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

Ms. Cambridge Dd V. 55

Bone-Aventure

[folio 93]

«COntynuel meditacion of þe passyon of Criste sal rewle a man in spekynge, in thynkyne, in wyrkynge, and rayse hym into gastly felynge, & to couete to

be halden vile & to be dispised. Hys dede gyfes vs lyfe, hys woundys helis vs, hys blode weschys vs & makes vs qwyte, þe openynge of hys syde with þe spere is till vs entre to Ioyne oure herte to hys herte. And forthy I well dwelle in þe woundys of hys handys and of hys fete and of his side contynuly, & þar speke til hys herte, & aske qwat I wil haue. Þou man, trowe þat I say: If þou oftsythe afforse þe to entre in to Criste thorow hys strayte woundys, þou sal [noght] onely fynde riste in saule, bot alswa þi body sal fynde wondyrfulle swetenes. Forthi I wille clethe me in þe woundes & þe passyon & þe reproues of Ihesu Criste as in a clethynge, and þan hys passyon, in als mykel as me nedis, sal feyȝte for me agayn þe flesche, þe werlde, & þe fende, & alle myn ennemyes. It ware inpossible þat if I ware wele transformyd in to [Crist] crucifyed, þat Ine sulde be hys ayer in heuen. For-þi drede þe; passio is sufferayne refute to eschew alle yuilis & to purchase alle gudes. It is paradyse of delices. It rayses oure thouȝte abouen alle ertheli lykynge, & anely to Ioye in Ihesu Criste». / Seynt Bernarde says: «Qwat is so spedeful to hele þe woundys of þe conscience & to clense þe syȝthe of þe mynde, as assyduell thouȝthe of Criste woundys?» Ricard hermete: «Þe passyon of Ihesu Criste woundes þe fende, it distroyes his dissaytis & hys gyldirs, it slokkens fleschely temptacions. It clarifies þe mynde to couete anly Ihesu Criste lufe. Festen in þin herte þe mynde of hys passyon: I wate na thynge þat swa inwardly sal take þin herte to coued goddis lufe, and to desyre þe Ioye of heuen, & to dispyse vanytes of þis werlde, as stedefaste thynkkynge

of þe myschefe & þe woundes & of þe dede of Ihesu Criste. It wyl rayse þi thouȝte abouen erthely lykynge, & make þi hert brynnande in Cristis luffe, & purchase in til þi saule delitabilite & sauour of heuen.» «Thorowe þe passyon & þe woundis of Ihesu Criste we hafe parfyte in-herdynge to god.» Bone-Auenture says til oure lady Seynt Mari: «levedi, it is vnpossible to enter in to þe woundys of þi sone & nouȝt enter in to þi herte: for þe woundys er set to be ay in þi herte, as þe erres of þe woundes sal euermore be in þe bodi of þi sone. Levedi, it is swete to here speke of þe, & swetter to thynke on þe: bot alther swetteste to enter in to þi hert thorowe þi sone woundys». Ihesus Amen.