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 ...

TO his rih̄t dere sus¦ter salute & helthe of soule & of body in hī. that is true sauyour In whom is alwaye charyte. pacyence & chastyte. why∣che in trouth defendeth vs fro euyl

dooyng and meuyth vs to the holy trynite / this he graūt vs by his ho¦ly pyte / the swete Ihesus cryste / of whom as moche more as man vn¦derstondeth & sayth of his meruey¦lous godenes / soo moche more lou¦eth he & hath Ioye in him for spy∣rituell Ioye comyth of the loue of our lorde the right swete Ihesus / And the very signe of loue is to thynke often on hym. Wherfore re¦membre you oft of the humilite of his Incarnacōn / of y^e goodnes of his conuersacōn / & of the charytee of his passion: And who well re∣membre thyse may fynde sure me∣dycyne ayenst euery dedely synne & temptacōn / Fyrst who that enten∣deth to be proude / bethynke hym of the grete humylite of our lorde Ihe¦su cryst. whiche is soo grete that he¦uen & erthe maye not comprehende hym / And by his mekenes list to close him wythin the wombe of a mayde. Thus was the sone of god ensample of humylite & medycyne of pryde / as saynt austyn sayth / for he hath shewed to· vs mekenes in alle his werkes / For he wolde haue an humble moder the blessyd vyrgyne marye / & an hūble howse where he was borne / whiche was callyd a dyuersorye & soo hūble a bedde / as the manger for bestes And whan he came to the age of xij. yere / by his mekenes he was o¦bedyent to Ioseph & to his blessyd moder as it is shewed in y^e gospell & whan he came to more age he cho¦os meke persones / as saynt peter & saynt andrew / poor meke fisshars wyth other suche to be in his com∣pany. in token that what man or woman that wold be with him in his perdurable Ioye / it behoueth hē to be hūble / & meke as saynt austī sayth By the humylite of Ih̄u cri¦ste ye may come to the Ioye perdu∣rable / For in asmoche as Ih̄u cris¦te is kyng of that coūtree whether we entende to goo / And for asmo¦che as he is man: he is sure waye wherby we shall goo / for he is our exāple / soo as he saith in the gospel I haue giuen you ensample of hu¦mylite Now may the proude folke vnderstonde that they may goo by none other way but by Ih̄u cryste this is by the waye of mekenesse / ¶For as saynt Iames sayth. For god resisteth to the hie & prou¦de folkes. & to the hūble he gyueth̄ his grace / They ben hūble that can marke ther owne proper defawtes & holde theymself for foles & wret∣ches. For the more they disprayse theymselfe / the more largely shalle they haue y^e grace of our lord▪ whe¦refor it is sayd in scrypture / The gretter that ye be in auctoryte: the more hūble shold ye be in your herte in worde / & in werke / And thenne

shal ye finde grace at our lord / & af¦ter the Ioye with̄out ende. Whiche vs graūte the swete Ih̄u cryst that somoche louyth humylite / ¶Ayenst the synne of Enuye