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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06890	A godly medytacyon of the christen sowle, concerninge a loue towardes God and hys Christe, compyled in frenche by lady Margarete quene of Nauerre, and aptely translated into Englysh by the ryght vertuouse lady Elyzabeth doughter to our late souerayne Kynge Henri the. viij; Miroir de lâme pécherresse. English	Marguerite, Queen, consort of Henry II, King of Navarre, 1492-1549.; Bale, John, 1495-1563.; Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533-1603.	1548 (1548)	STC 17320; ESTC S111990	38,308	98

excelled all other in the dyuerse speches of nacyons specyally in the Latyne Greke and Hebrue She made a boke of the prouydence of God an other of the immortalyte of the sowle with serten Greke poemes epystles and dyuerse other treatyses Constantia her daughter was also a woman of most excellent giftes had she not in the ende declyned to the detestable secte of the Arryanes by serten hypocrytysh prestes Vrsula Cynosura the floryshynge dauter of Sionothus the duke of Cornewale was so nobylly brought vp in all lyberall dyscyplyne that Conanus the kynge of lytle Brytayne desyred her to wyfe and as she went thydrewarde with .xi. thousande Brytaynes wyues more by chaūce of wether and vyolence of see rouer● both she and they peryshed by the waye Anna the syster of Aurelius Ambrosius whych was afterwarde marryed to Lotho the kynge of Pycres Anna the twynne syster of kynge Arthure are of writers magnyfyed for their dyuerse and excellent graces Morganis a woman of incomparable loue towardes her parentes and contraye so secretly and wysely conuayed the body of kynge Arthure the most worthy gouernour of the Brytaynes that the Englysh Saxons coulde neuer come to it to do their vyolēce theron Hermelinda rysynge of the Englysh Saxons bloude for her excellent bewtie and noble behauer became the wyfe of Cunibertus the kynge of Lombardy Hylda a noble woman both godly wyse and lerned not only dysputed in the open Synode at Streneshalce in the North contraye agaynst the prelates concernynge their newly founde out celebracyon of Eastre and their crowne shauynge with other ceremonyes but also wrote a treatyse agaynst byshopp Agilbert a Frenche man the busyest amonge them The thre doughters of kynge Alphrede Elfleda Elfritha and Ethelgora were wonderfully experte in the lyberall scyences Alenor the wyfe of kynge Henry the seconde was lerned also wrote dyuerse epystles to pope Celestyne the thirde also to kynge Iohan her yongest sonne Ioāna the yongest daughter of the seyd kynge Henry so moch delyghted in good letters that before she shulde be marryed to kynge wyllyam of Cycyll she caused her father to sende ouer .ii. lerned men of Englande walther and Rycharde with a French doctour called Petrus Blesensis to instruct hym in them specyally in the arte of versyfyenge And at her cōmynge thydre the one of those Englysh men was made archebyshop of Panorme the other byshop of Siracusa in recompēce of their labours Margarete the noble mother of kynge Henry the .vii. so plenteously mynded the preferment of scyences goynge forewarde of lernynges that she buylded in Cambryge for the same porpose the colleges of Christ of S. Iohan the Euāgelyst and gaue landes for their mayntenaunce as quene Helisabeth ded afore to the quenes college there Longe were it to rehearce the excedynge nombre of noble women whych in thys lande of Brytayne or realme of Englande haue excelled in bewtie wytte wysdome scyence lāguages lyberalyte polycyes heroycall force and soch other notable vertues and by reason of them done feates wonderfull Eyther yet to sort out their Names and regestre them one by one whych haue bene marryed out of the same to Emprours kynges dukes earles worthy captaynes Phylosophers phesycyanes astronomers poetes other of renomed fame and letters only for their most rare graces and gyftes Though non in thys lande haue yet done as ded amonge the Grekes Plutarchꝰ amonge the Latynes Boccatius with other authours afore named that is to saye left behynde them Cataloges or Nomenclatures of famouse and honorable women yet haue it not at any tyme bene barrayne of them No not in the dayes of most popysh darkenesse As apereth by Alenor Cobham the wyfe of good duke Vinfrey of Glocestre brother to kynge Hēry the fift Whom Antichristes grande captaynes the byshoppes than of Englāde in hate of her name and beleue accused of sorcerouse in chauntmentes and experymentes of Necromancy agaynst their holy horned whorysh churche And at the last slewe her noble husbande in a false parlement at Bury by their owne hyred slaughter man Pole as they neuer are without soch If they were worthy prayse whych had these aforenamed vertues syngle or after a bodyly sort only we must of congruence graunt them worthy double honoure whych haue them most plēteously doubled As now sens Christes Gospell hath rysen we haue beholden them yet se them styll to thys daye in many noble women not rysynge of flesh and bloude as in the other but of that myghty lyuynge sprete of hys whych vanquyshed deathe helle and the deuyll Consydre yet how strongly that sprete in Anne Askewe set them all at nought with all their artyllery and mynysters of myschefe both vpon the racke and also in the fyre Whose memory is now in benedyccyon as Iesus Syrach reporteth of Moses and shall neuer be forgotten of the ryghteouse She as Christes myghty membre hath strongly troden downe the head of the serpent and gone hence with most noble vyctory ouer the pestyferouse seede of that vyperouse worme of Rome the gates of helle not preuaylynge agaynst her What other noble women haue it doth now and wyll yet herafter apere more largely by their godly doctryne and dedes of fayth Marke thys present boke for one whose translacyon was the worke of her whych was but a babe at the doynge therof Marke also the graue sentences whych she geueth fourth to the worlde laude that lyuynge father of our lorde Iesus Christ whych hath thus taken hys heauenly wysdome from the great graue senyours that only are wyse in their owne consaytes and geuen it so largely to chyldrē Math. 11. That heauenly lorde graūt her and other noble women longe contynuaūce in the same to hys hygh pleasure That lyke as they are become gloryouse to the worlde by the stody of good letters so maye they also apere gloryouse ī hys syght by dayle exercyse in hys dyuyne scriptures Whose nature is in processe of tyme to kyndle their myndes and inflame their hartes in the loue of Christ their eternall spouse as thys present boke requyreth So be it Thus endeth thys godly Medytacyon of the christen sowle concernynge a loue towardes God and hys Christ aptely translated into Englysh by the ryght vertuouse lady Elyzabeth doughter to our late souerayn● Kynge Henry the .viij. ¶ The .xiii. Psalme of Dauid called Dixit insipiens touched afore of my lady Elizabeth FOoles that true fayth yet neuer had Sayth in their hartes there is no God Fylthy they are in their practyse Of them not one is godly wyse From heauen the lorde on man ded loke The knowe what wayes he vndertoke All they were vayne and went a straye Not one he founde in the ryght waye In harte and tunge haue they deceyte Their lyppes throwe fourth a poysened beyte Their myndes are mad their mouthes are wode And swyft they be in

of christyanyte bewtyfyeth hym most of all By nō other wayes haue the Apostles and Martyrs obtayned a noble report than by the valeaunt force of pure doctryne and fayth A gētyll hart sayth Seneca or a stomake that ys noble moueth prouoketh and sturreth only to thynges honest No man whych hath a noble wytte delyteth in thynges of small value moch lesse in matters of fylthynesse or supperstycyon Chefely apperteyneth it to men and women of syncere Nobylyte to regarde the pure doctryne and faythe vnto soch hath God promysed in the scriptures habundaunce of tēporall thynges longe lyfe fortunate chyldren a kyngedome durable with soch other Deut. 28. A most worthy conquerour is Gedeon noted in the scriptures for destroyenge false relygyō rennynge the kyngedome of faythe Iudi. vj. So is kynge Asa for remouynge the male stues from the prelates abhorrynge marryage for puttynge downe ydolles whych hys forefathers maynteyned 3. Reg. 15 So is kynge Iosaphat for beynge couragyouse in the wayes of God and for puttynge downe the hyll aulters their sacrifices .2 parali 17. So is kynge Iehu for sleynge the ydolatrouse Prestes and for breakynge and burnynge their great God Baal and for makynge a Iakes of their holy churche 4. Reg. 10 So is kynge Ezechias for clēsynge the house of the lorde from all fylthynesse afore hys tyme therin occupyed 2. Parali 29. and for breakynge downe the brasen serpent and ydolatrouse ymages with their aulters and sanctuaryes 4. Reg. 18 So is kynge Iosias for suppressynge relygyouse persones and aulterprestes for cōsumynge their iewels ornamētes for ouerthrowynge their buggery chambers in the howse of the lorde 4. Reg. 23. Thys noble kīge also destroyed all theyr carued ymages he strewed the dust of thē vpon their graues that had offered to them and brent the prestes bones vpō their aulters restorynge agayne the lawes of the lorde .2 parali 34. Iesus Syrach reporteth of hym fynally that he whollye dyrected hys hart to the lorde toke awaye all abhomynacyons of the vngodly Eccle. 49 Besydes that is spoken of kynge Dauid and kynge Salemon Not I only but many thousandes more whych wyll not from hens fourth bowe any more to Baal are in full perfyght hope that all these most hyghly notable and pryncely actes wyll reuyue lyuely florysh in your most noble and worthy brother kynge Edwarde the sixt Most excellent godly are hys begynnynges reported of the very foren nacyōs callynge hym for hys vertuouse lerned and godly prudent youthes sake the seconde Iosias Those hys wonderfull pryncyples in the eyes of the worlde and no lesse gloryouse afore God thus beynge to hys honoure that eternall lyuynge God contynue and prospere to the ende that he maye haue of them as had these vorthy kinges afore rehearced a ryght noble and famouse report Nobylyte sought by wycked enterpryses and obtayned by the same as in many afore our dayes and in some now of late is not els but a publyque and notable infamye and in the ende eternall dāpnacyon Nobylyte wonne by the ernest sekynge of Gods hygh honour is soch a precyouse crowne of glory as wyll neuer perysh here nor yet in the worlde to come Cam after a worldly maner or amōge the 〈…〉 sort is holden noble for slayinge his brother Iudas of the prelates for he receyued of thē a noble rewarde for betrayenge Christ Herode of the Iewes for murtherynge the innocētes And what is there more worthy reproche dyshonour and shame than are these execrable factes The nature of true Nobylyte as I haue sayd afore is not to ryse of vyce but of vertu though many men there seke it Of the most excellēt kinde of Nobylyte is he sure most vertuouse and lerned lady whych truly beleueth and seketh to do the wyll of the eternall father for therby is he brought forewarde and promoted into that heauenly kyndred Ioā 1. By that meanes becometh he the deare brother syster mother of Christ Math. 12. a cytizen of heauen with the Apostles and Prophetes Ephe. 2. yea the chylde of adopcyon and heyre togyther with Christ in the heauēly inherytaunce Roma 8. No soch chyldren left Socrates behynde hym neyther yet Demosthenes Plato nor Cicero with all their plesaūt wysdome and eloquēce No soch heretage coulde great Alexander the Macedoneane byqueth to hys posteryte neyther yet noble Charles Artoure nor Dauid Of thys Nobylyte haue I no doubt lady most faythfully studyouse but that yow are with many other noble women maydēs more in thys blessed age If questyon were axtme how I knowe it my answere wolde be thys By your godly frute as the fertyle tre is non other wyse than therby knowne luce vi I receyued your noble boke ryght frutefully of yow translated out of the frenche tunge into Englysh I receyued also your golden sentences out of the sacred scriptures with no lesse grace than lernynge in foure noble lāguages Latyne Greke Frenche Italyane most ornately fynely purely writtē with your owne hande Wonderfully ioyouse were the lerned men of our cytie Murseus Buscoducius Bomelius Lithodius Imānus as I shewed vnto them the seyd sentences in beholdynge as they than reported so moch vertu faythe scyence experyēce of lāguages letters specyally in noble youth femynyte Through whych occasyon there be of thē I knowe that cannot witholde their lerned handes frō the publyshynge therof to the hygh prayse of God the geuer neyther yet from wrytynge to your worthy grace for studyouse contynuaunce in the same Your seyd sētēces they saye farre passeth the Apohthegmes of Plutarchus the Aphorismes of Theognis the Stratagemes of Isocrates the graue golden coūsels of Cato the manyfolde morals of Iohan Goldeston the great allegoryser with soche other lyke Your first written clauses in .iiij. speches latyne frenche Italyane out of the xiij Psalme of noble Dauid mēcyoneth that the vnfaythfull reckeneth folyshly in their hartes there is no God Wherupō so corrupt they are in their vayne coniectures and so abhomynable in their dayly doynges that not one of their generacyō is godly By thys do your grace vnto vs sygnyfye that the baren doctryne good workes without fayth of the hypocrytes whych in their vncōmaunded latyne ceremonyes serue their ●ellyes not Christ in gredyly deuourynge the patrymony of poor wydowes orphanes are both execrable in themselues and abhomynable afore God for though those paynted sepulchres haue the name of the lorde in their mouthes greatly boast the good workes of the lawe yet knowe they not what belongeth to hys true honoure but hate in their wycked hartes both hys gloryouse name and worde The true doctryne of faythe and the feare of God wyll that wycked sort whome thys psalme wryngeth not heare but styll tormēt the conscyences of myserable wretched ydyotes for aduauntage of Masses

and momblynges Happy are they of thys latter age that in the Gospell haue receyued the sauynge helth out of Syon as your grace hath done beynge clere from the stynge of those ●yperouse wormes Blessed be those faythfull tuters teachers whych by their most godly instruccyons hane thus fashyoned your tender youth into the ryght ymage of Christ and not Antichrist Yea most blessed be those godly gouernours and magistrates whych haue traueled and yet laboryously trauayle with worthy Moses to brynge Gods people clerely out of their most wretched captyuyte Your latter clause in the Greke incyteth vs to the ryght worshyppynges of God in sprete and veryte Ioā 4. to honouringe of our parētes in the semely offyces of naturall chyldren Ephe. vj. and to the reuerent vsynge of our christen equalles in the due mynystracyons of loue .1 pet 2. Neyther Benedyct nor Bruno Domynyck nor Frances whych haue of longe yeares bene boasted for the pryncypall patrones of relygyon euer gaue to their superstycyouse bretherne so pure preceptes of syncere christyanyte Neyther yet Peter lombarde in hys .iiij. bokes of sentēces with whose smokye dyuynyte the lowsy locustes monkes chanons prestes and fryres● haue these .iiij. hondred yeares darkened the clere sunne whych is the veryte of God Apoca. 9. If godly wyse men wolde do nomore but conferre thys lernynge of yours and of other noble women ī these dayes with the doctryne of Robert Kylwarby archebyshopp of Canterbury and Cardynall whych the vnyuersytees of Oxforde Parys were sworne to for mayntenaunce of that christyanyte in the yeare of our lorde .1276 by the consent of all masters regentes non regentes I doubt it not but they shulde fynde iust cause to holde vp both their handes and prayse their lorde God for changynge that helle into thys heauen An vnsauery gust therof shall they fynde adioyned of the Paryseanes as necessary dyuynyte to the foreseyd sentēces of Peter lombarde In your forenamed boke cōposed first of all by the ryght vertuouse lady Margarete syster sūtyme to the frenche kynge Frances and quene of Nauerre And by your noble grace most dylygently and exactly translated into Englysh fynde I most precyouse treasure concernynge the sowle Wherfor I haue added therunto the tytle of a Godly medytacyon of the sowle concernynge a loue towardes God and hys Christ. Most lyuely in these and soch other excellent factes expresse ye the naturall emphasy of your noble name Elischabeth in the hebrue is as moch to saye in the latyne as Dei mei requies in Englysh the rest of my God Who can thynke God not to rest in that harte whych sendeth fourth soch godly frutes I thynke nō that hath ryght dyscressyon Your pēne hath here plenteouslye vttered the habundan̄ce of a Godly occupyed harte lyke as ded the vyrgynall lyppes of Christes most blessed mother whan she sayd with heauenly reioyce My sowle magnyfyeth the lorde and my sprete reioyceth in God my sauer luce 1. Many noble women of fresh literature haue bene afore tyme in thys regyon whose nomēclature or rehearsall of names I intende to shewe in the ende of thys boke but non of thē were euer yet lyke to those whych are in our age No neyther Cambra Martia Constantia Agasia Vodicia Bunduica Claudia Belena● vrsula● hilda nor soch other lyke Thys one coppye of yours haue I brought into a nombre to thintēt that many hungry sowles by the inestymable treasure contayned therin maye be swetely refreshed The sprete of the eternall sonne of God Iesus Christ be alwayes to your excellent grace assystent that ye maye sende fourth more soch wholsome frutes of sowle and become a noryshynge mother to hys dere congregacyon to their c●nfort and hys hygh glorye Amen Your bounde oratour Iohan B●le A Godly Medytacyon of the christen sowle concerninge a loue towardes God and hys Christe compyled in frenche by lady Margarete quene of Nauerre and aptely translated into Englysh by the ryght vertuouse lady Elyzabeth doughter to our late souerayne Kynge Henry the .viij. The preface IF thu do throughly reade thys worke dere frynde in the lorde marke rather the matter than the homely speache therof consyderynge it is the stodye of a woman whych hath in her neyther cōnynge nor scyence but a feruent desyre that yche one maye se what the gifte of God the creatour doth whan it pleaseth hym to iustyfye a hart For what is the hart of a Man concernynge hys owne strēgth before he hath receyued the gift of faythe Therby only hath he knowledge of the goodnesse wysedome and power of God And as sone as he through that faythe knoweth pythely the truthe hys hart is anon full of charyte and loue So that by the feruentnesse therof he excludeth all fleshly feare fyrmely trusteth in God vnfaynedly for certaynely the gifte whych God the creatour geueth frely at the begynnynge doth neuer cease tyll it hath made hym godly whych putteh hys full trust in God O happy and fortunate gifte whych causeth a Man to possesse a grace so desyred Alas no man coulde thys vnderstande onles by soch gyfte God had geuen it hym And great cause he hath to doubte of it ōles God hath made hym to feale it in hys harte Therfor gētyll reader with a godly mynde I besyche the pacyently thys worke to peruse whych is but small in quantyte and taste nothynge but the frute therof Prayenge to God full of all goodnesse that in thy harte he wyll plāte the lyuely faythe Amen finit praefatio liber incipit WHere is the helle full of traeuayle payne myschefe and torment Where is the pytte of cursednesse out of whych doth sprynge all desperacyon Is there any helle so profounde that is suffycyent to ponnysh the tenth part of my synnes whych are so many in nombre that the infynyte swarme of them so shaddoweth my darkened sences that I can not accompte them neyther yet we le se them I am farre entered in amongest them and that moch wo●s is I haue not the power to obtayne the true knowledge of the depe daūgers of them I perfyghtly fele that their roote is in me And outwardly I se non other effecte but all is eyther braūche leafe or els frute that it bryngeth fourth all aboute me If I thynke to loke for better a bra●che cōmeth and closeth myne eyes and in my mouthe doth fall whan I wolde speake the frute so bytter to swalowe downe If my sprete be sturred for to harken than a great multytude of leaues doth entre in myne eares and my nose is all stopped with flowers Now beholde how in paynes cryenge wepynge my poore sowle a slaue and prysoner doth lye without lyghte hauynge her fete bounde through her concupyscēce also both her armes through euyll vse Yet the power to remedy it doth not lye in me neyther haue I power to crye for helpe Agayne

wolde haue other For who so euer hath God as we ought to haue hym accounteth all other thynges superfluouse or vayne Now thanked by the lorde through faythe haue I gotē the same loue wherfor I ought to be satysfyed and content Now haue I the my father for defence of my longe youth from wanton folyshnesse Now haue I the my brother for to socoure my sorowes wherin I fynde non ende Now haue I the my fonne for my feble age as an only staye Now haue I the a true faythfull husbande for the satisfyenge of my whole harte Now syth that I haue the I do forsake all them that are in the worlde Syth I holde the thu shalte escape me nomore Seynge that I se the I wyllloke vpon non other thynge that myght kepe me backe from the beholdynge of thy dyuynyte Seynge that I do heare the I wyll heare nothynge that letteth me frō the fruycyō of thy voyce Syth that I maye frely talke with the I wyll cōmen with non other Seynge it pleaseth the to put me so nere the I wyll rather dye than to touche any other Seynge that I serue the I wyll serue non other master Seynge that thu hast ioyned thy hart● with myne if he depart from thyne lete hym be ponnyshed for euer For the departynge from thy loue is harder than is any dampnacyon I do not feare the payne of ten thousande helles so moche as I do feare the ones losynge of the. Alas my God my father and creator do not fuffer that the enemy inuentor of all synne ha●e suche power that he make me to lese thy presence For who so euer hath ones felte the losse of thy loue he shall saye that he wolde rather be bounde for euer in helle than to feale the payne that one shall haue by the losse of the same thy loue one momente of tyme. O my sauer do not permytt that euer I departe from the. But if it please the put me in suche a place that my sowle through wantonnesse of synne be neuer separated from thy loue In thys worlde I can not haue perfyghtly thys my desyre Whych thynge consydered maketh me feruently with all my harte to desyre the departynge from thys bodye of synne not fearynge the deathe nor yet any of her instrumentes For what feare ought I to haue of my God whych through loue offered hymselfe and suffered deathe not of dett or dewtye bur because he wolde for my only sake vndo the power that mortall deathe had Nowis Iesus dead in whom we are all dead and through hys deathe he causeth euery man to lyue agayne I meane those whych through faythe are partakers of hys Passyon For euen as the deathe before the great mystery of the crosse was harde to euery bodye and there was no mā but was feared therwith consyderynge the copulacyon of the bodye the sowle their order loue and agrement so were their sorowes extreme in the departynge of the one from the other But sens it hath pleased the swete la●●ded offer hymselfe vpon the crosse hys great loue hath kyndeled a fyre within the harte so vehement that euery true beleuer estemeth the passage of deathe but a playe or pastyme and so prouoketh other constauntly in hys truthe to dye And euē as the feare of deathe ded retarde vs so ought loue to gyue vs a desyre to dye For if true loue be vnfaynedly within the harte of a man he can fele non other thynge because that loue is so stronge of it selfe that she kepith all the roume and putteth out all other desyres not sufferynge any thynge there but God only For whersoeuer true and perfyght loue is we do neyther remēbre feare nor yet sorowe If our owne pryde for to attayne honoure maketh vs to seke deathe so manye straunge wayes As if for to haue a folysh pleasure a man putteth hym felfe in ieopardye of lyfe If a merchaūte to obtayne ryches doth daunger hymselfe sometyme for the value of a shyllynge If the first cōceyuynge of robery or murther crueltie or deceyte doth so blynde a man that he doubteth nothynge the daunger of deathe neyther yet mysfortune whan he seketh to auēge hymselfe or doth any other ●uyll If the fury of sykenesse or the rankenesse of Mel●ncholy causeth a creature fearcely to wyshe for deathe oft tymes to drowne hāge or kylle thēselues For suche euyls are somtymes so great that they cause their payned pacyentes to chose deathe for lyberte If it so be than that these paynes full of euyll and imperfectyons causeth them not to feare the hasarde of deathe but rather to thynke that deathe tarryeth to longe Alas what ought true and laudable loue to do What ought the loue of the eternall creatour to wyshe Shulde she sturre a harte suche wyse that he beynge transported with suche affectyon shulde fele non other thynge in hym Alas yea For deathe is a plesaunt thynge to the sowle whych is in loue with God and estemeth the passage easye through the whych she commyth out of pryson For the harde waye wherthrough she commeth can not wearye her for to enbrace her husbande O my sauer how good is the same deathe through whom we shall haue the ende of all sorowes By whom I shall enioye thy syght without impedyment and be transfourmed into the lykenesse of thy maieste O deathe through thy dede I trust to haue suche honour as vpon my knees with cryenge and wepynge I do dayly desyre Therfor come quyckely a●d make an ende of my sorowes O happy doughters ryght holy sowles ioyned to the cytie hierusalem open your eyes and with pytye loke vpon my desolacyon I beseche yow that in my name ye do shewe vnto my best beloue my God frynde kynge how at euerye houre of the daye I do languysh for hys loue O swete deathe through suche loue come vnto me and with loue brynge me vnto my lorde God O deathe where is thy stynge and darte Alas they are bannyshed from myne eyes for rygour is changed into swetnesse seynge that my frynde ded suffre deathe vpon the crosse for my sake Hys deathe doth so incourage my harte that thu wert wonders gentyll to me if I myght folowe hym O deathe I beseche the come to put the frynde with hys loue Now syth that deathe is so plesaunt a lyfe that she pleasith me more than feareth me than ought I to feare nothynge but the ryght iudgement of God All my synnes with hys iust balaūce shall be wayed shewed opēly Thys that I haue done also my thought and worde shall be better knowne than if they were written in a rolle And we maye not thynke that charyte wolde offēde iustyce truthe For whoso euer doth lyue vnfaythfully shall be ponnyshed in euerlastynge payne God is iust and hys iudgemēt is ryghteouse All that he doth is perfyght in all thynges Alas

what am I consyderynge my ryghtousnesse I wretched and poore creature I knowe that all the workes of iust mē are so full of imperfectyon that afore God they are more fylthye than myer or any other vylenesse What wyll it be than cōcernynge the synnes whych I do cōmyt wherof I feale the burden importable I can saye nothynge els but that I haue wonne by them dampnacyon Is thys the ende Shall dyspayre than be the conforte of my greate ignoraūce Alas my God no. For the inuysyble faythe causeth me to beleue that all thynges whych are impossyble to men are possyble vnto the. So that thu do conuerte my worke whych is nothynge into some good worke of thyne in me whych is specyally faythe Than my lorde who shall condempne me what iudge wyll dāpne me syth that he whych is geuen me for a iudge is my spouse my father and refuge Alas what father Suche as doth neuer condempne hys chy●lde but alwayes doth excuse and defende hym Than I perceyue to haue non other accuser but Iesus Christ whych is my redemer whose deathe hath restored vs our lost inherytaunce For he made hym selfe our man of lawe shewynge hys so worthye merytes afore God wherwith my great debte is so habundauntly recōpenced that in iudgement it is accompted for nothynge O redemer here is a great loue We fynde but fewe suche mē of lawe Swete Iesus Christ it is vnto the that I am a detter yet dost thu both praye and speake for me And moreouer whan thu dost se that I am poore with the abūdaūce of thy goodes thu dost paye my debte O incomprehensyble see of all goodnesse O my father dost thu vouchesaue to be my iudge not wyllynge the deathe of a synner O Iesus Christ true fysher and sauer of the sowle frynde aboue all fryndes Fo thu beynge my man of lawe dedyst excuse and speake for me where thu couldest iustly haue accused me I feare nomore to be vndone by any man for the lawe is satisfyed by the for all My swete spouse hath made the payment so habundaunt that the lawe can aske nothynge of me but is payed of hym For as I beleue he hath taken all my synnes vpō hym and hath geuē me in place of them● hys owne goodes in habundaunce O my sauer presentynge thy ver●ues thu dost content the lawe Whan she wyll reproche me of my synnes thu dost shewe he● how willyngly in thyne owue fleshe thu hast taken the dyscharge of thē through the coniunctyon of our marryage Also vpon the crosse through thy passyon thu hast made satisfactyon for it Moreouer thy only charyte hath geuē me thys that thu hast for me deserued Therfor seynge thy meryte to be myne the lawe can aske nothynge of me Than wyll I feare nomore the iudgement but with desyre rather than parforce I do tarry for the tyme that I shall se my iudge and heare a iust iudgemente of hym Yet I knowe that thy iudgemēte 〈◊〉 so iust that there is no faulte therin that my infydelyte is worthye to suffer the cruelnesse of helle For if I do only consydre my deseruynge I can se nothynge in it that can keape me from the fyre of helle True it is that the torment of helle was neuer prepared but for the deuyll and not for reasonable men Neuerthelesse if any man haue set in hys mynde to be lyke to the deuyll than ought he as the deuyll to be payed with a lyke rewarde But if a man through cōtemplacyon of the sowle do holde of the hys Angell of coūsell vertue goodnesse perfectyō he is sure to obtayne heauen whych is a place of thy deseruynge for hym Than shall ●he vycyouse be ponnyshed with the same to whom they ioyned themselues For sith that they folowed Sathan they must holde suche place as is for hym and hys angels prepared Now I consyderynge the dyuersyte of both the sortes am lytle conforted in spre●t by thys For I can not denye but I am more lyke the deuyll than the Angell of lyght wherfor I feare and tremble For the lyfe of the Angell is so pure myn● so vnpure that I am nothynge lyke vnto hym thys do I confesse But to the other I am so lyke in my doynges and so accustomed in hys wayes that of hys payne tormente I ought to be partaker For the cruell synne whych hath bounde me in helle is so great and hys force so stronge that it leteth nothynge to come from it neyther feareth it the cōtrary assaulte of any man But he whych is in thys kynde stronge knoweth not how hys strength goth awaye whan a stronger than he cōmyth Synne is stronge whych bryngeth vs to helle And I coulde neuer yet se that anye man by meryte or payne takynge coulde euer yet vanquyshe that helle saue only he whych ded the great assaulte throngh hys vnspeakable charyte whan he humbled hym selfe to the crosse Wherby he hath ouercomen hys enemye broken helle and hys power so that it hath no farther strength to keape anye sowle prysoner that hath put her trust in God Than be leuynge in the great strength that he hath I do not set by helle and synne No not so moche as a strawe So that synne can neuer haue holde of me vnlesse it be for to shewe how my God is mercyfull stronge myghtie a pusaūt vanquysher of all the euyls whych were within my harte If my synne forgyuē is the glorye of my most louynge sauer I ought also to beleue that my glorye is encreased therwith seynge that I am planted or engrafted in hym Hys honoure only doth honoure all hys and hys ryches doth replenysh euery one of hys with hys goodes Than deathe helle and synne are ouercome by hym● O glottonouse helle where is thy defence Thu cruell vyllayne synne where is thy tyrannouse power O deathe where is thy stynge vyctorye whych are so moche spoken of In steade of deathe thu deathe geuyst vs lyfe and so dost thu contrary to thy wyll Also thu synne which coueryst to drawe yche creature to dāpnacyon thu geuest vs a ladder to reache therby that goodly cytie Hierusalem Yet woldest thu of thy cursed nature that our eternall maker shulde lose hys creature But through hys loue aud grace the sorye remēbraunce of thy vncomelynesse doth cause her by repentaunce to come agayne and submyt her selfe vnto God more than euer she dyd Hys inest●mable goodnesse causeth the to lose the whole labour whych thu takest all the weke Therfor helle hath not had all the nomber that he did pretende to haue bicause that the solacyouse shaddowe power of hys passyon is suche a myghtye protectyon to the sowle that she therby nedeth neyther to doubte deathe synne nor helle Is there anye thynge can pull me backe if God be wyllynge through hys gyfte of faythe to drawe me to hym