Certaine sermons of Sainte Augustines translated out of Latyn, into Englishe, by Thomas Paynell.

¶ To the most vertuous Ladye and moste gratyous Quene Marie, doughter vn to the most victorious & most noble prince kinge Henry the .viii. kyng of Eng∣land, fraunce and Ireland, Thomas Pay∣nyll wysheth most prosperous helthe and felicitie.

ALthoughe our sauiour christe Ihesus doth af¦firme his yoke and cōmaunde * 1.1 mēts, to be swete, & easye to be obserued & borne: yet how many (most excellente Lady do at this present alow, or ad¦mit y^• saying? ye howe many do admyt & affirme y^• contra¦ry:

For say they not that it is for anye man or woman im∣possible to lyue chast? to loue theyr enemyes, to lyue sober∣lye or Christianlye? O God, how is Usury and Symony cloked? how is intemperate lyuynge vsed and estemed? Howe do men kepe the cha∣stitie of Matrimonye: How do men paye vnto God and his mynisters theyr tythes? what charitable dedes, what frutefull penaunce, yea, what murder, adulterie, and forni∣cacion, what bybbynge, and bancketynge, clene contrary to Gods commaundements is there vsed? For nowe to drynke sunder snoeuen is a vertue, to kepe a concubyne, is not muche blamed, to seke vpon caulkers and diuiners

is comenly vsed, to be proud, is accepted for clenlynes, to be auaricious, for prouldēee, to be crafty and deceytful, for polycie, to spende and waste, for good felowshyp, to skoffe and ieste, for a poynt of ciuili∣tie, to flatter, is taken for in∣tier loue and amitie. O Lord shall these men come to thee euerlastynge be atitude? shal they se the Kyng in his estate and maieste? no verely. Who then? He that lyueth iustlye, * 1.2 and speaketh thee trueth: he that abhorreth to do iniuries couetously, and remoueth a∣waye his handes frome gyf∣tes, he y^• stoppeth his eares, leaste he here the deceytefull oppressyon of the innocents bloude, and that shutteth his eyes, lest he se euyll: this man

shall inhabite places, & se the kynge in his gloryous estate. Why do not men folowe the sayinges and wordes of the prophete? Whye do they not ensue the doctrine of famous doctours and preachers? There was neuer more sin∣cere and trewe preachynge, than is nowe of late, nor the worde of God more spoken of, then is in these our dayes. But so muche preachynge, & so lytle folowynge, so muche exhortacion to charite, and so feable & weake loue, so much perswasion to souccoure and ayde the poore, and so greate pouettie, so much good coun∣sel gyuen to ense we vertue, & so lytell apprehended & vsed, was neuer sene. Why so? For euery man (as now y^• worlde

is fashioned) be he neuer so rude and vnlearned, wyll be his owne doctour, his owne interpreter of scriprure, and folow his owne sense and o∣pinion, his owne maner of li∣uing and pleasure, cleane cō∣trary to al wysdome, reason, and good learnyng. The old auncient fathers, and trewe interpreters of Gods holye worde, the masters of vertu∣ous and godly conuersacion, are amonge many lytle or no thing regarded. What were they (say thei) but men as we be? Truth it is: but yet farre more excellente both in lear∣nynge and vertuous opera¦tions thā we be: blyssed mar∣tyrs, holy confessours, the cho¦sen seruauntes and vessels of God, the ensuers of his steps

and statutes, the reprouers of vyce, men of moste perfecte life, and the sincere preachers and expounders of the word of God. For who is he liuing that (as for an ensample) in subtilite of wyt, in profounde learnyng, in clere declarati∣on of scripture, or in godly ex¦ample, that may becompared vnto S. Augustine? Whose warkes are incomparable, & singuler in all kindes of good iearnynge: and to reduce mā from vyce to vertue, from the actiue, to the contemplatyue lyfe moste excellent. Oute of whose sermons, to admonish and reuoke the people frome theyr dyssolute and vitious lyuinge, and to put theym in remembraunce of theyr due∣tye and vnthankefulnes to∣wardes

god: I haue selected and translated these certaine sermones, the which in mine opinion and minde, are most worthy, and most necessarye to be knowen and had in me∣morye, but to be folowed, much more necessary. Desy∣rynge your hyghnes thank∣fully to accepte this my rude translation. Rude it is (I cō∣fesse) and barbarous, because I woulde be playne vnto the playne and simple people, the which thing (as I con∣iecture) is not far amis nor yet gretly to be blamyd.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mat, 1••
• * 1.2

  Esay, 33