patience, they become wood[1] and witless, as it hath been seen in many men. And so by that it is open and certain that they that die in that wise fail and lack very charity. Witnessing Saint Jerome, that saith thus : Si quis cum dolore egritudinem vel mortem SUSCEPERIT, SIGNUM EST QUOD DEUS SUFFICIENTER NON DILIGIT. That is : Whoso taketh sickness or death with sorrow or displeasure of heart, it is an open and a certain sign that he loveth not God sufficiently. Therefore that man that will die well, it is needful that he grutch not in no manner of sickness that falleth to him before his death, or in his dying — be it never so painful or grievous — long time [or short time] dying ; for as Saint Gregory witnesseth in his Morals : Justa sunt cuncta que patimur, et ideo VALDE INJUSTUM EST SI DE JUSTA PASSIONE MURMURAMUS. All things that we suffer, we suffer then rightfully and therefore we be greatly unrightful if we grutch of that we suffer rightfully]. Then every man should be patient, as Saint Luke saith : In patientia vestra possiDEBiTis ANIMAS VESTRAS. In your patience ye shall possess your souls.[2] For by patience man's soul is surely had and kept, so by impatience and murmuration it is lost and damned. Witnessing Saint Gregory in his Homily, that saith thus : Regnum CCELORUM NULLUS MURMURANS ACCIPIT, NULLUS QUI accipit murmurare potest. There shall no man have the kingdom of heaven that grutcheth and is impatient ; and there may no man grutch that hath it. But as the great Clerk Albert saith, speaking of very
