Mirrour of the blessed lyf of Jesu Christ : a translation of the Latin work entitled Meditationes Vitæ Christi : attributed to Cardinal Bonaventura : made before the Year 1410
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Title
Mirrour of the blessed lyf of Jesu Christ : a translation of the Latin work entitled Meditationes Vitæ Christi : attributed to Cardinal Bonaventura : made before the Year 1410
Author
Love, Nicholas, fl. 1410
Editor
Powell, Lawrence Fitzroy, 1881-1975
Publication
Oxford: Clarendon Press
1908
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"Mirrour of the blessed lyf of Jesu Christ : a translation of the Latin work entitled Meditationes Vitæ Christi : attributed to Cardinal Bonaventura : made before the Year 1410." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/LoveMirrour. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 11, 2024.
Pages
¶Cam.xxviijm. ¶ How the phariſees and othere token occaſioun of
ſclaundre of the wordes and the dedes of Jeſu.
We ſchulle haue no wonder thouȝ ſomme men
taken occaſioun of ſclaundre of oure wordes
and dedes / be they neuere ſo gode and trewe·
for ſo it byfel of oure lorde Jeſu ofte ſithes·
and ȝit myȝte not he erre in worde or dede. Wherfore
byfelle on a tyme that the phariſees aſkeden him: Why
that his diſciples waſched not her hondes whan thei went
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to mete? And in that thei kepte not her cuſtome after the
techynge of her elder. Bot oure lorde / ſeynge that thei
charged more the waſchynge with outforth and bodily
clannes than vertues with ynneforth and goſtely clanneſſe /
anſwered harde aȝeyne / reprouynge hem / that thei breken
the heſtes of god for her tradiciouns and bodily obſeruaunces·
declarynge after / that vices that comen oute of
the herte defoillen more a man than doth the bodily mete
taken vnwaſched. Wherfore they were gretely ſclaundred
and ſtired aȝenſt hym: bot he toke none hede thereof / for
they were blynde in ſoule thoruȝ malice.
¶ Alſo ofte ſithes oure lorde Jeſu wrouȝte myracles vppon
the ſabbot dayes / that weren goddes haly dayes to the
Jewes as ben the ſondayes now to criſten men· and that
he didde to confuſioun and reproue of the Jewes that kepten
ſtreiȝtly the lawe in bodily obſeruaunces and not in gooſtly
vndirſtondynge / as his wille was: for he bad not the haliday
forto leue therynne good worchynge and dedes of
charite / bot forto ceſe and abſteyne fro ſynne and bodily
werkes. Wherfore they weren greetly ſclaundred / that is
to ſaie token occaſioun of ſclaundre aȝenſt hym / and conſpired
into his dethe and ſeiden: That that man was not
on goddes halue that kepte noȝt the Sabbott daye. But
oure lorde lafte not therfore to worche myracles and doo
dedes of charite in tho dayes· bot meche more dide hem
forto deſtroye the Jewes errour forſeide.
¶ Another tyme alſo whan he tauȝte in the ſynagoge
goſtly lore / and ſeide that he was the brede of lyf that
came fro heuene / and how it byhoued to eten his fleſche
and drinken his blode who ſo ſchulde be ſauf and haue
euerlaſtynge lyf· they vnderſtondynge his wordes fleſchely
and not gooſtely gruccheden aȝenſt hym and token occaſioun
of grete ſclaundre. And many of his diſciples thoruȝ
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that myſvndirſtondynge fleſchely forſoken hym / bot petre
in the name of the xij apoſtles anſwered that they wolde
not leuen hym· for he hadde the wordes of euerelaſtynge
lyf: and ſo that was ſclaundre to the badde was vertues
to the gode.
¶ In the forſeide wordes and dedes of oure lord Jeſu we
haue enſaumple that we ſchulle not lette to do gode werkes
for occaſioun of ſclaundre vnſkilfully taken of othere / or
for enuy and yuel wille of hem / and ſpecially of that dede
that is neceſſarie to ſoule hele we ſchulle not ceſe for eny
ſclaundre. Wherfore ſeynt gregorye ſeith / that a man ſchal
rathere ſuffre ſclaundre forto ariſe than he ſchal leue the
trewthe / that is to ſeie in thre maneres after the comoun
ſentence of doctoures: firſt / of the trewthe of good lyf
man ſchal not ceſſe for ſclaundre / that is to ſaie he ſchal
not doo dedely ſynne for puttynge away of eny ſclaundre·
alſo / a doctour or a prechour ſchal not teche or preche falſe
for eny ſclaundre / bot in caſe he may holde his pees of
a certeyne trewthe / as what tyme he knoweth that the
hereres ben obſtynate in errour and ſchulle be the worſe if
that trewthe were ſeide: the thridde is trewthe of riȝtwiſneſſe
that ſchal not be lafte for ſclaundre / that is to ſay
a domeſman ſchal not ȝeue falſe dome / ne a witteneſſe bere
falſe recorde for any ſclaundre. Bot of othere certeyne
dedes that nowe be lafte with outen perile of ſoule a man
ſchal otherwhile ceſe / thouȝ they ben goode in hem ſelfe /
forto putte away occaſioun of ſclaundre· as the apoſtle
poule ſeith: That he wolde rathere neuere ete fleſche than
he wolde there thoruȝ ȝeue occaſioun of ſclaundre to his
brother.
¶ Alſo in the forſeide proceſſe of oure lorde Jeſu we ben
tauȝte forto charge more the clanneſſe of ſoule / and that
diſpoſith to vertues / than bodily clanneſſe and honeſte with
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outeforth / that is no vertu ynne. Neuertheleſſe honeſte
and bodily clenneſſe is good ſo that it diſpoſe not to veyne
glorie / or curioſite / or leccherie / or othere ſynnes· and
ſo ben good coſtomes that ben grounded vppon reſoun
forto ben kepte: bot the biddinges of god and the ordynaunces
of ſouereynes in holy chirche ben myche more
forto charge. Wherfore in this poynt erren many criſten
men / and ſpecially religious / that chargen more bodily
obſeruaunces and cuſtomes / thouȝ they diſpoſe to none
vertue and ofte ben aȝenſt reſoun / than thei done the
biddinges of god and the doctrine of holy fadres touchinge
charite / mekeneſſe / pacience / deuocioun in prayere / deſcrete
abſtinence and othere vertues: wherfore they mowe
drede the reproue of oure lorde Jeſu priuely / that he
reproued the phariſees openly / as it is ſeide bifore.
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