Iob. 18.saith. A man that is ibor of a womā liuing a litle whyle, is fulfilled with many miseases. MarginaliaIob. xiiii.Yet there is other syknes that commeth to some mē, but not to all, as Lepyr, Palsey, Feuer, Dropsie, Blindnes, and many other, as it was seyden to þ^e people of Israell, in holy wryt. But thou kepe the commaundementes that be writ in this boke, God shal echen the sicknes of the and of thy sede, great sickenes and longe abyding.MarginaliaDeutero. Yet ye shall vnderstond, that God sendeth other while, such sycknes to good men, and other whyle to shrewes. To good men God doth it for two causes, & that is sooth. Of siknes I wol to be vnderstond also, of all maner of tribulatiōs. The first cause, for they shold alway euer know, þ^t thei haue non perfection of them self, but of God onely, and to echen theyr mekenes. And thus saith Poul: lest the greatnes of reuelations rere me vp in to pride, is geuen a pricke of my fleshe, the aungell of Sathanas to smit me on the necke, wherefore I haue thrise I prayed God, that he shuld go fro me, and he answerd me: My grace is suffisant to thee for vertue is fulfilled in sicknes, MarginaliaCorinth. xiiwhere on thus sayn the glose. The fend axing Iob to be tempted, was herd of God, and nought the Apostle axing his temptatiō to be remoued. God herd him that shuld be damned, and he herd nought him, that he should saue. For oft the sick man axit many thinges of the leche, that he wol not geue him, & þ^t is for to make hym whol of sicknes. Also God sendeth saints oft sicknes & persecutiō, to giue vs sinful wretchis example of paciēce: For if he suffer his saintes to haue suche tribulation in this worlde, and they thankin him thereof, mich more wretchis that God sendeth not the hundred aparty of their sorowe, shulden bere it mekely sith we haue diserued a thousand so mich as they haueth. Wherof, Tobie þ^t on day whā he was wery of byrying of pore men the wich shuldē haue ley vnburied, and haue be etene of houndis, and foules, as caraynes, of other vnreasonable bestes, whan for werynesse he had leide him to reste, throughe Goddis suffraunce the swallowes that bredden aboue on his hous, maden ordure into his eyen, and he wexet blynd. MarginaliaTobi. ii.Thus it is writ of this temptation for soth: Therfore god suffred to come to him, that to them that comē after, shuld be geuē ensāple of pacience, as by the temptatiō of holy Iob. For sith frō his childhod, euermore he drede God, and euer kept his hestes: He was not agreued ayenst God that the mischief of blyndenesse fell to hym: but vnmoueable dwelled in the dread of God, thanking hym al the daies of his life. Lo that holy writ saith expresly, that God suffered this holy man to haue that sicknes, to geue them that should come after him ensample of paciēce. Also other while, God sendeth syckenes and tribulation to wicked men, and for two causes. First for that they should the rather dreade God, and leaue their sinne. As it is wryt: their sickenes hath bene multiplied, and after they haue hyed to Godward. For we see oft men in sicknes know their God, that neuer woulde haue turned to him whyle they had beene whole. Also God sendeth them sicknes oft to agast other men, lest they follow their sin. MarginaliaAntioche.As the sickenes of kyng of Antioche, whom God smote with such a sickenes, that wormes fell out of hys body whyle he liued, in so farforth, that he stank so foule, that his frends were so wearye of it, that they might not suffer it. And at the last, when he himselfe myght not suffer his own stinch, then hee began to know him selfe, and sayde: It is rightfull, to be subiect to God, and a deadly man not to hold himselfe onely euen with God: and the story sayth he asked mercy of God, and made a vowe to God, that he would make the Citie of Ierusalem free, and the Iewes to make them as free as the men of Athens: and that he would honour Gods temple with precious ary, and multiply the holye vessels, and finde of his owne rent and spenses perteinyng to the sacrifice. And he would become a Iew, & go ouer all the lond to preach Goddes might. And yet God gafe him not such mercy as he desired. And I trow certein that it was for good. In as much as God knew he would not afterward hold his couenaunt, or els for he axket it to late. What mede was it for him to forsake his wikednes? whan he was vnmighty to do good or euill. Neuertheles, I trow he was not dampned, in as much as he had such repentaunce, for repentaunce in this life come neuer to late, if it be trew. But by this vengeaunce that God tooke on this kyng, should men see, what it is to bee vnobedient to God. And also it is to take heede, that whan euer sickenes commeth, euer it sheweth, that he that suffreth this deadly, shall nedes dye. For though he may skape of hys sicknes, yet he may not skape death. And so thou must needs come gyue rekenyng of thy baily. MarginaliaThe second somner.
Properties of death.The second somnour that shall clepe thee to this particuler doome, is elde or age. And the condition of hym is this, though þ^t he tary with thee, he will not leue thee, till he bryng thee to the thirde, that is death. But therbe many that though they haue this somnour with them, they take none hede, though they see ther heare hore, her back crook, her breth stynke, her teeth fall, her yen derk, her visage riuely, her crene wexit heuy to here. What meneth al this, but that eld sūneth to the dome: But what more madhed may be, than a man to be cleped, & draw to so dredful a rekning there, where but he answer wel he forfeteth both body & soule to dānation for euer. It seing alitle worldly merth on the way, he thynketh so mekil theron, that hee forgetteth who draweth him, or whether he draweth. So doth he that is smiten with age & liketh so on the false worldis wetche, that he forgetteth whether he is awaye: Herefore sayth an holy doctor, that among all abusions of þ^e world most is of an old mā that is obstinat: for he thinketh not on his out goyng of this world, ne of his passing into the lyfe that is to come: he hereth messengers of death, and he leueth hem not, and the cause is this, for the threfold cord that such an old mā is boūden with, is hard to breke. This cord is custom, that is of thre plights, that is, of idel thought, vnhonest spech, and wicked dede: the which if they groweth in a man from the childhod into mans age, they maketh a treble corde to bynd the old man on custome of sinne. Herefore saith Esay breake the bōdes of sinne. MarginaliaEsaye.Thynke herefore who soeuer that thou be that art thus sumned, that thou might not skape that thou ne shalt yelde the rekenyng of thy baily.

MarginaliaThe third somner distinctio mortis.The thyrd somner to this reckning, is death. And the cōditiō of him is, that whā euer he come, first, other the second, other the last houre he ne spareth, nether power, ne yougth, ne he dredeth no thretning, ne he ne taketh hede of no prayer, ne of no gift, ne he graūteth no respyt, but withouten delay he bringeth forth to the dome. Herfore seyth Seint Austen. Well ought euery man drede the day of hys death. MarginaliaAugustin⁹.For in what state a mans last day findeth hym. Whan he dyeth out of thys worlde, in the same state he bryngeth hym to his dome. Herfore seyth the wyse man. Sonne, thinke on thy last day, and thou shalt neuer sinne. Therfore I rede that thou think, that thou shalt geue reconing of thy bayly. MarginaliaThe day of iudgementI sayd also, that there shalbe a nother doome, to the whych all men shall come together, & this shalbe vniuersall. And right as to the other dome, euery mā shall be cleped with these thre sumnours: so to this dome all thys world shall be cleped with their generall clepers. And right as the other thre messengers tell a mans end: so these tel þ^e end of þ^e world. MarginaliaTo knowē the worlds sicknes.The first cleper is the worldly sycknes, the second cleper is feblenes, and the third is the ende. The sicknes of the world thou shalt know by charitye scooling. His elde and febles thou shalt knowe by tokens fulfilling, and his end thou shalt knowe by Antichristes pursuing. First I sayd, thou shalt knowe the worldes sicknes by charitye acooling. His elde and febles thou shalt knowe by tokens fulfilling, and his end thou shalt knowe by Antichristes purusing. First I sayd, thou shalt knnowe the worldes sicknes by charitye acooling. Clerkes that treate of kynde sayne: that a body is sicke, when his bodely heate is to lite, or when hys vnkindelye heate is to muche. Sythe then all mankynde is one bodye, whose kindly heate is charity (that is loue to God and to our neighbors) vnkindly heate is lustfull loue to other creatures. When therefore thou seest that the loue of men to Godwarde and to their neyghbour is litle and faynt, and the loue of worldlye thinges and lustes of the flesh is great and feruent: then wyt thou well, that vnkindly heate is to great, and kindly heate is to little. That this bee acknowlich of this sicknes, I may proue by autoritie of Christ. For he him selfe gaue them as a signe of the drawing to the ende of the worlde: MarginaliaMath. xxiFor that wickednes shall be in plente, charitie shall acoole. Therfore whan thou seest charitie this litle in the worlde and wickednes encrease: know well, that thys world passeth and his welth, and that thys somner is come. And thus seyth Seint Poule. Marginaliaii. Tim. iii.Wit ye well, that in the laste dayes shall come perilous times, and there shall be men louing them selfe, that is to say, their bodies, couetous by pryde, vnobedient to father and mother, vnkynd fellons, withouten affectiō, withoutē peace, blamers, incontinent, vnmylde, withouten benignitie, traytours, rebels, swelling louers of lustes more then of God, hauyng a lykenes of pietie, and denying the vertue thereof. And these flee thou. If thou seest the people busied with such condicions, wyt thou well that the fyrste sumnour warneth all the world, that the day of reconing draweth towarde.

The second Sumnour, that warneth all the world, is elde of the world & his feblenes, and sheweth tokens fulfillyng. But I know wel, þ^t we be nought suffisaunt to know the times other the whiles that the fader in trinitie hath put on his owne power, to shew certeinly the day, yeer, other houre of this dome, sith this knowleche was hid fro the priuey Apostles of Christ, and also fro Christs māhode as to shew it to vs. Natheles, we inough by authoritie of holy writ with resons, and expositions of saints, well and openly shew, that this day of wrath is nygh: MarginaliaLuke. xii.But yet least any mā sey in his hert as it is writē of folie bailies, that they shall seien, my Lord, that is, tarrieth to come to the dome, and vppon hope hereof he taketh to finite seruauntes and hynen of God, eate and drinke and make hym dronke: I shall shewe that this day is at the hond, howe ny neuertheles, can I not seie ne wole. For if Poul sayd now for a thousand and thre hūdred yeer and passed moe: Marginaliai. Go. x.we ben thilke, into whom the endis of the worlde ben come, much rather maye wee seie the same that been so much neer the end than he was. MarginaliaChrisostomus.Also S. Chrisostome saith: thou seest ouer all darkenesse, and thou doutest that the day is go, first on the valeyes is darknesse whan the day draweth downeward: whan therfore thou seest the valeyes I derked, why doutest thou whether it be nigh euen, but if thou see the sunne so lowe that derknesse is vpon the hilles, thou wolt seie doutles, that it is nighe. Right so, if thou see first in the seculers & the lewed christen men begynneth derknesses of sinnes & to haue the maistrie, it is token that this world endeth. MarginaliaA proper similitude.But whan thou seest priests that ben put on the hygh toppe of spirituall dignities, that shulden be as hilles abouen the commune people in parfit lyuyng, that derknesse of sinnes hath taken them: Who douteth that the world nys at the end. MarginaliaIoachimAnd also Abbot Ioachym in exposition of Ieremye, seyth: Fro the yeare of our Lord 1200. all tymes beth suspect to me, and we ben passed on thys suspecte tyme nygh 200. yeare. MarginaliaMaide Hildegar.Also mayden Hyldegare in the booke of her prophecie the thyrd partie, the xi. vision, the vij. chapter, meueth thys reason. Ryght as on 7. daies God made þ^e world, so in 7000. yeare the world shall passe. And ryght as in the 6. daye man was made and fourmed: So in 6000. yeares he was brought agein and reformed. And as in the 7. day the world was full made and God left of hys working, ryght so in the 7000. yeare, the number of them that shullen be saued shall be fulfilled, and rest shall be to Seintes, full in bodye and soule. If that it be so as it seemeth to followe of thys maydens words, that 7000. in passing of the world accordeth to 7. dayes in hys makyng it: See what lacketh þ^t these 7000. yeares ne beth fulfilled. For if we reken the number of yeres fro the natiuitie of Christ, to the yeares fro the beginning of the world, to Christ, MarginaliaAugustine.and thou wolt folowe Austyne, Bede, & Orosie, & most probable doctors tretyng of this matter, are passed now almost, sixe thousand and sixe hundred as it is open in a booke that is cleped Speculum Iudiciale. So it suweth, that this last day is more than a halfe a go, if we shulden geue credence to this maydens resun: But if we shull lene to the Gospell, than we shall finde in the Gospell of Mathew, MarginaliaMath. 24.that the disciples axiden of Christ, thre questions. First, what tyme the citie of Ierusalem shuld be destroyed. The secōd, what tokē of his comming to the dome. And the third,