The five and thritty chapitre. Of three menes in the whiche a contemplatiif prentise schuld be ocupied: in reding, thinkyng, and preiing.
The Three Means of the Contemplative Apprentice
The author introduces the three essential means for a contemplative apprentice—reading, thinking, and praying—and explains that they are so joined that for beginners and those making progress, thinking cannot be gained without reading or hearing, nor prayer without thinking.
Nevertheless, there are means in which a contemplative apprentice should be occupied, and they are these: Lesson, Meditation, and Orison. Or else, as you may understand them, they can be called Reading, Thinking, and Praying. Of these three you'll find writing in another book by another man, far better than I can tell you; and therefore there's no need here to tell you about their qualities. But this I can tell you: these three are so joined together that for beginners and those making progress — but not for those who are perfect, yes, as far as that can be here — thinking can't properly be gained without reading or hearing coming first. Reading and hearing are one and the same in manner; the learned read from books, and unlearned people read from the clergy when they hear them preach the word of God. Nor can prayer properly be gained in beginners and those making progress without thinking coming first. See it by the proof in this same course of argument.
The Mirror of God's Word
God's word is likened to a mirror that reveals the foul spot of sin in the conscience, which the soul cannot see without reading or hearing that word.
God's word, whether written or spoken, is like a mirror. Spiritually, the eye of your soul is your reason; your conscience is your spiritual face. And just as you can see that if there's a foul spot on your physical face, the eye of that same face can't see the spot or know where it is without a mirror or instruction from someone else—so it is spiritually. Without reading or hearing God's word, it's impossible—as far as human understanding goes—for a soul blinded by the habit of sin to see the foul spot in his conscience.1
From Mirror to Washing: Reading, Thinking, and Prayer
Having seen the spot of sin in the mirror of God's word, the soul runs to the well—Holy Church and confession for particular sins, or merciful God and prayer for the blind root of sin—demonstrating that thinking follows reading and prayer follows thinking.
And so, following from that: when a person sees in a bodily or spiritual mirror, or learns from someone else's teaching, where the foul spot is on his face — whether bodily or spiritual — then for the first time, and not before, he runs to the well to wash himself.2 If this spot is any particular sin, then this well is Holy Church, and this water is confession, with its circumstances.3 If it is only a blind root and a stirring of sin, then this well is merciful God, and this water is prayer, with its circumstances.4 And so you can see that no thinking can properly be gained by beginners and those making progress without reading or hearing coming first, nor praying without thinking.
Read the original Middle English
Nevertheles menes ther ben in the whiche a contemplatiif prentys schuld be ocupyed, the whiche ben theese: Lesson, Meditacion, and Oryson. Or elles to thin understondyng thei mowe be clepid: Redyng, Thinkyng, and Preiing. Of theese thre thou schalt fynde wretyn in another book of another mans werk moche betyr then I can telle thee; and therfore it nedeth not here to telle thee of the qualitees of hem. Bot this may I telle thee: these thre ben so couplid togedir, that unto hem that ben biginners and profiters -- bot not to hem that be parfite, ye, as it may be here -- thinkyng may not goodly be getyn withoutyn reding or heryng comyng before. Alle is one in maner, redyng and heryng; clerkes redyn on bookes, and lewid men redyn on clerkes, whan thei here hem preche the worde of God. Ne preier may not goodly be getyn in bigynners and profiters withoutyn thinkyng comyng bifore. See by the preof in this same cours.
Goddes worde, outher wretyn or spokyn, is licnid to a mirour. Goostly, the ighe of thi soule is thi reson; thi concience is thi visage goostly. And right as thou seest that yif a foule spot be in thi bodily visage, the ighe of the same visage may not see that spotte, ne wite wher it is, withoutyn a myrour or a teching of another than itself: right so it is goostly. Withouten redyng or heryng of Godes worde, it is inpossible to mans understondyng that a soule that is bleendid in custom of synne schuld see the foule spot in his concyence.
And so folowyng, whan a man seeth in a bodily or goostly myrour, or wote by other mens techyng, wheraneintes the foule spot is on his visage, outher bodily or goostly, than at erst, and none er, he rennith to the welle to wasche hym. Yif this spot be any specyal synne, than is this welle Holy Chirche, and this water confession, with the circumstaunces. Yif it be bot a blynde rote and a steryng of synne, than is this welle mercyful God, and this water preyer, with the circumstaunces.
And thus maist thou se that no thinkyng may goodly be getyn in byginners and profiters withoutyn redyng or heryng comyng before, ne preyng withouten thinkyng.
Notes
- 1 ↩'to mans understondyng' rendered as an epistemic limit ('so far as human understanding goes'), not as mere difficulty of comprehension.
- 2 ↩wheraneintes rendered as "where ... is"; ME wheranentes/whereanents = concerning/with respect to the place of the spot.
- 3 ↩circumstaunces keeps the penitential sense: the attendant circumstances of the sin to be confessed, not mere incidental details.
- 4 ↩blynde rote and steryng of synne: an unseen/habitual root and an interior impulse toward sin, short of a fully formed particular act.
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