recompt vnto you others It is vvell knovven hou charitable a hand and hart Seynt Gregorie the great had the restorer of Christiā Religion in England to vvhom our Sauiour appeared among others poor beggars as a special token that God vvas vvell pleased vvith that good mans almoise dedes and vvoorkes of charitie yet vvas he vexed vvith bodilie siknesse continuallie It is vvritten of a holie vvoman called Liduina so pittifull tovvardes the poor and needie as vvhen she had not sufficient of her ovven to geue she vvolde begge and borovv of others to releue the necessitie of the poor Suche encrcase ostentimes folovved her hand as though she euer gaue vvhere need required yet dyd her porcion fynde no decrease In so muche as one time if not oftener thirtie poor persones vvere vvell releued of the meat that vvas put in one pot and in the end as muche meat found in the pot as vvas at the fyrst put in to it yea she had a purse vvhere in she vsed to put her almose money vvhiche she called IESVS hys pot for that it neuer failed yet vvas this good vvoman euer siklic and often afflicted vvith many most greuouse diseases and aduersities And it is vvell knovven hou your Ladieshipp being at Namure in a time of great famin you releued the hun grie soldiors vvith flesh he and pottage and hovv God so blessed your almoise as the meat prouided in tuo pottes for thirtie parsones dyd suffice vvell nigh tvvo hundred people Therfore as you haue Good cause vvith that good vvoman Lidunia to magnifye God vvhiche gaue you habilitie and good vvil to exercise the vvoorkes of charitie and multiplied your guystes in your handes So haue you good matter of comfort by patient bearing of your vvordlie afflictiōs expect vvith Liduina the revvard prepared for faith sull and charitable Christianes knovveing perfectlie that he vvhiche geueth but a cup of colde vvater for the loue of Christ shall not leese his revvarde Thies examples shevv you that temporal afflictions casuallie falling vpon good men are signes and argumentes of Gods fauour For as Seynt Gregorie doeth vvell note there is no greater marke of Gods vvrathe and displeasure then is a continuall good successe in healthe vvelthe and vvordlye prosperitie Yea siknesse and affliction doeth frame and conforme vs lyke to our Sauiour Iesus Christ vvhom God the Father sent in to the vvorld not to reap the delicate pleasures therof but to suffer great paynes and miseries What carefull troubles and dredefull perills dyd his blessed mother endure vvhen it vvas knovven that our maister Iesus should be borne And after he vvas borne a great nomber of deadlie enemies dyd dailye arise against that svvete babe and her VVhat terrible fear and care vvith paynfull labors dyd she endure traualing ouer hilles and dales vvhen she heard the cries of mothers for their children haled out of their armes and mordered before their eyes vvhen shedyd mete the cruell bouchers that sought to morder her dear childe by the cruell edict of vvicked Herod proclaming all male children from troo yeres olde and vnder to be slaine vvhat soroufull cares and hard traunlyng dyd that blessed virgin endure to hyde and saue her oulie sonne from the crueltie of those synfull creatures vvhom her sonne came to sane and kepe from hel and damnacion if they vvolde accept hym Shal vve then look for priuileige and immunitie from vvordlie afflictiōs vvhen vve see that spotlesse lamb the sonne of God and the immaculat virgin his mother to haue endured all miseries that the vvorlde could procure against them In verie truthe afflictions and miseries susteyned by a faithfull Christian are the bages of our lorde and Maister Therfore vve must not grudge to vvear our Maisters liuereys and to bear our crosse and folovv hym considering that in so doeing vve haue an assurāce of his entertainement vvith lyfe euerlasting in his high palace of heauen VVhereunto he that bought your laidyship bring you vvhen it shall please hym In mean tyme I humblie beseche you accept this myte putin to the box Interpret of it as I mynde to your honor and to all good Catholiques to vvhose vieue it shall come I craue onlie the glorie of God hereby to encrease to vvhom I commend your Ladyshippe vvith all true Catholiques Your Ladyshyppes obedient seruant Iohn Bucke CERTAIN MATTERS OF Meditacion or mentall praeyer to be considered in reciting the Rosaire Psalter on Croune of our Laidie the most blessed virgin Marie vpon the beades IT is an auncient exercise of deuout Christianes in tyme of prayer and speciallie in the vse of the beades to set before the eyes oft the Soule some conceit or Imaginacion of one or other matter conteined in the lyfe of our Sauiour or of the blessed virgin Matie And this conceit vvell imprinted in mynde vvil kepe it from vvauering in the vain thonghtes and vvill make it more attentiue and hedefull vverby deuocion is soner kyndled vvithout vvhiche prayer yeeldeth small fruit Therfore vvhen you are disposed to praey vpon the beades you may thynke vpon thre sortes of mysteries vvherof fyue poinctes in every one are Ioyfull fyue aredolorouse and fyue are gloriouse in maner folovveing Of fyue Ioyfull Mysteries to be thought vpon when you are to pray vpon the beades THe first Ioyfull Mysterie or secret is the annunciation of the blessed virgin Mary Ther fore vvhen you take your beades and haue aduisedlie commended your selfe to God blessing your selfe vvith In nomine Patris Filij Spiritus sancti Amen The Annūciation oft our Lady Then may you fyrst set before the eyes of your soule the Annonciation of our blessed ladie and Imagin in your mynde that you beholde the Angel Gabriel presenting hym selfe before that blessed virgin vvith hys heauenlie salutacion Aue Maria and declaring to her hys message from the Councel of the Thrinitie And vvith that Imaginacion still kept in mynde say the fyrst Pater noster and ten Aue Maries folovveing vvhiche is the fyrst part of the beades attentiuelie distinctlie and deuoutlie ther let thies cogitaciōs folovveing renne through your mynde avvhile before you goe any further First thinck hovv the Angel found her at praier and here admonish your selfe hovv nigh vnto you your good Angel standeth in time of praier and hovv apt you are then to receiue heauenlie comfort and good mocions and that in consideracion hereof it is good to pray euer more or lesse Secondlie marke vvith vvhat modest silence she gaue ear to the messaige not vttering any Idle or curiouse speeche and studie you to folovve that example Thirdlie note her zeal to kepe her maidenhode and virginitie vovved and promised to Gode and so thinck to keep your Christian vovve made at your baptisme Fouerthlie consider her present faith in beleeuing the vvoordes of the Angel passing all naturall reason that she being a virgin shoulde bear a childe and hete learn faithfullie to beleeue the promises of God Fyftlie beholde her humble obediēce
the good vvoorkes that he hath doen shal be put out of memorie Secondly he is resembled to a dogge that svvalovveth his ovvn filthy vomit In that he resumeth his olde sinnes that vvere ones caste ovvt by the sacrament of pennance Thirdly he falleth again in to the handes of his greatest enemie against vvhose vvill he vvas delyuered and geueth to him greater povver ouer him selfe than he had before For as Seynt Augustin sayeth he vvhiche heapeth sinne vpon sinne maketh a roope to bynde him selfe vvithall Fovverthly he is made more impotēt and lesse hable to arise agayn For as a skarre in a mans bodie is harder to be cured after the place be vvounded agayn so is a sinner after he returne to his olde folie Therfore our Sauiour sayd to the man vvhome he had healed Iohn 5. Beholde thou art made whole sinne no more lest some worse thing chaunce to thee And of this mischefe he vvarneth vs in an other place vvhere he shevveth that the vnclean spirit returneth in to the house vvhence he departed and bringeth seuen other spirites vvorse than him selfe and dvvelleth there And the last of that man be made worse than the first Fiftlie he is accompted a derider and mocker of God and abuseth the mercie and clemencie of his redemer Sixtlie as muche as in him lyeth he causeth the Angels and blessed Seyntes in heauen to be pensiue and sade for as of their charitie they reioyse at the repentance of a Synner so it may vvell be thought that they are forie for the fall of the Iust Seuenthly his soule is compared to a drie and wethered braunche cut of from the tree vvhiche receiueth no moysture nor norishement of the tree Euen so is he secluded from the benefite of all good mens prayers and from the merites of Christes passion And here vve may call to mynde à notable punishement of suche as after reconcilement haue fallen from God in to their former sinfull practizes There vvas a company of certein youg men vvhiche at the time of easter repared to the churche craued the benefit of the Sacrament of pennance vvere absolued and receiued the blessed Sacramēt of Christ his bodie and bloudde But they vvere no soner departed from that holie place thā they dyd fall again to their olde vvicked Ryot dronkinnes and filthy lyfe VVherupon they were greuouslie punished by the Iust Iudgemēt of God For they were sodeinlie smitten vvith a greuous disease and driuen in to suche an extreme vomiting as they dyd cast out of their mouthes great abundāce of corrupt bloudde vvith their ovvn excremētes verie lothesomelie contrarie to the course of nature Their corne and other fruites vvere consumed vpon the grounde and destroyed som vvith vvater and some vvith fier Serpentes and venomous beastes dyd breed abundantly in their groundes in suche sort as theyr persones were in great daungier And thus brought in miserable distresse many lamented theyr case Emong vvhome one deuout holie man vpon compassion prayed to God earnestlie for them till at last an Angell of God appearing to him dyd demaund of him vvhat punishement he deserued that dyd put in to a filthie presone the Innocent sonne of a mightie Emperour the good man ansvvered that he deserued greuous punishement Yea sayd the Angel but vvhat punishement deserueth he vvhiche in the sight of all men doeth cast the blessed bodye and blood of Christ in to a filthy myre he is to be brent as an heretique sayd the good man And euen suche felovves are all they sayd the Angel for vvhom thou hast so long prayde Therfore it is expedient for euery good Christian vvhen he hath receiued the blessed Sacrament and is reconciled to God then and euer after to take good heed of relapse and often to calle to memorye these seuen miseries and inconueniences of relapse here mencioned Certein signes and tokens Thereby a Christian after he hath receiued the blessed sacrament may probablie coniecture that he is in the fauour of God all framed to the similitude of a syk man THe first signe and token of Gods fauour is compunction or harti sorow for sinne committed For as the sicke man so long as he yeeldeth breth be he neuer so sick geueth good hope of lyfe euen so a Christian after he haue receiued the Sacramēt of our Redempoion if he cōceiue or cast ovvt sorocofull sighes for his sinnes by past in respect that therby he had offended god may vvell hope that the blessed sacrament doeth vvoork in him many good spirituall effectes for as Seynt Barnard sayeth the more seeling a man hath of sinne the greater sobbes and sighes he casteth out of his sorovvfull harte The secounde signe or token is laudable conuersacion of lyfe vvith good example For as a freshe naturall colour in a sikman is good argument of amendement so is modesty and temperance a speciall signe of Gods grace And good example is so necessarie that Seynt Gregorie sayeth sinnefull men could neuer return to true repentance if good example of lyfe vvere taken avvaye And blessed is the soule of that persone sayth Seynt Chrisostom vvhose humilitie doeth confounde the pryde of an other For as Seynt Leo sayeth so many as thou shalt vvinne by example of humilitie and charitie vvith them shalt thou possesse eternall revvarde in heauē And for cōmendacion of good exāple I haue redde of a good Abbot whiche hearing that there vvas not farre of his Abbey a notable great theefe and robber vvhiche spoyled and mordered many passing by the common vvayes had great compassion of this theefe for his sinfull lyfe and studied hovv he might reclame hym At last he thought the best vvay to be first to talke vvith him And though he knevv no mean to doe it vvithout personall danger to him selfe yet he purposed to geue a proofe And taking a Monk in company vvith hym aduentured to passe through the place vvhere the theefe haunted It so fell ovvt that the theefe met the Abbot and according to his profession spoyled the Abbot and his companion of all that they had After a vvhile the theefe hauing gotten his pray vvaxed somevvhat more colde than before for the Abbot vsed him selfe vvith all humilite in vvorde and countenance tovvardes him And the Abbot perceiuyng the rage of the theefe to be assuaged vsed the matter so as they tvvo fell in to familiar talke of common matters As of the great paynes that the theefe indured and of his continuall perill and of the commodities of securitie and suche like At last the Abbot asked him if he could be content to leaue that paynfull daungerous and disordered course of lyfe for a filthie and vncertein gayn And to goe home vvith the Abbat vvhere he should be assured of a sufficient liuing vvith great credit and honesty After some discourse vpon the Abbots vvoord the theefe yeeldeth and home he cometh vvith the Abbat to the Abbey vvhere he syndeth all thinges that the Abbot had promised and more Novv this good
Abbot hoping by good example to vvinne the theefe appointed one of his monkes a deuout man to attend vpon the theefe and to geue vvhat so euer he demaunded vvith this admonicion to eat and drink euer in his company and vvhat deinty meat so euer vvas set before the theefe yet he him selfe should eat none of it but content him selfe onlie vvith bread and vvater The monke vvell performed vvhat vvas commaunded In continuance of time the theefe obserued vvell the diet of the Monke and being somevvhat amased there vvith all asked the monke vvhat great offence he had committed that caused such straitnes of diet vvhether he had committed any morder incest or great crime No sayd the Monke I am not culpable of any haynouse fact But this austeritie I vse to the ende that the king of all kynges may be more mercifull to me at the latter day vvhen euerie mans dedes shall appear This ansvver strooke the theefe vvith suche remorse and repentance as he came to the Abbot and vvith great thankes so humbled him selfe as he vvas admitted vnto that societie and became so penitent and after so religious as in holynes and perfection of lyfe he excelled all the couent Thus may vve see vvhat good fruit vertuous examples may bring forthe The third signe is patience in aduersitie For as the greefe of siknes is estemed more or lesse by the mouynng or rest of the sicke mans pulse so is our perfection and imperfection tried by toleracion of aduersitie And as an empty vessel if you beat vpon it vvill yeeld an Eccho or holovv sounde but if it be full no noyse at all is heard from vvith in the vessel So is a patient man tried from a vnpatient man by aduersitie The one if he be touched vvith affliction exclameth against God and man but thother is quyet taketh all in good part vvhat so euer hapneth The fouerth signe is the sense of tast for so long as a sikman eateth his meat vvith a good tast it is lyke he vvill recouer his healthe euen so if a man haue a delectacion to hear speake or thinke of the passion of our Sauiour of the blessed lyfe of our lady and of holy Martyrs and Confessors or to be fedd vvith any spirituall foode these thinges doe argue sound health of the soule and a good state of spirituall grace in any suche persone for there can be no more accorde betvvene spirituall and vvorldlie pleasures than betvvene fyre and vvater Therfore it is impossible sayth Seynt Ambrose in this lyfe to liue delited vvith all vvorldlie pleasures and to enioye the pleasures prepared for the soule The fift signe is our tongue for it is a good signe of a mendement in a sickeman vvhen his tongue faultereth not in his mouth and he ottereth his speech easilie and playnlie Euen so it is a right good signe of a spirituall grace vvhen a man deliteth in godly talke and conference of godly matters vvithout detracting or bakbiting his neighbor euer interpreting the deedes and vvoordes of other men in the best sense For often the tongue vvalketh after the affection And of abundance of the hart the mouth vseth to speake The sixt signe is a disposicion to doe good vvoorkes and to be in exercise of pietie for a sik man vvhen he beginneth to recouer desireth to sturre and exercise his bodye so he that hath a right feeling of the spirit of God is nener Idle but euer occupied in good vvoorkes Other occupacion vvhat so euer it be is an Idlenes and not an occupaciō nor exercise Therfore all good vvriters exhort men to be euer occupied in some vertuouse exercise The seuenth signe is naturall heat a speciall argument of lyfe in a syk bodye So is the spirituall heat of loue of God and our neighbour a sure signe of perfection in a Christian For as saynt Augustin sayeth loue is the lyfe of the soule In so mucheas he vvhiche loueth not is dead Of certein good documentes touching euell thougtes TOuching euell thoughtes vve haue to consider for our better instructiō diuerse speciall matters First the cause vvhereof they arise Secondlie the reason vve are so prone and inelined to them Therdlie the hurt that vve receuie by them Fouertlie hovv vve may arme our selues against them Fiftlye by vvhat meanes vve may auoyd them As to the first it is vvel knovvn that euell thoughtes had their first origin and beginning of our professed enem ye the deuill vvho first seduced our common mother Eue by his suggestion to conceiue a vviked thought and there vpon to eate the aple vvhiche moued delite and lyking then folovved the consent of Adam and consequentlie the displeasure and indignacion of allmighty God Touching the second poynt among many there are three speciall causes of Certein godlie lessons and obseruacions touching the hart of man GOD requyreth the hart of man and to haue the possession of yt And three reasons may begeuen to moue hym therunto One is for that the hart is as it vvere the harbarovv of the Allmightie and the proper bedchamber or cabinet of the king Again the hart is the principall seate and first member that receyueth lyfe And by naturall consequence the hart being full of bloudde is apter to conceiue an impression of hym that shedde is bloude for vs vpon the crosse God desireth a purified hart And thre thinges there are vvhiche purifie the hart The first is a carefull examinacion daily of our ovvn vvoordes deades and thoughtes vvith a speciall desire to geue good example to others The second is daily pennance vvith due confession cōtrition and satisfaction for our offenses against God and our neigbour The third is continuall crauing and begging of God by deuout prayer to be preserued by his Grace from all occasions and matters that may offend God for as the prophet Dauid sayeth If our lorde haue not buylded the house in vain haue they labored whiche buylded it A pure and clean hart is knovvne by three signes or markes The first is the quicke and pregnant knouleige of our ovvne defectes For as a small spot is sone espied in a verie vvhite linnen clothe so a pure hart quickelie perceiueth a small fault in it selfe The second is quietnes of conscience in all troubles and aduersities For a pure good vvine in a cleane glasse changeth not his colour and clearnes be it neuer so muche troubled euen so a pure hart and cleane conscience is vvell setled and resteth euer in one estate vvhat aduersitie so euer hapneth The third mark is encrease of couraige in time of affliction euen as a pure fresh vvine sprinkleth and leapeth vvhen it is vvith any force poured in to a Cuppe And our hart is preserued in puritie and cleannesse by a true fear of God by a carefull gouernement of our externall senses and by continuall exercise of the vvoorkes of charitie Fouer good lessons for preseruing our hope and confidence in God NOvv to make an end vve must