anxia forsitan ardet THe mortall man living in this world is well compared to a ship on the sea or on a perillous river bearing rich marchandise which if it come to the port where the marchant desireth he shall be happy and rich The ship as soon as it is entered into the sea unto the end of her voâ—age night and day is in perill to be drowned or taken with enemies for in the sea be perills without number Such is the body of man living in the world the marchandise that he beareth is his soul his vertues and good workes the port or haven is death paradise for the good to the which who that goeth thither is soveraignly rich the sea is the world full of sinnes for who that assaieth for to passe it is in perill to leese body soul and all his goods to be drowned in the sea of hell froÌ„ the which God keep us Amen CHAP. XIV Here followeth the field of vertues IN walking furthermore in the field of vertues in the way of health for to come to the tower of sapience it necessarily behoveth to love God for without the love of God none caÌ„ be saved anâ— who that will love him ought first to know him for of his knowledge one commeth to his love that is Charitie the soveraigne of all vertues They knowledge God and love him that keep his commandements they misknow him that do not so to whom in the great necessity of their deceasing and at the day of iudgment shall misknow them and say to them I know ye not nor wot not what ye be go ye cursed out of my company Knowledg we then God and love him and if we will do thus know we first our self by the knowledge of our self we shall come to the knowledge and love of God and the more wee know our self the better we shall know God and if we be ignorant of our self we shall have no knowledge of God To this purpose we must note one thing and know seaven The thing wee must note is this whosoever knoweth himself knoweth God and shall not be damned and who is knoweth not himself knoweth not God and shall not be saved understand of them that have wit and discretion with lawfull age of the which knowledge none is excused after he hath sinned deadly for to say that he was ignorant By this appeareth the ignorance of himself of God right perillous Deadly sin is beginning of all evill contrarily knowledge of God and of himself is soveraign science and vertue beginning of all goodnesse The seven things we ought to have been the xii articles of the faith which wee ought to beleeve stedfastly Also the petitions coÌ„tained in the Pater noster by the which we demand all things necessary for our health and that we ought to hope in him also the commandements of the Law and of the holy Church which ensigneth us what we should do and what we should not do and all things belonging to the same Also if we be in the grace of our Lord or not And howbeit we may not know it certainly neverthelesse wee may have some coniectures which be good to know and knowledge of GOD. Also knowledge of himselfe by the which things we may come to the true love and charitie of God to accomplish his commandements and merit in the realme of heaven wherein wee shall live perdurably Of the iii. first is enough said that is to know the twelve articles of the faith in the which lieth our faith and beleefe and the things that we ought to demand of God be contained in the Pater noster wherein our hope lyeth Also the ten commandements of the Law and of holy Church whereas charity is shewed in such as keep them by probation of the love of God and doe his commandements and good works Now will we speak of the other foure and first of the vocation in which we be which is the fourth thing that each man ought to know Each man ought to know his vocation the things belonging to the same be iust and honest for his health and rest of his conscience A good shepheard ought to know the art of sheep-keeping and to govern sheep and lead them into pastures and to heale them when they be sicke and sheere them in season to the intent through his default no damage come to his master In like wise hee that laboureth the corne to know what ground were good for every manner of graine and ought to till the earth and when time is to sow weed reape and thresh so that his Master may have no damage by him Semblably a Surgion ought to know how to comfort and heale such folkes as hee hath charge of without hiding of his art or Surgery Consequently a Marchant ought to know the utterance of his marchandise to others with no more fraud than he would himself should have Also an Advocate or a Proctor ought to know the rites and customes of places that by their fault Iustice be not perverted A Iudge also ought to know both the parties heard who hath right and who hath wrong and iudge equally after true Iustice. Also a Priest or a religious man ought to know their orders and keep them and above all things ought to know the law of God and teach them unto the ignorant And thus of all other vocations For all them as know not their vocation be not worthy to be and live in peril of their soules for their ignorance The fift that all men ought to know is if he have discretion and understanding to know if he be in the grace of God or not And how it be right difficile for God only knoweth it neverthelesse we may have coniectures that sheweth it and sufficient for Shepheards and lay people to know if they be in the love of the Lord if they have coniecture to be in it therefore there ought none to repute themselves iust but ought to humble themselves ask him mercy as maketh sinners become and none other Principally we ought to know this science when we will receive the body of Iesus Christ. For who that receiveth his grace and goodnes receiveth his salvation and who that receiveth him otherwise receiveth everlasting damnation of the which thing every man is iudge in himself of his owne conscience and none other The coniectures whereby we may know if that we be in the grace of God or not The first coniecture is when we do travel for to clense our conscience of our faults by penance as much as if we laboured to get some great good that wee be not culpable of any deadly sin done or in will to doe nor in any sentence then it is good coniecturing to be in the grace of God The second coniecture that sheweth in like wise to be in the grace of God is when we bee more prompt and ready to good observing and keeping the
be noysome and after labour it well and then sow good seeds In like wise a man should labour and cleanse his conscience of all his sins labour by holy meditations and sow vertues and good operations for to gather fruit of everlasting life Then sith that here before hath been spoken of vices rudely and lightly now it behoveth hereafter to speak of vertues in the third part of this present book the which shall be as a little garden pleasant full of trees flowers in the which the contemplative person may sport play by good ensignments gather sundry vertues and edify himself in good exercise wherewith his soul shall bee enormed and ordained after his spouse Iesus Christ when he shall come to visit and dwell with him In the beginning of the which part shall be the Orason dominicall of our Lord with the declaration the better to understand it and the said part shall contain six parts The first part shall be the declaration of the said prayer the second of the salutation Angelike that Gabriel made to Mary when shee conceived her child Iesus the third shall be of the twelve articles of our faith the iv shall be of the ten Commandements of the Law the v. shal be of the field of vertues For the first ye ought to know that by the orison of our Lord that is the Pater noster when wee say it wee demand of God suffisance of all things necessary for salute and help of our souls and of our bodys not only for us but for all other and for all this cause we ought to have the said orison in great contemplation say it with great devotion unto God And unto young people it should be taught and said to them for though they understand it not yet it profiteth them to have the kingdom of heaven and they say it in perfect love and charity In the Pater noster we ask seven petitions by each petition we may understand seven other things as the seven Sacraments of holy Church the seven gifts of the holy ghost the seven armours of iustice spirituall The seven vertues principall that wee should exercise The seven works of mercy bodily The seven works of mercy ghostly The seven deadly sinnes that we should dread The declaration is this Our father which art in heaven thy name be made holy In this petition we ask of God our Father to be his Sons for otherwise we cannot be called his Sons nor he our Father and that his name may be made by us more holy than any other thing wherefore we receive the Sacrament of baptism without that man may not be made the Son of God and to receive the vertue of meeknesse against pride and then to cloth the naked and help the needy both bodily and ghostly The second is thy kingdome come to us in this petition Insomuch the name of God may not be perfectly hallowed of us in this world we ask his realm in the which perfectly we shall hallow it for to that kingdome we be very heirs This petition is the sacrament of priesthood by the which we are taught to good works and the gift of the holy ghost is the gift of understanding for to understand and desire the kingdome of heaven and we arm us with the helm of largess against covetous The third petition is thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven for it is the perfect will of God that his will should be fulfilled that is his commandement by this petition we make obeisance to God in our hearts when we desire to do his will by this is understood the sacrament of marriage by the which we avoid fornication and the gift of counsell of the holy ghost for to order our obeysance veritably and so we arm us with the armour of salvation against Envy The fourth petition is our daily bread give us this day Here we ask of God to be sustained with materiall bread for our bodies and spirituall bread for our souls that is the bread of life the body of Iesus Christ the which wee receive by faith in mind of his passion The gift of the holy ghost is strength to be faithfull in our belief take we the sword of patience against the sinne of ire and visit the sick men bodily and use vertue of temperance against wrath The fift petition is forgive us our sinnes as we forgive all men for trust well he that will not forgive for the love of God God will never forgive him his sinnes And these three petitions following we ask of God to be delivered from all evill as of the sin that we have done deadly and by these wee ask of God to be assoiled and to give us pardon by his mercy by the which we understand the sacrament of penance and forgiveness of sinne the holy ghosts gift is science for to understand the works of mercy and to escape sin And so clothe us with lightnes against covetise comfort poor prisoners and give good counsell to them that ask and need it and take the vertue of faith against covetise The vi petition is suffer us not to be overcome in temptation by the second evill that is done but it may happen and we fall by the way of temptation Here we ask of God to be stedfast in the faith that we may gladly do good works in the vertue of hope and strength to do good deeds and to withstand temptation to the which profiteth to us the sacrament of confirmation which giveth to us the knowledge of God by the vertue of verity The gift of the holy ghost so take we the spear of soberness against gluttony comfort Pilgrims by vertue of hope The vii petition is to deliver us from evill Amen The third evill is evill of pain that sinners may have if they serve not God by this petition we ask that we may be delivered from all pains and saved in Paradice unto this say we all Amen By these we ask so it be done as we desire By the which we receive the sacrament of the latter annointing which giveth us the sure way of salvation the gift of the holy ghost is dread of iudgements of God and gird us with the girdle of chastity against letchery and bury we them that be dead bodily and pray for our enemies ghostly get in us the vertue of charity and eschue the sin of letchery Thus endeth the Salutary science of the garden of vertues CHAP. X. Hereafter followeth another declaration of the Pater noster OVr Father right marvellous in his creation sweet and loving rich of all goods that be in heaven mirror of trinity crown of iocundity and treasure of felicity Holy be thy name and sweet as hony in our mouth thou art the melodious harp that causeth devotion to sound in our ears and to have it continually by the desire of our hearts Thy realm come to us in the which we shall be
compatient courage in them that sustain affliction Indulgence is remission of the evill doing of other by the consideration of himself he hath offended divers to have remission of God for the offences he hath done Compassion is a vertue the which ingendereth an affection or condolent courage for the dolour and affliction that he seeth in his neighbour Benignity is an ardent regard of courage and diligence from one friend to another with a replenishing dulsure and sweetnes of good manners that one hath Concord is a vertue that commeth of covenance of courages concorded and alied in right undefiled in such sort as they abide united and conioyned stedfastly without duplicity or unstablenesse of thought or courage Of Faith FAith is a vertue by the true knowledge of visible things having his thought elevate in holy studying for to come to the beleef of things that we see not and these been the branches Religion Cleannes Obedience Chastity Continence Virginity and Affection Religion is by the which been exercised and done the divine services to God and unto his saints with great reverence great diligeÌ„ce the which services bee done ceremonially sweetly Cleannes or virginity is integrate well and purely kept as well in body as in soul for the regard that a man hath of the love or fear of God Obedience is a voluntary and free abnegation and renouncing of his own wil by pittifull devotion Chastity is cleanlines and the honest habitude of all the body by ardent heat and furiosity of vices so domaged and holden subiects Continence is by the which impetuosity of carnall desires been refrained and withholden by a moderation of counsell taken of himself or other Affection is effusion of pittifull love to his neighbour comming of a reioycing conceived of good faith in them that they love Liberality is a vertue by the which the liberall courage is not kept by any manner of covetise for doing plenteous largition of his goods without excesse but moderately to them that haâ—e need Of Hope HOpe is a mooving of courage abiding stedfastly to take and have the things that a man appetiteth and desireth of the which the branches been contemplation Ioy Honesty confession patience compunction and Longanimity Contemplation is the death and destruction of carnall affections by an interior reioycing of thought elevat to comprise high things Ioy is iocundity spirituall comming of the contempment of the things present and worldly Honesty is a shame by the which a man yeeldeth himself humble toward every man of the which cometh a laudable profit with faire custom and honesty Confession is by the which the secret sicknesse of soul is relevate and shewed unto the confessor to the praysing of God with hope to have mercy Patience is will and inseparable sufferance of adversary and contrary things for hope of eternall glory that we desire to have Compunction is a dolour of great value sighing for fear of the compunction divine or for love of the paiment that we abide Longanimity is infatigable will to accomplish the holy and iust desires that a man hath in his thought Of Prudence PRudence is diligent keeping of himself with discreet providence to know and discern which is good and which is bad and the branches are these Fear of God counsell memory Intelligence Providence and Deliberation Fear of God is a diligent keeping which wakeneth on a man by faith and good manners of the divine commandements Counsell is a subtile regard of thoughts that the causes of such things a man would doe or that a man hath in government be well examined and brought about Memory is a representation imaginative by regard of the thought of things preterities and passed that a man hath seen and done or heard recounted and told Intelligence is for to dispose by vivacity reasonably or evidently the state of the time present or of the things that been now Providence is that that by which a man gathereth in him the advancement of things to come by prudent subtiltie and regard of things passed Deliberation is a consideration replenished maturity and esperance to foresee the begining of such things as one hath delibered and purposed to do or make Of Attemperance ATtemperance is a stedfast and a discreet domination of reason against the impiteous movings of the courage in things illicit and unlawfull and these be his branches Discretion Morality Taciturnity Fasting Sobernesse Affliction and dispraising of the world Descretion is a reason provided assured and moderate of the humane movings to iudge and discerne the cause of all things Morality is to be tempered and ruled iustly and sweetly by the manners of them with whom they be conversant keeping alwayes the vertue of nature Taciturnity is to attemper himself of inutile and dishonest words of the which vertue commeth a fruitfull rest unto him that so himself moderateth Fasting is a vertue of discreet abstinence the which a man keepeth ordained to wake and keep the sanctified things interiors Sobernesse is a vertue pure and immaculate attemperance of the one part and of the other of a man of the body and soul. Affliction of body is it by the which the seeds of the wanton and wilfull thoughts by discreet chastisings be oppressed Dispraising of the world is amorous love that a man or a woman hath to the spirituall things coming and having no regard to the caducke things and transitories of this world Of Justice IVstice is a vertue whereby grace of community is upholden and the dignity of every person is observed and their owne yeelded and the branches be these Law Straightnes Equity Correction Observance Iudgement and vertue Law is by the which all lawfull things bee commanded to be done and to defend all things which ought not to be done Straightnes is by the which iuridicke vengeance is prohibited and straightly is exercised iustice to the transgressors that have offended Equity is a right worthy retribution of merite to the ballance of Iustice right wisely and iustly thought Correction is for to inhibite and defend by the bridle of reason all errors if any bee accustomed for to doe any evill Observance of Swearing is a Iustice to constrain any noisible transgression of Law or Customes promulged to the People Iudgement is by the which after the merits or demerits of any persons heard is that he have torment or suffer death for his evill doing or guerdon and reward for his benefits Verity is that by the which any sayings or doings be recited or shewed by approvable reason without to adiust diminish or to make it any otherwise than it is Of Force FOrce is for to have a sure and stedfast courage among the adversities of labors and perils that may happen to come or into the which a person may fall And the branches be these Magnificence Confidence Tolerance Rest Stablenesse Perseverance and reason Magnificence is a ioyous clearnes of courage administring things laudable and magnificentiall that is to say high or
shal be very gracious he shall have harm by women and when he is married men shall not see so much by him as before he will have great love to ladies and gentlewomen but yet they shall not be masters over him he will be a very good man of the Church or a religious man and he shal not love to go a warfare he will hate theeves and swearers and he shall gather great goods by his wisedome If he bee a man of the world he shal be perfect in some handy craft he shall love well to preach and to speak fair rhetorike language and to talk of philosophie and Geometry he shall love wel writing and to read in strange bookes and to cast accounts of great numbers and shal be a gay maker of balads songes meeters and rimes he shal be perfect in the art of musick and love it he shall love measuring and meting and he shall be some great clothmaker he shal be servant to some great Lord or els a receiver of his mony he shall have a high forehead a long visage black eies and a thin beard he shal be a great pleader in the law and he will meddle with other mens deeds if they doe not well and say against it and Mercury governeth the thighes the flancks and belly Of the Moon Luna significat hominem album confectum rubore junctis superciliis benevolum habentem oculos non ex toto nigros faciem rotundam pulchram staturam in facie ejus signum in initio quod crescet significat omne quod faciendum est in plenitudine quod distruendum quia decrescit IT is to be understood that the lowest planet of the seven is named Luna which we call the Moon and is called feminine or female and is called among the shepheards the Lady of the night for the chief light and clearnesse that is by night is by the presence of the Moon for the Moon is much neerer approached unto us than any star and therefore she gives us much more light than the stars doe and also the moon is Lady of moisture and ruleth the sea by ebb and floud The moon taketh her light of the Sun 22. times in a year and also the moon is cold and moist of nature and her colour is much fairer than silver and her chief house is Cancer and there is none of the other planets that is so slow and goeth so little ciâ—cuit as doth the moon and she descendeth into Scorpio and she goeth about the xii signes in 27. dayes and then changeth and is called new Of her Properties SVch men and women as be born under the Moon shall be lowly and serviceable and very gentle And if it be a maid child shall be very shamefast and womanly and they shal be wel-favored both man and woman their faces shall be full and round and they shall be very patient folkes and will suffer much wrong or they be revenged will be soft of speech and very curteous and shall live honestly with such as God shall send them and wil haunt vertuous company they shall be well formed of body and have merry looks and love honestly to be glad and will live very chastly and love greatly the vertue of cleannesse both in word and deed they hate lecherous talkers and speakers of ribaldry their colour shal be mixed but with a little rednesse they shall gladly go attired in many coloured clothes and they shal sweat in the forehead Also they will have a great desire to be masters and mistresses over great streames rivers and flouds and devise many proper engines to take fish Look what they say it shall be true and stedfast and they shal be very honest and good goers on foot and comfort sick persons they shall love well to talk sometime of marvells they shall not keep hatred long in their mind they shall appease the people under colour with their communications as well as other should doe with silver Honest women will they love they will hate harlots and brothels and shall nourish their children up in vertue and good manners And the lights and the brains of man is under the governace of Luna Thus endeth the seven Planets with their properties Of the Physnomy of Shepheards PHysnomy of the which been spoken a fore is a science that shepheards have to know the naturall inclination of man and woman good or evill by divers signes on them in beholding them onely The which inclination we ought to follow if it be good but if it be evill by vertue strength of understanding wee ought to eschue and avoide it and to withstand the said evill inclinations Shepheards use this science none otherwise The prudent vertuous and wise man may bee of all other as touching their manners otherwise than their signs shew in their reign Thus the things demonstred as to vice is not in a wise man though the sign be so as an ale stake or a sign is sometime hanged before a house in the which oft times is no Ale Howbeit that a man by his wisedome and understanding follow not the evill influences of the celestiall bodies that be upon him and yet he corrupteth not the signs and demonstrations of the said influences but those signes naturally have seignory on them in which they bee for to have naturally that which they signifie whether a man have them or not wherefore shepheards say that the most part of men women follow their naturall inclinations to vice or vertue for that the most part of them be not wise prudent as they ought to be and they use no vertue of their own minds but ensue their sensuality and by this the celestiall influence of the which is shewed by signes exteriors and of such signs is the said science of Phisnomy For the which it behoveth first to know that the time is divided into four parts as it hath been before said that is to wit Prime time Summer Harvest and Winter that be compared to the four Elements Prime time to the ayr Summer to the fire Harvest to the earth Winter to the water Of the which four Elements every man and woman is formed and made and without the which none may live The fire is hot and dry The ayr is hot and moist The water is moist and cold The earth is cold and dry Also some say the person on whom the fire domineth is cholerick of complexion which is to say hot dry He on whom the ayr domineth is sanguine of complexion which is hot and moist He on whom the water domineth is Flegmatick of complexion which is moist and cold Hee on whom the earth domineth is melancholy of complexion which is cold and dry The which complexions they know and discern the one from the other by signs which are said here-after CHAP. XLI Of the four complexions The Cholerick hath Nature of fire hot and dry and naturally is lean and slender covetous irefull