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

Y ¶ How thou shalt be pacyent & what tyme pacyence is moost nedefull.

CHaryte whiche is moder & keper of vertues is lost full often by Inpacyence. To this acordeth saynt Gregorye & sayth thus: Men that be Inpacyent whan they wyll not suffre gladly trybulacyons / destroye the good dedes whiche they dyde whyle þe soule was in peas & reste / & sodaynly they destroye [w]hat ghoostly werke that they haue begonne by good auysement & grete trauayle. By these wordes it semeth þat it is nedefull to kepe with vs the vertue of pacyence yf we sholde come to the loue of god / for without encreace of vertues we may not come to þat loue. ¶ To speke than of pacyence: I rede þat in prosperyte it is no vertue to be pacyent / but what man is troubled with many aduersytees & standeth stably hopynge in the mercy of god / he hath the vertue of pacyence. ¶ In thre maner of wayes goddes seruauntes haue nede to be pacyent in trybulacions. The fyrst is whan god chastyseth them with his rodde / as with losse of worldely godes or ellys with bodely sykenes. The seconde is whan our enemye the fende trauayleth vs with dyuerse temptacyons by the suffraunce of god. The thyrde is whan our neyghbours do to vs wronge or despytes. In eche of these thre our enemye besyeth hym to brynge vs oute of pacyence / & in eche of these we sholde ouercome hym yf we be pacyent. As thus: yf we suffre easely & gladly the chastysynge of god without ony grutchynge; Also yf we delyte vs not in the fals suggestyons of the fende & assente in no maner to his wycked temptacyons;

Also yf we kepe vs sadly in charyte whan we suffre ony wronges or despytes of ony of our neyghbours / thus we sholde ouercome that wycked fende with the vertue of pacyence. ¶ I sayd as for the fyrst we shold ouercome the fende yf we suffre easely & gladly the chastysynge of god without ony grutchynge / this is good þat we suffre for it is for grete loue whiche he hath to vs & [for] grete mede that he wyll ordeyne for vs. To this purpose saynt Austyn speketh & sayth thus to eche mannes soule callynge the soule doughter, and sayth thus: Doughter yf thou wepe vnder thy fader wepe not with Indygnacion ne for pryde / for that thou suffrest is for medycyne to the & for no payne / it is a chastysynge & no dampnacyon; yf thou wylt not lese thyn herytage, put not from the that rodde / take no hede to the sharpenes of that rodde / but take good hede how well thou shalt be rewarded in thy faders testament. These wordes may be remeued to euery crysten man & woman, as thus: Yf our fader in heuen sholde chastyse vs with losse of goodes or with sykenes of body we sholde not grutche / but we sholde be sory þat we trespaced ayenste our fader / & take mekely his chastysynge & euer aske mercy. His chastysynge is hel[þ]e to our soules & reles of grete[r] penaunce / his chastysynge is but a warnynge for loue & not dur[esse] for wrath. [If] we sholde not be put out frome the herytage of heuen it is nedefull we be boxum to our fader in heuen & suffre lowely & gladly his ryghtfull chastysynge for our greuous trespasynge, that thrugh the vertue of pacyence we may come to that grete herytage / that is to saye to the blysse of heuen to þe whiche he ordeyned vs in his last testament, that was whan he gafe for vs his herte blood vpon þe crosse. Thus we must suffre gladly the chastysynge of god without grutchynge. This chastysynge as I sayd is somtyme in sykenes of body / & somtyme in losse of worldely goodes. Yf thou be chastysed with sykenesse of body / haue in thy mynde the wordes of the apostle whan he sayd thus: All be it that our body outwarde be corrupted with sykenes our soule within is made newe & more clene frome daye to daye. Also yf [thou] be chastysed with losse of goodes / take hede to þe pouerte of Iob where þou may haue a grete example of pacyence, for with grete thankynges to god he toke full mekely & gladly grete pouerte, sykenes & many dyseases & sayd: Our lord gafe / our lorde hath take awaye / as it pleaseth hym so it is do / blessyd be the name of þat lorde Iesu. Thus þou hast example to suffre gladly the chastysynge of god. ¶ I sayd also as for the seconde we sholde ouercome þe fende yf we delyte vs not in his fals suggestyons & yf we assente in no maner to his wycked temptacyons. In the last chapytre before thou hast how thou shalt be stronge & stable ayenst all temptacyons: Se now more openly why thou shalt gladly suffre temptacyons without ony grutchynge. One skylle is for yf thou suffre them not gladly but grutchest ayenst them than þou lettest them that sholde helpe the / the whiche be good angels & other sayntes / & helpest thyn enemyes whiche be wycked fendes / for a greter confort is none to theym but whan they fynde a man heuy and grutchynge; therfore suffre them gladly and aske helpe & mercy of hym in whom all grace is and confort. Also yf thou suffre suche temptacions gladly and assentest not to them in lykynge ne in wyll / than thou stoppest the

fende that he dar not assayle the with other temptacions, for he dredth to be put out from the & be ouercome whan he feleth the so stable & so pacyent; that is a grete drede to hym. For whan he trauayleth a man with temptacyons and he be withstande / than be his paynes moche the more encreased in hell. Withstande than his temptacyons with the vertue of pacyence & so thou shalt ouercome hym. ¶ As for the thyrde way of pacyence I sayd þat we sholde kepe vs sadly in charyte whan we suffre wronges or despytes of [our] neyghbours / suche wronges it is [m]edefull to suffre for the loue of god: For as saynt Austyn sayth / he that is so pacyent that gladly wyll suffre wronges shall be ordeyned grete and myghty in heuen. If than thy goodes be taken from the wrongfully / suffre esely and thynke in thy herte that thou came naked in to this worlde & no better than naked shalt thou go away out of the worlde. Also thynke vpon þe wordes of the apostle where he sayth: Nought we brought in to this worlde and no thynge we may bere with vs / thynke vpon these wordes & I trowe they shall styre the moche to pacyence. ¶ If thou be dysp[y]sed or defamed wrongfully / thynke vpon the wordes of cryst whan he sayd thus to his dyscyples: Ye be blessyd whan wycked men curse you or despyse you wrongfully, whan they pursyewe you or saye ony euyll makynge lesynges ayenst you wrongfully / Ioyeth than & be glad for your mede is plenteuous in heuen. These wordes me thynketh sholde make the to suffre gladly despytes & euyll wordes. It falleth somtyme that some mennes hertes be full grete & stoute by pryde & Inpacyence: But goddes seruauntes whan they se suche men so dyseased and trauayled in theyr soules, haue grete conpassyon of them knowynge wel that it cometh of vnstablenes of herte and of wycked sterynge of the flesshe / & therfore they suffre wycked & angry wordes for þe tyme, hopynge þat after so grete noyse shall come some maner ease & lownes of herte; they suffre also for þe tyme for they knowe well it is full harde a man to ouercome hymselfe; / for thyse causes euery good man sholde gladly suffre angry wordes. Also some men and women there be that wyll not suffre / but for one wycked worde they saye an other and take noo hede to the rewarde that they sholde haue of god yf they wolde suffre / suche men al daye fall in temptacyons for angre of herte and for inpacyence. Therfore what euer thou be that art despysed of thy neyghbour, suffre gladly / & feyne the as thou herdest hym not / vnto the tyme that his herte be eased, and than yf it be suche mater that chargeth þou mayst speke to hym in easy maner / and yf it is no chargynge than it is no force though thou holde thy peas and answere ryght nought. Thus I haue shewed the examples for to styre the to pacyence, Fyrst how thou shalt gladly suffre the chastysynge of almyghty god as sykenes of body or ellys losse of goodes. The seconde how thou shalt gladly suffre the temptacyons of the fende. And the thyrde how thou shalt gladly suffre wronges and despysynges of thy neyghbour. ¶ But now ouer all the ensamples I counseyll the for to haue one thynge specyall[y] in thy herte / the whiche shal be a generall ensample of pacyence to suffre gladly all maner trybulacyons for the loue of god: This ensample is for to haue euermore in thy mynde in eche dysease the grete pouerte, trybulacyon and the bytter passyon of Ihesu cryst goddes sone whiche he suffred gladly & wylfully for the loue of all mankynde. ¶ Of this good lorde

speketh saynt Bernarde & sayth thus. Cryst goddes sone of heuen frome the tyme þat he came out of the gloryous maydens wombe Marye / had neuer but pouerte & trybulacyon tyll he went to suffre deth. Whiche maner of deth it nedeth not at this tyme for to shewe it to the, For þou hast it openly by þe techynge of all holy chyrche. Haue than sadly in thy mynde as moche as god wyll gyue the grace / how gladly, howe lowely & what he suffred for the / & þat thought I trowe shall make the to wynne the vertue of pacyence / & to encreace in other vertues / & so forth within a whyle to come to the loue of god. And now ferthermore for as moche as all þe vertues be moost pleasynge & acceptable to god whiche be contynued & brought to good ende, therfore to strength þe in these vertues I wyll shewe þe now some wordes of þe vertue of perseueraunce.