The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [1392]
The king of Ampluy, which helde war against the emperour, betokeneth all mankind, that was contrary to God, as long as they were in the Divels power. But immediately when our Lord Jesu Christ was born, he bowed himself to God and besought him of peace, when hee received his baptisme: for at our baptising we promised to drawe onely to God, and forsake the Divell and all his pompes. The king gave his daughter in marriage to the emperours sonne. Right so each of us ought to give his soul in marriage to Gods sonne, for he is always readie to receive our soule as his spouse, according to his Scripture, saying thus: Desponsabo teipsummihi, I will marry thee unto me. But or they may come to the palace of heaven, it behoveth her to saile by the sea of this world in the ship of good life; but oftentimes there ariseth a tem pest in the sea, that is, trouble of this world, temptation of the flesh, and the suggestion of the Divell, ariseth sodainely and drowneth the vertues that the soule receiveth in baptisme; neverthelesse yet falleth she not out of the ship of charitie, but keepeth her selfe surely therein by faith and hope; for, as the apostle saith, Spe salui facti sumus, By hope we be saved; for it is impossible to be saved without hope or faith.
The great whale that followeth the maiden betokeneth the Divell, which by night and by day lyeth in wait to overcome the soule by sinne; and therefore doe we as the mayden did, smite the fire of charity and love out of the stone, that is Christ, according to this saying: Ego sum lapis, I am a stone. And certainely the Divell shall have no power to grieve us. Many men begin well, as did the mayden, but at the last they be weary of their good works, and so sleepe they in sin. And anon, when the Divell perceiveth this, he devoureth the sinner in his evill thoughts, delights, consent, and worke; therefore if any of us feele our selves in this life under the power of the Divell, let him doe as the maiden did, smite the Divell with the knife of bitter repentance, then kindle the fire of charitie, and without doubt hee shall have the land of good life.
The earle that came with his servants to slay the whale, betokeneth a discreete preacher, which dwelleth beside the sea, that is, beside the world, and not in the world; that is, not drawing to worldly delectation, but is ready with good words of holy Scripture, to kill the Divell, and to destroy his power. Wee must all cry with an high voice as did this mayden, knowledging our sinnes, and then shall wee be de livered from the Divell, and nourished with vertuous exercise.
The emperour sheweth this maiden three vessels; that is, God putteth before man life and death, good and evill, and which of these hee chooseth hee shall obtaine; therefore saith Salomon, Ante hominem mors et vita, Death and life is set before man, choose which him list. And yet man is uncer- taine whether he were best to choose life before death.
By the first vessell of gold full of dead mens bones, we shall understand some worldly men, both mightie men and rich, which outwardly shine as gold, in riches and pompes of the world; neverthelesse, within they bee full of dead mens bones; that is, the workes that they have wrought in this world be dead in the sight of God, through deadly sinne; therefore if any man choose such a life, he shall have that hee deserveth, that is, hell. And such men be like tombes that be white and richly painted and arayed without, and covered with cloth of golde and silke, but within there is nothing but dry bones. By the second vessel of silver we ought to un derstand some justices and wise men of this world, which shine in faire speech, but within they be ful of wormes of the earth; that is, their faire speach shall availe them no more at the day of judgement then the wormes of the earth, and, peradventure lesse; for then shall they suffer