walke if you will procede in vertue the whiche is onely the thynge that makethe a man both happye in this worlde and also blessed in the worlde to come Beleue you my counsaile and vse the same or elles hereafter you wille paraduenture bewayle your negligence Fare ye well It More a place of my lorde Cardinals in the feast of saincte Bartholomew 1529. FINIS A compendious treatise teachyng the waie of diyng well THey saie it is a point of a proude vanitee or a stubburne foly to kepe sure and certaine what some euer is ones saied always it semeth not to wyse men that a promisse shulde bee sticked by in as muche there maie chaunce greatter causes to breake a promisse than the reasons bee why promisse shoulde be performed As if I haue saied that I will suppe with you hit is not enough to binde me against al chances I maie fall sicke I maie haue at home some necessary impedimeÌ„t the wether maie so fal that it is no goyng out many casualties maie happen that were not in mynde whan suche promysse was made Wherfore wyse men saie in all makyng of promisse there be euer vnderstande some secrete excepcions suche as be these If I can If I maie If it bee conuement If noo greatter cause happen to lette me By the whiche excepcions a promisse neuer bindeth a man further than is accordyng to bee obsâ—rued and kepte ¶ If I thought my frende IohnÌ„ walker that you wolde take mine excuse by the saied excepcions I woulde rather by theim escape my promisse that I haue made to you than I wolde fulfyl it for whan I sodenly agreed to your requeste that was to haue me wryte to you the waie of diyng well I considered not at that time what the thing was After I perceiued more difficultee in it than was mete for my poore wit specially beyng as you maie see me other wyse occupied in suche studies as appertaine to my leisure and of shortely this lesson to lerne the waie of diyng well hath nede to haue a maister the whiche knowethe bothe what our lyfe is and what the losse of the same is Nor no man in my minde can effectuously teache the waie to die wel except he be one that knoweth the waie to liue wel And plainly the mattier requireth a philosophers stomacke and a sadde For suche a one as Marcus Cato was were a man mete to entreate this thyng he knewe what valure laie in deathe the whiche he soughte bothe with sworde and his nayles tearyng â—ut his owne bowelles ¶ I wolde thynke a Catulus or a Mercula shoulde speake lustely to you of deathe seynge they shewed theyr couragious herte nothing to esteme lyfe whan the tyme required either to die with honour or to liue with shame These men and suche other woulde shewe you the waie to go to deathe longe before deathe came to you But none of all the painymes canne either with worde or with ensaumples of their actes declare this thyng soo truely and effectually as maie he that is exercised in Christes philosophie a Paule or a Peter or a Hierom shulde here in speake more lyuely than all the subtylle clerkes of the olde grekes Yet to me for my part it is an harde thyng either to plaie with you one of this sort or of that sort It passeth my power to speake to you either like Socrates or like Chrisostome So that if the saied excepcions bee with you admitted in a promisse makyng I maie truely denie you the performaunce of my grauntyng in as muche whan I promised you this thyng there was vnderstanded if I could and if it were conuenient I nother can wel declare this waie of diyng nor yet me thynke it is not conuenient for me liuing in this coÌ„mon course of the worldely folke to speake of deth so ernestly as a monke of the Charter house shoulde and myght dooe But bycause I knowe your importune desire to be so set vpon this thing that nedes you wil haue me saie somewhat herein I will praie you so to reade me as the tale not onely to bee wrytten of me for you but that I my selfe am also an auditour of the same and as muche shal I enforce to folow the couÌ„saile that in my saiynge I aduise you as thoughe the holle woorke pertained onely to my selfe wherin take this note for your comfortes that I write nothyng to you that I wyshe not were in my owne power to execute Thus I with you and you with me bothe of vs fast yoked to gethers let vs endeuour our selfes to be in dede suche men as we commende and praise For as it is shame to speake one thyng and to thynke an other soo it is a more shame to write holyly and to lyue worldly And as great a rebuke there is in hym that can here and praise good saiynges but doo there after he will not Nowe than let vs not speake onely of the waie to die well but in effecte lette vs indeuer our mindes to haue the frute of this lesson to make in dede a good ende of our lyfe And here nowe without any further proces I will begin to paie you my dette and shortelye you shall knowe my minde howe you maie die well ¶ As I was bethynkyng me to write some thing of this mattier to the satisfiynge of your desire I tourned a boke where my memorie gâ—ue me to bee a storie of one called Caniuâ— that lyued vnder the tyraun Caligula Cesar. This Canius beside his hye learnynge was a man of a greatte spirite the whiche he wâ—ll declared in the maner of taking his death It chaunced hym to faile out for a certaine cause with the saied tiraunte and many sore woordes were betwene theim at the laste whan the tone was departyng frome the tother this emperour in his fiers â—re said well thou foole make mery if thou wilte for I haue pointed the within fewe daies to be â—â—ame Therat Canius turned him with low courtesy and saied My mooste gentill prynce I hertely thanke you ¶ This answere came from a noble stomacke whereby he shewed the madde rages of the cruell tyraunt to be soo farre intollerable that vnder hym deathe was to be reckened for a benefit and a good tourne wherfore he thanked hym for his offer as for a specially rewarde And great maruaile men had to beholde this Philosopher howe merie he was after this tyrantes thretenyng There were .x. daies gyuen of respite before he shoulde die the whiche tyme he soo passed that he neuer semed to be in lesse care nor to haue his mynde in better quietnes ¶ Whan the daie came of execucion the kynges geyler and hangman wente about the towne with a great company of them that shuld suffer deathe the whiche passinge by this Canius house they called hym to bee broughte also forthe amongeste the other at the whiche tyme Canius was plaiyng at the chestes with one of his companyons and hearing them make hast he rose and
vppon the burninge cooles as merie and as quiete as thoughe he laie vppon swete reed roses Whan the turmentours turned his body vpon the fierie grediernes he bad the cruel tiraunt eate of his burned side whiles the tother part was a rostyng This saiyng declared that this holy marter feared no deathe ¶ How many thousande marters suffered incredible paines of flaiyng with hokes their skynne from the fleshe of scrapyng with tile stones the fleshe frome the bones of rentyng and tearing membre from membre with horses with bowed branches of trees of beatyng with whippes till the bowelles fall out of hangyng of burning of Crucifiyng of infinite straunge and new deuises for paine Howe many I saie suffred all that cruell tirauntes could imagine either with haÌ„d fier or iron rather than they wold ones denie them selfe to be of Christes profession Whan it was proclaimed that who so euer wold saie he was Christened he shulde cruelly be put to death There passed no daie without a greatte numbre of them that boldly spoke tho woordes of the whiche shulde folowe so blouddie a slaughter This was a manyfest token that feare of death hadde no maner of place with our blessed martiers the whiche with a constant boldnes defied and dispised the mighty cruel and fierse emperours their courage to die ouerthrewe the ragynge madnes of tyrauntes The cause of this mirthe in soo pitious martirdomes was that this blessed men knewe howe Christ nother coulde nor wolde deceiue them but that for their littell regardyng of this life thei shulde optaine an other life where their ioy shuld neuer haue nother chang nor decrease nor ende Therefore my good Walker mistrust you not Christe whose doctrine the heauen and the erth hath by innumerable miracles this many hundreth yeres approued and confirmed to be true the bloud of so many sainctes haue witnessed the same and the diuels with all the damned spirites so surely beleue the trouthe of Christes teachyng that thei trimble and quake there Bee not moued with the common ensample of the hole worlde though bothe spirituall and temporall men though the pope with all his cardinals byshoppes and priestes thoughe the princes with all their gentilmeÌ„ and subiectes magnifie esteme loue norishe and by all meanes cherish this life yet beleue you the trouth and thinke all the worlde faulse where Christes saiyng agreeth not with that the worlde dothe If it wer possible that you sawe the angels of heauen liue contrary to the preachyng of Christe yet againste theim all beleue the sonne of god and loue not to abyde in this lyfe whan Christe callethe you hense make a final valure of this present pleasures whan Christ saith all be vanitees and maie bee tourned to endles sorowes Regarde noo honoure noo promocion here whan Christe saith the place of honour is in heauen and here is none aduancement that is not both shame and also may be cause of a perpetuall wretchednes Dispise the ease and rest that theie riches bringeth in as muche Christe saithe that of them be taken many impedimentes and leâ—s to entre into the sure quietnes of blessed soules Thinke no place to be for your abiding in this worlde whan Christe saith here is not your countrey but your father and your dwelling place is in heauen Hast therfore hense This is to saie bee willinge to forsake this straunge countrey And seyng the waie to your homewarde lieth by death take a couragious stomacke to die and die gladly that you may die well Beleue I saie Christâ— and you shall thinke it painfull to be in this life Beleue Christe and you shal be gredie to be partaker of the heauenly ioyes whervpon will folowe a pleasant remembraunce of deathe by the whiche you shall departe from your paine to that ioye the whiche you desire And hereof is made a glad diyng the whiche I still name a good diyng Thus if we can take this feare a waie we bee well forwarde and hereof will easily ensue the reste that is to die gladdely It is a true saiyng that who so euer feareth deathe he shall neuer doo a dede woorthie for a lyuing man Therfore if it were but onely for lifes sake it is our part to dispise the feare of deathe ¶ Beside this feare of deathe the loue I saie of this life sore hindereth the gladnes of diyng no man dieth gladly that estemeth muche this life He that rekeneth in this worlde him selfe happie whan he hathe gotten ryches possessions auctoritee promocion a roial state a prince like courte abundaunce of welthie fare a rule and power bothe to auaunce his frende and to vndoo his foo this man I saie that gloriethe in his fantasye for these and suche other thinges can not but with muche sorowe depart hense To this mans herte the remembrance of death is a euer greuous thought his minde can not but lament whan he seeth the necessitee to be pluckid and draweÌ„ from these commoditees in the whiche resteth the ioye pleasure and gladnes of his minde he hath soo stedfastlie accustomed him selfe to take this worlde for heauen that it will not synke in his braine to hope of an other heauen he hath so corrupted his taste with thinking this life to be swete that nedes it must be a bytter thing to make an ende of all his pleasures and in this case bee not onely thei that haue this world at their will but also thei be in the same case that haue naughte and be gredie of hauing As muche loueth he this worlde that woulde faine be riche as he that is riche It is not the hauing nor the lackynge of abundance in goodes that maketh a sorowful hert in the remembrance of death but it is the minde that valureth and pondreth these presente goodes to bee of a greatte price and worthie to be taried for This minde I saie as wel in a communer as in a kynge as well in a yoman as in a lorde as well in an hermite monke or frier as in a marchant plowman or vacabund as well in beggars as in riche meÌ„ is the thyng that causeth sorowe in diyng And gladly no man dieth that loueth the welthe of this life Wherfore the learning to die well requireth necessarie a lesson howe much the goodes of this worlde be worthie to be regarded And let the truthe haue in your stomacke his place so that if it be true that the thinges of this life be worthy to be loued and to bee cared for thanne loue you them and care for theim If the truthe be other wise change your minde and nother loue these saied thinges nor care for theim Of the truth in this matter no maÌ„ can doubte that beleueth Christe whom if you thinke to be god you muste also thinke it all trouth that he saithe It can not bee otherwise than Christe testifieth whose preaching euer exhorteth vs to wilfull pouertee the whiche is nother to loue y â— goods of this world though we haue them nor
telled his men saiyng to his companion Loke now that after my deathe you lye not nor make noo faulse crakes that you haue won this game There with also he bekenyd to the geyler and saied I praie you beare witnes that I haue one man in this game more than my felowe hath ¶ In this wyse this philosopher plaied with death and shortly his quiete herte gaue a fouie checke mate to the tyrauntes crueltie he shewed hym selfe to be in spirite as farte aboue all kinges violent power as these mighty prynces think to haue a stronge dominyon ouer all theyr subiectes The frendes and familiars of this philosopher were veraie sorowfull bewailyng the losse of suche a man to whome what meane you quoth he why be you sad why mourne you for me Is hit not youre studye to knowe whether the soule of man be mortal or immortal The trouth of this harde question I now shall learne and nowe shall I see the trouth of all our doubtes of heuen and of god ¶ Thus talking with his frendes he came to the place of execucion and there a lyttell whyleste other were headded he stode styl in a musyng dumpte What thynke you nowe good Canius quoth one of his frendes Where vppon nowe muse you so ernestly Mary quoth he I haue determined with my self to marke wel whether in this short pange of death my soule shall perceiue and feele that he goeth out of my bodie This pointe I fully entende to take hede of and if I can I will surely brynge you and the rest of my felowes worde what I felte and what is the state of our soules ¶ Here was a wonderfull caulme stomacke in the middest of soo stormye a tempest this mans mynde was worthy of an euer lasting life that was not only to the death studious of knowladg but also in the selfe death founde occasion of learnyng It was not possible for any mans minde to continue his studie longer or to a further pointe than this noble philosopher dyd ¶ This storie and certaine other like maken me often to reson with my selfe what a strength of knowladge is in mans braine to serche and to finde by hym selfe the truth if he enforce his wittes to learne For this Canius and many other were not taught of Christe as we nowe be they had not the rules of faith the which shewe the vndoubtfulle waie to come to the perfytte knowladge of all priuie misteries they were not comforted with the preachyng of goddis son to set lyttell by this life as we now be Thei wer not plucked to conceiue a loue of vertue aboue nature as the holy scripture draweth vs from this world to the beholding of an other place where vertue receiuethe hic crowne Wherfore to me it is noo smalle cause of maruailyng whan I here suche ensaumples of naturall men that by them selfe coulde in suche a maner ryse aboue theyr nature in settynge lyttell by that thyng that naturally euery creature mooste abhorreth and feareth for deathe is the thing that in this worlde by nature is made mooste doubtfull most terrible most heynous and moste worthy to be feared to be eschewed and by all meanes waies gynnes or craft to be escaped To here than a naturall man without the teachyng of god to ryse vp in his phantasie aboue nature to iudge of deathe farre other wise then nature teacheth him to dispise the duraunce in this lyfe whan he knoweth no certainetie of none other world to vse the streÌ„gth and myghte of the spirite againste the puisant power of all tyrantes It semethe to me a wonderfulle thynge and more wonderfull the same shulde be if I sawe not written in holi scripture how that from the fyrste creacion of Adam the goodnes of god hath bene so great towarde mankynde that he hathe gyuen vs alwaie sufficiente grace to knowe the righte to see the hye maiestee of vertue to finde out the true dignitee of the soule to perceiue the vanite of this present life and fynally to vnderstande where in standethe the pleasure of god and wherein standeth his displeasure Euer by goddis mere goodnes man knewe what was well to bee done and what was contrarie yuell to be done It is a lawe written in the herte of man with the finger of god in our creacion to be enduced by reasonne to praise alwaie vertue and to thinke synne woorthy of dispraise The minde of man hath a grace to se further than the bodye syghte can attaine to the mynde of man feleth more subtilly than our fyue wittes can aproche to the losse of bloudde or of brethe is a smal trifull in the mindes consideracion whan the mynde vsethe his owne cleare sighte and is not blynded with the darkenesse of the bodie the whiche stombleth at euerie strawe in this worlde Euery mote choketh a worldely man Euerie littel sounde maketh a worldly man trimble and shake I call a worldely man him that giueth al â—is care to vse his wittes in this worlde that creapeth vppon suche thynges as be lene harde felte tasted and sinelte that clymeth not in no consideracion aboue the mist of this valey The moste parte of men euer haue bene of this weake sorte and yet styll the moste part of men is the same This worlde euer hath his multitude that honoureth worshyppeth and magnifieth nothyng beside this shorte life and those thynges that pertaine to this life Yet againe euer hath there bene some and styll there bee some that playe the philosophers the whiche studied to know the dignities and woorthynesses of euerye thing howe muche it shuld be estemed valuied or regarded of vs the whiche laboreth to picke out in euerye thynge what is good and what is naught Men of this sorte be called spirituall men For you must know that a taillour a shomaker a carpenter a bote man without both lernyng and orders maie be spirituall whan a maister of arte a doctour of diuinitee a deanâ— a bishop both with his cunning and dignities maie be temporall seyng the true diffinicion of a spiritual man is to be one in whom the mynde and spirite cheifelye ruleth Like wise the temporall man is he in whom this present time of this traunsitorie lyfe hath mooste rome Thus I saie spirituall men haue euer sene the trouth to ponder and valure euery thyng in this worlde accordingly And as to the temporall mynde nothyng semeth sweter than to lyue here so the spirituall minde fyndeth swetenes in deathe by the whiche this lyfe endeth For lyke as the prince of this world neuer agreeth with god nor yet the bodie with the soule nor the erthe with heauen soo he that studieth for this time hath cleane contrarie opinions to him that foloweth the spirite And as the temporall man saieth it is a pleasaunte thynge to lyue here and a bytter thyng it is to die so the spirituall man thynkethe it a better tyme to induce the space of this lyfe and muche ioy he
to care for them though we haue them not onely by Christes teachynge we shoulde care for the kingdom of heuen the whiche standethe in the cleanes of conscience where euer is a place and a seate for the hie maiestee of the holy trinitee All other thinges necessarie for this life be not to bee cared for nor yet to bee valured more than their dignitees requireth that is to saie no more than is conueniente for instrumentes and tooles to the pylgrimage and passage of this straunge countrey For in this worlde wee haue noo home our father dwellethe not in this region we be in this life out of our propre countrey we shuld hast homewarde to the ioyfull presence of our owne father that abidethe vs in heauen the whiche hathe a greatter charge ouer vs his children here than he hathe ouer the beastes or birdes the which by his only prouision without their care lacketh nothing for their necessitie Muche more saithe oure maister Christ if we tourned al our care to godward we shuld not be destitute of suche thinges as necessarily this presente life nedethe And where Christ so streightly commaundeth almes dedes saiyng that who soeuer helpeth not a poore man in his nede he will not helpe him nor yet knowe hym at the fearefull daie of dome in so muche that it pleaseth Christ to say that euery poore man representeth the person of goddes son so that he that regardeth not a poore man dispiseth the son of god In this doctrine what thinke you Whether dothe Christ commaund almes deades for the poore mans sake that shoulde take almes or for the riche mans sake that shuld giue almes In takynge almes I fynde noo vertue and nedes it is a thing partainyng to vertue that Christ wolde haue done Therfore surely it is for the riche mans sake For it is Christes lesson that teacheth vs to haue noo inwarde loue to these casuall goodâ—s the whiche we muste put from vs where we se them that want such thinges And a profe of a perfect stomacke is taken in him that vtterlie leauethe and forsaketh al this worlde to folowe Christe the whiche byddeth the riche man that wil be perfecte to go and sell all that he hath and deale all to poore men For as hard a thing it is to plucke through the smale nedles eâ—e a greatte caboull rope as to bringe a riche man in at heauens wycket not that it is impossible for a rich man to be saued but because it is harde for a man in a welthy state to kepe his minde in a due order to godwarde without beyng drowned or infected by the contagious lustes and corrupted pleasures the whiche foloweth the fortunate life of this worlde And nothinge is more in a riche man to be feared than lest he set his minde to loue his riches the whiche loue can neuer stande with the pleasure of god Remembre the saiyng of the apostell sainct Paule The loue of riches is the rote of all sin Therfore let not this loue grow in your herte from whense shoulde spring the fruite of damnacion Here of my frende Walker I trust you se that withoute question it is Christes will to haue vs littell regarde this life and muche lesse to regarde all the commoditees appertaynninge to this life It is god that saithe The losynge of life in this worlde is the findyng of life in a nother worlde and that wepyng sorowe peine tribulacion pouertee shame persecucion and finally deathe in this life is laughing ioye pleasure ease riches honour quietnes and fynally life in the kyngdome of god ¶ Contrarie the same maister testifieth that mirthe welthe reste glorie abundaunce strengthe libertee rule and finally life in this worlde is lamentyng grefe trouble slaunder miserie weakenes thraldome bondage and finally deathe in goddes reigne In this tenour and key sowneth al our holy scripture Wherfore me thinke it is enough to proue to a Christened man that the welthye state of this worlde is vayne and ieoperdous because Christe so teachethe and precheth and surely a greater profe by reson for this matter with you I will not use at this time Let Christe bee beleued that biddethe you gether a treasure in heauen where your riches shall be sure froÌ„ mothes wormes and rusting from theues fier and water If your treasure be ones couched in heuen streighte your herte shall also bee there and so shal you take no pleasure of tariyng in this life but rather it shal be werines and tediousnes to you to be here absente frome your hertes desire the whiche alwaie sticketh and cleaueth to your treasure in heauen If it so be that after Christes counsaile you haue there put all your goodes and substaunce If nother we feare deathe nor loue this life I thinke the chefe impedimentes and lettes of oure purpose to die wel be taken awaie and nowe we maie a littell deuise what thinge maie helpe vs in our iourney after these stones and blockes be gone ¶ In my minde nothing shal further vs more to a glad death than shall an ordinate life that is to liue in a iuste and due maner after one rule and one forme euer awake in a quicke remembrance of death as though euery houre were our laste space of induraunce in this world Whan you rise in the morning determine so to passe the daie folowyng as thoughe at nyghte a graue shulde be your bed Let euery daie be reckened with you as your last This minde shall make you bestow wel your life the whiche is to you vncertaine howe long it shall continue ye rather in doubte you be howe sone or howe shortely life shall be taken from you What so euer you take in hande be thinke you that before you ende it death maie oppresse you workyng This is the thing that Christ wold haue vs do whan he soo often warneth and admonisheth vs to take heede and to loke aboute vs because nother the daie nor the houre of our callynge is certaine to vs. Therefore it is our parte of a tyme soo muche vncertaine to make a tyme sure certaine and present that we neuer bee taken vnwares by the whiche meanes we shall gladdely suffer death seeyng it is a thing so longe before prepared For whye shulde it be a straunge thing to reken euery daie to be the laste I see not but that thing that happeneth and chanseth to some of vs might come to any of vs and like wise all might haue that that a fewe hath There is no cause to denie but as well this daie you or I might die as we se this daie some other deed and thoughe we bee not deed this daie yet it is trouth that this daie we die and daiely sithen our firste byrthe we haue died in as muche that daiely some parte of our life hath bene diminisshed and euer as we haue growen so euer life hath decresed We were babes we were children we were boyes we were young men all these ages
that by banishementes by rebukes by bondages by prisonmentes holy men came to great glorie I praie the shewe me deathe it selfe what hurte dyd it to the moste iuste and blessed Abell I saie that bytter and cruell deathe committed of no straunger but of his own naturall brother Is not Abel for this thing celebrated worshipped throughe all this worlde Thou seeste howe my processe declareth more than I promissed for it doth not only opē that no man is hurted of an other beside him selfe but also that holy men take infinite gaines and profites in these thynges by the whiche they seme to bee euill handled Here thou saiste what nedeth soo many peines so many punishmentes What nedeth hell and so many thretninges if it be true that no man hurteth nor noo man is hurted Here me to this peruerte not nor mingle not my tale For I said not that noo man hurteth but I saied that no man is hurted of an other Againe thou saist howe can this be that some shall hurte and yet no man bee hurted It maie be as I haue shewed for his own bretherne hurted Ioseph and did wickedly againste him but Iosephe him selfe was not hurted And Caine did wickedly against Abell whan he laide in wait to slaie him yet Abell him selfe was not hurted nor suffred noo parte of euill To this purpose seruethe peines and punishementes For the vertue of pacience in theim that suffre dothe not take away the trespasse of them that with an vngracious entente set vpon other and do wrongfully For all bee it that they by their pacience bee made more glorious yet the other bee not redemed of their miscsheife in their malicious purpose And therfore the vertue and noblenes of minde auaunceth the sufferer to honour and the malicious stomacke drowneth the doers in depe peines Thus the rightous iudge almightie god to them that constauntly continue in a vertuous life and come to receiue the rewarde of victorie preparethe a kyngdome in heauen and for them that without repentance persecute euer their sinfull purpose hell is ordeined Therfore if thy goodes bee taken from the saie with holy Iob I came naked out of my mothers wombe and naked I shall depart hense Put hereto the apostels saiyng We brought nothing in to this worlde nor we can not take hense with vs any thyng Thou hast hearde thy selfe to be euyll spoken by to be infamed and sclaundered with men remembre thou and put before thine eyes the wordes of oure maister where he saith Wo be ye whan ye be of al mē praised And in an other place Be ye mery and reioice whā men reuile your name as naught for my sake Thou art cast out of thy countrey and driuen from thy hous and possessions remembre that we haue not here our dwelling coūtrey but that wee seke the worlde to come Why then dost thou think that thou hast loste thy countreye whanne in this whole world thou art a stranger an alien and a pilgrim Thou art fallen into a greuous and ieoperdous sycknes vse and exercise the apostles saieng that is this Although our body the outwarde man be infected and sycke yet our sowle the inward man is therby renued and refreshed day by day Thou art closed and shette in pryson and some cruell deathe hangethe ouer thine head Loke vpon S. Iohn̄ beheaded in pryson and there fastely beholde soo great a prophetes heade graunted and giuen to a tumbling wench in the reward of bodily plesure These thynges whan they chaunce to the wrongefully loke thou regarde not the iniurye and malyce of theim that do hurte but ponder and way thou the rewarde and glorye that shall bee gyuen the for these wronges For he that willingly and pacientelye sufferethe all suche troubles is not only forgiuen of his trespasses and synnes but also he opteynethe thereby the merytes and the rewardes due to vertue and goodnes so hygh and great a thing it is to kepe stedfastly an assured and full faith in god Than seing that nother the losse of goodes and substaunce nor sclander nor defyaunce nor banysshement nor sickenesse nor tormentes nor deathe it selfe that semethe the most greuous thing of all the forsaid can hurt men but more rather helpe and do good to men in making vs better worthy of so great reward howe and wherof shall we proue any man to be hurted whan of none of these sayd greues a man can be hurted But I will nowe assay to lay plainly before thine eies that they only be hurted the which do hurt and that the hurt the whiche thei do noieth not nor toucheth not none other persone but onely them self that inforceth to hurt For tell me what can now be more vnhappy than Caine The death by the whiche he with his owne handes slewe his propre brother hath made Abell for euermore a saincte and gloriouse martyre and hathe caused the slear for euermore to be taken for a wicked mankyller and that against his owne bloud Also what is more wretched than that Herodis wife the which desired to haue S. John̄s head in a dishe that hir owne head shuld be drowned in the euerlasting flames of burning hell What is in worse case then the dyuell hym selfe the whiche by his malice made the holly Iob waxed nobler so muche grew and increased the diuels peine I thinke thou nowe seest that my tale hath shewed much more thā I promised For it is open and plaine not only how no man is hurted of theim that do wronge but also that the hurters and none els bee hurted and suffre euill For nother riches nor libertee nor noblenes nor helthe nor life nor suche other thinges be the propre goodes and substaunce of man that hath nothynge proprely his owne but onely the vertue of minde And therfore whan in these outwarde thynges other hurte or losse or trouble happeneth man is not hurted seeyng all his treasure is in the saied vertue of mind Here thou askest what if a man be hurted in the saied vertue It can not be but thus If any be hurted therin he is hurted of none other persō but only of himself Thou desirest to here how a man is hurted of him selfe Whā he is beaten of somme other or robbed and spoiled of his goods or by any meanes troubled if than he speke any opprobrious word any vnpacient sentence he is hurted yea and soore hurted yet I saie not of an other but of hymselfe through his own lacke of pacience For as it is saied before Behold what the blessed Iob suffered not of any man but of him that passed the al men in mischefe and crueltee That if he that blouddie tourmentour the diuell that haynouse kaitife with so many ingins so many craftes so many peines culd nothing preuaile in cōstraining Iob to trespasse with his tong before the face of God speciallye whan Iob had neuer hearde the lawe of God nor had not parte of the redempcion of the
aliens and strangers and authoritee thei had none beyng bonde prisoners nor in numbre they coulde not preuaile beyng but three alone what do they than Surely that thinge that only semed to be in their power With faire wordes thei entreat their keper whom they founde ful of feare leaste he shoulde be put to deathe if he fauoured and applied to their desires and so this keper saied to them I sore feare my lorde the kyng leaste he loke vpon you and se your faces paler and leaner than bee the other yonge men and vpon that blame me and putte me for your sake to deathe But they of the other parte with wise aunsweres toke from him al his feare and caused him to beare theim fauour Thus whan they had done as muche as laie in theim and as muche as was possible for them to doo streighte the aide and succour of god was at hande and didde for theim his parte Than I saie this worke is not the woorke of god alone but the beginnynge thereof cometh of their purpose and redie minde For they were fully determined with theim selfe not to taste of the vnlefull meates And whan they had constantely and strongly kept this minde streight the becke of almightee god confirmed them in the same and brought their purpose to a glorious end Seest thou now in this place that who so euer hurteth not him selfe he can not be hurted of an nother For I praie the loke with me vpon the case of these thre children yonge thei wer in bondage in thraldome al alone there hanged ouer theim a stronge and mightee power cruel coÌ„mandmentes feare of deathe compulsion of the tiran and fierce thretninges One the other side helpe and succour was there none nother of kinseman nor of neighbour nor of câ—â—esen acquaintaunce none that coulde counsaile them to folow the beste no earthely comforte yet in all this heape was there nothynge that coulde hurt theim seyng their owne minde and pourpose hurted theim not But contrarie on the other side the chosen people of god the Iewes hauing on all sides soo many aides as I before rehersed so great succour and helpe of god yet they preuailed nothynge in the health of their minde only because their owne propre sluggisshenesse their owne frowardenes betraied and distroyed theim selues But lette vs retourne to our three children Thei first opteined this glorious victorie that they were not defoyled with foule and vnlefulle meates And whan the tiran was in this point ouerthrowen and cast vnder their fete thei were brought to great enterprises and battailes of more honour For a muche more cruell constreinment a far greater mischiefe and heynouse condicion was put before theim A furneys was set on fier the fierce and cruel people of the Persis clusterethe about theim the tiranne rageth all that countrey is set to disceiue and peruerte these simple and innocent childrene there is ordered dyuers and sundrie sortes of instrumentes to sounde after the sweete consente of musike O a new kinde of crueltee fier and musike is coupled together the threttenynges of tourmentes and feare of death is mingled with pleasure And yet all not withstandynge he that dothe his endeuour and vttermoste power can not be hurted of an nother yea by the inforcementes of his ennemies he shal increase in glorie and honour as by these foresaied meanes these children came to an higher victorie than they hadde before For the tiranne Nabugodonosor bounde them and cast theim in the saied fourneis of fier but he could nothyng hurte theim but did them passyng good in that his fiercenes and crueltee gotte them a greatter crowne and an higher rewarde For thei in the middes of the bournyng fornace in the middes of the ragyng Persis that bourned more than the very fier in furiouse madnes had a noble and glorious victorie ouer their ennemies and beyng but thre selly children and prisoners ouercame that hole nacion with their tirannye whose noble actes and honor is songe and shall be songe for euermore Thus than he that hurteth not him selfe an other persone can not hurte him I will not ceasse often to repete the title of my Sermon and summe of my purpose For if as we haue before touched nother imprisonmeÌ„t nor bondage nor thraldome nor the losse of countrey of all frendes and acquaintaunce nor an holle hoste of enemies nor the fier nor the cruell tiranne was not of sufficient power to hurt thre yong children beyng lefte of all aide beyng straungers and brought into the handes of their ennemies what thinge is there able to breake the vertue and courage of the minde But thou saiest to me God helped and was with them and deliuered theim out of the fier In likewise thou oughtest if thou fulfill thine vttermoste endeuour to hope and trust to haue the aide and grace of god For doubtelesse God will bee with the if thow leaue not before thy selfe How be it I do not compt the saied children happie and blessed because they trampilled and walked vpoÌ„ the fier without hurt but because they wolde be bounde and wold be cast into the fourneis for the laws of their countrey and of god the which thing contemeth their vertue praise and glorie For by and by whan thei were throwen in the fier beganne their victorie and in that instaunt momente they had deserued their reward by their assured faith and aunswere saiyng vnto the kyng We nede not aunswere the to this question for our god is in heauen whome we honor and serue that maie deliuer vs out of this bourninge ouen and shall deliuer vs O thou tyranne out of thy handes that if god will not deliuer vs thou shalte well knowe that to thy goddes wee will neuer bowe nor this image of gold that thou settest vp we neuer will worship Of these woordes they were crouned and in this testimony and faith thei hadde their rewarde and thanke of god in this rested their course the whiche thei ended in the martyrdome of theyr confession But as touching that the fire was a shamed to touche their bodyes and loused theyr bondes and forsaking his owne nature refresshed theim with the dewe of heauen in the middes of the hotte fourneis This was a poynte of the grace of god whose pleasure was to make his power be knowen by the wounder and meruaille of so straunge a thyng but the children in this had no vauntage their victorie was in their owne stedfaste confession in their owne constaunt and assured faith wherby they opteined the glory of so noble a martirdome What now canst thou creke against this althoughe thou arte banisshed thy countreye driuen frome thine acqueintaunce and frendes brought to thraldome to bee bounde in the seruice of cruell maisters All this hapned to the saied children thou liuest without teachyng withoute instruction wtout comfort the said children wer in the same case Thou art bounde thou art spoiled thou art constrained to die all this passed the saied childrene that euer by