# The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 56

HOW HE THAT WYLL PRAYE GOD MUST DO ABSTYNENCE.
NOTHER ensample shalle be reherced to yow of the Fader and moder of Sampson, whiche were hooly folk in theyr maryage, but they myght haue no Children, and yet many clamours and orysons they hadde therfore made vnto god. This good lady was thenne vpon a day at a chirche, whiche at that tyme was called temple. And as she was there wepynge and prayenge god, god toke pyte on her and sente vunto er an Angel, whiche told her that she shold haue a sone that shold be the strongest man that euer was, & that by his strengthe the lawe shold be enhaunced. The good lady came soone to her lord and told hym this tydynge. Her lord thenne kneled and prayd god that he wold shewe to hym this thynge by his angel. And thenne god sente to them his aungel, whiche sayd vnto them that they shold faste and doo abstynence, and also that they shold kepe this child fro moch mete and drynke. And yet sayd the aungel, "For ouermoche etynge and drynkyng fyghten ageynst the body and ageynst the sowle," and whanne thus he had sayd to them he departed fro them. They obeyed the commaundement of the Aungel & fasted and made abstynence. And soone after they had a childe, whiche whanne he was ful growen he fought ageynst the paynyms and kepte and mayntened the lawe of god ayenst them, of whome he made grete occisyons and many grete merueylles as god susteyned and helped hym. For he allone discomfyted and ouercame thre thousand persones. Therfor ye haue here good ensample, how ye shalle fast and do abstynence yf ye wylle requyre of god ony thynge. For confession and fastynge done the request to be graunted of god, as the Aungel told vnto them. And yet after he sayd to them that they shold kepe theyr sone fro ouermoche mete, & specially of drynk. Thenne syth the holy Aungel of god whiche al thyng knoweth. defended to them ​t this two vyces, hit is thenne god to euery man and woman to kepe them ther fro, for by this synne of glotonye men falle in alle the other sixe dedely synnes, as ye shalle more playnly knowe in the booke of your bretheren, where as it is reherced how an heremyte chose his synne of glotonye and made it, in so moche he bycame dronke, and soone after by this synne he fylle and made alle the seuen. And neuertheles he had supposed to have chosen the most best of them alle, wherof I shall telle yow what Salamon therof seyth in the book of thenseygnements. First he saith y wyn taken ouer mesure troubleth the syght and maketh the eyen to wexe reed, and affeblysshed the brayne, and maketh the heed to shake, and empecheth to here, and stoppeth the conduytes of the nose, and maketh the vysage to wexe reed, and maketh the handes to shake, and marreth and corrupteth the good blood, and feblyssheth the syght, and chaungeth the body within, and hasteth the dethe, and troubleth the wytte and the memorye, wherfor Salamon sayth that of thyrtty wymmen whiche haue this vyce in them self and that custumably ben dronken, men shold not fynde one of alle them good, and honest of her body, ne also loued of god, ne of her frendes, and that better were to her to be a theef or of other euylle tatches than of the same. For by the same she shalle falle in to alle the other. For the whiche thynge, my dere doughters, kepe and beware youre self fro this euylle vyce. For ones takynge his refection in the day is angel's lyf; twyes takynge his mete is man's lyf; and many tyme takynge mete is beeste's lyf. But certaynly thys gothe al by customme and by vsage, for of suche dyete as ye to it be acustommed of youre yongthe, your wylle shalle euer be to it in your old age, and thus hit gothe but after youre wyl to put remedye therto. Therfor ye may take good ensample how the Aungel taught the fader and the moder of Sapson. The Aungel sayd not to them as he dyd to Zacharye, to whome he sayd that his wyf shold haue a sone whiche shold be named Iohan, and that he shold drynke no wyn ne no maner of syther. For this ​child was sente and stablysshed of god for to preche and be the myrrour of chastyte and of fastynge and abstynences. And Sampson was sente and stablysshed of god for to kepe the feithe atte poynt of the suerd ageynste the paynyms. Here I leue this matere and shall speke of another.