Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶How that without moche bodily and ghostly besines and wythout moche grace and mekenesse soules may not be refo¦urmed in felynge / ne kepe therin after they come therto / Caplm xx. (Book 20)

NOw sayste thou. Syth it is soo that refourmyng in fa¦yth is soo lowe and soo peryllous for to rest in by caw¦se of drede of fallynge agayne / And refourmynge in felynge is soo hyghe and soo syker / who soo myghte come therto. Thenne coueyteste thou for to wyte what manere traueylle were mooste spedefull for to vse / by the whiche a man myg∣hte prouffyte inne. and come therto. Or yf there were ony cer¦tayne traueylle or specyall dede by the whyche a man myghte come to that grace and that refourmynge in felynge / As vn∣to this I say thus / Thou wotest well that what man or wo¦man woll dispose hym for to come to clennesse of herte and to felynge of grace hym behoueth haue moche traueylle and grete fyghtynge in wylle and in werke lastyngly ayenste wic¦ked stirynges of all the hede synnes / Not oonly ayenste pryde or Enuye but ayenst all other wyth al the spices that comen oute of theym / as I haue sayd before in the fyrste writynge. For why? Passyons and flesshly desyres lette the clennes of the herte and pees in conscyence / And hym behoueth also for to traueylle for to gete all vertues / Not oonly chastite and ab¦stynence / but also pacyence and myldenesse / charytee and me∣kenesse & all the other / And this maye not be doon by one ma¦ner of werke / but by dyuerse werkes and many after sundry dysposycyons of men / As now prayenge: now thynkynge now worchynge some good werkes / now assayenge theym selfe in dyuerse wyse / In hunger: in thurste: in colde: in suf∣ferynge of shame and dyspyte yf nede be / And in other body∣ly dysease for loue of vertue and sothfastnesse / This know¦est thou well / for this redest y^u in euery boke y^• techeth of gode liuyng / Th{us} sayth euery mā that woll styre men̄es soules to

the loue of god / And soo it semyth that there is noo specyall traueyle ne certayn dede thrugh whiche on̄ly a soule myght co¦me to that grace / but pryncipally thrugh grace of our lorde Ie¦su. & by many dedes & grete in all that he maye done. and yet all this is lityll ynough / And one skylle may be this. For syth ou¦re lorde Ihū hymself is specyall mayster of this crafte: & he is specyall leche of ghostly syknes: for wythout hym all is nou••¦te. it is therfore resonable that after that he techeth & stireth so a man folowe & werke / But he is a simple mayster that can not teche his discyple while he is in lernynge but euer one les¦son / & he is an vnwyse leche that by one medycyne woll he••e all sores / Therfore our lorde Ihū that is soo wyse & soo go••e for to shewe his wysdom & his goodnes he techeth dyuers 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to his discyples after that they profite in her lernynge. & yeueth to dyuers soules sere & dyuers medycynes after the ••••∣lynge of her syknes / Also a nother skylle is this: If there 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ony certayn dede by the whiche a soule myght come to the p••••¦fyte loue of god then̄e sholde a man wene that he myghte co¦me therto bi his owne werke & thrugh his owne traueyle as a marchaūt comyth to his mede by his owne traueyle on̄ly 〈…〉〈…〉 his owne werke / Naye it is not so ghostly in the loue of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 For he that woll serue god wysely & come to perfyte loue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 god. he shall coueyte to haue none other mede but him 〈◊〉〈◊〉 But thenne for to haue hym maye noo creature deserue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by his owne traueyle / For though a man myghte traueyle 〈◊〉〈◊〉 moche bodily & ghostly as all creatures that euer were mygh¦te. he mygʒte not deserue on̄ly by his werkes for to haue god to his mede: for he is souereyn blisse & ēdles godenes. & passith without cōparison al men̄es desert••. & therfor̄ he may not bego¦tē by no man̄es specyall werkes as bodily mede may / For he is free & yeuyth hymself where he woll. and whā he woll. ney¦ther for this ne for y^e / ne in this tyme ne after that tyme / For though a soule worche all y^t he can & maye all his lyfe tyme /

perfyte loue of Ihesu shall he neuer haue tyll our lorde Ihesu woll frely yeue it / Neuertheles on that other syde I say also I hope he yeuyth it not but yf a man worche & traueyle all that he can & maye. ye tyll hym thynke he may no more / or elles be in full wyll therto yf he myght / And soo it semyth y^t neyther grace on̄ly wythout full worchyng of a soule that in it is / ne worchynge alone wythout grace bryngeth a soule to the refo¦urmyng in felynge / the whiche refourmyng stondeth in perfi¦te loue & charyte / But that one Ioyned to y^e other / that is gra∣ce Ioyned to worchyng bryngeth in to a soule the blessyd fe∣lynge of perfyte loue / the whiche grace may not rest fully but on meke soules that ben full of the drede of god / Therfore maye I saye: he that hath noo mekenes ne dooth his besynes. maye not come to this reformyng in felyng / He hath not ful mekenes that can not fele of hymselfe sothfastly as he is / As thus / He that dooth all the good dedes that he can / as in fastyn¦ge: wakyng: weryng of the heyre. & all other suffryng of body¦ly penaūce / or dooth all the outwarde werkes of mercy to hys euēcrysten: or elles Inwarde / as prayenge: wepynge: sighyng / & thynkyng yf he reste euer in hem & lene somoche to hem: and rewardeth hem so gretly in his owne syghte y^t he presumyth of his owne desertes. and thynketh hymself euer ryche & good holy & vertuous / sothly aslong as he felyth thus he is not me¦ke ynough / Ne though he say or thynke that all that he dooth is of goddis yeft & not of himself. he is not yet meke ynough for he maye not make hymself yet naked of all his good de∣des / ne make him poore sothfastly in spiryte / ne fele hymself noughte as he is / And sothly vntyll a soule can fele ably tho∣rugh grace noughte hymself. and baren hym from all the go¦od dedes that he dooth thorugh beholdynge of sothefastnes of Ihesu he is not perfytly meke / For what is mekenesse but so the fastnesse? Soothly noughte elles / And therfore he that thorugh grace maye see Ihesu howe that he dooth alle / And

hymself dooth ryght nought but suffreth Ih̄u worche in him what hym likyth. he is meke / But this is ful harde. & as it we¦re Impossyble. & vnresonable to a man that worcheth alle by man̄es reason / and seeth noo ferder for to doo many good de∣des / & thenne for to arrette all to Ihū. and sette hymself at no∣ught / Neuertheles who soo myghte haue a ghostly syghte of sothfastnes hym sholde thynke it full true and full resonable for to doo soo / And sothly he that hath this syghte shall neuer doo the lesse / but he shall be styred for to traueyle bodily & gho¦stly moche the more and with the better wyll / And this may be one cause why some men perauēture swynke & swete & py¦ne her wretched body with outragyous penaūce all her lyf ty¦me / and are euer sayēg orysons & sawters and many other de¦des / and yet maye they not come to the ghostly felynge of the loue of god as it semyth that some done in shorte tyme with lesse payne. for they haue not that mekenes that I spake of Also on that other syde I saye he that dooth not his besynesse that thynketh thus. wherto sholde I traueyle / wherto sholde I praye or thynke wake or faste / or ony other bodily penaunce doo for to come to suche grace sythen it may not be goten 〈◊〉〈◊〉 had but on̄ly of the free yefte of Ih̄u / Therfore I woll aby•••• in flesshlines as I am. and ryght nought do of suche werkes▪ bodily ne ghostly vntyll he yeue it / For yf he woll yeue it he askyth noo worchyng of me what so that I doo. & how lityll that I doo I shall haue it / And yf he woll not yeue it. traueyl•• I neuer so faste therfore I gete it neuer the sooner / He that sa¦yth th{us} may not come to this refourmyng. for he drawyth hī self wylfully to ydlenes of flessheed: & vnableth him to the ye¦fte of grace in asmoche as he putteth fro hym both Inwarde werkyng y^t stōdith in lastynge desyre & in lōgyng to Ihū & out¦warde werkyng by traueyle of his body in outwarde dedes. so may he not haue it / therfore I say he y^t hath no true mekenes ne ful hertly besynes other inward on̄ly by grete feruour & las¦tyng desyre.

and besy prayer and thoughte in god. or elles bothe Inwarde & outwarde. may he not come to this ghostly refourmynge of his ymage /