TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:
Italic text has been marked with _underscores_. Sidenotes, which are
used extensively for Scripture references, have been placed inside
{curly brackets}. Footnotes have been moved to the end of the text.
THE LADY POVERTY
“Sacrum Commercium Beati Francisci cum Domina Paupertate”
[Illustration:
_Giotto._
_The Espousals of St. Francis to the Lady Poverty._]
The frontispiece of this volume is reproduced by permission from a
photograph by Messrs ALINARI of Florence.
THE LADY POVERTY
A XIII. CENTURY ALLEGORY
TRANSLATED & EDITED BY
MONTGOMERY CARMICHAEL
WITH A CHAPTER ON THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE
OF EVANGELICAL POVERTY
BY FATHER CUTHBERT
O. S. F. G.
London
John Murray, Albemarle Street
1901
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION--
PAGE
(a) Editions xvii
(b) Authorship and Date xxviii
(c) Translation and Scripture References xlii
THE LADY POVERTY.
I. In Praise of Poverty 3
II. How the Blessed Francis made diligent
search for the Lady Poverty 8
III. How two old men showed the Blessed
Francis where he might find the
Lady Poverty 14
IV. Of the First Companions of the Blessed
Francis 20
V. How the Blessed Francis and his
Companions found the Lady Poverty
on the Mountain 24
VI. The Blessed Francis and his Companions,
exalting her virtues in
divers ways, beseech the Lady
Poverty to abide with them forever 28
VII. The Answer of My Lady Poverty 41
VIII. Of the Apostles 56
IX. Of the Successors of the Apostles 59
X. That Times of Peace are unpropitious
to Poverty 62
XI. Of Persecution 65
XII. Of the followers of a spurious Poverty 70
XIII. Of Avarice 73
XIV. How the Lady Poverty spoke of good
Religious 77
XV. How Avarice took the Name of
Discretion 80
XVI. How Avarice took the Name of
Prudence 84
XVII. How Avarice called in the aid of
Sloth 89
XVIII. Of the Religious who were conquered
by Sloth 92
XIX. How the Lady Poverty sorrowed
over certain Religious who were
poor in the World, and yet more
prone than others to Self-indulgence
in Religion 99
XX. How the Lady Poverty showed the
Blessed Francis the Perfect Walk
in the Religious Life 107
XXI. How the Blessed Francis made
answer to the Lady Poverty 114
XXII. How the Lady Poverty gave her
consent 118
XXIII. How the Blessed Francis thanked
God for the consent of the Lady
Poverty 119
XXIV. Of the Sojourn of My Lady Poverty
with the Brothers 121
XXV. How My Lady Poverty blessed the
Brothers, exhorting them to persevere
in the Grace which they
had received 130
On the Spiritual Significance of
Evangelical Poverty, by Father
Cuthbert, O.S.F.C 141
APPENDICES--
I. A Prayer of the Blessed Francis to
obtain Holy Poverty 183
II. Paradiso. Canto XI. (lines 28-123) 200
INTRODUCTION
EDITIONS
The “Sacrum Commercium” is an Allegory, simple in form and charming in
conception, telling how St Francis wooed and won that most difficult
of all Brides, my Lady Poverty. It was written some time in the
thirteenth century (most probably in the year 1227) by an unknown
Franciscan, and has been six times printed, thrice in Latin, and
thrice in Italian.
{The Latin Editions.} The first Latin edition was printed at Milan in
1539. It is of exceeding rarity, and has escaped the vigilance of
Brunet and Græsse. Père François Van Ortroy, the noted Bollandist
(whom few things escape), was the first to call attention to a copy in
the Ambrosian Library, and it is the only copy known to exist. (See
“Analecta Bollandiana,” xix. 460.)
The second Latin edition was published nearly 400 years later, in 1894,
under the editorship of Professor Edoardo Alvisi, in the “Collezione
di Opuscoli Danteschi inediti o rari diretta da G. L. Passerini.”[1]
Professor Alvisi’s edition has no pretensions to being critical: his
sole object in publishing it was to supply an illustration to part
of Canto XI. of the “Paradiso.” This edition has, perhaps justly,
been decried for its entire want of critical apparatus, but it at
least served to call attention to a gem that had hitherto slumbered
uncared-for in parchment Codexes.
The third Latin edition is exceptional from every point of view. It
was published only last year by Père Edouard d’Alençon, the learned
Archivist General of the Friars Minor Capuchins. Père Edouard has
taken his version from a Codex (No. 3560) in the Casanatese Library
in Rome, which he has carefully collated with three other Codexes (of
Milan, Vincenza and Ravenna), noting all the variants at foot. There is
but one fault to find with this scholarly edition: it does not attempt
to give the numerous Scripture references.[2]
{The Italian Editions.} The first Italian edition[3] appeared in 1847
under the title “Meditazione sulla Povertà di Santo Francesco.”[4] It
is taken from a Fourteenth-Century Codex in the Franciscan Convent
of Giaccherino, near Pistoia. Its editors were the Lexicographer,
Pietro Fanfani, and a Canon of Pistoia, Enrico Bindi. It has been
quoted in the great “Vocabolario” of the Academicians of the Crusca,
and has therefore become a “Testo di Lingua” or Italian classic.[5]
The “Meditazione” is a very free translation indeed from the original
Latin. The translator adds beauties and leaves out obscurities at
will. It is curious to us in these days, when Franciscan studies
are being pursued with such avidity all the world over (if I except
England), to reflect that the editors, Fanfani and Bindi, did not know
whether the “Meditazione” was a translation or an original work. The
Fourteenth-Century translator is unknown.
The next Italian edition (1900) is the one given in parallel columns
with the Latin version of Père Edouard d’Alençon’s work above quoted.
It is taken from Codex B. 131 in the Vallicellian Library, and is
probably a Fourteenth-Century work, but, if interesting, it has little
or no merit as an example of fine Tuscan.
The third Italian edition is a much-needed and very welcome work.[6]
It is a reprint of the “Meditazione,” which has for long been so
scarce as to be almost unprocurable. The editor, Don Salvatore
Minocchi, a Florentine priest, and one of the foremost authorities on
matters Franciscan, than whom there could be no one more fitted for the
task, has carefully collated the original edition of the “Meditazione”
with the Codex from which it was taken, and has removed quite a host
of erroneous readings. We may therefore now be said to have, for the
first time, a correct version of this little Italian classic. It was
only printed in the last days of May, and I have to thank the learned
editor for courteously permitting me to see his proof sheets.
AUTHORSHIP AND DATE
The authorship of the “Sacrum Commercium” has been freely ascribed to
the Blessed Giovanni da Parma, seventh Minister General of the Friars
Minor in succession to Saint Francis. I would with all my heart that
he were the author, for Giovanni is one of the brightest lights of
the Order, and both by his love and practice of Poverty, and by his
great endowments, is the ideal author for so exquisite an allegory.
The “Chronica xxiv. Generalium,” which was completed in 1379, and
begun perhaps twenty years earlier, distinctly states that Giovanni
is the author (“quendam libellum devotum composuit quem intitulavit
Commercium Paupertatis”),[7] and this opinion was followed by all
succeeding old writers (except Fra Bartolommeo da Pisa, who makes no
attempt to assign authorship), and most moderns, including Professor
Alvisi, M. Sabatier,[8] Professor Umberto Cosmo,[9] and the latest
biographer of the Blessed, Fra Luigi da Parma.[10] But all the
Codexes which Père Edouard d’Alençon cites, as also a Codex in the
Bodleian and another in the Communal library at Siena, give the date
of composition as the month of July after the death of Saint Francis,
that is to say July, 1227. (_Actum est hoc opus mense Julii post obitum
Beatissimi Francisci, anno Millesimo ducentesimo vigesimo septimo ab
Incarnatione Domini Salvatoris Nostri Jesu Christi._) If this date
be correct, then the Blessed Giovanni could not have been its author,
for he was only born in 1208, and did not enter the Order until after
1230. There is the point that Mediæval scribes were given (like other
mortals) to making errors in dates, more especially when they were
in Roman figures, and these errors would have been propagated from
Codex to Codex. We have the well-known instance of the Mazarin Codex
No. 1743, where the erroneous date of 1228 led a distinguished French
critic to look upon the “Speculum Perfectionis” as the oldest biography
of St Francis. The date was probably 1318, and it will be seen how
easily a slip might be made between MCCXXVIII and MCCCXVIII.[11] But in
favour of the date of 1227 for the “Sacrum Commercium” we have not only
the fact that the date is written in words and not in figures, but
that the “explicit” distinctly states that it was finished in the July
after the death of St Francis. Such extreme precision does not leave
much room for error. Moreover, there is practically no serious internal
evidence against the date 1227. It is true that the Casanatese Codex,
at the beginning of Chap. iv. speaks of “_Sanctum_ Franciscum,” whereas
St Francis was not canonized until 1228. But this, even if some
refuse to translate it simply “the holy Francis,” and insist upon
“_St_ Francis,” I think it is fair to regard as the slip of a scribe,
more especially as the Vincenzian Codex gives “beatum” in the same
place, and both Italian versions have “beato.” There is, therefore,
no substantial reason why we may not regard the “Sacrum Commercium”
as written in 1227, and it is interesting to note that this little
allegory is thus the first book ever written on St Francis, for Thomas
of Celano’s “Legenda Prima,” was not completed until the following
year.[12]
There are, to my mind, two conclusive arguments, both adduced by
Père Edouard,[13] against attributing the authorship to Giovanni da
Parma. Fra Ubertino da Casale in a famous work[14] (“too famous,” it
might justly be called), finished in 1305, is the first writer who
expressly mentions the “Sacrum Commercium,” and he ascribes it merely
to “a certain holy doctor,” giving no name. Now Ubertino well knew
Giovanni (_ob._ 1289), and it seems impossible that he should not also
have known and celebrated the Blessed as the author of the “Sacrum
Commercium” had he really been so. Again Fra Salimbene da Parma (_ob._
1287 or 1290) knew the Blessed Giovanni intimately, and alludes to
him frequently in his Chronicle.[15] He even refers to writings of
Giovanni’s, but there is never a hint of the “Sacrum Commercium.” The
only theory on which it is possible to ascribe the authorship to Fra
Giovanni is so wild as scarcely to be worthy of mention. We should
have to suppose, seeing the unpopularity of the extremes of Poverty
in a certain section of the Order, that he was afraid to acknowledge
his work, and that he deliberately, and with much circumstance,
falsified the date to secure his anonymity. But the Blessed Giovanni
was not made of such poor stuff! He who endured hatred, persecution
and imprisonment, to some extent by reason of his zeal for the Lady
Poverty, was not the man to resort to so trivial a ruse. His deeds
were far more unpopular (with some) than ever this little allegory
could have made him.
Père Edouard d’Alençon, with much ingenuity, seeks to credit
Giovanni Parenti, St Francis’ immediate successor as Minister General
(1227-1233), with the authorship. He gives an instance tending to show
that there was a tradition that a Minister General had written the
work, and then he points to the similarity between “Joannes Parenti”
and “Joannes Parmensis.” All this proves his acumen and ingenuity, but
he is too severely scientific a scholar to advance a clever theory as
proof positive. For the present it is safest to admit frankly that the
author of the “Sacrum Commercium” is unknown, and to conclude with
Fra Ubertino da Casale that he was “quidam sanctus doctor hujus Sanctæ
Paupertatis professor et zelator strenuus.”
TRANSLATION AND SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
I have translated from Père Edouard d’Alençon’s version of the Codex
Casanatensis.[16] But I have not slavishly adhered to this, using,
when they seemed more apt, the variants which he has so diligently
noted at foot. I have also, now and again, used the Italian version of
the Codex Vallicellianus, and, though very rarely, even the classic
“Meditazione.” In my translation I have been no bondsman, but have
rendered freely, while seeking to convey accurately the spirit and
meaning of the work, and to preserve, as far as that might be, the
elemental simplicity of its language.
The “Sacrum Commercium” is a tissue of the words and phrases of St
Jerome’s beautiful Latin version of Holy Scripture. Where so much is
Biblical, I have had to a certain extent to adopt Biblical language,
but I have striven earnestly to avoid those excesses of Archaism which
irritate even the most equable nerves. With the help of Cardinal
Hugo’s “Concordantiæ Sacrorum Bibliorum” (may his name live for ever!)
I have endeavoured to give references to the principal quotations from
Holy Writ. Some will assuredly have escaped me, and I shall be grateful
to him who points out to me any omissions.
The reader must not forget that it was the Latin Vulgate which was used
by the author of the “Sacrum Commercium.” To be faithful, therefore,
I could not take my quotations straight from the “Authorised Version.”
I have translated sometimes after my own fashion, sometimes with the
help of the “Douay” version, but when the sense has allowed of it, I
have gladly adopted the noble English of King James’ Bible.[17]
* * * * *
And now, _lector humanissime_, I am glad to have done with all
these dry details, necessary perchance to a right understanding of
the subject, and to leave thee free to hasten onward to the green
Pastures and still Waters of one of the fairest of Mediæval Idylls.
Feed in those fresh Pastures, dip in the restoring Waters: thou canst
not but gather therefrom health and strength, life, and the Life to
come; together with a right knowledge of the Past, a loving pity for
the Present, and a valorous good resolution for the Future.
VALE!
M. C.
LIVORNO, _13th June 1901_.
THE LADY POVERTY
“O amor di Povertade
La tua gran nobilitade
Chi potrìa gia mai narrare?”
--_Jacopone da Todi._
HERE BEGINNETH THE HOLY COMMERCE OF THE BLESSED FRANCIS WITH THE
LADY POVERTY:
I
IN PRAISE OF POVERTY[18]
Among the cardinal excelling virtues which prepare a place and mansion
for God in the Soul of Man, and show a more excellent and {1 Cor.
xii. 31.} a speedier way of approaching and attaining unto Him, Holy
Poverty shines resplendent in her authority, and excels all others
by her peculiar Grace. For she is the Foundation and Guardian of all
the Virtues, and holds the Primacy among the Evangelical Counsels.
Wherefore let not the other {Matt. vii. 25.} Virtues fear should the
rain descend, and the floods come, and the winds blow, threatening
destruction, if only they have been founded upon the Rock of Poverty.
And justly; for the Son of God, the Lord of Hosts and King of Glory,
loved this Virtue with a special love, sought this Virtue, found
her, and by her wrought Salvation {Ps. lxxiii. 12.} in the midst of
the Earth. Her, in the beginning of His preaching, He placed as a
Beacon to lighten those entering the Haven of the Faith, and as chief
corner-stone of His House. The Kingdom of Heaven which He promised
hereafter to all the Virtues, He openeth to Poverty even in this life.
For “Blessed,” He {Matt. v. 3.} has said, “are the Poor in Spirit, for
theirs _is_ the Kingdom of Heaven.”[19] They are worthy of the Kingdom
of Heaven who have freely renounced all Earthly Things out of Love and
Desire for Heavenly Things. He must needs live by Heavenly Things who
takes no thought of Earthly Things, and counts {Phil. iii. 8.} them
but as dung: even in this our Exile shall he feed on the honied crumbs
which fall from the table of the Holy Angels, that he may taste and
{Ps. xxxiii. 8.} see how sweet the Lord is. This is truly to find the
Kingdom of Heaven; ’tis the Pledge of an Eternal Mansion therein, and,
as it were, a foretaste of the Blessedness to come.
II
HOW THE BLESSED FRANCIS MADE DILIGENT SEARCH FOR THE LADY POVERTY
Wherefore the Blessed Francis, as a true Follower and Disciple of the
Saviour, gave himself up from the beginning of his Conversion with all
his Heart, with all his Strength, and with all his Mind, to seek and
to find, to have and to hold the Lady Poverty, dreading no Adversity,
fearing no Evil, sparing no labour, shunning no suffering of the body,
so only that he might come unto her to whom the Lord had given the
Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Like an eager explorer he began to go
about the highways and by-ways of the City, diligently seeking {Cant.
iii. 2.} her whom his Soul did love. He asked of those who stood
about, he questioned those who met him, saying: Saw ye her {Cant.
iii. 3.} whom my Soul loveth? But his speech was dark to them as an
alien tongue, and, not understanding him, they answered: We know not
what thou sayest: speak to us in our own tongue, and we will answer
thee. For there was not at that time any word or sign in the language,
by which the Children of Adam could discourse together of Poverty.
They hated her then as they hate her now, nor could they speak with
patience to one who sought her. So they answered him that this thing
was unknown to them, and that they had no knowledge of what he sought.
Then, said the Blessed Francis, I will go unto the Great and the Wise,
and ask them, for they know the Ways of the Lord {Jer. v. 5.} and
the Judgments of God. But these only answered him yet more roughly,
saying: What is this new doctrine which thou bringest to our {Acts
xvii. 20.} ears? May that Poverty which thou seekest always abide with
thee, and with thy children, and with thy seed after thee. As for us,
we had rather enjoy the delights of life and abound in riches, for the
span of our {Wisdom ii. 1.} Life is short and tedious, and in the end
of a man there is no remedy. Therefore we know nothing better than to
eat and {Luke xii. 19.} drink and be merry while there is still time.
But the Blessed Francis, hearing these things, marvelled in his Heart
and gave Thanks to God, saying: Blessed art {Matt. xi. 25.} Thou, O
Lord God, Who hast hid these things from the Wise and Prudent, and
revealed them unto Babes. Even so, Father, for so it hath seemed good
in Thy Sight. O God, the Author and Ruler {Eccli. xxiii. 1.} of my
being, deliver me not over to their Counsels, nor suffer me to fall
into their iniquity, but give me Thy Grace, so that I may find what I
seek, for I am Thy servant, {Ps. cxv. 16.} and the Son of Thy Handmaid.
III
HOW TWO OLD MEN SHOWED THE BLESSED FRANCIS WHERE THE MIGHT FIND THE
LADY POVERTY
And the Blessed Francis, being come out of the City, made haste to
reach a certain field, in which, from afar off, he saw two old men
sitting, full of a heavy sorrow, the one of whom was saying: To whom
shall I look save to {Isa. lxvi. 2.} some Poor Little Man, contrite of
Heart, and who fears my Words? And the other: For we brought nothing
into {1 Tim. vi. 7, 8.} this World, and it is certain we can carry
nothing out of it. But having food and a covering to our Bodies, let
us be therewith content.
And when the Blessed Francis had come up with them, he said unto them:
Tell me, I beseech you, where the Lady Poverty dwells, where she
{Cant. i. 6.} feeds her flock, where she takes her rest at noon, for
I languish for the Love of her. But they answered him, saying: O good
Brother, we have sat here for a Time, and Times, {Dan. xii. 7.} and
half a Time, and have often seen her pass this way, {Apoc. xii. 14.}
and many were they who sought her. Many were they, once upon a time,
who walked in her train, but oft she would return alone and desolate,
unadorned by jewels or fine raiment, unescorted by any following. And
she would weep bitterly, saying: The {Cant. i. 5.} Sons of my Mother
have fought against me. But we did answer and say: Have {Cant. i.
3.} patience, for the Righteous love thee. And now, O Brother, ascend
the great and high Mountain whereon the Lord hath placed her. For she
dwelleth in the Holy {Ps. lxxxvi. 1, 2.} Mountains, because God hath
loved her more than all the tents of Jacob. Giants have failed to
follow her footsteps, and the Eagle to fly to the summit of her Hill.
Poverty is the one thing despised of all men, for it is not found in
the {Job xxviii. 13.} land of them that live in delights. Wherefore
she is hid {Job xxviii. 21, 23.} from the eyes of the Living, and
the fowls of the air know her not. But God understandeth her way; He
knoweth her Dwelling-place. If therefore, O Brother, thou wouldst
ascend unto her, put off the Garments of thy Pleasures, {Heb. xii. 1.}
and lay aside every weight and the Sin which besets thee, for unless
thou art free from these trammels, thou canst not attain unto her who
is placed at so great a height. But because My Lady is gracious,
she is easily seen by those who love her, and found by those who
seek her. To meditate upon her, Brother, is {Wisdom vi. 16.} perfect
Understanding, and whoso watcheth for her shall speedily be secure.
Take with thee trusty Companions that thou may’st profit by their
Counsel, and be sustained by their Help in the way, for woe {Eccl. iv.
10.} to him that is alone; when he falleth he shall have none to raise
him up. But do you uphold one another.
IV
OF THE FIRST COMPANIONS OF THE BLESSED FRANCIS
And when he had heard these Counsels, the Blessed Francis chose unto
himself a few faithful Companions, with whom he set out for the
Mountain. And he said unto his brothers: Come {Isa. ii. 3.} ye, let us
go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the House of the Lady Poverty,
that she may teach us her Ways, and we will walk in her Paths. And
when they beheld the Ascent from every side, and saw how exceeding high
and steep it was, they began to say one to another: Who shall ascend
this Mountain, and who shall reach unto the Mountain’s top? The which,
when Blessed Francis heard, he said unto them: Strait is the Way, and
{Matt. vii. 14.} narrow the Gate, which leadeth unto Life, and few
there be that find it. Be strong in the {Eph. vi. 10.} Lord, and in
the power of His Might, and all things difficult will become easy unto
us. Lay down the Burden of your own Will, cast away the heavy Weight
of your Sins, and gird yourselves like Strong Men. Forget those things
{Phil. iii. 13.} which are behind, and reach forth to those which are
before. I say unto you that every {Deut. xi. 24.} place that your
foot shall tread upon shall be yours. For as a Spirit before our face
is Christ the Lord, drawing us to the Mountain’s summit by the Bonds
of Charity. Wonderful, O Brethren, are the Espousals of Poverty, but
we may hope to enjoy her embraces, {Lament. i. 1.} for the Mistress
of Nations is become as a Widow, the Queen of all Virtues is become
contemptible. There is none in all the Land who dares call upon her,
none who will stand over against us, none who by right can forbid this
Blessed Union. All her {Lament. i. 2.} Friends have despised her, and
are become her Enemies.
V
HOW THE BLESSED FRANCIS AND HIS COMPANIONS FOUND THE LADY POVERTY ON
THE MOUNTAIN
And when he had thus spoken, they followed after the Blessed Francis.
And as with light feet they hastened to the summit of the Mountain,
they beheld my Lady Poverty on the topmost Pinnacle gazing down the
Mountain. And when she saw them climbing thus valiantly, nay, as it
were, rather flying towards her, she marvelled exceedingly, and said
to herself: Who are these that {Isa. lx. 8.} fly like the Clouds and
as Doves to their windows? It is long since I saw such as these, or
looked upon men so free from trammels. Therefore will I speak to them
of the things which I ponder in my Heart, lest, like the rest, they
should repent them of their hardy ascent when they behold the dizzying
abyss below. I know they cannot possess me without my consent, but I
shall find Favour before my Heavenly Father if I give them the Counsels
of Salvation. And behold a Voice spoke unto her, saying: Fear not,
Daughter of Sion, {John xii. 15.} for these are of the Seed which
the Lord hath blessed. He hath elected them in Charity {2 Cor. vi.
6.} unfeigned. So from the Throne of her Neediness, the Lady Poverty
presented them with {Ps. xx. 4.} Blessings of Sweetness, and said unto
them: Tell me the cause of your Advent, my Brothers, and why you hasten
thus speedily from the Valley of Tears to the Mountain of Light. Can
it indeed be that you seek me who am poor and needy, tossed by the
tempest, {Isa. liv. 11.} and bereft of all consolation?
VI
THE BLESSED FRANCIS AND HIS COMPANIONS, EXALTING HER VIRTUES IN
DIVERS WAYS, BESEECH THE LADY POVERTY TO ABIDE WITH THEM FOREVER
And the Blessed Francis and his Companions answered her, saying: Yea,
we have indeed come out to seek thee, Lady, and we beseech thee to
receive us in Peace. We desire to become the Servants of the Lord of
the Virtues,[20] for He is the {Ps. xxiii. 10.} King of Glory. We have
heard that thou art the Queen of the Virtues, and we have proved it by
experience. Wherefore, prostrate at thy Feet, we humbly beseech thee to
abide with us, and to light our Way to the King of Glory, as thou wast
unto Him the Way, when, a Day-Spring {Luke i. 78, 79.} from on High,
He humbled Himself to visit them that sat in Darkness and the Shadow
of Death. For we know that thine is the Power, thine the Kingdom, that
thou art constituted Mistress and Queen of the Virtues by the King of
Kings Himself. Therefore, we entreat thee, make Peace with us and we
shall be saved, and He will receive us through thee, Who through thee
did redeem us. Do but elect to save us, and we shall be made free. For
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Himself, the Creator of Heaven and
Earth, desired thy Comeliness {Ps. xliv. 11.} and thy Beauty. When the
{Cant. i. 11.} King was at His Rest, rich and glorious in His Kingdom,
He left His House, and forsook His inheritance, the Glory {Jer. xii.
7.} and Riches of His House, and His Royal Seat, and sought {Ps. cxi.
3.} thee with gracious words. Great therefore is thy Dignity, and there
is none so exalted as thee, since He could leave all Angelic Delights
and the great Abundance of Celestial Virtues, to seek thee in the
nethermost parts of the Earth, in the miry {Ps. xxxix. 3.} Clay, in the
Darkness and the Shadow of Death. Thou {Ps. lxxxvii. 7.} wast hated
by all the Children of Men, and all fled at thy Coming, or strove, as
they could, to drive thee from them. And though some could not fly thee
altogether, yet not for that reason wert thou less hated and loathed by
them.
But then came the Lord, the Lord God, and took thee for Himself, and
lifted up thy Head among the Tribes of the people, crowning thee His
Bride, and exalting thee above the Highest Heavens. And although, of
a surety, many still hate thee, not knowing thy Virtue and thy Glory,
yet hast thou nothing lost thereby, for thou dwellest in Freedom in
thy holy Mountains, in the most firm habitation of the {Exod. xv. 17.}
Glory of Christ. Thus the Son of the Most High, having become a Lover
of thy Beauty, {Wisdom viii. 2.} dwelt only with thee in the World,
and found thee most faithful in all Things. Even before He left His
bright Realms for the Earth, thou hadst prepared Him a fitting place,
a Throne on which to sit, a Couch in which to rest, a most poor Virgin
from whom He sprung, and shone upon the World. At His Nativity thou
didst run to meet Him, so that He might find comfort in thee, and not
in soft places. Thou didst lay Him in a {Luke ii. 7.} Manger, as saith
the Evangelist, for there was no room in the Inn. And thus didst thou
always inseparably accompany Him, so that during His whole Life, while
He dwelt among Men, though the Foxes had {Matt. viii. 20.} Caves, and
the Birds of the Air Nests, He had no place to lay His Head. And when
He Who in the Past had opened the lips of the Prophets opened His own
Lips to preach, among the many things which He spake, He first praised,
first exalted thee, saying: Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, {Matt. v.
3.} for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. And when He chose Witnesses
to His Holy Preaching and to His glorious Work for the Salvation of
Man, He did not take rich Merchants, but poor Fisherfolk, that by
this choice He might show forth that thou wert to be loved by All.
And finally that thy Goodness, thy Greatness, thy Power, might be
made manifest to All, and how thou art above all the Virtues, and how
without thee there is no Virtue, and how thy Kingdom {John xviii. 36.}
is not of this World but from Heaven, thou alone didst remain with
the King of Glory when all His Elect and Beloved had fled from Him in
Affright.
Like unto a most dear Mistress and faithful Spouse, thou didst not
leave Him for an instant. The more He was despised by All, the more
didst thou cleave to Him. For if thou hadst not been with Him, He could
never have been so despised by All. Thou wast with Him when the Jews
reviled, the Pharisees scoffed, and the High Priests reproached Him.
Thou wast with Him when He was struck, when He was spat upon, when He
was scourged. He Who should have been reverenced by All, was derided by
all, and thou alone didst minister unto Him. Thou wast with Him unto
Death, {Phil. ii. 8.} even the Death of the Cross. And on the Cross
itself, His Body being stripped, His Arms extended, His Hands and Feet
pierced, thou didst suffer with Him, so that nothing did seem more
glorious in Him than thou.
When He ascended into Heaven, He left to thee the Seal of the Kingdom
of Heaven, that thou might’st seal the Elect, that whosoever should
aspire to Eternal Life might come to thee, pray to thee, and enter
by thee, for if he be not sealed with thy Seal, no man may enter the
Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, O Lady, have compassion upon us, and seal
us with the Seal of thy Grace. For who is there so craven-spirited
and foolish as not to love thee with all his Heart, thee who hast
been chosen by the Most High, and prepared from all Eternity? Who is
there that does not reverence and honour thee, when He Whom all the
Heavenly Host adore hath clothed thee with such Honour? Who would not
readily adore thy Footsteps, to whom the Lord of Majesty so humbly
inclined, whom He so intimately embraced, to whom he was joined in so
great a Love? We therefore beseech thee, O Lady, by Him and through
Him, despise not our petitions {Antiphon at Compline in the Office of
the B.V.M.} in our Necessities, but deliver us at all Times from all
Dangers, O Glorious and ever blessed Lady!
VII
THE ANSWER OF MY LADY POVERTY
To these Words my Lady Poverty, with joyful Heart, and cheerful
Mien, and most sweet Voice, made answer, saying: I confess to you,
my Brothers and most dear Friends, that from the moment you began
to speak, I was filled with Gladness and exceeding great Joy, for I
acknowledge your Fervour, and already know your Holy Intent; your words
are dearer to me than Gold and Precious {Ps. xviii. 11.} Stones, and
sweeter far than Honey and the Honeycomb. For it is not you that speak,
{Mark xiii. 11.} but the Holy Ghost that speaketh in you, and it is His
{1 John ii. 27.} Unction that inspires you in all the things which you
have spoken concerning the Most High King, Who by His Grace alone chose
me as His Beloved, taking away my Reproach {Luke i. 25.} among Men, and
glorifying me among the Highest in Heaven. Therefore I desire, if it
will not weary you, to tell you the story of my Estate. It is a long
Story, but not less useful, and will teach you how to walk with God and
please {Gen. v. 22.} Him, giving heed that you who wish to put your
hands {Luke ix. 62.} to the plough in no wise look back.
I am not new,[21] as many think, but old and full of years, knowing the
nature of Things, the Varieties of Creatures, the mutability of Time.
I know the vacillations of the Heart of Man, in part by the experience
of Ages, in part by subtlety of Nature, in part by the Merit of Grace.
In the beginning I dwelt in the Paradise of God, where Man was naked.
Or rather, I was in Man, and of his Essence when he was naked, walking
with him in that spacious Paradise, fearing nothing, doubting nothing,
thinking no Evil. I thought to have stayed with him forever, for he
had been created by the Most High, just, good, and wise, and placed
in a most beautiful and delectable Place. I was joyful exceeding,
entertaining him at all Times, for possessing Nothing, he belonged
wholly to God. But, woe is me, he succumbed to Evil, which had been
unknown from the beginning of the Creation, and the unhappy Spirit of
Evil, who, through Vainglory, had lost Wisdom, entered the body of a
Serpent because he could not inhabit Heaven, and treacherously assailed
Man, that like himself he might become a transgressor of the Divine
Law. Unhappy Man, giving ear unto his evil Counsellor, acquiesced and
consented, and having forgotten God, his Creator, followed the Example
of the first Transgressor. In the beginning, says Holy Writ, Man was
naked but not {Gen. ii. 25.} ashamed, for he was perfect in innocence.
But having sinned, he knew that he was naked, and being ashamed, he
hastily made himself an apron of the leaves of the fig-tree.[22]
When, therefore, I saw that my Companion had sinned, and was dressed in
leaves (for he had nothing else), I left him. And standing afar off, I
beheld him through my Tears, and waited for Him Who should save me from
Faintness of Spirit in so great {Ps. liv. 9.} a Storm. And suddenly
there came a Sound from Heaven {Acts ii. 2.} that shook the whole of
Paradise, and a most bright Light shone from Heaven. And I looked and
beheld the Lord of {Gen. iii. 8.} Majesty walking in Paradise in the
cool of the day, resplendent in ineffable Glory. A mighty Host of
Angels was in His Train, crying with a loud Voice: Holy, Holy, Holy,
{Isa. vi. 3.} Lord God of Sabaoth, the Earth is full of the Majesty
of Thy Glory. Thousands of {Dan. vii. 10.} Thousands ministered unto
Him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand[23] stood before Him.
Then in Fear and Trembling, overcome with Dread and Amazement, my Body
chill, my Heart fast beating, I cried out of the Depths: {Ps. cxxix.
1.} Mercy, Lord--have Mercy! Enter not into Judgment with {Ps. cxlii.
2.} Thy Servant, for in Thy Sight shall no Man living be justified.
But He said unto me: Go, hide thyself for a while, until Mine Anger
be overpast. And {Isa. xxvi. 20.} straightway He called my Companion,
saying: Adam, where art thou? Who answered: I heard Thy Voice, {Gen.
iii. 9, 10.} and was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.
Naked indeed! The man who {Luke x. 30.} went down from Jerusalem to
Jericho and fell among Thieves was stripped of this World’s Goods, but
Adam had been robbed of the Likeness of God. But that King Who is Most
High and yet most Gracious, awaited his Repentance, and gave him the
Opportunity of returning to Him. Yet in his wretchedness he inclined
his {Ps. cxl. 4.} Heart to evil Words, and to making excuses for Sin.
And thus he increased his guilt, and heaped up punishment, treasuring
{Rom. ii. 5.} up unto himself Wrath against the day of Wrath and
Revelation of the just Judgment of God. For he spared not himself nor
his seed after him, delivering up All to the terrible Curse of Death.
And all the Angels that were present condemned him, and the Lord cast
him forth {Gen. iii. 23.} from Paradise by a just but not less merciful
Judgment, and bade him return to the Earth from whence he was taken,
greatly tempering the Curse He had laid upon him. And being stripped
of his robe of Innocence, God made him garments of skins, therein
signifying that Death had come into the World. And when I saw my
Companion clothed with the skins of dead beasts, I left him altogether,
for he had been cast forth to multiply his labours, whereby he might
become rich. I went forth a {Gen. iv. 12.} fugitive and wanderer upon
the Earth, weeping and mourning exceedingly, and I found not {Gen.
viii. 9.} where to rest the sole of my Foot. When Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and the other Patriarchs, received in promise Riches and a Land
flowing with Milk and Honey, I sought Rest among {Eccli. xxiv. 11.}
them, but found none. A Cherub with a Flaming Sword {Gen. iii. 24.}
stood before the Gates of Paradise until the Most High came down from
the Bosom of the Father, Who sought me out most graciously. And when He
had fulfilled all those Things of which you have spoken, and desired to
return to the Father Who had sent Him, He made me a Testament to His
Elect, and confirmed it by irrefragable Decrees: Lay not up Gold nor
{Matt. x. 9.} Silver, nor Money. Carry neither Purse, nor Scrip, nor
{Matt. x. 10 and Luke x. 4.} Bread, nor a Staff, nor Shoes, nor two
Coats. And if any {Matt. v. 40.} Man will contend with thee and take
away thy Coat, let go thy Cloak also. And whoever {Matt. v. 41.} shall
compel thee to go a Mile, go with him other twain. {Matt. vi. 19.} Lay
not up unto yourselves Treasures upon Earth, where Rust and Moth doth
corrupt, and where Thieves break through and steal. Take no {Matt. vi.
31.} thought, saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or
wherewithal shall we be clothed? And take no Thought of the Morrow, for
the Morrow will take Thought {Matt. vi. 34.} for itself. Sufficient
unto the Day is the Evil thereof. Whosoever doth not renounce {Luke
xiv. 33.} all that he hath, cannot be my disciple.... And many the like
sayings, which are all to be found in the Gospels.
VIII
OF THE APOSTLES
All which Things the Apostles and all the Disciples most diligently
observed, nor did they ever fail to fulfil the Things they had heard
from the Master. They bore themselves as most valiant Knights and
Judges of the Earth, carrying the Message of Salvation everywhere,
the Lord working with them, and {Mark xvi. 20.} confirming the Word
with Signs that followed. They glowed in Charity, abounded in Piety,
and endured every Want, taking care that it should not be said of
them: These men preach but do not practise. Hence one of them speaketh
boldly, saying: For {Rom. xv. 18, 19.} I will not dare to speak of any
of those Things which Christ hath not wrought by me by Word and Deed,
and by the Power of the Holy Ghost. And yet another speaketh thus:
Silver and Gold have I {Acts iii. 6.} none. Thus did they, one and
all, in Life and in Death, exalt me by the highest Praises. And those
who heard these Masters, gave heed to their Preaching, selling all
their {Acts ii. 45.} goods and substance, and dividing them according
as every man had need. And they were all together and had {Acts ii.
44.} all things in common, praising God and having favour with all the
People. {Acts ii. 47.}
IX
OF THE SUCCESSORS OF THE APOSTLES
{Acts ii. 47.} Wherefore the Lord increased daily such as should be
saved. Indeed for long the Truth of their Words remained among many,
more especially while the Blood of the Crucified Poor One, Jesus
Christ, was warm in their memory, and the Noble Chalice of His Passion
inebriated their Hearts. For if any of them sought to leave me at any
time because of my too great Rigours, they would remember the Wounds of
the Lord by which He made manifest His loving Compassion, and bitterly
repent of the Temptation, clinging to me more closely, and embracing
me more eagerly than ever. And I abode in them all, ever striving to
impress upon their Memory the Dolours of the Passion of the Eternal
King. So strengthened by my Words, they cheerfully encountered the
cruel Sword which shed their holy Blood. And this Triumph continued and
endured a long while, so that daily a thousand thousand were sealed
with the Seal of the Most High King.
X
THAT TIMES OF PEACE ARE UNPROPITIOUS TO POVERTY
But alas! after a while Peace was made, a Peace more hurtful than
any War. In the beginning of that long Peace but few were sealed, in
the middle of it yet fewer, at the end fewer still. And behold! of a
surety in {Isa. xxxviii. 17.} this Peace is my Bitterness most bitter;
for All fly from me or drive me from them; by none am I sought, by
All forsaken. This Peace was the work of Enemies, not of Friends; of
Strangers, not of my Sons. I indeed nourished {Isa. i. 2.} and raised
up Sons, but they contemned me. In that Time when the Lamp of the Lord
{Job xxix. 3.} shone upon my Head, and I walked by His Light through
the Darkness, Satan was raging in many who were with me, the World was
enticing them, and the Concupiscence of the Flesh, so that many of {1
John ii. 15.} them ended by loving the World and the Things of the
World.
XI
OF PERSECUTION
But the Crown of all the Virtues, and that is the Lady Persecution, to
whom the Lord, equally with me, delivered the Kingdom of Heaven, was by
my side, and in all things a faithful Helper, a strong Champion, and
a prudent Counsellor. She, when she saw any grow lukewarm in Heavenly
Charity, or forgetting it a while, or fixing their Hearts on Earthly
Things, she straightway sounded the Trump and moved her Armies, and
made their faces to be ashamed, that they might seek {Ps. lxxxii.
17.} the Name of the Lord. But now my Sister has left me, the Light
of my Eyes is not with me, for while my Sons are at rest from the
Persecutors, they are most cruelly torn by civil and intestine War,
envying each other, and struggling for the acquisition of Wealth and an
abundance of luxuries.
After a while some began to breathe again, and wished of their own
accord to walk in the right Road, which once they had walked in of
necessity. All these came to me with prayers and tears, and entreated
me to make a perpetual League of Peace with them, and to abide with
them as I formerly did in the days {Job xxix. 4.} of my Youth, when
the Lord was with me, and my Children were round about me. These were
men of virtue, peaceful men, without Rebuke before the Lord, constant
in brotherly Love, so long as they remained in the Flesh, poor in
Spirit, poor in this World’s Goods, rich in Holiness, abounding in
the Gifts of Heavenly Grace, fervent in Spirit, rejoicing in Hope,
patient in Tribulation, meek and humble of Heart, and keeping Peace
in their Souls, Harmony in their Ways, Steadfastness in their Hearts,
and a joyful Unity in their Walk through Life. These men were indeed
devoted to God, pleasing to the Angels, beloved of Men, unsparing to
themselves, merciful to Others, devout in Deed, modest in Demeanour,
cheerful of Countenance, earnest of Heart, humble in Prosperity,
high-minded in Adversity, temperate of Life, sober in Dress, sparing of
Sleep, modest and devout, shining before all Men in the Light of their
Good Works. My Soul was joined unto these my Sons, and there was one
Faith and one Spirit within us.[24]
XII
OF THE FOLLOWERS OF A SPURIOUS POVERTY
{1 John ii. 19.} Finally there rose up among us Men who were not of us,
certain Sons of Belial speaking Vain Things, working Iniquity, calling
themselves Poor Men when they were not Poor, despising and dishonouring
me who had been loved with Whole-heartedness by those glorious Men of
whom I have spoken, following the Way of Balaam, the Son {2 Pet. ii.
15.} of Bosor, who loved the Wages of Sin, Men of a corrupt {1 Tim.
vi. 5.} Mind, devoid of Truth, supposing Gain to be Godliness, Men who
in assuming the Habit of Holy Religion, did not put on the New Man,
but sought to hide the Old. They derided their Elders, and in secret
scoffed at the Life and Character of those who had begun the Way of
Holy Conversation, saying that they were imprudent, merciless, and
cruel, and that I, whom these holy ones had taken into their Company,
was idle, empty, base, rude, lifeless, and feeble. ’Twas my great Rival
who zealously worked all this, hiding under a Sheep’s Clothing the
Cunning of a Fox and the Fierceness of a Wolf.
XIII
OF AVARICE
Avarice was this Rival’s name, and she is the Immoderate Desire of
acquiring and holding Riches. But they called her by a holier Name,
so that it might not seem that they had abandoned me, by whose Gift
they had been raised from the Dust and lifted up out of the Mire. So
they spake gently of her to me, but there was Craft and Anger in their
Hearts. And though the Desolation of a City which is set upon a Hill
{Matt. v. 14.} cannot be hid, yet they gave her the Name of Discretion
or Foresight, though such Discretion were better named Confusion, and
such Foresight a pernicious Forgetfulness of all Good Works. And they
said unto me: Thine is the Power; thine the Kingdom: fear not. It is
good to use Charity and labour for Good Ends, to succour the Needy and
give to the Poor. But I answered: What you say is just, Brothers, but I
beseech you, consider {1 Cor. i. 26.} your Calling. Do not look back.
Do not come down {Matt. xxiv. 17.} from the house-top to take anything
out of your Houses, neither return back from the fields to take your
Clothes. Do not be busied about this World’s Affairs, nor be entangled
again in its Pollution, {2 Pet. ii. 20, 21.} which you have escaped
through the Knowledge of the Saviour. For those who are entangled
therein a second time must needs be overcome, and the latter End is
worse with them than the Beginning, if by a Pretence of Piety they
turn from the Holy Commandment which has been delivered unto them. And
after I had thus spoken, there arose a Dissension among them, for some
said that I was good and spoke the Truth, but others that I desired to
seduce them into following me, in that I was wretched, and wished to
make them wretched with me.
XIV
HOW THE LADY POVERTY SPOKE OF GOOD RELIGIOUS
My Rival could not yet drive me out of their Land, for there were still
many Men among them in all the great Zeal and Charity of their First
Fervour, who assailed Heaven by their Cries, and penetrated to the
Throne of God by their Perseverance in Prayer, rapt in Contemplation
and despising all Things which were of the Earth. Then the {Eccli.
xxiv. 12.} Creator of All Things commanded me, and He Who created me
said: Let thy Dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel,
and take thou Root in My Elect. All which Things I most diligently
obeyed. And while I abode with them, and we walked together on the
Royal Road, they became, on my {Wisdom viii. 10, 11.} account, of good
Repute among the People, and admirable in the Sight of the Mighty. They
were honoured by all Men, and reputed as Saints, though they could not
endure to be thus called, remembering what the Son of God had said: I
seek no {John viii. 50.} Glory from Man; therefore they refused all
Honour offered them by Men.
XV
HOW AVARICE TOOK THE NAME OF DISCRETION
But whilst my Disciples were thus walking in so great Fervour of the
Love of Christ, Avarice, taking to herself the Name of Discretion,
spake and said unto them: Do not show yourselves so severe to Mankind,
nor thus contemn their Honours, but have a kindly Countenance for them,
and do not outwardly reject the Honours offered to you: be content to
do so inwardly. It is a good thing to have the Friendship of Kings,
the Acquaintance of Princes, the Intimacy of the Great, for if they
honour and venerate you, if they rise up to meet you, many seeing this
shall follow their Example, and be the more easily turned to God. And
my Friends, acknowledging these advantages, but not guarding themselves
from the Snare which {Ps. cxlii. 4.} had been set in the Way, in the
End embraced Honours and Glory with all their Heart. They thought
themselves to be inwardly such as they seemed outwardly, but they
gloried in the Praises they received, and were like the Foolish Virgins
without Oil, profitless servants upon the Earth. And Men who believed
them to be interiorly that which they seemed exteriorly, freely offered
them their Goods in Remission of their Sins. In the beginning they had
counted all these {Phil. iii. 8.} Things as dung, saying: We are Poor
Men and always desire to be Poor; we do not desire your goods but you.
We have Food and wherewithal {1 Tim. vi. 8.} to cover ourselves and
desire no more, for Vanity of {Eccl. i. 2.} Vanities and All is Vanity.
Wherefore the devotion of Men towards them increased still more, so
that many held in small Regard the Goods which they saw thus despised
of the Saints.
XVI
HOW AVARICE TOOK THE NAME OF PRUDENCE