Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶How that some soule loueth Ihū by bodily feruours & by her owne manly affeccōns that ben styred by grace & by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 And how some louen Ihū more restfully bi ghostly affecc••ōs oonly styred Inwarde thrugh specyall grace of the holy ghost▪ Caplm xxxv. (Book 35)

THenne maye I saye that he that moost hath of this lo•••• here in this lyfe moost pleseth god. and moost clere 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shal haue of hym / and moost fully loue hym in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of heuen / for he hath the most yeft of loue here in erth / The loue may not be had by a man̄es owne traueyle as some 〈◊〉〈◊〉 / It is freely had of the gracyous yefte of Ihū after moch•• bodily & ghostly traueyle goyng before / For there are some ••••¦uers of god that makē hemself to loue god as it were by her owne myght / for they streyne hemself thrugh grete vyolence and panten soo strongly that they brast in to bodily feruours as they wolde drawe donwe god fro heuen to hem / And they sayen in her hertes & wyth her mouthe / A lorde I loue the and I wolde loue the: I wolde for thy loue suffre deth / And in this maner of worchynge they fele grete feruour and moche gra∣ce

/ And soth it is me thynketh this worchynge is gode & med¦full yf it be well tempred wyth mekenes & wyth discrecyon / But neuertheles thyse men loue not ne haue not the yefte of loue on that maner as I speke of: ne they aske it not soo / For a soule that hath the yeft of loue thrugh gracyous behol¦dynge of Ihesu as I meane. or elles yf he haue it not yet: but wolde haue it. he is not besy for to strayne hymselfe ouer his myghte as it were by bodyly strengthe for to haue it by body¦ly feruours: and soo for to fele the loue of god. but hym thyn¦kyth that he is right noughte▪ & that he can doo right noughte of hymself. but as it were a dede thyng on̄ly hangyng & borne vp by the mercy of god / He seeth well that Ihū is all & dooth all. and therfore asketh he noughte elles but the yefte of loue For sythen that the soule seeth that his owne loue is noug¦hte. therfore it wolde haue his loue for that is ynough / Ther¦fore prayeth he and that desireth he that the loue of god wol¦de towche hym wyth his blessed lyght that he myghte see a ly¦tyll of hym by his gracyous presence: for thenne sholde he lo∣ue hym / And soo by this waye comyth the yefte of loue that is god in to a soule / The more that a soule noughtith itselfe thrugh grace by syght of this sothfastnes some tyme wythou¦te ony feruour outward shewed. and the lesse that it thinkith that it loueth or seeth god. the nerer it nygheth for to percey∣ue the yefte of the blessed loue / For thenne is loue mayster & worcheth in the sowle: and maketh it forgete itselfe. and for to see and beholde on̄ly how loue dooth / And then̄e is the sou¦le more suffrynge than doyng. and that is clene loue / Th{us} sa¦int poul meaned whan he sayd thus / Quicū{que} sp̄u dei agunt hii filii dei sūt / All thise that are wrought wyth the spiryte of god are goddis sones.* 1.1 y^• is soules y^• are made so meke & so bu¦xom̄ to god y^t they werke not of hemself. but suffre y^e holy go¦ost stire hem and worche hem in the felynges of loue wyth a swete corde to his styrynges / Thyse arne specyally goddis

sones moost lyke vnto hym / Other soules that can not loue thus but traueylen hemself by her owne afflyccōns and styre hemself thrugh her owne thynkynge of god & bodily exercyse for to drawe oute of hemself by maystry the felynge of loue by feruours & other bodily sygnes loue not ghostly / They 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ne well & medefully yf so that they woll knowe mekely that her werchyng is not the kyndely gracyous felyng of loue. but it is manly doynge by a soule at the biddynge of reason / And neuertheles thrugh the godenes of god by cause that the soule dooth that in it is. thise manly affeccōns of the soule stired 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to god by mannes werchynge are torned in to ghostly affe••••¦cōns. and are medefull as yf they had be done ghostly in y^e f••••s¦te begynnyng / And this is a grete curtesye of our lorde shew∣ed to meke soules that torneth all thyse manly affeccyons of kindly loue in to the affeccōn and in to the mede of his owne loue: as yf he had wroughte hem all fully by hymself / And 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thise manly affeccōns soo torned may be called affeccōns 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ghostly loue thrugh purchase not thrugh kyndly bryngyng fo¦urth of the holy ghost / I saye not that a soule may worche ••••¦che manly affeccōns on̄ly of itself without grace / for 〈◊〉〈◊〉 well that saynt poul sayth that we maye right noughte 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ne thynke that good is of ourself wythout grace / Non 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sum{us} sufficiētes cogitare aliquid ex nobis quasi ex nobis. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sufficiēcia nr̄a ex deo ē / That is. we that loue god wene 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that we suffyse for to loue or for to thynke good of ourself•• oonly / but our suffisynge is of god / For god worcheth in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 bothe good werke and good wyll as saynt poul saith / De{us} •• qui operat in nobis et velle & {per}ficere {pro} bona volūtate / That is: It is god that worcheth in vs good wyll and fulfyllynge of good wyll / But I saye that suche affeccōns are good ma∣de by the wyll & meane of a soule after the generall grace that he yeueth to all chosyn soules / not of specyall grace made go∣ostly by towchynge of his gracyous presence as he worcheth

in his perfyte louers as I sayd before / for in vnperfite louers loue worcheth ferly by the affecciōs of mā. but in{per}fyte louers loue werchyth nerely by her owne ghostly affeccions: & sleeth in a soule for the tyme all other affeccōns bothe flesshly kyn¦dly & manly. and y^• is properly the werchynge of loue by hym selfe / Thus loue maye be had in a lytyll in party here in a cle¦ne soule thrugh the ghostly syghte of Ihū. but in the blysse of heuen it is fulfylled by clere syghte in his godhede / For there shall none affeccōn be feled in a soule but godly & ghostly /

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ro· viii