<Previous                                       Contents                                     Next> in progress

The kindness of God assigneth no blame to His chosen, for in these is a godly will that never consent to synne. For it behovyth the ruthfulhede of God so to be knitt to these that ther be a substance kept that may never be departid from Hym. Fifty-third chapter.

And I saw that He will we wettynn He takith not herder the fallyng of any creatur that shall be save
than He to toke the fallyng of Adam which we knowen was endlesly lovid and sekirly kept in the  tyme of all His nede, and now is blisfully restorid in hey, overpassing joyes.

And I saw that He will we wettynn
He takith not herder the fallyng of
any creatur that shall be save
than He to toke the fallyng of Adam
which we knowen was endlesly lovid
and sekirly kept
in the tyme of all His nede,
and now is blisfully restorid
in hey, overpassing joyes.

And I saw that He wills us to understand
He takes no creature’s fall that shall be saved
harder than He took Adam’s fall
which we know was endlesly loved
and securely kept
in the time of all His need,
and now is blisfully restored
in high, surpassing joys.

For our Lord God is so good, So gentill, and so curtes that He may never assigne defaute in whom He shall ever be blissid and praysid.

For our Lord God is so good,
So gentle,
and so courteous
that He may never assign fault
to those in whom He shall be forever blessed and praised.

And in this that I have now seyd was my desire in partie answerid, and myn grete awer sumdele esid be the lovely gracious shewing of our good Lord –in which shewing I saw and understode ful sekirly that in every soule that shal be save is a godly wille that never assent to synne, ne never shall; which wille is so good that it may never willen ylle, but evermore continuly it will good and werkyth good in the syte of God.

And in this, that I have now said,
was my desire partly answered,
and my great awe somewhat eased
by our good Lord’s lovely, gracious shewing –
in which I saw and understood,
fully, securely,
that in every soul to be saved
is a godly will that never shall,
nor ever assented to sin;
which will is so good
that it may never wish ill,
but continually wills good forever
and works good in God’s sight.

Therefore our Lord will we knowen it in the feith and the beleve, and namly and truly, that we have all this blissid will hole and safe in our Lord Jesus Christe.

Therefore our Lord wills us
to know in faith and believe,
namely and truly,
that we all have this blessed will
whole and safe in our Lord
Jesus Christ.

For that ilke kind that Hevyn shall be fulfillid with behovith nedes, of Gods rythfulhede, so to be knitt and onyd to Him that therin were kept a substance which myte never, ne shuld, be partid from Him, and that throw His owne good will in His endles forseing purpos.

For that kindred that shall fill Heaven
needs to be, by God’s rightfulness,
so united, knitted, to Him
that a substance be kept therein
which might  never, nor should ever,
be parted from Him,
through His own good will
in His endless forseeing purpose.

And notwithstonding this rythfull knitting and this endles onyng, yet the redemption and the ageyn byeng of mankynd is nedefull and spedefull in everything, as it is don for the same entent and to the same end that Holy Church in our feith us techith.

Even with this rightful knitting
this endless union,
the redemption, the buying back of mankind
is forever urgent and needful,
as it is done for the same intent
and to the same end
that Holy Church teaches us in our faith.

(Here Julian makes the first emphasis that her writings come within the teaching of Holy Church, which was necessitated by the suspicious times of the Black Death and in view of what she says next)

For I saw that God began never to loven mankynd.

For I saw that God never began to love mankind.

For ryte the same that mankynde shal ben in endles bliss fulfilland the joye of God as anempts His werks, ryte so the same mankynd hath ben, in the forsyte of God, knowen and lovid from without begynnyng in His rytefull entent and be the endles assent of the full accord of al the Trinite.

For just as mankind in endless bliss
shall fulfil God’s joy in all His works,
so mankind has been known and loved,
in God’s foresight,
from without beginning,
with His rightful intent
and by the endless assent,
the full accord of the Trinity.

(‘from without beginning’  – it might seem a simpler translation just to say ‘without beginning’, but in Dame Julian’s time the meaning of ‘without’ was more like the present day Scottish ‘outwith’, which is more than simply outside, carrying a sense of something other than mere beginning. Her use of it here shows an astonishingly perceptive understanding of the existence of something other than time.)

The Mid-Person would be ground and hede of this fair kinde, out of whom we be al cum, in whom we be all inclosid, into whome we shall all wyndyn, in Him fynding our full Hevyn in everlestand joye be the forseing purpos of all the blissid Trinite from without begynnyng.

The Mid-Person of the Trinity
would be ground and head of this fair kind,
out of whom we are all come,
in whom we are all enclosed,
into whom we shall all wend,
finding our full Heaven in Him,
in everlasting joy,
by the forseeing purpose
of the whole, blessed Trinity
from without beginning.

For er that He mad us, He lovid us; and whan we were made we lovid Hym; and this is a love made of the kindly substantial goodnes of the Holy Gost, mytye in reson of the myte of the myte of the Fadir, and wise in mend of the wisdam of the Son.

For before He made us, He loved us;
when we were made we loved Him;
this is a love made of the Holy Gost,
of kindly substantial goodness,
mighty in the Father’s might ,
and wise in the wisdom of the Son.

And thus is man soule made of God, and in the same poynte knitt to God.

And so man’s soul is made of God,
and in the same point knit to God.

And thus I understond that mannys soule is made of nought – that is to sey, it is made, but of nought that is made, as thus: Whan God shuld make mans body, He tooke the slyppe of erth, which is a matter medlid and gaderid of all bodily things, and therof He made mannys bodye.

And so I understand
that man’s soul is made of nought –
that is to say, it is made,
but of nought that is made,
as thus:
When God should make man’s body,
He took the clay of earth,
which is matter, melded and gathered
of all bodily things,
and of it He made man’s body.

But to the makyng of manys soule, He wold take ryte nought, but made it.

But for the making of man’s soul,
He took nothing at all,
but made it.

And thus is the kynd made rytefully onyd to the maker, which is substantial kynd onmade, that is God.

And so is our kind rightfully oned to the maker,
whose nature is made of no substance,
who is God.

And therefor it is that ther may, ne shall, be ryte nowte atwix God and mannys soule.

And therefore there may nor shall,
be naught between God and man’s soul.

And in this endles love mans soule is kept hole as the matter of the revelations menyth and shewith, in which endless love we be led and kept of God, and never shall be lost.

This endless love keeps mans soul whole
as the revelations mean and show.
In this endless love we are led,
kept by God, and never shall be lost.

For He will we wetyn that our soule is a lif, which lif, of His goodnes and His grace, shall lestin in Hevyn without end, Him loveand, Him thankand, Him praysand.

For He wants us to understand
that our soul is a life,
which of His goodnes and His grace,
shall last in Heaven without end,
loving Him,
thanking Him,
praising Him.

And ryte the same we shall be withoute end, the same we were tresurid in God, and hidde, knowen, and lovid from withoute begynnyng.

And so we shall be without end,
just as we were treasured in God,
and in Him hidden, known, and loved
from without beginning.

Wherfore He will we wettyn that the noblest thing that ever He made is mankynd.

Wherefore He wills we understand,
the noblest thing He ever made
is mankind.

And the fullest substance and the heyest vertue is the blissid soule of Criste.

And the fullest substance
and the highest virtue
is the blessed soul of Christ.

And furthermore,
He will we wettyn that His derworthy soule was preciousley knitt to Him in the makeing,
which knott is sotil,
and so myty that it is onyd into God,
in which onyng it is made endlesly holy.

Furthermore He wills us to know
how preciously His dearworthy soul
was knitt to Him in the makeing,
which knot is subtle yet so mighty
that it is oned with God,
in which union it is made endlesly holy.

Furthermore, He will we wettyn
that al the soules that shall be savid in Hevyn
without end
ar knitt and onyd in this onyng,

Furthermore, He wills we understand
that all the souls that shall be saved in Heaven
without end
are knitt and oned in this union,
and made holy in this holiness.

 

<Previous                                       Contents                                     Next> in progress
and made holy in this holyhede.