Ars moriendi. Here begynneth a lytell treatyse shortlye compyled, and called Ars moriendi/that is to saye the crafte to dye, for the helth of manes soule.

WHan any of lykelyhode shal dye / than is moste necessarye to haue a specyall frende: the whiche wyll hertelye helpe and praye for hym / and ther with counceyll the sycke / for the wele of his soule / and moreoucr to se that al other so do aboute hym / or elles quyckefy for to make hym departe. Than is to be remembred the great benefaytes of god done for hym vnto the tyme / & specyally of the passyon of our Lorde / and than is to be redde some story of sayntes / or the .vii. Psalmes with the leta∣ny / or our Lady psalter ī parte or hole with other. And euer the ymage of the crucyfyxe is to be had in his syght with other. And ho¦ly water is oft tymes to be caste vpon and aboute hym for a voydynge of euyll spyry¦tes / the whiche thā be full redy to take theyr auauntage of the foule yf they maye. And than and euer make hym crye for mercye & grace and for the helpe of oure blyssed lady and of other sayntes in whom afore he had a synguler trust and loue / and there vpon to make his prayers yf he maye.

¶ Whan dcthe cōmeth or any greuous pay∣nes or other great syckenes / than prayer or deuocyon asswageth / wherfore it is wys∣dom

for one to praye afore any syckenes co∣me / and also whan one may ī his syckenes yf he wyll not be deceyued.

¶ So he is happy and maye be glad / that in such a tyme of most nede hath a faythful frende and that wyll saye besyde the / pray∣ers afore reherced and cause other to saye de¦uoutly in remembraunce of the charyte of Iesu chryste and of his passyon / and for to haue the rather his mercy and helpe thre Pa¦ter nosters and thre Aues with a credo: and therwith to exhorte hym by a preest / or for nede by another ī the maner as it foloweth.

BRother or sufter remembre well that god sayth by his Prophete & Euāge∣lyst. Glyssed be tho that dye & departe in our lorde / that is to say / from the worlde and his pleasures and dye in the true fayth of the churche & repentaunce for his synnes. Syr ye haue great cause to be glad for to de¦parte from this wretched worlde and vale of all myserye / & thynke that ye nedes must departe / and desyre hertely to be with Iesu chryste our maker / redemer / lorde god for he shall gyue to you nowe your enherytaunce that he dyd bye for you with his precyous passion & blode / wherfore this tyme of your

departynge shall be better to you than the tyme of your byrthe / for nowe all syckenes sorowe & trouble shall departe nowe from you for euer. Therfore be not agreued with your syckenes / & take it not w^t grutchynge but take it rather with all gladnes.

¶ Se at all tymes that ye be stable in your fayth & byleue and saye your Credo yf that ye may / or elles desyre another hertefy to do it for you / here afore vs openly. And arme you with the sygne of the Crosse ✚ as a cry sten man for your defēce agaynst yo^r ghost¦ly enemyes / in the whiche doynge god wyll be greatly pleased / and the rather take you for one of his folke by proteccyon and grace and ay his chylde of saluacyon. Haue euer a good & true byleue / and no thynge maye be impossyble vnto you. And euer be ware that ye fal not in dyspayre / for that greatly woll displease god / & can not be remedyed. And remembre the synnes that was done a fore tyme / shall neuer hurte you as to dam∣pnacyon / yf they please you not nowe and that ye be sory for them. ¶ Saynt Ierome sayth / yf one shuld take his syckenes / or his deth with grutchyng it is a token that he lo¦ueth not god suffycyently / all is ryghtwyse that we suffre. Desyre with saynt Austyn

of our Lorde here to be cutte with trybulact on / and to be brenned with syckenes and so¦rowe / so they maye be saued here after for e∣uer. Nowe meke your selfe and be sory that ye haue ben so vnkynde to please / & to kepe his cōmaundements and presume not as of your selfe any goodnesse / and say with all mekenes thus. Good lorde Ihesu cryste I knowlege that I haue synned greuously & by thy grace / I wyll gladly amende me yf I shuld lyue haue mercy now of me for thy bytter passyon. Than aske hym these qusty one folowynge afore his deth.

BE ye glad that ye shall dye in cryste•• byleue. Let hym answere / ye knowe yf ye haue not so well lyued as ye shulde / ye haue wyll to amende yf that ye shulde lyue / ye / byleue ye that Iesu chryste goddes sone of heuen was borne of the blys¦sed vyrgyn Marye / ye / byleue ye also that Iesu chryst dyed vpon the crosse to bye mā¦nes soule on good frydaye / ye / do ye thanke god therfore / ye.

Byleue ye that ye may not be saued but by his passyon & deth / ye / as longe as the soule in is your bodye / thanke god of this dethe & haue a sure trust by it and his passyon to be

saued / & coūceyll hym to say yf that he may these wordes folowynge of great vertue.

I Put chrystes passyon betwyxte me & myne euyll werkes / and betwyxte me and his wrathe. Nowe lorde god be mercyfull to me a synner. The peace of our lorde Iesu chryste and the vertue of his passyon with the sygne of the holy ✚ crosse & the vndefoyled vyrgynyte of the blyssed Mary his mother / and the blyssynge of all sayntes and the proteccyon of all holy aun∣gelles with the helpe & prayer of al sayntes be betwyxt me and al myn enemyes now and in the houre of my deth & departynge.

¶ Also these verses folowynge be of great vertue in the tyme of deth / and to be sayde of the sycke yf he may or of another for hym

Dirupisti domine vincula mea / tibi sacrifi¦cabo hostiā laudis: et nomen dn̄i inuocabo. Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori.
Domine iesu christe ego cognosco me graui¦ter peccasse et libenter volo me emendare per gratiam tuam.
Misercre met deus propter amaram passio∣nem tuam.
Domine iesu redemisti nos ī sanguine tuo:

laus sit tibi pro amara passione tua.
Largire clarum vespere quo vito nus{quod} de cidat sed premium morti sacre perennis in∣stet gloria.

¶ Also to our lady.

Maria plena gratie mater misericordie tu¦nos ab hofte protege & hora mortis suscipe.

¶ And at last.

In manus tuas domine cōmendo spititum meum. &c.
In nomine patris et filii & spiritus sancti. Amen.

¶ Here foloweth a shorte and swete remē braūce of the sacrament of the awter or that it be receyued of the sycke person or any other afore theyr cōmynge.

WElcome blyssed Iesu my lorde god and sauyour to whom is appropryed all mercy and pyte. Remēbre good lorde / howe frayle my nature and substaūce is / and haue mercy & pyte on me great syn∣ner after thy great mercyes / and for thy byt¦ter passyon / for I knowlege & byleue fayth fully as a crysten chylde of thyne / that thou

here in fourme of brede is the same my lorde god that of thy goodnesse cam downe from heuen and was borne & toke the nature of the blyssed vyrgyn Mary / and dyed for me and tose the thyrde daye and after ascended in to heuen / & there reygneth with the father and the holy ghost all sayntes for euer imor tall / the whiche for our great helth fraylte and dayly trāsgressyon hast ordeyned this thy blyssed body in this wyse to be taken of me & of other wyllyng to be saued I know well that I am ferre vnworthy to be cal∣led thy chylde or seruaunt / for the great mul¦tytude of my synnes / how be it thou mayst make me tyght full & able / the which onely of synners hast made great sayntes ī heuen. By thy great power & myghte / graunt me nowe to take the mekely in all fere and in waylynge for my synnes and with spyry∣tuall gladnesse. Come nowe good lorde in to my herte and clense it all of synne / entre in to my soule & make it hole / and therwith sanctyfye me within and without / & be my defence for body and soule rebukynge & put tynge asyde all myn enemyes ferre fro the presence of thy power / that I than so defen∣ded by the / may haue a fre and sure passage to the kyngdome where I shal not se the in

I knowe well that I haue greuyd the mer¦cyfull lorde / and broken thy cōmaundemen¦tes / in the whiche thou onely oughte to be worshypped. ¶ The secōde say this. Good lorde I have a good purpose & desyre with thy helpe to be ryght ware hereafter / that I fall not in to synne / & I entende to flee the occasyone after the possybylyte of my pow¦er. ¶ The thyrde is this. Gracyous lorde I haue good wyll to make an hole Confessy¦on of all my synnes / whan place and tyme cōuenyent may be had accordyng to thy cō∣maūdementes and all holy churche. These .iii. verytes or treuthes who soeuer sayth w^t herte vnfeynyngly in what place that euer he be / he may be sure that he is in the state of saluacyon / & that he shall haue euerlaftyng lyfe / thoughe he had done all the synnes of the world. And yf he decessed without any confessyon for lacke of a preeft / as slepynge or sodayne deth / he shulde be saued suffryn∣ge afore harde paynes in purgatory / wher∣fore it is good counceyll / that euery cryften man ones or twyes on the day / erly orlate / or elles at leest on holy dayes examyne his conscyence & remembre yf that he may with all his herte vnfaynyngly these sayde .iii. treuthes / and yf he can so do / he may be sure

that he is ī the state of grace / and yf he may not / but is in wyll to synne agayne the oc∣casyons of mortall synne / and so drowned in synne wyll not aryse / suche one maye be sure that the pope may not assoyse hym / not for thy good it is that suche one vse moche prayer and gyue almesse and do good dedes after theyr power / that god the rather maye lyghten theyr hertes / and the sooner tourne to goodnesse. Amen.

¶ Here after foloweth the .xii. degrees of Humylyte.

• CAste thy syght downewarde and shewe mekenesse bothe in thy herte and body.
• ¶ Beware of hyghe speche & clamours & se that thy wordes be fewe well set and reasonable.
• ¶ Be not lyghte for to laughe / but vse euer sadnesse.
• ¶ Be styll and kepe scylence to nede requy¦re that answere must be hadde.
• ¶ Kepe well the cōmyn rule as the holye place hath vsed.
• ¶ Thynke the most vylest of all other and so pronounce thy selfe.
• ...

• ¶ Knowlege the vnworthy and not profy¦table to any thynge and so byleue in dede.
• ¶ Make ofte confessyon of thy synnes and that with great contrycyon.
• ¶ Kepe paryence in thyn obedyence / at thy paynes and trouble.
• ¶ To all people be thou not subgect for thy maysterssake.
• ¶ Thyn owne wyll forsake it / andlone it in no wyse.
• ¶ And euer kepe the from synne / for fere of hym aboue.

¶ The .vii. degrees of obedyence.

• ¶ The fyrst / is to do that is cōmaunded of thy souerayne without grutchynge.
• ¶ The seconde / is to make none excepcyon neyther of the tyme neyther of the dede that is to be done.
• ¶ The thyrde / is to be glad and chereful in thy herte to do such dedes cōmaunded with∣out any compulcion settynge asyde at beest¦ly condycyons.
• ¶ The .iiii. to be quycke in such dede doyng leuynge at other occupacyons for that tyme or any maner of excuse.
• ¶ The .v. is to do suche thynges with all thy myghte and power thynkynge that thy rewarde shall be great.
• ...

• ¶ The .vi. is to do them also with all meke¦nesse both in spyryte and gesture.
• ¶ The .vii. is to contynue suche obedyence to the ende of thy lyfe / euer folowynge thy mayster Iesu chtyste that was made obedy¦ent for thy synne vnto deth.

¶ The .vii. degrees of pacyence.

• ¶ The .vii. degrees of pacyēce thou mayste beholde here.
• ¶ To euyll done to the or aduersyte make no resystence.
• ¶ Do not euyll for euyll ne gyue no euyll answere.
• ¶ Loue thyn enemye and do good for euyll or hym in recompence.
• ¶ Grutche not agaynst aduersyte / but ta∣ke it as swete ensence.
• ¶ Accompte it for best medycyne / and but glad in thy payne.
• ¶ Thanke god therfore and loke for more with all benyuolence.
• ¶ And whan thou haste no grutchynge in these than mayst thou be fayne.

¶ The .xv. degrees of charyte.

• ¶ These make perfyke charyte after Pou∣les epystole.
• ¶ Be pacyent cōtynuell for any aduersyte.
• ¶ Lyberall to the nedy / & do good for euyll.