Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶How loue sleeth all stirynges of wrathe & enuye softly & re¦fourmeth in the soule the vertues of pees & paciēce & of perfy¦te charyte to his euencrysten as he dyde specyally in the appos¦les / Caplm xxxviii. (Book 38)

LOue worcheth wysely & softly in a soule there he woll for he sleeth myghtily yre & enuye and all passyons of angrynes & malencolye in it· and bryngeth in to the soule ver¦tues of pacyence & myldenes peasibylite and louered to his e∣uencrysten / It is full harde & a grete maystry to a man that stō¦deth on̄ly in worchynge of his owne reason for to kepe pacy¦ence holy reste & softnes in herte & charyte to his euencrysten if they dysease hym vnskylfully and done hym wronge that he ne shall somwhat doo ayen to hem thrugh stirynge of yre or of malencolye eyther in spekynge or in worchynge or bothe / And neuertheles though a man be styred & trowbled in hym∣selfe and made vnrestfull. be soo that it be not to moche pas∣synge ouer the bondes of reason. and that he kepe his honde & his tonge and be redy for to foryeue the trespase whā mercy is asked / yet this man hath the vertue of pacyence though it be but weyke & nakidly. for asmoche as he wolde haue it and traueyleth besily in refreynynge of his vnskylfull passyons y^t he myghte haue it / and also is sory y^t he hath it not as he shol¦de / But to a true louer of Ihū it is noo grete maystry for to suffre al this / For why loue fyghteth for hym and sleeth wō¦der softly suche stirynges of wrathe & of malencolye. and ma¦kyth his soule soo easy & soo peasyble soo suffryng and so go¦odly thorugh the ghostly syghte of Ihesu wyth the felynge of his blessid loue that though he be dispised & repreued of other men: or take wrōge or harme shame or vylanye he chargeth it not: he is not moche styred ayenste hym / He woll not be an∣gred ne styred ayenst hym / for yf he were moche styred he sho¦lde forbere the comforte that he felyth wythin his soule. but y^t woll he not / He maye lyghtlyer forgete al the wronge that is done to hym than a nother man maye foryeue it though mer¦cy were axed / And soo he had well leuer forgete it. for hym thynkyth it moost ease to hym / And loue dooth all this. for lo¦ue openyth the eye of the soule to the syght of Ihesu. & stablith

it wyth the lykynge of loue that it feleth by that syghte 〈◊〉〈◊〉 comforteth it soo myghtly that it taketh noo kepe what 〈◊〉〈◊〉 men Iangle or done ayenst him / It hangeth noo thyng 〈…〉〈…〉 hym / The moost harme that he myght haue were a 〈…〉〈…〉 of y^e ghostly syghte of Ihū / And therfore it is leuer 〈…〉〈…〉 for to suffre all harmes thā that alone / All this may the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 doo well & easely wythout grete trowblynge of the 〈…〉〈…〉 whan disease falleth all wythout forthe & towchet•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the body· as is bachitynge or scomyng: or spoylynge of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as he hath / All thise greueth noughte / But it gooth 〈…〉〈…〉 nerer whan the flesshe is towched & he feleth smerte 〈…〉〈…〉 is harder / Neuertheles though it be harde & Impossybly 〈…〉〈…〉 freyle kynde of man to suffre bodily penaūce gladly 〈…〉〈…〉 wythout bytter stirynges of yre anger & 〈…〉〈…〉 Impossible to loue that is the holy ghoste for to 〈…〉〈…〉 in a soule there he towcheth wyth the blessed ••••fte 〈…〉〈…〉 But he yeueth a soule that is in that plyghte 〈…〉〈…〉 of loue. and wondfully fastneth it to Ihū. and 〈…〉〈…〉 it wond ferre from the sensualytee thrugh his 〈…〉〈…〉 and comforteth it soo swetly by his blessed presence 〈…〉〈…〉 soule felyth lityll payne or elles none of the sensualy•••• 〈…〉〈…〉 is specyall grace yeuen to the holy marters / This grace 〈…〉〈…〉 appostles as holy wrytte sayth of hem thus / Ibant 〈…〉〈…〉 a conspectu consilii qm̄ digni habiti sūt pro 〈…〉〈…〉 cotumeliā pati / That is: The appostles yede Ioyeng 〈…〉〈…〉 counseyle of the Iewes whan they were beten with 〈…〉〈…〉 and they were gladde that they were worthi for to suffre 〈…〉〈…〉 bodyly dysease for the loue of Ihū / They were not styred 〈◊〉〈◊〉 yre ne to felnes to be auenged on the Iewes that beten 〈…〉〈…〉 a worldly man wolde be whan he suffred a lytyl harme 〈…〉〈…〉 neuer soo lityll of his euencrysten / Ne they were not styred 〈◊〉〈◊〉 noo pryde. ne to hines of hēselfe & to disdeyne: & to demynge of the Iewes as ypocrytes & heretykes are y^t woll suffre moche

bodily payne. and are somtyme redy for to suffre dethe wyth grete gladnes & wyth mighty wyll as it were in the name of Ihū for loue of hym / Sothly that loue & that gladnes y^t they haue in suffryng of bodily myscheyf is not of the holy ghost It comyth not fro the fyre that bren̄eth in the hye awter of heuen: but it is feyned by the fende enflāmed of helle: for it is fully menged wyth the heyght of pryde & of presūpcion of hē selfe & despyte & demyuge & disdeyne of hem that thus punissh̄ hem / They wene that all this is charite. & that they suffre al y^t for the loue of god: but they are begyled of the myddaye fēde A true louer of ihū whā he suffreth harme of his euēcristen is soo strēghthed thrugh grace of the holy ghost. & is made soo meke soo pacyente soo peasyble. & that soo sthofastly. y^t what wronge or harme it be that he sufffe of his euencristen he ke¦peth euer mekenes / He dispiseth him not: he demyth hym not but he prayeth for hym in his herte & hath of hym pyte & com¦passyon moche more tendly than of a nother mā that neuer dide hym harme / And sothly better loueth him & more feruen¦tly desyreth the saluacōn of his soule· by cause that he seeth y^t he shall haue so moche ghostly profyte of the euyl dede of that other man though it be ayenst his wyll / But this loue & this mekenes worcheth oonly the holy ghoste aboue the kynde of man in hem that he maketh the true louers of Ihū /