they had some priuey counsayle and reuelacion of god thervnto And therof yet one example that nowe commeth to mynde Iudi. 16. shall I put and shewe of Samson That oppressynge hym selfe amonge his enemies dyd so kyll or slee hymselfe / whiche dede if we shulde defende and holde nat to be deedly synne we must vndoutedly byleue and truste that he had priuate couÌ„sayle reuelacion of god thervnto / although scripture sheweth nothyng therof The thyrde membre of this sayd subdiuision of necessary Nowe for the thyrde necessarie / whiche I caled / incoÌ„mutable or vnchauÌ„geable / what suppose you I do meane therby Surely nothyng more congruent and conuenient than necessarie or necessite that we knowe for surete is by the deuine and eterne reason of god so firmed and stablisshed that for no cause may in any thyng be immuted or chauÌ„ged / no I say nat by god hiÌ„ self vnder this kynde and maner of necessarie or necessite is conteyned all that spirituall tradicion and ordinaunce of the holy sermone that our lorde and sauiour made in the mounte And also what thyng so euer apperteyne / vnto loue / humilite / mansuetude / myldenes / with suche other vertues / ordened / and coÌ„maunded / as well in the newe as in the olde testament / spiritually to be obserued and kept These necessaries for a surete ben suche that nat to be had or any tyme to be myssed and lefte is nother lawful ne yet expedient For syth they be unmouable or vnchauÌ„geable bycause they be naturally good / neuer bene they but innocently and harmeles / neuer bene they but helthfully or holsumly and meritoriously other coÌ„maunded or obserued For in all tymes and vnto all persones if they be dispised set at nought they worke and cause deth and dampnacion And if they be obserued and kepte Of the fyrst membre agayne they worke and cause soule helthe and saluacion Proper wyll than in ê“mysyng causeth vnto euery persone the fyrst necessite The auctorite of the coÌ„maunder doth cause the seconde And the thyrde doth the dignite of the precepte or comauÌ„dement make or cause And yet these thre necessites as nowe is sayd byfore done diffre eche from other in some certen degrees / and so doth nat one firmite or stablenes of immutabilite or vnchaungeablenes folowe them all / they ben nat all of one stabilite as vnto the chaungyng of them For what so euerthyng is caused of the fyrst necessite although it be nat vtterly immutable and vnchauÌ„geable yet it is for a surete vnneth or scant chaungeable / bycause it may nat be chauÌ„ged but by the prelates alone / and by none other persones And yet nat by them but by feythful / prouident and discrete dispensacions And that thynge that is caused of the seconde necessite whiche is more than this is nerehande or / amoste nowe incoÌ„mutable or vnchaungeable For as we haue sayd byfore it is vnto god alone and nat vnto any other persone chaungeable But that thyng that is caused of the thyrde last necessite whiche is moste of all the other is vtterly in coÌ„mutable by no meanes can be chauÌ„ged For it is nat iÌ„ the liberte power of god hym selfe to chauÌ„ge it That thyng than that no persone may lawfully chauÌ„ge but onely the pÌ„lates may coÌ„ueniently be caled vnneth or scant chauÌ„geable And that thynge that vnto god alone is lawful to chauÌ„ge may wel be named almoste or nerehande vnchauÌ„geable But that thing that god him selfe may nat chauÌ„ge may be caled vtterly vnchaungeable Syth than these forsayd thyngê done come thus to passe that we nowe may retourne vnto these thynges wherof question is chefly and principally made in your demaunde it is nowe open and playne that euery reguler tradicion and ordinaunce for the great parte therof is subdued althoughe nat vnto the wyll yet for a certeynte vnto the discrecion of the presedent / prelate / or souereyne But nowe you say here vnto / what thing syr is nowe left vnto necessite Here me good bretherne / and say very moche is lefte vnto necessite Fyrste as vnto the spirituall thynges that ben coÌ„teyned in the rule ben nat as byfore is sayd left in the hande or power of the abbotte or souereyne Than for the other parte that doth apperteyne vnto corporall and bodely obseruauÌ„ces that part also is nat in the power of the souereyne as seruyng vnto his wyll or pleasure / but rather as it doth serue apperteyne vnto charite For the abbotte or souereyne is not aboue the rule Whervnto by voluntarie profession he ones dyd subdue and submitte hym selfe And yet is the rule of god / charite no maÌ„ can deney to be preferred by good ryght and put byfore the rule of saynt Benediete / let it therfore be so in case / that somtyme the letter of the rule do for that tyme gyue place vnto charite whane the reason of necessite or of charite doth so requyre god for bede natwithstandyng that the rule therfore shulde be subdued vnto the wyll of any persone For the ê‘sone that is electe and chosen for souereyne is coÌ„stitute and ordened vpon
yet thoughe they wolde they can nat wytte or knowe howe to auoyde it / wherfore in the diuision aboue rehersed I iuged this eye sight and intent of good reason to be the worse of the .ii. yuell inteÌ„tes / nat bycause it is more maligne or malicious but bycause it is more perilous For ignoraunce doth make a persone more sure and careles of hym selfe And suche securite and surete dothe make hym more dull and stuggysshe but nat more wycked or yuell For they ben bothe lyke in wyckednes or yuell / natwithstande yet is this intent worse doutles than the other / bycause the other hath but one of the two forsayde vices / that is to say an yuell mynde and purpose And this hathe also with the yuell intent / a fals consideracion or opinion The other eye / or syght / lacketh but one of the sayd vertues / that is to say good zele / and this inteÌ„t lacketh bothe good zele and also true iugement Of this worst eye syght / and intent / than / that hathe nother of the sayd vertues / charite / or good zele / nor yet science or true iugement And also of the other best eye syght and entente / that lackethe nother of the same vertues dyd our sauiour / very essensiall trouth dispute argue / the hole body / that is / the hole wercke or dede of the persone other to be wrapped in the darnes of synne / or els to be garnysshed with the syght of grace For the other two eye syghtes or intentes bycause that nother of them hathe / other bothe the sayd vertues / or yet both the said vices can gyue nother lyght nor darkenes vnto the hole body / that is / the worke or dede of the persone / although they myght partely gyue some lyght or darkenes thervnto Let vs nowe retourne agayne vnto your demauÌ„de and question If than that eye or syght / and intente be verely wycked / that both peruers or frowarde / also blynde and ignoraunt do a good dede / and yet byleue it be yuel so in doyng and workyng ryghtly and well but supposyng in opinion wyckedly and â—mys he doth by that meane tourne that thyng that was good into yuell vnto hym selfe / also he dothe tourne it into as great yuell as he byleuthe it be Bycause that accordynge vnto the sentence of oure sauiour the wycked eye syght and intent Matth. 6. doth render and make all the hole body that is al the worke tenebroule and darke / without any lyght of grace For what is lefte referred vnto the lyght of grace where nother a deuoute or good intente nor yet a good opinion is had or founde But yet it foloweth nat therof / that he that on the contrarie parte doth yuell and supposeth byleueth he doth good shuld therfore fynde or wynne merite accordyng vnto his feith and byleue And why so For this of a surete is nat suche a symple eye or syght / intent / as we dyd byfore describe / and define / that shulde by the iugement of trouthe render make all the body bryght / that is all the worke good For that intente and mynde is nat all voyde of darkenes where the ignoraunce of trouthe He that dothe good intendynge yuele dothe heurte hym selfe alone / dothe profite vnto other by the good dede / but he that dothe yuele intendynge well / he dothe bothe heurte hym selfe by ignoraunce / and also heurte vnto other by the yuele dede doth obscure and blemyshe the lyght of the wyl Syth than the frowarde blynde eye / syght / and intent / that doth good / intendynge yuell hathe bothe of the two said vyces / that is yuel wyll and ignoraunce And syth also this eye / syght / and intent / that doth yuell / intendynge good hathe nat both the sayd vertues / zele / and science doth nat good reason requyre and conclude that he that dothe yuell / in stede of good doth more noy and hurte thaÌ„ the other doth profytte / that doth good intendynge yuell For it is nat consequent / nor accordynge vnto reason that one good thyng / maye so moche auayle and profitte vnto goodnes / as may two yuel thingê vnto yuell And yet wolde I say / that a good religious deuout intent alone is worthy lande prayse And yet shall the good wyll for a surete not be defrauded of coÌ„digne worthy rewarde / iÌ„ a dede also nat good / that is in an yuell dede And yet natwtstaÌ„dyng very simplicite shall neuer be deceyued wtout some maner of yuell Why so say you doth nat siÌ„plicite / or the siÌ„ple ê‘sone do all of feyth / or accordynge vnto feyth I saye nat nay / but he do it of feyth / but yet I saye / that his feythe is deceyued false / so I may rather say that he doth it nat of very feith For a fals or deceyued feyth is no feyth Ro. 14. And I thynke and iuge verely / that the Apostle spake of very and true feyth / and nat of deceyued or fals feith whan he sayd / all that is nat of feyth is synne and offence But that thyng that is yuell can neuer be supposed nor byleued of very true feythe to be good For yuel is fals And therfore is it synne That chapiter therfore of the Apostle Paule / where he sayth / all that is nat feyth is fynde c. dothe conteyne and couple bothe these sayd vices / that is to say both blynde malice / also deceyued innoceÌ„cy or siÌ„plicite For what so euer is done of an ignorauÌ„t ê‘sone is amys / for if it be good an yuell intent doth vtterly condempne it make it nought And if it be yuell the ryght or good intent dothe not fully excuse it / whether than a persone do thynke / suppose / or iuge / a good thyng that he doth by chaunce or by ignorauÌ„ce to be yuell or whether he shall byleue an yuell thynge that he doth in like maner to be good he is deceyued For bothe be synne / bycause nother is of feyth / nor accordyng vnto very true feythe Althoughe for a certeiÌ„te the persone that with a good intent doth a dede / reprouable and semyng yuell outwarde / dothe lesse synne than doth he that with a priue malicious intent doth a dede that is nat yuell For that thynge can neuer be pure good that is done with any maner synne / thoughe neuer so lytell Howe may than a thynge that is nat pure good / be coÌ„pared in effecte and workyng vnto that thyng / that is pure vtterly nought / yuell that is to meane Howe may the imê‘fecte good intent worke in effecte and cause / as moche good vnto the persone as the pure yuell intent may cause hurte / yuell vnto the other ê‘sone it can nat be let thefore these coÌ„clusions / determinacions / suffice you as vnto this question
hurt that for the tyme felt no grefe therof Yet sone after the wounde hath smerted full sore / and full long so continued vnheyled The expert profe herof is wrytyng for remeÌ„braunce by the olde fathers And so in lyke maner / of the syght and speache Whiche thre done for the moste parte folowe eche other ¶ Of the .viii. keper of chastite / that is / warenes of familiarite The .xii. Chapitre ANd yet of them thre doth yssue spring an other enemy of chastite / more ê‘ilous excepte good awayte and resistence more ieopardous / than all them thre That is to saye familiarite / the continuance of affection / and acquayntauÌ„ce / which sayd familiarite is kepte forth and nuryshed / nat onely by the sayd thre vices wanton loke / light wordes / and carnall touchyng but also dothe growe increace And that in the absence of the persones by wrytynges / messages / gyftes and tokens Saynt Augustine therfore / here in the rule doth forbede that any of the disciples of the same shulde other sende forth or yet receyue / priuely without knowlege of the souereine any maner of thyng / lytel or moche / sayng Ca. 4. But if any ê‘sones sayth he be so ferre ouersene / so ferre do passe into so great yuell notable offeÌ„ce the they priuely receyue or sende any lettres / or any other gyftes or tokens c. Note wel / that he calleth suche receyte a great notable yuel and offence For he wolde the souereyne shulde be of counsayle / and shulde considre the reason and grounde / the cause or occasion of suche sendyng or receyuyng For many ê‘sones haue a disposicion and appetite to haue acquayntauÌ„ce / and to seke / and make meanes thervnto / to continue the same Whiche acquayntauÌ„ce so gotteÌ„ many religious ê‘sones done cal theyr freÌ„des Where in very dede they ben rather theyr fose / and yet they moste foo vnto them For among religious persones worldly frendes / good acquayntauÌ„ce / and good religion done selden well accorde or agre to gether For surely it is moche coÌ„trarious vnto the religion of olde fathers For they wylfully fled and lost acquayntauÌ„ce of all persones / of theyr owne pareÌ„tes kynne / nat onely gotteÌ„ but borne freÌ„des And also / suche sendyng / wrytynges receyte shulde well be consydred lest that some tymes vnder the colour and contenauÌ„ce of spirituall edificacion a token go forth / or a coÌ„memoracion of carnal affection Saynt Augustyne wolde therfore the souereynes shulde be iuges of all the actes and dedes of theyr subiectes For they muste make answere to our lorde for them Let than the souereines take hede of all occasions in the subiectes / that may ingendre affection / although it were vnto suche persones / as ben named of great holynes and synguler ê‘fection For of those maner of persones many haue bothe deceyued / and ben deceyued Let I say the souereines / therfore seclude all occasions / but specially the moste chefe occasion / or cause of affection / that is familiarite ¶ Of the .ix. keper of chastite / whiche is the auoydaunce of sole presence The .xiii. Chapitre IN auoydyng wherof the holy fathers dyd vtterly forbede sole presence / that is to say that no religious ê‘sone shulde euer be alone with any persone of the coÌ„trarie seâ—e or kynde For that sole presence dyd they accounte as one of the moste perilous pestilences / and moste deedly enemy of chastite And saynt Augustyne also here in this rule doth forbede sole preseÌ„ce / where he sayth Augusti In the sayd fourth Chapi WhaÌ„ ye go forth go to gether / byde to gether c. And in the .vi. Chapitre Ibidem Ca. 6. Whan they go forth sayth he they shal go no lesse in company / than tweyne in nombre / or thre ê‘sones Nor yet sayth he shall that ê‘sone / that hath nedfull cause to go forth haue choyse of a felowe / or go with whome he wolde but with suche as the souereyne wyll coÌ„maunde or appoynt / it muste nede than / be more agayne the rule / to be alone with any seculer within the monasterie / specially with the coÌ„trarie sexe / as man and womaÌ„ to gether alone / whiche shulde neuer be suffred in any good religious monasterie / for any maner cause / no I saye nat for confession / nor in confession For religious women shulde make theyr coÌ„fession at gratê / or els in some open place / where they may be herde and nat sene For the subtyle and crafty assayle of the dyuell is no where absent / and the flesshe is neuer without fraylte / whyle we byde in this lyfe Vitas pa. We rede iÌ„ vitas Patrum of a holy father iÌ„ wyldernes / vnto whome a pore maÌ„ of the cite resorted / to sell his mattes / baskettes / and his other laboures And whan he came nat vpon a tyme after his custome the olde father / coÌ„maunded his disciple to go vnto the cite to seke the man Whervnto he was very lothe / natwithstandyng / yet for obedience he went forth / and by great diligence he fouÌ„de the house / and no body at home but a yonge womaÌ„ alone / by the byhauiour of whome he was in ieoparty of corrupcion / but that god by miracle for the merite of obedieÌ„ce and the prayers of his holy father sodenly set hym at home So than sole presence is nat without ieoparty in any persones ¶ Of the .x. keper of chastite / nat to haue power nor liberte to be alone The .xiiii. Chapitre ANd so is also the power and liberte of sole pÌ„sence moch perilous / that is to say / whaÌ„ persones of coÌ„trary sexe may be to gether alone if they wyll Wherof is euidence in the same boke vitas patruÌ„ Ibidem Where is shewed of a womaÌ„ vnclene of lyuyng / the ê“mised vnto certeyne men of her familiarite / to bryng a solitarie / a holy man froÌ„ the good lyfe vnto the worlde Which sayd womaÌ„ came vnto his sell in the euyntyde / as though she had lost her way / ther she made great lameÌ„tacioÌ„ / that she shuld be destroyed with wyld bestê / except he wolde of petie coÌ„passioÌ„ take her iÌ„ / so he dyd / leyde her iÌ„ a corner by / after whaÌ„ he shulde rest he bygan to be sore assayled For the rebatyng wherof he went vnto a candell / brent one of his fyngers / and yet after whan he remembred the sole presence of them tweyne alone / the occasion and liberte he was agayne inflamed / and he agayne arose and brent an other fynger / and so he neuer rested tyll he had brent all his fyngers vnto the stumpes In the mornyng yerly the yonge men came vnto the sell / asked for the womaÌ„ / he answered here she lyeth / take her vp And she by the iuste iugement of god