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

Ms. Thornton (Lincoln Cath. 91)

[folio 219b]

Dere ffrende, wit þou wele þat þe ende and þe soueraynte of perfeccione standes in a verray anehede of godde and of manes saule by perfyte charyte. Þis Ende þan es verrayly made whene þe myghtes of þe saule er refourmede by grace to þe dignyte and þe state of þe firste condicione, þat es whene þe mynde es stablede sadely with-owttene chaungynge and vagacyone in godde and gastely thynges, and when the resone es cleryde fra all worldly & fleschely behaldynges and Imagy[na]cyones, fygurs and fantasyes of creatures and es illumenede with grace for to

be-halde godde and gastely thynges, and whene þe will and þe affeccyone es puryfiede and clensede fra all fleschely lustes, kyndely and werldly lufe and es enflawmede with brennande lufe of þe haly gaste. Bot þis wondirfull anehede may noghte be fulfillede perfytely, contenually, ne hally in þis lyfe for corrupcyone of þe flesche, bot anely in þe blysse of heuene. Neuer-þe-lattere þe nerre þat a saule in þis presente lyfe may come to þis anehede, þe mare perfite it es, ffor þat it es refourmede by grace till þe ymage and þe lyknes of his creatour here, one þis manere-wyse þe more ioy and blysse sall it hafe in heuene. Oure lorde godd es ane Endles beynge with-owttene chaungynge, all-myghtty with-owttene faylynge, souerayne wysdome, lyghte, so[th]fastenes with-owttene errour or myrknes, souerayne gudnes, lufe, pees and swetnes: þan þe mare þat a saule es anehede, festened, confourmede & ioynede to oure lorde godd, þe mare stabill it es & myghty, þe mare wysse & clere, gude, peyseble, luffande, and mare vertuous, and so it es mare perfite. For a saule þat haues by grace of Ihesu and lange trauayle of bodyly & gastely excercyse ouercommene and dystroyede concupyscens and passiouns and vnskyllwyse styrrynges with-in it-selfe and with-owttene in þe sensualite, and es clede in vertus as in mekenes and myldnes, in pacyence, in sothefastnes, in gastely strenghe, and ryghtewisenes, in contynence, in wysdome, in trouthe, hope, and charyte, þan es it made perfite als it may be in þis lyfe. Mekill comforthe it reschayues of oure lorde, noȝte anely inwardly in his preue substance, be þe vertu of þe anehede to oure lorde þat lyes in knaweynge and and lufynge of godde, in lyghte of gastely brynnynge of hyme, in transfourmynge

of þe saule in þe godhede, bot also in many oþer comforthes, & sauours, swettnes, and wondirfull felynges one sere maners, aftir oure lorde vouches-safe to vesete his creatours here in erthe, and eftyre þe saule profytes and waxes in charyte. Some saule by vertue of charyte þat godde gyffes it es so clensede, þat all creaturs in all þat he heris, or sese, or felis by any of his wittes turnes hyme till comforthe and gladnes, and þe sensualite receyues newe sauour and swetnes in all creaturs, and righte als before þe lykynges in þe sensualite ware fleschely, vayne, and vecyous for þe payne of þe orygynalle synne, righte so nowe þay ere made gastely, and clene, with-owttene bitternes and bytynge of concyence. And þis es þe gudnes of oure lorde, þat sen þe saule es puneschede in the sensualite, and þe flesche es pertynere of þe payne, that eftirwarde þe saule be comforthede in hir sensualite, and þe flesche be felawe of þe ioye and comforthe with þe saule, noghte fleschely, bot gastely, als he was felawe in tribulacione and payne. Þis es þe fredome & þe lordchipe, dygnyte and þe wyrchipe þat a manes saule hase ouer all creaturs, the whilke dygnyte he may receyue by grace here, þat ilk a creature sauoure to hyme als it es, and þat es when by grace he sese, or he heres, or he felys anely godde in all creaturs. One þis maner-wyse [a] saule es made gastely in þe sensualite by abowndance of charite þat es in þe substance of the saule. Also oure lorde comforthes a saule by aungells sange. Bot what þat sange es it may noghte [be] dyscryuede be no bodyly lyknes, for it es gastely and abowne all manere of ymagynacyone and mans resone. It may be perceyuede and felide in a saule, bot it may noghte be spokene. Neuer-þe-lattere I speke þare-of

to þe als me thynke. / When a saule es puryfyede by þe lufe of godde, Illumynede by wysedome, stabled by myghte of godde, than es þe eghe of þe saule opyned to be-halde gastely thynges, as vertus, aungells and haly saules, and heuenly thynges. Thane es þe saule abill by cause of clennes to fele þe toucheynge, þe spekynge of gude aungells. This touchyng and spekynge es gastely, noghte bodyly: ffor whene þe saule es lyftede and raysede owte of the sensualyte, and owte of mynde of any erthely thynges, thane in gret feruoure of lufe and lyghte of godd, if oure lorde vouche-safe, þe saule may here & fele heuenly sownne, made by þe presence of aungells in louynge of godde. Noghte þat þis sange of aungells es souerayne ioy of þe saule, bot [for þe] defference þat es by-twyxe a manes saule in flesche and ane aungelle be-cause of vnclennes, a saule may noghte here it bot by rauyschynge in lufe, and nedis for to be puryfiede full clene, and fulfillide of mekyll charyte, are it ware abyll for to here heuenly sownne. For þe souerayne and þe Escencyalle ioy es in þe lufe of godde by hyme-selfe and for hyme-selfe, and þe secundarye es in comonynge and byhaldynge of aungells and gastely creaturs. For ryghte as a saule in vndirstandynge of gastely thynges es ofte-sythes touched and kennede thurghe bodyly ymagynacyone, by wyrkynge of aungells—as Eȝechielle þe profete sawe in bodily ymagynacyoune þe sothefastnes of goddes preuates—righte so, in þe lufe of godde, a saule be þe presence of aungelles es raueschede owte of all mynde of erthely and fleschely thynges in to a heuenly ioye to here aungells sannge and heuenly sownne eftir þat þe charite es mare or lesse. Nowe thane, thynke me, þat þer may no saule fele verreyly aungells sange ne heuenly sowne bot it be in perfite charite. And noghte for-thi all þat are in

perfite charyte ne hase noghte felyde it, bot anely þat saule þat es [so] purede in þe fyre of lufe of godde, þat all erthely sauoure es brynte owte of it, and all þe menes lettande be-twyx þe saule and þe clennes of angells es brokene and put awaye fra it. Þan sothely may he synge a newe sange and sothely may he here a blysfull heuenly sowne and aungells sange with-owttene dessayte or feynynge. Oure lorde wate whare þat saule es þat for abowndance of brynnande lufe es worthi to here aungells sange. Wha-so þan will here aungells sange, and noghte be dyssayuede by feynynge ne by ymagynacyone of hym-selfe, ne by illusyone of þe Enemy, hym behoues hafe perfite charite, and þat es when all vayne lufe and drede, vayne ioy and sorowe, es castene owte of þe herte, þat he lufes na thynge bot godde, ne dredis na thynge bot godde, ne ioyes ne sorowes na thynge bot in godde, or of godde. Whoso myghte by þe grace of godde go þis way, he sulde noghte erre. Neuer-þe lattere some mene ere disceyued by þaire awenne ymagynacyone, or by illucyone of þe Enemy in þis matere. Some mane whene he hase lange trauelde bodyly and gastely in dystroynge of syn¯nes and getynge of vertus, and perauenture hase getyne by grace a somdele ryste and a clerete in concyence, onone he leues prayers, redyngs of haly writte, and medytacions of þe passione of Cryste, and þe mynde of his wrechidnes, and, are he be callede of godde, he gedyrs his wittys by violence to seke and to be-halde heuenly thynges, are his eghe be made gastely by grace, and ouertrauells by ymagynaciouns his wittes, and by vndiscrete trauellynge turnes þe braynes in his heuede, and forbrekes þe myghtes and þe wittes of þe saule and of þe body; and þane, for febilnes of þe brayne, hym thynkes þat he heres woundirfull sownes and sanges: and þat es no thynge ells bot

a fantasie caused of trubblyng of þe brayne, as a mane þat es in a frensye hyme thynkes þat he herys or sese þat na noþer mane duse, and all es bot vanyte and fantasie of þe heued. Or elles by wyrkyng of þe enemy þat fenys swylke sownne in h(is her)ynge. For if a mane hase any presumpcione in his fantasies and in his wirchynge, and þare-be falles in to vndiscrete ymagynacyone, as it ware a frensye, and es noghte kennede ne rewlede of grace ne comforthede by gastely strenghe, þe deuelle entirs þan by fals illumynacyons and fals sownnes and swetnes, and dyssayues a mans saule. And of þis false grounde sprynges errours and herysyes, false prophesyes, presumpcyons and false rusyn¯gs, blasfemyes and sclandirynges, and many oþer myschefes. And þare-fore if þou se any mane gastely ocupiede ffalle in any of þise synnes and þise dissaytes, or in frensyes, wit þou wele þat he herde neuer ne felide aungells sange ne heuenly sowne. For sothely he þat verreyly heres aungels sange, he es made so wyse þat he sall neuer erre by fantasye ne by indiscrecyone, ne by no sleghte of þe deuelle. Also some men felis in theire hertes as it ware a gastely sowne and swete sanges of dyuerse maners and þis es commonly gude, and somtyme it may turne tyll dissayte. Þis sowne es felide one þis wyse. Some mane settis þe thoghte of his herte anely in þe name of Ihesu and stedefastly haldis it þare-too, and in schorte tyme hym thynkes that þat name turnes hyme till gret comforthe and swetnes, and hyme thynkes þat þe name sownnes in his herte delitabely as it were a sannge, and þe vertu of þis lykynge es so myghty þat it drawes in all þe wittes of þe saule þare-to. Who-so may fele þis sownne and þis swetnes verrayly in his herte, wite he wiele þat it es of godde, and

als lange als he es meke he sall noghte be dissayuede. Bot þis es noghte aungels sange, bot it es a sannge of þe saule be vertu of þe name, and by touchynge of þe gude aungelle. For when a saule offirs it to Ihesu trewly & mekely, puttande all his traiste and his desyre in hym, and besily kepis [hym] in his mynde, oure lorde Ihesu, whene he will, puris þe affeccioune of þe saule, & fillis it & fedis it with swetnes of hym-selfe, and makes his name in þe felynge of þe saule as hony, and as sange, and as any thynge þat es delitabill: so þat it lykes þe saule euermare for to cry Ihesu Ihesu; and noghte anely he hase comforthe in this, bot also in spalmes and ympnes and antym¯s of haly kyrke, þat þe herte synges þame swetely, deuotly and frely, with-owttene any trauelle of þe saule, or bitternes, in þe same tyme and noteȝ þat haly kyrke vses. This es gude and of þe gyfte of godde, ffor þe substance of þis felynge lyes in þe lufe of Ihesu whilke es fedde and lyghtenede by swilke maner of sanges. Neuer-þe-lattere in þis-maner felynge a saule may be disceyuede by vayne glorye, noghte in þat tyme þat þe affeccione synges to Ihesu and loues Ihesu in swetnes of hym, bot eftyrwarde, whan it cesses, & þe herte kelis of loue of Ihesu, thane entyrs in vayne glorie. Also sum mane es dessayuede on þis wyese: He heris wele say þat it es gude to haue Ihesu in his mynde, or any oþer gude worde of godde, and þane he streynes his herte myghtyly to þat name and by a costome he hase it nerehande alway in his mynde. Noghte ffor-thi he felis nouþer þare-by in his affeccyoune swetnes, ne lighte of knawynge in his resoune, bot anely a nakede mynde of godde, or of Ihesu, or of Mary, or of any oþer gude worde. Here may be disceyte, noghte for it es ill to hafe Ihesu in mynde

one þis wyse, bot if he this [felynge] and this mynde, þat es anely his awene wyrkynge by custome, halde it a specyalle vesytacyone of oure lorde and thynke it mare þane it es. For wite þou wele þat a nakede mynde or a nakede ymagy[na]cione of Ihesu or of any gastely thynge, with-owttene swetnes of lufe in þe affeccione, or with-owttene lyghte of knawynge in resoune, es bot a blyndnes, and a waye to dessayte, if a mane halde it in his awene [syght] mare þane it es. Thare-fore I halde it sekyre þat he be meke in his awene felynge, and halde þis mynde in regarde noghte till he mowe be custome and vsynge of þis mynde fele þe fyre of lufe in his affeccione and þe lyghte of knawynge in his resone. Loo, I haue tolde þe in þis mater a lyttill as me thynke; noghte affermande þat þis suffisches, ne þat þis es þe sothefastnes in þis mater. Bot if þe thynke it oþer-wyse, or elles any oþer mane sauour by grace þe contrarye here-to, I leue þe saying and gyfe stede to hym. It sufficith to me for to lyffe in trouthe principally and noghte in felynge.