Visio mirabilis et notanda sponse et qualiter Deus ipsam visionem exponit; in qua exposcicione baptizati per animal, gentiles per piscem et Dei amici per tres turbas designantur.
The Vision of the Scales
The bride witnesses a vision of two scales containing a dangerous fish and a fierce creature.
After this, the bride saw what looked like two scales standing near the earth; their tops and cords reached up to the clouds, but the rings themselves pierced the heavens. In the first scale, however, was a fish with scales as sharp as a razor, a gaze like a basilisk, a mouth like a unicorn pouring out poison, and ears like the sharpest lances and iron plates. In the other scale was a certain creature whose skin was like flint, whose mouth was huge and poured out burning flames, whose eyelids were like the hardest swords, and whose ears were very hard, shooting out arrows as sharp as if from a bow pulled tight and strong.
The Divine Request
Three groups of people are presented with a divine request to capture the heart of the creature and the blood of the fish.
After this, three crowds of people appeared on the earth; the first was moderate in size, the second smaller, and the third the smallest of all. A single voice from heaven spoke to them, saying: "Friends, I thirst intensely for the heart of this wondrous animal, if only someone would bring it to me out of love." "I also desire the blood of the fish most fervently, provided someone could be found to bring it to me." A voice from the crowd answered, speaking as if from the mouth of all: "Listen, O our Creator." How could we offer you the heart of a creature whose skin is harder than flint? If we try to approach its mouth, we'll be set ablaze by the flame of its fire; if we look into its eyes, we'll be pierced through by the sparks of its arrows. And if there were perhaps any hope of capturing the beast, who could possibly seize the fish whose scales are sharper than spear-points, whose eyes extinguish our sight, and whose mouth spreads incurable poison into us?
The Promise of Grace
God promises strength and wisdom to those who will undertake the struggle, leading the three groups to offer their hearts.
A voice from heaven answered, saying: "O friends, the beast and the fish seem invincible to you, but to the Almighty, it is easy." Therefore, whoever seeks a way to fight the beast, I will pour out wisdom from heaven and grant them strength. But to anyone prepared to die for me, I will give myself as their reward." The first group answered, "O highest Father, you are the giver of every good." But we, your creation, will gladly give you our hearts for your honor; as for everything else outside the heart, we will use it to support and nourish our bodies. And because death seems hard to us, the weakness of the flesh burdensome, and our knowledge truly meager, therefore rule us inwardly and outwardly, accept gratefully what we offer, and repay us as much and whatever pleases you." The second group replied: "We recognize our weaknesses and we pay attention to the vanities and changes of the world." Therefore, we will gladly give you our heart, and we leave our entire will in the hands of others, because we desire to be subject to others more than to possess even the smallest thing in the world." The third group said: "Listen, Lord—you who desire the heart of the animal and thirst for the blood of the fish—we will gladly give you our heart, and we're ready to die for you." Grant us wisdom, and we'll seek the way to find the heart of the animal."
Instructions for Spiritual Warfare
Detailed, allegorical instructions are given for how to overcome the creature and the fish through discipline and divine aid.
After this, a voice sounded from heaven, saying: "O friend, if you want to find the heart of the animal, pierce your hands in the middle with a sharp drill." Then take the eyelids of a whale and attach them to your own eyelids with the strongest bitumen. Also, take a plate of steel and bind it to your heart, so that the flat, smooth side of the steel is against your heart. Close your nostrils as well by drawing your breath into your throat. With your mouth closed and your breath held, move forward boldly against the beast's cruelty; and when you reach the beast itself, take hold of its ears with both hands, so that its arrows won't harm you but will pass through the open spaces of your hands. Furthermore, face the animal with your mouth closed, and as you approach, breathe your whole spirit into it; when you arrive, the animal's flames won't harm you, but will instead turn back into the animal itself and burn it up. Also, pay close attention to the sword-points that will emerge from the eyes of the beast. Join your own eyes to these, shielded by the eyelids of a whale; from their mutual and powerful connection, the beast's swords will either be turned aside or will enter into its own heart. Also, watch the beating of the animal's heart closely, and drive the point of your steel into that spot, piercing the flinty hide of the animal with all your might. If the flint is broken, know that the animal will die and its heart will be mine; and if it weighs one talent, I will give a hundred to the one who labors. But if it isn't broken and the animal harms a person, I will heal that wounded person and raise the dead to life. Anyone who wants to offer me a fish must go to the shore carrying a net in their hands, one woven not of thread, but of the most precious bronze. So, let him enter the water, but no deeper than his knees, so the currents don't harm him; and let him plant his feet where the ground is solid and the sand is free of mud. Next, let them blind one of their own eyes, and turn that blinded eye toward the fish; then its gaze—which is like that of a basilisk—will in no way be able to prevail against the person. Let them also take up a shield of steel for their arm; then the serpent's bite will not harm them. Afterward, let them cast their net over the fish so firmly and carefully that the fish cannot use its fins to cut or tear the net, nor escape by any strength or force. If you sense the fish, spread the net over it and pull it up; if you keep it above the water for ten hours, that fish will die. Once you've carried it to the shore, look at it with your unblinded eye, use your hands to open it along the back where there's the most blood, and in this way, present it to your Lord. But if the fish escapes or swims to another shore, harming people with its poison, I have the power to heal the one who is infected, and the reward for the blood of the fish will be no less than that for the heart of the animal.
The Meaning of the Vision
God interprets the symbols of the vision, explaining the nature of the creature, the fish, and the three types of friends.
God speaks again: "This 'statere' means as much as if someone were to say, 'Spare and endure, wait and show mercy,' just as someone seeing another's injustice might constantly warn him so that he would turn away from evil."1 In this way, I, God and Creator of all, sometimes descend to a person like a balance, warning them, sparing them, and testing them through trials; at other times, I ascend into people's minds, illuminating them, inflaming them, and visiting them with unusual grace. The clouds rising from the scales signify that I, the God of all, sustain everyone—Gentile and Christian, friend and enemy alike—and that I enlighten and visit them with my grace, if only there were those willing to respond to my grace by turning their will and their heart's desire away from evil. The animal represents those who have received holy baptism and have reached the age of reason, yet don't follow the words of the holy Gospel; their hearts and mouths have turned toward earthly things, and they pay no attention at all to spiritual matters. The fish represents the Gentiles, who wander through the storms of desire; their blood—that is, their faith—is meager, and their understanding of God is small.2 That is why I desire the heart of the animal and the blood of the fish, if only there were those who would strive to offer them to me out of love. There are three groups that are my friends: the first are those who use the world reasonably; the second are those who leave their own possessions behind, obeying with humility; the third are those who are prepared to die for God.
Read the original Latin
Post hec videbantur sponse quasi due statere stantes iuxta terram; quarum summitates et ligature ascendebant nubes, circuli vero ipsi penetrabant celum.
In prima vero statera erat piscis, cuius squame acute erant quasi rasorium, visus eius quasi basilisci, os vero quasi unicornii effundentis venenum, aures autem quasi acutissime lancee et quasi lamine ferree.
In alia vero statera erat animal quoddam, cuius pellis quasi silex, os ingens erat effundens flammas ardentes, cuius palpebre quasi durissimi gladii, cuius aures durissime erant emittentes sagittas acutissimas tamquam de arcu duro et extenso.
Post hec apparuerunt tres turbe populorum in terra; prima erat modica, secunda minor, tercia vero minima. Quibus vox una sonuit de celo dicens:
"O, amici, ego vehementer sicio cor animalis istius mirabilis, si quis esset, qui ex caritate presentaret michi illud. Ego eciam feruentissime concupisco sanguinem piscis, dummodo inueniretur homo, qui eum afferret michi."
Respondit vox una de turba loquens quasi ex ore omnium: "Audi," inquit, "o conditor noster. Quomodo poterimus tibi presentare cor animalis tanti, cuius pellis durior est silice?
Si appropinquare voluerimus ori eius, incendemur flamma ignis eius; si viderimus oculos eius, transfodiemur scintillis sagittarum eius;
et si forte spes aliqua esset de animali habendo, quis poterit apprehendere piscem, cuius squame acuciores sunt cuspidibus, cuius oculi extinguunt visum nostrum, cuius os diffundit in nos venenum insanabile?"
Respondit vox de celo dicens: "O, amici, animal et piscis videntur vobis inuincibiles, sed apud omnipotentem est facile. Ergo quicumque querit viam ad impugnandum animal, ego de celo infundam sapienciam fortitudinemque tribuam. Qui vero paratus est pro me mori, ego ipse me dabo ei in remuneracionem."
Respondit turba prima: "O, summe pater, tu es dator tocius boni. Nos vero, factura tua, libenter dabimus tibi cor nostrum ad honorem tuum; cetera vero, que extra cor sunt, disponemus ad sustentacionem et refeccionem carnis nostre.
Et quia mors videtur nobis dura, infirmitas carnis onerosa, sciencia vero modica, ideo rege nos interius et exterius, accipeque gratanter que offerimus et repende quantum et quidquid tibi placet."
Respondit turba secunda: "Recognoscimus infirmitates nostras et attendimus mundi vanitates et varietates. Ideo libenter dabimus tibi cor nostrum omnemque voluntatem nostram relinquimus in manus aliorum, quia subesse aliis magis desideramus quam minima de mundo possidere."
Dixit turba tercia: "Audi, domine tu, qui desideras cor animalis et sitis sanguinem piscis: libenter dabimus tibi cor nostrum et parati sumus mori pro te. Tu tribue sapienciam, et nos queremus viam ad inueniendum cor animalis."
Post ista sonuit vox una de celo dicens: "O, amice, si inuenire desideras cor animalis, perfora cum terebro acuto manus tuas in medio. Deinde sume palpebras cete et coniunge palpebris tuis cum fortissimo bitumine.
Accipe quoque laminam calibis et alliga eam cordi tuo, ita quod latitudo et planicies calibis sint propinquiora cordi tuo. Claude quoque intersticia narium attrahendo spiritum tuum in collum.
Et sic clauso ore et incluso spiritu procede audacter contra seuiciam animalis; cumque perueneris ad animal ipsum, apprehende ambabus manibus aures eius, cuius sagitte non nocebunt tibi sed exibunt per aperta foramina manus tue.
Insuper occurre animali clauso ore et appropinquando suffla in illud totum spiritum tuum; ad cuius aduentum flamme animalis non nocebunt tibi sed regredientur in animal ipsum et ardebunt illud.
Nota quoque diligentissime cuspides gladiorum, qui exibunt de oculis animalis. Quibus coniunge oculos tuos munitos palpebris cete; ex quorum mutua et valida coniunccione vel flectentur gladii animalis vel ingredientur in cor eius.
Considera eciam attente pulsum cordis animalis et ibi infige aciem calibis perualide confodiendo silicem pellis animalis.
Si tunc frangitur silex, scito quod morietur animal et cor eius erit meum; quod si unum talentum ponderabit, ego laboranti dabo centum. Si vero non frangitur et animal nocuerit homini, ego curabo illum hominem saucium et mortuum suscitabo.
Qui vero voluerit michi presentare piscem, vadat ad litus habendo rete in manibus, quod contextum sit non de filis sed de ere preciosissimo.
Ingrediatur itaque aquam sed non plus quam ad genua, ne forte noceant procelle, et pedem in illo loco figat, ubi solidum est et arena absque luto.
Deinde excecet sibi unum oculum, quem excecatum vertat ad piscem, cuius visus, qui est quasi basilisci, nullo modo tunc aduersus hominem preualebit.
Sumat quoque clipeum de calibe in brachium suum; tunc non nocebit sibi morsus serpentinus. Postea extendat rete suum super piscem ita valide et caute, quod piscis rasoriis suis non valeat discindere rete vel rumpere nec euadere aliqua fortitudine vel impulsu.
Si itaque sentit piscem, extendat rete super eum sursum; quem si decem horis tenuerit super aquas, tunc piscis ille morietur. Quem portans ad litus respiciat eum oculo illo quem non excecauerat et apponendo manus aperiat eum in dorso, ubi plus est de sanguine, et sic presentet eum domino suo.
Si vero piscis euaserit aut natauerit ad litus aliud nocens homini veneno suo, ego potens sum sanare infectum, nec minor erit remuneracio pro sanguine piscis quam pro corde animalis."
Item loquitur Deus: "Statere iste significant tantum, quasi quis diceret: 'Parce et patere, expecta et miserere,' quasi aliquis videns iniusticiam alterius et semper, ut a malo desisteret, eum ammoneret.
Sic ego Deus et creator omnium quandoque more statere descendo ad hominem ammonendo eum, parcendo ei et tribulacionibus eum probando; quandoque ascendo mentes hominum illustrando, inflammando graciaque insolita visitando.
Ligature vero statere ascendentes nubes significant, quod ego omnium Deus omnes, tam gentiles quam christianos, tam amicos quam inimicos sustento et gracia mea illustro et visito, si tamen inuenirentur qui gracie mee respondere vellent, voluntatem et affectum suum a malo auertendo.
Animal vero significat illos qui sanctum baptisma susceperunt, et peruenientes ad annos discrecionis sed verba sancti euangelii non imitantes, quorum cor et os ad terrena prolapsum est, spiritualia minime attendunt.
Piscis vero significat gentiles in procellis concupiscencie vagantes, quorum sanguis id est fides modica est et intellectus ad Deum paruus.
Ideo desidero cor animalis et sanguinem piscis, si tamen inuenirentur qui ex caritate conarentur michi illa presentare.
Tres vero turbe sunt amici mei: primi qui mundo utuntur racionabiliter, secundi qui sua relinquunt obediendo humiliter, tercii qui mori pro Deo parati sunt."
Notes
- 1 ↩The term 'statere' (a weight or coin) is used here as a symbolic or enigmatic term within the vision, which the text interprets as a call to patience and mercy.
- 2 ↩The Latin 'gentiles' here refers to those outside the faith or those who have not yet fully embraced the life of grace, as distinguished from the 'animal' (the baptized) mentioned in the previous section.
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