whiche deyeth in thestate of grace wtout sȳne where yf they haue synned yf they haue done penaunce suffycyent in this worlde gooth all ryght in to paradyse / ben in glorye after the / that they haue meryted by theyr holy werkes / the soules of thē the whiche haue had contrycion dyspleasaūce of theyr synnes ben retorned vnto god in cryenge hym mercy that they haue not accōplysshed theyr penaunces in this worlde gooth in to an other parte of hell named purgatory there they accomplysshe theyr penaunces ben purged of theyr synnes / that done they go in to the glorye of paradys / And the soules of them the whiche dyeth in one onely mortall sȳne or many gooth in to the depnes of hell where they ben punysshed after theyr deseruynge / the soules of the Iewes of the mescreauntes the whiche deyeth in the estate of Innocencye gone in to a parte of hell with the other chyldren the whiche dyeth wtout baptym / but the soules of the other Iewes mescreaūtes that haue wytte vnderstōdȳge goth in to hell with the dāpned ¶ Mayster in how lytel tyme ben the soules delyuerd fro purgatory My chylde some there abydeth more longely than other after as they haue deserued for some ben delyuered at the ende of .vij. dayes / therfore maketh a man the semell otherwyse called the recorn in makȳge prayers almesdedes for theyr delyueraunce / for gretely vnto theym may puffyte the prayers almesdedes the is done for them These other ben delyuered at the ende of .xxx. dayes / therfore is made the trentall The other ben delyuered at the ende of one yere / therfore is made the yeres mynde / these other abydeth there by many yeres by longe tyme after that they haue deserued / therfore make men remembraūce euery yere of them / and whan they ben all purged that they ben delyuerd as by theyr penaunces accōplysshed / as by our prayers oraysons / they go all ryght vnto the glory of paradys ¶ Mayster in what place is paradys My chylde there ar .iij. maner of paradys that is to wyte paradys celestyall / paradyse terrestre / paradys spyrytuall Paradyse celestyall is aboue all the heuens in the whiche is god all the sayntes holy men and women as I haue sayd before / paradys terrestre is in the erthe towarde the oryent / paradys spyrytuall is anenst god to loue hȳ perfytely that is ouer all In that paradys ben our good aungelles the whiche seeth loueth god ¶ Mayster where is hell My chylde there are .ij. maner of helles / that is to wyte hell spūall hell corpall / hell spūal is ouer all where the soules the cursed aūgels ben in payne torment be it in erthe or in the see / this may be in many places / as we rede of a soule that was tormented with a flage of yse that a bysshop delyuered by .xxx. masses / who was boūde to be there longe tyme. Hell corpal is in the myddle of the erthe as the carnell of an apple is in the myddle of the apple is a grete caue blak darke in whiche ben iiij stages the one aboue the other At the fyrst stage is the place wherin were the holy soules of the holy faders aūcyētes of them that by theyr holy lyfe cōuersaciō haue meryced the realme of paradys the whiche our Lorde Ihesu cryste delyuered whan he dyed on the tree of the crosse now there is none / For at that tyme were all delyuered At the seconde stage is purgatorye wherin the soules the whiche sholde be saued goth to acconplysshe theyr penaunce the whiche they haue not accomplysshed in this worlde in they re lyfe In the thyrde stage ben the soules of the Innocentes the whiche deyeth without baptym And in the .iiij stage the whiche is the moost lowe in depnes ben the deuylles the soules of the pore myserable dampned The mayster The dyscyple MAyster what paynes haue they the whiche bē in purgatorye My chylde they ben tourmented with the fyre of hel moche more hoter than the fyre materyall of this present worlde in cōparyson ayenst a fyre paynted vpō a wall / they ben there boūde with chaynes of fyre al brennynge so sperkelynge that a man ne canne speke it In the whiche place some ben there more punysshed than these other / there abyde more lōgely than the other after as they haue deserued ¶ Mayster what payne is there in hell My chylde there are so many dyuers paynes tourmentes that there is none entendement humayne the whiche can cōprehende ne ymagen as of fyre stynkynge ryght brennynge of todes / serpentes / dragons / of all foule cruel bestes of deuylles enraged wode the whiche neuer ben wery for to bete tourment the poore myserable dāpned / but euermore ben for too begynne in suche wyse that the leest payne of hell surmounteth all the paynes of this worlde / but the one is more punysshed than the other after theyr desert / at the day of Iugement theyr payne shall double for than they shall aryse shall be dampned in body in soule ¶ Mayster what payne haue the soules of the Innocentes the whiche dyeth wtout baptym My chylde they ne haue payne / ne doloure / ne Ioye / ne gladnes For they neuer dyde good nor euyll / by the whiche they haue not meryted to haue ony good / ne to haue ony euyll how be it the the place wherin they ben be dȳme derke / All be it there is nothynge the whiche theym greueth / whan the daye of Iugement shall come that they shall ryse they shall be of the aege that our lorde Ihesu cryste was whan he dyed on the tre all the other Also the sayd chyldren not baptysed shall be cōtente with the ordynaūce of god / than shall retorne agayne in to theyr sayd place wtout euer to haue Ioyne heuynes no more than thou hast of that / the thou hast no wȳges for the apertayneth vnto the byrdes not vn men / or as thou hast whan a kynge or ony grete prynce dyeth and thou shalte not succede his realme syngnourye for thou knowest well thou arte not he the whiche sholde enheryte / Also they ne sholde enheryte the gloryous realme of paradys for they ben exyled by the synne of Adam of Eue / of the whiche synne they haue not ben purged by baptysm ¶ Mayster those of paradyse se they those of hell My chylde ye / and that vnto them is a grete encreasynge of glorye whan theyse the paynes that they haue escaped wherof they thanke god wtout ceasynge / also the dampned seeth the saued in paradys as we haue in the gospell of the cursed ryche man Dyues the whiche sawe the soule of the poore
coÌ„plyne / for at suche houre he was buryed / thou shalte vnderstonde that in the masse vnto vs is fygured the deth passyon of Ihesu cryst by the aulbe the whyte robe wher with he was cladde / by the chasuble the robe of purple men say the pystle on the ryght hande / for it is the token of the good lyfe the whiche ledeth vnto the ryght hande of paradys / men rede the gospell on the lyfte hande / for by the lyft hande vnto vs is sygnyfyed synne / for the gospell is the moost stroÌ„ge of mooste grete vertue / therfore it is put on the lyfte hande for to defende vs ayenst synne / for a maÌ„ sholde euermore put the moost strongest ayenst the partye from whens cometh the strokes / the ymages well hydden in shewynge the god the sayntes of paradys haue abhomynacyon of our synnes to speke well there ne is cermonye but that it shewe vnto vs some grete mystere ¶ Mayster how sholde a man coÌ„fesse hym My chylde thou sholde fyrst examyn thy conscyence in recordynge the places where thou haste ben how thou there hast lyued / for there ne is thyÌ„ge that better dooth to thyÌ„ke of synnes as to recorde the places where a man hath be / in so doynge thou sholde examyn thy conscyence Fyrst of thy fyue wyttes naturalles That is to knowe of thyn eyen / of eeres / of handes / of atouchynges / of the mouthe / of the nose of al thyn herte Secondely also of the vij mortal synnes / of theyr braunches the whiche ben .vij / that is to vnderstande / pryde / couetyse / enuye / yre / glotony lechery / slouth Thyrdely of the .xij. artycles of the fayth that ben conteyned in the crede Fourthly of the .x coÌ„maundementes of the lawe the whiche our lorde gaue vnto Moyses Fyfthly of the .vij werkes of mercy yf thou accoÌ„plysshe them whan thou mayst well doo it Sextely of the .vij. sacramentes of the holy chyrche yf thou ne hast had in them perfyte beleue / And seueÌ„thly of the .vij. cardynall vertues / yf thou hath had them in the kepte as thou arte bounde to do that done thou sholde go to confesse the with grete humylyte and contrycyon dyspleasaunt of thy synnes / in hauynge ferme purpose to coÌ„mytte them noo more / for otherwyse thou repentest the not And whan thou shalte be before thy confessoure in grete humylyte confesse vnto hym all thy syÌ„nes entyerly / and clerely that he vnderstande it in tellynge hym all the fourme maner how wherfore thou hast commytted theym / also thou sholde tell the tyme the place yf thou remembre it for yf thou synne the holy dayes / thou syÌ„nest more greuously than on the werkynge dayes yf thou synne in place halowed thou synnest more than in an other place / in confessynge the thou sholde holde the ordre of confessyon in tellynge by ordre thy synnes as thou hast them recorded before to th ende that thou forgete not / and so thou sholde tell all vnto thy confessoure / for yf thou leue one vnto thy wyttynge for shame or otherwyse thy confessyon is none / for it is not entyere / Ne also thou ne sholde departe thy confessyon in tellynge the one halfe vnto one confessoure / and the other halfe vnto an other confessoure / For also it is not entyer and hole / aad it is nothynge worthe / but thou sholdest coÌ„fesse and shryue the entyerly vnto one confessoure of all that / that thou mayst remeÌ„bre / How be it yf after thy confessyon thou remembrest some thynge thou mayst well confesse the vnto an other / but yet thou shalt do better to retorne vnto the fyrst yf thou mayst Also my chylde thou sholde confesse the cyrcumstaunces of thy syÌ„nes in tellynge that the whiche hath moeued the vnto synne / the fourme the maner that thou hast holden in coÌ„myttynge thy synne / the yll the whiche cometh vnto an other vnto thy selfe Also thou sholdest confesse the of yll examples that thou haste gyuen vnto an other by thy synne and also thou shalte confesse the of wyll consentynge that thou hast had / of the payne that thou haste taken for to coÌ„mytte it / for who so consenteth to synne all onely yf it be mortall / he synneth mortally as wytnesseth the holy gospell the mayster the dyscyple Also my chylde thou sholde tel the dignite proximyte of the persone with whome thou hast commyttes the synne as yf the were a vyrgyn / or a relygyous woman / or maryed or thy kynnes woman / or a comyÌ„ woman without namynge her otherwyse For in thy confessyon thou sholdest not confesse the of the syÌ„ne of an other ne dyffame her / but thou sholde all onely tell her estate for to declare the gretenes of thy synne / for of asmoche as the persone is dygne in whome the synne is commytted the begynnynge of the worlde with al the deuyls And 〈◊〉 is done oure lorde Ihesu cryste all his holy aungelles archauÌ„gels shall mounte with the good in to the glory eternall af paradys And the cursed so shal descende in to hell with all the deuylles from whens they shall neuer come ne departe / but shall be euermore in payne / doloure / heuynes in the fyre of hell perdurably ¶ Mayster whiche ben those that shall be dampned My chylde that shall be the Iewes / mysbeleuers the cursed crystyens that shall deye in mortal syÌ„ne without repentaunce And men shall se clerely at the daye of Iugement the conscyence the one of the other / wherby euery man shall gyue Iugement of hyÌ„selfe in this maner shall be knowen all the good dedes the yll For a man dyde neuer ony ylle ne syÌ„ne be it neuer so secrete / but that than it shall be clerely seen shewed openly before god before all the worlde ¶ Mayster what ben the Ioyes of paradys My chylde they ben so ryght grete that a man ne can tell them For the saued shall se god face to face shal knowe all thynges as the aungelles The bodyes of the saued shall be clere and shynynge as the sonne / they shall be incontynent where they wyl be as the thought the whiche incontynent is borne thyder where it lyketh They shall haue no shame to be all naked the one afore the other for they shall be all cleÌ„sed fro syÌ„ne shall be so coÌ„fermed in the grace in the loue of our lorde that they may neuer syÌ„ne more ne haue ony euyl thouÈt / they shal ne haue hoÌ„ger ne thyrst / for they ne ne shal be more subgectes to the influeÌ„ces of the planettes meanely that also maketh the degestyoÌ„ vnto the body humayne but shall be there aboue incorruptybles and fedde of the grace of god / they canne not cease to yelde graces praysynges vn to
dymynuycion of theyr synnes that they sholde haue suffre in hell Or they shal haue encreasynge of other grete goodes temporels but god gyueth of trybulacyons aduersytees vnto the good for to proue them as vnto Iob / vnto Thobye to th ende that they dyspraysed the vanytees of this worlde / that they sholde not forgete theyr creature that by theyr merytes in takynge all in pacyence they may haue the glorye of paradyse somtyme god them gyueth of goodes to th ende that they be the more charytables that they augmenten in glory in paradys The good dyeth somtyme anone to th ende that they empeyre not for to auoyde the perylles temptacyons the whiche ben in this worlde / also the good lyueth somtyme longely for to encrease them in bounte / to th ende that by theyr good example doctryne the yll may amende them / also the ylle dyeth anone somtyme for to make these other yll aferde to th ende that they amende them / somtyme the yll lyueth longely for to proue the good / and also for god taryeth that they sholde amende theym / so that sholde vnderstand my chylde that the opynyon of some doctoures is that the mercy of god is so grete that he suffreth euermore the man to dye in the best estate purpose that he may fynde hym for god wyll not ne also suffreth not the deth daÌ„pnacion of a man / but wylleth that he coÌ„uerte hyÌ„ lyue eternally in paradys / and how be it that many dyeth sodeyÌ„ly wtout hauyÌ„ge space to coÌ„fesse them to do penauÌ„ce satysfaccoÌ„n How be it vnto suche purpose may they dye in so grete contrycyon of herte that god theym taketh vnto mercy ¶ Mayster shal the ryche the poore be egallye guerdoned rewarded My chylde of as moche as they be the more sage the more dygne of as moche shall they be the better rewarded whan they shal be good and whan that they shall mowe be yll of as moche shall they be the more greuously punysshed ¶ Mayster may god doo yll My chylde / nay / for how be it that he be all puyssaunt / neuerthelesse it is not entended that he may do thynges contrarye vnto rayson and that they ben Impossyble to be ¶ Mayster wherfore suffreth god that the beestes haue so moche of payne / also they haue not deserued it My chylde it is somtyme that by the synne of the man the vengyaunce of god falleth vpon the beestes and vpon these other goodes to th ende the he amende him or for to proue hyÌ„ as Iob. And also than beestes ben made to susteyne and to nourysshe the man by the whiche they ben vnto his subgeccyon And also for al thynges sholde serue vnto that wherunto they beÌ„ ordeyned / as the brydge that whiche is made to passe / or to go ouer In lykewyse my chylde god it suffreth to th ende that therby we take example / for syth that the beestes suffreth so moche of payne for theyr poorely fe corporall / we sholde well more traucyle and take payne to gete the lyfe eternall of paradys in the whiche a man shall lyue eternally ¶ Mayster knoweth god wheder a man shall be saued or dampned before that he be borne My chylde / yes / not the god it dooth in entencyon for to dampne hym / for god ne dampneth hym but the man dampneth hymself with out ony constreynt but of his owne wyll the whiche is at his owne lyberall arbytre or fre wyll As we se the boterflye the whiche of hym self of his propre wyll hym brenneth in the candell And how be it that the sayd boterflye is somtyme scalded with the fyre of the candell in suche wyse that often he falleth vnto the erthe / also he ryseth agayne the best wyse he can with all his power he putteth hym selfe agayne in the fyre of the candell all holly that he there abydeth / notwithstandynge that he seeth well the daungere Also done those the whiche dampneth theym selfe / for how be it that they se and knowe the daunger that therin is / also that they ben often scalded by trybulacyons aduersytees to th ende that they conuert them that by inspyracyon dyuyne they haue some remors / how be it for that they cease not tyll vnto the that of theyr owne wyll wtout ony coÌ„straynt they put them so depe in the fyre that they there abyde shall neuer go forthe And how be it that god wyl of symple wyll that all men be saued hath one so grete a gyfte as the realme of paradys without ony meryte / and by suche wyse my chylde knowe thou that god hath made the man not to th ende that he be dampned but to th ende that by his holy operacyons in suffrynge pacyently trybulacyons aduersytees / in resystynge fyghtynge valyauntly ageynst the deuyll / the worlde the flesshe / he may meryte to be saued ¶ Mayster those the whiche ben predestynate to be saued may they be saued wtout deseruynge it / to traueyle therfore My chylde / nay / for god knoweth well that by theyr merytes and traueyles they shall be saued And in lykewyse may a man say of the dampned ¶ Mayster syth that those the whiche ben predestynate to be saued may they not be daÌ„pned those the whiche sholde be daÌ„pned may they be saued / what auayleth it elles so moche to trauayle for to haue paradys or hell My chylde yf thou be predesty nate to be saued in the glory eternal thou ne sholdest encrease thy paynes in purgatorye / to lesse thy glory in paradys by faute to do we le / yf thou be pÌ„destynate to be daÌ„pned thou ne sholdest therfore euermore lyue in synne / but thou sholdest euermore enforce the for to doo well / to do penauÌ„ce for to lesse thy paynes in hell for as moche as thou knowest not wherunto thou art destynate / thou sholde always thynke on the better ê‘tye / that is to vnderstande the god the hath made vnto his semblauÌ„ce / hath bought the with his precious blode for to saue the not to daÌ„pne the. Wherfore my chylde thou sholde euermore do good dedes to fle the yll knowe thou my chylde that god the hath gyueÌ„ wytte vnderstandyÌ„ge reason fre wyll lyberall arbytre to chose the good or thou ylle to th ende that thou haue not ony cause of IgnourauÌ„ce or of ImpuyssauÌ„ce ¶ Mayster what say ye of them the whiche neuer hereth the coÌ„maundementes of god ne none they done My chylde the men ben made vnto the ymage vnto the semblauÌ„ce of god to th ende that they hyÌ„ loue serue / drede and therfore yf they knowe not theyr creature in this worlde he ne shall knowe theÌ„ in the other / ne yet by theyr IgnorauÌ„ce they shall not
be excused but more sooner accused / for the IgnorauÌ„ce excuseth not the syÌ„ne ¶ Mayster yf a chylde were nourysshed in a wood he had neuer herde speke of the fayth of Ihesu cryst shal he be daÌ„pned yf that he dye in suche wyse My chylde it is a thynge to beleue that god maketh reuelacion vnto euery persone of the faythe of Ihesu cryste by techynge of man or by reuelacion dyuyne or otherwyse / yf he go ayenst the sayd reuelacyon knowe that the he shall be dampned ¶ Mayster ben the soules made from the begyÌ„nynge of the worlde My chylde nay / but god theÌ„ createth all the dayes them putteth in the bodyes of the chyldreÌ„ wtin the wombe of theyr moder that is to vnderstoÌ„de vnto men at .xl. days after theyr coÌ„cepcyoÌ„ ¶ Mayster what auayleth vs coÌ„fessioÌ„ My chylde it is the seconde baptym For in lykewyse as by baptym all synnes ben ê‘doned In lykewyse by the vertue of that sacrament of coÌ„fessyon all our synnes ben ê‘doned / for as moche as a man knowelegeth his detaute before god or before his lyeutenauÌ„t for god loueth more obedyeÌ„ce thaÌ„ sacrifice / for obedyeÌ„ce is moder of all vertues ¶ Mayster auayleth more penauÌ„ce done by enioynynge of the coÌ„fessoure than penauÌ„ce done by wyll My chylde yf thy coÌ„fessour the hath enioyned in penauÌ„ce one pater ntÌ„ all onely / thou leue it to say an hole sauter thou synnest / thou shalt not acquyte the of thy penauÌ„ce / but yf thou saydest the ptÌ„ ntÌ„ the whiche to the was enioyned / thou leuest to saye the sawcer or other many fayre orysons / that thou sayst by syÌ„ple wyll thou shalt not syÌ„ne / but thou shalt acquite the of thy penauÌ„ce / for as I haue tolde the more better is obedyence done to our lorde than dooth the sacryfyce ¶ Mayster what auayleth coÌ„trycyon at the poynt of deth My chylde those the whiche abydeth theÌ„ to repent tyll vnto the houre of deth ben trechoures vnto our lorde as the trechoure yll payer that promytteth to paye at a certayne terme but he wolde that the terme sholde neuer come / and for this mater cause he maketh a. M. trecheryes vnto his creature to th ende that he ne pay hym so sone or neuer / of the other parte saynt Luke sayth the god is not well payed of hym the whiche hym payeth of that thynge that he ne may no lenger holde How be it / it is wryten that at what houre that the synner shal declare his synne in grete repentaunce contrycyoÌ„ that it vnto hym shall be pardoned But my chylde it is a ryght grete peryl to abyde hym to repent / for than a man is soo troubled that a man ne knoweth hyÌ„selfe ne none other / for as sayth the psalmyst QmÌ„ noÌ„ est in morte qÌ„ memor sit tui in iÌ„ferno auÌ„t quis coÌ„fitebitur tibi That is to say / the as the deed man hath no remembraunce of god / that it is no tyme hym to repent to confesse his synne whan that a man is in hell for the sentence of god is gyueÌ„ Than my chylde thou sholde repent confesse the whan thou hast tyme space / thou sholdest not tarye tyll to morowe / for thou knowest not wheder thou shalte deye to morowe or sooner the dyscyple the mayster MAyster syth that the synne of pryde is pardoned by baptyÌ„ wherfore deyeth those the whiche ben baptysed My chylde the good deyeth to th ende that they ben taken from the trybulacyon of this worlde / they be crowned in the realme of paradys / the ylle deyeth by theyr synnes to th ende that they be put from the Ioyes delyces of this worlde / ben in grete doloure punysshed eternally in hell ¶ Mayster what noyeth the sodeyn deth vnto the man My chylde that man the whiche dyeth sodeynly / so that he be in thestate of grace he gooth in to paradyse or in to purgatory to accoÌ„plysshe his penaunces / vnto hym the sharpe deth is merytoryous ageynst his synnes venyalles vnto the dymynuycyon of the paynes of purgatory vnto the augmeÌ„tacyon of the glory of paradys / yf he dye sodeynly in mortall synne the sodeyne dethe hym putteth in as moche as he is vnpourueyed wtout confessyon ne repentaunce takyÌ„ge / than he is dampned eternally / by this for this cause my chylde thou sholde be euermore redy for to deye in kepynge the frome synne / for thou knowest not whan ne of what deth thou shalte deye ¶ Mayster what auayleth it a man to be buryed in the chyrche yarde My chylde yf he be in purgatorye he is the sooner delyuered as well by the prayers of the chyrche as of his kynnesmen frendes the whiche vesyteth his sepulture in prayeÌ„ge god for hym / And often it happeth that the chyrcheyardes beÌ„ sanctifyed by the bodyes of some sayntes that there beÌ„ / prayeth for them / wherof yf those that there ben buryed ben saued they be ryÈt Ioyful whan theyr bodyes ben with the bodyes of other sayntes / but yf they ben daÌ„pned it prouffyteth theÌ„ nothyÌ„ge For the good dedes that men there done for theÌ„ ne may helpe them ¶ Mayster what maner of lyfe is the moost excellent best for to make his saluacyon My chylde to haue a true affeccyon of true loue in our lorde in seruyÌ„ge hym honouryÌ„ge with all his herte in eatynge the breed that thou hast Iustly lawfully goten by the tra / uayle of thy body as wytnesseth the psalmyst the whiche sayth Labores manuuÌ„ tuarum qr maÌ„ducabis c. That is to saye that thou shalte be ryght happy yf thou eate the laboure with thyn owne handes wherunto it is shewed the that thou ne sholdest vse of the godes that whiche by the or by thyne be goten falsely / but thou sholde yelde theym yf thou knowest vnto whome / to vse of them the whiche ben Iustly lawfully goten The mayster The dyscyple MAyster he the whiche is in mortall syÌ„ne may he be longe wtout coÌ„myttyng synne My chylde naye / For as one gode dede drawes an other In lykewyse one euyl draweth another / for soo the deuyll maketh of the man the whiche is in mortall syÌ„ne as a maÌ„ dooth of a beest that he ledeth by the toppe wher it semeth hym best ¶ Mayster whyder go the soules of them that ben deed My chylde the soules of the Innocentes the deyeth without baptym gooth vntoo the lymbe the whiche is a chambre of hel where they ne haue Ioyene heuynes / for they haue nothyÌ„ge meryted / but for as moche as they ne be purged from orygynal syÌ„ne by baptym they ben put from paradys / frome the vysyon of god / the soules of them the whiche ben baptysed the whiche dyeth in thestate of Innocency gooth in to paradys all ryght the soules of them the