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

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 comunycac?n & talkynge & talke of god & of his vertues / or elles departe & gyue [the] to some goodly & goostly occupac?n. 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 contena?ce 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 gro?de 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 remembra?ce [thou] makest thy prayer. These thre haue alwaye in thy mynde / what [thou] were / what [thou] art / & what [thou] shalt be. By reason of thy body / [thou] were foule slyme of the erthe / & now thy body is the hous of fylte & derte / & herafter it shall be wormes mete. Also ymagyne [the] paynes of them [that] ben in helle & how that payne shall neuer haue ende / & how they suffre all these