within their doors, that not one of ten gets out of their clutches, without fuffering fome great damage?

Tender.com. Oh, faid he, I tarried talking and arguing the cafe with the old man fo long, that I had almoit lo the way: Now, as we were difcourfing together, his daugh ter came out of a fountain ftark naked, and embraced me, uing all the inticing words imaginable to stay me from going away; but I finding myself not able to ftruggle, or rent so powerful a temptation, all on a fudden gave a fpring out of her arms, and ran away as hard as i could drive.

Piety. In this I commend your conduct; for tho' it is faid, Refit the devil and he will flee from you; yet it is to be underflood of other temptations. For when any one is tempted to unchafte of lafcivious actions, there is no time for difputing: A refolution and speedy flight is the only way to fecure the victory; the foul may stand the battle a gainst adverfities, perfecutions, croffes, and the like; but the pleafures of the fleth must be fubdued by retreating from them. He that touches pitch fhall be defiled, fays the wife unan; and He that fands capitulating with the temptations of uncleannefs is in danger to fall. The foul, like wax, is kardened by cold ftormy weather; but in the fun-fhine of profperity, and the heat of luft, the melts and becomes effeminate and yielding: Therefore well faid one of old Flee youthful lufts, which war against the foul; he does not fay, fland and face them and refift them; but run away from them. It is in fome degree the fame in that commen vice which this age does fo much and fo lhamefully abound in, I mean exceffive drinking. Men think they may fafely venture into company without being obliged to drink, and when they are in company, they think they may drink a little without doing themfelves any harm; not confidering that that little does but embolden them to venture on more, every glafs they pour down, depriving them of fo much of their refolution and frength to refift; and when they come to be doubtful whether they fhall let this one glas more go down, they throw down the fence of their foul, their reason, and expofe her to be polluted by the height of debauchery and folly, letting into their unguarded breaks a od et-vain pallions with their fuperfluity of drink Thus,

by

little and little, the poor fouls fuffers fhipwreck. la ch a cafe the only remedy is, to flee the firt occafions and mptations, to ftop the avenues of the foul, to fet a guard on the fenfes, and to restrain the imagination within its oper limits. A man ought not fo much as to fancy that mpany pleafant or delightful, by keeping of which he ns the hazard of his foul's health; much lefs ought he follow them and court them; nay, rather let him refue hen courted by them; is much better to be thought illatured and uncomplaifant to others, than to be really fo one's felf, by ruining myfelf to oblige my acquaintance. Charity. There are fome fouls that are naturally fo affale and courteous, fo foft and pliant, that they comply ftentimes with company, more through the flexiblenefs nd fweetness of their own difpofition, than out of any eal inclination to debauchery; nay, while they loath the rink, they cannot forbear obliging their unreasonable comanions. This is a great weakness; and tho' it may be apable of admitting fome excufe on the account of that weetness of temper from whence it flows, yet 'tis neverhelefs dangerous, and therefore must not be palliated, left afo doing we turn advocates to vice.

Prudence. If you pleafe, let us break off our difcourfe or the prefent, and go to dinner, which is now ready, for he bell rings.

So they all arofe and went into the refectory or diningoom, where were more virgins of that fociety waiting for their coming, who all welcomed Tender-confcience to the houfe, every one faluting him with a particular congratulation, and then they fat down in exquifite order and fi lence.

After the divine blefling was invoked, ons of the virgins, whofe name was Temperance, carved out for the reft, for that was her office, while another of them, named Decency, waited at the table. Here was no loud laughter to be heard, no offenfive nor unfmly jefts broached, but a modest chearfulness crowned the entertainment: They' had plenty without riot, variety without extravagance, and frugality and bounty feemed to hand in the dishes together: They eat to nourish nature, not to prompt luft or cloy appetite, and they rofe from the table lightfome and well refreshed, having returned thanks to the Sovereign

Giver of all good gifts, the Creator and Preferver of mankind, for refreshing them with his good creatures.

Then one of the virgins, named Health, propofed the company, that it would be convenient and pleafanı take the air of the garden after dinner; to which they readily confented, and Difcretion, Prudence, Piery, Ch rity, and Temperance, took Tender-confcience along w them into a mount, which gave him a lovely profpec the country round about; and there they fat down u the tha 'e of a broad-fpreading fycamore, and fell freh 10 difcourfe. Tender confcience being defirous to le the reafon of their living thus in a fociety together, a to know the rule and manner of their life, Piety thus plied.

Piety. When we were young, and living at home wi our friends, we were daily expofed to innumerable vaniti and follies, and were carried away by the food of custom yet, being religiously inclined from our childhood, we, b degrees, as we grew up, began to grow fick of our carna education, and to defpife the vanities and fooleries of the world, and fought for a place where we might be free them, and where we might ferve the Lord both night and day in all holiness and purity of life: So, after much quiry and diligent fearch, at length we were informed that a certain holy woman, named Religion, had built her hook in this place; and fhe, being an efpecial favourite of th King of this country was permitted to gather together i great number of virgins, who were willing to renounce the world and live in this retirement with her, having a particular charter granted them, whereby they fhould for ever be free of certain taxes, impofts, and homages, which the other fubjects were obliged to pay, on cendition they would make it their bufinefs to oblerve fuch and fuch laws and ftatutes as the aforefaid holy woman, Religion, fhou'd prefcribe unto them, and to live in true obedience to her commands all the days of their life: Whereupon we were prefently inflamed with a fervent defire to fee this woman, and, if poffible, to come and live with her (1 fpeak for us all, because I have heard the rest of my companions here own the fame inclinations as myfelf had); fo we confulted no longer with flesh and blood, but immediately refolved to wait upon her, and declare our intentions, hoping to find

avor in her eyes, and to be admitted into her fociety; which we did accordingly: And having made her a vilit, and heard her heavenly voice, we were ravifhed more than ver, and grew impatient till we were taken into the house. At length our wishes were fulfilled, our defires granted, nd here we lived ever fince, and would not change our ife for the whole world; for this woman is of a fweet temer, al her laws are pleasant, her yoke is eafy, and her arden light.

Charity. Not that we condemn all those who do not live n fuch a state, or just according to our rules; for, without loubt, many do live mixed with the rest of the world, et keep themfelves unfpotted from the vices of the world; but they are expofed to great danger, they run the risk of nore temptations than we: For here one fpirit and foul as it were) animates us all: Holiness and purity are alk we aim at, and we mutually encourage one another in the practice of it. We have no cares to imbitter us, nor vain pleafures to debauch us: We have no honours to tempt us to ambition, nor riches to make us covetous: All our ambition is to approve ourselves blamelefs in the fight of God, and all the riches we covet are thofe that never fade away the graces of the Holy Ghost.

Tender con. But I fuppofe you have fome particular laws and rules, to which you are obliged to conform yourselves, which I fhould be glad to know.

Piety. Yes, we have fo, and I will acquaint you with them in the best manner I can."

1. We are obliged to rife every morning before the fun, and then we join altogether in prayer and praifes to the great God of heaven, thanking him for his paft bleffings, and imploring his future favor and protection over us.

2. Then every one goes to their proper befinefs as belongs to their office, till the time of refreshment, and fo again till dinner.

3. We are obliged to entertain all pilgrims that are travelling toward the heavenly country, provided they fhew their pass, or give fuch an account of themielves as may be thought equivalent.

4. At the clofe of the day we are obliged to join again all in prayer and praifes, as in the morning.

5. We are obliged to keep and maintain the King's ar

moury

moury, and to furnish all pilgrims with weapons and mour of proof against all dangers and difafters whatsoever. There are the general and most important laws of cur fociety: But, befides thefe, we have many particular rules of lefs note, tho' very good, and in a manner neceffary to our well-being; all which it would be too tedious to rehear fe.

Temp. Only give me leave to infift upon the ftatute of moderation in eating and drinking, which we are firaitly charged to keep under fevere penalties, which I fuppale you had forgot.

Piety. 'Tis true, indeed, I had forgot to mention it, and am very glad of that forgetfulness, fince I have thereby given you an opportunity of difcourfing more at large upon that fubject, who are best able to do it, as being appointed the particular interpreter of this ftatute, therefore pray inform the pilgrim about it.

Temperance. This ftatute of moderation in eating and drinking is grounded on this confideration, that Adam fell by eating the forbidden fruit. The first fin that ever was committed in the world by mankind, was eating. Now tho' it be not certain whether it proceeded from fome nats ral contagion in the fruit which Adam eat, or from the venomous breath of the ferpent that recommended it to Eve, or from any other hidden caufe, yet we are fure that whereas Adam was before in full perfection of human na ture (being the lively image of the glorious God; his foul being full of the beams of eternal light; his under fta: ding clear and ferene as the morning; his will regular and obedient to his reafon; his body in perfect vigour and health, beauty and proportion, impaffable and immortal) no fooner had he tafted the fatal morfel, but a frange al teration befel him, the image of God was immediately defaced and fullied, his foul grew dark and cloudy, his underftancing and reafon became dull and unactive, and his will went retrogate; in fhort, all the faculties of his foul were diflocated and disjointed: As for his body, it became weak and unhealthy, fubjecting to divers cafualties, fick nefs, and infirmities, and at laft to death itself: This was the effect of irregular eating. Nor did the mifchief ret here, but he tranfmitted it to his pofterity, conveying all thefill qualities of body and foul to his children, whereby

all