The first chapitre. Of foure degrees of Cristen mens leving; and of the cours of his cleping that this book was maad unto.
The Four Degrees of Christian Living
The author introduces four degrees of Christian living—Common, Special, Singular, and Perfect—and notes that the first three can be completed in this life while the fourth begins here and continues eternally in heaven.
Spiritual friend in God, you should understand that in my rough assessment, I find four degrees and forms of Christian living: Common, Special, Singular, and Perfect.1 Three of these can be begun and completed in this life; the fourth may by grace be begun here, but it will last forever in the bliss of heaven. And just as you see them ordered here—first Common, then Special, next Singular, and finally Perfect—it seems to me that in the same order and along the same path, our Lord has in His great mercy called you and led you to Himself through the desire of your heart.
The Author's Call Through the Degrees
The author traces how God's love has drawn the reader from the common degree of life through the special and singular degrees, and now invites them to step toward the perfect degree.
First of all, you know well that when you were living the ordinary Christian life among your worldly friends, it seems to me that the everlasting love of His Godhead — through which He made you and fashioned you when you were nothing, and afterward bought you with the price of His precious blood when you were lost in Adam — couldn't bear for you to be so far from Him in the form and degree of your living.✦ And therefore He kindled your desire most graciously, and by it fastened a leash of longing, and led you by it into a more special state and form of living, to be a servant among His special servants — where you might learn to live more specially and more spiritually in His service than you did, or could do, in the ordinary degree of living before.2 And what more? Yet it seems He wouldn't leave you there so lightly, for the love of His heart, which He has always had for you ever since you came to be.3 But what did He do? Don't you see how gladly and how graciously He has pulled you to the third degree and manner of living, which is called Singular?4 In that solitary form and manner of living you may learn to lift the foot of your love and step toward that state and degree of living that is Perfect — the last state of all.
Read the original Middle English
Goostly freende in God, thou schalt wel understonde that I fynde, in my boistous beholdyng, foure degrees and fourmes of Cristen mens levyng; and ben theese: Comoun, Special, Singuler, and Parfite. Thre of theese mow be bigonnen and eendid in this liif; and the ferthe may bi grace be bigonnen here, bot it schal ever laste withouten eende in the blis of heven. And right as thou seest how thei ben set here in ordre, ilch one after other, first Comoun, than Special, after Syngulere, and last Parfite: right so me thinketh that, in the same ordre and in the same cours, oure Lorde hath of His grete mercy clepid thee and ledde thee unto Him bi the desire of thin herte.
For first thou wote wel that when thou were levyng in the comoun degree of Cristen mens levyng in companie of thi wordely freendes, it semeth to me that the everlasting love of His Godheed, thorow the whiche He mad thee and wrought thee when thou were nought, and sithen bought thee with the prise of His precious blood when thou were loste in Adam, might not suffre thee be so fer fro Him in forme and degree of levyng. And therfore He kyndelid thi desire ful graciously, and fastnid bi it a lyame of longing, and led thee by it into a more special state and forme of levyng, to be a servaunt of the special servauntes of His; where thou mightest lerne to live more specialy and more goostly in His servise than thou dedist, or mightest do, in the comoun degree of levyng bifore. And what more? Yit it semeth that He wolde not leve thee thus lightly, for love of His herte, the whiche He hath evermore had unto thee sith thou were oughtes. Bot what did He? Seest thou nought how lystly and how graciously He hath pulled thee to the thrid degré and maner of leving, the whiche hight Singuleer? In the whiche solitari forme and maner of levyng thou maist lerne to lift up the fote of thi love and step towardes that state and degré of levyng that is Parfite, and the laste state of alle.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Pet.1.18-1Pet.1.19 — knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things—silver or gold—from your futile way of life handed down from your fathers, 1Pet.1.19 — but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot
Notes
- 1 ↩ME boistous beholdyng: humble self-description of the author's rough, unskilled, or simple contemplation—not noisy or violent.
- 2 ↩Middle English lyame means a hunting leash or tether; the image is of desire as a cord by which God leads the soul. Rendered here as "leash of longing."
- 3 ↩Contrasts with earlier nought: since you became something / came into being, as opposed to when you were nothing.
- 4 ↩From ME list (pleasure, will): gladly, willingly, eagerly — not "listlessly."
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