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

X ¶ How þou mayst be ware & knowe of temptacyons wakynge or slepynge / & how þou shalt withstande them.

BY the ordynaunce of almyghty god there be ordeyned good aungels to defende vs fro euyll & to styre vs to vertues and to kepe vs in goodnes. ¶ Also other badde aungels & euyl spyrytes there be whiche trouble mankynde with dyuerse temptacions to preue mannes stablenes, & that to grete mede to mannes soule. The power of this wycked spyryte / that is to saye the fende is so grete þat the more a man besyeth hym to please god þe rather he is about to greue hym. For as I rede oftymes it happeth þat many men whan th[e]y gyue them hole to contemplacyon or to other deuocyons than they be trauayled with stronge temptacyons by þ[e] suffraunce of god, that they may knowe theyr owne feblenes & to kepe theym meke & lowe, for they sholde not lese þe grete mede of god for ony maner spyce of pryde / whiche mede is ordeyned for theyr ghoostly trauayle. Also in whateuer maner of lower degree [a] man or woman be that wyll withstande synne to his power & lyue after the techynge of goddes lawe / to al suche the wycked spyryte hath enuye / & euermore gyueth theym some maner of batayll grete or lytell, slepynge or wakynge. ¶ Other men & women there be that he suffreth to be in reste & peas / & tho ben suche as drede not god but nyght & daye gyue them to all maner lustes & lykynges of theyr flesshe / for they ben so redy to synne & to do his wyll that hym nedeth not to styre them to euyll / & therfore he suffreth them in peas & without ony trauayle of temptacyons. Of suche men speketh saynt Austyn & sayth thus:

Some men & women profer themyselfe to synne wylfully & abyde not the temptacyons of the fende / but they go before the temptacyons & be redyer to synne than the fende is to tempte them. ¶ And sythen it is so that euery man whiche is besy to please god shal be trauayled and pr[e]ued with dyuerse temptacyons, I wyl shewe the to my felynge, and as I rede of other auctours, þe maner of begynnynge of euery temptacyon, that thou mayst be ware of them & rather withstande the begynnynge, & so ouercome the hole temptacyon. ¶ I rede that our enemye the fende whan he wyll make vs to folowe his wyll or ellys for enuye wyll trauayle and greue vs, he begynneth with fals suggestyons / that is to saye he putteth in our myndes diuerse ymagynacyons / as worldely & flesshely thoughtes, and somtyme other thoughtes whiche be full greuous & peryllous / eyther to make vs haue a grete lust & lykynge in them that be worldely or flesshely / or ellys to brynge vs in grete heuynes or drede thrugh tho thoughtes whiche be greuous & peryllous. ¶ As to the worldely or flesshely thoughtes, yf we suffre theym to abyde in oure herte so longe wylfully tyll we haue lykynge in them / than hath the deuyll wonne a grete stronge warde of vs & pursyeweth ferthermore with all his besynes to make vs assente to hym as in wyll to performe it in dede. By that dede thou mayst vnderstande euery dedely synne after þe suggestyon is in þe begynnynge. To some he begynneth with a fals suggestyon of pryde / or ellys of couetyse / to some with a suggestyon of glotonye or lecherye / and so of all other synnes wherin he supposeth soonest to haue maystrye ouer man / for euery man is enclyned more to one maner synne than to an other. And where he hath maystrye / that is to say where that synne is performed in dede / he besyeth hym sore to brynge it in to custome / & so thorugh the custome to haue vs hole vnder his power. Go fle & withstande all these perylles, the prophete Dauyd sayth in the sawter: Go awaywarde or bowe awaye from euyll & do good / that is to saye after the exposycyon of doctours: Go from the euyll of suggestyon / from the suggestyon of entysynge / from þe euyl of delytynge / from the euyll of assentynge / from the euyl of dede / & from the euyll of custome. Withstande than all suche worldely or flesshely thoughtes as moche as god wyll gyue the grace, þat thou fal in none of these euylles whiche as I haue sayd be full peryllous. ¶ Ferthermore as to þe greuous thoughtes & peryllous, perauenture þou wylt aske whiche be tho thoughtes þat be so greuous & peryllous. All tho thoughtes that thou hast ayenst thy wyl whiche make the heuy or sory, be greuous. And for to shewe the more openly: what man that ymagy[n]eth vpon hyghe maters þat be ghoostly whiche passe all erthely mennes wytte, As vpon þe fayth of holy chyrche or suche other that neden not to be specyf[y]ed at this tyme, that man hath greuous thoughtes & peryllous. Yf we suffre suche ymagynacyons abyde & take none hede in the Legynnynge to the fals suggestyon of þe fende, within [a] short tyme or euer we be ware eyther he wyll make vs lese our kyndely wytte & reason / or ellys he wyl brynge vs [in] to vnreasonable drede. Of suche temptacyons it is nedefull to be ware & put theym awaye yf þou may with deuoute prayers & other occupacyons / & yf thou may not voyde them suffre them than esely. For þou shalt vnderstande þat they be ryght nedeful & medefull for thy soule / for but it were so þat suche thoughtes come somtyme in to

thy mynde þou sholdest seme in thyselfe that þou were an aungell & no man / therfore it is nedefull that thou be tempted otherwyle with euyll thoughtes that thou mayst se & knowe thyn owne feblenes & vnstablenes whiche cometh of thyselfe / and that þou mayst fele the strength whiche þou hast onely of god. Also thou shalt suffre suche thoughtes esely / but thou mayst voyde them / for all suche thoughtes so þat thou delyte the not in them they ben a grete purgynge for thy soule / & a grete strength to kepe within the vertues / & all be it þat they be sharpe & bytter for the tyme thynke well þat they shal make thy soule clene that was ryght foule / & make it hole that was ryght syke / and brynge it in to euerlastynge lyfe & helth without ende to the whiche lyfe & helth may no man come withoute grete sharpenes & bytternes. Also whan þou art trauayled with thoughtes whiche þou mayst not put away, thynke wel that it is a grete ryghtwysnes of god that thou haue suche thoughtes: For ryght as þou hast had full often thy wyl & lykynge in worldely and flesshely thoughtes ayenst the wyll of god / ryght so it is þe wyl of god that thou haue other thoughtes ayenst thy wyl. ¶ But yet it is good that thou be ware of them & that þou drede them dyscretly and truste stedfastly in god. For whan the soule hath no delyte in suche thoughtes but hateth & lotheth them / than they be a clensynge & a grete mede to þe soule; but yf it so be that there come somtyme ony lykynge of synne or of ony vanyte thorugh suche thoughtes / than withstande & thynke that it is a fals suggestyon of the deuyll / & therwith be dredful and sory that þou hast offended god in lykynge of suche fals ymagynacyons. I rede that for suche thoughtes onely þou shalt not be dampned though they be come in to thy mynde / for it is not in thy power to let them to come: But yf it be so that þou assente or delyte in them than be ware, for there thou dyspleasest god. Also it is good that þou drede though þou assente not to euyll thoughtes, that þou fall not for pryde. For eche man that standeth in vertues standeth onely by þe vertue & grace of almyghty god. Thus than be ware of thoughtes, for here þou mayst se that all temptacyons begynne with fals suggestyons of the wycked spyryte. And yf þou haue grace to withstande suche thoughtes þou shalt ouercome all temptacions. And for moost souerayn remedy ayenst all maner temptacions it is good that þou shewe thy disease to thy ghoostly fader as oft as it nedeth [or] els to some other good man of ghoostly lyuynge, as I sayd before in the fyfth poynt of þe thyrde degree of loue. ¶ Ferthermore to speke of temptacyons, I rede that whan the wycked fende may not ouercome a man wakynge / than is his besynes to trauayle & to tary hym slepynge. And that is to dysceyue hym yf he may in thre maners. One is to begyle hym thrugh glad & confortable dremes. The seconde is to greue & to lette hym thrugh sorowfull & dredefull dremes. And the thyrde is to make hym the rather assente to synne wakynge thrugh foule syghtes or other dyuerse vanytees whiche he suffreth slepynge. therfore it is good to be ware of dremes / for in some thou mayst wel byleue & some it is good to sette at nought. for somtyme god sheweth comfort to wycked men slepynge þat they sholde the rather leue theyr synne, & somtyme he comforte[th] good men slepynge to make them more feruent in his loue; but for as moche as þou myghtest lyghtly be disceyued thrugh suche illusyons, I counseyll

the to put them all out from thy herte or els to shewe them to thy ghostly frendes. For oftymes he þat hath moche lykynge in dremes is moost taryed and out of reste. Also þou shalt not drede suche dremes what-soeuer they be: For as I rede yf thou be stable in the fayth of holy chyrche / yf þou loue god with all thy herte / yf þou be obedyent to god & to thy souerayns what euer þou be as well in aduersyte as in prosperyte, and yf þou put all thy wyll at goddes dysposycyon, than shalt þou drede no maner of dremes; for though they be dredefull & sorowfull to thy syght be therfor not agast ne heuy / but trustyngly put al togyder in to goddes honde he to ordeyne for the as he wyll. Also though they be to thy syght glad & confortable, desyre them not ne byleue not in them but yf it [so] be that they torne to the worshyp of god. Yf þou do thus by the grace of god þou shalt ouercome all temptacions slepynge. Thus than, slepynge & wakynge, yf thou withstande in the begynnynge þe fals suggestyons of that wycked aungell, þat is to saye wycked thoughtes & peryllous ymagynacyons as I sayd before / than þou shalt ouercome all temptacions. To this acordeth saynt Austyn & sayth: Yf we withstande the lust & lykynge of vnclene thoughtes there sholde no synne reygne in our dedely bodyes. Withstande than thoughtes & be stronge ayenst temptacions / & so thrugh that ghoostly strength þou shalt lyghtly come to the loue of god. And for as moche as suche temptacyons & other worldely trybulacyons fall oftentymes to goddes seruauntes in to grete mede of theyr soules so that they can suffre them mekely & thanke god therfore, I wyll shewe a fewe confortable wordes of þe vertue of pacyence by the whiche þou mayst be styred for to suffre bodely and ghoostly dyseases gladly for the loue of god.