Aspects of Kentish Local History

miles Christi Jesu, nemo enim militans deo, implicat se negociis secularibus, ut ei placeat cui se probauit. My disciple Tymothe (said seynt Paule) yf thow wilt lyve the lyve of trew perfection, of trew religion thow must than exercyse thy selfe in greate paynes & labors, not in eritly & worldly labors as thowgh thow war a faytfull seruant onto an erytly prince; but thow must always labor pro celestibus sicut bonus miles Christi Jesu, as a good & trew soger of Christ Jesu, for this oon thing I essewer the my disciple, Nemo militans deo implicat se negociis secularibus ut ei placeat cui se probauit. Ther is no man that hath wilfully professyd hym selfe onto a contemplatiue & religiouse lif & do retorne from yt onto temporall besynessys & labors that can please God. Therfor yow that will please God ye must accordyng onto yowr promise & vow leve the trobles & besynes of the world & go onto hym in solitudinem into yowr closters & selles, wich be places of quietnes. But how far do God call yow religiouse persons to cume onto hym into this wyldernes? Ibitis viam trium dierum, ye must go onto hym therin by the full space of theis iii days yourneys, that is to sey, by wilful pouertie, by meke obedience & by pewar virginitie, for theis iii days Journeys be callyd tria vota essentialia religionis, the iii essentiall vouvys of religion; so that whoo so euer do not obserue ony of theis three he is not worthy to be callyd a religiouse man. Therfor all they that wilbe accowntyd as trew religiouse men they must nedes obserue faithfully thys commawndment wiche Moyses dyd gyve onto the

childern of israell, Deutero. 24. Cum votum voueris domino deu tuo, non tardabis reddere. Whan so euer ony of yow the childern of israell, thelecte peple of God, do make ony solome vow onto yowr lord God, see that ye do fulfyle yowr vow by & by, withowth ony delaye; quia requiret illud dominus deus tuus, for thy lord God, man, will straytly requier the performyng therof, moo moche that if thow doist differe to fulfylle it reputabitur tibi in peccatum: I essewer the (sayd Moyses) for these delayes thow schalbe reputyd & takyn for a greate synner before the face of God, quia si volueris polliceri absque p ........ ? eius, for if thow hade made no soche vow ne promyse onto God by thy owyn free mynd & will, thow schuld not so haue synyd in that behalf before God, & modo igitur propria voluntate semel egressum est de labiis tuis, obseruabis & facies sicut promisisti domino deo tuo: therfor man what so euer holy vow & promyse that thow doyst make at any tyme by thy owyn fre will, in ony wyse obserue & fulfyle it iustly, sicut promisisti domino deo tuo, accordyng as thow doist promysse onto thy lord God. Except ye thus do ye here by thys seying that (the) God of Moyses will accownte ye as greate synners, and no mervell, for do we not see that if a man breke his promise with another, he is therfor take a monge men as a wreche & a false deseytefull person, moch more than that a religiose person that makyth solom vowys & promyssys onto God almygthie & do nott trewly fulfyle them is worthy to be callyd a wreche & a false deceytfull