The Book of the Craft of Dying/living
HERE FOLLOW FOUR PROFITABLE THINGS TO HAVE IN MIND : WHICH BEEN HAD OUT OF THE THIRD CHAPTER OF A DEVOUT TREATISE AND A FORM OF LIVING;[1] THAT RYCHARDE HAMPOLE WROTE TO A DEVOUT PERSON IN THIS MANNER WISE
The first is the measure of thy life here; that is so short that unnethes it is nought;[2] for we live in a point — that is the least thing that may be — and soothly our life is less than a point if we liken it to the life that lasteth ever.
Another is uncertainty of our ending; for we wit never when we shall die, nor how we shall die, nor whither we shall go when we be dead; and that God will that it be uncertain to us, for He wills that we alway be ready to die.
The third is that we shall answer before the righteous Judge of all, the time that we have been here. How we have here lived, what our occupation hath been, and why; and what good we might have done, while we have been idle. Therefore the prophet said: He hath cleped the time against me; that is, each day He hath lent us here, for to spend in good use here, and in penance, and in God's service. If we waste it in earthly love and vanities, full grievously may we be deemed and punished. Therefore it is one of the most sorrows that may be, but[3] we enforce us namely in the love of God, and do good to all that we may, the while that our short time lasteth. And each time that we think not on God, we may account it as the time that we have lost.
The fourth is that we think how much that the joy is that they shall have which last and endure in God's love into their ending; for they shall be brethren and fellow with angels and holy men, loving and having praising, and seeing the King of Joy, in the fairhead and the shining of His majesty; the which sight shall be meat and all delights that any creature may think, and more than any man may tell to all his lovers withouten end. It is much lighter to come to that bliss than to tell it.
Also think what sorrow, and what pain and what torment, that they shall have the which loved not God over all other things that men see in this world; but fill their body and their souls in lust and liking of this life, in pride and covetuousness and other sins. They shall burn in the fire of hell with the devil whom thy serve, as long as God is in heaven with His servants: that is evermore.
NOTE ON THE TOWER OF ALL TOWERS
[edit]This fragment is taken from the Douce MS. 322 (fol. 25b). It follows the Orelogium Sapientia, and immediately precedes The Craft of Dij'ing. I have not been able to trace the book " cleped toure of all toures." Tower of all towers is probably a name for Heaven, and it may possibly be a translation from some Latin original. Perhaps someone who reads this may be able to throw light upon it. The Harleian MS. 1706 also contains a copy of the same fragment.
The other two fragments are from the Bodleian MS. 423. They are not contained in either the Douce or Rawlinson manuscripts.