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

How werkes wiþ-outen schewen þis desyr. Capitulo xviio.

Ȝit askest þou: «Mai a man haue þis desyre in his herte contynuely»? Þe þinkeþ nay. As to þis, I may say as me þinkeþ, þat þis desyr may be had as for þe

vertu & þe profyt of hit in habite continuely, but not in worchyng ne in vsyng; as be þis ensaumple. Ȝif þou were seek, þou schuldest haue as vche mon haþ a kuyndeli desyr of bodily hele continueli in þin herte, what-so þou dedest, wheþer þou sleped or waked, but not euer iliche; ffor ȝif þou slepe, or elles wakyng þenkest of sum worldly þinges, þen hast þou þis desyre in habyte, nouȝt in worchinge. But whon þow þenkest on þi syknes and on þi bodili hele, þen hast þou hit in vsyng. [Right] so hit is gostly of þe disyre of god. He þat haþ þis desyr of þe ȝift of god, þou&; he slepe or elles þenk not on god but on worldly þinges, ȝit he haþ þis desyr in habite of his soule, til he synne dedli. But whon he þenkeþ on god or on clannes of lyuing or of þe ioyes of heuene, þen worcheþ his disyre to god as longe as he kepeþ his þouȝt & his entent for to plese god, ouþur in prayere or in meditacion, or in eni good dede of actyf lyf. Þen is [it] good þat al vre bisynes be forto stere þis desyr & vse hit be discrecion, nou in o dede & nou in a noþur, after we are disposed & han grace þerto. Þis desyr is rote of al þi worchyng: ffor wite þou wel, what good dede þat hit be þat þou dost for god, bodili or gostli, hit is an vsyng of þis desyr; and þerfore whon þou dost a good dede, or preiest or þenkest on god, þenk not in þin herte doutyng wheþer þou disyrest or nouȝt, for þi dede scheweþ þi disyre. Sum are vnkunnynge & wene þat þei desyre not god but ȝif þei were euur criȝinge on god wiþ wordes of heore mouþ, or elles in her herte be desyring wordes, as ȝif I seide þus: «A, lord, bring me to þi blisse», «Lord mak me saaf», or such oþure. Þise wordes

are gode wheþer þei be souned in þe mouþ or elles formed in þe herte, ffor þei sture a mannes herte to þe desyring of god. But neuerþeles, wiþ-oute eny such wordus, a clene þouȝt of god or of eny gostli þing, as of vertues or of þe man-hede of Crist or of þe ioyes of heuene or of þe vnderstandynge of holi writ, wiþ loue, mai be better þen such wordes. For a clene þouȝt of god is a soþfast disyr to him, and þe more gostli þat þi þouȝt is, þe more is þi disyr, and þerfore be þou nouȝt in doute ne in weere whon þou preyest or þenkest on god or elles dost eny outward dede to þin euencristen, wheþer þou disyrest him or nouȝt: for þe dede scheweþ hit. Neuerþeles, ȝif hit be so þat al þi gode dedes bodili or gostli are schewed of þi disyr to god, ȝit is þer a diuersete be-twixe bodili & gostli dedes. For þe dedes of contemplatyf lyf are propurli & kuyndeli þe worchyng of þis desyr, but outward dedes are not so, and þerfore whon þou preyest or þenkest on god, þi disire is more hol, more feruent, & more gostly, þen whon þou dost oþur dedes to þin euen-cristen.