nowe wholy fully to recouÌ„te and reherce is vnto me for theyr multitude iÌ„possyble Wherfore with moost humble and lowly hart moost harty and desyrous wyll of perfecte contricion I vtterly forsake theÌ„ all And althoughe nothynge of my deseruynge yet good lorde for the honour of thy precious blode the merytes of thy bytter passion and most cruell most paynfull most shamefull deth I instaÌ„tly requyre aske craue moost mekely lowly beseche thy gracious benignity goodnes of mercy forgiuenes And that from hensforthe I maye haue thy grace lorde in whole fayth stronge hope perfecte charite / to fle auoyd and forsake all synne And in all my thoughtes wordes dedes / maners / contenauÌ„ces / behauiours / to ordre my selfe in vertue vnto the pleasure honoure of thy grace the welthe and saluacioÌ„ of my soule and vnto the edificacioÌ„ of all Christians And herunto I beseche our lady saynt Mary thy holy mother euer virgin / all the blessed company of heuen / and all faythfull persones to praye for me Amen ¶ All these partes of the masse yf you may conueniently shulde be herde standynge That is to saye / the office the kyrie Gloria in excelsis and specially the gospell with due reuerence at this worde Iesus The preface also the Pater noster sancte IohnÌ„s Gospell ¶ At the fyrst collectes pystle Myne owne good lorde and moost swete sauyour Iesu I beseche thy goodnes to put away ferre frome me all iniquities and wyckednes / and of thy mercyfull louynge kyndenes kendle in my hart the flamynge fyre of thy ferueÌ„t loue Be not swete lord displeased with me ne kepe in mynd or remembrauÌ„ce the multitude of myne offences For I do not presume good lord to make prayer peticion here before thy godly presence of any goodnes / ryghtwysenes or any deseruyng of my selfe but onely of full hope and trust of thy myseracion mercyfull pytye Take frome me swete lorde this harde and stony hart / and gyue me lord for it a newe hart full of compunction and due contricion And gyue me a stomacke kynde louyng that maye dredfully loue the and louyngly drede the that maye delyte take pleasure in the lorde alone / and wylfully folowe the. And at the laste may ouertake and catche the / fast holde the fully possede the. And fynally in eterne blysse to se the / and fully to inioye the. Amen ¶ After the pystle MOost swete sauyoure and louynge lord Iesu / I beseche thy benignity for the anguysshe of thy holy harte in all thy labours / passioÌ„s / and paynes for me susteyned and suffred And for the effusion and shedyng of thy moost holy sacred blode and for the vertue of thy moost innocent precyouse dethe For the mystery also of this holy sacrament thy blessyd body and moost holy sacred bloode / in the immolacion / offerynge / and sacrifice wherof I moste vyle synner am present moost vnworthy wretche do approche And fynally I beseche the lord for thyne owne selfe haue pytye and mercye vpon me that am I knowe well the moost myserable wretche moost synfull caytyfe vpon erth Purify thou good lorde than / and clense my harte soule froÌ„ all vnlaufull affections So that in this tyme all tymes I maye duely and worthely do the seruice Graunte me good lorde very contricion of all my synnes / the grace also of true coÌ„punction / the fountayn of fruitfull teares / pure deuocion clere clene conscience / the coÌ„tinuall memory and mynd of thy bytter passion precyous dethe And of thy moost coÌ„fortable loue perpetuall feruor and desyre Amen ¶ After the gospell O Moost benigne mercyfull louer of maÌ„kynde my swete lord Iesu / I beseche thy grace for the dolorous painfull smertyng of all thy woundes grauÌ„t me the grace of pacience in all aduersyty and to dispise sett at naught the loue of this world and all the goodes and pleasurs therof and to be coÌ„tent with a necessary and meane liuinge And to kepe firmely and constantly by due perseueraunce vnto my laste ende this state and degree that thou haste put me in And to folowe alway by due obedience thy forther callynges dayly to increase profyte in vertue / and euer to haue contynually the feruent desyre of myne owne cuntrey heuenly home Graunt me forther good lord in all the coÌ„uersacion of my lyfe to haue and kepe due discipline good maner / christian behauyoure vnto the auoydyng euer of thy displeasure of the sclaunder occasion / offence of my neyghbour And so to haue groundely in my hart and soule very and vnfayned mekenes / true faythfull kyndenes and meritorious pacience vnto the pleasure and honour of thy grace / the welth of my soule and vnto the edificacion of all persones Amen ¶ In the tyme of the eleuacioÌ„ THe great clerck holy saynt Thomas of Aquine dothe set forth this prayer folowyng as very conuenient to be sayd in this tyme of the eleuacion âšœ Tu rex glorie Christe Tu patris sempiternus es filius And so forth as you haue at matyns The englyshe wherof we haue here sett forth with the latyne / for the increase of your deuocion âšœ Tu rex glorie Christe That is to meane I beleue / confesse / and knowledge that thou good lord Iesu christe my sauyour / beynge here vnder the fourme of brede wyne art the kynge of glory / very god âšœ Tu patris sempiternus es filiê° And that thou good lorde Iesu art the essenciall / eterne and euerlastyng sonne of the father of heuen celestiall âšœ Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem noÌ„ horruisti virginis vterum I beleue that thou good lord disposynge / and by determinacioÌ„ concludyng to take the nature of maÌ„ / and so to redeme and delyuer hym frome the bondage of synne dydeste not abhorre ne disdayne the flesshly wombe of the virgyn âšœ Tu deuicto mortis aculeo aperuisti credentibus regna celorum I beleue that thou good lorde the siynge darte of deth vaynquysshed and ouercomen dydest open vnto all thy faythfull people the realme and kyngdome of heuen âšœ Tu ad dexteram dei sedes in gloria patris I beleue that thou good lord that art here ê‘sent in this holy sacrameÌ„t doste syt remayne and rest in the glory of thy father vpoÌ„ the ryght hande of god or thus syttest and doste remayne rest in glory vpoÌ„ the ryght hande of god thy father âšœ Iudex crederis esse veÌ„turus I byleue that all faythfull peopell done beleue that thou shalt come agayne to iudge all the worlde âšœ Te ergo quesumus tuis famulis subueni quos precioso sanguine redemisti Therfore good lord we beseche the / helpe and socoure thy seruantes whom thou hast redemed and bought with thy precious blode âšœ Eterna fac cum sanctis tuis gloria munerari We beseche the also good
displeasure may remayne ne folow but vnto them that well hope / shal wel happe / what tyme so euer they go But yet ben they most happye / and gracyouse that in state of saluacyon done dye and departe this lyfe in theyr youthe / and strength For vnto them immedyately after theyr deth must nedely folowe one of these twayne that is that they must go streyght way vnto heuyn or els vnto payne If they go vnto payne / than the soner they dye / the shorter tyme they lyue the lesse there and the shorter tyme shall be theyr payne And ouer that they shall haue the greattest comforde that any creature may haue beyng out of heuyn For the whiche comforde to be had any faythfull person wold be glad to suffre any maner of most cruell horryble payne or passyon that is to say surety of saluacyon SaÌ„ctus Thoma iiii sent di xv q. .iii. ar l. For all the soules beynge in payne ben coÌ„munely sure certayne of theyr saluacyon that whaÌ„ theyr penaunce is paste and theyr synnes purged / they knowe for certente they shal go into heuen vnto euerlastynge ioy and comfort But remembre that I sayde / they ben communely sure certayne of saluacyon For it may be that some one or fewe soules haue nat that knowledge / but that god for some specyall offence / and for a speciall payne punysshement therof doth hyde kepe that knowledge from them as we haue in the reuelacyons of our holy mother saynte Byrget And that payne is more alone thaÌ„ all the paynes of the other soules For that sure knowledge of saluacyon Live vi c. xxxix r. is vnto them a synguler confort in all paynes and dothe cause them to suffre the paynes with good wyll in the charyte of our lorde glad to suffre moche more at his gracyous wyll and pleasure If those that departe this lyfe go streyght vnto heuyn than ben they ferre more happye that from the miseryes of this wretched worlde they be come vnto the pleasaunt possession of so great vnspekeable ioye For you may be sure it is an excellente ioye to be there in companye with the pure virgynes the holy confessours / the gloryous martyrs / diuyne apostles sage patryarches / bryght shynynge aungels / and the virgyn mother our blessyd Lady and all these to se and beholde with our reuerende lord and souerayne sauyour Iesu Chryst / And all before the presence of the blessyd Trinyte / father son holy ghost there prayenge all for vs and lowly besechinge the hygh mageste eterne euerlasting god For al maÌ„kynd I thiÌ„ke verely beleue that any faithful christiane wold be glad to expire suffre dethe euery day newely / if it were possible oftimes in the day so he were sure that he therby myght atteyne come vnto the pleasure / why thaÌ„ nowe I speke with stomake why for shame shuld we as cowardes or chyldren fere drede deth specially sith deth is nothiÌ„g but like vnto a slepe For the old philosophours said that slepe was a very ymage of deth as one maÌ„ may knowe an other by his ymage althogh he had neuer se ne hiÌ„ before ii Mac. xii IohaÌ„ xi Iob. so may we know what deth is by the ymage which is slepe so is it called also iÌ„ scripture iÌ„ diuers places our sauiour him selfe said the lazarê° slept whaÌ„ he was ded / deth also is called a shadow / but your ê‘ceyue wel se that folkes beÌ„ nat afrayde of a shadow nor yet of step nother For oftimes we slepe with our feare or drede and without any payne or grefe / but rather with desyre and pleasure / why shulde we than feare deth syth we so euydeÌ„tly done se perceyue by the ymage howe lytle dethe is to be drede / let vs therfore put awaye this opinyonatyue feare and drede of dethe / and syth it dothe dayly approche wayte for vs let vs agayne with glad mynde and redye good wyll abyde and wayte for it and haue therof a thurst and a desyre / rather than any feare or drede howe be it of a suretye dethe is than lest feared and most desyred whan the lyfe of the persone / may at the tyme of deth be of sure and vnfayned godly frendes / conforted with the true testymonye and prayse of vertue / wherfore good deuoute chrystynes althoughe your reason lernynge be nat sufficyent to cause or to perswade you / vtterly to dispyse deth / yet let your well spente lyfe clere conscyence perfourme and so satisfie you that you be perswaded and verely beleue as a trothe euydent and opyn vnto you / that to lyue lenger were more miserye / that your lyfe hath be verey longe or rather ouerlonge If it had pleased our lorde before and erste to haue called you Thus now good Chrystianes let vs without any care of deth leaue the carnall mournynge and waylynge therof / vnto our suruyuyng frendes / that with lamentacyon / and shal inteere and burye our bodyes And let vs take an other maner of care and dilygence / to prepare apparell and to order our selfe vnto that thynge that we knowe well no persone shall auoyde nor escape / byleuynge and trustyng verely that he that made vs of nought / and whan we were lost wold so derely bye vs agayne / wyll nat suffre vs to dye But rather as I sayd before to chaunge this wretched lyfe for an other more precyous and ioyful / onely to be desyred All this hytherto haue I sayde to the intente that you shulde exyle exclude and put away ferre from you the commune feare full fantasye of the odious opinyon of deth / and somwhat to ingendre and bylde in you a contrarye opinyon A couetous desyre to be with our lorde Amen ⧠Nowe shall folowe the seconde parte of this interpryse / of the dayly exercyse and experyence of deth ⧠Of the exercyse and experyence of dethe The seconde parte of this interpryse FIrst you must knowe what is exercyse / and what is experynce / howe by them you may come vnto the knowledge of deth An exercyse than is an acte dede an vse of workynge or laborynge Than done you exercyse vertue Defini of exercice whan you put it vnto vse and workyng therof the exercyse of deth / is the acte and vse of the workyng therof Defini of experyence 1. Meth. Experyence is a knowledge that without any maister or techer is founde out and gotyn by exercyse and vse Ibidem And by many experyences sayeth Aristotle arte / crafte or connynge is ingendred and gotyn so the experieÌ„ce as he sayth doth apê‘tayne by long proprely vnto singulare ê‘sones art craft or coÌ„nyng vnto al ê‘soÌ„es And although that artcraft or connyng that is called speculatyue may be had by lerning of a techer or by dylygent studye / yet this arte or craft
than I say these thynges may greatlye moue you to haue your selfe in good a wayte / study howe ye may auoyde the tone and and obtayne the tother Remembryng specyally howe great a losse it is to lose heuen / and howe vncoÌ„fortable gaynes to wynne hell / howe sone and how lyghtly eyther of them may be goten or lost WhaÌ„ any thyng than of aduersyte / hurt or displeasure fortune or fall vnto you / thynke than or ymagyne that if you were in hell / you shuld haue the same displeasure many worse And so to auoyde those you shall here the better suffre / and for our lorde the more pacyentlye bere all these that nowe be present or may come hereafter And iÌ„ lyke maner / if any good prosperyte or pleasure happe or come vnto you thynke then that if you were in heuen / you shulde haue that pleasure many more excellent ioyes And so for the feruent desyre of those ioyes / you shall set lytell by any worldly comfort or pleasure A good contemplacyon therfore maye it be vnto you in feestes of holy sayntes you may in one englysshe Martyloge breuely se the lyues of many sayntes for euery day in the yere to thynke recorde howe great paynes they suffred here for the loue of our lorde / and howe short they were / howe sone passed / and then agayne howe merueylous rewarde they had therfore in ioye and blysse euerlastyng So the troubles and tormentes of good persons ben sone and shortly gone and ended And the ioyes and pleasures of synfull persones done soone fade and flye for euer The good persons for theyr troubles suffred here vppon erthe / done gette and wynne eterne and euerlastynge glorye Whiche the euyll synfull ê‘sons done lose And contrary these euyll and synfull ê‘sones / for theyr ioye and pleasures here / done obteyne by exchauÌ„ge eterne and euerlastynge shame and rebuke / with payne wo vnspeable Whan so euer that you ben disposed to sluggysshnes or to be drowsye / remysse in prayer or dull in deuocyon / than take this lytell werke / or some other good treatyse and rede therin / and euer note wel the contentes therof and also what is ment therby And yf you be nat therby delyuered or eased therof / than shyfte vnto some other werke or occupacyon so that euer ye auoyde ydlenes and all vayne pastymes / which in dede ben lose tymes And then remeÌ„bre that those that nowe byde in payne eyther in hell or yet in any other place conuenyent / for suche tymes so passed or loste / had leuer than all the world / haue such tyme to redeme theyr paynes by / as you may haue if you wyl Tyme than vnto al persons well occupyed / is very precyous and dere Beware well therfore howe you speÌ„de it or passe it For you can neuer reuoke it nor call it backe / if the tyme passe you by trouble and vexacyoÌ„ / thynke they ben happy and gracyous that ben past this wretched lyfe / and nowe in blysse / for they shall neuer haue any suche mysery And whan you fele a confort or consolacyon spirytual / thanke god therof / and thinke the dampned soules shall neuer haue any suche pleasure And thus let this be for your exercyse in the daye tyme. At nyght whan you go to rest / first make a count with your selfe remembre howe you haue spende or passed the day and tyme that was gyuen you to be vsed in vertue / and how that you haue bestowed your thoughtes / your wordes your werkes And if you fynde no great thynge amysse gyue the whole laude and prayse vnto our lorde god And if you perceyue contrarye / that you haue mispended any parte therof / be sory therfore beseche our lorde of mercye forgyuenes / and promyse and verely purpose to make amendes the nexte day And if you haue oportunite therupon / it shal be full conuenient for you to be coÌ„fessed on the nexte morowe And specyally if the mater / done / sayde / or thought by delyberate consent / do greuouslye wey and worke with a grudge in your conscyence / than wolde I aduyse you neuer to eate nor drynke / tyll you be dyscharged therof / if you may conuenyentlye get a ghostly father Nowe for a conclusyon of this werke put before you / as by case or ymagynacyon .ii. large cyties / one full of trouble / turmoyle and myserye and let that be hell The other cytie full of ioye gladnes confort and pleasure / and let that be heuen Loke wel on theÌ„ bothe for in bothe be many dwellers great companye Then cast and thynke within your selfe what thynge here myght so please you / that you shulde chuse the worse cytye or what thynge shulde displease you on the other party / wherby you shoulde withdrawe your selfe from the vertue that myghte conuey and brynge you vnto the other cytye And whan you haue studyed well hereupon can nothynge fynde / I dare well assure you if you kepe well the preceptes and couÌ„seyles of this lytell lesson / you shall fynde the ryght waye / for the holy ghoste wyll instructe and teche you where you be nat suffycyeÌ„t of your selfe / so you endeuoyre and gyue dilygence to bere awaye and to folowe that here is taught Rede it euery weke ones or twyse / or oftener if you wyll And where you profyt gyue thankes laude prayse vnto our lorde god most sswete sauyour Iesu Chryste who sende you his mercy grace AmeÌ„ ⧠We haue prynted this golden pystle agayne / bycause the other before is nat of the traÌ„slacyon nor edicyon of this auctor ⧠This was brought vnto me in englysshe of an olde translacyon / rughe and rude and requyred to amende it I beseche you to take all vnto the best / and praye for the olde wretched brother of Syon Rycharde Whytforde âšœ The ghostly chylde ♣ Syr I haue nowe done as you commaunded and all is in prynt ⧠The ghostly father YOu haue done well chylde god rewarde you But nowe shall you haue yet an other lesson most profytable for you that is / to make you prest and redy to dye and departe this lyfe And howe you shall nat feare deth / but haue a dayly exercyse and experyence therof as foloweth hereafter âšœ Imprynted by me IohnÌ„ Waylande / at London within the Temple barre / at the sygne of the blewe Garlande Anno. M.D.xxxvii ¶ A dayly exercyse and experyence of dethe / gathered and set forth by a brother of Syon Rycharde Whytforde ⧠Vnto the deuout reders IN our lorde god moost swete sauyour Iesu salutacyon This lytle tretie or draght of deth dyd I wryte more then .xx. yeres a go / at the request of the reuereÌ„de Mother Dame Elizabeth Gybs / whome Iesu perdon / theÌ„ Abbes of Syon And by the oft callyng vpon / and remembraunce of certeyne of hyr deuout systers And
ê“fet In tusc vbi sup coÌ„fort strength any person whan so euer deth shall approche drawe nere and happe vnto hym / specyally if he be a feythfull christyane Cicero vbi sup â–ª For who so euer nat onely bycause deth is necessarye and can nat be auoyded / but also bycause that in deth is nothyng to be feared / doth dispyse set nought by deth / that person / sayeth he / shall for a surete haue a great succoure and helpe here to lyue quietly / and whan the tyme shall come to receyue dethe gladly / and after this present lyfe ioyfully to lyue / and blessedlye ⧠Note here howe great courage and conforte this pagane gyueth men to dispyse / and nothynge to feare dethe Well syr say you / this is soone sayd or soone spoken But yet is nat dethe so soone dispysed / ne so lyghtly set at nought For we se beholde many men / that shuld haue stronge hertes more boldnes than we women and such also that ben taken supposed for wyse well lerned men / that ben moche affrayde of deth Ah good systers / you muste consydre and call vnto mynde / that men ben made of the same metall that women ben / and that amonge them some ben as feynte herted as women / therfore take no hede vnto them Cicero iÌ„ tuscu vt supra For althoughe a bolde and hardye herte do moche helpe vnto the contempte and dispisynge of dethe / yet maye you by the examples and counsels of holy fathers / ingender make in your selfe a more stronge boldnes and hardynesse spirytuall therunto / specially by conforte and counsell of holy scripture / whiche as a phisicyon dothe cure the feynt and feble hertes withdraweth all vayne frutles cures and cares / and delyuereth the frayle herte / from the delectable poyson of all worldly flesshely pleasures / and so putteth awaye all feare and drede Vbi sup Reason also as they said Cicero saith doth nat lytle auayle vnto the coÌ„tempte of dethe whiche as it were by certayne preceptes or reules doth coÌ„firme / reyseup the feynt cowardouse herte But aboue beyonde all thinges whole and pure fayth stronge and stedfast hope and perfecte feruent charyte / done moste helpe thereunto For these do nat onely exyle exclude and putte awaye all feare and drede of dethe with the moost hyghe contempte therof / but also done ingendre and gette a feruent couetous desyre of dethe Philip. i. c. Saynt Paule vnto wytnes sayenge Cupio dissolui et essem cuÌ„ Christo / I couet sayeth he and desyre / to be dissolued and departed from this lyfe to be with Chryste / for faythe dothe teche assure and gyue certayne knowledge of an other lyfe to come after this lyfe which shall be more pleasauÌ„t without coÌ„paracyon than this lyfe is For to say trouth in this lyfe is no maner of pleasure Amb. lib. ii de CaiÌ„ St Abel Capi. x. Augusti Catho without some maner of passyon or payne goynge before or folowynge after And therfore saynt Augustyne sayet / it shulde rather be called a deth than a lyfe / contrarye this deth shulde be called lyfe / because it is the ende of all dethes that is to saye the ende of al myseryes / all sorowes all syckenesses all diseases all troubles / all paynes whiche in them selfe ben dethes Ambrosi s de b o o mortis capi-viii et Boetius de coosolatione .i. i. Cor. xv And also because it is nat onely the ende of all euylles / but also the begynnynge of all that is good as of all felicyte ioye gladites coÌ„forth and pleasure / of lyfe euerlastynge For as by this wretched lyfe is one passage vnto dethe / so by this dethe / is oure retourne vnto lyfe / for yf we shulde neuer expyre and dye / we shulde neuer ryse to lyfe agayne And yf we neuer ryse we shuld neuer be rewarded in our bodyes / for the great miseryes paynes that we done here suffre in them for the loue of god i. Cor. xv And if that were true / than were we as saynt Paule sayeth / in more myserable state and in wors case than any other people But our faythe doth make vs sure and certayne of resurrectioÌ„ where we say Carnis resurrectionem / that is to say I beleue the resurrexion of our flesshe and bodyes / as in our commune Crede Hope also doth helpe moche vnto the dispysyng of deth For whan a person hath full fayth that god maye and can do all that he wyll / that he is of suche goodnes that he dothe loue vs all than doth hope folowe that faythe / and so dothe verely trust and byleue to haue after or in the sayd resurrexion euerlastyng rewarde and that rewarde shall be good and pleasaunt ioyouse and confortable It shall be a great rewarde as moche as may be desyred or gyuen / it shal be all god hym selfe And this rewarde than muste nedely cause a great loue that is charyte very charyte / and loue dothe nat onely dispyse deth / but also causeth a feruent desyre therof Here some persones done saye syr / yf we were certen and sure of that rewarde after our deth / we shuld set lytle by deth and be content and glad to depart wherunto I saye that all we may be sure therof yf we wyll our selfe For our lorde hath frely gyuen vs that grace Augusti that we may wyll and so wyllynge disposynge our selfe therunto he may nat of iustyce / ne wyll of his goodnes withholde it from vs. Diuus Thoma i. sent That rewarde thaÌ„ he ordeyned and promysed vnto them that loue hym / done worke there after Well syr say you it is harde so well to worke in this lyfe / that we may come vnto that rewarde without payne after this lyfe and that payne is it / that feareth vs more than dothe the payne of deth / and causeth vs to be so lothe to dye and departe hens For we wolde lyue lenger to amende our lyfe and to do penaunce to auoyde or at the least to minysshe make lesse that payne Vnto this I saye true penaunce done for the loue of god / may as well in short tyme as in longe auoyde or minysshe that payne / as is euydent in hym that hange by our sauyour on the crosse vnto whom he sayde ♣ Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso Thys day shalt thou be with me in paradyse it is than nother the longe tyme nor the short nor yet the penaunce that dothe put away or make lesse that payne of it selfe but the loue of god / for whose sake that penauÌ„ce is done and that loue may be in a persone feruente in shorte tyme as well as in longe / and all the penaunce that is done Grego probatio a mortis is nothynge but a profe of that loue / so
them selfe vnto that exercyse all ê‘sones can nat tell For many that fayne wolde haue and vse the meditacyon and exercyse of deth haue nat the way ne knowe any fourme or fassyon therof And yet ben there dyuers fourmes and wayes therof and all good For some persones One maner of exercyse of dethe Tho. done go no forther but to remembre and thynke that deth is the payne of synÌ„e inflycted iudged appoynted by almyghtye god vnto our fyrst parentes and therfore due ryght vnto all theyr posteryte folowers and of sprynge so that no man after them dyd euer escape deth / ne neuer man shall vnto the day of generall iudgement therfore sure it is that we must dye but whan or howe we can nat tell To haue therfore a dayly exercyse of deth I shall set you here .ii. fourmes of this exercyse An other fourme or maner of the exercyse of dethe The fyrste fourme is this that in some conuenyent tyme of the day or nyght appoynted and chosen for this exercyse you shall ymagyne call vnto remembraunce and so set forth before the eyes syght of your soule howe you haue sene or herde of a person that hathe ben condemned by iudgement vnto bodely dethe as to be brent hanged or heded or suche other Than saye or thynke vnto your selfe what and if I were in suche case as that person was I knowe well and knowledge vnto our lorde that I haue deserued more cruel dethe for euery deedly synne is worthy more payne / than any worldly payne or els yf you were in suche case as you haue dremed in your slepe or herde of dremyng / that you shulde forthwith go vnto the execucyon of deth without remedye howe than wolde I do / or howe shulde I then or were bouÌ„de to do for the saluacion of my soule / or yf euer you haue sene or herde of the maner of them that ben nere vnto theyr passage / lye drawyng vpon vnto deth And the people about some wepynge mournyng / some cryenge and callynge vpon the sycke / to remeÌ„bre our lorde god and our moste swete sauyour Iesu Christ / our blessyd lady with other holy sayntes And remembre howe that sycke is than coÌ„bred with syckenes and payne so that he can do lytle for hym selfe / all weke feble infirme And howe than the ghostly enemye the deuyll wolde prese and come in before you with a foule sorte of vgsum souldiours / assayle you in many soÌ„dry wyse / lay before you the multytude of your synnes all your omyssyons of suche good dedes as you might haue done / wherof you were neglygent and all to brynge you vnto dispeyre of your saluacyon that you shulde leaue your faythe / and haue no hope ne trust of mercy ThaÌ„ remeÌ„bre what coÌ„fort it shulde be vnto you at that tyme / that you had prepared made redy before hande for all these maters / howe oftymes you had sene in your soule all this conclusyon howe often you had reasynge vp your frayle hert dispysed deth and nothyng set therby / how you had apointed / to beleue that iÌ„ deth is none euyll but great good / and that you thaÌ„ shuld make an ende of al mysery shortly coÌ„e vnto a better state ThaÌ„ begyn to say vnto your selfe I wil now iÌ„ helth study exercise my selfe with this fourme specially how I shal answere the lothly best that feÌ„de I wyl now iÌ„ this tyme pÌ„sent for the tyme of deth that nedely shall coÌ„e / left vp my haÌ„des hert vnto my lord / besech him of grace succour / thaÌ„ wil I besech the good blessed lady mother of mercy my good angel with my holy patroÌ„s there namyng such saintes as you haue in most synguler deuocyon all the holy sayntes of heuen to be there pÌ„sent with me to ayde confort to streÌ„gth me agayne that cruel best And as vnto my synÌ„es say you I haue gadred them al togeder as ferre as I can remeÌ„bre brought theÌ„ vnto the ston there to be polysshed rubbed scoured that stone is the holy sacrament of penaunce that by the merytes of Chrystes precyous blode / hathe wasshed awaye my synne For I knowe well that one drope alone of that most holy sacred blod were sufficyent and ynoughe / and ferre more than ynoughe / to wasshe and clense all the synne of the worlde / and yet shed he all his blode euery drope And therfore nowe at this tyme for and in stede of that tyme I put the precyous blode with his bytter passyon and his most cruel / and shamefull deth / bytwene me all the synnes that euer I dyd in thought worde or dede betwexe me and his wrath and displeasure And hauynge full fayth and trust vnto his promyse that is that he wyll gracyously receyue all penytentes vnto mercy I now for then boldly prouoke the and deffye the most cruell and false fende and I straytely charge that in his holy blessed name Iesu that if you haue any thinge to lay vnto my charge shewe it nowe tell it out For thou shalt nother confouÌ„de ne feare me / nor yet disconforde me therwith / but rather do me great pleasure to put me in remembraunce ⧠If I haue forgoten to confesse any thynge worthy penaunce / that I may nowe vnto thy confusyon / shewe it and with the wyll at the lest desyre of perfect contricyon and with indignacyon I may cast it at thy face amonge all the other synnes that euer I dyd by any meanes / whiche synnes I vtterly forsake as nothynge appertaynynge vnto me For I am gracyously bathed wasshed and clensed in the precyous blode of my souerayne sauyour Iesu Chryst And therfore I bequethe and commytte all my synne vnto the cruell best / the auctor begynner of all synne with the to remayne from wheÌ„s it came and whether it shall / in the with the eternally to be punysshed And than leauyng him there turne vnto our lorde god vnto our swete sauyour Iesu And as yf you were than at the poynt of deth / are hym hertely forgyuenes of all your offenses / and beseche his goodnes of mercy and grace pray the sayntes as I sayd before to pray for you and than yf you be goynge vnto rest whiche tyme is most conuenyent for this exercise blesse you thus In manus tuas coÌ„mendo spirituÌ„ meum redemisti me domine deus veritatis In nomine patris filii spiritus saÌ„cti Amen Makynge a crosse with a holy candell yf you haue it present after the maner that you haue / iÌ„ your boke for housholders And thus do .iii. tymes together / and so go vnto reste as you shulde go vnto your grace This exercyse good deuout soules is nat to be dispysed / for by dayly vse and custome / it shall ingeÌ„dre and bylde in you a great boldnes and hardynes