hir furie more increaseth the great desire of pleasure is satiate by the which concupiscence is ingendered This is the Tyran of the fleshe the lawe of the members the nourishment and inflamation of sinne the languishing and feblenesse of nature and the foode of deathe No man is borne without it which if at any tyme wee happilye passe ouer not yelding thereunto yet doeth hir force alwayes remayne actually graffed in our flesh for if we shall say we haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and the trueth is not in vs O greeuous necessitie and vnfortunate estate of man before we can sinne we are fastened and straight linked to sinne And before wee can offend wee are bounde with offence By one man sinne entered into the world saith saint Paul and through sinne death hâ—th gone ouer all men Dyd not our fathers eate the bitter grape saye the Prophets and are not the teeth of their children set on edge therewith Of the feeblenesse and weaknesse of the yong infant Chap. 4. WHy then is lighte giuen to this poore wretche and lyfe to them which lyue in bitternesse of the soule happye are they which dyed before they were borne feelyng death before they knewe what lyfe is For some come into this world so deformed and monstrous that they seeme rather to be abominations than men for whom peraduenture it had bin better prouyded if they had neuer come in sight bicause they are set forth to be beholden as monsters For manye of them are borne dismembred and corrupt in their senses to the heauinesse and sorowe of their frendes to the ignominie of their parentes and to the rebuke of their kinsfolks To what end should I speake this particularly of some seeing that generally wee bee all borne impotent without knowledge without speech and without strength Wee come into this worlde lamenting feebly faint differing very little from brute beasts yea in worse case than they bee in many respectes For they as soone as they come forth doe by and by march and go forwardes and we can not only go vpright vpon our feete but being croked are not able to creepe with our handes Of the payne of the childes byrth and of his pitifull crying out Chap. 5. WEe be all borne yelling and crying to the end we may expresse our miserie For the man childe newly borne cryeth A the female E so that all crye A or E which commeth from Eua. And what is Eua but as much to say as Heu Ha which importeth alas or fye vppon me For these wordes beâ— both Interiections of him that soroweth or lamenteth expressing the greatnesse of his grief Hereuppon our first mother before hir sin committed in Paradise was called Virago but after she had sinned she well deserued to bee named Eua at the which tyme shee hearde God say vnto hir Thou shalte bring forth thy chylde in payne and sorow For there is no payne lyke to the grief of a woman labouring with childe Wherefore Rachel through the exceeding great payne of trauail with hir childe departing out of this life on hir death bed named hir son Benoni which is as much to say as the child of sorow and pain The wife of Phinees through sodayn pangs coÌ„ming vppon hir was deliuered of a childe both of theÌ„ died as it were at an instant yet in the very point of hir death she called hir chyld Icabod â— which is to say the child of no glory But as he which escaped after shipwrack is glad so the womaÌ„ when she is in trauel is sad but after shee is deliuered remeÌ„breth no more hir painâ— for ioy that there is brought forth a râ—â—sonable creature into the world Then to conclude she conceiueth hir childe in vncleannesse shee bringeth it fâ—orth with heauinesse and sorrowe she nourisheth it with anguishe and payne shee keepeth it with continuall care and feare Of the nakednesse of man Chap. 6. NAked commeth hee out of his mothers wombe into this worlde and naked shall he returne againe from hence he commeth poore and shall returne agayne poore For I came naked out of my mothers wombe sayth Iob and out of this world I shall returne naked agayne we brought nothing doubtlesse inâ—o this worlde bycause wee can take nothing with vs out of it If anye man goe out of the worlde clothed let him consider what kynde of appaâ—ell hee brought into it which willingly I will passe ouer as a thing vndecent to bee spoken and vnseemely to bee heard What â—ruiâ—e man bringeth forth Chap. 7. O Most vile vnworthye and miserable condition of man O vnseemelye and wretched estate Search out diligently and make sâ—rious inquisition of the hearbes and trees they doe of themselues bring forth â—lowersâ— boughes and fruites and thâ—n miserable wretche bringest forth nittes lyse and wormes They doe of their owne nature yelde oyle wyne and balme but thou vtterest things displeasant and odious they doe send forth from them sweete and pleasant odours thou lothsome and vnsauery smels such as the tree is such is the fruite for an euill tree can not bring forth good fruit And what is man according to his forme but a certayne tree turned vâ—side downe whose rootes be the heares whose trunke is the head with the necke whose sâ—ock is the brest with the belly the braunches bee the armes with the legges the leaues be the fingers with the ioyntes This is the leafe which is â—oste with euery wynde this is the tree that is ouerthrowne with euery blast and this is the stubble which is dryed vp with the sunne Of the incommodities of â—lde age and shortnesse of lyfe Chap. 8. IN the first beginning of mans estate we reade that men liued nine hundreth yeares and more but the lyfe of man declining by little and little God sayde vnto Noe my spirit or breath shal not remain alwayes in man for y he is fleshe his dayes shal be an hundreth twentie yeares which may bee vnderstoode as well of the terme of mans life as of the space of his repeÌ„tance For since that time forwards we seldom reade that man liued longer but when mans life was cut shorter the Psalmist sayd The dayes and tyme of our lyfe yeeres doe consist in the very number of seueÌ„tie years but if through the powers and forces of nature they be coÌ„tinued to the number of foure score yeres yet that tyme is but of more labour and sorow Shal not the smal number of my dayes saith Iob be ended in a short time our dayes passe ouer more swift than the webbe which is cut off by the weauer A man borne of a woman liueth but a shorte tyme and is replenished with many myseries which florisheth for a tyme and vanisheth away agayne euen as a flower hee also flyeth away lyke a shadowe and doeth neuer continew in one estate Fewe men now
THE MIRROR of Mans lyfe Plainely describing What weake moulde we are made of what miseries we are subiect vnto howe vncertaine this life is and what shal be our ende Englished by H. Kirton WORMES MEATE O FROATH O VANITIE WHY ART THOV SO INSOLENT IMPRINTED AT LONdon by Henry Bynneman 1576. TO THE RIGHT Honorable and his singular good Lady the Lady Anne Countesse of Penbroke mother vnto the Honorable Lord Compton H.K. vvisheth all honor and long lyfe TO auoyde the faulte of Ingratitude amoÌ„gst the olde Philosophers beeyng accompted one of the gretest I thoght it good ryght Honourable to dedicate this Boke vnto you as a token or argument of my good will rather remembring thaÌ„ requiting your bouÌ„tifull curtesie The which Boke was written aboue three huÌ„dred and threscore yeeres past entituled The miserie of man. The contentes whereof if with deep and due iudgement we doe consider we shall easily finde greate cause to make a rechlesse accouÌ„t of al worldly pomp vanitie that for great cause For our life in hir firste entrie into this world is encouÌ„tred with thre capital enimies paine care and sorow Payne bids the body battayle care continueth the skirmish and sorowe giueth the victorie It is a greeuous thing to behold our â—irst entertainement so displeasantly entreated wee lamente in the firste minute and rewe to the laste moment No sooner born but straight bounde hande and foote and cast into the cradle as into a prison wher we lie long time fast fettered in the feeblenesse of our owne flesh Then enter we into the warres that holy Iob speaketh of where he sayth The life of man is but warfare For there is no part of mans age that he passeth ouer in the whiche he hath not some combate to fight The firste conflict which we are to endure is infancy in the which time wee labour with the lacke of reason and fighte with our own folly not knowing where we are ne what wee are ne whence nor for what we come TheÌ„ after a time we haue to striue with our hands and feete vsing them to learne their duties And in this conflicte wee doe continue vntil the age of seuen yeres al the whiche time we are feble weak without iudgemeÌ„t or reason not able to help ourselues These yeeres ouerpassed we warre vnder the fear of the rod in spending time to learne some liberall science or else some other machanical arte wherby we may either aspire to some high estate or else procure our necessary sustenaÌ„ce In the third part of our age we enter into a most perilous skirmishe fighting againste the desires of the fleshe againste fonde affections and vaine imaginations whiche causeth the minde to be vnconstaÌ„t and to be caryed away with sundry fancies Fourthly we haue to encouÌ„ter with manhoode In this warfare we beare some couÌ„tenance in the coÌ„mon welth ambitiouslye seeking after honor and estimation and couetously affecting wealthe and riches To this age is incideÌ„t the charge of wife and children the maintenaunce of our family care of posteritie After all these foloweth the mayne battayle which neuer taketh peace with vs vntil our dying day In this field we receiue many wounds which neuer can bee cured as bleared eyes treÌ„bling hands gowty feete deaf eares wrinkled brows leane cheeks lothsom breth baldnesse corruption of stomacke with many moe miseries infinite whiche neuer rest to vaÌ„quish the body with furious assalts ne to disquiet the minde with troublesome thoughts to wound the conscience with the remembrance of things past And furthermore suche is the vnhappy lot of life that all those things whiche wee most greedily desire as honor richesâ— plesures wee leaue them again speedily and in our greatest dangers they do vs no good Therfore the wise Philosopher being demaÌ„ded what was the gretest thing in the world aunswered it was the valiaunte heart of a man that coulde coÌ„temne and lightly esteme the high mighty things of the world For honor and dignitie hath no assurance and in Fortunes fauoure is no stabilitie Philip king of Macedone obteined in one day three notable victories After the which he is sayd to haue kneeled downe vpon the grounde holding vp his handes vnto the Heauens crying out in this wise O Lady Fortune most vncertayne O my happie destenies I humbly beseech you that after this greate honor and glory whiche you nowe haue giuen mee you woulde moderate and temper the troubles afflictioÌ„s which in time to come you will lay vpon mee For commonly gret prosperitie is a messenger to greeuous calamitie nothing in this life is certayn or sure As Socrates affirmed when he sayd that the certaynest thing in this worlde was that all things were vncertaine It is written that diuers Captaynes came vnto Agesilaus and requested hym to walke vp vnto the hill called Olympus where saide they you shal see great wealthy merchantes vttering a world of riches and pretious Iewels His aunswere was this if I coulde buy or sell yea or exchaÌ„ge their sorow for mirth sicknesse for helthe deathe for life I would theÌ„ goe thither and spende all that I haue but I see quoth he that the biers sellers yea and the very things themselues are condemned to die and to perishe Wherefore neither the sight of any thiÌ„g nor the obtayning of anye thing there can better mine estate or help me at the hour of death wheÌ„ I must creepe into my graue For although honor wealthe and riches beare great rule amoÌ„gst meÌ„ yet they preuaile not against death To verefie the same I could wishe right Honorable other testimonie thaÌ„ the lamentable funerals of your louing daughter lately deceassed of whome I wil forbeare to speake much least the greene memory may rufully renew your forepassed sorowes In whome whiles she was what might be wished that she wanted Shee was indued with all excelleÌ„t gifts as beautie vertue and fortune Hir vertues were passing and made hir comparable with any of hir equals Hir beautie was singular and made hir most amiable What greater fortune than to be nobly borne and to liue in honor Shee feared God shee loued hir Prince she hâ—ted vice and followed vertue shâ—e pitied the miserie of the afflicted she releeued the necessitie of those that wanted she was the daughter of true nobilitie the mirror â—f al curtesie the mistresse of al modestie To be short she did well and dyed well Yet neyther noblenesse of birth nor yet the gifts of nature or Fortune could keepe hir with vs wheÌ„ death would haue hir Thus you may see howe lothsome our life is and howe vncertayne the transitorie things of this world are I hold him therefore most wisest that so liueth as though he shoulde always die There came one vnto Diogenes sayd O what a miserable thing it is to liue in this worlde vnto whom he answered my freÌ„d you are deceiued for it is no misery for a man to liue but it is a
hir selfe â— Uice sayth the Apostle corrupteth nature Therfâ—re the wicked meÌ„ saith he vanished away in their owne imaginations and their foolishe myndes and heartes were blynded and darkened wherefore God did suffer them to folow the desyres of their owne heartes in all vncleanlinesse to the ende they should bee iniurious vnto themselues and afflict their owne bodyes And as they haue forsaken to knowe God euen so God hathe delyuered them into a reprobate and wicked meaning that they maye doe those thinges which bee not conuenient But they which doe liue godly in our sauiour Christ doe suffer persecution For the holy men such as â—e now saynts in heauen haue sustayned mockes stripes yea moreouer â—aue proued fetters and imprisonment of the which some were stoned â—o death some cut in peeces some tempted and proued what they would doe and at the laste were put to death with the sworde for our Lords sake They went about in the world in sheepes skinnes in Goates peltes needye and poore troubled in their myndes much afflicted whom the world was not worthy of They wandered in the desertes and wildernesse amongst the mountaynes and in dennes and caues vnder the earth They were in the daunger of fluddes and waters in ieopardye of theeues in greate perill through their owne stocke and parentage in feare of the Gentiles of infidels and of false bretherne They traueyled in payne and sorow in much watching in huÌ„ger and thirst in many vexations and perplexities in colde and nakednesse For the iuste man doth deny and forsake him selfe crucifying his members with the vices and imperfections thereof that the world may be crucifyed â—n him he in the world He knoweth that he hath no sure nor continuall abode in this lyfe but doth seeke to enioye the euerlasting Citie to come he sustayneth this worlde as a banishment and his soule is closed vp in his body as a prison I am saith he a straÌ„ge pilgrime vppon the earthe and as a forener euen as all my forefathers and elders haue bene Suffer mee that I may bee refreshed before I goe from hence and before I shall beecome nothyng Alas that my banishment and dwellyng â—eere in this worlde is prolonged I haue continued long with those that haue their mansions amongest the harde Cedar trees and my soule hathe bin a â—â—raunge inhabitant with them very long Who is sicke and feeble and I not sicke Who is weake and I not troubled For the very offeÌ„ces and sinnes of bretherne and neighbours be greeuous to those which be iust men Of the enimyes of man Chap. 17. THe life of maÌ„ is nothing else but warfare vppon the earth Is it not a warfare in deede whereas many kynde of enimyes lye in wayte on euery syde that they may take persecute and kill vs as the diuil the world mankynde it selfe and the fleshe The deuil with vyces and fleshly desires man togither witâ— beastes and other creaâ—urâ—s the world with the elements the flesh with sensualities For the fleshe lusâ—eth contrary to the spirite and the spirite contrarye to the fleshe Yea we haue not only a combat against flesh and bloud but also against the spirituall authors of wickednesse which be in the ayre and agaynst the Lordes and rulers of darkenesse For your aduersary the deuil sayth saynt Peter goeth about like a roring Lyon â—eeking whome hee may deuour The firy darts of our wicked enimies are alwayes kindled against vs Death entreth in by the windowes the eye doth rob and spoyle the soule the whole world doeth fight against vs vnwise men for one nation warreth against an other and great earthquakes are in diuers places pestilence and hungers terrors and tempestes commeth downe amongest vs from the heauens The earth bringeth forth thornes and thistles the water bringeth forth inundations and fluds the ayre sendeth vppon vs stormes thunders lightnings and terrible fierye sightes The earth sayeth God to Adam shall bee cursed in thy labour it shall yelde vnto thee thornes and tâ—istles and in the sweate of thy browes thou shalt eate thy bread vntil thou doest returne againe into the earth The wylde bore of the wooddâ—s doth lye in waite for to deuour vs and euery wylde beast seeketh our destruction The Woulf the Bear the Lybard the Lyon the Tygar and the wylde Asse the Crocodile the Grife the Serpent the Snake the Basiliske the venimous worme called Aspis the Dragon the Cereastes the Scorpion and the Uyper also Nittes Lyce Emattes Fleas Gnattes and Flyes Hornettes and Waspâ—s Fishes and Foules all these I say doe lye in waite to make a praye of our persons For wee which in the beginning were created to beare rule ouer the fishes of the Sea and foules of the ayre and ouer all liuing things whiche moue vppon the earth are nowe become a praye for them to feed vppon For it is written I will set the teeth of beasts vppon them The lamentation of the soule being in prison Chap. 18. O Unhappy and wretched creature that I am who will delyuer mee from the torment of this earthly body Beholde the lamentation of the silly soule which would fayne bee discharged out of prison Whereof the Psalmist sayth thus O Lorde bring my soule out of captiuitie There is no rest nor quietnesse in anye place heere in this world No where is there founde any peace or securitie Feare and trembling is euerye where labour and griefe is in all places The fleshe is alwayes in labour griefe and sorow so long as it liueth and the soule doth mourne and lament hir greeuous estate and being Of the short ioye of man in this lyfeâ— Chap. 19 WHat man dyd euer passe ouer in thys lyfe one whole day in perfit mirth and ioye whome in some parte of that day either the remorse of conscience the vehement innaâ—ion of anger or the motion of fleshely luste hath not disturbed whome deuouryng malice the insatiable desire of auarice or else the secrete blastes of pryde haue not disquieted whom some losse of wealth offence committed or passion of the mind hath not distempered And to be short whom the â—ight of some thing loathsome or greeuous to behold or the â—earing of some thing sorowful or vndecent to be spoken or els some acte to be misliked hath not offended Truely if any such there beeâ— hee is as rare as a blacke swan Hearken what the wise man saith vppon this point From the morning vnto the euening the tyme shall bee chaunged vayne thoughts succeed one an other the mynd is seuered deuided into diuers motions men do delight to heare the pype the harpe or citherne and take great ioye to heare the Orgaynes or other musicall instrumentes and by all meanes they prouyde to passe their dayes in pleasure but alas in a momeÌ„t they fall downe into hell Of sodayne
death when Christ vpon the crosse shall appeare vnto the good and euill And Christ himselfe sayth of saint Iohn the Euangelist I will that he remayne so vntill I come that is to witte I will that hee remayne in his virginitie vntill I come to hys death Wee reade of foure commings of Christ two of them be visible and two inuisibleâ— He came visibly in â—umilitie to redeeme the world and hee shall come visibly in his maiestie to iudge the world Of hys iâ—uisible commings the firste is when â—ee commeth into the minde of man by grace according to the saying of our Lord in saint Iohns Gospell wee shall come vnto hym and dwell with hym The seconde is at the death of euery man And therefore â—aith Saint Iohn in his Apocalipse come vnto mee Lorde Iesus At whose comming that we may bee founde watchful and diligent seruantes let vs endeuor our selues to serue and feare him in holinesse and purenesse of life to whom with the father and the holy ghost be all honour maiestie glory power and dominion for euer and euer ¶ The thirde Booke of the Mirror of manâ— lyfe Of the putrifycation of the body when the soule is departed Chap. 1. THe soule of man sayeth the Prophet shâ—ll deparâ—e from himâ— and hee shall returne againâ— into earth â—â—oÌ„ whence â—e â—aâ—e In that day al hys thoughts worldly inuentions shal perish O how many how woÌ„derful greate are the Imaginations of mortal men aboute worldely prouision but when death shall preuent them al theyr deuises and inuentions shal soone vanish away and they shall quite decay euen as the shadowe when it declyneth or as the Grashoppers whyche soone are shaken from the graine Furthermore when the body and soule are separate asunderâ— theÌ„ shal they forsake with great griefe sorow such things as they loued in this life most derely For there is a terme appointed theÌ„ which can not be escaped at what time earth â—hal returne into earth as it is writen Thou arte earthe and shalt reâ—urn into â—arâ—â— agayne Bycause it is agreable to the course of nature that euery mortall thing shoulde be resolued againe into the selfe same substance whereof it was earst made Therfore sayth Dauid the spirites of men shall bee taken away from them and they shall returne inâ—o dust But when man shall dye his inheritaunce shall bee with brute beâ—stes and serpents for all men shall sleepe in the dust and the wormes shall eate their fleshe euen as the moâ—h the garment as hee doeth deuoure the woolle I shall be consumed sayth Iob as corruption and as the garment which is eaten of the moâ—he I sayde vnto rottennesse thou art my father and I called the wormes my mother sister Man is but a masse of putrifaction and the sonne of man is but corruption O what a lothsome parentage is that where rottennesse is the father and what an vncleane stocke is that whiche is vnited with worms For man is conceiued in corruption and in the burning heate of foule luste vppon whose dead carkasse the wormes doe waite as mourners In his lifâ— time he bringeth forth troublesome and tedious vâ—rmynâ— after death his fleshe engendreth wormes whilest hee liueth his body yeldeth noysome odious things and when hee dyeth hee becommeth a lumpe of foule and vncleane corruption During this lyfe his only care is to nourish and maintaine one but when he is dead he shall feede sustayne a number of wormes For what is more vgly and filthy to behold than is the vyle corpse of a dead man And what is more horrible vnto the sight than is the body wheÌ„ the soule is parted Hee whose embracings to vs were plesaunte whilest lyfe endured the verye sight of hym after death shall bee moste noysome What profitte then may wee reape of our ryches what good shall wee fynde of our delycate bankettes or what then shall auayle vs our dayntie dyet They shall not delyuer vs from the daunger of death they shâ—l not defende vs from the hungry wormes they shall not preserue vs from loaâ—hsome sauours Wee haue seene hym despysed and cast into graue whiche of late sate most gloriouslye in his princely throne The courteer that walked in sumptuous attyre lyeth nowe in the earth vnseemely to beholde and hee that was fedde with delicate fare is nowe to bee deuoured of wormes in the grounde Of the heauy remembrance of the damned soules Chap. 2. THe torments of wicked men shall bee the worme and fire And both of these haue sundry operations For the one worketh inwardly the other tormeÌ„teth outwardly The worme which worketh inwardly doth alwayes eat deuour the hart the fyre whicâ— tormenteth outwardly doth alwayes burnâ— consumeth the body The worme of theÌ„ saitâ— the Prophet shall neuer dye and theyr fyrâ—â— shal not be quenched Our Lord wyll sendâ— fyre and wormes for theyr fleshe that theâ— may burne and feele the smarte for euerâ— The worme of conscience shall vexe them repentaunce shall trouble them and perâ—plexitie of minde shall torment them Fâ—â— they beeing fearefull and tymorous shaâ—â— call to remembraunce theyr sinnes aâ—â— theyr owne wickednesse shall bewrâ—y then and thus they shall saye within theâ— selues What goodnesse haue wee prâ—â—cured by our pryde or what profite hâ—â— wee obtayned by worldly pompe and â—â—niâ—ie and what can our riches nowe auaile vs All these things are gone paste euen as the shadowe or as the shippe which passeth ouer the raging waues whose track is neuer seene agayne So wee mortall men whiche are borne into this world doe quickely perishe and decay and swiftly approche vnto our ende Of â—ertue wee are scarcely able to shewe any signe at all but wee are consumed in our owne malyce and wickednesse Therefore with greate vexation of mynde shall the damned soules often remeÌ„ber those things whych with great mirth and ioylitie they did commit in thys liâ—e that the remembrance at all maâ— augment thâ—yr payne whome the styng of sinne prouoked to wickednesse Of the vnâ—roâ—itable repentance of the damned Câ—ap 3 THey shal say vnto them selues repeÌ„ting we haue gone astray from the waye of truth and the lighte of righteousnesse hathe not shynâ—d vppon vs. Tâ—en shall they crye vnto the mountayns and say O you mountaynes fall vppon vs and you hilles couâ—r vs They shall repent to their pâ—in but theiâ— coÌ„uersion shall not obtaiâ— pardon For it is according vnto iustice that those which would not repent when they might shal not when they desire obtaine mercie God gaue them oportunitie and space to repent and they abused his time of long sufferance And therfore sayde the riche man which was tormented in hell O father Abraham I beseeche thee that thou wouldest sende Lazarus vnto my fathers house that he may signifie vnto them what is become of mee leaste thaâ— they also fall