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 ...

GRete awayte ought eueri bodi to haue vp¦on theymself. y^t they retorne not ayen vn∣to those synnes that they haue ben reconsiled of For va¦in is the penaūce. that the same of¦fence soyleth ayen. Where resiste wyth al your power frō doyng tho¦se syn̄es that ye haue lost / soo that they growe not in you ayē. Then̄e vnderstonde what ye bē & to what entēt ye bē made / for suche as god hath ordeyned you ought ye to be ¶Haue in you very byleue that ye by one on̄ly sin̄e bē many vertu¦es lost / Then̄e for the loue of god gyue not your sowle to the power of the flessh̄ / suffre none vnclen̄es to abyde in you / Resist at the begī¦nyng of euyll thoughtes / & soone may ye thēne surmoūt the remena¦unt. Knowe ye for trouth that by your thoughtes shall ye be Iuged for the body may not be corrupt till the thought be fyrst corrupt / And whan the wylle therto consenteth the flesshe is all redy to syn̄e. & ther∣fore torne your wylle frō euyll tho¦ughtes / & the body shall not synne Vnderstōde to this that is admo∣nested to you: that ye be not foyled wyth none vnclen̄es of lecherye / nor that ye be vainquynshed bi for¦nycacōn. for thise bē grete sin̄es a¦mong all other / For better is it to¦dey than to doo fornycacōn / & better to lese your life than be foiled with lecherye / Therfore bewaar / for con∣tynuaūce somtyme makith one to syn̄e. Haa god how chastite attey¦neth the blestful reame of heuen / & lechery draweth a man to the derke dongeon of helle Yf lecheri asayleth you: thynke what turmēt they suf¦fre that hath be therto habandon̄ed & horryble bē the paynes of helle / wherfore pray god deuoutly wyth teres both nyght & day / & whan ye awake of your fyrste slepe retorne

ye do prayers. for customably ory∣son surmoūteth tharmes of the fē¦de. Oryson is the fyrst vertue aga¦yn thasawtes of all euyll though¦tes / Fulfyll not your appetyte by metes / but chastise your bodies by fastyng / for otherwyse it is harde to vaynquyssh̄ the tēptacōn of the flessh̄. but by fastynge / & orysons / for ouermoche delicacye in mete & drynke enclineth the flessh̄ to vn∣clennesse / The eyen bē the fyrst ar¦mes of vnclen̄esse / The sight is y^e fyrste couetyse of men or wymen / Therfore wythdraw your eyen yf ye be nighe the serpent. soo that ye be not hurt / For yf ye be nygh y^e fi¦re / though ye were of yren. yet shol¦de ye be somtyme warme For that sin̄e hurteth gretly suche as bē foū¦den vayn / Therfore ocupye you per fightly in good werkes & gode tho¦ughtes / Chatyse your lodyes by rightful traueyle / & soo may ye pro¦uffyte to yourself & to other / And be alwaye hūble to all folkes / Yf ye kepe humylite ye shall haue glo¦ry / for the more hūble ye be the mo¦re shall ye folow the hienes of glo¦ry Vse not to auaūte you of your gode dedes / so that ye bryng not yo¦urself in pryde / But rather obeye & hūble yourself moost whan ye fele your herte meuyd to be rased wyth pryde. Beware of hye moūtynge for fere of ouer lowe descendynge. For pryde casted downe thangels out of heuen and made theim fen∣des in helle / Remēbre ye of the hu∣mylite of our lorde / whiche was o¦beysaūt to his fader vnto the dethe Soo take ye perfightly thensāple of hym / Wyll ye be hūble. Thenne haue alway shame in your hert of the remembraūce of your sinnes And goo alway wyth hūble ma∣ners & sobre vysage. & by sighyng & wepīg in your hert. & swete shall be tho teres / for grete sin̄es asken grete amendes / Ouer all thynges make you sure of your syn̄es For therin shall ye fynde mater ynouh̄ to make you pensif. And in all your other siknesses & trowbles be not sorowful / But ye ought hūbli to yelde god thankynges. that ha∣the sent theim to you / to thentent y^t ye shold come the more clene before hym Haue alway attemperance in prosperyte / & pacyence in aduersitee Refrayne your Ire. & ouercome it by suffraūce / Suffre other pacyēt¦ly whan they doo you wrong / For by pacyence & beyng stylle shall ye soone ouercom y^e wrathfull / Thin¦ke what payne almyghty god suf¦fred for you. that was perced with nayles / & crowned wyth thornes. and condempned to be crucified on the crosse This ought to gyue you a grete comfort to bere wyth pacyē¦ce all Iniurye. And be not hasty to stryke theim that haue stryken

you. But suffre al suche thynges for the loue of god. and he wy•••• gyue you a grete rewarde / Yf ye haue displeysed ony man. slepe not tyl ye haue accorded him with you agayn / Yf ony man hath done a∣gainst you / yelde him not after his desert / but wyth good herte pardon hym / For wrath / departeth man from god. Be of good wyll to all folkes / Yf your enmye haue ony mysauenture / ye oughte not to re∣ioyse it / For ye may happe to fall in like peryll / Wyth compleyners pleyne ye / wyth theim that wepe / wepe ye. Be of charytable herte to all folkes / and care not who pray¦seth you. or blameth you / For no∣ne may better know what ye ben than yourselfe / Be simple & clene & of dyscrete manere / soo that you¦re demeanyng offende not the vo∣ys of other / wherby they may falle in sinne. Flee the company of ma¦ny folkes and specyally of theym that ben lighte to falle in synne / Who desireth and haunteth the cō¦panye of wyse folkes: is wyse / And a peryllous thyng is it to be conuersaunt amonge theym that ben euyll / Vayne wordes foylen moche the soule / Lete neuer thyng passe your mouth that shold offen¦de the eres of the herers / Fowle worde shall neuer be wythoute Iu¦gement. Take good kepe to your mouth / soo that ye speke not but in tyme & place couenable / For eue∣ry creature shall yelde rekenynge of their wordes on the daye of Iu¦gement / Be not lighte to speke a∣fore grete folkes. but yf ye be ques¦tyoned or commaūded / Full herde it is wyth moche speche a man to kepe hym wythout some offense Be not hasty to Iuge the lif of o∣ther folkes. Detraccyon is grete synne. & cause of endles dāp∣nacyon / Whan ye be meuyd to Iu¦ge other folkes / thynke thenne on your owne synnes. And thenne shall ye fyn̄de lityll cause to Iuge other yf ye take good kepe of you¦reselfe / Or who that spekyth euyll of other. or who that ben gladde to here / euyll / they ben parteners to bo¦the offences. Be not lighte of by∣leue to euery bodyes sayeng / Nor speke none vntrue thynge. For e∣uery lesyng is a syn̄e •• The vntrue tongue sayth his owne wylle: Dauyd sayth god shall destroy al those that vse lesynges / Promyse not that thyng / that ye may not do For moche be ye to be blamyd yf ye yelde not that thyng that ye promi¦sed. Lete not your worde be contra¦ry to your thought / for noo thyng may be hydde from god / for he seeth & knoweth al / Good lif is alway cause of Ioye / Yf ye liue well ye nede neuer to be in sorow. Yf ye be vertuous auaunt not therof. wher¦by ye maye lese it / Neuertheles

whan ye doo or thynke ony euyll / shewe it anone by confession / then̄ shall ye be sauid. For synne grow¦eth from lityll to g••ete / And yf it be shewed by confession it is soone made of grete lityll. Slouth noy∣eth moche to good werkes. Necli∣gence slaketh the courage / & quen∣cheth the light of conmyge: Vyces ouercometh sone the slouthfull per¦sones· Take kepe to this / to then∣tent that ye ben not founden vayn For yf slouth hath a lityll entree it wyll lightly growe tomoche / Yf ye be good & vertuous. thēne shall ye be gloryfied / Beware whan ye doo ony thyng well / that ye couey∣te not the preyse of folkes / wherby ye may lese the grete rewarde that ye sholde haue of god / Lese noo ty¦me / but that ye do alway some go¦od / nor coueyte not to knowe of o¦ther thus •• that they wolde be lo••he ye knewe. Whan folkes speke to you / herken them redely / and speke by deliberacyon / For in some thyn¦ge is thende gretter than the begin¦nyng / In whiche the speker hathe more grete honour: and better shold be the last worde than the fyrst. Demeane yourselfe to euery body / soo that ye offende not the wylle of god / Grete payne shal haue the cruel persones and suche as therto consenten / Wherfore consente ye to noo synne / But whan ye ben mo∣ued soone retorne your hertes. s••o that ye be not ēuenemyd therwith Be not ouersharpe to your serua∣tes / but doo soo that they haue deli¦te to serue you / In all your wer∣kes oughte to be attemperaunce / For euery ouermesure torneth to vyce / as to moche or te lityll. In al your dedes holde descrecōn. for yf ye kepe not dyscrecyon / there is noo vertue in noo thyng that ye do· but rather it is vyce / Doo by other as ye wolde they sholde doo by you / Doo none enoyes to other by yo∣ur wytnes. nor wyth your worde empeyre noo body / Doo not wyl∣lingly harm to none. lest ye suffre suche at the day of Iugement / Ne maynt••ne none agayne trouth / be they ryche or poore / Loke ye be tru to all / so that your trouth be neuer corrupte by noo couetyse of rychesse Gyue neuer Iugement wythoute mercy. It is a peryllous thyng to Iuge a man by suspeccōn For som¦tyme is blamed the same that is gyltlees / Be not reysed in pryde for none honour that ye haue / but kepe you in humylite For it is ful harde to haue honour wythout sin¦ne / The honour of this worlde is soo deceyuable / that it makyth som¦tyme the moost myghty persones to suffre the moost stronge tormē¦tes / For the hyest trees ben moost in dangeour of the wynde or tem∣pest / The rych̄e man arrayed in purple and gold

and hath his knyghtes abowte hī & his armes with moche more no blesse / yet for all that is he often in grete trystesse. anguyssh̄ & perylle Though he lie in a bedde of silke yet is he often in moche more trow¦ble than he that lieth in raynen or in the strawe / Lytill whyle endu∣reth the glory of this world / Say me now where ben the kynges the prynces. & the myghty / & the grete ryche folkes of th̄is worlde. Al bē passed. as a shadowe vanyssht. & as a dreme. And who that enpli¦eth thē in the grete gaynes of this worlde. shall neuer haue rest. wher¦fore yf ye wyll haue rest / cast from you the besie cures of this worlde for ryches is but seldom gotē with¦out sin̄e. It befallith ofte that thei that haue grete richesses haue not alwaye reste. And specyall they y^t moost delite theym therin / For thi¦se erthly charges disceuereth man from god. For none may haue y^e glorye of god & of the worlde togy¦der. In this maner may ye know how ye shold liue a right / Therfore take hede that ye vse not tho thyn∣ges that ben defended in this lityll treatye. The moost rightfull oug¦hte not to trust in his owne boun¦te / For our sinnes ouerthroweth all anone / yf it be not euery daye purged by good werkes / The syn∣ful man or woman ought not dis¦peyre of the mercy of god For god wolde they sholde be conuerted & ly¦ue / thus as by wysdome is custo∣mably made grete famylieryte af∣ter dyscorde / Better it is to dyspo∣se the seculer famylieryte▪ than to le¦se the saluacyon of the soule And as we haue folowed the euyll fol¦kes to doo euyll / From hens forth be we not slowthfull to folow the good folkes to doo well / and goo nomore oute of the ryght way Who wyll be good. be he fyrst as a dyscyple. and begyn noo thynge of hymself / wherby he may after repen¦te hym. ¶Thenne yf ye wyll wel beho••de this techyng and counsey∣le / the ofter that ye beholde them the more of fruyte ye shal fynde in the¦ym. And god graūt vs grace to kepe theim well: to the ende that it may clense vs of al our sin̄es / and make vs hole of all our wretchyd¦nesse. very god & very man wyth∣out ende / by all the worlde / of the worlde· Amen /