The Firste Parte of This Treatise, Speaking of the Mortification of Over Vices, and Passions, and…
FOLOwing then the order, which we haue heere set doune, the first thing that we must pretend and seeke to bring to passe is, to cast out of this kingdom al the Iebusites, and to purge this cursed earth from al thistles and brambles; that is, we must labour to subdue our nature, and to extirp all euil inclinations and appetites, which partlie by the natural condition of eche one, partlie also by naughtie costom, doe stick and cleaue vnto him.
This being presupposed, the first thing that he ought to doe, whoe desireth to be changed into an other man, is to know the inclinations of the first man; which is nothing els but to know the enimies, against whom we must alwaies haue most deadlie warre. Let him search wel al the corners of his conscience; let him examen all the vices, to which he feeleth him self most bent, as to hatred, to wrath, to glottonie, to slouth, to enuie, to too much talk, to lying, to bosting, to vaine glorie, to lightnes and easines of hart, to pleasure and pampering of the bodie, to pride, to presumption, to dishonestie, to pusillanimitie & weakenes of mind, to couetousnes and pinching, and to such other vices and defects: and let him determine with him self, to take this so glorious and worthie an enterprise in hand, as is to vanquish and subdue him self, and cast out of his sowle al these monsters, and not to giue ouer, nor take repose, vntil he see an end of that, which he pretended. Now these wicked inclinations & vices he shall neuer by anie meanes vnderstand better, then by labouring to obteine vertues, which be contrarie vnto them: because when it commeth to the point, to embrace vertue earnestlie, & as it behoueth vs to doe, then the contradiction of that vice, which repugneth to vertue, declareth and sheweth it self; which yet before laie hidden. And to saie the truth, a man neuer commeth to know wel his natural imperfections and vices, vntil he haue a wil & desire to leaue them; no otherwise then the bird, which is taken in the snare, feeleth not that he is taken, vntil that he seeke to get out of the same.
And because there might be much said of this matter, yf a man would runne through euerie particular vice, and inclination of ours, & the breefenes of this little treatise suffereth not that I be ouerlong; I shal be content for this present, to remit the vertuous and diligent reader, to the springs and fountaines of this matter, that is, to the holie fathers and doctors, that write of the same.
To this helpeth verie much also, the ordinarie examining of a mans owne conscience, which at the lest ought to be donne euerie daie once, in which he must enter into iudgment with him self; laying doune before him, al his euil inclinations and affections; and examen al his words, works and thoughts; and the intention which he hath in al his actions; and the feruor and deuotion with which he woorketh; and to chasten himself, and doe penance for that which is il donne, hauing alwaies readie som sorts of penance for this purpose; and demaund instantlie, at almightie Gods hands, grace to remaine at the end victorious and triumphant. I know a certaine person, whoe, in the examen at night, when he found that he had exceeded in anie woord, was wount to byte his toung in penance of that, which he had mispoken: and an other that for this was wont to take a discipline, as also for whatsoeuer other defects. And so maie euerie one take to him self, som particular manner of penance, thereby to chasten the faults, which he euerie daie committeth.
It auaileth also much, and is a thing of great profit, to procure earnestlie euerie weeke the victorie of som particular vices, and to haue about a man som thing, to waken him, and put him in mind of this enterprise, as maie be to gird him self with som thing, that causeth paine, or som such like: to the end that this maie serue alwais to admonish, and prick him forwards to that, which before he had purposed, and make him ad[…]ised, that he sleepe not in this affaire.
It helpeth also, and that verie much, that a man doe oftentimes renounce, and giue ouer his owne wil, euen in those things that be lawfull; that by so doeing, he maie be the more prompt and redie, to denie the same in such things, as be vnlauful and forbidden; and that he occupie him self in som labours lesse necessarie, thereby not to faile in such as be of necessitie: in like manner, as men report, that Socrates the philosopher did, & as they doe, which wil goe to warre, whoe in time of peace doe exercise those things, which they must vse in time of warre. And let him not cease in this affaire, vntil such time as his owne will be dead & buried (yf possible it were) to the end that there be no hinderance against Gods wil, nor against the wil of those that be in his place.
Now a general meane and instrument, that seemeth necessarie and requisite for all these exercises, is that general strength, of which we spake before, to ouercom therwith all the difficulties, which offer them selues vnto vs in this enterprise: For somuch as heere must be vanquished twoe of the most potent things in the world, which be nature and reason; which can not be donne without this general courage and strength, which we haue made mention of. Heere-hence it is that our Sauiour said. The kingdome of heauen suffereth violence, 1 and the violent beare it away. And therefore as he that laboureth yron-woorke, must neuer let goe the hammer out of his hands, for the hardnes and resistance of the matter, on which he woorketh; so he that laboureth on the matter of vices & vertues, must not moue one pase without this strength and constancie, by reason of the perpetual difficultie, which is in this matter. And let him be assured, that manie occasions wil be offred heere, to make him relent, and be dismaied in the beginning, and that he shall haue manie falls, and spend manie teares for them, & shall haue great discontentment and diffidence of him self. But yet let him vnderstand, that this is the roial and beaten waie of all Saincts, and the true profe and exercise of vertue, and the true penance and file, with which al the rustines of vices is made cleane: & that there is no other waie more assured, as wel to com to the knowledge of God, as to the knowledge and contempt of him self. Nether let him be discouraged, though he fall manie times, but rather, yf he fell a thowsand times a daie, let him a thousand times rise vp againe, stil trusting in the superabundāt goodnes of God: nether let him be troubled, seeing that he cannot at euerie moment ouercom & subdue som of his passions, because eftsones it falleth out, that that is ouercom after manie yeares, which could not be ouercom in long time before; that by this meanes a man maie see manifestlie of whome this victorie is. And som times it pleaseth our lord that som Iebusite remaine in our land, as wel for the exercise of vertue, as also for the safegard of humilitie.
Aboue al this, the diligence of a good maister wil help much to this mortification, for that to him it apperteineth principallie, to haue knowledge of the naughtie inclinations of his disciple, and to seeke alwais medecines and remedies for them. Amongst which remedies one of the chiefest is, to rest the speare, and incountre him in those passions, and inclinations that he hath, setting him a woork in base and humble offices, yf he be loftie and proude; in things that be austere and hard, yf he be tender and delicate; spoiling him of that which he hath, yf he see him bent to proprietie; and aboue al making him denie his owne wil in diuerse things, euen in those that be lauful, to the end that he be more easie, when neede shal so require, to denie the same in things that at forbidden. In such sort, that as he which breaketh young horses, to make them manureable and pliant to the bridle, is not content to make them runne the right race onlie, but giueth them a thousand gire-volts, or turnings to the one side and the other, that by this meanes in time of necessitie he maie with facilitie turne him at his pleasure; so likewise the good maister, must so often exercise his scholar in renouncing his owne appetites, that now his wil being habituated, and made to plie it self, doe not stand stubborne, stiffe, and vntractable, but be gentle, easie, & obedient to that, which they shal dispose of her: for otherwise shee wil becom as hard as an oke-tree, when you would bend her anie waie, such as was that people, of whome God saied by the Prophet Isaie. 2 I know that thou art stubborne, and that thie neck is anyron sinewe. And againe. From the wombe I haue called the a transgressour, to wit of mie commaundements and wil, to doe thine owne.
This is then the chiefest point of this instruction, without which al the rest is nothing worth, or of exceeding smal value. For to goe to the quiar in time appointed, and to doe such offices as all others doe, anie vertue be it neuer so little, is sufficient; nether is there in this anie matter whereby to exercise such vertues as be of importance, to wit Patience, Obedience, Charitie, Humilitie, Discretion, Subiection and the like; which all ar more perfectlie discouered in labours, in reprehensions, in base offices, in punishments, and particularlie in penances, wich be giuen without sufficient cause; for in these things we shew patience, which is the touch-stone of vertues perfection and sinenes.
And therfore it is a singular kind of probation, to giue the nouice oftentimes this manner of penance, for by this me[…] is knowen the valour and vertue of eche one. In this sort those auncient holie fathers were woont to proue, and exercise theire disciples, which they brought vp; and yf they were brought vp in like manner now, Religious houses would be peopled not with men, but with so manie Angels: because with this kind of flaile, they would easilie separate the straw and chaffe from the thressing floare, and the corne would remaine alone. But since the time that this auncient discipline hath ceased, things goe as now a daies we see.
Now the self same force and seueritie which the disciple ought to vse with him self, must the maister also vse with him, chastising seuerelie and religiouslie his imperfections, to the end he feare him; and auising and warning him secretelie, to the end heloue him, taking alwaies heede, as much as possiblie he maie, that he nether haue, nor shew auersion from anie one, nor vtter anie angrie, or iniurious woords; because as soone as this shall be noted in him, the whole enterprise wil be dissolued and broken of, seeing that the chiefest meanes to compasse the same, is kindnes and loue. Nether, because som be froward & weake, ought the good maister therfore to haue lesse care of them, but rather (as S. Bernard saith) to others he must be as a companion, to weakelings onlie as a father and Superior: hauing for his enterprise to be neuer wearie, nor to take repose, vntil such time as he shall gaine them to Christ. And when som times he is forced to chasten and punish, let him procure to obserue diligentlie that which S. Gregorie admonisheth, that his speeche besweete, and his hand seuere: and in this sort he shall easilie amend what is amisse, and not scandalize anie bodie. Manie other things might be saied to this purpose, but that, which hath ben hithertooe set doune, surffiseth for the present: and so let vs now goe forward to speake of that which yet remaineth.
Footnotes
Chapter 20 of 23