Here begynneth the boke called the Pype, or tonne, of the lyfe of perfection The reason or cause wherof dothe playnely appere in the processe.

¶Of the fyrst keper and the seconde: that is prayer and abstinence. The .v. Chapitre.

THe fyrste keper than / of chastite: doth he assigne to be prayer. The diuine seruice of al religious {per}sones. Wherby grace is obteyned & gotten / w^tout which: no {per}son can be chaste / & all these vertues ben cōteyned in the fyrste / & seconde chapitre of saynt Augustynes rule And in the begynnyng of the thyrde chapitre / doth he (for the seconde garde of chastite) ordre al his dis¦ciples vnto due temperaūce or abstinence.* 1.1 I wyll (sayth he) that you rebate & kepe lowe your bodies / by the abstinence of meate & drynke / as moche as y^e strength of nature may beare. Herein doth nat saīt Augustyne appoynt any certein dayes of abstinēce ne yet forbede any kynde of meates or drynkes / but y^t he wyll a due quantite be vsed after discrecion / & y^t to be taken in due tyme & place.* 1.2 And so meanethe saynt Augustyne / y^t the disciples of this rule: shuld kepe due tēperaunce / euery day & euery tyme. For he knewe wel y^e one tyme to fede at pleasure / & an o∣ther tyme to fast: shulde rather inflame: than rebate or correcte y^e body. And therfore wolde he: theyr fast shulde be continuall / with as moche lacke and scar∣cety: as nature myght beare. So that the body be some what punished in euery mele / and neuer to be fully saciate and contented / after sensuall desyre of appetite.* 1.3 For the olde fathers wolde say it were nat possible for any persone to kepe the very purite and clēnes of chastite / y^e wolde fede & cōtent the appetite of the body w^t onely bread & water / moche more thā

if it be fed with delicates. Wherfore saynt Augu∣stine cōmaunded the disciples of this reule:* 1.4 to take refection at due tyme. So that bysyde meletyme: they shulde take no maner of fode for any cause: ex∣cepte infirmite / or very and vnfeyned necessite / whi¦che hathe no lawe. For those persones that done nat kepe certeyne houres in fedynge: done selden / or ne¦uer: kepe due temperaūce without superfluite / but as bruyte bestes: done rather fede / and pompre: thā rebate or correcte the body. And yet may those per∣sones that done kepe theyr due tymes: moche offēd in quantite. For y^e superfluite or surfet of one mele may distempre / and vndispose the body many daies after. And where saynt Augustyne sayth. Quando sederitis ad mensam. &c. Whan ye do sit at the table. &c. There doth he cōmaunde all the disciples of his reule: to take theyr meles in one due place. And that for two causes / one: that ī y^e fedyng of theyr bodies: they shulde also / by the same lesson of the worde of god: be all in lyke maner / fed ī soule. And other cause is: to auoyde the cōpany and familiarite / of seculer persones / wherby they ben oftymes prouoked to ex¦cede due temperaunce / bysyde other occasiōs / wher¦of we shall speke hereafter. And in this poynt of the rule: done the suffreynes / and officers: most offēde / which done many tymes: more delite / and take plea¦sure to sit at mele tymes ī theyr parloures / chābres / or priuate lodgynges / with seculers / or with theyr familiares: than amonge the couent in the fraytour Whiche natwithstandynge: is theyr moste due / and moste conuenient place of fedyng / where they shuld haue the conforte and perfecte / of that holy lesson / & moche also / bothe editie / and be edified. And con∣trary

where they ben: they done oftyme here ma¦ny voyde and vayne wordes / and both gyue & take occasion. Here me semeth I do here theyr excuse. The busines of the monasterie / syr (saye they) is in cause / we can nat kepe the houres and tyme of the co¦uent / and do all our duete for necessarie ordinaūce of the monasterie. yet say I they can nat fynde / ne yet make reason / that they may (excepte in iourney beyng lawfully forth) company with any lay perso¦nes. For saynt Augustyne sayth in this rule / that y^e disciples therof: ben nat prohibite / ne letted or for∣bodē / to loke vpon the contrarie sexe whan they (for any cause reasonable) done go forth / as though by∣dyng within the monasterie / so to loke were vnlaw¦full. For it were voyde and playne foly: to gyue thē licence to loke vpon that thynge without the mona¦sterie: that they myght at liberte: se / and loke vpon within. And holy saynt Benedicte wolde nat suffre his owne natural syster (and she natwithstandyng a holy religious woman) to come w^tin y^e monastery but euer whan she came: he went forth vnto her. I thinke therfore / it were more cōuenient for any such officers / whā they myght nat kepe the due houres & tyme: than to sit in silence at a later mele / in y^e same place where the couent was / or (as the leest) in some parloure or place / appoynted for suche chaunces / & neuer in any wyse to be serued / ne yet to haue the cō¦pany of any lay persones. For els can they nat preci¦sely kepe the mynde of the rule / whiche ī this thyrde chapitre: doth ordre the disciples therof vnto absti∣nence / as a necessary keper and sure garde of chasti∣te. For who so doth excede due temperaūce: shal ne∣uer precisely kepe due chastite. So thā (after saynt

Augustyne) abstinence is necessarie vnto the religi¦ous persone that hath vowed chastite. But bycause there ben diuerse degrees of abstinence: ye wolde {per}¦aduēture / I shulde here appoynt you some fourme and maner of abstinēce. Whervnto I must answere that we do nat here intreate of abstinence ī especial / but generally as it doth apperteyne vnto the custo∣dy of chastite. And also: it is very harde to put any certeyne fourme therin / bycause of the diuerse dispo¦sicions of persones. For vnto some persones: a lytel quātite is ouermoch. And vnto some other: a large quantite is to lytell. To moderate therfore / and to kepe therin due measure: is lerned by experience & discrecion. For the very hyghe poynt of abstinence: and of all vertues doth stande euer in a due meane. That is (after the lernynge of saynt Augustyne in this place) to take fode euer with the moste scarcite. But yet so: y^t nature therby do nat suffre any hurte or notable decaye. But to be serued with aboun∣daūce of diuerse and delicate meates and drynkes: And there to kepe cōstaūtly that due measure with out excesse: I thynke verely is an hygh poynt of {per}∣fectiō / & (in maner) of the merite of virginite / or ra∣ther of martyrdome. But if we do nat atteyne vnto this hyghe poynt: yet may we w^t diligence & grace: come vnto that degre of abstinence / whervnto al re¦ligious persones ben boūde after my consciēce / that is to say: So to kepe abstinence: y^t (except a very & vnfeined nede) they neuer take fode out of due time ne out of due place. And that they neuer surfet lo ne ouercharge the body: that they be therby vnable to do & to {per}fourme the duete of religion.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The secōde keper.
• * 1.2

  Vitas pa. ca. de disc.
• * 1.3

  Cassianus in secūda collaci. abbatis Theo. Ca. 3.
• * 1.4

  Ca. 3.