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
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
/ and than also I fulfyll theyr desyre shewynge openly to the syghte of the eye of theyr vnderstondynge / my sone Ihesu ¶ Otherwhyle they do serche me in the mekenesse of the holy ghost / thaÌ„ my endelesse goodnesse maketh them to taste the breÌ„nynge fyre of my dyuyne charyte / and also maketh them to conceyue very ryall vertues / grouÌ„ded iÌ„ the pure charyte of neyghbourhode ¶ The fyfte chapyter telleth how god sheweth hymselfe somtyme to a soule that loueth hym ¶ Also why cryste sayde not Ego manifestabo c. I shall shewe my fader / but he sayde / I shall shewe myselfe what maner of gouernaunce a soule shall kepe / that she maye come vp to the seconde gree of the holy brydge ¶ And of other maters / as it is rehersed before in the kaleÌ„der Ca. v. IN this wyse than maye the clerely comprehende and parceyue the truthe / after the sayenge of my sothefast sone Ihesu / wher he saythe thê° / he that loueth me / he shall be one with me ¶ For al the shewe his doctryne / be made one with hym / by the affeccyoÌ„ of loue ¶ And lyke as ye be one in hym / so be ye one iÌ„ me / for he and I be but one togyder in substauÌ„ce / and so shewe I me to you / for we be all one ¶ Neuerthelesse yf my sothefaste sone had sayde to you thus / I shal shewe you me the fader / he had sayd sothe / for yf he shewe hymselfe he sheweth me / and yf he shewe me he sheweth hyÌ„selfe ¶ But why sayd he not / I shall shewe you my fader onely ¶ Truly for thre maner causes ¶ One is this / bycause he wolde it were knowe that I am not departed fro hym / nor he fro me / and therfore it was that he sayde to seynt Phylyp / that asked of hym thus ¶ Lorde shewe vs thy fader / it is ynoughe to vs ¶ Phylyp he sayde / he that seeth me / seeth my fader / this was truly sayde / for he was one with me / that he had he had onely of me / and not I of hym ¶ And that was the cause that he sayde to the Iewes thus ¶ My doctryne is not my doctryne / but his doctryne that sende me in to this worlde / that is my fader ¶ Thê° by this cause my ryght swete onely sothefast sone cometh fro me / not I fro hym ¶ And he he sayeth also we be all one / therfore it was that he sayde not / I shal not shewe you my fader / but he sayde / I shall shewe you me / that is bycause I am one / and the same with my fader ¶ The seconde cause was / in asmoche as he shewed you hymselfe / he shewed to you no other / than he had of me his fader as thoughe he sayde thus my fader hathe shewed me hymselfe / bycause we be one ¶ Therfore I shall shewe you my fader and me / by medyacyon of myselfe ¶ The thyrde cause was / for I that am inuysyble / may not be seen of you that ben vysyble / but whan ye be departed oute fro youre deedly bodyes / thaÌ„ all ye shall se me face to face / and my sothefast sone Ihesu cryst intellectually / vnto that tyme of the generall resurreccyon ¶ Therfore now as I am / ye may not se me for this cause I haue hyd couered my dyuyne nature / by the veyle of your humanyte / that ye myght so se that is inuysyble as vysyble ¶ As thoughe I gyue you dwellynge amonge you my sothefaste sone Ihesu / couered in the vayle of youre maÌ„hode ¶ And soo he sheweth me to you / therfore he sayde not / I shall shew you my fader / but he sayde I shall shewe you me ¶ As thoughe he meÌ„t thus / lyke as my fader hathe gyuen it to me / so shall I shewe me to you ¶ Thus thou maye knowe that in this sheweynge of me / he shewed hymselfe ¶ Aud thus thou hase lerned why he sayd not / I shal shewe you my fader that is thus bycause it is vnpossyble to you for you to se me in this deedly body as it is sayde before / and also bycause he is one with me ¶ And here after shall be shewed what maner of gouernaunce a soule shall kepe / how she shall ascende vp to the seconde gre of the holy brydge NOw thou knowes in what maner of excellence he dwelleth / that cometh to the degre of the loue of a frende / suche one goeth vpon his fete of affeccyon / and so cometh to the pryue secretes of the herte / that is fro the fyrste grees / to the seconde be fygured in the body of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu ¶ I tolde the that those thre grees were betokened or marked in that thre myghtes of the soule / betokenynge pryncypally / the thre states of the soule ¶ Now therfore or that he come to the thyrde gree / I shall shewe the how he shal come to be a dere freÌ„de ¶ And after tyme he is comeÌ„ to be a dere freÌ„de to me / anone he is made a chylde of my loue that he hathe to me / and I to hym / as to my owne dere chylde ¶ But fyrste how that he worketh whaÌ„ he is made a freÌ„de / I shall tell it to the. ¶ At the begynnyÌ„ge he was vnparfyte / by seruyle drede / and by the parseuerauÌ„te vse of the same drede / he came to the loue of ghostly delectacyon / fyndynge in me comforte and auauntage of his owne profyte ¶ In sothe this is the waye / and this waye he muste geâ— that wyll come parfytely to parfyte loue of a dere chylde and of a frende ¶ Why is that loue parfyte ¶ Truly for he receyueth my herytage / in the loue of my sothefast sone Ihesu ¶ And bycause the loue of adere sone is not wtout the loue of adere freÌ„de / and therfore I sayde to the / that of a dere freÌ„de / cometh a dere chylde ¶ But what maner of gouernauÌ„ce muste he holde / that shall come to this parfeccyon / I shall tell the ¶ Euery parfeccyon and euery vertu / cometh oute of charyte / and charyte is nouryshed of mekenes / mekenesse cometh out of knowlege and of holy hate of hymselfe / that is of his owne sensualyte and his very propre wyll ¶ And for to come to this a man muste abyde parseuerauÌ„tly / and dwelle in the Cell of his owne knowlege ¶ In the whiche knowlege of hymselfe / he shall fynde my mercy in the blode of my sothefaste sone Ihesu drawynge to hym by holy desyre my dyuyne charyte / and also by excersysynge hymselfe in dystroyeÌ„ge al maner of wycked wylles bothe spyrytuall and temporall / hydynge hymselfe iÌ„ his owne house / as Peter and other dyscyples dyd / the whiche Peter after
all this / they wolde not make thē a god therof ¶ What thynge hathe wtdrawe fro thē this knowlege ¶ Certayne pryde / of all suche I haue made incarnate deuyls / I ordeyned them for angels / that they sholde be erthely angels as in this lyfe / they fall fro the heyghte of heuē / to the depenes of derkenesse ¶ And in so moche is the derkenesse of thē encreased / that other whyle they fal to defaute / as I shal tel the after ¶ Ther be some īcarnate deuyls that feyne ofte tymes to cōsecrate and they do not consecrate for fere of my Iudgement / and also bycause they wolde do away fro thē all maner drede / and the brydell of theyr euyl dedes ¶ For they ryse not by the morowe fro vnclennesse / and at euen fro mysse ruled etynge and drȳkȳge / yet they thynke it is ryght nedefull for to satysfy the people for to say masse / not wtstōdȳge the people do consyder theyr wyckednesse that is to saye they thynke they sholde not so soone by good conscyence saye masse / for fere drede of my Iudge mētes ¶ Sees thou not dere doughter how blynde they be / they renne not to cōtrycyō of herte / and dysplesaūce of theyr defautes / for to amēde thē ¶ But they go boldely to masse / as for a remedy to satysfaccyon of the people not for to consecrate but for to saye masse / for to ouerpasse at consecracyon the wordes of consecracyon / consyderynge nothynge that the laste erroure and defaute is more that by moche than the fyrste / bycause he maketh the people to do ydolatry / makynge them to do worshyp to an hoste vnconsecrate / as they wolde do to the very body and blode of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / all god and all man ¶ For that that they worshyppe is very bredde / sees thou not what abhomynacyon here is / how greate my pasyence is the dothe suffre them / yf suche one amende hȳ not / he maye loke after sharpe dāpnacyon at the daye of Iudgement ¶ But nowe what sholde that people do that they fall not in to suche incōuenyence / they sholde praye with cōdycyō thus whā they be in doubte ¶ Yf this mynyster haue sayde that he sholde saye / I byleue that thou arte goddes sone on lyue / gyuen to me to my ghostly lyuelod fro the fyre of thy meruaylous charyte / in the mynde of thy swete passyon where thou shedde thy blode for to wasshe vs fro oure synnes / yf they do thus they shall so worshyp veryly me though the mynyster haue wretchedly synned ī doynge ther they shold not do ¶ O ryght swete doughter who wtholdeth the erthe that it maye not swalowe thē quycke / who wtholdeth my myght / that it myght make thē vnmouable that they may be deed ymages for theyr cōfusyō before all the people ¶ Certayne my mercy / I holde myselfe that is with my mercy I holde my dyuyne ryghtwysenesse / that they may be ouercome by strēgthe of mercy / but they as deuyls obstynate wyll not knowe this nor se my mercy / for they thynke they sholde haue it of dewte / what that euer they haue of me / so they be blyndefelde for they se not that they haue it of grace onely / but of dewte ¶ Of many other defautes / the whiche do come of pryde of a mannes owne propre loue ALl this haue I tolde the that thou maye haue the more cause of waylynge and compassyon of theyr blyndenesse / so for to se them stonde in state of dampnacyon / also that thou may the better knowe my mercy / so for to truste therin / and for to receyue therof greate sykernesse / offrynge the same mynysters of holy chyrche and all the worlde to me askynge mercy for theym / and the more sorowfull and delectable desyres thou offers to me fro them / the more thou shewes thy loue that thou hase to me / for that same profyte the whiche thou maye not do me / nor none of my seruauntes / the same ye sholde shewe to me by the meane of them / and thā shal I forgyue so cōstrayned of your desyres / by pepynge and by prayenge bothe of the and other of my seruauntes / and also haue ruthe of my spouse holy chyrche / reformȳge her with good and holy curates / that by suche reformacyon of good curates / wycked subiectes maye be correcked / for the euylles that be done by euyll subiectes / wycked curates be the cause / for yf they were amended and in them dyd shyne the ghostly Margaryte stone of ryghtwysenesse with holy and honest lyuynge / they wolde not do so / and wyll thou knowe what is the cause of suche wretched lyuynge / that one foloweth so another in lyuynge / bycause the subiectes be not obedyent / for whā the prelate was a subiecte / he was not obedyent to his prelate / therfore he receyueth of his subiectes / suche as he gaue to his soueraynes / badde is that one / and badde is that other ¶ Of all this / and of all other defautes pryde is the cause / grounded in theyr owne propre loue ¶ The subiectes were vncūnynge proude / moche more is the souerayne vncūnynge proude / and ther is so grete ygnoraunce vncunnynge ymōge the prelates / and they he so blynde / that they wyll gyue the order of prestheed to a man that is an ydyot / whiche can vnneth rede saye his seruyce / and oftentymes of theyr ygnoraūce / suche preestes be made that can not say the wordes of the sacramēt / and so of this cometh that defaute / whiche is rehersed before / that they cōsecrate not ¶ And there as suche prelates sholde chose wysemē groūded in vertues / and that couthe vnderstonde suche as they dyd rede / they do all the cōtrary / for they take no hede of theyr cunnynge / nor to that dyscrete age of them / but of lust they make chyldren and not sadde men / nor they do not take hede of that good pure lyuynge that they sholde haue / nor of the dygnyte and mystery to the whiche they be chosen / but onely for to multyply people and not vertuous they themselfe be blynde they gader togyder the blyndenesse / and they cōsyder not that I of that shall aske a rekenȳge at the daye of Iudgemente ¶ Yet they do more / for whā they haue so made blynde preestes / anone they commytte to them cure of soules / and they se well they can not gouerne themself / and yet they make them gouernoures of other ¶ And thus the shepe that do lacke a trewe shepeherde / whiche sholde take hede to them and that couthe lede thē the ryght waye lyghtly they peryshe oftentymes be all to rent and deuoured of wolfes / bycause the shepeherde is wycked / he recketh
beloued of my fader / I shall loue hym / shall shewe myselfe to hym / and he shall be one with me / and I with hym ¶ And in manye places of scrypture / we fynde wordes lyke to the same purpose / by the whiche we openly knowe that a soule is alterate / and made hymselfe another than he was / in the sothefastnes of loue and desyre / and that we may se this more clerely / I remembre me that I haue red of an holy mayde / seruaunte of god Katheryne of Seene that whan she gaue her selfe ententyfly to prayer / with enhaunsynge vp her mynde to god / to beholde heuenly thynges in maner of contemplacyon Thā the holy god hyd not his loue the whiche may not be mesured / whiche he had to his seruaūtes with the gyfte of intelleccyon by the ghostly eye ¶ But specyally amonge other wordes / our lorde god spake to her / and sayde ¶ Open the eye of thy intelleccyon / or of ghostly vnderstondynge / and beholde in me / you shall se the dygnyte / the fayrenes of my reasonable creature / and the fayrenesse whiche I haue gyuē to thy soule / makynge it of nought / to my ymage lykenesse ¶ Beholde them that ben arayed with the precyous clothȳge of ghostly weddȳge That is to saye / vertuously arayed with charyte / with many dyuers vertues / contynually they ben ioyned to me by loue ¶ Therfore yf that shoulde aske me whiche ben they I shoulde answere the agayne They that be clene purged frome synne / they haue my lykenes ¶ For suche haue lost and mortyfyed theyr owne propre wyll / and ben conformed to my wyll / in all thynges with my wyll they ben clothed / and precyously arayed ¶ Therfore it is full sothe / that suche a soule oneth it selfe to god / with desyre and affeccyon of loue ¶ Also this soule / yet moreouer wyllynge to knowe the holy sothefastnes of knowȳge / and to folowe it by excercyse Consydered fyrst as for her selfe with an hyghe desyre / that a soule maye by no waye of doctryne / nor of ensample / nor of prayer / profyte to his neyghbour / but it profyte fyrste to his selfe / that is to saye ī purchasynge hauynge in possessyon the perfeccyō of vertues ī it selfe Therfore in that holy desyre of sothefast knowynge / mekely she asked .iiij. petycyons / of the euer beynge fader in heuen ¶ The fyrste petycyon was for her selfe ¶ The seconde for reformacyon of holy chyrche The thyrde in generall / for the helthe of all the worlde / and specyally for the helthe of crystē people / whiche with grete presumpcyon greate persecucyon / is rebell to holy chyrche ¶ The .iiij. petycyon was / that the prouydence of god shoulde puruaye for eche derke case or doubte / or nede in generall / and ī specyall ¶ How the desyre of this soule encreased / whan she knewe the necessyte that was in the worlde This desyre was in her ful greate and abydynge contynually / whiche desyre encreased in her the more feruently / whan the greate wretchednes of this worlde was shewed to her of almyghty god the maker of all the worlde ¶ And whā that she sawe so greate trouble in the worlde and somoche offēce done to god in the worlde ¶ Also in this tyme of this holy desyre / she had vnderstādynge by a wrytȳge whiche she had of her ghosty fader In the whiche wrytynge / he shewed her the grete payne and sharpnes of intollerable sorowe ordeyned for syn̄e And for the offence done to god / of the cause of losynge of soules / and for the persecucyon that is done to holy chyrche / whiche wordes haue kyndled in her a fyre of a desyre / with a louynge / a bytternes / for the offence done to god ¶ And thā she with a gladnes / and ioy of a trusty hope / mekely abode the mekenesse of god / the whiche mercyfully wolde puruaye for all the euylles and perelles ¶ And for asmoche / that in receyuynge of the holy sacrament / a soule more swetely / more feruētly cleueth to god / and better knoweth his sothefastnes Bycause that thā a soule is in god / and god in the soule Ryght as the fysshes abyden in the see / and the see in the fysshes Therfore vpon the nexte morowe folowynge / she had a full feruent a brūnynge desyre to here masse whiche daye was on a feest of oure lady goddes moder And whā she had herde masse / at a certayne houre / with a ful grete desyre / to haue an inwarde knowȳge of herselfe / of her owne iperfeccyō / it semed to her a greate shamfastes / that she was pryncypall cause of all the euylles / or dyseases done ī the worlde / cōceyued ī herself a synguler hate / dyspleasaunce of herselfe ¶ And than with a desyre of an holy ryghtwysnesse puryfy suche fylthes of synne the whiche she sawe in the worlde ī her owne soule she lyste vp her herte to the fader of heuen and sayde ¶ Euerlastynge fader in heuen / to the I make my cōplaynt of myselfe / to that I playne accuse my selfe / to the entente that ī this lyfe you punesshe my synnes / And for asmoche as I the pryncypal cause of the paynes throwe my synnes whiche chrystē people shoulde suffre Therfore mekely I beseche you to put those paynes vpon me ¶ How the werkes good or euyll in this worlde onely suffysen not to be punysshed ī purgatory / nor to be rewarded in blysse / without contynual desyre of charyte Than that sothefastnesse of the godheed toke this desyre / and feruētly drewe it to hym / and dyd lyke as it was in the olde testament ¶ For than whan the sacryfyces were accepted to god / fyre came downe from heuen drewe suche a sacryfyce to hym ¶ In the same maner that holy sothefastnes dyd to that soule / for that sothefastnes / the fader of heuen sende the fyre of the holy ghost / and toke the sacry fyce of her greate desyre / whiche sacryfyce she made of herselfe to god ¶ And whā our lorde had resygned this sacryfyce of her / he spake to her and sayde ¶ Doughter knowes thou not that all the paynes that mē suffren / or ony creature maye suffre in this worlde / ben not worthy at the full / nor euen worthy penauce / nor suffycyēt to punesshe the lest synne And the cause is / for the offence that is done to me / whiche am god / and goodnes that hathe none ende / asketh a blame wtout ende ¶ Therfore I wyll that you knowe / that all the paynes that ben gyuen / or sende of god in to this worlde ben not for penaūce / but for correccyon / to amede and correcke the chylde whā he trespaseth ¶ And yet forthermore it is sothe / that a man maketh
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
thy humanite / by the whiche I gaue agayne to the / that grace that was lost ¶ And so ye beynge in my ymage / I toke your lykenesse whaÌ„ I toke maÌ„nes nature ¶ Also I am one with you / but â—f that soule go fro me by deedly synne ¶ But he that loueth me / dwelleth iÌ„ me / I in hyÌ„ Therfore the worlde parsueth hym for that worlde hathe no conformynge with me / therfore he parsueth myne onely sone to that most cruel dethe of that crosse And so he parsueth you to the dethe / for he loueth not me / for yf that worlde hadde loued me / he sholde haue loued you But be ye ioyfull / for your ioyes shall be fulfylled iÌ„ heuen ¶ Also I tell the that that more that sclaunders / and try bulacyons encreasen in the ghostly body of that moder of holy chyrche / that more shall he haue of swetenesse / of coÌ„forte afterwarde ¶ This softenesse of swetenesse / the swetenesse of softenesse / shall be the reformacyon of curates and good heddes of holy chyrche / whiche ben the floures of glory / for in yeldynge to my name glory and laude / they shewe oute the sauour of swetenesse of vertues / whiche beÌ„ fouÌ„ded in sothefastnesse ¶ And this is the sothefastnesse and softenesse of swete ftoures That is to say / the recormacyon of my mynysters / and curates ¶ Not for that fruyte of this spouse that is to say of the chyrche nedeth to be reformed / for the fruyte is not dystryed / and it is neuerthelesse / by the defautes of the mynystres ¶ Thus thou / and thy ghostly fader / and my other seruauntes shall coye in aduersyte and bytternesse For I that am euerlastynge sothefastnesse / haue promysed to gyue to you refresshynge And after suche sharp'enesse and bytternesse / I shall comforte you in the reformacyon of holy chyrche / by'cause ye suffreÌ„ many contrarytes for my loue ¶ The .iiii. chapytre is how that the workynge of the blyssed soule of this mayde by that answere of oure lorde / bothe encreased and fayled in that bytternesse of her soule / and how that she made her prayer for his holy chyrche / and for his people / and of other maters iÌ„ the same chapyter / as it is rehersed to you before in the kalender Ca. iii. After this holy techynge of our lorde / the soule of this mayde was kyndeled and sore styred by a greate desyre in to the loue of god / takynge hede / and knowynge his plentuous charyte / whiche charyte with greate coÌ„forte swetenesse / ordeyned to make an answere to her petycyon / gyuynge a trust hope of remedy to her / whiche she desyred / whiche was to the bytternesse of her soule / whiche she had receyued for offences done to her maker / and for harme done to holy chyrche and for her owne mysery whiche she conceyued throwe knowledge of her selfe ¶ Whiche hope of remedy swaged that inwarde bytternesse / whiche she had conceyued ¶ And thaÌ„ was shewed to her by that euerlastynge fader / that was so offended / what waye of parfeccyoÌ„ they sholde vse / and do satysiaccyoÌ„ for theyr owne offences for theyr neyghbours / as shall be more clerly shewed after ¶ Ryght parfyte is the knowledge whiche a soule hathe of herselfe / by the whiche she knoweth her god the better / tyght well felynge the goodnesse of god in her / in the holy amyable myrtour / or beholdynge of god / she knoweth her owne vnworthynes / the hyghe worthynesse of her god whiche formed her and made her of noughâ—e / seynge well herselfe the ymage of god / not of dewte / but onely of specy all grace ¶ Also the beholdynge in the myrrour of the hyghe dyuyne goodnes / this soule knews her owne vnworthynesse / in to whiche vnworthynesse she fell / throwe her owne defaute and synne ¶ For ryght as a spotte / or fylthe in a maÌ„nes vysage / maye lyghtly be parceyued in a myrrour / so a soule whiche with a very knowyÌ„ge of herselfe she lyfted vp her entent and affeccyon by a feruent desyre / to beholde inwardly / with the eye of her ghostly intelleccyon / to se herselfe in the holy myrrour of god / by the whiche suparuysyon / she parceyued more thaÌ„ euer she dyd the foule spottes of her soule / throwe the greate purenesse / or clerenesse / whiche she had in the syght and knowynge of god ¶ And in asmoche as this coÌ„fortable knowynge and desyre / with an inwarde bytternesse / for offence to god / was greately knytte togyder within the foresayde soule / yet throwe the hope the whiche our lorde had put in her / the bytternesse and the mournynge was lassed decresed in her ¶ And ryght as a fyre encreseth whaÌ„ fuell is added therto / so the fyre of loue the whiche was oned to god / waxcd so greately iÌ„ her soule / that it had not ben possyble her lyfe to remayne with her body / but that the soule must passe fro the body / but that she was preserued with strengthe aboue nature / onely of hym of whome cometh all strengthe / or els she myght neuer haue scaped with the lyâ— hy possâ—byly te ¶ Therfore whaÌ„ this soule was thus puryfyed / with thefyre of the dyuyne charyte / whiche she founde in the knowynge of herselfe / and of ger god / and whan that holy desyre / with hope of mannes faluacyon / hope of resormacyon of holp chyrche was thus encresed in her / anâ—ne she lyfte vp her herte with a geete loue before the fader in heuen / whiche had shewed her the mysery of that worlde / and that foule iÌ„ fyrmyte of holy chyrche moche lyke to that worde of Moyses she spake to our lorde sayde thus ¶ My lorde tourne thy mercyfull eyes to thy people / and to the ghostly body of holy chyrche / for iÌ„ sparynge so manye creatures / in gyuynge theÌ„ the lyght of knowynge / moche that more thy name shall be gloryfyed of all thy creatures / the whiche sholden gyue presynges to the / parceyuyÌ„ge beholdyÌ„ge / how by thy endelesse goodnesse / they haue scapen frome the boÌ„des of deedly synnes / frome parpetuall paÌ„pnacyon ¶ And whaÌ„ they knowen what grace thou hase done to me a wretche the whiche so greatly haue offended thy maieste / and I knowledge me the most cause of al meÌ„nes synÌ„es ¶ Therfore lorde I praye thy dyuyne charyte / that thou take no grefe with me / spare thy peple / I shal neuer go fro the presence tyll I se that haue merey on thy peple ¶ What were it to me to haue â—yte to se thy peple haue deth / or that derkenesse sholde aryse â—â— thy spouse holy chyrche / whiche is the pryncypall lyght / for my defautes / for other defautes of thy creatures ¶ Therfore lorde my
is somoche / that they maye not desyre nor wyll ony goodnesse / but alwaye they dyspysen me with blasphemyÌ„ge And wyll thou knowe why they haue no appetyte nor desyre to goodnes / for that lyfe of a maÌ„ whaÌ„ it is deed that fre choyse to good or yll is coÌ„streyned / and fro that tyme passed / they maye go no forther ¶ Yf they dyen in hatered with deedly synÌ„e / alway after the soule is bounde with the boÌ„des of hatered / of that dyuyne ryghtwysenes / he abydeth obstynate iÌ„ the peyne that he suffreth / alway fretyÌ„ge hyÌ„selfe with peynes / whiche beÌ„ added encresed to hyÌ„ / fro tyme to tyme. ¶ And specyally they beÌ„ partyners of theyr peynes / of whom they wereÌ„ the pryÌ„cypal cause of theyr daÌ„pnacyoÌ„ as the ryche man that was dampned gaue you ensample / whan he asked for grace / that Lazarus sholde go iÌ„ to the worlde to his brederne for to shewe them his cruell peynes ¶ He asked not for compassyoÌ„ / nor for charyte that he had to his brederne / for he was pryued of that compassyon and of charyte ¶ And he myght desyre no goodnesse / nother to my worshyppe / nor to theyr helthe for as I sayde to the they may do no good to theyr neyghbour ¶ Me they blasfeme / bycause they dydé ende theyr lyues in hatered of me / in hate of vertues ¶ Why does thou aske thaÌ„ the ryche maÌ„ that Lazarê° sholde shewe to his brederne / what peynes he suffred this was the cause for that ryche man had many brederne / he was the oldest of theÌ„ / he noryshed theÌ„ in synne and wretchydnesse / in the whiche he was vsed alwaye hymselfe / wherfore he was cause of theyr daÌ„pnacyon parpetual / for whiche cause he sawe before what encrese of peynes he sholde suffre / whaÌ„ they wereÌ„ comen to tourmeÌ„tes to hym / in whiche peynes euermore they frete theÌ„selfe with hatered ¶ Of the blysse ioy of chosen soules IN the contrarywyse a ryghtfull soule / the whiche endeth her lyfe in affeccyon of charyte and is kâ—yte with the bonde of loue / maye not be encresed in vertues / after the tyme her lyfe is passed ¶ But suche a soule maye alwaye loue / with the same loue that she cometh to me / with the same mesure / she shall be mesured agayne ¶ He that coueteth me / alway hathe me / wherfore his desyre is not voyde / but whan he hathe me / he is fylled with repleccyon ¶ And whan he is replete / yet he is made hongry for desyre / but werynesse is fer tro repleccyon / and peyne is ferre frome suche hongre ¶ With loue they Ioye togyder / in the euerlastyÌ„ge syght of me / and to be partetakers of that I haue iÌ„ my selfe ¶ Euery soule as he hathe deserued / more or lesse that is to saye in the same mesure of loue / in the whiche they came to me / the very same shall be mesured to them / for al they dyden lyue in the loue of me / and of theyr neyghbours ¶ And so in that comyn charyte / with the whiche they were all ioyned togyder / and also with a specyall and a profounde loue the whiche cometh out of the bonde of the same charyte ¶ They beÌ„ in ioye togyder with gladnes / and they beÌ„ all made glad with ioye togyder / euery mannes goodnesse medled togyder the one with the other / with affeccyon of charyte besydes the vnyuersal goodnesse / the whiche they reioyce togyder ¶ They done ioye also with greate gladnesse / with the nature of angels / with the whiche angels / the soules of seyntes ben set after the multytude of dyuers vertues / whiche they hadden pryncypally beynge in the erthe / and all ben knytte togyder with chayne of charyte / the whiche maye not be dyssolued ¶ Also they ioye with them in a synguler partycypacyoÌ„ of blys with whome they were knyte togyder with a partyculer loue in that worlde ¶ Throwe the whiche loue they dyden encrese here in grace vertues whaÌ„ one gaue cause to an other / to shewe to gyue laude glory to my holy name / in theÌ„ in theyr neyghbours ¶ Therfore they losen not that same loue / whan they comen to the lyfe that shall euer endure ¶ But rather they haue that same / and parte togyder / with moche more plente of loue / thaÌ„ they dyd here ¶ And whaÌ„ they haue this specyall gyfte / whiche is added for encrese of theyr blys I wolde not that you suppose / that they shold haue this partyculer onely for theÌ„selfe / it is not so ¶ For that same goodnes is had of all the holy soules in heuen / whiche be my dere beloued chosen chyldren / of all the courte / of all the ordres of angels ¶ Therfore whan a soule is come to that blys of euerlastynge lyfe / all that be there / shall haue parte of the goodnes of that soule / that soule hathe parte of theyr goodnesse and blys that be in heuen ¶ But not so that the soules nede ony araye / but thou shall vnderstonde that they haue a maner of gladnesse / a synguler ioy whiche is called Iubâ—lus that is to saye a soule of a glad songe / whiche may not be tolde by worde nor shewed by sowne of voyce ¶ For gladdenes ioye / whiche ioye they haue by the knowynge whiche they had in suche a soule ¶ They beholde suche a soule take vp frome the erthe by my mercy with pleÌ„tuousnes of grace ¶ Also they ioye togyder in me / be glad in the possessyon of goodnes / that they knowe in that soule / for that grace / the whiche the soule receyued of my goodnes ¶ That same soule is glad in me / in the holy spyrytes / in the blyssed soules in heuen / beholdynge in theÌ„ that fayre heed / and tastynge the swetenes of my charyte ¶ And the desyre of theÌ„ crye alwaye to me / for the sauynge of al before my maieste for that lyfe of theÌ„ was ended / in that charyte of theyr neyghboure ¶ That charyte they lefte not / but with that charyte they dyd pas throwe the gate of my dere sone / in the maner that I shall tell the afterwarde ¶ Wherfore thou maye well conceyue that with that bonde of that same loue / wherin they dydde ende theyr lyfe / in that same they dwel abyd / euerlastyÌ„gely they endure ¶ They be somoche ê¯formed to my wyll / that they maye not desyre / but that is my wyll ¶ For theyr fre choyse is so bouÌ„de with the bonde of my charyte / that whan the reasonable tyme of a creature / fayleth after his deth he maye nomore synne ¶ And his wyll is somoche coÌ„formed with my wyll / that thoughe they se knowe the soules of theyr fader and moder of
theyr chyldren / or of theyr other frendes they charge them not / but rather they beholden they in as my enemyes ¶ And whan they se them tourmeÌ„ted / they dyscorde iÌ„ not hyÌ„ge fro my wyll / for theyr desyres be fullfylled / the desyre of soules in blysse is to se and beholde my worshyp fullfylled in you / that yet be walkers in the way / the whiche be strauÌ„gers pylgrymes / goynge fast to the ende of dethe ¶ All your soules helthe / they that be in blysse done couer / for the desyre that they haue to my worshyp ¶ Therfore they pray alway for you whose desyre is fulfylled of my party / so that ye wtstoÌ„de not my mercy / for tomoche ignoraunce blyndenesse ¶ Forthermore those soules that be in blys / desyre to take agayne theyr bodyes for encrese of blys / that they sholde haue / whaÌ„ that soule the body come togyder / but that desyre noyeth the not / though they haue not theyr desyre / iÌ„ acte or in dede ¶ But they ioye with a ghostly desyre of knowynge / they fele tast ioyenge of that sykernes / whiche they haue of theyr desyre / that shall be fulfylled ¶ Therfore thoughe they haue not theyr desyre in acte / it noyeth theym not / for thoughe they haue it not / theyr blys faylâ—â— not / therfore the lacke of theyr 〈◊〉 / causeth theÌ„ no peyne ¶ And â—â—â—nke you not that the body gyueth 〈◊〉 blys to the soule after the resurâ—â—â—â—on ¶ It is not so / for yf it were â—o / â—â—dâ—s 〈◊〉 wolde folowe / that in to yeâ—yme they had agayne theyr bodyâ—â—â— they sholde haue in partyte blys 〈…〉 may not be / for they lacke no â—â—yon ¶ Wherfore there is no 〈…〉 man that bryngeth blys to his 〈◊〉 / but the soule shall gyue blys to 〈…〉 y. ¶ ThaÌ„ shall the soule gyue 〈◊〉 yeweher habuÌ„daunce of newe 〈◊〉 in the daye of IudgemeÌ„t so 〈◊〉 â—â—othynge of her owne flesshe 〈…〉 iefte / whan the soule deâ—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 â—ody by dethe ¶ Ryght 〈…〉 is made vndeedly / and al 〈…〉 in engthed in me / so shall 〈…〉 be made in the same vnyon 〈◊〉 â—oly ¶ And all the heuynesse â—â—rosyte of the body shal awaye and shall be made sotell and lyghte ¶ Wherfore thou shall vnderstonde that euery body gloryfyed / maye passe throwe the stonen walles ¶ Nother fyre nor water maye noye them / that is not by the vertu of the body / but by that vertu of thou soule ¶ Whiche soule is properly myne / gyueÌ„ to the body by grace / by loue / throwe the whiche grace loue / I formed theÌ„ / made theÌ„ to my ymage lykenes ¶ The eye of thy intelleccyon suffyseth not to se / nor thy ere 's to here / nor toÌ„gue to tell / nor maÌ„nes herte to thyÌ„ke / the grete goodnes other blys / whiche is inestimable ¶ O doughter what grete ioy haue they / whiche euer beholde me that am all good ¶ O how moche solace they shall haue / whan they shal be gloryfyed in theyr bodyes ¶ Whiche solace al be it they sholden not haue in to the daye of dome yet sholde the soules haue no peyne for that lacke of theyr bodyes / for that blyssed heed of the soule fayleth not / for she is euer full of blys in herselfe / to the whiche blys / she shall come with the body / as I haue sayde before ¶ I tolde the of the goodnes that maye not be thought / the whiche a body gloryfyed shal haue in the humanyte gloryfyed of my dere sone / whiche humanyte gyueth to you clerely a sykernes of your resurreccyoÌ„ ¶ Ther they ioy make theÌ„ glad in his wouÌ„des / whiche wouÌ„des cese not to cry euery day mercy for you to me that am the fader ¶ All blyssed soules be coÌ„forted with hym in ioye and gladnes / eye with eye / and with honde / and with all that hole body of my onely sone ¶ All ye sholde be confyrmed in me a bydynge / so ye sholde dwell in hym / for he is all one with me ¶ The eye of your body as I sayde / shall haue gladnes iÌ„ the humanyte gloryfyed of my sone ¶ And this is the cause / for theyr lyues ended in the loue of my charyte ¶ And therfore with that charyte they ben parseuer auÌ„te / abydâ— euerlastyÌ„gely ¶ Not so that they may do ony good / but they Ioye in that loue whiche they had that is to say for they maye not haue ony merytory dede in excersyce ¶ For here in this lyfe onely / meÌ„ synne do merytory dedes as theÌ„ lyke at theyr owne wyâ— with theyr fre choyse ¶ They that abyde iÌ„ blys / abyde not the dyuyne dome with drede / but with ioye ¶ The face of my sone shall not be seen drede full to theÌ„ nor ful of hate / for asmoche as theyr lyfe ended in my loue / in the benyuoleÌ„ce of theyr neyghbours ¶ Thou shall also vnderstonde / that there shall no chauÌ„gyÌ„ge of face be iÌ„ hyÌ„ to theyr syght / wha he cometh to Iudge in my maieste / but in theÌ„ that shall be â—udged of hyÌ„ / to theÌ„ ther shall be dredefull chauÌ„gynge of lokyÌ„ge ¶ He shal appere to that soules that shall be dapned with ryghtwysenes hatered / to theÌ„ that shall be saued / with mercy loue ¶ ThaÌ„ after the generall IudgemeÌ„t the peyne of dampned soules shall encrese DOughter I haue tolde that of the dygnyte of ryghtfull men / by the whiche thou maye know that more lyghtly / the mysery of theÌ„ that be dampned ¶ This is an other peyne to theyr myseryes / for to beholde somoche blys of ryghtful meÌ„ / whiche beholdynge is to theÌ„ encrese of peynes / as it is to ryghtfull meÌ„ the daÌ„pnacyon of them that be dampned / an addycyon of gladnes of my goodnes / for lyghte is better knowe for derkenes / and derkenes for lyghte ¶ Therfore the syght of seyntes shall be to them peyne / and with peyne they adyde the laste daye of Iudgement / for they se well therby grete encrese of peyne to them / so it shal be ¶ For whaÌ„ it shall be sayde to theÌ„ with an hortyble voyce / Aryse ye that be deed come to the Iudgement / than shall the soule go agayne to the body ¶ And in ryghtfull meÌ„ the body shall be gloryfyed / of theÌ„ that shal be daÌ„pned the body shall be tourmented wtout ende ¶ And grete stryues shall be ymonge them / and repreues in beholdynge of my sothefastnes / and of blyssed seyntes ¶ And thaÌ„ the worme of conscyence freteth that marowz of that tree that is the soule / and the vtter rynde of the tree that is the body / the holy blode that was shed for theym they shold vndernyme ¶ Also theyr dedes of mercy teÌ„poral spyrytual / they sholde repreue
is asmoche / as the poynte of an nelde and no more / and so passeth the labour with the tyme / for pacyeÌ„tly they suffre and passe throwe the actuall sharpenesse of the thornes / and it toucheth not the hertes / for theyr hertes drawe out fro them that is to say fro the drede of sharpnesse / throwe the sensyble loue that is put in me / and confyrmed throwe desyre of loue ¶ Than the sothefastnesse is / that suche that passen pacyently the sharpenesse of the thorne / that they tasten the lyfe that shall laste / takynge in this lyfe a token / or an ernest / or a sykernesse of that euerlastynge lyfe ¶ Whan they stonde in the water / they bathen them not / whan they passen by the thornes / they fele not the sharpenes ¶ For with all theyr besynesse they soughte me / whiche am souerayne goodnes ¶ And this they haue soughte / wher it is pleynly fouÌ„de the is to say iÌ„ the worde of my onely begoten sone ¶ Of euyll that cometh of blyndenesse of the eye of intellecyon / and how good dedes done out of the state of grace / auayleth not to the euerlastynge lyfe THis I purpose to declare the / bycause thou sholde knowe it the better ¶ Also I haue declared to the how they taste the ernest of sykernesse of hell / of the whiche maner meÌ„ I haue tolde you they ben dysceyued ¶ Now I shal tell the how sorowe cometh to them and how they receyueÌ„ the ernest or sykernesse of hell ¶ And that is / for throwe theyr vntruthe that cometh of theyr owne propre loue / the eye of the intelleccyon is blyÌ„ded ¶ For ryght as all sothefastnes is purchased and wonne mith the lyght of feythe / ryght so lesynge and dysceyte beÌ„ get had with vntruthe ¶ I speke of vntruthe and of infydelyte / of them that haue receyued the holy baptym / in the whiche baptym the lyghte was impressed to the eye of the intelleccyon ¶ And whan the tyme of dyscrecyon was come / yf they haue excersyce in vertues / they kepe the lyght of feythe / and brynge forthe vertues of lyfe / fruyte to theyr neyghbour ¶ For ryght as a woman bryngeth forthe and bereth a quycke sone / and yeldeth that quycke sone to her spouse ryght so they that kepe the lyght of feythe gyueÌ„ to me vertues of lyfe / whiche am the spouse of the soule ¶ These other the whiche kepeÌ„ not the lyght of feythe / worke the coÌ„traty / for whaÌ„ they come to the tyme of dyscrecyoÌ„ / in whiche tyme they sholde vse the lyght of feythe bryÌ„ge forthe vertues with the lyf of grace / thaÌ„ bryÌ„ge they forthe deed soules they beÌ„ deed for all theyr dedes beÌ„ deed / whaÌ„ they beÌ„ indeedly synne / as to to the waye of sanacyoÌ„ ¶ And yf the lyght of feythe be takeÌ„ away fro theÌ„ / yet they haue the forme of the sacrament of baptym / but they haue no lyghte / for the lyght is taken awaye by a derke cloude of synne / the whiche is cause of theyr propre loue / whiche synne couereth the rouÌ„de blacke in the eye / by the whiche he had syght ¶ For suche it is layd feythe wtout werkes is deed / wherfore ryght as a deed man whiche seeth not / so the ghostly eye seeth not / whaÌ„ that is couered the gyueth lyght ¶ Also he knoweth not / that he hathe no beyÌ„ge of hyÌ„selfe ¶ Also he knoweth not his owne defautes / nor my goodnesse that I do to hym / of the whiche goodnes he had his beynge all other grace aboue hym ¶ So that whan he knoweth nother me / nor hyÌ„selfe / he hathe not his owne propre sensualyte / but he loueth it seketh it to make a way to his appetyte ¶ And so he bryngeth forthe deed chyldren of many deedly synnes / and me he loueth not / and whaÌ„ he loueth not me / he loueth not that that I loue / that is his neyghbour ¶ And he hathe no maner lykyÌ„ge to worke nor yet to do that is plesynge to me that is to saye to do vertues / whiche pleseth me to se theÌ„ done in you / not for my profyte / for ye maye not profyte me / for I am he that haue beynge / and nothynge is done with out me / saue synÌ„e whiche is nought in hymselfe / for it taketh fro me the soule ¶ Wherfore it â—elyteth me for your profyte / that I may haue you nombred in my euerlastynge lyfe ¶ And thus as thou sees euedently the feythe of that other party is deed / for it is without good werkes / and the werkes that they done / done not profyte to them / as to the euerlastyÌ„ge lyfe / for they haue not the lyfe of grace ¶ Neuerthelesse it is not to leue of good werkes / whether they be done with grace or without grace ¶ For there is no good dedes vnrewarded nor the euyll dedes vnpunyshedde ¶ Good dedes those ben done in the state of grace / without the infeccyon deedly synne / they done gyue to hym the lyfe euerlastyÌ„ge ¶ And al those good dedes that ben done in deedly synne / they done not profyte to hym to haue the euerlastynge lyfe ¶ Neuerthelesse in dyuers maners it is rewarded / as I haue sayde before ¶ Wherby sometyme I gaue them tyme of repentaunce / or els I impresse them in the mynde of my seruauntes and in theyr prayers / throwe whose prayers / they voyde theÌ„ fro theyr synnes ¶ Somtyme whan they ben not rewarded with tyme of abydynge / nor with the prayers of my seruauntes / for the lacke of grace / with suche other / they ben rewarded than with temporall prosperyte / or with temporall thynges and make of theym as of beestes to be made fatte in the flesshe / so those wretched and ryght synfull men the whiche alwaye haue ben contrary to my wyll / haue done good werkes / not in the state of grace / but in deedly synne / whan they woldeÌ„ not in theyr workynge receyue prayers nor other ghostly helpes nor socours with the whiche helpe I haue called them to grace in the tyme y they were repreuable / throwe theyr defautes ¶ Than of my goodnes my wyll is to yelde them and rewarde them / in temporall thynges / there they ben wretchydly made fat / and yf they ameÌ„de not theyrselfe / they gone to euerlastynge derkenesse and peyne ¶ Therfore doughter se how they beÌ„ dysceyued who dysceyueth theÌ„ They themselfe They cal themselfe the lyghte of very feythe / and gone as blynde men gropynge cleuyÌ„ge to that they touche / bycause they se no thynge but with a blynded eye whiche is set by affeccyoÌ„ / iÌ„ passynge thynges and vanytes ¶ Therfore they ben dysceyued done as fooles whiche onely done beholde that golde not the venyÌ„ ¶ Therfore knowe thou for certayne that worldely vanytes that ben take
the soule in asmoche as with a very trewe wyll / they ben conformed and made lyke to me / therfore it is to them greate coÌ„forte ioye / to suffre peyne for me ¶ The seruauntes of the worlde ben tourmented / bothe within and without and specyally within / for the greate drede they haue to lose theyr temporall goodes / and also for loue / desyrynge that they maye not haue ¶ Other maner vexacyons that they haue besyde these / ben two pryÌ„cypall causes / that is drede of losynge / loue of wynnyÌ„ge / whiche thy tongue is not suffycyent / nor yet able to tell ¶ Sees thou not now therfore the in this lyfe ryghtwysemen beÌ„ at more ease in soule thaÌ„ synners me thyÌ„ke thou sholde for thou hase nowe seen the lyuynge and the endynge of bothe ¶ How a drede that is bouÌ„den / or a seruyle drede ben not suffycyent to obtayne euerlastyÌ„ge lyfe / and how with excercyse of this drede a man may come to the excercyse of vertues NNw I haue sayde to the and declared / that there be some the whiche felen them tourmented of worldely try bulacyons / and I wyll that it be so / that a soule maye knowe her imparfeccyoÌ„ and ende / also to knowe that this wretched lyfe / that worldely vanyce is vnparfyte and traÌ„sytory ¶ This a soule maye knowe by this token / whan she desyreth inwardely me / that am her ende by suche inwardely desyre / a soule begynneth fyrst to put awaye the cloude that hathe longe blynded her fro the clere syghte of vertu ¶ And than by seruyle drede of trybulacyons / she begynneth to come out of the floode that she had loÌ„ge be dreÌ„ched in / castyÌ„ge out fro her the venym / with the hate that she was poysoned with / the whiche was cast out of the scorpyon in the lykenesse of golde / and so was receyued vnmanerly / and nothynge manerly / wherfore it was tourned to them that dyd receyue it / in to venyÌ„ ¶ They knowyÌ„ge this begyÌ„nynge gracyously to aryse / towarde the hauen begyn to set theyr pases / cleâ—ynge fyrste to the same brydge / of the whiche I spake of before ¶ Neuerthelesse it is not ynoughe onely for to go to this brydge with seruyle drede / for that drede dothe nothyÌ„ge ellys but purgeth a soule fro deedly synÌ„es / but it fulfylleth not her with vertues grouÌ„ded iÌ„ loue ¶ And therfore it is not ynoughe onely in seruyle dride to wynue euerlastynge lyfe / but yf the fete be sette vpon the tyrste steppe of the brydge / that is desyre and affeccyon / the whiche be e the fete of the soule / bryngyÌ„ge her in to affeccyon of my very sothefastnesse / of the whiche as I sayde before / I haue made a brydge ¶ This is the ladder / vpon the whiche I wolde ye sholde step vp / for my very sone hath made ladders to step vpon ¶ Neuerthelesse sothe it is / that this is a generall rysynge / whiche comynly worldely men do vse / that is for to ryse fyrste for drede of peyne ¶ And also bycause that ofte tymes aduersytes of this worlde bryngeth them in to greate heuynesse / and therfore a man begynneth to be dyspysed with them ¶ And yf they vse this drede with lyght of trewe feythe / doubte not but they shall come to the loue of vertu ¶ There ben some that gone out so dull so slugyshly out of this depe floode of worldely loue / that ofte tymes they fallen therin agayne ¶ For after tyme they come to the haueÌ„ of that stoode / by comynge agaynst them of contrary wyndes / the ben ouertyrued agayne by the reawes of the see / vnto the cloudy vallaye of derkenesse of the wretchydnesse of this lyfe ¶ And thoughe ther come a happy wynde / they wyll not in no wyse quyckely step vpon the fyrste degre / that is affeccyon and loue of vertu to ghostly delyces / but as meÌ„ the were made dull / slugyshly they gone forthe / I doubte not but that with suche a myse ruled plesaunce / they shal tourne backewarde ¶ Also yf the wynde or tempest blowe by vnpasyence / they wyll tourne theyr backes / bycause they hate not verely synne / onely for the offence done to me / but onely fro drede of peyne / the whiche peyne foloweth them / as them semeth ¶ This is no parfyte rysynge / for all vertues rysynge go forthe with parseuerauÌ„ce / without whome / no man maye come to the effecte and spede of his desyre / that is to that ende for whome he brgan / to the whiche he shal neuer come with out parseueraunce / and therfore that his desyre maye be fulfylled / parseuerauÌ„ce is ryght nedeful ¶ I sayd also to the that suche tournen them after dyuers styrrynges / that fall to theÌ„ / other by impugnynge of theyr owne sensualyte within themselfe agaynst the spyryte / or els by tournynge of theyr affeccyons / by vnordynate loue to all creatures without me / or els by vnpasyence of wroÌ„ges that ghey do suffre / other offendes / or of dyuers outwarde batayles / and other whyle by styrrynge chastysynge or vexynge of ghostly enemyes / that they myght brynge them the soner in to shame and confusyoÌ„ / sayenge thus to theÌ„ ¶ The good thynge the whiche thou hase begonne / shall be to the no profyte / for thy synnes and defautes be more than those ¶ This the enemy dothe / for he sholde leue of / cees of suche vertues and desyres / that he hathe begonne ¶ Otherwyse also he teÌ„pteth hym with to moche delyte and delectacyon of his good dedes / that is with the hope that he receyueth of my mercy / sayenge thus to hym ¶ Why wyll thou laboure and vexe thyselfe / be glad and ioyfull in this lyfe / thynkynge that at the last thou shall haue mercy ¶ In this wyse and in many other sotell dyuers maners of temptacyons wretchydly they gone abacke / and in no wyse they ben parseuerauÌ„t and stydfast ¶ And the cause of al this is nothyÌ„ge elles / but that the roote of her owne propre loue is not fully put awaye ¶ And therfore they ben not stable and abydyÌ„ge / but with ryght grete presumpcyon they receyuen mercy by the hope that theyr enemy hathe put them in ¶ Not for they sholde worthely receyue my mercy / but that vncuÌ„nyngly as presumptuous people they shold trust therin / the whiche mercy is euery day offended by theÌ„ ¶ I gyue not my mercy to theÌ„ / they for to offende it by presumpcyoÌ„ / but bycause they sholden defende them therby fro wycked desyres of fendes fro the mysruled and dysordynate confusyon / and shame of the soule ¶ But they done the contrary / for with the arme of my mercy / they offenden me / and that is bycause they vse not / nor haue not in excersyce / theyr fyrst
vnreuerence myne for as I sayde ye gyuen them no reuerence to themselfe for theyrselfe / but for the auctoryte that I haue gyuen to theÌ„ / and therfore they sholde not be offeÌ„ded / for whaÌ„ they offende them / they offende me and them ¶ I haue forbyd them for to touche my crystes / the is my anoynted people / with handes of vyolence ¶ There oughte no temporall man to excuse hym and saye I do theÌ„ no wronge nor I am not enuyous to oure moder the holy chyrche / thoughe I punyshe the defautes of euyll curates ¶ Here suche one lyeth saythe not sothe / for he maye not se / he is so blyÌ„ded in his owne loue yet though he se he feyneth hymselfe blynde / for to couer the prycke of his conscyence ¶ For whaÌ„ that euer they parsu them / they parsu me / and so they do me wroÌ„ge / for ryghte as the reuerence is myne / so is al that harme myne / bothe scornes / repreues / harmes / shames also blames ¶ Al those I arecte to me that be done to them / for I haue forbyd theÌ„ warned theÌ„ / not for to touche iÌ„ vyolence by worde nor dede my mynysters / I sholde punyshe them whan they offeÌ„de / not they ¶ Thus thaÌ„ what that euer they be in lyuynge / the reuerence of them sholde neuer be mynyshed / for whaÌ„ they mynesh it / they offende me / therfore this synne is more greuous than ony other synne ¶ And thoughe they be wycked in lyuyÌ„ge done many wyckednesses / of whose wyckednes it shal be sayde in an other place / yet yf to them be done reuerence onely for me / it is arected to me not to theÌ„ ¶ But now thre pryncypall causes ther be / why that synne of vnreuerence is more greuous synne than ony other ¶ One is / for that reuerence whiche is done to them is done to me ¶ Another is / for they breke my byddynge / in that I forbade theÌ„ not for to touche theÌ„ vyoleÌ„tly / by the whiche vnreuerent touchyÌ„ge / they dyspyse my blode / whiche they haue take of holy baptym / for they dysobeye / doynge that thynge that is forbyd theym ¶ And therfore they be rebell to this blode / for they haue sette reuerence asyde / be rysen with greate parsecucyon / so they be stynkynge membres / cut awaye fro that mysteryall body of holy chyrche / as longe as they dwell obstynate in that rebellyon with that vnreuerence / withoute ony doubte they renne to endelesse dampnacyoÌ„ ¶ Neuerthelesse yf they meke theÌ„ lowe theÌ„ and knowlege theyr defautes / they shall receyue mercy and forgyuenesse ¶ Another cause is why that theyr synnes be more greuous thaÌ„ other / for it is a synne that is done of theyr owne malyce with a vysement / for to knowe wel that with good coÌ„scyence / they must not do as they done / and therfore in theyr doynge they offende greuously / whiche offence is a maner of cursed pryde / wtout bodyly delectacyoÌ„ / for it wasleth bothe body soule / the soule is consumed / for it is pryued fro grace / often tymes the worme of conscyence freteth suche folke ¶ Also the bodyly substauÌ„ce is coÌ„sumed in the seruyce of the fende / theyr bodyes be as deed beestes / thus this synne is properly aneÌ„des me / for it is done without ony coloure of his owne profyte / and with malyce and the smoke of pryde / whiche pryde spryngeth out of sencyble loue / of that wyeked drede that Pylate hadde / that for drede of losynge of his lordeshyppe / he dyd slee my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / so done all suche ¶ All other synnes that they done be done of ygnorauÌ„ce or symplynes / but this cursed synne is done by malyce / for he knoweth the euyll that he dothe / it is all done of vnordynate dylectacyon and plesaunce that they haue to that synne / orelles of some maner of profyte that they fynde iÌ„ that synne / and so the offender / dampneth / and hurteth / his owne soule / me / and his neyghboure ¶ Me he hurteth offeÌ„deth / for he yeldeth no thaÌ„kes to me his maker ¶ His neyghbour he offendeth and hurteth / for he yeldeth not to hyÌ„ loue of charyte ¶ Also he offendeth hurteth hymselfe / thoughe he do it not by actuall smytynge / the whiche offence dyspleaseth me / for that harme that I se iÌ„ hyÌ„ ¶ And thus as I haue sayde without ony mene / this offence is onely done to me ¶ All other synnes haue some coloure / for they be done with some coloure with a mene / for I haue sayd in another place that euery synne euery vertu was done by medyacyon mene of neyghbourheed / for synne is the cause of the pryuacyon of the loue of god of thy neyghboure ¶ Therfore they that offeÌ„de theyr neyghbours offende me by mene of them ¶ But ymonge al my creatures that haue reson wtin theÌ„ / I haue chosen my mynysters as I haue told the whiche be called my anoynted people for to mynystre the body and blode of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / that is knytte oned to the flesshe of youre maÌ„heed with my dyuyne nature ¶ And so suche mynystres whan they consecrate that blessyd body blode / stonden in the parsone of my onely sone Ihesu ¶ Thus thou maye se and knowe the offence whiche is done to my mynysters / is done to my sothefaste sone Ihesu / yf it be done to hyÌ„ / it muste be done to me / for he I be oned togyder ¶ All suche wretches that parsu my mynysters / they parsu that precyous blode / pryue theÌ„selfe fro that tresour and fruyte of that precyous blode / wherby thou maye knowe that the offence so done to me is more greuous than ony other synne ¶ For yf all the synnes that euer they dyd stode vp on that one syde of them / this synne alone vpon that other syde / this synne sholde more greue me than all other synnes ¶ Thus than for to gyue the cause to sorowe and haue compassyon of my offence / and of dampnacyon of suche myserable wretches / I haue declared the how and in what wyse I am offended / that throwe the sorowe and bytternesse bothe of thyselfe and also of other of my seruauntes by my goodnesse mercy / suche wretches maye be knowen in theyr owne derkenesse / so put out fro the body of holy chyrche / orelles the soner maye be recounseyled to grace / for I fynde no maner persone that soroweth veryly of the parsecucyon whiche is done to my precyoê° blode / I fynde ynowe that contynually do smyte me with arowes of vnordynate loue and seruyle drede / with theyr owne propre reputacyon / as thoughe they were blyÌ„defelde / dyd arecte to theyr owne
and otherwhyle they knowe well that they be deuylles incarnate by coÌ„dycyoÌ„ / they sende them to monasteryes of Nunnes / to suche as be incarnate deuylles as they be / and so one distroyeth the other with many subtyltes and dysceytes ¶ The begynnyÌ„ge of theÌ„ is set in colour of deuocyon / but bycause theyr lyuynge is wantayne wretched / it stondeth not coloured longe with deuocyon / but anone the the fruytâ— of theyr deuocyon is shewed ¶ Fyrite they seme to be floures of stynkynge dyshonest thoughtes / with corrupte leues of wordes / and so with wretchyd maners they fulfyll theyr desyres ¶ The fruyte that foloweth theron / thou knowes well they be but leues / ofte tymes they be come so ferforthe â—hat eche of theÌ„ go out of relygyon / he foloweth her ouer all / and she is made a comune woman ¶ Of all these wyckednesses many mo / prelates be the cause / for they regarde not theyr subiectes but they gyue them large leue / for they themselfe sende them thyder / yet they feyne for to se theyr wretchedness / and bycause also the subiecte hadde no delyte of hymselfe / thus on bothe the partes foloweth dethe ¶ Thy tonge maye not tell to many defautes as they offende me with / for they be made the deuylles armure / and with theyr câ—â—sed lyuyÌ„ge they enuenyme bothe within and without / without they enuenyme ymoÌ„ge seculers / within they enuenyme ymoÌ„ge relygyous / they be depryued fro charytable brother heed / and eche of them wyll be more than other and greater than other / and eche of theÌ„ wyll haue more thaÌ„ other / and so they do agaynste the precepte and auowe that they haue made ¶ They haue made a vowe for to kepe theyr order and they breke it and not onely that they kepe it not / but they do as hongry wolues do ymoÌ„ge shepe / they that wyl kept theyr ordre / them they deryde and scorne / and suche wretches thynke with suche parscucyoÌ„s and scornes that they do to good relygyous people / whiche kepe the order for to couer theÌ„ selfe / and they dyscouer themselfe the more / and therfore moche myschefe falleth in the orcharde of holy relygyon ¶ The relygyon in it selfe is holy / for it is grounded by the holy ghoste / and therfore the order in hyÌ„selfe maye not be dysceyued / nor corrupte by the defaute of the subiecte ¶ Wherfore he that wyll entre in to relygyon sholde not beholde to them that be euyll / but he sholde rowe forthe vnder the wynges and fynnes of relygyon / kepynge the same relygyon after the fyrste entente to his power vnto the dethe / but yf he be seke or dyseased ¶ I sayde to the also that relygyon is come in to suche a coÌ„dycyon by euyll prelates and euyll subiectes / that he whiche wolde kepe the ordre fully / semeth to mysculed relygyous people in the same coÌ„gregacyon / that he breketh the order / in asmoche as he foloweth not theyr waÌ„tayne maner of lyuynge in cerymonyes and other maner of dysportes suche as they haue ordeyned ymonges them / and they wyll kepe the cerymonyes for to please seculers / so to hyde theyr defautes ¶ Thus thou maye se that the fyrste voue that they make to kepe theyr order they fulfyll not / of the whiche obedyence I shal tel that iÌ„ another place ¶ They make also a voue for to kepe wylfull pouerte / and euer for to lyue chaste and contynent / how trowes thou that these be kepte ¶ Se theyr possessyons and abundaunce of monye that they kepe pryuyly / departed fro the comune charyte / not comunynge with theyr brederne / nor partyÌ„ge nother temporall substaunce / nor ghostly substaunce / as the order of charyte dothe aske / and also theyr owne order ¶ They wyl no mo make fatte but themselfe and theyr beestes / and one beest noryshehe another / but his poore broder dyeth for honger and colde / and after tyme he is wel fodered and noryshed and hathe greate feestes / he thyÌ„keth not on his poore broder / nor he wyl not ete with hym at the poore table of the trayter / his delyte is for to stonde there where he maye fulfyll his luste with glotony ¶ It is vnpossyble to suche one / for to fulfyll kepe the thyrde voue of contynence / for a full wombe maketh no chaste soule / but wantaynly they go with mysruled lustes / and so they do walke fro euyll to worse / moche myschefe falleh ymonge them for kepynge of that properte / for yf they hadde not for to spende / they wolde neuer lyue vnordynately / nor they sholde neuer haue suche curyous frendeshyppes / for yf they had not for to gyue / they sholde neuer haue loue nor freÌ„deshyp of seculers or of men of the worlde / whiche frendeshyppe is grounded for loue of the gyfte / and for a maner delyte and pleasauÌ„ce that one taketh of an other / and not of the pure and parfyte charyte ¶ O wretches so set in so grete wretchednesse / of me you be set in so greate dygnyte / they fle fro the quere as they tasted venyme therin ¶ And yf they stonde therin / they crye with theyr voyces / ut theyr hertes be fer fro me / to go to that masse they haue it of custome withoute ony dysposycyon / as thoughe they sholde go to the meet ¶ All these euylles and many mo / of whome I shall no more tell the / bycause it shal not make foule thy ere 's / nor to folowe the vyle / vngracyous / and wycked prelates / the whichâ— do neuer ameÌ„ede / nother correcke nor punyshe the stynkynge defautes of theyr subiectes / nor yet they haue no fere / nor they be no louers nor well wyllyÌ„ge that theyr order sholde be kepte / in asmoche as they themselfe do not kepe theyr order / but rather breke it as I haue sayd before ¶ They wyl gladly laye vpon the heedes yf them the whiche wolde kepe the order / heuy stones of ryght greate preceptes and coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes / punyshynge them of trespases / that neuer they were gylty in ¶ And all this they do bycause in them shyneth not the ghostly Margaryte precyous stone of ryghtewysenesse / but of vnryghtwysenesse / therfore vnryghtwysely they gyue to theym that deserue grace and benyuolence / penaunce hate ¶ To suche as be the deuylles lymmes by mysruled lyuynge / they commytte bothe offyces and states of the ordre for as blynde they lyue and as blynde they gyue offyces / and thus they gouerne theyr subiectes / and yf they correcke them not and them amende or that they dye / with the same blyndenesse / they shal go to derkenesse of endelesse dampnacyon ¶ And yet they must nedes to me endelesse Iudge / yelde a rekenynge of the soules of theyr subiectes ¶ Ryghte euyll shall they gyue to me a
/ for thou fulfylles it with wyckednesse and dyshoneste of lyuyÌ„ge ¶ The eye of thy intelleccyon thou sholde put full of lyghte of feythe vpon the passyon of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu cryst whose mynyster thou arte made / thou before hym hase set delyces rychesse of the worlde with wretched vanyte ¶ Thy affeccyoÌ„ sholde onely loue me without ony other / thou hase sette wretchedly for to loue creatures and thy owne body / and so thou loues beestly thynges more thaÌ„ me ¶ What is that cause of this ¶ Certayne the propre vnpasyence that thou hase to me / what thynge that I take awaye / that thyÌ„ge that thou loues more than me ¶ And also the dysplesaunce that thou hase to thy neyghboure / whan it semeth to the that thou does receyue some teÌ„porall harme of hym / and so thou hase hym in hate and blaspheme / goynge awaye fro my charyte ¶ O vnhappy wretche thou arte made mynyster of the fyre of my dyuyne charyte / and thou for thy owne propre mysruled delectacyons and for one harme that thou receyues of thy neyghboure / thou does lose that mynystracyoÌ„ ¶ O dere doughter this is one of those thre wretched pyllers that I haue rehersed before ¶ How that auaryce reygneth in wycked mynysters in lenynge to vsury / and specyally in byenge and sellynge of benefyces and prelaces / of moche euyll that hathe come in to holy chyrche for his couetyse NOw shall I tell the of the secunde that is of auaryce / for that thyÌ„ge whiche my sone gaue in greate largenesse / that is al his blessyd body hangynge vpon that crosse full of turmeÌ„tes and peynes / where as my blessyd lambe ryghte largely shedde his moste precyous blode / thus my swete laÌ„be payde the rauÌ„some of mankynde / with no golde nor syluer / but with that precyous blode ¶ And yet not halfe the worlde he rauÌ„somed / but all the worlde / bothe they that be passed / they that be present / and they that be to come / and yet he gaue you not onely his blode / but also he gaue you fyre of breÌ„nyÌ„ge loue / for he gaue hymselfe to you by the fyre of brennynge loue / and yet not onely his precyous blode and the fyre of brennynge loue / without my dyuyne nature ¶ For the nature of the godheed was and is parfytely owned to the nature of manheed / yf that blode so oned with the largenesse of dyuyne loue hathe made the a mynyster / and thou with so grete couetyse and auaryce that thynge whiche my sone gate on the crosse that is soules raunsomed with so greate loue and that also he hathe graunted the that thou sholde be a specyall mynyster of that blode / thou does sel by suche couetyse the grace of the holy ghost / makynge thy subiectes to by of the that thou hase frely receyued of me ¶ Thou hase not dysposed thy throte for to wynÌ„e soules by techyÌ„ge but to deuoure soules by monye takyÌ„ge / and thou arte made so strayte in charyte of that thynge the whiche thou hase take in so greate largenesse that thou may nother receyue me by grace / nor thy neyghbour by loue ¶ The substauÌ„ce of temporall goodes that thou receyues by vertu of the blode / thou receyues it largely ¶ And thou auarycyous wretche does good to none but to thy selfe yet not to thy selfe / but as a thefe worthy endelesse peyne does robbe the goodes of thy moder holy chyrche and the goodes of poore men / also thou spendes it vycyously with women and dyshonest men / and in delyces / and with thy kynred / and also there with thou noryshes thy chyldren ¶ O you vyle wretches where be youre chyldren of vertu that ye sholde haue vnder your gouernauÌ„ce / wher is youre feruent charyte with the whiche ye sholde mynyster / where is also the greate desyre of my honour and helthe of soules that ye sholde haue / where is that greate and dole full sorowe that ye sholde haue for to se the wolfe of hell to bere awaye thy shepe ¶ There is none in thy strayte herte thou couetous wretche nother loue of me nor of them / thou alone loues thyselfe with thy owne sencyble loue / with the whiche loue thou enuenymes thyselfe other ¶ Thou arte that wycked spyryte and fende of hell that deuoures theÌ„ with mysruled loue / thy throte desyreth no other / and therfore thou takes no thoughte thoughe the inuysyble deuyll bere theÌ„ away ¶ Thou thyselfe arte a very instrument for to sende them to the inuysyble deuyl of hell ¶ Of the goodes of thy moder the holy chyrche / thou delycately arayes thyselfe and other synfull and wretched lyuers with â—he / and thou byes grete horses more for lust than for nede / there as thou sholde haue them for nede / and not for lust ¶ These lustes worldely meÌ„ do vse / but lustes sholde be for to fede and araye the poore men / and for vysyte the seke men / helpynge all suche peple in theyr nedes bothe ghostly and bodyly / for I haue ordeyned the a mynyster for none other / nor gyuen the suche a dygnyte / but for theÌ„ ¶ But bycause thou arte become a wylde beest / therfore thou settes thy ioy in suche beestes thou sees not but thou arte blynde and wyll not se the tourment that is ordeyned for the. ¶ Thou sholde amende the wretche / and sorowe that thou hase thus bone / and so ameÌ„de the. ¶ Sees thou not dere doughter what wretchednesse reygneth ymoÌ„ge these wretched synners what shall I more saye ¶ I sayde to the that some of theÌ„ lene to vsury not for to beyholde open vsurers but in many subtyll wyses by theyr couetyse / for selden tymes to theyr neyghbours they lende of theyr goodes / the whiche in no wyse is lawfull to be vsed ¶ Yf it were a gyfte of lytell valu / and he with entent receyueth it for a prys aboue the loue that he hathe lent it hym it is vsury and so of all other thynges that he receyueth in the meane whyle with suche entent ¶ I haue ordeyned hym for to forbydde leculers fro that synne / and he dothe the same / moreouer yf one come to hym for to aske couÌ„seyle of his mater / bycause he is gylty in the same and hathe loste therby the lyghte of reason / he gyueth derke counseyle of the same passyon that he feleth in his soule of the same mater ¶ These and many other defautes do sprynge of suche streyte couetous hertes / it maye be sayde of theÌ„ the worde that my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu sayde whan he wente in to the teÌ„ple where he founde sellers and byers / and he bette them out with scourges sayenge thus to theÌ„ my house shall be called a house of prayer / ye make it a denne of theues ¶ Thou sees well doughter that
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
/ and of the temple of theyr soules / of holy chyrche / whiche sholde be my specyal orcharde / they make a place for to receyue beestes ¶ O my dere doughter how abhomynable is this to me / that theyr houses whiche sholde be a receyuyÌ„ge place of poore meÌ„ of my seruauntes / and it sholde be a place for my spouse / therin to teche preche / and therin bokes to be kepte of holy maters and seyntes lyues / and they to delyte them therin / and for to gyue ensample of holy lyuyÌ„ge to theyr neyghbours / they make them receyuynge places of vnclennesse / and of wycked parsones / and there they do not trete of chastyte / but of auoutry / therin they lodge theyr concubynes / with whome they lyue vnclenly ¶ Theyr bokes they be not for to study vpon / but the syght of theyr chyldren / with they theyr chyldren that they haue goten with suche wretchednesse withoute ony shame / they haue greate delyte therin ¶ On holy dayes / on solempne dayes whan they sholde yelde praysynge to my name iÌ„ dyuyne seruyce / and for to offer to me the presentes of meke deuoute prayer / than they go to playe with theyr incarnate deuylles / and with seculers hawkynge huÌ„tynge / as thoughe they were seculers or teÌ„porall lordes ¶ O wretched man wherto arte thou comen nowe / thou sholde hunte and hauke after soules / for the worshyp and reuerence of my name / and stonde in the orcharde of holi chyrche to preche / and thou goes aboute in wodes and feldes ¶ But bycause thou arte a beest / thou lodges beâ—stes of deedly synnes within thy soule / and therfore thou arte become an hunter and hauker of beestes / by the whiche the gardayne of thy soule is made wylde and full of thornes / therfore thou delytes the to walke in deserte places / for to serche after wylde beestes ¶ Se thou defouled maÌ„ and beholde thy defautes / for thou hase a ryghte greate cause to be a shamed / on what syde the euer thou turnes the on / but thou arte not a shamed / for thou hase loste the drede of me / as a comune woman thou arte not ashamed / thou makes greate bostes and crakes that thou hase greate states in the worlde / that thou hase a fayre meyne and a grete nomber of chyldren ¶ And yf thou haue them not / thou wyl haue them yf thou maye / that thou may haue heyres after the. ¶ But thou thefe thou knowes ryghte well that thou maye nothynge leue to them / for thy heyres be poore men of holy chyrche ¶ O thou wycked and incarnate deuyll / withoute the pure lyghte thou serches that thynge the whiche thou sholde not serche ¶ Thou makes greate bostes of thynges / of the whiche thou sholde be ashamed before me / that se the pryuyte of thy herte / and also before all creatures ¶ Thou arte all shent / and yet the hornes of thy pryde wyll not fuffer the to se thy owne confusyon ¶ O dere doughter I haue sette hym vpon the brydge of doctryne of my onely sothfast sone Ihesu for to mynyster to you pylgrymes the sacramentes of holy chyrche / and he stondeth in the wretched floode vnder the brydge / and in the floodes of delyces wretchednesse of the worlde / they mynystre the sacramentes to you ¶ And they coÌ„syder not that the floode of dethe is come to hym / in the whiche floode he shall be drowned with his lordes that be fendes / whome he hathe serued ¶ To that endelesse dampnacyon shall he go / but he amende hym here / with greate reprefe shame / the whiche thy tongue is not suffycyent for to tell / and moche more he than ony other seculer / for the same synne that is in a seculer man shall be moore punyshed in hym / thaÌ„ in a seculer man / and with more reprefe of his enymyes / that do aryse agaynst hym in the ende of his dethe ¶ This fyfte chapyter speketh of the dyfference of the dethe of ryghtfull men ¶ Also of the dethe of greate synners and of theyr peynes in the ende or poynt of theyr dethe ¶ And a repetycyoÌ„ of moche more that is sayde after / and of dyuers many other maters / as it is specyfyed in the kalender before Ca. v. BIcause I tolde the how thou worlde / deuyls / and proper sensualyte shal accuse hym / therfore now I shal tell the of these wretches / how grete it is bytwene the dethe of a synner / and the dethe of a ryghtwyse man / for the dethe of a ryghtwyse man is in greate peas / more or lesse after the ê‘fyte lyuynge of his soule ¶ Therfore I wyll that thou knowe that al the peynes that reasonable creatures haue is in wyl of theÌ„ / for yf theyr wyll were well ruled and ordynately set / and acorded with my wyll / it sholde suffer no peyne ¶ I saye not therfore theyr labour sholde be take awaye fro them / but to that wyll that suffreth wylfully for my loue shall no peyne be / for he bereth it gladly / seynge that it is my wyll / of that holy hate whiche they haue of them selfe / they haue warre with the worlde with the fende / and with theyr owne propre sensualyle ¶ And whaÌ„ they come to the poynt of dethe / theyr dyenge is in peas / for theyr enemyes iÌ„ theyr lyues were ouercome iÌ„ ghostly batayle ¶ The worlde maye not accuse hym / for he knewe his dysceytes / therfore he forsoke the worlde / and all his delyces / his freyle sensualyte and his flesshe accused hyÌ„ not / for he helde hym vnder the brydell of reason / as a seruauÌ„t chastysynge the flesshe with penaunce / with wakynge with meke coÌ„tynuall prayer / his sencyble wyll he dyd slee with hate and dysplesaunce of synne and loue of vertu / dystryenge in al wyse the tendernesse of the flesshe / whiche tendernesse and loue that naturally is bytwene the body and the soule / maketh dethe to appere the harder / therfore naturally a man dredeth dethe ¶ But bycause that vertu is in a parfyte ryghtwyse man / he passeth nature the is to say he that sleeth the drede whiche is naturall and kyndely / and ouerpasseth it with very holy hate / and with desyre to come to his ende / for the naturall teÌ„dernesse of the flesshe can not make warre / where the conscyence stoÌ„deth in quyetnesse ¶ The cause of a quyet consyence / is in a mannes dyenge / bycause by his lyfe he hadde good kepynge / barkynge whan enemyes came by and wolde entre the Cytee of the soule / as an hounde stoÌ„dynge at the gate that seeth enemyes barketh / and so by his barkynge awaketh the kepers / in this same wyse this hounde of the conscyence waketh the keper of reasoÌ„ / therfore
in delyces / rychesse / states of that worlde / but my owne loue coÌ„strayneth me / for I loued you or that ye loued me / I loued you meruaylously / that it is whiche coÌ„strayneth me / also the prayers of my seâ—uauÌ„tes / by the mylde mekenes of that holy ghost / that mynystreth to theÌ„ the worshyp of me loue of theyr neyghbours / by the whiche they serche helth of theyr soules with meruaylous charyte / besyenge theÌ„ to please me / and to bynde my hoÌ„des of dyuyne ryghtewysenesse whiche a wycked maÌ„ deserued to haue / thus I am coÌ„strayned with meke waylynge coÌ„tynuall prayer ¶ Who maketh theÌ„ so for to crye ¶ My prouydeÌ„ce / for I prouyded to the nede of this deed creature / iÌ„ asmoche as it is sayde of me thus Nolo morteÌ„ c. I wyll not the the dethe of a synner / but I wyl that he be tourned lyue ¶ In thy soule also dere doughter thou sees my prouydeÌ„ce / yf thou opeÌ„ the eye of thy soule / that wycked meÌ„ whiche ly iÌ„ so greate mysery / that be made stynkynge fylthe of dethe / derke by wantynge of lyght of grace / for they go syÌ„gyÌ„ge laughynge speÌ„dynge theyÌ„r tyme with vanytes / in delyces / in greate vnhonestes / waÌ„tayne in all thynges / greate glotoÌ„s / eters dryÌ„kers so ferforth that of theyr wombes they make theyr god / with hate / raÌ„coure / pryde / they go also with all wretchednesse as I haue tolde the in another place they do not knowe theyr owne astate / for they walke in suche awaye that wyll brynge theÌ„ to the dethe euerlastynge / but yf they ameÌ„de them in theyr lyuynge go more warely ¶ It were a greate foly for a maÌ„ that were coÌ„deÌ„pned to the dethe to go syngynge dauÌ„syng as he gothe by the way towarde his dethe / shold it not as thou thynkes yes certayne ¶ In suche foly ben suche wretches / in somoche the more wtout ony coÌ„paryson that they receyue more harme thaÌ„ they that is peyne of the dethe of soule whiche is more thaÌ„ the peyne of the body / suche lose that lyfe of grace / they but lyfe of body / such receyue endeles peyne / they but peyne that is fynyte / thus they dye in state of daÌ„pnacyoÌ„ / they go thyder syngynge / blynde / fooles / fooles aboue all other fooles / my seruauÌ„tes be in the state of waylynge wepiÌ„ge / in afflyccyon tourmeÌ„t of body iÌ„ holy wakynges / in coÌ„tynuall prayer with syghynges sobbyÌ„ges / makyÌ„ge theyr bodyes lene for the helthe of theyr soules ¶ But suche syngers as be rehersed before / they scorne all suche and theyr owne scornes fal on theyr proper heeddes / whan they be in peyne / to them that labour for the loue of me / shall be gyueÌ„ fruyte of theyr labour in the blysse of heueÌ„ / whiche my owne endeles goodnes haue made hyÌ„ for to dyscerne / for I god the fader am ryghtwyse / that yelde to eche after his labour / but sothely my seruauÌ„tes cesse not / nother for ê‘secucyoÌ„s / scornes / nor vnkyndenes of theÌ„ / but rather they encrese in more desyre ghostly excercyse ¶ Who maketh this that they knocke with so greate hoÌ„ger at the gate of my mercy ¶ My ê“uydeÌ„ce that maketh me prouyde to that helthe of these wretches / to encrese vertu the fruyte of loue charyte in seruauntes ¶ These maners of my prouydences be infynyte whiche I vse in the soule of a synner / that I myghte therby drawe hym out fro that trespas of deedly synÌ„e ¶ Now shall I speke to the of suche that be rysen fro synne / what my prouydeÌ„ce dothe in theÌ„ / yet be vnparfyte / I shall not declare that agayne by repetycyon the state of the soule / for therof I haue told the by order / but shortli somwhat shall I saye yt. ¶ Of the prouydeÌ„ce whiche god vseth ordeyneth / for theÌ„ that be vnparfyte in loue Wyll thou knowe dere doughter what maner I vse for to arayse an vnê‘fyte soule fro her imê‘feccyoÌ„ / other whyle I ê“uyde to her of many dyuers thoughtes / brynge hre somtyme in to baraynes of soule / oftetymes it semeth to suche that be forsake of me vtterly / for they fele nothyÌ„ge ghostly / they thynke they be not in the worlde / outtake that they fele this / that his wyll wyll not offeÌ„de me / this gate of wyll whiche is fre / I wyll not suffer ghostly enemyes to vndo it / but yet I gyue theÌ„ leue bothe fendes other enemyes / that they maye smyte at al other gates / but not at this the whiche is the pryncypall gate / whiche kepeth the cytee of the soule / neuerthelesse the soule hathe a keper that is fre chose whiche dwelleth at that gate / for this cause I haue made fre chose keper of that gate / the after hyÌ„ the gate be opened / as he wyll so be it done or not done ¶ There be many gates loÌ„gynge to that cytee / but princypally there be .iij. of whome there is one whiche euer holdeth hyÌ„ closed shyt yf he wyl / is the keper of all the other gates / these iij. gates be these / myÌ„de / intelleccyon / wyl / but that specyal gate whiche I speke of is wyll / for yf wyll coÌ„sent thaÌ„ by that gate entreth the enemy of ê‘pre loue / other enemyes that folowe hyÌ„ / thaÌ„ intelleccyoÌ„ receyueth dethenesse / whiche is the enemy of lyght / the myÌ„de receyueth hate kepeth it / thyÌ„kynge vpon that iniuryes wroÌ„ges / whiche gate is the enemy of loue of charite of neyghbourheed ¶ It receyueth also kepeth delectacyoÌ„s of that worlde in dyuers maners / after dyuersyte of synnes / whiche be contrary to vertu ¶ After tyme that these gates be thus opened / the smal dores of the bodyly wyrtes be opened / whiche be instrumeÌ„tes answerynge to the soule / for thou knowes well the that mysruled affeccyoÌ„ of maÌ„ that hathe his gates open / answereth with these instrumeÌ„tes / whose workes be desyled / the eye of suche an vnordynate affeccyoÌ„ bryÌ„geth none other thyÌ„ge thaÌ„ dethe / for it seeth nothyÌ„ge els but deed thyÌ„ges vnordynately / where he sholde not ¶ Suche vanyte of herte lyghtenes with other vnhonestes / is cause of ghostly dethe / bothe to hyÌ„ to other ¶ O wretched man the eye whiche I I haue gyueÌ„ the for to beholde heueÌ„ other fayrenes of creatures for me so to se behold my mynysters / thou be holdes rather fylthe in wretchednes of lyuyÌ„ge / so wynnes dethe / in the same wyse the ere delyteth in dyshonest thynges / other to here the dedes of thy neyghbours by false domes / where I wolde thou herde me / the necessite of thy neyghbour
iÌ„ theyr goynge / al they acorde iÌ„ one maner of sowne for to serue theyr eueÌ„ crysteÌ„ for glory laude of my name / for to serue the soule with good / holy / vertuous workes for to answere as iÌ„strumeÌ„tes the obedyeÌ„t soule / they be ryght plesauÌ„t to the nature of angels / ryghte plesauÌ„t to very tasters / whiche abyde theÌ„ with greate loye / where one shall parte with the endelesse good of another / they also be plesaunte to the worlde whyther the worlde wyll or not wycked meÌ„ maye not / but that they must nedes fele of this plesauÌ„t sowne / yet many of them with that fysshynge hoke and with that instrumeÌ„t betake / that is they passe away fro dethe come to lyfe / all seyntes wroughten toke with that instrument ¶ The fyrste that sowned in the sowne of lyfe was my ryght swete ryght wel byloued sone / takynge vpon hyÌ„ youre manheed / with the whiche maheed oned to the godheed / he made a ryght swete sowne vpon the cros / so he toke the sone of maÌ„kynde fro that deuyll / the whiche he hadde so longe tyme kepte for his synÌ„e / all ye sholde folowe the doctryne of his mayster in youre best maner ¶ Of hym the apostels toke theyr doctryne / suyÌ„ge and sowynge his worde throughe all the worlde / Martyrs also Confessours / Doctours Vyrgyns / all by theyr maner of seynge ¶ Also the gloryous mayde Vrsula whiche sowned so swetely her instrument / that she caughte fyrste there with a .xi. thousande vyrgyns / after warde multyplyed the nombre meruaylously / bothe of them and of other with the same sowne ¶ In the same wyse thus do other / some in one wyse and some in another ¶ Who is cause of this ¶ Certayne my infynyte prouydence / whiche haue prouyded to gyue to them instrumentes / and also I gaue to them awaye and a maner / by the whiche they myght gyue sowne / and what that euer I gyue to them / or what that I do suffer for to fall to theÌ„ in this lyfe / it is to theÌ„ a way for to encrese theyr instrumeÌ„tes yf they wyll knowe it / that wyll do theyr lyghte awaye fro theÌ„ ¶ Wherwith se they ¶ Certayne with the cloude of theyr owne ê“per loue / with plesauÌ„ce of theyr owne conceyte ¶ The .iiii. chapyter is of the prouydeÌ„ce of god in generall that he vseth iÌ„ his creatures in this lyfe in the other ¶ Also of the prouydeÌ„ce of god for his poore seruauÌ„tes / helpige theÌ„ with teÌ„porall goodes / other maters as it is specyfyed in the kalender Ca. iiii DOughter thy herte shall be made larger / therfore open the eye of thy intelleccyon with the lyghte of feythe / for to beholde with what loue prouydeÌ„ce I haue made ordeyned maÌ„ / the is that he sholde Ioye iÌ„ me most souerayne endelesse good / for fully I haue prouyded for hym bothe in soule body as I haue tolde the bothe to vnparfyte parfyte / good euyll / ghostly or bodyly / in heueÌ„ iÌ„ erthe / iÌ„ this deedli lyfe also iÌ„ the lyfe of vndeedlynesse ¶ In this deedly lyfe as loÌ„ge as ye lyue here / I haue bouÌ„de you with the boÌ„de of charite why ther a maÌ„ wyll or no he is bouÌ„de in the same boÌ„de / yf he vnlose hyÌ„selfe fro affeccyoÌ„ / that is yf he be not in that charyte of his neyghbour / he is bouÌ„de of nede that bothe iÌ„ wyll dede he sholde vse charyte / yf ye lose it in your affeccyoÌ„ bycause of your wyckednesse / thaÌ„ be ye boÌ„de coÌ„strayned namely of nede for to vse it iÌ„ acte / for I haue not prouyded for to vse it to one maÌ„ alone / nor made eche man knowe the thynge whiche is spedefull for hym iÌ„ all his lyfe / but one hathe one thyÌ„ge of grace and another hathe another thyÌ„ge / that a maÌ„ may haue cause mater for veri nede / one to be enformed by another ¶ O this thou sees by ensample the a workemaÌ„ or a craÌ„ftymaÌ„ gothe for to lerne somthyÌ„ge of the tyller / the tyller of the craftymaÌ„ / so that one nedeth to be enformed of another / for the one can not do that the other can / in the same maner a clerke a relygy ous maÌ„ haue nede of seculers / seculers relygyous / for the one wtoute the other caÌ„ nothyÌ„ge do / thus of all other ¶ Myght I not gyue to euereÌ„ that that is nedefull ¶ Yes certayne / but I wolde with prouydeÌ„ce that one meked hyÌ„ to another mekely / that they shold be coacte by mekenesse eche of theÌ„ to vse togyder bothe acte affeccyoÌ„ of charyte ¶ I haue thus sheded iÌ„ theÌ„ my magnyfysence / my goodnesse / my prouydeÌ„ce / yet they suffer theÌ„selfe to be led in derkenes of theyr ê“per freylte / the lyÌ„mes of your body do you shame / for they vse charyte togyder not ye for whan the heed aketh the honde helpeth it / whaÌ„ the fynger whiche is the leest lyÌ„me suffereth ony peyne the heed is anyuyshed ther with thoughe it be the more worthy lyÌ„me of the bodye. ¶ In the same wyse euery lymme helpeth other with coÌ„passyon / bothe the eye heryÌ„ge with all other partes / so doth not a proude maÌ„ that seeth his pore lyÌ„mes seke feble / that is pore folke / and yet wtyl not helpe them in theyr nede / not onely with ony temporall good that he hathe / nor with the leest worde of his mouthe / but rather with lytell settynge by them repreuyÌ„ge them / he turneth his face fro them / he is ryche / and yet he suffereth hyÌ„ to dye for hoÌ„ger / but suche one seeth that his wretched cruelte casteth cruelte to me / so that his proude dedygnacyon descendeth done to the depenesse of hell / neuerthelesse yet I prouyde to that poore creature / to whome for the pouerte shall be rewarded in blys with endeles rychesse / and that proude wretche shall be sharply repreued of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / in suche wyse as the holy gospell saythe / but yf he amende hym or that he dye / it is wryten in the holy gospel thus O suriui noÌ„ dedistis michi maÌ„ducare c. I hoÌ„gred and ye gaue me no meet / I thrysted ye gaue me no drynke / I was naked ye coueÌ„red me not / I was seke and iÌ„ pryson ye came not to me / it shall no profyte be to hyÌ„ thaÌ„ in the laste daye for to excuse hym thus ¶ Lorde I sawe the neuer / for yf I hadde sene the / I wolde haue done al this to the. ¶ That wretche knoweth well that thus he seeth / that the whiche ye do to the lest of myne / ye do to me /
onely lathefast sonâ— Ihesu cryst ¶ In that fyrst gree they haue spoyled the fore of affeccyon fro delectacyon of vyces ¶ In the seconde gree they haue tasted the secrete affeccyon of herte / wherby they haue conceyued delyte in vertu ¶ In the thyrde gree / that is iâ—eas traÌ„quyllyte of soule / they haue experyence in theÌ„selfe of ê‘fyte vertu / so they be arysen fro vnparfyte loue / be come to ryghte greate parfeccyoÌ„ / by the whiche they fynde rest in the doctryne of my sothefastnes / so that therby they fynde better thou meet table and the meet / and also a seruaunte for to serue them / whiche meet they tast with that mene and medyacyon of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste crucyfyed ¶ I am to them bothe place meet table / this swere delectable worde my owne sothefast sone is to them meet / for in that gloryous Ihesu / they taste meet whiche is helthe of soules / the whiche meet is grauÌ„ted of me to you / bothe flesshe and blode all hole very god and very maÌ„ / the whiche in sothe ye receyue in the sacrament of the auter / graunted to you and gyuen by my endeles goodnes / as longe as ye be wayegoers / or pylgrymes in the worlde / leste ye do fayle and feynt in the waye for fe blenesse or wekenesse / leste ye forgete the benefytes of that precyous blode shed out for you with somoche feruent breÌ„nynge fyre of loue that alwaye ye maye be made stronge and myghty therby / and be comforted and haue Ioye in youre iournaye ¶ The holy ghost is seruytour to luche and serueth them at the meet of that blessyd body / that is the affeccyoÌ„ of my charyte serueth them / the whiche charyte mynystreth to them bothe gyftes and goodly graces ¶ This ryghte swete and well byloued seruytoure / bereth / bryngeth / and offreth to me bothe theyr peynefull / swete / also delectable desyres / than fro me he bryngeth to theÌ„ for theyr labour trauayle the fruyte of my dyuyne charyte / tastynge and noryshynge it in theyr soules by the very swetenesse of my loue ¶ Thus thou maye se and knowe that to them I am a meet table / my sone is to them meet / the holp ghost is to them a seruytoure / the whiche cometh bothe fro me the fader / and also my sone ¶ Thou knowes also that euer they taste me by felynge iÌ„ theyr soules / and the more that they dyspyse delectacyon and do coueyte peyne / the more they lose peyne and wynne delectacyoÌ„ ¶ Why is that ¶ In sothe bycause they be breÌ„ned and scorged in the here of my charyte / where is wasted vp coÌ„sumpte the propre wylles of them / and therfore the fende dredeth greately the state of theyr charyte / and that is the cause that he goeth ferfro them and dare not touche theÌ„ ¶ The worlde onely smyteth them vpon the barke of the body / wenynge therby for to hurte them / he hymselfe is hurte / for the arowe yf that it fynde no place wher it may entre / than it tourneth agayne to the shoter ¶ Ryghte so the worlde shoteth arowes of iniuryes parsecucyons and grutchynges to my seruauÌ„tes / they fynde no place to them of entre / for the gardayne of theyr soule is close / and therfore the arowe tourneth agayne to the worlde that thre we it by shotynge enuenymed with the venym of sysse ¶ Sees thou not how in no wyse suche a seruauÌ„te maye haue harme ¶ Why is that ¶ Truly yf that he hurte the body / he maye in no wyse hurte the soule / for it stoÌ„deth euer blessyd and dolefull / it stondeth dolefull for the offence of her neyghboure / it ston deth blessyd by affeccyon and vnyoÌ„ of charyte the whiche it hathe recey ued iÌ„ herselfe / these it be that do folowe the vndesouled lambe my onely soth faste sone Ihesu / the whiche beynge vpon the crosse bothe blessyd dolefull berynge the tourment of the body in suffrynge of peyne / and also in be tynge of the cros of desyre that he myght satysfy make a seet or place aboue for the trespas of mankynde He was also blessyd of dyuyne nature / the whiche so knytte with maÌ„kynde myghte in no wyse suffre peyne / therfore be was bothe blessyd dole full ¶ In the same wyse / these that be my dere and well byloued chyldred / after tyme that they be come to the thyrde and fourthe state before sayde they be dolefull berynge the crosse of crystes passyon bothe actually and mentally in suffrynge of peynes in theyr bodyes / after the suffraunce of me ¶ And also mentally tourmented by the cros of desyre / for the offence that is done to me harme to theyr neyohbours ¶ Also I saye that they be blessyd for the loue of charyte that maketh them blessyd / maye not be take fro them / by the whiche charite they take receyue bothe ghoostly gladnesse and blessydnes ¶ Therfore this sorowe and dolefulnesse is not called sorowe that tourmenteth the soule / the whiche sorowe shal somtyme passe and defayle / but suche sorowe fatteth the o soule in affeccyon of charyte / for suche peynes encreseÌ„ vertues maketh it stroÌ„ge / by the whiche peyne vertu is preued / therfore peyne is the whiche maketh fat / and not tourmeÌ„teth / for nother peyne nor sorowe may drawe suche a soule out of the fyre of charyte / bycause they be all brenned in the furneyse of my charyte ¶ Wherefore there maye none take them our fro me / for they be made one with me / and I with them ¶ I neuer withdrawe me fro them by felynge / but that theyr soules sele me euery daye in themselfe by specyal sencyble gra ces / fro other before I wente and rame ¶ I went fro theÌ„ by felynge / and not by grace / and that was bycause I wolde they sholde attayne to ê‘feccyon ¶ And after tyme they be full come to parfeccyoÌ„ as it maye be hadde in this worlde / I withdrawe fro them the game of loue in goynge and comynge / the whiche maye well be called that game of loue / for by loue I go fro them / by lone I come agayne to them not proper ly I for I am youre lorde whiche is vumoueable / that am neuer moued fro place to place / but the felynge which my charyte gyueth to a soule whiche goeth and cometh ¶ Dow god goeth not away o fro the forelayd partyre meÌ„ by felynge / nor by grace â—â—â—ause of vuyon bytwyxe theym ¶ Cell the that to suche parfyte folke it is grauÌ„ted neuer for to lose me by â—â—lynge / but yet in some wyse I go fro them / for the soule whiche is clo led in the body / is not suffycyent for to receyue sne ¶ I withdrawe me not as fro