vnfaythful / and with out fayth no man maye please the / and thus all my lyfe is dyspleasynge vnto the. ¶ A good lorde what shall I do for I want fayth of the / fere of the / loue of the / drede of the / but I want not the drede of the worlde / loue of the worlde / and shame of the worlde And thus the ymage of my soule is defauted made foule iÌ„ thy syght and is depreued thy grete vertues where by it sholde be made fayre and acceptable to the what shall I do than but tourne me to the aske mercy for that I haue spenbed my lyfe so myserably A than I maye calle my soule a synfull soule whiche is without drede of the wtout shame of synne vnderstandynge that after the ordre of thy ryghtwysnesse synne muste haue sorowe / than my soule ought to haue sorowe / and al my lyfe sholde he we pynge / who shal gyue teres ynough to myn eyen that I maye wepe ynough for my myserable lyuynge / and lamente that I euer haue spent so myserably my tyme which I can not now reuoke agayen / ne fruytfully recoÌ„pence but by sorowe for my synne ¶ Alas I haue loste the well of lyfe and of al true solace / and I haue delued in the olde stynkynge cysterne of synne / and the deceyuable water ther of whiche semeth in yâ— begyÌ„nynge swete and delectable / now it is tourned in to bytternesse / abhomynacyon / and grete sorowe ¶ O moost mercyfull lorde whiche arte the wel of pyte of grace frome whome the flode of celestyall glorye doth streme vpon all the heueÌ„ly courte Replenysshynge them with all pleasure delectacyons passynge yâ— possybylyte of mannes thynkynge / gyue me good lorde in this vale of my serye for the glorye of thy name the spyryte of compunccyon that I may bytterly wepe for my synnes and to be preuylegyate by thy grace neuer frome hens forward daÌ„pnably to affend the. ¶ O merueylous god how myserably is my soule / whiche only can not sorowe accordynge to the greuous offences that it hath done in this lyfe but also it is in maner benomen and deed / for it feleth not the grete goostly sorowes that it hath / wherby excepte it haue helpe by meane of penaunce it shal be broughte to the bytter paynes of euerlastynge deth A I may curse synne the whiche hath brought me so ferre frome the good lord / and so ferre fro my selfe that I haue loste my felyÌ„ge yâ— quyckenesse of my spyryte / and the goostyly taste of all sprytuall pleasure and delectacyons in vertue ¶ A myserable soule a synfull soule why arte thou so dulle so slowe to all good werkes whiche art to the pleasure of god / and to thy perpetuall promocyon and endlesse Ioye / perpetual blysse and hertely gladnesse / why arte thou so prompte and so redy to all wretchednesse and al werkes of abhomynable synnes whiche are to yâ— grete dyspleasure of almyghty god / and to thy grete payne and sorowe and dampnacyon bothe of soule of body Why arte thou so oblyuyous and forgetfull of fruytfull vertuous doctryne / and so retentyâ—e of euyll fpekynge and wordes Incytynge to synne Woo woo mayst thou be whiche leueste the waye of vertue chosest the waye of hyces / leuest the waye of saluacyoÌ„ and takest the waye of dampnacyon Thou haste lyfe and deth bothe layde before the / and whiche thou wylt thou mayste chose Louest thou not lyfe / hatest thou not deth louest thou not delectacyoÌ„ and pleasure / hatest not thou payne and sorowe Alas how vnhappy arte yâ— than whiche chosest the waye of synne / the waye of deth / yâ— waye of payne endlesse sorowe / and wylfully leuest yâ— waye of vertue whiche ledeth to lyâ—e Ioye and endlesse myrth with al yâ— herte can thynke or desyre consolacyon Thou rennes to bodely deth not only bodely wherby thy soule shall be departed frome thy body / but also the goostly syght of deth where thou shalt be for euer departed frome the face and clere vysyon of god whiche is yâ— lyfe to thy soule lyke as thy soule is lyfe to thy body / the paynes of fyre and the terryble syght of the deuylles shall not be so greuous vnto the / as the sondrynge frome thy lord god whiche full sure the thou shalte se hym in his glorye Wold not thou saye that suche a man were worthy sorowe and payne whiche wolde chose to go that way were it neuer so pleasauÌ„t there he knewe certaynly / yf he contynued therin that he shal be taken with theues robbed and put to the moost bytterest payne of deth Then I counseyll the by tymes leue the waye of synne / for the ende therof is endlesse sorowe / and the pleasure yâ— cometh therof be it neuer so grete it shall hastly passe And yf thou come to that ende thou shalt take thy leue also true as god is true frome all pleasures without ende Our lorde of his grete mercy offred to the eternall pleasure for a shorte temporall payne suffred accordynge to the ordenauÌ„ce of his wyl / yf thou wylt refuse so grete a lucre for so lytel a payment than thou arte an vnhappy marchaunt Then yf thou wylt not folowe the wyll of god in suffryÌ„ge of this payne / but wyll fulfyll thynowne wyll in takynge thy shorte synfull pleasures of this lyfe / arte not thou than worthy / by the ryghtwysenes of god to lose and be depryued of this perpetuall Ioye pleasure thou canst not resonably saye nay For thou that wylt refuse so inestymable a Ioye for so lytell a pryce / than thou settest lytell therby / in that thou dysablest thy self to haue it ¶ And of very equyte thou whiche wylfully and syÌ„fully forsakest â—â—â—â—nal saluacyon / thou deseruest by the ryghtwysnesse of god to haue eternall payne and dampnacyon Then beholde vpon the ryght syde the mercy of god whiche is redy to gyue the perpetuall Ioye for a shorte vertuous payne And beholde vpon the lyfte hande the ryghtwysnesse of god whiche shall gyue the eternall payne for refusynge of eternal Ioye whiche thou forsokest for a shorte syÌ„ful pleasur / thaÌ„ beware what thou doost / he of his grete grace offereth the perpetuall Ioye And yf thou wylt so lyghtly refuse it / than he thryteth the with endelesse sorowe and payne that thou mayste not escape his handes / chose the now whether thou wylt for a lytel payne haue endelesse pleasure / or for a lytel symple solace haue endelesse payÌ„e and sorowe / and one thou muste nedes chose I counseyll the to take payne and leue pleasure / drawe the to the ryght hande that thou be not founde at the daye of dome amonge the damned people vpon the lyfte hande / leue vayne and synfull temporall Ioye for the ende therof is sorowe / yf thou lyuest after thy pselaunt desyres of thy flesshe it shall
brynge the to endelesse and paynfull dethe / yf thy flesshe lyue after thy soule / and thy soule after god / than thou shalt lyue eternally ¶ A my seke vnstable soule / dulle soule / myserable synfull soule / thou wold haue helth / strength / loue / power thou wold be moche made of / haue rychesse / fredom frēdshyp / thou wolde be wtout fere wtout heuynesse / thou wolde be swyfte / lyght / ympossyble / why sekest thou the goddes in the regyon of dethe they are not here they are only there where is very lyfe / and no lyfe may be called very lyfe but only that lyfe whiche is eternall lyfe / for there deth hath no power ony thynge to mynysshe thy lyfe or ony thynge that apperteyneth to that lyfe / for frome y◠lyfe dethe is perpetuelly exyled whiche maketh this lyfe no lyfe / and all thynge to vanysshe awaye whiche perteyneth to this lyfe ¶ A my soule loue that lyfe that lorde aboue all thynge whiche shall gyue the that Ioyful lyf that blessed lyfe perdurable and eternal lyuynge what hast thou in this mortal lyf but laboure werynesse sorow and payne / with these thou begynnest lyfe / with these thou cōtynuest thy lyfe / with these thou shalt ende thy lyfe / that pleasures are shortly passynge / the sorowes and paynes are longe abydynge / and all erthly Ioyes are medled with myserye of synne / thou thynkest synne is but lytell / wolde god thou woldest call it to mynde how greuous it is in the syght of the grete Iuge of the worlde a ▪ myghty god remembre how greuously he hath punysshed syn̄e / grete parte of the aungelles he caste out of heuen for synne whiche are of all creatures moost excellent in naturall perfeccyon ¶ O how shalt thou thynke thā that he shal spare the whiche arte synfull / for thou arte no thynge so precyous ī nature as the leest aungell whiche was loste and dampned for synne / thy body is but a dounghylle and a sacke of stynkynge myste / than truste thou that yf thou wylt not leue synne thou shalte perysshe with them / for the ryghtwysnesse of god wyll punysshe synne / ryght they shall perysshe frome y◠perpetual pleasure glorye of god whiche wyll not leue synne / all we are exyled frome paradyse for synne / all the worlde was drowned excepte .viii. persones in y◠tyme of Noes floode for synne the fyue cytees of whiche one was Sodome Gomorre were distroyed with fyre and brymstone sanke downe for synne / the Egipcyans were drowned in the rede see for synne / the chyldren of Israel were kylled a grete nombre in deserte for synne / now all the .xii. trybus are in captyuyte for syn̄e / translacyons of kyngdomes Empyres fro man to man is for synne / batayles / pestylence / and hungre in comyn plages of god contynually in some parte of the worlde or vpon the people is for synne and fynally all desyre of synne shall cease frome all pleasure and tourne to vnremedyable paynes and synners shall be put with synners in euerlastynge woo there as they shal neuer tourne to Ioy or pleasure agayne ¶ A wretched soule why sorowest not thou for synne / seeste thou not how my lorde loued the and hated synne whiche wolde suffre the moost paynfull deth to delyuer the frome synne / lerne to loue thy louer but thou hatest thy louer / for whā thou doeste syūe thou doeste playnely that is ī to make hym to suffre deth agayne thou louest syn̄e whiche is the moost gretest enemy for it shal brynge the except thou leue it to endlesse horryble payne thou set test lytell by synne a wolde god our lorde myght set so lytell ther by / for than thou sholde be delyuered frome grete fereheuynesse payne whiche thou haste deserued for syn̄e but wo sholde I be good lorde for euery transgressyō of thy cōmaundement for yf there come none other therof dysobedyence it dyshonoured the / a how sholde I saye that synne is lytell for I can not truely saye that the dyshonour of y◠is lytell / a how I boūde to honour the thou desyrest it not for al that thou haste done to me but that I shold honour do to y◠I receyue thy benefetes thou mayst no thynge receyue of me but honour / thou gyuest my goodnesse this may growe I may gyue to y◠no goodes wherby thou mayste be the better for my goodnesse may not growe I maye gyue to y◠honour this may not growe in y◠but in me / whan thyn honour groweth in me than thy goodnesse in me / al the prouffytes of my dydes in to me and none to the / for I may by dydes no thȳge make the to better / but I may make me y◠better by thy grace ī y◠I do honour to y◠A dere lorde how wo sholde I than be to dishonour the / I may do no more dyshonour to the thā to do syn̄e whiche can not be done in mynde in wyll ne dyde but in the clere syght of the / a how woo sholde I than be to do syn̄e ther by for to dyshonoure the whiche arte my lorde and my god / my maker my redemer preseruer / and fynally wolde brȳge me to se thy glorye to haue with the honour in eternyte A how shall I saye y◠synne is lytell sythen y◠syn̄e dyshonoured y◠/ no thynge sholde be more shamfull sorowfull in me than for to do ony dyde to dyshonoure the. Alas how may I fynde in my herte to to dyshonoure y◠whiche haue none helpe but only of the ¶ O wretched myserable soule why remembrest thou not the trouthe of god / for thou knowest it wel y◠it is Impossyble that he sholde make ony lye / thou knoweste well that he promysed no thynge but that it shal be fulfylled for the power is so grete that no thynge may lette hym / than thou knowest veryly that thou shalte appere afore hym and acompte all thy lyfe / and of all that thou haste receyued of hym / what sayest thou arte thou redy to thy rekenynge / canste thou shewe that thou hast wel expended and well vsed all the goodes that thou haste receyued of god / haste not thou vaynly loste and vaynly suffred for to be loste many of these gyftes of our lorde god / and many thou haste expended that thou haste to reasō for to laye cōforte the at thyn acompte but that thou arte worthy to be dampned for them ¶ Alas sythē thou canste not gyue a good rekenynge of thy tyme expended / why wylt not thou amende the / by the wyl spendynge of thy lyfe to come for to procure the fauoure of this ryghtwyse Iuge / he is redy of his ryght grete mercy to take one daye well spended for a yere ¶ O than sythen he is thus kynde to the
as an vnkynde wretche I remembre not this I do not calle in welth to the but in grete sorowe fere whan than that I am lyke to falle ¶ A good lorde a more or a greter wretche is there none in this worlde than I am / and a moost vnkynde katyf / a wretche / a worme / a vessell full of vnclennesse and abhomynacyon not worthy for to be called a man or a reasonable creature For I abuse that reason / that memorye / and that fredome of wyll whiche thou haste gyuen vnto me with all the gyftes all the benefetes of nature and of fortune / and so I am wors than a beest the whiche hath not the helpes and haue no reason for to dyrecte theyr lyfe to the honoure and the worshyppe of god as I haue / they haue no fredome of wyll for to chose the good to leue the euyl as I haue My reason is gyuen to me for to knowe my lorde god / for to knowe how I sholde lyue to the pleasure of hym and to thynke vpon yâ— lyfe that is to come / holyly for to ordre mysefe therto / and for to auoyde the grete tourmentes and the endlesse trybulacyon the whiche after this lyfe is ordeyned for synne ¶ A god mercy what grete derkenesse am I in / and my soule is iÌ„ maner made blynde yâ— goostely syghte is gone I loke not vp to my lord god with the syght of my soule / but all my thought / all my memorye / all my loue / and all the grete pleasure in my soule is downe warde / all is to vanytees of this erthe I am erthly iÌ„ my prayers / in me studye / in my labours in my medytacyons / and in all my conuersacyoÌ„ I may well thynke that these wordes are verefyed of me The prophete Y saye sayth Erthe erthe erthe here yâ— worde of god / for I am made of erthe / and hastely I shall tourne to erthe / and al my conuersacyon is but erthe I am reputed good lorde in the syght of the after my loue / yf I loue erthe I am erthe / yf I loue erthly thynges I am erthly / yf I loue goostly thynges I am goostly / and yf I loue the good lorde whiche arte very god than I am godly ¶ A good lorde I fere than that I am iÌ„ thy reputacyon but as vyle erthe For in the erthe and in the erthly thynges is euer my mynde I kepe it not vpon the good lorde / ne vpon yâ— holy orderynge of my soule I haue suffred my selfe by wretched custome so longe and so contynually for to renne frome the and frome actuall thoughtes of my soule and thynges whiche are prouffytable for to promote my soule in vertue and in good werkes Than nowe I can not without grete payne and without grete laboure for to fyxe my mynde ony tyme or space vpon the or vpon the holy dyreccyon and orderynge of my soule / and I of a frowarde and of an obdurate wyll in wretchednes enforces not neyther care not myselfe for to take parte agaynst this myserable Inclynacyon of myselfe / and so it goeth al downewarde with me I come not vpwarde to the neyther I wyll not gretely applye myselfe for to come to the by actuall medytacyon and by parfyte loue of the. I slepe I dreme and yâ— I shall fynde whan the sharpe paynes of dethe shall come for to open the eye of my soule / for than I shall clerely se how vaynely and how synfully and how wretchedly and how vnhappy and how myserably and how vngracyously that I haue myspended the tyme of this lyfe / yâ— whiche tyme is gyuen vnto me onely bycause that I sholde spende it fruytfully in good and in vertuouse lyuâ—ge vnto the grete honour and to the grete worshyp of our sauyour Cryst Ihesu and vnto the promocyoÌ„ of my soule in the glorye of eternall lyfe and of the heuenly felycyte / and also for to auoyde eternall dampnacyon whiche is ordeyned by yâ— ryghtwysnesse of almyÈty god to the Inordynate lyuers of this lyfe / the whiche consume the goodes that they haue receyned of god to theyr eternall reproue / sorowe and / payne for to receyue of almyghty god fynally perpetuall dampnacyon VEdet animam meam vite mee ¶ I am wery of my lyfe It is so full of Ignoraunce and of neclygence / so ful of vnhappy desyres and of synful wordes so full of forgetfulnesse and so full of euyll thoughtes / so full of vnfruytful dydes and werkes and so full of vnprouffytable heuynesse / and so ful vnlawful saddenesse and so full of vayne Ioyes and synfull dylectacyons with foule wretched and myserable pleasures / also it is full of paynes with vnpacyence of proude desyres and with a ful couetous mynde / with al these myseryes I see how yâ— my self is but a course a rennynge to dethe / and now I am more nerer it than whan as I laste spake of it The deth cometh shortely / the lyfe gooth awaye full fastely and full swyftely / at yâ— houre of deth I am lyke to be called for to rendre accomptes of my lyfe / and I am vnprouyded and vnware for to coÌ„tente the Iuge of my lyfe / and than I shall be moost full of sorowe and payne lamente or complayne the tyme yâ— euer I came in to this lyfe / whiche so neclygeÌ„tly hath loste the profyte of this A good lorde I am ashamed abasshed of my lyfe in yâ— syghte of the good lorde whiche all thynge seth clerly / nothynge maye be hydde frome the. ¶ Sythen it is so that shame is feere of rebuke and reproue / and there is no rebuke whiche that I drede so moche as I do the rebuke of the good lorde / wherfore I am moost ashamed of my synful lyfe in the syghte of the / and thus I am ashamed to lyue / and yet I am aferde to dye For yf I may auoyde by the grete mercy of god the tormentes of eternall dampnacyon / yet I fere yâ— I shall bere with me in to purgatory the gylte of many synnes / I shall paye by grete payne / the duyte of many oblygacyons / grauÌ„t me good lorde perfyte fere of yâ— For whan I shall not fere by deth to come to the / for thy fere maketh soules to declyne and fâ—ee frome synne ¶ A good lorde yf I had thy fere perfytly I sholde be more a dredde ony thynge to thynke or to desyre synfully in the syght of the / than I am to do synne in the syght of man The synfull mocyons of my mynde are so abhomynable in the beholdynge of the as the dyde of shamefull synne in the syght of man than yf I fered yâ— I sholde be apunysshed and ashamed to thynke ony thynge dyspleasynge to yâ— I waute these fere of the / and why / for I haue not perfyte fayth of the. A than I am