Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶How it falleth somtyme that soules begyn̄ynge att profy¦tynge in grace seme to haue more loue as by outwarde tokēs than some haue that ben perfyte / and yet it is not soo in soth wythin / Caplm xxix: (Book 29)

BVt now sayest thou how maye this be sothe / For there are many soules newe tourned to god that haue many ghostly felynges / Some haue grete cōpunccōn for her syn̄es. & som̄ haue grete deuocōns & feruours in her prayers. & oftē ha¦ue sūdry techinges of ghostly liʒte in vndstonding: & some mē

haue other maner felynges of comfortable hete & grete swet¦nes / and neuertheles thise soules come neuer fully in this res¦tfull derkenes that I speke of wyth feruent desyre & lastyng lo¦ue & thought in god / Then̄e askest thou whether thise soules be refourmed in felynge or noughte / It semyth yes. in asmo∣che as they haue suche grete ghostly felynges that other men that stonde oonly in fayth fele not of / Vnto this I maye saye as me thynkith. that thise ghostly felynges whether they ston¦de in compūccion or deuocōn or in ghostly ymaginacyon are not the felynges whyche a soule shall haue & fele in y^e grace of contēplacōn / I say not but they are sothfast & gracyously yeuē of god / But thyse soules that felen suche are not yet refour∣med in felynge. ne they haue not yet the yefte of perfeccōn ne ghostly the bren̄inge loue of Ihū as they maye come to / And neuertheles often it semyth otherwyse: that suche soules fele more of the loue of god than other that haue the yefte of per¦feccōn / in asmoche as the felyng shewyth more outwarde by grete feruour of bodily tokens. in wepynge prayenge kne••••••¦ge & spekynge & other bodily stirynge. soo ferforth y^t it semyth to a nother man that they were euer rauysshed in loue / And though me thynkith it is not soo / well I wote that thise ma¦ner felinges & feruours of deuocōn & cōpunccōn that thise mē fele are gracious yeftes of god sent in to chosen soules for to drawe hem out of worldly loue & flesshly luste that hath ben lōge tyme roted in her hert. fro y^e whiche loue they sholde not be drawē out but bi suche feable stirige of grete feruours: ne•• theles y^t the feruour is somoche in outward shewing it is not on̄ly for mochenes of loue y^t they haue but it is for litylnes & weyknes of her soule y^t may not ber̄ a lityl towching of god for it is yet as it wer̄ fleshly festned to y^e flessh̄ & neu was yet de{per}ted fro it bi gostly mortifyēg: & therfor̄ y^e lest towching of loue & y^e lest sperkil of ghostly lyʒte sent fro heuē in to suche a soule is somoche & so cōfortable & so delectable ouer al y^e likīg

that euer it felte before in flesshly loue of erthly thyng that it is ouertaken wyth it / And also it is soo newe & sodeyn and so vnkouth that it maye not suffre for to bere it but brestyth & shewyth oute in wepynge sobbynge & other bodily stirynge Right as the costrell that is olde whan it receyueth new wy¦ne that is fresshe & myghty: the costrell bolneth oute and is in poynte for to cleue & brest vntyll the wyne hath boylled & spo¦urged oute all vnclen̄esse / but also sone as the wyne is fyned & cleryd then̄e it stondeth styll & the costrel hole / Right so a sou¦le that is olde thrugh syn̄e whan it receyueth a lityll of the lo¦ue of god that is soo fresshe & soo myghty that the body is in poynte for to cleue & to breke ne were that god kepith it hole But yet it brestyth oute at the eyen by wepyng / and at y^e mo¦uth by spekynge: and that is more for weyknes & feblenes of the soule than for mykilnes of loue / For afterward whan lo¦ue hath boylled all the vnclen̄es oute of the soule bi suche gre¦te feruours then̄e is the loue clere & stondeth styll: And then̄e is both the body & the soule moche more in pees / and yet hath y^e soule moche more loue than it had before though it shewe lesse outwarde / For it is now all hole in reste wythin: and no¦ughte but lityll in outwarde shewynge of feruour / And ther∣fore I saye that thise soules that felē suche grete bodily feruo¦urs though they ben in moche grace are not yet refourmed in felynge / but they are gretly dysposed towarde. For I trowe y^t suche a man namly that hath be gretly defoylled in syn̄e shal not be refourmed in felynge but yf he be fyrste brente & pury∣fyed wyth suche grete cōpunccōns goynge before /

A nother soule that neuer was moche defoylled wyth loue of the worlde but hath euer be kepte fro grete sin̄es in innocē¦ce maye lyghtlyer & more pryuely wythout grete feruour she¦wed outwarde come to this refourmyng / Then̄e is this soth as I hope that suche comfortes & feruours that a soule felyth in the state of begyn̄ynge or of profytynge are as it were his

ghostly foode sente fro heuen for to strengthe hym in his tra∣ueyle / Right as a pilgryme traueyleth all daye meteles & dryn¦kles· and is nerehonde ouercome wyth werynes falleth at the laste to a good Inne. and there hath he mete & drynke / and is well refresshed for the tyme / Right soo ghostly: a deuoute soule that woll forsake the loue of the worlde· & wolde fayne loue god / and settyth all his besynes therto: prayeth & traueyl¦leth all daye bodyly & ghostly / and somtyme feleth noo com∣forte ne sauour in deuocon / Then̄e our lorde hauynge pyte o∣uer all his creatures that it sholde not perisshe for defawte ne torne in to heuynes or grutchyng sendeth it amonge his ghos¦tly fode & comforteth it in deuocōn as he wouchith saaf / And whan the soule feleth ony cōforte then̄e holdeth he hym well payd for all his traueylle & all the disease that it had on y^• day whan it fareth well at euen by felynge of ony grace / The sel¦fe wyse falleth it of other soules that are profitynge & ferfor the in grace Thei felen ofte tymes gracyous towchynges of the holy ghoste in her soule / bothe in vnderstondynge & syghte of ghostly thynges and in affeccion of loue / But yet ben they not refourmed in felyng / ne they are not yet perfyte / for why all suche felinges come to hem in that state as it were vnw••¦arly / for they come or they wyte it / and goth fro hem or they wyte it / and they can not come therto ayen. ne wote not whe¦re they shall fynde it for they haue not yet homlynes wyth hē of thoughte and lastyng desyre in Ihū / ne the eye of her soule is not opyned to the beholdynge of ghostly thynges· but they nyghe faste towarde. And therfore they are not yet refourmed in felynge / ne they haue not yet the full yefte of contēplacōn /