,a ,,mediaeval ,,mystic                 
,a ,,short ,,account ,,of ,,the ,,life  
,,and ,,writings ,,of ,,blessed ,,john  
,,ruysbroeck1 ,,canon ,,regular ,,of    
,,groenendael ,a4,d4 #abic-acha         
,,by                        ,,dom       
,,vincent ,,scully1 ,c4,r4,l4           
7,permissu ,superiorum7                 
,,london                                
,,thomas ,,baker                        
,,mcmx                                  
,,printed ,,by                          
,,hazell1 ,,watson ,,and ,,viney1 ,,ld41
                          ,,london ,,and
 ,,aylesbury4                           
,,to                 ,,the ,,right      
,,rev4 ,,augustin ,h4 ,,white1 ,c4,r4,l4
                          ,,lord ,,abbot
 ,,of ,,waltham                         
,,contents                              
,page   ,,introduction                  
ix      ,i4 ,,early ,,years ,,and       
,,education                             
#a     ,,ii4 ,,as ,a ,,secular ,,priest 
,,in ,,brussels                         

#f    ,,iii4 ,,false ,,mystics          
#aj     ,,iv4 ,,the ,,hermitage ,,of    
,,groenendael                           
#ag      ,v4 ,,the ,,canons ,,regular   
,,of ,,groenendael                      
#be     ,,vi4 ,,prior ,,of ,,groenendael
                                        
#cc    ,,vii4 ,,ruysbroeck',s ,,tree    
#dc   ,,viii4 ,a ,,director ,,of ,,souls
                                        
#dg     ,,ix4 ,,ruysbroeck ,,and        
,,gerard ,,groote                       
#ej      ,x4 ,,ruysbroeck ,,and         
,,windesheim                            
#eh     ,,xi4 ,,the ,,writings ,,of     
,,ruysbroeck                            
#fg    ,,xii4 ,,the ,,teaching ,,of     
,,ruysbroeck                            
#ic   ,,xiii4 ,,some ,,appreciations    
#aje    ,,xiv4 ,,last ,,days            
#aah     ,,xv4 ,,the ,,cultus ,,of      
,,blessed ,,john ,,ruysbroeck           
#abd                                    
,,introduction   ,the object of the     
following unpretentious little volume is

 to give a simple and readable account  
in ,english of the life and writings of 
a remarkable ,flemish ,mystic of the    
fourteenth century1 a contemporary of   
our own ,walter ,hilton4 ,though his    
memory and honour have never faded in   
his own native ,belgium1 and though     
,france and ,germany have vied with each
 other in spreading his teaching and    
singing his praises1 the very name of   
,blessed ,john ,ruysbroeck is           
practically unknown this side of the    
water4 ,we are acquainted with only one 
small work in ,english dealing directly 
with the ,saint or his work at all1 viz4
 ,reflections from the ,mirror of       
,mystic1#a giving the briefest sketch of
 his life and some short extracts from  
his writings as translated from the     
,french rendering of ,ernest ,hello4    
,the original authorities for the       
history of ,ruysbroeck are practically  
reduced to one1 the biography by ,henry 
,pomerius1 a ,canon ,regular of         
,groenendael1 entitled ,de ,origine     

monasterii ,viridisvallis una cum vitis 
,b4 ,joannis ,rusbrochii primi prioris  
hujus monasterii et aliquot coaetaneorum
 ejus1 re-edited by the ,bollandists1   
,brussels1 #ahhe4 ,it is certain that a 
disciple of ,john ,ruysbroeck1 ,john of 
,scoenhoven1 also of ,groenendael1 who  
undertook the defence of ,blessed       
,john's writings against ,gerson1       
composed a short biography1 but this was
 embodied in the work of ,pomerius1 and 
thereby as a separate volume fell out of
 use and memory4 ,pomerius had          
,scoenhoven's ,,ms4 to work upon1 and   
some of ,ruysbroeck's contemporaries    
were still living at ,groenendael when  
he composed his biography there4 ,the   
brief references by the ,venerable      
,thomas a ,kempis in his ,vita ,gerardi 
,magni are likewise of great interest   
and intrinsic worth4  ,for the purposes 
of this brief biography1 which lays no  
claim whatever to original research1 the
 compiler has made very great use of the
 labours of ,dr4 ,auger1 ,de ,doctrina  

et ,meritis ,joannis van ,ruysbroeck1   
,louvain1 and ,willem de ,vreese1 ,jean 
de ,ruysbroeck1 an extract from the     
,biographie ,nationale1 published by    
l',academie royale des sciences1 des    
lettres et des beaux-arts de ,belgique1 
,brussels1 #aiji4 ,this indebtedness is 
especially true of the summarised       
analysis of the various works of        
,ruysbroeck4  ,later it may be possible 
to give a complete and faithful ,english
 rendering of all ,ruysbroeck's ,works  
from the critical edition which is at   
present preparing in ,louvain2 where    
there is an active revival of interest  
in this great and holy ,mystic of the   
,netherlands4  ,for the judgment of     
competent witnesses as to the permanent 
value and extraordinary sublimity of ,b4
 ,john's writings the reader is referred
 to the body of this work under the     
heading1 ,some ,appreciations4  ,the    
usual protest is made according to the  
,decrees of ,urban ,,viii4 concerning   
alleged miracles1 etc41 recorded in     

these pages4  ,st4 ,ives1 ,cornwall1    
,feast of ,our ,lady's ,nativity1 #aiaj4
                                ,a      
,mediaeval ,mystic                      
,i                         ,early ,years
 and ,education   ,blessed ,john        
,ruysbroeck1 surnamed the ,admirable and
 the ,divine ,doctor1 by common consent 
the greatest ,mystic the ,low ,countries
 have ever produced1 was born1 ,a4,d4   
#abic1 at ,ruysbroeck1 a village some   
miles south of ,brussels1 lying between 
that city and ,hal4 ,according to the   
fashion of those days1 especially with  
,religious1 he was named after his      
birthplace1 ,john van ,ruysbroeck1 or   
,john ,ruysbroeck4 ,the ,venerable a    
,kempis1 the ,latinised form of van     
,kempen1 is a case in point2 ,thomas was
 so named after his native town1        
,kempen1 though his patronymic was      
,haemerken4 ,of ,ruysbroeck1 however1 we
 know of no other surname2 neither do   
his biographers so much as mention his  
father4 ,but like many another great    

servant of ,god1 ,john was blessed with 
a good mother1 a devout woman who       
trained her child from the cradle to    
walk in the paths of ,christian piety   
and perfection4 ,she is charged with    
only one fault1 that she loved her son  
too tenderly6  ,perhaps we are to       
understand by this that the poor woman  
opposed the boy's early aspirations     
after a more retired life than could be 
found even in the peaceful shelter of   
his own pious home4 ,this would also    
explain ,john's first recorded act4 ,at 
the age of eleven years he ran away from
 home6 ,how many a lad before and since 
has torn himself away from a loving     
mother's too fond embrace to quell the  
ardour of a restless spirit in the quest
 of adventure6 ,john also was eager and 
dissatisfied2 but the larger sphere for 
which he sighed was to be sought along  
the unaccustomed ways which lead to the 
sublime heights and the rarified        
atmosphere of mystic contemplation4     
,the pious truant made his way to       

,brussels1 there to call upon an uncle  
of his1 one ,john ,hinckaert1 a major   
,canon of ,st4 ,gudule's4 ,the son and  
heir of a wealthy magistrate of the     
city1 and possessed1 moreover1 of a rich
 benefice1 for many years ,john         
,hinckaert had been somewhat worldly in 
his ways2 but one day ,divine grace     
found him out as he was listening to a  
sermon1 and drew him sweetly and        
strongly to a life of extreme simplicity
 and mortification4 ,his example was    
soon followed by a fellow ,canon1 by    
name ,francis van ,coudenberg1 a ,master
 of ,arts1 possessed of considerable    
means1 and a man of great repute with   
the people4 ,these two agreed1 for their
 mutual edification and support1 to live
 together in common4 ,their material    
requirements were reduced to the barest 
necessaries2 and the surplus of their   
revenue was distributed among the poor4 
,in this devout household the lad ,john 
met with a kindly welcome2 and there he 
found at once a home after his own heart

 in an atmosphere saturated with        
other-worldliness and prayer4 ,his good 
uncle also took charge of his education4
 ,for four years ,ruysbroeck followed   
the ordinary course of ,humanities in   
the public schools of ,brussels1 and    
then1 with a view to the priesthood1 he 
devoted himself to the more congenial   
study of the sacred sciences4           
,meanwhile the bereaved mother had      
discovered the place of ,john's retreat 
and had quitted her village of          
,ruysbroeck to reside with him at       
,brussels4 ,as1 however1 she was not    
permitted to dwell in the ,presbytery1  
she made her abode in a ,beguinage hard 
by4 ,thus she had at least the          
consolation of seeing her son from time 
to time4 ,she must have been much       
comforted also for the deprivation of   
his company by the constant evidence of 
his growing sanctity4 ,and1 further1 we 
are assured that she set herself to make
 profit of her sacrifice by emulating in
 her own person the holy life of her son

 ,john1 and his saintly masters1        
,hinckaert and van ,coudenberg4         
,,ii                      ,as a ,secular
 ,priest in ,brussels   ,in due course  
,canon ,hinckaert procured for his      
nephew one of the lesser prebends of    
,st4 ,gudule's1 and ,john was ordained  
priest in the year #acag1 at the age of 
twenty-four4 ,his good mother did not   
survive to witness this happy event in  
the flesh1 nevertheless even beyond the 
grave she had good cause to rejoice     
therein4 ,after her departure from this 
world she had often appeared to her son1
 lamenting her pains1 beseeching his    
prayers1 and sighing for the day when he
 would be able to offer for her the holy
 ,sacrifice4 ,and ,john was unceasing in
 his supplications4 ,but immediately    
after the celebration of his first      
,mass1 as he related to his ,religious  
,brethren later1 ,god granted him a     
vision full of consolation3 when the    
sacred oblation was accomplished1 his   
mother came to visit and thank him for  

her deliverance from ,purgatory4 ,the   
touching incident is well worth         
recording1 if only to show that it was  
through no lack of natural affection    
that the child ,john had so             
unceremoniously forsaken home and       
mother4 ,moreover1 of these two holy    
souls it was singularly true that having
 loved each other in life1 in death they
 were not parted1 for they were         
privileged often to converse together1  
and finally it was from his mother that 
,ruysbroeck learned the date of his own 
approaching departure4  ,for twenty-six 
years in all ,blessed ,john lived as a  
secular priest in ,brussels4 ,content   
with his modest chaplaincy in the       
,church of ,st4 ,gudule1 and with his   
holy companions ,hinckaert and van      
,coudenberg continuing happily in       
apostolic simplicity and poverty the    
,common ,life on which he had entered a 
mere child1 ,ruysbroeck passed his days 
in peaceful retirement and almost       
uninterrupted prayer and contemplation4 

,a characteristic episode of this period
 reveals to us the man as in a flash1   
his mean garb1 his emaciated figure1 his
 absorbed demeanour1 his utter          
abandonment in ,god4 ,he was passing    
through a square of ,brussels one day1  
silent and recollected1 as was his wont1
 when two laymen remarked him4  ,my     
,god1 exclaimed one1 would ,i were as   
holy as that priest6  ,nay1 for my part1
 returned the other1 ,i would not be in 
his shoes for all the wealth of the     
world4 ,i should never know a day's     
pleasure on earth4  ,then you know      
nothing of the delights which ,god      
bestows1 or of the delicious savour of  
the ,holy ,ghost1 thought ,ruysbroeck to
 himself1 for he happened to overhear   
the words1 and he proceeded tranquilly  
on his way4                             
,,iii                                   
,false ,mystics   ,but with all his love
 of peace and retirement1 when it was a 
question of guarding the integrity of   
the ,faith and of warding off peril from

 immortal souls1 ,ruysbroeck hesitated  
not to stand in the breach2 even though 
others of much higher position in the   
,church and of much higher repute for   
theological learning than the obscure   
chaplain of ,st4 ,gudule's should raise 
not a finger nor so much as utter a     
warning word4  ,the student of history  
is well aware of the many and startling 
contrasts and contradictions presented  
by the ,middle ,ages4 ,it was an epoch  
of magnificent virtues and of gross     
vices1 of splendid heroism and of       
unspeakable cruelty1 of superb          
generosity and of disgusting meanness1  
and1 which is more to our point at      
present1 of intense devotion and of the 
most revolting vagaries in doctrine and 
morals4 ,while also on the one hand     
there was much genuine zeal1 much       
earnest endeavour to reform crying      
abuses in ,church and ,state2 on the    
other hand hypocrites and fanatics      
abounded1 who aimed at the destruction  
of the principle of authority on the    

plea of amending those in power1 or who1
 the while they inveighed against the   
futility of a merely exterior religion  
and insisted on the supreme need of     
purity of heart1 themselves fell into   
the excess of neglecting all external   
form1 and at times all outward decency  
and observance of morality4  ,in varying
 degrees these latter errors are to be  
encountered under one shape or another  
in every age2 but at the period of which
 we treat they were especially intense  
and extreme4 ,the ,beghards and the     
,beguines 7when and where these broke   
loose from ecclesiastical control71 the 
,flagellants1 the ,brethren of the ,free
 ,spirit were chief of a group of       
extravagant sects which afflicted the   
,church in ,italy1 ,france1 ,germany1   
and the ,netherlands2 while ,england at 
the same time was disturbed by the      
fanaticism of the ,lollards4 ,in general
 their peculiar tenets were a strange   
admixture of pantheism1 false mysticism1
 apparent austerity1 and very real      

immorality4 ,the following is one of    
their characteristic propositions1      
condemned by ,clement ,v4 in the        
,council of ,vienna1 ,a4,d4 #acaa-acab3 
,that those who are in the aforesaid    
grade of perfection and in the spirit of
 liberty 7contemplatives7 are not       
subject to human authority and are not  
obliged to obey any precepts of the     
,church1 because 7as they say7 where the
 spirit of the ,lord is1 there is       
liberty4  ,it so happened that          
contemporary with our ,saint in         
,brussels was a prominent leader of the 
heretics of the ,free ,spirit1 a woman  
whose name is given as ,bloemardinne1 a 
good type1 to judge by the description  
of ,ruysbroeck's biographer1 of the     
whole genus of such teachers in those   
days and in our own4#b ,so great was    
this creature's reputation for sanctity 
that it was commonly reported that two  
,seraphim accompanied her to the altar  
when she approached to receive ,holy    
,communion4 ,she always delivered her   

teachings1 whether by word or in        
writing1 seated on a throne of silver4  
,at her demise this chair was presented 
to the reigning ,duchess of ,brabant4   
,after ,bloemardinne's death also       
cripples came to touch her body in the  
persuasion that they would be           
miraculously healed thereby4 ,her       
teaching was of the kind indicated      
above1 concerned chiefly with the       
so-called liberty of the spirit2 the    
passion of lust she had the impudence to
 call seraphic love4 ,she issued        
numerous pamphlets remarkable for their 
subtlety2 and by one means and another  
she managed to win and retain a very    
considerable number of disciples4       
,moved by zeal and compassion on        
witnessing the ruin and loss of souls   
thus effected1 ,john ,ruysbroeck set    
himself to confute this heretic's       
various publications point by point as  
they appeared4 ,in consequence1 he      
incurred not a little hostility and     
persecution4 ,possibly it was this      

opposition which finally decided        
,ruysbroeck and his holy companions to  
quit ,brussels for the more peaceful    
retirement of the neighbouring forest of
 ,soignes4 ,but meanwhile he never for a
 moment desisted from his efforts in    
defence of the ,faith1 and in the       
propagation of the doctrines of sane    
mysticism4 ,of the treatises published  
professedly against ,bloemardinne there 
is nothing extant4 ,but in all his works
 ,ruysbroeck keeps an eye on the errors 
of the day4 ,he returns to them again   
and again1 analysing their sources1     
describing their characteristics1       
indicating the mischief they work1 and  
offering a reasoned and solid           
confutation4 ,at the same time1 with    
wondrous sureness and perspicacity1 from
 the rich stores of his own intimate    
experience1 he points out the safe and  
sure paths which lead the soul to loving
 union with ,god4  ,some thirty years   
after ,ruysbroeck's death1 in #adaj1 the
 ,archbishop of ,cambrai called his     

disciples1 the ,canons ,regular of      
,groenendael1 to come and aid him in    
preaching against the successors of the 
notorious ,bloemardinne--a fact eloquent
 both of the obstinacy of this          
particular heresy and of ,blessed       
,john's reputation as its most vigorous 
opponent4                               
,,iv                        ,the        
,hermitage of ,groenendael   ,it appears
 that it was on the suggestion of       
,francis van ,coudenberg that the three 
holy priests resolved to abandon        
,brussels to seek elsewhere for         
themselves a refuge of greater security 
and retirement4 ,it was through the     
influence also of van ,coudenberg with  
,john ,,iii41 ,duke of ,brabant1 that   
they obtained the cession of an ideal   
property for their purpose1 the         
hermitage1 namely1 of ,groenendael1 with
 its lands and lake4  ,the spot had     
already been sanctified by the prayers  
and penances of holy recluses for nigh  
forty years4 ,the first to retire       

thither had been one ,john ,busch1 of   
the ducal house of ,brabant1 who1 weary 
of the strife1 frivolities1 and perils  
of court life1 obtained from his        
kinsman1 ,john ,,ii41 leave to retire   
into the forest of ,soignes1 to build   
himself a hut and enclose a space of    
land there to be cultivated with his own
 hands for his support4 ,the deed of    
gift was dated the ,friday after the    
,assumption of ,mary1 #acjd1 and it     
stipulated that on the death or         
departure of the grantee1 another hermit
 should take his place1 and so on for   
ever4 ,in effect1 the noble ,john ,busch
 was succeeded by one ,arnold of ,diest1
 who1 on entering1 made a vow never to  
sally forth save on festivals for the   
purpose of hearing ,mass and receiving  
,holy ,communion in the ,parish ,church 
of ,st4 ,clement at ,hoolaert4 ,god     
rewarded this generous sacrifice by a   
singular favour3 ,arnold was            
passionately devoted to the memory of   
the ,holy ,apostles and ,martyrs of     

,rome1 and he was transported in spirit 
so frequently thither that the shrines  
and sanctuaries of the ,eternal ,city   
became as familiar to him as to a       
native4 ,when in a green old age he came
 to die1 ,arnold surprised the          
bystanders with the request that he     
should be laid to rest in the hermitage 
grounds4 ,they objected that the        
enclosure was not consecrated3 he       
responded that one day it would be the  
site of a monastery1 the home of saintly
 ,religious1 and the ,mother-house of a 
holy congregation4 ,however1 he was     
buried in the ,parish ,church of        
,hoolaert before the altar of ,st4      
,nicholas4 ,his successor1 ,lambert1 the
 last of the ,groenendael hermits1 was  
so poor in spirit as not to be attached 
even to his cell4 ,he cheerfully yielded
 place to ,john ,hinckaert1 van         
,coudenberg1 and ,ruysbroeck1 and       
retired to a cell which they had        
procured for him at ,hoetendael1 the    
modern ,uccle4 ,groenendael was handed  

over to the three companions by the     
,duke of ,brabant on ,easter ,wednesday1
 #acdc1 on the condition that they      
should forthwith erect a house to       
accommodate a community of at least     
five1 two of whom should be priests     
viventes religiose4  ,the taking of     
possession is recorded in the           
,groenendael ,chronicle thus3 ,in #acdd 
the aforesaid1 with the bishop's        
consent1 began to build a chapel in     
,groenendael4 ,and the ,vicars of ,lord 
,guy1 then ,bishop of ,cambrai1         
inspected the building on ,march #ac1   
#acdd1 and decreed that it should be    
consecrated1 together with a cemetery   
adjacent1 two altars1 and other         
necessary appurtenances4 ,on the same   
day of the same year the said ,vicars   
conferred on ,dom ,francis the cure of  
the brethren1 the household1 and the    
servants1 appointing him their ,father  
and ,parish ,priest4 ,then the same     
year1 on ,march #ag1 the ,venerable     
,lord ,brother ,matthias1 ,bishop of the

 ,church of ,trebizond 7,coadjutor of   
,cambrai71 by faculty and licence of the
 said ,vicars of the ,lord ,bishop ,guy1
 consecrated the aforesaid first church 
in the honour of ,st4 ,james1 and       
erected it into a ,parochial ,church for
 the same ,dom ,francis1 his brethren   
and household4  ,for five years ,dom    
,francis van ,coudenberg and his        
companions continued to live thus in    
community1 bound by no other rule than  
their own profound spirit of prayer and 
intense desire of perfection4 ,nor were 
they long left to enjoy alone the       
solitude of their retreat4 ,many sought 
admission into their company2 still     
larger numbers flocked from ,brussels   
and elsewhere to seek spiritual aid and 
consolation4 ,if he had consulted his   
own inclination and bent1 ,ruysbroeck   
would have denied himself to all2 but   
van ,coudenberg represented that they   
should not in charity refuse assistance 
to souls in need4 ,and ,blessed ,john   
yielded the more easily1 remarks one of 

his biographers1 because for his part he
 was assured of being able to repose in 
,god amid the most distracting calls and
 absorbing occupations4  ,one of their  
earliest associates1 ,john van ,leeuwen1
 attained a high reputation for         
sanctity4 ,a poor and ignorant layman of
 ,afflighem1 he had offered his services
 as their domestic gratis4 ,before long 
he was known far and wide as the ,good  
,cook of ,groenendael4 ,the multitude of
 visitors upon whom he was called to    
attend left him but little leisure1 yet 
he found time not only to be absorbed in
 prayer and contemplation1 but even to  
compose treatises of an exalted         
spirituality4 ,like his master          
,ruysbroeck1 whom he venerated          
profoundly1 he was deeply recollected   
amid the most exacting duties1 and      
frequently he was favoured with heavenly
 visions4 ,it was while in a state of   
ecstasy that the sublime gifts and      
heroic holiness of ,blessed ,john were  
revealed to him2 ever after no terms    

seemed to him too exalted in which to   
describe the worth of the servant of    
,god4 ,the general esteem in which van  
,leeuwen himself was held is            
sufficiently attested by the inscription
 on his tomb3 ,reliquiae ,fratris       
,joannis de ,leeuwis vulgo ,boni ,coci  
viri a ,deo illuminati et scriptis      
mysticis clari obiit anno ,,mccclxxvii4 
,v4 ,februarii4 ,the ,remains of        
,brother ,john van ,leeuwen1 commonly   
called the ,good ,cook1 a man           
enlightened by ,god and renowned for his
 mystic writings4 ,he died ,february #e1
 #acgg4  ,much more distracting to the  
recluses than the frequent visits of    
pilgrim penitents or the arrival of     
fresh neophytes was the constant coming 
and going of huntsmen from the household
 of the ,duke of ,brabant4 ,the forest  
of ,soignes1 in which ,groenendael is   
situate1 was a favourite resort for the 
chase1 and the position of the hermitage
 itself1 within a few miles of the      
capital1 made it a very convenient place

 of rest and refreshment for the hunters
 and their hounds4 ,but the noise and   
bustle attendant on such company were   
scarcely conducive to the spirit of     
prayer1 and the demands thus made on the
 hospitality of the young ,community    
were a heavy drain on its resources4    
,nevertheless the solitaries were       
naturally fearful of giving offence to  
the followers of their ,patron the      
,duke4 ,moreover1 since they were not   
established as a regular ,religious     
,community1 they could not claim the    
privileges of the cloister4             
,v                     ,the ,canons     
,regular of ,groenendael   ,the         
inconveniences just noted1 together with
 the continual increase in their        
numbers1 gave point and force to a      
strong remonstrance addressed to        
,francis van ,coudenberg and his        
,brethren by ,pierre de ,saulx1 ,prior  
of the ,canons ,regular of ,st4 ,victor1
 ,paris1 concerning the irregularity of 
their unaccustomed manner of life4      

,herein the good ,prior was in effect   
only voicing the opinion of many zealous
 and prudent leaders among both clergy  
and laity4 ,the times were so rife in   
sects and societies of false mystics1   
and so much mischief was wrought under  
the guise of piety1 that any form of    
community life outside the cloister and 
the three regular vows was regarded with
 strong suspicion and dislike4 ,a few   
years later ,gerard ,groote1 a disciple 
of ,ruysbroeck1 and ,florence ,radewyn1 
the first spiritual ,director of the    
,venerable ,thomas a ,kempis1 founded a 
lay association of ,devout ,brothers and
 ,sisters of the ,common ,life1 and this
 society also was subjected to a fierce 
opposition arising from the same        
sentiment of distrust for all religious 
movement outside the beaten track4      
,happily1 the ,brothers were able to    
weather the storm by producing          
irrefragable proofs of their orthodoxy1 
and of their entire submission to the   
ecclesiastical authorities4 ,but also1  

by the advice and according to the      
desires of ,gerard ,groote himself1 they
 placed themselves under the protection 
and guidance of a ,religious ,order     
springing from their own body1 namely   
the ,canons ,regular of ,windesheim1 of 
which congregation the ,venerable a     
,kempis was one of the earliest members 
as well as the brightest ornament4      
,prior ,pierre de ,saulx urged on van   
,coudenberg and his associates to       
regularise their status1 silence        
suspicion1 and escape the many          
inconveniences to which at present they 
were exposed by embracing the ,rule and 
adopting the habit of some already      
established ,religious ,order4 ,with    
edifying humility the ,community of     
,groenendael accepted the reproof and   
its accompanying counsel2 and applied at
 once to ,peter ,andrew1 ,bishop of     
,cambrai1 for the necessary             
authorisation to adopt the ,institute of
 the ,canons ,regular under the ,rule of
 ,st4 ,augustin of ,hippo4 ,this        

permission the ,ordinary granted most   
readily4 ,with his own hands he clothed 
,francis van ,coudenberg1 ,john         
,ruysbroeck and their companions in the 
canonical habit1 ,march #aj1 #acdi1 and 
the following day he appointed ,dom     
,francis ,provost1#c and ,john          
,ruysbroeck he made ,prior of the new   
,canonry4 ,to van ,coudenberg the other 
members of the ,community1 with one     
exception1 professed canonical          
obedience1 according to ,st4 ,augustin's
 ,rule4 ,the ,bishop bestowed upon them 
many privileges and exemptions2 while   
the ,duke took them under his special   
protection and endowed them with        
sufficient revenues for the upkeep of a 
large establishment4  ,the one exception
 noted above was ,ruysbroeck's uncle and
 van ,coudenberg's old friend and       
master1 ,john ,hinckaert4 ,at this date 
,john ,ruysbroeck was fifty-six years of
 age1 and ,francis van ,coudenberg was  
several years his senior4 ,they must    
certainly have been men of great zeal   

and courage to undertake the full rigour
 and discipline of the ,canonical ,life1
 as they understood it1 at so advanced  
an age4 ,hinckaert1 again1 was much     
older than either4 ,and for fear lest   
out of consideration for his failing    
powers the others should be induced to  
temper in any degree the austerity of   
their observance1 the good old man      
resolved to forgo for himself the       
happiness of joining them in the        
profession of the vows4 ,we can picture 
what a source of regret this separation 
must have been to all three4 ,however1  
,hinckaert remained as near his friends 
as possible until the end4 ,a little    
cell was built just outside the         
cloister1 and there after a few years he
 peacefully passed away1 their          
predecessor to eternal glory as he had  
been their forerunner in the way of     
perfection4  ,the ,canon ,regular1      
,prior ,pierre de ,saulx1 had reason to 
be well content with the issue of his   
intervention in the affairs of          

,groenendael4 ,seventeen years later we 
find him addressing to the ,community   
another characteristic rebuke4 ,this    
time he complained of the formula of    
their profession1 which ran as follows3 
,i1 ,n4       1 offer and deliver myself
 with these gifts to the service of this
 ,church of ,st4 ,james1 ,apostle4 ,and 
,i promise ,god in the presence of      
clergy and people that ,i will abide    
here henceforth to the end of my days   
without proprietorship1 according to the
 rule of the ,canons and ,blessed       
,augustin1 to the best of my knowledge  
and power4 ,i also promise stability to 
this place as long as in any way ,i can 
obtain what is needful for my soul and  
body1 nor shall ,i for any motion of    
fickleness or under any pretext of a    
more strict ,order change this habit or 
quit this cloister4 ,i also promise     
obedience to all the prelates of the    
aforesaid ,church whom the better part  
of the ,community shall canonically     
elect1 in order that ,i may receive a   

hundredfold and life everlasting4  ,as a
 matter of fact1 this form of profession
 was quite adequate4 ,implicitly it     
contained the vow of chastity1 since    
chastity is an integral part of the     
,canonical ,rule4 ,however1 the ,prior  
of ,st4 ,victor resided in ,paris1 the  
metropolis of scholasticism1 and he     
strenuously argued and maintained that1 
whereas chastity is one of the three    
essential vows of ,religion1 and the    
formula made no mention thereof1 the    
said formula was incomplete1 erroneous1 
contrary to the decretals and canonical 
sanctions4 ,and again he urges the      
,provost and the ,brethren to conform   
themselves in this1 as in all else1 to  
some fully authorised branch of the     
institute of the ,canons ,regular4      
,once more the good men humbly          
acquiesced2 and it seems that they      
modelled their religious family upon the
 famous ,congregation of ,st4 ,victor1  
of which their zealous counsellor was   
then the chief ,superior4               

,,vi                            ,prior  
of ,groenendael   ,meanwhile the        
,community of ,groenendael grew and     
flourished4 ,the holy ,prior continued  
to make progress in the practice of     
heroic virtue1 his gifts of             
contemplation became ever more sublime1 
and still his reputation for sanctity   
increased4 ,his contemporary            
biographers1 after the fashion of their 
day1 catalogue the ,christian virtues1  
and one by one show how they excelled in
 him4 ,let it suffice here to remark    
that those virtues which he the most    
earnestly commends and the most highly  
exalts in his writings1 he the most     
constantly exercised in his own person4 
,chief of these was humility1 which he  
terms everywhere the foundation of      
perfection2 then obedience to men and   
resignation to the will of ,god1 a most 
tender devotion towards ,jesus ,christ  
in the ,blessed ,sacrament of the       
,altar1 and1 in fine1 an ardent love of 
,god and the neighbour4 ,a few instances

 may be given in illustration4  ,on one 
occasion ,blessed ,john was seriously   
ill2 consumed by fever and tortured by  
an intense thirst1 he begged the        
,brother ,infirmarian for a drink of    
water4 ,the ,provost1 who happened to be
 present1 forbade the draught1 fearing  
it might do him harm4 ,he was literally 
dying of thirst1 and his lips were      
cracking1 they were so parched1 yet     
,ruysbroeck humbly acquiesced4 ,but     
later1 reflecting how great would be the
 grief and remorse of his friend and    
superior if he actually died of his     
agony1 he quietly remarked3 ,father     
,provost1 if ,i have not a drink of     
water now ,i shall certainly not recover
 from this malady4 ,thereupon1 in great 
alarm1 ,dom ,francis immediately bade   
him drink4 ,and from that moment the    
holy man began to regain his strength4  
,another and a continual proof of his   
humility was the willingness with which 
he took part in the heavy manual labour 
of the ,community4 ,his dignity1 his    

advanced age1 his inexperience in such  
work1 the many other calls upon his time
 and strength--all this and the like the
 brethren urged as motives wherefore he 
should be exempt2 but he refused to     
listen4 ,truth to tell1 the material    
advantage from his toil was but little3 
his frame was enfeebled by years and    
austerities1 and in his ignorance he was
 liable1 for instance1 to root up       
seedlings in the garden instead of      
weeds6 ,but the spiritual gain to the   
,brethren was incalculable2 there was   
not only the example of his humility1   
but of his unfailing recollection too4  
,in the midst of his labour he never    
lost his sense of the nearness of ,god's
 presence4 ,indeed he was wont to say   
that it was easier for him to raise his 
soul to ,god than to lift his hand to   
his forehead4  ,his humility also and   
his zeal for the regular observance     
prevented him ever seeking dispensation 
from the customary exercises of the     
community life1 or exemption from any of

 the monastic austerities1 vigils1 or   
fasts4  ,his love for the neighbour was 
shown by the readiness and affability   
with which he received and welcomed     
innumerable claimants on his sympathy1  
help1 and counsel4 ,no soul ever left   
his presence dissatisfied2 every one    
went back from a visit to ,groenendael  
greatly edified and inwardly refreshed4 
,on one occasion the ,brethren were     
distressed for the moment by an apparent
 exception4 ,two ,parisian clerics had  
visited the holy old man and had        
demanded some word or motto for their   
guidance and encouragement4  ,ruysbroeck
 merely observed3 ,you are as holy as   
you wish to be4 ,suspecting him of      
sarcasm1 the strangers retired deeply   
mortified1 and they complained to the   
,canons that they were much disappointed
 in the ,prior1 who evidently was not so
 saintly a man as rumour had led them to
 believe4 ,learning the cause of their  
chagrin1 some of the ,brethren led the  
clerics back to ,blessed ,john and      

begged him to explain his meaning4 ,but 
is it not simple8 he cried4 ,is it not  
quite true8 ,you are as holy as you     
wish4 ,your good-will is the measure of 
your sanctity4 ,look into yourselves and
 see what good-will you have1 and you   
will behold also the standard of your   
holiness4 ,and then the visitors retired
 appeased and edified4  ,naturally his  
own ,brethren were the first and chief  
to benefit by the holy ,prior's charity 
and zeal4 ,he denied himself to none2 he
 made himself all to all4 ,sometimes he 
gave a spiritual conference after       
,compline1 and then perhaps he would be 
so carried away as he enlarged upon the 
goodness of ,god and the bliss of       
heaven1 for instance1 that neither he   
nor his listeners would note the passage
 of time4 ,the midnight ,office bell    
would surprise them still hanging upon  
his words4 ,but such was the fervour    
infused by his burning eloquence that   
not one felt the loss of the three or   
four hours' accustomed sleep4           

,ruysbroeck always spoke without any    
immediate preparation2 but it was       
characteristic of the man that when     
requested by the ,canons or by strangers
 for a ,conference1 he would sometimes  
confess in all simplicity that          
inspiration was lacking1 that he had    
nothing to say4 ,it was the same with   
his written treatises3 at the close of  
his life he was able to declare that he 
had never committed anything to writing 
save under the immediate motion of the  
,holy ,spirit4  ,as so often happens    
with the ,saints1 ,blessed ,john's love 
for the neighbour overflowed in         
tenderness for his brothers and sisters 
of the lower creation also4 ,knowing    
this trait1 the ,canons would remark to 
him on the approach of winter3 ,see1    
,father ,prior1 it is snowing already4  
,what will the poor little birds do now8
 ,and with expressions of heartfelt     
compassion this sublime mystic1 who was 
habitually lost in dizziest heights of  
contemplation1 would give instructions  

that the feathered choristers outside   
the cloister should not be abandoned to 
perish of hunger4  ,very frequently in  
his works ,blessed ,ruysbroeck takes    
occasion to treat of the ,holy          
,sacrament of the ,altar1 and ever he   
speaks of this sacred mystery in terms  
of the most vivid faith and intense     
devotion1 discussing it as a supreme    
proof of ,god's love for men1 on a par  
with the gifts of ,creation1 the        
,incarnation1 and ,redemption4 ,his     
biographers tell us of his personal love
 for the ,blessed ,eucharist1 and       
especially of his ecstatic devotion in  
offering the great ,sacrifice4 ,to the  
close of his long life1 even when his   
failing sight could no longer           
distinguish the figure of the ,crucified
 stamped upon the ,host1 nothing but    
grave sickness could hold him back from 
daily celebration4 ,sometimes he swooned
 from the excess of the sweetness with  
which his soul was inundated during the 
canon of the ,mass4  ,on one such       

occasion not only did he faint1 but he  
seemed on the point of expiring1 so that
 the terrified server reported the      
matter to the ,provost4 ,attributing the
 faintness to advancing age and         
weakness1 the ,superior was about to    
forbid the holy old man to celebrate any
 more1 when ,blessed ,john humbly       
besought him to forbear1 assuring him   
that the swoon was due not to the       
failing of years but to the overpowering
 of divine grace1 non propter senium sed
 divinae gratiae collatum xenium4 ,even 
to-day1 he added1 ,jesus ,christ        
appeared to me1 and filling my soul with
 a deliciousness all divine1 ,he said to
 my heart1 ,thou art ,mine and ,i am    
thine4  ,such heavenly favours seem to  
have been by no means rare with our     
,saint4 ,he was frequently ravished with
 a vision of ,our ,divine ,lord in ,his 
sacred ,humanity4 ,christ appeared to   
him1 accompanied by ,his ,blessed       
,mother and a numerous retinue of       
,saints1 and conversed familiarly with  

him4 ,on one such occasion1 penetrating 
his whole being with a sense of wondrous
 sweetness1 ,he greeted him with        
ineffable condescension thus3 ,thou art 
,my dear son1 in whom ,i am well        
pleased4 ,then ,jesus ,christ embraced  
him and presented him to ,our ,lady and 
the attendant ,saints with the words3   
,behold ,my chosen servant6             
,,vii                                   
,ruysbroeck's ,tree   ,whenever ,blessed
 ,john felt the ,spirit of ,god full    
upon him1 even the solitude of the      
cloister was not sufficiently retired   
for the intimacy of the divine union4   
,he would wander away into the depths of
 the forest surrounding the monastery1  
there to abandon himself to the action  
of the ,holy ,ghost undisturbed4 ,on    
these occasions also he was wont to take
 with him a stylus and a wax tablet1 in 
order to jot down such thoughts and     
lights as he was moved to preserve in   
writing4 ,of these notes a fair copy was
 made on his return to the ,priory4     

,towards the end of his days1 when his  
sight was failing and otherwise the     
effort of making these notes was too    
much for him1 one of the ,canons always 
accompanied him into the forest to write
 down at his dictation whatever he was  
moved to communicate4 ,sometimes days or
 whole weeks would pass1 and for want of
 inspiration not a line nor a word would
 be added to the treatise in hand4 ,but 
when again the ,spirit breathed1 he     
continued from the very sentence or     
phrase where he had paused1 just as if  
there had been no interval between4     
,one day the ,saint had retired as usual
 into the forest1 and the ,brethren1    
knowing his occupation1 respected his   
privacy4 ,but when hours passed and     
there was no sign of his return1 they   
became alarmed and set out to scour the 
woods in search of him4 ,one of the     
,canons was especially intimate with the
 ,prior and loved him most tenderly4    
,perhaps his anxiety urged him ahead of 
the rest4 ,in a glade of the forest his 

eye lighted upon a wondrous scene4 ,he  
perceived a tree as it were in flames4  
,on nearer approach he discovered that  
it was in fact encircled with fire4 ,and
 under the tree1 in the midst of the    
mysterious conflagration1 ,john         
,ruysbroeck was seated1 manifestly rapt 
in ecstasy4  ,the memory of this miracle
 was never lost in the ,community4 ,for 
generations the tree was known and      
venerated as ,ruysbroeck's ,tree4 ,at   
the close of the fifteenth century the  
,prior1 ,james van ,dynter1 planted a   
lime-tree in the same place1 which      
received the respect shown hitherto to  
the original1 which presumably had died 
down4 ,when in #aegg the ,canons were   
obliged to abandon ,groenendael on      
account of the vexations of the         
religious wars1 it is said that this    
tree withered away until only its bark  
was left2 but when the ,community       
returned in #afjg1 it revived and       
flourished again4  ,this episode also   
has fixed the traditional representation

 of ,blessed ,john ,ruysbroeck4 ,he is  
usually pictured seated under a tree1 a 
stylus in his hand and a wax tablet     
resting on his knee1 while ,saint and   
tree alike are encircled in brilliant   
rays of celestial light4                
,,viii                            ,a    
,director of ,souls   ,it is no wonder  
that as the fame of these and similar   
marvels spread abroad1 multitudes of the
 faithful1 young and old1 clergy and    
laity1 flocked to see and hear the holy 
,prior of ,groenendael4 ,they came to   
him from ,flanders1 ,brabant1 ,holland1 
,germany1 and ,france4 ,ruysbroeck      
received all with unvarying simple      
courtesy1 and his unpremeditated words  
were ever found to meet exactly the     
needs of each4 ,many placed themselves  
unreservedly in his hands1 and          
frequently sought his direction by      
correspondence1 or came long distances  
to consult him in person4  ,one of these
 penitents was the ,baroness van ,marke1
 of ,rhode-,st4-,agatha1 which lies     

midway between ,groenendael and         
,louvain4 ,this lady conceived such a   
veneration for the holy ,prior that when
 she went to visit him1 she walked the  
journey1 pilgrimwise1 barefoot4         
,finally1 his exhortations to flee and  
despise the passing vanities of the     
world prevailed so much with her that   
she entered a ,convent of ,poor ,clares 
in ,cologne1 and her son ,ingelbert     
joined the ,community of ,groenendael4  
,we are told of another disciple1 who   
once fell into a grievous sickness and  
at the same time into a still more      
grievous affliction of spirit4 ,she sent
 for ,blessed ,john1 begging him to     
visit her4 ,she told him of her         
distress2 behold1 she was abandoned by  
,god1 on the one hand no health or      
strength was left her to perform her    
accustomed works of mercy1 and on the   
other hand physical suffering took away 
all taste for prayer6 ,what was she to  
do8 ,you can do nothing more pleasing to
 ,god1 my dear child1 responded the     

,saint1 than simply and utterly to      
submit to ,his holy will4 ,strive to    
forsake your own desires and to give    
,him thanks for all things4 ,such       
unction accompanied these simple and    
characteristic words that the good lady 
felt deeply consoled1 and she repined no
 more4  ,among the more famous to       
frequent ,groenendael1 there to sit and 
learn at the feet of ,ruysbroeck1 is    
mentioned the well-known ,german mystic 
,tauler4 ,but authorities are divided at
 present as to whether or no these      
visits to ,groenendael can be fitted in 
with other ascertained facts of         
,tauler's life4 ,however1 it is certain 
that ,tauler was well acquainted with   
the writings of our ,saint2 to a great  
extent he followed his method1 and at   
times1 in the free-and-easy style of    
those days1 he did not hesitate to      
transfer bodily from ,ruysbroeck's      
volumes into his own4                   
,,ix                        ,ruysbroeck 
and ,gerard ,groote   ,a greater than   

,tauler1 and one whose influence was    
eventually far more widespread1         
undoubtedly owed much to the recluse of 
,groenendael and freely acknowledged    
,blessed ,john his master4 ,this was the
 famous ,gerard ,groote1 the founder1 as
 already noted1 of the ,devout ,brothers
 and ,sisters of the ,common ,life1 and 
through them of the ,windesheim         
,congregation of ,canons ,regular4 ,the 
occasion and circumstances of ,groote's 
first visit to ,groenendael are narrated
 by the ,venerable ,thomas a ,kempis in 
his ,vita ,gerardi ,magni4 ,the passage 
is so graphic and characteristic that it
 is well worth transcribing4#d  ,the    
pious and humble ,master ,gerard1       
hearing of the great and widespread fame
 of ,john ,ruysbroeck1 a monk and ,prior
 of the ,monastery of ,gruenthal1 near  
,brussels1 went to the parts about      
,brabant1 although the journey was long1
 in order to see in bodily presence this
 holy and most devout ,father2 for he   
longed to see face to face1 and with his

 own eyes1 one whom he had known        
hitherto only by common report and by   
his books2 and to hear with his own ears
 that voice utter its words from a      
living human mouth--a voice as gracious 
as if it were the very mouthpiece of the
 ,holy ,ghost4 ,he took with him        
therefore that revered man1 ,master     
,john ,cele1 the director of the ,school
 of ,zwolle1 a devout and faithful lover
 of ,jesus ,christ2 for their mind and  
heart were one in the ,lord1 and the    
fellowship of each was pleasant to the  
other1 and this resolve was kindled     
within them that their journey1 which   
was undertaken for the sake of spiritual
 edification1 should redound in the case
 of each to the ,glory of ,god4  ,there 
went also with them a faithful and      
devout layman1 named ,gerard the        
shoemaker1 as their guide upon the      
narrow way1 and their inseparable       
companion in this happy undertaking4    
,when they came to the place called     
,gruenthal1 they saw no lofty or        

elaborate buildings therein1 but rather 
all the signs of simplicity of life and 
poverty1 such as marked the first       
footsteps of our ,heavenly ,king1 when  
,he1 the ,lord of ,heaven1 came upon    
this earth as a ,virgin's ,son1 and in  
exceeding poverty4 ,as they entered the 
gate of the monastery1 that holy        
,father1 the devout ,prior1 met them1   
being a man of great age1 of kindly     
serenity1 and one to be revered for his 
honourable character4 ,he it was whom   
they had come to see1 and saluting them 
with the greatest benignity as they     
advanced1 and being taught by a         
revelation from ,god1 he called upon    
,gerard by his very name and knew him1  
though he had never seen him before4    
,after this salutation he took them with
 him into the inner parts of the        
cloister1 as his most honoured guests1  
and with a cheerful countenance and a   
heart yet more joyful showed them all   
due courtesy and kindness1 as if he were
 entertaining ,jesus ,christ ,himself4  

,gerard abode there for a few days      
conferring with this man of ,god about  
the ,holy ,scriptures2 and from him he  
heard many heavenly secrets which1 as he
 confessed1 were past his understanding1
 so that in amazement he said with the  
,queen of ,sheba1 ',o excellent ,father1
 thy wisdom and thy knowledge exceedeth 
the fame which ,i heard in mine own     
land2 for by thy virtues thou hast      
surpassed thy fame4' ,after this he     
returned with his companions to his own 
city1 greatly edified2 and being as it  
were a purified creature1 he pondered   
over what he had heard in his mind and  
often dwelt thereon in his heart2 also  
he committed some of ,ruysbroeck's      
sayings to writing1 that they might not 
be forgotten4  ,this sojourn on his     
visit to the ,prior was not a time of   
idleness1 nor was the discourse of so   
holy a father barren2 but the           
instruction of his living voice gave    
nurture to a fuller love and an increase
 of fresh zeal1 as he testifies in a    

letter which he sent to these same      
brethren in the ,gruenthal1 saying3 ',i 
earnestly desire to be commended to your
 director and ,prior1 the footstool of  
whose feet ,i would fain be both in this
 life and in the life to come2 for my   
heart is welded to him beyond all other 
men by love and reverence4 ,i do still  
burn and sigh for your presence1 to be  
renewed and inspired by your spirit and 
to be a partaker thereof4'  ,other      
details of this interesting visit are   
supplied by the biographers of          
,ruysbroeck4 ,speaking in the fullness  
of the intimacy that had sprung up      
between them1 ,gerard ,groote ventured  
to express surprise that1 in dealing    
with the sublime matters which usually  
formed the subject of his discourse1 the
 holy ,prior should employ words and    
phrases which laid him open to the      
charge of those very errors1 especially 
pantheism1 against which his writings   
were commonly directed4 ,it was then    
that ,ruysbroeck declared that he had   

never set down aught in his books save  
by the inspiration of the ,holy ,ghost  
and in the presence of the ,ever        
,blessed ,trinity4 ,this solemn         
assurance the holy man repeated to his  
brother ,canons on his deathbed4  ,on   
another point also1 like the trained and
 exact theologian he was1 ,gerard       
,groote wished to correct his friend4   
,he insisted that the boundless         
confidence which ,ruysbroeck expressed  
in the mercy of ,god seemed to savour   
somewhat of presumption1 and he         
proceeded to quote the most terrifying  
passages from ,scripture anent the      
penalties of the wicked4 ,blessed ,john 
quietly replied3 ,master ,gerard1 ,i    
assure you that you have quite failed to
 inspire me with fear4 ,i am ready to   
bear with unruffled soul whatever the   
,lord shall destine for me in life or in
 death4 ,i can conceive of nothing      
better1 nothing safer1 nothing more     
sweet4 ,all my desires are restricted to
 this1 that our ,lord may ever find me  

prepared to accomplish ,his holy will4  
,this first visit was the beginning of  
most cordial relations between          
,ruysbroeck and ,gerard ,groote4 ,the   
latter returned several times to        
,groenendael and resided there for      
months together4 ,he also corresponded  
frequently with the holy ,prior and the 
,canons and translated some of our      
,saint's works into ,latin4 ,he read    
over his ,,mss4 before publication1 and 
begged him at times to change or modify 
expressions which might give a handle to
 the hostile or scandal to the weak4    
,the writings of ,ruysbroeck were       
likewise among those which were the most
 frequently transcribed and multiplied  
by the copyists of the ,devout ,brothers
 of the ,common ,life4 ,a few years     
later one of the most diligent and      
skilled of these scribes was the future 
author of the ,imitation of ,christ4    
,x                         ,ruysbroeck  
and ,windesheim   ,in fact1 widespread  
as was the influence of ,blessed ,john  

,ruysbroeck on his contemporaries and   
incalculable as was the fruit of his    
writings in the many cloisters1 through 
which they were rapidly diffused1 the   
means by which ,divine ,providence chose
 chiefly to preserve and propagate his  
power was precisely this friendship with
 ,gerard ,groote4 ,gerard continually   
strove to imbue his own disciples with  
the spirit which he had imbibed from the
 ,prior of ,groenendael4 ,for himself   
and for his followers he took as a rule 
of life the motto of ,ruysbroeck1 to    
make it a chief study to meditate upon  
the life of ,jesus ,christ4 ,let the    
fountain-head of thy study and thy      
mirror of life be first the ,gospel of  
,christ1 for there is the life of       
,christ4 ,the ,scriptures should be read
 rather than the ,fathers1 and the ,new 
,testament more than the ,old1 for there
 is the life of ,christ4 ,and herein    
again what is profitable for a devout   
and spiritual life is to be sought      
rather than the subtleties of theology  

and the schools4  ,when a friend of     
,gerard's1 ,reinalt ,minnenvosch1       
projected the founding of a monastery1  
,groote advised him to establish a      
,priory of ,canons ,regular on the model
 of ,groenendael4 ,the ,canonry of ,st4 
,saviour's at ,emstein was the result4  
,at ,groote's request1 a professed      
priest came from ,groenendael to        
initiate the new ,religious into the    
,canonical ,life2 and later it was at   
,emstein that the first members of      
,gerard's own ,congregation of          
,windesheim made their noviciate        
preparatory to ,profession4  ,this was  
after ,gerard ,groote's death1 but it   
was in accord with his express desire4  
,wishful to establish a ,religious      
,institute in connection with his       
,devout ,brothers and ,sisters of the   
,common ,life1 who1 whether lay or      
cleric1 were dwelling together without  
the binding force of the vows1 ,gerard  
fixed upon the ,order of ,canons        
,regular for this purpose1 principally1 

so ,thomas a ,kempis assures us1 because
 of his profound veneration for the     
,prior and ,brethren of ,groenendael4   
,he was moved to institute this ,order  
of ,regulars chiefly by his singular    
reverence and love for the venerable    
,dom ,john ,ruysbroeck1 the first ,prior
 of ,groenendael1 and of the other most 
exemplary ,brethren living there        
religiously in the ,regular ,order4     
,for further information concerning the 
,devout ,brothers and the ,windesheim   
,canons the reader is referred to the   
various works which have been published 
of late years on the ,venerable a       
,kempis4#e ,both ,brothers and ,canons  
were living examples of the mystic      
teachings of ,ruysbroeck put to the test
 of daily practice4 ,flight from the    
pleasures and vanities of the world1    
unbounded humility1 constant meditation 
on the life and especially the ,passion 
of ,jesus ,christ1 the most complete and
 absolute abandonment to the ,divine    
,will1 an intense devotion full of the  

personal love of ,god--these were the   
salient points of ,blessed ,john's      
example and doctrine1 perpetuated and   
propagated by the works1 words1 and     
writings of the ,windesheim ,canons     
,regular and their secular associates1  
the ,brothers of the ,common ,life4 ,it 
is scarcely needful to remark also that 
these are the chief features of the     
teaching of the ,imitation of ,christ1  
that golden little treatise1 which1     
embodying the whole spirit of the       
,school of ,windesheim and ,groenendael1
 has carried and still carries light1   
healing1 and consolation to thousands   
upon thousands who have never so much as
 heard of either ,windesheim or ,john   
,ruysbroeck4#f  ,it may be mentioned    
here that in #adji the ,priory of       
,groenendael was instituted the         
,mother-house of a congregation of that 
name4 ,but a few years later this       
congregation1 with its dependent        
,priories1 was affiliated to the more   
numerous ,windesheim ,canons4 ,thus the 

twin institutes were merged into one1   
and the ,windesheim ,congregation became
 the direct heir of the virtues and     
teaching of ,blessed ,john ,ruysbroeck4 
,but finally ,windesheim was aggregated 
to the ,lateran ,congregation of ,canons
 ,regular2 and thus it is that to-day   
the ,canons ,regular of the ,lateran are
 privileged1 with the clergy of         
,mechlin1 to keep with proper ,office   
and ,mass the ,feast of ,blessed ,john  
,ruysbroeck4  ,connected thus intimately
 with ,gerard ,groote and ,tauler1 it is
 not surprising that ,ruysbroeck shares 
with these1 as with a ,kempis1 ,suso1   
and others1 the doubtful honour of being
 proclaimed in certain quarters as a    
precursor of the sixteenth-century      
,reformation4 ,in support of this       
position it is easy enough to gather    
together expressions of the most        
poignant sorrow and of the most bitter  
invective for the lax morality of clergy
 and laity1 mendicant friars1 and highly
 placed prelates4 ,but the same argument

 would convict several ,popes of being  
heralds of ,luther6 ,not to labour the  
point at unnecessary length in a        
non-controversial work of this kind1 let
 it suffice to mention the touchstone   
which never fails to distinguish the    
genuine reformer from the mere          
sectarian3 while boldly attacking the   
vices of those in office1 ,blessed ,john
 ,ruysbroeck never assails the office   
itself4 ,he always speaks in the most   
submissive and reverent terms of the    
authority of the ,church and of the     
dignity of the priesthood4 ,his writings
 without exception treat in the orthodox
 sense on the subject of grace1 the     
sacraments1 etc4 ,we have already       
remarked his ardent devotion towards the
 ,blessed ,eucharist4 ,to this may be   
added a most tender love for the ,virgin
 ,mother of ,god4 ,note1 finally1 his   
frequent and fervent exhortations to the
 perfect observance of the three vows of
 religion1 and one can imagine how      
comfortable he would feel in the        

company1 say1 of ,luther and his        
renegade nun6                           
,,xi                         ,the       
,writings of ,ruysbroeck   ,blessed     
,john's writings cannot be called       
voluminous1 and yet for a purely        
contemplative author they are           
comparatively considerable4 ,the list of
 his works authenticated up to the      
present--for earnest students are at    
work1 and other ,,mss4 may yet be       
discovered--comprises the following1    
giving an ,english equivalent for the   
,old ,flemish or ,latin titles3 7#a7    
,the ,kingdom of the ,lovers of ,god2   
7#b7 ,the ,splendour of the ,spiritual  
,espousals2 7#c7 ,the ,brilliant2 7#d7  
,of ,four ,subtle ,temptations2 7#e7 ,of
 the ,christian ,faith2 7#f7 ,of the    
,spiritual ,tabernacle2 7#g7 ,of the    
,seven ,cloisters2 7#h7 ,the ,mirror of 
,eternal ,life1 or1 a ,treatise on the  
,blessed ,sacrament2 7#i7 ,the ,seven   
,degrees of ,spiritual ,love2 7#aj7 ,of 
the ,supreme ,truth2 7#aa7 ,the ,twelve 

,beguines4 ,and these others are less   
certainly proved to be his3 7#ab7 ,of   
the ,twelve ,virtues2 7#ac7 ,seven      
,letters2 7#ad7 ,a ,summary of the      
,spiritual ,life2 7#ae7 ,two ,canticles2
 7#af7 ,a ,short ,prayer4  ,pending a   
complete and faithful ,english rendering
 of all these works1 the following      
descriptive analysis of the principal of
 them may not prove unacceptable4       
,the ,kingdom of the ,lovers of ,god    
,this treatise is a detailed            
interpretation and a mystic application 
of the text adapted from ,wisdom x4 #aj3
 ,justum deduxit ,dominus per vias      
rectus et ostendit illi regnum ,dei in  
the ,breviary ,office of a ,confessor4  
,upon these words ,ruysbroeck bases a   
division of his work into five books4   
,the first book treats of ,god1         
,dominus1 ,his power and sovereignty4   
,in the second ,blessed ,john explains  
how ,christ conducted1 deduxit1 man into
 the liberty of the children of ,god1   
chiefly by redemption and by the        

institution of the seven ,sacraments4   
,in the third he treats of the just man1
 justum1 and works out eight items which
 render a man just1 both in the active  
and in the contemplative life4 ,the     
fourth book expounds the right ways1    
vias rectas1 which lead to the ,kingdom 
of ,god3 the exterior way1 namely1 the  
material universe of three heavens and  
four elements1 the contemplation of     
which should excite man to the praise of
 the ,creator2 the way of natural light1
 the acquisition of the seven virtues2  
finally1 the supernatural and divine    
way1 the infusion of the supernatural   
virtues and the gifts of the ,holy      
,ghost4 ,in the last book we have a     
disquisition on the kingdom of ,god1    
ostendit illi regnum ,dei1 of which we  
are told there are five aspects or      
divisions3 the sensible kingdom1        
exterior to ,god1 in which the author   
finds scope for a description of the    
last judgment and the qualities of risen
 bodies1 the kingdom of nature1 the     

kingdom of the ,scriptures1 the kingdom 
of grace and of glory1 and finally the  
,divine ,kingdom itself1 which is ,god4 
,this treatise is full of reflections   
and considerations of the most elevated 
order1 and there is much therein that is
 by no means easy to grasp or           
understand4                   ,the      
,splendour of the ,spiritual ,espousals 
,for his text ,ruysbroeck takes ,matt4  
xxv4 #f1 ,ecce1 sponsus venit1 exite    
obviam ei4 ,he makes a division into    
three books1 treating respectively of   
the active1 the interior1 and the       
contemplative life4 ,each book is       
further subdivided into four parts1     
corresponding to the four divisions of  
the text in each stage of perfection as 
follows4 ,ruysbroeck expounds and       
illustrates 7#a7 the role of the vision1
 ecce2 man must turn his eyes to ,god2  
7#b7 the divers comings of the          
,bridegroom1 sponsus venit1 the manner1 
namely1 in which ,god approaches the    
soul2 7#c7 the going forth of the soul  

on the path of the virtues1 exite2 7#d7 
and finally1 the embrace of the soul and
 the heavenly spouse4 ,in no one work   
does ,blessed ,ruysbroeck give a        
complete account of his mystic teaching2
 but if his system were to be examined  
and explained by any one book1 it would 
certainly be this of the ,spiritual     
,espousals4 ,it has always been         
considered as his chief work1 and in    
this light also ,ruysbroeck himself     
seems to have regarded it4 ,he sent a   
copy of it himself to his friends in    
,germany1 and expressed the desire that 
it might be multiplied and made known   
even to the foot of the mountains4 ,in  
the four last chapters of the second    
book the author confutes some current   
errors of the day1 apparently the       
teachings of ,bloemardinne and almost   
certainly of ,eckart4                   
,the ,brilliant  ,gerard ,naghel tells  
us the story of the origin of this      
treatise4 ,one day ,ruysbroeck had been 
conversing with a certain hermit on     

matters spiritual1 when on parting the  
latter begged the holy ,prior to commit 
the matter of his discourse to writing  
for the edification of himself and      
others4 ,to satisfy his desire1 says    
,naghel1 ,ruysbroeck composed this work1
 which contains instruction sufficient  
to lead a man to perfection4 ,the       
treatise seems a supplement1 and in some
 sense a corrective of the ,spiritual   
,espousals4 ,after a brief description  
of the means by which the just man      
acquires the interior life and rises    
thence to the contemplative1 the holy   
man shows how the precious stone1 or    
white counter1 calculus candidus1 of    
,rev4 ii4 #ag1 is no other than ,christ 
,himself1 ,who gives ,himself without   
reserve to contemplative souls4 ,god    
calls all men to intimate union with    
,himself4 ,but not all men respond to   
,his appeal4 ,sinners utterly despise   
the invitation2 while the just respond1 
though these again in varying degrees4  
,some keep the commandments chiefly from

 fear of the penalties attached to      
transgression2 they are as mercenaries4 
,others sincerely endeavour to conquer  
nature and unruly desires1 they have    
true faith in ,god1 and ,god is the only
 motive of their actions2 these are the 
faithful servants4 ,however1 these still
 suffer many impediments from the       
exterior life which they lead1 and a    
more intimate union is attained by the  
intimate friends1 who observe the       
counsels as well as the precepts4       
,finally1 the highest degree of union   
and contemplation is attained by the    
hidden sons1 who are utterly divested of
 all self-love and self-seeking1 and    
whose life is hidden with ,christ in    
,god4                          ,of ,four
 ,subtle ,temptations  ,in this tract   
,ruysbroeck inveighs against the chief  
errors and abuses of his own times4 ,the
 first1 says ,ruysbroeck1 is love of    
ease and comfort1 indolence1 the source 
of sensuality1 and luxury1 an abuse very
 prevalent in monasteries and among the 

clergy4 ,the second is hypocrisy1 which1
 under the cloak of a seeming austerity1
 claiming even visions and ecstasies1   
conceals a corrupt interior and depraved
 morals4 ,the third is the desire to    
understand everything1 to attain to the 
contemplation of the divine nature by   
the sheer force of the intellect1       
without the assistance of ,god's grace4 
,the fourth and the most formidable is  
the so-called liberty of spirit1 the    
error and heresy of those who1 casting  
aside all interior effort1 pretend to   
acquire contemplation by ludicrous      
mortifications1 by extravagant bodily   
posturing1 and by a senseless quietism4 
,the third error is that of ,eckart1 and
 the fourth was proper to the ,brothers 
and ,sisters of the ,free ,spirit4      
,ruysbroeck concludes his tract with a  
discussion of the ways and means of     
avoiding these snares1 viz4 by holiness 
of life1 the practice of all the        
virtues1 obedience to superiors and the 
authority of the ,church1 and imitation 

of ,jesus ,christ4                      
,of the ,christian ,faith  ,a dogmatic  
commentary on the ,athanasian ,creed4   
,starting with the principle that the   
true ,christian ,faith is indispensable 
for the union of the soul with ,god1    
,ruysbroeck proceeds to explain the     
chief tenets of our belief1 and to show 
their bearing on the interior life4 ,his
 explanations are brief1 his            
speculations sublime4 ,the more forcibly
 to exhort to the practice of virtue1 he
 dwells at considerable length on the   
last judgment1 on the rewards of the    
just1 and on the penalties decreed to   
each particular class of sinner4 ,his   
picture here of the happiness of heaven 
and the sufferings of hell is most apt  
and striking4                           
,of the ,spiritual ,tabernacle  ,the    
most lengthy this of all ,ruysbroeck's  
works4 ,it consists of a mystic         
interpretation1 a long-drawn-out        
allegory1 in which the ,tabernacle of   
the ,old ,testament is considered as a  

type of the course of love4 ,the outer  
and the inner courts1 the altar of      
sacrifice1 the hangings1 the pillars and
 their sockets1 the rings1 the names of 
the workmen1 the seven-branch           
candlestick1 the brazen laver1 the      
priestly ornaments1 the ephod and the   
twelve stones1 the holy oils and the    
incense1 the table of the loaves of     
proposition1 the different sacrifices   
with the distinction between the clean  
and the unclean animals1 the holy of    
holies1 the ark and its                 
appurtenances1--all are applied with a  
wealth of detail1 which1 however1 never 
lacks dignity1 and with a wondrous skill
 to ,ruysbroeck's usual three divisions 
of the exterior moral life1 the         
interior1 and the purely contemplative4 
,the ,tabernacle was a subject which    
naturally lent itself to allegory and to
 mystic interpretation1 and ,hugh of    
,st4 ,victor had already preceded our   
author1 as doubtless also he inspired   
him with his ,de ,arca mystica4 ,though 

sometimes the thread is lost in the     
multiplicity of details1 this treatise  
is most attractive and contains some of 
the best pages of ,blessed ,ruysbroeck4 
,of the ,seven ,cloisters  ,this was    
composed for a penitent of our ,saint1  
,margaret von ,meerbeke1 a ,poor ,clare 
of ,brussels1 and it gives a rule of    
life for ,religious4 ,the holy ,prior   
traces out an order of the day1         
insisting especially on the need of     
cultivating the interior life2 he       
mentions the virtues which his penitent 
should exercise1 and inveighs against   
the abuses which have crept into        
convents1 pointing out the danger of    
communication with the outer world4 ,in 
all things ,margaret should imitate the 
example of her foundress1 ,st4 ,clare1  
who gained her glorious place in ,heaven
 by shutting herself up within the seven
 cloisters4 ,after dwelling on these1   
viz41 by expounding seven means of      
retreating from the world and living    
close to ,god1 the author turns again to

 practical details and condemns the     
softness and luxury of certain          
,religious in their dress4 ,each day1 he
 says1 should close with a peep into    
three books3 the book of our own        
conscience1 which shows the             
imperfections which must be purified2   
the book of the ,life and ,passion of   
our ,lord1 which we should imitate2 and 
finally the book of eternal life1 to    
which we ought to tend with all our     
strength4                          ,the 
,mirror of ,eternal ,life  ,this also   
was addressed to a nun1 probably the    
same ,poor ,clare4 ,it explains again   
the three degrees of the mystic life1   
but with special reference now to the   
cloister and the ,blessed ,eucharist4   
,some are in the purgative way3 if they 
persevere in virtue and progress in     
perfection1 they shall partake of the   
table1 ,ps4 xxiii4 #e1 which is no other
 than the banquet of the ,holy          
,eucharist4 ,ruysbroeck dwells on the   
virtues necessary for the worthy        

reception of the ,sacrament1 and        
narrates the manner of its institution  
by our ,divine ,lord at the ,last       
,supper1 showing what were the matter   
and form used by ,christ4 ,he discourses
 on the evidence of ,god's love to be   
found in this mystery of the altar2 and 
then refutes objections as to the manner
 of the ,divine ,presence1 expressly    
teaching ,transubstantiation4 ,those who
 approach the altar rails are divided by
 him into seven classes1 and here the   
author shows a wondrous and intimate    
knowledge of the working of the human   
heart4 ,the treatise closes with a      
description of the contemplative life4  
,the ,seven ,degrees of ,spiritual ,love
  ,in a simile familiar to spiritual    
writers of all ages1 ,ruysbroeck        
compares life to a ladder1 or stairway  
of seven steps1 leading up to perfection
 and union with ,god4 ,these stages are 
respectively3 7#a7 ,conformity with the 
holy will of ,god2 7#b7 ,voluntary      
poverty2 7#c7 ,purity of soul and       

chastity of body2 7#d7 ,humility1 with  
her four daughters1 obedience1          
gentleness1 patience1 and the forsaking 
of self-will2 7#e7 ,the desire of the   
divine glory1 involving three spiritual 
exercises1 namely1 acts of love and     
adoration1 acts of supplication1 and    
acts of thanksgiving2 7#f7 ,the         
contemplative and perfect life1 by which
 man finally attains the last stage of1 
7#g7 sublime ignorance4 7,compare       
,walter ,hilton's darksome lightness in 
his ,scale of ,perfection47             
,of the ,supreme ,truth  ,this treatise 
was issued by way of explanation of some
 difficult passages in his first work1  
concerning especially the gift of       
counsel1 and indeed as a kind of defence
 and apology of his whole mystic        
teaching4 ,he protests that he has never
 admitted that the creature can be      
raised to a state of identity with ,god1
 and once more he explains his          
conception of the union of the soul with
 her ,divine ,spouse4 ,there is a union 

common to all the just1 brought about by
 the grace of ,god1 with the forsaking  
of vice1 the practice of virtue1 and    
submission to the authority of the      
,church4 ,then there is a more intimate 
union1 like unto that of fire and iron1 
which1 when united1 seem but one matter1
 though in fact they remain two distinct
 substances4 ,those who attain this love
 ,god and live in ,his presence1 but as 
yet arrive not at a complete knowledge  
of ,his essence4 ,after this again there
 is even a yet closer union1 whereby the
 ,eternal ,father and man become one1   
not indeed with oneness of substantial  
unity1 but in a oneness of love and     
bliss4 ,it is evident that language here
 fails the holy author to express the   
sublimity of his concept and his        
experience2 in his endeavour to show the
 intimacy of this last method of union  
he is driven to use expressions which1  
taken as they stand1 have that          
pantheistic ring which it is his first  
object here to disclaim4                

,the ,twelve ,beguines  ,after the      
,tabernacle1 this is the most lengthy of
 our ,saint's works1 and it is of great 
importance as throwing considerable     
light on ,ruysbroeck's ideas and system4
 ,we are introduced to twelve ,beguines 
discoursing together on the love of     
,jesus ,christ1 whence an easy transit  
to the real subject-matter of the tract1
 the contemplative life4 ,to attain the 
state of contemplation1 four conditions 
are required3 a ray of divine light1    
producing illumination1 whence1 on the  
part of the soul1 a looking at ,god1 or 
speculation1 passing into contemplation1
 and this stage again merging into a    
state of sublime1 ecstatic love4 ,there 
are four distinct acts or states of     
love1 corresponding respectively to each
 of these stages4 ,ruysbroeck also shows
 here the action of the ,holy ,ghost in 
forming the soul to a more intimate     
knowledge of ,god4  ,the second part of 
the book then opens with a fresh order  
of ideas4 ,ruysbroeck divides mankind   

into good ,christians and wicked men4   
,holiness consists of the union of the  
active and the contemplative life4      
,there are1 however1 some who practise  
neither one nor the other and yet give  
themselves out as the most holy of all4 
,among these ,ruysbroeck proceeds to    
distinguish four kinds of errors or     
heresies3 7#a7 ,errors against the ,holy
 ,ghost and ,his ,grace2 7#b7 ,errors   
against ,god the ,father and ,his power2
 7#c7 ,errors against ,god the ,son and 
,his ,sacred ,humanity2 and finally     
errors against ,god and all that makes  
up ,christendom1 namely1 the            
,scriptures1 the ,church1 and the       
,sacraments4 ,on the other hand1 the    
good ,christian is one who loves ,god   
with all his heart and mind and soul and
 strength4  ,blessed ,john then goes on 
to discourse of the ,divine ,nature in  
,unity and ,trinity4 ,he also discusses 
man in his material and in his spiritual
 nature4 ,the spiritual part of man     
alone he says1 can elevate him to the   

mystic life 7of which once more the     
three ways are expounded71 and alone    
also can show him the reasons wherefore 
,god created the universe4 ,the three   
ways of the mystic life are symbolised  
by the three heavens4 ,the stars and the
 planets exercise an influence on       
terrestrial creatures1 that is to say1  
upon our bodies1 for ,god alone can     
touch the soul1 leading it to good and  
restraining it from evil4 ,thence also  
,ruysbroeck describes the various       
temperaments of men by reference to the 
planets and their conjunction with the  
signs of the zodiac4  ,a chapter on our 
,divine ,lord1 held up as the ,model    
,religious1 serves as a transition to   
the third part1 which is a treatise1    
largely symbolical1 on the ,passion of  
,christ1 divided and subdivided         
according to the sequence of the        
,canonical ,hours4  ,this is perhaps the
 most discursive of ,ruysbroeck's works1
 and in that sense the most difficult to
 follow1 because of the number and      

length of the digressions4 ,for         
instance1 when he comes to speak of the 
planet ,venus1 he mentions the sign of  
the ,balance1 and this suggests a whole 
treatise of thirty-nine chapters on the 
,balance of ,divine ,love4 ,the love of 
,god for us1 and all the blessings1     
spiritual and temporal1 which flow from 
it1 are cast into one pan of the        
balance1 and we must weigh down the     
other pan with our virtues2 and there   
follows a long disquisition on the      
virtues we should practise1 prominent   
among which1 as usual1 he ranks         
humility4 ,here1 further1 he finds      
occasion to work out his distinction    
between the spirit and the reasonable   
soul2 and the whole digression closes   
with a sad and striking comparison      
between the fervour of primitive        
,christianity and the laxity of his own 
days4  ,bossuet very severely criticised
 this work1 holding it up as an example 
of forced allegories1 and so forth1 and 
speaking of ,ruysbroeck as involved in  

the vain speculations of astrologers4   
,this opinion1 though not surprising1 is
 not just1 for the author is careful to 
insist that the planets have not        
influence on the will of man as such4   
,but it is natural that ,bossuet should 
regard such works with suspicion and    
dislike1 for he had considerable trouble
 with false mystics1 the quietists of   
his own day2 and even ,ruysbroeck's own 
friends and contemporaries found much in
 the volume that was strange1 even to   
startling1 and ,gerard ,groote advised  
him not to publish it in its entirety4  
,of the ,twelve ,virtues  ,the reader   
will not be surprised to learn that     
,blessed ,john contrives here to speak  
of considerably more virtues than just  
twelve4 ,the principal and first is said
 to be humility1 and this again         
twofold--one humility inspired by the   
contemplation of the power of ,god1 the 
other by the consideration of ,his      
goodness4 ,the daughter of humility is  
obedience1 and obedience naturally      

involves denial of self-will1 poverty of
 spirit1 and patience in adversities4   
,he then proceeds to treat very         
beautifully and at length of interior   
detachment1 remarking that to secure    
this it is not necessary to flee        
external occupations1 but that the      
attainment of perfection consists in a  
perfect abandonment to the will of ,god 
and the forsaking of our own will4 ,when
 we have arrived thus far1 we shall no  
longer sin4 ,for past sins there must be
 continued sorrow1 but external penances
 are not equally for all4 ,and those who
 cannot endure great bodily austerities 
must apply themselves to imitate the    
austere life of ,christ by interior     
self-denial4                            
,the ,letters of ,ruysbroeck  ,these are
 spiritual letters1 of course1          
conferences in epistolary form4  ,the   
first is addressed to ,margaret van     
,meerbeke1 the ,poor ,clare of ,brussels
 mentioned above4 ,ruysbroeck writes3   
,when ,i was at your convent last       

summer1 you appeared sad2 methought ,god
 or some special friend had forsaken    
you2 therefore am ,i writing you as     
follows4 ,and he proceeds to console his
 spiritual daughter1 and to warn her    
against the dangers which may be found  
even in the cloister4 ,he declaims      
against the abuses which sometimes creep
 into monasteries1 and almost always    
through self-will1 whereas every        
,religious should strive to have all    
things in common1 to be submissive to   
superiors and affable to all4 ,the holy 
author closes with a description of the 
terrible punishments to be meted out to 
those ,religious who fail to keep their 
rule and lead a holy life4  ,the second1
 addressed to ,matilda1 the widow of    
,john of ,culemberg1 is of more         
importance4 ,after treating of the      
,apostles' ,creed1 the seven gifts of   
the ,holy ,ghost1 the ,decalogue1 the   
vows of religion and the precepts of the
 ,church1 the ,incarnation and death of 
,christ1 ,ruysbroeck expounds the       

,catholic doctrine on the seven         
,sacraments1 and especially the ,blessed
 ,eucharist4 ,he describes the fruits   
which flow from a worthy ,communion1 and
 treats again of the three ways of the  
contemplative life1 and describes the   
elements of superessential              
contemplation4  ,the third was sent to  
three ,recluses of ,cologne4 ,blessed   
,john exhorts them to persevere in their
 holy manner of life4 ,he treats of the 
spiritual life1 comparing ,christ to the
 precious pearl1 the hidden treasure4   
,and finally he earnestly exhorts them  
to constant meditation on the ,passion  
of ,our ,lord4  ,the fourth was         
addressed to ,catherine of ,louvain1 a  
devout young lady living in the world2  
and the other three were likewise sent  
to persons in the world4 ,all are full  
of wise spiritual maxims1 and all insist
 on the need of humility and the        
abnegation of self-will4                
,,xii                       ,the        
,teaching of ,ruysbroeck#g   ,in no one 

work1 as already remarked1 does ,blessed
 ,john ,ruysbroeck give a complete      
outline of his doctrines2 the elements  
rather are to be found dispersed among  
the various treatises4  ,in common with 
most of the ,german mystics1 ,ruysbroeck
 starts from ,god and comes down to man1
 and thence rises again to ,god1 showing
 how the two are so closely united as to
 become one4 ,in ,his essence ,god is   
simple unity1 the one supremely pure and
 supernatural being1 devoid of all mode1
 in ,himself still and immovable1 and   
yet at the same time the first cause and
 active principle of all things4 ,this  
principle is the divine nature1 which   
does not in reality differ from the     
essence1 and which is fruitful in the   
,trinity4 ,the ,father is the essential 
principle1 and yet ,he is consubstantial
 with the other two ,persons4 ,the ,son1
 the uncreated ,image of the ,father1 is
 the ,eternal ,wisdom4 ,the ,holy       
,ghost1 proceeding from the other two1  
and returning unto them1 is the eternal 

,love1 which unites ,father and ,son4   
,as regards ,persons1 ,god is eternally 
active3 as regards essence1 ,he abides  
in unbroken repose4 ,creatures have been
 existing as ideas in ,god from all     
eternity4  ,in man1 whose body is merely
 a perishable instrument1 there is a    
spiritual1 immortal principle1 like unto
 ,god1 though less than ,he4 ,in this   
principle ,ruysbroeck distinguishes1    
with a distinction of the reason1 soul  
and spirit2 the former is the principle 
of the merely human life1 uniting       
together the lower powers2 the other is 
the principle of man's supernatural life
 in ,god1 gathering together his higher 
faculties4 ,the soul has four inferior  
powers3 the irascible1 and the          
concupiscible1 which two become bestial 
when not under the ruling of a virtuous 
will2 reason1 by which man is           
distinguished from the brute1 and       
freedom of choice1 an exercise of the   
higher faculty of the will4 ,the spirit 
has the three superior faculties1       

memory1 understanding1 and will4 ,in    
every man likewise there is a triple    
unity1 or oneness3 the unity of the     
lower faculties in the soul1 the unity  
of the higher in the spirit1 and the    
unity of the whole being in ,god1 on    
,whom all things essentially depend for 
their being4  ,blessed ,john delivers   
the accepted teaching of the ,church on 
the ,fall1 the ,incarnation and         
,redemption1 on the need and on the     
means of divine grace1 the institution  
of the ,sacraments1 the establishment of
 the ,church1 the gifts of the ,holy    
,ghost1 etc4  ,but coming now to his    
more purely mystical doctrine1 we find  
that ,ruysbroeck distinguishes three    
degrees1 or states--the active life1 the
 interior life1 and the contemplative   
life4 ,the active life consists of the  
effort to conquer sin and to draw nigh  
to ,god by exterior works4 ,here in     
,christ is the ,divine ,exemplar1 for in
 ,his life ,he practised the three      
fundamental virtues of humility1        

charity1 and patience4 ,humility is the 
foundation of the whole building1 and it
 is exercised chiefly in obedience1     
which engenders the abdication of our   
own will1 and patience1 or submission in
 all things to the holy will of ,god4   
,when a man has arrived so far1 he can  
exercise charity1 shown at this stage   
chiefly by compassion for ,christ       
suffering on the ,cross for all men1 and
 bringing with her the four cardinal    
virtues of prudence1 temperance1        
fortitude1 and justice1 whereby also the
 ,christian is enabled to fight and     
conquer his three deadly enemies1 the   
devil1 the world1 and the flesh4        
,perseverance in this active life is    
crowned by union with ,god1 a union     
wherein ,god alone is regarded as the   
exemplar and the final end1 wherein ,he 
alone is sought and loved4 ,thus does a 
man become a ,faithful ,servant4  ,as   
yet1 however1 there is only an imperfect
 knowledge of ,god1 and to become more  
closely united with ,god1 as an         

,intimate ,friend1 one must strive to   
attain the second stage of the mystic   
way1 namely the interior life4 ,for this
 three preliminary conditions are       
requisite4 ,on the part of ,god1 there  
must be a yet stronger movement of      
divine grace1 and on the part of man1 an
 absolute recollection1 with freedom    
from sensible images1 attachments1 and  
cares1 and then the gathering together  
of all the powers in the unity of the   
,spirit4 ,christ1 then1 the ,eternal    
,sun1 enkindles in the soul thus duly   
prepared a divine fire1 which engenders 
a warm1 sensible love1 a devotion full  
of ardent desires1 with thankfulness for
 the divine mercies and affliction at   
one's own unworthiness4 ,then1 as the   
action of the sun draws up the moisture 
in the form of vapour1 to fall back     
again in refreshing and fertilising     
showers of rain1 so if the soul         
persevere ,christ sends down a fresh    
shower of consolations1 which fill the  
whole being with a chaste pleasure and  

an indescribable sweetness superior to  
all the delights of the earth1 rising   
even to a species of spiritual          
intoxication1 which may manifest itself 
in outward acts4 ,as yet there are no   
severe trials for the soul1 but she must
 beware of pride and presumption1 and of
 leaning too much on these sensible     
delights instead of on the ,divine      
,giver4 ,meanwhile the ,sun of ,justice 
is reaching its apogee in the heavens1  
and ,christ draws up all the powers of  
the soul1 so that the heart is enlarged 
and fit to burst with love1 and at the  
same time it begins to suffer from the  
wound of love1 because of the urgency of
 the power drawing upward and its own   
impotency to follow2 whence also a      
spiritual languishing1 a very madness   
and impatience1 or fever of love1       
capable even of wasting the bodily      
strength4 ,love is liable to be so      
intense at this stage1 that visions and 
ecstacies are granted2 but at the same  
time care must be taken against the     

delusions of the evil one4  ,but thence 
the ,sun enters on the sign of the      
,virgin and its downward path1 that is1 
,christ hides ,himself and deprives the 
soul of the warmth of sensible love and 
the like4 ,it is the autumn1 the time of
 gathering the really ripe and lasting  
fruits2 but to the soul a time of       
seeming abandonment1 aridity1 darkness1 
etc4 ,she must then beg the prayers of  
others1 be glad to leave herself in     
,god's hands1 willing to suffer and to  
sacrifice all sweetness4 ,likewise1 she 
must be careful not to compromise ,god's
 favour by seeking earthly pleasures and
 delights1 the consolations of human    
friendship1 and so forth4  ,then there  
is a second coming of the ,divine       
,spouse1 bringing with ,him the gifts of
 the ,holy ,ghost1 whereby ,he adorns   
the three supreme faculties of the      
spirit4 ,pure simplicity empties the    
memory of all external images and       
renders it stable4 ,spiritual brightness
 gives the intelligence a sure          

discernment of the virtues4 ,and a      
spiritual fervour arouses the will to a 
boundless love for ,god and men4  ,there
 is yet a third coming1 which affects   
the supreme union of the spirit with    
,god4 ,it is a species of intimate      
contact with ,god in the very depths of 
the soul4 ,the intellect cannot         
comprehend the manner of this union1 it 
can only witness its effects upon the   
reason and the will4 ,the power of      
loving increases with the intimacy of   
this union1 and the intimacy increases  
the power of love2 and hence also a kind
 of loving strife ensues1 each wishing  
to possess the other and each wishing to
 give himself to the other utterly4     
,this is the apogee of the interior     
life1 the meeting1 the union of the soul
 with ,god4 ,it may be brought about in 
three different ways3 7#a7 ,man1 struck 
by a light coming forth from ,god1      
forsakes all images2 he is plunged into 
the union of fruitive love2 he meets    
,god without any medium1 a spirit like  

unto ,him2 it is the state of absolute  
repose in ,god1 utter emptiness and     
leisure4 7#b7 ,at other times man adores
 ,god and consumes himself in continual 
love1 which ceaselessly feeds on the    
presence of ,god2 it is the mediate     
stage1 the state of affective love1     
needful for the attainment of the       
preceding4 7#c7 ,finally1 it is possible
 to unite enjoyment with activity3 man  
enjoys a most profound peace and        
produces all the acts of love2 he       
receives ,god2 and ,his gifts in the    
superior faculties1 images and          
sensations in the lower powers2 it is   
the most perfect state1 the state of    
combined activity and repose4  ,even so1
 it is not the most sublime state4      
,above the interior life there is the   
superessential contemplative life2 above
 the faithful friends there are the     
,intimate ,sons of ,god4 ,this third    
stage of perfection can never be        
acquired by any act of the intelligence 
or will2 and so sublime is it that he   

only who has experienced it can attempt 
its description1 and then in terms the  
most halting and imperfect4 ,this       
contemplation consists in an absolute   
purity and simplicity of the            
understanding2 it is a knowledge and    
possession of ,god1 without modes1      
without limits1 without medium1 without 
any consciousness of the difference of  
,his qualities4 ,nevertheless1 it is not
 ,god1 it is the light by which ,he is  
seen4 ,it is the death and destruction  
of self to behold only the ,being       
eternal and absolute4 ,its essence is   
union with ,god1 the still contemplation
 of ,god1 abandonment to ,god1 so that  
,he alone acts1 and not the soul4 ,this 
repose of the spirit engenders a        
supernatural contemplation of the       
,trinity without any medium1 a feeling  
of bliss unspeakable1 a sublime         
ignorance2 the last consciousness of the
 difference between ,god and the        
creature--being and                     
nothingness--disappears4  ,this is the  

honeymoon of ,christ with the soul1 to  
which the preceding stages are only a   
preparation4 ,the spirit is led from    
brightness to brightness2 and since no  
medium comes between it and the divine  
splendour1 since the brightness by which
 it sees is the light itself which it   
sees1 in a certain sense itself becomes 
this brightness2 it attains a           
consciousness of its own superessential 
being1 of the unity of its essence in   
,god4                                   
,,xiii                             ,some
 ,appreciations   ,arrived thus at the  
summit of mystic speculation1           
,ruysbroeck finds himself on the        
confines of pantheism4 ,however1 he     
constantly insists1 as we have already  
remarked1 on the essential difference   
between the created spirit and the      
,spirit ,eternal4 ,man1 he says1 must   
become deiform as far as that is        
possible for the creature2 in the union 
with ,god it is not the difference of   
personality which is destroyed1 it is   

only the difference of will and of      
thought1 the desire to be anything apart
 in oneself which must disappear4 ,he   
declares3 ,there where ,i assert that we
 are one in ,god1 ,i must be understood 
in this sense that we are one in love1  
not in essence or in nature4 ,his own   
strenuous opposition to the pantheists  
of his day proves his orthodoxy in this 
matter2 yet it must be confessed again  
that from the very nature of his sublime
 discourse1 his expressions are at times
 exceedingly bold and seemingly         
unorthodox4 ,the truth is that the      
resources of human language prove       
inadequate to describe even the         
foretaste on earth of that which eye    
hath not seen1 nor ear heard1 nor hath  
it entered into the heart of man to     
conceive4  ,in ,b4 ,john's own lifetime 
,gerard ,groote was alarmed1 and wrote  
once to the ,canons of ,groenendael of a
 ,doctor in ,theology1 and of one ,henry
 of ,hesse1 who had declared that the   
,spiritual ,espousals contained errors4 

,twenty years after ,ruysbroeck's death1
 ,john ,gerson1 the famous ,chancellor  
of ,paris1 in a letter to one           
,bartholomew1 a ,carthusian1 who had    
given him a copy of this treatise1      
praises the first two books1 but        
declares that the third teaches a kind  
of pantheism4 ,this charge brought forth
 a lengthy and spirited defence from a  
,canon ,regular of ,groenendael1 named  
,john ,scoenhoven2 and then in a second 
letter ,gerson maintained his           
objections1 but acquitted the holy      
author of all intentional error4 ,a     
similar stand was taken later by        
,bossuet1 who excuses ,ruysbroeck but   
condemns his manner of expression4 ,it  
must be remembered that these two were  
engaged in confuting false mystics1 and 
naturally they would discredit the      
writings of even a holy man1 however    
orthodox1 which would appear to favour  
the erroneous tenets of their opponents4
 ,once more1 we remark that not only was
 ,ruysbroeck manifestly free from all   

culpable error1 but throughout in his   
own mind he never lost sight of the     
essential distinctions1 though at times 
his language must necessarily sound     
exaggerated to unaccustomed ears4  ,on  
the other hand1 to outweigh the         
unfavourable opinion of these two       
,french critics1 we have a host of      
writers of ,ruysbroeck's own and        
subsequent days who not only defend the 
orthodoxy of his writings1 but who also 
speak of them in terms of the deepest   
admiration1 and regard their author     
almost as inspired4  ,we have already   
seen the esteem in which the holy ,prior
 of ,groenendael and his writings were  
held by ,tauler1 ,gerard ,groote1 and   
the ,venerable ,thomas a ,kempis1 and   
the vigour with which his memory was    
vindicated by ,john of ,scoenhoven1 ,but
 his advocates were by no means confined
 to the limits of his own ,order1       
period1 or country4  ,henry van ,herp1 a
 ,franciscan1 compiled a ,mirror of     
,perfection1 taken almost exclusively   

from the ,spiritual ,espousals2 and by  
his means the teachings of ,blessed     
,ruysbroeck were propagated among the   
followers of ,st4 ,francis1 particularly
 of the ,third ,order4  ,denys the      
,carthusian is unstinted in his praises4
 ,he calls him the ,divine ,doctor4 ,i  
name him the ,divine ,doctor1 he writes1
 because his only master was the ,holy  
,ghost4 ,of this the abundance of wisdom
 wherewith he was gifted is a sure      
guarantee4444 ,ignorant man as ,i am1 ,i
 confess that nowhere have ,i found such
 sublimity and such knowledge1 save in  
the works of ,denys the ,areopagyte4    
,but in his writings the difficulty     
arises especially from the style1       
whereas it is not so with the ,prior of 
,groenendael4444 ,as they say of ,hugh  
of ,st4 ,victor that he is another ,st4 
,augustin1 so ,i will say of ,ruysbroeck
 that he is another ,denys the          
,areopagyte4  ,thomas of ,jesus1 a      
,carmelite1 in his ,de ,divina          
,oratione1 frequently quotes from       

,ruysbroeck and adopts his method4  ,the
 ,carthusian ,surius translated all the 
works of ,ruysbroeck into ,latin1 and   
this translation has been the chief     
source of familiarity with the ,belgian 
mystic for readers and writers not      
acquainted with his native tongue4 ,the 
following extracts from the             
,introduction to ,surius's translation  
seem worth quoting for the sake of some 
who may imagine that the works of       
,blessed ,john ,ruysbroeck can be of    
profit only to those who are far        
advanced in the contemplative life3  ,i 
do not believe there is a man who can   
approach these magnificent and simple   
pages without great and singular profit4
 ,let none excuse himself from reading  
this book on the plea of the            
inaccessible sublimity of ,ruysbroeck4  
,the great man has accommodated himself 
to all1 and the most abandoned soul on  
earth may find again on reading him the 
path of salvation4 ,arrows dart from the
 pages of ,ruysbroeck1 aimed by no hand 

of man1 but by the hand of ,god2 and    
deeply they embed themselves in the soul
 of the reader who is a sinner4         
,innocent reader1 reader of unstained   
robe1 ,ruysbroeck is at once most lowly 
and most sublime4 ,in his description of
 the ,spiritual ,espousals he surpasses 
admiration1 he surpasses praise2 all the
 commencement1 all the progress1 all the
 height1 all the transcendent perfection
 of the spiritual life is there4  ,it   
was from ,surius that the ,benedictine  
,blosius1 or ,louis de ,blois1 learned  
to know and appreciate ,ruysbroeck4 ,his
 works are impregnated with the         
teachings of the ,mystic of             
,groenendael1 and his well-known        
,consolatio ,pusillanimum 7,comfort for 
the ,fainthearted7 is replete with      
extracts taken from ,ruysbroeck4        
,lessius1 the ,jesuit ,theological      
,professor of ,louvain ,university1 used
 to say that he read ,blessed ,john     
,ruysbroeck daily2 and he would add that
 if his holy works had emanated from the

 ,society they would not have remained  
in obscurity so long4  ,in more recent  
times ,ernest ,hello brought our ,saint 
to ,france by a translation of extracts1
 prefaced by an anonymous contemporary  
life1 which was first published in      
#ahfi4 ,in his own ,introduction1 ,hello
 writes3 ,among those who1 soaring      
beyond the realms of human light1 have  
sought refuge in the shadow of the great
 altar1 the grandest1 according to      
,denys the ,carthusian1 are ,st4 ,denys 
the ,areopagyte and ,john ,ruysbroeck   
the ,admirable4 ,st4 ,denys lays down   
the general laws of mystic theology1    
,john ,ruysbroeck applies them4 ,st4    
,denys presents the lamp1 ,john         
,ruysbroeck kindles the flame4 ,both are
 blind with excess of light1 both       
immovable with excess of motion4 ,speech
 with them is a visit paid to men from  
motives of charity4 ,silence is their   
native land4 ,the beauty of their       
language is the condescendence of their 
goodness2 the sacred darkness in which  

they spread their eagle wings is their  
ocean1 their booty1 their glory4        
,reviewing the work of ,hello1 ,louis   
,veuillot1 the ,french ,catholic        
publicist1 remarked3  ,ruysbroeck was   
illiterate4 ,he was a humble ,flemish   
priest of the fifteenth century4 ,none  
the less1 in the order of genius the    
uncultured ,ruysbroeck1 as a theologian1
 and consequently as a philosopher and a
 poet1 is as far above ,bossuet as      
,dante1 for instance1 is above ,boileau4
 ,face to face with the mysteries that  
shroud ,god and man1 ,bossuet seeks1    
argues1 and1 so to speak1 gropes2       
,ruysbroeck knows1 describes1 or rather 
sings1 and contemplates4 ,this          
illiterate mystic of an obscure age     
finds himself at home in the sublime as 
in his own sphere2 he speaks of what is 
familiar to him2 the wise doctor of the 
world remains without4 ,bossuet does not
 enter1 he does not open1 he does not   
see4 ,bossuet spins words1 ,ruysbroeck  
pours out streams of light4 ,it seems as

 if ,bossuet were that mighty wind which
 was heard in the ,upper ,chamber2 the  
brief words of ,ruysbroeck are the      
tongues of fire1 living and enlightening
 flame4  ,truly has ,time brought its   
revenge in such a comparison by a       
compatriot of ,bossuet with ,ruysbroeck4
  ,finally1 ,maeterlinck brought out his
 translation of the ,spiritual          
,espousals in #ahia with a              
characteristic appreciation of the      
,flemish mystic4 ,and ,maeterlinck's    
name has given a strong impetus to the  
popularity1 so to speak1 of ,blessed    
,ruysbroeck in modern ,france4 ,but     
neither of these translations can be    
regarded as authoritative or exact4     
,the real1 scholarly work towards       
extending and encouraging the cult of   
,blessed ,john ,ruysbroeck1 whether     
among the learned or the devout1 is     
being performed1 as is seemly1 in the   
,catholic ,university of his native     
,belgium1 namely1 at ,louvain1 where a  
,chair has been instituted for the study

 of ,old ,flemish1 chiefly for the sake 
of a correct understanding and rendering
 of the writings of the ,holy ,mystic of
 ,groenendael4  ,and here we may note   
that while it is customary with some to 
speak of ,ruysbroeck as illiterate1 this
 term must be taken in a strictly       
limited sense4 ,possibly1 he could not  
have composed in fluent and elegant     
,latin3 he was not a classical scholar2 
but certainly the ,latin of the ,bible  
and the ,fathers was quite familiar to  
him4 ,his writings1 moreover1 display an
 intimate knowledge of the ,scriptures1 
the ,fathers1 theology1 liturgy1        
apologetics4 ,the natural science of the
 day was not unknown1 as witness his    
applications from astronomy1 and1 it    
must be confessed1 from astrology4 ,with
 ,st4 ,denys the ,areopagyte he shows   
himself very intimate1 and his pages    
contain whole passages borrowed or      
adapted from ,st4 ,anselm1 ,st4         
,ambrose1 ,st4 ,gregory1 and especially 
,st4 ,augustin4 ,nearer his own days    

,st4 ,bernard and ,hugh of ,st4 ,victor 
seem to have influenced him very        
considerably4  ,experts in ,old ,flemish
 assure us that his style is most       
chaste1 his language vigorous and clear4
 ,he was in truth a poet4 ,when carried 
away by the beauty or sublimity of his  
subject1 he indulges in a wealth of     
imagery1 comparison1 metaphor1          
astounding at times in boldness and     
originality4 ,occasionally even he      
lapsed into verse2 but on the whole his 
verse is of less beauty and strength    
than his prose1 as he himself seems to  
have been aware4 ,on the other hand1 his
 prose1 after the manner of ,st4        
,bernard1 ,st4 ,bonaventure1 the two    
,victors1 and later ,thomas a ,kempis1  
frequently gives evidence of deliberate 
rhythm and rhyme4 ,in a word1 far from  
being illiterate in the strict sense of 
the word1 ,blessed ,john was well       
acquainted with all the rules and arts  
of rhetoric2 he knew how to employ them2
 and for all the sublimity of his       

discourse he did not disdain the use of 
these aids to interest and persuasion4  
,finally1 it is to be noted that we are 
expressly informed by contemporaries of 
,ruysbroeck that he wrote by preference 
in the vulgar tongue1 the more readily  
and effectively to meet and refute the  
erroneous doctrines published in the    
language of the people by the false     
mystics of his day4                     
,,xiv                                   
,last ,days   ,of the life of our ,saint
 there remains little to be told save   
the record of the last days and the     
after glory4 ,he had attained the good  
old age of eighty-eight1 when his mother
 appeared in a vision to warn him to    
make ready for the approaching end4 ,it 
must seem to us there was little need   
for such warning to one whose whole life
 had been one long preparation for the  
coming of the ,spouse6 ,he was taken    
with dysentery1 accompanied by fever1   
and for his greater comfort1 and that   
his lifelong friend van ,coudenberg     

might be at hand to console and assist  
him1 they put him to bed in the         
,provost's chamber4 ,but the humble     
,prior besought them to treat him as any
 of the lowliest brethren and to bear   
him to the common infirmary4 ,this was  
accordingly done4 ,there he lay for a   
fortnight1 gradually wasting away with  
the burning fever1 and still more1      
doubtless1 with his burning desires to  
be dissolved and to be with ,christ1 for
 he was constantly heard murmuring such 
ejaculations as that of the ,psalmist1  
,sicut desiderat cervus ad fontes       
aquarum4 ,he received all the last      
rites1 and the end came in the greatest 
peace1 while his weeping brethren prayed
 around him1 on the ,octave day of ,st4 
,catherine1 ,v4,m41 ,december #b1 #acha1
 in the eighty-eighth year of his age1  
the sixty-fourth of his priesthood4     
,that same night the ,dean of ,diest1   
watching by the holy remains1 seemed to 
behold our ,saint1 clad in the priestly 
vestments and all radiant with glory1   

ascend the altar steps as if to         
celebrate the sacred mysteries4 ,the    
,dean had always held ,ruysbroeck in the
 deepest veneration and1 having some    
skill in medicine1 he had come over to  
,groenendael on hearing of the ,prior's 
illness to see whether he could         
administer any relief4 ,his charity was 
rewarded by the edifying sight of his   
happy death1 and by this consoling      
vision after4  ,and1 as the ,venerable a
 ,kempis informs us1 ,god also revealed 
to ,gerard ,groote the death of this    
most beloved ,father1 which revelation  
he made manifest in the hearing of many 
of the citizens by the tolling of the   
bells2 and more privately he made known 
to certain of his friends that the soul 
of the ,prior1 after but one hour of    
,purgatory1 had passed to the glory of  
,heaven4 ,we may note here that a       
,kempis himself was a child of three    
years when ,ruysbroeck was called to his
 reward4 ,gerard ,groote followed his   
friend and spiritual father to the grave

 three years later4  ,the ,groenendael  
,canons offered the holy ,sacrifice and 
all the wonted suffrages for their      
departed ,prior's repose1 but they      
prayed with the conviction that they    
needed his impetration rather than he   
theirs4 ,they were all eager to possess 
themselves of any little thing which had
 been his4 ,some cut off locks of his   
hair1 and one managed to secure a tooth6
 ,appropriately enough1 this relic later
 cured a ,mechlin lady of a severe      
attack of toothache4 ,however1 in all   
simplicity the ,brethren laid ,blessed  
,john to rest in the little chapel which
 his own hands had helped to raise4     
,five years later his saintly associate1
 the ,provost ,francis van ,coudenberg1 
rejoined him beyond the grave4 ,the     
,bishop of ,cambrai1 ,john ,t',serclaes1
 came to assist at the obsequies4       
,during his visit he heard so much of   
the heroic virtues of the late ,prior   
that he ordered an exhumation of        
,ruysbroeck's body with a view to a more

 honourable burial by the side of the   
,provost in the new church1 which had   
now replaced the little chapel4 ,they   
were all filled with awe and wonder to  
find the entire body1 save only the tip 
of the nose1 incorrupt1 and the priestly
 vestments intact4 ,also a most sweet   
odour exhaled from the holy remains4 ,to
 satisfy the devotion of the people1 the
 ,bishop commanded that the body should 
be exposed to their veneration for three
 days4 ,on the third day1 amid a vast   
concourse of the faithful1 ,ruysbroeck  
was laid to rest by the side and in the 
tomb of his lifelong friend van         
,coudenberg4 ,over the sepulchre was    
placed the following simple inscription3
                    ,hic jacet          
translatus ,devotus ,pater              
,d4 ,joannes de ,ruysbroeck             
,i4 ,prior hujus monasterii             
,qui obiit anno ,domini                 
,,mccclxxxi                             
,,ii4 ,die ,decembris  ,here lies       
transferred the ,devout ,father1 ,dom   

,john of ,ruysbroeck1 ,first ,prior of  
this cloister1 who departed in the year 
of the ,lord #acha1 ,december #b4       
,,xv                   ,the ,cultus of  
,blessed ,john ,ruysbroeck   ,numerous  
pilgrims now wended their way to visit  
,ruysbroeck's tomb4 ,ex-votos were      
suspended there in acknowledgment of    
favours received4 ,his picture also was 
honoured in various churches4 ,and each 
year on the ,monday following ,trinity  
,sunday the ,chapter of ,st4 ,gudule's  
came over to ,groenendael to assist the 
,canons at a ,mass sung in his honour4  
,in a word1 on all sides the holy ,prior
 was regarded and1 as far as possible1  
treated as a ,saint in glory4  ,yielding
 to representations and entreaties from 
many quarters1 ,james ,roonen1          
,archbishop of ,mechlin1 ordered another
 translation of the remains1 ,november  
#afbb4 ,this was duly performed with all
 the prescribed formalities4 ,the       
skeleton was found entire4 ,the bones   
were carefully taken and reverently     

washed and then placed in a new         
reliquary4 ,the water used in this      
cleansing emitted a delicious odour1 and
 it was afterwards instrumental in      
effecting many miraculous cures4 ,the   
,infanta ,isabella of ,spain laid the   
foundation stone of a chapel to be      
erected at her expense near             
,ruysbroeck's ,tree as a suitable shrine
 for the relics4 ,she also provided a   
magnificent sarcophagus4 ,as this chapel
 was outside the monastic enclosure1    
ladies were now able to pay their       
devotions at ,ruysbroeck's tomb itself1 
whereas hitherto they had been able to  
reverence the relics only from a        
distance4  ,so far1 however1 no         
authoritative recognition of the heroic 
virtues of ,john ,ruysbroeck had come   
from ,rome4 ,in #afbd the ,archbishop   
commissioned the learned ,albert le     
,mire to draw up the necessary          
preliminary documents to be submitted to
 the ,sacred ,congregation4 ,these were 
approved1 and three commissioners were  

appointed to ,initiate the apostolic    
process1 so called4 ,their labours were 
completed by #afbg4 ,then1 on account of
 the wars and other troubles which      
afflicted the ,low ,countries at the    
time1 the ,cause was suspended4  ,when  
the ,french overran the ,netherlands in 
#affg1 to prevent profanation of the    
holy relics1 they were carried to a     
place of greater safety in ,brussels2   
they were restored again in #afgj4 ,in  
#aghc the ,priory itself shared the fate
 of so many other ,religious ,houses1   
and was suppressed by the ,emperor      
,joseph ,,ii42 whereupon the relics were
 again transferred to ,brussels and laid
 to rest in a side-chapel of ,st4       
,gudule's4  ,another attempt was then   
made by the ,chapter of ,st4 ,gudule's  
to obtain from ,rome an authorised      
,office and ,mass in honour of ,john    
,ruysbroeck4 ,the petition was          
favourably received2 but once more there
 was a violent interruption1 this time  
from the upheaval of the ,french        

,revolution4  ,st4 ,gudule's was sacked 
by the sans-culottes in #agic1 and the  
reliquary of ,ruysbroeck was desecrated4
 ,it is said1 however1 that the relics  
were not actually dispersed1 and that   
they were afterwards sealed up again by 
a ,notary named ,neuwens2 but unhappily 
at the present day all trace of them has
 disappeared4  ,finally1 in #ahhe1 the  
late ,cardinal ,goosens1 ,archbishop of 
,mechlin1 approached the ,sacred        
,congregation once more1 and a tribunal 
was appointed to examine into the       
,cause1 ,february #h1 #aijj4 ,this was  
brought to a happy issue in #aijh by a  
,decree of the ,sacred ,congregation1   
dated ,december #ast1 and approved by   
,his ,holiness1 ,pius ,x41 ,december #i1
 confirming the cultus shown from time  
immemorial to the ,venerable ,servant of
 ,god1 ,john ,ruysbroeck1 ,canon        
,regular1 called the ,blessed4 ,later1  
,august #bd1 #aiji1 the ,congregation   
granted and approved an ,office and     
,mass of ,blessed ,john ,ruysbroeck for 

the ,mechlin clergy4 ,the privilege of  
this ,office and ,mass has also been    
extended to the ,canons ,regular of the 
,lateran1 who are the lineal            
representatives of the ,canons of       
,groenendael and ,windesheim1 and       
therefore in a special sense the        
children of ,blessed ,john4  ,for the   
moment there may seem to be but little  
in common between this ,mediaeval       
,mystic and the bustling modern world1  
so little as to suggest the thought that
 ,blessed ,ruysbroeck can have no       
message to deliver to our day4 ,on the  
contrary1 the ,solitary of the ,forest  
of ,soignes stands for a profound truth1
 oblivion of which is rendering ,society
 sick unto death to-day4 ,john          
,ruysbroeck preaches to the world its   
utter need of ,god4  ,for the ,catholic 
he enforces his lesson in a special     
manner4 ,unlike false mystics1 who      
invariably pretend to dispense          
themselves and their adherents from the 
chief normal means of grace1 namely the 

,sacraments1 ,ruysbroeck insists upon   
frequent recourse to the ,sacraments1   
but more especially to the ,blessed     
,eucharist1 as the speediest and most   
efficacious means of bringing each soul 
into true union with ,god4 ,our present 
,holy ,father1 desirous and ambitious of
 restoring all things in ,christ1 has   
pointed to the same divine remedy for   
the renewal of our souls4 ,may there not
 be seen in this a providential reason  
wherefore the solemn beatification of   
this holy ,religious has been delayed   
six centuries1 to be reserved to our own
 days8  ,the proper prayers of our      
,saint's ,mass beautifully summarise the
 lessons of his life as follows3        
,collect  ,god1 ,who didst vouchsafe to 
adorn ,blessed ,john1 ,thy ,confessor1  
with sublime holiness of life and with  
heavenly gifts1 grant us1 through his   
merits1 and after his example1 to       
despise the fleeting things of the      
world1 and to desire only the joys of   
heaven4                                 

,secret  ,may the intercession of       
,blessed ,john1 who in offering the     
,sacrifice merited to overflow with     
heavenly delights1 make us worthy1 we   
beseech ,thee1 ,lord1 of the bread of   
angels4                                 
,post-,communion  ,we beseech ,thee1    
,lord1 by the intercession of ,blessed  
,john1 grant to us who are refreshed    
with the heavenly banquet1 that1        
delivered from worldly desires1 we may  
be ever fervent in ,thy love4           
,footnotes   #a;,by ,earle ,bailie4     
,london3 ,thomas ,baker4 #aije4  #b;,cf4
 the ,polish sect of ,mariavites1 or    
,mystic ,priests1 under the             
misguidance of the woman ,mary ,frances1
 whose extravagances were    condemned  
by ,rome1 ,september #aijd1 and again   
,april #aijf4  #c,provost is the        
equivalent in a ,college of ,clergy of  
the ,abbot in a    ,monastery2 though   
many ,congregations of ,canons ,regular 
have borrowed    the title and style of 
,abbot from the monastic institute4     

#d,translation by ,j4 ,p4 ,arthur4 ,the 
,founders of the ,new ,devotion4 ,kegan 
,paul4 #aije4  #e;,especially3 ,outlines
 of the ,life of ,thomas a ,kempis4 ,by 
,sir ,francis    ,cruise4 ,c4,t4,s4 of  
,ireland4 ,thomas a ,kempis4 ,by the    
same4 ,london3    ,kegan ,paul4 ,life of
 the ,venerable ,thomas a ,kempis4 ,by  
,dom ,scully4    ,london3 ,washbourne4  
,thomas a ,kempis and the ,brothers of  
the ,common    ,life4 ,by ,kettlewell4  
,london3 ,kegan ,paul4 ,thomas a        
,kempis1 ,his ,age    and ,his ,book4   
,by ,de ,montmorency1 ,london3 ,methuen4
  #f;,father ,sharpe1 in his recent     
admirable volume1 ,mysticism3 ,its ,true
    ,nature and ,value1 writes thus of  
the mystic teaching1 properly so        
called1 of a ,kempis's world-famous     
masterpiece3 ,the ,imitation of         
,christ 444 probably owes much of its   
vast popularity to its constant         
recurrence to the elementary duties of  
religion and morality1 and its          
insistence on the necessity of their    

performance as the prerequisite    of   
the more exalted spiritual states4 ,the 
'purgative1' 'illuminative1'    and     
'unitive' ways are seen1 so to speak1   
together1 and are dealt with    as      
aspects or constituents of the          
,christian life as a whole1 to the      
completeness of which all three are     
necessary and1 in different ways1    of 
equal importance4 ,the purely mystical  
passages are comparatively    few and   
short2 and the abundance of practical   
directions the book    contains has     
sometimes caused its mystical character 
to be entirely    overlooked4 ,this     
disproportion1 however1 is quite        
sufficiently to be    accounted for by  
the character of the work1 which is that
 of a    directory of spiritual life in 
general1 and not a scientific treatise  
on any particular department of it4 ,in 
such a book attempts at    describing   
the indescribable phenomena of mysticism
 would obviously    have been out of    
place1 whereas the practical details of 

the lower and    preliminary states     
admit of and require minute explanation4
 ,but the    tone of the whole book is  
mystical1 and the most commonplace      
duties    and the most humiliating      
strivings with temptation are in a      
manner    illuminated and glorified by  
the brilliancy of the result to which   
they tend4 ,thus1 in point of fact1 the 
higher and lower elements1 the          
mystical and the non-mystical1 the      
purgative1 the illuminative and the     
unitive1 are blended in actual human    
experience 7pp4 #ahh1 #ahi74  #g,the    
whole subject of mystic theology is     
excellently well treated by    ,rev4 ,a4
 ,b4 ,sharpe1 ,m4,a41 in a volume       
entitled ,mysticism3 ,its ,true         
,nature and ,value1 already quoted1 just
 published by ,sands  ,co4 ,there    is 
frequent reference to our ,saint and his
 writings4                              
,,finis                                 
,transcriber's ,notes   --,silently     
corrected a few palpable typos4         

--,moved footnotes from page footer to  
end of text