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Chapter 18ScalePerfB1.1.18

Whi meke men schal worschip othere, and lowe hemself in her owen herte undir alle

Whi meke men schal worschip othere, and lowe hemself in her owen herte undir alle

Others.1 And therefore you should honor everyone, set them in your heart entirely above yourself as your superiors, and cast yourself down under their feet, so that you are the vilest and lowest in your own sight.2 For there is no fear or danger for you, however much you lower yourself beneath everyone else, even if in God's sight you had more grace than another. But it is dangerous to raise yourself up and willfully lift your thoughts above anyone else, even if that person were the most wretched or sinful creature on earth.3 For our Lord says: Whoever humbles himself will be exalted, and whoever exalts himself will be humbled (Luke 14:11).✦ Whoever raises himself will be brought low, and whoever lowers himself will be raised up. You need this kind of humility at the start; through it and through grace, you will reach the fullness of it and of all other virtues. For whoever has one virtue has them all. The measure of your humility is the measure of your charity, your patience, and your other virtues, even if they aren't all displayed outwardly.4 Be diligent in acquiring and keeping humility, for it is the first and the last of all virtues. It is the first because it is the foundation; as Saint Augustine says, if you intend to build a high house of virtues, you must first lay a deep foundation of humility. And it is also the last, for it is what saves and keeps all the virtues, as Saint Gregory says: Anyone who gathers virtues without humility is like someone who grinds and carries powdered spices in the wind.5 No matter how many good deeds you do—whether you fast, keep vigil, or undertake any other good work—if you lack humility, your efforts amount to nothing.6

Read the original Latin

othere.

And therfore thou schalt worschipe alle, and sette hem in thyn herte al above thee as thi sovereynes, and caste thee doun undir her feet, that thou be vileste and lowest in thyn owen sight. For it is no drede ne peril to thee, how mykil thou may lowe thiself binethe alle othere, though it were so that in Goddis sight thou hadde more grace than anothir. But it is peril to thee for to highe thee and lifte thisilf in thi thought wilfulli above ony othir man, though he were the mooste wrecche or the most synful caytif that is in erthe. For oure Lord seith: Qui se humiliat exaltabitur, et qui se exaltat humiliabitur (Luke 14:11). Whoso higheth hymsilf, he schal be lowed, and whoso loweth himsilf, he schal be highed. This partie of mekenesse thee bihoveth for to have in thi bigynnynge, and bi this and bi grace schalt thou come to the fulhede of it and of alle othere vertues. For whoso hath oon vertu, hath alle. As mykil as thu hast of mekenesse, so mykil haste thou of charité, of pacience, and of othere vertues, though thei be not alle schewid outward.

Be thanne besi for to gete mekenesse and for to holde it; for it is the first and the laste of alle vertues. It is the firste, for it is the ground, as Seynt Austyn seith: Yif thu thynke to bigge an high hous of vertues, ordeyne thee firste a deep grounde of meknes. And also it is laste, for it is savynge and kepynge of alle vertues, as Seynt Gregor seith: He that gadreth vertues withouten mekenesse, he is like to hym that maketh and berith poudre of spicerie in the wynde. Doo thou nevere so many good dedis, fast thou or wake thou, or ony good dede that thu doo, yif thu have no mekenesse it is nought that thou doost.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Luke.14.11 — For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Source unit is only the single Middle English word othere ('others' / 'other people'), with terminal punctuation and no surrounding clause in this section payload.
  2. 2 ↩ME worschipe here means revere/honor persons, not divine worship; sovereynes = superiors in rank or worth as judged in the heart.
  3. 3 ↩caytif (caitiff) = miserable/wretched person; rendered 'creature' to avoid archaic diction while keeping the force of utter lowliness.
  4. 4 ↩charité rendered as charity in the theological-virtue sense, coordinated with patience and other virtues.
  5. 5 ↩savynge and kepynge: humility as both the preservation and the safeguard of the other virtues, not merely their storage.
  6. 6 ↩wake: ME vigil/watch in prayer (not merely staying awake); rendered as 'keep vigil'.

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