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

(St. Anselm's) Meditation I

Ms. Univ. Coll. Oxford 97

[page 310]

Heere is a good meditacion, the which seynt Anselme maade.

My lif fereth me soore, ffor whan i. bisyli enserche it is semeth to me outher synne, or withouten fruyt wel-nygh al my lif, and ȝef eny tyme þeer be seyn eny fruyt þeer-Inne, ȝet it is þanne but as it weere feyned, or imparfit, or in sum manere corrupt, so þat outher it may not plese god as it schulde do, or ellys it fully displesith him. Therfore now þow synful wrecche, þi lif not welneigh al, but fulliche al, outher it is in synne & dampnable, or it is vnfruytful & despisable. But wharto make i. departesun bitwene vufruytful and dampnable?... ffor it is certeyn & trewe þat Treuthe seyde him-self in þe gospel: Omnis arbor que non facit fructum bonum, excidetur et in ignem mittetur, that is to seyn:

'Euery tree þat bereth not good fruyt schal be kut doun and cast in to þe fuyr'. And verreiliche, what profitable þing þat i do, outrely i. acounte it nouȝt for to answere to þe sustynaunce of body þat i. mysuse. But who fedith eny beest þe whiche profiteth not as muche as it wasteth? and ȝet neuerthelees, mercyful god, þow norisschest, fedist, and abidist þin vnprofitable worm, and stynkynge in synne. And wel i. may seie 'stynkynge in synne': ffor withoute comparisun moore suffrable is a roten hound to men, þan is a synful soule to god; and muche moore wlatsum is such a soule to god, þan is such an hound to men. Allas allas, now may i. clepe þe no man, but schame & repreue of al men, moore vile þan a beste, and worse þan a careyne. My soule is soore anoyed of my lif; I am soore a-schamed for to lyue, and dye dar i. not. Therfore what schalt þou now doo, a þow synnere? Certes nouȝt, but þat al þi lyf þow wepe al þi lif, so þat it al weepe it al. But ȝet in þis also is þi synful soule wrecchidly wondirful and wonderfully wrecchede, by-cause þat it sorweth not so muche as it knoweth þat hit schulde; but þus it slepeth siker in slouthe, riȝt as it knewe not what it were worthy to suffre. What dost þow, þou bareyne soule? whi art þou so slough, þow synful soule? Þe day of þi doom cometh, It is riȝt neiȝ and swift in his comynge. A day of wrath is þat day. A day of trouble & of anguyssch. A day of caare and of wrecchednesse. A day of myst and of derkenesse. A day of cloude and of whirlewynd. A day of trumpe & of clarionynge. A þat bitter voys of þe dreedful day of oure lord! Whi slepist þou, þow synful soule and worthy to be wlated; whi slepist þow? For who so waketh not, & who so quaketh not at so greet a þunder, certes he slepeth not, but he is deed. Thow vnfruytful tree, wheer been þi fruytes? Thow tree þat art worthy an ax & a fuyr, worthy to be kut and brent, wheere been þi fruytes? Sothly þow hast nouȝt but prikkynge þornes and bitter synnes; þe whiche wolde god þat þei prikkeden þee so soore by forthenkynge þat þei weren broke, and so schulden þei waxe to þe so bittre þat þei schulden vanyssche awey. Perauenture þow wenest þat eny synne be luytel: but wolde god þat þe streyte doomesman heelde eny synne luytel. But allas, is it not so þat alle synne by brekynge of goddes heestes vnworschipeth god? ȝus sikerly, ȝus. What synne þanne dar eny synnere seie þat is luytel? forto vnworschipe god whanne is þat luytel? A þow druye and vnprofitable tree worthy to euerlastyng fuyr, what schalt þou answere in þilke day, whan it schal been asked of þee to þe twynclynge of an ee alle þe tyme of lyuynge ȝeuen to þe how þou hast dispended it? Thanne it schal be dampned in þe what so euer may be founden of werk or of slouthe, of woord or of sylence, to þe leeste þouȝt, ȝe and of alle þat þow hast i-lyued, ȝef it haue not be dressed to þe wil of god. Allas! how meny synnes schullen breste vp þeere without warnynge as it were enemyes liggynge in a wait, þe whiche þow seest not now? Certes fer moo, & happily moore grysly, þan been þilke þat þou seest now. How menye þow wenest now been not yuele, how menye þow wenest now been gode, with open visage schullen þanne schewen hem to þe alther-derkest synnes? Theere withouten doute þou schalt receyue as þow hast wrouȝt heere with þi body. Thanne, as now, schal not be tyme of mercy: Thanne, as now, schal no forthenkynge be receyued ne eny amendement suffred. Thenk þerfore heere what þow art worthy to receyue þeere, and what þow hast doo. ȝef þei been meny goodes and fewe yueles, make muche ioye; ȝef þei been [meny] yueles and fewe goodes, make muche sorwe. A thow vnprofitable synnere, whethir þise thynges suffice not to þee for to make in þe hidous and greet gronyng in sorwe? whether þise þinges suffice not to þee for to drawe out of þee mergh and blood in wepynges? Cursed be þat wrecchede hardnesse, þe whiche þus heuy hameres been to liȝte for to breke! A þat ouer-dulled slouthe, þe whiche þus scharpe prikkes been to blunte for to stire! Allas for sorwe of þat deede slepe, þe which so grisly a þunder is to hoos for to wakene! A þow

vnprofitable synnere, ynouȝ þise thynges schulden bee to þee euere for to contynewe in waymentynge: thise þinges oughten to suffice þee euermore to sobbe bisyly in wepynges. But wharto schal i. feynyngly be stille, and stele eny þing fro þe eyen of my soule, of þe heuynesse and þe gretnesse of my wrecchede ȝouthe: In pyne of þe whiche þeer schal þanne aryse withoute eny auysement so hastif sorwes & so wonderful woes, þat sodeynly of hem þere schal growe an vnsuffrable tempest? Ceertes, þow wykkede synnere, al þis spedeth not to þee. And nathelees, þouȝ i. seie al þat i. may þenke, ȝet may it not be lykned to þat þat þe þing is in it-self. And þerfore let þin eyen weep by day & by nyȝt, and neuere to be stille. Put-to weiȝte vp-on weiȝte, & sorwe vpon sorwe, fferdnesse vpon feerdnesse, and woo vpon woo: ffor he schal deeme þee to whom it falleth to punysche what þat eny trespassour or inobedient to god synneth; þe whiche hath ȝolde me good for euelle, and to whom i ȝelde yuel for good; the whiche is now þe mooste suffrynge, and þanne schal be þe mooste vengynge; now þe mooste mercyful, þanne þe mooste riȝtful. Allas allas, to whom haue i. synned? God i. haue vnworschiped. The al-myȝty i. haue wratthed. O i. wrecchede synnere, what haue i. doo? to whom haue i doo? how yuele haue i doo? Allas þow wratthe of þe al-myȝty, falle þow not vpon me. Thow wratthe of þe almyȝty, where maist þow be taken in me? Ceertes þeer is no þing in al me þat may suffre þee. O þe anguyssches and þe annuyes þat schullen þanne bee: For on þat oo syde schullen bee synnes accusynge, on þat oother syde streit riȝtfulnesse soore afferynge; bynethe, þe opene derkenesse of helle, aboue, þe wrathful domesman; withinne, a smertynge concience, and withoute, þe brennynge world. Vnnethes þe riȝtwys shal bee saued; a synnere þus biseged, where schal he holde hym? Thus constreyned, where schal i. huyde me? how schal i. appere? For to huyde me it schal be impossible, and for to appere it schal bee vnsuffrable. I schal seeche where to huyde me, but nowhere fynde it; me schal agrise to appere, and euere i. schal be present. A who is he þat schal delyuere me fro þe hoondis of wratthed god? where schal i haue helthe? where schal i. haue counseyl? Who is he þat is cleped þe aungel of greet counseil, þe whiche is cleped sauyour, þat i may crye on his naame? Ceertes, it is Ihesu, he him-self is þe iuge whom i. dreede so soore. Looke vp þerfore aȝen now, þow synnere, bee of good hope and dispeire not. Hope in him whom þow dreddest. Fle to him fro whom þow fleddest. Crie vpon him meekly for mercy, whom þou hast soore agreued by pruyde. Ihesu, Ihesu, for þin naame Ihesu, do to me after þi naame Ihesu. Forȝet now Ihesu þis proude trespassour, and bihold with mercy þis wrecche clepyng þi naame, Thy sweete naame, Thy delitable naame, Naame of comfort to synneres and of blessede hope. For what is Ihesu to seie but 'sauyour'? Therfore Ihesu, for þin owene self be to me Ihesu. Thow þat maadest me, lat me nouȝt perisschen. Thow þat bouȝtest me, lat me not be dampned. Thow þat maadest me þorwe þi goodnesse, lat me not perisschen þoruȝ my wykkednesse. And as þow art þe mooste mercyful, suffre not my wykkednesse to leese þat þin al-myȝty goodnesse hath maade. Mercyful Ihesu, i. biseche þee know þat þin is, and wipe it a-wey þat is ootheres. Ihesu, Ihesu, haue mercy whiles tyme is of mercy, þat þow dampne not in tyme of þi doom. For what profit schalle be to þee in my bloode, ȝef i. schal descende in to euerlastynge corrupcion? 'For dampnede men schullen noone preise þee, ne eny of þoo þat goon down in to helle'. ȝef þow wolt suffre me lord entre in to þe broode bosum of þi mercy, it schal neuere bee þe streiter for me. Receyue me þerfore, moost desirable Ihesu, Receyue me with-inne þe noumbre of þin chosyn; so þat i. bee fed in þee with hem, and preise þee with hem, and þat i. withouten eend ioye in þee, with alle þoo þat louen þi name. Amen.