of the pains of hell, still they stay and
give him the hearing. But as soon as he cometh to the joys of
heaven, they are busking them backward and flockmeal fall away.

It is in the soul somewhat as it is in the body: There are some
who are come, either by nature or by evil custom, to that point
where a worse thing sometimes more steadeth them than a better.
Some men, if they be sick, can away with no wholesome meat, nor no
medicine can go down with them, unless it be tempered for their
fancy with something that maketh the meat or the medicine less
wholesome than it should be. And yet, while it will be no better,
we must let them have it so.

Cassian (that very virtuous man) rehearseth in a certain
conference of his that a certain holy father, in making of a
sermon, spoke of heaven and heavenly things so celestially that
much of his audience, with the sweet sound of it, began to forget
all the world and fall asleep. When the father beheld this, he
dissembled their sleeping and suddenly said to them, "I shall tell
you a merry tale." At that word they lifted up their heads and
hearkened unto that, and afterward (their sleep being therewith
broken) heard him tell on of heaven again. In what wise that good
father rebuked then their untoward minds--so dull to the thing
that all our life we labour for, and so quick and eager toward
other trifles--I neither bear in mind nor shall here need to
rehearse. But thus much of that matter sufficeth for our purpose,
that whereas you demand of me whether in tribulation men may not
sometimes refresh themselves with worldly mirth and recreation, I
can only say that he who cannot long endure to hold up his head
and hear talking of heaven unless he be now and then between
refreshed (as though heaven were heaviness!) with a merry foolish
tale, there is none other remedy but you must let him have it.
Better would I wish it, but I cannot help it.

Howbeit, by mine advice, let us at least make those kinds of
recreation as short and as seldom as we can. Let them serve us but
for sauce, and make themselves not our meat. And let us pray unto
God--and all our good friends for us--that we may feel such a
savour in the delight of heaven that in respect of the talking of
its joys, all worldly recreation may be but a grief to think on.
And be sure, cousin, that if we might once purchase the grace to
come to that point, we never found of worldly recreation so much
comfort in a year as we should fi