The seventh chapitre. How a man schal have him in this werk agens alle thoughtes, and nameli agens alle thoo that risen of his owne coriousté of kunnyng and of kyndely witte.

And yif any thought rise and wil prees algates aboven thee, bitwix thee and that derknes, and asche thee seiing: "What sekist thou, and what woldest thou have?" sey thou that it is God that thou woldest have. "Him I coveite, Him I seche, and noght bot Him." And yif he ascke thee what is that God, sey thou that it is God That maad thee and bought thee, and That graciously hath clepid thee to His love. And in Him sei thou kanst no skile. And therfore sey: "Go thou down agein." And treed him fast doun with a steryng of love thof he seme to thee right holy, and seme to thee as he wolde help thee to seke Hym.

For, paraventure, he wil bryng to thi minde diverse ful feire and wonderful pointes of His kyndnes, and sey that He is ful swete and ful lovyng, ful gracious and ful mercyful. And yif thou wilt here him, he coveiteth no beter; for at the last he wil thus jangle ever more and more til he bring thee lower to the mynde of His Passion. And there wol he lat thee see the wonderful kyndnes of God; and if thou here him, he kepeth no beter. For sone after he wil lat thee see thin olde wrechid leving; and paraventure, in seing and thinkyng therof, he wil bryng to thi mynde som place that thou hast wonid in before this tyme. So that at the last, er ever wite thou, thou schalt be scaterid thou wost never where. The cause of this scateryng is that thou herddist him first wilfuly, answeredist him, resceivedist him, and letest him allone.

And yit, nevertheles, the thing that he seide was bothe good and holy; ye, and so holy that what man or womman that wenith to come to contemplacion withoutyn many soche swete meditacions of theire owne wrechidnes, the Passion, the kyndenes and the grete goodnes and the worthynes of God comyng before, sekirly he schal erre and faile of his purpos. And yit, nevertheles, it behoveth a man or a womman, that hath longe tyme ben usid in theese meditacions, algates leve hem, and put hem and holde hem fer doun under the cloude of forgetyng, yif ever schal he peerse the cloude of unknowyng bitwix him and his God.

Therfore, what tyme that thou purposest thee to this werk, and felest bi grace that thou arte clepid of God, lift than up thin herte unto God with a meek steryng of love. And mene God love That maad thee, and bought thee, and That graciousli hath clepid thee to this werk; and resseive none other thought of God. And yit not alle theese, bot thee list; for it suffiseth inough a naked entent directe unto God, withouten any other cause then Himself.

And yif thee list have this entent lappid and foulden in o worde, for thou schuldest have betir holde therapon, take thee bot a litil worde of o silable; for so it is betir then of two, for ever the schorter it is, the betir it acordeth with the werk of the spirite. And soche a worde is this worde God or this worde love. Cheese thee whether thou wilt, or another as thee list: whiche that thee liketh best of o silable. And fasten this worde to thin herte, so that it never go thens for thing that bifalleth.

This worde schal be thi scheeld and thi spere, whether thou ridest on pees or on werre. With this worde thou schalt bete on this cloude and this derknes aboven thee. With this worde thou schalt smite doun al maner thought under the cloude of forgeting; insomochel that yif any thought prees apon thee to aske thee what thou woldest have, answere him with no mo wordes bot with this o worde. And yif he profre thee of his grete clergie to expoune thee that worde and to telle thee the condicions of that worde, sey him that thou wilt have it al hole, and not broken ne undon. And yif thow wilt holde thee fast on this purpose, sekir be thou he wil no while abide. And whi? For thou wilt not late him fede him on soche swete meditacions touchid before.