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The First Meditation, for Monday

THE Prophet Ieremy deploring the misery of his own condition, saith; How is it, 1 that I cam forth of the wombe, to see labour and sorrow, that my dayes should be consumed with shame? If the Prophet sanctified in his mothers wombe so lamentablie spake of himselfe, what shall I miserable and wretched man say, conceaued and borne of my Mother in sinne?2 Hugo de S. Victore doth very well counsaile vs; ô man, sayth he, learne to know thy selfe: Thou art better if thou knowest thy self, then if neglecting thy self, thou knewest the motions of the starres, the vertue of hearbs, the complexions of men, and the natures of al heauenly & earthly creatures. For many men know many things, and know not themselues, when as the knowledge of our selues is the chiefest Philosophy.

Consider therefore ô man,3 what thou wast before thou wert born: what thou art now thou art borne vntill thou returne to dust: and what thou shalt be after death. Before thou wast borne, wast thou any other thing, but an impure and vncleane matter, conceaued of the corruption of the flesh, in the pollution of pleasure, in the heat of lust, and that which is worst of all, in the corruption of sinne? Ponder also with thy selfe, with what meat thou wast nourished being conceaued in thy mothers wombe; surely with none other, then with impure, menstruous and hurtfull blood, which stayeth in women from the time of theyr conceauing, that by it theyr yong ones may be nourished in their wombes. Remember that GOD hath created thee of the slime of the earth, which is the basest element. Hee created the starres and planets of fire, birds of the ayre, and fishes of water: but men and other creatures of the slime of the earth. Therfore compare thy selfe with the fishes and beasts bred of the water, and thou shalt find thy self of a more abiect nature, & vilder condition, then they are. If thou beholdest the fowles and creatures that liue in the ayre, neyther art thou to be compared vnto them: if thou considerest the nature of the Planets, starres, and other things made of fire, thou art much more ignoble. Thou canst neyther be compared to celestiall things, nor be preferred before terrestriall: but if thou comparest thy selfe to brute creatures, in these alone thou shalt find some semblance and likelihood with thy selfe, as the Wiseman testifieth, who sayth, That the condition of the children of men,4 and the condition of beasts are euen as one condition vnto them. As the one dyeth, so dyeth the other: for they haue all one breath, and there is no excellency of man aboue the beast. For man hath not, as touching his body, any more then a beast hath, seeing both of them are framed and created of earth, and both of them in like maner are resolued into earth. Remember that whē thou wast borne, thou wast brought foorth into thys miserable world howling and weeping, as it were foreseeing, and therfore bewayling the labours, dangers & dolors which in this worlde are to be sustained: and that which is worst of all, deploring death it selfe. Wherefore, if perhaps thou beest borne in a noble and honorable place, neither remembrest how vile a beginning and howe abiect an originall thou haddest; if the beautie of thy countenaunce, and comlinesse of thy proportion, if the lineaments of thy body, if the fauor of the people, if the heate of youth, & aboundance of riches take away the knowledge of thy selfe frō thee, yet neuerthelesse, if thou desirest to knowe what man is, heare what that most glorious Father S. Augustine sayth,5 the star and light of the doctors of the church, hear I say what he saith; Wretched man, saith he, what am I, but a vessell ful of dung and corruption? a stinking and detestable worm? poore, naked, subiect to many necessities? who knowes not whence I came, nor whether I shall goe. Miserable and mortall am I, whose dayes vanish & fade as a shadow, whose life increaseth and decreaseth as the Moone, and as a leafe vpon a tree, nowe florishing, and to morrow withering. I am earth, misery, the child of wrath, and a vessell of indignation & reprobation. I was borne in the corruption of sinne, I lyue in miserie and labour, and shall ende my dayes in griefe and anguish.

And Saint Bernard sayth: Flesh wyth which thou hast so great societie,6 is none other thing but froth & fome made fleshe: inuested in a fraile ornament: but the time shall come, when it shall bee a miserable and putrified carkasse, and the foode of wormes. For bee it neuer so gaily garnished and tricked vp, it is alwayes flesh. If thou diligently considerest, what goeth foorth by thy mouth and nostrils, and the other passages of thy bodie, thou neuer beheldest so vile a dunghill. Consider ô man, (sayth hee) what thou wert before thy byrth; what thou art from thy byrth till thy death; and what thou shalt be after this lyfe of thine is ended. Certainelie, thou wast that thou wert not, after that thou haddst thy beeing of vile matter, thou wast inwrapped in a most vile filme, and nourished in thy mothers wombe with menstrous blood. Thy coate was a skin, so attired and adorned camst thou vnto vs.

And hath beauty, fauour, riches, and youth,

So sotted thy sences deuoyd of truth,

That mindlesse thou art how base was thy birth?

And that all men are dust, ashes, and earth?

Man is none other thing, but an vncleane sperme, a sacke of dunge, and foode for wormes:

After a man a worme, after a worme, stinch & faetour,

So from a man to no man, is turned this creature.

Hetherto S. Bernard, with whom agreeth Innocentius.7 O indignity, saith he▪ & vildnes of mans condition. Consider the plants & trees, they bring forth leaues, flowers, & fruites, pleasant to the tast, & delightful for smel: but wretched man bringeth forth pestilent & noysom sauours: & as the tree is, such also is the fruite; for an euill tree cannot bring foorth good fruit. But wilt thou more manifestly know, what man is, after hee is borne? heare most patient Iob,8 Man saith he, that is borne of a woman, is of short continuance and full of trouble. Hee shooteth foorth as a flower, and is cut downe, hee vanisheth also as a shadow, & continueth not. Why do we seek for the testimonies of men, let vs aske God himselfe, 9 & he wil tel vs: Remēber man that thou art dust▪ & to dust shalt thou returne. This knowledge had holy Iob,10 whē he said vnto God: Remember I pray thee, ô that thou hast made me as the clay, and wilt bring me into dust againe.

O man of clay, why art thou proude? ô dust, why growest thou insolent? ô ashes, for what woldest thou be commended, whose conception is sinfull, whose natiuitie is painefull, whose life is labour, and death necessitie? Why dooest thou nourish thy body so delicately? Why dooest thou adorne that with so precious garments, which after a while shall in the sepulchre be eaten of wormes? Why dooest thou not rather beautifie thy soule with good workes, which shal be carryed into heauen by the handes of good Angels? Why dooest thou neglect thy soule, and so extraordinarilye cocker thy flesh? Behold confusion and prepostrous order, the soule, which ought to rule, serueth the flesh; and the fleshe ruleth which should obey. Why sufferest thou the Ladie to bee the handmaid, & the hādmaid to vsurpe authoritie ouer the Lady? Doost thou not know that thy flesh is a domestical & homebred enemie vnto thy soule, which vnder colour of friendship, is more cruell then the most tirannous enemie? When thou cherishest & delicately nourishest it, thou breedest and bringest vp thine own enemie: when thou deckest & beautifiest it, thou armest thine enemy against thee: whē thou arraiest it in precious garments and outlandish skins of wilde beastes, thou robbest thy soule of all beautifull and heauenly ornaments.

Thirdly, ô sinner cōsider what thou shalt be, whē thou ceasest to liue. Certainely thou shalt be none other, but a miserable and corrupted carkasse, an habitation & foode for wormes. If it please thee, viewe the bodies of them, who are departed out of this life, and thou shalt finde nothing in them, besides ashes, wormes, stinke, & lothsomnes. What thou art nowe, they sometimes were, & what they are nowe, thou shortly must be: they were mē as thou art now, they did eate & drink as thou doost.11 They spent theyr dayes in wealth, & suddainly went down to the graue. See how the fleshe nourished in delights, now beeing meate for wormes lyeth in the graue: & how the vnhappy soule descendeth, that it may be fuell for the infernall fire, without any hope that euer the torments and punishments shall haue end. What shall thē theyr vaine glory profit them? in what steede shall then the power of thys worlde stand thē? what shal then their carnall delights, & couetousnes of riches help them? where are then their merry disports? where is then their boasting, & presumptiō of false ioy? O into howe grieuous miseries are they fallē after a short pleasure? frō a counterfet mirth they are fallen into assured misery, & eternall torment. What hapned vnto thē, may also happen vnto thee, for thou art both a man, & compounded of the same dust & ashes, that they were framed of; man of earth, slime of slime, and after death thou shalt bee turned into dust & ashes, neyther knowest thou where, whē, or how. Wherfore, seeing that death waiteth for thee in euery place, if thou beest wise, expect him in like manner at all times, and in euery place. Let the louers of this worlde remember, sayth Isidore,12 how short the felicitie of this world is, how barren & slender the glory of it is, and howe weake and fraile the power is. Tell me if thou canst where are the Kinges, Princes, & Emperors of ancient times? where are the rich and mighty men of this world? They are all passed away as a shadow, & vanished as smoake: and if a man seeke for them, hee shall not finde them.

What if wee say, that manie of those Kings, Princes, & Emperours, thought that they shoulde alwayes conquer, and neuer die. O blinde and ignorant, beholde, it is not so, beholde the matter is fallen out quite otherwise, they are dead, as other men are, theyr lyfes haue fayled them, as the lyfes of other Princes, that liued and ruled before them.

What the estate of man is after death, Saint Bernard dooth very well teach: What, saith hee, is more stinking then a carkasse? what is more horrible then a dead man? He that was of a beautifull coūtenance, and comely stature, whilst hee liued, after death lyeth with a gastly and fearefull face: for wormes, putrefaction & horror, follow a dead man. Which thing, seeing it is so, what doe riches, delicacies, and honours profit? Riches doe not deliuer from death, nor delicacies frō wormes, nor honours from corruption.13 And Saint Chrysostome sayth: Hast thou not seene manie, that haue dyed amidst theyr delights, euen in their drunkennesse, & in other fonde pleasures of thys lyfe?

Where are they now, that not long since ridd through the streets brauely mounted, swelled with pride, richly attired in silkes, garded with attendants and seruitours, smelling of perfumes, oyntments, and spices, fawned vppon with flatterers and parasites, where is now all their pompe and vaine toyes? gone. Where are nowe theyr large & costly banquets, theyr immoderate laughters, theyr ease and idlenes, theyr effeminate, luxurious, and riotous lifes? All is gone. What is become of their bodies, that ere while were wayted vppon with so great troupes, and were kept so neate and finicall? Behold, they are gone downe into the graue. Contemplat the dust, ashes, worms, the beauty of that pulchritude, aud thou wilt sigh bitterly.

Behold with diligence, and pry narrowly into each of their monuments, serch their graues and Sepulchers, tosse & turne ouer theyr bones and ashes, thou shalt finde nothing heere but ashes: nothing besides the reliques of worms, which haue eaten their bodies, and see what is the end of them, albeit they liued in this world in delights and glory. I pray God, that thou mayst diligently consider of these things, and that they may neuer slip out of thy memory. But (ô greefe) the vnhappy sonnes of Adam, neglecting true and wholsom studies and endeuours, doe seeke for and hunt after vaine and transitory pleasures. If therefore, ô my brother, thou wilt alwayes in thine hart meditate of these things, and consider the misery, and vildnes of this life, thou wilt be humbled, and wilt detest pride, seeing that thou art not ignorant that pride is the badge and cognisance,14 by which the children of the deuill are knowne: For he is, 15 as holy Iob saith, the King ouer all the children of pride. Gregory confirmeth this;16 Pride, saith he, is a most euident token of reprobates: but contrarily humility is a badge of the elect. Seeing therfore that euery one is knowne by that he hath, hee is easily found vnder what King he warreth. For euerie one carrieth as it were a certain title of his labour, whereby hee euidently sheweth, vnder whō he serueth, that is, whether vnder Christ, or the deuill. O cursed pride, hated of GOD and men. This tumbled Lucifer headlong out of heauen: banished Adam out of Paradice, drowned Pharaoh with his Army in the red Sea: depriued Saul of his kingdome: transformed Nabuchodonozer into a beast, and destroyed Antiochus with a most horrible and hideous death.

Footnotes

  1. Ierem. 20. ↩

  2. Hugo lib. 3. de anima. ↩

  3. What man was before hee was borne. ↩

  4. Eccles, 3. ↩

  5. S. Augustine. ↩

  6. S. Bernard in his meditations. ↩

  7. Innocentius of the miseries of mans life. ↩

  8. Iob, 14, ↩

  9. Gene, 3, ↩

  10. Iob, 10, ↩

  11. Iob, 21, ↩

  12. Isidore. ↩

  13. Chrysost. Epist. ad The odor. Laps. ↩

  14. The deuil is the King of pride. ↩

  15. Iob. 41. ↩

  16. Greg. lib. 34. Moral, cap. 25. ↩

Chapter 3 of 12