A Ryght Profytable Treatyse Compendiously Drawen Out Of Many and Dyvers Wrytynges Of Holy Men — John Shaqi
A Ryght Profytable Treatyse Compendiously Drawen Out Of Many and Dyvers Wrytynges Of Holy MenBetson, Thomas
Religion
A Ryght Profytable Treatyse Compendiously Drawen Out Of Many and Dyvers Wrytynges Of Holy Men
Betson, Thomas
Christian life
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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