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

[Beginning]

Ed. J. Notary, 1507

This is a deuout boke compyled by mayster Walter Hylton to a deuout man in temperal estate, how he sholde rule hym.

¶ How a man þat wol be ghostly must fyrst vsen moche bodyly exercyse in penaunce and destroyenge of synne: Cap. Primum.

DEre brother in Cryst, two maner of states there are in holy chyrche by þe whiche crysten soules plesen god & geten hem the blysse of heuen; that one is bodyly, & that other is ghostly. Bodyly werkyng longeth pryncypally to worldly

men & wymen the whiche lefully vsen worldly goodes, & wylfully vsen worldly besynes. Also it longeth to all yonge begynnynge men the whiche comen newe out of worldly synnes to the seruyce of god; for to make hem able to ghostly werkyng & for to breke downe the vnbuxumnes of the body by dyscrecyon [and suche] bodyly werkynge, þat it myght be suple & redy, & not mekyl contraryous to the spyryte in ghostly werkynge. For [as] saynt poul sayth, as woman was made for man & not man for woman, ryght so bodyly werkynge was made for ghostly & not ghostly for bodyly. Bodyly werkynge goth before & ghostly comyth after; as saynt Poul sayth: ¶ Non prius quod spirituale, sed quod animale, deinde [quod] spirituale. And this is a cause why it behoueth to be so: for we are borne in synne and corrupcyon of the flesshe by the whyche we are soo blynded & so ouerlayed þat we haue neyther the ghostly knowyng of god by lyghte of vnderstondynge, ne ghostly felynge of hym by clene desyre of louynge. & therfore we may not sodeynly sterte out of this derke nyght of this flesshly corrupcyon into þat ghostly lyght; for we maye not suffre it ne bere it for syknes of ourself, no more than we may with our bodyly eyen whan they are sore beholde the lyght of the son. & therfore we must abyde & werke be processe of tyme. Fyrst by bodely werkes besily tyl we be dyscharged of this heuy burden of synne whiche lettyth vs fro ghostly werkyng; & tyl our soule be somwhat clensed fro grete outwarde synnes & abled to ghostly werke. By this bodily werkynge [that] I speke of mayst thou vnderstonde al maner of god werkis þat thy soule doth by þe wyttes & þe membris of thy body, vnto thyself as in fastyng, waking, & in restraynyng of flesshly lustes by penaunce doyng, or to thyn euencristen be fulfyllyng of þe dedes of mercy bodyly or ghostly, or vnto god be sufferynge of al bodely myscheues for þe loue of ryghtwysnes. / Al thyse werkes done in trouthe by charyte plesen god; withoute whiche they are nought. Than who so desyreth for to be occupyed ghostly, it is syker & profitable to hym þat he be fyrst wel asayed a longe tyme in this bodely werkynge, for thyse bodely dedes are a token & a shewyng of moral vertues, withouten whiche a soule is not able for to werke ghostly. Breke down fyrst pryde in bodely beryng & also within thin hert thynkyng, bostyng & praysyng of [thyselfe and of thy dedis, presumyng of] thyself [&] vayn lykyng in thyself of onythyng þat god hath sent to the bodely or ghostly. Breke downe also enuye & yre ageynst thyn euencrysten whether

they be riche or pore, gode or bad, that thou hate hym not ne haue dysdeyne of hym wylfully neyther in worde ne in dede. Also breke downe couetyse of worldly good, þat thou for þe holdyng [or] getyng or sauyng of it offende not thy conscyence, ne breke not charyte to god & to thyn euencrysten for loue of ony worldly good, but þat thou getyst to kepe it & spende it without loue & vayn lykyng of it, as resyn asketh, in worshyp of god & helpe of thyn euencrysten. Breke downe also as mekil as thou mayst flesshly lykynges eyther of accydye or bodyly ese, gloteny or lechery; & than whan thou hast ben wel traueyled & wel asayed in all suche bodely werkis, than mayst thou by grace ordeyne the to ghostly werkyng. The grace & þe goodnes &c.