"Just now, before thy coming, there visited me two youths clad in white raiment, which was adorned with jewels and gold, so exceeding fair that their form seemed more excellent than all the beauty of men. They brought a little book, writ in letters of gold, and laid it upon my breast. I read it, and found noted therein all the good things which I had ever done. But how many be these? Verily a drop in the sea of mine iniquity. They took back their book, and [now] stand at my right hand, expecting till my last event shall arrive. Next after them came a host of unclean spirits, and filled this house with horrible forms within, while without they laid siege against it round about, and encompassed it with howlings not to be endured. Flames were in their eyes, and in their teeth whiteness, and in their whole body a noisome blackness appeared; their hands had claws, and their feet had claws; pestilent was their breath; and their speech not to be endured by human ears; and of exceeding great stature were they. They brought a loathsome book, and laid it upon my breast. I have read my wickednesses, and find therein the shameful sins of my whole life. I despair of the Divine Mercy; I despair of pardon; I am bound hand and foot by the masters whom I have served, and condemned by the sentence of my own conscience. Two tormentors stand by me, one at my head, the other at my feet, bruising my limbs and inwards each of them with coulters; when they have come to my heart, I shall give up the ghost, and shall deliver up my unhappy soul to their power." While saying these things, he breathed his last, and his vain complaint was followed by true misery. To the king was left the rotting carcase of his favourite, and the unhappy soul was carried off by the unclean spirits. Do ye dread, dearly beloved brethren, the hidden judgments of the Divine

P❝with coulters." The MS. has moveribus. We can make nothing of this, and can only suppose that it is an accidental transposition of letters for vomeribus.

*

iudicia. an adhuc securi quiescitis in turpitudine vestra? Nolite desperare. quoniam desperatione nullum peccatum gravius est. Habete spem et confidite de misericordia dei. Agite penitentiam. fol. 224 b. et facite puras confessiones et securi accedite ad vestrorum peccatorum absolutionem. Aderit dominus et salvator noster filius dei Ihesus Christus qui cum patre et spiritu sancto vivit et regnat deus per omnia secula seculorum Amen.

vengeance, or are ye still secure and at your ease in your naughtiness? Do not despair; since no sin is more grievous than despair. Have hope and trust in the mercy of God. Do penance, and make a sincere confession, and then in full assurance of faith, draw near to receive absolution from your sins. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the Son of God will be with you, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Title in red letters.

V.

SERMO

IN DOMINICA PALMARUM.

a

Appropinquante sua passione. appropinquare voluit dominus loco passionis ut liquido manifestaret, quod non invitus set spontaneus pateretur. Erat quidem in iudeis invidia et voluntas parricidii. set in domino potestas. et tolerantia perpetrandi peccati. Paucis ante istum eius adventum diebus suis apostolis dominus prædixerat mortem suam. et omnia que sibi ventura erant in ierusalem? diligenter annotaverat eis. Ecce dixerat ascendimus ierosolimam. et filius hominis capietur. alligabitur. flagellabitur. conspuetur. spinis coronabitur. gentibus tradetur. iudicabitur. crucifigetur. morietur. et sepelietur. et ut paventium discipu

voluntas parricidii-"treasonable intent." St. Stephen tells the Jews (Acts vii. 52) that they were the "murderers" of Christ; and He being "the Everlasting Father" (Isaiah ix. 6), that murder was truly a "parricide." But the word parricidium is used by classical authors for any atrocious crime. Thus Cicero calls the murder of a Roman citizen almost a parricide, in the often-quoted words; "facinus est, vinciri civem Romanum; scelus, verberari; prope parricidium, necari." (Verr., v. 66.)

b We have inserted these words, as we conceive this to be Herbert's meaning. See St. John x. 18.

• This is a very free quotation (evidently from memory) of St. Matt. xx. 17, 18, 19, which is mixed up in the writer's mind with its parallels, St. Mark x. 32, 33, 34, and St. Luke xviii. 31, 32, 33. The particulars of the Passion which our Lord in those three passages actually predicts, are

V.

A SERMON

ON PALM SUNDAY.

51.

WHEN His Passion was drawing nigh, the Lord was See St. minded to draw nigh to the place of His Passion, to Luke ix. the intent that He might plainly shew that He did not suffer against His will, but of His own accord. Doubtless there was amongst the Jews malice, and a treasonable intent against Him; but in the Lord was power [to lay down His life or to preserve it,] and a patient endurance of the sin which was to be committed. A few days before His coming [to the place of His Passion] the Lord had foretold His Death to His Apostles, and had diligently signified to them all things which should come upon Him in Jerusalem. Behold, He had said, we go up to Ferusalem; and the St. Matt. Son of Man shall be taken, He shall be bound, He shall xx. 18, 19, be scourged, He shall be spit upon, He shall be crowned footnote. with thorns, He shall be delivered to the Gentiles, He shall be judged, He shall be crucified, He shall die, and shall be buried; and, that He might comfort the terri

(1.) the betrayal by Judas to the chief priests and scribes, St. Matt. and St. Mark; (2.) the condemnation to death by the Sanhedrin, St. Matt. and St. Mark; (3.) the making Him over to the Gentiles, St. Matt., St. Mark, St. Luke; (4) the mocking, St. Matt., St. Mark, St. Luke; (5.) the scourging, St. Matt., St. Mark, St. Luke; (6) the spitting (of the Roman soldiers-there had been previous spitting at the trial before the High Priest. Cf. St. Mark xiv. 65, and xv. 19), St. Mark and St. Luke; (7.) the Crucifixion or killing, σTaupŵoai, St. Matt.-άTоктEVOûσi, St. Mark and St. Luke. The apprehension, the binding, the crowning with thorns, and the burial, though they actually took place, do not seem to have been directly predicted. Our Lord, however, implied the last of them, when He said "She is come aforehand to anoint My body to the burying." (St. Mark xiv. 8.)

and see