!CO
co
form
of perfect and
otber prose ^Treatises.
jform of perfect TLiving and
other Iptose treatises. BY
RICHARD ROLLE, OF HAMPOLE, A.D. 1300-1349.
RENDERED INTO MODERN ENGLISH BY
GERALDINE LECTURER
IN
HODGSON,
E.
EDUCATION
IN
LONDON
THOMAS BAKER,
72,
D.Lrrx.,
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL.
:
NEWMAN 1910.
LIBRARY
I
S
PRINTED BY W. ST.
C. HEMMONS, STEPHEN STREET,
BRISTOL.
Love
is
a
life,
joining together the loving
and the loved."
Truth
may
be without love, but
help without
it
cannot
it."
RICHARD ROLLE (The
Form
of Perfect Living, ch. x.).
V.
preface.
T
not intended for those
who
are acquainted with Anglo-Saxon
and
HIS book
is
Middle English
;
but for those who care for religious
and
devotional thought, of our forefathers.
My
the
thought,
specially
the
one aim has been to make a portion of that thought
accurately
intelligible
to
modern
readers, with the greatest possible saving of
trouble to them.
When
I
could use the old
word or phrase, with certainty I
understood, not,
I
have done
have replaced
equivalent
I
it
so.
of its being
When
I
could
with the best modern
could find or invent.
In ex-
tenuation of the occasional use of Rolle's vii.
viii.
preface. "
expression,
by
their lone," I
may
urge
its
expressiveness, the absence of an equivalent,
and the
fact that
may
it
Where
remote places.
be heard in
still
I
possible,
have
re-
tained the archaic order of the original Text
Such irregular constructions, as of a singular
sentence, I
have
pronoun
and
left
the use
in the first half of a
of a plural in the second half,
unaltered
;
for the
In short,
perfectly clear. to
e.g.,
.
make Richard
I
meaning was
have endeavoured
Rolle as he was as significant
as possible to English
to-day as they are,
men and women
when they
are not pro-
fessed students of English language.
an undertaking,
it is
obvious that
of
I
In such
must have
presented endless vulnerable places to the learned.
I
can only repeat that the book was
never meant for them, but for those will
perhaps forgive
me
if
I
describe
who them
ix.
preface.
as specialists in religious thought rather than in English
Language.
The rendering
is
made from
the texts
printed by Professor Horstman in his Library of Early English Writers
Richard Rolle of
:
Hampole an English Father
of the
GERALDINE The University, S.
Bristol,
Mary Magdalene,
1910.
E.
Church.
HODGSON.
Contents* PAGE. Preface
vii.
Introduction
The Form
.
.
the
.
.
.
xi.
.
.
.
.
I
(a Mirror of Discipline).
Arundel MS.)
On
Grace.
An
Epistle on Charity
Contrition
.
.
of Perfect Living
Our Daily Work (From
.
the
(From
.
.
.
Arundel MS.)
.
.
83
.
.
169 185
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
190
.
.
.
.
192
Scraps from the Arundel MS.
x.
.
Jntrobuction,
ROLLE
of
Hampole
is
the
RICHARD earliest in time of our famous English Born
Mystics.
1349,
about 1300, he died in
in or
seven years after Mother Julian of
Norwich was born.
Walter Hilton died
in
1392.
An given
exhaustive account of Rolle's Vol.
in
ii.
of
Professor
life
is
Horstman's
Edition of his works, a book unfortunately
out of print. in a brief
Benson's
"
The main
Life
A Book
"
facts are recorded
appended to Fr. R. Hugh
of the
fore, it will suffice to
Love
of
JESUS.
There-
say here that Richard
Rolle seems to have been born at Thornton,
near Pickering, in Yorkshire, in or about xi.
xii.
1300
3ntrofcuction.
;
that, finding the
atmosphere of Oxford
University uncongenial, he
left
some four years was supported,
by the Dalton Family. time,
through
self-denial,
of mystical dulcor,
prayer,
it,
and
for
as a hermit,
the end of that
By
and
contemplation
he had attained the three stages life
which he describes as
canor
(heat,
The next period
sweetness,
of his life
was
calor,
melody.) less
easy.
Having left the protection of the Daltons, and being without those means of subsistence
which are within the reach of priest
monk, this hermit depended for his daily bread on other men's kindness. Not that
or
he was a useless person utility of
counsel
a
life
and
:
apart from the
of Prayer, he could point to
exhortation
given
;
existence of converts consequent ministrations.
To add
to
the
upon
his
to his difficulties, he
preached a doctrine of high pure selflessness with which, the average man, in
all
times,
xiii.
Sntrotwction. seems to have no abundant sympathy to
crown
a
sensitive
forced
all
him
those "
remarkable
into public notice his
him is
The
disciples of Christ."
not
peculiarly severe to
and
themselves
called
were
ease or popularity.
enemies
his
gifts
his cast of
;
temperament
Horstman
among
who
His
temper.
calculated to win
Professor
and
he was endowed by nature with
and
thought
:
detractors
followers
and
insertion here of
would introduce a jarring moreover, the raked embers of past
this painful passage
note
;
seldom
controversy
improvement
tend
to
of the present.
the
An
spiritual
interesting
judgment by Professor Horstman on Rolle's place in mysticism
too long for quotation
is
but the following sentence the pith of
it
" :
was mainly the scholasticism.
may
;
be taken as
His position as a mystic
result of the
The
growth of the brain
development of
exuberant
in the
luxuriant
system of Scotus
xiv.
3ntro&uction.
called forth the reaction of the heart, this reaction
who
as
is
embodied
exclusively
in
Richard Rolle,
represents
the
;
side
and
feeling as Scotus that of reason
consequence
and
either lacking the
of
logical
corrective
of the other element." It is consoling to
know
that Rolle's last
years were passed in peace, in a
cell,
near a
monastery of Cistercian nuns at Hampole, where the nuns supported him, while he .acted as their spiritual adviser.
In the book mentioned above, Fr.
Benson has translated some
of
Hugh
Richard Rolle's
Poems, and certain devotional Meditations. In this Volume, four of his Prose Treatises
have been selected from the in the belief that they
rest of his works,
may supplement
those
parts of Rolle's writings with which, those
who
are interested in these phases of thought,
are already familiar.
The
first,
The Form
of Perfect Living, is
xv.
Jntrofcuction.
a Rule of Life which he wrote for a nun of
Anderby, Margaret Kirkby, of
Horstman
fessor
writes
"
whom
Pro-
She seems to have
:
been his good angel, and perhaps helped to
smooth down ship
was
his ruffled spirits. it
lasting
lasted
to
This friendtheir
lives'
ends."
This treatise was written of course to meet the It
of
requirements
"
the
"
has seemed expedient,
because
mentary, then, to put next to
Our Daily
Life,
"
are
give
pause to some
criticise it
in the
the
it
his
which was meant
who
world
" ;
supple-
work on
for those
and which may
who might
first hastily,
life.
religious
otherwise
perhaps condemning
as unpractical, or even objectionable in a
world where, after drink and
all,
men must
eat
and
and where some, therefore must provide the necessary means. Most intensely
live,
practical
is
this
second
treatise,
and perhaps nowhere more so than when
it
xvi.
Jntrofcuction.
meets the needs of those who are inclined to straws over the definition of the word
split
"
What
good."
to
love
people
doubt about
do
and not
such
action ? " like
"
stay
An
his reply.
in itself,
GOD
good
jesting for
an
Richard Rolle has no manner of
answer."
to
a
inquire,
sometimes
Pilate,"
good
is
i.e.,
in its
so he
own
would
action^
must be
tell us,
pleasing
But the matter
nature.
by no means ends there for him. This good must be performed, and it is this ^action which
is,
entirely
now
for
palpably,
now
subtly, hard
the sake of goodness,
without
the slightest taint of self-seeking, of vanity, of secret satisfaction that
men
are,
we
are not as other
not even as this Pharisee or this
Publican.
Such a motive, inspiring each person's whole work, would surely go far to remove
what
is
known
as the Social Problem.
It
would make many a house the dwelling of
xvii.
Jntrobuction.
a business-place an abode of
many
peace,
honour. Rolle's
If
we could
get back to Richard
and
simplicity
faith, then, his goal,
to
his
even the acquisition of
might seem to
perfect love,
unmovable
of us less
all
distressingly remote.
The present rendering has been taken from the longer and more elaborate of the two
MSS.
they
have been added
may meet
There
is,
in the
the need of
or active as they
Treatise.
work On Grace and
shorter form of his Epistle
the
containing
may his
among
all,
The the
hope that
contemplative
chance to be.
voluminous writings,
a curious and interesting Revelation concerning Purgatory, purporting to be a
dream
about
Purgatory.
one,
Amidst
much
Dante,
are
thrown upon our
many
ways
in
horror,
described
quaint
forefathers'
soul
natural
not however exceeding that there
a
Margaret,
woman's
by
side-lights
of thought
;
xvhi.
as
3ntrofcuction.
when Margaret's
.., <J *
one
\J
against the fiend,
scale,
worm
long
worm
soul
is
weighed
and a great
with him/' in the other
of conscience, in fact.
in
\-s
"
;
the
But the work
has not been included in this volume,
lest it
should prove wholly unprofitable to a generation
which
if it
sin, is easily
suggestions
be not readily disturbed by
and quickly shocked by crude its
concerning
quences and reward.
They
possible will find
conse-
enough,
perhaps, in the treatise on Daily Work. If
in
any one should think that
there,
and
one portion of the treatise on Grace, Rolle
has dwelt harshly on considerations of fear, rather than on those of love, he
\
make
must not
the mistake of^ concluding that these
admonitions represent the whole of Catholic teaching on the point. differ,
and
tempers,
them.
teachers, meeting these various
differ
Side
Men's temperaments
by
in
their
side with
modes
of
helping
Richard Rolle
may
3ntrotwctton. be put the words of
what tian
is
S.
Francis Xavier, in
perhaps the most beautiful of Chris-
hymns
:
My
GOD,
I
I
hope
for
love
Thee
;
not because
heaven thereby, love Thee not
Nor yet because who Are
Not
lost eternally.
for the
hope
of gaining aught,
Not seeking a reward But as Thyself hast lov^d me, ;
ever-loving Lord
!
Moreover, no reader of the Epistle on Charity can entertain any doubt as to whether
our English Mystic understood the mystery ^,
,_/
of limitless love.
no doubt, easy to complain, as we
It is
read certain passages, that Richard Rolle's
recommendations original
:
but
as familiar,
we
if
new
nor
instead of dismissing
them
are
neither
tried to put
we should perhaps have
them into practice,
less leisure for idle
xx.
Jntrotmction.
criticism of others,
and ourselves be
less evil
and tiresome people.
On
the other hand, the accusation
may
be brought that he proposes an impossibly high aim.
No
devotion as
is
The Form
doubt, in such a pitch of suggested,
of Perfect Living,
they find extravagance
was
this
same
:
in ch.
e.g.,
but no doubt
made
Saints,
it
SS.
inspired
and the other Apostles which up the Early Church which Martyrs and Confessors
Peter and Paul,
which built
of
some may think
which
spirit
viii.
;
;
;
suggested such apparently forlorn hopes as that of S. Augustine of Canterbury, when, to bring
them the Gospel
bearded the rough ing
to
Robert
of
Men
of
JESUS
of Kent,
his
habit,
though
later,
of these sturdy pagans. too, the spirit
and (accord-
Brunne) reaped, as
immediate reward, a string of on
Christ, he
It
fishtails
his
hung
the conversion
was doubtless,
which inspired the best men
xxi.
Jntrobuction.
and women
the English Church, before
in
they began to confuse the spheres of Faith
and Reason, and to disregard warning about the
human language
S.
difficulty of expressing in
that which
is
" truly
comprehensible,"
incomprehensible
old
the
(<
as
sense,
Immensus
sus
in
Pater,
Spiritus
Hilary's
Athanasian
immensus
sanctus
Filius,
in
immen-
indeed,
till,
the
Symbol,
" ;
in-
men
forgot, for all practical purposes that infinity
transcends the grasp of as
well
as
in
placidly
finite
minds
(in fact,
accepted and then
immediately neglected theory)
;
and can be
apprehended only, and that imperfectly, by the best aspirations of a heart, set of fixed
purpose on that high goal.
To
the
business
modern Englishman, immersed in anxieties, imperial interests and
domestic cares, the invitation repeated so often
by
supremely,
Richard
may seem
Rolle,
to
love
incalculably unreal
GOD and
3ntrofcuction. remote, even though he might hesitate to confess
it
man who
But what
baldly.
if
the English-
GOD, were also the greater And what answer does his-
so loved
Englishman
?
tory return to that plain question "
?
Professor Horstman " was one of the does not hesitate to write
Richard
Rolle,"
most remarkable men history.
It is
of his time,
yea, of
a strange and not very credit-
able fact that one of the greatest of English-
men
has hitherto been doomed to oblivion.
In other cases, the
and then
human
beast
glorifies or deifies
the nobler minds,
who swayed by
the Spirit, do
others live, in
quest
of
which to benefit the race
first crucifies,
not live
as
ideals
by
higher ;
he, one of the
noblest champions of humanity, a hero, a saint, a
martyr in
his resurrection yet
this cause has
never had
a forgotten brave.
And
yet, he has rendered greater service to his
country, and to the world at large, than
all
xxiii.
3ntrofcuction.
names
the great
^He rediscovered
of his time.
He
Love, the principle of Christ. feeling,
the spring of
life
reinstalled
which had been
He
obliterated in the reign of scholasticism.
re-opened the inner eye of man, teaching
contemplation in solitude, an unworldly in abnegation, in chastity, in charity
He broke
life .
.
.
the hard crust that had gathered
round the heart
of Christianity,
and
and restored the
exteriority,
by formalism free flow of
spiritual life."
This passage, to those
who
feel
that there
has been no age since the Birth of Christ when the
great
principles
been wholly
lost,
of
religious
life
and who remember that
Richard Rolle lived in the age of Dante,
seem overstated. at least,
and
have
But
it
shews
for that reason
is
may
sufficiently
quoted here,
what a great Englishman he was, and what a debt his unaware countrymen owe him a ;
debt which they could pay in the
way most
3ntrotwctton. to
him, by listening to his words.
may
be remarked, by the way, that
grateful It
Rolle
not inclined to substitute individual-
is
ism for the authority of the Church
a
;
change which has been brought against some There
mystics.
is
immense emphasis
laid,
all
through his writings, on the importance
of
conduct.
The penetrating
The Form
ch. vi, of
possible sins
in
analysis,
of Perfect Living, of the
humanity can commit on
its
journey through the wilderness of this world,
lighted
excuse
But
it
a
leaves
hardly ;
lets
all
human
;
the
the
soul
in
taken for granted.
heart
un-
shift, twist
conscience
has the Church as
background individual
of
not one possible
the
of
corner
its
go
or
free.
immediate
Mystical Body,
not
the
isolation,
is
Man
not to himself
lives
everywhere
nor dies to himself, even though he be Richard Rolle the hermit, or Margaret Kirkby the recluse, that is the plain teaching of
these
xxv.
3ntrotwctfon. plain-speaking pages. too
a tough
is
And
all
through them
common sense, and an unusually
and there is power of observation perhaps an element of that business capacity, alert
;
which some of the Saints and Mystics have shewn, in his inclusion among of
!<
"
beginning a thing that "
might
;
for in that there
is
deed
sins of is
"
above our
not only pride,
but a kind of stupid incapacity surely. It is quite possible that Rolle's
to repetition may tire any one him " straight on," as the phrase is
who
reads
But
is.
it
doubtful whether that be the best means
of approach.
If
he be read in
prove far more effective hit the right nail
wonderfully his
tendency
:
and
he
bits,
his ability to
on the head, and to
hard,
may
will
occasionally
hit it
bring
words home to our immediate circum-
stances with an appositeness that
may
be
more than a coincidence. In the past, the learned and ignorant
3ntrotwction. alike
have been guilty of the operation which
may
be described as cutting
parts
:
i.e.,
him now if
as
he were
if
he were
all feeling
allotted, as
if
it
all intellect,
has
part
generally
were the handmaid instead
In other quarters, the onslaught
made on
intellect.
Men
humble, to become- as were
suppressed, intellects
little
;
as
children in
if
;
as
GOD
!
if
in-
thinking
the odd, though
assumption that children have
had any ground
in fact.
It is
surely a true apostrophe "
is
are bidden to be
any humility
correctly or not at all
no
there
indeed they be allowed any place
if
all.
there
And
some quarters, a tendency to the will and the feelings to an inferior
relegate
at
been
in
still,
plane,
then as
while to the will a kind
;
of the master of the other two. is
into
they have been inclined to treat
intermediate
of
man up
Thou
art
Mind should be
mind
!
Unto the master-mind,
precious."
3ntrotwction.
The Angelic Doctor himself paid a tribute the importance and special difficulties of
to
intellect,
with
it
and will
also to the necessity of uniting
" :
the
had greater
martyrs
merit in faith, not receding from the faith for persecutions
;
and
likewise
have greater merit from the faith or
heretics
Rolle,
of
men
not* receding
faith,
for the reasons of philosophers
alleged
on the same
following
division
would so
:
the
whole being
fain see offered to
by Margaret Kirkby,
are
"
in
the world,"
Work was
written.
for
Richard
it."
against
Thomas Aquinas, has nothing of
of learning
lines
as
S.
of this spirit is
what he
GOD, whether
it
be
by those who whom Our Daily
or
In the image of
GOD
was man made, and therefore GOD suffices for all the needs of man's nature that, at least :
seems to be the underlying idea when Rolle writes *
" :
GOD
is
light
Quoted by Fr. Joseph Rickaby,
and burning.
Light
S.J., in Scholasticism, p. 121.
3ntrofcuction. clarifies
our reason, burning kindles our will."
May we
not say here too
joined
together,
that
"
?
let
What GOD has not man put
asunder."
Above
things, Rolle aims at a perfect
all
balance, culminating in a
harmony ruled by
and that the greatest
one power,
Real love, he asks
world, Love.
men
degraded things to which
the
not the
;
give
that
name, as to every passing gust of
great
feeling, to
every unworthy untamed emotion
but the divine quality, when to the ness,"
which
in
which he
inner
the "
is
requires,
Love
sacrifice.
is
life,"
lasting-
also joined that
is
essence
a
:
"
of
Love,
he writes,
viz.,
" join-
loving and the loved." ing together And then he remembers the other great gift
the
to
intellectual
men,
inspired
all
star-paved place
"
who
way
and due
:
sincerity,
follow Truth
which
has
along her
"
and he gives to that its " Truth may be without love ;
:
3ntrofcuction.
but
cannot help without
it
the whole tale the Saints
"
not
mentality
it
:
involves
than
directions ~
f
the
;
then,
way
of
Primrosed and hung with
Love, with Rolle,
shade."
more
is
not complete
is
Even
it."
no easy
is
sacrifice in
definite
one
demands
it
;
senti-
thought, perseverance, supernatural strength, natural strenuousness of
enjoyment
;
not a
is
it
selfish
circumambient atmosphere
a
wrapping humanity, without responsibility or " Love is a Life." effort of its own :
"
Love," he writes, "is a perfection of
learning
truth
;
virtue
;
of
prophecy
help of sacraments
wit and knowledge
dying men.
life
of
we
suffer to
riches
;
So,
be slain
;
much
as
fruit
of
establishing of of
how good if we give
have (down) to a beggar's as
;
;
staff
men may know on
:
pure love all if
men is.
that
:
If
we
we know
earth, all this
naught but ordained sorrow and torment." Then, with that sound sense, which is not is
xxx.
Jntrofcuction,
the least element in the
"
common
too
judging one another
sin,
thou wilt ask how good
If
how much he can
of his attractive-
he utters a subtle warning against that
ness, all
sum
tell.
For
heart, that
I
hold
it
and that no man
:
judge a man's
folly to
it
cannot be necessary to say that "
a true mystic.
is
he or she, ask
is
none knows save GOD."
After this Rolle
or she loves
us in this same chapter
Many," so he "
x.,
not
suffice his
not
"good"
And
tells
Many speak and But that
do good, and love not GOD."
all filled
:
will
A man
exacting demands.
is
until his interior disposition "Be
and taken up with pure love
of
GOD.
as he analyses the Christian Character,
a pleasant blunt directness about " he that says he loves GOD this holy man there
is
:
and tell
will
not do what
him that he
is
in
to
shew
love,
lies."
It is possible that the
of the
him
heart, in chapter
alarming vi'.,
list
may
of sins
give the
3ntrofcuction.
and even the heedful matter
heedless
as
grave thought,
with
ejaculating
can
tell
how
me from my
each one finds himself "
fear
spontaneous
he offendeth
oft
for
Who
Cleanse thou
?
secret faults."
Surely no one need fear that the outcome of a study of
Richard Rolle
Not that that indeed tion
the English
of
be effeminacy.
the special tempta-
is :
will
a
chill
commonplace
a
in
convenient, if " hope that somehow things will
acquiescence
is
right,"
than any wonderful
far
"
more
likely to lead
burning yearning to delight
O
England,
full of sin,
absorption of the mystic It
is,
so
it
is
seems, as
all
them astray
GOD
with a Is
not
still ?
but most of sloth
Nor can any one argue ness.
come
and certainty."
George Herbert's cry apposite "
baseless,
" !
fairly that this
just selfish idle-
we read
Rolle' s
injunctions, of the nature of hard exacting toil.
No
doubt, there must be those
who do
3ntrofcuction. the material
work
of the world
other things, those
among
;
who
"
"
goods
gain,
which
go to support the Mystics. But there will be no lack of such workers, through the inroads of religion life
the broad ways of daily
;
are in no danger of contracting suddenly
in to the
natural
path to the
life itself is
strait gate.
Moreover,
a poor thing unsupported
by an unseen stream
of
spiritual refection.
Here, as elsewhere in the ordered economy of things,
two forms It
plementary.
wrote
" :
If
of is
life
true,
Society
religion, there
are found to be
is
must be
as
Dr.
to be
com-
Bigg once
permeated by
reservoirs of religion
up among the which feed the pipes by which water is
like those great storage places hills
We
shall
need a special class of students of GOD,
men
carried to every
home
in the city.
and women whose primary and absorbing interest it is to work out the spiritual life in all its
purity and integrity."* *
Wayside
Sketches,
p.
It is 135.
indeed
3ntrobuctton.
condemns such
the idlest of criticism that
people as slothful or
There
one charm in our own Mystics
is
which we
selfish.
may
miss in S. John of the Cross
or S. Teresa for example
viz.,
;
that with
all
an amazing reality and simplicity down at the bottom of it, which may seem to us not present in the rhapsodies their zeal, there
of
is
also
more southern
probability
lovers
such seeming
is
all
purely racial.
we may be thankful
Nevertheless,
in
though
;
we
if
find
the antidote to our national prosaic ways in the sane zeal of others of our nation. Lastly, as
perhaps
by
selflessness
how can can
and condemned life,
even
untainted
pure
which Richard Rolle writes
of
How
?
This
despair.
almost glibly,
now
men read, they may be overcome
it
be possible here and
men and women,
to the dusty
ways
of
fixed in
common
unable as they are to leave the world if
they would,
how can they
so
much
3ntrofcuctton. as
dream
of such unattainable heights
them
there no help for lines of
in the often
a later English Mystic "
Who
Shoots higher
Is
?
quoted
?
aimeth at the sky
much than he who means
a tree."
For plain men and women, the key to the problem
may
in
lie
the
question
put by
Robert Browning into the mouth of Innocent XII. :" Is this our ultimate stage, or starting place
To
try man's foot,
if it
will creep or climb,
'Mid obstacles in seeming, points that prove
who
vaults from low to high,
Advantage
for
And makes
the stumbling-block a stepping-stone
Even though the
"
goal be not reached,
to have willed deliberately here the
may
?
first
step
prove to have been not wholly un-
availing.
form
of
perfect
OLi\nn$.
dForm of perfect bs
IRicbarb IRolle.
CHAPTER every sinful
man and woman
IN bound in deadly The
sin,
first is
:
Default of ghostly strength.
they can neither stand
their heart,
against
temptations of the fiend, nor can they their will to yearn for the love of
follow thereto. desires
:
is
are three wretched-
That they are so weak within that
that
which bring them to the death of
nesses, the hell.
I.
for
stand, they
The second
they have no
fall
into lusts
is
:
will
and
Use
the lift
GOD and of fleshly
nor might to likings of this
and because they think them sweet, they dwell in them still, many till their
world
;
end, and so they
lives'
The
wretchedness.
come
third
is,
to the third
Exchanging a
good for a passing delight
lasting
say they give endless joy for a this
If
life.
penance,
little
joy of
they will turn them and
rise to
GOD
with
will ordain their dwelling
and with holy men.
angels
who
as
:
But because
they choose the vile sin of this world, and
have more delight
in the filth of their flesh
than in the fairness of heaven, they lose both the world and heaven.
JESUS Christ that he
he
is
is,
loses all that
and
all
swine's-meat.
he hath, and
life,
all
For
that he might get.
not worthy of
in His
For he that hath not
nor to be fed with
All creatures shall be stirred
vengeance in the day of Doom.
These
have told you
of are
wretchednesses that
not only in worldly
I
men and women, who
use gluttony, lust, and other open sins
they are also in others
and godly
life.
who seem
in
For the devil that
:
but
penance is
enemy
form
mankind, when he sees a
to all
woman among
man
or a
a thousand, turn wholly to
GOD, and forsake that
of perfect living.
men who
the vanities and riches
all
love this world covet, and
seek lasting joy, a thousand wiles he has in
what manner he may destroy them. And when he can not bring them into such sins which might make
men wonder
all
who knew them, he
beguiles
many
at
them
so privily
that they cannot oftentimes feel the trap that
has taken them.
Some he them
in.
takes with error that he puts
Some with
singular wit,
when he
makes them suppose that the thing that they and therefore they will say or do is best have no counsel of another who is better and ;
abler than they
pride
;
for
such
;
and
this is a foul stinking
man would
set his wit before
Some, the devil deceives through when any have Vain-glory, that is idle joy
all
other.
;
pride
and
delight
in
themselves,
of
the
Gbe form
of perfect
good deeds that are they do, of any virtue that they have penance that they
suffer, of
;
glad
when men
praise them, sorry
when men
blame them, have envy of them who are spoken better of than they. They consider themselves so glorious, and so far surpassing the
life
that other
men
lead, that they think
that none should reprehend
that they do or say
and others who
How
will
mayst thou
such a one
?
;
them
and despise
and
liking in
men,
find a sinfuller wretch than
And
so
much
considered and honoured of
Some
sinful
not do as they bid them.
the worse
because he knows not that he
holy.
in anything
is evil,
men
is
he
and
is
as wise
and
are deceived
by over-great lust meat and drink, when they pass
measure and come into excess, and have
and they know not that and therefore they amend them not,
delight therein
they
sin,
;
and so they destroy virtues are
of soul.
Some
destroyed with over-great abstinence of
jform of perfect living. meat and drink and
That
sleep.
is
often
temptation of the devil, for to make them the midst of their work, so that they
fall in
no ending as they should have done, had they known reason and had dis-
bring
cretion their
to
it
and so they
;
lose
This
frowardness.
their merit
snare
our
for
enemy
when we begin to hate wickedness, and turn us to GOD. Then many begin a thing that they can never more lays to take us with
bring to an end
then they suppose that
:
they can do whatsoever their heart
is
set on.
But oftentimes they fall or ever they come and that thing which they supmidway posed was for them is hindering to them. ;
For we have a long way to heaven, and as
many good as
deeds as
we make, and
we think
as
in truth
many paces we make us
we
do, as
many
many good
thoughts as
and hope and
charity, so
go we heavenwards. so
prayers
weak and
Then,
so feeble that
if
we
6
be
form
of perfect Xi\nn(j.
can neither work nor pray as we should do, nor think, are we not greatly to blame that
when we had most need
fail
And we
well
I
wot that
keep
my
day, and not in a
by the
men
it,
and then
And
wall.
suppose.
makes
an
little lie
it is
For
offering
ing
sleep.
if
his death-
wailing and groaning
much more
S.
peril
than
Jerome says that he
of
robbery
by
who
out-
over-little
And S. Bernard says
" :
Fast-
spiritual goods,
they be done with discretion
without that, they are vices." it is
I
and a short time
and waking hinder not
but help,
Lord,
till
rageously torments his body
meat or
" :
strength to Thee," so that he
might sustain GOD'S service
waste
?
not GOD'S will that
it is
For the prophet says
so do.
shall
to be stalwart
;
Wherefore,
not good to torture ourselves so much,
and afterwards to have displeasure at our deed. There have been many, and are who suppose
it is
naught
all
that they do unless
form
of perfect Xiv>ina.
they be in so great abstinence and fasting that
all
men speak
But oftentimes
it
of
them who know them. more out-
befalls that the
ward joy or wondering they have (on account) of the praising of
men, the
less
within of the love of GOD.
joy they have
By my
judg-
ment, they should please JESUS Christ
much
more
if
they
accepted
for
His
sake
in
thanking and praising Him, to sustain their in His service
body selves
GOD
and to withhold them-
from great speech of men
sent
them
in time
and
themselves since entirely to
whatsoever
and gave the love and the place,
Lord JESUS Christ Who will stalwartly be loved, and lastingly be served, so that their holiness were more seen in praising of that
:
GOD'S eye than in man's. For all the better thou art, and the less speech thou hast of
Ah
men, the more
is
how
worthy of love, and to And what wretchedness it is,
great
it is
be not loved.
thy joy before GOD.
to be
!
8
be
form
to have the
of perfect living*
name and
and be not so
the habit of holiness,
but to cover pride,
;
ire
or
envy under the clothes
of Christ's childhood.
A
to
foul
delight in the
what we he or she
is
;
and
have
liking
are in our soul than they
think. is
is
and
words of men who can no more
deem what we
lower
it
thing
wot
For ofttimes they say that
in the higher degree that
whom
they say Therefore
in the higher.
is
I
is
in the
in the lower,
hold
to be
it
but madness to be gladder or sorrier whether they say good or
ill.
If
we be
trying to hide
us from speech and praise of this world, will
that
shew to us His is
praise,
and our
joy.
GOD For
His joy when we are strength-full to
stand against the privy and open tempta-
and to seek nothing but the honour and praise of Him, and that we tion of the devil,
might entirely praise Him.
And
to be our desire, our prayer
and our
night and day, that the
fire
that ought intent,
of His love kindle
She form
of perfect
Hiving
9
our hearts, and the sweetness of His grace be
our comfort and our solace in weal and woe.
Thou hast now heard a part how deceives,
with his subtle
men and women.
And
if
the fiend
unknowing
craft,
thou wilt do by
good counsel and follow holy teaching, as I hope that thou wilt, thou shall destroy his traps,
and burn
in love's fire all the
that he would bind thee with
and
;
bands all his
malice shall turn thee to joy, and him to
more sorrow.
men
GOD
suffers
for their profit, that
higher
crowned,
when
him
to
they
they,
tempt good
may
be the
through
His
have overcome so cruel an enemy, that oftentimes, both in body and soul, con-
help,
founds
many men.
In three manners, the devil has power to
be in a man.
In one manner, hurting the
good they have by nature, as in dumb men, and in others, staining their thoughts. In another manner, snatching away the good
Gbe Jform
io
of perfect living.
that they have of grace
men whom he of the
and so he
:
in sinful
has deceived through delight
world and of their
them with him
is
flesh,
and leads
In the third manner,
to hell.
he torments a man's body, as we read that he has done
(to) Job.
But wit thee
well,
if
he beguile thee not within, thou needst not
dread what he he
may
to do.
may
do to thee without, for
do no more than
GOD
gives
him leave
iform of perfect Hiving,
CHAPTER
II.
thou hast forsaken the solace
BECAUSE and the thee to solitary tribulation
come
to
joy of this world, and taken life,
for
and anguish
to
that
GOD'S sake to here,
bliss
suffer
and afterwards
which never more
trow truly that the comfort of JESUS Christ, and the sweetness of His love, with ceases, I
the
fire
of the
sin, shall
be in
Holy Ghost, that purges all thee, and with thee, leading
how thou
shalt think,
what thou
shalt work,
thee and teaching thee
how thou
shalt pray,
so that in a few years thou shalt have delight to be
by thy
lone,
and
to speak to
thy Love and thy Spouse JESUS Christ, is
high in heaven, .than
if
more
Who
thou wert lady
here of a thousand worlds.
Men suppose
Gbe Jform
12
we
that
of perfect living.
are in torture
and
in
penance great
;
but we have more joy and more very delight in a
day than they have
life.
see our
They
in the
body
of
many
If
is.
they saw
them would forsake
they have, for to follow
all their
but they see not
:
our heart where our solace that,
world
all
that
Therefore, be
us.
comforted and stalwart, and dread no annoy or anguish
but fasten
:
JESUS, that thy
life
thine intent in
all
be good and convenient
and look that there be nothing should be displeasing to
not soon amend art in,
which
is
it.
Him
The
in thee that
that thou dost
state
solitude, is
which thou
most able of
other to revelation of the Holy Ghost.
when
;
all
For
John was in the Isle of Patmos, then GOD shewed him His secrets. The goodness of
S.
GOD
it is
fully that
that
He
comforts them wonder-
have no comfort of the world,
if
they give their heart entirely to Him, and then He gives covet not nor seek but Him :
Gbe form
of perfect living.
13
Himself to them in sweetness and delight, in
burning of love, and in
joy and
and dwells aye with them, so
that
comfort
the
And
never from them. begin to
soon
err,
of,
He
to such revelation
first
may come
and carefulness
;
departs
way
;
frailty
and
;
all
teaches them.
and grace on the
but through long travel
to love
JESUS
Christ, as
thou
Nevertheless, then he
shall here-afterward.
both
soul,
they any time
if
No man
them
Him
of
the right
that they have need
suffers
their
through ignorance or
He shews them
day
in
melody
to be tempted in sore manners,
waking and
sleeping.
For
aye
the
more temptations and the grievouser they stand against and overcome, the more they shall joy in
His love when they are passed.
Waking, they are sometimes tempted with foul thoughts, vile lusts, wicked delights, with pride,
ire,
and other many.
envy, despair, presumption
But
their
remedy
shall
be
:
be jform of perfect
14
Prayer
Weeping
:
if
things,
:
it
Christ,
Waking. These
:
they be done with discretion, they
put away sin and
make
Fasting
filth
from the
and
soul,
clean to receive the love of JESUS
Who may
not be loved, but in clean-
men
Also, sometimes the fiend tempts
ness.
and women, who are solitary, by in a quaint manner and a subtle
:
figures himself in the likeness of
their love
he trans-
an angel of
and appears to them, and says he is one of GOD'S angels come to comfort them, light,
and so he deceives
But they that
fools.
wise and will not quickly trust to
are
all spirits,
but ask counsel of knowing men, he can not beguile
them.
recluse, that
Also,
I
find
written
was a good woman,
to
of
a
whom
the ill-angel oft-times appeared in the form
good angel, and said that he was come to bring her to heaven. Wherefore, she was
of a
right glad
told
it
and
joyful.
But
to her Shrift-father,
nevertheless, she
and
he, as a wise
She jform man and
of perfect Xiving.
15
When
wary, gave her this counsel.
he comes, he said, bid him that he shew thee our Lady,
S.
Ave Maria.
say said
" :
Thou
When
Mary.
She
he has done
did
it
means she would behoved him
And
forth the fairest
set her
And
do her
:
she said
will,
so quickly, he
woman
and shewed to
her.
said,
say not, because
I
that
or she
brought
came he
hope he
to her.
shall
And
she
Ave Maria.
so quickly all vanished away, after
by
that might be as
on her knees and
shame never
my
;
He saw
see her.
either to
would despise him
to her sight,
fiend
hast no need to see her
presence suffices to thee." all
The
so.
so,
and
for
This
I
have leave to
tempt thee in this manner, but because I will that thou beware, if any such temptation befall thee sleeping or waking, that thou trust not over quickly truth.
More
till
thou knowest the
privily he transfigures himself
into an angel of light
that
commonly
all
1
Gbe jform
6
men
of perfect
when he
tempted with
are
And
under the likeness of good.
One
two manners.
and
over-great ease
is,
when he
hides
that
in
eggs us on to
body, and
rest of
is
ill
soft-
ness to our flesh, for need to sustain our
For such thoughts he puts in us that unless we eat well, and drink well, and
nature.
:
sleep well,
and
lie
soft
and
sit
warm, we can
not serve GOD, nor last in the labour that
But he thinks
have begun.
over-great pleasure.
we
to bring us to
Another
is,
when under
the likeness of ghostly good, he entices us to
sharp and over-great penance, for to destroy " and says thus Thou wot'st well that he who suffers most penance for ourselves
GOD'S
:
;
love,
he shall have most meed.
fore eat little, less,
thee. shirt
and
feeble
the thinnest drink
Reck not
of sleep
thy
flesh,
do
;
and drink
good enough to
is
and the habergeon.
affliction for
meat
There-
wear the
:
hair-
All thing that it
;
is
so that there
Gbe jform
may be none that can pass He that speaks thee thus, with
thee
n
of perfect Xtvins.
over-great
thee in penance.
about to slay
is
abstinence
;
he
as
that said the other to slay thee with overlittle.
Therefore,
posed,
it
we
if
will
and hold our that
theless
service of
it
JESUS
may
and never-
should be stalwart in the Christ.
Also, our
enemy will when we sleep, but
about to beguile us in
is
destroy our
flesh under,
not suffer us to be in rest
then he
dis-
behoves us to set ourselves in a
good mean, and that we vices
be rightly
many man-
ners.
Sometimes, with ugly images, for to
make
us afraid and to
our state
:
make
sometimes with
us hateful of
fair
images, fair
and that seem comfortable; for to make us glad in vain, and make us think we sights
are better than
we
are holy
pride
;
we
are.
and good,
Sometimes,
tells
us
for to bring us into
[sometimes says we are wicked and
sinful for to
make
us
fall
into despair.]
But c
1
8
be jform of perfect Xiving.
He Who
Ordainer of
is
things, suffers not
all
that our sleep be without reward to us, dress our
And
to His Will.
life
thou sinnest not sleeping,
if
we
wit thou
waking thou beest evermore without excess of meat well,
and drink, and without dreams, when he has heart
on them.
some
truth,
man
fore that I will
fell
set their
false.
many
Therefore says the
cares follow dreams
that hoped in them.
;
Where-
thou beest not beguiled with them,
that thou wit that there are six manners
Two
of dreams.
other,
made them
but afterwards beguiled them
that
and they
may
over-empty
The
third
The fourth
is,
no man, holy or they are, if their stomach
are, that
escape
vanities, in sore ing.
But
For he has shewn them
with one that was
be
thoughts.
a one the devil has deceived through
many
wise
ill-
if
:
or
over-full
;
then
many
manners, befall them sleepis
of illusions of our
enemy. of thought before and of
jform of iperfect Xtving. illusions
And
following.
the fifth through
the revelation of the Holy Ghost, that in
many
The
a manner.
sixth
manners, the image of
when they sleep. shall we give faith
done
Holy Church,
In
thus
many dreams touches men
after.
coming
is
of thoughts
is,
before that are due to Christ or revelation
19
But
so
much
the
less
any dream, because we can not wit which is truth, which is false to
;
which
is
Ghost. are
enemy, which For where many dreams of our
many
make
vanities.
is
And many
to err, for they set
so deceive them.
of the
Holy
are, there
they
may
up unwise men, and
20
Gbe Jform
of perfect
CHAPTER
KNOW
I
that thy
GOD.
service of
III.
life
given to the
is
Then
is
it
shame
to
thee, unless thou beest as good, or better,
within thy soul, as thou art seeming in the sight of
Turn
men.
therefore thy thoughts
GOD, as it seems that thou hast done thy body. For I will not that thou shouldest ween that all are holy that have perfectly to
the habit of holiness, and are not occupied
Nor that
with the world.
all
discourse of earthly business. are holy,
what
it
JESUS Christ
not ;
ill
who
But they only
state or degree they be in,
the which despise say, love
are
all
;
and
earthly things, that
and burn
to
in the love of
all their desires
the joy of heaven, and hate
is
all sin,
are set to
and cease
She form
not from good works, and
feel
1
a sweetness in
love without
their heart of the .
2
of perfect luring,
end
and
:
nevertheless, they think themselves vilest of
and hold themselves wretchedest,
all,
and lowest. it
and be
This
is
holy men's
And
holy.
if
what thou
;
follow
thou wilt be in the
what thou
Apostles' reward, think not sookest, but
life
least
despises t.
for-
For they
who
follow JESUS Christ in willing poverty,
and
in
and
meekness,
patience, forsake as
who
how
follow
great
Him
His eyes, and
offerest
much
thy
Him if
:
charity,
and
in
as they can covet
And
not.
and how good
thy vows before set
in
will
for
consider with
thou presentest
on that
He
has
thou with great desire
prayers,
with
great
fervour
Him, and seekest no earthly comfort, but the savour of Heaven, and in desirest to see
contemplation
thereof
hast
thy delight. in His works Wonderfully JESUS lovers, those whom he reaves from the pleasure of flesh
22
abe Jform
of (Perfect Xiving.
and blood through tender love. He makes them to will no earthly thing, and makes
them
rise to
vanities
the solace of Him, and to forget
and
fleshly loves of the world,
to dread no sorrow that
over-great bodily ease
seems to them joy
:
many
many
:
to be solitary they
Now mayst
thou
are worse than they seem,
are better than they seem,
among
to diminish
so that they be not
hindered of that devotion. see that
fall
to suffer for His love,
and
;
have great comfort
:
may
and
and
and namely
those that have the habit of holiness.
Therefore
force
thyself,
in
that
all
thou
mayest, that thou mayest be no worse than
thou seemest.
And
if
thou wilt do as
thee in this short form of living,
through the grace of GOD, that
if
I I
men
teach hope,
hold
thee to be good, thou shalt be well better.
Jform of perfect Xlvina.
CHAPTER
AT
ing to JESUS all
IV.
bow
the beginning then, to thy
Lord JESUS is
the covetousness
thee entirely
That turn-
Christ.
but turning from
else
naught
23
and the
and the
liking
occupations and business of worldly things
and
of fleshly lust
thy
thought,
and
that
of vain love
was
ever
:
so that
downward,
burrowing in the earth, whilst thou wert in the world, fire
;
now should be aye upward
seeking the highest place in heaven,
right to thy Spouse, bliss.
To Him thou and conforms
manners, and to
and debonairness.
all
He
where
sits
art turned,
grace illumines thine heart vices,
like
it
;
to virtues of
His
when His
and forsakes
manner
And
in
all
and good compliance
that thou mayst last
be Jform of perfect
24
and grow
in
the goodness that thou hast
begun without slowness, and irking of thy
have
in
life
sorriness,
thou
four things shalt
;
thy thought,
and
thou beest in perfect
till
For when thou art come thereto, thy
love.
joy and desire will aye be burning in Christ.
One
is
:
measure
the
of thy life here, that
so short that scarcely is live
that
but in a point
may
be.
than a point, lasts
aye.
ending.
we
is
the least thing
soothly, our liken
Another
is
:
For we
anything.
that
And if
it
life
to the
it
it is
is
life
less
that
uncertainty of our
For we wot never when we
shall die,
how we
shall die,
nor where we shall
die,
nor
nor whither we shall go when we are dead
and that GOD us, for
The
He
third
is
:
be uncertain to
wills that this
wills that that
we be aye ready
we
shall
how we have
to die.
answer before the
righteous Judge, for all the time that
been here,
;
lived,
we have
what our
occupation has been and why, and what good
form
of perfect Xiving.
25
we might have done when we have been Therefore said the prophet thee times again," that lent us here for to
is
"He
:
in
grievously
must
punished
for
;
sorrows that
we may,
and
we
that
may
in
be is
be
:
If
fourth
is
:
condemned
unless
that they have
ending.
we
try
while our short time lasts.
that
For they
and
man-
last
shall
all
And
GOD we may
we have
we think how
who
full
one of the greatest
as the thing that
it
in
we waste
vanities,
every time that we think not on
count
has
GOD, and do good to
fully in the love of
that
He
spend in good use, and
love
earthly
has called
every day
penance, and in GOD'S service. it
idle.
lost.
The
great the joy is
in GOD'S love
to their
be brethren and fellows
with angels and holy men, loving and thank-
and seeing the King of Joy in the beauty and in the shining of His majesty. The which sight shall be reward and food, ing, praising
and
all
delights that
any creature may think,
26
be Jform of perfect Xivincj.
and more than any can without end.
It is
tell,
much
to all His lovers,
easier to
that bliss than to describe
come
to
Also think
it.
what pain and what sorrow and tormenting they shall have
who
love not
GOD above
all
things that one sees in this world, but defile their life,
shall
body
in the pleasures
in pride
burn
whom
and
lusts of this
and greed and other
in the fire of hell
they served, as long as
with His servants, that
is
sins
;
they
with the devil
GOD is in heaven
evermore.
form
of perfect Xiving,
CHAPTER WILL
I
V.
that thou beest aye climbing to
JESUS- ward, and
and thy
27
service to
increasing
Him
;
thy love
not as fools do
;
they begin in the highest degree and come
down
to the lowest.
I
say not that
if
thou hast
begun unreasonable abstinence that thou hold it
but for
;
many who were burning
at the
beginning and able to (capable of) the love of
JESUS
Christ, through over-great penance have hindered themselves, and made they themselves so feeble that they cannot love
GOD
as they should.
In the which love that
thou mayest wax aye more and more coveting
and
my
admonition.
I
is
my
consider
28
Ebe Jform
of perfect living.
thee never of the less merit in so great abstinence
thy
thought
;
if
but
thou beest not. if
thou set
how thou mayest
love
all
thy
Spouse JESUS Christ more than thou hast done, then dare
I
waxing not waning.
say that thy reward
is
Jform of perfect living.
CHAPTER
TT THEREFORE, V V
29
VI.
that thou may'st be
rightly disposed both for thy soul
and thy body, thou shalt understand four The first thing is what thing defiles things. :
The second thing what makes him what holds him in cleanThe third
a man.
:
clean.
The fourth
ness. to
:
what thing draws him for
:
ordain his will entirely at GOD'S
the
wit
first,
things that
make
and mouth and are these to sin
:
picion
:
:
thou
us foul
Ill-thought ill
undevotion
sin
:
that
is
The
deed.
desire of
we
that
;
:
:
in
three
with heart
sins of the heart
ill
delight
wicked if
For
will.
thou
will
assent
:
:
ill
lettest
sus-
thine
heart any time be idle, without occupation of the love, of the praising of
GOD
:
ill
dread
:
be jform of perfect Xtving.
30
ill
love
error
:
to
affection
fleshly
:
friends or to other that thou lovest
thy
joy in
:
any man's ill-faring, whether they be enemy or none contempt of poor or sinful men to :
:
honour rich men
for their riches
joy in any world's vanity
world
what
:
impatience
not, for every
what he
to be secure (about)
what he shah leave 1
noyance
:
(at having) to
he did no more
sorrow of the
:
perplexity, that
:
and what
to do
unsuitable
:
man ought
shall
obstinacy in
do good
:
doubt
is
do and ill
:
an-
sorrow that
or that he did not have
ill,
that pleasure or that will of his flesh which
he
might
thought
:
to please
shame
have
done
pain at penance
men
:
unstableness
:
:
hypocrisy
:
of
love
dread to displease them
:
good deed joy of ill deed singular wit desire for honour or dignity, or to be holden better than another, or richer, or of
:
:
:
fairer,
or
any good
more
to be dreaded
:
vain glory of
of nature, of happening, or of grace
:
form shame
of poor friends
gentle kin, for
GOD'S or
of perfect living.
pride of rich or of
:
we
all
alike are free before
our deeds
face, unless
than another,
worse
make any
better
of
good
in
spite
counsel and of good teaching. the
mouth are these
forswearing
His
Saints
reverence
sins of :
slander of Christ or of any of
:
name His name without
to
;
and
gainsaying
;
truthfulness
The
swear oftentimes
to
:
31
;
strife
against
GOD
murmuring against
for
any anguish or trouble or tribulation that may befall on earth to say GOD'S Service :
undevoutly and without reverence biting
flattering
;
defaming
:
:
lying
quarrelling
ing of discord
counsel
:
:
:
cursing
threatening
:
treason
:
scorn
abusing
:
:
back-
:
:
sow-
false-witness
unbuxomness
in
:
:
ill
speech
:
to make them be good deeds to ill holden ill who do them (we ought to wrap to turn
:
:
up our neighbours' deeds worst)
;
exciting
in the best not the
any man to
ire
:
reprehend-
(The iForm of perfect
32
another what one does one's
ing in
vain speech
words
to speak idle
needful
much
:
praising
:
fending sin
speech
polishing of words
:
man
grimaces at any
and to love them
more
The
sins of deed are these
for the glory of
simony
:
ing of the holy-days
apostacy
example of
his
body, or in his rapine
righteousness harlots
body,
:
:
gluttony
or
is
GOD.
lechery
:
:
:
break-
breaking of vows
:
GOD'S service
:
:
:
to
to hurt
:
:
deceit
to hearken
it
to
any man in goods, or in his fame
usury
to give
of
:
to receive
:
ill
selling
:
to excess
above our might
falling often into sin
:
of
to give to
:
to withhold necessaries
thing that sin
:
:
men than
sacrilege
:
ih deeds
set
:
making
:
witch-craft
:
in deadly sin
1
theft
:
dissipation in
:
de-
:
to praise ill-deeds
:
:
to sing secular songs
:
sing
drunkenness
speech
:
or to speak words not
:
shouting with laughter
:
GOD'S Body
foul
:
self
:
:
from the to begin a
custom to
feigning of
more
Jform of perfect Xi\>in$. good than we have
we
learned and wiser than
we do not
that
seem
for to
:
suffice to
are
up new
fashions
against one's Sovereign are less
:
to hold office
:
to lead dances
:
to insult those
who
to sin in sight, in hearing, in smell-
:
means
To
:
to be rebellious
:
ing, in touching, in handling, in
in
more
or to hold one that
:
cannot be held without sin to bring
holier,
33
in signs
:
swallowing
in beggings
:
:
receive the circumstances, that
:
writings. is
to say
time, place, manner, number, person, dwelling,
or
knowledge, age, that makes thee sin more
To
less.
desire a sin or to be
constrain one to sin. are
of
undone
omission, :
Him
for
is,
leave
many
of
to
sins there
leaving
the
:
good
good they
Not thinking about GOD, nor
nor praising Him, nor thanking
His
gifts
does for love of sins as
that
when men
should do. dreading,
Other
tempted
to do not all that one
:
GOD
:
one should do
to sorrow not for one's :
not to dispose one's D
Gbe jform
34
of perfect Xivnng.
And
self to receive grace.
grace, not to use it
if
one have taken
as one ought
it
;
not to keep
to turn not to the inspiration of
:
conform not one's
will to
GOD'S
will
GOD :
:
to
to give
not attention to one's prayers, but mutter
on and never reck save that they be said to do negligently what one was bound by
;
vow in
to do, or
penance
:
should be done soon neighbour's
sorrowing
profit
at
his
length what
at
having no joy at one's
:
as
one's
at
ill-faring
temptations
against
or else enjoined
by command, to draw out
:
:
:
not
;
standing
forgiving
who have done one harm
own not
not
those
keeping not faith
with one's neighbour as one would that he did to one's self
deed
for
another
:
if
and yielding not a good one can.
those sins before one's eyes strifes
not
:
learned
:
teaching
Amending not :
not appeasing
them that
are
un-
not comforting them that are in
sorrow, or in sickness, or in poverty, or in
Gbe form
of perfect Hiving.
penance, or in prison. others
make men
us of that
manners
filth,
of
foul.
These
that cleanse
are three, against these three
sins.
The
first
is
sorrow
:
heart against the sin of thought it
and many
sins,
The things
35
of
and that
:
behoves (thee to) be so perfect that thou
beest in full will never to sin more.
And
that
thou mayest have sorrow
thy
sins.
joy and solace, except of
GOD
And and
that
all
for
all
GOD, be put out of thine heart. The second is shrift of mouth ; against the sin in
:
of
mouth.
delaying.
And
that shall be hasty, without
Naked, without excusing.
without parting.
Also (not) for to
sin
to one priest
Say
all
and another
to
Whole, tell
one
another.
that thou wettest to one, or else thy
shrift
is
faction
;
not worth.
The Third
Satis-
is,
that has three parts, Fasting, Prayer,
and Aims-Deed. meat and drink
Not only :
to give poor
men
but to forgive them that
do thee wrong and pray for them
:
and
be jform of perfect living.
36
who
inform them
what they
shall
are at the point to perish
For the third thing,
do.
thou shalt wit that cleanness behoves to be kept in heart, in mouth and in work. ness of heart, three things keep ful is,
:
one
is,
thought and stable about GOD.
stirrings of
The
flesh.
third,
closed out of the
honest
and
profitable
keep
:
one
is
that
thou should' st
Another
bethink thee before thou speakest.
that thou beest not of great but of
speech
;
and
specially ever
till
little
thine heart be
established in the love of JESUS Christ
that
men
the
all
Also, cleanness of mouth, three
occupation. things
them be
watch-
Another
care to keep thy five wits, so that
wicked
is
Clean-
:
so
think thou ever lookest on Him,
whether thou speakest or not.
But such a
grace may'st thou not have on the
first
day
:
but with long travel and great care to love
Him from
habit, so that the eye of
heart be aye upward, shalt thou
come
thine
thereto.
The for
thou for nothing, not even
third, that
meekness, shalt
every
lie is
and
sin
Thou needest not unless
thou
lie ill
:
any man. For and not GOD'S will. to
the truth always,
all
tell
But hate
wiliest.
all
lies.
If
thou sayest a thing of thyself that seems to thy praise, but thou sayst
GOD and
it
to the praise of
help of another, thou dost not un-
wisely for thou speakest truth.
But
if
thou
have aught private, tell it to none but such a one that thou beest secure that it should will
not be shewed (disclosed) but only to praise of
of
GOD,
who makes some them
whom
is all
the
goodness, and
better than others,
and gives
special grace, not only for themselves,
but also for them that example.
Cleanness
One
will
of
do well after their
work,
three
things
a careful thought of death : " for the wise man says ; Bethink thee of keep.
thy
last
is
:
ending,
The second
:
flee
and thou from
ill
shalt not sin." fellowship,
that
form
be
38
of perfect
more example
gives
GOD, earth than heaven,
The
cleanness'of soul.
and
discretion in
neither
to
neither
filth of
third
is
nor
excess,
body than temperance
:
meat and drink
sustenance for thy body.
one end
:
that
beneath
is
GOD'S
will
it
be
suitable
For both come to
excess and over-great fasting
:
than
to love the world
:
and that many
not suppose, for anything one
may
say.
for will If
you take sustenance of such good as GOD sends for the time and the day, whatever it no manner of meat that Chris-
be, I take out
tian
men
use
;
thou dost well
with measure and discretion, ;
for so did Christ
and His
you leave many meats that men have, not despising the meat that GOD has made for man's help, but because thou Apostles.
If
thinkest thou hast no need thereof, thou dost well
:
if
thou seest that thou art stalwart to
serve GOD, and that
For
if
it
breaks not thy stomach.
thou hast broken
it
with over-great
Gbe jform
appetite for
abstinence,
thee as
if
and often
:
of perfect Xiving.
meat
reft
is
39
from
shalt thou be in tremblings,
thou wert ready to give up the ghost.
And wit thou well, thou didst sin that And thou may'st not wit soon whether abstinence be
against
thee,
For the time thou art going,
or I
deed. thine
with thee. counsel thee
that thou should'st eat better and more, as it
And
comes, that thou beest not beguiled.
afterward,
when thou
hast
many
proved
and overcome many temptations, and knowest better thyself and GOD than thou things,
didst, then
if
thou seest that
it
be to be
done, thou mayst take to greater abstinence.
And meanwhile thou mayst do privy penance which all men need not know. Righteousness
is
not
all in
thou art righteous, poverty delights
and and
But
fasting or in eating. if
riches,
contempt and hunger
praise,
and need or
dainties be all alike to thee.
thou takest these with love of GOD,
I
If
hold
40
Gbe tform
thee
blessed
who come
of perfect
Men
and high before JESUS.
to thee, they love thee because
they see thy great abstinence, and because they see thee enclosed
:
but
thee so lightly for anything
without, but to
GOD'S
if
thy
will.
not love
set not
by
their praise
and blame, and never give thou heed speak
less
good
do
see thee
I
be conformed entirely
will
And
may
I
of thee
if
than they did
they
but
;
that thou shouldest be more burning in GOD'S love than thou wert.
thee
:
hope that
I
GOD
For one thing I warn has no perfect servant
in earth without enemies of
some men
For
only wretchedness has no enemy.
draw us
that
we conform our will
are three things.
One
to
For
GOD'S
to
will
:
example of holy men and women, who were intent, night and is,
day, to serve GOD, and dread
Him.
If
we
follow
them on
be with them in heaven.
Him and
earth,
love
we must
Another
is
the
goodness of our Lor,d, which despises none,
jform of perfect Xivin$. but gladly receives
mercy
and He
:
is
come
that
all
41
to
His
homelier to them than
any friend that they most or most trust in. The third is the
brother or love,
or
sister,
wonderful joy of the kingdom of heaven,
which
may
is
more than tongue may
think, or eye
may
see, or ear
It is so great that, as in hell live for great
suffers
tell,
or heart
may
nothing might
pain but that the might of
them not
to die
;
hear.
GOD
so the joy in the
JESUS in His GoD-head is so great that they must die of joy, if it were not for His sight of
who
goodness,
wills that
be living aye in wills
that
living in
all
fire,
that thinks
:
bliss
:
His lovers should
also His righteousness
who loved Him which
is
not, be aye
horrible to
look then what
But they who wih not think
it
1
of
it
any man is
to feel.
and dread
now, they shall suffer it evermore. Now hast thou heard how thou mayst dispose thy
it
life,
and
rule
it
to
GOD'S
will.
But
I
wot
42
be
form
of perfect living.
well that thou desirest to hear
some
special
point of the love of JESUS Christ, and of
contemplative thee in
all
life,
men's
which thou hast taken to sight.
have grace and knowledge,
(According) As I will
I
teach thee.
Gbe form
of perfect %fving.
CHAPTER LANGUEO.
AtfORE are written called the
is
VII.
These
in the
Book
two words
of Love, that
of Love, or the
Song
43
Song
of
For he that loves greatly, lists often to sing of his love, for joy that he or she has Songs.
when they think on if
their love
that they love, specially
the English of these two words for
love."
And
be true and loving.
"I
:
men on
Separate
this
is
languish
earth
have
separate gifts and graces of GOD, but the
who
special gift of those is
for to love '
me,
All
JESUS
men
Christ.
Him who
love
That
mandments.'
lead the solitary
is
Truth.
Thou
not
nor
And
all fulfilled
feel
the
all
But
all
men
also
His
that do His Counsel are
by the sweetness
fire
sayest to
keep His com-
who keep His bidding keep not Counsel.
life,
of His love,
of burning love of heart.
Gfoe Iform of perfect
44
Therefore, the diversity of love diversity of holiness
the angels
who
and
makes the In heaven,
of need.
most burning in love, are Also, men and women that
are
nearest to GOD.
have most of GOD'S love, whether they do penance or none
degree in heaven in
the
lower
they shall be in the highest
;
:
they
order.
who
If
love
Him
thou lovest
less,
Him
much, great joy and sweetness and burning thou
feelest in
His love, that
and strength night and day.
Him For Him may no man
not burning in
:
little
feel in
ness, unless they be clean
love
;
and thereto
shalt
and
thy comfort
is
thy love be
If is
thy delight.
joy and sweetfilled
with His
thou come with
and thanking, having are all on the love and
great travail in prayer
such meditations as the praising of GOD.
thy meal, ever love
And when GOD in thy
thou art at thought, at
each moment, and say thus in thine heart
Loved
be
Thou, King
:
and thanked
be
:
Thou,
form
of perfect living
King, and blessed be Thou, King,
my me
of all
joying,
Thy good
Thy blood, and Thou give me grace to spilt
praise. eatest,
And
think
it
gifts
JESU Who
all
for
died on the rood.
Do
sing the song of
Thy
not only whiles thou
but both before and
when thou prayest
:
45
after,
or speakest.
hast other thoughts, that thou
and ever
Or
thou
if
hast more
sweetness in and devotion than in those that I
teach thee, thou may'st think them.
I
hope that
thine heart,
GOD will as He is
thou art ordained look not well
:
for.
For
put such thoughts in pleased with, and as
When
how much thou
thou prayest,
sayest,
but how
that the love of thine heart be aye
upward, and thy thought on what thou sayst If thou beest in as much as thou canst. prayers and meditations
the day,
I
wot
must wax greatly in the love JESUS Christ, and feel much of delight, and
well that thou of
all
within short time.
Gbe jform
46
of perfect
CHAPTER
OLivwicj.
VIII.
degrees of love
I shall tell thee,
THREE
would that thou mightest win to the highest. The first degree is called for I
The second
Insuperable.
third
is,
Thy
Singular.
when nothing overcomes
it
temptations
that
but
:
and
;
is
it
Inseparable.
love
is
The
Insuperable,
contrary to GOD'S love is
stable,
stalwart against
all
whether thou beest
in ease or in anguish, or in health or in sick-
ness
:
so that
men
think that thou wouldest
have
all
make GOD angry
at
not, even to
wert
liefer, if
so
it
the world without end,
any time
:
and thou
should be, to suffer
all
the
pain and woe that might come to any creature, before thou wouldst do the thing that should displease
Him.
In this manner shall thy love
jform of (Perfect
47
IlivinQ.
be Insuperable that nothing can bring
down, but is
it
may
he or she
who
aye spring on high. is
are they blesseder
in this degree
who might hold
degree and turn to the other, Inseparable.
:
Inseparable
is
it
Blessed
but yet to this
that
is
to
thy love, when
and thy thought, and thy might is so wholly, so entirely and so perfectly fastened, set and established in JESUS Christ, all
thine heart,
that thy thought comes never from
Him,
never departs from Him, sleeping excepted
and
as soon as thou awakest, thine heart
on Him, saying Ave Maria, or Gloria
:
is
Tibi,
Domine, or Pater Noster, or Miserere mei,
DEUS, if thou hast been tempted in thy sleep or thinking on His love and His praise as
;
thou didst waking.
When
thou canst at no
time forget Him, waking or sleeping, whatso
thou dost or sayst, then separable.
is
thy love In-
Full great grace have they that
be in this degree of love.
And methinks
be jTorm of perfect Xwncj.
48
who
that thou,
hast nothing else to do but
GOD, mayst come thereunto
for to love
if
any may get it. The third degree is highest and most wondrous to win. That is called Singular, no
for it has
comfort and solace
all
heart, but of it
Singular love
peer.
closed out of thine
is
For the sweetness of
delights not in.
feel
the
who
fire
thou canst
lasting
is
in this degree
thy finger burn
But that
in the fire.
and
breathing
burning praise
;
in
and
Him of
thou puttest be hot,
fire, if it
is
is
loving JESUS, think-
ing of JESUS, desiring JESUS
Him
if
so wonderful, that I cannot
Then, thy soul
tell it.
can as well
of love burning in their soul, as
feel
so delectable
of
and
Him
His love, so burning and gladdening, that
he or she
it
Other joy
JESUS Christ alone.
in this degree is so comforting,
in
when
is
;
to
Him
resting.
love
;
in covetousness
singing
:
of
Him
Then the song
has come.
of
Then, thy
Jform of perfect living.
49
thought turns into song and into melody.
Then
behoves thee to sing the psalms
it
which before thou
Then must thou
said'st.
be long over a few psalms.
Then, thou wilt
think death sweeter than honey, for then
thou art lovest.
[Then mayst thou boldly say
languish for love."] "
Him whom
full of sighs to see
I sleep,
and
my
thou "
I
Then mayst thou say
heart wakes."
" I degree, men may say " I long in love." And languish for love," or
In the
in the
first
second degree also
when men
:
for languishing
and they who are in these two degrees fail from all the covetousness of this world, and from lust and
is
fail for sickness,
liking of sinful
life,
and
set their will
and
the love of GOD therefore " I languish for love," and they rnay say
their
heart to
much more than in the
that are in the second degree first.
third degree
is
all
But the burning
soul that fire,
and
is
in the
like the
Gbe Jform
50
of (Perfect living.
nightingale that loves song fails for
great love
and melody, and
so that the soul
:
is
GOD
comforted in praising and loving
only
and
;
Death come, is singing ghostly to JESUS, and in JESUS, and JESUS not crying bodily till
;
with the mouth I
of that
manner
speak not, for both good and
And
that song.
none unless they be love
manner
this
evil
have
of song
have
in this third degree of
to the which degree
:
of singing
impossible to
it is
come, but in a great multitude of love.
There-
thou wilt wot wl^at kind of joy that song has, I tell thee, that no man wots, save if
fore,
who
he or she loves I
GOD
thee,
it
whom He coming the
thereto.
who has
singing therewith. is
of heaven,
will,
before.
song and
naught
feels it,
but
it,
and who
One thing
and GOD gives
it
tell
to
but not without great grace
Who all
has
the
sorrow
it,
he thinks
minstrelsy
and
woe
of
all
earth
(compared)
In sovereign rest shall they be
who
She form get of
of perfect XixnnQ.
s
1
Wanderers and brawlers, and keepers comers and goers early and late night
it.
and day, or any who are seized with any sin witfully and willingly, or who have delight in
any earthly
thing, they are also farther
therefrom than heaven the
first
degree, are
degree are
full
are scarcely
few
any
:
;
from earth.
is
many
in the
:
men
degree,
second
but in the third degree
for
aye the greater
perfection the fewer followers first
In
it
has.
is
the
In the
are likened to the stars, in
the second to the moon, in the third to the sun.
Therefore says S. Paul
" :
Others of
the sun, others of the moon, others of the stars," so it is of the lovers of
third degree, shalt yet.
know
if
of
GOD.
In this
thou mayst win thereto, thou
more joy than
And among
I
have told thee
other affections and songs,
thou mayst, in thy longing, sing heart to thy Lord JESUS,
this in thine
when thou
covet His coming and thy going
' :
dost
When
Gbe jform
52
Thou come
wilt
out of care,
and
and bring me me Thee, Whom I may
comfort
give
having evermore?
see, it
to
of perfect
me
My
:
when
heart
shall
burst? for love then languished I no more.
For
my
love
...
;
me
to
my
for
it
holds
playing
Who
:
day
The brand
;
me
till
* is love-longing
aye
I may
never wends
waking,
am
fain
to
I stand still mourning for the loveliest
fare away. of lore
thought has fast, and I
:
From
of sweet
my
and longs unto *
The
text
is
draws
burning
sweet One,
In wealth
without hurt or night.
everlasting,
it
place and from
get sight of
away.
;
My
that sight."
imperfect here.
be love
our is
She form
of perfect Hiving,
CHAPTER
53
IX.
thou wilt be well with GOD, and have
IF grace
to rule thy
joy of love
this
:
name JESUS,
thy heart that
fast in
thy thought.
and come
life,
it
so
come never out
of
And when thou
be in thine
honey
men
and
;
fasten
it
Him, and through custom shall
in
to the
ear, joy
speakest to
sayst, in
;
thine heart,
JESUS,
it
thy mouth,
melody
shall think joy to hear that
:
for
name be
named, sweetness to speak it, mirth and song to think it. If thou thinkest (on) JESUS continually,
thy
sin,
charity.
it
firmly,
and kindles thine heart
thy soul, slowness.
and holdest
;
it
purges
it clarifies
removes anger and does away It wounds in love and fulfils
it
It chases the devil,
and puts out
Gbe form
54
dread.
It
of perfect %i\>ing.
opens heaven, and makes a con-
Have JESUS
templative man. that puts
all
the lover.
and
night.
feel, if
in
mind, for
and phantoms out from
vices
And often hail Mary, both day Much love and joy shalt thou Thou
thou wilt do after this teaching.
need'st not covet greatly
many books
:
hold
love in thine heart and work, and thou hast all
that
the law
we can say is
charity
:
or write
:
for fulness of
on that hangs everything.
Gbe fform
of perfect Xiving.
CHAPTER
55
X.
me and say, much of love
now, thou mayst ask
BUT Thou "
tell
me
What
And how that
what
speakest so is
I shall
I
and where
GOD
love
I may know state
love,
that
may most
I
;
And how Him. And in
verily.
love
love
Him."
These are
man and
hard questions to teach, to a feeble fleshly as I I shall
wit,
am.
But nevertheless
not delay that
and as
I
think
it
in the help of JESUS,
I shall
may
who
love.
is
not shew
be.
is
therefore,
For
I
my
hope
the well of love
and peace and sweetness. Thy first asking What is love ? And I answer Love is is :
:
a burning yearning after GOD, with a wonderful delight
burning.
and
certainty.
Light
clarifies
GOD
is
light
our reason
;
and
burn-
be jform of perfect living.
56
we
ing kindles our will, that
but Him. the
Love
GOD.
to
the beauty of
Purity joins us to
virtues.
all
GOD
thing through which
Him, and each one
it
loves
then
it
joys
(Love
Love
loves us,
the
is
and we Love
of us loves others.
is
;
and when
soul for to love
other things for is
has that
it
Love
GOD
GOD
is
for
Himself, and
it
does
deadly sin
thing that
deadly
is
sin.
rightest affection of
is
all in-
not good.
inordinate love for a
is
naught Love
away
all
when
the which love,
;
ordained in GOD,
all
loves,
a stirring of the
ordinate love in anything that
But
it
and nothing can make it sorry. yearning between two, with lasting-
ness of thoughts.)
all
Love
the desire of the heart, aye thinking on
that
it
For meekness
Love makes us one with GOD.
GOD.
is
naught
joining together
life,
and the loved.
loving
makes us sweet
is
a
is
desire
:
is
then love puts out a virtue which
man's
soul.
is
Truth
the
may
Gbe jform be without love
Love
it.
of perfect Xivins. but
:
it
57
cannot help without
a perfection of learning, virtue
is
of prophecy,
of truth,
fruit
help of sacra-
ments, establishing of wit and knowledge
men
riches of pure
how good if
we
love
give
if
;
may know on
suffer to
how good
or she loves
For
I
hold
none
that
righteous
and
is
it
;
earth, all this
is
is
;
If
thou wilt
much he
and that no man can
tell.
judge a man's heart
folly to
knows save
GOD.
turning from
all
Love
earthly
is
;
a
things,
joined to GOD, without departing, and
from
fire
defiling, far
to no vice of this lusts,
be slain
naught but
he or she, ask how
kindled with the far
So,
we have, (down) to a we know as much as men
ordained sorrow and torment. ask
men.
that
all
beggar's staff
we
If
is.
of dying
life
;
;
life.
of
the Holy Ghost
:
from corruption, bound
High above
all fleshly
aye ready and greedy for the con-
templation of GOD.
In
all
things not over-
Gbe jform
58
sum
The
come.
of (Perfect living.
of
all
Health of good manners
mandments
death of sins
Without
with that, no
man may
no
that,
life
;
of
crown
lasts,
Mirth* to holy thoughts.
over-comers.
in all
;
goal of the com-
Virtue whilst fighting
virtues.
of
GOD
of
;
affections.
good
man
our heart, there
which we serve
For
sins. is
if
GOD we love GOD
please
;
nothing in us through
Very love cleanses the soul, and delivers it from the pain of hell, and from the foul service of sin, and from the sin.
ugly fellowship of the devils the fiend's son,
makes GOD'S
;
and
and partner
son,
We
of the heritage of heaven.
ourselves to clothe us in love, coal does in the
fire,
so clothes itself in fire that air so clothes itself in the
Two MSS.
shall force
as
iron
or
as the air does in the
sun, as the wool does in the dye.
*
(out) of
substitute "
it
is
sun that
arms
"
for
The fire.
it
is
" mirth."
coal
The light.
form And that
of perfect %i\>ins,
the wool so substantially takes the dye like
is
it
In this manner shall a
it.
true lover of JESUS shall so
burn
into the
fire
and he of
him
in love, that
his
:
shall
it
and be as
of love,
it
shall
be
murky
the answer
mouth
but in his
man
that "
:
love
:
soul,
;
is
heart
be turned
were
shall so shine in virtues that
in the will of his
do
Christ
The second asking
And
59
all fire
;
no part
in vices. is is
Where
:
is
love ?
in thine heart,
and
not in his hand, nor in to say, not in his work,
For many speak good and
do good, and love not GOD as hypocrites, who suffer great penance, and seem holy in :
But because they seek praise and honour of men, and favour, they have man's
sight.
meed
lost their
:
and
in the sight of
GOD,
they are devil's sons, and ravishing wolves.
But
if
a
man
to poverty
he loves
give alms-deed,
and do penance,
GOD
:
and take him
it is
a sign that
but therefore loves he
Him
60
be jform of perfect Hiving.
not, save
GOD'S
for
when he
forsakes the world only
and
love,
GOD, and loves
all
sets all his
men
as himself
the good deeds that he
them with
intent
to
and to come to the he loves
GOD
and
his
so
may
and
:
do,
Christ,
Then
rest of heaven. is
in his soul,
deeds shew without.
speakest good and doest good, that thou lovest good
all
he does
JESUS
please
and that love
:
thought on.
If
men
thou
suppose
therefore look well
:
that thy thought be in GOD, or else thou deceivest
and
thyself,
Nothing that
men.
deceivest
do without (outside) proves
I
that I love GOD.
man might do as much as much waking and fasting
For a wicked penance in body, as I do.
How may
I
then ween that
I love,
or hold myself better, on account of that
which any
man may do
heart, whether
it
no one but GOD,
loves for
?
Certainly,
my GOD
my
or not, wots
nought that they
may
form me
see
Wherefore, love
do.
61
of perfect living.
in will verily,
is
not in work, but in a sign of love.
For he
that says he loves GOD, and will not do what is
in
Love
him
to
will
not be
idle, it is
If
cease
evermore. that
it
cools
The
love, tell
it
GOD ?
love
Him thine
is
answer
I
with
all
heart,
love
stalwart,
How
:
shall
thou
wisely
in
:
all
Stalwartly
who
is
meek
in a
for
;
;
all
on
meek
governs us and keeps us in
in
:
soul,
can no
He
is
ghostly
whom
soul.
to
is
thy
save he be stalwart.
?
verily
thy might, stalwartly
Him
the Holy Ghost
I
love
Very
;
strength comes of meekness
ness
lies.
working some good
working, wit
devoutly and sweetly.
man
him that he
and goes away.
third asking
love
all
shew
rests
Meekall
our
temptations, so that they overcome us not.
But the
devil deceives
many
that are meek,
through tribulations, and reproofs, and backbitings.
But
if
thou beest wroth for any
62
be Jform of perfect living.
anguish of this world, or for any word that
men
say of thee, or for aught that
say
thou art not meek, nor mayst thou
to thee,
love
men
GOD
For love
stalwartly.
is
stalwart as
which slays every living thing on earth, and hard as hell that spares not them death,
that
dead.
are
perfectly grieves
or anguish he
And Him
may
he
who
not, whatever
suffer
;
GOD
loves
shame
but he has delight
and covets that he might be worthy for to surfer torment and pain for Christ's love :
and he has joy that men reprove him and speak ill of him. Like a dead man, what so
men do
or say, he answers not.
whoso loves GOD stirred
for
Right-so, are
not
any word that man may
say.
perfectly,
For he or she cannot
they
love, that
cannot surfer
pain or anger for their friend's love.
whoso or
loves, they
women
so weak,
have no pain.
For
Proud men
love not stalwartly, for they are
and they
fall
at every stirring of
JTorm of perfect living. the wind that
is
with wrong
:
for
;
whether
their will done,
They seek a
temptation.
higher place than Christ
will
they
have
be with right or
it
and Christ
63
wills that
nothing
but well be done, and without harm to other
men.
But who
have their
is
verily
will
meek, they
not
but that they
will in this world,
may have it in the other fully. In nothing may men sooner overcome the devil than in Meekness, which he much hates. For he may
wake, and
fast
and
than any other creature
suffer
may
pain more
but meekness
:
and love may he not have. Also, it behoves thee to love GOD wisely, and that thou canst not do save thou beest wise.
when thou
Thou
art wise,
art poor without desire of this
world, and despisest thyself for love of Christ
and expendest in His service.
most
all
thy wit and
all
:
thy might
For some who seem wise are
fools, for all their
wisdom they
spill in
covetousness and care about the world.
If
be jform of perfect li
64
thou sawest a
man have
stones
precious
wherewith he might buy a kingdom,
if
he
gave them for an apple, as a child
will do,
rightly mightest thou say that he
was not
wise but a great fool.
we
we have
precious
penance and ghostly
we may buy if
if
Just so,
stones
Poverty
:
travail,
will,
and
with the which
the kingdom of heaven.
For,
thou lovest poverty and despisest riches
and
delights of this world,
self
vile
and boldest thy-
and poor, and thinkest thou hast
for this poverty, naught of thyself save sin thou shalt have riches without end. And :
if
thou hast sorrow for thy
sins,
and because
thou art so long in exile out of thy country,
and forsakest the solace shalt
have
And if thou
of this
life
:
thou
for this sorrow the joy of heaven.
beest in travail,
and punishest thy
body reasonably and wisely, by wakings, fastings, and in prayers and meditations, and
sufferest
heat
and
cold,
hunger
and
She jform
of perfect Utving.
thirst, privation
and anguish
JESUS Christ
for this
come
;
of joy with angels.
for the love of
thou shalt
travail
to rest that lasts aye,
65
and
on a
sit
But some there
settle
who
are
love not wisely, like children
who love an apple,
more than a
many
castle.
So do
the joy of heaven for a
little
;
delight of their
Now
not worth a plum.
flesh,
that
is
thou
see,
that
whoso
love
will
they give
canst
wisely,
it
behoves him to love lasting things, lastingly
and passing
things, passingly
;
so that his
;
heart be settled and fastened on nothing but
And
GOD.
if
thou wilt love JESUS verily,
thou shalt not only love
Him
wisely, but also devoutly
and
love
is
when thy body
thought clean. offerest
GOD
and
stalwartly sweetly.
Sweet
chaste and thy
is
Devout love
is
;
when thou
thy prayers and thy thoughts
to
with ghostly joy, and burning heart in
the heat of the Holy Ghost
think that thy soul
is
as
it
;
so that
men
were drunken for F
Gbe jform
66
and
delight
of perfect
X
solace of the sweetness of
JESUS
;
and thy heart conceivest so much of GOD'S help that
men
Him
from rest
think thou mayst never be departed :
and then thou comest into such
and peace
in soul,
thoughts of vanity,
and
quiet, without
thou
(or) of vices, as if
wert in silence and sleep, and set in Noe's ship, so that nothing
devotion
and sweet
gotten His love
come,
in
:
may
hinder thee from
love.
For thou hast
all
thy
life,
joy and comfort
verily Christ's lover
whose place
is
made
death
and thou
:
and he
:
until
rests in
art
peace
in peace.
The fourth asking was how thou mightest know that thou wast in love and charity. I :
answer
:
that no
they are in charity
man ;
wots on earth that
save
it
be through any
privilege or special grace that
to
any man or woman
not take example by.
that
GOD
has given
others
may men and women Holy :
all
trow that they have truth and hope and
Gbe jform charity
and
:
of perfect Hiving.
in that
67
do as well as they may,
and hope certainly that they shall be safe for if they wish, they wot it not so quickly their merit were the less. And Solomon
;
;
it
says
so with righteous
is
men, and that
And
hand.
their
men and
works are in GOD'S
nevertheless,
a
man
wots not
whether he be worthy hatred or love all
wise
;
but
reserved uncertain for another world.
is
any had grace that he might win to the third degree of love, which is Nevertheless,
if
called Singular, he should
in
But
love.
in
such
know
that he was
manner were the
knowing, that he might never bear himself the higher, nor be in less care to love
but so
much
love, will
Him,
he be busy to love
Who
goodness to will
the more that he
has
made him
Him
;
so,
is
GOD
;
secure of
Him and
dread
and done that
and he that
is
so high, he
not hold himself worthier than the sin-
fullest
man
that goes on earth.
Also seven
'
Gbe form
68
of perfect living.
man
experiments are there, that a
The
charity.
first
is
when
;
be in
covetous-
all
quenched in him. For whereso covetousness is, is no love of ness of earthly things
Christ.
Then,
is
sign
if
he have no covetousness,
that he has
burning
men have
is
For
heaven.
for
yearning
The second
love.
they love, the more they covet
when anyone
when
aught of that savour, the more
felt
that has not
felt, is
he desires not.
given so much,
and he
:
Therefore, till
he love
thereof (so) that he can find no joy in his
token has he that he is
;
if
his
is,
is
in charity.
The
life
:
third
tongue be changed, that was wont
to speak of earth of the life
;
now speaks
of
GOD, and
The fourth
that lasts aye.
is
:
any man or woman give themselves entirely to GOD'S services, and meddle with no earthly business. exercise of ghostly profit.
The itself
fifth is
seems
:
As
when the thing light for to
do
;
if
that
is
hard of
the which love
jform of perfect Xtvincj. "
For as Austin says
makes.
:
69
Love
it
is
which brings the far thing near-to-hand, and the impossible to the openly possible."
The all
sixth
is
hardness of thought to suffer
:
anguish and hurt that comes
him
befalls
For he who
but sin
;
:
is
righteous
man
righteous, hates naught
is
he loves naught but GOD, before
he dreads naught but to anger GOD.
The seventh he
make a
shall not
sorry.
GOD
For whatso
the other suffices not.
this, all
without
is
in tribulation,
in the anger that
when
delectability in soul,
:
he
and makes suffers.
praise to
And
GOD
shews
this
well that he loves
GOD, when no sorrow can
bring him down.
For many love GOD while
they are at ease
;
grumble, and scarcely
fall
and
GOD,
any wealth
comfort them
striving
against His judgments. praise that
adversity they
into so great sorriness, that
may any man
so slander they
in
And
and that
of the world
:
and
fighting is
caitiff
makes
:
be Jform of ipcrfcct living
70
but that praise
is
of
that no
great price
violence of sorrow can do away.
The
fifth
asking was
GOD ? men are
may
most love
as
be that
it
and
soul,
business
men
most
in
body and
rest of
with any needs or
For the thought JESUS Christ, and of the joy
this
of the love of
state
answer, in such state
I
least occupied
of
In what
:
world.
that lasts aye, seeks outward rest, so that it
be not hindered by comers and goers, and
occupation of worldly things
and
;
it
seeks
within great silence from the annoyances of
and of
desires,
thoughts.
And
templative
life
and
especially, all
who
Doctor
earthly
love con-
"
says
GOD'S throne who dwell
place,
of
they seek rest in body and
For a great
soul.
are
vanities,
:
still
one
in
and are not running about, but
sweetness of Christ's love are fixed." I
They
have loved
for to sit
fantasy, nor that
I
:
for
wished
in
And
no penance, nor
men
to talk of
jform of perfect Xivino* me, nor for no such thing I
knew
lasted
that
I
within
loved the
:
GOD
but only because more, and longer
comfort of love
going, or standing, or kneeling.
am
I
ward.
in
most
But
rest,
and
therefore,
my
do to
my
For
than
:
sitting
heart most up-
peradventure,
not best that another should will
71
sit,
it
as I did
is
and
death, save he were disposed
in his soul, as I was.
be Jform of perfect living.
72
CHAPTER XL of the
gifts
SEVEN men and
Holy Ghost are
women who
are ordained to
the joy of heaven and lead their
dom
Understanding
:
Knowledge
:
Pity
Counsel
:
at
:
is
Wis-
:
Strength
and the Fear
Begin we at Counsel, for thereof
this
life in
These they are
world righteously.
not
afterwards.
With
most need
separately.
Counsel
is
which men :
may
seven
all
things with
(i.e.
Counsel) be
inwardly to contemplation of GOD. is,
to
men
be ensnared in thought or
and therewith
standing
we
doing away with the
world's riches, delights, and
deed
these
the Holy Ghost touches separate
gifts,
:
GOD.
of
the beginning of our works, which
dislike
in
know what
is
drawn Under-
for to do,
and
form what shall
leave
to
of [perfect living.
(undone)
be given, to .give not
need,
Wisdom
and that which
:
to
that
others
to
is
it
73
them that have have
no
need.
forgetting of earthly things,
thinking of heaven, with discretion in
men's deeds. tion, that
is,
In this
and all
shines contempla" A ghostly as S. Austen says gift,
death of fleshly affection through the joy of a
raised
to
fulfil
thought."
Strength
good purpose, that
neither for weal nor for woe.
a
man
be mild
when
it
stand
it
:
is it
;
enduring
be not
Pity
is
:
left,
that
and gainsay no holy Writ
smites his sins, whether he underor not
;
but with
he purge the vileness of
might that himself and in
all his
sin, in
that (which)
makes a
others.
Knowledge
man
good hope, not making him quake
in
is
for his righteousness,
but sorrowing for his
and that a man gather earthly good only to the honour of GOD, and to other men's advantage more than to his own. sin
;
74
Gbe jform
The Fear
of
God
to our sin for fear perfect in
to anger
GOD
know, and
of perfect Hiving. is
:
that
we turn not again
and then is any egging on us and holy, when we dread :
in the least sin that
flee it as
poison.
we can
ZTbe Jform of perfect Hiving*
CHAPTER
TWO it
is
more
One
in
Active
life
is
greatly
travail
and
sweetness.
and
of the temptations
Contemplative fore it
life
in
for
life,
more ghostly
is
for
men
Another, con-
it
life,
more
Active
called
is
bodily work.
in
templative
in
XII.
lives there are that Christian
live.
75
more
outward,
peril,
because
that are in the world. is
largely inward, there-
more enduring and more certain, more delectable, lovelier and more
is
restfuller,
rewarding.
For,
and savour
in
it
the
this present time,
if
has joy in GOD'S love, that lasts
life it
be rightly
aye,
led.
in
And
that feeling of joy in the love of JESUS passes all
other merits in earth.
to
come
to,
For
it
is
so hard
because of the frailty of our
and the many temptations that we are beset with, which hinder us night and day
flesh,
:
all
other things that
come
are light in regard
Gbe Jform
76
thereof
only
who
for that
;
it
is
of perfect Xivnng.
may no man
deserve, but
given of GOD'S goodness to
them
verily give themselves to contemplation
and to quiet
women who two things
for Christ's love.
To men and
betake themselves to
One
befall.
:
active life,
to appoint their
household in fear and in the love of GOD,
and to
find
them
in necessaries,
and them-
keep GOD'S commandments entirely.
selves
Doing to their neighbours as they will that they do to them. Another is that they do, so far as they can, the seven works of mercy.
The which
are
:
to feed the
the thirsty a drink
;
hungry
:
to clothe the
to give
naked
them that have no housing the sick, to comfort them that are
to harbour visit
:
:
to in
bury dead men. All that can and who have property, they may not be quit with one or two of these ; to
prison
;
but
behoves them to do them
will
it
all,
if
they
on Dooms-Day have the benison that
form
vTbe
to all
shall give
JESUS else
of perfect Olt\>ina.
may
they
have who
who do them.
dread the malison that
will
77
all
Or
men
not do them, when they had
goods to do them with. Contemplative
and a
higher.
life
has two parts
The lower part
of holy writing, that
is
is
:
a lower
meditation
GOD'S word, and
other good thoughts and sweet that
in
men
have of the grace of GOD, about the love of
JESUS psalms
Christ,
and
also in praising
GOD
and hymns and in prayers.
higher part of contemplation
is
although
it
:
that
The
beholding and
yearning after the things of heaven, joy in the Holy Ghost
in
men have
and oft,
be so that they be not praying
with the mouth, but only thinking of GOD,
and
of
souls. is
the beauty of angels, and of holy
Then may
I
say that contemplation
a wonderful joy of GOD'S love
joy
is
praising
;
the which
GOD, that cannot be told
and that wonderful praising
is
in the soul
;
:
Ebe iform
78
and
for
of (Perfect Hiving.
abundance of joy and sweetness,
mouth
ascends into the
;
it
so that the heart
and the tongue agree in one, and body and A man or woman soul joy, living in GOD. that
appointed to contemplative
GOD
is
and
inspires all
them
forsake
to
life, first
this
world,
the vanity and covetousness and vile
Afterwards
lust thereof.
their lone
and speaks to "
He
He
them by heart, and as
leads
their
them
to suck " of the sweetness of the beginning of love
the prophet says
gives
:
and then He
them
sets
in the will to give
themselves wholly to prayers and meditations
and
when they many temptations, and when
tears.
have suffered
Afterwards,
the foul annoyances of thoughts that are
and
of vanities
who cannot
will
encumber those
destroy them, are passing away,
He makes them them and
which
idle,
fasten
gather up their heart to it
only in Him, and opens
to the eye of their souls the gates of heaven
:
She Jform and then the heart,
of perfect Xtving. love verily
fire of
and burns
therein,
79
lies in their
and makes
it
clean
and afterwards they are contemplative men, and ravished in love. For contemplation is a sight and they see
from
all
earthly
filth,
;
Heaven with
into
their
thou shalt wit that no
ghostly eye.
man
But
has perfect sight
of heaven, whilst they are living bodily here.
But
as soon as they die, they are brought
before GOD, and see to eye,
Him
face to face,
and eye
and dwell with Him without end.
Him they sought, and Him they coveted, and Him they loved, with all their might. For
have told thee shortly the Form of Living, and how thou mayst Lo, Margaret,
come
I
to perfection,
and
thou hast taken thee
and
to.
to love If it
Him whom
do thee good
me.
thank GOD, and pray for The grace of TESUS Christ be with \j
thee,
and keep
profit to thee,
*/
1bere enoetb
"
thee.
Amen.
ZEbe Jform of perfect
ur
2>ail
Work.
(H flDirror of Discipline.)
Moth.
ut Bails
(H fUMrror of Discipline.)
man
things are needful to every
;
THREE to increase his reward, through GOD'S grace
(
first
man
that
;
Who
helping,
"
shall
The
him.
lead
be in honest work,_ without
losing of his time.
The second
that he do
workjwith a freedom. of_ spirit, in place The _and in time, as work falls to each. his
third
that his outward bearing
;
ever he come, be so honest and praise
is
good to
Omnia fiant,
and
(given) to
all
who
GOD, a
is
fair,
stirring
that
up
of
see him, as the Apostle bids
in vobis honesti
that
wheresor
et
"That ye do
in order." 83
:
:
secundum ordinem be
it
done honestly
<S>ur E>atl
84
UGlorfe.
FIRST PART OF THE BOOK.
AT
the
first
man
:
lose not his short time, nor
wrongly, nor in idleness
GOD and
has lent
man
pass away.
his time, to serve
GOD
in,
Not only
this short time flies
but also the time of our
us,
man
"
says
:
S.
man
in a ship
wake
Our
life- time
"
And
Gregory says ;
sit
:
Our
life,
is
as the
passes away." life
is
like
a
he, stand he, sleep he,
he, ever he gets thitherward
So we,
we
it
it
good works, to buy
from
ship
let
spend
to gather grace with
heaven with.
wise
look that he
shall
where the
driving with the force of the weather. in this short time,
drive ever to our end."
whatsoever we do,
And
our enemy,
Death, follows us ever at our back, with a sharp spear to stick us through, therefore
"
says
Seneca,
And
Worfe.
Batl
<S>ur
life
S.
death
flies,
"
Augustine says
85
Life
is
nothing else
but a swift running to death." there lives
naught to
is :
save
uncertain
not
long
And
the time
taken
I
life,
"
to
when
is
uncertain."
life
might, at his
will,
drive
was the
man
deceived of
:
be
And
S.
doom."
hopes he for long
the psalm
shall
knows not the time
him
the Gospel of S.
I
Nothing so much beguiles
:
as that he
rich
know
I
:
and led
that to
" :
my
shall dwell, nor
Jerome says
man,
this short life is
Maker may take me "I wot not Gregory says
S.
hence
man
long
endure, and whether
may
I
after a short space
away."
Yet
well.
Therefore,
how
by,
wherefore says Job
:
how
how
tell
follows."
Luke
of his
And
for himself, as
if
yet
he
Death back.
Thus
whom
speaks
Therefore saith
xvi.
"if riches increase, set not your
heart upon them."
For riches
with man, but glide away
fail
like
and
last
not
a phantom.
86
Work,
ur Bail^
But when men have
got
goods
together,
with right, or with wrong and poor men's then suddenly, they go from their
curses,
And
goods, or else their goods from them. " The world passeth Holy Writ says
and the
A man
lust thereof."
that
away fallen
is
and through the force of the borne forth and torn from the
in the water,
water
is
ground
;
he
if
good fastening
get anything that has
may like
a root or a stake, he
hinder the water from carrying him
but by anything that self,
fleets as
he cannot fasten himself
willy nilly, in this
life,
as
if
:
may
away
he does him-
and
soothly,
in water,
we
are
ever passing with the goods of this world
and there
is
by, so that
Man slip
Job had
we "
saith,
naught
in this
;
world to fasten
shall not pass
We
;
shall all die,
:
for the
and
like
Wise water
into the Earth." And therefore " Riches and friends speaks, as if he said
away
I
many, but they
all
could not hinder
me
ur Baity Morfc.
87
from going forth and not coming again."
And by what shews of is
it
" :
path,
All flesh
and
grass,
meadow.
and soon
and a while
food.
all
and taken
Thus
Hay
after, the flowers
mown down
it is
it
the glory
Man's
flesh
first
is
green
after brings forth flowers
to
dry and
fall
:
;
with the scythe, and
a house to be beasts'
man
befalls
he springs and grows after,
and
grass,
prophet
joy and splendour as the
all his
flower of the
dried
is
shall go, the
as the flower of the field."
as hay,
after
man
:
as
in his childhood
the
does
grass
;
he comes to manhood and flowers in
and strength and wit and having he draws to age, and afterwards goods
fairness of
:
;
then his flowers fairness,
strength,
afterwards,
he
is
that
fall,
wit
are
his
virtue,
and other power
stricken
down with
;
the
scythe of Death, afterwards taken to a house to beasts' food, that to
feed
worms.
is,
dug into the earth
Therefore
says
the
holy
ur
man
" ;
when a man
he shall dwell
dies,
A
with serpents and beasts."
dead
man
is
so disgusting to the world, that one cannot let
him be
in his house three days together
;
but bears him forth, that he harm none with the odour.
Therefore,
for in the time to
it is
come
now time
there
is
to
work
;
no time to
work, but to receive rewards for deeds done
And
ere while.
oath and says, that there will
this
the angel affirms with
"
For the angel has sworn be no further time." Do we
then as the Apostle says time, let us
Apostle
from the
work good
counsels
us,
" :
While we have
to all."
he
did
And
as the
himself
hour of the day until the
first
:
for fifth,
he worked with his hands to win his food
and from the
fifth to
to the people
:
:
the tenth, he preached
from the tenth to even he
served the poor and pilgrims with such goods as he
had
;
by night he was praying, and
thus spent he his time.
<>ur Bail\>
man
In three ways, ness
THflorfe.
89
loses his time
or in works that no good
;
:
in idle-
comes
of
;
or in good works, but not ordained as they
should be.
Against idleness, Solomon says
" Idleness teaches much evil Writ says " Whoso followeth r<
most
A
foolish."
great fool he
and Holy
;
is
idleness, is
who
for-
bears not from the thing that harms him.
More
fool he
reward himself idle
day
most
:
because he wins himself no
is,
pain.
fool
idle
"
Why
are prudently gotten,
is
GOD blames
standest thou
the
all
the
:
for as
and
entices the fiend
by good works the
fiend
hindered from entering man's heart, so
idleness
says for
because he wins
Idleness wastes the goods that
?
to the house
is,
Therefore
and says "
:
he
:
his
And Seneca himself who lives
draws him thereto.
"he
lives
not to
stomach and the ease
whenever he can." born to labour."
For Job
of
says
his
flesh
"Man
is
To work was man bound
<>ur
90 after
he had sinned, through GOD'S bidding,
Who
said to
him
"In the sweat
:
face shalt thou eat thy bread,
turnest unto the ground from
wast taken
till
of thy
thou
re-
whence thou
because from the ground thou
;
and into the ground thou shalt go." Thou shalt work stalwartly and not faintly, art,
for
He
bids thee work,
face,
even
that
is,
all
till
with sweat of thy
thou returnest to the earth
Idleness smites a
;
man
as
he were in a paralysis, and makes his limbs
dry that he cannot work. the Psalmist
not
feet
;
" :
They have hands and handle
they
but
they
eyes have they and see not
and hear not
" ;
;
and to
nurse to
;
speak
not
;
;
ears have they
for their limbs are so
in sin, that to all
dead
Therefore says
have they but they walk not
mouths have
is
"
time that thou losest no
life
thy
time in idleness. if
"
bound
good things, they are as
evil,
all vices,
they are easy.
Idleness
and makes a man reck-
91
<>ur 2>all2 IKHorfe.
about
less
not
And when
to do.
he puts in
idle,
of fleshly
him on
to
sin
to
idle
man makes
who
follies
that
may
he
eggs
and thus he
indeed,
for
;
the
to
man
" :
Will
devil."
The
himself unworthy to dwell
but
place
cannot dwell those
place
give
a
thoughts
the Apostle's bidding
not
any
foul
afterwards,
;
bound
is
finds
fiend
heart
his
do them
to
does against
in
the
and other
filth,
him
bring
what he
doing
In
hell.
heaven
is
heaven
he
reward to
full
here spend their time in works
that they hope are pleasing to Christ.
purgatory the
may
idle
not dwell
In
for there
;
only the good are purged in that cleansing
they be as clean of sin as when they
fire, till
were christened wright
In
:
:
therefore saith the Psalm-
labore
hominum non sunt
hominibus non flagellabuntur to
"
say
;
therefore
The
in
idle
:
that
is
et
cum
thus for
work not with men
purgatory they
shall
not
;
be
ur 2)ail
92
pained with those
THUorfe.
men who
are
on the way
to heaven." *
Great shame
if
awaits
we work
as
GOD
us.
to be idle in this time
which we are hired to work
of grace, in the
and
is
it
we ought,
gives
;
great reward
an example of
us
"
He work, by Himself, as the Apostle says emptied Himself, and took upon Him the :
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion ;
as a
man, he humbled Himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross
:
wherefore
Him, and given
GOD hath also highly exalted Him a name which is above
every name, that at the name of JESUS, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth
;
and that every tongue should confess that JESUS Christ
is
Lord, to the glory of
GOD
the Father." * Rolle's free
Thornton
MS.
rendering of the Latin
is
It does not occur in the
added here from the
Arundel MS.
<S>ur IDailp
Morfc.
93
Over-proud then, and over-delicate
who
servant,
Lord
and
assailed
enemies.
thralls,
sees
His
evil-wounded
by
His
battle,
we ought to work in this for we are GOD'S bought
Also,
time of grace
;
with the price of His dear-worthy
Blood, to work in His vine-yard
He doth
promise us reward,
if
good-will that which, as a debt,
To His
do.
of grace, if if
we do
:
and yet
we do with we ought
to
private friends, before the time
GOD promised
they did well well.
and abode
only earthly goods,
to us the bliss of
;
was long
It
they might come thereto hell
the
and
in
rests
is
there,
;
for
Heaven,
after,
before
they went to
some a thousand
years,
some two, some three, before they came to heaven. But now may men in a little time win heaven,
christened, or for his
love.
any die soon after he is he have done full penance
as, if if
misdeeds
The time
;
or be martyred for GOD'S
of supper that the gospel of
ur Baity Morfc.
94 S.
Luke speaks
His servants
of,
call all
that were bidden,
which
;
all is
so that there
;
is
is
of all their sins that they
What
since they were born. it
is
is
cleanse
have done
losing of time
to travail about things that no profit
comes
of.
Man ought
to travail only to the
Thou
worship of GOD, and his soul-health. shalt
not
deem the man has
though he go with a grey-haired lived to
well.
"
lived
staff stooping,
long
and be
but deem him so old as he has
;
Therefore
answered
"
of 45 years."
" :
I
Barlaham
when he asked
Josaphath, his disciple,
him how old he was "
the
else to
naught
do but wash and go to meat, that
them
is
now, in the which
time of grace
ready
GOD bade
to the which
am," quoth he,
Master," quoth Josaphath,
methinks thou art of 60 years and more."
Then
said Barlaham,
been 60 years in idleness
;
and
"
Since
I
was born has
but those years that sin before I
took
me
I
spent
to this
<>ur Baity Morfc. life, I
hold as years of death.
I call
years of
Christ
my
life
Lord
in,
But
those
all
that I have served JESUS
through His dear-worthy
Whoso would bethink
grace."
95
himself
what
time steals from him in long eating and drinking, in excess
and
idle
and
and
foul thoughts, useless jests
other vanities that
may
useless works, idle speech,
men
delight
for
in,
he
soothly understand that though he be
old in years, that he has lived
manner that he ought
the
them
and
he lived not to his
reward,
time in
have lived
to
profit,
but peradventure
little
nor
won him for
pain
;
losing
time. It
who
were a wonderful thing
if
the
man
gives himself to business of the world
more than he need, had no hindrance
in
prayer, in rest of heart, in soothfastness of
words, in perfection of good works, in love to
GOD and
Christian men.
Therefore, holy
men, before now, who knew
their hindrances,
all
ur 2>ailp Morfc.
96
they fled the world with it
had been accursed
for
;
they could not
that
as
all its vanities,
live
if
seemed to them
it
a righteous
life
and therefore went they into the wilderness, where they trowed to serve GOD therein
;
"
Therefore says Seneca,
in peace.
become more
avaricious,
I
and more
and more inhuman because
have cruel,
was among
I
men." Three manners of occupations there are as,
much brawling raking about and much caring earthly Against much brawling, Solomon
various
about
;
things. "
says
and
;
The beginning "
is,
let
is
as
when one
Let the water out,"
the tongue fleet out in quarrel-
ling."
But
himself
may no
fleet
of strife
"
letteth out water."
that
:
to the
out with
GOD
or of
lets his
heart
knowledge of
one come, who
much
useless speech
:
for
he
makes a way in himself for the fiend. Therefore Solomon likens such to a city without a
ur 2>aU\> wall
"He
:
spirit is like
without
97
TKftorfc.
that hath no rule over his
a city that
walls."
is
And
hindrance of good
broken down and
because
much
in
is
own
much
so
speech, the
philosopher binds his disciples with silence (during) their
five years.
first
Also,
Agathon bore a stone in his mouth years to teach him to hold still. those
who
Abbot
for three
Against
are ever raking about to feed their
wits with vanities
and
lusts
is
the teaching
of the angel, who taught holy Abbot Arsenius " and said Arsenius, flee the world and its :
yearnings
:
keep thee in
rest,
bridle
thy
tongue," that
it fleet
not out in quarrelling nor
idle speech.
Where
these three are
is
a
way
It GOD, and withdrawing from evil. tells of an Abbot who (for) fully 20 years sat in his school, and never lifted up his head
to
to
see
the school-roof.
Against those
care over-much about worldly goods,
says this
" :
Vain
is
their hope,
who
Solomon
and
their
H
ur
98 labour without
2)ail\> Udorfc.
fruit,
because they can carry This
of all their labour."
away nothing
is
by the dead, who, be they bear with them but a winding
seen every day,
never so rich cloth.
The
third
manner
of
men
are they that
have a liking to do good, but because they do
it
not in the manner they should do
they lose their reward
;
for
when good
it in,
intent
any deed, the reward that should fall And that may be to the good work fails. fails in
in four
ways
the working
;
first,
;
for the wickedness of
as the offering of Cain, that
though he offered to GOD of the
fruit that
was new, GOD would not look thereon to the offering of Abel his brother,
Therefore says S. Gregory will of
GOD
him that
or rejected
" :
:
but
GOD looked.
By
the heart's
offers is the gift received of :
with Abel for the
and GOD was not pleased offering,
the offering for Abel,
who
but pleased with in all his
works
<>ur Baflp Idorfc.
99
was true and good but to Cain and to his offering GOD would not look, for he who ;
made
the offering displeased
And why
" I will
:
not hear
When :
ye make
is
GOD, the pro-
many
prayers,
because your hands are
full
The second that reaves away a
of blood/'
man's reward
which
greatly."
our offering, or what we do that
in its nature good, displeases
phet says
GOD
for his
man
stirs
good deed,
is
vanity,
to do the good because he
would be praised.
For vain-glory makes
good as if alms-deed that is good in nature be done for praising, it wins only sin. The third that snatches a reward from a evil of
:
good deed
is
boasting
by him that does the
good deed, as the Pharisee said
"
to
the
folk
Soothly, this
that
man
did, of
stood
whom GOD
before
Him,
has lost his reward for
good deed." Needful it is therefore that a man do what good he can, and do not all
his
pride himself thereof in thought or in
word
;
ioo
ut 2>ail> Morfc.
good deed
for he has not the doing of a
himself, nor of his
own
that snatches from a
good deed
(is)
The fourth
desiring.
man
when he does
reward
his it
of
for a
with the intent
to be holden better than others, or to lessen
the good deed of others, or to outdo
it if
he
Of such, S. Gregory tells a tale in his That once on a time the holy dialogues
can.
:
Bishop Fortunatus, chased the fiend out of and the fiend, when a man in one evening ;
he was chased out, put on the likeness of a
and went through the city where the Bishop lived, weeping and yelling like a
pilgrim,
poor wretch,
who was anxious
that night, and thus he said
for lodging
" ;
Lo, what
your Bishop, whom ye consider so good, has done to me he came to the house where I :
had taken force
am
I
none city
:
my
and now desirous
will
;
lodging, like a
over
and put me out by
poor wretch, all, I
o'f
lodging
seek lodging, and
have ruth on me."
who heard him, took him
A man
of that
into his house,
ur Baity
and
set
wished.
him by the
101
Uttlorfe.
and eased him, as he When the man had inquired of him fire
of far-off things, as
men do
to pilgrims, the
fiend leaped at the child in the cradle,
wrung its neck in two, and cast Of this fire, and vanished away.
and
it
into the
S.
Gregory
"
speaks and says, Many deeds seem good, and are not good, because they are not done
with a good
And
will.
this
man harboured
the pilgrim for no pity of him, but because he
spake evil of the Bishop, and in order that " " he should be held better and (the man) of
more pity than the Bishop."
deed
is lost,
man,
riches,
Yet a good if a man covet by it to have of or position, or honours or any
worldly good.
Yet through sin defiling, the lost and here-unto accords
good deed is " who sinneth in one Holy Writ that says, thing, loses many good things," which is, ;
"
he that in a deadly thing
goods," save he
sins,
he loses
amend him with
do penance therefor.
many
shrift,
and
102
ur
2>ail
TKIlorfc.
SECOND PART OF THE BOOK.
T HE
man
-*-
dom
do
to
of spirit, in
work
to each to
second part of this book teaches
do
:
good work with place and in time, as his
falls
not compelled thereto, nor
with anger, nor with a dead heart.
it
"
For Holy Writ says giver,"
free-
GOD
or
:
GOD
loves a cheerful
him who
loves
aught with a glad heart
:
gives
and certainly the
works that turn out to the praise
and the health
of
man's
Him
soul,
like
of
God,
prayers
and holy thoughts, and a clear mind about these and others GOD, and GOD'S deeds ;
like
them
will allow of little rest,
well (done).
pleases
Prayer
GOD,
ought to be
:
if it
is
if
they be
a sacrifice that greatly
be made in the manner
therefore
GOD
asks
it
it
of us as
2)ail\>
a debt, -when
He
Morfe. "
says this
:
103
GOD
created
the peoples for His praise and His glory "
and
of
the Apostle,
praise "
man
certainly
GOD
men
honour
Therefore,
ever to pray and never to
ever praying,
is
shall
who
is
doing good.
of religion are
with prayer, and
;
we ought always
pray and not to faint."
behoves
He
Sacrifice
And
Me." to
the
"
men
bound of
it
fail.
And
to worship
Holy Church
;
by alms and tenths for all the world labours to bring them what they need
for they live
:
close at hand, so that they in rest,
and with
reconciliation also
may
serve
GOD
their holy prayers
make
GOD and man.
And
between
maidens and widows who have taken
the oath of chastity, others,
please
are
GOD
bound
to
all
these,
pray.
with prayer will
He
more than that
will
offer it to
GOD
and loving heart, and will prepare himself before, as Solomon counsels " Before prayer, prepare thy soul, and be
with a free
will
:
ur Baity
104
IHIlorfc.
He tempts
not as one that tempteth GOD."
GOD who he prays
yearns not to win that for which or despairs to speed well therein
:
and who makes
man
and
sin
evil life
Of such
thinks not he loves. "
speaks
:
What
wonder
if
such
:
S.
;
a
Gregory our
tardily
by the Lord, when we all hear the Lord when He
prayers are heard tardily or not at "
commands
And
?
Isidore
have assured confidence in the
and
whom
sinful
of his prayer, let flee sin,
keep "
it
When
his
call
at
home
as
the
Gospel
speed
teaches
thou prayest, enter into thy
i.e.,
of
;
"
thine heart home," " " ;
will
is
him do what good he can heart from the world, and
Enter," he says,
door
who
GOD
of
Whoever
and shut thy door, and pray "
cannot
remembrance
the
doing delights."
He
in his prayers
commands
even thus far slothful,
" :
and
closet,
to thy Father." "
thy bed," that "
;
is,
call
then fasten thy
hold thy wits in thee, that
105
<S>ur 2>ailp TCIlorfe.
none go out."
GOD
come
For
but
it is
pray to
folly to
needy wretches, to give us alms of His dear-worthy grace, and to
to us, poor
not abide His coming, but turn our back on
Him.
says that the soul must be
S. Isidore
cleansed from the stain of sin, and the heart
be withdrawn from the provocations of the world, in order that prayer
hindrance to GOD.
For
may
rise
far is that
without
man from
GOD, pray he never so much, whose prayers are mixed with worldly thoughts therefore :
says the Psalm
GOD."
"
Be
still,
This ought to
stir
and
see that I
us up to pray with
and consideration
great dread
am
for
we speak
with Almighty-Goo, when we are naught but
unworthy wretches. For so did Abraham, " GOD'S private friend, who said I speak :
to
my
And
Lord which
Isidore says
sighings
grimly
and
sins,
" :
tears,
and
am
but dust and ashes."
we ought
to
pray with
and remembrance
of the
many
of our
pains and bitter
106
Worfc.
<s>ur E>ail
we
shall
us,
and He have pity on us."
endure for them, unless we amend
who
Also, he
prays shall hope to speed well in that for
which he prays "
Himself said,
Christ
for
;
All things are possible to the believing
we
therefore
GOD
pray to
shall
He
For '
as
says to
Name, He
all
shall
second, to
whom
it
in prayer
himself
prepare
he shall ask in prayer
:
hinders prayer
prayer
and
:
is
:
the sixth, of.
says*
My
how a
before. :
The
the third,
the fourth, what
the
fifth,
what
what might and
The
is
written
Before
prayer,
first
"
begins
He
first,
he shall pray :
already,
love
There are
to you."
he shall pray
virtue
we
Father in
shall ask the
know
whom
....
His
shall give
six things to
for
if
our Father, and be His children.
Whatsoever ye
man
:
as to our
Father in that for which we pray,
Him
"
at,
prepare thy soul," and lasts as far as here. *
The MS.
is
defective.
ur
The second,
whom
to
Soothly, before
"
And
pray to Him."
"Thou
Be
107
thou pray
shalt
others, to
all
as the prophet bids,
says,
Morfe.
E>ail
GOD
Almighty,
subject to
the
in
shalt adore the
?
GOD and GOD
Gospel,
Lord thy GOD." i
Saints
we honour and pray
of goodness, but as
to win from fore, let
and
GOD'S friends to help us
certain hope, is
to
we pray
that
GOD
us believe in
Lord GOD
after.
with
all
There-
our heart,
and perfect charity our be loved. The third, for :
men pray ? A great clerk says, Every Christian man is a living member of
whom "
Him
not as givers
to,
shall
Holy Church, therefore for
all,
but specially for
as the Pope, Cardinals,
cure of men's souls friends
;
and
all
:
is
men
and
after,
all
of
Holy Church, Bishops, all who have
also for our foes
who
and our
are in deadly sin, that
may rise for whom GOD'S mercy
they, through grace, are in Purgatory,
he bound to pray
who have
:
all
who
awaits
;
occupations, both
108
ur Baity
And
quick and dead.
who prays
he
and sped "
all,
of his prayer
And
man
S.
S.
Gregory says that
the sooner shall be heard
thou prayest for
If
thee."
a
for
THIiorfc.
and
:
Jerome
" ;
;
pray for
will
all
all,
Ambrose
S.
Necessity binds
pray for himself, but charity of brotherhood stirs him to pray for all and to
:
charity,
The
hear."
prayer
more than
?
GOD
stirs
necessity,
fourth,
what
shall
Certainly,
grace
in
men
this
to
ask in
life,
and
endless joy in the other ; for so " us and says Seek first the
GOD
GOD and
these things
:
shall
His
justice,
and
be added unto you."
to those
who
kingdom
GOD
are righteous, to find
they need of earthly goods
makes men GOD'S his nature is
all
:
children,
bound
teaches
is
of
debtor
them what
for righteousness
and a father by
to find for his children.
Earthly goods are not to be asked in prayer, for
they have done harm to many, therefore
Solomon says "
How
long, ye fools, will ye
Work.
ur S)ail
which are hurtful to you
desire those things
Therefore, every
man
GOD
with
reasonable, that
He
will fulfil it
and
:
if
and
prayer be necessary
that his
see
should ask of
" ?
he ask and pray his Lord that
fear, that
He
109
if
be not necessary and reasonable, that
it
He
what may help and what may harm, the Leech knows better than the sick man. But one of these two shall we will
withdraw
it
for
;
have through prayer either, that we pray for, or that which is better for us. The fifth, what hinders our prayer from being trust to
heard by
;
God
Six things
?
the
:
first is
the
him who prays as GOD says through " when ye make many prayers, the prophet,
sin of
I will
;
not hear
of blood."
;
because your hands are
And David
upon iniquity with not hear."
have
His
hid "
Gospel
:
And
my
" :
If I
face
have looked
heart, the "
the prophet
from
;
us."
Because we know
full
GOD
Lord
will
Our
sins
And
the
does not
no
ur Bail
Mori*.
The second
hear Sinners."
ness of that for which
men
is
the un worthi-
pray, and that
GOD, through the prophet, forbids them to pray
for
" :
Pray not
(praise) nor prayer for
lift
up
will
not hear."
"
"
who was bound
me
I will
for I
;
in sin
holy
came
holy Abbot, S. Anthony, and said,
the
holy Father, have mercy on
for
them
It tells in the life of the
Fathers that one to
for this people, neither
" :
whom
to
me and
pray
the holy Abbot said
;
have no mercy on thee, unless thou
and leavest thy sin." The and idle thoughts, that hinder
helpest thyself third
is
foul
us from thinking on our prayers.
Of such
Gods says through His prophet. This people honour ME with their lips, but
false prayers,
"
their
heart
is
far
from ME."
It
is
great
wickedness of us unworthy wretches that
when we speak with prayer to Almighty GOD, we also unwittingly hearken not to what we say.
Soothly,
great
displeasure
we do
to
<>ur 2>atlv Morfe.
GOD when we pray Him and we
to hear our prayer,
but
it is
worse to waste our time in foul and
idle
not hear
will
ourselves
it
:
Abraham, when he made a
thoughts.
GOD, fowls of the and would have defiled
fice to
air lighted thereon, it
and he cleared
;
those birds away, so that none durst
nigh
made.
Let
GOD, when
and
I shall
do so with these the sacrifice of
defile
This sacrifice
is
agreeable
to
comes from a clean and loving
it
GOD
heart.
us
which
flying thoughts,
our prayer.
come
the time were passed, and the
it, till all
sacrifice
sacri-
bids
" :
send
send grace to thee
thou dost for ME,
I
forget
;
it
to
ME, and whatso
prayer
not."
The
fourth, that hinders our prayer from being
heard,
is
hardness of heart
two manners the "
poor
who
may
;
;
first
;
and that
is
in
hardness of heart against
and thereof the prophet says
shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, he
call
and
I
will
not hear him."
The
H2
ur IDailp Morfc.
other
is
not
will
who have misdone them
forgive to those
such,
Solomon
neighbour
who has
to
who
the hardness of those
:
"
says
thy
Forgive
:
injured thee while
he
prays to thee, and thy sins shall be forgiven."
And
"As thou
the Gospel says:
thou hast aught against
if
praying, forgive
any, and your Father which will
is
The
sins."
your
forgive
standest
in
heaven
fifth,
hinders our prayer from being heard,
is little
men pray GOD stores
yearning after the things that
and
up
"
S.
Augustine says
for thee, that
be desired
" ;
with thy whole heart
for
hastily, that so
He
will
it
for
:
this
may
not to give to Thee
thou mayst learn great things
And
greatly to desire." " if
:
that
S.
Gregory says
with our mouth we pray after the
:
bliss
and do not yearn for it in our we are crying still." The sixth, that
of heaven,
heart,
hinders our prayer
that
we
fill
our
;
lips
is
foul
with
;
and for
if
idle speech,
thou givest
<>ur 2>ailp Morfe.
113
a great lord drink in a slutty cup, were the drink never so good, he would feel disgust
and bid throw
therewith, thirst
never so sore
so
:
it
away, were
GOD
prayer that comes from a foul
esteems
does with a
mouth
not, but turns therefrom. "
it
fore says S.
Gregory
are denied with foolish talking, so less are
sixth,
they heard by
GOD
before this
themselves
soothfastness,
idle,
prayed for
:
of
the
is
of.
who kept
age,
and
spoke
won from GOD what they and that was shewn
hermit Florentius,
unknown
lips
The
in prayer."
Men who were
nothing
There-
much
what might and virtue prayer in
He
;
The more our
:
his
who dwelt
men.
to a holy
in a wilderness
So much vermin was
there about this hermitage, that none durst
come
thither
in that land,
came
at
by a long way.
who heard of
A
deacon was
this hermit,
and he
the last to the place where this
hermit was dwelling
;
but he saw so
much
H4
<>ur 2>ail\> Morfc.
vermin about that he durst not come near but cried out for help in
came out
know who
to
:
The holy man was that cried and
fear.
it
;
man standing there, and inquired what " he would have. And the deacon said holy he saw a
;
Father,
now
I
enough
have found thee, if I
for these
many." fell
have sought thee from
I
I
should have joy
might come to thee, but
venomous beasts that
When
down on
He would
the holy
his knees,
and
far,
man
I
cannot
are here so
heard
this,
he
and prayed GOD that
worms
destroy those
and
:
all
soon a grisly storm arose with a thunder,
and slew
the
all
hermit to our Lord
worms. " ;
Then
said
the
Lord, these beasts
here so thickly, that I cannot
come
to
lie
him
nor he to me, save we be poisoned by them. Lo, Lord, they
lie
here dead, but
who
shall
"
them away ? At his word, many birds came, and carried them all clean away.
lift
Hereof speaks
S.
"
Gregory
:
Because GOD'S
<S>ur
Baity TOorfc.
115
servants withdraw themselves from the world
and
works, uselessly they cannot speak
its
so they bind
them
to silence that they dare
say no word save
be teaching others or
it
GOD and therefore, when they GOD aught, He grants it at once." But
praising
:
woful wretches, that chatter
all
who
the day like magpies
now twist, now speak now backbite, now swear
evil,
for
;
we,
our mouth
is
now
now
;
quarrel,
great oaths, these
our prayer and hinder
heard
ask
deal with the world,
lie,
defile
:
it,
as far
that
it is
not
from praying
near the world with idle speech."
GOD, as
it is
Prayer
is
that
masters the fiend, and hinders him
it
so mightful
from doing
whom
go to the other side tidings
how
it
it
For so
his will.
Julian the
if
have
it
its
right,
did the fiend
Emperor commanded to of the world to bring him
was
there.
When
he had
flown ten days' journey thitherward, he came
over the place that Publius the hermit dwelled
n6
ur S>ail> Morfe.
who was praying
in,
And
at that time.
his
prayer overtook the fiend, and held him there fast
fully ten
for
days
and when he ceased, turned back, for he could no further
hermit was in prayer the fiend
that time, the
all
:
go, since prayer hindered him.
When thou hast gathered home
thine heart
and hast destroyed the things that might hinder thee from praying, and won to that devotion which GOD sends to
and
its wits,
thee through His dear-worthy grace, quickly rise
no
from thy bed at the bell-ringing
bell
be there,
there be
neither
love
wake
And
zeal,
cock and
let
cock nor
rooted in love,
bell,
;
let
:
if if
GOD'S
most pleases GOD. wakens before both
and has washed her
sweet love-tears
and
the cock be thy bell
thee, for that
bell,
:
face with
and her soul within has
GOD with devotion, and liking, and bidding Him good-morning, and with other heavenly gladness which GOD sends to His joy in
ur Baity TOorfc.
117
Blessed are they above others
lovers.
GOD wakens,
for
they have
whom
joys while
many
others sleep, for they find that gladness before
them,
rise
they never so soon
thus says
self
ME, he
"he
:
shall find
ME
GOD Him-
for
;
that early wakens to to speak with him,
and
ME, and have ME at Be then a waker, and rise quickly,
shall rejoice himself in his will."
and thank heartily thy Lord GOD, for the rest thou hast had, and for the care of angels. Since a knight has great liking to be called
come and speak with the king, when he knows it is for his great profit with greater to
:
reason,
ought GOD'S knight, that
is
every
Christian
man,
to be ready at the calling of
his Lord,
Who
calls
and
for nothing else.
him
for his great profit,
Soberly, rise thou with
a good cheer, and think that thou hearest " call thee with these words Arise :
love,
My
thy face
fair one, :
I
GOD
My
and come and shew Me
yearn that the voice of thy
n8
ur Batty Morfc,
thy in
how
rising,
soul
ears."
Think
many men and some
in soul,
some
:
Mine
that night
and some
life,
and
ring in
may
prayer
some
burned,
in
perished in
body
drowned,
some suddenly dead without repentance or shrift, and their souls drawn by fiends to hell
some
;
gluttony,
fallen into
other several sins.
And from
GOD hath
and
so,
GOD
that
suffer so
as lust,
all
and
these perils,
delivered thee, of His
goodness not of thy desert.
done to
sin,
manslaughter,
envy,
theft,
thy good
deadly
He
What
hast thou
should care for thee
many
others to be lost
?
and peradventure thou hast done worse than they have done. If thou lookest well at
what GOD has done
for thee
though thou
hast not served Him, thou mayst find that
busy to do thee profit as if He had naught else to do, and as if He had
GOD
is
as
forgotten this whole world, and thought only
on
thee.
When
thou hast
this thought,
lift
ur
up thine heart
2>atl\>
Work. "
GOD and
to
say
Thee, dear-worthy Lord, with
Who
119
I
thank
my
heart,
:
all
hast thus cared this night for me, a
unworthy wretch, and hast suffered me that with life and health I thus abide this so
day.
thank Thee, Lord,
I
good, and to
many
others that
for
this
Thou
great
hast done
me, a so unkind and unworthy wretch,
more than
all
others
that
:
Thou shewest me
And
such kindness against
my
put thyself and
thy friends in GOD'S
hands,
all
and say thus
evil deeds."
" :
Into
Thy
dear-
worthy hands, my Lord, I yield my soul and body, and all my friends, kindred and stranger
:
and
all
bodily or ghostly, Christianity
:
Thy Mother,
who have done me good and all who have received
that
Thou,
for
the
love
of
that dear-worthy Maiden, and
the beseeching of
Thy
Saints defend us this
day or this night from all soul, and from all deadly
perils of sins,
body and
from tempta-
120
ur 2>ailp Morfe.
tion
the
of
devil,
from the pains of
Do Thou
them.
and sudden death, and hell, and make us dread
hallow our hearts with grace
Thy Holy Ghost, and make us, whatsoever we do here, do Thy will, that we never of
from
separate
When
Thee,
dear
Amen."
Lord.
thou hast done, go to the Church or
Oratory
and
:
if
thou canst win to none,
make thy chamber thy Church. church
most devotion to pray,
is
GOD on better
:
and
the
for then
the altar to hear those that to
them what they ask
pray, and grant is
In
or
in presence of Saints,
is
Him what
and
in
worship of churches that are hallowed, protection of angels
who
Lord and thee
for their office
thy prayer, and bear
are there to serve their is
to receive
GOD, and bring thee grace from Him, as S. Bernard says " Rise then quickly, at GOD'S call, and put it
to
:
all
heaviness from thee, and answer thy Lord
with the words which Samuel said to
GOD
<>ur 3DaiI
Who for
him
called
Thy
121
IHIlorfc.
in the night
'
Speak Lord,
:
'
servant heareth.'
For eight things we ought to wake and ever be doing good strait
way we have
that are so few
:
short
this
:
to go
life
the
:
our good deeds
:
our sins that are so
many
death that we are sure of and wot not when the strait and so hard for every idle
doom
:
:
of Doom's-day,
thought shall be shewed there,
then shall every foul word and sinful work
be greatly pressed, for careless
wilt
word,"
etc.
:
GOD
and
S.
"
says
is
"
Anselm,
thou do in that day when
expended
For every
required of thee
all
the time
how
;
what
it
has
been laid out by thee, even to the minutest thought." pain of hell
The seventh thing :
the eighth,
is
is
the strong
the joy of heaven.
After thine uprising, pray for the souls that are in pain of Purgatory,
hearest "
and think that thou
them cry on thee the words
of
Job
:
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, my
122
<S>ur
Bail? Worfc.
hand
for the
GOD
of
laid
upon me/' and help them with De Profundis, and friends,
is
After, greet our Lady, with Salve
Absolve,
Go then
Regina,
on
Church,
and bid thy vain thoughts and
thy
knees.
to
the
business of the world keep outside thereof
and at thine incoming, say to thy "
:
soul,
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord, and
thou shalt hear His Voice, and behold His
Holy Church Heaven. After,
the entrance and
temple."
is
gate of
fall
Cross,
down
before the
and honour Him because He was
slain
"
on the Cross, and say We adore Thee, O Christ, and bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou didst redeem the world." And then before thou uprisest, have in thy mind
how
hotly His love burned, That died for
thee on the Cross.
but
open that
first
my all
After, begin thy matins, "
cross thy lips " " lips
:
i.e.,
and say
Lord, open
O
Lord,
my
lips
night have been shut from praising
TOorfc.
<S>ur IDatlp
Thee, and
cannot open them, except Thou
I
And
help me." torium,
with
these
"
say
of
my
foes,
I
in
adju-
pour out thine
words,
Doom's-Man, before Thee
me
DEUS
then say,
GOD and
heart before
avenge
123
;
my
Lord, as
stand
:
which hinder
do Thou
me from
and they assail me keenly so be soon overcome unless Thou dost
serving Thee,
that
I
And
at Gloria Patri, bow down " say with thine heart, Lord, of Thy
help me."
and
Turn thee
blessing, I beseech Thee."
angels
who stand about
to the
to thy comfort
and
and as thy wardens to keep thee from thy foes, and thus say to them Venite exultemus, Domino. Afterwards, cast thine eye help,
on somewhat, and keep makest thy prayers, for
this helps
the stabling of thine heart
thy Lord, as
He was on
there while thou
it
;
much
and paint
the cross
;
to
there,
think on
His feet and hands that were nailed to the tree
;
and on the wide wound
in
His
side,
ur Dailp Udorfc.
124
through the which way His heart
;
is
made
to thee, to
thank thy Lord thereof, and love
Him
therefor
may
win, find treasure of love.
for these, they
:
who
thither
Think thou
His wounds streaming of blood, and
seest falling
down on
down and
lick
the earth
and
;
up that blood
kissing the
tears for
win
earth,
fall
thou
sweetly, with
with remembrance
that rich treasure, which for thy sins
was shed, and say thus with thine heart " Why lieth this blood here as if lost, and :
I
Why drink I not of this rich payment that my Lord gives me to drink and cool my tongue, and hear what perish for thirst
GOD
?
me
says to
He who
:
Thou
come and drink.
pleasant the Lord is
how
shall taste
how
;
is thirsty, let
and
sweet,
see
him how
how mild,
With such meditations, angels thy soul, and GOD is there, and says
merciful.
come
to
to His lover
" :
What
should do for thee
" ?
wouldest thou that
and thou dost answer
I ;
ur Bailp "
Lord
it
is
and outcast
enough of
and love Thee, If
125
TKIlorfc.
me, a
for
sinful
wretch
Thee
people, to praise
Thy
could, for so I well ought."
if I
thou canst win to such thinkings in thy
prayers, thou shalt have such joys that shall S.
be a pain to thee to think of aught
it
else.
Bernard, for the liking that he had for
such stirrings desired that matins-time might last
till
Dooms-day.
standest
or
when thou
Think,
kneelest
in
prayer,
that
thou
JESUS Christ come with angels and holy Saints on each side, and angels carrying seest
before
Him
from the
GOD up be
in
basketsfull of help which
feasts
heaven
:
of
Saints
that
who
is left
dwell with
GOD bade them
gather
to help the poor with, that naught might lost.
This help
who would
GOD had GOD cry
is
meat to us poor wretches,
perish in
pity on us. " :
default
it,
unless
Think thou hearest
Whoso has need
forth thine hand,
of
and have."
of meat, put
And bow thou
0ur Baity
126
TKTlorfc.
with thine head to GOD, and lament thy
poverty to in
Him and
mine house
" ;
"
say
and
long meatless have
I
There
"
also say,
that
been,
Thou
that
my
givest."
in
life
Stir
Lord, so
;
up with
thyself
devotion and raise
it
to
even until thou thinkest thou hearest say to thee, will
fill
it."
"
Open thy mouth
And
and
me, save meat
such recollections, and by others that kindle thy
of
die
I
me
hunger save Thou takest pity on
naught can hold
no bread
is
may Him,
Him
wide, and I
then, through GOD'S grace,
shalt thou feel something of that heavenly
food that feeds
all
Hallows, that thou mayest
with liking sing the Maiden's Song, that
GOD'S
salutari
grace,
anima
mea
spiritus
meus in
DEO
When GOD,
through
His
Mother's,
dominum
et
Magnificat
exultavit
meo.
sends thee
such
kindly to the angels
and to them say
:
is
turn
likings,
who stand
"I pray you
thou
before thee,
as
my
keepers
ur
whom GOD
H)ail\>
Udorfc.
has sent to me, that
ye thank
And
turn thou
your good Lord for me." then to the '
Truly,
127
where
altar,
O GOD,
great
GOD is
truly
and
is,
Thy mercy towards
"
me," that
is
Soothly Lord, great
is,
say,
mercy that Thou she west
to
me."
Thy With
such love-stirrings,
GOD comes
and waits not
the prayer be made, but
presses
in
till
the
to
midst,
to His lovers
:
and softens the
languishing soul, with a bedewing of heavenly
sweetness
and
:
tears
and
sighings
messengers of GOD'S coming.
they
who
thus
Blessed are
mourn and languish
for they shall never separate
are
to
GOD,
from GOD, but
Him ever at their will. How GOD comes to His lovers
have
sometimes
He
departs from them.
;
and how
GOD, when
He comes to His lovers gives them to taste how sweet He is and before they can fully feel, He goes from them, and, as an Eagle, ;
spreads His wings, and rises above them, as
128
if
<)ur 2Dailp Morfc.
He
said
sweet to
am
I
the
hearts
" :
:
full,
up
Some
part mayst thou feel
but
if
ye
fly
up
how
will feel this sweetness
Me, and
after
am
to Me, where I
lift
sitting
your
on
My
Father's right hand, and there ye shall be fulfilled in
lovers
them
to
GOD comes
joy of Me."
comfort them
to His
he departs from
;
humble themselves, and that they should not over-much pride themselves for the joy that they have of His so that they should
for if thy spouse were aye with coming thee, thou wouldest esteem thyself over well :
and despise others
:
and
if
thee thou wouldest impute
not to Grace.
He were it
aye with
to nature
and
Therefore, through His grace,
He comes when He
will,
and
to
whom He will,
and departs when He will so that His long dwelling makes one not more unworthy but that after His departing, He be more :
;
yearned for and sought with zealous love and sighings
and
tears.
But beware thou, GOD'S
Baity Morfc. lover,
129
though thy Spouse withdraw Himself
from thee
for a while,
He
sees all
thy deeds,
and thou canst hide nothing from Him and if He wit thou lovest any but Him, unless :
it
be for love of Him, or
if
thou makest any
love-semblance to other than Him, so soon
He
departs from thee.
Jealous
delicate, noble
and
than the sun
in fairness
He
;
surpasses,
rich
;
is
seven times brighter
and might
and what so He
turns from see
none.
shame-full,
longing
him
Therefore,
for
be
sees
in
any
dear,
Him
thou chaste,
and with
of heart,
above
And when GOD withdraws likeness
done
soon, for uncleanness can
and mild
yearn
others
who should be His
stain of filth in one
He He
He
If
hell.
all
wills is
?
heaven and earth and
thy Spouse,
and sweetness from
this
life,
things.
heavenly
thee, as
times need be in this deadly
and
all
love-
some-
give not
to
world
but to prayer and meditation, read-
;
fleshly
lusts
likings
of
the
thyself
ur Bailp
130
of
ever
mourn thou
who
after such
after
thy love, as a young
For he that,
misses his Mother.
knowing
sweetness, turns sin,
And
Holy Writ, or honest work.
ing
child
IKIlorfe.
of
GOD and
tasting of His
him back and
gives
him
to
he has no defence for his sin against
An unhappy
GOD.
chance
it
care to love the fellowship of
is
and
full of
GOD and
of His
angels and Saints and to serve the fiend and follow his counsel with lusts
works of
sin
:
and
likings
and
that heart which was hallowed
through the Holy Ghost to be GOD'S temple, that was raised here above his nature to have
heavenly likings and joy with GOD,
makes
itself
thoughts that
it
:
is
and
loathly
foul
all
soon
with
foul
those ears that heard the words allowable to speak to none, open
themselves to hear back-bitings and lyings
and other
idle
now were
baptized with tears, open them-
speech
selves to see vanities
:
;
those eyes that just
that tongue that just
ur Smtlp
now spake
to
GOD
TKHorfc.
131
in prayer, all soon
with
that dirty tongue, forswears, backbites, and
Pray we to GOD that of His goodness He keep us from these vices. Of GOD'S coming men may know by this
speaks foul words.
that
S.
stirred
Bernard says of
man
in
meek and
When
thou art
outer or inner spirit to
care for righteousness to be
" :
and stand up
for
it,
patient, to love thy brothers
GOD, to be buxom to thy superiors, to love chastity and cleanness in body and soul, token is it that Almighty GOD comes to visit in
thy soul."
If
thou takest godly chastening
from thy friend stir
thy
sin,
or words that
thee to virtues and good ways, this makes
and token
GOD'S coming. Then thou puttest from thee slowness and heavi-
way if
for
for
ness,
words hastes
of
and with a love-yearning ;
then
Him
has to thee
dear-worthy
to thee, for the ;
kindles
likest
such
GOD thy Lord desire that GOD
thy desires to have
Morfc.
ur 3Dail
132
likings for such words,
and makes thee
repent thy sin and
amend thy
He wakens
at His incoming, it
and softens
and
wine,
stirs it to
it,
and washes
softens
it
For,
wounds with
its
them with
oil
it
;
that
He
rives
as a gardener
is,
has misdone,
with hope of mercy and
giveness of sins. roots,
life.
the soul, stirs
repent bitterly what
and softens
bitterly
for-
up by the weeds, and
sin
does evil
good trees, and sows good seed, where the weeds grew. So does GOD, who is called grafts
a gardener while rives
up
sins
soul virtues
He bedews
He
in
is
man's soul
:
He
by the roots, and grafts in that and good ways what was dry :
it
with grace
:
what was black
and mirk, He makes it white what was bound, He looses what was cold, He makes :
:
warm
with love.
these stirrings,
By
thou know thy Lord
is
come
;
by
mayst
stirring of
thy heart, destroying of vices, withdrawing
from
lusts,
amending
of
life,
repenting mis-
ur
2>ail\> TOorfc.
new man
deeds, beginning of a
He
in
And by
day more and more. thou wit, when
133
this
goes from thee
ness wanes, slow thou waxest dry as a stone
GOD, every
mayst
the glad-
;
and heavy,
love cools in thee like a pot that
;
had been welded, and the fire was withdrawn therefrom. But then needs the soul to
mourn
He come
sorely until
thy GOD, say this "
superscription
if
?
If
on to leave the Lord
foul thoughts egg thee
"
again.
Whose he says
is
"
this
image and
Caesar's," that
the prince of this world, that is the fiend of " Go again thou foul fiend hell, say to him,
is
with thy
false
thee to hell
Lord dwells to
deal
;
money
for
my
it
again with
and
my
herein, therefore have I no time
Think on that holy
with thee."
in Nazareth,
and soul
bear
gates are shut,
made
greeting that Gabriel
Mary
:
how
in that time
;
to that maiden,
joyful she
was
in
body
through that quieting,
with her assent, she was
fulfilled of grace, so
<>ur
134
that she
and
2>ail\> Udorfc.
won might and power,
earth,
and
world's health
hell
;
and on her hangs
and restoring
Think on the birth
fell.
in heaven, all
the
of those
that
of her Child,
how
Him without sorrow and grief that other women have naturally in time of
she bare all
birth
;
and she clean maiden
when He was before an ox
born, they laid
and an
ass,
the light of torches as lords
Him
:
therefore
men do
;
He
with
before great
came a
there
Him fire
heaven that lighted the house He was
Bethlehem
a crib
in
other cradle had
There was none to serve
none.
Think
after.
in,
from
and
and angels came from heaven
to sing the child asleep with a
merry voice. Think how Three Kings came from far lands through knowing of a star, and offered Him think how sweetly gold, incense and myrrh :
the child smiled on them, and with His lovely
eyes sweetly looked on them.
poorly His Mother was clad
Think how
when the Kings
<S>ur 2)ail\>
kneeled before her
:
for
Work.
135
on her she had but a
white smock as the clerks say, more to cover herself with than for
Think
shewing of pride.
how His Mother came with Him Temple to make her offering and bowed to fulfil the Law as Think how the old
sinful.
of cleansing, if
they were
priest
Symeon
took the Child in his arms, and blessed
GOD
for there, through the stirring of the
Ghost, he saw the Saviour of
between
His
hands,
might pass out eyes have seen
Think
of
and then
all this
Holy world
Him Who
saves the folk."
Mother had when
Him and sought Him three days, found Him among the Masters,
hearing and inquiring of points of the Law.
Think how He came to be christened of
John
Him
:
:
and prayed that he " this world, for mine
of that sorrow His
she missed
the
to
how
S.
the Holy Ghost lighted then on
in the likeness of a
Dove, the Father
there with voice recorded that
He was
His
ur
136
2>atl\>
Think how He hallowed wedlock
Son.
in
the house of the Ruler of the Feast, and there, to
show that He was Almighty GOD changed
water into wine.
In the wilderness,
fasted 40 days without
came the
fiend that
meat
tempted
;
how he
how He
Him
over-
with three
:
with gluttony, and covetousness, and vainglory,
and
preaching, for
were
wonder men had
of the all
He spake to them How He healed the sick,
the words
full of grace.
raised
the
of His
dead,
gave sight to the blind,
speech to the dumb, health to the leper, with
touching of His hands
:
and many other
sicknesses that were in their nature incurable,
He
healed through the might of His words,
for
He
could do more than Nature.
He was weary at the well
;
of
much
going
;
rested
and then He bade give
water to drink for
He
thirsted sore.
How Him Him Then,
open thine heart with sore sighings, and think on the passion and pains that JESUS
ur Bailp Udorfe. Christ suffered,
on the
as
137
they are written before
xviii leaf.*
He may
ask grace of GOD, and certainly
trust to speed,
who
up with
here stirs himself
good works, and with devotion and flavours
to
his
them
so that they
waking,
fasting,
hard
of
penance,
in
GOD,
it
and other
we do with devotion and
likings
behoves that so they be done with
a glad heart, and with a freedom of
Devotion
is
a worthy affection that
to the heart to gladden
he to have this
is
it
gift,
with
:
with our belief what
*
On
we
is
above
us,
spirit.
GOD
sends
but unworthy
that will
dwelling-place in his heart for
us not, for
as
forbearing
fighting,
of fleshly lusts, prayers, almsdeed,
things that
:
be savoury
may
Works
dear Lord.
likings
make no
We
it.
but
it
are so full of earth that
seek
savours
we have
the 1 8th leaf of the MS. containing Our Daily Work Richard Rolle's Meditations on the Passion. A rendering begins of this is given in Fr. R. H. Benson's A Book of the Love of JESUS.
ur Batty Worfe.
138
lost
our taste.
the
stirrings
suffer
his
him
I
?
that
enemy
the
fiend
often
so
grieve
Among all GOD most,
promises His grace to
and
forges,
overthrow
to
because we will not
GOD
all
:
and GOD
that will to receive,
that their vessel be clean and
receive
world,
lasting
is
S.
empty to " The Bernard says :
loaded with covetousness of the
can have neither devotion nor liking
it
GOD
But
in.
it
heart that
in
feel
other (things) I trow
labour to win this grace of
if
many men
see nothing that does this, save lack
of grace.
we
do so
Why
for
;
and a
soothfastness failing thing,
and vanity, a a ghostly thing
and a bodily cannot be brought together at any time." So worthy a thing is the comfort of
GOD
that
it
will
where other comfort liking in it
is.
not rest in a breast
So delicious
Him, that with no other
accord.
Whoso yearns
is
the
liking can
after other
com-
fort to glad himself with, witnesses against
ur himself unless
Morfc.
139
GOD'S
he withstands
that
it
2>ail\>
grace
:
be honest comfort betimes that he
thereby glad his nature with, and better
may
serve GOD.
After thou hast spent thy time
and holy thoughts and good works,
in prayers,
GOD'S holy dread, prepare thyself for food to strengthen thy nature which would else
in
fail.
And
man
clothe
to this intent shall every Christian
and feed
his
body
may
In the morning, thou shalt go to thy
meat, with soberness and measure
thy
it
whatsoever he
the better serve his Lord, in does.
that
;
self in
make thou fed thee,
thy meat-time praising to thy
and
and
;
;
care for
after meat,
Lord that He has
also before meat,
and
for all the
good deeds that He has done to thee. First, or ever thou goest to meat, thou shalt mourn as holy
eat
and
Job
I sigh,"
did,
who
because
feeble for
thus says,
my
Adam's
nature sin
;
is
"
Before
I
made weak
and every day
needs bodily meat to uphold the nature that
i
4o
else
ur Baity
would the
tells in
life
I
said,
time.
little
And, as
of the holy Fathers
when he
that holy man, "
and
a
fail in
TKflorfc.
am ashamed
ate,
it
Isidore
;
he wept sore
of myself for I live
by beastly meat as other beasts do that have no reason by nature and I, GOD'S reason;
able
made
creature,
like
Himself, that
to
should have dwelt in Paradise, and there
have been fed with heavenly food." When thou findest delight or savour in meat and drink, think all
on the heavenly Saints
likings pass by,
till
we
and we be never
Men
thereof.
feel
of
whom
satisfied
religion
hear
lessons of holy men's lives at their meat, so
that as the
is
body
fed with bodily food, so
the soul be fed with holy words. is
as a burning furnace,
young drinks
;
and
make
fore says S. is
double
delicious
that
John
fire."
fire
" :
and
Man's body
specially in the
and hot meats and
to burn hotter
:
there-
Plenty in time of youth
Therefore
all
that kindles
TOorfc.
<S>ur 2>ail
sin in the flesh is to
man
" says,
and
wine
And
And
a wild
which
and hunger." burden
fall
"
John
;
Flesh-
are
is
tamed with
to be
And Solomon
to the ass,"
Wisely should a
flesh.
S.
kindling of fleshly " the flesh is as S. Austin ;
stirrings." colt,
The wise
fled from.
thou wilt abate the flame,
If
abate the brands."
meat
be
" ;
bridle
Rod and
that betokens our
man
consider
the
meat that comes before him, and take of them in such measure that they grieve him not,
but that through them, he
GOD "
better.
Therefore
Ever when thou
S.
may
bids
John
eatest, ever
serve :
hunger thou,
that after meat thou mayst read and pray
and serve GOD
better.
Holy men who have been before us enjoyed strong sharp meat, more to abate hunger than for pleasure.
Some
lived
by and
some by roots, some by spices herbs and fruit that the earth bore and grass,
;
in
142
whatso they ate they destroyed
might
them
stir
manus mixed should
feel
all
taste that
Also, S. Ger-
to pleasure.
ashes with his bread, that he
no pleasure
in
meat-time.
his
Other sauce than hunger, they took none. S.
"
Gregory says
:
bread made of bran and
water, with cold or other simple pottage
is
good food to the well-taught stomach, with sauce of GOD'S love
if
he have
it
therewith
:
without this sauce, no sustenance has savour that
man
the night fast three
the
Some
enjoys."
days together.
Lenten-tide,
when they :
all
meat before
some only every other day
;
save
naught but raw leaves.
fish
eat no
eat,
some
;
Machari fasted
and
Sundays,
all
ate
Some take no heed
nor what they eat, flesh or
tasted alike to them, so that after-
wards, they wist not what they ate.
when they were
set
down
to meat,
Some,
and meat
was brought before them, they forgot to eat, for so they spent the day and the night in
<>ur 2>ailp Morfe.
143
holy speech, that they thought of naught else, till
the undern-tide* of the second day,
so that the brethren
came
why
they could not eat
first
time, thought they of
to
them and asked
and then, for the meat, and they ate
:
then as they thought good, in GOD'S holy
When
thou art
set to
fear.
thy meat, make before
thee a cross on the board with five crumbs to stir thee
up
Him who
to think on
thee on the .Cross
;
and
think, here
died for lies
His
head that was crowned with thorns, there His hands, there His feet that were nailed fast
;
there
was His sweet
side
full
that was
opened with the spear, from which came both blood and water to heal
When
thou hast so done
my if
thou canst, take
part of thy bread and of thy
fish,
and lay
it
and say thus quietly in thine heart, Lord, what wilt Thou give me for this
by "
dirty wounds.
*
itself,
A meat-time between sunrise and noon, or between
sunset.
noon and
ur
144
pittance
I
make
Morfe. to
Thee
how many
?
how many love-yearnings and Thee ? how many comforts Ghost,
how many
how many lovely eyes
?
Lord, wilt
that the poor hungry sake, give
me
longings after
shall
Holy
good things,
me
Thou
man
the
of
stirrings to
lockings towards
tears,
with
Thy
for this
meat
have
the love of Thee
for
"
Thy
When
?
thou hast eaten what thou thinkest good,
thank thy Lord that He hath fed ^hee. After meat, be thou worthy, and keep thee from
much
speech and idle games, and hold thy
wits inward in fear of GOD.
Seemly
it is
to
man, and pleasing to GOD, that his bearing be more honourable and temperate after meat than before
:
that no
taking of excess be
seen in him, that the flesh better in reading, praying
works, that
may
may
serve the soul
and other ghostly
help to good things.
Even-song say, with the devotion that
Then
GOD
sends thee, in Church or Oratory, or where-
ur
Morfe.
2>ail
soever them mayst say
it
best,
145
away from
the
and throng of the world. After, if thou needest, go sup and short be thy supper time so in measure take thou meat and noise
:
:
drink that
it
be no burden nor grievance to
thy nature, nor hindrance to serve thy Lord
;
or in time of rest reave from thee thy sleep
;
or the fiend defile thee with foul temptations in thy sleep, as he often does
him who goes
to bed with a full stomach. Every " as S. John says, according as he
or old, or according as his body less,
or whole or sick
;
is
take what
man is
eat,
strong
greater or is
needful
and not as pleasure After supper, go to the Church or asks." other place, where thou mayst be most at for sustenance of nature,
rest,
as S.
and say thy Compline, for in this time Ambrose saith, " birds in their language
praise their Lord,
and thank
kind, for the goods
thou then on thy
Him
after their
He has sent them." Call GOD and say Converte nos
Morfc.
ur 2>afl
146
DEUS
salutaris nosier y as
have been
if
"
he said,
Lord,
I
day hindered by the world, that has greatly hindered me from serving Thee
through temptation* of the fiend and
;
my
of
this
day have
flesh oft this
therefore,
my
I
done amiss
;
me now from the may hinder me from
Lord, turn
world, and from
that
all
Thee with a pure heart and with wits, so that they be intent on Thee
praising
all
my
to
work Thy
And
will."
Compline, and
after,
devotion that
GOD
then, say forth thy
other prayers with the
sends thee.
And
after,
before thou goest to bed, hold a chapter with thine heart, better than
and ask it
was.
of that sin that
of the
it
in
what things
is
it
Hast thou shriven thee
thou didst then and there
words that thou spakest there
that evil will that was in thee then
?
?
?
of
of that
wrong that thou didst and saidst there to him ? of that handling ? of that blame ? of that foul thought
?
of that thing left un-
<>ur Baity
Work.
147
done that thou should' st have done thou willing to leave
off
such vices
art
?
What
?
temptations withstood'st thou this day
?
in
what
?
in
art thou
what more
meeker than thou wast
chaste,
more
sober,
more
patient,
more temperate, more loving thy GOD in thy brother, or more liking in GOD hast thou than thou hadst
?
Hast
left
that sin that
thou, through habit, fallest into so oft
other
many
pleased
the
and
?
vices that thou hast done fiend
with
:
and
and grieved thy
good GOD, and hast barred thyself against the grace that should help thee.
And
then,
with a repenting of those sins that bite thy
knock on thy breast and say a Pater with Ave Maria, on thy knees, and
conscience, noster
soon in the morning shrive thee of those
sins.
And
shall
if
thou doest thus,
I
hope the fiend
be afeared to tempt thee, for thou art under
GOD'S ward, whilst thou bearest thee thus. After this reckoning, where-through thy soul
Work.
<>ur 2>ail\>
148
raised to a blessed hope to the Father oi
is
mercy, and thy rest
for
:
necessity, faintly will
And
if
waxes heavy, go to thy
flesh
thou hinderest thy
and work it
it
flesh of its its
beyond
might,
help thee, or hinder thee withal.
commit
or ever thou goest to rest
thyself
and thy friends into GOD'S hands, who for us was nailed to the tree, and beseech Him, for
He guard
His mercy, that
perils of
body and
this
mark soon he
written in the
life
;
all
and arm thee with
soul,
the token of the cross
thee from
for
where the fiend sees
flies.
Of
of S.
Edmund
this
it
mark, :
is
that as
he went one time alone, a child appeared to
him who was wonderfully "
Hail, my friend, whom I Edmund was surprised at
the child said to him, " ?
And
How
should
not "
thee before."
S. I
"
Edmund know
And
fair,
and
said,
love in GOD."
S.
this greeting,
and
knowest thou
me
said to the child,
thee
?
I
never saw
the child said to him,
<>ur '
When
by thy with for
that
my
I
149
thou didst learn in school, side
my
and ever
;
Lord has fastened
sat ever
I
have been
since I
thou
wheresoever
thee,
so
Worfc.
2>ail\>
hast
dwelt
me
to thee,
might never part from thee, such
Lord's
But behold on
will.
and read what thou
my
is
forehead,
He
seest there."
;
looked
and with heavenly letters, these four words, he saw there written, JESUS Nazarenus Rex iudeorum. Then said the as he told him,
" child,
This
is
my
Lord's
This
seest thus written.
name
will that
I
thou have in mind, and print
it
and
name
cross thy front with this
thou goest to sleep the fiend,
it
;
in
thy ;
soul,
before
and from harassings
shall protect thee
and from sudden death, and
all
he had spoken these words,
of
that night,
who
night cross themselves therewith."
away.
thou
name,
thus by
And when
he vanished
Carry some holy thoughts to bed
with thee, and say thy prayers,
till
sleep fall
<>ur Baity
150
on
To have
thee.
a sovereign help
meat and drink
is :
the prophet,
and if
with recollection of GOD'S
Keep
;
GOD
as
My
says through
law and
My
counsel,
thou sleepest thou shalt not be afraid
if
thou dost
And
and sweet,
sleep
measure and soberness in
law and Holy Writ "
soft
ever, as
rest
;
thy sleep shall be sweet."
thou wakenest,
lift
thine heart
GOD, with some holy thought, and rise and pray to thy Lord that He grant release to
from pains to the dead, and grace to the
and
living,
life
without end.
If
temptation
of lust stir thee in bed, think that thy
good Lord hung on the Rood for thee think on His five wounds that streamed down of ;
blood
:
knotty
think that His bed was the hard tree,
and instead
a crown of thorns. sighing,
till
And
thy desire
of a pillow
He had
say then, with sore "
cool,
My
dear- worthy
Lord hanged on the Rood for me in this soft bed, and welter me in
;
and
I lie
sin, like
a
TKftorfc,
foul
swine that loves but
Rise then
filth."
and hold thee with prayers, loveOf three points beware. sighings and tears. The first, that the devotions thou hast through quickly,
known
grace stirring, be not
of others
them, so far as thou mayest with
have such devotions and wilt
He
:
in
it is
will
hide
and
The second,
deed for fear of vain glory. that thou thinkest not
:
thy power to
when thou
stirrings
but only through GOD'S grace when that thou
third,
not over-well of thyself for such
thinkest stirrings
The
send them.
will
nor thinkest thou art therefore
;
GOD nor deem another more unworthy who does not as thou dost but when dear to
;
;
thou hast done
all
and grant it worth I do, Lord thyself,
:
thrall."
If
well,
in
words
for I
thou wilt
think soothly by
lose
" ;
am
It is
nothing
but a useless
no reward, deem
none other, but hold thyself most unworthy for
if
;
thou fastest or prayest more than
ur Baity
152
another, perchance another surpasses thee in
meekness, and patience and loving. fore think of
of
what thou
what thou hast.
lackest,
and not only
Nevertheless,
that thou should' st think on
and goods He has done
There-
GOD
wills
those graces
for thee, to stir thee
up to know thyself indebted to Him for them, and serve Him and love Him the more or ;
if
thou
beest in grief to glad thee with.
out that in GOD'S doom, one
times,
it falls
better
whom men deem
men deem
good.
and unclean dissolute,
And
Many
within.
worthy without Some worldly and are
friends within.
some, in man's sight bear themselves
sinful
to men's
;
and
in
wretches.
GOD'S
sight,
doom, and are
GOD'S bright
they stink
And some seem full
dear to
Almighty, for their inward bearing in
is
than some that
evil
and GOD'S private
like angels
as
Some-
sight.
is
sinful
GOD
heavenly
Therefore, judge
we
And pray we
for
none other save ourselves.
<>ur Baity TOorfc.
and
ourselves
others
all
Who
Mary's Son,
for us
Rood, that whoso
is
to
JESUS
153
Christ,
was nailed on the
bound
in deadly sin,
and they who are in good that He grant them end therein.
them
loose
Two
;
life,
messengers are come to thee to bring
The one
thee tidings.
comes from the other
Heaven if
He
hell to
is
called Fear,
is
warn thee
called
who
of thy danger
:
that comes from
Hope
to tell thee of bliss thou shalt have
thou doest
Fear says he saw so
well.
many betortured in hell, that if all the wits of men were in one, he could not tell them :
of gluttons, unchaste, robbers, thieves, rich
men with poor
:
their
judges
except for
servants
who would not
reward
:
thieves
;
and took
the
give judgment
who by subtilty deemsters who con-
treasurers
maintained injustice
demned
who harmed
:
men and delivered stark workmen who worked dishonestly
loyal
full
hire
;
tillers
of the soil
who
ur Bails
154
tilled
badly
who
souls,
them
neither
of all sorts of
;
wrought it
prelates,
;
with the care of men's
bitterly.
I
and sorrow
of pain
brimstone
ever,
for
taught
men who have wrongly
ever
lasting,
;
as hot
stinking
devils like dragons gaping ever thirst
nor
punished
saw that every one bought For there I saw want of all good,
then
;
and plenty burning
Work.
;
adders
fire
grisly
:
hunger and
and toads
gnawing on the sinful. Such sorrow and yelling and gnashing of teeth, I heard there, that nearly, for fear,
I lost
mirkness there was, that
and so
bitter
shed
Such
wits.
could grip
was the smoke that
the woe-ful wretches
and
I
my
it
;
made
it
glowing tears
;
them ban the day when Now, they long to die, and
bitterly I heard
they were born. cannot.
Death,
which,
hated, were liefer to
good of
them now than
this world.
thee that thou
sometime
amend
And
they all
therefore I
the
warn
thee of thy sins with
<S>ur
Baity Morfc.
155
and penance, and have a steadfast a seat I saw to leave them for ever
shrift will
made
:
for thee in hell of
burning
where
fire,
devils should pain thee ever unendingly.
That other messenger, who says he
come from Heaven
is
is
called
Hope
thee of
to tell
that untellable great joy that rules GOD'S friends
;
man
earthly of steel.
of
all
"to
tell
thereof as
is
friends, orders of angels,
gladdens them ;
all.
Of
all
GOD
beauty and riches that
wisdom and love and
and of
above,
Who
goodness, I saw last for ever
honour and power that never
I
may no
a gracious fellowship
holy saints, and Almighty
plenty
is
speak though his tongue were
For there
GOD'S
it
shall
everlasting joy.
fail
;
;
Then
heard melody and song of bright angels.
So worthy
is
that joy and so great withal,
that whoso might taste of
it
a blessed drop,
he should be so ravished in liking of GOD, and such yearning he should have to win thither,
ur Baity
156 that
With
all
joys of the world were pain to him.
so great a love he should be overtaken
in yearning to
hundred times
win to that it
bliss,
should more
that by a
stir
him
to
love virtue and flee sin than any fear he
might have of the pain of thee for sooth,
if
hell.
thou wilt leave
wherein thou shalt
unendingly.
I tell
sin,
and
Him as thou GOD has made dwell with Him
do GOD'S bidding, and love oughtest, a rich and a fair seat for thee
And
Morfc.
157
THIRD PART OF THE BOOK. third
THE
and the
teaches a
man
last part of this
book
to bear himself, where-
soever he comes, and whatsoever he does that
it
:
be to the praise of GOD, and an
example of good to
who
all
the Apostle counsels
" :
see
him
for thus
:
Let everything be "
"
all that is done honestly and in order that ye do, look ye do it honestly and orderly." ;
Then
at the
first, let
every lover of
GOD
see
that ye yearn not to mingle with the world, that hinders and deceives it,
who
deal with
and hinders them from the many good
deeds they might do.
nowhere see
all
rest
many
heart,
And
the
man who
but aye rake about
;
will
their eyes
things, that the eye sends to the
and such come not out
easily
when they
<>ur Batty
158
are once imprinted.
S.
the harms that he
felt
Bernard complains of in the
"
he was therein, and says
world whilst
the world sur-
me and weighed me down " The world has besieged me on
rounded '
is
that
:
every
and through the gates of my five wits shot at me and wounded me full sore
side it
;
;
and through the wounds, death presses in, Mine eyes look, and to slay my sorry soul.
my
Mine ears hear and I
me in sin. bows me thereto.
thought changes and kindles
my heart
my nose, and it pleases my With my mouth I speak, and in
smell with
thoughts.
my
speech
with a
my bow
man
little
flesh
cannot
I please or
;
see,
bent."
beguile others
:
and
over-soft feeling, lust kindles in
and the
my
fiend,
stands ever against Therefore,
to go into this world,
stirrings to sin,
if
foe,
me
whom
I
with his
necessity
make
where are so many
with great fear shall he go,
as into a battle to fight his foes.
It
needs
<>ur 2>atlp Worfc.
159
he be well armed against the arrows of his that severely shoots at
foe,
him
;
and the
more may he dread him because he cannot see him with foot-traps and snares is the :
him who
shall
go forth, arm him with GOD'S holy
fear.
way
set full.
Therefore, let
GOD warned
His disciples to be wary in the
world when
He
world
withstand
shall
tions."
thine
said thus
Therefore,
own
profit
if
" :
Soothly the
you with temptathou must go out, for
or that of others, colour
not thy going with any false hue, to feign for
an occasion to dally with the world,
thyself
for pleasure or
command,
or to be
known
with praise before others
And
therefore they
make
a show with
words and feign as they can, to be holden holy of
all
who
see them, that give themselves
to dalliance with the world, as
to
more than needs,
buying, selling or quarrelling about
earthly things.
And
all their
outward bear-
160
ur IDailp Morfc.
ing so accords with the world that David " They have mixed themselves with says " the peoples ; they partake of their works :
:
that
is,
world,
they mingle them with the folk of the
who have no knowledge
such works as they see them do, they do.
GOD, and such works
of
when thou needest
Therefore,
go forth, cross thyself with the holy JESUS, Mary's Son, for
thee,
who
then thou
for
name
died on the
more
art
to of
Rood secure,
whithersoever thou goest, as S. Austin said to his brother,
when they went "
S.
John says
:
forth.
And
Whitherso thou goest, and
whatsoever thou doest, thy forehead and thy breast
mark thou with
the cross
;
for there is
no other mark the fiend so greatly dreads." See that thine outer-clothing be not overloathsome, nor over-curious, in shape nor in hue.
Keep thy limbs
to their business, to
which they were made, and do not cast thine eyes about like a child
;
flourish not
161
Worfc.
<S>ur 2)atl
thine
hands, and leap not with thy
When
the heart of
limbs sometimes
man
fail in
is
feet.
out of ward, the
And, as
their office.
thou orderest thine outward bearing when thou goest forth, also look thou that thou beest devout within, and specially in praying to
and praising the Lord.
thou canst not go the
rest in saying
Many
softlier.
toiling to
pray
If in
thy prayers,
things hinder thee in
weariness of limbs
;
thou meetest who speak to thee five
going out,
men
;
then thy out of ward, and then the
wits fleet
who
devotion of him
prays,
;
When
cools.
walking thou hast said thy prayers that thou art
bound
and pray
to say,
Him
lift
up thy heart
to
GOD,
thy thoughts in a blessed think on the good things GOD recollection has done for thee, and shall do if thou truly to
in
:
servest
Him
:
think on His biddings and do
them indeed according to thy might, GOD bids thee when He thus says :
words which
I
command
for so
"
The
thee shall be in
M
1
ur
62
and thou
thine heart,
thy sons
and thou
:
Morfe.
2)ail
shalt relate
shall
them
to
meditate on them,
and walking on thy Or in workjourney, sleeping and arising." sitting in thine house,
ing, tell fair tales to
thy fellows, or something
from Holy Writ that or glad
you
in
Seven Psalms that
GOD
the dead.
GOD.
may soften your way, And sometimes say the and the dead, the quick and rest to
for the quick
give grace to
When
thou comest to the town
to ease thy body, seek where thou
mayst most worthily dwell for thy condition and in and where thou mayst most most peace :
profit to thyself
and
others.
Let flesh-lust
and vanity entice thee to no place but inquire where any is who most loves GOD, and thither draw thou. Seek not where thou :
mayst be fed
best, for there peradventure are
many stirrings to sin. Harbour thee with no woman unless thou knowest good of them for a long time. When thou art come
ur IDafty
mflorfc.
163
to the house thou shalt rest in, hold thy wits
inward
GOD'S holy fear
in
;
so that thine
outer bearing be so ruled with
that
grace
good all whom thou seest, and through GOD'S grace destroy mirkness of sin, and so fulfil GOD'S teaching, who says
thou mayst
" thus,
So
stir to
let
light shine before
your
men,
that they seeing your good works
Who
your Father
"
Gregory says
:
is
in
Neither
may glorify heaven." And S.
is it
greatly praise-
worthy to be good with the good, but to be good with the evil for even as it is of more ;
heinous guilt not to be good so
is it
of
the good
Keep
among
the evil."
well thine eyes all
when thou
things that
and make thine eyes forward,
who
said
eyes
lest
the good,
unwearied honour to have stood for
to harbour, from sin
among
" I
After sight,
I
art
may as
come kindle
Job
did,
make a covenant with mine
upon a maid." comes thought, and thereafter should
think
1
Morfe.
<S>ur 2>ail$
64
deed, and therefore said the prophet Jeremiah, "
Mine eye hath
laid
waste
my
so holy a prophet lamented sight, sorely
may
sins therewith.
the
is
Gregory
which
:
Augustine
it
is
It is
of his eye-
another complain :
who
oft
Shameless eye
shameless
of
messenger "
him "
When
soul."
heart."
not lawful to look after that
David
not lawful to desire."
:
"
Turn away mine eyes that they may not Look also that thou hearest see vanity." nothing that words,
may
stir
backbiting,
thee to sin, as unclean
false
judgments,
and other such
oaths, controversy, striving
Also at thy meat, bear thyself orderly,
vices.
and hold thee dainties,
so
of
but be pleased with
after
common
no
meats.
whom, what, when,
whom, and where
:
and have thyself
orderly that thou beest not like other
worldly men, but "
and seek
in measure,
Consider in speaking, to
how,
great
fulfil
Be not conformed
your conversation
is
the Apostle's words
;
to this world, because in heaven."
<>ur 2>atl$ rcaorfe*
Though our body be clot
of earth,
which was blood of will in
it
with the
bought
GOD Almighty be
heaven, not
soil itself
as
" :
here with sin, as
Shew
praised,
men
men who
GOD
as
thyself to all
an example of good works," is
for
worshipped
and taught and Bear thee so belief.
are helped
strengthened in their that
with mind and
And whatsoever thou
through a good example
and
dear-worthy
and wheresoever thou comest, do
the Apostle teaches
men
world as a
needful that our spirit
is
swine do in a ditch. doest,
in this
165
dwell with you
may
say of
you as was said of the Apostles Paul and " The gods are made like men, Barnabas, and have come down to us." DEO gracias.
n
(Brace.
n
(Brace.
The
degrees of grace there are.
THREE GOD first
uphold them with
and
;
help freely given to
out this
fire
be withdrawn,
GOD upholds them
I live,
and
all
that
that
I
I feel, I
am
and with-
water
so, as S.
is
made
made
:
if
Austin says,
of naught, so
little
time, unless
with His grace."
There-
"
fore says the Apostle
am what
;
and becomes cold again
fire
are they worth naught in a
I
GOD'S
this is called
for as
;
All creatures that are
GOD,
to
creatures,
creatures cannot do,
gift of grace,
hot through
all
creatures
all
nor last in their kind
the "
to
gives
Through the grace of " am." As if he said, That that
I
speak or hear or
all this I
169
see,
have only through
(Brace.
GOD'S grace." The second degree is more special that GOD gives :
every
man who
creature
and
:
that
and bids
He
this grace stands ever
it
knocking," that thine heart this grace
deserves
free-
GOD
says
let it in.
Behold,
:
it.
stand at the door
I
at the door of
Me in." And given freely to man before he Then let every man make him-
and knock
is
This,
"I stand
is,
at the
and knocks on our
"
does
freely to
a good and reasonable
is
gates of our hearts, will,
of grace
;
let
worthy and ready to receive His gift of the Holy Ghost, Who ever stirs man's free-
self
will
to good,
and
calls
it
from
Two
evil.
things are needful to the health of man's soul.
the
The
first is this
second,
is
man's
free-will
I
speak of
:
according
without these two, no
man
what he ought,
that
thereto.
And
can
thoroughly
do
grace that
should help him to health of his soul
;
for
neither free-will, without this grace stirring,
(Brace.
171
nor this grace without free-will assenting, can
do aught that pleases GOD. " Austin, will
"
Therefore, says S.
He Who made
thee without thee, "
not justify thee without thee
He Who made
make
that
;
is,
thee without thee, will not
thee righteous, save thou helpest there-
unto."
And though
cannot
make
the
the
GOD
of
grace
man do what
nevertheless, let
is
man
of
free-will
in
in
man, him, and
be ready and
prepare himself, that he
may
able to receive the grace,
when
it
comes.
If
thou wert in a mirk house one day, and doors
and windows shut the sun
come
in,
house were mirk. thyself,
" says,
gives
it
if
thou wouldest not
if
who was Also
thy grace be
Man to
:
to
blame
blame
none
For
less.
if
S.
;
but he has
it
the
save
Anselm
lacks not this grace, for
him
let
GOD
not, because
he does not make himself ready to receive this grace as
he should."
of His grace, for
He
has
GOD
is
not stingy
enough thereof
;
n (Brace.
172
for
though He deal
to so
out never so
it
many, He never has the
less
and
far, ;
for
only wants clean vessels, to put His grace Therefore says
S.
"
Austin
;
freedom and abundance
fills
"
according to their capacity
:
GOD by
He in.
vast
creatures "
all
that
GOD
is,
through His great freedom of His great grace creatures according as they are able
fulfils all
man opened when GOD sends it
to receive His grace."
heart to this grace
him, he would shew Apostle,
If
it
when he had won
me was not in vain," that GOD has given me, is
in
for
he enjoyed
with
GOD
together
our work
He
;
GOD
sets
said,
that
is
"
for the
;
His grace the grace "
not useless in
as
We
me
;
unite
merchants do
His grace against
have) naught but our praising
and thanking, and He all
it,
to
but for His grace and His death,
wills (to
have
"
ever in work.
His grace,
in for
:
it
works
in
his
wills that
the profit that
may
man
should
arise thereof.
(Brace.
<S>n
173
But they try to reave from GOD, His part, who would be praised of men for good deeds. "
GOD
Against them,
glory to another
says,
"
that
;
" is,
Thou
will of
man
man's
shalt understand,
that free-
is to
that
is,
deadly
sin,
after
turn freely to good or
was man's
sin or not sin
in
man
is
it is
sinned,
is
confirmed,
departed out of this
first
may
before
place,
in his free-will
no more. sin,
ill.
before sin,
;
will so free, that
will is free to
it
shall
man
he could
was, to do good is
confirmed,
In the second state,
and may not but
ill, till it
sin,
be strengthened
and when grace leads the will, free to work the good. Before man
with grace then
:
sin
which he
man's
after
In the last state, that
ill.
shall
man
In the
never end.
or
and
man man
and come to that joy that
life,
sinned,
Praising and give to no
Three states there are of after
My
I will
worship that belong to Me, other."
not give
I will
no
:
hindering
had he from doing
n
174
(Brace.
good, nor no need to do
ill
but
:
now
has sin
joined with our flesh, and bred what S. Paul " calls the law of the flesh," so that it is
master of the in all that
it
flesh,
may
This hinders our will from
can.
assenting to good
and withstands GOD'S law
;
and
stirs it to
but when he
works of himself
sin,
is
he
come out
bound
to the fiend, through
through no power of
may of his
bonds
fares like a ship that in a
that could help
it,
Every man to do good or
sin.
before he sins, has a free will
all
it
not work good, unless grace helps and
accustoms him away from
ill,
so that
ill
and
:
and then he
tempest has lost is
cast from
wave
wave whither the tempest drives it. Right so, a man who lacks GOD'S grace, because
to
he be fallen into deadly
sin,
he does not what
he would, but aye wavers from hand to hand, at the fiend's will,
and unless GOD give him
grace to rise out of his sin, he shall be in sin to his
life's
end, and after, be lost
body and
<>n Grace.
and damned
soul,
to endless pain.
common
folk or the
in his
kingdom,
he be never so
ill
to them, they can do
to him, unless
it
be through some other,
has more power than he
them Right
so,
man
the
fiend
so, it
will
who
behoves
much
be under
and when, with
;
naught
ill.
before he sins, has a free will
whether he
to choose
and
:
do he them never so
suffer,
the
If
people choose them a
and he be confirmed
king,
175
his
GOD will,
or
he
chooses to serve the fiend, he cannot after,
when he would, come out of therefore, worldly men who
his bonds.
And
bound
in sin
are
say to them wiio counsel them to their lives,
not."
"
fain
would we
rise,
amend
but we can-
No, they cannot through might of
themselves, but through GOD'S grace helping
them they special
;
for
The
can. it
is
third
grace
is
given only to those
receive the second grace will fulfil it in deed,
;
and with
most
who
their free-
and can say as
S.
Paul
1
n (Brace.
76 "
The grace
said,
And
me."
with us,
GOD was
of
Austin says
S.
" ;
not in vain in
GOD, working
that which He, through grace
fulfils
began in us." For neither without His helping can we do good to ourselves, nor stirring,
please
Him
:
as
GOD
says Himself
Me, thou canst no nothing." stirring, goes before
good
will,
do the good and leave the Grace, soul,
when
it
comes
wakens him as out
"
without
GOD'S grace and stirs it to
ill.
first
to visit man's
of a slumbering
and
him with those sharp words Where art thou ? Whence comest thou ?
inquires "
of
Whither "
Where
:
shalt art thou
thou " ?
" ?
as
if
First
he said,
he "
says,
Bethink
unhappy wretch, how foul thou art cast down, and what peril thou art in. For, for
thee,
thy sin thou art fallen into the enemy's hands,
who above woe
;
all
things dost covet to
and naught may
work thy
deliver thee out of
the foe's hands, but Almighty GOD, thy good
<S>n
Lord,
Whom "
says
:
" said,
thou hast forsaken."
GOD
in sin
life
?
After he as
if
he
thou comest from
;
Where
are
all
the goods
has given thee to help thee with,
to worship
them.
"
thou wretch, behold how thou hast
the fiend's tavern
and
177
Whence comest thou
wasted thy
that
(Brace.
Him
Sorrily hast thou lost
?
Thy Lord made
thee rich, and thou
become a poor wretch.' After, he in" " " WoeWhither wendest thou ? quires, art
ful
wretch thou wendest to the woeful doom,
GOD dooms men
for as
thou hast
served so shalt thou be judged.
So awful
that
shalt thou see
GOD
for fear be out of
to
;
that thou shalt
there,
thy wits
;
and to the moun-
tains
and
noise,
and pray them to
fall
on thee and hide
Him
not.
Woeful wretch,
thee, that
hills
thou shalt cry with a grisly
thou see
thou wendest to
hell, if
thou dost forth as
thou hast begun, where thou shalt find so hot
and so raging, that
all
fire
the water in the N
1
n
78
it
though
sea,
(Brace.
ran through
And
a spark thereof.
slake
stinkest here to
thou shalt
GOD,
it,
for
should not
because thou
thy foul
feel everlasting stink
sin, there
and because
:
thou lovedst mirkness here, for aye to be in sin,
there shalt thou feel such thick mirkness
that thou canst grip
it
thou didst rest thyself will,
and because here
;
GOD'S
sin against
in
there shalt thou shed
more
tears than
Thou
there are motes in a sunbeam.
suffer pain ever after pain, ever to
shalt
renew thy
woe."
When GOD'S
grace has stirred
wakened him with these
him
to
know
three,
the peril he
ceives a terror of
is in,
man and
and has made then he con-
GOD'S awful doom
:
and
therethrough, he begins to repent whatever
and covets to amend himself through GOD'S grace, that stirs him to flee ill and give he did
ill,
himself
to
good
:
and then comes grace
following, to help the goodwill of
man
to ful-
n it
fil
(Brace.
For though
in deed.
179
man have
a good
to do the good, through grace before
will
the good will, yet can he not do
stirring
indeed without GOD'S grace following and helping
I
GOD do
me
is
" ;
unless is
this the Apostle affirms of
"
when he says
self
of
and
:
also
me
in
;
" ;
But not
that
" is,
I,
but the grace
the good which
naught, but GOD'S grace does as
if
he had
" said,
I
him-
it
with
can do no good,
GOD'S grace help me." GOD'S will a handmaiden to grace, to work all her
GOD'S grace, wherever it be, will not be useless, but ever working and growing more and more, to increase thy reward. will.
Therefore do '
We
we
as the Apostle counsels us,
exhort you, brethren, that ye receive
not the grace of
GOD
in vain
" ;
that
is,
"I
pray you and bid you, my brothers in GOD, that ye receive not GOD'S grace in vain."
He it
receives
GOD'S grace
not in good, when
in vain, that enjoys
GOD
sends
it
to
him
;
n
i8o
(Brace.
and therefore perhaps, he shall never after win thereto. Isidore tells of a little fly that is
and
called Saura,
stirring beforehand.
to be the
that
enemy
when he
man
to
wilderness lights
he
;
upon
betokens grace
This kind of
fly is said
venomous worms,
of all
sees
sting
this fly
so
any worm (going) toward
him when he flies
his face,
in
sleeps
the
before to the man, and
and
him a
bites
little
;
and therethrough he wakes before the beast comes to sting him. By this Saura is understood grace that
GOD
sends to
the temptations of the fiend,
venomously
it
:
who
unto
cries
man
against
often stings
thee,
as
the
"
Awake, thou that sleepest, from the dead, and Christ shall give
Apostle says
and
rise
thee light." this grace,
;
But the unthankful and ruin
this little fly that
it
:
act against
as Virgil did with
saved him from death.
He
lay asleep,
and an adder came toward him
but this
Saura flew before, and lighted on
fly
:
n
i8t
(Brace.
and pricked him a little, and therewith he wakened also the adder came his forehead,
;
;
but this
Virgil, in his
felt his fore-
waking,
head smart, and smote himself on the face
and
so he slew the
for his service,
fly,
and so repaid him
who saved
his
There-
life.
do thou not ruin GOD'S grace when
fore
;
it
comes to thee, to warn thee of harm and stir
thee to good.
Glad ought
GOD'S grace, when GOD sends
man
it
to be of
to him,
to take care full warily of so rich a gift
grace
is
which
is
life."
the
"
:
is like
a help and
Therefore,
way
for
:
earnest-money of that lasting joy
to come, as the Apostle says " " that is, ; grace of GOD is eternal life
grace
and
He
way
if
GOD'S
to everlasting
sets grace before us as
that leads to everlasting joy
also a pledge,
the
we keep
it
well, to
:
and
make
in
us certainty of endless joy ; as the Apostle " Who gave us His Spirit as a pledge in says, " our bodies," that is GOD has given us the
1
82
(Brace.
<s>n
Holy Ghost
we then
we
it
this
this
well in
life,
grace
as pledge of endless joy."
if
heavenly pledge
work
;
for
it is
us,
we
of
fail
and enjoy
;
well for us in
GOD'S grace lead us
leaves
Hold
;
and when
that
welfare.
Therefore, through help of grace let us destroy in ourselves everything that
be
it
less or
in
against grace,
more, that our reason says
against GOD'S will, that
may
is
stir to sin
:
and
let
is,
all
that
is sin,
is
or
us have repentance
our heart, shrift in mouth, and with-
standing, with will never to turn again.
Hn
Epistle
on Cbarft.
n Charity. By what thine
tokens thou shalt
enemy
:
know
if
thou lovest
and what example thou
shalt
take from Christ to love him.
if
AID the cheer,
thou beest
stirred
person by anger or
and have no privy hate
for to despise him, or
set
not
him
at
naught
:
fell
against
outward
in thine heart
judge him, or for to
and the more shame and
villany he does to thee in
word or
in deed,
more pity and compassion thou hast of him as thou wouldest have of a man who was the
out of his mind, and thou thinkest thou canst not find in thine heart to hate him, for love 185
1
86
is
so
n Cbarit\>. in itself,
good
and
helpest him,
but prayest for him, and
mouth
only with thy
amending, not
desirest his
as hypocrites do, but
with thy affection of love in thine heart, then
thou
hast
perfect
This
Christian.
to
charity
had
charity
perfectly, when he prayed stoned him to death. This
counselled to
all
you."
And
Christ,
be
who
Him
thine enemies,
and
think thee
how
" :
perfect
Love your
them that hate you, thou wilt follow
if
Learn to love
in power. sinful
men,
fellow-Christians.
thy
charity, Christ
persecute and calumniate
therefore,
like
are
Stephen,
them who
for
said thus
enemies, do good to
pray for those
S.
who would be His
when He
followers,
fellow-
thy
for all those
Look and
Christ loved Judas,
be-
who was
both His bodily enemy and a
sinful caitiff
:
how goodly Christ was to him how courteous how humble
how benign
;
;
He knew
to be
damnable
;
;
to
him whom
and nevertheless,
187
Charity.
He
chose him for His Apostle, and sent him
to preach with the other Apostles
;
He
gave
him power to work miracles He shewed to him the same good cheer in word and deed :
;
also with His precious
to
him
as
He
Body
;
and preached
did to the other Apostles
He condemned him
:
not openly, nor abused,
nor despised him, nor ever spake evil of him
:
and yet even though He had done all that, He would but have said the truth And !
when Judas took Him, He kissed him and called him His friend. All this above
all,
shewed to Judas whom He knew to be damnable. In no manner of charity, Christ
feigning or flattering, but in soothfastness of
good love and clean charity. For though it were truth that Judas was unworthy to have
any of
gift of
his
GOD, or any sign
wickedness
;
of love, because
nevertheless,
it
was
worthy and reasonable that our Lord should appear as
He
is.
1
n Charity.
88
He it
is
belongs to
to
and goodness, and therefore Him to shew love and goodness
love
He
His creatures, as
all
Follow
somewhat
after,
if
did to Judas.
thou canst
;
for
though thou beest shut in a house with thy body, nevertheless in thine heart, where the place of love
is,
thou shalt be able to have
part of such a love to thy fellow Christians
Whoso deems
as I speak of.
perfect follower of
and
Christ's teaching
JESUS
some men deem that they be, one teaches and preaches, and
living, as
inasmuch as is
himself to be a
poor in worldly goods as Christ was, and
cannot follow Christ in His love and charity, to love his fellow-Christians, every
and
ill,
friends
flattering,
and
without feigning,
foes,
despising in heart, angriness and
melancholious guiles himself
reproving, :
soothly,
he
be-
the dearer he deems himself
to be, the further he
those
man, good
is.
For Christ said to
who would be His
followers,
thus
:
n Cbarity. *
This
is
My commandment,
mutually as "
This
is
ye
My
that ye love
have loved you."
I
My bidding,
as I love you, for
are
189
if
ye love as
disciples."
soothfastly, or
that ye love together
He
I loved,
that
is
then
meek
would be meek, can love
fellow-Christians
:
and none save
he.
his
t Contrition*
HERMIT
a
rehearses
.
.
RICHARD tale of perfect contrition that the same He
clerk Cesarius tells. at Paris
had done
was ashamed
to
full
tells
many
that a scholar
sins of
shrive him.
which he
At the
last,
great sorrow of heart overcame his shame,
and when he was ready Prior of the contrition
Abbey
was
in
of
his
to shrive S.
him
Victor,
to the
so great
heart, sighing in his
breast, sobbing in his throat that he could
not bring one word forth. said to him,
"
Go and
Then the Prior
write thy sins."
He
came again to the Prior, and gave him what he had written, for still he could not did so and
shrive himself with his mouth.
saw the
sins
The Prior
were so great, that with the 190
Contrition. scholar's leave, he
to
have
his
shewed them
counsel.
191
to the
Abbot
The Abbot took the
writing wherein they were written, and looked
He found nothing written, and said " What can here be read where Prior,
thereon. to the
naught
is
written
and wondered
"
Then saw the
?
greatly,
and said
"
Prior
Wit ye
that his sins were here written, and I read
them
:
but
now
I see
that
GOD
has seen his
and has forgiven him all his sins." This the Abbot and the Prior told the scholar, contrition
and
he, with great Joy,
thanked GOD.
Scraps from the Htunbel flftS. man
SINFUL ruefully And
I
look
and
up
hung on rood
how
see,
;
my penance have pity with sorrowful heart and dreary mood of
:
All this,
was Lift
up
suffered for thee
riven, all spilt
My
My
:
blood
flesh
;
thine heart, call thou on Me, forsake
thy sin
Think Think
I
man,
oft
have mercy, GOD.
:
with sore heart of thy foul
oft of hell-woe, of wins *
sins,
heaven-kingdom's
;
Think of thine own death, on rood,
The grim doom in
mood
Think how
of
of
GOD'S death
Doom's-day have thou
oft
and what
its
:
false is this world,
reward,
Think what,
for
His good death, thou owest
thy Lord.
RICHARD ROLLE. *
Wins
= joys.
192
PR 2135 .F6 SMC Ro le R chard, of Hampole, 12907-1349. The form of perfect living and other prose AKA-6170 1
,
i