Oh my Soule , with a good wil , but heare me . I praye thée remember that I saide vnto thée .

What ?

That thou makest no separation from me , wherby my death might ensue .

What nedest thou to replie so oft ? haue I not saide vnto thée , that I will leaue in thée all mine other powers , but onely intellect and imagination , which is it that makes you vnderstande , and not it that makes you lyue , for that is the power called vegetatiue the whych you haue common wyth trées .

If I beare no peril of death , I am content , and if I do not agree vnto it , blame me , for beastes lyue , and vnderstand not .

Ah foole , dost thou esteme life so much , that thou woldst rather choose to liue fiftie yeres without vnderstanding as a beast , than tenne with intelligence , as a man .

For my parte I had so : doest thou thinke it a prety sporte to die ? I tell thée , I neuer sawe any yet come againe : and of Lazarus that was raysed , they say he was neuer séene laugh afterward , and that was , bicause he was afraide to die once againe , so fearefull was the first vnto him .

This thou speakest , bicause that part , which is voyd of reason , is it that nowe speaketh in thée , but if I were with thée , thou wouldest not say so .

It is so , but as a seruant , not as a maistresse , as I ought , for 〈◊〉 thou haddest folowed my counsell , and not the other called sensuall , thou wouldest haue done as Paule did & many other , which desired to be taken out of thys life , where they knew they were Pilgrims , and brought home to their countrey .

Thou beginnest to trouble my brayne : till a man comes to the points of death , euery one saith so , but when death is present , the man changeth his fantasy : remember our master that went to pray in the gardin , to sée if he coulde escape death .

Ah Iust , he did it not for that , but to shewe with these passions naturall that he was a man , as he had shewed by miracles , and with workes supernaturall , that he was God : but let vs reserue this talke till a more conuenient time : what meaneth it thou arte so long about to light that match ?

I thinke it is somewhat moist , and the stone is not very good , and this iron hath almost worne out the s●éele .

Thou doest as the Poet Daut saith in his banquets . All artificers not cunninge , doe impute all the errours they do , to the matter they work on : why diddest not thou say , bicause I am olde and haue the palsey , and misse the stone oftener than I hit it .

That is true in déede , I cannot deny it , and would to God I did not so al soin other things , for I haue delite to do nothing , and I am come to such a time of age , that euery thing is irksom vnto me , and very pleasure is vnpleasant to me .

And yet wouldst thou not die .

Doest thou not heare that I would not ?

And doest not thou sée that this life of thine is nothing but a death ?

I thinke bicause they are more entangled with the world , in the which they haue liued so long .

Ah that is a very simple reason , and taketh place onely in ●otyes as thou art , and I beleue thou haste learned it of Trées , whych the longer they lyue , the déeper roote they make , and are then harde to be pulled vp : but by the reasonable discourse whych thou haste , and long experience which thou oughtest to haue by thy longe time thou hast lyued , thou oughtest to haue made a better reason .

Be contente , thys may perhappes come of that thou sayest , that a man who hathe lyued longe , and made a Iudgemente by longe experience more perfect , doth better knowe , howe goodly a thyng lyfe is to him , and howe much he ought to estéeine it and haue it in price , wherefore it grieueth him the more to lose it , than it doth a yong man that doth not knowe it : As it would grieue a man more to lose a iewel that knoweth the value therof , than it wold him that knoweth it not .

This thy second reason is not much worth neither , & though it were true , it maketh no lesse for hym that would say the contrary , than it doth for thée .

Which way ? tell me .

Bicause if he that liueth getteth a iudgement , by the which he knoweth better the things , he shal knowe also better how full of miserie our lyfe is . And if a man should not hope for a better in the other world , he should be the most miserable and vnhappy creature in the vniuersall worlde , which is manifestly against al right of reason , he being the most perfecte of all , & hauing vnderstanding , which is a most diuine thing : by the which not onely the holy letters , but also the Pagans and Gentils , do cal him lorde of all other Creatures , and the ende of all other things , which they say are made of nature for him .

Howe canst thou proue , that a man should be the most vnhappy creature of the world , if he dyd not hope for a better life than this ?

Bicause in this life he is much disgraced , naked , without a house , not able to speake , hauing nothing to eate , vnlesse he getteth it ; and when he hath it , cannot vse it , vnlesse it be of other dressed : wheras other beasts be borne clad , some with one thing , some with an other , they haue their houses , some vnder the earth , some in woods , some in flouds , and the earth bringeth forth all things nedefull for them , without any payne : and what testimony canst thou haue more cléere of this , than Plinie , which in his consideration of al things , was so angry with Nature , as he called hir mother of beasts , and stepdame of man .

Wel , I am content it be so , but what makes this to my reason ? which y● saist is aswel against me as with me ?

Bicause , he that shal handle these matters reasonably & without any affection , he wil conclude , that his felicity is not in this life , wher the other brute beasts inferiour to him haue it ( if they may neuerthelesse be called happy ) of the which being certified by natural reason & the light of fayth , he wil not much regarde lyfe , but rather be troubled : with a desire to be out of it , and to go to the other , as they haue done that haue despised vice , & gon by the way of vertue , so as if thou hast no better reason , this is only in aparance , & concludeth nothing .

Oh my Soule , wherof cometh that ?

That is it I haue thought to tell thée ( O my body ) for so must I call thée , to speake rightly , & not Iust , as I haue done & wil doe , bicause I will not trouble thy brayne too much : but wilt thou that I tell thée ?

It commeth of little faith : and surely ther is nothing that causeth deth both to olde and yong to be sorowfull , but that they beleue too little .

Ah , ah , a great Citizen of ours said well , who I thinke had in himselfe proued by experience , when he caused his graue to be made , halfe within the Church dore , and halfe without .

Well , this thou must thinke Iust , the men be like vnto on vs , wherof the yong be soone taken . But as thy friend Daut fayth .

Oh God , I thinke thou sayst true , bicause I remember since I was a yong man , that many times at certain deuotions that we made in a company , & certain prechings that I heard , I was easely to be entreated to die : But nowe backea while , for I would make any contract , to liue .

Ah , ah , how thinkest thou , is it not as I haue saide ? but maruel not at that , for the maner of yong men and women is easely to beleùe .

I am of thine opinion , but heare me , the fault is more thine than mine , for thou art she to whom beli●●e doth appertaine , and not I.

It is true that I ought to beleue , neuer the lesse , the principall cause that maketh that I doe not , is thy selfe .

Oh , how so ? sée how thou woldest cast the blame vpon an other .

Thou knowest howe I can haue no knowledge whiles I am vnited with thée , but by the meanes of thy senses , the which , knowing nothing but sensible thyngs , doe force me thorow the great vnion that is betwene thée and me , to goe by that path , which thou shewest me , & that is by the things of the world .

These he but wordes , for thou art one thy selfe , and as thou sayst , the principal , why then d●st thou not make me folow thée , and not thou follow me , if I goe a wrong way ?

I am bound within thée , and : so clo●ged of thy earthly nature , that I lose the , greater parte of 〈◊〉 strength ; and ●a 〈…〉 lifte vp my selfe to heauen , as the perfection of my nature doth require . Besides this , the reasons with the which I shoulde make thée assured of the light of faith , haue not so great forc● ▪ as haue the knowledge of sense which thou ●euest me . But beleue me Iust , that death doth not greue hym that deleueth .

This might as well be of him that b●leueth not , for●● might thynke that when he dieth , as his pleasures shall 〈◊〉 , so shal his paynes ende also : of the which I thinke there is no lesse number in the worlde than of the pleasures , as thou didst say .

And who is he that thinketh there is nothing in the other world ?

Oh , it had ben aswell said , so many vertues hadde I , but I sée Iust that thou 〈◊〉 an earthly piece , and crauest nothing but earthly things .

Oh , if there were nobody else , howe many Popes haue there bene ▪

What Popes , how like a 〈◊〉 speakest thou ?

I speake of them tha● ha●● interpreted The Pope , cause of some euill opinion of the Soule . the booke of Lazarus so wy●kedly , as they haue sayd , that in the other worlde is nothing .

What booke of Lazarus speakest thou of ▪

Oh , as though y● knewst it not .

No not I.

Well thou shalt know it now . They say that Lazarus being asked after his rising , of many of his friends , what was in the other world , he aunswered , he wold leaue it in writing . Now , eyther that he forgot it , or that it is not lawfull to speake of things of the other world , of one that had ben ther , as S. Paule saide , when he died lefte a booke sealed , with order , it should be giuen to the Pope , in the which nothing was written : wherfore the Pope that no slaunder shold be giuen to the world , which with great desire , did loke to hear what was ther , did hide it , saying , he might not open it to any , but to his successor , & so the Bishops haue done from one to an other till this day . Now they that haue expounded the matter godly , affirming the cause to be , that it is not lawful for men to know the things there , farther than hath ben declared to vs by the scripture , be they that haue ben good men : & the other , that haue thus interpreted the mater , that the meaning is , that in the other world is nothing , be they whom thou hast séene , which when they haue come to their Papacie , haue done that Popes serue their turnes . they thought might serue their turne .

A Iust , these be tales deuised of such as thou art but I wil say this vnto thée , that if thou considerest well , thou neuer foundst any that can beleue this , that there is nothing absolutely and without al respect : for they should haue to much contentacion and pleasure in this world , & they might fulfil all theyr desires without any trouble of ●●nde , which were no small thinge , and they might also say , as that honest woman , which being taken in the sacke of Genoua , saide : God be thanked , that I shal once haue my luste , without any remorse of conscience .

I thinke thou sayest truth , for I haue hearde there was once one in Florence that was called M. Iohn de Caui , a Phisitian & Philosopher , most famous , the which whilest he liued shewed him selfe alwayes to be re●olued , that the Soule was mortall , neuerthelesse when he was a dying he saide , by and by I shall be out of a great force . And diuers other whom I haue knowne to be of that opinion in their life , haue ben otherwise at their death . Wherof one Naum Grosso , and Lance Goldesmith liuing pleasantly , and beleuing in apparaunce , not muche aboue the house top , yet at their deathe , the one called for a crucifixe , but woulde haue it giuen him by the hand of Donatello , that was dead . The other sayd , I recommend my self to him in the other worlde , that can do moste , be it God or the deuil , and he that most may , let him most catche .

Let these things go , for they haue more of brutishnesse than of reason : and if thou remembrest , thou shalt finde , that in thy time , there haue ben halfe a score & more , whom thou hast knowne to haue been in their life scarce religious , & haue séemed to beleue too litle , and yet haue liued morally , and as behoueth to reasonable creatures , which at the point of death not beyng able neuer to quench a certaine prick of reason , and a certain desire and acknowledgyng Immortalitie of the Soule . of Immortalitie , although it were confused , and iudging it naturall , and knowyng that naturall desires be not vain , nor of things that can not be hadde , they haue bene reduced to God , and haue confessed their erroure , and so recommended them selues to God , as he hath giuen them the lyghte of Fayth , whereby they haue dyed Christian men . But lette vs leaue thys reasonyng , and goe lyghte thy candle , bycause it shal be tyme by and by that thou go to thy worke .

Thou haste a thousande reasons , and I stayde to reason wyth thée . What ayleth thys tynder that it wyll not take ? nowe thankes bée to GOD , it is lyght . Oh , oh , good Lorde , What a goodly thyng ? what a goodly Creature ? Oh my Soule , blessed bée thou , for thou art a faire thyng .

Sitte , sytte Iust , least thou fall , for thou art olde .

I can not holde my selfe , but I muste néedes embrace thée , wyllyng thée so , well , and neuer hauyng seene thee before . But alas , what is the matter , I féele nothyng , yet I sée thée : Am I not well in my wyttes ?

Iust , thou makest profession of a Dautist , and thou doest not remember it , when thou shouldest . Doest not thou remember , that the lyke also happened vnto Daut hymselfe , when that he woulde haue embraced Casella : And the cause is this , that we be as shadowes , and do only shewe oure selues to the sighte , but wée can not bée proprely touched , bycause that we be withoute bodyes : And this body which I haue made me , being of the aire , is also vntouchable .