"Love was our Lord's Meaning"
This book is begun by God's gift and His grace, but it is not yet
performed, as to my sight.
For Charity pray we all; [together] with _God's_ working, thanking,
trusting, enjoying. For thus will our good Lord be prayed to, as by the
understanding that I took of all His own meaning and of the sweet words
where He saith full merrily: _I am the Ground of thy beseeching_. For
truly I saw and understood in our Lord's meaning that He shewed it for
that He willeth to have it known more than it is: in which knowing He
will give us grace to love to Him and cleave to Him. For He beholdeth
His heavenly treasure with so great love on earth that He willeth to
give us more light and solace in heavenly joy, in drawing to Him of our
hearts, for sorrow and darkness[1] which we are in.
And from that time that it was shewed I desired oftentimes to learn[2]
what was our Lord's meaning. And fifteen years after, and more, I was
answered in ghostly understanding, saying thus: _Wouldst thou learn[3]
thy Lord's meaning in this thing? Learn it well: Love was His meaning.
Who shewed it thee? Love. What shewed He thee? Love. Wherefore shewed
it He? For Love. Hold thee therein and thou shalt learn and know more
in the same. But thou shalt never know nor learn therein other thing
without end._ Thus was I learned[4] that Love was our Lord's meaning.
And I saw full surely that ere God made us He loved us; which love was
never slacked, nor ever shall be. And in this love He hath done all His
works; and in this love He hath made all things profitable to us; and
in this love our life is everlasting. In our making we had beginning;
but the love wherein He made us was in Him from without beginning: in
which love we have our beginning. And all this shall we see in God,
without end.
[1] "merkness" = dimness.
[2] "witten" = to see clearly.
[3] "witten" = to see clearly.
[4] "lerid."
POSTSCRIPT BY A SCRIBE
[The Sloane MS. is entitled "Revelations to one who could not read a
Letter, Anno Dom. 1373," and each chapter is headed by a few lines
denoting its contents. These titles are in language similar to that of
the text, and are probably the work of an early scribe. No doubt it
is the same scribe who after the last sentence of the book adds the
aspiration:] _Which Jesus mot grant us_
_Amen._
[And to him also may be assigned this conclusion:--]
Thus endeth the Revelation of Love of the blissid Trinite shewid by
our Savior Christ Jesu for our endles comfort and solace and also to
enjoyen in him in this passand journey of this life.
_Amen Jesu Amen_
I pray Almyty God that this booke com not but to the hands of them
that will be his faithfull lovers, and to those that will submitt
them to the faith of holy Church, and obey the holesom understondying
and teching of the men that be of vertuous life, sadde Age and sound
lering: ffor this Revelation is hey Divinitye and hey wisdom, wherfore
it may not dwelle with him that is thrall to synne and to the Devill.
And beware thou take not on thing after thy affection and liking, and
leve another: for that is the condition of an heretique. But take every
thing with other. And, trewly understonden, All is according to holy
Scripture and groundid in the same. And _that_ Jesus, our very love,
light and truth, shall shew to all clen soulis that with mekeness aske
profe reverently this wisdom of hym.
And thou to whom this boke shall come, thank heyley and hertily our
Saviour Christ Jesu that he made these shewings and revelations, for
the, and to the, of his endles love, mercy and goodnes for thine and
our save guide, to conduct to everlastying bliss: _the which Jesus mot
grant us._ AMEN.
GLOSSARY
_Adight_ = prepared, ordained.
_Adventure_ = chance, hazard.
_After_ = according to.
_All thing_ = with the verb singular--kept here chiefly to express
_all_, the _whole_ of things related to each other, though often, as in
the original, meaning simply _every, each_. In Early and Middle English
_thing_ had no _s_ in the plural.
_And_ had sometimes the force of _but_, and once or twice in the MS. it
is used in its sense of _if_, or of _and though_, or _and when_.
_Asseth, asyeth, asyeth-making_ = satisfaction; fulfilment
(theologically used).
_Asketh_ = requireth, demandeth.
_Avisement_ = consideration; observation with self-consulting.
_Beclosed_ = enclosed.
_Behest_ = promise: a thing proclaimed; afterwards, command.
_Behold in_ = behold. _Beholding_ = manner of regarding things.
_Belongeth to, behoveth_ = is incumbent, befitteth.
_Blissful_ = used sometimes as _blessed_.
_Bodily_ = perceived by any of the bodily senses, effected by material
agency.
_Braste_ = burst.
_Busyness_ = the state of being busy; _great busyness_ = much ado.
_But if_ = unless, save.
_Cause_ = reason, end, object.
_Cheer_ = expression of countenance shewing sorrow or gladness; mien.
_Close_ = shut away; hid, or partially hid.
_Come from_ = go from.
_Common: the Blessed Common_ = the Christian Community.
_Contrarious_ = perverse. Various other forms are used from to
_contrary_, to oppose.
_Could_ and _can_ refer to knowledge and practical skill, ability.
_Courteous_ = gently considerate and fair; reverentially ceremonious;
Gracious.
_Deadly_ = mortal.
_Dearworthy_ = precious; beloved and honoured.
_Depart_ = dispart, part.
_Deserve_ = earn.
_Disease_ = distress, trouble, want of case.
_Doom, deeming_ = judgment. _Doomsman_ = priestly confessor.
_Enjoy in_ = enjoy; rejoice in.
_Entend_ = attend.
_Enter_ = to lead in.
_Even_ = equal; _even-like; even-right_ = straight, straight-facing.
_Even-Christian_ (_even-cristen_, sing. or pl.) = fellow-Christian.
_Hamlet_ V. i., "And the more the pity that great folk have countenance
in this world to drown or hang themselves more than their even
Christian."
_Faithfully_ = trustfully.
_For that_ = because.
_Fulfilled of_ = filled full with. _Fulfilling_ = fulfilment, Perfect
Bliss.
_Garland_ = crown.
_Generally_ = relating to things or people in general, not "in special."
_Grante mercy_ = ("grand merci") great thanks.
_Have to_ = betake one's self to.
_Hastily_ = quickly, soon.
_Homely_ = intimate, simple, as of one at home.
_Honest_ = fair, seemly.
_If_ = that (chap. xxxii., "Thou shalt see--if all--shall be well" Acts
xxvi. 8).
_Impropriated (impropried) to_ = appropriated to.
_Indifferent_ (to thy sight, chap. li.) = indistinct.
_Intellect_ = understanding, that which is to be understood, inference.
xiii.
_Intent_ = attention.
_Kind_ = nature, race, birth, species; natural, etc.; _kindly_ = as by
birth and kinship, natural, filial, gentle, genial, human and humane.
_Known_ = made known.
_Languor_ = to languish.
_Learn_ = teach.
_Let_, "_letten_" = hinder (letted).
_Like (it liketh him, meliketh)_ = to suit, be similar to the desire,
to be pleasing (Amos iv. 5). _Liking_ = pleasure, pleasance.
_Likeness_ ("without any likeness") = comparison.
_May, might,_ often for _can_ and _could_ of modern usage.
_Mean_ = to think, say, signify, intend; to have in one's mind.
_Mean, means_ = medium, intermediary thing, or person, or communication.
_Mind_ = feeling, memory, sympathetic perception or realisation.
_Mischief_ = hurt, injury, harm.
_Mights_ = powers, faculties.
_Morrow_ = morning.
_Moaning_ = sorrowing.
_Naked_ = simple, single, plain, by itself.
_Needs_ = of need; it _behoveth needs_ = is incumbent through necessity.
_Oweth_ = ought, is bound by duty or debt.
_One_ (oned, oneing) = to make one, unite.
_Over_ = upper.
_Overpassing_ = exceeding; the _overpassing_ = the Restoration,
the heavenly Fulfilment of the Company of souls made _more_ than
conquerors; the Supernal Blessedness.
_Pass_ = to die.
_Passing_ = surpassingly.
_Regard, in regard of_ = in respect of, comparison with. _Regard_ =
look, sight.
_Ready_ = prepared; _readily_ = quickly.
_Sad_ = Sober ("sad votaress," Milton, _Comus_), originally "firm"
("rype and sad corage," Chaucer: _The Clerkes Tale_, 164).
_Say_ = tell.
_Skilfully_ = discerningly, with practical knowledge and ability.
_Slade_ = a steep, hollow place; a ravine.
_So far forth_ = to such a measure.
_Solemn_ = festal, as of a yearly feast, stately, ceremonial.
_Sooth_ = very reality, that which _is; soothly, soothfastly_.
_Speed_ = prospering, furtherance, profit.
_Stint_ ("stinten") = to cease.
_Stirring_ ("stering") = moving, prompting, motion.
_Substantial_ and _sensual_, relating respectively (in the writer's
psychology) to the _Substance_ or higher self, and the soul inhabiting
the body on earth, called by her the _Sensualite_, and in chap. lvii.
_the sensual soul; cf._ Genesis i. 27, with ii. 7.
_Tarry_ = to vex, delay.
_Touch_ (a) = an instant. _Touching_ = influence.
_Trow_ = believe.
_Unknowing_ = ignorance; _unmade_ = not made.
_Ween_ = suppose, expect, think.
_Will; He will_ = He willeth that. _Wilfully_ = with firm will,
resolutely.
_Wit_ to know by perception, to experience, find, learn. Knowledge
knows: _Wisdom wits_.
_Worship_ = honour, praise, glory.
_Wretch_ = a poor, a mean creature of no account.
[THE END.]