The foure and fifty chapitre. How that bi vertewe of this werk a man is governid ful wisely and maad ful seemly, as wel in body as in soule.
The Grace of Self-Governance
This work of contemplation so transforms a person that they are governed wisely in body and soul, discerningly adapting to all, and drawing others to the same grace.
Anyone who had this work would be governed by it very fittingly, in body as well as in soul, and it would make them thoroughly pleasing to every man or woman who looked at them—so much so that the least attractive man or woman living in this life, if by grace they came to practice this work, would find their appearance suddenly and graciously changed, so that every good person who saw them would be glad and joyful to have them in company, and would feel deeply that in their presence they were pleased in spirit and helped by grace toward God. Seek this gift if you can receive it by grace; for whoever truly possesses it will know how to govern themselves well by its virtue. They would discern wisely, if the need arose, among all natures and temperaments.1 They would know how to adapt themselves to everyone they keep company with—whether they are habitual sinners or not—without sinning themselves, to the wonder of all who see them, and drawing others by the help of grace to the work of that same spirit that they work in themselves. Their manner and their words should be full of spiritual wisdom, full of fire and fruit, spoken in sober truthfulness, without any falsehood, far from any feigning or piping of hypocrites.
The Danger of Feigned Holiness
The author warns against hypocritical piety that cares more for outward appearance than inward truth, urging natural humility and warning that such deceit leads to spiritual ruin.
For there are some who with all their might, inwardly and outwardly, scheme in their speaking how they can prop themselves up and shore themselves up on every side against falling, with many meek piping words and devout expressions, looking more to seem holy in people's sight than to be so in the sight of God and His angels. For these people will take more to heart and grieve more over a disordered bearing, or an unseemly or unfit word spoken before others, than they will over a thousand vain thoughts and foul stirrings of sin willfully taken on, or recklessly shrugged off, in the sight of God and the saints and the angels in heaven. Ah, Lord God! Wherever there's any pride within, there such meek piping words are so abundant without; I readily grant that it is fitting and proper for those who are meek within to show meek and seemly words and bearing without, matching the meekness that is within the heart. But I'm not saying they should then be put on in a broken or piping voice, against the plain natural disposition of those who speak them. For if they are true, then they're spoken in truthfulness, and in wholeness of voice and of the spirit of those who speak them. And if someone who by nature has a plain and open, rough voice speaks them faintly and in a piping way — I mean, unless they're sick in body, or else it's between them and their God or their confessor — then it's a true sign of hypocrisy. I mean either a young hypocrite or an old one. And what more should I say about these venemous deceits? Truly, I believe that unless they have grace to abandon such hollow hypocrisy, the poor soul may very soon sink into sorrow, caught between that secret pride in their hearts and such meek words on their lips.2
Read the original Middle English
Whoso had this werk, it schuld governe him ful semely, as wele in body as in soule, and make hym ful favorable unto iche man or womman that lokyd apon hym; insomoche that the worst favored man or womman that leveth in this liif, and thei mighte come to by grace to worche in this werk, theire favour schuld sodenly and gracyously be chaunged, that iche good man that hem sawe schulde be fayne and joiful to have hem in companye, and ful mochil thei schuld think that thei were plesid in spirit and holpen by grace unto God in theire presence.
And therfore gete this gifte, whoso by grace gete may; for whoso hath it verely, he schal wel kun governe hymself by the vertewe therof, and alle that longith unto hym. He schuld wel geve discrecion, yif nede were, of alle kyndes and alle complexions. He schuld wel kun make hymself liche unto alle that with hym comouned, whether thei were customable synners or none, withoutyn synne in hymself, in wondryng of alle that hym sawen, and in drawyng of other by helpe of grace to the werk of that same spirit that he worcheth in hymself.
His chere and his wordes schuld be ful of goostly wysdam, ful of fiire and of frute, spoken in sad sothfastnes, withouten any falsheed, fer fro any feynyng or pipynge of ypocrites. For sum ther ben that with alle theire mighte, inner and utter, ymageneth in theire spekyng how they mowe stuffe hem and underput hem on iche a side for fallyng with many meek pipyng wordes and contenaunces of devocion, more lokyng after for to seme holy in sight of men, then for to be so in the sight of God and His aungelles. For whi thees folk wil more charge and more sorow make for an unordeynde contenaunce, or unseemly or unsittyng worde spoken byfore men, then thei wil for a thousande veyne thoughtes and stynckyng sterynges of synne wilfuly drawen apon hem, or rechelesly voided in the sight of God and the seyntes and the aungelles in heven. A, Lorde God! wher ther be any pride withinne ther as soche meek pipyng wordes ben so plenteuous withoutyn, I graunte wel that it is sittyngly and semely to hem that ben meek withinne for to schewe meek and semely wordes and contenaunce withoutyn, acordyng to that meeknes that is withinne in the herte. Bot I sey not that thei schul thanne be schewed in brokyn ne in pipyng voices agens the pleyn disposission of theire kynde that spekyn hem. For whi yif thei ben trewe, then ben thei spoken in sothfastnes, and in hoelnes of voyce, and of theire spirit that speken hem. And yif he, that hath a pleyn and an open boystous voice by kynde, speke hem poerly and pypyngly -- I mene bot yif he be seek in his body, or elles that it be bitwix hirn and his God or his confessour -- than it is a vertey token of ypocrisie.
I mene outher yong ypocrite or olde.
And what schal I more sey of theese venemos disseites? Trewly I trowe, bot yif thei have grace to leve of soche pipyng ypocrisie, that bitwix that privé pride in theire hertes withinne and soche meek wordes withoutyn, the sely soule may ful sone sinke into sorow.
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