benefytes whiche benefytes she brygeth / gadereth them ofte in her mynde with thaÌ„kynges / tyll she haue sauour / and parfyte knowlege of the plentuous goodnes of god in herselfe ¶ Ryght as a best ofteÌ„tymes cheweth his meet to haue sauour therin So the soule gadereth to his mynde my benefytes / and the knowynge of hym selfe ¶ And whan this knowynge is fouÌ„de by a spyryte of mekenes / he yeldeth al to me / knowynge that with a synguler grace I haue lad hym out of derkenes / and called hyÌ„ agayne to the lyght of very knowlege ¶ And whan my goodnes is knowen / the soule loueth it / bothe with meane / without meane That is to saye wtout meane of it selfe / or of his propre profyte / and with meane of vertu / whiche he conceyued of my loue / for he seeth well But he haue synne in hate / vertu in loue / he shoulde not be accepted of me / in none otherwyse ¶ But yf he hate synne / loue vertu / he shoulde not be to me louynge and kynde ¶ After tyme he hathe conceyued this knowynge of my goodnes / by affeccyon of my loue / anone he sheweth it to his neyghbour / or elles that he hath coÌ„ceyued / were no vertu But for asmoche as he loueth me iÌ„ sothefastnes / so he profyteth his neyghbour / or elles he shoulde not proryte his neyghbour For my loue / and the loue of thy neyghbour / ben all one ¶ And the more that a soule loueth me / somoche more he loueth his neyghbour For he hathe suche loue to his neyghbour / as cometh fro me And that is that I haue put to you a meane / that you haue experyence of vertues togyders / and preue vertues iÌ„ you For you shoulde do profyte to your neyghbour / whaÌ„ ye maye not do to me that ê“fyte And that sheweth well / that you haue me in your soule by grace / bryngynge fruyte in your neyghbour / your excercyse iÌ„ many holy prayers / and in holy and amyable desyres / onely sekynge my worshyp / and helthe of soules ¶ A soule that is enflammed with my sothefastnes whiche sothefastnes / sholde beloued of all creatures in generall And in specyall more or lesse / sholde neuer cease to profyte al creatures / after eche mannes dysposycyoÌ„ / as he that prayÌ„eth / asketh of me by a breÌ„nyÌ„ge desyre / as it is expressed before / where it is declared that bodyly payne onely / it is not suffycyent to punesshe synne / without a greate desyre ¶ Than afterwarde that he hathe ê“fyted to eche creature / after eche mannes dysposycyon / for the vnyon of loue / whiche he hathe made in me / gyuynge helpe comforte to the helthe of all the worlde / with his affeccyon desyre / whiche he hathe spredde so brode Than he forseth hyÌ„ fyrst to beholde his owne necessytes ghostly / that is whaÌ„ he profyteth fyrst to hymselfe / by coÌ„ceyuyÌ„ge of vertues / by whiche vertues he hathe drawen to hym grace to se to put his eye partyculerly to the necessytes / or nedes of his neyghbours ¶ Therfore whaÌ„ he hathe done thus generally / to eche creature / by the desyre of charyte / than at the laste he helpeth theÌ„ that ben nyghe to hym / to encrease them in vertues / after the nombre of dyuers graces / whiche I haue gyuen to hym / ordeyned to hyÌ„ to departe ¶ For to some maÌ„ I grauÌ„te the vertu of doctryne / to gyue counsayle to his neyghboure / by reason of worde / wtout ony other mannes techynge ¶ To some man I grauÌ„te gyue example of good lyuynge Eche maÌ„ oweth to gyue edyfycacyoÌ„ of good honest lyuynge to his neyghbour ¶ These ben the vertues and many mo / whiche thou caÌ„ not nombre / whiche comen of mannes loue to his neyghboure / and I haue put them so dyuersly in man / for I haue not gyuen all vertues to one man alone / I gyue some man one vertu / to some an other / to an other partyculerly Not withstondynge that a man maye not haue one parfytely / but he haue all other vertues / for all vertues ben knyte togyder / but I gyue many vertues specyally / as for the chefe and heed of all other vertues / that is to saye Pryncypally I graunte the vertu of charyte to some maÌ„ Also to some the vertu of ryghtwysnesse / to some maÌ„ mekenes / to some maÌ„ ful saythe and to other dyuersly the vertu of prudence / teÌ„poraunce / pasyence / to some the gyfte of streynghe These vertues I shall gyue to many creatures / dyffcreÌ„tly in a maÌ„nes soule / all be it that these vertues ben put for a pryncypalyte of vertues in a soule / more dysposed or better to the pryncypall conuersacyon with the vertu / than with other vertues / of this / by desyre of that vertu / he draweth to hyÌ„ other vertues For as it is sayde before / throwe the desyre of charyte / al vertues beÌ„ knytte togyder ¶ And so many gyftes graces of vertues ben dyuersly departed / bothe bodyly and ghostly I saye bodyly / for necessary thynges bodyly / whiche a maÌ„ nedeth in this lyfe I haue gyueÌ„ all thynges so dyfferently / or so dyuersly / for I gaue not all vertues to one man / that by compulsyon ye sholde haue cause to vse charyte / eche to other I myght well haue endowed men after the body the soule / with all thyÌ„ges that to theÌ„ beloÌ„ge / but I wolde that one sholde haue nede of an other / and that they sholden be my dyspensers and seruauntes / to gyue to deale forthe the gyftes the graces whiche they haue receyued by my goodnes For a man wyll he or not / he maye not auoyde nor eschewe / but that he shal vse the dede of charyte with his neyghboure Neuerthelesse sothe it is / yf suche a dede that semeth in charyte be not done in me / nor for me / it profyteth not hym that dothe it / as to the encrease of grace ¶ Also doughter beholde and se / that I haue ordeyned meÌ„ my mynystres / to that entent that the vertues of charyte sholden be vsed togyders amonge them / I haue set theÌ„ in dyuers states degrees / the scrypture sheweth you well / where I sayd In domo mea maÌ„siones multe sunt That is to saye In my house there beÌ„ many dwellyÌ„ge places / I wyll no other thyÌ„ge but loue For in the loue of me / the loue of thy neyghbour is fulfylled ended / whaÌ„ the loue of a mannes neyghbour is fulfylled / the lawe of god is ended Wherfore he that is ioyned / or knytte / or oned iÌ„ loue to god / he worketh / or dothe that he maye to that profyte of his neyghbour / after his degre state ¶ How vertues ben preued / streÌ„ghed of
tast fele here in this lyfe tokens of hell peynes / as my seruaūtes in the contrary do begynne here to sele and sauour the tokyns and sykernes of euerlastȳ lyfe ¶ Knowes thou not doughter that it is a ful synguler and a greate good and rewarde / whiche the blyssed company in heuē haue ¶ It is theyr ful wyll to haue his wyll / whom they desyre loue / they couet me / and for that they couet me / they haue me / and sauour me without ony rebellyon or withstondynge / for they haue lefte of and forsaken the heuynesse of the body / whiche was a wycked lawe of the flesshe / whiche stryued agaynst the spyryte ¶ The body was a meane to man / whiche body wolde not suffre hym to knowe the sothefastnes and that they myght not se me face to face / that myght not be / for the body dyd let them fro that syght ¶ After that that the soule hathe forsake the greuous heuynesse of the body / than is his wyl fulfylled ¶ For whā he desyreth me / he seeth me / ī whose syght abydeth al your blys ¶ Whā the soule seeth he knoweth / whan he knoweth he loueth ¶ Whan he loueth me most souerayne and euer lastynge goodnesse / than he tasteth and sauoureth me ¶ Whan he tasteth / he fulfylleth his wyl that is to saye his desyre that he hathe to knowe and beholde me / and ī the desyre he hathe me / and whan he hathe me / he desyreth me ¶ And as I sayd before / peyne is fer fro that desyre / werynes is fer fro replecyon ¶ Also thou sees that my seruauntes pryncypally sholde receyue theyr blysse in knowynge of me / and ī the syght of me / whiche syght and knowynge of of them / fulfylleth the wyll of them in all thynges ¶ And what the wyl desyreth / it hathe / and so it is pleynly fulfylled / therfore I sayde to the / that syngulerly to tast and sauoure euerlastynge lyfe / was that whiche the wyll desyreth to haue ¶ But yet thou shall knowe / that whā that soule seeth me and knoweth me / it is fulfylled ¶ And in this lyfe as I sayd he receyueth as for a rewarde a sykernesse of euerlastynge lyfe / begynnynge here ī a maner to sauour and tast / that they sholde haue after in full replecyō without ende ¶ But here thou askes how a soule maye fele a sykernesse in this lyfe / I tell the it is in the syght of my goodnesse in hym / and in the knowlegynge and knowynge of my sothefastnes / whiche knowȳge the bryght clere intelleccyon he hathe in me / whiche intelleccyō is that eye of the soule ¶ This eye hathe a lytle blacke in the eye / whiche gyueth syght of holy feythe / whiche lyght of the feythe / maketh a soule to knowe to folowe the waye the doctryne of my sothefastnesse / that is of my sone incarnate / wtout this clere syght of feythe / that waye and doctryne is not seen / but as a man seeth that hathe onely the forme of an eye / not the syght / a cloude couereth that lytle blacke whiche gyueth lyghte to the eye ¶ For that lytle blacke of of the intellectual eye / whiche gyueth clere syght / is the holy feythe whiche blacke whā a cloude of vntruthe or of mysbyleue is cast ther vpon / it seeth ryght nought / whiche cloude of mysbyleue cometh of a mannes owne propre loue / and sothe it is / it seeth not / for it hathe a lykenes and forme of an eye / but it hath no lyght ¶ For throwe his owne propre loue he hathe take fro hȳselfe / his owne propre lyght ¶ Thou sees also that in the syght of the intellectuall eye / they haue knowynge / whan they knowe / they loue / and whan they loue / they leue and forsake theyr propre wyll ¶ And whā they put theyr owne wyll / than they take my wyl / whiche desyre not but your satysfaccyon ¶ Suche that forsake theyr owne wyll / they gone away myghtly / fro the party of the lower waye / and begynne to ascende vp by the brydge / gone vpō thornes ¶ And for theyr feet that is to say theyr affeccyons ben accordynge with my wyll / therfore the thornes do them no harme ¶ Therfore I tolde the that they dyd suffre peyne bodyly / but no peyne to theyr soule / for theyr sencyble wyll is deed / whiche bryngeth causeth the peyne / and tourmenteth the soule of a creature ¶ And whan that sencyble wyll is voyded / thā is that peyne auoyded ¶ And more ouer they bere all thynges and do suffre with grete reuerēce / take it to a grete grace / for my name to be troubled / and they desyre nothynge / but that I wyll ¶ Yf I suffre them to haue ony peyne throwe temptacyon of the fende to preue vertu in them / as I sayd before / they make resystens with a good wyll / whiche wyll they haue made stronge and myghty in me / haue meked loued thēselfe ¶ And with pease rest of soule / they thȳke thēselfe vnworthy ony grace or rest demynge themselfe worthy to haue manyfolde peynes / and so withoute ony peyne / or dysease / they passe out of this worlde / with a full knowynge of themselfe / and with an inwarde ghostly ioye ¶ And this shall be / wheder they be troubled of the fende / or wheder sekenesse tourment them or pouerte / or ony promocyō of state in the worlde / or dethe of chyldren / or of frēdes / whiche bē al ful sharpe thornes / the whiche the erthe brought forthe for synne ¶ And al these thornes they do suffre ryght pacyently and full benyngely / with the clere lyght of reason / and lyght of the holy feythe / beholdynge me most soue rayne goodnesse ¶ For I maye nothynge desyre but all good / yf passyons penes I sende to thē it is not for hatered / but for a faderly loue ¶ After tyme they haue knowen a parfyte loue ī me / anone they come agayne to thēselfe / knowynge theyr owne defautes ¶ And than they seen with the lyghte of feythe / that al goodnesse shall be rewarded / synne shal be punysshed / and a lytle synne contynued / shall haue an infynyte peyne / for it was done agaynst me / the whiche am infynyte goodnesse ¶ Also by the lyght of this feythe / they take it for a specyall grace / that I wyll amēde thē punesshe thē here in this lyfe / and in this tyme that shall haue ende ¶ So they reken theyr synnes togyder / as they purchase meryte / with contrycyon of herte / or with parfyte pasyence / they ben rewarded with good without ende for theyr laboures ¶ And yet they knowe well / that all the trauayle of this shorte lyfe is full lytle ¶ The tyme onely
your helth ¶ Ryght so a blessyd soule by departynge fro the body endeth peyne / but the charpta ble desyre of soule helth endeth neuer ¶ For yf that my affeccyon of charyte / the whiche I shewed to you by meane of hym / had thā be ended agaynste you ye sholde neuer be in asmoche as ye be made of loue / yf the loue were withdrawe fro me that I sholde not loue ye sholde neuer be / but my loue hathe made you / my loue hathe kepte you cōserued you ¶ And so my onely sothefaste sone ended ī his passyon peyne of desyre / but neuer loue of desyre ¶ Thus loserth a soule in blysse / that euery seynt euery soule that is in blysse / is there without peyne of desyre of helthe of soules / for the peyne ended in her departynge fro the body / but she is not there without affeccyon of charyte ¶ For whā suche a soule departeth fro the body / she passeth out ghostly drunke in the blode of my onely sothefast sone that vndefowled lambe / and so bathed in his blode / and arayed with the cote of chary te of neygh bourheed / entreth ī me that am the pease able se ¶ And than for euer suche a soule is departed fro mpatfeccyon / that is fro vnfulfyllyngenesse / and come to parfeccyon fullylled with al good / the whiche good she vseth ende lesly ¶ And here it shall be shewed how that seynt Paule after tyme he was assumpte and take to the gloty of them that be in blysse / he coueted to be vnbounde and vnlosed fro the body / and so do they the whiche be come to the thyrde and the fourthe state before sayd O Hat lame good Paule sauoured and tasted / whan I rauyshed hym to the thyrde heuē that is to the heyghte of the trynyte by the whiche tastynge he knewe the sothefastnesse therof / where he receyued fully my spyryte / and lerned verely and truly the doctryne of my onely sothefalt sone IIhesu cryst crucyfyed / and the soule of hym was oned by ryghte that tyme to me the fader by selynge / and arayed with the shynynge clerenesse or the blessyd endeles lyfe / saue that his soule was not departed fro the vody / but onely by felynge and vnycyon ¶ It plesed and lyked me tyght well / for to take vp and rauysshe suche a chosen vessel / bycause he sholde beholde and se in to the depenesse of my ende lesse trynyte / there for to lerne to suffre for my name by inspeccyō of my onely fothefaste sone Thesu cryste crucysyed / the whiche suffred ryght sharpe flagellacyōs with many byt ter peynes for the saluacyon of man kynde / by the whiche bytter passyon he was lerned and taught for to say as he sayde / whan the he sayde thus ¶ Lorde what wyll thou that I shall do / tell me what I shal do / and that tyght gladly wyll I do ¶ Than I taughte hym whan I putte before the eye of his intelleccyon / the passy on of my sothefast sone Ihesu cryst / endowynge hym with the doctryne of my truthe and yllumynynge hȳ with the lyghte of very knowlege / by the whiche very knowlege / he amended hym of his lyuynge / and so grounded in very charyte / aryde hym with the very doctryne of my sones passyon / and that doctryne of the passyō he kepte so truly / that as he sayde hymselfe it went neuer fro his backe / nother by temptacyon of fendes / nor by pryckynge of his flesshe / the whiche oft tymes ipugned hym / the whthe I suffred hym to haue for my goodnesse / that he sholde encrese in grace / in mede / and also in mekenesse ¶ This clothe of crystes passyon after the tyme that Paule hadde tasted the very depenenesse of the holy trynyte / myght neuer be take frome hym / nother by temptacyons nor trybuiacyōs / but he kepteit so streyte to hym / that he dydde lose his bodyly lyfe therfore ¶ In this wyse the holy doctoure seynt Paule knewe the experyence what it was for to taste me without greuaunce of the body / not by separacyon fro the body / but by felynge of oncheed ¶ Therfore whā he was come to hymselfe so arayed with the clothe of crystes passyō / hym semed that his loue was inparfyte / consyderynge the inparfeccyon of loue / the whiche he tasted in me aboue lyght the whiche loue seyntes departed fro the body / dyd tast euerlastȳgely ¶ Wherfore hȳ semed that the ponderosyte of the body rebelled agaynst hym / and letted the greate parfeccyon of endelesse plentuous desyre or loue / the whiche after departynge fro the body a chosen soule feleth tasteth ¶ His mynde also was as hym thoughte vnparfyte and feble the whiche inparfeecyon and feble the whiche inparfeccyon and feblenesse letted hym for to haue fresshe remembraunce of that he hadde tasted before in truthe with parfeccyon / as seyntes receyuen of me in heuen ¶ So that al thynges as hym semed as longe as he abode in the body / were to hym a contrary lawe / the whiche inpugned and rebelled agaynste the lpyryte ¶ Not onely by inpugnacyon of sytme / for as I haue sayde to the / I made hym syket that he sholde not fall / excepte the he wolde wylfully worke agaynste grace / for I sayd to hȳ thus / Paule my grace is suffycyent to the / for to kepe the frome fallynge yf thou wyll bucdy suche inpugnacyon / that is lettynge parfeccyon of the spyryte to se me / in my owne effencyall beynge / the whiche syghte was lette by greuous ponderosyte and contrary lawe of the body / and therfore he gemented / with greate wemytacyon he cryed thus Infelix ego homo c. That is to say ¶ O wretched man that I am / who shal departe me fro this deedly body / the whiche I bere aboute ¶ I se an other lawe in the outewarde felynge of my body / the whiche repugneth the inwarde lawe of my soule / and ledeth me in to the lawe of synne / the whiche lawe is belefte in my bodyly sencyble wyttes ¶ And thus in sothe it is / that the mynde is inpugnynge of the inparfeccyon of the body ¶ The intelleccyon is also letted and bounde of the greuous pōderosyte of the body / bycause it may not se me ī my effncyall bynge as I am ¶ And the wyll is also bounde / bycause it maye attayne not for to tast me endelesse good with the greuous heuynesse of the body / but with greate peyne / as I haue tolde the before ¶ And so seynt Paule sayde truthe / whan he sayde thus / Ileus my bodyly lymmes a straūge lawe repugnynge the inwarde telynge of the soule ¶ Thus in the same wyse all my specyall seruauntes the whiche be come to the thyrde and to the fourthe state or gree of parfyte vnyon / all they do saye as seynt Paule sayde /
neyghboure for my name ¶ Also in the coÌ„trary wyse eche faute is done by some meane of a maÌ„nes neyghbour ¶ For he that loueth not me / he is not in charyte with his neyghbour / of this cometh al euylles wyckednesse / bycause the soule lacketh charyte / and hathe no loue to me nor to his neyghbour / in that he worketh no good / he dothe euyll fyrst to hyÌ„selfe / to his neyghbour / not to me / for he may not harme me / but for asmoche as I take it done to me / that is done to the neyghbour / therfore he harmeth hyÌ„selfe by the peryll of synne / whiche synne pryueth hym of grace / so he maye be no worse to hymselfe ¶ He offendeth his neyghbour whaÌ„ he yeldeth not dewe loue and affeccyon to his neyghbour / wherwith he sholde helpe hym That is to saye / with deuoute prayers holy desyres / whiche he sholde offre before me for his neyghbour ¶ This that I haue sayde nowe is the generall helpe coÌ„forte / whiche sholde be gyuen to eche reasonable creature ¶ Forthermore a partyculer ê“fyte is the / whiche is done to theÌ„ that ben nyghe to thy syghte / for ye be bounde the one to helpe the other in worde and good workyÌ„ge and in ensample gyuynge / and in all thyÌ„ges that the behoueth purely and clerely / and gyuynge counsayle as a maÌ„ wolde do to hymselfe / without ony passyon ¶ This dothe not he that hath no loue to his neyghbour Also thou sees well that he whiche dothe not so dothe his neyghbour a partyculer harme / and not onely iÌ„ that he harmeth hym / for asmoche as he dothe hym not the good that he myght / but coÌ„tynually harmeth hym / and that is in this maner / he dothe synne bothe actually in dede wylfully / or mayn tayneth it in the soule ¶ Synne is done myghtly inwardely in the soule / whaÌ„ a man conceyueth a pleasauÌ„ce in the soule of synne / an hate of vertue / whiche cometh of his propre sencyble loue / whiche loue hathe pryued hym the affeccyon of charyte / whiche charyte he oweth to yelde to me and to his neyghbour / and after he hathe conceyued / thus by meyntenynge / thaÌ„ bryngeth he forthe one thynge after another on his neyghbour / by dyuers maners as it pleaseth and lyketh his wycked sencyble wyll ¶ SoÌ„tyme he bryÌ„geth forthe bereth a cruelte generally petty culerly Generally whaÌ„ he seeth hyÌ„selfe and other creatures in perel of dethe damnacyoÌ„ for lacke of grace And therew t he is so cruell that for loue of vyces / for hate of vertues / he gyueth no coÌ„forte to hyÌ„self nor other but as a louer of cruelte / he streÌ„gheth more more his cruelte / that is to saye / not onely he sheweth no vertuouslyuyÌ„ge / but wyckedly takynge on hym the offyce offendes / withdraweth hymselfe and other fro vertues / and with al his myght he bryÌ„geth other creatures to vyces / this is the offyce of a wycked cruelte / for he maketh hymselfe an able instrument / to the pryuynge of euerlastyÌ„ge lyfe / to the gyuynge of euerlastynge dethe He vseth this bodyly cruelte with concupyscence / for not onely that he helpeth not his neyghbour / of of his owne good / but turmentyÌ„ge poore ê‘sones / takynge awaye theyr good Sometyme by extorcyon / or lordeshyp / sometyme by fraude / begylynge / or with dysceyte They raunsome them and take of theyr good theyr bodyes / whiche is moche worse ¶ O thou wretched cruelte / saythe oure lorde / thou shall be pryued of my mercy / but thou tourne agayne to venyuolence pyte with thy neyghbour Also sometyme this pleasauce of synne / and hatered of vertu / bryÌ„geth sory / wycked / and wrongefull wordes / wherewith ful ofte cometh â—â—â—slaughter And sometyme beestly dyshoneste / full of all fylthes / and stynkyÌ„ge wretchednesse / whiche vehemeth not onely one or two / but al those that cleueth tâ— hyÌ„ / draweth to hym by loue or by conuersacyon / be corrupted / or venymed ¶ Sometyme suche a man sheweth pryde to his neyghbour onely / in that he holdeth hymselfe in more reputacyon thaÌ„ his neyghbour / by his pryde he purposeth wronge to his neyghbour / dothe hym wronge yf he be a lorde / or a man of greate state / by cruelte or wroÌ„ge / he dysceyueth his neyghboure / and dystroyeth hym ¶ Loke here doughter / take hede what is sayd And fro this tyme forwarde sorowe for the offence that is done to me / wepe fore for suche as ben deed ghostly / that by holy prayers they maye come to lyfe Thou sees that in euery place / what wroÌ„ge is done to the neyghbour / that moche euyll is done to man / by the cause of man / so that a mannes neyghbour is meane to euyll Orels no synÌ„e shoulde be moued at all / pryue / nor aperte ¶ It is pryue / whaÌ„ it is not done to his neyghbour / that is dewe to his neyghbour ¶ It is opeÌ„ / whaÌ„ the vyces ben shewed opeÌ„ly Therfore it is sothe / that eche offence done to me / is by some meanes of a maÌ„nes neyghbour ¶ How that vertues ben wroughte in maÌ„ by some meane of his neyghbour And whiche vertues in maÌ„ ben so dyfferent Now I haue declared to the how al defautes comen by some meane of a mannes neyghbour And the cause is / for they haue no affeccyon of charyte / whiche charyte strengheth all vertues gyueth them lyfe / and coÌ„fyrmeth them in grace And so a maÌ„nes proper loue / whiche taketh the charyte loue of his neyghbour / is fundament grouÌ„de of all euylles ¶ All sclaunders / hatereddes / crueltes / all inconuenyentes / comen forthe of this wycked and venemous rote ¶ This styukyÌ„ge loue deedly hath wounded all the worlde / brought in a sekenes to the pryue body of oure holy moder the chyrche / and to the vnyuersal body of chrysteÌ„ relygyon ¶ For as I sayde to the / al vertues ben fouÌ„ded in a mannes charyte to his neyghbour / that charyte gaue lyfe to al vertues And sothly so it is For there maye no vertu be goteÌ„ with out that charyte That is to saye Vertu maye not begoteÌ„ / yf meryte of vertu maye not be goten ¶ For after tyme / a soule knoweth her self As it is sayde before ThaÌ„ the soule syndeth mekenes / and an hatered of his owne sensyble passyon Knowynge than / that the wycked lawe of the flesshe / how that it is annexed to his meÌ„bres whiche lawe euermore impugneth / and contraryeth the spyryte Therfore the spyryte aryseth agaynst the flesshe / with hate / dyspleasauÌ„ce / of the sensualyte / tredynge her downe / vnder the roote of reason The soule also fyndeth the affluence and the greate pleÌ„te of my goodnes / whan it hathe receyued my
lyghte the whiche I speke of gyueth you lyght and maketh you to go by the waye of truthe / and with that same lyghte ye sholde come to me / that am very endelesse lyghte / and with out that lyght ye maye not come to me that am lyght / but rather to derkenes ¶ These two lyghtes the whiche be dependaunte fro this lyghte / be ful necessary for you to haue / and in these two I shall gyue the the thyrde ¶ The fyrst is / that all ye be ylluniyned / in knowynge of worldely transytory thynges / the whiche ouerpasse as wyÌ„de / but ye may not wel knowe them / vnto the tyme ye knowe fyrst your owne freylte / how slypper it is vnder a coÌ„trarius lawe / the whiche lawe is bounde in your bodyly lymines / rebellynge to me that am youre maker ¶ Neuertheles ther is none constrayned by that lawe for to do that leest synne / but yf he wyll / and yet it impugneth agaynst the spyryte / and I gaue neuer that lawe that my reasonable creature sholde be ouercome therby / but rather it sholde be encreased in vertu / and be preued in the soule by vertu / for vertu is neuer preued but by the contrary ¶ The sensualyte is euer contrary to that spyryte / and therfore iÌ„ that sensualyte / a soule proueth the loue that it hathe in me her maker ¶ Whan proueth she that ¶ Certayne whan with hate dysplesaunce she aryseth agaynst the sensualyte / also I haue gyuen to her suche a lawe coÌ„trary to the spyryte / that she sholde be kepte in very mekenesse / for thou sees well that in makynge of a soule to the ymage lykenesse of me / set in so grete a dygnyte / I haue felyshypped her with a thynge of ryghte lytle valewe / that is gyuen to her by a contrary lawe / byndynge the same lawe with that body that is made of a ryght foule erthe ¶ That iÌ„ beholdyÌ„ge of suche fylthe / she sholde not lyftup her heed agaynst me by pryde ¶ And therfore a frayle body that hathe this lyghte whiche I speke of / hathe cause for to loue her / and not for to enhaunse her by pryde / for therof hathe she no mater / but rather mater of very ê‘fyte mekenesse ¶ Also this contrary lawe constreyneth neuer a creature to synne by no maner inpugnacyon that it sheweth / but rather it gyueth cause for to make you the better to knowe the vnstablenes of this wretched worlde ¶ This sholde se an eye of intellecyon / with the lyght of very feythe / the whiche I sayde to the before / is named the ball of the eye ¶ This is that necessary lyght / the whiche generally is necessary to euery creature that hathe reason / desyreth to take parte of the lyfe of grace / in what euer state that euer he stondeth in / yf he wyll receyue the fruyte of the blode of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu ¶ This is a comune lyghte / that is that euery parsone sholde haue comunely as it is rehersed before and he that hathe it not / he dwelleth in state of dampnacyoÌ„ / and this is the cause why that all those that haue not this lyghte be not in the state of grace / for by waÌ„tyÌ„ge of this lyghte / they maye not knowe the wyckednesse of synne / nor that that thynge whiche is cause of synÌ„e ¶ And therfore it may not eschewe offence / nor hate wycked lyuyÌ„ge ¶ In the same wyse / he that knoweth no good nor cause of good that is vertu / he may neuer loue me nor desyre me that am endeles good / nor he may not know the vertu whiche I gyue as an instrument and mene for to come to the grace of very good ¶ By this thou maye se how necessary this lyght is to you for youre synnes stonden in no other thynge / but in leuyÌ„ge that I hate / and in hauÌ„tyÌ„ge that I loue / I loue vertu and hate vyce / he that loueth vyce and hateth vertu offendeth me / is depryued fro my grace ¶ Suche one gothe forthe as a very blynde man / not knowynge the cause of synne / whiche is his propre sencyble loue / and yet he hath it not / nor he knoweth not vyces nor the euyl that foloweth vyces / nor he knoweth not vertu / nor me that grauÌ„teth hym vertu / the whiche vertu gyueth hym lyfe / nor also the worthy dygnyte of vertu / by the whiche he is conserued fro vyces / cometh to grace ¶ Thus thou maye se that he that knoweth not / is cause of his owne euyll / therfore as I sayd / this lyght is very necessary to you ¶ And nowe moder and systren I haue made an ende of the .iiii. boke / the whiche dothe speke for the most parte of prayers and teres And fyrste how god sheweth a doctryne of the sacrameÌ„t of the auter / as it is rehersed iÌ„ the begynnynge of the fourthe boke / nowe fynyshed / with dyuers maters ¶ The fyfth boke Quinta ¶ The fyrst chapytre of the fyfth ê‘ty speketh of mortyfycacyoÌ„ and fyrst of them that put theyr desyre more to suffre bodyly peyne / than in mortyfycacyon or dystroyenge of theyr owne wyll / whiche is one parfyte lyghte or lyghte of ê‘feccyoÌ„ / more thaÌ„ the generall lyghte / it is the seconde lyght of parfeccyoÌ„ ¶ Also of the thyrde and more parfyte lyghte of reason / and of the werkes that a soule dothe whaÌ„ it is come to that state / and of many maters and dyuers / as it is rehersed shewed to the before in the kalender Ca. i. AFter tyme that a soule is come and hathe goten this generall lyght as I haue rehersed before she sholde not holde her apayde without more / for the whyle ye be in this lyfe as pylgrymes / ye be able for to receyue more for to encrese not forthwarde / ye decrese goyÌ„ge backewarde ¶ Other they sholde encrese in the comune lyghte that they haue goteÌ„ by mene and medyacyon of my grace / orelles they sholden enforce them with all besynesse for to come to the secunde parfyte lyght / and so fro the vnparfyte / for to come to the parfyte / for wtout lyghte / maye none come to parfeccyon ¶ In this seconde parfyte lyghte be two maners of parfeccyoÌ„ / they be parfyte / whiche be rysen fro the comune lyuynge of the worlde ¶ In this parfeccyon be two thynges one is there be some that parfytely chatyse theyr bodyes with ryght greate penaunce and the cause is that theyr sensualyte sholde not rebell agaynst reason / suche haue set all theyr desyre rather in mortyfyenge of the body / than in dystroyenge of theyr owne propre wyl / as I haue tolde the iÌ„ an other place ¶ Al suche sede theÌ„ at the table of penaunce / they be good and parfyte / yf theyr purpose were founde in me with
them ¶ Also how worldely men yeldeÌ„ glory worshyp to god / whyder they wyll or not ¶ Also how the fendes do yelde worshyp to god agaynste theyr wylles ¶ Ca. iiij ALso how a parfyte soule that is passed out of this worlde / seâ—th fully the glory and laude of the name of god in euery creature / and how iÌ„ the soule is a peyne of desyre / no desyre ¶ Also how seynt Paule after tyme he was take to se the glory of them that be in blysse / he coueted to be vnbounde and vnlosed fro the body / and so do they the whiche be come to the thyrde fourthe state / for whiche causes a soule desyreth to be losed fro the body / and thoughe it be not as he coueteth / it contraryeth not the wyll of god / but moche rather it gyueth and yeldeth worshyppes and thankes to almyghty god in that peyne / and iÌ„ euery other peyne for the worshyp of god ¶ How they the whiche be come to the foresayde state of vnyon / be lyghtned in the eye of intelleccyon by grace with a lyghte aboue nature ¶ And how it is better to go to haue counseyle for the soules helthe to a meke man with an holy conscyence / than to a proude lettered man ¶ Also here is a profytable repetycyoÌ„ of many thyÌ„ges / whiche of many thynges be sayde / and how that god induceth this deuoute soule to praye for euery creature / and in generall for all holy chyrche ¶ Ca. v. THe fyfte chapyter of this ê‘te is moche of the state of holy teeres / and fyrste how that this holy soule desyred to knowe of the states and the fruytes of holy teeres ¶ And of the dyfference of the foresayde teeres / aod how that there be fyue maner of teeres ¶ Also a short repetycyon of the mater before / and how that the wycked spyryte fleeth awaye fro them / the whiche come to the fyfte teeres ¶ And how the angers of the fende by a trewe way to come to this state of teeres ¶ Also how that they that desyre to haue teeres of eyen / and maye not haue them / all suche haue teeres of fere ¶ And also for what cause god with draweth bodyly teeres ¶ And how the .iiij. states of the .v. states of teeres gyuen dyuersyte of teeres ¶ And how god wyll be serued with thyÌ„ge that hathe none ende / and not onely with that thynge the whiche hathe an ende ¶ And lso of the fruytes of teeres of worldely men / and how that suche worldely wepers be smytte with foure wyndes ¶ Also how the fruyte of the secunde and the thyrde state of teeres / and of the fruyte of the fourthe the fyfte state of teeres ¶ Also how that this deuoute soule whan that she gaue thankynges to god for the foresayde states of teeres / made thre petycyons to god ¶ Also how the lyght of reason is necessary to a soule that wyll serue god iÌ„ sothfastenesse and truly with the lyghte of grace ¶ The chapytets of the fyfte parte Ca. i. ALso of theÌ„ that put theyr desyre more to suffer bodyly peyne / than in mortyfycacyoÌ„ or in dystryeÌ„ge of theyr owne wylles / whiche is one parfyte lyghte / or a lyghte of parfeccyon / more than that generall lyghte / and it is the secunde lyghte of parfeccyon ¶ Also of the thyrde most parfyte lyghte of reason / and of the workes that a soule dothe whan it is come to that state ¶ Also there is shewed a fayre vysyon whiche this soule hadde / in the whiche vysyoÌ„ is shewed fully of the maner of comyÌ„ge of parfyte purete of the soule ¶ Also by what maner they receyne the ernest of sykernesse of euer lastynge lyfe / in this lyfe suche as abyde in the thyrde lyghte / whiche is the moost ê‘fyte and pure lyghte ¶ Also how oure neyghboure shall be vndernome / that he fall not in to no false domes nor Iudgementes ¶ Also yf a man praye for a parsone / god sheweth in the soule of hym that prayeth / that same soule is full of derkenesse for whom he prayeth / yet this soule shal not be demed nor Iudged amys ¶ Also how bodyly penauÌ„ce shall not be take for a pryncypal fundament / nor for a pryncypall desyre / but desyre and loue of vertues shall be take for a pryncypal fundament ¶ And of a shorte repetycyon of wordes sayde before / with an addycyon of vndernymynge of oure neyghboure ¶ Ca. ij THe secunde chapyter is tokens to knowe whan vysytacyons or ghostly vysyons / come of god oure maker / or of the wycked fende oure enemy ¶ Also how that god is the fulfyller of deuoute and holy desyres of his seruauntes / and how that it pleaseth god moche whan that a man asketh with parseuctauÌ„ce / and that he knocke at the gate or the porte of his sothefastnesse ¶ And how that this deuoute soule meketh her and yeldeth meke thankynges to almyghty god the fader of heueÌ„ / how she prayeth for al the worlde / specyally for holy chyrche / and for her ghostly dyscyples / for her two ghostli faders / afeer this she asketh to here the dedes of the mynysters of holy chyrche ¶ Also how god beholdeth that besynesse of this soule aboute prayer / answereth to some of her petycyoÌ„s ¶ Ca. iij. ALso here god speketh to this soule of the dygnyte of prestes of the sacrament of his holy body / of theÌ„ that receyue the sacrameÌ„t worthyly vnworthyly ¶ Also how all the bodyly wyttes or felyÌ„ges be dysceyued in the foresayd sacrameÌ„t / but not the felynges of the soule / therfore with that felynges or wyttes of the soule / that holy sacrameÌ„t shall be seen / tasted / feled ¶ And here is of a vysyoÌ„ which this deuoute soule had of this same mater ¶ Also of the excellence in the whiche a soule stondeth / that receyueth this sacrament in grace ¶ How the wordes that be sayde of the excelleÌ„ce of that sacrament / be sayde that the dygnyte of prcestes sholde be the better knowe / how god asketh more purete clennesse of body soule / thaÌ„ in other of his creatures ¶ Also how the sacrameÌ„tes sholde nother be boughte nor solde / they that receyue the sacrameÌ„tes sholde helpe the mynysters with theyr teÌ„porall goodes / whiche goodes the mynysters sholde dyspose ordeyne in to thre partes ¶ Ca. iiij THe iiij chapyter speketh in the begynnynge of the dygnyte of precstes / how that vertues of sacrameÌ„tes be not lessed throwe the synnes of them that mynyster / nor throwe the synÌ„es of the receyuer ¶ And how god wyll not that secusers correcke his mynysters ¶ Also how god arecteth the psecucyon that is done to holy chyrche or to that mynysters / as it were done to hymselfe ¶ And how the synne is more greuous / thaÌ„ ony other
synne ¶ Here also god speketh agaynste theÌ„ that do ê‘secucyon to holy chyrche / of that mynysters of holy chyrche in dyuers maners ¶ And a shorte repetycyon of that that is sayde before of holy chyrche / of that mynysters ¶ Of the excellence of vertues / and of the holy workes of vertues holy mynysters / how they haue the coÌ„dycyoÌ„ of the sonÌ„e of the correccyoÌ„s to theyr subiectes ¶ A repetycyon of wordes before ¶ And of the reuerÌ„ece that shall be done to preestes / whyder they be good or bad ¶ And of the dedes wycked lyfe of euyll preestes euyll mynysters ¶ Also how vnryghtwysenes reygneth in bad mynysters / in theÌ„ that correcke not theyr subiectes ¶ Of many other defautes of the foresayde mynysters / specyally of goynge to tauernes / of theyr vayne playes / of holdynge of theyr concubynes ¶ Also how the synne agaynst kynde reygneth in some of the foresayde mynysters / of a fayre vysyon whiche this soule had ¶ Also how subiectes whiche be in the fore sayde defautes ameÌ„de theÌ„ not / of defautes of relygyous ê‘sones / whiche correcke not the foresayde defautes ¶ Also how the synÌ„e of lechery reygneth in euyl mynysters of holy chyrche / also the auaryce reygneth in wycked mynysters in lendynge for vsure / specyally in byenge sellynge benefyces prelaces / of moche euyl that hathe come in holy chyrche for his couetyse ¶ Also how pryde reygneth in the foresayd mynysters / by the whiche pryde the felynge in god is loste / and whan that felynge is a waye / than fall they in to this defaute that is to say suche men faynen them to make consecracyon / and they make none ¶ Also of many other defautes / whiche be in wycked mynysters ¶ And of many other defautes / the whiche come of pryde / and of mannes owne proper loue ¶ Ca. v. OF the dyfference of the dethe of ryghtfull men / and the dethe of greate synfull men / fyrste of the dethe of ryghtfull men ¶ Of the dethe of greate synners / and of of theyr peynes in the ende or poynt of dethe ¶ And a repetycyoÌ„ of moch that is sayd before ¶ And how god forbyddeth that preestes sholde not be touched by the hondes of seculer men ¶ And how god styrreth this soule to praye and to wepe / by compassyoÌ„ of suche myslyuynge prestes ¶ And how this deuoute soule yeldeth thankynges to god and praysynges / and prayeth specyally for al holy chyrche ¶ The chapyters of the syxte parte Ca. i. THe chapyters of the syxte parte treateth moche of the prouydence of god / fyrst of his prouydence generally that is to saye how god prouyded man to be man / and how he formed hym of noughte to his ymage lykenes / and how god prouyded maÌ„ to his saluacyon / with the incarnacyon of his sone / whaÌ„ the gate of paradyse was shutte / for the synne of the fyrste man Adam ¶ And how he prouyded hymselfe / gyuynge hyÌ„selfe contynually to vs / in to meet in the auter ¶ Also how god prouyded to gyue hope in his creatures / and how he that moost parfytely hopeth / moost tasteth the prouydence of god ¶ Also how god in the olde testament prouyded the lawe and the prophecyes / afterwarde he sende his worde by the apostels / martyrs / and by other holy men / and how no thyÌ„ge falleth to creatures / but that it is the ê“uydeÌ„ce of god ¶ Also what that euer god suffereth to be done to vs / it is onely for our good / and for the helthe of oure soules / and they be blynde and dysceyued that deme the contrary ¶ Ca. ij THe secuÌ„de chapyter sheweth how that god prouydeth in some specyall case to that soule that falleth ¶ Also the secunde chapyter of this ê‘te / telleth how god sheweth his prouydeÌ„ce anendes his creatures by dyuers maners how 's he maketh his complaynte of the vntruthe of his creatures / and how he expowneth a fygure of the olde testament / and of a ryght profytable doctryne ¶ How god prouydeth for vs / that we maye haue trybulacyons for the helthe of oure soules / for the mystery of theÌ„ that truste in theÌ„selfe / not in that prouâ—dence of god ¶ And of the extelleÌ„t grace of them that trusten in the ê“uydeÌ„ce of god ¶ How god hathe prouyded for euery soule / gyuynge them the sacramentes for theyr helthe ¶ And how he prouydeth for his seruauntes / the whiche be full hongry and ryght desyrous / whan he ordeyneth them to be fedde with his sones body Ihesu cryste / where he telleth that ofte sythes he prouyded crystes body by a wonder full maner to a soule that was full hongry ¶ Ca. iij. THe thyrde chapyter is of the prouydence of god / anendes them that be abydynge iÌ„ deedly synne / of the prouydence whiche god vseth and ordeyneth for theÌ„ that be in vnparfyte loue / and for them that be in parfyte loue charyte ¶ And a shorte repetycyon of the foresayde wordes ¶ And howe god speketh afterwarde of that worde / whiche cryste sayde to Peter Mitte rethe ad dexteraÌ„ ê‘teÌ„ nauis et iÌ„uemetê That is to saye / caste ye the nette on the ryght syde of the shyp / ye shall fynde ¶ And how somemaÌ„ casteth his nette more parfytely than another / wherefore he catcheth more fysshe than another ¶ Ind of the excellence of suche parfyte meÌ„ ¶ Ca. iiij THe fourthe chapyter is of the prouydence of god in generall / that he vseth in his creatures in this lyfe and that other ¶ Also of the prouydeÌ„ce of god for his pore seruauntes / helpynge them with temporall goodes ¶ And of the euyls that come in kepynge and desyrynge temporall goodes vnordynately ¶ Ca. v. THe fyfte chapyter is of the excelleÌ„ce of theÌ„ that be poore iÌ„ spyryte / and how cryste taughte vs of this pouerte / not onely by worde / but by ensample ¶ Also of the prouydence of god / for them that take this pouerte ¶ And a shorte repetycyon of the foresayde dyuyne prouydeÌ„ce ¶ And how this soule whaÌ„ she gaue worshyppes and thaÌ„kynges to god / she prayed that he wolde speke to her of the vertu of obedyence ¶ The chapyters of the seueth party Ca. i. THe fyrst chapyter of this seueth party / and al the chapyters of this party / speke of the vertu of obedyence ¶ And fyrste how obedyeÌ„ce is had / and what is that thyÌ„ge whiche putteth awaye obedyeÌ„ce fro vs. ¶ And what is the token of obedyence / that a maÌ„ hathe it â—r hathe it not ¶ And who is the felowe of obedyence / and of whome it is noryshed ¶ How obedyence hathe a keye / wherwith heuen is opened / how the keye muste haue a thoÌ„ge and be borne by a gyrdell ¶ Here also he speketh of the
mystery of them that be not obedyent / and of the excellent grace of them that be obedyent ¶ Ca. ij THe secuÌ„de chapyter is of theÌ„ that set somoche loue to obedyence / that it suffyseth not to them to obeye to the generall obedyence / as to the commaundymeÌ„tes of god / but yf they take be bounde to some specyall obedyeÌ„ce ¶ Also how a maÌ„ cometh and by what maner fro the generall obedyence to the specyall / and of the excellence of the relygyoÌ„ ¶ Also of the excellence of them that be vnder obedyence and be obedyent / and of the mysery of them that be inobedyent / whiche be in the state of relygyon ¶ How they that be very obedyent receyue an hundreth for one / and euer lastynge lyfe ¶ And what is vnderstonde by that one / what by that hundreth ¶ Ca. iij. THe thyrde chapyter is of the paruersyte / mysere / and labours of hym that is not obedyent / and of the myserable fruytes that come of inobedyeÌ„ce ¶ Of the Imparfeccyon of theÌ„ that be slowe or vnlusty in relygyon / all be it they kepe them fro deedly synne / and of the remedy how they maye come out of that vnlustynesse ¶ Of the excellence of obedyence / and of the goodes that obedyence gyueth to hyÌ„ that taketh it in sothefastnesse ¶ Ca. iiij THe fourthe chapyter is of dystynccyon of two maners of obedyence that is to saye of obedyence of relygyous folke / and of obedyence that is done to a certayne parsone out of relygyon for god ¶ How god rewardeth not after the trauayle of obedyence / nor after the lengthe of the ryme / but after the magnytude of charyte ¶ Also of the redynesse quyckenesse of them that be very obedyencers ¶ And of the myracles the whiche god sheweth of this vertu and of dyscrecyon in obedyence / and of the workes and rewarde of hym that is very obedyent ¶ Ca. v. THe fyfte chapyter of this last party is a repetycyoÌ„ of all the hole boke / how this deuoute soule yeldynge worshyppes and thankynges to god / made a prayer for all holy chyrche / for all the worlde ¶ And here is coÌ„mended the vertu of feythe / so is fulfylled yeâ—ude of this boke ¶ Here foloweth a prologue TO sustren I haue shewed you what ympes trees I haue founde and gadered to plante and to set in your ghostly orcharde ¶ The aleys of youre ghostly orcharde be full longe and brodâ— / wherin be many walkynge pathes / whiche shall lede you truly to what maner fruyte you lyste to fede you / in what party they be sette or plaÌ„ted ¶ But sustren lyke it to you to knowe that in gaderynge delectable fruyte / I fouÌ„de full bytter wedes / bytter and soure they be to taste / but profytable to knowe ¶ Suche wedes I purpose to set ymonge good fruyte not for fedyÌ„ge but to youre knowynge ¶ Taste you of them and knowe them / that ye maye beware yfony ghostly enemy profer you ony suche wedes ¶ Sauour you theÌ„ not for full fedynge / for than peryously they worke / and full ofte to dethe / but by grace the soner it maye be remedyed ¶ But sustren thoughe my fruyte be gadered / yet a tyme I muste haue of settynge and of plantynge / ymoÌ„ge recreacyons to the parfeccyoÌ„ of my spyryte ¶ Greate laborer was I neuer bodyly nor ghostly / I had neuer greate strengthe myghtely to labour with spade nor with shouell ¶ Therfore nowe deuoute sustren helpe me with prayers / for I lacke cunnynge / agaynste my greate feblenesse / strengthe me with youre pyte ¶ Also haue me recommended in your ghostly excercyse to our blessyd lady / and salute her in my name with deuoute aues / hauyÌ„ge myÌ„de somtyme on her fyue ioyes / and sometyme on her fyue sorowes / whiche she had in erthe ¶ With this labour I charge you not / but as youre charyte styrreth you / with that vertu helpe me forthe / for hastely I go to labour / in purpose to parforme this fruytefull ghostly orcharde / as it shall be plesyÌ„ge to almyghty god to gyue lyghte to my soule / with trewe felyÌ„ge clere syghte ¶ Whiche Ihesu cryste for his moderly loue / graunte onely to his worshyp and to our ghostly lernynge / and conforte all to creacyon AmeÌ„ ¶ And here shal folowe the reuelayoÌ„s of the haÌ„demayde of cryste obedience In obedience ¶ Here begynneth the boke of dyuyne doctryne That is to saye of goddes techynge Gyuen by the persone of god the fader / to the intelleccyon of the gloryous vyrgyn seynt Katheryn of Seene / of the ordre of seynt Domynycke whiche was wryteÌ„ as she endyted iÌ„ her moder tongue / whaÌ„ she was in coÌ„teÌ„placyoÌ„ / rapt of spyryte / she herynge actualy And iÌ„ the same tyme / she tolde before many what our lorde god spake iÌ„ her ¶ And here foloweth the fyrst chapytre of this boke which is how the soule of this mayde was oned to god how that she made .iiii. petycyons to oure lorde in that tyme of contemplacyon / and of the answere of god / and of moche other doctryne / as it is specyfyed in the kalender before Capi. i. A Soule that is reysed vp with heuenly and ghostly desyres / affeccyoÌ„s to the worshyp of god / to the helthe of mantles soule / and with a greate desyre langoreth vertuously / inhabyted by the space of a longe tyme / full besyly laboreth in ghostly exercyse / and mekely abydeth in her inwarde beholdynge / to knowe herselfe / to that entent onely / that she myght better knowe in her selfe / the goodnes of god ¶ For as she well feleth by grace / after that knowynge the loue that loueth is knytte / ioyned with a loue / to that that is loued / and forceth and besyeth her to loue / and folowe that knowynge / and with contynual excercyse inhabyteth her / with the sothefastnes ¶ And for asmoche as a soule in no maner tasteth nor sauoureth somoche / it is iÌ„ no maner somoche lyghtned with knowynge of that sothefastnes / as it is by the meane of a meke coÌ„tynuall / of a deuoute prayer / founded and grounded in the knowynge of god / and or it selfe ¶ Therfore suche a prayer / oneth such a soule to god / sorowynge the sleppes of â—â—yite in his passyon / so by desyre / 〈◊〉 you / vnyon oâ—â—oue / the soule 〈…〉 an other than she 〈…〉 this semeth well of crystes wordes / whan he sayde Si â—s diligit me sermoneÌ„ meaÌ„ seruauit That is to say Who that loueth me shal kepe my worde ¶ Also he sayth in another place Qui diligit me diligetÌ„ a patrimed / ego diligaÌ„ eu / manifestabo illi meipsum / erit vnum mecum / et ego cumillo That is to saye He that loueth me / shall
myght I do to do penauÌ„ce for the. And thaÌ„ in thy soule / in thy myÌ„de / I answered the and sayde I am he the whidelyte me in fewe wordes / and iÌ„ many good workes / and that I sholde shewe more largely / and more clerely / that he was not moche acceptable to me / the whiche onely called me with the sowne of wordes / and sayde thus Lorde / lorde / I wolde do somwhat for the. Also nother he that coueteth to greue his body for me with manye penauÌ„ces / without that he forsake his owne wyll But I dyd couet manye workes / in suffrynge manly and meghtly all thyÌ„ges with pasyence / and in other vertues / dyuers and many of the soule inwardly / the whiche I haue tolde and rebersed to the before / and how that all suche inwardly workynges worken bryngen fourthe fruytes of grace ¶ All other workes done in any other maner than is sayde before / I holde them not worthy to be called / but onely the sowne of wordes / for suche workes haue an ende ¶ I that haue no ende / I aske workyÌ„ges whiche haue no ende ¶ My wyll is that the dedes of penaunce / of dyuerse other excercyses the whiche ben bodyly / be take and vsed for an instrument of vertu / but not for the pryncypall desyre nor entent to that / for yf the pryncypall effecte of loue were set ther / than sholde be yelded to me the thynge that hathe ende And that shold be sene therby for as a worde that cometh fro the mouthe / that whan it is passed forthe vndyscretely / it is nought But yf that worde were sayde with effecte of the soule / whiche effecte conceyueth bryÌ„geth forthe vertues in sothefastnes ¶ For yf a worke that hathe ende / whiche I call a worde / were oned to me with vertu of charyte / thaÌ„ were it pleasynge to me / acceptable / for than it sholde not be alone / but coupled with the selyshyp of very dyscrecyon ¶ Reason wolde that ther were a hed / and a begynnynge onely in penaunce / and in ethe other bodyly workyÌ„ge For as it is sayde before / they ben dedes that haue ende ¶ An ende they haue / for whaÌ„ they den done in tyme / or for a tyme that nathe ende / what for a maÌ„ that must sometyme leue theÌ„ / for somtyme he leueth them of necessyte / bycause he mayemot parforme that was begonne for accydentall or casuall Thynges or causes whiche comen in that tyme / as parauenture by obedyence / bycause his prelate wyl not suffre hyÌ„ / for yf he vred suche penauÌ„ce agayÌ„st his prelates wyll or suffraunce / he sholde not onely haue no meryte for vettu / but soner rather he sholde do synne / and offende me Therfore thou mayeses that all suche workes haue an ende ¶ A man sholde take them as for to vse them iÌ„ tyme / but not for pryncypall begynnynge / for yf it were takeÌ„ so / as for a pryÌ„cypall begynnynge / than of necessyte / he must sometyme leue it And whan it were forsaken leste of / thaÌ„ sholde the soule stonde alone / and voyde as of ony meryte ¶ This sheweth wel seynt Paule whaÌ„ he sayd thus / mortyfy ye youre bodyly lyÌ„mes whiche ben on the erthe / fornycacyon / vnclennesse / lechery / euyll concupyssence that is to say mortyfy ye so your lymmes / that ye maye refrayne youre body whaÌ„ it wyl stryue agaynst the spyryte ¶ That wyll of the flesshe must be all deed / soget vtterly to my propre wyll / suche a wyll of a creature is mortyfyed iÌ„ a dewe maner as it is sayde before the whiche dewe maner / that vertu of dyscrecyon gaue to the soule that is to say dyscrecyon gaue hate dyspleasaunce of that offenses of his owne sensualyte / the whiche hatered he purchased fyrst by knowyÌ„ge of hyÌ„selfe ¶ This is that sharpe swerde that cutteth and sleeth eche maÌ„nes porpre loue / that is grouÌ„ded iÌ„ his owne ê“pre wyll ¶ Suche meÌ„ that thus sleen theyr propre loue / yeldeÌ„ to me contynually not onely wordes but many good werkes in the whiche I haue delyte am pleased ¶ Therfore I sayde to the that I loued fewe wordes / many werkes ¶ WhaÌ„ a maÌ„ sayeth many wordes / I noÌ„vre theÌ„ not For that loue / desyre of that soule / whiche gyueth lyfe to all other vertues / shall haue that thynge the whiche hathe none ende ¶ And yet I dyspyse not wordes vtterly Neuertheles I sayd I wolde that had fewe wordes shewyÌ„nge to the that all penauÌ„ce whiche hathe ende / was an actuall doyÌ„ge / therfore I called suche penauÌ„ce / fewe wordes ¶ Neuerthelesse they pleasen me / so they be take or vsed as for an instrumeÌ„t of vertu / and not for the pryncypall vertu ¶ Therfore a maÌ„ sholde not deame an other man in hyer degre of parfeccyon / whiche greueth his body with many penauÌ„ces / nor an other man in lesse degre of parfeccyon / whiche dothe lesse penaunce or none ¶ For as I haue sayde / it is not theyr vertu nor meryte ¶ For yl it were than to them / that for reasonable causes beÌ„ let / done not suche actuall penauÌ„ce ¶ But the meryte abydeth onely in the vertu of charyte / whiche is made fayre with the lyghte of dyscrecyon / or els it sholde not profyte ¶ Dyscrecyon yeldeth to me this loue without ende / and without maner that is to saye nother in this maner / nor in that / but without maner ¶ For in asmoche as I am that souerayne euerlastynge goodnesse / dyscrecyon putteth no lawe / nor terme / nor maner to that loue / with the whiche he loueth me ¶ Neuertheles as agayÌ„ste hig neyghbour / dyscrecyon putteth an ornate loue charyte / for the lyght of dyscrecyoÌ„ whiche cometh out of charyte / gyueth an ornate loue to his neyghbour / that is gyuyÌ„ge suche a charyte to other / that he gyue hym no cause of synne / but kepeth hym fro synne to his power / that he map ê“fyte to his neyghbour ¶ For yf a man dyd onely one sytie / so that by that trespas al that worlde sholde scape fro that payne of hell / or els so that some greate vertu sholde come therof / than were not theyr charyte ordeyned with dyscrecyon / but rather it were vndyscrete ¶ For it is not lawfull to do ony vertu / nor vertuous thyÌ„ge to thy neyghbour / with ony medlynge of synne / but holy dyscrecyon is ordeyned in this maner ¶ WhaÌ„ a soule that is besy / and ordeyned myghtly in all his myÌ„ghte streynghe me to serue / louynge his neyghbour with good affeccyon of loue / dyspyseth his bodyly lyfe for helthe of soules / or to suffre paynes or turmeÌ„tes a thousande tymes yf it were nede possyble / so that by that his neyghbour myght
incarnate / with very deedly flesshe as ye haue ¶ Also other there weren / the whiche dydeÌ„ folowe crystes techyÌ„ge suffrynge creatures as ye ben reasonable and deedly / with stryfe of the ftesshe agaynste the spyryte / as seynt Paule was / and full many seyntes the whiche weren trauayled with many passyons ¶ Whiche passyoÌ„s weren suffred of my goodnesse / for that encrese of grace vertues in theyr soules ¶ And they weren borne in synne / as ye ben / nouryshed with the same meet / and as I was god than / so I am god nowe ¶ For my myghte was not made lesse / nor it maye not be made lesse ¶ Also I wyll / I can / and I maye / gyue my helpe to all that ben of wyll to aske to haue helpe of me ¶ A man desyreth to be holpeÌ„ of me / whaÌ„ he gothe oute of that floode / and goeth vpon the brydge / folowynge the waye of my fothefastnesse / that is the waye of my beloued sone ¶ Wherfore the Iewes / and wycked crysten men / sholden haue no excusacyoÌ„ / for they ben repreued ¶ I shewed theÌ„ contynually the sothefastnesse / and they woldeÌ„ not receyue it ¶ And for that yf they dyspose them not whaÌ„ they haue tyme / all suche shall abyde / be condempned in the seconde repreuynge / whiche shall be in the laste tyme / wher my ryghtwysenes shall crye ¶ Ye that ben deed / aryse you vp and come to youre Iudgement that is to saye you that ben deed to grace / and deed to bodyly dethe aryse ye vp and come ye with youre vnryghtwysenesse / false Iudgementes / and with the lyght of very feythe / whiche is quenched in you / whiche lyghte was brennynge in the tyme of holy baptyÌ„ ¶ This lyghte was quenched with thy pryde / and with the vanyte of thy herte / whiche pryde and vanyte / thou hase nouryshed with thy propre loue / and with thy owne extollyÌ„ge / throwe thy propre repuytacyon ¶ Wherfore by thy owne propre wyll / thou hase rennen throw the floode of delytes / folowynge the wyÌ„cked greuous temptacyons of the fende / and thy frele flesshe ¶ To the whiche perell / thy owne wycked wyll hathe lad that / by a lower waye / in to the floode that is rennynge ¶ And thus the fende the peryllous floode / hathe brought the to euerlastynge derkenesse and tourment ¶ The fyfte chapytre is of the seconde vndermynynge / in the whiche vnryghtwysenes ben repreued / bothe in specyall and in generall ¶ Also of foure pryncypall tourmeÌ„tes of them that ben dampned / whiche all other tourmeÌ„tes folowe / and in specyall of the foule syghte of the fende ¶ Also of the thyrde reprefe in the daye of dome ¶ Also of the Ioye of them that ben saued blyssed / as is rehersed iÌ„ the kalendre Ca. v. OVre lorde god dyd shewe to this mayde of the secoÌ„de vndermynynge / and dyd saye to her thus ¶ Dere doughter this secoÌ„de vnderminyÌ„ge is whan the soule cometh to the last ende of this lyfe / where is the remedy / for it is come to the extremytes of the dethe / where the worme of coÌ„scyence hathe lyfe ¶ And now in the tyme of dethe / for in asmoche as he seeth that he may scape not fro my haÌ„des / than he begynneth to se this worme ¶ Therfore the soule freteth herselfe with ful greate reprefe and vndermynyge / beholdyÌ„ge that clerly throwe her owne defaures / she entreth in to peynes iÌ„tollerable ¶ Yet yf this soule had that lyght of grace with the whiche she myght knowe what euyll she hadde done / wolde sorowe therfore / not pryÌ„cypally for drede of helpenes / but for she hathe offended my euer beynge goodnesse thaÌ„ myght she fynde mercy ¶ But yf the tyme of dethe passeth forthe without lyght of grace / onely with the worme of consyence / withouteÌ„ hope of meryte / of my sones bloode shedde for her / or yf she sorowe more for her owne harme wylfully / than for me / she gothe thaÌ„ to euerlastyÌ„ge dampnacyon ¶ And than shall she myserably / and wretchydly be punysshed / and cas vnder the fete of yeâ—als Iudgement of vnryghtwysenesse ¶ And not onely of vnryghtewysenesse of fals Iudgementes generally iÌ„ all her werkes / but moche more sharpely she shal be put vnder the fete of vnryghtwysenesse and of fals IudgemeÌ„t in specyall / whiche she vsed in her last ende / and that is in demynge fals wenyÌ„ge / that her mysery and synne was more than my mercy ¶ That is the greatest synne / whiche shal not be releshed in this worlde nor after / yf she dye so ther with / for by her owne wyll / she dyspysed and forsoke my mercy / for that is more greuous to me / than al the synnes that she dyd ¶ Wherfore the dyspyracyoÌ„ of Iudas / was more dysplesaunce and greuaunce to my sone / thaÌ„ his betrayÌ„ge ¶ Also they ben made blynde in this false dome / wher they dydeÌ„ thynke that theyr trespases weren more / thaÌ„ my mercy / that is so large / whiche may not be nouÌ„bred / therfore they ben tourmented with fendes ¶ Also they beÌ„ repreued of vnryghtwysenesse / and that is whan they sorowe more for theyr penes and harmes / than for my offences ¶ Ther they done vnryghtwysenesse / for they yelden to me that is not myne / nor to theÌ„ that longeth to them ¶ They sholden yelde to me loue / with contrycyoÌ„ of herte / they sholden yelde to me / and offre vp to me bytternesse of soule / sorowe for offences done to me / but they done the contrary / gyuynge to themselfe the loue sorowe for theyr peynes that they abyden ¶ They done also vnryghtwysenes / as thou sees / therfore whan they haue put behynde my mercy / they sholden be tourmeÌ„ted for bothe ¶ For I of my ryghtwysenesse haue ordeyned theÌ„ to be tourmented / of my mynysters the fendes / with the seruauÌ„te of theyr sensualyte / and with the cruell spyryte of the fende / to whome they beÌ„ made sogettes and seruauntes / as they of theyr ê“pre sensualyte dydeÌ„ offeÌ„de me / my ryghtwysenes hathe sende them to be tourmented ryght sharpely / for they dydeÌ„ wretchydly ¶ Of foure pryncypall tourmentes of them that ben dampned / and of the foule syght of the fende My doughter no tongue suffyseth not to tell the grete peynes of suche wretched soules / as these thre pryncypall vyces deseruen and sholden haue that is to saye a mannes owne propre loue of the whiche loue cometh forthe the seconde that is to saye the extollyÌ„ge / and reputacyon of hymselfe ¶ And of that reputacyon cometh forthe the thyrde that is to saye pryde / with false iustyfyenge themselfe / with cruelte / and with other vnclene and wycked synnes / whiche done folow here after ¶ So I sayde to the / y they
nothynge elles fulfylled / but with suche thynge that the mysse ruled affeccyon hathe gyuen vnto her ¶ This most wretched loue hathe so blynded the eye of intelleccyon / that it can nother deserne nor take more clere lyght / than it hathe receyued ¶ For that is to hyÌ„ as hym semeth ryght clere it is vyce colored by the coloure of his owne propre good / and the soule so offended ¶ But bycause the eye of vnderstondynge seeth not herselfe for her owne blyndenesse / she maye in no wyse knowe the truthe / and therfore the erreth and goeth out of the waye / serchynge other delyces and other goodes than 〈◊〉 me 〈◊〉 In an other place I sayd so the the all worldely delytes be not 〈◊〉 without me / but rather they be 〈◊〉 / gethornes thaÌ„ delyces ¶ In the same wyse intelleccyoÌ„ or vnderstandynge is dyseeyued in her owne â—â—ght and wyll in her owne loue louynge suche thynges as she sholde not loue ¶ And in the same wyse mynde in her kepynge and retencyons / vnderstondynge foloweth the maners of a thefe / the reueth an other fro his good ¶ In the same wyse mynde coÌ„tynually remembreth of suche thyÌ„ges that be vtterly wtout me ¶ And of suche thynges / the soule wylfully depryueth her from grace ¶ These thre myghtes of the soule be so myghtely knytte togyder / the I maye not be offended of the one / but the I be offended of all thre / for one taketh of an other good or yll / as it is declared before ¶ What that euer lyketh or pleaseth the fre choyse / that same pleaseth the affeccyon ¶ And therfore as the affeccyoÌ„ lyketh / so she styrreth and moueth fre choyse / or with out lyght of reason ¶ Neuertheles ye haue the vse of reasou knytte in me so that fre choyse fall not in you by vnordynate loue ¶ Ye haue also a contrary lawe of the flesshe repugnyÌ„ge contynually agaynste the spyryte ¶ Two partyes therfore ye haue in youreselfe / that is sensualyte and reason ¶ Sensualy is a seruaunte the whiche is ordeyned to serue the soule / that ye maye haue experyeÌ„ce of vertu by the instrumente of the body ¶ The soule is fre fro synne / delyuered by the blòde of my sone / and therfore she maye in no wyse be brought in bondage / but yf she consente by her owne wyll / the whiche is bouÌ„de knytte by fre choyse / for fre choyse is made one with wyll accordynge with her ¶ The whiche fre choyse is knytte to the same wyll / in the myddes of sensualyte and reason / that to which of bothe she wyltourne she maye ¶ Forthermore sothe it is / that whan that euer the soule wyll gadre togyder her myghtes in my name / by the honde of fre choyse / as I haue declared to the before / that what that she dothe / or yet all that she gadereth be spyrytuall thyÌ„nges ¶ And so fre choyse with sensualyte is losed knytte to reason / thaÌ„ with truthe / I rest in the myddes of theÌ„ ¶ This it is that my sothefastnes spake of sayenge thus whan two or thre ben gadered togyder in my name / I am in the myddes of theÌ„ ¶ Also I sayde to the that no man maye come to me / but by my onely sone / that is the waye of sothefastnes ¶ And therfore I haue made a brydge of hym / with thre grees / the whiche grees be fygured by the thre states of the soule / as I shal tell the afterwarde ¶ How thes thre myghtes of the soule / yf they be not oned togyder / ther may no parseuerauÌ„ce be hadde / without the whiche parseueraunce / no man maye come to the ende of parfeccyon THe fygure of these thre grees iÌ„ general I haue declared to the / be the thre myghtes of the soule / the whiche by maner of symylytude be thre ladders ¶ And he that wyl passe forthe by the brydge and doctryne of my truthe / he maye not ascende vp by that one ladder / but yf he ascende also by the other ¶ Ryght so a soule may haue no parseuerauÌ„ce of vertu / but yf she knytte and Ioyne togyder these thre myghtes / of the whiche parseueraune I tolde the before / whan thou dyd aske of me the maner / the whiche those that comen out of the floode sholde holde for to be delyuered out of the perell of the same floode ¶ And there also I sayde to the / that I wolde declare to the more openly those thre degrees ¶ And than I sayde that without parseueraunce / there maye no man come nother to the ende of parfeccyon / nor of vyces / for vertues also vyces do aske parseueraunce ¶ Yf thou do couet to come to lyfe / thou must contynu and parseuer in vertu / and he the desyreth to go forthe to endelesse dethe / he must parseuer in vyces ¶ So than a man maye come to me that am lyfe of all thynges / with parseuerauÌ„ce of vertu / and also with parseuerauÌ„ce of vyce he may come for to tast the deed water of fendes ¶ An exposycyoÌ„ of the worde of cryst / where he sayde Si quis sitit c. That is to saye / yf ony man haue thruste let hym come to me and dryÌ„ke ALl ye be byd generally / and specyally of my sone the lambe of truthe the whiche dyde cry in the temple with a greate desyre / seynge thus to you Si quis sitit veniat ad me et bibat yf ony man haue thrust / let hym come to me and drgnke / for I am a wel of water of lyfe / he sayde not go to my fader and drynke / but he sayd come to me ¶ Why / ¶ For in me that am the fader / myght neuer peyne fall / but it was than in my sone ¶ And therfore whyle ye be pylgrymes passyngers in this worlde ye maye in no maner wyse passe withoute peyne ¶ For of synne as it is sayde before / the erthe hathe brought forthe thornes breres ¶ And why sayde he so / come to me and drynke ¶ By cause all that dyd sue his doctryne / or suche that dyd drawe nyghe to hym / otherby kepynge of his commaundymentes with the couÌ„seyles mentally / or by his preceptes / with the counseyles actually ¶ That is in goynge by the waye of parfyte charyte / or by the waye of comune charyte / as I haue tolde the before / by what maner of wyse in these wayes ye come to hym by shewynge of his doctryne / ye fynde anone what ye sholde drynke / that is the fruyte of his precyous blode ¶ And also by tastyÌ„ge of his dyuyne nature knytte and oned in mankynde / and than ye so abydynge in hym / shal also fynde yourselfe in me / that am the peaseable see / for I am one with hym / and he one with me ¶ In this maner ye be byd for
owne profyte / with the same imê‘fyte lour / they loue theyr neyghbours ¶ And but yf they dyd know theyr owne imparfeccyon by grete desyre of parfeccyon / they must nedes go backe ¶ Therfore it is ryght nedefull for them / yf they wyl haue that durable lastynge loue / for to loue without beholdynge of ony maner rewarde ¶ It is not ynoughe for to fle synÌ„e for drede of peyne / nor for to lyue vertuously onely for his synguler auauÌ„tage and profyte ¶ For these be no grete thyÌ„ges for to wynÌ„e therby heuen blysse / but it is spedefull for to eschewe synnes onely for they dysplesen me / and onely for my loue for to loue vertues get them ¶ Neuerthelesse the fyâ—ste callynge of euety creature is that for fyrste a soule is vnparfyte / rather thaÌ„ parfyte / and fro imparfeccyon it sholde come to parfeccyoÌ„ ¶ Whyther euery vertuous soule lyuynge in this lyfe hathe alwaye loued me onely with out beholdyÌ„ge of ony other thynge / or yf that it haue in the houre of departynge fro the body in this lyfe desyred / yf it hadde be tyme or space to serue me better than euer she dyd / withoute beholdynge of ony other thynge than of me alone / knowynge than her owne vnparfytenes or imê‘feccyon ¶ Suche soules I trowe there be many / so lyuynge in vnparfyte loue ¶ Of the whiche Peter was one / that loued my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu cryst for his blessyd bodyly conuersacyon in this lyfe / but whan tyme of trybulacyoÌ„ came he sayled in his loue / and he fell in to suche an inconuenyente / that for very drede of peyne he denyed hym sayd that he knewe hym neuer ¶ And therfore a soule that ascendeth vpoÌ„ these grees onely with seruyle drede hyred loue / she falleth in to greate incomodytes and inconuenyence ¶ All they sholde therfore aryse as very trewe chyldren / seruynge me wtoute ony bâ—holdyÌ„ge of theyr owne profyte / for I am the rewarder of euery laboure / and yelde to euery man after his estate excersyce ¶ And therefore yf they leue not the excersyce of good and holy prayers and of other good werkes / but moche rather encreasen in vertues with parseueraunce / than they showe come worthely to the very loue of my sothefaste sone Ihesu ¶ And I shall thaÌ„ loue theÌ„ with suche loue / as I loue my owne very dere chyldren / for with suche lour as I am loued / I shall loue agayne ¶ Yf I be loued with suche loue / as a seruaunt loueth his lorde / I as a lorde as he hathe deserued / shall rewarde hym his dewte ¶ But I shall not make myselfe open to hym by my specyal graces / for to a trewe frende and a trewe louer / my pryue secretes be made opeÌ„ and shewed / the whiche is made one with me that am his frende ¶ Neuerthelesse a seruaunte maye encrees with the vertues and loue that he bereth to his lorde / in somocbe that he may be made a ryght dere freÌ„de ¶ Ryghte so it happeth of suche that loue me as hyred seruauntes done to thyr lordes / to suche I make me not open ¶ But yf suche pull vp by the roote with a maner of hate theyr owne ghostly loue fro themselfe / asceÌ„de vp aboue the sete of theyr owne coÌ„scyence / not leuynge this seruyle drede hyred loue vnchastysed and vncorrecked with the lyghte of very deuoute feythe / than maye they be to me tyghte kynde and come to my very frendely loue ¶ And so shal I than shewe me gracyously to them / as my owne sothefaste sone Ihesu sayde whan he was conuersaunt iÌ„ this worlde / he that loueth me he say the shall kepe my worde / my fader shal loue hym / and we shal come to hym / and make a dwellyÌ„ge place in hyÌ„ ¶ Also he saythe in an other place thus / he that loueth me / shall be loued of my fader / I shall loue hym / and shewe hym myselfe gracyously ¶ This is the very knowlege of dere louers / for in theym loue is transformed in the louer / by affeccy on loue / so ther be two bodyes one soule / yf two haue but one soule it maye not be hyd fro that one / but it is knowe also to that other ¶ And therfore my sothefaste sone Ihesu sayde thus / we sholde come make togyder one dwellynge place ¶ Of the imparfeccyon of them that loueÌ„ and seruen god for theyr owne profyte and loue / or for theyr comforte DOughter wyl thou knowe how I shal make myselfe open in a soule that in truthe loueth me / shewynge the techyÌ„ge and the doctryne of my sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste / here nowe in many maner wyses ¶ I shewe my vertu in suche a soule / after the desyre the suche a soule hathe ¶ Neuertheles thre pryÌ„cypal shewynges / I made to be had in a dere louynge soule ¶ The fyrste is / that I shewe the affeccyon of my charyte / by medyacyon and meane of the roorde of my ryghte well byloued sone Ihesu cryste / the whiche affeccyon is made open in the blode of hym shed oute by the feruent fere of brennynge charyte ¶ In two maner wyses this charyte is shewed / one is generall comune to all / dwellynge and abydynge in comune charyte ¶ To suche it is shewed the whiche do se and haue experyence of my charyte / for many dyuers benefytes that they haue receyued of me / and in dyuers maners ¶ The other maner of shewynge is partyculer to theym specyally that be made truly and feythefully my frendes ¶ The shewyÌ„ge of this comune charyte that they do taste / they knowe they haue experyence / and they fele it parfytely in theyr soules ¶ The seconde shewynge of charyte is at the tyme that I do make me open to them by affeccyoÌ„ of loue not for I am a specyall rewarder of one more than of an other / but makynge me frely open in theyr soules / onely by holy desyre / in the same parfeccyon that they seke ¶ Other whyle I make me open to them by another maner of wyse / and this is the maner of the other shewynge / gyuynge to them spyryte of prophecye / for to knowe thynges that be to come / and that is in manye wyses and dyuers maners / after the indygence and nede that I aspy in suche a soule / and other creatures ¶ Other whyle also in the thyrde wyse / formynge in theyr soules / the presence of my truthe / that is the sothefastnes of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu in dyuers wyses and many maners / as a soule desyreth the whiche hathe grete thruste or drynes ¶ Other whyle they seke me in holy prayers / desyrynge for to knowe my myghte / and than I do suffre theym to taste the very vertu of my myght / other whyle I am sought in the wysdome of my sone
felynge / nor yet grace fro them / but my vnycyoÌ„and oneheed / and that is the cause why oft tymes soules with longynge desyres / teÌ„ne with vertues by the brydge of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu cryst cru cyfyed that is by his passyou / and after tyme they haue so longe ruÌ„ne / they t be come to the grete brode gate of the passyon / where they drynke tast abuÌ„dauÌ„tly the precyous blode of my onely sone Ihesu / tyll they be very ghostly drunke ¶ And after tyme they be so ghostly druÌ„ke with that blessyd blode / and be brenned iÌ„ the fyre of my loue / anone they talt in me the endelesse godhecd / the whi che is to them as a peaseable see in the whiche see that soule hathe caughte suche an vnyon and oneheed / that suche a soule hathe no maner mouynge / but in me ¶ And thoughe a man in suche a state of vnycyon be deedly / yet he tasteth than the endclesse good of innrortalyte vndeedlynesse ¶ Wherby they receyue agy lyte and swetenes of body / not with stondynge the ponderosyte of the body ¶ By the whiche parfyre vnyon often tymes the body is lysted fro the erthe / and so the greuous and ponderous body is made lyght ¶ This is the vnyon by the whiche the soule in me is more parfyte / than is the vnyon whiche is bytwene the body and the soule ¶ Neuertheles yer is not therfore the ponderosyte of the body withdrawe / thoughe it other whyle by suche vnycyon be lysted / but it is the strengthe of the spyryte / the whis the is oned in me that lyfteth vp that ponderosyte of the body / and so the body is all brente by affeccyoÌ„ of the soule in somoche that it were possyble for to lyue / yf my goodnesse byclypped it not with a newe strengthe ¶ And therfore I wyll that thon knowe that it is more myracle for to se / that a soule gothe not out of the body in this vnyon and oneheed / than for to se many bodyes aryse fro dethe to lyfe ¶ For this cause it is that I withdrawe sometyme that vny on fro a soule / makynge it tourne agayne to the body / the whiche was alyened by affeccpoÌ„ of that same soule ¶ For I wyll not that a soule sholde so departe fro the body / but onely by medyacyon of bodyly dethe ¶ Neuexthelesse ur suche rapt / the myghtes of the soule and the affeccyon of the soule oned in me passen oute fro the body / for the mynde of the soule is not full but with me and the intelleccyon on of the soule is lyfte vp / be holdynge the truthe of my very sothefastnesse ¶ The affeccyon that foloweth intelleccyon loueth oneth herselfe in that thynge the whiche that eye of intelleccyon sayeth ¶ Whan all these myghtes of they soule be gadered togyder / oned and drenched by loue in me / the body loseth his felynge in me / for the eye seynge seeth not / the ere herynge hereth not / the tongue spekyÌ„ge speketh not / but as I suffre it sometyme to speke / after the abundaunce of the herte of suche thynges that it feleth / for glory and laude of my name / so thoughe that it speke it speketh not / the hande also felynge feleth not / nor the fote also goynge goeth not ¶ All these lymmes and felynges of the body / ben bounde and occupyed by the in warde sencyble felynge and bonde of loue / by the whiche bonde of loue they be so bounde and subiecte to reason with affrccyon of the soule / that all they crye with one voyce to me / endelesse fader in wyll for to be departed that body fro the soule / and the soule fro the body / the whiche is in maner agaynst kynde ¶ And suche a maÌ„ so yllumy ned by suche specyall onynge / cryeth with seynt Paule that gloryous apostle / wher he sayde thus Oinfelix ego sum c. That is to saye ¶ O wretched man that I am / who shal departe me fro the deedly body that I bere aboute / I se an other lawe in my outewarde wyttes of the body / the whiche repugneth the iwatde lawe of my soule ¶ Paule sayde not this onely of the impugancyon the whiche the sencyble felynges dyd agaynst the spyryte / for he was in ma ner certyfyed of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu / and made syker therof whan he sayde to hym thus Paule sufficit tibi grÌ„a mea That is Paule holde that well apaye / for my grace is suffycyeÌ„t for to kepe that / but wherfore sayde he so than Truly for the eye was bounde and myght not se me endâ— lesse trynyte / by the syghte and vysyon of blyssed and vn deedly spyrytes / the whiche euer yelden to my name ioye and laude / and for bycause he fouÌ„de hyÌ„selfe amoÌ„ge deedly creatures that euer and con tynually offenden me / departed fro my syght / that is not seynge me veryly in my propre essencyal beynge / therfore he sayde so / for cuery vysyon and syght that a soule receyueth as derke in rewarde of that syghte the whiche a soule hathe whan it is drpatted fro the body / and so it semed to seynt Paule / that the felynge of the bodyly syghte impugneth the vysyon and the lyght of the soule that is that mannts felynge / or the ponderosyte of the body letteth the eye of mtelleceyon / the whiche suffreth not it to se me face to face ¶ It semed that his wyl was bounde / that it myght not loue asmoche as it desyred to loue / for cuery loue in this lyfe is vnparfyte / vnto the tyme that it come to the parfeccyon that it loueth ¶ I saye not this for the loue of seynt Paule / and the loue of other of my dere seruauntes that they were vnparfyte to grace / and to receyue the parfeccyoÌ„ of charyte / for so they were parfyte / but thy were vnpar fyte / bycause theyrloue was not coÌ„plete / and therfore in maner theyr loue was peyneful / bycause it was not full / for yf theyr desyre hadde be fulsylled as they dyd loue it sholde haue hadde no peyne / but whan that soule is departed fro the body / than theyr desyre is fulfylled / and than it loueth withoute pâ—yne ¶ Neuerthelesseâ—et than it hathe hoÌ„gre and desyre for to loue more / but peyne is there none in that hoÌ„gre and desyre and all bycause it is departed fro the peynfull body ¶ Than is the besfell full in me stabled made stroÌ„ge in me in truthe / that it maye no thynge desyre but yf it haue it ¶ She desy reth for to se me / she seeth me face to face / she delyreth for to seloy and praysynge or louynge of my name in my seyntes / she seeth one wyse in the nature of angelles / and an other wyse in that nature of maÌ„ ¶ How worldely men yelden glory
teres / be as a maner of swete oyÌ„ntment / the whiche casteth out a ryght grete smell of swetenes ¶ O my ryght swete doughter how gloryous is suche a soule / that so ryally can passe out of this troublous see of the worlde / and come to me that am the greate peaseable see / and fyll the vessell of the herte in the see of my euerlastynge souerayne godheed ¶ What that euer the soule be that can do so / her eye the whiche is the cundyte of the herte / is aboute to sasatysfy the herte by shedynge out of teres This is that last state / in the whiche a soule stondeth bothe blessyd doleful / she stondeth blessyd by vnyoÌ„ / that she feleth in me hy tastyÌ„ge of my dyuyne charyte ¶ She stondeth also dolefull of offence that is done to me / bothe of herselfe and of her neyghbours ¶ This state of vnyon is not therfore let / the whiche shedeth teres of loue / for the knowlege of herselfe of her neyghbour / of whome she fyndeth coÌ„palsyoÌ„ / for to wepe with wepers / for to ioye with ioyers / but rather encreaseth glory ioye to my name ¶ Thus the fyrste wepynge the thyrde let not the last / but eche of theÌ„ medleth with other / for yf the last wepynge / iÌ„ the whiche a soule fyndeth so greate vnyon / toke nothynge of the fyrst of the seconde state of charite of neyghbourheed / it were no profyte ¶ Therfore it were full necessary that one were medled with an other / els it sholde tourne to presuÌ„pcyon / by the whiche sholde entre a sotyll wynde of elacyon / and of her owne reputacyon / and so it sholde fall frome heyghte / to the infyrmytâ— of the fyrst vanyte ¶ For this cause it is ryght necessary for to kepe coÌ„tynually with very knowledge of theyr self charite of neyghbourheed ¶ In this wyse she sholde sende out to me the feruent fyre of very charyte / for the charyte of neyghbourheed is raken of my charyte / that is of the charyte by the whiche a soule knoweth herselfe my goodnes iÌ„ herselfe / wherby also she consydereth wel / that she is loued of me meruaylously / therfore with the same loue / she loueth al maner reasonable creatures / and this is the cause why she extendeth herfelf as soone as she knoweth me for to loue her neyghbour / by the whiche she knoweth wel that the most prolyte the whiche she maye do to me is for to yelde to me pure loue / by the whiche she feleth that she is loued of me / therfore she dysposeth her to yelde to me suche loue by mene and medyacyon of neyghboureheed / the whiche is that same mene to whom suche a soule sholde shewe charytable mynystracyoÌ„ as I haue sayde to the before the whiche sholde be loued with suche pure loue / as I loue you / for lyke as I haue loued you loue you without ony maner beholdyÌ„ge of merytes / therto my owne increate loue without ony mene styrred me to make you of nought to my ymage symylytude / the which loue ye may not yelde to me wtout mene ¶ Therfore ye muste yelde the same loue to resonable creatures / louyÌ„ge theÌ„ without ony rewarde of louyÌ„ge agayne / and also without ony beholdynge of theyr owne profyte ghostly or bodyly / but onely for to loue theÌ„ for the glory of my name / bycause they be loued of me ¶ And so shold ye fulfyl the byddynge the precepte of the holy lawe / wher it is wryteÌ„ that ye sholde loue me as aboue all thynges / and your neyghbour as your selfe ¶ It semeth well thaÌ„ that a soule maye not come to the hyghe ê‘fyte loue with teres wtout knyttyÌ„ge togyder of the secoÌ„de and the thyrde state before ¶ And yet though she be come therto / she may not kepe it / yf she go fro the affeccyon therof / by the whiche affeccyon she cometh to the secoÌ„de kyÌ„de of teres before sayde ¶ So that without the same affeccyoÌ„ to neyghbourheed / the lawe of me that am endeles god may not be fulfylled ¶ For there be two fete of affeccyoÌ„ / by the whiche bothe the preceptes the couÌ„seyles be obserued kept as I haue tolde the before ¶ Ryghte so these two states of the whiche two states is made one by loue / norysheÌ„ the soule iÌ„ vertues / encresyÌ„ge the same vertu in parfeccyoÌ„ by the state of vnyon / so that it encreseth ryches of grace by newe dyuers gyftes meruaylous lystynges vp of the soule / with a maner knowlege of veri sothfastnes as a deedly creature may haue in this lyfe / for the felynge of one sensualyte / and also his wyll is mortyfyed by suche vnyon that he hathe fouÌ„de in me ¶ O how swete is suche oneheed and vnyon to a tastynge soule / for that soule that tasteth seeth my secretes and pryuytes / by the whiche secretes / ryghte often tymes she receyueth a spyryte of prophecy for to knowe thynges that be yet to come ¶ All this is done by my endelesse goodnesse / and thoughe it so be that a meke soule sholde alway eschewe / not the gyfte of affeccyon of my dyuyne charyte / but the appetyte and desyre of theyr owne ghosty comfortes / yet she sholde deme herselfe vnworthy for to haue suche rest peas of soule / by the whiche meke Iudgement / she may noryshe inwarde vertues / and encrese therin / for there is none so parfyte a soule in this lyfe / but that it may encrese to more parfeccyon / that is to parfeccyoÌ„ of loue ¶ My ryghte swete and onely sone Ihesu cryst was and is youre heed / to whome maye encrese no parfeccyon / for he was and is one with me / and I with hym / his soule was and is blessyd by vnyon of dyuyne nature ¶ But ye that be pylgrymes his membres / be able euermore for to encrese in to greater parfeccyon ¶ I do not saye that ye maye encrese to an other state after tyme ye be come to the laste / but I saye that ye may encrese in the same last estate with suche parfeccyon as it is lykynge plesynge to me for to gyue to you / by meane medyacyoÌ„ of my grace ¶ A shorte repetycyon of the mater before / and how the wycked spyryte fleeth a waye fro them / the whiche become to the fyfthe teres / and how the angers of the fende be trewe wayes for to come to this holy state of teres NOw hase thou seen the states of teres and the dyfference of them / as it lyketh my goodnesse for to do satysfaccyon to thy desyre ¶ Fyrste I tolde the of the teres of them / that do lyue in deedly synÌ„e / wher I sayd that the teres of them come out of the herte / as al maner of teres done / for the greuauÌ„ce of
not to kepe a hounde that sholde berke agaynst the wolfe that cometh to the shepe / but suche one he holdeth in kepynge as he is ¶ And so these mynysters and shepeherdes be that cause that they haue no besynesse themselfe aboute thē / they wyll not haue the hounde of conscyence / nor the state of ryghtewysenesse / nor the rodde of cōreccyon it is no wonder for theyr owne conscyence wyll not barke agaynste theyr owne defautes / and therfore they can not well vndernyme theyr subiectes that be spred a brode in mysse ruled lyuȳge / wherfore the hell wolfe deuoureth theym ¶ Yf they wolde suffer the hounde of conscyence to barke / and they to take theyr defautes vpō them with the staffe of holy ryghtwysenesse / they sholde auoyde theyr shepe out of the deuyls crouches / and brynge them home agayne to the folde / but bycause suche shepeherdes be without the roodde and hounde of barkynge conscyence / theyr shepe do peryshe / it is no wonder thoughe the hounde of theyr conscyence barke not / for he is made feble for defaute of meet ¶ The meet that sholde be gyuē to this hounde of conscyence / sholde be the meet of my vndefouled lambe Ihesu cryst / for yf the mynde be full of his precyous bloode / the conscyence is fedde therw t / that is for mynde of that blode the soule is strengthed to hate vyces / and for to loue vertues / whiche hate whiche loue do puryfy the soule fro the fylthe of deedly syn̄e / it gyueth so greate strengthe to the cōscyence that is noryshed therby / that as soone as ony enemy of the soule whiche is synne wyll enter in / anone the conscyence as an hounde barketh agaynst it eycyteth reason to helpe hȳ for to do ryghtwysenesse agaynst hym / for he that hathe cōscyence hathe ryghtwysenesse / therfore all suche vnworthy mynysters the whiche be worthy to be called vnreasonable creatures for they be lyke to beestes in theyr lyuȳge / it may not be sayde of thē that they haue the hounde of cōscyence / nor the staffe of ryghtwysenesse / nor the that rodde of correccyon / for they haue somoche fere / that they be afrayde of eueri shadowe not for holy drede but seruyle drede ¶ And that cause is that they be encūbred with theyr owne mysse lyuynge / they sholde dyspose them to dethe / for to delyuer theyr shepe fro the fēdes hōdes / they thēselfe fēde thē to the fende / not gyuȳge thē doctrine of good lyuȳge / nor they wyll not suffer one worde of wrōge for thē / oftetymes it happeth that the soule of his subiecte is encūbred with ryght greuous synnes / he taketh no hede to the / but to his householde / he ordeyneth rather the another wretched preest shall here the confessyon of suche a troubled soule thā he hȳselfe / whiche hathe the charge therof ¶ O what wretched leche is he to whom is cōmytted the cure of soules / wyll not do his dewte / he shold lyue that he myght fulfyll his dewte ymōge his subiectes / but suche a wretche hathe fere to do his dewte / other for a worde that is sayde to hym of wrēge / or for drede / or suche other that he dare not fulfyll his charge / so that what for drede what for dysplesaūre / he shall leue that soule in that deuyls hondes armes / and dare not saye hym the sothe / in that wyse shall he take hym the body and the blode of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / and veryly seeth he that / that he is not losed fro that derkenesse of deedly synnes / and yet neuerthelesse for plesaūce of worldely men / and for a mysse ruled drede / or for some gyfte / or by the queste that he receyueth of hym / he mynystreth to hym the sacrament / and yet ther to he buryeth the same cursed man in holy chyrche with grete worshyp / where they sholde rather throwe hȳ out as a beest / or as a membre cut fro the mysteryall body of holy chyrche ¶ Who is cause of this ¶ Certayne proper loue / and the hornes of pryde / for yf they dyd loue me aboue al thȳges / also the soule of that wretche for me / they themselfe also were meke / than without seruyle drede / they wolde be dylygent aboute the helthe of that wretched soule ¶ Sees thou not what euylles do folowe these thre vyces / whome I put to the as thre pyllers / of whome all other synnes do come / that is pryde / coueryse / and vnclennesse / bothe of theyr bodyes and vf theyr soules / thy ere 's be not suffycyent to here those euylles that do come of these thre pyllers / as they dyd come fro the deuylles mēbres / for pryde they do many dyshonestes moche couetysenesse / as somtyme thou dyd knowe to whom suche thynges dyd happe / thou knowes wel somtyme ther were certayne parsones of good feythe and of good lyuynge / whiche were taryed in thē selfe with certayne dredes / wenȳge that they had in thē a wycked spyryte / they comen to a wretched preest / supposynge to be delyuered there of by his counseyle / and he as a couetous man receyueth gyftes of thē / also as a dyshonest wretched mā spake to thē of dyshonest wretched lynnes sayēge thus to them this defaute the ye fuffre maye not be heled but ī suche a wyse so wolde wretchedly haue do cursed synne with thē ¶ O deuyll aboue all deuyls / in all thȳges thou arte worse thā a deuyll ¶ There be many deuylles that hate that synne / thou that arte worse thā he walowes therin / as a hogge in that myre ¶ O vnclene beest / is it the thynge that I aske of the / I ordeyned the tor to put out deuyls out of soules by the vertu of my sones blode / but thou puttes in deuyls ¶ Sees thou not wretche how the axe of my ryghtewysenesse is sette at the roote of thy tree ¶ One thȳge I saye to the / that suche thynges sholde stōde to the to vsury / for one tyme shall be that I shall aske the bothe of mysspēdȳge of thy tyme of thy place but yf thou amende the punyshe thy wyckednesse here with penaūce cōtrycyon of herte I shal not spare the thoughe thou be a preest / but more wretchedly shall thou be punyshed / and greater peyne shall be putte to the / more cruelly than to other ¶ Than loke thou whether thou can put awaye the deuyll fro the / with the deuyll of couetyse ¶ Ther was also another wretche / yet is suche to whome creatures the be bounde in deedly synne come to for to be assoyled and losed of those synnes / they bynde thē faster ī some other synne lyke them or greater / with newe fyndynges and wayes of
house of womeÌ„ / she thought not whan she sholde bylde it thus / how myght I parforme this / but besyly with my prouydence she made there an holy monastery / where she gadered togyder in the begynnynge xviij maydens whan she had ryght noughte for to gyue them of meet drynke / but as I prouyded for theÌ„ / ymonge all other thynges whan I hadde longe prouyded for them as for theyr bodyly nede / I sufferd theÌ„ thre dayes to be without breed / onely lyuyÌ„ge with herbes / yf thou aske me thaÌ„ why I withdrawe fro them theyr necessary lyuelode / nameli fro suche as had hope in me / sythen I haue sayde before that I wolde not fayle my seruauntes that put theyr hope in me / but that they sholden haue suche as them nedeth / wherfore the semeth that they lacked theyr nede / for onely with herbes the body of a reasonable creature lyueth not / for to speke comunely of suche as be not parfyte / for thoughe Agnes was ê‘fyte / other of her susters were not parfyte in the same ê‘feccyon / to this I shall answere the thus ¶ I suffred that iÌ„ her / that she sholde be fulfylled plentuously in my prouydeÌ„ce / and other that were yet vnparfyte of her systers / myghten haue cause by the myracle that sheweth for to parforme her begynnynge fundament in the lyghte of holy feythe / neuerthelesse in those herbes or iÌ„ suche other / I myghte gyue moche grace of releuynge / or els in gyuyÌ„ge suche dysposycyon to mankynde that he sholde better lyue with the lytel herbe and somtyme without meet / thaÌ„ he dyd before with breed and other maner of meet that be gyuen and ordeyned for the lyfe of man / thou knowes well this is sothe / for thou hase proued this thyselfe / neuerthelesse whaÌ„ that Agnes had lyued so longe as I haue sayde with so lytell quantyte of lyuelode / she lyfte vp the eye of her soule to me with lyghte of feythe and sayd thus / fader my lorde ende lesse spouse hase thou made me for to take out these maydens out of theyr faders houses / that they shall now peryshe for honger / good lorde / good spouse prouyde for theyr nede ¶ Lo doughter I was he that made her for to aske me so / for that I wolde haue her feythe proued / that meke prayer was ryghte lykynge to me / therfore I extended my prouydence in her / that whan she stode so before me / I constrayned a certayne creature in his soule by inspyracyon of the holy ghoste for to bere to those women fyue small loues / by the whiche the soule of Agnes had reuelacyon / by the whiche reuelacyon she tourned to her systers and sayde thus / go doughters and answeree at the whele / and take in theyr breed / they went as they were coÌ„maunded and and brought in breed / whiche was departed ymonges them / I gaue so greate myght and vertu to those loues in the departynge of them / that all they were plentuously fulfylled / and whan they hadde eten / there remayned asmoche whiche they toke fro the table / that they had another tyme to the full for the nede of theyr bodyly lyfe ¶ Thus do I with my prouydence whiche I vse with my seruauntes that be wylfully poore / yet not onely wylfully poore / but poore in spyryte / for without a spyrytuall entent / it were ryght noughte worthe for theÌ„ / as it happed to phylosophers whiche for the loue that they hadde to cunnynge and for the wyll that they hadde to lerne it / they set not by ryches / therfore they made them poore wylfully / knowynge very well that besynesse of the worldely ryches wolde let them / and not to suffer them to come to the parfyte knowlege of cunnynge / whiche cunnynge they sette before the eye of theyr intelleccyon as for one ende but bycause this wyll of pouerte was not done for the glory and laude of my name / therfore they had nother lyfe of grace nor of ê‘feccyon / but rather of endelesse dethe ¶ Of euylles whiche do come for kepynge and desyrynge of temporall goodes vnordynately I Haue touched the somwhat that thou maye the better knowe the tresour of wylful pouerte in spyryte ¶ Who knoweth that ¶ Certayne my well beloued poore seruauntes / whiche haue ythrowe awaye fro theÌ„ the burthoÌ„ of rychesse in to the erthe / that they myght lyghtly passe forth in theyr iournaye and so to enter by the strayte gate ¶ There be some that bothe actually and mentally throwe it awaye fro them / and they be those that bothe actually and mentually do kepe the commauÌ„dymentes and the couÌ„seyles / but some ther be that onely kepe the couÌ„seyles mentally / spoylyÌ„ge theyr affeccyon fro ryches / for they kepe theym by vnordynate loue / but ordynately and with holy drede I made no possessoure of theÌ„ / but a dyspensatour a puruayoure for poore folke / suche one dothe wel / but yet the fyrste be ê‘fyte bothe with more fruyte thaÌ„ these haue / also with lesse impedymeÌ„t / in whome my prouydeÌ„ce semeth more shynynge actually thaÌ„ in these / for suche one by the vertu of very pouerte holdeth hymselfe meke lowe iÌ„ his owne syghte / of the whiche mekenesse I haue tolde the before in another place / therfore I shall tell the more now onely of the vertu of pouerte ¶ I haue tolde the yf thou haue mynde / that all euyll / all harme / all the peyne in this lyfe / in the other lyfe of peynes / do come fro the loue of delyces / but now shall I tell that what good cometh of pouerte / all peas rest cometh of pouerte / be holde now se of what chere my very poore seruauÌ„tes be of / with howmoche ioye iocundyte they dwell / they be neuer sory / but for offence that is done to me / whiche sorowe tourmeÌ„teth not theyr soules / but it maketh the soule fatte in grace / for theyr pouerte they wyÌ„ne endeles ryches / bicause they haue forsakeÌ„ derknes they fynde the most ê‘fyte lyghte / for the forsakyÌ„ge of the worlde / they haue spyrytual ioy / for the forsakyÌ„ge of deedly goodes / they fyÌ„de vndeedly goodes so receyue ghostly coÌ„fortes / for to haue laboure peyne / it is a refresshynge of the soule with ryghtwysenesse a fraternal charyte / they lyue with euery reasonable creature / they accepte no more one creature than another / but yf they be suche that be more vertuous thaÌ„ other / iÌ„ suche shyneth the vertu of holy feythe of veri hope / iÌ„ theÌ„ breÌ„neth the fyre of dyuyne charyte / the whiche do lyfte vp auoyde theyr hope fro the worlde / fro all vaâ—nerychesse / they haue enbraced the very spouse of pouerte with the lyght of very feythe / whiche they haue in me that am
most souerayne endelesse blessydnesse ¶ Wyll thou knowe whiche be the honde maydens seruauÌ„tes of very pouerte ¶ Certayne vylyte / abieccyon / coÌ„tempte of maÌ„ of hyÌ„selfe / very mekenes / whiche do serue noryshe affeccyoÌ„ of pouerte in the soule ¶ The fyfte chapyter is of the excellence of them whiche be poore iÌ„ spyryte / how cryste taughte vs of this pouerte / not oneli bi worde / but by ensaÌ„ple / also of the prouydence of god for theÌ„ that take this pouerte / a short repeticioÌ„ of the fore sayde dyuyne prouydeÌ„ce / also other maters / as is reherced in the kalender Ca. v. My very seruauÌ„tes breÌ„ned iÌ„ that fyre of charite / forsoke rychesse theyr sencyble felynge / lyke as the apostell Mathewe dyd / the whiche forsoke ryches / sued my onely sothefast sone Ihesu / whiche taughte you bothe a maner rule for to loue folowe very pouerte / he taughte you not onely by worde / but by ensample / for fro the begyÌ„nynge of his byrthe vnto the last ende of his lyfe / he taught you this doctryne by ensample / he hyÌ„selfe wedded fro you this spouse of very pouerte / not withstondynge that he was most souerayne blessydnesse by vnyon of dyuyne nature / by the whiche he is one with me and I with hym / and yf thou wyll se hym meke lowe in greate pouerte / beholde god made and arayed with the vylyte of youre maÌ„heed / so thou maye se that swete ryghte well byloued Ihesu borne in a stable / for to teche you that lyue in this lyfe / euer for to be borne in the stable of youre owne knowlege / wher ye sholde fynde me borne by grace within youre soules ¶ Also thou maye se hym lyenge in the mydle ymonge beestes / in so grete penury that Mary his moder had not wher with to couer hym / but in the colde tyme with the brethynge of those beestes and with haye he was made warme ¶ Lo he that was the fyre of charyte wolde suffer colde in his maÌ„ heed all the whyle that he was in the worlde on lyue / bothe in presence of his dyscyples and in the absence of his dyscyples / so that otherwhyle for honger his dyscyples dyd gader the ere 's of corne and ete them / yet in the laste ende of his lyfe he was dyspoyled of his clothes and scorged all aboute a pyller / and also with grete thruste he hanged vpon the crosse / iÌ„ suche penury and pouerte that bothe the erthe the tree whiche he haÌ„ged vpon defayled hym so that he hadde no place where he myghte laye his heed / but that he muste nedes reste his heed vpon his shulder / and also he that was druÌ„ke with loue / he made to you a bathe in his blode / by shedynge of his blode / in openynge of his body on euery syde / he beynge so in suche myseri gaue to you grete rychesse / and also he beynge vpon the strayte tree of the crosse / he gaue plentuously his largenesse to euery reasonable creature / by tastynge of the bytternesse of gall he gaue to you swetenesse of greate suauyte / he beynge in sorowe gaue to you coÌ„forte / and he beynge bounde nayled to the crosse delyuered and vnlosed you fro the bonde of deedly synne / and in that he was made seruauÌ„te / he made you fre and delyuered you fro the deuylles daunger / and iÌ„ that he was solde he raunsomed you by his blode / and in that he toke dethe he gaue you lyfe / in the whiche dethe he gaue to you the rule of loue / shewynge more loue to you thaÌ„ he ought for to do to you / that were to hym to me endelesse fader deedly enemyes / he gaue to you also a rule of very mekenesse / in that he suffered in the most repreuable dethe of the crosse / repreues / shames sufferynge theÌ„ ryghte mekely / he gaue you also a rule of very pouerte / for as it is wryten of hym / Foxes haue caues dennes / byrdes of the ayre haue nestes / but the sone of maÌ„ hathe not wher he maye laye his heed ¶ Who maye veryly knowe this ¶ Certayne he that hathe the lyghte of very feythe ¶ In whome may thou fynde this fâ—ythe ¶ Certayne iÌ„ poore folke of spyryte that haue take for theyr spouse the quene of pouerte / this quene hathe a realme in the whiche realme is neuer warre / but pease reste / she is full of ryghtwysenesse / for all vnryghtwysenesse is departed fro her / the walles of her cytee be welles / for the fouÌ„damente therof is not sette vpon the grouÌ„de / but on a quycke stone Ihesu my onely sothefaste sone / within is lyght / without derkenesse / for the moder of this quene is the depenesse of my dyuyne charyte / the raymeÌ„t of this cytee is pyte mercy / for the tyrauÌ„t of ryches whiche vsed cruelte is pulled away fro thens / there is one maner benyuolence with all the cytesyns / that is loue of neyghbour heed / ther is also loÌ„ge parseuerauÌ„ce with prudence / whiche gouerneth not his cytee vnprudeÌ„tly / but with greate prudence besyly wakynge / and therfore a soule that is wedded to this ryght swete quene of pouerte / she hathe made herselfe a lady of all these ryches / she maye not be lady of one / but she be lady of all / and as ofte as the appetyte of ryches falleth in that soule / so ofte she is departed fro this good / and fyndeth herselfe with greate mysery without the cytee / and yf it so be that she be founde feythfull trewe to this spouse euer alwaye / the same spouses pouerte wyll largely departe with her abundaunt ryches ¶ Who maye se this grete excelleÌ„ce of pouerte ¶ Certayne none but suche a soule / iÌ„ whome shyneth the lyght of feythe / this same quene pouerte / arayeth a soule with grete purete wtdrawyÌ„ge rychesse / whiche made her clene depryued her from wycked thoughtes / gyuyÌ„ge to her good / she draweth out also fro her the besynesse of the worlde / and whan that bytternesse is gone / thaÌ„ remayneth in her swetenesse / she cutteth awaye fro her the thornes / and thaÌ„ remayneth the rose / she also dyscargeth the stomake of the soule fro the corrupte humours of vnordynate loue / maketh it lyght / and after tyme it is so voyded / she fylleth it with meet of vertu / whiche gyueth grete swetenesse / she setteth there also the seruauntes of holy hate of loue / for to purge araye the place for those seruauÌ„tes of holy hate of vyces and of proper sensualyte / turneth the soule bothe clenseth it purgeth / loue of vertu arayeth her / by puttynge awaye fro theÌ„s all maner doubtes / depryuyÌ„ge her fro seruyle drede / and