A christall glasse of christian reformation wherein the godly maye beholde the coloured abuses vsed in this our present tyme. Collected by Stephen Bateman Minister.

As sluggishe sleepe the tyme doth spend: and loytering luskes no paine will take: So fire consumes them in the end: as filthy varmin the idle forsake.

[illustration]

¶ The signification.

HE which lyeth a sleepe in hys bed, signifieth sloth in hea∣ring of the worde: the fire burning about him, signifieth Gods wrath, which consumeth hym through hys slothfull negligence: and he which lyeth dead, with the varmin cree∣ping from hym, is filthy behauiour and idle life, whose end is also miserable.

THe omnipotent God, & plasma∣tor of all creatures, neuer cea∣seth, but still laboureth by hys holy spirite, in y^e hartes of the faythful, to draw & procure thē to al vertuous studies & exerci∣ses, as most best seemeth hym, among all estates, as well y^e tē∣poral as spiritual: not y^t he hath any neede of man, but y^t he seing man so subiect to all deformed vices and vanities, oft stirreth hym by hys holy spirite to repentaunce: For as hys Godhead is incōprehensible, so hys mercies are also innumerable. Therfore flie sinne, and geue not thy selfe to sloth and idlenes, least thou by long sleeping ouerpasse the houre,* 1.1 and so be shutte out. A man negligent, is as a land that is barren. Also Cato reproueth sluggish∣nes as a vice most deadly:* 1.2 Plus vigila semper nec somno deditus esto: Nam diuturna quies vicijs alimenta ministrat. Delight not in sloth, but frō sleepe sone arise: for rest & idlenes is mother of all vice. Also, a mā negligent and slothfull, is as a dead mā, & alwayes apt to great mis∣chiefes. There is also an inward sloth or sluggishnes, and that is when a man by desire of worldly goods & promotions, cleane forgetteth his creator, and remē∣breth more y^e goods of this world, then y^e life to come. S. Paul to Timothe sayth:* 1.3 Take hede vnto thy self, & vnto learning, & continue therin: For if thou shalt so do, thou shalt saue thy selfe, & them that heare thee. Miserable are the daies of the sluggishe and sleepie vagabondes as will not worke, nor once geue them selues to labour, whose dayes are dolefull, and endes most odious and hatefull.

The sleepie minde doth tyme forget: and youth to toyes do most desire: So tyme once paste is hard to fet: to late in age learning to require:

[illustration]

The signification.

HE which sitteth sleeping signifieth slothfulnes amongest teachers, whose desire being satisfied, careth not for the charge: the children idlenes, whose mindes without a care∣full tutor, are bent to nothyng but ease and vanities.

OUr Sauiour Christ rebu∣ked his Disciples, when he came and founde them a sleepe, & sayd vnto Peter: What?* 1.4 coulde ye not watch with me one houre? watch and pray, that ye fall not into temptation: the spirite is ready, but the flesh is weake. Also, the kingdome of heauen is lyke vnto a mā which sowed good seede in his field.* 1.5 But while men slept, there came hys enemye, and sowed tares amōg the wheate, & went his way. Which signifieth y^e negligence y^t mē haue in y^e thinges belōging to God, which is by y^e carefulnes of riches & pleasures of thys world. Quintilian sayth,* 1.6 y^t naturall sinne foreseeth sloth & idlenes. Ishbosheth was slaine by Rechab & Baanah in his sleepe.* 1.7 Sampson by sleeping lost y^e lockes of hys head,* 1.8 whereby his great strength was diminished, & so takē of y^e Philistians. Ouid de∣clareth in his first boke,* 1.9 of one Argus, who had an hū∣dreth eyes, & alwaies whē he slept, certain of his eyes were open & saw, so y^t at no time he might be found with all on slepe: But Mercury by his subtil musicke, brought Argus in so sound a sleepe, y^t he strake of hys head, & so deliuered Io, y^t before was transformed into a Cow. There be many y^t haue an hūdred eies, for they see very cleere, & haue also quicke wittes, and perfect vnderstādinges: but neuertheles Mercury, that is to say, the world, oft bringeth them a sleepe: and then the Cow, that is to say, the flesh, is lost and perisheth. An idle hand maketh poore,* 1.10 but a quicke labouring hand maketh rich. Time is the most precious thing that is.* 1.11

All such as will not labour in time: but spend their dayes in idlenes: Full soone are caught vp with the line: of sorrowe, paine, and wretchednes.

[illustration]

¶The signification.

HE which standeth by hys tooles, signifieth the dissēbling labourer, who mindeth to worke no longer then his cō∣maunder standeth by, and when there is none to controle hym, then hee loytereth as before. Of such idle labourers there are to many.

AS smoke is vnto y^e eyes: euen so is a sluggishe person to them that send hym forth. A slothfull person shutteth hys handes into hys bo∣some as into a pot:* 1.12 and will not take paine to put it to his mouth. A slothfull body will not go to plough for colde in the win∣ter:* 1.13 therfore shall he go a begging in the Sommer, and haue nothing. Delight not thou in sleepe, least thou come vnto pouer∣tie: but open thine eyes that thou mayest haue bread. Thus gen∣tle reader, mayest thou see the mischiefe and vnhap∣pines that ensueth sloth. When Eneas came from the siege of Troy, hee ariued in Carthage, there for a tyme to solace hym selfe: and as he walked, y^e Quene of Carthage, whose name was Dido, espying y^e come∣ly personage of Eneas, was therwith inflamed. And when they had talked togethers, and sociated them a certaine space, the sayd Eneas departed into Italy, and there was long tyme absent from the presence of Dido, who waxed displeasant at his sloth and forget∣fulnes, saying, that the cause of hys absence without spedie returne, would be cause of her death. Eneas not regarding the letter that Dido sent, but being loth to iourney, remayned still in Italy. In the meane tyme, Dido slue her self: and whē Eneas knew of her death, then he lamented y^t he had not come before her death. Some writers say that Dido builded Carthage, and Eneas was dead iij. C. yeares before the buildyng of Carthage: therfore it was not that Eneas, but some other. S. Augustine writeth of y^e same, Confessionum in fine.

Great griefe it is the learned to see: in slothfull rest to spend their dayes: Such may be likened to dronebees: that sucke the sweete and go their wayes.

[illustration]

¶The signification.

HE which rydeth on the Asse signifieth sloth, as well amōg the chiefest as among the lowest: the Fryers weede and Beades signifieth hypocrisie and lothsomnes of the truth.

SLoth among the spiri∣tual, is much to be repro∣ued, & spokē of in all such as do not thankfully ap∣ply the giftes that God geueth thē, to their bro∣thers profite. From such God wil take hys giftes, & will make thē voyde of al ghostly vnderstāding. The kingdome of heauen is lyke vnto x. virgins,* 1.14 which tooke their lampes, and went to meete the bride∣grome. Fiue of them were folishe, and v. were wise. The folishe tooke their lampes, but tooke no oyle with them. But the wyse tooke oyle with them in their vessells, with their lampes also. While the bridegrome ta∣ried, they all slumbred and slept. And euen at midnight, there was a cry made: beholde the bridegrome commeth, goe out to meete hym. Then all those virgins arose, and prepared their lampes. And the folish sayd vnto the wise: geue vs of your oyle, for our lampes goe out. But the wise aunswered, saying, not so, least there bee not inough for vs and you: but goe ye rather to them that sell, and bye for your selues. And while they went to bye, the bridegrome came: and they that were rea∣dye, went in with hym to the wedding, and the gate was shut vp. Af∣terwardes came also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to vs. But he answered & sayd: verely I say vnto you, I know you not. Watch therefore: for ye know neither the day, nor the houre, when the sonne of man shall come. The lampes signifie such dead fayth as S. Iames declareth to bee in deuills and rotten trees which bring forth no fruite.* 1.15 We ought alwayes so to liue, euen as though we should depart presently.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Percius in hys Satires.
• * 1.2

  Cato.
• * 1.3

  ••. Tim. 4.
• * 1.4

  Math. 26
• * 1.5

  Math. 13
• * 1.6

  Quinti∣lian.
• * 1.7

  2. King. 4.
• * 1.8

  Iudg. 16.
• * 1.9

  Ouidius Metham.
• * 1.10

  Prou. 10.
• * 1.11

  Theo∣phrastes.
• * 1.12

  Prou. 19.
• * 1.13

  Prou. 20.
• * 1.14

  Math. 25
• * 1.15

  Watch.