judgment your body, shall be driven down deep toward the centre of the earth into the fiery pit and dungeon of the devil of hell, there to tarry in torment, world without end!  What goods of this world can any man imagine, the pleasure and commodity of which could be such in a thousand years as to be able to recompense that intolerable pain that there is to be suffered in one year?  Yea, or in one day or one hour, either?  And then what a madness is it, for the poor pleasure of your worldly goods of so few years, to cast yourself both body and soul into the everlasting fire of hell, which is not diminished by the amount of a moment by lying there the space of a hundred thousand years?

And therefore our Saviour, in few words, concluded and confuted all these follies of those who, for the short use of this worldly substance, forsake him and his faith and sell their souls unto the devil for ever.  For he saith, “What availeth it a man if he won all the whole world, and lost his soul?” This would be, methinketh, cause and occasion enough, to him who had never so much part of this world in his hand, to be content rather to lose it all than for the retaining or increasing of his worldly goods to lose and destroy his soul.

VINCENT:  This is, good uncle, in good faith very true.  And what other thing any of them who would not for this be content, have to allege in reason for the defence of their folly, that can I not imagine.  I care not in this matter to play the part any longer, but I pray God give me the grace to play the contrary part in deed.  And I pray that I may never, for any goods or substance of this wretched world, forsake my faith toward God either in heart or tongue.  And I trust in his great goodness that so I never shall.

XV

ANTHONY:  Methinketh, cousin, that this persecution shall not only, as I said before, try men’s hearts when it cometh and make them know their own affections—­whether they have a corrupt greedy covetous mind or not—­but also the very fame and expectation of it may teach them this lesson, ere ever the thing fall upon them itself.  And this may be to their no little fruit, if they have the wit and the grace to take it in time while they can.  For now may they find sure places to lay their treasure in, so that all the Turk’s army shall never find it out.

VINCENT:  Marry, uncle, that way they will not forget, I warrant you, as near as their wits will serve them.  But yet have I known some who have ere this thought that they had hid their money safe and sure enough, digging it full deep in the ground, and yet have missed it when they came again and found it digged out and carried away to their hands.

ANTHONY:  Nay, from their hands, I think you would say.  And it was no marvel.  For some such have I known, too, but they have hid their goods foolishly in such place as they were well warned before that they should not.  And that were they warned by him whom they well knew for such a one as knew well enough what would come of it.