Vitas patrum.

¶Of Heron an auncyent fader Ca∣pitulum .xxxiiij.

ANd to thende that I shewe to you how dyscrecōn is requysy∣te & necessary. I shall recounte to you an example of an auncyent fa∣der named Heron / the whiche bycause he was not dyscrete in his operacyons loste the rewarde & meryte of theym / & deyed myschaūtly / hit is trouthe y^t this sayd Heron was by the space of fyfty yere in desertes lyuyng in so grete dys∣crecōn as euer ony man lyued. But the deuyll enuyous of his good lyfe temp∣ted hym in suche wyse y^t he sclaundred all the other brethern of thermytage / for he hymselfe entreprysed to faste cō∣tynuelly / & wente not out of his hermy¦tage / in suche wyse that the holy daye of paske or ester he cam not to y^e chirche with the other brethrē / wherfor they we¦re euyll content / & wenyng that he had ben seke brought to hym a lytyll pytaū¦ce / to the ende that for the solempnyte of the daye he sholde ete a lytyll / but he wolde nothyng so do / and proceded to hym this folye by thynstygacōn of the

deuyll / whiche by the suffraūce nf god was appyered to hym in lykenes of an angell of heuē / bycause he had rendred hymselfe subgette to hym / & persuaded this brother that he sholde caste hȳself in to a pytte for to preue his grete ver∣tue & constaūce / wherfore the sayd olde brother trustyng in his owne vertue le∣pe & caste hym selfe in to y^e same pytte The other brethern sechyng after him herde hym crye within y^e pytte / & they drewe hym as he had be deed. And the thyrde daye after obstynate in his er∣rour / for none myght make hym to by¦leue that this thyng was Illusyon dya¦bolyke.