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
great paines innumerable Man look that thou beware I will smite all at unaware CHAP. XIX It is written in the Apocalyps that Saint John saw an horse of a pale colour on the which horse sate death and hell following the horse The horse signifieth the sinner that hath a pale colour for the infirmity of sin and beareth death for sin is death to the soul and hell followeth for to englut and swallow him if he die impenitent ABove this horse blacke and hideous Death I am that fiercely doe sit There is no fairnesse but sight tedious All gay colours I doe hit My horse runneth by dales and hilles And many he smiteth dead and killes In my trap I take some by every way By townes and castles I take my rent I will not respite one an houre of a day Before me they must needs be present· I slay all with my mortall knife And of duty I take the life Hell knoweth well my killing I sleep never but wake and warke It followeth me ever runing With my dart I slay weake and starke A great number it hath of me Paradise hath not the fourth part Scant the tenth part wrong hath he I cause many to sight at the heart Beware for I give no warning Come at once when I do knocke or call For if thy book be not sure of reckoning Thou shalt to hell body soul and all CHAP. XX. Hereafter followeth how every estate should order them in their degree Of a King THe imperiall might of a Kings maiesty On four pillars grounded is governance First do right Iustice and equitie To poore and rich both in a ballance Then his regall might shall further and advance He to be liberall with force and humanity And after victory have mercy and pitty Of a Bishop O ye half Gods flourishing in prudence Ye Bishops with your devout pastorality Teach the people with delicate eloquence Annoint your flock with Christs divinity Feed the poor people with hospitality Be meek and chast in this millitant Church Do first your self well example of your urch Of Knights O ye Knights refulgent in fortitude With labour and travail to get love nobly Fight for the poor commons that be poor and rude And if need be for the Church thou die Love truth hate wrong and villany Appease the people by thy magnificence And unto whom be a shield of defence Of Iudges O ye Iudges governing the Law Let not your hands be anointed with meed Save all true men rebels hang and draw To avoid favour let righteousnesse proceed For a good name is better than riches indeed Some say that Lawes truth is laid down And therefore love and charity is out of town Of Marchants O ye marchants that never say ho Of lucrous winning you have great pleasure Let conscience guide you where ever ye goe Vnto all men give you weight and measure Deceive no man of falshood take no cure Swear none oathes people to beguile All sleight and usurie from you excile Of Masters O ye masters and housholders all That have servants under your cure Put them to labour whatsoever befall And let the yong folke of awe be in ure After their age intreat each creature Servants wages pay ye well and even If ye do not it crieth vengeance to heaven Of all women O ye women of each manner degree To your husbands be never disobedient Desire not above them the soveraigntie For then ye do as Lucifer did incontinent That would be above the high God omnipotent Shamfastnesse dread cleannesse and chastity Of verie right all these in womanhead should be The generality Goe home ye persons and couch not in Court To teach Christ servants and keep the owne labour Thou niggard sow out thy hoord In houshold and be none extortioner Monk pray preach Frier Marchant go near and fear Dread God keep his law and honour your King And your reward shall you have at your ending Thus endeth the estate and order of every degree CHAP. XXI Of the tree of Vices and after followeth the tree of meeknesse mother and root of all vertues HEreafter followeth the tree of vices and then after that is the tree of vertue set that after every sin beholding they may look on it as a mirror and take of the fruit of spirituall refection and flie the dead tree of vices For after the tree of vices followeth the signification of every nature named in the said tree of vertues and first is humanity or meeknesse mother of all vertues and root of the tree the which wheÌ„ it is stedfast the tree standeth upright and if it fail the tree falleth with all his branches Humility is a voluntarie inclination of the thought and courage comming of the knowledge of God and it hath seven principal branches that constituteth the tree of vertues and they be these Charitty Faith Hope Prudence Attemperance Iustice and Force and out of every of them commeth divers other vertues as the tree sheweth and is declared afterward compendiously The tree of vices Pride root of all sinns Envy Detraction Ioy of adversity Sorrow of prosperity Homicide Wickednesse Susurration Ill machination Covetise Theft Deceiving Forswearing Vsury Rapine Treason Simony The large way Ire Woodnesse Indignation Clamour Blaspheming Great courage Noyse Hate Vaine glory Singularitie Discord Inobedience Presumption Boasting Obstination Hypocrisie The fruit of the flesh Glutony Foolish reioycing Immundicity Too much speaking Eating by leasure Obtuse wit Lickernesse Drunkennesse Sloth Idlenesse Erre in the faith Tristesse Omission Despair Lechery Vnstablenesse Love the world Blind thought Love of himself Precination Hatred of God Vnconsideration Wantonnesse Incontinence The tree of vertues Meeknes root of all vertues Force Felicity Confidence Tolerance Rest. Stablenesse Perseverance Magnificence Iustice. Law Straightnesse Equity Correction Observance Iudgment Veritie The narrow way TeÌ„perance Discretion Moderality Taciturnity Fasting Sobernesse Affliction Dispraising PrudeÌ„ce Dread of God Counsell Memory Intelligence Providence Deliberation Reason The fruit of the soul. Hope Contemplation Ioy. Honesty Confession Patience Compunction Longanimitie Faith Religion Cleannesse Obedience Chastity Continence Affection Virginity Charity Grace Pittie Peace Sweetnes Mercy Forgivenes Compassion Benignitie Concord Of Charitie CHarity is a right high vertue above all other and is an ardent desire well ordained to love God his neighbor and these be the branches grace peace pity sweetnes mercy indulgence compassâ—on benignity and concord Grace is by the which is shewed an effectual service of benevolence amongst friends from one friend to another Peace is tranquillity and rest wel ordained of the courages of them that be concording unto God Pittie is affection and desire to succour and help each one commeth of sweetnes grace of benign thought and courage that one hath Sweetnesse is by the which tranquillity and rest of courage of him that is sweet and honest by none improbity ne by any point of dishonesty Mercie is a pitifull vertue and equall dignation to all with inclination of
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