Deus pater declarat sponse et ostendit ei seriose processum terribilem diuini iudicii factum contra quendam ingratum regem adhuc viuentem et inobedientem diuinis consiliis. Et qualiter sponsa videbat agnum et in eo faciem humanam in altari diuine maiestatis in celo, et in eodem instanti videbat eam in manu presbiteri celebrantis in mundo. Et qualiter famuli et subditi regum afflicti existentes in mundo et in inferno et in purgatorio conquerebantur deo grauiter de eisdem regibus et principibus suis. Et omnes sancti petebant super eos iusticiam.
The Divine Call to Justice
God instructs the bride on the nature of divine justice and the necessity of obedience, contrasting the fall of the angels with the call to human faithfulness.
God the Father spoke to the bride, saying: "Listen to what I say, and speak what I command you." Don't let your heart be moved by your own honor or disgrace; instead, hold both the one who praises you and the one who insults you with an even and steady mind, so that you aren't moved to anger by insults, nor puffed up with pride by praise. He is worthy of honor, for He is eternally in Himself and has always been, and out of love He created angels and humans for this purpose alone: that many might share in His glory. I am, in fact, the same now in power and will as I was then, when my Son took on human flesh. In Him I am and have always been, and He is in Me, and the Holy Spirit is in both of us; and although it was hidden from the world that He was the Son of God, it was still known to some, however few. You should know that this is the justice of God, which never had a beginning, just as God himself never did: that the light was shown to the angels before they saw God. They didn't fall because they were ignorant of the law and the justice of God, but because they refused to hold to it and keep it. They understood, of course, that everyone who loves God would see God and remain with Him forever, while those who hate God would be punished eternally, never to see Him in His glory. And yet, their greed and ambition chose to hate God and the place where they would be punished, rather than to love Him and rejoice forever. The justice required of man is similar to what was required of the angels. For man is bound to love God first, and only then to see Him. That is why my Son, out of love, willed to be born under the law of justice, so that He who could not be seen in His divinity might become visible through His humanity. Humans were given free will just like the angels, so that they might desire heavenly things and turn away from earthly ones. That is why I, God, visit many people in many ways—even though my divinity remains unseen—and in many parts of the world I have shown many people how the sin of any land could be corrected and how mercy ought to have been obtained, before I brought my judgment and justice upon those same places. But people don't pay attention to these things, nor do they care. This justice is also in God: that everyone on earth should first firmly hope for the things they do not see, and believe in the Church of God and the holy Gospel. They should love Him above all things, for He gave them everything and gave Himself to death for them, so that all might rejoice with Him forever. That is why I, God myself, speak to those whom I choose, so that it may be known how sins ought to be corrected, how punishment may be lessened, and how one's crown may be increased. After this, I saw the heavens as if they were a single house, where a Judge sat on a throne, and the house was filled with servants praising the Judge, each with their own voice. Beneath the heavens, however, it appeared as one kingdom.
The Heavenly Trial of the King
A vision of a heavenly court where an angel and a devil debate the spiritual state of a disobedient king.
Immediately, everyone listening heard a voice say, "Come. Both of you—you, angel, the king's guardian, and you, devil, the king's tempter—come to judgment." Immediately after the word was spoken, the angel and the devil stood before the Judge. The angel looked like a man in distress, but the devil looked like a man rejoicing. Then the Judge spoke: Angel, I appointed you as guardian to the king when he entered into a covenant with me and confessed all the sins he had committed since his youth, so that you might be closer to him than the devil. How is it, then, that you're now so distant from him? The angel replied: “O Judge, I am burning with the fire of your charity, by which the king was also warmed for a time.” But when the king grew disgusted and rejected what your friends told him, and tired of doing what you advised, he followed wherever his own desires pulled him; by distancing himself from me, he drew closer to the enemy every hour. The devil answered, "O Judge, I am coldness itself, and you are the very warmth and divine fire." Just as anyone who draws near to you becomes more ardent for good works, so this king, by drawing near to me, has grown colder toward your love and hotter for my works. The Judge answered, "The king was persuaded to love God above all things and his neighbor as himself." Why, then, do you steal from me a man I have redeemed with my own blood, and cause him to harm his neighbor, not only regarding temporal goods but even his very life? The devil replied, "O Judge, now it's my turn to speak, and the angel's turn to be silent." Indeed, when the king turned away from you and your counsel and came to me, I advised him to love himself more than his neighbor, to disregard the welfare of souls as long as he held worldly honor, and to pay no attention to who was in need or being cheated, so long as his own friends were prospering. Then the Judge told the devil, "Anyone who wants to leave you is free to go; you don't have the power to hold anyone by force." Because of that, I'm still going to send some of my friends to the king to warn him of his danger.1 The devil replied, "It's only justice that anyone who wants to obey me should be subject to the king through me. I'll send my own advisors to the king, and we'll see which counsel he chooses to follow." Then the Judge said, "Go, for it's my justice to award the executioner what is his, just as it is to award the plaintiff what is owed to him in his case." After some years, however, I saw Christ the Judge again, with his heavenly army, more stirred and seemingly angrier than usual. He said to the angel and the devil, "Tell me," he said, "which of you has won?" The angel replied: "Whenever I came to the king with divine inspirations, and your friends came with spiritual words, the devil's messengers immediately hissed into his ears, saying:" Do you really want to spare your worldly goods and your own honor, or even the souls and bodies of others, just so that your friends—whom you love more than yourself—can prosper and be honored? Agreeing with them, the king responded to the promptings of your friends: "I am sufficient," he says, "and wise enough to give counsel even without you." "Leave me, then, in shame." And so the king, turning his back on you and his face toward the enemy, drove away from himself your friends—dishonored, mistreated, and mocked by the friends of the world. Then the devil cried out, "O Judge, look—it's my turn now to rule the king and advise him through my friends." The Judge replied, "Go, and strike the king as much as you're permitted, because he has provoked me to anger against himself." Two years after these events, the Judge appeared again, and as the angel and the devil stood by him, the devil spoke: "O Judge, pass judgment!" I will now pronounce justice. For you are truly charity itself, and so it doesn't befit you to remain in a heart where envy and anger have taken root. You are also Wisdom itself, and for that reason, you shouldn't be in the heart of someone who desires to harm the lives, property, and honor of their neighbors. You are Truth itself, and so it isn't fitting for you to dwell with someone who has sworn an oath to commit treachery. Therefore, because this king rejects you just as something abominable is rejected, allow me to stir him up and crush him so that he becomes completely lifeless, for he treats my counsel as wisdom and your counsel as a joke.2 I do indeed desire to reward him with such a recompense, because he has done my will; however, I can do nothing for him without your permission.
The Verdict of Power, Truth, and Justice
Christ appears as the Judge, and the virtues of Power, Truth, and Justice pronounce the consequences of the king's continued rebellion.
And look, once these things were heard, the Judge seemed to undergo a marvelous change; He then appeared shining like the sun, and within that very sun three words were visible: Power, Truth, and Justice. Virtue spoke, saying: "I created all things without any merit on their part; therefore, I am worthy to be honored by my creation, not held in contempt." I am also worthy of praise from my friends because of my love. I also deserve to be honored and feared by my enemies, because I patiently endure them even though they don't deserve it, and they have fully earned judgment. And so, devil, it's my place to judge everyone according to my justice, not according to your malice. The Truth spoke immediately, saying: "In my divinity, I took on humanity from a virgin; in that humanity, I spoke and preached to the nations." I also sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles and spoke through their tongues, just as I speak daily, through spiritual infusion, to those whom I choose." Let my friends know, then, that I myself—who am the Truth—sent my words to a certain king, which he then despised. So listen now, devil, because I intend to speak, so that it may be known whether the king obeyed my counsel or your temptations. I am now repeating all those counsels to the king, though in fewer words than I had explained them before. The king was therefore persuaded to avoid all sins forbidden by the holy Church and to observe moderate fasting, so that he might listen to and answer his subjects when they complained, and be ready to do justice to the rich and poor alike who sought it—lest, perhaps, the good of the kingdom's common people and the governance of the state be diminished by excessive abstinence, or he become too lax in granting an audience to everyone because of some disordered excess. The king was also urged to consider how he should serve God and pray, and on which days and at what times he should focus on the welfare of his kingdom's community. The king was also urged to decide which days he should wear the royal crown to honor God, and to discuss all his plans with people who love the truth and are friends of God. He was never to violate the truth or the law, nor was he to impose any unusual burdens on his people, except for the defense of the realm and the struggle against pagans. The king was also urged to keep a number of household staff and servants that matched the actual income and tax revenues of his kingdom, and to share whatever remained with his soldiers and friends. The king was also urged to advise the insolent and foolish with wisdom, using both words and love, and to correct them firmly; he was further urged to love the prudent and mature in divine love, to protect those living within his kingdom, and to distribute his gifts with discernment. He was not to diminish or alienate anything belonging to the crown; he was to judge both native and foreigner with justice, love the clergy, associate with his military in a spirit of charity, and foster the community of the peoples of his kingdom in peace. When the devil heard this, he answered the judge, "I, too, advised the king to commit certain sins in secret that he didn't dare to do in public." I also persuaded him to spend a long time reading many prayers and psalms without any attention or devotion of heart, so that by pointlessly dragging out his time this way, he wouldn't listen to anyone who came to him with complaints, nor would he do justice for those suffering injury. I also persuaded the king to despise the other good men of his realm, to elevate one man above everyone else, to set him over them all, and to love him with his whole heart more than himself; I even persuaded him to hate his own son, to burden the community of his kingdom's people with taxes, to kill men, and to plunder churches. I also persuaded the king to ignore justice and let everyone harm one another, and to give away lands belonging to his own crown to a certain great prince of another kingdom—my sworn brother—for that very purpose.3 This was done so that betrayals and wars might be stirred up, the good and the just might be oppressed, the wicked might be plunged deeper into hell, those needing purification might be afflicted more severely in purgatory, women might be violated, ships might be plundered at sea, the Sacraments of the Church might be held in contempt, and so that a life of luxury might be continued more freely and every one of my own desires might be carried out more easily. Therefore, Judge, from these deeds already done and completed by the king, and from many other sins, it can be proven and known whether the king obeyed your counsel or mine. After this, Justice spoke up in response: "Because the king has hated virtue and despised the truth, it now falls to you to increase the king's evils with your own, and I, in accordance with justice, must diminish the good things he has been given by grace." The devil replied: "O Judge, I will increase and multiply my gifts to the king. First, I will send him such negligence that he won't pay attention to divine works in his heart, nor will he reflect on the works and examples of your friends." Justice replied, "And I," she said, "will diminish the infusions of my Holy Spirit in him, and I will take away those good memories and consolations he once had." Then the devil said, "I will send him the boldness to think and to commit mortal and venial sins without any shame or embarrassment." Justice replied, "I'll diminish his reason and discernment, so he won't be able to distinguish or weigh the consequences and judgments due to mortal and venial sins." Then the devil said, "I will fill him with fear so that he won't dare to speak or act for justice against the enemies of God." Justice replied, "I will diminish his prudence and his knowledge of what must be done, so that he appears more like a fool and a jester in his words and actions than a wise man." Then the devil said, "I will bring him anxieties and troubles of heart, because he won't prosper according to his own will." Justice replied, "I," she said, "will diminish the spiritual consolations he once had in his prayers and deeds." The devil replied, "I'll give him the cunning to devise clever schemes, so he can outwit and deceive those he wants to destroy." Justice answered, "I will diminish his understanding so much that he won't even notice his own honor and advantage." The devil said, "I'll give him such a sense of mental exhilaration that he'll even take pleasure in his own shame, ruin, and the peril of his soul, as long as he can prosper in this world according to his own desires." Justice replied: "I will diminish in him that foresight and consideration which wise men have in their words and actions." Then the devil said, "I will fill him with a womanish boldness and an unseemly fear, and with such gestures that he will appear more like a scoundrel than a crowned king." Justice then replied, "Anyone who separates himself from God is worthy of such a judgment." He deserves to be despised by his friends, hated by his own community, and cast down by the enemies of God, because he has abused the gifts of divine charity, both spiritual and physical. Truth spoke again: "These things that have been shown," it said, "aren't because of the merits of the king, whose soul hasn't yet been judged, but will be judged at the final moment of his calling."
The Eucharistic Vision and the Cry of the Oppressed
The bride witnesses a cosmic liturgy where the saints and the oppressed cry out for justice against earthly rulers, culminating in the vision of the Lamb.
After these words, I saw that those three things—virtue, truth, and justice—were like the Judge who had been speaking before, and then I heard a voice like a herald saying: Heavens, and every planet, be silent; all you devils in the darkness, listen; and all you others in the shadows, hear, for the Supreme Emperor intends to hear the judgments against the princes of the earth.✦ Immediately, the things I saw were not physical but spiritual, and my spiritual eyes were opened to hear and to see. Then I saw Abraham coming with all the saints born of his lineage, and all the patriarchs and prophets came as well. Next, I saw the four evangelists, whose forms resembled the four living creatures as they are painted on walls throughout the world. Yet they appeared alive, not dead. After that, I saw twelve thrones, and on them the twelve apostles, waiting for the power that was coming. Then Adam and Eve came forward, along with the martyrs, confessors, and all the other saints who descended from them. But Christ's humanity wasn't visible yet, nor was the body of his blessed Mother; everyone was waiting for them to arrive. The earth and the water also seemed to rise toward the heavens, and everything within them humbled itself, bowing down with reverence before the Power. After this, I saw an altar standing in the seat of majesty, along with a chalice containing wine and water, and bread in the likeness of a host offered upon the altar. Then I saw a priest in a church here on earth beginning Mass, dressed in his priestly vestments. When he had finished everything for the Mass and reached the words for blessing the bread, I saw that the sun, moon, and stars, along with all the planets and all the heavens, were resounding with their courses and movements in alternating voices and a sweet melody, and every kind of song and harmony could be heard. Countless types of music were also visible, and it's impossible to grasp their sweetest sound with the senses or put it into words. Those who were in the light, however, looked upon the priest and bowed before his authority with reverence and honor. But those who were in darkness shuddered and were afraid. Once the priest had spoken the words of God over the bread, it seemed to me that the same bread was present on the throne of majesty in three forms, while still remaining in the priest's hand. The bread itself became a living Lamb, and in the Lamb appeared the single face of a man, while a burning flame was visible both inside and outside the Lamb and the face. And as I fixed my gaze intently upon the face, I saw the Lamb within it. As I looked at the Lamb, I saw that same face within him; a crowned virgin sat with the Lamb, and all the angels served them—a multitude so vast they were like dust motes in the sun—and a marvelous radiance poured forth from the Lamb. There were so many holy souls that I couldn't take it all in—the length, breadth, height, and depth of it. I also saw certain places that were empty, which are still to be filled for the honor of God. Then I heard a voice from the earth, from countless thousands crying out: "O Lord God, just Judge, pass judgment on our kings and princes, and look upon the shedding of our blood, and the sorrows and tears of our wives and children." Look upon our hunger and our shame, our wounds and our captivities, the burning of our homes, and the violence and dishonor inflicted upon our young women and our wives. Pay attention to the injury done to the churches and the entire clergy, and look at the deceptive promises, betrayals, and exactions of princes and kings—things they extort with anger and violence, because they don't care how many thousands die, as long as they can expand their own pride. Then, from hell, an almost infinite multitude cried out: "O Judge, we know that You are the Creator of all things." Judge, then, those masters we served on earth, because they have plunged us even deeper into hell." Even though we wish you ill, justice still compels us to complain and to speak the truth. For those earthly masters of ours loved us without charity, since they cared no more for our souls than they did for dogs. To these masters of ours, it didn't matter whether we loved you, God, the Creator of all things, or not, as long as they were loved and served by us. Therefore, they are unworthy of heaven because they don't care about you, and they are worthy of hell unless your grace comes to their aid, because they have ruined us. We would even be willing to suffer more than we already do, just so their punishment wouldn't come to an end. Then those in purgatory spoke through symbols, crying out: "O Judge, we were sentenced to purgatory because of the compunction and good will we had at the end of our lives." That’s why we complain about the lords who are still living on earth. They should have guided and warned us with their words and corrections, and taught us with wholesome counsel and examples. Instead, they only encouraged and provoked us toward evil deeds and sins; because of them, our punishment is now more severe, our time of suffering is longer, and our shame and tribulation are greater. Then Abraham spoke with all the patriarchs, saying: "O Lord, among all things to be desired, we longed for this: that your Son would be born of our lineage, yet now He is held in contempt by the princes of the earth."✦ So we ask for judgment upon them, because they don't heed your mercy, nor do they fear your judgment. And then the prophets spoke, saying: We prophesied the coming of the Son of God and said it was necessary for Him to be born of a virgin to liberate the people, to suffer ruin, to be captured and scourged, to be crowned with thorns, and finally to die on the cross, so that heaven might be opened and sin might be wiped away. Since what we spoke of has now been fulfilled, we ask for judgment upon the princes of the earth who despise your Son, who died for them out of love. The Evangelists also spoke then, saying: We are witnesses that your Son fulfilled in Himself everything that had been foretold. The Apostles also spoke, saying: We are the judges. Therefore, it's our role to judge according to the truth, and so we judge those who despise the Body of God and His commandments to be headed for destruction.4 After this, however, the virgin, sitting by the Lamb, said: "O sweetest Lord, have mercy on them!" The Judge replied to her, "It wouldn't be just to deny you anything." For those who turn away from sin and perform worthy penance will find mercy, and I will turn judgment away from them.
The Final Warning and Prophetic Limits
God addresses the king directly one last time, while the Virgin instructs the bride on the nature and limits of her prophetic vision.
After this, I saw that the face appearing in the Lamb was speaking to the king, saying, "I have shown you great grace." For I showed you my will, how you should conduct yourself in your rule, and how you should govern yourself honestly and prudently. I drew you to myself like a mother with sweet words of love, and like a devoted father, I alarmed you with warnings. But you, obeying the devil, cast me away from you like a mother casting aside a stillborn child, whom she refuses to touch or to offer her breast. And so, every good thing promised to you will be taken away and given to one of your descendants. After this, the virgin sitting with the Lamb spoke to me: "I want to show you how you've been given the understanding of spiritual visions." For the saints of God have received the Holy Spirit in different ways.✦ Some of them, like the prophets, knew in advance when the things shown to them would happen. Other saints knew in the Spirit what they should answer to those who came to them, whenever they were asked anything. Others, however, knew whether those far away were alive or dead. Some also knew what the outcome and end of a battle might be, even before those fighting in it had entered the fray. But you aren't permitted to know anything other than what you hear and see in the spirit, and you must write down and tell those people only what you are instructed to share. It isn't permitted for you to know whether those to whom you are commanded to write are living or dead, nor whether they will obey or not the counsel of your writing given to you divinely in spiritual vision for their sake. But even if this king has ignored my words, another will certainly come who will receive them with reverence and honor, and will benefit from them for his own salvation.
Read the original Latin
Deus pater loquebatur sponse dicens: Audi, que loquor, et loquere, que precipio tibi! Non propter honorem tuum nec propter vituperium tuum, sed equanimiter et equaliter tene in animo tuo laudantem et vituperantem, vt nec propter vituperium mouearis ad iram nec propter laudem extollaris ad superbiam.
Nam ille dignus est honore, qui eternaliter est in se ipso et fuit et qui ex caritate creauit angelos et homines ad hoc solum, vt plures participarentur glorie eius.
Ego quippe nunc idem et ille sum in potencia et voluntate, qua tunc fui, quando filius meus carnem assumpsit.
In quo ego sum et fui et ipse in me et spiritus sanctus in ambobus, et licet mundo fuit occultum quod erat filius dei, tamen aliquibus quamuis paucis notum fuit.
Itaque scias, quod hec est iusticia dei, que numquam habuit inicium sicut nec ipse deus, quod prius angelis ostensa fuit lux, quam viderent deum. Qui non ideo ceciderunt, quod ignorabant legem et iusticiam dei, sed quia eam tenere et seruare noluerunt.
Illi quippe intelligebant, quod omnes diligentes deum viderent deum et manerent cum eo perpetuo, odientes vero deum punirentur eternaliter, numquam visuri eum in gloria sua.
Et tamen eorum cupiditas et ambicio elegit magis odire deum et locum, vbi punirentur, quam diligere, vt perpetue letarentur.
Similis eciam iusticia est de homine sicut de angelis fuit. Homo quippe prius tenetur diligere deum et postea videre. Propterea filius meus ex caritate nasci voluit post legem iusticie, vt ex humanitate visibilis esset, qui in deitate sua non poterat videri.
Liberum quoque arbitrium ita datum est hominibus sicut angelis, vt desiderent celestia et contemnant terrena.
Propterea ego deus visito multos multis modis, licet deitas mea non videtur, et in multis partibus terrarum ostendi multis personis, quomodo peccatum cuiuslibet terre emendari potuit et quomodo misericordia obtineri debuit, priusquam in eisdem partibus feci iudicium et iusticiam meam.
Sed homines ista non attendunt nec curant. Ista eciam iusticia est in deo, quod omnes, qui sunt super terram, primo sperent firmiter ea, que non vident, et credant ecclesie dei et sancto euangelio.
Deinde diligant eum super omnia, qui eis dedit omnia et se ipsum pro eis in mortem, vt omnes cum eo eternaliter letarentur.
Propterea ego ipse deus loquor hiis, quibus michi placet, vt sciatur, quomodo peccata emendari debeant et quomodo minuatur pena et corona augeatur.
Post hec autem vidi, quasi quod omnes celi essent vna domus, in qua sedebat in throno iudex, et domus plena erat seruitoribus laudantibus iudicem, vnusquisque voce sua. Subtus vero celum videbatur vnum regnum.
Et statim audita est vox omnibus audientibus dicens: Venite, inquit, vos ambo, angele scilicet et diabole, ad iudicium, tu scilicet angele qui custos es regis, et tu dyabole qui rector es regis.
Et statim prolato verbo assistebant angelus et dyabolus coram iudice. Angelus videbatur sicut homo turbatus, dyabolus vero sicut homo gaudens. Et tunc iudex dixit:
O angele, ego posui te custodem regi, quando ipse iniuit pactum mecum et fecit confessionem de omnibus peccatis, que commiserat a iuuentute sua, vt esses ei propinquior dyabolo. Quomodo igitur nunc elongatus es ab eo?
Respondit angelus: O iudex, ego sum ardens igne caritatis tue, qua et rex ad tempus calefactus fuit.
Sed quando rex abhominatus est et contempsit illa, que amici tui dixerunt sibi, et attediatus fuit facere illa, que tu consuluisti ei, tunc iuit rex sicut propria delectacio attraxit eum, et elongans se a me appropinquauit omnibus horis inimico.
Respondit dyabolus: O iudex, ego sum ipsum frigus et tu es ipse calor et ignis diuinus. Sicut ergo quilibet appropinquans tibi fit ardencior ad opera bona, sic rex appropinquans michi factus est frigidior ad caritatem tuam et calidior ad opera mea.
Respondit iudex: Persuasum fuit regi diligere deum super omnia et proximum sicut se ipsum. Cur ergo tu surripis hominem a me, quem ego redemi meo proprio sanguine, et facis eum nocere proximo suo, non solum ad bona temporalia sed eciam ad vitam?
Respondit dyabolus: O iudex, nunc meum est loqui et angeli est tacere. Nempe quando rex discessit a te et consiliis tuis et venit ad me, tunc ego consului ei diligere plus se ipsum quam proximum et quod non curaret commoda animarum, si haberet honorem mundi, nec attenderet, quis egeret vel fraudaretur, si amici sui abundarent.
Et tunc ait iudex ad dyabolum: Omnis, inquit, qui discedere voluerit a te, poterit quidem nec tu violenter aliquem retinere poteris. Ideo adhuc ego mittam regi aliquos amicorum meorum, qui eum de periculo suo incautabunt.
Respondit dyabolus: Iusticia est, quod omnis ille, qui obedire velit michi, regi debet per me, et ideo ego mittam eciam regi consiliarios meos, et videbitur, quibus consiliis magis acquiescet.
Tunc autem dixit iudex: Vade, quia iusticia mea est adiudicare carnifici, quod suum est, sicut et actori, quod ei debetur in causa sua.
Post aliquos autem annos iterum vidi iudicem christum cum exercitu suo celesti plus solito commotum et quasi iratum. Et dixit ad angelum et dyabolum: Dicite, inquit, quis vestrum vicit.
Respondit angelus: Quando ego veni ad regem cum diuinis inspiracionibus et amici tui cum verbis spiritualibus, statim nuncii dyaboli sibilauerunt in aures eius dicentes:
Numquid parcere vis bonis temporalibus et honori tuo aut animabus et corporibus ad hoc, vt amici tui, quos plus diligis quam te ipsum, prosperari et honorari possint? Quibus rex consenciens respondit infusionibus amicorum tuorum:
Satis, inquit, sum sufficiens et sapiens ad consilia eciam sine vobis. Discedite ergo a me cum rubore. Et sic rex vertens ad te occiput et faciem ad inimicum repulit a se amicos tuos dehonoratos et iniuriatos et ab amicis mundi derisos.
Tunc autem clamauit dyabolus: O iudex, ecce iam meum est regere regem et dare sibi consilia per amicos meos. Respondit iudex: Vade, et quantum tibi permittitur plaga regem, quia prouocauit me contra se ad indignacionem.
Duobus itaque annis post hec transactis apparuit iterum iudex, cui assistentibus angelo et dyabolo loquebatur dyabolus dicens: O iudex, iudica! Iam ego pronunciabo iusticiam. Tu quippe es vere ipsa caritas, ideo non pertinet ad te manere in corde illo, in quo radicata est inuidia atque ira.
Tu eciam es ipsa sapiencia, et ideo non debes esse in corde illius, qui desiderat nocere vite proximorum et bonis et honori. Tu quoque es ipsa veritas, et ideo non decet te morari cum homine illo, qui iureiurando promiserat facere prodiciones.
Ergo, quia iste rex expuit te sicut illud expuitur, quod abhominabile est, ideo permitte me commouere et opprimere eum, vt fiat totus exanimis, quia consilia mea reputat sapienciam et consilia tua pro derisu.
Desidero quippe tali mercede remunerare eum, quia fecit voluntatem meam, verumtamen nichil ei facere potero sine permissione tua.
Et ecce hiis auditis videbatur iudex quasi habere mutacionem mirabilem, et apparuit tunc fulgens quasi sol et in ipso sole videbantur tria verba, scilicet virtus, veritas et iusticia.
Virtus vero loquebatur dicens: Ego omnia creaui nullorum precedentibus meritis, et ideo dignus sum honorari a creatura mea et non contemni. Dignus eciam laude sum ab amicis meis propter caritatem meam.
Debeo eciam honorari et timeri ab inimicis, quia supporto eos pacienter sine meritis eorum, cum iudicium digne promeruissent. Et ideo, o dyabole, meum est iudicare omnes secundum iusticiam meam et non secundum maliciam tuam.
Loquebatur eciam veritas statim dicens: Ego in deitate mea assumpsi humanitatem de virgine, in qua humanitate loquebar et predicabam gentibus. Ego eciam misi spiritum sanctum apostolis et loquebar per linguas eorum sicut et quotidie, quibus michi placet, infusione spirituali loquor.
Ideo sciant amici mei, quod ego ipse, qui sum veritas, misi verba mea vni regi, que ipse contempsit. Ergo tu, dyabole, nunc asculta, quia ego loqui volo, vt sciatur, vtrum rex meis consiliis an tuis suasionibus obediuit.
Loquor autem omnia consilia dicto regi, nunc repetendo verbis paucioribus, que prius lacius explicaueram.
Itaque regi persuasum fuit cauere ab omnibus peccatis prohibitis ab ecclesia sancta et moderata habere ieiunia, vt audiret et responderet subditis suis conquerentibus et paratus esset facere iusticiam diuitibus et pauperibus petentibus, ne forte propter nimiam abstinenciam diminueretur bonum communitatis populorum regni et regimen reipublice aut propter excessum inordinatum fieret remissior ad dandum audienciam omnibus.
Item fuit persuasum regi, qualiter seruiret deo et oraret et quibus diebus et temporibus exoccuparet se ad vtilitatem communitatis regni sui.
Item persuasum fuit regi, quibus diebus portaret coronam regiam ad honorem dei et quod omnia consilia sua tractaret cum hominibus diligentibus veritatem et amicis dei, nec vnquam transgrederetur veritatem et legem sed nec communitati populorum regni sui imponeret aliqua grauamina insolita nisi pro defensione regni et impugnacione paganorum.
Item persuasum fuit regi habere numerum familiarium et seruiencium iuxta facultatem obuencionum et reddituum fiscalium regni sui, et quicquid superesset, diuideret cum militibus et amicis suis.
Item persuasum fuit regi, quod insolentes et insipientes ammoneret sapienter cum verbis et caritate et corriperet viriliter et quod diligeret prudentes et maturos in caritate diuina, inhabitantes in regno defenderet et dona sua cum discrecione donaret.
Et omnia illa, que spectant ad coronam, non diminueret nec alienaret, indigenas et extraneos iuste iudicaret, clerum amaret, miliciam sibi caritatiue associaret et communitatem populorum regni sui in pace confoueret.
His autem auditis respondit dyabolus iudici dicens: Et ego consului regi peccata quedam facere in occulto, que ipse non audebat in aperto agere.
Cui eciam persuasi diu et multas oraciones et psalmos legere sine attencione et deuocione cordis, vt sic inaniter prolongando et occupando tempus nullos conquerentes audiret nec aliquam iusticiam faceret iniuriam pacienti.
Persuasi quoque regi, vt ceteris bonis viris regni despectis vnum super omnes homines eleuaret et pre omnibus preficeret et eum plus quam se toto corde diligeret, eciam proprium filium odiret, communitatem populorum regni sui exaccionibus grauaret, homines interficeret et ecclesias spoliaret.
Item persuasi regi, vt dissimulando iusticiam permitteret vnumquemque nocere alteri, et vt cuidam magno principi alterius regni fratri meo adiurato alienando donaret terras pertinentes corone sue ad illum finem,
vt prodiciones et bella suscitarentur, boni et iusti tribularentur, mali ad infernum mergerentur profundius, purgandi in purgatorio affligerentur grauius, mulieres quoque violarentur, naues in mari depredarentur, sacramenta ecclesie contemnerentur et vt vita luxuriosa licencius continuaretur omnisque voluntas mea liberius perficeretur.
Itaque, o iudex, ex istis iam factis et per regem opere iam completis et pluribus aliis peccatis probari et sciri potest, vtrum rex tuis consiliis an meis obediuit.
Post hec autem loquebatur iusticia et respondendo dixit: Quia rex odiuit virtutem et contempsit veritatem, ideo iam pertinet ad te augere aliqua mala regi de malis tuis, et ego debeo secundum iusticiam diminuere illi aliqua bona de graciis sibi datis.
Respondit dyabolus: Ego, inquit, o iudex, augebo et multiplicabo regi dona mea, et primo immittam ei negligenciam, vt non attendat opera diuina in corde suo nec recogitet opera et exempla amicorum tuorum.
Respondit iusticia: Et ego, inquit, diminuam ei infusiones spiritus mei sancti et subtraham ei recordaciones et consolaciones priores, quas prius habuit, bonas.
Et tunc dyabolus: Ego, inquit, immittam ei audaciam cogitandi et operandi peccata mortalia et venialia absque rubore et verecundia. Tunc respondit iusticia: Ego diminuam ei racionem et discrecionem, ne discernat et discuciat retribuciones et iudicia mortalium et venialium peccatorum.
Et dixit dyabolus: Ego immittam ei timorem, ne audeat loqui vel facere iusticiam contra inimicos dei. Respondit iusticia: Ego diminuam ei prudenciam et scienciam agendorum, vt similior videatur fatuo et ioculatori in verbis et operibus suis quam homini sapienti.
Tunc dixit dyabolus: Ego apponam ei anxietates et tribulaciones cordis, eo quod non prosperabitur secundum voluntatem suam. Respondit iusticia: Ego, inquit, diminuam ei consolaciones spirituales, quas olim habuit in oracionibus et factis suis.
Dixit autem dyabolus: Ego apponam ei astuciam excogitare solertes adinuenciones, quibus circumueniat et decipiat eos, quorum desiderat perdicionem. Respondit iusticia: Ego diminuam ei tantum intellectum, quod non attendat proprium honorem et commodum suum.
Dyabolus dixit: Ego apponam ei talem mentis exultacionem, quod eciam de verecundia sua et damno et periculo anime sue gaudebit, dum tamen possit temporaliter prosperari secundum velle suum.
Respondit iusticia: Ego diminuam ei premeditacionem illam et consideracionem, quam sapientes habent in verbis et actibus suis. Tunc dixit dyabolus: Ego apponam ei audaciam femineam et timorem indecentem gestusque tales, quod similior videatur ribaldo quam regi coronato.
Respondit tunc iusticia: Tali, inquit, dignus est iudicio, qui se separat a deo. Nam debet contemni ab amicis suis et odiri a populo communitatis sue et ab inimicis dei deici, quia donis caritatis diuine tam spiritualibus quam corporalibus abusus est.
Iterum loquebatur veritas: Hec, inquit, que ostensa sunt, non sunt propter merita regis, cuius anima nondum iudicata est sed in extremo puncto vocacionis sue iudicanda erit.
Post ista dicta vidi, quod illa tria, scilicet virtus, veritas et iusticia, similia erant iudici, qui antea loquebatur, et tunc audiui vnam vocem quasi preconis sic dicentem:
O vos celi omnes cum planetis omnibus, date silencium, omnesque dyaboli, qui estis in tenebris, auscultate, et omnes vos alii, qui estis in obscuris, audite, quia summus imperator audire proponit iudicia super principes terrarum.
Et statim illa, que vidi, non erant corporalia sed spiritualia et oculi mei spirituales aperiebantur ad audiendum et videndum. Et tunc vidi abraham venire cum omnibus sanctis, qui de eius generacione nati sunt, omnesque patriarche venerunt et prophete.
Deinde vidi quatuor euangelistas, quorum forma similis erat quatuor animalibus, sicut in parietibus depinguntur in mundo. Qui tamen viuentes et non mortui apparebant. Post ista vidi sedes duodecim et in eis apostolos duodecim expectantes potestatem venientem.
Deinde veniebant adam et eua cum martiribus et confessoribus et omnibus aliis sanctis ab eis descendentibus. Humanitas vero christi nondum videbatur nec corpus benedicte matris eius, sed omnes expectabant, quod venirent.
Terra quoque et aqua videbantur eleuari vsque ad celos, et omnia que erant in eis humiliabant se et cum reuerencia incuruabant se potestati.
Post hec autem vidi vnum altare, quod erat in sede maiestatis, et calicem cum vino et aqua et panem in similitudine hostie oblate in altari. Et tunc vidi, qualiter in vna ecclesia in mundo quidam sacerdos inchoabat missam indutus vestibus sacerdotalibus.
Qui peractis omnibus pertinentibus ad missam cum peruenisset ad verba, quibus benediceret panem, videbam, quod quasi sol et luna et stelle cum planetis omnibus et omnes celi cum cursibus et motibus suis alternantibus vocibus cum dulcisona nota resonabant, omnisque cantus et modulacio audiebatur.
Innumerabilia quoque genera musicorum videbantur, quorum dulcissimum sonum sensu comprehendere impossibile est et effari. Illi vero, qui in luce erant, aspiciebant sacerdotem et inclinabant se potestati cum reuerencia et honore. Qui vero erant in tenebris, horrebant et timebant.
Prolatis igitur verbis dei a sacerdote super panem, videbatur michi, quod idem panis erat in sede maiestatis in tribus figuris, nichilominus manens in manu sacerdotis.
Et ipse panis fiebat agnus viuens et in agno apparebat facies vna hominis, et ardens flamma videbatur intra et extra agnum et faciem. Cumque diligenter intuitum meum figerem in aspiciendo faciem, videbam agnum in ea.
Aspiciens vero agnum videbam faciem ipsam in eo, et virgo coronata considebat agno et omnes angeli seruiebant eis, qui tante multitudinis erant sicut athomi in sole, et procedebat fulgor mirabilis de agno.
Tanta eciam erat multitudo sanctarum animarum, quantam intuitus meus aspicere non valebat in longitudine et latitudine et altitudine et profunditate. Quedam eciam loca vidi vacua, que ad honorem dei adhuc sunt implenda.
Et tunc audiui vocem de terra infinitorum milium clamancium et dicencium: O domine deus, iudex iuste, iudica super reges et principes nostros et attende effusionem sanguinis nostri et dolores et lacrimas vxorum et filiorum nostrorum.
Respice famem et pudorem nostrum, vulnera et captiuitates nostras incendiaque domorum et violencias et pudorem iuuencularum et mulierum.
Attende iniuriam ecclesiarum et tocius cleri et vide principum et regum fallaces promissiones et prodiciones et exacciones, quas cum iracundia et violencia extorquent, quia non curant, quot milia moriuntur, dum tamen ipsi possunt superbiam suam dilatare.
Deinde clamabant de inferno quasi infinita milia dicentes: O iudex, scimus, quod creator omnium es. Iudica igitur super dominos, quibus in terra seruiuimus, quia ipsi nos profundius in infernum dimerserunt.
Et licet cupimus tibi malum, tamen iusticia compellit nos conqueri et dicere veritatem. Ipsi quippe domini nostri terreni absque caritate dilexerunt nos, quia non plus curabant de animabus nostris quam de canibus.
Quibus dominis nostris indifferens fuit, vtrum dileximus te deum creatorem omnium an non, cupientes diligi et seruiri a nobis. Propterea indigni sunt celo, quia non curant de te, et digni sunt inferno, nisi eis succurrat gracia tua, quia nos perdiderunt.
Ideoque et adhuc grauiora pati vellemus, quam patimur, ne ipsorum pena finiretur.
Deinde qui erant in purgatorio per similitudines loquendo clamabant: O iudex, nos iudicati fuimus ad purgatorium propter contricionem et bonam voluntatem, quam habuimus in fine vite.
Et ideo conquerimur super dominos, qui adhuc viuunt in terra. Ipsi namque debuissent rexisse et admonuisse nos verbis et correpcionibus suis et docuisse nos consiliis salutaribus et exemplis.
Sed ipsi magis confortabant nos et prouocabant ad opera et peccata mala, et ideo propter eos pena nostra nunc est grauior et tempus pene longius est pudorque et tribulacio maior.
Deinde abraham cum patriarchis omnibus locutus est dicens: O domine, nos inter desiderabilia omnia desiderabamus, quod filius tuus nasceretur de progenie nostra, qui nunc a principibus terrarum contemptus est.
Ideoque iudicium petimus super eos, quia non attendunt misericordiam tuam nec iudicium tuum timent. Et tunc prophete locuti sunt dicentes:
Nos de aduentu filii dei prophetauimus et diximus, quod necesse erat eum pro liberacione populi nasci de virgine et perdicionem pati, captiuari et flagellari, coronari spinis et ad extremum mori in cruce, vt celum aperiatur et peccatum deleatur.
Ergo, quia iam completa sunt, que diximus, ideo petimus iudicium super principes terre, qui filium tuum contemnunt, qui ex caritate mortuus est pro eis.
Euangeliste quoque tunc loquebantur dicentes: Nos testes sumus, quod filius tuus omnia, que predicta fuerunt, in se ipso compleuit. Apostoli eciam loquebantur dicentes:
Nos iudices sumus. Ideo nostrum est secundum veritatem iudicare ideoque illos, qui corpus dei et precepta eius contemnunt, iudicamus ad perdicionem.
Post hec autem virgo considens agno dixit: O dulcissime domine, miserere eis! Cui iudex: Non est, inquit, iusticia tibi aliquid negare. Nam que desistunt a peccato et penitenciam condignam egerint, inuenient misericordiam et iudicium auertam ab eis.
Post hec vidi, quod facies illa, que videbatur in agno, loquebatur ad regem dicens: Ego magnam graciam feci tecum. Nam ostendi tibi voluntatem meam, quomodo tu gereres te in regimine tuo et quomodo te ipsum regeres honeste et prudenter.
Te eciam quasi mater verbis dulcibus caritatis alliciebam et quasi pius pater terrui te ammonicionibus. Sed tu obediens dyabolo proiecisti me a te sicut mater proiciens abortiuum, quem non dignatur tangere nec vbera imponere ori eius.
Et ideo omne bonum, quod tibi promissum est, auferetur a te et addetur cuidam postero tuo.
Post hec autem virgo, que sedebat cum agno, loquebatur ad me dicens: Ego indicare tibi volo, quomodo data est tibi intelligencia spiritualium visionum. Nam sancti dei diuersimode acceperunt spiritum sanctum.
Quidam enim eorum presciebant tempus, quo euenirent ea, que eis ostendebantur, sicut prophete. Alii sancti sciebant in spiritu illa, que personis ad se venientibus responderent, quando ab eis aliqua interrogabantur.
Alii vero sciebant, vtrum illi erant viui vel mortui, qui remote ab eis erant. Quidam eciam presciebant, qualem finem et exitum habere posset prelium aliquod, antequam in eo preliantes intrarent.
Sed tibi non est licitum scire alia nisi spiritualia audire et videre et illa, que vides, scribere et dicere illis personis, quibus tibi precipitur.
Nec licitum est tibi scire, vtrum illi viui vel mortui sunt, quibus tibi precipitur scribere vel vtrum obedient vel non consiliis scripture tue in visione spirituali pro eis diuinitus tibi datis.
Sed licet iste rex contempserit verba mea, veniet vtique alius, qui recepturus est ea cum reuerencia et honore, et fruiturus est eis ad salutem suam.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Hab.2.20 — But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
- ↩Luke.10.24 — For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and they did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and they did not hear it.
- ↩1Cor.12.4 — Now there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'incautabunt' is a rare form here, functioning as 'to make aware of' or 'to warn against' a lack of caution or danger.
- 2 ↩The Latin 'exanimis' can mean 'lifeless' or 'terrified/drained of spirit'; 'lifeless' captures the sense of total defeat and spiritual emptiness intended here.
- 3 ↩The Latin 'adiurato' here implies a bond of oath or conspiracy, rendered as 'sworn brother' to capture the sense of a collusive, illicit alliance.
- 4 ↩The term 'Body of God' (corpus dei) in this context refers to the Eucharist, maintaining the sacramental gravity required by the register.
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