thee before night if thou wilt follow me There be some Enemies of mine that nick-name me and spightfully mis-call me by false and counterfeit terms saying that I am named Malice Vanity Vice and Voluptuousness But give thou no ear unto them for they speak upon envy hatred and evill-will Then approached the other Lady which after salutation done uttered these words unto me Reason required that I should have spoken first but this painted Peacock named Wicked Voluptuousness puts forth her self for to speak before me alwayes and to take the Tale out of my mouth Take heed of her for doubtless her Communication corrupteth and infecteth even the very best livers with the poyson of her errour Now I see thou art of good Inclination and ready to weigh thy pathes in the vallance willing to walk as well the good way as the bad And seeing thy minde wavoureth apply thy self unto Vertue continually shorten the sorrow of thy Soul water thee well with wisdome adventure not thy present precious age to be boldned in Ambition and Vain-glory Detest the danger of unsatiable Covetausness let not thy liking be laid upon licentious love avoid and shake off Idleness by using thy self to honest exercises flie Worldly Felicity arm thy self against the dart of Cupid lest at length he overcame thee open thine ears of understanding and follow my Counsell I am not the vile villanous vain mischievous subtill deceitfull and lying Lady Voluptuousness but I am the assured and sefe way that leadeth to perfect Felicity And though I am narrow and painfull to pass yet if thou wilt follow me I will make thee merry and guide thee in the very way which God hath ordained to lead unto true Blessedness For my Son thou must understand this that Almighty God doth not bestow on Men perfect joy and Soveraign goodness unless they labour to archieve it If therefore thou think alwayes to pass thy time in pleasure and followest thine affection doing all whatsoever seemeth delectable to thy foolish fantaste and supposest that way to find Felicity thou art farr wide and greatly abused for He that will have honey must make much of Bees If thou desire Felicity so lead thy Life that God of his goodness may bouchsafe to give it thee Cleanse thy heart and empty it of evill thoughts be firm in Faith establish thy Soul with soundness and sincerity be not deceived with damnable Doctrine nor led astray by wrong Opinions This that I tell thee cannot be done without labour neither can any profitable or good thing be obtained without pains-taking Thou seest how Shepheards Sea-men and all Artificers if they grow in wealth it is by labour and travell Were the Husbandman any better than a Fool if he should hope in Harvest to reap Corn eff his Ground where he hath sown no Seed when Season served Even so is that man marvellously mis-informed that thinking to atchieve perfect Felicity or to reap true Blessednesse having not first sowed his Field with Vertue good Deeds Faith Hope and Charity which is the high-way to Heaven The Husbandman dungeth his Ground soweth his Seed grafteth his Trees tarreth his Sheep and leadeth his life in Labour hoping to enjoy the Fruit the Graffe the Grain the Wool and generally all the Profit the expectation and full account whereof maketh him to take pains with pleasure Even so if thou wilt be concent painfully to walk this way without regard either of Rocks or Mountains doubt not to finde true Felicity Having heard this long and wise admonition and marking the Lady well I could not be in quiet till I knew her name Wherefore I said Madam without offence be it spoken I pray you what is your name she answered saying My Son I am great with God I am acquainted with the Saints I am all in all with Angels I am much esteemed of good men without me nothing is done in Heaven and without me no good thing can be done on Earth I am commonly called Felicity Wisdom and Vertue I govern good Kings Princes and People good Prelates and Eccleffastical Persons I stop the mouth of false Prophets and erroneous Teachers I hinder their Herestes and flay their wicked proceedings I govern Housholders and their Families in good order I am a Companion with the lovers of Learning I am a Husband to all chaste Wives Widows and vertuous Virgins I reward my Friends in prosperity with holinesse and in adversity with kinde consolation I minister unto them Food Raiment Lodging Strength Patience and all things necessary and whether it he little or much they take it in good part Contrariwise the friends of Voluptuousnesse are never satisfied although they have too much My Friends had rather sing Psalms than vain Songs they had rather fast than be drunk they had rather pray than curse they rise early and go to bed late they have care of the Common-wealth Faith counselleth them Hope assisteth them Charity inflameth them Wisdom governeth them Justice guideth them and I do and will enrich and encourage them that all the World shall have them in admiration honour and reverence Yea though their bodies die yet their Fame shall live for others Example and their souls shall remain immortal like unto the estate of Angels Contrariwise he that leadeth his lise in Voluptuousness Ambition Filthiness Uncleanness or Evil Conversation if he be not sorry for his sinfulnesse and repent him of his time lewdly spent that mand death is damnable and his shameful report shall never die no more than that of Sardanapalus Nero Heliogabalus Herod Pilat Annas Caiaphas and such like therefore my Son leave Voluptuousness if thou meanest to finde true Felicity and perfect Blessednesse CHAP. VII The Wandring Knight by the counsell of Folly left Lady Vertue and followed Voluptuousnesse which led him to the Palace of worldly Felicity WHen I had heard both these Ladies tell their Tales I was more amazed than ever I was before insomuch that I wist not which to take for my Guide But alas poor perplexed Pilgrim if I had had but the wit of a Woodcock and not wavered in minde I had followed Vertue and left Voluptuousnesse But being amidst mine amaze I requested my Governesse Folly to teach me quickly which of these two Ladies I were best to follow for the finding of true Felicity No sooner had I spoken the word but suddenly she cast out this Language saying that Vertue was an Hypocrite and that her way was painfull to passe But said she if you follow Voluptuousnesse thou seest her way is fair sweet green and pleasant If thou follow Vertue thou submittest thy self to cold heat hunger thirst travell pain and wearinesse thou must rise early and go to bed late stand in fear weep take care live in forrow and yet be in doubt to have Felicity at last If thou offend her never so little in word or Deed she will leave thee for she is too severe even in small trifling matters Whatsoever she said
and abilities in Man inward only but not outward that is to say a perfect affection of the soul which God precureth in man and not Man in himself For although such motions seem to be motions of free-will yet they cannot be such except God vauchsafe of his working Grace to sanctifie the will and to make it capable of such good affections These two Opinions recited by the Master of the Sentences in the second Book and 27 Distinction I refer to the Iudgment of the Reader and allow them so far forth as they both agree that Vertue is a work of God in Man and not of Man in himself But yet they differ because the first sayes that Vertue is not a moving of the Soul for that it is the only working of God without Man and of meer Grace the other Opinion saith that Vertue is a good motion of Man not coming of God in Man I dare not judge rashly in so High and secret a Mystery and therefore I appeal to the determination of the Learned It sufficeth to know that Vertue is a work of God in Man and not of Man in himself and in this point as both Opinions do consent so I approve them to be true CAP III The Description of Faith and how we ought to believe in God for our salvation FAith is a Vertue whereby we believe that which we see not When it is said that Faith is a Vertue it is most manifest that faith is the pure gift of God whereby we believe that which we see not But yet it followeth not that we should believe all that we hear and see not but this is meant only in things touching Religion and the Worshipping of God Faith is properly of things not apparent for apparent things have no Faith but a certain Demonstration as when our Lord saith to Thomas Because thou hast seen thou believest Yet Thomas believed more than he saw a Man and he believed that the same Man was God also which he saw not for he said Thou art my God and my Lord. In this consisteth the merit of Faith when a man at the Commandement of God believeth that thing which he seeth not To believe saith Saint Austin is to think upon a thing with consent to that thought as when thou thinkest the Son of God was born of a Virgin and toah mans nature upon him and consentest to that Thought it is properly called Beliefe This thought may come often by seeing and often by hearing And when Saint Paul saith that faith cometh by hearing of the word of God he understands that by hearing faith comes into the mind and thought if we consent thereunto For we may hear a Preacher without consenting to that he saith because men do not alwayes believe what the Preacher speaketh for that the consent wherein consisteth the perfection of Faith comes of the meer gift of God and not from seeing nor hearing but from the light of Grace speaking in the Soul of the Believer believing the principal truth which is God and working in him an agreement with that Soveraign truth above all other things So that Faith is a foundation unmovable our Lord Iesus Christ who is the only Foundation of true Blessedness dwelleth in the Hearts of the Believers and so long as Faith is in Man he shall be sure not to perish but faith without Charity is no Foundation because such Faith is in vain and unprofitable Faith then joyned with Love or Charity belongs to good Christians and Faith without Love belongs to evill Christians It is necessary therefore that we note the difference in these three sayings or speeches namely To believe a God To believe of God To believe in God To believe a God is to believe that he is the only true God so the Devils do believe as well as the evill Christians To believe of God is to believe that all is true which God saith and so believe the evill Christians as well as the good unless they be Hereticks But to believe in God is to love God and in believing to joyn thy self to God by love and obedience incorporating thee with His Members that is to say his Church This Faith justisteth the Sinner and this Faith being knit with Love and with Charity begins to do good deeds which cannot be done without Love The Faith which evill Christians have is indeed a quality of free will but it is not knit with Love and Charity which is the bond of perfection and the life of faith as Faith is the Life of the Soul And yet such an unshapen Faith being naked and Void of Charity may be termed a gift of God for that the evill man may have some gift of God but that cannot properly be called Vertue because that by Vertue we learn to live rightly and for that the Devils and Evill Christians do live wickedly it is a sign that the faith which they have is dead and therefore is not properly Vertue nor yet a work of Vertue If thou wilt then have thy Faith to be good and saving it must have four properties that is to say it must be plain and simple it must be whole and sound it must be constant and unmovable it must be quick and lively Touching the first that it must be plain and simple that teacheth thee thus much in effect that thou must believe the word of God simply and whatsoever is therein contained without inquiring into Gods mystical matters by humane Reasons and simply believing in thy heart that every thing contained in the holy bible is most true Secondly thy Faith must be whole and sound that is thou must not take part with Hereticks or cleave to the erronious Opinions of the Enemies of Gods truth for this is no good faith And therefore for a Testimony of thy Faith be not ashamed to make open Confession in the Congregation of thy belief with the Fellowship and Communion of Saints That thou believest in God the Creator and Governour of all things in his Son Iesus Christ the Redeemer and in the holy Ghest by which we are sanctified and receive true comsort and joy c. according as it is declared in his holy word Thirdly it must be constant and unmovable that is without doubting for any reason of Mans brain that seemeth contrary or for any temptation promise or threatnings either of torment or of death And let not the obstinacy of such as enchant with the vain pleasures of this life although they seem to live most joyfully allure thee to cleave to their opinion which is siat heresie for that is a work of Satans who wholly possesses them can change himself into an Angel of light to deceive the simple and innocent whom God permits to be tempted for the tryal of their constancy Not that he is ignorant of the issue but because he would have it appear in others that he crownes us with glory for our constancy and perseverance This is clearly
set down by Moses in the 13. of Deut. and by S. Peter in his 2 Epistle chap. 2 and by our Saviour Iesus Christ in the 24 of Matthew And though we live in the later times when many Sects do abound and Vertue and truth in many places do fail yet let us listen what our Saviour saith Whosoever believeth to the end shall be saved Fourthly and lastly thy Faith must be quick and lively that is it must be linked with love and charity which is the life of faith as the Soul is the life of the hedy And therefore abuse not thy self as some do saying I have Faith and I shall be saved whatsoever chance No no assure thy self that if thy Faith be not quickned with Love and Cherity it is nothing Worth and therefore unable to atchieve true Blessedness as S. Paul well noteth in the first Epistle the 13 chap. to the Corinth Even so when our Lord in the Gospel attributeth salvation unto Faith and S. Paul justification this is to be understood of an holy lively and Evangelical Faith working with Love and Charity Likewise when our Saviour saith in the Gospel that he which believeth and will be Baptised shall be saved that is meant of such a Faith as love quickneth and Charity reviveth The holy Scripture in many places expresseth that none shall be saved unless he observe and keep the Commandements of God Now none can keep the Commandements without Love and charity Ergo none can be saved without Love and Charity The sum and effect of all is this That whosoever renounceth Sin and imbraceth a quick and lively Faith and liveth in Love and Charity he cannot perish but shall find in the end perfect and everlasting Felicity in the Kingdom of Heaven CAP. IV. The Description of Hope and how we ought to hope in Almighty God NOw Sir Knight know this that Hope is a Vertue whereby Happiness or Blessedness both spiritual and eternal are hoped for And as Faith is of things not seen so is Hope also For Saint Paul saith Hope that is seen is no Hope because we have possession of it already It is common to Faith and Hope to be of things unseen and yet Hope is distinguished from Faith not only by name but by reason For by Faith we believe as well evill things as good that is Hell as Heaven We believe that Adultery is a very wicked sin we believe also Charity is a very good thing all these things good and bad we believe but we Hope only for good things and not for bad Again Faith is of things past present and to come For we believe the death of Iesus Christ which is past we believe also that at this present he sits at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven and we believe that Christ shall come to judge the quick and the dead But under correction I think that Hope is of things present as when I Hope that I am in Gods favour and of things past as when I Hope my Sins be forgiven me and of things to come as when I Hope to have eternal life This is true that Faith hath an eye generally unto that which is spoken in holy Scripture believing that all the promises without exception which God made shall be accomplished without descending to particular or special Persons but Hope applyeth unto her self those same promises waiting for the accomplishment of that which God hath promised And therefore it is requisite for assured Salvation that thou believe thou shalt be saved but to Hope so is not sufficient For Faith in it self importeth an infallible assurance and certainty of things as when we firmly believe all the Articles of our true and Christian Faith and all things contained in the holy Scriptures to be more certain then man is man but the hoping of it is not so requisite For if we have a firm assiance in the goodness of God touching our Salvation and doubt not a whit of the remission of our sins it is enough There be two degrees in Hope which are two contrary extremities The one being the most highest is the infallible assurance of eternal Blessedness The other being the basest and lowest is to despair of Salvation Between these two extremities consisteth Hope But the more that a Man approacheth to the highest extremity which is an infallible assurance of Eternal life and the more he rejoyceth from the lowest extremity which is desperation the more perfect he is in hope As it sufficeth the hoping Man that believes anâ— loves God that he hath a firm affiance and confidence that God of his good grace will give him whatsoever he hath promised to his Elect hoping that he is of their number So it is necessarily requisste that we have a perfect infallible certainty of our Salvation Now for that in the Definition of Hope it is said that by her we Hope and look for the eternal Happiness it is to be noted that Hope hath two Objects the first the perfect enjoying of Gods presence the other is all the necessary means to come unto the clear seeing and enjoying of God and these means are remission of Sins through Gods Grace justification Faith unfained and charitable deeds and agreeableness unto God Now all that we hope for we ought with prayer devoutly to crave of God as his Kingdom the remission of our sins justification encrease of Grace and Vertue deeds of faith and Charity But concerning goods temporal forasmuch as we may use them well and ill they may be said to hinder the Salvation of Man rather then to surther it And therefore the good Christian ought not to ask them nor covet them excessively indeed so much as will necessarily serve him for sustenance in this life he may lawfully ask and here by the way it is a lesson worthy the Learning namely that it is necessary for us to do good Works because it hath pleased God to enrich us with Goods which Goods ought well to be employed Now unto him properly belongeth the merits of the works which he worketh in us For all our good works are the gift of God howbeit he doth not deny us his Grace whereby we consent to do the good works which he only moveth in us And therefore every one ought to the uttermost that he is able to do good works considering that they come of God who is the Author of all good works and without whom we are not able to think so much as one good thought much less do a good deed For otherwise to hope in doing ill to go to heaven without good works springing from a firm faith is not hope but a flat presumption And therefore thou oughtest to enforce thy self to do good works hoping that thou and thy works may be acceptable unto God nevertheless thou must not in any case trust upon thy merits or good works but altogether to the infinite goodness of God For otherwise thou fallest into that curse
hunt the Hare in the Ocean Sea were it not think you a great Folly so to think Even the like is it to think that true Felicity is to be found here in this wretched world And for so much as in perfect Felicity is Comprehended all goodness and that the world as saith St. John Is addicted and given to all Evill and Subject to hunger thirst heat cold diseases calamities pride ambition covetousness and voluptuousness it is evident that those which here be living supposing here to find true Felicity are worse then Fools and void of right Reason True Felicity is not without goodness and vertue which cometh from God above if it be so why then is it not a most wicked and Presumptuous Opinion to think that by a Man 's own industry he is able to possess and enjoy the fair for of true Felicity Therefore every one that thinketh in this world he may come to perfect Felicity and true blessedness shall find in fine as I found for Felicity Vanity for Good Evill CAP. II. The Wandring Knight declareth unto Dame Folly his Governesse what is his Intent INtending to take my journey I considered that it was necessary to use Councell therein knowing that whatsoever is done without advice cannot have good Suctess as contrariwise a matter discreetly attempted is luckily ended Then dwelt with me a Damosel which ruled my House whose proper name was Folly the only Enemy to Wisdome For every thing that hateth the one loveth the other There is as much difference between them as between white and black hot and cold moist and dry light and darkness God and the Devil all which be contraries and cannot be in one body together Wisdome governes the good Folly the evill Wisdome maketh the evill good when they yield themselves to be her Subjects Folly maketh the good evill when they place themselves under her Protection Wisdome draweth Men from Hell and bringeth them to Heaven Folly fetcheth Angels from Heaven to dwell in Hell I do not term that Wisdome to know the seven Liberal Soiences the qualities of the Stars and Planets but I count him wise that hath the true knowledge of God For as saith Saint Cyrill Wisdome is that true understanding by the which the Soveraign good namely God is seen known and loved with a chaste love and pure Affection Folly is very Ignorance and salse Worshipping of God Wisdome maketh Fools wise and Folly maketh wise Men Fools Lell me I pray you can there be a greater Wisdome than to serve God with a pure Faith and to observe and keep his holy Law Obediently And contrariwise can there be greater Folly than to commit Sin and to disobey God by transgressing his Commandements It is not possible For whosoever committeth sin burieth himself and runs headlong to Hell which is a point of very great Folly Therefore all those that saithfully serve God and keep his holy Commandements are wise and governed by Wisdome and all those that transgress she Commandements of God are Fools and fostered by Folly as Slaves or Vassals When I wandred into wanton wayes I wrought my will esteeming my self wise but I proved a flat Fool. Thus fostered by Folly to whom I unfolded my intent which was to take upon me a Voyage to find Felicity and Messedness I requested her Counsell who without regard whether it were profitable for me or no did not only like the matter but also forced me forwards and with flattering phrase commended my Enterprize And to encourage me therein she began to exalt my device to commend my industry and wit to praise my strength to advance my vertue to blaze my knowledge to decipher my beauty and to extoll all my qualities saping that I was a second Solomon to have in my head such notable Cogitations Hereupon she promised to be my Enide and vowed not to go from me in all my Voyage affirming that she had sundry seasons made the like journey and that I might assure my self shortly to see the Palace of true Felicity My Son quoth she I would not have thee think that any Evil or Guile can have place in my heart Thus Comforted or rather emboldened I thought my self most happy to have such a Governesse so wise so grave and so expert for very joy whereof my heart tickled within me But alas wretch that I was my destre was alwayes after contrary Things for I rejected whatsoever tended to my Health in so much that to me sowre seemed sweet black seemed white evil seemed good Folly seemed Wisdome Light seemed Darkness And Folly so fore bewitched me that I neglected to do the good I should have done and I was too willing to play the part I should not have plaved It is true that the wise man make saying There is health where many do give counsell and he that taketh good advice and counsell before shall not repent him after But it is forbidden to take counsell of Fools For that they love but what they like There is an old Proverb Such as my Councellour is such needs must be my Counsell It were against all reason that a Fool should give good Councell For this is even as if Rivers should run against the Hill Nothing can be compared to good Counsell neither can any thing be worse than evil Counsell by the which the World is troubled Realms molessed Princes defaced Kings killed Empires altered Townes taken Cities sacked Lawes abolished Iustice generally corrupted Divine Mysteries prophaned mingled with mischief and confounded the true knowledge of God is forgotten all Reverence to Superiours neglected Shame-fastnesse Sobriety Faith Hope Charity and all other Virtues defaced all manner of Wars both Forraign and Civill attempted O Griefe O Plague O cruel Monster â— Now to our purpose CAP. III. Folly and Evill-will provided the Knight Apparell Armour and Horses FOrasmuch as Men oftentimes do alter their intents Folly was bufie and earnest to force me forward in the prosecuring my purpose perswading me to put my self on the way and saying that such good meanings and enterprises should presently and without delay be put in execution for sear of inconveniences that might ensue and that to mean a matter without doing it was a reproach to any Person Whereto I answered that I would proceed whatsoever followed thereupon but me thought it was necessary to have company and other provition as Apparell Horses and Armour sit for such a Voyage My Son quoth she I will take that charge upon me whereto trust cast all care from Thee let nothing torment thee be of good cheer Sleep at thine ease refuse no rest for I will within few dayes bring thee all necessaries that thou shalt need and seeing thou hast submitted thy self to me I will not sail thee Being glad of these words I referred the whole matter to her discretion and took mine ease Then Folly was acquainted with an Armourer named Evill-will whose company she daily frequented This Armourer was not alwayes occupied in