A Ryght Profytable Treatyse Compendiously Drawen Out Of Many and Dyvers Wrytynges Of Holy Men | Page 4

kepte the
maundementes of thy souerayne / chastyte / pouerte / sylence in places
& houres accordynge as [thou] art called for to do. Also yf ony persone
in worde sygne or dede [thou] haste offended & gyuen ony cause or
occasyon of greuaûce. Remembre also yf [thou] hast ouerskypped in
the seruyce of god ony wordes / verses / or ony Inclynacyons & suche
other. And of the wauerynge of thy mynde / thyn eyen / & other
vnmanerly behauyour of all thy body. Also of thy vnhonest & noysom
thoughtes / that [thou] sholde miyghtly resyst not taryenge with them
by thy wyll. Serche also yf [thou] haue grutched for mete or drynke or
other necessaryes for bycause they were not gyue to the after thy
pleasyr. Loke also yf [thou] haue synned in moche takynge of mete &
drynke / or ony other necessaryes more than nede requyred &c.
¶ Saynt Bernarde to a newe begynner in relygyon.
Yf [thou] entende to please god & woldest obteyne grace to fulfyll the
same two thyng[es] ben to the necessary. Fyrst thou must withdrawe
thy mynde from all transytory & erthely thynges as who saye [thou]
carest as lytell for them as there were none suche thynges. The seconde
is [that] [thou] gyue thyself to god / that [thou] saye nor do ony thynge
/ but that only that [thou] verely byleuest sholde please god And in this
wyse folowynge [thou] mayst gete grace for the fyrst. In all thynges
counte thyself vyle & symple / and as nothynge in regarde of vertue / &
byleue all other to be good & better than thyself / & so shalt thou moost
please god. What soeuer [thou] here or see of ony relygyous persone or
of ony other good persones / thynke alwaye that all is done & sayd for
good entent though they seme [the] contrary / for oft man by suspycyon
is begyled. Dysplease no creature / & vtter no langage to laude of
thyself / though it were to thy moost famylyer & beloued felowe /
studye euer more to kepe more preuy thy vertue than thy vyce / speke
neuer euyll of ony man or woman though it be neuer so true / & open it
not without it be in confessyon & [that] whan [thou] can not elles
shewe clerely thyn owne confessyon. Be more gladde to gyue thyn eere
whan ony man is praysed / than whan ony persone is dyspraysed /
Whan [thou] spekest haue fewe wordes / true / & sadde & euer of god /
yf ony worldely persone speke [with] [the] and purpose or vtter vayne

wordes / as soone as [thou] mayst breke out of suche comunycacõn &
talkynge & talke of god & of his vertues / or elles departe & gyue [the]
to some goodly & goostly occupacõn. What soeuer befall the or ony
other of thy frendes gyue no charge of it / yf it be prosperyte reioyse
not therof / yf it be trouble or aduersyte be not sory for it. But take or
acompte all suche thyngs as nought & euer prayse & thanke god / gyue
charge as moche as [thou] mayst to [the] wele & prosperyte of thy
soule flee places of moche speche as moche as [thou] canst. For it is
moche bet[ter] one to kepe his tonge than to speke. After complyn
speke no worde tyl the masse be done the next daye folowynge without
a grete cause requyre. Whan [thou] seest ony thynge [that] dyspleaseth
the / see yf the faute be in thyself & than haue compassyon / yf it be not
/ thynke that it may be & so lete all thynges be to the as it were in a
glasse to see thyself. Grutche not ayenst ony persone without thou see
that [thou] may profyte what soeuer cause [thou] haue. Afferme neyther
denye nothyng ouerthwartly / but lete thy nay or ye or thy doubte be
powdred euer with salt / that is to saye / lete hem be spokan with
discrecion & pacyence. Be euermore ware of mockynge & of
scornynge. Yf [thou] be lyght of contenaûce see it be but selde / haue
thy comunicacion but [with] fewe persones & shortly behaue thyself so
in all thy sayenge that [thou] speke not rather in a doubte than men
sholde take auctoryte or groûde of thy sayenge. The seconde [thou]
mayst obteyne in this wyse. Gyue thyself with grete deuocyon to praye
& lete thyn herte agree with [that] [thou] sayest both daye & nyght.
Remembre also dylygentely that thou ymagyne the state of them / in
whose remembraûce [thou] makest thy prayer. These thre haue alwaye
in thy mynde / what [thou] were / what