Scala perfectionis

¶How a man shal knowe how moche pryde is in hym Capitulum. lxiii

I Haue nyghe forgoten this ymage / But nowe I tourne ayen therto / yf thou wyll wyte how mo∣che pryde is therin / Thou maye yet assaye thyself thus Loke now wysely / & flater not thyself / yf louynge pray¦synge or worshyppynge. or flesshly fauour of worldely∣men or of other be lykyng to thyn hert. and torne it to vayne gladnes & wyl payeng of thyself / Thynke stylly in thyne herte that men sholden prayse thy lyfe / rewar¦de thy speche more than of other / And also on contrary wyse / yf it be so y^e men repreue the / & setten y^• at nought Holde the but a fole or an ypocryte / or yf they sclaūder the. or speke euyl of the falsly / or in ony other waye that they dysease the vnskylfully / And for thy thou felystin thyne hert a greuous heuynes ayenst hem / & a grete ry¦syng in thyn hert with ayenstondyng for to suffre ony shame or vylanye in the syght of y^e worlde / If it be thus with the it is a token that there is moche pryde in this derke ymage seme thou neuer so holy in the syght of mē For though thyse styrynges ben not but lytyl and veny¦al / neuertheles they shewen wel that there is moche pry¦de hydde in the grounde of thyne herte / as y^e foxe dareth in his denne / Thyse styrynges with many moo spryn∣gen

out of this ymage so moche y^t thou maye vnnethes do ony good dede but it shal be medled with some pryde or vayne delyte in thyself / And soo with thy pryde thou defowlest al thy good dedes / and makyth hem loothsom in the syght of thy lorde / I saye not that they are lost. for they are medled with this pryde / But I saye that they are not so pleysaunt to thy lorde as they sholde be yf they were symple & truly roted in y^e vertue of mekenes / And therfore yf thou wylte haue clennes of herte for to come to the loue of god / the behoueth not oonly flee the rest of thyn herte in vaynglory by wylful assentyng to pryde / & also the recheles lykynge therin of thy freelte yf it be a yenst thy wyl / But also y^e felyng of thy pryde thou shalt flee & eschew as moche as thou may / But y^• thou mayst not do but yf thou be ful quycke & reedy aboute the ke∣pyuge of thyne herte / as I shal telle after /