conscience where euer is a place a seete for the hie maiestie of the holy trinitie All other thinges necessary for this lyfe be not to be cared for nor yet to be valured more then their dignities requirith that is to say no more thaÌ„ is coÌ„uenient for instrumeÌ„tes toles to y e pilgremage passage of this straÌ„ge couÌ„trey For in this world we haue no home our father dwelleth not in his region we be in this lyfe out of our ê“pre countrey we shulde hast home ward to the ioyful preseÌ„ce of our owne father y t abydeth vs in heuen the whiche hath a greatter charge ouer vs his chyldern here than he hathe ouer the beastes or byrdes the whiche by his only prouision without their care lacketh nothinge for their necessitie Moche more sayth our master Christ if we tourned all our care to godwarde we shulde not be destitute of such thinges as necessarily this present lyfe nedeth And where Christe so streytly commaundeth almes dedes sayinge that who so euer helpeth not a pore man in his nede he wil not helpe him nor yet knowe him at the fearefull day of dome in so moche that it pleaseth Christ to say that euery pore man representeth the person of goddes son so that he that regardeth not a pore man despiseth the son of god In this doctryne what thynke you Whether dothe Christe commaunde almes deades for the poore mans sake that shulde take almes or for the ryche mans sake that shoulde gyue almes In takynge almes I fynde no vertue and nedes it is a thynge parteynynge to vertue that Christ wolde haue done Therfore surely it is for the ryche mans sake For it is Christes lesson that techeth vs to haue no inwarde loue to these casual goodes the whiche we must put from vs where we see theym that wante suche thynges And a profe of a perfecte stomake is taken in him that vtterly leauyth and forsakethe all this worlde to folowe Christe the whiche beddeth the ryche man that wyll be perfecte to go sell al that he hath deale all to poore men For as harde a thynge it is to plucke through the smale nedels eie a greatte caboull rope as to brynge a ryche man in at heuens wycket not that it is impossible for a riche man to be saued but by cause it is harde for a man in a whelthy state to kepe his minde in a due order to godward without beyng drowned or infected by the contagious lustes and corrupted plesures the which foloweth the fortunate lyfe of this worlde And nothynge is more in a rich man to be feared than lest he sette his mynde to loue his ryches the whiche loue can neuer stande with the pleasure of god Remembre the sayenge of thappostelle saynct Paule The loue of ryches is the rote of all syn Therfore let not this loue grow in your harte from whense shuld springe the frute of damnation Here of my frende walker I trust you se that without question it is Christes wil to haue vs lyttel regarde this life and moche lesse to regarde all the commodities apperteining to this lyfe It is god that sayth The losinge of lyfe in this worlde is the fynding of life in a nother worlde and that wepynge sorowe peyne tribulation pouertye shame persecution and fynally death in this lyfe is laughinge ioy pleasure ease ryches honour quietnes and fynallye lyfe in the kyngedome of god Contrarye the same maister testifiethe that myrthe welthe reste glorye abundance strengthe libertye rule fynally life in this worlde is lamentyng grefe trouble slaunder myserye wekenes thraldome bondage and fynally deathe in goddes reygne In this tenor and key sowneth al our holy scripture Wherfore my thynke it is inough to proue to a Christened man that the welthy state of this worlde is vayne and ieoperdous by cause Christe so teacheth and preacheth and surely a greater profe by reason for this matter with you I wyll not vse atte this tyme. Let Christe be beleued that beddeth you gether a tresure in heuen where your ryches shall besure from mothes wormes and rustynge from theues fyer and water If your treasure be ones couched in heuen streyghte your harte shall also be there and soo shall you take no pleasure of taryinge in this lyfe but rather it shal be werines and tediousnes to you to be here absente from your hartes desyre the whiche alwaye stycketh and cleueth to your treasure in heuen If hit soo be that after Christes consaille you haue there put al your goodes and substance If nother we feare death nor loue this lyfe I thynke the chefe impedimentes lettis of our purpose to dye wel be taken away nowe we may a litel deuise what thing may helpe vs in our iourney after these stones and blockes be gone ¶ In my mynde nothynge shalle further vs more to a gladde deth than shall an ordinate lyfe that is to liue in a iust a due maner after one rule one forme euer awake in a quicke remeÌ„braÌ„ce of death as though euery houre were our last space of induraunce in this world When you rise in the morning determine so to passe y e day folowing as though at nyght a graue shuld be your bed Let euery daye be reckened with you as your last This minde shal make you bestowe well your lyfe the whiche is to you vncerteyne howe longe it shall contynue ye rather in doubte you be how sone or how shortly life shalbe taken from you What so euer you take in hande bethinke you that before you ende it death may oppresse you workynge This is the thynge that Christ wolde haue vs do when he so often warneth and admonisheth vs to take hede and to loke aboute vs bycause nother the daye nor the houre of our callynge is certayne to vs. Therfore it is our parte of a tyme so moche vncertaine to make a time sure certayne and present that we neuer be taken vnwares by the whiche meanes we shal gladly suffre deth seyng it is a thyng so longe before prepared For why shulde it be a strange thynge to reken euery day to be the laste I see not but that thynge that happeneth and chanseth to some of vs myght come to any of vs and lyke wise all might haue that that a fewe hath There is no cause to deny but as wel this day you or I myght dye as we see this day some other deed though we be not deed this daye yet it is trowthe that this day we dye and dailye sithen our fyrste byrthe we haue died in as moche that dayly some parte of our life hath ben diminished euer as we haue growen so euer life hath decresed We were babys we were chyldern we were boyes we were yonge men all these ages be loste and tyll yesterdaye all tyme past is gone and lost This same selfe day that we nowe lyue is deuyded and parted with death Styll without ceassing we approche
⧠A COMPENDIOVS AND A VERY FRVTEFVL TREAtyse teachynge the waye of Dyenge well written to a frende by the flowre of lerned men of his tyme Thomas Lupsete Londoner late deceassed on whose soule Iesu haue mercy ⧠To dye vvell THey say it is a point of a prowde vanitie or a stubburne foly to kepe sure and certaine whatsomeuer is ons sayde always it semeth not to wise men that a promis shulde be sticked by in as moche there maye chaunce greater causes to breke a promys then the reasons be why promisse shulde be performed As if I haue sayd that I wyll suppe with you hit is not inoughe to bynde me agaynste all chaunces I may fall sycke I may haue at home some necessary impediment the wether may so fal that it is no going out many casualties may happen that were not in mynde whan such promysse was made Wherfore wyse men say in all makyng of promes there be euer vnderstonde some secrete exceptions such as be these If I can If I maye If it be conuenient If no greater cause happen to let me By the whiche exceptions a promes neuer byndeth a man ferther than is accordinge to be obserued and kepte ¶ If I thought my frende Iohn̄ Walker that you wold take myne excuse by the sayde exceptions I wold rather by them escape my promesse that I haue made to you than I wold fulfyl it For whan I sodenlye agreed to your requeste that was to haue me write to you the way of dyenge well I consyderid not at that tyme what the thynge was After I perceyued more difficulte in it then was mete for my poore witte specially beynge as you maye see me other wise occupied in such studies as appertayne to my leasure and of shortly this lesson to lerne the way of dyenge well hath nede to haue a mayster the whiche knowethe both what our life is and what the losse of the same is Nor no man in mynde can effectuously teache the way to dye well excepte he be one that knoweth the way to lyue wel And plainely the mater requireth a philosophers stomake and a sadde For suche a one as Marcus Cato was were a man mete to entrete this thynge he knewe what valure ley in deathe the whiche he sought bothe with swerde and his nayles tearynge out his owne bowelles ¶ I wolde thynke a Catulus or a Mercula shoulde speake lustely to you of dethe seinge they shewed theyr couragious harte nothynge to esteme life when the time required eyther to dye with honour or to lyue with shame These men and suche other wolde shewe you the waye to go to deathe longe before death came to you But none of all the paynymes canne eyther with worde or with ensamples of theyr actes declare this thynge so trewly and effectually as may he that is exercised in Christes philosophye a Paule or a Peter or a Hierom shulde here in speke more lyuely than al y e subtyl clerkes of the olde grekes Yet to me for my parte it is an harde thyng eyther to play with you one of this sorte or of that sorte It passeth my power to speake to you eyther lyke Socrates or lyke Chrysostome So that if the sayde exceptions be with you admittid in a promis makynge I may trewely denye you the performaunce of my grauntinge in as moche when I promised you this thynge there was vnderstandyd if I coulde if it were conuenient I nother can well declare this waye of dyenge nor yet me thynke it is not conuenient for me lyuyng in this commen course of the worldely folke to speake of deth so ernestly as a monke of the Charter house shoulde and myght do But by cause I knowe your importune desire to be so set vpon this thyng y t nedes you wyll haue me say somewhat herein I wyll praye you so to rede me as the tale not onely to be wrytten of me for you but that I my selfe am also an auditor of the same and as moche shall I enforce to folowe the counsayle that in my sayenge I aduyse you as thoughe the hole worke pertayned only to my selfe Wherin take this note for your comfortes that I write nothynge to you that I wyshe not were in my owne power to execute Thus I with you and you with me both of vs fast yoked to gethers let vs endeuour our selfes to be in dede suche men as we commende and prayse For as it is shame to speke one thinge and to thinke an other so it is a more shame to write holyly and to lyue worldlye And as great a rebuke there is in him that can here and praise good sayinges but doo there after he wyll not Now than let vs not speke only of the way to dye well but in effecte let vs indeuer our mindes to haue the frute of this lesson to make in dede a good ende of our lyfe And here nowe withoute any ferther proces I wyll begynne to pay you my dette and shortelye you shall knowe my mynde howe you maye dye well ¶ As I was bethynkynge me to wryte some thyng of this mater to the satisfyinge of your desyre I torned a boke where my memorie gaue me to be a story of one called Canius that lyued vnder the tyrante Caligula Cesar. This Canius beside his hye lernyng was a man of a great spirite the whiche he wel declared in the maner of taking his deth It chansed hym to falle out for a certayne cause with the sayde tyrante and many sore wordes were betwene them at the laste whan the tone was departynge from the tother this emperour in his fierse ire sayde Well thou fole make mery if thou wylt for I haue poynted the within few dayes to be slayne Therat Canius turned him with lowe courtesy and sayd My most gentill prince I hartely thanke you ¶ This answere came from a noble stomacke whereby he shewed the mad ragis of the cruell tyrant to be so ferre intollerable that vnder hym dethe was to be reckened for a benefit and a good tourne wherfore he thanked hym for his offer as for a specyall rewarde And great merueil men had to behold this Philosopher howe mery he was after this tyrantes thretenynge There were .x. dayes gyuen of respite before he shuld dye the whiche tyme he so passed that he neuer semed to be in lesse care nor to haue his mynde in better quietnes ¶ Whan the daye came of execution the kinges geyler hangmanne wente abowte the towne with a greatte companye of them that shoulde suffer death the whiche passing by this Canius house they called hym to be broughte also forth amongest the other at the whiche tyme Canius was playinge atte the chestes with one of his companions and hearynge theym make haaste he rose and telled his men sayinge to his companion Loke nowe that after my deathe you lye not nor make no false crakes that you haue wonne this game There with also he bekenid to the gailer
the cruel tirant eate of his burned syde whiles the tother parte was a rostynge This saying declared that this hoâ—y marter feared no death ¶ Howe manye thousandâ— martyrs suffered incredyble peynes of slayinge with hookes they skyn from the fleshe of scrapynge with tyle stones the fleshe from the bones of rentynge and tearynge membre from meÌ„bre with horses with bowed branches of trees of beatynge with whippes tylle the bowelles fall out of hangynge of burnynge of Crucyfyinge of infynite straunge and newe deuyses for payne Howe manye I saye suffred all that cruelle tyrantes coulde imagyn eyther with hande fyer or ironne rather than they wolde ons deny them selfe to be of Christis profession Whan it was proclaimed that who so euer wold saye he was Christened he shulde cruelly be put to deth There passed no daye without a great nuÌ„bre of them that boldly spoke tho wordes of the whiche shoulde folowe so blouddye a slaughter This was a manyfest token that feare of death hadde no maner of place with our blessed martirs the whiche with a constante boldnes defied and dispised the myghty cruell and fierse emperours theyr courage to dye ouerthrew the ragyng madnes of tyrantes The cause of this myrthe in so pitious martyrdomes was that this blessed men knewe howe Christe nother could nor wolde deceiue them but y t for theyr lyttel regarding of this lyfe they shoulde opteyne an other lyfe where their ioy shuld neuer haue nother change nor decrease nor ende Therfore my good Walker mystruste you not Christe whose doctryne the heuen and the erthe hath by innumerable myracles this many hundreth yeres approuyd and confyrmed to be trew the bloude of so may sayntes haue witnessed the same and the diuels with all the damned spirites soo surely beleue the trouthe of Christes teachynge that they trymble and quake thereat Be not moued with the common ensample of the hole worlde though both spirituall and temporall men though the pope with all his cardinalles byshoppes and prestes thoughe the princes with all theyr gentylmen and subiectes mangnifye esteme loue noryshe and by all meanes cheryshe this lyfe yet beleue you the trouth and thinke al the world false where Christes sayinge agreeth not with that the world doeth If it were possible that you sawe the angels of heuen lyue contrary to the preachynge of Christe yet ageynste them all beleue the sonne of god and loue not to abyde in this lyfe when Christe calleth you hense make a smale valure of this present plesures whaÌ„ Christ sayth all be vanites may be torned to endles sorowes Regarde no honour no promotion here when Christe sayth the place of honour is in heuen and here is none aduaÌ„cement that is not both shame and also may be cause of a perpetualle wretchednes Dispice the ease and rest that these riches bringeth in as moche Christe saythe that of them be taken many impedimenntes and lettes to enter into the sure quietnes of blessed soules Thynke no place to be for your abydyng in this world when christe sayth here is not your couÌ„trey but your father and your dwelling place is in heuen Haast therfore hence This is to saye be wyllynge to forsake this straunge countray And seinge the waye to your homewarde lyeth by deathe take a couragious stomake to die and dye gladly that you may dye well Beleue I say Christe you shall thynke it paynefull to be in this lyfe Beleue Christe and you shall be gredye to be partaker of the heuenly ioyes whervpon wyll folowe a plesante remembraunce of deathe by the whiche you shall departe frome your peyne to that ioye the whiche you desyre And hereof is made a glad dyinge the whiche I styl name a good dieng Thus if we canne take this feare awaye we be well forwarde and herof wyll easyly insue the reste that is to dye gladlye It is a true sayinge that who so euer feareth death he shal neuer do a dede worthy for a lyuyng man Therfore if hit were but onely for lyfes sake it is our parte to despise the feare of deathe ¶ Besyde this feare of deathe the loue I say of this lyfe soore hyndereth the gladnes of dyinge no man dyeth gladly that estemethe moche this lyfe He that rekeneth in this worlde hym selfe happye when he hath gotten ryches possessions auctoritie promotion a ryall state a princelyke courte abundaunce of welthy fare a rule and power bothe to auaunce his frende and to vndo his foo this man I say that glorieth in his fantasye for these and such other thinges can not but with moch sorow depart hence To this maÌ„s hart y e remembrance of deth is a euer greuous thoughte his mynde canne not but lament whan he seeth the necessite to be pluckid and drawen frome these commodities in the whiche resteth the ioye pleasure and gladnes of his mynd he hath so stedfastly accustomed hym selfe to take this worlde for heuen that it wyll not synke in his brayne to hope of an other heuen he hath so corrupted his taste with thinkyng this lyfe to be swete that nedes it must be a bytter thyng to make an ende of all his pleasures and in this case be not onely they that haue this worlde at their wyll but also they be in the same case that haue naught and be gredy of hauynge As moche loueth he this worlde that wolde fayne be ryche as he that is ryche It is nat the hauynge nor the lackyng of abundance in goodes that maketh a sorowfull hart in the remembraunce of dethe but it is the mynd that valureth and pondreth these present goodes to be of a great price and worthy to be tarid for This mind I say as wel in a coÌ„muner as in a kynge as well in a yoman as in a lord as wel in an hermite monke or frier as in a marchant plowmaÌ„ or vacabunde as wel in beggers as in ryche men is the thinge that causeth sorow in dying And gladly no manne dyeth that loueth the welthe of this lyfe Wherfore the lerning to die wel requireth necessary a lesson howe moche the goodes of this worlde be worthy to be regarded And let the truthe haue in your stomacke his place so that if it be tru that the thinges of this life be worthy to be loued and to be cared for than loue you them and care for them If the truth be other wise change your mynd nother loue these saide thynges nor care for them Of the truth in this matter no man can dout that beleueth Christe whom if you thynke to be god you muste also thinke it all trouth that he saith It can not be otherwise then Christe testifieth whose preching euer exhorteth vs to wylful pouertie the which is nother to loue y e goodis of this world though we haue theÌ„ nor to care for them though we haue them not only by Christis teching we shulde care for the kingdom of heuen the whiche standeth in the clennes of
to death by thexpence wast of lyfe Thus dyinge we alway be though death be not alway vpon vs. Conceyue than this ordinate lyfe in your mynde bestowe your tyme whilest you haue the tyme. Aboue all thynges â—â—y idelnes the whiche is a thynge bothe to the body and to the soule lyke a kankerynge rustines and as an earynge consumption hit wasteth to naughte bothe vertue and strength A man the whiche is in the lyfe that you be may sone be corrupted with this contagion of idelnes if he be not well ware diligently enforce him selfe to the contrary For I se you haue a maister so affectionate giuen to you y t he wyll nother suffer you lacke any thynge mete for your helthe or quietnes but also he had rather forbeare his owne commodities than for his seruyce you shulde be disquieted So tender he is in all poyntes ouer you that if you ponder well his state and your owne condition you shall finde your life better defended from all stormes agaynst the mindes rest than your maisters condition is He is in suche a syghte of the worlde that necessarily his studye and care muste moue hym to satysfye the greatte expectation that his hole contrey hath of his towardnes And fortune on the tother syde is so contrary to hym that nedes he muste by wisdom procure with no smale thoughte howe he may in penury maynteyne the outwarde face of his reputatyon so that for your quietnes his mynde often laboureth where you may do what you wyll without feare of the worldes displeasure without feare of lackynge or not hauynge inough for your necessarys and moche more than necessitie requireth Labour haue you none but that maye be rather takeÌ„ for a pastime thought to plese your maister you nede not take in as moch you may be assured that he can not nor wil not for the time of his lyfe chaunge his affectioÌ„ toward you Therfore I say it may be fered in one of your state lest idelnes shuld brede a foule slouens neste the which were inough to distroye all lustines of vertue to make you longe deed and buried in this worlde before lyfe forsaketh you For my good IohnÌ„ I wyll haue you knowe and remembre that idelnes is called the graue of lyuynge men it is the thynge wherin life dyeth and therby your soule is twyse buryed in you ons in your bodye nexte in your slothe The whiche vyce in seruynge men most reyneth and the same is roote of manye vnthrysty thoughtes whervpon folowethe a worse idelnes than the tother is For it is an yuell ydelnes to do no thynge but a worse ydelnes hit is to do not well Suche an ydel felowe sainct Chrysostomus calleth a dissolatynge or a voyde baityng place wherinto the dyuel entrith as in to his owne howse by good right For where vertu is not exercised there the enmy of grace claymith his rule it is not now mi purpose to shewe what you shuld do y t you might not only fly idelnes but also be well occupyed This were a mattier inoughe for a nother worke I haue my intente at this tyme if you se that death is not to be feared and that by contynuall remembraunce of death you shall prepayre your selfe to dye gladlye with a good wyll the whiche you can not do onles you be in hope of the euerlasting life this hope requireth some trust in the clenes of a good conscience the which euer foloweth a gracious inteÌ„t of liuiÌ„g wel So y t if you liue wel you shal dye wel And of the way to liue wel you caÌ„ not misse if you arme your minde to be strong agaynst al suddennes of deth Pray euer continually without cessing you must but what is this continuall prayer I wolde you lerned For of prayer it is but one fynal portion the sayinge of psalmes or axing with wordes of god his grace the very praier is to be euer wel mynded to be euer in charitie to haue euer the honour of good in rememberance to suffre no rancore none yre no wrath no malice no syn to abyde in your delyte but to be in a continual good thought the which you maye kepe whether you slepe or wake whether you eate or drynke whether you feaste or fast whether you rest or labour neuer paraueÌ„ture you can pray better than whaÌ„ you must giue your selfe to serue your maister to whom y e course of your life is due boundeÌ„ specially when god hath giuen you suche a maister whom your seruice caÌ„ not plese without you be studyous to please god For wel you see y t with out vertue your seruyce were to your maister an vnsauery thynge but as I haue sayd it is not now my purpose to apoint you the way of lyuynge wel if you haue harde inoughe to dye wel I haue for my parte nowe sayde inough shortlye by the same you shall of your selfe without farther helpe fynde the waye to lyue well Nowe that by this I thynke my promysse fulfilled I will at this poynte bed you farewel and I pray god giue you a stronge corage to passe valy antly through death to come from thence to euerlastynge lyfe by the helpe and grace of our mayster and sauyour Christ to whome lette vs for euer more render al glory prayse and honour Amen At Paris the .x. day of Ianuarye ☞ Thomas Berthelet regius impressor excudebat An. 1534. CVM PRIVILEGIO â—orldâ—â—â—an Spiritâ— men Temporall meâ— â–ª Franciâ— Philip. â—o dye â—yll Two lâ—tes to dâ—â— gladly What deâ—â— is â—he soule â—he lyfe Whethâ—â— deth 〈◊〉 selfe bâ— good 〈◊〉 yuel Death not goâ—â— â—â—athe is 〈◊〉 yuel Deathâ— nother good nâ—â— yuell o feare ath â—eathe is â—ot to be â—eared â—â—â—essitie Loue this lyâ—â— What dreth glad 〈◊〉