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 So that whan so euer naturall dethe shall approche / you shall than nat as a woman or chyld but as a very man / as a stronge and myghty champyon thus surely armed / stande styfly without feare or drede and lytle care / or rather set nought by deth / but vtterly dispyse dethe as euery houre and tyme redy therunto An other exercyse of dethe But nowe we shall lede you forth vnto an other exercyse of dethe more hygh excellent thaÌ„ this / so to haue experyeÌ„ce of that deth / that more proprely is called dethe / wherby you shall nat onely without fere or drede dispyse deth but also as an hongrye ê‘son you shall haue an auidiouse gredye appetite to thurst wyssh for deth And with a feruent mynde and flamynge desyre / you shall langour mourne and longe for deth Sayenge with saynt Paule Phi. i. c Cupio dissolui et esse cum Christo I couete wysshe wyll to be dissolued from this presente lyfe and to be with Chryst In this exercyse you shall nat onely haue the experience / and the full arte scyence connyng and knowledge of dethe / but also the very practyse of dethe / so that you shall euery day whan you wyll be as verely deed / accordynge vnto the very definicyon of dethe For deth after all auctours proprely taken is The definicioÌ„ determinacion of dethe A departynge in sondre / of the soule and the bodye To departe than the soule from the body and to rendre and put eyther vnto his propre and naturall place / is the very practyse of deth The propre and naturall place or whome of the soule is heuyn Wherof saint Paule sayth Heb. xiii c. Non habemus hic ciuitatem manentem sed aliam inquirimus we haue here sayeth he no dwellyng place / but we do seke and serche for an other place Gen. iii. c And the naturall place of the body is the earth / for thens it came and thyder it muste agayne / whaÌ„ so euer than the soule by dilygent study is occupyed wholly in heueÌ„ly thynges / and the body lefte without the senses or wyttes / that is without hearyng seynge smellynge tastynge and touchyng / than is that person as deed But that a person for the state of this lyfe may be in suche case / the philosophours done shew determyne Tullie sayeth Plato Cicero in tusc i. quest Fieri potest vt oculis et auribus apertis nihil videamus neque audiamê° It may come to passe sayeth he that thoughe our eyes eares be opyn yet shall we nother se nor here Many a holy person as saynt Katherine of Sene and dyuers other hath ben so depe in contemplacion that the body for the tyme was with out the senses so that whan they were prycked with pynnes or nedles they nothynge felte So than this exercyse standeth al in contemplacyon which thing who dayly vseth shall be so experte and practysed in deth / that whan so euer it shall approche and come it shall be no new thyng vnto the ê‘son For betwyxt naturall deth and this deth of contemplacyon is lytle difference For as the person that exspireth and departeth this lyfe / dothe leaue and forsake all this worlde and all the care of kynne or frendes / as father mother syster and brother neyghboure / the whole pleasure of all So doth the person that is deed in coÌ„templacyon for that tyme / leaue the body as a lumpe of claye without any mynde care or thoughte therupon / or vpon any other bodely or worldly thyng / wherfore whaÌ„ dethe coÌ„meth as I sayd before it shall nother be newe nor straunge vnto the person that hath ben dayly exercised therin / that had so large experyence therof and often practysed the same But as you haue herde of .ii. marouwse that for tyllynge of theyr lande done laboure sore all day together and at nyght theyr labours fynished and ended / done thankefully and gladly eche departe froÌ„ other vnto theyr owne whomes howses or dwelling places so doubtles done the body and the soule whan theyr labours ben accomplysshed and at an ende / and the due tyme commen / they done gladly and ioyfully departe eche vnto his propre whome / the body vnto his naturall place the erthe And the soule as a prisoner newly losed and put vnto lyberte / doth ren streyght forth hyr redye race / hyr knowen cours / hyr tryed and ofte troden path and her well vsed way vnto her propre and naturall place / that is heuyn But here nowe you wyll axe of me / in what maner of contemplacion you may best put this deth in exercyse / and so to haue the said experyence / and practyse of dethe wherunto I answere that althoughe you can teche me that lesson better than I you I wyll sende you vnto the lytle werke that I deuysed vnto youre coÌ„munyon or howselynge For to wryte and setforth all that here agayne shuld be superfluous Specyally syth this werke is so lytle the you may with small coste ioyne or bynde it with that werke And therfore haue I caused it to be prynted of the same volume And yet because you shal nat fynde the ende of this lytle werke all naked and bare / we shall make you a breue and shorte remembraunce of these thynges that there ben sayd in effecte althoughe nat after that same ordre The order of this deth coÌ„templacion Fyrst thaÌ„ purposynge at that tyme to haue the very experyence and practyse of deth / remeÌ„bre depely from wheÌ„s you came For you were nat ne be of your selfe Than remembre that whan you had a beynge / what you were / a filthy lumpe of slymy erth / and yet agayne whan that slymye clay was fourmed and framed vp with your soule / and you a reasonable creature / therunto a creature most noble except aungell / yet were you but an hethen hounde / vnto the tyme you receyued the grace of baptisme Than remeÌ„bre whan where howe and of whom / and by whome you had all that you nowe haue all that you euer shall haue that is or shall be good / and you shal fynde by reason and perceyue that you hadde neuer / ne haue or shall haue any thynge of your selfe but euyll For whan you were nothynge you had a begynnynge in your mothers wombe / and that by synfull generacyon with ful fylthy and lothesum
¶ 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 ago / 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 nowe of late I haue ben compelled by the charytable instance and request of dyuers deuout persones to wryte it agayne agayne And bycause that wrytynge vnto me is very tedyouse I thought better to put it in print / wherunto I was the rather moued / that I perceyued by the prynters you haue thankfully taken suche other poore labours as we before haue sende forth Rede this I pray you ones ouer after as you lyke it is but very short and therfore haue I not deuyded it into chapytours but only into .ii. partes In the fyrst parte wherof is intreated of the fere / or drede of deth to be excluded exiled and vtterly put awaye In the .ii. parte is put forth The dayly exercyse and experyence of deth ⧠Of the dayly exercyse of deth the fyrst parte whiche is of the feare or drede of deth / to be excluded exyled and to vtterly be put away REuerende Mother and good deuout sisters you haue many oftentymes with great instance requyred me to wryte vnto you some breue / or short lesson of deth and howe you shulde prepare and ordeyne your selfe dayly therunto This lesson is very short playne after saynt Augustine De teÌ„pore serm ii c. xxxix for he sayth the lest lesson and the best meane to dye well is well to lyue For who so well lyueth saythe he may nat euyll dye Then done we lerne to dye well / whan we lerne well to lyue / and that lesson can you teche me better thaÌ„ I you For you haue longer vsed the crafte and gyuen more dilygeÌ„ce therunto Notwithstandynge somwhat in parte to satisfye your deuout myndes somwhat / after our poore vnderstandynge shall we say But fyrst as semeth vnto me it is necessarye spedefull that we inforce and gyue dilygence to auoyde exclude exyle and put ferre away that chyldyssh vayne and folyssh feare and drede of deth that many persones haue for doubtles it is both vayne and folye to feare drede that thynge that by no meane may be auoyded yet some persones ben so a frayde of deth / that they shrugge tremble and quake whan they here speke therof and renne or departe out of company / bycause they wyll nat here tell of dethe And to excuse theyr folye they take auctoryte of Aristotle the great Philosophour iii. EthicoruÌ„ ca. i. tra ii M. xxvi d. Mar. iiii d. L. xxii T ii Co. v. a. that sayth that of al terryble thynges deth is moste terryble / ouer that our sauyour byfore his passyon was afrayde of deth and naturally dyd abhorre it for the payne therof Saynt Paule sayth also / that we wolde nat be spoyled of our bodyes / and yet wolde we haue the clothynge of immortalyte vpon whiche / and apon lyke auctorytes they coÌ„clude that deth is peynfull and therfore to be feared and dred For declaracyon hereof you must vnderstande that the drede of deth may be taken .ii. wayes for .ii. causes / one for the payne that is in the departynge of the soule / and the body by deth And an other waye / or cause for the vncertente of the houre of deth and of the state of the ê‘son in that houre or tyme. This feare drede of deth shulde euery person haue euery houre But as vnto the fyrst feare that is for the drede of the payne in deth that feare is vayne For in deth is no payne or ryght lytle to be feared / as after we shall shewe Arystotle sayth in dede Vbi su that deth is terryble fearefull / but that is vnto them alone sayth he that doubt of any other lyfe after this present lyfe Obiecti ∣ on yet say they that euery man doth abhorre and lothe dethe and dothe what he can to auoyde deth / and to prolonge lyfe / and that is generall in all lyuynge thynges / vnto that I say Aunswe ∣ re that nature dothe worke / and cause in all thynges the appetyte and desyre to be contynued and to endure and last for euer / and therunto dethe infors as muche as nature may / other in them selfe or in theyr frute and kynde But therof doth nat folowe that any peyne is in deth ne any feare or drede to be takyn therfore As by example of trees and frutes as well as of sensyble bestes The trees when they wexe olde don naturally put forth newe sprynges from the rote and the frutes when they be grene and yonge wyll nat departe from the tree nor the sedes from the herbe / or grayne excepte vyolence but when they ben full rype / then wyll they naturally of them selfe / and by them selfe departe without any vyolence So is it in man after a lyke maner that when the person is in nature yong grene lusty and stronge / and in the body conformyte / and lyke state of complexcyons deth is then horrible hugsum and fearefull vnto the persone bycause it is then vyolent But when the persone is full rype that is to say / worne by age or sekenes vnto the point of deth Then is nat deth vnto that person any thynge lothsome fearefull ne peyneful / but rather swete pleasant and desyrous and so sayth Arystotle in his boke of naturall philosophye Phi. v. Mors senum dulcis est Iuuenum vero violenta The dethe of aged persones sayth he is swete and pleasaunte / but the dethe of yonge persones is vyolent and greuous / yet say I that the feare is nat for the peyne of deth in departynge of the soule For then is no peyne / but all the peyne is in the sekenes disease / and affliccyon before dethe For the persones that as I sayde ben worne or wasted vnto the poynte done dye and departe this life nat only without sorowe or peyne but also with gladnes swetnes and pleasure And so sayth the same philosophour Arystotle in an other boke Aristot de vita morte Cicero .i. Tusc And so dothe also an other greate philosophoure / and lerned Tullie And I dare well say that in dethe is lesse peyne vnto suche persones then is in the prycke of a pynne or nedyll vnto a whole persone The feare than that our saui-had before his passyon / was nat for the peyne of deth but it was of the fraylte of our nature in his carnall flesshely parte for the paynes that he knewe wel shulde precede / and go before dethe And the peyne doth our sensualyte / and
our carnall parte / alway abhorre / feare naturally all though in some persones more / and some lesse For you may se in experyence / that some ê‘sones ben redy to swone or talme / yf they se an other ê‘sone sore wouÌ„ded / blede or put vnto great peynes / some done shake for feare / whaÌ„ they here tell howe some other persones shal be racked and streyned And some persones wyll abhorre to loke vpon the instrumentes or ingyns of tourmentrye as chyldren whan they se the rodde or whyppe Deth therfore is nat to be feared / nor dredde for any peyne that is therin Many done dye departe this lyfe nat onely as we sayd without peyne / but also with desyre and pleasure Which thyng we haue before Probacy on by reason proued by auctoryte / and good reason / wyll conclude the same For yf peyne be in dethe / that peyne muste nedely be / other in the body or in the soule But in the body at the poynte of dethe is no peyne For than ben all the senses and wyttes of the body wherby he shulde feale peyne or pleasure / gone and departed the bodye than in suche case as for fealynge peyne as whan it is full dede And as vnto the soule / deth is nat peynefull but rather pleasant and ioyfull / as a person that long had ben in prison / and then were sodenly loused and put at lyberte De bono mortis For as saynt Ambrose sayth The soule is in prison / whyle it is in the body therfore is it glad to be delyuered by deth And to saye trothe whan the poynt of deth approcheth and draweth nere bothe the partes in maner ben glad to deê‘te in souÌ„dre / that is to saye Marowse they cal in the couÌ„teâ— .ii. housbaÌ„d men that done tyll their laÌ„de together the soule from the body / the body from the soule / as by example of .ii. marowes or .ii. suche persones that muste nede labour bothe together vnto such an effecte / purpose / as can nat come to pas and be fulfylled by one of them alone / then at nyght or when theyr purpose is ended they ben gladde wher the tone is nat able theruÌ„to alone without helpe to depart vnto theyr owne propre whomes logynges and places So is it of the soule and the body / that here as .ii. marowse or mates done labour to gether as in an exyle or straunge countrey for as saynt Paule sayth non habemê° hic ciuitatem manentem / we haue nat here sayth he any cytie or dwellynge place / and whan that labour of them bothe to gether hathe fulfylled the course of nature vnto the periode / poynt assygned of god / than done they gladly depart eueryche towarde his propre whome / that is the bodye vnto the erthe from whens it came Gene. iii. d. And the soule vnto heuyn / except it be letted with any synne which may neuer entre into heuen Thus haue we proued vnto you bothe by auctoryte and by reason / that in deth is no peyne and so that no feare shulde be taken of any or for any suche peyne yet shall I go forther and proue the same by experyence Probacyon by experyence For lady experyence hath shewed oftymes / vnto many persones that in dethe is no peyne For some persones haue ben in traunce / that for the tyme haue had a large experyence of dethe / whan the body was so desolate of the soule / that the body felt nothynge ne any thynge perceyued by any of the senses or wyttes / and yet hath the soule in the same tyme sene / perceyued the state of heuen hell or any other place ii Cor. xii a. Saynt Paule was so in suche rapte / that he coulde nat tell him selfe whether the soule was in his bodye or nat And that was a large and nere experyence of dethe / but yet nother he ne any of those so takyn in trauÌ„ce or rapt / haue made any mencyon of any peyne in theyr rapte ergo there is no peyne in deth Swonynge also or talmynge / is in maner a dethe / syth the body for that tyme is destytute / and voyde of all the wyttes and some in suche swones talmes done expyre dye and departe this lyfe yet those that done suruyue / recouer lyue agayne / done euydently shewe what peyne they had or suffred / that so departed in theyr swone or talme / but they confesse / and say playnly they felte no maner of payne / but rather a greate ease of all peynes ergo in dethe is no peyne Some ê‘sones also haue expyred and dyed slepynge which I doubt nat shulde haue ben waked yf a pynne or a nedell had ben thraste or put through theyr eares or yf fyre had brent theyr fynger / ergo no peyne in deth Let vs yet go vnto a forther experyence of deth Io. xi d. Lazare brother to Magdalene and Martha as the Gospell sheweh was dede .iiii. dayes and yet reysed by our sauyour many haue ben reysed by myracle I knewe and spake with one suche my selfe But nothynge haue I herde / or redde of any peyne that any of them suffre in dethe / ergo no peyne in deth Amb. de bonomoâ—tis ii.li de Cain et Abel cap. x. and so doth saynt Ambrose plainly / affyrm in a boke that he wrote of the goodnes and profyte of dethe The feare sayth he that the frayle persones haue of dethe / is rather by the opinyon that they conceyue of deth / then for the selfe deth Bycause they haue sene or herd tell of many great paynes syckenesses and passyons that many done suffre before theyr dethe / and that causeth theyr frayle flesshe to abhorre De bona mortis cap. viii and to lothe deth / bycause of those peynes and greues And specyally suche persones as haue a loue inordynate vnto the vayne pleasures of this present lyfe And those also that iÌ„ a whole body haue a sycke soule / foyled conscyence moste done they feare dethe that halte and ben faynte in the faythe And no meruayle thoughe suche maner of persons do feare In tusvbi sup drede deth For as the lerned Cicero sayth yf theyr lyfe had nothynge coÌ„mytted ne done / that were to be feared they shulde of dethe haue no drede wyse men done feare synne whiche is the acte / and dede of quycke and nat of dede persones De bono mortis vt supra We shulde sayth saynt Ambrose feare drede our life / the actes and dedes wherof done appertayne and belonge vnto our selfe / and ben iÌ„ our owne power and at our owne will / nat feare dethe that is nother in our wyll ne power For whether we wyll or nat that is / wyll we nyll we expire / and dye / nedely we must De remedis forâ—u it coru
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 that 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 that we speke of here must nedely be had by experyence / and experyence by exercyse and vse So that yf you wyll haue the actyue knowledge of dethe / by the arte and crafte therof you must begynne fyrste at exercyse and vse And yet can no man put a thynge vnto exercyse / without some introduction and leadynge therunto / other by techynge studye or naturall disposicyon you muste than knowe fyrst what the thing is that you shall put in exercyse / and so to haue experyence and knowledge therof that is to say you must knowe what dethe is / or what is ment by this terme or worde dethe For the selfe terme deth dothe signifye / and is taken dyuersly iÌ„ dyuers maners Somtyme dethe is taken called a chaunge of lyfe So the coÌ„mune people done often vse it as whan they say of a deed person / he is nat deed say they out he hathe chaunged his lyfe / and so dothe saynte Ambrose say as we shewed before De bono mortis And yet chaunge of lyfe is called deth in dyuers other maners As whan a person dothe fall by synne froÌ„ good lyfe vnto the state of damnacyon or contrary / whan he doth aryse by grace from synne vnto the state of saluacyon Ro. vi â— Saynt Paule dothe shewe bothe vnto the Romaynes / as whaÌ„ he sayeth that in our baptysme we ben buryed with Chryst vnto deth from synne / and we byleue we shall aryse agayne with Chryste vnto a newe lyfe of grace Rom. i. â— And for the tother parte he sayeth that occasyon hathe deceyued the frayle person / and so hathe slayne hym brought him to deth This chaunge of life is Augusti that spirytuall dethe / that as saynt Augustyne sayeth doth departe god from the soule For god is the lyfe of the soule / whan god than is by synÌ„e departed there from the soule is deed And this is the deth onely to be feared abhorred / as the worste dethe of all dethes / and yet to saye trouthe there is none other dethe euyll / except onely that dethe that must nedely folowe this deth / that is to say the deth of both body and soule eterne and euerlastyng damnacyon The other maner of dethe that I spake of / that is the chauÌ„ge of euyll lyfe vnto good / Rom. vl and of the whiche as I sayde saynt Paule wrote vnto the Romanes is a good deth / whiche you and euery faythfull persone haue exercysed and oft put in vse by reason of the holy sacramentes And whan nede shal requyre ben redy so to do / whan I speke here of euyll lyfe to be chauÌ„ged I meane nat the state onely of mortall or deedly synne For many persones that ofte done vse the sacrameÌ„tes / done lyue without any deedly synne / but I meane the lyfe spotted with any vyce or synne Mercu. trismeg For a great clerke sayeth Omne â—onuÌ„ nostruÌ„ mixtum est cuÌ„ malo Euery thinge good that is ours / doth appertayne vnto vs is mixed or myngled with euyll So that our whole lyfe is euer mixed coupled cumbred with some vise euyll / which natwithstandynge may by the grace of the sacramentes be dayly purged and so our life chauÌ„ged / and we therby haue the exercyse vse experyence of this deth But yet is there an other maner of deth called of lerned meÌ„ meditatio mortis / that is to meane the meditacion that is to saye the cogytacyon thought and remembraunce / the busynes tractacyon or intreatye mencyon disputacyon of dethe Tota vita philosophorum meditatio mortis est All the whole lyfe of philosophers and wyse men saye they is the coÌ„mentacyon remembraunce mencyon or disputacyon of deth / oft mencyon remeÌ„braunce / oft disputacyon and discussyon of any thyng doth cause it to be the better knowen Cicero Macer libro i. de somno SipioÌ„is Eras in Enchr. And men coÌ„munely wyll make oft mencion speke and talke often of that thyng wherunto they haue desyre loue or haue good mynde and affection And coÌ„trarye they wyl nat here tell of that thyng that they hate and loue nat and so is it of many persones that wyll nat here speke ne any mencyon made of deth And yf by chaunce any mencyon be made of dethe agayne theyr myndes and wylles / they wyll lyfte vp the hande and blesse them or els murmure out softly some supersticyous prayers as though they harde speke of the deuyll / or of some abhomynable cruell dede And certaynly it is no meruayle thoughe suche persones be affrayde to dye and lothe therunto / because they be nat acquoynted with deth nor be exercysed ther in But as in case a person the longe tyme had layne fetred in prysone / coulde nat for lacke of exercyse go faste ne renne whan he were newly put vnto lyberte / so these maner of persones wrapped in the worlde / fetred in the flesshe / can nat quyckely and couragyouslye for lacke of experyence walke the way of deth whiche natwithstaÌ„dyng they must nedely trede / passe whether they wyll or no. Lacke I say of exercyse vse and experyence / causeth these persones to feare and drede dethe As by example chyldren and some women or such ê‘sones neuer had experieÌ„ce ne knowledge of a bugge that is a personage that in playe dothe represent the deuyll at the fyrst syght / ben moche affrayde therof in so moche that some ê‘sones haue ben in ieoê‘dye to lose theyr wytte reasoÌ„ therby But whaÌ„ they afterward haue knowledge what it was by vse haue experieÌ„ce therof they ben than nothyng affrayde therof but rather done take pleasure ther in So is it of them that haue nat the experieÌ„ce of deth / bycause they will nat take but rather wyll they fle / auoyde / the vse exercise therof But yf they knewe what / how great profet there is in the exercyse / meditacyon oft recorde remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of dethe they wolde nat fle nor auoyde it but rather with studye diligence gyue applye them selfe dayly therunto Ec. i. d. Psalmê° xxxviii The wysemaÌ„ saith Fili memorare nouissima tua c. In al thy werkes sone sayth he remembre thy laste ende / and thou shalte neuer offende god The prophete therfore prayde vnto our lorde sayenge Notum fac mihi domine finem meum Good lorde sayeth he let me haue knowledge of my last
Cice. vbi supra Than as we sayd before as the wyse maÌ„ Seneke saythe / it is great foly to feare and drede that thynge / that by no meane maye be escaped ne auoyded And who so euer wyll remayne in suche feare or drede Cicero vbi sup shal neuer lyue in quietude and rest of mynde Wyse men sayeth Cicero / done nat feare dethe / but rather done they contemne dispyse dethe / set nought therby / which thynge doutbles doth moch auayle 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 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 / reyse up 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. 1 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„â—t Abel â—api 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 â—mbrosi s de b o â—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 gladnes 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 persoâ—es done saye syr / yf we were certâ—â— and sure of that rewarde after 〈◊〉 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
ende as though he sayd Good lorde gyue me grace that by the dayly exercyse and meditacyoÌ„ of deth I may haue an experyence and knowledge of my last ende euermore to be redy therunto / accordyng vnto thy wyll pleasure Nothyng is more valyaunt to expell and put awaye synne from the soule nor yet more profytable to replenyssh garnysshe the soule with good vertues then is the dayly exercyse meditacyon of dethe But howe to put apply 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 the 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 the 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 slon 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 the 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 / axe 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
nowe ben / with whom With your lorde maâ—â—ter / your very father brother your gouernor gyder / your helpe coÌ„fort your only refuge succour your inward loue your whole hert desyre redemer sauyour your creature maker your god all your good with all the holy sayntes angels of heuyn in the preseÌ„ce / before the throne of the gloryous trinite the father the sone the holy ghost .iii. distinct ê‘soÌ„s one nature one substaÌ„ce one essencyall god Se nowe I saye and take hede where and with whome you be And here knelynge or rather lyenge downe prostrate vpoÌ„ your face remayne byde dwell here styll / here expyre dye starke deed / vtterly that no soule ne spiryte be lefte or byde in youre body / but all for the tyme so ferre departed / nat onely from all thynges of the world but also from the selfe body that there lyenge as a luÌ„pe of cley be lefte without any senses or wyttes of heryng seynge smellynge tastyng or touchynges So done we rede as I sayde before of saynt Ambrose Aug. li. confes saynt Katheâ—yne of Shene with diuers other This is nowe the moost hyghe poynte of this exercyse and practyse of dethe after the verye definicyon of deth Whiche as I sade is called a departynge of the soule from the bodye For in this dethe for that tyme youre soule is departed from youre body so that you be nat than youre selfe but deed clene froÌ„ your selfe For as the yren lyenge in the fyre / is by similytude al fyre so ben you al one with god Qui adheret deo / vnus spiritê° est i. Cor. vi d Who so euer sayeth saynt Paule dothe cleue and stycke faste vnto our lorde is with hym one spiryte So ben you than that same thyng that you shall be / with our lorde hereafter that is al one with hym / dwellynge and abydynge in hym and he in you so al diuyne godly Say nowe good deuout soule yf you can thynke or suppose in conâ—â—â—â—ce that any faythfull christy 〈…〉 synge this exercise and so ha 〈…〉 ge so large experyence practâ—se of deth / may haue fele or percâ—yue any notable payne in dethe / sytâ— nowe in this deth so oftymes exercysed the bodye prycked with pynnes or nedyles feleth no payne at all Or howe may any horrour drede or feare troble or moue that person / that is in suche place with suche company and in such case as before we haue shewed yet saye you syr the deuyll wyll be present at my dethe / what than saye I so peraduenture / he wyll be at this dayly exercyse For so done we rede in the lyues and collacyons of the holy fathers / but that hathe alway ben and euer shall be vnto his coÌ„fusyon / rebuke and hurte / and vnto your triumphe glorye prayse But yet you saye that the syght of that greslye ghost can nat be without great feare wherunto I saye agayne that although the syght of hym be of it selfe horryble vgly fearefull / yet ben there dyuers coÌ„fortes redy at hande to helpe One is that may be sure he can nat hurt you An other is 〈…〉 diue Brigit li. vi ca. lxxxxiii the presence of the holy sayntes your sayde fryndes the wyll restrayne his power and malicyous wyll For they ben moche more valeant and myghty than he is And doubt you nat they wyll al be preste and redy there at the tyme about you / nat feyned but as faithfull frendes with whome well acquoynted and fully knowen / you ben nowe and of longe tyme haue ben very familyer and whomely Truste you surely in them for they wyll nat deceyue you For yf they dyd they were nat faithful / but rather feyned frendes For a very frende sayth the wyseman loueth at all tymes and euer is proued in necessyte or nede at dethe is most nede For although good loue and faythfull freÌ„dshyppe / be well proued in all the lyfe tyme yet is it better proued at the tyme of dethe / and best of all after deth For than coÌ„munely feyned freÌ„des done sone forget But these frendes wyll neuer forget you For as they nowe in your helth done dayly conforte and defeÌ„d you in all temtacyoÌ„s so wyl they at your deth delyuer you out of all daungers / afterwarde wyl they deduce lede coÌ„uey cary or bere you vp vnto the place coÌ„pany before rehersed And yet haue you no meruayle though in the meane tyme they suffre you to be troubled grudged with the opinyon of dethe with the drede of that vgly syght For they done so suffre for your welth meryte that you therby may be exercised with deth and so to be euer redy for it For dethe only semeth euyll and onely is feared by opinyon nat of any other ryght cause For deth of it selfe is very good to be loked wayted for receyued of all ê‘soÌ„s specially thus exercysed / nat onely without feare or drede of payne / but also as we sayd before with feruent desyre great ioy gladnes as the fynall conclusyon and laste ende of all miseryes sorowes and all euyls as the begynnynge of all welthe goodnes that is to saye of euerlastynge helthe and saluacyon in the blysse of heuyn Whyther he brynge vs the bought vs our lorde most swete sauyour Iesu Chryst that lyueth and reigneth with god the father / and with god the holy ghost world without ende Amen ⧠Thus after our poore abilyte haue made an ende of this poore labour of the dayly exercyse experyence and practyse of dethe * WHan I had wrytten vp this lytle werke redye to the pryntyng / it pleased a wyse and well lerned man to take the laboure to rede it ouer and to shewe his iudgement and mynde in dyuers thinges and places And amonge other because I had made mencyon in it / of rapâ—es or transes vnto the whyche in dede very fewe ê‘sons done duely attayne or clymbe come so hye / he aduysed me to warne the deuoute reders therof / that they gyue nat to lyght credence to all suche persones For many of them haue disceyued manye men that were full holy and deuoute For those may sonest be deceyued in such persons because they euer suppose the beste in euery persone without suspicyon of euyll in any person And they ben moost glad to here that our lorde shulde so visyte and comforte hys people But yet such persones may also in them selfe be disceyued dyuersly For some such persons that were simple and very deuout haue ben disceyued by a wycked spiryte / that to illude and mocke them / hath traÌ„sfygured and shewed hym selfe as an angel of lyght / and hath shewed vnto the persones many thynges full good and godly / and some thinges to come after the forme of prophecy that haue truely coÌ„men to