nd in the bethinking us of heaven
for less than half an hour.

VINCENT: In faith, uncle, I can well agree to this, and I pray
God bring us once to take such a savour in it. And surely, as you
began the other day, by faith must we come to it, and to faith by
prayer.

But now, I pray you, good uncle, vouchsafe to proceed in our
principal matter.

II

ANTHONY: Cousin, I have bethought me somewhat upon this matter
since we were last together. And I find it a thing that, if we
should go some way to work, would require many more days to treat
of than we should haply find for it in so few as I myself believe
that I have yet to live. For every time is not alike with me.
Among them, there are many painful, in which I look every day to
depart; my mending days come very seldom and are very shortly done.

For surely, cousin, I cannot liken my life more fitly now than to
the snuff of a candle that burneth within the candlestick's nose.
For the snuff sometimes burneth down so low that whosoever looketh
on it would think it were quite out, and yet suddenly lifteth up a
flame half an inch above the nose and giveth a pretty short light
again, and thus playeth divers times till at last, ere it be
looked for, out it goeth altogether. So have I, cousin, divers
such days together as every day of them I look even to die, and
yet have I then after that some such few days again as you
yourself see me now to have, in which a man would think that I
might yet well continue. But I know my lingering not likely to
last long, but out will go my snuff suddenly some day within a
while. And therefore will I, with God's help, seem I never so well
amended, nevertheless reckon every day for my last. For though, to
the repressing of the bold courage of blind youth, there is a very
true proverb that "as soon cometh a young sheep's skin to the
market as an old," yet this difference there is at least between
them: that as the young man may hap sometimes to die soon, so the
old man can never live long.

And therefore, cousin, in our matter here, leaving out many things
that I would otherwise treat of, I shall for this time speak but
of very few. Howbeit, if God hereafter send me more such days,
then will we, when you wish, further talk of more.

III

All manner of tribulation, cousin, that any man can have, as far
as for this time cometh to my mind, falleth under some one at
least of these three kinds: Either it is such as he himself
willing