Now I have given him all, so that I have not whereof to give: it seemeth well by this that I would gladly give him if I had anything to give. Nor I wot not what I am, for I wot naught of my passing[386] feebleness, of my passing foolishness,[387] of my passing wickedness. The lyrical prose helps transfer both the . And this is, that ye should have no vainglory, for unto that time none ought to speak. But they never do bodily works, nor they may not during the time of such divine usages. In her late thirteenth-century dialogue, the Mirror of Simple Souls, Marguerite Porete reframes the origin and the function of penitential practice by drawing on conceptions that associate Mary Magdalene with original sin and personal salvation. For more details on the dependency of Pili on the work of Cordoni, and consequent to that, of Porete, see Cargnoni. The mirror of simple souls pdf Wendy R. Terry, Ph.D. (2007), Graduate Theological Union, is a Continuing Lecturer in Religious Studies at University of California, Davis. And the second staff, on the right side, is the upraised knowledge of the Deity that this soul receiveth and keepeth firmly. But every usage is had[153] one after another, as love worketh and as dispositions come and go, but these usages are inhabited in the soul and used customarily. Excuse me, for jealousy of love, and work of charity in which I am encumbered, have made this book, to the end that ye that read this book without abiding,[221] may at least share the same in will, if ye have it not yet. 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. And this is the fulfilling of her pilgrimages. Ye have heard in this writing here, how I have all his bounty. She may yet fall if she be assailed with adversities or with prosperities. In an extended dialogue between Love, the Soul, Reason, and a series of other allegorical figures, Marguerite portrays a state of freedom and annihilation to which, she argues, all noble souls should aspire. Ah, I still loved myself this had me therefore I might not lightly answer. Lady Love, I would tell you gladly, if I might., Sweet soul, saith Love, now tell me your desire, for I will hear it., Ah right, sweet Love, saith this soul that is abashed, for God, tell me wherefore thought he to make me, and buy me again unto redemption, in order to give me so little, who hath so much to give? And then I told him, that if I wist that all that he hath made of naught, I and all other thing be it understood, must go to naught, except I misdid against his will, it should go to [naught] of my choice, rather than that I misdid. And this opening hath made me have so clear sight, saith this soul, that it hath made me yield that which is his, and to take that which is mine. It is truth, saith Love, this is, that this soul knows of herself but one thing, and that is [that she is] the root of all evils and the abundance of all sins without number, without weight and without measure, and sin is naught and less than naught, and a hundred of horrible faults, under less than naught. Whoever he may have been, he forms a link between the Flemish mystics of the fourteenth century, and the older scholastics and theologians who wrote on prayer in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Such physician hath Fervour-of-spirit.[289], I have said, saith Love, that they do the asking of their inwardness, if it be asked, for otherwise I command it them not; and if they leave all the will of their outwardness, This is sooth, saith Love, whoso that doubteth in this, if he had assayed,[290] he should wit the sooth., Now I shall tell you, saith Love, of the soul in freeness, and also of them of the life which we have spoken of, that we call life of spirit, it may have no peace unless the body do always the contrary of its will. If thou wilt he perfect, go and sell all thou hast and give it all to poor and then sue[34] me and thou shall have treasure in heaven. And thus she suffereth Love to work in her; therefore this, that Love saith, that these souls desire not masses nor sermons, fastings nor orisons, it should not be so taken that they should leave [them] undone. And [in] that [she] hath neither more nor less of love himself, for this hath she no place, nor recketh of anything that may fall. Now am I, saith this soul, wrought of him without myself, for work passing me and the strong works of virtues, they for me and I for him, till I be in him. web pages Charity asketh none allowance of creatures for [any] thing that she doth for them. Some of the readings have been elucidated by reference to the Latin version of Richard Methley, who, it was hoped, might have known the exact value of contemporary mystical phrases, and whose Latin renderings shed much light on the syntax of an unpunctuated English MS. I have found none that alway did this, but the Virgin Mary. Also, she is naked from her body, for as the skin [of an animal] is made naked of bodily clothing, right so is her spirit naked from her body, so that it is not in the body, for the sensuality of her body is worn away and delivered by divine works. Usages = habit and practices of devotion. This is easy to trow,[323] for any who should open the divine wisdom. Margherita Porete was burned as a heretic in Paris on 1st June 1310. If she saw herself in this divine bounty she should be for herself;[294] but he seeth this bounty in her who wist this of her before she was. Love leadeth them, and Reason leadeth us. This forget not, for she failed when she sought divine life, but when she was in [the] desert, love took her and annihilated[298] or naughted her, and in her wrought. The second point is that this soul saveth her by faith without works. And Love told me it was but all solely for one thing, and that is, that the divine will of all the Trinity would it. And this will is come out of his goodness and it is given us by his grace. She is glad almost that her Beloved is such a one that men can tell her nothing adequate of him, and even Loves consolations fail to satisfy her high conception of Pure Love. So beholdeth she the deep by the deep, and by the high, the highful and sure one; for they do ever unite the all and the nothing,[204] as long as she hath it in her beholding., Ah, right sweet soul, deep in lowness, full of entire meekness, and right clean and pure in the pleasure of plain truth, and by love of passing more alone perfected, except for them of your demesne, saith Reason, tell us what these dark words, that fine love toucheth, mean.. These sayings, then, that Love saith to this creature, of his divine bounty, have thrown Reason and the works of virtues under his feet, and to death brought [them], without recovering. Understand ye lovers what this is., I have said, saith Love, that this soul is fallen of me into naught, and less than naught without number. Goodness and goodwill is set above knowing. If she be nakedly naught, this being[397] may not be., This is sooth, saith this free soul; in this point I am, by naughting, myself, for when I leave and naught myself perfectly, then his miracles give me very knowing of his divine gifts. I am more a fool than he that this would do, when I put so precious[317] a thing in speech, that may not be said, nor written. And if she think that we shall write more explicitly than other creatures have written, it is begging, this that she hears, for she would that her even-Christian found God in themselves by writings and by words. Whereof should this soul have dread though she be in the world? N. Ah God, saith Reason, what these souls be! We be excused, provided we believe you by the understanding that we have; for we be made of you, to serve such souls., Oh, without fail, saith this soul to Virtues, it is well said, men may well believe you, and therefore I tell you, saith this soul, and all those that hear this book, that whoso serveth a poor lord, since a long time, poor allowances shall he have, and little wages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Pdf_module_version 0.0.8 Ppi 360 Rcs_key 24143 Republisher_date 20210304104308 Republisher_operator associate-jeanette-beleno@archive.org Republisher_time 643 Scandate 20210227205151 Scanner The third censor was Don Frank, Cantor of the Abbey of Villiers, whose interests (perhaps because of his office) were in scriptural interpretation. And the light of this divine knowing taketh from her the knowing of Gods self, and of herself, and of all things.[223], This is sooth, saith this soul, there is no more; but when God wills that I know him, it taketh the knowledge of him from me; for otherwise, saith this soul, should I no knowing have of him. And some points Love declareth in three diverse ways according[17] to one. Such is the nature of thee. It is realised when not only does he no longer will other than- God wills, but is so advanced in love that he is not able to will other than God wills. Then thus, my Beloved, you have suffered all that you have suffered in your sweet humanity for me, as much as if none had sinned but I alone! Soothly, saith she, they that be governed by reason, the rudeness nor the cumberings of them no man may say. And the beam and the brightness of the sun and the heat thereof give her as food the gum of the high cedar. [370] All is of his own proper being and this proper self-being is the sixth being of which we have promised the auditors to speak in the takings of Love. And these be the degrees by which men ascend from the valley to the top of the mountain that is so separate that it seeth God only. Now is Reason dead, saith this soul. And our Lord answered him and said: One thing yet faulteth thee. The Doctrinal Significance of the Mirror, CHAPTER I: An exhortation to a soul to ascend to the stairs of perfection, and how this book may be understood, CHAPTER I: For whom this book has been made, and of the perfection that is needful to all them that will be saved, CHAPTER II: Of the counsel of perfection and of the laud of charity, CHAPTER I: Of the life naughted, and of nine points of the soul that liveth in that life, and how she willeth nothing that cometh by mean, CHAPTER II: How this soul hath six wings as have the seraphin, and what she doth with them, CHAPTER III: How this soul taketh leave of virtues, CHAPTER IV: Of certain things that the soul recketh not of, and how she is lost in the right high by plenty of knowing and become naught in her understanding, and whereto she is come by that, CHAPTER V: How a soul that is mortified of all outward desires can no more speak of God; and how it is meant, that this soul hath taken leave of virtues, and how such souls be become free; and what the greatest torment is that a creature may suffer in this life, CHAPTER VI: How these free souls have nothing of will, and what their continual usage is, CHAPTER VII: How love taketh one of these souls for all, for to speak more readily, and of certain works of virtue that this soul hath no desire to; and of what the [most] perfect gift is that God giveth to creatures, CHAPTER VIII: Of the proper names of this soul, and how the true contemplative should have no desire, CHAPTER IX: Of the first point that is spoken of afore, of the soul in life naughted; how none may find her, and how this is worthy and of true meekness, CHAPTER X: Of the second point, that is, how this soul saveth her by faith without works, and how this is understood, CHAPTER XI: How this soul is alone in love, and how she doeth naught for god, nor she leaveth naught for god, and how these three points be meant, CHAPTER XII: How none may teach this soul, nor none may rob her, and how this sixth point is understood, CHAPTER XIII: Of the eighth point, that is, that none may give to her, and how this is under- stood, and of the ineffableness of God, CHAPTER XIV: Of the ninth point, that is, how this soul hath no will, and how this [is] meant, CHAPTER XV: Of the perfection of them that live after the counsel of reason; and of the perfection of these souls that fine love leadeth, CHAPTER XVI: How this soul hath all and she hath naught; she wot all and she wot naught; and of the sacrament of the altar; and how this soul willeth all and she willeth naught, and how this is understood, CHAPTER XVII: How these souls so set their thoughts in the Trinity and be so divine that they rest them not in things that be passing or made, CHAPTER XVIII: how this soul giveth to nature all that it asketh without grudging of conscience, and how this is meant, CHAPTER XIX: How these souls have no heaviness at heart for things that they take; and of the peace that they have in taking the needfulness of nature, CHAPTER XX: How these souls can no more speak of God and what their custom is, CHAPTER XXI: What knowledge, faith, hope and charity have of these souls, and who hath the very knowledge of them, and how virtues be commanded for the souls, and not the souls for the virtues, and of mortifying will and desire, CHAPTER XXII: What the perfect being is that God giveth to creatures; and how none knoweth these souls but God that is within them, CHAPTER I: How it is meant that this soul hath taken leave of virtues; and of a land of this soul; and of the desire that they that live in will and desire must have, CHAPTER II: Of the two staffs that this free soul leaneth her upon; and how she is more drunk of that she never drank nor never shall drink, than of that she hath drunk, CHAPTER III: Of the freedom of these souls, and how they do nothing that is against the peace of inwardness, CHAPTER IV: How that consolations that comfort the souls by feeling of sweetness, it profiteth not a soul, but meditation of pure love; and how that hath only one meaning, and what that meaning is, CHAPTER V: Of the joy of those souls and of the accordance of will of the beloved and the soul; and of the union of love, CHAPTER VI: What it means that this soul doth no thing that is against the peace of her inward being, and of an example thereupon, CHAPTER VII: How this soul findeth God in all things; and of the incomprehensibleness of God, CHAPTER VIII: A complaint of this soul, and of the comfort that love giveth her, and how she is not sufficed nor appeased in that which love telleth her, but wherein she is sufficed, comforted, and appeased; and wherein she hath the full substance of her demands, CHAPTER IX: How it is more in this soul and better she loveth that which is in her beloved that she hath not, nor never shall have, than that she hath in possession; and how the body for his boisterousness and fleshliness cannot speak of the takings of the spirit, CHAPTER X: Of the gifts that this soul hath received of her beloved, and what her usage is, CHAPTER I: Of the visions that this soul hath had, and how no human body may see them; and how they that know their nothingness shall do naught; and what it behoveth them to do who cannot come to the knowing of their naught; and of the defaults of this soul, and by whom they be acquitted, CHAPTER II: How God hath loved this soul without beginning and shall without end; and of the obedience of reason to this soul; and of the accordance of the will of God and of this soul; and of her peace and of perfect charity; and of grudging of conscience, CHAPTER III: How all that this soul hath said, is said of love by this soul, and of this loss of time, CHAPTER IV: What ordinance is, and how that the Deity felt not what the manhood of Jesu Christ suffered, and how in all things behoveth to have discretion, CHAPTER V: Who be perfectly wise, and who be dipped in meekness, and how this soul is become naught in her beholding; and how she is dead to all feelings inward and outward, and what case that soul is in, in time of this usage, CHAPTER VI: How this soul is not with-herself and where she is; and how by naught witting and naught willing she hath all, CHAPTER VII: How this soul by all giving hath all received, CHAPTER VIII: of the being of this soul. . MS. as ye be of worth. An obscure passage in MSS. And it should be given me without end, if my body had left my soul.. n 4: THE MIRROR OF SIMPLE SOULS Pt^-pL P CL/V4-4-cu4-' 2 5", 2.01,-By an unknown French mystic of the thirteenth century 5 Translated into English by M. N. And I ask, saith Reason, for I never slept when she of me had need. [30] But this falling of the righteous is more merit than sin, because of the good will that standeth unbroken, and is oned to God. Understand the gloss! Chief of these was Walter de Manny, who, with Michael of Northbrook, Bishop of London, was co-founder of the London Charterhouse. Such folks be servants to the law, but these others be above the law; not against the law, witness of truth; she is fed and fulfilled, God is in her will., O right sweet divine Love that is in Trinity, saith this soul, such work there is, that I marvel how they may endure, whom Reason and Dread govern work and will, and who can the great nobleness of naughted being devise., O pure, O heavenly, saith the Holy Trinity, I pray you, dear daughter, that ye let this be. He held a middle course steadily between the extreme Thomism of the Dominican party and the hostile opposition. This soul seeketh not the fulness[307] of her understanding, but God seeth it in her without breaking her. But yet, as I said afore, it hath been mistaken of some persons that have read the book, therefore at such places where meseemeth most need, I will write more words thereto, in manner of gloss, after my simple cunning as me seemeth best. And then, saith Love, to this creature, how may this soul will, when clear knowledge knoweth that there is a Being among the Beings, which is most noble of all Beings, which creatures may not have unless they have it by the not-willing?[75], Now, saith Love, hath Reason heard the answer of his questions, save where it saith, that the free soul hath in her a lack of sufficiency. Methley to the 'Mirror of Simple Souls'" (357#382). And it is of this fauset, without which she drinketh,[122] that a naughted soul is drunk! The foregoing paragraph must not necessarily be interpreted as teaching the impeccability of the soul in these highest states; the writer may not have been thinking of sin, but of all the positive aspects of mans relationship to God, in which unity of will may be freely exercised; such as desire for union, prayer, and the aspirations of Love. But, good Lord, of your great benignity, give them the grace of ghostly feeling. also Division III, chap, xviii). It behoveth him perfectly to do the contrary of his will in appeasing the virtues up to the throat, and hold this point without falling [away, namely, that] the spirit have alway lordship without contrariosity., Ah God, saith Truth, how sick is the body of the heart, where such a spirit is., Soothly I say, saith this free soul, that it behoveth to have such inward working in life marred, this is to say, in life of spirit, so that it destroy[288] the humours of all sickness, in a swift moment. I know well, saith this soul, that Love herself maketh them to endure, that is mistress of this work., I have said before, saith this soul, that nothing faulteth me,[145] since that my love hath all in him, of his rightwise nobleness, without beginning and shall have without end. MS. as of that that is of her: possibly for, with regard to all that is of her nature.. And also if this soul have anything wherewith to will, it is ill planted. 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