Scala perfectionis

¶What lyf most accordyd to hym y^t this was wryttē to. Caplm vi

By this y^• I haue sayd a party maye thou vnderstonde whiche is one & whiche is other. & whiche accordyth most to thy state of lyuyng & sothly as me thynketh this med¦led lyf accordeth most to y^e. sythen our lorde hath ordeyned & set y^e in the state of souereynte of other men as mekyl as it is & lent the abundaunce of worldly goodes for to reule & sustey¦ne specyally al thise y^• are vnder thy gouernaunce. & thy lord¦ship after thy myʒt & cūnyng. & also therwith thou had recey¦ued grace of y^e mercy of our lorde for to knowe thyself. & gost¦ly desyre & sauour of hys loue I hope that this lyfe y^• is med∣led is best and accordeth most to the. & that for to departe wis¦ly thy lyuyng. for wyte thou wel yf thou leue nedful besynes of actyflyf & be rekles & taken no kepe of thy worldly goodes how they are spended & kept ne makest no force of thy so get¦tis & of thyn euen crysten by cause of desyre & wyl y^• thou hast only to yeue the to gostly occupacyon. wenyng y^t thou art by y^• excused. yf thou do so. thou dost not wysly. For what are al

thi werkis worth whether they be bodily or gostli. but if they be done ryghtfully & resonably to the worshyp of god & after his bydding. sothly ryght noght. than yf thou leue y^• thyng y^t thou art bounde to by y^e waye of charyte of ryght & reason. & wylt holy yeue y^• to an other thynge wylfully as it were to a more plesaunce of god whiche thou art not fully bounde to: thou dost not worshyp discretly to hym. thou art besy to wor¦shyp his hed & his face & to aray it fayr & curyously. but thou leuest his body with y^e feet ragged & rent & takest no kepe ther¦of & there thou worshypest hym not for it is velany & no wor¦shyp a mā for to be curyously arayed vpō his hed with peyr∣les & precyous stones. & al his body naked & bare as it were a begger. Ryʒt so gostly it is no worshyp to god to crowne his hed & leue his body bare. thou shalt vnderstonde y^e oure lorde Ihū cryst: as man his hed of his gostly body whiche is holy chirche. y^• mēbres of his body are al crysten men. som̄ are ar¦mes. some are feet. & some are other mēbres after sūdry wer¦kynges y^• they vsen ī her lyuing. thā yf y^• thou be besy with al thy myght for to aray his hed y^t is for to worshyp hymself by mynde of his passion & of his other werkes ī his manhed by deuocōn & medytacōn of hȳ & foryetyst his feet y^t are thy chyl¦dren thy seruaūtis thy tenaūtis & al thyn euen crystē. & letyst hē spyl for defaute of kepyng vnarayed vnkept & not tent to as they ouʒt for to be. thou plesyst hym not. thou dost no wor¦shyp to hym thou makest y^e to kysse his mouth by deuocōn & gostly prayer: but thou tredest vpō his feet & defoulyst hem ī as moche as thou wylt not tent to hē for neclygence of thysel¦fe. y^• whiche thou hast take cure of. thus thynketh me. neuer¦theles yf thou thynke y^t this is not soth. for it were a fayr offy¦ce to worshyp y^e hed of hym. as for to benial day occupyed in medytacyon of y^e manhed. than for to go lower to other wer¦kys & make clene his feet as for to be besy bothe in worde & ī¦dede aboute y^e helpe of thyn euen crysten. thynke not so for so¦thly he wyl more the thanke for y^e meke wesshyng of his feet whan they are ryght foule & stynken vpō y^e. than for al y^e pre¦cyons peyntyng & arayeng y^t thou canst make about his hed

by mynde of his māhed. for it is fayr ynough & nedeth not to bē arayed of y^e mekyl. but his feet & his other mēbres y^t are sō¦tyme euyl arayed & had nede to be loked & holpen by y^e nāly sy¦thē thou art boūde therto. & therfore wyl he cūne y^e more thā¦ke than yf thou wylt mekely & tēderly loke to hem. for y^e more lower seruyce y^t thou doost to thy lorde for y^e loue of hym or to ony of his membres whan nede & ryght asketh it with a glad meke herte: the more plesyst thou hym: thynkyng y^t it were y¦nough to y^• for to be at y^e lest degre & at y^e lowest state sythen it is his wyl y^t it be so. for it semeth sythen he hath put y^e ī y^e state for to traueyle serue other men: that it is wel done y^t thou shol¦dee fulfyl it after thy myght. this ensample I saye to the not for thou doost not thus as I say. for I hope y^t thou doost thus & better: but I wolde that thou sholdest do thus gladly & not thynke both for to leue sōtyme gostly occupacōn & enterme¦te y^t with worldly besynes in wyse kepyng & spendyng of thy worldly goodes ī gode reulyng of thy seruaūtis & of thi tenaū¦tis & in other gode werkis werkyng to all thyn euen crysten after thy myght. but that thou sholdest do both werkis in dy¦uers tymes & with as gode wyl that one as that other if thou mygh••est. As yf thou haddest prayed & ben occupyed ghostly thou shalt after reteyn tyme / breke of that & than shalt thou bestly & gladly occupy y^e in some bodyly occupacyon to thyn euen crysten / And also whan thou hast ben besy outwarde a¦whyle with thy seruaūtis or wich other men profitably thou shalt breke of & torne ageyne to thy prayers & thy deuocyons after god yeueth y^• grace & so shalt thou put away by grace of our lorde slothe ydylnes & vayne rest that cometh of thy fles¦she vnder colour of contēplacyon & letteth y^e sōtyme fro med¦ful & spedful occupacyon in outwarde besynes & thou sha•••••• be aye wel occupyed bodyly or gostly & therfore yf thou wold do wel thou shalt do gostly as Iacob dyd bodyly. holy wryt say¦th y^t Iacob whan he began to serue his mayster laban. he co∣ueytyd rachel his maysters doughter to his wyf for her fayr hed. & for her he serued seuen yere but whan he wende for to haue had her to his wyf: he had fyrst lya y^• other doughte•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉

stede of rachel. & afterwarde he toke rachel & so he had bothe at y^e last. By Iacob in holy wryt is vnderstonden an ouerco¦mer of synnes. by thyse two wyues are vnderstōde as saynt gregory sayth. two lyues in holy chirche actyf lyf & contēpla¦tyf lyf. lya is as moche for to saye as traueylous. & betokene¦th actyf lyf. rachel is as moche to saye as syght of begyn̄yng y^• is god. & betokeneth lyf contēplatyf. lya bare chyl••ren. but she was sore yʒed. rachel was fayre & louely. but she was ba∣rayn. than ryght as Iacob coueytyd rachel for her fayrhed & yet had her nought whan he wolde. but fyrst he toke lya & af¦terwarde rachel. Ryght so eche man traueylynge sothfastly in conpūccyon by grace for synnes of y^e worlde & of y^e flesshe to serue god in clen̄es of gode lyuyng. hath grete desyre to ha¦ue rachel y^• is for to haue rest ī gostly swetnes ī deuocōn & con¦tēplacyō. for it is so fayr. & so louely. & in hope for to haue y^• lyf only he dysposed hym to serue oure lorde with al his myght / but often whan he wende to haue had rachel. y^• is rest in de∣uocyon: our lorde suffred hym to ben asayed wel in tryueyle with lya. y^• is eyther tēptacyons of y^e worlde or elles of the de¦uyl. or of hys flesshe. or elles with other worldly besynes bo∣dyly or ghostly in helpynge of his euen crysten & whan he is wel traueyled with lya & nerhonde onercome. than our lorde yeueth hym rachel y^t is grace & deuocyon & rest in conscyen∣ce & than hath he both rachel & lya. So shal thou do after en∣sample of Iacob take these two lyues actyf & contēplatyf sy¦then god hath sent y^e bothe & vse y^• one with y^• other. By that ••o lyf shalt thou bryng forth frute of many gode dedes in hel¦pe of thyn euen crysten: & is y^t by actyf. & by y^e other thou shalt be made fayre bryght & clene. in the souereyn bryghtnes y^t is god begynner & ender of al y^t is made: and than shalt thou be sothfastly Iacob & ouergoer & ouercomer of al syn̄es. & after this by grace of god thy name shal be chaūged as Iacobs ••a¦me was & torned in to isrl. Israel is as moche for to saye as a man seyng god. thē yf thou be fyrst Iacob & dyscretly wylt vse thyse two lyues in tyme thou shalt after be isrl y^• is very contemplatyf eyther in thys lyfe yf he wyl delyuer the & ma¦ke

the fre fro chargys & besyness is the whiche thou art 〈◊〉〈◊〉de to: or elles after this lyf ful in the blysse of heuen whā thou comest thyder. A man shal desyre contemplatyf for it is fayr & medful. therfore thou shalt ay haue it ī thy mynde & in thy desyre: but thou shalt haue in vsyng actyf lyf for it is so nede¦ful & so spedful. therfore yf thou be put fro reste in deuocyon whā thou haddest leuer be styl therat. eyther by thy childrē or by thy seruaūtis or by ony of thyn euen crysten for her profyt or ese of her hert is skylfully asked: be not angry with hem ne heuy ne dredful as though god wolde be wroth with the that thou leuest hym for ony other thyng. for it is not so. leue of ly¦ghtly thy deuocyon whether it be in prayer or medytacyon & go do thy dede & thy seruyce to thyn euen crysten as lyʒtly as our lorde hymself bad the. doo so & suffre mekely for his loue without grutchyng yf thou mayst or dysese or trowblyng of thyn herte by cause of medlyng of suche besynes /