REmember first of all (vertuous reder) that it is high wisedome & great perfecti­on, thy selfe to know, and then thy selfe to despise. Thou must knowe that thou hast nothing that good is of thy selfe, but of God: For the gifts of nature, & al other tem­poral giftes of this world, which be lawfully and truely obtained, well considered, beene come to thee by the infinite goodnesse and grace of God, and not of thy selfe. But in especial it is necessarie [Page]for thee to knowe that God of his great grace hath made thee his I­mage, hauing regarde to thy memo­rie, vnderstanding, and free will, and that God is thy maker, & thou his wretched creature, & that thou art redeemed of God by the passion of Christ Iesu, and that God is thy helper. thy refuge, and thy deliuerer from all euil, and to consider and knowe the goodly order which God of his infinite wisedome hath orday­ned thee to be ordered by. As to haue these temporal goodes for the necessitie of thy body: the body and sensual appetites to be ordered by thy soule: thy soule to be ordred by reason & grace: by reason and grace to knowe thy duetie to God and to thy neighbour, and by all common reason if thou kepe this conuenient order to God and his creatures, they shall keepe their order to thee: [Page]But if thou breake thine order to them, of likely hood they shal breake their order to thee. For how should thy wife, children, seruaunts, and o­ther creatures, with the which thou hast dooings, doo their dutie, and kepe their order to thee, if thou doest not so to God and to them? And also thinke thou of a suretie, that if thy sensuall apetite be not ordred by rea­son and grace, thou art worse ordred than a beast: for then thou liuest out of order, & so doth not a beast, which is a great shame and rebuke to thee a reasonable creature, and without the great mercie of God, it shalbe to thine eternal damnatiō. And there­fore thinke and thanke God, and vt­terly disspise thy selfe, and thinke thy selfe a great wretch, in that God hath done so much for thee, and thou hast so oft offended his highnesse, & also done him so litle seruice. Sure­ly [Page]it is also great wisedom to think, that if it had pleasd God for to haue giuen to all other men (aswell beg­gers as other) like grace as he hath giuen to thee, that they would haue serued his goodnes better than thy selfe hast don: Wherefore thinke thy selfe a wretch of al wretches, except the mercy of God. And therefore by his infinite mercy and grace, call vnto thy remembraunce the degree or dignitie which almightie God of his goodnes hath called thee vn­to, and according thereunto yeelde thy debt, and doo thy duetie.

¶ First and principally, honour God as thy maker, loue him as thy redeemer, feare him as thy iudge. Secondarily, thy neighbour which is thy superiour, obey: Haue con­corde and peace with them which be euen with thee in degree: & haue mercy and pity on thine inferiours [Page]Thirdly, prouide thee to haue a cleane heart, and a good custodie of thy toong. Pray and take labor by grace to haue wisedome & cunning to do thy duetie to God and to thy neighbour. And in all thy words & dedes haue euer in minde, that God and his angels heareth and seeth e­uerie thing, and that nothing is so priuily done, but it shal be made o­pen. And in especial haue in minde that thou shalt die shortly, and how Christ died for thee, the subtilty and falsenes of this temporal world, the ioyes of heauen, and the paines of hell. And euery morning, among o­ther thy meditations and prayers, pray vnto thy Lord God, that the day folowing, thou (acording to the degree which he of his infinite goodnesse and mercie hath called thee vnto) maiest vse this temporall wretched world in thy thaughtes [Page]words, and deedes, that by them and the merite of Christes passion, thou maiest eschewe the paines of hel, and come to the ioy euerlasting. And in executing thereof kepe truth in wordes and deedes. Defende no man, nor no matter, against the trueth. In all thinges thinke and trust in God, and he shal direct thy wayes. Trust not to thine owne witte, but feare God, and he will keepe thee from euil. If thou trust more in thine owne witte than in the grace of God, thy policie shall be soone subuerted. Be content to heare good counsayle, though it be contrarie to thy will: For he is a verie foole that will heare nothing gladlie, but that is according to his mind. Do thou no man harme, least thou sufferest the same. As thou wouldest be done vnto, so do thou vnto other. Be such to other, [Page]as thou desirest they should be to thee. If thou be religious, remem­ber that the due execution of true religion is not in wearing of the habite, but with a cleane mynde in verie deede to execute the rules and ordinances of religion: For so it is, that to weare the habite and not to execute the rule and order of religion, is rather to be deemed hipocrisie, or apostatasie, than o­therwise. If thou be lay and vn­maried, keepe thee cleane vnto the time thou be maried. And remem­ber the sore and terrible punish­mente of Noys flood, and of the ter­rible fire and brimstone & sore pu­nishmente of Sodome and Go­mor, done to man for misusing of the fleshe. And in especial ca [...]l to remembrance the marueilous and horrible punishmente of that ab­hominable great pocks daiely ap­pearing [Page]to our sightes, groing in & vpon mans flesh, the which sore pu­nishment (euerie thing wel remem­bred) cannot be thought, but prin­cipally for the inordinate misuse of to fleshe. And if thou intende to ma­rie, or be maried, and hast a good wife, thanke our Lorde therefore, for shee is of his sending. Ane re­member that three thieges in espe­ciall beene pleasaunt to the spirite of God, that is to say, concorde be­tweene brethren, loue and charitie betwene neighbours, and a man & his wife wel agreeing. And if thou haue an euil wife, take pacience, & thanke God, for all is for the best, well taken: How be it thou art bounde to doo and praie for her a­mendement, least shee go to the De­uil, from whom she came. And haue in remembraunce, that the intent of mariage is not in the beastly apetite [Page]or pleasure in the thing, but the in­tent there of is, to eschewe the sinne of the flesh, or else to haue children. And if thou haue children, as much as thou mayest bring them vp in vertue, to be the seruaunts of God: for it is better for thee and them not to be borne, than to be other wise. In thine aucthoritie, busie thee ra­ther to be beloued of thine infery­ours, than to be dreaded. Let thy subiectes and seruauntes rather serue and obey thee for loue, than for dreade or neede: With such a so­ueraigne goodnesse gouerne thy subiectes, that they may be glad to serue thee both in punishing and in cherishing.

Keepe a manerly meane. Be not to straite. Forgiue not to soon. Keep a conueniēt mesure in al thy works Go not to meate as a beast, but as a easōable man, say thy grace, & then [Page]remenber that mo be sicke and die by superfluities of meates, then o­therwise. Wherefore eate with measure, to liue in health. at thy meate haue none other but honest communication, and such as is ac­cording to thy cunning. Backbite no man. Be merie in honestie: For sorrow and care hath killed many, and no profite therein. In no wise sweare, without compulsion of the lawe: For whereas is great swea­ring, frō thence is neuer the plague of God. In no wise braul, ne chyde without an vrgent cause: For Salomon sayth, better is a little with ioye, than a house ful of vitailes with brawling. Also he sayth, An euil person is euer chyding, and therefore the Angell of God shall be sent against him. Be content at thy dinner, & also at other times to geue part of that which God [Page]hath sent thee: For he that wil not heare the cry of a poore man, he shal cry to God, and not be heard. After thy meat thanke God of that he hath sent thee, or els thou dost not as a reasonable man, but like a beast, which in eating remembreth nothing but his meate. With good prouidence and discretion see thee time where, when, how, why, or wherefore thou speakest, doest, or byddest any thing to be don. When thou deemest or iudgest any, be he poore or riche, behold and consider the cause, and not the person. Be as meeke in other mens causes and offences, as in thine own. Sit ne­uer in dome and iudgement with­out pitie or mercy. For while thou hast pitie, and art mercifull to o­ther mens offences, thou hast mer­cie on thy selfe: For in what mea­sure thou measurest, it shal be mea­assured [Page]to thee. Yet thou must exe­cute iudgemente, but it must be with pitie or mercy: For (of a suretie) to do mercie & iustice, is more pleasaunt to God, then to pray or to doo sacrifice vnto him. Deeme no man by light suspections. First prone, and then deeme. In doubtes, reserue the sen­tence to Gods might. That thou knowest not, commit it to God. haue litle or none affection & loue to these earthlie and temporall thinges.

For blessed is the riche man that trusteth not in his money and trea­sure. Remember, as a man loueth so he is: For the louer is in the thing loued more properlie, than in him selfe. Wherefore, if a man loue earthlie thinges, he may be called, an earthly man. And if he loue prin­cipallie heauenlie thinges or God, he may be called, An heauenty or a Godly man. And therefore loue God [Page]and heauenly thinges, for vndoub­tedly that is best and most assured loue, for they be and euer shall be permanente, and all earthly things be soone vanished and ended, and so the loue of them is in vaine. Al­so it is wisedome to feare God: For as he sayeth him selfe. Feare not him that may kill the bodie, and can not hurt the soule: but feare him that can kill the bodie and also the soule, and commit them to euerlas­ting paine. Wherefore, euery eue­ning ere thou go to bed, cal to re­membraunce (as much as thou canst) thy thoughtes, words, and deedes, sayd and don that day. And if any haue been to thine owne pro­fite and to the pleasure of God, har­tily thanke him, for by his grace it was done. And if any haue beene contrarie to his pleasure, aske har­tily mercy and reconcile thy selfe [Page]shortly by repentaunce, to eschewe the euerlasting and terrible paines of hel. For (as Saint-Austine sayth) there is not a greater madness, than for a little temporal delecta­tion (which is soone done) to lose the eternall ioye, and to be bounde to euerlasting paine: from the which the almightie Father of hea­uen by his infinite power and mer­cy, and bitter passion and infinite wisdome of Iesu Christ, and by the infinite goodnes and cha­ritie of the holy Ghost keepe vs. Amen. Deo gracias.