Beware to be Inquysytyf / or to muse on hyghe maters and subtyll. And leue them to worldely people / and to clerkes / for otymes the letter may hurte you Thynke euer yt ye had leuer dye than ones to passe the clausures or boûdes of your monasterye. Yf ye haue a faythfull & a Iuste frende / to whom ye may open ye secretes of your herte / than ye haue a grete tresour / for oftymes one shall be deceyued & seldome can iuge the trouth in his owne maters so well as other. Knowe your owne synnes & wayle them & medle wt none other. Beware euer of detraccion & flee it as it were a venemous serpent / yt the speker therof be your contenaûce & departynge from them may be ashamed / & therwith lothe for euer so to speke or do. Moreouer yf ye wyll see your spouse Ihesu cryst in your mynde by contemplacõn euer kepe your sylence. For saynt Ierom sawe many in Egypt amonge holy faders that .vij. yeres togyder spake not owne worde / but only to god & to his saynt. Yf the caas be so yt ye must speke / lete it be in all peas & charyte & wt fewe wordes. Remembrynge yt your spouse loueth no voyde claterynge / but wolde be wt you alone in all quyetnesse in your soules. Wherfore be ye aferde to dysplease hym or to dryue hym out from you wt stryues or debate / sclaundres / othes / and suche other /
Saynt Iames coûselleth eche man to refrayne his tonge / sayenge that lyf & deth ben in the power of ye same tonge / wrytynge thus. Who that refrayneth his tonge he shalbe blessyd in all dedes &c. Knowleche your self at all tymes carayne and erthe / & the glory therof is as a floure in the medowe. Absteyne you as pylgryms from all desyres of ye flesshe / the whiche dayly bataylleth ayenst the soule. Absteyne also from lyes at all tymes / as ye wolde from helle / for them in no wyse loueth Ihesus your spouse. And also beware to mayntene or botrace suthe lyes whiche is abhomynable in the syght of god. Yf there come ony straûger vnto you / lete hym knowe by your heuenly talkynge & behauyour yt ye be a well taught spouse of cryste & yt they may glorefye in you & for you & be amended by you. Bere ye wordes of saynt Ierom in your mynde that sayth thus. Truste me verely yt theris no thynge more peryllous to a man. than is a woman / & to a woman no thynge more contagyous than is a man / for eyther of them is chaff & eyther is fyre. And note this for a truth / yt preuy talkyng lacketh no suspycyon. That thynge is not lefull to be seen / yt is not lefull to be desyred. More than ony man can suppose or wryte / ye deuyll reioyseth whan memorye of o man is fixed & had in a womãnes herte. There is no venym in the worlde so noysom to woman as is affeccõn towarde man of what soeuer cause it procede or growe. Ye may see yt the desyre of worldly wymen is euer in vesture / golde / precyous stones / & ornament outwarde of the body / & therin they put theyr glorye & felycyte. In so moche yt it suffyseth not them theyr luste gyuen by nature only / but they seke occasyon & craft by the sayd premysses to encreace theyr sayd luste & desyres to theyr grete dampnacõn / beware ther fore of ony costely habyte or suche vanytees &c. Certaynly sayth the sayd saynt Ierom / ye pryncypall desyre is of suche wymen yt men sholde fest theyr eyen in ye faces of them by the prouocacõn & syght of theyr precyous arraye. But they sholde cõsyder though nature hath gyuen to golde / & suthe other a precyosyte wherby they ben praysed / what is yt to the vyle carkas yt it hangeth vpon / the whiche is but a sachell of dounge brought forth of vnclene seed & fynally shall be wormes mete.
The wordes of saynt Ierom.
Thou moost vylest & worse than ony beest how shamefast sholdest ye be in thy body yf thou woldest beholde thyself / yt so in thyn arraye auaûcest thyself. And this blessyd Ierom sayth. I take them for no relygyous wymen yt ben cladde in costlyous araye or in a wanton & pynched habytes but he calleth them in latyn. Pessimas meretrices et storta. Wherfore desyre ye to go in vyle & vnshapely vesture. that wanton & dissolute persones may rather be prouoked to scorne & laughe at you than to thynke euyl or desyre you / for they say not trouthe that do ensure themself with a glorye to kepe chastyte in a costely or ony shapely vesture / ye shal be called ladyes / for bycause that ye shall be spoused to the kyng of all kynges. Beware than & take hede with all mekenesse to your dygnyte / in lesse than your spouse be greued & make a deuorce & to departe from you. Yf that ye wyst & ones had tasted how swete your spouse were. ye sholde haue pleasyr ynough that passeth all worldly pleasyrs. This Ioye & pleasye had saynt Ierom & many other both of men & wymen / kepe the mansyon of your spouse clene / & garnysshe it with floures of vertue / and accompte your self moost vyle & outcaste of this worlde. Remembre also how in your baptysme ye forsoke the worlde / the enuye / and all theyr pryde & glory / the whiche now ye shall cõferme vnder ye grettest othe that may be / & therwith receyue our lorde god in sacramêt in this your fyrste entrynge in to religyon. Beware also of vayne glory / lyftynge vp your vysage & voyce on hyghe as wymen done in the worlde. Rebukyng other or to speke of your noble blood or kynrede / for in the spousage and seruyce of god / the poorest mannes doughter lyuynge shall be egall & lyke to the gretest kynges doughter lyuynge in erthe. Ye muste forsake all suche worldely pompe & vanyte & take a newe & a more sure noble dignyte by your spouse Ihesu cryst that neuer shall haue ende / the poorest of you bryngeth more to the monastery / so that ye come with a meke herte and in wyll to forsake yf that ye hadde neuer so moche / than she that bryngeth moche with a proude herte / and therwith to other wolde haue it knowen. Beware euer that no foule worde or stryue be amonge you yt ben deed folke in this worlde. But euer thynke yt the trompe of the last daye of Iugement soundeth in your eeres / and calleth you sayenge. Ryse doughters Ryse / & come to your Iugement. Lete euer your mynde be with your spouse / and with your moder blessyd Marye / & the sayntes as often as ye synge or rede. Remembrynge yt god is there present and seeth what ye do Lete none see you from the seruyce of god or vnoccupyed. In redynge of prophetes epystles / gospelles / sayntes lyues / & other dedes of vertue doynge / hauynge euer bokes in your handes / studyenge or wrytynge / yt people seynge you may saye. Beholde here the seruaût of god / & the lanternes of the worlde. Beware also of glotony whiche is moder of all vnclennesse & bocheres of chastyte / & kepe your stomake rather voyd than to take to it superfluyte wherthorugh ye shall not nede to take medicynes for a digestyon. Vse curtesly to ete & not gredely nor hastely / for therin may ye synne. It is wryten in the lyf of saynt Benet yt a religious woman wt a gredenes receyued a wycked spiryte in etynge of letuse in ye gardeyn. Also they yt vse to drynke wyne go not wtout fyre î theyr bosom. And euer beware of dronkenshyp / remenbrynge yt abstynence & fastynge is a sure medycyne for all sekenes. And by them cometh grete vertue & grace. Not for thy beware of vndiscrete abstynence / whiche myght cause you to haue payne here & in tyme to come. Whan tyme is of redyng at your meles & repast or ony other good doctryne than beware of speche or laughynge / but take hede to ye lecture. And knocke pryuely your brestes & that yf ye may with fallynge of teeres / after your meles reherce your lectures or some notabilytees of sermons or other holy thynges yt ye haue herde or seen afore. And whan ye praye be sory for the Ignoraûce of the people & theyr synnes / & mynde the soules that ye be specyally boûde to praye for with all other crysten soules. And yf ye wyl haue ye swetenes of contemplacõn / clense your herte from all worldly thynges. And be as ye were deed amonge them & as ye were buryed in your sepulcre the whiche betokeneth your monastery / to the tyme ye aryse & appere afore your spouse to haue your rewarde of his glory. Whan ye shal go to your garden & seen the herber & grene trees smellynge ye floures & fruytes with theyr swetnesse / meruaylle the grete power of god in his creatures / & thenne labour & engendre in your mynde / or talkynge of deuocõn & lyfte vp your herte to heuen / & thynke verely yt the maker of them that is your spouse in heuen is vnspekable fayre / swete / delectable / and gloryous. But beware touche there nothynge to a vayne vse or nycete of the worlde. After complyne kepe your tonge & take you to prayer & contemplacion. And call to your mynde suche heuenly thynges that ye haue herde or redde afore. See in ony wyse that ye kepe this poynt of goddes lawe & of ye lawe of nature. Do euer to an other as ye wolde be done vnto
Deo gracias.