He synnes yt we dayly do. The short tyme that we shall abyde here. The vncertayne of the daye of our deth. The vnstablenes & fraylte of vs. The strayte & ferefull Iugement of god. The bytter & vnspekable paynes ordeyned for synnes. The euerlastynge losse of eternall glorye.
Here foloweth a short remêbraûce for confessyon to al peple / & in especyal to al religious folke.
Eldom shalt yu fynde tyme in all the yere in whiche yu shalt not haue cause to shryue the of some of these folowynge / that is to wete of hasty or neclygence saynge ye seruyce of god / or of lesynge of tyme / or els of vayne thought or of vndue reuerence to god or to our lady or his saynt or to ye other yt ben thy souerayns. Or in forgetynge god & his dayly benefayt. & not thankyng hym for his creacion & his redempcõn. & yt he gaf the yt mynde to dyspose the better than other ben wt suche other. And also not thankynge hym for thy dayly sustenaunce / clothynge & helth of thy body & for remissyon of thy synnes / for thyn enherytaûce of heuen wt other Innumerable. Also remêbre thy wode wordes or noysom / or els fals Iugementes in thy mynde / or fals suspycõn. Also of ony mouynge to wrath or to vayne heuynes or vayne gladnes. Also serche in thy mynde yf yu haue well spended ye daye & nyght without synne / as yf yu haue prayed or rede to lytell with suche other. Also yf yu haue past thy boûdes in wordes or in etynge or drynkynge / slepynge or laughynge with suche other. Also remembre how yu haste kepte the maundementes of thy souerayne / chastyte / pouerte / sylence in places & houres accordynge as yu art called for to do. Also yf ony persone in worde sygne or dede yu haste offended & gyuen ony cause or occasyon of greuaûce. Remembre also yf yu hast ouerskypped in the seruyce of god ony wordes / verses / or ony Inclynacyons & suche other. And of the wauerynge of thy mynde / thyn eyen / & other vnmanerly behauyour of all thy body. Also of thy vnhonest & noysom thoughtes / that yu sholde miyghtly resyst not taryenge with them by thy wyll. Serche also yf yu haue grutched for mete or drynke or other necessaryes for bycause they were not gyue to the after thy pleasyr. Loke also yf yu haue synned in moche takynge of mete & drynke / or ony other necessaryes more than nede requyred &c.
Saynt Bernarde to a newe begynner in relygyon.
F yu entende to please god & woldest obteyne grace to fulfyll the same two thynges ben to the necessary. Fyrst thou must withdrawe thy mynde from all transytory & erthely thynges as who saye yu carest as lytell for them as there were none suche thynges. The seconde is yt yu gyue thyself to god / that yu saye nor do ony thynge / but that only that yu verely byleuest sholde please god And in this wyse folowynge yu 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 yu 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 ye 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 & yt whan yu 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 yu spekest haue fewe wordes / true / & sadde & euer of god / yf ony worldely persone speke wt ye and purpose or vtter vayne wordes / as soone as yu mayst breke out of suche comunycacõn & talkynge & talke of god & of his vertues / or elles departe & gyue ye 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 yu mayst to ye wele & prosperyte of thy soule flee places of moche speche as moche as yu canst. For it is moche better 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 yu seest ony thynge yt 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 yu may profyte what soeuer cause yu 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 yu be lyght of contenaûce see it be but selde / haue thy comunicacion but wt fewe persones & shortly behaue thyself so in all thy sayenge that yu speke not rather in a doubte than men sholde take auctoryte or groûde of thy sayenge. The seconde yu mayst obteyne in this wyse. Gyue thyself with grete deuocyon to praye & lete thyn herte agree with yt yu sayest both daye & nyght. Remembre also dylygentely that thou ymagyne the state of them / in whose remembraûce yu makest thy prayer. These thre haue alwaye in thy mynde / what yu were / what yu art / & what yu shalt be. By reason of thy body / yu were foule slyme of the erthe / & now thy body is the hous of fylte & derte / & herafter it shall be wormes mete. Also ymagyne ye paynes of them yt ben in helle & how that payne shall neuer haue ende / & how they suffre all these paynes for a lytell delectacõn & pleasyr in synne. Also ymagyne the Ioye of paradyse / & how that shal neuer be fynysshed & how shortly and soone it may be goten. Than thynke what sorowe & waylynge may be to them yt for so lytell a thynge here haue lost so grete Ioye contynuell. And whan yu hast ony thynge that doth dysplease the / or elles yu dredest to haue it / thynke & yf yu were in helle yu sholdest haue that / & all that yu woldest not haue / & so shalt yu suffre all thynge for crystus sake & his loue. Also whan yu hast ony thynge that pleaseth the / or elles that yu desyrest to haue / thynke & yf thou were in paradyse yu sholdest haue it & all other thynges that thou woldest desyre. Also whan there falleth ony fest of ony saynt thynke on hym what payne he suffred here for goddes sake & how shorte his payne was. Than thynke how greate Ioye he hath in heuen for that whiche is euerlastynge. And soo thou mayst thynke that the trybulacion or tourmentynge of the good men is soone gone. And in lyke wyse the Ioye of euyll men fadeth anone. but good men with theyr trybulacyon here geteth eternall glorye. And euyll men with theyr ouermoche Ioye here geteth euerlastynge payne. Furthermore whan yu art accombred wt slouth & lackest deuocõn / take this wrytynge & ymagyne dilygently all these thynges rehersed. Than thynke of the tyme yt yu lesest in vayne ydelnes / & thynke yt they that ben in helle wolde gyue all the worlde for so moche tyme to redeme theyr synnes yf they myght haue it. Whan yu hast ony trouble / thynke that they yt ben in paradyse shall neuer haue suche trouble. And whan yu hast ony spirytuell consolacyon or comforte / thynke yt they that ben in helle shall euer lacke that. Whan thou goost to bedde or to thy rest / thynke what yu hast thought / what yu hast sayd / what yu hast done that daye. And how prouffytable yu haste spende thy tyme / the whiche was gyuen the to spende it vertuously / to obteyne euerlastynge lyf. Yf yu haue spended it well / gyue praysynge to god. And yf yu haue spended it euyll / wepe & be sory for it. And the next daye yf thou may / dyfferre not to be confessed. Yf yu haue sayd or done ony thynge that greueth thy conscyence sore / ete no mete vntyll yu be shryuen & yu mayst. Now for a conclusyon / ymagyne in thy mynde two cytees / one full of trouble & mysery whiche is helle / an other full of Ioye and comforte whiche is paradyse. And how to one of these two ye must nedes come. Than thynke in thyself what thynge sholde cause the to do euyll / or what thynge sholde drawe the fro god. And I trowe yu shalt fynde none suche. I am certayne yf thou kepe well all these yt ben wryten here. The holy goost wyll be with the & teche ye to kepe them parfytly. Wherfore kepe well all these preceptes & cõmaûdementes & leue none behynde. Rede them twyes in the weke / on wensdaye & saterdaye. And as yu fyndest thou hast done as it is wryten. Gyue praysynge to god / whiche is euer pyteous & mercyfull in worlde withouten ende Amen.