Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation: With Modifications To Obsolete Language By Monica StevensMore, Thomas, Saint
Religion
Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation: With Modifications To Obsolete Language By Monica Stevens
More, Thomas, Saint
Consolation
And surely such Christian folk as, by their foolish affection,
which they have set like the snail upon their own house here on
earth, cannot, for the lothness of leaving that house, find it in
their hearts to go with good will to the great feast that God
prepareth in heaven and of his goodness so graciously calleth them
to--they are, I fear me, unless they mend that mind in time, like
to be served as the snail was, and yet much worse too. For they are
like to have their house here, the earth, bound fast on their backs
for ever, and not to walk with it where they will, as the snail
creepeth about with hers, but to lie fast bound in the midst of it
with the foul fire of hell about them. For into this folly they
bring themselves by their own fault, as the drunken man bringeth
himself into drunkenness, whereby the evil that he doth in his
drunkenness is not forgiven him for his folly, but to his pain is
imputed to his fault.
VINCENT: Surely, uncle, this seemeth not unlikely, and by their
fault they fall in such folly indeed. And yet, if this be folly
indeed, then are some folk fools who think themselves right wise.
ANTHONY: Who think themselves wise? Marry, I never saw a fool yet
who thought himself other than wise! For as it is one spark of
soberness left in a drunken head when he perceiveth himself to be
drunk and getteth himself fair to bed, so if a fool perceive
himself a fool that point is no folly but a little spark of wit.
But now, cousin, as for these kind of fools, who are loth to die
for the love that they bear to their worldly fancies which they
would, by their death, leave behind them and forsake: Those who
would for that cause rather forsake the faith than die, would
rather forsake it than lose their worldly goods, though there were
no peril of death offered them at all. And then, as touching those
who are of that mind, we have, you know, said as much as you
yourself thought sufficient this afternoon here before.
VINCENT: Verily, uncle, that is very true. And now have you
rehearsed, as far as I can remember, all the other kinds of them
that would be loth to die for any other respect than the grievous
qualities of shame and pain joined unto death. And of all these
kinds, except the kind of infidelity--when no comfort can help, but
only counsel to the attaining of faith, for faith must be
presupposed to the receiving of comfort and had ready before, as
you showed in the beginning of our communication the first day that
we talked of the matter. But else, I say, except that one kind,
there is none of the rest of those that were before untouched who
would be likely to forsake their faith in this persecution for the
fear and dread of death, save for those grievous qualities--pain, I
mean, and shame--that they see well would come with it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account