|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 čin awen
     speche and als-so be tellyng of another man čat čou ¨ernes gretly
     for to haue mare knawyng and wyssyng čan ču 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 čat it is
      trew and noght feyned, and how it es made be presence of če gode
      aungel and noght be inputtyng of če ille aungel. éis čing čou
      wald wit of me. Bot sothly I can noght telle če for syker če
      sothnes of čis mater. Neuer-če-latter sumwhat als me thynk shal
 |r10 I shew če in a schort word.
         Wit čou wele čat če ende and če souerante of perfeccioun
      standes in a verra anhede of God and of mans saule be perfit
      charite. éis anhede čan es uerraly made, when če mygtes of če
      saule er refourmed be grace to če dignite and če stat of če fyrst
 |r15 condicioun; čat es, when če mynd es stabyld sadly, withouten
      chaungyng and vagacion, in God and gastly thyngs; and when če
      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 če
 |r20 wyl and če affeccion es purged and clensed fra al fleschly and
      kyndly and werdly luf, and es inflawmed with brennand luf of če
      haly gast. éys wonderful anhede ne may noght be fulfild per_fitely, 
      continuely, haly in čis life, for corrupcioun of če fleshe, bot
      anly in če blis of heuen. Neuer-če-latter, če ner čat a saule in
 |r25 čis presente life may come |r[f.58r] to čis anhede, če mare perfit it es.
      For če mare čat it es refourmed be grace til če ymage and če lyk_nes 
      of his creatur her on čis maner wyse, če 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. éan če mare čat a saule is aned, festynd, con_fourmed 
      and ioyned to oure lord, če mare stabil and myghti it es;
      če mare wys and cler, gode and peysible, lufand and mare uertuous
      it is; and so it is mare perfite. For a saule čat 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 če 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 -- čan it es made perfit, als it may be in
      čis life. Mykil comforth it resayues of our lord, noght anly in_wardly 
      in hys awne pryue substance, be uertu of če anhede to
      our lord čat lys in knawyng and lufyng [of] God, in lyght and
      gastly brennyng of hym, in transfourmyng of če saule in če 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 če saule profites and waxes
      in charite.
         Sum saule, |r[f.58v] be uertue of charite čat God gyues it, is clensed
 |r50 so čat al creaturs, and al čat he heres, or sese, or felis be any of
      his wittis, turnes hym to comforth and gladnes, and če sensualite
      resayues newe sauour and swetnes in al creaturs; and ryght als be_fore 
      če lykyngs in če sensualite ware fleschly, vayn and uicious, for
      če payne of če origenal syn, right so now čai er made gastly and
 |r55 clene, withoutyn biternes and bytyng of conscience. éis es če
      godnes of oure lord, čat, sen če saule es punysched in če sensu_alite 
      and če flesche es parcener of payn, čat eftirward če saule be
      comforthed in sensualite, and če flesch be felow in ioy and com_forth 
      with če saule, noght fleschly, bot gastly, als he was felow
 |r60 in tribulacion and payne. éis is če fredom and če lordship, dig_nite, 
      and če worship čat a mans saule has ouer al creaturs, če
      whilk dignite he may recure be grace here, čat ilk a creature
      sauours to hym als it es. [And čat es] when be grace he sese, he
      heres, he felis anly God in al creaturs. In čis maner wyse a saule
 |r65 es mad gastli in če sensualite be habundaunce of charite čat es
      in če substance of če saule.
         Also oure lord comforteth a saule be angel[s] sange. What čat
      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-če-latter I spek |r[f.59r] čarof to če als me čink. When a saule
      es purified be luf of God, illumynd be wysdom, stabild be če
      myght of God, čan es če egh of če saule opynd to behalde gastly



|p12


      čings, and uertus, and angels, and haly saules, and heuenly thyngs.
 |r75 éan es če saule abil, because of clennes, to fele če touchyng, če
      spekyng of goode aungels. éys touchyng and spekyng, it is
      gastly, noght bodele: for when če saule es lyft and rauisched oute
      of če sensualite, and oute of mynde of any erthly thyngs, čan it
      is in gret feruour of luf and lyght of God; if oure lord uouche_safe, 
 |r80 če saule may here and fele heuenly sowne, made be če pre_sence 
      of aungels in louyng of God. Noght čat čis sang of angels
      es če soueran ioy of če saule; bot for če difference čat 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 če soueran and če essencial
      ioy es in luf of God be hymselfe and [for hymselfe, and če]
      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 če prophete saw in bodely
      ymaginacioun če sothfastnes |r[f.59v] of Gods priuetis), right so in če
      luf of God, a saule be če 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 čat če charite es mare or les.
      Now, čan, thynks me čat čer may na saule fele uerraly aungel[s]
      sang ne heuenly soun bot he be in perfit charite. And noght
      for-či al čat er in perfit charite ne has noght feled it, bot anly čat
      saule čat es so pouried in če fyre of luf, čat al erthly sauour es
|r100 brent oute of it, and al mene lettyn[g]e betwix če saule and če
      clennes of aungels es broken and put oway fra it. éan sothly
      may [he] synge a new sang, and sothly may he here a blisful
      heuenly soun and aungels sang, wičoutyn desayte or feynyng.
      Oure lord wate whare čat saule es čat, for abundaunce of bren_nand 
|r105 luf, es worth til here aungels sang. Whaso čan wil here
      angels sang, and noght be desayued be feynyng ne be ymagina_cioun 



|p13


      of himself, ne be illusioun of če enemy, him byhoues for
      to haue perfit charite. And čat es, when al vayn luf and drede,
      uayn ioy and sorw, es castyn oute of če herte, čat he lofs načing
|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 čis way, he suld noght er. Neuer-če-latter, sum men er de*_sayued |r[f.60r]
      be čar awn ymaginacioun, or be illus oun of če enemy in
      čis 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 če pas_sion 
      of Crist, and če 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 če braynes in his heued, and forbrekis če myghtis and
      če wittis of če saule and of body; and čan, for febilnes of če
      brayn, him thynk čat he heres wonderful sownes and sangs; and
|r125 čat is nathyng els bot a fantasy, caused o trublyng of če brayn:
      als a man čat es in a fransy, hym thynk čat he heres and sese čat
      nan očer man dos, and al es bot a uanite and a fantasy of če
      heued, or els it es be wirkyng of če enemy čat feynes swylk soun
      in his heryng.
|r130    For if a man haue any presumpcioun in his fantasys and in his
      wyrkyng, and čarbe falles to undiscrete ymaginacioun, als it ware
      in a fransy, and es noght kenned ne rewled of grace, ne com_forthed 
      be gastly strengh, če deuel entyrs man be fals illumina_ciouns, 
      and fals sownes, and swetnes, [and] desayues a mans
|r135 saule. |r[f.60v]
         And of čis fals ground springes errours and heresys, fals pro_phecies, 
      presumpciouns, and fals roysyngs, blasphemes, and
      sclaunderyngs, and many other myscheues. And, čarfore, if čou
      se any man gastly occupied fal in any of čar synnes and čere de_saytes, 
|r140 or in fransys, wit čou wel čat he neuer herde ne felde
      aungels sang, ne heuenly soun. For, sothly, he čat uerraly heres
      aungels sang, he es made sa wys čat he sal neuere er be fantasy,



|p14


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



|p15


      felis nouther čarbe 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 čis wyse, bot if he čis
      felyng and čis mynde, čat es anly his awen wyrkyng be custum,
      hald it a special uisitacioun of oure lord, and thynk it mare čan
      it es. For wyt čou wele čat a naked mynde or a nakid ymagina-cioun 
      of Iesu or of any gastly čing, withoutyn swetnes of luf in
|r185 če 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 čan it es. éarfore I hald it syker čat he be
      mek in his awen felyng, and hald čis mynde in regard noght, til
      he may, be custum and oysyng of čis mynde, fele če fere of luf
|r190 in his affeccioun, and če lyght of knawyng in his resoun. Lo, I
      haue tald če in čis mater a litel als me thynk; noght affermand
      čat čis suffys, ne čat čis es če sothfastnes in čis mater. Bot if če
      thynk it otherwyse, or els any other man sauour be grace če
      contrary herto, leue čis saying and gyue stede to hym. It suffys
|r195 to me for to lif in trouth principali, and noght in felyng.