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 religion as the terme is cōmunely vsed / that is to say of m••nasticall / or monastike religion. The thyrde Chapitre.

THis religion thā here intreated is more speciall than the other byfore discribed. And is called monasticall or monastical or monastike religion / of this latyne ter∣me / Monachus / or rather this greke worde / Mona¦chs•• / whiche is to meane a persone segregate / sepe∣rate / or departed from the cōmune sorte / and compa¦ny of other worldly persones / & that in our cōmune englys she is called a solitarie persone.* 1.1 And this ma¦ner of religion in the latyne tonge is called mona∣ch••tus / that is to meane / a state apperteynynge vn¦to monkes and solitarie persones / whiche state is nowe called onely religion. And suche persones as ben bounden vnto that state / and done lyue in reli∣gion / bene alone called religious {per}sones / and none other {per}sones ben so named cōmunly but onely they And this maner of religiō is diuersly described / or declared & shewed what it is / or what is ment by y^e terme.* 1.2 This maner of religion (sayth one) Est vita euāgelica: quae Christ{us} et cōsoluit et precepit obseruās hijs obuiācia deuitās. That is to say / religiō is the lyfe euāgelicall / or euāgelike / y^t is to say the lyfe of y^e gospel / which lyfe doth obserue & kepe: both what Christe coūsayled & what he cōmaunded / or ••is ke∣pyng: as wel those thing{is} y^t Christ dyd coūsayle: as those y^t he dyd cōmaūde / & eschewyng / auoydyng & steyng al thing{is} cōtrarie. But this definiciō or de∣claraciō is nat sufficiēt / for it doth nat alway frame w^t y^e thīg declared. For thā shuld folowe: y^t euery {per}∣sone of

any degre / wedded or syngle: y^e (of deuo••••••n) wolde and dyd kepe bothe the cōmaundementes / and the counsayles of the gospel and ••••e the contrarie / were forth with a religious {per}sone of this maner / that is monastike / whiche is nat true. And also it semethe vnto me: that the sentence in the ende: set forthe by these wordes. Hijs obuiancia deuita••••. That is to say / eschewyng or auoydyng the contrarie: this sen¦tence (I say) is superfluous and voyde. For whose euer kepeth the cōmaūdementes and counsayles of the gospelles: doth auoyde the contrarie. And who doth nat auoyde the contrarie:* 1.3 doth nat ke•••• them / nat withstandyng I thynke verely the same defini∣cion or declaracion without those last wordes: and with a fewe other wordes: shulde be sufficient and good. Thus Religion monast•••••• is that lyfe euan∣gelyke, that (by the liberal {pro}myse and wylful bond of so ••empne vowe accordynge vnto any auctorised reule) obserue and kepe those thynges that Christe caunsayled / and also that he cōmaunded.* 1.4 And here vnto agreeth well the diffinicion and declaracion of a great clerke / saynge. Religio monastica, est inte∣gra discipline monasterialis obseruacio: humana tra∣dicione constitute, at{que} ad euangelica complenda con¦filia, suos cultores astringentis certis statutis et regu¦lis determinata. That is to say: Religiō monastike / is an obseruacion or kepynge of discipline monas∣teriall / that is to say / suche maner and byhauioure as is vsed in monasteries: constitute and ordeyned by humayne tradicion / that is / by ordinaūce of mā. And constreynyng and bynding the reuerent vsers and kepers of the same discipline and maner: by cer¦teyne statutes and reules determined / vnto the coū¦sayles

of the gospell to be accōpleshed and fulfylled The same agayne in more playne termes. Religiō is an obseruacion / perfourmaunce / or kepynge: of suche religious maner as is vsed in monasteries / which maner: was ordened by holy fathers / & doth constreyne and bynde y^e disciples of the same: to ac∣compy she and fulfyll the counsayles of the gospell / whiche sayd obseruacion and kepynge of this ma∣ner: is determined and appoynted by certeyn statu¦tes and reules. And this is the religion: wherof we done here intreate as the moste apte vessell / & moste conuenient way: to preserue & to continue as moste precious wyne / the / wyne / of perfection. Al the part{is} wherof: ben described byfore and determined. But here now I do ymagyne what many persones (spe¦cially in this troublous & moste lamentable tyme) wyll say herevnto. [Obiection.] Syr (say they) what nedethe all this declaraciō of so many religious: we done sup∣pose and thynke one religion sufficiēt for al christi∣ane people. The religion of Christe is ynoughe for vs all. So that all christianes: kepe (as due bonde) all the preceptes or cōmaundementes of Christe. And euery man (at liberte) to kepe the counsayles that wyll / without any bonde at all. [Answere.] Herevnto we shal shortely answere. There haue ben euer among all maner of nacions (as we sayd byfore) some ma∣ner of persones: that more precisely / and more reue∣rently / and with more deuout cerimonies dyd ho∣noure vnto theyr god or goddes: than dyd the com∣mune sorte of the people / and those were called reli∣gious {per}sones. So y^t as wel amōg the infideles: as among the people of god: were euer some persones after this maner of religion.* 1.5 In the olde testament

were certeyne persones of this maner called ••••za∣reis / that by vowe were consecrate / and moch were different in fourme and maner of lyuyng from the other people of Israell / whiche natwithstandynge were the chosen people of god / and had a religion & lawe cōmune vnto them all / whiche was sufficient for theyr saluacion. Yet wolde our lorde god haue suche speciall diuisions / and differences of {per}fectiōs amonge his chosen people. Some were cōmune people / some prynces / some prestes / some leuites / & deakens.* 1.6 Some religious / of hyghe perfection as Helias that both in aray and fedynge was ferre frō other / and after hym ••is disciple Heliseus in lyke maner. And a lytell byfore the cōmyng of Christe were certeyne religious persones called Esseis / or Essenies / whiche were of singuler {per}fection aboue other / as Iosephus writethe.* 1.7 But nowe let all this passe and let vs loke vpon the newe testament / was nat saynt Iohan baptiste (after the incarnacion of our sauiour in the fyrste begynnyng of Christ) a re∣ligious persone:* 1.8 and of more harde lyfe / both ī diete and aray: thā ben nowe in these dayes? Saynt Io∣han chrisostomus dothe call hym a prynce and doc∣toure of monasticall religious persones. For he by ganne religion tymely in youthe / and therin dyd cō¦tinue / and byde y^e cōming of our lorde and sauioure Iesu Christe. But here (me semeth) I herde some {per}¦sones speke and say vnto me. [Obiection.] Syr we take no hede ne care any thynge / what was done in this byhalfe in any lawe / or in any nacion or people: byfore the cōmyng of Christe. For Christ is our lawe / Christ is our examplar. Bygynne at hym selfe: and if you can shewe that he kepte in hym selfe any suche mo∣nasticall

religiō: or that he instituted and ordeyned any suche to be kepte: thā may you {per}swade vs vnto your purpose. And to graunt / that aboue the lawe & religion of Christe cōmune vnto al {per}sones / as suffi¦ent vnto theyr saluacion: yet this monasticall reli∣gion / may be good and necessarie vnto perfection. For answere herevnto: [Answere.] I muste pray you to take y^e laboure to tourne backe vnto the fyrst parte of this pore worke / where in y^e answere that we made vnto these newe heretikes: I was compelled to speke of that mater / whiche els myght conueniētly haue ben reserued vnto this place. I pray you loke there frō the fourthe Chapitre vnto the .xv. & I truste verely you shalbe satisfied / & {per}ceyue that doth our sauiour Christe in him selfe / kepte this maner of religion / y^t we done call monasticall / or monastike / and ordey∣ned the same to be kept by his Apostles / and howe they receyued the same / and were bounde thervnto & dyd {per}fourme the same. And also howe they dyd consecrate other diuerse persones of bothe the sexes y^t is to say / of the male kynde / & of the female kynde of man: vnto the same maner of religiō / as doth ap∣pere in the legende of saynt. Macheu / & other of the Apostles / & of saynt Clement that was disciple vn∣to saynt Petre & after hym pope. So than we may thus make an ende of this fourth {per}te / as of our ves∣sell / Pype / or Tunne / wherby this maner of religi∣on is signified / as the moste sure vessell to {pre}serue / & continue the {pre}cious wyne of the lyfe of perfection. Wherof nowe shall folowe in breue & shorte maner as vnto the selfe thynge / bycause many treates and bokes ben therof wrytē both in englysshe & latyne.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.2

  The deffini¦cion of reli¦gion mona¦stical or mo¦nastike. Lodouic{us} caruaial{us} minorita contra E∣rasmum.
• * 1.3

  Definicio authoris.
• * 1.4

  Iudocus Clichto. de lande monastice religionis ca. 1.
• * 1.5

  Nu. 6. A.
• * 1.6

  Nume. 18. Deut. 18.3. Reg. 17. & 19. & 4. Reg. 1.4. Reg. 4.
• * 1.7

  Iosephus de auti. li. 18. ca. 5.
• * 1.8

  Matth. 11. Marci. 1.