This tretyse is of loue and spekyth of iiij of the most specyall louys that ben in the worlde and shewyth veryly and perfitely bi gret resons and causis, how the meruelous [and] bounteuous loue that our lord Ihesu cryste had to mannys soule excedyth to ferre alle other loues ... Whiche tretyse was translatid out of frenshe into englyshe, the yere of our lord M cccc lxxxxiij, by a persone that is vnperfight insuche werke ...

IN what manere is this· & aboue al maner that can be deuysed by al erthly wyttes that our lorde Ihesu cryst deseruyd to be belouyd / for that he louyd vs fyrst / & loueth vs somoche wythou¦te our deserte whiche is soo symple & suche wretches as we ben / And as saynt bernarde sayth / ¶Omne tempus in quo de deo non cogitas hoc te perdidisse computa / All the tyme in whiche ye thynke not on god / reken it as lost. For therfore be we called crysten. to serue cryste and to remembre of his sorowful paynes that he suffryd for our lo∣ue / And surely yf we wyll not of¦ten thinke on his paynes / we shal receyue ouer greuous vengaunce And to vs shall be rekenyd the de¦the of our lorde Ihesu cryst / wherof saynt bernarde pleyneth him in say¦enge / ¶Quamdiu vixero ero me mor laboris quē cristus sustinuit in predicando / fatigacionū in dis∣currendo temptacionū in ieiunan¦do / vigiliarū in orando / lacrimarū in compaciendo. &c. As longe as I shal be in this lif I shall remem¦bre me full pyteously of the greuo¦us labours that our lorde Ih̄u cris¦te suffryd in prechyng. and of the werynesse in his gooynge aboute. & of his temptacyons / in fastyng of his watche in praier / and of the teres that he wept by compassion I shall remembre also his sorow¦es / & his dispisyng with shamful spittynges and the harde strokes that they layd vpon hym / & the fe∣lon repreues that he suffryd. And the grete nayles / and al thyse other passions that he suffryd for me / ¶And yf I doo it not / there shall be cast on me to my confusion the In̄ocent blood that ihesu cryst shed vpon the erthe for me. Doo we thenne / doo we bi the coūseyle of sa¦ynt bernarde / and by the counseylle of kynge dauyd / that sayth in the sawter ¶Sepcies in die laudem dixi tibi / Fayr lorde god seuen ty¦mes in the day I yelde to the than∣kynges & praysynges for our bene¦factours & benefaytes / And for this reason ben vij houres of the of the day cōmaunded to say in ho¦ly chyrche. in remembraunce of the

pascyon of our lorde Ihesu cryst. For this that at euery houre suf∣fryd he soo moche shame. Thise vij houres ben callyd / compline. maty∣nes / pryme. tyerce. myddy / noone. & vespres. Whan ye say or here cō¦pline. thynke full ententyfly howe at that our Iudas betrayed hym & solde hym for xxx. pens / soo good chepe was neuer seen solde nor bo∣ught soo delicyous & precyous fles¦she / And well maye this tyme be callid complyne for this that oure lorde wolde soone after passe from this paynful lyf / The whiche deth was purposed of the felon Iewes that he shold not escape For it was of hym / as of a man condempned to deye for theft / and is delyuerd to his execucōn / of whom men sayen though he be yet liuynge. he is as a dede man / for cause he is Iuged to the deth / This thefte wherfore Ihe¦su cryst was condēpnyd / was not for golde nor siluer / but for an ap∣ple that was full bytter / as we ha¦ue harde that adam stale in paradi¦ce / where he dyde sacrelage / wherby he was acursid oute of holy chirche payned in this mortall lyf sorow∣fully ixC yeres & more / tormēted in hungre & thurst in grete labour & anguysshe / and sith deyed of righ¦te paynfull deth / And his soule de¦cended vnto the horrible paynes of helle / and lay there bounde in prison & derknesse xl̄C yeres & more / soo that he & al his lignage that deyed wente thyder to the tyme that our lorde Ihesus cryst shedde his precy¦ous blood on the holy crosse /