wyll is / I aske this petycyon of thy specyall grace / whiche styrred that to forme me / to make maÌ„ of nought to thy ymage lykenesse / whan thou sayde make we man to oure ymage to oure lykenesse and this thou dyd holy euer beynge trynyte / wyllynge man to be partener of al the holy trynyte ¶ And for this cause / thou gaue to man a mynde or a memory / with the whiche he sholde kepe and remembre thy benefytes in the whiche mynde a man sholde be partener of thy myght / whiche arte the euer beynge fader ¶ Also thy goodnesse gaue vnto man intelleccyon / by the whiche he sholde se how thou departes the wysdome of thy onely sone with maÌ„ ¶ And thou gaue hyÌ„ a wyll / that he sholde loue that thynge that his intelleccyoÌ„ dyd fele / or knowe / thou parted with hyÌ„ the mercy benygnyte of thy most parfyte sothefastnesse of thy holy spyryte of god ¶ O lorde what was the cause that thou hase set put man in so greate a dygnyte Lorde none other cause / but a loue vnestytnable / wher with thou behelde thy creature in thyselfe / to hym thou gaue a loue / a synguler pleasauÌ„ce ¶ Therfore thou made that creature formed hyÌ„ onely for loue / gyuynge to hym a beynge / that he sholde Ioye with the / in thy euerlastyÌ„ge goodnesse ¶ Moreouer lorde I se that thy creature sost his dygnyte / for the whiche thou exyled hym / by his owne defaute synne whiche he dyd And for that synne / he came in to hatered with thy suffrauÌ„ce / for by his trespas / all we became thy enemyes ¶ Therfore lorde whaÌ„ thou was ltyrted by the breÌ„nynge loue / with the whiche thou made vs al of noughte / to that entente that thou wolde recounsyle mankynde whiche became in to that greate petell of endelesse dethe ¶ Than it plesed the to put thy onely sone whiche is thy worde in that myddes of that worlde whiche suffred bare on hy oure sorowes whiche we dydeÌ„ deserue that maden the offens / and he was to that that arte the endelesse fader made obedyent / as that enioyned coÌ„mauÌ„ded hyÌ„ / whaÌ„ thou clothed hym with oure humanyte / whaÌ„ he toke our nature the lykenesse of maÌ„ ¶ O holy depernesse of charyte / whiche may not be thought / what herte is there yf it were as harde as a marble stone that maye se hymselfe / but that it must be opened / coÌ„syderynge his comyÌ„ge fro so hye a place / to one so lowe as is oure humanyte full of mysery ¶ Doubtelesse we ben made to thy pmage / and also thou arte of oure lykenesse / throwe that vnyon whiche thou made in man / hydynge couerynge thy endeles godheed / with that vyle slyme of erthe or corrupcyon of Adam ¶ Lorde what was that cause of this Truly loue was that cause thee of ¶ O god thou arte made man / man is made as god ¶ For this holy loue that is gyuen to vs thy creatures / so full or delectacyon and plesauÌ„ce replete with thy grace lorde I beseche the / to gyue mercy to thy synful creatures ¶ Here sheweth of the holy sacrament of that auter / and of the benefyte of his incarnacyon THan oure blyssed lorde / almyghty god full of pyte / tourned his mercyfull eye to this mayde / and he suffred her teeres to be constrayned / to be bounde with the chaynes of her holy desyre / and therwith spekynge to her / and with a lamentacyon / begaÌ„ thus to saye ¶ LouyÌ„ge doughter thy teeres strenen me / for they ben knytte with my charyte / shed for my loue / and youre feruent desyre byÌ„deth me ¶ But doughter behold the face of my amyable spouse that is to say holy chyrche / how it is defaced / foule spotted / as that face of a lepre is bloweÌ„ / or swolleÌ„ of theyr owne vnclene lyuynge / of theyr sory desyre of auaryce / of theyr foule couetyse / that may not be quenched in them ¶ I mene that courtyse of those meÌ„nes goodes / to the whiche her teeres gyueÌ„ mylke / that is to that crysteÌ„ people of eche relygyoÌ„ / to that ghostly body of the moder of all holy chyrche ¶ This that I speke is of my mynysters of that chyrche / they beÌ„ those whiche ben norysshed of that swete mylke / not onely they / but all that chrysten people sholde be nourysshed of those holy brestes ¶ But doughter sees thou not with how greate ygnoraunee / with so grete blyndnesse / with so many vnkyndenes / with vnclene haÌ„des / this holy mylke / and gloryous blode is mynyftred ¶ This blode gyueth all thyÌ„ge that longeth to mannes helthe / all thyÌ„ges it worketh that longeÌ„ to maÌ„nes ê‘feceyon / so that he the whiche receyueth it be wel dysposed in soule that blode I saye ryght as it gyueth lyfe / endoweth a soule with all garce bothe more lesse after that dysposycyon and affeccyon of the receyuer Ryght so it gyueth dethe to hym that lyueth euyll wyckedly / as for his parte that receyueth it / yf he receyue it vnworthely that is to saye with the fylthe of deedly synnes / thaÌ„ it bryngeth in to hym dethe / not lyfe ¶ Not throwe defaute of that glory ous blode / for there maye no faute be fouÌ„de / nor throwe that defaute of that mynystres / all be it they beÌ„ iÌ„ that same defautes / or in greater synnes / for theyr synnes can not dystroye that gracyous blode / nor wtdraweth the grace nor vertu ¶ Therfore that blode harmeth not hyÌ„ to whom it is gyueÌ„ but that wyckednesse of his synÌ„e harmeth hyÌ„ / loseth hyÌ„ / bryÌ„geth hyÌ„ to payne / but he amende hyÌ„ with very coÌ„trycyon / dysplesaunce of his synnes ¶ I saye that he the whiche receyueth it vnworthely doth harme to hymselfe / not in the defaute of the blode / nor in the mynystre / but throwe his euyll dysposycyons defautes / the whiche maken foule his soule body with so many so greate wretchydnesse and vncleÌ„nesse / and throwe his malyce / that he had suche cruelte to hyÌ„selfe / to his neyghbour ¶ Cruelte he hathe to hyÌ„self / put tyÌ„ge away or wtdrawyÌ„ge his grace / tredynge it vnder that fete of his affeccyons / that fruyte of that holy blode ¶ Whiche fruyte he toke of the holy baptym / and that tyme were wasshed awaye the foule spottes of orygynal synne / the whiche fylthe he dyd take whanne he was conceyued of fader and moder ¶ And this wasshynge away was by the vertu of that holy blode / whiche fruyte he toke of that holy baptyme / and at that tyme all ye were clene wassheÌ„ / therfore I haue gyueÌ„ you my worde that is my sone bycause that nature
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 /
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
teres / be as a maner of swete oyÌ„ntment / the whiche casteth out a ryght grete smell of swetenes ¶ O my ryght swete doughter how gloryous is suche a soule / that so ryally can passe out of this troublous see of the worlde / and come to me that am the greate peaseable see / and fyll the vessell of the herte in the see of my euerlastynge souerayne godheed ¶ What that euer the soule be that can do so / her eye the whiche is the cundyte of the herte / is aboute to sasatysfy the herte by shedynge out of teres This is that last state / in the whiche a soule stondeth bothe blessyd doleful / she stondeth blessyd by vnyoÌ„ / that she feleth in me hy tastyÌ„ge of my dyuyne charyte ¶ She stondeth also dolefull of offence that is done to me / bothe of herselfe and of her neyghbours ¶ This state of vnyon is not therfore let / the whiche shedeth teres of loue / for the knowlege of herselfe of her neyghbour / of whome she fyndeth coÌ„palsyoÌ„ / for to wepe with wepers / for to ioye with ioyers / but rather encreaseth glory ioye to my name ¶ Thus the fyrste wepynge the thyrde let not the last / but eche of theÌ„ medleth with other / for yf the last wepynge / iÌ„ the whiche a soule fyndeth so greate vnyon / toke nothynge of the fyrst of the seconde state of charite of neyghbourheed / it were no profyte ¶ Therfore it were full necessary that one were medled with an other / els it sholde tourne to presuÌ„pcyon / by the whiche sholde entre a sotyll wynde of elacyon / and of her owne reputacyon / and so it sholde fall frome heyghte / to the infyrmytâ— of the fyrst vanyte ¶ For this cause it is ryght necessary for to kepe coÌ„tynually with very knowledge of theyr self charite of neyghbourheed ¶ In this wyse she sholde sende out to me the feruent fyre of very charyte / for the charyte of neyghbourheed is raken of my charyte / that is of the charyte by the whiche a soule knoweth herselfe my goodnes iÌ„ herselfe / wherby also she consydereth wel / that she is loued of me meruaylously / therfore with the same loue / she loueth al maner reasonable creatures / and this is the cause why she extendeth herfelf as soone as she knoweth me for to loue her neyghbour / by the whiche she knoweth wel that the most prolyte the whiche she maye do to me is for to yelde to me pure loue / by the whiche she feleth that she is loued of me / therfore she dysposeth her to yelde to me suche loue by mene and medyacyon of neyghboureheed / the whiche is that same mene to whom suche a soule sholde shewe charytable mynystracyoÌ„ as I haue sayde to the before the whiche sholde be loued with suche pure loue / as I loue you / for lyke as I haue loued you loue you without ony maner beholdyÌ„ge of merytes / therto my owne increate loue without ony mene styrred me to make you of nought to my ymage symylytude / the which loue ye may not yelde to me wtout mene ¶ Therfore ye muste yelde the same loue to resonable creatures / louyÌ„ge theÌ„ without ony rewarde of louyÌ„ge agayne / and also without ony beholdynge of theyr owne profyte ghostly or bodyly / but onely for to loue theÌ„ for the glory of my name / bycause they be loued of me ¶ And so shold ye fulfyl the byddynge the precepte of the holy lawe / wher it is wryteÌ„ that ye sholde loue me as aboue all thynges / and your neyghbour as your selfe ¶ It semeth well thaÌ„ that a soule maye not come to the hyghe ê‘fyte loue with teres wtout knyttyÌ„ge togyder of the secoÌ„de and the thyrde state before ¶ And yet though she be come therto / she may not kepe it / yf she go fro the affeccyon therof / by the whiche affeccyon she cometh to the secoÌ„de kyÌ„de of teres before sayde ¶ So that without the same affeccyoÌ„ to neyghbourheed / the lawe of me that am endeles god may not be fulfylled ¶ For there be two fete of affeccyoÌ„ / by the whiche bothe the preceptes the couÌ„seyles be obserued kept as I haue tolde the before ¶ Ryghte so these two states of the whiche two states is made one by loue / norysheÌ„ the soule iÌ„ vertues / encresyÌ„ge the same vertu in parfeccyoÌ„ by the state of vnyon / so that it encreseth ryches of grace by newe dyuers gyftes meruaylous lystynges vp of the soule / with a maner knowlege of veri sothfastnes as a deedly creature may haue in this lyfe / for the felynge of one sensualyte / and also his wyll is mortyfyed by suche vnyon that he hathe fouÌ„de in me ¶ O how swete is suche oneheed and vnyon to a tastynge soule / for that soule that tasteth seeth my secretes and pryuytes / by the whiche secretes / ryghte often tymes she receyueth a spyryte of prophecy for to knowe thynges that be yet to come ¶ All this is done by my endelesse goodnesse / and thoughe it so be that a meke soule sholde alway eschewe / not the gyfte of affeccyon of my dyuyne charyte / but the appetyte and desyre of theyr owne ghosty comfortes / yet she sholde deme herselfe vnworthy for to haue suche rest peas of soule / by the whiche meke Iudgement / she may noryshe inwarde vertues / and encrese therin / for there is none so parfyte a soule in this lyfe / but that it may encrese to more parfeccyon / that is to parfeccyoÌ„ of loue ¶ My ryghte swete and onely sone Ihesu cryst was and is youre heed / to whome maye encrese no parfeccyon / for he was and is one with me / and I with hym / his soule was and is blessyd by vnyon of dyuyne nature ¶ But ye that be pylgrymes his membres / be able euermore for to encrese in to greater parfeccyon ¶ I do not saye that ye maye encrese to an other state after tyme ye be come to the laste / but I saye that ye may encrese in the same last estate with suche parfeccyon as it is lykynge plesynge to me for to gyue to you / by meane medyacyoÌ„ of my grace ¶ A shorte repetycyon of the mater before / and how the wycked spyryte fleeth a waye fro them / the whiche become to the fyfthe teres / and how the angers of the fende be trewe wayes for to come to this holy state of teres NOw hase thou seen the states of teres and the dyfference of them / as it lyketh my goodnesse for to do satysfaccyon to thy desyre ¶ Fyrste I tolde the of the teres of them / that do lyue in deedly synÌ„e / wher I sayd that the teres of them come out of the herte / as al maner of teres done / for the greuauÌ„ce of
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
¶ Pryde begynneth and spryngeth and is noryshed of poore sencyble loue / of the whiche loue I tolde the that it was and is the grounde and fundament of al these thre pyllers / and also of all maner euylles that creatures do / for he that loueth hymselfe with vnordynate loue / is depryued fro the loue of me in asmoche as he loueth me not and in that he loueth not me / he offendeth me / bycause he kepeth not the commaundymentes of the lawe / the whiche is for to loue me aboue all thynges / and theyr neyghbours as thēselfe ¶ This is the cause why that they loue not me nor theyr neyghboure / for they loue themselfe with sencyble loue / so they maye no ther well serue me nor loue me / but rather they serue and loue the worlde ¶ All suche sencyble loue the worlde maye not acorde with my loue nor with me / and they that haue none acorde with me they be fer fro me / for they that louen the worlde with sencyble loue and serueth hȳ sencybly / must nedes hate me / and he that in sothe loueth me / muste nedes hate the worlde ¶ And therfore my onely sothefaste sone sayde / there maye none serue two contrary lordes / for yf he serue the one / he shall be hated of the other ¶ Thus thou maye se that propre loue pryueth a soule fro my charyte / and arayeth hym with the vyce of pryde / of the whiche all maner defautes do sprynge of euery reasonable creature that is in those defautes / it is for to sorowe wayle and namely of my mynysters whiche sholde be meke as wel so meke that they myght noryshe charyte ymonge theyr neyghbours / as for to be meke in mynystracyon of the body of my sone that vndefouled lambe ¶ And they be not ashamed of theyr pryde / for to se me comen mekely to mankynde / in to the flesshe of my onely sone ¶ Yet thoughe the same body renne to the dethe of the crosse lowly mekely by obedyence / he boweth there his heed to salute the grete ye. ¶ He spredeth his armes abrode there / the for to clyppe and brace to hym / he stretcheth forthe his feet for to stonde with the / agaynste thy ghostly enemy ¶ And thou wretched man that arte made his mynyster flees and shoues hym / and thou byclyppes and enbraces to the vnclene creatures ¶ Thou sholde dwell stable and stydfaste / shewynge the doctryne of my onely sothefast sone Iheso / and fastnynge thy herte and thy soule in hym / and thou arte vnstable and vnstydfaste as the wynde / for euery thȳge rēneth aboute vaynly ¶ Yf thou haue ony prosperyte / thou arte moued with all mysse ruled gladnesse / and yf thou haue aduersyte / thou arte moued with vnpasyence / and so thou drawes oute the mary and the pythe of pryde that is vnpasyence / for ryght as charyte hathe mekenesse / for his pythe and mary / so is vnpasyence the pythe mary of pryde for of al thȳges most proude mē be troubled / sclaūdred / yrous more thā other ¶ Pryde ascēdeth neuer to heuen / but plungeth downe into hel therfore my onely sothefast sone sayd he that exalteth hȳ in pryde shall be broughte lowe / and he that meketh hym shal be exalted ¶ In euery kȳde of folke pryde hyghly dyspleaseth me / and moche more in my mynysters / for them I haue sette in a meke state for to mynyster my meke lambe / and they do the cōtrary ¶ And why is not suche a wycked and wretched preest ashamed / seynge meke so me lowly ī my onely sothefast sone Ihesu / for whom I haue ordeyned thē to be mynysters / and my sone meked hymselfe by obedyence vnto the dethe of the cros / he bowed his heed corowned with thornes / and this wretched mynyster arayseth his heed agaynste me agaynste his neyghboure ¶ And there as he sholde be a lambe mynystrynge to my very lambe he is a ramme with hornes of pryde / and he smyteth all those that cleuē to hȳ ¶ O wretched man thynkes thou not that thou arte in my seruyce / is thy offyce for to smyte me with thy hornes of pryde / doynge bothe me wronge thy neyghbours wronge / and so for to lyue ymōge thy neyghbours with wronge / is this thy mekenesse with whiche thou sholde saye masse / and mynyster the body and blode of my sone ¶ Thus thou arte made in sothe as a wood beest and a cruel without ony drede of me / thou deuoures thy neyghboure / and ledes thy lyfe with dyscencyō and debate / and thou arte made accepter of parsones ¶ They that do scrue the and do the profyte thou acceptes / or suche as flater and please the / those that lyue as thou dors / them thou loues and acceptes and none other / whome thou sholde hate correcke theyr defautes ¶ But thou does the contrary / for thou gyues them ensample to do the same or worse / yf thou were good thyselfe / thou wolde correcke them / but bycause thou arte a wycked man / thou wyll not vndernyme them / nor be dyspleased with theyr defautes ¶ Thou dyspyses meke / pure / and vertuous people / thou goes awaye fro thē / neuerthelesse thou hase a cause to fle fro thē / thoughe thou sholde not fle fro thē ¶ For thou flees thē / bycause the slynke of vyces may not suffer the swete smell of vertu ¶ Thou holdes a grete reprefe to the / for to se at thy dore poore men stōde / thou eschewes for to vyset them in nede / thou sees them peryshe for hōger and wyll not helpe them ¶ All this dothe the hornes of pryde / whiche wyl not bowe for to vse one lytel dede of mekenesse ¶ Why wyll they not bowe ¶ For theyr owne propre loue whiche norysheth pryde / they put not away fro them ¶ And therfore he that wyll not cōdescende mynyster poore folke nother of tēporall goodes nother spyrytual without a thanke therfore ¶ O cursed pryde groūded set in thy owne loue / how hase thou so blynded the eye of thy intelleccyon in suche a wyse that whā they wene they loue thēselfe and be tēder of thēselfe they be ryghte cruell / and whā they wene they wyn̄e they lose / whā they wene they stōde in delyces / ryches / grete hyghnesse / they stonde in grete pouerte wretchednesse / for they be depryued fro the ryches of vertu / be come downe fro the heyghte of grace / to the sekenesse of deedly synnes / they thynke they se they be blynde / for nother they knowe theyr selfe nor me ¶ They knowen not theyr owne estate / nor theyr dygnyte that I haue set them in / nor they knowe not the freylte of the worlde / nor theyr owne lytell stablenesse / for yf they knewe
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
theyr coÌ„trarytes Now doughter I haue sayde to the / how he that is set in charyte / dothe profyte to his neyghbour / in whiche ê“fyte / he sheweth the loue that he hathe to me Now forthermore I saye to the / that sometyme a maÌ„ iÌ„ his neyghbour by experyeÌ„ce of wroÌ„ges feleth the vertu of pasyence in hyÌ„selfe in that tyme of wronges / whiche wronges he receyueth ¶ Also a maÌ„ hath experyeÌ„ce of mekenesse / throwe the pryde of a proude maÌ„ / so faythe in an vnfaythefull maÌ„ / trusty hope / iÌ„ hyÌ„ the mystrusteth / ryghtwysnesse in hyÌ„ that is vnryghtful / pyte also in a cruel maÌ„ / softnesse and benygnyte in an yrous man ¶ Ryght as wycked meÌ„ receyueÌ„ vyce by theyr neyghboure / so an other man receyueth vertu by his neyghbour ¶ As thus yf thou take good hede / thou maye well se / that mekenesse is pryued in pryde / for a meke man quencheth pryde / therfore a prowde maÌ„ maye not harme a meke man Also the vntruthe of wycked meÌ„ / whiche louen me not / may not make lesse that faythe of hym that is trewe to me Also the foly of a maÌ„ shall not make lesse the hope of hyÌ„ / that hathe trust of loue in me / but rather suche vntruthe and foly / streyngheth faythe and hope / and preueth it in hym by my loue / by charyte to his neyghboure For whaÌ„ he seeth his neyghbour vnfay the full / mystrusteth bothe me / hyÌ„ / bycause he that loueth not me / may not haue faythe nor hope iÌ„ me / but rather hathe set that faythe hope wher he loueth by his owne sensualyte My trewe seruauÌ„t ceaseth not for all that / but he loueth hym that is so vntrewe / with a trusty hope that he hathe iÌ„ me / he seketh the helpe of his neyghbour ¶ Thus thou may se / that in the vntruthe of hyÌ„ / in thode faute of hope / the vertu of faythe is asayed and had in other ¶ In these exaÌ„ples and in other whan nede is a man preueth vertu in hymselfe / his neyghboure ¶ Also a mannes ryghtwysenesse decreaseth not by his neyghbours vnryghtwysenes / but rather he is shewed ryghtful by the vertu of pasyence Ryght so benygnyte / or mekenesse / or softnesse is preued by pasyence in tyme of wrothe ¶ Therfore I saye to the the vertues is not onely assayed in them / the besyen theÌ„ to yelde good for yll / but often he shall cast out coles kyndled with the fyre of charyte / that setteth at noughte the hatered / rancour of the herte / of the foule of an yrous maÌ„ ¶ Also fro the hate of a maÌ„ / cometh agayne benyuolence / and that cometh fro the vertu of charyte / of parfyte pasyence that is in hyÌ„ the suffreth the wrothe of wycked men / berynge supportynge / the defautes of the same meÌ„ ¶ Yf thou beholde / thou maye se the vertu of streynghe of parseuerauÌ„ce / how moche that vertues beÌ„ preued with wronges / detraccyons of meÌ„ / whiche full ofte with dyspytes / sometyme with staterynges / wyll hyndre a maÌ„ drawe hyÌ„ backe warde / that in no wyse he sholde folowe the wayte of doctryne and of sothefastnes ¶ Therfore he is all stronge parseueraunt / yf the vertu / or gyfte of streynghe be parfytely grouÌ„ded within hym / for thaÌ„ he seleth by experyeÌ„ce the same vertu by medyacyon of his neyghbour yf it had no good experyence / and were not preued with suche many contrarytes / ther sholde no vertu haue beÌ„ fouÌ„ded nor grouÌ„ded in the waye of sothefastnesse ¶ The thyrde chapytre is of the vertu of dyscrecyon / fyrst how a soule shall not put his affeccyon nor effectuall workyngel bodyli penauÌ„ce pryncypally / but in inwarde vertues / and forthe of the same mater / as it is specyfyed in the kalender before Ca. iii. THese ben deuoute holy workyÌ„ges whiche I aske of my creatures that is to saye the inwarde vertues of the soule / whiche the soule hath in coÌ„tynuall expeoyeÌ„ce / as it is sayd before that is to saye not onely the vertues whiche beÌ„ vsed with the instrumeÌ„tes of the body / as wtoutwarde workynge / with dyuers bodyly penauÌ„ces / whiche beÌ„ the iÌ„strumeÌ„tes of vertues but they beÌ„ no vertues in theÌ„selfe For yf it were so / that those instrumeÌ„tes were not so gettes to vertues rehersed before / it were lytle pleasyÌ„ge to me But rather yf a soule dyd not dyscretely his penauÌ„ce that is to say yf his affeccyoÌ„ be rather pryÌ„cypally set iÌ„ his bodyly penauÌ„ce / thaÌ„ sholde his ê‘feccyon be let therby ¶ Therfore he shall set his herte pryÌ„cypally on affeccyoÌ„ desyre of loue / with an holy hatered of hyÌ„selfe by very mekenesse parfyte pasyence / all other in warde vertues of the soule / with a desyre of my worshyp / of the helthe of soules / whiche vertues shewen that a mannes owne wyll is deed / and that contynually the sensualyte is mortyfyed / throwe the desyre loue of vertues ¶ With suche dyscrecyoÌ„ he shall do his penaunce that is to saye put pryncypally his loue and desyre in vertues / rather thaÌ„ iÌ„ bodyly penauÌ„ce / for penauÌ„ce shall be as an instrumeÌ„t / to worke for encreas of vertues / as it semeth it nedefull ¶ And as a man maye worke after reasonable mesure of his myght / for yf it were done in ony other maner / as to set his grouÌ„de fundameÌ„t pryÌ„cypally vpoÌ„ the penauÌ„ce / thaÌ„ sholde his ê‘fercyon be let hyndred the cause is for the penauÌ„ce was not done dyscretely / with the knowyÌ„ge of my sothefastnesse / nor with the lyght of his owne knowynge / nor with the clere lyght of my goodnesse / but indyfferently it was done / not louyÌ„ge that / whiche I loue more than that / not hatyÌ„ge that / whiche I most hate ¶ For dyscrecyon is not but a sothefast knowyÌ„ge whiche a soule sholde haue of herselfe / of me In the knowynge of this dyscrecyoÌ„ / he holdeth kepeth his roote Dyscrecyon is a sone / or a chylde / whiche is planted or oned / or set with charyte Neuerthelesse sothe it is / dyscrecyoÌ„ hathe many chyldren / or sones / as a tree that hathe many bowes or braunches / but he that gyueth lyfe to the tree / to the brauÌ„ches / is the roote / so that it be planted in the erthe of mekenesse / whiche is moder norce of charyte / where this sone tree of dyscrecyon is set and plaÌ„ted ¶ Orels it were no vertu of dyscrecyon / and also it sholde not bryÌ„ge quycke scuyte / but it were plaÌ„ted in vertu of mekenes For mekenes cometh of the knowyÌ„ge whiche a soule hathe of hymselfe ¶ I sayde to the that the roote of dyscrecyon was a maÌ„nes very knowynge
assayed that waye theyrselfe ¶ Also eche resonable creature is lyghtned by knowynge of a sothefastnesse / yf he wyll hymselfe that is to saye that no man be not in wyl to lose the lyght of reason / for his owne loue and profyte ¶ Ther fore it is truely sayde / my sones doctryne is treue / whiche abode as a boot / to draweout soules of the tempest of the grete see / to lede them to the hauen of helthe ¶ And thus I sayd / I haue made an actual brydge of my sone / with his conuersauÌ„t beynge fyrste with men ¶ But whaÌ„ the actual brydge of the parfyte doctryne was taken fro you / thaÌ„ abode the brydge / and my doctryne with my myght / that am the fader / and the same doctryne ioyned and knytte with the wysoome of my sone / and with the mercy pyte of the holy ghost / this myght gyueth strengthe to theÌ„ that done folowe this waye / the weysdome of my sone gyueth to maÌ„ lyght that he maye knowe that sothefastnes in the waye / the holy ghost gyueth to hym loue / whiche loue putteth awaye / and dystroyeth the venym of his propre wyll / and maketh the loue of vertus onely to abyde ¶ Also he is the waye of sothefastnesse and lyfe actually or by doctryne / the whiche waye is the brydge / ledynge bryngynge you to the heyght of heuen ¶ Therfore it was sothely sayde / whan my sone sayd / I came downe fro my fader / and came downe in to the worlde / I leue that worlde agayne and I go to my fader that is to saye my fader sende me to you / ordeyned and made me youre brydge / that ye myght ascape ouer the floode / come to the lyfe that is euer durable ¶ He sayde also / and I shall come a gayne to you / I shall not leue you faderlesse chyldren / but I shall sende you comforte that is to say the holy ghost / as thoughe my sothefaste sone incarnate had sayne thus ¶ I shall go to my fader / shortly after come agayne to you / whaÌ„ the holy ghost cometh / whiche is the spyryte of comforte ¶ Whiche spyryte of coÌ„forte shall shewe you more clerely all thynge / coÌ„fyrme the way of sothefastnesse / that is the most parfyte doceryne that I haue gyuen you ¶ He sayde also / I shall come agayne to you / and so he dyd ¶ For the holy ghoste cometh not alone / for he cometh with the myghte of the fader / with the wysedome of the sone / and and with that mercy of the holy ghost ¶ Therfore thou may se that he came agayne not actually / but in vertu strengthynge the waye of doctryne whiche way maye neuer fayle / nor be taken fro them / that ben in wyll to folowe that doctryne ¶ For it is stroÌ„ge stable / for asmoche as it came fro me / the whiche am not chaungeable ¶ Therfore ye sholden myghtly folowe that waye of doctryne / withoute ony cloude / with the lyghte of very faythe / whiche is gyuen to you for a pryncypall vesture / in the sacrament of holy baptym ¶ Now doughter I haue declared shewed to that pleynly the actuall brydge and his doctryne / whiche is all one / the same with the brydge ¶ I haue sayde also that there were apostles / euangelystes / martyrs / coÌ„fessours / holy doctours / ordeyned set / as laÌ„terns in holy chyrche ¶ I haue shewed that also how my sone / after tyme the he came to me / that he came agayne to you / not by his bodyly presence / but in vertu that is to saye whan that the holy ghoste came vpon the apostles ¶ For in that bodyly presence he shal not come to you agayne / but in that laste daye of Iudgement / whaÌ„ he shall come with my maâ—â—ste / and with my dyuyne myght / to Iudge the quycke and the deed / and to yelde rewardes to the good / to rewarde them with greate gyftesin soule body for theyr labours / he shall yeldefull bytter penes / to all theym that wyckedly haue ledde theyr lyfe here iÌ„ this worlde ¶ Now doughter forthermore I wyll say to that / the I sothefastnesse made promyse to she we all to the / that is to shewe the theÌ„ that gone in that waye vnparfytely / and them also that gone parfytely / and them the gone in the most parfyte waye and how they go ¶ I haue shewed the also the wycked men / whiche with theyr wyckednesse drownen themselfe in the floode / and gone to euer lastynge derkenesse ¶ And now I speke to you that ben my dere chyldreÌ„ / that ye go by the brydge besely and not vnder the brydge / for that is not the waye of ryghtwysenesse / but rather it is the waye of pardycy on and vntruthe / and by that waye wycked men go / of the whiche men I shal speke here after ¶ Those beÌ„ synners / of the whiche / I praye you that ye praye to me besyly / and for the halthe and the faluacyon of theÌ„ ¶ I aske of you teeres and labours / that they may haue of me my grete mercy ¶ Than this soule was so fulfyl sed with all ghestly swetenesse / that she myght not refreyne herselfe / but as she slode in oure lordes prefence / she beganne to speke / sayde ¶ How this soule as she wondered on the greate mercy of oure lorde / she remembred her on the multytude of his grete benefytes O Mercy without ende / and euer beynge goodnesse / the whiche dydhyde the greate wyckednes of thy creatures ¶ Dere lorde I wolde not wondre yf thou dyd saye I shall not remeÌ„bre me of theyr wyckednes / whiche cometh oute of deedly synnes / and at the laste tournen to the agayne ¶ O thou inestymable mercy / I wyll ueuer wonder / yf thou saye the worde to them that comen out of synne / sythen thou dyd saye to vs / I wyll the ye praye to me for them / that dysplesen me with theyr syntul lyuyÌ„ge / that I maye gyue to theym mercy ¶ O most pleÌ„tuous mercy / whiche cometh of eteruyte euer beynge of the almyghty fader / whiche gouerneth the worlde w e his euerlastynge myghte ¶ Also we weren made formed in thy mercy / and we ben reformed by thy mercy / in the blode of thy sone / for thy amyable mercy kepeth vs. ¶ Lorde thy mercy made thy sone to sprede his armes on the cros / ther played dethe with lyfe / lyfe with dethe ¶ Than he sende vtterly the lyfe / whiche was the dethe of oure synnes / that dethe of oure synne / toke awaye the bodely lyfe / fro the meke lambe / that is thy dere sone ¶ O lorde who was ouercomen Lorde dethe was ouercomeÌ„ Lorde who was the cause Thy grete mercy was the cause ¶
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
stondeth in the well / it is neuer ydle nor voyde / but euer ful ¶ Ryght so loue of neyghbours / bothe spyrytuall temporall / wyll be drunke in me wtout beholdynge and rewarde of ony creatures ¶ I aske not that of you that ye loue me with the same loue that I loued you / for that maye ye not do / bycause I loued you / whan I was not loued of you ¶ All maner of loue that ye haue to me / 〈◊〉 it to me of dewte / not of grace / bycause ye sholde do it / but I loue you of grace / and not of dewte ¶ Therfore that loue whiche I aske of you ye maye not yelde it to me / and for that cause I haue put a meane bytwyxe you and me that is to saye youre neyghboure that ye do to hym / that ye maye not do to me / and that is that yÌ„e loue hym of grace / without ony beholdynge / and without ony abydynge ¶ For I holde it done to me that is done to hym for thy loue / this shewed well my sothefast sone to seynt Paule whan be parsued me sayenge thus ¶ Saule Saule why parsues thou me ¶ This he sayde holdyÌ„ge me parsued / in that he parsued my trewe seruauntes ¶ And therfore suche loue wolde be pure / for lyke with the same loue that ye sholde loue me / ye sholde loue them ¶ Yf thou wyll knowe the tokeÌ„s of vnê“fyte loue / I shall declare them to ye. ¶ Yf a man loue an other ghostly fele payne that tourmenteth hym / in asmoche as the creature that he loueth is not sene to hym for to satysfy to his loue / iÌ„ louyÌ„ge hym agayne as he loueth hym / his louyÌ„ge is vnparfyte ¶ Also yf he se his conuersacyon be withdrawe or pryued / or desolate fro ghostly comforte / or yf he se an other beloued more than he hymselfe ¶ All these be takens and many mo / that his loue bothe in me in his neyghbour is vnparfyte / and this is for to drynke of the vessell wtout the well ¶ All be it he toke the lycoure of loue of me / yet his loue was not abydnge parfytely in me / as in the well of loue ¶ Therfore it sheweth tokens of imparfeccyon in by / whom he loueth ghostly ¶ And all this maye be the cause / for the rote of his owne propre loue / was neuer yet pulled vp wel ¶ Therfore I suffre loue ofte tymes to be had / that he maye knowe his owne imparfeccyon / by my wtdrawynge of felynge fro hym / that he maye shutte hym vp and enclose hymselfe in the house of his owne knowlege ¶ In the whiche knowlege / he shall get al maner of parfeccyon ¶ And thaÌ„ shall I entre with a greate lyght / with very knowlege of my truthe insomoche that he shall holde it for a synguler grace / to mortyfy or sle for my loue his propre wyl ¶ And he shall cease neuer to cutte awaye the superfluytes of his vyne / to pull vp the thornes of his thoughtes / and buylde edyfy very myghty stones of vertu / grouÌ„ded set in that blode of my sones passyon / the whiche be founde by goynge vpon the brydge of my onely sone crucyfyed before sayde / grounded vpon the doctryne of my truthe in the vertu of his blode ¶ For by vertues ye lyuen in the strengthe of his passyon ✚ And here nowe mdder systren thus endeth the seconde parte of this orcharde / in the whiche all we be shewed the very way to heuen / and in that same boke we be shewed how to cut of the supfluytes of our vynes / and how we shall pull vp the pryckynge thornes of oure thoughtes / with dyuers maters / as it is rehersed in the kalender before ¶ The fourthe boke ¶ The fyrste chapytre of the .iiii. party / speketh of prayer / fyrste in what maner a soule shall gouerne her / that she maye come to pure loue and lyberall / and moche of this .iiii. partel speketh of prayers and of teres ¶ But fyrste god sheweth here a doctryne of the holy sacrameÌ„t of crystes body And how a soule shal come fro vocall prayer / to mentall prayer with other maters as it is rehersed to you in the kalender before Ca. i. AFter tyme a soule hath entred and gone by the doctryne of cristes passyon / crucyfyed with very loue of vertu / and hate of vyces / it stondeth with parfyte parseueraunce / namely suche a soule that is parfytely come to the house of his owne knowlege / abydynge myghtely and coÌ„tynually in holy watche prayer / drpted fully fro the coÌ„uersacyoÌ„ of the worlde ¶ Wherfore hath suche a soule closed her in the house of her owne knowlege ¶ In certayne for drede / knowynge her owne imparfeccyon / and also for desyre that it hathe / for to come to a pure and a lyberal loue / and also bycause it seeth well that it may come in no otherwyse therto ¶ Therfore with quycke feythe she abideth the comyÌ„ge of me / by encrease of grace iÌ„ herselfe ¶ But wherby shall a man knowe quycke feythe ¶ Truly by parseueraunce of vertu / and not goynge abacke for nothynge that falleth / nor for to cease nor leue iÌ„ dewe tyme fro holy prayers / but yf it be for charyte / or for obedyence or els not for ofte tymes by vnordynate tyme of prayer / that fende cometh by many heuynesses and batayles / more than she were founde without prayer / that he dothe for to dysceyue her / for to make her to leue holy prayers ofte tymes sayenge to her after this maner ¶ This prayer profyteth that not / for thou sholde take hede to no thynge elles / nor thynke nothynge elles but to that and of that thou sees / thus he saythe to make thy prayer to be heuy to the / and for bycause thou sholde cease of the excercyse of holy prayers / the whiche is an armure by the whiche a soule is defended and kepte frome all her aduersytes with stretchynge forthe of the honde of loue / and with the arme of fre choyse / defendyÌ„ge her selfe with the same armure / and with the lyghte of very feythe ¶ God sheweth here a doctryne / of the holy sacrament of the auter that is to saye of the holy sacrament of crystes body / and how a soule shall come fro vocall prayer / to mentall prayer / and here is shewed a vysyon / whiche this deuoute soule had on a tyme. THou knowes well dere doughter / that in meke contynuall prayer and feythfull with parseueraunce / a soule wynneth all vertu / and therfore she sholde parseuer and neuer leue it / nother for yllusyoÌ„ of the fende / nor for theyr owne freylte that is by thoughte or mouyÌ„ge that cometh iÌ„ theyr owne flesshe / nother by spekynge of no creature / for ofte tymes
of the loue / by the whiche they loue for her owne comforte ¶ And therfore I wyl that you knowe that my seruaunte whiche loueth me vnparfytely / rather he seketh after comforte / thaÌ„ he loueth me enterely onely for me and by that thou maye vnderstoÌ„de whan coÌ„forte fayleth ghostly or temporally / they be troubled in temporall comfortes / to the whiche worldely men the whiche lyuen with some maner outewarde dede of vertu / for to come to outewarde prosperyte / and whan trybulacyon cometh the whiche I gyue theym for the profyte of theyr soules / they be troubled in that lytle good the whiche they haue done / and yf ony man wolde aske them why they be so troubled / they wolde answere bycause they be so troubled in trybulacyons and an guysshes / and that lytle good whiche we haue done as vs semeth stoÌ„deth to none auauntage / for vs semeth we hadde more reste of soule before with the good that we dyden than / than we haue nowe / suche be dysceyued in theyr owne delectacyon / and it is not sothe that trybulacyon is cause / for they sholde loue neuertheles / nor do the lesse of good workes ¶ For the good workes that they done in tyme of trybulacyon / it shall auayle them asmoche as they dyd defore in tyme of comforte / and yet it shal auayle theÌ„ more / yf they haue pasyeÌ„ce / it fareth by suche as dothe by a maÌ„ that laboreth in his gardayne or in his orcharde the whiche hathe delyte is rested in soule with his la bour / bycause of his fayre orcharde or gardayne / and so it semeth that he hathe more delyte of his fayre gardayne or orcharde than of his labour / neuerthelesse yf the gardayne or the orcharde were take away fro hym / he sholde soone fele his delyte delectacyon withdrawe ¶ Why ¶ Truly for his pryncypall delyte was moche more set vpoÌ„ the orcharde than vpon his laboure ¶ But yf his pryncypall delyte were sette rather vpon his laboure thaÌ„ vpoÌ„ his gardayne / than sholde he not lose the loue that he had to his neyghbour ¶ In the same wyse a man that doeth good actuall dedes outewarde / he maye not lose the delyte of excersyce iÌ„ suche workynge but yf he wyl / thoughe the delyte of prosperyte be withdrawe / so that he set his pryncypall entent vpon the labour / and not vpon the prosperyte ¶ The cause why suche be dysceyued iÌ„ theyr owne workynge / is theyr owne passyon / for often tymes they breken out and thus they saye / I knowe ryght wel that I dyd better and hadde more delyte for to dwell more comforte than I haue nowe / bycause I am more troubled now thaÌ„ I was thaÌ„ / and now I haue no delyte nor plesure to do good dedes / theyr sayenge is false and not trewe / for yf the good in it selfe hadde delyted them onely for the vertu of that good / they sholde neuer haue loste it / nor it sholde neuet haue fayled in them / but moche rather encresed / but bycause the workynge of theyr good dedes / was set onely in her owne sentyble good / therfore it fayled / this is a dysceyte that comynly the people receyue / all suche be dysceyued by theyr owne synful delectacyon ¶ And nowe I shall shewe the here of the dysceyte that they haue whiche sette al theyr affeccyons in comfortes and ghostly vysyoÌ„s ANd somtyme of suche delectacyoÌ„ he receyueth very moche harme / for yf his affeccyon be sette in comfortes and ghosty vysyons / the whiche many tymes ofte I gyue to my seruauntes / whan they be wtdrawe fro hym / than he falleth in to heuynesse and greate bytternesse of soule / as ofte as I withdrawe my comfortes fro his soule / so ofte hym semeth that I haue forsake hym / and therfore hym semeth that he is in hell / wherfore he falleth in to bytternesse / and in to many temptacyons ¶ He sholde not do so / nor suffre hym so to be dysceyued / of his owne spyrytuall delectacyoÌ„ / but he sholde lyfte vp his eye to me / and knowe me for very souerayne good / the whiche receyue and kepe for hym / good 〈◊〉 me of dyseases ¶ He sholde 〈◊〉 â—â—â—mselfe / and holde hymâ—â—â—â—â— vnworthy for to haue pease 〈◊〉 of soule / and that is the 〈◊〉 propre cause why I wtdrawe â—â—â—â—rome hym / that he sholde loue â—â—m and meke hyÌ„ / and knowe that my very charyte and goodnesse the whiche sholde be in hym for to be founde with good and parfyte wyll and neuer elles / the whiche I conserue and kepe in his tyme of trybulacyoÌ„ ¶ And also I withdrawe me for this cause / that he shold not onely receyue of me the mylke of my swetenesse / but also that he sholde apply hym with all his myghte for to cleue to the breste of my sothefast sone Ihesu cryste / where he shall bothe seke and fynde mylke flesshe togyder / that is drawynge to hym the mylke of my very charyte / by meane or medyacyon of the blessyd body of my dere sone Ihesu cryste crucyfyed ¶ To them therfore that gone so and seke my mylke of swetenesse / with prudence and not with ygnoraunce of my sones bytter passyon / to suche I tourne with a greter delyte / with ghostly strengthe and also with lyghte and brennyÌ„ge fyre of charyte And yf it so be that they take suche withdrawynge of ghostly swetenesse dyscomfortably with heuynesse and confusyon of soule / they do not wynne no comforte therby / but moche rather they sholde abyde in theyr owne dulnes ¶ How all they that delyte them in suche coÌ„ fortes and vysyons maye be dyscryued / how that they maye receyue a wycked spyryte vnder the forme / or colour of a good spyryte / and also of tokens how it maye be knowen whan it cometh of god / and whan that it cometh of oure enemy the deuyll After this ofte tymes of the fende they receyue an other dysceyte that is whan he transformeth hym selfe in to the lykenesse of lyghte / for the fende there he fyndeth a maÌ„ dysposed for to receyue ghostly comfortes / and therto setteth all his desyre on suche comfortes and ghostly vysyons / wheron he sholde not set his desyre nor truste / but onely on very mekenesse / thynke that he is vnworthy for to receyue suche ghostly comfortes / to suche the fende transfygureth hymselfe / iÌ„ to lyght by many maner wyses / other whyle to the lykenesse of an angell / other whyle in to the fourme of my sone crucyfyed / and other whyle in to lykenes of some of my seyntes / this he dothe bycause he wolde catche hym with the hoke of his owne ghostly spyrytuall delectacyon / the whiche hathe set all his affeccyoÌ„ desyre vpon ghostly vysyons ¶ Yf a soule ryse not vp anone with very mekenesse / castynge
forth vertu for to encrese in her neyghbours / by the whiche vertu she receyueth an other / that is the last state of parfyte vnycyon oneheed in me / the whiche two states be knytte togyder / for that one maye not be wtout that other ¶ For ryghte as my charyte maye not be wtoute charyte of neyghbourheed / nor charyte of neyghbourheed maye not be without my charyte / the one maye not be departed fro that other ¶ In the same maner it fareth of these two states / the one maye not be without that other / lykewyse as I shall shewe the nowe suyngly ¶ How imparfyte wyl onely folowe the fader / but parfyte men folowe the sone HEre I told that how they haue gone out / the whiche goȳge I sayd is a token that they be rysen fro imparfeccyon / come to parfeccyon ¶ Open than the eye of thy vnderstondynge / and se them how they renne by the brydge of the doctryne of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu cryste crucyfyed / the whiche was the very waye / rule / and doctryne / before the eye of her intelleccyon / for they put nothȳge elles before theyr eyen / thā my onely sothefast sone Ihesu cryst crucyfyed / they put not me the fader before theyr eyen / as he dothe that abydeth and dwelleth in vnparfyte loue / the whiche wyll suffre no peyne / and bycause there maye no peyne fall in me / therfore suche one wyll lyue with ghostly delectacyon that he fyndeth in me without ony peyne / suynge me rather than my sothefast sone Ihesu / for suche cause it is that he sueth me / yet not me / but ghostly delectacyon that he fyndeth in me ¶ They that do loue parfytely do not so / but as ghostly drūken men they be gadered togyder / and ascende vpon the thre grees or ladders the whiche I fygured to the by thre myghtes of the soule / and also vpon the thre actuall grees / the whiche I fygured to the actually in the body of my onely sothefast sone Ihesu cryste crucyfyed ¶ After the tyme they be thus ascended with the fete of affeccyon of the soule / they come to the greate hole of the syde of my sone / where they synde the pryue for cretes of the herte / and knowe there the water of baptym / the whiche hathe vertu in the bloode of my sones passyon / in the whiche blode a foule syndeth grace by holy baptym / where that the vessell of the soule is dysposed / made redy for to receyue grace / also where she is oned in the blessyd blode of the lābe receyuynge so holy baptym of that bloode vertuously ¶ In the whiche state she knoweth veryly tasteth the brennynge syre of dyuyne charyte / so shewed well my sothefaste sone Ihesu to the / yf thou haue mynde whan he was asked of the in this wyse ¶ O swete and vndefouled lambe / whā thou was deed and thy syde was opened / why wolde thou be smyt / and why wholde thou suffre thy herte to be cutte ¶ He answered and sayde / yf thou remembre that many causes there were why / but one pryncypall cause shall I tell the he sayde / for my desyre as to mākynde was infynyte and endelesse / and the actuall workȳge for to suffre peyne and tourment / was fynyte and had an ende ¶ And therfore bycause my desyre and loue to mankynde was infynyte / I wolde that my pryuytes of my herte were sene to mankynde / openynge to you for the same cause my syde / that ye myghte loke theron and vnderstonde therby that I loued mākynde moche more thā I couthe or myght shewe you of my peyne fynyte / shedynge bothe blode and water ¶ And also ther I shewed in two maner of wyses baptym of bloode ¶ One was as I sayde in them that be baptysed in blode shed by martyrdome for me / the whiche baptym hathe vertu of my bloode namely for thē that may not be baptysed in the holy baptym of water ¶ Some also I sayde were and be baptysed in fyre / desyrȳge baptym of water with all the affeccyon of the soule and maye not haue it / al suche be baptysed in fyre / and yet is it not this taptym of fyre / without blode / for blode is medled with fyre of dyuyne charyte / bycause it was shed out for loue ¶ In an otherwyse also a soule receyueth this baptym before sayde / the whiche dyuyne prouydēce charytably hathe ordeyned / for the infyrmyte freylte is knowen to hym / by the whiche freylte mā offēdeth / not bycause he is cōstrayned for to offende by freylte / but bycause as a frayle man he falleth in to the trespas of deedly synne wylfully / wherby he hathe loste grace that he had wonne in that baptȳ of blode by vertu ¶ And therfore it was ryght necessary that my dyuyne charyte sholde puruaye a remedy for to put awaye suche greuous synnes / the whiche is cōtynall baptym of blode / that a soule wynneth by cōtynuall contrycyon of herte and with holy confessyon / whan it maye be had of my mynysters / the whiche holden the keye of that blode / and that blode they poure downe vpon the face of the soule in gyuynge of absolucyon ¶ And yf confessyon maye not be had / cōtrycyon of herte suffyseth / for than that honde of myldnesse and mekenesse / largely gyueth to you the fruyte of that blode ¶ Yf that ye maye haue confessyon / I wyl that ye haue it and vse it / for yf there be ony that maye haue it wyll not / he shall be depryued fro that fruyte of that blode ¶ Neuerthelesse syth it is ī the laste ende of a mānes dethe yf he wyll be confessed maye not / yet than my goodnesse shal also receyue hym ¶ Yet sholde not a mā be suche a foole / that wyll therfore vnder suche hope delaye his confessyon / and abyde vnto the laste ende of his lyfe / for he is not syker whether to go for his obstynacy / I with my dyuyne ryghtewysenesse wyll saye to hym thus ¶ Thou dyd not thynke on me in the tyme of thy lyfe whā thou myght / therfore I shall not haue mynde of the now in that ende of thy dethe ¶ And thus for this cause / ther sholde none dyfferre and delaye his confessyon / and yf he delaye it by his owne defaute / yet sholde he not cease and abyde in to the last daye / for to baptyse hȳselfe by hope in the blode of hertely contynuall cōtrycyon before sayde ¶ Therfore it is called a cōtynual baptyme / wherin a soule maye baptyse herselfe euer and at all tymes whan she wyll vnto the laste daye of departynge fro the body / as I haue sayde before ¶ Also thou knowes therfore ī this baptym that my workynge by passyon of my sones crosse was fynyte / but the fruyte of
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
/ 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
gyuyne to her sykernesse with holy drede / all graces / all plesaunces / all delyces that suche a soule that hathe wedded the quene of pouerte can than desyre ¶ She fyndeth / she is not than afrayde of brydges / for there is none that maye make debate and warre with her / she is not yet afrayde of honger nor of derthe / for feythe seeth hopeth in me his maker / of whome cometh out all ryches and prudeÌ„ce / whom alwaye I noryshe and fede ¶ Was ther euer fouÌ„de ony very seruaunte of my spouse of this pouerte / whiche dyd euer peryshe for honger ¶ Naye certayne / but there be founde ynowe that do peryshe of them whiche abounden in greate ryches / trusten rather in theyr ryches thaÌ„ in me / I fayle neuer the ryghtwyse man / for he fayleth neuer to hope in me / and therfore I prouyde to them as a benynge fader and a pyteous / o with howmoche ioye largenes of her tes many haue runne come to me / whaÌ„ they knewe well with very lyght of feythe / that fro the begynnynge vnto the ende of worlde how I vse and haue vsed shall vse my prouydeÌ„ce in all thynges bothe spyrytuall and teÌ„porall / all suche I make them suffer moche thyÌ„ge for to encrese them iÌ„ feythe and hope / yet I rewarde theÌ„ euer for theyr trauayles / for I fayled them neuer in nothynge that is nedefull for them / they haue fully proued the depenesse of my prouydeÌ„ce / by tastinge therin the mylke of midiuine swetenes / wherfore they drede not the bytternesse of dethe / but with longynge desyre as deed folke they renne to this quene of pouerte / as suche that be rapte in loue / quycke in my wyll / for to suffer colde / honger / tryst / hete / scornes / repreues / puttynge awaye fro them theyr proper sensualyte ryches with greate desyre gyuyÌ„ge theyr lyues / for loue of lyfe that is of me that am endelesse lyfe / shedynge theyr bloode / for the loue of my sones bloode ¶ Beholde and se what louers of pouerte haue be before the / that is apostels / martyrs other gloryous seyntes / as Peter Paule / Steuen and Laurence / and suche other / whiche whaÌ„ they were put in the fyre for to brenne / they semed that they stode in no fyre / but rather on floures of greate delyte / Laurence was ioy full whaÌ„ he sayd to the tyraunt thus / that one syde is rosted ynoughe / turne it begynne to ete therof ¶ What was the cause ¶ Certayne for the fyre of dyuyne charyte had quenched in hym the felynge of his lytell sensualyte ¶ To SceueÌ„ also stones were swete ¶ What was the cause ¶ Certayne loue / with the whiche loue he wedded the quene of pouerte / and forsake the worlde for glory and laude of my name / toke that quene pouerte with the lyghte of holy feythe / with stydfaste hope very obedyence / bothe obeyenge to the commaundymentes and also to the couÌ„seyles / whiche my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu hathe gyueÌ„ to theÌ„ / for to be kepte bothe actually mentally as it is sayde before all suche trewe seruauntes of myne haue desyre for to dye / for this bodyly lyfe is to them dysplesauÌ„ce / they desyre not for to dye / for this bodyly lyfe is to them dysplesaunce / they desyre not for to dye for to eschewe labour / but onely for to lyue in me endelesly that am theyr ende ¶ And why do they not drede dethe whiche naturally a maÌ„ oweth to drede ¶ Certaine for the spouse of pouerte whome they haue wedded hathe made theÌ„ sure / withdrawynge fro theÌ„ bothe loue of theÌ„ selfe also of ryches / so with vertu they haue putte vnder fore naturall loue / haue receyued the lyght that diuine loue / whiche is aboue nature it is no peyn for suche a man for to for sake his lyfe his ryches / for to hyÌ„ the loueth not his naturall lyfe / also worldely ryches / he may not sorowe for theÌ„ / but rather he delye thin forsakynge theÌ„ whome he hateth / so that on what syde thou turne the / thou shal fynde in theÌ„ ê‘fyte peas quyetnesse all good / to wretches that haue possessyon of teÌ„porall goodes with moche vnordynate loue / it is ryght greate vntollerable peyne bothe to forsake theyr ryches / and also for to forsake theyr lyues / thoughe it seme the contrary by outwarde syght / but in effecte is so / many wolde saye that poore Lazar stode in greate mysery whan the ryche maÌ„ stode iÌ„ greate ioye quyetnesse / and yet was it not so / for the ryche maÌ„ suffered more peyne with his ryches / thaÌ„ pore Lazar dyd with al his sores ¶ Why was the ¶ Certayne for in hyÌ„ of hymselfe was a quycke wyl / fro the whiche cometh out al peyne / in Lazar his owne wyll was deed quycke in me / whiche iÌ„ peine had coÌ„forte / whan he was expulsed fro meÌ„ / nameli the riche maÌ„ that is daÌ„pned / this Lazar was nother noryshed nor gouerned of meÌ„ / therfore I prouided for hyÌ„ thus / that an vnreasonable beest sholde lycke his wouÌ„des / in the dyenge of bothe / Lazare was take vp to lyfe euerlastynge / the ryche man was buryed inhell / therfore ryche meÌ„ be dwellyÌ„ ge in sorowe / poore meÌ„ whiche be my parfyte seruauntes euer iÌ„ greate ghostly ioy / for I gyue theÌ„ to souke mylke of many trybulacyoÌ„s / so bycause they haue forsake all thynge / they haue all me / the holy ghoost also is bothe noryshed of theyr soules hodyes / in what state that euer they stoÌ„de in / I prouyde also for theÌ„ of beestes in dyuers wyses / as they haue nede to serche solitary folke / also I make another solytary man go oute of his Cell releue hym in his nede / for thou knowes wel how ofteÌ„tymes it hath happed to the that I haue made the go out of hy Cell for to socour the poore / also I haue made the thyselfe to pue this prouydeÌ„ce in experyeÌ„ce / whan I haue made other to satysfy to thy nede / yet whaÌ„ creatures fayled the / I fayled the neuer that am thy endeles maker therfore thus iÌ„ al wyses I ê“uyde for creatures ¶ But wheÌ„se cometh this trowes thou that a maÌ„ stoÌ„dyÌ„ge in ryches in so grete charge of his body with moche rayment many clothes / euer is seke / also of whome maye this come / that a maÌ„ whiche hathe dyspysed ryches chosen pouerte for the loue of me hauynge but one coote for to couer his body there somtyme he hadde many and is by come bothe stroÌ„ge hole / yet more ouer hyÌ„ semeth that it greueth hyÌ„ not / nother harme of
they fle not the places wayes whiche brynge them in to suche corrupte thoughtes / but they serche after suche occasyons / that they myght come to the fulfyllynge of the synne ¶ This is the fruyte the sleeth hyÌ„ bynemeth hym lyfe of grace / gyueth hym endelesse dethe ¶ But what stynke casteth out this fruyte brought forthe with the floure of the tree ¶ Certayne it casteth out styÌ„ke of inobedyeÌ„ce / by the whiche he wyll with the thoughte of his herte enquyre deme in euyll the wyll of his souerayne / he casteth out also vnclennes with many wycked conuersacyons / de lytynge hymselfe wretchedly with his name of a deuoute maÌ„ ¶ O wretch thou coÌ„syders not that vnder colour of thy deuocyon shall folowe to the many myscheues / as chyldren of inobedyence / for thou hase not receyued nor take to the chyldren of vertu / as a very obedyeÌ„cer dothe / suche one sercheth for to dysceyue his souerayne / vsynge to hym leues of state rynge wordes / spekynge vnreuereÌ„tly with greate repreuynge / suche one supporteth not his broder / nor he maye not the leest worde saye anendes hym whan he is vndernymed for his defautes / but anone he casteth out venemous fruyte of vnpacyence and Ire and hate agaynst his broder / demynge in euyll / the he dyd to hym for good / thus suche a soule so sclauÌ„dred liueth iÌ„ peyne both wtin wtout ¶ Why is suche one dyspleased with his broder ¶ Certayne for he dyspleaseth hyÌ„selfe sencybly / such one fleeth his Cell / as he wolde fle venyÌ„ the cause is for he is gone out of his owne proper Cell of knowlege / wherby he is fall in to inobedyence / therfore he maye not abyde in his materyall Cell / he wyll not also come to the fraytur / but as he wold go to his enemy / as loÌ„ge as he hath ony thynge to speÌ„de / whaÌ„ he hathe no more / thaÌ„ nede dryueth hym thyder ¶ Therfore trewe obedyeÌ„cers done wel whiche kepe so wel the vowe of pouerte / that they wyl nothyÌ„ge haue for to speÌ„de / bycause they wolde euer be fed at the swete table of the fraytur / where a very obedyencer norysheth both his body soule in peas quyetnes / he wyl neuer thyÌ„ke nor make ordynauÌ„ce for sweter not better lyue lode thaÌ„ he fyndeth there ¶ The coÌ„trary dothe an inobedyeÌ„cer / he wyll be the laste comyÌ„ge iÌ„ to the quere / the fyrste that shall go out / with his lyppes he draweth nygh to me / but his herte is fer fro me / he fleeth also for drede of penaunce that chapyter ¶ What is cause of all this ¶ Certayne inobedyence / suche one also neuer waketh nor prayeth / yet ofte tymes whan he sholde say his dyuyne seruyce / to the whiche he is bounde / and it is vnsayde / he hathe no fraternall charyte wtin hyÌ„ / for he loueth none but hyÌ„selfe / and yet not with reasonable loue / but with beestly loue ¶ Thus many euylles ther be the falleÌ„ vpoÌ„ the heed of an vnobedyeÌ„t maÌ„ / thus many sorowfull fruytes he bryÌ„geth forthe / many mo whiche no erthly toÌ„gue caÌ„tell ¶ O inobedyeÌ„ce whiche depryues the soule fro lyght of obedyence ¶ O inobedyeÌ„ce whiche depryues the soule fro all vertu / arayes it with all vyces / thou takes awaye fro hyÌ„ peas gyues hyÌ„ warre / thou takes fro hym lyfe gyues hyÌ„ dethe / thou drawes hyÌ„ out of the shyp of his order drenches hym iÌ„ the see of this wretched worlde / so straÌ„gles hyÌ„ in synne / makynge hym to swymme with his owne armes / ther he sholde swymme with the armes of his order / thou arayes hym with all maner wretchednesse / thou makes hym dye for hoÌ„ger / takynge awaye fro hym the meet of that meryte of obedyence / thou gyues hym coÌ„tynuall bytternesse / fro all delectacyoÌ„ of swetenesse thou depryues hym and fro all good / makes hym to stonde in all maner of euyll ¶ In this lyfe thou makes hyÌ„ bere the ernest of endelesse turmeÌ„t / yf he ameÌ„de hyÌ„ not or thaÌ„ he passe out of this worlde / thou ledes that same inobedyent soule to endelesse daÌ„pnacyoÌ„ / euer to be turmented with the fendes yeâ—ll out of heuen for â—â—â—yr inobedyeÌ„ce / by the whiche they were rebell to me / now be in the armes of hell / ryght so thou inobedyence by cause thou was rebell to obedyence / dyd throwe a waye fro the this keye of obedyeÌ„ce with whiche thou sholde haue opened the wyket in the gate of heueÌ„ / thou dyd take iÌ„ thy hoÌ„de thou keye of inobedyeÌ„ce / wherwith thou hase opened the gate of heueÌ„ ¶ Of the imparfeccyoÌ„ of theÌ„ whiche be slowe vnlusty iÌ„ relygyoÌ„ / all be it that they kepe them fro deedly synnes / of the remedy how that they may come out of that vnlustynes O Dere doughter howe many be there nowe of the wretched inobedyen cers / whiche in these dayes be fedde noryshed in the shyp of relygyon / ryght fewe there be that be very obedyencers neuertheles sothe it is that bytwene these ê‘fyte obedyencers these wretched obedyencers be many / whiche lyue comunely in the order / for nother they be ê‘fyte as they shold be / nor they be moche wycked / bycause they kepe clene theyr coÌ„scyeÌ„ce fro deedly synÌ„e / but yet they stoÌ„de in dulnesse neclygeÌ„ce of herte / yf suche excercysed not theyr lyuynge in kepynge somwhat of theyr obseruauÌ„ces of the order / they sholde fall to greate perell / therfore they haue nede to be ryght besy and slepe not iÌ„ derkenesse / but that they aryse fro dulnesse slothe / for yf they abyâ—e loÌ„ge therin / they be able for to fall ryght lore / yet though they fall not / they sholde slode vnder maÌ„nes praysyÌ„ge a plesauÌ„ce / colored with the colour of relygyoÌ„ / besyeÌ„ge theÌ„ rather in kepyÌ„ge of some outwarde cerymonyes in the syght of maÌ„ / thaÌ„ for to kepe properly the pure religyoÌ„ / oftetymes suche with lytellyghte that they haue be able to fal to domes demynges of them that kepe the order more straytely thaÌ„ they in lesse ê‘feccyon of ceremonyes / of whom they make theÌ„selfe specyal kekers ¶ To all suche it semeth to theÌ„ ryght noyus for to dwell in comune obedyeÌ„ce / in asmoche as they neclygently ouerpasse trewe obedyeÌ„ce / with moche peyne labour with a colde herte they bere that obseruauÌ„ces of the order ¶ Thus they offende ê‘feccyon / by the whiche they entred / and thoughe they do lytell harme as I haue sayd to other yet neuertheles they do full euyll / the is bycause they come not clereli out of the world / wher they shold haue lyued kepte the keye of generall obedyeÌ„ce / and than for to come to
/ for obedyence shall shewe yf thou be kyÌ„de / whiche cometh out of charyte / and charyte cometh fro the knowlege of my endelesse sothefastnesse / so that it is a parfyte knowlege in my onely so the fast sone Ihesu / whiche sone shewed to you by his charyte the waye of very obedyeÌ„ce / makynge hymselfe obedyent vnto the dethe of the crosse / techynge the therby a rule for to contynu in very obedyence vnto thy ende / in whose obedyence whiche was the keye the opened heuen / is founded the generall obedyence that is gyuen to you / and also this partyculer obedyence as I haue tolde the before in the begynnynge of this treatyse this obedyence gyueth suche a lyghte in the soule / that it maketh a soule trewe bothe to the order / and also to his souerayne in relygyon / in the whiche lyghte the is the lyghte of holy feythe a soule forgeteth her selfe not in requyrynge in what wyse obedyence of his souerayne is gyuen to hym for in what soule very odedyence is / it sheweth well that it is deed in his owne felynge / whiche sencyble felynge / sercheth and enquyreth more after other thynges than his owne / as an inobedyent soule dothe / whiche wyll euer enquyre the wyl of his bydder / and deme it after his derke knowlege / a very obedyencer with the clere lyght of feythe / demeth euer the wyll of his souerayne to good / therfore suche one feleth not nor inquyreth not his owne wyll / but boweth his heed obedyently to the wyll of his souerayne / so with the blessyd odour of very holy obedyence / the soule is noryshed / and this vertu encresed somoche in that soule / as the soule delyteth in the lyght of holy feythe / for charyte whiche hathe brought forthe obedyence / cometh of the lyght of feythe / and with the same lyghte of feythe / with the whiche a soule knoweth bothe hymselfe and me / he loueth me loweth hym to me / the more it loueth is so loued / that more rather it obeyeth ¶ Than obedyeÌ„ce with her suster pacyence they shewe yf suche a soule be arayed with her weddynge cote of charyte / with the whiche cote ye shall enter in to ende lesse blysse / wher obedyeÌ„ce shall open the wyket of the gate with her keye stonde wtout / but charyte whiche gaue this keye to her / shall enter in with the fruyte of obedyeÌ„ce ¶ Euery vertu as I haue sayde stondeth without / but his vertu of charyte shal enter in / obedyeÌ„ce hathe the keye / and she herselfe is the keye that openeth / for with the inobedyence of the fyrste man Adam heuen was shut / and with the meke and feythfull obedyence of my onely sothefastsone Ihesu that vndefouled lambe / ende lesse lyfe was made open / the whiche stode longe tyme closed fro maÌ„ and shutte ¶ The fourthe chapyter is dystynccyon of two maners of obedyences / that is to saye of obedyence of relygyous people / and of obedyeÌ„ce whiche is done to a certayne parsone out of religioÌ„ for god ¶ How god rewardeth not after the trauayle of obedyence / nor after the lengthe of the tyme / but after the magnytude of charyte / and of other maters longynge to obedyence / as it is specyfyed before in the kalender Ca. iiii AS I haue sayde to the dere doughter / my onely sothefast sone hathe gyuen to you obedyence / as for a rule and a doctryne / and as a keye for to open with the gate of heuen / and so to come to youre ende / for the whiche ende ye haue longe trauayled ¶ He also lefte to you a precepte for to lyue vnder generall obedyeÌ„ce / counseylynge you also that yf ye wolde come and attayne to more parfeccyon / and so enter by the strayte gate of heuen / as they do that lyue in relygyon and order / and also as they do that lyue and neuer receyue order of relygyon / and yet be in the shyp of parfeccyon / as all suche that do kepe parfeccyon of the couÌ„seyles wtout ony order / refusynge rychesse worldely pompes / bothe actual and mentall / kepynge also contynence / whiche lyue in the state of vyrgynyte / or els in the state of chastyte / kepynge also obedyence / submyttyÌ„ge themselfe as I haue sayde to the in another place to some creature to whome they enforce with parfyte obedyeÌ„ce for to obeye vnto theyr lyues ende ¶ Yf thou wyl aske me whiche of these obedyences be more medefull / whyder he that stondeth in the order of of relygyoÌ„ or this / I shall tell the / the meryte of obedyence is not mesured / nother in the dede doynge nor in the place nor in whome that is to say whyther it be of more worthynesse in a seculer or in a relygyons / but after the mesure of loue that an obedyencer hathe / with that mesure he inesureth to hym that is very obedyent / the imparfeccyoÌ„ of an enyll prelate is no dysease in hyÌ„ nor griueth hym not / but otherwhyle it is greate profyte to hym / for with parâ—ecucyons and vndyser ere charges of greuous obedyence / the vertu of obedyence is encreased / and also pasyence her suster / nor also vnparfyte place letteth nor noyeth hym not I saye vnparfyte for this cause for relygyon is more parfyte / more stydfaste / and more stable / thaÌ„ any other state is / and therfore I cal an vnparfyte place of suche that haue a lytell keye of obedyence kepynge without relygyon the counseyles but yet I call not theyr obedyence vnparfyte nor of lesse mede than of them that lyue in relygyon / for euery obedyence as I haue sayde euery vertu els is mesured after the mesure of loue / yet in many other thynges / as of the vowes whiche be made in the hondes of a souerayne in relygyon / and for many suffrauÌ„ces whiche a man suffereth in relygyon / obedyence is better and more proued in relygyon than out of relygyoÌ„ / for ther euery bodily acte of a relygyous maÌ„ is bouÌ„de to the youke of obedyeÌ„ce / so strongely that it maye not be lostd whan he wyll / that is bounde without the trespas and offyce of deedly synne / in asmoche asthat vowe is approued of holy chyrche / but this vowe is not so / this byndeth hyÌ„selfe wylfully for loue that he hathe to obedyence / but with no solempne vowe / therfore he that byÌ„deth hym to this bowe / he maye go therfro without offeÌ„ce of ony deedly synÌ„e / yf he haue lawfull excusacyoÌ„s that is to saye that he go not therfro by his owne defaute / for yf he wente therfro for soke it throughe his owne defaute / it were not without greuous synne / yet were he properly bounde to deedly synÌ„e by that forsakynge ¶ Sees thou not nowe what dyfference is bytwene the one and the other / that one maketh a vowe