|b[Walter_Hilton's_Of_Angels'_Song]
|b[ed._Toshiyuki_Takamiya,_in_Two_Minor_Works_of_Walter_Hilton]
|b[(1980,_Tokyo:_Privately_Printed,_pp._9-15).]

|r{BM_Ms._Add._27592}



|p9


        |r[f.57v] [D]ere brother in Crist, I haue understanden be in awen
     speche and als-so be tellyng of another man at ou ernes gretly
     for to haue mare knawyng and wyssyng an u has of angels song
     and heuenly sowne; what it es, and on what wise it is persayued



|p10


  |r5 and feled in a mans saule, and how a man may be syker at it is
      trew and noght feyned, and how it es made be presence of e gode
      aungel and noght be inputtyng of e ille aungel. is ing ou
      wald wit of me. Bot sothly I can noght telle e for syker e
      sothnes of is mater. Neuer-e-latter sumwhat als me thynk shal
 |r10 I shew e in a schort word.
         Wit ou wele at e ende and e souerante of perfeccioun
      standes in a verra anhede of God and of mans saule be perfit
      charite. is anhede an es uerraly made, when e mygtes of e
      saule er refourmed be grace to e dignite and e stat of e fyrst
 |r15 condicioun; at es, when e mynd es stabyld sadly, withouten
      chaungyng and vagacion, in God and gastly thyngs; and when e
      reson es clered fra al werdly and fleshly behaldyngs and fra al
      bodyly ymaginaciouns, figurs and fantasis of creaturs, and illu_mynd
      es be grace to behald God and gastly things; and when e
 |r20 wyl and e affeccion es purged and clensed fra al fleschly and
      kyndly and werdly luf, and es inflawmed with brennand luf of e
      haly gast. ys wonderful anhede ne may noght be fulfild per_fitely, 
      continuely, haly in is life, for corrupcioun of e fleshe, bot
      anly in e blis of heuen. Neuer-e-latter, e ner at a saule in
 |r25 is presente life may come |r[f.58r] to is anhede, e mare perfit it es.
      For e mare at it es refourmed be grace til e ymage and e lyk_nes 
      of his creatur her on is maner wyse, e mare ioy and blis sal it
      haue in heuen. Oure lord is an endles beyng withouten chaun[g]_yng, 
      almightihede withoutyn faillyng, soueran wysdom, lyght,
 |r30 sothnes withoutyn errour or myrknes; souerayne godenes, luf,
      pes, and swetnes. an e mare at a saule is aned, festynd, con_fourmed 
      and ioyned to oure lord, e mare stabil and myghti it es;
      e mare wys and cler, gode and peysible, lufand and mare uertuous
      it is; and so it is mare perfite. For a saule at has, be grace of
 |r35 Iesu and lang trauayl of bodeli and gastli exercice, ouercomen and
      destroyd concupiscens, and passiouns, and unskylful styryngs
      within itselfe, and withoutyn in e sensualite, and es clethed alle
      in uertus-als in meknes and in myldnes, in paciens and softnes,
      in gastli stryngh and ryghtwysnes, in continence, and wysdom, in



|p11


 |r40 trouthe, hope, and charite -- an it es made perfit, als it may be in
      is life. Mykil comforth it resayues of our lord, noght anly in_wardly 
      in hys awne pryue substance, be uertu of e anhede to
      our lord at lys in knawyng and lufyng [of] God, in lyght and
      gastly brennyng of hym, in transfourmyng of e saule in e god_hede, 
 |r45 bot als-so many other comforthes, sauours, swetnesses, and
      wonderful felyngs on ser maners, eftir oure lord uouches-safe to
      uisit his creaturs her in erth, and eftir e saule profites and waxes
      in charite.
         Sum saule, |r[f.58v] be uertue of charite at God gyues it, is clensed
 |r50 so at al creaturs, and al at he heres, or sese, or felis be any of
      his wittis, turnes hym to comforth and gladnes, and e sensualite
      resayues newe sauour and swetnes in al creaturs; and ryght als be_fore 
      e lykyngs in e sensualite ware fleschly, vayn and uicious, for
      e payne of e origenal syn, right so now ai er made gastly and
 |r55 clene, withoutyn biternes and bytyng of conscience. is es e
      godnes of oure lord, at, sen e saule es punysched in e sensu_alite 
      and e flesche es parcener of payn, at eftirward e saule be
      comforthed in sensualite, and e flesch be felow in ioy and com_forth 
      with e saule, noght fleschly, bot gastly, als he was felow
 |r60 in tribulacion and payne. is is e fredom and e lordship, dig_nite, 
      and e worship at a mans saule has ouer al creaturs, e
      whilk dignite he may recure be grace here, at ilk a creature
      sauours to hym als it es. [And at es] when be grace he sese, he
      heres, he felis anly God in al creaturs. In is maner wyse a saule
 |r65 es mad gastli in e sensualite be habundaunce of charite at es
      in e substance of e saule.
         Also oure lord comforteth a saule be angel[s] sange. What at
      sang es, it may noght be discried be na bodely liknes, for it es
      gastly, and abouen al maner ymaginacioun and resoun. It may
 |r70 be feled and persayued in a saule, but it may noght be schewed.
      Neuer-e-latter I spek |r[f.59r] arof to e als me ink. When a saule
      es purified be luf of God, illumynd be wysdom, stabild be e
      myght of God, an es e egh of e saule opynd to behalde gastly



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      ings, and uertus, and angels, and haly saules, and heuenly thyngs.
 |r75 an es e saule abil, because of clennes, to fele e touchyng, e
      spekyng of goode aungels. ys touchyng and spekyng, it is
      gastly, noght bodele: for when e saule es lyft and rauisched oute
      of e sensualite, and oute of mynde of any erthly thyngs, an it
      is in gret feruour of luf and lyght of God; if oure lord uouche_safe, 
 |r80 e saule may here and fele heuenly sowne, made be e pre_sence 
      of aungels in louyng of God. Noght at is sang of angels
      es e soueran ioy of e saule; bot for e difference at es betwyx
      a mans saule in flesch and ane aungel, because of unclennes, a
      saule may noght her it, bot be rauischyng in luf, and nedis for to
 |r85 be purified wel clene, and fulfilled of mykel charite, or it were
      abil for to here heuenly soun. For e soueran and e essencial
      ioy es in luf of God be hymselfe and [for hymselfe, and e]
      secundarie es in communyng and behaldyng of angels and gastly
      creaturs. For ryght als a saule in understandyng of gastly thyngs
 |r90 es oftsith touched and kenned thurgh bodele ymaginacioun, be
      wyrkyng of aungels, (als Ezechiel e prophete saw in bodely
      ymaginacioun e sothfastnes |r[f.59v] of Gods priuetis), right so in e
      luf of God, a saule be e presence of angels es rauisched oute of
      mynde of al erthli and fleschly thyngs into a heuenly ioy, to here
 |r95 aungels sang and heuenly soun, eftir at e charite es mare or les.
      Now, an, thynks me at er may na saule fele uerraly aungel[s]
      sang ne heuenly soun bot he be in perfit charite. And noght
      for-i al at er in perfit charite ne has noght feled it, bot anly at
      saule at es so pouried in e fyre of luf, at al erthly sauour es
|r100 brent oute of it, and al mene lettyn[g]e betwix e saule and e
      clennes of aungels es broken and put oway fra it. an sothly
      may [he] synge a new sang, and sothly may he here a blisful
      heuenly soun and aungels sang, wioutyn desayte or feynyng.
      Oure lord wate whare at saule es at, for abundaunce of bren_nand 
|r105 luf, es worth til here aungels sang. Whaso an wil here
      angels sang, and noght be desayued be feynyng ne be ymagina_cioun 



|p13


      of himself, ne be illusioun of e enemy, him byhoues for
      to haue perfit charite. And at es, when al vayn luf and drede,
      uayn ioy and sorw, es castyn oute of e herte, at he lofs naing
|r110 bot God, ne dredes nathyng bot God, ne oys, ne sorwys nath_yng 
      bot in God, or for God. Whaso myght be grace of God
      ga is way, he suld noght er. Neuer-e-latter, sum men er de*_sayued |r[f.60r]
      be ar awn ymaginacioun, or be illus oun of e enemy in
      is mater. Sum man when he has longe traueld bodili and gastli
|r115 in destroyng of syns and getyng of uertus, and perauenture has
      getyn be grace a sumdele rest, and a clerte in conscience, anon he
      leues prayers, redyngs of haly wryt, and meditacions of e pas_sion 
      of Crist, and e mynde of his wrechednes; and, or he be
      called of God, he gadres his wittis be uiolence to sekyn and to
|r120 byhalde heuenly thyngs, or his egh be mad gastly be grace, and
      ouertrauels be ymaginacioun his wittis, and be undiscrete trauel_yng 
      turnes e braynes in his heued, and forbrekis e myghtis and
      e wittis of e saule and of body; and an, for febilnes of e
      brayn, him thynk at he heres wonderful sownes and sangs; and
|r125 at is nathyng els bot a fantasy, caused o trublyng of e brayn:
      als a man at es in a fransy, hym thynk at he heres and sese at
      nan oer man dos, and al es bot a uanite and a fantasy of e
      heued, or els it es be wirkyng of e enemy at feynes swylk soun
      in his heryng.
|r130    For if a man haue any presumpcioun in his fantasys and in his
      wyrkyng, and arbe falles to undiscrete ymaginacioun, als it ware
      in a fransy, and es noght kenned ne rewled of grace, ne com_forthed 
      be gastly strengh, e deuel entyrs man be fals illumina_ciouns, 
      and fals sownes, and swetnes, [and] desayues a mans
|r135 saule. |r[f.60v]
         And of is fals ground springes errours and heresys, fals pro_phecies, 
      presumpciouns, and fals roysyngs, blasphemes, and
      sclaunderyngs, and many other myscheues. And, arfore, if ou
      se any man gastly occupied fal in any of ar synnes and ere de_saytes, 
|r140 or in fransys, wit ou wel at he neuer herde ne felde
      aungels sang, ne heuenly soun. For, sothly, he at uerraly heres
      aungels sang, he es made sa wys at he sal neuere er be fantasy,



|p14


      ne be undiscrecioun, ne be na sleght of wyrkyng of e deuel.
         Also sum men felis in air hertis als it ware a gastly soun and
|r145 swete sangs on dyuers maners, and is es communly god, and
      sumtyme it may turne til desayte. is soun es feled in is wyse:
      sum man settis e thoght of his herte anly in e name of Iesu,
      and stedefastli haldes it arto, and in short tyme him thynk at
      name turnes til him til gret comforth and swetnes, and him think
|r150 at e name sownes [in his herte] delectabili, als it ware a sang,
      and e uertu of is lykyng es so myghti at it drawes in al e
      wittes of e saule erto. Hoso may fele is soun and is swetnes
      uerrali in his herte, wit he wel at [it] es of God, and, als lange
      os he es mek, he sal noght be desayued. Bot is es noght angels
|r155 sang, bot it is a sang of e saule be uertu of e name, and be
      touchyng of e god aungel. |r[f.61r] For when a saule offers him to Iesu
      treweli and mekli, puttyng al his trayst and his desire in him, and
      besyle kepis him in his mynd, oure lord Iesu, when he wol,
      pourge[s] e affeccioun of e saule, and fillis it, and fedis it with
|r160 swetnes of himself, and makes his name in e felyng of e saule
      als hony, and als sang, and als any thyng at es delitabil; at it
      likes e saule euermare for to cry, 'Iesu, Iesu, Iesu '; and noght
      anly he has comforth in is, bot also in psalmes and ympnes, and
      antymps of haly kyrk, at e herte synges am swetly, deuotly,
|r165 and frely, withoutyn any trauel of e saule, or byternes, in e
      same tyme, and notis at haly kyrk oyses. ys es god, and [of]
      e gyft of God, for e substance of is felyng lys in e luf of
      Iesu, wilk es fed and lyghtned with swilk maner of sangs. Neuer_e-latter, 
      in is maner of felyng, a saule may be desayued be uayn
|r170 glorie, noght in at tyme at e affeccioun synges to Iesu and
      loues Iesu in swetnes of hym, bot eftirward, when it sesys and e
      herte kelys of luf of Iesu, an it entris in uayn glorie.
         Also sum man es desayued on is wyse: he heres wel say at
      it es god til haue Iesu in hys mynde, or any other god word of
|r175 God, an he straynes hys herte myghtily to at name, and be a
      custom he has it nerhand alway in hys mynde. Noght for-i he



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      felis nouther arbe in his affeccioun, swetnes, ne lyght of |r[f.61v] knaw_yng 
      in resoun, bot anly a naked mynde of God, or of Iesu, or of
      Marie, or of any other god word. He may be desayued, noght
|r180 for it es il for to haue Iesu in mynde on is wyse, bot if he is
      felyng and is mynde, at es anly his awen wyrkyng be custum,
      hald it a special uisitacioun of oure lord, and thynk it mare an
      it es. For wyt ou wele at a naked mynde or a nakid ymagina-cioun 
      of Iesu or of any gastly ing, withoutyn swetnes of luf in
|r185 e affeccioun, or withoutyn light of knawyng in resoun, it es
      bot a blyndnes, and a way to dissayte, if a man hald it in hys
      awen syght mare an it es. arfore I hald it syker at he be
      mek in his awen felyng, and hald is mynde in regard noght, til
      he may, be custum and oysyng of is mynde, fele e fere of luf
|r190 in his affeccioun, and e lyght of knawyng in his resoun. Lo, I
      haue tald e in is mater a litel als me thynk; noght affermand
      at is suffys, ne at is es e sothfastnes in is mater. Bot if e
      thynk it otherwyse, or els any other man sauour be grace e
      contrary herto, leue is saying and gyue stede to hym. It suffys
|r195 to me for to lif in trouth principali, and noght in felyng.
