FOR AS MUCH as the lande over the sea, that is to say, the holy land, that men cal the land of Behest,[2] among all other lands is most worthy & Soveraine, for it is blessed, halowed, and sacred of the precious bloud of our Lord JESU CHRIST, in the which land, it liked him to take flesh and bloud of the Virgin Mary, & to environ that lande with his owne feete, and there he wold do many myracles, preach and teach the fayth and the law of Christen men, as unto his children, & there he would suffer many reprouves and scornes for us, and he that was King of heaven and hell, of ayre, of sea, of lande, and of all things that are contained in them, wold alonely[3] be called King of that land, when he sayde, _Rex sum Judeorum_, I am King of Jewes: For that tyme was that lande of Jewes, and that lande he chose before all other landes, as the best & most worthy of vertues of all the world. And as the Philosopher sayth, _Virtus rerum in medio consistit_. That is to say, the vertue of things is in the midst: and in that lande he would leade his lyfe, and suffer passion and death of the Jewes for us, to save and deliver us from the paines of hell, and from deathe without ende, the which was ordeyned to us for the sinne of our father Adam, and our owne synnes also, for as for himself he had none evil done ne[4] deserved, for he never thought ne dyd any evyll, for he that was King of Glory and of joy might best in that place suffer death. For he that will do any thinge that he will haue knowen openly, he wyll proclayme it openly in the myddle place of a towne or of a citie, so that it may bee knowne to all parties of the citie, so he that was King of glory and of all the worlde would suffer death for us at Hierusalem, which is in the mydst of the worlde, so that it might be knowen to all nations of the worlde how deare he bought man, that he made with his handes in his owne likenesse, for the great loue that he had to us. Ah dere God, what love he had to his subjects, when he that had done no trespasse, would for us trespassours suffer death: for a more worthy catell[5] he might not have sette for us, then his owne blessed bodie and his owne precious bloud the which he suffered for us: right wel ought men to love, worship dreade, and serve such a Lord, and prayse such an holy lande that brought forth a lord of such fruite, through the which eche man is saved but if it be his own defaute. This is that lande prepared for an heritage to us, and in that lande would he dye as seased,[6] to leaue it to his children. For the which eche good Chrysten man that may & hath wherewith, should strengthen him for to conquere our righte heritage, and purchace[7] out of the evill peoples handes: for we are cleped[8] christen men of Christ our father, and if we be the ryght children of Christ, we oughte to challenge the heritage that our father lefte us & take it out of straunge mens handes. But now Pryde, Covetyse and Envy hath so