e but among the bellies. But God is more merciful to man's
imperfection--if the man know it, and acknowledge it, and mislike
it, and little by little labour to amend it--than to reject and
cast off to the devil him who, according as his frailty can bear
and suffer, hath a general intent and purpose to please him and to
prefer or set by nothing in this world before him.

And therefore, cousin, to make an end of this piece withal--of
this devil, I mean, whom the prophet calleth "Business walking in
the darknesses": If a man have a mind to serve God and please him,
and would rather lose all the goods he hath than wittingly to do
deadly sin; and if he would, without murmur or grudge, give it
every whit away in case God should so command him, and intend to
take it patiently if God would take it from him; and if he would
be glad to use it unto God's pleasure, and do his diligence to
know and be taught what manner of using of it God would be pleased
with; and if he be glad to follow therein, from time to time, the
counsel of good virtuous men, though he neither give away all at
once, nor give to every man who asketh him neither; and though
every man should fear and think in this world that all the good
that he doth or can do is a great deal too little--yet, for all
that fear, let that man dwell in the faithful hope of God's help!
And then shall the truth of God so compass him about, as the
prophet saith, with a shield, that he shall not so need to dread
the snares and the temptations of this devil whom the prophet
calleth "Business walking about in the darknesses." But he shall,
for all the having of riches and worldly substance, so avoid his
snares and temptations, that he shall in conclusion, by the great
grace and almighty mercy of God, get into heaven well enough.

And now was I, cousin, after this piece thus ended, about to bid
them bring in our dinner. But now shall I not need to, lo, for
here they come with it already.

VINCENT: Forsooth, good uncle, God disposeth and timeth your
matter and your dinner both, I trust. For the end of your good
tale--for which our Lord reward you!--and the beginning here of
your good dinner too (from which it would be more than pity that
you should any longer have tarried) meet even at the close
together.

ANTHONY: Well, cousin, now will we say grace. And then for a
while will we leave talking and essay how our dinner shall please
us, and how fair we can fall to feeding. After that