Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶That a man shold traueyle to knowe his owoe soule and the myghtes therof / and breke down the grounde of syn¦ne therin / Caplm xlii. (Book 42)

NEuertheles there is one werke whiche is nedefull and spedefull to traueyle in / And I hope an hyghe playne waye as moche as maye be in mannes werke to contempla¦cōn / And that is a man for to entre in to hymself for to kno¦ew his owne soule / and y^e myghtes therof / The fayrnes and the towlnes of it / In this Inwarde beholdynge thou shalte mowe see the worshyp and the dignyte whyche it sholde ha¦ue by kynde of the first makyng / And thou shalt see the wret¦chydnes and the myscheyf whyche thou art falle in for synne And of this syghte shall come a desyre wyth grete longynge in thyn hert for to recouer ayen that dignite & worshypp̄ why¦che thou hast loste / Also thou shalt fele a lothyng & a grysyng of thyself wyth a grete wyll for to distroye & bere downe thy∣self and all thynges that letten the fro that dygnyte and that Ioye / This is a ghostly traueylle harde & sharpe in the begyn¦nyng who soo wyll quyckely traueyle therin / For it is a tra¦ueyle in the soule ayenst the grounde of all synnes lytill & mo¦che. whiche grounde is nought elles but a fals mysruled loue of man to hymselfe / Out of this loue as saynt austyn sayth spryngeth all maner of synne dedely & venyall. And sothly vn¦tyll this groūde be well rasaken & depe doluyn / & as it were ne¦re dryed vp by outcastyng of al flesshly & worldly dredes and loues / a soule maye neuer fele ghostly the brennyng loue of Ihesu cryst / ne haue the homlynes of his gracyous presence / ne haue clere sight of ghostly thynges by lyghte of vnderston¦dyng / This is the traueyle that a man behoueth to draw his herte & his mynde fro the flesshly loue & the likyng of all erth¦ly creatures / fro vayn thouʒtes & fro fleshly ymagynacōns. & out fro the loue and the vicyous felyng of hymself / that the sowle shall mowe noo rest fynde in noo flesshly thoughtes / ne erthely affeccyon / Thenne in as moche as the sowle may not fynde his ghostly rest in the loue and in the syght of Ihū

Cryst / it behouyth nedelynges suffre payne / This traueylle is somdelyche streyte & narrow / And neuertheles I hope it is the way whyche cryst teched to hem y^• wold be his perfyte lo¦uers in the gospel sayeng thus / Contēdite intrare per angus¦tā portam / qm̄ arta est via que ducit ad vitā.* 1.1 et pauci inueni∣ūt eā / Stryue ye for to entre by a strayte yate / for the waye y^• ledeth to heuen is narow and few men fyndeth it / And how streyte this waye is our lorde telleth in a nother place thus / Si quis vult venire post me abneget semetip̄m & toliat crucē suā & sequatur me / Itm̄:* 1.2 Qui odit aīam suā in hoc mūdo / in vitam eternā custodit eā / That is to saye / who soo wyll co∣me after me / forsake hymself & hate his owne soule. That is to saye / Forsake all flesshly loue and hate his owne flesshely lyf / and vayne likyng of al his bodily wyttes for loue of me And take y^e crosse / That is to saye / Suffre the payne of this a while / and then̄e folowe me / that is to saye. in contempla∣cōn of my manhede & of my godhede / This is a strayte waye & a narow that noo bodily thyng maye passe thorugh it / for it is a sleeng of all syn̄e as saynt poul sayth / * 1.3 Mortificate mē bra vestra que sūt super terrā / immūdiciā libidinē concupis∣cenciā malam / Slee your membres vpō erth / not the mem¦bres of the body but of the soule / as vnclennes lust & vnskyl¦full loue to yourself and to erthely thynges / Therfore as thy traueyle hath ben here before for to ayenstōde bodily sinnes & open temptacōns of the enmye as it were fro without. right soo the behouyth now in this ghostly werke wythin thyselfe for to destroye and breke the grounde of syn̄e in thiself asmo¦che as thou may / And that thou myght the more redily bryn¦ge it aboute / I shall telle the as me thynkyth

Notes

• * 1.1

  Luc. xiii·
• * 1.2

  M· xvi.
• * 1.3

  Col. iii.