more gladde to gyue thyn eere whan ony man is praysed / than whan
ony persone is dyspraysed / Whan [thou] spekest haue fewe wordes /
true / & sadde & euer of god / yf ony worldely persone speke
[with] [the] and purpose or vtter vayne wordes / as soone as
[thou] mayst breke out of suche comunycacõn & talkynge & talke
of god & of his vertues / or elles departe & gyue [the] to some
goodly & goostly occupacõn. What soeuer befall the or ony other of
thy frendes gyue no charge of it / yf it be prosperyte reioyse not
therof / yf it be trouble or aduersyte be not sory for it. But
take or acompte all suche thyngs as nought & euer prayse & thanke
god / gyue charge as moche as [thou] mayst to [the] wele &
prosperyte of thy soule flee places of moche speche as moche as
[thou] canst. For it is moche bet[ter] one to kepe his tonge than
to speke. After complyn speke no worde tyl the masse be done the
next daye folowynge without a grete cause requyre. Whan [thou]
seest ony thynge [that] dyspleaseth the / see yf the faute be in
thyself & than haue compassyon / yf it be not / thynke that it may
be & so lete all thynges be to the as it were in a glasse to see
thyself. Grutche not ayenst ony persone without thou see that
[thou] may profyte what soeuer cause [thou] haue. Afferme neyther
denye nothyng ouerthwartly / but lete thy nay or ye or thy doubte
be powdred euer with salt / that is to saye / lete hem be spokan
with discrecion & pacyence. Be euermore ware of mockynge & of
scornynge. Yf [thou] be lyght of contenaûce see it be but selde /
haue thy comunicacion but [with] fewe persones & shortly behaue
thyself so in all thy sayenge that [thou] speke not rather in a
doubte than men sholde take auctoryte or groûde of thy sayenge.
The seconde [thou] mayst obteyne in this wyse. Gyue thyself with
grete deuocyon to praye & lete thyn herte agree with [that] [thou]
sayest both daye & nyght. Remembre also dylygentely that thou