THE PROLOGUE 5 



service of God, from whom all good cometh, for 

 his hunting. The second that he lose not the 

 service of his master for his hunting, nor his own 

 duties which might profit him most. Now shall 

 I prove how a hunter may not fall into any of 

 the seven deadly sins. When a man is idle and 

 reckless without work, and be not occupied in 

 doing some thing, he abides in his bed or in his 

 chamber, a thing which draweth men to imagina- 

 tions of fleshly lust and pleasure. For such men 

 have no wish but always to abide in one place, and 

 think in pride, or in avarice, or in wrath, or in 

 sloth, or in gluttony, or in lechery, or in envy. 

 For the imagination of men rather turns to evil 

 than to good, for the three enemies which man- 

 kind hath, are the devil, the world and the flesh, 

 and this is proved enough. 



Nevertheless there be many other reasons which 

 are too long to tell, and also every man that 

 hath good reason knoweth well that idleness is 

 the foundation of all evil imaginations. Now shall 

 I prove how imagination is lord and master of all 

 works, good or evil, that man's body or his limbs 

 do. You know well, good or evil works small 

 or great never were done but that beforehand 

 they were imagined or thought of. Now shall 

 you prove how imagination is the mistress of all 

 deeds, for imagination biddeth a man do good or 

 evil works, whichever it be, as before is said. And 



