T 1
2 3 4 5
6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38
39 40 41 42
43 44 45 46 47
48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63
64 65 66 67
68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76
77 78 79
80 81 82
83 84 85
86 87 88 89
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113
114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121
122 123 124
125 126 127 128 129 130 131
132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144
145 146 147 148
149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156
157 158 159 160
161 162 163
164 165 166 167
168 169 170
171 172 173
174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185
186 187 188
189 190 191 192
193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203
204 205 206 207 208
209 210 211
212 213 214 215 216 217
218 219 220 221 222
223
224 225 226 227 228
229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240
241 242 243 244 245 246
247 248
249 250 251 252 253 254
255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265
266 267 268
269 270 271 272
273
274 275 276 277
278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285
286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295
296 297
298
299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312
313 314 315 316 317 318
319 320 321 322 323
324 325 326 327
328 329 330
331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338
339 340 341 342
343 344 345
346 347 348
349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360
361 362 363 364 365 366 367
368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380
381 382 383
384 385 386 387 388 389 390
391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401
402 403 404 405 406 407
408 409 410 411 412 413
414 415 416
417 418 419
420
421 422 423 424 425 426 427
428 429 430 431
432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442
443 444 445 446 447
448 449
450 451 452 453
454 455 456 457 458 459
460 461 462 463 464 465
466
467 468 469 470 471
472 473 474 475
476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492
493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501
502 503 504
505 506 507
508 509 510 511 512
513 514
515 516
517 518 519 520
521 522 523 524
525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532
533 534 535 536 537
538 539 540 541 542
543 544 545
546 547 548
549 550 551 552
553 554 555
556 557 558 559
560 561 562
563 564 565
566 567 568
569 570 571
572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583
584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592
593
594 595
596 597 598 599 600
601 602 603
604 605 606 607 608 609
610 611 612 613 614 615
616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625
626 627 628
629 630
631
632 633 634 635 636
637 638 639 640 641
642 643 644 645 646 647 648
649 650 651
652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661
662 663 664
665 666 667 668
669
670 671 672 673 674
675 676 677 678
679
680 681
682 683 684
685 686 687
688 689 690
691 692 693
694 695 696
697 698 699
700 701 702
703 704 705
706 707 708
709
710 711
712 713 714
715 716 717
718 719 720 721
722 723 724 725 726
727 728 729
730 731 732
733 734 735 736
737
738 739 740
741 742 743
744 745 746 747
748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755
756 757 758 759 760 761
762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769
770
771 772
773 774 775 776 777 778
779 780 781 782 783 784 785
786 787 788 789
790 791 792 793 794
795 796 797
798
799 800
801 802 803 804 805
806 807 808 809 810
811 812 813
814 815 816 817 818
819 820 821
822 823 824
825 826 827
828 829 830 831 832
833 834 835
836 837 838
839 840 841
842 843
844 845 846 847 848
849 850
851 852 853 854 855 856
857 858 859 860 861
862 863 864 865 866 867 868 869 870 871 872
873 874
875 876 877 878 879
880 881 882
883 884 885 886 887 888 889
890 891 892 893 894 895
896
897 898 899 900 901
902 903 904
905 906 907
908 909 910 911 912 913 914
915 916 917
918 919 920 921 922
923
924 925
926 927 928 929
930 931 932 933
934 935 936 937 938 939 940 941
942 943 944 945 946 947
948 949 950
951 952 953 954 955
956
957 958 959 960
961 962 963
964 965 966
967 968 969 970 971 972
973 974 975 976
977 978 979
980 981 982 983
984 985 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993
994 995 996
997 998 999 1000
1001
1002 1003 1004 1005 1006
1007 1008 1009
1010 1011 1012 1013
1014 1015 1016 1017 1018 1019 1020 1021
1022 1023 1024
1025 1026 1027
1028 1029 1030 1031 1032 1033 1034 1035 1036 1037
1038 1039 1040 1041 1042 1043
1044 1045 1046 1047 1048 1049 1050
1051 1052 1053 1054 1055
1056
1057 1058 1059 1060
1061 1062 1063
1064 1065 1066 1067 1068 1069
1070 1071 1072 1073 1074 1075 1076 1077 1078
1079 1080
1081 1082
1083 1084 1085 1086 1087 1088 1089 1090
1091 1092 1093 1094 1095
1096 1097 1098
1099 1100 1101
1102 1103 1104 1105 1106
1107 1108 1109
1110 1111 1112
1113 1114 1115
1116 1117 1118 1119 1120 1121
1122 1123 1124
1125 1126 1127
1128 1129 1130 1131 1132 1133 1134
1135 1136 1137 1138 1139
1140 1141 1142
1143 1144 1145
1146
1147 1148 1149
1150 1151 1152 1153
1154 1155
1156 1157 1158 1159 1160 1161 1162
1163 1164 1165
1166 1167 1168 1169 1170 1171
1172 1173
1174 1175 1176 1177
1178 1179 1180 1181 1182
1183 1184 1185 1186
1187 1188 1189 1190 1191 1192 1193
1194
1195 1196 1197 1198
1199 1200 1201 1202
1203
1204 1205
1206 1207 1208 1209 1210 1211 1212
1213 1214 1215
1216
1217 1218
1219 1220 1221 1222 1223
1224 1225 1226 1227 1228
1229 1230 1231 1232 1233 1234
1235 1236 1237
1238 1239 1240 1241
1242 1243 1244 1245 1246 1247 1248 1249 1250
1251 1252 1253
1254 1255 1256 1257
1258 1259
1260 1261
1262 1263 1264
1265 1266 1267 1268
1269 1270 1271 1272
1273 1274 1275
1276 1277 1278 1279 1280 1281
1282 1283 1284 1285
1286 1287 1288 1289 1290
1291 1292 1293 1294 1295 1296 1297 1298 1299 1300 1301 1302 1303
1304 1305 1306
1307 1308 1309
1310
1311 1312
1313 1314 1315
1316 1317 1318 1319 1320 1321
1322 1323 1324
1325 1326 1327
1328 1329 1330
1331 1332 1333 1334 1335 1336
1337 1338
1339 1340 1341 1342
1343 1344 1345 1346 1347 1348 1349 1350
1351 1352 1353
1354 1355 1356 1357 1358
1359
1360 1361
1362 1363 1364 1365
1366 1367 1368
1369 1370 1371
1372 1373 1374
1375 1376 1377 1378 1379
1380 1381 1382 1383 1384
1385
1386 1387
1388 1389 1390 1391
1392 1393 1394
1395 1396 1397
1398 1399 1400
1401 1402 1403
1404 1405 1406 1407 1408 1409 1410
1411 1412 1413
1414
1415 1416
1417 1418 1419 1420
1421 1422 1423 1424 1425 1426
1427 1428 1429 1430 1431
1432 1433 1434
1435 1436 1437
1438 1439 1440 1441 1442
1443 1444 1445 1446
1447 1448 1449
1450 1451 1452
1453 1454 1455
1456 1457 1458
1459 1460 1461
1462 1463 1464
1465 1466 1467 1468
1469 1470 1471
1472 1473 1474 1475 1476 1477
1478
1479 1480
1481 1482 1483 1484 1485
1486 1487 1488 1489 1490
1491 1492 1493 1494 1495
1496 1497 1498
1499 1500
1501 1502 1503
1504 1505 1506 1507 1508 1509 1510 1511
1512 1513 1514 1515
1516 1517
1518
1519 1520 1521 1522
1523 1524 1525
1526 1527 1528 1529 1530
1531 1532 1533 1534 1535 1536 1537 1538
1539 1540 1541
1542
1543 1544 1545 1546
1547 1548 1549
1550 1551 1552 1553 1554
1555 1556 1557 1558
1559 1560 1561 1562 1563
1564 1565 1566
1567 1568 1569
1570 1571 1572 1573 1574
1575 1576 1577
1578 1579 1580 1581
1582
1583 1584
1585 1586 1587 1588 1589
1590 1591 1592
1593 1594 1595 1596 1597 1598
1599 1600 1601 1602 1603
1604 1605 1606 1607
1608 1609 1610
1611 1612
1613 1614
1615 1616 1617
1618 1619
1620
1621 1622 1623 1624
1625 1626 1627
1628 1629 1630 1631 1632 1633 1634 1635 1636 1637 1638 1639
1640 1641 1642 1643
1644 1645 1646
1647 1648 1649 1650 1651 1652
1653 1654 1655 1656 1657 1658 1659
1660 1661 1662 1663
1664 1665 1666
1667 1668 1669
1670 1671 1672 1673 1674
1675 1676 1677 1678 1679 1680
1681 1682
1683 1684 1685
1686 1687 1688 1689 1690
1691 1692 1693
1694 1695 1696
1697 1698 1699
1700 1701 1702 1703 1704 1705 1706 1707
1708 1709 1710
1711 1712 1713 1714 1715
1716 1717 1718 1719 1720 1721 1722
1723 1724
1725
1726 1727 1728
1729 1730 1731 1732 1733 1734 1735 1736 1737
1738 1739 1740
1741
1742 1743
1744 1745 1746 1747 1748 1749 1750
1751 1752 1753 1754
1755 1756 1757
1758 1759 1760
1761 1762 1763 1764 1765
1766 1767
1768
1769 1770 1771
1772 1773 1774 1775 1776
1777 1778 1779 1780
1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787
1788 1789 1790
1791 1792 1793 1794 1795
1796 1797 1798
1799 1800 1801
1802 1803 1804
1805
1806 1807
1808 1809 1810 1811 1812
1813 1814 1815
1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822
1823 1824 1825
1826 1827 1828 1829
1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836
1837 1838 1839
1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845
1846 1847 1848
1849 1850 1851
1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858
1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865
1866 1867 1868
1869 1870 1871
1872 1873
1874 1875
1876 1877 1878 1879 1880
1881 1882 1883 1884
1885 1886 1887
1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893
1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901
1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907
1908 1909 1910 1911 1912
1913
1914 1915
1916 1917 1918
1919 1920 1921 1922 1923
1924 1925 1926
1927 1928 1929
1930 1931 1932 1933
1934 1935 1936
1937 1938 1939
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944
1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952
1953 1954
1955
1956 1957 1958 1959 1960
1961 1962 1963
1964 1965 1966 1967
1968 1969 1970
1971 1972 1973 1974
1975
1976 1977
1978 1979 1980
1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
1991 1992 1993
1994 1995 1996
1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
2005 2006
2007 2008
2009 2010 2011
2012 2013 2014
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
2022 2023 2024
2025 2026 2027
2028 2029 2030
2031 2032 2033
2034 2035 2036 2037 2038
2039 2040 2041
2042 2043 2044 2045 2046
2047 2048 2049
2050 2051 2052
2053 2054 2055
2056 2057 2058
2059 2060 2061
2062 2063 2064 2065
2066 2067
2068
2069 2070
2071 2072 2073
2074 2075 2076 2077
2078 2079 2080
2081 2082 2083 2084 2085 2086 2087 2088 2089 2090
2091 2092 2093
2094 2095 2096
2097 2098 2099
2100 2101
2102 2103 2104 2105 2106
2107 2108 2109 2110
2111 2112 2113
2114 2115 2116 2117 2118
2119 2120 2121
2122 2123
2124 2125
2126 2127 2128
2129 2130 2131
2132 2133 2134
2135 2136 2137 2138 2139
2140 2141 2142
2143 2144 2145
2146 2147 2148
2149 2150 2151
2152 2153 2154
2155 2156
2157 2158 2159
2160 2161 2162
2163 2164 2165 2166 2167
2168 2169
2170 2171 2172
2173 2174
2175 2176
2177 2178 2179
2180 2181 2182 2183
2184 2185 2186
2187 2188 2189
2190 2191 2192
2193 2194 2195
2196
2197 2198
2199 2200 2201 2202 2203
2204 2205 2206 2207 2208 2209
2210 2211
2212 2213
2214 2215 2216
2217 2218 2219
2220 2221 2222
2223 2224 2225
2226 2227 2228 2229
2230 2231
2232 2233 2234 2235 2236 2237 2238
2239 2240 2241 2242
2243 2244 2245
2246 2247 2248 2249 2250 2251 2252 2253
2254 2255
2256 2257 2258
2259 2260 2261
2262 2263 2264
2265 2266 2267
2268 2269 2270 2271
2272 2273 2274
2275 2276 2277 2278 2279
2280 2281 2282
2283 2284 2285
2286 2287
2288
2289 2290
2291 2292 2293
2294 2295 2296
2297 2298 2299
2300 2301 2302 2303 2304
2305 2306 2307 2308 2309 2310
2311 2312 2313
2314 2315 2316
2317
2318 2319
2320 2321 2322
2323 2324 2325
2326 2327 2328
2329 2330 2331 2332
2333 2334 2335
2336 2337 2338 2339
2340 2341 2342
2343
2344 2345
2346 2347 2348 2349 2350 2351
2352 2353 2354
2355 2356 2357
2358 2359 2360
2361 2362 2363
2364 2365 2366 2367
2368 2369 2370 2371
2372 2373 2374 2375 2376 2377 2378 2379
2380
2381 2382 2383 2384 2385
2386 2387 2388
2389 2390 2391
2392 2393 2394 2395 2396 2397 2398
2399 2400 2401
2402 2403 2404
2405 2406 2407
2408 2409 2410
2411 2412 2413
2414
2415 2416
2417 2418 2419
2420 2421 2422
2423 2424 2425
2426 2427
2428 2429
2430 2431 2432
2433 2434 2435
2436 2437 2438 2439
2440 2441 2442 2443 2444
2445 2446 2447
2448 2449 2450
2451
2452 2453 2454 2455
2456 2457 2458
2459 2460 2461
2462 2463 2464
2465 2466 2467 2468
2469 2470 2471 2472
2473 2474 2475
2476 2477 2478 2479 2480 2481
2482
2483 2484 2485 2486
2487 2488 2489
2490 2491 2492
2493 2494 2495 2496
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2500 2501 2502 2503
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HERE BYGYNNITH A BOOK OF CONTEMPLACYON,
THE WHICHE IS CLEPYD THE CLOWDE OF UNKNOWYNG, IN THE
WHICHE A SOULE IS ONYD WITH
GOD. Here biginneth the preyer
on the
prologe. God,
unto Whom alle hertes ben open, and unto Whom alle wille spekith, and unto
Whom no privé thing is hid: I beseche Thee so for to
clense the entent of myn hert with the unspekable gift of
Thi grace that I may parfiteliche love Thee, and
wor- thilich preise Thee.
Amen. Here biginneth the
prolog. In
the name of the Fader and of the Sone and of the Holy
Goost. I charge thee and I beseche thee,
with as moche power and vertewe as the bonde of charité
is sufficient to suffre, whatsoever thou be that this book schalt have in
pos- session, outher bi propirté outher by keping, by
bering as messenger or elles bi bor- owing, that in as
moche as in thee is by wille and avisement, neither thou rede it, ne
write it, ne speke it, ne yit suffre it be red, wretyn,
or spokyn, of any or to any, bot yif it be of soche one
or to soche one that hath (bi thi supposing) in a trewe wille and
by an hole entent, purposed him to be a parfite folower
of Criste, not only in actyve leving, bot in the
sovereinnest pointe of contemplatif leving the whiche is possible by
grace for to be comen to in this present liif of a
parfite soule yit abiding in this deedly body; and therto
that doth that in him is, and bi thi supposing, hath do longe tyme
before, for to able him to contemplative levyng by the
vertuous menes of active levyng. For elles it acordeth
nothing to him. And, over this, I
charge thee and I beseche thee, bi the autorité of charité, that yif
any soche schal rede it, write it, or speke it, or elles
here it be red or spokin, that thou charge hem, as I do
thee, for to take hem tyme to rede it, speke it, write it, or here it,
al over. For, paraventure, ther is som mater therin, in
the beginnyng or in the middel, the whiche is hanging and
not fully declared ther it stondeth; and yif it be not there, it
is sone after, or elles in the ende. Wherfore, yif a man
saw o mater and not another, paraventure he might lightly
be led into errour. And therfore, in eschewing of this
errour bothe in thiself and in alle other, I preye thee
par charité do as I sey thee. Fleschely
janglers, opyn preisers and blamers of hemself or of any other, tithing
tellers, rouners and tutilers of tales, and alle maner of
pinchers, kept I never that thei sawe this book. For myn
entent was never to write soche thing unto hem. And
ther fore I wolde that thei medel not therwith, neither
thei ne any of thees corious lettred or lewed men. Ye,
though al that thei be ful good men of active levyng, yit this mater
acordeth nothing to hem; but yif it be to thoo men the
whiche, though al thei stonde in actyveté bi outward
forme of levyng, nevertheles yit bi inward stering after the
privé sperit of God, Whos domes ben hid, thei ben ful
graciously disposid, not contyn owely as it is propre to
verrey contemplatyves, bot than and than to be parceners
in the hieghst pointe of this contemplative acte: yif
soche men might se it, thei schuld by the grace of God be
greetly counforted therby. This book is
distingwid in seventy chapitres and five. Of the whiche chapitres, the
last chapitres of alle techeth som certeyn tokens by the
whiche a soule may verrely preve whether he be clepid of
God to be a worcher in this werk or
none. Here biginneth a table of
the
chapitres. The
first chapitre. Of foure degrees of Cristen mens leving; and of the
cours of his cleping that this book was maad
unto. The secound chapitre. A
schort stering to meeknes and to the werk of this
book. The thrid chapitre. How the
werk of this book schal be wrought, and of the wor thines
of it bifore alle other werkes. The
feerthe chapitre. Of the schortnes of this werk, and how it may not be
comen to by the corioustee of witte, ne by
ymaginacion. The fifthe chapitre.
That in the tyme of this werk alle the cretures that ever have
ben, ben now, or ever schal be, and alle the werkes of
thoo same creatures, scholen be hid under the clowde of
forgetyng. The six chapitre. A
schort conceyte of the werk of this book, tretid by
questyon. The seventh chapitre.
How a man schal have him in this werk agens alle
thoughtes, and nameli agens alle thoo that risen of his
owne coriousté of kunnyng and of kyndely
witte. The eight chapitre. A good
declaryng of certein doutes that may falle in this werk,
tretid bi questyon: in distroiing of a mans owne
coriousté of konnyng and of kyndely wit; and in
distynging of the degrees and the partyes of actyve levyng and
contemplative. The ninthe
chapitre. That, in the tyme of this werk, the minde of the holiest
creature that ever God maad letteth more then it
profiteth. The teenthe
chapitre. How a man schal knowe when his thoght is no sinne; and,
yif it be synne, when it is deedly and when it is
venial. The elleventh chapitre.
That a man schuld charge iche thought and iche stering
after that it is, and alweis eschewe rechelesnes in
venial synne. The twelfthe
chapitre. That by vertewe of this werk sinne is not only distroied,
bot also vertewes ben
getyn. The thritteenth chapitre.
What meeknes is in itself, and when it is parfite and
when it is
inparfite. The fourtene chapitre.
That withoute inparfite meeknes coming before, it is
in possible a sinner to come to the parfite vertewe of
meeknes in this liif. The fiftene
chapitre. A schort profe agens theire errour that seien that ther is
no parfiter cause to be mekid under then is the mynde of
a mans owne wrechidnes. The sixtene
chapitre. That bi vertewe of this werk, a sinner trewly turned and
clepid to contemplacion cometh sonner to perfeccion than
bi any other werk; and bi it sonnest may gete of God
forgevenes of synnes. The seventene
chapitre. That a verrey contemplatiif list not medel hym of active
liif, ne of anything that is doon or spoken aboute him,
ne yit to answere to his blam- ers in excusing of
himself. The eightene chapitre.
How that yit into this day alle actyves pleynen hem of
contemplatyves, as Martha did on Mary; of the whiche
pleynyng ignoraunce is the
cause. The ninetene
chapitre. A schort excusacion of him that maad this book, teching
how alle contemplatives schuld have alle actyves fully
excusid of theire pleinyng wordes and
dedes. The twenty chapitre. How
Almighty God wil goodly answere for alle thoo that, for
the excusing of hemself, list not leve the besines aboute the love of
Hym. The on and twenty chapitre.
The trewe exposicion of this Gospel worde: Mary hath
chosen the best partye. The two and
twenty chapitre. Of the wonderful love that Crist had to Mari, in
persone of alle sinners treuly turned and clepid to the
grace of contemplacion. The thre and
twenty chapitre. How God wol answere and purvey for hem in
sperite, that for besines aboute his love list not
answere ne purvey for hemself. The
foure and twenty chapitre. What charité is in itself, and how it is
sotely and parfitely contened in the werk of this
book. The five and twenty
chapitre. That in the tyme of this werk a parfite soule hath
no special beholding to any o man in this
liif. The six and twenty
chapitre. That withoute ful specyal grace, or longe use in
comoun grace, the werk of this book is right travelous;
and in this werk, whiche is the werk of the soule holpen
by grace, and whiche is the werk of only
God. The seven and twenty
chapitre. Who schuld worche in the gracious werk of this
book. The eight and
twenty chapitre. That a man schuld not presume to worche in this
werk before the tyme that he be lawfuly clensid in
consience of alle his specyal dedes of
synne. The nine and twenty
chapitre. That a man schuld bidingly travaile in this werk,
and suffre the pine therof, and deme no
man. The thritty chapitre. Who
schuld blame and reprove other mens
defautes. The one and thritty
chapitre. How a man schuld have hym in beginning of this
werk agens alle thoughtes and steringes of
sinne. The two and thritty
chapitre. Of two goostli sleightes that ben helpli to a goostli
beginner in the werk of this
book. The thre and thritty
chapitre. That in this werk a soule is clensid bothe of his
special sinnes and of the pine of hem, and yit how ther
is no parfite rest in this liif. The
foure and thritty chapitre. That God geveth this grace freely
withouten any mene, and that it may not be comen to with
menes. The five and thritty
chapitre. Of three menes in the whiche a contemplatiif
pren- tise schuld be ocupied: in reding, thinkyng, and
preiing. The six and thritty
chapitre. Of the meditacions of hem that contynuely travailen
in the werk of this
book. The seven and thritty
chapitre. Of the special preiers of hem that ben
con- tynowel worchers in the werk of this
book. The eight and thritty
chapitre. How and whi that schort preier perceth
heven. The nine and thritty
chapitre. How a parfite worcher schal preie, and what preier
is in itself; and yif a man schal preie in wordes, whiche
wordes acorden than moste to the propirté of
preier. The fourty chapitre. That
in the tyme of this work, a soule hath no special
be holding to any o vice in itself ne to any o vertew in
itself. The on and fourty
chapitre. That in alle other werks binethe this, men schuld
kepe discrecion; bot in this,
none. The two and fourty
chapitre. That by indiscrecion in this men schal kepe
discre cion in alle other thinges; and sekerly elles
never. The thre and fourty
chapitre. That alle wetyng and felyng of a mans owne being
must nedelynges be lost, yif the perfeccion of this werk
schal verrely be felt in any soule in this
liif. The foure and fourty
chapitre. How a soule schal dispose it on the owne partie
for to distroie alle wetyng and feling of the owne
being. The five and fourty
chapitre. A good declaring of somme certein disseites that
mowen falle in this
werk. The six and fourty
chapitre. A good teching how a man schal flee thees disseites,
and wirche more with a listines of spirite then with any
boistousnes of body. The seven and
fourty chapitre. A sleygh teching of this werk in purté of spirite;
declaryng how that on o maner a soule schuld schewe his
desire unto God, and on the contrary unto
man. The eight and fourty
chapitre. How God wol be servid bothe with body and with
soule, and reward men in bothe; and how men schul knowe
when alle thoo sounes and swetnes that fallen into the
body in tyme of preier ben bothe good and
ivel. The nine and fourty
chapitre. The substaunce of alle perfeccion is not elles bot a
good wile; and how that alle sounes, counfortes, and
swetnes, that mowe falle in this liif, ben to it bot as
it were accidentes. The fifty
chapitre. Whiche is chaste love; and how in som creatures soche
sensi ble counfortes ben bot seelden, and in som
right ofte. The one and fifty
chapitre. That men schuld have grete warnes, so that thei
un derstonde not bodili thing that is ment goostly; and
namely it is good to be war in understonding of this
worde IN and of this worde UP. The
two and fifty chapitre. How theese yong, presumtuous dissiples
misunder- stonden this worde IN; and of the deseites that
folowen theron. The thre and fifty
chapitre. Of diverse unseemly continaunces that folowen
hem that lacken the werk of this
book. The foure and fifty
chapitre. How that bi vertewe of this werk a man is governid
ful wisely and maad ful seemly, as wel in body as in
soule. The five and fifty
chapitre. How thei ben disseived, that folowen the fervour of
spirite in reprovyng of sinne withouten
discrecion. The six and fifty
chapitre. How they ben disseived that lenen more to the
cori ousté of kyndely witte, and of clergie leerned in the
scole of men, than to the comoun doctrine and counsel of
Holi Chirche. The seven and fifti
chapitre. How thees yong, presumptuous dissiples
misunder- stonden this other worde UP; and of the deseites
that folowen theron. The eight and
fifty chapitre. That a man schal not take ensaumple of Seinte
Martyn and of Seinte Steven, for to streine his
ymaginacion bodily upwardes, in the tyme of his
preier. The nine and fifty
chapitre. That a man schal not take exsaumple at the bodily
assencion of Criste, for to streine his ymaginacion
upwardes bodily in the tyme of preier; and that tyme,
stede, and bodi, theese thre schulden be forgeten in alle goostly
worching. The sixty
chapitre. That the heighe and the next wey to heven is ronne bi
desires, and not bi pases of
feet. The on and sixty chapitre.
That alle bodili thing is soget unto goostli thing, and
is rewlid therafter bi the cours of kinde, and not
agensward. The two and sixty
chapitre. How a man may wite when his goostly werk is
bineeth him or withouten him, and when it is even with
him or withinne him, and when it is aboven him and under
his God. The thre and sixty
chapitre. Of the mightes of a soule in general; and how minde
in special is a principal might, comprehending in it alle
the other mightes and alle thoo thinges in the whiche
thei worchen. The foure and sixty
chapitre. Of the other two principal mightes, reson and wil;
and of the werk of hem bifore sinne and
after. The five and sixty
chapitre. Of the first secondary might, ymaginacion bi
name; and of the werkes, and of the obedience of it unto
reson bifore sinne and after. The six
and sixty chapitre. Of the other secondari might, sensualité bi name;
and of the werkes, and of the obedience of it unto wille
bifore sinne and after. The seven and
sixty chapitre. That whoso knoweth not the mightes of a soule and
the maner of here worching may lightly be disseived in
understonding of goostly wordes and of goostly worching;
and how a soule is maad a god in
grace. The eight and sixty
chapitre. That noghwhere bodili is everywhere goostly; and
how oure utter man clepith the werk of this book
nowght. The nine and sixty
chapitre. How that a mans affeccion is merveylously
chaunged in goostly felyng of this nought, when it is
noghwere wrought. The seventy
chapitre. That right as bi the defailing of oure bodely wittes, we
bigine redeliest to kom to knowing of goostli thinges, so
by the defailing of oure goostly wittes we biginne moste
redeliest to com to the knowing of God, soche as
is possible bi grace to be had
here. The on and seventy
chapitre. That som may not come to fele the perfeccion of
this werk bot in tyme of ravisching, and som mowe have it
when thei wil, in the co- moun state of mans
soule. The two and seventy
chapitre. That a worcher in this werk schuld not deme ne
think of another worcher as he feleth in
himself. The thre and seventy
chapitre. How that after the licnes of Moyses, of Beseleel,
and of Aaron, medeling hem aboute the Arke of the
Testament, we profite on thre maners in this grace of
contemplacion; for this grace is figured in that
Arke. The foure and seventy
chapitre. How that the mater of this book is nevermore
red or spoken, ne herde red or spoken, of a soule
disposid therto, withouten feling of a verrey acordaunce
to the effecte of the same werk; and of rehersing of the same
charge that is wretin in the
prolog. The five and seventy
chapitre. Of somme certein tokenes bi the whiche a man may
prove whether he be clepid of God to worche in this
werk. And here eendeth the table
of the
chapitres Goostly
freende in God, I preie thee and I beseche thee that thou wilt have a besi
beholding to the cours and the maner of thi cleeping. And
thank God hertely, so that thou maist thorow help of His
grace stonde stifly agens alle the sotil assailinges of thi
bodily and goostly enemyes, and winne to the coroun of
liif that evermore
lasteth. Amen. Here
biginneth the first
chapitre. Goostly
freende in God, thou schalt wel understonde that I fynde, in my boistous
beholdyng, foure degrees and fourmes of Cristen mens
levyng; and ben theese: Co- moun, Special, Singuler, and
Parfite. Thre of theese mow be bigonnen and eendid in
this liif; and the ferthe may bi grace be bigonnen here,
bot it schal ever laste with outen eende in the blis of
heven. And right as thou seest how thei ben set here in
or dre, ilch one after other, first Comoun, than Special,
after Syngulere, and last Parfite: right so me thinketh
that, in the same ordre and in the same cours, oure Lorde hath of
His grete mercy clepid thee and ledde thee unto Him bi
the desire of thin herte. For first thou
wote wel that when thou were levyng in the comoun degree of
Cris- ten mens levyng in companie of thi wordely freendes,
it semeth to me that the ever- lasting love of His
Godheed, thorow the whiche He mad thee and wrought thee when
thou were nought, and sithen bought thee with the prise
of His precious blood when thou were loste in Adam, might
not suffre thee be so fer fro Him in forme and degree of
levyng. And therfore He kyndelid thi desire ful graciously, and fastnid bi
it a lyame of longing, and led thee by it into a more
special state and forme of levyng, to be a servaunt of
the special servauntes of His; where thou mightest lerne to live more
specialy and more goostly in His servise than thou
dedist, or mightest do, in the co- moun degree of levyng
bifore. And what more? Yit it semeth that He wolde not leve
thee thus lightly, for love of His herte, the whiche He
hath evermore had unto thee sith thou were oughtes. Bot
what did He? Seest thou nought how lystly and how
graciously He hath pulled thee to the thrid degre and
maner of leving, the whiche hight Singuleer? In the
whiche solitari forme and maner of levyng thou maist lerne to
lift up the fote of thi love and step towardes that state
and degré of levyng that is Parfite, and the laste state
of alle. Here biginneth the
secound
chapitre. Look
up now, weike wreche, and see what thou arte. What arte thou, and what
hast thou deserved thus to be clepid of oure Lorde? What
weri wrechid herte and sleping in sleuthe is that, the
whiche is not waknid with the drawght of this love and the
voise of this cleping? Bewar now, wreche, in this while
with thin enemye; and holde thee never the holier ne the
beter for the worthinesof this cleping and for the
singuler fourme of levying that thou art in; bot the more
wrechid and cursid, bot yif thou do that in thee is
goodly, bi grace and bi counsel, to lyve after thi cleping. And
insomo- chel thou schuldest be more meek and lovyng to thi
goostly spouse, that He, that is the Almighty God, King
of kynges and Lorde of lordes, wolde meek Hym so lowe
unto thee, and amonges alle the flok of scheep, so
graciously wolde chese thee to be one of His speciales,
and sithen set thee in the stede of pasture, where thou maist
be fed with the swetnes of his love, in erles of thin
heritage, the kingdome of heven. Do on
than, I preie thee, fast. Look now forwardes, and lat be bacwardes. And
see what thee faileth, and not what thou haste: for that
is the rediest getyng and keping of meeknes. Alle thi
liif now behoveth algates to stonde in desire, yif thou schalt profite
in degré of perfeccion. This desire behoveth algates be
wrought in thi wille bi the honde of Almighti God and thi
consent. Bot oo thing I telle thee: He is a gelous lover
and suffreth no felawschip, and Him list not worche in
thi wille bot yif He be only with thee bi Hymself. He
asketh none helpe, bot only thiself. He wil thou do bot loke
on Hym and late Him alone. And kepe thou the windowes and
the dore for flies and enemies assailyng. And yif thou be
willy to do this, thee thar bot meekly put apon Him with
preier, and sone wil He help thee. Put on than: lat see how thou berest
thee. He is ful redy, and doth bot abideth thee. Bot what
schalt thou do, and how schalt thou
put? Here biginneth the thrid
chapitre. Lift
up thin herte unto God with a meek steryng of love; and mene Himself, and
none of His goodes. And therto loke thee lothe to thenk
on ought bot on Hymself, so that nought worche in thi
witte ne in thi wille bot only Himself. And do that in thee is
to forgete alle the creatures that ever God maad and the
werkes of hem, so that thi thought ne thi desire be not
directe ne streche to any of hem, neither in general ne in
special. Bot lat hem be, and take no kepe to
hem. This is the werk of the soule that
moste plesith God. Alle seintes and aungelles han joie of
this werk, and hasten hem to helpe it in al here might. Alle feendes ben
wood whan thou thus doste, and proven for to felle it in
alle that thei kun. Alle men levyng in erthe ben
wonderfuli holpen of this werk, thou wost not how. Ye, the soules in
purgatori ben esed of theire peine by vertewe of this
werk. Thiself arte clensid and maad vertewos by no werk
so mochel. And yit it is the lightest werk of alle, when a
soule is holpen with grace in sensible liste, and sonnest
done. Bot elles it is hard and wonderful to thee for to
do. Lette not therfore, bot travayle
therin tyl thou fele lyst. For at the first tyme when
thou dost it, thou fyndest bot a derknes, and as it were
a cloude of unknowyng, thou wost never what, savyng that
thou felist in thi wille a nakid entent unto God. This
derknes and this cloude is, howsoever thou dost, bitwix
thee and thi God, and letteth thee that thou maist not
see Him cleerly by light of understonding in thi reson, ne
fele Him in swetnes of love in thin affeccion. And
therfore schap thee to bide in this derknes as longe as
thou maist, evermore criing after Him that thou lovest; for yif
ever schalt thou fele Him or see Him, as it may be here,
it behoveth alweis be in this cloude and in this derknes.
And yif thou wilte besily travayle as I bid thee, I triste in
His mercy that thou schalt come
therto. Here beginneth the
feerthe
chapitre. But
forthi that thou schalt not erre in this worching, and wene that it be
otherwise then it is, I schal telle thee a lityl more
therof, as me thinketh. This werk asketh
no longe tyme er it be ones treulich done, as sum men wenen; for
it is the schortest werke of alle that man may ymagyn. It
is neither lenger ne schorter then is an athomus; the
whiche athomus, by the diffinicion of trewe philisophres in
the sciens of astronomye, is the leest partie of tyme;
and it is so litil that, for the littil- nes of it, it is
undepartable and neighhonde incomprehensible. This is that tyme of
the whiche it is wretyn: Alle tyme that is goven to thee,
it schal be askid of thee how thou haste dispendid it.
And skilful thing it is that thou geve acompte of it; for it is
neither lenger ne schorter, bot even acording to one only
steryng that is withinne the principal worching might of
thi soul, the whiche is thi wille. For even so many
willinges or desiringes - and no mo ne no fewer - may be
and aren in one oure in thi wille, as aren athomus in one
oure. And yif thou were reformid bi grace to the first
state of mans soule, as it was bifore sinne, than thou schuldest evermore,
bi help of that grace, be lorde of that stering or of
thoo sterynges; so that none yede forby, bot alle thei
schulde streche into the soverein desirable and into the heighest wilnable
thing, the whiche is
God. For He is even mete to oure soule
by mesuring of His Godheed; and oure soule even mete unto
Him bi worthines of oure creacion to His ymage and to His licnes.
And He by Himself withouten moo, and none bot He, is
sufficient at the fulle, and mochel more, to fulfille the
wille and the desire of oure soule. And oure soule, bi
vertewe of this reformyng grace, is mad sufficient at the
fulle to comprehende al Him by love, the whiche is
incomprehensible to alle create knowable might, as is aungel
and mans soule. (I mene by theire knowyng and not by
theire lovyng, and therfore I clepe hem in this caas
knowable mightes). Bot seth: alle
resonable creatures, aungel and man, hath in hem, ilchone by
hem self, o principal worching might, the whiche is clepid
a knowable might, and another principal worching might,
the whiche is clepid a lovyng might: of the whiche two
mightes, to the first, the whiche is a knowyng might,
God, That is the maker of hem, is evermore
incomprehensible; and to the secound, the whiche is the lovyng myght,
in ilchone diversly He is al comprehensible at the fulle,
insomochel that o lovyng soule only in itself, by vertewe
of love, schuld comprehende in it Hym that is suffi cient
at the fulle - and mochel more, withoute comparison - to fille alle the
soules and aungelles that ever may be. And this is the
eendles merveilous miracle of love, the whiche schal
never take eende; for ever schal he do it, and never schal he seese
for to do it. See, who bi grace see may, for the felyng
of this is eendles blisse; and the contrary is eendles
pyne. And therfore whoso were refourmyd
by grace thus to continow in keping of the sterynges of
the wille, schuld never be in this liif - as he may not be withouten
thees sterynges in kynde - withouten som taast of the
eendles swetnes; and in the blisse of heven withouten the
fulle food. And therfore have no wonder thof I stere thee
to this werk. For this is the werk, as thou schalt here after, in the
whiche man schuld have contynowed yif he never had
synned, and to the whiche worching man was maad, and alle
thing for man, to help him and forther him therto, and by the
whiche a man schal be reparailed agein. And for the
defaylyng in this worching a man falleth depper and
depper in synne, and ferther and ferther fro God. And by
kepyng and contynowel worching in this werk only,
withouten mo, a man evermore riseth hier and hier fro
synne, and nerer and nerer unto God. And
therfore take good keep into tyme, how that thou dispendist it. For
nothing is more precious than tyme. In oo litel tyme, as
litel as it is, may heven be wonne and lost. A token it
is that time is precious: for God, That is gever of tyme, geveth never
two tymes togeder, bot ichone after other. And this He
doth for He wil not reverse the ordre or the ordinel
cours in the cause of His creacion. For tyme is maad for man,
and not man for tyme. And therfore God, That is the
rewler of hy kynde, wil not in the gevyng of tyme go
before the steryng of kynde in a mans soule; the whiche is
even acordyng to o tyme only. So that man schal have none
excusacion agens God in the Dome and at the gevyng of
acompte of dispendyng of tyme, seiing: "Thou gevest two
tymes at ones, and I have bot o steryng at
ones." Bot soroufuly thou seist now:
"How schal I do? and sith this is soth that thou seist,
how schal I geve acompte of iche thing seerly. I that
into this day, now of foure and twenty yere age, never
toke hede of tyme? Yif I wolde now amende it, thou wost
wel, bi verrey reson of thi wordes wretyn before, it may
not be after the cours of kynde ne of comoun grace, that
I schuld mowe kepe or elles make aseeth to any mo tymes
than to thoo that ben forto come. Ye, and moreover wel I wote, bi verrey
proef, that of thoo that ben to come I schal on no wise,
for habundaunce of freelté and slownes of sperite, mowe
kepe one of an hondred; so that I am verrely conclude in
theese resons. Help me now, for the love of
Jhesu!" Right wel hast thou seide "for
the love of Jhesu." For in the love of Jhesu there schal
be thin help. Love is soche a might that it makith alle thing comoun. Love
ther fore Jhesu, and alle thing that He hath it is thin.
He by His Godheed is maker and gever of tyme. He bi His
Manheed is the verrey keper of tyme. And He, bi His
God heed and His Manheed togeders, is the trewist domesman
and the asker of acompte of dispending of tyme. Knyt thee
therfore to Him bi love and by beleve; and than by
vertewe of that knot thou schalt be comoun parcener with
Him and with alle that by love so be knittyd unto Him;
that is to sey, with oure Lady Seinte Mary, that ful was
of alle grace in kepyng of tyme with alle the aungelles
of heven that never may lese tyme, and with alle the
seintes in heven and in erthe, that by the grace of Jhesu kepen
tyme ful justly in vertewe of
love. Loo! here lith counforte; construe
thou cleerly and pike thee sum profite. Bot of oo thing I
warne thee amonges alle other: I cannot see who may trewliche
chalenge comunité thus with Jhesu and His just Moder, His
highe aungelles and also with His seyntes, bot yif it be
soche one that doth that in hym is, with helping of grace, in
kepyng of tyme; so that he be seen to be a profiter on
his partye, so litil as is, unto the comunité, as ichone
of hem doth on his. And therfore take
kepe to this werk and to the merveylous maner of it withinne in
thi soule. For yif it be trewlich conceyved, it is bot a
sodeyn steryng, and as it were unavisid, speedly
springing unto God as sparcle fro the cole. And it is merveylous to
noumbre the sterynges that may be in one oure wrought in
a soule that is disposid to this werk. And yit, in o
steryng of alle theese, he may have sodenly and parfitely
for- geten alle create thing. Bot fast after iche steryng,
for corupcion of the flesche, it falleth doune agein to
som thought or to some done or undone dede. Bot what
therof? for fast after, it riseth agen as sodenly as it
did bifore. And here mowe men schortly
conceyve the maner of this worching, and cleerly knowe
that it is fer fro any fantasie, or any fals ymaginacion, or queynte
opinion; the whiche ben brought in, not by soche a
devoute and a meek blynde stering of love, bot by a
proude, coryous, and an ymaginatiif witte. Soche a proude, corious witte
behoveth algates be born doun and stifly troden doun
under fote, yif this werke schal trewly be conceyvid in
pureté of spirite. For whoso herith this
werke outher be red or spoken, and weneth that it may or
schuld be comen to by travayle in theire wittes (and
therfore thei sitte and sechin in theire wittes how that
it may be, and in this coriousté thei travayle theire
ymagina- cion, paraventure, agens cours of kynde, and thei
feyne a maner of worching, the whiche is neither bodily
ne goostly): trewly this man, whatsoever he be, is perilously
disseyvid; insomochel that, bot yif God of His grete
goodnes schewe His mercyful myracle and make hym sone to
leve werk and meek him to counsel of provid worchers, he
schal falle outher into frenesies, or elles into other grete mischeves of
goostly sinnes and devels disseites; thorow the whiche he
may lightly be lorne, bothe liif and soule, withouten any
eende. And therfore, for Goddes love, beware in this
werk, and travayle not in thi wittes ne in thin
ymaginacion on no wise. For I telle thee trewly, it may
not be comen to by travaile in theim; and therfore leve theim and
worche not with
theim. And wene not, for I clepe it a
derknes or a cloude, that it be any cloude congelid of
the humours that fleen in the ayre, ne yit any derknes
soche as is in thin house on nightes, when thi candel is
oute. For soche a derknes and soche a cloude maist thou
ymagin with coriousté of witte, for to bere before thin
ighen in the lightest day of somer; and also, agenswarde,
in the derkist night of wynter thou mayst ymagin a clere
schinyng light. Lat be soche falsheed; I mene not thus. For when I sey
derknes, I mene a lackyng of knowyng; as alle that thing
that thou knowest not, or elles that thou hast forgetyn,
it is derk to thee, for thou seest it not with thi goostly ighe. And
for this skile it is not clepid a cloude of the eire, bot
a cloude of unknowyng, that is bitwix thee and thi God.
Here beginneth the fifthe
chapitre. And
yif ever thou schalt come to this cloude, and wone and worche therin as I
bid thee, thee byhoveth, as this cloude of unknowyng is
aboven thee, bitwix thee and thi God, right so put a
cloude of forgetyng bineth thee, bitwix thee and alle the cretures
that ever ben maad. Thee thinketh, paraventure, that thou
arte ful fer from God, forthi that this cloude of
unknowing is bitwix thee and thi God; bot sekirly, and it be wel
conseyved, thou arte wel ferther fro Hym when thou hast
no cloude of forgetyng bitwix thee and alle the creatures
that ever ben maad. As ofte as I sey "alle the crea- tures
that ever ben maad," as ofte I mene, not only the self creatures, bot also
alle the werkes and the condicions of the same creatures.
I oute take not o creature, whether thei ben bodily
creatures or goostly, ne yit any condicion or werk of any creature,
whether thei be good or ivel; bot schortly to sey, alle
schuld be hid under the cloude of forgetyng in this
caas. For thof al it be ful profitable
sumtyme to think of certeyne condicions and dedes of sum
certein special creatures, nevertheles yit in this werke it profiteth
lityl or nought. For why mynde or thinkyng of any
creature that ever God maad, or of any of theire dedes
outher, it is a maner of goostly light; for the ighe of thi soule is
openid on it and even ficchid therapon, as the ighe of a
schoter is apon the prik that he schoteth to. And o thing
I telle thee, that alle thing that thou thinkest apon it is
aboven thee for the tyme, and bitwix thee and thi God.
And insomochel thou arte the ferther fro God, that ought
is in thi mynde bot only God. Ye, and
yif it be cortesye and semely to sey, in this werk it profiteth litil or
noght to think of the kyndenes or the worthines of God, ne
on oure Lady, ne on the seintes or aungelles in heven, ne
yit on the joies in heven: that is to say, with a special
be- holding to hem, as thou woldest bi that beholding fede
and encrees thi purpos. I trowe that on no wise it schuld
be so in this caas and in this werk. For thof al it be
good to think apon the kindenes of God, and to love Hym
and preise Him for hem: yit it is fer betyr to think apon
the nakid beyng of Him, and to love Him and preise Him
for Himself. Here biginnith the
sixthe
chapitre. But
now thou askest me and seiest: "How schal I think on Himself, and what is
Hee?" And to this I cannot answere thee bot thus: "I wote
never." For thou hast brought me with
thi question into that same derknes, and into that same
cloude of unknowyng that I wolde thou were in thiself. For of alle other
crea- tures and theire werkes - ye, and of the werkes of
God self - may a man thorou grace have fulheed of
knowing, and wel to kon thinke on hem; bot of God Himself
can no man thinke. And therfore I wole leve al that thing
that I can think, and chese to my love that thing that I
cannot think. For whi He may wel be loved, bot not
thought. By love may He be getyn and holden; bot bi
thought neither. And therfore, thof al it be good sumtyme
to think of the kyndnes and the worthines of God in
spe- cial, and thof al it be a light and a party of
contemplacion, nevertheles in this werk it schal be
casten down and keverid with a cloude of forgetyng. And thou schalt step
aboven it stalworthly, bot listely, with a devoute and a
plesing stering of love, and fonde for to peerse that
derknes aboven thee. And smyte apon that thicke cloude of
unknowyng with a scharp darte of longing love, and go not
thens for thing that
befal leth. Here
beginnith the seventh
chapitre. And
yif any thought rise and wil prees algates aboven thee, bitwix thee and
that derknes, and asche thee seiing: "What sekist thou,
and what woldest thou have?" sey thou that it is God that
thou woldest have. "Him I coveite, Him I seche, and noght
bot Him." And yif he ascke thee what is that God, sey
thou that it is God That maad thee and bought thee, and
That graciously hath clepid thee to His love. And in Him
sei thou kanst no skile. And therfore sey: "Go thou down
agein." And treed him fast doun with a steryng of love
thof he seme to thee right holy, and seme to thee as he
wolde help thee to seke
Hym. For, paraventure, he wil bryng to
thi minde diverse ful feire and wonderful pointes of His
kyndnes, and sey that He is ful swete and ful lovyng, ful gracious and ful
mer cyful. And yif thou wilt here him, he coveiteth no
beter; for at the last he wil thus jangle ever more and
more til he bring thee lower to the mynde of His Passion. And
there wol he lat thee see the wonderful kyndnes of God;
and if thou here him, he kepeth no beter. For sone after
he wil lat thee see thin olde wrechid leving; and
paraventure, in seing and thinkyng therof, he wil bryng
to thi mynde som place that thou hast wonid in before
this tyme. So that at the last, er ever wite thou, thou schalt
be scaterid thou wost never where. The cause of this
scateryng is that thou herddist him first wilfuly,
answeredist him, resceivedist him, and letest him allone.
And yit, nevertheles, the thing that he
seide was bothe good and holy; ye, and so holy that what
man or womman that wenith to come to contemplacion withoutyn
many soche swete meditacions of theire owne wrechidnes,
the Passion, the kyndenes and the grete goodnes and the
worthynes of God comyng before, sekirly he schal erre and
faile of his purpos. And yit, nevertheles, it behoveth a man or a womman,
that hath longe tyme ben usid in theese meditacions,
algates leve hem, and put hem and holde hem fer doun
under the cloude of forgetyng, yif ever schal he peerse the
cloude of unknowyng bitwix him and his
God. Therfore, what tyme that thou
purposest thee to this werk, and felest bi grace that
thou arte clepid of God, lift than up thin herte unto God
with a meek steryng of love. And mene God love That maad
thee, and bought thee, and That graciousli hath clepid
thee to this werk; and resseive none other thought of God. And yit not
alle theese, bot thee list; for it suffiseth inough a
naked entent directe unto God, with- outen any other cause
then Himself. And yif thee list have
this entent lappid and foulden in o worde, for thou schuldest
have betir holde therapon, take thee bot a litil worde of
o silable; for so it is betir then of two, for ever the
schorter it is, the betir it acordeth with the werk of the
spirite. And soche a worde is this worde God or
this worde love. Cheese thee whether thou wilt, or
another as thee list: whiche that thee liketh best of o silable. And
fasten this worde to thin herte, so that it never go
thens for thing that bifalleth. This
worde schal be thi scheeld and thi spere, whether thou ridest on pees or
on werre. With this worde thou schalt bete on this cloude
and this derknes aboven thee. With this worde thou schalt
smite doun al maner thought under the cloude of
forget- ing; insomochel that yif any thought prees apon
thee to aske thee what thou woldest have, answere him
with no mo wordes bot with this o worde. And yif he profre thee
of his grete clergie to expoune thee that worde and to
telle thee the condicions of that worde, sey him that
thou wilt have it al hole, and not broken ne undon. And yif thow
wilt holde thee fast on this purpose, sekir be thou he
wil no while abide. And whi? For thou wilt not late him
fede him on soche swete meditacions touchid
before. Here biginnith the
eighte
chapitre. But
now thou askest me: "What is he, this that thus preesith apon me in this
werk?" And whether it is a good thing or an ivel? "And
yif it be an ivel thing, then have I merveyle," thou
seist, "whi that he wil encrees a mans devocion so mochel.
For sumtyme me think that it is a passing counforte to
listen after his tales. For he wil sumtyme, me think,
make me weep ful hertly for pité of the Passion of Criste,
som- tyme for my wrechidnes, and for many other skiles
that, me thinketh, ben ful holy, and that done me mochel
good. And therfore me thinkith that he schuld on no wise
be ivel. And yif he be good, and with his swete tales
doth me so moche good withal, than I have greet merveyle
whi that thou biddist me put him doun and awey so fer
under the cloude of
forgetyng." Now sekirly me thinketh that
this is a wel movid questyon, and therfore I think to
answere therto so febeli as I can. First, when thou
askest me what is he, this that pre- seth so fast apon
thee in this werk, profryng to help thee in this werk: I sey that it is a
scharp and a clere beholding of thi kindely witte,
preentid in thi reson withinne in thi soule. And where
thou askist me therof whether it be good or ivel, I sey that it
be- hoveth algates be good in his kynde, for whi it is a
beme of the licnes of God. Bot the use therof may be
bothe good and ivel. Good, when it is openid bi grace for to see thi
wrechidnes, the Passion, the kyndnes, and the wonderful
werkes of God in His crea- tures bodily and goostly; and
than it is no wonder thof it encrees thi devocion so
mochel as thou seist. Bot then is the use ivel, when it
is swollen with pride and with coriousté of moche clergie
and letterly conning as in clerkes, and maketh hem prees
for to beholden not meek scolers and maystres of devinité
or of devocion, bot proude scolers of the devel and
maysters of vanité and of falsheed. And in other men or
wommen, whatso thei be, religious or seculers, the use
and the worching of this kyn- dely witte is than ivel,
whan it is swollen with proude and corious skyles of wordely
thinges and fleschely conceites, in covetyng of wordly
worschipes and havyng of richesses and veyne plesaunce
and flateringes of other. And where that
thou askest me whi that thou schalt put it doune under the cloude
of forgetyng, sithen it is so that it is good in his
kynde, and therto when it is wel used, it doth thee so
mochel good and encreseth thi devocion so mochel, to this I
an- swere and sey that thou schalt wel understonde that
ther ben two maner of lives in Holy Chirche. The tone is
active liif, and the tother is contemplative liif. Actyve is
the lower, and contemplative is the hier. Active liif
hath two degrees, a hier and a lower; and also
contemplative liif hath two degrees, a lower and a higher. Also
theese two lives ben so couplid togeders, that thof al
thei ben divers in som party, yit neither of hem may be
had fully withouten som party of the other; for whi that party
that is the heigher party of actyve liif, that same party
is the lower party of contem- plative liif. So that a man
may not be fully active, bot yif he be in party
contempla- tive; ne yit fully contemplative (as it may be
here), bot yif he be in partie actyve. The condicion of
actyve liif is soche, that it is bothe bygonne and eended in this liif.
Bot not so of contemplative liif; for it is bigonne in
this liif, and schal last withouten eende, for whi that
partie that Mary chees schal never be taken awey. Active liif is
troublid and travailid aboute many thinges; bot
contemplative sitteth in pees with o
thing. The lower party of active liif
stondeth in good and honeste bodily werkes of mercy and
of charité. The hier party of active liif and the lower party of
contemplative liif lith in goodly goostly meditacions,
and besy beholding - unto a mans owne wre chidnes with
sorow and contricion, unto the Passion of Crist and of His servauntes
with pité and compassion, and unto the wonderful giftes,
kyndnes, and werkes of God in alle His creatures, bodili
and goostly, with thankyng and preising. Bot the higher
partye of contemplacion (as it may be had here) hongeth al holy in this
derknes and in this cloude of unknowyng, with a lovyng
steryng and a blinde be- holdyng unto the nakid beyng of
God Himself only. In the lower partye of
active liif a man is withouten himself and bineeth himself. In
the higher party of actyve liif and the lower party of
contemplative liif, a man is withinne himself and even
with himself. Bot in the higher partie of contemplative
liif, a man is aboven himself and under his God. Aboven
himself he is, for whi he purposeth him to wynne theder
bi grace, whether he may not come bi kynde; that is to
sey, to be knit to God in spirite, and in oneheed of love and acordaunce
of wile. And right as it is inpossible
to mans understondyng a man to come to the higher party
of actyve liif, bot if he seese for a tyme of the lower party: so it is
that a man schal not mowe com to the higher party of
contemplative liif, bot yif he seese for a tyme of the
lower partye. And as unleveful a thing as it is, and as moche as it wolde
lette a man that sat in his meditacions, to beholde
thanne to his outward bodily werkes, the whiche he had
done or elles schul do, thof al thei were never so holy
werkes in hemself: sekirly as unlicly a thing it is, and
as moche wolde it let a man, that schuld worche in this
derknes and in this cloude of unknowing with an
affectu- ous stering of love to God for Himself, for to
late any thought or any meditacion of Goddes wonderful
giftes, kyndnes, and werkes in any of His creatures, bodily or
goostly, rise apon him to prees bitwix him and his God,
though al thei be never so holy thoughtes, ne so liking,
ne so counfortable. And for this skile
it is that I bid thee put doun soche a scharp sotil thought, and
kever him with a thicke cloude of forgetyng, be he never
so holy, ne hote he thee never so weel for to help thee
in thi purpos. For whi love may reche to God in this
liif, bot not knowing. And al the whiles that the soule
wonith in this deedly body, evermore is the scharpnes of
oure understonding in beholding of alle goostly thinges,
bot most specialy of God, medelid with sum maner of
fantasie; for the whiche oure werk schuld be unclene,
and, bot if more wonder were, it schuld lede us into moche
errour. Here
biginnith the ninthe
chapitre.
And therfore the
scharp steryng of thin understondyng, that wile alweis prees apon
thee when thou settest thee to this werk blynd, behoveth
alweys be born doun; and bot thou bere him doun, he wile
bere thee doun; insomochel that whan thou wenest best to
abide in this derknes, and that nought is in thi mynde bot only God, and
thou loke witterly thou schalt fynde thi mynde not
ocupied in this derknes, bot in a cleer beholdyng of som
thing beneeth God. And yif it thus be, sekirly then is that thing
aboven thee for the time, and bitwix thee and thi God.
And therfore purpose thee to put doun soche clere
beholdinges, be thei never so holy ne so
likyng. For o thing I telle thee: it is
more profitable to the helthe of thi soule, more worthi
in itself, and more plesing to God and to alle the
seintes and aungelles in heven - ye! and more helply to
alle thi freendes, bodily and goostly, quik and dede - soche
a blynde steryng of love unto God for Himself, and soche
a privé love put upon this cloude of unknowyng; and beter
thee were for to have it and for to fele it in thin
af- feccion goostly, then it is for to have the ighe of
thi soule openid in contemplacion or beholding of alle
the aungelles or seyntes in heven, or in hering of alle the mirthe and the
melody that is amonges hem in
blisse. And loke thou have no wonder of
this, for mightest thou ones se it as cleerly as thou
maist bi grace com to for to grope it and feele it in this liif, thou
woldest think as I say. Bot seker be thou that cleer
sight schal never man have here in this liif, bot the
felyng mowe men have thorow grace whan God vouchethsaaf. And therfore lift
up thi love to that cloude. Bot yif I schal sey the
sothe, lat God drawe thi love up to that cloude; and
prove thou thorou help of His grace to forgete alle other
thing. For sithen a nakid minde of any
thing under God, presyng agens thi wille and thi wetyng,
putteth thee ferther fro God than thou schuldest be, nere it were, and
letteth thee, and makith thee inasmoche more unable to
fele in experience the frute of His love: what trowest
thou than that a mynde wetyngly and wilfuly drawen apon thee
wil hindre thee in thi purpos? And sithen a mynde of any
special seinte or of any clene goostly thing wil hindre
thee so moche, what trowest thou than that the mynde of
any man levyng in this wrechid liif, or of any maner of bodely or wordely
thing, wil hinder thee and let thee in this werk?
I say not that soche a nakid sodein
thought of any good and clene goostly thing under God,
presyng agens thi wille or thi wetyng, or elles wilfuly drawen apon thee
with avisement in encresing of thi devocion, though al it
be lettyng to this maner of werk, that it is therfore
ivel. Nay, God forbede that thou take it so. Bot I say, thof al it
be good and holy, yit in this werk it letteth more then
it profiteth - I mene for the tyme. For whi sekirly he
that sekith God parfitely, he wil not rest him finaly in the
mynde of any aungel or seinte that is in
heven. Here bygynnith the tenthe
chapitre. But
it is not thus of the mynde of any man or womman levyng in this liif, or
of any bodili or wordly thing, whatsoever that it be. For
whi a nakyd sodein thought of any of hem presing agens
thi wile and thi wetyng, thof al it be no sinne arettid unto thee
- for it is the pyne of the original sinne presing agens
thi power, of the whiche sinne thou arte clensid in thi
baptyme - nevertheles yit, yif this sodein steryng or thought
be not smetyn sone doun, as fast for freelté thi fleschly
herte is streynid therby, with sum maner of likyng yif it
be a thing that pleseth thee or hath plesid thee bifore, or
elles with sum maner of gruching yif it be a thing that
thee think greveth thee or hath greved thee before. The
whiche fastning, thof al it may be in fleschly levyng men
and wommen that ben in deedly sinne before, deedly,
nevertheles in thee, and in alle other that han in a
trewe wile forsaken the woreld, soche a likyng or a gruching
fast nyng in the flescheli herte is bot venial synne. The
cause of this is the grounding and the rotyng of youre
entent in God, maad in the biginnyng of youre levyng in that
state that ye stonde in. Bot yif it so be that this
likyng or gruching fastnyng in thi fleschly herte and
theires be suffred so longe to abide unreproved, that than at the last
it is fastnid to the goostly herte (that is to sey the
wile) with a ful consent: than it is deedly
synne. And this befalleth when thow, or
any of hem that I speke of, wilfuly drawen apon yow the
mynde of any man or womman levyng in this liif, or of any bodily or
wor- dely thing outher; insomoche that yif it be a thing
the whiche greveth or hath grevid thee before, ther
riseth in thee a teenful passion and an appetite of vengaunce, the
whiche is clepid Wrath; or elles a fel dedein and a maner
of wlatsomnes of theire persone with dispitous and
reprovyng thoughtes, the whiche is clepid Envye; or elles
a werines and an unlistines of any good ocupacion, bodily
or goostly, the whiche is clepid Slewth. And yif it be a
thing that plesith thee, or hath plesid thee before, ther
riseth in thee a passaunt delite for to think on that
thing whatso it be, insomochel that thou restest thee in
that thought, and finaly fastnist thin herte and thi wille therto, and
fedest thi fleschely herte therwith, so that thee think
for the tyme that thou coveitest none other welthe, bot
to live ever in soche a pees and rest with that thing that thou
thinkest apon. Yif this thought that thou thus drawest
apon thee, or elles resceyvest when it is put unto thee,
and that thou restest thee thus in with delite, be worthines of
kynde or of knowyng, of grace or of degree, of favour or
of faireheed, than it is Pride. And yif it be any maner
of worldy good, riches or catel, or what that man may
have or be lorde of, then it is Covetyse. Yif it be
deinteuous metes and drinkes, or any maner of delites
that man may taast, then it is Glotenie. And yif it be love or
ple- saunce, or any maner of fleschly daliaunce, glosing
or flateryng of any man or womman levyng in this liif, or
of thiself outher, than it is Lecherye.
Here biginnith the elleven
chapitre. I
say not this for I trowe that thou, or any other soche as I speke of, ben
gilty and combrid with any soche synnes; bot for I wolde
that thou chargedist iche a thought, and iche a steryng
after that it is, and for I wolde that thou travailedist besily to
dis- troie the first steryng and thought of thees thinges
that thou maist thus synne inne. For o thing I telle
thee: that who chargeth not, or setteth litil bi the first thought -
ye, though al it be no sinne unto him - he, that
whosoever that he be, schal not es- chewe rechelesnes in
venial sinne. Venial synne schal no man utterly eschue in this
deedly liif. Bot rechelesnes in venial synne schuld
alweis be eschewed of alle the dissiples of perfeccion;
and elles I have no wonder thof thei sone sinne
deedly. Here biginnith the
twelfthe
chapitre. And
therfore, yif thou wilt stonde and not falle, seese never in thin entent,
bot bete evermore on this cloude of unknowyng that is
bitwix thee and thi God with a scharpe darte of longing
love. And lothe for to think on ought under God. And go not thens
for thing that befalleth. For this is only bi itself that
werk that distroieth the grounde and the rote of synne.
Fast thou never so mochel, wake thou never so longe, rise thou
never so eerly, ligge thou never so harde, were thou
never so scharp, ye, and yif it were leveful to do - as
it is not - puttest thou oute thin yghen, cuttest thou oute thi
tonge of thi mouth, stoppedest thou thin eren and thi
nose never so fast, though thou schere awei thi prevé
membres and dedest al the pine to thi body that thou mightest
think: alle this wolde help thee right nought. Yit wil
stering and rising of synne be in
thee. Ye, and what
more! Wepe thou never so moche for sorow of thi sinnes or of the
Passion of Criste, or have thou never so moche mynde of
the joies of heven, what may it do to thee? Serkirly
moche good, moche helpe, moche profite, and moche grace
wol it gete thee; bot in comparison of this blinde steryng of love, it is
bot a litil that it doth, or may do, withouten this. This
bi itself is the best partye of Mary, with outen thees
other. Thei withouten it profiten litel or nought. It distroieth not only
the grounde and the rote of sinne, as it may be here, bot
therto it geteth vertewes. For and it be treuly
conceyvid, alle vertewes scholen be sotely and parfitely conceyvid
and felid comprehendid in it, withouten any medeling of
the entent. And have a man never so many vertewes
withouten it, alle thei ben medelid with sum crokid entent,
for the whiche thei ben inparfite.
For vertewe is not elles bot an
ordeinde and a mesurid affeccion, pleinly directe unto
God for Himself. For whi He in Himself is the clene cause of alle
vertewes; insomochel that yif any man be sterid to any o
vertewe by any other cause medelid with Him - ye thof al
it be the cheef - yit that vertewe is than inparfite. As thus, bi
ensaumple, may be seen in o vertewe or two in stede of
alle the other. And wel may theese two vertewes be
meeknes and charité, for whoso might gete theese two,
cleerly him nedid no mo: for whi he had
alle. Here byginnith the
thritteneth
chapitre. Now
lat see first of the vertewe of meeknes: how that it is inparfite when it
is caused of any other thing medelid with God thof al it
be the cheef; and how that it is parfite when it is
caused of God by Himself. And first it is to weten what meeknes is
in itself, yif this mater schal cleerly be seen and
conceyvid; and therafter may it more verrely be conceyvid
in trewth of sperite whiche is the cause
therof. Meeknes in itself is not ellis
bot a trewe knowyng and felyng of a mans self as he is.
For sekirly whoso might verrely see and fele himself as he is, that he
schuld ver- rely be meek. Two thinges ther ben the whiche
ben cause of this meeknes, the whiche ben theese: on is
the filthe, the wrecchidnes, and the freelté of man, into the
whiche he is fallen by synne, and the whiche algates him
behoveth to fele in sum partye the whiles he levith in
this liif, be he never so holy. Another is the
overaboun daunt love and the worthines of God in Himself,
in beholding of the whiche alle kynde quakith, alle
clerkes ben foles, and alle seintes and aungelles ben blynde;
in somoche that ne were thorow the wisdam of His Godheed
that He mesurid theire beholdyng after theire abilnes in
kynde and in grace, I defaile to sey what schuld falle of
hem. This secound cause is parfite, for
whi it schal last withouten eende. And the tother bifore
is inparfite, for whi it schal not only faile at the ende of this liif.
Bot ful ofte it may befalle that a soule in this deedly
body, for abundaunce of grace in multipliing of his
desire, as ofte and as longe as God vouchethsaaf for to worche it, schal
have sodenly and parfitely lost and forgetyn alle wetyng
and felyng of his beyng, not lo- kyng after whether he
have ben holy or wrechid. Bot whether that this falle ofte or
seeldom to a soule that is thus disposid, I trowe that it
lasteth bot a ful schort while. And in this tyme it is
parfitely mekyd, for it knoweth and felith no cause bot the
cheef. And ever whan it knoweth and felith the tother
cause comounyng therwith, thof al this be the cheef, yit
it is inparfite meeknes. Nevertheles yit it is good and
al gates must be had, and God forbede that thou take it in
any other maner then I sey. Here
biginnith the fouretene
chapitre. For
thof al I clepe it inparfite meeknes, yit I had lever have a trewe knowyng
and a felyng of myself as I am, and sonner I trowe that
it schuld gete me the parfite cause and vertewe of
meeknes bi itself, then it scholde and alle the seintes and aungelles in
heven, and alle the men and wommen of Holy Chirche levyng
in erthe, religious or seculers in alle degrees, weren
set at ones alle togeders to do not elles bot to prey to
God for me to gete me parfite meeknes. Ye, and yit it is
inpossible a sinner to gete, or to kepe when it is getyn,
the parfite vertewe of meeknes withouten
it. And therfore swink and swete in al
that thou canst and mayst, for to gete thee a trewe
knowyng and a feling of thiself as thou arte. And than I trowe that sone
after that thou schalt have a trewe knowyng and a felyng
of God as He is; not as He is in Hymself, for that may no
man do bot Himself, ne yit as thou schalt do in blisse bothe
body and soule togeders; bot as He is possible, and as He
vouchethsaaf to be knowen and felid of a meek soule
levyng in this deedly body. And think
not for I sette two causes of meeknes, one parfite and another inparfite,
that I wil therfore that thou leve the traveile aboute
inparfite meeknes and set the holy to gete the parfite.
Nay, sekirly, I trow thou schuldest never bryng it so
aboute. Bot herfore I do that I do; for I think to telle
thee and late thee see the worthines of this goostly
excersise before al other excercise, bodili or goostly, that man kan or
may do bi grace; how that a prevé love put in clennes of
spirite upon this derk cloude of unknowyng bitwix thee
and thi God sotely and parfitely conteneth in it the parfite
vertewe of meeknes, withouten any special or clere
beholding of any thing under God; and for I wolde that
thou knewest whiche were parfite meeknes, and settist it as
a token before the love of thin herte, and dedist it for
thee and for me; and for I wolde bi this knowyng make
thee more meek. For oftymes it befalleth
that lackyng of knowyng is cause of moche pride, as me
thinketh. For paraventure, and thou knewest not whiche
were parfite meeknes, thou schuldest wene, when thou
haddest a lityl knowyng and a felyng of this that I clepe
inparfite meeknes, that thou haddest nighhond getyn
parfite meeknes; and so schuld- est thou deceyve thiself,
and wene that thou were ful meek, whan thou were al
be lappid in foule stinkyng pride. And therfore fonde for
to travaile aboute parfite meeknes; for the condicion of
it is soche, that whoso hath it and the whiles he hath it,
he schal not sinne, ne yit mochel
after. Here byginnith the
fifteneth
chapitre. And
trist stedfastliche that ther is soche a parfite meeknes as I speke of,
and that it may be comen to thorow grace in this liif.
And this I sey in confusion of theire er- rour, that seyen
that ther is no parfiter cause of meeknes then is that the whiche is
reysid of the mynde of oure wrechidnes and oure
before-done synnes. I graunte wel that
to hem that han ben in customable sinnes, as I am myself and
have ben, it is the moste needful and speedful cause: to
be mekyd under the mynde of oure wrechidnes and oure
before-done synnes, ever to the tyme be that the grete
rust of oure sinne be in grete party rubbid awey, oure
consience and oure counsel to
witnes. Bot to other
that ben as it were innocentes, the whiche never sinned deedly with an
abidyng wil and avisement, bot thorou freelté and
unknowyng, and the whiche setten hem to be contemplatyves
- and to us bothe, yif oure counsel and oure concience
witnes oure laweful amendement in contricion and in
confession and in aseeth- makyng after the statute and the
ordinaunce of alle Holy Chirche, and, therto, yif we fele
us sterid and clepid bi grace to be contemplatives also - ther is than
another cause to be mekyd under, as fer aboven this cause
as is the levyng of oure Lady Seint Marye aboven the
levyng of the sinfulest penaunt in Holy Chirche, or the levyng of
Criste aboven the levyng of any other man in this liif,
or elles the levyng of an aungel in heven, the whiche
never felid - ne schal fele - freelté, is aboven the liif of the
frelest man that is here in this
woreld. For yif it so were that ther
were no parfite cause to be mekyd under, bot in seyng and
felyng of wrechidnes, then wolde I wite at hem that seien so what cause
thei ben mekid under, that never seen ne felen - ne never
schal be in hem - wrechidnes ne steryng of synne, as it
is of oure Lorde Jhesu Criste, oure Lady Seinte Marye, and
alle the seintes and aungelles in heven. To this
perfeccion, and alle other, oure Lorde Jesu Criste
clepith us Himself in the Gospel, where He biddeth that we schuld be
parfite by grace as He Hymself is by
kynde. Here biginnith the
sixteneth
chapitre. Loke
that no man think it presumpcion that he that is the wrechidest sinner of
this liif dar take apon hym - after the tyme be that he
have lawfuly amendid hym, and after that he have felt him
sterid to that liif that is clepid contemplative, by the assent
of his counsel and his concience - for to profre a meke
steryng of love to his God, prively puttyng apon the
cloude of unknowyng bitwix him and his God. When oure
Lorde seyde to Marye, in persone of alle sinners that ben
clepid to contemplative liif: "Thi sinnes ben forgeven
thee" - not for hir grete sorow, ne for the mynde of hir
synnes, ne yit for hir meeknes that sche had in the
beholdyng of hir wrechidnes only. Bot whi than? Sekirly
for sche loved mochel - lo! here mowe men see what a privé
love put may purchase of oure Lorde, before alle other
werkes that man may think. And yit I
graunte wel that scho had ful mochel sorow, and weep ful sore for hir
synnes, and ful mochel sche was mekid in mynde of hir
wrechidnes. And so schuld we do, that have ben wreches
and customable synners al oure liiftyme, make hidous and
wonderful sorow for oure synnes, and ful mochel be mekid in mynde of oure
wrechidnes. Bot how?
Sekirly as Mary did. Scho, thof al scho myght not unfele the depe hertly
sorow of hir synnes - for whi al hir liiftyme sche had
hem with hir whereso sche gede, as it were in a birthen
bounden togeders and leide up ful prively in the hole of
hir herte, in maner never to be forgeten - nevertheles
yit it may be seide and affermyd by Scripture that sche
had a more hertly sorow, a more doelful desire, and a
more deep sighing, and more sche languischid, ye!
nighhonde to the deeth, for lackyng of love, thof al sche
had ful mochel love - and have no wonder therof, for it
is the condicion of a trewe lover that ever the more he loveth, the more
him longeth for to love - than sche had for any mynde of
hir synnes. And yit sche wist wel, and
felt wel in hirself, in a sad sothfastnes, that sche was a
wreche moste foule of alle other, and that hir synnes had
maad a devision bitwix hir and hir God, that sche loved
so mochel; and also that thei were in grete party cause
of hir langwisching sekenes for lakyng of love. Bot what
therof? Cam sche therfore doun fro the height of desire
into the depnes of hir sinful liif, and serchid in the foule
stynkyng fen and donghille of hir sinnes, serching theim
up bi one and bi one, with alle the circumstaunces of
hem, and sorowed and weep so upon hem ichone bi hem self?
Nay, sekirly sche did not so. And whi? For God lete hir wite by his grace
withinne in hir soule that sche schuld never so bryng it
aboute. For so might sche sonner have reisid in hirself
an abelnes to have efte synnid, then to have purchasid by
that werke any pleyn forgevenes of alle hir
synnes. And therfore sche heng up hir
love and hir longing desire in this cloude of un- knowing,
and lernid hir to love a thing the whiche sche might not se cleerly in
this liif bi light of understondyng in hire reson, ne yit
verely fele in swetnes of love in hir affeccion;
insomochel that sche had oftetymes lityl specyal mynde whether that ever
sche had ben a synner or none. Ye! and ful oftymes I hope
that sche was so deeply affecte in the love of His
Godheed that sche had bot right lityl specyal beholdyng
unto the beuté of His precious and His blessid body, in
the whiche He sate ful lovely, spekyng and preching
before hir; ne yit to anything elles, bodyly or goostly. That this
be soth, it semith by the
Gospelle. Here bygynneth the
seventene
chapitre. In
the Gospel of Seinte Luke it is wretyn that when oure Lorde was in the
hous of Martha hir sistre, al the tyme that Martha maad
hir besy aboute the dightyng of His mete, Mary hir sister
sat at His feet. And in heryng of His worde, sche beheeld not to
the besines of hir sister, thof al hir besines was ful
good and ful holy, for it is the first party of actyve
liif; ne yit to the preciousté of His blessid body, ne to the swete voyce
and the wordes of His Manheed,
thof al it be beter and holier, for it is the secound
party of actyve liif and the first of contemplatyve liif,
bot to the sovereynest wisdom of His Godheed lappid in
the derk wordes of His Manheed: theder beheeld sche with
al the love of hir hert. For fro thens list hir not
remowe for nothing that sche saw ne herde spoken ne done
aboute hir; bot sat ful stille in hir body, with many a swete
privé and a lysty love put upon that highe cloude of
unknowyng bitwix hir and hir
God. For o thing I
telle thee: that ther was never yit pure creature in this liif, ne never
yit schal be, so highe ravischid in contemplacion and
love of the Godheed, that ther ne is evermore a highe and
a wonderful cloude of unknowyng bitwix him and his God. In
this cloude it was that Marye was ocupied with many a
prevé love put. And whi? For it was the best and the
holiest party of contemplacion that may be in this liif. And fro
this party hir list not remowe for no thing; insomochel
that when hir sistre Martha pleynid hir to oure Lorde of
hir and bad Him bid hir sistre rise and help hir, and lat
hir not so worche and travayle by hirself, scho sat ful
stylle and answerid not with o worde, ne schewid not as
moche as a grucching contenaunce agens hir sistre for any
pleynte that scho couthe make. And no wonder: for whi
scheo had another werk to do that Martha wist not of. And
therfore scheo had no leiser to listen to hir, ne to
an swere hir at hir
pleynte. Lo! freende, alle theese
werkes, thees wordes, and theese contenaunces, that weren
schewid bitwix oure Lorde and theese two sistres, ben set
in ensaumple of alle acty- ves and alle contemplatyves
that han ben sithen in Holy Chirche, and schal be to the
Day of Dome. For by Mary is understonden alle
contemplatyves, for thei schuld con- forme here levyng
after hirs; and by Martha, actyves, on the same maner, and for the
same skil in
licnes. Here bygynneth the
eighttene
chapitre. And
right as Martha pleynid than on Marye hir sistre, right so yit into this
day alle actyves pleinen of contemplatyves. For and ther
be a man or a womman in any com- panye of this woreld -
what companye soever it be, religious or seculers, I outetake
none - the whiche man or womman (whether that it be)
feleth him sterid thorow grace and bi counsel to forsake
alle outward besines, and for to sette hym fully for to
lyve contemplatyve liif after theire kunnyng and theire
concience, theire counseyl acordyng: as fast theire owne
brethren and theire sistres, and alle theire nexte
freendes, with many other that knowen not theire
sterynges ne that maner of levyng that thei set hem to,
with a grete pleynyng spirite schal ryse apon hem, and sey
scharply unto hem that it is noght that thei do. And as
fast thei wil reken up many fals tales, and many sothe
also, of fallyng of men and wommen that han goven hem to
soche liif before, and never a good tale of hem that
stonden. I graunte that many fallen and
han fallen of hem that han in licnes forsaken the woreld.
And where thei schuld have becomen Goddes servauntes and His
contem- platyves, bicause that thei wolde not reule hem bi
trewe goostly counseyle thei have becomen the devels
servauntes and his contemplatyves, and tornen outher to
ypo- crites or to heretykes, or fallen into frenesies and
many other mescheves, in sclaun- dre of alle Holy Chirche.
Of the whiche I leve to speke of at this tyme, for troubling
of oure mater. Bot nevertheles hereafter, when God
vouchethsaaf and yif nede be, men mowe sey somme of here
condicions and the cause of here fallinges. And ther fore
no more of theym at this tyme; bot forth of oure
mater. Here bygynneth the
ninteneth
chapitre. Som
might think that I do litil worschip to Martha, that specyal seinte, for I
lickyn hir wordes in pleining of hir sister unto theese
wordly mens wordes, or theires unto hirs. And trewly I
mene none unworschip to hir ne to theim. And God forbede that I
schuld in this werk sey anything that might be taken in
reprovyng of any of the ser- vauntes of God in any degre,
and namely of His specyal seynte. For me thinketh that
sche schuld be ful wel had excusid of hir pleinte, takyng
reward to the tyme and the maner that sche seyde it in.
For that that sche seyde, hir unknowyng was the cause.
And no wonder thof sche knewe not that
tyme how Marye was ocupied; for I trowe that before sche
had lityl herde of soche perfeccion. And also, that sche seyde
it was bot curtesly and in fewe wordes. And therfore sche
schuld alweys be had
ex- cusid. And so me
thinketh that thees wordly levyng men and wommen of actyve liif
schuld also ful wel be had excusid of theire pleyning
wordes touchid before, thof al thei sey boystously that
thei sey, havyng beholdyng to theire ignoraunce. For whi
right as Martha wist ful lityl what Marye hir sister did
when sche pleinid of hir to oure Lorde: right so on the
same maner theese folk nowondayes wetyn ful lityl, or
elles nought, what theese yong desiples of God menen,
whan thei sette hem fro the besines of this woreld, and
drawen hem to be Godes special servauntes in holines and
rightfulnes of spirit. And yif they wist, treuly I dar sey that thei wolde
neither do ne say as thei say. And therfore me thinketh
alweis that thei schuld be had excused, for whi thei
knowen no betir levyng then is that thei live in theimself. And also whan
I think on myne unnoumerable defautes, the whiche I have
maad myself before this tyme in wordes and dedes for
defaute of knowyng, me thinketh than yif I wolde be had
excused of God for myn ignoraunte defautes, that I schuld charitably and
peteu- ously have other mens wordes and dedes ignoraunte
algates excusid. And sekirly elles do I not to other as I
wolde that other did to me. Here
byginnith the twenty
chapitre. And
therfore me thinketh that thei that set hem to be contemplatyves schuld
not only have actyve men excusid of theire pleinyng
wordes, bot also me thinketh that thei schuld be so
ocupied in spirite that thei schuld take litel kepe, or none, what men
did or seyde aboute hem. Thus did Marye, oure alther
exsaumple, when Martha hir sistre pleynid to oure Lorde.
And yif we wil trewli do thus, oure Lorde wil do now for
us as He did than for Marie. And how was
that? Sekirly thus. Oure lovely Lorde Jhesu Crist, unto Whom no
privé thing is hid, thof at He was requerid of Martha as
domesman for to bid Mary rise and help hir to serve Hym,
nevertheles yit, for He parceyvid that Mary was
fer- vently ocupied in sperit aboute the love of His
Godheed, therfore curtesly, and as it was semely for Him
to do bi the wey of reson, He answerid for hir, that for the
ex- cusing of hirself list not leve the love of Hym. And
how answerid He? Sekirly not only as domesman, as He was
of Martha apelyd: bot as an advoket lawfuly defendid hir
that Hym loved, and seide: "Martha, Martha!" Twies for spede He nemnid hir
name; for He wolde that sche herd Him and toke hede to
His wordes. "Thou arte ful besy," He seyde, "and troubled
aboute many thinges." For thei that ben actyves be hoven
alweis to be besied and travaylid aboute many diverse thinges, the whiche
hem falleth first for to have to here owne use, and
sithen in dedes of mercy to theire even-Cristen, as
charité asketh. And this He seide unto Martha, for He wolde lat hir
wetyn that hir besines was good and profitable to the
helthe of hir soule. Bot forthi that sche schuld not
think that it were the best werke of alle that man might do,
ther- fore He echid to and seyde: "Bot o thing is
nessessary." And what is that o thing?
Sekirly that God be loved and preysid by Himself, aboven
alle other besines, bodily or goostly, that man may do. And forthi that
Martha schuld not think that sche might bothe love God
and preise Hym aboven alle other besines, bodily or
goostly, and also therto to be besy aboute the nessessaries of this
liif, therfore to deliver hir of doute that sche might
not bothe serve God in bodely besines and goostly togedir
parfitely - inparfitely sche may, bot not parfitely - He
echid to and seyde that Mary had chosen the best partye,
the whiche schuld never be taken fro hir. For whi that
parfite steryng of love that byginneth here is even of
noumbre with that that schal last withouten ende in the
blis of heven; for al is bot
one. Here
bygynneth the on and twenty
chapitre. What
meneth this: "Marye hath chosen the best?" Wheresoever the best is set or
nemnyd, it asketh bifore it theese two thinges - a good
and a beter, so that it be the best, and the thryd in
noumbre. Bot whiche ben thees thre good thinges, of the
whiche Marye chees the best? Thre lyves ben they not, for
Holi Chirche makith no mynde bot of two - actyve liif and
contemplatyve liif; the whiche two lyves ben prively
understonden in the story of this Gospel by thees two sisters, Martha and
Marye - by Martha actyve, by Marye contemplatyve.
Withouten one of theese two lyves may no man be saaf; and
where no mo ben bot two, may no man chese the
best. Bot thof al ther
be bot two lyves, nevertheles yit in theese two lyves ben thre
partyes, ichone betir then other. The whiche thre, ichone
by hemself, ben specyaly set in theire stedes before in
this writyng. For as it is seide before, the first party
stondeth in good and onest bodily werkes of mercy and of
charité; and this is the first degree of actyve liif, as
it is seyde bifore. The secound partye of thees two lyves
li- ggeth in good goostly meditacions of a mans owne
wrechidnes, the Passion of Criste, and of the joyes of
heven. The first partye is good, and this partye is the betir, for this
is the secound degree of actyve liif and the first of
contemplatyve liif. In this partye is contemplatyve liif
and actyve liif couplid togeders in goostly sibreden and maad
sistres, at the ensanple of Martha and Marye. Thus highe
may an actyve come to contemplacion, and no higher; bot
yif it be ful seeldom and by a specyal grace. Thus lowe
may a contemplatiif com towardes actyve liif, and no lower; bot yif it be
ful seeldom and in grete
nede. The thrid partye of thees two
lyves hangeth in this derk cloude of unknowyng, with many
a privé love put to God by Himself. The first partye is good, the secounde
is betir, bot the thrid is alther beste. This is the
beste partye of Marye. And herfore it is pleinly to wite
that oure Lorde seide not: "Marye hath chosen the best liif"; for ther
ben no mo lyves bot two, and of two may no man chese the
best. Bot of thees two lives "Marye hath chosen," He
seyde, "the best partye, the whiche schal never be take
from hir." The first partye and the secounde, thof al thei ben bothe good
and holy, yit thei eende with this liif. For in the
tother liif, as now, schal be no nede to use the werkes
of mercy, ne to wepe for oure wrechidnes, ne for the Passion of
Criste. For than, as now, schal none mowe hungre ne
thirst, ne dighe for colde, ne be seeke, ne housles, ne
in prison, ne yit nede beryelles, for than schal none mowe
dighe. Bot the thryd party that Marye chees, chese who bi
grace is clepid to chese; or yif I sothlier schal seye,
whoso is chosen therto of God, lat him listely lene therto.
For that schal never be taken awey; for yif it biginne
here, it schal last withouten
eende. And therfore lat
the voice of oure Lorde crie on theese actyves, as yif He seide
thus now for us unto hem, as He did then for Marye to
Martha, "Martha, Martha!" "Actyves, actyves! make yow as
besi as ye kan in the first partye and in the secound,
now in the tone and now in the tother; and, yif you list
right wel and fele yow dis- posid, in bothe two boldely.
And medel yow not of contemplatyves. Ye wote not what hem
eyleth. Lat hem sit in here rest and in here pley, with the thrid and the
best partye of
Marye." Here bygynneth the two
and twenty
chapitre. Sweet
was that love bitwix oure Lorde and Marye. Moche love had sche to Hym;
moche more had He to hir. For whoso wolde utterly beholde
alle the contynaunce that was bitwix Hym and hir (not as
a treufeler may telle, bot as the story of the Gos- pel
wil witnes, the whiche on no wise may be fals) he schulde fynde that sche
was so hertly set for to love Hym, that no thing binethe
Hym might counforte hir, ne yit holde hir herte fro Hym.
This is sche, that same Marye, that whan sche sought Hym
at the sepulcre with wepyng chere wolde not be counfortyd
of aungele. For whan thei spak unto hir so sweetly and so
lovely, and seide: "Weep not, Marye; for whi oure Lorde
wham thou sekist is resyn, and thou schalt have Him, and se Him lyve ful
feyre amonges His disciples in Galile, as He hight," sche
wolde not leve for hem, for whi hir thought that whoso
sought verrely the kyng of aungelles, hem list not leve for
aungelles. And what
more? Sekirly whoso wil loke verrely in the story of the Gospel, he
schal fynde many wonderful poynte of parfite love wreten
of hir to oure ensaumple, and as even acordyng to the
werke of this writyng, as thei had ben set and wretyn
therfore. And sekirly so were they, take whoso take may.
And yif a man list for to se in the Gospel wretyn the
wonderful and the special love that oure Lorde had to hir, in
persone of alle customable synners trewly turnid and
clepid to the grace of contem- placion, he shal fynde that
oure Lorde might not suffre any man or womman, ye, not
hir owne sistre, speke a worde agens hir, bot yif He
answerid for hir Hymself. Ye, and what more! He blamid
Symound Leprous in his owne hous, for he thought agens
hir. This was greet love; this was passing
love. Here byginnith the thre
and twenty
chapitre. And
trewly and we wil listely confourme oure love and oure levyng, inasmoche
as in us is by grace and by counseil, unto the love and
the levyng of Mary, no doute bot He schal answere on the
same maner now for us goostly, iche day, pryvely, in the
hertes of alle thoo that outher seyn or thinken agens us.
I say not bot that evermore sum men schul sey or think
sumwhat agens us, the whiles we lyve in the travaile of
this liif, as thei did agens Marye. Bot I say, and we wol
geve no more kepe to theire seiing, ne to theire
thinkyng, ne no more leve of oure goostly pryvé werk for theire
wordes and theire thoughtes, than sche did - I sey than
that oure Lorde schal an- swere hem in spirite, yif it
schal be wel with hem that so seyn and so thinkyn, that
thei schul withinne fewe dayes schame with theire wordes
and theire thoughtes. And as He wol
answere for us thus in spirite, so wol He stere other men in spirite
to geve us oure needful thinges that longen to this liif,
as mete and clothes with alle theese other, yif He se
that we wil not leve the werke of His love for besines aboute
hem. And this I sey in confusion of theire errour, that
seyn that it is not leveful men to sette hem to serve God
in contemplatyve liif, bot yif thei ben sekir bifore of theire
bodily nessessaryes. For thei sey that God sendeth the
kow, bot not by the horne. And trewly thei sey wrong of
God as thei wel kanne. For trist stedfastly thou,
what- soever that thou be that trewly tornest thee fro the
woreld unto God, that one of the two God schal sende
thee, withouten besines of thiself: and that is, outher
habun daunce of nessessaries, or strengthe in body and
pacience in spirite to bere nede. What thar reche whether
man have? For alle comen to one in verrey
contemplatyves. And whoso is in dwere of
this, outher the devel is in his brest and revith hym the
beleve, or elles he is not yit trewly turnyd to God as he
schulde be, make he it never so queinte, ne never so holy
skiles schewe theragein, whatsoever that he
be. And therfore thou that settest thee
to be contemplatiif as Marye was, chese thee rather to be
mekyd under the wonderful heighte and the worthines of God, the
whiche is parfite, than under thine owne wrechidnes, the
whiche is inparfite: that is to sey, loke that thi
specyal beholdyng be more to the worthines of God then to thi
wrechidnes. For to theime that ben parfitely mekid no
thing schal defayle, neither bodily thing ne goostly. For
whi thei have God, in whom is alle plenté; and whoso hath
Him - ye, as this book telleth - him nedith noght elles in this
liif. Here bygynnith the foure
and twenty
chapitre. And
as it is seyde of meeknes, how that it is sotely and parfitely
comprehendid in this lityl blynde love put, when it is
betyng upon this derke cloude of unknowyng, alle other
thinges put down and forgeten: so it is to understonden of alle other
vertewes, and namely of
charité. For charité is not ellis to
bemene to thin understondyng bot love of God for Him self
aboven alle creatures, and of man for God even with thiself. And that in
this werke God is lovyd for Hymself and aboven alle
creatures it semith ryght wel. For, as it is seide
before, that the substaunce of this werke is not elles bot a nakid entente
directe unto God for Himself. A nakid entente I clepe it,
for whi in this werke a par- fite prentis askith neither
relesing of peyne, ne encresing of mede, ne (schortly to
sey) nought bot Himself; insomoche that nouther he
rechith ne lokith after whether that he be in peyne or in
blisse, elles that His wille be fulfyllyd that he loveth. And
thus it semith that in this werke God is parfitely loved
for Hymself, and that aboven alle creatures. For in this
werke a parfite worcher may not suffre the mynde of the
holiest creature that ever God maad comoun with
hym. And that in this the secound and
the lower braunche of charité unto thine even Cristen is
verrely and parfitely fulfillid, it semith by the profe. For whi in this
werke a parfite worcher hath no special beholdyng unto
any man by himself, whether that he be sib or fremmyd,
freende or fo. For alle men think hym iliche sib unto hym, and
no man fremmid. Alle men him think ben his freendes, and
none his foen; insomo- chel that hym think alle thoo that
pynen him, and done hym dissese in this liif, thei ben
his ful and his specyal freendes, and hym thinketh that he is sterid to
wilne hem as moche good as he wolde to the homliest
freende that he hath. Here
biginnith the five and twenty
chapitre. I
say not that in this werke he schal have a specyal beholdyng to any man in
this liif, whether that he be freende or fo, sib or
fremmyd. For that may not be yif this werke schal
parfitely be done, as it is whan alle thinges under God ben fully
forge tyn, as fallith for this werke. Bot I sey that he
schal be maad so vertuous and so charitable by the
vertewe of this werke, that his wille schal be afterwardes, whan he
condesendith to comoun or to pray for his even Cristen -
not fro alle this werk, for that may not be withouten
grete synne, bot fro the height of this werk, the whiche is
speedful and needful to do sumtyme, as charité askith -
as specialy than directe to his foo as to his freende,
his fremmyd as his sib. Ye! and somtyme more to his fo
then to his
freende. Nevertheles in this werk he
hath no leyser to loke after who is his frende or his fo,
his sib or his fremmid. I say not bot he schal fele
somtyme - ye! ful ofte - his af- feccion more homely to
one, two, or thre, then to alle thees other; for that is leveful
to be for many causis, as charité askith. For soche an
homly affeccion felid Criste to Jhonn, and unto Marye,
and unto Petre bifore many other. Bot I say that in the tyme
of this werk schal alle be iliche homly unto hym; for he
schal fele than no cause bot only God. So that alle schul
be lovid pleinly and nakidly for God, and as wel as
him- self. For as alle
men weren lost in Adam, and alle men, that with werke wil witnes
theire wille of salvacion, ben savid, and scholen be, by
vertewe of the Passion of only Criste - not in the same
maner, bot as it were in the same maner - a soule that is
parfitely affecte in this werk, and onyd thus to God in spirit, as the
preof of this werk witnessith, doth that in it is to maak
alle men as parfite in this werk as itself is. For right
as if a lyme of oure body felith sore, alle the tother lymes ben pined and
disesid therfore, or yif a lyme fare wel, alle the
remenaunt ben gladid therwith: right so is it goostly of
alle the limes of Holy Chirche. For Crist is oure hede, and we ben
t he lymes, if we be in charité; and whoso wile be a
parfite dissiple of oure Lordes, him behovith streyne up
his spirite in this werk goostly for the salvacion of alle his
brethren and sistren in kynde, as oure Lorde did his body
on the Cros. And how? Not for his freendes and his sib
and his homely lovers, bot generaly for alle mankynde,
withouten any special beholdyng more to one then to
another. For alle that wylen leve sinne and axe mercy
scholen be savid thorow the vertewe of His
Passion. And as it is seyde of meeknes
and charité, so it is to understonden of alle other
vertues. For alle thei ben sotely comprehendid in this
litil love put touchid
before. Here byginnith the six
and twenty
chapitre. And
therfore travayle fast awhile, and bete apon this highe cloude of
unknowyng, and rest sithen. Nevertheles a travayle schal
he have, whoso schal use hym in this werk; ye, sekirly!
and that a ful grete travayle, bot yif he have a more special grace,
or elles that he have of longe tyme usid him
therin. Bot I pray thee, wherin schal
that travayle be? Sekirly not in that devoute steryng of
love that is contynuely wrought in his wille, not by himself bot by the
hande of Almighty God, the whiche is evermore redy to
wirche this werk in iche a soule that is disposid therto,
and that doth that in him is, and hath do longe tyme before, to able
him to this werk. Bot wherin than is this travayle, I
pray thee? Sekirly this travaile is al in tredyng doun of
the mynde of alle the creatures that ever God maad, and in
holdyng of hem under the cloude of forgetyng namyd
before. In this is alle the traveyle; for this is mans
travayle, with help of grace. And the tother aboven - that
is to sey, the steryng of love - that is the werk
of only God. And therfore do on thi werk, and sekirly I
behote thee it schal not fayle on
Hym. Do on than fast; lat se how thou
berest thee. Seest thou not how He stondeth and abideth
thee? For schame! Travayle fast bot awhile, and thou schalt sone be esid
of the gretnes and of the hardnes of this travayle. For
thof al it be hard and streyte in the byginnyng, when
thou haste no devocion, nevertheles yit after when thou hast
devo- cion, it schal be maad ful restful and ful light
unto thee, that bifore was ful harde; and thou schalt
have outher litil travaile or none. For than wil God worche somtyme al by
Himself, bot not ever, ne yit no longe tyme togeders, bot
when Him lyst, and as Hym list. And than wil thee thenk
it mery to late Hym alone. Than wil He
sumtyme paraventure seend oute a beme of goostly light, peersyng
this cloude of unknowing that is bitwix thee and Hym, and
schewe thee sum of His priveté, the whiche man may not,
ne kan not, speke. Than schalt thou fele thine af feccion
enflaumid with the fiire of His love, fer more then I kan telle thee, or
may, or wile, at this tyme. For of that werke that
fallith to only God dar I not take apon me to speke with
my blabryng fleschely tonge; and schortly to say, althof I durst, I wolde
not. Bot of that werk that falleth to man, whan he felith
him sterid and holpin by grace, list me wel telle thee;
for therin is the lesse peril of the
two. Here biginnith the seven
and twenty
chapitre. First
and formest, I wil telle thee who schuld worche in this werke, and when,
and by what menes, and what discrecion thou schalt have
in it. Yif thou aske me who schuld worche thus, I answere
thee: alle that han forsaken the worild in a trewe wille,
and therto that geven hem not to actyve liif, bot to that
liif that is clepid contem- platyve liif. Alle thoo schuld
worche in this grace and in this werk, whatsoever that
thei be, whether thei have ben customable synners or
none. Here biginnith the eight
and twenty
chapitre. But
if thou aske me when thei schulen wirche in this werk, then I answere
thee, and I sey that not er thei have clensid theire
concience of alle theire special dedis of sinne done
bifore, after the comoun ordinaunce of Holi
Chirche. For in this werk a soule drieth
up in it al the rote and the grounde of sinne that wil
alweis leve in it after confession, be it never so besy.
And therfore whoso wil travayle in this werk, lat him
first clense his concience; and sithen, when he hath done
that in him is lawefuly, lat him dispose him booldly bot meekly therto.
And lat him think that he hath ful longe ben holden
therfro; for this is that werk in the whiche a soule
schuld travaile alle his liiftyme, thof he had never sinnid
deedly. And the whiles that a soule is
wonyng in this deedly flesche, it schal evermore se and
fele this combros cloude of unknowyng bitwix him and God. And not only
that, bot in pyne of the original sinne it schal evermore
see and fele that somme of alle the creatures that ever
God maad, or somme of theire werkes, wilen evermore prees in
mynde bitwix him and God. And this is the rightwise dome
of God, that man, when he had sovereynté and lordschip of
alle other creatures, forthi that he wilfuly maad him
underloute to the steryng of his sojettes, levyng the biddyng of God and
his maker, that right so after whan he wolde fulfille the
bidding of God, he see and fele that alle the creatures
that schuld be bineeth him proudly prees aboven hym, bitwix
him and his
God. Here biginnith the nine and
twenty
chapitre. And
therfore, whoso coveitith to come to clennes that he lost for synne, and
to wynne to that welthe ther alle wo wantith, him
bihovith bidingly to travayle in this werke, and suffre
the pyne therof, whatsoever that he be, whether he have ben a
customable sinner or
none. Alle men han travayle in this
werke, bothe synners and innocentes that never synnyd
greetly. Bot fer gretter travayle haven thoo that have ben synners then
they that have ben none; and that is greet
skyle. Nevertheles, oftymes it befallith
that somme, that have ben orrible and customable synners,
comen sonner to the perfeccion of this werk then thoo that ben none. And
this is the mercyful myracle of oure Lorde, that so
specyaly gevith His grace, in wondryng of alle this
woreld. Now trewly I hope that on Domesday schal be fayre,
when that God schal be seen cleerly and alle His giftes.
Thanne schal somme that now ben dyspisid and sette at
lytil or nought as comon synners, and paraventure somme
that now ben horrible synners, sitte ful seemly with seyntes in his sight;
when somme of thoo that semen now ful holy and ben
worschepid of men as aungelles, and somme of thoo yit
paraventure that never yit synned deedly, schul sitten ful sory
amonges helle
calves. Herby maist thou see that no man
schuld be demyd of other here in this liif, for good ne
for yvel that they do. Nevertheles dede may levefully be demyd, bot not
the men, whether thei ben good or
yvel. Here byginnith the thritty
chapitre. Bot,
I preye thee, of whom schal mens dedis be demyd? Sekirly of hem that han
power and cure of theire soules, other geven in aperte by
the statute and the or dinaunce of Holy Chirche, or elles
prively in spirite at the specyal steryng of the Holy
Goost in parfite charité. Iche a man beware that he presume not to take
apon hym to blame and reprove other mens defautes, bot
yif he fele verrely that he be sterid of the Holy Goost
withinne in his werke; for elles may he ful lightly erre in his
domes. And therfore beware; deme thiself as thee list,
bitwix thee and thi God or thi goostly fader, and lat
other men allone. Here biginnith
the on and thritty
chapitre. And
fro the tyme that thou felist that thou hast done that in thee is lawefuly
to amende thee at the dome of Holy Chirche, then schalt
thou sette thee scharply to worche in this werk. And
than, yif it so be that thi fordone specyal dedes wil alweis
prees in thi mynde bitwix thee and thi God, or any newe
thought or steryng of any synne outher, thou schalt
stalworthly step aboven it with a fervent sterying of love,
and treed hem down under thi fete. And fonde to cover hem
with a thicke cloude of forgetyng, as thei never had ben
don in this liif of thee, ne of other man outher. And yif
thei ofte rise, ofte put theim doun and, schortly to sey, as ofte as thei
rise, as ofte put theim doun. And yif thee think that the
traveyle be grete, thou mayst seek sleightes and wiles
and privé sotiltees of goostly sleightes to put hem awey, the
whiche sleightes ben betir lernyd of God by the profe
then of any man in this
liif. Here byginnith the two and
thritty
chapitre. Nevertheles
sumwhat of this sotylté schal I telle thee, as me think. Prove thou, and
do betir yif thou betir
maist. Do that in thee is to lat as thou
wist not that thei prees so fast apon thee, bitwix thee
and thi God. And fonde to loke as it were over theire schuldres, seching
another thing; the whiche thing is God, enclosid in a
cloude of unknowyng. And yif thou do thus, I trowe that
withinne schort tyme thou schalt be esid of thi travayle. I trowe that
and this sleight be wel and trewly conceyvid, it is not
elles bot a longing desire unto God, to fele Hym and see
Hym as it may be here. And soche a desire is charité; and
it deservith alweys to be
esid. Another sleight ther is; prove
thou yif thou wilt. When thou felist that thou maist on
no wise put hem doun, koure thou doun under hem as a cheitif and a coward
overcomen in batayle, and think that it is bot a foly to
thee to stryve any lenger with hem; and therfore thou
yeeldest thee to God in the handes of thin enmyes. And fele
than thiself as thou were fordone for ever. Take good
kepe of this sleight, I prey thee; for me think in the
profe of this sleight thou schuldest melt al to watre. And sekirly,
me think, and this sleight be sotely conceyvid, it is not
elles bot a trewe knowyng and a felyng of thiself as thou
arte, a wrecche and a filthe, fer wers then nought, the
whiche knowyng and felyng is meeknes. And this meeknes
deserveth to have God Himself mightely descendyng to
venge thee of thine enemyes, for to take thee up and
cherischingly drie thine goostly ighen, as the fader doth
the childe that is in poynte to perische under the
mouthes of wilde swyne or wode bityng
beres. Here byginnyth the thre
and thritty
chapitre. Moo
sleightes telle I thee not at this tyme; for and thou have grace to fele
the profe of theese, I trow that thou schalt cun betir
lerne me then I thee. For thof al it schuld be thus,
trewly yit me think that I am ful fer therfro. And therfore I preye thee
help me, and do thou for thee and for
me. Do on than, and travayle fast
awhile, I preie thee; and suffre meekly the pyne, yif
thou mayst not sone wynne to theese sleightes. For trewly
it is thi purgatory. And than whan thi pyne is al passid,
and thi sleightes ben goven of God and graciously getyn
in custume, than it is no doute to me that thou ne arte clensid not only
of synne, bot also of the pyne of synne. I mene of the
pyne of thi special fordone syn- nes, and not of the pyne
of the original synne. For that pyne schal alweys last on thee
to thi deeth day, be thou never so besi. Nevertheles it
schal bot lityl dere thee, in re- warde of this pyne of
thi specyal synnes; and yit schalt thou not be withoutyn grete
travayle. For oute of this oryginal synne wil alday
sprynge newe and fresche steryn- ges of synne; the whiche
thee behovith alday to smyte doun, and be besy to schere
awey with a scharpe doubleeggid dreedful swerde of
discrecion. And herby mayst thou see and leerne that ther
is no sothfast sekyrnes, ne yit no trewe rest in this
liif. Nevertheles, herfore schalt thou
not go bac, ne yit be over-ferd of thi faylyng. For and
it so be that thou mayst have grace to distroye the pyne of thin fordone
specyal dedes - in the maner beforeseide, or betyr yif
thou betyr mayst - sekir be thou that the pyne of the
orygynal synne, or elles the newe sterynges of synne that ben to
comen, scholen bot ryght lityl mowe dere
thee. Here bygynnyth the foure
and thritty
chapitre. And
yif thou askest me by what menes thou schalt com to this werk, I beseche
Almighty God of His grete grace and His grete curtesye to
teche thee Hymself. For trewly I do thee wel to wyten
that I can not telle thee. And that is no wonder. For whi
that is the werk of only God, specyaly wrought in what
soule that Hym likith, with- outyn any deseert of the same
soule. For withoutyn it no seynte ne none aungel can
thenk to desire it. And I trowe that oure Lorde as
specyaly and as ofte - ye! and more specyaly and more
ofte - wil vouchesaaf to worche this werk in hem that have
ben customable synners, then in somme other that never
grevyd hym greetly in com- parison of hem. And this wil He
do, for He wil be seen almercyful and almyghty; and for
He wil be seen to worche as Hym lyst, where Him lyst, and when Hym
lyst. And yit He gevith
not this grace, ne worcheth not this werk, in ani soule that is
unable therto. And yit ther is no soule withoutyn this
grace, abil to have this grace, noo, whether it be a
synner soule or an inocent soule. For neither it is goven for
in- ocense, ne withholden for synne. Take good kepe that I
sey withholden, and not with- drawen. Bewar with errour
here, I preye thee; for ever the nere men touchen the
trewth, more war men behoveth to be of errour. I meen bot
wel. Yif thou canst not conseyve it, legge it bi thi syde
tyl God come and teche thee. Do then so, and hurt thee
not. Bewar with pride, for it blasfemith
God in his giftes, and booldenith synners. Were thou
verrely meek thou schuldest fele of this werk as I sey: that God gevith it
frely withouten any desert. The condicion of this werk is
soche, that the presence therof ablith a soule for to
have it and for to fele it. And that abilnes may no soule have
withoutyn it. The abilnes to this werk is onyd to
the selve werk, withoutyn depar- tyng; so that whoso
felith this werk is abil therto, and elles none; insomochel, that
withoutyn this werk a soule is as it were deed, and can
not coveite it ne desire it. For as moche as thou wylnest
it and desirest it, so mochel hast thou of it, and no more ne
no lesse; and yit is it no wil, ne no desyre, bot a thing
thou wost never what, that sterith thee to wilne and
desire thou wost never what. Reche thee never thof
thou wite no more, I preye thee; bot do forth ever more
and more, so that thou be ever
doyng. And, yif I schal
schortlyer sey, lat that thing do with thee and lede thee wherso it
list. Lat it be the worcher, and thou bot the suffrer; do
bot loke apon it, and lat it alone. Medel thee not
therwith as thou woldest help it, for drede lest thou spille al.
Be thou bot the tre, and lat it be the wright; be thou
bot the hous, and lat it be the hosbonde wonyng therin.
Be blynde in this tyme, and schere awey covetyse of
knowyng, for it wil more let thee than help thee. It
suffisith inowgh unto thee that thou fele thee steryd
likyngly with a thing thou wost never what, ellys that in thi
steryng thou have no specyal thought of any thing under
God, and that thin entent be nakidly directe unto
God. And yif it be thus, trist than
stedfastly that it is only God that sterith thi wyl and thi
desyre, pleynly by Hymself, withouten mene outher on His
party or on thin. And be not feerd for the devel, for he
may not com so neer. He may never come to styrre a mans
wil, bot occasyoneely, and by a fer mene, be he never so sotyl a devil.
For suf- ficiently and withouten mene may no good aungel
stire thi wil; ne, schortly to sey, no thing bot only
God. So that thou mayst conceyve here by
theese wordes sumwhat - bot moche more cleerly by the
profe - that in this werk men schul use no menes, ne yit men mowe
not com therto with menes. Alle good menes hangen upon
it, and it on no mene; ne no mene may lede
therto. Here byginnith the five
and thritty
chapitre. Nevertheles
menes ther ben in the whiche a contemplatiif prentys schuld be
ocu pyed, the whiche ben theese: Lesson, Meditacion, and
Oryson. Or elles to thin un- derstondyng thei mowe be
clepid: Redyng, Thinkyng, and Preiing. Of theese thre
thou schalt fynde wretyn in another book of another mans
werk moche betyr then I can telle thee; and therfore it
nedeth not here to telle thee of the qualitees of hem. Bot
this may I telle thee: these thre ben so couplid togedir,
that unto hem that ben bigin- ners and profiters - bot not
to hem that be parfite, ye, as it may be here - thinkyng
may not goodly be getyn withoutyn reding or heryng comyng
before. Alle is one in maner, redyng and heryng; clerkes
redyn on bookes, and lewid men redyn on clerkes, whan
thei here hem preche the worde of God. Ne preier may not goodly be
getyn in bigynners and profiters withoutyn thinkyng
comyng bifore. See by the preof in this same
cours. Goddes worde, outher wretyn or
spokyn, is licnid to a mirour. Goostly, the ighe of thi
soule is thi reson; thi concience is thi visage goostly. And right as thou
seest that yif a foule spot be in thi bodily visage, the
ighe of the same visage may not see that spotte, ne wite
wher it is, withoutyn a myrour or a teching of another than itself: right
so it is goostly. Withouten redyng or heryng of Godes
worde, it is inpossible to mans understondyng that a
soule that is bleendid in custom of synne schuld see the foule
spot in his
concyence. And so folowyng, whan a man
seeth in a bodily or goostly myrour, or wote by other
mens techyng, wheraneintes the foule spot is on his visage, outher bodily
or goostly, than at erst, and none er, he rennith to the
welle to wasche hym. Yif this spot be any specyal synne,
than is this welle Holy Chirche, and this water confession,
with the circumstaunces. Yif it be bot a blynde rote and
a steryng of synne, than is this welle mercyful God, and
this water preyer, with the
circumstaunces. And thus maist thou se
that no thinkyng may goodly be getyn in byginners and
profiters withoutyn redyng or heryng comyng before, ne
preyng withouten thinkyng. Here
bygynnith the six and thritty
chapitre. But
it is not so with hem that contynuely worchen in the werk of this book.
For theire meditacions ben as thei were sodein conseites
and blynde felynges of theire owne wrechidnes, or of the
goodnes of God, withoutyn any menes of redyng or heryng
comyng before, and withoutyn any specyal beholdyng of any thing under
God. Thees sodeyn conseytes and thees blynde felynges ben
sonner lernyd of God then of
man. I maad no force, thof thou haddest
nowondayes none other meditacions of thin owne
wrechidnes, ne of the goodnes of God - I mene yif thou fele thee thus
steryd by grace and by counseyl - bot soche as thou mayst
have in this worde synne and in this worde God,
or in soche other, whiche as the list; not brekyng ne expounyng
thees wordes with coryousté of witte, in beholdyng after
the qualitees of thees wordes, as thou woldest by that
beholdyng encrees thi devocion. I trowe it schuld never be
so in this caas and in this werk. Bot holde hem alle hole theese wordes;
and mene synne a lump, thou wost never what, none other
thing bot thiself. Me think that in this blynde beholdyng
of synne, thus conjelyd in a lumpe (none other thing than
thiself) it schuld be no nede to bynde a woder thing then
thou schuldest be in this tyme. And yit, paraventure,
whoso lokid apon thee schuld think thee ful sobirly
dis posid in body, withoutyn any chaunging of contenaunce;
bot sittyng, or going, or liggyng, or lenyng, or
stondyng, or knelyng, whether thou were in a ful sad
restful- nes. Here
biginnyth the seven and thritty
chapitre. And
right as the meditacions of hem that contynouely worchen in this grace and
in this werk risen sodenly withoutyn any menes, right so
don theire preiers. I mene of theire specyal preiers, not
of thoo preiers that ben ordeynid of Holy Chirche. For thei
that ben trewe worchers in this werk, thei worschip no
preier so moche; and therfore thei do hem in the fourme
and in the statute that thei ben ordeynid of holy faders
be- fore us. Bot theire specyal preiers risen evermore
sodenly unto God, withoutyn any meenes or any
premeditacion in special comyng before, or going
therwith. And yif thei ben in wordes, as
thei ben bot seldom, than ben thei bot in ful fewe
wordes; ye, and in ever the fewer the betir. Ye, and yif
it be bot a lityl worde of o silable, me think it betir
then of to, and more acordyng to the werk of the spiryte;
sithen it so is that a goostly worcher in this werk
schulde evermore be in the highest and the sovereynest
pointe of the spirit. That this be soth, se by ensaumple in the
cours of kynde. A man or a womman, affraied with any
sodeyn chaunce of fiir, or of mans deeth, or what elles
that it be, sodeynly in the height of his speryt he is drevyn
upon hast and upon nede for to crie or for to prey after
help. Ye, how? Sekirly not in many woordes ne yit in o
woorde of two silabes. And whi is that? For hym thinketh
to longe tariing, for to declare the nede and the werk of
his spirit. And therfore he brestith up hidously with a
grete spirit, and cryeth bot a litil worde of o silable, as is
this worde fiir or this worde
oute. And right as this lityl
worde fiir sterith rather and peerseth more hastely the eren of
the herers, so doth a lityl worde of o sylable, whan it
is not only spoken or thought, bot prively ment in the
depnes of spirit, the whiche is the height (for in goostlynes
alle is one, height and depnes, lengthe and brede). And
rather it peersith the eres of Almyghty God than doth any
longe sauter unmyndfuly mumlyd in the teeth. And herfore
it is wretyn that schort preier peersith
heven. Here biginnyth the eight
and thritty
chapitre. And
whi peersith it heven, this lityl schort preier of o litil silable?
Sikirly for it is preyed with a fulle spirite, in the
height and in the depnes, in the lengthe and in the breed
of his spirit that preieth it. In the height it is, for it is with al the
might of the spirit. In the depnes it is, for in this
lityl silable ben contyned alle the wittis of the spirit.
In the lengthe it is, for might it ever fele as it felith, ever wolde it
crie as it crieth. In the brede it is, for it wilnith the
same to alle other that it wilnith to itself. In this
tyme it is that a soule hath comprehendid, after the lesson of Seynte
Poule, with alle seyntes - not fully bot in maner and in
partye, as it is acordyng unto this werk -whiche is the
lengthe and the breed, the height and the depnes of Everlastyng and
Allovely, Almighty and Alle-witty God. The everlastyngnes
of God is his lengthe; his love is his breed; his might
is his height; and his wisdam is his depnes. No won- der
thof a soule, that is thus nigh confourmyd bi grace to the ymage and the
licnes of God, his maker, be sone herde of God. Ye, thof
it be a ful synful soule - the whiche is to God as it
were an enmye - and it might thorow grace com to for to crye soche
a lityl silable in the height and the depnes, the lengthe
and the breed of his spirit, yit he scholde for the
hidous noise of this crye be alweis herde and holpen of
God. Se by ensaumple. He that is thi
deedly enmye, and thou here him so afraied that he crye
in the height of his spirit this lityl worde fiir, or this worde
oute: yit, withoutyn any beholdyng to hym for he is
thin enmye, bot for pure pité in thin herte stirid and
reisid with the doelfulnes of this crie, thou risist up -
ye! thof it be aboute midwin- tirs night - and helpist hym
to slecke his fiir, or for to stylle hym and rest hym in
hys disese. A, Lorde! sithen a man may be maad so mercyful in grace, to
have so moche mercy and so moche pité of his enmye, not
agenstonding his enmité, what pité and what mercy schal
God have than of a goostly crye in soule, maad and
wrought in the height and the depnes, the lengthe and the
breed of his spirit, the whiche hath al by kynde, that
man hath by grace, and moche more? Sekirly withou- tyn
comparison moche more mercy wil he have; sithen so is that that thing that
is so had by kynde is nerer to iche a thing then that the
whiche is had by grace. Here
bigynnyth the nine and thritty
chapitre. And
therfore it is to preie in the height and the depnes, the lengthe and the
brede of oure spirit. And that not in many wordes, bot in
a lityl worde of o silable. And what
schal this worde be? Sekyrlyche soche a worde as is best acordyng unto the
propirté of preier. And what worde is that? Lat us first
see what preier is propirly in itself, and therafter we
mowe cleerlier knowe what worde wil best acorde to the
propirté of
preier. Preyer in itself propirly is not
elles bot a devoute entent directe unto God, for ge- tyng
of goodes and remowyng of yvelles. And
than, sithen it so is that alle yvelles ben comprehendid in synne, outher
by cause or by beyng, lat us therfore, whan we wyl
ententifly preie for remowyng of yvelles, outher sey or
think or mene nought elles, ne no mo wordes, bot this lityl
worde synne. And yif we wil ententifly preie for
getyng of goodes, lat us crie, outher with worde or with
thought or with desire, nought elles, ne no mo wordes, bot this
worde God. For whi in God ben alle goodes, bothe
by cause and by beyng. Have no merveile
whi I sette thees two wordes forby alle other. For and I couthe
any schorter wordes, so fully comprehendyng in hem alle
goodes and alle yvelles, as thees two wordes don, or yif
I had be lernyd of God to take any other wordes outher, I
wolde than have taken hem and lefte thees; and so I rede that thou do.
Stody thou not for no wordes, for so schuldest thou never
come to thi purpose ne to this werk, for it is never
getyn by stody, bot al only by grace. And therfore take thou none other
wordes to preie in - althof I sete thees here - bot soche
as thou arte sterid of God for to take. Nevertheles, yif
God stire thee to take thees, I rede not that thou leve hem
- I mene yif thou schalt preie in wordes, and elles not;
for whi thei ben ful schorte
wordes. Bot althof the
schortnes of preier be greetly comendid here, nevertheles the oftnes
of preier is never the rather refreynid. For as it is
seide before, it is preied in the lengthe of the spirite;
so that it schuld never sees tyl the tyme were that it had fully
getyn that that it longid after. Ensaumple of this have
we in a man or a womman af- fraied in the maner
beforeseide. For we see wel that thei seese never criing on this
litil worde oute, or this lityl worde fiir,
er the tyme be that thei have in greet party getyn help
of theire angre. Here bigynnith
the fourty
chapitre. Do
thou, on the same maner, fille thi spirit with the goostly bemenyng of
this worde synne, and withoutyn any specyal
beholdyng unto any kynde of synne, whether it be venial
or deedly: pryde, wraththe or envye, covetyse, slewth, glotenie
or lecherye. What thar reche in contemplatives what synne
that it be, or how mochel a synne that it be? For alle
synne hem thinkyth - I mene for the tyme of this werk -
iliche greet in hemself, when the leest synne departeth
hem fro God, and letteth hem of here goostly
pees. And fele synne a lumpe, thou wost
never what, bot none other thing than thiself. And crye
than goostly ever upon one: "Synne, synne synne; oute, oute, oute!" This
goostly crie is betyr lernid of God by the proef then of
any man by worde. For it is best whan it is in pure
spirit, withoutyn specyal thought or any pronounsyng of
worde; bot yif it be any seeldom tyme, when for
habundaunce of spiryt it brestith up into worde, so that
the body and the soule ben bothe fillid with sorow and kumbryng
of synne. On the same
maner schalt thou do with this lityl worde God. Fille thi spirit
with the goostly bemenyng of it withoutyn any specyal
beholdyng to any of His werkes whether thei be good,
betir, or alther best, bodily or goostly - or to any vertewe that
may be wrought in mans soule by any grace, not lokyng
after whether it be meeknes or charité, pacyence or
abstynence, hope, feith, or sobirnes, chastité or wilful
pov- erté. What thar reche in contemplatyves? For alle
vertewes thei fynden and felyn in God; for in Hym is alle
thing, bothe by cause and by beyng. For hem think and thei
had God, thei had alle good; and therfore thei coveyte
nothing with specyal be- holdyng, bot only good God. Do
thou on the same maner, as forth as thou maist by grace;
and mene God al, and al God, so that nought worche in thi witte and in thi
wile, bot only God. And
forthi that ever the whiles thou levyst in this wrechid liif, thee
behoveth al weys fele in som partye this foule stynkyng
lump of synne, as it were onyd and congelid with the
substaunce of thi beyng, therfore schalt thou chaungabely mene
thees two wordes - synne and God: with this
general knowyng: that and thou had- dest God, then
schuldest thou lacke synne, and mightest thou lacke synne, then
schuldest thou have
God. Here bigynnyth on and
fourty
chapitre. And
forthermore, yif thou aske me what discrecion thou schalt have in this
werk, than I answere thee and sey: "Ryght none!" For in
alle thin other doynges thou schalt have discrecion, as
in etyng and in drynkyng, and in slepyng, and in kepyng of thi
body fro outrageous colde or hete, and in longe preiing
or redyng, or in comounyng in speche with thin
even-Crysten. In alle thees schalt thou kepe discrecion, that thei
be nouther to mochel ne to lityl. Bot in this werk schalt
thou holde no mesure; for I wolde that thou schuldest
never seese of this werk the whiles thou
levyst. I sey not that thou schalt mowe
ever contynow therin iliche fresche; for that may not be.
For sumtyme seeknes and other unordeind disposicions in body and in soule,
with many other needfulnes to kynde, wol let thee ful
mochel, and oft tymes drawe thee doun fro the height of
this worching. Bot I sey that thou schuldest evermore
have it outher in ernest or in game; that is to sey,
outher in werk or in wille. And therfore for Godes love
beware with seeknes as moche as thou maist goodly, so that
thou be not the cause of thi febilnes, as forth as thou
maist. For I telle thee trewly that this werk asketh a
ful greet restfulnes, and a ful hole and a clene disposicion, as wele
in body as in
soule. And therfore for Godes love
governe thee discreetly in body and in soule, and gete
thee thin hele as mochel as thou mayst. And yif seeknes
come agens thi power, have pacyence and abide meekly
Goddes mercy; and al is than good inowgh. For I telle
thee trewly that oftymes pacyence in seeknes, and in
othere diverse tribulacions, plesith God moche more then
any likyng devocyon that thou mayst have in thi
hele. Here biginnith the two and
fourty
chapitre. But
paraventure thou askest me how thou schalt governe thee discreetly in
mete, and in slepe, and in alle thees other. And herto I
think to answere thee right schortli: "Gete that thou
gete mayst." Do this werk evermore withoutyn cesyng and withoutyn
discrecion, and thou schalt wel kun beginne and ceese in
alle thin other werkes with a grete discrecion. For I may
not trowe that a soule contynowyng in this werk night and
day withoutyn discrecion schuld mowe erre in any of thees outward doinges;
and elles me think that he schuld alweis
erre. And therfore and I might gete a
wakyng and a besi beholdyng to this goostly werk withinne
in my soule, I wolde than have a rechelesnes in etyng and in drynkyng, in
sleping and in spekyng, and in alle myn outward doynges.
For sekirly I trowe I schuld rather com to discrecion in
hem by soche a rechelesnes than by any besy be- holding to
the same thinges, as I wolde bi that beholdyng set a merke and a mesure
in hem. Trewly I schuld never bryng it so aboute for
ought that I couth do or sey. Sey what men seye wil, and
lat the preof witnes. And therfore lift up thin hert with a
blynde steryng of love; and mene now synne, and now God.
God woldest thou have, and synne woldest thou lacke. God
wanteth thee; and synne arte thou sekir of. Now good God
help thee, for now hast thou
need! Here biginnith the thre
and fourty
chapitre. Look
that nought worche in thi wit ne in thi wil bot only God. And fonde for to
felle alle wetyng and felyng of ought under God, and
treed alle doun ful fer under the cloude of forgetyng.
And thou schalt understonde that thou schalt not only in this
werk forgete alle other creatures then thiself, or theire
dedes or thine, bot also thou schalt in this werk forgete
bothe thiself and also thi dedes for God, as wel as alle
other creatures and theire dedes. For it is the condicion
of a parfite lover, not only to love that thing that he
loveth more then himself, bot also in maner for to hate himself
for that thing that he
lovith. Thus schalt thou do with
thiself: thou schalt lothe and be wery with alle that thing
that worcheth in thi witte and in thi wil, bot yif it be
only God. For whi sekirly elles, whatsoever that it
be, it is bitwix thee and thi God. And no wonder thof thou lothe
and hate for to think on thiself, when thou schalt alweis
fele synne a foule stynkyng lumpe, thou wost never what,
bitwix thee and thi God: the whiche lumpe is none other
thing than thiself. For thee schal think it onyd and congelid with the
substaunce of thi beyng, ye, as it were withoutyn
departyng. And therfore breek doun alle
wetyng and felyng of alle maner of creatures; bot most
besily of thiself. For on the wetyng and the felyng of thiself hangith
wetyng and felyng of alle other creatures; for in rewarde
of it, alle other creatures ben lightly for- getyn. For,
and thou wilt besily set thee to the preof, thou schalt fynde, when thou
hast forgeten alle other creatures and alle theire
werkes, ye, and therto alle thin owne werkes, that ther
schal leve yit after, bitwix thee and thi God, a nakid weting and a
felyng of thin owne beyng, the whiche wetyng and felyng
behovith alweis be dis- troied er the tyme be that thou
fele sothfastly the perfeccyon of this
werk. Here biginnith the foure
and fourty
chapitre. Bot
now thou askist me how thou maist distroie this nakid wetyng and felyng of
thin owen beyng. For paraventure thee think that and it
were distroied, alle other let- tynges were distroied, and
yif thou thinkist thus, thou thinkist right trewly. Bot to this
I answere thee, and I sey that withoutyn a ful specyal
grace ful frely goven of God and therto a ful acordyng
abilnes to resseyve this grace on thi partye, this nakid
we- tyng and felyng of thi beyng may on no wise be
destroyed. And this abilnes is not elles
bot a stronge and a deep goostly sorow. Bot in this sorow
nedeth thee to have discrecion on this maner: thou schalt beware in the
tyme of this sorow that thou neither to rudely streyne
thi body ne thi spirit, bot sit ful stylle, as it were in
a slepyng sleight, al forsobbid and forsonken in sorow. This is
trewe sorow; this is parfite sorow; and wel were hym that
might wynne to this sorow. Alle men han
mater of sorow, bot most specyaly he felith mater of sorow that wote
and felith that he is. Alle other sorowes ben unto this
in comparison bot as it were gamen to ernest. For he may
make sorow ernestly that wote and felith not onli what he
is, bot that he is. And whoso felid never this sorow, he may make sorow,
for whi he felid yit never parfite
sorow. This sorow, when it is had,
clensith the soule, not only of synne, bot also of peyne
that he hath deservid for synne. And therto it makith a
soule abil to resseive that joye, the whiche revith fro a
man alle wetyng and felyng of his beyng. This sorow, yif it be
trewly conseyvid, is ful of holy desire; and elles might
never man in this liif abide it ne bere it. For ne were
it that a soule were sumwhat fed with a maner of counforte of
his right worching, elles schuld he not mow bere the pyne
that he hath of the wetyng and felyng of his beyng. For
as ofte as he wolde have a trewe wetyng and a felyng of
his God in purtee of spirit, as it may be here, and
sithen felith that he may not - for he findeth evermore
his wetyng and his felyng as it were ocupied and fillyd with a
foule stinkyng lumpe of himself, the whiche behoveth
alweis be hatid and be dispisid and forsaken, if he schal
be Goddes parfite dissiple, lernid of Hymself in the mount
of perfeccion - as ofte he goth ni wood for sorow;
insomochel, that he wepith and weilith, strivith,
cursith, and banneth, and, schortly to sey, hym thinkith that he berith
so hevy a birthen of hymself that he rechith never what
worth of hym, so that God were plesid. And yit in al this
sorrow he desireth not to unbe, for that were develles
woodnes and despite unto God. Bot hym listith right wel
be; and he menith ful hertly thankyng to God for the
worthines and the gift of his beyng, thof al that he desire
unsesingly for to lakke the wetyng and the felyng of his
beyng. This sorow and this desire
behovith iche a soule have and fele in itself, outher in
this maner or in another, as God vouchethsaaf for to
lerne to His goostly disciples, after His weelwyllyng and
theire acordyng abylnes in body and soule, in degré and
compleccion, er the tyme be that thei mowe parfitely be
onid unto God in parfite charité - soche as may be had
here yif God vouchethsaaf. Here
biginnith the five and fourty
chapitre. Bot
o thing I telle thee: that in this werk may a yong disciple, that hath not
yit ben wel used and provid in goostly worching, ful
lightly be disceyvid, and, bot he be sone war and have
grace to leve of and meek hym to counsel, paraventure be
dis troied in his bodily mightes, and falle into fantasie
in his goostly wittes. And alle this is longe of pride
and of fleschlynes and coriousté of
witte. And on this maner may this
disceite befalle. A yong man or a womman, newe set to the
scole of devocion, hereth this sorow and this desire be red and spokyn,
how that a man schal lift up his herte unto God, and
unseesingly desire for to fele the love of here God. And
as fast in a curiousté of witte thei conceyve thees wordes not
goostly, as thei ben ment, bot fleschly and bodily, and
travaylen theire fleschly hertes outrageously in theire
brestes. And what for lackyng of grace, that thei deserven, and
pride and curiousté in hemself, thei streyne here veynes
and here bodily mightes so beestly and so rudely, that
withinne schort tyme thei fallen outher into werynes and a
manner of unlisty febilnes in body and in soule, the
whiche makith hem to wende oute of hemself and seke sum
fals and sum veyne fleschly and bodily counforte
withoutyn, as it were for recreacion of body and of
spirite. Or elles, yif thei falle not in this, elles thei
deserve - for goostly blyndnes and for fleschly chaufyng of theire
compleccion in theire bodily brestis in the tyme of this
feinid beestly and not goostly worchyng - for to have
theire brestes outher enflaumid with an unkyndely hete of
compleccion, causid of misrewlyng of theire bodies or of
this feinid worching, or elles thei conceyve a fals hete
wrought by the feende, theire goostly enmye, causid of
theire pride and of theire fleschlines and theire
coriousté of wit. And yit, paraventure,
thei wene it be the fiir of love, getyn and kyndelid by the
grace and the goodnes of the Holy Goost. Treuly of this
disceite, and of the braunches therof, spryngyn many
mescheves: moche ypocrisie, moche heresye, and moche
errour. For as fast after soche a fals felyng cometh a fals knowyng in the
feendes scole, right as after a trewe feling cometh a
trewe knowing in Gods scole. For I telle thee trewly that
the devil hath his contemplatyves, as God hath His. This
disseite of fals felyng, and of fals knowyng folowyng
theron, hath diverse and won- derful variacions, after the
dyversté of states and the sotyl condicions of hem that ben
disceyvid, as hath the trewe
felyng and knowyng of hem that ben
savid. Bot I sette no mo disceites here
bot thoo with the whiche I trowe thou schalt be assailid,
yif ever thou purpose thee to worche in this werk. For what schuld it
profite to thee to wite hou thees greet clerkis, and men
and wommen of other degrees then thou arte, ben
disceyvid? Sikirly right nought. And therfore I telle thee no mo, bot
thoo that fallyn unto thee, yif thou travayle in this
werk. And forthi I telle thee this, that thou schalt
bewar therwith in thi worching, yif thou be assailyd
therwith. Here biginnith the six
and fourty
chapitre. And
therfore for Goddes love bewar in this werk, and streyne not thin hert in
thi brest over-rudely, ne oute of mesure; bot wirche more
with a list then with any lither strengthe. For ever the
more listly, the more meekly and goostly; and ever the more
rudely, the more bodely and beestly. And therfore bewar.
For sekirly what beestly herte that presumith for to
touche the highe mounte of this werke, it schal be betyn
awey with stones. Stones ben harde and drie in her kynde,
and thei hurte ful sore where thei hit. And sekirly soche
rude streynynges ben ful harde fastnid in fleschli- nes of
bodely felyng, and ful drie fro any wetyng of grace; and thei hurte ful
sore the sely soule, and make it feestre in fantasie
feinid of feendes. And therfore bewar with this beestly
ruednes, and leerne the to love listely with a softe and a demure
conten- aunce, as wel in body as in soule. And abide
curtesly and meekly the wil of oure Lorde, and lache not
over-hastely, as it were a gredy grehounde, hungre thee never
so sore. And gamenly be it seyde, I rede that thu do that
in thee is, refreynyng the rude and the grete steryng of
thi spirite; ryght as thou on no wyse woldest lat Hym
wite hou fayne thou woldest see Hym and have Hym or fele
Hym. This is childly and pleyingly
spoken, thee think, paraventure. Bot I trowe whoso had
grace to do and fele as I sey, he schuld fele God gamesumli pley with hym,
as the fadir doth with the childe, kyssyng and clippyng,
that weel were him so. Here
bigynnith the seven and fourty
chapitre. Loke
thou have no wonder whi that I speke thus childly, and as it were folily
and lackyng kyndly discrecion; for I do it for certeyn
skyles, and as me thinketh that I have ben sterid many
day bothe to fele thus and think thus and sey thus, as weel to
som other of my specyal freendes in God, as I am now unto
thee. And o skyle is this, whi that I
bid thee hide it fro God, the desire of thine herte. For
I hope it schuld more cleerly com to His knowyng, to thi
profite and in fulfyllyng of thi desire, by soche an
hidyng, than it scholde by any other maner of schewyng that I
trowe thou coudest yit schewe. And another skyle is: for
I wolde by soche a hid schewyng bryng thee oute of the
boistousté of bodely felyng into the pureté and dep- nes
of goostly felyng, and so forthermore at the last to help thee to knit the
goostly knot of brennyng love bitwix thee and thi God, in
goostly onheed and acordyng of
wille. Thou wost wel
this, that God is a spirit; and whoso schuld be onid unto Hym, it
behovith to be in sothfastnes and deepnes of spirit, ful
fer fro any feynid bodely thing. Soth it is that alle
thing is knowen of God, and nothing may be hid fro His
wetyng, neither bodily thing ne goostly. Bot more aperte
is that thing knowyn and schewid unto Him, the whiche is
hid in depnes of spirit, sith it so is that He is a spirit,
than is any thing that is medelid with any maner of
bodelines. For alle bodely thing is ferther fro God bi
the cours of kynde then any goostly thing. By this skile it semith
that the whiles oure desire is medelid with any maner of
bodelines - as it is whan we stresse and streyne us in
spirit and in body togeders - as longe it is ferther fro
God then it schuld be, and it were done more devoutly and
more listely in sobirnes and in puretee and in depnes of
spirite. And here maist thou see sumwhat
and in party the skil whi that I bid thee so childly hele
and hyde the steryng of thi desire fro God. And yit I bid thee not pleynly
hyde it, for that were the biddyng of a fole, for to bid
thee pleynly do that on no wise may be done. Bot I bid
thee do that in thee is to hide it. And whi bid I thus? Sekirly
for I wolde that thou castedest it into depnes of
spirite, fer fro any rude medelyng of any bodelines, the
whiche wolde make it lesse goostly, and ferther fro God in as
moche; and for I wote wel that ever the more that thi
spirit hath of goostlines, the lesse it hath of bodelines
and the nerer it is God, and the betyr it plesith Hym, and the
more cleerly it may be seen of Hym. Not that His sight
may be any tyme, or in any thing, more cleer then in
another, for it is evermore unchaungable; bot forthi it is
more liche unto Hym, when it is in puretee of spirit, for
He is a spirit. Another skyle ther is
whi that I bid thee do that in thee is to late Hym not wite: for
thou and I, and many soche as we ben, we ben so abyl to
conceyve a thing bodily, the whiche is seyde goostly,
that paraventure, and I had boden thee schewe unto God
the steryng of thin herte, thou schuldest have maad a
bodily schewyng unto Hym, outher in contenaunce, or in
voyce, or in worde, or in som other rude bodely
streynyng, as it is when thou schalt schewe a thing that
is hid in thin hert to a bodely man; and inasmoche thi
werk schuld have ben inpure. For on o maner schal a thing
be schewid to man, and on another maner unto
God. Here biginnith the eight
and fourty
chapitre. I
sey not this for I wil that thou leve any tyme, yif thou be stirid for to
preie with thi mouth, or for to brest oute, for
habundaunce of devocion in thi spirit, for to speke unto
God as unto man, and sey som good worde as thou felist thee sterid, as ben
thees: "Good Jhesu! Faire Jhesu! Swete Jhesu!" and alle
thees other. Nay, God forbede thou take it thus! For
trewly I mene not thus. And God forbede that I schuld
departe that God hath couplid, the body and the spirit;
for God wil be servid with body and with soule, bothe
togeders, as seemly is, and rewarde man his mede in blis
bothe in body and in
soule. And in erles of that mede,
sumtyme He wil enflaume the body of a devoute ser- vaunt
of His here in this liif - not onys or twies, bot paraventure right ofte,
and as Him likith - with ful wonderful swetnes and
counfortes. Of the whiche, som beth not comyng fro
withoutyn into the body bi the wyndowes of oure wittys, bot fro
withinne, risyng and spryngyng of habundaunce of goostly
gladnes, and of trewe devocion in the spirit. Soche a
counforte and soche a swetnes schal not be had sus- pecte;
and, schortly to sey, I trowe that he that felith it may not have it
suspecte. Bot alle other counfortes,
sounes, and gladnes, and swetnes, that comyn fro with oute
sodenly, and thou wost never whens, I prey thee have hem suspecte. For
thei mowe be bothe good and yvel; wrought by a good
aungel, yif thei ben good, and by an yvel aungel, yif
thei ben yvel. And this may on no wise be yvel, yif theire deseites
of coriousté of witte and of unordeynd streynyng of the
fleschely herte be remowed, as I lere thee, or betyr yif
thou betir maist. And whi is that? Sekirly for the cause of
this counforte: that is to sey, the devoute steryng of
love, the whiche woneth in pure spirit. It is wrought of
the hande of Almighty God withouten mene; and therfore it
behovith alweys be fer fro any fantasie, or any fals
opynion that may befal to man in this
liif. And of the tother counfortes and
sounes and swetnes, how thou schuldest wite whether thei
ben good or ivel, I think not to telle thee at this tyme. And that is for
me think that it nedith not; for whi thou mayst fynde it
wretyn in another place of an- other mans werk a
thousandfolde betir than I kan sey or write. And so maystow this
that I set here, fer betir than it is here. Bot what
therof? Therfore schal I not lette, ne it schal not noye
me to fulfille the desire and the steryng of thin herte, the whiche
thou hast schewed thee to have unto me before this tyme
in thi wordes, and now in thi
dedes. Bot this may I sey thee of thoo
sounes and of thoo swetnes that comen in by the wyndowes
of thi wittes, the whiche mowe be bothe good and ivel. Use thee
con tynowly in this blynde and devoute and this listy
steryng of love that I telle thee; and than I have no
doute that it ne schal wel kun telle thee of hem. And yif thou yit be in
partye astonied of hem at the first tyme, and that is
bicause that thei ben uncouthe, yit this schal it do
thee; it schal bynde thin herte so fast that thou schalt mowe on no
wise geve ful grete credence to hem, er the
tyme be that thou be either certefied of hem withinne
wonderfuly by the spirite of God, or elles withouten by counsel of sum
discrete
fader. Here biginnith the nine
and fourti
chapitre. And
therfore I preie thee, lene listely to this meek steryng of love in thin
herte, and folow therafter; for it wil be thi gyde in
this liif, and bring thee to blisse in the tother. It is
the substaunce of alle good levyng, and withouten it no good werk may be
by- gonne ne eendid. It is not elles bot a good and an
acordyng wil unto God, and a ma- ner of weelpayednes and a
gladnes that thou felest in thi wille of alle that He
doth. Soche a good wille is the
substaunce of alle perfeccion. Alle swetnes and
coun- fortes, bodily or goostly, ben to this bot as it
were accydentes, be thei never so holy; and thei don bot
hangen on this good wil. Accydentes I clepe hem, for thei mowe be
had and lackyd withoutyn parbrakyng of it. I mene in this
liif; bot it nys not so in the blis of heven, for there
schul thei be onyd with the substaunce withouten departyng,
as schal the body in the whiche thei worche with the
soule. So that the substaunce of hem here is bot a good
goostly wil. And sekirly I trowe that he that felith the
perfec- cion of this wil, as it may be had here, ther may
no swetnes ne no counforte falle to any man in this liif,
that he ne is as fayne and as gladde to lacke it at Goddes wille as
to fele it and have
it. Here biginnith the fifty
chapitre. And
herby maist thou see that we schulde directe alle oure beholdyng unto this
meek steryng of love in oure wille. And in alle other
swetnes and counfortes, bodily or goostly, be thei never
so likyng ne so holy (yif it be cortesie and semely to sey) we
schuld have a maner of rechelesnes. Yif thei come,
welcome hem; bot lene not to moche on hem for ferde of
febelnes; for it wol take ful mochel of thi myghtes to bide
any longe tyme in soche swete felynges and wepynges. And
paraventure thou mayst be steryd for to love God for hem.
And that schalt thou fele by this: yif thou grocche
overmoche when thei ben awey. And yif it be thus, thi
love is not yit neither chaste ne parfite. For a love
that is chaste and parfite, thof it suffre that the body be fed and
counfortid in the presence of soche swete felynges and
wepynges, nevertheles yit it is not gruchyng, bot ful wel
apayed for to lacke hem at Goddes
wille. And yit it is not comounly
withoutyn soche counfortes in som creatures; and in som
other creatures soche swetnes and counfortes ben bot seldom. And alle this
is after the disposicion and the ordynaunce of God, al
after the profite and the needful- nes of diverse
creatures. For some creatures ben so weike and so tendre in spirit, that
bot yif thei were sumwhat counfortid by feling of soche
swetnes, thei mighte on no wise abide ne bere the
diverseté of temptacions and tribulacions that thei suffre and
ben travaylid with in this liif of theire bodily and
goostly enmyes. And som ther ben that thei ben so weike
in body that thei mowe do no grete penance to clense hem
with. And thees creatures wil oure Lorde clense ful
gracyously in spirit by soche swete felynges and
wepynges. And also, on the tother partye, ther ben sum creatures
so stronge in spirit, that thei kun pike hem counforte
inowgh withinne in theire soules, in offryng up of this
reverent and this meek steryng of love and acordaunce of
wille, that hem nedeth not mochel to be fedde with soche swete counfortes
in bodely felynges. Whiche of thees ben holyer or more
dere with God, one then an- other, God wote and I
not. Here biginnith the on and
fifty
chapitre. And
therfore lene meekly to this blinde steryng of love in thin herte. I mene
not in thi bodily herte, bot in thi goostly herte, the
whiche is thi wil. And be wel ware that thou con- seyve
not bodily that that is seyde goostly. For trewly I telle thee that bodely
and fleschely conseytes of hem that han corious and
ymaginatyve wittys ben cause of moche
errour. Ensaumple of this maist thou see
by that that I bid thee hele thi desire fro God in that
that in thee is. For, paraventure, and I had boden thee schewe thi desire
unto God, thou schuldest have conceyvid it more bodily
then thou dost now when I bid thee hele it. For thou wost
wel that alle that thing that is wilfuly helid, it is casten into
the depnes of
spiryt. And thus me thinketh that it
nedith greetly to have moche warnes in understonding of
wordes that ben spokyn to goostly entent, so that thou conceyve hem not
bodily, bot goostly, as thei ben mente. And namely it is
good to be ware with this worde in and this worde
up, for in mysconceyvyng of thees two wordes hangeth moche errour
and moche disseite in hem that purposen hem to be goostly
worchers, as me thinketh. Sumwhat wote I by the profe,
and sumwhat by herdsey; and of thees disseites list me
telle thee a lityl, as me
thinketh. A yonge disciple in Goddes
scole, newe turnid fro the woreld, the whiche weneth that
for a litil tyme that he hath goven him to penaunce and to preier, taken
by coun- sel in confescion, that he be therfore abil to
take apon hym goostly worching, of the whiche he herith
men speke or rede aboute hym, or paraventure redith hymself, and
therfore whan he redith or hereth spoken of goostly
worching, and namely of this worde, how a man schal drawe
alle his witte withinne hymself, or how he schal clymbe
aboven himself, - as fast for blindnes in soule, and for fleschelines and
coriousté of kyndely witte, thei misunderstonde thees
wordes, and wenen, for thei fynden in hem a kyndly
covetyse to hid thinges, that thei ben therfore clepid to that
werke by grace; insomoche, that yif counsel wil not
acorde that thei schul worche in this werke, as sone thei
fele a maner of grocchyng agens theire counsel, and thinken -
ye, and paraventure seyen to soche other as thei ben -
that thei kan fynde no man that kan wite what thei mene
fully. And therfore as fast for boldnes and presumpcion
of theire corious witte, thei leve meek preier and
penaunce over-sone, and sette hem (thei wene) to a ful
goostly werk withinne in here soule: the whiche werk, and it be
trewly conceyvid, is neither bodily worching ne goostly
worching. And, schortly to sey, it is a worching agens
kynde, and the devel is the cheef worcher therof. And it is
the rediest wey to deth of body and of soule, for it is
woodnes and no wisdom, and ledith a man even to woodnes.
And yit thei wene not thus, for thei purpose hem in this
werk to think on nought bot on
God. Here biginnith the two and
fifty
chapitre. And
on this maner is this woodnes wrought that I speke of. Thei reden and
heren wel sey that thei schuld leve utward worching with
theire wittes, and worche in- wardes; and forthi that thei
knowe not whiche is inward worchyng, therfore thei worche
wronge. For thei turne theire bodily wittes inwardes to theire body agens
the cours of kynde; and streynyn hem, as thei wolde see
inwardes with theire bodily ighen, and heren inwardes
with theire eren, and so forthe of alle theire wittes,
smel- len, taasten, and felyn inwardes. And thus thei
reverse hem agens the cours of kynde, and with this
coriousté thei travayle theire ymaginacion so undiscreetly, that at the
laste thei turne here brayne in here hedes. And than as
fast the devil hath power for to feyne sum fals light or
sounes, swete smelles in theire noses, wonderful taastes in
theire mowthes, and many queynte hetes and brennynges in
theire bodily brestes or in theire bowelles, in theire
backes and in theire reynes, and in theire pryvé
membres. And yit in this fantasie hem
think that thei have a restful mynde of theire God
withoutyn any lettyng of veyne thoughtes. And sekirly so
have thei in maner, for thei ben so fillid in falsheed
that vanité may not dere hem. And whi? For he, that same
feende that schuld ministre veyne thoughtes to hem and
thei were in good wey, he, that same, is the cheef
worcher of this werk. And wite thou right wel that him list not
lette hymself. The mynde of God wol he not put fro hem,
for feerde that he schuld be had in
suspecte. Here biginnith the
thre and fifti
chapitre. Many
wonderful contenaunces folowen hem that ben disseyvid in this fals werk,
or in any spice therof, forby that doth hem that ben
Goddes trewe disciples; for thei ben evermore ful semely
in alle here contenaunces, bodily or goostly. Bot it is not so of
thees other. For whoso wolde or might beholde unto hem
ther thei sitte in this tyme, and it so were that theire
igheliddes were open, he schulde see hem stare as thei were
wode, and leighingly loke as thei sawe the devil. Sekirly
it is good thei be ware; for trewly the feende is not
fer. Som sette theire ighen in theire hedes as thei were sturdy
scheep betyn in the heed, and as thei schulde dighe
anone. Som hangen here hedes on syde, as a worme were in
theire eres. Som pipyn when thei schuld speke, as ther
were no spirit in theire bodies; and this is the propre
condicion of an ypocrite. Som crien and whinen in theire
throte, so ben thei gredy and hasty to sey that thei think;
and this is the condicion of heretikes and of hem that
with presumpcion and with curiousté of witte wil alweys
meynteyn errour. Many unordeynde and
unsemely contenaunces folowen on this errour, whoso
mighte parceyve alle. Nevertheles, som ther ben that ben
so curious that thei kun refreyne hem in grete partye
whan thei comen before men. Bot might thees men be seen
in place where thei ben homely, then I trowe thei schuld not be hidde. And
nev- ertheles yit I trowe that whoso wolde streitly
geinsey theire opynion, that thei schuld sone see hem
brest oute in som partye; and yit hem think that alle that ever thei do,
it is for the love of God and for to meynteyne the
treuth. Now trewly I hope that bot yif God schewe His
merciful miracle to make hem sone leve of, thei schul love God so
longe on this maner that thei schul go staryng wood to
the devil. I sey not that the devil hath so parfite a
servaunt in this liif, that is desceyvid and infecte with alle
thees fantasies that I sette here. And nevertheles yit it
may be that one, ye and many one, be infecte with hem
alle. Bot I sey that he hath no parfite ypocrite ne heretike in
erthe, that he ne is gilty in somme that I have seide, or
paraventure schal sey, yif God
vouchethsaaf. For som
men aren so kumbred in nice corious contenaunces in bodily beryng, that
whan thei schal ought here, thei writhen here hedes
onside queyntely, and up with the chin; thei gape with
theire mouthes as thei schuld here with hem, and not with
here eres. Som, when thei schulen speke, poynten with
here fyngres, or on theire fyngres, or on theire owne
brestes, or on theires that thei speke to. Som kan nouther
sit stille, stonde stylle, ne ligge stille, bot
yif thei be outher waggyng with theire fete, or elles
sumwhat doyng with theire handes. Som rowyn with theire armes in tyme of
here spekyng, as hem nedid for to swymme over a grete
water. Som ben evermore smyling and leighing at iche
other worde that thei speke, as thei weren gigelotes and
nice japyng jogelers lackyng kontenaunce. Semeli cher
were with sobre and demure beryng of body and mirthe in
maner. I say not that alle thees
unsemely contenaunces ben grete synnes in hemself, ne yit
alle thoo that done hem ben grete synners hemself. Bot I
sey if that thees unsemely and unordeinde contenaunces
ben governers of that man that doth hem, insomochel that
he may not leve hem whan he wile: than I sey that thei ben tokenes of
pride and coryousté of witte, and of unordeynde schewyng
and covetise of knowyng. And spe- cyaly thei ben verrei
tokenes of unstabelnes of herte and unrestfulnes of mynde, and
namely of the lackyng of the werk of this book. And this
is only the skile whi that I set so many of thees
disceytes here in this writyng, for whi that a goostly worcher
schal prove his werk by
hem. Here biginnith the foure
and fifti
chapitre. Whoso
had this werk, it schuld governe him ful semely, as wele in body as in
soule, and make hym ful favorable unto iche man or womman
that lokyd apon hym; insomoche that the worst favored man
or womman that leveth in this liif, and thei mighte come
to by grace to worche in this werk, theire favour schuld sodenly and
gracyously be chaunged, that iche good man that hem sawe
schulde be fayne and joiful to have hem in companye, and
ful mochil thei schuld think that thei were ple- sid in
spirit and holpen by grace unto God in theire
presence. And therfore gete this gifte,
whoso by grace gete may; for whoso hath it verely, he
schal wel kun governe hymself by the vertewe therof, and
alle that longith unto hym. He schuld wel geve
discrecion, yif nede were, of alle kyndes and alle complexions.
He schuld wel kun make hymself liche unto alle that with
hym comouned, whether thei were customable synners or
none, withoutyn synne in hymself, in wondryng of alle
that hym sawen, and in drawyng of other by helpe of grace to the werk of
that same spirit that he worcheth in
hymself. His chere and his wordes schuld
be ful of goostly wysdam, ful of fiire and of frute,
spoken in sad sothfastnes, withouten any falsheed, fer
fro any feynyng or pipynge of ypocrites. For sum ther ben
that with alle theire mighte, inner and utter, ymageneth
in theire spekyng how they mowe stuffe hem and underput
hem on iche a side for fallyng with many meek pipyng
wordes and contenaunces of devocion, more lokyng after
for to seme holy in sight of men, then for to be so in the sight of God
and His aungelles. For whi thees folk wil more charge and
more sorow make for an un- ordeynde contenaunce, or
unseemly or unsittyng worde spoken byfore men, then thei
wil for a thousande veyne thoughtes and stynckyng
sterynges of synne wilfuly drawen apon hem, or rechelesly
voided in the sight of God and the seyntes and the
aungelles in heven. A, Lorde God! wher ther be any pride
withinne ther as soche meek pipyng wordes ben so
plenteuous withoutyn, I graunte wel that it is sittyngly
and semely to hem that ben meek withinne for to schewe
meek and semely wordes and contenaunce withoutyn,
acordyng to that meeknes that is withinne in the herte.
Bot I sey not that thei schul thanne be schewed in brokyn
ne in pipyng voices agens the pleyn disposission of
theire kynde that spekyn hem. For whi yif thei ben trewe,
then ben thei spoken in sothfastnes, and in hoelnes of
voyce, and of theire spirit that speken hem. And yif he,
that hath a pleyn and an open boystous voice by kynde,
speke hem poerly and pypyngly - I mene bot yif he be seek
in his body, or elles that it be bitwix hirn and his God
or his confessour - than it is a vertey token of
ypocri- sie. I mene outher yong ypocrite or
olde. And what schal I more sey of
theese venemos disseites? Trewly I trowe, bot yif thei
have grace to leve of soche pipyng ypocrisie, that bitwix that privé pride
in theire hertes withinne and soche meek wordes
withoutyn, the sely soule may ful sone sinke into
sorow. Here biginnith the five
and fifty
chapitre. Som
men the feende wyl disceyve on this maner. Ful wonderfuly he wol enflaume
here braynes to meinteyne Goddes lawe, and to distroie
synne in alle other men. He wil never tempte hem with a
thing that is aperte yvel. He makith hem liche besy
prelates wakyng over alle the degrees of Cristen mens
levyng, as an abbot over his monkes. Alle men wil thei
reprove of theire defautes, right as thei had cure of theire
soules. And yit hem think that thei dur not elles for
God. Bot thei telle hem here de- fautes that thei see; and
thei sey that thei ben steryd therto by the fiire of charité and
of Goddes love in theire hertes. And trewly thei lighe,
for it is with the fiire of helle wellyng in theire
braynes and in theire ymaginacion. That
this is sothe, it semeth bi this that foloweth. The devil is a spirit, and
of his owne kynde he hath no body more then hath an
aungele. Bot yit nevertheles, what tyme that he or an
aungele schal take any bodi by leve of God to maak any
mynis tracion to any man in this liif: al after the werk
is that he schal mynistre, therafter in licnes is the
qualité of his body in som party. Ensaumple of this we have in Holy
Writte. As ofte as any aungele was sente in body in the
Olde Testament and in the Newe also, evermore it was
schewed, outher by his name or by sum instrument or
qualité of his body, what his mater or his message was in
spirit. On the same maner it
fareth of the feende, for when he
apereth in body, he fygureth in som qualité of his body
what his servauntes ben in
spirit. Ensaumple of this may be sene in
one in stede of alle thees other. For as I have conceyvid
by som disciples of nygromauncye, the whiche han it in scyence for to
make advocacion of wickyd spirites, and by som unto whom
the feende hath apperid in bodily licnes, that in what
bodily licnes the feend appereth, evermore he hath bot o
nose-therel, and that is grete and wyde. And he wil glady
kast it up, that a man may see in therate to his brayne
up in his heed. The whiche brayn is not elles bot the fiire
of helle, for the feende may have none other brayn. And
yif he might make a man loke in therate, he kepeth no
beter; for at that lokyng he schuld lese his witte for ever.
Bot a parfite prentys of nigromauncye knowith this wel
inowgh, and kan wel ordeyne therfore, so that he dere him
not. Herfore it is that I sey, and have
seide, that evermore whan the devil takith any bodi, he
figureth in som qualité of his body what his servauntes ben in spirit. For
he enflaumeth so the ymaginacion of his contemplatyves
with the fiire of helle, that sodenly, withoutyn
discrecion, thei schete oute theire corious conceites, and
with outen any avysement thei wil take apon hem to blame
other mens defautes over sone. And this is for thei have
bot o nose-therel goostly. For that staunson that is in a mans
nose bodely, and the whiche departeth the to nose-therel
fro the tother, bitokeneth that a man schulde have
discrecion goostly, and kun dissevre the good fro the ivel,
and the yvel fro the worse, and the good fro the betyr,
er that he gave any ful dome of any thing that he herde
or sawe done or spokyn aboute hym. And by a mans brayn is
goostly understonden ymagynacion; for kyndely it woneth and worcheth in
the heed. Here
biginnith the six and fifty
chapitre. Somme
ther ben that, thof al thei be not disceyved with this errour as it is
sette here, yit for pride and coriousté of kyndely witte
and letterly kunnyng levith the co moun doctrine and the
counsel of Holy Chirche. And thees, with alle here fautours,
lenyn overmoche to theire owne knowyng. And for thei were
never grounded in this meek blynde felyng and vertuous
levyng, therfore thei deserve to have a fals felyng,
feynid and wrought by the goostly enmye; insomoche that
at the last thei brestyn up and blasphemyn alle the
seyntes, sacramentes, statutes and ordenaunces of Holy
Chirche. Fleschly levyng men of the woreld, the whiche
thinkyn the statutes of Holy Chirche over-harde to be
amendid by, thei lenen to thees heretikes ful sone and ful
lyghtly, and stalworthly meynteyne hem, and al is for hem
think thei lede hem a softer wey then is ordeyned of Holy
Chirche. Now trewly I trowe that who
that wil not goo the streyte wey to heven that thei schul
goo the softe wey to helle. Iche man prove in hymself. For I trowe and
alle soche heretikes, and alle theire fautours, and thei
might cleerly be seen as thei scholen on the last day,
schulde be sene ful sone kumbrid in grete and horryble
synnes of the woreld and theire foule flessche prively,
withouten theire apeerte presumpcion in meyntenyng of
errour. So that thei ben ful properly clepid Antecriste
discyples; for it is seide of hem that for alle theire
fals fare in aperte, yit thei schul be ful foule lechors
prively. Here biginnith the
seven and fifti
chapitre. No
more of thees at this tyme now; bot forthe of oure mater, how that thees
yonge presumptuous goostly disciples misunderstonden this
other worde up. For yif it so be that thei outher
rede, or here redde or spoken hou that men schuld lift up
here hertes unto God, as fast thei stare in the sterres as thei wolde be
aboven the mone, and herkyn when thei schul here any
aungelles synge oute of heven. Thees men willen sumtyme
with the coriousté of here ymaginacion peerce the planetes, and
make an hole in the firmament to loke in therate. Thees
men wil make a God as hem lyst, and clothen hym ful
richely in clothes, and set hym in a trone, fer more
curi- ously than ever was he depeynted in this erthe.
Thees men wil maken aungelles in bodely licnes, and set
hem aboute ich one with diverse minstralsie, fer more corious
than ever was any seen or herde in this
liif. Somme of thees men the devil wil
disceyve wonderfuly. For he wil seende a maner of dewe -
aungelles foode thei wene it be - as it were comyng oute of the eire, and
softely and sweetly fallyng in theire mowthes; and
therfore thei have it in costume to sitte gapyng as thei
wolde kacche flies. Now trewly alle this is bot disceyte, seme it
never so holy; for thei have in this tyme ful emty soules
of any trewe devocion. Moche vanitee and falsheed is in
theire hertes, causid of theire corious worchyng,
insomoche that oftetymes the devil feyneth queinte sounes
in theire eres, queynte lightes and schinyng in theire
ighen, and wonderful smelles in theire nosen; and al is
bot falsheed. And yit
wene thei not so; for hem think that thei have ensaumple of Seynte Martyn
of this upward lokyng and worching, that sawe by
revelacion God clad in His mantel amonges His aungelles,
and of Seinte Steven that sawe oure Lorde stonde in heven,
and of many other; and of Cryste, that assendid bodily to
heven, seing His discyples. And therfore thei sey that we
schul have oure ighen upwardes. I graunte wel that in
oure bodely observaunce we schul lifte up oure ighen and
oure hondes yif we ben steryd in spirit. Bot I sey that
the werke of oure spirit schal not be directe neither
up- wardes ne donwardes, ne on o syde ne on other, ne
forward ne bacward, as it is of a bodely thing. For whi
oure werke schuld be goostly, not bodely, ne on a bodely
ma- ner
wrought. Here biginnith the
eight and fifty
chapitre. For
that that thei sey of Seynte Martyn and of Seinte Steven, thof al thei sie
soche thinges with theire bodely ighen, it was schewyd
bot in myracle and in certefiing of thing that was
goostly. For wite thei ryght wel that Seynte Martyn mantel come
never on Crystes owne body substancyaly, for no nede that
He had therto to kepe him fro colde; bot by miracle and
in licnes for alle us that ben abel to be savid, that ben
onyd to the body of Criste goostly. And whoso clotheth a pore man and doth
any other good deed for Goddes love, bodily or goostly,
to any that hath need, sekir be thei thei do it unto
Criste goostly, and thei schul be rewardid as substancyaly therfore
as thei had done it to Cristes owne body. Thus seith
Hymself in the Gospel. And yit thoughte He it not inowgh,
bot yif he affermyd it after by miracle; and for this skyle
He schewed Hym unto Seynte Martyn by
revelacion. Alle the revelacions that
ever sawe any man here in bodely licnes in this liif, thei
have goostly bemenynges. And I trowe that and thei unto
whome thei were schewid, or we for whome thei were
schewid, had ben so goostly, or couthe have conceyvid
theire bemenynges goostly, that than thei had never ben
schewed bodily. And ther- fore late us pike of the rough
bark, and fede us of the swete
kyrnel. Bot how? Not as thees heretikes
done, the whiche ben wel licned to wode men havyng this
custume, that ever whan thei have dronken of a faire cup, kast it to the
walle and breke it. Thus schul not we do, yif we wil wel
do. For we schul not so fede us of the frute that we
schul dispise the tree; ne so drynke that we schul breke the
cuppe when we have dronken. The tre and the cuppe I clepe
this visible miracle, and alle semely bodely observaunces
that is acordyng and not lettyng the werke of the
spirite. The frute and the drync I clepe the goostly
bemening of thees visible mira- cles, and of thees semely
bodely observaunces, as is liftyng up of oure ighen and
oure handes unto heven. Yif they be done by steryng of
the spyrit, then ben thei wel done; and elles ben thei
ypocrisie, and then ben thei fals. Yif thei ben trewe and
contynen in hem goostly frute, whi schuld thei than be
dispisid? For men wil kysse the cuppe, for wine is
therin. And what therof, thof oure
Lorde, when He assendid to heven bodely, toke His wey
upwardes into the cloudes, seing His moder and His disciples with here
bodely ighen? Schul we therfore in oure goostly werk ever
stare upwardes with oure bodely ighen, to loke after Hym
yif we mowe se Hym sit bodely in heven, or elles stonde, as
Seinte Steven did? Nay, sekirly He schewid Him not unto
Seynte Steven bodily in heven forthi that He wolde geve
us ensaumple that we schuld in oure goostly werk loke
bodely up into heven, yif we mought se Hym as Seynte Steven did, outher
ston- dyng or sittyng or liggyng. For howso His body is in
heven - stondyng, sittyng, or ligging - wote no man. And
it nedith not to be wetyn; ne no more, bot that His body
is anhighed with the soule, withouten departing. The body
and the soule, the whiche is the Manheed, is onid with
the Godheed withoutyn departyng also. Of His sittyng, His
stonding, His liggyng, nedith it not to wetyn, bot that He is there as Him
list, and hath Him in body as moste semely is unto
Hym for to be. For yif He schewid Hym liggyng, or
stondyng, or sittyng, by revelacion bodely to any creature in this liif,
it is done for sum goostly bemenyng, and not for no maner
of bodely beryng that He hath in
heven. See by ensaumple. By stondyng is
understonden a redynes of helping. And herfore it is
seide comounly of oo frende to another, whan he is in bodely batayle:
"Bere thee wel, felaw, and fight fast, and give not up
the bataile over-lightly; for I schal stonde by thee." He
meneth not only bodely stondyng, for paraventure this batayle is on
hors and not on fote, and paraventure it is in going and
not stondyng. Bot he meneth, whan he seith that he schal
stonde bi hym, that he schal be redy to helpe
him. For this skyle it was that oure
Lorde schewid Him bodely in heven to Seinte Ste- ven, when
he was in his martirdome; and not to geve us ensaumple to loke up to
heven. As He had seide thus to Seynte Steven, in persone
of alle thoo that suffren persecucion for His love: "Loo,
Steven! as verrely as I open this bodely fyrmament, the
whiche is clepid heven, and lete thee se My bodily stondyng, trist
stedfastly that as verrely stonde I biside thee goostly,
by the myght of My Godheed. And I am redy to helpe thee.
And therfore stonde thou stifly in the feith, and suffre booldely the fel
buffetes of thoo harde stones; for I schal coroune thee
in blis for thi mede, and not only thee, bot alle thoo
that suffren persecucion for Me on any
maner." And thus maist thou se that
thees bodely schewynges were done by goostly
be- menynges. Here
biginnith the nine and fifti
chapitre. And
yif thou sey ought touching the assencion of oure Lorde, for that was done
bodely and for a bodely bemenyng as wel as for a goostly,
for bothe He assendid verrey God and verrey Man, to this
wil I answere thee, that He had ben deed, and was clad
with undeedlines, and so schul we be at the Day of Dome. And than we
schul be maad so sotyl in body and in soule togeders,
that we schul be than as swiftely where us liste bodely,
as we ben now in oure thoughte goostly; whether it be up
or doune, on o syde or on other, bihinde or before. Alle I hope schal than
be iliche good, as clerkes seyne. Bot now thou mayst not
come to heven not bodely, bot goostly. And yit it schal
be so goostly that it schal not be on bodely maner -
nowther upwardes ne donwardes, ne on o side ne on other,
behynde ne before. And wite wel that
alle thoo that setten hem to be goostly worchers and namely in
the werk of this book, that thof al thei rede "lifte up"
or "go in," thof al that the werke of this book be clepid
a steryng, nevertheles yit hem behoveth to have a ful
besy beholdyng, that this steryng streche neither up
bodely ne in bodely, ne yit that it be any soche steryng
as is from o stede to another. And thof al that it be sumtyme
cleped a rest, nevertheles yit thei schul not think that
it is any soche rest as is any abidyng in a place
withouten remowing therfro. For the perfeccion of this werke is so
pure and so goostly in itself, that and it be wel and
trewly conceyvid, it schal be seen fer lengthid fro any
steryng and fro any stede. And it schuld
by sum skyle rather be clepid a sodeyn chaunging then any steedly
steryng. For tyme, stede, and body, thees thre schuld be
forgeten in alle goostly worching. And therfore bewar in
this werk that thou take none ensaumple at the bodely
assencion of Criste, for to streyne thin ymaginacion in the tyme of thi
preier bodely upwardes, as thou woldest clymbe aboven the
mone. For it schuld on no wise be so goostly. Bot yif
thou schuldest assende into heven bodely, as Criste did, than
thou mightest take ensaumple at it; bot that may none do
bot God, as Himself wit- nessith, seiing: "Ther is no man
that may assende unto heven, bot only He that de- scendid
fro heven, and bycome man for the love of man." And yif it were possible,
as it on no wise may be, yit it schuld be for habundaunce
of goostly worchyng, only bi the might of the spirit, ful
fer fro any bodely stressyng or streyning of oure
ymagi nacion bodely, outher up, or in, on o side, or on
other. And therfore lat be soche fal- shede; it schuld not
be so. Here biginnith the sixty
chapitre. Bot
now, paraventure, thou seiste that how schuld it thanne be. For thee think
that thou haste verrey evidence that hevyn is upwardes;
for Criste assendid thedir bodely upwardes, and sente the
Holy Goost, as He Hight, comyng fro aboven bodely, seyng
alle His disciples; and this is oure beleve. And therfore
thee think sithen thou haste thus verrey evidence, whi
schalt thou not directe thi mynde upward bodely in the
tyme of thi preier? And
to this wil I answere thee so febely as I kan, and sey: sithen it so was
that Criste schuld assende bodely, and therafter sende
the Holy Goost bodely, then it was more semely that it
was upwardes and fro aboven, than outher donwardes and fro
bynethen, byhinde or before, on o side or on other. Bot
elles ne were this semelines, Him nedid never the more to
have wente upwardes then donwardes, I mene for nerenes of
the wey. For heven goostly is as neigh doun as up, and up as down,
bi- hinde as before, before as behynde, on o syde as
other, insomoche that whoso had a trewe desire for to be
at hevyn, then that same tyme he were in heven goostly. For
the highe and the nexte wey theder is ronne by desires,
and not by pases of feet. And herfore seith Seinte Poule
of himself and many other thus: "Thof al oure bodies ben
presently here in erthe, nevertheles yit oure levyng is
in heven." He ment theire love and theire desire, the
whiche is goostly theire liif. And sekirly as verrely is a soule
there where it lovith, as in the body that leveth bi it,
and to the whiche it geveth liif. And therfore yif we wil
go to heven goostly, it nedith not to streyne oure spirit
nei- ther up ne doune, ne on o syde ne on
other. Here biginnith the on and
sixti
chapitre. Nevertheles
it is needful to lifte up oure ighen and oure hondes bodely, as it were
unto yone bodely heven, in the whiche the elementes ben
fastnid. I mene yif we ben sterid of the werk of oure
spirit, and elles nought. For alle bodely thing is sogette
unto goostly thing and is reulid therafter, and not
agensward. Ensaumple herof may be seen
by the assencion of oure Lorde; for whan the tyme statute
was icomen that Him likyd to weende to His Fader bodely in His Manheed -
the whiche was never, ne never may be, absent in his
Godheed - than mightely, by the vertewe of the Spirit
God, the Manheed with the body folowed in onheed of
Pers- one. The visibilité of this was moste seemly and
most acordyng to be upward. This same
subjeccion of the body to the spirit may be in maner verrely conceived
in the preof of this goostly werk of this book by hem
that worchen therin. For what tyme that a soule disposeth
him effectuely to this werk, than as fast sodenly -
unwe tyng himself that worcheth - the body, that
paraventure bifore er he bygan was sumwhat heeldyng
donwardes on o syde or on other for ese of the flesche, by
vertewe of the spirit schal set it upright, folowyng in
maner and in licnes bodely the werk of the spirit that is
maad goostly. And thus it is moste semely to
be. And for this seemlines it is that a
man, the whiche is the seemliest creature in body that
ever God maad, is not maad crokid to the erthewardes, as ben alle other
beestes, bot upright to hevenwardes; for whi that it
schulde figure in licnes bodely the werke of the soule
goostly, the whiche falleth to be upright goostly and not crokid goostly.
Take kepe that I sey upright goostly, and not bodely. For
how schulde a soule, the whiche in his kynde hath no
maner thing of bodelines, be streinid upright bodely?
Nay, it may not be. And
therfore beware that thou conceyve not bodely that that is mente goostly,
thof al it be spokyn in bodely wordes, as ben thees:
up or doun, in or oute, behinde, or
before, on o side or on other. For thof al
that a thing be never so goostly in itself, nevertheles
yit yif it schal be spoken of, sithen it so is that speche is a bodely
werk wrought with the tonge, the whiche is an instrument
of the body, it behoveth alweis be spoken in bodely
wordes. Bot what therof? Schal it therfore be taken and
con ceyvid bodely? Nay, it bot
goostly. Here biginnith the two
and sixty
chapitre. And
forthi that thou schalt kun betir wite how thei schul be conceyved
goostly, thees wordes that ben spoken bodely, therfore I
think to declare to thee the goostly bemenyng of somme
wordes that fallyn to goostly worching; so that thou mayst wite
cleerly withouten errour when thi goostly werke is
benethe thee and withoutyn thee, and when it is within
thee and even with thee, and when it is aboven thee and under
thi God. Alle maner of
bodely thing is withouten thi soule and benethe it in kynde. Ye, the
sonne and the mone and alle the sterres, thof al thei be
aboven thi body, nevertheles yit thei ben benethe thi
soule. Alle aungelles and alle soules,
thof al thei be conformed and anowrnid with grace and
with vertewes, for the whiche thei ben aboven thee in clennes, nevertheles
yit thei ben bot even with thee in
kynde. Withinne in thiself in kynde ben
the mightes of thi soule, the whiche ben thees thre
principal: minde, reson, and wille; and secundary, ymaginacion and
sensualité. Aboven
thiself in kynde is no maner of thing bot only
God. Evermore where thou fyndest wreten
thiself in goostlines, than it is understonden thi soule,
and not thi body. And then, al after that thing is on the whiche the
mightes of thi soule worchyn, therafter schal the
worthines and the condicion of thi werke be demid:
whether it be binethe thee, withinne thee, or aboven
thee. Here bigynnith the thre
and sixty
chapitre. Mynde
is soche a mighte in itself, that properly to speke and in maner it
worcheth not itself. Bot reson and wille, thei ben two
worching mightes, and so is ymaginacion and sensualité
also. And alle thees foure mightes and theire werkes mynde conteneth
and comprehendeth in itself. And on none other wise it is
seide that the mynde worch- eth, bot yif soche a
comprehencion be a werke. And herfore it
is that I clepe the mightes of a soule, som principal, and som
se cundary. Not for a soule is departable, for that may
not be; bot for alle thoo thinges in the whiche thei
worchen ben departable, and somme principal, as ben alle goostly
thinges, and som secundary, as ben alle bodily thinges.
The two principal worching myghtes, reson and wille,
worchen purely in hemself in alle goostly thinges,
with- outen help of the other two secundary mightes.
Ymaginacion and sensualité worchin beestly in alle bodely
thinges, whether thei be present or absente in the body, and
with the bodely wittes. Bot by hem, withouten helpe of
reson and of wille, may a soule never come to for to
knowe the vertewe and the condicions of bodely
creatures, ne the cause of theire beynges and theire
makynges. And for this skyle is reson
and wille clepid principal mightes, for thei worchen in
pure spirit withouten any maner of bodelines; and
ymaginacion and sensualité sec ondary, for thei worchen in
the body with bodely instrumentes, the whiche ben oure
five wittes. Minde is clepid a principal myghte, for it
conteneth in it goostly not only alle the other mightes,
bot therto alle tho thinges in the whiche thei worchen. Se by
the profe. Here
biginnith the foure and sixty
chapitre. Reson
is a myght thorou the whiche we departe the ivel fro the good, the ivel
fro the worse, the good fro the betir, the worse fro the
worste, the betir from the best. Before er man synned,
might reson have done al this by kynde. Bot now it is so
blendid with the original synne that it may not kon
worche this werk bot yif it be illuminid by grace. And
bothe the self reson, and the thing that it worcheth in, ben
comprehendid and contened in the
mynde. Wille is a myght thorou the
whiche we chese good, after that it be determinid with
reson; and thorow the whiche we love good, we desire
good, and resten us with ful likyng and consent eendli in
God. Before er man synnid, might not wille be discey- vid
in his chesyng, in his lovyng, ne in none of his werkes; for whi it had
than by kynde to savour iche thing as it was. Bot now it
may not do so, bot yif it be anointed with grace. For
oftymes, bicause of infeccion of the original synne, it savoreth a
thing for good that is ful yvel, and that hath bot the
licnes of goode. And bothe the wille and the thing that
it wilnith the mynde conteneth and comprehendith in
it. Here biginnith the five and
sixty
chapitre. Imagynacion
is a might thorow the whiche we portray alle ymages of absent and
present thinges. And bothe it, and the thing that it
worcheth in, ben contened in the mynde. Byfore er man
synned, was ymagynacion so obedyent unto the reson -
to the whiche it is as it were servaunt - that it
mynystrid never to it any unordeynde ymage of any bodely
creature, or any fantasy of any goostly creature. Bot now it is
not so. For bot yif it be refreyned by the light of grace
in the reson, elles it wil never sese, sleping or wakyng,
for to portray dyverse unordeynd ymages of bodely
crea- tures; or elles sum fantasye, the whiche is nought
elles bot a bodely conseyte of a goostly thing, or elles
a goostly conseyte of a bodely thing. And this is evermore
feynid and fals, and anexte unto
errour. This inobedyence of the
ymaginacion may clerly be conseyvid in hem that ben
newlynges tornid fro the woreld unto devocion in the tyme
of here preier. For before the tyme be that the
ymaginacion be in grete partye refreynid by the light of grace in
the reson - as it is in contynowel meditacion of goostly
thinges, as ben theire wre- chidnes, the Passion and the
kyndenes of oure Lorde God, with many soche other - thei
mowe in no wise put awey the wonderful and the diverse thoughtes,
fantasies and ymages, the whiche ben mynystred and
preentid in theire mynde by the light and the corioustee
of ymaginacyon. And alle this inobedyence is the pyne of the original
synne. Here
biginnith the six and sixty
chapitre. Sensualité
is a mighte of oure soule, rechyng and regnyng in the bodely wittes,
thorow the whiche we have bodely knowyng and felyng of
alle bodely creatures, whether thei be likyng or
gruchyng. And it hath two partyes: one thorow the whiche
it beholdeth to the needfulnes of oure body, another
thorou the whiche it serveth to the lustis of the bodely
wittys. For this same might is it that gruchith when the body
lackyth the needful thinges unto it, and that in the
takyng of the nede stereth us to take more than nedith in
fedyng and fortheryng of oure lustys. It grochith in lackyng
of likyng creatures, and lustely is delited in theire
presence. It grochith in presence of mislikyng creatures,
and it is lustely plesid in theire absence. Bothe this might and
the thing that it worcheth in ben contened in the
mynde. Before er man synnid was the
sensualité so obedyent unto the wille - unto the whiche
it is as it were servaunt - that it ministred never unto it any unordeinde
likyng or groching in any bodely creature, or in any
goostly feynyng of likyng or mislikyng maad by any
goostly enmye in the bodely wittes. Bot now it is not so; for
bot yif it be reulyd by grace in the wille, for to suffre
meekly and in mesure the pyne of the original synne - the
whiche it felith in absence of needful likyng and in
pres- ence of speedful groching - and therto also for to
streyne it fro luste in presence of needful lykyng, and
fro lusty plesaunce in absence of speedful groching, elles wil it
wrechidly and wantounly weltre, as a swine in the myre,
in the welthes of this woreld and the foule flessche so
mochel, that alle oure levyng schal be more beestly and
fieschly then outher manly or
goostly. Here biginnith the
seven and sixty
chapitre. Loo,
goostly freende to soche wrechidnes as thou here mayst see ben we fallen
for synne! And therfore what wonder is it though we be
blyndely and lightly disseyvid in understondyng of
goostly wordes and of goostly worchyng, and namely thoo the
whiche knowyn not yit the myghtes of theire soules and
the maners of theire
wor- chyng? For ever
whan the mynde is ocupied with any bodely thing, be it taken to never so
good an eende, yit thou arte binethe thiself in this
worching, and withouten thi soule. And ever whan thou
felist thi mynde ocupied with the sotil condicions of the
myghtes of thi soule and theire worchynges in goostly
thinges as ben vices or vertewes of thiself or of any
creature that is goostly and even with thee in kynde, to
that eende that thou mightest by this werke lerne to
knowe thiself in forthring of perfeccion: then thou arte
withinne thiself and even with thiself. Bot ever when thou
felist thi mynde ocupyed with no maner of thyng that is
bodely or goostly, bot only with the self substaunce of
God, as it is and may be in the preof of the werk of this
book, then thou arte aboven thiself and under thi
God. Aboven thiself thou arte: for whi
thou atteynest to come thedir by grace, whether thou
mayst not come by kynde; that is to sey, to be onyd to God in spirit and
in love and in acordaunce of wille. Bynethe thi God thou
arte: for whi thof al it may be seide in maner that in
this tyme God and thou ben not two bot one in spirit - insomoche
that thou or another for soche onheed that feleth the
perfeccion of this werk may sothfastly, bi witnes of
Scripture, be clepid a god - nevertheles yit thou arte binethe
Hym. For whi He is God by kynde withouten biginnyng; and
thou that sumtyme were nought in substaunce and therto
after when thou were by His might and His love maad
ought, wilfuly with synne madest thiself wors then nought: only bi His
mercy withouten thi desert arte maad a God in grace, onyd
with Him in spirit with- outen departyng, bothe here and
in blis of heven withouten any eende. So that, though
thou be al one with Hym in grace, yit thou arte ful fer binethe Hym in
kynde. Loo, goostly freende! herby maist
thou see sumwhat in partye that whoso knowith not the
myghtes of theire owne soule, and the maner of theire worchyng, may ful
lightly be disseyved in understondyng of wordes that ben
wretyn to goostly entent. And herfore maist thou see
sumwhat the cause whi that I durst not pleynly bid thee
schewe thi desire unto God; bot I bad thee childly do
that in thee is to hyde it and hele it. And this I do for
feerde lest thou schuldest conseyve bodily that that is mente
goostly. Here
biginnith the eight and sixty
chapitre. And
on the same maner, wher another man wolde bid thee gader thi mightes and
thi wittes holiche withinne thiself, and worschip God
there - thof al he sey ful wel and ful trewly, ye! and no
man trewlier and he be wel conseivid - yit for feerde of
disseite and bodely conceyvyng of his wordes, me list not
byd thee do so. Bot thus wil I bid thee. Loke on no wyse
that thou be withinne thiself. And schortly withoutyn
thiself wil I not that thou be, ne yit aboven, ne
behynde, ne on o side, ne on
other. "Wher than," seist thou, "schal I
be? Noghwhere, by thi tale!" Now trewly thou seist wel;
for there wolde I have thee. For whi noghwhere bodely is everywhere
goostly. Loke than besily that thi goostly werk be
noghwhere bodely; and than wher- soever that that thing
is, on the whiche thou wilfuly worchest in thi mynde in
sub- staunce, o sekerly ther art thou in spirit, as
verrely as thi body is in that place that thou arte
bodely. And thof al thi bodely wittes kon fynde ther nothing to fede hem
on, for hem think it nought that thou doste, ye! do on
than this nought, elles that thou do it for Goddes love.
And lete nought, therfore, bot travayle besily in that nought
with a wakyng desire to wilne to have God, that no man
may knowe. For I telle thee trewly that I had lever be so
nowhere bodely, wrastlyng with that blynde nought, than
to be so grete a lorde that I might when I wolde be everywhere bodely,
merily pleiing with al this ought as a lorde with his
owne. Lat be this everiwhere and this
ought, in comparison of this noghwhere and this nought.
Reche thee never yif thi wittys kon no skyle of this nought; for whi I
love it moche the betir. It is so worthi a thing in
itself that thei kon no skyle therapon. This nought may
betir be felt then seen; for it is ful blynde and ful derk to hem that han
bot lityl while lokid therapon. Nevertheles, yif I schal
sothlier sey, a soule is more bleendid in felyng of it
for habundaunce of goostly light, then for any derknes or
wantyng of bodely lightte. What is he that clepith it
nought? Sekirly it is oure utter man, and not oure inner.
Oure inner man clepith it Al; for of it he is wel lernid to kon
skyle of alle thinges, bodely or goostly, withouten any
specyal beholdyng to any o thing by
itself. Here biginnith the nine
and sixty
chapitre. Wonderfuly
is a mans affeccion varied in goostly felyng of this nought when it is
noughwhere wrought. For at the first tyme that a soule
lokith therapon, it schal fynde alle the specyal dedes of
sinne that ever he did sithen he was borne, bodely or
goostly, prively or derkly, peyntid therapon. And
howsoever that he tornith it aboute, evermore thei wil
apere before his ighen; unto the tyme be that with moche harde
travayle, many sore sighinges, and many bitter wepynges
he have in grete party rub- bid hem
awey. Somtyme in this travayle him think
that it is to loke therapon as on helle; for him think
that he despeirith to wynne to perfeccion of goostly rest oute of that
pyne. Thus fer inwardes comyn many; bot for greetnes of
pyne that thei fele and for lackyng of counforte thei go
bak in beholdyng of bodely thinges, sekyng fleschly counfortes
withouten, for lackyng of goostly that thei have not yit
deservyd, as thei schuld yif thei had
abeden. For he that abidith felith
somtyme som coumforte, and hath som hope of perfec- cion;
for he felith and seeth that many of his fordone specyal synnes ben in
grete partye by help of grace rubbid awey. Nevertheles
yit everamonge he felith pyne; bot he thinkith that it
schal have an ende, for it wexith ever les and les. And therfore he
clepith it nought helle bot purgatory. Somtyme he kan
fynde no specyal synne wre- tyn therapon, bot yit hym
think that it is synne a lumpe, he wote never what, none
other thing than hymself; and than it may be clepid the
stathil and the pyne of the original synne. Somtyme hym
think that it is paradis or heven, for diverse wonderful
swetnes and counfortes, joyes and blessid vertewes that
he fyndeth therin. Somtyme hym think it God, for pees and
rest that he findeth therin. Ye! think
what he think wil; for evermore he schal fynde it a cloude of unknowyng
that is bitwix hym and his
God. Here biginnyth the seventy
chapitre. And
therfore travayle fast in this nought and this noughwhere, and leve thin
out- ward bodely wittes and alle that thei worche in; for
I telle thee trewly that this werk may not be conceyvid
by hem. For by thin ighen thou maist not
conceyve of any thing, bot yif it be by the lengthe and
the breed, the smalnes and the gretnes, the roundnes and the swarenes, the
fernes and the neernes, and the colour of it. And bi thin
eren, not bot noise or sum maner of soun. By thin nose,
not bot either stynche or savour. And by thi taast, not bot either
s oure or swete, salt or fresche, bittyr or likyng. And bi
thi feling, not bot outher hote or colde, hard or tendre,
soft or scharpe. And trewly neither hath God ne goostly
thinges none of thees qualitees ne quantitees. And
therfore leve thin outward wittes, and worche not with
hem, neither withinne ne withouten. For alle thoo that setten
hem to be goostly worchers withinne, and wenen that thei
scholen outher here, smel, or see, taast or fele goostly
thinges, outher withinne hem or withouten, sekerly thei
ben deceyved and worchen wronge ayens the cours of kynde.
For kyndely thei ben ordeynid that with hem men schuld
have knowyng of alle outward bodely thinges, and on no
wise by hem com to the knowing of gostely thinges. I mene bi theire
werkes. By theire
failinges we may, as thus: when we rede or here speke of sum certeyn
thinges, and therto conceyve that oure outward wittys kon
not telle us bi no qualitee what thoo thinges ben, than
we mowe be verely certefied that thoo thinges ben goostly
thinges, and not bodely thinges. On this
same maner goostly it farith within in oure goostly wittys, when we
tra vailen aboute the knowyng of God Himself. For have a
man never so moche goostly understondyng in knowyng of
alle maad goostly thinges, yit may he never bi the werk
of his understondyng com to the knowyng of an unmaad goostly thing, the
whiche is nought bot God. Bot by the failyng it may; for
whi that thing that it failith in is nothyng elles bot
only God. And herfore it was that Seynte Denis seyde: "The
most goodly knowyng of God is that, the whiche is knowyn
bi unknowyng." And trewly, whoso wil
loke Denis bookes, he schal fynde that his wordes wilen
cleerly aferme al that I have seyde or schal sey, fro the
biginnyng of this tretis to the ende. On none otherwise
then thus list me not alegge him, ne none other doctour for
me at this tyme. For somtyme men thought it meeknes to
sey nought of theire owne hedes, bot yif thei afermid it
by Scripture and doctours wordes; and now it is turnid
into corioustee and schewyng of kunnyng. To thee it
nedith not, and therfore I do it nought. For whoso hath
eren, lat hem here, and whoso is sterid for to trowe, lat hem
trowe; for elles scholen thei
not. Here biginnith the on and
seventy
chapitre. Somme
think this mater so harde and so feerdful that thei sey it may not be
comen to withouten moche stronge travayle comyng before,
ne conceived bot seeldom, and that in the tyme of
ravisching. And to thees men wol I answere as febely as I kan,
and sey that it is alle at the ordynaunce and the
disposicion of God, after theire abil- nes in soule that
this grace of contemplacion and of goostly worching is goven
to. For som ther ben that withouyn moche
and longe goostly excersise mowe not com therto; and yit
it schal be bot ful seeldom, and in special callyng of oure Lorde, that
thei schul fele the perfeccion of this werk: the whiche
callyng is clepid ravisching. And som ther ben that ben
so sotyl in grace and in spirit, and so homely with God in
this grace of contemplacion, that thei mowe have it when
thei wolen in the comoun state of mans soule: as in
sittyng, goyng, stondyng, or knelyng. And yit in this tyme
thei have fulle deliberacion of alle theire wittis,
bodely or goostly, and mowe use hem yif hem list: not
withouten som lettyng, bot withouten gret lettyng. Ensaumple
of the first we have by Moises, and of this other by
Aaron, the preest of the temple. For whi
this grace of contemplacion is figurid by the Arke of the Testament in the
Olde Lawe, and the worchers in this grace ben figurid by
hem that most medelid hem aboute this arke, as the story
wol witnes. And weel is this grace and this werk licnid
to that arke. For right as in that arke were contenid
alle the juelles and the relikis of the temple, right so
in this lityl love put ben contenid alle the vertewes of mans soule,
the whiche is the goostly temple of
God. Moyses, er he might come to se this
arke, and for to wite how it schuld be maad, with grete
longe travayle he clombe up to the top of the mounteyne and wonid there
and wrought in a cloude six daies: abidyng unto the
seventh day, that oure Lorde wolde vouchesaaf for to
schewe unto hym the maner of this arke-makyng. By Moises
longe travaile and his late schewyng ben understonden thoo that mowe not
come to the perfeccion of this goostly werk withouten
longe travayle comyng before, and yit bot ful seeldom,
and when God wil vouchesaaf to schewe
it. Bot that that Moises might not come
to se bot seeldom, and that not withoutyn grete longe
travayle, Aaron had in his power, bicause of his office, for to se it in
the temple withinne the veyle as ofte as him likid for to
entre. And bi this Aaron ben understonden alle thoo the
whiche I spak of aboven, the whiche by theire
goostly sleightes, with help of grace, mowen propre unto
hem the perfeccion of this werk as oft as hem
likith. Here biginnith the two
and seventi
chapitre. Lo!
herby maist thou see that he that may not com to for to see and fele the
per- feccion of this werk, bot with grete travayle, and
yit is it bot seeldom, and may lightly be disceyvid yif
he speke, think and deme other men as he felith in himself,
that thei mowe not com to it bot seeldom, and that not
withouten greet travaile. And on the same maner may he be
deceyvid that may have it whan he wil, yif he deme alle
other therafter, seiing that thei mowe have it when thei wile. Lat be
this: nay, sekirly he may not think thus. For
paraventure, whan it likith unto God, thoo that mowe not
at the first tyme have it bot seeldom and that not withouten grete
travayle, sithen after thei schulen have it whan thei
wile, as ofte as hem likith. Ensaumple of this we have of
Moyses, that first bot seeldome, and nought withouten grete
travayle in the mounte, might not see the maner of
the arke; and sithen after, as ofte as hym l ikid, sawe it
in the vaale. Here biginnith the
thre and seventy
chapitre. Thre
men ther weren that most principaly medelid hem with this arke of the Olde
Testament: Moyses, Bezeleel, Aaron. Moyses lernid in the
mounte of oure Lorde how it schuld be maad. Bezeleel
wrought it and maad it in the vaale, after the en saumple
that was schewid in the mounteyne. And Aaron had it in kepyng in the
/- temple, to fele it and see it as ofte as hym
likid. At the licnes of thees thre, we
profite on thre maners in this grace of contempla- cion.
Somtyme we profite only by grace, and than we ben licnid unto Moises, that
for alle the clymbyng and the travaile that he had into
the mounte, might not com to se it bot seeldom; and yit
was that sight only by the schewyng of oure Lorde whan
hym likid to schewe it, and not for any deseert of his
travayle. Somtyme we profite in this grace by oure owne
goostly sleight, holpyn with grace, and than ben we licnid to
Bezeleel, the whiche might not se the arke er the tyme
that he had mad it by his owne travayle, holpen with the
ensaumple that was schewid unto Moises in the mounte. And
somtyme we profite in this grace by other mens teching. And than be we
licnid to Aaron, the whiche had it in keping and in
costume to see and fele the arke when hym list, that
Bezeleel had wrought and maad redy before to his
handes. Lo! goostly freende, in this
werk, thof it be childly and lewdely spoken, I bere, thof
I be a wreche unworthi to teche any creature, the ofice of Bezeleel,
makyng and declaryng in maner to thin handes the maner of
this goostly arke. Bot fer betir and more worthely then I
do, thou maist worche yif thou wilt be Aaron; that is to sey,
contynuely worching therin for thee and for me. Do then
so, I prey thee, for the love of God Almighty. And sithen
we ben bothe clepid of God to worche in this werk, I
beseche thee for Goddes love fulfille in thi partye that
lackith of myne. Here biginnith
the foure and seventi
chapitre. And
yif thee think that this maner of worching be not acordyng to thi
disposicion in body and in soule, thou maist leve it, and
take another savely with good goostly counseile withoutyn
blame. And than I beseche thee that thou wilt have me excusid;
for trewly I wolde have profitid unto thee in this
writyng at my simple kunnyng, and that was myn entent.
And therfore rede over twyes or thries; and ever the ofter the
betir, and the more thou schalt conceyve therof,
insomoche, paraventure, that sum clause that was ful
harde to thee at the first or the secound redyng, sithen after thee
schal think it ful
light. Ye! and it semith inpossible to
myn understonding that any soule that is disposid to this
werk schuld rede it, or speke it, or elles here it red or spoken, bot yif
that same soule schuld fele for that tyme a verrey
acordaunce to the effecte of this werk. And than, yif
thee think it doth thee good, thank God hertly, and for Goddes love prey
for me. Do than so. And
I prey thee for Godes love that thou late none see this book, bot if
it be soche one that thee think is liche to the book
after that thou fyndest wreten in the book before, where
it tellith what men and when thei schuld worche in this werk.
And yif thou schalt late any soche men see it, then I
preie thee that thou bid hem take hem tyme to loke it al
over. For paraventure ther is som mater therinne, in the
begin- nyng or in the middes, the whiche is hanging and
not fully declarid there as it ston- deth. Bot yif it be
not there, it is sone after, or elles in the eende. And thus yif a man
sawe o partye and not another, paraventure he schuld
lightly be led into errour. And therfore I preye thee do
as I sey thee. And yif thee thenk that
ther be any mater therin that thou woldest have more
openid than it is, late me wetyn whiche it is and thi
conceyte therapon; and at my simple kunnyng it schal be
amendid yif I kan. Fleschly jangelers,
glosers and blamers, roukers and rouners, and alle maner of
pynchers, kept I never that thei sawe this book; for myn
entent was never to write soche thing to hem. And
therfore I wolde not that thei herde it, neither thei ne none
of thees corious lettrid ne lewid men, ye! althof thei be
ful good men in actyve levyng; for it acordeth not to
hem. Here biginnith the five and
seventy
chapitre. Alle
thoo that redyn or heren the mater of this book be red or spokin, and in
this redyng or hering think it good and likyng thing, ben
never the rather clepid of God to worche in this werk,
only for this likyng steryng that thei fele in the tyme of this
re- dyng. For paraventure this steryng cometh more of a
kyndely coriousté of witte then of any clepyng of
grace. Bot yif thei wil prove whens this
steryng cometh, thei mowe prove thus, yif hem likyth.
First lat hem loke yif thei have done that in hem is before, ablyng hem
therto in clensyng of theire concyence, at the dome of
Holi Chirche, their counseil acordyng. Yif it be thus,
weel is inasmoche. Bot yif thei wil wetyn more nere, lat
hem loke yif it be evermore presing in theire mynde more
costumabely then is any other of goostly excersise. And
yif hem think that ther is any maner of thing that thei
do, bodely or goostly, that is sufficiently done with
witnes of theire concyence, bot yif this privé litil love
put be in maner goostly the cheef of alle theire werk, and yif
thei thus fele, then it is a token that thei ben clepid
of God to this werk. And sekirly elles
not. I say not that it schal ever laste
and dwelle in alle theire myndes contynowely that ben
clepid to worche in this werk. Nay, so is it nought. For from a yong
goostly prentys in this werk the actueel felyng therof is
ofttymes withdrawen for divers skyles; somtyme for he
schal not take over-homely therapon and wene that it be in
grete party in his owne power, to have it when him list
and as him list. And soche a wenyng were pride. And
evermore whan the felyng of grace is withdrawen, pride is
the cause: not ever pride that is, bot pride that schuld
be, ne were that this feling of grace were withdrawen.
And thus wenyn ofttymes som yong foles that God is theire
enemye, when He is theire ful
freende. Somtyme it is withdrawen for
theire rechelesnes; and when it is thus, thei fele sone
after a ful bitter pyne that betith hem ful sore. Somtyme
oure Lorde wil delaye it bi a cauteel, for He wol bi
soche a delaiing make it growe and be had more in deintee
when it is newe founden and felt agein, that longe had be
lost. And this is one of the rediest and sovereynist
tokin that a soule may have to wite bi, whether he be clepid
or not to worche in this werk: yif he fele after soche a
delaying and a longe lackyng of this werk, that when it
cometh sodenly as it doth, unpurchasid with any mene, that
he hath than a gretter fervour of desire and gretter
love-longing to worche in this werk, than ever he had any
before, insomochel that oftymes I trowe he hath more joie
of the fynding therof, then ever he had sorow of the lesing. And yif it be
thus, sekirly it is a tokin verrey withoutyn errour that
he is clepid of God to worche in this werk, whatsoever
that he be or hath ben. For not what
thou arte, ne what thou hast ben, beholdeth God with his mercyful
ighe; bot that that thou woldest be. And Seinte Gregory
to witnes that "alle holy de- sires growen bi delaies; and
yif thei wanyn bi delaies, then were thei never holy
de- sires." For he that felith ever les joye and les in
newe fyndinges and sodeyn pre- sentacions of his olde
purposid desires, thof al thei mowe be clepid kyndely desires
to the goode, nevertheles holy desires weren thei never.
Of this holy desire spekith Seint Austyne and seith that
"al the liif of a good Cristen man is not elles bot holy
desire." Farewel,
goostly freende, in Goddes blessing and myne! And I beseche Almighti
God that trewe pees, hole counseil, and goostly coumforte
in God with habundaunce of grace, evirmore be with thee
and alle Goddes lovers in eerthe.
Amen. HERE EENDITH THE CLOWDE OF
UNKNOWING
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