Neptunus opon the paynemes lawe was called þe god of þe see, and therefor it is seyde to the good knygh þat he shuld serue hym, þat is to vndirstond þat knyghttes, the which gosh often in many viages on the se or in other diueres perelles, haue more nede to be devoute and to serue God and his seyntens than othir peplyl, to the entente [þat] at here nede he may be socourable and helpy to theyme. And thei shulde take a synguler deuocion to some seynte be deuowte prayers, by the which thei may calle to hym or hire in there besynes. And that prayer wyth hert is not all only sufficiaunt, the wise man seith that God all only ys not well serued be wordes but by goode dedes.
Be Neptunus to whom the good knygh shulde calle yf he go ofte by the se we shall vndirstond that the goode sperite, the [which] is continually in the se of the worlde, he shulde calle deuoutely opon his Maker and pray that he wylle gyffe hym grace so to life that he may haue remissyon of his synnes, and he shulde beleve the Article þat Seynt Jude seyth [“Remissionem peccatorum”].
XXXIV.
Looke at all tymes thou take goode hedde
Bothe to Acropose[[289]] craft and his spede,
Which smyteth and sparyth non in no kynde;
That shal make the to haue þi soule in mynde.
Poyetis calle deth Accropos; wherefor it is seide to the good knyght that he shulde thyngke þat he shal not euer lyffe in this worlde, but sone depart derefro. Therfor he shulde sette more store by the vertues of the soule than to delytte hym in bodely delytes; and all Christen pepill[[290]] shulde thynkke þeropon to the entent that [t]he myght remembre to[[291]] provide for the soule, þe which shall endure withowtyn ende. And to this purpose Pytagoras seith that, lech as owre begynnyng comyht of God, owre ende most |f. 32.| nedes be there.
There where it is seyde to the good knygh that he shulde take hede to Acropos, the which is notyd for deth, the same shuld the goode sperite haue, the which by þe merites of the Passyon of owre Lord Jhesu Cryste shulde haue stedefaste hoope with the payne and delygence that he shuld put therto to haue heuen at the last ende; and he shuld beleue stedefastly to ryse ayene at þe day of dome to haue euerlestyng lyfe yf he deserue it, as Seynt Mathi seith in the last Article, where he seith, [“Carnis resurrectionem, vitam æternam”].