heede of al synÌ„e ye shall resyste all vyces / for who resystith the herde he may lyghtly resyst gainsay the meÌ„bres / Wyth this he exhorted hem to vaynquisshe eche other / in surmouÌ„tyng eueryche his broder in vertues / For he say de the eueryche ought to desire to be more perfyte than his neyzbour also he sayd that the man is more perfyte in vertues that is not subdued ne vaynquysshed by worldly teÌ„ptacoÌ„ns for to resyst the sinnes fowle wylles is the begynÌ„yng of the yeftes of god / And after he sayd to hem yf ony of you do ony myracle / therefor he ouÈte not to glorifye hyÌ„self ne to repute hyÌ„ more worthi than his felowes / Also he ouÈte not shew to the peple the god hath gyue to hyÌ„ suche grace For otherwyse he seduceth deceyuyth hyÌ„selfe lesith his reward / yf the sayd holy man had excellent grace in doctryne yet more grete had he in operacoÌ„ns Al that he demauÌ„ded of god was to him acorded grauÌ„ted wyth this many reuelacoÌ„ns were shewed to him ¶ Amonge the whiche of one of his felowes wyth whom he had longe tyme vsyd his lyf was shewed to hym that he was in heuen in the sete of thapostles in lyke glori A nother tyme he prayeÌ„g for hyÌ„self to god that it wolde pleyse hym tabrdge his dayes to brynge hym in to the reame of heuen God shewed to him that he sholde be yet a lytyll tyme in the world for to be an exaÌ„ple of vertues to many other hermytes whiche by him shold be enformyd in holy coÌ„uersacoÌ„n as it was shewed to hym so it happed / For after that came to hym many hermytes fro dyuers places couÌ„trees whiche ensewyd hym in doctryne in vertues in suche wyse the many renounced the world for to folowe him made a monastery in the sayd mouÌ„tain wher as they lad a lyfe comyn / And those religyoê° men wer clene of body of soule notwythstondyng that they were in Egypt where as habounded synÌ„e malyce Yet were they vertuoê° reputed as angels / And therby is verefyed the sayeng of thapostles sayeng that where as habouÌ„dith synÌ„e there also habouÌ„deth grace Now ouÈt to be noted that thabycauÌ„ts of the sayde Egipte by theyr grete ydolatry worshiped the oxen by cause they laboured the feldes by whiche they lyued / also they worshypped the water of the ryuer of Nyle by cause it watred aroused the regyons of Egypte / In lyke wyse they adoured the erth as the moost fertyle of all other the dogges also apes dyuerse herbes / And the reyson whi moued heÌ„ so to doo was by cause they sayde that the dyuers ocupacoÌ„ns that they had somÌ„ to ere the londe other to nouryssh her dogges apes other to plante herbes / so of other operacoÌ„ns had be cause that they in besines had be lett empesshed that they went not wyth Pharao were not drowned wyth hym whan he entred in to the reed see wenynge to haue persecuted the chyldner of Israel whyche had happened to them yf they had not be taryed by the moyen of the sayd operacoÌ„ns / And for asmoche as that hadd be cause of her preseruacoÌ„n helth they worshypped hem as godes / After this the afore is writen of the doctryne of the holi man now resteth to-see of his werkes operacoÌ„ns ¶ ThenÌ„e it is to be noted that amonge his other werkes he saw in a temple of a cyte nyghe by his hermytage an ydolle· whyche soÌ„tyme was by prestes other peple born in processyon for to obteyne vberte habuÌ„dance of rayne / The whiche thyng seenge the holy man moued wyth pyte made his prayed to god for to take this foule creauÌ„ce mysbyleue fro theim His prayer soo made they their ydoll abode all vnmouable in suche wyse that they myght not moue ne go froward ne backeward / And were there all that day with out departyng frothens / in suffrynge susteynynge the brenÌ„ynge of the sonÌ„e / ThenÌ„e the preestes sayd that the orysons prayers of the holy cristen man that dwelled there by theyr cyte namyd Apolonyus was cause that they myght not moeuene depart thens / And yf they were not loâ—ourd by him they sholde longe tyme tary abyde there / And thenÌ„e some of theim sayd that it myght well be trouthe by cause that thenÌ„e he passed forthe by Neuerthelesse they brought many oxen wenynge for to moue thydoll but they cowde not make hym for to depart fro the place fynably they sent to the holy man promysed hy that yf he wolde delyuer theim fro the payne in whyche they were they shold renouÌ„ce theyr goddes byleue in IhuÌ„ cryst / ThenÌ„e camÌ„ the holy man to theim made his prayer the whyche made they were all delyuerd fro theyr trybulacoÌ„n / And for this miracle some of theim abode wyth hyÌ„ in his hermytage other went in diuerse places shewyng publysshynge this myracle by cause wherof they coÌ„uerted heÌ„ to the crysten fayth / And anone but ryght fewe dwelled in that regron / but they were coÌ„uerted to the fayth ¶ A nother myracle worthy to be remembred dyde the sayd holy man as here folowyth / Two townes on a tyme had war one ayenst a nother bi cause of the bouÌ„des lymytes of theyr londes of whyche that one was crysten that other paynym / By cause of this dyuysion were assembled of that one part that other man / men of warre The whyche thyÌ„ge seenge the holy man was moued by charyte enforced hym tacorde appese them togider / ThenÌ„e one whiche was namyd for cheif of the sayd paynyms / cause of the warr sayd that neuer he wolde acorde vnto the deth / The holy man answerde thenÌ„e be it soo in suche wyse as the demauÌ„dest / None shall deye but thyself thou shalt haue sepulture suche as aperteyneth to the / For thou shalt be buryed in the belyes of bestes byrdes so it befell / For he was fouÌ„de dede alone vpon therth all detrenched deuoured with bestes· all thother wer abasshed how the worde of the holy maÌ„ was soo verytable / And for that cause they began to drede the god of the holy man were alle coÌ„uerted to the crysten fayth leuynge their ydolatrye / ¶ Now shal we speke of a nother myracle whiche he dyde at the begynÌ„ynge whan he rendred hyÌ„selfe in to a cauern or caue wyth certayne bredern / In an holy daye of Ester he beynge at the table wyth his bredern after the seruyce acoÌ„plisshed in stede of delycate mete he hadd a lytyll drie brede wortes of chool made with a lytyll salte onÌ„ly / And the seenge the homan sayd / yf we ben the true seruauÌ„tes of god haue very fayth we shall opteyne bi our prayers / that whiche we desyre to ete in this holy soleÌ„pnyte / TheÌ„ne the
that they hadd noo nede to goo out for to suche their necessytees to lyue / ¶ Tofore the gate of the sayde Monasterye was an olde man moche prudente / the whyche sayd to all theym that wold en tree / That yf they wold entree ones in they sholde neuer come oute / And that suche was the lawe / ¶ Now there was one thynge therin moche merueyllous / For Incontynent as one was entred the sayde lawe toke none effecte / By cause of his propre wyll wythout constraynt he was contente to abyde there / In suche wyse that he was rauysshed in contemplynge his perfeccyon and holynes that was wythin the sayd monastery / ¶ And that same olde man that kepte the gate hadd a lytyll house· in whyche he receyuyd all theym that came thyder And treated manerly and well ¶ Ferthermore sayth saynt Iherom that whan he arryued there he myghte not entre therin But enquyred of the Portyer the manere of lyuynge in the sayd monasterye / The whyche sayd to hym and to his felyshipp / That there with in were two auncyente and olde men Whyche oonly hadd power to goo oute and entree in agayne / The whiche were Pourueyours for to pourueye for the poore lyf of the bredern that were within / Whyche alwaye weren in scylence makynge theyr prayers and occupyenge all theyr lyfe tyme in vertuouse ocupacyons to serue god / ¶ Yet was there more merueylles / ¶ For neuer was there ony of the Relygiouses that were seke there wythin / ¶ But whan they sholde deye they shewed theyr dethe that one to that other in the presence of theyr felowes / And rendred theyr spyryte Ioyously to god / ¶ Of saynt Serapyon abbot / whyche begynnynth in latyn ¶ Sed et in regione Caplm xviii SAynt Iherom sawe in the regyon Aâ—senoitte a nother deuowte Relygyous man namyd Serapyon· Abbot and fader of many monasteryes / In whyche were nyghe by .x. Mill Relygyouses and heremytes lyuynge of theyr propre labours / And of that whyche they wanne in the season whan they gadred the corne grayneâ— / ¶ And they gaue to the sayd Abbot the mooste parte of theyr gayne by whyche they were nourysshed and susteyned the poore peple / ¶ The custotome was suche not oonly in that Relygyon but also in all Egypte for to hyre the sayde Heremytes and relygyouses in the tyme of Haruest / And eche of theym wanne abowte a foure score mewes or combes of grayne after the mesure of the sayd countree of Egypte Some more and other lasse after that the seeson was more habundaunt plenteuous or sharpnesse scarsytee / And of the same the moost parte was gyue to poore peple after the ordynauÌ„ce and dyscrecoÌ„n of theim that were ordeyned to make dystrybucoÌ„n of the same corne grayne / ¶ Theyr charytee was soo grete that they gaaf not oonly to the pore of the same countreye but they sente shyppes full charged lade in to Alexandrye for to gyue to prysoners nedy of the countreye For in Egypte were not poore peple ynoughe for to gyue in almesse the sayd corne graynes ¶ Saynt Iherom sawe also in the cytees of Mempheos Babylone a multytude Innumerable of heremytes the whyche were all full of vertues graces to god agreable / ¶ In that couÌ„tree it is sayd that the places is where as Ioseph made his grenyres for the famyne / And therfore that place is called the place of the tresours of Ioseph / Other call it Pyramidas by cause they had suche credence that suche where shold be ther asseÌ„bled by Ioseph in that maner ¶ Of saynt Apolonyon Religyous martyr begynnyng in latyn ¶ Trade hant ergo / Caplm xix THe .ii. holy olde faders of whom is tofore wryten in the chapytre precedent Recounted tolde to saynt Iherom his felowes that emonge the sayd heremytes and relygiouses there was one namyd Apolonyon / Whyche for his ryght honeste lyfe was ordeyned in the ordre of Deaken / In whyche estate he was strongly persecuted / ¶ And durynge the sayd persecucoÌ„n the sayde Apolonyon admonested alwaye his bredern to receyue martyyrdom ¶ Anone after he was take put in pryson / And he beynge therin came to hym the persecutours whiche were Paynyms / Whyche in mockynge hyÌ„ dyde to hym many Iniuryes / And specyally one namyd Phylemon whyche was moche amyable debonayr to the peple called hyÌ„self seductour deceyour of the peple / And sayd more ouer the he was worthy to be in the hate of al the worlde / Whan saynt Apolonyon hadd herde al this he answerd moche curteisly sayd / ¶ Alas my frende I pray to god oure maker that he haue mercy pite on the / And that he not Impute to the thyniuryes shames that thou dost to me presently / The whiche answer herde by Phylemon he was heuy sorowfull in his hert / And moued with suche contrycoÌ„n conpuÌ„pcion that Incontynent he declared hymself crysten / And wyth as ardaunte desyre enflaÌ„med of grete charyte came to the Iuge to whom tofore al the peple he began to crye / O wyked Iuge thou trayueyllest Iniustly the poore seruauÌ„tes of god that ben cristen For they ne doo ne saye ony euyll / The Iuge herynge thise wordes hadd supposed at fyrst that he had proposed suche wordes in Iape / But after bi cause he sawe hym perseuere in the same / he sayd that sodenly he was bycome a foole / Phylemon answerde / Herke take hede Iuge I am noo foole but thou art enraged and out of thy wytte whanne wythout reason and vnryghtfully haste putt to dethe the good true Crysten peple / Knowe thou that now I hold shall holde the crysten lawe the whiche is necessary to all men lyuynge in thys worlde ¶ ThenÌ„e the Iuge supposed to haue repelyd him by fayr wordes But by cause he sawe hym constaunt / he menacyd hym wyth Infynyte tormentes / ¶ The Iuge also moeuyd wyth wrathe agaynst the holy fader Apolonyon / Knowynge that it was by his exortacyon that the sayd Phylemon had renouÌ„ced his lawe made hym to suffre mani tormentes called hyÌ„ deceyuer begyler / saynt apolonion said to hyÌ„ ha Iuge knowe thou thy maker Certaynly I desyre that thou and all the assystents sholde kepe the errour that I kepe holde / That is to saye that they were crysten / And Incontynent that sayd the Iuge coÌ„maunded that they sholde bothe two be putt in to a fyre tofore al the peple / And soo doynge they two togyder began to praye god soo hye that euery man myghte here in sayenge / O souerayne god Ihesu cryste our protectour suffre not the soules to be lost that confesse the openly / But shewe to vs euydently our helthe / And Incontynent thyse wordes sayd· descended a clowde full of water the whiche quenchyd all the fyre / Of whiche the Iuge the peple were merueylously abasshed
the seruauntes of our lorde to all theim that ben lyuinge vnder our pouertee / that by the suffrauÌ„ce of god are submytted to our rule gouernauÌ„ce / Herke after the sayeng of saynt Poule in his pystle / ¶ Obeye to your prelates yelde yourself subgettes to theym / For certaynly they wake as that they muste yelde acounte of your soules / ¶ My lytylnes byleuyth that yf ye obeye to the wordes of god / ye shall haue your petycyons not onÌ„ly of men but of god ¶ And bi cause I know this that I wryte to you to be trouthe / I praye you of your charite that ye doo noo thyng contrary to the coÌ„mauÌ„dements that I haue done to you but be obeyssaunt / ¶ It is writen in his holy scripture that god hath in hate the grete balauÌ„ce and the lytyl / ¶ After this my warnyng yf ony goo ayenst my biddynge touchyng the weighte the mesure / Wyte he that al his godes shall be dealyd to the pore ¶ How he corrected theym that receyuyd ony yeftes begynÌ„ith in latyn ¶ RelatuÌ„ est autem / Caplm · C.ix. IT was shewed to the sayd saynt IohnÌ„ that some bought men after solde theym ayen to an hyer pryce than they had bought them Soo made theym al to be assembled without grete blame or rebuke shewed theym that it was euyll done / syth toke theym more moneye than they had bestowed in this marchauÌ„dyse And charged theym that they shold not doo in tyme comyÌ„g suche dedes / after this some left theyr takyng of theyr pryce so grete that they were wont to take aboue the comyn taxe of theyr marchauÌ„dyses / ¶ How he gaaf lycence leue to them that wold comÌ„ to hym begynnyth in latyn ¶ DisceÌ„s vero c. Caplm C.x. Saynt IohnÌ„ the Almoner knowyng that some of his subgettes suffred many wronges of theyr enmyes / were aferde to come to hym for to coÌ„playne by cause of his seruauÌ„tes that coÌ„tynuelly assysted hym / ¶ He for the same cause dyde make a chayre iâ— benches byfore the chyrche vpon the whyche the Wenesdaye the Frydaye in comynge fro the sayd chyrche he restyd hym deuysed wyth some notable persones other while he helde the holy gospels in his hondes / And there were certayn his deputes to whom he gaf power leue to stonde nyghe hym / the whiche had the charge to kepe the rightes of the chyrche ¶ And yf ony body came to complayne / they shewed it to the said saynt IohnÌ„ / the whiche coÌ„mauÌ„ded the chapâ—tre sholde be callyd assembled for to purueye therto / And they thê° asseÌ„blyd he proposyd vnto theym sayenge ¶ Yf we men haue lyght dedes to the onÌ„ly god that is aboue all nature for to make to hyÌ„ our requestes whan we pray hym deuoutly we gete that we aske In lyke wyse we ought to doo to theim that come to vs. bryÌ„gyng in our mynde the worde of god sayeng / ¶ Wyth suche a mesure as ye mesure ye shall be mesured / also in recordyng the sayeng of the prophete that shewyth to vs / That lyke as we doo we shall be done vnto / For thise causes the holy bisshop made that thei came to hyÌ„ to be spedd of theyr matere wtout ony delay ¶ And one tyme emoÌ„ge other he was one daye tyll .v. of the clocke beynge in the same place where he was wont to sytt herynge the questions of his peple / And by cause no body came there the daye that wold require of hym ony thyng he departed retorned in his house wepyÌ„g / ¶ So were his folke gretly merueylled wherof came this wayllyÌ„ge none durste axe hyÌ„ the cause why but to a holy man namyd Sophronyen that herof famylyerly axyd hyÌ„ The holy man answerd that he was â—â—â—che of this that none was come speke with him wherby he had spende the day wtout to haue done ony mercyfull dede / ¶ Now it is trouth as it is sayd about that the cause whiâ—he helde hyÌ„ in the open place was by cause he sholde acorde al maner folke / that in manere of processe or otherwise had ony discorde or euyl wylthe one ayenst thother / the whiche oft tymes he acorded peasyd atte his owne propre costes / ¶ Sophronyen thenÌ„e sayd to hym certaynly my lord thou art wel happi / For the subgets that thou hast in thâ— gouernauÌ„ce are by thy meanes soo prasyble soo kynde that they haue noo cause to haue ony hate or rancour theâ—e ayenst thother by this he saw knew that this was the cause that none was came to hym that daye / Wherof he gaue thenÌ„e 〈◊〉 â—â—ynges to our lorde / at this example ¶ We rede that Constanciê° whiche was Emperour sone of Heracle had this custome maner at Rome in peasynge of the Romayns / ¶ How the holy bsshop receyued mekely the folke that were fled for to schewe the madnesse of theim of Percy beginÌ„ith ¶ Cuâ—us sancti / Caplm C.xi. HAngynge the tyme that the holy bysshop Patryarke IohnÌ„ the Almoner being in Alexandrie they of Percy had werre ayenst the Syrryens in the reame of Syrrye the whiche reame the subgettes of the same / â—er brought to thraldom· by the Percyâ—on / ¶ Wherfore many of the sayd Sirâ—â—â—ns / the bare full vnpacyently that they were brought in bondage· came yelded the ymself in the subieccoÌ„n of the sayde Patryarke / The whiche he receyued mekely swetly / in comfortyng theim not as in tharldom fleers but as his bredern / They that were hurt sike he made to be heelyd / after suffred theym goo where as they semyd good ¶ Some of his seruauÌ„tes the grutchyd the grete almesses that were done out of his howse reported shewed to the holy Patryarke how some Sirryens clothyd with clothe of golde of other precyous raymeÌ„tes were come to his house to fetche an almesse / ¶ But not wythstondynge that he was swete of vysage of speche yet he lokyd vpon theym as wroth sayeng ¶ Knowe ye not wel the god hathe coÌ„mauÌ„ded / that men shall gyue to all theym that shall aske vs / And by cause that the goodes that I yeue be not min but they ben goddis / therfore I woll in gyuyng theim kepe his coÌ„mauÌ„dement ¶ Yf ye thynke that the almesse mynisshe in gyuyng theym to theym that ben rychely clothed ye haue lytyll faith / I bileue that yf all the worlde were beggers that they came to Alexandrye that the godes of the chyrche sholde not mynysshe therfore / And by this he comforted hys seruauÌ„tes / And the poore for this cause grutchyd noysed ayenst the other / ¶ Of the shappe of a woman that apered to saynt IohnÌ„ the Almoner Patryarke of Alexandrye / begynnyth in latyn ¶ CuÌ„que illis c. Caplm C.xii. THe sayd saynt
sholde well thynke therat he sholde well haue cause to become humble and meke / ¶ How he corrected by fayre wordes swete langage theym that went out of the chyrche after that the gospell was sayd / And begynnith in latyn ¶ MittaÌ„ autem / Caplm Cxlvi BY cause that some Seculers or laye people had of a custome that they wente oute of the chyrche after the gospell was done / The holy Patryarke dyde correcte theym of this saweâ— / ¶ And desyrynge to moeue theym vnto deuocion / One daye amonge other departed oute of his palays And came and sette hym amonge theym in the chyrche / Wherof they were gretely merueylled / ¶ Thenne for to answere to theyr thoughtes sayd vnto theym / My chyldren it is exspedyent and nedefull that the shepeherde be there as his shepe ben / And therfore yf ye abyde in the chirche of god there out I shall doo as ye done ¶ For your loue I am come to the chyrche / And ye goo there oute / ¶ And alwayes yf I had wolde I mighte wel haue soÌ„ge my masse in my chapell of my bysshopriche / and sholde not haue come to you ¶ Bi this maner of meane they al corrected theymself â—â—â—fered to doo as they were acustomyd / ¶ Wherby men maye euydently and openly knowe that the good maners of a Prelate and his holy lyuynge is ofte tymes cause of the amendement correccyon of his euyll subgets / The whyche at his ensample enforce theymselfe to lyue vertuously / By meane of whyche good lyfe they gete the glory of heuen / Whiche largely is yeuen bi our blessyd Sauyour Redemer Ihesu Cryste to theym that fleenge the lykynges and worldly playsures purpoos theym selfe to lyue a lyfe honeste and holy after the techyÌ„ges of his true doctryne / ¶ How he forbadde that folke sholde not speke in the chyrche / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Loqua autem cetera / Caplm C.xlvii ANd whan the holy Patryarke herde ony speke in the chyrche / Incontynent he made theym to be putt oute / And sayd to theym / ¶ Syth that ye ben come in to the chirche for to praye god I commauÌ„de you that all your thoughtes be torned vnto prayer / ¶ For it is writen that the house of god is a house of prayer / And ye Clatterers and Ianglers make therof a pytte of theues / ¶ How he ordeyned two orders of Relygiouses and buylded theym two chirches / One in the name of oure Lady the other of saynt IohnÌ„ / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Voleâ—â—s autem cetera Caplm C.xlviii THis meane tyme the holy Patriarke ordeyned two ordres of relygyouses / and buylded two monasteryes for theim / One in the name of the moost holy moder of god and the other of saynt IohnÌ„ / And dyde doo make for theym lytyll houses for to kepe theymself therin solytary / By cause they sholde haue none occasyon to goo out of theyr Relygyon / Ordeyned also certayne men in the cyte that bare theym all theyr necessytees / Sendyng theim word that they shold haue besinesse of the lyfe spyrytuell / And he sholde see for theyr bodily lyfe / And he wold that the charge of the seruyce of the chyrche bothe bi daye by nyght sholde be put vnto hym / to th ende that whyche they sholde doo in theyr celles or lytyll houses sholde be for the helthe of theyr soules / To that whiche lyf this holy man by the sayd entysyÌ„ges contynued theim / ¶ How men oughte to eschewe the coÌ„pany of Heretykes / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Et hoc beatê° / Caplm C.xlix ABoue alle other thynges thys holy man defended vnto the cristen that they sholde nother comyn nor acompanye wyth the heretykes / Sayenge that it was more worth to a crysten to be alle alone / than to be acompanyed wyth an Heretyque / And more ouer he sayd that lyke as a wedded man sholde be punysshyd yf he left his wyf and wedded a nother somwhere in a nother londe / Soo sholde a crysten be punysshyd / that shold leue the comynycacoÌ„n wyth his lyke for to acompanye with the Heretiques / ¶ And more ouer syth that we ben maryed to a wyf sure chaste whiche is the holy chirche crysten / yf we leue it for the comynycacoÌ„n of Heretiques / We oughte as fornicatours to be greuously punisshed stoned of the deuyls of hell / asmoche as we shold be yf we had had the flesshly coÌ„pany of a nother woman than our owne wife / ¶ How the holy Patriarke iuged nor coÌ„deÌ„pned neuer no body / BegynÌ„ith in latyn ¶ CuÌ„ oÌ„nibus / Caplm C.l. AMoÌ„ge the other grete vertues that this holy Patryarke had· namly he had one right grete whiche was suche / that he neuer iuged no persone nor also wold not here theim the sayd ony euyl bi a nother / To this purpose is to be knowe that he beynge in Alexdrye a yonge man rauisshed a right fayr regyous mayde and ladde her wyth hyÌ„ vnto Constantynople / This thyÌ„ge came to his knowlege consideryng the loothnes of the befall And for the grete charytee that he had to the helthe of man / He was soo sory for it that it semyd he sholde haue deyed / ¶ And a lytyl whyle after that this caas was soo happed / He beynge wyth some clerkes / and dysputynge of holy scryptures / came in his remembraunce the sayde befall / ¶ In spekynge of the whyche by cause al those present Iuged this forsayd man a ryght grete abhomynable synnar They wolde haue hym acursyd But the holy Patriarke wolde not performe the same Sayenge that ther sholde be cause of two euylles / ¶ Fyrste in that they sholde doo as he sayd ayenst the commaundement of god and sholde breke it / By cause it is wryten that we oughte not to iudge ony body / And we shall not be Iudged / ¶ The second euyll for that they wyste not yf the sayd clerke had wythdrawe the sayd relygyoê° woman out of her monastery / for to doo euyl wyth her / And was not yet knowen whether he had defoylled her or not / ¶ Wherfore they oughte not to cast vpon hym the sayd sentence of cursynge / ¶ For men oughte not to Iudge but this that men see to be euyll done / ¶ And for to conferme his worde he rehercyd of .ii. relygyouses amoÌ„ge whom was one / whyche passynge thorugh the cyte of Thyre mette wyth a strompett comyn named Porphyre / The whyche cryed after the abbot / O fader saue me lyke Ihesu Cryste saued the woman synnar / ¶ The abbot that fered not the speche of the world sayd vnto her that she sholde come after hȳ· and she dyde so ¶ The same abbot brought her by the honde afore al the peple out of the cyte of Thyr / The whiche thyng was anone tolde / But this notwythstondyng the abbott torned neuer from his
all thynges ¶ An other brother wente often for to vysyte and to see a holy fader a veray olde man of whome he sâ—ale his brede ¶ The holy man supposyng that this other hadde nede of it repreued hym not therfor wherof it happed that this olde fader falle in soo grete necessyte / that he hadde noo brede atte all for to ete Fynally tendynge to dethwarde / and seeyng that his laste daye drewe nyghe / he sente for the theef that so often hadde robbed hym afore that / and kyst his handes sayeng ¶ Blessyd be thy handes / for by them I truste for to come in paradyse ¶ After the same tyme the theef ledde a holy lyfe and was parfyte in vertuouse werkes and in all his dedes ¶ The abbot Agathon proceded in al his dedes by souerayne prudence / and as well in werkynge and labourynge with his handes / as also in vestymentes / and in all other thynges he kepte the myddell assyse ¶ His vestymentes were suche that they neuer appyered nother to good no to badde ¶ Yre or wrath after that a holy fader sayth begynneth by four thynges The fyrst by inordynat apetyte to gyue / and by brennyng couetyse to take The seconde when one is obstynate in his opynyon The thyrde when men desyre to be honoured And the fourthe when one thynketh hymself more wyse than all other / wherby he wyll here a rule amonge them ¶ Yre also by four maners blyndeth the wytte of man Fyrst when one oweth ylle wyll to his neyghbour Secondely when he hathe an enuye of the honours goodes that his neyghbour hathe Thyrdly when men take debate for a thynge of nought The fourth maner is when men â—acbyte his euen crysten ¶ And to the contrarye by four maners / men maye resyste to the passions that moeue a man to yre Fyrst where as men can not resyste / but that yre shall entre in to the herte / whiche is the fyrst thynge where of men ought to beware / they muste eschewe it and kepe that it come not vnto the face / yf the vysage makeh ony shewe therof / thenne must the tonge be refrayned that she speke nother Iniurye nor blame / and yf the tonge by grete passyon of yre prononceth ony rygorouse worde / men ought to beware that after that they procede not to the waye of the dede ¶ Thre degrees are amonge the men that touche to the passyon named Yre The fyrste is when some man endureth pacyently all Iniuryes / he forgyueth lyghtly the persone that sayth euyll by hym And this man foloweth the nature of Ihesu Cryste The seconde when a man wyll not Iniurye no bodye / also he wyll not be Iniuryed And this man is of the kynde of Adam And the thyrde when a man Iniuryeth hyndreth an other bodye / and the same is of the nature of the deuyll ¶ A Relygyouse was some tyme Iniuryed of an other / wherfore he wente vnto the abbot Sysonyen for to complayne hym of the sayd Iniurye that had be done to hym ¶ And how well that the sayde abbot shewed vnto hym that for the loue of god he ought to forbere lyghtly the sayd Iniurye / prayeng hym that he sholde do soo puttynge the vengaunce in the hande of god / neuerthelesse he wolde not therof / wherfore the abbot seeyng his obstynate mynde / desyred hym to praye god with hym that he wolde take a waye from hyÌ„ this wycked obstynacyon ¶ Syn after this abbot made suche an oryson vnto our lord sayeng O my god haue pyte of the Indygnacyon of this brother here For it semeth to hyÌ„ by his wordes / that we haue nought to do of thy helpe / for as moche that he sayth that of hymselfe by his myght he can be auenged ¶ Thenne the brother herynge his prayer / kneled donne before the sayd abbot cryed hym mercy ¶ An other in lykewyse coÌ„playned hym to the sayd abbot of certayne Iniurye that was done to hym ¶ And he tolde him that he sholde take it pacyently that a man is neuer Iniuryed / but onely for his synnes / therfore we ought to answere to them that speke ony harme ayenst vs. My frende it is for my synnes that thou spekest soo many Iniuryes towarde me for to correcte me / wherfore I thanke the. ¶ The abbot Poemen sayd to his dyscyples ¶ My brethern I praye you for your synguler saluacoÌ„n the malyce ouercome neuer your wyll / but when ony bodye shall do to you ony euyll / yelde hym good there ayenst / to th ende that by doynge of good ye ouercome the euyll ¶ To this purpose is reherced of a relygyouse the more that he was spoken ylle the gladder he was for it saynge They that Iniurye vs are cause of our perfeccyon / alwayes prouyded that we haue good pacyence / but they that speke to vs fayre wordes and swete as done flaterers / they are vnto vs the cause of our losse ¶ For it is wryten / who that shall blesse you / certaynly he shall deceyue you ¶ An other aeged holy fader was somtyme the whiche when ony of his neyghebours hadde done to hym ony Iniurye / he hasted hym selfe as moche as he coude to rewarde theym with some good therfore ¶ And yf the persone that soo hadde Iniuryed hym / was dwellyng ferre from hym / he sente vnto hym some gyftes ¶ An other wente for to haue couseyll of the abbot Sysonyn / yf ony theues cam in his house that wolde slee hym / that he were of the stronger syde / to wytte yf he sholde put hymselfe ayenst them for to slee them or noo Wherat the abbot answered that he sholde kept hym well therfro / but sholde late god doo For what soeuer happeth to vs / it is for the punycyon of our synnes ¶ So ought we to gyue all vnto the godly dysposyng of Ihesu cryste ¶ To this purpose it is founde / that certayne theues wente towarde a holy hermyte / forced them for to doo hym harme by vyolence ¶ The whiche hermyte for to eschewe theyr euyll entent began to crye ¶ And thenne the other hermytes his neyghbours ranne to his socours toke the sayd theues / sente them to the offycers of the Iustyce / the whiche kepte them longe in pryson ¶ The relygyouses that were therof enformed were wonderfully wroth that they were not otherwyse punysshed ¶ So wente they to the abbot Poemen shewed hym the caas ¶ This abbot wrote vnto the hermyte in rebukyng hym that he had not with hym the vertue of suffrauÌ„ce ¶ The hermyte for bycause of this was long tyme in his celle or lytyll house that he wente not out of it And fynably beyng sory of the longe emprysonement of the sayd theues he wente to the pryson / openly delyuered them out of the same ¶ The dyscyple of a phylosopher / for certayne offense by him made moeued
the same philosopher his mayster to so grete wrathe ayenst hym / that he tolde hym / he sholde neuer pardonne hym / tyll that he had endured borne by the space of thre yere alle the Iniuryes of his felawes / whiche thyng he dyde so ¶ And at th ende of the sayd thre yere this dyscyple cam to his mayster ayen asked him forgyuenes And he tolde hyÌ„ as in feryng hym that he sholde neuer pardone hym vnto the tyme that he yet by the space of other thre yere sholde haue gyuen certayn gyftes to those that scorned dyde hyÌ„ euyll The dyscyple suffred yet thre yere / when they were come at an ende / he cam ayen vnto his mayster as he had done before / whiche brought hyÌ„ vnto Athenes for to lerne phylosophie TheÌ„ne was there at the gate of the cyte an olde phylosopher / that made grete Iniuryes to them that wolde haue gone within for to preue theyr pacyenâ—e This odle philosopher theÌ„ne seeyng the sayd disciple that wolde haue entred within the towne for to studye there in phylosophye / casted at hyÌ„ many proude mockes shamefull wordes And bycause that he suffred them pacyently without to trouble hyÌ„self withall / the entre of the cyte of Athenes forsayd was grauÌ„ted vnto hyÌ„ without ony grete labour ¶ By this gate maye be vnderstande the gate of paradyse / thrugh whiche men may not passe for to seke the glorye of heuen without that they endure many Iniuryes ¶ An hermyte asked an holy fader how he sholde gete heuen / wherat he answered that more lyghtly he myght not come therat than for to haue pacyence in his troubles Iniuryes / that yf men doo to hym many / he sholde haue more mede in suffryng of them / than in doynge of ony other penaunce ¶ The abbot Moyses was desyred by certayne Relygyouses that he wold shewe vnto them some good ensaÌ„ples for to saue theyr soules ¶ And he coÌ„mauÌ„ded his dyscyple Zacharye that he sholde telle them som what This dyscyple thenne dyde put of his habyt tradde it with his fete / sayeng that a man myght not be nor ought not to be a monke but yf he were in lykewyse tradde tormented with dyuerse aduersytees troubles ¶ The abbot Macharye sayd that he is a veray relygyouse that in ouercomynge hyÌ„selfe bryngeth vnder his owne passyons None also ought not to lese hyÌ„ selfe for to saue an other / therfor ony man ought not to aÌ„gre his neyghbour for to preue his pacience / for it happeth ofteÌ„tymes that a body in moeuyÌ„g of som other / he falleth in to the synne of yre ¶ Where certayn relygyouses in the presence of saynt Anthony / dyd prayse an other broder his vertues / saynt Anthony after his praysyÌ„g made vnto hyÌ„ some Iniuryes for to preue his pacyence / the whiche Iniuryes he myght not endure TheÌ„ne sayd saynt Anthony / that he was lyke the houses that haue fayr entre strong but the theues may come in lyghtly atte the backe syde ¶ Some brethern asked of the abbot Ysaac wherfor was that the deuyls fered hyÌ„ so moche / he aÌ„swered the syth that he was made religioê° he was neuer aÌ„gry in hyÌ„ self / wherby the deuyls had hyÌ„ in a drede ¶ A Relygyouse cam ones to the abbot Achyles whiche casted blood out of his mouth The relygyouse seeyng the same asked hym wherof proceded this sykenesse / wherat the abbot answered that folke hadde reported some wordes to him wherof he was angry / but notwithstaÌ„dyng he wolde not shewe it So had he prayed our lord that he wolde take away that wrath from hym / for this cause by meane of the same prayer he casted blode out of his mouth whiche was cause of the sleeyng of his wrath ¶ Dyuerse brethern cam to a holy hermyte / as they where come nyghe his hermytage / they fouÌ„de shepardes that sang dyshonest songes And when they were within the celle of the sayd hermyte / they asked him why he corrected not the sayd shepardes And he answered to them that he had be in wyl full oft for to do so / but he consydered that yf he coude not resyste to the teÌ„ptacions that sholde hap to come to hyÌ„ by meane of suche songes / he sholde with grete payne mowe withstande to other teÌ„ptacyons more grete To this purpose he sayd / that he that shal not conne refrayne his tonge ayenst his wrath In lykewyse with grete hardnesse he shall bere the moeuynges pryckynges of the flesshe ¶ The abbot Iohan beynge with all his Religyouses / they shewed vnto hyÌ„ one after an other theyr thoughtes / saue one that sayd by enuye O Iohan my brethern do as the coÌ„mon wyÌ„men that vtter swetly theyr wordes for to gete loue of theyr bylouers To whom the sayd abbot answered that his worde was true The sayd brother more moeued with enuye than afore / sayd ayen to the sayd abbot / that his bodye was all full of venym / wherat he answered Yf thou knowe that that is within my body as well as the doest that that is without thou sholdest se therin moche more deuyls than thou spekest of ¶ In Egypte was a Relygyouse sore renoÌ„med / the whiche for his grete renoÌ„mee / almoost all they of the Regyon were wonte for to vysyte hym Durynge his sayd renoÌ„mee / the abbot Poemen came out of Sychye for to dwelle within the sayd londe of Egypte So many one lefte the vysytyng of the sayd Relygyouse for to go towarde the sayd Poemen / wherof the sayd Relygyouse becam moche enuyouse ¶ The abbot Poemen knowynge this brother to be ylle contente of the men dyde more of reuerence to this Poemen / than to hym whiche so long tyme had be so famouse within the sayd londe / was full sory heuy of that he was cause of his angre ¶ Soo gadred he all his Relygyouses togydre with hym / wente for to vysyte see the sayd brother that whiche wolde not open his dore to them at the fyrst but bycause he sawe that the sayd Poemen was in his opynyon prayeng that he wolde make hym openyng / he made hym with his felawes to come in And after kyssed eche other / were at the same houre veray frendes togydre / soo that the sayd Relygyouse sayde vnto saynt Poemen that he was of moche more perfeccyon than he had herde telle ¶ An abbot named Mutues made a celle some tyme in a place called Eracloena where so grete enuye was vpon hym of many one that he was constrayned for to departe out of it ¶ So wente be to a nother place where in lykewyse he made a nother dwellyng place for hym selfe to dwelle in / as a fore / he was there sore enuyed of a Relygyouse / wherof he was constrayned to go there out as he was fro the other Soo went he ayen to the place from
vitas patrum ¶ Here foloweth the right deuoute / moche lowable / recoÌ„mendable lyff of the olde Auncyent holy faders hermytes / late translated out of latyn in to frenshe / and dylygently corrected in the cyte of lyon / the yere of our lord M. CCCC lxxxvi vpon that whiche hath be wryten and also translated out of Greke in to Latyn / by the blessyd holy saynt Saynt Ierome right deuoute approued doctour of the chirche / other solytarye relygyouse persones after hyÌ„ And after in the yere of our lorde M. CCCC.lxxxxi reduced in to Englysshe folowyng the copye / alwaye vnder correccyon of doctours of the chirche ¶ The Prologue of the translatour FOr as moche as dayly amonge the Infenyte multytude of mortall people / is seen but fewe of theym that lyue vertuously And the contrarye many in grete nombre lyuen voluptuously / and in that maner passen forth theyr tyme. This consyderyng I haue holden reputed And yet repute holde well happy theym amonge other / whiche of our souerayn lorde and god Ihesu cryste maker conduytour of all thynges / haue obteyned that synguler grace that they may verytably saye that they haue lyued vertuously And that I see some to happen in our tyme the whiche by theyr mellyflue swete eloquence haue admynystred helthfull doctryne / by the moyen of theyr excellent bokes in latyn And other whiche haue wryten translated to our prouffyte and vnderstondyng / wherof in so dooyng they hâ—â—e meryted deserued to be gretely thanked recoÌ„maunded The whiche thyng I byleue hath not ben ouer dyffycyle ne harde to do / seen the sublymyte hyenes of theyr sharp vnderstondyng the fructuouse instruccoÌ„n whiche they haue had in lettres greke latyn By the ayde of whom they haue goten the souerayne manere well to persuade saye But I whiche in ony scyence am not suffycyentely Instructe And also I haue not in me ony begynnyng of eloquence / fynde my self all affrayed / doubtyng to be repreued of ouer hardy presumpcoÌ„n to haue soo indyscretely entreprysed the translacoÌ„n of this presente werke Neuertheles reducyng to remembrauÌ„ce the prouerbe of the ê“phete sayeng / that fortune helpeth the hardy / haue in my selfe Iuged to be a thyng lycyte and resonable / to tempte assaye yf to the vtylyte comyn prouffyte I myght make ony werke By the whiche yf I haue not vertuously lyued / atte leste I may saye that I haue not alwaye passed my tyme vnprouffytably And by this consyderacoÌ„n also / that I see but lytyll or fewe persones applye theym to lede solytary lyfe / I haue entreprysed to translate out of latyn in to the Frensshe tongue the right deuoute solytary lyfe of the auÌ„cyent or olde holy faders hermytes somtyme dwellyng / as well in the grete desertes of Egypte / of Thebayde / of Mesopotamye / as in other places / vpon whiche haue wryten Saynt Ierome / the moche auctorysed doctour of holy chirche / some other reuerende faders after hym And how well that I suppose that this werke ought not to be agreable to the redars by reason of the fayr ornate langage / wherin is none Neuertheles I byleue that many that shal see the grete penauÌ„ces / meruayllous straytnes of lyuynge / in whiche haue perseuered all theyr lyfe the sayd holy faders togydre / the fayr helthfull example that ben therin conteyned / shal employe gladly a parte of theyr tyme to rede or to here it redde And further more by cause that I doubte not / that many that shall see this boke / shal mowe verytably saye / that I haue not well elygantely ne dyrectely wryten in this present translacyon I mekely beseche theym that they take no regarde to the defaultes mepcoÌ„ns that they shall fynde But that they consyder that my lytyll â—eble engyne hath mowe here in it dooyng For my regarde or affeccyon hath not be to employe my selfe for to receyue ony temporel prouffyte or thanke / but oonly to th ende to do thynge the some may fynde prouffyte therby Or that they that can do better / that it please theym to correcte and amende / be it in augmentyng or dymynysshyng / lyke as they shall see to be doon And vnder this confydence I calle fyrste the ayde of the holy ghoost / by whoo 's helpe I shall begynne the declaracoÌ„n of the chapytres of this present boke And after I shall procede to the translacyon of the prologue And consequently of all the boke / as if shall be seen by eche partye of the same ¶ Here foloweth the declaracoÌ„n of the table of the chapytres of this present volume conteynyng in it four partyes In the fyrste of whome ben the chappytres here after declared ¶ Prologue of saynt Iherom ¶ Of saynt Iohan the hermyte / whiche begynneth in latyn PrimuÌ„ igitur Caplm primuÌ„ ¶ Of the lyfe dedes of an holy abbot named Hor. To whom by grace dyuyne was shewed the yefte of scyence of holy scrypture / begynneth in latyn Vidimus et alium Caplm .ij. ¶ Of saynt AmÌ„on abbot of thre thousande monkes / begynneth in latyn Vidimus auteÌ„ Caplm .iij. ¶ Of saynt Benon abbot ledyng an angelles lyfe / begynnyng vidimus et alium Caplm .iiij. ¶ Of the cyte of Exâ—rynque / in the whiche dwelled neuer heretyke / begynnyng Vidimus auteÌ„ Caplm .v. ¶ Of saynt Theon whiche was .xxx. yere without spekynge / begynneth Vidimus aliuÌ„ Caplm .vi. ¶ Of saynt Appolonyen confessour of his vertues / begynnyng Vidimus et alium Caplm .vij. ¶ Of saynt Ammon thermyte / whiche slewe a dragon / coÌ„uerted the theues / begynneth in latyn Que audiuimus Caplm .viij. ¶ Of saynt Coprett preest heremyte and begynneth in latyn Erat quidaÌ„ Caplm .ix. ¶ Of saynt Cyr. Ysaye Paule / whiche begyÌ„neth Adhebat adhuc Caplm x. ¶ Of saynt Helayn whiche begyÌ„neth in latyn Fuit aliê° vir Caplm .xi. ¶ Of saynt Helye whiche begynneth Vidimê° aliuÌ„ senem Caplm .xij. ¶ Of saynt Pithuyon / whiche begynneth RedeuÌ„tes Caplm .xiij. ¶ Of saynt Eulogyon / whiche begynneth in latyn Vidimus et alium c. Caplm .xiiij ¶ Of saynt Appellen / and begynneth in latyn Vidimus et alium presbiteruÌ„ Caplm .xv. ¶ Of saynt Paphunce / begynneth in latyn Vidimus et aliuÌ„ monasteriuÌ„ Caplm .xvi. ¶ Of the monastery of saynt Ysydoee begynnynge in latyn Vidimus apud Thebaida Caplm .xvij ¶ Of saynt Serapyon abbot / whiche begynneth in latyn Sed in regione Caplm .xviij ¶ Of saynt Apolonyon Relygyous martyr / begynnyng in latyn Tradebant ergo Caplm .xix. ¶ Of saynt Dioscore abbot begynÌ„yng Vidimus aliuÌ„ Caplm .xx. ¶ Of the monasteryes of Nitrye / begyÌ„neth in latyn Venimus Caplm .xxi. ¶ Of a nother place callyd Cecylya begynneth in latyn Post hunc vero Caplm .xxij ¶ Of saynt Ammonyon abbot
of charyte of humylyte / begynnyng in latyn Certissime Caplm .ij. ¶ Of the vertue of contynence Capitulum .iij. ¶ Of the contynence of the syght Caplm .iiij. ¶ Of contynence of speche Caplm .v. ¶ How â—yle clothyng ought to be desyred Caplm .vi. ¶ How alle thynges ought to be doon by reason mesure Caplm .vij. ¶ Of the we le of conpunccoÌ„n whiche pryncypally cometh for a man to mortefye hym selfe Caplm .viij. ¶ Of the qualyte of conpunccyon Capitulum .ix. ¶ Of the maner to praye to god our maker Caplm .x. ¶ Of the bataylle of vyces ayenst the vertues Caplm .xi. ¶ Of the affeccyon for the studye well Caplm .xij. ¶ How one ought pacyently to endure the aduersytees and maladyes Capitulum .xiij. ¶ Here foloweth thystorye of Theododosius of whom is spoken in the chapytre to fore Caplm .xiiij. ¶ How one ought gladly rede the scriptures / begynnyn in latyn Sanctarum c. Caplm .xv. ¶ Of the yefte of peas / begynnynge in latyn Saluator et cetera Capitulum .xvi. ¶ Of the Epystle of saynt Macharye to the monkes / whiche begynnyth in latyn In primis c. Caplm .xvij ¶ Here endyth the Table of this present volume called in latyn Vitas patrum / that is the lyfe of olde auncyent faders ¶ Explicit ¶ Here foloweth the fyrste parte ¶ Prologue of saynt Iheroâ— BLessyd be god our souerayn creatour dyrectour Infallyble Whyche woll that all mankynde sholde be sauyd and come to the perfyghte knowlege of trouche / Whyche also to vs hath adressyd our way for to goo in to Egypte / Where we haue seen grete thynges merueylloê° terryble and profytable to theym that in tyme comyng maye come to the knowlege of theym / And the whiche thynges ben not to vs allonely cause of the sechynge of oure helthe but also they haue giue to vs occasyon and matere for to wryte hystory right couenable to doctryne of pyte / The whiche doctryne by the fayth of thynges passed and tolde in the same / shall shewe waye ryght ample large to theim that woll walke therin And how wel that we ben not couenable ne luffisaunt to telle recompte soo grete thynges / And is seen not to be thynge dygne ne worthy that folke of lytyl capacyte oughte to entremete to recyte in theyr soo lytyll feble style suche hystoryes whiche consiste in the excersyte of right hye vertues / Nevertheles bi cause that the feruente charytee of the fretes dwellynge in the holy mountayne of Olyuete / haue ofte tymes requyred vs to wryte to theym and explyke the lyues of holy Heremytes and religyouses resydent in the desertes of Egypte the yâ— grete vertues verkes of pytee And the merueyllous strengthe of theyr abstynences whiche we manyfestly haue seen Hopynge to be holpynge in thys matere by the right holy and deuowte prayers orysons of the layd requyters The whyche ben to vs in stede of commauÌ„dement haue entreprysed this werke / In whiche we desyre not somoche the laude of the style as we hope the edyficacyon in tyme comynge of theym that shall rede this history / By this the eche of theim enflamÌ„ed by thexamples that herin ben conteyned shall be moeued excyted to haue errour of the wicked ordures fylthes vayn labours of this worlde· and to excyte hym to reste of conscyence and to the werkes of pyte / Thenne maye we saye thus saythe the noble clerke saynt Iherom in spekynge of the sayd holy deuoute relygyous of Egypte whiche we haue seen And verely haue seen the noble tresour of Ihesu Cryste hydde in vessels humayn / The whyche tresour after we had founde it haue not wylled as enuyouse to hyde ne couere it but the same soo founde to the vtilyte profyte of many / we haue wyll to manyfeste make comyn / Veritably acertayned that of soo moche that many shall be therby enrychyd of so moche more shall they mow haue grete mede meryte / ¶ Thenne at begynnyng of this narracoÌ„n we supplye ryght humbly to our worthy sauy our Ihesu Cryste that his prompt grace maye be to vs presented in vertue of the whiche the same werkes of pyte haue ben doon by the sayd relygyouses of Egypte / Ferthermore we haue seen in the sayd countree of Egypte many holy faders lyuynge in erthe not the lyfe humayne but heuenly lyf as newe prophetes reysed for to shewe thynges for to come· Soo moche were they full of vertues / In the whiche was all efficace of verytee as well for to bere wytnesse of the merytes as for to doo myracles / And noo thynge wythout cause hadde they suche prerogatyf of god / For he that in all contempnyth or despisyth the worlde· and all his alyauÌ„ce / Wherfore sholde he not haue myght puyssauÌ„ce celestyall dyuyne / We haue seen also somÌ„ other the whyche were soo ygnoraunte of malyce that they knewe not that ony euyll were done in the worlde ne also what synne was / But they were all vtterly Inculpable / In theym was so grete tranquylyte of courage vertue / and soo extreme affeccoÌ„n of bouÌ„te that not wythoute cause myghte be sayde to theym / Pees be habundantly to the very louers of the name of Ihesu Cryste / They dwelled in deserte dispersed separate that one fro that other in diuerse â—elles lytyll howses / But by very â—harite were they ensembled alâ—ed vnyed / And the reyson for whiche they were separate was this / By cause that by ydle wyndes vnprofitable walkyng in theyr vrages or by comynycacyons not truytfull theyr dyuyne holy contemplacön of that one or of that other be truwbled or letted / And wyth al theyr herte and as ententyf to theyr deuocyon in theyr secrete places fro daye to daye they abode the comynge of Ihesu Cryste that is to saye the dethe In the whyche eâ—he one shall be Iudged after his merytes / And there lyke as very knyghtes armyd of all pyeces of hameys abode the aduersary of all mankynde the fende of helle / They had no manere solyeytude ne besynesse of the lyfe naturell ne of bodyly necessytees consyderynge the grete promyse charytable of our redemer / by that whiche he promysyth to all theym that by very Iustyce wyth all theyr herte shall take payn to gete the reame of heuen· that they shall haue no nede ne necessyte / And for this consyderacoÌ„n many amonge hem whaÌ„ they had ony necessytees they retorned to god· as to the very conduytour infallyble of theym that renne to hym And anone they haue that whyche they demaunde / Some of theym went vppon the water lyke to saynt Peter / Some of theym with theyr hondes sleâ—ve and put to dethe horryble bestes for to see And they dyde not oonly suche myracles but other Infynyte / And suche as by the prophetes appostles had be done / Thenne it is to byleue that syth the tyme the world
were that after youre oppynyon ye myghte take in vs other Hermytes ony goode ensamples Yet shall not they be suche ne soo grete as ben thoos of the holy prophetes and holy appostles of god / Whyche euery daye ben recited in the chyrche catholyke / Noo thynge for to gyue ensample of good lyffe to straungers of ferre countreyes / But to the ende that eche persone in his owne place and Resydence Haue and may haue wythin him that whyche he oughte to doo and ensyewe Certaynly yet I merueylle moche more of the entencyon and grete affeccyon of your labour Whanne for the proâ—ffyte of youre sowles ye haue haue go ne soo longe awaye in passynge dyuerse Regyons soo moche daungerous to walke in / And we other ben soo slouth full that we woll not parte oute of our Habytacyons accustomed / ¶ But to the ende that they sholde not retorne wyth oute to bere wyth theym some fruyte / for the helthe of theyr soules / He enfourmyd and taughte theym some enseynements / By whyche they myghte eschewe the synnes of thys worlde / ¶ Fyrste he defended theym that they sholde not gloryfye theymselfe to haue ben in soo ferre countrees for to see the holy faders of Egypte / Of whyche vayn glory or Iactaunce he gaaf theym by two maners / ¶ The fyrst whanne ony dyde ony abstynence or enlarged by almesse his goodes to the poore peple / And of the sayd good dedes is ofte gloryouse / Wenynge to be more Iuste thanne the other / In contempnynge or dyspysynge theym that ben not lyke to hym / ¶ The seconde maner that the holy fader gaaf to theymis thys / Whanne a man wenyth for his laboures and vertues to be worthy to haue the Reame of heuen / And byleuyth to haue goten the gyftes of grace and that by his propre merites and not by the prouydence and bountee dyuyne / ¶ Now he muste byleue that who some euer sechyth the glory of the worlde he lesyth his meryte and rewarde / And therfore sayd the holy man / Lete vs flee vayne glory pryde and auaunterye / To then de that we falle not from heuen in to helle / As dyde the deuyll enemye of nature humayne / ¶ And after he sayde my chydren be ye dylygente in eschewynge slowthe and ydlenesse· wythoute hauynge ony concupyscence ne flesshly voluptousytee / to th ende yf ony thynge be agaynst god that it take noo rote in you / For of those rootes myghte come lytyll braunches / And in the ende grete trees / That is to saye vayne and vnprouffytable thoughtes / The whyche whanne they shall be in your prayers shall gyue to you heuynesse and lettynge to serue god deuotely / And youre thoughte shall be wauerynge and vacaunte in worldly vanytees / The desyres vnprouffytable and euyll wylles sayth the appostle bryngyth a man vnto the dethe yf in our hertes thenne be ony synnes / And the deuyll whyche is prynce of theym come to theym as the yâ— mayster / The synnes shall gyue hy place / Yf one demaunde wherfore it is that some haue noo pees in theyr consâ—yences It is by cause that now they ben trowbled wyth one passyon and a none after wych a nother Thenne the reason to this for they haue receyued the Prynce of trybulacyon / the whiche hathe he lodged by his Herbeger That is synne / Yf thenne we wyll that god be lodged in our hertes We shall renounce alle concupyscence carnall flee all synne To the ende that whan the deuyll oure aduersary and enmye shal come for to lodge / He shall fynde the lodges taken vpp / and that we maye saye The lorde is lodged wythin / The varlettes maye not be here / And whanne by vertues we haue lodged hym / We alwaye shall haue Ioye charytee pacience longamynyce / and shamefastnesse / And we shall here all fruyte of lyfe soo that we ben good / ¶ And to this pourpose saythe oure lorde to his dyscyples in a parable / ¶ A good tree maye bere noo euyll fruyte / Ne an euyll tree noo good fruyte / And by the fruyte is knowen the tree / ¶ Some saye that they renounce the worlde but they renounce not the synnes / In hauynge the herte clene and the soule puryfyed from alle spotte of synne / And yf some tyme thei goo vysyte the holy men to the ende to lerne goode wordes and hystoryes thys is not to thentente to be the better but for to recounte theym to other / ¶ And they ben ouer presumptuouse by cause that they vaunt them to knowe of the yr propre wytt that they knowe of the holy and deuowte men / And desyre to be reputed doctours and well manerde by cause they frequented the good men As done Ypocrytes and Papelars faynynge wythoute fourthe by theyr conuert maners and symple habyllemens to be Innocentes lyke vnto shepe / And wythin fourth they ben lyke vnto foxes and rauysshynge wulues ¶ It behouyth thenne to consydre that he is more to be praysed that shynith in vertues and dare not shew theym than he that techyth theym / and woll not vse theym ¶ Thus thenne my chyldren sayd the holy Heremyte I counseylle you not that ye vtterly flee the ordres of preesthode / ne also that ouermoche ye desyre theim But I counseyle you that ye labour in getynge vertues· and to leue vyces / He is not to be praysed that labouryth to haue the ordre of preesthode / But he whom god callyth therto / ¶ The propretee of a Relygyous man is to offre to god pure prayer / Wythoute to haue in his herte ony spotte of synne / For otherwyse relygion is noo thynge / ¶ After many enseynements and good doctryne by hym gyuen for to kepe theym from vayne glory / The holy man admonestyd theym not oonly to flee and contempne delycyous metes / But also commauÌ„ded theim that they sholde be well waar in takynge theyr refeccoÌ„ns For fallynge in to desyre or appetyte dysordynate But ete sobrely to the sustentacion of theyr bodyes oonly / For in etynge of brede and water a man may synne / As to ete wythoute hungre and thurste for to accomplysshe his appetyte in obeyenge to his dysordynat wyll / ¶ And this techith vs our sauyour for to kepe vs from voluptuous desyres saynge / Entree by the lityll gate / For the waye is large that ledyth to the dethe / That is to saye that to hym that woll obeye to his sensualyte the waye is grete and large / But to hym that woll resiste the flesshely affeccyons the yate is strayte / And this for to doo is besinesse and solicytude necessary / For who that gyuyth hym to the worlde he hath In fynyte occasions by companyes and otherwyse for to be abandonned to synÌ„e And therfore sayde Dauyd / I haue wythdrawen me from the worlde and haue dwellyd in solytude and in place secrete In abydynge my god whyche maye saue me
and caste me from my pusyllanymyte / ¶ After that the holy man had admonestyd theym that they sholde kepe theym from Iactaunce vaynglorye / He recounted to theym an hystorye happened to one of his bredern nyghe to his Hermytage / The whiche was a monke hauynge oonly but one Cauerne or Caue for his hous / he was moche sobre And lyued oonly of the labour of his hondes / wakinge daye and nyghte in orysons and prayers Flowrysshyng in al vertues ¶ It happened by successyon of tyme. that he was prowde in hymselfe gloryfyenge his persone / Wythoute to haue consyderacyon that his bountee proceded of god But supposyd to haue ben vertuous of hymself and perfyghte / ¶ The enmye of nature whyche slepyth not seenge his pryde on a daye layed oute his nett puttynge hymselfe in the lyckenesse of a woman walkynge thorugh the desertes / The same deuylle in sayde lyckenesse came in the nyghte and knelyd downe on her knees wythin the Cauerne of the sayd Heremyte sayenge / â—llas my frende I am soo wery / I praye the that thou wylt herberough me for this nyghte / The nyghte hathe surprysed me / Haue pyte on me for the wylde bestes shal denoure me Yf thou suffre me to goo hens from the / And bâ— thâ—se wordes the deuyll constreyned the sayd Heremyte to haue pyte of hym / And by cause he was in lykenesse of a woman By his swete and venemouse wordes / he embracyd the sayd Heremyte to dysordynate loue / In suche wyse that the deuyll moued the poore man to laughe and to playe / And fynably the deuyll approchyd soo nyghe· that he towchyd the berde the necke and the chinne of the monke / And at laste for to leue the cyrcumstauÌ„ces whyche is here noo nede to recyte the moÌ„ke consented purposyd in his thought to acomplysshe the synÌ„e of the flesshe / And after the consentynge he wolde haue proceded to the dede / Thenne the deuyll cryed a terrible crye And lefte the Monke confuse and in grete derysyon / ¶ Anone after came a multytude of deuylles cryenge abowte the hous O monke whyche enhaunselte thyselfe to heuen thou arte fallen into helle ¶ Consydre that he that humblyth hym shall be enhaunced / And he that hymselfe enhaunsyth shall be mekyd / The poore monke seenge this Illusyon made to hym by the deuyll As a foole and Inconstaunt and not thynkynge on god whiche is all god / And that pardonÌ„yth lyghtly hym that woll refoume towarde hym by penaunce begylyd hymselfe yet more / For he lefte his Hermytage and ladde fourth a seculer lyffe / And was made a pâ—oye for the deuyll / The whiche thynge he oughte not to doo / but he ought in his courage to wepe and wayle in dooynge penaunce· For to obteyne Remyssyon of his sinne For yf he hadd soo done withoute doubte he hadd goten the yeâ—te of grace and pardon of his wyckydnesse / ¶ Also the sayd good Heremyte recounted an nother Hystorye of a man dwellynge nyghe the cytee of â—yto in the partyes of Thebayde the whiche after he hadd lyued a lewde lyfe and Infamyd as towarde god and to the worlde He wente and putt hymself in to a secrete place for â—o doo penaunce in wepynge and teeres In whyche he contynued daye and nyghte for to haue remyssyon of his synnes / And mayntened hymselfe soo humbly that he durste not lyfte vpp his eyen to heuen / ¶ After that he had thus contynued a weke in this penaunce / By nyghte came the deuylles in to the place where he was in cryenge ayenste hym / What doost thou here man Infamed whiche haste ben all thy lyfe lewde and lecherous / Wylte thou be now chaste and relygious / Thou whyche haste all thy lyfe lyued in slythernesse of the worlde / Weneste thou to haue space to doo penaunce condygne for to haue foryeuenesse of thy synnes / Thou arte alle redy a deuyll like to vs. Retourne and achyeue the remenaunt of thy lyfe in voluptuosytee and playsaunce / We haue made redy for the delyces ynough wilt thou flee thyselfe in the tormentes whyche thou haste begonne / Come agayne wyth vs in to the worlde / Thou shalte haue noo more payne in helle thanne thou haste now / And all this the poore man herde as vnmouable wythoute ony thynge to answert Anone the deuylles this seenge buffeted and bete hyÌ„ wyth dyuerse strokes / And lefte hym as halfe dede / But notwythstondynge alle this he departed not fro his place / ¶ On the morne somme of hys frendes that soughte hym founde hym tormented thus / And demaunded of hym from whens proceded this afflyccyon and punysshment whyche he hadd receyuyd / And after that he had tolde to theym all the â—â—as / They prayed hym that he wold lete and suffre hym to be broughte by theim in to his howse for to recouere his bodyly helthe To whyche he wolde not consente / But abode stylle in his propre place ¶ Anone after and the nyghte folowynge the deuylles came agayne / And bete hym more thanne byfore / And neuerthelesse he departed not / Consyderynge that more it sholde auaylle hym there to suffre the dethe / thanne to obeye to the deuylles / ¶ The thyrde nyghte came agayne a gretter multytude of deuylles thanne ony tyme tofore / And of theym he was vexed and beten / that there abode noo more but oonly his spiryte Whyche resysted theym / The whiche they seeynge beganne to crye wyth an hyghe voyse Thou haste ouercome vs. Thou haste vaynquysshyd vs / And Incontynente as they hadde ben huntyd by the vertue of god they departed / And after they neuer retourned to hym / And after the good holy man prouffyted soo moche that he was replenysshyd wyth grace and vertue In suche wyse that alle the Regyon reputed hym soo holy as yf he had descended from heuen In sayenge / Loo thys is the mutacyon or chaunge of the ryghte honde of god ¶ And thus by the examples afore sayd we maye know how humylyte and conuersyon is cause of alle good / And by the contrarye exaltacyon and pryde of all euyll / And fynably of dysperacyon / ¶ And for to obserue more lyghtly this rule / The sayd holy man tolde a nother example of a monke / the whyche dwellyd in a place more derke and obscure than all the other / In whyche he passed his yongthe and aege in penaunce In suche wyse that he was flowrynge in alle vertues / And was soo agreable to god that he beynge in thys mortall worlde The aungels were by the Commaundement of god obeyenge to / And admynystred to hym by his lyffe / That is to wyte Refeccyon corporell / ¶ For whanne his nature was greuyd by hungre / He entred in to hys Cauerne / And there by prouydence dyuyne / The brede was redy sette on the table / of moche more gretter swetnesse thanne the brede materyall / whyche
cause of the grete heete of the sonne / And slewe theym wyth his fete as lytyll wormes of the erthe wythout that they dyde to him ony harme / Wherefor in hym was acoÌ„plysshed the worde of the prophete sayeng / Thou shalt make thy Iourneye vpon aspydes basylyks / And vnder the fote thou shalte putt the lyon the dragon / ¶ Of saynt Crenyon whiche begynnyth in latyn ¶ Vidimê° / Caplm xxv A Nother also whiche was namyd Crenyon of moche auÌ„cyente aege as of an C. x. yere olde / And was dyscyple of saynt Anthonye / The whyche amonge all other vertues that he had he was humble peâ—fâ—ghtly / The whiche vertue suffysed to gete the reame of heuen / And wythout this vertue none other vertue maye prouffyte to the soule / For by that all other vertues ben requyred / ¶ Of saynt Orygene begynnynge in latyn ¶ Erat autem / Caplm xxvi ALso there was a nother called Orygene Dyscyple of saynt Anthonye merueyllous in all operacoÌ„ns / His worde was edyfycatyff that they whom he endoctryned put in effecte by operacoÌ„ns all his doctryne / ¶ Of saynt Enagrion whyche begynnyth in latyn ¶ Vidimus ibi / cetera Caplm xxvii AFter he sawe also in the same place a nother named Enagrion a man right wyse / the whyche was Instructe of saynt Machairy / Whyche was strongely possessed wyth all vertues / ¶ And aboue all thynge he Instructed his brethern to lyue sobrely Sayeng if they wolde eschewe the fantasyes and Illusions of the deuyll that they sholde not drynke soo moche water as they well myghte drynke / Bycause that grete repleccyon of water causyth dyuerse fantasyes in mannes body / By the moyen wherof the deuyll with synne entreth more lyghtly / ¶ Inenfecte the sayd holy hermyte Enagryon and his brethern ete not for all metes but oonly a lytyll brede and salte / Wherof they were more contente than we ben of metes delycyous and curyouse / ¶ Of saynt Machayre Egypcyen / begynnynge in latyn ¶ Narrabant autem / Caplm xxviii AFter saynt Iherom Recountyth that somme of the Auncyent faders Recyted to hym amonge theyr other brethern there were tweyne named Machayre that one Egipcyen dyscyple of saynt Anthonye that other of Alexandrye / notwythstoÌ„dyng the they were of dyuers regyons yet were they egall in vertues and soo grete that thei shone in edify cacoÌ„n of maners of good lyf lyke vnto ii shynynge steires How well the Machary Egypcyen had by synguler grace the vertuoê° maners of saynt Anthonye He beynge on a time in his cell or lytyl hous was perpetred coÌ„mysed a murdre by some homycides / by reason wherof he was acused pursued a symple man InnoceÌ„t of the caas The whiche seeng be mighte none otherwyse escape went for refuge to the sayd Machaire affermyng by his othe not to be culpable of the caas ThenÌ„e thei that pursued camÌ„ vpon hyÌ„ wold haue take hyÌ„ there haue ladd hym for to haue condeÌ„pned hym to dethe / This seeng the holy man prayed requyred theim that or they proceded ony ferder ayenst hym whiche sayd hyÌ„self to be Innocent wold lede hym to the place where as the man that was slayd was buryed / He beyng comÌ„ thyder made his prayer vpon the buryel / in prayers god deuoutly that it wold pleyse hym to shewe manyfest the trouth of this thyng / Hys prayer made he coÌ„mauÌ„ded the deed maÌ„ in the vertue of the passion of our blessid sauiour IhuÌ„ cryst the he shold declare yf he that was accused whyche there was holde take had slayne hym or none To whom he the was deed answerde the he had not done it / ne therin was gylty Thacusers heryng this answere were moche merueyled kneled on ther knees to for the holy fader Machairy in prayeng hym huÌ„bly the he shold demaunde of the deed man who had slayne hy / the holy man answerd the he wold not in â—ayeng thise wordes It suffyâ—eth to me that thynnocent be delyuerd For it longyth noo thyng to me that the culpable be acused / ¶ A nother tyme came to hy some parentes or frendes of a yonge damoysell the whiche bâ—arte magyk was conuerted in to a Iument or a mare as it semyd to all theim the lawe her / IncoÌ„tynent as he lawe theym / he demaunded for what cause they were come to hym ThenÌ„e they auswerde that by their comyÌ„ge to hym they hoped that by the moyen of his prayers merytes to obteyne the sayd damoysel to be remysed in her fyrste strength semblauÌ„ce / ThenÌ„e he excyted them to pray also he made his oryson vnto god that whiche oryson acheued he enoynted the mayde / whyche as sayd is was lyke a mare / The whyche incontynent after apeâ—â—d to the men in her fyrst fourme that is to wyte in the seÌ„blauÌ„ce of a mayde / ¶ A nother mayde whiche had the meÌ„bres soo rotes infect the wormes might be seen cryng hee flesshe vnto the bones was brouÈt tofore this holy man· to whom he sayd / O doughter be constauÌ„t for god hath not yeâ—e to the this sykenesse for to deye but for thy helth / ¶ Thenne was the holy man Machaire vii dayes durynge in prayers and enoyntyng her euery daye And the said .vii. dayes passed she was all hoole souÌ„de / ¶ Of the same wrytyth saynt saynt Iherom that an Heretyke Ierasitain / whiche is to saye in langage Egypcyen heresees by his art had deceyued mocked many bredern of the deserte / And att laste he came to the holy fader Machaire / to whom he made many questyons argumentes / For he supposyd to haue tourned deceyued hym / ¶ The holy man by fayre wordes answerde to his argumentes whyche were subtyll / But by cause the the holy fader saw that by hym the fayth of the bredern perysshed / he sayd to the same Heretyke / Wherfor dysputest thou thus ayenst me for to torn by thy heresye theym that herkene the / ¶ Lete vs goo to the sepuleres of our predecessours whiche ben deed / To th ende that to hym whiche our lord shall gyue grace for to reyse the deed maye by this thyÌ„ge make clere appere to all theym that shall be present that his lawe is the beste / Thenne they wente to the sepulcres ¶ Thenne sayd saynt Machaire now calle a deed man and reyse hym / The Heretyke answerd that it apperteyned to him fyrste for to calle to his god / TheÌ„ne saynt Machaire felle platte downe in prayer sayenge / O my souereyn lorde and god I byseche and requyre the mekely that it playse the in this houre in the Reysyuge of this deed man here buryed to shewe openly the whyche of vs tweyne hath moost rightfull fayth Not that I presume soo moche of myself / that my oryson or prayer be of the enhauÌ„ced / But for to encreace and make open the
of you by cause that the worlde deceyuynge you mocke you / ThenÌ„e he that had aresoned theim whan he was retorned in to his hous gaaf for goddis loue all the he had / And after became hyÌ„self religioê° with the holy heremytes / ¶ Of saynt Amon fyrst relgioê° in Nytrie whiche begynynnth in latyn ¶ IniciuÌ„ sancti / Caplm .xxx. THe fyrste Heremyte in Nytrye was called Amon. the soule of whom IncoÌ„tynent after his dethe was seen by saynt Anthonye borne by angels in to heuen / But for to wryte of his ryght holy lyf we shall begyn at his natyuyte ¶ He was of noble riche frendes the whiche ayenst his wyll dide hyÌ„ to be maryed to a noble womaÌ„ of the couÌ„tree of Nytrye He beynge layed a bedde wyth her the fyrste nyght of theyr espoussaylles he made to her many fayr exortacoÌ„ns in ercytynge her to the noble vertue of chastyte and of vyrgynyte vnder suche or lyke wordes / My loue by cause the wythout fawte thynge corrupte shall fynde corrupcoÌ„n / And by the contrary thynge not corrupt oughte to hope incorrupcoÌ„n / Therfore it is more auaylable to vs tweyne togyder hoole to dwelle entier without flesshly touchynge vs. than the one were corrupte of the other / Thise wordes herde by the dyrgyne / she consented therto lyghtly lyued togyder in honest chastyte virgynyte longe tyme after the deth of theyr frendes And after the holy man went in to the nexte deserte to his dwellynge assembled many Heremytes / And the sayd virgyne abode in her hous accompanyed wyth many virgyns / After that he had be a certayn tyme solytarily in the deserte Some men broughte to hym a chylde enchayned / The whyche had be byten wyth a wood honde besechyng hym to pray for the helth of the sayd chylde / The holy man ansuerde that he had not deserued somoche anenst god that shold enhauÌ„ce his prayers / But neuertheles he sayd to theym that the helthe of the sayd chylde was in theyr hodes / For whanÌ„e they wolde rendre to a poore wydowe an oxe whiche they had robbed fro her theyr childe shold haue helth shall be al hoole / Of whiche wordes they were moche abasshed merueylynge by what manere the holy maÌ„ might know the thefte that they had done soo secretly / ThenÌ„e they went home rendred to the widow the ore that they had stolen / by the prayer of the holy man the chylde was made hole ayen and had his helthe / ¶ A nother tyme came some other to hym / of whom he wolde proue the courages / ¶ He sayde to theym that he had grete necessyte of a tonne ful of water / for to yeue drinke to hem that disyted hyÌ„ / And prayed requyred theim that they wolde brynge to hym a tonne full / whyche they promysed for to doo and to fulfylle / ¶ And after that they were departed fro him the one sayd to his felow the haste promysed the water aswel as I Wherfore thou shalt doo it be borne to hyÌ„ yf thou wolt that it be borne / For I haue not but my camell that whiche shal neuer bere it / That other answerde thou knoweste wel the I ne haue but an asse / the whiche maye not bere soo moche as thy camell maye / For the one is more stronger than the other / To whom that other answered / Doo what thou wolt for I woll not slee my camell / ThenÌ„e the other sayd / I shall laye it on myn asse that whyche thou darst not laye on thy camell / But I hope that the meryte of the holy man shall make possyble that whiche is impossyble to a creature / The asse anone after the he was charged wyth the tonne full of water bare it to the lodgis of the holy man Amon. also lightly as he had borne noo thynge on hym / And thenÌ„e the sayd saynt Amon in receyuyng the sayd water sayd to the gode man whiche was come thyder for to guyde his beest Thou haste done well for to brynge the tonne vpon thyn asse for the camell of thy felowe is deed / And whaÌ„ that other was retorned he fonde that it was true ¶ The sayd Amon was somoche bilouyd of god that he gate of hyÌ„ singuler graces / emong thother whan he wolde passe go ouer the ryuer of Nyle bycause he was shamfaste to vnclothe hyÌ„self sodainly he fonde hymself set ouer the ryuer on that other side of the ryuage / Therfore we oughte faythfully to byleue / that to Iuste and good men is noo thynge impossyble / ¶ Of saynt Pyamon whyche begynnyth in latyn ¶ Non auteÌ„ michi c. Caplm .xxxi. SAynt Iherom recouÌ„tyth in procedyÌ„ge ferder in this werke that this is not a thinge worthy neresonable that ony sholde eschewe or leue to wryte the faytes dedes of the holy faders dwellyÌ„ge in deserte nye the see Parthenie nye to a castell namyd Dyolcho whyche amonge the holy faders he sawe an holy man namyd Pyamon whiche had the yeft of all humylyte benygnytee of reuelacoÌ„n / ¶ On a time whan he sacrefysed to god he sawe an angell nye his awter holdynge a boke in whyche was wryten the names of some relygyouses assystent to his awter / some he wrote not / After the sacrefyce done he axed of theym of whom the names were not writen / But by theyr ansuere he fonde that they were all in dedely synÌ„e Thenne he admonested theym to duo contynuell penaunce / And he hymselfe also lyke as he had be culpable as they were· wepte waylled And contynued so longe and vnto the tyme that in callynge theim vnto the holy sacramente of thawter he knewe by the angel that he had wryten theym in the boke / that they had done penauÌ„ce agreable to god / ¶ A nother tyme he was beten of deuilles that he might not remeue fro the place / Thenne it happed that on a Sondaye that he hadd a custome to receyue his maker / he was constrayned to be horne of his bredern to thawter / Tofore whiche he lyeng flatte on therth / he sawe thangell the caughte his honde for to lyft hyÌ„ vp / forthw t he was hoole / ¶ Of an other holy fader that whiche was namyd IohnÌ„ begyÌ„nyng in latyn ¶ Erat in ipis locis / Caplm .xxxii. THere was in the places aforsayd an holy man namyd IohnÌ„ a nother than he of whom tofore is spoken· fulfylled with alle grace / EmoÌ„ge al other he had one suche that all they that went to hym of what trybulacyon they were trowbled by his worde in contynent they were coÌ„forted / with that he heelyd many persones of dyuers dyseses / And saynt Iherom sayth after al thyse hystoryes by hyÌ„ wreton that for doubte of grete peryllis dauÌ„gers whiche thenne were in the waye he durste not goo in to the hye regyon of Thebayde by Serene wherof
peasybly / ¶ A nother tyme came to hym two Phylosophers on hyghe on the mountayne / The whyche by subtyll dysputacyons supposyd to haue ouercome hym and dysceyued / ¶ Whan he sawe theym he Iudged theym to be Paynemes and sayde to theym / I wonder of you that ben soo wyse how ye come to me from soo ferre / for to see a man folysshe / To whom they ansuerde that he was noo foole / but he was ryght wyse / ¶ Saynt Anthonye ansuered to theim that he was a fole / by that they had loste theyr labour and waye / And yf it soo be that I be wyse lyke as ye saye / And for to loue wysdom it is vtylyte prouffyte / Folow ye that ye alowe and prayse And soo ye shall doo your duete / ¶ For thoose men ben to be praysed whan they ensyewe the good and wyle men / Yf I had goon to you I wolde haue folowed your lawe / Thenne syth ye ben come to me Come and folowe my fayth and be ye crystenyd / ThenÌ„e the Phylosophers wente theyr waye / ¶ Other came to hym in mockynge him by cause he was noo clerke ne lettred / To whom he askyd the whyche had be fyrste or the wytte or the scrypture / And yf the scryptures were by the wytte and vnderstondynge / Or yf the wytte and vnderstondynge came of the scriptures / ¶ They ansuered him· that alle the scryptures proceded and were made by the vnderstondynge / Thenne sayd saynt Anthonye / He that hath vnderstondynge good and hoole nedyth not to be lettred by scryptures / ¶ And in this manere he delyuered theym all confused / ¶ Constantyn the Emperour and his two sones Constante Constanciyus wrote to hym on a tyme in salewynge hym To the ende that it myghte playse hym to wryte some thynge to theym for theyr comforte consolacoÌ„n ¶ Saynt Anthonye seenge the lettres was not abasshed / ne chaunged noo thynge for the salutacyon of soo grete lordes / But as Inmobyle canstaunt not wyllynge to beholde the sayd lettres called to hym alle his brethern and after sayde to theym / ¶ The kynges of thys worlde sende to vs lettres whiche semeth to be thynge merueyllous And herof we maye be gladde / ¶ For alle men notwythstondyng they haue dyuers dygnytees lordshyppes ben borne and deye the one wyth that other / ¶ And therfore we oughte to honoure the scryptures lettres pryncypally suche as god hathe wryten to men / as ben the coÌ„maundementes of the lawe / And bi cause there is none conuenyence amonge kynges and Relygyouses / I woll not take the lettres that the kynges sende to vs / For I knowe not the scyence manere to salewe theym be lettres / ¶ In the ende the brethern prayed hym that he wolde wryte agayne to the sayd kyÌ„ges / In admonestyng theym to flee the vyces and to ensiewe the vertues / And soo he wrote to theym in this manere / ¶ Ye kynges I counseylle you that ye kepe the Crysten lawe / But I praye you / Wene ye not that your puyssaunce temporell be grete / For that is but a lytyll thynge to the regarde of the puyssaunce of god / ¶ And therfore ye oughte not to be prowde / ¶ Esteme of yourselfe that ye be noo thynge more thanne other / For assoone and as well shall ye be Iuged of god as the moost poore of the worlde / ¶ Wyth this I praye you that ye ben pyteuous and debonayr toward your subgettes / Hauynge cure and besynesse to doo Iustyce as well to the poore as the ryche / ¶ Consydre ye that there is a kinge aboue you eternall not oonly vpon you but vpon al mankynde ¶ Thise lettres seen by the sayd prynces tofore namyd thei were gretly comforted ¶ And the fame renoÌ„mee of saynt Anthonye was ouer all the countree publysshed and knowen / ¶ After that the Paynems Gentyles were confused of theyr argumentes And the kynges comforted by his lettres / He retorned in to the mountayne / in whyche he had many vysyons / by that whyche he knewe and by reuelacoÌ„n all that was done in Egypte / And sent to the bysshopp of Egypte namyd Serapyon / Emonge the whyche he sawe a moche pyetable caas / and worthy of sorowfulnes / whiche was this / ¶ He beynge wyth his brethern sette / lyfte hys eyen vpp to heuen wayllynge and wepyng / ¶ And a lytyll whyle after that he had seen the reuelacoÌ„n whyche was shewed to hym / ¶ He sette hym on his knees prayenge to god that it sholde not come ne happen / ¶ And soo doyng he shedde oute grete teeres in merueyllous habundance and plentee / ¶ Wherfore the brethern that were there present trembled and quoke / ¶ And questyned him what reuelacyon he hadd hadde / ¶ Ha haa my chyldren sayd saynt Anthonye / The fayth of cristendom shall in shorte tyme be subuerted / The men semblable or lyke to beestes / Iumentes or fooles / Whiche shall destroye the godes of the chyrche / ¶ I haue seen the aulter of oure lorde enuyronned or closed wyth mulettes / The whyche wyth theyr fete haue broken the aulter / And thyse thynges ben cause of my wayllynge / ¶ Two yeres after was publysshed and shewed the cursed secte of the Heretykes Arryens / The chyrches were pylled / And the sacred vessellis vilypended or dyspysed wyth the Sacramentes of the chyrche / by the pollute or defoylled hondes of the Ethnycyens Iuâ—ydelis / And Paynems dide and made in Alexandrye sacrefyces to ydollis / made wyth theyr hundes / In makyng to theym adoracyon and prayer as to theyr goddes / in offrynge to them bowes of palmes / whyche ben in the sayd countree a ryghte grete ydolatrie / ¶ And the Crysten men were constrayned to dod in lyke wise suche Insolences with the Aâ—yens / In suche wyse that there was noo dyfference bytwene the one the other / ¶ The courage sayd sayne Anthonye sholde haue abhomynacyon and horrour to reherse the horrible and detestable synnes that were done / ¶ Is it not a thynge well abhomynable afore god that the vyrgynes and matrones were shamed and vylonyed / and were not ashamed to lese theyr vyrgynyte / ¶ The blood of crysten people was by cruell occysion shedde wythin the chyrches / In suche wyse that the aulters were alle deyed and sprynkcled wyth the blood / ¶ A lytyll whyle after this heuy and desolate Reuelacyon saynt Anthonye had a nother Reuelacyon ryght Ioyous / Of whyche he comforted his Relygyous sayenge / ¶ My chyldren be not sorowful / For after this persecucyon of the chyrche of god / The crysten people shall be releuyd / And the chyrche shall be broughte hoole in his honoure / And all they that shall kepe well the fayth in this persecucyon shall be tofore god more shynynge thanÌ„e the bryghtnesse of the sonne / ¶ False satellytees persecutours of
in to a lytyll house made of Ionkes and bowes Wherin he endured tyll he was twenty yeres olde colde and heete Rayne and snowe and other grete necessytees / And after he dwellyd in a nother lytyll houses· whiche was foure fote brode and fiue fote hyghe / But it was a lytyll lenger thanne his body / ¶ This lytyll hous semed better a sepulcre than an house / ¶ He clipped of his heere 's ones a yere / That is to wyte tofore the solempnytee of Ester / ¶ He laye bare vppon a bedde of Ionkes / and soo contynued to the deth / And neuer was he couered but wyth one sacke / The whyche he neuer wasshed / Sayenge that in an hayer oughte not to be soughte clennesse / ¶ He neuer chaunged Robe ne cote tyll tholde was rotyn / His felycytee was to remembre holy scrypture / ¶ And emonge his orysons he songe deuowte psalmes to god as he hadde be presente / ¶ After that he was .xxi. yeres olde vnto .xxvi. he lyued sobrely / ¶ And in thre yere he ete not but onÌ„ly a syxter of wortes medled in a lytyll colde water / In the other thre yeres he ete but breede salt wyth a lytyll water / ¶ After seuen and twenty yeres tyll fyue and thyrty he ete not but sixe vnces of barly breede And for his potage a lytyll coole wortes without oyle ¶ But whan he sawe his body by straytnesse of lyffe became scabby and ronyous / Alytyll for to recomforte hymself / he putt a lytyll oylle in his potage ¶ And he lyued in this life sobrely vnto thaâ—ge of thre and fourty / without etynge apples ne other frutes / ¶ Whanne he came vnto the aege of thre score foure yere and the deth drawynge nyghe· He ete noo more brede tyll he was foure score yere olde but oonly ete meele and scooles brayed / ¶ Alle that he ete and dranke weyed not all but fyue vncis / ¶ And thus fynysshed he his dayes in suche abstynences / ¶ Alas we that ete some more thaÌ„ thyrty other more than foure score vncis of weyghte fyue or syxe tymes on the daye yet ben not well contente / And he that ete not but oonly whanne att the sonne was gone downe one tyme on the daye / And all his mete drynke weyed not but fyue vnces / Yet he lyued vnto the aege of foure score yeres / ¶ Lete vs thenne be sobre vnto the ende to be chaste by the ensample of the good holy fader Hylaryon whyche in his lyffe wolde suffre and endure soo moche euyll and payne / for the honour of Ihesu Cryste / ¶ He beynge in the aege of .xviij. yeres Theues came to hym wenynge to affraye hym by cause of his yonge aege Or for to robbe some thynge fro hym / ¶ And how well they made grete dylygence to fynde his lytyll house Neuerthelesse they went rounde abowte it an hoole daye and a nyghte cowde not fynde it / And on the morne they fonde it and hym therin / ¶ And they demaunded of hym this questyon / Yf the theues came to the. what sholdest thou do thou lytyll man / He ansuered to theym What maye they demaunde or aske seen that I am all naked and haue none moeuable goodes / ¶ Thenne they sayde to hym / Thou myghtest be slayne / ¶ The chylde ansuered / I maye well be slayne truely / But for that I drede-not / For I am redy for to deye / ¶ The theues were moche admerueylled And recounted to hym how they had soughte him / ¶ And after they amended theyr lynes ¶ He was not yet but two and twenty yeres olde / whanne his fame renommee sprange ouer alle the countree of Palestyne by cause of the holynesse of his lyffe / ¶ And in that tyme was a woman in the towne of Lentâ—opolytane whom her husbonde dispysed and hadde in hate / By cause he cowde not conne haue of her in fyftene yeres ony chylde / ¶ Wherfore she came to saynt Helaryon demaundynge or aryng counseylle of hym how she myghte doo ¶ And by cause that at the fyrste tyme he wolde not speke to her but spytte by cause he wolde not speke / Thenne she fell downe on her knees sayenge to hyÌ„ ¶ Fader Hylaryon lete it playse the to here me / torne not awaye thyne eyen from me / But beholde me not as a woman but as one vnhappy and cursyd ¶ Att laste he spake to her in demaundyng her the cause of her sorowe / The whyche by her recyted and opened / saynt Hilaryon sayd to her that she sholde goo home and haue alwaye stedfaste hope in god / ¶ And after for the pyâ—e that he had in her he prayed god often tymes in grete habundauÌ„ce of teeres soo effectuously that in the ende of the yere she had a childe / and that was his fyrste myracle / ¶ The wyfe of one namyd Elypydius comynge to se saynt Anthonie abode in the towne of Gaza wyth threof her chyldern and her husbonde / In whyche towne deyed the sayd thre chyldren ¶ The moder beynge in the myddle of theym thre soo desolate that she wyste not whom moost to bewaylle / ¶ And aduysed her of saynt Hylaryon whyche was nyghe by / And tooke the waye wyth her Chamberers and lefte alle her astate for to come to the place where he was ¶ To whom she sayd I requyre and adiure the in the name of our lorde Ihesu Cryste / Of his gloryous passyon and of the effusyon of hys precyous blood that it playse the to praye for my thre children that they maye by him be reysed from dethe / To the ende that his name be praysed and magnyfyed in the cyte of Paynems / ¶ And also I adiure the in lyke wyse that for thys cause thou come oute of thyne Hermytage And come in to the cyte of Gaza ¶ Thenne ansuered saynt Hylaryon that he wolde neuer come oute of hys celle / ne also wolde entree in to townes ne citees ¶ She noo thynge content of his ansuere fell down prostrate or flatt to the grounde and beganne to crye / Hylaryon reyse my chyldren by thy prayers / the whyche saynt Anthonye hath soo longe kepte and gouerned in Egipte / To the ende that of the they sholde be kepte in Syrye / ¶ All they that were thenne presente wepte / ¶ And how well he dyfferred his gooynge / neuerthelesse she sayd to hym that she sholde neuer departe / But he shold fyrste promyse to goo vysyte her chyldren wyth her / ¶ And soo he was constrayned by her wordes for to goo thyder / ¶ He beynge comen thyder / And seenge the chyldren all colde as they whyche had noo sygne of lyfe / In the presence of grete multytude of people thyder comen by cause of hym / He made his prayer deuowtly to god / ¶ The whyche made the sayde chyldren caste oute grete habundaunce of water oute of
enmye is ouercome by pacyence / And by humylytee pryde / ¶ Sayth not the holy scrypture / That who that shal be smeton on that one cheke He ought to profre that other / ¶ The appostles also went Ioyenge whanne they sholde be martred for the honoure of Ihesu Cryste / ¶ Oure sauyour meked hymself in takynge our nature whan he tooke man kynde / ¶ Yf Iob hadd not ben in pacyence in his aduersytees He hadde not herde the voyce of oure sauyour in sayenge to hym / ¶ Thynke Iob that I haue sente the persecucion and trowble but to the ende that thou sholdest be reputed and holden Iuste / ¶ They that endure trybulacyon ben reputed thoughte well happy in the Gospell / ¶ She coÌ„syderynge thyse thynges / and for to fructefye her pacyence ¶ Whan the enuyous Adad some tyme bote her by wordes Iniuryous and wrongfull / She sayde wyth the psalmyste / Whan the synnar adressyd hym to me for to doo me wronge / I haue restrayned or hydde my worde as I hadde be muette or dombe / As a deef man I herde noo thynge / And as a dombe man opened not my mouthe / ¶ The temptacyons come not to the persones but for to preue theym yf they loue god wyth all theyr herte and wyth alle theyr soule / ¶ She reduced and called to her mynde the worde of Ysaye whyche saythe / ¶ Ye that ben now oute from the pappes that is to saye in aege / Abyde trybulacyon vppon trybulacyon / ¶ Hope vppon hope oughte to be hadde agaynste an euyll and serpentyne tongue full of venyme / ¶ For pacyence is proued in trybulacoÌ„n / ¶ By pacyence is goten strengthe By that vertue is goten hope ¶ And who that hathe stedfaste hope / shal neuer be confounded / ¶ Who that is in aduersitee he oughte to arme him wyth strengthe wyth pacyence wyth hope / ¶ But some tyme they that ben Impacyent sayen / I endure ynough / and take the beste wyse I maye in pacyence / ¶ Neuerthelesse god helpyth me not / ¶ I haue hope he shall helpe me / But it is longe er it come / ¶ Suche murmurers done grete wronge and be not pacyent But full of alle Impacyence / ¶ For god hath sayde In tyme due and oportune I haue enhaunced the And in the daye of helthe I haue holpen the / ¶ It behouyth not thenne to drede in ony wyse the venymouse and wyckyd tongues / ¶ But we oughte to reioyce yf we ben wrongefully blamed in requyrynge alwaye the helpe of god ¶ Yet what some euer aduersytee that we haue Yet we ben not worthy to haue the glorye of heuen / ¶ Whanne saynt Paula was moche seke she sayde that she was more stronger thanne whanne she was hole / For by aduersytees and maladyes / her body gate Inmortalytee / ¶ And yet she sayde / Lyke as the passyons of Ihesu cryste abounded in me In lyke wyse by Ihesu Cryste in aboundance cometh to me consolacyon and comforte / ¶ They that ben felowes of passyon / shall also be felowes of consolacyon ¶ In heuynesse wepynge and wayllynge sange saynt Poul sayenge / Wherefor arte thou heuy my soule / Wherfore trowblest me / Haue hope in god For yet I shal confesse him as my god and Sauyour of my soule / ¶ Whanne she was in peryll she sayd wyth oure lorde / Who that woll kepe his soule and saue it he muste lese it And who that woll lese his soule for the loue of god he shall saue it / ¶ Whanne it was sayde to her that she was ouer liberall / And that bi this moyen alle her Patrymonye was dysspended She ansuered / ¶ What prouffyteth to wynne alle the worlde yf one lese his soule that it be dampned what marchaundyse maye a man take in recompence of his soule / ¶ As yf she wolde saye / Lyke as the Rychesses of thys worlde ben cause of the dampnacoÌ„n of the soule ¶ She sayde also I am borne in this worlde alle nakyd / And alle nakyd I shall retorne / ¶ Neuer oughte to be desyred ony thynge in this worlde / For alle that is in the worlde is none other thynge but fleshely desyre / And the euyll concupyscence of oure eyen / ¶ And in the ende alle shall passe / but the good vertues that we gete in thys mortall worlde shallen be contynuelly wyth vs and tofore the dethe / And in lyke wyse shall accompanye vs oure euylles and fowle synnes / ¶ On a tyme came to the sayde gode lady saynt Paula a good Relygyouse man The whyche sayde to her· that for the ryght grete aboundaunce of heâ— good vertues / And that for the ryghte grete loue that she hadde to god / she semed to moche people to be as a foole Ydâ—ote / ¶ And that for that cause / it were full necessary and grete nede to take medycynes for her brayne / ¶ To the wordes and proposycyons of whyche good Relygyous man the good lady ansuered / ¶ My brother in god we ben alle semblable and lyke / That is to saye in a place comyn where as alle the men in this worlde shall be assembled ¶ And we all ben called fooles for the loue of Ihesu Cryste / ¶ By cause that we haue in him sette our loue and deuocyon / ¶ And therfore I recomfort me in the sayenges and wordes of god our maker / whyche sayth to his apposles / ¶ For this cause the worlde hateth you / For ye ben not of the worlde / And yf we were of the worlde the worlde sholde loue you / ¶ The Iewes sayde to oure swete Sauyour and Redemer Ihesu Cryste that he was a Samarytane / And that he hadd a deuyll wyth in hym in his body / ¶ And that in the name of Belzebub whiche is the prynce of deuyllis he chassed and caste oute deuyllis of the bodyes of creatures the whyche oughte to requyre of hym hys mercy / ¶ After whyche wordes the gode and deuowte saynt Paula adressyd her wordes to god oure Sauyour and Redemer Ihesu Cryste In sayenge to to hym in this manere / ¶ Ha my god my Sauyour and Redemer Ihesu Criste / thou knoweste the affeccyon and desyre that I haue towarde the / And the grete loue that I bere / And how I am redy and apparaylled to obeye and accomplyssh wyth my lytyll power al thi commaundementes / ¶ Thou wotest knowest alle the thoughtes of myn herte / ¶ On that other syde thou seest wel and knoweste alle the Iniuryes whyche haue ben done to thy seruauntes / ¶ And neuerthelesse they remembre alwaye the / ¶ Yf we kepe alle thy commaundementes / And haue our hert on ony other thanne on the / We ben lyke and semblable to beestes the whyche be broughte to sacrefyce / ¶ My lorde god I counte noo thynge in suche fryuolouse wordes and deceyuable / ¶ For I haue
sayde He made soo lamentacyon and sorowe that he sayde thyse wordes / ¶ Alas my swete dâ—ughter myne oonly consolacyon and alle the playsaunce of myne eyen Whyche is he that robbed toke the awaye from me / And that hath quenchyd my lyghte and alle myn hope / ¶ Alas now is defoylled the beaute of thy face / ¶ A cursyd be the wulfe that hath borne awaye my shepe / ¶ Alas in what set or in what londe maye she be hydde ¶ O londe hyde not from me my douâ—ghter Eufrosyne But doo soo moche that she maye be rendred to me agayne ¶ Suche wordes and other moche merueyllous and pyteuous sayde Pafunce in wayllynge soo moche· that the assystentes and dwellers of the citee were excyted and styred to make lamentacyon and cryes / ¶ And after he retourned to his holy Abbot To whom in wepyng he declared the cause of his grete sorow and dyscomforte / To the ende that he his Relygyouses sholde praye to god that he myghte haue hasty and shortly tydynges of his doughter / ¶ And that they dysposyd theym to faste and make denowte orysons duâ—ynge an hoole weke / But neuerthelesse they herde of her noo manere tydynges / ¶ Saynt Eufrosyne prayed in lyke wyse to god that neuer her conuersacyon sholde be shewed to man ¶ After came the Abbot to her fader PafuÌ„ce and sayde to hym / My sone reioyce the syth we haue noo reuelacyon of her / ¶ We byleue stedfastly that in what place that euer thy doughter be she is in the honour of god / And hathe noo dystrowblynge ne empeshement / ¶ That herynge Pafunce was a lytyll comforted / And after that he hadde thankyd the bredern he retornyd in to his howse / ¶ Certayne dayes after passed the sayde Pafunce retornyd in to the abbaye / And recommauÌ„ded him to the bredern In requyrynge theym moche humbly that they sholde praye for him and for his doughter And syngulerly to the abbot to him sayenge ¶ Alas good fader my sorowe renewyth from daye to day more and more / ¶ Truely I may noo lenger bere it wythoute dethe / ¶ The Abbot seenge that he was soo moche sorowfull broughte hym in to the chambre where as saynt Eufrosyne was not knowyng that she was his doughter / ¶ And callyd the Relygyouse that hadde the charge of her namyd Agapyton / ¶ Saynt Eufrosyne herynge her fader was moche abasshed / And wepyng wyth grete teeres beganne to comforte her the beste she mighte as she had not be of his knowlege / ¶ Her fader beholdynge that her face was alle couered with her habyte and gretely chaunged for her fastynges and abstynences whiche she continuelly made knew her not ¶ After the lamentacyons and wayllynges / saynt Eufrosyne began to speke to her fader of the excellence of the glorye eternall / ¶ And how by abstynence Charytee almesse Chastyte and also in lyke wyse by the vertue of humylytee myghte begoten the souerayne be atytude or blessydnesse / ¶ After she admonested hym to dyspyse and contempne all worldly thynges In shewynge to hym that a man oughte not soo moche loue his chyldren as god / ¶ But by cause that she sawe her fader in moche grete trybulacyon she wolde comforte hym atte laste and sayd to hym ¶ Knowe my frende for trouthe as I byleue that thou arte bylouyd of god / ¶ And that yf thy doughter were in waye of perdycyon god wolde haue shewed in what estate she were in ¶ I byleue that she hathe chosen the waye of helthe / ¶ For he that forsakyth not alle that he hathe maye haue noo parte in heuen / ¶ Leue thenne thy malencolye and be not cause of thi perdycyon and losse / ¶ Haue pacyence and stedfaste hope / ¶ I haue herde ofte my mayster Agapyton speke of the / ¶ And how thou haste prayed the Relygyouses for to haue tydynges of thy doughter ¶ But I haue ofte prayed to the ende that thou sholdeste haue pacyence And haue desired for to see the for to comforte the. wyth the leest harme that I myghte / ¶ And after the sayde to hym / My lorde and my frende goo thy waye I praye the / ¶ And notwythstondyng that she desyred hym to goo his waye Neuerthelesse she wepte and had compassyon of him / ¶ For nature myghte not lye / ¶ Pafuncyus her fader by her wordes / was moche comforted / And nyghe as moche as he hadde founde his doughter / ¶ After he recommaunded hym to the prayers of the Abbot and Couent / And retorned home to his house / ¶ Saynt Eufrosyne in the habyte of a man lyued eyghte and thyrty yeres ¶ And anone after camÌ„ to her a sykenesse and maladye of whyche she deyed / ¶ And dutynge the sayde maladye her fader came to the abbaye for to vysyte her / Notwythstondynge that he wende alwaye that she hadde ben the Relygyouse Smaradyn / ¶ And entred in to the chambre where she laye syke and founde her almoost deed / ¶ Thenne he beganne to wepe sayeng / Alas and what shall I doo / ¶ Where ben the promyses whyche thou haste made to me Smaradyn / ¶ Where ben the swete consolacyons and the playsaunte wordes By whyche thou promysedest to me that I sholde see my doughter ¶ Alas I haue not oonly loste my doughter But also I shall lese the. the whyche haste gyuen to me soo moche comforte / ¶ Alas who shall comforte my poore olde aege and whyther shall I goo / ¶ Who shall be helpynge to me in my heuynesse / Now am I constrayned to wepe my dowble euyll and harme of the and of my doughter / ¶ It is eyghte and thyrty yere goo syth I loste my doughter / Now I retorne in to lyke sorowe ¶ Alas where shall I now fynde consolacyon and comforte / ¶ I shall descende wepynge in to helle yf god haue not pyte vppon me / ¶ Smaradyn seenge his heuynesse hadde compassyon on hym / ¶ And recomforted hym sayenge / Wherfore tormentest the thou thus / Wolte thou flee thyselfe / ¶ Ne thynkesse not thou that god is almyghty for to comforte the / Make an ende of thy heuynesse / ¶ Thynke how Iacob wepte for hys sone Ioseph as deed / And yet after oure lorde god shewed hym to hym / ¶ I praye the for the honoure of god that thou leue me not bi the space of thre dayes / ¶ Thenne her fader Pafunce supposyd that the noble Relygyous Smaradyn wythoute faulte sholde shewe to him some thynge in some manere that he shall haue knowlege of his doughter / ¶ The thre dayes passed Incontynent came agayne Pafunce to Smaradyn / And sayd thus ¶ My ryght swete frende the thre dayes ben now passed / I haue taryed lyke as thou saydest to me / ¶ Thenne saynt Eufrosyne knowynge that the daye approchyd and drewe nyghe in whyche she sholde deye· sayde to her fader / ¶ My lorde and my frende
noo grasse ne herbe ¶ That dragon by caas of fortune or otherwyse was put in his right eye a stake of a câ—byte longe / soo came tofore the place where as the holy man was ¶ And bi a sygne oonly that the sayd Symeon made vpon the sayd dragon the stake fell out of his eye / The relygiouses thenne beyng present seeng this myracle with drewe theym togyder to theyr monastery gaaf deuowtly thankynges to god ¶ The sayd beest thê° guarisshed helyd as sayde is wythdrewe hym from theym wythout dooynge ony dysplaysure in ony wyse / ¶ And after that al the brethern relygyous were wythdrawen in to their chirche the same dragon fell downe humbly tofore the dore of the sayd chyrche for to gyue thankyÌ„ges to the holy man Simeon of the good that he had done to hym by his prayers / ¶ In the tyme a woman drynkynge out of a stone potte receyued drynkyng in to her body a lytyll serpente beynge in the same potte / Wherof she was soâ— greuously seke that the Physicyens ne the Magycyens cowde fynde noo remedye / ¶ Thenne was she broughte vnto saynt Symeon / The whyche Incontynent sette her on the grounde / ¶ And wythoute to gyue to her ony medycyne made her to drynke of the water of his monastery / ¶ And as soone as she had drunken therof / The serpente sprange oute or her body as longe as thre cubytes or there abowtes / And the woman was all hoole and guarysshed / ¶ And the same houre the sayde serpente clefte asondre / And was hanged vpp in the same place by the space of seuen dayes for a perpetuell remembraunce / ¶ It was soo that in the sayde place there was no water· In suche wise that not oonly the men but also the beestes â—eyed for thurste ¶ Thenne saynt Symeon was requyred to praye god that he wolde gyue to theym water / ¶ And Incontynent the grounde opened and caste oute water habundantly / ¶ And after he dide delue in the sayde place to the depnesse of seuen cubytes / And neuer after they faylled water / ¶ In that countree there was a beeste namyd Parde / Of whyche beest whan the lyon hadde to doo wyth her he engendred on her a nother beest callyd a Leoparde / ¶ For the crueltee of that beest durste noo persone goo thorugh the feldes / ¶ That seenge the dwellars in that countree For to haue ayde comforte came to saynt Symeon / ¶ The whyche commaunded theym that they sholde sowe and sprynge on the grounde the water of their chyrche in the places where as the sayde beest haunted And soo they dyde / And anone they were of hym delyuered ¶ And anone after they founde the beest myraculously deed / ¶ Thenne they thanked god In the name of whom saynt Symeon made so grete euydent myracles / ¶ And whanne he dide ony on ony persone he deffended theym that he sholde neuer shewe ony thynge but onely they shold thanke god and noothynge hym / Gyuyng to theym to vnderstonde that god hadd helyd theym and not he / ¶ Aboue alle thynges he forbadde theim that they sholde not swere the name of god / but oonly for Iuste cause ¶ And for vniuste they sholde swere by the name of Symeon the poore synnar / ¶ And saynt Iherom sayth that yet in the partyes of the Eest and other straunge Regyons they of the sayde partyes and regions swere oonly and comynly the name of saynt Symeon / ¶ A theyf named Ionathas for the grete and myscheuous euyllis that he hadde done was soo strongely chacyd that he was constrayned to entree in to the chyrche of saynt Symeon / And enbracyd a pylar by the whyche he stode / ¶ Saynt Symeon demaunded hym what he was / ¶ And wherfore he was there entred / To whom he ansuered I am Ionathas whyche haue done soo moche euyll in the worlde But I woll repente me and doo penaunce / ThenÌ„e the holy man sayde to him / Thou arte ryght welcome my brother for the penitentis is the reame of heuen / But come not hither for to tempte me ne also for to retourne to thy synne / ¶ And thus sayeng came the offycers of Anthyoche that sayde to saynt Symeon / ¶ Delyuer to vs the theyf Ionathas or ellys alle the cyte shall aryse and moeue theym agaynst the. For the beestes ben redâ— for to deuoure hym / ¶ Saynt Symeon ansuered My frendes I haue not broughte hym hyther It is a gretter mayster thanne I ¶ And therfore yf ye maye take him wyth you / For as towchynge to me I dare not towche hym by cause I drede god whiche hathe sent hym hyther / ¶ Thenne they retornyd and sayde to the lordes of the Iustyce / where they hadde fonde hym / and that whyche Symeon hadde sayde to them Wherfore they durste not towche hym / ¶ The theyf Ionathas whyche thenÌ„e was conuerted and contynuenge in lamentacyons and wepynges / After that he hadde ben there seuen dayes in holdynge the sayde pylar sayde to saynt Symeon / ¶ My lorde and frende yf it playse the I am redy to goo hens / ¶ Symeon ansuered / Arte thou now wery to doo penaunce And wolt thou retoâ—ne to thy malyce accustomyd Ionathas ansuered / Naye my lorde I am not But the tyme is come that I must deye / ¶ And in sayenge thyse wordes he yelded vpp his spurte to god TheÌ„ne as they wolde haue buryed hym came the Iustyces of Anthyche wenynge to haue taken hym / ¶ saynt Symeon thenne ansuered ¶ My frendes he that sente hym hytheâ— comyth to fetche him wyth all the celestyall courâ—e The whiche maye you and youre cytee make to sinke in to helle / And the poore Ionathas theyf make to ascende in to heuen ¶ And knowe ye that I myselfe yf I hadde knowen that god wolde not haue be dysplaysed wyth me I wolde haue delyuered hym to you / And therfore traueylle ye noo more / ¶ The lordes of the Iustyse herynge thyse wordes retorned agayne And recounted and tolde alle that they hadde seen / ¶ A lytyll tyme after one named Anthony Of whom is tofore spoken and the whyche hadde longe serued saynt Symeon founde hym in prayer / And by cause he had be soo thre dayes that is to wyte the Frydaye Saterday and Sonday Durynge the whyche he had not spoken but was there as vnmoeuable / the good relygyous Anthony was moche abasshed / ¶ And sayde to hym My lorde and my fader it is tyme that thou aryse / For it is thre dayes now sythen the people haue taryed for to haue thy blessynge / To whom saynt Symeon ansueryd noo worde / ¶ Thenne sayd Anthony / Alas what maye I haue trespassed to the. that thou spekest noo thynge to me / And seenge that he spake not / He durste not awake hym / For he dradde hym moche / ¶ Neuerthelesse he abode by hym by the space
of halfe an hour / ¶ And after he approchyd nere to hym / And layed his ceâ—e to his vysage for to knowe yf he were deed or a lyue / ¶ But he felte noo thinge but an odoure soo swete that all the place was replenysshyd wyth all / ¶ ThenÌ„e knewe he wel that he was departed out of this worlde / ¶ Thenne Incontynent he beganne to kysse hym his eyen hys berde Wepynge bytterly and sayde Helas my lorde and my mayster Wherfore leuest thou me / Who shall be he that shall gyue to me doctryne as thou hast doon ¶ What shall I saye to the malades and seke people that shall come hyther to haue helthe / ¶ Helas now I see the. and tomorne I shall lese the / ¶ After many lamentacyons the good Anthony slepte / And as he slepte he beâ—de a voyce that sayde / Anthony I shal not leue the here in this place ne in the mountayne in whyche I am Illumyâ—ed wyth the grace of god / ¶ Thou shalte goo secretely in to Anthyoche / to the ende that the people moeue theym not / And shalt telle the tydynges of my dethe / ¶ For now I am departed lyke as it hathe playsed to my Redemer / ¶ Thou shalte neuer cesse to pray god in this place here / And he shall rewarde the in heuen / ¶ Whanne Anthony was awaked he merueylled moche sayenge ¶ O my lorde and mayster remembre thou me in the glorye in whyche thou arte now ¶ After he kissed his fete and layed his hondes vppon his eyen sayenge / ¶ My lorde I praye the gyue to me thy blessynge / ¶ And beganne agayn to wepe sayenge / Helas for to haue myÌ„de of the. What pyece of a Relique shal I take of thy body / ¶ And soo sayeng the body beganne to moeue Wherfore he was affrayed that he durste not towche it / ¶ And bi cause none sholde knowe therof / He sente secretely one of hys brethern to the Bysshop of Anthyoche The whyche accompanyed wyth two other Bisshoppis and also wyth Ardahoruis Prynce of the chyualrye of Anthyoche transported theym thyder and dyde laye the holy corps tofore the aulter of his chyrche / ¶ And thystorye sayth that the byrdes fledden abowte the place where as he was makynge grete cryes and chaterynge in manere of wepinge and waylynges / ¶ The people also and the beestes assembled in soo grete nombre that they were estemyd well atte seuen thousande demeanynge for his dethe a merueyllouse heuynesse / ¶ The mountaynes the feldes trees and also herbes of the places nighe by suffreden for his dethe / ¶ For ouer alle there abowte they were enuyronned wyth a derke clowde testefyenge and wytnessynge the bytternesse that they hadde ¶ Also the good Anthonye abode seuen houres the aungell of god shynynge as a lyghtnynge And his clothes whyte as snowe Wyth whom were seuen auncyent faders whiche longe tyme were by the corps / But what they dyde ne sayd knoweth none Lyke as sayth saynt Iherom / ¶ Durynge the tyme that the body was in the chyrche The Patryarke of Anthyoche wolde haue taken of his berde By cause he knewe that he was a man of holy lyfe But Incontynent thonde wyth whyche he wolde haue towched it waxyd drye / But after by the prayers of theym that were presente and by the euydente myracle he was heelyd / ¶ ThenÌ„ sware he that neyther man ne woman sholde towche it / ¶ Thyse thynges thus done in grete solempnyte torches and tapres beynge lyghte / The body was borne to Anthioche / ¶ But whan he was withdrawen fiue myle to a place callyd Mere. myghte neuer man make hym departe from that place / ¶ There was a man that hadde be fourty yere deyf and dombe and began to crye / Ha seruaunte of god thou arte ryght welcome / Thy comynge hath yeuen to me heryng and spekynge / ¶ I promyse the yf I lyue long· that alway I shall serue the wyth body and soule / ¶ After he aroos and tooke one of the beestes that ladde the corps of the holy man / And anone he was helyd / The cause of the accydente of this deyf and dombe man was this / ¶ He hadde ben amerous of a fayre yonge woman maryed the whyche he had strongely solycited for to haue her company To the whyche he cowde not come / ¶ And after it happed that she deyed whyche dethe came to the knowlege of this man all enraged for her loue / ¶ And after that she was buryed he wente to her sepulture and there deffoyled her And forthwyth he was deyf dombe lame / and soo abode in the same place duryng fourty yere / ¶ All the cyteyzyns of Anthioche came in grete tryumphe and mete wyth the body and bare it in to the grete chyrche / ¶ And there in the chyrche whiche is namyd Penytence in the whiche after his buryenge to the exaltacoÌ„n of his gloryous name ben shewed done Infenyte myracles / And more merueylous than theâ— that haue be done in his lyfe / ¶ Many prynces lordes haue layed oute of theyr tresours to the layd chyrche for to haue of hym some relyke But none myghte â—e had be cause of the othe that the bysshopp made / that his body sholde neuer be towchyd ¶ Of saynt Symeon byleue ye stedfastly that who someuer for the honour of god of hym shall haue the lyfe of hyÌ„ by wrytynge and shall rede it deuowtly and seruynge hym wyth good deuocyon He shall be rewarded for his merytes in the celestyall glorye ¶ To the whiche by his Intâ—essions lete vs prayes almyghty god that we maye obteyne / Amen / ¶ Of saynt Eufraxe vyrgyn / Whyche begynnyth in latyn ¶ In diebus theodoâ—u / Caplm .xlvii. IN the tyme that regned Theodocyen the Iust emperour of the Romayns There was at Rome a Senatoure namyd Antigonius the whiche had a doughter namyd Eufrare / ¶ The sayd Antigonius was a man soo prudent and of soo godâ— counseylle that he gouerned after the lawe of the Romayns all the countree of â—â—â—ye / ¶ He was soo moche humayn that he had compassion of eche persone and admynystred to the poore all theyâ— necessytees / ¶ The emperour louyd hym not oonly by cause he was his kysnesman· but also by cause he was of right good prouffytable couÌ„seylle / ¶ He hâ— bounded in rychesse goodes temporal asmoche as ony man of the cyte / And he had a wyfe descended of the propre very lygnage of Emperours the whiche also was called Eufraxe a woman Iuste mercyful and garnysshyd with alle other vertues / ¶ Antigonius after thenne certayne tyme that god had sente hym his fayre doughter Eufraxe Thynkynge the saluacyon of his soule / Deuysed wyth his wyfe Eufraxe of holy wordes deuowte / ¶ And emong alle other he sayde to her / ¶ Eufraxe my syster and loue thou knoweste that this lyfe is
transitory and maye no lenger dure thanne foure score yere / Thou knoweste also that the worldly rychesses and the vanytee of this worlde arn noo thynge but a lytyll wynde / ¶ But the rychesses of heuen ben alwaye durable perpetuel / ¶ Now my syster thou oughtest to knowe that all they that louen dysordynatly the honoures of thys worlde ben pryued from the goodes of heuen / ¶ And ofte the rychesse worldly possessyons ben cause of the confusyon and vtterly dystruccyon of theim that haue theym / ¶ His wyfe herynge thyse wordes sayd to hym / What playsyth that that we doo / CoÌ„maunde thy good playsure and I shall accomplysshe it ¶ For thy wyll is myne That whyche thou wolte I woll / ¶ Antigonius ansueryd We haue a doughter god be thankyd / And we oughte to be contente that one wyth that other wythout to haue affectyon to lyue emonge the voluptuosytees of this worlde / ¶ Thenne his wyfe lyfted vpp her hondes to heuen in sayenge / O my lorde loue blessyd be our lorde that hath made the worthy to knowe thyne helthe / ¶ Truely my loue I haue many tymes prayed god / that he wolde humble the. and torne thyne entendemente to wyll to flee thy flesshely coÌ„cupyscences worldly / But I neuer durste declare to the ony thynge therof for the grete fere gode loue that I had to the / ¶ And for asmoche as thy wyll is suche / Lete vs departe of our temporell goodes to the ende that they be not cause to make vs descende in to helle / ¶ Other holsom reasons the lady gaaf to Antigonius her husbond the whiche herof praysynge thankynge god with all his herte Dystrybuted the gretest parte of his goodes to the poore people / ¶ And after lyued not but one yere wyth his good lyfe holy vertuouse in perfyghte deuocyon· chastytee contynence / ¶ Of his dethe was moche sorowfull the emperour whyche was of hys kynÌ„e and also alle the Romayns for the grete vertues that were in hym / And also for the pyte that they hadd of his wyfe Eufraxe whiche had not bâ— but .ij. iij monethes wyth hym / ¶ After that he was buryed the good lady Eufraxe toke her doughter also namyd Eufraxe And presented her to the Emperour to her frendes sayenge ¶ O souerayne emperour and ye alle my lordes frendes I put in to your hondes this poore Orphelyne Humbly you supplyenge that in fauoure contemplacyon of the gode very loue that ye had to her fader Antigonius it wolde playse you to doo her to be Instructe and taughte in gode maners vertues And to be to her gode faders conduytours / ¶ The lordes herynge this pyteuous requeste were in contynent moeuyd to wepynge waylynge / ¶ And a lytyll after that they had resprysed theyr spyrytes the emperour desyred counseylled the good lady that she sholde consente to the maryage of her fayr doughter / of one of the Senatours the rychest of alle the other / ¶ To the whyche she accorded / And the sayde doughter receyued ernest of the maryage / ¶ But after by cause that the sayde doughter atte that tyme that the sayde Maryage was treated / was but fyue yere olde / And that the senatoure was greuyd to abyde tyll that she were suffysaunte of aege for to accomplysshe the sayde maryage / ¶ He concluded to demaunde the moder to his wyfe / ¶ And for to come to his entencyon / He sente notable ladyes to the Emperesse for to labour that the moder wolde take to husbonde the sayde Senatour / The whyche thynge the sayde Emperesse and the sayde ladyes supposyd to haue made and accomplysshed it ¶ But the good lady wydowe wolde neuer in that maner leue her â—eâ—e to here it / But repreâ—yd theym angrely In shewynge to theym the grete Inconuenyent in whyche they wolde brynge her That is to wyte in desyrynge her to leue the way of helthe for to take the worldely waye for to brynge her to eternal dampnacyon / And emonge other wordes she sayde to the emperesse / ¶ A madame to what thynge woll ye Induce me Alas whanne I was wyth my husbonde that was I kepte chastytee And ye labour to me that I sholde folowe the amorouse wymmen I shall neuer doo it / ¶ The emperour induertysed of the enterpryse of his wyfe was euyll contentent wyth her sayenge thyse wordes ¶ Come hyther my wyfe ye be wel presumptuous to woll breke the maryage whyche hath be soo honestely begonne ¶ Ne knowe ye not that oure cosyn kynnes woman Eufraxe woll lede a solytary lyfe / ¶ Haue ye now forgoten the loue that ye had to her husbonde whan he lyued / Woll ye now doo hym Iniurye / ¶ Alas yf ye haue louyd hym whyle he lyned ye oughte after his deth to loue his wyfe whyche is soo good and Iuste / ¶ The emperesse herynge thyse wordes was soo moche trowbled that she was two houres wythoute spekynge and semyd to be deed / ¶ The good Eufraxe knowynge thyse tydynges / was in lyke wyse wrothe Doubtynge that it sholde be layed to her that she sholde be cause of the dyscencyon of the emperoure of his wyfe in suche wyse that she myghte be in daunger of deth ¶ And in waylynge wepynge she sayd to her doughter ¶ Lete vs goo in to Egypte my dere doughter we haue there many londes and possessyons whyche I shall leue vnto the. For alle that I haue is thyne / And soo they wente in to the londe of Egypte / ¶ They â—eynge there arryued vysyted her londes possessyons And fynably came in to the partyes of Thebayde where they dyde many almesses to the monasteries relygyons / ¶ And emonge all other they came to a Relygyon of wymmen in a towne wherin were an hundred thâ—â—ty monasteryes of relygyouses / ¶ There some ete no apples ne fygges ne draÌ„ke no wyne The other ete noo oyle ne other lycour Other fasted an hole day Other wysshe noo fete / And whanne ony spake to theym they were abasshyd ¶ They laye on the erthe and ware euery daye the heyt / ¶ And yf by aduenture one of theym were syke / there was noo medycyne gyuen to her ¶ But the sykenesse that she hadde was reputed for a benedyccoÌ„n of god ¶ They wente neuer out of the monasterye but they hadde a Portiere the whyche gaaf ansuere to alle theym that came thyder / Eufraxe knowynge the honeste and deuowte conuersacyon of the sayde Relygyouses vysyted theym ofte And gaue them lyght to the chyrche for to doo the seruyce of god / ¶ On one daye emonge the other Eufraxe spake to thabbesse and to the pryÌ„cypallis of the monasterye And sayde to theym / My good ladyes I woll yeue to you twenty or thyrty pouÌ„de of golde of reuenue for and to the ende that it wolde playse you
of Infenyte nombre of people / Symphonysynge more swetter thanne ony other Instrumentes / ¶ After they felte an odoure more swete thanne bame and also thanne ony other spyces aromatyke in al the worlde / ¶ And by the vertue of those armonyes and swete sauours they slepte / Anone after they awoke ¶ And in beholdynge byfore theym / They sawe a chirche decorate and ornate aboue alle puyssaunce humayne / For it semyd alle to be made of crystall / ¶ In that chyrche was an awter moche well arayed / By whyche and by a fountayne there beynge sourded and sprange a water whyte as mylke / Abowte whyche fountayne weren people whyche songen songes of Cherubyn / ¶ Now for to dyscryue the fourme of the sayde chyrche / The partye wythout for the on the syde of the South was of the colour semblable or lyke to a precyous stone namyd Prasym The partye towarde the North was redde as blodde / And towarde the Eest white as mylke ¶ There was also vpon the same chirche many sterres more shynynge thanÌ„e they that shyne in this worlde / ¶ The sonne shone and was more hoter seuen tymes thanne in oure londe / The mountaynes and the trees were wythoute comparyson more hygher thanne they of this Regyon / And the fruytes of the sayde trees were moche fayrer and also moche swetter / ¶ The songe of the byrdes that flewe there resowned vppe to heuen ¶ The erthe of that place had two colource / Of whom that one was whyte and that other reed / ¶ Thyse relygyouses thenne alle abasshed salewed the enhabitauntes of that place and wente forthe theyr waye / ¶ And they wente an hundred dayes wythoute mete But of water they dranke ynough / ¶ And sodaynly they sawe comÌ„ towarde theym a multytude of men wyâ—â—men whiche were but a cubite bye whyche made theym sore aferde / But they sette theyr lyues in the honde of god wente agaynste theym / ¶ And Incontynent by the vertue of god they fledde ¶ Thenne the sayde Relygyouses toke their refeccoÌ„n of herbes whiche they founde in that place And rendred than kynges to god whyche hadde delyuerde theym from soo many perylles / ¶ And after by the wyll of god they founde a fayr waye to walke in / by whyche they wente many Iourneyes / And in walkynge they founde a caue playsaunte ynoughe / and clenly wythin / In to whyche they entred / ¶ After that they were wythin they marked theym wyth the sygne of the Crosse But thei founde there noo persone ¶ And by cause they founde the place soo clene they ymagyned that some man dwellyd there / And soo abode there tyll euen for to knowe yf he that dwellyd there wolde come / They beynge there wythin slepten / ¶ And after that they were a waked they went oute of the caue And Incontynent they saw a man hauyng hys heere 's as whyte as snowe / The whyche couered alle his body / ¶ Whanne the sayde man sawe theym he fell downe to the grounde / ¶ And after he aroos sayde to theym Yf ye ben on goddis halfe / Marke ye wyth the sygne of the Crosse Or ellis goo ye youre waye oute from me in the name of god / whyche sayden to hym that he sholde noo thynge be aferde / And that they were the seruauntes of god as he was / This seenge that good man was longe in his prayers ¶ And notwythstondyng that he had be longe in that place Yet was his face as shynynge as the vysage of an aungell / ¶ His browes couered hys eyen bi force of olde aege The vngles or nayles of his fete and hondes weren merueyllously longe His berde and his heere 's couered also alle his body / And his skynne was as harde as the shelle of a lymace / ¶ The sayde holy man also wepynge demaunded of the thre Relygyouses pylgryms of whens they were / And wherfore they weren thyder come / and of the estate of mankynde And yf the Sarrazyns and Ethnycyens persecuted more the faythe / ¶ The sayde pylgrymes recounted to hym all theyr aduersytees / And how they soughte to fynde the place where as heuen and erthe Ioyned togyder / ¶ The holy man sayde thenne to theym that fro the place where as they were it was no ferre waye to paradyce terrestre / But noo man myghte goo thyther But yf the aungellis bare hym lyke as a voyce hadde sayde to him whanne he hym selfe wolde haue goon thyther / ¶ He tolde to them also as the aungell had tolde to hym that it was but twenty myles to the place where as Adam was created and fourmed and to the sayd paradice terrestre Where as the erthe Ioynyth to heuen / ¶ The sayde pylgrymes herynge thyse wordes were moche enioyed / And entred in to the caue wyth the sayde holy man / ¶ Whanne the euen was comen he prayed theym and sayde That they sholde not holde theym wythin the sayde caue / By cause that there were wyth in a lytyll space therby two lyons whyche camen euery nyghte to lye wyth hyÌ„ ¶ And he fered theym sore leest they sholde doo to theym ony harme or dysplaysure / ¶ Anone after they sawe the sayde two lyons come But the good holy man wente and mette wyth theym / And deffended and forbadde the sayd lyons to doo theym ony greyf / The whyche deffence made they soiourned there surely / ¶ On the morne they asked of the holy man of his estate and conuersacyon / and also of his name / And of what place he was / ¶ To whom he ansuered / Fyrste that he was namyd Machaire / And was borne atte Rome sone of a noble Romayne flourysshynge in good renomme and fame thorugh oute alle the empyre / ¶ After he recounted to theym of his lyfe and conuersacyon and the cause wherfore he was departed from Rome ¶ And beganne to recyte shewe to theym / That he beynge yonge / his fader wolde haue maryed hym and in dede was fyaunced and trouth plyghted and a daye accepted to be wedded ¶ Atte whyche daye after that al thynges necessary for the weddyÌ„ge were made redy / And the lordes Romayns boden for to goo to the celebracoÌ„n and so lempnytee of the sayde weddynge / ¶ The holy man seenge the same preparacyons and ordynaunces / And that the houre approchyd and drewe nyghe Secretely he departed from the house / of his fader And hydde hym in the â—ous of a woman a widowe wyth whom he was famylyer / ¶ In her house he was seuen dayes hydde wythoute to be seen of ony persone of the cyte of Rome / ¶ That same wydowe wente euery daye in to the hous of his fader And knewe alle the was sayde of hym syth he came to her house And shewed alle to the sayde holy man ¶ His fader seenge that he mighte not fynde him was moche angry and also his moder wyth alle
enfourme me in thyne holy lawe ¶ And fynably wyll gyue to me the glorye eternall / ¶ And from thens forth on Pastumyen besyed hym in deuowte comtemplacyons / Alwaye awaytinge that the angell of god sholde come agayne to him ¶ But that notwithstondynge he wente agayne to his crafte / whyche was as tofore is sayde to make cordes of Ionâ—es / ¶ And fynably the aungell apperyd to hym and sayde / Pastumyen wolt thou that I lede the to a preest / Whyche shal baptyse the in the name of the fader of the sone and of the holy ghoste / To whom he ansuered that it was the grettest Ioye that myghte come to hym / And that he desyred none other thynge ¶ Anone the aungell tooke him by the heere 's / and bare hym vnto a place where as was an an holy man named Prisce / To whom the Aungell commaunded that he sholde enseygne and teche hym the faythe and lawe / And to lyue as a good Crysten / ¶ The holy fader seenge the grete bryghtnesse of the aungell Sodaynly he was abasshed in suche wyse that he felle downe for fere / But the aungell releuyd hym and comforted hym sayenge ¶ Be not aferde / for I am the seruaunte of god as thou arte / ¶ And in sayenge thise wordes the aungell chaunged his fourme vnto the semblaunce or lickenesse of a man clad wyth whyte and of a playsaunt face / ¶ After agayne he sayde to hym / Doubte the noo thynge / I come to the for to shewe to the fro god / That it is his playsure that thou take to the this goode man Pastumyen / And that thou enfourme hym in the faythe of holy chyrche To the ende that he maye deserue the glorye eternall / ¶ And Incontinente the aungell departed / ¶ Saynt Prysce thenne toke Pastumien And enfourmyd hym in the faythe / And to faste and to doo other vertuous werkes / ¶ After he baptysed hym and this done he made a prayer vnto oure lorde sayenge thus ¶ O sone of god I yelde to the humbly thaÌ„kynges of thys that it hathe playsed the. by thyne holy ghoste to reconcyle me to god thy fader And thou haste redemyd me from eternall dethe / The whyche dethe suffren perpetuelly alle they that byleue not in thy name / Alas I knowlege now that alle thynges the lasse oughte to obeye the gretter And the symple to theym that ben wyse / ¶ The seconde commaundement that ye oughte / for to kepe is subieccyon To the ende that in reuerent drede ye maye serue god wyth a chaste herte pure and clene / ¶ The thirde is that ye oughte to lyue sobrely and Iustly in hauynge compassyon on youre soules and of others / ¶ The fourth that ye oughte to chastyse youre bodyes by fastynges and abstynence after your possybylyte / For to the spyryte desyrynge to gete vertue it is a synguler delectacoÌ„n and playsaunce to be and enhabyte in a body lene by penaunce / ¶ The fyfthe is for to be ofte in oryryson and prayer in ensâ—ewyng the doctryne of the appostle whyche commaundyth vs to praye god wythoute ceassynge / For after his doctryne alle they that contynuelly faste and pray to god Lyghtly they putt vnder by the vertue of the faythe alle the cautels and subteltees of the deuyll of helle / And causyth also to resyste and wythstonde alle vyces and synnes / ¶ Fyrst and pryncypally to pryde / For of that synne proceden alle euylles And euery daye as one seeth by experyence / Pryde is the orygynall roote of al synnes / ¶ By pryde ben the aungellys caste downe in to helle / By cause that Adam desyrynge to knowe the good euyll ete of the fruyte forboden in transgressynge and brekynge the commaundement of god / ¶ By this concupiscence he deseruyd and bounde him and alle his posterytee and ofsprynge vnto the dethe eternall / Wherof we hadde neuer be quyte yf the blessyd sone of god by his grete mercy and by his worthy dethe and passyon hadde not quyted redemed vs / ¶ The vertue opposyte and coÌ„trary to pryde is Humylytee roote of alle good / And the begynnyng and getâ—nge of al vertues wythoute the whyche was neuer none ne neuer shall persone be perfyghte / ¶ And the cause that most moeuyd oure blessyd Sauyoure to take oure humanyte in the wombe of the vyrgyne of the Intemerate and moost clene and ryght blessyd vyrgyne Marye that was her humylytee For in soo doynge is wryten in the Cantycle / God hathe beholden the humylytee and mekenes of his hondmayde Quâ—a respexte humilitatem ancille sue c ¶ After the holy man Pastumien commaunded theym that they sholde haue charytee fraternall togyder in hauyng perfyghte faythe / Sayenge that the princypall Rule and mooste grettest charge that Religyouses oughte to haue is for to haue one wyth a nother perfyghte loue and charytee / Wythoute the whiche none Relygyouses in the cloystre maye not well gouerne theymselfe / ¶ Whan many brethern ben togyder wythoute loue eche entendyth to his synguler prouffyte / And soo theyr comynte is deuyded / ¶ Soo euery reame and other gouernement of multytude and of subgettes yf it be deuyded wythoute doubte it is desolacyon / ¶ Alas now the mooste parte of Relygyouses in this present tyme enteÌ„de to be Abbottes Pryours and to offyces Desyrynge to be oute from theyr brethern / ¶ Lyke as the byrde sechyth but to escape oute of the cage / ¶ And who sholde demaunde or wyte the reason wherfore I trowe that there sholde be defaulte to haue loue wyth theyr brethern / ¶ For by cause that thei ben ouermoche replenysshyd and fulfyllyd wyth the dampned vyce of Pryde they can not be compatyble and felyshypped wyth the other / But woll be alone ¶ A lorde god well is chaunged the tyme that the holy faders fledd in to deserte sedynge there a solytary lyfe for to renounce and leue the worlde / and to lede a lyfe contemplatyf / ¶ And as it is sayde the Relygyouses whanne they be closyd in an abbay where as they haue ben put for to be oute of the worlde / They thynke on none other synne but to opteyne and gete pryeryes and other benefyces / Whether it be by synne or no synne to the ende to retorne agayne to the worlde / For the whyche thynges all deuocyon is loste / ¶ Perauenture yf the Pryours were vnyed and onyd wyth the abbayes / And that suche Relygyouses had none occasyon for to departe with oute lycence / It sholde be better and lightlyer for theyr helthe / thanne for to seke theyr lodges from vyllage to vyllage / ¶ It hath be seen in tyme passed that the chyldren of kynges for to serue god haue renouÌ„ced and vtterly forsaken all theyr rychesses / ¶ But now whan there ben many in a noble house / they ben made Abbottes tofore that they ben relygyouses ¶ Noo
Infamyd ryght myserable and lyar of alle lyars / syth that thou knoweste theym that ben happy humble seruauntes of god Wherfore ye ueste thou to theym heuynesse and lettynges that they may not doo theyr penaunces suche as they desyred / ¶ The deuyll ansuered that the cause wherfore he trowbled the seruauntes of god / was to th ende that they sholde leue theyr gode conuersacyons and abandonne and gyue theym to synne / ¶ ThenÌ„e the holy man sayde to hym / Thynkeste thou spyrite Infamyd that they that ben ferme in the loue of IhuÌ„ Cryst may be deceyued by thy suggestions Thou deceyuest none but theym that ben vnhappy And ben contente to doo thy wyll / And that worse is they done payne to synne mortally / ¶ Thou knowest whan the seruauntes of god ben assaylled of the / That by one prayer that they make to god thou arte constrayned to flee / And Incontynent as the holy man hadd sayd thyse wordes / The deuyll fledde awaye as a raye or beme of the sonne ¶ Yet agayne fyue dayes after came the deuyll And made in the ayre a noyse / as he hadde hadd a grete multytude of people / That one sayeng to that other ¶ Lete vs goo and throw Abraham into a dyche and putte hym to dethe / ¶ The good holy man whanne he herde thyse wordes sayede / ¶ The enmyes of god haue gone rounde abowte me as flyes or bees and ben enforcyd agaynst me as fyre in thornes ¶ Alle be done in the name of god our lorde Ihesu Cryste / For by the puyssaunce dyuyne I shall vaynquysshe the cursyd deuyll / ¶ After that the enmye had herde thyse wordes of the sayde good holy man / He beganne to crye sayenge / Helas Helas I knowe noo more by what manere ne by what moyen the to dysceyue I knowe now that I am dysceyued / Neuerthelesse I shall neuer departe fro the vnto the tyme thou rendre thyself to be my subgette / ¶ Thenne the holy man ansuered to hym Maledyccyon come to the / Glory be gyuen vnto god and noo thynge vnto the / ¶ Thou knoweste that our sauyoure and redemptour Ihesus gyuethe to alle his true seruauntes strength to fyght agaynst the. and knowlege of thy dysceyuable temptacyons and mockynges for to kepe them from thy mortall and dampnable grynnes ¶ By many assawtes was assailed the holy man Abraham of the deuyll oure enmye But of what some euer temptacyon that he was tempted wyth He neuer fered ne doubted / but hadde alwaye stedfaste faythe / ¶ And of soo moche more as he was tempted vexid and traueylled of the deuyll / Of soo moche more he augmented his charytee towarde god / Wherfore fro day to day encrecyd his grace / ¶ And by that lyghtly by the helpe of god he suppedyted and put vnder fote the deuyll / ¶ Whanne the holy man apperceyued that the tresoure of grace was to hym ottroyed and gyuen He took thre precyous stones / Of whyche the fyrste was Faythe The seconde Hope / And the thirde Charyte To the ende that by thyse thre the other vertues mighte be decorate and made fayre / ¶ His charyte was soo grete that it stratched not oonly to good men / For whom he prayed affectuously / to the ende that the deuyll sholde not greue ne noye theym / But also he desired the conuersyon of the euyll peple in prayenge in lyke wyse for theym And in wepynge grete habundauÌ„ce of teeres / ¶ To the ende that god wolde dyuerte theym from theyr euyll lyfe / and tourne theym to the waye of helthe / ¶ He neuer laughed / And neuer after his conuersion wysshe his feete ne his hondes· ne his vysage / Estemynge euery daye that he sholde deye / ¶ He had his vysage not lyke the floure that neuer dryeth / ¶ And in seenge hym by his vysage· he sholde be Iuged to be a vessell full of alle vertues· ¶ Alwaye he was Ioyeous wythoute heuynesse / ¶ And for that cause atte houre of his dethe he was Iuged neuer to haue doo penaunce soo moche was his visage fayte and rodye / ¶ And that more is in fyfty yere he chaunged not his garment of hayre / Whiche he toke and hadde worne syth he beganne to doo penaunce fyrste / By the whyche thynges it apperyd euydently that he was strongely the frende of god / ¶ A nother myracle dide the holy man Abraham in his olde aege / He hadde a cosyn germayn / Whiche departed oute of this worlde and deyed leuynge after hym a doughter seuen yere of aege / ¶ The frendes of the sayde chylde secuge that she had neyther fader ne moder / broughte her to the holy man / where as she was enclosyd nyghe by to a wyndowe whyche was on the syde of his lytyll house And by the same wyndowe he taughte to her the Psaulter other holy scryptures / ¶ And there in soo dooyng and sayenge Ympnes and psalmes they were longe togyder / In suche wyse / that in alle abstynences the yonge mayde ensyewed her vncle Abraham / The whiche seeng the good way and wyll by her begon / He deuowtely wythoute cessynge prayed god for her / To the ende that he wolde gyue to her suche grace that she neuer solde retourne to the worlde And that her thoughte sholde haue none affeccyon to worldly thynges / ¶ For he hadde therof grete doubte by cause that her fader hadde lefte to her grete plentee of goodes temporell / ¶ The whyche goodes Abraham seenge her grete prudence and perfeccyon made theym to be dystrybuted to the pore people / In prayeng god that the deuylles by theyr subtyll suggestyons myghte haue noo power to chaunge her from her good purpoos / ¶ Soo contynued longe tyme the goode mayde in the rule that her vncle had gyuen to her / ¶ And she hadde in her soo grete constaunce that in twenty yeres he founde not her varyable / But obeyssaunte as a yonge lambe or shepe / ¶ Durynge this tyme. the deuyll whiche slepyth not ymagyned many subtyll meanes by whyche he myghte dysceyue theym / ¶ And by cause he cow â—e in noo wyse come to his entente / He dyde do begyle and disceyued her by a myserable Relygyous / The whyche were ofte to vysite the sayd good man Abraham Faynynge soo to doo for the saluacyon of his soule / ¶ But the cursyd Relygyous man tempted of the deuyll vnder the shadow of deuocion He wente for to defoyle the sayd vyrgyn / And soo longe he contynued by the space of a yere that he drewe her oute of her Oratorye / ¶ And by cause that in suche caas the lasse to knowe and expresse is beste and mooste honeste / It suffyseth to wryte that the poore doughter was defoylled / ¶ And that after the synne commysed and done / she became soo sorowfull and desolate that vneth maye be expressyd and wryten her
cause he made thedefice so grete sayd to hȳ My broder leue this that thou haste begon it is a thynge superfluous to make so large this place that we dwelle in / The holy man Pachomyen hering thise wordes ansuerd to hȳ noo thyng but endured in his courage how wel that he was euyll content wyth hȳ estemyng to be eniuryed bi the wordes aforesayd / The nyght folowynge Pachomyen descended in to a lowe place that he had begon to edefye fell downe place in prayer wepinge waylyng· by cause that for thoccasōn aforsayd he had be wrothe ayenst his broder / in his lamentacions he sayd / Helas maledyccōn is happed to me I walke yet in obeyenge to the flesshe / Lorde god haue pyte on me to the ende that I perisshe not / also that by decepcōn of the deuil I be not deceyued Alas lord yf I be withdrawe fro thy grace / the deuyl fynde ony vyce in me he shal subdue me sore in his vile seruytude for it is wryten that he that is of ony put vnder he is made his serfe or bonde man / And yet ayen it is wryten that he that shall haue entyerly kepte obseruyd the lawe / after in one on̄ly sȳne shall haue offended he shall be as towarde god reputed of all culpable out of his helthe / Notwythstondyng my lorde god I byleue that thy mercyes ben soo grete that they shall helpe me how someuer poore myserable sȳnar I be / For soo haue ben thyne seruauntes by thy sure proteccōn preserued fro the power of the deuyll in th ende enlumyned wyth thy glorye felycite eternall ¶ Thenne haue I hope by that thou shalte giue me knowelege of thy name That after my dethe I shall be of the nombre of theym that shall be sauyd / ¶ Ellis my lorde god yf thou gyue me not scyence and cunnyng lyke as thou haste promysed to me / I shal not cunne teche ne enseygne the relygyous people whyche thou haste commysed and gyuen the charge and gouernaunce to me Seen and consydered that I haue not curyously ouercome the voluptuosytee and passyons of the flesshe / ¶ Ne also obseruyd and fulfyllyd thy ryght worthy lawe wyth vndefoylled thoughte as I oughte to doo / ¶ Wherfore I am not worthy to be ruler and gouernour vnder thy honde of so many relygyous men whyche shall come to me / ¶ And therfore my lorde my Sauyoure and my Protectour I beseche the that it maye playse the to pardonne and forgyue me In grauntynge to me absolucyon of all my synnes / ¶ The holy man was alle the nyghte contynuelly in wepynges and lamentacyons / In suche wyse that his robe or vesture and his body was alle bayned and bydewed in teres and water / And how wel that he was replenysshed and endowed wyth alle vertue Neuertheles he Rendred hym selfe alle obeyssaunte to his brother germayne vnto his deth and endynge of his lyfe / Whyche happed soone after ¶ In buryenge makynge sepulture of whom he was an hoole nyghte / wepynge vpon his body makynge for him prayers and deuoute orysons how well that his soule was in heuen / ¶ How saynt Pachomyen resysted the temptacyons of the deuyll / And begynnith in latyn ¶ Tūcinfatigabilis c. Caplm .lxvii. SAynt Pachomyen Incōtynent as one afflyccyon came to him Sodaynly by the grace of god he putt it abacke / For he was alwaye in the deede of god / ¶ Now who someeuer dredith god He employeth him in good werkes ofte remembrynge on the paynes of helle Lyke as fyre whiche is eternall / ¶ And on the wormes whiche wroten the dampned soules Whiche neuer shall deye / ¶ The deuyll enuyouse of alle good / supposyd to haue bendyd his grynnes to haue caught and taken hym in some synne / ¶ But neuerthelesse by cause he was armyd wyth the shelde of stedfaste faythe He ouercame alwaye his aduersarye / ¶ Of the Illusyons that the deuyl made to the sayde Pachomyen And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Quadam vero die c. Caplm lxviii ON a daye as the holy Pachomyen came fro sayēge of his deuoute orysons prayers a goode waye fro his lytyll celle lyke as he had be acustomyd came tofore hȳ many deuyllis in grete nōbre sayēg one to a nother lyke as they had be tofore a Iuge Make place to the seruaūt of god· but the holy man hauȳge in our lorde ful hope dispised all theyr machinacōns lyke as it had be barkynge of dogges / whan the deuillis sawe the grete constaūce of hȳ they enforcid theim to bete downe that is ūdement of his edefyce whyche he begon / Thenne began to say the holy man O my god whihe art on̄ly refuge the defence of our good people whom thou comforteste in alle theyr trybulacyons / yf our enmyes meue and take the erthe awaye tofore v◠ye for that we fere ne drede theym no◠¶ And Incontynente theyr Impetuosyte sessed and as a fume or smoke vanysshed awaye / ¶ But yet they came agayne after as wood houndes / ¶ And in the same wyse an other tyme as he came from his prayer / The deuyll apperyd to him in lykenes of a capon makynge a crye soo merueylous / That alle the place redounded / The whyche thynge seenge the holy man / he blessyd hym wyth the sygne of the holy Crosse / And bleugh agaynst the deuyll And Incontynent he departed / ¶ And thus he helde him as as a stronge tour inexpugnable tofore his enmyes / ¶ Ofte tymes he moche thanked god as here after shall be shewed / And after the deuyll shewed hym to hym in lykenesse of a fayre woman Enforcinge hym by lokes dyssolute subtyll yllusyons to excyte and moeue hym to the dyshoneste detestable synne of lechery ¶ But the holy man seenge tofore hys cursyd temptacyons And for to eschew theym closyd his bodily eyen Openynge the syght of his entendement towarde god Whiche enseyneth vs to gete the vertue of strengthe and of charyte sayenge to the ryghtfull men / ¶ My frendes drede ye not For I am wyth you for to kepe you / ¶ How saynt Pachomien was greuously beten of the deuyll / ¶ And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Alia quoque et cetera Caplm .lxix. THe deuyll tooke hym a nother tyme / and bete hym soo moche that he was constrayned by feblenesse to lye downe fro the mornynge to the euenynge wythout to cunne speke / But notwythstondyng that he made noo mencyon by wordes of god Neuertheles his herte woke and callyd vppon hym as he whiche neuer leuyth the good in temptacōns / ¶ Thenne came there a religyous man named Appollo for to vysite hȳ· to whom the holy man expowned his decepcōns of the deuyll how he had be beten ¶ The holy fader Appollo sayd to hym in this maner / A holy fader it is nede that that thou take in the
conuersacyon of Theodore / To the chapytre whiche begynnyth in latyn ¶ Her talis / Caplm lxxx THorugh alle the countree and abowte it the conuersacyon of saynt Pachomyen was soo reâ—oÌ„rned that many act the example of him forsoke the worlde for to lyue a relygyous lyfe / ¶ And amonge the other a yonge chylde namyd Theodore borne of the londe of Egypte extract and come of noble parentes / Crysten folke and of the aege of xiiii yere or there abowte / From the whyche aege vpon a Twellyfth day that some Egepcyens made grete feest and grete diners The gode Theodore seenge the house of his fader and moder full of goodes / sayde by grete conpunccyon of herte in hymselfe / ¶ What prouffytyth the vnhappy yf he getyth alle the goodes of thys worlde and he lesyth the Ioye of paradyse / ¶ None wyth grete payne the woll vse at his pleysure of the goode of this worlde can not gete the heuenly glory ¶ This thynkynge in his herte he beganne to wepe and syghe Sayenge to our blessyd Sauyour Ihesu Cryste / ¶ O god almyghty thou knowest alle thynges secrete / Thou knowest that I loue not soo moche worldly thynge as thyselfe / I praye the my god that it playse the to kyndle my poore symple soule so that she that is maculate with synne be not dampned / But she whyche was boughte wyth thy bytter passyon he attendaunte and redy in al her werkes to worshypp and loue the perpetuelly / ¶ And durynge the tyme that he was in his oryson· and that he wepâ—e in this wyse came his moder to hym that sayde ¶ My sone what is he that hath made the thus sory / Thy fader I haue soughte the longe tyme in grete heuynesse for to come take thy refeccyon wyth vs / ¶ He answered my moder go your wayes I may not ete now ¶ And fynably forgetynge hymselfe and awaytynge abowte deuowte contemplacyons he wente not to dyner / ¶ From the tyme of his chyldehode that he wente to scole he ete noo meetetyll euyn was come / ¶ Some tyme he fasted two dayes wythoute ony meete / ¶ He was two yere wythoute delycate meetes lyuynge in perfyghte contynence / ¶ And fromthens fourth he purposyd to leue the worlde and yelded hym selfe to be shorne a monke· And forsoke and lefte all temporell goodes / And after putt hymselff wyth some Relygiouses lyuynge holily deuoutly wyth theym in grete drede loue of god / ¶ How Theodore was receyued of saynt Pachomyen / To the chapytre begynnynge in latyn ¶ Quodam vero Caplm lxxxi IT happed one daye amonge other that the brethern and relygyouses of the monastery where as was Theodore / after deuowte orysons dysputed of the olde Testamente of the Arke of Noe. of the rodde of Aaron / And of the tables that were gyuen to Moyses in the mountayne of Synay where the body of saynt Katheryne lyeth / And thenÌ„e one of the same Relygyouses sayde that many tymes he had berde speke of it well alonge to the holy man Pachomyen / And wyth this they rehercyd of him and of his holy lyuyng merueyllouse thynges ¶ Theodore heringe this that they sayd of hyÌ„ thise Relygyouses Prayed to god in his herte and sayde ¶ My god yf it be true that my brethern say of saynt Pachomyen gyue me grace that I maye see hym / To th ende that I may kepe alle thy commaundementes and afterwarde to be sauyd / As thou haste promysed to theym that shal loue and drede the / ¶ Certayne dayes after came to the sayde monastery a man namyd Pecusus that came for to enquyre of the good behauynge and deuocyon of the sayd Relygyouses / ¶ And by cause that Theodore was enfourmyd that he went to the monastery of the holy man Pachomyen / He prayed him be sily to take hym in his coÌ„panye / This Pecusius seenge his affeccoÌ„n entreated hym mekely and brought hym vnto the sayd monastery of saynt Pachomyen / ¶ Thenne this Theodore comynge nyght the sayd monastery thaÌ„ked god of that it had playsed hym to here his prayer soo redyly / For he desyred noo thynge so moche as to see saynt Pachomyen / ¶ And as they were come to the gate he and his felowe / ther fonde him there / Soo beganne Theodore to wepe sore in the presence of the holy man Pachomyen of the grete Ioye that he had to see him / The holy man sayd to hym My sone thou art well symple to wepe soo / For I am a synnar as thyselfe / How well that god hath take me in to his seruyce / And in sayenge this he broughte hym wythin his monastery / ¶ And whan he sawe the grete multytude of religyouses that were there / his herte was enflammed and take of a loue soo perfyghtly / that he was as in a Ialousye to vse his lyfe in that place / ¶ He was dyscrete and prudent in hys wordes werkes plenteuous in humylyte in compuccoÌ„n of herte and in operacoÌ„ns vertues as in fastinges watchyÌ„ges orysons in whiche he spende his tyme contynuelly ¶ And wyth this he comforted the sory· and the synnars by humbly correccoÌ„n frendly he admonested and warned / ¶ How Theodore refusyd to see hys moder / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Deuique tam preclaram / Caplm lxxxii SAynt Pachomyen whan he sawe the holy Conuersacyon of Theodore he louyd him with all his herte ¶ The moder of this Theodore hauynge knowlege that he was wyth the sayd saynt Pachomyen camÌ„ anone there for to see hym beryng with her lettres fro many bysshops / By the whyche they wrote well pressyly that her sone sholde be delyuerde to her agayne ¶ Soo came she fyrste to the monastery of the wymÌ„en / that was nigh ynouh the monastery of saynt Pachomyen / by cause that the wymmen went neuer to his monastery / She wrote vnto him that he sholde sende her hyr sone agayne / And with this she sente hym the lettres that the bysshops wrote vnto hym that they sholde doo soo / ¶ The holy man seenge the sayde lettres sente for Theodore / To whom he exposyd the tenour of the same / And commaunded hym to goo his waye aswell for to please his moder as for to obeye the bysshoppes commaundement / Theodore answerde vnto saynt Pachomyen / Ha my fader I demaunde the yf now I leue the astate of Religyon whyche is so moche fruytfull / And wythout whyche wyth grete payne ony canne not be sauyd / Shall I not be therof repreued at the daye of dome afore god / ¶ We haue in the gospell / that who some euer shall loue his fader or moder more than god / He shall not be worthy to be made his seruaunt / Saynt Pachomien answerd / My sone if thou seme that thou doost agaynst thy conscyence to speke wyth thy moder / I woll well that thou abyde here / But
/ And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Taliter igitur et cetera / Caplm lxxxviii SAynt Syluayn wyllyng to torne hym out of the fylth of synne for take clene pouertee / Came and yelded hymselfe to saynt Pachomyen / whiche frendly receyued him But this notwythstondynge he wolde not kepe the Rules of the Relygyouses ¶ For it was ouer harde a thynge to hym for to forgete his euyll customes / of the tyme passed / By the whyche he peruerted many brethern / And bowed theym to his wycked wylle ¶ Some Religyouses were ryghte sory of that they sawe the other Relygyouses consentynge to the detestable wyll of Syluayn / ¶ Soo came they and shewed it to the holy fader Pachomien· that whiche prayed god for the sayd syluayn to the ende he sholde haue contrycoÌ„n for hys synne and that he shold doo penaunce But for noo prayer he wolde not plyene consente therto / And for this cause they all wolde haue chaced him out of the monastery / The holy fader defferred it ladd hym wyth hym / And syn after corrected hym with swete wordes techyng hym alwayes in the crysten fayth / Wherof it happed syn that the poore Syluayn / as by synguler grace ameÌ„ded his wycked lyfe had it in so grete dysplaysure that he was neuer wythoute teeres in all his werkes / ¶ Some seenge his grete contrycoÌ„n shewed vnto hym that he angred hymself to bytterly and exorted hym to be moderate in his wepynges takynge in hym attemperaunce / but he answerde that he cowde not / For his hert was soo sore taken wyth grete dysplaysure / that he myght not conteyne himself / And morouer by cause he cowde not absteyne hyÌ„self fro wepynge / as well at the borde as elles where / The bredern sayd to hym that he sholde wepe in makynge his holy orysons not at the table / For it was noo place pâ—opâ—e ne couenable to wepe ne weyle / And that a relygyoê° myght wel haue sorow dysplaysure for his synÌ„e by hymself alone wythout to shewe it thus openly / And admonested hym to abstene himself therof / by cause the brethern myghte not ete whan they sawe hym wepe soo / ¶ Suche and semblable wordes they sayd to hym for to constreyne hym to telle the cause for whiche he contynued soo longe in his weyllynges and lamentacions / ¶ And theÌ„ne he sayd to theym / My brethern why sholde not I wepe in Ioyenge myselfe of the grace that my god hath doon to me / ¶ I was wonte to be full of synnes and soo many benefaytes are now gyuen vnto me for the saluacoÌ„n of my soule / ¶ Dathan and Aâ—yron ben contynuelly in my remembrauÌ„ce / To the confusyon of the whyche by cause they were defoyled and poluted wyth synne And wolde haue towched the holy sacrefyce The erthe opened and swalowed theym in / ¶ And I that haue despysed soo moche my saluacyon I fere yet ryght soore suche a sentence of god / Alas though I sholde wepe and weylle myn Innyquyte al my lyfe dayes and that I were in contynuell lamentacyons / Yet sholde I be vnworthy to haue the felycyte eternall / ¶ The good â—yluayn contynued in his humylytee and contynence soo that he was more perfite than all the other / ¶ And saynt Pachomyen seenge his holy conuersacyon sayd in the presence of all the other suche wordes ¶ My brethern I calle god to wytnesse the angelles and all the â—urt of heuen that syth oure monasterye was founded I haue not knowen noo brother of ours that hath be soo moche obeysaunt to me as hath one about al the other / The brethern thoughte that it hadd be Theodore or Peâ—ronyen â—or Orose / ¶ Theodore prayed saynt Pachomyen that he wolde tell what he was that he loued soo moche / But the holy man defferred to tell it hym / Neuerthelesse whan he saw that Theodore can streyned hym soo sore / He sayd to hym ¶ Yf I crowed that he sholde arâ—yse hymselfe in vaynglory therfore I sholde neuer declare it to hym / but by cause I knowe that the vertue praysed often tymes encreacyth and that he shall be more humble for it than he was byfore ¶ Also to the ende that other take ensample at hym I shall name hym vnto the / Soo I telle the. that how be it thyselfe and thy semblable haue bataylyd strongly ayenst the deuyll soo that by the grace of god / ye haue ouercome brought hym vnder your fete / Neuerthelesse Syluayn yonge of aege that thy bredern and thyselfe wolde put oute of our monastery hathe foughte in suche wyse ayenst hym that he hath this gyfte of god that the deuyll dare neuer shew hymself afore his face / And by his grete humylytee he hath ouercome hym in all thynges / ¶ Ye other haue confydence in youre vertues / But he the more that he batayllyth he yeldyth hymselfe the more meke vnprofytable / And yf thou demaunde why he wepte soo contynuelly / I telle the that it is by cause he is perfyghtly meke / And for this cause he canne not forbere his teeres / ¶ Soo wite it that there is noo vertue that makyth the deuyll more confuse / than the vertue of very and perfyghte humylyte ¶ The good Syluayn was bi the space of viii yere in befightyng his enmye Sathan / And after he deyed / And saynt Pachomyen wytnessyd that at his passynge were present many angels that wyth grete Ioye bare his soule awaye in to the glory that euer shall laste / the whyche by his prayers we maye purchace Amen ¶ How the holi man coÌ„mauÌ„ded that a deed body shold be vnclothed of his vestimentes / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Eodem vero teÌ„pore / Caplm lxxxx IN the cyte of Panos was a bisshopp named Varus that was right deuowte feruent in the loue of Ihesu Cryste the whiche herde speke of the conuersacoyn of saynt Pachomyen / Soo wrote he to hym many lettres by that whiche amonge other thinges he desyred prayed hyÌ„ to come towarde hym for to gyue hym counseyle ayde to buylde a chyrche nygh to his cyte / And for to lodge there some Religyouses that were of good lyfe of coÌ„uersacoÌ„n good / In obeynge to the whiche requeste he toke on his waye towarde the sayd bisshopp / And as he was come nye a monastery whiche he vysited by the waye he mett wyth many Relygyouses that conueyed the corps of one of theyr bredern that was deceased whiche his frendes bare to the erth clothed with riche raymentes whiche were after the maner doynge that the seculer had there acustomyd / Whan they sawe saynt Pachomyen come they taryed Incontynent for to praye hym that he wolde make deuowte prayers orysons to god aswel for the deed as for them whiche he dide gladly / And his orison done he coÌ„maunded that men sholde take awaye fro the Relygious that was deacessed the rayments of the
felowe To whom he gaaf in a sacke fyfthy pounde of hys Tynne ¶ But he wyllynge to make a prouâ— yf it were good / This his sayd felowe founde that it was ryght fyne syluer / Soo he broughte it agayne / ¶ ThenÌ„e the Marynar sayd to hym / I promyse the it is taken me for fyne Tynne / But I shall telle the / I trowe he that hath tornyd the water in to wyne By the prayers of the holy Patryarke haâ— the tornyd my Tynne in to syluer / ¶ And for to shewe verily that it 〈◊〉 Tynne he broughte his felowe to the shippe where the remenaunte of the sayd Tynne was / ¶ And whanne they were entred in to the sayd shyppe they â—â—de that al the forsayd Tynne was conuerted and chaunged in to syluer ¶ But the myracle well to be consyderyd and markyd was not lesse to merueyllyd thanne thoos that god made / ¶ The one was whanne he multeplyed fyue loues and two fisshes to the sustentacion and foode of fyue thousande men / ¶ The other whanne he tourned the waters of Egypte in to bloode / ¶ A nother tornynge the rodde by the hoÌ„de of Moyses in to a serpent / ¶ And a nother whanne many martyrs beynge in the fyre for to be brente / He tourned that fyre in a dewe / ¶ And therfore made god this chaungyng and tournyÌ„ge of Tynne in to syluer for to make this good Marynar his seruaunt rycher / In grasstynge to hym his mercy / ¶ Of a Ryche man that was fallen in grete pouertee / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Descendente sanctissimo c. Caplm C.xv. THe holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ the Almoner on a Sondaye gooynge to the chyrche came byfore hym a poore man that some tyme hadd be ryche / And had hadde moche goode / But he had be robbyd of theues that had lefte hym noo thynge / wherof he myghte mayntene his poore lyfe ¶ Soo was he constrayned to begge his brede for goddis sake / And askyd of the sayd saynt Iohan the Almoner his almesse / ¶ The whyche hauynge compassyon of his wretchyd falle / And by cause he hadde somtyme noble fader and moder ordeyned that his Almoner sholde gyue hym the somme of fyftene pounde of golde / ¶ But the sayd Almoner complaynyng the grete almesses that the said saynt Iohan made was moche dysplaysed and aggreuyd of that he muste voyde out of hys hondes and take to this poore man so grete a somme of moneye / ¶ And for this cause he went Incontynent to speke wyth the Stiewarde that was wonte to gyue accountes of alle the moneye that eche daye were spente and alowed for the necessaryes of the sayde saynt Iohan / ¶ And to whom eche one made his acountes / and yelded his Rekenynge of the moneye that was taken by his hondes for to be tornyd to the sayd dedes and necessaryes / They two togyder spekynge and comynynge of thys forsayd matere bi the temptacoÌ„n of the cursyd spyryte Mammona the tempted theym of the brennynge and Insacyable synne of couetyse purposid concluded that of the sayd xv.li. of golde shold be taken out x. li and but v.li. gyuen to the sayd poore man the whyche thyng was soo done / ¶ Now it is trouth that theyr lorde saynt Iohan the Almoner was sore famyd renoÌ„med the he gladly dyde grete almesse / ¶ Wherfore many notable lordes other persones desirynge to playse hym / and somwhat to content his sauourous appetyte and the deuocoÌ„n that he hadd to recomfort the poore seruauntes of god / They gaaf sende oft tymes to hym grete somÌ„es of money for to gyue for goddis sake aswell for the helthe of the soules of some dede as for the prosperitee of them that were on lyue / ¶ And thus a ryche notable wydowe that had a chylde noo more· came towarde the sayd holy man / ¶ The whyche wydowe for some pytenous consyderacoÌ„us her monyge purposyd for to do certayn aâ—messes by the sayd holy manes honde / ¶ And for to doo this she toke hyÌ„ a lytyll wrytynge that she hadde wryten wyth her owne honde / By the whyche she lete hym vnderstonde that she wolde haue dealed to poore folke the somÌ„e of .v. C· li. ¶ And in receyuynge openynge of the sayd wrytyng by the sayd holy man He knewe by the wyll of god that she had be wyllynge for to doo her sayd almesse vnto the somÌ„e of xv huÌ„dred pode / ¶ Soo dyde be calle the sayd wydowe / And in the presence of his sayde Almoner and Styewarde / whyche in lyke wyse by the shewynge of god / he knewe to haue wythholde to theyr behouffe ten pounde of the fyftene pounde that he afore had ordeynyd to be yeue to the poore man that had he robbed / ¶ He charged the same wydowe that she sholde tell hym trouthe / Whyche she promysed hym to doo soo / Now herke sayd he my frende by the faythe that thou owest to god Haste not thou had late a wyll to make a gretter almesse than of fyue huÌ„dred pouÌ„de She answerde Ye / And that she herself had wryten the writynge that she had delyuerde vnto hym / And she was well certayne that by the sayd wrytyng she had declared that her wyll was to yeue fyttene huÌ„dred pouÌ„de for goddis sake to poore peple / ¶ But by cause that sone after as she wolde haue take the sayde wrytynge she had seen as she lokyd in â—â— that where she had wryten that her wyll was to giue an almesse of fyftene hundred pounde to the poore peple she founde but fyue hundred pounde oonly in nombre / And for this cause she had restrayned her fyrst wyll / And had purposyd thoughte that she sholde gyue oonly the sayd fyue hundred pounde / Supposynge by the retornynge chaunge of the sayd wrytynge the wyll of god to be / That she sholde not gyue but this fyue hundred pounde / And that she shold kepe the remenaunt for her sone / ¶ Thyse wordes soo spoken And after that she had delyuered to saynt Iohan the sayd fyue hundred pounde / And was gone from hym / He sayd to his sayde Stiewarde and Almoner / ¶ I praye to god that he call you and aske you ones acompte of a thousande pouÌ„de that this wydowe hath with holde as ye be bouÌ„de to yeue hem ayen ¶ For and yf he had taken to the poore man the xv.li. that I hadd ordeyned for hym / And wherof ye haue wythholde x.li our lord shold haue suffred that this wydowe sholde haue gyuen to the poore peple the same thousand pounde that she hath wythholde in her honde ¶ Thenne the sayd Almoner Styewarde knowynge theyr mysdedes prosternyd or â—aste theymself at his fete requyred hym mercy amendement and they sholde neuer doo suche a nother offence / ¶ Of Niceta Patrice ruler of the comyn wâ—ele in Alexandrye / Begynnynge in latyn ¶ Intuens niceta
for this cause by the holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ they were denouncyd acursyd / ¶ That one of theym tweyne knowleged his synne / But the other abydynin his obstynacy dyspysed the sayd sentence of cursynge / ¶ For he was well gladde to haue occasyon for to flee the chyrche to abyde in his wyckydnesse / And neuerthelesse he thretenyd the sayde Patryarke to dysplayse hym in hys persone / ¶ And men sayde comynly that it was he that had born to the Patryce Niceta the money of the chyrche that was taken vnder the bedde of the sayd Patriarke / And that had be yelden again afterwarde as it is sayd afore / ¶ The malyce of this outrageous acursyd maÌ„ was shewed to the holy Patryarke but this notwythstondyng he had of hym pyte / And remembred the worde of the apostle saynt Poul sayenge / Who is he that is seke not I / ¶ Now was the charyte of the sayd Patryarke soo grete / the whan he sawe one in synÌ„e he wepte vpon hym / And as to hym was aduys he felte well his sykenesse / ¶ He thenÌ„e made the sayd acursed man to be callid to hym / And waâ—tyd him of his conscyence as he was wonte to warne his other subgettes / ¶ But whan he sawe his euyll frowardnesse and that he was made harde in his synne / He lefte and forsoke hym as a rotyn membre / ¶ This neuerthelesse vpon a Sondaye the sayde Clerke beynge yet in his frowardes As the holy Patryarke came to the awter for to offre his sacryce vnto god / after his custome / ¶ He remembred hym of the counseylle of Ihesu Cryste that sayd / ¶ Whanne thou shalt brynge thine offrynge vnto the awter / And that thou shalt thynke that thy brother hathe some euyll wyll and hate agaynste the / Thou oughtest to leue that that thou woldest offre to god / And goo to hym thyne enmye for to reconcyle the wyth hym / ¶ Wherfore the holy Patryarke willynge to doo soo· sente Incontynent for the sayde acursyd man / And made the messager praye that he sholde come to speke wyth hym vnder surete / And whanne he was come / This holy Patryarke knelyd on his knees afore him And beloughte hym of mercy / ¶ Wherof it happed that the sayd acursyd persone had knowlege of his sinne and he hymselfe requyred mercy / ¶ Thorugh his humylyte was the prowde frowâ—de man mekyd in his pryde / ¶ And by his charytee was the hate of the sayde acursyd man paste / ¶ And fynably he dyde penaunce of the sinne that he had done / And had of it grete contrycyon dyspleysaunce / ¶ Of the noyse that the holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ had agaynst the Ruler Niceta / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Deâ—mquidam / Caplm C.xix NEuer to haue noyse with a nother it is angels lyfe / SoÌ„tyme to stryue the one wyth the other it is manÌ„es lyf / Euermore to haue noyse hate it is a deuyls lyfe / ¶ To this purpose is to be noted that the holy Patriarke / for some right of the lawe Cyuyl had on a tyme questyon wyth the sayd Patrice Niceta / The questyon was suche that the Patrice wold haue certain trybute to be put sett of newe vpon the peple of the londe / The whiche thynge the sayd Patryarke wolde not consente / by cause that the poore folke sholde haue be hurte therby ouer sore / ¶ And for the grete varyaunce that fell therby they departed from eche other with wrath the one agaynst the other / ¶ Soone after att after none / aboute fyue of the clocke / The sayd holy Patryarke thynkinge in hymself that the wyse man oughte neuer to angre hymself for noo maner cause that it be sente his Archedeaken to the said ruler Niceta sent him onÌ„ly thise wordes ¶ DnÌ„e sol ad occasuÌ„est / That is asmoche for to say my lorde the sonne is nygh to goo vnder / After that Niceta had herde thise wordes he cowde not hold his couÌ„tenaunce but as fulfylled wyth the fyre of the holy ghoste camÌ„ to the sayd holy Patryarke the whiche whan he sawe hym he sayd to hyÌ„ / ¶ Alas thou arte welcome the sone of the chyrche obeyssauÌ„t to her coÌ„mauÌ„dements / ThenÌ„e they dyde enbrace eche other in token of grete loue After the whyche enbraginces the holy Patriarke began totake the worde said to hym in this wyse / ¶ My lord I praye the byleue me / For by cause I knowe the sore trowbled I wolde well haue spoke with the / for none other cause I couÌ„seylle warne the the in tyme to come thou byleue nomore noo reportes of false tales flaterers ¶ For yf thou woll lene thyne eeres vnto suche they shall gyue the a cause many euylles to begynne / And they shall counseylle the that thyÌ„ge whyche shall not be nother leyffull good ne prouffytable / ¶ For I haue founde myselfe dysceyued therby oftentymes / ¶ Wherfore to theyr reportes sayenges flaterynges and false accusacyons men oughte neuer to gyue credence nor faythe / ¶ Thenne the Patryce consyderynge the mekenesse and the fayr ensamples of the sayd Patryarke answerde that he sholde neuer byleue suche men / Nor sholde not gyue faythe byleue to theyr flaterynges ne to theyr wordes / ¶ But he sholde dyspyse theym and sette theym alle atte noughte / ¶ And by this manere meanes was peasyd that questyon that was bytwix theym for the cause aboue sayde / ¶ Of Gregori the neuew of tholy Patryarke / And begynÌ„yth in latyn ¶ Iste memoriabilis / Caplm C.xx BYtwene one namyd Gregory whiche was neuew of the sayd holy Patryarke a Tauerner of Alexandrye moeuyd a grete debate / In whyche this Gregory openly was sore wronged by shamefull wordes to hyÌ„ sayd by the sayd Tauerner / the whiche Gregory consyderyng· the he that was neuew of the sayd holy Patryarke had be thus dyspysed or fowle spoken vnto openly of a man Infamyd began to wepe right sore / And the holy Patryarke seenge the secrete dysplaysauÌ„ce sorowe that his neuewe made / wolde know what was the cause / Grogory herupon examined coude not for his grete anâ—e dyscharge nor shewe his courage in â—â—wyse nor speke wyth the sayd holy Patryarke / ¶ Neuertheles some that had herde seen the debate tolde hym a parte how it was / The holy Patryarke willyng to he le fyrste his neuew or euer he sholde enquyre ferder of the trouth of the befall sayd to hym for to comfort hym suche lyke wordes in substaunce / My neuew I am gretely merueyllyd· sore euyll apayd how that foole hath be so holde to open his mouth ayenst the / Byleue thou me I ensure the. that I shall doo this daye a thynge wherby all Alexandrye shall merueylle / ¶ And after seenge his anger heuinesse tempred peasen kyssed his sayd neuew sayd / My swete frende yf in folowynge
be Crysten / He thenÌ„e consyderynge her good wyll and ferynge to offende god / Yf by his neclygence she had not contynued in her holy purpoos Hopyng also that the deuyll sholde not dysceyue hym by her Had taken on his way wyth her and had born her felyshypp vnto the cyte of Alexandrye / Where he had existned her and sought a place for to haue her in to relygyon / And this doynge they asked theyr breede thorugh the cyte / The holy Patryarke seenge the holy affeccoÌ„n that he had to the soule of the good mayde begâ—â— for to crye / ¶ Alas how many good seruauntes of god 〈◊〉 is the worlde vnknowen / ¶ And after he gaaf hym aâ— hundred pens / But the relygyous wolde none take / Sayeng that it was not that he soughte / ¶ And that all relygyouses that ben of good fayth haue noo nede of syluer / ¶ And yf that they haue nede / Men maye well saye that they haue noo fayth / ¶ Thenne the Patryarke bowed his knees byfore hym and recommended hym to god / ¶ And after loued maintened and lodged the relygyouses more tenderly than he hadd done afore / ¶ And after for the grete affeccyon and feruent loue that he had to them dide buylde an hospytall without the cyte of Alexandrye that he namyd the hospytall of Relygyouses / ¶ How the holy Patriarke vysited the 〈◊〉 in â—ourynge to theyr dethe warde ¶ And of hym that was broughte pryâ—â—â—er in Perse / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Mortalitate et cetera Caplm C.xxix A Grete dethe happed in Alexandrye in the holy Patriarkes dayes / Durynge the whiche dethe / For to purchace gretter mede / And also for to shewe a token of mekenesse to all other / He wente and vysyted the lyke / and helped to wynde them whan they were decessed / ¶ And often for to haue a contynuell mynde of dethe / He â—â—syd they re eyen after that they were deed / ¶ And after made deuowte prayes and orysons for the helthe of theyr poore soules / ¶ And for to shewe that prayers and orysons that ben doone deuowtely profyten to the deed / Here after is rehercyd a fayre hystory of a maÌ„ the whyche was taken and broughte prysoner in to Perse / And was putt in a pryson that is callyd Lethe / Whyche is as moche for to saye as Forgetynge Or to be putt oute of Remembraunce ¶ Some that fledde from thens for to goo in to Ethypre / Passed by the howse of the frendes of the sayd prysonere / And they were questyoned yf they had not mette nor seen theyr kynnesman / ¶ Wherat they answeryd that wych theyr owne hondes they hadd buryed hym / ¶ Alwayes it was not the same / But it was a nother that was well lyke hym / ¶ And for to certefye the better that it was he they namyd the monyth and also the daye that he deyed ¶ The sayd frendes bi cause they wende thise mennes sayenges to be true dyde do make thre seruyses euery yere for theyr sayde kynnesman / ¶ That is to wyte one att the feeste of the Epyphanye that we calle Tweluyfthdaye / the other vpon the holy Sondaye that is Trynyte Sondaye And the thyrde at the feeste of Pentecost otherwyse called Wytsondaye ¶ It happed that foure yere after the sayd prysoner came ayen To whom his frendes rehercyd tolde hym / That by cause men had reported to them that he was deed they made for him vpon thise dayes and euery yere the sayd seruyses / ¶ The whyche thyng by hym herde of theym / He affermyd to theym for a trouthe / That he beynge wythin the sayde pryson / euery yere and the same dayes came to hym a man alle in whyte that loosyd hym his chaynes wherwyth he was bounde And preseruyd hym from theym that kepte him / And after went beryng hys chaynes att his necke wythout the knowlege of ony man / ¶ Wherfore he concluded that oryson prouffytyth moche to the prysoners vpon the Turkes and Sarrasyns / And pryncypally to theim that ben deed / ¶ Of hym that prayed for his sone and for his shyppe that was vpon the see / by cause it sholde not perysshe / And begynnyth in latyn / ¶ Quod in actibus aplorum / Caplm C.xxx SVche a nother thynge we rede of the holy Patriarke in the boke of the dedes of thapostles· that many deuowte crystens seenge the grete coÌ„passion that he had toward the poore solde moche of theyr goodes broughte the money therof to the holy man for to be dreased by hyÌ„ to the poore / ¶ Amonge the other was one that had onÌ„ly but .vii. pouÌ„de of golde an halfe / that whiche somÌ„e he brought to the sayd holy man sayenge that it was all the golde that he had in his possessoÌ„n / ¶ And as he toke him this golde He sayd that he had onÌ„ly a sone of .xv. yere of aege the whyche wyth a shyppe was gone in to Affryque ¶ And bi cause he was in grete thoughte malencolye of that he came not ayen soo soone as he was acustomyd besoughte hym that he wold pray god that he wolde saue hym his sone brynge his shyppe ayen to port salw / the holy Patryarke was merueylled of the goodnes and· kindnesse of this marchaunt that had gyue all his golde att oâ—â— almesse / ¶ Soo toke he soone the sayd golde and put it vnder a table halowed prayenge god deuoutly for the helthe of his sone of his shippe / ¶ Thirty dayes after came tydynges that hys sone was dysceased but thre dayes after the sayd tydynges his shyppe came and also his sone that neuertheles was drowned in comyng wythin the hauen the goodes wythin the shyppe lost / there abode oonly but one lytyll boote / All this befall was reported to the sayde holy Patryarke And how the fader was more sory onÌ„ly for the deth of his sone than for the losse of his goodes / the holy man consideryng his grete sorow durste not make hym come afore hym / ¶ But neuertheles he sent hym worde that he shold take his Infortune in pacyence bi cause our lorde made no thynge wythout a cause all be it that we knowe not the same or wyll not knowe it / And therfor he leuyth neuer those that do ony good but rather whan they suffre ony aduersitees or trybulacoÌ„ns yf they retourne to hym soone or late they ben coÌ„forted / ¶ Soone after the good marchaunte sawe in his dreme a man lyke vnto the holy Patryarke the sayd to hyÌ„ / My broder why trowblest thou thiself takest soo moche heuynesse / Hast not the prayed me that thy sone mighte be sauyd / Certaynly thy prayer is harde for surely yf he lyued he were in daungeâ—ur to be dampned for the euylles that he sholde haue done / ¶ I ensure the yf iâ— had not be by the gyfte that thou beste doone to me /
They of the shyppe 〈◊〉 haue be perysshyd and so sholde not thy sone haue escaped fro euerlastyÌ„ge dampnacoÌ„n ¶ The marchauÌ„t thenÌ„ wâ—ll coÌ„forted awoke came to the holy Patryarke for to shew him the caas thanked hym of his prayer / ¶ TheÌ„ne the holy Patryarke heuyng his hondes to heuen sayd / O my god I thanke the that thou gladly herest enhauÌ„cest the prayers of the poore synÌ„ars / After he sayd to the marchauÌ„t / ¶ My frende byleue not that this vysion is come to the by my prayers but onÌ„ly by the grete fayth that thou hast had to our lorde / ¶ Of a coueytous bisshopp the whiche â—â—â—yd moneye Inordynatly ouermoche / And begynÌ„yth in latyn ¶ Vrgehat c. Caplm C.xxxi OFt tymes the holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ went to vysite the pore that were in a place called CesariuÌ„ In whyche place he had do make mattes beddyng for to lay theim vpon in Wynter / ¶ Wyth hym on a tyme amoÌ„ge other vysityng the sayd poore folke was a bysshop namyd Troyle whiche made thenÌ„e to be broughte wyth hym by one his Attourneye xxx.li of golde for to bye certayne plate to serue at his borde / ¶ The holy Patryarke that knew well his Intencyon / sayd vnto hym in spekynge of the poore peple / Troyle I pray the loue the bredern of Ihesu Cryste / ¶ After whyche wordes thus sayd by the Patryarke and well markyd by the sayd bysshopp / As all ashamyd coÌ„maunded to hym that bare his golde that he sholde gyue it to the poore / And after that they came ayen to the cyte / and as they were in the waye / the bysshopp Troyle that was right sory that he hadd gyuen agaynste his wyll the sayde .xxx. pouÌ„de of golde angred hyÌ„self soo sore for it that a stronge feuer toke hym so feruently that he was from hyÌ„selfe And the holy Patryarke whan he was come to his hous was set at the table sent for the sayd bysshop for to come to dyner take his refeccoÌ„n wyth hyÌ„ but he answerde that he myght not goo / that the feuer was soo stronge vpon him that he myght not ryse from his bed / ¶ The holy Patryarke knowyng hym thê° syke thoughte it was for grete malencolye that he toke for his golde that he had gyuen ayenst his wyll ¶ And by cause he knewe this bysshopp to be sore vexed tormented And for this cause he myghte not take his refeccyon / ¶ He wente to the bedde where he laye syke and sayde to hym / ¶ Troyle be of goode there comfort And reioyce thyselfe att my comynge / Dydest thou ymagyne otherwyse whaÌ„ I tolde the that thou shold gyue thy gold to the poore peple but that it was my wyl to gyue vnto the ayen all togyder / Truely my wyll was soo Holde here is thy hoole somÌ„e whyche I beynge to the / And whan he sawe in the holy manÌ„es hondes all his golde he fonde hymself aswel dysposyd of his comynge / as though he had brought a good medycyne / wherof he sholde haue recouered his good heele / And so the holy man toke hyÌ„ his golde ayen / ¶ But in this doynge he askyd hyÌ„ a letter of his honde how he forsoke the meryte that he myght haue gote in gyuynge his money for goddis sake· the whiche bysshopp made to hym a wrytyÌ„g wherof the tenour was suche / ¶ O my god yeue to my maister IohnÌ„ Patryarke of the grete cyte of Alexandrye the meryte of the xxx li of golde that I had gyuen to the poore / peple For I haue receyued theym ayen / The sayd holy Patriarke kepte well the sayd wrytyng and broughte the sayd bysshop to dyner wyth him / To whom after fewe dayes to th ende he were stired to socour gladly the poore peple / Oure lorde gyuer of rewardes wold shewe in a dreme what rewarde he had lost / So saw he in this dreme a grete palays â–ª so costelew soo fayr builded that al maÌ„kynde cowde haue discerne it / And amonge the grete rychesses of the same palays was the gate all of fyne golde / Vpon whyche was wryten / This palays is euerlastynge / the reste of Troyle / ¶ And as he was redyng the sayd superscripcoÌ„n came sodenly a notable persone as a chaâ—brelayn acompanyed of many seruaunters / To whom he hadde that they sholde take awaye the same superscrypcoÌ„n / And that they shold â—â—te in that place / that whyche the sâ—â—ersyn kynge hadd ordeyned The whiche thynge they dyde / And theyr wrytynge was this / ¶ It is the palayes euerlastynge of IohnÌ„ the Patryarke and archebysshopp of Alexandrye boughte by hym for xxx.li of golde / The whyche vysyon the sayde bysshopp rehercyd aforsayd Patriarke ¶ And from that â—â—me forthe he was a grete almesse yoâ—â— Hauinge euer more after strongly compassyon of the poore / ¶ Of the shyppes of the chyrche / And how al the goodes that were theâ—â— were lost / Whyche chapytre begynnyth in latyn ¶ Dominê° qui diuician cetera Caplm C.xxxii TRue it is that our lord whiche toke from Ioh all his goodes for to preue 〈◊〉 pacyence / 〈◊〉 for to gyue vs ensample to haue it 〈◊〉 alle oure aduersytees / Toke also from the holy Patryarke Iohan all his godes / ¶ For as the shippes of his chirche were in the see laded with all the â—â—â—ur of the chirche att a place namyd â—â—hyra / The Patrons of the said shippes of the chyrche were constrayned 〈◊〉 eschewe the lyckely peryll and gretâ—â— daungeour of theyr owne persones and vesselles to caste alle theyr goodes in to the see / ¶ And Incontynent that they were come in to the cyte of Alexandrye Ferynge to be trowbled· vexed and not in pryson / Wente alle to the chyrche for to kepe there the fraunchyse and â—â— betters / ¶ The holy Patryarke heryng 〈◊〉 â—â—ynges / and the cause why they â—nderstaÌ„de / wrote to theym wyth hys 〈◊〉 â—onde sayenge / Bredern be not say not angre not yourself Our lorde hath take from vs his goodes as it hathe playsyd hym His good playsure be done / Come surely oute of the chyrche 〈◊〉 â—â—â—nysour god shall puruey for vs 〈◊〉 one daye to the other / The daye folowyng the cyteyzyns wolde haue come to hym for to comforte hym / But he came ayenst theym and beganne to saye to theym / ¶ O my chyldern be not angry for the losse of the shyppes / Certaynly I am for my synne the cause of the destruccoÌ„n / by cause I was proude of the alâ—esses that I haue done in tyme passe / Ymagynynge to haue had mede to yoâ—â— that â— was your owne / And the â—â—â—oce god sendyth me now this fortune for to meke myselfe / ¶ Almesse oft playsyth the hert of man and makith to gloryfye hymself wythout rayson / Wherfor it oughte to be done secretly in humylyte / ¶ It is no fortune to haue grete
daungeour to be drowned / The holy Patryarke thenÌ„e toke vpon hym for to comforte the poore folke that were in the same vessell / And wyth theym he called the grace of almyghty god ¶ Soo sawe he in this stormous tempeste a man vpryght byfore hym / Hauynge the face of a wonderfull briÈtnesse holdyÌ„ge in his honde a ceptre al of golde / The whiche man sayd to hym / Patryarke come on for the kynge of kynges askith for the / ¶ Thenne the holy Patryarke thynkynge vpon the sayde vysion / Incontynent he callyd the Patrice Niceta vnto hym and wyth grete syghes teeres he shewed it vnto hym Sayenge how the emperour of emperours regnynge in heuen had callyd hym And that without fawte he might not goo to theÌ„perour of the erthe to whom the sayd Niceta wolde brynge hym / ¶ The good Patrice herynge the wordes of the holy Patryarke was moche sory of his departynge and gladde of his helthe / Soo sente he hym ayen there as he wolde goo / That is to wyte in the reame of Chypre in the cyte of Amathanque / where he hadde taken his â—â—tynite / ¶ The fourme of his Testament folowyth / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Adueniente / Caplm C / liii AFter that the holy Patryarke was come in Chypre in the cyte namyd AmathuÌ„que where he was borne / He askyd after penne ynke for a skynÌ„e of parchemin / And in contynent he made his Testamente to be wryten in manere as here folowyth ¶ I IohnÌ„ fyrst bonde sith afrauÌ„chised made free by the dygnytee of preesthode of the grace of god to me yeuen To the my god I yelde graces of that it hath pleysed the to enhauÌ„ce my prayer to the wee le of my soule / It is that att the houre of my dethe men shall fynde in my tresour but onely do piece of money / ¶ Whan I was promoted to the dignytee of Archebysshopp ensacred receyued in the holy chyrche of Alexandrye / The whiche dignytee by the leue and InspyracoÌ„n I haue obteyned I foÌ„de there tresours wythoute nombre / I thenÌ„e knowyng that the sayd tresours were bylongyng to god purposed to yelde vnto him ayen that that was his owne by cause that now of all the sayd tresours is to me in remaynyng but onÌ„ly the pyece of money forsayd whyche byloÌ„gyth vnto god· I coÌ„mauÌ„de that it be yeue vnto hym ayen in to the hondes of the pore folke his seruauÌ„tes / ¶ O thyng ryghte gloryoê° worthy to be rehercyd O ye riche that haply haue gadred your money tresours vniustely the whiche ye woll kepe holde as your owne noo thynge wol yeue for goddis sake but hyde kepe them as ye myght bere theim with you / Loke now wyth me in this myrrour consydryng how the holy Patriarke gadred a tresour that neuer can be mynysshyd as worldly riches is / ¶ Certaynly we ought to bileue that he is worthy to be glorified / For our lord sayth in his gospell / Who soeuer shall honour or gloryfye me I shall gloryfye hyÌ„ / ¶ It is so that for the worshyp of our lorde for to exalte his praysynge he founded many monasteryes in whiche he ordened grete multytude of Relygyouses / that contynuelly gaue lawde praysynge to god For whiche cause is to him rewarded that meryte of al the orisons there made of the sayd relygyouses / ¶ And to the ende that by fable lesynge this that afore is of hym wryten be not reputed / We haue therof a veri knowlege that he was of the nombre of the Iust / ¶ For after that he had yelded his holy soule in to the hondes of our lord god as done the soules of the Iuste that are in the honde of god / His sepulture was by the clergy ordened in a sepulcre wherin of longe tyme afore two good bysshops his Predecessours had be buryed / ¶ But a wonderfull thynge happed there / For at the openyng of the sayd sepulcre the two bysshops that there rested theyr bones of longe space dede byreuyd of life wythdrewe theymself fro theyr places / Makynge honour to the sayd Patryarke and gyuyng vnto him his place bytwene theim in the myddes of the graue / ¶ Wherby it is to vs openly shewed that our lorde hym rewarded moche largely· whan he wold his body in this worlde to be soo openly honoured / And his soule aboue in heuen gloryfyed worshypfully enhaunsed / ¶ Of the woman that gaaf her synne in wrytynge to saynt IohnÌ„ the Patryarke / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Aliud autem / Caplm C.liiii YEt lyuynge the sayd Patryarke Iohan. he made a nother myracle ryght grete the whyche begynnyth in his lyf and endeth after his dethe / ¶ A woman of the sayde cyte where he was borne had done soo horryble a synne / that she durste neuer confesse it / Soo it happed that the sayde Patriarke came to the cyte / And she hauynge knowlege of his comynge came and caste herselfe at his fete / sayenge by grete coutrycyon / ¶ O reuerende lorde I haue done a synne the whyche for the grete loothlynes of it I dare not confesse / But this notwythstondyng I wote wel that yf it playse that thou shalt gyue me therof remyssyon / ¶ The holy Patryarke seenge her grete contrycyon / He wolde not correcte her rygoriously / Doubtyng that she sholde neuer make shryfte therof to a nother / And that bi this she were in dangeour of her soule but sayd vnto her / My freÌ„de yf thou haste that fayth that I maye clense thi soule fro synne and that I maye gyue the remyssyon therof / Confesse it vnto me and I shall doo al that thou requyrest of me / Wherunto she answerd that she sholde not dare telle it / For it was soo dyshoneste shamefull that it sholde cause horrour at the ceres of the holy man / ¶ Thenne he sayde vnto her Thus thenne yf thou arte soo shamefaste of the confessyon of it / gyue it vnto me by wrytynge / ¶ She yet answered that she sholde not dare doo soo / And the holy man yet agayne sayd vnto her / Thou muste doo it but yf it seme the good / thou shalt close the letter in suche wyse that noo body maye see it / ¶ Thenne this woman consentyng to the wordes of the holy Patryarke / wrote her synne wyth her owne honde And after closyd the letter and toke it to hym / But he ne lyued but fyue dayes after that / ¶ Soo it happed by casuell aduenture that at his dethe this we man was oute of the towne / Whanne she came agayne and knowyng his deceasse / She ymagyned that her synne had be shewed thorugh all the cyte / by cause that the holy man was deed / hauynge towarde hym her scrowe / ¶ And as for answere therupon she had none of / ¶ Soo wente she to his tombe where he
the sayde Prouoste that therof he wolde doo to her as ryghte and reason requyreth / ¶ The Prouoste heryng thise wordes was enflammyd wyth grete woodnesse And sente to the monastery certayne Commyssaryes that charged were to brynge hym prysonere / Eugene and alle the other dwellynge in the sayde monasterye Whyche thynge was done / ¶ And by cause they were in suche nombre that they myghte not be alle in one pryson togyder / They were put in dyuers places and vnder dyuerse kepers fetherâ—â— well harde faste / The sayd Pâ—â—â—oste after gyuyng credence folysshly to the â—â—â—des of the sayd Melance condempned theym all for to deye ordeyned a certayn daye that some of theym shold be take for to be deuoured of wylde bestes The other to be brenÌ„ed thother to be put vnto dyuers tormeÌ„tes / And at this cause was thrugh all the londe grete no ye of the execucion that sholde be done of the sayd Relygyouses / The whyche alle the dwellers of the londe Iudged them worthy to suffre deth / ¶ For they thoughte that Melance whyche was come of a noble hous / and of hyghe kynreed / wolde neuer haue putt vpon theym wythout a Iuste cause suche a charge / ¶ Fynably whan the daye was come that the sayd execucoÌ„n sholde be done alle the dwellers of the townes and cytees lyenge abowte / came to Alexandrye the cyte for to see the same / Wherof some sayd theyr opynyon in one manere and the other sayde otherwyse / ¶ But oure lorde god that neuer leuyth his seruauntes in their moost nede / After that the hangman had made redy the torments other thinges couenable to putt to dethe Eugene and the other relygyouses suffred that the sayd Eugene for to declare the more openly her grete vertues / was by the sayd Prouostr questyoned / And for to make alle the people wyse of the grete malyce of the forsayd wycked Melance / Thenne the sayd Prouoste namyd Philyp that was fader to Eugene and that knewe her not began to speke afore her sayenge in this wyse / ¶ Come hether false Crysten man and the worst of thother Hath thi god coÌ„mauÌ„ded to the to be oppressour defoyler of the noble ladyes Thou art well shamles and ouerseen / What folye causyth the to praye wolde haue take bi foly so noble a lady as is dame Melance ¶ Eugene casted her syght to the grouÌ„de feryng to be knowe of her fader answerd mekeli / Mi god whom I serue hath coÌ„maunded the men shall kepe his chastytee vyrgynyte / vnto all those that done soo he promysyth euerlastyng lyfe in his Ioye of heuen / ¶ And now we maye declare Melance to be a lyar and forger of falshede / But it is better that we suffre some euylles than that she shold be atteyned conuycte of her synne to th ende that we lese not the meryte of our pacience / Alway yf you syre Prouost woll promyse whan she shal be proued fals full of lesyng that ye shal doo her noo harme at this hour we shall approue her synÌ„e / the Prouoste heryng her meke wordes grauÌ„ted her request / ¶ ThenÌ„e Eugene to testyfie the vntrouth of Melance required the men sholde her woman seruaunte in her chaÌ„bre doo come / The Iuge made all the seruauÌ„tes of the sayd lady to be callyd brought afore hym whiche declared by their othes that theyr lady Melance wyth good Iuste cause had complayned her of the Relygyous Eugene / And that he wolde haue constrayned her as it is sayd aboue / ¶ The Prouoste herynge theyr deposicyons sayde vnto saynt Eugene / ¶ What wol thou saye now false wyckyd monke / thou seest how thus many wytnesse thy cursyd delyte / ¶ Eugene of this fals wytnessyng was sore trowbled / So thouÈt she in herself that yf shold hyde her virgynytee / Soo many Relygyouses as were there prysonners wyth her there sholde allisuffre dethe for her and in the tyme to come the euill malycyoê° sholde be more bolde to repreue the seruauÌ„tes of god / Of the other parte she hadd purposed neuer to dyscouer her conuersacoÌ„n but oonly to her spouse IhuÌ„ Cryste / Neuertheles for to saue the lyf of her relygyouses / and to th ende that the cursed Melance and al suche other by falshed· sholde not be in tyme comynge so outrageoê° for to charge wrongfully the crysten peple / she thoughte to open and shewe her befall that was soo secrete / ¶ Soo departed she her gowne fro top to too shewed that she was a womaÌ„ and namely that the Prouost was her fader and Claudia her moder / and tolde hym that Anitus Sergius were her bredern / ¶ This came anone to the ceres of her moder Claudia that was in her place / Wherfore she desyryng to see her doughter ranÌ„e anone to the barres where the Iustyce was / And there the Prouoste she her bredern knewe her / and began to wepe make grete way lynges that longe were to be rehercyd ¶ Anone were broughte gownes of clothe of golde vnto her of the whiche she clothed her as by force / After she shewed to her fader how Prothus Iacintus his two Emiches she had forsake the worlde and all the goodes in erthe and had made theymself Crysten / Thenne all togyder thanked god / sayenge / ¶ O god thy power is now gloryfyed that hath ouercome and banysshyd the enmyes of thy seruauntes / ¶ Eugene was ladde in grete worship in to the house of her fader / And the fyre of heuen came downe vpon the house of Melance / In whyche abode noo body alyue but were all that were 〈◊〉 in brenned and wasted all in to asshes / ¶ Thenne all the Crysten peple that had be put out of the sayd Prouoste were called ayen / And the chyrche was open / the whyche by the space of eyghte yere was shytte / ¶ The fader of Eugene Prouoste of Alexandrye that in the Crysten hadd take awaye theyr fraunchyses restored theim enteerly vnto theym ayen / ¶ And he himself thrugh the enticynge of his doughter Eugene made hym to be crystned his wyfe also all his seruauntes / ¶ Alle the cyte was as it had be one oonly chyrche soo moche began there the name of the Crysten to flourysshe / ¶ Now it is trouthe / as often it happyth that the good are enuyed by the badde / that some wente and reported vnto Seuere Anthony bothe emperours of the Romayns / vnder the whyche / the gouernaunce of all Alexandrye was ruled and gouerned / How Phylyp the Prouost was become a crysten man and dystroyed thydolles and buylded chyrches in the name of the god of the Crysten / And how he hadd ordeyned newe lawes and put asyde the emperours lawes / The whyche wrote vnto hym in this maner / ¶ Philyp we be enformed of the noueltees that thou hast done
/ And att this cause he askyd theym what it was that had moeued theym to come there also the cause why they made hym so grete honour / TheÌ„ne they tolde hym the wonderfull syghte that they had seen / of the whiche saynt Basylle yelded graces to god / ¶ And certayne dayes after he gadred all the peple / In the presence of whom he put the one of the sayd thre partes of the hoste in to the sayd douune of golde hanged it reuerently ouer the awter / And this done He for to comforte the peple and to conferme in the holy faythe of Ihesu Cryste made a moche fayre prechynge / ¶ Att whyche was the grete abbot Of whom herafter shall be spoken / ¶ Of an Ebrew man that saw a chylde bytwene the hoÌ„des of saynt Basylle whan he deuided the body of our lorde And begyÌ„nyth in latin ¶ Diuino quidem c· Caplm C.lxii. BY the wyll of god and duringe the tyme the saynt Basille on a tyme amoÌ„ge other songe masse An Eâ—rewe that was there saw a chylde bitwene the hondes of the sayd saynt Basylle / ¶ The chylde as it semyd to the sayd Ebrewe was by this Basylle parted deuyded / And where they alle after the masse sayd admynistred them self in receyuynge the body of our lorde The sayd Ebrewe man put hymselfe amonge the other Crystens / And so saynt Basylle admynystred hym an hoste as to the other / And consequently askyd to be admynystred wyth the holy chalys that semyd him to be fylled with blood / And his askynge was gyuen to hym / ¶ And he kepynge of eyther one parte bare it vnto his wyfe for to shewe it to her and to conferme her in the vyson that he had seen / ¶ And the nexte daye after he retorned to the holy bysshop and made hymself to be crystned wyth all his meyne / ¶ Of one that forsoke god and gaaf a wrytynge therof sealed wyth his owne honde / And begyÌ„nyth in latin ¶ Illudius auteÌ„ / Caplm C.lxiii A Holy man that had be Chapelayn to saynt Basylle and his sucessour in the bysshopryche of Capadoce / And the whyche wrote vnto saynt Iherom the lyf of saynt Basylle / ¶ Reherseth that a Senatour of Rome called Protherius hadd a doughter The whyche he wolde offre and sacrefye vnto god / Thynkynge that she shold be a relygyous woman / But the deuyll enuyuous ouer all goodnesse ¶ For to lette and wythdrawe the holy purpoos of the sayd Protherius / enflaÌ„med wyth the fyre of concupyscence one of his housholde seruauntes / The whyche enamoured hymselfe on his sayd doughter / ¶ And by cause he knewe for certayne that he was not her lyke for to haue her by maryage / He wente to a mayster of Magyke / To whom he shewed his caas / Sayeng that yf he cowde lerne hyÌ„ ony meane by the whiche he myghte haue the sayd doughter He sholde gyue hym a grete somme of golde / ¶ The Magycyen or Nygramancer answerd that he cowde not do it / ¶ But and he wolde he shold make him speke with the deuyll / whiche was his procurour / By whoo 's werkyng he sholde well now haue ryght soone hys wyll / ¶ Thenne the folisshe louer answerde to the sayd Magicyen / That he was redy to doo all that he shole commaunde hym / Soo that he myghte gete all that he desired / ¶ Thenne the sayd Magycien made him to forsake his Creatour And to forsake his parte of the Ioyes of paradis / And this done he made hym to take hym a bylle conteynynge the wordes that folowe wryten oonly wyth his owne honde / ¶ My lorde and my Procurour / by cause that I muste wythdrawe oute of the Crysten relygyon· and bynde myself to thy wyll to the ende that thy subgettes ben multeplyed / I sende the this messager berer of my lettrers whyche is desyrous taken wyth the loue of a may de / Werfore I praye that thou wolt doo soo moche for me that his wyll be fulfylled / To th ende that by hym I may haue Ioye and glory / And power to coÌ„mauÌ„de other / and brynge theym in thy obeyslaunce / ¶ This letter soo made the Magycyen delyuered it to the folysshe louer / and sayd to hym / That att a certayne hour of the nighte / he sholde goo and put himselfe vpon the graues of the Paynyms and Heretykes / And that there he sholde holde vp his letter in the ayre And anone certayne messengers sholde come to hym whyche sholde brynge hym to the deuyll / ¶ Thus dyde this vnhappy wretche / And sodainly came to hym a grete multytude of wickyd spirytes from the prynce of derkenesse and of wyckydnesse The whyche in grete Ioye ladde hym tofore theyr prynce / Whyche was sett vp on hihe in a grete chayer / And abowt hym were a grete multytude of deuylles wythoute nombre / In presence of whom he presented his wrytynge / ¶ And after that it was radde / the sayd prynce sayde vnto hym / ¶ Now come hyther my freÌ„de / Doost thou byleue in me / He answerd ye / ¶ Yet agayn questyoned him sayenge / ¶ Doost thou forsake Ihesu Cryste / he answerd as afore / Ye / TheÌ„ne the prynce of the deuylles sayde to hym / ¶ Ye Crysten men are false shrewes / For whan ye haue nede to be holpen of me / Ye praye me / And after that ye haue gote your desyre Ye denye and forsake Incontynent to that ye haue promysed to me / And soone after retonrne to youre god whyche is soo moche good and swete and mercyfull / That he refusyth not ony Synnar / ¶ But this notwythstondynge / yf thou wolte that I shall doo thy wyll to be performed and fulfilled to thy behouf playsure / Thou muste fyrste gyue to me a letter of thyne honde / By the whyche thou shalt denye and forsake the sacrament of baptesme and the crysten faythe / ¶ SecoÌ„dly thou shalt promyse me that thou shalt serue me in this worlde And atte the daye of dome thou shalte holde me felishyp for to be wyth me afterwarde perpetuelly in all the tormentes that I suffre / This vnhappy man promysed him all the same / And IncoÌ„tynent all the deuylles maysters of fornycacion were sente towarde the sayde mayde for to tempte and styre her to the loue of the vnhappy man forsayde ¶ The whyche sodaynly was soo take wyche loue of hym that she myghte no ther ete nor drynke / And after that she had borne this woodnesse a lytyll space of tyme / Fynably she sayde vnto her fader / ¶ O my fader haue pyte vpon me / For certainly I am sore tormented of the loue of one of thy seruauÌ„tes / My fader I biseche the shewe now what a loue thou haste to thy chylde / For yf thou enclyne and falle not to my wee le thou shalte see me deed wythin shorte tyme / ¶
Basylle thou doost me grete wroÌ„ge / for this synnar is come to me not I to hym / He hath forsake his Creatour in my presence / therof he hath gyue to me his writynge wyth his honde wryten for a wytnesse of the same / the whyche wrytyng I goo present byfore the euerlastyÌ„g Iuge / ¶ Saynt Basylle thenÌ„e sayd to the deuyll / Blessyd be god / My people shall neuer ceasse to praye / nor shal not brynge downe theyr hondes whiche are heued vpward to heuen tyll that thou haste gyuen ayen the sayd wrytynge vnto this poore synnar / ¶ Alle this noble assemble made after more deuowte prayers than afore had done / And ceassed not tyll that the sayde wrytynge was taken in to the hondes of the sayde holy man / The whyche after the receyuynge of it he yelded graces vnto god / And sayd to the synÌ„aâ— byfore all the peple that was there / ¶ My broder knowest not thou this letter / He answerde ye / And that it was wryten with his owne honde / ¶ ThenÌ„e saynt Basille brake it in peces and brought him to the chirche for to make Confessyon / Whyche thynge done he Receyued his Creatour / And after sente-hym home agayn vnto his his wyfe / The whiche of his grete grace she thanked deuowtly our lorde / ¶ Of a woman to whom her sinÌ„es were forgyuen by the prayer of saynt Basylle / And begynÌ„yth in latyn ¶ Mulier quidaÌ„ c. Caplm C.lxiiii A Woman ryche noble full of the vanitees of the world· vsed euyll of her facultees / For she was prodyge lecherous / Soo that in all maner of her dedes she was vnagreable to god / And as a sowe dooth laye herself in a fowle putdel soo was thys woman wrapped in all fylthe vncleÌ„nesse of flesshe ¶ And somtyme by a syÌ„guler grace that god gaaf her she alone to herself made knowlege of the grete multytude of her synnes and in wepynge sayd to god / Alas my Redemer I that am a poore synnar how shall I make satysfaccoÌ„n towardes the of my synnes / I oughte for to be the temple of the holy ghost / And by my synnes I haue defoylled hurte my soule / I am the moost vnhappy of all the worlde / I byleue not that euer ony woman syn her Crystendom dyde soo synÌ„e gretely / and soo abhomynable as I haue done ¶ Alacke how shall I mow be in certayn that god woll receyue my penaunce ¶ And whan she had well bethoughte herselfe vpon her byfall / God Inspyred her to thyÌ„ke vpon the grete euylles and synnes that she had sinned and done syn her yongthe vnto her olde aege And theym she broughte in mynde wrote in a rolle / And this done / she sealed theym vnder leed / And after purposed whan saynt Basylle sholde come to the chirche for to syÌ„ge masse that she sholde delyuer he Rolle vnto hym / ¶ The whyche thynge she dyde soo in cryenge wych an hyghe voys / ¶ O holy man and seruauÌ„te of god haue pyte of me moost wretched of all other synnars / ¶ Saynt Basylle askyd her the cause of her wayllynge / and she answered / Alas my lorde I haue wryten in this Rolle all my mysdedes and wyckydnesse / I byseche the that thou wolt not loke vpon theim / But vouchesauf to doo soo moche for me by thy prayers towarde god / That they maye be forgyuen to me / ¶ I wote wel that he that hathe gyuen me vnderstondynge and wyll for to knowe theim / shall enhaunse the prayer that thou shalt make for me in this byfalfe / ¶ Therfore I byseche the socour me now at my grete nede / ¶ The holy man toke the rolle of her / And heued his hondes vp towarde heuen sayenge / ¶ O my god it aperteynyth thy dygnytee for to doo that this poore synfull woman askith / thou mayste putt and enrase oute wythin a moment alle the synnes of the worlde / ¶ I byseche the mekely for her / All oure synnes are in a certayne nombre byfore thy mageste / ¶ But thy mercy is wythoute ende / ¶ His prayer thus done / he sette the Rolle vpon the awter / And there the holy man abode prayenge god a daye and a nyghte contynuelly / ¶ The nexte morowe he called vnto hym the sayd woman in presence of some clerkes and sayd to her / ¶ WomaÌ„ thou knowest well that thy synne can not be pardonned· but by the power of god the whyche answerde / ¶ Holy fader I by leue that that thou sayst / And therfor I by seche mekely that it woll playse the to be myn helper towarde him ¶ ThenÌ„e the rolle was opened at openynge of it· It was founde that all her synÌ„es were to her foryeuen except do grete synÌ„e whiche was not enrased nor putt oute ¶ The pore woman was sore heuy dyscoÌ„forted felle to the fete of the holy maÌ„ cried / O maÌ„ of god haue pite vppon me and lyke as thou haste prayed for all my synes Yet ayen pray for me towarde god that this synÌ„e maye be also pardonÌ„ed to me / ¶ Saynt Basylle began to wepe sayde to the woman / My frende stonde vpp I haue as grete nede of pardonÌ„e as thiself / For I am a synÌ„er / He that hath put out thyn other syÌ„nes may emase the same whyche is lefte behynde / And therfore yf in tyme comynge thou kepe the coÌ„maundements of god He shall not only forgyue the this lyue / But wythall he shall gyue the the lyf eternall in euerlasting blysse / Thou shall goo in to the Hermytage where a man is namyd Effrem to whom thou shalt take thy rolle And Ieâ—â—st in god that by his prayers thou shalt be delyuerd of the same synne and shalt haue of it a full absolucoÌ„n to the saluacoÌ„n of thy soule / ¶ The woman walked solonge thrugh the wyldernesse that she fonde the holy man Effrem Soo begane she to knocke att his doâ—e cryenge ¶ O holy man of god haue pite of me / Effrem that bi the knowlege of god knewe the cause why she was come answerde vnto her / ¶ Woman goo thou thâ— way for I am a synnar as the arte / Wherby I haue nede of the mercy of god as thou hast / The woman thenÌ„e cast to hym her rolle sayeng / O holy fader the bisshop Basylle sendeth me to the. gyuynge to me a hope that thurgh thy prayers the greetest of my synnes shall be foryeuen vnto me ¶ Effrem sayd vnto her / Naye my doughter naye / He that by his prayers hathe gote remyssyon of thin other synÌ„es may yet do that the same synÌ„e for that whiche thou comest toward me shall be pardonÌ„ed vnto the / ¶ Torne ayen lyghtly towarde him to the ende that thou mayst speke wyth hym byfore his deth / The woman retorned anone / But whaÌ„ she entred in Cezaree the
place of his hermytage An other tyme he founde hym selfe with some of his bretheren in a place where grewe moche rede / whiche by force of wynde moeued sore here and there betyng eche other soo that they made grete noyse ¶ Soo demaunded he to his brethern wherof grewe that noyse that he herde in that place The whiche answered and sayd / that it was the wynde that made thus the rede to bete the one ayenst the other ¶ Thenne he sayde vnto them Now my brethern consydere how moche harde athynge it is to lyue in peas and tranquylyte in this worlde Yf ye were in a place where ye sholde here all oonly a byrde synge / ye sholde not haue your corages nor entendementes with rest / how sholde you haue them thenne peasyble among the noyse and tempest of this rede seen the grete and wonderfull noyse that they make bycause of the wynde that maketh them this to smyte eche other And some sayd that the celle or dwellynge of this forsayd holy fader Arsenyen stode .xxx. myle fro the place where the sayd rede were ¶ From whiche dwellynge he wente but lytyll out / but by some Relygyouses were admynystred vnto hym his nedes and necessytees ¶ Morouer it is founde wryten of hym that when the place in Sychye where in the holy faders dyde dwelle was them lefte / and he hym selfe comyng out of the same he began to wepe sayeng that the worlde hadde loste Rome / and the Relygyouse hermytes Sychye ¶ Some brethern goynge out of Alexandrye in to the partyes of Thebayde for to bye there some flaxe / bycause that the holy fader Arsenyen dwelled that tyme in the sayde partyes of Thebayde / concluded togydre / syth that they hadde occasyon to goo nyghe the place where he dwelled / that they sholde goo see and vysyte hym And they dyde soo ¶ And after that his dyscyple hadde tolde hym that they were come towarde hym / he charged hym that he sholde aske them the cause and occasyon wherfore they came there ¶ Soo broughte he vnto hym worde agayne that the cause and occasyon of theyr coÌ„mynge was suche as aboue is sayd ¶ The good holy fader Arsenyen herynge this answere / sayd in this maner ¶ Certaynly syth that they be not come here for me / but oonly for theyr owne affayres I wyll not that they see me ¶ And therfore thou shall goo to Receyue them and shall serue them as well as thou mayst ¶ And this done and acomplysshed / thou shalte take leue of them saynge thus vnto them / that I sholde not go to them for bycause of my grete wekenesse and feblenesse ¶ An other brother desyryng for to see the sayd holy fader Arsenyen transported hymselfe vnto his celle knocked atte the dore for to haue gone in ¶ The holy fader made hyÌ„ openyng wenyng to hym that it had be his dyscyple / but all incontynente that he sawe it was not he / he casted hymselfe donne to the erthe / the whiche thyng seeyng the Relygyouse he was sore abasshed / prayde hym humbly that he wolde aryse / whiche he wolde not / but sayd / that he sholde not aryse tyll that the sayd Relygyouse were gone agayne fro thens / the whiche neuerthelesse prayed and requyred hym many tymes that he wolde aryse / but he wolde neuer graunte nor consente therto vnto the tyme that he were departed and gone ¶ Sometyme the deuyls of helle came to hym and made hym endure many trybulacyons and aduersytees within his celle ¶ And vpon a tyme among other the brethern that were wont to bryng hym suche thynges as he hadde nede of came there and herde this holy fader that cryed and sayd to our lorde Alas my god my fader creatour and Redemer leue me not And where it is so that I haue not yet done ony good that be worthy to be presented afore the. I beseche the humbly as moche as I can / that after thy grete mercy and benygnyte / it wyll please the atte the leste to grauÌ„te vnto me that I maye vndertake the begynnynges of good lyuyng ¶ The sayd holy fader Arsenyen questyoned and asked ones a symple brother of the londe of Egypte / askynge of hym how he feled hym selfe in his cogytacyons and thoughtes The whiche thynge seeyng a brother that was of vnderstandyng more redy than was the other sayd thus to hym Fayre fader I merueylle me of thy selfe that art so expert not oonly in greke tonge / but also in latyn tonge / how thou aposest questyoned this brother Rustyke in askynge of his thoughtes cogytacyons / wherat he answered I knowe well that I haue studyed and lerned suffysauntely as to the worlde bothe the latyn tonge and the greke / but yet haue I not conne take nor lerne the ABC of this Rustyke ¶ Some olde holy faders tolde that ones some persones gaue and sente vnto the brothern hermytes of Sychye a quantyte of dates And bycause there was but a fewe / they dyde not sende none of them to the fader Arsenyen / doubtyng that he sholde take it an wronge or a mocke to haue sente hym so lytyll a gyfte ¶ And when he was shewed herof / he wolde not goo out of his celle for to goo to the dole with the other brethern as it was acustomed to be doo / but sayd to them Ye haue excomunycated me my brothern / to th ende that ye sholde not gyue me the charyte that god hath sent vnto you / of the whiche I haue not be worthy to haue had my parte ¶ They all thenne vnderstandynge these wordes were wonderfully edyfyed of his humylyte So sente they vnto hyÌ„ by one of them whiche was a preest his parte of the sayde dates / brought hym with hyÌ„ Ioyfull in the coÌ„panâ—e of the other for to take vp the sayd dole ¶ And some sayd that he was so secrete in his dedes and operacyons / that men coude neuer perceyue ne knowe the maner of the conuersacyon of his lyfe ¶ He dwellynge in the partyes of Egypte bycause he suffred bare there greuously the nedes of the folke that towarde hym came for to vysyte see him / he purposed for to gyue vp leue his celle or lytyll house without to bere awaye with him ony thyng that was in it ¶ And thus came he to his dyscyples wherof one was named Paranytas / the other AlexaÌ„der the thyrde Zoyle Soo sayd this holy fader Arsenyen to Alexander Aryse Alexander dyspose thy selfe for to rowe ¶ To Zoyle he sayd / come with me vnto the flode seke a bote for me to go in to Alexandrye take also an ore with thy brother to rowe ouer Zoyle was wrothe of these wordes helde his peas And thus were they departed one from the other Alwayes he wente all alone vnto about the partyes of Alexandrye where he ley syke of a gryuous
sykenesse And his dyscyples that he had thus lefte complayned togydre sayd the one to the other ¶ Hathe not one of vs made our olde fader Arseny angry / the whiche for this cause sholde be thê° departed separed from vs. And in spekyng deuysynge togydre they coude not knowe nor ymagyne the cause of his angre nor of his heuynesse / nother also that euer they had be to him dysobeyssaunt in ony thyng ¶ After that the holy fader Arsenyen was heled of his sykenesse / he thought in hym selfe that he sholde go vysyte see his brethern the whiche he had lefte ¶ And after rowynge to fro he came to a place the called was the stone where were the sayd mynysters And as he walked a longe the sayd streme there came nyght to hym a mayde of Egypt that plucked out her small pappes / wherof the holy fader as yll apayde for it began to rebuke her sharpely Wherat she answered vnto hym that yf he were a monke that he sholde go to the montayne ¶ The holy fader felyng hym selfe stengyd and prycked in his corage of the wordes of the sayde doughter / dyde note and toke good hede to the same wordes sayeng in hym selfe Yf thou be a monke / goo to the montayne ¶ And he beynge in this coÌ„punccyon / his two dyscyples Alexandre Zoyle came towarde hym / whiche in contynente casted them selfe tofore his fete / he in lykewyse before them dyde put hym selfe donne to the erthe / began to wepe all thre togydre ¶ The holy fader sayd syn to theym / haue not ye herde telle that I was syke / the whiche answered ye ¶ And why sayd he are you not come to see me ¶ Wherat Alexander answered / bycause that thy departynge from vs had not be vnto vs agreable For many one by reason of the same haue be euyll pleased with vs / sayng that yf we had not be dysobeyssauÌ„t vnto the / thou sholdest neuer haue departed thy selfe from with vs. ¶ Thenne sayd the holy fader Arsenyen to them I haue well knowen that this sholde be sayd But yet agayne men shall saye truely that the doue whiche coude not fâ—nde where vpon to rest her fete / retorned ayen towarde Noe beynge within his arche The whiche wordes herde of his dyscyples / they were well content with it peased theyr corages And dwelled euer after with hym vnto the laste tyme of theyr lyues ¶ The holy fader Besaryon a dyscyple of his walkyng in the desertes / cam of auenture vpon a depe pytte in whiche they entred they founde there a brother syttyng werkyng about the makyng of a corde The whiche lyke as he had be bothe doÌ„me blynde nother spake nor loked not vpon them ¶ This consyderynge the holy fader Besaryon / sayd to his dyscyple / lete vs go hens / for this olde fader wyll not speke with vs. Soo wente they theyr waye wente towarde the abbot Iohan And soone after retournynge to the sayd pytte / the sayd holy fader Besaryon sayd Lete vs goo there in onâ—s agayne for to speke with that brother so shall we now wyte yf god had kepte hym that he spake not to vs. ¶ And incontynent that they were entred within the sayd place / they founde nothynge therin but oonly a deed bodye Thenne callyng vpon his dyscyple / he sayd in this maner ¶ Come hether my brother / lete vs dresse this corps / for god hath sente vs here therfore And where they besyed them for to haue putte a wyndyng shete about hym / they fouÌ„de that it was a woman / wherof they merueylled gretly sayd ¶ Here is a thynge merueyllouse to see how the women fought ayenste the deuyls ouercome them ¶ And after that they had buryed her they wente awaye praysed the name of god pretoctour and deffender of all thynges ¶ Saynt Mecharye tolde ones to his Relygyouses / that towarde hym were come two brethern the one was olde the other veray yong / the whiche hauyng of hyÌ„ no knowloge / but oonly by â—enoÌ„me / they had questyoned hym / askynge of hym where was the celle of the abbot Macharye ¶ And he enquyryng of them why they asked after it / they answered that they hauyng knowlege of his vertuouse werkes holy lyfe desyred soueraynly to see hym ¶ And where the sayd saynte Macharye confessed that he was the man that they sought they incontynent fallygh afore his fete requyryng besought him that he wolde suffre them to enhabyte with hym / but he seeyng Iugyng by consyderynge of theyr gyftes habylymentes / that by habondauÌ„ce of rychesses / they were wanton delycate / he answered that they myght not abyde with hym The whiche answere y herde / they sayd to hym that yf they myght not dwelle with hym alwayes they had purposed to seke for theyr resydence some other solytary place ¶ The holy fader heryng theyr wordes / thought in hym selfe / that yf he departed or shoued them backe agayâ—e from him / he myght haue be sclauÌ„dred therby And consyderyng the grete labour that they had take for to come to hym / he thought that he sholde gyue them no cause in this behalue to noyse ayenste hym So sayd he to them ¶ Come on my childern / yf ye maye / make buylde here your celles habytacions ¶ They moche Ioyouse of this answere / requyred hym / that he wolde assygne them the place where his pleasure was that they sholde make theyr lodgyng / he toke vnto them a tubbe an aâ—e a sack full of brede with a lytyll salt / this done he brought theÌ„ vpoÌ„ a roche of harde stone sayng to theÌ„ that they sholde dygge therin for to make there theyr habytacoÌ„n lytyll houses / whiche they sholde couer with claye / alwayes the intencoÌ„n of sayÌ„t Macharye was suche / that they sholde be wery for to be besy about that werke that they for grete werynes sholde leue it go awaye But they that had purposed to abyde there / asked of hym what occupacyon the other brethern had of custome to do there And he answered that they made cordes And syn pared to them bothe palmes leues of the pylles therof / he shewed and taught to them the maner for to make weue cordes / also for to make baskettes and maundes / the whiche mauÌ„des he warned them to gyue vnto the seruauntes for to receyue brede therin And thus he lefte them wente his waye And they after this with a grete pacyence dyde that the sayd saynt Macharye coÌ„mauÌ„ded them / and kepte them selfe within theyr celles habytacyons / and wente not towarde hym duryng the tyme of thre yere But bycause that many Relygyouses of ferre Regyons came toward saynt Macharye forsayd / he meruaylled by how these two brethern kepte them so longe togyder that they came
what is this / art thou here coÌ„dempned for to suffre euerlastyng tourmentes Alas where ben the fayre wordes / that thou saydest / whan thou woldest ayenst my good wyll entre in to Relygyon / saynge that in this maner thou wolde do the saluacoÌ„n of thy soule Heryng the whiche wordes and seeyng the gryuouse tourmentes that his moder suffred / he founde hymselfe so ouercome so abasshed that he wyst not what he sholde answere ¶ And after this by hym seen herde his goost came in to his bodye ayen / and as by the wyll of god it was suffred / he retorned from his syknesse vnto good helth ayen So thought he in hym selfe that this vysyon was to hym by god his mercy done / and for this cause he shâ—tt hym selfe within his celle / thynkynge to enforce hym selfe there to his soules saluacoÌ„n / whiche for to gette / he made there grete sharpe penaunces for his synnes and neclygences passed And in effect he was somoche bowed to weryâ— and trauaylle his bodye there by paynes and afflyccyons / that many one requyred hym that he sholde not take so moche vpon hym And namely bycause that euer without seassyng he wept syghed / prayed hym that he sholde somtyme absteyne hymselfe from wepyng to th ende that he sholde not lese his syght by it / or that he sholde renne in to some other Inconuenyences But neuerthelesse he wolde not be coÌ„forted / saynge that syth he myght not susteyne noâ— endure the Rebukes of his moder that he had seen in these wretched and horryble tourmentes / with more grete hardenesse payne he sholde abyde or endure the wrath of god of his sayntes atte the daye of his grete Iugemente ¶ A Relygyouse was in Egypte moche solytarye / that amonge the other bycause of his grete humylyte / was sore famed He had a syster that lyued wantonly among men / the whiche was cause of the dampnacyon losse of many one So was this Relygyouse oftentymes Requyred pursyewed of dyuerse good men / that he sholde goo towarde her in the cyte where she kepte herselfe to th ende that by meanes of his admonycyons he myght do so moche that she wolde forbere withdrawe her from suche dampnable wantonnesse And where he came to the place openly where she helde herselfe / a man of her knowloge wente hastly towarde her sayd Here is thy brother that cometh towarde the She y moeued with grete gladnesse / leueyng her louers whiche she wolde fayne haue pleased / with her hede all bare wente out of her lodgys for to renne ayenst her brother / where thenne she enforced herselfe for to haue taken hym in her armes kysse hym / he sayde vnto her Alas my syster my right dere frende I praye the that thou wyll haue pyte vpon thy soule in consyderynge the grete paryll in whiche thou lyuest where so many a wretchyd man thrugh the occasyon of the is perysshed / wherof atte the last thou shalt must suffre Infynyte paynes for it and tourmentes Intollerable ¶ She heryng the wordes of her brother / and shakynge horrybly / thynkynge vpon the same / beganne for to saye vnto hym Alas my brother / thynkest thou that after soo many euylles whiche I haue done I myght yet come for to gette my soules saluacyon / Wherat he answered I ensure the my frende / yf thou wyll doo thy deuoyre / that lyghtely thou shalte be saued ¶ Thenne she castynge her selfe atte her brothers fete Requyred hym right besyly that he wolde led her with hym there as she myght do penaunce And thenne he answered vnto her My syster I wyll well / but goo fyrst and couere thy hede / and thenne come after and folowe me To whome she sayd agayne Goo we my brother goo we It is better for me to walke and goo amonge the men bare hede and all dyfformate / than for to Retourne to the synnes abhomynable wherat I haue tysed them / ¶ And as they sette them selfe for to walke togydre / her brother excyted and warned her for to doo penaunce And seeyng that some folke mette them by the waye / he sayd to her My frende bycause that euery man knoweth not that thou art my syster / and to th ende that we gyue none occasyon to folke that goo by to thynke or saye ylle / me semeth to be necessarye that thou sette thy selfe a lytyll out of the waye tyll that they be passed / and thenne I shall calle the agayne to me The whiche thynge she graunted him with a good wyll And anone after when hym thought that they sholde not mete nomore ony folke / he called her to hym ayen saynge My syster lete vs go our waye And after that he had called her two or thre tymes she answered hym not / he wente there as she was behynde an hedge fouÌ„de her dede / founde also the trayne of her passes where she had tredde all full of blode bycause that she had putte of bothe her hosys shone And where as her brother hadde shewed this thyng vnto some of his brethern Relygyouses / they had amonge them grete doubte of her saluacyon / but our lorde shewed vnto one of them / that bycause that in walkyng she had forsaken the flesshly desyres worldly pleasurs / by merueylouse contrycyon had sette herselfe for to wepe to complayne vpon the gryfâ—es of her synnes For this cause he had receyued agreably her deuoute penauÌ„ce ¶ Saynt Athanasye obteynynge the archebysshopryche of Alexandrye and dwellyng there / many heretykes enforced themself for to bespotte with theyr errours the holy fayth of crystendom And atte this cause for to haue destroyde the sayd errours / he made saynt Anthonye to come in the cyte / whiche beynge there / an olde blynde man named Dydymus came towarde him whiche was well lettred wonderfully taught in holy wryte In spekyng and dysputyng of whiche saynt Anthonye meruaylled moche of the grete engyne vnderstandyng that this blynde man had theim And gyuyng a laude to the hyghenesse of his corage / askyng hym yf he was not heuy sory that he had lost his bodely eyen ¶ And where the same Dydymus shamefast dyspleased with it dyde not answere nothyng to his askyng ¶ Saynt Anthonye the seconde tyme and also the thyrde tyme questyoned hym as afore / but he answered hym nomore than he had done att the fyrst tyme / wherby he gaue to knowe vnto saynt Anthonye the heuynes that he bare in his corage to haue lost the bodely lyght ¶ Thenne saynt Anthonye this knowyng sayd in this maner I meruayll me how a man prudente sage maye be sory of the domage losse of that thyng whiche the pyssemyers the bees the flyes haue where as they sholde be gladde of that thyng whiche the postles other sayntes haue deserued to haue Veryly it is a better thyng more
it so that they be sore curyouse besy for to put them in to the hertes of the persones / alwayes it is not to thē possyble for to make them abyde therin / but yf they wyll hemself / wherfor thou ought to knowe not fere / but the thou mayst receyue or forsake them whan thou wylt And to this purpose maye be applyed this that the Madyanitees dyd when they made fayre clad theyr thoughters / put them in the syght byfore the presence of the childern of Israell For they cōstrayned not none of them for to haue doo carnaly with the sayd wȳmen / but they that folysshly dyde sette theyr loue vpon them / dyde what they wolde with them / thēne the Madyanites angred moeued ayenst them that had defoyled theyr doughters / thretned the other / but they toke vengeaūce of the fornycatours / whiche they broughte all to deth And thus hast thou for to do of the lecherouse tēptacōns in castyng them from the / to th ende that they be not cause of the deth ¶ Thenne answered the broder Good fader ye coūseyll me right well / but what shall ye answere to me of that I am weyke and soo feble that this passyon ouercometh me ¶ Thou must sette all thyn affeccyon sayd the holy fader to withstonde And when the deuyls shall enforce them for to moeue thy herte for to thynke euyll or to speke some ylle answer them not in no wyse / but aryse for to praye god doo penaūce saynge O sone of god haue mercy vpon me Ha good fader sayd the brother I shall do well this / atte lest I am well in a thought to do soo / but I haue not in myn herte no maner of cōpunccion For I can not vnderstande the vertue of the wordes of the oryson that thou tellest to me Well sayd the holy fader yf thou vnderstandest nothyng of it / thou shalt thynke oonly therupon For I haue herde saye the abbot Pastor / also other olde faders this worde / that is to wyte that the enchauntour knowyng not perfyghtly what betoken the wordes by the meanes of whiche he maketh his incantacōns / but alwayes he knoweth that by suche wordes spoken to the serpent that hereth them / that selfe serpent is incontynent enchaūted Lykewyse how well that we knowe the vertue of the wordes that we put forth in our orysons / always the deuyls when they here them they aferde therof and by the vertue and drede of the same / they goo from vs. ¶ Some ancyent sayd that the thought of fornycacyon is as freylle as lyght for to breke as paper For yf the happeth to come vpon vs that we refuse her and cast her behynde vs / she is of lyght ouercome It is thenne nedefull that we haue dyscrecōn in our thoughtes cogytacyons / by the whiche we haue to knowe / that they that consente to them ought not to haue thus dooyng ony hope to be saued / but they that withstande ayenst them may owe to wayte for theyr rewarde the crowne of vyctory in the Royalme of heuen ¶ Two brethern sore assaylled tempted of the synne of fornycacōn / not hauyng afore theyr eyen the drede of god nor the memory of the helthe of theyr soules / as foles and out of wytte forsoke and lefte theyr hermytages / and ledyng eche of them a comon woman with them / went and accompanyed certayne space of tyme among the worldly folke ¶ And after that they had thus wantonly lyued / one of them shewed to the other theyr vnhappy and wycked lyuyng / and sayd to hym suche wordes Lete vs consydere and take hede what goodes we lese / that lyuyng soo wyckedly we leue the lyfe of angels for to accompanye and vs to defoyle in soo stynkyng a fylthe / the whiche shall be cause vnto vs for to go in to broundes and tourmentes that euer shall last I praye the my brother lete vs goo agayne to the hermytage and doo penaunce for the synnes that we haue done soo presumptuously ¶ The whiche thyng they purposed and were delyvered for to doo And folowyng theyr delyberacyon came to the desertes where as they founde the aeged holy faders / to whome ryght humbly and in grete contrycyon they besought that they wolde receyue them to penaunce as they dyde ¶ And after that they hadde made an hoole confessyon of all theyr synnes / the auncyent faders dyde shytte theym within theyr celles / where as they were by the space of a yere where as they made to be admynystred to them a lytyll brede and a lytyll water for to susteyne theyr lyffe withall / as moche to the one as to the other For also they were bothe y lyke of face and of aege ¶ And after that / that they hadde done theyr penaunce and that they were loos agayne and lete out of theyr celles / the holy fader seeyng the one of them to be wonderfull pale heuy / that other moche boystouse gladde / they wondred sore vpon / withstandynge that to eyther of them / as moche to the one as to the other / there lyuyng indyfferently had be admynystred vnto them / wherfor they moeued a questyon vnto hym that soo pale and heuy was / askyng hym what dedes he had had in his thoughtes duryng the tyme of the penaūce that he had ben in his celle / wherat he answered ¶ In good sothe sayd he I haue had euer in Remembraūce the paynes tourmentes that I haue deserued / and in whiche I was aferde to come / for the grete abhomynable and vyle synnes that I haue done And for this cause for the grete drede that I toke therof I am become thus drye and lene by the contynuelly ensyght that I had therupon In son moche that my bones haue perced and yet perce my flesshe as ye see And after they questyoned the other sayng And thou brother what thought haddest thou in thy celle The Relygyouse answered I rendred contynually graces and thankes vnto my god of that it had pleased hym to delyuer me out of the fylthes and vnclennesse of this worlde / and from the paynes and tormenees euerlastyng / in callyng me ayen to this angels lyfe And in Remembryng my selfe of the grete mercyes of my god I wexed gladde in my selfe as yet styll I do The whiche wordes herde of the sayd aeged faders / they Iuged that theyr penaunce was lyke and semblable towarde god / and thanked them ¶ An auncyent holy fader was in the desertes of Sychye / the whiche fylle in a grete sykenesse / and for to Releue hym therfrom / many brethern besyed them curyously for to serue and admynyster vnto hym all his necessytees as well as they coude ¶ This holy fader consyderyng the payne and traueyle that they toke and bore about hym / thought in hym selfe for to goo in to Egypte
hange there theyr cordes and nettes a brode whiche comprysed .xl. mesures in length and brede And in huntyng in the sayd place / the holy fader saynt Macharye with his two dyscyples beynge nygh by the corde was there fouÌ„den by the sayd chyldern theyr people the whiche seeyng the sayd saynt Macharye to be meruayllously rowgh / had a face terryble ferdfull to beholde / werof the syght of hyÌ„ meruayllously abasshed / and began to aske and demaunde of hym yf he were a man or some espyryte To whom he answerde that he was a synfull man whiche byleued on the sone of god the whiche had receyued deth on the crosse passyon for the saluacyon of mankynde / and hym worshypped with all affeccyon / as to hym oonly to whom was due adoracyon honour And heryng his answere they sayd that they wyste not what he sayd / and that they had none other goddes but the sonne / the fyre / and the water / and that it byhoued that they adoured theym / and sholde make to theym sacrefyce Saynt Macharye answered to theym that he neuer sholde soo doo / by cause that the sonne was a planete / and the fyre and water two clementes / whiche had noo puyssauÌ„ce ne power but suche as was gyuen to theym at theyr creacyon of god theyr maker And by this and other reasons Saynt Macharye shewed to them that they erred meruayllously Wherfore he admonested theym to conuerte theym to god whiche had created theym and all other thynges The same childern and theyr folke heryng these wordes of saynt Macharye began to mocke hym in sayeng Sayst thou not that thy god hath ben crucyfyed / yes sayd saynt Macharye And yet I saye more / that it is he whiche by his deth mortefyeth synne sleeth eternall deth After the whiche wordes soo sayd / they dyde to Saynt Macharye and to his dyscyples many tormentes wyllyng to constrayne hem to make sacrefyce to the sonne / to the fyre / and to the water / as to theyr goddes / whiche they vtterly refused and wolde not doo it For whiche cause after dyuerse tourmentes they smote of the hedes of the two dyscyples of saynt Macharye / but they wolde not soo promptly putte hym to deth by cause they wolde put hym to more tourmentes and soo they dyde And among other they sette hym in the myddle of a place where they establysshed to shote at hym / as he had be a butte And they shotte many arowes / some in his backe and other in his brest In suffryng the sayd tourmente saynt Macharye sayd to the two childern False and vntrewe tyrauntes Inhumayne / for as moche as I see that of one accorde and consentement ye be determyned to shede thynnocent blood / and to putte to deth myserably the poore seruauntes of god I wyll aduertyse you and notefye / that to morn at this hour your moder shall be without childern / and shall be pryued fro the syght of you / and that ye shall more hurte and gryeue your selfe / and shall with your arowes shede your owne blood to gydre The sayd childern dyspysyng the wordes of the sayd saynt Macharye and mocked hym On the morn they wente on huntynge as they dyde to forn / And it happed that an herte was taken in theyr cordes / the whiche notwithstondyng escaped Thenne they rode after with all dylygence to th ende that they myght take hym / and in shotyng theyr arowes ayenst hym they slewe eche other / lyke as saynt Macharye had sayd to theym ¶ The abbot Pastor sayd that a Relygyous man is veryly knowen to be a monke in his temptacyons / that is to wyte whan he resysteth theym constantly and myghtyly Yet sayd the sayd abbot beyng in Sychye on a tyme to his relygyouses My brethern ye knowe well that we be hyther come for to labour Now I see well that here is no maner labour / wherfore I determyne that we goo to some other place / where we may fynde to labour / to th ende that in soo dooyng we may fynde rest as who wolde saye / that the grettest batayll that a relygyous man may mene ayenst hym selfe / is to be ydle For in werkyng many euyll thoughtes cogytacyons ben eschewed ¶ Saynt Syncletyce sayd in spekyng to his monkes / yf ye conuerse in the monasterye with the other / chaunge not youâ—â—ace / for ye destroye your selfe yf ye soo doo And in lyke wyse as an henne yf she leue her egges without to couere theym / she shall neuer haue chykens / for they may not be formed for lacke of hete Right soo in lykewyse the relygyous man or woman that transporteth hym selfe from one place to an other / in leuyng the place of his Relygyon shall neuer fructefye in vertuous werkes For he or she is all colde in the vertue of fayth for as moche as he transporteth and chaungeth his owne place ¶ Ferthermore he sayd / that whan the deuyll may not make to falle in to synne a Relygyous persone or other by the pryckynges of pouerte / he admynystreth to hym habundauÌ„ce of Richesses for to make hym synne by the moen of theym And in lyke wyse / whan he maye not excyte hym by Iniuryes and repreues / he maketh to be mynystred to hym praysynges and vayne glorye And there where he procureth to a persone that he haue all the cases of his bodye / and may not begyle and seduce hym by delectacyons and worldly pleasaunces Thenne he enforceth hym to make hym falle by aduersytees and molestacyons whiche he maketh to come contrarye to his wylle And ofte to theym that he wyll teÌ„pte / he maketh to come vpon theym some sekenesses and maladyes / by the whiche he maketh the Relygyouses ferdfull / and troubleth in theym the charyte that they haue towarde god / But how well that the bodye be tourmented by hote feures enflamed with thrust Insacyable / he that suche afflyccyons susteyneth and endureth ought to haue in his remembraunâ—â— mynde the eternall fyre / and the vnspekable tourmentes of helle / And in consyderyng theym well he shall not be slowe ne feble to suffre the aduersytees of this worlde but shall bere theym with grete corage in hym selfe / enioyeng of that whiche our lorde by suche aduersytees vysyteth hym / in hauyng in his mouth the wordes of Dauyd in the psaulter whiche ben these My god whiche chastyseth his synners / hath by his grace chastysed me / and hath not condempned me to deth And yf the Relygyous thus tourmented be a synner and in ruste as the yron / he shall lose his ruste by the fyte of aduersyte And yf he be Iuste beryng his maladyes and aduersytees pacyently fro grete perfeccyon / he shall be promoted to more gretter And yf he be stedfast / he shall be puryfyed to the confusyon of the deuyll / whiche is gyuen to a man for to tempte hym with the pryckynges of his
relygyous man answerde that he had be there .vi. yere I meruayll sayd the deuyll / how it may be that thus longe tyme I haue not knowen that thou were my neyghbour / but within four dayes hytherward that to me is comen in myne ymagynacion / that ther was some holy man dwellyng nyghe by me And so I concluded to serche to come to that for to deuyse talke with the for the helth of my soule And this I telle to the my brother / that we prouffyte nothyng holdyng vs in our celles caues For we lyue as bestes / receyue not the body of our lord Ihesu cryst / wherfor I doubte fere strongly but that we be astraūged from hȳ that so longe absteyne vs fro the holy sacrament But I shall tell the what I thynke my broder Ther is from hens about a two myle a monasterye / wherin ben many prestes whom we may go see euery weke ones / or in .xv. dayes / there we shal receyue the worthy body of our lord Ihū cryst / the doon we maye retourne in to our celles This deuyllysshe suasyon was agreable to the relygyous yongman And the sondaye comen / the deuyll came ayen to hȳ sayeng that they sholde go to the sayd monastery / that it was tyme to departe / so they wente forth And in gooyng the fonde a relygyous man of the sayd monasterye After that the yong man had made his prayer in that place / he arose lokyng about hȳ he fonde not hȳ that was come with hȳ / the whiche was vanysshed awaye And thought in hȳself that he was goon out of the monastery for some necessyte / he abode for hȳ longe seeyng that he cam not / he wente makyng dylygence to fynde hȳ And after enquyred of the monkes after hym in askyng theym / yf they had seen ony olde fader comen in to the chirche / the whiche relygyous men answerd to hȳ that they had seen none but hȳ oonly Thenne the yong religyous man knewe well that it was the deuyll / began to saye in hym selfe Loo by what subtylte malyce the deuyll hath made me to go out of my cell / but neuertheles I sette not moche therby For I am comen hyther for to do accomplysshe a good werke / that is to wyte for to receyue the precyous body of my sauyour Ihesu cryste / whom I shall receyue yf it please hym / and after retourne in to my celle The masse sayd done in the sayd monasterye And after that he had receyued the holy sacrament / the sayd yong man wolde haue retourned in to his celle / but thabbot reteyned wolde not suffre hym to go / tyll that he had taken his refeccyon And whiche refeccyon taken graces sayd to god / he toke leue of the sayd abbot of his relygyous monkes for to go in to his celle And in retournyng the deuyl cam to hȳ ayen in the forme lykenesse of a yong seculer man And by a maner fayned for to come to his dampnable Intency on began to beholde hym ententyuely from the toppe of the hede vnto his fete And sayeng these wordes that the yong Relygyous man myght well here Is this he that hath so longe be sought or is it he not And in sayeng these wordes / he contynuelly behelde more ententyfly than he dyde before For whiche cause the brother seeyng that / sayd to hym what moeued the thus to beholde me To whome the deuyll answered I byleue fayr fader that ye knowe me not / wherof I am not sore abasshed ne admeruaylled / for ye can not well knowe me / seen the longe tyme that ye sawe me / neuerthelesse I knowe you well / for I am next neyghbour to your hous And ferthermore he named his fader his moder / a syster that he had by theyr names / theyr seruaūtes also in sayng to hȳ / was not your fader called thus your moder by this name / your syster in this wyse / and thus theyr seruytoues My frende I assure you / that your moder syster deyed thre yere agoon And your fader departed out of this worlde but late And he hath ordeyned you his heyre made you his excecutour for to dyspose well his goodes for the helth of his soule / he coude not leue ne sette they in a better hade than in yours whiche be an holy man / that haue gyuen ouer forsaken the worlde all worldly goodes for to walke folowe the waye of Ihesu cryste / hopyng that for the grete loue charyte / that ye haue to hym / ye shall be bely dylygent for to dystrybute gyue in almesse by good type dyscrecōn his goodes to the poore nedy seruaūtes of god And for this cause he ordeyned the one sholde come to you for to do for his sake this request / in folowyng the sayd ordynaūce many messagers haue ben in dyuerse places for to fynde you / but they coude not here of you / so it is happed that in comȳg in to these parties / for certayn thȳges I haue foūde you here Wherfor moeued of charite cōpassion consyderyg the grete trust that your fader hath in you I haue be moeued to telle it you / therfore tarye not / but for to fulfyll the wyll testament of your fader / go to his hous / selle all that he hath / for to dele dystrybute to poore peple after his holy deuocōn To who me the relygyous yong man answerd / that it was not to hȳ necessary to retorne to the worlde / that he wolde not go thyder And therupon the deuyll replyed ayen sayeng to hym / that yf by his neclygence / the goodes of his fader were lost dysperpled without to be gyuen to the poore people as he had ordeyned / he sholde therfor gyue a rekenyng ones to fore god And forthermore he sayd to hym these wordes / what harme say I yf I exhorte admoneste the that thou come as a gode trewe dyspēsatour dystrybutour to the poore people the goodes of thy fader lyke as he trusted to the that his goodes sholde not haue ben meschyeuously wasted consumed by vycyous persones See what charge mayst the renne in by thyn estymacōn in so doyng Thou knowest that thou mayst in this thyng gete grete meryte for the helth of thy soule And whan thou shalt haue that doon / thou shalt mowe retourne ayen in to thy celle Fynably this yong Relygyous man was by the deuyll in suche wyse deceyued begyled / that he was contente to go home to the hous of his fader / for to doo and fulfyll that whiche the deuyll had sayd to hym And in dede he departed from his hermytage / and with the deuyll he cam in to the cyte / in whiche he was
the sayd broder bad hym begynne / he wolde folowe To whiche exhortacion the sayd broder wolde not enclyne / sayeng by faynt humylyte that he was a synner and vnworthy to bere the habyte of a monke And after the sayd holy fader wolde wesshe his fete / but the broder excusyng hyÌ„ as he dyde byfore wolde not suffre hym Fynably he made hym take his refeccoÌ„n with hym And in soo doyng he began to admonest hyÌ„ sayng My sone yf thou wylt prouffyte / it byhoueth the coÌ„tynuelly to make resydence in thy celle / to take hede of thy selfe / employe that to werke / for it is not lawfull ne expedyent to go so moche as it is to be resydent / the whiche broder heryng these wordes was so moche in despyte moeued in yre ayenst the sayd holy fader that sodaynly he apperceyued by his vysage that by the cause he chauÌ„ged his colour began to saye to hyÌ„ Ha my sone thou saydest late that thou were a synner / in accusyng thy selfe as vnworthy to lyue / now by cause I warne that in good charyte to lyue well / thou art angry with me oughtest thou to do so / certaynly I telle to the that yf thou wylt be very humble relygyous / thou must lerne bere corageously the charges burthens that by other shall be leyd on the / not to saye grudge in thy selfe to thynke ony rygorous or haynous wordes For suche condycoÌ„ns ought not to be fonden ne to domyne in ony relygyoê° man wyllyng to come to felycyte beatytude eternall The broder coÌ„syderyng these wordes that the holy fader sayd to hyÌ„ / he departed dyde grete penauÌ„ce amended his lyfe ¶ Thabbot Moyses beyng in the hermytages of the deserte of Sychye was aduertysed that the Iuge of the prouynce cam towarde hym for to see hym vysyte / wherfore he desyryng teschue that he sholde not see hyÌ„ / departed from his hermytage / put hym selfe in the way of the palus of Egypt / in whiche way the sayd Iuge accompanyed with some of his seruauÌ„tes mette hym / axed of hym where was the celle of the abbot Moyses / the whiche answered hyÌ„ / wherfore axe ye after hyÌ„ / he is a man folysshe an heretyke The Iuge arryued at the comyn chirche of the sayd hermytages / sayd to the clerkes that he fonde there / how for the grete renoÌ„mee of the abbot Moyses desyryng to see hym he was come thyder And that in comyng he mette an olde fader gooyng in to Egypt whom he asked where was the celle of thabbot Moyses / he answered me in this maner / wherfor sekest thou hym / he is an heretyke The clerkes heryng these wordes of the sayd Iuge were moche troubled dyspleasauÌ„t / but neuertheles they asked what man was the olde fader that had so euyll synystryly spoken of the sayd abbot Moyses To whom the Iuge answered he is longe black clad with a lewde vestement TheÌ„ne they knewe that it was thabbot Moyses whiche had so spoken of hym selfe / sayd to the Iuge that he had sayd those wordes to th ende that the Iuge sholde not knowe hyÌ„ / wherfore the sayd Iuge retorned without spekyng more to hyÌ„ without to see hym ony otherwyse than sayd is ¶ An other brother asked the holy fader Mathoys sayeng to hyÌ„ Fayre fader yf I go be resydent in ony place how ought I to gouerne me in the same / yf thou wylt surely dwelle in ony place / kepe the well for getyng a name or renoÌ„me of ony partycular thyng as to saye that thou wylt not conuerse in the companye of brethern for to lede a lyfe more solytary / or that thou ete not one thyng or other By suche thynges a man geteth to hym a name fame And after he muste suffre thys portunyte of the people / whiche is a thynge moche greuous yf he be a man that desyreth to lyue vertuously solytary ¶ The grete abbot Nesteron one of his relygyouses walkyng in the desertes sawe to fore theym a grete dragon / for whom to eschewe incoÌ„tynent they fledde / the whiche thyng seeyng the sayd relygyoê° sayd to the sayd abbot / that he was aferde To whom he answered nay that he was not / but it was to hyÌ„ expedyent to flee / seeyng the dragon For in so doyng he fled the speryte of vayne glorye / as who sayth that yf by the moyen of some coÌ„iuracoÌ„ns diuine that he had made to the dragon they had passed by hyÌ„ without that he had doon to theym ony harme / they myght haue ronne in the synne of vayne glorye / wherfor for to kepe hyÌ„ therfro / it semed to hyÌ„ better more auayllable to flee fer from hyÌ„ than to coÌ„iure hyÌ„ ¶ The abbot Pastor sayd that a Relygyous man that wyll well edyfye other for to gyue to theym good exaÌ„ple / ought to kepe obserue the thynges whiche he wyl be kepte obserued by other And forthermore he sayd that he meruaylled of many men that haue no shame that wyll be parfyght by wordes / wherin theyr dedes they be moche lasse ¶ Thabbot Adelphus whiche was bysshop of Nyl went on a tyme in to a moÌ„tayn for to see the holy fader Sysoy In a mornyÌ„g the sayd bysshop wolde departe fro hyÌ„ / but thabbot Sysoy volde fyrst make hyÌ„ to breke his fast / how wel that it was theÌ„ne a fastyng day / thê° as they leyd the table for to ete / cam vpon theym two brethern / to whom the holy fader ordeyned to gyue theym potage / bycause that they cam fro labour The holy bisshop Adelphus seeyng the refeccoÌ„n to be redy sayd a parte to the fader Sysoy / that he sholde deferre a lytyll to ete / tyll that the two brethern were gone / to th ende that they sholde not saye that he brake his faste / notwithstandyng the wordes that thabbot Sysoy sayd to his relygyouses that they sholde gyue to theym the potage that he had do sette on the fyre for the sayd bysshop Adelphus The whiche brethern seeyng receyuyng the potage axed of the relygyous that serued theym yf ther were ony strauÌ„gers in the celle of the sayd abbot Sysoy And yf the sayd abbot brake his faste in the mornyng with theym To whom he answered / ye / the whiche answere herde they were moche angry and began to saye God forgyue you the faute that ye do / in suffryng our abbot to ete at this hour Ne knowe ye not well that he hath ben many dayes without labour / as who sholde saye / that he ought not to breke his faste / seen that he laboured not The bysshop Adelphus heryng these wordes repented hyÌ„ was dyspleasauÌ„t of that whiche he had sayd to thabbot Sysoy for to make breke hym his fast sayeng Fader abbot pardone me / for that I
concupyscence And to psalmodye with longanymyte / that is to saye besyly and contynuacōn in vertuous werkes / and to haue a pyteous herte But he muste doo all these thynges in tyme couenable and oportune / and by mesure and attemperaunce For yf Inportunatly and without mesure they be done / they prouffyte not longe And the thynges that lytyll whyle endure / ben more noyous than prouffytable ¶ I habbot Effren passyng on a tyme his waye / at thynstygacyon of an euyll felawe / cam after hym a poore myserable comyn we man / and began to flatere hym / desyryng to drawe him to consente to knowe her flesshely Or atte lesse yf she myght not make hym to do soo that she sholde prouoke and moeue hym to yre For neuer man lawe hym thyde ne wroth to ony persone And be seeyng the sayd woman approuchyng to hym he sayd to her My frende come and folowe after me / and whan they were in a place publyke comyn where as moche people frequēted / he called her and sayd that she sholde come to hym / and so she dyde And thenne after sayd to hyr / now my frende lye doun here to th ende that I doo that whiche thou desyrest She seeyng the grete multytude of people that were there / sayd to hym Ha fayre fader we be not in a place propyce to doo it / seen the grete multytude of people that is here / for here we sholde be confounded How my doughter answered the holy fader Effren / yf thou hast shame that the men sholde see the / how moche more oughtest thou be ashamed to be seen of god / whiche shewed the thynges hydde in derkenesse She heryng these wordes and all confused vaynquysshed by the same / retourned without to accomplysshe her dampnabell wyll ¶ On a tyme cam to the abbot Zenon some brethern that asked hym sayeng Fayre fader what sygnefye the wordes that be wryten in the boke of Iob / that is to wyte / that the heuen is not clene ne the worlde / as to the regarde in the presence of god Thenne sayd the holy fader Zenon / that the bretheren had lefte theyr synnes / and were curyous and besy to enquyre of heuenly thynges As who sholde saye / that it was a curyous demaunde and lytyll necessary / and that it had ben to theym more prouffytable to thynke on the edyfycacyon of theyr conscyences Neuerthelesse he sayd to theym thynterpretacyon of the sayd wordes in this maner That is to wyte / bycause that god onely is clene and not defoyled with ony vyce For that cause it is sayd / that the heuen ne the worlde be not clene in his presence / that is to saye to the regarde of his purete clennes ¶ Thabbot Theodore the ferme sayd yf thou hast amytye or frendshyp wish some / the whiche yet by Inconuenyent or synne of fornycacyon / thou oughtest to stratche thyn hande to hym for to reyse hym vp yf it be possyble That is to saye to enforce thy selfe by swete or rygorous admonycyons for to make hym leue his synne / but yf thou see hym to be obstynate in rennyng in to ony errour in the fayth And that he wyll not retrne to a good waye / thou oughtest Incontynent to cutte of and caste away his amytye behynde the / to th ende that parauenture by comenynge ouer longe with hym / he drawe the not to the bottom of the swolowe / that is to saye to euerlastyng dampnacyon ¶ The sayd abbot Theodore cam on a tyme to thabbot Iohan whiche was a gheldyng of his natyuyte / that is to saye that he neuer had ony genytours And in spekyng to gydre / the abbot Theodore sayd to hym / whan I was in the desertes of Sychye / the werke of the soule was our propre werke / the werke of our hondes was our propre passyng As who wolde saye that the hermytes or relygyouses that thenne were in Sychye toke hede pryncypally and moost longe to orysons and contemplacōns And whan somtyme they laboured with hondy werkes / it was oonly in passyng a lytyll tyme for to eschue ydlenes But presently the werke of the soule / that is to saye all werkes vertuos and helthfull ben left and put a backe / and entende not to laboure / but for thentenement of the bodye and to satysfye his dysordynat concupyscence ¶ On a tyme an aeged fader cam vnto thabbot Theodore / and as all admeruaylled sayd to hym Loo see one of our brethern / whiche is retourned to the worlde To whom the sayd Theodore sayd / that he therof ought not to meruaylle But whan he herde saye that ony relygyous had soo well withstanden the temptacyons of the fende / that had escaped without to be of hym deuoured / thenne he ought to meruaylle As yf he hadde sayd / that it is a thynge dyffycyle aboue all other thynges / and worthy of grete admyracōn whan a man how well that he be vertuous can so moche doo that the deuyll may not doo dampne hym ¶ Yet sayd the sayd Theodore that many in this worlde haue chosen temporall reste / by the whiche wordes may be knowen that he wolde saye to be Impossyble to haue in this worlde certayne reste or consolacōn temporall / without fyrst to haue reste in his conscyence ¶ On a tyme some auncyent faders transported theym to the hermytages of Sychye with the whiche wente the abbot Iohan Naue And it happed that in etynge on a tyme to gydre one of the moost auncyentes aroos whiche was a preest / the whiche entremeddled to gyue to theym that satte atte table a lytyll vessell wherin was water for to take after theyr appetyte But eueryche of theym hauyng regarde to the auncyent of this holy fader / whiche was holden venerable / refuseden to accepte his seruyce / reserued oonly thabbot Iohan the lytyll / the whiche whan it cam to his tourne / he presented to hym the vessell / and Incontynant he receyueded it / wherof the other meruaylled And some sayd to hym that they were abasshed moche / how he whiche was leste of all / hadde presumed to vse the seruyse of one soo notable a man That is to saye that he is aeged and vertuous To whom he answered in this maner Whan I aryse fro the table for to gyue to my bretheren water to drynke I reioyce me whan they drynke all / to th ende that I may gete of god some rewarde Now I receyue his water and accepte his seruyse / to th ende that I be cause that he deserue some meryte And also to th ende that he be not som what angry / yf he had not some of vs / that wolde haue his seruyse acceptable And whan he had so sayd / they meruaylled all of his dyscrecyon ¶ The abbot Pastor axed on a tyme thabbot Ioseph in demaundyng hym whan some temptacyons assayllen a persone / yf he ought atte begynnyng withstande theym
his mynde / coÌ„syderyng theyr werkes he began to wryte in the erthe in sayeng these wordes Pambo fasted two dayes hole in the weke / eteth two lytyll loues baken in the asshes / is he therfor a monke / nay and after he wrote sayeng Pambo receyueth of his werkes .ij pens dystrybuteth in almes / is he therfore a monke / certaynly nay And after that he was styll a lytyll he sayd to theym that the werkes that they dyde were good But yf they kept theyr conscyences ayenst theyr neyghbours in soo doyng they sholde be saued And with these wordes that sayd relygyoê° beyng well edyfyed / departed retorned in grete Ioye ¶ An other broder Relygyous asked the sayd abbot Pambo / how he myght do that the euyll spyrytes / that is to saye the deuylles of helle defended hym to do ony good werke to his neyghboures To whom the holy fader answered / that he sholde saye nomore so / for in tho wordes he made god a lyer / but he sayd to hyÌ„ absolutely these wordes I wyll not do mercy / sayd that god purueyeng for our caas ayenst the sayd enemyes of helle / had sayd these wordes That is to wyte I haue gyuen to you power to marche vpon the serpent scorpyons / to trede theym vnder your fete And in lyke wyse I haue gyuen to you power vpon the strength of thenemye Thenne sayd the holy fader to the Relygyous / why defoulest not that the stynkyng and foule enemyes ¶ Thabbot Paladius sayd that it is of necessyte / that the soule that wyll lyue coÌ„uerse accordyng to the wyll of Ihesu cryste / to lerne in the fayth tho thynges whiche he knoweth not / also that he shewe teche manyfestly that whiche he had lerned And yf the soule do not eueryche of these two thynges there as she may do it / it may be sayd of suche a soule that she is withholden with a maladye enraged For the fyrst pryncypall begynnyng to departe hyÌ„ selfe fro god / is to haue ennoye greuauÌ„ce to shewe teche the good that he can And whan we haue appetyte that the soule alwaye loue god ¶ An other relygyous axed of thabbot Sysoy wherfor it was that his passyons myght not departe froÌ„ hyÌ„ To whom the holy fader answere / that it was bycause that the vessellys of the same passyons were within hyÌ„ / as who sholde saye he receyued theym ouer lyghtly And furthermore he answered hyÌ„ that he sholde gyue to theym theyr wages the they were worthy to haue / they shall goo theyr waye ¶ Saynt Syncletyce sayd that they whiche by grete labours / in peryll of the see gadre assemble teÌ„porall rychesses haue grete thynges Thenne they desyre to gete yet more repute lytyll or nothyng that they haue And the worse is they sette all theyr entent affeccoÌ„n to haue gete thoo thynges that they haue not But we our selfe whiche ought to enforce vs to prouffyte in relygyon / haue no charge or besynesse of thynges that is to saye of vertues that we ought to gete / also we wyll not possesse theym whiche ben to vs necessary for to gete that loue of our lord Yet sayd that good lady Syncletyce that the ther be two maner of heuynesses / that one is to the soule vtyle prouffytable / that other corrupteth is ryght doÌ„megeable TheÌ„ne the heuynesse whiche is prouffytable is that / whaÌ„ by cause of our synnes we wayle wepe for theym / for thyngnorauÌ„ce of our neyghbours / also in feryng that we fall not fro our good purpose / to th ende that we may come to the perfeccoÌ„n of all bouÌ„de / this is the veray spece of heuynesse That other heuynesse the corrupteth the soule / is that whiche the fende sendeth to vs without ony reason / that whiche tholde faders calle it ennoye or greuauÌ„ce / therfore it is necessary to vs to cast it away with all dylygence / in makyng to god contynuell prayers psalmodyes orysâ—â—s ¶ Yet sayd the holy lady Syncletyce / that the fende by his euyll cautell excyteth somtyme theym that ben conteÌ„platyfe to make grete inmoderate abstynences And otherwhyle he putteth in to theyr ymagynacoÌ„n that whiche is but resonable / to be harde dyffycyle to bere / whan theÌ„ne we wyll dyscerne thabstynence dyuyne holsome fro the whiche is tyraÌ„nyke dyabolyke / we ought to obserue kepe the thynges / that is to wyte / that in all tyme we haue one vnmutable rule in fastyng / that we determyne not sodaynly to faste four or fyue dayes coÌ„tynuell / after we to fyll the bely with grete multytude of metes / for that reioyceth moche strongly our enemye aduersary the deuyll / for alway that whiche is done without mesure / gooth to corrupcoÌ„n / lete vs not thenne sodaynly caste awaye our armour / to th ende that we be not fouÌ„de naked in the bataylle / by this nakednes taken lyghtly put to deth Now our armour ben our bodyes / the knyght is our soule / wherfore it behoueth vs to be dylygent kepe vs that we be redy to socour that one that other ¶ On a tyme two olde faders camen fro the partyes of Peluse vnto the abbesse Sarre / in comyng thyder they sayd that it was nede to meke theymself / that is to say / to purpose to her some wordes whiche sholde gyue to her cause of humylyte They theÌ„ne arryued to her in deuysyng togyder the one of them tweyne sayd to her / that she sholde take hede be well ware / that she enhauÌ„sed ne lyfte vp her self in her corage / that she sholde not be proude in auauÌ„tyng sayng that to her whiche was a woman were comen solytary relygyouses To whom prudently she answered that how be it that she was a woman of sexe femenyne / neuertheles she had the corage of a man as she wolde saye that she was not so indyscrete for tenhauÌ„ce her self by ouer moche vauÌ„terye And morouer the sayd abbesse sayd to theym / yf I requyred of god that euery maÌ„ sholde haue of me good reputacoÌ„n eyther were of me well edyfyed I sholde do so moche that I wolde be fouÌ„de doynge penauÌ„ce tofore theyr yates / but I seche not this vayne glorye / but praye god that my corage my werkes be reputed of lytyll estymacoÌ„n ayenst all men ¶ Thabbot Ypericiê° sayd that he is veryly wyse that by his werkes / not by worded ensygneth techeth other ¶ On a tyme cam a noble maÌ„ of Rome be cam made hyÌ„self relygyous in a chirche of Sychye / whiche had had tofore a palays moche gretly renoÌ„med / had a seruauÌ„t whiche mynystred to hyÌ„ his necessytees The preest hauyng the pryncypall mynystracoÌ„n of the same chirche / coÌ„syderyng that this relygyoê° man had be in
had deceyued hyÌ„ / that he was but a lyar / he whiche had refused to lene hyÌ„ moneye / sayeng that he had none / how be it that he had ynough to lene hyÌ„ / wherfore he myght knowe that he was a lyar The broder theÌ„ne rysyng erly on the morne cam to the sayd olde fader tolde to hym all that he had herde / the whiche answered to hyÌ„ that it was trouthe that he had the moneye but he wolde not lene it hyÌ„ / bycause that he knewe well / yf he had lente it hym that he shole haue euyll vsed it to the hurte of his soule / for the cause he had leuerlye / in lyeng to breke one of the coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„â—â— of god / than to be cause to make hyÌ„ to breke ten / in lenyng hym the moneye / by whiche they bothe myght happely haue ronne in myscyef grete trybulacoÌ„n And after sayd to hyÌ„ that he sholde nomore gyue heryng to the deuylles whiche wolde begyle hym The relygyous broder conforted by the wordes of the olde fader retorned in to his celle / was better content than he was before· ¶ Thre relygyous brethern camen to an olde fader in Sychye / the one of theym sayd to hym / that he had so moche studyed the olde testament the newe / that he had al reteyned it in his myÌ„de And the holy fader sayd to hym that he had well acquyted hyÌ„selfe / the he had replenysshed all the heuen with wordes That other sayd that with â—â—honde he had wryten all a longe 〈◊〉 newe testament And he answeâ—â— hyÌ„ that he had fylled all the wyndeâ—â— with papyer And the thyrde sayd to hym / that he had be solytary in his celle / that the grasse was growen in the entre To whom he answered that he had putt awaye froÌ„ hyÌ„ the vertue of hospytalyte ¶ Some faders recyten of an olde vertuous man that whiche oftymes whan ony man cam to hyÌ„ for to aske ony good InstruccoÌ„n for to be well edefyed in his conscyence He sayd to hyÌ„ of good affeccoÌ„n Now syth that thou comest to me for to haue couÌ„seyll of me I shall saye to the for to gyue to the good couÌ„seyll what thyng we haue to do / thou muste ymagyne that I am here as god syttyng in his Iugement / for to decyde Iuge the doubtous causes that thou askedest Now aske thou what thou wylt / I shall answere to the / yf thou sayest haue mercy on me I shall answere to the in the persone of god / yf thou wylt I haue pyte on the / haue thou pyte mercy on thy brethern / in so dooyng I shall haue mercy of the / yf thou wylt that I forgyue the / forgyue thou thy neyghbour / wylt thou thenne saye the god be cause to dampne the / or to saue the. Certes nay But it is in vs to be saued yf we wyll be saued ¶ Some other sayd of an olde fader beyng in his celle / the whiche was moche penyble in labour / that on a tyme in labouryng in his celle / an holy man cam to hym And as he entred he herde that he spack chydde as ther hadde ben moo men with hym sayeng Ha how for one oonly worde haue I lost all these thynges That other beyng withoutforthe wende that he had chyddâ—â—th an other / knocked at his dote for to go in and to appease theym / he entryng in seeyng that ther was none but he allone / asked hyÌ„ where he was to whom he had chydde To whom he answered that he chydde to hyÌ„selfe / bycause that he had late reteyned in his mynde .xiiij. volumes of bokes And as he yssued out of his celle a lytyll / he had herde a worldly worde / whiche had made hym to forgete all that whiche he had estudyed / and complayned hym of that whiche in comyng for to doo the seruyse dyuyne / that worde oonly that he had herde / cam to hym in his mynde / and for that cause he dyde chyde ayenst his thoughtes as sayd is ¶ An other sayd to an olde auÌ„cyent fader / that somtyme whan he was heuy of slepe / he myght not aryse atte hour couenable for to do his seruyse / whan he sawe the hour passed / he was ashamed dyspleased that he coude not done saye his seruyce / and asked how he ought to do The olde fader answered to hym Yf this Inconuenyent happe to hym ony more to slepe vnto the mornyng / that neuertheles whan he a woke / he sholde aryse / and shette his dore wyndowes / that is to saye / he sholde caste from hym all occupacoÌ„ns temporall / doo his seruyce For it is wryten that the daye the nyght be ours / and in all tyme we ought to gloryfye oure lorde god ¶ An other olde fader sayd that therben some men that eten moche / and yet they haue grete hunger And also there ben some that eten ryght lytyll / and haue none hunger / but ben full And alwaye they haue â—oost meryte and thanke / ben they that ete and haue hungre / more than they that eten lytyll and ben full ¶ An other olde auncyent fader sayd / yf it soo happed that bytwene the and an other were moeued ony Ryotous wordes / and thy aduerse partye denyed to haue sayd the sayd worde / beware and kepe the well to enforce the ayenste hym sayeng that he hadde sayd it For in soo dooyng / thou sholdest moeue hym more strongly in yre and shall mowe saye to the that he hadde sayde it / where it were better that the questyon were suspended in sayeng that he had neuer spoken it ¶ A Relygyous man asked and demaunded of an olde auncyent fader / sayeng I haue a syster whiche is ryghte poore / yf I wolde doo to her ony almesse / is it not all one / as thoughe I dyde it to ony other poore persone The olde auncyent fader answered to hym / nay / by cause that the blood excyted hym to do more to her / than to ony other persone / and in soo dooyng he myght erre / in estemyng the almesse to be better employed on his syster / than to the other persone / the whiche sholde be yet more poorer than his sayd syster ¶ An other olde auncyent fader sayd / that a relygyous ought neuer to herkene ony people that chyden / ne sclaundred eche other ¶ An other sayd / beware that thou herkene not / ne to receyue agreably all tho thynges that ben sayd to the / ne gyue to euery worde thy consentyng ¶ An other sâ—â—d that a man sholde be slouth 〈◊〉 bylue / prompte redy to 〈◊〉 â—e trouthe ¶ An olde 〈◊〉 â—yent fader sayd / that yf a relygyous persone beyng resydente in his celle / purpose for to doo ony good werke / and in that purpose he
our celles / in lyke wyse he is with vs. ¶ Thabbot Euagriê° sayd it is a grete thyng to praye god without to haue ony lettyng / but it is a gretter thyng to synge psalmodye without to haue ony enpesshement or lettyng This same abbot also sayd / remeÌ„bre the alwaye of thy last ende / of the grete Iugement of god / the shalt neuer offende god ¶ Thabbot Theodore sayd yf god punysshe vs for the neclygeÌ„ces that we do in syngyng psalmodyeng / we shall neuer be saued ¶ Thabbot Theonas sayd that our thought is so moche enpesshed lette by worldly thynges that we ben full of coÌ„cupyscences / but we ought to withdrawe vs by the grace of god ¶ Some brethern cameÌ„ ofte for to teÌ„pte an holy abbot named Iohan the short bycause he ledde a strayt lyf / for to gyue to hyÌ„ occasion to speke they sayd to hyÌ„ Blessyd be god / it hath rayned suffysasstly this yere / in so moche that the palmes ben well aroused watred / begyÌ„ne to burgene bryng forth leues grene pleasauÌ„t TheÌ„ne aÌ„swered the holy abbot / my childern right so is it of the holy goost whaÌ„ he descendeth in to the hertes of men he arouseth watreth theyÌ„ maketh theÌ„ to bryng forth leues in the drede of god / maketh theyÌ„ to renewe by the plenytude of grace Some brethern sayd that the same abbot had made a raylle in his gardyn / but bycause of his coÌ„teÌ„placoÌ„n / he knewe not that it grewe tyl that it was of a grete heyght ayenst the walle / had thenne leuys well grete ¶ Ther was soÌ„tyme in Sychye an olde maÌ„ of good lyfe / but he was moche forgetefull / the whiche for to axe couÌ„sâ—yl of his affayres / went to Iohan the short whaÌ„ he was ther / the holy abbot gaaf to hyÌ„ couÌ„seyl vpoÌ„ that whiche he axed / so retorned / but anon as he was in his celle he had forgoteÌ„ the whiche had be sayd to hyÌ„ / retorned ayen axed couÌ„seyll as tofore / but assoone as he was departed fro the place he forgate it / for shame he durst not retorne for drede lest he sholde lette the sayd abbot Yet netheles he retorned sayd to the sayd abbot Fader the knowest well that I am moche forgetefull / wherfor I am aferde to come ofte to the for lettyng of the. To whom the sayd abbot sayd / lyght this câ—Ì„dell / so he dyde / after he sayd / now lyght yet all thyse caÌ„dellys with the fyrst caÌ„dell / in lyke wyse he dyde After he axed hyÌ„ the lyght of this caÌ„dell is it ony thyng lassed to haue lyghted the other / the olde maÌ„ aÌ„swered nay fayr fader / theÌ„ne sayd thabbot to hyÌ„ In lyke wyse am I not lassed ne angry whaÌ„ thou comest to me for to couÌ„seyl the / therfor without to make ony dyffyculte come alwaye hyther whaÌ„ the shal haue nede / thê° by the pacieÌ„ce of theyÌ„ both / the forgetefulnes went his waye / by this it appyereth that they of the contree conforted eche other gladly ¶ A broder febled by sckenes sayd to the sayd abbot Iohan the shorte that he was strongly seke / therfor he axed whan his brethern called hyÌ„ to labour / yf he ought to go or nay / in sayeng oâ— the one syde I haue auowed obedyeÌ„ce / that excyted me to go thyder / on that other syde the greuauÌ„ce of my maladye agaynsaieth me The holy man answered me Caleph the sone of Ienophone sayd to IhuÌ„s the sone of Nane I was .xl. yere olde whan I was brought in to this coÌ„tree now I am well .lxxx. yere olde / not withstondyÌ„g yet am I strong for to entre in to bataylle to fyght / for soo moche do thou semblably / entre in to labour yf thou mayst with thy brethern / or ellys entre in to thy celle / bewepe waylle thy synnes by thy selfe / theÌ„ne yf they fynde the wepyng / they shall not make the to come out ¶ Thabbot Cassianê° sayd that an olde man prayed on a tyme to god / that whan he herde vayne wordes that he myght slepe / whan he herde the worde of god that he myght neuer slepe And to this purpose he recyted this / that one tyme as he preched to his brethern / they slept all / in suche wyse that they vnderstode not his wordes / but for to shewe theyÌ„ that the deuyll was cause therof / he began to speke of vayn wordes ydle / incoÌ„tynent all his brethern awoke very dylygent to here hyÌ„ to lawhe Thenne the holy fader wayllyng sayd / whan I spake to you late of holy scrypture ye slept vnderstode nothyÌ„g / but whan I speke of vayn thyÌ„ges / eche leyeth to his ere / ye be more besy to here ydle wordes thaÌ„ the wordes of god / wherfor my brethern I admoneste warne you that whaÌ„ ye ought to here the worde of god / kepe you froÌ„ slepyÌ„g / for knowe ye that it is the deuyll that letteth you to here the helthefull predycacyons ¶ Thabbot Pastor beyng in his yong age went vnto an holy maÌ„ for to aske hyÌ„ thre thynges But whan he was comen thyder he forgate one of theym He retourned in to his celle / toke his keye for to opene his dore / in takyng it he remeÌ„bred the thyng that he had forgoteÌ„ incoÌ„tynent without openyng of his dore he retorned thyder from whens he cam And whan the holy man sawe hyÌ„ / he sayd to hyÌ„ / thou hast hasted the sore to come ayen The yong man answered / as I opened my dore I remembred me of that I had forgoten / wherfor without openyng of my dore I am comen to the hastely TheÌ„ne sayd to hyÌ„ the holy man thou shalt be one tyme a very pastour / shalt be renoÌ„med thrugh all Egypt ¶ Thabbot Ammon cam to thabbot Pastor sayeng / yf my neyghbour come in to my celle / or yf I go in to his / ought I to retourne with hyÌ„ The holy man sayd / that sholde be well done / for yongth hath nede of grete warde kepyng / the abbot AmmoÌ„ sayd afterward / what sholde the olde men do Pastor answered the olde men now constauÌ„t / wherfor they haue not so grete nede of ward takyÌ„ge hede to / theÌ„ne sayd the abbot AmmoÌ„ yf I wyl speke to my neyghbour / ought I to speke of scripture / or ellys of thou wordes of olde faders / thabbot aÌ„swered / yf thou mayst not be styll / it better to speke of the wordes of the olde faders thaÌ„ of scrypture For oftymes it is dauÌ„gerous to speke of scripture to theym that vnderstonde theym euyll ¶ On a tyme one axed of the abbot Pastor how a man sholde kepe hyÌ„ from many fylthes bodely
man to entre in to her chambre / where as was a bedde richely arayed / couered with a precyous couerynge vpon whiche she laye / byddyng hym to come to do his lecherye But he that desyred other thyng than to coÌ„myse that dyshonest synne / by a maner of drede / prayed her that yf ther were a place more secrete within there that she wolde lede hyÌ„ thyder / to th ende that none sholde see theym To the whiche she answered in this wyse that her chambre was secrete ynough / that ther sholde no persone see theym there But she sayd that ther is no place so secrete in the worlde that ony thyng can be hydde from god / whiche knoweth and seeth all thynges The holy fader heryng this answere sayde to her / my frende knowest thou well that ther is a god / ye sayd she And I byleue the resurreccyon generall / and after the same we shall haue the royame of heuen / yf we doo the werkes requyred for to come thyder And ferther more I byleue that ther is helle / in whiche shall be tourmented the myserable dampned persones for the perpetuell vengeaunce of theyr synnes The holy fader Paphunce heryng these wordes sayd to her Now my frende I aske the syth thou knowest these thynges / how thou art so hardy to lyue so meschauÌ„tly / to be cause of the perdycyon and losse of so many myserable soules / whiche ben by thoccasyon of the soo yrremyssybly loste and dampned / and of whom thou must relde acompte to fore god Thays heryng the holy fader / and his meruayllous remonstraunces was at the hour touched to the herte / that she fyll doun on her knees to fore hym sayeng Fader I hope that by grete penaunce and meane of thy holy prayers I shall mowe obteyne remyssyon of my grete and foule stynkyng synnes And therfore I requyre the that it please the to gyue me the space of thre houres And them passed I shall accomplysshe alle that whiche thou wylt commaunde me / the whiche requeste the holy Paphunce accorded to her And assygned to her a place to the whiche she promysed to come yelde her to hym And incontynent the doon / she toke all the goodes that she had goten by her lecherye / bare theym in to the myddes of the cyte / and there she threwe theym in to a grete fyre / whiche she had kyndled for to brenne And in so doyng she sayd Come hyther ye dyshonest lecherous people whiche soo moche shamefully haue synned with me / see how I dyspose that whiche ye haue gyuen to me And sayeng the sayd wordes she brente alle generally that she hadde of ony valewe / whiche well amounted after that the hystorye conteyneth to fourty pounde of golde That doon she wente to the place to her assygned by the sayd fader / whiche taryed there for her And fro thens he ledde her in to a monastery of virgyns where as she was by hym closed in a celle lytyll strayte / of the whiche he closed the dore / as he sholde neuer haue opened it / made a lytyll wyndowe a lowe by the grouÌ„de by whiche she myghte receyue a lytyll brede and water / without ony other thyng to ete or drynke And with that she had none withdraught / where as she myght doo her aysement / but vnder her Whan she was shette and closed in / she requyred humbly the holy fader Paphunce / that he wolde Instructe and teche her the maner after that whiche she sholde praye vnto god To the whiche he answered that she was not worthy to adoure hyÌ„ ne to lefte vp her vysage ne her handes towarde heuen / whiche hadde be cause of coÌ„mysynge soo many fylthes and corrupcyons ¶ And yet sayd the holy fader Thays thy prayer shall be made in this maner / thou beyng layde on the erthe towarde the eest shalt saye many tymes My god whiche haste formed me haue pyte on me ¶ This good woman Thays dyde this penauÌ„ce thre yere duryng / the whiche thre yere passed / the holy fader Paphunce had mercy and pyte of her / but yet neuerthelesse he wolde not lete her out / without to haue counseyll of the abbot Anthonye / the whiche after that the sayd Paphunce hadde recounted the grete penaunce that she hadde doon / made to be assembled and putte to prayer all his dyscyples for to knowe yf her synne were forgyue and pardonned / hopyng that god sholde shewe or doo be shewed some thyng They beyng in deuoute and feruent prayers / one of theym named Paulus whiche was of the pryncypall dyscyples of saynt Anthonye was sodaynly rauysshed / and hym thought that he sawe in heuen a bedde â—orned right precyously / and kepte with four virgyns meruayllously fayr Thenne he sayd to hym selfe / that this fayr bedde was prepared for his mayster Saynt Anthonye and for none other ¶ And he beynge in this ymagynacyon / herde a voys sayeng to hym that it was for Thays whiche in her tyme hadde be a comyn woman ¶ On the morn erly the sayd Paulus recouÌ„ted to his brethern the sayd vysyon / the whiche herde by the sayd fader Paphunce / he knewe that the sayde Thays hadde obteyned pardon and remyssyon of her synnes And thenne departed from thens and wente vnto the monasterye / where in she was enclosed And whan the good Thays sawe that her dore was opened / she began to crye that they sholde lete her abyde there vnto her laste daye But Paphunce wolde not agree vnto her petycyon And sayd to her that she sholde come forth / and that her synnes were pardonned and forgyuen After that she was out / for to declare how she had doon her penaunce She sayd to the sayd abbot / that all the tyme that she hadde be closed and shette in / ther was not one mynute / but that she hadde consydered all her synnes whiche she hadde coÌ„mysed in wepyng and wayllyng habondauntly ¶ Thenne thabbot sayd to her For the drede that thou hast hadde of thy synnes / god hath forgyuen the / and not for thy penaunce Fyften dayes after / that she yssued out of her celle / she rendred and gaaf vp her soule to almyghty god as the hystorye conteyneth ¶ Here begynneth an other hystorye of Contemplacyon FOr as moche as it is notoyre and knowen / that amonge other vertuous werkes Contemplacyon is ryght excellent as that whiche incontynent adresseth to god Therfore in this present treatyse by the grace of the holy ghoost we shall determyne of contemplacyon / in procedyng forthon by examples / lyke as we haue doon to fore Thenne in the fyrst partye of this fyrst chapytre / is shewed the grete excellence of contemplacyon by one example as it foloweth ¶ An holy man cam in Sychye to the abbot Arsenye beeyng in his celle / and whan he was come he founde his dore shette / and he
sayd fader holy good lyfe also strongly aged made hym to entre in without ony suspeccoÌ„n And in beholdyng the Relygyous wyÌ„men / sawe none that had a crowne on her hede Thenne he sayd to theym me semeth that ther lacketh here one systre of you They sayd to hym that ther was yet one all folysshe kept the kechyne / sayeng furthermore / that she somtyme was tormented with the fende whiche greued her sore This wordes so sayd / the holy fader prayed that he myght see her Thenne anone they wente to fette her / but she wolde not come / vnto the tyme that it was sayd to her that the holy man Pyterius was there within whiche had grete desyre to see her And incontynent as she herde hym named she wente to hym / for he was gretely renoÌ„med in that regyon She beyng comen to fore the holy abbot Pyterius / he fyll flat doun to her feet sayeng My frende I praye the gyue to me thy blessyng / she in lyke wyse fylle doun to the feet of the holy abbot askynge also his blessyng The other systres seeyng this thyng were gretely admeruaylled / sayden to hym Alas holy fader desyre not to aske the blessynge of this woman / for she is folysshe out of her wytte Thenne answered the holy fader / ye ben all foles / this virgyne is wyse she is my NoÌ„ne yours he named her so / bycause they named in lyke wyse the deuoute virgynes in the regyon And I praye to god sayd the holy fader / that at the daye of Iugement that I may be also worthy capable of the felycyte euerlastyng as she / the whiche thynge herde / alle the other systres fylle doun to her fete / confessyd that they had synned in dyuerse maners vnto her Some for they had throwen the wasshyng of the dysshes vpon her / other oftymes and without cause had beten her / other in mockyng her had fylled her nose with mustarde And generally all the other confessyd that they had doon to her meruayllous Iniuryes wherof they all demauÌ„ded of her pardoÌ„ne forgyuenes And thenne the holy man departed And from thenne forthon the systres had in grete reuerence the sayd holy virgyne meruayllously But a lytyll tyme after / bycause that she myght not endure the louyng praysyng of the worlde / she wente secretely out of the monasterye / neuer after herde they ony thyng of her ¶ Here after folowed the seconde chapytre of contemplacyon A Yong broder named Zacharye wente to his abbot named Syluanus for to speke to hyym / but he founde hym Incontemplacyon hauyng his hondes lyfte vp to heuen And he seeyng that he shette the dore / wente his waye After he cam ayen at the hour of sexte / and at the hour of none And fynably he cam at ten of the clocke at nyght / knocked atte dore entred in / he founde hym that he rested Neuertheles he asked of hym saynge Helas fader what haste thou had this daye / whan I was comen hyther to the The whiche answered that he was seke Thenne the brother fylle doun ate his feet sayd to hym Fader yf thou saye not to me what thou hast had I shal not leue the to goo Thenne sayd the holy man I haue be rauysshed to heuen haue seen the glorye of god / haue be deteyned ther vnto this hour ¶ Some of the olde faders sayden that as they spake of the holy scryptures wordes edyfycatyf / they sawe thangels enioye prayse god And after that they began to speke of worldely thynges vnprouffytable / they sawe foull hogges swyne stynkyng come in the myddes among theyÌ„ whiche made theym all foule After whan they began to speke agayne of god / they sawe agayn the angelles semblably as they dyde to fore That is to saye that god is with theym that speke of god / the deuyll with theym that speken of dyshoneste thynges ¶ An holy man sayd the one may synne in four maners Fyrst in euyll thought Secondely in consentynge to the same thought Thyrdely in spekynge euyll of an other Fourthly in doyng by werke outwarde that whiche he had in his euyll thought And in al these thynges is not the wrath taken awaye / but as he sayth at the begynnyng I shall not punysshe somtyme for the thre synnes / whiche ben thought / spekyng / consentyng / but the fourth / that is to saye / whan with theym the werke shall be doon I shall punysshe theym ¶ An holy man of Sychye in makynge his celle / he was on a tyme mery Ioyous And whan the fouÌ„dement was made / he cessed not tyll the resydue was achyeued It happed on a tyme that in repayryng he began to wepe The brethern asked hym why he wept And he answered theym / that he had a grete cause of heuynes / for it had be shewed to hym / that that place sholde be desolate destroyed And sayd also I haue seen the fyre ones in Sychye / the whiche hath be quenched / I sawe it also the seconde tyme / it was also quenched / but the thyrde tyme I haue seen a meruaylloê° so grete a fyre that hath brente all Sychye myght not be quenched / therfore I haue cause to be sorowfulll ¶ An holy man sayd it is wryten in the psalmyst The Iuste shall flourysshe / as the palme of the foreste of Lybane And by this it is shewed that the good werkes shall haue for theyr salayre swete fruyt / ryghtfull / noble / for in the palme is a parte swete whyte / lyke wyse is in the herte of the rightfull man for he is swete by mercy pyte / whyte by IllumynacoÌ„n of fayth And he is stronge to resyste ayenst the temptacoÌ„n of the fende of helle ¶ The good sunamyte receyued Helyzee the prophete in to hyr hous / not that she had ony carnell affeccoÌ„n towarde hym / for she was holy Iuste / but she receyued hym as a gheste ¶ Morally by this sunamyte is sygnefyed the soule / by Helyzee the holy ghoost Thus thenne as oftymes as our soule is withdrawen and separate from worldely thynges seculer in adressyng it to god / so oft the holy ghoost cometh anone for to lodge hym in the soule / thenne the soule whiche tofore was bareyn of good werkes may brynge forth good holy werkes ¶ An other holy man sayd that in lyke wyse as we see a swyne whiche is all foule may not lyfte his eyen towarde heueÌ„ but alwaye loked dounwarde / so in lyke wyse is the soule of a lecherous man / that whiche deteyned by his right foule desyre couetyse may not thynke but on erthly thynges / ne lyfte vp the eye of coÌ„templacoÌ„n for to knowe in what astate he is / but he hath
his taste so enfecte that he may not sauour ony thynge that is dyuyne or godly ¶ A man of moche holy lyfe sayd that he that rendred hyÌ„selfe relygyoê° by good deuocoÌ„n / in takyng thabyte of ê“fessyon receyued as moche grace as dooth he that is baptysed / how be it the at bapteme is gyuen plenytude of grace / in lykewyse he sayth that in professyon of holy relygyon is gyuen plenytude of grace ¶ God gaaf on a tyme to an holy olde man the power to see all that the other dyde made / so he sawe on a tyme a broder whiche was in medytacoÌ„n thought on god / the deuyll beyng without / whiche myght not entre duryng the medytacoÌ„n / but anon as he cessed to thynke on god / the deuyll entred in to his celle / that is to wyte / yf we thynke on god / the deuyl shal not entre in to the celle of our soule / but yf we thynke on worldly thynges / anone he shall entre slee vs by synnes ¶ An holy man prayed to god that he myght see the fendes To whom was answered / thou hast none nede to see thyn aduersaryes / but he prayed alwaye to god that he wolde shewe theym to hyÌ„ And anone by reuelacyon dyuyne he sawe a grete legyon of fendes assembled on a montayne lyke as bees whiche flee about men on all sydes / but the angels of god were by that chaced awaye the fendes put theym abacke ¶ An holy olde man had two neyghbourâ— / of whom the one was a strauÌ„ger the other of the Royame The strauÌ„ger was slouthfull / the other was moche dylygent It happed that the strauÌ„ger deyed / anone the holy man that was his neyghbour sawe by reuelacoÌ„n the angelles ledyng his soule in to Ioye And as he supposed to haue entred in to heuen was made questyon of hyÌ„ / that is to wyte yf he ought to entre Thenne he herde a voys from on hygh whiche sayd it is certayn that this strauÌ„ger hath be a lytyll neclygent / but for as moche that he is a strauger that he hath do penauÌ„ce opene the yate to hyÌ„ Some after cam to the artycle of deth the dylygent whiche was of the coÌ„â—re / anone his frendes cam to see hyÌ„ / but he deyed And also the holy man knowyng that he was deed / loked yf he myght see changellys come / lyke as he sawe theyÌ„ come to the soule of the strauÌ„ger / but he sawe none appere Thenne all heuy admerualled be done flatte to the erthe sayd / alas the strauÌ„ger that was moche slouth is in heuen / this man that was moche dylygent may haue none entre TheÌ„ne was sayd to hyÌ„ that he that was dylygent had atte hour of his deth sorowed for his teÌ„porel goodes for his freÌ„des which wept for hyÌ„ / but that strauÌ„had none freÌ„des at his deth / by this appereth the none ought to present to hyÌ„ that deyeth his childern or his wyfe / to the ende that his helth sholde not be lette ¶ An other holy man sayd that ther was an hermyte in the hermytage of the cyte of Nyle / to whom a good seculer man mynystred to hyÌ„ all his necessytees / in this cyte was a man moche ryche right euyll whiche deyed / was born with grete honour by the bysshop pryncypalles of the toun / with grete noÌ„bre of torches vnto his sepulture This good seculer man that had seen this grete soleÌ„pnyte / went soone after to thermyte / for to delyuere to hyÌ„ that was necessarye / but whan he cam to thermytage / he fouÌ„de that this holy man had be eten of wylde bestes / theÌ„ne he fylle his face to the grouÌ„de flatte / coÌ„cludyng that he wold not aryse tyll he knewe fro whens this thyng ê“ceded / that is to wyte / that the ryche man whiche was so peruerse had had so grete honour in his deth And the holy hermyte that serued daye nyght god was alone dede pyteously / bycause he was herfore in deuoute oryson / ther cam an angell to hyÌ„ the sayd / that the ryche man had had these goodes worldly honours / for to rewarde hyÌ„ for some smale good dedes whiche he had doon in his lyfe / but not withstaÌ„dyng he was in waye of daÌ„ynacoÌ„n for his synnes that he had coÌ„mysed But the solytary hermyte / bycause he had be somwhat defoyled of syÌ„ne where of he had contrycoÌ„n / he had suffred this euyll / bycause he was clene tofore god / fynably haue reste perdurable / so he was coÌ„forted retorned praysyng god ¶ An holy man sayd that he had seen a moche aged womaÌ„ a virgyne / of whom he asked wherfor she had choseÌ„ the astate of virgynyte To whom she answered syghynly / alas holy fader whaÌ„ I was yong I had my fader well attempred softe Iuste vertuous in coÌ„uersacoÌ„n / the whiche was feble ofte seke was so secrete in his dedes / that somtyme his neyghbours in long tyme sawe hyÌ„ not / occupyed his tyme to labour his londe And yf by aduenture he fouÌ„de hyÌ„selfe well dysposed / thenne bare he the fruyt of his labour in to his hous But the moost grete parte of the tyme he was seke in his bedde / spack so lytyll that they that had not knowen hyÌ„ / wolde haue sayd that he had be dombe ¶ But all contrary I had my moder / she was fayr without attemperauÌ„ce more dyshonest in coÌ„uersacoÌ„n than all the wyÌ„men of this regyon / she was replenysshed with all vyces / as of euyll wordes / engendryng noyses dyssencoÌ„ns bytwene frendes / she was dronklew lecherous / wasted all our goodes / for she had the charge of all the hous bycause that my fader was seke And how be it that she was cause of the synne of Infenyte noÌ„bre of people by her euyll maners Neuertheles she was neuer seke / but was hole of her bodye vnto the deth Amonge these thynges it happed that my fader by the vyolence of his grete sekenesses becam fro lyfe to deth And Incontynent the ayer began to meue / to rayne thondre so moche that his bodye myght not be buryed vnto the thyrde daye / bycause of the grete habundauÌ„ce of rayne That seeyng the neyghbours meruaylled sayeng that it was to doubte that this man was deed in dedely synne / that he had so euyl lyued / that the ayer in sygne of repreef myght not suffre that he sholde be buryed Neuertheles to th ende that the body sholde not infecte the hous / duryng the rayne tempest we bare hyÌ„ to therthe After my mode whiche vsed euyll her bodye made an open bordell of our house dyspended all that we had And fynably she cam at her last daye deyed In the deth of whom it semed to eueryche
forborn for to translate the lyues of faders out of greke in to latyn / pryncypally for two causes That one is / that the werkes dedes of olde faders ben moche grete vnknowen / wherfore I can not well descryue them ne wryte That other is for I haue none entendement ne connyng to do it And certaynly my rudesse Imbecyllyte dare not entrepryse suche a werke ne operacoÌ„n / but this notwithstandyng I trustyng in thy benygnyte obeyssauÌ„t to thy coÌ„mauÌ„dement without to demauÌ„de ony glorye ne exaltacoÌ„n I shall begynne the werke by the coÌ„mauÌ„dement And how well that ther be Infenyte quaÌ„tyte of bokes right elegantly wryten in latyn NotwithstaÌ„dyng I haue right fewe seen as thou well knowest For ther is no persone that knoweth so well my scyence as thou / therfore yf by aduenture thou fyndeste in my translacoÌ„n ony thyng lasse than suffycyently recyted or expressed / blame not me therfore For in so doyng I haue folowed as well as I may / how well that I haue not the faculte for to speke ne to vttre ornately Therfor please it to the to polysshe the langage by thy swetenes the whiche is more swete than hony / I shall not be dyspleased / yf it please to thy magnyfycence to amende that whiche shall not be wee l and Improperly touched ¶ Here begynneth the boke of admonycyons / and fyrst ayenst glotonye A Monke asked on a tyme of thabbot Sysoy how he ought to lyue in his celle To whom thabbot answered Ete thy brede and thy salt / be not curyous in arayeng thy mete soumptuously for thy bodye / but soberly gouerne that in thy celle / with out goyng in to dyuerse places to aske almesse The same abbot sayd to another whiche asked hyÌ„ also how he sholde lyue For the ê“phete Danyell sayd that he had neuer be requyred to aske almesse out of his resydence yet alwaye he lyued Iustely ¶ An holy man sayd to an other / that he was moche charytable / that the lanterne lyghteth to many / but not for that oftymes he breÌ„neth it selfe aboue ¶ An holy fader asked an other suche a questyon / that is to wyt / yf a man shold be praysed alwaye for to ete lytyll / whiche of them that absteyned theym from etyng haue moost meryte or mede To whom it was answered as to the fyrst party nay For ther is some people that may not ete but right lytyl after theyr complexion And it is notorye that suche ought not to be praysed ne blamed for as the phylosopher sayth in his ethykes / none ought to prayse ne blame vs for tho thynges whiche we haue of nature As thenne it be so that suche folke haue this InclynacoÌ„n of nature / they ought neyther be blamed ne praysed / But they that absteyne theym ete lasse than theyr complexion requyreth they haue grete meryte / so that theyr intencoÌ„n be ryghtfull well ruled after the Iugement of reason As touchyng the seconde partye of the questyon / whiche is to wyte among theym that absteyne theyÌ„ for the honour of god / they ben they that haue moost meryte of god Answere They that haue moost of nourysshyng / absteyne theym egally haue more mede than the other / in as moche as they withdrawe them for the honour of god pryncypally And consequently for the maceracoÌ„n of theyr bodyes the nourysshyng whiche is to theym necesserye / for as moche as in suche caas ought to be seen the complexion / not the quantyte or scarcete of the mete For to ete in egall porcyon is somtyme outrage to one / ouer lytyll to an other And all men ought to vnderstande thyse wordes / as touchyng thentencoÌ„n of fastynge / is well ryght to be ruled after thappetyte of dame reason ¶ A brother cam on a tyme to the holy abbot Paule in sayeng Fader please it to the of thy charyte to saye to me / what thynge I ought to gadre in my yougthe that maye socoure me in myn age To whom the holy fader answered Thou shall these whether thou wylt haue god of the moneye to th ende that thou be not poore / as who sayth Thou mayste not loue god with alle thy herte / the worldly rychesses togydre For as it is sayth in the gospell We may not serue god the prynce of auaryce Thus thenne these thou god / despyse thou rychesses of the worlde / or ellys chese worldly rychesses despyse god ¶ Thabbot Agathon ofte enformed his dyscyple sayeng to hyÌ„ yf thy neyghbour haue nede of ony thyng that thou hast / thou oughtest not to denye hym / but thou oughtest to socoure hym yf thou wylt kepe the coÌ„mauÌ„dementes of god / consyderyng that thou art subgette to necessytees corporell as he is For the scrypture sayth In suche mesure as thou shalt haue mesured to other In the same shall be mesured to the. ¶ How for thendure pouerte causeth to come to the reste of heuen AN holy fader sayd that we fynde in holy scrypture that lazar that was at that yate of the euyll ryche man had in hym none other vertue / but that he endured his pouerte ryght pacyently / neuer grutched ne murmured ayenst the ryche man / but praysed thanked god of all / wherfor he was brought in to paradyse This holy man sayth also / that it neuer behoueth to thynke but of the drede of god And yf by aduenture we be constrayned to thynke of our bodyes / we oughte not to thynke but whan it is tyme / as who wolde saye that we ought to be alwaye dylygent besy in the drede of god / but to thynke on our bodye we ought to be besy in tyme and in place oonly ¶ Of parfyght pacyence THabbot Anthonye prophecyed of thabbot Ammoniciê° in sayeng to hyÌ„ / thou o west one tyme to be moche pacyent parfyght in the drede of god After he ladde hym out of his celle in shewyng to hym a stone sayd to hym Abbot Ammoniê° go do wronge to this stone / smyte bete it as moche as thou mayst And so he dyde After saynt Anthonye asked hyÌ„ what hath this stone answered to the. Thabbot Ammoniê° sayd that it had answered to hyÌ„ nothyng Saynt Anthonye sayd thou owest to be thus pacyent ones in tyme comyng / for thou shalt haue suche so grete pacyence that what someuer shall be doon to the / thou shalt wene suppose that it is none Iniurye ¶ How whan one ought to doo the wyll of his neyghbour A monke demauÌ„ded of thabbot Permenius what is fayth And he answered / that to lyue alwaye in charyte / to do well to his neyghbour after his power is veray fayth For it is sayd that fayth without werkes is deed And thus they that lyue euyll haue none good ne ferme fayth And of his dyffynycoÌ„n it is sayd that fayth
/ and ought to flee theym as the venym of a serpent or of a scorpyon / to caste theym lyghtly behynde fro his herte The seconde sayde / syth that I haue renoūced and forsaken the worlde I haue sayd euery daye in my selfe On this daye thou art born by grace / this daye thou begynnest to serue god / this daye thou begȳnest to dwelle here / be thou alway as a pylgyme with out to haue other estymacōn of thy selfe / and thou shalt be shortly delyuered The thyrde sayd In the mornyng I moūte vp to my god by prayer in stratchyng my selfe vpon the erthe / prayeng hym that he forgyue me my synnes After I praye to thangellys and other creatures resonable that they supplye praye to god for me / this doon I goo to Iherusalem to see that the Iewes doon The fourth sayd It semeth me that I am with god his dyscyples in the moūte of Olyuete / me semeth that god sayth to me / be thou alway with my dyscyples enhaūsed in contemplacōn And entremete that with no worldly thynges they abuse thy soule / in takyng exāple of Marye magdalene / that whiche sette her atte feet of the sauyour of the worlde in heryng his wordes whiche ben suche Be ye all holy and parfyght / so sayth your fader of heuen And lerne of hym whiche is hūble of herte swete The fyfth sayd I see euery daye thangellys moūtyng descendyng for to calle the holy soules to bryng theym in to paradyse / do nothyng but abyde myne ende in sayeng Lorde god my herte my conscyence is redy and apparaylled whan thou shalt wyll to take it The .vi. sayd It semeth to me euery daye that after my prayes god sayth to me Labour in the loue of me / I shall make the reste Fyght yet a lytyll ayenst the enemye / after thou shalt see my helthe my glorye / yf thou loue me / yf thou art my sone retourne the hardely to me whiche am thy fader / yf thou be my broder / haue thou shame for me / endure the opbrobryes of the people for the honour of me For I haue endured euylles Infenyte for the loue of the / yf thou be my sheep my subgette folowe my passyon The .vij. sayde I thynke alway on the fayth of god on hope / on charyte dyleccōn I haue hope for to enioye my selfe / charyte for drede the I not hate ony man / fayth for to fortefye me ayenst myn enemyes The .viij. sayd I abyde in grete constaūce the deuyll / whatsomeuer parte he go And I praye to god deuoutly / that he do no gryef to ony persone / pryncypally to theym that drede god The .ix. sayd I consydere by contemplacōn dyuyne the vertues angelyke / in the myddes of theym the sone of god shynyng as the sonne ouer aboue all creatures And in consyderyng the swete armonye of angellys cometh in to my remēbraūce that whiche is wryten Lord god the heuens recounte thy glorye / the fyrmament thy werkes meruayllous And in this contemplacōn al that is vpon therth me semeth dust pouldre The .x. sayd I see myn angell whiche is alwaye besyde me kepeth me / thenne I remēbre of that whiche is wryten by the psalmyste I haue alwaye god tofore my thought For he is alwaye at my right syde to th ende that I be not moeued by euyll temptacōns And for as moche as I drede myn angell whiche moūteth alwaye to heuen feryng that he ne shewe my werkes to god The .xi. sayd I haue gyuen my selfe to all vertues / that is to wyte to abstynence / chastyte / humylyte / charyte / dyleccōn / of whiche what someuer parte I fynde my selfe I am enuyronned of theym / enforce my selfe to kepe theym / to th ende that after my deth / they may wytnesse that they haue rested dwelled in me The xij sayd / amonge you faders whiche haue the heuenly conuersacōn / ye haue also the sapyence dyuyne And for as moche as I see you enhaūsed in vertuous werkes ye haue all renounced the worlde the goodes therof Thenne may I saye without synne that ye ben erthely angellys / heuenly men / touchyng your conuersacōn the whiche is in heuen / of whiche thynges I me repute Indygne vnworthy for my synnes whiche accompanye me ouerall where I goo / on the ryght syde and lyfte syde And therfore I me repute worthy to be dampned Thou shalt be putte hastely with theym that for theyr demerytes be in wepynges and in perpetuell wayllynges And in this I consydere some of theym that strayne theyr teeth for the grete payne that they endure in all the partyes of the bodye And in sygne of humylyte I caste my selfe on the erthe takyng asshes / and prayeng god that it may please hym to preserue me from these tourmentes Furthermore I sawe in that helle a see all boyllynge / in the whiche ben moche people of dyuerse astates whiche cryen soo strongely that it is Impossyble to expresse / and the whiche ben pryued fro the mercy of god by cause of the enormyte of theyr synnes And for as moche consyderynge these paynes I wepe by compassyon the falle of worldely people whiche lyue in so grete daunger And in this dooyng I remembre of that whiche is wryten in the psalme My teres haue ben to me also prouffytable as brede of the daye and nyght For by the moyen of theym I haue nourysshed my soule spyrytuelly Alle in lyke wyse as the bodye is nourysshed by brede materyalle ¶ The whiche contemplacyons afore sayd / of the whiche sayenges and dyctes of the sayd holy Auncyent and olde faders we ought with all our power to folowe / to the ende that in so dooyng we may come in to the Royame of heuen The whiche graunte vs he that regned perpetuelly AMEN ¶ Here fynyssheth the fourthe parte of the lyfe of holy faders of Egypte and of Grece ¶ Here foloweth the fyfth parte and some smale treatyses of the praysyng of vertues c. ¶ Here foloweth the fyfthe parte ¶ Here folowed some smale treattys of the praysyng of vertues / as well morall as theologycall / vpon which saynt Macharye made his prologue / whiche was auctour compylatour of theym spekyng in this maner FOr as moche my right dere byloued brother that somtyme thou haste affectuously requyred me to make some lytyll boke or treatyse of the praysyng of vertues I desyryng to fulfylle thy requeste haue compyled this presente booke to the praysyng of god and to the saluacyon of thy soule / knowynge the grete desyre that thou haste to see the holy scryptures And for that cause I am gladde to haue accomplysshed that whiche hath pleased the to requyre me / to th ende that thou mayst alwaye prouffyte in the loue of god / and also that I be
temple sacred halowed or to marche come nygh the pauement of the same with thy feet whiche ben so moche foull pollute How darst thou lyfte vp thy handes to god out of whiche yet the blood of the Innocentes droppe out / how also darst thou receyue the precyoê° bodye and blood of Ihesu cryste / in thy mouth by the whiche hath be pronouÌ„ced the sentence furyous daÌ„pnable wycked / by whiche ben deed so many Innocentes seruauÌ„tes of god Seen thenne the gryeuous enormyte of thy caas I defende that his chirche / enioyne that to departe from hens / to th ende that to thy fyrste euyll thou put not therto the seconde And furthermore I exhorte the that thou bere pacyently the sentence of excomynycacoÌ„n ayenst the pronouÌ„ced / the whiche is the medecyne of thy soule Themperour seynge the constauÌ„ce laudable hardynesse of saynt Ambrose / by his remonstrauÌ„ces touched with the holy ghoost concluded in hyÌ„selfe to obeye hym / so retorned to his palays / where he abode and was by the space of .viij. monethes / with out to go or yssue out / wepyng there by grete contrycoÌ„n meruayllous habouÌ„dauÌ„ce of teeres / the detestable synne by hym coÌ„mysed And approchyng the feste of the natyuyte of our sauyour Ihesu cryste One his knyght stewarde of housholde named Ruffyn whiche was moche famylyer with hym seeyng his wepynges wayllynges / the whiche he had so longe contynued prayed hyÌ„ that he wolde declare to hyÌ„ the cause of the same To whom he answerd in this maner Alas my frende thou knowest not the gryeuous euylles ennoyes that I suffre I wepe for my grete myserye / the whiche I knowe excedeth all other / consyderyng that the yates dores of the chirche be opene to the poore seruauÌ„tes of god the whiche go whan theym seme good / but they ben shytte closed to me by right full cause / whiche is to me ouermoche gryeuous And god knoweth what grete syghynges wayllynges made his heuy desolate herte For they were so sorowfull so ofte renewed the oftymes they brake his wordes / in suche wyse that vnnethe he myght achyeue that he wolde saye Thenne the sayd knyght whiche was moche dyspleasauÌ„t gryeued of the desolacoÌ„n of his lorde maystre the Emperour sayd to hym that he wolde go to saynt Ambrose / sholde enforce hyÌ„ selfe to do so moche towarde hym that he sholde assoylle hym of the sayd sentence that he sholde be permysed to entre in to the chirche The whiche thyng the sayd Emperour byleued to be ryght harde to obteyne of the sayd saynt Ambrose / consyderyng the rygorous affeccoÌ„n that he had so sharply to punysshe to correcte thou defaultes coÌ„mysed in the vnreuerence of god This notwithstandyng the sayd Ruffyn transported hym to saynt Ambrose And themperour desyryng to knowe the answere / wente all a ferre after hyÌ„ / but incontynent whan saynt Ambrose sawe the sayd Ruffyn approche to hyÌ„ seeyng tofore what he wolde saye requyre of hym / began to saye to hym suche wordes or semblable in substauÌ„ce I meruaylle me of the Ruffyn how thou hast no shame to come hyther for to baye lyke an hounde in the face of god and of his sayntes Ruffyn suffryng pacyently the wordes of saynt Ambrose / and takyng in hym corage / notwithstandyng the grete rygour of theym kneled doun on his knees tofore hym in shewyng by alle humylyte the harde and meruayllous dyspleasaunce of the Emperour / whiche desyred none other thynge but to rendre yelde hym obeyssauÌ„t childe of the chirche / delybered and concluded in hymselfe to receyue and bere suche penaunce as sholde please to Saynt Ambrose to charge hym Saynt Ambrose consyderyng that Theodosius hadde be longe tyme without to come to hym / doubtyng yet of his obstynacye and pertynacyte sayd to Ruffyn / that it was dyffycle and harde to hym to byleue that whiche he sayd And with that he sayd to hym that the sayd Theodosius was not yet worthy to entre in to the chirche / but neuertheles whan he shall be aduertysed of his conuersyon he shall be content that he come to hym Thyse thynges thus sayd Ruffyn takynge leue of saynt Ambrose / retorned to the Emperour his maystre / to whom he reported that he was not yet well appeased / wherfore he couÌ„seylled that he sholde dyfferre yet a lytyll his gooyng to hym But neuertheles the Emperour beholdyng that he was nygh to the yates of the chirche where as saynt Ambrose was / delybered and concluded in hym selfe to go thyder to endure pacyently all Iniuryes and obprobryes that he wolde saye to hym in sayeng that he had well deserued theym / he thenne comyng to the yate of the sayd chirche presumâ—â—â—â— to entre within / but sente to saynt Ambrose humbly prayeng hym that it myght please hym for to assoylle hym of the sayd sentence of excomynycacyon Thenne cam to hym saynt Ambrose sayeng O Theodosiê° I haue horrour to see thy presence whiche is moche cruell For thou hast ouer moche inhumaynely shewed thy grete wodenes ayenst god in brekyng his holy lawes and coÌ„maundementes Theodosius answered A holy man I proteste that I entende not to do ony thyng ayenst the holy catholyke instytucoÌ„ns And I wyll not enforce me to entre by vyolence in to the chirche / but I praye the that it please the to doo to me that grace to assoylle me to vnbynde me of the sentence of excomynycacyon in whiche I am bounden / in prayeng god of forgyuenesse of my synnes / and to me openyng the yates of his chirche / the whiche he wolde sholde be opened vnto all veray penytauntes Thenne saynt Ambrose sayd to hym I wolde well knowe Theodosius / syth the horryble occysyon whiche thou haste commysed what medecyne haste thou gyuen to thy soule for to hele it of hyr mortall woundes To whom the Emperour answered It apperteyneth to the reuerende fader to gyue to me the penaunce / and to me to receyue it humbly Saynt Ambrose seeyng his grete humylyte sayd to hym For as moche as thou haste gyuen Iugement in horryble furour and noo thyng after reason I enioyne the that within .xxx. dayes next folowynge thou doo wryte and ordeyne a lawe that may be cause to auoyde thyne Ire And by the same lawe thou shalt knowe yf thyn opynyon shall be rightfull and Iuste / or vnrightfull / the whiche penaunce the Emperour receyued moche humbly And composed the same lawe whiche he wrote with his owen honde / wherof the tenour is this / yf an Emperour from hens forth condempne to deth one or many men / he shall be holden to doo withdrawe thexcecucyon vnto the .xxx. daye after the pronuncyacoÌ„n of the sentence / to the ende that he may knowe yf the same sentence be Iustely or wyckedly gyuen This lawe thus made / saynt Ambrose gaaf to the sayd
hope that thou shalt be alwaye min helper in alle myn affayres and dedes / ¶ And for that cause I drede noo thynge that ony man doo to me ¶ For euery man that shall honoure the shall alwaye be comforted / ¶ And also there oughte noo persone of the worlde be adradde of what auctorite or estate that he be of / But oonly thou / ¶ The sayde good lady saynt Paula also obserued and kepte good pacyence in all her trybulacions vnto her dethe / ¶ In consyderynge that alle they thenne enforce theym to doo dysplaysure to theyr enmyes in desyrynge vengaunce / They done agayne theymselfe / And alle theyr ferocyte and wodnesse retournyth agaynst theymself / ¶ Here after folowyth of the order of the monasterye of the good lady saynt Paula / And also of the contynence of the deuowte good and holy Relygyouses / As well of theym as came to vysyte her as of other / And how she laboured and dyde payne in the acquysycyon and purchasynge of theyr helthe of theyr soules / THe sayd good and ryght deuoute lady saynt Paula had ryght grete vertues in her / And soo ryght grete charytee that she gaaff for the loue of god alle her goodes / and abandonned and forsoke alle temporell thynges / for to gete heuenly thynges ¶ Her vyrgynes were moche noble benygne softe gracious amyable and debonayr or meke merueyllously / the whiche she hadde assembled of dyuerse prouynces / Whom the deuowte lady saynt Paula hadde deuided in to thre companyes / And on euery companye she had ordeyned a maystresse ouer theym / ¶ And notwythstondyng that they were separate and alone towchynge theyr etynge and drynkynge / Yet were they togyder for to praye to god / ¶ They hadde amonge theym a sygne to synge Alleluya / And Incontynent as it was songe / She came the fyrste herselfe for to moeue the other virgynes to come to prayer / ¶ On the mornynge att houre of Tyerce att Syxte att None at Euensonge and att Midnyght That is to wite att houre of Matynes they songe the sawter / And they were alle constrayned to come to it / ¶ And euery day they lerned somwhat of holy scrypture / ¶ On the Sondaye eche companye of the sayde vyrgynes wyth theyr maystresse came to the chyrche to praye and serue god att alle the houres aforsayd / ¶ And all the other dayes of the weke they laboured and wroughte to make robes and other vestymentes for poore people or for theymselfe / ¶ And yf ony were that came late atâ— the houres for to psalmodye or slouthful to do their werke She corrected them by softe meanes / ¶ And yf ony of her sayde vyrgynes were hasty or wrothe / By good loue and swetnesse she corrected theym and broughte theim in the waye of helthe / ¶ And yf she were softe humble and pacyent Alwaye notwythstondynge she shewed and corrected her by good manere noo more ne lasse thanne yf she hadde faylled herselfe / ¶ In folowynge the wordes of saynt Paul the Appostle sayenge / What woll ye that I doo to you / Shall I correcte by rodde or bi fayrnesse and debonayrte / Alle were egall / For they had none other thynge but theyr lyuynge and clothynge / ¶ And yf emonge theim were moeuyd ony complaynt or debate / Bi fayrnesse she broughte theym agayne in to loue / ¶ She constrayned the vyrgynes to faste to chastyse the flesshe / ¶ And whan they sawe they hadde payne in the stomacke / She answered to theym that is â—â—â—e auayllyd to theym to be euyll disposyd / thanne that theyr soules sholde be like by the synÌ„e of the flesshe ¶ Yf oony were more worldly or more curyously arayed thanne the other / ¶ She repreuyd her in sayenge / that the curyous araye of the hody was the fylthe of the soule / ¶ And that neuer from the herte of a vyrgyn oughte to procede ony fowle worde / ¶ Yf ony were a Iangeler a Lyar. or Chyder / She warnyd her for to amende her ¶ And yf she amended her not / She made her to abide tofore the chyrche doore for to pray to god / And to ete and drynke oute of the companye of her systers / To the ende that she sholde correcte herselfe by shame / ¶ She defendeth thefte as Sacrylege / And that whyche the worldly men sayde to be venyall synne / She reputed and helde it a ryght grete dedely synne / ¶ For to recounte of her clemence and lowelynesse It is a thynge merueyllous / ¶ Yf her systers were syke she serued theym / And gaaf to theym to ete flesshe / ¶ But whanne she was in sykenesse she ete none / And in that pryncypally she was not lyke to other ¶ She that was olde dyde more abstynences thanne her yonge vyrgynes / ¶ On a tyme in the monthe of Iuyll for the grete hete of the sonne She hadde the febres or axes / ¶ The physycyens counseylled her that she shold ete metes more nutrytyf thanne she had be accustomyd / And also that she sholde drynke wyne / ¶ For the water that she dranke myghte cause her to haue the Ydropesye / ¶ But neyther for the bysshopp Epifanyus ne for ony other she wolde not ete ony other thynge thanne she hadde ben accustomyd / ¶ Helas yf we take hede to her lyfe / we shall fynde that she made good commutacyons and marchaundyses / ¶ And she wepte in this worlde to the ende that she myghte laughe in that other / ¶ She ware the hayre / to the ende that she myghte haue fayre vestymentes and precyouse in heuen / ¶ She fasted deuoutly for to haue spyrytuell Refeccyon And she for soke alle the goodes of this worlde for to be Ryche in heuen / ¶ And dyspysed the worldly glorye for to haue glory euerlastynge / ¶ On a tyme she wente to an Heretyke whiche proposed many questyons ¶ The fyrste questyon was / What syÌ„ne myghte a chylde doo that was tourmented wyth the deuyll / ¶ The seconde In what aege men and wymmen shall aryse from dethe to lyfe / ¶ Adioustynge to this demaunde or questyon / Yf she sayde in the aege in whyche we deye / Thenne it behouyth to haue nouryces for to nourisshe the chyldren whiche deyed in yonge aege / also tofore the tyme that they were sure of the pappes / ¶ And yf she sayde that they sholde aryse in other aege / Thenne it sholde not be ResurreccoÌ„n / But oonly transformacion oute of one body in to a nother / ¶ After he demaunded yf wymmen sholde aryse as wymmen and the men in fourme of men Or otherwyse / ¶ Concludynge yf they aroos in fourme of men and wymmen / That they sholde be maryed in paradys / ¶ And yf alle sholde aryse in fourme of men / That the Resurreccyon sholde not be of those bodyes that were deed / ¶ And whanne suche questyons were to her proposyd
poore synner am not worthy to be vysyteth of thyne Angell in this corruptyble worlde ¶ To this purpose is founden of an aged fader / whan the deuyll appyered to hym makyng to hym dyuerse assaultes / the whiche he suffred pacyently in dyspysyng theyr temptacōns One of the sayd deuylles seeyng hymselfe ouer comen / appyered to hym in fourme of our sauyour sayeng Fayr fader opene thyn eyen for I am Ihesu cryste To whom he answered humbly As touchyng to me I wyll not see Ihesu cryst in this worlde / for I am not worthy / yf it pleaseth hym of his grace I shall see hym in that other worlde And with his answere the deuyll vanysshed awaye ¶ A lyke answere gaaf to the deuylles an other holy fader to whom they demaūded yf he wolde see Ihesu cryste in sayeng to theym Goo ye cursed deuylles where as it is gyuen you to be Haue I not my god whiche coūseylleth me sayeng / thou man synner yf ony come to the and saye / here or there is Ihesu cryste / gyue ther to no consente ne answere to theyr wordes / for they be alle Illusyons decepcōns ¶ A brother hermyte for to haue reuelacōn of a doubte that he had of the holy scrypture fasted .lxx. wekes / and ete not but ones in the weke After the sayd tyme seeyng the god had made to hym no reuelacōn he departed fro his chambre / and purposed to go demaunde his brother the solucyon of his questyon God knowyng his humylyte / incontynent sente to hym an Angell whiche sayd to hym Brother I notefye to the that the fastyng that thou hast made / hath not rendred the so moche agreable to god For to knowe the dyffyculte that thou pretendest to knowe / for by thy merytes / thou wendest to constrayne god to shewe it to the. But for as moche as thou hast humbled thy selfe / to wylle aske of thy felowe I am sent fro god to notefye to the the same Thenne he declared it to hym / and after the angell departed fro hym / by the whiche example it appyreth that with out humylyte we maye not obteyne of god ony grace what someuer penaūce we doo ¶ An other doctryne for of folke astate constytued in dygnyte The same holy faders wytnessen that euery man hauyng domynacyon and preemynence vpon other / yf he cōmaūde a thyng to his subgettes / so that it be by humylyte / and for thonour of god / in all thynges she shall be obeyed But yf he cōmaūde theym by arrogaūce / as to repute hym selfe worthy to be obeyed / with out to haue regarde that it be for the honour of god and without humylyte drede of god / he shall not suffre that suche lordes be obeyed of theyr subgettes And by this is knowen whan ony operacōns ben to be done yf they be foūded in charyte of good persones or euyll ¶ And therfore sayd an holy fader I hadde leuer be ouercomen in mekyng my selfe / than to vaynquysshe by my pryde ¶ And an other sayd that neuer ought one despyse his seruaunte with whom he is / for none knoweth yf he haue the spyryte of god / eyther that we haue it that despyse hym ¶ An hermyte demaunded of an holy fader / yf he sawe ony of his brethern do euyll synne dedely / yf he ought to repreue hym The holy fader answerde to hym / that yf in the company were more older than he / he ought to be stylle And by that moyen he sholde haue peas For in as moche as he holdeth hym selfe lasse than other / ther is lasse enuye / also he is more sure in his conscyence The brother replyked agayne sayeng / that he myght not bere the detryment of his broder seeyng hym synne as who sholde saye nature constrayned hym to repreue hym ¶ The holy fader answered to hym / that he myght well ones repreue hym correcte hym brotherly without more And yf by aduenture his speryte myght not be appeased he sholde retourne to god by deuoute oryson whiche sholde comforte hym ¶ Furthermore he sayd that the very seruaunt of god ought alwaye to leue his wyll / to remytte hym selfe to god in obseruyng contynuelly scylence / whiche is veray humylyte ¶ And to this purpose demaunded an hermyte of an holy fader / what was the fruyte of a man mortall / in whiche he ought to gete meryte mede ¶ To whom he answered that it was humylyte For of so moche is he the more enhaūsed in perfeccyon ¶ And therfore an holy fader sayd / that whan a man asked pardon / forgyuenes of an other of the euyll that he hath doon to hym / yf he do it by humylyte / the deuylles whiche haue tempted hym to do the euyll / incontynent departen from hym ¶ An holy fader for to teche men to eschewe vayne glorye sayd suche a parable as foloweth That is to wyte / that he that maketh oyle / couere not the eyen of the hors that tourned the mylle / he wolde not goo / but sholde tarye to doo his werke ¶ In lyke wyse also / a man that is penytente / ought not to see his operacōns vertuous / to th ende that in consyderyng theym he prayse hymself and be proude For fynably he sholde lese therby his labour and meryte And for that cause in certayn dayes the holy faders reduseden to gydre to remembraunce all theyr foule cogytacyons / to th ende that by theȳ they made a veyle to couere the vertuous werkes that they made Therfore euery man that accuseth hym selfe in veray humylyte shall neuer be dampned yf he gete the mercy of our redemer ¶ And thus for to doo an holy fader desyred more to be taught without comparyson / than to teche / to th ende of hym selfe he sholde esteme ygnoraunce and symplenesse And the same holy fader sayd / that no man ought to teche ne preche / but yf he haue aege / maners / and scyence Otherwyse he shall be reputed all his lyfe a fooll vnworthy to be amonge theym that be wyse ¶ A brother demaunded of an holy fader / what thyng was humylyte To whom he answered that it was a yefte of god / the whiche is had in dooyng penaunce bodely / in reputyng hymself a synner / to yelde hym selfe subgette to all theym with whom he conuerseth ¶ Thenne he demaundeth and asked hym what it was to saye to be subgette to men And he answered / that it was to take hede to his synnes / and not to knowe the synnes of his neyghbour / to praye cōtynuelly that god gyue mercy to synners ¶ An other requyred an holy fader that he wolde saye to hym one worde how he myght be saued He answered to hȳ that yf he myght endure all wronges that were doon to hym it is a vertue aboue all other / by the whiche he myght gete his helthe And for this
cause an holy fader defended his dyscyple that he sholde not frequente people constytued in dygnytees / for ofte in folowynge theym one desyreth to be a lorde as they be ¶ A brother beyng in a couent / the whiche in all vyces and synnes he sayd hȳ selfe to be a synner And that also that he made not so many mattes ne hande werkes as made his brethern / wherfore they began to murmure ayenst hȳ the whiche thyng knowyng the abbot / and also the vertues of the brother / he sayd to all the Relygyouses Childern knowe ye that I loue better one oonly matte with the humylyte of your broder vpon whō ye murmure / than all yours made in pryde whiche ouercometh you ¶ A broder asked of an holy fader / how that it was possyble that a man durste presume in hym selfe to haue so moche deserued towarde god to saye that he had seen angellys face to face The holy fader answered to hym / that he is well happy that seeth well his synnes As who wolde saye / that for to see the angellys of god is not possyble ¶ A relygyous brother knowyng that one his broder was angry ayenst hym desyryng to appease hym / wente to hȳ and knockyng atte his cellle dore / but he wolde not opene hit ¶ Thenne he that wolde haue appeased hym / wente to an holy fader / and tolde to hym the caas in chargyng his brother of that he wolde not opene his dore / the whiche answered to hym Broder kepe the that thou Iustefye not thy selfe in blamyng thy brother / for that is nothynge the waye of humylyte And by cause thou hast not proceded by that waye god hath not suffred that thy felawe hath not opened his dore Neuertheles thou must consydere yf he haue synned ayenst the by wrathe / that in lyke wyse other tyme thou haste synned And therfore Iustefye thy brother / and accuse thy selfe / yf thou soo doo / god shall gyue corage to accorde hym selfe with the. And for to better to comforte hȳ the holy fader recounted to hym this ensample folowyng ¶ Two seculer men of honeste lyfe conuersyng to gydre by comyn assent entreden in to Relygyon And wenyng to doo a werke of grete meryte ghelded theym selfe / and made theym quyte of theyr genytours This consyderyng the Archebysshop cursed theym Whan they knewe it beyng moeued of grete corage / murmured ayenst the sayd Archebysshop / in sayeng that for the more lyghtelyer to absteyne theym from synne / they hadde doon it And soo by that moyen to come to the kyngdom of heuen As men beyng out of Reason they wente to complayne to the Archebysshop of Iherusalem And to hym they recoūted all theyr caas lyke as it was happed / the whiche in lyke wyse cursed theym Wherfore more angry than to fore / they wente in lyke wyse to the Archebysshop of Anthyochye supposyng to haue obteyned some socour But as the other he caste the sentence vpon theym Fynably they concluded to goo to Rome And after that they were arryued / they recounted to the pope alle the sentences that hadde be caste vpon theym / and for that cause they were come to hym as souerayne and hede of all holy chirche for to haue theyr absolucyon The pope herde theyr requeste cursed theym and pryued theym by his sentence of all the prayers of the holy chirche / wherof they were more melancolyous than to fore / and murmured ayenst hym and all the other prelates / with whom they hadde be sayeng that they were acceptours of persones / and not without cause they made congregacyons for to conclude after theyr appetyte the maters that myght come byfore theym Thus they wyst not what to doo / but to goo to an holy man bysshop of Cypre named Epyphanius / whiche hadde the yefte of prophecye And as they aoproched towarde the cyte where as the sayd bysshop was / he knewe by reuelacyon of theyr comyng and the cause wherfore they cam And he sente to theym chargyng that they sholde not be so hardy to entre within his cyte Whan they herde these tydynges / they thought in theym selfe / that theyr comynge hadde be shewed to the sayd holy bysshop / and that they had grete wronge wenyng to Iustefye theȳ selfe in blamyng the bysshyp that fyrste hadde excomyned and cursed theym Thenne they reputed theym selfe worthy of grete punysshement sayeng that meruayllously they had offended theyr maker / god knowyng theyr contrycyon and humylyte made reuelacyon to the sayd Epyphanius that they were dysposed to do penaunce Thenne he sente to seche theym / receyued theȳ goodly in to his hous And after that he hadde assoylled theym by the pope / and were restored to the holy sacramētes of the chirche He wrote to the bysshop of Alexandrye for theȳ in this maner ¶ Fader receyue these two childern / for in trouth they haue doon penaunce for the synne that they haue cōmysed as moche ayenst god and his lawe as ayenst the. ¶ The holy fader / after that he hadde recounted this hystorye sayd to the forsayd Relygyous brother My sone thus it behoueth the to doo yf thou wylte gete thy helthe For god wyll that a man after that he hath synned / Incontynent retourne to hym by penaunce ¶ Whan the sayd brother had herde all this that the holy fader had tolde to hym / he retourned and concluded to doo in lyke wyse as he had sayd and knocked atte dore of his felawe / the whiche anone opened it to hym / and enbraced eche other by amyable peas and concorde whiche they hadde to gydre ¶ Two monkes brethern germayne lyueden to gydre in charyte and vnyon a longe tyme / the whiche the deuyll enemye of peas supposed to haue departed theym to th ende that they sholde nomore dwelle to gydre Soo it happed on an euentyde / that the yonger lyghted a candell / and sette it vpon the candelstycke / and after he began to do his werke The deuyll anone ouerthrewe the sayd candel That seeyng that other / the whiche was older / wenynge that it hadde be defaulte of his brother / bete hym strongly in grete angre and meouyng of corage The yonge brother cryed softly Alas my broder I praye you forgyue it me / I shall goo lyght it agayne The deuyll sawe that the yonger brother was not angry / but pacyente and in grete humylyte hadde endured the correccyon of his brother / As wood tourmented by the power of god wente and recounted this to the prynce of deuylles / how a yong monke by his humylyte hadde putte hym out of the hermytage ¶ The preest of the ydoles heryng that / forsoke Incontynent his ydolatrye / and yelded hymself to be Relygyous And after his conuersacyon was soo happy to kepe humylyte / sayeng that humylyte chaceth the power of the deuylles / in lyke wyse as they hadde herde wytnesse in spekyng