Vitas patrum.

¶Here is made mencōn of the medy∣tacōns of .xij. deuoute hermytes.

TWelue holy fad{er}s hermytes de∣uoute and solytarye were togy¦dre as brethern touchynh the pryncypall thoughtes and cogytacōns spyrytuell that they had herde in theyr celles & habytacōns for to lyue vertu∣ously & to resyste the temptacōns of the deuyll. Thenne sayd the fyrst whiche was moost oldest. I haue enforced my selfe with all my power to resyste the operacōns exterior or outwarde / con∣trary to my helthe / hauyng remem∣braūce of the psalmyste sayeng. Lete vs breke the bondes of our enemyes / and caste we abacke behynde vs all theyr temptacōns. And I haue edefyed in my thought / as a walle bytwene my soule & the bodely operacōns / to thende that I see theym not. For all in lyke wyse as he y^t is within the walle seeth not hym that is without. All in lyke wyse ought not a man to see ne to beholde his outwarde werkes / to thende that he gloryfye not hym selfe / and ought to flee theym as y^e venym of a serpent or of a scorpyon / & to caste theym lyghtly behynde fro his herte. The seconde say¦de / syth that I haue renoūced and for∣saken the worlde. I haue sayd euery daye in my selfe. On this daye y^u art born by grace / this daye y^u begynnest to serue god / this daye y^u begȳnest to dwel¦le here / be y^u alway as a pylgyme with out to haue other estymacōn of thy sel¦fe / and thou shalt be shortly delyuered. The thyrde sayd. In the mornyng I moūte vp to my god by prayer in strat¦chyng my selfe vpon the erthe / & pray∣eng hym that he forgyue me my syn∣nes. After I praye to thangellys and other creatures resonable that they sup¦plye & praye to god for me / & this doon I goo to Iherusalem to see that the Ie¦wes doon. The fourth sayd. It semeth

me that I am with god & his dyscyples in the moūte of Olyuete / & me semeth y^t god sayth to me / be y^u alway with my dyscyples enhaūsed in contemplacōn. And entremete y^t with no worldly thyn¦ges they abuse thy soule / in takyng exā¦ple of Marye magdalene / y^t whiche set¦te her atte feet of y^e sauyour of y^e worlde in heryng his wordes whiche ben suche Be ye all holy and parfyght / so sayth your fader of heuen. And lerne of hym whiche is hūble of herte & swete. The fyfth sayd. I see euery daye thangellys moūtyng & descendyng for to calle the holy soules & to bryng theym in to pa∣radyse / & do nothyng but abyde myne ende in sayeng. Lorde god my herte & my conscyence is redy and apparaylled whan y^u shalt wyll to take it. The .vi. sayd. It semeth to me euery daye y^t af∣ter my prayes god sayth to me. Labour in the loue of me / & I shall make the reste. Fyght yet a lytyll ayenst the ene∣mye / after y^u shalt see my helthe & my glorye / yf y^u loue me / & yf y^u art my sone retourne the hardely to me whiche am thy fader / yf y^u be my brod{er} / haue y^u sha∣me for me / & endure the opbrobryes of the people for the honour of me. For I haue endured euylles Infenyte for the loue of the / yf y^u be my sheep & my sub¦gette folowe my passyon. The .vij. say∣de. I thynke alway on the fayth of god on hope / & on charyte & dyleccōn. I ha¦ue hope for to enioye my selfe / charyte for drede y^e I not hate ony man / & fayth for to fortefye me ayenst myn enemyes The .viij. sayd. I abyde in grete con∣staūce the deuyll / whatsomeuer parte he go. And I praye to god deuoutly / y^t he do no gryef to ony persone / pryncy∣pally to theym that drede god. The .ix. sayd. I consydere by contemplacōn dy∣uyne the vertues angelyke / & in y^e myd¦des of theym the sone of god shynyng as the sonne ouer & aboue all creatures And in consyderyng y^e swete armonye of angellys cometh in to my remēbraū¦ce y^t whiche is wryten. Lord god the he¦uens recounte thy glorye / & the fyrma∣ment thy werkes meruayllous. And in this contemplacōn al y^t is vpon therth me semeth dust & pouldre. The .x. sayd I see myn angell whiche is alwaye be¦syde me & kepeth me / & thenne I remē¦bre of y^t whiche is wryten by the psal∣myste. I haue alwaye god tofore my thought. For he is alwaye at my right syde to thende y^t I be not moeued by e∣uyll temptacōns. And for as moche as I drede myn angell whiche moūteth al¦waye to heuen feryng that he ne shewe my werkes to god. The .xi. sayd. I ha¦ue gyuen my selfe to all vertues / that is to wyte to abstynence / chastyte / hu∣mylyte / charyte / & dyleccōn / of whiche what someuer parte I fynde my selfe I am enuyronned of theym / & enforce my selfe to kepe theym / to thende that after my deth / they may wytnesse that they haue rested & dwelled in me. The xij. sayd / amonge you faders whiche haue the heuenly conuersacōn / ye haue also the sapyence dyuyne. And for as moche as I see you enhaūsed in vertu∣ous werkes ye haue all renounced the worlde & the goodes therof. Thenne may I saye without synne that ye ben erthely angellys / & heuenly men / tou∣chyng your conuersacōn the whiche is in heuen / of whiche thynges I me repu¦te Indygne & vnworthy for my synnes

whiche accompanye me ouerall where I goo / on the ryght syde and lyfte sy∣de. And therfore I me repute worthy to be dampned. Thou shalt be putte hastely with theym that for theyr de∣merytes be in wepynges and in perpe∣tuell wayllynges. And in this I consy¦dere some of theym that strayne theyr teeth for the grete payne that they en∣dure in all the partyes of the bodye. And in sygne of humylyte I caste my selfe on the erthe takyng asshes / and prayeng god that it may please hym to preserue me from these tourmentes. Furthermore I sawe in that helle a see all boyllynge / in the whiche ben moche people of dyuerse astates whiche cryen soo strongely that it is Impossyble to expresse / and the whiche ben pryued fro the mercy of god by cause of the enor∣myte of theyr synnes. And for as mo¦che consyderynge these paynes I we∣pe by compassyon the falle of worlde∣ly people whiche lyue in so grete daun¦ger. And in this dooyng I remem∣bre of that whiche is wryten in the psalme. My teres haue ben to me al∣so prouffytable as brede of the daye and nyght. For by the moyen of theym I haue nourysshed my soule spyrytu∣elly. Alle in lyke wyse as the bodye is nourysshed by brede materyalle. ¶The whiche contemplacyons afo∣re sayd / of the whiche sayenges and dyctes of the sayd holy Auncyent and olde faders we ought with all our po∣wer to folowe / to the ende that in so dooyng we may come in to the Roya∣me of heuen. The whiche graunte vs he that regned perpetuelly.

AMEN

¶Here fynyssheth the fourthe parte of the lyfe of holy faders of Egypte and of Grece.

¶Here foloweth the fyfth parte and some smale treatyses of the praysyng of vertues &c.