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

❧Of the daye of eternyte / and of the myseryes of thys lyfe. The .liii. Cha∣pitre.

O Blessed mansyon of the heuēly citie. O moste clerest day of eter¦nite: whome the night may nat darken / but the hygh trouth that god is

illumineth and clereth: the daye alwaye mery / alway syker / & neuer chaungynge his state to the contrarye / wolde to god that this day myght ones appere & shyne vpon vs / and that these tēporall thynges were at an ende. This blessed day shineth to Sayntes in heuen with euerlastynge bryghtnes and clerely / but to vs pylgry∣mes in earth it shyneth nat but a farre of as throughe a myrroure or glasse. The heuenly citezēs knowe well howe ioyus this day is. But we outlawes: the chyl∣dren of Eue wepe and wayle the bytter∣nes and tedyousnes of this day that is of this presente lyfe shorte and euyll full of sorowes anguyshes: where a man is ofte tymes defouled with synne / encombred with passyons / inquyeted with dredes / bounden with charges / busyed with va∣nites / blinded with errours / ouercharged with laboures / vexed with temptacyons ouercome with delytes and pleasures of the worlde: and greuously tormēted som∣tyme with penury and nede. ♣: O whan shall the ende come of all these miseryes / and whan shall I be clerely delyuered fro the bondage of synne: whan shall I only lorde haue mynde on the & fully be made

glad and mery in the / whan shall I be fre without lettynge and be in parfyte ly¦berty without greue of body and of soule whā shall I haue sad peace without trou¦ble / peace within and without & on euery syde stedfast and syker. O lorde Iesu whā shall I stande and beholde the & haue ful syght & contemplacion of thy glorye / and whan shalte thou be to me all in all / and whā shall I be with the in thy kyngdom that thou hast ordeyned to thy electe peo∣ple fro the begynnynge. I am lefte here poore and as an outlawe in the lande of myne enemyes / where dayly be batayles and great misfortunes. Cōforte my exyle aswage my sorowe / for all my desyre cry∣eth to the / it is to me a greuous bourden what so euer the worlde offereth me here to my solace I desyre to haue īwarde fru••¦cion in the / but I can nat atteyne therto I coueyte to cleaue faste theuēly thinges but temporall thynges and passions vn∣mortified: pull me alway downwarde in mynde I wolde be aboue all tēporal thin¦ges / but whether I wyll or nat I am cō∣pelled through myne owne defaute to be subiecte vnto my fleshe / thus I mooste wretched man fyght in my selfe / and am

made greuous to my selfe / whyles my spi¦rite desyreth to the vpwarde & my fleshe downwarde. O what suffre I inwardely whan in my mynde I beholde heuenly thynges: and a greate multytude of car∣nall thoughtes entre into my soule. Ther¦fore lorde be nat longe fro me / ne departe nat in thy wrath fro me thy seruaunte▪ sende to me the lyghtnes of thy grace & breke downe in me all eternal thoughtes Sende forth the dartes of thy loue & breke therwith all fantasies of the enemy. Ga∣ther my wytnes: and powers of my soule to gether in the. Make me forgette all worldly thynges / and graunt me to caste awaye and hooly to dispyse all fantasies of synne / helpe me therfore thou euerla∣stynge truth that no worldly vanite here after haue power in me. Come also thou heuenly swetnes and let all bytternes of synne fle farre fro me / pardone me and mercyfully forgyue me whan I thynke in my prayer of any thynge but of the / for I cōfesse for trouth that in time paste I haue vsed my selfe very vnstably ther∣in / for many times I am nat there where I stande or sytte / but rather I am ther∣fore there where my thoughtes lede me /

for there I am where my thought is and there as my thought is accustomed to be there is that that I loue / and that ofte tymes commethe into my mynde that by custome pleaseth me beste / and that most delyteth me to thynke vppon. Wherfore thou that arte euerlastynge trouth sayste openly / there as thy treasure is: there is thy herte.★: Wherfore if I loue heuen: I speke gladly of heuenly thynges / and of suche thynges as be of god / and that per¦teyne moste vnto hys honoure and to the glorifyenge of and worshyppynge of his holy name. And yf I loue the worlde: I ioye anone at worldly felicite and sorowe anone at his aduersite / if I loue the fleshe I ymagyne ofte tymes that pleaseth the fleshe / and yf I loue my soule I delyte muche to speake and to here of thynges that be to my soule helthe. And so what so euer I loue: of them I gladly here and speake / and bere the ymages of them ofte in my mynde / blessed is that man that for the lorde forgetteth all creatures and lerneth truely to ouercome hym selfe / and with the feruoure of spirite crucifieth his fleshe / / so that in a cleane and in a p••re cō¦scyence he maye offre hys prayers to the

and he worthy to haue company of bles∣sed Angels. All erthely thynges excluded fro hym and fully set aparte. Amen.