The Mirror of Simple Souls Paperback - August 13, 2012 by Marguerite Porete (Author), C Kirchberger (Editor), M N (Translator) 91 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $5.99 Read with Our Free App Paperback $19.95 7 Used from $17.12 10 New from $15.88 This edition of The Mirror of the Simple Soul was originally published in 1927. But God willeth that she will this, and that she have such [a] will. And [though] the world, the flesh and the enemy, the fiend, and the four elements, the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth tormented her and despised her and devoured her, if it might so be, what might she lose, if God dwelled with her? They follow [after] to attain a thing that is impossible, but I excuse them for their intention. Why, saith Love, marvelleth Holy Church, though the virtues serve the high heavenly souls, and why should they not? And Love told me it was but all solely for one thing, and that is, that the divine will of all the Trinity would it. Cost = treasure, something costly. We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us! For [concerning] one thing well done; if God desired a greater good which a creature might do, if it were asked [of him] and he do it not, he sinneth. For nothing may see the high divine things, but that which ought everlastingly to be. St John of the Cross, two last books). This is carried to the extreme in his contemptuous attacks on that Reason which is litteral, and in his glorification of not-knowing and not-willing, culminating in the experience of the Dark Night. Thus she loveth God in all things and all things for God, so that for this love is this soul alone, or all-one in the pure love of the love of God. . This edition also con-tains invaluable historical sources in Appendix A (214#218). If we have seemed to stress the possible defects and dangers of our treatise, it has been done with a view to forestall the critic. [59] Then may not this soul here be found, for this soul is so naughted by meekness that it seemeth [to] her there is no creature that ever sinned that is so worthy to have torment and confusion without end, as she, by her true judgement, if God would take vengeance of one of a thousand of her faults. Her only comfort is in the knowledge of the sufficiency of her Beloved, according to Pure Love. And Reason dwelleth in us. Naught is of such a nature, that naught must be naught. He were purblind that would take it in this wise; but all such words in this book must be taken ghostly and divinely. And we shall tell you, saith the Light of Faith, how this humanity dwelleth with them, as thus by [a] similitude: Take this sacrament and put it in a mortar with other things, and pound this sacrament so that you may not see nor feel [aught] of the person that you have put in. The country of virtues that the marred work in is full far from the country of forgetting and all-naked, naughted, or clarified souls, that be in the most high being. But one thing. Non nobis Domine non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam. For right thus, saith Love, as the iron is clothed with fire and hath lost its own semblance by the greater strength of that which hath turned it unto itself, right so is the soul clothed of the more, and is all turned and drawn into this more, for the [sake of the] love of more, of heavenly amiable peace, without paying of duty. This establishes the approximate date of the composition. And this I say as for me, I know not what ye be, for I know not your everlasting might, your everlasting wisdom, your everlasting bounty. And Love hath by himself of his noblesse, the debts all paid., And the seventh keepeth he within himself, for to give us in everlasting glory. So that I say, for as much passing this, as I have naught that availeth, so much do you avail, better than the best of mine, for which you are given. Whatever joy or sorrow they of my paradise have, though men see their sins or though they receive of me gifts of glory, they have no will to make answer or show for none of these two. They believe me well, but they will do nothing; they say to me, saith Reason, that they are not obliged thereto unless they wish it; for God hath not commanded it to them but counselled it, without more., They say sooth, saith this soul, these most uncourteous [ones]!, Oh, without fail, saith our Lord Jesu Christ, uncourteous be they! I have no care, saith she, which lot I fall [into] of these four. M. Forgettelle is her name, for it is her manner much to comprehend and soon to forget. That is, that all that she coveteth and loveth and prizeth, it is of the divine bounty. This edition of The Mirror of the Simple Soul was originally published in 1927. The Son of God is my mirror in this, for God the Father gave his Son our Saviour to be an ensample to us. And through this I am the salvation of creatures and the glory of God.. For St Paul saith: it is not two spirits, God and the soul, that is thus oned to him, but it is all one spirit in time of this union. Why so anguishously? And though I think thereon, saith Love, what marvel is it? Porete was burned at the stake as a relapsed heretic in 1310. A play on words, the most, a word for wine, ale; also, as will occur again later, used for God who is the, These souls are all one in all things, and equable in all things, and they are not troubled about their condition whatever may befall them, forthynken not repent of, are displeased at; Bod. Therefore the ardours of intellectual speculation at the Sorbonne at the end of the thirteenth century are known to our author; he has assimilated speculations that we find hard to grasp, and he relates them to his subject, not for a display of learning, but simply because certain problems of the spiritual life do naturally evoke questions that have been handled in the schools, and the synthesis of the intellectual problems is frequently to be found in a spiritual law. Those that understand rest, and the speakers labour, and knowing may not suffer labour, for labour is a less good. This is sooth, that there is nothing more certain than this, that God is not God if my will be taken from me, except my will will it. 14 day loan required to access PDF files. The souls possession of God in herself seems to her nothing compared with the fulness of the transcendent life of the Trinity as it exists in itself. To the worship and laud of the Trinity be this work begun and ended. And then hath she no more to do of God than God of her, for he is she is not. How did the MS. reach England? He was evidently in a position and of a character to stamp the work favourably or the reverse; his approbation is guarded, sober, balanced. All those that so live, they be always enfamined or hungried., This free soul, saith Love, leaneth her upon two staffs,[113] the one on the right side, and the other on the left side. Now seeth the will by the diffused[365] illumination of divine light. And God is also this same [thing], that he is in me. And therefore, divine will is alway one same will with Love. And this beholding giveth her a marvellous abashing to see that he is all bounty that hath put free will in her who is naught, but in all wickedness. [312] Gloss these words if ye will understand it or ye shall misunderstand it, for it hath some likeness to the opposite[313] [for those] who understand not the fulness of the gloss; and likeness is not truth, but Truth is truth and nothing else. She knoweth the All; and the More of All, in which More, the free soul is rested and dwelleth; she may not otherwise do, but in the All make dwelling., Now have ye heard, who are the perished, and in what, and of what, and for what., Now we will tell you also which be the marred. Thus they do nothing as in their own sight and judgement, but God doth all thing that good is. Certainly, I might not with- hold from him, but I should give him all, if I had whereof to give. Such is the nature of thee. This is to say, that the soul that hath given them all this, and nothing hath left to comfort nature with (that hardly the rightful man shall be saved) would then thus become sorrowful, be in hell and tormented unto the day of judgement, so that she might be in certainty, then to be saved. Obviously no deductions in favour of self-indulgence are to be drawn from this passage by those who have not attained that state. But ye should well wit, and all ye in life encumbered by your own spirits self, that never shall you be without some encumbering, and all for this, saith Love, that ye would not obey my messengers and Virtues when I would it. But when she took love, she sought him by desire of will, in feeling of her spirit. This is the substance of my heart. . She may yet fall if she be assailed with adversities or with prosperities. Nor may the soul have her full sufficiency of divine love, nor [may] divine love [have it] of the soul, until such time as the soul be in God and God in the soul, of him, by him, in this being, by divine [indwelling], and then the soul hath all her sufficiency. Uploaded by This book showeth by thoughts of partie,[353] by works of perfection, by demands of reason, that it behoveth us to draw unto us all the life that Christ Jesu himself led and preached to us, according to our power; for he said of far, thus: Whosoever believeth in me he shall do such works as I do and yet more greater shall he do. Thus I shall tell you how I relinquish you and me and mine even-Christian, everyone, in witting of your divine wisdom, in the streams of your divine might, in. Reason praiseth the Magdalen for she sought Jesu Christ, but love stilleth him. We know that his sympathies were partly Thomistic, but on the points which affected the work he still adhered to the older scholasticism. . Lady Love, it is the food of holy souls!, It is true for them that crave,[88] saith Love, but this soul craveth not, for she hath in her inwardness[89] no nature to desire anything that is outside herself. Love maketh her all drunken and suffereth her not to attend to any but him, by which strength in love she delighteth her so, that the soul may none other being hold precious,[363] for the great light of love hath covered her, that suffereth her not to see passing love. [169] for this word passeth our scriptures, and so we may not understand it by Reason, this that you say. Can. And the light of the opening of this book hath made me find mine [own] and to dwell in that. But one thing sufficeth me. what might they rob her of? Truly, saith Love, but if ye know that no one can find them whom God hath made; and where they be, ye know all three, saith Love, for ye be with them in all moments of time. Letter to the Brethren of Mons Dei (M.P.L. And therefore see we ourselves, that we have naught of ourselves; see we also this, without knowing of ourselves. R.H. Steuart, S.J., who have kindly read the MSS., and have made valuable suggestions with great generosity and courtesy. Herbert, of the British Museum; to the Librarians of Bodley; of Pembroke and St Johns College, Cambridge, who kindly lent MSS. I have done all.. I have, by my far night, sent letters to you; but none asketh, What is this far night? When he showeth his glory to the soul, his works may not be told! below. This gift maketh in her very perfection, and so it hath moved her to the nature of love that delighteth her with fulfilled peace and feedeth and filleth her with divine food. I shall speak no word more; the heart [is] made alone of him in this battle. Then Truth said to me, that I shall not see the divine Trinity until my soul be all so clean without spot of sin, as is the soul of Jesu Christ. He writes on the doctrine of the union of the soul with God. [324] It ought to be believed; they believe it verily that be such. web pages For why? If this naughted lady willeth the will of God, the more that she willeth it, the more she would will it; and that may she not, on account of the littleness of [the] creature, for God withholdeth the greatness of his divine righteousness. Available formats PDF Please select a format to save. (7) The union of hearing. Thou wouldest have answers to these words aforesaid, and thou askest what it is? Lord, all this, I tell you, for me only! Here me faileth wit thus it goeth[392] this I feel not might nor will to grant, but I answered that I should take counsel with myself. [37] This is the proper being of seraphins; there is no mean between their love and the divine love, they have alway tidings without mean. . I dare no more meddle of you since love governeth you, but I promise,[159] Lady Soul, to you from henceforth, peace and obedience with all my might; for do it I must by strength, for Love willeth it. At that time the author of the manuscript was unknown. But this falling maketh not peace to be less, by troubling the conscience, [so] that the soul liveth not in peace by the gifts that be given her from above. But will ye wit how this may be; for it had to be, for God had promised it him. I have said before, saith Love, that men dare not speak openly of their usages; without fail, no! This sole power[226] of love, saith Love, giveth her the deepness, the rest, and the stillness, and also it giveth her the flame and the burning of the working of love; witness of Love himself. She may not thence move nor have dis-ease, as long as her beloved is at ease, though any [should] fall into sin, nor for sin that ever was done. 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