Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶How y^u shalt know whā the shewing to the bodely wyytt{is} & felyng of hem ben good or euyll / Caplm xi. (Book 11)

IF it soo be that thou see ony maner of lyght or bryght¦nes wyth thy bodely eye / or in ymaginynge other than euery man see / or yf thou here ony mery wondful so wnyng wyth thy bodely ere. or in thy mouth ony swete soden sauour other than of kynde. or ony hete in thy brest. as it were fyre. or ony maner delite in ony part of thy body / or if a spiryte bode¦ly aperith vnto y^• as it were an angel for to cōfort the. & teche y^•. or ony suche felyng whiche y^u knowest wel y^t it comith not of thyself ne of no bodely creature / beware in y^t tyme or soo ne after. & wisely beholde y^e stiryng of thi hert: If y^u be stirred bi¦cause of y^• likyng that y^u felist to draw out thy hert fro y^e mīde

& the beholdyng of Ihesu cryst & fro ghostly ocupacōn: As fro prayer & thynkyng of thiself & thy defaw••es / fro thīwarde desy¦re of vertues & of ghostly knowynge & felyng of god / For to set the syght of thy hert & thy affeccōn / thy delyte & thy rest pry¦ncipally therin / wenyng y^• it shold be a parte of heuēly ioye & of angels blysse / & for thy the thynkith that y^u sholdest nother pray ne thynke not els but al holy tente therto for to kepe it & delyte the therin / This felyng is suspect & of thēmye / & therfo∣re though it be neuer so liking & wondful. refuse it & assēt not therto / for this is the sleyght of thēmye. whā he seeth a soule that wold inteerly yeue it to ghostly ocupacōn: he is wondly wroth / For he hateth no thyng more then̄e for to see a soule in a body of syn̄e to fele verely the sauour of ghostly know∣yng & the loue of god. y^e whiche he wythout body of syn̄e lost wylfully / And therfore yf he may not lette hym by open syn∣nes. he wold hynd hym & begile hym by suche vanyte of bode¦ly sauours: or swetnes in the wyttes for to brynge a soule in to ghostly pride & in to a fals sikernes of hymself / weninge y^t he had therby a felyng of heuēly Ioye: & that he were halfe in paradyse for delite that he felyth aboute hym: whā he is nere at helle yates / And so by pryde & by presūpcōn he myght falle in errours or heresies or fātasies. or in other bodely or ghostly myscheues / Neuertheles if it be so that this maner of felyng lette not thy hert fro ghostly ocupacōn / but it makith the mo¦re deuoute & more feruent for to pray / it makith the more wi¦se for to thynke ghostly thoughtes / And though it be so that it astonye the in the begyn̄yng / neuerthelesse afterwarde it tur¦neth & quyckeneth thyn hert to more desire of vertues / and en¦creaseth thy loue more to god & to thyn euencrysten / Also it makith the more meke in thyn owne syght / By thyse tokēs may thou knowe that it is of god made bi the presence & the touchyng of a good angell / & that is of the goodnes of god eyther in comforte of symple deuoute soules for to encrease her truste & her desyre to god for to seke therby the knowynge

y^e loue of god more {per}fytly for suche a cōfort / or els if they bē {per}fyte that felē suche delyte: it semyth then̄e that it is an ernest & as it were a shadowe of y^e glorifyeng of the body whiche it shal haue in y^e blisse of heuē. I wote not whether there be ony suche man liuyng in erth / This preuylege had mary mawde¦leyne as it semith to my sight in y^• tyme whā she was alone in y^e caue xxx. wynter / & euery day was borne vp wyth angels & was fed both bodi & soule by y^e presēce of hem: thus we rede in y^e story of her / Of this maner assayēg of werkyng of spy∣rites spekith saynt Ioh̄n in his pistle thus. & techeth th{us} / Oīs sp̄s q soluit ih̄m. hic nō ē ex deo. Euery spiryte y^e loseth or vn∣knyttith Ihū. he is not of god / Thise wordes may be vndstō¦de in many maners / Neuertheles after one maner I may vnd¦stōde hem to this purpose y^t I haue sayd.