The two and fifty chapitre. How theese yong, presumtuous dissiples misunderstonden this worde IN; and of the deseites that folowen theron.
The Misguided Turn Inward
Young disciples, misunderstanding the call to work inwardly, force their bodily senses inward against nature, straining their imagination until the devil deceives them with false sensory experiences.
And this is how that madness I speak of happens. They read and hear it clearly said that they should stop working outwardly with their senses and work inwardly; but because they don't know what inward working is, they end up working the wrong way. For they turn their bodily senses inward toward their body against the course of nature; and they strain them as if they meant to see inward with their bodily eyes, hear inward with their ears, and so on with all their senses—smelling, tasting, and feeling inward. In doing so, they reverse themselves against the course of nature, and with this curiosity, they strain their imagination so indiscreetly that they eventually turn their brains in their heads. Then, at once, the devil has the power to feign some false light or sounds, sweet smells in their noses, marvelous tastes in their mouths, and many strange heats and burnings in their chests, bowels, backs, loins, and private parts.
The Devil's False Peace
Deceived by the devil, the disciples experience a false restful mind of God, but this peace is actually the devil's own work, who refrains from disturbing them to avoid detection.
And yet in this fantasy, it seems to them that they have a restful mind about their God, without any hindrance from vain thoughts. And surely they do have it, in a way—for they're so filled with falsehood that vanity can't hurt them. [1]1 And why? For that same fiend who'd supply them with vain thoughts if they were on the good path—he, that same one, is the chief worker of this work. [2]2 And know very well that he has no desire to hinder himself. He will not take the mind of God away from them, for fear that he'd be suspected.
Read the original Middle English
And on this maner is this woodnes wrought that I speke of. Thei reden and heren wel sey that thei schuld leve utward worching with theire wittes, and worche inwardes; and forthi that thei knowe not whiche is inward worchyng, therfore thei worche wronge. For thei turne theire bodily wittes inwardes to theire body agens the cours of kynde; and streynyn hem, as thei wolde see inwardes with theire bodily ighen, and heren inwardes with theire eren, and so forthe of alle theire wittes, smellen, taasten, and felyn inwardes. And thus thei reverse hem agens the cours of kynde, and with this coriousté thei travayle theire ymaginacion so undiscreetly, that at the laste thei turne here brayne in here hedes. And than as fast the devil hath power for to feyne sum fals light or sounes, swete smelles in theire noses, wonderful taastes in theire mowthes, and many queynte hetes and brennynges in theire bodily brestes or in theire bowelles, in theire backes and in theire reynes, and in theire pryvé membres.
And yit in this fantasie hem think that thei have a restful mynde of theire God withoutyn any lettyng of veyne thoughtes. And sekirly so have thei in maner, for thei ben so fillid in falsheed that vanité may not dere hem. And whi? For he, that same feende that schuld ministre veyne thoughtes to hem and thei were in good wey, he, that same, is the cheef worcher of this werk. And wite thou right wel that him list not lette hymself. The mynde of God wol he not put fro hem, for feerde that he schuld be had in suspecte.
Notes
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