English Prose Treatises of Richard Rolle de Hampole

Of the Vertu^ of the Haly Name of Ihesu.

Ricardus herimita super wrsiculo ‘Oleum eSusuw nomen tuum’; in Cantic. [I. 3], &c.

That es on Inglysce ‘Oyle owt^ettede es thi name ‘. The name of Ihmi coramys in-to the worlde, and als gone it smellys Oyle out-jetted. Oyle, it es takyii), for ay-lastande saluacyone es hopede. Sothely Iliesn es als mekyft to be mene als saueoure or helefutt . Thare-fore what menys it, * Oyle owt-^ettide es thy nam,’ Bot Iliesn es thy name? This name es Oyle owtejettyd, For Ihesu, the Worde of God, has tane manes kynde. Ihesu. thow fulfillis in warke that thow es called in name, Sothely sauys []xm] man, J>at wham we calle saueoure, Thare-fore Ihesu es thy name. A! A! that wondyrfuft name! A 1 that delittabyft name! This es the name bat es abown) aft names: name althirhegeste. withowtten) whilke no man hopes hele. This name es in myn) ere heuenly sowne, in my mouthe honyfuft swetnes. Whare-fore, na wondire ]?ofe 1 luf j?at name, the whylke gyffes comforthe to me in aft Angwys. I can noghte pray, I cane noghte hafe mynde, Bot sownnande the n nam of Ihmi. I sauyre noghte loye that with Ilnesu. es noghte mengede. Whare-so 1 be, Whare-so I sytt, What-so I doo, the mynd of the sauoyre of the name Ih^su departis noghte fra my mynde. I haf sett my mynde, I haf sett it als takynnynge appone myn) arme ‘, for luf es strange als dede. Als ded slaas alt, Swa lufe ou«r-comes alt. Ay-lastande lufe has ou0r-comemyn) me, noghte for to sla me, bot for to qwykkyn me. Bot it has wondyde me, For it sulde leche me. It has thurghe-fychede my herte, fat merghlyere it be helyde. And now ouer-comefD I fayle. Vnnethes I lyfe for Joye. Nerehand I dye; For I suffyce noghte in delycyouseste swettnes, And ay to be dronkenede. It falles the flesche may noghte of his vertu noghte defaile ay whils fe saule in swylk loyes is rauyste for to loye. Bot when) vn-to me swylke loye, bot for Ihem 1 The nam) of Ihesu has taughte me t for to synge, and has lyghtenede my mynde with the hete of vn-made lyghte. Thare-fore I syghe, and crye ‘Wha sail schewe to f>e lufede Ihesu, Ipat I langwys for lufe? ‘My flesche has faylede, and my herte meltes in lufe, 3arenande Ihesu. Alt f>e herte festenede in fe jernynge of Ihesu es turned in-to J>e fyre of lufe; & vfiih ]>e swettnes of f>e Godhede fullyly es it fillide. Thare-fore, A gude Ihe«u, hafe mercy of j?is wreche! schewe f>e to J>is languessande! be Ipou leche vn-to J>is wouwdyde! If ]>on come, I am hale, I fele me noghte seke, bot langwyssande for J?i lufe; late my saule takande, sekande J?e, Ihesu, whaym it lufes, with whas lufe it es takyfi), whaym anely it couaytes. Sothely ]>e myndtowchede with J>e soueraynge swettnes, and es for to waxe hate in the lufe of J>e makare, qwhyls it enforthis for to halde besyly in it the swetteste name of Thesu. Sothely fra thytheii) Inryses » a gret lufe; and what thynge J?at it trewely towches, it rauesche it vtterly to it. It in)flawmes ]> e affeccyone, it byndis fe thoghte, 3a, & alt fe name it drawes to ]> e serues “of it. Sothely, Ihwu, desederabilt es thi name, lufabyll and comfortabylt. « Nane swa swete loye may be consaveuede. Nane swa Bwete sange may be herde. Nane swa swete & delytabyit solace may be hade in mynde. Thare-fore, what-so-euer f ou bee fat redies the for to lufe Gode, if bou will nowthire be dyssayuede ne dyssayue, if fou wylt be wysse and noghte vnwysse, if fou will stande & noghte fait, haue in mynde besely for to halde f e name of Ihesu in f i mynde; and fane thyn) Enemy salt fall and fou salt stande, Thyne Enemye salt be made wayke, fou salt be made strange. And if fou wilt lelely doo this, ferre fra drede, Ipou salt be gloryuj and lowuabylt ouercommere. Seke f er-fore the name of Ihmi, and halde it, and for-gette it noghte. Sothely na thynge slokynws sa felt flawmes, dystroyes ilt thoghtes, puttes owte venemous affeccyons, dos a-waye coryous & vayne Ocupacyons fra vs. This name Ihesu, lelely haldyn) in mynde, drawes by fe rote vyces, settys vertus, Inlawes charytee, In-^ettis sauoure of heuenely thynges, wastys discorde, reformes pese, Gyffes Inlastande ryste, Dose awaye greuesnes of fleschely desyris, turnes alt Erthely thynge to noye, fyllys f>e luffande of gastely loye. So Ipat wele it may be saide, ‘Et glorialuntur* Omnes qui deligunt nomen tuum, ^uoniam tu benedices lusto,’ That es, * All salt loye, J?at lufes f>i name, for fou salt blysse J>e ryghtwyse.’ Thare-fore J»e ryghtewyse has dysseruede to be blyssede, if ]> e name of Ihesu trewly he base luffede; And fare-fore es cald ryghtwyse, For he Enforssede hym trewly to lufe Ihesu. Whare-fore, what may de-faile vn-to hym ]mt couaytes vn-cessandly for to lufe be name of Ihesu 1 Sothely he lufes, and he sarnes for to lufe, For we haue knawen) bat be lufe of Gode standis in swylke manure fat, In als mekyll als we may n lufe, f>e mare vs langes for to lufe. For-why it es saide ‘Qui edunt me adhuc esurient, et qui bibunt me adhuc sciciuut 1 ‘ fat es to say,’ that ettys me, 5itt hungres thaym; and fay fat drynkes tine, jitt thristis thaym.’ Thare-fore, be it-selfe, delitabilt& couaytabiltes f e name of Ihesu, and f e lufe of it. Thare-fore loy salt noghte faile vn-to hym fat couaytes besyly for to lufe hym in whaym Angells jernys for to be-halde. Angells euer sese, & euer fay $erne for to see; and swa are fay fild, fat l faire fillynge duse noghte awaye faire desyre, and so f ayre desyre duse noghte awaye faire fillynge. This es full loye, This es Endles loye, This es glorious loye, fe whylke f e fylde vses lastandly witA-owtten) noye; & if we vse8 it, we sail be fyllyde euer withowttyn) lessynge. Thare-fore, Ihesu, aft sail loye fat lufes thi name, Sothely fay sail loye nowe, be in^ettynge of grace, and in tym to come be syghte of loye, and thare-fore fay sail loye, For why loy comes of lufe . Thare-fore, he fat luffes noghte, he sail euer mare be wtt/<-owttyn) loye. Thare-fore many wreches of fe worlde, trowande f am) to loye vtith Criste, sail sorowe withowttyn) ende. And why 1 For thay lufede noghte f e name of Ihesu. What so 56 cloo, if ^e gyfe all fat 56 hafe vn-to f e nedy, bot je lufe fe name of Ihesu, 50 trauelle in vayne. Aft anely fay may loye in Ihesu fat lufes hym in f is lyfe; and thay fat files f am) with vices & venemous delittes, Na drede fat ne fay ere putt owte of loye. Also with aft u fat f e name of Ihesu es helefuft, fruytfuft & glorious, pare-fore wha saft haue hele fat lufes it noghte, or wha saft bere f e frwyte be-fore Criste fat has noghte the floure; and loye saft he noghte see That, loyeande luffede noghte fe name of Ihesu. The wykkyde saft be don) a-waye, fat he see noghte f e loye of God. Sothely f e ryghtwyse sekys f e loye and f e lufe, and fay fynd it in Ihesu, whaym) fay luffede. I jede abowte be couaytyse of reches, and I fande noghte Ihesu. I rane [be 17] the wanntoranes of flesche, and I fand noghte Ihesu. I satt in companyes of ‘worldly myrthe, and I fand noghte Ihesu. In aft thire I soghte Ihesu, bot I fand hym noghte, For he lett me wyete by his grace fat he ne es funden) in f e lande of softly lyfande. Thare-fore I turnede by anothire waye, and I rane a-bowte be pouerte, and I fande Ihesu, pure borne in j?e worlde, laid in a cry be and lappid in clathis. I }ode by sufferynge of werynes and I fand Ihesu wery in f>e way, turment with hu[W]gyre, thriste & calde,fild wzt^repreues & blames. I satt by myn) ane, Fleande Ipe vanytes of J>e worlde, and I fande Ihesu in deserte, fastande in be monte, anely prayande. I ran) by Ipe payne of penauwce, and I fand Ihesu bowndefD, scourgede, Gyffen) galle to drynke, naylede to Ipe Crosse, hyngande in J»e Crosse and dyeand in Ipe Crosse. Thare-fore Ihesu es noghte ftmden) in reches, bot in pouerte; noghte in delytes, bot in penance; noghte in wanton) loyeynge, bot in bytter gretynge; noghte emange many, bot in anelynes . Sothely ane euytt mane fyndis noghte Ihesu, for, Jrare he es, he sekes hym noghte. He enforces hym) to seke Ihesu in Ipe loy of Ipe worlde, whare neuer he satt be ftmden). Sothely thare-fore J?e nam of Ihesu es helefutt, & nedys by-houys be lufed of att couaytaude saluacyone. He couaytes wele hyst saluacyone J>at kepis besyly in hym Ipe name of Ihesu. Sothely I haue na wondyr if )?e temptid fatt j?at puttes noghte f>e name of Ihesu in lastande mynde. Sekerly may he or scho chese to lyfe anely, f»at has chosen) Ipe name of Ihesu to thaire n specyalle, For thare may na wykked spyritte noye, J>are Ihesu es mekytt in mynde or is neuewny d 1S in mouthe, &c. Explicit.