A fruitful treatise of fasting

¶To the most reverend father in God, Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England and Metropolitan, Thomas Beacon his humble and faithful servant wisheth the favour of God, long life, continual health and prosperous felicity.

¶To the moste reuerende father in God, Thomas Archbishop of Caunterburie, Primate of al Englande and Metropolitane, Thomas Beacon his humble and faythefull seruaunte wisheth the fauoure of God, longe lyfe, contynuall healthe and prosperous felicitie.

Our Lord and alone saviour.¹ Jesus Christ declareth in a parable of the gospel, that after a certain householder had sowed good seed in his field, while his servants slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way, This householder is Christ the lord. The good seed is y• children of god & gods word. ⟨image 3⟩The servants that slept are negligent Prelates and sleepy shepherds, which watch not over the Lords flock. The enemy is the devil. The tares are the children of the wicked, & errors and heresies, which? Satan soweth in the hearts, of the unbelieving. Of this parable as we learn the goodness of Christ toward us in be getting us a new,² not of mortal seed but of immortal by the word of God, which liveth and lasteth for ever, so like wise learn we the maliciousness of Satan, which like a subtle serpent and old enemy of man kind, never sleepeth, but continually walketh up and down like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour and warily watcheth his time to destroy,³ when ⟨image 3⟩soever any occasion is given, be it never so little. Not without a great cause therefore did out saviour. Christ exhort us to watch and pray, that we fall not into temptation.