<fol. 28v>case and reste bi foule pride and presumpcion
of þese þre þer comeþ a spiritual or a goostli
lecherie for whan a man wol haue reste in
a maner ydelnesse wiþout any desire or besi
seekyng / to god . þan he is ful disposed in-to
alle errours / bi-cause he is turned awei fro
god and bicause þat he desiriþ and seekeþ al þt
is to plesaunce and lust and likynge / suche
a man is like to a marchaunt / for in al his
werkis he is euer inclyneng and bowyng bi
entencioun to his owne reste and to his owne
profite / but noþing for þe worchip of
god / þis man þat restiþ so vpon his owne
loue to his propir pleasaunce : may wele be
clepid a propretarie / whiche vice is dampnable
in alle obeishaunt children / neþeles
sum of / þese men lyuen in grete penaunce
and don many þinges outward þat her lif
mowe be knowe and her name be in reputacion
amonge holi men for eche suche loue
of kynde . is fauorable to hym silf ¶ Also
sum of þese men bi a grete singularite desiren
of god sum special 3ifte aboue other
eiþer of worchynge myraclis eiþer reuelacions
or sum oþer specialte wherfor ofte
<fol. 29r>tymes þei bien disceyued of þe deuel for sum
tyme yei haue of þe deuel þat þei desiren / þan
þei wene it comeþ to hem for her merite . and
wene þat it be sent fro god for her holi lyueng
suche men bien boþ proude and blynde . for hem
lackiþ al goostli li3t and feelyng / / and a ful
litel þing may comforte suche men : for þei
knowen nat what hem lackiþ / þis is clepid
a spiritual lecherie . for it is an vnresonable
and vnordynat wil a3ens reason
euermore bowyng doun bi þe loue of kynde
to his owne profite and al ease and reste /
Suche men also bien proude and ful soleyn
of wil : and to harde of herte / þerfor her desire
and her foule couetise strecchiþ sumtyme
and sprediþ . so ferforþ þat what þei .
desiren þei haue and so oft / siþes þei bien
disceyued . and sum in þis lyueng / han be
take wiþ þe fiend . and longe tyme traueld
wiþ spirites . and sum in-to her lyues ende
¶ Also þese men þat þus lyuen . lyuen
contrariousli to charite and to þe loue of
god . wiþ þe whiche a man offriþ hym silf
fulli inward and outward in al þat he may
in-to þe worchip of god / for þer may noþing
<fol. 29v>suffice to a parfite louer~ . ne noþing may
hym please . saue oonli o goodenesse þat
may nat be comprehendid whiche goodenesse
is god hym silf : for he is al charite
and goodenesse / for charite is a bond of loue
. whiche drawiþ us to god in whiche
loue we forsaken oure silf ; and þerwiþ
we bien ooned to god but þe loue of kynde
dwelliþ on hym silf . and euermore is lowyng
to his owne profite neþeles þe loue
of kynde is as liche to charite as to þe
worchyng outward as two heeris of oonhed
but þe willis and þe menynges . bien
myche discordynge and ful vnliche for a
goode mans herte is euere upward to god in
his entencion . and alwey desireþ þe worchip
of god / but in naturel loue a mans
wil bowiþ to his profite and ease / whan
þe loue of kynde passiþ þus of þe loue of
god and charite be contrarious wille and
worchyng þanne a man falliþ into foure
perelous synnes that is to seie in-to pride auarice
glotenye and lecherie ¶ þus fel adam
in paradise and al+mankynde wiþ hym ; for
bicause of þe loue þat he had to hym silf ;
<fol. 30r>he turned fro þe wil of god and bi pride . he dide
a3ens goddis comandement / and bi auarice
he coueited knowyng and wisdom / he sou3t
bi glotenye sauour and delite / and þanne
aftir þis ; he was stired to lecherie / but oure
blisful ladi : fonde þe grace a3en whiche
adam had lost / þat glorious ladi and modir
of loue ; 3af us ensample in lyueng / hou we
shulden loue / þis noble ladi from þe tyme
of hir birþe euermore turne hir herte to god
boþ actifly and goostli / þat is to seie wiþ
grete excercises of outward and inward
uertues bi grete desire and feruent loue to
god receyued crist wiþ al maner lownesse
and mekenesse / in þis þat blisful ladi fonde
grace a3ens pride / also she offrid up þt worþi
lord hir dere sone to þe fadir of heuene wiþ
hir worldli possessions : and wiþ al maner
plente or largete of herte . in ful affeccion
in 3eldyng þankynges and worshippes to
almy3ti god / and in þis she fond grace anentis
auarice Also she reste neuer up comfort
ne up graciouse 3iftes . whiche plenteuousli
she receyued of almy3ti god ; but al þat
sauour and swetnesse she 3af / al hooli to
<fol. 30v>hym . þat al goodenesse sent / and heere she fond
grace a3ens glotenye / also what clennesse
she had in bodi and in soule : it nediþ nat to
expresse / for al cristen feþ knowiþ wele : þer
was neuer erþli creature . þat had þat grace
of so ful clennesse as she had , in whiche clennesse
a3ens lecherie she fond grace ¶ þus
than þe grace þat adam lost : þat glorious
ladi foond a3en / who so wil þanne ouercome
or wiþstonde þe contrarious lyueng whiche
J rehersed bifore : must folwe to his power~
oure blisful ladi outward and inward in
mekenesse and largete . in abstinence and
clennesse / but for we bien fieble to stonde and
bi frealte dredeful to falle þerfor as J seide bifore
wakeþ and preieþ þat 3e falle nat into
temptacion . <lat></lat>Hou
sum oþer men wenen <the w is partial> þat þei haue fredom of
spirit & þat þei bien ooned to god wiþoute
any meane wherfor þei seie þei bien bounde
to no lawes of hooli chirche and þei bien
discharged of al maner wirchynges &
of al outward uertues
WHat tyme a man haþ in suche ydelnese
kyndeli reste as i seide bifore & oonli
<fol. 31r>biholdiþ hym silf and stondiþ upon his owne
propre wil : þerwhiles he may nat be ooned
to god . bi-cause he lyueþ in a maner contrariouste
to haue þe loue of god . for clene he is wiþouten
charite / þerfor aftir þis bigynnynge þe þrid
contrarious lyueng whiche is worse þan any
of þe þre whiche i haue rehersed / for þanne bigynneþ
a lif vnri3tful and vnskilful ful of
goostli errours and al maner wrecchidnesse
what suche men bien and hou 3e shullen knowe
hem ; as bi þer opynions i shal shewe 3ou
¶ þese men in þer owne si3t ; bien ful contemplatif
but in goddis si3t þei bien verray fugitiues
. bi-cause þei haue runne a-wei and fledde
fro god : so it is nedeful þat al men fle awei fro
hem . as from a gostli enemye þese men wenen
þat þei bien þe holiest men þat lyuen . natwiþstondyng
þat þei lyuen contrariousli
to alle goode men for þese bien þer opynions
þei holden bi þat kyndeli reste þat þei haue
and bi þat ydelnesse whiche þei haue whan
þei stonden so alone vpon hem silf þat þei
be free in spirit and ooned to god wiþout
any meane ¶ Also þat þei bien enhaunsid
bi perfeccion . aboue al obseruaunces of
<fol. 31v>loue þat he is . for þe most strong meneþ in
him þe most fieble Þis uniaunce is ri3t delicious
þt wote þei þat haue assaied it þer is
no perle of þe i3e so daungerouse whanne
oon puttiþ wiþ-ynne ˆ <mrg>it</mrg> þe yrun . or lynt . or
stoon þat is þe deeþ of him ; as is diuine loue
if oon do a3ens him / his beyng is alwei in perfijt
playn of pure wille of him ¶ Now may 3e
vndirstande hou my wikidnesse causeþ to
haue his bounte ; for encheson of my necessite
for god suffriþ sumtyme sum yuel to be do
for gretter goode þat aftirwarde shal growe
for al þoo þat bien plauntid of þe fadir and
comen into þis worlde ; bien descendid of parfijte
. in-to vnparfijte . for to atteyne to þe more
parfite . and þanne is opened þe wounde
for to be helid þer it is hurt ; wiþouten hir
wityng / Þese folkis bien mekid of god him silf
I Bihi3te seiþ þis soule . of the
takynges of loue sum þinges to seie
of þe seuene estatis þat we clepen beynges
for so it is and yese bien þe degrees . bi whiche
men stien of þe ualey to þe top of the
mountayne þat is so seuerel ; þat is seeþ but
god . and euery degre haþ in it his ful assise