here as it were myndynge thynkynge to be that all we loke fore after this lyfe whyche lyue deuoutely and godly in Chryste Iesu. The mynde holle and vncorrupte sparpleth abrode in the bodye her vigour and strengthe lyke as the mynde infecte with vices sheweth in maner a glimerynge lighte or rather maketh a grisely shewe in the selfe shappe of the body For carnall pleasure is a fowle blemyshe to a mannes owne body Why doo not the bodyes of good blessed menne waxe olde in the resurrection bycause nowe the soule shall rule theym which woteth not what olde age meaneth As deathe commeth of synne so doth syckenes and age Take synne away and age shall seme the lesse and if age chaunce to come it shal chaunce more florishinge And therfore a virgyn receyuethe nowe in this worlde some parte of her felicitie exhybytynge in this mortall bodye a certayne spece or fachion of the immortalitie to come The princis of this worlde are noo moore careful for theyr souldiours than they be for the thynge that they come of of the which whan nede requireth they gather yong soul dyours the whyche thynge if it shulde fayle howe shoulde they furnysshe an armye And nowe for a certayne yeres there hathe ben noo suche persecution vnder christen princis as was vsed in tyme paste vnder Nero Domitian Iulian and Maxentius But whether the Christen feythe be in better caase vnder these or noo it lyeth not in me to define surely by them it was drawen into a narrowe poynt But how so euer it be if there shulde ageyne chaunce persecution the whyche wolde require a martyr where is it more lykely that such a coÌ„pany shulde be gathered than of them the whiche despisynge al the fals flatering vanities of this world haue coÌ„secrate theym selfes holly to Iesu the celestiall spouse the which wyllyngly haue crucified their fleshe to gether with the vicis and concupiscencis thereof and for the loue of theyr spouse haue contempned and sette atte noughte that same pleasure for the fauour of whiche only many mortall menne desiren euermore here to lyue A true virgyn doth differre very lyttell from a martyr A martir suffreth the executioner to mangle his fleshe a virgin dayly dothe with good wyll mortifie her fleshe she beinge in maner a turmentour of her selfe It is somewhat more maystry to tame an ennemye taken than to kyl him A martyr deliuereth his body to be persecuted A virgin kepethe her body in lowe subiection and maketh it obedient vnto the spirite wherfore shall the virgin of Christ treÌ„ble and feare the handlyng of the executioner Shall she require rychesses delycacies worldly pompe worldly welthe or worldly pleasures whiche causen other to be verye lothe to leaue this lyfe All these thinges she hath now cleane forsaken Shall nat she whiche loueth nothing in this world whiche is deed to the worlde whose lyfe is onely Christe which dayly maketh her turtyls mournynges couetynge to be nerer ioyned to her dere beloued spouse to be imbraced clypped of hym wil she not I say gladly deê‘t out of this wretched body in the whiche she woteth wel she trauayleth as a pilgrim farre from her lord what men haue suffred the tourmentes of martyrdom more meruailously and strongly than virgine Martyrs Agnes Cecilia Agatha and other theyr felowes innumerable And therfore whaÌ„ a virgin is delyuered to the executioner she dothe not begynne her martyrdome but makethe an ende of that that she beganne longe before If those thynges seeme to any manne ouer harde hyghe and difficile lette hym remembre that the professyon of a virgin is aboue the powers of man and egall with the dignite of angels But al they that weare blacke vayles are not virgins For lyke as they accordynge to saynte Paules doctryne whiche are true wydowes in dede be discerned frome those whiche by a wronge name are called wydowes and as that widowe whych lyueth in delytes of this worlde is sayde to be deade ryght soo a virgin whiche loueth any other thynge in this worlde thanne her spouse is not a virgin There ar in the gospel wyse vyrgins whiche by manifolde workes of mercy and pitie haue so prouided for them selfe that oyle in theyr laÌ„pes shall not fayle there are in like maner folysshe virgins And Hieremie bewayleth such vnwise virgins for the dignitie of this name is nothing mete and agreable for her the which although her body hath not ben touched of man yet her mynde hath ben defiled and spotted with filthy and vncleane thoughtes She that lyueth syngle agaynste her wyll is maried and she that wolde be corrupted if she might lefully is alredy corrupted It is a thinge of greattest difficultie to represse and kepe downe all cogitations and inwarde thynkynges of a wauering mynd and yet ageinst them assaylynge there muste be defence made with prayers redynge of holy bokes fastynges deuoute and godly occupations for why to assent to them is very poyson Eua the fyrste virgin dyd commune and talke with the serpente and therof sprange all yuels her eies were not chast the which the wanton intycement of the flatterynge apple dyd adulterate and defyle The gaye costly apparaylle the peynted face the pleasant and mery enditynges of yonge men the propre knackes and gyftes sente to and fro are playne tokens and sygnes that virginitie dieth For whose pleasure doth a virgin ones dedicate to Christ ornate and trimme her selfe Why dothe she coueyte the companye of yonge men the whiche toke on her the veyle of relygion bycause the worlde shoulde not se and beholde that that was consecrate to the spouse Christe A woman that is maried dothe decke trymme her selfe to plese her husbaÌ„des eies but why shuld a virgin that is maried to Christ make her selfe gorgious and gay for any erthely mans pleasure Harke what she shuld say by the mouthe of a lerned poete but a pagane For whom shuld I make me fayre gay Or whom to please do my diligeÌ„nce Whan of hym that of my freshe array The onely cause is I haue the absence If she so did neglect to make her fresh bicause her husbaÌ„d was absent how dare a virgin make her self friske galtard iÌ„ this world the whose spouse is in heuen To what intent doth she that is ones betrouthed to Christe stande lokynge in a glasse Yea she shuld contemplate and behold her selfe in the clere fountayn of holy scripture Why dothe she arraye hir self in those garmeÌ„tes with whiche he is offended This clenlynesse in the eies of your spowse ar very dirty spottis this bright beautie but sluttysshe beggerye these swete sauours but stinking smelles He loueth a pure spirite a clene soule and a well peynted mynde What so euer the worlde hath it is theirs that make them selfe gorgeous and gaye for the worlde the virgin of Christe is more richely arrayed with despisynge of those thynges thanne with the aboundance of theym She is more comely apparayled with her heares clypped
virgins folow one spouse In thingis touching the soule it is otherwise for there is nothyng more goodly then to se many many virgins that nere accompany one spouse Iesu. Nor it is noo meruayle if they runne after hym as they were woode for loue of their spouse For he allurethe theym to hym by secrete intycementes whose louelynesse passeth all humayne loue He is the feyrest among the children of men flowynge full of grace are his lyppes the whose vysage to beholde angels esteme most high felycytie He breatheth with his swete smellyng sauors on whom he wolle and they on whome he breatheth say Drawe me after the and we shall renne in the odour of thy swete smelling oyntmentes They can not renne excepte they be drawen they canne not loue excepte they be fyrste loued And they that be alredy drawen desyre to be more plentifully drawen they that ruÌ„ne couer to ruÌ„ne so fast that they may approche yet more nere to hym that they loue Trewely they felte and perceyued his lyppes to flowe full of grace the whiche saye O lorde whither shall we goo thou haste the wordes of euerlastynge lyfe Al they that ê“fesse the name of Christe folowe theyr sheparde Iesus but they al onely his vnseperable feres do folowe whyther so euer he woll goo they folow hym euen to the very beatinges they folowe him euen to the very persecution ¶ Our lorde Iesus what tyme he was in this world ofte tymes ledde after hym greate and huge multitudes of al sortis of people but whan he shulde go to Hierusalem to be slayn fewe dyd accoÌ„panye hym but yet fewer whan he bearynge his Crosse went towarde the Mount of Caluerey But they which be the very felowes of the spouse whiche be true virgins coude not at this poynt be plucked frome theyr spowse When he hynge vpon the crosse Peter whiche was thoughte to haue a wyfe coulde no where be founde but the vyrgyns Mary the mother of Iesu and IohnÌ„ abode faste by the crosse the other women stoode afarre of and behelde what was doone They folow then ye and that gladly and wyllyngly nor they folowe hym not as dumme persons but syngynge balades and makynge swete melody ¶ They that be mennes wyues haue no leysure to be in the dances they haue no leysure no many tymes they haue noo luste to synge they muste please theyr husbandes they must chyde and braule with theyr maides and seruantes chastise theyr children Our virgins being free from all care and thought of this worlde do nothynge els but in spiritual quiers synge swete hymmes to theyr spouse For they ascribe nothynge to them selfe but gyue al the glory of theyr felicitie to him to whom onely they owe al thynges He this louer deliteth in suche maner songes he wol he wol his gyftes to be songe he hateth the phariseis songis I fast twise in the Saboth I gyue the .x. of my goodes to the pore I am not as other men be The more chast that a virgin is the more shamefaste she is Here the voyce of a very virgin Beholde the handmayde of our lorde And he hath sene the humilitie of his handemayde In the cantycles he calleth his spouse a douue He desirethe to beholde her shappe and coueteth to here her voyce Come sayth he my douue out of the caues of the rockes out of the holes of the walle O lette me see thy vysage and here thy voyce for swete is thy voyce and fayre is thy face The soule hath his face The face is moste specially estemed and iudged by the eies with the eies we shewe declare our inteÌ„t also with the eies with out voyce we signifie the inward affections of our myndes The eie of a vyrgin is symple she enuyeth not she lyeth not in awayt to disceyue she suspectethe none yuell she myndeth not yll The face of suche oone delytethe the spouse which a lyttell after sayth thus Howe fayre arte thou my loue howe fayre art thou Thou haste douues eies ¶ Here some wyll saye What swetenes is in the complaynyng and mourning voyce of a douue to delyte and please a man with The nyghtyngales voyce shulde rather be called to this parable and similitude The rare and vehemente loue maketh contynualle complayntes but yet pleasant and moste acceptable to the spouse Here a lamentyng douue I desyre to be lowsed and to be with Christ. And ageyne O wretched man that I am who shall delyuer me from the body of this deathe Harken what an other douue saythe Wo is me that I dwel so long in this world And By the waters of Babylon we sate downe and wepte whan we remembred the Syon ¶ These lamentable voices and ful of sighynges are most acceptable in the eares of the spouse in such maner of songes he moch delyteth ¶ And bycause they sayd O mercyfull lorde accepte our vowes it is tyme that they nowe expresse and declare what they wold opteyn of theyr spouse Is it richesses is it honours is it pleasures is it a kyngdome is it long lyfe For those thinges care haue they none for y e vehemeÌ„t loue of their spouse hath vtterly broughte theÌ„ to despise those thinges What is it than we praye the encreace our myndes yet more largely graunt that we mowe vtterly be ignorant of all corruption They aknowlege howe great a tresure vyrgynitie is that is A cleane mynde in a bodye vncorrupte They also aknowlege that what so euer he hath gyuen theym he wol vouchsafe to encreace it and to heape benefyte vpon benefyte Noo vyrgyn is soo pure whiche hath not wherby she may yet profite For you shall scasely find any virgin whiche to thende the body maye be vndefyled offendeth not otherwhile in thought Nor trewe virginitie resteth not only in the gyft of chastitie but all vyce of the mynde is the corruption of this virginitie Who soo euer swarueth from the true feyth catholyke his virginitie is defiled Of this purenesse speaketh Paule writynge to the Corinthees I haue maried you vnto one man to bring a chaste virgine vnto Christe But I feare leste as the serpente begiled Eue with his wylynesse euen so your wyttes shulde be corrupted from the simplenes which is in Christ Iesu. ¶ A vyrgin defyled with enuye backbityng arrogancie is wouÌ„ded with corruption Therfore they pray that theyr most munificent spouse woll vouchesafe to augment the gyftes that he hath gyuen theym and that he wolle graunte them to be vtterly ignoraunt of all woundes of corruption why saye they vtterly That is nother in mynde nor in body what is to say of all what soo euer the humayne affection doth moue and styre vs to This vowe or request might seme vnreasonable ne were it that the spowse is almyghty and mooste faythfull of his promyse He wol not that his shal be only lyke vnto hym but also he woll them to be the selfe same But let vs
pleasures or honors this world braggeth of to be far vnder thy dignitie It is a holye thyng to pride in your spowse a deuout thyng to glorie in him to whome you owe all thynges It is also a sure thynge trusting faythfully in hym to rise and rebelle agaynst the worlde whiche braggyngly shewethe forthe his delectable pleasures My mynd is not at this tyme to write what so euer may be sayde in the laude and praise of martirs or virgins You haue the bokes of Cyprian you haue the bokes of Ambrose of Tertullian and Hierome of which the two last were wel nere ouermoch in admiration of virginitie For the excellency of virginitie wolde not soo be extolled that the preyse therof shoulde be an iniurie to chaste matrimonie I recyte those thinges moste noble vyrgins for this intente that you maye perceyue howe happy and fortunate your College is the whose chaunce is to possesse bothe those thynges whiche she the rich spouse of Christ the churche holdeth moste speciall in this worlde For you haue in kepyng those mooste fragrant and swete coses of the .vii. brethern of the Machabees and of theyr mother y e whose fecunditie brought forth no children to her husband but to god she fortunately redoubed y e losse of her virginitie with the martyrdome of so many sonnes vyrgyns She being a virgin brought forth no frute for y t of al women was giuē but to one but yet she brought forthe bothe virgins and martirs Of her self she coude gyue none example of virginitie but she perfourmed and dyd as moch as laye in her to do She taughte her chyldren to be virgins she exhorted thē to martyrdome and wolde haue suffred martyrdome before theym saue that she feared their constancye by reason of their tender youthe And soo the glorie of vyrginitie chanced not to the mother alyke with the chyldern but touchyng the martyrdome the laude of the mother is soo moche the more in that she beholdynge the cruelle turmentes suffred in eche of her lyttel chyldren what soo euer the cruell tourmentours coude do to the bodies of them This is more stronger then by turmentyng at ones to be rydde from all peyne For the parētes are more cruelly tourmented in the persecutynge of their chylderne than in theym selfe And that knowethe ryghte well the wytty crueltie of tyrantes which wreste out by turmentyng of the chyldren in theyr parentes sighte that they coude by no maner of turmentes gette of the parentes Howe oft sawe she beynge a woman and a mother her owne fleshe and bowels torrē and rente to pieces where was nowe the feble freiltie of y t kynd where was the tender loue and pitie that is wont to be more vehement in mothers then in men Surely her deuout affection to godwarde ouercame al humain pitie and her feruent feythe ouercame the feblenes of womanhed All hayle mooste happy virago whiche haste gyuen exaumple of fortitude to all menne All hayle moste fayre lyttell floures of the churche whiche as rype delycacyes before your tyme you haue preuented the springe tyde of the gospell and haue made a shewe of euangelycal vertue before the gospell was shewed or knowen to the worlde For as yet this voyce of hym which being a virgin is borne of a virgin was not harde Blessed be they that haue gyuen them selfe to lyue in chastitie for the kyngedome of god And yet the same prayse you by preuention haue opteyned afore hande Nor this was not as yet harde who so wil be my disciple lette hym take vp his crosse and folowe me but you as fore runners dydde adumbrate Christis passion And nowe your sowles in heuen doo folowe the lambe whither so euer he goeth But as for your vndefiled bodies whiche were partners of your tourmentes and peynes so in tyme to come you shall receyue theym to the felowshyp of euerlastyng felicitie there was noo place more comely nor more conueniente to kepe them in than in a holy college of virgins ¶ Nowe to you good vyrgyns that be the kepers of this so gret a treasure my wordes do theym adresse You haue in these yonge children both an example of chastite which you ought to folow a crowne of martyrdome that you shoulde extolle gloryfienge your spouse which stroue in thē whiche in them gote the victorie whiche in them dothe triumphe He hath in one self basket Lylies myngled with roses The bryght beautie of the tone stryueth with the tother nor yet the tone is not dusked or defaced of the tother but y e tone by reason the tother is with him doth y e more gaily glitter and shyne lyke as whan yuory as one sayd is myngled with purpull or whan a shynyng precyous stone is set in yolow gold The stryfe is so doubtefull whether is more glorious a martir or a virgin that if the matter shuld be called in contention I dare not boldly say whiche of theym shoulde be preferred the tone before the tother Bothe the tone and the tother are consecrate in Christ but yet we ar more boūde to his crosse and passion than to his virginite He giueth to them the honorable title of blessednes whiche for the kyngdome of god gyue them selfe to lyue in chastitie but yet he requirethe the folowynge of the crosse It semeth a greatter thyng that whā he requireth it not yet it maketh him blessed that wyllyngly wyll perfourme it And in the tyme of persecution it is a right gret thinge for the glorye of god to haue the mynde alwey prompte and redy to suffre all kyndes of deathes But tymes haue like as the See hath his tranquillities and quiete caumes And other while one maye lefully escape the persecuters handes But if one be dryuen to the last extremitie the deathe of the body is the ende of greuous tourmentes and the beginnynge of felicitie A virgin hath a longe and a parpetuall stryfe with her housholde ennemie the whiche she can neyther laufullye slee nor escape by flyghte This housholde fooe is the fleshe the whiche whether we woll or woll not we muste carie about nowe and then rebellynge agaynst the spirite And that it shal not seme easye to any man to subdue this ennemie we haue redde of those that were ouercome with wanton entycementes of the flesshe the whiche coude not be vanquyshed with the verye terrour and drede of dethe ¶ Hytherto our collation hathe pondered whether of those two shulde be more stronger but me semeth that virginitie in this is y e happier that as I by occasyon sayde afore the floure of martirdome doth not freshely sprede florishe but after deathe where as virginitie hathe her bryghte beautie her fayre fragrancy her grace and dignitie in this world Uirgynytie is the flower of the sowle and mynde but in the vysage in the eyes and in all the holle state of the body there shyneth a certayne angelicall purenesse and a flourysshynge clerenesse not acqueynted with olde age