CHAPTER LXXXVI

"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.]