page 13

1

CAPITULUM XIJ

2

HOU CHASTITE WITH-OUTE MEKENES IS AS A DRYE FLOURE.

3
4    Al-though chastite be the flour of alle vertues, yit with-oute
5mekenesse she waxith drye and fadith his colour. Therfor I shal telle
6the somwhat of mekenes: ther is noon so syker a grounde and stable

page 14

7foundement anemst alle vertues as is mekenesse, with-oute whom alle
8gostly begynnynges ben ful ruynous. Right as mekenesse is the
9grounde of alle vertues, as I haue saide bifore, so is pride the grounde
10and the moder of alle vices, the whiche caste Lucifer out of heuen and
11Adam oute of paradys. Of this wrecched rote springen many braunches:
12natheles alle mown be diuyded in-to too spices, that is in-to
13bodily pride and gostly pride. Bodily pride stondith in bostynge and
14veyn-glory of outwarde bodily thinges. Gostly pride stondith in bostynge
15and veyn-glory of inwarde gostly thynges.
16    Than if thou that shuldist be Cristys mayde haue eny veyn-glory
17with-in thiself of eny array, of nobleye, of tyre, of beute, of shap of
18body, of semelyheed or of dyuerse ornamentes of thy selle, of clothes,
19of peyntures or of ymages and suche othir, thou offendist thy lorde
20and thy special louyer in pride of outward thinges. If thou haue eny
21veyn-glory of thy poure array for Goddis sake, of deuocyons, of gostly
22felynges, of diuerse preseruacions day or nyght, not thonkynge Iesu
23Crist therfore bot wenynge that it cometh of thiself, than thou offendist
24thy lord and thy special louyer in pride of inward thinges. Oure
25Lord whom thou louest so specialy, whan he cam in-to this worlde, he
26made hym poure to make the riche and he chees a poure moder, a pore
27house, a poure meyne and a cracche to lye inne, in stede of a ryal
28bedde.
29    Loue him therfor wel and thanke him that he hath so enspired the to
30chese rather chastite and clennes than flesshly lust and likynge, for
31certeyn thou hast chosen the best part; kepe it if thou may and if thou
32be ioyful, be thou ioyful in God with-in-forthe, for þe prophete saith
33thus: Omnis gloria filie regis abintus in fimbreis aureis circumamicta
34varietatibus . 'Al the ioye of the kinges doughter', he saith, 'he shuld
35be with-in-forthe, in golden hemmes vmbigon with diuersitees of vertues,'
36and there may she here his fader speke to hir and say, as the
37prophete saith: Audi filia et vide et inclina aurem tuam et obliuiscere
38populum tuum et domum patris tui quia concupiscet rex decorem
39tuum . That is to say, 'Here, doughter, and se and bowe down thyn
40eere.' Why? To listne what he saith 'Foryete the peple of veyn
41thoughtes and thy fadirs hous, that is to say of worldly vanitees, for
42the kynge my sone hath desired thy beute.' This is a blessed wower,
43that wowith for his sone. Here therfore and se, al this shuld be thyn
44in ioye; this ioye shuld be witnes of thy conscience, this ioye shuld be
45thy gardeyn, thyn orcharde and thy disport.
46    Ther maist thow beholde and se hou dyuerse vertues swetely
47semblen hem togidir: euery of hem encressith other vertues and
48fairnes, for she that is fair ynowgh in hir owen kynde, is fairir for hir

page 15

49felowe. Se now how: couple mekenes to chastite and ther is no thynge
50brighter; couple mercy to rightwesnes and ther is noo thynge swetter;
51couple symplenes to prudence and ther is no thynge lighter; couple
52myldenes to strengthe and ther is no thynge profitabler. In this
53dyuersite of vertues occupie thy gostly eye in thy disport and forme
54hem in thiself; and if thou annexe hem to the gilden hemmes, than art
55thou rialy arrayed with a mottely cote, the whiche thy lord Iesu hath
56ordeyned for þe.
57    An hemme is the lower partie and, as were, the ende of a cote. By
58this hemme I vnderstonde charite, whiche is the ende and the hemme
59of al the lawe, in a clene herte, a good conscience and a trewe feith. In
60these thinges sette al thy ioye inwardly, and not in outwarde thinges.
61
62

CAPITULUM XIIJ

63
64

HOW THE AWTIER OF A RECLUSE ORATORYE SHULD BE ARRAYED

65    Now shal I shewe the how thou shalt arraye thyn oratory. Arraye
66thyn autier with white lynnen clothe, the whiche bitokeneth bothe
67chastite and symplenesse, Thenke first hou flexe cometh oute of the
68erthe and with gret labour is maad white, as with dyuerse wasshinges
69and purginges, and than dryed and atte last, to make it moor whyte, it
70nedeth to haue both fire and water. By this flexe I vnderstonde al
71mankynde that cam oute of the erthe, the whiche mankynde is by
72grace maad white by baptem, where that wickednes is put a-way, but
73not infirmyte, for in partie we resceyue clennes in baptem but not
74fully, for cause of corrupcyon of nature that aboundith in vs.
75    After this baptem mankynde nedeth to be dryed by abstinence and
76other bodely affliccyons from vnclene an vnleeful humours and than
77nedith mankynde to be brused with yren hamours, that is with
78dyuerse temptacions and so be rent with dyuerse hokes of disciplynes
79and confessions to auoyde the foule rust of synne of quotidyan
80defautes the whiche thei beren aboute. And firthermore, if thei wil
81ascende to an hyer grace of moor clennes, that is chastite, than mosten
82þei passe by fire of tribulacion and water of compunccyon. Thus shalt
83thou arraye thyn autier of thyn oratorye.
84    In this autere sette an ymage of Cristis passion, that thou may haue
85mynde and se hou he sette and spredde his armes a-brood to resceyue
86the and al mankynde to mercy, if thai wil axe it. And if it plese the,
87sette on that oo syde an ymage of oure Lady and a-nother on that other
88syde of Seint Iohn, for commendacyon of moor chastite, in token that
89oure Lord is wel plesed with chastite, bothe of man and of womman,
90the whiche he halowed in oure Lady and Seint Iohn. Beholde the
91ymage of oure Lady and thenke that she is helper of mankynde, ioye of

page 16

92heuen, refute of wrecches, solace and comfort of disperate, lady of the
93worlde, queen of heuen.
94    And than renne to Cristys passyon, sekynge therin oo thynge,
95that is oure Lorde himself, for who-so cleueth to him, he is oo spiryt
96with hym, passynge in-to hym, the whiche is alway the same, whos
97yeres faylen neuere. This cleuynge to Iesu is no thynge elles but
98charite, whiche is the hemme and the ende of al the lawe, as I haue
99saide before.
100    Now haue I shewed the a motley cote, a weddynge cote, a cote with
101golden hemmes, the whiche shuld be a maydens cote, vmbigoon with
102diuersitees of vertues, annexed to the whiche the hemme of charite,
103the whiche charite is dyuyded in-to tweyne, loue of God and loue of
104thy neighboure; the loue of thy neighbore stondith in good wille and
105in innocence. Good wille wolde that al that thou woldist men diden to
106the, thou shuldest do to hem. Innocence wolde that thou sholdest not
107do to a-noþer, the whiche thou woldist not were doon to the.
108    The first the semeth is harde, sith thy profession wolde that thou
109sholdist noo temperal good haue; nay, is it not so. The seconde the
110semeth is light ynowgh, for thou maist hurte no man but with thy
111tonge. Certeyn the first is as light as thys, for ther may no matere be of
112yuel wille wher no couetise is; therfore wilne wel to alle folke and do
113the profyt that thou maist. Perauenture thou saist, 'What profyt shal I
114doo, sith I may be suffred to haue no thynge forto yeue to pore folke?'
115Thou seist wel, good suster; knowe what staat thou standist in.
116    Ther wern too sustirs: that one Martha and that oþir Maria, as the
117gospel tellith; that oon labored, and that other was as she were ydel;
118that one yaf, the tothir asked; the tone serued, the tothir norisshed hir
119affeccyon, not rennynge aboute hyder and tyder in resceyuynge of
120pore gestes ne distrayt of gouernayl of housholde, but she saat at Iesus
121feet, herynge deuoutly what he saide. This is thy part, suster, in this
122stondist thou, dere sustir, for thou art deed and buryed to the worlde.
123Martha was commended as for good occupacion, but Marye was
124commended of oure Lorde as for the better partye. Trowist thow that
125Marye grucched of Martha? Nay, but rather Martha of Marye. In the
126saam wise thei the whiche ben holden good comoun lyuers of the
127worlde grucchen of thy lyuynge, not thov of hers.
128    Therfore almes that shuld be youen longeth to hem whiche han
129worldly godes or holy chirche godes to dispende. For the godes
130whiche cristen peple yeuen to holy chirche, the mynistres that han it
131to kepe shulde departe it either to wydowes, fadirles children, pilgrimes,
132or to other pore folke and also to hem that seruen in holy

page 17

133chirche. Also the godes whiche are youen to abbeys or to othir houses
134of religyon it is committed to certeyne persones of the saam house to
135dispende as it nedeth and þe ouer-pluys shuld be shitte in hucches to
136be deled to poure folke, as I saide before. Alle this peple representen
137þe staat of Martha.
138    Cloistrers han not to do with this, but þei shulden norisshe her
139affeccions with blessed idelnes and feden her soule with gostly delytes.
140Than sithen to cloistrers it is not suffred to ben occupyed with
141the lyf of Martha, muche moor to the that vtterly hast forsake al
142worldly besynesse and art called a recluse. If it so be that thou haue
143eny thynge in stoor thorugh thyn owen labore, dele it to pore folke.
144Yhe and though thou haue no thynge for-to yeue, yhit in the sight of
145God a gode wille is moor to be commended than eny bodily yifte:
146yeue that therfore. What is better than praier? Yeue that. What is
147kynder than pyte? Yeue þat. And al the worlde attones biclippe and
148gripe in the bosom of loue and charite. And for hem whiche thou
149fyndest good lyuers, thanke oure Lorde, and for hem that thou
150fyndest yuel lyuers, by wailyng and wepynge praie oure Lorde for
151hem; with pyte biholde hem the whiche ben in dissese, as pore peple,
152destitucion of widowes, desperat soules, nedes of pilgrymes, perels of
153shipmen, vowe of maydens, temptacion of monkes, besynes of prelates
154and laboures of tilyenge peple. To alle these shaltow open thy
155bosom of loue and charite, for this almes is moost accordynge to thy
156professyon and to our Lord most acceptable and to hem that it is
157youen to, most spedful and profitable. Alle these thynges helpen
158gretly thyn holy purpos for truly, as Seynt Gregory seith, holy faders
159afore these days studieden with al her besynes to refuse al worldly
160good as nye as they mighten, that thei mighten therby the lightlyer
161loue God and her neighbore.