works at all, because his faith is the thing, they
say, that forceth him to work well. I will not strive with them for
this matter now. But yet I trust to the great goodness of God, that
if the question hang on that narrow point, since Christ saith in
the scripture in so many places that men shall in heaven be
rewarded for their works, he shall never suffer our souls--who are
but mean-witted men and can understand his words only as he himself
hath set them and as old holy saints have construed them before and
as all Christian people this thousand year have believed--to be
damned for lack of perceiving such a sharp subtle thing. Especially
since some men who have right good wits, and are beside that right
well learned, too, can in no wise perceive for what cause or why
these folk who take away the reward from good works and give that
reward all whole to faith alone, give the reward to faith rather
than to charity. For this grant they themselves, that faith serveth
of nothing unless she be accompanied by her sister charity. And
then saith the scripture, too, "Of these three virtues, faith,
hope, and charity, of all these three, the greatest is charity."
And therefore it seemeth as worthy to have the thanks as faith.
Howbeit, as I said, I will not strive for it, nor indeed as our
matter standeth I shall not greatly need to do so. For if they say
that he who suffereth tribulation and martyrdom for the faith shall
have high reward, not for his work but for his well-working faith,
yet since they grant that have it he shall, the cause of high
comfort in the third kind of tribulation standeth. And that is, you
know, the effect of all my purpose.

VINCENT: Verily, good uncle, this is truly driven and tried unto
the uttermost, it seemeth to me. And therefore I pray you proceed
at your leisure.

XIII

ANTHONY: Cousin, it would be a long work to peruse every comfort
that a man may well take in tribulation. For as many comforts, you
know, may a man take thereof, as there be good commodities therein.
And of those there are surely so many that it would be very long to
rehearse and treat of them. But meseemeth we cannot lightly better
perceive what profit and commodity, and thereby what comfort, they
may take of it who have it, than if we well consider what harm the
lack of it is, and thereby what discomfort the lack should be to
them that never have it.

So is it now that all holy men agree, and all the scripture is
full,