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Page 6
bee vnspeakeable || ioy and comforte where God is present,
whiche is the heed of all mirth and gladnes, nowe this is
no straunge thyng, althoughe the mynde of a godly man doo
reioyce contynually in this mortall bodye: where as if the
same mynde or spirit discended into the lowest place of hell
shuld lose no parte of felicitie, for whersoeuer is a pure
mynd, there is god, wher God is: there is paradise, ther is
heauen, ther is felicitie, wher felicitie is: ther is the
true ioy and synsere gladnes. _SP._ But yet they shuld liue
more pleasauntly, if certein incommodities were taken from
them, and had suche pastymes as eyther they dispise orels
can not get nor attaine vnto. _HE._ ||E.i.|| (I praye you)
doo you meane, suche incommodities as by the commune course
of nature folow the c�dition or state of m�: as hunger,
thirst, desease, werynes, age, death, lyghtnyng yearthquake,
fluddes & battail? _SPV._ I meane other, and these also.
_HEDO._ Then we intreate styll of mortal thynges and not of
immortal, & yet in these euils the state of vertuous men,
may bee better borne withal, then of suche as seeke for the
pleasures of the body they care not howe. _SPV._ Why so:
_HEDO._ Especyally because their myndes bee accustomed and
hardened with most sure and moderate gouernaunce of reason
against al outragious affections of the mind || and they
take more patiently those thynges that cannot bee shonned
then the other sort doo Furthermore, for as muche as thei
perceiue, all such thynges ar sent of god, either for the
punishment of their faultes, or els too excitate and sturre
them vp vnto vertue, then thei as meeke and obediente
chyldren receiue them from the h�d of their mercifull
father, not only desireously, but also chearefully and
geue thankes also, namely for so merciful punyshment and
inestimable gaines. _SPV._ But many doo occati� griefes
vnto th� selues. _HEDO._ But mo seeke remedye at the
_Phisicions_, either to preserue their bodies in helth or
elles if they bee sycke, too ||E.ii.|| recouer health, but
willyngly too cause their owne sorowes, that is, pouertie,
sickenes, persecution, slaunder, excepte the loue of God
compel vs therto, it is no vertue but folishnes: but as
often as thei bee punyshed for Christ and iustice sake,
who dar bee so bold as too cal them beggers & wretches?
wh� the Lord himself very famyliarly calleth them blessed,
and comma�deth vs to reioyse for their state and condition.
_SPV._ Neuerthelesse, these thynges haue a certayne payne
and griefe. _HEDO._ Thei haue, but on the onesyde, what for
fear of hel, and the other for hoope of euerlastynge ioye,
the payne is sone past and forgott� Now tell me if you
knewe that || you myghte neuer bee sycke, or elles that you
shoulde feele no payne of your body in your life tyme, if
you woulde but ones suffer your vtter skinne too bee prycked
with a pynnes puinct, would you not gladly and with all your
very heart suffer then so lytle a payne as that is?
_SPV_ Verye gladlye, yea, rather if I knewe perfectlye
that my teeth would neuer ake, I would willynglye suffer
too bee prycked depe with a nedle, and too haue both mine
eares bored through with a bodkin. _HEDO._ Surely what payne
soeuer happeneth in this lyfe, it is lesse and shorter,
compared with the eternall paines, then is the soden pricke
of a needle, incomparis� of the ||E.iii.|| lyfe of man
though it bee neuer so long, for there is no conuenience or
proportion of the thyng that hath ende, and that whych is
infinite. _SPV._ You speake very truly. _HEDO._ Now if a man
coulde fully perswade you, that you should neuer feele payne
in al your life, if you did but ones deuide the flame of ye
fyre, with your hande, whyche thyng vndoughtely _Pithagoras_
forbade, woulde you not gladlye doo it? _SPV._ Yea, on that
condicion I had liefer doo it an hundred times, if I knew
precisely the promiser would kepe touch. _HE._ It is playne
God cannot deceaue. But now that feelyng of paine in the
fyre is longer vnto the whole lyfe of man, then is the
||lyfe of m�, in respect of the heauenlye ioye, althoughe
it were thrise so long as ye yeares of _Nestor_, for that
casting of the hand in the fyre thoughe it bee neuer so
shorte, yet it is some parte of hys lyfe, but the whole
lyfe of man is noo portion of tyme in respect of the eternal
lyfe. _SPV._ I haue nothyng too saye against you.
_HEDO._ Doo you then thyncke that anye affliction or
tourment can disquiet those that prepare them selues wyth a
chearful hearte and a stedfast hoope vnto the kyngedome of
God, wher as the course of this lyfe is nowe so shorte?
_SPVDE._ I thinke not, if thei haue a sure perswasion and a
constant hope too attayne it. _HEDO._ I coome ||E.iiii.|| now
vnto those pleasures, whiche you obiected agaynst me, they
do wythdrawe them selues from daunsynge, bankettynge, from
pleasaunte seeghtes, they dispyce all these thynges, as
thus: for to haue the vse of thinges farre more ioyfulle,
and haue as great pleasure as these bee, but after another
sorte: the eye hath not seene, the eare hath not heard,
nor the heart of man cannot thyncke what consolations _GOD_
hathe ordeined for them that loue hym. Sayncte Paule knewe
what maner of thynges shoulde bee the songes, queeres,
daunsynges, and bankettes of vertuous myndes, yea, in this
lyfe. _SPVDEVS_ but there bee some leafull || pleasures,
whyche they vtterlye refuse. _HEDONIVS._ That maye bee, for
the immoderate vse of leafull and godly games or pastymes,
is vnleaful: and if you wyll excepte this one thing onlye,
in al other thei excelle whiche seeme too leade a paynfull
lyfe, and whome we take too bee ouerwhelmed with all kynd of
miseries. Now I prai you what more roialler sight can ther
be, then ye c�t�plati� of this world? and such men as ye be
in fauour of god keping his holy c�ma�dem�tes & loue his
most blessed testam�t, receiue far geater pleasure in the
syght therof, then thother sorte doo, for while thei behold
wyth ouercurious eyes, ye w�derful worke, their mynde || is
troubled because they can not compasse for what purpose he
doeth such thinges, then thei improue the moost righte and
wise gouernour of all and murmour at his doinges as though
they were goddes of reprehension: and often finde faute with
that lady nature, and saye that she is vnnaturall, whiche
taunt forsooth with as muche spite as can bee shewed with
woordes, greueth nature: but truely it reboundeth on hym,
that made nature, if there bee any at all. But the vertuous
man with godly & simple eyes beholdeth with an excedyng
reioyce of heart the workes of his Lorde and father highly
praysyng th� all, and neither repreh�deth nor || findeth
faut with any of th�, but for euery thyng yeoueth moste
hearty thankes, when he considereth that al were made for
the loue of man. And so in al thynges, he praieth vnto the
infinite power, deuine wisedome, & goodnes of the maker,
wherof he perceiueth moste euident tokens in thynges that
bee here created. Now fain that there were suche a palace in
verie deede as _Apuleus_ faineth, or els one that were more
royall and gorgeouse, and that you shoulde take twoo thither
with you too beholde it, the one a straunger, whiche gooeth
for this intent onely too see the thyng, and the other the
serua�t or soonne of hym that firste causeth this buyldyng,
whether || will haue more delectie in it? the straunger, too
whom suche maner of house dooeth nothyng appartain, or the
soonne whiche beholdeth with greate ioye and pleasure, the
witte, riches, and magnificence of his deerely beloued
father, especially when he dooeth consider all this worke
was made for his sake. _Sp._ Your question is too plain:
for they most c�munely that bee of euill condicions, knowe
that heauen and all thinges contained therin, were made for
mannes sake. _HEDO._ Almoste al knowe that, but some dooe
not remembre it, shewyng th�selues vnth�keful for the great
and exhuber�t benefittes of god, & al though thei remember
it, yet that m� taketh || greater delight in the sight of it
whiche hath more loue vnto the maker therof, in like maner
as, he more chearfully wyll behold the element whiche
aspireth towarde the eternall life. _SPV._ Your saiynges
are muche like too bee true. _HED._ Nowe the pleasures of
feastes dooeth not consist in the delicates of the mouth,
nor in the good sauces of cookes, but in health of body
and appetite of stomacke. You may not thynke that any
delicious person suppeth more pleasauntly hauyng before hym
partriches, turtelles, leuerettes, bekers, sturgeon, and
lamprayes: then a vertuous man hauyng noth�g too eat, but
onely bread potage, or wortes: and nothyng || too drynke,
but water, single bere, or wyne well alayde, be cause he
taketh these thinges as prepared of God vnto all lyuyng
creatures, and that they bee now yeou� vnto him of his
gentyll and mercifull father, praier maketh euery thyng
too sauour well. The petition in ye begynnyng of dyner
sanctifieth all thynges and in a while after there is
recited some holy lesson of the woorde of God: whiche more
refresheth the minde, then meate the body, and grace after
all this. Finally he riseth from the table, not ful: but
recreated, not laden, but refreshed: yea, refreshed both in
spirit and bodie, thynke you that any chief deuiser of these
muche vsed b�kets, & || deintye delicaces fareth nowe more
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