¶That the hole of ymaginacōn nedyth to be stopped as well as the wyndowes of the wyttes / Caplm lxxxi (Book 81)
BVt now sayest thou that thou doost soo / thou seest noo worldly thinges ne herest none. ne hast none vse of thy bodily wyttes more than nede asketh / and for thy thou art en¦closed / As to this I saye. If thou do thus as I hope thou doost thenne hast thou stopped a grete wyndow of this ymage. but yet arte thou not syker. for thou hast not stopped the priue ho¦les of the ymaginyng in thyne herte / For yf thou see me not wyth thy bodily eye thou maye see me in thy soule by ymagy¦nacōn / and soo mayst thou doo of al bodily thynges / Then̄e yf thy soule be fedde wilfully by ymaginaciōs of vanytees of the worlde. and desiryng of worldly thynges for a wylfull cō¦forte & ease / sothly yf thy soule be wythin as for the bodyly wyttes. it is neuertheles full ferre wythouten by suche vayne ymaginacōn / But now askest thou whether it be ony grete synne a soule for to occupye hym in suche vanytees eyther in wyttes or in ymaginyng / As vnto this I saye that I wolde yt thou sholdest neuer aske man this questyon / For he that wylt sothfastly loue god he askith not cominly whether this is gre¦ter syn̄e or this / For him shall thinke what thyng lettith him fro the loue of god is grete synne / and hym shall thynke noo thyng synne but that thyng whiche is not good. & letteth hym fro the loue of god / What is synne but a wanting or a forbe¦ryng of good / I saye not that it shall be paynful to hym as a