That the hoole of ymaginacion nedeth to be stopped, als wel as the wyndowes of the
The Secret Holes of Imagination
Even when the bodily senses are enclosed, the soul remains vulnerable to worldly vanities through the secret, unchecked activity of the imagination.
senses.1 But now you claim that you do so. You say you have no worldly possessions, that you neither listen to them nor use your bodily senses beyond what is necessary, and that for this reason you are enclosed.2 As to this I say: If you do this, then you have stopped a great window of this image.3 But you still aren't secure, because you haven't blocked the secret holes of this image in your heart.4 For though you do not see me with your bodily eye, you may see me with your soul by imagination; and so you may do with all other bodily things. So if your soul is willfully fed by imagining the vanities of the world, desiring worldly things for willful comfort and delight, then truly, though your soul is within as far as your bodily senses go, it is nonetheless very far outside through such vain imagination.5
The True Measure of Sin
For the soul truly seeking God, the measure of sin is not merely legalistic classification, but anything that hinders the soul's movement toward divine love.
But now you ask whether it is any great sin for a soul to occupy itself with such vanities, either in the senses or in the imagination. As for this, I would want you never to ask anyone this question, for anyone who loves God, or truly wants to love him, does not ask whether this is a greater sin.6 For it will seem to him that whatever holds him back from the love of God is a great sin, and he will count nothing as sin except what is not good and holds him back from the love of God.7 What is sin but a lacking of God and a turning away from him?8 I'm not saying it will be as painful to him as a mortal sin or a venial sin should be; I'm only saying that he should know mortal sin from venial.9
Read the original Latin
wittes.
But now seist thou, that thou doost soo. Thu seist thou hast no wordeli thinges, ne heerist, ne hast noon use of the bodili wittes more thanne nede asketh, and forthi thou art enclosid. As to this I seie: Yif thou doo thus, thanne hast thou stopped a grete wyndowe of this image. But yit art thou not siker, for thou hast not stopped the privey hoolis of this image in thyn herte. For though thou see not me with thi bodili iye, thou may see me with thi soule bi imaginacioun; and so mai thou doo of alle othere bodili thinges. Than yif thi soule be feed wilfulli bi imagynynge in vanitees of the world, in desirynge of wordeli thynge for a wilful comfort and delite, sothli though thi soule be withinne as for thi bodili wittes it is neverthelees ful feer withoute bi sich veyn ymaginacion.
But now askist thou for it be ony gret synne, a soule for to occupie him in sich vanytees, eithir in wittis or in ymagynynge. As unto this I wolde thou schuldest nevere aske no man this questioun, for he that loveth God or wole love soothfastli, he askith not whethir this is gretter synne. For him schal thenke what thynge letteth hym fro the love of God is gret synne, and hym schal thenke no synne but that thynge that is not good and letteth him fro the love of God. What is synne but a wantynge and a forberynge of God? I seie not that it schal be peynful to hym as a deedli synne or a venial schulde be, ne I seie not but that hee knowe deedli from a venyal.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME wittes here completes the chapter title’s ‘wyndowes of the wittes’: the bodily senses/faculties of perception, not mere cleverness. Rendered ‘senses’ for contemporary clarity; Hilton’s later ‘bodili wittes’ supports the same sense.
- 2 ↩enclosid: technical term for religious enclosure (anchoress/cloistered life), not mere physical confinement.
- 3 ↩image: Hilton's image of sin (the deformed image of the soul); 'window' is the sensory opening by which worldly things enter that image.
- 4 ↩privey hoolis: the hidden openings of imagination in the heart, contrasted with the outer 'windows' of the bodily senses (cf. chapter title on stopping the hole of imagination).
- 5 ↩wilfulli / wilful: deliberate, voluntary attachment, not merely 'stubborn'; the soul chooses to feed on worldly fantasies for comfort.
- 6 ↩ME 'gretter' is comparative ('greater'); the force is casuistic ranking of sins, which the true lover of God refuses to pursue.
- 7 ↩ME impersonal 'him schal thenke' = 'it shall seem to him' / 'he shall think'; 'letteth fro' = hinders/holds back from (not 'allows').
- 8 ↩ME 'wantynge' = privation/lack; 'forberynge' = forbearing/forsaking/holding back from. Rendered as lacking and turning away to preserve the privation-and-aversion sense of sin.
- 9 ↩ME 'deedli' = deadly/mortal sin (kept as 'mortal' for the standard contemporary pair with 'venial'). 'ne I seie not but that' = 'I do not say other than that' / 'I only say that'.
Scala Perfectionis (The Scale of Perfection) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
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