Part 3

☞Vincent. WHo would haue went, oh my good vncle, afore a fewe yeares passed, yt such as in this cuntrey would visite their frendes lying in dysease and sickenes, shoulde come (as I doe nowe) to seke & fetche comforte of them, or in geuyng comfort to them, vse the way that I may wel vse to you? For albeit that the priestes and Friers be wont to call vpon sycke men to remember death, yet we worldly frendes for feare of discomfortyng them, haue euer hadde a guyse in Hungarye to lift vp their heartes, and put them in good hope of life[…] But nowe my good vncle, the worlde is here waxen such, and so great perils appeare here to fall at hande, that me thinketh the greatest comfort that a man can haue is, whē he may see that he shal sone be gone, and we that are likely long to lyue here in wretchednesse, haue nede of some comfortable councel agaynst tribulacion, to be geuen vs by suche as you be, good vncle, that haue so long liued vertuously, and are so learned in the lawe of God, as very fewe be better in this cuntrey here, and haue had of such thinges as we do now feare, good experience and assaye in your selfe, as he […]hat hath been taken priesoner in Turkey two times in your dayes, and nowe likelye to departe hence ere long. But that may be your great comfort good vncle sy[…]h you departe to God: but vs here shall you leaue of your kinred, a sort of sory coumfortles Orphanes, to all whome youre good helpe coumforte and counsel[…] hathe long been a greate staye, not as an vnkle vnto some, & to some as one farther of kynne[…] but as […]hough y• vnto vs al, you had been a naturall father.

Anthony. Myne owne good Cosin, I cannot muche saye naye, but that there is in deede, not here in Hungarye onelye but almoste also in all places of Christendome, a customable maner of vnchrysten coumfortynge: whiche albeit that in anye sycke manne it dooeth more harme than good, with drawyng him in tyme of syckenesse, with lookynge and longinge for lyfe fro the meditacion of death, iudgemente[…] heauen and hell, whereof he shoulde besette muche parte of his time, euen all hys whole life in his best health: yet is that maner in my mynde more then madde where suche kynde of co[…]mforte is vsed to a man of myne age. For as we well wotte that a yong man may dye soone: so bee we verye sure that an olde manne can not lyue longe. And yet sith there is as Tullie sayth, no manne for all that so olde, but that he hopeth yet that he maye lyue one yere more: and of a frayle foly delyteth thereon to thinke, and comforting himselfe therewith, other mennes woordes of lyke maner coumforte[…] addynge no s[…]yckes to that fyer, shall in a maner burne vp quyte the pleasaunte moysture that moste shoulde refreshe hym: the wholesome dewe I meane of Goddes grace, by whiche he shoulde wyshe with Goddes wyll to bee hence, and longe to be with hym in heauen. Nowe where you take my departynge from you, so heauelye, as of hym of whome you recognyse of youre goodnesse to haue hadde here beefore helpe and coumforte, woulde God I hadde to you and other moe halfe so muche doone, as myselfe reckoneth hadde been my duetye to doe: But whensoeuer god take me hence, to reckon your selues than comfortelesse, as though your chief comfort stode in me: therin make you, me thinketh, a reckonyng very muche lyke, as though you woulde cast awaye a stronge staffe, and leane vppon a rotten reede. For GOD is and must bee youre coumforte, and not I. And he is a sure coumforter[…] that (as he sayde vnto hys Dysciples) neuer leaueth hys seruauntes in case of coumfortlesse Orphanes: not euen when he departed from hys Disciples by death, but bothe[…] as he promised, sente them a coumforter, the holye spirite of hys father and hymselfe, a[…]d them also made sure, that to the worldes ende he woulde euer dwell with them hymselfe: and therfore if you bee parte of hys flocke, and belieue hys promyse, howe can you bee coumfortlesse in anye tribulacion, when Chryste and hys holye spirite, and with them theyr vnseperable father, (if you put full truste and confidence in them,) bee neuer neyther one fynger breadth of space[…] nor one minute of tyme from you?

☞Vincent. Oh my good vncle, euen these same selfe woordes wherewith you well proue that beecause of Goddes owne gracyous presence, we can not bee lef[…]e coumfortelesse, make me nowe feele and perceyue what a mysse of muche coumforte we shall haue when you be gone: for albeit good vncle[…] that whyle you do tell me this, I can not but graunt it for trewe: Yet if I now had not heard it of you, I had not remē bred it, nor it had not fallen in my mynde. And ouer that, lyke as our tribulacions, shal in wayght & numbre encrease: so shall we nede, not onely suche a good woord or twayne, but a great heape thereof, to stable and strength the walles of oure heartes agaynste the great sourges of this tempesteous sea.

☞Antony. Good cosin, trust wel in God and he shal prouide you teachers abrode conuenient in euerye tyme, or elles shal himselfe sufficiently teache you within.

Vincent. Uerye well good vncle: but yet if we woulde leaue the seekyng of outewarde learnynge, where we maye haue it, and looke to bee inwardelye taughte, onelye by God, then shoulde we thereby tempte God, and displease him: and sith that I nowe see likelyhod, that when you be gone we shalbe sore destitute of any suche other lyke: therefore thynketh me that God of duetie byndeth me to sewe to you nowe good vncle in this shorte tyme that we haue you, that it maye like you, agaynste these great stormes of tribulacion, with whiche, bothe I and al myne are sore beaten already, and nowe vpon the coming of this cruel Turke feare to fall in farre moe, I may learne of you such plentye of good counsaile and comforte, that I maye, with the same layde vp in remembraunce, gouerne and stay the shyppe of our kynrede, and kepe it aflote frō perell of spiritual drownyng. You be not ignorant good vncle, what heapes of heuines, hath of late fallen among vs alredy, with which some of our poore familie be fallen into such dumpes, that scantly can any such comfort as my poore wyt can geue them, anye thinge asswage their sorow. And now sith these tidīges haue come hether so brimme of y• great Turkes ēterprise into these partes here: wee can almoste neyther talke nor thinke of any other thing els, thē of his might & our mischief. There falleth so cōtinually before ye eyen of our heart, a fearful imaginatiō of this terryble thing, his mighty strēgth & power, his high malice & hatred, and his incō parable cruelty, with robbyng, spoyling, burning, & laying waste al ye waye that his armye commeth: than killing or carying away ye people farre thence farre from home, & there seuer ye couples & the kīred asūder, euery one farre frō other: some kept in thraldome, and some kept in prison, & some for a triumphe tormēted and killed in his presence. Then sende his people hither, and his false fayth therwith, so that such as here are & remayne styll, shall eyther bothe lese al and be lost too, or forced to forsake the faythe of oure Sauior Christe, and fal to the sect of Machomette. And yet which we more feare then all ye remnant, no smalle part of oure owne folke that dwel euen here aboute vs, are (as we feare) falling to him, or alreadye confedered with him: whych if it so bee, shal happelye keepe thys quarter frō the Turkes incursion: but then shall they that tourne to hys lawe leaue all theyr neighbours nothynge, but shall haue oure good geuen them, and oure bodyes bothe: but if we tourne as they do, and forsake oure Sauioure to, and then (for there is no borne Turke so cruel to Christen folke, as is the false Christen that falleth from the fayth) wee shall stande in perell (if wee parseuer in ye trueth) to bee more hardely handled, and dye more cruel death by oure owne countrey men at home, then if we were taken hence and caried into Turkye[…] These fearefull heapes of perell lye so heauy at our heartes, while we wote not into which we shal fortune to fal, & therfore feare al ye worst, yt as our Sauior prophe[…]ied of ye people of Ierusalē, many wish among vs already before ye perill come, that the mountaines would ouerwhelme thē or ye valeis open, & swalow them vp & couer thē. Therfore good vncle against these horrible feares of these terrible tribulacions, of which […]ome ye wote wel, out house already hath, & the rēnant stand in drede of, geue vs while god lēdeth you vs, such plēty of your cōfortable coūsel, as I may write & kepe wt vs, to stay vs when god shal cal you hence.

☞Antony. Ah my good Cosin, this is an heauy hering, and lykewyse as we that dwel here in this part, feare that thyng sore now which fewe yeres passed, feared it not at al: so doubt I that ere it long be, they shal feare it as muche that thinke themselfe nowe very sure, because thei dwel farther of. Grece feared not the Turke whē that I was borne, & within a while after, y• whole Empire was his. The gret Sowdō of Sirry thought himselfe more than his matche, & long since you were borne, hath he yt Empire to. Than[…] hath he taken Belgrade the fortres of this realme, and since hath he des[…]royed our noble young goodly king. And now striue there twain for vs, our lord send ye grace, yt the thyrde dog cary not awaie ye bone frō thē both. What should I speake of the noble strong citie of the Rhodes, ye winning wherof he counted as a victorie against ye whole corps of christendom, sith al christendom was not able to defend that strong town against him: howbeit if the princes of christendome euerye where aboute, woulde where as nede was, haue set to their handes in tyme: the Turke had neuer taken anie one place of al those places, but partly dissencions fallen among our selfe, partly yt no mā careth what harme other folke fele: but eche part suffreth other to shift for it self. The Turke is in few yeres wonderfully ēcreased, & christēdom on ye other side very sore decayed: and al this worketh our wickednes wt which god is not cōtent. But now where as you desire of me, some plētie of cōfortable thinges, which ye may put in remēbrance: & comfort therwith your company, verely in ye rehersing & heaping of your manifold feares, my self begā to fele that there should much nede against so many troubles[…] many cōfortable coūsels. For surely a litle before your cōming, as I deuised with my selfe vpon ye Turkes cōming, it hapned my mind to fal sodeinly frō yt, into ye deuising vpon my own departing: wherin albeit yt I fully put my trust & hope to be a saued soule by the great mercy of god, yet sith no man is here so sure, that withoute reuelacion may cleane stand out of drede, I bethought me also vpon the paine of hell. And after I bethought me then vpon the Turke again. And first me thought his terrour nothing, whē I compared with it the ioyful hope of heauen. Than compared I it on ye other side with ye feareful drede of hell, and therm casting in my mynd those terrible deue[…]ish tormentors with ye depe cōsideracion of yt furious endles fyre[…] me thought that if the Turke wt his whole host & al his trumpets & tymbrels to, wer to kil me in my bed cōming to my chāber dore, in respecte of ye other reckening, I regarde him not a ryshe. And yet when I nowe heard youre lamentable wordes, laying forth as it wer present before my face, yt heape of heauy sorowful tribulaciō yt beside those that are already fallen, are in shorte space lyke to folow: I waxed therwith miself sodēly somewhat aflighte. And therfore I wel alow your request in this behalf, y• would haue s[…]ore of comforte afore hande ready by you to resorte too: and to laye vp in your hearte as a triacle agaynst the poyson of al desperate dreade, yt might ryse of occasion of sore tribulacion. And herein shall I bee glad as my poore wit wil serue me, to cal to mind with you such thīges, as I before haue red, heard, or thought vpō, that may conueniently serue vs to this purpose.