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

R ¶ The fyfthe is thou shalt not leue thy good lyuynge for feynte [herte] ne for temptacyon.

THe fyfthe poynte is / thou shalt not fall fro thy good lyuynge for feynte herte ne for temptacyon. To kepe well this poynt it is nedefull to haue a perseueraunt wyll & a stable hert ayenst all temptacyons. Some men there be whan ony heuynesse bodely or ghoostly or whan that ony grutchynge of the flessh cometh to theym / anone they ben so heuy & so full of vnlust that they leue theyr ghoostly trauayle & fal fro theyr good lyuy[n]ge / suche men haue no stable ne stedfast herte. Therfore yf thou wylt loue god stedfastly suffre no heuynes ne dysease chaunge thy trauayle ne thy herte fro th[e] seruyce and loue of god / but take hede of the wordes of almyghty god where he sayth: He is blessyd that is perseueraunt vnto

his lyues ende. Here-of thou hast ensamples of holy martyrs & confessours whiche neuer wolde be departed fro the loue of god for all the persecucyon that myght be do to them. Also to suche men of feble herte & vnlust speketh saynt Bernarde and sayth thus: Whan thou art vnlusty or dyseased with heuynesse / haue none vntrust therfore ne leue not thy trauayle / but suffre mekely & aske conforte of hym that is begynner & ender of all goodnes. And all be it that thou haue not suche deuocyon than as in other tymes / thynke well how he that gafe þe suche deuocyon hath withdrawen it for thy defautes as for a tyme / & happely to th[i] more mede / therfore withstande all suche heuynes and stande strongely / suffre lowely / & take gladly the chastysynge of god / & euermore aske helpe & grace. ¶ Ferthermore some for defaute of knowynge & for vnstablenes haue fall thorough trauayle of temptacyons / therfore whan thou art soo trauayled with ony temptacyons that shold be lettynge / or els is dredefull to the / chaunge not therfore thy wyll / but stande stedfastly & shewe thy dysease to thy ghoostly fader, askynge of hym to gyue the suche counseyll that may be moost helpynge to thy soule. Yf thou do thus mekely with a ful good wyll to please thy god & to withstande the temptacyons of thyn enemye, the grace of the holy ghoost wyll fully fulfyll bothe hym & the / hym for to teche / the for to lerne / & take of hym suche counseyll that shall be moost strength & conforte to the & confusyon to the deuyl. And so by the helpe of god thou shalt be conforted in suche maner that þou shalt not fall thorough trauayle of temptacyons / but euer the lenger the more stable and the more stronge [be] in the loue of god to thy lyues ende. Thus than take hede that thou fall not from thy good lyuynge for feynte herte ne by temptacyons / and than thou mayst kepe the fyfth poynte of this degree of loue.— ¶ Here is shortly declared the mater of these fyue poyntes.

¶ Thus be declared the fyue poyntes of the thyrde degree of loue. In the fyrste thou art taught to loue god with full desyre. In the seconde for to do all thynge in þe worshyp of almyghty god / and euer for to drede god in the begynnynge of all thy werkes. In the thyrde fully to withstande all maner synne / and no synne for to do vpon trust of other good dedes. In the fourth that thou fall not for defaute of dyscrecyon. In the fyfth thou art taught & counseylled for to haue a stable herte and for to withstande all temptacyons that thou fall not from thy good lyuynge. Yf þou kepe thus these fyue poyntes than thou hast the thyrde degree of loue / whiche is called a stedfast loue to god. And yf thou loue god stedfastly thou mayst soone come to perfeccyon / and so by the grace of god thorugh encreace of vertues thou shalt lyghtly come to the fourth degree of loue.

¶ In the fourth degree of loue ben .VIII. poyntes.
¶ Parfyte loue.