The teenthe chapitre. How a man schal knowe when his thoght is no sinne; and, yif it be synne, when it is deedly and when it is venial.
From Sudden Thought to Mortal Sin
Explains how a bare, sudden thought is no sin, but if it lingers with liking or grudging it becomes venial, and with full consent of the will it becomes mortal.
But that's not the case with the thought of any person alive in this life, or of any physical or worldly thing, whatever it is. For a bare, sudden thought of any of them, pressing against your will and awareness, though it is not charged to you as sin — for it is the pain of original sin pressing against your power, from which sin you were cleansed in your baptism — nevertheless, if this sudden stirring or thought is not struck down at once, then because of frailty your fleshly heart is immediately drawn to it, with some kind of liking if it is something that pleases you or has pleased you before, or else with some kind of grudging if it is something you feel grieves you or has grieved you before.1 That fastening, though it may be mortal in people who live according to the flesh and are already in mortal sin, is nevertheless only a venial sin in you, and in all others who have with a true will forsaken the world: such a liking or grudging fastening in the fleshly heart. The cause of this is the grounding and rooting of your intent in God, made at the beginning of your life in the state you now are in. But if it happens that this liking or grudging fastening in your fleshly heart and in theirs is allowed to remain so long unreproved that at last it is fastened to the spiritual heart — that is, the will — with full consent, then it is mortal sin.
The Seven Deadly Sins
Describes how willful dwelling on thoughts leads to wrath, envy, sloth, pride, covetousness, gluttony, and lechery, each constituting mortal sin.
And this happens when you, or anyone I'm talking about, willfully call to mind any man or woman living in this life, or any physical or worldly thing either; so much so that if it's something that grieves you or has grieved you before, there stirs up in you a bitter passion and a thirst for vengeance, which is called Wrath; or else a cruel disdain and a kind of loathing for that person, along with spiteful and reproachful thoughts, which is called Envy; or else a weariness and reluctance toward any good activity, whether physical or spiritual, which is called Sloth.2 And if it's something that pleases you, or has pleased you before, you feel an intense delight in thinking about that thing, whatever it may be, so much so that you dwell on that thought, and finally fix your heart and will on it, and feed your fleshly heart with it, so that for the moment it seems to you that you desire no other good but only to live forever in such peace and rest with the thing you're thinking about.3 If this thought that you thus bring upon yourself, or else receive when it's offered to you, and that you rest in like this with delight, concerns worth of nature or of knowledge, of grace or of rank, of favor or of beauty, then it is Pride.4 And if it's any kind of worldly goods, riches or property, or anything a person may own or be master of, then it is Covetousness.5 If it's delicate foods and drinks, or any kind of pleasures a person can taste, then it is Gluttony. And if it's love or pleasure, or any kind of physical dalliance, coaxing or flattering of any man or woman living in this life, or of yourself as well, then it is Lechery.6
Read the original Middle English
But it is not thus of the mynde of any man or womman levyng in this liif, or of any bodili or wordly thing, whatsoever that it be. For whi a nakyd sodein thought of any of hem presing agens thi wile and thi wetyng, thof al it be no sinne arettid unto thee -- for it is the pyne of the original sinne presing agens thi power, of the whiche sinne thou arte clensid in thi baptyme -- nevertheles yit, yif this sodein steryng or thought be not smetyn sone doun, as fast for freelté thi fleschly herte is streynid therby, with sum maner of likyng yif it be a thing that pleseth thee or hath plesid thee bifore, or elles with sum maner of gruching yif it be a thing that thee think greveth thee or hath greved thee before. The whiche fastning, thof al it may be in fleschly levyng men and wommen that ben in deedly sinne before, deedly, nevertheles in thee, and in alle other that han in a trewe wile forsaken the woreld, soche a likyng or a gruching fastnyng in the flescheli herte is bot venial synne. The cause of this is the grounding and the rotyng of youre entent in God, maad in the biginnyng of youre levyng in that state that ye stonde in. Bot yif it so be that this likyng or gruching fastnyng in thi fleschly herte and theires be suffred so longe to abide unreproved, that than at the last it is fastnid to the goostly herte (that is to sey the wile) with a ful consent: than it is deedly synne.
And this befalleth when thow, or any of hem that I speke of, wilfuly drawen apon yow the mynde of any man or womman levyng in this liif, or of any bodily or wordely thing outher; insomoche that yif it be a thing the whiche greveth or hath grevid thee before, ther riseth in thee a teenful passion and an appetite of vengaunce, the whiche is clepid Wrath; or elles a fel dedein and a maner of wlatsomnes of theire persone with dispitous and reprovyng thoughtes, the whiche is clepid Envye; or elles a werines and an unlistines of any good ocupacion, bodily or goostly, the whiche is clepid Slewth. And yif it be a thing that plesith thee, or hath plesid thee before, ther riseth in thee a passaunt delite for to think on that thing whatso it be, insomochel that thou restest thee in that thought, and finaly fastnist thin herte and thi wille therto, and fedest thi fleschely herte therwith, so that thee think for the tyme that thou coveitest none other welthe, bot to live ever in soche a pees and rest with that thing that thou thinkest apon. Yif this thought that thou thus drawest apon thee, or elles resceyvest when it is put unto thee, and that thou restest thee thus in with delite, be worthines of kynde or of knowyng, of grace or of degree, of favour or of faireheed, than it is Pride. And yif it be any maner of worldy good, riches or catel, or what that man may have or be lorde of, then it is Covetyse. Yif it be deinteuous metes and drinkes, or any maner of delites that man may taast, then it is Glotenie. And yif it be love or plesaunce, or any maner of fleschly daliaunce, glosing or flateryng of any man or womman levyng in this liif, or of thiself outher, than it is Lecherye.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME 'pyne of the original sinne' rendered as 'pain of original sin' (residual affliction/penalty pressing after baptismal cleansing, not guilt newly imputed).
- 2 ↩teenful rendered as bitter (grievous/vexed); wlatsomnes as loathing; unlistines as unwillingness (lack of inclination).
- 3 ↩passaunt delite rendered as intense delight (ME passant can mean surpassing/extreme; 'passing/fleeting' would undercut the fastening of will that follows). welthe rendered as good (weal/well-being), not merely material wealth.
- 4 ↩kynde rendered as nature (natural endowment/kind); degree as rank; faireheed as beauty.
- 5 ↩catel rendered as property (chattels/goods).
- 6 ↩glosing rendered as coaxing (cajoling/flattering speech); Lechery kept as the capital-sin name parallel to Wrath, Envy, Sloth, Pride, Covetousness, and Gluttony.
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A daily portion of stillness
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