Consider you our pains, and pity them in your
hearts, and help us with pilgrimages, and other alms deeds: and of all things
in special procure us the suffrages and blessed oblation of the Holy Mass,
whereof no man living so well can tell the fruit, as we that here feel it. The
comfort that we have here, except our continual hope in Our Lord God, comes at
season from Our Lady, with such glorious saints, as either ourselves with our
own devotion while we lived or ye with yours for us since our decease and
departing have made intercessors for us.
And among other right especially be we beholden to
the blessed spirits our own proper good angels, whom, when we behold coming
with comfort to us, albeit that we take great pleasure and greatly rejoice
therein, yet is it not without much confusion and shame fastness, to consider
how little we regarded our good angels, and how seldom we thought upon them
while we lived. They carry up our prayers to God and good saints for us, and
they bring down from them the comfort and consolation to us with which, when
they come and comfort us, only we and God know the joy it is to our hearts and
how heartily we pray for you. And therefore, if God accept the prayer after his
own favor borne towards him that prays, and the affection that he prays With,
our prayer must needs be profitable, for we stand sure of his grace. And our
prayer for you is so fervent, that ye can nowhere find any such affection on
earth.
And therefore since we lie sore in pains and have
in our great necessity so great need of your help, and that ye may so well do
it whereby shall also rebound upon yourself an inestimable profit: let never
any slothful oblivion raze us out of your remembrance, Of malicious enemy of
ours cause you to be careless of us, or any greedy mind upon your good withdraw
your gracious alms from us. Think how soon ye shall come hither to us; think
what great grief and rebuke would then your unkindness be to you, what comfort
on the contrary part when all we shall thank you, what help ye shall have here
of your good sent hither.
Remember what kin ye and we be together, what
familiar friendship has ere this been between us, what sweet words ye have
spoken and what promise ye have made us. Let now your words appear and your
fair promise be kept. Now, dear friends, remember how nature and Christendom
binds you to remember us. If any point of your old favor, any piece of your old
love, any kindness of kindred, any care of acquaintance, any favor of old
friendship, any spark of charity, any tender point of pity, any regard of
charity, any respect Of Christendom, be left in your breasts: let never the
malice of a few fond fellows, a few pestilent persons borne towards priesthood,
religion, and your Christian Faith raze out of your heart the care of all your
kindred, all force of your old friends, and all remembrance of all Christian
souls.
Remember our thirst while ye sit and drink, our
hunger while ye be feasting, our restless watch while ye be sleeping, our sore
and grievous pain while ye be playing, our hot burning fire while ye be in
pleasure and sporting. So must God make your offspring after remember you: so
God keep you hence, or not long here, but bring you shortly to that bliss, to
which for Our Lord's love help you to bring us, and we shall set hand to help
you thither to us.
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