Mirror of the Honesty of Life

nothing except Christ, or that which is because of him, or that which is for his sake. Remember to value nothing else.

The scribe notes: I have written to you at greater length than I thought, for what I am unable to do myself, I entrust to you to fulfill; and you desire what I know is lacking in me, because your perfection is my joy and my crown in the Lord my God. If at any time you stand in weariness beside the stone where the bodies of the dead are washed, compose yourself by meditating, and carefully consider how the process of burial is handled: now on the back, now on the face they turn them; how the head nods, the arms fall, the legs stiffen, the shins lie; how they dress them, sew them, carry them to be buried; how they arrange them in the tomb, how they are covered with dust, how they are devoured by worms as if by putrefaction. Let the constant meditation on death be your highest philosophy; carry this with you wherever you are or wherever you journey, and you will never perish.

Explicit: The Mirror of Abbot Bernard regarding the honesty of life.

Here begin the eight points, by which one may arrive at the perfection of the spiritual life of the same.

A decorative initial 'H' marks the start of the next section. If you will cultivate these eight things well, you will obtain the perfection and consummation of all virtues by the grace of God.