The fourtene chapitre. That withoute inparfite meeknes coming before, it is inpossible a sinner to come to the parfite vertewe of meeknes in this liif.
The Path of Self-Knowledge
True self-knowledge, though imperfect humility, is the essential foundation for attaining perfect humility and a knowable experience of God.
For even though I call it imperfect humility, still I'd rather have a true knowing and feeling of myself as I am, and I believe that by itself it would sooner bring me the perfect cause and virtue of humility than all the saints and angels in heaven, and all the men and women of Holy Church living on earth — religious or secular, of every rank — would if they were all set together at once to do nothing else but pray to God for me to get perfect humility. Yes, and yet it's impossible for a sinner to get the perfect virtue of humility — or to keep it once it's gotten — without it.1 And so, toil and sweat with everything you can and may, to gain a true knowing and feeling of yourself as you are. And then I believe that soon afterward you'll have a true knowing and feeling of God as He is — not as He is in Himself, for no one can do that but Himself, nor yet as you will in bliss with both body and soul together, but as far as He can be known, and as He is pleased to be known and felt by a meek soul living in this mortal body.2
The Pursuit of Perfect Humility
The author clarifies that both imperfect and perfect humility are needed, warns against mistaking one for the other, and urges the reader to labor at perfect humility through the secret love of the cloud of unknowing.
And don't think that because I've set out two kinds of humility—one perfect and another imperfect—I therefore want you to stop working on imperfect humility and focus entirely on gaining the perfect. No, surely not—I believe you'd never bring it about that way. But this is why I do what I do: because I want to tell you and show you the worth of this spiritual exercise above all other exercises, bodily or spiritual, that anyone can do by grace—how a secret love, set in purity of spirit upon this dark cloud of unknowing between you and your God, subtly and perfectly contains within itself the perfect virtue of humility, without any particular or clear view of anything under God; and because I want you to know what perfect humility is, and set it as a goal for your heart's love, and practice it for yourself and for me; and because through this knowledge I want to make you more humble. For it often happens that lack of knowledge is the cause of much pride, as it seems to me. For perhaps, if you didn't know what perfect humility was, you would suppose, when you had a little knowledge and feeling of what I call imperfect humility, that you had nearly attained perfect humility; and so you would deceive yourself, and think you were fully humble when you were completely wrapped up in foul, stinking pride. And therefore strive to work at perfect humility; for its nature is such that whoever has it, and for as long as he has it, will not sin—nor much even afterward.
Read the original Middle English
For thof al I clepe it inparfite meeknes, yit I had lever have a trewe knowyng and a felyng of myself as I am, and sonner I trowe that it schuld gete me the parfite cause and vertewe of meeknes bi itself, then it scholde and alle the seintes and aungelles in heven, and alle the men and wommen of Holy Chirche levyng in erthe, religious or seculers in alle degrees, weren set at ones alle togeders to do not elles bot to prey to God for me to gete me parfite meeknes. Ye, and yit it is inpossible a sinner to gete, or to kepe when it is getyn, the parfite vertewe of meeknes withouten it.
And therfore swink and swete in al that thou canst and mayst, for to gete thee a trewe knowyng and a feling of thiself as thou arte. And than I trowe that sone after that thou schalt have a trewe knowyng and a felyng of God as He is; not as He is in Hymself, for that may no man do bot Himself, ne yit as thou schalt do in blisse bothe body and soule togeders; bot as He is possible, and as He vouchethsaaf to be knowen and felid of a meek soule levyng in this deedly body.
And think not for I sette two causes of meeknes, one parfite and another inparfite, that I wil therfore that thou leve the traveile aboute inparfite meeknes and set the holy to gete the parfite. Nay, sekirly, I trow thou schuldest never bryng it so aboute. Bot herfore I do that I do; for I think to telle thee and late thee see the worthines of this goostly excersise before al other excercise, bodili or goostly, that man kan or may do bi grace; how that a prevé love put in clennes of spirite upon this derk cloude of unknowyng bitwix thee and thi God sotely and parfitely conteneth in it the parfite vertewe of meeknes, withouten any special or clere beholding of any thing under God; and for I wolde that thou knewest whiche were parfite meeknes, and settist it as a token before the love of thin herte, and dedist it for thee and for me; and for I wolde bi this knowyng make thee more meek.
For oftymes it befalleth that lackyng of knowyng is cause of moche pride, as me thinketh. For paraventure, and thou knewest not whiche were parfite meeknes, thou schuldest wene, when thou haddest a lityl knowyng and a felyng of this that I clepe inparfite meeknes, that thou haddest nighhond getyn parfite meeknes; and so schuldest thou deceyve thiself, and wene that thou were ful meek, whan thou were al belappid in foule stinkyng pride. And therfore fonde for to travaile aboute parfite meeknes; for the condicion of it is soche, that whoso hath it and the whiles he hath it, he schal not sinne, ne yit mochel after.
Notes
- 1 ↩"it" / "withouten it" points back to imperfect humility as true knowing and feeling of oneself (s1), not to perfect humility.
- 2 ↩ME 'as He is possible' rendered as 'as far as He can be known' (creaturely capacity in this life), parallel to what God vouchsafes to a meek soul in a mortal body — not the divine essence in itself, nor the beatific knowing of body and soul in bliss.
The Cloud of Unknowing 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.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent