A boke newly translated out of Latyn in to Englisshe, called The folowing of Christe with the Golden epistel of saynt Barnard.

❧Of the loue of onlynes and scylence. The .xx. Cha••iter.

SEke for a conuenyente tyme to serche thyne owne conscyence. And thynke ofte on the bene∣faytes of God / leue of all curyous thyn∣ges. And rede suche maters as shall stere the to cōpunccion of her••e for thy synnes rather than to rede onely for occupyenge of the tyme / if thou wilte withdrawe thy selfe from superfluous wordes & fro vn∣profytable rennynges aboute & frome he¦rynge of rumours & of vayne tales / thou shalte fynde tyme conuenyent to be occu∣pyed in holy meditacions. The moste ho∣ly men & women that euer were: flede the company of worldly lyuynge men vppon theyr power / and charce to serue god in se¦crete of theyr herte / & one holy man sayde

as ofte as I haue bene amonge worldely company I haue departed with lesse fer∣uour of spirite than I came / and that we knowe well whā we talke longe for it is nat so harde to kepe alwaye sylence / as it is nat to excede ī wordes whā we speke moche. It is also more lyght to be alway solytary at home / than to go forthe in to the worlde and nat offende. Therfore he that intendeth to come to an inwarde set∣tynge of his herte in god and to haue the grace of deuocion / muste with our sauy∣our Christe withdraw him from the peo¦ple. No man may surely appere amonge the people / but he that wolde gladly be so¦litary yf he myght / ne no man is sure in prelacy / but he that wolde gladly be a sub¦ge•• / ne none may surely cōmaūde / but he that hathe lerned gladly to obeye / & none ioyeth truely / but he whose herte wytnes¦sethe hym to haue a clene conscyence / ne none speake the surely / but he that wolde gladly kepe sylence if he myght. And al∣waye the suertie of good men and of bles∣sed men hath ben in mekenes and in the drede of God / and thoughe suche blessed men shone in al vertue / yet they were nat therfore lyfte vp in to Pryde / but were

therfore the more delygent in the seruyce of god and the more meke in all theyr do¦ynges / and on the contrary wyse the sure¦ty of euyll mē ryseth of pryde and of pre∣sumpcion & in the ende it deceyueth them Therfore thynke thy selfe neuer sure in this lyfe whether thou be religious or se∣culer / for ofte tymes they y•• haue ben hol¦den in the syght of the people moste per∣fyte: haue bene suffered to fall more gre∣uouslye for theyr presumpcion / also it is moche more profytable to many persons that they haue somtime tēptacyons / leste haply they thynke them selfe ouermoche syker and be therby lifte vp in to pryde or renne to sekynge of outwarde consolaciō. Then that they be alwayes without tem¦ptaciōs. ♣ O howe pure a cōsciēce shulde he haue that wolde dyspyse all transitory ioy / & neuer wyl medle with worldly busi¦nes / and what peace and inwarde quyet∣nes shulde he haue that wolde cut awaye from hym all busynes of minde and only to thynke on heuenly thynges / no mā is worthy to haue ghostely comfortes / but we haue fyrste ben well execrysed in holy compunccion / and if thou wylt haue com¦punccion go in to a secrete place / and put

from the all the clamours noyse of the world. ☞ For the prophet Dauyd sayth Let the sorowe for thy synnes be done in thy secret Chambre / ī thy cell thou shalte fynde greate grace whiche thou mayste lyghtly lese without. Thy cell well conty¦nued shal ware swete and pleasaūt to the and shall be to the hereafter a ryght dere frende / and if it be but euyll kepte / it shall ware very tedyous and yrkesome to the. But if ī the begynnyng thou be ofte ther¦in and kepe it well in good praiers and in holy meditacyons it shall be here after to the a synguler frēde and one of thy moste specyall comfortes: in scylence and quiet∣nes of herte a deuoute soule profyte the moche and lerneth the heed sentences of scripture and fyndeth there: also many swete trees in deuocyon wherwith euery nyghte she washed her nyghtely from al fylthe of synne that she may be so muche the more familyer with god / as she is dys¦serued from the clamours noyse of world¦ly busynes. Therfore they that for the loue of vertue withdrawe them fro theyr acquayntaunce and from theyr worldely frendes / oure lorde with hys Angelles shall drawe nyght to them & shall abyde

with them. It is better a mā be solitayre and wel take hede of hym selfe. Thā that he do myracles in the worlde forgettyng hym selfe. It is also a laudable thynge in a relygious persone / seldome to go forth / seldome to se other: & seldome to be sene of other why wylte thou se that is nat law∣full for the to haue / the worlde passeth a∣waye with all his concupyscence and de∣ceyuable pleasures. Thy sensuall apetite moueth the to go abrode: but whan the tyme is paste what bareste thou home a∣gayne but remorse of conscyence and vn∣quyetnes of herte. It is o••••e sene that af∣ter a mery goynge forth foloweth a heuy retornynge / & that a glade euyntyde cau∣seth a heuy mornynge / and so all flesshely ioye entreth plesaūtly / but in the ende it byteth & sleeth what mayste thou se with out thy tell that thou mayste nat se with in / lo heuen & erthe and all the clementes wherof all erthely thynges be made / and what mayste thou elles where se vnder y^e sonne that maye longe endure / & yf thou myghte se all erthly thynges & also haue all bodely pleasures presēt at ones before the / what were it but a vayne syght: lyfte vp thyne eyne therfore to god in heuen

and praye hertely that thou mayste haue forgyuenesse for the offense / leue vayne thynges to them that wyll be vayne / and take thou hede onely to tho thinges that our lorde commaūdeth the. Shyt••e faste the dore of thy soule / that is to say thyne ymagynacyō and kepe it warely from be¦holdynge of any bodely thynge as moche as thou mayste / & thā lifte vp thy mynde to thy lorde Iesu & open thy herte fayth∣fully to hym / and abyde with hym in thy Cell: for thou shalte nat fynde so muche peace without. If thou haddest nat gone forthe so muche as thou haste done / ne haue gyuē herynge to vayne tales / thou shuldest haue bene in moche more inward peace thā thou arte / but for as muche as it delyteth to the here newe thinges / it be houeth the therfore to suffre sōtyme both trouble of herte & vnquyetnes of mynde.