oid it
with their own temporal death than abide the defiling and
violation of their chastity.

But now this good man neither hath any of God's enemies to be
revenged on by his own death, nor any woman who violently pursues
him to bereave him by force of his virginity! And we never find
that God proved any man's obedient mind by the commandment of his
own slaughter of himself. Therefore is both his case plainly
against God's open precept, and the dispensation strange and
without example, no cause appearing nor well imaginable. Unless he
would think that God could neither any longer live without him,
nor could take him to him in such wise as he doth other men, but
must command him to come by a forbidden way, by which, without
other cause, we never heard that ever he bade any man else before.

Now, you think that, if you should after this bid him tell you by
what way he knoweth that his intent riseth upon a true revelation
and not upon a false illusion, he in turn would bid you tell him
by what means you know that you are talking with him well awake
and not dreaming it asleep. You may answer him that for men thus
to talk together as you do and to prove and perceive that they do
so, by the moving of themselves, with putting the question unto
themselves for their pleasure, and marking and considering it, is
in waking a daily common thing that every man doth or can do when
he will, and when they do it, they do it but for pleasure. But in
sleep it happeneth very seldom that men dream that they do so, and
in the dream they never put the question except for doubt. And you
may tell him that, since this revelation is such also as happeneth
so seldom and oftener happeneth that men dream of such than have
such indeed, therefore it is more reasonable that he show you how
he knoweth, in such a rare thing and a thing more like a dream,
that he himself is not asleep, than that you, in such a common
thing among folk that are awake and so seldom happening in a
dream, should need to show him whereby you know that you be not
asleep.

Besides this, he to whom you should show it seeth himself and
perceiveth the thing that he would bid you prove. But the thing
that he would make you believe--the truth of his revelation which
you bid him prove--you see not that he knoweth it well himself.
And therefore, ere you believe it against the scripture, it would
be well consonant unto reason that he should show you how he
knoweth it for a true wak