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BVt now desirest thou perauenture for to knowe how thou sholdest praye / And vpon what thyng thou shold sette the poynt of thy thought in thy prayer / And also what prayer were best for the for to vse / As to the fyrst I answere and saye thus / That whan thou arte wakenyd of thy slepe / and redy for to pray. thou shalt fele thyself flesshly and heuy
euer doūwarde to vayn thought{is}. other of dremes or fātasyes or of vnskylful besines of the world or of thy flessh̄ / Then̄e behouyth the for to quycken thyn herte by prayer / & styre it as moche as thou may to some deuocōn / And in thy prayer that thou set not thyn hert in ony bodily thing / but al thy traueyle shal be for to drawe in thoughte fro beholdyng of all bodily thyng / that thy desire myght be as it were nakyd & bare fro al erthly thynges / euer vpward styeng vnto Ihū cryst. whom yu may neuer see bodily as he is in his godhede. ne by bodily lyk¦nes in ymagynaciō / But yu may thrugh deuoute & cōtinuel be¦holdyng of the mekenes of his precious māhede fele the gode¦nes & the grace of his godhede: whā thy desire is eased & holpē and as it were made free fro al flesshly thought{is} & afeccōns. & is moche lyft vp by ghostly myght in to ghostly sauour & deli¦te in hym of his ghostly presēce· & holde therin moche of the ti¦me of thy prayer soo that thou hast noo grete mynde of erth∣ly thyng / or elles the mynde greueth y• but lityl / yf yu can pray th{us} / then̄e canst thou pray wel / For prayer is nought elles but a styenge desire of the hert in to god: by wythdrawyng of the hert fro al erthly thoughtes / And soo is prayer lykned to a fi¦re / whyche of his owne kynde leueth ye lowenes of the erth / & alway styeth vp in to thayer Right so desire in prayer whā it is towchid & lightned of the ghostly fyre whiche is god. it is euer vpstyeng to hym that it came fro /