¶ Here begynneth the boke called the Pype / or Tonne / of the lyfe of perfection The reason or cause wherof dothe playnely appere in the processe ¶ Vnto the deuoute readers THis worke was wrytten yeres ago And nowe thought necessarye to be sende forth bycause of these newe tangle persones / whiche in dede ben heretykes / all though they wyll nat so be called / that done write newe oppinions / and do nat onely depraue all religions that commenly ben called by that name religion But also done corrupt the high religion of all religions The newe testament of Christe / agayne whome they fare Here is somwhat spoken in our commune tonge / that all you may knowe all their false and subtyll deceites / and the rather beware of them I beseche you applie all vnto the best / and I most mekely do submitte my selfe vnto charitable correction And that is the veray and only cause as oft we haue shewed that we done sette forth our name The olde wreched brother of Syon / Richarde Whytforde ¶ A worke of the thre vowes of religion / contrary vnto the great Heretikes Lutheranes / moche profitable vnto religious persones gathered by a brother of Syon / Rycharde Whytforde ¶ The preface ¶ In our lorde god / and most swete sauiour Iesu salutacion GOod deuout religious doughter you haue often and instantly required me / to write vnto you / vnto your systers / some good lesson of religion And yet you knowe well / I am but as a nouisse in religyon my selfe more mete to lerne / then to teche religion And to saye trothe moche vnworthy to speke of good religion Nat withstandynge / trustynge in the grace / helpe of our lorde by your holy prayers I shall accordinge vnto my poore abilite inforce / gyue diligence somwhat to satisfie your deuoute mynde / religious desyre Wherfore call vnto your remembraunce the similitude / lykenes / or example / that I haue made vnto you / diuers of your systers nat without the authorite of holy doctours of the lyfe of parfection That is to say / that the lyfe or maner of lyuing / of perfection as in this state of our mortalitie is moche lyke vnto a pleasaunt / precious / holsome wyne / contayned / preserued / and kept in a pype or tonne Whiche vessell ben communely made of planed bordes And those bordes coÌ„passed about / and bounde fast with hopes And yet those hopes bounde and made fast with small wykers So that if the wykers by any chaunce be losed or broken the hopes forthwith / done flye or starte of The bordes than done lose / and ben deuided or departed in sondre And so dothe the wyne flowe out perisshe In lyke maner is it of the lyfe of perfection whiche is closed and kept moost surely in religion And religyon is made and standeth principally / in the .iii. euenciall vowes / obedience / wilfull pouertie / and chastitie For these thre as in maner the bordes of the sayd vessell ben the substanciall partes of religyon Whiche vowes nat withstanding ben compassed bounde to gether as the sayd vessell with the hopes with the preceptes / counsell of the holy rules other of saint Augustine / saynt Benedicte / or saynt Franciske Vel in graecis Basilij or in greke of Basilius And yet those rules ben knytte made fast to gether as the sayd hopes with the wykers with the holy seremonies of religion whiche ben contayned in the statutes / and constitucions / addicions / iniunctions And in the laudable customes of euery singuler monasterie or of the generall ordinaunces of the same religion Note well nowe the example / or similitude For as in the sayd pype whanne the small wykers ben broken or losed all the residue doth folowe fayle decaye / vnto the distruction of the wyne So in lyke maner / whan the holy cerimonies of religion ben neglected / forgoten / lost / put a waye / broken / despised / littell or nought set by Than done the rulers decaye and the vowes losed ben litle regarded or of no strength Rreligion is gone and the life of perfection clene distroyed and loste The decaye of religion in this present tyme of our age pytie to say is euident And surely the great cause / and occasion therof is the contempt / and negligeÌ„ce of the wykers the small cerimonies For you may take this for a sure trothe That person in religion that doth dispise or sette litle by the least or smallest cerimonie / shall neuer be good ne perfyte religious ê‘sone Hit doth therfore seme vnto me moost conuenient that we speke fyrste of the holy cerimonies of the religion As of the wykers / than of the rules / as of the hopes And in the thyrde place of the essencials of religion That is the .iii. vowes / obedience / wilfull pouertie / and chastitie / as of the bordes In the .iiii. place of the selfe religion As of the vessell / pype / or tonne And last in the fyfte place / of the lyfe of perfection as of the pleasaunt / precious / moost holesome wyne This shal be the ordre of our institucion and purpose in this your deuour and religyous request Nat withstandynge we haue of late / sene diuers werkes in latyn / sende out openly in prynte agayne all maner of religion For the great heretyke Luther with all his discyples done depraue / and vtterly condempne all maner of religyons / except onely as they call hit the religyon of Christe And specially to make any vowe / or promise vnto any of the sayd essencials / that is to saye / obedience / pouertie / or chastitie / accordynge vnto any of the sayd rules Wherfore I thought necessarye vnto the comfort of all suche persones as haue or done purpose or intende to entre religion somewhat after my poore vnderstanding / to speke therof And so to aunswere / that the reders may haue some reasons and trouthes redy to auoyde the perylous poyson of suche blaterers / and to gyue the lesse credence vnto their wordes 1. Cor. 15. D. For trouthe it is that the holy Apostle sayth Corrumpunt bonos more 's colloquia mala Yuell communicacion / yuell talkyng / and yuell wordes done corrupt and distroy good maners and vertues Fyrste than we shall reherce their reasons and sayenges agayne religion And than shall we make aunswere as it may please our lorde vnto the same ¶ Here endeth the preface ¶ Of the reasons of the Heretikes agayne religion And firste of their reason in generall The first chapiter HOwe deuout reders you must ymagen that the selfe heretikes done speke / for the reasons that done folowe ben their reasons / and done seme to be suerly grounded vpon scripture And by reason therof / they ben the more ieoê‘dous more subtylly done deceyue / and more perilously done poyson the simple and vnlerned soules ¶ The fyrste reason generall
make lowe / vnto theÌ„ the done truste iÌ„ theyr owne vertues doth he disdayne to gyue his gyftes but those that nothyng truste in theyr owne workeâ— but done hange holly vpon hym those doth he nourysshe / conforte / and defende Submitte you therefore in due maner eyther vnto other / nat for the dred of maÌ„ but for the dred of god For he hath cure of you / doth care for you / he wyl nat suffer you to perisshe Youth iÌ„ worldly ê‘sones is redy vnto plesures / disportê / ydle pastimes / waÌ„tones but it bycoÌ„meth religious ê‘sones of euery age to be sade / sobre / diligent / circumspecte / well ware of them selfe For the great enimy / and aduersary of our saluacion dothe neuer slepe / but euer walketh aboute / as an hongry rauenous Lyon / sykynge and spyryng where / and how he may cayche and deuoure the christiane soule / and no angle ne corner leueth he vnsoght / to fynde an entre among religious persones For somtyme dothe he craftely awayte theÌ„ by vayne voluptuous pleasures / sometyme openly assayle them by troublous / and vnrestfull persecucions But gyue no place vnto hym good religous persones Rather withstande strongly / with hole and vnfeynted hertes For althoughe his power be very great mightye yet is he more stronge and myghtye / that hathe the cure of you / our lorde Iesu Christe Put your truste in hym with all your hertes And than your aduersary can nothyng preuayle / agayne them that haue faynt hertes / and lyke truste in our lorde he is very stronge / and of great power But agayne theÌ„ that baue full feyth / truste in god he is but feble faynt If he dyd persue assayle religious ê‘sones alone the affliction myght peraduenture in good reason be greuous But nowe that he doth by like malice assayle all maner of persones / be they neuer so holy or deuoute For Christe doth he persue assayle in vs he doth inuie the soule helth of all maner of persones we shulde therfore suffer beare more lyghtly the coÌ„mune ê“secution / affliction / trouble of all christianes / with coÌ„mune good wylles hertes stande styfly agayne our coÌ„mune enemy These tentacioÌ„s assayles shall sone ouerpasse For this lyfe is nat long yet in the meane tyme our lorde wyll nat leue ne forsake vs / but he that is the mouer gyuer of al grace goodnes wyll ê‘fourme in vs / that he hath bygoÌ„ne / he gaue iÌ„spired vnto vs / the mynde wyll of religion that we shulde pacientely bere and suffre agayne for him suche paynes afflictions and troubles as myght bryng vs vnto eterne euerlastyng glorie / he wyll nat suffre vs to lose our palme / crowne of victorie if we wyll manly fyght / and styfly stande therby / he wyll be present with vs / wyll helpe vs to fyght / giue vs both streÌ„ghe stabilite So that here for a shorte tyme somwhat afflicted troubled / we shall hereafter come vnto the crowne of imortalite For by his helpe we done vanquyshe And by his liberallite goodnes we shall receyue the mede and rewarde therof And therfore there is no cause in vs why we shuld gyue / thynke or applie any laude or prayse vnto our selfe For al the glorie and prayse is due vnto our lorde alone / nat only in this worlde but also in all worldes for euer more Amen For this ê‘sent tyme I haue no more to writ but that it maye please you of your charite / forgyuyng my rudnes to pray for me vnto our lorde god moste swete sauiour Iesu / who sende vs grace mercy euer to worke his wyll This haue we drawen out of the fyrst epistle of saynt Petre / the last Chapitre your wreched brother of Syon Rycharde Whytforde ¶ Of the seconde borde of our vessell whiche is the seconde membre of this thyrde parte / that is the seconde essenciall vowe of religion / called wylfull pouerte ¶ The preface WHere we iÌ„ the fyrst ê‘te of this worke dyd assimile religion vnto a Tonne / or Pype / conteynyng the moste delicate / and holsome wyne of the lyfe of ê‘fection for the imitacion / and folowyng of the lyfe of our sauioure Christe Iesu / and the same Tonne or Pype to be made of .iii. tables or bordes / those ben / the essenciall vowes / and those to be closed and bounde with the hopys / of reules / constitucions / statutê / yet those hopys to be also bouÌ„de with the wykers of the holy ceremonies / and laudable customes of religion we haue nowe here sent vnto you the seconde borde / or table of the sayd Pype / called wylfull pouerte Wherof to intreate we shall shewe fyrste our mynde of the selfe terme pouerte ¶ Of the selfe terme pouerte The fyrste Chapitre FOr the selfe terme may be taken diuersly One way it is taken for nydenes / want or lacke of necessaries and so is it misery wrechednes / which coÌ„mune beggers / and many persones haue borne / and suffred with peyne and wo. Whiche natwithstandyng taken paciently with laude and prayse of god may be moch meritorious An other way pouerte maye be taken for scarsity / and that thyng that is sufficient for the lyfe of the persone with harde shyfte of labour and occupacion And this pouerte is a thynge of great honesty / and moche profyt and auayle / as well vnto the welth / ond good state of the body as vnto the quietude and rest of the mynde For what can be vnto the helth of the body better than exercyse by moderate laboures whervnto pouerte doth driue and in maner constreyne And also doth teache the ê‘son to vse all thynges gotten by laboures discretely moderately / and to despise all superfluite And also dothe cause persones to remembre theyr owne infirmite / from whens they came / and howe they shulde lyue by them selfe alone / and of them selfe / that is to say without helpe of all other creatures / onely by the grace and helpe of god / and so doth it also moue theÌ„ to despise al delicates / and doth shewe and teache al persones what is very ryches / that is to say suche as theues can nat stele / ne tyrannes robbe / nor that may lyghtly be lost And yet is nat this pouerte meritorious excepte it be wylfull / without force And interprised / taken suffred as after we shal shewe for the loue of god For the wylfull forsakynge of worldly ryches and goodes doth nat cause the merite / but the ende / purpose / the intent / and cause why the goodes ben forsaken is the cause of merite For paganes / gentyles / philosophers / and other infideles haue clene forsaken the worlde / all the ryches and pleasures therof / bycause they myght be voyde of the cares / busines / and turmoyles of
peticion But by prayer vnto our lorde he obteyned grace / to appere vnto her slepynge by vision And vnto her great confort he dyd moche better so content / and satisfie her mynde than otherwyse Hereby ye may take / that to fle / and auoyde syght / and in no wyse to be sene / or loked vpon is of more perfection and merite than to se / or be sene / whiche thynge we haue of auctorite / by the reuelacioÌ„ of our lorde vnto our holy mother saynt Brigitte / in oure rule Wherfore saynt Augustine in this place of the rule dothe speke sharpely agayne the lyght cast of the syght / appoyntyng great punisshement for the same ¶ Of the .vi. keper of chastite / the garde of the tonge The .x. Chapitre OTher abuses dothe he also touche in the same place / that as semeth were iÌ„ his mynde more shamefull / or more abhominable than shulde bycome his perfection to speake of at large As where he hayth Tacente lingua That is The tonge kepynge silence / nothynge spekynge / as thoughe to speake wordes of lyghtnes were ferre worse than to loke Or els / as thoughe to speake were nat so lawfull for religious persones / out of theyr monasterie as it is to loke For in speche or coÌ„municacioÌ„ is more ieoparty than in lokynge Byleue saynt Paule Corrumpunt bonos more 's colloquia praua 1. Cor. 15. E. Vnordinate yuell speache or talke doth corrupte and destroye good maners and vertues And that is trouthe / both in the hearers and spekers For in hearyng the mynde is moued And the speache doth shewe forth the affection of the mynde Matth. 12. C. Ex abundan cia cordis sayth our lorde os loquitur The mouthe doth speke of the abouÌ„dauÌ„ce / affection of the herte The fyrste begynnynge of carnall affection dothe coÌ„munely aryse / spryng / and take rote of the syght And afterwarde is nurysshed / groweth by talke and coÌ„municacion And therfore althoughe saynt Augustyne gaue licence vnto his disciples beyng forth of the monasterie to loke yet dyd he nat gyue them licence to speke / nor yet to here coÌ„municacion Wherfore all religious persones / muste be very circumspecte / well aduised and ware nat onely what they done speake / but also what thynge they done heare spoken / for the lyght wordes of a ê‘sone done gyue boldnes vnto the hearers And whan the speakers done perceyue that theyr wordes ben peasably herde they take boldnes therof forther to ê“cede in theyr foly of vnclene desyre Let therfore the good religious persone fle and auoide al vayne talkyng specially wordê of vncleÌ„nes Sepi aures tuas spinis Augusti Hedge and close thyne eares and hearyng with thornes sayth saynt Augustyne That is to say / if thou heare a leude worde gyue sharpe answere thervnto / and let the speakers knowe wel / thou arte nat coÌ„tent to heare any suche / and than doste thou hedge thynge eares with thornes And euer thynke vpon the sayd wordes of saynt Paule yuel wordes done done hurte good maners ¶ Of the .vii. keper of chastite / garde of touchyng The .xi. Chapitre THe fyrst messenger of mischefe as I said is the syght or loke The seconde / wantoÌ„ / rude / vayne / or voyde / specially vnclene wordes The thyrde worse than bothe the other / is touchyng / brought iÌ„ coÌ„munly by the other twayne For touchynge bothe nat onely moue or stere but also doth inflame / and set on fyre the affection And so consequently doth many tymes bryng the mynde / vnto a soden furie or madnes So that nat onely good honestie / worshype / honoure / name or fame but also heuen and hell is clene forgotten Whiche thynge hath ben proued / in suche persones of grauite as of longe tyme haue ben knowen / of hyghe and meruelous perfection / and of most clene chaste lyuynge Eccl. 13. A. The scripture sayth as is iÌ„ the ê“uerbe Qui tangit picem coinquinabitur ab ea Who so wyl touche pytche shal be spotted therw t / it bycoÌ„meth nat therfore the ê‘sones religious to vse any touchyng / nor to folowe the maner of seculer ê‘sones / that in theyr coÌ„gresses / coÌ„mune metyngê or departyng done vse to kysse / take haÌ„dê / or such other touchingê that good religious ê‘sones shulde vtterly auoyde And with a meke lowe inclinacion salute the ê‘sones with fewe wordê / castyng downe the syght / but very selden / short tyme loking vpon the ê‘sones And in al the tyme of theyr coÌ„municacioÌ„ let euer theyr handes be couered and kepte close wtin the habite Touchyng on all maner leyde on parte and auoyded For saynt Augustyne here in the rule sayth Intactis ab immunda violacione corporibus c. That is to say that chastite may be chased away and dryueÌ„ froÌ„ the hertes without any touchyng of the bodies as though touchyng muste nede dryue away chastite And therfore diuerse holy fathers / as GersoÌ„ / Antonyne auctor speculi spiritualium and many other done ê“hibite and torbede religious ê‘sones / one to touche an other / for any familiarite / or without some necessite / althoughe both were of one sexe And some of theÌ„ done say That to touche wylfully by deliberacioÌ„ any naked parte / as haÌ„de / or arme wtout any cause nedefull / with affection or carnall pleasure althoughe no coÌ„sent / nor mynde / were vnto any vnclene acte of the body yet bycause the ê‘sones so touchynge / done wylfully put theÌ„ selfe in ieoperty it shulde be deedly synne For scripture sayth Who so loueth or hath pleasure in peryll or ieoê‘ty shall fall or persshe therin Eccle. 3. D And the englysshe prouerbe is Who so wyll none yuell do shulde do nothyng that longeth therto The holy fathers therfore wyll nat allowe in any wyse the coÌ„mune excuse of many ê‘sones / that done say / they be nothynge moued / ne done ê‘ceiue any hurte or ieoparty by honest kyssynge or touchyng after good maner The sayd fathers wyll nat allowe those termes as agreable together / honest / kyssyng / good maners touching excepte onely in maried makes / but iÌ„ no wyse amoÌ„g religious ê‘sones They ben vtterly deceyued that so done say For the ê‘sones so touchyng / without any consent of yuell done nat peraduenture for that tyme perceyue any mocion of ieoparty / or peryll of synne yet doth the ymage / the prynte / the fourme or all maner maner of that kyssyng or touchyng byde and remaine in the mynde and soule And wyl an other tyme come vnto remembraunce vncalled / vnto the great trouble and vexacion of the deuout soule We rede of a holy father / whome a good deuout wo man mekely bysoght to haue her in remembraunce and he answered sayng Vitas pa. I byseche our lorde dame saythe he that I neuer thynke vpon the whyle I lyue / many persones haue ben sore wounded
hurt that for the tyme felt no grefe therof Yet sone after the wounde hath smerted full sore / and full long so continued vnheyled The expert profe herof is wrytyng for remeÌ„braunce by the olde fathers And so in lyke maner / of the syght and speache Whiche thre done for the moste parte folowe eche other ¶ Of the .viii. keper of chastite / that is / warenes of familiarite The .xii. Chapitre ANd yet of them thre doth yssue spring an other enemy of chastite / more ê‘ilous excepte good awayte and resistence more ieopardous / than all them thre That is to saye familiarite / the continuance of affection / and acquayntauÌ„ce / which sayd familiarite is kepte forth and nuryshed / nat onely by the sayd thre vices wanton loke / light wordes / and carnall touchyng but also dothe growe increace And that in the absence of the persones by wrytynges / messages / gyftes and tokens Saynt Augustine therfore / here in the rule doth forbede that any of the disciples of the same shulde other sende forth or yet receyue / priuely without knowlege of the souereine any maner of thyng / lytel or moche / sayng Ca. 4. But if any ê‘sones sayth he be so ferre ouersene / so ferre do passe into so great yuell notable offeÌ„ce the they priuely receyue or sende any lettres / or any other gyftes or tokens c. Note wel / that he calleth suche receyte a great notable yuel and offence For he wolde the souereyne shulde be of counsayle / and shulde considre the reason and grounde / the cause or occasion of suche sendyng or receyuyng For many ê‘sones haue a disposicion and appetite to haue acquayntauÌ„ce / and to seke / and make meanes thervnto / to continue the same Whiche acquayntauÌ„ce so gotteÌ„ many religious ê‘sones done cal theyr freÌ„des Where in very dede they ben rather theyr fose / and yet they moste foo vnto them For among religious persones worldly frendes / good acquayntauÌ„ce / and good religion done selden well accorde or agre to gether For surely it is moche coÌ„trarious vnto the religion of olde fathers For they wylfully fled and lost acquayntauÌ„ce of all persones / of theyr owne pareÌ„tes kynne / nat onely gotteÌ„ but borne freÌ„des And also / suche sendyng / wrytynges receyte shulde well be consydred lest that some tymes vnder the colour and contenauÌ„ce of spirituall edificacion a token go forth / or a coÌ„memoracion of carnal affection Saynt Augustyne wolde therfore the souereynes shulde be iuges of all the actes and dedes of theyr subiectes For they muste make answere to our lorde for them Let than the souereines take hede of all occasions in the subiectes / that may ingendre affection / although it were vnto suche persones / as ben named of great holynes and synguler ê‘fection For of those maner of persones many haue bothe deceyued / and ben deceyued Let I say the souereines / therfore seclude all occasions / but specially the moste chefe occasion / or cause of affection / that is familiarite ¶ Of the .ix. keper of chastite / whiche is the auoydaunce of sole presence The .xiii. Chapitre IN auoydyng wherof the holy fathers dyd vtterly forbede sole presence / that is to say that no religious ê‘sone shulde euer be alone with any persone of the coÌ„trarie seâ—e or kynde For that sole presence dyd they accounte as one of the moste perilous pestilences / and moste deedly enemy of chastite And saynt Augustyne also here in this rule doth forbede sole preseÌ„ce / where he sayth Augusti In the sayd fourth Chapi WhaÌ„ ye go forth go to gether / byde to gether c. And in the .vi. Chapitre Ibidem Ca. 6. Whan they go forth sayth he they shal go no lesse in company / than tweyne in nombre / or thre ê‘sones Nor yet sayth he shall that ê‘sone / that hath nedfull cause to go forth haue choyse of a felowe / or go with whome he wolde but with suche as the souereyne wyll coÌ„maunde or appoynt / it muste nede than / be more agayne the rule / to be alone with any seculer within the monasterie / specially with the coÌ„trarie sexe / as man and womaÌ„ to gether alone / whiche shulde neuer be suffred in any good religious monasterie / for any maner cause / no I saye nat for confession / nor in confession For religious women shulde make theyr coÌ„fession at gratê / or els in some open place / where they may be herde and nat sene For the subtyle and crafty assayle of the dyuell is no where absent / and the flesshe is neuer without fraylte / whyle we byde in this lyfe Vitas pa. We rede iÌ„ vitas Patrum of a holy father iÌ„ wyldernes / vnto whome a pore maÌ„ of the cite resorted / to sell his mattes / baskettes / and his other laboures And whan he came nat vpon a tyme after his custome the olde father / coÌ„maunded his disciple to go vnto the cite to seke the man Whervnto he was very lothe / natwithstandyng / yet for obedience he went forth / and by great diligence he fouÌ„de the house / and no body at home but a yonge womaÌ„ alone / by the byhauiour of whome he was in ieoparty of corrupcion / but that god by miracle for the merite of obedieÌ„ce and the prayers of his holy father sodenly set hym at home So than sole presence is nat without ieoparty in any persones ¶ Of the .x. keper of chastite / nat to haue power nor liberte to be alone The .xiiii. Chapitre ANd so is also the power and liberte of sole pÌ„sence moch perilous / that is to say / whaÌ„ persones of coÌ„trary sexe may be to gether alone if they wyll Wherof is euidence in the same boke vitas patruÌ„ Ibidem Where is shewed of a womaÌ„ vnclene of lyuyng / the ê“mised vnto certeyne men of her familiarite / to bryng a solitarie / a holy man froÌ„ the good lyfe vnto the worlde Which sayd womaÌ„ came vnto his sell in the euyntyde / as though she had lost her way / ther she made great lameÌ„tacioÌ„ / that she shuld be destroyed with wyld bestê / except he wolde of petie coÌ„passioÌ„ take her iÌ„ / so he dyd / leyde her iÌ„ a corner by / after whaÌ„ he shulde rest he bygan to be sore assayled For the rebatyng wherof he went vnto a candell / brent one of his fyngers / and yet after whan he remembred the sole presence of them tweyne alone / the occasion and liberte he was agayne inflamed / and he agayne arose and brent an other fynger / and so he neuer rested tyll he had brent all his fyngers vnto the stumpes In the mornyng yerly the yonge men came vnto the sell / asked for the womaÌ„ / he answered here she lyeth / take her vp And she by the iuste iugement of god
more ê“fitable iÌ„ my mynde thaÌ„ is latyne prayers Some occupacion of mynde must they nedely haue of custome that shal exclude vayne and vnclene thoughtê For ydlenes and welfare done ingendre and brede yuel cogitacions as caren in eyre / doth brede wormes I speke all this / vnto them / that haue tyme to spende / and nat principally vnto them that done lyue by theyr dayly laboures Nowe one worde for the conforte of them / that by no meanes can by deliuered of these carnall passions / and vnclene and vayne thoughtes / but euer they hange vpon them / and moche done vexe / trouble the sely soule Let theÌ„ after my pore minde nothynge despere But let them considre / that maÌ„nes mynde is as a rote / or a whele in a wynde that neuer doth rest / but alway tourneth and doth renewe cogitacions and thoughtes / both slepyng and wakyng So that a persone wakynge is somtyme rauisshed vnto suche maters in cogitacions and thoughtes as he neuer knewe by fore / and so ferre dothe passe somtyme therin that he knoweth nat what he doth / but as thoughe he were in a dreme And in all that tyme he doth nothyng offende our lorde / for that was the synne and sensualite that coÌ„munely dothe reygne and hath dominacion iÌ„ our mortal bodies / and therfore / was there no batayle for that tyme seÌ„sualite / peasely reygned Ro. 5. 6. But whaÌ„ the persone doth wel perceyue wherwith the mynde is occupied thaÌ„ doth begynne the batayle / bâ—twene the persone / and his thoughtes / or rather bytwyxe hym and the auctores or mouers of those thoughtes / that is / the dyuell / the worlde / and the flesshe / that done worke in the sensualite accordyng vnto theyr ê“prietes For than if the mynde at home with hym selfe be negligent / and for the pleasure moued in the sensualite be both to departe from those thoughtes / and so do play with them / and suffre them to hang vpon hym than althoughe they were nat deedly yet dothe the persone wylfully put hym selfe in ieoparty / and as we oftymes haue said byfore Who loueth ê‘yl iÌ„ ê‘yl shal fal Ecclesi But whaÌ„ the ê‘sone hauyng the full aduisement / and deliberacion byfore sayd doth frowne fuast / that is to saye / rere or rayse vp the stomake herte agayne those cogitacions / with indignacion and despite / as nothyng content / but moche displeased with them than doth that persone bygynne to fyght strongly And if he thaÌ„ with a good stomake and trust in our lorde wyl thrast theÌ„ vnto the stone and knocke theyr hedes thervnto he shall without any ieoparty or doute haue the victory The stone is Christ / the hedes of his thoughtes ben theyr mocions fyrste as I sayd perceyued The prophete sayth Psal 136. Beatus qui tenebit allidet paruulos suos ad petram That is Blessed be that persone that doth holde and restreyne his chyldren / or babes / that is to say / his fyrste mocions and that doth thraste and crushe theyr hed vnto the stone / that is vnto Christ / and his passion and dethe yet may it be that many of these maner of ê‘sones may be sore vexed troubled with theyr cogitacions but they be nat vnto theyr hurte / but rather vnto theyr meryte For surely I beleue that no penaunce ne peynes of this lyfe / may purge a synfull soule / more clene than suche assayles of thoughtê so resisted and with horrour despised And therfore many holy persones wolde nat praye ne desyre our lorde / to be deliuered of theÌ„ / but rather to haue of hym spirituall strengthe / to vanquishe them All this haue we sayd hederto for the â—uicioÌ„ and custody or garde of chastite Specially wryten vnto them that haue made solempne vowe by profession thervnto ¶ Of the remedy for them that haue brokeÌ„ chastite / and ben combred with vnclennes / and fyrste by the hurte of the goodes and body The .xx. Chapitre NOwe wolde I wryt a lytell lesson / taken out of a lerned auctoure vnto suche ê‘sones as ben spotten and done continue theyr beestly appetite / whether they be seculer / or as god forbede persones religious Enchirid Erasmi Fyrst euery persone must remeÌ„bre that the beestly synne of the body called coÌ„munely lichery contrarie vnto chastite is the fyrst synne that doth moue man growing out of chyldhed / whether they be wyse / wytty / or innocentes / ydiotes or foles This pestilence doth folowe euery ê‘sone cleueth or stycketh fast vnto the flesshe / so that no ê‘sone dothe passe vnassayled vexed therw t / it is therfore moste vsed / moste of all other synnes dothe brynge man vnto mischefe destruccion So that this synne is moste ieopardous perilous / therfore had nede of more study diligence Wherfore / let the persone prycked with the fyry poysoned dart of deth Thynk fyrste althoughe there were no god / ne any ioye or payne how vnclene / howe fylthy / howe stynkyng / howe beestly the synne is / howe moch contrarie vnto the honeste / specially vnto the dignite of mannes soule made vnto the ymage of god redemed and bought by the passion deth of our sauiour Iesu / washed / clensed / made bryght beautious in his most precious blode nowe agayne for so false a flaterous pleasure to be rendred and made like vnto bestes / vnto swyne / vnto gotes / vnto dogges cattes / and if there by any beest more brute And yet to say trouth to be made vnder the state / and worsâ— and more lowe in degre than any beest / subiecte to fendes / that were ordened and made to be accompanied as felowes vnto Angelles / partakers of the hyghe diuinite of god Let him thaÌ„ remeÌ„bre howe short tyme this pleasure indureth / yet for the tyme howe vyle / how lothely / howe basheful / shameful it is So that the self doers wold be ashamed to be sene to be herde / or to be knowen And yet where it semeth pleasure it is in it selfe a payne and passion And that can the selfe persones experte iuge / and approue for trouth / wormouth / and nat hony / aloes and nat licoriee or sugre And on the contrarie part let hym remeÌ„bre howe noble a thynge his soule is / howe holy his body shulde be / the membres wherof the holy / ghost hath oftymes vsed What a myschefe and cowardnes of herte / lacke of grace / and al goodnes / is it than for so lytell / so short / and so vyle / a tyclynge / mouyng of fraylyte to defoule that beautious soule / and to make the body / that Christ hym selfe dyd consecrate by his precious blode suspende and cursed Let hym also recount what a felyshype of fendly synnes that swete poysoÌ„ of vncleÌ„nes doth gether and brynge to gether into his soule Fyrst to