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 diuision or diuerse maners of inobediēce The .xxii. Chapitre.

THis vice of in obedience or disobedi∣ence: may be in diuerse maners / one waye inobedience may be improper / whiche may nat properly be caled dis∣obedience / but after or accordynge vn∣to the cōmune opinion of the vnlerned people / that is: whan a subiecte (by reason sence / and ryght vn∣derstandynge [unspec 1] / and by good lernyng and auctorite) dothe perceyue that the souereyne doth cōmaunde / that is conirarie vnto the lawes of god or the ordi∣naunce of the churche / thā doth he vse or rather doth seme to vse in effecte his owne proper wyll / and so

wyll nat fulfyll the {pre}cepte of the souereyne / that he semeth nat to be obedient but rather styfly disobedi¦ent / howe be it he is nat so in dede. For (as I sayd byfore) in suche case: he is nat boūde to be obedient but rather bounde vnto the contrarie.* 1.1 For (as the Apostle Petre sayd) we ben more boūde to be obedi¦ent vnto god than vnto man. And therfore I sayd / that this way is nat {pro}perly disobedience. An other [unspec 2] way or maner of disobedience: is by negligence or by forgetfulnes / as whan the subiecte is negligente and doth forgette the {pre}cepte of the souereine & yet is sory & discontent with hym selfe therfore. And this is a veniall synne / in the lowest or leest degre of dis∣obedience. An other maner is by scrupulosite of con¦sciēce [unspec 3] / as whan the subiecte doth fere or drede in cō∣science: that the {pre}cepte is nat lawful & yet nat in cer¦teynte / & therfore wyll nat do the cōmaundemēte / so is it a veniall synne euery way bycause of y^e errour in consciēce. For if he shulde do the {pre}cepte:* 1.2 he shuld do agayn his consciēce & that is euer syn / although the conscience be erronious. And if he do nat the pre¦cepte than is it inobedience & so a veniall synne / by∣cause the subiecte is boūde to put away that errour and scrupulosite both / & to be obedient vnto the so∣uereyne. For in all doutes: y^e subiecte is discharged in cōscience: by y^e {pre}cepte of the souereyne. An other kynde or maner of disobediece: is by frailte / as whā the subiecte / doth knowe well & also doth remēbre & hathe in mynde the {pre}cepte & mater wherin he shuld be obedient / and doth nat (in any wyse) despyse the [unspec 4] {pre}cepte / but rather doth purpose & intende to accom¦plysshe & fulfyll y^e same / but yet whā y^e mater shulde cōe to passe: sōe dulnes or slothfulnes / sōe frailte or

carnall affection: doth let the perfourmynge therof and so is the thynge vndone & the precept ouerpas∣sed and broken. This maner of obedience: may be deedly synne or veniall / accordyng vnto the nature of the precepte. For if the nature of the {pre}cept & of the obedience: be cōmaūded & ordened by the churche or by the stat{is} of y^e rule or religion / to be kept vnder peyne of deedly synne: than is y^e disobedience therof deedly synne / & els but veniall. And in lyke maner [unspec 5] is it of suche disobedience as is cōmitted & done by sodeyn passion or displeasure agayne the souereyne w^tout full deliberacion / & so (for that tyme) obediēce is set by or leyde on parte. Whiche disobedience is accordynge vnto the nature of the {pre}cepte (as I sayd [unspec 6] byfore) deedly or venial offence. An other kynde yet or maner of obedience: is by ignoraunce / as whan y^e subiecte knoweth nat the nature of the {pre}cepte / that he is boūde vnto suche obedience. But this igno∣raūce: dothe nat hooly or fully excuse. For as the ig∣noraūce of the lawes of god or of the churche dothe nat excuse them that ben boūde to knowe the same lawes: So in lyke maner / y^e ignoraūce of the rules & ordinaunces of the religion: doth nat excuse the re¦ligious persones that be bounde to knowe thē and ben professed to kepe the essensialles / accordyng vn¦to them. yet natwithstandyng: the ignoraūce of y^e acte or dede that is forboden by the sayd lawes or or¦dinaunces: maye in great parte excuse / accordynge (as is sayd) vnto the mater subiecte. Example of bothe / If a professed brother of Syon: shulde eate flesshe vpon a wannesdaye / or a monke of the Char∣terhouse any tyme eate flesshe: & wolde put for theyr excuse / that they knewe nat that they were bounde

vnto the contrarie: this ignoraūce shulde nothynge or very lytell excuse them of the offēce / bycause these persones bene bounde to knowe theyr statutes and ordinaunces. But nowe for the other parte. If the same {per}sones / the same day shulde fede vpon flesshe / supposynge and byleuynge verely: it were fysshe & no flesshe (as we haue redde of diuerse {per}sones) than (I saye) doth that ignoraunce excuse a great parte / but yet nat fully in all / excepte due serche with dili∣gence: were made byfore. Thus nowe doth appere / that accordyng vnto the mater subiecte: disobediēce or inobedience procedynge of ignoraunce: maye be veniall or deedly synne. yet is there a nother kynde [unspec 7] or maner of disobedience or inobedience: whiche is worse than all the other / y^t is by obstinacie froward wyll and presumpcion / as whan a persone doth kno¦we well and also hathe good remembraunce of the wyll and precepte / and yet natwithstandynge wyll nat ī effecte folowe it ne do therafter. But somtyme of very hyghe pryde and presumpcion of {per}persence that is a folysshe truste and confidence of selfe {pro}per wytte / wysedome / knowynge / or vnderstandynge: wyll do his owne wyl and folowe his owne wayes & wyll nat here the reasons or lernyng of any other / but rather so moche {pre}ferreth his owne iugement y^e doth condempne / despise / and set at nought al other reasons & iugementes / and all coūsayles / & yet for∣ther the streyt cōmaūdemēt of his owne souereyne. And so obstinatly doth folowe his owne brayne. These persones bene all blynde in herte and mynde frō the whiche blyndenes: our mother holy churche doth pray for her chyldren to be delyuered / saynge. A cecitate cordis libera nos domine. That is to say:

Good lorde delyuer all christianes from the blynd∣nes of herte. For who is more blynde: than he that wyll nat se? And who is more folysshe: than he that wyll nat lerne ne gyue credence? And yet ben suche persones cōmunely moste presūptuous / most bolde and malaparte. For (as the prouerbe sayth) none is so bolde as blynde bayarde.* 1.3 For what can be more hyghe presūpcion & more malaparte boldnes (sayth saynt Bernarde) than that one synguler persone in a congregacion or company: shulde alowe and ob∣stinately or styfly preferre his {pro}per sence / his owne proper wytte / wysdome or reason: his owne proper opinion & iugement: aboue and byfore all other per¦sones? proper sence: is called the eye or syght of the olde man that is enemie vnto almyghty god. And also doth slaūder the selfe persone & doth cause hym to take and to gyue many occasiōs / and therfore (af¦ter the coūsayle of the holy gospell) it shulde be dig∣ged out & cast away.* 1.4 Proper wyll: is whan a {per}sone doth (as is sayd byfore) knowe well & also hath wel in remembraūce: the {pro}myse and bonde of this {pro}fes∣sion / and yet despysynge the same or careles therof: wyll (by deliberacion) do the cōtrarie which thing caused alway other of fraylte / or els of very obstina∣cy and dyuelysshe frowardnes. For be negligence: is neuer cōmitted this maner of disobedience. But by fraylte many tymes is the {per}sone drawen & in ma¦ner compelled by yuell custome: to do contrarie vn¦to his owne knowlege / and contrarie vnto proper conscience as by al the synnes of the flesshe / glotony slothe / and lecherie.* 1.5 For the gloton dothe so make a god of his bely: y^• he doth in effecte rather displease god wyttyngly: than his wombe or bely. Of this

sorte: bene suche religious persones / as well done knowe and remēbre: but lytel done regarde or force for theyr rules and ordinaūces: to eate and drynke & feade / out of due tyme or due place / and suche mea∣tes or drynkes: as be prohibite and forboden / & yet some worse than these that done so excede therin: y^• I shulde be ashamed or abashed to speake or writte therof. Slothe also dothe worke moche yuell ī this mater / in suche persones as done more loue & chose rather the ease and pleasure of the body: thā the ho∣noure of god / we haue herde of religious persones: that bene moche dull and slothfull to ryse & to come to the deuine seruice and vnto the other reguler ob∣seruaunces of theyr religion / & some done gyue thē selfe vnto worldly disportes and games moche vn∣religious & done fle & auoyde laboures. And done delyte & take pleasure ī seculer cōpany / & there kepe daliaūce in clateryng & talkyng / hearyng & tellyng of tales in suche pastymes / whiche I call lose tymes worse than mere ydlenes. Custome in whiche thyn∣ges: dothe drawe thē vnto {pro}per wyll cōtrarie vnto all cōmaūdementes / & so doth brynge thē vnto diso∣bedience. The flesshe is nat behynde w^t occasion vn¦to this malady of {pro}per wyll / in suche persones that well done knowe & remēbre theyr bonde of chastite / and yet for lacke of due garde of the sences / ben sone electe and drawen to folowe the occasions of the cō∣trarie: so that nother counsayle ne cōmaundemente can cause them to leue theyr proper wyll and plea∣sure therin / althoughe they be in right great ieo{per}ty of naufrage & wracke of chastite / of the whiche ma∣ter we shall speake more large hereafter in the pro∣per place / and lykewyse of wylfull pouerte / whiche

whiche (by {pro}per wyll) the worlde doth sore assayle. And as vnto the gostly enemie: he neuer slepeth / but moste diligentely cōpasseth about sekynge to fynde whome he may deuoure.* 1.6 Some he doth assayse by sodeyne passions of inpacience / and some by subtyl enuie. But the moste depe daunger of proper wyll: is in them that ben blowen vp and bolne by pryde / and brought vnto suche obstinacie and peruers or frowarde mynde: that contrarie nat onely vnto coū¦sayle or cōmaundement: but also vnto theyr owne reason vnderstandynge and iugement / of very cur∣sed herte / and dyuelysshe peruersite and shreudnes: wyll folowe theyr owne way and proper wyll or ra¦ther theyr frowarde fantasye & so wyllyngly & wit∣tyngly done deney / refuse / and disdeyne or despise y^e cōmaundement of the souereyne. And make play & disputacion for the defense of theyr sayd fātasie and somtym reenne so ferre therin: y^t they fall nat onely vnto false erroures: but also vnto pleyne heresies / and so styfly done clyue and stycke by thē: that they wyll rather forsake the hole churche of Christe: thā to be ouercome and gyue ouer theyr proper opinion and this I call the worste kynde of disobedience.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Act. 5. E.
• * 1.2

  Nemo {per}∣plex{us} sim∣pliciter uerū pro∣pria in cu¦ria potest quis seip∣sum impli¦care diu{us} Thomas li. senten.
• * 1.3

  Bernard{us}. sup canti.
• * 1.4

  Matth. 5. E. Marci. 9. C.
• * 1.5

  Phillip. 3. D.
• * 1.6

  1. Petri. 5. B. C.