¶Here begynneth a goodly treatyse / and it is called / a notable lesson / otherwyse it is called the golden pystle. Impressus. Anno domini. M.CCCCC.xxx.

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A Good / holsome lesson & profytable vnto al chrystianes / ascrybed vnto saynt Bernarde / and put amonge his werkes [I thynke] by some good man / that wolde it shulde therby haue the more authoryte / and the rather be redde / and better be borne away. For doubtles it is a good mater / and edificatyue vnto all them that haue a zele / and cure vnto soule helthe & desyre of saluacyon. It is called in the tytle. Notabile documētum. that is to say / a nota­ble lesson. And some done call it the goldē py­stle. It foloweth immedyately after a lytell werke called Formula honeste vite. ye forme / and maner of an honest lyfe / or of honest ly­uynge.

YF you intende to please god / and wolde ob­teyne grace to fulfyll the same / two thyn­ges ben vnto you very necessary. The fyrst. You must withdrawe your mynde from all worldly & trāsytory thȳges / in suche maner / as though you cared not wheder any suche thynges were in this worlde / or no. The secunde is. That you gyue and ap­ply youre selfe so wholy to god / and haue youre selfe in suche a wayte / that you neuer do / say / ne thynke / yt you knowe / suppose / or byleue shulde offende or dysplease god / for by this meane / you may sonest and most redely obtayne / and wynne his fauour and grace. In all thyn­ges esteme and acount your selfe most vyle / & most sym­ple / and as very nought in respecte / and regarde of ver­tue / and thynke / suppose / & byleue that all persones ben good / & better than you be / for so shall you moche please our lorde. What so euer you se / or seme to ꝑecyue / in any person / or yet here of any chrystyane / take you none occasion therin / but rather ascrybe / & apply you all vnto the best / & thynke or suppose / all is done or sayde for a good intent / or purpose / though it seme contrary. For mannes suspicions and lyght iudgmentes ben soone / and lyght­ly deceyued / or begyled. Dysplease no person wyllyng­ly. Ne euer speke euyll of any person / though it were ne­uer so true yt you say. For it is not lawfull to shewe in cō fession ye vyce / or defaute of any ꝑson / excepte you myght otherwyse shewe & declare your owne offence. Speke lytell or nought vnto your ꝓpre / & selfe laude / or prayse / thoughe it were true / and vnto your famylyer felowe / or feythfull frēde. But study to kepe secrete / and pryuey your vertue / rather than your vyce. Yet were it a cruell dede for any ꝑsons to defame them selfe. Be more gladde [Page] to gyue your eare / & herynge vnto the prayse / rather thā vnto the dysprayse of any person. And euer byware as well of herynge / as spekynge of detraccyon. And whan you speke / take good deliberacion / & haue fewe wordes / & let those be true / and good: sadly set & wysely ordred. Yf any wordes be spoken vnto you of vyce / or vanyte (as soone as you may) breke of / & leue ye talke / or cōmunyca­cion. And euer returne / and apply your selfe vnto some appoynted good / & godly occupacyon / bodyly / or ghost­ly. Yf any soden chaunce fall or happe vnto you / or vnto any of youres / leyne not to lyghtly ther vnto / ne care moch therfore. Yf it be of ꝓsperite / reioyce not moch therin / ne be ouer glad therof. Yf it be aduersite / be not ouer­cast / or ouerthrowen therwt / ne brought to sorowe / or sadnes / thanke god of all / & set lytle therby. Repute all thȳ ­ges transytorye: as of lytle pryce or valure. Gyue euer most thought / & care vnto those thynges / yt may profyte & promote ye soule. Fle / & auoyde ye persones / & places of moche speche / for better is to kepe scylēce / than to speke. Kepe ye tymes & places of scilēce precysely / so yt you speke not wtout reasonable & vnfeyned cause. The tymes of scilēce in religion bē these. From collacion vnto masse be ended after ye houre of terce. Frō ye fyrst grace ī ye fraytour / vnto ye ende of ye later grace. And frō ye begȳnynge of euē long / vnto grace be ended after souꝑ / or els En̄dicite / af­ter ye cōmune bouer. The places of scilēce / ben: ye churche & ye claustre / ye fraytour & ye dortour. Yf you ye sclaūdred / & done take occasyon at ye faute / or offence of any person / than loke well vpon youre selfe / wheder you be in the same defaute sumtyme your selfe / & than haue cōpassion vpon your brother / or syster. Yf ther be none suche defaut in you / thȳke verely / & byleue / ther may be / & thā do: as [Page] done soone fade / and fle for euer. The good persones / for theyr troubles suffred here vpon erthe: done get & wȳne eterne & euerlastynge glorye / whiche the euyll persones done lose. And contrary these euyll / & synfull persones / for theyr ioy & pleasures here / done reyue by exchaunge eterne & euerlastynge shame / & rebuke wt peyne / & wo vnspecable. Whan so euer thā you ben dysposed to slugysh­nes / or to be drowsy / remysse in prayer / or dull in deuocyon: thā take this lytle werke / or some other good treaty / & rede therin / & euer note well the contentes therof / and what is ment therby. And yf you be not therby delyue­red or eased therof / than shyfte vnto some other werke / or occupacyon / so yt euer you auoyde ydlenes / & al vayne pastymes / whiche in dede ben lose tyme. And than remē bre that those that nowe byde in peyne / other in hell / or yet in purgagory for suche tymes so passed / or lost / had leuer thā all ye worlde / haue suche tyme to redeme theyr peynes by / as you may haue yf you wyl. Tyme thā vnto al ꝑsones wel ocupied / is veray precious / & dere. By­ware well therfore: how you spende it / or passe it. For you can neuer reuoke it / nor call it bakke. Yf the tyme passe you by trouble / & vexacyon / thynke they ben hap­py / and gracyous that ben past this wretched lyfe / and nowe in blys / for they shall neuer haue any suche mise­rye. And whan you fele a conforde or consolacyon spyry­tuall / thanke god therof / & thynke the dampned soules shall neuer haue any suche pleasure. And thus let this be for your exercyse in the datyue. At nyght whan you go rest / fyrst make a counte wt your selfe / & remēbre how you haue spende / or passed yt day & tyme / yt was gyuen you to be vsed in vertue / & how you haue bystowed your thoughtes / your wordes / and your werkes. And yf you [Page] fynde no great thynge amys / gyue the whole laud and prayse vnto our lorde god. And yf you perceyue cōtrary / that you haue mysspende any parte therof / be sory ther­fore / and byseche our lorde of mercy / and forgyuenesse / & promyse and verely purpose to make amendes the nexte day. And yf you haue portunyte ther vpon / it shalbe full conuenyent for you to be cōfessed on the nexte morowe. And specyally yf ye mater done / sayde / or thought by de­liberate consent / do greuously wey / & worke wt a grudge in your conscyēce: than wolde I aduyse you neuer to ete nor drynke / tyll you be dyscharged therof / yf you may cō uenyently get a ghostly father. Now for a conclusyon of this werke / put byfore you / as by case or ymaginacyon. ij. large cytyes / one full of trouble / turmoyle / and myse­rye / and let that be hell. The other cyte full of ioye / glad­nes / conforte / and pleasure / and let that be heuen. Loke well on them bothe / for in bothe be many dwellers / and great compeny. Then cast and thynke within your selfe what thynge here myght so please you that you shulde chuse ye wors cyte / or what thynge shulde dysplease you on the other parte / wherby you shulde withdrawe your selfe from that vertue that myght cōuaye & brynge you vnto the other cyte. And whan you haue studyed well here vpon / and can nothynge fynde / I dare well assure you yf you kepe well the preceptes and coūseyles of this lytle lesson / you shall fynde the ryght way / for the holy ghost wyll instructe / & teche you where you be not suffycyent of your selfe / so you endeuoyre & gyue dylygēce / to bere away & to folowe that here is taught. Rede it euery weke ones / or twyse / or oftener yf you wyll. And where you profyte / gyue thankes / laude / and prayse vnto oure lorde god / & most swete sauyour Iesu chryst / who sende [Page] you his mercy and grace / that alway lyueth god. In se­cula seculorum. Amen.

¶This was brought vnto me in englysshe of an olde translacyon rugh / and rude / and requyred to amende it. I thought lesse labour to wryte newe the whole / and I haue done vnto the sentence not very nere the letter / and in dyuers places added some thynges folowynge vpon the same to make the mater more sentencyous / and full. I byseche you take all vnto the best / and praye for the olde wretched brother of Syon Rychatde Whytforde.

¶Imprȳted by me Wynkyn de Worde / dwellynge in London / in Flete strete / at the sygne of the Sonne. The .xxiij. daye of Nouēber. In ye yere of our lorde god .M.CCCCC. and .xxx.

wynkyn de worde.

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