A compe[n]dius [and] a moche fruytefull treatyse of well liuynge co[n]taynyng the hole su[m]me and effect of al vertue. Wrytten by S. Bernard [and] translated by Thomas Paynell.

Of compassyon the xiiij. Chapiter

MY welbeloued syster, lysten what the lorde Chryst Ie∣su sayeth. All suche good∣nesse as ye wold other mē shulde do to you, loke ye do it vnto thē And s, Paule sayeth, be mery w^t those that are mery, & wepe & be

sad with those that be sad. And agayne, receyue the poore man vnto you, & be patient with eue∣ry man. And Salomon sayeth, he that despiseth his neyghbour doth sin, kepe your promis with your neyghbour in his pouerte, and reioyce in his prosperyte, be faythfull to your neyghbour in his tribulacyon, he that maketh a hole to deceiue his neighbour shal fall in to it. And he that pre¦pareth a lake for his neighbour shall peryshe in it, of the whiche thing speaketh the Prophet Da¦uyd sayenge. He hath opened the lake and the dyche, and is fal¦len into it, he dothe not perfytly loue his neyghbour, that dothe not sūccoure and helpe hym in his necessyte, howe moch y^• more we succour & helpe oure neygh∣bours

in there necessite & pouer te, somoch the more we approch vnto god, we shulde so care for our self, that we forget not oure neyghbour. Wherfore good sy∣ster loke what thynge ye wolde not that shulde chaunce to your selfe, ye shall not delyre it maye chaunce and happen to youre neyghbour. Be sory for poore straungers and inforce your self to be sory and to wepe for other mennes losses and damages.

Be heuy for other mens tribula¦tion, and be sicke with those that be sycke, bewayle other mens paynes and heuynesse, as youre owne. Wepe w^t those that wepe be to all other, as ye wolde they shulde be to you, do not y^• thyng to another, that ye wolde not a nother shuld do to you, forgyue

other as ye wolde be for gyuen, yf ye se youre enemye in misfor∣tune, reioyce not in his aduersi∣te, nor in your aduersires death, least any such mischaunce shuld fortune vnto youre selfe, be not glad of your enemyes fall, least god turne his anger vpon you, mysfortune shall soone fall vpō hym that reioyseth in his ene∣mys aduersite, let vs therfore be louynge to the misfortunate, let vs sorow & take compassyon v∣pon the poore, let vs haue mercy vpon the wretched, yf your enne¦mye be a hūgerd giue him meat, yf he be a thrust, giue him drynk despyse not the poore, nor the pore orphalines, be no occasyon of heuynesse to no man, let no man depart from you in sorow∣fulnesse, visyt the syckman and

cōfort so the weke, that ye maye haue goddes ayde and cōfort, in the kyngdome of heuen.

Notes

• Math. vii Luke. vi.
• Rom. xii.
• i. Thes. v prouer xiiii
• Psal. vii
• Rom. xiii