The holy court in five tomes, the first treating of motives which should excite men of qualitie to Christian perfection, the second of the prelate, souldier, states-man, and ladie, the third of maxims of Christianitie against prophanesse ..., the fourth containing the command of reason over the passions, the fifth now first published in English and much augemented according to the last edition of the authour containing the lives of the most famous and illustrious courtiers taken out of the Old and New Testament and other modern authours / written in French by Nicholas Caussin ; translated into English by Sr. T.H. and others.

The Gospel upon Thursday, the se∣cond week in Lent, out of S. Luke 16. Of the rich Glutton, and poor Lazarus.

T••e was a certain rich man, and he was clothed w••th purple and silk, and he fared every day magnifically. And there was a certain begger cal∣led Lazarus, that lay at his gate full of sores, desiring to be filled of the crums that fell from the rich mans table, but the dogs also came, and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the begger died, and was carried of the An∣gel into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died, and he was buried in hell, and lifting up his eyes, when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he crying, said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger into water, for to cool my tongue, because I am tormented in this flame. And Abraham said to him, Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy life time, and Lazarus likewise evil: but now he is com∣forted, and thou tormented. And besides all these things, between us and you there is fixed a great Chaos: that they which will pass from hence to you, may not, neither go from thence hither. And he said, Then father, I beseech thee that thou wouldest send him unto my fathers house, for I have five brethren, for to testifie unto them, lest they also come into this place of torments. And Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the Prophets: let them hear them. But he said, No, father Abraham. but if some man shall go from the dead to them, they will do pe∣nance. And be said to him, If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither if one shall rise again from the dead, will they believe.

Moralities.

1. A Rich man and a poor meet in this world, the one loaden with treasures, the other with ulcers. They both meet in the other world, the one in a gulf of fire, the other in Abyss of de∣lights: Their ends are as different, as their lives were

contrary: to teach us, that he which shall consider rightly, the end of all worldly sins and vanities, will have in horrour the desire of them. And as there is nothing, for which goodly poor men may not hope, so is there nothing, which wicked rich men should not fear. He that is proud of riches, is proud of his bur∣dens and chains, but if he unload them upon the poor, he will be eased of his pain, and secured in his way.

2. The life of man is a marvellous Comedie; wherein the greatest part of our actions are plaid un∣der a curtain, which the Divine Providence draws over them, to cover us. It concealed poor Lazarus, and kept him in obscurity, like the fish, which we ne∣ver see till it be dead. But Jesus draws the curtain, and makes himself the historian of this good poor man, shewing us the state of his soul, of his body, of his life and death. He makes him appear in Abrahams bo∣som, as within the temple of rest and happiness, and makes him known to the rich man, as to the treasurer of hells riches. Are we not unworthy the name which we carry, when we despise the poor, and hate poverty, as the greatest misery? since the Son of God having once consecrated it upon the throne of his manger, made it serve for his spouse during life, and his bride-maid at the time of his death.

3. This rich glutton dreamed, and at the end of his dream found himself buried in hell. All those pomps of his life, were scattered in an instant, as so many nocturnal illusions▪ and his heart filled with eternal grief and torment. His first misery is a sudden, unexpected, and hydeous change, from a huge sea of delicacies, into an insufferable gulf of fire: where he doth acknowledge, that one of the greatest vexa∣tions in misery, is to have been happy. Another dis∣aster which afflicts him, is to see Lazarus in Abrahams bosom; to teach us, that the damned are tormented by Paradise, even to the very lowest part of hell; and and that the most grievous of their torments, is, they can never forget their loss of God. So saith Theo∣phylact, that Adam was placed over against the terre∣strial Paradise, from whence he was banished, that in his very punishment, he might see the happiness he had lost by his soul fault. Now you must adde to the rest of his sufferings, the great Chaos which (like a diamond wall) is between hell and Paradise, toge∣ther with the privation of all comfort; those losses without remedy; that wheel of eternity; where death lasteth for ever, and the end begins again without cea∣sing▪ and the torments can never fail or diminish.

4. Do good with those goods which God hath given you, and suffer them not to make you wick∣ed; but employ your riches by the hands of virtue: If gold be a child of the Sun, why do you hide him from his father? God chose the bosom of rich Abraham, to be the Paradise of poor Lazarus. So may you make the needy feel happiness by your boun∣ty; your riches shall raise you up, when they are trodden under feet. The Prophet saith, you must sow in the field of Alms, if you desire to reap in the mouth of Mercy.

Aspirations.

O God of Justice, I tremble at the terrour of thy judgements. Great fortunes of the world (full of honour and riches) are fair trees, oft∣times the more ready for the ax: Their weight makes them apt to fall, and prove the more unhappy fuel for eternal flames O Jesus, father of the poor, and King of the rich, I most humbly beseech thee, never give my heart in prey to covetousness, which (by load∣ing me with land) may make me forget Heaven. I know that death must consume me to the very bones, and I shall then possess nothing, but what I have gi∣ven for thee. Must I then live in this world (like a Griffin) to hoard up much gold, and silver whereof I shall never have use, and still be vexed with care how to preserve it? O most mercifull Lord, suffer me not to be taught by hell fire, that which I may have neglected to learn out of thy Gospel. I most heartily renounce all luxury and pomp of the world, and this carnal life, which would always busie it self about my body. If thou be pleased to make me rich, I will be so for the poor; and if thou make me poor, I will make my self rich in thee, who art the true riches of all thine elect.