The six and fifty chapitre. How they ben disseived that lenen more to the coriousté of kyndely witte, and of clergie leerned in the scole of men, than to the comoun doctrine and counsel of Holi Chirche.
The Deception of Self-Reliance and the Path to Heresy
Those who abandon the common doctrine of Holy Church out of pride and curiosity of wit are deceived by the spiritual enemy, and their supporters, seeking an easier way, are revealed on the last day as entangled in secret sins, making them disciples of Antichrist.
There are some who, though they aren't deceived by this error as it's described here, still abandon the common doctrine and the counsel of Holy Church out of pride and the curiosity of natural wit and book-learning. And these, with all their supporters, lean too much on their own knowing.1 And because they were never grounded in this meek, blind feeling and virtuous living, they therefore deserve to have a false feeling, feigned and wrought by the spiritual enemy — so much so that in the end they burst out and blaspheme all the saints, Sacraments, statutes, and ordinances of Holy Church.2 Fleshly-living people of the world, who think the statutes of Holy Church too hard to amend their lives by, lean to these heretics very soon and very readily, and stoutly maintain them — and all because they think these heretics lead them a softer way than Holy Church has ordained.3 Now I truly believe that whoever won't take the narrow way to heaven will take the easy way to hell. Let each person test this in himself.4 For I believe that all such heretics and all their supporters, if they could be seen clearly as they will be on the last day, would very soon be seen to be entangled in great and horrible sins of the world and of their foul flesh in secret—quite apart from their open presumption in maintaining error.56 So they are very properly called Antichrist's disciples; for it is said of them that despite their false show in public, they are still foul lechers in secret.
Read the original Middle English
Somme ther ben that, thof al thei be not disceyved with this errour as it is sette here, yit for pride and coriousté of kyndely witte and letterly kunnyng levith the comoun doctrine and the counsel of Holy Chirche. And thees, with alle here fautours, lenyn overmoche to theire owne knowyng. And for thei were never grounded in this meek blynde felyng and vertuous levyng, therfore thei deserve to have a fals felyng, feynid and wrought by the goostly enmye; insomoche that at the last thei brestyn up and blasphemyn alle the seyntes, sacramentes, statutes and ordenaunces of Holy Chirche. Fleschly levyng men of the woreld, the whiche thinkyn the statutes of Holy Chirche over-harde to be amendid by, thei lenen to thees heretikes ful sone and ful lyghtly, and stalworthly meynteyne hem, and al is for hem think thei lede hem a softer wey then is ordeyned of Holy Chirche.
Now trewly I trowe that who that wil not goo the streyte wey to heven that thei schul goo the softe wey to helle. Iche man prove in hymself. For I trowe and alle soche heretikes, and alle theire fautours, and thei might cleerly be seen as thei scholen on the last day, schulde be sene ful sone kumbrid in grete and horryble synnes of the woreld and theire foule flessche prively, withouten theire apeerte presumpcion in meyntenyng of errour. So that thei ben ful properly clepid Antecriste discyples; for it is seide of hem that for alle theire fals fare in aperte, yit thei schul be ful foule lechors prively.
Notes
- 1 ↩fautours rendered as "supporters" (favorers/abettors); lenyn as "lean" (rely/trust).
- 2 ↩meek blynde felyng keeps the Cloud's technical sense: humble contemplative affection in unknowing, not sensory emotion. goostly enmye = the devil as spiritual adversary.
- 3 ↩over-harde to be amendid by taken as "too hard to amend their lives by" (statutes as a reforming standard). Alternative reading: "too hard to be amended/relaxed." Soft-way sense in the closing clause supports the first.
- 4 ↩ME prove means examine/test by experience, not modern "prove true."
- 5 ↩The ME and before thei might is taken as conditional if, a common Middle English use.
- 6 ↩withouten rendered as quite apart from: private fleshly sins in addition to public heretical presumption, not merely lacking it.
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.
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