/ 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
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
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
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
/ 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
thy humanite / by the whiche I gaue agayne to the / that grace that was lost ¶ And so ye beynge in my ymage / I toke your lykenesse whaÌ„ I toke maÌ„nes nature ¶ Also I am one with you / but â—f that soule go fro me by deedly synne ¶ But he that loueth me / dwelleth iÌ„ me / I in hyÌ„ Therfore the worlde parsueth hym for that worlde hathe no conformynge with me / therfore he parsueth myne onely sone to that most cruel dethe of that crosse And so he parsueth you to the dethe / for he loueth not me / for yf that worlde hadde loued me / he sholde haue loued you But be ye ioyfull / for your ioyes shall be fulfylled iÌ„ heuen ¶ Also I tell the that that more that sclaunders / and try bulacyons encreasen in the ghostly body of that moder of holy chyrche / that more shall he haue of swetenesse / of coÌ„forte afterwarde ¶ This softenesse of swetenesse / the swetenesse of softenesse / shall be the reformacyon of curates and good heddes of holy chyrche / whiche ben the floures of glory / for in yeldynge to my name glory and laude / they shewe oute the sauour of swetenesse of vertues / whiche beÌ„ fouÌ„ded in sothefastnesse ¶ And this is the sothefastnesse and softenesse of swete ftoures That is to say / the recormacyon of my mynysters / and curates ¶ Not for that fruyte of this spouse that is to say of the chyrche nedeth to be reformed / for the fruyte is not dystryed / and it is neuerthelesse / by the defautes of the mynystres ¶ Thus thou / and thy ghostly fader / and my other seruauntes shall coye in aduersyte and bytternesse For I that am euerlastynge sothefastnesse / haue promysed to gyue to you refresshynge And after suche sharp'enesse and bytternesse / I shall comforte you in the reformacyon of holy chyrche / by'cause ye suffreÌ„ many contrarytes for my loue ¶ The .iiii. chapytre is how that the workynge of the blyssed soule of this mayde by that answere of oure lorde / bothe encreased and fayled in that bytternesse of her soule / and how that she made her prayer for his holy chyrche / and for his people / and of other maters iÌ„ the same chapyter / as it is rehersed to you before in the kalender Ca. iii. After this holy techynge of our lorde / the soule of this mayde was kyndeled and sore styred by a greate desyre in to the loue of god / takynge hede / and knowynge his plentuous charyte / whiche charyte with greate coÌ„forte swetenesse / ordeyned to make an answere to her petycyon / gyuynge a trust hope of remedy to her / whiche she desyred / whiche was to the bytternesse of her soule / whiche she had receyued for offences done to her maker / and for harme done to holy chyrche and for her owne mysery whiche she conceyued throwe knowledge of her selfe ¶ Whiche hope of remedy swaged that inwarde bytternesse / whiche she had conceyued ¶ And thaÌ„ was shewed to her by that euerlastynge fader / that was so offended / what waye of parfeccyoÌ„ they sholde vse / and do satysiaccyoÌ„ for theyr owne offences for theyr neyghbours / as shall be more clerly shewed after ¶ Ryght parfyte is the knowledge whiche a soule hathe of herselfe / by the whiche she knoweth her god the better / tyght well felynge the goodnesse of god in her / in the holy amyable myrtour / or beholdynge of god / she knoweth her owne vnworthynes / the hyghe worthynesse of her god whiche formed her and made her of noughâ—e / seynge well herselfe the ymage of god / not of dewte / but onely of specy all grace ¶ Also the beholdynge in the myrrour of the hyghe dyuyne goodnes / this soule knews her owne vnworthynesse / in to whiche vnworthynesse she fell / throwe her owne defaute and synne ¶ For ryght as a spotte / or fylthe in a maÌ„nes vysage / maye lyghtly be parceyued in a myrrour / so a soule whiche with a very knowyÌ„ge of herselfe she lyfted vp her entent and affeccyon by a feruent desyre / to beholde inwardly / with the eye of her ghostly intelleccyon / to se herselfe in the holy myrrour of god / by the whiche suparuysyon / she parceyued more thaÌ„ euer she dyd the foule spottes of her soule / throwe the greate purenesse / or clerenesse / whiche she had in the syght and knowynge of god ¶ And in asmoche as this coÌ„fortable knowynge and desyre / with an inwarde bytternesse / for offence to god / was greately knytte togyder within the foresayde soule / yet throwe the hope the whiche our lorde had put in her / the bytternesse and the mournynge was lassed decresed in her ¶ And ryght as a fyre encreseth whaÌ„ fuell is added therto / so the fyre of loue the whiche was oned to god / waxcd so greately iÌ„ her soule / that it had not ben possyble her lyfe to remayne with her body / but that the soule must passe fro the body / but that she was preserued with strengthe aboue nature / onely of hym of whome cometh all strengthe / or els she myght neuer haue scaped with the lyâ— hy possâ—byly te ¶ Therfore whaÌ„ this soule was thus puryfyed / with thefyre of the dyuyne charyte / whiche she founde in the knowynge of herselfe / and of ger god / and whan that holy desyre / with hope of mannes faluacyon / hope of resormacyon of holp chyrche was thus encresed in her / anâ—ne she lyfte vp her herte with a geete loue before the fader in heuen / whiche had shewed her the mysery of that worlde / and that foule iÌ„ fyrmyte of holy chyrche moche lyke to that worde of Moyses she spake to our lorde sayde thus ¶ My lorde tourne thy mercyfull eyes to thy people / and to the ghostly body of holy chyrche / for iÌ„ sparynge so manye creatures / in gyuynge theÌ„ the lyght of knowynge / moche that more thy name shall be gloryfyed of all thy creatures / the whiche sholden gyue presynges to the / parceyuyÌ„ge beholdyÌ„ge / how by thy endelesse goodnesse / they haue scapen frome the boÌ„des of deedly synnes / frome parpetuall paÌ„pnacyon ¶ And whaÌ„ they knowen what grace thou hase done to me a wretche the whiche so greatly haue offended thy maieste / and I knowledge me the most cause of al meÌ„nes synÌ„es ¶ Therfore lorde I praye thy dyuyne charyte / that thou take no grefe with me / spare thy peple / I shal neuer go fro the presence tyll I se that haue merey on thy peple ¶ What were it to me to haue â—yte to se thy peple haue deth / or that derkenesse sholde aryse â—â— thy spouse holy chyrche / whiche is the pryncypall lyght / for my defautes / for other defautes of thy creatures ¶ Therfore lorde my
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
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 ¶
is somoche / that they maye not desyre nor wyll ony goodnesse / but alwaye they dyspysen me with blasphemyÌ„ge And wyll thou knowe why they haue no appetyte nor desyre to goodnes / for that lyfe of a maÌ„ whaÌ„ it is deed that fre choyse to good or yll is coÌ„streyned / and fro that tyme passed / they maye go no forther ¶ Yf they dyen in hatered with deedly synÌ„e / alway after the soule is bounde with the boÌ„des of hatered / of that dyuyne ryghtwysenes / he abydeth obstynate iÌ„ the peyne that he suffreth / alway fretyÌ„ge hyÌ„selfe with peynes / whiche beÌ„ added encresed to hyÌ„ / fro tyme to tyme. ¶ And specyally they beÌ„ partyners of theyr peynes / of whom they wereÌ„ the pryÌ„cypal cause of theyr daÌ„pnacyoÌ„ as the ryche man that was dampned gaue you ensample / whan he asked for grace / that Lazarus sholde go iÌ„ to the worlde to his brederne for to shewe them his cruell peynes ¶ He asked not for compassyoÌ„ / nor for charyte that he had to his brederne / for he was pryued of that compassyon and of charyte ¶ And he myght desyre no goodnesse / nother to my worshyppe / nor to theyr helthe for as I sayde to the they may do no good to theyr neyghbour ¶ Me they blasfeme / bycause they dydé ende theyr lyues in hatered of me / in hate of vertues ¶ Why does thou aske thaÌ„ the ryche maÌ„ that Lazarê° sholde shewe to his brederne / what peynes he suffred this was the cause for that ryche man had many brederne / he was the oldest of theÌ„ / he noryshed theÌ„ in synne and wretchydnesse / in the whiche he was vsed alwaye hymselfe / wherfore he was cause of theyr daÌ„pnacyon parpetual / for whiche cause he sawe before what encrese of peynes he sholde suffre / whaÌ„ they wereÌ„ comen to tourmeÌ„tes to hym / in whiche peynes euermore they frete theÌ„selfe with hatered ¶ Of the blysse ioy of chosen soules IN the contrarywyse a ryghtfull soule / the whiche endeth her lyfe in affeccyon of charyte and is kâ—yte with the bonde of loue / maye not be encresed in vertues / after the tyme her lyfe is passed ¶ But suche a soule maye alwaye loue / with the same loue that she cometh to me / with the same mesure / she shall be mesured agayne ¶ He that coueteth me / alway hathe me / wherfore his desyre is not voyde / but whan he hathe me / he is fylled with repleccyon ¶ And whan he is replete / yet he is made hongry for desyre / but werynesse is fer tro repleccyon / and peyne is ferre frome suche hongre ¶ With loue they Ioye togyder / in the euerlastyÌ„ge syght of me / and to be partetakers of that I haue iÌ„ my selfe ¶ Euery soule as he hathe deserued / more or lesse that is to saye in the same mesure of loue / in the whiche they came to me / the very same shall be mesured to them / for al they dyden lyue in the loue of me / and of theyr neyghbours ¶ And so in that comyn charyte / with the whiche they were all ioyned togyder / and also with a specyall and a profounde loue the whiche cometh out of the bonde of the same charyte ¶ They beÌ„ in ioye togyder with gladnes / and they beÌ„ all made glad with ioye togyder / euery mannes goodnesse medled togyder the one with the other / with affeccyon of charyte besydes the vnyuersal goodnesse / the whiche they reioyce togyder ¶ They done ioye also with greate gladnesse / with the nature of angels / with the whiche angels / the soules of seyntes ben set after the multytude of dyuers vertues / whiche they hadden pryncypally beynge in the erthe / and all ben knytte togyder with chayne of charyte / the whiche maye not be dyssolued ¶ Also they ioye with them in a synguler partycypacyoÌ„ of blys with whome they were knyte togyder with a partyculer loue in that worlde ¶ Throwe the whiche loue they dyden encrese here in grace vertues whaÌ„ one gaue cause to an other / to shewe to gyue laude glory to my holy name / in theÌ„ in theyr neyghbours ¶ Therfore they losen not that same loue / whan they comen to the lyfe that shall euer endure ¶ But rather they haue that same / and parte togyder / with moche more plente of loue / thaÌ„ they dyd here ¶ And whaÌ„ they haue this specyall gyfte / whiche is added for encrese of theyr blys I wolde not that you suppose / that they shold haue this partyculer onely for theÌ„selfe / it is not so ¶ For that same goodnes is had of all the holy soules in heuen / whiche be my dere beloued chosen chyldren / of all the courte / of all the ordres of angels ¶ Therfore whan a soule is come to that blys of euerlastynge lyfe / all that be there / shall haue parte of the goodnes of that soule / that soule hathe parte of theyr goodnesse and blys that be in heuen ¶ But not so that the soules nede ony araye / but thou shall vnderstonde that they haue a maner of gladnesse / a synguler ioy whiche is called Iubâ—lus that is to saye a soule of a glad songe / whiche may not be tolde by worde nor shewed by sowne of voyce ¶ For gladdenes ioye / whiche ioye they haue by the knowynge whiche they had in suche a soule ¶ They beholde suche a soule take vp frome the erthe by my mercy with pleÌ„tuousnes of grace ¶ Also they ioye togyder in me / be glad in the possessyon of goodnes / that they knowe in that soule / for that grace / the whiche the soule receyued of my goodnes ¶ That same soule is glad in me / in the holy spyrytes / in the blyssed soules in heuen / beholdynge in theÌ„ that fayre heed / and tastynge the swetenes of my charyte ¶ And the desyre of theÌ„ crye alwaye to me / for the sauynge of al before my maieste for that lyfe of theÌ„ was ended / in that charyte of theyr neyghboure ¶ That charyte they lefte not / but with that charyte they dyd pas throwe the gate of my dere sone / in the maner that I shall tell the afterwarde ¶ Wherfore thou maye well conceyue that with that bonde of that same loue / wherin they dydde ende theyr lyfe / in that same they dwel abyd / euerlastyÌ„gely they endure ¶ They be somoche ê¯formed to my wyll / that they maye not desyre / but that is my wyll ¶ For theyr fre choyse is so bouÌ„de with the bonde of my charyte / that whan the reasonable tyme of a creature / fayleth after his deth he maye nomore synne ¶ And his wyll is somoche coÌ„formed with my wyll / that thoughe they se knowe the soules of theyr fader and moder of
is asmoche / as the poynte of an nelde and no more / and so passeth the labour with the tyme / for pacyeÌ„tly they suffre and passe throwe the actuall sharpenesse of the thornes / and it toucheth not the hertes / for theyr hertes drawe out fro them that is to say fro the drede of sharpnesse / throwe the sensyble loue that is put in me / and confyrmed throwe desyre of loue ¶ Than the sothefastnesse is / that suche that passen pacyently the sharpenesse of the thorne / that they tasten the lyfe that shall laste / takynge in this lyfe a token / or an ernest / or a sykernesse of that euerlastynge lyfe ¶ Whan they stonde in the water / they bathen them not / whan they passen by the thornes / they fele not the sharpenes ¶ For with all theyr besynesse they soughte me / whiche am souerayne goodnes ¶ And this they haue soughte / wher it is pleynly fouÌ„de the is to say iÌ„ the worde of my onely begoten sone ¶ Of euyll that cometh of blyndenesse of the eye of intellecyon / and how good dedes done out of the state of grace / auayleth not to the euerlastynge lyfe THis I purpose to declare the / bycause thou sholde knowe it the better ¶ Also I haue declared to the how they taste the ernest of sykernesse of hell / of the whiche maner meÌ„ I haue tolde you they ben dysceyued ¶ Now I shal tell the how sorowe cometh to them and how they receyueÌ„ the ernest or sykernesse of hell ¶ And that is / for throwe theyr vntruthe that cometh of theyr owne propre loue / the eye of the intelleccyon is blyÌ„ded ¶ For ryght as all sothefastnes is purchased and wonne mith the lyght of feythe / ryght so lesynge and dysceyte beÌ„ get had with vntruthe ¶ I speke of vntruthe and of infydelyte / of them that haue receyued the holy baptym / in the whiche baptym the lyghte was impressed to the eye of the intelleccyon ¶ And whan the tyme of dyscrecyon was come / yf they haue excersyce in vertues / they kepe the lyght of feythe / and brynge forthe vertues of lyfe / fruyte to theyr neyghbour ¶ For ryght as a woman bryngeth forthe and bereth a quycke sone / and yeldeth that quycke sone to her spouse ryght so they that kepe the lyght of feythe gyueÌ„ to me vertues of lyfe / whiche am the spouse of the soule ¶ These other the whiche kepeÌ„ not the lyght of feythe / worke the coÌ„traty / for whaÌ„ they come to the tyme of dyscrecyoÌ„ / in whiche tyme they sholde vse the lyght of feythe bryÌ„ge forthe vertues with the lyf of grace / thaÌ„ bryÌ„ge they forthe deed soules they beÌ„ deed for all theyr dedes beÌ„ deed / whaÌ„ they beÌ„ indeedly synne / as to to the waye of sanacyoÌ„ ¶ And yf the lyght of feythe be takeÌ„ away fro theÌ„ / yet they haue the forme of the sacrament of baptym / but they haue no lyghte / for the lyght is taken awaye by a derke cloude of synne / the whiche is cause of theyr propre loue / whiche synne couereth the rouÌ„de blacke in the eye / by the whiche he had syght ¶ For suche it is layd feythe wtout werkes is deed / wherfore ryght as a deed man whiche seeth not / so the ghostly eye seeth not / whaÌ„ that is couered the gyueth lyght ¶ Also he knoweth not / that he hathe no beyÌ„ge of hyÌ„selfe ¶ Also he knoweth not his owne defautes / nor my goodnesse that I do to hym / of the whiche goodnes he had his beynge all other grace aboue hym ¶ So that whan he knoweth nother me / nor hyÌ„selfe / he hathe not his owne propre sensualyte / but he loueth it seketh it to make a way to his appetyte ¶ And so he bryngeth forthe deed chyldren of many deedly synnes / and me he loueth not / and whaÌ„ he loueth not me / he loueth not that that I loue / that is his neyghbour ¶ And he hathe no maner lykyÌ„ge to worke nor yet to do that is plesynge to me that is to saye to do vertues / whiche pleseth me to se theÌ„ done in you / not for my profyte / for ye maye not profyte me / for I am he that haue beynge / and nothynge is done with out me / saue synÌ„e whiche is nought in hymselfe / for it taketh fro me the soule ¶ Wherfore it â—elyteth me for your profyte / that I may haue you nombred in my euerlastynge lyfe ¶ And thus as thou sees euedently the feythe of that other party is deed / for it is without good werkes / and the werkes that they done / done not profyte to them / as to the euerlastyÌ„ge lyfe / for they haue not the lyfe of grace ¶ Neuerthelesse it is not to leue of good werkes / whether they be done with grace or without grace ¶ For there is no good dedes vnrewarded nor the euyll dedes vnpunyshedde ¶ Good dedes those ben done in the state of grace / without the infeccyon deedly synne / they done gyue to hym the lyfe euerlastyÌ„ge ¶ And al those good dedes that ben done in deedly synne / they done not profyte to hym to haue the euerlastynge lyfe ¶ Neuerthelesse in dyuers maners it is rewarded / as I haue sayde before ¶ Wherby sometyme I gaue them tyme of repentaunce / or els I impresse them in the mynde of my seruauntes and in theyr prayers / throwe whose prayers / they voyde theÌ„ fro theyr synnes ¶ Somtyme whan they ben not rewarded with tyme of abydynge / nor with the prayers of my seruauntes / for the lacke of grace / with suche other / they ben rewarded than with temporall prosperyte / or with temporall thynges and make of theym as of beestes to be made fatte in the flesshe / so those wretched and ryght synfull men the whiche alwaye haue ben contrary to my wyll / haue done good werkes / not in the state of grace / but in deedly synne / whan they woldeÌ„ not in theyr workynge receyue prayers nor other ghostly helpes nor socours with the whiche helpe I haue called them to grace in the tyme y they were repreuable / throwe theyr defautes ¶ Than of my goodnes my wyll is to yelde them and rewarde them / in temporall thynges / there they ben wretchydly made fat / and yf they ameÌ„de not theyrselfe / they gone to euerlastynge derkenesse and peyne ¶ Therfore doughter se how they beÌ„ dysceyued who dysceyueth theÌ„ They themselfe They cal themselfe the lyghte of very feythe / and gone as blynde men gropynge cleuyÌ„ge to that they touche / bycause they se no thynge but with a blynded eye whiche is set by affeccyoÌ„ / iÌ„ passynge thynges and vanytes ¶ Therfore they ben dysceyued done as fooles whiche onely done beholde that golde not the venyÌ„ ¶ Therfore knowe thou for certayne that worldely vanytes that ben take
/ and than also I fulfyll theyr desyre shewynge openly to the syghte of the eye of theyr vnderstondynge / my sone Ihesu ¶ Otherwhyle they do serche me in the mekenesse of the holy ghost / thaÌ„ my endelesse goodnesse maketh them to taste the breÌ„nynge fyre of my dyuyne charyte / and also maketh them to conceyue very ryall vertues / grouÌ„ded iÌ„ the pure charyte of neyghbourhode ¶ The fyfte chapyter telleth how god sheweth hymselfe somtyme to a soule that loueth hym ¶ Also why cryste sayde not Ego manifestabo c. I shall shewe my fader / but he sayde / I shall shewe myselfe what maner of gouernaunce a soule shall kepe / that she maye come vp to the seconde gree of the holy brydge ¶ And of other maters / as it is rehersed before in the kaleÌ„der Ca. v. IN this wyse than maye the clerely comprehende and parceyue the truthe / after the sayenge of my sothefast sone Ihesu / wher he saythe thê° / he that loueth me / he shall be one with me ¶ For al the shewe his doctryne / be made one with hym / by the affeccyoÌ„ of loue ¶ And lyke as ye be one in hym / so be ye one iÌ„ me / for he and I be but one togyder in substauÌ„ce / and so shewe I me to you / for we be all one ¶ Neuerthelesse yf my sothefaste sone had sayde to you thus / I shal shewe you me the fader / he had sayd sothe / for yf he shewe hymselfe he sheweth me / and yf he shewe me he sheweth hyÌ„selfe ¶ But why sayd he not / I shall shewe you my fader onely ¶ Truly for thre maner causes ¶ One is this / bycause he wolde it were knowe that I am not departed fro hym / nor he fro me / and therfore it was that he sayde to seynt Phylyp / that asked of hym thus ¶ Lorde shewe vs thy fader / it is ynoughe to vs ¶ Phylyp he sayde / he that seeth me / seeth my fader / this was truly sayde / for he was one with me / that he had he had onely of me / and not I of hym ¶ And that was the cause that he sayde to the Iewes thus ¶ My doctryne is not my doctryne / but his doctryne that sende me in to this worlde / that is my fader ¶ Thê° by this cause my ryght swete onely sothefast sone cometh fro me / not I fro hym ¶ And he he sayeth also we be all one / therfore it was that he sayde not / I shal not shewe you my fader / but he sayde / I shall shewe you me / that is bycause I am one / and the same with my fader ¶ The seconde cause was / in asmoche as he shewed you hymselfe / he shewed to you no other / than he had of me his fader as thoughe he sayde thus my fader hathe shewed me hymselfe / bycause we be one ¶ Therfore I shall shewe you my fader and me / by medyacyon of myselfe ¶ The thyrde cause was / for I that am inuysyble / may not be seen of you that ben vysyble / but whan ye be departed oute fro youre deedly bodyes / thaÌ„ all ye shall se me face to face / and my sothefast sone Ihesu cryst intellectually / vnto that tyme of the generall resurreccyon ¶ Therfore now as I am / ye may not se me for this cause I haue hyd couered my dyuyne nature / by the veyle of your humanyte / that ye myght so se that is inuysyble as vysyble ¶ As thoughe I gyue you dwellynge amonge you my sothefaste sone Ihesu / couered in the vayle of youre maÌ„hode ¶ And soo he sheweth me to you / therfore he sayde not / I shall shew you my fader / but he sayde I shall shewe you me ¶ As thoughe he meÌ„t thus / lyke as my fader hathe gyuen it to me / so shall I shewe me to you ¶ Thus thou maye knowe that in this sheweynge of me / he shewed hymselfe ¶ Aud thus thou hase lerned why he sayd not / I shal shewe you my fader that is thus bycause it is vnpossyble to you for you to se me in this deedly body as it is sayde before / and also bycause he is one with me ¶ And here after shall be shewed what maner of gouernaunce a soule shall kepe / how she shall ascende vp to the seconde gre of the holy brydge NOw thou knowes in what maner of excellence he dwelleth / that cometh to the degre of the loue of a frende / suche one goeth vpon his fete of affeccyon / and so cometh to the pryue secretes of the herte / that is fro the fyrste grees / to the seconde be fygured in the body of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu ¶ I tolde the that those thre grees were betokened or marked in that thre myghtes of the soule / betokenynge pryncypally / the thre states of the soule ¶ Now therfore or that he come to the thyrde gree / I shall shewe the how he shal come to be a dere freÌ„de ¶ And after tyme he is comeÌ„ to be a dere freÌ„de to me / anone he is made a chylde of my loue that he hathe to me / and I to hym / as to my owne dere chylde ¶ But fyrste how that he worketh whaÌ„ he is made a freÌ„de / I shall tell it to the. ¶ At the begynnyÌ„ge he was vnparfyte / by seruyle drede / and by the parseuerauÌ„te vse of the same drede / he came to the loue of ghostly delectacyon / fyndynge in me comforte and auauntage of his owne profyte ¶ In sothe this is the waye / and this waye he muste geâ— that wyll come parfytely to parfyte loue of a dere chylde and of a frende ¶ Why is that loue parfyte ¶ Truly for he receyueth my herytage / in the loue of my sothefast sone Ihesu ¶ And bycause the loue of adere sone is not wtout the loue of adere freÌ„de / and therfore I sayde to the / that of a dere freÌ„de / cometh a dere chylde ¶ But what maner of gouernauÌ„ce muste he holde / that shall come to this parfeccyon / I shall tell the ¶ Euery parfeccyon and euery vertu / cometh oute of charyte / and charyte is nouryshed of mekenes / mekenesse cometh out of knowlege and of holy hate of hymselfe / that is of his owne sensualyte and his very propre wyll ¶ And for to come to this a man muste abyde parseuerauÌ„tly / and dwelle in the Cell of his owne knowlege ¶ In the whiche knowlege of hymselfe / he shall fynde my mercy in the blode of my sothefaste sone Ihesu drawynge to hym by holy desyre my dyuyne charyte / and also by excersysynge hymselfe in dystroyeÌ„ge al maner of wycked wylles bothe spyrytuall and temporall / hydynge hymselfe iÌ„ his owne house / as Peter and other dyscyples dyd / the whiche Peter after
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 /
and otherwhyle they knowe well that they be deuylles incarnate by coÌ„dycyoÌ„ / they sende them to monasteryes of Nunnes / to suche as be incarnate deuylles as they be / and so one distroyeth the other with many subtyltes and dysceytes ¶ The begynnyÌ„ge of theÌ„ is set in colour of deuocyon / but bycause theyr lyuynge is wantayne wretched / it stondeth not coloured longe with deuocyon / but anone the the fruytâ— of theyr deuocyon is shewed ¶ Fyrite they seme to be floures of stynkynge dyshonest thoughtes / with corrupte leues of wordes / and so with wretchyd maners they fulfyll theyr desyres ¶ The fruyte that foloweth theron / thou knowes well they be but leues / ofte tymes they be come so ferforthe â—hat eche of theÌ„ go out of relygyon / he foloweth her ouer all / and she is made a comune woman ¶ Of all these wyckednesses many mo / prelates be the cause / for they regarde not theyr subiectes but they gyue them large leue / for they themselfe sende them thyder / yet they feyne for to se theyr wretchedness / and bycause also the subiecte hadde no delyte of hymselfe / thus on bothe the partes foloweth dethe ¶ Thy tonge maye not tell to many defautes as they offende me with / for they be made the deuylles armure / and with theyr câ—â—sed lyuyÌ„ge they enuenyme bothe within and without / without they enuenyme ymoÌ„ge seculers / within they enuenyme ymoÌ„ge relygyous / they be depryued fro charytable brother heed / and eche of them wyll be more than other and greater than other / and eche of theÌ„ wyll haue more thaÌ„ other / and so they do agaynste the precepte and auowe that they haue made ¶ They haue made a vowe for to kepe theyr order and they breke it and not onely that they kepe it not / but they do as hongry wolues do ymoÌ„ge shepe / they that wyl kept theyr ordre / them they deryde and scorne / and suche wretches thynke with suche parscucyoÌ„s and scornes that they do to good relygyous people / whiche kepe the order for to couer theÌ„ selfe / and they dyscouer themselfe the more / and therfore moche myschefe falleth in the orcharde of holy relygyon ¶ The relygyon in it selfe is holy / for it is grounded by the holy ghoste / and therfore the order in hyÌ„selfe maye not be dysceyued / nor corrupte by the defaute of the subiecte ¶ Wherfore he that wyll entre in to relygyon sholde not beholde to them that be euyll / but he sholde rowe forthe vnder the wynges and fynnes of relygyon / kepynge the same relygyon after the fyrste entente to his power vnto the dethe / but yf he be seke or dyseased ¶ I sayde to the also that relygyon is come in to suche a coÌ„dycyon by euyll prelates and euyll subiectes / that he whiche wolde kepe the ordre fully / semeth to mysculed relygyous people in the same coÌ„gregacyon / that he breketh the order / in asmoche as he foloweth not theyr waÌ„tayne maner of lyuynge in cerymonyes and other maner of dysportes suche as they haue ordeyned ymonges them / and they wyll kepe the cerymonyes for to please seculers / so to hyde theyr defautes ¶ Thus thou maye se that the fyrste voue that they make to kepe theyr order they fulfyll not / of the whiche obedyence I shal tel that iÌ„ another place ¶ They make also a voue for to kepe wylfull pouerte / and euer for to lyue chaste and contynent / how trowes thou that these be kepte ¶ Se theyr possessyons and abundaunce of monye that they kepe pryuyly / departed fro the comune charyte / not comunynge with theyr brederne / nor partyÌ„ge nother temporall substaunce / nor ghostly substaunce / as the order of charyte dothe aske / and also theyr owne order ¶ They wyl no mo make fatte but themselfe and theyr beestes / and one beest noryshehe another / but his poore broder dyeth for honger and colde / and after tyme he is wel fodered and noryshed and hathe greate feestes / he thyÌ„keth not on his poore broder / nor he wyl not ete with hym at the poore table of the trayter / his delyte is for to stonde there where he maye fulfyll his luste with glotony ¶ It is vnpossyble to suche one / for to fulfyll kepe the thyrde voue of contynence / for a full wombe maketh no chaste soule / but wantaynly they go with mysruled lustes / and so they do walke fro euyll to worse / moche myschefe falleh ymonge them for kepynge of that properte / for yf they hadde not for to spende / they wolde neuer lyue vnordynately / nor they sholde neuer haue suche curyous frendeshyppes / for yf they had not for to gyue / they sholde neuer haue loue nor freÌ„deshyp of seculers or of men of the worlde / whiche frendeshyppe is grounded for loue of the gyfte / and for a maner delyte and pleasauÌ„ce that one taketh of an other / and not of the pure and parfyte charyte ¶ O wretches so set in so grete wretchednesse / of me you be set in so greate dygnyte / they fle fro the quere as they tasted venyme therin ¶ And yf they stonde therin / they crye with theyr voyces / ut theyr hertes be fer fro me / to go to that masse they haue it of custome withoute ony dysposycyon / as thoughe they sholde go to the meet ¶ All these euylles and many mo / of whome I shall no more tell the / bycause it shal not make foule thy ere 's / nor to folowe the vyle / vngracyous / and wycked prelates / the whichâ— do neuer ameÌ„ede / nother correcke nor punyshe the stynkynge defautes of theyr subiectes / nor yet they haue no fere / nor they be no louers nor well wyllyÌ„ge that theyr order sholde be kepte / in asmoche as they themselfe do not kepe theyr order / but rather breke it as I haue sayd before ¶ They wyl gladly laye vpon the heedes yf them the whiche wolde kepe the order / heuy stones of ryght greate preceptes and coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes / punyshynge them of trespases / that neuer they were gylty in ¶ And all this they do bycause in them shyneth not the ghostly Margaryte precyous stone of ryghtewysenesse / but of vnryghtwysenesse / therfore vnryghtwysely they gyue to theym that deserue grace and benyuolence / penaunce hate ¶ To suche as be the deuylles lymmes by mysruled lyuynge / they commytte bothe offyces and states of the ordre for as blynde they lyue and as blynde they gyue offyces / and thus they gouerne theyr subiectes / and yf they correcke them not and them amende or that they dye / with the same blyndenesse / they shal go to derkenesse of endelesse dampnacyon ¶ And yet they must nedes to me endelesse Iudge / yelde a rekenynge of the soules of theyr subiectes ¶ Ryghte euyll shall they gyue to me a
all this / they wolde not make thē a god therof ¶ What thynge hathe wtdrawe fro thē this knowlege ¶ Certayne pryde / of all suche I haue made incarnate deuyls / I ordeyned them for angels / that they sholde be erthely angels as in this lyfe / they fall fro the heyghte of heuē / to the depenes of derkenesse ¶ And in so moche is the derkenesse of thē encreased / that other whyle they fal to defaute / as I shal tel the after ¶ Ther be some īcarnate deuyls that feyne ofte tymes to cōsecrate and they do not consecrate for fere of my Iudgement / and also bycause they wolde do away fro thē all maner drede / and the brydell of theyr euyl dedes ¶ For they ryse not by the morowe fro vnclennesse / and at euen fro mysse ruled etynge and drȳkȳge / yet they thynke it is ryght nedefull for to satysfy the people for to say masse / not wtstōdȳge the people do consyder theyr wyckednesse that is to saye they thynke they sholde not so soone by good conscyence saye masse / for fere drede of my Iudge mētes ¶ Sees thou not dere doughter how blynde they be / they renne not to cōtrycyō of herte / and dysplesaūce of theyr defautes / for to amēde thē ¶ But they go boldely to masse / as for a remedy to satysfaccyon of the people not for to consecrate but for to saye masse / for to ouerpasse at consecracyon the wordes of consecracyon / consyderynge nothynge that the laste erroure and defaute is more that by moche than the fyrste / bycause he maketh the people to do ydolatry / makynge them to do worshyp to an hoste vnconsecrate / as they wolde do to the very body and blode of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / all god and all man ¶ For that that they worshyppe is very bredde / sees thou not what abhomynacyon here is / how greate my pasyence is the dothe suffre them / yf suche one amende hȳ not / he maye loke after sharpe dāpnacyon at the daye of Iudgement ¶ But nowe what sholde that people do that they fall not in to suche incōuenyence / they sholde praye with cōdycyō thus whā they be in doubte ¶ Yf this mynyster haue sayde that he sholde saye / I byleue that thou arte goddes sone on lyue / gyuen to me to my ghostly lyuelod fro the fyre of thy meruaylous charyte / in the mynde of thy swete passyon where thou shedde thy blode for to wasshe vs fro oure synnes / yf they do thus they shall so worshyp veryly me though the mynyster haue wretchedly synned ī doynge ther they shold not do ¶ O ryght swete doughter who wtholdeth the erthe that it maye not swalowe thē quycke / who wtholdeth my myght / that it myght make thē vnmouable that they may be deed ymages for theyr cōfusyō before all the people ¶ Certayne my mercy / I holde myselfe that is with my mercy I holde my dyuyne ryghtwysenesse / that they may be ouercome by strēgthe of mercy / but they as deuyls obstynate wyll not knowe this nor se my mercy / for they thynke they sholde haue it of dewte / what that euer they haue of me / so they be blyndefelde for they se not that they haue it of grace onely / but of dewte ¶ Of many other defautes / the whiche do come of pryde of a mannes owne propre loue ALl this haue I tolde the that thou maye haue the more cause of waylynge and compassyon of theyr blyndenesse / so for to se them stonde in state of dampnacyon / also that thou may the better knowe my mercy / so for to truste therin / and for to receyue therof greate sykernesse / offrynge the same mynysters of holy chyrche and all the worlde to me askynge mercy for theym / and the more sorowfull and delectable desyres thou offers to me fro them / the more thou shewes thy loue that thou hase to me / for that same profyte the whiche thou maye not do me / nor none of my seruauntes / the same ye sholde shewe to me by the meane of them / and thā shal I forgyue so cōstrayned of your desyres / by pepynge and by prayenge bothe of the and other of my seruauntes / and also haue ruthe of my spouse holy chyrche / reformȳge her with good and holy curates / that by suche reformacyon of good curates / wycked subiectes maye be correcked / for the euylles that be done by euyll subiectes / wycked curates be the cause / for yf they were amended and in them dyd shyne the ghostly Margaryte stone of ryghtwysenesse with holy and honest lyuynge / they wolde not do so / and wyll thou knowe what is the cause of suche wretched lyuynge / that one foloweth so another in lyuynge / bycause the subiectes be not obedyent / for whā the prelate was a subiecte / he was not obedyent to his prelate / therfore he receyueth of his subiectes / suche as he gaue to his soueraynes / badde is that one / and badde is that other ¶ Of all this / and of all other defautes pryde is the cause / grounded in theyr owne propre loue ¶ The subiectes were vncūnynge proude / moche more is the souerayne vncūnynge proude / and ther is so grete ygnoraunce vncunnynge ymōge the prelates / and they he so blynde / that they wyll gyue the order of prestheed to a man that is an ydyot / whiche can vnneth rede saye his seruyce / and oftentymes of theyr ygnoraūce / suche preestes be made that can not say the wordes of the sacramēt / and so of this cometh that defaute / whiche is rehersed before / that they cōsecrate not ¶ And there as suche prelates sholde chose wysemē groūded in vertues / and that couthe vnderstonde suche as they dyd rede / they do all the cōtrary / for they take no hede of theyr cunnynge / nor to that dyscrete age of them / but of lust they make chyldren and not sadde men / nor they do not take hede of that good pure lyuynge that they sholde haue / nor of the dygnyte and mystery to the whiche they be chosen / but onely for to multyply people and not vertuous they themselfe be blynde they gader togyder the blyndenesse / and they cōsyder not that I of that shall aske a rekenȳge at the daye of Iudgemente ¶ Yet they do more / for whā they haue so made blynde preestes / anone they commytte to them cure of soules / and they se well they can not gouerne themself / and yet they make them gouernoures of other ¶ And thus the shepe that do lacke a trewe shepeherde / whiche sholde take hede to them and that couthe lede thē the ryght waye lyghtly they peryshe oftentymes be all to rent and deuoured of wolfes / bycause the shepeherde is wycked / he recketh
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
in delyces / rychesse / states of that worlde / but my owne loue coÌ„strayneth me / for I loued you or that ye loued me / I loued you meruaylously / that it is whiche coÌ„strayneth me / also the prayers of my seâ—uauÌ„tes / by the mylde mekenes of that holy ghost / that mynystreth to theÌ„ the worshyp of me loue of theyr neyghbours / by the whiche they serche helth of theyr soules with meruaylous charyte / besyenge theÌ„ to please me / and to bynde my hoÌ„des of dyuyne ryghtewysenesse whiche a wycked maÌ„ deserued to haue / thus I am coÌ„strayned with meke waylynge coÌ„tynuall prayer ¶ Who maketh theÌ„ so for to crye ¶ My prouydeÌ„ce / for I prouyded to the nede of this deed creature / iÌ„ asmoche as it is sayde of me thus Nolo morteÌ„ c. I wyll not the the dethe of a synner / but I wyl that he be tourned lyue ¶ In thy soule also dere doughter thou sees my prouydeÌ„ce / yf thou opeÌ„ the eye of thy soule / that wycked meÌ„ whiche ly iÌ„ so greate mysery / that be made stynkynge fylthe of dethe / derke by wantynge of lyght of grace / for they go syÌ„gyÌ„ge laughynge speÌ„dynge theyÌ„r tyme with vanytes / in delyces / in greate vnhonestes / waÌ„tayne in all thynges / greate glotoÌ„s / eters dryÌ„kers so ferforth that of theyr wombes they make theyr god / with hate / raÌ„coure / pryde / they go also with all wretchednesse as I haue tolde the in another place they do not knowe theyr owne astate / for they walke in suche awaye that wyll brynge theÌ„ to the dethe euerlastynge / but yf they ameÌ„de them in theyr lyuynge go more warely ¶ It were a greate foly for a maÌ„ that were coÌ„deÌ„pned to the dethe to go syngynge dauÌ„syng as he gothe by the way towarde his dethe / shold it not as thou thynkes yes certayne ¶ In suche foly ben suche wretches / in somoche the more wtout ony coÌ„paryson that they receyue more harme thaÌ„ they that is peyne of the dethe of soule whiche is more thaÌ„ the peyne of the body / suche lose that lyfe of grace / they but lyfe of body / such receyue endeles peyne / they but peyne that is fynyte / thus they dye in state of daÌ„pnacyoÌ„ / they go thyder syngynge / blynde / fooles / fooles aboue all other fooles / my seruauÌ„tes be in the state of waylynge wepiÌ„ge / in afflyccyon tourmeÌ„t of body iÌ„ holy wakynges / in coÌ„tynuall prayer with syghynges sobbyÌ„ges / makyÌ„ge theyr bodyes lene for the helthe of theyr soules ¶ But suche syngers as be rehersed before / they scorne all suche and theyr owne scornes fal on theyr proper heeddes / whan they be in peyne / to them that labour for the loue of me / shall be gyueÌ„ fruyte of theyr labour in the blysse of heueÌ„ / whiche my owne endeles goodnes haue made hyÌ„ for to dyscerne / for I god the fader am ryghtwyse / that yelde to eche after his labour / but sothely my seruauÌ„tes cesse not / nother for ê‘secucyoÌ„s / scornes / nor vnkyndenes of theÌ„ / but rather they encrese in more desyre ghostly excercyse ¶ Who maketh this that they knocke with so greate hoÌ„ger at the gate of my mercy ¶ My ê“uydeÌ„ce that maketh me prouyde to that helthe of these wretches / to encrese vertu the fruyte of loue charyte in seruauntes ¶ These maners of my prouydences be infynyte whiche I vse in the soule of a synner / that I myghte therby drawe hym out fro that trespas of deedly synÌ„e ¶ Now shall I speke to the of suche that be rysen fro synne / what my prouydeÌ„ce dothe in theÌ„ / yet be vnparfyte / I shall not declare that agayne by repetycyon the state of the soule / for therof I haue told the by order / but shortli somwhat shall I saye yt. ¶ Of the prouydeÌ„ce whiche god vseth ordeyneth / for theÌ„ that be vnparfyte in loue Wyll thou knowe dere doughter what maner I vse for to arayse an vnê‘fyte soule fro her imê‘feccyoÌ„ / other whyle I ê“uyde to her of many dyuers thoughtes / brynge hre somtyme in to baraynes of soule / oftetymes it semeth to suche that be forsake of me vtterly / for they fele nothyÌ„ge ghostly / they thynke they be not in the worlde / outtake that they fele this / that his wyll wyll not offeÌ„de me / this gate of wyll whiche is fre / I wyll not suffer ghostly enemyes to vndo it / but yet I gyue theÌ„ leue bothe fendes other enemyes / that they maye smyte at al other gates / but not at this the whiche is the pryncypall gate / whiche kepeth the cytee of the soule / neuerthelesse the soule hathe a keper that is fre chose whiche dwelleth at that gate / for this cause I haue made fre chose keper of that gate / the after hyÌ„ the gate be opened / as he wyll so be it done or not done ¶ There be many gates loÌ„gynge to that cytee / but princypally there be .iij. of whome there is one whiche euer holdeth hyÌ„ closed shyt yf he wyl / is the keper of all the other gates / these iij. gates be these / myÌ„de / intelleccyon / wyl / but that specyal gate whiche I speke of is wyll / for yf wyll coÌ„sent thaÌ„ by that gate entreth the enemy of ê‘pre loue / other enemyes that folowe hyÌ„ / thaÌ„ intelleccyoÌ„ receyueth dethenesse / whiche is the enemy of lyght / the myÌ„de receyueth hate kepeth it / thyÌ„kynge vpon that iniuryes wroÌ„ges / whiche gate is the enemy of loue of charite of neyghbourheed ¶ It receyueth also kepeth delectacyoÌ„s of that worlde in dyuers maners / after dyuersyte of synnes / whiche be contrary to vertu ¶ After tyme that these gates be thus opened / the smal dores of the bodyly wyrtes be opened / whiche be instrumeÌ„tes answerynge to the soule / for thou knowes well the that mysruled affeccyoÌ„ of maÌ„ that hathe his gates open / answereth with these instrumeÌ„tes / whose workes be desyled / the eye of suche an vnordynate affeccyoÌ„ bryÌ„geth none other thyÌ„ge thaÌ„ dethe / for it seeth nothyÌ„ge els but deed thyÌ„ges vnordynately / where he sholde not ¶ Suche vanyte of herte lyghtenes with other vnhonestes / is cause of ghostly dethe / bothe to hyÌ„ to other ¶ O wretched man the eye whiche I I haue gyueÌ„ the for to beholde heueÌ„ other fayrenes of creatures for me so to se behold my mynysters / thou be holdes rather fylthe in wretchednes of lyuyÌ„ge / so wynnes dethe / in the same wyse the ere delyteth in dyshonest thynges / other to here the dedes of thy neyghbours by false domes / where I wolde thou herde me / the necessite of thy neyghbour
iÌ„ theyr goynge / al they acorde iÌ„ one maner of sowne for to serue theyr eueÌ„ crysteÌ„ for glory laude of my name / for to serue the soule with good / holy / vertuous workes for to answere as iÌ„strumeÌ„tes the obedyeÌ„t soule / they be ryght plesauÌ„t to the nature of angels / ryghte plesauÌ„t to very tasters / whiche abyde theÌ„ with greate loye / where one shall parte with the endelesse good of another / they also be plesaunte to the worlde whyther the worlde wyll or not wycked meÌ„ maye not / but that they must nedes fele of this plesauÌ„t sowne / yet many of them with that fysshynge hoke and with that instrumeÌ„t betake / that is they passe away fro dethe come to lyfe / all seyntes wroughten toke with that instrument ¶ The fyrste that sowned in the sowne of lyfe was my ryght swete ryght wel byloued sone / takynge vpon hyÌ„ youre manheed / with the whiche maheed oned to the godheed / he made a ryght swete sowne vpon the cros / so he toke the sone of maÌ„kynde fro that deuyll / the whiche he hadde so longe tyme kepte for his synÌ„e / all ye sholde folowe the doctryne of his mayster in youre best maner ¶ Of hym the apostels toke theyr doctryne / suyÌ„ge and sowynge his worde throughe all the worlde / Martyrs also Confessours / Doctours Vyrgyns / all by theyr maner of seynge ¶ Also the gloryous mayde Vrsula whiche sowned so swetely her instrument / that she caughte fyrste there with a .xi. thousande vyrgyns / after warde multyplyed the nombre meruaylously / bothe of them and of other with the same sowne ¶ In the same wyse thus do other / some in one wyse and some in another ¶ Who is cause of this ¶ Certayne my infynyte prouydence / whiche haue prouyded to gyue to them instrumentes / and also I gaue to them awaye and a maner / by the whiche they myght gyue sowne / and what that euer I gyue to them / or what that I do suffer for to fall to theÌ„ in this lyfe / it is to theÌ„ a way for to encrese theyr instrumeÌ„tes yf they wyll knowe it / that wyll do theyr lyghte awaye fro theÌ„ ¶ Wherwith se they ¶ Certayne with the cloude of theyr owne ê“per loue / with plesauÌ„ce of theyr owne conceyte ¶ The .iiii. chapyter is of the prouydeÌ„ce of god in generall that he vseth iÌ„ his creatures in this lyfe in the other ¶ Also of the prouydeÌ„ce of god for his poore seruauÌ„tes / helpige theÌ„ with teÌ„porall goodes / other maters as it is specyfyed in the kalender Ca. iiii DOughter thy herte shall be made larger / therfore open the eye of thy intelleccyon with the lyghte of feythe / for to beholde with what loue prouydeÌ„ce I haue made ordeyned maÌ„ / the is that he sholde Ioye iÌ„ me most souerayne endelesse good / for fully I haue prouyded for hym bothe in soule body as I haue tolde the bothe to vnparfyte parfyte / good euyll / ghostly or bodyly / in heueÌ„ iÌ„ erthe / iÌ„ this deedli lyfe also iÌ„ the lyfe of vndeedlynesse ¶ In this deedly lyfe as loÌ„ge as ye lyue here / I haue bouÌ„de you with the boÌ„de of charite why ther a maÌ„ wyll or no he is bouÌ„de in the same boÌ„de / yf he vnlose hyÌ„selfe fro affeccyoÌ„ / that is yf he be not in that charyte of his neyghbour / he is bouÌ„de of nede that bothe iÌ„ wyll dede he sholde vse charyte / yf ye lose it in your affeccyoÌ„ bycause of your wyckednesse / thaÌ„ be ye boÌ„de coÌ„strayned namely of nede for to vse it iÌ„ acte / for I haue not prouyded for to vse it to one maÌ„ alone / nor made eche man knowe the thynge whiche is spedefull for hym iÌ„ all his lyfe / but one hathe one thyÌ„ge of grace and another hathe another thyÌ„ge / that a maÌ„ may haue cause mater for veri nede / one to be enformed by another ¶ O this thou sees by ensample the a workemaÌ„ or a craÌ„ftymaÌ„ gothe for to lerne somthyÌ„ge of the tyller / the tyller of the craftymaÌ„ / so that one nedeth to be enformed of another / for the one can not do that the other can / in the same maner a clerke a relygy ous maÌ„ haue nede of seculers / seculers relygyous / for the one wtoute the other caÌ„ nothyÌ„ge do / thus of all other ¶ Myght I not gyue to euereÌ„ that that is nedefull ¶ Yes certayne / but I wolde with prouydeÌ„ce that one meked hyÌ„ to another mekely / that they shold be coacte by mekenesse eche of theÌ„ to vse togyder bothe acte affeccyoÌ„ of charyte ¶ I haue thus sheded iÌ„ theÌ„ my magnyfysence / my goodnesse / my prouydeÌ„ce / yet they suffer theÌ„selfe to be led in derkenes of theyr ê“per freylte / the lyÌ„mes of your body do you shame / for they vse charyte togyder not ye for whan the heed aketh the honde helpeth it / whaÌ„ the fynger whiche is the leest lyÌ„me suffereth ony peyne the heed is anyuyshed ther with thoughe it be the more worthy lyÌ„me of the bodye. ¶ In the same wyse euery lymme helpeth other with coÌ„passyon / bothe the eye heryÌ„ge with all other partes / so doth not a proude maÌ„ that seeth his pore lyÌ„mes seke feble / that is pore folke / and yet wtyl not helpe them in theyr nede / not onely with ony temporall good that he hathe / nor with the leest worde of his mouthe / but rather with lytell settynge by them repreuyÌ„ge them / he turneth his face fro them / he is ryche / and yet he suffereth hyÌ„ to dye for hoÌ„ger / but suche one seeth that his wretched cruelte casteth cruelte to me / so that his proude dedygnacyon descendeth done to the depenesse of hell / neuerthelesse yet I prouyde to that poore creature / to whome for the pouerte shall be rewarded in blys with endeles rychesse / and that proude wretche shall be sharply repreued of my onely sothefaste sone Ihesu / in suche wyse as the holy gospell saythe / but yf he amende hym or that he dye / it is wryten in the holy gospel thus O suriui noÌ„ dedistis michi maÌ„ducare c. I hoÌ„gred and ye gaue me no meet / I thrysted ye gaue me no drynke / I was naked ye coueÌ„red me not / I was seke and iÌ„ pryson ye came not to me / it shall no profyte be to hyÌ„ thaÌ„ in the laste daye for to excuse hym thus ¶ Lorde I sawe the neuer / for yf I hadde sene the / I wolde haue done al this to the. ¶ That wretche knoweth well that thus he seeth / that the whiche ye do to the lest of myne / ye do to me /
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