thus feebly as I can. And I say that me thinketh that it should be
full speedful unto thee at the first beginning of thy prayer, what
prayer so ever it be, long or short, for to make it full known unto
thine heart, without any feigning, that thou shalt die at the end of
thy prayer.[185] And wete thou well that this is no feigned thought
that I tell thee, and see why; for truly there is no man living in
this life that dare take upon him to say the contrary: that is to
say, that thou shalt live longer than thy prayer is in doing. And,
therefore, thou mayst think it safely, and I counsel thee to do it.
For, if thou do it, thou shalt see that, what for the general sight
that thou hast of thy wretchedness, and this special sight of the
shortness of time of amendment, it shall bring in to thine heart a
very working of dread.

And this working shalt thou feel[186] verily folden in thine heart,
but if it so be (the which God forbid) that thou flatter and
fage[187] thy false fleshly blind heart with leasings[188] and
feigned behightings, that thou shalt longer live.[189] For though it
may be sooth in thee in deed that thou shalt live longer, yet it is
ever in thee a false leasing for to think it before, and for to
behight[190] it to thine heart. For why, the soothfastness of this
thing is only in God, and in thee is but a blind abiding of His
will, without certainty of one moment, the which is as little or
less than a twinkling of an eye. And, therefore, if thou wilt pray
wisely as the prophet biddeth when he saith in the psalm: Psallite
sapienter;191 look that thou get thee in the beginning this very
working of dread. For, as the same prophet saith in another psalm:
Initium sapientiae timor Domini;192 that is: "The beginning of
wisdom is the dread of our Lord God." But for that there is no full
sikerness standing[193] upon dread only, for fear of sinking in to