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
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
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
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
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
/ 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
/ 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
benefytes whiche benefytes she brygeth / gadereth them ofte in her mynde with thaÌ„kynges / tyll she haue sauour / and parfyte knowlege of the plentuous goodnes of god in herselfe ¶ Ryght as a best ofteÌ„tymes cheweth his meet to haue sauour therin So the soule gadereth to his mynde my benefytes / and the knowynge of hym selfe ¶ And whan this knowynge is fouÌ„de by a spyryte of mekenes / he yeldeth al to me / knowynge that with a synguler grace I haue lad hym out of derkenes / and called hyÌ„ agayne to the lyght of very knowlege ¶ And whan my goodnes is knowen / the soule loueth it / bothe with meane / without meane That is to saye wtout meane of it selfe / or of his propre profyte / and with meane of vertu / whiche he conceyued of my loue / for he seeth well But he haue synne in hate / vertu in loue / he shoulde not be accepted of me / in none otherwyse ¶ But yf he hate synne / loue vertu / he shoulde not be to me louynge and kynde ¶ After tyme he hathe conceyued this knowynge of my goodnes / by affeccyon of my loue / anone he sheweth it to his neyghbour / or elles that he hath coÌ„ceyued / were no vertu But for asmoche as he loueth me iÌ„ sothefastnes / so he profyteth his neyghbour / or elles he shoulde not proryte his neyghbour For my loue / and the loue of thy neyghbour / ben all one ¶ And the more that a soule loueth me / somoche more he loueth his neyghbour For he hathe suche loue to his neyghbour / as cometh fro me And that is that I haue put to you a meane / that you haue experyence of vertues togyders / and preue vertues iÌ„ you For you shoulde do profyte to your neyghbour / whaÌ„ ye maye not do to me that ê“fyte And that sheweth well / that you haue me in your soule by grace / bryngynge fruyte in your neyghbour / your excercyse iÌ„ many holy prayers / and in holy and amyable desyres / onely sekynge my worshyp / and helthe of soules ¶ A soule that is enflammed with my sothefastnes whiche sothefastnes / sholde beloued of all creatures in generall And in specyall more or lesse / sholde neuer cease to profyte al creatures / after eche mannes dysposycyoÌ„ / as he that prayÌ„eth / asketh of me by a breÌ„nyÌ„ge desyre / as it is expressed before / where it is declared that bodyly payne onely / it is not suffycyent to punesshe synne / without a greate desyre ¶ Than afterwarde that he hathe ê“fyted to eche creature / after eche mannes dysposycyon / for the vnyon of loue / whiche he hathe made in me / gyuynge helpe comforte to the helthe of all the worlde / with his affeccyon desyre / whiche he hathe spredde so brode Than he forseth hyÌ„ fyrst to beholde his owne necessytes ghostly / that is whaÌ„ he profyteth fyrst to hymselfe / by coÌ„ceyuyÌ„ge of vertues / by whiche vertues he hathe drawen to hym grace to se to put his eye partyculerly to the necessytes / or nedes of his neyghbours ¶ Therfore whaÌ„ he hathe done thus generally / to eche creature / by the desyre of charyte / than at the laste he helpeth theÌ„ that ben nyghe to hym / to encrease them in vertues / after the nombre of dyuers graces / whiche I haue gyuen to hym / ordeyned to hyÌ„ to departe ¶ For to some maÌ„ I grauÌ„te the vertu of doctryne / to gyue counsayle to his neyghboure / by reason of worde / wtout ony other mannes techynge ¶ To some man I grauÌ„te gyue example of good lyuynge Eche maÌ„ oweth to gyue edyfycacyoÌ„ of good honest lyuynge to his neyghbour ¶ These ben the vertues and many mo / whiche thou caÌ„ not nombre / whiche comen of mannes loue to his neyghboure / and I haue put them so dyuersly in man / for I haue not gyuen all vertues to one man alone / I gyue some man one vertu / to some an other / to an other partyculerly Not withstondynge that a man maye not haue one parfytely / but he haue all other vertues / for all vertues ben knyte togyder / but I gyue many vertues specyally / as for the chefe and heed of all other vertues / that is to saye Pryncypally I graunte the vertu of charyte to some maÌ„ Also to some the vertu of ryghtwysnesse / to some maÌ„ mekenes / to some maÌ„ ful saythe and to other dyuersly the vertu of prudence / teÌ„poraunce / pasyence / to some the gyfte of streynghe These vertues I shall gyue to many creatures / dyffcreÌ„tly in a maÌ„nes soule / all be it that these vertues ben put for a pryncypalyte of vertues in a soule / more dysposed or better to the pryncypall conuersacyon with the vertu / than with other vertues / of this / by desyre of that vertu / he draweth to hyÌ„ other vertues For as it is sayde before / throwe the desyre of charyte / al vertues beÌ„ knytte togyder ¶ And so many gyftes graces of vertues ben dyuersly departed / bothe bodyly and ghostly I saye bodyly / for necessary thynges bodyly / whiche a maÌ„ nedeth in this lyfe I haue gyueÌ„ all thynges so dyfferently / or so dyuersly / for I gaue not all vertues to one man / that by compulsyon ye sholde haue cause to vse charyte / eche to other I myght well haue endowed men after the body the soule / with all thyÌ„ges that to theÌ„ beloÌ„ge / but I wolde that one sholde haue nede of an other / and that they sholden be my dyspensers and seruauntes / to gyue to deale forthe the gyftes the graces whiche they haue receyued by my goodnes For a man wyll he or not / he maye not auoyde nor eschewe / but that he shal vse the dede of charyte with his neyghboure Neuerthelesse sothe it is / yf suche a dede that semeth in charyte be not done in me / nor for me / it profyteth not hym that dothe it / as to the encrease of grace ¶ Also doughter beholde and se / that I haue ordeyned meÌ„ my mynystres / to that entent that the vertues of charyte sholden be vsed togyders amonge them / I haue set theÌ„ in dyuers states degrees / the scrypture sheweth you well / where I sayd In domo mea maÌ„siones multe sunt That is to saye In my house there beÌ„ many dwellyÌ„ge places / I wyll no other thyÌ„ge but loue For in the loue of me / the loue of thy neyghbour is fulfylled ended / whaÌ„ the loue of a mannes neyghbour is fulfylled / the lawe of god is ended Wherfore he that is ioyned / or knytte / or oned iÌ„ loue to god / he worketh / or dothe that he maye to that profyte of his neyghbour / after his degre state ¶ How vertues ben preued / streÌ„ghed of
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
theyr neyghbour / and agaynste themselfe ¶ Agaynst theÌ„selfe / for they lyuen not vertuously ¶ Also vnryghtwysely they bere theÌ„ agaynst me / for they yeldeÌ„ not worshyp to my name / nor they gyueÌ„ no thankynges nor presynges to me as they ben bounde / but as theues they taken awaye fro me that is myne gyuyÌ„ge it to theyr owne propre sensualyte ¶ Also they done vnryghtwysenesse to me / agaynst theÌ„selfe / as blyÌ„de men and vncunnynge / not knowynge me in theÌ„ ¶ And all this cometh by theyr owne loue / whiche desyre may not be fulfylled / nor they ben neuer contented / as the Iewes and the mynysters of the lawe dydeÌ„ to my sone ¶ For they maden them selfe blynde / throwe enuy / throwe theyr owne propre loue ¶ Therfore they knewe not the sothefastnesse of my sone ¶ And whaÌ„ they knewe not the cuerlastynge lyfe / whiche was withi theÌ„ / they dydeÌ„ not theyr dewte / and that veryâ—yed my sothefastnesse / and that is my sone / whaÌ„ he sayde thus / the kyngedome of god is within you / but that knewe they not ¶ And the cause was / for they hadden lost the lyght of reason / and in this maner they lefâ—eÌ„ theyr dewre vndone / whiche dewre sholde haue be to gyue thaÌ„kynge and worshyp to me and to my sone / whiche is all one with me ¶ And therfore as blynde men they dydeÌ„ suche vnryghtwysenesse to me / parsuynge my sone / to the dyspytefull dethe of the crosse / with repreues and wronges wouteÌ„ ende ¶ So they that ben lyke to them / done vnworthynesse to me / to theÌ„selfe / and to theyr neyghbour / sellyÌ„nge vnryghtfully theyr owne flesshe / and of theyr sogetes / of other ¶ Of the vnworthynesse in to whiche a maÌ„ falleth throwe these defautes Also it speketh of these wordes Paraclitus autem queÌ„ mittet pater c. ALso throwe this synne and for other defautes / they falleÌ„ somtyme in a false IudgemeÌ„t / as I shall shewethe after ¶ They ben euer sclanÌ„dred in my werkes / the whiche ben all ryghtfull / and all beÌ„ ordeyned in sothefastnesse / throwe mercy loue ¶ With this wicked fals Iudgement / the Iewes dydeÌ„ repreue wyckrdly the ryghtfull werkes of my sone / throwe wycked ve / nym of enuy / and pryde / demynge them with theyr falsenes and theyr lesynges and sayde this is he that casteth oute in the vertu of Bellabub ¶ So the wycked Iewes weren so fulfylled with theyr owne propre loue / and grounded so in vnclennesse / as in pryde / auaryce / lose of dyscrecy on / with impasence / many other defautes that ben vsed / that alway they ben sclaundred in me / and in my seruauÌ„tes / demyÌ„ge falsly / those vertues ben fened / and not trewe ¶ And the cause is / for theyr herte is infecte / hathe no ryght nor trewe rast of the soule / nor ghostly sauour / wherfore all good werkes semen to them vnsauory and wycked ¶ O blyndnesse of mankynde / why wyll thou not beholde thy dygnyte / fro greate thou arte become full lytle / fro a lorde thou arte made a seruaunte and bounde / for thou arte made seruaunte and soget to synne ¶ And thou arte made suche as he is / whome thou serues ¶ Synne is noughte / therfore thou arte become to noughte ¶ Synne hathe taken thy lyfe fro the hathe betaken the to dethe ¶ This lyfe and dominacyon was taken to you / of the doctryne and the gloryous brydge / of my dere sone ¶ WhaÌ„ ye weren seruauntes of the fende / my sone toke you out of that seruage bycause the ye sholden not perysshe ¶ I ordeyned my sone a seruaunte and I put in hym obedyence / that the inobedyence of Adam sholde be put out ¶ And that pryde sholde be confounded / he meked hymselfe to the moost cruell dethe of the crosse ¶ He dyscryed all vyces by the vertu of his dethe / that no man myght saye that suche a vyce was vnpunysshed / for throwe his passyon bytter dethe / all vyces wereÌ„ punysshed in hym ¶ All remedyes weren gyuen / for he wolde delyuer them fro euerlastynge dethe ¶ They dyden dyspyse that holy blode / they dyden trede it vnder the fete of an vnordynate affeccyon ¶ This is that vnryghtwysenesse / and theyr false Iudgement / with the whiche the worlde is repreued ¶ And so it shal be repreued / in the greate daye of the Iudgement so wytnesed my sone that is my sothefastnesse / whan he sayde ¶ The comforter that is called the holy ghost / whome my fader shall sende in my name / he shall vndermyne the worlde of vnryghtwysenes / the worlde was repreued whaÌ„ I sende my holy spyryte in the apostles ¶ Here is how chryste speketh this reason O go mittam paraclituÌ„ qui muÌ„duÌ„ arguet c. And how the one of these repreues is contynuall THere beÌ„ thre vnder mynynges of the worlde ¶ One was whan the holy ghost dyscended on crystes dyscyples as I sayde before for whaÌ„ they wereÌ„ strengthed by my myght / and lyghtned with the wysdome of my sone / than they dyden receyue bothe grace and vertu / in the fulnesse of the holy ghoste ¶ Than the holy ghoste whiche is one with me / and with my sone / repreued the worlde / by the monycyons of his dyscyples / with the techynge of my holy sothefastnes / that is my sone ¶ They and suche other whiche came of them / folowynge that sothefastnesse / whiche they knewe by theyr techynge / dyden repreut the worlde ¶ This is a contynuall vndermynynge / whiche I dâ— to the worlde as the techyÌ„ge of holy scrypture saythe and by the prechyÌ„ge of my seruauÌ„tes / whan the holy ghost put hymselfe in theyr tongues / and shewed theym my sothefastnesse ¶ And ryght so in the contrary / the fende receyueth hym on the toÌ„gues of his seruauntes that is to saye on the tongues of them / whiche gon by the wycked floode ¶ This holy vndermynynge / is put to the worlde coÌ„tynually in the maner as I sayd before throwe the greate loue that I haue to the helthe of soules ¶ And they maye not saye / we hadden no man to excuse vs / for the truthe therof is clerly shewed / whaÌ„ vertu and vyce was shewed to them ¶ And I made them to se the fruyte of vertues / and the harme of vyces / to the entent that I sholde graunte to theÌ„ bothe to loue and to drede me / with the hate of vyces / and loue of vertues ¶ And now that doctryne is not shewed by an angell / for they sholdeÌ„ not saye / an angel maye not offende for be is a blyssed spyryte ¶ He feleth no greuaunce of the flesshe / as we fele ¶ This they maye not saye / for that doctryne was gyuen to theÌ„ of my sone / the whiche was
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
that they cut awaye the venym of theyr propre sensualyte / whiche bryngeth in the peyne dethe euer endurynge ¶ And sothely venym it is / for ryght as venym bryngeth peyne to the body / and at the laste dethe / but he caste it out that soner fro hym / or take some medycyne / ryght so it is of this cursed scorpyon and venȳ of worldely loue ¶ I saye not that they sholde cast awaye temporall goodes fro themselfe / for temporall goodes in themselfe ben good / for of me they ben made and ordeyned that am moost souerayne good ¶ And therfore a man maye vse them as he wyll / with holy loue and very trewe drede ¶ But I say of the wycked wyll of a man / the whiche poysoneth the soule bryngynge in dethe / but it be cast out hastely with all maner desyres of the herte by deuoute confessyon / the whiche confessyon / is the most souerayne medycyne / that delyuereth a man fro suche venȳ / thoughe it seme ryght bytter in the sensualyte ¶ Sees thou not how now all suche bē dysceyued that myghte and they wolde haue me / and also haue comforte ghostly gladnesse and put awaye fro thē heuynesse ¶ And yet rather they coueyten euyll vnder coloure of good thynge / euer with all maner besynesse and vnordynate loue to gader togyder gredyly golde ¶ Neuerthelesse bycause they ben blynded with moche mystrustynge of infydelyte / they knowen not this venȳ ¶ And they knowē well that they bē poysoned and venymed / and yet they wyl not receyue no medicyne ¶ Suche people done bere the fendes crosse / and tasten without ony doubte the ernest of hell ¶ How worldely men with all theyr rychesse and goodes / can not holde them contented / and of the peyne that they deserue for theyr wycked wylles / aswell in this lyfe / as after theyr dethe I Sayde before to the / that wyll alone is cause why man is punysshed and peyned all with my seruaūtes in asmoche as they lacke theyr owne wyll / and bē gouerned after my wyl / therfore they fele no peyne that greueth thē but they bē fulfylled in theyr soules felȳge me īwardeli by grace ¶ And all suche that haue not me / maye in no wyse be fulfylled / yf they had all the worlde ¶ For all thynges that ben made / ben lesse of dygnyte than man / for they ben made for man / not man for them / and therfore he maye not be fulfylled with thē ¶ I alone maye fulfyll hym / none but I. ¶ Therfore all suche worldely wretches / ben so clypped with that derke cloude of blyndenesse ¶ Euer they ben besy / and labour in vayne / alwaye desyrynge to haue suche as they shal neuer haue / so they may neuer be fylled ¶ For of me the maye fulfyll thē / they wyll no thynge aske ¶ I tell the how it stondeth with thē in peynes / thou knowes well that loue causeth peyne / whan that thynge the is lost / to the whiche al worldely mē ben holy conformed ¶ Worldely mē conformen them in al maner wyses by vnordynate loue to erthely thynges / and ther by they ben made all erthe ¶ For they haue a maner of ghostly impressyon of lykenes with ryches ¶ Who is that / what euer state he stondes in / that wolde for ony seruyce done to creatures / haue the losse of me ¶ Or who is that the whiche maketh of his owne body by vnclennesse of lyuynge / an vnreasonable beest ¶ All suche feden them of the erthe / by desyrynge of dyuers worldely states ¶ And they woldē that they sholden euerlast / but it wyll not be / for they passen awaye as the wynde / other by meane of dethe / or els I by ryghtwyse ordynaūce depryue them / fro suche thynges that they so loue vnordynately / and than is theyr peyne intollerable / for by asmoche as they had suche good in possessyō by an vnordynate loue / by somoche they lese thē with sharper peyne ¶ Neuerthelesse yf they haddē kepte them as goodes lente / and not as theyr propre goodes / doubtelesse they sholdē haue forsake them wtout peyne ¶ And therfore theyr peyne is the more / bycause they haue not that they desyre ¶ For as I sayde the worlde maye not fulfyll thē / and than they haue a grete peyne / what ben the paynes of his conscyence / and what peynes he suffreth that wyll be venged for worldely good / I shall tell the. ¶ Contynually he freteth hymselfe / and fyrste he sleeth his owne soule / soner thā his ghostly enemy ¶ He is fyrste deed / for he hath sleyne hymselfe / with the swerde of hate ¶ O what peyne suche a couetous worldely man the is enuyous suffreth in his conscyence / euer so fretynge hymselfe / and wyll not suffre hymselfe to haue no delyte of his neyghbours prosperyte ¶ By this thou maye knowe what peyne a worldly couetous mā suffreth of that thurste of his auaryce / the whiche wyll neuer fulfyll his owne nede / nor the necessyte of other ¶ Thus than of all suche thynges that a man loueth in the sensualyte of his flesshe / he draweth to hym by many vnordinate dredes / and moche peyne of cōscyence ¶ They take vpon them wylfully for to bere the deuylles peynefull cros in tastynge here of the ernest of hell ¶ And the seke people lyuen in this worlde / in many maner dyuers wyses of ghostly peynes at the last but yf they amende them / for to receyue dethe euerlastynge ¶ All suche ben in the waye of sothefastnes / that in this worlde ben hurte by thornes of many trybulacyons / tourmentȳge thēselfe by theyr owne vnordynate mysruled wyll ¶ All suche haue tourmente of body and of soule / for with peynes and tourmentes the body and the soule ben torne in peces / in asmoche as they gate golde / and wanne ryches of the worlde / with an vnordynate myse ruled loue ¶ And so they bē depryued of the lyfe of grace and affeccyon of charyte / and they ben made trees of dethe / and therfore all theyr werkes ben deed / for they lyuen in grete peynes / walowynge in the floode that ledeth to the water of dethe / passynge forthe with hate by the fendes gate / and so they receyue endelesse dāpnacyō ¶ Now thou knowes how they that maken them wylfully the deuyls martyrs dysceyuē themselfe / and with what peynes they dyscende gone downe to hell ¶ What is that trowes thou that blyndeth them ¶ Nothynge elles / but a cloude trewely of theyr owne mysruled dysordynate loue layde ouer the clere syghte of the holy feythe ¶ Thou knowes also how worldely trybulacyons / ī what maner they come ¶ They hurten onely bodyly my specyall seruauntes / bycause they bē cast out of the worlde but yet they ben not hurte spyrytually that is in
chaungynge that they began / for to aryse with drede fro peyne / fro manyfolde pryckynges of trybulacyons / and fro wretchydnesse of deedly synnes ¶ And therfore by cause they withdrawe them out fro this depenesse none otherwyse / therfore they maye not attayne for to come to the loue of vertues / nor they maye wynne no parseuerauÌ„ce ¶ A soule is euer mouyÌ„ge / and therfore yf it go not forth by vertues / it must nedes go backe warde in vyces / to stonde styll the maye it not all suche may neuer profyte in vertu / as loÌ„ge as they atteyne not the loue therof / but they must nedes go styll backewarde ¶ The .iii. chapytre telleth / how this soule fell in a mournynge for the blyndenesse of them whiche were drowned in the floode before sayde Also how the grees beÌ„ fygured in the forsayd brydge / that is to saye in goddes sone / betokeneth the very .iii. myghtes of the soule / and of other maters / as is wryten before in the kalender Ca. iii. THan this deuoute soule anguysshed by grete desyre and coueted to knowe her imparfeccyoÌ„ / bothe of herselfe and of other / hauynge ruthe pyte vpon the blyndenesse of suche wretchyd creatures ¶ And whan she had longe beholden the goodnes of god / that in what state ony creature reasonable stoÌ„deth in / yf he wyl hymselfe / he maye wynne wayes of sanacyon / and not be let ¶ For all thynge may be to hym for excersyce and experyence of vertu ¶ Yet neuertheles by theyr owne propre loue and vnordynate affeccyon / they go backewarde and wyll not amende them / but rather walke in the water of the falne floode beforesayde / so as she semed / they went fyrste to hell ¶ And many of them that dyd begyÌ„n to go / went fast back warde / whan she had herde by the goodnes of god / the was his pleasure to shewe her of hym selfe / the cause of all this by the whiche she was brought in to greate sorowe / thaÌ„ she set stydfastly her eye of vnderstondynge to the endelesse fader of lyght / and sayde thê° Â¶ O meruaylous loue of goodnesse / grete dysceyte is ymonge thy creatures / I wolde yf it were plesyÌ„ge to thi endeles goodnes / knowe more largely and dyffusely the thre degrees / fygured in the body of thy onely begoten sone / and what maner men maye holde and kepe / that they maye come parfytely out of the floode / and to go vertuously in the waye of thy truthe / and also who be they that ascende vpon the ladder ¶ How thre degrees ben fygured in the foresayd brydge that is to say in goddes sone / be to keneth the thre myghtes of the soule Than the meruaylous goodnes of god / beholdyÌ„ge the desyre ghostly hongre of that soule / with the eye of his mercy / answered sayde thus ¶ Ryght well byloued doughter / I am no dyspyser of holy desyres / but rather a deuoute receyuer of holy desyres / and therfore I wyll declare to the / all that thou does aske of me ¶ Thou does aske thre degrees to be declared to the / and also I shall tell the what maner of wyse they sholde haue theÌ„ that comen out of this floode / wyl ascende vpon this brydge ¶ And thoughe I tolde the before the dysceyte and blyndenesse of man / and how he tasteth in maner in this worlde the ernest of hell / and how they receyue euerlastynge dampnacyon / as the beuyls martyrres / whose maner of lyuynge is rehersed before / the whiche I tolde the toke of the wycked werkes of fendes / wher also I tolde the by what maner wyse they maye wtdrawe theÌ„ fro suche maner lyuynge yf they wyll ¶ Neuerthelesse to till fyll thy desyre / I shall declare to the them more largely ¶ Thou knowes ryght well / that all maner of wylles be grouÌ„ded in a mannes propre loue / the which loue is a maner of a cloude / that taketh awaye the lyght of reason / that is the lyght of very feythe / whiche the reason kepeth wtin her / and that one may not be lost without the other ¶ At the begynnynge whan I made mannes soule I made it to the ymage lykenesse of me / gyuynge to her mynde / understondynge and wyll ¶ But the worthyer party of the soule is intelleccyon or vnderstondynge / for vnderstondynge is moued of affeccyoÌ„ / and vnderstondynge moueth affeccyon ¶ The mouynge or styrrynge of loue that is to saye of affeccyon / enformeth the mynde and teeheth it how that it sholde not forgete the benefytes receyued of me / by the whiche mynde / the loue is made bely nothynge slowe nor dull / and the loue or the affeccyon of loue / maketh the mynde kynde and nothynge vnkynde ¶ And thus one myghte or power of the soule / is helpynge and contrybutory to an other / and so is the soule fed in the lyfe of grace ¶ A sâ—nle may by no maner of way lyue without loue / but euer it must loue some thynge / for of loue it is made ¶ And therfore I sayde to the yf thou haue good remembraunce that affeccyon of loue is moued or styrred by vnderstondynge / as thoughe he sayde thus ¶ I wyll loue / for the meet that I vse / is loue ¶ ThaÌ„ efte sones she felynge herselfe styrred by the effecte and spede of loue / anone she aryseth as thoughe loue sayde thus yf thou wyll loue well / that thou askes I shall gyue ye. ¶ And anone with that she arysethe vp / and beholdeth so greate worthynesse of me and vnworthynese of the soule / in the whiche vnworthynes / she is fall by her owne synnes ¶ And how by the worthynesse of theyr owne beynge / she tasteth my vncreate charyte and meruaylous goodnesse / by the whiche I made her / and in beholdynge of her owne wretchydnes she fyndeth and tasteth my mercy / for by my mercy I haue drawe her out of derkenesse / lende her a tyme space of amedement / thaÌ„ is affeccyon noryshed in loue / openynge the mouthe of her holy desyre / by the whiche sheeteth deuoureth by dysplesauÌ„ce hate her propre sensualyte with very mekenes parfyte pasyence / the whiche she hathe wonne by the hate of herselfe ¶ After tyme therfore vertues be coÌ„ceyued / whether a soule worke with them parfytely or vnparfytely / as she vseth parfeccyon / or vnê‘feccyoÌ„ in herselfe / as I shall tell the afterwarde ¶ Yf it so be that the outwarde felynge of affeccyoÌ„ moue herselfe so / that the eye of her vnderstondyÌ„ge onely e loue outewarde sensyble thynges / than the affeccyon moueth herselfe / and onely putteth before the eye of vnderstoÌ„dynge with her owne propre loue worldely and traÌ„sytory vanytes / with dysplesaunce of vertu and loue of vyces / wherby she draweth to her bothe pryde and vnpasyence ¶ And so the mynde is with
the floode beforesayde / by the waues of trybulacyoÌ„s comyÌ„ge agaynst hym ¶ And by the couetous thornes of worldely comforte / the whiche be very thornes pryckynge the soule / and loueth them vnornately / and kepeth them ¶ How the drede of seruage wtout loue of vertues / is not suffycyent to euer lastynge lyfe / and how the lawe of drede and the lawe of loue be oned togyder I Sayde to the that ther maye no man go by the brydge / nor passe out of the floode but nedes he must ascende vpoÌ„ thre grees ¶ And sothe it is / that some asceÌ„de vnparfytely / some parfytely and some with greate parfeccyon ¶ All suche therfore that with seruyle drede ben onely lad and gouerned / ascende vnparfytely gaderyÌ„ge togyder the myghtes of the soule ¶ That is whaÌ„ the soule seeth peyne folowe synne / for fere of that peyne it ryseth out fro synne / and asceÌ„deth vp and gadereth the mynde togyder / therby to pull awaye the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce and mynde of synne ¶ The ¶ The vnderstoÌ„dyÌ„ge also is drawe to for to se and beholde what peyne is ordeyned for synne / and than his wyll is moued to hate synne ¶ And thoughe this be the fyrst ascencyon / and the fyrste gaderynge togyder of the myghtes of the soule / yet muste the soule excersyce and vse the same ascencyon and gaderynge togyder of the same myghtes / by the lyghte of the inwardely vnderstoÌ„dynge in the clere syghte of very feythe / not onely beholdynge the peyne for synne but also and rather the dede of vertu / the loue that they sholde haue to vertu / so that theyr affeccyoÌ„ may ascende vp with the fete of loue / put tynge away seruyle drede ¶ Yf they do thê° / thaÌ„ they be made my trewe seruauntes / and not vntrewe / seruynge me onely for loue / and not for drede ¶ To this they maye come / yf they myghtely orawe vp by the rote and put awaye with hate / the roote of theyr owne propre loue ¶ And also yf they be wyse and prÌ„udent / styd fast / and parseueraunt ¶ But ther be many suche begynners / the whiche begynne to asceÌ„de / that be so dul and full of slothe / and so feyntly yel den to me my dewte / with suche neclygence / and ygnoraunce / that they feynt and defayle / anone rennynge to the sayle for the lest wynde that cometh ¶ And so they gone backewarde / for they dyd ascende vnparfytely / toke the fyrst gre of the brydge of my onely fothefast sone / and most byloued Ihesu crucyfyed / therfore they maye not come to the secoÌ„de gre of the herte of loue ¶ How a man that hathe excersysed hym in the drede of seruage whiche is the state of imparfeccyoÌ„ / by whiche state is vnder stoÌ„de the fyrste grees of the foresayde holy brydge / he maye come so to the seconde gre / whiche is that state of parfeccyon SOme there be that be become trewe seruauÌ„tes / that be those whiche seruen me trewly / without ony seruyle drede or bondage / that serueÌ„ not me for drede of peyne / but for loue / and with loue ¶ That maner of loue by the whiche men serueÌ„ me for theyr owne profyte auauntage / and for loue plesaunce that they fynde in me / is vtterly vnparsyte / and that maye well be knowen in this wyse ¶ As sone as my comfortes be withdrawe fro theÌ„ / anone they gyue of theyr loue / therfore it is vnparfyte ¶ By suche maner of loue vnê‘fyte / they loueÌ„ theyr neyghbours / therfore suche loue is not suffycyent nor durable / but rather suche loue ceaseth ofte tymes fayleth ¶ It ceaseth anendes me / for this cause / oft tymes I wtithdrawe fro them ghostly coÌ„fortes of the soule / that they may the soner aryse from imparfeccyon / and be excersysed in vertues / suffrynge theÌ„ to haue tourment and heuynesse of herte / that they maye the more purely come to me ¶ The whiche is done also bycause they sholde the soner come to the parfyte knowlege of themselfe / for they knowe not themselfe / nor they haue no grace of themselfe ¶ And also that in tyme of trybulacyoÌ„s they myght lerne for to renne to me / that am theyr refute and comforte / knowynge me to be to them gyuer of al goodnes graces / so to serche me feythfully with very mekenesse / and for this cause / all suche trybulacyons to fall to theÌ„ / withdrawynge fro theÌ„ ghostly coÌ„fortes / but not my grace ¶ All suche maner of meÌ„ go than full sloly with greate vnpasyence of soule ¶ And otherwhyle they leue forsake theyr ghostly excercyses in many maners and dyuers / and ofte tymes vnder colour of vertu / they say within theÌ„selfe thus ¶ This ghostly excercyse workynge is nothyge profytable to me / and that is whan they fynde them and fele them faylynge lackynge of inwarde ghostly comforte ¶ Suche one holdeth kepeth the condycyon of an vnparfyte man / for he hathe not yet ryght well lyfte vp and put awaye the veyle and the clothe of his ghostly loue / fro the clere syghte of the eye of very bryssed feythe ¶ For yf he hadde well lyfted it vp / put awaye that clothe / in sothe he sholde severyly / that all the tryÌ„bulacyons comen fro me to proue hym / for the leest lefe of a tree maye not fall downe without my ordynauÌ„ce ê“uydeÌ„ce ¶ And therfore all that euer I graunted to them by suffrauÌ„ce of suche trybulacyons / I suffre it to come to them for theyr encrease oâ— vertu ¶ That is that they maye haue a good ende / to the whiche ende I haue made theÌ„ ¶ This they sholde beholde and se and veryly knowe that I desyre nothynge of them / but vertu and good / in the precyous blode of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu / in the whiche blode they be wasshed fro all theyr wyckednes in the same blode they maye knowe my very truthe ¶ For that I wolde gyue to them euerlastynge lyfe / I made them to the ymage and symylytute of me / and haue made theym freslhe and quycke to grace as chyldreÌ„ of grace / in the bloode of my onely sone Ihesu ¶ But bycause they be vnê‘fyte / they do to me seruyse onely for theyr owne profyte / wtdrawynge theÌ„ in the same wyse fro the parfyte loue of theyr neyghbours ¶ The fyrste â—o fayle for drede the whiche they haue for suffcynge of peyne ¶ The secoÌ„de withdrawynge of theÌ„ fro the profyte / that they sholde shewe and do to theyr neyghbours / and so withdrawe theÌ„ fro charyte / bycause they parceyue in them that they be depryued / as they thynke fro ghostly comforte / whiche they were vsed to haue / and that is for theyr loue is not parfyte ¶ But with the same imparfeccyon that they loue me onely for theyr
is / whome I haue so greately offended / and what I am / that haue so greuously offended hym ¶ Than the fende not suffcynge suche mekenesse of the soule / and the hope of my goodnesse / sayde agayne to thou thus ¶ Cursed be thou / for I may nothynge auayle in the / yf I do my greate labour to throwe the adowne in to lowe thynges by confusyon and shame / thou lyftes vp thyself to mercy / and yf I wolde enhaunce the to hyghe thynges by pryde / thou descendes lowly by mekenes and parsnes me in to hell / so that I shall neuer tempte the more / for euer thou smytes me with the staffe of charyte ¶ In all suche maners a soule sholde medle the knowlege of herselfe / with the knowlege of my mercy / my knowlege with her knowlege ¶ And after suche maner vocal prayer is profytable to a soule that vseth it / and lykynge to me / and fro suche vnparfyte vocall prayer with excersyce parseueraunce / she maye come to parfyte mentall prayer ¶ Neuerthelesse yf the entent be set symply for to fulfyll the nombre of the psalmes / or pater nosters ytaxed / or leuyÌ„ge mental prayer for vocall prayer / I tell the for truthe suche one shall neuer come to mental prayer ¶ Otherwhyse suche a soule that whan she sholde praye and saye her nombre of psalmes or pater nosters / it is so vnsauory that her tongue is lothe and dull to say / and otherwhyle she hathe suche a conscyeÌ„ce of leuynge vnsayde the psalmes and the pater nosters / whaÌ„ I vyset her somtyme one wyse / somtyme an other wyse as somtyme by the lyght of my knowlege with contrycyon of her synnes / somtyme by largenesse of my ryght greate habundaunte charyte / somtyme by manye maner wyses makynge open before the clere lyghte of her soule / as it is lykynge to me / the presence of my very truthe after the deuoute and holy desyre of the same foule / yet she wyll not leue vnsayde the nombre of psalmes or pater nosters / but moche rather she wyll leue my specyall vysytacyon that she feleth iÌ„ her soule / and so she sholde not do / for that is one of the dysceytes of the fende ¶ But anone as she parceyueth her soule touched with my specyall vysytacyon / than she shold leue vocal prayer tourne therto ¶ And whan that mental vysytacyon is withdrawe fro her / thaÌ„ to tourne agayne to vocall prayer yf she wyll make an ende of her psalmes and pater nosters that she was in purpose for to saye / yf she haue no tyme / she sholde not charge it nor be heuy therfore in her soule / but yf it be dyuyne seruyce / to the whiche bothe prestes / clerkes / and all relygyous people be bounde for to saye / and yf they saye it not they offende / for vnto the ende of theyr dethe they be bouÌ„de ther to / yf they be in he le / and yf they were touched by specyall vysytacyon in dewe tymes and houres whan they sholde say theyr dyuyne seruyce / they sholde puruaye an other tym other before or after for to say theyr dyuyne seruyce / so that it be not lefte vnsayde / that sholde be sayd of dewte ¶ Suche vocall prayer sayd / as it is before rehersed / bryÌ„geth a soule to parfeccyoÌ„ / therfore vocall prayer sholde not be lefte / than with excersyce and parseueraunce the swetenesse of prayer shall be tasted in truthe / also the blessyd ghostly meet of the body of my sothefaste sone / as it is rehersed ¶ And therfore I tolde the that some receyue chrystes flesshe his bloode vertuously / some sacrameÌ„tally comunynge that blessyd sacramente with affeccyoÌ„ of charyte / for he that gothe to that sacrament with affcecyon / he fyndeth moche swetenesse / and he that goeth ther to more of custome and vse than for affeccyon / he fyndeth lytle swetenesse / for he that enforceth hym with all his soule to make open his affeccyon in me / knytteth it to me with the very lyght of intelleccyon he knoweth moche / and he that knoweth moche loueth moche / he that loueth moche tasteth me swetely ¶ By this thou maye knowe the parfyte prayer is not goteÌ„ with many wordes / but with affeccyon of desyre reysed in me of me with knowlege of hymselfe of me ¶ And he that prayeth thus / he shall haue bothe mentall prayer vocall prayer / for they dwell togyder / lyke as actyue lyue and contemplatyue done ¶ By many maner of wyses / vocall and mentall prayer ben vnderstoÌ„de ¶ For asmoche as I sayd to the and tolde the that holy desyre is contynuall prayer / that is for to haue an holy desyre and a deuoute wyll / the whiche wyll and desyre do aryse actually in tyme and place ordeyned / with the addâ—cyon of actu / all prayer ¶ And so a soule shall vse in tyme sette and ordeyned with an holy wyll vocall prayer / and neuer oute of tyme ordeyned for to vse it namely contynually ¶ Parauenture sometyme it muste be lefte for mynystracyoÌ„ of charyte vsed to the helthe of neyghbours / somtyme for other necessary and nedeful causes / as the state besynesse axeth / that I haue sette a creature in ¶ Euery man sholde laboure to the helthe and necessytes of soules / after the state that he is called to / for what that euer he laboureth actually to the ease and helthe of his neyghboure / is for to praye vertuously ¶ For as seynt Austyn saythe / he ceseth neuer to praye well / that ceseth neuer to do well / and therfore it was that I sayd / that prayer is in many maners ¶ For actuall prayer done / as it is before sayde is done by affeccyon of charyte / for with the affeccyon of charyte is coÌ„tynual prayer ¶ Thus I haue tolde the / howe thou maye come to mentall prayer / that is by excersyce and parseueraunce of vocal prayer / how thou sholde leue vocall prayer for mentall prayer whan I vysyte thy soule ¶ I dyd saye to the also what is comune prayer / for I sayde it was prayer of good wyll / that is excersysed of charytable besynesse / bothe in the and in thy neyghboure the whiche sholde be do with a good wyll ¶ Thus a soule sholde neuer be ydle frome prayer / but other actually or meÌ„tally she sholde praye / lest she fall in to duldesse of spyryte / and in to an vnparfyte loue / for the more that she loueth / the more she shal fele profyte and loue bothe in me and in her neyghboure ¶ And here shal be shewed of a dysceyte that creatures haue somtyme / whiche loueÌ„ god and serue hym / for theyr owne comforte delectacyon Of the whiche imparfyte loue somwhat shall I tell the / of a certayne dysceyte that is goten
suche namely that as yet be vnparfyte / by delectacyon / louynge with affeccyon of loue / agaynst the ghostly comforte and delectacyon / the whiche they fynde iÌ„ me / for I am the rewarder of al goodes that be done lytle and moche / after the mesure of loue of hym that receyueth good ¶ Of this I gyue ghostly comforte / some tyme in one wyse / and sometyme in an other wyse in the tyme of prayer This do I not / for that a soule sholde receyue ghostly coÌ„forte vnwyttyÌ„gely that is to say that she rather beholde the gyfte of my ghostly comforte / graunted to her by my gracyous largenesse thaÌ„ me but that she inwardely beholde rather the affeccyon of my endelesse charyte / by the whiche affeccyoÌ„ I gyue to her suche comfortes / yf it so be that she be ygnoraunt and wyll receyue her owne delectacyon without consyderacyoÌ„ of the affeccyon of me she is dysceyued / for by her owne ghostly coÌ„forte she is dysceyued / in asmoche as she delyteth therin ¶ As loÌ„ge as she is thus ygnoraunte / she goeth after her owne delyte / sekynge of the holy ghost suche ghostly comfortes after theyr owne lust / as thoughe she wolde put a lawe to the holy ghost / for to gyue it to her as she wolde / so sholde she not do / but moche rather go myghtely forthe by my sones passyon / and therefor to receyue ghostly comforte / in suche wyse / in suche a place / and in suche a tyme / as it pleaseth my goodnes for to grauÌ„te her / and thoughe I gyue it not / it is not done of hate / but of loue / that she sholde seke me truly and veryly / not onely for to loue me of delyte / but rather with mekenesse she sholde receyue my charyte / than so to folowe theyr owne delectacyoÌ„ / yf she do not thus but onely go to ghostly delectacyon iÌ„ her owne maner and not after my maner / she shall receyue an vntollerable peyne and shame / in asmoche as she seeth that obiecte or the cause of her delyte is withdrawen / the whiche obiecte or cause she sette before the cye of her itelleccyoÌ„ ¶ These be they that chosen ghostly coÌ„forte after theyr owne maner / and wolde euery daye be fedde withal in theyr soules for the sencyble comfortes that they synden therin ¶ And they be sometyme so ygnoraunt / that yf I byset them ony other wyse than so / they withstonde me in my vysytacyon and wyll not receyue it / onely desyrynge iÌ„ theyr owne purpose for to haue suche vysytacyons / as they fele sencyble comfortes ¶ This is defaute of theyr owne passyon and ghostly delectacyoÌ„ whereâ—â— suche a soule is dysceyued ¶ For it is ryght vnpossyble for her euer to stonde in one maner of ghostly vysytacyon ¶ She maye neuer stonde onely in one maner of delectacyon / for my goodnesse wyll vylyte her in dyuets maners of vysytacyons ¶ I gyue many dyuerse ghostly delytes to a soule / that is knyt stydfastly in me / somtyme she receyueth of me delectacyon / of a maner of ghostly gladnesse / somtyme suche contrycyon dysplesaunce of her synnes / that she semeth that she is ghostly troubled in herselfe / somtyme I shall be in a soule and she shall not fele me / somtyme I shall shewe forme before her my sothefast sone in dyuers mauers before the eye of her vnderstoÌ„dynge and yet shall he not be parceyued nor felte in the felynge of the soule in suche feruour and delectacyon as he sholde be felte ¶ Al this I do for loue / for to kepe her encrees her in the vertu of mekenesse and parseuerauÌ„ce ¶ And also for to enform her that she put no maner of rule to me / nor for to set her ende iÌ„ suche delectacyon / but onely in vertu that is grounded in me / that with mekenesse she receyue bothe tymes that is of withdrawynge and gyuynge and that also she receyue with her owne affeccyon / the affeccyon of me by the whiche affeccyon I gyue her suche comfortes / and also that she byleue and trust well with a quycke feythe / that I gyue suche thynges / whaÌ„ I gyue it to the nede of her helthe that she myght come by suche vysytacyons to greate ê‘feccyon ¶ Therfore I wyll that she stoÌ„de euer mekely / settyÌ„ge euer bothe begynnyÌ„ge her endynge in the affeccyon of my very charyte / and in the charyte for to receyue onely delectacyon / with desyre after my wyll / and not after her owne wyll / al this haue I sayde for to eschewe dysceytes ¶ How a soule that knoweth her selfe wysely in sothefastnes / kepeth herselfe fro all these foresayd dysceytes FOrthermore I wyll not hyde fro the the dysceyte that deedly meÌ„ felen in theyr owne sencyble delectacyoÌ„ / the whiche done them but lytle good namely of those thynges that they worke by vertu in tyme of suche sencyble comfortes ¶ Ouermore of the ghostly sencyble delectacyon of ghostly comfortes of my owne seruauÌ„tes / how that they with the loue of theyr owne delectacyon dysceyuen themselfe / the whiche delyte wyll not suffre theym lor to knowe the very truthe of me / nor the synne that they stonden in / nor the dysceyte the whiche the fende vseth in them ¶ All this I tell the that thou and all my seruauntes sholde folowe and seke vertues in my loue and after no other loue ¶ These dysceytes and perelles often tymes be receyued namely of theÌ„ / that be yet in vnparfyte loue / that is onely for to loue me bycause of my myghte / and not symply me that am the gyuer ¶ But a soule that in sothefastenesse hathe entred the house of her owne knowlege / excersyseth parfyte prayer and ryseth vp in suche awyse / as I haue tolde the where I treted of prayer / for the imparfeccyon of theyr owne loue / and also fro the imparfeccyon of prayer / she receyueth me by affeccyon of loue / sekynge besyly to drawe oÌ„ute the mylke of my brest / the swetenesse of the doctryne of my sone Ihesu cryste crucyfyed / after tyme she is come ê‘fycely to the thyrde estate of a sone or of a frende ¶ Than al suche haue no hyred loue / as seruauntes vnder bondage / but they be as dere and electe frendes hauynge the loue of dere blessyd chyldren / for ryght as one freÌ„de dothe to an other / so done they with me / ryght as a freÌ„de gyueth a present to an other / for the eye is not set onely vpon the gyfte / but also it is sette in the herte and in the affeccyon of the gyuer / and so he kepeth the gyfte byloue of affeccyoÌ„ ¶ Ryght so a soule that is come to the state of the thyrde parfyte loue whan she receyueth my gyftes and my graces / she beholdeth not onely my gyftes / but with the eye of Intelleccyon she
that peyne the whiche ye haue receyued of me / is infynyte / and that is in the vertu of my dyuyne nature that is ifynyte / and oned with the nature of man / the whiche was fynyte and hadde an ende / the whiche nature of man suffred peyne / arayed clothed in your manhode / therfore my workynge maye well be sayde and called infynyte / not for cause the peyne is infynyte / nother the actuall peyne that I suffred in my body / nor also the peyne of my desyre the whiche I had for to fulfyll complete youre raunsome / for that I fynyshed and ended in my cros / whan the soule went out of that body / but the fruyte the came out fro the peyne / and of the desyre the whiche I suffred for your helthe is infynyte / and therfore infynytely ye sholde receyue the fruyte therof ¶ For but yfthat fruyte were not infynyte / all man kynde sholde neuer be restored / nother they that be now present / nor they that be passed / nor they that be to come ¶ Nor also a man that hathe offended / he sholde neuer haue myghte nor power for to aryse / yf this moste blessyd blode were not gyuen to you infynytely ¶ This shewed I well to you mopenyge of my syde / where that I shewed to you the priuites of my herte makynge so to be knowen to you / that I loue you more than I can shewe you with this fynyte peyne ¶ Also I shewe to the infynyte loue / with what thynge trowes thourtruly with haptym of blode oned medled with the fere of my charyte / the whiche blode was gotē out by loue / in generall baptym also the whiche is gyuen to crysten men / and to whome that that wyll receyue it is water medled with blode fere where a soule tourneth her wyndeth her in my blode / and that was the cause why I wolde the blode water sholde rēne out of my syde ¶ Now haue I answered to the that thynge / that thou dyd aske me before ¶ How a soule whan it is come vp to that thyrde gree of that brydge that is to saye after the tyme it is come to the mouthe / anone it taketh that dore of that mouthe / whan the propre wyll of a man is deed / it is a very tokē that it come thyder ALso thou knowes well all that I haue tolde the now / my sothefast sone hathe colde the before / yet neuerthelesse I haue rehersed the same to the agayne / spekȳgem his persone / that thou myght the better knowe the worthy excellence in the whiche a soule is set in / that hathe ascended this seconde gree / wher she knoweth seketh somoche fere of loue / by the whiche she cometh to the thyrde gre that is to the mouthe where is well shewed that she is come to the stare of parfeccyon / comynge thyder by the myddes of the herte / that is in hauȳge mynde of the blode in the whiche she is baptysed / leuȳge vnparfyte loue / by the knowlege that she drewe oute of the hertely loue seynge and tastynge and felynge by experyence the brēnynge fyre of my charyte / all suche be come to the very mouthe / and therfore they excersyce and shewe openly the offyce of the mouthe ¶ For ryght as the mouthe speketh with the tongue that is in the mouthe / and the taste tasteth / the mouthe receyueth yeldeth that is receyued to that stomake / that tethe chewe breke that is receyued / for it may not elles be swalowed ¶ Ryght so a soule speketh with the tongue of his holy contynuall prayer / suche a tōgue yeldeth to me bothe actually mētally / for belth of soules ryght swete ghostly desyres mery ¶ Actually it speketh in shewynge / admonyshynge / coūseylȳge / knowlegȳge the doctryne of my very truthe / wtout ony fere of peyne / what peyne that euer the worlde gyueth / but boldely hardyly before euery creature she knowlegeth the truthe before all creatures / to euery creature after his estate ī dyuers wyses maners ¶ Suche a soule eteth the meet of the helthe of soules / takynge that same meet vpon the ryghte blessyd table of the cros / for otherwyse / nor vpon no other table she maye in no wyse parfytely ete it ī truthe / but it be vp on the table of the cros ¶ Also I saye that suche a soule eteth it breketh it with her tethe / for elles she maye neuer chewe that same ghostli meet / that is with holy hate and loue / the whiche two be two orders of tethe in that mouthe of holy desyre / the whiche receyueth ghostly meet / brekynge etynge it with hate of herselfe with loue of vertu / dystryenge brekynge bothe in herselfe in her neyghbour almaner of miuryes wronges / that is derysyons / repreues / refrenynges / with many other parsecucyōs / suffrynge hongre thruste / colde and hete / heuynesse and waylynges / defyres / wepynges and werynesse for helthe of soules ¶ All these she breketh and dystroyeth for the loue of me / supportynge and susteynynge her neyghbour charytably ¶ And after tyme the meet is thus broke and the taste hathe tasted it / that is that it haue sauoure in suche ghostly laboute and loue of suche meet of soules / tastynge it in the fere of my brennynge charyte / and in the loue of her neyghbour / so that this meet that cometh in to the stomake / the whiche stomake is dysposed for to receyue suche meet of desyre helthe that it hadde to soules / the whiche stomake is nothynge elles / but an hertely wyll for to receyue delectacy on loue of charyte with her neyghbour / desyrynge chewynge hym in herselfe by habundaunte charytable loue ¶ Suche a soule gyueth no force of the tendernesse of the bodyly lyfe / but rather set her with her myght for to ete that meet before sayde receyued and taken vpon the table of the cros of doctryne of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesucryst ¶ Thā is suche a soule made fat in very ryall vertues / and somoche made fat of the abundaunce of that meet / that the araye and clothȳge of her owne sensualyte that is of her body breketh of as the sencyble appetyte / and yf it breketh it / it dyeth / for what that euer it breketh dyeth / and thā with that dyeth the sencyble wyl / that is bycause the ordynate and well ruled wyll of the soule leueth arayed and couered in me with a parfyte and a very blessyd endelesse wyll ¶ And therefore the sencyble wyll is deed / and al this dothe the parfyte soule that is come in truthe very sothefastenesse to the thyrde gree of the m̄outhe ¶ And the token that it is come is this that she fyndeth her owne sencyble wyl mortyfyed / whā she tasteth the
me / whiche dysposycyons I refuse not ¶ Thus thou may se that the eye of intelleccyon receyueth lyghte in felynge by grace aboue nature / in the whiche lyghte doctours and other seyntes dyd knowe lyght in derkenesse / and of derkenes they dyd make lyght by the same grace ¶ For intelleccyoÌ„ was rather made than scrypture / wherfore cunnynge cometh of intelleccyon ¶ In this wyse holy faders propheres dyd knowe and had vnderstondynge / the whiche dyd prophecy bothe of the comynge and also of the dethe of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu ¶ And in the same wyse the apostles dyd / after the comynge of the holy ghost by the same lyght aboue nature / were yllumyned the euangelystes / martyrs / confessours / and vyrgynes / all these were illumyned of this parfyte lyght ¶ And eche of them had in dyuers maners after the nede of theyr helthe / and after the nede of creatures ¶ Some dyd declare holy wrytte by the same lyght aboue nature as docters dyd some preched as the apostles dyd / some dyd expouÌ„de the gospels of the euangelystes / and some dyd shede blode for declaracyon of the truthe as martyrs some dyd declare the truthe by purete and affeccyon of charyte / as vyrgyns dyd ¶ Some declared the truthe ofobedyence of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu / in that that they do obey in theyr relygyoÌ„ shewynge in theyr lyuynge parfeccyon of obedyence / the whiche appered shynyngely in my sone Ihesu cryst / whan by vertu of that obedyence whiche I put to hym / he ranne myghtely to the cruell dethe of the crosse ¶ All this was done / is by this lyghte aboue nature in the newe lawe / and that maye thou well knowe by the exposycyons and prechynges of the gospell / how in dyuers wyses it is declared to chrysten men ¶ In the olde lawe also how holy faders and prophetes dyd prophecy by the same lyght aboue nature ¶ And therfore bycause the newe lawe is expouned and declared / and the olde lawe prophecyed by a lyght / the newe lawe breketh not nor loseth not the olde lawe / but bothe be knytte togyder ¶ And the newe lawe hathe take awaye fro the imparfeccyon of the olde lawe / for that lawe was is grounded in drede ¶ But whan my onely sothefast sone Ihesu came in to the worlde with the lawe of loue / he fulfylled it gyuynge to it loue / remouynge awaye drede of peyne / and leuynge it full with holy drede ¶ Therfore it was that my onely sone sayde to his dyscyples thus NoÌ„ venisoluerelegem c. I come not for to breke the lawe / but for to fulfyll the lawe / as thoughe he sayde to them thus ¶ The lawe is no we inê‘fyte / but with my blode I shall make it parfyte / and so I shall fulfyll in it the fayleth / with drawynge and remouynge drede of peyne / grouÌ„dynge it in loue holy drede ¶ Thus than after the fulfyllynge of the lawe by loue and holy drede / al the truthe that cometh oute of holy wrytte / cometh by this lyghte aboue nature before sayde ¶ And therfore vncunnynge proude clerkes / be blynded in that lyghte for pryde / and the cloude of theyr owne loue couereth taketh awaye that lyghte fro theÌ„ ¶ Wherfore they vnderstonde rather holy wrytte after the letter / or after theyr owne felynge / than after the very vnderstondynge / so by tastynge onely of the lettre / they make many bokes / but they taste not the pythe / and that mary of that same lettre ¶ For they lacke the lyght that I spake of by the whiche is declared all holy wrytte ¶ Wherfore they wondre fall in grutchynge for to se so many rude folke ydyotes of holy wrytte as themsemen ¶ And yet neuerthe lisse they be so yllumyned and lyght ned by the lyght aboue nature iÌ„ know lege of the truthe / as yf they hadde studyed longe tyme therm ¶ This is no wondre / for they haue the pryn cypall cause of the same lyghee / the whiche is mekenes / by the whiche cometh all maner of â—uÌ„nyÌ„ge ¶ But bycause they haue loste that lyghte â— the cause of the wynnynge therof / they se not nor knowe not my endelesse goodnesse in that lyghte / whiche is gracyously tecte oute or cast oute vpon my scruauntes ¶ And therfore I saye to the / better it is for the to aske couÌ„sayle of soule helthe to one that is meke hathe an holy ryght coÌ„syeÌ„ce / thaÌ„ a proude lettered clerke the whiche hathe longe studyed in holy wryte / for he gyueth nothynge elles but suche as he hathe within hym / the whiche ofte tymes gyuen derke couÌ„sayle / after theyr derkelyuynge ¶ The contrary is hadde in manye seruauntes / for the lyghte that they haue within theym / they gyue it with desyre of helthe to maÌ„nes loule ¶ Lo ryghte swete doughter all this haue I tolde the / that thou myght knowe that parfeccyoÌ„ of that state of vnyon / where the eye of intelleccyon is rapte by that fyre of my endelesse charyte / in the whiche charyte is receyued lyghte aboue nature / with whiche lyghte I am loued / for loue renÌ„eth after vnderstoÌ„dynge ¶ And the more a soule knoweth / the more it loueth / and the more it loueth the more it knoweth / that one norysheth that other ¶ With that lyghte / soules come to the endelesse gloryfyed syghte of me / where they se me and in truthe taste me ¶ Whan they be departed fro the bodyes / as I tolde the whaÌ„ I declared to the of the blessydnesse that a soule receyueth iÌ„ me ¶ This is that excellente state the whiche yet a deedly man lyuynge ymonge deedly creatures maye taste / by the which oft tymes he cometh to suche vnyon / that vnneth he knoweth whether he be in his body or oute of his body / and so he tasteth the ernest of euerlastynge lyfe ¶ That myghte he not do / but yf his wyll were morty fyed and sleyne before / by the whiche ghostly dethe / he is made one with me / for elles myghthe parfytely fele that blessyd ernest / but yf he were depryued frome his propre wyll / the whiche wyll dothe let hym for to receyue suche a blessyd and holy ernest ¶ Here is a profytable reperycyon of many thynges whiche be sayde / and how god induceth this deuoute soule to praye for euery creature / for all holy chyrche NOw hase thou seen with the eyes of thy intelleccyon / and herde with thy sencyble ere of me endelesse truthe how thou maye behaue the for to do bothe profyte to the and to thy neyghbour / by the doctryne and very knowlege of my sothefastnes as I haue tolde the in the begynnynge wher I sayde to the that thou maye come to the knowlege of of my truthe / by knowlege of thyselfe oned and medled with the knowlege
theyr herte is shewed oute by wepynge / but bycause the lyuynge of them is corrupte / therfore the teres that do come frome suche a corrupte herte muste nedes be corrupte and wretched ¶ The secoÌ„de state of teres be of suche as do begynÌ„e for to knowe theyr owne synnes / and do thynke on the peynes that longen to them / and therfore they do begynne to wepe ¶ This maner of wepynge is gyuen to me of dyuers persones and frayle / as a maner of a generall entente ¶ But there be some that do knowe themselfe without seruyle drede / that is without thynkyÌ„ge of peyne / some that do go with a greate hate of theÌ„ selfe by the whiche hate they holde theÌ„ selfe worthy to haue peyne ¶ And some serue me with a maner of symplenesse / sorowynge hertely for offences done to me ¶ Neuerthelesse he that gothe with greate hate of hym self / is more able for to come and attayne to the parfyte state than to the other twayne / for thoughe those twayne excersyce theymselfe for to come to that ê‘fyte state / yet he that stondeth in greate hate of hymselfe / cometh fyrste therto / that one must be well ware that he abyde not loÌ„ge iÌ„ seruyle drede / and that other that he abyde not longe in his symplenesse / lest it fortune hym to waxe dul and slowe ¶ Now beholde my dere doughter / for is this one maner of mune callynge ¶ The thyrde and the fourthe maner of teres is of all suche the be lyft vp fro seruyle drede / and be come to loue hope / taslynge my endelesse mercy / receyuynge of me many gyftes and ghostly comfortes / for whome the eye wepeth / satysfyenge the sencyble felyÌ„ge of the herte ¶ But bycause that a soule is yet vnparfyte / medled with ghostly sencyble waylyÌ„ge as I haue sayd it cometh to the fourthe state / excercysynge herselfe in vertues / where a soule encreseth by desyre / oneth her selfe with my wyll / in somoche that she maye nother wyl nor desyre / but as I wyll / arayed with charyte of neyghbourheed / by the whiche charyte she draweth in to herselfe a maner waylynge of loue / and also a sorowe of loue of offence that is done to me / for harme that theyr neyghbour receyueth / by offence that is done to me ¶ In this wyse is a soule oâ—ed with the fourthe and the last parfeccyon / where in sothe she is oned where also encreaseth the fyre of holy desyre / fâ—o the whiche holy desyre the fende sleeth a waye and may not 〈◊〉 suche a soule for no maner inâ—ury that is done to her / bycause she is â—â—ade pacyent in very charyte of neyghbourheed / not for no comforte nother ghostly nor bodyly / for all suche coÌ„forâ—â— the hathe dyspysed / bothe by hate and also by very mekenesse ¶ Neuerthelesse yet the fende slepeth not / but his watche maye not hurte none suche / bycause he maye not suffre the here of her charyte / nor the swete smell of oneheed or vnyon that they make in me / the whiche am that peaseable se / in whome a soule may not be dysccyued / as longe as she stondeth oned in me / fro whom the fende fleeth awaye / as dothe a fle fro a boylyÌ„ge pot for the fere that he hathe of the fyre / yf it were but a lytle warme / he wolde not be aferde but he wolde flye in thoughe ofte tyme he were in poynt to peryshe / fyndynge more hete ther in thaÌ„ he wende ¶ Ryght so it fareth of a soule or that she come to the state of parfeccyon ¶ The sende bycause he semeth that she is oft a lytle warme entret in her by dyuers teÌ„ptacyons ¶ And yf he fynde there ony maner hete of loue or myslykynge dysplesaunce of synnes / anone he is withstonde so that he dare not enere ¶ Euery soule therfore maye be glad ioyfull that feleth many greuous heuynes for that is the way by the whiche she may come to this gloryous swete face ¶ Ther is no tyme that a soule is so well knowe yf I be in her / as is in tyme of trybulacyoÌ„s how I shall tell ye. ¶ She dyd knowe wel that whaÌ„ she is in trybulacyoÌ„s maye not be delyuered to make resysteÌ„ce aneÌ„des theÌ„ / but nedes she must haue them / saue onely she may wtstoÌ„de the wyll of of theÌ„ / not for to coÌ„set to theÌ„ / she may well knowe therby that she is noughte of herselfe / for yf she were ought / she wolde auoyde that she wolde not haue ¶ In this wyse she is loued by knowynge of herselfe / renneth to me her god by the lyght of holy feythe / by whose goodnes / she fyndeth that she kepeth iÌ„ her good wyl / the which wyl coÌ„seÌ„teth not iÌ„ tyme of many batayles / iÌ„ the whiche / many tymes she is troubled ¶ Thus than you be excercysed and taughte / by the doctryne of my ryghte iÌ„ wete onely sone Ihesu cryste / troubles and heuynesse many trybulacyons peynes and aduersytes bothe of men of fendes yf they be softely and mekely suffred they encrese you to vertues make you to come to greate parfeccyon ¶ How they that desyre to haue teres of eyes and maye not haue theÌ„ / suche haue teres of fyre ¶ And for what cause god withdraweth bodyly teres I Haue tolde the of parfyte and vnparfyte teres / how all maner teres do come out of the herte / oute of that vessel cometh euery tere of what condycyon and maner that it be / and therfore all teres may well be called hertely teres ¶ Neuerthelesse all the dyfference stondeth bytwene ordynate vnordynate loue / and bytwene parfyte vnparfyte loue / as is rehersed before ¶ Now shall I answere to thy desyre / where thou dyd desyre to knowe what is the cause / why parfyte soules iÌ„ this lyte that wolde wepe maye not wepe / that I shall tell the. ¶ There is an other maner of wepynge than by teres of eyes / for ther is a maner of waylyÌ„ge and wepynge of fyre / that is of very holy desyre / the whiche desyre is coÌ„sumed by affeccyon ¶ They wolde spende theyr lyfe in waylynge and wepynge / by holy hate of themselfe / and helthe of soules / and they maye not haue it ¶ All suche therfore as I haue sayde haue teres of fyre / in the whiche teres of fyre / the holy ghost wayleth and wepeth for theÌ„ and for theyr neyghbours before me that is my dyuyne charyte breÌ„neth ferueÌ„tly a soule with the flamme of that holy ghost / the whiche offreth vp before me longynge desyres wtout teres of eyes / for they be onely teres of fyre / the whiche I haue sayd / the holy ghost wepeth for he may not no otherwyse offre vp to me the desyre of theyr wyl les /
all this falleth / for the roote with all the tree is corrupte / and tourneth all thynges to them in to dethe ¶ They stoude in contynuall peynes / welynges and sorowes / as it is sayde before .. ¶ And yf they amende them not whyle they haue tyme to vse theyr fre choyse / they pas out of waylyÌ„ge sorowe in this tyme whiche hathe ende / so with that waylynge they sholde come to the sorowe that shall haue none ende / so that that sorowe whiche hathe ende / shal come to them to the sorowe that hathe none ende the cause is for theyr teres were shed with an hatered of vertu whiche was Infynyte that is to saye with a desyre of the soule grouÌ„ded in hate red whiche hathe none ende ¶ Neuertesse yf that they wolde / they sholde haue come out of the hatered by helpe of my dyuyne grace / in the tyme that they were fre / not withstoÌ„dynge I sayd theyr hatered was infynyte it is infynyte for asmoche as it is of affeccyyon of the beynge of the soule / but not that hate nor loue / whiche sholde be in the soule ¶ For whyle ye be in this lyfe / ye maye hate and loue as ye wyll / but yf youre hate or loue ende in the loue of vertu / thaÌ„ it receyueth good without ende / whiche is called infynyte ¶ And yf he ende in hatered of vertu / thaÌ„ ye stonden in hate that is infynyte / and receyuen euerlastynge dampnacyon as it is sayde before whan I shewed to the that they drenchen theÌ„selfe in the floode in somoche that now whiche be so passed maye not desyre goodnesse / for asmoche as they be pryued of me and of my souerayne charyte / the whiche seyntes do sauour and taste one with an other ¶ They be pryued also of youre charyte / whiche be put here of me as pylgrymes or wayegoers / so that they maye not come to youre ende / whiche is the ende of euerlastynge lyfe ¶ Also prayers nor almes / nor no other goood workynges maye do profyte to them / they be that lymmes and the membres cut of fro the body of my dyuyne charyte / for whyle they dyd lyue they wold not be oned to the obedyence of the commaundymentes of my seruauntes in the pryuy body of holy chyrche / nor in the holy obedyeÌ„ce of her / wherof ye do drawe out to you the blode of the holy lambe that is to saye of my onely begoten sone Ihesu cryste / therfore they haue receyued the fruyte of euerlastynge dampnacyon / with wepynge and gnastynge of tethe ¶ These be the deuyls martyrres / of the whiche I tolde that before / therfore the deuyll gyueth them the same fruyte / the whiche he hathe for hym selfe ¶ Therfore thou sees ryghte well here that thus waylynge here gyueth to them the fruyte of peyne in this tyme that is fynyte / and in the laste ende it gyueth to them a coÌ„uersacyon of fendes / whiche conuersasacyon shall be infynyte ¶ Of the fruytes of the seconde of the thyrde teres HOw shall I tell the of the fruytes that they receyue / whiche do begynne to aryse fro synne to grace by drede of peyne ¶ Some there ben that do go oute fro dethe of deedly synne / by the grete drede of peynes / this is a general callyÌ„ge / as it is rehersed before ¶ What fruyte thynkes thou suche one receyueth / the whiche begynneth to auoyde so the house of his soule frome vnclennesse by the messanger of dred / the whiche drede is sende by fre choyse / I shall the. ¶ After tyme that suche one hathe purged his soule by drede fro synne / he receyueth pease reste of conscyence / and begynneth for to dyspose his affeccyon / for to open his eye of intelleccyon / for to se his place wherin he stondeth / the whiche or than it was voyde / he myght not se clerely / for bycause it was fufylled with roten fylthe of many dyuers synnes ¶ Also he begynneth for to receyue comforte / for the worme of coscyence is in rest pease / abydynge for to receyue the meet of vertu / as a man dothe / for after tyme his stomake is heled and hathe caste oute bad humoures / he maketh redy his appetyte for to receyue meet ¶ In the same wyse all suche abyde onely that the honde of fre choyse make redy within hymselfe for to receyue with loue meet of vertu / for after that tyme that meet is made redy / he abydeth for to ete it and so it is in sothe for an excercysed soule in vertu after tyme affeccyon of synne is voyded by drede / she begynneth for to araye the soule with vertues thoughe it be yet vnparfyte for all be it that it be arysen fro drede / it receyueth bothe delyte and comforte / for loue of the soule receyueth delyte of very sothefastnesse / bycause that I myselfe am loue / and by the same comforte and delyte that she receyueth of me and in me / she begynneth for to loue me the more swetely / felynge the swetenes of my comforte / orelles of creatures for me / excercysynge the very same loue in the house of the soule ¶ And therfore what man that entreth in to this house of the soule / after tyme that drede hathe puryfyed and clensed it / he begynneth for to receyue the fruyte of dyuyne goodnes / by the whiche dyuyne goodnesse / he hathe a house in the soule for to rest in ¶ And than after the tyme that loue is entred for to take possessyon of that house / it begynneth for to taste / receyuyÌ„ge by suche tastynge / many folde dyuers fruytes of comforte / an so abydynge to the laste state / it receyueth a fruyte for to set and make redy the meettable ¶ That is after tyme a soule is passed fro drede to loue of vertu / she setteth and maketh redy the meettable / and that is entrynge in to the thyrde teres in the herte / by the whiche teres the soule prepareth or makethe redy and setteth forthe the meettable of my ryghte wel beloued and sothefast sone Ihesu cryste crucyfyed on the cros / of his blessyd passyoÌ„ / in the whiche blessyd passyon / she fyndeth meet of ryghte grete swetenesse and amyable wordes of helthe / the whiche wordes donâ—â—â— shewe the greate honoure and worshyppe of me / and youre helthe / for the whiche helthe / the syde of my ryght dere and well beloued sothefast and onely sone Ihesu cryste crucyfyed was opened / gyuyÌ„ge hyÌ„selfe to you in to meet ¶ ThaÌ„ such a soule begyÌ„neth to tast the worshyppe of me helthe of soules / with dysplesaunce hate of synnes / what fruyte suche a soule receyueth of this maner state of teres I shall tell ye. ¶ She receyueth a maner of streÌ„gthe iÌ„ holy hate / agaynste her propre sensualyte / grounded and sette stably
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 she myghte in no wyse se herselfe / for she herselfe that is nother sekyÌ„ge in herselfe nother temporall comforte nor spyrytuall comforte / but she was as a pâ—rsone that had in all thyÌ„ges slayne her owne propre wyll / she eschewed no maner of laboure in what wyse that euer it was put to her / but rather she ete with greate compassyon and sorowe meet of me endelesse god and helthe of soules vpon the table of the crosse / suffrynge repreues / iniuryes / and heuynesse of the fende / and many gronynges grutchynges of meÌ„ ¶ And she loked after no rewarde nother of me nor of other creatures / for she was spoyled fro the loue of ony mede / in asmoche as she dyd loue me withoute consyderacyon of ony rewarde ¶ Thus she was arayed with this parfyte and moste pure lyght / louynge me purely withoute ony rewarde / but onely to the glory and praysynge to my name / not seruynge me by her owne propre delectacyon / nor her neyghboure / for her owne profyte / but for the very pure loue of me ¶ Al suche haue loste themselfe / for they haue done awaye the olde conuersacyon of man / that is theyr owne propre sensualyte / and they be arayed with a newe conuersacyon / that is my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste my endelesse and sothefaste truthe / suynge hym myghtely ¶ These they be that sette them at the table of holy desyre and be more besy in dystroyenge mortyfyenge â— theyr owne wylles / thaÌ„ in mortyfyenge of theyr flesshe ¶ And they haue mortyfyed well ynoughe theyr owne flesshe / not pryncypally for the chefe affeccyon / but as a very instrument that is for to helpe and slee the propre sencyble wyll as it is reherced before where that I declared to the in that worde where I sayde thus that my delyte it was in fewe wordes / and in many good werkes ¶ And this ye sholde do / for the pryncypall affeccyon sholde be for to slee the propre wyll / the whiche affeccyon none other seketh nor desireth other thyÌ„ge than for to folowe my ownely sothefast sone Ihesu cryst crucyfyed / iÌ„ hyÌ„ sekynge and fyndyÌ„ge the glory and worshyp of my name / and helthe of soules ¶ They that be in this gloryous lyght / so they do / and therfore they lyue euer in peas quyetnesse of conscyence / for there is nothynge maye hurte it nor sclaundre it / in asmoche as they haue withdrawen fro them that thynge that hurte it and sclauÌ„dred it / that is theyr owne propre wyll ¶ And all maner ê‘secucyoÌ„s that the worlde or the fende maye do to theÌ„ they put all vnder theyr fete ¶ And yet they stonde in the water of trybulacyons and temptacyons / whiche do to them no dysease / bycause they stonde bounde to the beame of ferueÌ„t desyre / suche do ioye in all thynges / and they be no Iudges / nother of my seruauntes / nor of my other reasonable creatures / but they be glad of euery state that they se / sayenge to me thus ¶ O endeles fader thaÌ„kynge be to the / for in thy house be many dwellynge places / yet they be more glad of dyuers states that they se / thaÌ„ yf they se thy dwellynge places / all they do kepe one waye of lyuyÌ„ge / for iÌ„ many states of lyuyÌ„ge / they se the magnyfysence of my goodnes spred abrode / of al therfore they be ioyful ¶ And they wyl iÌ„ no wyse gyue no Iudgementes / nor deme nother them that be good / nor them that by euyll done open synne / but rather with a maner of very holy coÌ„passyon / prayenge to me for them / with parfyte mekenesse saye thus ¶ To daye thou / to morowe I / but yf the grace of god do kepe me ¶ O ryghte well byloued doughter be thou ioyfull therfore of this ryghte swete excellent state / beholde how they renne in this gloryous lyghte / and se theyr excellence and worthynes / for they haue theyr myndes full set to me / and ete at the table of holy desyre / with lyghte they come to noryshe theÌ„selfe of the meet of soules / for the honour and worshyp of me endelesse fader / arayed with the swete clothe of my onely sothefast sone that blessyd lambe / that is with his breÌ„nynge charyte ¶ All suche do neuer lose theyr tyme / in gyuynge of false Iudgementes / neuer agaynste my seruauntes / nor agaynst the seruauÌ„tes of the worlde / they neuer hurte nor sclaundre themselfe / for no maner grutchynge done agaynste theÌ„ or agaynst other / for yf it be done agaynst theÌ„selfe / they be well apayde to suffre it for my name / and yf it be agaynste other / they bere it easely with them that suffreth / neuer grutchynge agaynste hym that dothe it / nor agaynste hym that receyueth it ¶ For the loue of suche is ordynate in me endeles god / and also in theyr neyghbour and neuer vnordynately sette ¶ All suche dere doughter conceyue neuer sclaundre / agaynst theÌ„ whom they loue / nor agaynst none other reasonable creatures / for theyr syght iÌ„ suche thyÌ„ges is deed not quycke / and therfore they wyl not haue to do with the Iudgementes of the wylles of men / but onely of the wyll of my myldenes ¶ All suche also kepe the doctryne that thou knowes well that was gyuen to the of my sothefastnesse / in the begynnynge of thy lyfe / whan thou asked with a greate desyre for to haue a wyll to come to parfyte purete / thynkynge thaÌ„ how thou myghte come therto ¶ I knowe well than was gyuen to the an answere / whyle thou dyd slepe vpon the holy desyre / not onely iÌ„ thy soule / but in the sowne of thy ere / a voyce fro god spake to the. ¶ For yf thou remeÌ„bre the well / thou was thaÌ„ tourned than to thy sencyble wyttes of the body / whaÌ„ my onely sothefast sone Ihesu spake to the / sayenge thus ¶ Yf thou wyll come to parfyte purete be depryued fro sclaunders / that is that thy soule for nothynge shall be sclauÌ„dred ¶ Do so that than thou maye alwaye lyue in affeccyon and desyre of loue / for I am moste souerayne endelesse purete / and also I am that fyre that puryfyeth the soule ¶ And therfore the more that a soule draweth cleueth to me / the more purer it is / and the forther that it gothe out fro me / the more vnclene it is ¶ And the cause why that deedly waÌ„tayne meÌ„ fall in to so many lyuynges of wyckednesse / is for they be departed fro me ¶ But the soule wtout that ony mene oneth her to me / she taketh parte of my purete ¶ Also thou muste do an other thynge that thou maye come to this vnyon of purete / that is that thou Iudge neuer in ony parsone / that thou
felynge of swetenesse the whiche he had of me ¶ I wyll also yf thou sholde be of wyll / bothe thou and all my other seruauntes / that ye knowe ê‘fytely yourselfe / by the whiche knowe lege ye maye come parfytely to my endeles goodnes / reserueth to me bothe this other maner of Iudgementes / for to me it longeth / and for saketh the Iudgement that loÌ„geth to me / and take vpon you compassyon with hoÌ„gre of the honour of me / and helthe of soules / and with loue longynge desyre / sheweth telleth vertu / and repreueth vyces in you and in them / in the maner that it is sayde before ¶ In suche maner thou maye in sothe come to me / so shall thou wel shewe that thou hase kepte in thy soule the doctryne that was gyuen to the of my sothefast sone Ihesu cryst that is for to Iudge my wyll / and not the wyll of men ¶ Thus sholde thou do / yf thou wyll haue purely vertu / and stonde in the last / most gloryous / and most parfyte lyghte / fedynge thyselfe at the table of holy desyre / with the meet of heâ—the of soules / to the glory and praysynge of my holy name ¶ How bodyly penauÌ„ce shall not be take for a pryÌ„cypall fouÌ„dament nor for a pryncypall desyre / but the desyre loue of vertues shall betake for a pryÌ„cypall fouÌ„dameÌ„t I Haue sayd to the dere dougeter of two thynges that thou sholde vse / now shal I tell the of the thyrde / to the whiche I wyll that thou take ryghte good heed / and repreue and withdrawe thyselfe therfro ¶ Yf otherwhyle the feÌ„de / or thy owne coÌ„ceyte haue enuy at the somoche / that they wolde styrre the for to aspy / se where all my seruauntes to go by the same waye that thou goes iÌ„ or wolde go in / thou myght well knowe that it were a dysceyte / for it is agaynste the doctryne whiche is gyuen to the by my sothefastnesse ¶ For ofte tymes it happeth the thou sholde se many creatures walke by the waye of ryght greate penauÌ„ce / and to some it were ryghte heuy for to se them walke that waye / for as they seme they do not well ¶ Sees thou not how al suche be dysceyued / wyl thou se howmoche ¶ Certayne it is sometyme that suche one so lyuyÌ„ge in greate penauÌ„ce / dothe better thaÌ„ he that semeth he dothe amysse / for he dothe more penaunce and also is more vertuous / than he that grutcheth of hym / and therfore I sayde to the before / that they the whiche feden them at the table of penaunce / yf they do it with very mekenesse that they sette not suche peynfull lyuynge in penaunce for theye pryncypall affeccyon / but for an instrumeÌ„t of vertu / ofte tymes suche grutchynge turneth them in to greate parfeccyon / and therfore they sholde not be vncuÌ„nynge / but knowe wysely that parfeccyon stondeth not onely in mortyfycacyoÌ„ of the body / but in destroyenge and mortyfyenge of the propre wycked wyll ¶ This is the doctryne of lyghte comynge and procedynge of that gloryous lyghte wherin a soule renneth in rapte in loue / and is arayed with my truthe ¶ I dyspyse not therfore penaunce / for penaunce is good to mortyfy the body / the whiche wyll stryue agaynst the spyryte ¶ But I wyll therfore dere doughter that thou knowe this for a generall rule / that some in doynge of penaunce / be more myghtyer of kynde than some / and therfore they may suffre the more and please god ryghte vertuously / yf it be done as it is sayde before and also some it happeth that penaunce whiche is begonÌ„e must somtyme beleft for many causes that may betyde / orelles the foundament whiche is set in that and in other of my seruauÌ„tes sholde defayle / for suche penaunce excercysed / and so sholde the foundameÌ„t be vnparfyte / and you bothe ghostly comforte sholde defayle / also vertu of the soule ¶ And where that ye be so depryued of suche thynge that ye loue by suche synguler affeccyoÌ„s by doynge of penauÌ„ce / it sholde seme to you that ye were depryued fro me and so sholde ye come to greate heuynesse and bytternesse and confusyon ¶ And also in suche a wyse ye sholde lose the excercyses of deuocyon and feruent prayer / the whiche ye were wont to haue / to some that haue longe vsed this penaunce ¶ This sodeyne chaungynge sholde tourne them to greate heuynesse / so for to leue that they haue so longe vsed / why it is that trowes thou ¶ Certeynly for the grounde worke or fundacyon was sette in affeccyon for to do penaunce / and not in loue loÌ„gynge desyre ¶ Therfore wher penauÌ„ce is vsed / as it is to me plesaunte that it be vsed / it muste be sette on a good grounde ¶ Thus thou may se that there sholde be no grutchynge agaynst none of my seruauntes that done penaunce / thoughe it semeth to you they gone not in the same waye that ye gone in ¶ For I wyll be serued of infynyte goodes / that am endelesse infynyte good / and ymonge al other mortyfycacyoÌ„ it is good to dystroye euermore and mortyfy the propre wyl and than with that wyll so made subiecte to my wyll / ye sholde yelde to me swete hongre infynyte desyre / sekynge the worshyp and honour of me / and helthe of soules / so sholde ye noryshe and fede youreselfe at the table of desyre / the whiche desyre is neuer sclaundred / nother iÌ„ hymselfe that hathe it / nor in his neyghbour / but it is ioyfull of all states / and it draweth out fruyte of euery dyuers maners of lyuynge that I gyue to dyuers soules ¶ Thus wretches done not / the whiche do not folowe this swete doctryne / and the ryghte waye gyuen of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste / but they do the coÌ„trary / deme after theyr owne blyÌ„de couetyse / and therfor they do walke as wode men / and depryuen themselfe fro the good of charyte of heueÌ„ly vertues and as I haue sayde before they taste in this lyfe the ernest of hell ¶ A shorte repetycyoÌ„ of wordes that be sayd before / with an addycyoÌ„ of the loue of oure neyghboure LO dere doughter thus haue I satysfyed to thy desyre / I haue declared to the of the thynge that thou dyd aske of me / that is how thou sholde loue thy neyghboure that thou be not dysceyued of the feÌ„de / nor of thy owne conceyte ¶ And there I sayde to the that thou sholde loue hym generally not specyally / where that thou had it by specyall shewynge of me in thy soule of his synnes / and than I tolde the that with mekenesse and in the maner as I tolde the / thou sholde repreue iÌ„ loue bothe thy neyghbour and thyselfe ¶ Also I sayde and yet I saye that in nowyse
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
they trespas so of malyce more greuously thaÌ„ I do other but yf they amende them for they haue receyued of my goodnesse more thaÌ„ other / therfore whaÌ„ they trespas maliciously / they be worthy more peyne thaÌ„ another ¶ Thus thou may knowe se that suche wycked mynysters be deuylles / as I haue shewed that / / lyke as my chosen mynysters be angelles in erthe / doynge the offyces of angels ¶ How vnryghtwysenes reyneth iÌ„ yll mynysters / in theÌ„ specyally that correcke not theyr subiectes I Sayde to the that in my chosen mynysters shyneth a ghostely Margaryte stone of ryghtwysenes / ryghte so these wretched mynysters bere in theyr brestes vnryghtewysenesse / whiche vnryghtwysenesse cometh out of theyr owne propre loue / for by that propre loue they do vnryghtwysenes bot he agaynste theyr owne soules also agaynst me with de rknes of vndyscrecioÌ„ ¶ They yelde me no thaÌ„kes / to theÌ„ they yelde no honeste / good lyuyÌ„ge / nor desyre of helthe of soules / nor hongre of vertu / ther fore they trespas iÌ„ vnryghtwysenes agaynst theyr subtectes and neyghbours / they directe no defaute / but they be as blynde folke that wyl not knowe theyr defautes for vnordynate drede y they haue / for bycause they wolde dysplease creatures / in suche wyse they suffre them for to slepe and ly styll in theyr owne sekenesse ¶ They consydre not that all those whiche wyll please creatures in suche wyse / they dysplease bothe themsefe and me that am theyr maker ¶ And other whyle they do correcke the lesse defaute / bycause they wolde couer themselfe with a mantell of excusacyoÌ„ for doynge of suche lytell ryghtwysenesse / but they wyll not correcke the more defaute in greter ê‘sones / for drede that they haue in losyÌ„ge of theyr state / or therselfe / or theyr benefyce ¶ All other lesse ê‘sones that maye not noye them / nor dysease them / nor withdrawe theyr benefyce or state fro them / they do correcte ¶ This vnryghtwysenes is done with theyr owne ê“pre wretched loue / for a mannes propre loue enuenymeth all the worse / and the mysteryall body of all holy chyrche / and hathe made the orcharde of this spouse wylde / and hathe arayed it with stynkynge floures / the whiche orcharde was renued / whan my very trewe tyllers that is my mynysters that be holy were therin with many swete floures / for the lyfe of subiectes were not enuenymed than by the wretched lyuynge of curates / for ofte tyme it happeth that of wycked curates / subiectes be also wycked ¶ But nowe this spouse holy chyrche is full of dyuers thornes that is of all maner synnes not for it maye receyue in hâ—r the stynke of synnes / for the vertu of the holy sacrameÌ„tes maye receyue no hurte / but all those wretches that feden theÌ„selfe at the brest of this spouse / receyue in theyr soule the stynkyÌ„ge fylthe of synne / puttynge awaye fro them the worthy dygnyte that I set them in ¶ Not for the dygnyte of theÌ„ shold decrese / but for theyr wretched defautes / the blode of my sone is set lytell by / that is seculer men put awaye dewe reuereÌ„ce / thoughe they sholde not do so / that they sholde do to them for reuerence of that blode / and yet yf they do to them no dewe reuereÌ„ce as they ought for to do not withstondynge theyr wretchyd lyuynge theyr synne is the more / neuerthelesse these wretches be to theÌ„ a myrroure of wretchednesse / there they sholde be a myrroure of vertu ¶ Of many other defautes of that foresayde mynystres / specyally of goynge to tauerns / and of theyr vayne playes / and of holdynge of theyr concubynes AS thou thynkes wherby receyueth the soules of suche wretchyd mynisters suche fylthe of synÌ„e ¶ Certayne of theyr owne ê“pre sensualyte / for they haue made theyr owne sensualyte a lady with theyr owne ê“pre loue / theyr owne soule they haue made a tapster ¶ Notwithstondynge that / fyrste I made this soule fre / with the precyous blode of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu at the generall delyueraunce / whaÌ„ all mankynde was delyuered oute of the deuylles bondage and of his domynacyon ¶ This grace receyued euery reasonable creature / but all those that I haue anoynted to my specyal mynysters / I haue delyuered oute of worldely bondage / and put them onely for to serue me endelesse god / for to mynystre the sacramentes of holy chyrche / and I haue made theÌ„ so fre / that I wyll not that no temporall lorde Iudge theÌ„ ¶ And now thou sees dere doughter how they yelde me agayne for the good deed that I haue do to theÌ„ / the rewarde that they gyue me agayn is this / that euery daye they parsu me in ryghte many and dyuers cursed synnes / that thy tonge can not tell them / and yf thou herde them thou myghte not suffre them ¶ Neuerthelesse somewhat shall I tell the of theyr defautes / aboue that I haue tolde the / that thou maye haue the more cause of coÌ„passyon and waylynge ¶ They sholde stonde at the table of my holy crosse / ther for to be fedde with holy desyre / and to be noryshed with the meet of soules for my loue / and thoughe all creatures that haue reason sholde do the same / yet moche more my mynysters whome I haue chosen for to mynystre to you the body the blode of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / that also they gyue to you ensamsample of holy lyuynge ¶ And so by shewynge the doctryne of my sothefast sone Ihesu with holy desyre / they sholde receyue hongre of the helthe of youre soules / but they do no we the contrary / fro the table of the crosse / they entre to the table of tauernes / there they swere and forswere them openly / and done many other defautes / beynge so blynded wtout lyghte of reason ¶ They be also in deed lyghte and desolate fro there / and what theyr offyce is they knowe it not and yf ony tyme they sholde say theyr seruyce / it is is sayde rather with the mouthe than with the herte / for the herte is fer fro thense ¶ They be also trecherers and venyable rybaudes / and reuelers / after tyme they haue thus played with theyr soules in cursed lyuynge / and so put it to the fendes hondes / thaÌ„ they playe the temporall goodes and substauÌ„ce of holy chyrche / by the whiche poore folke sholde be releued / and to is holy chyrche begyled / and poore men defrauded / and it is no wondre / for bycause they themselfe be made the deuylles temples / therfore they fere nothynge my temple / but that same arayment that they sholde do in my temple / and in chyrche for the reuerence of my sones blode / they doâ—u in theyr houses where they do dwell ¶
/ 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
whiche floodes maye come oute frome the / that arte the parmanents peaseable see ¶ I thanke the fader / and endelesse thankynge be to the / that hase satysfyed to me of that I asked the / and of that I knewe not / whiche I asked not of the / and also bycause thou hase styrred me to wepe / and taught me mater of wepynge / for to offer in prayer / swete thyÌ„ges / delectable thynges / and longe desyres / before the with meke contynual prayer ¶ Now therfore I aske of the / that thou shewe mercy to the worlde / and to holy chyrche I praye the that thou fulfyll that thynge / whiche thou wolde I prayed for ¶ Wo be to me most wretche that am cause of all euyl / and yet can not sorowe it within my soule ¶ Good lorde tary no longer / but haue ruthe and pyte on all the worlde / bowe the lorde and fulfyll the desyre of thy seruaunte ¶ O what am I / thou arte he that makes bothe me and thy seruauntes for to crye to the after mercy / and therfore gracyously here the voyces of theÌ„ ¶ Thy sothefastnesse sayd thus / serche and ye shall fynde / knocke and it shall be opened to you / aske it shal be grauÌ„ted to you ¶ O endelesse fader / thy seruauntes crye to the for mercy ¶ Good fader answere them after theyr desyres / for I knowe well properly it longeth to the for to haue mercy and for to gyue mercy / and therfore thou maye not deny it / but thou muste nedes gyue mercy to them that aske it ¶ They knocke at the gate of thy sothefastnesse / for in thy onely sothefaste sone Ihesu they knocke thy meruaylous loue whiche thou hase to man / and so they crye at the gate / wherfore the fyre of thy charyte sholde not nor maye not wtholde / but that it muste nedes open the same gate to theÌ„ that knocke with parseueraunce ¶ Therfore endelesse fader / open the breestes / breke the harde hertes of thy creatures not for theÌ„ that do not knocke but do it for thy infynyte goodnesse / and for the loue of thy seruauntes / whiche for them do knocke at the gate ¶ Graunte thou endelesse fader theyr askyÌ„ge / whom thou sees stoÌ„de knockynge at the gate of thy goodnesse / and what do they aske good lorde ¶ Certayne the blode of this gate / that is the blode of thy onely sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste / for in that blode / thou hase wasshed a waye the wyckednesse stynkyÌ„ge fylthe of synne / whiche came by the synne of Adam that is oure blode good lorde for of that blode thou hase made to vs a bathe / I knowe wel therfore thou maye not nor wyl not deny theÌ„ that aske the in parseueraunce ¶ Gyue therfore good lorde the fruyte of that blode to thy creatures / putte good lorde the pryce of that blode vpon that balaunce of thy sone / lest the fendes of hell lede awaye thy shepe with hym ¶ Thou art a veri good shepeherde that hase gyuen to vs a very trewe shepeherde / that is thy sone Ihesu / the whiche for thy obedyence gaue his lyfe for his shepe / of his blode made a bathe ¶ This is the blode that thy seruauÌ„tes do aske of the as hongry soules at thy gate by the whiche blode they aske that thou shewe mercy to the worlde / make holy chyrche smell swetely in swete smellynge floures of vertu / and deuoute and holy curates / with whose swete smell / they put awaye the stynkyÌ„ge smell of stynkynge floures ¶ Thou endelesse fader dyd saye / that for the loue whiche thou hase to thy reasonable creatures / for the prayers of thy seruauntes / that suffer moche labour for soules / thou wolde shewe mercy to the worlde / and araye holy chyrche worthyly / and so refresshe vs. ¶ Therfore delaye not / nor tary not endeles fader for to turne to synners thy eye of mercy but say to theÌ„ thus or that ye cryed to me for mercy / I herde you with my ere of mercy ¶ Open good lorde the gate of thy meruaylous charyte / the whiche thou hase graunted to vs by the grace of thy sone ¶ I knowe ryghte well good lorde that thou openes the gate or that we knocke ther at / for with the affecyon and loue that thou hase gyuen to thy seruauÌ„tes / they knotke to the crye / sekynge thy worshyp helthe of soules ¶ Therfore endelesse fader graunte theÌ„ breed of lyfe / that is the fruyte of thy blode of thy onely sone sothefaste Ihesu / whiche fruyte they aske of the / for ioye and worshyp of thy name and helthe of soules ¶ For it semeth and sothe it is that it is more ioye to the / worshyp for to saue soules of thy creatures / than for to suffer them obstynately in hardenesse of herte ¶ To the endeles fader al this is possyble / for thoughe thou made vs withoute vs / yet thou wyll not saue vs without vs. ¶ And therfore constrayne theyr wylles gracyously / dyspose theÌ„ for to desyre and wyll / that they wyll not ¶ This I aske the for thy infynyte mercy / thou hase made vs of noughth / therfore nowe to suche as we be / shewe mercy / refresshe the vessels that thou hase made and formed to the ymage and lykenesse of the / reforme them to grace / in the mercy in the blode of of thy ryght swete and well byloued sone Ihesu cryst ✚ LAVS DETVR DEO ¶ Nowe moder and systren here I haue made an ende of this the fyfte boke / in the whiche you may fynde ghostly / good / holy doctryne for the helthe of soules / with greate consolacyon comforte to youreselfe / with swete herbes and plantes of swete odour and smell In the whiche boke is made meÌ„cyon of the blessyd sacrament and of his vertues / with the reformacyoÌ„ of preestes and theyr subiectes / with many and dyuers maters / and ensamples of good lyuyÌ„ge / as is conteyned in the sayde boke Sexta ¶ The syxte boke ¶ The fyrst chapyter speketh of the syxte party / and it treateth moche of the prouydence of god / and fyrste of his prouydence generally / that is to say / how god prouyded man to be man / how he formed hym of noughte to his ymage and lykenesse ¶ And howe god prouyded man to sanacyon with incarnacyon of his sone / whan the gates of Paradyse were shyt for the synne of Adam ¶ And how he prouyded hymselfe / gyuynge hymselfe contynually to vs in the meet of the auter ¶ Also how god prouyded to gyue hope in his creatures / how he that moste parfytely hopeth / moste tasteth the prouydence of god ¶ And of other maters / suche as be rehersed to you before in the kalender Ca. i. benedictê° q
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