speaketh ¶ Domine non est in morte qui memor sit tui ¶ Lorde he sayth that man alyue is nought That in tyme of death hath nat the in thought But men may vnderstande therby The death of soule throughe synne namely For the man that of God myndeles is It semeth in soule that he deade is For God vysyteth vs by euery maner way Where that the tokens of death fele we may For yf we coulde vs well vnderstonde The tokens of death eche day doth vs fonde Wherfore me thynketh all that here semeth Is more deade than alyue as wyse men demeth For the boke telleth and wytnesseth before That a man anone as he is bore Begynneth towarde his death to drawe And with dyuerse euylles often is guawe As angers and syckenes that falleth all day The whiche deathes throwes call we may And in other wayes and perylles many one That oft greueth men in flesshe and in bone Than is our byrth here but abydynge A bodely death that is our endynge For the longer that a man waxeth olde The more may this lyfe death be colde Than semeth our lyfe here nothynge elles But as it were death as the boke telles And to that other lyfe come we nought Tyll death this lyfe to ende hath brought But when death of our lyfe hath made an ende Than knowe we nought whyther for to wende Whyther that we shall to well other to wo But certes to that one we shall go And to good men than death is the way To the ioy of heauen that lasteth ay And to the wycked men that passeth that entre In the payne of hell they shall euer be Therfore saynt Dauid the holy prophete Thus speaketh to God with wordes swete ¶ Qui â—xaltas me de portis mortis vt annuÌ„cieÌ„ oeÌ„s landes tuas ¶ Lorde almyghty God forsoth thou arte he That from the gates of death hast take me So that I may tell passynge all thynges The great multytude of thy praysynges In the holy gates of thy doughter Syon That gate as Clarckes telleth that can theron Is holy Churche that God fyrste cheaâ—e Throughe the whiche men coÌ„meth to the gateof peace And by the gates of death as we may se The bytter death of hell vnderstande may be From that same place God kepe vs myght and day And grauâ—t vs his loue as he well may Therfore we shulde hym serue and his wyll worche In the trewe beleue of holy Churche So that we may than afterwarde wende To the cytte of peace that hath none ende But all men that shall to that place come Hence shall wende throughe death all and some But that death to them is nothynge euyll That lyueth here in earth after Goddes wyll And in suche holy lyfe stedfastly dwelleth As saynt Austyne the holy man in a boke telleth ¶ Mala mors illi putanda non est quem in vita sua boni actus processerunt ¶ He sayeth men shulde nat to them euyll death wene That in good dedes wolde his lyfe mene For nothynge maketh a man so hye of boste As euyll dedes that foloweth the death moste For all be deedly that synne wyll do And therfore saynt Austyne sayeth thus therto ¶ Non potest male mori qui bene vixerit vix bene moritur qui male vixerit ¶ He sayeth he may no euyll death haue That lyueth on earth throughe Goddes lawe But vnneth may men by any reason Dye in good death that leadeth his lyfe in treason But that man that hateth this lyfes lykynge Dare neuer drede of deathes coÌ„mynge or after his death here no payne hym deres As Caton wytnesseth in this verse ¶ Non metuit mortem qui sit contempnere vitam ¶ He sayeth he that can this lyfe despyse Shall nat drede death in no maner wyse For so dyd martyres that theyr death sought For after this worlde nothynge they wrought And also holy men wylled to death be dyght To dwell in heauen with God almyght As the bokes of theyr lyues telleth to vs For so dyd an holy man that sayeth thus â–ª ¶ â—upio dissolui â— esse cum christo ¶ I couet he sayeth hence for to wende Out of this lyfe and be with Chryste without ende For holy men thought here this lyfe Was nothynge els but sorowe and stryfe Therfore they coueyted the ende of theyr day As sayeth an holy man as I tell may ¶ Melius est dies mortis ê™ dies natiuitatis ¶ He sayeth better is the day of death alone Than the day of byrth that is full of mone For a good man dyeth for to go vnto rest Theyr lyfe is endeles and ioy alther mest When the soule from the body shall begon As in Apocalyps wytnesseth saynt IohnÌ„ ¶ Beati mortui qui in domino moriuntur ¶ Blessyd be all they in dede and in worde That dyeth here in earth in the honour of our lorde For all that men seth in good lyfe ende They dye with God and to hym shall wende In to the ioy of heauen that is on hyghe Well is hym that throughe death that stede may nyghe And doubteles thoughe holy men dyed here wele yet the paynes of death they shall fele But when they shall a newe lyfe wynne When the body and soule departeth atwynne Somedele they shall than haue drede Throughe mankynde and throughe manhede Syth that Chryste dred death in his passyon Throughe kynde of his flesshe as it was reason Than ought a man both lesse and more The bytter paynes of death drede full sore ¶ The .ij. encheasoÌ„ why meÌ„ dredeth death THe seconde encheason is as I in boke rede Why that death is so greatly to drede For the dredfull syght of many foule fendes That a man shal se than few other frendes When that this lyfe here draweth to y â— ende And woteth nat whyther he shall with them wende For when the lyfe of a man is in doubte Than wyll deuylles come hym aboute To take the soule with them away In to the payne of hell and that is theyr pray For as wode Lyones they shall than fare And on hym grenne rore and stare And horryble rollynge and on hym blere And with hydeous lokes to make hym fere And so they wyll stande at his endynge If that they myght in wanhope hym brynge Throughe suche thretuynge as they wyll than make And throughe drede that they shall take Throughe hydeous syghtes that they then wyll shewe The horryble company that stande shall in rewe And therfore the prophete saynt Ieromye Wytnesseth these wordes in his propheâ—ye ¶ Omnes amici eius apprehend crunt eam inter angustias ¶ He sayeth that amonge his anguysshes great His ennemyes shulde hym take and nought let Than is no wonder thoughe the deuylles come To the synfull man when death hath hym nome As the deuyll to saynt Bernarde came at the last day To brynge the holy man in to great afray ¶ Howe the deuyll came and appered vnto
¶ Here begynÌ„eth a newe Treatyse deuyded in thre parties The fyrst parte is to know haue iÌ„ mynde The wretchednes of all mankynde The seconde is of the coÌ„dycion and manere Of the vnstedfastnes of this world here The thyrde parte iÌ„ this boke you may rede Of bytter death and why it is to drede THe myght of the Father almyghty The wyt of the Sone all wytty And the goodnes of the holy Ghoste God and Lorde of myghtes moste Be our helpe and our spede Nowe and euer in all our nede And specyally at this begynnynge And brynge vs all to good endynge AMEN BEfore or that any thynge was wrought And or begynnynge was of ought Before all tymes we shulde mene The same God was euer in godhed clene And euer is full in his godhed And thre persons and in onelychehed And wolde euer with the father and the sone With the holy Ghoste in one hed bewone And is Lorde in substaunce and beynge And euer was without begynnynge Begynnynge of hym myght there neuer none be For euer he was God in Trynyte And euer is wyse and full of wyt And euer almyghtye God as he is yet That myght was euer in his trone There was neuer God but he alone The same God was without begynnynge And maker fyrste of all thynge Without begynnynge we shall hym call And endles Lorde of creatures all And ende of all thynge is he As men may in holy bokes se And as he made all thynge So shall he at the last make anendynge Of all thynges both in heauen and hell Of man of fende and of aungell That after this lyfe shall euermore leue And all other creatures to death be dreue But God that vs made and the worlde began Is nowe and euer shall be both God and man And all thynge throughe his myght made he For without hym may nothynge be All thynge he ordeyned after his wyll In his kynde to stande styll And therfore creatures that dombe be Can no reason but buxom men them se Loueth hym as the boke beareth wytnes In theyr maner and as theyr kynde is For all thynges that God hath wrought Doth theyr kynde and passeth it nought And loueth theyr maker and honour in kynde And so in that maner they haue hym in mynde And syth creatures that reason hath none Loueth hym in kynde that they haue taken Than shulde man that hath reason and fay His Lorde honour by all maner of way And nat to be of worse condycyon Than the brute beestes that can no reason For all thynge that God made both more and lasse Man is pryncypall and shulde all other passe As ye shall here afterwarde soone That God made of all thynge for man one For God to mankynde had great delyte Seynge that he made all thynge for mannes proffyte Heauen and earth and all the worlde brode He made fyrste but man tyll the last abode And hym in lykenesse of semely stature As hym thought moste worthye creature Passynge all beestes that haue any kynde And gaue hym reason both wyt and mynde Euer for to knowe both good and euyll And therto gaue hym wyt at wyll Both to chuse and to holde Good or the euyll whyther he wolde GOd â—rdeyned man also to dwell In earth here both in flesshe and fell And knowe his werkes and hym honour And kepe his coÌ„mauÌ„dementes in euery houre And yf a man to God boxum become To heauen blysse he shall be nome And yf he wyll from goodnes wende To paynes of hell that hath none ende Therfore I holde a man woode That taketh the wycked and leueth the good And God made man of moste dygnyte And of all creatures in earth moste fre For after his lykenes he made hym ywys As he shulde haue parte of his blysse And moste God our Lorde to hym gyueth More than to any creature that in earth lyueth For when Adam had done amysse And for his synnes brought from blysse God toke mankynde for his sake And for his â—oue harde death can take And with his blode agayne hym bought And after to heauen blysse hym brought Thus great loue God shewed vnto man And moche more kyndenes than I tell can Wherfore euery man both learned and lewed Shulde thynke vpon the loue that God shewed And that kyndenes haue in his mynde That God hath done to all mankynde And serue hym both nyght and day And fynde to please hym in all that he may And spende his wâ—ttes in his seruyce And theym wyll holde in all maner wyse But a man knowe kyndely what God is And hym selfe also that he be one of his And howe a man greueth God that doth nought well And maketh hym throughe synne both fearse and fell And howe mercyable God is nyght and day And howe greuous to euery mannes pay And howe ryghtfull and howe sothfast And euer more hath ben both fyrste and last And what he doth to all mankynde That euer shulde haue hym in mynde For the way that bryngeth a man to heauen blysse And bryngeth a man also out of anguysshe Pryncypally that is the way of mekenes Drede and loue of God in all symplenes Than may that before the way of wysdome Unto the whiche way may no man come Without full knowynge of God here And of his power also and his werke so dere And or that he may that knowynge wynne Hym behoueth to knowe hym selfe within And elles he may no knowynge haue The foresayde way of wysdome to craue But many men hath good vnderstandynge And yet be of many thynges vnknowynge And of some thynges hathe knowynge none That myght oft make Goddes wyll to be done Suche men had nede to lerne euery day Howe that they shulde here God pay And knowe the thynge that myght them lede To mekenes and loue and God to drede The whiche is the way as I tell ywys That leadeth a man euen to heauen blysse For in great perryle of soule is that man That hath wyt and mynde and no good can And wyll nought learne for no sawe The werkes of God neyther his lawe And knoweth nat the tenne hestes But lyueth as vnskylfull beestes That hath neyther reason nor mynde But leueth euer agaynst his kynde For he excuseth nought his vnconnynge That vseth nat his wyt in learnynge And namely of the thynge that he shulde knowe That shulde make his herte full lowe And he that can nought shulde learne more To knowe what hym nedeth in Goddes lore For an vnconnynge man throughe learnynge May be brought to good vnderstandynge And of many thynges both knowe and se That hath ben before and after shall be That to mekenes myght moue his wyll The more to loue God and to flye the euyll MAny man delyteth tryfles to here And aboute folye setteth all his chere And euermore is besy both in wyll thought To lerne thynges y â— helpeth the soule nought And thynges that nedefull were to knowe To lysten or to learne they be full
other ghostly that other wtout ende And bodely death that kyndly is wrought Is when body and soule a sonder is brought Death is full harde bytter as I shall tell you hereafter For ghostly death is departynge of synne Betwene God and mannes soule within For ryght as the soule is lyfe of the body Ryght so the lyfe of the soule is God almyghty And as the body is without any doubte Deade as stone when mannes soule is out So is the soule of man deade also When almyghtye God departeth there fro For where synne is the deuyll is of hell And where synne is God wyll nat dwell For deedly synne and the deuyll and he In one place may nat togyther be And when mannes soule is bounde with synne God is thence and the deuyll dwelleth therin Than is the soule deade before God in dede Whyle synne and the soule dwelleth in one stede ¶ Howe a mannes soule is deade throughe synne AS a mannes body may be sâ—awe With wâ—pyn that to hym may be drawe So is the soule slayne throughe foule synn◠〈…〉 Than is ghostly death for to drede more Than any bodely death thoughe it greue sore And in as moche as the soule pryncypally Is more worthy than a mannes body For thoughe a mannes soule throughe synne be deade And departed from God in his manheade yet it myght euer lyue and harde payne fynde But the body is deed anone throughe flesshely kynde But of bodely death is none agayne tournynge For of all earthly death it maketh an endynge And that is the way that we must wende To â—oye other to payne that is without ende Neuertheles yf the soule with synne be slayne yet he may throughe grace be quycked agayne For God bought it dere vpon the rode tre In the ioy of Paradyce with hym for to be For all ghostly woundes that be of fynne May here throughe penaunce take hele to wynne And thoughe God euer be ryghtfull and myghtye yet he euermore is full of mercye And to saue mannes soule more redy is he Than any man wyll to his mercye fle For the lyfe of the soule pleaseth hym more Than doth mannes death as sayth his lore ¶ Noâ—o mortem peccatoris sed magis conuertatur vt viuat ¶ I wyll nat the death of a synfull wyght But he tourne hym and do penaunce ryght Than may a synfull man that his soule hath slawe Be tourned to grace and from dampnacyon be drawe ¶ Howe in hell is death without ende ENdeles death is death of hell That they shall haue that there shall dwell For hell is counted a peryllous place For there is endeles wo without any grace Care and sorowe that neuer shall lynne yet may nat the soule dye therin And it myght dye as the body doth here Of all her payne than delyuered she were For the death of hell is euermore lyuynge And is stronge death euermore lastynge Of this death men may rede and loke In the Psalmes of Dauid in his boke Taht speaketh moche of the paynes of hell Therfore vpon this matter I wyll no longer dwell ¶ what maner thynge is death DEath is nought els sothly But departyng bytwene the soule the body And as I haue somdele before sayde This may be called a deathes brayde And a very remembrynge of mannes lyfe When the soule parteth from the body with stryfe As ye may knowe in your thought That kyndely darckenes is to be felt nought But where that no maner lyght is se Proprely there is darckenes in euery degre So that darckenes is dyreyuynge of lyght So is death of lyfe when a man is hence twyght Thus fareth death that all men dredeth moste When the lyfe fayleth they yelde vp the ghoste Men dredeth death for foure thynges FOure encheasones in bokes I rede Why men death so moche drede One is for death is stronge and fell And hath more payne than man can tell Another is for the syght that he shall se Of horryble deuylles that aboute hym shall be The thyrde is for acompte that he shall yelde Of all that he hath done in youth and elde The fourth for he is euer than vncertayne Whyther he shall wende to blysse or payne He woteth nat than howe he shall fare For death is bytter and full of care And so it semeth well as sayth the boke For when Chryste dyed in manhed that he toke And or he dyed vpon the holy rode For drede of death he swete droppes of blode For he wyst or he to death gan passe What the harde payne of bodely death was Than may we knowe therby full wele That the payne of mannes death is harde to felâ— And of that death I may thynke wonder For all thynge death may breake asonder As it sheweth by many wayes to vs Therfore an holy man in his boke sayth thus ¶ Mors soluit omnia ¶ Death he sayeth vndoeth all maner thynge And of mannes lyfe maketh an endynge Wherfore death is greatly to be dred As hereafter it shall be more playnely shewed ¶ Of the fyrste encheason why men dredeth death FIrste a man shulde drede death in his herte For the paynes of death that be full smerte That is the last and also the ende When the soule from the body shall wende A sorowfull departynge is that for to tell For they loue togyther euermore to dwell And none of them wolde froin other go So moche loue is bytwene them two And the sadder that two be togyther in loue As a man and his wyfe throughe God aboue The more sorowe and the longer mournynge Shall be bytwene them at theyr departynge But the body and the soule with the lyfe Loueth more togyther than doth man and wyfe And whyther that they gone in good way or euyll Euer togyther they wolde be styll But there is encheason as men may se Why that they wolde euer togyther be For encheason that God throughe his myght and wyâ— That body and soule fyrste togyther knyt Another is for that one may nothynge do But yf that other wyll helpe therto The thyrde is for they shall togyther come Before our Lorde God to theyr dome The fourth encheason is when they come there Togyther they shall dwell without any where Therfore the more is theyr payne and care When that one shall from that other fare And this departynge may be called death That flyeth aboute as doth a mannes breath Throughe all landes both farre and nere And spareth nothynge for any powere For prayer ne gyfâ—e that any man may gyue Where that death coÌ„meth he suffreth no man to lyue For he â—e spareth neyther hye ne lowe That he ne reueth theyr lyfe in a lytell throwe So death hath no mercye of no wyght As saynt Bernarde wytnesseth full ryght ¶ â—on miserietur in opie nec reuereiur diuiciis nec sapientie nec moribus nec etati ¶ He sayeth that death of pouert no mercye taketh Neyther to ryche men rewarde he hath Neyther to wysdome that
men can shewe Neyther to olde men for theyr dayes be fewe Death wyll haue neyther reuerence nor fauour Neyther frendshyp of kynge ne Emperour Neyther of bysshop ne yet of prelate Neyther of other what soeuer they be of state Therfore saynt Bernarde sayth thus in his wrytynge For euery man shulde drede deathes coÌ„mynge ¶ Mortem esse coÌ„munem cunctis scito viuentibus ¶ Understande thou he sayth that death is To all coÌ„mon both to more and lesse And thus shall death bysyte euery man And yet what he is no man dyscerne can But the payne of death that all shall fele As telleth a Phylosopher to vs full well HE lykeneth a mannes lyfe vnto a tre That were waxynge yf it myght be Through a mans hert wrotes to sprynge And in euery place a braunche growynge And the crop at y â— mouth out come myght And to eche a ioynte a roote were dyght And euery vayne that is in a mannes body Had a rote fastened full harde therby And to euery fynger and toes also Were a rote from the tre growynge therto That in eche lymbe that is in euery syde The rotes of the tre shulde theron betyde If that tre were so sore pulled out That the rotes shulde aryse all aboute Than shulde the rotes the ioyntes strayne And eche bone and synewe also with vayne Than a more payne can no man cast Than this 〈…〉 longe as it myght last And yet the payne of death is holde more And harder in his tyme than this wore Therfore euery man before as it is sayde May greatly drede the harde deathes brayde But the moste drede is then all within If a mannes soule be in deedly synne And therfore the Prophete sayth thus in his boke And warneth vs echone therto to loke ¶ O mors ê™ amara memoria tua homini iniusto ¶ O thou bytter death and dredefull sayth he Full grysely thynge it is for to thynke on the And namely to that man that is full of synne Wherfore his conscyence is greued within Therfore me thynketh a man is nat sly That maketh nat hym to death redy For so certayne in earth is no maner man That his endynge day forsoth tell can Neyther the tyme of death can nat loke And so saynt Bernarde sayeth in this boke ¶ Quid in rebus hymanis certius est morte Quid incertius hora mortis inuenietur ¶ He 〈◊〉 what is to a man more certayne Than is death that is so sodayne And what is also more vncertayne thynge Than is the tyme of deathes coÌ„mynge Therfore saynt Austyne the holy man Sayeth thus in his boke as I proue can ¶ â—rscis qua hora veniat morâ— ideo seÌ„per vigila vt cuÌ„ veneriâ— te ê‘atuÌ„ inuâ—niat â— teÌ„pus illiê° forte nescis vt seÌ„ê‘ ideo eeÌ„s ê‘atê° Â¶ Man thou knowest nat sayeth he What tyme deathes coÌ„mynge shall be Therfore wake as thou haddest euer knowynge The tyde and tyme of deathes coÌ„mynge That death fynde the when he shall come All redy to God and buxome For thou shuldest nat perchaunce knowe The coÌ„mynge of death to holde the lawe And in thy conscyence to make the yare For when death coÌ„meth he wyll nat spare Than behoueth vs our lyfe so to cast As euery day of our lyfe were the last And euery day vs aredy to make As we shulde eche day the death take And nat abyde tyll death vs vysyte For saynt Austyne in his boke thus doth wryte ¶ 〈◊〉 nobis vltimuâ— dies vt obseruerentur bene ceteri diâ—â— Raro enim perantur remedia cum mortis veneruÌ„t pericula ¶ The last day of man here sayeth he For all other dayes better kept shulde be For men ordeyneth remedye to late When perylles of death standeth at the gate And in the same state that he is than He shall be demed when he is gone Therfore euery man for drede of lettynge Shulde nat abyde deathes coÌ„mynge But make hym redy or he death fele And than after kepe hym selfe wele For when death is to the gate come Than to late hath he his warnynge nome For death from a man his mynde byreueth And no kyndely wyt in hym byleueth For than shall he fynde suche payne and drede That he shall thynke vpon no mysdede But in this payne and in nothynge elles As the holy man saynt Austyne telles ¶ Timor mortis totam vitam sibi vendicat lt de peccatis tunc libeat cogitare c. ¶ Drede of death he sayeth when he assayleth a man Chaungeth the soule and maketh the body wan So hym luste than to haue no thought Of the synnes that he hath here ywrought Therfore euery man amende hym here Or death come and sende his messengere And yf a man wyll before beware Than of all synnes death shall fynde hym bare His messenger well may be called syckenes That goeth before and bryngeth hym indystres For syckenes ofte tymes pyneth a man so That for great syckenes his mynde is go For than may â—e thynke vpon nothynge elles But vpon the payne that vpon hym dwelles But when dâ—ath coÌ„meth to hym soone afterwarde Than paynes shall be 〈◊〉 that be more harde For than shall he be let in suche drede So that of hym selfe he taketh lytell hede And that is reason for he wolde nought Whyles that he myght haue God in thought Therfore he shaâ—l then lese clene his mynde And thus we may 〈◊〉 saynt Austyne fynde ¶ Hac animaduersione percuttitor peccator vt moriens obliuiscatur sui qui dum viueret oblitus est dei sui ¶ The synfull man he sayeth as it is wryte With the payne of death shall be ysmyte That for the payne that in hym shall fall Forgetteth hym selfe when he hence shall For whyle that he lyued at his owne wyll He forgate God and his hestes wolde nat fyll And also synnefull men haue here no grace To haue repentaunce neyther tyme ne space Thus shall he dye and so lese heauen blysse And be put in to payne without any lysse For they be vnkynde and to God vncurtayes Therfore saynt Dauid in the Psalter thus sayes ¶ 〈…〉 sicut homines inoriemini sicut vnno de prinâ—â—pibus cadetis ¶ And sareth thus to men ye shall dye all And as on of the prynces ye shall fall That is ye shall dye in the same manere As all men dyed in this worlde here And as the gostes that fell from heauen And were put to hell with an horryble steuen Therfore to euery man it were wysdome To amende hym of synnes or death come And haue God in mynde whyle his lyfe is As the Prophete coÌ„maundeth and sayeth this ¶ Memento creatoris tui antequaÌ„ veniat tempus visitationis tue ¶ Thynke man he sayeth and haue in thought How that made the fyrste of nought Whyle thou lyuest and or thy tyme be When God with death wyll vysyte the For death clene mannes mynde breketh And therfore saynt Dauid to God thus
slowe Therfore no wonder thoughe they gone amysse For euer in darcknes theyr goynge is All far from the lyght of vnderstandynge And from thynges that falleth to the ryght knowynge Therfore euery chrysten man and woman That hath any wyt and reason can Shulde be besye by all maner of way To learne suche thyâ—ges that longeth to the say And euermore learne both lowde and styll Whiche is the good way and whiche is euyll And he that the ryght way of knowynge wyll loke Shulde thus begynne as telleth the boke Fyrste for to knowe hym selfe in clennes And than may he come to all mekenes For that is the grounde of all to last In whom all vertues be set fast For he that knoweth it and well can se What hym selfe was and is and after shall be The more wyser man he myght be calde Whyther that he be yonge man other olde Therfore euery wyse man fyrste must lere For to knowe hym selfe whyle that he is here And yf he knowe hym selfe within and without Than shall he haue euer God in doubte And vpon his endynge his thought must be cast And vpon the dredefull dome that shall come last And also knowe what this worlde is That is but vanyte and full of wretchednes And forsake synne and foule lustes all And thynke what shall after this lyfe fall For knowynge of all this shulde hym lede To haue mekenes in mynde and also drede For so may a man come to good lyuynge And at the last haue good endynge And when he shall out of this worlde wende Come vnto the ioy that hath none ende The begynnynge of this matter is The ryght knowynge of a man hym selfe ywys But some men hathe great lettynge So that they may nat haue full knowynge Of them selfe that fyrste they shulde knowe And with mekenes euer make them lowe And of that matter foure thynges I fynde That maketh mennes wyttes full blynde And the knowynge of them selfe letteth youth the whiche hym selfe he forgetteth Therfore saynt Bernarde speaketh to vs And in his wrytynge sayeth all thus ¶ Forma fauor popuâ—i sensus Iuuenilis opesque Suppi puere tibi noscere quid sit homo ¶ That is fauour of fole and moche fayrenes And hete of youth and mothe ryches Blyndeth a mannes reason and mynde For to knowe hym selfe what he is of kynde And thus these foure letteth hym in syght So that he forgetteth hym selfe out ryght And maketh his herte prowde and hawteyâ—e And all waywarde from God his souereygne For these nouryssheth both pompe and pryde And maketh other synnes in them to byde For in what man any of these foure is Seldome is sene in hym any maner mekenes And letteth a man that he may nat sâ— The maners of the worlde full of vanyte Neyther the tyme of death when he shall come Neyther when he shall hence to dome be nome Neyther he ne can vnderstande ne se The perryll that after this lyfe than shall be To all synfull men that loueth folye Nay the ioy that good men shall haue so hyâ— But in great delytes setteth theyr hertes fast And fareth as theyr lyfe euer more shulde last And gyueth them here to all ydlenes And to suche thynges that no profyte is And suche men be nat with reason lad But in theyr folyes euermore be sad And thynges that they shulde drede they knowe nat Therfore they haue no drede to set on theyr thought And that is for defaute of knowynge Of thynges that myght to drede theym brynge Yet some men wyll nat vnderstande Suche thynges that myght them brynge to shonde For they wyll here nothynge that them mysspeaketh Therfore saynt Dauid in his boke thus sayeth ¶ Nosuit intellegere vt bene ageret ¶ He sayeth man hath no wyll to be snell To vnderstande thynges to make them do well These wordes be sayde by them here That wyll nought vnderstande neyther do lere To drede God and to do his wyll But foloweth theyr lustes and lyueth full euyll And for defaute of trewe fayth this may be For they lyueth nothynge but they â—t se But grutcheth when they shulde ought lere Therfore sayeth the Prophete in this manere ¶ Non crediderunt set murmurauerunt ¶ The Prophete sayeth that they beloued nought But grutched and were heuy in thought Thus fareth many men that lyueth nothynge That men telleth them agaynst theyr lykynge But grutcheth and waxeth all frowarde When men speaketh ought that them thynketh harde Some can in boke suche thynges rede But lyghtnes of herte bryngeth them drede So it may nat with them dwell As God wytnesseth in the Gospell ¶ Quia ad tempus credunt in temptationis recedunt ¶ He sayth for the tyme some leue a thynge And soone passeth there fro in tyme of temptynge As wytnesseth the prophete saynt Dauid In a verse of the Psalter that accordeth therwith ¶ Et crediderunt in verbis eius laudauerunt laudem eius ¶ He sayeth in his werkes they byleued well And praysed his werkes as they cought somdell But soone they had his workes forgyt And thought of his counceyll no more to wyt Suche men be euer vnstedfast That neyther loue ne drede may on them last But who that can nought drede may soone lâ—re That hereth this matter with good ere With suche thynges that he may conceyue therby And do good dedes and flye folye Therfore these bokes be out drawe Of dyuerse matters that be of Goddes lawe To lewed men that be nâ—t of vnderstandynge And of latyn speche be all vnconnynge To make hym selfe fyrste for to knowe And all synnes away to throwe And to brynge them to perfyre drede When they this treatyse wyll here or rede That shal moue his conseyence within And throughe that drede may alone begynne Throughe comforte of the ioyes of heauen bryght As men may hereafter haue a syght ¶ Here begynneth the fyrste parte of this boke that speaketh of mannes wretchednes FIrste when God made all thyng of nought Man of the foulest matter was wrought That was of earth to skyles to beholde That is for almyghtye God so wolde Of soule matter make man in despyte Of Lucyfer hym therwith to a twyte When he fell in to hell for his pryde And many one mo that fell that tyde For they shulde haue the more shendshype And the more sorowe when they toke kepe That man of so foule matter shulde dwell In that place from whens they fell An other cause is for man shulde se That a man the more meker shulde be Euer when he sethe and thynketh in thought Of the foule matter that he was wrought For God throughe his great myght Wolde sygne that place in heauen bryght That was made voyde throughe synne of pryde Wolde haue it fylled in euery syde As throughe vertue of holy mekenes That contrary to all maner of pryde is He thought to amende it in some wyse Wherfore men shulde Lucyfer dyspyse For there may no man in to heauen come But he
rerum habundancia eterna dampnacionis sunt indicia ¶ He sayth contynuall hele and worldly wele As to moche ruches and goodes fele Be tokens as in boke wryten is Of hell dampnacyon endles ywys And to these wordes that some men mysspeaketh Accordeth saynt Gregory and thus he sayeth ¶ Continuus successus rerum temperasium eterne dampnacioâ—â— est iudicium ¶ He sayeth that contynuall hap coÌ„mynge Of worldly goodes is a tokenynge Of dampnacyon that at the last shall be Before God that then shall fall without pyte But the worlde prayseth none men onely But them that to the worlde be happy And vpon wordly thynges setteâ—â— theyr herte And euer flyeth the symple state of pouerte Suche men be besy and gathereth fast And fareth as theyr lufe shulde euermore last To them the worlde is queynt and fauourable Iâ— all thynge that thynketh them profytable And can moche of worldly queyâ—tyse The worlde calleth them good men and wyse And to them falleth ryches many folde But it is theyr dampnacyon as I haue tolde For in heauen may no man haue an home That foloweth the worlde and his wysoome And suche wysdome sayeth a wyse clarcke and 〈◊〉 That before God it is holde but foly ¶ Sapiencia huâ—u◠〈…〉 ¶ But many to the worlde mothe lystetâ— And he is nat wyse that theron trusteth For it ledeth a man with wrynches and wyles And at the last hym it begyles A man may be calde both wytty and wyse That setteth the worlde at lytell pryse And hateth the thynges that the worlde loueth moste And thynketh to blysse to brynge his ghoste And to the worlde trusteth ryght nought But euer in that other worlde setteth his thought For no sure dwellynge shall we here fynde As the apostell Paule wytnesseth thus sayende ¶ Non manentem ciuitatem hiâ— habemus set futuram inquitimus ¶ He sayeth no sure dwellynge here haue wâ— But seke we another that euer shall be And as geâ—â—â—s haue our soâ—â—urne A lytell tyme tyll we hence tourne And that may fall rather than we wenâ— For man is here but as an alyaâ—e To trauayle here in way all tymes To wende in to our countre as doth pylgryines Therfore the Prophete vnto God speaketh thus As Dauid in the Psalter telleth to vs. ¶ 〈…〉 aduena ego sum apud te 〈…〉 vt omnes patres mei c. ¶ Be thou styll Lorde sayeth he For why I am coÌ„mynge towarde the And a pylgryme as all my fathers were Thus may euery man se that lyueth here That is to say Lorde be thou nat styll That 〈◊〉 make me here knowe thy wyll And 〈…〉 to my soule thou gyue That may make her both glad and blyue And say thus therto I am thy saluacyon For thou arte my pylgryme trowe in deuocyon ¶ Of two wayes in this worlde TWo wayes there be in this worlde full ryfe One is way of death another of lyfe This worlde is the way and also passage Throughe the whiche lyeth our pylgrymagâ— By this way all we must nedes go And eche man beloueth that it is so In this worlde be two wayes of kynde Who that wyll assay the soth he may fynde One is the way of death here tolde And that other is the way of lyfe holde But the way of death semeth large and easy For that may vs lede euen and lyghtly To the horryble lande of darckenes Where sorowe and payne is and wretchydnes But the way of lyfe semeth narowe and harde That ledeth vs euen to our countre warde And that is the kyngdome of heauen bryght Where we shall be in Goddes syght And as Goddes sones there ben ytolde If we do well both yonge and olde For the way of the worlde is here vnstable And our lyfe also well chaungeable As often is sene in many maner wyse Through tempest of wethers that maketh men anguyse For the worlde and the worldly lyfe yfere Chaungeth full ofte and in dyuers manere And in her state dwelleth but a whyle Unneth the space of a lytell myle And for the worlde is so vnstedfast For all thynge theron soone is ouercast Of the vnstedfastnes of this worlde GOd ordeyned as it was his wyll Uaryaunce of the season to fulfyll And dyuers wethers and other seasones In token of the false worldes condycyones That so vnstable be to mannes hande That lytell tyme in theyr state may stande For God wyll that men throughe tokens may knowe Howe vnstable the worlde is in euery throwe So that men theron the lesse shulde trust And for no welth theron to moche haue lust The tymes chaungeth often and be nat in one state For nowe is the morenynge and nowe it is late And nowe it is day and nowe it is nyght And nowe it is darcke and nowe it is lyght And nowe is there colde and nowe great hete And nowe it is drye and nowe it is wete And nowe it is hayle and snowe full stronge And nowe fayre wether and Sonne shyne amonge And nowe is the wether clere and fayre with all And nowe it is darcke and rayne doth downe fall By all the varyaunce men may vnderstande Are tokens of the worlde that is varyande â—et there be mo tokens that we may lere Of the vnstablenes of this worlde here For nowe is great myrth and nowe mournynge And nowe is laughter and nowe wepynge And nowe men be well and nowe be wo And nowe is a man frende and nowe is fo And nowe is a man lyght and nowe is heuy And nowe is a man glad and nowe is drery And nowe haue we ioy and nowe haue we pyne And nowe haue we cattayle and nowe we it tyne And nowe we be ryche and nowe we be poore And nowe we haue lytell and nowe we haue more And nowe we haue rest and nowe we haue trauayle And nowe fynde we our strength what it may auayle And nowe we be great and nowe we be bare And nowe we be well and nowe we be in care And nowe we be lyght and nowe we be slowe And nowe we be hye and nowe we be lowe Nowe loue nowe hate nowe peace and stryfe All these be the maners of mannes lyfe That euer betokeneth moche vnstedfastnes Of this worldes welth that so chaungeable is And as this lyfe is euer away passynge So is the worlde euery day apparynge For the worlde to her ende draweth fast As clarckes by many thynges can cast Therfore the worlde as clarckes hath me tolde Is as moche to mene as the worlde that is olde For two earthly worldes to this lyfe befalleth As tolde is before as clarckes it calleth But the more worlde and also the lesse Full chaungeable be and away doth passe The more worlde is this worlde longe and brode But the lesse worlde is lykened to manhode ¶ Howe the rowndenes of this worlde is lykened to a man ANd as the more worlde is rownde yset So is the lesse as a man that is mer For in y â— brede of a man
as god worlde sende As moche space fro the longe fyngers ende Of the ryght hande the armes out spredynge To the fyngers ende of the left hande out stretchynge And also fro the top aboue at the crowne Streyght to the soole of the fote there downe Than yf a man his armes out sprede No more is the lenght of hym than is the brede And so may a man be met all aboute Euer as acompas hym selfe without And thus hath the lesse worlde that a man is Euen after the shape of the more worlde ywys But these two worldes the more and the lesse At the last tyme away shall passe For the more eldre that they shall bere The more they enpereth and become feblere As me â— may se that gyueth here entent And so wytnesseth the great clarcke Innocent ¶ Senuit iam muÌ„dus vâ—erque maior mundus minor quanto proluxius vtriusque senectus ê“ducitus tantâ— deterniâ— vtriusque natura conprobatur ¶ He sayeth as it is in latyne tolde Eyther worlde nowe waxeth full olde And the longer that theyr tyme is here sought And the age of eyther other forth ybrought The more in malyce aâ—d in feblenes ywys The kynde of eyâ—her other mâ—â—led â—s Of the condycyons of worldlyâ—â—â— OF those worldly meÌ„ great outrage meÌ„ may se Of pompe and pryde and all vanyte In dyuerse maner and in dyuerse guyse That nowe is vsed in many maner wyse In worldly hauynge and hye bearynge As in ydle apparyle and foule werynge The whiche asketh ouer great costage And at the last it tourneth to moche outrage For suche dysguysynge and suche manere As yonge men nowe hath as we may lere For nowe is euery day contynually say That myght before haue be by no way For thynge that somtyme was called vylonye Nowe yonge men holdeth it for great curtesye And that men somtyme for curtesye wolde call Aâ—we in lytell tyme to bylonye it is fall For nowe maketh men so oft theyr chaungynge In many maners and also of dyuerse clothynge Nowemen vseth short clothes and nowe wyde And other whyle narowe clothes and ouer syde And some haue theyr clothynge hangynge as stooles And some goeth tatered as it were fooles And some goeth wryckynge towarde and fro And some goeth skyppynge as doth ado And so vseth men all the newe get And therwith the deuyll taketh them in to his net And throughe suche vncomely pompe and pryde They ne wote whyther they may gone or ryde For so moche pryde as nowe is ywene Was neuer before amonge men sene For suche guyses that coÌ„meth of wantonhede I trowe that they may be tokens drede Of great myschyfes and hasty to vnderstande That is nowe in to this worlde coÌ„mande And therfore Goddes wrath with them shall mete As wytnesseth Dauid the prophete ¶ Etirritauerunt deum in vanitatibus suis. ¶ And they meued hym to wrath sayth he In theyr newe fyndynges of vanyte This may be called as the boke proueth By them that suche dysguyses vseth For suche men therwith God greueth And therfore from them his grace he reueth And God at the last to them wyll sende Great vengeaunce but they them amende God suffreth them a whyle to haue theyr wyll And in theyr folyes for to abyde styll And that may be knowen by many maner of guyse As saynt Dauid wytnesseth in this wyse ¶ Eâ— dimisi â—os secundum desideria cordis eorum ¶ The prophere Dauid speaketh and sayeth thus In Goddes name as the Psalter telleth vs I let them he sayeth without all maner couerte After iustes and lykynge of theyr owne herte And in theyr newe fyndynges they shall go Well may this be sayde by them and other mo That God suffreth in folye and theyr tyme leseth And after theyr lustes newe fyndynges cheseth That to the worlde maketh them gay And from God tourneth both nyght and day And at the last they shall hence wende To the 〈◊〉 that be without ende Therfore I counceyll all vanyties to forsake And in this worlde betymes amendes make yet hath the worlde that is so trecherous Many other maners that be contraryous For nowe is vertue tourned in to vyce And playeth myrth and game in to malyce And nowe is deuocyon in many a mannes syde Tourned all in to boste and to foule pryde And nowe is wyt and wysdome holde folye Both amonge yonge and olde tourned to trecherye And nowe is folye holde great wysdome And therto is tourned nowe both mayster and grome And nowe is clene loue tourned to lecherye And all ryghtfulnes in to trecherye And thus is this worlde tourned vp so downe To many a mannes soule great dampnacyown But suche semeth as they were wode For good thynge they holde euyll and euyll thynge gode Wo shall they be therfore as clarckes can tell For God hym selfe wytnesseth it in the Gospell Wo to you sayth Chryst that thynketh with your wyll That euyll thynge is good and good thynge euyll That is to say that them selfe shulde be wo That in this worlde myslyueth theyr lyfe so And thus is the worlde and mannes lyfe therin Full with vanyte and wretchednes of synne But some men loueth so moche this lyfe And also the worlde that is full of stryfe And so they thynke neuer to wende there fro But euer to dwell here yf it myght be so And loueth so moche this worldes vanyte And neuer desyreth here in other lyfe to be But wolde a man well hym vnderstande That the worlde is besy a man for to shoâ—de And what he shall haue therof at the last ende When he shall from the worlde wende Than shulde hym lyst both nyght and day To forsake myrthes and synge well away A man therfore must suche workes forsake And to Goddes mercye all his herte take And lede here his lyfe in mekenes and pouert In fâ—stynge and in penaunce and other workes smert And knowe his conseyence that is inwarde To haue the ioy of heauen than afterwarde And thus shulde euery man hym well be thynke If he wyll Goddes grace in hym synke Nowe haue I tolde you in dyuerse manere The condycyons of maÌ„nes lyfe and of the worlde here And nowe I wyll passe furthermore And speake of the thyrde parte and of his lore That telleth specyally as I shall rede Of death and wherfore it is to drede ¶ Here begynneth the thyrde parte of this boke that speaketh of death DEath is moste dredefull thynge that is In all the worlde as the boke wytnesseth this For there is no quycke thynge lyuynge That agaynst death is sore dredynge Fleeth it as long as he may but at last it is deathes pray And when death coÌ„meth and maketh debate All thynge he bryngeth in to another state For no man may agaynst hym stande Whyther he come by water or by lande ¶ Of thre maners of death AS Clarckes fynde wryten they redeth Thre maners of death ben y â— men dredeth One is bodely that after kynde doth wende And y e
begynne And thus we may acompte reâ—en and rede An hondred synnes agaynst one good dede The thyrde cause is for to shewe amonge For oft tymes our dedes be done with wronge And nat in good maner as they ought to be And perchaunce they be done out of charyte And therfore our good dedes pure good are nought But saynt Austyne sayth our euyl pure euyl are wrought â–ª ¶ Omnes iniusticie nostre quasi pannus menstruatus ¶ He sayeth our good dedes may be sene As a cloth defouled with thynge vnclene Therfore for certayne knoweth no maner man Howe he shall fare when he his way take can But we shall byleue without any maner drede That euery man shall haue after his owne dede But therof be we nat syker in our lyfe dayes As wytnesseth an holy man and in this maner sayes â–ª ¶ Nescit homo vtrum sit dignus pro actibus suis amore vel odio ¶ He sayeth for certayne a man knoweth nought Thoughe he haue here neuer sâ— moche good wrought Whyther that he be worthy after his dede To haue the loue of God other els hatred And also Isodore as the boke telleth vs Accordeth well therto and sayeth all thus ¶ Seruu dei dum bonum agit vtrum sit ei ad bonum incertus est c. ¶ He sayeth the man that is Goddes seruaunt That to all goodnes maketh his haunt yet is he nothynge certayne in thought Whyther it be good to hym other it be nought Wherfore our lyuynge is here full harde As wytnesseth the holy man saynt Bernarde ¶ Quis potest hic vitam suam ducere sine tribulatione dolore ¶ He sayeth who may here this lyfe lede Without trybulacyon anger and drede Therfore saynt Bernarde sayeth thus here And speaketh of mannes lyfe in this manere ¶ Terret me tota vita mea que diligentur discussa apperet michi aut peccatum aut sterilitas aut res sunilata et imperfecta c. ¶ Saynt Bernarde the holy man sayeth this All my lyfe here sore greueth me ywis For yf it well and euen dyscussed be Nothynge elles it semeth to me But synne that the soule moste dereth Other barayne thynge that no fruyte bereth And yf any fruyte myght theron seme It must thus be sayde ryghtly to deme Other a faynynge thynge to shewe in syght Other a thynge that is done nought by all ryght So it may for nothynge ben forth brought To please almyghty God that made vs all of nought So that all a mannes lyfe is with sorowe lad Therfore no wonder thoughe a man selde be glad What may a synfull man say therto Syth he that was an holy man of lyfe euermo Coulde no maner fruyte in hym selfe se Than may another man drede and sory be Of this lyfe here that euer is so vnclene In the whiche there may no fruyte be sene ¶ Of the fourth encheason why men dredeth death THe fourth encheason is and the last to tell Why men dredeth death y t is so bytter fell Is for a maÌ„ knoweth nat whyther to wende To ioy other to payne after his lyfes ende For so wyse a man was neuer yet none That wyst when to death he shulde gone Ne whyther he shulde from hence fare To ioy without ende or els to care For when deuylles and the Aungelles bryght Hath desputed our lyfe aryght Whyther that God wyll vs dampne or saue For than our dome we shall haue And whyther that we shall to ioy or payne And therfore in certayne putteth vs saynt Austayne ¶ Bene de die nouissiino vnusquisque pensare debet quia vnumquemque in eodem statu quo inuenerunt eum suus nouissimus dies talis eum dominus iudi cabit in nouissimo iudicio c. ¶ Euery man he sayeth that hence shall away Shulde haue drede of his last day For in what maner state that he than be founde In suche he shall be demed in a lytell stounde Therfore the last day that may vs befall Our day of dome we may well call But at our last day when Goddes sone shall come Than with our bodyes vp we shall be nome Before our Lorde God that almyghty kynge is That all thynge shall deme that day ywis For all bodyes shall wende in to that place Where soules shall be demed throughe Goddes grace And other they shall haue full ioy yfere Other full payne when they be there And afterwarde they shall both togyther dwell Whyther that they wende to heauen other to hell But here in earth shall the bodyes all Abyde tyll the day of dome shall fall And that day shall be full streyght and harde As this boke telleth sonne hereafterwarde But the synfull soule goeth than to hell There without ende in payne for to dwell But the good soule than goeth full euen Without any lettynge in to the blysse of heauen But many a soule that God wyll saue He graunteth them mercye that it wyll craue For in the blysse of heauen may no soule be se But he for his synnes penytent before he Other here doth penaunce as Clarckes telleth With a contryte herte who God forgyueth And when manues soule is clensed well Of all deedly synnes and also of venyell Throughe penaunce here done and also almysdede Aungelles full soone to heauen shall hym lede Or els when it is passed from the body away Into the payne of hell that shall last ay Therfore euery man that can wysdome Shulde here beware or that death come And make hym all redy and clense hym clene Of all maner of synnes that none be sene So that death hym fynde clene of all When the body and soule departe shall And euermore thynke vpon his lyfes ende Whyle that he lyueth here or he hence wende And so he may hym kepe from the deuylles seruyse And thus teacheth vs all Salomon the wyse ¶ In omnibus operibus tuis memorare nouissimâ— tua ¶ He sayeth thynke euery man on thyne endynge day If that thou thynkest almyghty God to pay Euer when thou thynkest any thynge begynne Than shalt thou nat fall in to any maner synne And thynke that thou shalt dye and knowest neuer whan Nother in what state thou myght be than Therfore vpon the morne when thou seest lyght Thynke that thou mayest dye longe or it be nyght And when thou goest to bed yf thou be wyse Thynke that thou shalt dye haply or thou aryse For saynt Austyne the holy man sayth thus in his boke Let euer thyne herte thyne last day loke ¶ Nowe haue ye harde this treatyse yrade And this in your conscyence openly sprade For the loue of our lorde Iesu Pray for hym that this boke drewe And for hym also that redeth it here Whyther so be that he go ferre other nere As for the moste synfull man that lyueth by breade That God forgyue hym his synnes or he be deade And that God saue them both from all wyckednes And mayntayne theyr lyues in all goodnes And brynge them both to that ioyfull place To endles ioyes in syght of Goddes face Unto that same ioy he vs brynge That for our loue maked al thynge Sende vs to that ioy that is fayre and bryght Where euermore is day and neuer nyght Amen FINIS ¶ Imprynted by me Robert wyer dwellynge in saynt Martyns parysshe at the sygne of saynt IohnÌ„ Euangelyst besyde Charynge Crosse. ☜ Ad imprimendum solum