A Ryght Profytable Treatyse Compendiously Drawen Out Of Many and Dyvers Wrytynges Of Holy Men.

by Thomas Betson.

The tract here reprinted is one of twenty-six formerly bound together in a remarkable volume (AB. 4. 58) which was presented to the University in 1715 by King George the First together with the rest of the Library of John Moore, Bishop of Ely.

The name of the author is only known from the colophon. It will be seen from the facsimile that the fourth letter of the name is not certainly an s. Herbert (p. 204) on the information of W. Cole gives the name as Betton: but it seems probable that we are right in reading it as Betson.

Mr Bernard W. Henderson, who has very kindly examined the copy in the Library of Exeter College, Oxford, and Mr F. Madan, to whom he has shown it, are decidedly of opinion that the letter is a blurred s.

The date of printing is fixed by competent authorities as 1500, on the evidence of the states of the printer's mark and of the cut of the Crucifixion.

FRANCIS JENKINSON

This facsimile has been taken from the original in the Library of the University of Cambridge.

I certify that I have printed 250 copies only of this facsimile, that the impressions have been rubbed off the plates and the negatives destroyed.

P. DUJARDIN

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

-- Here begynneth a ryght profytable treatyse cpendiously drawen out of many & dyuers wrytynges of holy men / to dyspose men to be vertuously occupyed in theyr myndes & prayers. And declared the Pater noster. Aue. & Credo. in our moder tonge with many other deuoute prayers in lyke wyse medefull to religyous people as to the laye people with many other moost holsomest Instruccyons / as here after it shall folowe.

-- The famous doctour Iohan gerson Chauceler of Parys / takynge his groude of holy scrypture. & accordynge with all other doctours sayth thus.

[Illuminated O]

Oure moost mercyfull fa[der] lord G.o.d knowyng our freelte & redynes to all s[yn]nes. is euer redy duryng this wretched & mortall lyf / by many & dyuers ways to forgyue vs our tres.p.a.ce / & to graute & gyue vs his grace / yf so be that truly we ordeyne vnto hym these treuthes folowynge sayd & done with all our herte.

The fyrst / thou shalt saye. Blessyd lorde I knowleche [that] I haue synned ayenst thy goodnes thus and thus Rehersynge thy synnes. And I am dyspleaseth therwith by reason of the whiche I do penaunce & wyll do. For I knowe well that I haue greued the & broken thy cmaudementes. In the whiche thou only ought to be worshypped. The seconde saye this treuthe. Good lorde I haue good purpose & desyre with thyn helpe to be ryght ware herafter that I fall not in to synne / & I entende to flee the occasions after [the] possibilyte of my power. The thyrde is this. Mercyful lorde I haue a good wyll to make an hole confessyon of all my synnes whan place & tyme cuenient may be had acordynge to thy cmaudement & all holy chirche. These thre treuthes who soeuer sayth [with] his herte vnfaynyngly in what place [that] euer it be / he may be sure [that] he is in [the] state of helth & grace & he shal haue euer lastynge lyf though he had done all the synnes of the worlde. And yf he decessed [with]out ony other confession for lacke of a preest. as slepyng sodayn deth he sholde be saue suffrynge afore harde payne of purgatory / wherfor it is a good cousel [that] euery crysten man ones or twyes a daye erly or late / or els at lest on holy dayes examyne his conscyence & remebre yf he may [with] al his herte vnfayn[yn]gly say these thre treuthes / & yf he do he may be sure [that] he is in [the] state of grace.

And yf he may not. but is in wyll to synne ayen & to haue his delectacion [with] dede / & wyll not flee the occasyons of mortall synnes & so drowned wyl not aryse. as vsurers. fals marchauts or [that] desyren vengeauce [with] suche other suche may be certayne [that] the pope may not a.s.soyle them Not for thy holsom cousell is [that] suche praye & gyue almesse & do other good dedes after theyr power [that] G.o.d the father may lyghten theyr hertes. & the sooner torne them to goodnes. Amen.

-- This Pater noster / taught our lorde his dyscyples / and all people by his gospell.

Fader our that art in heuens / halowed be thy name. Thy kyngdom come to [the]. Thy wyll be do as in heuen so in erthe. Our eche dayly brede gyue vs to daye. And forgyue vs our dettes ryght as we forgyue to our dettours. And lede vs not in to temptacyon. But delyuer vs from euyll Amen / that is to saye. So be it.

-- This is the Aue maria / that Gabryell sayd salutynge our blessyd lady / & it is the gospell.

Heyll Mary full of grace / the lorde is with the / blessyd be thou amonge wymen / & blessyd be the fruyte of thy wombe Ihesus. Amen.

-- These ben the artycles of our Crede / and oure byleue / that who is baptysed and trusteth in hem shall be saued.

I byleue in G.o.d fa[der] almyghty shaper of heuen & erthe. And in Ihesu cryste his oonly sone our lorde / the whiche is conceyued of the holy goost / borne of Mary the mayde / suffred payne & pa.s.syon vn[der] Ponce Pylate. Crucefyed / deed / & buryed / he lyghted downe to h.e.l.les. The .iij. daye he arose fr deth to lyue. He flyed vp in to heuens. He sytteth at the ryght syde of G.o.d the fa[der] almyghty From thens he is to come to deme both quycke & deed. I trowe in [the] holy goost / holy chirche vnyuersall / comunynge of sayntes / forgyuenes of synnes ayen rysynge of flesshe / & euerlastynge lyf. Amen.

Hope is truste by the mercy of G.o.d to be saued. And it standeth in the grace of our lorde & our good werkes. -- Charyte is the ende & the perfeccion of all the cmaudementes of G.o.d / and it standeth in the loue of G.o.d aboue all thynges / & thy neyghbour as thy self

-- These ben the seuen vertues ayenst the seuen vyces.

-- Mekenes ayenst pryde.

-- As in boostynge / despysynge / scornynge / hyghe herte / fayrnes / connynge / strengthe / vertue / pryde of kynne / vayne glory / dispyte of other / ypocresy.

-- Pacyence ayenst Wrathe.

-- As fyghtynge / chydynge / hurtyng / betyng / warryeng / cursynge / grutchynge / desyre of vengeauce cruelnes &c.

-- Charyte ayenst Enuye.

-- As gladde of an other euyll fare / & to be heuy & sory of theyr welfare / bacbytynge / sowynge of dyscorde / scornynge / and suche other.

-- Largenes ayenst Couetyse & Auaryce.

-- In wynnynge / in byenge / in sellynge / in met[yn]ge / in waynge / gyle / trechery / sacrylege / symony / vsury / theeft / receyu[yn]ge of stolen goodes / wronge withholdynge of ony dute to the the chirche &c.

-- Good occupacyon ayenst Slouth.

-- As ydelnes / delyte in slepe / neclygent to cne [the] lawes of G.o.d / vnl.u.s.ty to [the] seruyce of G.o.d / myspendynge of tyme / dyspayre / wanhope & suche other.

-- Abstynence ayenst Glotony.

-- As in moche etynge & drynkynge / brekynge of faste / desyrynge of delycate metes & drynkes &c.

-- These ben the fyue goostly wyttes. Mynde / reason / wyll / ymagynacyon / vnderstandynge.

-- These ben the fyue bodely wyttes. Herynge seynge / smellynge / tastynge / and touchynge.

-- Chastyte ayenst Lechery.

-- As in thought / wyll / werke / in syght / in felyng in [pro]uokyng / or synne ayenst kynde [with] many other -- The .vij.

goostly dedes of mercy. Teche / cousel chastyte / comforte / forgyue / suffre / & praye for thy enemyes. -- The .vij. bodely dedes of mercy. Fede the hongry / gyue drynke to the thursty / clothe the naked / herborowe the herbourles / comforte the seke / vysyte prysoners / burye the deed.

-- These folowynge ben the .vij. gyftes of the holy goost / that euery man sholde desyre to haue and kepe. Wysdome / counsell / knowynge / pyte / vnderstandynge / strength / and drede of G.o.d.

-- These folowynge be the .iiij. cardynall vertues

-- Temperauce. Is a meane betwix to moche & to lytell / & it standeth in takynge suffycyently [that] nedeth & in refusyng [that] is to moche or to lytel vtterly