The foure and seventy chapitre. How that the mater of this book is nevermore red or spoken, ne herde red or spoken, of a soule disposid therto, withouten feling of a verrey acordaunce to the effecte of the same werk; and of rehersing of the same charge that is wretin in the prolog.
Reading with a Receptive Heart
The author advises the reader to read the book repeatedly, assures that a disposed soul will feel accordance with the work, and asks for prayer.
If you feel this approach doesn't suit your body and soul, you can safely set it aside and choose another with the help of good spiritual counsel, without any blame. And then I ask you to excuse me; for truly I wanted to help you in this writing with my simple understanding, and that was my intent. And therefore read it over twice or three times; and the more often, the better — and the more you'll grasp of it, so much so that perhaps some clause that was very hard for you at the first or second reading will afterward seem quite easy. Yes! And it seems impossible to my understanding that any soul disposed to this work should read it, or speak it, or else hear it read or spoken, unless that same soul should feel at that time a true accordance with the effect of this work. And then, if you find it helpful, thank God sincerely, and for the sake of God's love, pray for me.
Guarding the Sacred Teaching
The author commands the reader to restrict the book to those suited for contemplation, warning that partial reading can lead to error.
Then do so. For the love of God, I ask you not to show this book to anyone unless you judge them to be suited for it, based on what I wrote earlier about the kind of person who should practice this work, and when.1 If you do show it to such people, please tell them to take the time to read the whole thing. For there may be some matter in it, at the beginning or in the middle, that is left hanging and not fully explained where it stands.2 But if it isn't there, it comes soon after, or else at the end. So, if someone only sees one part and not the rest, they could easily be led into error. Therefore, I ask you: do as I say.
The Author's Final Word
The author offers to amend any unclear passages and declares that the book is not intended for chatterers, fault-finders, or those in the active life.
And if you think there's any matter in it that you'd want opened up more fully than it is, let me know which it is and what you make of it; and as far as my simple understanding goes, it will be amended if I can. I never meant for worldly gossips, flatterers, fault-finders, whisperers, rumor-mongers, and every kind of nitpicker to see this book, because I never intended to write it for them.3 And therefore I wouldn't want them to hear it either—neither they nor any of these curious men, whether lettered or unlettered—no!4 Although they may be thoroughly good men in the active life; for it doesn't suit them.
Read the original Middle English
And yif thee think that this maner of worching be not acordyng to thi disposicion in body and in soule, thou maist leve it, and take another savely with good goostly counseile withoutyn blame. And than I beseche thee that thou wilt have me excusid; for trewly I wolde have profitid unto thee in this writyng at my simple kunnyng, and that was myn entent. And therfore rede over twyes or thries; and ever the ofter the betir, and the more thou schalt conceyve therof, insomoche, paraventure, that sum clause that was ful harde to thee at the first or the secound redyng, sithen after thee schal think it ful light.
Ye! and it semith inpossible to myn understonding that any soule that is disposid to this werk schuld rede it, or speke it, or elles here it red or spoken, bot yif that same soule schuld fele for that tyme a verrey acordaunce to the effecte of this werk. And than, yif thee think it doth thee good, thank God hertly, and for Goddes love prey for me.
Do than so. And I prey thee for Godes love that thou late none see this book, bot if it be soche one that thee think is liche to the book after that thou fyndest wreten in the book before, where it tellith what men and when thei schuld worche in this werk. And yif thou schalt late any soche men see it, then I preie thee that thou bid hem take hem tyme to loke it al over. For paraventure ther is som mater therinne, in the beginnyng or in the middes, the whiche is hanging and not fully declarid there as it stondeth. Bot yif it be not there, it is sone after, or elles in the eende. And thus yif a man sawe o partye and not another, paraventure he schuld lightly be led into errour. And therfore I preye thee do as I sey thee.
And yif thee thenk that ther be any mater therin that thou woldest have more openid than it is, late me wetyn whiche it is and thi conceyte therapon; and at my simple kunnyng it schal be amendid yif I kan.
Fleschly jangelers, glosers and blamers, roukers and rouners, and alle maner of pynchers, kept I never that thei sawe this book; for myn entent was never to write soche thing to hem. And therfore I wolde not that thei herde it, neither thei ne none of thees corious lettrid ne lewid men, ye! althof thei be ful good men in actyve levyng; for it acordeth not to hem.
Notes
- 1 ↩liche to the book: rendered as 'suited to it' (fit/matched to the book's charge), not mere resemblance; 'the book before' = the earlier part of this book (the prologue charge).
- 2 ↩hanging and not fully declarid: incomplete/unresolved at that point in the text, awaiting later clarification—not 'dangling' in a colloquial modern sense alone.
- 3 ↩ME 'roukers and rouners' are secret mutterers and whisperers; 'pynchers' are carping fault-finders. Rendered as whisperers, rumor-mongers, and nitpickers to keep the pejorative force without archaic diction.
- 4 ↩Closing 'ye!' taken as emphatic 'yea' (indeed/no!), not the pronoun 'you'. 'Corious' is ME inquisitive/prying curiosity, not 'interesting'.
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