Here biginneth the prolog
A Charge to the Reader
The author invokes the Trinity and then charges the reader to restrict the book to those fully committed to the contemplative life.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I charge and beg you, with all the force that the bond of charity can bear—whoever you are who will have this book in your possession, whether you own it, keep it, carry it as a messenger, or borrow it—that, as far as it depends on your will and deliberate choice, you neither read it, write it, speak it, nor allow it to be read, written, or spoken of by anyone or to anyone, unless it is by or to someone who has (in your judgment), with a true will and a whole intent, set himself to be a perfect follower of Christ—not only in the active life, but in the highest point of contemplative living that is possible by grace for a perfect soul still abiding in this mortal body to reach in this present life—and who, moreover, does all that is in him, and (in your judgment) has done so for a long time already, to fit himself for contemplative living by the virtuous means of the active life. For otherwise it isn't suited to him at all.
Read with Care
The author urges that the book be read in its entirety to avoid misunderstanding and error.
And beyond this, I charge you and I beg you, by the authority of charity, that if any such person is going to read it, write it, or speak it, or else hear it read or spoken, you charge them, as I do you, to take the time to read it, speak it, write it, or hear it all the way through. For perhaps there is some matter in it, in the beginning or in the middle, that is left hanging and not fully explained where it stands; and if it isn't there, it comes soon after, or else at the end.1 So if someone saw one matter and not another, perhaps they might easily be led into error.2 And therefore, to avoid this error both in yourself and in everyone else, I ask you for charity's sake to do as I tell you.
Who Should Not Meddle
The author explicitly excludes gossipers and the overly curious, while allowing that some active souls may occasionally benefit.
Fleshly chatterers, open praisers and blamers of themselves or of anyone else, gossip-mongers, whisperers and tale-tellers, and every kind of fault-finder—I never meant for them to see this book.3 For my intention was never to write such a thing for them. And therefore I'd rather they not meddle with it—neither they nor any of these over-curious men, whether lettered or unlettered.4 Yes, even though they may be very good people living the active life, this matter still doesn't suit them at all—except for those who, though they stand in the active life by their outward form of living, are nevertheless by an inward stirring according to the secret Spirit of God, whose judgments are hidden, most graciously disposed—not continually, as is proper to true contemplatives, but now and then—to share in the highest point of this contemplative act. If such people could see it, they would by God's grace be greatly comforted by it.5
The Book's Structure and a Final Exhortation
The author notes the book's seventy-five chapters, points to the final chapter on discerning one's calling, and closes with a prayerful exhortation and amen.
This book is divided into seventy-five chapters. Of these chapters, the very last one teaches some definite signs by which a soul may truly prove whether he is called by God to be a worker in this work or not.6 Spiritual friend in God, I ask you and beg you to pay close attention to the course and manner of your calling. And thank God wholeheartedly, so that through the help of His grace you may stand firm against all the subtle assaults of your bodily and spiritual enemies, and win the crown of life that lasts forever. Amen.
Read the original Middle English
In the name of the Fader and of the Sone and of the Holy Goost.
I charge thee and I beseche thee, with as moche power and vertewe as the bonde of charité is sufficient to suffre, whatsoever thou be that this book schalt have in possession, outher bi propirté outher by keping, by bering as messenger or elles bi borowing, that in as moche as in thee is by wille and avisement, neither thou rede it, ne write it, ne speke it, ne yit suffre it be red, wretyn, or spokyn, of any or to any, bot yif it be of soche one or to soche one that hath (bi thi supposing) in a trewe wille and by an hole entent, purposed him to be a parfite folower of Criste, not only in actyve leving, bot in the sovereinnest pointe of contemplatif leving the whiche is possible by grace for to be comen to in this present liif of a parfite soule yit abiding in this deedly body; and therto that doth that in him is, and bi thi supposing, hath do longe tyme before, for to able him to contemplative levyng by the vertuous menes of active levyng. For elles it acordeth nothing to him.
And, over this, I charge thee and I beseche thee, bi the autorité of charité, that yif any soche schal rede it, write it, or speke it, or elles here it be red or spokin, that thou charge hem, as I do thee, for to take hem tyme to rede it, speke it, write it, or here it, al over. For, paraventure, ther is som mater therin, in the beginnyng or in the middel, the whiche is hanging and not fully declared ther it stondeth; and yif it be not there, it is sone after, or elles in the ende. Wherfore, yif a man saw o mater and not another, paraventure he might lightly be led into errour. And therfore, in eschewing of this errour bothe in thiself and in alle other, I preye thee par charité do as I sey thee.
Fleschely janglers, opyn preisers and blamers of hemself or of any other, tithing tellers, rouners and tutilers of tales, and alle maner of pinchers, kept I never that thei sawe this book. For myn entent was never to write soche thing unto hem. And therfore I wolde that thei medel not therwith, neither thei ne any of thees corious lettred or lewed men. Ye, though al that thei be ful good men of active levyng, yit this mater acordeth nothing to hem; but yif it be to thoo men the whiche, though al thei stonde in actyveté bi outward forme of levyng, nevertheles yit bi inward stering after the privé sperit of God, Whos domes ben hid, thei ben ful graciously disposid, not contynowely as it is propre to verrey contemplatyves, bot than and than to be parceners in the hieghst pointe of this contemplative acte: yif soche men might se it, thei schuld by the grace of God be greetly counforted therby.
This book is distingwid in seventy chapitres and five. Of the whiche chapitres, the last chapitres of alle techeth som certeyn tokens by the whiche a soule may verrely preve whether he be clepid of God to be a worcher in this werk or none.
Goostly freende in God, I preie thee and I beseche thee that thou wilt have a besi beholding to the cours and the maner of thi cleeping. And thank God hertely, so that thou maist thorow help of His grace stonde stifly agens alle the sotil assailinges of thi bodily and goostly enemyes, and winne to the coroun of liif that evermore lasteth. Amen.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME 'hanging' rendered as 'left hanging' (incomplete / not yet resolved), which fits 'not fully declared ther it stondeth'.
- 2 ↩ME 'lightly' here means 'easily / readily,' not 'frivolously.'
- 3 ↩ME "pinchers" = fault-finders/carpers; "tithing tellers" = tidings-tellers (gossip-mongers); "rouners and tutilers" = whisperers and tattlers.
- 4 ↩ME "corious" = over-curious/inquisitive, not merely interested; "lewed" = unlettered/lay, not sexually lewd.
- 5 ↩ME "active levyng" / "actyveté" names the active life as opposed to the contemplative; "parceners" = partakers/sharers; "than and than" = now and then.
- 6 ↩Source has plural 'chapitres' with singular verb 'techeth'; rendered as 'the last of all' (i.e., the final chapter). 'Tokens' rendered as 'signs' (marks by which vocation may be tested).
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