Companion to the English prose works of Richard Rolle : a selection / from the edition by Carl Horstman.

Ms. Rawl. C 285

Bone-Auenture.

[folio 39b]

«Continuel meditacione of þe passione of Cryste sall rewle a man in spekynge, in thynkynge, in wyrkynge, and rayse hym into gastly felynge, and to couete to

be haldene vile and to be dispysede. His ded gyfs vs lyfe, his wondis helys vs, his blod weschese & makes vs qwyte, þe openynge of his syde with þe spere is til vs entre to ioyne our hert to his hert. And forthy I wile ay dwell in þe wondys of hys handes a[n]d of his fete and of his syde continuely, & þare speke til his herte, and aske qwate I wile haue. Þou man, trow þat I say. If þou oftsyth afforce þe to entre into Criste thurgth his strayte wondys: þou sall nogth anely fynd ryste in saule, bot alswa þi body sal fynde wonderfull swetenese. Forthy I wylle clethe me in þe wondes & þe passione & þe reproues of Ihesu Cryste als in a clethynge, and þan his passione in als mekyll as me nedys, sall feght for me agayne þe flesche, þe werld, & þe fend, & all myn ennemys. It war inpossibile þat if I war wele transfourmed in to Crist crucyfyede, þat Ine suld be his hayere in heuene. For-þi drede þe, þe passione is sofferayne refuyte to eschew all euyls, & to purchase all godes. It is paradyse of delyces. It rayses our thogth abouen all erdly lykynge, and anely to ioy in Ihesu Cryste». Saynt Bernarde says: «Whate es swa spedfull to hele þe wondes of þe conscience & to clense þe sygth of þe mynd, als assyduell thogth of Cryste wondys?»

Ricard: «Þe passione of Ihesu Criste confondes þe fend. It destruys his dysaytes & his gilders. It slokkens fleschly temptaciouns. It clarifyse þe mynd to couete anly Ihesu Criste lufe. Festen in þi hert þe mynd of his passione: I wate na thynge þat swa inwardly sal take þi hert to couete goddys lufe, and to desire þe ioy of heuen, & to despice vanites of þis werld, as stedfaste thynkynge of þe

myschefe & þe wondes, & of þe ded of Ihesu Crist. It wile rayse þi thogth abouen erdly likynge, & make þi hert brynnand in Crystis lufe, & purchase in till þi saule delitabilite & sauoure of heuene.»

«Thorowe þe passione & þe wondys of Ihesu Criste we haue parfite inherdynge to gode.» Bone-Auenture says til our lauedy saynt Mary: «Leuedy, it is vnpossibile to inter in to þe wondys of þi sone & nogth inter in to þi hert: for þe wondys er sete to be ay in þi hert, as þe erres of þe wondes sal euermare be in þe body of þi sone. Leuedy, it is swete to here speke of þe, & swetter to thynke on þe: bot allerswettest to inter in to þi hert, thorow þi son¯ wondys.»