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

❧Of the remembraunce of deth. The .xxiii. Chapitre.

THe houre of deathe wyll shortely come / and therfore take hede howe ••ou or d••creste thy selfe for the comon pro¦uerbe

for the cōmon prouerbe is true: to daye a mā to morowe none. And whan thou art out of syght thou art anone out of minde and sone shalte thou be forgotten. O the great dulnes and hardnes of mānes hert that onely thynketh on thynges presente and lytell prouydeth for the lyfe to come. If thou dydest well / thou sholdeste so be haue thy selfe in euery dede and in euery thoughte as thou shuldeste thys instance dye / yf thou haddeste a good conscyence thou shuldest nat moche fere deathe. It were better for the to leue synne than to feare deth. ♣: O my dere brother / yf thou be nat redy this daye / howe shalt thou be redy to morowe. To morowe is a day vn¦certayne: & thou canste nat tell whether thou shalte lyue so longe / what profyte is it to vs to lyue longe / whan we therby so lytell amende oure lyfe / longe lyfe dothe nat alwaye brynge vs in to any amende∣mente: but ofte tymes encreasethe more synne / wolde to god that we myghte be one daye well conuersaūt in thys worlde many rekyne theyr yeres of cōuersyon / & yet there is but lytell frute of amendemēt ne of any good example sene in theyr con¦uersacyon / yf it be ferefull to dye perad∣uenture

it is more peryllous to lyue long blessed be to personns that euer haue the houre of deth before theyr eyen: and that euery day dispose thē selfe to dye / yf thou euer sauest any man dye / remembre that thou muste nedely go the same waye / In the mornynge doute whether thou shalle lyue tyll nyght: and at nyght thynke nat thy selfe sure to lyue tyll on the morowe. Be alway redy & liue in such maner that deth fynde the nat vnprouided. Remēber how many haue dyed sodaynly & vn{pro}uy∣ded: for our lorde hath called thē in suche houre as they leest went And whan that laste houre shall come thou shalt beginne to fele al otherwyse of thy lyfe passed / thā thou haste done before / & thou shal••e than sorowe greatly that thou haste bene so slowe & negligent in the seruice of god as thou haste bene. ♣ O howe happy & wyse is he therfore that laboureth now to stāde in suche state in this lyfe / as he wolde be foūde ī at his deth. Truely aperfyte dispi¦synge of the worlde / & a feruent desyre to profyte in vertue / alone to be taughte a frutefull laboure in workes of penaūce a redy wyll to obey / a full forsakyng of our selfe / & a wylfull sufferynge of all aduersy¦tes

for the loue of god / shall gyue vs a greate truste that we shal dye wel. Nowe whylest thou arte in helth thou mayst do many good dedes / but it thou be sycke I can nat tell what thou mayst do / for why fewe be amended throughe sykenes / & in lyke wyse they that go muche on pilgry∣mage be seldome therby made perfyte / & holy / put nat thy truste in thy frendes / & thy neyghbours / ne di••••er••e nat thy good dedes tyll after thy d••th for thou shall so¦ner be forgotten than thou weneste / bet∣ter it is to prouyde for thy selfe betyme & sēde some good ded{is} byfor the / thā so tru∣ste to other that {per}auētur wyll lyghtly for¦get the / if thou be nat nowe busye for thy selfe & for thyn ••wne soule helth: who shal be busye for the after thy dethe. Nowe is thy tyme very precyous / but alas for so∣rowe that thou spendeste the tyme so vn∣{pro}fitable: in the which thou sholdest wyn the lyfe euerlastynge. The tyme shal com whan thou shal••e desyre one daye or one houre to amende the / but I wot nat whe¦ther it shalbe graūted vnto the. ♣ O my dere brother fro howe great peryl & drede myghtest thou nowe delyuer thy selfe / yf thou woldest alwaye in this ly••e drede to

offende god / & alwaye haue the cōmynge of deth suspecte. Therfore studye nowe to lyue so that at the houre of deathe thou mayste rather ioy than drede / lerne nowe to dye to the worlde that thou mayst thā lyue with Christe / lerne also to dyspyse at worldely thynges that thou mayste than frely go to Christe / chastite nowe thy bo∣dy with penaunce that thou mayste than haue a sure and a stedfaste hope of salua∣cion. Thou arte a fole yf thou thynke to lyue longe▪ syghe thou arte nat syker to lyue one daye to the ende / howe many ha¦ue bene deceyued through truste of longe lyfe: and sodenly haue bene taken out of this worlde or they had thoughe / howe ofte haste thou herde say that suche a mā was slayne / and suche a man was drow∣ned: and suche a man fell and brake hys necke / this man as he eat his meate was strangled / & thys man as he played toke his dethe / one with fyre: an other with y∣ren: an other with sykenes: and some by thefte haue sodenly peryshed / and so the ende of all mē is deathe for the lyfe of mā as a shadowe sodaynly slydeth & passethe awaye / Thynke ofte who shall remembre the after thy dethe / & who shall praye for

the / and do now for thy selfe al that thou causte / for thou wotrest nat whan thou shalte dye nor what shall folowe after thy deth: whylest thou haste tyme gather the ryches immortall / thynke nothynge aby¦dingly but on thy ghostly helth. Set thy studye onely on thynges that be of god and that belonge to his honoure. Make the frendes agaynste that tyme / worshyp hys sayntes & folowe theyr steppes / that when thou shalte go out of thys worlde they maye receyue the in to the euerlas∣tynge Tabernacles. Kepe the as a pyl∣gryme & as a straūger here in this worlde to whom no thynge belōgeth of worldly besynes / kepe thy herte fre alway lyfte vp to god / for thou haste no cytye here longe abydynge / sende thy desyres & thy dayly prayers alway vpward to god / and pray perseueraūtly that thy soule at the houre of deth / may blessedly departe out of this worlde and go to Christe.