The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

xx. CHAPITER.

FOR answere to the xiiij^e. and xv^e. argumentis to gidere vndir oon, y sende bifore these iij. reulis or supposicions.

Oon is: That a man schal haue more feruentli hise affecciouns and loues anentis his loued freend, whanne and whilis thilk freend is at sumwhile present per|sonali with him and bisidis him, than he schal haue, if the freend be absent alwey and not personali pre|sent with him. This reule is openli trewe bi expe|rience. Forwhi, (not withstonding a man talke and speke of his freend at the mete table or in sum other place, and haue as good affeccioun as he can haue upon the same freend in such absence,) ȝit if in the meene while the freend come into him personali and sitte doun with him, he schal haue miche gretter af|feccioun vpon the seid freend than he hadde in the freendis absence. Wherfore this firste reule is trewe.

The ij^e. reule is this: If a man wole encrese his gode affecciouns anentis his absent freend, whilis he mai not haue the same freend visibili present, it is profitable to him that he ymagine thilk freend to be with him present bodili. This is euydentli trewe bi assay of experience to alle hem whiche ȝeuen hem wijsly to the bisynes of contemplacioun, namelich in the bigynnyng of her contemplatijf lijf. Wherfore this reule is trewe.

Also thus: If the freend were bodili visibili pre|sent, thilk presence were best forto gendre the seid affeccioun. Wherfore the other next present being of his freend, which is next aftir his bodili present visible being, is the next grettist meene aftir his bodili visible presence into the gendring of the seid affeccioun. And thanne ferther thus: But so it is, that thilk present beyng of the freend, grettist aftir his bodili visible presence, is his presence in ymagi|nacioun. Wherfore this present ij^e. reule is trewe: That it is ful profitable into gendring of affecciouns upon the absent freend, that the desirer of the affec|cioun haue ymaginacioun that thilk freend is in [The preposition in (occurring at the end of the line in the MS.) is joined by a hyphen to its sub|stantive, thus showing that in|stances of apparent junction of prepositions to their substantives are not purely accidental.] bodili maner present.

The iij^e. reule is this: It is esier forto ymagyne a thing absent to be present in an other thing lijk therto, than withoute eny other thing lijk therto. Forwhi euery thing lijk to an othir thing bringith into ymaginacioun and into mynde better and liȝtir and esier the thing to him lijk, than the thing to him lasse lijk or vnlijk. And herfore it is that miche esier men schulen ymagine the dai of Cristis birthe to be present in the dai as lijk therto markid in the

ȝeer, than in an other dai not so lijk therto; and men schulen esier ymagine the dai of Cristis resurrec|cioun and the dai of Pentecost in the daies therto assigned bi more lijknes in the ȝeer, than in othere daies lasse therto like.

Now after these thre reulis and vpon hem y pro|cede thus: Ech man hath nede forto haue gode affec|ciouns anentis Crist, as upon his best freend; and this freend ȝeueth not to us his presence visibili; wherfore it is profitable to ech man for to ymagine this freend be present to us bodili and in a maner visibili. And sithen herto serueth ful weel and ful myche the ymage of Crist crucified, whilis and if the biholder ymagineth Crist to be streiȝt abrode bodili thoruȝ the bodi of the same ymage, heed to heed, hond to hond, breste to breste, foot to foot,—therfore the oolde practik of deuoute Cristen men was forto so ymagyne; thouȝ thei knewen and bileeueden weel ynouȝ, that it was not so in deede as thei deuoutli ymagineden. In this ymaginacioun thei helden hem silf forto meete bodili and presentli with Crist in Palme-Sunday, in which dai ȝeerli thei ymagineden the same firste dai be in which Crist came visibli riding into Ierusalem and was mett of the Iewis singing to him: Osanna to the sone of Dauith. And so al what in suche proces|siouns was seid and sungun toward the crosse in eelde daies of the chirche in Palme-Sundai was seid of Crist and to Crist ymagined to be bodili present with and in the crucifix or crosse, which the peple in proces|sioun bihelden.

And herbi ȝit into ferther encrecing of deuocioun and good affeccioun to be gendrid upon Crist, thei crepiden to ward and to such an ymage of the crucifix in Good Fridai; not as thouȝ thei crepiden thanne and there to noon other thing saue to the ymage, but that thei aftir her ymaginacioun crepiden to the persoon of Crist, which bi her ymaginacioun was

bodili streiȝt forth with the bodi of the ymage. And ȝit ferther into more loue and good affeccioun to be gendrid, thei kessiden the feet of the ymage; not as that the feet of the ymage weren al that thei there kissiden, but that ther with thei kessiden the feet of Crist whom thei ymagineden to be there in bodili maner present. And this deuout practik, namelich in his outward deede, abidith ȝit in al the West Chirche a this [athis, MS. See note on p. 268.] side Greek lond; how euer it be of the inward ymaginatijf deede, whiche (as y trowe) abidith ful litil or nouȝt,—the more harme is! And so it mai be seid that no thing is seid and sungun to the nakid and bare crosse in processioun of Palme-Sundai, nei|ther eny creping or offring or kissing is maad to the crosse in Good Fridai; but al this is doon to Cristis persoon in his manhede, which is ymagined there to be in and with the ymage crucified and streiȝt thoruȝ the ymage crucified, heed to heed, hond to hond, foot to foot; thouȝ it be not trowid so to be, but thouȝ the contrarie is trowid to be. And herbi is sufficient answere ȝouun to the xiiij^e. and xv^e. argu|mentis to gidere.

Who euer schal cleerli and perfitli vndirstonde the answere which is now bifore maad to the xiiij^e. and xv^e. argumentis, he schal therbi take sufficient ground forto excuse fro blame and fro vnfruytful and lewid gouernaunce alle tho whiche wolen touche with her hondis the feet and othere parties and the clothis of ymagis, and wolen thanne aftir sette to her visage and to her iȝen and to her mouthis her tho hondis, with whiche in the now seid maner thei touchiden the ymagis or the clothingis of the ymagis. Certis,—sithen it is openli knowe for sooth, that thou woldist be riȝt weel plesid and thou woldist myche make

therof, if Crist were now in erthe in a greet prece of peple, and thou myȝtist come so nyȝ that thou schuldist touche with thin hond hise feet or his hond his breste or his cheke or hise clothis, and woldist therbi gendre to thee bi so myche the more affeccioun anentis him than if thou myȝtist not so touche him or his clothing, (euen riȝt as we han experience that oon persoon gendrith more loue to an other, if he biclippe him in armys, than he schulde, if he not come so nyȝ to him and not biclippid him,)—it muste nedis folewe, if thou ymagine Crist or an other Seint for to be bodili streiȝt thoruȝout the bodi of the ymage, that thou schalt gendre, gete, and haue bi so miche the more good affeccioun to God or to the Seint, that thou dost to him touching him in the ymage as bi ymaginacioun. And sithen what a man mai not haue and do at the next and immediatli, he wole be weel paied and weel plesid for to haue it mediatli, (that is to seie, forto haue it arombe and bi a meene,) it folewith that it is coueitable to a man into the gendring or the contynuyng of such seid affeccioun to God and to Seintis for to desire haue, and for to gete to him and haue vnto his visage or iȝen or mouth the touche of Cristis feet or of his mouth or of his hond or breste bi meene of the touche which the hond getith fro hem and vpon hem immediatli; (euen as thou woldist be weel plesid, if thi freend, whom thou louest and which loueth thee, wolde sende to the a cosse or an handling or a biclipping or eny other bodili touching bi a meene persoon receyuyng thilk cosse, handling, biclipping, or othere touching of him immediatli, and delyueryng to thee as fro him mediatli:) namelich sithen the nature of loue bitwixe persones [is] forto be a moving in to oonyng and ioynyng tho per|soones to gidere, in so miche that if tho persoones miȝten make euereither of hem forto entre into the

ful hool persoon of the other of hem and forto be streiȝt thoruȝ out the bodi or persoon of the other of hem, than were had a greet entent and purpos into which her loue enclyneth; euen riȝt as hate bitwixe twey persoones bi his nature labourith and moueth into departing and disseuering and into rombe dis|taunt being of euereither of hem from the other of hem atwyn.

And so, therfore, the leest degree of ooning or ioynyng of a man to Goddis persoon or to a Seintis persoon is a meene forto gendre loue anentis God or the Seint, and forto continue and encrece the loue bifore gendrid; and that more or lasse aftir that thilk ioynyng or coupling to Goddis persoon or to the Seintis persoon is more or lasse nyȝer or romber. Seen we not that, if a man loue a child, he wole sette his cheke to the cheke of the child, his iȝe to the childis iȝe, his forhede to the childis forhede, his nose to the childis nose, and therbi the more loue is gendrid anentis the child? Whi not in lijk maner the more loue and good affeccioun mai be gendrid anentis God or a Seint bi such touche to be maad bi the bifore sett ymaginacioun to God or the Seint? Whethir not oon man schal loue bi so miche the more a lord, if he mai be admyttid for to come so nyȝ that he lie with the lord in oon bed? And if he mai not be admyttid into so greet nyȝnes, ȝit if he mai be ad|mittid for to ligge in the same chambir with the lord, certis therbi schal good loue and affeccioun be gen|drid. And therfore such good symple bisynessis bifore spokun, whiche lay persoones doon aboute ymagis, ouȝten not be scorned neither be rebukid, but if the scorners or rebukers ther yn schewe that thei knowen [knowe, MS. (first hand).] not al what mai iustifie tho symple persoones deedis.

In an other maner to such creping toward an ymage crucified and to such kissing doon to the ymagis feet, and (bi lijk skile) to the now seid handling y haue answerid in The book of worschiping, the ij^e. parti, the iiij^e. chapiter. Of whiche answeris euer either is good ynouȝ and trewe ynowȝ, and neuerneither of hem is contrarie to other of hem; and therfore chese the reder of this place and of thilk place whether this or thilk or bothe he wole holde.

I haue bisett the lenger bisynes forto answere suf|ficientli and cleerli to the xiij^e. and xiiij^e. and xv^e. argumentis, bi cause that in tho deedis of Palme-Sun|day and Good Fridai, where upon the xiij^e. and xiiij^e. [and] xv^e. argumentis rennen, the aduersaries holden to be greet and cursid wickidnes. Not withstonding that if the conceitis ben had in vce, whiche the bifore [Probably we should read bifore seid.] reulis ȝeuen and techen, alle tho deedis doon in Palme-Sundai and in Good Fridai schulen be doon ful miche holili and blessidli and ful profitabli into making the doer strong and myȝti in othere tymes forto do and suffre for the loue and the lawe of Iesus Crist.

Neuertheles this y wolde that ech man knewe, (and herto y wolde that ech man toke hede,) thouȝ the excercise and vce of suche now seid visible signes, doon in deuocioun and with vndirstonding of tho signes what thei bitokenen, is good and profitable to be had at certein whilis, namelich of hem whiche kunnen not rede or moun not here the word of God red or prechid to hem,—ȝit y wole not that men schulden [schulde not, MS. (first hand).] haunte as it were alwey the excercise in suche visible signes, whanne thei coueiten to be mad spiritual, sweete, and deuoute with God, and stronge forto do and suffre for him; neither that thei haunte

so miche or so ofte the vce of suche visible signes, that thilk haunte and vce lette hem fro vce of a better excercise; and speciali that he not drenche al the leiser, which tho men miȝten and schulden haue forto reede or heere the word of God vndirstonden sumwhat of hem or declarid sumwhat to hem. For certis, how the sunne passith in cleernes, cheerte, and coumfort the moone, and as a greet torche passith a litil candel; so in these seid pointis reding and heer|ing in Goddis word, which is an excercise in hereable signes ȝouun to us fro God, passith in cleernes of teching and in cheerte of delijt and in coumfort of strengthe ȝeuyng forto do and suffre for God in his lawe keping al the excercise had, or which can be had, in suche now bifore seid visible signes deuisid bi man.

The experience had in this mater is so sure, that therfore y am bold forto it knouleche; in so miche that it is weel aspied bi assai whi [which, MS. (first hand).] Crist was moued forto seie, that "man lyueth not oonli bi breed, but bi ech word which passith fro the mouth of God." [See Matth. iv. 4.] Certis to hem which assaien of thilk word it is (as it were) so deliteful as her lijf, so weel teching and dressing, that withoute it can be to hem (as it were) no good lijf. And ȝit al this vndirstonde not y of the Bible aloon, as summen ouer vnredili and ouer myche syngulerli vndirstonden. [Here eendith the ij ^e. parti of THE REPRESSER.]