The.xvii. Chapter

☞Vincent. FOrsoth vncle so haue you, but we haue not slept in it, but been very well occupied. But nowe I feare except you make here a pause til you haue dined, you shal kepe your self frō your diner ouerlong.

Antony. Nay nay Cosin, for both brake I my fast euē as you came in, & also you shal fīd this night & this day lyke a winter day & a wynter nighte. For as the winter hath shorte daies, & long nightes, so shall you fynd yt I made not this fearefull night so long but I shal make you this light couragious day as short, & so shal ye matter require wel of it self in dede: for in these wordes of ye prophete. Scuto circundabit te veritas eius, a sagitta volante in die. ye trueth of god shal cōpasse thee about wt a pauice, frō ye arrow flying in y• day, I vnderstand the arrowe of pride, with whiche the deuil tem[…]teth a man not in ye night in all tribulacion & aduersitie, for yt tyme is to discōfortable and to feareful for pryde, but in the day yt is to wete, in prosperitie, for yt tyme is lightsome, lus[…]y, & full of courage: but surely this worldly prosperitie wherin a man […]ioiseth, & whereof the deuil maketh him so proude, is but euen a very short wīter day, for we beginne many ful poore & colde, & vp we flye like an arrowe that were shotie vp into ye ayre: & yet when we be sodeinli shotte vp […]nto the highest, ere we be wel warme there, down we come vnto the cold ground again, & then euē there s[…]icke we stil, & yet for the shorte whyle yt we be vpward and a loft, lord how lusty & how proude we be, buzzing aboue busily like as a bumble bee flieth about in sommer, neuer ware yt he shall dye in wynter: and so fare many of vs God helpe vs, for in the short winter day of worldly wealth & prosperitie, thys flying arrowe of the deuil, this high spirite of pride shotte out of ye deuils […]owe, & pearsing thorow our hearte, beareth vs vp in our affeccion aloft into ye cloudes where we wene we sit vpon y• raine bowe, & ouerloke al ye world vnder vs, accompting in ye regard of our own glory, suche other poore soules as were peraduenture wont to be our fellowes, for sely poore pismyres & antes: but this arrowe of pride flie it neuer so high into ye cloudes & be the mā that it carieth vp so high, neuer so ioyful thereof, yet let him remembre, yt be this arrowe neuer so light, it hath yet an heauy yron head, & therfore flye it neuer so high, down must it nedes come at last, and on the grounde must it lighte, & falleth sometime not in a very cleanly place, & […]hē ye pride turneth into rebuke & shame, so that there is thā al ye glori gone. Of this arrow speaketh ye wise mā in the.v. Chapter of Sapi[…] ̄ce, where he saith in the parsō of them that in pryde and vanitie passed the time of this present lyfe, & after yt so spente, passed hence into hel[…] Quid prosuit nobis superbia aut diuitiarum iactantia? quid con[…]ulit nobis? Transieri nt omnia illa tanquam v[…]bra &c. Aut taquam sagitta emissa in locum d[…]stinatum diuisus aer contin[…]o in se recl[…]su[…] est, vt ignoretur tran[…]ens illius, sic & nos nati conunuo desiuimus es[…]e, & virtutis quidem null[…]m s[…]gnum valuimus ostendere, in mal gu. tate au[…]em nostra cosumpti sumus Talia dixerun[…]in inferno hi qui peccauerurt. what hath pryde profyted vs, or that good hath the glory of our riches done vs[…] passed are al these thinges like a shadow, &c, or like an arrow shotte cute into the place appointed, the aier yt was deuided, is by & by returned into the place, & in such wyse closed together again that the way is not perceiued, in which ye arrow went: & in lik[…]wise we, as soone as we be borne, be by & by vanished away, & haue left no tokē of any good vertue behind vs[…] but are cōsumed & wasted & come to nought in our own malignitie: they loe yt haue li[…]ed here in sinne, such wordes haue they spoken whē thei lay in hel. Here shal you good Cosī cōsider, yt where as the scripture here speaketh of ye arrowe shotte in his place appointed or entēded in the sho[…]g of his arrow o[…] pryde, therby diuerse purpo[…]īges & appointmentes[…] For the proude man himselfe, hath no certayn purpose or appointmente at any marke, butte or pricke, vpon the heartes wherat he determineth to shoote, & there to sticke & tary, but euer he shooteth as chyldren doe that loue to shoote vp a cop hie to see howe hie their a[…]rowe can flye vp, but nowe doeth the deuill entende and appoint a certayne pricke surely set in a place, into which he purposeth (flie this arrow neuer so hie, and ye proud heart theron) to haue them light both at last, and that place is euen in ye very pit of hel, there is set the deuils wel acquainted pricke and his very iust marke down, vpon which prycke with hys prickyng shafte of pryde, he hath by hymselfe a plain proofe and experience, that (but if it be stopped by some grace of god in the waye) the soule that flieth vp therwith, can neuer faile to fal. For whan himselfe was in heauen and began to flye vp a cop hie, with that lusty light flight of pride, saying: Ascendam super astra & ponam solium meum ad latera aquilonis, & similis ero altissimo. I wil flie vp aboue ye starres, & set my throne on the sides of the north, and wil be like vnto the highest, long ere he coulde flye halfe so hye as in his hearte he sayd he would, he was turned from a gloryous bryght Angel, into a blacke defourmed deuil: and from flying any farther vpwarde, downe was he throwen into the depe darke doungeō of hel. Now may it paraduenture Cosin seme, that sith thys kynd of temptacion of p[…]ide, is no tribulacion or payne, all this yt we speake of thys arrowe of pryde, flying forth in the daye of prosperitie, were beside our matter.

Vincent. Uerely myne vncle, and so semed it vnto me, & somewhat was I mīded so to say to you to, sauing yt were it properli pertainīng to the presente matter, or somewhat disgressing therfro: good matter me thought it was, & such as I had no lust to let.

Antony. But nowe muste you Cosin, consydre, that though prosperitie be contrary to tribulacion, yet vnto many a good mā, the deuils temptaciō vnto pride in prosperitie, is a greater more tribulaciō, & nede hath of good coūsaile and good comfort both, thā he that neuer felt it would wene, and that is ye thing Cosin that maketh me speake therof, as of a thyng propre to this matter. For Cosin, as it is a thīg right hard to touche pytche & neuer fyle the fingers, to put flex vnto fyer, and yet kepe if from burning, to kepe a serpent in thy bosome, and yet be safe frō stinging, to put young men with young women, without daunger of foule fleshlye desire: so is it hard for any parsō, either mā or womā, in great worldly wealth and much prosperitie, so to withstande the suggestions of the deuil, and the occasions geuen by ye world, that they should kepe them selfe frō the deadly desyre of ambicious glory, wherupon there foloweth, if a man fal therto, an whole floud of all vnhappy mischief, arrogant maner, high solaine solemne port ouerloking ye poore in worde and countenaunce, displeasaunt and disdainouse behauour, rauen, extorcio[…], oppression, hatred, & crueltie: now many a good mā Cosin comē into great aucthoritie, casting in his mind the peril of such occasions of pryde as ye deuil taketh of prosperitie to make his instrumentes of, wherwith to moue mē to such high point of presumpcion, as engendreth so many great inconueniences, & feling ye deuill therwith offering to thēself suggestions therunto, they be sore troubled therwith, & some fal so fraide therof, yt euē in ye day of prosperitie they fal into ye nightes feare of pusillanimitie, & doubteth ouer much lest thei should misse vse thēselfe, leaue ye thinges vndone, wherin the night vse thēself wel, and mistrusting the ayde of god in holding them vprighte in their temptacions, geue place to the deuill in the contrary temptacions, wherby for faynte heart, they leaue of good busines wherin they were well occupyed, & vnder pretext (as it semeth to themself) of humble heart and mekenes, and seruing god in contemplacion and silence they seke their own ease & earthly reste vnware wherwith, (if it so be) god is not wel content: howbeit, if it so be that a man fele hymselfe such in dede as by experience that he hath of hymselfe, he perceyueth that in wealth & auctoritie he doth hys own soule harme, and cannot doe therin, the good that to hys part appertaineth, but seeth ye thinges that he should set hys hand to sustaine, decaye thorow his default, and fal to ruine vnder him, and that to the amendment therof, he leaueth his own dutye vndone: than would I in any wise aduise him to leaue of that thyng, be it spirituall benefise that he haue, personage or bishoprike, or temporall roume and auctoritie, and rather geue it ouer quite, and drawe hymselfe asyde and serue god, than take the worldli worship and commoditie for himselfe, with the incommoditie of them whom his duety were to profite. But on the other side, i[…] he see not ye contrarye, but that he may doe his duety conueniently w[…]ll, and feareth nothynge but that the temptacyon of ambicion and pryde, may turne peraduenture his good purpose, and make him decline vnto synne, I saye not naye, but that well done it is to stande in modera[…]e feare alwaye, wherfore the Scripture saieth[…] Beatus homo qui semper est pauidus. Blessed is the mā that is alwaie feareful. And. S. Paul saieth: Qui stat, v[…] deat ne cadat, he that standeth lette him loke that he fal not. Yet is o[…]er much feare perilouse, and draweth toward the mistruste of Goddes gracyous helpe with immoderate feare & faynte hearte: and holy Scripture forbiddeth saying: Noli esse pus[…]llanimis, be not fieble hearted or timerouse. Let such a mā therfore temper his feare with good hope, and thinke that syth god hath s[…]t him in that place (if he thinke that god hath set hym therin) god wil assist hym with his grace to y• well vsing therof: howbeit, if he come therto by simoni, or by some such o[…]her euil meane, thā were that thing one good reasō wherfore he should ye rather leaue it of, but els let him continue in his good busynes, & agaynst the deuils prouocaciō vnto euil, blesse hymself & cal vnto god, & pray: and loke what thyng the deuil tempteth hym to leaue, the more towarde the contrary, let hym be pitiouse and comfortable to those that are in distresse and af[…]iccion, I meane not let euery malefactor passe foorth vnpunished and freli runne out and robbe at rou[…]rs, but in hys heart be sory to see that of necessitie for feare of decaying the cōmon wealth, men are dryuen to putte malefactors to payn. And yet where he fyndeth good tokens and likelyhode of amendement, therin al that he maye helpe that mercy may be had, there shal neuer lacke desperatly disposed wretches inough besyde, vpō whom for ensaumple iustice mai procede, let him thinke in hys owne heart euery poore begger hys felowe.

Vincent. That will be verye hard vncle for an honorable mā to doe, whā he beholdeth hymself richely appareled and the begger rygged in hys ragges.

☞Antony. If here were Cosin two menne that were beggers both, and afterwarde a greate riche manne woulde take the one vnto hym, and tell him that for a litle time, he woulde haue hym in hys house, and therevpon arayed hym in silke, and geue hym a greate bagge by hys syde fylled euen full of golde, but geuyng hym thys knotte therewyth, that within a litle while, out he should in his olde ragges again, and beare neuer a penny with him. If this begger met hys fellowe nowe while his gaye gown were on, mighte he not for al his gaye geare take him for his fellow stil? and were he not a very foole, if for a wealth of a fewe wekes, he would wene himself farre hys better?

Vincent. Yes by my trouth vncle, if the difference of their state were none other.

☞Antony. Surely Cosin, me thynketh y• in this world betwene the richest and the most poore, ye difference is scant so much: for let ye highest loke on ye most bace, and consider how poore thei came both into this world, and than consider farther therwith, how riche soeuer he be now, he shal yet within a while, peraduenture lesse thā one wieke, walke out again as poore as y• begger shal, and thā by my trouth me thinketh this riche mā much more than madde[…] if for ye welth of a litle while, happely lesse than one wieke, he reckē hymselfe in earnest, any better than the beggers fellow: and lesse than this can no man thynke that hath any natural witte, & wyl vse it. But now a Christē man Cosyn that hath ye lyght of faith, he cannot faile to thinke in this thing much farther, for he wil thinke not onely vpō his bare coming hither, & his bare going hence again, but also vpon the dreadful iudgemēt of god, & vpon ye feareful paines of hel, and of the inestimable ioyes of heauen. And in the cōsidering of those thynges, he wil cal to remēbraunce that paraduenture when this begger & he be both departed hence, ye begger may be sodeynly set vp in such roialtie, y• wel were himselfe yt euer was he borne if he might be made his felow: & he that wel be thinketh him Cosin vpon these thinges, I verely thynke that the arrowe of pryde flying forth in y• day of worldly welth, shal neuer so wounde hys heart that euer it shal beare hym vp one fote. But now to the entent he may thinke on such thinges ye better, let him vse often to resort to confession, & there opē his heart, & by ye mouth of some good verteous gostly father haue such thinges ofte renued in hys remembraunce, let him also choose him selfe some secret solitary place in hys owne house as farre from noise & compani as he cōueniently can, and thither let him some time secretly resort alone, imagining himself as one going out of ye world, euē straight vnto the geuing vp of hys reckoning vnto god, of hys sinneful liuīg: thā let him there before an altar[…], […]r some pitiful Image of Christes bitter passiō, the beholding wherof may put him in remembraunce of the thing, and moue hym to deuout cōpassyon[…] and there knele down or fal prostrate, as at the feete of almyghtie god, verely beleuyng him to be there inuisibly presente, as without any doubt he is: there let him open his heart to god & cōfesse his faultes such as he can cal to mind, & pray god of forgeuenes. Let him also cal to remēbraunce the benefites ye god hath geuē him, either ingeneral among other men, or priuately to hymself, and geue hym humble harty thankes therfore: there let him declare vnto god the temptacions of the deuil, the suggestiōs of the fleshe, thoccasions of y• world & of his worldli frendes[…] much worse many times in drawyng a man from god, than are hys most mortall enemyes, which thing oure Sauiour witnesseth himselfe where he sayth[…] Inimici hominnis domes[…]iei eius, the enemyes of a man are they that are hys own familiers, there let him lament and bewayle vnto god his own frailtie, negligence, and slouth in resisting and withstanding of temptacion, hys readines and pronitie to fall thereunto, there lette him beseche god of his gracious aide & helpe to strēgth his infirmitie wtal[…] both in keping him frō falling: & whā he by his own faultes misfortuneth to fal, than wt ye helping hād of his merciful grace to lift him vp & set him on his fete in ye state of his grace again, & let this mā not doubt, but that god heareth him & graūteth him gladly this boone, and so dwel[…]ng in the faythfull trust of gods helpe, he shal wel vse his prosperite, & perseuer in his good profitable busynes, & shal haue therin ye truth of god so cō passe him about wt a pauice of his heauēly defence, that of ye d[…]uils arrow […]ying in y• day of worldly wealth, he shal not nede to dreade.

Vincent. Forsoth vncle I like this good coūsaile wel, & I would wene y• such as are in prosperitie, & take such ordre therin, mai doe both to thē self & other folke about much good.

Antony. I beseche our lord Cosin, put this & better in ye mind of eueri man that nedeth it: & now wil I touche one word or twain of the third tēptaciō wherof ye prophete speaketh in these wordes. A nego[…]io per ambulante intenebris, frō the busines walking in ye darknes, & thē wil we cal for our dinner: leauīg ye last tēptaciō yt is to wete, Ab in cursu & demonio meridiano. Frō the incursiō, & y• deuil of y• mid day[…] til after none, and thā shal we therwith god willing make an ende of al this matter.

Vincent. Our lorde rewarde you good vncle for your good labor with me, but for oure lordes sake take good hede vncle y• you forbeare not your dinner ouer long.

Anthony. Feare not y• Cosin, I warrāt you, for this piece wil I make you but short.