Vitas patrum.

¶Here foloweth y^e pystle of saynt Ma¦charye to monkes / whiche begynneth in latyn. In primis &c. Caplm xvij

YF a man knowe well what he is / & what is his maker / & he wyll repente hȳ of his synnes in makyng deuoute penaūce / as fastyn¦ges / abstynēces / almesses or other good dedes / & that he haue in hate all volup¦tuousyte & bodyly pleasaūce / god shall gyue to hȳ very contrycōn & parfyght knowleche of his offenses / in so moche y^t he shall see the tronke or beme in his owen eye / & shall not see y^e festue in the eye of his neyghbour / y^t is to wyte y^t he shall knowe his grete synnes / & not y^e smale of his neyghbour. Thēne may he well saye with y^e psalmyste. Lord god I knowe y^e enormyte of my synne / whi¦che is cōtynuelly in thy presence. I shal also haue remēbraūce of y^e Iugemēt of hauē & of helle / & yf he see y^t his herte be ferme & constaūt in y^e drede of god / w^t¦out to drede his aduersary y^e fede of hel¦le / he is a very relygyo{us} / but all in lyke wyse as y^e shyp is drowned by grete ha¦būdance of water / in lyke wyse a rely∣gyous man y^t possesseth ony goodes tē∣porell is drowned by synne / for he goth dyrectly ayenst y^e vow•• of relygyon / by y^e whiche he auouwed wylfull pouerte. And on y^e contrarye a relygyo{us} persone y^t is not possessed of ony thyng he fleeth in to y^e royame of heue by cōtemplacōn For y^e eygle y^t fleeth on hye aboue al o∣ther byrdes cometh sooner to the terme of his cours & there receyueth his sala¦rye. And furthermore it is expedyent to good relygyo{us} to rede praye & be as bre¦thern togydre / for in so doyng y^e dyffy∣cultees ben y^e sooner determyned & bett{er} disputed / thā for testudye eche by hȳself Four thȳges ben moche necessary to a man of y^e chirche / knowlege of y^e lawe of god / thystory in y^e whiche is cōteyned y^e lyf to come / y^e seruyce of y^e church / & y^e scyēce of gramayre / by y^t whiche is kno¦wen y^e sygnyfycacōns of y^e termes of la¦tyn he y^t hath not renoūced y^e world kno¦weth not what is of y^e 〈…〉〈…〉 is sayd

in a comyn prouerbe / that also well by houeth to thauarycyo{us} man y^t he hath as y^t whiche he hath not. To hȳ y^t trus¦teth in god y^e rychesses fayllen not. For he wyll not haue theym / but to an euyll persone / all byhoueth to his appetyte / how well y^t he hath many goodes tem¦porell / lete vs lyue thēne as hauyng no¦thynge / & all possessyng by suffysaūce. For the lyfe & y^e vesture is the rychesse of lyuyng men / yf y^u hast thy goodes & thy power & domynacōn / selle theym & gyue theym for y^e loue of god / or yf not take theym from thy herte & thought / yf one take awaye thy robe or thy ves∣ture / lete hym go y^t hath taken it away & robbed the. For it byhoueth to gyue & selle his goodes for to nourysshe & su¦steyne the poore people / he y^t hath gyuē hȳselfe to god hath gyuē all y^t he hath we rede y^t the holy sayntes apostles for to folowe our sauyour & redemer Ihe∣su cryste leften generally all y^t they had¦den. And the good wydowe y^t gaaf .ij. ferthynges to thoffryng was preferred tofore the grete and excellent yeftes of Cresus. For she had more meryte for as moche as she gaaf all y^t she had / he lyghtly despyseth all thyng / y^t reputeth hym selfe redy for to deye. We ought to thynke on the thynges y^t folowe / that is to wyte on y^e passyon of our sauyour Ihesu cryst to thende y^t we haue therin comforte. On the hour of deth / to the ende y^t we make vs redy. On the daye of Iugement to thende y^t we may yelde good acomptes. On helle to thende y^t we drede & eschewe it. And on heuen to thende that we desyre it. The fende of helle bryngeth vayne surete to the cora¦ge of man in thre maners. Fyrst he ad¦monesteth hym that he confesse hȳ not in ony wyse of his trespaces & synnes / in sayeng to hym y^t he is yet yonge & that he may lyne alwaye & not deye. Secondely he admonesteth & gyueth hȳ to vnd{er}stonde y^t other men hath mo¦re synned & cōmysed moo euylles than he / & neuertheles they haue longer ly∣ued than he. Thyrdly he gyueth to hȳ boldynes & hardynes to synne & perse∣uere in his euylles sayeng to hȳ / what someuer y^t a man doth synne god y^t is soueraynely pyteous & mercyfull shall forgyue hym all / & thus he bryngeth a man to dāpnacōn perpetuell & to y^e tor¦mētes of helle. God our sauyour hath gyuen dyuerse remedyes to y^e soule for to make hȳ clene & guarysshe hȳ of his synne. For some may purge theȳ by al¦messe / other by orysons & prayes / other for to receyue pylgryms / y^e other by fas¦tyng & wakyng / other for to be chaste / other by humylyte / the other by very o∣beyssaūce / some by very pacyence / some haue scyence / y^e other sapyence / other ha¦ue y^t yefte of y^e tongue / other haue y^t yef¦te to hele seke men / & all these thynges maketh y^e holy ghoost / whiche deuydeth his graces as hȳ semeth good. And yf y^u beholde well in thy psalmes / y^u shalt fynde thyncarnacyon / the passyon / the resurrexion / thassencōn of our sauyour & redemer Ihesu cryste / and the other mysteryes of our fayth. Thou shalt fynde therin orayson & prayer more de¦uoute than y^u mayst in thy selfe thynke with right ample confessyon of thy synnes / & also for to calle for the mer∣cy of god. Thou shalt fynde there fur¦thermore all vertues yf thou wylt that god shewe theym to the.

Yf thou wylt saye a psalme well deuou¦tely. Saye y^t same y^t begynneth. Beati inmaculati &c. And whan y^u shalt haue estudyed alle thy lyfe to vnderstonde y^t same psalme. I byleue certaynely y^t y^u sholdest not vnderstande it. For in it is not a verse / but it conteyneth of the la∣we of god / or some cōmaūdement of y^e same / or wordes incytyng to feruent de¦uocōn. And therfore it is not necessarye to demaūde ne enquyre so many bokes For y^u hast ynough of the psaulter all thy lyfe. In whiche y^u shalt fynde for one partye the gospellys & prophecyes / & other bokes dyuerse. And generally thou shalt fynde yf y^u beholde well all the operacōns worthy to be remembred of our sauyour & redemer Ihesu cryste / as it hath be sayd here tofore. The pla¦ce & habytacōn of our sauyour & rede∣mer is an herte Iuste & rightfull. The fondement of the hous is the fayth / the heyght is hope / the brede & largenes is charyte / the lengthe is perseueraūce / the sydes of the hous & habytacōn ben peas & concorde / the yates ben Iustyce and trouthe / the beaute is good example / The wyndowes ben the sayenges of sayntes / the pament is humylyte of her¦te / the chambres ben the good prelates / the dore is the place of peas / the couer∣ture is loyalte / the table of Ihesu cryste in this chambre is good conuersacōn / his seruyce in the same is good remē∣braūce / his reste is good wyll his chay¦re is clerenes of thought / his spouse is the soule holy & sacred / his chambre∣layns ben the vertues / his ••hyef cham∣brelayne is charyte / & that gouerneth the chambre of our lorde / humylyte is tresorer / holy sapyence ensumyneth the sayd chambre / clennes maketh clene the chambre / boūte bryngeth the swete encence therin / dylygence arayeth the chambre / abstynence leyeth the table / attemperance kepeth clennes in the cō¦scyence / watche kepeth the chambre / pe¦naūce gyueth the dyscyplyne & chasty∣seth theym that haue offended / good conscyence and wyll is the portyer / the whiche good wyll hath engendred all the vertues afore sayd. And good per∣seueraunce nouryssheth theym. God thenne gyue vs his grace to fynde in vs suche an hous that it maye please hym to lodge therin / to thende that in this worlde he kepe vs fro aduersyte spy¦rytuell. And in thende of our dayes / he brynge vs with hym in to his Royame of heuen for to be partyners of the glo¦rye eternall / the whiche graunte to vs the holy trynyte Amen.

¶Explicit.