Thy mercy gaue lyfe / thy mercy gaue lyght / by whiche mercy / thy goodnes is knowen in euery creature / in synfull men in vnryghtful mē ¶ Thy mercy shyned in the hyghnes of heuē as in thy seyntes yf I speke of thy erthe / thy mercy is ther al plētuous ¶ That mercy shyneth ī the derkenesse of hell / not yeldȳge somoche peyne to thē the ben dampned / as they bē worthy / with thy mercy thou dyd swage / refresshe thy ryghtwysenes ¶ Of thy mercy thou hase wasshed vs ī thy blode / of the same mercy thou was cōuersaūt w e mē ¶ O lorde how greate mercy it is of somoche loue ¶ O lorde was it not suffycyent to the to be incarnate / but yet moreouer thou wolde suffre the dethe ¶ Whether than that dethe was not suffycyent bycause thou went downe in to hell / takynge fro thens holy faders / that thy mercy sothefastnesse sholde be shewed in them / but moreouer thy sothsastnes dothe gyue to them / that seruē the in truthe goodes that maye not be spoken ¶ Thou dyscended to hell / bycause thou wolde delyuer them fro peyne and mysery the whiche hadden serned the thou yelded to thē the fruyte of theyr labours ¶ Yet gracyous lorde as me semeth thy mercy constreyned the to gyue to man moore larger gystes that is to saye gyuynge the to man in to meet / the we feble wretches sholden receyue comforte and solace / that vncunnynge men sholden not forgo the memory of thy benefytes ¶ Therfore whan thou gyues euery daye that sacrament to men / thou shewed the as cryst in thy holy sacrament of the auter / in the ghostly body of the holy chyrche ¶ Lorde who wroughte all this Thy mercy lorde wrought it ¶ O greate mercy / my herte is full replete / thȳkynge on the. ¶ For ī what party I tourne me / thȳke on the / I fynde no other thynge / thā the brode see of thy greate mercy ¶ O holy fader / haue pyte spare my ygnoraūce / bycause I presume to speke thus before thy ymage / neuertheles the loue of thy mercy hath◠me a wretche excused / before thy be nygnyte ¶ Whā this soule had opened her herte by spekynge to the mercy of god / thā she asked mekely the she myght haue knowlege of the that our lorde promysed her before ¶ Than oure lorde beganne to speke agayne and sayde ¶ Dere doughter thou hase shewed / and tolde to me of my greate mercy / for I sayde to the that the sholde se that mercy / thou shall haue taste in the wordes the werē sayde before to the that is to saye I sayd I wolde shewe the whiche they bē / for whom I praye you / to praye to me ¶ Neuerthelesse doughter knowe it for certayne / the my mercy is to you moche more plētuous / thā thou sees it ¶ For thy syghte is fynyts / vnpar fyte ¶ Also cōparyson maye not be made / bytwyxe thy seȳge my and merci / but as it were bitwyxe a dede fynyte / a dede ifynyte ¶ I wolde that thou sholde taste this greate mercy / and also moreouer that thou tast or knowe the dygnyte of man / that thou maye knowe more openly the cruelte and vntruthe of wycked mē the whiche gone by the waye of derkenesse ¶ Open the eyes of thy intelleccyon / and beholde them that wylfully drownē themselfe / not goynge by the very sure pathe waye of the brydge ¶ And se into how moche vnworthynesse they ben fallen / by theyr owne synnes and defautes ¶ The syrste cause of theyr vnworthynesse is / that they become seke / the is whā they haue synned deedly in theyr hertes and wylles / and than after that / they parformē it in dede / and losen the lyfe of grace ¶ As a deed man whiche hathe no wytte / nor maye not moue hymselfe / but he be moued of another ¶ In the same maner / they that ben sleen in the wycked stood / of the worldely mys gouerned loue / ben deed as to grace ¶ And bycause they bē deed / theyr myndes haue forgoten the grete benefyte of my large mercy ¶ Also theyr eyes of intelleccyon seen not / nor knowen not my sothefastnesse / for his wytte and felynge is deed / for his intelleccyō putteth nothȳge before hymselte / but his owne wyll with the loue of his owne propre sen sualyte / therfore his wyll is deed / as fro my reasonable wyll / for his wyll loueth not / but thynges that ben deed ¶ And throwe these thre dyuers myghtes of the soule / al his werkes actuall and mentall / ben vtterly departed and dyuyded as froony grace / and as by hymselfe / he maye not be defended fro his enemy es / but he be holpē throwe my good nesse ¶ But forthermore sothe it is as ofte as he hathe ryghte frechoys whyle he is ī deedly body asketh my helpe / heshall haue it / but by hymselfe he maye neuer haue it ¶ For to hymselfe is made vnportable / there he coueteth to be made lorde ouer all thynge ¶ Therfore that that is noughte / hathe the maystre and lordeshyp ouer hym / and that is synne ¶ Synne is nought of hȳselfe / all suche as ben nought / ben the seruauntes of synne ¶ I made theym fayre trees of loue / with the lyfe of spercyall grace / the whiche grace they dyden receyue in the holy baptym ¶ But nowe they waxen roten trees / for they ben deed as I haue sayde besore ¶ And this deed tree fastneth his rootes / in the hyghnesse of pryde / the whiche pryde nourysheth venym / of the loue of his propre sensualyte ¶ And the bytternesse within / is impasyence / and all these comē of indyscrecyon / or lacke of wytte ¶ These foure pryncypall vyces done slee vtterly the soules of them of the whiche I haue tolde the before how they bē the trees of dethe for they haue no lyfe of grace ¶ Also within that tree the worme of conscyēce is nourysshed / whiche worme as longe as a man lyueth in deedly synne / that man is made blynde throwe his owne propre loue / therfore he feleth bu lytle of the fretynge / or bytynge of he worme ¶ Also the fruytes of this wycked tree bē deedly fruytes / for of the roote of pryde / they drawe oute the moysture of the tree ¶ And the wretched soule is al clothed / and couered with greate vnkyndenesse / of the whiche vnkyndenesse / there romen all other euylles wyckedues ¶ Yf she wolde gladly with thankynges receyue the benefyres the whiche ben gyuen her / than sholde she knowe me / and whā that she knewe me verely / than she sholde knowe herselfe ryght parfytely / and so she sholde styll abyde and dwell in my loue But as a blynded wretche / she putteth
wyll is / I aske this petycyon of thy specyall grace / whiche styrred that to forme me / to make maÌ„ of nought to thy ymage lykenesse / whan thou sayde make we man to oure ymage to oure lykenesse and this thou dyd holy euer beynge trynyte / wyllynge man to be partener of al the holy trynyte ¶ And for this cause / thou gaue to man a mynde or a memory / with the whiche he sholde kepe and remembre thy benefytes in the whiche mynde a man sholde be partener of thy myght / whiche arte the euer beynge fader ¶ Also thy goodnesse gaue vnto man intelleccyon / by the whiche he sholde se how thou departes the wysdome of thy onely sone with maÌ„ ¶ And thou gaue hyÌ„ a wyll / that he sholde loue that thynge that his intelleccyoÌ„ dyd fele / or knowe / thou parted with hyÌ„ the mercy benygnyte of thy most parfyte sothefastnesse of thy holy spyryte of god ¶ O lorde what was the cause that thou hase set put man in so greate a dygnyte Lorde none other cause / but a loue vnestytnable / wher with thou behelde thy creature in thyselfe / to hym thou gaue a loue / a synguler pleasauÌ„ce ¶ Therfore thou made that creature formed hyÌ„ onely for loue / gyuynge to hym a beynge / that he sholde Ioye with the / in thy euerlastyÌ„ge goodnesse ¶ Moreouer lorde I se that thy creature sost his dygnyte / for the whiche thou exyled hym / by his owne defaute synne whiche he dyd And for that synne / he came in to hatered with thy suffrauÌ„ce / for by his trespas / all we became thy enemyes ¶ Therfore lorde whaÌ„ thou was ltyrted by the breÌ„nynge loue / with the whiche thou made vs al of noughte / to that entente that thou wolde recounsyle mankynde whiche became in to that greate petell of endelesse dethe ¶ Than it plesed the to put thy onely sone whiche is thy worde in that myddes of that worlde whiche suffred bare on hy oure sorowes whiche we dydeÌ„ deserue that maden the offens / and he was to that that arte the endelesse fader made obedyent / as that enioyned coÌ„mauÌ„ded hyÌ„ / whaÌ„ thou clothed hym with oure humanyte / whaÌ„ he toke our nature the lykenesse of maÌ„ ¶ O holy depernesse of charyte / whiche may not be thought / what herte is there yf it were as harde as a marble stone that maye se hymselfe / but that it must be opened / coÌ„syderynge his comyÌ„ge fro so hye a place / to one so lowe as is oure humanyte full of mysery ¶ Doubtelesse we ben made to thy pmage / and also thou arte of oure lykenesse / throwe that vnyon whiche thou made in man / hydynge couerynge thy endeles godheed / with that vyle slyme of erthe or corrupcyon of Adam ¶ Lorde what was that cause of this Truly loue was that cause thee of ¶ O god thou arte made man / man is made as god ¶ For this holy loue that is gyuen to vs thy creatures / so full or delectacyon and plesauÌ„ce replete with thy grace lorde I beseche the / to gyue mercy to thy synful creatures ¶ Here sheweth of the holy sacrament of that auter / and of the benefyte of his incarnacyon THan oure blyssed lorde / almyghty god full of pyte / tourned his mercyfull eye to this mayde / and he suffred her teeres to be constrayned / to be bounde with the chaynes of her holy desyre / and therwith spekynge to her / and with a lamentacyon / begaÌ„ thus to saye ¶ LouyÌ„ge doughter thy teeres strenen me / for they ben knytte with my charyte / shed for my loue / and youre feruent desyre byÌ„deth me ¶ But doughter behold the face of my amyable spouse that is to say holy chyrche / how it is defaced / foule spotted / as that face of a lepre is bloweÌ„ / or swolleÌ„ of theyr owne vnclene lyuynge / of theyr sory desyre of auaryce / of theyr foule couetyse / that may not be quenched in them ¶ I mene that courtyse of those meÌ„nes goodes / to the whiche her teeres gyueÌ„ mylke / that is to that crysteÌ„ people of eche relygyoÌ„ / to that ghostly body of the moder of all holy chyrche ¶ This that I speke is of my mynysters of that chyrche / they beÌ„ those whiche ben norysshed of that swete mylke / not onely they / but all that chrysten people sholde be nourysshed of those holy brestes ¶ But doughter sees thou not with how greate ygnoraunee / with so grete blyndnesse / with so many vnkyndenes / with vnclene haÌ„des / this holy mylke / and gloryous blode is mynyftred ¶ This blode gyueth all thyÌ„ge that longeth to mannes helthe / all thyÌ„ges it worketh that longeÌ„ to maÌ„nes ê‘feceyon / so that he the whiche receyueth it be wel dysposed in soule that blode I saye ryght as it gyueth lyfe / endoweth a soule with all garce bothe more lesse after that dysposycyon and affeccyon of the receyuer Ryght so it gyueth dethe to hym that lyueth euyll wyckedly / as for his parte that receyueth it / yf he receyue it vnworthely that is to saye with the fylthe of deedly synnes / thaÌ„ it bryngeth in to hym dethe / not lyfe ¶ Not throwe defaute of that glory ous blode / for there maye no faute be fouÌ„de / nor throwe that defaute of that mynystres / all be it they beÌ„ iÌ„ that same defautes / or in greater synnes / for theyr synnes can not dystroye that gracyous blode / nor wtdraweth the grace nor vertu ¶ Therfore that blode harmeth not hyÌ„ to whom it is gyueÌ„ but that wyckednesse of his synÌ„e harmeth hyÌ„ / loseth hyÌ„ / bryÌ„geth hyÌ„ to payne / but he amende hyÌ„ with very coÌ„trycyon / dysplesaunce of his synnes ¶ I saye that he the whiche receyueth it vnworthely doth harme to hymselfe / not in the defaute of the blode / nor in the mynystre / but throwe his euyll dysposycyons defautes / the whiche maken foule his soule body with so many so greate wretchydnesse and vncleÌ„nesse / and throwe his malyce / that he had suche cruelte to hyÌ„selfe / to his neyghbour ¶ Cruelte he hathe to hyÌ„self / put tyÌ„ge away or wtdrawyÌ„ge his grace / tredynge it vnder that fete of his affeccyons / that fruyte of that holy blode ¶ Whiche fruyte he toke of the holy baptym / and that tyme were wasshed awaye the foule spottes of orygynal synne / the whiche fylthe he dyd take whanne he was conceyued of fader and moder ¶ And this wasshynge away was by the vertu of that holy blode / whiche fruyte he toke of that holy baptyme / and at that tyme all ye were clene wassheÌ„ / therfore I haue gyueÌ„ you my worde that is my sone bycause that nature
/ that they dyd to theyr neyghbour / other dedes that they dyd in theyr wycked lyuynge for they wolde not leue theyr synne al shal be put in reprefe to theÌ„ than ¶ Also they shold be repreued of the crueltes / that they dyd to theyr neyghbours / of that synÌ„e of pryde / with loue of vncleÌ„nes / theyr auarice ¶ And whan they so that grete mercy whiche they myght haue had of me / theyr vndernymyÌ„ge shal be moche harder thaÌ„ the soule had in tyme of dethe ¶ For at that general dome that soule that body of suche shall be tourmented bothe togyder / for asmoche as the body was felowe with the souls / instrumeÌ„t to worke bothe good and yll / at theyr owne wyl ¶ Euery workyÌ„ge good or yl / is wrought by some maner of a maÌ„nes neyghbour ¶ Therfore doughter goodnes glory wtout ende is gyueÌ„ ryghtfully to my choseÌ„ soules / with theyr bodyes gloryfyed / gracyously they be rewarded for theyr labours / the whiche they had togyder body soule in my name ¶ In that same maner euerlastynge peyne shall be gyue to wycked men with body soule ¶ Bycause that body was instrument of euyll / therfore that peyne shall be made newe encreased in that syght of my sone / whan the soule the body shal come togyder / thaÌ„ shall the wretched sensualyte be repreued with his vncleÌ„nes / beholdyÌ„ge that humanyte of cryst / ioyned with that iyâ—e of cleÌ„nes of my godheed / and whaÌ„ they beholde your nature of Adaâ— / enhauÌ„sed aboue that courte of angels ¶ Also they shal se theÌ„selfe put downe in to the depenes of hell / beholdynge that largenes that mercy gyuen to them that be blyssed ¶ And whaÌ„ the blyssed soules receyue the fruyte of my sones blode / whiche sone is called the laÌ„be of god ¶ Also that blyssed soules do se all that peynes whiche they suffre in that worlde / ordeyned for that or nameÌ„tes of the bodyes / as a raye of golde is put vpoÌ„ a clothe / that is not by that vertu of that body / but onely by that pleÌ„tuous blys of that soule / whiche representeth to his body that fruyte of his trauayles / bycause that that body was assocyate to the soule to the excersyces of vertues ¶ Also that body shall be knowe outewardely / ryght as a myrrour representeth and sheweth the face of a man / ryghte so the fruyte of his labours shal be presented shewed in his hyghe body as it is sayde before ¶ And whaÌ„ al these other soules full of mysery derkenes beholde somoche dygnyte iÌ„ blyssed soules / of the whiche dygnite they be pryued and excluded / than theyr peyne coÌ„fusyon encreaseth / for the token of theyr wyckednesse synnes whiche they dyd / shall be shewed in theyr bodyes / with peynes tourmentours to theyr tourmeÌ„t ¶ Wherfore in that dredefull worde whiche they shal here / go ye to that fyre euerlastyÌ„ge thaÌ„ shal theyr bodyes with the soules go downe euer to abyde with that fendes wtoute ony remedy of hope ¶ There they shall sorowe togyder in theyr peynes / to the encrese of theyr peynes / theyr wretchydnes with al theyr fylthes / euery maÌ„ by hymselfe in dyuers wyses / after that theyr euyll werkes were dyuers in erthe ¶ A couetous maÌ„ with that fylthe of his auaryce / breÌ„nynge ther in that fyre with worldely substauÌ„ce / mhiche wyckedly falsely he purchased / loued in that worlde ¶ The cruell maÌ„ shall be tourmenteb with his cruelte / that vnclene maÌ„ with his vncleÌ„nes with his wretched coÌ„cupyssence ¶ An vnryghtful man with his vntruthe vnryghtfulnes ¶ The enuyous maÌ„ with his enuy ¶ An hatered maÌ„ with that hatered of his neyghbour ¶ And forthermore there shall be bâ—endeâ— vnordynate loue oâ—â—maÌ„nes loue / of the whiche â—alâ—e 〈◊〉 cometh all euyll ¶ And the 〈…〉 a passyâ—ge peyne intollerable / for asmoche â—s that synne was begynnyÌ„ge of all euyll moder to pryde / whiche is moder of all synÌ„es ¶ Wherfore euery soule body togyder / shall be punysshed togyder ¶ And thê° myserably they go to theyr ende / which go by that lower way of the flode / wyl not tourne to knowlege theyr owne defautes / aske mercy as I sayd before ¶ But so they gone to the gates of hell / for they haue folowed the techynge of that fende ¶ And he is theyr gate / and theyr entrynge to hell / as it is sayde before ¶ And in that coÌ„trary wyse my chosen chyldren whiche go vpon that brydge aboue / those go by that way of sothefastnes / that sothefastnes is to theÌ„ that gate of entryÌ„ge ¶ Therfore my sone whiche is my sothefastnes fayde / 〈◊〉 mâ—mdy come to my sader but by me ¶ He is that gate that waye by the whiche they passe ouâ—t that they may â—â—ntre to me / whiche am that peaseble see ¶ And so in that coÌ„trary / they that went by that way of pardycyon / whiche waye gyueth to them a deed water / so be peryshed loste ¶ To that perel that fende calleth â—tyrreth suche blynde soules fooles / by full peryllous teÌ„ptacyoÌ„s / false suggestyons whiche for blyndenes and lacke of grace do not parceyue / nor they take no hede / how they haue lost that lyght of very feythe / folowe that wyll the wordes of the fende as thoughe he spake to them and sayde ¶ Who so hathe thrust and desyreth water of dethe / let hem come to me / I shall gyue it to hym ¶ And here now moder and systren endeth the seconde parte of this orcharde / in the whiche we be taughte the waye to he uen ¶ And how we be ordeyned to labour in this worlde / euery man in his owne vyneyerde ¶ And of thre ladders whiche helpe a soule to the loue of god ¶ In this party also oure lorde speketh ful comfortably of his grete mercy / and of dyuersyte of synnes ¶ And how soules shall be repreued at the day of Iudgement ¶ And of the pryncypall tourmentes in hell / and of the ioyes of heuen ¶ Our lorde than graunt â—â— so feruently to labour / euery man in his owne vyneyerde / that bâ— the prayer of his blyssed moder / and by his grete mercy / that we maye gracyously scape that drefull daye of Iudgement / 〈◊〉 with his chosen chyldren / to entre in to the gates of blysse / the gloryous syght of hym euer to reioyce Ame◠¶ The .iii. boke Tertia ¶ The fyrste chapytre of the .iii. party / sheweth of that profyte of temptacyons / and how euery soule in that last ende of his lyfe shall tast and fele by knowynge â—â— he fully pas / what peyne or ioye he shall haue after he is passed ¶ Also how the fende catcheth soules budet the coloure of
whiche floodes maye come oute frome the / that arte the parmanents peaseable see ¶ I thanke the fader / and endelesse thankynge be to the / that hase satysfyed to me of that I asked the / and of that I knewe not / whiche I asked not of the / and also bycause thou hase styrred me to wepe / and taught me mater of wepynge / for to offer in prayer / swete thyÌ„ges / delectable thynges / and longe desyres / before the with meke contynual prayer ¶ Now therfore I aske of the / that thou shewe mercy to the worlde / and to holy chyrche I praye the that thou fulfyll that thynge / whiche thou wolde I prayed for ¶ Wo be to me most wretche that am cause of all euyl / and yet can not sorowe it within my soule ¶ Good lorde tary no longer / but haue ruthe and pyte on all the worlde / bowe the lorde and fulfyll the desyre of thy seruaunte ¶ O what am I / thou arte he that makes bothe me and thy seruauntes for to crye to the after mercy / and therfore gracyously here the voyces of theÌ„ ¶ Thy sothefastnesse sayd thus / serche and ye shall fynde / knocke and it shall be opened to you / aske it shal be grauÌ„ted to you ¶ O endelesse fader / thy seruauntes crye to the for mercy ¶ Good fader answere them after theyr desyres / for I knowe well properly it longeth to the for to haue mercy and for to gyue mercy / and therfore thou maye not deny it / but thou muste nedes gyue mercy to them that aske it ¶ They knocke at the gate of thy sothefastnesse / for in thy onely sothefaste sone Ihesu they knocke thy meruaylous loue whiche thou hase to man / and so they crye at the gate / wherfore the fyre of thy charyte sholde not nor maye not wtholde / but that it muste nedes open the same gate to theÌ„ that knocke with parseueraunce ¶ Therfore endelesse fader / open the breestes / breke the harde hertes of thy creatures not for theÌ„ that do not knocke but do it for thy infynyte goodnesse / and for the loue of thy seruauntes / whiche for them do knocke at the gate ¶ Graunte thou endelesse fader theyr askyÌ„ge / whom thou sees stoÌ„de knockynge at the gate of thy goodnesse / and what do they aske good lorde ¶ Certayne the blode of this gate / that is the blode of thy onely sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste / for in that blode / thou hase wasshed a waye the wyckednesse stynkyÌ„ge fylthe of synne / whiche came by the synne of Adam that is oure blode good lorde for of that blode thou hase made to vs a bathe / I knowe wel therfore thou maye not nor wyl not deny theÌ„ that aske the in parseueraunce ¶ Gyue therfore good lorde the fruyte of that blode to thy creatures / putte good lorde the pryce of that blode vpon that balaunce of thy sone / lest the fendes of hell lede awaye thy shepe with hym ¶ Thou art a veri good shepeherde that hase gyuen to vs a very trewe shepeherde / that is thy sone Ihesu / the whiche for thy obedyence gaue his lyfe for his shepe / of his blode made a bathe ¶ This is the blode that thy seruauÌ„tes do aske of the as hongry soules at thy gate by the whiche blode they aske that thou shewe mercy to the worlde / make holy chyrche smell swetely in swete smellynge floures of vertu / and deuoute and holy curates / with whose swete smell / they put awaye the stynkyÌ„ge smell of stynkynge floures ¶ Thou endelesse fader dyd saye / that for the loue whiche thou hase to thy reasonable creatures / for the prayers of thy seruauntes / that suffer moche labour for soules / thou wolde shewe mercy to the worlde / and araye holy chyrche worthyly / and so refresshe vs. ¶ Therfore delaye not / nor tary not endeles fader for to turne to synners thy eye of mercy but say to theÌ„ thus or that ye cryed to me for mercy / I herde you with my ere of mercy ¶ Open good lorde the gate of thy meruaylous charyte / the whiche thou hase graunted to vs by the grace of thy sone ¶ I knowe ryghte well good lorde that thou openes the gate or that we knocke ther at / for with the affecyon and loue that thou hase gyuen to thy seruauÌ„tes / they knotke to the crye / sekynge thy worshyp helthe of soules ¶ Therfore endelesse fader graunte theÌ„ breed of lyfe / that is the fruyte of thy blode of thy onely sone sothefaste Ihesu / whiche fruyte they aske of the / for ioye and worshyp of thy name and helthe of soules ¶ For it semeth and sothe it is that it is more ioye to the / worshyp for to saue soules of thy creatures / than for to suffer them obstynately in hardenesse of herte ¶ To the endeles fader al this is possyble / for thoughe thou made vs withoute vs / yet thou wyll not saue vs without vs. ¶ And therfore constrayne theyr wylles gracyously / dyspose theÌ„ for to desyre and wyll / that they wyll not ¶ This I aske the for thy infynyte mercy / thou hase made vs of noughth / therfore nowe to suche as we be / shewe mercy / refresshe the vessels that thou hase made and formed to the ymage and lykenesse of the / reforme them to grace / in the mercy in the blode of of thy ryght swete and well byloued sone Ihesu cryst ✚ LAVS DETVR DEO ¶ Nowe moder and systren here I haue made an ende of this the fyfte boke / in the whiche you may fynde ghostly / good / holy doctryne for the helthe of soules / with greate consolacyon comforte to youreselfe / with swete herbes and plantes of swete odour and smell In the whiche boke is made meÌ„cyon of the blessyd sacrament and of his vertues / with the reformacyoÌ„ of preestes and theyr subiectes / with many and dyuers maters / and ensamples of good lyuyÌ„ge / as is conteyned in the sayde boke Sexta ¶ The syxte boke ¶ The fyrst chapyter speketh of the syxte party / and it treateth moche of the prouydence of god / and fyrste of his prouydence generally / that is to say / how god prouyded man to be man / how he formed hym of noughte to his ymage and lykenesse ¶ And howe god prouyded man to sanacyon with incarnacyon of his sone / whan the gates of Paradyse were shyt for the synne of Adam ¶ And how he prouyded hymselfe / gyuynge hymselfe contynually to vs in the meet of the auter ¶ Also how god prouyded to gyue hope in his creatures / how he that moste parfytely hopeth / moste tasteth the prouydence of god ¶ And of other maters / suche as be rehersed to you before in the kalender Ca. i. benedictê° q
well / with the water of holsome doctryne Fede you here with the swete meet of ghostly counsayll that cometh fro heuen He that lacketh this ghostly syght / here maye receyue lyght He that is in sorowe or heuynesse / here maye haue comforte and consolacyoÌ„ He that is wery / here maye take reste He that is dull slowe / shall be quyckened made dylygent He that is weyke / here maye receyue strengthe He that is rude vnlerned / maye gette here lernyÌ„ge holy maners And more ouer he that hath good syght in lernyÌ„ge / a quyet myÌ„de / and is stroÌ„ge / coÌ„stant / vertuous / yf he dryÌ„ke of this wel / it shal not helpe onely to enorme hyÌ„ preserue hyÌ„ therin / but also it shal enlarge encrease hyÌ„ in all goodnesse I ony maÌ„ thynke that I saye or promyse other wyse than it is in dede / let hyÌ„ loke wel vpon this worke / and compare my sayenges vnto it / and yf he fynde not that I haue sayde moche lesse for the mater than I ought to do let hyÌ„ take me for a babbeler / and poynt me with his fynger / as a man of no fydelyte Let no man dysdayne it or set lesse by it / by reason of the rude style / or of the symple translacyon / for he that translated it / intended more the eloquence of maners thaÌ„ of wordes ¶ The eloquence of good lyfe oughte not to be contempned nor hated for lacke of eloquent speche This booke is not ordeyned for to delyte please the eeres the outwarde senses / but to instructe the soule / and to comforte the inwarde senses It conteyneth no preceptes of eloquence / but it is ful of heuenly speche and of vertuous doctryne Therfore let not the lytell bytternesse of the outwarde huske / kepe you fro the plesaunt tastynge of the swete kernell within that is let not the symplenesse of the style / nor laboure of redynge kepe you fro the swete doctryne ghostly comforte that ye maye haue in this booke / whiche promyseth truthe sheweth it clerely It she with heueÌ„ly thynges bryngeth theÌ„ forthe habuÌ„dantly It grauÌ„teth eternall Ioye / to all theÌ„ that wyll worke after it parseuerantly whiche our lorde graunte vs to do In whome all ye reders / fare ye well ¶ Another prologue RElygyous moder and deuoute sustren / called chosen besâ—â—y to labour at the house of Syon / in the blessed vyneyerde of our holy sauyoure / his parfyte rule whiche hymselfe endyted / to kepe coÌ„tynually vnto oure lyues ende / vnder the gouernaunce of oure blessed lady / her seruyce onely to rede to synge / as her specyall seruauÌ„tes and doughtren ¶ And she youre moste souerayne lady chese Abbes of her holy couent / I synfull vnworthy to bere ony name to the worshyp of that holy saueoure / and at the reuerence of his gloryous moder / to youre ghostly recreacyon / with helpe of youre prayes compelled by charyte for ghostly affeceycyon / purpose to wryte to you after my symple selynge / the relelacyons of oure lorde to his chosen mayde Katheryne of Sene / this boke of reuelacyons as for youre ghostly comforte to you I call it a fructyferous orcharde ¶ This orcharde by goddes grace / my wyll is to deupde in to seueÌ„ partes / and eche parte in to fyue chapyters / as ye maye se and rede in the kalender folowynge ¶ In this orcharde whan ye wyll be conforted / ye maye walke and se bothe fruytes and herbes / and all be it that some fruytes or herbes seme to some sharpe / harde or bytter / yet to purgynge of yeâ—oule they be ful spedefull and profytable / whan they be dyscretely take and receyued by counseyle ¶ Therfore relygyous sustren / in this ghostly orcharde at reasonable tyme ordeyned / I wyll that you dysporte you and walke aboute where you wyll with youre mynde and reason / in what alaye you lyke / and namely there ye fauouren best / as ye be dysposed ¶ You may chose of .xxxv. aleys in whiche you wyll walke that is to saye of .xxxv. chapyters / one tyme iÌ„ one / another tyme in another / but fyrste my counsayle is / clerely to assaye and serche the hole orcharde / and taste of suche fruyte and herbes reasonable after your affeccyon and what you lyketh beest / afterwarde chewe it well and ete therof for helthe of youre soule ¶ And now sustren I ceaseÌ„ of this prologue / and in the maner of a kalender here I wyll shewe vnto you / the ordynauÌ„ce of this orcharde / in tyme comynge by goddes grace / as it pleaseth hyÌ„ of his mercy to graunte me bodyly hele and tyme of lyfe / to plate it and set it with suche fruytes and herbes / as oure lorde shewed to the foresayde mayde in her contemplacyon / whan her body was rauyshed fro all bodyly felynge / as wytnesseth her clerkes and all her dyscyples ¶ And for as moche as I sayde before that this booke sholde be deâ—pded in to .vii. partes / and eche parte in to .v. chapyters ¶ Here therfore I begyÌ„nne the kalender / and commeÌ„de me to youre prayers ¶ The chapyters of the fyrste parte Capitulum primum THe fyrst chapyter of this fyrste parte / sheweth how the soule of this mayde is oneâ— to god / how whan that soule was lytte vp in to coÌ„templacyon made foure petycyons to oure lorde ¶ Also how the desyre of this soule encreased / whyle the necessyte of the worlde was shewed to her of oure lorde ¶ Also how the workes of a man in the worlde suffyse not to punysshe his synne iÌ„ purgatory / nor to be rewarded in blysse / without contynuall affeccyon of charyte ¶ Also how desyre and contrycyon of a mannes herte maketh satysfaccyon for his synne and for the peyne of his synne / whan he trauayleth for his owne soule and for all other mennes soules / sometyme it maketh satysfaccyon for the synne / and not for the peyne Ca. ij THe secunde chapyter is how eche vertu and defaute is by some maner or meane of a mannes neyghbour ¶ Also how vertues be wroughte in man by some meane of his neyghboure ¶ Also why there is somoche dyffereÌ„ce in vertues the whiche be put in creatures ¶ Also how vertues be proued streÌ„gthed of theyr contraryes ¶ Ca. iij. THe thyrde chapyter treateth of the vertu of dyscrecyon / fyrste how a soule shall not put his affeccyoÌ„ nor effectuall workynge in penaunce pryncypally / but in vertues / and how dyscrecyon cometh of mekenesse / and how dyscrecyon yeldeth to eche creature that loÌ„geth to hym ¶ Also oure lorde god sheweth here a symplytude / how that charyte / mekenesse / and dyscrecyon be oned togyder / to the whiche lykenes a soule conformeth her asmoche as she maye ¶ Also how the bodyly penaunce and other bodyly excercysesholde be take for an
instrument to come to vertues / and not for pryncypall affeccyon ¶ Also of the lyghte of dyscrecyon that is to saye in dyuers maners and in dyuers workynges ¶ Also here he sheweth a repetycyon of some wordes sayde before / and how that god the fader promyseth to his seruauÌ„tes refresshyÌ„ge and ghostly comforte / and to holy chyrche reformacyon / by the meane or medyacyon of fufferynge peynes and trybulacyons para Ca. iiij THe fourthe chapyter is how the workynge of the soule of this mayde by the answere of oure lorde / bothe encreased and fayled in the bytternesse of her soule / and how she made her prayer for his spouse holy chyrche / for his people ¶ Also how god made his moone of his crysten people / and specyally of his mynysters ¶ Also here he toucheth somwhat of the sacrament of his holy body / and of the benefyte of his incarnacyon Ca. v. ALso how synne is more greuously punyshed after cryites passyon than before / end how the god promyseth to do mercy to the worlde and to holy chyrche / with intersescyons of prayers sufferauÌ„ce of penaunce dyseases ¶ Also this soule hauynge knowlege somoche of the goodnesse of god / prayed not all onely for crysten people and for holy chyrche / but she prayed also for all the worlde in generall ¶ And also how that god made his coÌ„playnt of his reasonable creature / and specyally for theyr owne proper loue the whiche reygneth in them / where he conforteth this soule to prayers and to teeres ¶ Also how that no man maye ascape the handes of god / but that he muste abyde / other of his ryghtwysenes or of his greate mercy ¶ And also how this deuoute soule vpon a tyme whaÌ„ that she dyd swete water / for an holy ghostly breÌ„nynge hete / in tyme of prayer she desyred that her swetynge sholde haue be bloode rather than water / how that she repreued herselfe / that she had not swette bloode ¶ And iÌ„ this repreuyÌ„ge she made a specyall prayer for her ghostly fader ¶ Also how a man maye not please god / but he bere trybulacyons and anguyshes with pacyence ¶ The chapyters of the secuÌ„de parte Ca. i. THe fyrste chapyter of the secunde parte maketh mencyon of a brydge / and how the fader of heuen made a brydge of his sone / whan the waye of goynge to heuen was broke by the mâ—hedyeÌ„ce of the fyrste man Adam / by the whiche all trewe crysten men maye ouer passe ¶ How god induceth styrreth this soule to beholde the greatenesse of this brydge that is to saye how that it recheth fro the erthe to heueÌ„ ¶ And also how that all we be laborers / and how that we be sende fro god to labour in the vyneyerde of oure moder holy chyrche / how that euery man woman haue a vyneyerde of them selfe / and how that we the whiche be the cyons or the braunches whiche be oned in the very vyne of the sone of god oure sauyoure Ihesu cryste / the very lambe of mekenesse ¶ And also by what maner cryste bereth the braunches with the soresayde vyne / and that is to saye his seruauntes ¶ Also how that the vyneyerde of euery man is oned with the vyneyerde of his neyghboure in somoche that no man maye sette or norysshe or tyll or dystrye his owne vyneyerde / but he set or tyl or dystrye his neyghbours vyneyerde ¶ Also how that this foresayde soule whan that she hadde gyuen praysynges to god / she prayed to hym that he wolde shewe to her them that were goyÌ„ge by the brydge / and them that were not goynge by that brydge ¶ Ca. ij ALso how the blessed brydge goddes sone hathe thre grees / by the whiche be betokened thre states of a soule / how this brydge whaÌ„ it is araysed vp iÌ„ to the heyghte / yet is it not departed fro the erthe ¶ Also how these wordes shal be vnderstonde Si exaltatus fuero a terra omÌ„ia traham ad me ¶ Also how this brydge is walled with stones / and how that they betoken ryall and very vertues / and vpon this brydge there is a house / or a place ordeyned where meet shal be gyuen to the wayegoers / who that goeth by that brydge gothe to eternall and euerlastynge lyfe / and who that goeth vnder the brydge by the floode / gothe to pardycyon and to the dethe of euerlastynge peyne ¶ How that men go with trauayle in these two wayes whyder he go that one or that other and of the delyte the whiche a soule hathe / that goeth to the brydge ¶ Ca. iij. THe thyrde chapyter maketh mencyon / yet of this same brydge goddes sone Ihesu cryste / it telleth whaÌ„ our lorde Ihesu cryst was ascended vp in to heuen in the daye of his ascencyon / he departed hym not fro the erthe ¶ Also how that this soule as she wondred on the mercy of god / she noumbred in her soule the multytude of the gyftes of god / and the greate graces whiche came to mankynde of that same dyuyne mercy ¶ Also of the vnworthynesse of them the whiche wente by the floode / vnder the foresayde brydge ¶ And how that god calleth that soule that gothe vnder the tree of dethe / whiche hathe his roote pryÌ„cypally in foure vyces ¶ Ca. iiij ALso how the fruyte of this tree is moche dyuers / as is the dyuersyte of synnes / and here he sheweth fyrste of the voluptuosyte of carnal delectacyoÌ„ or lechery ¶ Also how that the truyte of of some teeres is auaryce / and of the euyll that cometh of synne / and how vnryghtfulnesse is the fruyte of some mennes teeres / whiche haue the state of domynacyon ¶ Also throwe his vnryghtwysenesse and throwe other defautes / a man cometh in to false demynge ¶ And also of the vnworthynesse in to the whiche a man falleth throwe these defautes ¶ Here also god speketh vpon that worde whiche cryst sayde O go mittam paraclitum c. Cryste sayde / I shall sende the holy ghoste / whiche shall repreue the worlde of vnryghtwysenesse of false domes or Iudge meÌ„tes / and here he saythe that one of these repreues be contynuall and without ende ¶ Ca. v. THe fyfte chapyter is of the secunde vndernymynge or blamynge / wherin vnrygthwysenesse and false domes be repreued / bothe in generall and in ê‘tyculer ¶ Also of foure pryÌ„cypall turmentes of theÌ„ that be dampned / whiche all other turmentes do folowe / and specyally and syngulerly of the foule syghte of of the fende ¶ Also of the thyrde reprefe and blamynge that shall be in the daye of Iudgement / how they that be dampned maye not desyre ony goodnesse / and of the Ioye of theym that be blessed ¶ Also that after the generall Iudgement / the peyne of them that shall be dampned shall be encreaced with peynes not able to be thoughte ¶ The
¶ Holy god bowe downe thâ— mercy / to thy ghostly flocke of shepe / as a good a very crewe shepeherde ¶ Lorde hye the fast to helpe all the worlde / tary not to gyue them mercy / for now they latken grace ¶ O gracyous lorde the sothefastnesse withouten ende / it semeth that man is pryued of thy charyte that is to saye of the loue the whiche sholde be grounded in the charytably louynge themselfe togyder / and the aboue all ¶ How that god made a compleynt on his reasonable creatures / and specyally for theyr owne ê“pre loue / whiche reygneth in them / where he styrreth the soule to prayers / and teeres THaÌ„ our lorde was fore styrred to mercy and for oure hèlthe / he ordeyned in this soule / how her loue and sorowe myght be encreased to helpe mannes soule / shewynge her with how greate loue he had mad the worlde as it is sayde before and sayde to her thus Thou sees howe the euery man offendeth me / I of my goodnesse made them of nought / with the flamme of greate loue / and how I haue endowed theÌ„ with the gyfte of plentuous graces / and gyftes with out noÌ„bre / onely of my specyal grace of no dewte ¶ Beholde doughter how that they gone agaynst me / with dyuerse / many / and vnnumerable synnes / and dayly done offende me / and namely with theyr owne wret chydnesse / synfull lyuynge of theÌ„selfe / of the whiche wycked loue / cometh out all synne and wyckednesse ¶ With this this wycked loue / all the worlde they haue venymed ¶ For ryght as my loue the is onede to theyr loue / with the loue of theyr neyghbour / holdeth and kepeth all sothefastnesse iÌ„ them as it is shewed before ryght so the sencyble loue holdeth in them / all euyl and vntruthe that loue cometh of pryde ¶ So in the contrary wyse / as my loue cometh of charyte / so that fals loue coÌ„teyneth in theÌ„ all euyll ¶ And this euyll they do by the mene of some creature / that is not in very charyte of his neyghbour / for they louen not me / and they loue not theyr neyghbour ¶ For those two loues muste be knytte togyder ¶ Thus I sayde to the before / the euery good thynge and euery euyll thynge / is done by some mene of his neyghbour ¶ In many other wyses I maye make my compleynt on man / for he receyued nothynge of me but good / and he yeldeth to me agayne hatered dothe all euyll ¶ Therfore I sayde to the / the I sholde aswage my wrothe / by the shedynge of my seruaun tes terres / and so I saye to the now agayne ¶ Therfore ye that ben my seruauÌ„tes / tourneÌ„ my dyuyne dome with youre deuoute prayers / greate desyres / and with sharpe with byt ter sorowes / for offenses done to me and to theyr harmes and so my wrothe shal asswage ¶ How no maÌ„ maye scape the handes of god / but he must abyde his ryghtwysnesse / or his mercy DOughter knowe it for a truthe / that no man may scape my handes / for I am he the am euerlastynge beynge / ye beÌ„ not nor haue no beyÌ„ge of your selfe / but asmoche as ye haue beynge of me / the whiam maker former of all thynges the haueÌ„ beynge / out take synne that is nought ¶ Bycause it is not made of me / therfore in no maner it is byloued Therfore a creature that is blynded he offendeth / for he loueth that whiche he shold not that is to saye synne / and hathe me in hate / whome he is bounde to loue ¶ I am all good / and I gaue to man be ynge / with a feruent loue / he may not scape frome me / for of my ryght wysenesse / he shall abyde here in my handes and power for his synnes / or here by my mercy pyte ¶ Ther fore open thyne eyen of intelleccyon and beholde my power / and thou shall se / that it is trewe that I sayde to the ¶ Than she lyfte vp her gostly eye / to obeye to the fader in heuen / she sawe iÌ„ his honde all the worlde closed ¶ Than oure lorde spake to her and sayde Go doughter and se that no man maye be take fro me for as I sayde al those that abyden here / abydeÌ„ of my ryghtwysenesse / or els of my mercy ¶ For al they beÌ„ myne al of me they haue brought forthe and I loue them more than may be spoken ¶ Therfore not wtstondyÌ„ge theyr wyckednesse / with the helpe good menes of my seruauntes / I shall gyue them mercy ¶ And for thy greate loue / also for thy greate sorowe / I shall fulfyll thy peryeyon ¶ How this soule whan she swette water for a brennynge desyre / in the tyme of prayer / desyred that she myght swete blode THis soule than for greate enerese of hely desyre / was made blyssed / and fulfylled with an holy sorowe ¶ Blyssed she was / for the oneheed she made iÌ„ gody tastyÌ„ge and sauourynge his goodnesse / all fulfyled woith Ioye in his mercy ¶ She was also fulfylled with sorowe whan she knewe the hyghe maieste of god / so greately offended ¶ And than she gaue thaÌ„kynges to the good nesse of god / and knowynge the same goodnesse / and the manyfolde defautes of maÌ„kynde / she rose quyckly as it had ben fro dethe / throwe a greate desyre ¶ And after this whan she knewe in herselfe / the selynge of her soule / so woÌ„derfully renued in that euer beyngt godheed / that her holy loue / and delectable brennyÌ„ge was somoche eÌ„cresed / the she swette water throwe the myght and vyolence / the whiche the soule dyd to the body ¶ For the oncheed whiche the soule made in god / was more parfyte than is the bonde of the oneheed / bytwyxe the soule and the body ¶ Therfore of the streynghe of loue / she had that swetynge hete / but she dyspysed the swerynge / for the affeccyoÌ„ that she had / was with greare desyre to haue swe tynge to come oute of her body all of blode ¶ And in that desyre she spaketo her selfe / and sayde Alas my soule that thou hase lost thus the tyme of this wretched lyfe / and for the losse of thy tyme / many harmes wyckednesses out of nombre haue sall in all the worlde / bothe partycu lâ—tly / and in comyn / and specyally iÌ„ all holy chyrche ¶ Wherfore I wyll and desyre / that thou remedy ouer all these harmes / with the sroetyÌ„ge of blode ¶ Beholde systren and se / how swetely that soule hathe kepte in my ndâ— / the noble doctryne / e whiche euer beynge sothefastnesse had raughte her / and betake her that is to saye in knowynge herselfe and the goodnesse of god in her / and spedefull remedyes for reparacyon of all
forthe fruyte of good workes / shal be cutte awaye frome the vyne / shall waxe drye ¶ For whaÌ„ he is departed fro that vyne / thaÌ„ he leseth the vyne of all graces / and is sende forthe in to the euer lastyÌ„ ge fyre / as a braunche that bryngeth forthe no fruyte is cutte of the vyne and caste in to the fyre / for it is not good for none other thyÌ„ge ¶ Ther fore the ryghtwysenesse of god sendeth them that ben so cutte of / in to the fyre euer lastynge / for theyr owne defautes deynge in decdly synnes / for asmoche as they ben not good in theyrselfe ¶ They done not labour nor they tyllen not theyr vyneyerde but moche soner they done dystroye theyr vyneyerde / and other meÌ„nes also ¶ And not onely that / they plaÌ„ten no good plantes in theyr vyneyerde / but rather they takeÌ„ frome the vyneyetde the sede of grace / the whische they vyden receyue in the lyght of holy baptym / and token the holy ê‘tycypacyoÌ„ of my holy sones blode / whiche treuly was the wyne that this sothfast vyne my sone brought forthe to you / but they haue drawen vp this noble lede / and haue taken it to be eten of dyuerse beestes / that is to saye they haue cast it vnder the fete of an vnordynate affeccyon / by many and dyuerse by â—des of synnes / by the whiche they haue offended me / and put themselfe to damâ—nacyon / and ther neyghbours also ¶ My seruauntes done not so / but folowe you the fayre / and swete pathes of my holy seruauÌ„tes that is to saye ye shall be oned and ioyned togyder / iÌ„ this sothefast and very vyne / and than ye shall be parte takers of moche fruyte ¶ For than ye shall take of the oncheed of the very vyne / and as longe as ye abyde in the oneheed of my sone / so longe ye dwellen with me / for I and he ben all one ¶ And as longe as ye stonden in hym / so longe ye done folowe his doctryne / and in that that ye done folowe his doctryne / ye shal haue parte of the greate substauÌ„ce of my sone that is to saye ye shall be parte takers of the euer benge godheed / oned and oned in the man heed / and he shall haue a maner of dyuyne loue ¶ In the whiche / a soule is made fer frome herselfe / puttyÌ„ge in oblyuyon all vayne delectacyons and for that cause I sayde ye sholden be parte takers of the substauÌ„ce of the foresayde vyne ¶ In what maner god bereth the braunches / the whiche ben oned with the vyne / and how that the vyneyerde of eche mÌ„a is oned / or ioyned with the vyneyerde of his neyghboure B Nowe ye not what maner of workynge ye haue hadde / after the tyme that my seruauntes ben oned to my sone / that they may folowe his doctryne ¶ I purge them / and cutte them / that they may bryÌ„ge forth moche fruyte that theyr fruyte maye abyde / and that it be not become bareyne ¶ As a good braunche ioyned to the vyne / whiche the tyller purgeth cleÌ„seth / bycause it sholde brynge forthe better fruyte / more in quantyte / but he cutteth of the braunche that bryÌ„geth forthe no fruyte / and casteth it in to the fyre ¶ So do I / whiche am the euer beynge tyller / I purge clense my secuauntes whiche abydeÌ„ in me / with many and dyuers trybulacyÌ„os / that they may brynge forthe better more fruyte / that vertu maye be preued in them ¶ Other seruauÌ„tes whiche bryngeÌ„ forthe no fruyte / ben caste frome the vyne / putte to the fyre / as it is sayde before ¶ My seruauntes doubtelesse ben good tyllers / whiche tylleÌ„ well for theyr soules / puttynge away fro the soule all theyr owne soue / tournen al theyr affeccyons in to me / therby they norysshen / and encresen the sede of grace / the whiche they dyd receyue iÌ„ the holy baptym ¶ And so wel they done laboure in theyr owne vyneyerde / that they tylleÌ„ the vyneyerde of theyr neyghbour / for the one maye not be tylled / wtout the other ¶ And yf thou remembre the well I sayde to the before that all good or euyll that a man dothe / it is done by some mene of his neyghboure ¶ Also ye ben my tyllers comen fro me / whiche am the chefe / and euet beynge tyller / I haue sette you in the vyne by the oneheed whiche I made iÌ„ you ¶ Thynke wel and haue in mynde that all reasonable creatures haue theyr owne vyneyerde by themselfe the whiche is oned to theyr neyghbour / without ony other mene that it to saye one so ioyned with an other / that no man maye do good to hymselfe / nor harme / but that he muste yelde the same to his neyghboure ¶ Of you all that is to saye of all the hole crysten relygyon / a general vyneyerde is gadered togydet / the whiche all ye beÌ„ knytte togyder / in the dyneyerde of the ghostly body of youre moder the holy chyrche / of the whiche ye taken lyfe ¶ This sothefast vyne / is the precyous body / parsone of my sone / in whome ye ought to be knytte and fastned with parfyte loue of herte / and charyte in thy neyghboure ¶ For whan ye ben not set parfytely in hym / anone ye rebell greately agaynste the holy chyrche / and ye ben the membres cutte of as rotten membres fro the body of the chyrche ¶ Now whyle ye haue tyme / ye maye aryse frome the corrupcyoÌ„ of synnes with very dysplesaunce of them / and fle to my seruauntes for helpe as to the tyllers whiche kepen the keye of the vyneyerde that is to say of the blode whiche came out of the vyne / whiche is of so greate vertu and parfeccyon / that the fruyte of this very precyous blode / may not be takeÌ„ you / by the defaute of my mynysters ¶ The bonde of charyte is that / the whiche byndeth them with very mekenesse / in the sothefaste knowynge of themselfe and of me whiche wnowynge they haue soughte ¶ And yet thou maye parceyue / that I haue set you as tyllers ¶ And now I cal you agayne to labour / for now the worlde fayleth / the thornes ben somoche multy plyed / that they haue almost ouer growen the sayde in somoche that they wyll gyue no fruyte ¶ I wyll therfore that ye be trewe tyllers that is to helpe besyly soules to trauayle iÌ„ the ghosty body of your moder the holy chyrche ¶ To that I chose you / for I wyll gyue mercy to the worlde / for the whiche thou hase prayed me feruently / and full mekely ¶ How this soule whan she had gyuen thaÌ„kynges to our lorde / the prayed hym to shewe her / whiche wentn by the brydge / and whiche wenteÌ„ not by the brydge
O HaÌ„ this soule fulfylled with loue began to speke to oure lorde / sayde ¶ O lorde vnestymable loue of charyte / who is he that dothe not brenne with somoche loue / that for that loue may so defende hym / that fyrst the herte fayle not Thou lorde the very depenes of charyte / thou semes to haue greate deyntes of thy creatures / as thoughe thou myght not lyue without them / yet thou hase no nede of vs whiche arte our lorde god ¶ And for asmoche as thou arte vnnumerable / there is nothynge added to the / throwe olâ—re goodnesse ¶ And for asmoche as thou arte the hyghe euer brynge goodnesse / oure euyll enpereth the not ¶ O good lorde who is he that styrreth the to somuche mercy lorde it is loue that styrreth the / and no nede that thou hase to vs / for we beÌ„ to the ryght euyll detters ¶ O euer beynge goodnes / yf I beholde well aboute / I am myselfe a brybour a these / lorde thy sone was crucyfyed on a tree / for me a wretched synner / and I beholde thy sone nayled on the crosse / of the whiche sone thou made a brydge to me / as it is shewed of thy goodnesse to me / whiche am thy creature and seruaunte ¶ Wherfore if it be acceptable to thy goodnesse / I desyre that thy benygnyte wolde shewe me / whiche ben those that passen by the brydge / and whiche not ¶ The seconde chapytre is how that blissed brydge goddes sone hathe thre grees / by the whiche ben betokened thre states of a soule ¶ And how this brydge whaÌ„ it is reysed vp in to the erthe / it is not departed fro the erthe ¶ Also how this reason shall be vnderstoÌ„de ¶ Siego exaltatê° fuero a terra omnia traham ad me ¶ And forthermore of the same mater / as it is rehersed before to you in the kalendre Ca. ii THe euer beynge almyghty god / thanne to styrre this soule moche more / and to herte her more seruently in labour aboute the helthe of maÌ„nes soule answered to her and sayd ¶ Or that I shewe to the / the whiche I wyll shewe to the / and of that whiche thou does aske of me / fyrste I wyll put the in a certayne knowlege how it is of the brydge ¶ I sayd to the before / that the brydge recheth frome heuen to erthe that is to say by the vnyon whiche I haue made in maÌ„ / whom I formed of slyme / or erthe ¶ This brydge my onely begoten sone hathe thre ladders in hyÌ„ selfe / of the whiche thre ladders .ii. were made in the tree of the holy crosse ¶ The thyrde he felde in full greate peyne of bytternesse / whan the iewes gaue hym to drynke both aysell gall ¶ In these threladders / thou shall knowe the thre states of the soule / whiche I shall declare to the here after ¶ The fyrste ladder is at the fete / and it betokeneth the affeccyon and the desyre of the soule ¶ For as the fete beren vp the body / so the desyres and affeccyons bereÌ„ vp the soule ¶ The fete nayled / beÌ„ madeladers to the / that thou maye attayne / or reche vp to the wounde of the syde / whiche wounde sheweth the pryuytes of the herte ¶ For after tyme thou hase ascended vp / by the fete of desyre anone the soule begynneth to tast the loue of the herte / fastnynge the eye of intelleccyon / in the herte of my dere sone / where the soule shall fynde the ended parfyte loue I saye the ended loue for he loueth not you for his owne profyte / for ye maye do to hym no profyte / for he is al one with me ¶ Than this soule sawe how the she was byloued of god / and than she was replete with loue a thousande tymes more / than she was before ¶ Forthermore whan the soule hathe ascended by the seconde ladder / she recheth vp to the thyrde ladder that is to saye to the company of heuen / where she fyndeth the pease that she desyred / out of the warre / or batayle that she hadde before / throwe her synne ¶ For in the fyrste ladder of affeccyon and of desyre / whaÌ„ she reysed vp the fete fro the erthe / thaÌ„ she voydeth her frome the derkenesse of vyces ¶ In the seconde ladder / she fulfylleth herselfe with vertuous loue ¶ And in the thyrde ladder / she tasteth a full swete pease ¶ And thus the foresayde brydge hathe thre ladders / that whan ye passe the fyrste and the secoÌ„de ladder / ye maye blyssedly come to the thyrde / that is the last ¶ This brydge is reysed vp on heyght / whiche shall not be hurte of the rennynge water / for in hym is no venemous spottes of synnes ¶ This brydge is reysed vp / yet it is not parted fro the erthe ¶ Thou knowes well whaÌ„ he had reysed hyÌ„selfe vp as whan he was tourmented on the crosse yet the dyuyne nature voyded hyÌ„ not fro the lownesse of youre humanyte ¶ Therfore I sayde to the / that whan he was lyft vp on heyghte / he was not departed fro the erthe as by that for with the humanyte he was knytte veryly and coupled ¶ And the tyme that he was so areysed / there was no maÌ„ that myght go on that brydge ¶ Therfore he sayde hyÌ„selfe / yf I be exalted frome the erthe / I shall drawe all thyÌ„ges to me ¶ And I beholdynge of my goodnesse / that ye myghten none other wyse be draweÌ„ / I sende hym to be arrysed vp to the tree of the holy crosse ¶ Therfore I made a ghostly Anduelde / wheron the sone of mankynde sholde be forged / so that man sholde be walshed and clensed fro euer lastynge dethe / and that he sholde be clothed with the durable lyfe / by a synguler grace ¶ And therfore my sone draweth to hym all thyÌ„ges / m the maner as it is sayd before the he sholde she me his greate loue / whiche may not be spoke / whiche loue he had to man / for that herte of meÌ„ is draweÌ„ by loue ¶ He myght shewe you no more loue / thaÌ„ so put his lyfe for you ¶ Therfore by the strengthe of loue man is drawen but he make resystence in hymselfe / and wyll not suffre hym to be drawen ¶ I sayde therfore / that whan my sone was lyfte vp frome the erthe that he sholde drawe all thynges to hym / and that is sothe / but that is vnderstoÌ„den two maner of wayes ¶ The one is / that a mannes herte he drawen by desyre of loue / with al the myghtes of the soule that is to saye with mynde / intelleccyoÌ„ / and wyll ¶ Whan these thre myghtes ben accorded / and gadered togyder in my name / all other werkes / actu all / and mentall / whiche he dothe / ben drawen in me peaseably /
assayed that waye theyrselfe ¶ Also eche resonable creature is lyghtned by knowynge of a sothefastnesse / yf he wyll hymselfe that is to saye that no man be not in wyl to lose the lyght of reason / for his owne loue and profyte ¶ Ther fore it is truely sayde / my sones doctryne is treue / whiche abode as a boot / to draweout soules of the tempest of the grete see / to lede them to the hauen of helthe ¶ And thus I sayd / I haue made an actual brydge of my sone / with his conuersauÌ„t beynge fyrste with men ¶ But whaÌ„ the actual brydge of the parfyte doctryne was taken fro you / thaÌ„ abode the brydge / and my doctryne with my myght / that am the fader / and the same doctryne ioyned and knytte with the wysoome of my sone / and with the mercy pyte of the holy ghost / this myght gyueth strengthe to theÌ„ that done folowe this waye / the weysdome of my sone gyueth to maÌ„ lyght that he maye knowe that sothefastnes in the waye / the holy ghost gyueth to hym loue / whiche loue putteth awaye / and dystroyeth the venym of his propre wyll / and maketh the loue of vertus onely to abyde ¶ Also he is the waye of sothefastnesse and lyfe actually or by doctryne / the whiche waye is the brydge / ledynge bryngynge you to the heyght of heuen ¶ Therfore it was sothely sayde / whan my sone sayd / I came downe fro my fader / and came downe in to the worlde / I leue that worlde agayne and I go to my fader that is to saye my fader sende me to you / ordeyned and made me youre brydge / that ye myght ascape ouer the floode / come to the lyfe that is euer durable ¶ He sayde also / and I shall come a gayne to you / I shall not leue you faderlesse chyldren / but I shall sende you comforte that is to say the holy ghost / as thoughe my sothefaste sone incarnate had sayne thus ¶ I shall go to my fader / shortly after come agayne to you / whaÌ„ the holy ghost cometh / whiche is the spyryte of comforte ¶ Whiche spyryte of coÌ„forte shall shewe you more clerely all thynge / coÌ„fyrme the way of sothefastnesse / that is the most parfyte doceryne that I haue gyuen you ¶ He sayde also / I shall come agayne to you / and so he dyd ¶ For the holy ghoste cometh not alone / for he cometh with the myghte of the fader / with the wysedome of the sone / and and with that mercy of the holy ghost ¶ Therfore thou may se that he came agayne not actually / but in vertu strengthynge the waye of doctryne whiche way maye neuer fayle / nor be taken fro them / that ben in wyll to folowe that doctryne ¶ For it is stroÌ„ge stable / for asmoche as it came fro me / the whiche am not chaungeable ¶ Therfore ye sholden myghtly folowe that waye of doctryne / withoute ony cloude / with the lyghte of very faythe / whiche is gyuen to you for a pryncypall vesture / in the sacrament of holy baptym ¶ Now doughter I haue declared shewed to that pleynly the actuall brydge and his doctryne / whiche is all one / the same with the brydge ¶ I haue sayde also that there were apostles / euangelystes / martyrs / coÌ„fessours / holy doctours / ordeyned set / as laÌ„terns in holy chyrche ¶ I haue shewed that also how my sone / after tyme the he came to me / that he came agayne to you / not by his bodyly presence / but in vertu that is to saye whan that the holy ghoste came vpon the apostles ¶ For in that bodyly presence he shal not come to you agayne / but in that laste daye of Iudgement / whaÌ„ he shall come with my maâ—â—ste / and with my dyuyne myght / to Iudge the quycke and the deed / and to yelde rewardes to the good / to rewarde them with greate gyftesin soule body for theyr labours / he shall yeldefull bytter penes / to all theym that wyckedly haue ledde theyr lyfe here iÌ„ this worlde ¶ Now doughter forthermore I wyll say to that / the I sothefastnesse made promyse to she we all to the / that is to shewe the theÌ„ that gone in that waye vnparfytely / and them also that gone parfytely / and them the gone in the most parfyte waye and how they go ¶ I haue shewed the also the wycked men / whiche with theyr wyckednesse drownen themselfe in the floode / and gone to euer lastynge derkenesse ¶ And now I speke to you that ben my dere chyldreÌ„ / that ye go by the brydge besely and not vnder the brydge / for that is not the waye of ryghtwysenesse / but rather it is the waye of pardycy on and vntruthe / and by that waye wycked men go / of the whiche men I shal speke here after ¶ Those beÌ„ synners / of the whiche / I praye you that ye praye to me besyly / and for the halthe and the faluacyon of theÌ„ ¶ I aske of you teeres and labours / that they may haue of me my grete mercy ¶ Than this soule was so fulfyl sed with all ghestly swetenesse / that she myght not refreyne herselfe / but as she slode in oure lordes prefence / she beganne to speke / sayde ¶ How this soule as she wondered on the greate mercy of oure lorde / she remembred her on the multytude of his grete benefytes O Mercy without ende / and euer beynge goodnesse / the whiche dydhyde the greate wyckednes of thy creatures ¶ Dere lorde I wolde not wondre yf thou dyd saye I shall not remeÌ„bre me of theyr wyckednes / whiche cometh oute of deedly synnes / and at the laste tournen to the agayne ¶ O thou inestymable mercy / I wyll ueuer wonder / yf thou saye the worde to them that comen out of synne / sythen thou dyd saye to vs / I wyll the ye praye to me for them / that dysplesen me with theyr syntul lyuyÌ„ge / that I maye gyue to theym mercy ¶ O most pleÌ„tuous mercy / whiche cometh of eteruyte euer beynge of the almyghty fader / whiche gouerneth the worlde w e his euerlastynge myghte ¶ Also we weren made formed in thy mercy / and we ben reformed by thy mercy / in the blode of thy sone / for thy amyable mercy kepeth vs. ¶ Lorde thy mercy made thy sone to sprede his armes on the cros / ther played dethe with lyfe / lyfe with dethe ¶ Than he sende vtterly the lyfe / whiche was the dethe of oure synnes / that dethe of oure synne / toke awaye the bodely lyfe / fro the meke lambe / that is thy dere sone ¶ O lorde who was ouercomen Lorde dethe was ouercomeÌ„ Lorde who was the cause Thy grete mercy was the cause ¶
theyr chyldren / or of theyr other frendes they charge them not / but rather they beholden they in as my enemyes ¶ And whan they se them tourmeÌ„ted / they dyscorde iÌ„ not hyÌ„ge fro my wyll / for theyr desyres be fullfylled / the desyre of soules in blysse is to se and beholde my worshyp fullfylled in you / that yet be walkers in the way / the whiche be strauÌ„gers pylgrymes / goynge fast to the ende of dethe ¶ All your soules helthe / they that be in blysse done couer / for the desyre that they haue to my worshyp ¶ Therfore they pray alway for you whose desyre is fulfylled of my party / so that ye wtstoÌ„de not my mercy / for tomoche ignoraunce blyndenesse ¶ Forthermore those soules that be in blys / desyre to take agayne theyr bodyes for encrese of blys / that they sholde haue / whaÌ„ that soule the body come togyder / but that desyre noyeth the not / though they haue not theyr desyre / iÌ„ acte or in dede ¶ But they ioye with a ghostly desyre of knowynge / they fele tast ioyenge of that sykernes / whiche they haue of theyr desyre / that shall be fulfylled ¶ Therfore thoughe they haue not theyr desyre in acte / it noyeth theym not / for thoughe they haue it not / theyr blys faylâ—â— not / therfore the lacke of theyr 〈◊〉 / causeth theÌ„ no peyne ¶ And â—â—â—nke you not that the body gyueth 〈◊〉 blys to the soule after the resurâ—â—â—â—on ¶ It is not so / for yf it were â—o / â—â—dâ—s 〈◊〉 wolde folowe / that in to yeâ—yme they had agayne theyr bodyâ—â—â— they sholde haue in partyte blys 〈…〉 may not be / for they lacke no â—â—yon ¶ Wherfore there is no 〈…〉 man that bryngeth blys to his 〈◊〉 / but the soule shall gyue blys to 〈…〉 y. ¶ ThaÌ„ shall the soule gyue 〈◊〉 yeweher habuÌ„daunce of newe 〈◊〉 in the daye of IudgemeÌ„t so 〈◊〉 â—â—othynge of her owne flesshe 〈…〉 iefte / whan the soule deâ—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 â—ody by dethe ¶ Ryght 〈…〉 is made vndeedly / and al 〈…〉 in engthed in me / so shall 〈…〉 be made in the same vnyon 〈◊〉 â—oly ¶ And all the heuynesse â—â—rosyte of the body shal awaye and shall be made sotell and lyghte ¶ Wherfore thou shall vnderstonde that euery body gloryfyed / maye passe throwe the stonen walles ¶ Nother fyre nor water maye noye them / that is not by the vertu of the body / but by that vertu of thou soule ¶ Whiche soule is properly myne / gyueÌ„ to the body by grace / by loue / throwe the whiche grace loue / I formed theÌ„ / made theÌ„ to my ymage lykenes ¶ The eye of thy intelleccyon suffyseth not to se / nor thy ere 's to here / nor toÌ„gue to tell / nor maÌ„nes herte to thyÌ„ke / the grete goodnes other blys / whiche is inestimable ¶ O doughter what grete ioy haue they / whiche euer beholde me that am all good ¶ O how moche solace they shall haue / whan they shal be gloryfyed in theyr bodyes ¶ Whiche solace al be it they sholden not haue in to the daye of dome yet sholde the soules haue no peyne for that lacke of theyr bodyes / for that blyssed heed of the soule fayleth not / for she is euer full of blys in herselfe / to the whiche blys / she shall come with the body / as I haue sayde before ¶ I tolde the of the goodnes that maye not be thought / the whiche a body gloryfyed shal haue in the humanyte gloryfyed of my dere sone / whiche humanyte gyueth to you clerely a sykernes of your resurreccyoÌ„ ¶ Ther they ioy make theÌ„ glad in his wouÌ„des / whiche wouÌ„des cese not to cry euery day mercy for you to me that am the fader ¶ All blyssed soules be coÌ„forted with hym in ioye and gladnes / eye with eye / and with honde / and with all that hole body of my onely sone ¶ All ye sholde be confyrmed in me a bydynge / so ye sholde dwell in hym / for he is all one with me ¶ The eye of your body as I sayde / shall haue gladnes iÌ„ the humanyte gloryfyed of my sone ¶ And this is the cause / for theyr lyues ended in the loue of my charyte ¶ And therfore with that charyte they ben parseuer auÌ„te / abydâ— euerlastyÌ„gely ¶ Not so that they may do ony good / but they Ioye in that loue whiche they had that is to say for they maye not haue ony merytory dede in excersyce ¶ For here in this lyfe onely / meÌ„ synne do merytory dedes as theÌ„ lyke at theyr owne wyâ— with theyr fre choyse ¶ They that abyde iÌ„ blys / abyde not the dyuyne dome with drede / but with ioye ¶ The face of my sone shall not be seen drede full to theÌ„ nor ful of hate / for asmoche as theyr lyfe ended in my loue / in the benyuoleÌ„ce of theyr neyghbours ¶ Thou shall also vnderstonde / that there shall no chauÌ„gyÌ„ge of face be iÌ„ hyÌ„ to theyr syght / wha he cometh to Iudge in my maieste / but in theÌ„ that shall be â—udged of hyÌ„ / to theÌ„ ther shall be dredefull chauÌ„gynge of lokyÌ„ge ¶ He shal appere to that soules that shall be dapned with ryghtwysenes hatered / to theÌ„ that shall be saued / with mercy loue ¶ ThaÌ„ after the generall IudgemeÌ„t the peyne of dampned soules shall encrese DOughter I haue tolde that of the dygnyte of ryghtfull men / by the whiche thou maye know that more lyghtly / the mysery of theÌ„ that be dampned ¶ This is an other peyne to theyr myseryes / for to beholde somoche blys of ryghtful meÌ„ / whiche beholdynge is to theÌ„ encrese of peynes / as it is to ryghtfull meÌ„ the daÌ„pnacyon of them that be dampned / an addycyon of gladnes of my goodnes / for lyghte is better knowe for derkenes / and derkenes for lyghte ¶ Therfore the syght of seyntes shall be to them peyne / and with peyne they adyde the laste daye of Iudgement / for they se well therby grete encrese of peyne to them / so it shal be ¶ For whaÌ„ it shall be sayde to theÌ„ with an hortyble voyce / Aryse ye that be deed come to the Iudgement / than shall the soule go agayne to the body ¶ And in ryghtfull meÌ„ the body shall be gloryfyed / of theÌ„ that shal be daÌ„pned the body shall be tourmented wtout ende ¶ And grete stryues shall be ymonge them / and repreues in beholdynge of my sothefastnes / and of blyssed seyntes ¶ And thaÌ„ the worme of conscyence freteth that marowz of that tree that is the soule / and the vtter rynde of the tree that is the body / the holy blode that was shed for theym they shold vndernyme ¶ Also theyr dedes of mercy teÌ„poral spyrytual / they sholde repreue
the soule in asmoche as with a very trewe wyll / they ben conformed and made lyke to me / therfore it is to them greate coÌ„forte ioye / to suffre peyne for me ¶ The seruauntes of the worlde ben tourmented / bothe within and without and specyally within / for the greate drede they haue to lose theyr temporall goodes / and also for loue / desyrynge that they maye not haue ¶ Other maner vexacyons that they haue besyde these / ben two pryÌ„cypall causes / that is drede of losynge / loue of wynnyÌ„ge / whiche thy tongue is not suffycyent / nor yet able to tell ¶ Sees thou not now therfore the in this lyfe ryghtwysemen beÌ„ at more ease in soule thaÌ„ synners me thyÌ„ke thou sholde for thou hase nowe seen the lyuynge and the endynge of bothe ¶ How a drede that is bouÌ„den / or a seruyle drede ben not suffycyent to obtayne euerlastyÌ„ge lyfe / and how with excercyse of this drede a man may come to the excercyse of vertues NNw I haue sayde to the and declared / that there be some the whiche felen them tourmented of worldely try bulacyons / and I wyll that it be so / that a soule maye knowe her imparfeccyoÌ„ and ende / also to knowe that this wretched lyfe / that worldely vanyce is vnparfyte and traÌ„sytory ¶ This a soule maye knowe by this token / whan she desyreth inwardely me / that am her ende by suche inwardely desyre / a soule begynneth fyrst to put awaye the cloude that hathe longe blynded her fro the clere syghte of vertu ¶ And than by seruyle drede of trybulacyons / she begynneth to come out of the floode that she had loÌ„ge be dreÌ„ched in / castyÌ„ge out fro her the venym / with the hate that she was poysoned with / the whiche was cast out of the scorpyon in the lykenesse of golde / and so was receyued vnmanerly / and nothynge manerly / wherfore it was tourned to them that dyd receyue it / in to venyÌ„ ¶ They knowyÌ„ge this begyÌ„nynge gracyously to aryse / towarde the hauen begyn to set theyr pases / cleâ—ynge fyrste to the same brydge / of the whiche I spake of before ¶ Neuerthelesse it is not ynoughe onely for to go to this brydge with seruyle drede / for that drede dothe nothyÌ„ge ellys but purgeth a soule fro deedly synÌ„es / but it fulfylleth not her with vertues grouÌ„ded iÌ„ loue ¶ And therfore it is not ynoughe onely in seruyle dride to wynue euerlastynge lyfe / but yf the fete be sette vpon the tyrste steppe of the brydge / that is desyre and affeccyon / the whiche be e the fete of the soule / bryngyÌ„ge her in to affeccyon of my very sothefastnesse / of the whiche as I sayde before / I haue made a brydge ¶ This is the ladder / vpon the whiche I wolde ye sholde step vp / for my very sone hath made ladders to step vpon ¶ Neuerthelesse sothe it is / that this is a generall rysynge / whiche comynly worldely men do vse / that is for to ryse fyrste for drede of peyne ¶ And also bycause that ofte tymes aduersytes of this worlde bryngeth them in to greate heuynesse / and therfore a man begynneth to be dyspysed with them ¶ And yf they vse this drede with lyght of trewe feythe / doubte not but they shall come to the loue of vertu ¶ There ben some that gone out so dull so slugyshly out of this depe floode of worldely loue / that ofte tymes they fallen therin agayne ¶ For after tyme they come to the haueÌ„ of that stoode / by comynge agaynst them of contrary wyndes / the ben ouertyrued agayne by the reawes of the see / vnto the cloudy vallaye of derkenesse of the wretchydnesse of this lyfe ¶ And thoughe ther come a happy wynde / they wyll not in no wyse quyckely step vpon the fyrste degre / that is affeccyon and loue of vertu to ghostly delyces / but as meÌ„ the were made dull / slugyshly they gone forthe / I doubte not but that with suche a myse ruled plesaunce / they shal tourne backewarde ¶ Also yf the wynde or tempest blowe by vnpasyence / they wyll tourne theyr backes / bycause they hate not verely synne / onely for the offence done to me / but onely fro drede of peyne / the whiche peyne foloweth them / as them semeth ¶ This is no parfyte rysynge / for all vertues rysynge go forthe with parseuerauÌ„ce / without whome / no man maye come to the effecte and spede of his desyre / that is to that ende for whome he brgan / to the whiche he shal neuer come with out parseueraunce / and therfore that his desyre maye be fulfylled / parseuerauÌ„ce is ryght nedeful ¶ I sayd also to the that suche tournen them after dyuers styrrynges / that fall to theÌ„ / other by impugnynge of theyr owne sensualyte within themselfe agaynst the spyryte / or els by tournynge of theyr affeccyons / by vnordynate loue to all creatures without me / or els by vnpasyence of wroÌ„ges that ghey do suffre / other offendes / or of dyuers outwarde batayles / and other whyle by styrrynge chastysynge or vexynge of ghostly enemyes / that they myght brynge them the soner in to shame and confusyoÌ„ / sayenge thus to theÌ„ ¶ The good thynge the whiche thou hase begonne / shall be to the no profyte / for thy synnes and defautes be more than those ¶ This the enemy dothe / for he sholde leue of / cees of suche vertues and desyres / that he hathe begonne ¶ Otherwyse also he teÌ„pteth hym with to moche delyte and delectacyon of his good dedes / that is with the hope that he receyueth of my mercy / sayenge thus to hym ¶ Why wyll thou laboure and vexe thyselfe / be glad and ioyfull in this lyfe / thynkynge that at the last thou shall haue mercy ¶ In this wyse and in many other sotell dyuers maners of temptacyons wretchydly they gone abacke / and in no wyse they ben parseuerauÌ„t and stydfast ¶ And the cause of al this is nothyÌ„ge elles / but that the roote of her owne propre loue is not fully put awaye ¶ And therfore they ben not stable and abydyÌ„ge / but with ryght grete presumpcyon they receyuen mercy by the hope that theyr enemy hathe put them in ¶ Not for they sholde worthely receyue my mercy / but that vncuÌ„nyngly as presumptuous people they shold trust therin / the whiche mercy is euery day offended by theÌ„ ¶ I gyue not my mercy to theÌ„ / they for to offende it by presumpcyoÌ„ / but bycause they sholden defende them therby fro wycked desyres of fendes fro the mysruled and dysordynate confusyon / and shame of the soule ¶ But they done the contrary / for with the arme of my mercy / they offenden me / and that is bycause they vse not / nor haue not in excersyce / theyr fyrst
that fende speketh by theyr tongues / for to let deuoute prayers ¶ Of all these dysceytes she sholde set no store / but contynu in deuoute prayers / and ouerpasse suche dysceytes / by vertu of parseuerauÌ„ce ¶ O how swete is it to suche a soule and how plesaunte and lykynge to me / holy prayer excersysed in the hose of her owne knowlege / and also in the knowlege of me / openyÌ„ge the eye of vnderstondynge / with the lyght of very feythe / with the habuÌ„daunte affeccyon of my pure charyte / the whiche charyte is made to you vysyble of my vysyble onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / whan he made it opeÌ„ in his blode / the which blode maketh a soule ghostly drunke / and arayeth it ryally with the fyre of dyuyne charyte / and gyueth to her the blyssed ghostly meet of the sacrament of the auter / the whiche is kepte for the tresoure of oure moder the holy chyrche / for to be mynystred to you by the hondes of a preest my vyker / the whiche kepeth the kaye of the same blessyd body flesshe blode of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu very god and very man ¶ This blessyd ghostly mete is ryghte comfortable to a deuoute receyuer after the gretenesse of his desyre in what wyse that euer he receyue it / whether it be sacramentally or vertuously ¶ He taketh it sacramentally whan he receyueth the blessyd hoste of the auter / and he receyueth it vertuously and ghostly that taketh it by desyre / hauyÌ„ge mynde of that blessyd blode whiche was shed for the rauÌ„some of maÌ„kyÌ„de ¶ Suche one is ghostly drunke with the mystery of that sacrameÌ„t / and also it is brenned fulfylled with holy desyre / with the charyte bothe of me and also of his neyghbour ¶ Where getteth a soule this ¶ Truly f the house of his owne knowlege / and with ryght deuoute prayer / in the whiche she hathe lost her imparfeccyon / lyke as the dyscyples and Peter loste theyr imparfeyccyon abydynge and stondynge wtinforthe in deuoute prayer and holy wakynge and wanne the parfeccyoÌ„ ¶ Wherwith trowes thou ¶ Truly with parseuerauÌ„ce knyte with holy feythe ¶ Neuerthelesse vnderstonde not so / that a soule wynneth onely suche brennynge of loue by longe vocall prayer / as many soules vsen / whose prayer is rather in wordes than in affeccyon / the whiche setten theyr entent to nothynge elles / but to say many psalmes and many pater nosters / and whan they haue fulfylled the nombre sette / they thyÌ„ke thaÌ„ they haue done ynoughe ¶ It semeth that al suche setten theyr entent and theyr affeccyon onely in vocal prayer / and so sholde they not do / for yf they do in no other wyse / they wynne full lytle fruyte / and to me all sothe it is but lytle worthe ¶ Now thou askes me paraueÌ„ture and sayes / sholde therfore suche vocall prayer be lefte / syth it is so that all be not able to meÌ„tall prayer ¶ To this I answere and say naye / for I knowe well lyke as a soule is fyrste vnparfyte soner than it be parfyte / lykewyse her prayer is fyrst vnparfyte ¶ She shold also eschewe ydlenesse / thoughe she be parfyte vse vocall prayers / that is whaÌ„ she speketh or prayeth so / she sholde enforce her in all her myght for to reyse vp herselfe ghostly into mentall affeccyon / with generall consyderacyon of her synnes / in the mynde of my blessyd sone Ihesu / wher is fouÌ„de largenesse of my charyte / and remyssyon of synnes / and that muste be done in this wyse / that as ofte as she consydereth herselfe bothe in generall in comune wyse her owne defautes / so oft she must iwardely knowe my excellent goodnes / and so procede in ghostly excersyce with very mekenesse ¶ I wyll not that she thyÌ„ke vpon her synnes ê‘tyculerly and specyally / but generally / lest the soule be fyled by mynde of suche fylthy partyculer synnes ¶ I sayde also the I wolde that she had nother coÌ„syderacyon of her synnes in in generall / nor in specyall / wtout consyderacyon and mynde of the bloode shedde by my sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste / and of my large mercy lest she fall into dyspayre / for yf the knowlege of her and consyderacyoÌ„ of her sysies were not medled with the mynde of the bytter passyon of my sone Ihesu / and also of my mercy / often tymes she sholde dwell styll in that shame and confusyon / and so to go to endeles dampnacyon with the same confusyon / and with that fende that hathe so lad her vnder the colour of contrycyon / and very dysplesauÌ„ce of her synnes ¶ This is one of the moste sotell dysceytes that the wycked fende sheweth to my seruauntes / and therfore for your profyte / and that ye myght eschewe the dysceyte of the wycked fende / and that ye maye be ryghte plesaunte to me / ye muste alwaye sprede oute youre hertes abrode to affeccyon besyre with very mekenesse in to the see of my greate myghty mercy / for thou knowes well the pryde of the fende maye not suffre a meke soule / nor his confusyon and shame may not suffre the brede and the largenesse of my goodnesse and mercy / wherin suche a meke soule hopeth feythefully and truly / therfore thou dyd well / and as my wyll was that thou sholde do / whaÌ„ thou dyd auoyde the fro that fende / whiche was aboute to throwe that downe by confusyon and shame / sayenge to the that thy lyuynge was nothynge plesynge to me / that nor thou folowed nor vertuous lyuynge after my entent and after my wyll the whiche wyll is not hydde fro hym that desyreth to haue it and lyue ther after ¶ And bycause that lyfte vp thyselfe in to my mercy sayde thus with mekenesse / I knowlege to my maker / that euer vnto this tyme I haue lyued in derkenesse / so lad my lyfe / but yet I shall hyde me in the swete blessyd wouÌ„des of my lorde Ihesu / wasshe me in his blode / so shall I waste awaye my wyckednesse / ioye iÌ„ my maker / and than thou knowes well the fende fledde fro the / neuertheles he came yet efte sones to the with an other sotel temptacyon that is he was aboute to reyse the on hyghe by pryde sayenge thus to the beholde thou arte parfyte / and god is well plesed with the / now the nedeth no more to wayle for thy synÌ„es ¶ ThaÌ„ by the lyghte of my grace / thou went in the waye of mekenesse / whaÌ„ thou an swered to that fende thus ¶ O what wretche am I / seynt IohnÌ„ baptyst synned neuer / and was halowed in his moders wombe / and yet lyued in ryghte greate penaunce / and I the moste wretched of all lyuynge / haue done ryghte greate synnes / and yet neuer began to knowe with very contrycyon waylynge what god
but now take hede the loue of this meane techeth more / for it maketh hym proue whether he loueth me / and that meane whiche I haue gyuen hym ê‘fytely or not / also I gaue hyÌ„ that meane for to proue hym / for to gyue hym cause and mater for to knowe hymselfe / for yf he knewe not hymselfe the whiche is within hym the whiche is myne / he sholde neuer please hym nor dysplease hym / and yet not withstoÌ„dyÌ„ge this knowlege of hymselfe / he is vnê‘arfyte it is no woÌ„der for beynge of that vnaÌ„fyte loue which he hath to me / he must nedes bevnê‘fyte / for he loueth me by meane of a reasonable creature whiche is vnê‘fyte / but ê‘arfyte charyte of neyghbourheed cometh of my ê‘fyte charyte / not my charyte fro them / but with the same ê‘fyte meane wher with he loueth me he sholdè loue creatures / yf he wyll auoyde imparfeccyoÌ„ ¶ But how shall this be knowe by suche a meane ¶ In many thyÌ„ges / for yf he wyll open the eye of his intelleccyon / than shall no tyme passe / but that he shall bothe se it proue it / and for bycause I haue shewed that in party this in another place / therfore a lytell more shall I tell the there of nowe ¶ Se whan that he loueth a creature with synguler loue as it is sayde to the before by processe of tyme he shall se well that the delectacyon of that loue shall be mynyshed / and also ghostly coÌ„fortes as he was wonte to haue of the same creature and other suche mo / or els yf it seme to hym that the creature hathe more and ofter conuersacyon with other creatures than with hym / he feleth than a peyne / whiche peyne maketh hym to enter iÌ„ to hymselfe knowe hymselfe / and than yf he wyll walke and go with the lyghte of my prouydence as he sholde / thaÌ„ shall he loue more parfytely the meane than euer he dyd / for with knowlege of hymselfe and hate that he hathe in his owne proper sensualyte / he auoydeth imparferccyon and gothe with parfeccy on / and whan he is thus parfyte / he shal loue creatures with more purer specyall loue thaÌ„ euer he dyd before ¶ Lo thus I haue shewed my good nesse by prouydence of suche a meane / whiche meane I make hym to vse with hate of hymselfe / and loue of vertu iÌ„ this way of pylgrymage / but he muste well be ware that in the felynge of the peynes of the loue of creatures lyke as it is rehersed before he brynge not hymselfe in to confusyon and tedyosyte of the soule / and in to heuynes of herte / for the were pereylous / for so that thyÌ„ge whiche I haue ordeyned for hyÌ„ to lyfe / myght tourne hyÌ„ to dethe / therfore so shold he not do / but with good besynesse ghostely excercyse / and mekely holdynge hyÌ„selfe vnworthy for to haue suche comforte as he hathe desyred / and so shall he se that vertu by the whiche suche creatures sholde be loued is not lessed nor mynyshed in hym / for than he shall fele that with honger and desyre he wyll suffer all maner peyne / of what syde that euer it cometh / for the glory and laude of my name ¶ In this wyse he shal fulsyl my wyll / receyuynge in hymselfe fruyte of ê‘feccyon / wherby I haue suffered trybulacyon / and that meane and suche other that he sholde come to the lyghte of parfeccyoÌ„ ¶ Thus in suche wyses I vse my prouydeÌ„ce in vnparfyte men / and yet in many moo wyses in so many that I knowe well thy tonge is not suffycyent to tell theÌ„ ¶ Of the prouydeÌ„ce whiche god vseth ordeyneth for theÌ„ that be iÌ„ parfyte loue charyte NOw shall I tell the of parfyte folke how I prouyded for them in kepynge of them and prouynge theyr parfeccyon / that they maye alwaye encrese and growe in vertu / for there is none in this lyfe so ê‘fyte / but that he maye encrese in this lyfe to more parfeccyon / ymonge all other I kepe that forme after the wordes whiche my sonefast sone sayde / whiche be these Ogo suÌ„ vitis vera c. I am a trewe vyne he sayd / my fader is a tyller / ye be the brauÌ„ches / he that dwelleth in that very vyne whiche cometh out fro me the fader suynge his doctryne / he hathe fruyte / that youre fcuyte maye growe encrese be parfyte / I water you as braunches of the same vyne / and gyue you to drynke many trybulacyons / that is with wronges / derysyons / shames / repreues / sclaunders / bothe with worde with dede / also with honger and with thyrste / as it is lykynge to my goodnes for to gyue to you / and as eche of you is able for to bere / for trybulacyon is a token that shewteth parfyte charyte of the soule / also the imparfeccyon of the soule / whan it tasted with iniuryes / wronges and labours / whiche I suffer for to come to my seruauntes pasyence is proued and the fyre of charyte encreaseth groweth in that soule by compassyon / that it hathe to that soule whiche dothe hym the wroÌ„ge / for he soroweth more for the offeÌ„ce whiche he dothe to me / and also for the hurtynge of his owne soule / thaÌ„ for his owne iniury ¶ Thus do they that be in greate parfeccyon / and so they encrese / and therfore to them I suffer these wronges and suche other / but I leue to them a maner of pryckyÌ„ge of the helthe of soules in suche wyse that bothe daye and nyghte they knocke at the gate of my mercy for them that done them wronge / so ferforthe that they forgoten them selfe as I haue tolde the before in the state of parfyte soules and the more they forsake theÌ„selfe / the rather they fynde me ¶ But where fynde they me ¶ Certayne iÌ„ my sothefast sone Ihesu / goynge ê‘fytely in his swete doctryne / they haue redde in that swete and gloryous boke his doctryne / by redynge they haue founde / that he was euer well wyllynge to fulfyl my obedyeÌ„ce / and for to showe howmoche he loued my worshyppe and mankynde / he ranne vnder my obedyence with peyne and reprefe vnto the table of the holy crosse / where he ordeyned meet for mankynde with his peyne / and so with his sufferauÌ„ce with the meane of maÌ„kynde / he shewed to me how moche he loued my worshyp / and therfore I saye that these well byloued chyldren that be come to parfyte state with parseuerauÌ„ce / with whiche and contynuall prayer shewed to me / that in truthe sothefastenes they loue me / the also they haue well studyed that same doctryne of my sone / folowynge the same with peyne labour whiche they bere for helthe of theyr euen crysten / for they fyÌ„de none