The contempte of the vvorld, and the vanitie thereof, written by the reuerent F. Diego de Stella, of the order of S. Fr. deuided into three bookes, and of late translated out of Italian into Englishe, vvith conuenient tables in the end of the booke

THAT PERFECT PEACE IS not fovvnd, but of the humble & meeke mynde, vvhiche is not gotten, but by mortification of our ovvne vvilles and by volūtarie suffering of vvordlie pai∣ne and tribulatiō for the loue of Christ. CHAP. 2.

I LEAVE vnto yow peace, I gyue you my peace saythe our Lord: as long as you shall serue the worlde, you shall allwayes lyue in debate and contention. The loue of car∣nall thinges is follie, which hindreth vs of thinges spirituall. The louers of the world doe lyue in continuall torment. The world still runnethe aboute like a wheele, and in

the furie of his turninge, slayeth them that loue it most of all. The true peace of harte is neuer obteyned by the louers of this world. Loue God and thou shalt haue lyfe. Deny thy selfe and thou shalt haue the true peace. But who is he that getteth perfect peace in deede? He that is humble and lowlie of harte. Purge thyne harte from all malice, and thou shalte haue the true and happie peace. Learne to conquer thy selfe in euerie thinge, & thou shalt haue the in∣ward peace of the mynde. Breake of thy disordinate appetites: take away thy vayne desires, and dryue from thee the vnsatiable loue of the world, & then shalte thou lyue at peace and quyetnes. No man shall then trouble the, nothinge shall molest the, but thou shalt enioye the sweetenes of spirite, & find euen Paradice here vpō the earth.

Nothinge can happen vnto a iust man, that may gyue hym any perturbatiō. Thine owne proper passions be they that make warre agaynste thee, And when thine ene∣myes be within thee, why cōpleinest thou of those that are without thee? A greate Lorde is he that can cōmaunde hym selfe. The dominiō of our owne will is of won∣derfull power & effect, & may doe more, thē all the kings & Emperours of the earth who can by no meanes make their ene∣myes their frendes as your will can doe being disposed therevnto, in subiectinge our vnrulie appetites vnto the sweete rule of reason. The vearie cause why iniuries,

••duersities, and all kynde of other tribu∣••atiōs annoy thee so much, is because thou ••oest seeke how to flie awaye from them▪ & to escape them. Thou proclaymest open ••arre against them & accōptest theim for ••hy enemyes, whiche causeth them to ••orke the al thee displeasure they can. But ••f thou faule in league with them, and ••egynnest once to loue them, they that ••efore did gyue thee muche trouble, will ••fter gyue thee as much comforte.

Sainte Andrew reioyced in his Crosse, & that glorious father Sainte Frācis called ••nfirmities his sisters, whereby we may see ••ow these, and other holye men reioyced ••n those tribulations which doe so muche ••ffēd thee. They loued that which thou so ••uch hatest: And doe thou loue that which ••hey loued synce it lyeth in thy power, & ••hou shalt thē find cōfort in thy tribulatiōs ••s they did. If in suffering tribulatiōs thou ••indest the payne greuous vnto the, com∣pleine not of thē that persequute thee, but ••ather of thy selfe, who hauing free libertie ••n the to loue persequutiō, wilt not loue it.

Thou must conforme thy selfe to Iesus Christ, and loue his Crosse and Passion. Resigne thy selfe wholie to hym, and loue that wihche he loueth and then shalt thou finde cōforte & sweetenes in those thinges whiche now thou takest to be vnsauorie.

Enter into thy selfe, and destroy within thee all thy passions and worldlie desires, and thou shalt not haue cause to cōpleyne

against any man. And yf any thinge seem•• greeuous vnto the, make the reuenge vp•••• thine enemyes within thee, that doe affli•••• thee, and neuer compleyne of those ene∣mies which are without thee, since they cā∣not hurt thee, but by thyne owne consent.

Like as the moth bred in the cloath, cō∣sumeth the selfe same cloth wherein h•• bre••deth: And in like maner the woorm•• eateth vp the wood which broughte hy•• furth & ingendred hym: euen so these he••••uie cares whiche so much aggreeue thyn•• harte, growe in thee of thyne owne concu∣piscence. They take their norishement i•• thee, & at last doe cōsume thee, playeng th•• vypers with thee, which eate their way ow•• of their mothers belly which bread them▪

Oh in what peace shouldest thou rest, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thou wert verelie mortefied? Trew is th•• sentence whiche sayth: That no man is hu•••• but by hym selfe.

The greatest enemy which thow hast i•• thy selfe. All that is good in thee, consisteth in the vertue of thy mynde, to whiche n•• man can doe harme, allthowghe he tak•• away libertie honour, or riches.

And persequutions doe not onlie no•• hurt thee, but also gyue matter of merite.

Now yf the glorie of a christian, be the crosse of Iesus Christ, imbrace it, and the•• shall none trouble thee, nor hurte thee, bu•• thou shalt obteyne the true rest and quiet∣nes of mynde, and lyue euer after conten∣tedlie and peaceablie.

Notes

• Io. 14.
• Pr. 12.
• Gal. 6.