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The twelue weapons haue we more at length declared as foloweth.

    The twelue weapons of spirituall battayle, which euery manne shoulde haue at hand when the plessure of a sinnefull temptacion commeth to his minde.

  • The pleasure litle and shorte
  • The folowers griefe and heauinesse.
  • The losse of a better thyng,
  • This life a dreame and a shadowe.
  • The death at our hande and vnware,
  • The feare of impenitente departing.
  • Eternal ioye, eternall payne,
  • The nature and dignitie of man,
  • The peace of a good minde,
  • The great benefites of God,
  • The painefull crosse of Christ,
  • The witnes of martirs, and exaumple of saintes.

The pleasure litle and short.

Consider wel the pleasure that thou hast,
Stande it in touching or in wanton light,
In vaine smell, or in thy licorous tast.
Or finally in whatsoeuer delite,
Occupied is thy wretched appetite,
Thou shalt it finde, when thou hast at cast,
Little, simple, short, and sodainly past.

The folowers griefe and heauines.

Any good worke if thou with labour do,
The labour goth, the goodnes doth remayne,
If thou do euill with pleasure ioyned thereto,
The pleasure, whiche thine euill worke doth contayne,
Glideth his way, thou maist him not restraine,
The euil then in thy brest cleaueth behynde,
with grudge of heart, and heauines of minde.

The losse of a better thing.

When thou laborest thy pleasure for to bye,
Uppon the price looke thou thee well aduise,
Thou sellest thy soule therefore euen by and by,
To thy moste vtter dispiteous enemies,
O madde marchaunt, O foolish marchandise,
To bye a tryfle, O childishe reckening,
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And paye therefore so dere a precious thing.

This life a dreame and a shadowe.

This wretched life, the trust and confidence
Of whose continuaunce maketh vs bolde to synne,
Thou perceiuest well by experience,
Sithe that houre, in which it did beginne,
It holdeth on the course, and will not linne,
But fast it runneth on, and passen shall,
As dothe a dreame or shadow on the wall.

Death at our hande and vnware.

Consider well that euer night and daye,
while that we besily prouide and care
For our disport reuill myrth and playe,
For pleasaunt melody and daintie fare,
Death stealeth on full slily and vnware.
He lieth at hande, and shall vs enterprise,
we wote not howe soone, nor in what manerwise.

Feare of impenitent departing.

If thou shouldest god offende, thinke howe therefore,
Thou were foorthwith in very ieopardous case:
For happly thou shouldest not liue an houre more
Thy sinne to clense, and though thou hadst space,
yet paraduenture shouldst thou lacke the grace,
well ought we then be ferde to done offence,
Impenitent lest we departen hence.

Eternall rewarde eternall payne.

Thou seest this worlde is but a thorowe fare,
See thou behaue thee wisely with thine hoost,
Hence must thou nedes departe naked and bare,
And after thy desert looke to what coost
Thou art conuaide at such time as thy goost
From this wretched carcas shall disseuer,
Be it ioye or paine, endure it shall for euer.

The nature and dignitie of man.

Remember how God hath made thee reasonable,
Lyke vnto his ymage and figure,
And for thee suffered paines intollerable,
That he for angel neuer would endure:
Regarde O man thine excellent nature,
Thou that with angell art made to bene egall,
For very shame be not the deuils thrall.

The peace of a good mynde.

Why louest thou so this brotle worldes ioye,
Take all the mirth, take all the fantasies,
Take euery game, take euery wanton toye,
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Take euery sporte, that menne can thee deuise,
And among them all on warrantise
Thou shalt no pleasure comparable finde
To thinwarde gladnes of a vertuous minde.

The great benefites of god.

Beside that god thee bought and fourmed both,
Many a benefite hast thou receiued of his,
Though thou haue moued him often to be wroth,
yet he thee kept hath and brought thee vp to this,
And dayly calleth vpon thee to his blisse,
How maist thou then to him vnlouing bee,
That euer hath bene so louyng vnto thee?

The painefull crosse of Christ.

whan thou in flame of the temptacion friest,
Thinke on the very lamentable paine,
Thinke on the piteous crosse of woful Christ,
Thinke on his bloode bet out at euery vaine,
Thinke on his precious heart carued in twayne,
Thinke howe for thy redempcion all was wrought,
Let hym not leese that he so dere hath bought.

The witnes of martirs and example of saintes.

Sinne to withstande saye not thou lackest myght,
Suche allegacions foly it is to vse,
The witnes of sainctes and martirs constaunt sight,
Shall thee of slouthfull cowardise accuse,
God will thee helpe, if thou do not refuse,
If other haue stande or this: thou maist eftsone,
Nothing impossible is that hath bene done.
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