yed. For as the devil may hap to make him suffer,
so may he hap to miss, namely if his friends fall to prayer for
him against his temptation. For that can he himself never do, while
he taketh it for none.

But, for conclusion: If the man be surely proved so inflexibly set
upon the purpose to destroy himself, as being commanded by God to
do so, that no good counsel that men can give him nor any other
thing that men may do to him can refrain him, but that he would
surely shortly kill himself; then except only good prayer made by
his friends for him, I can find no further shift but either to
have him ever in sight or to bind him fast in his bed.

And so must he needs of reason be content to be ordered. For
though he himself may take his fancy for a true revelation, yet
since he cannot make us perceive it for such, likewise as he
thinketh himself by his secret commandment bound to follow it, so
must he needs agree that, since it is against the plain open
prohibition of God, we are bound by the plain open precept to keep
him from it.

VINCENT: In this point, uncle, I can go no further. But now, if
he were, on the other hand, perceived to intend his destruction
and go about it with heaviness of heart and thought and
dullness--what way would there be to be used to him then?

ANTHONY: Then would his temptation, as I told you before, be
properly pertaining to our matter, for then would he be in a sore
tribulation and a very perilous. For then would it be a token that
the devil had either, by bringing him into some great sin, brought
him into despair, or peradventure, by his revelations being found
false and reproved or by some secret sin of his being deprehended
and divulged, had cast him both into despair of heaven through
fear and into a weariness of this life for shame. For then he
seeth his estimation lost among other folk of whose praise he was
wont to be proud.

And therefore, cousin, in such a case as this, the man is to be
fairly handled and sweetly, and with tender loving words to be put
in good courage, and comforted in all that men goodly can. Here
must they put him in mind that, if he despair not, but pull up his
courage and trust in God's great mercy, he shall have in
conclusion great cause to be glad of this fall. For before he
stood in greater peril than he was aware of, while he took himself
for better than he was. And God, for favour that he beareth him,
hath suffered him to fall deep into the devil's