thus offre your selfe perpetually to be obedyent to all ghostly counceylles and mouynges of the holy ghoste / to the power of youre freyltye Vnto the houre of dethe sayenge in remembraunce therof ¶ In manus tuas domine c. Lorde in to thy handes I coÌ„mende my soule and bodye hauynge a full purpose to be wylful to dye when soeuer it shal please our lorde to call you ¶ After that ye haue thus done ye shall gyue thankes to the trynyte as ye before haue ben taughte for thre speciall excellentê gyuen to our blessyd lady sayenge thryes Aue maria Greatly desyryng to do some thynge before ye dye that may be pleasaunt to her And then haue mynde of your good aungell and other sayntê to whom ye haue specyall deuocyon namely those whiche shall be honoured in the churche that daye And of this ye maye occupye your mynde in the waye to warde the churche / prepayrynge your herte to prayer / by the remembraunce of some parte of theyr lyfe And when ye come to churche / se that ye do nothynge onely of custome / as it were a thyng that hath no reason or vnder standynge ¶ But in all thynge consydre the presence of your lorde god hauyng hym coÌ„tynually before the eye of your soule and so behaue you in all thynges / that your seruyce may be pleasynge to hym the which requyreth of vs not onely our corporall exercyse / but moche more the exercyse of our herte And before ye departe out from the churche forget not to thanke oure lorde with all your hert that he hath gyuen you grace that day to be present at his holy seruyce and suche leysure that ye maye attende without worldly let your soules helthe thynking that many one in the worlde that be compelled of nede to applye theyr bodely labours â–ª yf they myght haue suche seysure as ye haue to ensue the spyrytuall lyfe shuld moche more profyte in vertue than ye do and be peraueÌ„ture not withstandynge all theyr besynes moche more feruent in the loue of god And then call to mynde howe many persones beset from the presence of the churche to prouyde for your nede / meate / drynke / and clothe and hertely coÌ„mende them al at the lest ingenerall to oure lorde and his sayntes ¶ In departynge from the churche beware that ye fall not anone to ydle speche but in the waye consydre by ordre / howe ye haue ben occupyed in the churche / and what deuocyon oure lorde hath gyuen you / and what good purpose ye haue ben moued to / and gyue god and his sayntes thankes with a full desyre to folowe them And lykewyse coÌ„sydre wherin ye haue be fawty and neclygeÌ„t / be sory therfore with a purpose to be more ware from thensforth And thus ye shal do after euery worke / before ye dyuerte to any other occupacyon ¶ And when ye come home to your chambre / se that ye demeane your self there lyke as at the churche at all tymes consyderynge the presence of god / and his aungels ¶ Fyrst at your entryng / on your knees salute our sauyour and his mother / applye your self to some profytable occupacyon / consyderynge in the begynnyng whether it be of necessytye or elles voluntary Yf so be that it be of necessytye it maye not be omytted / But and yf it be of voluntarye then coÌ„sydre whether there be any other thinge of more necessytye and profyte that may be done at that same tyme or not / and say to your selfe woldest thou be thus occupyed yf thou shuldest dye this daye / and constrayne youre selfe with the fere of dethe to spende your tyme at euery houre to the moste profyte of youre soule / offerynge your herte with your werke both at the begynnynge and at the endynge vnto our lorde And before ye departe from your chambre / coÌ„myt your custodye and gouernaunce to our lorde and to your good aungell ¶ Before your meate PRepare your herte dylygently to com therto with coÌ„punccyon / the which is the most excellent remedy agaynst al seÌ„suall appetytes And though there ben many meanes to induce compuÌ„ccyon / yet that notwithstandynge it shall be expedyent / that ye be determyned euery day to some inspecyal / wherfore I shal assygne to you lyke as ye desyred for euery daye in the weke one refeccyon of our lorde Ihesu / that ye may be accustomed to fede with hym These seuen ye shall fynde in vita christi secundum bonauenturam in the chapytres here intytled ¶ On moneday the .xvii. chapytre .i. On tuesdaye the .xxii. chapytre .ii. On wednesdaye the .xxiii. chapytre .iii. On thursdaye the .xxv. chapytre .iiii. On frydaye the .xxxix. chapytre .v. On saturdaye the .xxxiii. chapytre .vi. On sondaye the .lxii. chapytre .vii. ¶ These chapitres ye shal vse to rede eyther in part or hole as may be suffycyeÌ„t to styrre your herie to compuÌ„ccyon But yf ye wyll fynde shortly the fruyte of your redynge / se that ye begyn with a great desyre to take profyte therof / aske of our lorde helpe sayeng ¶ Emitte domine sapieÌ„tiam tuam de sede magnitudinis tue vt mecuÌ„sit et mecum laboret / vt sciam quid acceptum sit coram te in omni tempore Amen Good lorde sende oute thy wysdom from the seet of thy magnyfyceÌ„ce that it maye be with me and laboure with me / so that I may knowe what is acceptable afore the at all tymes Then begyn to rede euery thynge reuerently / depely merkynge eche worde that ye rede / oft tymes askynge grace to profyte ¶ And when ye shall make an ende / consydre your doynge as I haue sayd before / and gyue god thankes for his helpe / and coÌ„fesse your owne neclygeÌ„ce And then gyue thankes also to our lord for the saynt that wrote those thynges for the profyte of your soule say iÌ„ the honour of hym one Aue maria And so coÌ„mendynge your selfe vnto oure lorde / come to your meate with heuynes of herte that ye be coÌ„pelled for the nede of your body the which is your coÌ„tynuall enemye to leue the seruyce of youre moste beloued spouse ¶ After this when ye haue sayd grace intyerly desyryng our lord lo blysse you and all your coÌ„pany / and his creatures that ye shall fede of take youre place in ordre as besemeth / thynkynge youre selfe to vse the to wme of a seruauÌ„t and not of a souetayne yf yt ye wyl folowe his example that sayd Ego in medio vestruÌ„ sum sicut qui ministrat I am amongest you as it were a mynystre or a seruaunte Beynge glad yf all other haue that thynge that coÌ„tenteth them And thynke that ye alone be vnworthy the brede that ye do eate And obserue at your meale these fyue thynges ¶ Fyrste that ye fede not gredely withoute consyderacyon / but before euery tyme that ye shall take your meate lyft your herte vn to god thankynge hym that
¶ A dyurnall for deuoute soules to ordre them selfe therafter Ihesus Maria. THe great cause as I do thynke why we profyte lytell in the way of perfeccion is that we do not with al our studye and dylygeÌ„ce / folowe by perseueraunt exercyse in our dayly conuersacy on / the good instruccyons and counceylles that be daylye gyuen vs of oure lorde god The whiche for the gracyous desyre that he hath of our saluacyon ceaseth not to admonysshe and teche vs / howe we shuld ensue and optayne our soules helth and his perpetuall fauoure not onely by secret inspyracy on / but also by outwarde techynges and en samples that oft tymes we rede se And this defaulte in ve ryseth partly of our nelygence / that we gyue no great force of our owne profyte partly of our frayle and oblyuyous memory / that soon forgetteth what is taught vs but yf by often rehersynge it be depesy wryten and grauen in oure stony hertes ¶ Agaynst the fyrste the onely remedy is a good wyll / the which with the helpe of grace daylye desyrynge by contynuall prayers to amende shall at the last opteyne that it perseuerantly desyreth Agaynst the seconde defaulte the remedy is often tymes to rede or here those thynges the which wolde alwaye be had in mynde wherfore I haue accordynge to your deuout request / noted breuely iÌ„ this lytel papyre thre exercyses the which I haue many tymes couÌ„ceylled you to vse at thre tymes of the daye specyally / that is to say in the mornynge when ye ryseat your meate / and when ye go to reste ¶ In the mornynge AS soon as ye be ful wakynge marke well what thyng coÌ„meth fyrst to your mynde And yf ye haue ben wakynge at any tyme of the nyght past / what remeÌ„brauÌ„ce ye haue had of god And yf ye fynde that any thynge hath occupyed your hert then the rule of perfeccyon requyreth / the whiche is that our herte be at altymes vnyd and knytte vnto god / eyther by actuall loue and contemplacyon of his goodnes with de we thankes gyuynge for his benefytes / or elles by contynuall prayer confessyon of our owne euylles ¶ Then anone with great heuynes complayne of your selfe knowlegyng that this iÌ„perfeccyon is founde in you for want of dylygent ghostly exercyse in the tyme past And with a feruent desyre to amende from thensforth begyn anone with humble prostracyoÌ„ both of spyryte and also of body yf ye be alone to prayse the gloryous trynyte sayeng thus ¶ O beata et benedicta gloriosa trinitas tibi laus et gloria et gratiaruÌ„ actio ab omni creatura tua perinfinita secula seculorum Amen Thus in sentence O blyssed and gloryous trynyte / laude / glory and thankes be to the of all thy creatures / worlde without any ende Amen ¶ And when ye say this prayer speke it not onely with your tongue / but of all your hole herte moste affectuously desyre that the prayse / glory and thanke of all goodnes that is or shall be wrought by you or any other creature be retourned all onely to hym the which is the begynÌ„yng / the myddes the ende of al thyng that is worthy any prayse And acustome to reherse this many tymes on the day / so oft as ye fele any ghostly / or elles corporall / delectacyon of god / or of his creatures / that is to saye when soeuer ye be touched with inwarde deuocyon or good thought when ye coÌ„sydre the graces of sayntê / when ye be delyted with the be wty of any creature / when your meate drynke do content your appetyte / and so of al other thynges that pleaseth you Alwaye syngeth youre herte and many tymes speke with your mouthe O beata triuitas vtsÌ„ But specyally se that ye in no wyse omytte this when ye be moued to vayngsory And I thynke the contynuall exercyse of youre hâ—rte in this one lesson / shall moch promote encrease the grace loue of god in you ¶ But now retournyng to the mornynges exercyse when ye do on your clothes / se that your mynde be occupyed iÌ„ the prayse of god thankynge hym that he hath so plentuously puyded for you al necessaryes / many other moch better then ye / beyng iÌ„ nede / and pray hym to moue your herte the hertes of other to releue his poore people And this ye shall dylygently remembre both at your fedynge and when ye go to your rest at nyght FYrste when that ye be clothed before that ye departe out of your chambre saye this shorte prayer folowynge before some ymage of our lorde Ihesu cryste / fyrste thankynge hym for your creacyon and redeÌ„pcyon sayenge ¶ Gratias tibi ago domine Ihesu criste qui me creastiredemisti et preordinasti ad hoc qd sum tu scis quid de me facere vis / fac de me secuÌ„dum voluntatem tuam cum misericordia Amen Lorde Ihesu cryste that hast created me / hedemed me / and prcordynat me to be that I am thou knowest what thou wylt do with me / therfore make of me what soeuer thy wyll is after thy mercy Amen ¶ And when ye say this knowlege in your herte that ye are wel content with the estate and callynge that ye be in desyrynge intyerly with all youre herte to be obedyent to the ordynaunce of god what soeuer it pleaseth hym to make of you ¶ Secunderly confesse that al your lyfe past hath ben full of synne and moche vnkyndnes to warde your lorde god / promysynge vnfeyningly that ye wyl without any further delaye / with the helpe of his grace this same daye begyn a newe lyfe / humbly askynge mercye and remyssyon / sayenge ¶ DnÌ„e Ihesu criste ego cognosco me grauiter peccasse / et libenter vo lo me emendare per gratiam tuam miserere mei propter amaram passionem tuam Amen O lorde Ihesu cryste I knowe that I haue greuously synned / and gladly I wyll amende me by thy grace haue mercy on me for thy bytter passyon ¶ And when ye saye thus / haue before your eyes some of your greatest offences that moste may moue you to shame of your self and to contrycyon ¶ Thyrdlye vtterly dysprayrynge of your selfe thynkyng that ye are not in any wyse able or suffycyeÌ„t to ordre youre owne lyfe to gyde your selfe in the waye of vertue coÌ„myt you fully to the prouydeÌ„ce of god say ¶ Domine Ihesu criste qui solus es sapientia patris / tu scis que michi peccatori expediunt prout tibi placet / et sicut iÌ„ oculis tue maiestatis videtur de me / ita fiat cum misericordia Amen O lorde Ihesu cryste that onely arte the wysdom of the father / thou knowest what thyngê are to me expedyent / as it pleaseth the as it is seen in the eyes of thy maiestie of me / so be it with mercye Amen ¶ And when ye say
he hathe made that creature for your vse / and then consydre whyther it be coÌ„uenyent for the helth of your body then take of it moderatly seuinge the beste for other that be more worthy ¶ The seconde is that youre abstynence be as secrete as ye can / standynge rather in the brekynge of your appetytes / and forberynge of those meates that ye fele yourselfe moche inclyned to desyre than in any syngularytie notable ¶ The thyrde that you refuse nothynge that is offred you / but with great deuocyon receyue it as sent of god / gyuynge thankes to hym therfore And when ye haue taken parte of it / gyue the resydue as ye thynke beste / specyally for the norysshynge of charyte ¶ The fourth / that in all that tyme ye studye to kepe in your herte the remembraunce of god at euery morsell that ye receyue / gyuynge thankes in herte to hym And euery thynge that ye leue / offre it vnto hym / and your herte withall ¶ The fyft / that ye do not forgette to praye for the pore people lyke as ye dyd iÌ„ the mornynge And when ye haue fedde suffycyently / so that ye leue alway withe hungry stomacke / beware then of ydle wordê But yf the coÌ„uenyency of the company so requyreth / to fynde suche coÌ„munycacyoÌ„ that may edyfye your selfe and the herers ¶ When ye haue sayde grace / as shortly as ye may conuenyently / without any occasyon departe to your Chambre and recompte with your selfe howe you haue done as is before rehersed ¶ Then be moche ware of ydlenes and applye your selfe to some profytable exercyse And yf any thynge wold occupye your mynde that before ye haue herde or seen an one retourne in herte vnto our Lorde Ihesu / and tell hym all the mater / whatsoeuer it be Yf ye be dyscontentyd make your playnt vnto hym Yf ye haue done amysse / confesse forth with to hym Yf ye be in any doubte or perplexyte aske counceyll of hym Yf ye be sycke o dyseased let hym be your Physycyon And generally at all tymes haue hym syttynge in the myddyst of your herte / as your Iuge / your preest / your mayster and leche ¶ When the after noone is passed in vertuous ocâ—upacyon / ordre your selfe in the seruyce of god / before your supper and in the tyme tâ—â—â—of syke as is before rehersyd So that ye endeuer your selfe alwaye to do better the after noone than ye dyd the forenone And the seconde daye better than ye dyd the fyrste / and so forth to your lyues ende But in all thynges beware that ye be not moche anxious or pensyfe / nor longe abydynge in any heuynesse / nor yet greatly labourynge for to wepe / though ye fynde your selfe moche neclygent and dayly fawty lytell or nothynge amendynge For it is nother necessary nor profytable / but moche lette of profyte to them / that fynde in them selfe a good wyll / to serue god But rather / anone as ye fynde and haue aspyed your defaute and coÌ„fessyd it to our lorde / thaÌ„ke hym of his great pacyence / that he hath with you / by suche meanes rendreth you to the knowlege of your selfe / and therby vnto mekenes And synge alwaye in your herte O beata et gloriosa trinitas As it is beforesayde For it is moche better in all thynges to consydre the goodnes of god and to prayse hym therfore / than to consydre your owne euyll / and to mourne for it And example moche notable for this / ye haue in vitis patrum / of two bretherne ¶ Before nyght AT complyne tyme / call to mynde in ordre the benefites of our Lorde shewed to you that daye / and thanke hym for them And coÌ„trary wyse your neclygence / and all your dedes / wordê and thoughtes / makyng coÌ„fessyon of them to our lorde And those thyngê that be notable / wherof ye shuld be moste asshamed to shewe / Imprynt them in your mynde with purpose to confesse them to your ghostly father / askynge grace that ye maye so do ¶ Consydre also what sayntes inspecyall ye haue serued that daye / and what ye haue done to theyr honour / comptynge that daye in maner loste / that ye do not obteyne some frendshyp of the cytezens of heuen / where ye shall euermore dwell ¶ And then temeÌ„bre what sayneê be the next day / with a desyre to honour them ¶ After all this / when ye haue also prayed for the poore people / syke as ye dyd in the mornyng / coÌ„mende your selfe vnto our lorde / our ladye / youre good auÌ„gell / and all sayntes with the same prayers / in the same ordre as is before wryten And the tyme that ye do of youre clothes / tyll that slepe close youre senses / kepe youre herte dylygently occupyed in remembrynge the goodnes of our Lorde to warde you and specyally his gracyous prouydence and longe pacyence that he hath with you from day to daye ¶ And then conceyue a great desyre and a feruent purpose to begynne the nexte daye tymely / to amende your lyfe ¶ And yf ye contynewe this ordre and cease not / but perseuerantly enforse your selfe to kepe it to your lyues ende I truste in goddes mercy by the prayers of his holy mother and all sayntes / ye shall encrease in good lyfe / and in the loue and fauoure of our lorde Ihesu To whom be all prayse / honoure / and glorye with out ende Amen ¶ Deo gratias ¶ Imprynted by me Robert wyer / dwellynge at the Sygne of saynt Iohan Euangelyst / in saynt Martyns parysshe / in the bysshop of Norwytche rentes besyde charynge Crosse ¶ Cum priuilegio Regali pro spatio septem annorum ⸫ ¶ And be for to sell at the sygne of saynt IohnÌ„ Euangelyste ROBERT WYER