Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶How stirynges of pryde and vainglory in good men bē but veniall synnes / Caplm lx (Book 60)

NEuertheles a man or woman whyche disposyth hym to lyue contemplatyf / yf it be soo that he forsake hym

selfe as in wyll / and offre hym holy to god wyth a full gene¦rall wyll that he wold not synne in pryde wyttyngly: ne haue Ioye in hymselfe wylfully but oonly in god yf he cowde and myghte / And after this full wyll offred to god he felyth ma∣ny stirynges of vaynglory / and delyteth in hem for the tyme for he perceyueth hem not. This likyng is but venyall synne and namly yf it be soo that whan he comyth to hymselfe he repreuyth hymself and ayenstondeth this stiryng wyth disple¦syng of wyll / and askyth mercy and helpe of god / Thenne the likyng whiche before was synne / out lorde of his mercy soone forgyueth it / And yet he shall haue mede for his goode traueyle in the ayenstondyng / And that is a curtesye of oure lorde graunted to all those whyche arn specyally his seruaun¦tes and more homely of his courte / as are alle those that for his loue forsaken in a good true wyll all worldly and al fles¦shly synne / and yeuen hem hooly body and soule vnto his ser¦uyse in her myghte and her cunnynge / As done pryncypally ancres encluse and true religyous / the whyche for the loue of god and saluacion of her soules entren in to ony religyon ap¦proued by holy chyrche / Or elles yf it be soo that they entren fyrst for a worldly cause as for her bodily sustenaunce / or for some other suche / if they repent hem and tourne it in to a go¦ostly cause as for the seruyce of god / Thyse as longe as they kepe this wyll and pursue it as they maye vpon her freelte a¦re true religyous / Also what man or woman that he be in what degree he be in holy chirche preste clerke or lewde man / wydowe or mayden or wyf that wyll for the loue of god and saluacyon of his soule forsake all the worshyppes and likyn¦ges of this worlde in this worlde in his herte truly and fully betwix god and hym and all wylful besynes and erthly thin¦ges to the bare nede / And offre his wyll••nteerly for to be his seruaunt vpon his myghte by deuoute prayers and holy thou¦ghtes. wyth other good dedes that he maye doo bodely and go∣ostly

and kepyth his wyll hoole to god stedfastly / All thy∣se arne specyally goddis seruauntes in holy chyrche / And for this good wyll and good pourpoos that they haue of the yef¦te of god they shall encrese in grace and in charyte here lyuyn¦ge / And they shall haue for this specyall wyll a specyall mede in the blysse of heuen before other chosen soules whyche off¦red not hooly her wyll and her bodi to goddis seruyce / neither openly ne pryuely as they dyden / All thyse whyche I calle god¦dis seruauntes and of his courte more specyall / yf they by fre¦elte and by vnkunnyng whan they fele suche stirynges of va¦ynglory for the tyme delyten therin / and perceyuen it not for her reason and her wytte is letted by the likynge that they fe∣le that it maye not see this stirynge / They synne not dedely in this likynge of vayne glory / For that wyll that they haue ge¦nerally sette in her herte before to plese god / and for to forsa∣ke all maner of synne yf they knewe it kepith hem here in su¦che stirynges and in all other that comen of freelte that they synne not dedely / And shall kepe as longe as the grounde of that wyll is kepte hole /