conscience, who hath a false crime put upon him
and by false witness proved upon him, and who is falsely punished
and put to worldly shame and pain for it; a hundred times more
comfort may he have in his heart who, where white is called black
and right is called wrong, abideth by the truth and is persecuted
for justice.

VINCENT: Then if a man sue me wrongfully for my own land, in which
I myself have good right, it is a comfort yet to defend it well,
since God shall give me thanks for it?

ANTHONY: Nay nay, cousin, nay, there walk you somewhat wide. For
there you defend your own right for your temporal avail. But St.
Paul counseleth, "Defend not yourselves, my more dear friends," and
our Saviour counseleth, "If a man will strive with thee at the law
and take away thy coat, leave him thy gown too." The defence
therefore of our own right asketh no reward. Say you speed well, if
you get leave; look hardly for no thanks!

But on the other hand, if you do as St. Paul biddeth, "Seek not for
your own profit but for other folk's" and defend therefore of pity
a poor widow or a poor fatherless child, and rather suffer sorrow
by some strong extortioner than suffer them to take wrong; or if
you be a judge and have such zeal to justice that you will abide
tribulation by the malice of some mighty man rather than judge
wrong for his favour--such tribulations, lo, are those that are
better than only medicinable. And every man upon whom they fall may
be bold so to reckon them, and in his deep trouble may well say to
himself the words that Christ hath taught him for his comfort,
"Blessed be the merciful men, for they shall have mercy given them.
Blessed be they that suffer persecution for justice, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven."

Here is a high comfort, lo, for those that are in this case. And
their own conscience can show it to them, and can fill their hearts
so full with spiritual joy that the pleasure may far surmount the
heaviness and grief of all their temporal trouble. But God's nearer
cause of faith against the Turks hath yet a far surpassing comfort
that by many degrees far excelleth this. And that, as I have said,
I purpose to treat last. And for this time this sufficeth
concerning the special comfort that men may take in this third kind
of tribulation.

XI

VINCENT: Of truth, good uncle, albeit that every one of these
kinds of tribulations have cause of comfort in them, as you have
well declared, if men wi