Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶What Remedye a man shall vse ayenst defawte made in etynge or drynkyng / Caplm lxxvi. (Book 76)

FOr thy doo•• thou skylfully that longeth to the / and ke∣pe thy bodily kynde vpon reison / and suffre god thenne sende what he wyll hele or syknesse / take it gladly / and grut∣che not ayēst god wylfully / Do thou as I saye: take thy mete as it commyth / And ordeyne for it yf nede be vppon reason / And take it gladly as for nede / But be wel waar of lust that commyth wyth nede / ••schewe to moche as well as to lityll And soo whan thou haste done / and thenne it commyth to thy mynde the bytynge of conscyence that thou haste eten to∣moche / And soo thenne begynnest for to tary the / and drawe

to ouer moche byttyrnesse / Lyfte vp the desyre of thyne herte to thy good lorde Ihesu / and know thyself for a wretche and a beste / and aske hym forgyuenesse. and saye that thou wylte amende it / and truste of forgyuenesse / Leue of thenne and ta¦rye noo lenger wyth all / ne stryue not moche as thou woldest destroye it vtterly / for it is not worthe for to doo soo / Thou shalte neuer brynge it soo abowte / but redily ordeyne the redi to some other occupacyon bodily or ghostly / after thou felyst the disposyd that thou myghtest more profyte in other vertu¦es / as mekenesse and charyte. For wyte thou well he that ha¦the in his desyre & in his traueylle none other rewarde to none other thynge but to mekenes and charytee / aye cryenge after hem how he myght haue hem / he shal in that desyre / werchyn¦ge folowand after profyte and wexe in all other vertues / as in chastyte abstynence and suche other yf he haue but lityll re¦warde in hem in a yere more than he sholde wythouten thys desire profyte in seuen / yf he stryue wyth glotenye lechery and suche other contynuelly / and bete hymselfe wyth scourges e∣che daye fro morow to euensong tyme /