,the ,cell of ,self-,knowledge3  ,seven 
,early ,english ,mystical ,treatises    
,printed by ,henry ,pepwell   ,,mdxxi   
,edited with an introduction and notes  
by  ,edmund ,g4 ,gardner ,m4,a4  #aiaj  
,the ,frontispiece is taken from ,b4,m4 
,,ms4 ,faustina1 ,b4 ,,vi4  ,stiamo     
nella cella del cognoscimento di noi2   
cognoscendo1 noi per noi non essere1 e  
la bonta di ,dio in noi2 ricognoscendo  
l'essere1 e ogni grazia che e posta     
sopra l'essere1 da lui4--,st4 ,catherine
 of ,siena4  ,tergat ergo speculum suum1
 mundet spiritum suum1 quisquis sitit   
videre ,deum suum4 ,exterso autem       
speculo et diu diligenter inspecto1     
incipit ei quaedam divini luminis       
claritas interlucere1 et immensus quidam
 insolitae visionis radius oculis ejus  
apparere4 ,hoc lumen oculos ejus        
irradiaverat1 qui dicebat3 ,signatum est
 super nos lumen vultus tui1 ,domine2   
dedisti laetitiam in corde meo4 ,ex     
hujus igitur luminis visione quam       
admiratur in se1 mirum in modum         

accenditur animus1 et animatur ad       
videndum lumen1 quod est supra          
se4--,richard of ,st4 ,victor4          
,,contents   ,i4 ,a very ,devout        
,treatise1 named ,benjamin1 of the      
,mights and ,virtues of ,man's ,soul1   
and of the ,way to ,true ,contemplation1
 compiled by a ,noble and ,famous       
,doctor1 a man of great holiness and    
devotion1 named ,richard of ,saint      
,victor  ,the ,prologue  ,cap4 ,i4 ,how 
the ,virtue of ,dread riseth in the     
,affection  ,cap4 ,,ii4 ,how ,sorrow    
riseth in the ,affection  ,cap4 ,,iii4  
,how ,hope riseth in the ,affection     
,cap4 ,,iv4 ,how ,love riseth in the    
,affection  ,cap4 ,v4 ,how the ,double  
,sight of ,pain and ,joy riseth in the  
,imagination  ,cap4 ,,vi4 ,how the      
,virtues of ,abstinence and ,patience   
rise in the ,sensuality  ,cap4 ,,vii4   
,how ,joy of ,inward ,sweetness riseth  
in the ,affection  ,cap4 ,,viii4 ,how   
,perfect ,hatred of ,sin riseth in the  
,affection  ,cap4 ,,ix4 ,how ,ordained  

,shame riseth and groweth in the        
,affection  ,cap4 ,x4 ,how ,discretion  
and ,contemplation rise in the ,reason  
,,ii4 ,divers ,doctrines ,devout and    
,fruitful1 taken out of the ,life of    
that ,glorious ,virgin and ,spouse of   
,our ,lord1 ,saint ,katherin of ,seenes 
,,iii4 ,a ,short ,treatise of           
,contemplation taught by ,our ,lord     
,jesu ,christ1 or taken out of the ,book
 of ,margery ,kempe1 ,ancress of ,lynn  
,,iv4 ,a ,devout ,treatise compiled by  
,master ,walter ,hylton of the ,song of 
,angels  ,v4 ,a ,devout ,treatise called
 the ,epistle of ,prayer  ,,vi4 ,a very 
necessary ,epistle of ,discretion in    
,stirrings of the ,soul  ,,vii4 ,a      
,devout ,treatise of ,discerning of     
,spirits1 very necessary for ,ghostly   
,livers      ,,introduction   ,,from the
 end of the thirteenth to the beginning 
of the fifteenth century may be called  
the golden age of mystical literature in
 the vernacular4 ,in ,germany1 we find  
,mechthild of ,magdeburg 7d4 #abgg71    

,meister ,eckhart 7d4 #acbg71 ,johannes 
,tauler 7d4 #acfa71 and ,heinrich ,suso 
7d4 #acfe72 in ,flanders1 ,jan          
,ruysbroek 7d4 #acha72 in ,italy1 ,dante
 ,alighieri himself 7d4 #acba71         
,jacopone da ,todi 7d4 #acjf71 ,st4     
,catherine of ,siena 7d4 #achj71 and    
many lesser writers who strove1 in prose
 or in poetry1 to express the hidden    
things of the spirit1 the secret        
intercourse of the human soul with the  
,divine1 no longer in the official      
,latin of the ,church1 but in the       
language of their own people1 a man's   
own vernacular1 which is nearest to him1
 inasmuch as it is most closely united  
to him4#a ,in ,england1 the great names 
of ,richard ,rolle1 the ,hermit of      
,hampole 7d4 #acdi71 of ,walter ,hilton 
7d4 #acif71 and of ,mother ,juliana of  
,norwich1 whose ,revelation of ,divine  
,love professedly date from #acgc1 speak
 for themselves4  ,the seven tracts or  
treatises before us were published in   
#aeba in a little quarto volume3        

,imprynted at ,london in ,poules        
chyrchyarde at the sygne of the         
,trynyte1 by ,henry ,pepwell4 ,in the   
yere of our lorde ,god1                 
,m4,,ccccc4,,xxi41 the xvi4 daye of     
,nouembre4 ,they may1 somewhat loosely  
speaking1 be regarded as belonging to   
the fourteenth century1 though the first
 and longest of them professes to be but
 a translation of the work of the great 
,augustinian mystic of an earlier age4  
,st4 ,bernard1 ,richard of ,st4 ,victor1
 and ,st4 ,bonaventura--all three very  
familiar figures to students of ,dante's
 ,paradiso--are the chief influences in 
the story of ,english mysticism4 ,and1  
through the writings of his latter-day  
followers1 ,richard ,rolle1 ,walter     
,hilton1 and the anonymous author of the
 ,divine ,cloud of ,unknowing1 ,richard 
of ,st4 ,victor is1 perhaps1 the most   
important of the three4  ,himself either
 a ,scot or an ,irishman by birth1      
,richard entered the famous abbey of    
,st4 ,victor1 a house of ,augustinian   

canons near ,paris1 some time before    
#aadj1 where he became the chief pupil  
of the great mystical doctor and        
theologian whom the later ,middle ,ages 
regarded as a second ,augustine1 ,hugh  
of ,st4 ,victor4 ,after ,hugh's death   
7#aada71 ,richard succeeded to his      
influence as a teacher1 and completed   
his work in creating the mystical       
theology of the ,church4 ,his           
masterpiece1 ,de ,gratia                
,contemplationis1 known also as         
,benjamin ,major1 in five books1 is a   
work of marvellous spiritual insight1   
unction1 and eloquence1 upon which      
,dante afterwards based the whole       
mystical psychology of the ,paradiso4#b 
,in it ,richard shows how the soul      
passes upward through the six steps of  
contemplation--in imagination1 in       
reason1 in understanding--gradually     
discarding all sensible objects of      
thought2 until1 in the sixth stage1 it  
contemplates what is above reason1 and  
seems to be beside reason1 or even      

contrary to reason4 ,he teaches that    
there are three qualities of            
contemplation1 according to its         
intensity3 mentis dilatatio1 an         
enlargement of the soul's vision without
 exceeding the bounds of human activity2
 mentis sublevatio1 elevation of mind1  
in which the intellect1 divinely        
illumined1 transcends the measure of    
humanity1 and beholds the things above  
itself1 but does not entirely lose      
self-consciousness2 and mentis          
alienatio1 or ecstasy1 in which all     
memory of the present leaves the mind1  
and it passes into a state of divine    
transfiguration1 in which the soul gazes
 upon truth without any veils of        
creatures1 not in a mirror darkly1 but  
in its pure simplicity4 ,this master of 
the spiritual life died in #aagc4       
,amongst the glowing souls of the great 
doctors and theologians in the fourth   
heaven1 ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas bids      
,dante mark the ardent spirit of        
,richard who in contemplation was more  

than man4#c  ,benjamin1 for ,richard1 is
 the type of contemplation1 in          
accordance with the ,vulgate version of 
,psalm lxvii43 ,ibi ,benjamin           
adolescentulus in mentis excessu3 ,there
 is ,benjamin1 a youth1 in ecstasy of   
mind--where the ,english ,bible reads3  
,little ,benjamin their ruler4#d ,at the
 birth of ,benjamin1 his mother ,rachel 
dies3 ,for1 when the mind of man is rapt
 above itself1 it surpasseth all the    
limits of human reasoning4 ,elevated    
above itself and rapt in ecstasy1 it    
beholdeth things in the divine light at 
which all human reason succumbs4 ,what1 
then1 is the death of ,rachel1 save the 
failing of reason8#e  ,the treatise here
 printed under the title ,benjamin is   
based upon a smaller work of ,richard's1
 a kind of introduction to the ,benjamin
 ,major1 entitled3 ,benjamin ,minor2 or3
 ,de ,praeparatione animi ad            
,contemplationem4 ,it is a paraphrase of
 certain portions of this work1 with a  
few additions1 and large omissions4     

,among the portions omitted are the two 
passages that1 almost alone among       
,richard's writings1 are known to the   
general reader--or1 at least1 to people 
who do not claim to be specialists in   
mediaeval theology4 ,in the one1 he     
speaks of knowledge of self as the ,holy
 ,hill1 the ,mountain of the ,lord3--   
,if the mind would fain ascend to the   
height of science1 let its first and    
principal study be to know itself4 ,full
 knowledge of the rational spirit is a  
great and high mountain4 ,this mountain 
transcends all the peaks of all mundane 
sciences1 and looks down upon all the   
philosophy and all the science of the   
world from on high4 ,could ,aristotle1  
could ,plato1 could the great band of   
philosophers ever attain to it8#f  ,in  
the other1 still adhering to his image  
of the mountain of self-knowledge1 he   
makes his famous appeal to the ,bible1  
as the supreme test of truth1 the only  
sure guard that the mystic has against  
being deluded in his lofty              

speculations3--  ,even if you think that
 you have been taken up into that high  
mountain apart1 even if you think that  
you see ,christ transfigured1 do not be 
too ready to believe anything you see in
 ,him or hear from ,him1 unless ,moses  
and ,elias run to meet ,him4 ,i hold all
 truth in suspicion which the authority 
of the ,scriptures does not confirm1 nor
 do ,i receive ,christ in ,his          
clarification unless ,moses and ,elias  
are talking with ,him4#g  ,on the other 
hand1 the beautiful passage with which  
the version closes1 so typical of the   
burning love of ,christ1 shown in       
devotion to the name of ,jesus1 which   
glows through all the writings of the   
school of the ,hermit of ,hampole1 is an
 addition of the translator3--  ,and    
therefore1 what so thou be that covetest
 to come to contemplation of ,god1 that 
is to say1 to bring forth such a child  
that men clepen in the story ,benjamin  
7that is to say1 sight of ,god71 then   
shalt thou use thee in this manner4     

,thou shalt call together thy thoughts  
and thy desires1 and make thee of them a
 church1 and learn thee therein for to  
love only this good word ,jesu1 so that 
all thy desires and all thy thoughts are
 only set for to love ,jesu1 and that   
unceasingly as it may be here2 so that  
thou fulfil that is said in the psalm3  
',lord1 ,i shall bless ,thee in         
churches'2 that is1 in thoughts and     
desires of the love of ,jesu4 ,and then1
 in this church of thoughts and desires1
 and in this onehead of studies and of  
wills1 look that all thy thoughts1 and  
all thy desires1 and all thy studies1   
and all thy wills be only set in the    
love and the praising of this ,lord     
,jesu1 without forgetting1 as far forth 
as thou mayst by grace1 and as thy      
frailty will suffer2 evermore meeking   
thee to prayer and to counsel1 patiently
 abiding the will of our ,lord1 unto the
 time that thy mind be ravished above   
itself1 to be fed with the fair food of 
angels in the beholding of ,god and     

ghostly things2 so that it be fulfilled 
in thee that is written in the psalm3   
,ibi ,benjamin adolescentulus in mentis 
excessu2 that is3 ',there is ,benjamin1 
the young child1 in ravishing of        
mind4'#h  ,the text printed by ,pepwell 
differs slightly from that of the       
manuscripts1 of which a large number    
have been preserved4 ,among others1 it  
is found in the ,arundel ,,ms4 #bhf1 and
 the ,harleian ,,mss4 #fgd1 #ajbb1 and  
#bcgc4 ,it has been published from the  
,harl4 ,,ms4 #ajbb by ,professor ,c4    
,horstman1 who observes that it is very 
old1 and certainly prior to ,walter     
,hilton4#i ,it is evidently by one of   
the followers of ,richard ,rolle1 dating
 from about the middle of the fourteenth
 century4 ,external and internal        
evidence seems to point to its being the
 work of the anonymous author of the    
,divine ,cloud of ,unknowing4  ,this is 
not the place to tell again the         
wonderful story of ,st4 ,catherine of   
,siena 7#acdg-achj71 one of the noblest 

and most truly heroic women that the    
world has ever seen4 ,her life and      
manifold activities only touched        
,england indirectly4 ,the famous        
,english captain of mercenaries1 ,sir   
,john ,hawkwood1 was among the men of   
the world who1 at least for a while1    
were won to nobler ideals by her letters
 and exhortations4 ,two of her principal
 disciples1 ,giovanni ,tantucci and     
,william ,flete1 both ,augustinian      
hermits1 were graduates of ,cambridge2  
the latter1 an ,englishman by birth1 was
 appointed by her on her deathbed to    
preside over the continuance of her work
 in her native city1 and a vision of    
his1 concerning the legitimacy of the   
claims of ,urban the ,sixth to the papal
 throne1 was brought forward as one of  
the arguments that induced ,england1 on 
the outbreak of the ,great ,schism in   
the ,church 7#acgh71 to adhere to the   
,roman obedience for which ,catherine   
was battling to the death4 ,a letter    
which she herself addressed on the same 

subject to ,king ,richard the ,second   
has not been preserved4  ,about #adic1  
,wynkyn de ,worde printed ,the ,lyf of  
saint ,katherin of ,senis the blessid   
virgin1 edited by ,caxton2 which is a   
free translation1 by an anonymous       
,dominican1 with many omissions and the 
addition of certain reflections1 of the 
,legenda1 the great ,latin biography of 
,st4 ,catherine by her third confessor1 
,friar ,raymond of ,capua1 the famous   
master-general and reformer of the order
 of ,st4 ,dominic 7d4 #acii74 ,he       
followed this up1 in #aeai1 by an       
,english rendering by ,brother ,dane    
,james of the ,saint's mystical treatise
 the ,dialogo3 ,here begynneth the      
,orcharde of ,syon2 in the whiche is    
conteyned the reuelacyons of seynt      
,katheryne of ,sene1 with ghostly       
fruytes and precyous plantes for the    
helthe of mannes soule4#aj ,this was not
 translated from ,st4 ,catherine's own  
vernacular1 but from ,friar ,raymond's  
,latin version of the latter1 first     

printed at ,brescia in #adif4 ,from the 
first of these two works1 the ,lyf1 are 
selected the passages--the ,divers      
,doctrines devout and fruitful--which   
,pepwell here presents to us2 but it    
seems probable that he was not borrowing
 directly from ,caxton1 as an almost    
verbally identical selection1 with an   
identical title1 is found in the        
,british ,museum1 ,,ms4 ,reg4 #ag       
,d4,v41 where it follows the ,divine    
,cloud of ,unknowing4  ,margery ,kempe  
is a much more mysterious personage4    
,she has come down to us only in a tiny 
quarto of eight pages printed by ,wynkyn
 de ,worde3--  ,here begynneth a shorte 
treatyse of contemplacyon taught by our 
lorde ,jhesu cryste1 or taken out of the
 boke of ,margerie kempe of ,lynn4  ,and
 at the end3--  ,here endeth a shorte   
treatyse called ,margerie kempe de      
,lynn4 ,enprynted in ,fletestrete by    
,wynkyn de worde4  ,the only known copy 
is preserved in the ,university of      
,cambridge4 ,it is undated1 but appears 

to have been printed in #aeja4aa ,with a
 few insignificant variations1 it is the
 same as was printed twenty years later 
by ,pepwell1 who merely inserts a few   
words like ,our ,lord ,jesus said unto  
her1 or she said1 and adds that she was 
a devout ancress4 ,tanner1 not very     
accurately1 writes3 ,this book contains 
various discourses of ,christ 7as it is 
pretended7 to certain holy women2 and1  
written in the style of modern          
,quietists and ,quakers1 speaks of the  
inner love of ,god1 of perfection1 et   
cetera4#ab ,no manuscript of the work is
 known to exist1 and absolutely no      
traces can be discovered of the ,book of
 ,margery ,kempe1 out of which it is    
implied by the ,printer that these      
beautiful thoughts and sayings are      
taken4  ,there is nothing in the        
treatise itself to enable us to fix its 
date4 ,it is1 perhaps1 possible that the
 writer or recipient of these           
revelations is the ,margeria filia      
,johannis ,kempe1 who1 between #abhd and

 #abih1 gave up to the prior and convent
 of ,christ ,church1 ,canterbury1 all   
her rights in a piece of land with      
buildings and appurtenances1 which falls
 to me after the decease of my brother  
,john1 and lies in the parish of        
,blessed ,mary of ,northgate outside the
 walls of the city of ,canterbury4#ac   
,the revelations show that she was 7or  
had been7 a woman of some wealth and    
social position1 who had abandoned the  
world to become an ancress1 following   
the life prescribed in that gem of early
 ,english devotional literature1 the    
,ancren ,riwle4#ad ,it is clearly only a
 fragment of her complete book 7whatever
 that may have been72 but it is enough  
to show that she was a worthy precursor 
of that other great woman mystic of     
,east ,anglia3 ,juliana of ,norwich4    
,for ,margery1 as for ,juliana1 ,love is
 the interpretation of revelation1 and  
the key to the universal mystery3#ae--  
,daughter1 thou mayst no better please  
,god1 than to think continually in ,his 

love4  ,if thou wear the habergeon or   
the hair1 fasting bread and water1 and  
if thou saidest every day a thousand    
,pater ,nosters1 thou shalt not please  
,me so well as thou dost when thou art  
in silence1 and suffrest ,me to speak in
 thy soul4  ,daughter1 if thou knew how 
sweet thy love is to ,me1 thou wouldest 
never do other thing but love ,me with  
all thine heart4  ,in nothing that thou 
dost or sayest1 daughter1 thou mayst no 
better please ,god than believe that ,he
 loveth thee4 ,for1 if it were possible 
that ,i might weep with thee1 ,i would  
weep with thee for the compassion that  
,i have of thee4  ,and1 from the midst  
of her celestial contemplations1 rises  
up the simple1 poignant cry of human    
suffering3 ,lord1 for ,thy great pain   
have mercy on my little pain4  ,we are  
on surer ground with the treatise that  
follows1 the ,song of ,angels4#af       
,walter ,hilton--who died on ,march #bd1
 #acif--;holds a position in the        
religious life and spiritual literature 

of ,england in the latter part of the   
fourteenth century somewhat similar to  
that occupied by ,richard ,rolle in its 
earlier years4 ,like the ,hermit of     
,hampole1 he was the founder of a       
school1 and the works of his followers  
cannot always be distinguished with     
certainty from his own4 ,like his great 
master in the mystical way1 ,richard of 
,st4 ,victor1 ,hilton was an            
,augustinian1 the head of a house of    
canons at ,thurgarton1 near ,newark4    
,his great work1 the ,scala             
,perfectionis1 or ,ladder of            
,perfection1 which expoundeth many      
notable doctrines in ,contemplation1 was
 first printed by ,wynkyn de ,worde in  
#adid1 and is still widely used for     
devotional reading4 ,a shorter treatise1
 the ,epistle to a ,devout ,man in      
,temporal ,estate1 first printed by     
,pynson in #aejf1 gives practical       
guidance to a religious layman of wealth
 and social position1 for the fulfilling
 of the duties of his state without     

hindrance to his making profit in the   
spiritual life4 ,these1 with the ,song  
of ,angels1 are the only printed works  
that can be assigned to him with        
certainty1 though many others1          
undoubtedly from his pen1 are to be     
found in manuscripts1 and a complete and
 critical edition of ,walter ,hilton    
seems still in the far future4#ag ,the  
,song of ,angels has been twice printed 
since the edition of ,pepwell4#ah ,in   
profoundly mystical language1 tinged    
with the philosophy of that mysterious  
,neo-,platonist whom we call the        
pseudo-,dionysius1 it tells of the      
wonderful onehead1 the union of the soul
 with ,god in perfect charity3--  ,this 
onehead is verily made when the mights  
of the soul are reformed by grace to the
 dignity and the state of the first     
condition2 that is1 when the mind is    
firmly established1 without changing and
 wandering1 in ,god and ghostly things1 
and when the reason is cleared from all 
worldly and fleshly beholdings1 and from

 all bodily imaginations1 figures1 and  
fantasies of creatures1 and is illumined
 by grace to behold ,god and ghostly    
things1 and when the will and the       
affection is purified and cleansed from 
all fleshly1 kindly1 and worldly love1  
and is inflamed with burning love of the
 ,holy ,ghost4  ,but to this blessed    
condition none may attain perfectly here
 on earth4 ,the writer goes on to speak 
of the mystical consolations and        
visitations granted to the loving soul  
in this life1 distinguishing the        
feelings and sensations that are mere   
delusions1 from those that truly proceed
 from the fire of love in the affection 
and the light of knowing in the reason1 
and are a very anticipation of that     
ineffable onehead in heaven4  ,the three
 remaining treatises--the ,epistle of   
,prayer1 the ,epistle of ,discretion in 
,stirrings of the ,soul1 and the        
,treatise of ,discerning of             
,spirits#ai--;are associated in the     
manuscripts with four other works3 the  

,divine ,cloud of ,unknowing1 the       
,epistle of ,privy ,counsel1 a          
paraphrase of the ,mystical ,theology of
 ,dionysius entitled ,dionise ,hid      
,divinity1 and the similar translation  
or paraphrase of the ,benjamin ,minor of
 ,richard of ,st4 ,victor already       
considered4#bj ,these seven treatises   
are all apparently by the same hand4    
,the ,divine ,cloud of ,unknowing has   
been credited to ,walter ,hilton1 as    
likewise to ,william ,exmew1 or to      
,maurice ,chauncy1 ,carthusians of the  
sixteenth century1 whereas the          
manuscripts are at least a hundred years
 earlier than their time2 but it seems  
safer to attribute the whole series to  
an unknown writer of the second part of 
the fourteenth century1 who marks a     
middle point between ,rolle and         
,hilton4#ba ,the spiritual beauty of the
 three here reprinted--and1 more        
particularly1 of the ,epistle of        
,prayer1 with its glowing exposition of 
the doctrine of ,pure ,love--speaks for 

itself4 ,they show us mysticism brought 
down1 if ,i may say so1 from the clouds 
for the practical guidance of the       
beginner along this difficult way4 ,and1
 in the ,epistle of ,discretion1 we find
 even a rare touch of humour2 where the 
counsellor conceives suspiciously of his
 correspondent's spiritual stirrings1   
lest they should be conceived on the    
ape's manner4 ,like ,st4 ,catherine of  
,siena1 though in a less degree1 he has 
the gift of vision and the faculty of   
intuition combined with a homely common 
sense1 and can illustrate his simple    
meaning with a smile4  ,i have borrowed 
a phrase from ,st4 ,catherine1 ,the     
,cell of ,self-,knowledge1 la cella del 
cognoscimento di noi1 as the title of   
this little volume4 ,knowledge of self  
and purity of heart1 the mystics teach1 
are the indispensable conditions for the
 highest mystical elevation4 ,knowledge 
of self1 for ,richard of ,st4 ,victor1  
is the high mountain apart upon which   
,christ is transfigured2 for ,catherine 

of ,siena1 it is the stable in which the
 pilgrim through time to eternity must  
be born again4 ,wouldest thou behold    
,christ transfigured8 asks ,richard2    
ascend this mountain2 learn to know     
thyself4#bb ,thou dost see1 writes      
,catherine1 speaking in the person of   
the eternal ,father1 this sweet and     
loving ,word born in a stable1 while    
,mary was journeying2 to show to you1   
who are travellers1 that you must ever  
be born again in the stable of knowledge
 of yourselves1 where you will find ,him
 born by grace within your souls4#bc    
,the soul is a mirror that reflects the 
invisible things of ,god1 and it is by  
purity of heart alone that this mirror  
is made clear4 ,therefore1 writes       
,richard of ,st4 ,victor1 let whoso     
thirsts to see his ,god1 wipe his       
mirror1 purify his spirit4 ,after he    
hath thus cleared his mirror and long   
diligently gazed into it1 a certain     
clarity of divine light begins to shine 
through upon him1 and a certain immense 

ray of unwonted vision to appear before 
his eyes4 ,this light irradiated the    
eyes of him who said3 ,lord1 lift ,thou 
up the light of ,thy countenance upon   
us2 ,thou hast put gladness in my heart4
 ,from the vision of this light which it
 sees with wonder in itself1 the mind is
 wondrously inflamed and inspired to    
behold the light which is above         
itself4#bd  ,pepwell's volume has been  
made the basis of the present edition of
 these seven treatises2 but1 in each    
case1 the text has been completely      
revised4 ,the text of the ,benjamin1 the
 ,epistle of ,prayer1 the ,epistle of   
,discretion1 and the ,treatise of       
,discerning of ,spirits1 has been       
collated with that given by the         
,harleian ,,mss4 #fgd and #bcgc2 and1 in
 most cases1 the readings of the        
manuscripts have been adopted in        
preference to those of the printed      
version4 ,the ,katherin has been        
collated with ,caxton's ,lyf2 the       
,margery ,kempe with ,wynkyn de ,worde's

 precious little volume in the          
,university ,library of ,cambridge2 and 
the ,song of ,angels with the text      
published by ,professor ,horstman from  
the ,camb4 ,,ms ,dd4 v4 #ee4 ,as the    
object of this book is not to offer a   
,middle ,english text to students1 but a
 small contribution to mystical         
literature1 the orthography has been    
completely modernised1 while ,i have    
attempted to retain enough of the       
original language to preserve the       
flavour of mediaeval devotion4  ,,edmund
 ,g4 ,,gardner4     ,i4  ,,here         
,,followeth ,a ,,very ,,devout          
,,treatise1 ,,named ,,benjamin1 ,,of    
,,the ,,mights ,,and ,,virtues ,,of     
,,man',s ,,soul1 ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,way 
,,to ,,true ,,contemplation1 ,,compiled 
,,by ,a ,,noble ,,and ,,famous ,,doctor1
 ,a ,,man ,,of ,,great ,,holiness ,,and 
,,devotion1 ,,named ,,richard ,,of      
,,saint ,,victor  ,a ,,treatise ,,named 
,,benjamin  ,,the ,,prologue   ,a       
,,great clerk that men call #be ,richard

 of ,saint ,victor1 in a book that he   
maketh of the study of wisdom1          
witnesseth and saith that two mights are
 in a man's soul1 given of the ,father  
of ,heaven of whom all good cometh4 ,the
 one is reason1 the other is affection2 
through reason we know1 and through     
affection we feel or love4  ,of reason  
springeth right counsel and ghostly     
wits2 and of affection springeth holy   
desires and ordained#bf feelings4 ,and  
right as ,rachel and ,leah were both    
wives unto ,jacob1 right so man's soul  
through light of knowing in the reason1 
and sweetness of love in the affection1 
is spoused unto ,god4 ,by ,jacob is     
understanden ,god1 by ,rachel is        
understanden reason1 by ,leah is        
understanden affection4 ,each of these  
wives1 ,rachel and ,leah1 took to them a
 maiden2 ,rachel took ,bilhah1 and ,leah
 took ,zilpah4 ,bilhah was a great      
jangler1 and ,zilpah was ever drunken   
and thirsty4 ,by ,bilhah is understanden
 imagination1 the which is servant unto 

reason1 as ,bilhah was to ,rachel2 by   
,zilpah is understanden sensuality1 the 
which is servant unto affection1 as     
,zilpah was to ,leah4 ,and so much are  
these maidens needful to their ladies1  
that without them all this world might  
serve them of nought4 ,for why1 without 
imagination reason may not know1 and    
without sensuality affection may not    
feel4 ,and yet imagination cryeth so    
inconveniently#bg in the ears of our    
heart that1 for ought that reason her   
lady may do1 yet she may not still her4 
,and therefore it is that oft times when
 we should pray1 so many divers         
fantasies of idle and evil thoughts cry 
in our hearts1 that on no wise we may by
 our own mights drive them away4 ,and   
thus it is well proved that ,bilhah is a
 foul jangler4 ,and also the sensuality 
is evermore so thirsty1 that all that   
affection her lady may feel1#bh may not 
yet slake her thirst4 ,the drink that   
she desireth is the lust of fleshly1    
kindly1 and worldly delights1#bi of the 

which the more that she drinketh the    
more she thirsteth2 for why1 for to fill
 the appetite of the sensuality1 all    
this world may not suffice2 and         
therefore it is that oft times when we  
pray or think on ,god and ghostly       
things1 we would fain feel sweetness of 
love in our affection1#cj and yet we may
 not1 for are we so busy to feed the    
concupiscence of our sensuality2 for    
evermore it is greedily asking1 and we  
have a fleshly compassion thereof4 ,and 
thus it is well proved that ,zilpah is  
evermore drunken and thirsty4 ,and right
 as ,leah conceived of ,jacob and       
brought forth seven children1 and       
,rachel conceived of ,jacob and brought 
forth two children1 and ,bilhah         
conceived of ,jacob and brought forth   
two children1 and ,zilpah conceived of  
,jacob and brought forth two children2  
right so the affection conceiveth       
through the grace of ,god1 and bringeth 
forth seven virtues2 and also the       
sensuality conceiveth through the grace 

of ,god1 and bringeth forth two virtues2
 and also the reason conceiveth through 
the grace of ,god1 and bringeth forth   
two virtues2 and also the imagination   
conceiveth through the grace of ,god1   
and bringeth forth two virtues1 or two  
beholdings4 ,and the names of their     
children and of their virtues shall be  
known by this figure that followeth3    
,husband3 ,jacob temporally1 ,god       
spiritually4 ,wives to ,jacob3 ,leah1   
that is to say1 ,affection2 ,rachel1    
that is to say1 ,reason4 ,maid to ,leah 
is ,zilpah1 that is to understand1      
,sensuality2 and ,bilhah maiden to      
,rachel1 that is to understand1         
,imagination4  ,the sons of ,jacob and  
,leah are these seven that followeth3   
,reuben signifieth dread of pain2       
,simeon1 sorrow of sins2 ,levi1 hope of 
forgiveness2 ,judah1 love of            
righteousness2 ,issachar1 joy in inward 
sweetness2 ,zebulun1 hatred of sin2     
,dinah1 ordained shame4  ,the sons of   
,jacob and ,zilpah1 servant of ,leah1   

are these3 ,gad1 abstinence2 ,asher1    
patience4  ,the sons of ,jacob and of   
,rachel are these3 ,joseph1 discretion2 
,benjamin1 contemplation4  ,the sons of 
,jacob and ,bilhah1 servant to ,rachel1 
are these3 ,dan1 sight of pain to come2 
and ,naphtali1 sight of joy to come4    
,in this figure it is shewed apertly of 
,jacob and of his wives1 and their      
maidens1 and all their children4 ,here  
it is to shew on what manner they were  
gotten1 and in what order3--  ,first1 it
 is to say of the children of ,leah2 for
 why1 it is read that she first         
conceived4 ,the children of ,leah are   
nought else to understand but ordained  
affections or feelings in a man's soul2 
for why1 if they were unordained1 then  
were they not the sons of ,jacob4 ,also 
the seven children of ,leah are seven   
virtues1 for virtue is nought else but  
an ordained and a measured feeling in a 
man's soul4 ,for then is man's feeling  
in soul ordained when it is of that     
thing that it should be2 then it is     

measured when it is so much as it should
 be4 ,these feelings in a man's soul may
 be now ordained and measured1 and now  
unordained and unmeasured2 but when they
 are ordained and measured1 then are    
they accounted among the sons of        
,jacob4#ca     ,,capitulum ,i  ,,how    
,,the ,,virtue ,,of ,,dread ,,riseth    
,,in ,,the ,,affection   ,,the first    
child that ,leah conceived of ,jacob was
 ,reuben1 that is1 dread2 and therefore 
it is written in the psalm3 ,the        
beginning of wisdom is the dread of our 
,lord ,god4#cb ,this is the first felt  
virtue in a man's affection1 without the
 which none other may be had4 ,and1     
therefore1 whoso desireth to have such a
 son1 him behoveth busily and oft also  
behold the evil that he hath done4 ,and 
he shall1 on the one party1 think on the
 greatness of his trespass1 and1 on     
another party1 the power of the         
,doomsman4#cc ,of such a consideration  
springeth dread1 that is to say ,reuben1
 that through right is cleped the son of

 sight4#cd ,for utterly is he blind that
 seeth not the pains that are to come1  
and dreadeth not to sin4 ,and well is   
,reuben cleped the son of sight2 for    
when he was born1 his mother cried and  
said3 ,god hath seen my meekness4#ce    
,and man's soul1 in such a consideration
 of his old sins and of the power of the
 ,doomsman1 beginneth then truly to see 
,god by feeling of dread1 and also to be
 seen of ,god by rewarding of pity4     
,,capitulum ,,ii  ,,how ,,sorrow        
,,riseth ,,in ,,the ,,affection         
,,while ,reuben waxeth1 ,simeon is born2
 for after dread it needeth greatly that
 sorrow come soon4 ,for ever the more   
that a man dreadeth the pain that he    
hath deserved1 the bitterlier he        
sorroweth the sins that he hath done4   
,leah in the birth of ,simeon cried and 
said3 ,our ,lord hath heard me be had in
 despite4#cf ,and therefore is ,simeon  
cleped hearing2#cg for when a man       
bitterly sorroweth and despiseth his old
 sins1 then beginneth he to be heard of 

,god1 and also for to hear the blessed  
sentence of ,god's own mouth3 ,blessed  
be they that sorrow1 for they shall be  
comforted4#ch ,for in what hour the     
sinner sorroweth and turneth from his   
sin1 he shall be safe4#ci ,thus         
witnesseth holy ,scripture4 ,and also by
 ,reuben he is meeked1#dj and by ,simeon
 he is contrite and hath compunction of 
tears2 but1 as witnesseth ,david in the 
psalm3 ,heart contrite and meeked ,god  
shall not despise2#da and without doubt 
such sorrow bringeth in true comfort of 
heart4     ,,capitulum ,,iii  ,,how     
,,hope ,,riseth ,,in ,,the ,,affection  
,,but1 ,i pray thee1 what comfort may be
 to them that truly dread and bitterly  
sorrow for their old sins1 ought but a  
true hope of forgiveness8 the which is  
the third son of ,jacob1 that is ,levi1 
the which is cleped in the story a doing
 to4#db ,for when the other two         
children1 dread and sorrow1 are given of
 ,god to a man's soul1 without doubt he 
this third1 that is hope1 shall not be  

delayed1 but he shall be lone to2#dc as 
the story witnesseth of ,levi1 that1    
when his two brethren1 ,reuben and      
,simeon1 were given to their mother     
,leah1 he1 this ,levi1 was done to4     
,take heed of this word1 that he was    
done to and not given4 ,and therefore it
 is said that a man shall not presume of
 hope of forgiveness before the time    
that his heart be peeked in dread and   
contrite in sorrow2 without these two1  
hope is presumption1 and where these two
 are1 hope is done to2 and thus after   
sorrow cometh soon comfort1 as ,david   
telleth in the psalm that after the     
muchness of my sorrow in my heart1 he   
saith to our ,lord1 ,thy comforts have  
gladded my soul4#dd ,and therefore it is
 that the ,holy ,ghost is called        
,paracletus1 that is1 comforter1 for oft
 times he vouchethsafe to comfort a     
sorrowful soul4     ,,capitulum ,,iv    
,,how ,,love ,,riseth ,,in ,,the        
,,affection   ,,from now forth beginneth
 a manner of homeliness for to grow     

between ,god and a man's soul2 and also 
on a manner a kindling of love1 in so   
much that oft times he feeleth him not  
only be visited of ,god and comforted in
 ,his coming1 but oft times also he     
feeleth him filled with an unspeakable  
joy4 ,this homeliness and this kindling 
of love first felt ,leah1 when1 after   
that ,levi was born1 she cried with a   
great voice and said3 ,now shall my     
husband be coupled to me4#de ,the true  
spouse of our soul is ,god1 and then are
 we truly coupled unto ,him1 when we    
draw near ,him by hope and soothfast    
love4 ,and right as after hope cometh   
love1 so after ,levi was ,judah born1   
the fourth son of ,leah4 ,leah in his   
birth cried and said3 ,now shall ,i     
shrive to our ,lord4#df ,and therefore  
in the story is ,judah cleped           
,shrift4#dg ,also man's soul in this    
degree of love offereth it clearly to   
,god1 and saith thus3 ,now shall ,i     
shrive to our ,lord4 ,for before this   
feeling of love in a man's soul1 all    

that he doth is done more for dread than
 for love2 but in this state a man's    
soul feeleth ,god so sweet1 so merciful1
 so good1 so courteous1 so true1 and so 
kind1 so faithful1 so lovely and so     
homely1 that he leaveth nothing in      
him--might1 wit1 conning1#dh or         
will--that he offereth not it clearly1  
freely1 and homely unto ,him4 ,this     
shrift is not only of sin1 but of the   
goodness of ,god4 ,great token of love  
it is when a man telleth to ,god that   
,he is good4 ,of this shrift speaketh   
,david full oft times in the psalter1   
when he saith3 ,make it known to ,god1  
for ,he is good4#di  ,lo1 now have we   
said of four sons of ,leah4 ,and after  
this she left bearing of children till  
another time2 and so man's soul weeneth 
that it sufficeth to it when it feeleth 
that it loveth the true goods4#ej ,and  
so it is enough to salvation1 but not to
 perfection4 ,for it falleth to a       
perfect soul both to be inflamed with   
the fire of love in the affection1 and  

also to be illumined with the light of  
knowing in the reason4     ,,capitulum  
,v  ,,how ,,the ,,double ,,sight ,,of   
,,pain ,,and ,,joy ,,riseth ,,in ,,the  
,,imagination   ,,then when ,judah      
waxeth1 that is to say1 when love and   
desire of unseen true goods is rising   
and waxing in a man's affection2 then   
coveteth ,rachel for to bear some       
children2 that is to say1 then coveteth 
reason to know these things that        
affection feeleth2 for as it falleth to 
the affection for to love1 so it falleth
 to the reason for to know4 ,of         
affection springeth ordained and        
measured feelings2 and of reason        
springeth right knowings#ea and clear   
understandings4 ,and ever the more that 
,judah waxeth1 that is to say love1 so  
much the more desireth ,rachel bearing  
of children1 that is to say1 reason     
studieth after knowing4 ,but who is he  
that woteth not how hard it is1 and     
nearhand impossible to a fleshly soul   
the which is yet rude in ghostly        

studies1 for to rise in knowing of      
unseeable#eb things1 and for to set the 
eye of contemplation in ghostly things8 
,for why1 a soul that is yet rude and   
fleshly1 knoweth nought but bodily      
things1 and nothing cometh yet to the   
mind but only seeable#ec things4 ,and1  
nevertheless1 yet it looketh inward as  
it may2 and that that it may not see yet
 clearly by ghostly knowing1 it thinketh
 by imagination4  ,and this is the cause
 why ,rachel had first children of her  
maiden than of herself4 ,and so it is   
that1 though all a man's soul may not   
yet get the light of ghostly knowing in 
the reason1 yet it thinketh it sweet to 
hold the mind on ,god and ghostly things
 in the imagination4 ,as by ,rachel we  
understand reason1 so by her maiden     
,bilhah we understand imagination4 ,and1
 therefore1 reason sheweth that it is   
more profitable for to think on ghostly 
things1 in what manner so it be2 yea1 if
 it be in kindling of our desire with   
some fair imagination2 than it is for to

 think on vanities and deceivable things
 of this world4 ,and1 therefore1 of     
,bilhah were born these two3 ,dan and   
,naphtali4 ,dan is to say sight of pains
 to come2 and ,naphtali1 sight of joys  
to come4 ,these two children are full   
needful and full speedful unto a working
 soul2 the one for to put down evil     
suggestions of sins2 and the other for  
to raise up our wills in working of good
 and in kindling of our desires4 ,for as
 it falleth to ,dan to put down evil    
suggestions of sin by sight of pains to 
come1 so it falleth to the other brother
 ,naphtali to raise up our wills in     
working of good1 and in kindling of holy
 desires by sight of joys to come4 ,and 
therefore holy men1 when they are       
stirred to any unlawful thing1 by       
inrising of any foul thought1 as oft    
they set before their mind the pains    
that are to come2 and so they slaken    
their temptation in the beginning1 ere  
it rise to any foul delight in their    
soul4 ,and as oft as their devotion and 

their liking in ,god and ghostly things 
cease and wax cold 7as oft times it     
befalleth in this life1 for corruption  
of the flesh and many other skills71#ed 
so oft they set before their mind the   
joy that is to come4 ,and so they kindle
 their will with holy desires1 and      
destroy their temptation in the         
beginning1 ere it come to any weariness 
or heaviness of sloth4 ,and for that#ee 
with ,dan we damn unlawful thoughts1    
therefore he is well cleped in the story
 ,doom4#ef ,and also his father ,jacob  
said of him thus3 ,dan shall deem his   
folk4#eg ,and also it is said in the    
story that1 when ,bilhah brought forth  
,dan1 ,rachel said thus3 ,our ,lord hath
 deemed me2#eh that is to say3 ,our     
,lord hath evened me unto my sister     
,leah4 ,and thus saith reason1 when the 
imagination hath gotten the sight of    
pains to come1 that our ,lord hath      
evened her with her sister affection2   
and she saith thus1 for she hath the    
sight of pains to come in her           

imagination1 of the which she had dread 
and sorrow in her feeling4 ,and then    
after came ,naphtali1 that is to say1   
the sight of joys to come4 ,and in his  
birth spake ,rachel and said3 ,i am made
 like to my sister ,leah2#ei and        
therefore is ,naphtali cleped in the    
story ,likeness4#fj ,and thus saith     
reason that she is made like to her     
sister affection4 ,for there as she had 
gotten hope and love of joy to come in  
her feeling1 she hath now gotten sight  
of joy to come in her imagination4      
,jacob said of ,naphtali that he was a  
hart sent out1 giving speeches of       
fairhead4#fa ,so it is that1 when we    
imagine of the joys of heaven1 we say   
that it is fair in heaven4 ,for#fb      
wonderfully kindleth ,naphtali our souls
 with holy desires1 as oft as we imagine
 of the worthiness and the fairhead of  
the joys of heaven4     ,,capitulum ,,vi
  ,,how ,,the ,,virtues ,,of            
,,abstinence ,,and ,,patience ,,rise    
,,in ,,the ,,sensuality   ,,when ,leah  

saw that ,rachel her sister made great  
joy of these two bastards born of       
,bilhah her maiden1 she called forth her
 maiden ,zilpah1 to put to her husband  
,jacob2 that she might make joy with her
 sister1 having other two bastards      
gotten of her maiden ,zilpah4 ,and thus 
it is seemly in man's soul for to be1   
that from the time that reason hath     
refrained the great jangling of         
imagination1 and hath put her to be     
underlout#fc to ,god1 and maketh her to 
bear some fruit in helping of her       
knowing1 that right so the affection    
refrain the lust and the thirst of the  
sensuality1 and make her to be underlout
 to ,god1 and so to bear some fruit in  
helping of her feeling4 ,but what fruit 
may she bear1 ought but that she learn  
to live temperately in easy things1 and 
patiently in uneasy things8 ,these are  
they1 the children of ,zilpah1 ,gad and 
,asher3 ,gad is abstinence1 and ,asher  
is patience4 ,gad is the sooner born    
child1 and ,asher the latter2 for first 

it needeth that we be attempered in     
ourself with discreet abstinence1 and   
after that we bear outward disease#fd in
 strength of patience4 ,these are the   
children that ,zilpah brought forth in  
sorrow2 for in abstinence and patience  
the sensuality is punished in the flesh2
 but that that is sorrow to the         
sensuality turneth to much comfort and  
bliss to the affection4 ,and therefore  
it is that1 when ,gad was born1 ,leah   
cried and said3 ,happily#fe2 and        
therefore ,gad is cleped in the story   
,happiness1 or ,seeliness4#ff ,and so it
 is well said that abstinence in the    
sensuality is happiness#fg in the       
affection4 ,for why1 ever the less that 
the sensuality is delighted in her lust1
 the more sweetness feeleth the         
affection in her love4 ,also after when 
,asher was born1 ,leah said3 ,this shall
 be for my bliss2#fh and therefore was  
,asher called in the story ,blessed4#fi 
,and so it is well said that patience in
 the sensuality is bliss in the         

affection4 ,for why1 ever the more      
disease that the sensuality suffereth1  
the more blessed is the soul in the     
affection4 ,and thus by abstinence and  
patience we shall not only understand a 
temperance in meat and drink1 and       
suffering of outward tribulation1 but   
also in all manner of fleshly1          
kindly1#gj and worldly delights1 and all
 manner of disease1 bodily and ghostly1 
within or without1 reasonable or        
unreasonable1 that by any of our five   
wits torment or delight the sensuality4 
,on this wise beareth the sensuality    
fruit in help of affection1 her lady4   
,much peace and rest is in that soul    
that neither is drunken in the lust of  
the sensuality1 nor grutcheth#ga in the 
pain thereof4 ,the first of these is    
gotten by ,gad and the latter by ,asher4
 ,here it is to wete that first was     
,rachel's maiden put to the husband or  
the maiden of ,leah2 and this is the    
skill why4 ,for truly1 but if the       
jangling of the imagination1 that is to 

say1 the in-running of vain thoughts1 be
 first refrained1 without doubt the lust
 of the sensuality may not be           
attempered4 ,and therefore who so will  
abstain him from fleshly and worldly    
lusts1 him behoveth first seldom or     
never think any vain thoughts4#gb ,and  
also never in this life may a man       
perfectly despise the ease of the flesh1
 and not dread the disease1 but if he   
have before busily beholden the meeds   
and the torments that are to come4 ,but 
here it is to wete how that1 with these 
four sons of these two maidens1 the city
 of our conscience is kept wonderfully  
from all temptations4 ,for all          
temptation either it riseth within by   
thought1 or else without by some of our 
five wits4 ,but within shall ,dan deem  
and damn evil thoughts by sight of pain2
 and without shall ,gad put against#gc  
false delights by use of abstinence4    
,dan waketh#gd within1 and ,gad without2
 and also their other two brethren      
helpen them full much3 ,naphtali maketh 

peace within with ,dan1 and ,asher      
biddeth ,gad have no dread of his       
enemies4 ,dan feareth the heart with    
ugsomeness of hell1 and ,naphtali       
cherisheth it with behighting#ge of     
heavenly bliss4 ,also ,asher helpeth his
 brother without1 so that1 through them 
both1 the wall of the city is not       
broken4 ,gad holdeth out ease1 and      
,asher pursueth disease4 ,asher soon    
deceiveth his enemy1 when he bringeth to
 mind the patience of his father#gf and 
the behighting of ,naphtali1 and thus   
oft times ever the more enemies he hath1
 the more matter he hath of overcoming4 
,and therefore it is that1 when he hath 
overcome his enemies 7that is to say1   
the adversities of this world71 soon he 
turneth him to his brother ,gad to help 
to destroy his enemies4 ,and without    
fail1 from that he be come1 soon they   
turn the back1 and flee4 ,the enemies of
 ,gad are fleshly delights2 but truly1  
from the time that a man have patience  
in the pain of his abstinence1 false    

delights find no woning stead#gg in him4
     ,,capitulum ,,vii  ,,how ,,joy ,,of
 ,,inward ,,sweetness ,,riseth ,,in     
,,the ,,affection   ,,thus when the     
enemy fleeth and the city is peased1#gh 
then beginneth a man to prove what the  
high peace of ,god is that passeth man's
 wit4 ,and therefore it is that ,leah   
left bearing of children unto this time 
that ,gad and ,asher were born of       
,zilpah1 her maiden4 ,for truly1 but if 
it be so that a man have refrained the  
lust and the pain of his five wits in   
his sensuality by abstinence and        
patience1 he shall never feel inward    
sweetness and true joy in ,god and      
ghostly things in the affection4 ,this  
is that ,issachar1 the fifth son of     
,leah1 the which in the story is cleped 
,meed4#gi ,and well is this joy of      
inward sweetness cleped meed2#hj for    
this joy is the taste of heavenly bliss1
 the which is the endless meed of a     
devout soul1 beginning here4 ,leah1 in  
the birth of this child1 said3 ,god hath

 given me meed1 for that ,i have given  
my maiden to my husband in bearing of   
children4#ha ,and so it is good that we 
make our sensuality bear fruit in       
abstaining it from all manner of        
fleshly1 kindly1 and worldly delight1   
and in fruitful suffering of all fleshly
 and worldly disease2 therefore our     
,lord of ,his great mercy giveth us joy 
unspeakable and inward sweetness in our 
affection1 in earnest#hb of the         
sovereign joy and meed of the kingdom of
 heaven4 ,jacob said of ,issachar that  
he was a strong ass dwelling between the
 terms4#hc ,and so it is that a man in  
this state1 and that feeleth the earnest
 of everlasting joy in his affection1 is
 as an ass1 strong and dwelling between 
the terms2 because that1 be he never so 
filled in soul of ghostly gladness and  
joy in ,god1 yet1 for corruption of the 
flesh in this deadly life1 him behoveth 
bear the charge of the deadly body1 as  
hunger1 thirst1 and cold1 sleep1 and    
many other diseases2 for the which he is

 likened to an ass as in body2 but as in
 soul he is strong for to destroy all   
the passions and the lusts of the flesh 
by patience and abstinence in the       
sensuality1 and by abundance of ghostly 
joy and sweetness in the affection4 ,and
 also a soul in this state is dwelling  
between the terms of deadly life and    
undeadly life4 ,he that dwelleth between
 the terms hath nearhand forsaken       
deadliness1 but not fully1 and hath     
nearhand gotten undeadliness1 but not   
fully2 for whiles that him needeth the  
goods of this world1 as meat and drink  
and clothing1 as it falleth to each man 
that liveth1 yet his one foot is in this
 deadly life2 and for great abundance of
 ghostly joy and sweetness that he      
feeleth in ,god1 not seldom but oft1 he 
hath his other foot in the undeadly     
life4 ,thus ,i trow that saint ,paul    
felt1 when he said this word of great   
desire3 ,who shall deliver me from this 
deadly body8#hd ,and when he said thus3 
,i covet to be loosed and to be with    

,christ4#he ,and thus doth the soul that
 feeleth ,issachar in his affection1    
that is to say1 the joy of inward       
sweetness1 the which is understanden by 
,issachar4 ,it enforceth it to forsake  
this wretched life1 but it may not2 it  
coveteth to enter the blessed life1 but 
it may not2 it doth that it may1 and yet
 it dwelleth between the terms4         
,,capitulum ,,viii  ,,how ,,perfect     
,,hatred ,,of ,,sin ,,riseth ,,in ,,the 
,,affection   ,,and therefore it is that
 after ,issachar ,zebulun is born1 that 
is to say1 hatred of sin4 ,and here it  
is to wete why that hatred of sin is    
never perfectly felt in a man's         
affection1 ere the time that ghostly joy
 of inward sweetness be felt in the     
affection1 and this is the skill3 for   
ere this time was never the true cause  
of hatred felt in the affection4 ,for   
the feeling of ghostly joy teacheth a   
man what sin harmeth the soul4 ,and all 
after that the harm in the soul is felt 
much or little1 thereafter is the hatred

 measured1 more or less1 unto the       
harming4 ,but when a soul1 by the grace 
of ,god and long travail1 is come to    
feeling of ghostly joy in ,god1 then it 
feeleth that sin hath been the cause of 
the delaying thereof4 ,and also when he 
feeleth that he may not alway last in   
the feeling of that ghostly joy1 for the
 corruption of the flesh1 of the which  
corruption sin is the cause2 then he    
riseth with a strong feeling of hatred  
against all sin and all kind of sin4    
,this feeling taught ,david us to have1 
where he saith in the psalm3 ,be ye     
wroth and will ye not sin2#hf that is   
thus to mean3 ,be ye wroth with the sin1
 but not with the kind4#hg ,for kind    
stirreth to the deed1 but not to sin4   
,and here it is to wete that this wrath 
and this hatred is not contrary to      
charity1 but charity teacheth how it    
shall be had both in a man's self and in
 his even ,christian2#hh for a man      
should not hate sin so that he destroy  
his kind1 but so that he destroy the sin

 and the appetite of sin in his kind4   
,and1 as against our even ,christian1 we
 ought to hate sin in him1 and to love  
him2 and of this hatred speaketh ,david 
in the psalm1 where he saith thus3 ,with
 perfect hatred ,i hated them4#hi ,and  
in another psalm he saith that he had in
 hatred all wicked ways4#ij ,thus it is 
well proved that1 ere ,zebulun was born1
 ,judah and ,issachar were both born4   
,for but if a man have had charity and  
ghostly joy in his feeling first1 he may
 in no wise feel this perfect hatred of 
sin in his affection4 ,for ,judah1 that 
is to say1 charity1 teacheth us how we  
shall hate sin in ourself and in our    
brethren2 and ,issachar1 that is to say1
 ghostly feeling of joy in ,god1        
teacheth us why we shall hate sin in    
ourself and in our brethren4 ,judah     
biddeth us hate sin and love the kind2  
and ,issachar biddeth us destroy the sin
 and save the kind2 and thus it falleth 
for to be that the kind may be made     
strong in ,god and in ghostly things by 

perfect hatred and destroying of sin4   
,and therefore is ,zebulun cleped in the
 story a dwelling stead of strength4#ia 
,and ,leah said in his birth3 ,my       
husband shall now dwell with me2#ib and 
so it is that ,god1 that is the true    
husband of our soul1 is dwelling in that
 soul1 strengthening it in the affection
 with ghostly joy and sweetness in ,his 
love1 that travaileth busily to destroy 
sin in himself and in others by perfect 
hatred of the sin and all the kind of   
sin4 ,and thus it is said how ,zebulun  
is born4     ,,capitulum ,,ix  ,,how    
,,ordained ,,shame ,,riseth ,,and       
,,groweth ,,in ,,the ,,affection   ,,but
 though all that a soul through grace   
feel in it perfect hatred of sin1       
whether it may yet live without sin8    
,nay1 sikerly2#ic and therefore let no  
man presume of himself1 when the        
,apostle saith thus3 ,if we say that we 
have no sin1 we deceive ourself1 and    
soothfastness is not in us4#id ,and also
 saint ,austin saith that he dare well  

say that there is no man living without 
sin4#ie ,and ,i pray thee1 who is he    
that sinneth not in ignorance8 ,yea1 and
 oft times it falleth that ,god         
suffereth those men to fall full        
grievously by the which ,he hath        
ordained other men's errors to be       
righted1 that they may learn by their   
own falling how merciful they shall be  
in amending of others4 ,and for that oft
 times men fall grievously in those same
 sins that they most hate1 therefore1   
after hatred of sin1 springeth ordained 
shame in a man's soul2 and so it is that
 after ,zebulun was ,dinah born4 ,as by 
,zebulun hatred of sin1 so by ,dinah is 
understanden ordained shame of sin4 ,but
 wete thou well3 he that felt never     
,zebulun1 felt never yet ,dinah4 ,evil  
men have a manner of shame1 but it is   
not this ordained shame4 ,for why1 if   
they had perfect shame of sin1 they     
should not so customably do it with will
 and advisement2#if but they shame more 
with a foul cloth on their body1 than   

with a foul thought in their soul4 ,but 
what so thou be that weenest that thou  
hast gotten ,dinah1 think whether thee  
would shame as much if a foul thought   
were in thine heart1 as thee would if   
thou were made to stand naked before the
 king and all his royalme2 and sikerly  
else wete it thou right well that thou  
hast not yet gotten ordained shame in   
thy feeling1 if so be that thou have    
less shame with thy foul heart than with
 thy foul body1 and if thou think more  
shame with thy foul body in the sight of
 men than with thy foul heart in the    
sight of the ,king of heaven and of all 
,his angels and holy saints in heaven4  
,lo1 it is now said of the seven        
children of ,leah1 by the which are     
understanden seven manner of affections 
in a man's soul1 the which may be now   
ordained and now unordained1 now        
measured and now unmeasured2 but when   
they are ordained and measured1 then are
 they virtues2 and when they are        
unordained and unmeasured1 then are they

 vices4 ,thus behoveth a man have       
children#ig that they be not only       
ordained1 but also measured4 ,then are  
they ordained when they are of that     
thing that they should be1 and then are 
they unordained when they are of that   
thing that they should not be2 and then 
are they measured when they are as much 
as they should be1 and then are they    
unmeasured when they are more than they 
should be4 ,for why1 overmuch dread     
bringeth in despair1 and overmuch sorrow
 casteth a man in to bitterness and     
heaviness of kind1#ih for the which he  
is unable to receive ghostly comfort4   
,and overmuch hope is presumption1 and  
outrageous love is but flattering and   
faging1#ii and outrageous gladness is   
dissolution and wantonness1 and         
untempered hatred of sin is             
woodness4#ajj ,and on this manner1 they 
are unordained and unmeasured1 and thus 
are they turned in to vices1 and then   
lose they the name of virtues1 and may  
not be accounted amongst the sons of    

,jacob1 that is to say1 ,god3 for by    
,jacob is understanden ,god1 as it is   
shewed in the figure before4            
,,capitulum ,x  ,,how ,,discretion ,,and
 ,,contemplation ,,rise ,,in ,,the      
,,reason   ,thus it seemeth that the    
virtue of discretion needeth to be had1 
with the which all others may be        
governed2 for without it all virtues are
 turned in to vices4 ,this is ,joseph1  
that is the late born child1 but yet his
 father loveth him more than them all4  
,for why1 without discretion may neither
 goodness be gotten nor kept1 and       
therefore no wonder though that virtue  
be singularly loved1 without which no   
virtue may be had nor governed4 ,but    
what wonder though this virtue be late  
gotten1 when we may not win to the      
perfection of discretion without much   
custom and many travails of these other 
affections coming before8 ,for first    
behoveth us to be used in each virtue by
 itself1 and get the proof of them all  
serely1#aja ere we may have full knowing

 of them all1 or else can deem          
sufficiently of them all4 ,and when we  
use us busily in these feelings and     
beholdings before said1 oft times we    
fall and oft times we rise4 ,then1 by   
our oft falling1 may we learn how much  
wariness us behoveth have in the getting
 and keeping of these virtues4 ,and thus
 sometime1 by long use1 a soul is led   
into full discretion1 and then it may   
joy in the birth of ,joseph4 ,and before
 this virtue be conceived in a man's    
soul1 all that these other virtues do1  
it is without discretion4 ,and          
therefore1 in as much as a man presumeth
 and enforceth him in any of these      
feelings beforesaid1 over his might and 
out of measure1 in so much the fouler he
 falleth and faileth of his purpose4    
,and therefore it is that1 after them   
all and last1 is ,dinah born2 for often1
 after a foul fall and a failing1 cometh
 soon shame4 ,and thus after many       
failings and failings1 and shames       
following1 a man learneth by the proof  

that there is nothing better than to be 
ruled after counsel1 the which is the   
readiest getting of discretion4 ,for    
why1 he that doth all things with       
counsel1 he shall never forthink#ajb it2
 for better is a sly man than a strong  
man2 yea1 and better is list than lither
 strength1#ajc and a sly man speaketh of
 victories4 ,and here is the open skill 
why that neither ,leah nor ,zilpah nor  
,bilhah might bear such a child1 but    
only ,rachel2 for1 as it is said before1
 that of reason springeth right counsel1
 the which is very discretion1          
understanden by ,joseph1 the first son  
of ,rachel2 and then at the first bring 
we forth ,joseph in our reason when all 
that we are stirred to do1 we do it with
 counsel4 ,this ,joseph shall not only  
know what sins we are most stirred unto1
 but also he shall know the weakness of 
our kind1 and after that either asketh1 
so shall he do remedy1 and seek counsel 
at wiser than he1 and do after them1 or 
else he is not ,joseph1 ,jacob's son    

born of ,rachel4 ,and also by this      
foresaid#ajd ,joseph a man is not only  
learned to eschew the deceits of his    
enemies1 but also oft a man is led by   
him to the perfect knowing of himself2  
and all after that a man knoweth        
himself1 thereafter he profiteth in the 
knowing of ,god1 of whom he is the image
 and the likeness4 ,and therefore it is 
that after ,joseph is ,benjamin born4   
,for as by ,joseph discretion1 so by    
,benjamin we understand contemplation4  
,and both are they born of one mother1  
and gotten of one father4 ,for through  
the grace of ,god lightening our reason1
 come we to the perfect knowing of      
ourself and of ,god1 that is to say1    
after that it may be in this life4 ,but 
long after ,joseph is ,benjamin born4   
,for why1 truly but if it so be that we 
use us busily and long in ghostly       
travails1 with the which we are learned 
to know ourself1 we may not be raised in
 to the knowing and contemplation of    
,god4 ,he doth for nought that lifteth  

up his eye to the sight of ,god1 that is
 not yet able to see himself4 ,for first
 ,i would that a man learned him to know
 the unseeable#aje things of his own    
spirit1 ere he presume to know the      
unseeable things of the spirit of ,god2 
and he that knoweth not yet himself and 
weeneth that he hath gotten somedeal    
knowing of the unseeable things of ,god1
 ,i doubt it not but that he is         
deceived2 and therefore ,i rede that a  
man seek first busily for to know       
himself1 the which is made to the image 
and the likeness of ,god as in soul4    
,and wete thou well that he that        
desireth for to see ,god1 him behoveth  
to cleanse his soul1 the which is as a  
mirror in the which all things are      
clearly seen1 when it is clean2 and when
 the mirror is foul1 then mayst thou see
 nothing clearly therein2 and right so  
it is of thy soul1 when it is foul1     
neither thou knowest thyself nor ,god4  
,as when the candle brenneth1 thou mayst
 then see the self candle#ajf by the    

light thereof1 and other things also2   
right so1 when thy soul brenneth in the 
love of ,god1 that is1 when thou feelest
 continually thine heart desire after   
the love of ,god1 then1 by the light of 
,his grace that ,he sendeth in thy      
reason1 thou mayst see both thine own   
unworthiness and ,his great goodness4   
,and therefore cleanse thy mirror and   
proffer thy candle to the fire2 and     
then1 when thy mirror is cleansed and   
thy candle brenning1 and it so be that  
thou wittily behold thereto1 then       
beginneth there a manner of clarity of  
the light of ,god for to shine in thy   
soul1 and a manner of sunbeam that is   
ghostly to appear before thy ghostly    
sight1 through the which the eye of thy 
soul is opened to behold ,god and godly 
things1 heaven and heavenly things1 and 
all manner of ghostly things4 ,but this 
sight is but by times1 when ,god will   
vouchsafe for to give it to a           
working#ajg soul1 the whiles it is in   
the battle of this deadly life2 but     

after this life it shall be everlasting4
 ,this light shone in the soul of       
,david1 when he said thus in the psalm3 
,lord1 the light of ,thy face is marked 
upon us2 ,thou hast given gladness      
within mine heart4#ajh ,the light of    
,god's face is the shining of ,his      
grace1 that reformeth in us ,his image  
that hath been disfigured with the      
darkness of sin2 and therefore a soul   
that brenneth in desire of ,his         
sight1#aji if it hope for to have that  
that it desireth1 wete it well it hath  
conceived ,benjamin4 ,and1 therefore1   
what is more healfull#aaj than the      
sweetness of this sight1 or what softer 
thing may be felt8 ,sikerly1 none2 and  
that woteth ,rachel full well4 ,for why1
 reason saith that1 in comparison of    
this sweetness1 all other sweetness is  
sorrow1 and bitter as gall before honey4
 ,nevertheless1 yet may a man never come
 to such a grace by his own slight4#aaa 
,for why1 it is the gift of ,god without
 desert of man4 ,but without doubt1     

though it be not the desert of man1 yet 
no man may take such grace without great
 study and brenning desires coming      
before2 and that woteth ,rachel full    
well1 and therefore she multiplieth her 
study1 and whetteth her desires1 seeking
 desire upon desire2#aab so that at the 
last1 in great abundance of brenning    
desires and sorrow of the delaying of   
her desire1 ,benjamin is born1 and his  
mother ,rachel dieth2#aac for why1 in   
what time that a soul is ravished above 
itself by abundance of desires and a    
great multitude of love1 so that it is  
inflamed with the light of the ,godhead1
 sikerly then dieth all man's reason4   
,and therefore1 what so thou be that    
covetest to come to contemplation of    
,god1 that is to say1 to bring forth    
such a child that men clepen in the     
story ,benjamin 7that is to say1 sight  
of ,god71 then shalt thou use thee in   
this manner4 ,thou shalt call together  
thy thoughts and thy desires1 and make  
thee of them a church1 and learn thee   

therein for to love only this good word 
,jesu1 so that all thy desires and all  
thy thoughts are only set for to love   
,jesu1 and that unceasingly as it may be
 here2 so that thou fulfill that is said
 in the psalm3 ,lord1 ,i shall bless    
,thee in churches2#aad that is1 in      
thoughts and desires of the love of     
,jesu4 ,and then1 in this church of     
thoughts and desires1 and in this       
onehead of studies and of wills1 look   
that all thy thoughts1 and all thy      
desires1 and all thy studies1 and all   
thy wills be only set in the love and   
the praising of this ,lord ,jesu1       
without forgetting1 as far forth as thou
 mayst by grace1 and as thy frailty will
 suffer2 evermore meeking thee to prayer
 and to counsel1 patiently abiding the  
will of our ,lord1 unto the time that   
thy mind be ravished above itself1 to be
 fed with the fair food of angels in the
 beholding of ,god and ghostly          
things3#aae so that it be fulfilled in  
thee that is written in the psalm3 ,ibi 

,benjamin adolesentulus in mentis       
excessu2#aaf that is3 ,there is         
,benjamin1 the young child1 in ravishing
 of mind4 ,the grace of ,jesu keep thee 
evermore4#aag ,amen  ,,deo ,,gratias    
,,ii4  ,,here ,,followeth ,,divers      
,,doctrines ,,devout ,,and ,,fruitful1  
,,taken ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,life ,,of    
,,that ,,glorious ,,virgin ,,and        
,,spouse ,,of ,,our ,,lord1 ,,saint     
,,katherin ,,of ,,seenes4 ,,and ,,first 
,,those ,,which ,,our ,,lord ,,taught   
,,and ,,shewed ,,to ,,herself1 ,,and    
,,sith ,,those ,,which ,,she ,,taught   
,,and ,,shewed ,,unto ,,others   ,,the  
first doctrine of our ,lord is this3    
,knowest thou not1 daughter1 who thou   
art and who ,i am8 ,if thou know well   
these two words1 thou art and shalt be  
blessed4 ,thou art she that art nought2 
and ,i am ,he that am ought4#aah ,if    
thou have the very knowledge of these   
two things in thy soul1 thy ghostly     
enemy shall never deceive thee1 but thou
 shalt eschew graciously all his        

malice2#aai and thou shalt never consent
 to any thing that is against ,my       
commandments and precepts1 but all      
grace1 all truth1 and all charity thou  
shalt win without any hardness4  ,the   
second doctrine of our ,lord is this3   
,think on ,me1 and ,i shall think on    
thee4  ,in declaring of which doctrine  
she was wont to say that3  ,a soul which
 is verily united to ,god perceiveth    
not1 seeth not1 nor loveth not herself1 
nor none other soul1 nor hath no mind of
 no creature but only on ,god4  ,and    
these words she expoundeth more         
expressly1 and saith thus3  ,such a soul
 seeth herself1 that she is very nought 
of herself1 and knoweth perfectly that  
all the goodness1 with all the mights of
 the soul1 is her ,maker's4 ,she        
forsaketh utterly herself and all       
creatures1 and hideth herself fully in  
her ,maker1 our ,lord ,jesu2 in so much 
that she sendeth fully and principally  
all her ghostly and bodily workings in  
to ,him2 in whom she perceiveth that she

 may find all goodness1 and all         
perfection of blessedness4 ,and1        
therefore1 she shall have no will to go 
out from such inward knowledge of ,him  
for nothing4#abj ,and of this unity of  
love1 that is increased every day in    
such a soul1 she is transformed in a    
manner in to our ,lord1 that she may    
neither think1 nor understand1 nor love1
 nor have no mind but ,god1 or else in  
,god4 ,for she may not see herself1 nor 
none other creature1 but only in ,god2  
nor she may not love herself1 nor none  
other1 but only in ,god2 nor she may    
have no mind of herself nor of none     
other1 but only in ,god1 nor she may    
have no mind but only of her ,maker4    
,and therefore1 she said1 we shall have 
none other business but only to think   
how we may please ,him1 unto whom we    
have committed all our governance both  
in body and soul4  ,the third doctrine  
of our ,lord is this2 in obtaining of   
virtue and ghostly strength3  ,daughter1
 if thou wilt get unto thee virtue and  

also ghostly strength1#aba thou must    
follow ,me4 ,albeit that ,i might by ,my
 godly virtue have overcome all the     
power of the fiends by many manner ways 
of overcoming1 yet1 for to give you     
ensample by ,my manhood1 ,i would not   
overcome him but only by taking of death
 upon the ,cross1 that ye might be      
taught thereby1 if ye will overcome your
 ghostly enemies1 for to take the ,cross
 as ,i did2 the which ,cross shall be to
 you a great refreshing in all your     
temptations1 if ye have mind of the     
pains that ,i suffered thereon4#abb ,and
 certainly the pains of the ,cross may  
well be called refreshing of            
temptations1 for the more pain ye suffer
 for ,my love1 the more like ye be to   
,me4 ,and if ye be so like to ,me in    
passion1 needs ye must be like to ,me in
 joy4#abc ,therefore for ,my love1      
daughter1 suffer patiently bitter       
things1 and not sweet things2 and doubt 
in no wise1 for thou shalt be strong    
enough for to suffer all things         

patiently4  ,the first doctrine of this 
glorious virgin is this3  ,a soul which 
is verily mete#abd to ,god1 as much as  
it hath of the love of ,god1 so much it 
hath of the hate of her own sensuality4 
,for of the love of ,god naturally      
cometh hate of sin1 the which is done   
against ,god4 ,the soul1 therefore1     
considering that the root and beginning 
of sin reigneth in the sensuality1 and  
there principally is rooted1 she is     
moved and stirred highly and holily with
 all her mights against her own         
sensuality2 not utterly to destroy the  
root1 for that may not be1 as long as   
the soul dwelleth in the body living in 
this life1 but ever there shall be left 
a root1 namely of small venial sins4    
,and because she may not utterly destroy
 the root of sin thus in her sensuality1
 she conceiveth a great displeasaunce   
against her sensuality1 of the which    
displeasaunce springeth an holy hate and
 a despising of the sensuality1 by the  
which the soul is ever well kept from   

her ghostly enemies4 ,there is nothing  
that keepeth the soul so strong and so  
sure as doth such an holy hate4 ,and    
that felt well the ,apostle1 when he    
said3 ,cum infirmor1 tonc fortior sum et
 potens2#abe that is3 ,when ,i am sick  
and feeble in my sensuality by hate of  
sin1 then am ,i stronger and mightier in
 my soul4 ,lo1 of such hate cometh      
virtue1 of such feebleness cometh       
strength1 and of such displeasaunce     
cometh pleasaunce4 ,this holy hate      
maketh a man meek1 and to feel meek     
things of himself4 ,it maketh him       
patient in adversity1 temperate in      
prosperity1 and setteth him in all      
honesty of virtue1 and maketh him to be 
loved both of ,god and man4 ,and where  
this holy hate is not1 there is         
inordinate love1 which is the stinking  
canal of all sin1 and root#abf of all   
evil concupiscence4 ,do therefore1 she  
saith1 your business to put away such   
inordinate love of your own self1 out of
 your hearts1 and plant therein holy    

hate of sin4 ,for certain that is the   
right way to perfection1 and amendment  
of all sin4  ,here is a common answer   
which she used to say to the fiends3  ,i
 trust in my ,lord ,jesu ,christ1 and   
not in myself4  ,here is a rule how we  
shall behave us in time of temptation3  
,when temptation1 she saith1 ariseth in 
us1 we should never dispute nor make    
questions2 for that is1 she saith1 that 
the fiend most seeketh of us for to fall
 in questions with him4 ,he trusteth so 
highly in the great subtlety of his     
malice1 that he should overcome us with 
his sophistical reasons4 ,therefore a   
soul should never make questions1 nor   
answer to the questions of the fiend1   
but rather turn her to devout prayer1   
and commend her to our ,lord that she   
consent not to his subtle demands2 for  
by virtue of devout prayer1 and         
steadfast faith1 we may overcome all the
 subtle temptations of the fiend4  ,here
 is a good conceit of this holy maid to 
eschew the temptations of the fiend3    

,it happeneth1 she said1 that           
otherwhile#abg the devout fervour of a  
soul loving our ,lord ,jesu1 either by  
some certain sin1 or else by some new   
subtle temptations of the fiend1 waxeth 
dull and slow1 and otherwhile it is     
brought to very coldness2#abh in so much
 that some unwitty folks1 considering   
that they be destitute from the ghostly 
comfort the which they were wont to     
have1 leave#abi therefore the ghostly   
exercise that they were wont to use of  
prayer1 of meditations1 of reading1 of  
holy communications1 and of penance     
doing2 whereby they be made more ready  
to be overcome of the fiend4 ,for he    
desireth nothing else of ,christ's      
knights1 but that they should put away  
their armour by the which they were wont
 to overcome their enemies4 ,a wise     
knight of our ,lord ,jesu should not do 
so4 ,but thus1 the more he feeleth#acj  
himself dull and slow1 or cold in       
devotion1 the rather he should continue 
in his ghostly exercise1 and not for to 

make them less1 but rather increase     
them4  ,here is another doctrine of this
 holy maid1 the which she used to say to
 herself in edifying of others3  ,thou  
vile and wretched creature1 art thou    
worthy any manner of comfort in this    
life8 ,why hast thou not mind of thy    
sins8 ,what supposest thou of thyself1  
wretched sinner8 ,is it not enough to   
thee1 trowest thou not1 that thou art   
escaped by the mercy of our ,lord from  
everlasting damnation8 ,therefore thou  
shouldest be well apaid1#aca wretch1    
though thou suffer all the pains and    
darkness of thy soul all the days of thy
 life4 ,why art thou1 then1 heavy and   
sorrowful to suffer such pains1 sith by 
,god's grace thou shalt escape endless  
pains with ,christ ,jesu without any    
doubt1 and be comforted endlessly1 if   
thou bear these pains patiently4        
,whether hast thou chosen to serve our  
,lord only for the comfort that thou    
mayst have of ,him in this life8 ,nay1  
but for the comfort that thou shalt have

 of ,him in the bliss of heaven4        
,therefore arise up now1 and cease never
 of thy ghostly exercise that thou hast 
used1 but rather increase to them more4 
,here is an answer by the which she had 
a final victory of the fiend1 after long
 threats of intolerable pains3  ,i have 
chosen pain for my refreshing1 and      
therefore it is not hard to me to suffer
 them1 but rather delectable for the    
love of my ,saviour1 as long as it      
pleaseth ,his ,majesty that ,i shall    
suffer them4  ,here is a doctrine of the
 said virgin1 how we should use the     
grace of our ,lord3  ,who so could use  
the grace of our ,lord1 he should ever  
have the victory of all things that     
falleth to him4 ,for as often1 she said1
 as any new thing falleth to a man1 be  
it of prosperity or adversity1 he should
 think in himself thus3 ,of this will ,i
 win somewhat4 ,for he that can do so1  
shall soon be rich in virtue4  ,here    
followeth notable doctrines of this holy
 maid1 taken of her sermon which she    

made to her disciples before her        
passing1 and the first was this3  ,what 
so ever he be that cometh to the service
 of ,god1 if he will have ,god truly1 it
 is needful to him that he make his     
heart naked from all sensible love1 not 
only of certain persons but of every    
creature what that ever he be1 and then 
he should stretch up his soul to our    
,lord and our ,maker1 simply1 with all  
the desire of his heart4 ,for an heart  
may not wholly be given to ,god1 but if 
it be free from all other love1 open and
 simple without doubleness4 ,and so she 
affirmed of herself1 that it was her    
principal labour and business from her  
young age unto that time1 ever for to   
come to that perfection4 ,also she said 
that she knew well that to such a state 
of perfection1 in the which all the     
heart is given to ,god1 a soul may not  
come perfectly without meditation of    
devout prayer1 and that the prayer be   
grounded in meekness1 and that it come  
not forth and proceed by any trust of   

any manner of virtue of him that        
prayeth1 but alway he should know       
himself to be right nought4 ,for she    
said that that was ever her business1 to
 give herself to the exercise of prayer1
 so for to win the continual habit of   
prayer2 for she did see well that by    
prayer all virtues are increased1 and   
made mighty and strong2 and1 without    
prayer1 they wax feeble and defail4#acb 
,wherefore she induced her disciples    
that they should busy them to prayer    
perseverauntly2 and therefore she told  
them of two manner of prayers3#acc      
,vocal and ,mental4 ,vocal prayers1 she 
said1 should be kept certain hours in   
the night and in the day ordained by    
holy ,church2 but mental prayer should  
ever be had1 in act or in habit of the  
soul4 ,also she said that1 by the light 
of quick faith1 she saw clearly and     
conceived in her soul that what that    
ever befell to her1 or to any others1   
all cometh from ,god1 not for hate but  
for great love that ,he hath to ,his    

creatures2 and by#acd this quick faith  
she conceived in herself a love and a   
readiness to obey as well to the        
precepts of her sovereigns1#ace as to   
the commandments of ,god1 ever thinking 
that their precepts should come from    
,god1 either for need of herself1 or    
else for increase of virtue in her soul4
 ,also she said1 for to get and purchase
 purity of soul1 it were right necessary
 that a man kept himself from all manner
 of judgments of his neighbour1 and from
 all idle speaking of his#acf           
neighbour's deeds2 for in every creature
 we should behold only the will of ,god4
 ,and therefore she said that in no wise
 men should deem#acg creatures2 that is1
 neither despise them by their doom#ach 
nor condemn them1 all be it that they   
see them do open sin before them2 but   
rather they should have compassion on   
them and pray for them1 and despise them
 not1 nor condemn them4 ,also she said  
that she had great hope and trust in    
,god's providence2 for1 she said1 she   

knew well#aci by experience that the    
,divine providence was and is a passing 
great thing1 for it wanteth never to    
them that hopeth in it4  ,,deo ,,gratis 
,,iii4  ,,here ,,beginneth ,a ,,short   
,,treatise ,,of ,,contemplation ,,taught
 ,,by ,,our ,,lord ,,jesu ,,christ1 ,,or
 ,,taken ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of   
,,margery ,,kempe1 ,,ancress ,,of ,,lynn
   ,,she desired many times that her    
head might be smitten off with an axe   
upon a block for the love of our ,lord  
,jesu4 ,then said our ,lord ,jesu in her
 mind3 ,i thank thee1 daughter1 that    
thou wouldest die for ,my love2 for as  
often as thou thinkest so1 thou shalt   
have the same meed in heaven1 as if thou
 suffredest the same death1 and yet     
there shall no man slay thee4  ,i assure
 thee in thy mind1 if it were possible  
for ,me to suffer pain again1 as ,i have
 done before1 ,me were lever to suffer  
as much pain as ever ,i did for thy soul
 alone1 rather than thou shouldest      
depart from ,me everlastingly4          

,daughter1 thou mayst no better please  
,god1 than to think continually in ,his 
love4  ,then she asked our ,lord ,jesu  
,christ1 how she should best love ,him4 
,and our ,lord said3 ,have mind of thy  
wickedness1 and think on ,my goodness4  
,daughter1 if thou wear the habergeon or
 the hair1#adj fasting bread and water1 
and if thou saidest every day a thousand
 ,pater ,nosters1 thou shalt#ada not    
please ,me so well as thou dost when    
thou art in silence1 and suffrest ,me to
 speak in thy soul4  ,daughter1 for to  
bid many beads1 it is good to them that 
can not better do1 and yet it is not    
perfect4#adb ,but it is a good way      
toward perfection4 ,for ,i tell thee1   
daughter1 they that be great fasters1   
and great doers of penance1 they would  
that it should be holden the best       
life4#adc ,and they that give them unto 
many devotions1 they would have that the
 best life4 ,and those that give much   
almesse1 they would that it were holden 
the best life4 ,and ,i have often told  

thee1 daughter1 that thinking1 weeping1 
and high contemplation is the best life 
in earth1 and thou shalt have more merit
 in heaven for one year thinking in thy 
mind than for an hundred year of praying
 with thy mouth2 and yet thou wilt not  
believe ,me1 for thou wilt bid many     
beads4#add  ,daughter1 if thou knew how 
sweet thy love is to ,me1 thou wouldest 
never do other thing but love ,me with  
all thine heart4  ,daughter1 if thou    
wilt be high with ,me in heaven1 keep   
,me alway in thy mind as much as thou   
mayst1 and forget not ,me at thy meat2  
but think alway that ,i sit in thine    
heart and know every thought that is    
therein1 both good and bad4  ,daughter1 
,i have suffered many pains for thy     
love2 therefore thou hast great cause to
 love ,me right well1 for ,i have bought
 thy love full dear4  ,dear ,lord1 she  
said1 ,i pray ,thee1 let me never have  
other joy in earth1 but mourning and    
weeping for ,thy love2 for me thinketh1 
,lord1 though ,i were in hell1 if ,i    

might weep there and mourn for ,thy love
 as ,i do here1 hell should not noye#ade
 me1 but it should be a manner of       
heaven4 ,for ,thy love putteth away all 
manner of dread of our ghostly enemy2   
for ,i had lever be there1 as long as   
,thou wouldest1 and please ,thee1 than  
to be in this world and displease ,thee2
 therefore1 good ,lord1 as ,thou wilt1  
so may#adf it be4  ,she had great wonder
 that our ,lord would become man1 and   
suffer so grievous pains1 for her that  
was so unkind a creature to ,him4 ,and  
then1 with great weeping1 she asked our 
,lord ,jesu how she might best please   
,him2 and ,he answered to her soul1     
saying3 ,daughter1 have mind of thy     
wickedness1 and think on ,my goodness4  
,then she prayed many times and often   
these words3 ,lord1 for ,thy great      
goodness1 have mercy on my great        
wickedness1 as certainly as ,i was never
 so wicked as ,thou art good1 nor never 
may be though ,i would2 for ,thou art so
 good1 that ,thou mayst no better be2   

and1 therefore1 it is great wonder that 
ever any man should be departed from    
,thee without end4  ,when she saw the   
,crucifix1 or if she saw a man had a    
wound1 or a beast1 or if a man beat a   
child before her1 or smote a horse or   
another beast with a whip1 if she might 
see it or hear it1 she thought she saw  
our ,lord beaten or wounded1 like as she
 saw in the man or in the beast4  ,the  
more she increased in love and in       
devotion1 the more she increased in     
sorrow and contrition1 in lowliness#adg 
and meekness1 and in holy dread of our  
,lord ,jesu1 and in knowledge of her own
 frailty4 ,so that if she saw any       
creature be punished or sharply         
chastised1 she would think that she had 
been more worthy to be chastised than   
that creature was1 for her unkindness   
against ,god4 ,then would she weep for  
her own sin1 and for compassion of that 
creature4  ,our ,lord said to her3 ,in  
nothing that thou dost or sayest1       
daughter1 thou mayst no better please   

,god than believe that ,he loveth thee4 
,for1 if it were possible that ,i might 
weep with thee1 ,i would weep with thee 
for the compassion that ,i have of thee4
  ,our merciful ,lord ,jesu ,christ drew
 this creature unto ,his love1 and to   
the mind of ,his passion1 that she might
 not endure to behold a leper1 or       
another sick man1 specially if he had   
any wounds appearing on him4 ,so she    
wept as if she had seen our ,lord ,jesu 
with ,his wounds bleeding2 and so she   
did1 in the sight of the soul2 for1     
through the beholding of the sick man1  
her mind was all ravished in to our     
,lord ,jesu1 that she had great mourning
 and sorrowing that she might not kiss  
the leper when she met them in the way1 
for the love of our ,lord3 which was all
 contrary to her disposition in the     
years of her youth and prosperity1 for  
then she abhorred them most4  ,our ,lord
 said3 ,daughter1 thou hast desired in  
thy mind to have many priests in the    
town of ,lynn1 that might sing and read 

night and day for to serve ,me1 worship 
,me1 and praise ,me1 and thank ,me for  
the goodness that ,i have done to thee  
in earth2 and therefore1 daughter1 ,i   
promise thee that thou shalt have meed  
and reward in heaven for the good wills 
and good desires1 as if thou haddest    
done them in deed4  ,daughter1 thou     
shalt have as great meed and as great   
reward with ,me in heaven1 for thy good 
service and thy good deeds that thou    
hast done in thy mind1 as if thou       
haddest done the same with thy bodily   
wits withoutforth4#adh  ,and1 daughter1 
,i thank thee for the charity that thou 
hast to all lecherous men and women2 for
 thou prayest for them and weepest for  
them many a tear1 desiring that ,i      
should deliver them out of sin1 and be  
as gracious to them as ,i was to ,mary  
,magdalene1 that they might have as much
 grace to love ,me as ,mary ,magdalene  
had2 and with this condition thou       
wouldest that everich#adi of them should
 have twenty pounds a year to love and  

praise ,me2 and1 daughter1 this great   
charity which thou hast to them in thy  
prayer pleaseth ,me right well4 ,and1   
daughter1 also ,i thank thee for the    
charity which thou hast in thy prayer1  
when thou prayest for all ,jews and     
,saracens1 and all heathen people that  
they should come to ,christian faith1   
that ,my name might be magnified in     
them4 ,furthermore1 daughter1 ,i thank  
thee for the general charity that thou  
hast to all people that be now in this  
world1 and to all those that are to come
 unto the world's end2 that thou        
wouldest be hacked as small as flesh to 
the pot for their love1 so that ,i would
 by thy death save them all from        
damnation1 if it pleased ,me4 ,and1     
therefore1 daughter1 for all these good 
wills and desires1 thou shalt have full 
meed and reward in heaven1 believe it   
right well and doubt never a deal4  ,she
 said3 ,good ,lord1 ,i would be laid    
naked upon an hurdle for ,thy love1 all 
men to wonder on me and to cast filth   

and dirt on me1 and be drawen from town 
to town every day my life time1 if ,thou
 were pleased thereby1 and no man's soul
 hindered4 ,thy will be fulfilled and   
not mine4  ,daughter1 ,he said1 as      
oftentimes as thou sayest or thinkest3  
,worshipped be all the holy places in   
,jerusalem1 where ,christ suffered      
bitter pain and passion in3 thou shalt  
have the same pardon as if thou were    
there with thy bodily presence1 both to 
thyself and to all those that thou wilt 
give to4#aej  ,the same pardon that was 
granted thee aforetime1 it was confirmed
 on ,saint ,nicholas day1 that is to    
say1 playne#aea remission2 and it is not
 only granted to thee1 but also to all  
those that believe1 and to all those    
that shall believe unto the world's end1
 that ,god loveth thee1 and shall thank 
,god for thee4 ,if they will forsake    
their sin1 and be in full will no more  
to turn again thereto1 but be sorry and 
heavy for that they have done1 and will 
do due penance therefore1 they shall    

have the same pardon that is granted to 
thyself2 and that is all the pardon that
 is in ,jerusalem1#aeb as was granted   
thee when thou were at ,rafnys4#aec     
,that day that she suffered no          
tribulation for our ,lord's sake1 she   
was not merry nor glad1 as that day when
 she suffered tribulation4  ,our ,lord  
,jesus said unto her3 ,patience is more 
worth than miracles doing4 ,daughter1 it
 is more pleasure to ,me that thou      
suffer despites1 scorns1 shames1        
reproofs1 wrongs1 and diseases1 than if 
thine head were stricken off three times
 a day every day in seven year4  ,lord1 
she said1 for ,thy great pain have mercy
 on my little pain4  ,when she was in   
great trouble1 our ,lord said3          
,daughter1 ,i must needs comfort thee1  
for now thou hast the right way to      
heaven4 ,by this way came ,i and all ,my
 disciples2 for now thou shalt know the 
better what sorrow and shame ,i suffered
 for thy love1 and thou shalt have the  
more compassion when thou thinkest on   

,my passion4  ,o my dear worthy ,lord1  
said she1 these graces ,thou shouldest  
shew to religious men and to priests4   
,our ,lord said to her again3 ,nay1 nay1
 daughter1 for that ,i love best that   
they love not1 and that is shames1      
reproofs1 scorns1 and despites of the   
people2 and therefore they shall not    
have this grace2 for1 daughter1 he that 
dreadeth the shames of this world may   
not perfectly love ,god4  ,here endeth a
 short treatise of a devout ancress     
called ,margery ,kempe of ,lynn         
,,iv4  ,,here ,,followeth ,a ,,devout   
,,treatise ,,compiled ,,by ,,master     
,,walter ,,hylton ,,of ,,the ,,song ,,of
 ,,angels   ,,dear brother in ,christ1  
,i have understanding by thine own      
speech1 and also by telling of another  
man1 that thou yearnest and desirest    
greatly for to have more knowledge and  
understanding than thou hast of angel's 
song and heavenly sound2 what it is1 and
 on what wise it is perceived and felt  
in a man's soul1 and how a man may be   

siker that it is true and not feigned2  
and how it is made by the presence of   
the good angel1 and not by the inputting
 of the evil angel4 ,these things thou  
wouldest wete of me2 but1 soothly1 ,i   
cannot tell thee for a surety the       
soothfastness of this matter2           
nevertheless somewhat1 as me thinketh1  
,i shall shew thee in a short word4     
,wete thou well that the end and the    
sovereignty of perfection standeth in   
very onehead#aed of ,god and of a man's 
soul by perfect charity4 ,this onehead1 
then1 is verily made when the mights of 
the soul are reformed by grace to the   
dignity and the state of the first      
condition2 that is1 when the mind is    
stabled sadly1#aee without changing and 
vagation1#aef in ,god and ghostly       
things1 and when the reason is cleared  
from all worldly and fleshly beholdings1
 and from all bodily imaginations1      
figures1 and fantasies of creatures1 and
 is illumined by grace to behold ,god   
and ghostly things1 and when the will   

and the affection is purified and       
cleansed from all fleshly1 kindly1 and  
worldly love1 and is inflamed with      
brenning love of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this
 wonderful onehead may not be           
fulfilled#aeg perfectly1 continually1   
and wholly in this life1 for the        
corruption of the flesh1 but only in the
 bliss of heaven4 ,nevertheless1 the    
nearer that a soul in this present life 
may come to this onehead1 the more      
perfect it is4 ,for the more that it is 
reformed by grace to the image and the  
likeness of its ,creator here on this   
wise2 the more joy and bliss shall it   
have in heaven4 ,our ,lord ,god is an   
endless being without changing1 almighty
 without failing1 sovereign wisdom1     
light1 soothness without error or       
darkness2 sovereign goodness1 love1     
peace1 and sweetness4 ,then the more    
that a soul is united1 fastened1        
conformed1 and joined to our ,lord1 the 
more stable and mighty it is1 the more  
wise and clear1 good and peaceable1     

loving and more virtuous it is1 and so  
it is more perfect4 ,for a soul that    
hath by the grace of ,jesu1 and long    
travail of bodily and ghostly exercise1 
overcome and destroyed concupiscences1  
and passions1 and unskilful             
stirrings#aeh within itself1 and without
 in the sensuality1 and is clothed all  
in virtues1 as in meekness and mildness1
 in patience and softness1 in ghostly   
strength and righteousness1 in          
continence1 in wisdom1 in truth1 hope   
and charity2 then it is made perfect1 as
 it may be in this life4 ,much comfort  
it receiveth of our ,lord1 not only     
inwardly in its own privy substance1#aei
 by virtue of the onehead to our ,lord  
that lieth in knowing and loving of     
,god1 in light and ghostly brenning of  
,him1 in transforming of the soul in to 
the ,godhead2 but also many other       
comforts1 savours1 sweetnesses1 and     
wonderful feelings on sere#afj or sundry
 manners1 after that our ,lord          
vouchethsafe to visit ,his creatures    

here in earth1 and after that the soul  
profiteth and waxeth in charity4 ,some  
soul1 by virtue of charity that ,god    
giveth it1 is so cleansed1 that all     
creatures1 and all that he heareth1 or  
seeth1 or feeleth by any of his wits1   
turneth him to comfort and gladness2 and
 the sensuality receiveth new savour and
 sweetness in all creatures4#afa ,and   
right as beforetime the likings in the  
sensuality were fleshly1 vain1 and      
vicious1 for the pain of the original   
sin2 right so now they are made ghostly 
and clean1 without bitterness and biting
 of conscience4 ,and this is the        
goodness of our ,lord1 that sith the    
soul is punished in the sensuality1 and 
the flesh is partner of the pain1 that  
afterward the soul be comforted in the  
sensuality1 and the flesh be fellow of  
joy and comfort with the soul1 not      
fleshly1 but ghostly1 as he was fellow  
in tribulation and pain4 ,this is the   
freedom and the lordship1 the dignity1  
and the worship that a man#afb hath over

 all creatures1 the which dignity he may
 so recover by grace here1 that every   
creature savour to him as it is4 ,and   
that is1 when by grace he seeth1 he     
heareth1 he feeleth only ,god in all    
creatures4 ,on this manner of wise a    
soul is made ghostly in the sensuality  
by abundance of charity1 that is1 in the
 substance of the soul4 ,also1 our ,lord
 comforteth a soul by angel's song4     
,what that song is1 it may not be       
described by no bodily likeness1 for it 
is ghostly1 and above all manner of     
imagination and reason4 ,it may be felt 
and perceived in a soul1 but it may not 
be shewed4 ,nevertheless1 ,i shall speak
 thereof to thee as me thinketh4 ,when a
 soul is purified by the love of ,god1  
illumined by wisdom1 stabled by the     
might of ,god1 then is the eye of the   
soul opened to behold ghostly things1 as
 virtues and angels and holy souls1 and 
heavenly things4#afc ,then is the soul  
able because of cleanness to feel the   
touching1 the speaking of good angels4  

,this touching and speaking1 it is      
ghostly and not bodily4#afd ,for when   
the soul is lifted and ravished out of  
the sensuality1 and out of mind of any  
earthly things1 then in great fervour of
 love and light 7if our ,lord vouchsafe7
 the soul may hear and feel heavenly    
sound1 made by the presence of angels in
 loving of ,god4 ,not that this song of 
angels is the sovereign joy of the soul2
 but for the difference that is between 
a man's soul in flesh and an angel1     
because of uncleanness1 a soul may not  
hear it1 but by ravishing in love1 and  
needeth for to be purified well clean1  
and fulfilled of much charity1 or#afe it
 were able for to hear heavenly sound4  
,for the sovereign and the essential joy
 is in the love of ,god by ,himself and 
for ,himself1 and the secondary is in   
communing and beholding of angels and   
ghostly creatures4 ,for right as a soul1
 in understanding of ghostly things1 is 
often times touched and moved through   
bodily imagination by working of angels2

 as ,ezekiel the prophet did see in     
bodily imagination the soothfastness of 
,god's privities2#aff right so1 in the  
love of ,god1 a soul by the presence of 
angels is ravished out of mind of all   
earthly and fleshly things in to an     
heavenly joy1 to hear angel's song and  
heavenly sound1 after that the charity  
is more or less4#afg ,now1 then1 me     
thinketh that there may no soul feel    
verily angel's song nor heavenly sound1 
but he be in perfect charity2 though all
 that are in perfect charity have not   
felt it1 but only that soul that is so  
purified in the fire of love that all   
earthly savour is brent out of it1 and  
all mean letting#afh between the soul   
and the cleanness of angels is broken   
and put away from it4 ,then soothly may 
he sing a new song1 and soothly he may  
hear a blessed heavenly sound1 and      
angel's song without deceit or feigning4
 ,our ,lord woteth there that soul is   
that1 for abundance of brenning love1 is
 worthy to hear angel's song4 ,who so   

then will hear angel's song1 and not be 
deceived by feigning of himself1 nor by 
imagination1 nor by the illusion of the 
enemy1 him behoveth for to have perfect 
charity2 and that is when all vain love 
and dread1 vain joy and sorrow1 is cast 
out of the heart1 so that it love       
nothing but ,god1 nor dread nothing but 
,god1 nor joyeth1 nor sorroweth nothing 
but in ,god1 or for ,god4 ,who so might 
by the grace of ,god go this way1 he    
should not err4 ,nevertheless1 some men 
are deceived by their own imagination1  
or by the illusion of the enemy in this 
manner4#afi ,some man1 when he hath long
 travailed bodily and ghostily in       
destroying of sins and getting of       
virtues1 and peradventure hath gotten by
 grace a somedeal#agj rest1 and a       
clarity in conscience1 anon he leaveth  
prayers1 readings of holy scriptures1   
and meditations of the passion of       
,christ1 and the mind of his            
wretchedness2 and1 or#aga he be called  
of ,god1 he gathereth his own visits by 

violence to seek and to behold heavenly 
things1 or his eye be made ghostly by   
grace1 and overtravaileth by            
imaginations his wits1 and by indiscreet
 travailing turneth the brains in his   
head1 and forbreaketh#agb the mights and
 the wits of the soul and of the body4  
,and then1 for feebleness of the brain1 
him thinketh that he heareth wonderful  
sounds and songs2 and that is nothing   
else but a fantasy1 caused of troubling 
of the brain2 as a man that is in a     
frenzy him thinketh that he heareth and 
seeth that none other man doth2 and all 
is but vanity and fantasies of the head1
 or else it is by working of the wicked 
enemy that feigneth such sounds in his  
hearing4  ,for if a man have any        
presumption in his fantasies and in his 
workings1 and thereby falleth in to     
indiscreet imagination1 as it were in a 
frenzy1 and is not ordered nor ruled of 
grace1 nor comforted by ghostly         
strength1 the devil entereth in1 and by 
his false illuminations1 and by his     

false sounds1 and by his false          
sweetnesses1 he deceiveth a man's soul4 
,and of this false ground springeth     
errors1 and heresies1 false prophecies1 
presumptions1 and false reasonings1     
blasphemings1 and slanderings1 and many 
other mischiefs4 ,and1 therefore1 if    
thou see any man ghostly occupied fall  
in any of these sins and these deceits1 
or in frenzies1 wete thou well that he  
never heard nor felt angel's song nor   
heavenly sound4 ,for1 soothly1 he that  
heareth verily angel's song1 he is made 
so wise that he shall never err by      
fantasy1 nor by indiscretion1 nor by no 
slight#agc of working of the devil4     
,also1 some men feel in their hearts as 
it were a ghostly sound1 and sweet songs
 in divers manners2 and this is commonly
 good1 and sometime it may turn to      
deceit4 ,this sound is felt on this     
wise4 ,some man setteth the thought of  
his heart only in the name of ,jesu1 and
 steadfastly holdeth it thereto1 and in 
short time him thinketh that that name  

turneth him to great comfort and        
sweetness1 and him thinketh that the    
name soundeth in his heart delectably1  
as it were a song2 and the virtue of    
this liking is so mighty1 that it       
draweth in all the wits of the soul     
thereto4 ,who so may feel this sound and
 this sweetness verily in his heart1    
wete thou well that it is of ,god1#agd  
and1 as long as he is meek1 he shall not
 be deceived4 ,but this is not angel's  
song2 but it is a song of the soul by   
virtue of the name and by touching of   
the good angel4#age ,for when a soul    
offereth him to ,jesu truly and meekly1 
putting all his trust and his desire in 
,him1 and busily keepeth ,him in his    
mind1 our ,lord ,jesu1 when ,he will1   
pureth#agf the affection of the soul1   
and filleth it1 and feedeth it with     
sweetness of ,himself1 and maketh ,his  
name in the feeling of the soul#agg as  
honey1 and as song1 and as any thing    
that is delectable2 so that it liketh   
the soul evermore for to cry ,jesu1     

,jesu4 ,and not only he hath comfort in 
this1 but also in psalms and hymns1 and 
anthems of holy ,church1 that the heart 
singeth them sweetly1 devoutly1 and     
freely1 without any travail of the soul1
 or bitterness in the same time1#agh and
 notes that holy ,church useth4 ,this is
 good1 and of the gift of ,god1 for the 
substance of this feeling lies in the   
love of ,jesu1 which is fed and         
lightened#agi by such manner of songs4  
,nevertheless1 in this manner of        
feeling1 a soul may be deceived by vain 
glory2 not in that time that the        
affection singeth to ,jesu1 and loveth  
,jesu in sweetness of ,him1 but         
afterward1 when it ceaseth and the heart
 keeleth#ahj of the love of ,jesu1 then 
entereth in vain glory4 ,also some man  
is deceived on this wise3 he heareth    
well say that it is good to have ,jesu  
in his mind1 or any other good word of  
,god2 then he straineth his heart       
mightily to that name1 and by a custom  
he hath it nearhand alway in his mind2  

and1 nevertheless1 he feeleth not       
thereby in his affection sweetness1 nor 
light of knowing in his reason1 but only
 a naked mind of ,god1#aha or of ,jesu1 
or of ,mary1 or of any other good word4 
,here may be deceit1 not for it is evil 
for to have ,jesu in mind on this wish  
but if he this feeling and this mind1   
that is only his own working by custom1 
hold it a special visitation of our     
,lord1#ahb and think it more than it is4
 ,for wete thou well that a naked mind  
or a naked imagination of ,jesu1 or of  
any ghostly thing1 without sweetness of 
love in the affection1 or without light 
of knowing in reason1 it is but a       
blindness1 and a way to deceit1 if a man
 hold it in his own sight more than it  
is4 ,therefore ,i hold it siker#ahc that
 he be meek in his own feeling1 and hold
 this mind in regard nought1 till he    
may1 by custom and using of this mind1  
feel the fire of love in his affection1 
and the light of knowing in his reason4 
,lo1 ,i have told thee in this matter a 

little1 as me thinketh2 not affirming   
that this sufficeth1 nor that this is   
the soothfastness in this matter4 ,but  
if thou think it otherwise1 or else any 
other man savour by grace the contrary  
hereto1 ,i leave this saying1 and give  
stead to him2 it sufficeth to me for to 
live in truth#ahd principally1 and not  
in feeling4  ,,explicit     ,v4  ,,here 
,,after ,,followeth ,a ,,devout         
,,treatise ,,called ,,the ,,epistle ,,of
 ,,prayer   ,,ghostly friend in ,god1 as
 touching thine asking of me1 how thou  
shalt rule thine heart in the time of   
thy prayer1 ,i answer unto thee thus    
feebly as ,i can4 ,and ,i say that me   
thinketh that it should be full speedful
 unto thee at the first beginning of thy
 prayer1 what prayer so ever it be1 long
 or short1 for to make it full known    
unto thine heart1 without any feigning1 
that thou shalt die at the end of thy   
prayer4#ahe ,and wete thou well that    
this is no feigned thought that ,i tell 
thee1 and see why2 for truly there is no

 man living in this life that dare take 
upon him to say the contrary3 that is to
 say1 that thou shalt live longer than  
thy prayer is in doing4 ,and1 therefore1
 thou mayst think it safely1 and ,i     
counsel thee to do it4 ,for1 if thou do 
it1 thou shalt see that1 what for the   
general sight that thou hast of thy     
wretchedness1 and this special sight of 
the shortness of time of amendment1 it  
shall bring in to thine heart a very    
working of dread4  ,and this working    
shalt thou feel#ahf verily folden in    
thine heart1 but if it so be 7the which 
,god forbid7 that thou flatter and      
fage#ahg thy false fleshly blind heart  
with leasings#ahh and feigned           
behightings1 that thou shalt longer     
live4#ahi ,for though it may be sooth in
 thee in deed that thou shalt live      
longer1 yet it is ever in thee a false  
leasing for to think it before1 and for 
to behight#aij it to thine heart4 ,for  
why1 the soothfastness of this thing is 
only in ,god1 and in thee is but a blind

 abiding of ,his will1 without certainty
 of one moment1 the which is as little  
or less than a twinkling of an eye4     
,and1 therefore1 if thou wilt pray      
wisely as the prophet biddeth when he   
saith in the psalm3 ,psallite           
sapienter2#aia look that thou get thee  
in the beginning this very working of   
dread4 ,for1 as the same prophet saith  
in another psalm3 ,initium sapientiae   
timor ,domini2#aib that is3 ,the        
beginning of wisdom is the dread of our 
,lord ,god4 ,but for that there is no   
full sikerness standing#aic upon dread  
only1 for fear of sinking in to over    
much heaviness1 therefore shalt thou    
knit to thy first thought this other    
thought that followeth4 ,thou shalt     
think steadfastly that if thou may1     
through the grace of ,god1 distinctly   
pronounce the words of that prayer1 and 
win to the end thereof1 or if thou die  
before thou come to the end1 so that    
thou do that in thee is1 that then it   
shall be accepted of thee unto ,god1 as 

a full aseeth#aid of all thy            
recklessness from the beginning of thy  
life unto that moment4 ,i mean thus3    
standing that thou hast before time1    
after thy conning and thy conscience1   
lawfully amended thee after the common  
ordinance of holy ,church in confession2
 this short prayer1 so little as it is1 
shall be accepted of thee unto ,god for 
thy full salvation1 if thou then didst  
die1 and to the great increase of thy   
perfection1 if thou didst live longer4  
,this is the goodness of ,god1 the      
which1 as the prophet saith1 forsaketh  
none that truly trusteth in ,him with   
will of amendment2#aie and sith that all
 amendment standeth in two--that is1 in 
leaving of evil and doing of good--means
 to get these two are none readier than 
the ghostly working of these two        
thoughts touched before4 ,for what      
reaveth from a soul#aif more readily the
 affection of sinning1 than doth a true 
working of dread of death8 ,and what    
moveth a soul#aig more fervently to     

working of good1 than doth a certain    
hope in the mercy and the goodness of   
,god1 the which is brought in by this   
second thought8 ,for why1 the ghostly   
feeling of this second thought1 when it 
is thus truly joined to the first1 shall
 be to thee a sure staff of hope to hold
 thee by in all thy good doings4 ,and by
 this staff thou mayst sikerly climb in 
to the high mount of perfection1 that is
 to say1 to the perfect love of ,god2   
though all this beginning be imperfect1 
as thou shalt hear after4 ,for1 what for
 the general sight that thou hast of the
 mercy and of the goodness of ,god1 and 
this special experience that thou       
feelest of ,his mercy and ,his goodness 
in this acceptation of this little short
 service for so long recklessness1 as it
 were in a full aseeth of so much       
recklessness 7as it is said before71 it 
may not be but that thou shalt feel a   
great stirring of love unto ,him that is
 so good and so merciful unto thee--as  
the steps of thy staff1 hope1 plainly   

sheweth unto thee in the time of thy    
prayer1 if thou do it duly as ,i have   
told thee before4#aih ,the ghostly      
experience of the proof of this working 
standeth all in a reverent affection    
that a man hath to ,god in the time of  
his prayer1 caused of this dread in the 
ground of this work1 and of this        
stirring of love1 the which is brought  
in by the ghostly steps of this staff   
hope1 touched before4 ,for why1         
reverence is nought else but dread and  
love medled together with a staff of    
certain hope1  ,me thinketh that the    
proof of this working is devotion2 for  
devotion is nought else1 as saint       
,thomas the doctor saith1 but a         
readiness of man's will to do those     
things that longeth to the service of   
,god4#aii ,each man prove in himself1   
for he that doth ,god's service in this 
manner1 he feeleth how ready that his   
will is thereto4 ,me thinketh that saint
 ,bernard accordeth to this working1    
where he saith that all things should be

 done swiftly and gladly4 ,and see why3 
swiftly for dread1 and gladly for hope1 
and lovely trust in ,his mercy4 ,and    
what more8 ,sikerly1 ,i had lever have  
his meed that lasteth in such doing1    
though all he never did bodily penance  
in this life1 but only that that is     
enjoined to him of holy ,church1 than of
 all the penance-doers that have been in
 this life from the beginning of the    
world unto this day without this manner 
of doing4 ,i say not that the naked     
thinking of these two thoughts is so    
meedful2 but that reverent affection1 to
 the which bringing in these two        
thoughts are sovereign means on man's   
party1 that is it that is so meedful as 
,i say4#bjj ,and this is only it by     
itself1 without any other manner of     
doing 7as is fasting1 waking1 sharp     
wearing1 and all these other71 the which
 only by itself pleaseth almighty ,god1 
and deserveth to have meed of ,him4 ,and
 it were impossible any soul to have    
meed of ,god without this1 and all after

 the quantity of this shall stand the   
quantity of meed2 for whoso hath much of
 this1 much meed shall he have1 and     
whoso hath less of this1 less meed shall
 he have4 ,and all these other things1  
as is fasting1 waking1 sharp wearing1   
and all these other1 they are           
needful#bja in as much as they are      
helply to get this1 so that without this
 they are nought4 ,and this without them
 is sometime sufficient at the full by  
itself1 and it is often times full      
worthily had and come to of full many   
without any of the others4 ,all this ,i 
say for that ,i would by this knowing   
that thou charged and commended each    
thing after that it is3 the more1 the   
more1 and the less1 the less2 for oft   
times unknowing is cause of much error4 
,and oft times unknowing maketh men to  
charge more and commend more bodily     
exercise 7as is fasting1 waking1 sharp  
wearing1 and all these others7 than they
 do ghostly exercise in virtues or in   
this reverent affection touched before4 

,and1 therefore1 in more declaration of 
the meed and the worthiness of this     
reverent affection1 ,i shall say a      
little more than ,i yet have said1 so   
that1 by such declaring1 thou mayst be  
better learned in this working than thou
 yet art4  ,all this manner of working  
beforesaid of this reverent affection1  
when it is brought in by these two      
thoughts of dread and of hope coming    
before1 may well be likened to a tree   
that were full of fruit2 of the which   
tree1 dread is that party that is within
 in the earth1 that is1 the root4 ,and  
hope is that party that is above the    
earth1 that is1 the body#bjb with the   
boughs4 ,in that that hope is certain   
and stable1 it is the body2 in that it  
stirreth men to works of love1 it is the
 boughs2 but this reverent affection is 
evermore the fruit1 and then1 evermore  
as long as the fruit is fastened to the 
tree1#bjc it hath in party a green smell
 of the tree2 but when it hath been a   
certain time departed from the tree and 

is full ripe1 then it hath lost all the 
taste of the tree1 and is king's meat   
that was before but knave's meat4#bjd   
,in this time it is that this reverent  
affection is so meedful as ,i said4     
,and1 therefore1 shape thee for to      
depart this fruit from the tree1 and for
 to offer it up by itself to the high   
,king of heaven2 and then shalt thou be 
cleped ,god's own child1 loving ,him    
with a chaste love for ,himself1 and not
 for ,his goods4#bje ,i mean thus3      
though all that the innumerable good    
deeds1 the which almighty ,god of ,his  
gracious goodness hath shewed to each   
soul in this life1 be sufficient causes 
at the full and more1 to each soul to   
love ,him for1 with all his mind1 with  
all his wit1 and with all his will2 yet 
if it might be1 that may no wise be1    
that a soul were as mighty1 as worthy1  
and as witty as all the saints and      
angels that are in heaven gathered in   
one1 and had never taken this worthiness
 of ,god1#bjf or to whom that ,god had  

never shewed kindness in this life2 yet 
this soul1 seeing the loveliness of ,god
 in ,himself1 and the abundance thereof1
 should be ravished over his might for  
to love ,god1 till the heart brast2 so  
lovely and so liking1 so good and so    
glorious ,he is in ,himself4  ,o how    
wonderful a thing and how high a thing  
is the love of ,god for to speak of1 of 
the which no man may speak perfectly to 
the understanding of the least party    
thereof1 but by impossible ensamples1   
and passing the understanding of man6   
,and thus it is that ,i mean when ,i say
 loving ,him with a chaste love for     
,himself1 and not for ,his goods2#bjg   
not as if ,i said 7though all ,i well   
said7 much for ,his goods1 but without  
comparison more for ,himself4 ,for1 if  
,i shall more highly speak in declaring 
of my meaning of the perfection and of  
the meed of this reverent affection1 ,i 
say that a soul touched in affection by 
the sensible presence of ,gods as ,he is
 in ,himself1 and in a perfect soul     

illumined in the reason1 by the clear   
beam of everlasting light1 the which is 
,god1 for to see and for to feel the    
loveliness#bjh of ,god in ,himself1 hath
 for that time and for that moment lost 
all the mind of any good deed or of any 
kindness that ever ,god did to him in   
this life--so that cause for to love    
,god for feeleth he or seeth he none in 
that time1 other than is ,god ,himself4 
,so that though all it may be said in   
speaking of the common perfection1 that 
the great goodness and the great        
kindness that ,god hath shewed to us in 
this life are high and worthy causes for
 to love ,god for2 yet having beholding 
to the point and the prick of perfection
 7to the which ,i purpose to draw thee  
in my meaning1 and in the manner of this
 writing71 a perfect lover of ,god1 for 
dread of letting#bji of his perfection1 
seeketh now1 that is to say1 in the     
point of perfection1 none other cause   
for to love ,god for1 but ,god ,himself2
 so that by this meaning ,i say1 that   

chaste love is to love ,god for ,himself
 and not for ,his goods4 ,and therefore1
 following the rule of mine ensample1   
shape thee to depart the fruit from the 
tree1 and for to offer it up by itself  
unto the ,king of heaven1 that thy love 
be chaste2 for evermore as long as thou 
offrest ,him this fruit green and       
hanging on the tree1 thou mayst well be 
likened to a woman that is not chaste1  
for she loveth a man more for his goods 
than for himself4 ,and see why that ,i  
liken thee thus2 for it seemeth that    
dread of thy death and shortness of     
time1 with hope of forgiveness of all   
thy recklessness1 maketh thee to be in  
,god's service so reverent as thou art4 
,and if it so be1 soothly then hath thy 
fruit a green smell of the tree2 and    
though all it pleaseth ,god in party1   
nevertheless1 yet it pleaseth ,him not  
perfectly1 and that is for thy love is  
not yet chaste4  ,chaste love is that   
when thou askest of ,god neither        
releasing of pain1 nor increasing of    

meed1 nor yet sweetness in ,his love in 
this life2 but if it be any certain time
 that thou covetest sweetness as for a  
refreshing of thy ghostly mights1 that  
they fail not in the way2 but thou      
askest of ,god nought but ,himself1 and 
neither thou reckest nor lookest after  
whether thou shalt be in pain or in     
bliss1 so that thou have ,him that thou 
lovest--this is chaste love1 this is    
perfect love4#baj ,and therefore shape  
thee for to depart the fruit from the   
tree2 that is to say1 this reverent     
affection from the thoughts of dread and
 of hope coming before2 so that thou    
mayst offer it ripe and chaste unto ,god
 by itself1 not caused of any thing     
beneath ,him1 or medled with ,him#baa   
7yea1 though all it be the chief71#bab  
but only of ,him1 by ,himself2 and then 
it is so meedful as ,i say that it is4  
,for it is plainly known without any    
doubt unto all those that are expert in 
the science of divinity and of ,god's   
love1 that as often as a man's affection

 is stirred unto ,god without mean 7that
 is1 without messenger of any thought in
 special causing that stirring71 as oft 
it deserveth everlasting life4 ,and for 
that that a soul that is thus disposed  
7that is to say1 that offreth the fruit 
ripe1 and departed from the tree7 may   
innumerable times in one hour be raised 
in to ,god suddenly without mean1       
therefore more than ,i can say it       
deserveth1 through the grace of ,god1   
the which is the chief worker1 to be    
raised in to joy4 ,and therefore shape  
thee for to offer the fruit ripe and    
departed from the tree4 ,nevertheless1  
the fruit upon the tree1 continually    
offered as man's frailty will suffer1   
deserveth salvation2 but the fruit ripe 
and departed from the tree1 suddenly    
offered unto ,god without mean1 that is 
perfection4 ,and here mayst thou see    
that the tree is good1 though all that  
,i bid thee depart the fruit therefrom1 
for more perfection2 and therefore ,i   
set it in thy garden2 for ,i would that 

thou should gather the fruit thereof1   
and keep it to thy ,lord4 ,and for that 
that ,i would that thou knew what manner
 of working it is that knitteth man's   
soul to ,god1 and that maketh it one    
with ,him in love and accordance of     
will1#bac after the word of saint ,paul 
saying thus3 ,qui adhaeret ,duo unus    
spiritus est cum illo2#bad that is to   
say3 ,who so draweth near to ,god1 as it
 is by such a reverent affection touched
 before1 he is one spirit with ,god4    
,that is1 though all that ,god and he be
 two and sere#bae in kind1 nevertheless 
yet in grace they are so knit together  
that they are but one in spirit2#baf and
 all this is for onehead of love and    
accordance of will2 and in this onehead 
is the marriage made between ,god and   
the soul1 the which shall never be      
broken1 though all that the heat and the
 fervour of this work cease for a time1 
but by a deadly sin4  ,in the ghostly   
feeling of this onehead may a loving    
soul both say and sing 7if it list7 this

 holy word that is written in the book  
of songs in the ,bible3 ,dilectus meus  
mihi et ego illi2#bag that is3 ,my loved
 unto me and ,i unto ,him2 understanden 
that ,god shall be knitted with the     
ghostly glue of grace on ,his party1 and
 the lovely consent in gladness of      
spirit on thy party4  ,and therefore    
climb up by this tree1 as ,i said in the
 beginning2 and when thou comest to the 
fruit 7that is1 to the reverent         
affection1 the which ever will be in    
thee if thou think heartily the other   
two thoughts before1 and fage#bah not   
thyself with no lie1 as ,i said71 then  
shalt thou take good keep#bai of that   
working that is made in thy soul that   
time1 and shape thee1 in as much as thou
 mayst through grace1 for to meek thee  
under the height of thy ,god1 so that   
thou mayst use thee in that working     
other times by itself1 without any      
climbing thereto by any thought4 ,and1  
sikerly1 this is it the which is so     
meedful as ,i said1 and ever the longer 

that it is kept from the tree 7that is  
to say1 from any thought71 and ever the 
ofter that it is done suddenly1 lustily1
 and likingly1 without mean1 the sweeter
 it smelleth1 and the better it pleaseth
 the high ,king of heaven4 ,and ever    
when thou feelest sweetness and comfort 
in thy doing1 then ,he breaketh this    
fruit and giveth thee part of thine own 
present4 ,and that that thou feelest is 
so hard1 and so straitly stressing thine
 heart without comfort in the first     
beginning1 that bemeaneth#bbj that the  
greenness of the fruit hanging on the   
tree1 or else newly pulled1 setteth thy 
teeth on edge4 ,nevertheless yet it is  
speedful to thee4 ,for it is no reason  
that thou eat the sweet kernel1 but if  
thou crack first the hard shell and bite
 of the bitter bark4  ,nevertheless1 if 
it so be that thy teeth be weak 7that is
 to say1 thy ghostly mights71 then it is
 my counsel that thou seek slights1 for 
better is list than lither strength4#bba
  ,another skill there is why that ,i   

set this tree in thy garden1 for to     
climb up thereby4 ,for though all it be 
so that ,god may do what ,he will1 yet1 
to mine understanding1 it is impossible 
any man to attain to the perfection of  
this working without these two means1 or
 else other two that are according to   
them coming before4 ,and yet is the     
perfection of this work sudden1 without 
any mean4 ,and1 therefore1 ,i rede#bbb  
thee that these be thine1 not thine in  
propriety1 for that is nought but       
sin1#bbc but thine given graciously of  
,god1 and sent by me as a messenger     
though ,i be unworthy2 for wete thou    
right well that every thought that      
stirreth thee to the good1#bbd whether  
it come from within by thine angel      
messenger1 or from without by any man   
messenger1 it is but an instrument of   
grace given1 sent and chosen of ,god    
,himself for to work within in thy soul4
 ,and this is the skill why that ,i     
counsel thee to take these two thoughts 
before all others4 ,for as man is a     

mingled thing of two substances1 a      
bodily and a ghostly1 so it needeth for 
to have two sere#bbe means to come by to
 perfection2#bbf sith it so is that both
 these substances shall be oned in      
undeadliness at the uprising in the last
 day2 so that either substance be raised
 to perfection in this life1 by a mean  
accordant thereto4 ,and that is dread to
 bodily substance1 and hope to the      
ghostly4 ,and thus it is full seemly and
 according to be1 as me thinketh2 for as
 there is nothing that so soon will     
ravish the body from all affection of   
earthly things1 as will a sensible dread
 of the death2 so there is nothing that 
so soon nor so fervently will raise the 
affection of a sinner's soul1 unto the  
love of ,god1 as will a certain hope of 
forgiveness of all his recklessness4    
,and therefore have ,i ordained thy     
climbing by these two thoughts2 but if  
it so be that thy good angel teach thee 
within thy ghostly conceit1 or any other
 man1 any other two that are more       

according to thy disposition than thee  
thinketh these two be1 thou mayst take  
them1 and leave these safely without any
 blame4 ,nevertheless to my conceit     
7till ,i wete more7 me thinketh that    
these should be full helply unto thee1  
and not much unaccording to thy         
disposition1 after that ,i feel in thee4
 ,and therefore1 if thou think that they
 do thee good1 then thank ,god heartily1
 and for ,god's love pray for me4 ,do   
then so1 for ,i am a wretch1 and thou   
wotest not how it standeth with me4  ,no
 more at this time1 but ,god's blessing 
have thou and mine4  ,read often1 and   
forget it not2 set thee sharply to the  
proof2 and flee all letting and occasion
 of letting1 in the name of our ,lord   
,jesu ,christ4 ,,amen4  ,,finis         
,,vi4  ,,here ,,followeth ,,also ,a     
,,very ,,necessary ,,epistle ,,of       
,,discretion ,,in ,,stirrings ,,of ,,the
 ,,soul   ,,ghostly friend in ,god1 that
 same grace and joy that ,i will to     
myself1 will ,i to thee at ,god's will4 

,thou askest me counsel of silence and  
of speaking1 of common dieting and of   
singular fasting1 of dwelling in company
 and only woning#bbg by thyself4 ,and   
thou sayest thou art in great were#bbh  
what thou shalt do2 for1 as thou sayest1
 on the one party thou art greatly      
tarried with speaking1 with common      
eating1 as other folk do1 and with      
common woning in company4 ,and1 on the  
other party1 thou dreadest to be        
straitly still1#bbi singular in fasting1
 and only in woning1 for deeming of more
 holiness in thee than thou hast1#bcj   
and for many other perils2 for oft times
 now these days they are deemed for most
 holy1 and fall in to many perils1 that 
most are in silence1 in singular        
fasting1 and in only woning4 ,and sooth 
it is that they are most holy1 if grace 
only be the cause of that silence1 of   
that singular fasting1 and of that only 
woning1 the kind#bca but suffering and  
only consenting2 and if it be otherwise1
 then that is but peril on all sides1   

for it is full perilous to strain the   
kind to any such work of devotion1 as is
 silence or speaking1 common dieting or 
singular fasting1 woning in company or  
in onliness4#bcb ,i mean1 passing the   
course and the common custom of kind and
 degree1 but if it be led thereto by    
grace2 and1 namely1 to such works the   
which in themself are indifferent1 that 
is to say1 now good1 and now evil1 now  
with thee1 now against thee1 now        
helping1 and now letting4 ,for it might 
befall that1 if thou followed thy       
singular stirring1 straitly straining   
thee to silence1 to singular fasting1 or
 to only woning1 that thou shouldest oft
 times be still when time were to speak1
 oft times fast when time were to eat1  
oft times be only when time were to be  
in company4 ,or if thou give thee to    
speaking always when thee list1 to      
common eating1 or to companious         
woning1#bcc then peradventure thou      
shouldest sometime speak when time#bcd  
were to be still1 sometime eat when time

 were to fast1 sometime be in company   
when time were to be only2 and thus     
mightest thou lightly fall in to error1 
in great confusion1 not only of thine   
own soul but also of others4 ,and1      
therefore1 in eschewing of such errors1 
thou askest of me 7as ,i have perceived 
by thy letters7 two things3 the first is
 my conceit of thee1 and thy stirring2  
and the other is my counsel in this     
case1 and in all such others when they  
come4  ,as to the first1 ,i answer and  
,i say that ,i dread full much in this  
matter and such others to put forth my  
rude conceit1 such as it is1 for two    
skills4#bce ,and one is this3 ,i dare   
not lean to my conceit1 affirming it for
 fast and true4 ,the other is thine     
inward disposition1 and thine ableness  
that thou hast unto all these things    
that thou speakest of in thy letter1    
which be not yet so fully known unto me1
 as it were speedful that they were1 if 
,i should give full counsel in this     
case4 ,for it is said of the ,apostle3  

,nemo novit quae sunt hominis1 nisi     
spiritus hominis qui in ipso est2 ,no   
man knoweth which are the privy         
dispositions of man1 but the spirit of  
the same man1 the which is in           
himself2#bcf and1 peradventure1 thou    
knowest not yet thine own inward        
disposition thyself1 so fully as thou   
shalt do hereafter1 when ,god will let  
thee feel it by the proof1 among many   
failings and risings4 ,for ,i knew never
 yet no sinner that might come to the   
perfect knowing of himself and of his   
inward disposition1 but if he were      
learned of it before in the school of   
,god1 by experience of many temptations1
 and by many failings and risings2 for  
right as among the waves and the floods 
and the storms of the sea1 on the one   
party1 and the peaceable wind and the   
calms and the soft weathers of the air  
on the other party1 the sely#bcg ship at
 the last attains to the land and the   
haven2 right so1 among the diversity of 
temptations and tribulations that       

falleth to a soul in this ebbing and    
flowing life 7the which are ensampled by
 the storms and the floods of the sea7  
on the one party1 and among the grace   
and the goodness of the ,holy ,ghost1   
the manyfold visitation1 sweetness and  
comfort of spirit 7the which are        
ensampled by the peaceable wind and the 
soft weathers of the air7 on the other  
party1 the sely soul1 at the likeness of
 a ship1 attaineth at the last to the   
land of stableness1 and to the haven of 
health2 the which is the clear and the  
soothfast knowing of himself1 and of all
 his inward dispositions1 through the   
which knowing he sitteth quietly in     
himself1 as a king crowned in his       
royalme1 mightily1 wisely1 and goodly   
governing himself and all his thoughts  
and stirrings1 both in body and in soul4
 ,of such a man it is that the wise man 
saith thus3 ,beatus vir qui suffert     
tentationem1 quoniam cum probatus       
fuerit1 accipiet coronam vitae1 quam    
repromisit ,deus diligentibus se3 ,he is

 a blissful man that sufferingly beareth
 temptation2 for1 from he have been     
proved1 he shall take the crown of life1
 the which ,god hath hight to all those 
that love ,him4#bch ,the crown of life  
may be said on two manners4 ,one for    
ghostly wisdom1 for full discretion1 and
 for perfection of virtue3 these three  
knitted together may be cleped#bci a    
crown of life1 the which by grace may be
 come to here in this life4 ,on another 
manner the crown of life may be said1   
that it is the endless joy that each    
true soul shall have1 after this life1  
in the bliss of heaven1 and1 sikerly1   
neither of these two crowns may a man   
take1 but if he before have been well   
proved in suffering of noye#bdj and of  
temptation1 as this text saith3 ,quoniam
 cum probatus fuerit1 accipiet coronam  
vitae2 that is3 ,from that he have been 
proved1 then shall he take the crown of 
life2#bda as who saith 7according to    
mine understanding touched before73 ,but
 if a sinner have been proved before in 

divers temptations1 now rising1 now     
falling1 falling by frailty1 rising by  
grace1 he shall never else take of ,god 
in this life ghostly wisdom in clear    
knowing of himself and of his inward    
dispositions1 nor full discretion in    
counselling and teaching of others1 nor 
yet the third1 the which is the         
perfection of virtue in loving of his   
,god and of his brethren4 ,all these    
three--wisdom1 discretion1 and          
perfection of virtue-are but one1 and   
they may be cleped the crown of life4   
,in a crown are three things3 gold is   
the first2 precious stones are the      
second2 and the turrets of the          
flower-de-luce1 raised up above the     
head1 those are the third4 ,by gold1    
wisdom2 by the precious stones1         
discretion2 and by the turrets of the   
flower-de-luce ,i understand the        
perfection of virtue4 ,gold environeth  
the head1 and by wisdom we govern our   
ghostly work on every side2 precious    
stones giveth light in beholding of men1

 and by discretion we teach and counsel 
our brethren2 the turrets of the        
flower-de-luce giveth two side branches 
spreading one to the right side and     
another to the left1 and one even up    
above the head1 and by perfection of    
virtues 7the which is charity7 we give  
two side branches of love1 the which are
 spreading1 one to the right side to our
 friends1 and one to the left side to   
our enemies1 and one even up unto ,god1 
above man's understanding1 the which is 
the head of the soul4 ,this is the crown
 of life the which by grace may be      
gotten here in this life2 and1          
therefore1 bear thee low in thy battle1 
and suffer meekly thy temptations till  
thou have been proved4 ,for then shalt  
thou take either the one crown1 or the  
other1 or both1 this here1 and the other
 there2 for who so hath this here1 he   
may be full siker of the other there2   
and full many there are that are full   
graciously proved here1 and yet come    
never to this that may be had here in   

this life4 ,the which 7if they meekly   
continue and patiently abide the will of
 our ,lord7 shall full worthily and     
abundantly receive the other there1 in  
the high bliss of heaven4 ,thee thinketh
 this crown fair that may be had here2  
yea1 bear thee as meekly as thou mayst  
by grace1 for in comparison of the other
 there1 it is but as one noble to a     
world full of gold4 ,all this ,i say to 
give thee comfort and evidence of       
strength in thy ghostly battle1 the     
which thou hast taken on hand in the    
trust of our ,lord1 and all this ,i say 
to let thee see how far thou art yet    
from the true knowing of thine inward   
disposition1 and thereafter to give thee
 warning1 not over soon to give         
stead#bdb nor to follow the singular    
stirrings of thy young heart1 for dread 
of deceit4  ,all this ,i say for to show
 unto thee my conceit that ,i have of   
thee and of thy stirrings1 as thou hast 
asked of me2 for ,i conceive of thee    
that thou art full able and full greatly

 disposed to such sudden stirrings of   
singular doings1#bdc and full fast to   
cleave unto them when they be received2 
and that is full perilous4 ,i say not   
that this ableness and this greedy      
disposition in thee1 or in any other    
that is disposed as thou art1 though all
 it be perilous1 that it is therefore   
evil in itself2 nay1 so say ,i not1 ,god
 forbid that thou take it so2 but ,i say
 that it is full good in itself1 and a  
full great ableness to full great       
perfection1 yea1 and to the greatest    
perfection that may be in this life2 ,i 
mean1 if that a soul that is so disposed
 will busily1 night and day1 meek it#bdd
 to ,god and to good counsel1 and       
strongly rise and martyr itself1 with   
casting down of the own wit and the own 
will in all such sudden and singular    
stirrings1 and say sharply that it will 
not follow such stirrings1 seem they    
never so liking1#bde so high nor so     
holy1 but if it have thereto the        
witness#bdf and the consents of some    

ghostly teachers--,i mean such as have  
been of long time expert in singular    
living4 ,such a soul1 for ghostly       
continuance thus in this meekness1 may  
deserve1 through grace and the          
experience of this ghostly battle thus  
with itself1 for to take the crown of   
life touched before4 ,and as great an   
ableness to good as is this manner of   
disposition in a soul that is thus      
meeked as ,i say1 as perilous it is in  
another soul1 such one that will        
suddenly1 without advisement of counsel1
 follow the stirrings of the greedy     
heart1 by the own wit and the own will2 
and therefore1 for ,god's love1 beware  
with this ableness and with this manner 
of disposition 7that ,i speak of71 if it
 be in thee as ,i say4 ,and meek thee   
continually to prayer and to counsel4   
,break down thine own wit and thy will  
in all such sudden and singular         
stirrings1 and follow them not over     
lightly1 till thou wete whence they     
come1 and whether they be according for 

thee or not4  ,and as touching these    
stirrings of the which thou askest my   
conceit and my counsel1 ,i say to thee  
that ,i conceive of them suspiciously1  
that is1 that#bdg they should be        
conceived on the ape's manner4 ,men say 
commonly that the ape doth as he seeth  
others do2 forgive me if ,i err in my   
suspicion1 ,i pray thee4 ,nevertheless1 
the love that ,i have to thy soul       
stirreth me by evidence that ,i have of 
a ghostly brother of thine and of mine1 
touched with those same stirrings of    
full great#bdh silence1 of full singular
 fasting1 and of full only woning1 on   
ape's manner1 as he granted unto me     
after long communing with me1 and when  
he had proved himself and his stirrings4
 ,for1 as he said1 he had seen a man in 
your country1 the which man1 as it is   
well known1 is evermore in great        
silence1 in singular fasting1 and in    
only dwelling2 and certes1 as ,i suppose
 fully1 they are full true stirrings    
those that that man hath1 caused all    

only of grace1 that he feeleth by       
experience within1 and not of any sight 
or heard say that he hath of any other  
man's silence without-the which cause if
 it were1 it should be cleped apely1 as 
,i say in my simple meaning4 ,and       
therefore beware1 and prove well thy    
stirrings1 and whence they come2 for how
 so thou art stirred1 whether from      
within by grace1 or from without on     
ape's manner1 ,god wote1 and ,i not4    
,nevertheless this may ,i say thee in   
eschewing of perils like unto this3 look
 that thou be no ape1 that is to say1   
look that thy stirrings to silence or to
 speaking1 to fasting or to eating1 to  
onliness or to company1 whether they be 
come from within of abundance of love   
and of devotion in the spirit and not   
from without by the windows of thy      
bodily wits1 as thine ears1 and thine   
eyes4 ,for1 as ,jeremiah saith plainly1 
by such windows cometh in death3 ,mors  
intrat per fenestras4#bdi ,and this     
sufficeth1 as little as it is1 for      

answer to the first1 where thou askest  
of me1 what is my conceit of thee1 and  
of these stirrings that thou speakest of
 to me in thy letter4  ,and touching the
 second thing1 where thou askest of me  
my counsel in this case1 and in such    
other when they fall1 ,i beseech        
almighty ,jesu 7as ,he is cleped the    
angel of great counsel7 that ,he of ,his
 mercy be thy counsellor and thy        
comforter in all thy noye and thy nede1 
and order me with ,his wisdom to fulfil 
in party by my teaching1 so simple as it
 is1 the trust of thine heart1 the which
 thou hast unto me before many others--a
 simple lewd#bej wretch as ,i am1       
unworthy to teach thee or any other1 for
 littleness of grace and for lacking of 
conning4 ,nevertheless1 though ,i be    
lewd1 yet shall ,i somewhat say1        
answering to thy desire at my simple    
conning1 with a trust in ,god that ,his 
grace shall be learner and leader when  
conning of kind and of clergy           
defaileth4#bea ,thou wotest right well  

thyself that silence in itself nor      
speaking1 also singular fasting nor     
common dieting1 onliness nor company1   
all these nor yet any of them be not the
 true end of our desire2 but to some men
 7and not to all7 they are means helping
 to the end1 if they be done lawfully   
and with discretion1 and else are they  
more letting than furthering4 ,and      
therefore plainly#beb to speak1 nor     
plainly to be still1 plainly to eat1 nor
 plainly to fast1 plainly to be in      
company1 or plainly to be only1 think ,i
 not to counsel thee at this time2 for  
why1 perfection standeth not in them4   
,but this counsel may ,i give thee      
generally1 to hold thee by in these     
stirrings1 and in all other like unto   
these2 evermore where thou findest two  
contraries1 as are these--silence and   
speaking1 fasting and eating1 onliness  
and company1 common clothing of         
,christian religion and singular habits 
of divers and devised brotherhoods1 with
 all such other what so they be1 the    

which in themself are but works of      
kind#bec and of men4 ,for thou hast it  
by kind and by statute of thine outer   
man now for to speak and now for to be  
still1 now for to eat and now for to    
fast1 now for to be in company and now  
to be only1 now to be common in clothing
 and now to be in singular habit1 ever  
when thee list1 and when thou seest#bed 
that any of them should be speedful and 
helply to thee in nourishing of the     
heavenly grace working within in thy    
soul2 but if it be so 7which ,god       
forbid71 that thou or any other be so   
lewd and so blinded in the sorrowful    
temptations of the midday devil1 that ye
 bind you by any crooked avow to any    
such singularities1 as it were under    
colour of holiness feigned under such an
 holy thraldom1#bee in full and final   
destroying of the freedom of ,christ1   
the which is the ghostly habit of the   
sovereign holiness that may be in this  
life1 or in the other1 by the witness of
 saint ,paul saying thus3 ,ubi spiritus 

,domini1 ibi libertas3 ,there where the 
spirit of ,god is1 there is freedom4#bef
 ,and thereto when thou seest that all  
such works in their use may be both good
 and evil2 ,i pray thee leave them both1
 for that is the most ease for thee for 
to do1 if thou wilt be meek1 and leave  
the curious beholding and seeking in thy
 wits to look whether is better4 ,but do
 thou thus3 set the one on the one hand1
 and the other on the other1 and choose 
thee a thing the which is hid between   
them2 the which thing1 when it is had1  
giveth thee leave in freedom of spirit  
to begin and to cease in holding any of 
the others at thine own full list1      
without any blame4  ,but now thou askest
 me1 what is that thing4 ,i shall tell  
thee what ,i mean that it is3 ,it is    
,god2 for whom thou shouldest be still1 
if thou shouldest be still2 and for whom
 thou shouldest speak if thou shouldest 
speak2 and for whom thou shouldest fast1
 if thou shouldest fast2 and for whom   
thou shouldest eat1 if thou shouldest   

eat2 and for whom thou shouldest be     
only1 if thou shouldest be only2 and for
 whom thou shouldest be in company1 if  
thou shouldest be in company4 ,and so   
forth of all the remenant1 what so they 
be4 ,for silence is not ,god1 nor       
speaking is not ,god2 fasting is not    
,god1 nor eating is not ,god2 onliness  
is not ,god1 nor company is not ,god2   
nor yet any of all the other such two   
contraries4 ,he is hid between them1 and
 may not be found by any work of thy    
soul1 but all only by love of thine     
heart4 ,he may not be known by reason1  
,he may not be gotten by thought1 nor   
concluded by understanding2 but ,he may 
be loved and chosen with the true lovely
 will of thine heart4#beg ,choose thee  
,him1 and thou art silently speaking1   
and speakingly silent1 fastingly eating1
 and eatingly fasting1 and so forth of  
all the remenant4 ,such a lovely        
choosing of ,god1 thus wisely           
lesinge#beh and seeking ,him out with   
the true will of a clean heart1 between 

all such two leaving them both1 when    
they come and proffer them to be the    
point and the prick of our ghostly      
beholding1 is the worthiest tracing and 
seeking of ,god that may be gotten or   
learned in this life4 ,i mean for a soul
 that will be contemplative2 yea1 though
 all that a soul that thus seeketh see  
nothing that may be conceived with the  
ghostly eye of reason2 for if ,god be   
thy love and thy meaning1 the choice and
 the point of thine heart1 it sufficeth 
to thee in this life 7though all thou   
see never more of ,him with the eyes of 
thy reason all thy life time74 ,such a  
blind shot with the sharp dart of       
longing love may never fail of the      
prick1 the which is ,god1 as ,himself   
saith in the book of love1 where ,he    
speaketh to a languishing soul and a    
loving1 saying thus3 ,vulnerasti cor    
meum1 soror mea1 amica mea1 et sponsa   
mea1 vulnerasti cor meum1 in uno        
oculorum tuorum3 ,thou hast wounded mine
 heart1 my sister1 my leman1 and my     

spouse1 thou hast wounded mine heart in 
one of thine eyes4#bei ,eyes of the soul
 they are two3 ,reason and ,love4 ,by   
reason we may trace how mighty1 how     
wise1 and how good ,he is in ,his       
creatures1 but not in ,himself2 but ever
 when reason defaileth1 then list1 love1
 live and learn1 to play1#bfj for by    
love we may feel ,him1 find ,him1 and   
hit ,him1 even in ,himself4 ,it is a    
wonderful eye1 this love1 for of a      
loving soul it is only said of our      
,lord3 ,thou hast wounded mine heart in 
one of thine eyes2 that is to say1 in   
love that is blind to many things1 and  
seeth but that one thing that it        
seeketh1 and therefore it findeth and   
feeleth1 hitteth and woundeth the point 
and the prick that it shooteth at1 well 
sooner than it should if the sight were 
sundry in beholding of many things1 as  
it is when the reason ransacketh and    
seeketh among all such sere#bfa things  
as are these3 silence and speaking1     
singular fasting and common eating1     

onliness or company1 and all such other2
 to look whether is better4  ,let be    
this manner of doing1 ,i pray thee1 and 
let as thou wist not that there were any
 such means 7,i mean ordained for to get
 ,god by72 for truly no more there is1  
if thou wilt be very contemplative and  
soon sped of thy purpose4 ,and1         
therefore1 ,i pray thee and other like  
unto thee1 with the ,apostle saying     
thus3 ,videte vocationem vestram1 et in 
ea vocatione qua vocati estis state3#bfb
 ,see your calling1 and1 in that calling
 that ye be called1 stand stiffly and   
abide in the name of ,jesu4 ,thy calling
 is to be very contemplative1 ensampled 
by ,mary ,magdalene4 ,do then as ,mary  
did1 set the point of thine heart upon  
one thing3 ,porro unum est necessarium3 
,for one thing is necessary1#bfc the    
which is ,god4 ,him wouldest thou have1 
,him seekest thou1 ,him list thee to    
love1 ,him list thee to feel1#bfd ,him  
list thee hold thee by1 and neither by  
silence nor by speaking1 by singular    

fasting nor by common eating1 by        
onliness nor by companious woning1 by   
hard wearing nor by easy2 for sometime  
silence is good1 but that same time     
speaking were better2 and againward     
sometime speaking is good1 but that same
 time silence were better2 and so forth 
of all the remenant1 as is fasting1     
eating1 onliness1 and company2 for      
sometime the one is good1 but the other 
is better1 but neither of them is at any
 time the best4 ,and1 therefore1 let be 
good all that is good1 and better all   
that is better1#bfe for both they will  
defail and have an end2 and choose thee 
the best with ,mary1 thy mirror1 that   
never will defail3 ,maria 7inquit       
optimam7 optimam partem elegit1 quae non
 auferetur ab ea4#bff ,the best is      
almighty ,jesu1 and ,he said that ,mary1
 in ensample of all contemplatives1 had 
chosen the best1 the which should never 
be taken from her2 and therefore1 ,i    
pray thee1 with ,mary leave the good and
 the better1 and choose thee the best4  

,let them be1 all such things as are    
these3 silence and speaking1 fasting and
 eating1 onliness and company1 and all  
such other1 and take no keep to them2   
thou wotest not what they mean1 and1 ,i 
pray thee1 covet not to wit2 and if thou
 shall at any time think or speak of    
them1 think then and say that they are  
so high and so worthy things of         
perfection1 for to conne#bfg speak1 or  
for to conne be still1 for to conne     
fast1 and for to conne eat1 for to conne
 be only1 and to conne be in company1   
that it were but a folly and a foul     
presumption to such a frail wretch as   
thou art1 for to meddle thee of so great
 perfection4 ,for why1 for to speak1 and
 for to be still1 for to eat1 and for to
 fast1 for to be only1 and for to be in 
company1 ever when we will1 may we have 
by kind2 but for to conne do all these1 
we may not but by grace4 ,and1 without  
doubt1 such grace is never gotten by any
 mean of such strait silence1 of such   
singular fasting1 or of such only       

dwelling that thou speakest of1 the     
which is caused from without by occasion
 of hearing and of seeing of any other  
man's such singular doings4 ,but if ever
 this grace shall be gotten1 it behoveth
 to be learned of ,god from within1 unto
 whom thou hast listily leaned many a   
day before with all the love of thine   
heart1 utterly voiding from thy ghostly 
beholding#bfh all manner of sight of any
 thing beneath ,him2 though all that    
some of those things that ,i bid thee   
thus void1 should seem in the sight of  
some men a full worthy mean to get ,god 
by4 ,yea1 say what men say will1 but do 
thou as ,i say thee1 and let the proof  
witness4 ,for to him that will be soon  
sped of his purpose ghostly1 it         
sufficeth to him for a mean1 and him    
needeth no more1 but the actual mind of 
good ,god only1 with a reverent stirring
 of lasting love2 so that mean unto ,god
 gettest thou none but ,god4 ,if thou   
keep whole thy stirring of love that    
thou mayst feel by grace in thine heart1

 and scatter not thy ghostly beholding  
therefrom then that same that thou      
feelest shall well conne#bfi tell thee  
when thou shalt speak and when thou     
shalt be still1 and it shall govern thee
 discreetly in all thy living without   
any error1 and teach thee mistily#bgj   
how thou shalt begin and cease in all   
such doing of kind with a great and     
sovereign discretion4 ,for if thou mayst
 by grace keep it in custom and in      
continual working1 then1 if it be       
needful or speedful to thee for to      
speak1 for to commonly eat1 or for to   
bide in company1 or for to do any such  
other thing that longeth to the common  
true custom of ,christian men1 and of   
kind1 it shall first stir thee full     
softly to speak or to do that other     
common thing of kind1 what so it be4    
,and then1 if thou do it not1 it shall  
strike as sore as a prick on thine heart
 and pain thee full sore1 and let thee  
have no peace#bga but if thou do it4    
,and1 on the same manner1 if thou be in 

speaking1 or in any such other work that
 is common to the course of kind1 if it 
be needful and speedful to thee to be   
still1 and for to set thee to the       
contrary1 as is onliness to company1    
fasting to eating1 and all such other   
the which are works of singular         
holiness1 it will stir thee to them2 so 
that thus1 by experience of such a blind
 stirring of love unto ,god1 a          
contemplative soul cometh sooner to that
 grace of discretion for to conne speak1
 and for to conne be still1 for to conne
 eat1 and for to conne fast1 for to     
conne be in company1 and for to conne be
 only1#bgb and all such other1 than by  
any such singularities as thou speakest 
of1 taken by the stirrings of man's own 
wit and his will within in himself1 or  
yet by the ensample of any other man's  
doing without1 what so it be4 ,for why1 
such strained doings under the stirrings
 of kind1 without touching#bgc of grace1
 is a passing pain without any profit2  
but if it be to them that are religious1

 or that have them by enjoining of      
penance1 where profit riseth only       
because of obedience1 and not by any    
such straitness of doing without2 the   
which is painful to all that it proveth4
 ,but lovely and listily to will to     
love#bgd ,god is great and passing ease1
 true ghostly peace1 and earnest of the 
endless rest4 ,and1 therefore1 speak    
when thee list1 and leave when thee     
list1 eat when thee list1 and fast when 
thee list1 be in company when thee list1
 and be by thyself when thee list1 so   
that#bge ,god and grace be thy leader4  
,let fast who fast will1 and be only who
 will1 and let hold silence who so will1
 but hold thee by ,god that doth beguile
 no man2 for silence and speaking1      
onliness and company1 fasting and       
eating1 all may beguile thee4 ,and if   
thou hear of any man that speaketh1 or  
of any that is still1 of any that eateth
 or of any that fasteth1 or of any that 
is in company or else by himself1 think 
thou1 and say1 if thee list1 that they  

conne do as they should do1 but if the  
contrary shew in apert4#bgf ,but look   
that thou do not as they do 7,i mean for
 that they do so7 on ape's manner2 for  
neither thou canst1 nor peradventure    
thou art not disposed as they are4 ,and1
 therefore1 leave to work after other   
men's dispositions and work after thine 
own1 if thou mayst know what it is4 ,and
 unto the time that thou mayst know what
 it is1 work after those men's counsel  
that know their own disposition1 but not
 after their disposition2#bgg for such  
men should give counsel in such cases1  
and else none4 ,and this sufficeth for  
an answer to all thy letter1 as me      
thinketh2 the grace of ,god be ever more
 with thee1 in the name of ,jesu4       
,,amen4  ,,finit ,,epistola     ,,vii4  
,,here ,,followeth ,a ,,devout          
,,treatise ,,of ,,discerning ,,of       
,,spirits1 ,,very ,,necessary ,,for     
,,ghostly ,,livers   ,,for because that 
there be divers kinds of spirits1       
therefore it is needful to us discreet  

knowing of them2 sith it so is that we  
be taught of the apostle saint ,john not
 to believe to all spirits4#bgh ,for it 
might seem to some that are but little  
in conning1 and namely of ghostly       
things1 that each thought that soundeth 
in man's heart should be the speech of  
none other spirit but only of man's own 
spirit4 ,and that it is not so1 both    
belief and witness of holy scripture    
proveth apertly2 for ,i shall hear1     
saith the prophet ,david1 not what ,i   
speak myself1 but what my ,lord ,god    
speaketh in me2#bgi and another prophet 
saith1 that an angel spake in him4#bhj  
,and also we be taught in the psalm that
 the wicked spirits sendeth evil        
thoughts in to men2 and over this1 that 
there is a spirit of the flesh not good1
 the apostle ,paul sheweth apertly1     
where he saith1 that some men are full  
blown or inflate with the spirit of     
their flesh4#bha ,and also that there is
 the spirit of the world1 he declareth  
plainly1 where he maketh joy in ,god1   

not only for himself1 but also for his  
disciples1 that they had not taken that 
spirit of the world1 but that that is   
sent of ,god1 the which is the ,holy    
,ghost4#bhb ,and these two spirits of   
the flesh and also of the world are1 as 
it were1 servants or sergeants of that  
cursed spirit1 the foul fiend of hell2  
so that the spirit of wickedness is lord
 of the spirit of the flesh1 and also of
 the spirit of the world4 ,and which of 
these three spirits that speaketh to our
 spirit1 we should not believe them4    
,for why1 they speak never but that     
anon1 by their speaking1 they lead to   
the loss both of body and of soul4 ,and 
which spirit it is that speaketh to our 
spirit1 the speech of that same spirit  
that speaketh shall fully declare2 for  
ever more the spirit of the flesh       
speaketh soft things and easy to the    
body2 the spirit of the world vain      
things and covetise#bhc of worship2 and 
the spirit of malice of the fiend       
speaketh fell things and bitter4        

,wherefore1 as oft times as any thought 
smiteth on our hearts of meat1 of drink1
 and of sleep1 of soft clothing1 of     
lechery1 and of all other such things   
the which longeth to the business of the
 flesh1 and maketh our heart for to     
brenne#bhd as it were in a longing      
desire after all such things2 be we full
 siker that it is the spirit of the     
flesh that speaketh it4 ,and therefore  
put we him away1 in as much as we goodly
 may by grace1 for he is our adversary4 
,as oft times as any thought smiteth on 
our hearts of vain joy of this world1   
kindling in us a desire to be holden    
fair1 and to be favoured1 to be holden  
of great kin and of great conning1 to be
 holden wise and worthy1 or else to have
 great degree and high office in this   
life--such thoughts and all other the   
which would make a man to seem high and 
worshipful1 not only in the sight of    
others1 but also in the sight of        
himself--no doubt but it is the spirit  
of the world that speaketh all these1 a 

far more perilous enemy than is the     
spirit of the flesh1 and with much more 
business he should be put off4 ,and oft 
times it befalleth that these two       
servants and sergeants of the foul      
fiend1 the spirit and prince of         
wrath#bhe and of wickedness1 are either 
by grace and by ghostly slight of a soul
 stiffly put down and trodden down under
 foot2 or else1 by quaintise#bhf of     
their malicious master1 the foul fiend  
of hell1 they are quaintly withdrawn1   
for he thinketh himself for to rise with
 great malice and wrath1 as a lion      
running felly to assail the sickness of 
our sely souls2 and this befalleth as   
oft as the thought of our heart stirreth
 us1 not to the lust of our flesh1 nor  
yet to the vain joy of this world1 but  
it stirreth us to murmuring1 to         
grutching1#bhg to grievance1 and to     
bitterness of soul1 to pain and to      
impatience1 to wrath1 to melancholy1 and
 to evil will1 to hate1 to envy1 and to 
all such sorrows4 ,it maketh us to bear 

us heavily1 if ought be done or said    
unto us1 not so lovely1 nor so          
wisely#bhh as we would it were2 it      
raiseth in us all evil suspicion1 if    
ought be shewed in sign1 in countenance1
 in word1 or in work1 that might by any 
manner be turned to malice or to        
heaviness of heart2 it maketh us as     
fast#bhi to take it to us4  ,to these   
thoughts1 and to all such that would put
 us out of peace and restfulness of     
heart1 we should none otherwise         
againstand1#bij but as we would the self
 fiend of hell1 and as much we should   
flee therefrom as from the loss of our  
soul4 ,no doubt but both the other two  
thoughts1 of the spirit of the flesh and
 also of the spirit of the world1 work  
and travail in all that they can to the 
loss of our soul1 but most perilously   
the spirit of malice2 for why1 he is by 
himself1 but they not without him4 ,for 
if a man's soul be never so clean of    
fleshly lust1 and of vain joy of this   
world1 and if it be defouled with this  

spirit of malice1 of wrath1 and of      
wickedness1 not againstanding all the   
other cleanness before1 yet it is       
losable4 ,and if a soul be never so much
 defouled with the lust of the flesh1   
and vain joy of the world1 and it may by
 grace keep it in peace and in          
restfulness of heart unto the even      
,christian1#bia though all it be full   
hard for to do 7lasting the custom of   
the other two71#bib yet it is less      
losable1 not againstanding all the other
 filth of the flesh and of the world    
touched before4 ,and1 therefore1 though 
all that our lusty#bic thoughts of our  
flesh be evil1 for they reave from the  
soul the life of devotion1 and though   
all that the vain joy of the world be   
worse1 for it reaveth us from the true  
joy that we should have in contemplation
 of heavenly things1 ministered and     
taught to us by the angels of heaven4   
,for who so lustily desireth to be      
worshipped1 favoured1 and served of men 
here in earth1 they deserve to forego   

the worship1 the favour1 and service of 
angel in ghostly contemplation of heaven
 and of heavenly things1 all their      
lifetime2 the which contemplation is    
better and more worthy in itself than is
 the lust and the liking of devotion4   
,and for this bitterness ,i clepe the   
spirit of malice1 of wrath1 and of      
wickedness the worst spirit of them all2
 and why8 ,certes1 for it reaveth us the
 best thing of all1 and that is charity1
 the which is ,god4 ,for who so lacketh 
peace and restfulness of heart1 him     
lacketh the lively presence of the      
lovely sight of the high peace of       
heaven1 good gracious ,god ,his own dear
 self4 ,this witnesseth ,david in the   
psalm1 where he saith1 that the place of
 ,god is made in peace1 and ,his        
dwelling place in ,sion4#bid ,sion is as
 much to say as the sight of peace2 the 
sight of the soul is the thought of that
 same soul2 and1 certes1 in that soul   
that most is occupied in thoughts of    
peace hath ,god made ,his dwelling      

place4#bie ,and thus saith ,himself by  
the prophet1 when he saith3 ,upon whom  
shall my spirit rest1 but upon the meek 
and the restful4#bif ,and1 therefore1   
who so will have ,god continually       
dwelling in him1 and live in love and in
 sight of the high peace of the         
,godhead1 the which is the highest and  
the best party of contemplation that may
 be had in this life1 be he busy night  
and day to put down1 when they come1 the
 spirit of the flesh and the spirit of  
the world1 but most busily the spirit of
 malice1 of wrath1 and of wickedness1   
for he is the foulest and the worst     
filth#big of all4 ,and it is full       
needful and speedful to know his        
quaintise1 and not for to unknow his    
doleful deceits4 ,for sometime he will1 
that wicked cursed wight1 change his    
likeness in to an angel of light1 that  
he may under colour of virtue do more   
dere2#bih but yet then1 if we look more 
redely1#bii it is but seed of bitterness
 and of discord that that he sheweth1   

seem it never so holy nor never so fair 
at the first shewing4 ,full many he     
stirreth unto singular holiness passing 
the common statute and custom of their  
degree1 as is fasting1 sharp wearing1   
and many other devout observances and   
outward doings1 in open reproving of    
other men's defaults1 the which they    
have not of office for to do4 ,all such 
and many other he stirreth them for to  
do1 and all under colour of devotion and
 of charity2 not for he is delighted in 
any deed of devotion and of charity1 but
 for he loveth dissension and slander1  
the which is evermore caused by such    
unseemly singularities2 for where so    
ever that any one or two are in any     
devout congregation1 the which any one  
or two useth any such outward           
singularities1 then in the sight of     
fools all the remenant are slandered by 
them2 but1 in the sight of the wise man1
 they slander themselves4 ,but for      
because that fools are more than wise   
men1 therefore for favour of fools such 

singular doers ween that they be wise1  
when 7if it were wisely determined7 they
 and all their fautors#cjj should be    
seen apert fools1 and darts shot of the 
devil1 to slay true simple souls under  
colour of holiness and charity4 ,and    
thus many deceits can the fiend bring in
 on this manner4  ,who so will not      
consent1 but meeketh him truly to prayer
 and to counsel1 shall graciously be    
delivered of all these deceits4#cja ,but
 it is sorrow for to say1 and more for  
to feel1 that sometime#cjb our own      
spirit is so overcome peradventure with 
each of these three spirits1 of the     
flesh1 of the world1 and of the fiend1  
and so brought into danger1 bounden in  
bondage1 in thraldom and in service of  
them all1 that sorrow it is to wit4 ,in 
great confusion and loss of itself1 it  
doth now the office of each one of them 
itself in itself4 ,and this befalleth   
when1 after long use1 and customable    
consenting unto them when they come1 at 
the last it is made so fleshly1 so      

worldly1 and so malicious1 so wicked1   
and so froward1 that now plainly of     
itself1 without suggestion of any other 
spirit1 it gendereth and bringeth forth 
in itself1 not only lusty thoughts of   
the flesh1 and vain thoughts of the     
world1 but that worst of all these1 as  
are bitter thoughts and wicked1 in      
backbiting and deeming1 and evil        
suspicion of others4 ,and when it is    
thus with our spirit1 then1 ,i trow1 it 
may not lightly be known when it is our 
own spirit that speaketh1 or when it    
heareth any of the other three spirits  
speaking in it as it is touched before4 
,but what maketh it matter#cjc who      
speaketh1 when it is all one and the    
same thing that is spoken8 ,what helpeth
 to know the person of him that         
speaketh1 when it is siker and certain  
that all is evil and perilous that is   
spoken8 ,if it be thine enemy1 consent  
not to him1 but meek thee to prayer and 
to counsel1 and so mayst thou mightily  
withstand thine enemy4 ,if it be thine  

own spirit1 reprove him bitterly1 and   
sighingly sorrow that ever thou fell    
in#cjd so great wretchedness1 bondage1  
and thraldom of the devil4 ,shrive thee 
of thy customed consents1 and of thine  
old sins1 and so mayst thou come 7by    
grace7 to recover thy freedom again2 and
 by the gracious freedom mayst thou soon
 come to1 wisely for to know1 and       
soothfastly for to feel by the proof1   
when it is thine own spirit that        
speaketh these evils1 or it be these    
other evil spirits that speaketh them in
 thee4 ,and so may this knowing be a    
sovereign mean and help of              
againstanding1 for often times unknowing
 is cause of much error1 and1 againward1
 knowing is cause of much truth2 and to 
this manner of knowing mayst thou win   
thus as ,i say to thee4  ,if thou be in 
doubt or in were#cje of these evil      
thoughts when they come1 whether that   
they be the speech of thine own spirit1 
or of any of the others of thine        
enemies2 look then busily by the witness

 of thy counsel and thy conscience1 if  
thou have been shriven and lawfully     
amended after the doom#cjf of thy       
confessor1 of all the consents that ever
 thou consented to that kind of sin1    
that thy thought is aware of4 ,and if   
thou have not been shriven shrive thee  
then1 as truly as thou mayst1 by grace  
and by counsel2 and then wete thou right
 well that all the thoughts that come to
 thee after thy shrift1 stirring thee   
oft times to the same sins1 they are the
 words of other spirits than thine own  
7,i mean some of the three touched      
before74 ,and thou for none such        
thoughts1 be they never so thick1 so    
foul1 nor so many 7,i mean for their    
first coming in71 but if it be for      
recklessness of againstanding1#cjg art  
no blame worthy4 ,and not only releasing
 of purgatory that thou hast deserved   
for the same sins done before1 what so  
they be1 thou mayst deserve1 if thou    
stiffly againstand them1 but also much  
grace in this life1 and much meed in the

 bliss of heaven4 ,but all those evil   
thoughts coming in to thee1 stirring    
thee to any sin1 after that thou hast   
consented to that same sin1 and before  
that thou hast sorrow for that consent1 
and art in will to be shriven thereof1  
it is no peril to thee to take them to  
thyself1#cjh and for to shrive thee of  
them1 as of thoughts of thine own       
spirit2 but for to take to thyself all  
other thoughts1 the which thou hast by  
very proof1 as it is shewed before1 by  
the speeches of other spirits than of   
thyself1 therein lieth great peril1 for 
so mightest thou lightly misrule thy    
conscience1 charging a thing for sin the
 which is none2 and this were great     
error1 and a mean to the greatest peril4
 ,for if it were so that each evil      
thought and stirring to sin were the    
work and the speech of none other       
spirit1 but only of man's own spirit2   
then it would follow by that that a     
man's own spirit were a very fiend1 the 
which is apertly false and a damnable   

woodness2#cji for though all it be so   
that a soul may1 by frailty and custom  
of sinning1 fall in to so much          
wretchedness1 that it taketh on itself  
by bondage of sin the office of the     
devil1 stirring itself to sin ever more 
and more1 without any suggestion of any 
other spirit 7as it is said before71 yet
 it is not therefore a devil in kind1   
but it is a devil in office1 and may be 
cleped devilish1 for it is in the doing 
like to the devil1 that is to say1 a    
stirrer of itself unto sin1 the which is
 the office of the devil4#caj           
,nevertheless yet1 for all this thraldom
 to sin and devilishness in office1 it  
may by grace of contrition1 of shrift1  
and of amending1 recover the freedom    
again1 and be made saveable--yea1 and a 
full special ,god's saint in this life1 
that before was full damnable and full  
cursed in the living4#caa ,and1         
therefore1 as great a peril as it is a  
soul that is fallen in sin1 not for to  
charge his conscience therewith1 nor for

 to amend him thereof1 as great a peril 
it is1 and1 if it may be said1 a        
greater1 a man for to charge his        
conscience with each thought and        
stirring of sin that will come in him2  
for1 by such nice charging of           
conscience1 might he lightly run in to  
error of conscience1 and so be led in to
 despair all his life time4 ,and the    
cause of all this is lacking of knowing 
of discretion of spirits1 the which     
knowing may be gotten by very           
experience2 who so redely will look soon
 after that a soul have been truly      
cleansed by confession as it is said    
before4 ,for fast after confession a    
soul is1 as it were1 a clean paper leaf1
 for ableness that it hath to receive   
what that men will write thereupon4     
,both they do press#cab for to write on 
the soul1 when it is clean in itself    
made by confession3 ,god and ,his angel 
on the one party1 and the fiend and his 
angel on the other party2 but it is in  
the free choice of the soul to receive  

which that it will4 ,the receipt of the 
soul is the consent of the same soul4 ,a
 new thought and a stirring to any sin1 
the which thou hast forsaken before in  
thy shrift1 what is it else but the     
speech of one of the three spirits the  
which are thine enemies 7touched        
before71 proffering to write on thy soul
 the same sin again8 ,the speech of     
thyself1 is it not2 for why1 there is no
 such thing written in thy soul1 for all
 it is wasted away before in thy shrift1
 and thy soul left naked and bare2      
nothing left thereupon1 but a frail and 
a free consent1 more inclining to the   
evil1 for custom therein1 than it is to 
the good1 but more able to the good than
 to the evil1 for cleanness of the soul 
and virtue of the sacrament of shrift2  
but1 of itself1 it hath nought then1    
where through it may think or stir      
itself to good or to evil2 and1         
therefore1 it followeth that what       
thought that cometh then in it1 whether 
that it be good or evil1 it is not of   

itself1 but the consent to the good or  
to the evil1 whether that it be1 that is
 ever more the work of the same soul4   
,and all after the worthiness and the   
wretchedness of this consent1 thereafter
 it deserveth pain or bliss4 ,if this   
consent be to evil1 then as fast it     
hath1 by cumbrance of sin1 the office of
 that same spirit that first made him   
suggestion of that same sin2 and if it  
be to the good1 then as fast it hath1 by
 grace1 the office of that same spirit  
that first made him stirring#cac to that
 same good4 ,for as oft as any healful  
thought cometh in our mind1 as of       
chastity1 of soberness1 of despising of 
the world1 of wilful poverty1 of        
patience1 of meekness1 and of charity1  
without doubt it is the spirit of ,god  
that speaketh1 either by ,himself or    
else by some of ,his angels--that is to 
say1 either ,his angels of this life1   
the which are true teachers1 or else    
,his angels of ,his bliss1 the which are
 true stirrers and inspirers of good4   

,and as it is said of the other three   
evil spirits1 that a soul1 for long use 
and customable consenting unto them1 may
 be made so fleshly1 so worldly1 and so 
malicious1 that it taketh upon it the   
office of them all2 right so it is      
againward#cad that a soul1 for long use 
and custom in goodness1 may be made so  
ghostly by cleanness of living and      
devotion of spirit against the spirit of
 the flesh1 and so heavenly against the 
spirit of the world1 and so godly by    
peace and by charity1 and by restfulness
 of heart1 against the spirit of malice1
 of wrath1 and of wickedness1 that it   
hath them now of office all such good   
thoughts to think when him list1 without
 forgetting1 in as great perfection as  
the frailty of this life will suffer4   
,and thus it may be seen how that each  
thought that smiteth on our hearts1     
whether that it be good or evil1 it is  
not evermore the speech of our own      
spirit1 but the consent to the thought1 
what so ever it be1 that is ever of our 

own spirit4 ,jesu grant us ,his grace1  
to consent to the good and againstand   
the evil4 ,amen4  ,,finis4 ,,deo        
,,gratias     ,,index ,,of ,,names      
,,scriptural ,,references   ,ancren     
,riwle1 ,the1 xx1 #bh n  ,aquinas1 ,st4 
,thomas1 xiii1 #ha1 #hd n1 #hf n        
,asher1 symbolism of1 #f1 #af-ai        
,augustine1 ,st41 xii1 #be  ,benjamin1  
symbolism of1 xvi1 xvii1 #f1 #bi-cc     
,bernard1 ,st41 xii1 #ha  ,bilhah1      
symbolism of1 #d-f1 #ac-af              
,bonaventura1 ,st41 xii  ,catherine of  
,siena1 ,st41 xi1 xvii-xix1 xxv-xxvii1  
#ce-dg1 #eb n1 #ajg n  ,caxton1 xviii1  
xix  ,chaucer1 #ag n1 #eb n1 #ef n1 #ie 
n1 #abj n  ,chauncy1 ,maurice1 xxiv     
,dan1 symbolism of1 #f1 #ac1 #ad1 #ah   
,dante1 xi1 xii1 xiii1 xiv1 #ch n1 #hh  
n1 #ia n  ,dinah1 symbolism of1 #f1 #be 
,dionysius1 xxiii1 xxiv  ,divine ,cloud 
of ,unknowing1 ,the1 ,author of1 xii1   
xvii1 xxiv1 xxv1 xxvii1 #c1 #cb1 #cc1   
#gg-acb  ,eckhart1 ,meister1 xi  ,exmew1
 ,william1 xxiv  ,flete1 ,william1 xvii1

 xviii1 #eb n  ,gad1 symbolism of1 #f1  
#af-ai  ,genesis1 #h-aa1 #ad-ag1 #bj1   
#bd1 #cb  ,hawkwood1 ,john1 xvii        
,hilton 7,hylton71 ,walter1 xi1 xii1    
xxii-xxv1 #fa-gc1 #ajd n1 #abd n        
,hugel1 ,f4 von1 #hd n1 #hf n  ,hugh of 
,st4 ,victor1 xii  ,imitatione ,christi1
 ,de1 xxiii n1 #fe n  ,isaiah1 #abd     
,issachar1 symbolism of1 #f1 #bj-bd     
,jacob1 symbolism of1 #c-g1 #aj1 #bg1   
#bi  ,jacopone da ,todi1 xi  ,james1    
,dane1 xviii  ,james1 ,epistle of1 #ih1 
#ii  ,jeremiah1 #ajc1 #ajd  ,john1 ,st41
 ,epistles of1 #be1 #aai  ,joseph1      
symbolism of1 #f1 #bg-cj  ,judah1       
symbolism of1 #f1 #aj-ab  ,juliana of   
,norwich1 xi1 xxi1 #fe n1 #abc n        
,kempe1 ,margery1 xix-xxi1 #di-ei       
,langland1 ,piers the ,plowman1 #gi n1  
#hi n  ,layamons ,brut1 #bh n  ,leah1   
symbolism of1 #c-aa1 #ad1 #ae-bj1 #bd1  
#bf1 #bi  ,levi1 symbolism of1 #f1 #i1  
#aj  ,luke1 ,st41 #aaj  ,margery1 see   
,kempe  ,matthew1 ,st41 #h  ,mechthild  
of ,magdeburg1 xi  ,naphtali1 symbolism 

of1 #f1 #ac-ae1 #ah1 #ai  ,paul1 ,st41  
,epistles1 #ba1 #dj1 #da1 #hh1 #ig1     
#ajf1 #aji1 #aai1 #abj  ,pepwell1 xiv1  
xix  ,proverbs1 #bh n  ,psalms1 ,the1   
xiv1 xvi1 xxvi1 #i1 #aj1 #aa1 #bc1 #ca1 
#cc1 #gh1 #gi1 #aai1 #abd  ,pynson1 xxii
  ,rachel1 symbolism of1 #c-f1 #ab-ae1  
#ah1 #bg1 #cb  ,raymund of ,capua1      
xviii1 xix  ,reuben1 symbolism of1 #f1  
#g-i  ,richard of ,st4 ,victor1 xii-xv1 
xxii1 xxv1 xxvi1 #c1 #d n1 #ai n        
,richard ,rolle of ,hampole1 xi1 xii1   
xvi1 xvii1 xxiii n1 xxv1 #ga n  ,robert 
of ,brunne1 ,chronicle of1 #abd n       
,ruysbroeck1 ,jan1 xi  ,shelley1 xv n   
,simeon1 symbolism of1 #f1 #h1 #i  ,song
 of ,solomon1 #hh1 #ajh  ,suso1         
,heinrich1 xi  ,tantucci1 ,giovanni1    
xvii  ,tyrrell1 ,george1 xxi n  ,wyclif1
 #af n1 #gi n1 #aab n  ,wynkyn de       
,worde1 xviii1 xix1 xx1 xxi1 xxvii      
,zebulun1 symbolism of1 #f1 #bb-be      
,zechariah1 #aai  ,zilpah1 symbolism of1
 #d-f1 #ae-ag1 #bj      ,footnotes3   #a
 ,dante1 convivio1 i4 #ab4  #b ,cf4 the 

,letter to ,can ,grande 7,epist4 x4     
#bh71 where ,dante1 like ,st4 ,thomas   
,aquinas before him1 refers to the      
,benjamin ,major as ,richardus de       
,sancto ,victore in libro ,de           
,contemplatione4  #c,par4 x4 #aca1 #acb4
  #d ,ps4 lxviii4 #bg4  #e ,benjamin    
,minor1 cap4 #gc4  #f ,benjamin ,minor1 
cap4 #ge4 ,cf4 ,shelley1 ,the ,triumph  
of ,life3 ,their lore taught them not   
this3 to know themselves4 ,this passage 
of ,richard is curiously misquoted and  
its meaning perverted in ,haureau1      
,histoire de la ,philosophie            
,scolastique1 i4 pp4 #eac1 #ead1 in the 
,dictionary of ,national ,biography1    
vol4 xvi41 and elsewhere4  #g ,benjamin 
,minor1 cap4 #ha4  #h ,cf4 below1 pp4   
#cb1 #cc4  #i ,richard ,rolle of        
,hampole and his ,followers1 edited by  
,c4 ,horstman1 vol4 i4 pp4 #afb-agb4    
#aj ,sene1 ,senis1 or ,seenes1 ,siena1  
from the ,latin ,senae 7,catharina de   
,senis74  #aa ,cf4 ,e4 ,gordon ,duff1   
,hand-,lists of ,english ,printers1     

#aeja-aeef1 i4 p4 #bd4  #ab ,bibliotheca
 ,britannico-,hibernica p4 #deb4  #ac   
,quietaclacmium ,margerie filie         
,johannis ,kempe de domibus in parochia 
de ,northgate4 ,brit4 ,mus41 ,add ,,ms4 
#be1aji4  #ad ,she was1 however1        
apparently less strictly enclosed than  
was usual for an ancress4  #ae ,cf4 ,g4 
,tyrrell1 ,sixteen ,revelations of      
,divine ,love shewed to ,mother ,juliana
 of ,norwich1 ,preface1 p4 v4  #af ,in  
the ,british ,museum copy of ,pepwell's 
volume1 ff4 #a-b of the ,epistle of     
,prayer and f4 #a of the ,song of       
,angels are transposed4  #ag ,cf4 ,c4   
,t4 ,martin1 in ,dictionary of ,national
 ,biography1 vol4 ix4 ,for ,hilton's    
alleged authorship of the ,de           
,imitatione ,christi1 see ,j4 ,e4 ,g4 de
 ,montmorency1 ,thomas a ,kempis1 his   
,age and ,book1 pp4 #ada-afi4  #ah      
,edited by ,g4 ,g4 ,perry1 under the    
title ,the ,anehede of ,godd with mannis
 saule1 as the work of ,richard ,rolle1 
in ,english ,prose ,treatises of        

,richard ,rolle de ,hampole 7,early     
,english ,text ,society1 #ahff71 pp4    
#ad-ai2 and1 in two texts1 by ,c4       
,horstman1 op4 cit41 vol4 i4 pp4        
#age-ahb4  #ai ,in the ,,mss4 this is   
called3 ,a pystyll of discrecion in     
knowenge of spirites2 or3 ,a tretis of  
discrescyon of spirites4  #bj ,all in   
,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd1 and other ,,mss4 ,the
 ,divine ,cloud of ,unknowing1 and      
portions of the ,epistle1 ,book1 or     
,treatise1 of ,privy ,counsel have been 
printed1 in a very unsatisfactory       
manner1 in ,the ,divine ,cloud with     
notes and a ,preface by ,father         
,augustine ,baker1 ,o4,s4,b4 ,edited by 
,henry ,collins4 ,london1 #ahga4  #ba   
,d4 ,m4 ,m',intyre1 ,the ,cloud of      
,unknowing1 in the ,expositor1 series   
vii4 vol4 #d 7#aijg74 ,dr4 ,rufus ,m4   
,jones1 ,studies in ,mystical ,religion1
 p4 #ccf1 regards these treatises as the
 work of a school of mystics gathered   
about the writer of the ,hid ,divinity4 
,neither of these authors includes the  

translation of the ,benjamin ,minor1    
which1 however1 appears to me           
undoubtedly from the same hand as that  
of the ,divine ,cloud4  #bb ,benjamin   
,minor1 cap4 #gh4  #bc ,dialogo cap4    
#aea4  #bd ,benjamin ,minor1 cap4 #gb4  
#be ,the ,,mss4 have3 men clepen4  #bf  
,so the ,,mss41 which agrees with the   
,latin1 ordinati affectus 7,benjamin    
,minor1 cap4 #c72 ,pepwell has ardent   
feelings4  #bg ,so ,pepwell1 which      
accords with the ,latin3 cum tante      
importunitate4 ,the ,,mss4 read3        
unconningly1 i4e4 ignorantly4  #bh ,so  
,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd and ,pepwell2 ,harl4  
,,ms4 #ajbb1 ed4 ,horstman1 reads3      
forthe1 i4e4 offer4 ,the ,latin is3 ,et 
,zelphae quidem sitim dominae suae copia
 tanta omnino extinguere non potest     
7,benjamin ,minor1 cap4 #f74  #bi ,the  
,latin has simply3 vinum quod ,zelpha   
sitit1 gaudium est voluptatis 7ibid474  
#cj ,harl4 ,,ms4 #ajbb1 ed4 ,horstman1  
reads3 in our soul4  #ca ,pepwell gives 
the modern equivalent1 ordinate and     

inordinate1 for ordained and unordained1
 throughout4  #cb ,ps4 cxi4 #aj         
7,vulgate cx474  #cc ,pepwell adds3 and 
high ,judge4  #cd ,filius visionis4  #ce
 ,gen4 xxix4 #cb 7,vidit ,dominus       
humilitatem meam1 ,vulgate74  #cf ,gen4 
xxix4 #cc4  #cg ,exauditio4  #ch ,matt4 
v4 #d4  #ci ,ezek4 xxxiii4 #ad4  #dj    
,made humble4  #da ,ps4 li4 #ag         
7,vulgate l474  #db ,additus1 vel       
,additio4  #dc ,added4 ,cf4 ,gen4 xxix4 
#cd4  #dd ,ps4 xciv4 #ai 7,vulgate      
xciii474  #de ,gen4 xxix4 #cd4  #df     
,gen4 xxix4 #ce 7,vulgate73 ,modo       
confitebor ,domino4  #dg ,confitens4    
#dh ,learning4  #di ,ps4 cvi4 #a1 cvii4 
#a 7cv41 cvi41 ,vulgate74  #ej ,pepwell 
reads3 the true goodness of ,god4  #ea  
,pepwell reads3 conning4  #eb ,latin    
,invisibilium3 ,pepwell has unseasable4 
#ec ,pepwell has feble4  #ed ,reasons4  
#ee ,because4  #ef ,judicium 7,pepwell  
adds3 or judgment74  #eg ,gen4 xlix4    
#af3 ,dan shall judge his people4  #eh  
,gen4 xxx4 #f4  #ei ,gen4 xxx4 #h3      

,comparavit me ,deus cum sorore mea1 et 
invalui 7,vulgate74  #fj ,in the ,latin1
 ,comparalio vel conversio4  #fa ,gen4  
xlix4 #ba3 ,naphtali is a hind let      
loose3 he giveth goodly words           
7,nephthali cervus emissus at dams      
eloquia pulchritudinis1 ,vulgate74  #fb 
,harl4 ,,ms4 #ajbb1 ed4 ,horstman1      
reads3 full4  #fc ,underloute1          
participle of ,underluten 7,o4,e4       
,underlutan71 to stoop beneath1 or      
submit to4 ,cf4 ,wycliffe's ,bible1     
,gen4 xxxvii4 #h3 ,whether thow shalt be
 oure kyng1 oither we shal be undirloute
 to thi bidding8  #fd ,discomfort4  #fe 
,dixit3 ,feliciter4 ,gen4 xxx4 #aa      
7,vulgate74  #ff ,felicitas4 ,harl4     
,,ms4 #fgd adds3 whether thou wilt4  #fg
 ,the ,,mss4 have3 selyness4  #fh ,gen4 
xxx4 #ac 7,vulgate73 ,hoc pro           
beatitudine mea4  #fi ,beatus4  #gj     
,natural4  #ga ,murmurs1 complains4 ,cf4
 ,chaucer1 ,the ,persones ,tale1 ed4    
,skeat ,,ss #cj3 ,after bakbyting cometh
 grucching or murmuracion2 and somtyme  

it springeth of impacience agayns ,god1 
and somtyme agayns man4 ,agayns ,god it 
is1 whan a man gruccheth agayn the      
peynes of helle1 or agayns poverte1 or  
los of catel or agayn reyn or tempest2  
or elles gruccheth that shrewes han     
prosperitee1 or elles for that goode men
 han adversitee4  #gb ,pepwell adds3 at 
the least willingly4  #gc ,pepwell      
reads3 put down4  #gd ,watches4  #ge    
,promises4 ,latin3 fovet promissis4  #gf
 ,a curious mistranslation3 ,sed ,aser  
hosti suo facile illudit dum partem quam
 tuetur1 alta patientiae rupe munitam   
conspicit 7,benjamin ,minor1 cap4 #cc74 
#gg ,dwelling-place4  #gh ,pacified4    
,harl4 ,,ms4 #ajbb1 ed4 ,horstman1      
reads3 the cite of conscience is made   
pesebule4  #gi ,merces4  #hj ,so ,harl4 
,,ms4 #fgd2 omitted in ,harl1 ,,ms4     
#ajbb and by ,pepwell4  #ha ,gen4 xxx4  
#ah4  #hb ,the ,,mss4 read3 erles4  #hc 
,gen4 xlix1 #ad3 ,issachar asinus fortis
 accubans interterminos 7,vulgate74  #hd
 ,rom4 vii4 #bd4  #he ,phil4 i4 #bc4    

#hf ,ps iv4 #e4 ,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd has3  
,wraththes and willeth not synne1 or    
thus3 ,beeth wrothe and synnith not4    
#hg ,human nature in our fellow-man4    
#hh ,fellow-,christian4 ,the words in   
square brackets are omitted in ,harl4   
,,ms4 #fgd4  #hi ,ps4 cxxxix4 7,vulgate 
cxxxviii4 7 #ba4  #ij ,ps4 cxix4        
7,vulgate cxviii47 #ajd4  #ia           
,habitaculum fortitudinis4  #ib ,gen4   
xxx4 #bj4  #ic ,assuredly4 ,pepwell     
sometimes modernises this word1 but not 
invariably4  #id #a ,john i4 #h4  #ie   
,cf4 ,st4 ,augustine's various writings 
against the ,pelagians1 e4g4 ,epist4    
clvii4 7,opera1 ed4 ,migne1 tom4 ii4    
coll4 #cgd et seq471 ,ad ,hilarium4  #if
 ,deliberate intention4  #ig ,warnes in 
the ,,mss4  #ih ,disposition4  #ii      
,coaxing1 beguiling4 ,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd  
reads3 glosing4  #ajj ,madness4  #aja   
,in particular4 ,pepwell has3 surely4   
#ajb ,regret4  #ajc ,better is art than 
evil strength4 ,a proverbial expression4
 ,cf4 ,layamons ,brut1 #agbaj 7ed       

,madden1 ii4 p4 #big72 ,ancren ,riwle   
7ed4 ,morton71 p4 #bfh 7where it is     
rendered3 ,skilful prudence is better   
than rude force74 ,cf4 ,prov4 xxi4 #bb4 
#ajd ,the ,,mss4 have3 ilke4  #aje      
,invisibilia4  #ajf ,so ,pepwell and    
,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd4 ,harl4 ,,ms4 #ajbb1  
ed4 ,horstman1 reads3 see thiself and   
the candell4  #ajg ,pepwell reads3      
waking4  #ajh ,ps4 iv4 #f-g4  #aji      
,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd reads3 light4  #aaj   
,salutary4  #aaa ,skill4  #aab ,so      
,pepwell4 ,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd reads3 each 
desire on desire4 ,harl4 ,,ms4 #ajbb1   
ed4 ,horstman1 has3 hekand desire unto  
desire4  #aac ,gen4 xxxv4 #ah4  #aad    
,ps4 xxvi4 7,vulgate xxv47 #ab4  #aae   
,so ,harl4 ,,mss4 #ajbb and #bcgc2      
,pepwell and harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd read3     
godly4  #aaf ,ps4 lxviii4 #bg 7,vulgate 
lxvii4 #bh74  #aag ,so ,harl4 ,,ms4     
#bcgc2 omitted in ,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd4    
,pepwell has instead3 ,to the which us  
bring our blessed ,benjamin1 ,christ    
,jesu1 ,amen4 ,harl4 ,,ms4 #ajbb ends3  

,jesus ,jesu1 ,mercy1 ,jesu1 grant      
,mercy1 ,jesu4 ,the whole of this       
concluding paragraph1 which is an       
addition of the translator1 differs     
considerably in ,pepwell4  #aah,so      
,pepwell and ,,ms4 ,reg4 #ag ,d4,v42    
,caxton has3 ,thou art she that art not1
 and ,i am he that am2 which is nearer  
to the ,latin4  #aai;,caxton reads3 ,i  
escape gracyously all his snares4       
#abj;,cf4 ,dante1 ,par4 xxxiii4         
#ajj-aje3--    ,a quella luce cotal si  
diventa1   ,che volgersi da lei per     
altro aspetto1   ,e impossibil che mai  
si consenta2   ,pero che il ben1 ch'e   
del volere obbietto1   ,tutto s'accoglie
 in lei1 e fuor di quella   ,e difettivo
 cio che li e perfetto4  ,such at that  
light does one become1 that it were     
impossible ever to consent to turn from 
it for sight of ought else1 ,for the    
good1 that is the object of the will1 is
 wholly gathered therein1 and outside it
 that is defective which there is       
perfect4  #aba,so ,pepwell3 ,caxton has3

 yf thou wilt gete the vertu of ghostely
 strength4  #abb,pepwell and the ,,ms4  
add3 and temptations 7,caxton3 of       
temptacyons72 which is clearly out of   
place4 ,cf4 ,legenda1 ,,ss #ajd 7,acta  
,sanctorum1 ,aprilis1 tom4 iii474  #abcb
 ,cor4 i4 #g4  #abd,mated4 ,caxton has3 
vertuously y-mette4 ,cf4 ,legenda1 ,,ss 
#aja3 ,talis anima sic ,deo conjuncta4  
#abeb ,cor4 xii4 #aj4  #abf ,and the    
cause and the rote 7,caxton74           
#abg,sometimes4  #abh;,caxton has3 ,it  
happed she sayde that other whyle       
deuoute feruour of a sowle leuyng oure  
lorde ,jhesu other by somme certeyne    
synne1 or ellys by newe sotyll          
temptacyons of the fende wexyth dull and
 slowe1 and other whyle it is y-brought 
to veray coldenesse4 ,pepwell and the   
,,ms4 are entirely corrupt3 ,it         
happeneth 7she sayth7 that otherwhyle a 
synner whiche is leuynge our ,lord      
,jhesu by some certeyn synne1 or ellys  
by some certeyn temptacyons of the      
fende1 c4 ,the original of the passage  

runs thus3 ,frequenter enim 7ut         
inquiebat7 contingit animae ,deum amanti
 quod fervor mentalis1 vel ex divina    
providentia1 vel ex aliquali culpa1 vel 
ex haustis adinventionibus inimici1     
tepescit1 et quandoque quasi ad         
frigiditatem usque deducitur 7,legenda  
,,ss #ajg74  #abi,so ,caxton2 ,pepwell  
has3 leaving4  #acj;,caxton has3 seeth2 
the ,latin text3 quantumcumque videat   
seu sentiat4  #aca,requited4  #acb,so   
the ,,ms42 ,pepwell reads3 were feble   
and fayle2 and ,caxton3 wexed feble and 
defayled4  #acc;,caxton reads3 prayng   
7praying74  #acd,so ,caxton3 ,pepwell   
and ,,ms4 have3 in4  #ace,latin1        
,praelatorum suorum 7i4e4 of her        
ecclesiastical superiors71 ,legenda1    
,,ss #cfa4  #acf,omitted in ,pepwell and
 in ,,ms4  #acg;,judge4 ,cf4 above1 p4  
#ad4  #ach;,judgment4  #aci ,also she   
sayd that she hadde alwaye grete hope   
and truste in ,goddes prouydence1 and to
 this same truste she endured her       
dysciples seyng unto theym that she     

founde and knewe 7,caxton74  #adj,the   
habergeon or the hair-shirt1 the former 
term being applied to an instrument of  
penance as well as to a piece of armour4
 ,cf4 ,chaucer1 ,the ,persones ,tale    
7ed4 ,skeat1 ,,ss #ig73 ,thanne shaltow 
understonde1 that bodily peyne stant in 
disciplyne or techinge1 by word or by   
wrytinge1 or in ensample4 ,also in      
weringe of heyres or of stamin1 or of   
haubergeons on hir naked flesh1 for     
,cristes sake1 and swiche manere        
penances4 ,but war thee wel that swiche 
manere penances on thy flesh ne make nat
 thyn herte bitter or angry or anoyed of
 thy-self2 for bettre is to caste awey  
thyn heyre1 than for to caste away the  
sikernesse of ,jesu ,crist4 ,and        
therfore seith seint ,paul3 ',clothe    
yow1 as they that been chosen of ,god1  
in herte of misericorde1 debonairetee1  
suffraunce1 and swich manere of         
clothinge'2 of whiche ,jesu ,crist is   
more apayed than of heyres1 or          
haubergeons1 or hauberkes4  #ada,wynkyn 

de ,worde has3 sholde4  #adb,wynkyn de  
,worde has3 profyte4  #adc;,cf4 ,st4    
,catherine of ,siena1 ,letter to        
,william ,flete 7ed4 ,gigli1 #abd73     
,there are some who give themselves     
perfectly to chastising their body1     
doing very great and bitter penance1 in 
order that the sensuality may not rebel 
against the reason4 ,they have set all  
their desire more in mortifying the body
 than in slaying their own will4 ,these 
are fed at the table of penance1 and are
 good and perfect1 but unless they have 
great humility1 and compel themselves to
 consider the will of ,god and not that 
of men1 they oft times mar their        
perfection by making themselves judges  
of those who are not going by the same  
way that they are going4  #add,perhaps1 
simply1 say many prayers--without any   
special reference to the rosary4        
#ade;,annoy4  #adf,wynkyn de ,worde has3
 mote4  #adg,wynkyn de ,worde has3      
lownesse4  #adh,with-out-forthoutwardly4
 ,cf4 ,chaucer1 ,the ,persones ,tale1   

7ed4 ,skeat1 ,,ss #aj73 ,and with-inne  
the hertes of folk shal be the bytinge  
conscience1 and with-oute-forth shal be 
the world al brenninge4                 
#adi;,everycheeach one4  #aej;,according
 to the legend1 certain indulgences1 to 
be gained by all who visited the ,holy  
,places at ,jerusalem1 were first       
granted by ,pope ,st4 ,sylvester at the 
petition of ,constantine and ,st4       
,helena4 ,there seems no evidence as to 
the real date at which these special    
indulgences were instituted4 ,cf4       
,amort1 ,de origine1 progressu1 valore1 
ac frauctu ,indulgentiarum1 ,augsburg1  
#agce1 pars i4 pp4 #bag et seq4         
#aea,plenary4  #aeb;,all the indulgences
 attached to the ,holy ,places4         
#aec,probably ,racheness in the parish  
of ,south ,acre1 where there was a leper
 hospital1 with church or chapel        
dedicated to ,st4 ,bartholomew1 of early
 foundation 7,victoria ,history of the  
,county of ,norfolk1 ii4 p4 #dej74      
#aed;,in true union4  #aee;,established 

firmly4  #aef,wandering4  #aeg,so       
,horstman4 ,pepwell reads3 ,with this   
wonderful onehede ne may none be        
fuifilled4  #aeh,unreasonable impulses4 
#aei,secret nature4 ,cf4 ,mother        
,juliana1 ,revelations of ,divine ,love1
 xiv4 cap4 #df3 ,and our kindly         
substance is now blessedfully in ,god4  
#afj;,divers4  #afa;,cf4 ,de ,imitatione
 ,christi1 ii4 #d3 ,if thine heart were 
right1 then every creature would be a   
mirror of life1 and a book of holy      
doctrine4 ,there is no creature so small
 and vile1 as not to represent the      
goodness of ,god4  #afb;,horstman reads3
 a mans saule4  #afc,so ,horstman3      
,pepwell reads3 as virtues in angels and
 in holy souls and in heavenly things4  
#afd,pepwell omits the not4             
#afe;,before4  #aff,the truth of ,god's 
hidden mysteries4  #afg;,according to   
the measure of its love4  #afh;,all     
intervening hindrance4  #afi;,horstman  
reads3 matter4  #agj;,a little4         
#aga;,before4  #agb,overtaxes4          

#agc;,craft4  #agd;,horstman reads3 wete
 he wele4  #age,this passage is         
defective in ,pepwell4  #agf,,ms4 ,dd4  
v4 #ee1 ed4 ,horstman1 has3 purges4     
#agg,pepwell has3 in feeling of the     
sound4  #agh,,ms4 ,dd4 v4 #ee1 ed4      
,horstman1 reads3 toune 7i4e4 tone74    
#agi;,illumined4  #ahj;,cools down grows
 cold4 ,also construed with from4 ,cf4  
,richard ,rolle ,psalter 7ed4 ,h4 ,r4   
,bramley1 p4 #aef73 ,he gars sa many    
kele fra godis luf4  #aha;,a mere       
abstract thought of ,god4               
#ahb;,construe3 ,but if he hold this    
feeling and this mind 7that is only his 
own working by custom7 to be a special  
visitation4  #ahc,surer1 safer4         
#ahd,pepwell adds and in faith4         
#ahe,the ,,mss4 add3 ,and bot if thou   
spede thee the rather or thou come to   
the ende of thy prayer4  #ahf,pepwell   
reads3 find4  #ahg;,coax1 beguile4      
#ahh;,falsehoods4  #ahi,the ,,mss4 read3
 behetynges of lenger leuyng4           
#aij,promise4  #aia,ps4 xlvi4 #h        

7,vulgate71 xlvii4 #g 7,a4,v473 ,sing ye
 praises with understanding4  #aib,ps4  
cxi4 #aj 7cx4 #aj ,vulgate74  #aic,so   
,pepwell2 ,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd reads3 ,bot 
forthi that there is no sekir stonding4 
#aid,pepwell adds in explanation3 or    
amends2 i4e4 satisfaction4 ,cf4         
,langland1 ,piers the ,plowman1 ,b4     
xvii4 #bcg3 ,and if it suffice noughte  
for assetz2 and ,wyclif1 ,pistil on     
,cristemasse ,day 7,select ,english     
,works1 ed4 ,t4 ,arnold1 ii4 p4 #bcg73  
,and thus1 sith aseeth muste be maad for
 ,adams synne4  #aie,ps4 xxxiv4 #bb     
7,vulgate xxxiii4 #bc74  #aif,the ,,mss4
 read3 fro a lyf4  #aig,the ,,mss4 read3
 a lyf4  #aih,so ,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd4     
,pepwell reads3 ,also the steps of thy  
staff ,hope plainly will shew unto thee 
if thou do it duly1 as ,i have told thee
 before1 or not4  #aii,summa            
,theologica1 ,,ii4-ii4 ,q4 #hb1 ,a4 ,i3 
,devotio nihil aliud esse videtur1 quam 
voluntas quaedam prompte tradendi se ad 
ea1 quae pertinent ad ,dei famulatum4   

#bjj,the whole passage included in      
square brackets is omitted in ,pepwell1 
but is identical in the two ,,mss4      
#bja,so ,harl4 ,,ms4 #bcgc2 ,harl4 ,,ms4
 #fgd reads3 medeful4  #bjb,the trunk4  
#bjc,pepwell inserts3 it is but churl's 
meat1 for4  #bjd,not in ,pepwell4       
#bje,pepwell reads3 and for nothing     
else4  #bjf;,had never received it from 
,him4  #bjg,pure ,love1 or ,charity1    
which attains to ,god ,himself1 that it 
may abide in ,him1 not that any         
advantage may accrue to us from ,him    
7,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas1 ,summa          
,theologica1 ,,ii4-ii4 ,q4 #bc1 ,a4 #f74
 ,for the whole doctrine of ,pure ,love 
or ,disinterested ,religion1 cf4 ,f4 von
 ,hugel1 ,the ,mystical ,element of     
,religion1 ii4 pp4 #aeb-aha4  #bjh,so   
both ,,mss42 ,pepwell reads3            
blessedness4  #bji;,hindering or        
marring4  #baj;,cf4 ,st4 ,thomas        
,aquinas1 ,summa ,theologica1 ,,ii4-ii4 
,q4 #bg1 ,a4 #c2 and ,f4 von ,hugel1 op4
 cit41 ii4 p4 #afg4  #baa;,in the       

,divine ,essence4  #bab,so ,harl4 ,,ms4 
#fgd1 ,i take it as the beatitude of man
 which is ,god ,himself4  #bac;,cf4     
,dante1 ,par4 xxxiii1 #adc-ade3--  ,ma  
gia volgeva il mio disiro e il velle1   
,si come rota ch' egualmente e mossa1   
,l',amor che move il sole e l'altre     
stelle4  ,but already my desire and     
will1 even as a wheel that is equally   
moved1 were being turned by the ,love   
that moves the sun and the other stars4 
#bada ,cor4 vi4 #ag4  #bae,pepwell adds3
 or sundry4  #baf,so ,pepwell and ,harl4
 ,,ms4 #bcgc2 ,harl4 ,,ms1 #fgd reads3  
they ben one spirit4  #bag;,cant4 ii4   
#af4  #bah;,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd reads3     
glose4 ,pepwell adds3 or flatter4       
#bai;,heed4  #bbj,pepwell adds3 or      
betokeneth4 ,cf4 ,langland1 ,piers the  
,plowman1 ,a4 i4 #a3 ,what this mountein
 bemeneth4  #bba;,cf4 above1 p4 #bh     
note4  #bbb,pepwell adds3 or counsel4   
#bbc,of thyself thou hast nought but    
sin4  #bbd,so the ,,mss43 ,pepwell has3 
to ,god4  #bbe,pepwell changes to       

divers4  #bbf;,cf4 ,dante1 ,de          
,monarchia1 iii4 #af3 ,man alone of     
beings holds a mid-place between        
corruptible and incorruptible2 wherefore
 he is rightly likened by the           
philosophers to the horizon which is    
between two hemispheres4 ,for man1 if   
considered after either essential part1 
to wit soul and body is corruptible if  
considered only after the one1 to wit   
the body1 but if after the other1 to wit
 the soul1 he is incorruptible4 4 4 4   
,if man then1 is a kind of mean between 
corruptible and incorruptible things1   
since every mean savours of the nature  
of the extremes1 it is necessary that   
man should savour of either nature4 ,and
 since every nature is ordained to a    
certain end1 it follows that there must 
be a twofold end of man1 so that like as
 he alone amongst all beings partakes of
 corruptibility and incorruptibilty1 so 
he alone amongst all beings should be   
ordained for two final goals of which   
the one should be his goal as a         

corruptible being1 and the other as an  
incorruptible 7,p4 ,h4 ,wicksteed's     
translation74  #bbg,pepwell modernises  
this throughout to dwelling alone4      
#bbh,pepwell substitutes doubt4 ,cf4    
,chaucer1 ,legend of ,good ,women1      
#bfhf3 ,thryes doun she fil in swiche a 
were4  #bbi,pepwell adds3 in keeping of 
silence4  #bcj;,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd reads3 
more holiness than thou art worthy4     
#bca,nature4  #bcb,solitude4            
#bcc,pepwell has3 company4  #bcd,pepwell
 reads3 better4  #bce;,causes4  #bcfa   
,cor4 ii4 #aa4  #bcg,simple4  #bch;,jas4
 i4 #ab4  #bci,the ,,mss4 usually read  
cleped for called4  #bdj,pepwell        
modernizes to trouble4  #bda;,jas4 i4   
#ab4  #bdb,to give place to4  #bdc,such 
impulses to exceptional practices4      
#bdd;,humble itself4  #bde,pleasant4    
#bdf,pepwell reads3 wits4  #bdg,lest4   
#bdh,pepwell reads3 strait4  #bdi;,jer4 
ix4 #ba3 ,quia ascendit mors per        
fenestras nostras 7,vulgate74 ,pepwell  
reads3 as saint ,jerome saith6 ,cf4     

,walter ,hilton1 ,the ,ladder of        
,perfection1 ,i4 pt4 iii4 cap #i3 ,lift 
up thy lanthorn1 and thou shalt see in  
this image five windows1 by which sin   
cometh into thy soul1 as the ,prophet   
saith3 ,death cometh in by our windows4 
,these are the five senses by which thy 
soul goeth out of herself1 and fetcheth 
her delight and seeketh her feeding in  
earthly things1 contrary to the nobility
 of her own nature4 ,as by the eye to   
see curious and fair things and so of   
the other senses4 ,by the unskilful     
using of these senses willingly to      
vanities1 thy soul is much letted from  
the sweetness of the spiritual senses   
within2 and therefore it behoveth thee  
to stop these windows1 and shut them1   
but only when need requireth to open    
them 7ed4 ,dalgairns1 p4 #aae74         
#bej;,ignorant4  #bea,where natural and 
acquired knowledge alike fall shorts4   
#beb;,fully4  #bec,nature4  #bed,pepwell
 has3 when thou dost feel4  #bee,pepwell
 inserts3 ,i mean except the solemn vows

 of holy religion4  #befb ,cor4 iii4    
#ag4  #beg;,cf4 ,st4 ,catherine of      
,siena1 ,letter #cjh 7ed4 ,gigli73 ,love
 harmonises the three powers of our     
soul1 and binds them together4 ,the will
 moves the understanding to see1 when it
 wishes to love2 when the understanding 
perceives that the will would fain love1
 if it is a rational will1 it places    
before it as object the ineffable love  
of the eternal ,father1 who has given us
 the ,word1 ,his own son1 and the       
obedience and humility of the son1 who  
endured torments1 inuries1 mockeries1   
and insults with meekness and with such 
great love4 ,and thus the will1 with    
ineffable love1 follows what the eye of 
the understanding has beheld2 and with  
its strong hand1 it stores up in the    
memory the treasure that it draws from  
this love4  #beh,losing4  #bei;,cant4   
iv4 #i4  #bfj,to exercise love4         
#bfa;,divers4  #bfba ,cor4 i4 #bf1 vii4 
#bj2 ,eph4 iv4 #a4  #bfc,luke x4 #db4   
#bfd,pepwell inserts ,him list thee to  

see1 and4  #bfe,pepwell reads3 ,let be  
good and all that is good1 and better   
with all that is better4  #bff,luke x4  
#db4  #bfg,to know how to speak1 etc4   
#bfh;,banishing from thy soul's vision4 
#bfi;,be able to4  #bgj,pepwell reads3  
privily4 ,cf4 ,wyclif 7,select ,english 
,works1 ed4 cit41 i4 p4 #adi73 ,and     
after seith ,crist to his apostles1 that
 thes thingis he seide bifore to hem in 
proverbis and mystily4  #bga,pepwell    
reads3 rest4  #bgb,pepwell modernises   
conne to learn to throughout this       
passage4  #bgc;,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd reads3 
stirring2 the other ,,ms1 as ,pepwell4  
#bgd;,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd reads3 have4     
#bge,pepwell reads3 else4               
#bgf,manifestly1 i4e4 unless they       
clearly show that they do not know how  
to act as they should4 ,pepwell has3 in 
a part4  #bgg;i4e4 take their advice1   
but do not simply imitate them4 ,i      
follow the ,,mss4 in preference to      
,pepwell1 who reads3 ,work after no     
men's counsel1 but sith that know well  

their own disposition2 for such men     
should1 etc4  #bgha ,john iv4 #a-f4     
#bgi,ps4 lxxxv4 #h 7,vulgate lxxxiv4    
#i74  #bhj,zech4 i4 #i-ai4  #bha;,col4  
ii4 #ah4  #bhba ,thess4 i4 #b-i4        
#bhc,pepwell adds3 or ambition4 ,cf4    
,chaucer1 ,the ,persones ,tale1 ed4     
,skeat1 ,,ss #ah3 and coveitise of      
hynesse by pryde of herte4  #bhd;,burns4
  #bhe,so ,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd2 ,pepwell   
has3 war4  #bhf;,crafty device4         
#bhg;,cf4 above1 p4 #ag note4           
#bhh,pepwell has3 gladly4  #bhi,pepwell 
reads ever ready4  #bij,withstand1      
resist4  #bia;,cf4 ,mother ,juliana1    
,revelations of ,divine ,love1 i4 cap4  
#i3 ,in general ,i am1 ,i hope1 in      
onehead of charity with all my even     
,christian1 for in this onehead standeth
 the life of all mankind that shall be  
saved4  #bib;,if it is still guilty of  
the other two4  #bic,pepwell adds3 and  
voluptuous4  #bid,ps4 cxxxii4 7,vulgate 
cxxxi4 7 #ac4  #bie;,cf4 ,walter        
,hilton1 ,the ,ladder of ,perfection1   

,,ii4 pt4 ii4 cap4 #c3 ,jerusalem is1 as
 much as to say1 a sight of peace1 and  
betokeneth contemplation in perfect love
 of ,god2 for contemplation is nothing  
else but a sight of ,god1 which is very 
peace4  #bif,probably ,isa4 lvii4 #ae4  
#big,pepwell reads3 most folly4         
#bih,pepwell adds3 or harm4 ,cf4 ,the   
,chronicle of ,robert of ,brunne1       
#hije-f3 ,now may ye lyghtly bere the   
stones to schip wythouten dere4         
#bii;,advisedly4  #cjj,partisans1       
abettors4  #cja,the ,,mss4 read3 doles4 
#cjb,pepwell reads3 ,but it is more     
sorrow to feel of our own spirit's      
deceits4 ,for sometime our own spirit4  
#cjc,the ,,mss4 read3 ,bot what thar    
reche2 what need to care4  #cjd,pepwell 
reads3 didst feel in there4  #cje;,cf4  
above1 p4 #ie1 note4  #cjf,pepwell adds3
 and judgment4  #cjg,unless because of  
carelessness in resisting them when they
 first come4  #cjh,to regard thyself as 
responsible4  #cji,madness4  #caj,not in
 ,harl4 ,,ms4 #fgd4  #caa,pepwell reads3

 a full damnable and a full cursed fiend
 in his living4  #cab,pepwell adds3 and 
desire much4  #cac,pepwell reads3       
suggestion4  #cad,on the other hand4