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 fornication the .xxiij. chap.

DEare syster I ex¦horte you, that with all deuocyon ye ly∣sten vnto the word{is} of our lorde Iesus. Loke that your loynes be gyr∣ded, and that ye haue burnyng lampes in your hādes we gyrd our loynes when that by conty∣nence we represse all fleshly and bodely lustes. We holde bur∣nyngelampes, in oure handes, whē we shewe good example to our neyghbour, bodely fornica∣cyon yf it be taken largely, is (as sayeth saynt Isodore) adul∣tery. But fornicatiō of the soule,

is Idolatre. The fyrst assautes of fornicacion, are by y^• eyes, the seconde by wordes. He that is not taken by the eyes, maye soone resyst and withstande wor¦des. Al fylthe polluciō is called fornication, notwithstandynge that all the kyndes therof, bye dyuers voluptuous pleasures, are cōmen. And of this vayne fornicacyon are in gendered dy¦uers greate synnes, by the whi∣che the kyngdome of heuen is closed vp, and man seperated, & put from god. And amonge all other capitall and deadly syn∣nes, fornycatyon is the cheyf∣fest by extencyon, that is bycau∣se it is more cōmen then any o∣ther, or els bycause it hathe mo braunches then any other. By the vnclenlynesse of the flyshe

the tēple of god is defeyled, & by takyng away of chryst{is} mēbers, they make it the member of a strūpet, that is of that vyle wo∣man, the whiche out of wedlock doth make her selfe a cōmen bro¦del. Wherfore good virgyn, yf this be trewe, that god lyueth in you, loke that all fornicacion be deade in you. Lechery is Godd{is} enemye, & the perdicyon of eter∣nall blysse, and of all wordly sub¦stance. Fornicacyō doth not one¦ly bespot mās body, but also his soule and conscyence, and not w^t¦standing that he that cōmitteth fornicaciō semeth to lyue, yet for al that he is dead, god shal iuge these aduouterers and fornica∣tours that is, he shal cōdempne them. Harken good syster vnto Saynt Isodore wordes.

Yt is a great dele worsse, to be defyled with fornycacyon, then with any other syn. For fornica∣cyon, (as I haue sayde before) is greates of all syn. Fornicatiō is a very greuous syn. Fornica∣cyon surmoūteth, and excedeth all other fautes. Fornication is more greuous then death. Yt were better to dye, then to com∣myt fornycacyon, or to be in any maner of wyse bespotted withal Yt were better to dye, then a mā by fornycion shuld dampne his his owne soule. Lechery bryn∣geth a man to the paynes of hel Lechery drowneth mans soule in hel. Lechery sēdeth a man to damnacyon. The eyes are for∣nycacyons messengers. The syght is the fyrste cause of forni¦cation, the soule is oftentymes

taken by a mans eyes, by y^• eyes the darte of loue cōmeth to the soule. Wherfore my welbeloued syster in Chryste Iesu, refrayne your eyes, plucke backe youre syght. Fasten not your syght v∣pō the goodlynesse of the fleshe. Loke ye cast your eyes apon no man, to dysyre his cōpany. Be∣holde no mans face to loue hym in euyll, turne awaye your eyes from al vanite, loke ye neuer de¦syre the beutyfulnesse of man. O my good syster tel me I pray you. What vtilite is ther, in the carnall bewtye of man? Is not man as drye as hay? And dothe not his goodly beutye vanyshe awaye, as dothe the shadowe? And when death cōmeth, I pray you tell me, what goodlynesse shall remayne in the bodie? whē

ye shall se his body swollē, and turned into all fylthy stynche, and sauer, shall ye not then stop your noose from such vnsauery sauer? And from suche a styn∣kynge bodye? Tell me I praye you where shall his goodly and his amable face be then? Wher shall his swete wordes be, with the which he was wont to melte theyre hartes he spake vnto? Wher is then his swete and me¦ry communication? Tell me ho∣nest virgyn where y^t his laugh∣ynge coūtynance, and his vnho¦nest sportes be then? Where shal his vayne and his vnprofyta∣ble ioyfulnesse, and myrthe, be∣come then? Yt is gone consu∣med to nought, and vanyshed awaye in lykenesse of smoke. This is the ende and the consū∣macyon

of bodely beutye. Ther¦fore good syster, lerne nowe that beutyfulnesse is but a vayne thynge. Consyderyng thē good syster, that bodely shape is but a vanite, a corrupt matter, nothyn¦ge but earth, nothynge els but duste and asches, loke ye behold no man to desyre hym. Why so? For the worlde and all his con∣cupiscence and pleasure vanys∣shet away. And all that is in the worlde, is but the concupiscence of the fleshe, or of the eyes. Ther¦fore this worlde shulde be despi¦sed for goddes sake with al that is in it. And you that haue lefte it for the loue of God, shulde ne¦uer reioyce in the beutyfulnesse of man. Therfore I exhorte you to loue chryst Iesus your spou∣se aboue all thyng, for yf the de∣syre

of carnall fornicacyon doth delite and please the soule, more then the loue of chaslite, it is in continuall syn. But yf the most excellēt vertue of chastite please the soule more then fylthy forni¦cacyon, then there is no syn in it but iustice. And notwithstāding a man be chaste of bodye and in mynd luxurius, yet syn doth re∣mayne in hym. Fornicacyō of y^e mynde is taken for Idolatre.

There is another spice of forny¦caciō of y^• which y^• lord speaketh sayng. Who so loketh vpō a wo¦mā desiryng her cōpany, cōmyt¦teth fornicacyō in harte & mynd Mē are more subiecte to the de∣uel by bodely fornicacyō, thē by any other syn̄e, or vyce. Chastite is the goodlynesse of the soule, and by chastyte man is made

egal, to the merytes of Aungels many a one for faute of kepyng there syght haue fallen into the daunger, and parell of theyre soules.

¶ The sisters demaunde

I Pray you deare brother tel me, whether ye haue kno∣wen anye man that hathe ben deceyued by his eyes.

The brothers answere.

YE verely good syster, I haue kno∣wen many that ha∣ue bene deceyued, and wrapped in the deuilles snares, by there syght, & I wyl shewe you of some that I haue red of. The fyrst is Di∣na

the whiche went into straūg countrees to beholde and se the men of those regyons, and ano∣ne Sychen emors the prynce of that countrey sonne, beheld her, and was taken with her loue, and rauysshed her, and deflou∣red her. And so the poore wret∣ched woman, bycause she was desyrous to se that becomde her not to se, loste her virginyte.

And kynge Dauid standynge in his chamber, sawe a woman named Bersabe, and in conty∣nent he was takē with her loue and rauysshed her, and for her loue committed aduoutrey, and murther, and so doyeng, he trās∣grest the lawes, and beholdyng of that thinge he shulde not ha∣ue loked vpon, ne regarded he was in greatfaute.

And Samson the stronge went into the regyon of the 〈…〉〈…〉ilisty∣ans, where he sawe a certayne woman and fell in loue with her and slepynge in her lappe, she cut of the heere of his head, and delyuered hym to his enemes, the whiche by & by put out both his eyes. And so the poore wret∣ched man for asmoche as he be∣helde that he shulde not haue lo¦ked vpon, he lost his syght, and was in daunger of his lyfe.

Nowe good syster ye se that ma∣ny a one by the syght of the eye, haue bene bothe in daunger of body and soule. Wherfore I exhorte you, to make a bar∣gayne w^t your eyes & that ye ne∣uer loke wantonly vpon suche thynges as ye shuld not loke v∣pon, & beware that death enter

and descende not by youre eyes into your soule, but if your flesh (as I haue sayde before) do as∣sale you, if lechery do tempt you yf misorderd appetite do prouo∣ke you, yf the remembraunce of fornication do yet torment you, set death in the presence of all these thynges, & cast before your eyes, the ende of your lyfe, call also to your remembraunce the paynes of hell that be ordeyned for syn̄ers. Let the horryble day of Iudgement be before youre eyes & in your mynde, and Ima¦gyn with your self how streyght it shall be, for yf it were not the great mercy of God, there were no man able to abyde it. The re¦mēbraūce of y^• horryble paynes and vehement fyer of hell, shall quynche the heate of fornicacyō

the memorye of the perpetuall flame & fyre of hel shal cause you to forget all maner of fornicacy on. For the greater heate quin∣ched alwayes the lesser, & ouer∣commeth it. And the ofte thyn∣kynge vpon the horryble fyre of hell, quinchet the vehement and burnynge fyre of fornicacy on.

Good syster I beseche GOd to gyue you trew chastite bothe of body and soule.

Notes

• Luke. xii.
• Cor. vi.
• Hebre. xiii.
• i Peter. 1.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••1.
• i. Iohn̄. ii.
• Mah. v
• gene. xxxiiii
• ii. Reg. xi.
• Iere. ix