A Ryght Profytable Treatyse Compendiously Drawen Out Of Many and Dyvers Wrytynges Of Holy Men | Page 9

of god & parfyte charyte
[with]out whiche can noman or woman be relygyous & come to heuen /
& the whiche had among them they make theyr place or monastery a
paradyse in erthe & themself professed therin angelles full pleasaût
vnto god. Wherfor amonge [the] spouses of god ben one wyll / one
comfort / one heuynes Remembrynge [that] he is prynce of peas &
charyte. in whom they shalbe wedded vnto. Forsake [the] desyre of
têporall goodes / for better it is to be ryche with other in the worlde
than to be poore in a monasterye & to haue a desyre to haue god.
Blessyd be they sayth our lorde [that] ben poore in spyryte &c. ¶ The
more noble [that] ye ben & come of worshypfull lynage [the] more ye
shal meke your self / & euer be gladde of poore & vyle habyte or
clothynge / beware of obstentacyon & pryde or to desyre to be better
arayed than an other syster is. And remembre [that] ye shall be
professed & wedde elyke to one spouse Ihesu cryste in one wyl & vowe
/ whiche loue none suche syngularyte / pompe & vayne glorye. For in
his court shall not a kynges doughter haue prerogatyf afore an other in
lower degree borne. Goostly lyf requyreth no dignyte temporall /
though all ye be neuer so meke / yet your spouse was & is moche more
meker. See in your mynde how [that] sa[yn]t Peter was a poore fyssher
/ and Bartylmew a noble man of byrth. Netheles Peter was preferred &
made prynce of Bartylmew & of all the worlde. Beware of grutchynge
[that] whiche gretly dyspleaseth god. Commende neuer your self of ony
goodes gyuen or to be gyuen of you or by yours to [the] monasterye or
els where / but euer lerne & vse you to take [the] crosse & to folowe
your spouse in penaûce / & do that ye come for / kepynge obedyence /
pacyence / mekenesse / sylence / prayer / fastynge / & suche other as

your relygyon wyll gyue you Instruccyon. And in ony wyse shewe
mekenesse in your langage / countenaûce & all other behauyour / & in
especyall to your heed & souerayne / the whiche representeth cryste
your spouse / & that in all obedyence / drede / loue / & reuerence.
Neuer disputynge of theyr wyll or of other that be your souerayns / but
thynke [that] all is ryghtfull [that] they do / presume not to correcte
theyr Iugementes. For as by example yf eche man sholde haue the
guydynge of a shyppe [that] they be within / it sholde neuer prospere ne
come to the hauen [that] it desyred. And as ye be professed deed to the
worlde so be ye deed in other mennes dedes. ¶ Also remêbre that ye
must forsake your owne wyll & offre it vp & gyue it to god & to them
that shall be your souerayne & heed for euer more. Enforce eche one of
you that shall come to religyon to passe an other in obedyence / for
than doubtles ye shall please god A true obedyencer that hath vtterly
forsaken his owne wyll / knowe not ony thynge harde to do [that] is
cõmaunded of theyr souerayne ne ony thynge vnryghtfull. ¶ Beware of
ydelnes the whiche is moder of all synne & vnclennesse / so that by
your offyce that ye be called to / or by prayer / redynge / wrytynge /
sewynge / or other handewerkes doynge / ye may make your bodyes
dayly wery & crucyfyed. And therby make your spyrytes the more
quycke and apte to the seruyce of our lorde in confusyon of your
enemye and encreace of glorye. ¶ Beware to be Inquysytyf / or to muse
on hyghe maters and subtyll. And leue them to worldely people / and to
clerkes / for otymes the letter may hurte you Thynke euer [that] ye had
leuer dye than ones to passe the clausures or boûdes of your
monasterye. Yf ye haue a faythfull & a Iuste frende / to whom ye may
open [the] secretes of your herte / than ye haue a grete tresour / for
oftymes one shall be deceyued & seldome can iuge the trouth in his
owne maters so well as other. Knowe your owne synnes & wayle them
& medle [with] none other. Beware euer of detraccion & flee it as it
were a venemous serpent / [that] the speker therof be your contenaûce
& departynge from them may be ashamed / & therwith lothe for euer so
to speke or do. Moreouer yf ye wyll see your spouse Ihesu cryst in your
mynde by contemplacõn euer kepe your sylence.