let this persuade you to cast off your slugginesse The Bishop rowsed with these wordes all in rage said vnto him goe wretch as thou art and louse thy selfe I disdaine thy counsailes to whom the Moncke answered in a pleasant manner Take héed father least your wormes kill you for mine are alreadie slaine hée meant the worme of conscience which shall at last bite them who are giuen ouer to their sensualities I haue read also a prettie storie in an old dunce called Petrus de Lapiaria which because of the pithie allusion I will not sticke to tell you A certaine King saith hée hauing thrée sonnes and being well kept in yeares resolued to make his Testament certifying his children that which of them was most slothfull on him hee would bestow his kingdome to whom the first said to me belongs the kingdome for I am so sluggish that as I sit by the fire I rather suffer my shinnes to bée burnt then to draw them from the flame the second hée said the crowne in all reason belongs to mée since I am farre more slothfull then thou art for hauing a rope about my necke and being readie to bee hanged and a sword in my hand suficient to cut the same yet am I so slothfull that I will not stretch out my hand to saue my life after him the third stept vp and in these wordes mâ—…e his claime nay saith hée I alone ought to raigne for I excell you all in flothfulnesse For lying continually on my backe water stilleth vpon mine eies yet I for sloth sake forsake not my bed neither turne to the right nor to the left hand and on this sonne the King bestowed his Crowne and kingdome To yéeld this a Morrall interpretation these thrée sonnes are thrée sorts of idle persons The first that cares not for fire signifieth him that being in the companie of euill and luxurious men will not forsake them The second knowing himselfe hanged in the snaro of the Deuill as the couetous man yet hauing and knowing the sword of Praier sufficient to cut the rope neuerlesse hée will not vse it The third that will neither turne his eie to the right or to the left hand signifieth him that neither considereth the paines of Hell nor the rewards of Heauen So that neither for feare of punishment nor hope of reward hée will rise againe from sinne On him the Deuill his father who as Iob saith is the King euer the children of pride bestoweth the kingdome of Hell where no order but continuall horror inhabiteth And trulie to the iole and slothfull person Hell doth most iustly appertaine because hauing eies to sée his infirmitie hée blindeth them a mind to vnderstand his remedie hée disdaineth it and times made for labour yet refuseth it but as Salomon saith Omnis piger in egestate erit The slothfull man shall liue in pouertie and Hell iustly shall bée his inheritage that negligently forbeareth to labor for heauen Oh thou slothfull man if this persuade thée not looke further the male storke senteth the adulteries of the female except shée wash her selfe doth not God then both sée and will punish thy sinne except thou mend thy selfe The Lion smelleth the filthinesse of his adulteresse and will not hée thinke you looke into the offences of his creatures yet assuredly he that séeth all things beholdeth thy wickednesse and except thou repent thée will do iustice on thy negligence Hauing alreadie heard the deformities of this monster now at the last let vs consider the ren edies against him First let vs intentiuely ponder and weigh how much our Sauiour hath laboured and trauailed for the saluation of mankind It is said that hée past the nights in praier after whose example if wee desire to bée his wee must with the holie Martyrs of the Primitiue Church mortifie our earthly members and follow him in the like exercise secondly in that this sinne of Idlenes hindreth both soule and body and by that meanes is the occasion of many mischiefes as well corporall as spiritual It hath bene as well detested both in holy scriptures as in fathers of the Primitiue Church as appeareth by Iohannes Clymachus where he saith Idlenes is a dissolution of the spirit an abiect feare in all good exercises an hatred and griefe of any godly profession He saith likewise that worldly men are happy he speaketh til of God accounting him cruell and without humanity he maketh a man astonished in heart and weake in praier more hard then iron in the seruice of God both slothfull and rebellious to trauell with his hands or to do obedience Behold the right effects of deuilish Astaroth consider likewise what fruites spring from this cursed fiend Thirdly one of the best meanes to resist the craft of this fiend is to trauell and to be alwaies doing somewhat to the end we be not surprized suddenly as Saint Ierome counselleth To this purpose the ancient monks of Egypt had alwaies these words in their mouthes That he which occupieth himselfe in any good exercise is not tempted by the Deuill but hée that doth nothing but liueth Idly is tormented and possessed with diuers And if the Heauens the Sunne the Moone and other planets the birds beasts and fishes are in continuall motion and without ceasing apply those offices for which they were created what ought man to do who is created for trauell and whose soule is defined by the Philosopher to be a perpetuall motion Let the Idle go to schoole to the Ant as saith Salomon and learne of her to behaue him selfe and let him take héed that hée prooue not that vnfruitfull trée which must be cast into eternall fire and that barren figtrée which Christ cursed Let him alwaies remeÌ„ber y â— Idlenes is the nurse of all euils that it is hath bin the ouerthrow of many millions of soules Let him consider y â— by labour we obtaine reward by negligence loose our selues It is reported of Cyrus the King of the Persians that being willing to inkindle the hearts of the common sort to war against the Medes he vsed this pollicy and stratageme He led his army to a certaine wood where for the whole day he occupied the people in cutting downe the wood and in continuall toile in lopping the trées But the next day he caused very sumptuous feasts to be prepared commanded his hoast to feast sport and make holy day with gladnes and going to euery company in the midst of their sports he asked them which of those two daies best liked them who answered that the second was more pleasant then the first To whom he replied in this sort As by yesterdaies labor you came togither and were assembled to this daies banquet so can you not be happy and blessed till first of all you ouercome the Medes So in alluding to this after a morrall meaning we can not attaine to blessednesse except we ouercome in this world the Medes which are the
is weak let vs banish y â— sin froÌ„ our societies y â— is likest to disturbe attempt it Another spirit there is incorporated very cuÌ„ningly whichin al apparitioÌ„s I euer could sée him in hath his face couered w t a vaile in it is writteÌ„ Incest he it was y â— made Herod abuse his sisters wife and I feare me plaies y e deuil couertly in our countrey if I may chance to know it he may be sure I wil vnmaske him Another fiend there is but he hants not our country but trauaileth Flanders y e low countries like a souldior this diuel robs churches rauisheth religious women scorns the Clergie beats down bels stéeple coÌ„mitteth filthy absurdities in y e churches whom I only name in this place because I wish the ports might be laid if he attempt to arriue here for of al chaffare he sels best a challice cope communioÌ„ cup if he be permitted to enter among vs no minister shal saue him a surples to say seruice on sunday in But what visio is this inough to affright the world Selfe-loue the idolater of his body an infernal master angell accompanied w t Loue of this world y â— loaths to hear of piety Hate of God in y â— he prohibits sin horror of the world to come in y â— he feareth iudgemeÌ„t these foure lothsome ministers bring in a thrée headed vgly moÌ„ster nature walks apart hides her face in her hands for feare to behold him y e first head is Mollities inuenting voluntary pollution the second Sodomy peruerting the order of nature y â— third Bestiality called by y e schoolmen crimen pessimuÌ„ this monsters eies are stil hanging down as if ashamed to behold y â— light in his brows are written signuÌ„ reprobrationis the mark of reprobatioÌ„ the first head whispers in mine ear y e Her Onan were slain by an angel through his corruptioÌ„ The secoÌ„d tels me y â— Italy can best teach me if I would know his qualities alas chast eares I dare not name it thogh I fear it is to much vsed I dare not think it Pedrastia Socrates sin The third tels me he is a monster getter and hath followers amongst men are vnworthy naming wretches auant you brood of hel you causes of the general Cataclisme and deluge flie from these bounds of Christ endome I am afraid to name you I câ—…ure you by my praiers froÌ„ my country y e infernal poures theÌ„selues in their coppy of sin hate you haue oftentimes slain those y â— haue béene exercised in your villanies That very night Christ was born al your sodomitical crue perished depart you to darknes whilst I discouer your fathers villanies God be thanked y â— monsters are vanished saw you not one of theÌ„ kissing a sow another dallying w t a boy another vsing voluntary pollutioÌ„ fie away w t theÌ„ they are damned villaines come lets examin the workings of their father arm our selues against him stand forth you pocky deuil Asmodius for I mean to swinge you Augustin discoursing vpon y e effects of lechery lust hath this notable saying Luxuria est inimica deo inimica virtutibus perdit substantiam ad tempus voluptatem diligens futuram non sciunt cogitare paupertatem Lust saith he is an enemie to God an enemie to vertue it consumeth wealth louing pleasure for a while it suffereth vs not to think of our future pouertie approuing hereby in a few words and they effectuall that he who is intangled in the snares of desires is distracted from God forsaken by vertue drowned in sensualtie and besotted with inconsideration This spiritual infirmite is compared to the disease of leprosie which procéeedeth from corrupt and disordinate heat and as the leprosie is an incurable disease euen so is lust an irremediable mischiefe With this infirmitie was Salomon infected who had seuentie Quienes and thrée hundreth concubines so that euen in his age his heart was depraued and whereas in al other sinnes their venome is not contracted by societie in lust a man by conuersation may be corrupted so that neither the wise mans wit neither the strong mans armes nor the holy mans meditation is defenced against lust but as Ierome saith ad Paulum Eusâ—…ochaim Ferreas mentes libido domat Lust conquereth the most vntamed minds As soon saith Gregorie as lust hath possessioÌ„ of the mind it scarsly suffereth it to conceiue any good desires and in that the desires therof are vicious by the suggestion thereof riseth corrupt thought and of thought the like affection of affection delèctation of delight consent of coÌ„sent operation of operatioÌ„ custome of custome desperation and of desperation defence of sinne and glorieng therein and of glorying in sinne damnation Lururious men haue outwardly the Deuill suggesting them and inwardly concupiscence incensing them and of these two al carnal sinnÌ„es are begotten It is likewise to be noted that the word of God is two waies indemnified by lasciuious men the one way is conculcator a transeuntibus It is troden downe by them as they passe by it This treading downe and oppression of the word of God is the custome of euill thoughts whereby the Gospell is oppressed The second is that it is deuoured of birds which deuouring is the suggestion of the Deuill Against these defects there are likewise two remedies the first is that we fence in the inclosure of our hearts with the thornes of the memorie of the passion of Christ according to that of the wise man Popule sepi aures tuas spinis For there is no greater remedie saith Origen nor better means against euill cogitations then the remembrance of Christs passion The second remedie is to fatten this inclosure of our hearts with the vertue of charitie for of it it is said That it couereth the multitude of sinnes To conclude a sea of matter in a short circle of admonition refraine lust and her progenie for these causes First it destroieth the infused graces of God and the gifts of the holie ghost Secondly it consumeth the foure cardinall vertues Thirdly it weakeneth the body inféebleth the spirit and hardeneth the heart against all deuotion The armor against this enuie is The coÌ„sideration of his deformitie The auoidance of occasions and motions of desire The tempering and moderation of our corrupt bodies The continuall thought of impendent death The imagination of Gods continuall presence The consideration of those infirmities wherewith it cloieth the spirit Lastly in assaults The office of praier which as Cassianus saith is a sufficient buckler against all the assaults of the world I haue discouered the sore and giuen a plaister I beshrow those that are wounded if they make not vse of it Of the great Deuill Belzebub and what monstrous and strange Deuils he hath bred in our age BElzebub the enuious grand God of flies Archduke of Grecian
hée goes daily apparelled like a lord though he be but a deuill his haire frisled perfumed y â— should Vespasian but smell him as once hée did a knight in Rome as Suetonius reporteth he would banish him his court for his labor By day he walks y â— streets the Erchange to spy out faire women by night he courts them with maskes consorts and musicke he will sigh like a dog that hath lost his master if his miseres refuse him wéepe like a Crocadile till he haue won himselfe credit if his mistres saith It is against her conscience Tut saith he lechery is no sinne find me one Philosopher that held simple fornication for offensiue This is he that corrupts maidens to vnlawsull desires for mony and cals Adultery by another name A fit of good fellowship This is the lord of all bawdy houses patron of Peticote-lane one that would build an hospitall for decaied whores but y t he is loth to be at the charges If he take vp commodities it is Cock-sparrows Potatos and Herringes and the hottest wines are his ordinary drink to increase his courage his table talke is but of how many wenches he hath courted that wéeke and Blindnes of heart waiting like a page on his trencher you shall heare him laugh at his greatest villaniâ—…s most heartily when he rides you shall know him by his fan if he walke abroad misse his mistres fauor about his neck arme or thigh he hangs the head like y e soldier in the field y â— is disarmed put him to a sonnet Du Portes cannot equall him nay in y â— nice tearmes of lechery he excéeds him at Riddles he is good at Purposes better but at Tales he hath no equall for Bandello is more perfit w t him then his Paternoster Tell him y e Turks Iewes seuerely punish such sin admit no stewes I saith he like a cursed Atheist that prooues theÌ„ stocks no men His care is for nothing but perfumes Elixar y â— one to make him smel swéet y â— other to lengthen life for of all things he will not heare of death A fit companion is this man for such as be idle if any aske what shall we do to passe the time after the end of an Ordinary Faith saith he lets serch whorehouses for thats y â— best exercise If you talke to him of God Hardnes of heart saies it concerns him not If you counsell him to fast hée commands his cook to make ready a fat capon for his supper he is wholly y â— deuils of whom he is begotten Tell him he hath y â— pox tut it is a gentlemens disease the cause of purging corrupt humors are the effects of health Such is this Deuil incarnate who both deserues to be known auoided the rather by reasoÌ„ of his page blindnes of heart for he it was y â— first made the Sodomites inwardly outwardly blind he it was y â— corrupted y â— false Iudges to seduce Susanna this is he y â— distracteth our eies lest we should sée heauen blindeth our hearts least we should behold Gods iust Iudgements And therfore Antiquity in painting y â— god of loue haue made him blind because affectioÌ„ is blind maketh them blind that follow it As therfore y â— eie of the soule by which as Plato witnesseth we behold y â— essence of God is a great blessing of y â— Holy ghost so blindnes of vnderstanding his opposite wherby we are tied to carnal desires is y e worst of many infirmities Plato in his Dialogues coÌ„pares this coÌ„cupisceÌ„se to a sieue into which y â— more water you poure y e more it spils yet in y â— end it is neuer filled In like sort a man y â— thinks to satisfie himselfe in this Fornication demeaneth himselfe like him that striues to fill a sleue with water The Doctor Gerson speaking to this purpose brings an example of him y â— is seased with a burning feuer who if he drinke a glasse of fresh water thinkes himselfe sufficiently cooled but in lesse then a quarter of an houre after he is more distempered then euer As likewise one that is troubled with the Itch the more he scratcheth the more his flesh tingleth so the more a man séeketh to asswage Lust the more it encreaseth The only conquest of this Deuill is to flie him and for that cause this is a Maxime held amongst the Fathers that Facilius vincitur luxuria fugiendo quam pugnando Lechery is better conquered in flying it then resisting it Tullie though an Ethnicke entring into the confideration of Fornication and Lust saith thus that It closeth vp the eies of our soules and hindreth Iudgement And Plutarch reporting Hannibals follies at Cannas holdeth Lust and effeminate pleasure to be the downfall of his fortunes Why stand I so long on this Deuill when a greater preaseth forth and presents himselfe And who is that but Adultery an arranter knaue then his brother Looke vpon his lips the one is single the other double and though he be apparelled like a Citizen hée hath doings in all countries This is he will let his wife want to maintaine a harlot and laugh at his childrens misery so his lust be satisfied This fiend hath a concubine in euery corner and ordinarily a whore in his houshold hée hath two of his owne kindred continually attending him Precipitation and Inconsideration the one hindreth his prouidence and counsell and without regard transports him with amorous passions for where Blindnesse of heart marcheth before Precipitation must néeds follow to make him carelesse in his actions For as Plato saith Voluptas omnium insolentissima est Pleasure and Lust is the most insotent of all things for it perturbeth our spirits and taketh away â—…he empire of liberty This fellow peruerts memory hurteth consideration kils prouidence and treads downe aduice The other called Inconsideration hinders both reason and iudgement by fleshly delights dulleth the memory in respect of God bréedeth an Apoplexie and benumming of the soule Furnished with these two followers what impietie leaues Adultery vndone his neighbour is made iealous his wife a strumpet his doore is hourely haunted with a Sumner and catch him out of the Arches one tearme hée will forseit his vpper garment for default his owne house is hell to him a baudie house his heauen and for his companions hée chooseth none but the arrantest dronckards in a countrey Hée hath no spirit to goodnesse neither is hée mooued to godlinesse his felicitie is the surfets of his flesh and paine with him is no more thought of then it is felt hée is readie at a iarre to set strife betwixt man and wife and to this intent forsooth that he may take possession of another mans frée hold and make a common of his neighbours inclosure He spights him most that examines his procéedings and will chafe till he sweat againe
of the downefall both of men and Angels let vs bée forward in curing our corrupt natures let vs not resemble the foolish bussard in Horace who because hée could not sée as cleare as Linx would not annoint his eies with Collirium but let vs séeke out of celestiall heritages not negligently as those of the tribe of Dâ—…n sent out to search the promise land but diligentlie like those that brought backe the fat thereof that wée may bée worthy the heritage Fiâ—… how farre haue I wandred when Sleepinesse the last Deuill of this bréed hath ouertooke me to interat of his nature Sit downe drowsie fiend I will dispatch thée presently Somnolence and Sleepinesse lurketh continually with vnfortunate persons and the excesse thereof sheweth the spirit hath small working he is a fiend that wheresoeuer hée inhabiteth dulleth the sences maketh the head heauie the eies swolne the bloud hote corrupt and excessiue the face pufft the members vnlustie the stomacke irkesome the féet féeble Looke in a morning when you sée a fellow stretching himselfe at his window yawing and starting there bée assured this Diuell hath some working This is a shrowd spirit wheresoeuer hée gets seasure for hée liueth by the expence of life and hée that entertaines him hath rhewms cathars defluxions repletions and opilations as ordinarilie about him as euerie substance hath his shadow This fiend and his brother Negligence are of one nature and where Duloesle of spirit and these méet God nature law counsell profit soule bodie and all are neglected This considered let this Deuill incarnate too ordinarie a guest in this countrie bée banished from our societie least being corrupted by his example wée fall into the same sinne wherewith hée is intangled for as Plato sayth Dormieus est nullius praetis A sleepie man is of no worth and in the seuenth of his lawes hée thus writeth Somnus multus nec animis nec corporibus nec rebus preclare gerendis aptus est à natura Excessiue sleepe is neither good for the soule or bodie or auailable in any vertuous or laudable action For hée that sléepeth is no more accounted of then hée that is dead and truly I am of this opinion that hée tooke this custome and law from Homer and no other who sayth That sléepe is the brother of death The same allusion also vsed Diogenes who when he had slept said Frater fratem inuisit The brother hath visited his brother that is sléepe hath visited death the same likewise intimateth Ouid in this verse Stulte quid est somnus gelidaenisi mortis imago Foole what is sleepe but image of chil death The like consideration likewise had the Doctors of Israel so that one amongst them called Rabi-Dosa the son of Harkinas writeth The mornings sléepe and the euenings dronkennesse shorten a mans life corporal sléepe likewise oftentimes ingendreth the sléepe of the soule which spirituall sléepe is farre more dangerous then the other and therefore Cato dissuadeth youth from it Somno ne deditus esto Nam diuturna quies vitijs alimenta ministrat Be not addict to sleepe for daily rest Yeelds food to vice and nurseth sinne in feast And that diuine Petrarch most wittily singeth La gola il somno Potiose piume Hanno dol mundo â—…gni virtusbandita Incontinence dull sleepe and idle bed All vertue from the world haue banished So that humane nature is wandred from his scope and ouercome by euill custome Thexe is another Poet as I remember it is Ouid that saith it is sufficient for children to sléepe seuen houres and another contemplatiue father saith that to repose fiue houres is the life of saints to sléepe sixe is the life of men but to slug seuen is the life of beasts Saist thou thus O father Oh that thou couldest haue liued to haue séene this age wherein if thy wordes sound truth thou shouldest find whatsoeuer way thou séekest as manie reasonable beasts as there bée motes in the Sunne thinking eight tenne twelue houres but a Method of Moderation These are they that sléepe in their beds of Iuorie and play the the wantons on their soft couches Pauca verba this is a subiect for a Preacher Let me therefore draw to my conclusion and finish both my booke and the discouery of further wretchednes in she wing the detestable effects of Astaroth adding certaine disswasions to the same Damascene defining this sinne saith That it is a spirituall heauinesse which depresseth and weigheth downe the soule so much that it taketh no delight or tast in executing goodnesse Tully he defines it to be a wearines and tediousnes of the spirit by which a man groweth in lothing of that good he hath begun So that by them it is to be gathered that Sloth is a languishing infirmity of the spirit a dulnes of the mind a diffidence of Gods helpe a distrust of our owne strength The sinnes it maketh those subiect too that are intangled therewith are forgetfulnes of God carelesnes of our estates obscurity of our soules loathsomnesse of our bodies and irrecuperable losse of time This sin by the Fathers is compared to the disease called by the Phisitians Paralisis with which whosoeuer is seased his members are dissolued his vitall powers and naturall faculties are weakened and he himselfe is wholly not himselfe neither being able to mooue nor master his owne lims So fareth it by a slothfull man who looseth by this sicknes the light of his mind the vse of his vnderstanding y â— good affections that are the props and pillars of the same and becommeth but the image of that which in effect he is not and as this infirmity is healed by verâ—… hot Pultesies and inward potions so except the heat of charity and the remembrance of hell fire be applied to the wounds and dulnes hereof it remaineth wholly incurable Besides this sinne is against nature for as the bird to flie the fish to swim the floure to grow the beast to féed so man was ordained to labour which if he do not he wrongs nature wrongs his bodie and which worse is dams his-soule Nâ—…li esse piger saith Augustine Be not slow labour earnestly and God will giue thee eternal life Helinandus in his Chronicies reporteth that when a certaine Bishop called Philippus Beluacensis was for a night lodged in their Monastery hée slept so long that hée was neither present at Gods seruice neither ashamed to let the sunne it being then Winter time to behold him sléeping which when Helinandus perceaued and saw no man readie or bold enough to tell him of his fault hée confidentlie stept neare vnto his bed and in briefe spake thus vnto him Sir the Sparrows haue long since forsaken their nests to salute God and wil a Bishop yâ—…t lie sléeping in his chamber Consider father what the Psalmist saith Mine eies haue preuented the day and that of Ambrose It is vncomely for a Christian that the beame of the Sunne should behold him idle and