e of a pharesey to praye longe
and faynedly vnder a colour or pretece of holynes,
that is to saye when a man prayeth not fro the
bothum of his hart but with the lyppes only and
from the tethe outward, and that in opyn places
where great resort of people is, bycause they wold
be sene. But thy gospel boke teacheth the to praye
contynually, but so that thy prayer come from the
bothu of the hart. Poli. Yea but yet for all my
sayenge I praye sumtyme. Can. When I beseche the
when ye art a slepe? Poli. When it cometh in to
my mynde, ones ||or twyse may chaunce in a weke.
Can. what prayer sayst thou? Poliphe. The lordes
prayer, the Pater noster. Canni. Howe many tymes
ouer? Poli. Onis, & I trowe it is often inoughe,
for the gospell forbyddeth often repetynge of
one thynge. Canni. Can ye saye your pater noster
through to an ende & haue youre mynde runnynge
vpon nothynge elles in all that whyle? Poli.
By my trouthe and ye wyll beleue me I neuer yet
assayed nor proued whether I coulde do it or no.
But is it not sufficient to saye it with my
mouthe? Can. I can not tell whether it be or
no. But I am sure god here vs not excepte we praye
from the bothum of our harte. But tell me another
thyng I wyll aske the. Doest thou not fast very
often? Poli. No neuer in all my lyfe tyme and yf
it were not for lacke of meate. Can. And yet thy
boke alowes and commendes hyghly bothe fastynge
and prayer. Polip. So coulde I alowe them but that
my belly can ||not well affare nor a way with
fastyng. Cannius. Yea but Paule sayth they are not
the seruauntes of Iesus Christe whiche serue theyr
belly & make it theyr god. Do you eate fleshe
euery day? Po. No neuer when I haue none to eate,
but I neuer refuse it when it is set before me,
and I neuer aske question not for coscience but
for my belly sake. Can. Yea but these stronge
sturdy sydes of suche a chuffe and a lobbynge
lobye as thou arte wolde be fed well inoughe with
haye and barke of trees. Poliphe. Yea but chryste
sayd, that which entereth in at the mouthe
defyleth not the man. Canni. That is to be
vnderstand thus yf it be measurably taken, and
without the offendinge of our christian brother.
But Paule the disciple of chryst had rather
peryshe & sterue with hunger then onys to offende
his weyke brothren with his eatynge, and he
exhorteth vs to followe his example that in all
thynges we maye