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thredes, and curyously weveth and joyneth her webbe, but cometh a lytell blast of wynde, and dysapoynteth all togyder; to the whiche purpose, Cicero, in his thyrde boke de oratore, maketh this exclamacyon, O fallacem hominum spem fragilemque fortunam, et inanes nostras contentiones, quæ medio in spacio sepe franguntur, et corruunt. That is to saye, O deceytefull hope of men, and bryttell fortune, and vayne enforsements, whiche often breke and come to noughte, or ever they have entred halfe theyr course. Whiche thynge wysely consyderynge, this noble prynce ordered hymselfe therafter1; let call for his sone, the kynge that now is our governour and souerayne, endued with all graces of God and nature, and with as grete habylytees and lykelyhodes of well doynge as ever was in kynge; whose begynnynge is now so gracyous and so comfortable unto all his people, that the rejoysynge in hym in maner shadoweth the sorowe that elles wolde have be taken for the deth of his fader. He called, I saye, unto hym, and gave hym faderly and godly exhortacion, commyttynge unto hym the laborous gouernaunce of this realme; and gaderinge his owne soule into

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Something similar is recorded of the Lady Margaret,— 'She was a person of great prudence, who was aware of the dangers of Royalty, when it falls to the lot of youth; and being about to leave the world, she, with many tears, entreated the Bishop (Fisher), though several excellent men were also present, to assist the King by his instructions and advice; and desired her grandson to have a deference for him, preferably to all others, as what would most contribute to his felicity both here and hereafter.' Card. Poli Apol. ad Carolum V. Cæs.

the true reste, comfortynge it and sayinge unto it, Convertere anima mea in requiem tuam, quia dominus benefecit tibi; Be tourned my soule into thy rest, for thy Lorde hath been benefycyall unto the; benefycyal at every tyme before, but now specyally by this moost gentyll and mercyfull callynge, by so longe respyte and space gyvynge of repentaunce; wherby he hath escaped so many daungers, daungers of everlastinge deth, daungers of everlastynge teres and wepyng, and daungers of fallynge agayne to synne. For the fyrst, it is sayd, Quia eripuit animam meam a morte, That is, for he hath delyvered my soule from deth, bothe temporall and everlastynge daungers of everlastynge wepynge and sorowe; for the whiche, the good fader Arsenius sayd unto his brethren, Brethren, sayd he, eyther we must nedes wepe here with teres that wyll wasshe our soules, or elles after this, with teres that wyll brenne bothe bodyes and soules. From these teres also he is delyvered, and therfore it foloweth, Oculos meos a lachrymis, And myne eyen from teres. Thyrdly, from the daungers of fallynge to synne agayne. Noo man that lyveth here can be assured not to fall. And therefore Saynt Poule sayth, Qui stat, videat ne cadat. He that standeth, let him beware that he slydeth not; for the waye is slyppery; but tho that be hens departed in the state of grace, be assured never to fall agayne. And for that, it foloweth, Et pedes meos a lapsu. The fourth, and the last porcyon of his comforte, whiche is, to be assured of contynuance in the favour of almighty God, passeth

all the other. A grete comforte it is unto the sorowfull penytent that he hath a mercyfull Lorde and God. A grete comforte also that he is taken in his tuicyon and custodye. A greater yet that he is delyvered from soo many evylles and perylles. But the gretest, whiche surmounteth all other, is to have the presence of that moost blessyd countenaunce, and to be assured ever to contynue in that gracious favour; no tonge can expresse, no speche can declare, no herte can thynke, how grete how farre passynge this comforte is. Si decem mille gehennas quis dixerit, sayth Crysostome, nihil tale est, quale est ab illa beata visione excidere, et exosum esse a Christo. If one wold thynke the greef of x. M. helles, all that is yet no thynge lyke to be excluded from that blessyd countenaunce, and to be hated of Cryst. If this greef be so excessyfe and ferre passynge, the contrary therof must nedes be of as extreme comforte and joy agayne; that is to saye, to have the contynuall presence of that blessyd syght, and to knowe the assured favoure and grace that he standeth in; for the whiche is sayd, placebo domino in regione vivorum, That is to saye, I shall please my Lorde God in the regyon and countre of lyvynge persones, where as is the very lyfe ever contynued, with out ony interupcyon of deth.

Thus accordynge to my promyse at the begynnynge, I have perused this psalme in the persone of this noble man; devydynge it in thre partes, in a commendacyon of hym, in a movynge of you to have compassyon upon hym, and in a comfort

ynge of you agayne. The commendacyon stode in foure poyntes; fyrste, in a very tournyge of his love to God; seconde, in a fast hope and confydence of prayer; thyrde, in a stedfast byleve of the sacramentes and a devoute receyvynge of them; fourth, in a dylygent callynge for grace. The moving to compassyon stode also in iv. poyntes; fyrst, for the paynfull grevaunces of deth that he felte in his body; seconde, for the ferefull remembraunce in his soule of the jugement of God; thyrde, for the myserable vanytees of this lyfe wherin he founde but payne and travayle; fourth, for the lamentable crye to God for helpe and socour. The comfortynge agayne was lyke wyse in iv. poyntes; fyrst, for that he hath soo mercyfull a Lorde and God; seconde, for that he is taken into his tuicyon and custody; thyrde, for that he is now delyvered from so many perylles; fourth, for that he shall from hens forwarde contynue in the gracyous favour of almyghty God, the whiche comforte He graunte hym, that for us all dyed upon the crosse, our Savyour Cryst Jhesu. Amen.

¶ Thus endeth this notable sermon. Enprinted at London in fletestrete at the sygne of the sonne by Wynkyn de Worde, prynter unto the moost excellent pryncesse my lady the kynges graundame. The fyrst yere of the raygne of our soverayne lorde kynge Henry the viii.

APPENDIX.

No. I.

A Letter from the King to his Mother, referr❜d to in the Preface.

Ex Archivis Coll. Jo.

Madame, My most enterely wilbeloved Lady and Moder.

I Recommende me unto you, in the most humble and lauly wise that I can, beseeching you of your dayly and continuall blessings. By your Confessour the Berrer, I have reseived your good and moost loving wryting, and by the same have herde at good leisure, such credense as he woulde shewe unto me on your behalf; and thereupon have spedde him in every behalve withowte delai, according to your noble Petition and desire, which restith in two principall poynts. The one for a general pardon for all Manner causes; the other is for to altre and chaunge parte of a Lycence, which I had gyven unto you before, for to be put into Mortmain at Westmynster, and now to be converted into the University of Cambridge for your Soule helthe &c. Soule helthe &c. All which

things, according to your desire and plesure, I have

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