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

¶ How hatredyn of syn rysis in mans affeccion.

Ande erfore is it þat after Isachare Ȝabulon is borne, þe wilk is to say hatredyn of syne. ¶ And here it is to say & witt wy þat hatredyne of syne is nermore feld in a mans affeccion or þe tyme þat gastele ioy of inwarde swetnes be feld in þe affeccion, & þis is þe skill: ¶ ffor or þis tyme was newere þe tru cause of hatredyne felde in þe affeccion. For þe felyng of gastle ioy teches a man wat syne harmes þe saule, and all after þat þe harme in þe saule is felede mekill or lytyll, þare-after is þe hatereden mesurd more or less vnto þe harmande. ¶ Bot when a saule be grace of gode & long trauele is comon to felyng of gastle ioy in god, þat it fels þat syne has ben þe cause of þe delayyng þerof; ¶ and als wen he feles þat he maynot last allway in þe felyng of gastle ioy for corupcion of þe flesh of þe wilk corupcion syn is þe cause: þen he ryses with a strong felyng of hateredyne agayn alle syne & þe kynde of syne. Þis felyng taght Dauid vs to hafe were he says: ¶ «Bes wroth & wille ȝe not syne», [þat is: bes wroth with syne, bot not], with þe kynde; ¶ ffor kynde sters to þe deyde bot not to [syne]. ¶ And here it is to witte þat þis wrath is not contrare to charite, ¶ bot charite teches how it sall be hade both in a mans self & in is ewen-criste[n]: ¶ For a man suld not hat syne so þat he distroy his kynd, [bot so þat he distroy þe

syne & þe appetyte of syne in his kynde]; ¶ and als anentes oure ewen-cristen, vs ogh to hate syne in hym, & to luf hym; and of þis hateredyn spekes Dauid in þe psalme & says: «with perfyte hateredyn i hatede þame», & in another psalme he says þat «he had in hatredyn all wykked ways». Þus is it wile prowede [wy] or þat Ȝabulon was borne, Iudas & Isachare wor both borne: ¶ For bot if a man haf had charite & gastle ioy in is felyng first, he may on no wise feile þis perfyt hateredyn in his affeccion; for Iudas, þat is charite, teches vs how we sall hate syne in oure-self & in oure brethere, and Isachare, þat is gastele felyng of ioy in gode, teches vs whi we sall hate syne in oure-self & in oure brethere; Iudas, i. charite, bydes vs hate syne & luf þe kynde, ande Isachare i. gastle felyng, stroy syne & sawe þe kynde. & þus it fales forto be þat þe kynde may be made strong in gode & gostle ynges be perfyte hatredyn & stroyng of syne. And herfor in þe stori is Ȝabulon calde «a dwellyng-stede of strenght», and Lya in his birth seyd: «My hosband sall now dwell with me.» ¶ And so it is þat gode, þe trew hosband of oure saule, is dwelland in þat saule, strenthand it in þe affeccion with gastele ioy and swetnes in his luf, þat trauels bysyle to distroy syne in þame-self and in other be perfyte hateredyn of þe syne & all þe kynde of syne. And þus is it at say how Ȝabulon is borne.