Mirror of Sinners on the Contempt of the World

With a lover of vanity

Reason for despising the world

...and being bound to it, they are unable to depart; as if delirious, they wander. original: "conglutinati ab eo recedere nō valentes: quasi infaniendo errāt"
Blessed Jerome declares this well, saying: "To laugh and rejoice with this world is not the mark of a sensible man, but of a madman; because the heart is not joyful and merry with this world, but with God: because human joy is short, fragile, and fleeting." original: "Quod bene declarat beatus hieronimus dicens. Ridere et gaudere cum hoc seculo non est hominis sensati sed frenetici: quia mundum cor non cum hoc seculo sed cum deo letum est iocundum: quia breuis fragilis z caduca est humana leticia."
Likewise Bernard: "There is no truer madness than the joy of the world." original: "Item Bernardus: Non est verior insania qp seculi leticia."
Likewise Augustine: "The joy of worldlings is the joy of madmen." original: "Item Augustinus: Gaudium mundanoy gaudium est freneticorum"
Likewise the same: "The joy of the world is unpunished wickedness: namely, to be luxurious, to wander in spectacles, to be stirred up by drunkenness, to stink with filth, and to suffer nothing evil for the sake of God." original: "Item idem: Seculi leticia est impunita nequitia: scilicet luxuriari: in spectaculis vagari: ebriositate igdegitari: turpitudine fetere: z nihil mali propter deu pati."
For he who loves God flees all these things. The reason why many enter into the perdition of eternal damnation through the wide gate and the spacious way is this, as it is written in Ecclesiastes, chapter 1: "The perverse are hard to correct, and the number of fools is infinite," who, alas, look more to the present life than to the end that follows. original: "Ratio autem quare multi intrant ad perditionem eterne damnationis per latam portam z spaciosam viam hec est prout scribitur Eccle j. ca. Peruerfi difficile corrigunt z stultorum infinitus est numerus: qui heu magis respiciunt vitam presentem qp terminum sequentem."
John Chrysostom speaks to them, saying: "Do not look at how rough the way is, but attend to where it leads; do not consider that the way is narrow, but where it ends." original: "Quibus loquit Johannes crisostomus dicens: Non aspicias qp aspera est via: sed attende quo ducit nec consideras qp arcta est via sed vbi definit."
From these things, one thing is elicited: in the world there are many who run, of whom few will be of the number of those to be saved. original: "Ex quibus elicitur vnum quod est in seculo: iam currunt multi quorum pauci erunt de numero saluandor."
Our Savior intimates this by the grave sentence which he uttered in Matthew, chapter 20: "Many are called, but few are chosen." original: "Qō innuit saluator ex graui sententia quam protulit Matb. xx. ca. dices Multi sunt vocati pauci vero electi."
We read that this is well figured in the children of Israel, who were in such a multitude that six hundred thousand and two hundred were led by Moses out of Egypt through the Red Sea into the desert, to all of whom the land of promise was promised; by which the kingdom of heaven is figured, and by the people of Israel, the Christian people is designated, who now truly are the people of God, as is evident through the discourse of the book of Exodus. original: "Qō quidem bene figuratū legim? in filiis Israel qui in tanta multitudine erant qp sercenta milia ducenta ex egypto per mare rubzum in desertum per Moysen educti fuerunt: quibus omnib? pmissa fuit terra promitionis. per qua figurat regnu celoy per pplm vero Israelis ticum populus designatur rpianus: qui nūc vere est pplus dei distozia patet per discursum libri Erodi."
Behold, all that multitude of the Israelite people, to whom, as is stated, the land of promise was promised, died in the desert (their sins provoking this), except for two, namely Joshua and Caleb. original: "Ecce tota illa multitudo populi israelitici: quib? vt prefert promissa fuit omnibus terra pmissionis (peccatis th eoy erigetibus) in deferto mortui sunt pter duos videlz Josue z Aleph."
Therefore, it is greatly to be feared that, just as the figure holds itself, so does the reality: between the good and the bad, this differs: the bad want to have the feast before the vigil, wanting to rejoice temporally in this world; and therefore, in the future world, they will make...