Here begynneth a goodly treatyse, and it is called, A notable lesson, otherwyse it is called The golden pystle Whitford, Richard, fl. 1495-1555? This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A08836 of text S664 in the English Short Title Catalog (STC 1912). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 10 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 6 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 A08836 STC 1912 ESTC S664 22152650 ocm 22152650 25186 2264183130

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 Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A08836) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 25186) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 2248:5, 1762:25) Here begynneth a goodly treatyse, and it is called, A notable lesson, otherwyse it is called The golden pystle Whitford, Richard, fl. 1495-1555? Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 91-1153. Epistola de perfectione vitae. [8] p. : ill. Impry[n]ted by me Wynkyn de Worde, dwellynge in London, in Flete strete, at the sygne of the Sonne, [London] : the xxiii daye of Noue[m]ber, in [the] yere of our Lorde God, M.CCCCC. and xxx. [23 Nov. 1530] "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 ..." signed: Rycharde Whytforde--P. [7]. An adaptation, by Richard Whitford, of Bernard's Epistola de perfectione vitae--Cf. NUC pre-1956 imprints. Imprint from colophon. Signatures: A⁴. T.p. contains woodcut illustration. Reproduction of original in the Exeter College (University of Oxford). Library (reel 1762:25), and Folger Shakespeare Library (reel 2248:5). eng Conduct of life -- Early works to 1800. eebo Here begynneth a goodly treatyse, and it is called, A notable lesson, otherwyse it is called The golden pystle. Whitford, Richard, 1530 11 1873 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A This text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2009-05 Assigned for keying and markup 2009-06 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2009-07 Sampled and proofread 2009-07 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-09 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

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 .

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 documentum . that is to say / a notable lesson . And some done call it the golden pystle . It foloweth immedyately after a lytell werke called Formula honeste vite . the 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 & transytory thynges / 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 / that 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 that you say . For it is not lawfull to shewe in confession the vyce / or defaute of any person / excepte you myght otherwyse shewe & declare your owne offence . Speke lytell or nought vnto your propre / & selfe laude / or prayse / thoughe it were true / and vnto your famylyer felowe / or feythfull frende . But study to kepe secrete / and pryuey your vertue / rather than your vyce . Yet were it a cruell dede for any persons to defame them selfe . Be more gladde to gyue your eare / & herynge vnto the prayse / rather than 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 the talke / or communycacion . 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 prosperite / reioyce not moch therin / ne be ouer glad therof . Yf it be aduersite / be not ouercast / or ouerthrowen therwith / ne brought to sorowe / or sadnes / thanke god of all / & set lytle therby . Repute all thynges transytorye : as of lytle pryce or valure . Gyue euer most thought / & care vnto those thynges / that may profyte & promote the soule . Fle / & auoyde the persones / & places of moche speche / for better is to kepe scylence / than to speke . Kepe the tymes & places of scilence precysely / so that you speke not without reasonable & vnfeyned cause . The tymes of scilence in religion been these . From collacion vnto masse be ended after the houre of terce . From the fyrst grace in the fraytour / vnto the ende of the later grace . And from the begynnynge of euen long / vnto grace be ended after souper / or els En̄dicite / after the commune bouer . The places of scilence / ben : the churche & the claustre / the fraytour & the dortour . Yf you ye sclaundred / & done take occasyon at the faute / or offence of any person / than loke well vpon youre selfe / wheder you be in the same defaute sumtyme your selfe / & than haue compassion vpon your brother / or syster . Yf ther be none suche defaut in you / thynke verely / & byleue / ther may be / & than do : as done soone fade / and fle for euer . The good persones / for theyr troubles suffred here vpon erthe : done get & wynne 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 with peyne / & wo vnspecable . Whan so euer than you ben dysposed to slugyshnes / or to be drowsy / remysse in prayer / or dull in deuocyon : than 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 that euer you auoyde ydlenes / & al vayne pastymes / whiche in dede ben lose tyme . And than remember that those that nowe byde in peyne / other in hell / or yet in purgagory for suche tymes so passed / or lost / had leuer than all the worlde / haue suche tyme to redeme theyr peynes by / as you may haue yf you wyl . Tyme than vnto al persones 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 with your selfe / & remember how you haue spende / or passed that day & tyme / that was gyuen you to be vsed in vertue / & how you haue bystowed your thoughtes / your wordes / and your werkes . And yf you fynde no great thynge amys / gyue the whole laud and prayse vnto our lorde god . And yf you perceyue contrary / 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 shal be full conuenyent for you to be confessed on the nexte morowe . And specyally yf the mater done / sayde / or thought by deliberate consent / do greuously wey / & worke with a grudge in your conscyence : than wolde I aduyse you neuer to ete nor drynke / tyll you be dyscharged therof / yf you may conuenyently 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 the wors cyte / or what thynge shulde dysplease you on the other parte / wherby you shulde withdrawe your selfe from that vertue that myght conuaye & 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 counseyles 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 dylygence / 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 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 .

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

printer's or publisher's device wynkyn de worde .