Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶How a man shall knowe the worthines and the wor¦shyp of his soule that it had fyrst of / And what wretchydnes & myscheif it is falle in for synne / Caplm xliii. (Book 43)

THe soule of a man is a lyf made of thre myghtes / myn¦de reason and will. to the ymage & the liknes of the bles¦syd trinyte / In as moche as the mynde was made myghty & stedfast by the vertue of the fader almyghtihode. for to holde hym wythout foryetyng. distractyng or lettyng of ony creatu¦re / And soo it hath lyknes of the fad / The reason was made bryght & clere wythout errour or derknes as perfytly as a sou¦le in a body vnglorifyed myght haue. And soo it hath the lik¦nes of the sone / whiche is endles wysdom / And the loue & the wylle was made clene brennyng in to god wythout bestly lo¦ue of the flesshe or of ony creature by the souereyne godenes of god the holy ghost / And soo it hath the lyknes of the holy ghost. whyche is blessid loue / soo that a mānes soule whiche maye be called a made trinyte was fulfylled in mynde: syght & loue of the vnmade moost blessyd trynite whyche is our lo¦rde / This is the dignyte the state & the worshyp of a mannes soule by kynde of the fyrst makyng / This state thou had in adam before the first synne of man. But whan adam sin̄ed chesyng loue & delyte in hymselfe and in creatures / he lost all his worshyp & his dignyte. and thou also in him. and fell fro that blessyd trinyte in to a fowle derke wretchyd trinyte. that is in to foryetyng of god / and vnknowyng of hym / and in to a bestly likynge of hymself / And that skilfully / For as da∣uid sayth in the sawter / Homo cū in honore esset nō inteller∣it: cōperatus est iumentis insipienti{bus} & silis factus est illis / * 1.1 A man whan he was in worshyp he knewe it not / And ther¦fore he lost it and was made lyke a best / See now then̄e the wretchydnes of thy soule / For as the mynde was somtyme stablyd in god / ryght soo now it hath forgoten hym / and se¦kyth hys reste in creatures: now from one to an nother / and neuer maye fynde full reste / For he hath loste hym in whom is full reste / And ryght soo it is of reason / and the loue al∣so / whyche was clene in ghostly sauour & swetnes / now it is

tornyd in to a fowle bestly lust & likyng in it self. & in creatu¦res / and in flesshly sauours both in the wyttes as in gloteny & lechery / and in ymagynyng / as in pryde vaynglory & couety¦se / In somoche that thou mayst vnnethes doo ony good dede / but yf thou be defoyled wyth vaynglory / Ne thou maye not well vse none of thy v. wyttes clenly in noo creature delecta∣ble / but yf thy herte be taken & engleymed wyth a veyne luste & likyng of it / whiche putteth out the loue of god fro the her¦te as in felyng / and the ghostly sauour that it may not come therin / Euery man that lyueth in spirite knowith wel al this This is the wretchidnes of the soule and the mischeif for y^e fyrst syn̄e of man / without al other wretchydnes & syn̄es whi¦che thou hast wylfully put therto / And wyte thou wel thouʒ thou had neuer done syn̄e wyth thy body dedely ne venyal but oonly this that is called origynall for it is the fyrst syn̄e / and that is not elles but lesyng of thy rightfulnes whiche y^u was made in shold thou neuer haue ben saued yf our lord Ihū cry¦ste by his precious passion had not delyuerde the and restored the ayen /

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psalm••