This is the fruit of the contribution of the noteworthy friars who had recently passed across from the Observants, the likes of Bernardino dAsti, Giovanni Pili da Fano and Bernardino Ochino. This accordance is finely noble., I ask you a question: which is the most noble of these twain, the soul in gladness of that glory which draweth the soul, and embellisheth it by obedience to its nature, or that soul that to this glory is oned?, I know not, saith the soul that this first wrote, but Love, you yourself, say it for me! Obviously no deductions in favour of self-indulgence are to be drawn from this passage by those who have not attained that state. The bondman must have the four precious costs before he is fit to be freed. It will be seen that the second part of the book, from Division VI approximately, is more obscure, more subtle in thought, often monotonous in expression and repetition of phrase and word. This, which Jesu Christ did, set [things] better to rights[377] than that which the former set [wrong]. The same features reappear. This anyone may say! Ah, what then, for God? saith Holy Church. Burns Oates and Washbourne Ltd. Publishers to the Holy See. These be examples enough to understanders, to understand the remnant thereof, what this means; and for none other folks is this book written, but for them that understand it. Reason, saith this soul, this that is said to you, ye hear it, but never ye understand it! Charity obeyeth to nothing that is made, but [only] to love. Some- thing must be allowed throughout for the form of the. The least part of his bounty is so great, in sooth, that men might compare, by manner of speech, all that they could, it should be naught in regard to the greatness of the least part of his bounty. O right well born, saith Love, to this precious days eye,[200] and ye are truly in free [hold] dwelling, where none entereth except he be of your lineage without bastardise. For why? Therefore his eye beholdeth me, thou makest of two wills one will. Then [i.e., for] this is a great villainy that men do me, to wit, that men should tell me something of the goodness of you. It is right, saith Love, that the most has made her drunk;[121] not indeed that she hath drunken of the most, as it is said before; but she hath it, for as much as her love hath it; for there is between him and her no disseverance nor contrariety of nature whatsoever, through any discord of love. And this will is come out of his goodness and it is given us by his grace. When the soul wrought by commandment of virtues, then the virtues were ladies and she subject. This is the end,saith this soul, of my work, always naught to will. ], Therefore I say, saith Reason, that I may not understand it; but meseemeth that this which this soul doth, is so well done, saith Reason, that I will serve her in all as her poor servant. Divisions I-V contain the chief doctrines set forth in all their vigorous originality, and the method is chiefly descriptive. Now Truth, saith this soul, tell to none, whatever I say of God, but to him. And Gods Son is our ensample; we ought in this beholding to follow him, for we should will solely in all things the will of God, and so shall we be the sons of God the Father, to follow the ensample of Jesu Christ his Son. Ah, what had he in thought, who this book made? And this soul hath long seen that she is under sin and serveth sin and without comparison, passing all creatures, is naught. And this may not the soul do unless she be outside herself;[129] for true love ought not to desire any consolations that come of excess [of desire],[130] No truly! In God is this choice, but it is not of Time, where mine may not attain to his.. This passage marks the authors Augustinian training. [26] And for your peace we say it [unto] you, for this seed should bear holy fruit in them that hear it and be worthy. None of the single English fourteenth-century spiritual treatises cover the whole ground which our author treats systematically, yet not with that arid, methodical precision that mars much of the later spiritual treatises. She may not will by her own will, for her will is not with-her, but it is [without any leading thither], in him that she loveth. We describe them afresh, as our new point of vantage shows them in a fresh relation to their immediate surroundings, and then to the further and more distant scene of which they are a part. Inspire them with your Holy Ghost that they may fully by the virtue of love understand it in the same wise as it is devoutly meant, that it may turn you, to worship and to them, profit of soul, by your endless might and bounty. He is fulfilled abundantly of all goodness of himself. [296] Now work in us, by you, of you, for us, without us, thus Lord as it pleaseth you. love! Soothly, Lord, I am so abashed of that which I know, that I cannot but abash myself. Ah, without fail, saith Reason, this is well said; [he who is] cumbered, encumbereth [others].. [350] And the divine goodness saw that we were in the way of pestilence and perdition by the free will that he had given us. And a beggar must I be [according to the measure of my] strength, unless he give me all his goodness, since I am all wickedness. Though it were all at their pleasure to choose any of these aforesaid, they desire not nor they will not none of these.. Now naught is but he; no one [is] loved but he; for none is but he. [358] And his goodness may not suffer it since he hath so much of worth, that I should dwell a beggar. Right as God is that is, without any beginning so have I been in his divine knowing, that I shall be without end. Reason, saith this soul, if I shall be loved without end, of the three Persons in Trinity, I have been loved of them already without beginning. [63] N. The third point, saith Love, is this. But ye should well wit, and all ye in life encumbered by your own spirits self, that never shall you be without some encumbering, and all for this, saith Love, that ye would not obey my messengers and Virtues when I would it. Then these folks are they who, by their state, are in sovereignty over all things, for their spirit is the most high and noble of the orders of angels wrought and ordained. [256] Of what, then, should her inwardness feel in the time of this union, or [how] should she herself move herself? This wit they that have been marred. Singular is it, for I have in the hearing thereof singular marvel![102], Reason, saith Love, one word hath twain understandings, for though these that be such have knowledge of the usages of these souls, and that it is the most perfect being that God giveth to creatures, nevertheless know they not these souls, nor the dignity of them, for none knoweth them, but only that Lord God that made these souls., O Love, saith Reason, yet I pray you to have another question; for this book saith, that this soul hath taken leave of virtues for evermore, and you say that the virtues be always with such souls,[103] and more perfectly than with any other. And her questions be out of all creatures knowledge, where creatures may have no knowing thereof., What marvel is it, saith this soul, if they wit it not; why should any wit it, but he of whom I am, that in me is the same [one], and he is the secret of love that is between [us] made, where my love is enclosed, without me? And by this understanding is she [made] naught with regard to that which is of her [nature]. for God does not move himself, nor does she move herself.. And Love hath in him no discretion. This belongeth not to auditors that hear this book. [242] And if she had, saith Love, she would be for herself and with herself, and not for me nor with me at all. Sweet Father, I cannot Sweet Master, I know not! For he would that this, who hath no being, had by this gift of him, being. Never was a soul knit, nor oned, nor divinely fulfilled, that feeleth bodily things. I have said this, saith this soul, that he wants naught. . She hath neither bottom nor floor, therefore hath she no place, and if she hath no place, then hath she not love for herself. The Father is substance enduring. Himself saith in the Gospel: Whoever believeth in me, he shall do such works as I do, and yet more greater shall he do. Where the eldest born daughter of the high King is set, there faileth her nothing of gentleness. The French book that I shall write after is evil written and in some places for default[18] of words and syllables the reason is away. And these pains and passions be not only in the exercise of the spirit, by putting away vices in getting of virtues, but they be also of bodily exercise by commandments of virtues and by counsel of reason; to fast and wake, and to do penance in many sundry wises, and forsake all her own pleasures and all lusts and likings; and in the beginning of all this, it is ofttimes full sharp and full hard. She hath wholly lost her wits,[165] in this usage, so that she cannot seek God nor find him in her soul, nor lead herself., This soul, saith Love, is not with-herself, and she is excused for everything; and he in whom she is, made his work for himself; he hath her well acquit witness of God himself, saith Love, that is the worker of this work, to the profit of this soul, which is not with-herself.[166], Ah, Love, saith Dread, where is this soul then, that is not with-herself?, There where she loveth, saith Love, without her witting,[167] and therefore liveth this soul without grudging of conscience. How might he have done this? This is none other thing but very glory of heaven. Gerson, who is the next French author to write on these matters, always fuses The Mirror the devotional, the ascetic and the mystical, The Mirror of Simple Souls is a treatise according to the older method, but our of some 60,000 words, on the progress of the author has some instinct at least of the dis-soul from the earlier stages of the . The main idea of his work is the glorification of love above intellectual knowledge; of the immediate knowledge of God above the rational reason. It fitteth the Beloved since he is worthy, that he of his bounty call his lover to peace., Martha is troubled, peace hath Mary. She willeth and she willeth not. And it saith in another place before, that none can find them, nor know them but they whom Fine Love leadeth, and whoever should find such souls he could say the truth thereof. 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