Vitas patrum.

Of y^e vertue of contynence Caplm .iij.

TO thende that thou knowe / to whom auaylleth the vertue of contynence. Thou oughtest to wyte y^t it consysteth not oonly in etyng and drynkyng / but in spekyng / in sle∣pyng / in clothyng and in other many thynges. And for so moche to thende y^t thou be contynent & sobre / seche no me¦tes ouer delycyous ne delycatyf / & take none hour to ete / & also take none hede to gourmans & glotons whiche ete mo¦re than is to theym necessary. And kno¦we for certayne that eueryche persone / of so moche more as he shall haue la∣boured in this lyfe / of so moche more shall he haue more grete rewarde in he¦uen. And to thende y^t it seme not to the that this vertue be ouer gryeuo{us}. I shal saye to y^e an example. A man named Dorotheus of Thebes lyued in this maner / y^t he wente & fette stones at y^e see syde / & euery yere made an hous & ga∣ue it to theym y^t had none / & in y^e nyght to the ende y^t they sholde haue to ete he made hottes & paners to selle theym / & he ete but a lytyll brede & cole wortes / & dranke water / & lyued in suche wyse syth his yong age. Neuer man sawe hȳ slepe on bedde / but whan he myght no more wake / & y^e force of ouermoche wat¦che & besynes caused hȳ to close his eyen in suche maner y^t somtyme in etyng he slept & lete falle y^e mete out of his mou¦the. And on a tyme amonge y^e other in passyng by a waye all myry / in whiche he fylle doun all slepyng / & laye there

tyll on the morn that he awoke / & he thenne fyndyng hym selfe in y^t ordure & fylthe / began to saye. O my god yf y^u makest the aūgellys to slepe. I am not abasshed though y^u make me to slepe / & this he sayd in dremyng / or for to in pugne y^e deuyll whiche wolde haue tēp¦ted hym. On a tyme he was strongly seke / & he lyued thenne as straytly as he had be acustomed. Thēne an other olde fader asked of hym wherfore he slewe so his bodye. To whom he an∣swered. I slee hym bycause he sleeth me I haue wryten to the / the cōtynence of this holy man / to thende y^t y^u knowe / y^t contynence is free to obserue to theym that haue good wyll to do it. And for to gyue to y^e knowleche the grete dyffe¦rence of y^e lyfe y^t we lede / & of y^e lyfe of some holy faders. The same Dorothe¦us made euery yere a celle / & gaaf it for the loue of god to y^e Indygent & nedy. And he laye vpon no bedde / & ete not but brede & herbes / & dranke water. I saye not this example to thende y^t y^u do in lyke wyse / but to thende y^t y^u humble & meke thy selfe / & to see how our olde faders were contynent / & aske no me∣tes ouer delycyous ne delycatyfe. For we rede of the abbot Moyses that du∣rynge all his lyfe or there about he ete but brede / & yet he laboured & wrought faste. The space of .vi. yere he prayed euery nyght deuoutly without leyeng doun of his bodye / & without to close his eyen / but yf it were by grete con∣straynt whiche made hym a lytyll to close theym. And he wente about to the celles of the relygyouses / & bare to theȳ water how well that it was ferre fro the cloystre.