Certain Sermons or Homilies (First Book of Homilies)

Dearly beloved avenge not your selves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written: vengeance is mine,¹ I will revenge sayeth the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him drink, be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with goodness. All these be the words of s. Paul.² But they that be so full of stomach, and set so much by them selves, that they may not abide so much as one evil word to be spoken of them, peradventure will say: if I be evil reviled, shall I stand still like a goose, or a fool, with my finger in my mouth? Shall I be such an idiot & diserde, to suffer every man to speak upon me, what they list, to rail what they list, to spew out all their venom against me, at their pleasures? Is it not convenient, that he that speaketh evil, should be answered accordingly? If I shall use this lenity and softness, I shall both increase mine enemies frowardness, and provoke other to do like. Such reasons make they,³ that can suffer nothing, for the defence of their impatience. And yet, if by froward answering to a froward person, there were hope to remedy his frowardness, he should less offend, that should so answer, doing the same not of ire, or malice, but only of that intent, that he that is so froward or malicious, may be reformed. But he that can not amend another mans fault, or cannot amend it without his own fault, better it were ye one should perish, then two. Then if he cannot quiet him with gentle words, at the least let him not follow him, in wicked & uncharitable words. If he can pacify him with suffering, let him suffer: & if not, it is better ⟨image 86⟩to suffer evil, then to do evil, to say well, then to say evil: For to speak well against evil, cometh of the spirit of God, but to render evil for evil, cometh of the contrary spirit. And he that cannot ten per ne rule his own ire, is but weak and feeble, and rather more like a woman or a child, then a strong man. For the true strength and manliness, is to overcome wrath, and to despise injury, and other mens foolishness. And besides this, he that shall despise the wrong done unto him by his enemy, every man shall perceive, that it was spoken or done without cause, where as contrary, he that doeth fume & chafe at it, shall help the cause of his adversary, giving suspicion that the thing is true.