I

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

JUtodatum* of Jibing Ifote.

iWetrtarbal Ht6rar» of lWsBtttal ant) &s«tical
WHtottos.

REVELATIONS OF
DIVINE LOVE,
SJjeforti to a Istbtmt gntfjcrfSB,
BY NAME,
yVlOTHER JULIAN
OF NORWICH*
WCify a f refine
BY HENRY COLLINS.

LONDON:
Thomas Richardson and Sons,
26, PATERNOSTER ROW J AND DERBY.
1877.

Me. 35
"EH

LONTENTS.

PA OR.
Preface ... ... ... ... ... .... xiii
First Chapter.— Ot the number of the Revelations in parti-
CUlcLi ••• •¦• ••• *»• •*• »•¦ I
Second Chapter. — Of the time of the Revelations ; and how
she made three petitions ... ... ... ... 5
Third Chapter. — How a grievous sickness came upon her ... 8
Fourth Chapter. — Here beginneth the first Revelation of the
precious crowning of Christ, as in the first chapter ; and
how God fulfillcth with most joy, of His great meekness ;
and how the sight of the Passion is sufficient strength
against temptations of the fiends ; and of Ihe great excel
lency and meekness of the Blessed Virgin ... ... 1 2
Fifth Chapter. — How God is to us everything that is good,
tenderly wrapping us ; and all things that are made, in
regard to Almighty God, are as nothing ; and how man
hath no rest till he leave himself and all things for the
love of God ... ... ... ... ... i $
Sixth Chapter. — How we should pray. — Of the great tender
love that our Lord hath to man's soul, willing us to be
occupied in knowing and loving Him ... ... 19
Seventh Chapter. — How our Lady, beholding the greatness
pf her Maker, thought herself less ; and of the great quan
tity of Blood running from under the garland ; and bow
the most joy to man is that God, most high and mighty,
is holiest ... ... ••• ¦•• •¦• >3
Eighth Chapter. — A recapitulation of that that is said, and
how it was shewed to her generally for all ... ... a8
Ninth Chapter.— Of the meekness of this woman, keeping
her alway in the faith of Holy Church, and how he that
loveth his fellow Christian for God loveth all things ... 31

vi Contents.

Tenth Chapter. — The second Revelation is of Christ's dis.
figurement ; of our Redemption, and of the disfigurement
of the Vernacle? and how it pleaseth God that we take
Him busily, abiding Him steadfastly, and trusting Him
mightily ... ... ... ... ... 34
Eleventh Chapter. — The third Revelation is how God doth all
things except sin, never changing His purpose without
end; for He hath made all things in fulness of goodness 41
Twelfth Chapter. — The fourth Revelation is, how it liketh
God rather and better to wash us in His Blood from sin,
than in water ; for His Blood is most precious ... 45
Thirteenth Chapter.— -The fifth Revelation is that the tempta
tion of the fiend is overcome by the Passion of Christ, to
the increase of our joy, and his pain everlastingly ... 47
Fourteenth Chapter. — The sixth Revelation is of the worship
ful thanks with which He receiveth His servants, and how
it hath three joys ... ... ... ... ... 51
Fipteenth Chapter. — The seventh Revelation is of oftentimes
feeling of weal and woe, and how it is expedient that man
sometimes be left without comfort, when its cause be not
sin ... ... ... ... ... ... 53
Sixteenth Chapter. — The eighth Revelation is of the last
piteous pains of Christ's dying, the disfigurement of His
Face, and drying of His Flesh ... ... ... 56
Seventeenth Chapter. — The ninth Revelation is of the grievous
Bodily Thirst of Christ, considered fourwise; and of the
petitions according, and ofthe most pain to a kind lover... 58
Eighteenth Chapter. — Of the ghostly martyrdom of our
Lady, and other lovers of Christ, and how all things
suffered with Him, the good and the evil ... ... 63
Nineteenth Chapter. — Of the comfortable beholding of the
crucifix, and how the desire of the flesh, without consent of
the soul, is no sin, and the flesh may be in pain, suffering
till both are united to Christ ... ... ... 56
Twentieth Chapter.— Of the unspeakable Passion of Christ,
and of three things always to be remembered ... ... 60
Twenty.fi.rst Chapter.— -Of the three beholdings in the Pas"
sion of Christ, and how we were dying on the cross with
Christ; but His cheer putteth away all pain ... ... 71

Contents. vii

PAGE.
Twenty-second Chapter. — The ninth Revelation is of the
looking of three heavens, and the infinite love of Christ
desiring every day to suffer for us, if He might, though it
is not needful ... ... ... ... ... 74
Twenty-third Chapter.— How Christ willeth that we joy with
Him greatly in our Redemption, and to desire grace of
Him that we may so do ... ... ... ... 78
Twenty-fourth Chapter. — The tenth Revelation is how our
Lord Jesus Christ sheweth in love His blessed Heart cloven
in two rejoicing ... ... ... ... ... 82
Twenty-fifth Chapter. — The eleventh Revelation is a high
ghostly shewing of Christ's Mother ... «. ... 84
Twenty-sixth Chapter.— Tha twelfth Revelation is that the
Lord our God is all Sovereign Being ... ... ... 87
Twenty-seventh Chapter. — The thirteenth Revelation is that
our Lord God willeth that we have great regard to all His
deeds, in so nobly making all things, and how sin is not
known but by the pain ... ... ... ... 88
Twenty-eighth Chapter. — How the children of salvation shall
be shaken in sorrows, but Christ rejoiceth with compas
sion ; and a remedy against tribulation ... ... 91
Twenty-ninth Chapter. — Adam's sin was greatest, but the
satisfaction made for it is more pleasing to God than ever
the sin was harmful ... ... ••• ••• 94
Thirtieth Chapter.— How we Should joy and trust in our
Saviour Jesus ; not presuming to know His privy counsel 95
Thirty-first Chapter.— Of the longing ghostly thirst of
Christ, which lasteth and shall last till domesday ; and by
the reason of His Body He is not yet fully glorified, nor all
unpassible ... ••• •¦• ••• ••¦ 91
Thirty-second Chapter.— How all things shall be well, and
Scripture fulfilled, and we must steadfastly hold us in the
faith of Holy Church, as is Christ's will ... ... 101
Thirty-third Chapter.— The souls of the damned be despised
in God's sight, as the devils.— These Revelations with
draw not, but strengthen, the faith of Holy Church.— The
more we busy ourselves to know God's secrets, the less we
know ... ... — — '  l0&
Thirty-fourth Chapter.— How God sheweth His secrets to

viii Contents.

PAG*.
His lovers, and how they please God much, and receive
diligently the preaching of Holy Church ... ... 108
Thirty-fifth Chapter. — How God doth all that is gopd, and
suffereth all worshipfully by His mercy, the which shall
shine when sin is no longer suffered ... ... ... i ig
Thirty-sixth Chapter. — Of another excellent thing our Lord
shall do, and which by grace may be learned partly here ;
and how we should joy in the same, and how God yet
doth miracles ... ... ... ... ... 113
Thirty-seventh Chapter.— -How God securely keepeth His
chosen, although they sin; for that in them is a godly
will, and never satisfied by sin ... ... ... 118
Thirty-eighth Chapter. — How the sins of the chosen shall be
turned to joy and worship.— Examples of David, Peter,
and S. John of Beverley ... ... ... ... 111
Thirty-ninth Chapter. — Of the sharpness of sin, and the
goodness of contrition; and how our kind Lord willeth not
that we despair for often falling ... ... ... 124
Fortieth Chapter.— How the vileness of sin passeth all pains.
God loveth us while we be in sin, and so us needeth to
love our neighbour ... ... ... ... 127
Forty-first Chapter. — The fourteenth Revelation.— How it is
impossible we should pray for mercy and lack it ; and
how 'God willeth we should pray ; and how, when we be
dry and barren, that prayer is to Him acceptable and
pleasing ... ... ... ... ... 131
Forty-second Chapter.— Of three things belonging to prayer;
how we should pray ; of the goodness of God, that sup-
plieth for ajl our imperfections when we do our part ... 136
Forty-third Chapter. — What prayer doth when according to
God's will j how the goodness of God hath great liking in
what He doth ifbr us, as if ,He were beholden to us, work
ing all things sweetly ,„ „. ... ... ,4,
Forty Jiwrth Chapter*— Ol the propertiesppf the Trinity, s,„<j
how man's >oul .hath the same properties, doing wh.«t
it was made for, seeing, beholding, and iuaijieiling at
God, and seeming as nothing to itsqlf .... .,„ 145
Forty.fifth Chapter.— Of the judgments of God, and the
different judgments of men ... ... ,.. Ljf

Contents. ix
PAGE
Forty-sixth Chapter. — That we cannot know ourselves in this
life but by faith and grace, but must know we be sinful.
God is never wrath, being most near the soul,it keeping... 150
Forty-seventh Chapter. — How we must reverently marvel and
meekly suffer, ever joined to God. Our blindness in not
seeing God is the cause of our sin ... ... ... 154
Forty-eighth Chapter. — Of failing and grace, and their pro
perties ; and how we should rejoice that we suffered woe
padently ... ... ... ... ... 157
Forty-ninth Chapter. — How our life is grounded in love ;'
without it we perish : yet God is never wrathful, since He
mercifully keepeth us, bringing us to peace, and -rewarding
our tribulations ... ... ... ... ... 161
Fiftieth Chapter. — How the chosen soul was never dead in
the sight of God; of a marvel upon the same; three
things embolden her to ask God the understanding of it ... 165
Fifty -first Chapter. — The answer to the doubt, by a marvel
lous example of our Lord as a servant. We must wait for
God, as it was more than twenty years after she under
stood this example. How it is that Jesus Christ sitteth at
the right hand of the Father ... ... ... 168
Fifty-second Chapter. — How God rejoiceth in being our
Father, our Brother, our Spouse; and how the chosen have
here a minglement of weal and woe. How God is with us
in three manners. How we may eschew sin ... ... 190
Fifty-third Chapter.— 'How the kindness of God assigneth no
blame to His chosen, for in them is a godly will which
never consenteth to sin. It behoveth us to be kind to
Him, as never to depart from Him ... ... ... 197
Fifty-Jourth Chapter.-^-How we ought to rejoice that God
dwelleth in our soul, and our soul in God. How our soul
is as it were all God ; and how faith is the groundof all
virtue in the soul by the Holy Ghost ... ... 204
Fifty-fifth Chapter. — How Christ is our way, bringing us to
and presenting us to the Father, as the soul is inspired in
to the body, mercy and grace working : and how Christ
took our sensuality to deliver us from double death ... 20g
Fifty-sixth Chapter. — How it is easier to know God than our
B — Juliana.

Contents.

PAGE.
own soul, God being nearer to us. God willeth us to de
sire the knowledge of Him in mercy and grace ... 209
Fifty-seventh Chapter. — In our substance we be full, in our
sensuality we fail, which God will repair by grace. How
our higher part is knit to God in the making, and God is
kind to our lower part, in taking our flesh. Of faith and
other virtues. Mary is our Mother ... ... ... 213
Fifty-eighth Chapter. — How God is never displeased with His
chosen. Of three properties in the Trinity, Fatherhood,
Motherhood, and Lordhood. How our substance is in,
every person, but our sensuality is in Christ alone ... 218
Fifty-ninth Chapter. — How wickedness is turned into blessing
by mercy and grace in the chosen, for the property of God-
is to do good. Jesus our Mother in nature ... ... 223
Sixtieth Chapter. — How we be brought again forth by mercy
and grace. Of our most kind loving Mother Jesus ; the
properties of this Motherhood. Jesus is our very Mother,
not feeding us with milk, but with Himself, opening His
side to us ... ... ... ... ... 227
Sixty-first Chapter.— Of the tenderness of Jesus in our
ghostly bringing-forth. He will- not suffer His child to
perish. How a child flieth to Him in necessity ... 232
Sixty-second Chapter. — How the love of God never suffereth
His chosen to lose, for all their hurt is turned into endless
i°y — •••  237
Sixty-third Chapter. — How the children of Jesus be not yet
all born ; they pass the time of their childhood in feeble.
ness and ill, till they come to the joys- of heaven ... 239
Sixty-fourth Chapter. — The Fifteenth Revelation. How the
absence of God is our great pain. Our patient abiding is
pleasing to God, and He will shine on us at the point to be
delivered ... ...
••-. ¦•• ... ... 243
Sixty-fifth Chapter.— How he that trusteth God for love with
reverend meekness, is sure to be saved. God willeth that
we dread nothing but Him. The power of our enemy is
broken  248
Sixty-sixth Chapter.— The Sixteenth Revelation is a confir
mation of the Fifteenth. Of her frailty and mourning in

Contents. xi

PAGE.
dis-ease. The comfort of Jesus. The devil had, after that,
great power to vex her ... ... .... ... 2!t
Sixty-seventh Chapter. — The worship fulness of the soul,
which is so noble that it could not be better made.. The
Trinity rejoiceth in it. The soul can rest in nothing but
God. That the Revelations were no-raving and- dreaming 2$ a
Sixty-eighth Chapter. — How we ought to have secureness in
our troubles, that we shall not be overcome ... ... 259
Sixty-ninth Chapter. — Of the seeming long temptation ofthe
devil to despair. She fled to God, and to the faith of Holy
Church, rehearsing the Passion of Christj by which she
was delivered ... ... ... ... ... 260
Seventieth Chapter. — In all our tribulations- we ought to be
steadfast in faith. How all these shewings are inthe faith 263
Seventy-first Chapter. — Jesus willeth our soul to be in God
in good cheer. Three manners of cheer, Passion, Com
passion, and Bliss ... .... ... ... 266
Seventy-second Chapter. — How the chosen soul is deadly for
a time, yet in the sight of God she is not dead. We have
here matter of joy and mourning. The comfort, of these
shewings ... .... ... ... ... 268
Seventy-third Chapter. — How-these Revelations were shewed
in three wises. Of two evils of which God willeth that we
amend. As He is all love, He willeth. that we be not over
heavy for our sins past ... .... ... ... 272
Seventy-fourth Chapter.— Ol four manners of fear ; but re
verend fear is never without meek love, yet they be not both
one. How we should pray God for the same ... ... 276
Seventy-fifth Chapter. — How we need love, longing, and
pity. Of three manners of longing in God. How at the
judgment day the joys of the blessed shall be increased ... 280
Seventy-sixth Chapter. — How a loving soul hateth sin, for its
vileness more than all the pains of hell. The beholding of
other men's sins with compassion helpeth the beholding of
God ... ... ... ... ... ... 283,
Seventy-seventh Chapter. — How the enmity of the fiend biteth
more in our uprising than in our downfalling. He is to.

xii Contents.

PAGE.
be scorned. How the scourge of God should be borne in
remembrance at His Passion. God is one and bliss ... 289
Seventy^eighth Chapter. — How our Lord willeth us to know
four manners of goodness ; the light to know our sins and
vileness ... ... ... ... ... — 290
Seventy-ninth Chapter. — Of how we sin, and of the un-
changeableness of our Lord's love. He willeth with homely
love that we haste us to Him ... ... ... 293
Eightieth Chapter. — How by three things God is worshipped
and we saved. When we are in sin Christ abideth alone.
We ought again in kindness to trust to Him ... ... 296
Eighty-first Chapter. — How this blessed woman saw God in
divers manners. There is no resting-place for Him but in
man's soul. He willeth that we rejoice more in His love
than sorrow for often falling. Why God suffereth sin ... 300
Eighty-second Chapter.— How God beholdelh the mourning
of the soul with pity, not with blame ; He is our meekness 302
Eighty-third Chapter. — Of three properties in God ; life, love,
and light How they become ours ... ... ... 305'
Eighty-fourth Chapter. — How God loved His chosen from
everlasting, and that all is well-ordained ... ... 307
Eighty-fifth Chapter. — How the good Lord shewed that this
book should be otherwise performed than at the first
writing. The cause of all these shewings Was love ... 309

uface,

tHE Revelations of Mother Juliana
have been twice before published-;
the first time by Dorn. Cressy,
O.S.B.,, in a.d. 1670,, and a reprint of this
at Leicester, in 1845. The MS. on which
the present edition is formed, differs from
that followed by Cressy, both in the divi
sion of chapters, and in various readings,
none, however, of much moment. The
MS. is in the British Museum under
" Sloane 2499." The antique spelling has
been laid aside, as unintelligible to all
but the learned, and some few words
have been translated to render the sense
intelligible. A list of such words ap
pears at the end of this preface. With
all this the ordinary reader will find
sufficient difficulty in mastering the mean
ing of many passages. A second and a
third reading will be required in order
at all fully to enter into the mind and

xiv Preface.
sense of Mother Julian's Revelations.
Such labour will be well repaid, for these
Revelations are a mine of spiritual wealth,
and their doctrine most comfortable to the
soul. Even in treating of the sovereignty
of God, the same large, broad, -and ^gentle
view of God's character is to be perceived,
which marks and stamps other mediaeval
spiritual books, such as the Revelations of
S.^rertrude, and those of Blessed An
gela of Foligno.
In these Revelations there are some
expressions which seem to require ex
planation, as for instance, that God does
not blame sin in the elect. Sin, of course,
in the elect as well as in others, is worthy
of blame. But God, who looks at the
elect in that beauty in which they shall
stand for ever before Him, disregard's the
sin, so to speak, on account of the after
repentance, by which it is more than
washed out. The sin thus repented of
becomes an occasion of higher virtue.
Saint Paul says that all things work
together for good to them that love God ;
to which the ancient gloss adds, " even,

Preface. xv
sins." And Saint Augustine says that
God makes of sins steps in the ladder by
which we mount to heaven. Our Lord
explained this doctrine to S. Gertrude by
a similitude. "If," He said, "a garment
is rent, but afterwards the rent is bor
dered with gold lace and adorned with
jewels, then that which would have been
a disfigurement enhances the beauty of
the garment."
These Revelations also treat only of
the predestinate to life eternal. There
fore, when it is said of Christ that "for
every man's sin that shall be saved He
suffered," this does not exclude His hav
ing suffered for all in general ; nor does
it exclude them from a teal sufficient
grace for salvation. Christ was predes
tinated to glory with His elect, the Head
with the members, who were fore-chosen
and foreknown. The vision was with
respect to these only. For the rest, an
assurance was given that "all things shall
be well,' but no vision was shewn. God's
ways will be justified in all that He does.
Little is known of the Mother Julian

xvi Preface,
to whom these Revelations were made,
except what may be gathered from the
Revelations themselves. She was born in
the year of our Lord 1343, and lived to
be a hundred years old. The Revelations
were made to her when she was of the
age of thirty years, which is about three
years before the death of the famous
king Edward III. Her history is thus
summed up by Bloomfield, in his " County
of Norfolk."
" In tbe East part of Saint Julian's ClntnJjjarl stool an
£lntljorage, in toijirl) an anctjovrss or recluse Dtnclt till tlie
Dissolution, tof)fn tlj r house teas Irmoltsljtl, tljouglj tijr
fottnlations man still bf seen (1768). In 1393, 3Lao» Julian,
tlje anrljort ss fjrre, bias a strict mlnse, and Ijal ttao serSiants
to attenl l;er in fier oil age, 1443. &f)fs tooman in tbose lass
teas esteemel of tfie greatest holiness. ®fie Ifteberenl Jttr,
JFrancfs $erfe, autrjor of antiquities of Stanfovl, fjal an oil
helium MB. 36 quarto pages of fofiiclj rontatnel an account
of tfie ut'sions of tfjfs tooman, tofiicfi begins tfjtts: 'ffcere es a
Vision srfietoel be tfie golenes of ffiol to a leboute aJSoman:
anl f)fr name is Julian, tfjat is recluse atte Norfuscfie, an!
pett is on life, anno Bomint mrcecilii. 5n tfie fofcilfce
Ftsion er fulle mans comforta6sH fuorls, anl greatlp stsrranlt
to alle tfier> tfiat lesires to fie ffirjste's looberse.'"

Preface. xvii
This anchorage was tenanted after
Mother Julian's death, in
1472, by Dame Agnes ;
1481, by Dame Elizabeth Scott;
1510, by Lady Elizabeth ;
1524, by Dame Agnes Edrygge.
In a note to his life of Saint Julian,
Alban Butler speaks of Mother Julian as
a Benedictine Nun. This she can hardly
have been in the strict sense of the term,
but it may be that she was a Nun who
had been allowed to embrace this recluse
life. This was not unfrequently allowed
to Monks, and may sometimes have been
allowed to Nuns. What gives some pro
bability to such an idea is that the Church
of Saint Julian, built before the conquest,
was given by King Stephen to the Bene
dictine Nuns of Carrow, or Car. Dieu, in
the suburbs of Norwich. To this Nun
nery the principal families of the diocese
sent their daughters, for the sake of edur
cation. When it is said the Church of S,
Julian was given to this Nunnery, it is
not meant that the Nuns made use of it

xviii Preface.
themselves, but that the revenues of it
went to the support of their house. The
Church belonging to them, it is likely
they had to find the support of the recluse
who dwelt in the anchorage built in the
churchyard. In the documents of Whalley
Abbey we read that, in 1362, Henry,
Duke of Lancaster, granted in trust to
the Abbot of Whalley certain cottages
and lands, to support two recluses in a
certain place in the Churchyard, at the
parochial Church of Whalley, as also two
women servants to attend on them ; there
to pray for the soul of the duke, his an
cestors and heirs. A similar foundation
probably existed for the support of the
recluse in the churchyard at Saint Julian's
at Norwich. Recluses were frequently
walled up, having a grated window into
the Church, through which they assisted
at Mass and received Holy Communion,
and another grated window to the outside,
through which they received the neces
saries of life, and at which they enter
tained visitors. This does not seem to
have been the case with Mother Julian.

Preface. xix
But as the eastern part of Saint Julian's
Church is of modern date, having been
rebuilt, it is impossible to ascertain any
thing on this question. She speaks in
her Revelations of her attendants as
present, and of the Curate and a certain
Religious man coming to visit her. The
anchorage was probably therefore a her
mitage, with an ordinary access to the
outer world.
Spelman says that the Nunnery of
Carrow was, at the Dissolution, granted
to Sir John Shelton, whose family is now
extinct, or reduced to extreme poverty.
{Spelman on Sacrilege?)] Mother Julian,
though she died in the odour of sanctity,
was never canonized. Butler says that
the Church of Saint Julian at Norwich is
vulgarly, but erroneously, supposed to be
called so from her, so that by popular ac
clamation she is called Saint. Her Reve
lations have always been considered per
fectly orthodox by learned and devout
men. Such private Revelations, though
the work of God's Holy Spirit, have no
binding force upon the belief of Chris-

xx Preface.
tians. They are accepted, as tending to
establish and elucidate the doctrine of the
Church, and so far are useful and profit-.
able for study. The Revelations of Mother
Julian are, in both style and matter,
greatly like to the Visions of Blessed
Angela of Foligno. Their language is
simple and unaffected. In this they differ
much from the Revelations of Marie
d'Agreda, and Marie Lataste, these latter-
being full of the subtleties of scholastic
phraseology. The Mother Julian says of
herself that she "could no letter." She
had no book learning. We must not,
however, take it for granted that she was
wholly uneducated. Reading, although a
help, is by no means an indispensable ele
ment of mental culture. It is often in
these days merely a blind, under whose
shadow ignorance hides herself securely.
By the exercise of the memory, with
study upon what is contained in its store,
a mastery of knowledge was often ob
tained in ages when few read, which
would put to shame the meagre acquire
ments of the readers of our times. It is

Preface. xxi
plain, from several of the later Chapters of
these Revelations, that Mother Julian
could appreciate questions of philosophy,
as well as find words for unfolding theo
logical lore. Saint Hildegarde. so ad
mired by Saint Bernard, could not read,
yet her Revelations, couched in sublime
language, discover to us both a lofty mind
and a splendid eloquence. A trained
memory has such a power of retentiveness
that for several ages even the poems of
Homer were handed down by its efficacy,
unwritten. Such was the training of the
memory and intellect in the middle ages.
Lady Julian, then, as she is styled to pub
lish her high birth, had received an edu
cation in keeping with her rank, though
she 'could no letter.' When God re
vealed His secrets to her, He revealed
them to a mind naturally capable of ap
preciating them, though the addition of
His grace was required to elevate that
mind to a more sublime height.

LIST OF OBSOLETE WORDS
TRANSLATED.

Advisement

Advisedness

Enjoying

Rejoicing

Alto

Altogether

Enjoye

Rejoice

Aneynst

In regard of

Apay, apayed

Content

Fairhede

Fairness

Assaye

Prove, proving

Fatherhede

Fatherhood

Asseth

Satisfaction

Fulhede

Fulness

Behyting

Assurance

Hide

Conceal

Beclyppyng

Embracing

Behest
Promise
Impropred
Appropriated
Blackhede
Blackness
Into
Unto
Blewhede
Blueness
Blindhede
Blindness
Kynd
Nature
Bliveth
Remaineth
Kyndlie
Natural
Brownhede
Brownness
But if
Unless
Likenes
Comparison
Buxom
Pliant, supple
Litlehede
Littleness
Livelyhede
Liveliness
Chere
Appearance, Countenance
Long, &c.
Belong, &c.
Crysten
Christian
Manhede
Manhood
Mildhede
Mildness
Deadlie
Mortal:
Meekhede
Meekness
Depart
Part, separate
Might
Could
Discolour, &c.
Disfigure, &c.
Meed
Reward
Dight
Prepare
Meedful
Rewardral
Entend
Attend
Ne
Nor
Endleshede
Endlessness
Needeth
Is lacking
Even
Fellow
Nobleth
Nobleness
xxiv List of obsolete words.

On

Unite

Soothly

Truly

Onyng

Uniting

Soothfastnes

Truth

Onyd, &c

United

Speedful

Profitable

Owe

Ought

Sweynlie

Dimly

Sweynful

Dark

Plenteoushede

Plenteousness

Swilge

Foul

Pronitie

Proneness

Stint

Cease

Stinted, &c.
Ceased
Rewlyhede
Ruefulness
Roundhede
Roundness
There
Where
That
That-that
Sad, sadlie
Firm, firmly
That
The
Siker
Secure
Sikernes
Secureness
Uneth
Scarce
Simplehede
Simpleness
Undertake
Receive
Sithen
Since
Slade
Vale
Wronkyllyd
Wrinkled
REVELATIONS

OF

DIVINE LOVE.

Wxt Jfirst GLfrapter.
Of the number of the Revelations in parti
cular.
tHIS is a Revelation of Love, that
Jesus Christ, our endless bliss,
made in sixteen showings or Reve
lations particular : of which,
The first is of His precious crowning
of thorns ; and therein was contained and
specified the Blessed Trinity, with the
Incarnation, and the uniting between God
and man's soul, with many fair shewings
and teachings of endless wisdom and love ;
in which all the' shewings that follow be
grounded and joined.
The second is of the disfiguring of

2 Revelations of Divine Love,
His fair face, in tokening of His dear
worthy passion.
The third is, that our Lord God Al
mighty, all wisdom and all love, right also
verily as He hath made all things that are
right, so also verily He doeth and worketh
all things that are done.
The fourth is, the scourging of His
tender body, with plenteous shedding of
His precious Blood.
The fifth is, that the fiend is over
come by the Passion of Christ.
The sixth is, the worshipful thanking
of our Lord God, in which He rewardeth
all His blessed servants in heaven.
The seventh is, oftentimes feeling of
weal and woe. Feeling of weal is gracious
touching and lightening with true secure-
ness of endless joy. The feeling of woe
is of temptation, by heaviness and weari
ness of our fleshly living ; with ghostly
understanding, that we be kept also verily
in love — in woe as in weal— by the good
ness of God.
The eighth is, the last pains of Christ,
and His cruel dying.

. Shewed to- Mother yulian of Norwich. 3
The ninth is,, of tbe liking which is in
the Blessed Trinity of the hard passion of
Christ, after His rueful and sorrowful
dying :. in which joy and liking He will
eth that we be in solace and mirth with
Him, till that we come to the glory in
heaveru The tenth is, our Lord Jesus Christ
showing His blissful Heart, even cloven in
two by love.
The eleventh is,, a high, ghostly
shewing of His dear worthy Mother.
The twelfth is, that our Lord God is
all sovereign and most worthy being.
The thirteenth is, that our Lord God
willeth that we have great regard to all
the deeds which He hath done, in the
great nobleness of all things made, and of
the excellency of man's making, the which
is above all His works ; and of the pre
cious amends that He hath made for
man's sin, turning all our blame into end
less worship. Where also our Lord saitli
thus : " Behold and see : for by the same
might, wisdom, and goodness, that I have
done all this ; by the same might, wisdom,

Revelations of Divine Love,

and goodness I shall make well all that is
not well, and thou shalt see it." And in
this He willeth that we keep us in the
faith and truth of Holy Church, not will
ing to wit His privities now, but as it
belongeth to us in this life.
The fourteenth is, that our Lord God
is the ground of our beseeching. Herein
were seen two fair properties : the one is
rightful prayer; the other is very trust;
which He willeth to be alike large : and
thus our prayer liketh Him, and He of
His goodness fulfilleth it.
The fifteenth is, that we shall sud
denly be taken from all our pain, and
from all our woe, and of His goodness we
shall come up above, where we shall have
our Lord Jesus to our reward, and for to
be fulfilled with joy and bliss in heaven.
The sixteenth is, that the Blessed
Trinity, our Creator, in Christ Jesus our
Saviour, endlessly dwelleth in our soul,
worshipfully ruling and commanding all
things; us mightily and wisely saving
and keeping for love, and that we shall
not be overcome of our enemy.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich.

Wxt §ztonb (Ehap&r.
Of the time of the Revelations ; and how
she made three petitions.
fxjf ^S Revelation was made to a sim-
\£1/ pie creature, that could no letter,
living in mortal flesh, the year of
our Lord, one thousand three hundred and
seventy-three, the eighth day of May :
which creature desired afore three gifts
by the grace of God.
The first was mind of the Passion.
The second was bodily sickness in
youth, at thirty years of age.
The third was. to have, of God's gift,
three wounds.
For the first, methought I had some
feeling in the passion of Christ;. but yet
I desired to have more, by the grace of
God. Methought I would have been that
time with Magdalene, and with other that
were Christ's lovers, that I might have
seen bodily the Passion that our Lord

6 Revelations of Divine Love,
suffered for me, that I might have suffered
with Him, as others did that loved Him ;
and therefore I desired a bodily sight,
wherein I might have more knowledge of
the bodily pains of our Saviour, and of the
compassion of our Lady, and of all His
true lovers that were living at that time,
and saw His pains ; for I would have been
one of them, and have suffered with them.
Other sight or showing of God desired I
none, till when the soul was departed
from the body ; for I believed to be saved
by the mercy of God. This was my
meaning ; for I would afterwards, because
of that shewing, have the more true mind
of the Passion of Christ.
For the second, there came to my mind,
with contrition, freely without any seeking,
a wilful desire to have, of God's gift, a
bodily sickness. ] I would that that sick
ness were so hard as to the death I that I
might in that sickness have taken all the
rites of holy Church, myself weening that
I should have died, and that all creatures
might suppose the same that saw me ; for

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich . 7
I would have no manner of comfort, of
fleshly nor earthly life in that sickness.
I desired to have all manner of pains,
bodily and ghostly, that I should have if
I should have died ; all the dreads and
temptations of fiends, and all manner of
other pains, saving the outpassing of the
soul. And this meant I, for that I would
be purged by the mercy of God, and after*
wards live more to the worship of God,
because of that sickness. For I hoped
that it might have been to my reward
when I should have died, for I desired to
have been soon with my God and Maker.
These two desires, (of the Passion, and
of the sickness that I desired of Him,)
were with a condition ; for methought this
was not the common use of prayer. There
fore I said : " O Lord, Thou knowest what
I would, and if that it be Thy will that I
might have it ; and if it be not Thy will,
good Lord, be not displeased, for I will not
but as Thou wilt."
This sickness I desired in my youth,
that I might have it when I was thirty
years old.

8 Revelations of Divine Love,

For the third, by the grace of God, arid
teaching of Holy Church, I conceived a
mighty desire to receive three wounds in
my life ; that is to say, the wound of very
contrition, the wound of kind compassion,!
and the wound of wilful belonging to God.
Right as I asked the other twain with a
condition, so asked I this third, mightily;
without any condition, These two desires
aforesaid passed from my mind, and the
third dwelled continually.

Wxt Wxxxb Chapter.
How a grievous sickness came upon her.
r^4 ND when I was thirty years old
4/\, and a half, God sent me a bodily
sickness, in which I lay three days
and three nights j and on the fourth night
I took all my rites of Holy Church, and
weened not to have lived till day.
And after this I lay two days and two
nights ; and on the third night I weened

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 9
oftentimes to have passed, and so weened
they that were with me : and yet in this I
felt a great loathness to die, but for
nothing that was in earth that me liked to
live for, nor for no pain that I was afraid
of, for I trusted in God of His mercy;
but it was for that I would have lived to
have loved God better, and a longer time ;
that I might, by the grace of that living,'
have the more knowing and loving of
God in the bliss of heaven. For me
thought all that time that I had lived
here so little and so short, in regard of
that endless bliss. I thought, " Good
Lord, may my living no longer be to Thy
worship ?"
And I understood in my reason, and by
the feeling of my pains, that I should die ;
and I assented fully, with all the will of
my heart, to be at God's will. Thus I
endured till day, and by then was my
body dead from the midst downward, as
to my feeling. Then was I helped to be
set upright, underset with help, for to
have the more freedom of my heart to be
at God's will, and thinking on God while

io Revelations of Divine Love,

my life lasted. My Curate was sent for
to be at my ending ; and by the time he
came I had set my eyes and could not
speak. He set the cross before my face,
and said : " / have brought the image of
thy Maker; look thereupon and comfort
thee therewith." Methought I was well ;
for my eyes were set upright into heaven,
where I trusted to come by the mercy of
God. But nevertheless I assented to set
my eyes in the face of the crucifix, if I
might, and so I did ; for methought I
might longer endure to look even forth
than right up. After this my sight began
to fail ; it waxed as dark about me iri
the chamber as if it had been night, save
in the image of the cross, wherein I
beheld a common light, and I wist not
how. All that was beside the cross was
ugly and fearful to me, as it had been
much occupied with fiends.
After this the over part of my body
began to die, so far forth that scarce I
had any feeling ; my most pain was short
ness of breath, and failing of life.
Then weened I verily to have passed.

Shewed lo Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 1
And in this ease suddenly all my pain
was taken from me, and I was as whole,
(and, namely, in the over part of my
body,) as ever I was before.
I marvelled at this sudden change ; for
methought that it was a privy working of
God, and not of nature. And yet, by
feeling of this ease, I trusted never the
more to have lived. The feeling of this
ease was no full ease unto me ; for me
thought I had rather have been delivered
out of this world, for my heart was wil
fully set thereto.
Then came suddenly to my mind that I
should desire the second wound, of our
Lord's gift, and of His grace, that my
body might be fulfilled with mind and
feeling of His blessed passion, as I had
before prayed. For I would that His
pains were my pains with compassion, and
afterwards belonging to God.
This thought I, that I might, with His
grace, have the wounds that I had before
desired. But in this I desired never no
bodily sight, nor no manner of showing of
God ; but such compassion as I thought

1 2 Revelations of Divine Love,

that a kind soul might have with our
Lord Jesus, that for love would become a
mortal man with him. I desired there
fore to suffer, living in my mortal body, as
God would give me grace.

Wxt Jftfttrih Chapter.
Here beginneth the first Revelation of the
precious crowning of Christ, as in the
first chapter; and how God fulfllleth
with most joy, of His great meekness ;
and how the sight of the Passion is
sufficient strength against temptations of
the fiends; and of the great excellency
and meekness of the Blessed Virgin.
f^4 N D in this suddenly I saw the red
^\ blood trickling down from under
the garland, hot and fresh, plen-
teously and lively, right as it was in the
time that the garland of thorns was
pressed on His blessed Head, right so
both God and man, the same that suffered
for me. I conceived truly and mightily

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 3
that it was Himself that shewed it me,
without any mean between us.
And in the same shewing, suddenly the
Trinity fulfilled my heart most of joy;
and so I understood it shall be in heaven y
without end to all that shall come there.
For the Trinity is God ; the Trinity is
our maker; the Trinity is our keeper;
the Trinity is our everlasting lover; the
Trinity is our endless joy and our bliss,
by our Lord Jesus Christ, and in our Lord
Jesus Christ : and this was shewed me in
the first sight, and in all. For when Jesus
appeareth, the Blessed Trinity is under
stood, as unto my sight.
And I said Benedicite Dominus. This I
said for reverence in my meaning, with a
mighty voice. And full greatly was I
astonished, for wonder and marvel that I
had, that He that is so reverend and so
dreadful, will be so homely with a sinful
creature, living in this wretched flesh.
Thus I took it for that time, that our Lord
Jesus, of His courteous love, would shew
me comfort before the time of my tempta
tion ; for methought it might well be, that

14 Revelations of Divine Love,
I should, by the sufferance of God, and
with His keeping, be tempted of fiends
before I should die. With this sight of
His blessed Passion, with the Godhead
that I saw in my understanding, I knew
well that it was strength enough to me,
yea, and to all creatures living, that
should be saved against all the fiends of
hell, and against all ghostly enemies.
In this He brought our Lady Saint
Mary to my understanding : I saw her
ghostly jn_bodily likeness, a simple maiden
and a meek, young of age, a little waxen
above a child, in the stature as she was
when she conceived. Also God showed
me in part the wisdom and the truth of
her soul ; wherein I understood the reve
rend beholding that she beheld her God,
that is her Maker ; marvelling with great
reverence that He would be born of her,
that was a simple creature of His own
making. For this was her marvelling,
that He that was her Maker would be
born of her that was made. And this
wisdom and truth, knowing the greatness
of her Maker, and the littleness of herself

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 5
that is made, made her to say full meekly
to Gabriel : " Lo me here God's hand
maiden." In this sight I did understand verily
that she is more than all God made be
neath her in worthiness and fulness ; for
above her is nothing that is made, but the
blessed Manhood of Christ, as to my
sight.

%\tt Jftfth Chapter.
How God is to us everything that is good,
tenderly wrapping us ; and all things that
are made, in regard to Almighty God, are
as nothing; and how man hath no rest
till he leave himself and all things for the
love of God.
SN this same time that I saw this
sight of the Head bleeding, our
good Lord shewed a ghostly sight
of His homely loving. I saw that He is
to us everything that is good and com
fortable to our help. He is our clothing,

1 6 Revelations of Divine Love,

that for love wrappeth us, and windeth
us, embraceth us, and all encloseth us,
and hangeth about us for tender love, that
He may never leave us. And so in this
sight I saw that He is everything that is
good, as to my understanding.
And in this He shewed a little thing,
the quantity of a hazel nut, lying in the
palm of my hand, as me-seemed, and, as
it were, round as a ball. I looked thereon
with the eye of my understanding, and
thought, " What may this be ?" And it
was answered generally thus : "It is all
that is made." I marvelled how it could
last ; for methought it might suddenly
have fallen to nought for littleness. And
I was answered in my understanding: "It
lasteth, and for ever shall : for God loveth
it. And so hath everything being by the
love of God."
In this little thing I saw three proper
ties. The first is, that God made it. The
second is, that God loveth it. The third
is, that God keepeth it. But what beheld
I therein ? Verily, the Maker, the Keeper,
the Lover. For till I am substantially

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich . 1 7
united to Him, I may never have full rest,
nor very bliss ; that is to say, till I be so
fastened to Him, that there be right
nought that is made between my God and
me. This little thing that is made, methought
it might have fallen to nought for little
ness. Of this it needeth us to have
knowing of the littleness of creatures ; and
to noughten all that is made, for to love
God, and have God that is unmade. For
this is why we be not all in ease of heart
and soul ; for we seek here rest in this
thing that is so little* where no rest is in ;
and we know not our God, that is all
mighty, all wise, and all good, for He is
very rest. God will be known, and Him
liketh tlxat we rest us in Him. For all
that is beneath Him sufficeth not us.
And this is the cause why that no soul is
in rest till it is noughted of all things that^
are made. When she is wilfully noughted
for love, to have Him that is all, then is
she able to receive ghostly rest.
And also our good Lord shewed that it
is full great pleasure to Him that a silly

1 8 Revelations of Divine Love,
soul come to Him naked, plainly and
homely. For this is the natural yearning
of the soul, by the touching of the Holy
Ghost, as by the understanding that I
have in this shewing. " God, of Thy
goodness, give me Thyself, for Thou art
enough to me. And I may ask nothing
that is less that may be fully worship to
Thee. And if I ask anything that is less,
ever me wanteth. But only in Thee I have
all." And these words of the goodness
of God be full lovesome to the soul, and
full near touching the will of our Lord :
for His goodness filleth all His crea
tures, and all His blessed works without
end. For He is the endlessness ; and He
made us only for Himself, and restored
us by His precious Passion, and ever
keepeth us in His blessed love ; and all
this is of His goodness.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 9

%ht (Sixth Chapter.
How we should pray.— Of the great tender
love that our Lord hath to man's soul,
willing us to be occupied in knowing
and loving Him.
/?* HIS shewing was given, to my un-
\Q, derstanding, to learn our soul
wisely to cleave to the goodness
of God. And in that same time the cus
tom of our prayer was brought to my
mind, how that we use, for unknowing of
love, to make many means. Then saw I
verily that it is more worship to God, and
more very delight, that we faithfully pray
to Himself of His goodness, and cleave
thereto by His grace, with true under
standing and steadfast belief, than if we
made all the means that heart may think.
For if we make all these means, it is too
little, and not full worship to God ; but
His goodness comprehendeth all, and
there faileth right nought. For thus, as I

20 Revelations of Divine Love,
shall say, came to my mind in the same
time : We pray to God for His holy
Flesh, and for His precious Blood, His
holy Passion, His dear worthy death, and
worshipful Wounds ; for all the blessed
kindness, and the endless life that we
have of all this, it is of the goodness of
God. And we pray Him for His sweet
Mother's love that bare Him ; and all the
help that we have of her, it is of His
goodness. And we pray for His holy
Cross that He died on ; and all the helpt
and all the virtue that we have of that
Cross, it is of His goodness. And on the
same wise, all the help that we have of
special Saints, and of all the blessed com
pany of heaven, tlie dear worthy love,
and the endless friendship that we have
of them, it is of His goodness. For the
means that the goodness of God hath or
dained for to help us, be full fair and many,
Of which the chief and principal mean
is the blessed nature that He took of the
Maiden, with all the means that went
before, and come after, which belong tO

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 21
our redemption and to our endless salva
tion. Wherefore, it pleaseth Him that we
seek Him and worship Him by means ;
understanding and knowing that He is the
goodness of all. For to the goodness of
God is the highest prayer, and it cometh
down to us to the lowest part of our need ;
it quickeneth our soul and maketh it live,
and maketh it wax in grace and virtue ; it
is nearest in nature and readiest in grace.
For it is the same grace that the soul
seeketh, and ever shall, till we know our
God verily, that hath us all in Himself
enclosed. For He hath no despite of that
He hath made, nor hath He any disdain to
serve us at the simplest office that to our
body belongeth in nature, for love of the
soul that He hath made to His own like
ness. For as the body is clad in the
cloth, and the flesh in the skin, and the
bones in the flesh, and the heart in the
bulk, so are our soul and body clad and
enclosed in the goodness of God ; yea,
and more homely, for all they shall wear
and waste away, but the goodness of God

2 2 Revelations of Divine Love,
is ever whole and more near to us without
any comparison. For verily our Lover
desireth that the soul cleave to Him with
all her might, and that we be evermore
cleaving to His goodness ; for of all
things that heart can think, it pleaseth
most God and soonest speedeth.
For our soul is so preciously loved of
Him that is highest, that it overpasseuV
the knowing of all creatures : that is to
say, there is no creature that is made,
that may wit how much, and how sweetly,
and how tenderly, our Maker loveth us.
And therefore we may, with His grace
and help, stand in ghostly beholding
with everlasting marvelling, in this high
overpassing unmeasurable love, that our
Lord hath to us of His goodness. And,
therefore, we may ask of our Lover, with
reverence, all that we will. For our natu
ral will is to have God, and the good will
of God is to have us ; and we may never
cease of ^willing, nor of loving, till we
have Him in fulness of joy. And then we
can no more will ; for He willeth that we
be occupied in knowing and loving till the

Skewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 23
time cometh that we shall be fulfilled in
heaven. And therefore was this lesson of
love shewed, with all that followeth, as ye
shall see ; for the strength and the ground
of all was shewed in the first sight ; for of
all things, the beholding and the loving of
the Maker maketh a soul to seem least in
her own sight, and most filleth her with
reverend dread and true meekness, and
with plenty of charity to her fellow-Chris
tians.

Wxt <Sebenth Chapter.
How our Lady, beholding the greatness of
her Maker, thought herself less ; and of
the great quantity of Blood running from
under the garland; and how the most
joy to man is that God, most high and
mighty, is holiest.
f^\ ND to learn us this, as to my under-
£\ standing, our good Lord shewed
our Lady Mary in the same time,
that is to mean, the high wisdom and
truth that she had in beholding her Maker.

24 Revelations of Divine^Love,
This wisdom and truth made her to be-
hold her God, so great, so high, so mighty,
and so good. /'This greatness and this
nobleness of her beholding of God ful
filled her with reverend dread ; and with
this she saw herself so little, and so low,
so simple, and so poor, in regard of her
God, that this reverend dread filled her
with meekness. Ahd thus by this ground
she was fulfilled of grace, and of all man
ner of virtues, and passeth all creatures.
And in all the time that He shewed this
that I have now said in ghostly sight, I
saw the bodily sight of the plenteous
bleeding of the Head. The great drops of
Blood fell down from under the garland,
like pellets, seeming as it had come out
of the veins ; and in the coming out they
were brown red, for the Blood was full
thick, and in the spreading abroad they
were bright red. And when it came at
the brows, there they vanished; And
notwithstanding the bleeding eontihued,
till many things were seen and under
stand ed; "nevertheless the fairness and
the liveliness continued in the same

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 25
beauty and liveliness. The plenteousness
is like to the drops of water that fall off the
eavings after a great shower of rain, that
fall so thick that no man may number
them with any bodily wit. And for the
roundness, they were like to the scales of
herrings in the spreading of the forehead.
These three things came to my mind in
the time : pellets, for the roundness in the
coming out of the blood ; the scales of
herrings, for the roundness in the spread
ing ; the drops off the eavings of an
house, for the plenteousness innumerable.
This shewing was quick, and lively, and
hideous, and dreadful, and sweet, and
lovely. And of all the sight that I saw,
this was most comfort to me, that our
good Lord, that is so reverend and dread
ful, is, so homely, and so courteous ; and
this most fulfilled me with liking and
secureness of soul./
And to the understanding of this He
shewed this open example : " It is the
most worship that a solemn king or a great
lord may do to a poor servant, if he will
be homely with him ; and, namely, if he

26 Revelations of Divine Love,

shew it himself, of a full true meanings
and with a glad cheer, both in private and
openly." Then thinketh this poor crea-
ture thus : " Lo ! what might this noble
Lord do more worship and foy to me, than
to shew to me, that am so little, this mar'
vellous homeliness .* verily, it is more joy
and liking to me, than if He gave me-great
gifts, and were Himself strange in man
ner y
This bodily example was shewed so
high, that this man's heart might be
ravished, and almost forget himself, for
joy of this great homeliness.
Thus it fareth by our Lord Jesus, and
by us ; for verily it is the most joy that
may be, as to my sight, that He, that is
highest and mightiest, noblest and wor
thiest, is lowest and meekest, homeliest
and most courteous. And truly and verily
this marvellous joy shall He shew us all
when we shall see Him. And this willeth
our good Lord, that we believe, and trust,
and joy, and like comfort us, and make
solace, as we may, with His grace and
with His help, unto the time that we see

Skewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 2 7
it verily. For the most fulness of joy,
that we shall have, as to my sight, in this
marvellous courtesy and homeliness of our
Father, that is our Maker, in our Lord
Jesus Christ, that is our Brother and our
Saviour. But this marvellous homeliness
may no man know in this life, unless he
have it by special shewing of our Lord,
or of great plenty of grace inwardly given
of the Holy Ghost ; but faith and belief
with charity deserve the same ; and so it
is had by grace. For in faith, with hope
and charity, our life is grounded. The
shewing is made to whom that God will
plainly teach the same, opened and de
clared, with many privy points, belonging
to our faith and belief, which be worship
ful to know. And when the shewing,
which is given for a time, is passed and
hid, then faith keepeth it by grace of the
Holy G.host, unto our life's end, And
thus, by the shewing, it is none other than
faith, nor less, nor more, as it may be seen
by our Lord's meaning in the. same mat
ter, by the time it come to the last end.

28 Revelations of Divine Lovei

%ht Cighth Chapter.
A recapitulation of that that is said, and
how it was shewed to her generally for
all.
f*ft ND as long as I saw this sight of
-£\ the plenteousness of bleeding of
thd head, I could never cease from
these words, Benedicite Dominus. In which
shewing I understood six tilings. The
first is, the tokening of the blissful Pas
sion, and the plenteous shedding of His
precious Blood. The second is, the Maiden,
that is, His dear and worthy Mother.
The third is, the blissful Godhead, that
ever was, and shall be, Almighty, all Wis
dom, and all Love. The fourth is, all
things that He hath made ; for well I wot
that heaven and earth, and all that is
made, is great, large, fair and good. But
the cause why it sheweth so little to my
sight, was, for that I saw it in the pres
ence of Him that is the Maker ; for to a

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 29
soul that seeth the Maker of all things,
all that is made seemeth full little. The
fifth is, that He made all-thing that is
made for love ; and by the same love it
is kept, and shall be without end, as it
is before said. The sixth is, that God is
all-thing that is good, as to my sight ;
and the goodness that all things have, it
is He.And all this our Lord shewed in- the
first sight, and gave me space and time
to behold it ; and the bodily sight ceased,
and the ghostly sight dwelt in my under
standing. And I abode with reverend'
dread, joying in that I saw, and desiring,
as I durst, to see more, if it were His will,
or longer time the same sight. In all this
I was much stirred in charity to my fellow
Christians, that they might see and know
the same that I saw ; for I would that it
were comfort to them ; for all this sight
was shewed in general. Then said I to
them that were with me : " // is this day
doomsday with me." And this I said, that
I weened to have died : for the day that
man or woman dieth, is he doomed parti-

30 Revelations of Ditiine Love,
cularlyj as he shall be without end, as to
my understanding.
This I said, for that I would they should
love God the better for to make them to
have mind that this life is short, as they
might see in example ; for in all this time
I weened to have died, and that was a
marvel to me, and wonder in part ; for
methought this vision was shewed for'
them that should live ; all that I say of
myself, I mean it in person of all my
fellow Christians ; for I am learned in the
ghostly shewing of our Lord God that He
meaneth it so.
And therefore I pray you all, for God
His sake, and counsel you for your own
profit, that ye" leave the beholding of a
wretch that it was shewed to ; and mightily,
and wisely, and meekly, behold in God,
that of His courtesy, love, and endless
goodness, would shew it generally in com
fort of us all: for it is God's will that ye
take it with a great joy and liking, as
Jesus Christ hath shewed it to you.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich . 3 1

Wxt $inth Chapter.
Of ihe meekness of this woman, keeping
hei" alway iii the faith of Holy Church,
and how he that l&veth his fellow Chris-1-
tian for God loveth all things*
I^OR the shewing I am not good un-
~3J less I love God the better, and
inasmuch as you love God the
better, it is more to you than to me.
I say not this to them that be wise, for
they wit it Well, but I say it to you that be
simple, for ease and comfort. For we be
all one in love : for verily it was not
shewed to me for that God loveth me
better than the least soul that is in grace.
For I am sure there be many, that never
had shewing nor sight, but of the common
teaching of Holy Church, that love God
better than I. For if I look singularly to
myself, I am right nought. But in gene
ral I am, I hope, in one unity of charity
with all my fellow Christians. For in this

32 Revelations of Divine Love,
unity standeth the life of all mankind that
shall be saved ; for God is all that is good,
as to my sight. And God hath made all
that is made, and God loveth all that He
hath made ; and he that generally loveth
all his fellow Christians, for God's sake,
he loveth all that is. For in mankind that
shall be saved, is comprehended all ; that
is to say, all that is made, and the Maker
of all ; for in man is God, and in God is
all ; and he that loveth thus he loveth all.
And I hope, by the grace of God, lie,
that beholdeth it thus, shall be truly
taught, and mightily comforted, if him
needeth comfort ; I speak of them that
shall be saved, for in this time God
shewed me none other.
But in all things I believe as Holy
Church preacheth and teacheth. For the
faith of Holy Church, of which I had
beforehand understanding, (and as I hope,
by the grace of God, I will fully keep itj
in use and custom,) stood continually in
my sight; willing and meamng never to
receive anything that might be contrary
thereto. And with this intent, and with

Shewed to Motker Julian of Norwich. 3 3
this meaning, I beheld the shewing with
all my diligence; for in all this blessed
shewing I beheld it as in God's meaning.
All this was shewed by three parts;
that is to say, by bodily sight, and by
words formed in my understanding, and
by ghostly sight. But the ghostly sight
I cannot nor may shew as openly, nor as
fully as I would ; but I trust in our Lord
God Almighty, that He shall, of His
goodness, and for your love, make you to
take it more ghostly, and more sweetly,
than I can or may tell it.

34 Revelations of Divine Love,

%\# "Centh Chapter.
The Second Revelation is of Christ's dis
figurement ;, of our Redemption, and of
the disfigurement of the Vernacle; and
how i% pleaseth. God that we take Him
busily, abiding Him steadfastly, and
trusting Him mightily.
f^t ND after this I saw with bodily
,£% sight, in the face of the crucifix
that hung before me, — in the
which \ beheld continually a part of His
passion^ despite,, spitting, sullying, and
buftetting, and many Languoring pains,
mor,e than \ can tell ;. and often changing
o( colour. And one time I saw how half
the face, beginning at t;he ear, overspread
with drjy blood, till it closed in the mid-
face ; and after that, the other half closed
in the same wise. And the meanwhiles
it vanished in this other part, even as it
came. This saw I bodily, dimly, and darkly;

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 35
and I desired more bodily light to have
seen more clearly, and I was answered in
my reason : " If God will shew>&hee more,
He shall be thy light ; thott- needest none
but Him" For I saw Him and sought
Him : for we be now so blind, and so un
wise, that we can never seek God, till
what time that He of His goodness shew
eth Himself to- us. And when we see
aught of Him graciously, then are we
stirred by the same grace, to. seek with
great desire to see Him more blissfully."
And thus I saw Him and- sought Him-; I
had Him and I wanted Him-; and this is
and* should be our common working in
this life,, as to my sight-.
One time my understanding was led
down into the sea-ground ; and there saw
I hills and dales green, seeming as it were
all begrown with wreck and gravel. Then
I understood thus,, that if a man or woman
were there, under the broad water, and
could have sight of God,, so as God is
with man continually, he should be safe
in soul and body, and talce no harm, and
overpassing he should have more solace

36 Revelations of Divine Lover,
and comfort than all this world may or
can tell. For He will that we believe
that we see Him continually, though that
us think that it be but little, and lit the
belief He maketh us evermore to get
grace ; for He will be seen, and He will
be sought, and He will be abiden, and He
will be trusted;
This second shewing was so low, and
so little, and so simple, that my spirits
were in great travail in the beholdingj
mourning, dreadful, and longing. For I
was sometime in a fear whether it was a
shewing or none: and then divers times
our Lord gave me more sight, whereby
that I understood truly that it was a shew-*
Ing, It was a figure and a likeness of ouf
foul black deeds, which our fair, bright,
Blessed Lord bare for our sin. It made
me lo think of the holy Vernacle of
Rome, whidli He portrayed with His own
blessed Face, when He was in His hard
passion, wilfully going to His death, and
often changing of colour: of the brown-
ness, and the blackness, ruefulness, and
leanness; Of this image many have mar;

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 37
veiled how that might be standing, that
He portrayed it with His blessed Face,
which is the fairest of heaven, flower of
earth, and the fruit of the Maiden's
womb. Then how might this image be
so disfigured and so far from fairness, I
desire to see, as I liave understood by the
grace of God. We know in our faith, and
in our belief, by the teaching and preach
ing of Holy Church, that the blissful
Trinity made mankind to His image and
likeness ; in the same wise, we know, that
when man fell so deep and so wretchedly
by sin, there was none other help to
restore man but through Him that made
man. And He that made man for love,
by the same love He would restore man
to the same bliss and overpassing, And
right as we were made like to the Trinity
in our first making, our Maker would that
we should be like to Jesus Christ our
Saviour in heaven without end, by the
virtue of our one-making. Then between
these two He would, for love, and for
worship of man, make Himself as like to
man in this mortal life, in our foulness and

38 Reveldlions of Divine Love,

in our wretchedness, as man might be
without guilt; wherefore it meaneth, as is
before said, that it was the image and
the likeness of our foul black, deeds,
wherein our fair bright Blessed Lord
hid His Godhead-. ,
But verily, I dare say, and we ought to
believe, that so fair a man was never none
but He, till what time that His fair figure
was changed with travail and sorrow, pas-,
sion and dying. Of this it is spoken in
the eighth Revelation, and in the eigh
teenth chapter, where it speaketh more of
the same likeness. And where it saith of
the Vernacle. of Rome, it meaneth, by
divers changing of colour, either some
times more comfortable and lively, and
sometimes more rueful and deadly, as it
may be seen hereafter ; and this vision
was a learning, to my understanding, that
the continual seeking of the soul pleaseth
God much ; for it may do no more than
seek, suffer, and trust. And this is
wrought, in every soul that hath it, by the
Holy Ghost. And the clearness of find
ing it is of the special grace, when it is,

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 39
His will. The seeking with faith, hope,
and charity, pleaseth our Lord; and the
finding pleaseth the soul, and filleth it
with joy. And thus was I learned, to my
understanding, that seeking is as good as
beholding, for the time that He will suffer
the spul to be in travail. It is God's will
that we seek unto the beholding of Him >;
for by that shall He show Himself, of His
special grace) when He will. And. how a
soul shall have Him in His beholding, He
shall put it to thyself ; and that is most
worship to Him, and most profit to the
soul, and most receiveth of nieekne&s and
virtues, with. the grace and. leading of the
Holy Ghost ; for a soul that only resign-
eth him to God with very trust, either in
seeking or in beholding, it is the most
worship that he may do, as to my sight.
There be two Workings that may be
seen in this vision: the one is seeking,
the other is beholding.
The seeking is common, that every
. soul may have with His grace ; and ought
to have that discretion and teaching of
the Holy Church. It is God's will that

40 Revelations of Divine Love,
we have three things in our seeking of
this gift.
The first is, that we seek, wilfully and
busily, without sloth, as it may be with
His grace, gladly and merrily, without
unreasonable heaviness and vain sorrow.
Tlie second is, that we abide Him stead
fastly for His love, without grudging and
striving against Him, unto our lives' end,
for it shall last but a while.
The third is, that we trust in Him
mightily, of full and true faith ; for it is
His will that we know that He shall
appear suddenly and blissfully to all His
lovers. For His working is privy, but
He Himself will be perceived ; and His
appearing shall be sweet and sudden ; and
He will be trusted, for He is homely and
courteous. Blessed may He be.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 4 1

<Che Clebenth Chapter.
The Third Revelation is how God doth all
things except sin, never changing His
purpose without end ; for He hath made,
all things in fulness of goQdness.
A| ND after this, I saw God in a
f\ point;* that is to say, in my un
derstanding: by which sight I saw
that He is in all things, I beheld with
advisedness, seeing and knowing, in that
sight, that He doth all that is done. I
marvelled in that sight with a soft dread,
and thought, O what is sin f For I saw
truly, that God doth every thing, be it
never so little. An4 X saw verily that
nothing is done by hap, nor by adventure,
but all by the aforesaid wisdom of God.
If it be hap or adventure in the sight of
man, our blindness and unforesight is the
* That is, all His divers perfections, summed up in a single
centre.

42 Revelations 'of Divine Love,
cause. For those things that be in the
foresaid wisdom of God, be from without
beginning, which rightfully and worship-
fully continually He leadeth to the best
end: as ft cometh about, falling to us
suddenly, our unwitting. And thus by
our blindness, and our unforesight, we say
these things be by hap and adventure.
Thus I understand in this showing of
love ; for well I wot, in the sight of our
Lord God, there is no hap, nor adventure.
Wherefore it behove th needs to grant,
that all things that are done are well
done ; for our Lord God doth all. For in
this time the working of creatures was not
shewed, but of our Lord God in the crea
tures ; for He is in the mid-point of all
things, and all He doth. And I am sure
that He doth no sin. And here I saw
verily that sin is no deed ; for in all this
sin is not shewed. And I would no
longer marvel in this, but beheld our Lord
what He would shew. And thus, as it
might be for the time, the rightfulness of
God's work was shewed for the soul.
Rightfulness hath two fair properties.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 43
It is right, and it is full; and so be all
the works of our Lord. And thereto is
lacking neither the working of mercy nor
of grace ; for it is all rightful, wherein
faileth right nought. And in another time,
He shewed-, for beholding of sin naked*
ly, as I shall say, after when He useth
working of merey and of grace. This
vision was shewed, to my understand
ing ; for that our Lord will have the soul
turned truly unto the beholding of Him,
and generally of all His works, for they
be full good-: and all His dooms be easy
and sweet. And two great eyes bring the
soul that is turned from the beholding of
the blind dooming of man unto the fair
sweet dooming of our Lord God. For
man beholdeth some deeds well done, and
some deeds ill: and our Lord beholdeth
them not so ; for, as all that hath being iri
nature is of God's making, so is every.
thing that is done in property of God's
doing. For it is easy to understand that
the best deed is well done ; and so well
as the best deed that is done, and the
highest, so well is the least deed done;

44 Revelations of Divine Lovg,
.. — — . -.  ,   -— • — ¦ —  tpt,
and all in the property arid in the order
that our Lord hath ordained it to fronj
without beginning. For there is no Doer1
but He.
I saw full truly, that He changed never
His purpose in no manner of thing, nor
never shall without end; for there was
nothing unknown to Him in His rightful.
ordinance from without beginning. And
therefore ail things were set in order ere
anything was made, as it should stand
without end ; and no manner of thing
shall fail of that point ; for He hath
made all things in fulness of His good-i
ness. And therefore the Blessed Trinity is
ever full pleased in all His works. And
all this shewed He full blissfully, meaning
thus: " See, I am God. See, Tam in all
things. See, I never left My hands off My
works, nor never shall without end. See,
I lead everything to ike end I ordain it to,
from without beginning, by the same might,
wisdom, and love, that I made it vrithtf.
How should anything be amiss f" Thus
mightily, wisely, and lovingly, was tlie

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 4$,
soul examined in this vision; Then saw;
I verily that it behoveth needs to assent,
with great reverence and Joy in God.

Ihe *Ctoetfth Chapter.
The Fourth Revelation is, how it liketh
God rathef and better to wash us in His
Blood from sin, than iii Water. For His
Blood is most precious.
Nt) after this I saw,, beholding the
body plenteously bleeding, in seem
ing: of the scourging, as thus: the
fair skin was broken full deep into the
tender Flesh, with sharp smitlngsi, all
about the sweet Body ; the hot Blood ran
out so plenteously that there was neither
seen skin nor wound, but as it were all
Blood. And when- it came where it
should have fallen down,, there it van
ished ; notwithstanding the bleeding con
tinued a while, till it might be seen with
advisedness. And this was so plenteous
to my sight, that methought if it had

46 Revelations of Divine Lovi,
been so in nature and substance for that
time, it should have made the bed all on
blood, and have passed over all about.
Then came to my mind that God hath
made waters plenteous in earth to our ser
vice, and to our bodily ease, for tender
love thM He hath to, us. But yet liketh
Him better that we take full wholesomely
His Blessed Blood to wash us from sin,
for there is no liquor that is. made that
liketh Him so well to give us. For; it is
most plenteous, as, it is most precious, and
that by the virtup. of the blessed Godhead.
And it is our own nature, and blissfuMy
overfroweth us by the virtue of His pre
cious love. The dear worthy Btood of
our Lord Jesus Christ, also, verily as it is
most precious, as verily it is most plen
teous. Behold and see the virtue of this
precious plenty of His dear worthy Blood.
It descended down into, hell' and brake
her bonds, and delivered them alf that
were there, which belonged to the court of
heaven. The precious plenty of His dear
worthy Blood overftoweth ali the earth,
and is ready to wash all creatures from

Skewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 47
sin, which be of good- wilk have been, or
shall be. The precious plenty of His
dear worthy Blood ascendeth up into
heaven in, the blessed body of our Lord
Jesus Christ;- and there it is in Him
bleeding, praying for us to the Father,
and is and shall be as long as us needeth.
And evermore, It floweth in all heaven,
enjoying the salvation of all mankind that
be there, and shall be, fulfilling, the numr
ber of them that faileth.

<Che thirteenth Chapter.
The Fifth Revelation is that the temptation,
of the fiend is overcome by the Passion
of Christ, to the increase of oijx joy, and;
his pain everlastingly^
^4 ND after, before that God shewed
1£\. any words, He suffered me to
behold Him a reasonable time ;
and all that I had seen, and all the under
standing that was therein, as the simple-
ness of the soul might take it. Then He,

48 Revelations of Divine Love",
without voice and opening of lips* formed
/ in my soul these words, " Herewith is the
fiend overcome." This word said our Lord,
meaning His precious Passion, as He
shewed before. In this our Lord shewed
a part of the fiend's malice, and fully his"
unmight, for He shewed that the Passion
of Him is the overcoming of the fiend;
God shewed that the fiend hath now the
same malice that he had before the Incar
nation ; and also sore he travaileth ; and
as continually he seeth that alL souls of
salvation escape him worshipfully by the
virtue of Christ's precious Passion ; and
that is his sorrow, and full evil is he
ashamed. For all that God suffereth him
to do turneth us to joy, and him to shame
arid pain. And lie hath: as much sorrow
when God giveth him leave to work, as
when he worketh not; and that is, for
that lie may never do as ill as he would.
for his might is all locked in God's hand ;
but in God can be no wrath, as to my
sight. For our good Lord endlessly hav:
ing regard to His own worship, and to the
profit of all them that shall be saved;

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 49
with might and right He withstandeth the
reproved, the which, of malice and shrewd
ness, busy them to contrary, and do
against God's wilL
Also I saw our Lord scorning his
malice, and naughting his unmight ; and
He willeth that we do so. For this sight
I laughed mightily, and that made them to
laugh that were about me, and their
laughing was a liking to me. I thought
that I would that all my fellow Christians
had seen as I saw, then should all they
have laughed with me; but I saw not
Christ laughing. But well I wot that
sight that He shewed me made me lo
laugh ; for I understood that we may
laugh in comforting of ourself, and joying"
in God, for that the fiend is overcome.
And where I saw Him scorn his malice,
it was by 'leading of my understanding
into our Lord ; that is to say, an inward
shewing of truth, without changing of
appearance ; for, as to my sight, it is a
worshipful property that is in God, which'
is durable.
And after this I fell into a sadness, and
4

5;0 Revjdatip^ of Divine Love,
said : " I see three things ;- game, scorn,
and earnest. I see game, that the fiend is
overcome.; and. I see scorn, that God scorn-
eth hfim, and he shall be-, scorned ; and I
see earnest, the/4 he is overcome by the
blissful passion cmd death cf our Lord
Jesus Christ, that this was done in full
great earnest, and sad. travail." And
where L said, that, he is scorned, I meant
that God scornetli, him, that is to say, for
that He seeth him,, now as He shall do
without end ;• for in this God shewed that
the fiend is damned. And this meant I,
where I said he should be scorned ; for I
saw he shall be scorned at doomsday
generally of all that shall be saved, to
whose salvation he hath had great envy.
For then he shall see that all the woe and
tribulation, that he hath done them, shall
be turned into increase of their joy with
out end. And all the pain and sorrow
that he would have brought them to, shall
for ever go with him to hell.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 5-1

Uhe Jf rjttrtetitih Chapter.
The Sixth Revelation is ofthe, worshipful
thanks with, which He; receiveth His
servants, andihojv it hath three joys.
^4 ND after this our- Lord' said, "/
J!\ thank thee of thy- service; and of the
travail of thy<youtfi"'
And in this- my understanding was
lifted up into heaven, where I saw our
Lord God, as a lbrd1 in his own house,
which lord hath called all his dear worthy
friends to a- solemn feast. Then I saw
the Lord taking no place in His own
house ; but I saw Him royally r-eign in
His house, filling k- with joy and mirth,
endlessly to glad3 and solace His dear
worthy friends, fall homely and cour
teously,, with marvellous melody in endless
love, iii His own- fair- blissful countenance,'
which glorious- countenance of the God-.
head filleth all heaven of joy and bliss.
God shewed three degrees of bliss, that

52 Revelations of Divine Love,
each soul shall have in heaven, that wil
fully hath served God in any degree on
earth. The first is, the worship and
thanks that he shall receive of our Lord
God when he is delivered of pain: this
thanks is so high, and so worshipful, that
liim thinketh that it filleth him, though
there were no more. For methought all
the pain and travail that might be suf>
fered of all living men, might not have
deserved the worshipful thanks that one
man shall have, that wilfully hath served
God. For the second, that all the blessed
creatures that be in heaven shall see the
worshipful thanking ; and He maketh His
service known to all that be in heaven.
And in this time this example was shewed.
A king, if he thank his subjects, it is a
great worship to them, and if he make it
known to all the realm then their worship
is much increased. And for the third,
that as new and as liking, as it is re
ceived at that time, right so shall it last
without end. And I saw that homely
and sweetly was this shewed, that the
age of every man shall be known in

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 53
heaven, and be rewarded for his wilful
service, and for his time, and namely, the
age of them that wilfully and freely offer
their youth to God, passingly is rewarded,
and wonderfully thanked. For I saw that
when or what time that a man or woman
be truly turned to God, for one day's ser
vice; and for His endless will, he shall
have all these three degrees of bliss.
And the more that the loving soul seeth
this courtesy of God, the liever she is to
serve Him all her life.

'Che ^fifteenth Chapter:

/ -

The Seventh Revelation is of oftentimes
feeling of weal and woe, and how it is
expedient that man sometimes be left
without comfort, when its cause be not
sin. rND after this, He shewed me a
sovereign ghostly liking in my
soul ; in this liking I was fulfilled
of everlasting secureness, mightily fas
tened without any painful dread. This

54 Revelations of Divine Love,
feeling was so glad and so ghostly, that I
was all in peace, in ease and in rest, so
that there was nothing 4n earth that
should have grieved me. This lasted but
a while, and I was turned and left to
myself, in heaviness, and weariness of my
life, and irksomeness of myself, that
scarce I might have patience to live>
there was no comfort, nor none to ease
my feeling, but faith, hope, and charity;
and these I had in truth, but full little in
feeling. And anon, after this, our Blessed Lofd
gave me again of the comfort and the
rest in soul, liking and secdrertess, so
blissfully and so mightily, that no dread
nor sorrow, nor no pain, bodily nor
ghostly, that might be suffered, should
have dis-eased me. And then the pain
shewed again to my feeling, and then the
joy and the liking; and now this one,
and now that other, divers times: I sup
pose about twenty times. And in the
time of joy I might have said with Saint
Paul: "Nothing shall part me from the
charity of Christ." And in the pain I

Shewed lo Mother Julian of Norwich. 55
might have said with Saint Peter: "Lord,
save me, I perish" This vision was
shewed to learn me, to my understanding,
that it is speedful to sortie Souls to ;feel on
this wise ; sometimes to be in comfort, and
sometimes to fall; and !to be left to thern-
selves. God Willeth 'that we know that
He keepeth us ever alike secure, in woe
and in weal. And for profit o'f niaii*s sou4,
a man is sometimes left tb himself al
though his sin is not ever the cause ; for
in this time % sirined not, wherefore I
should be left to myself, for ft was so sud
den. Also, I 'deserved not to nave had
this blissful feeling, but freely 'Our Lord
giveth it, when He will ; and suffereth us
in woe sometime ; and bdth is '6ne love.
For it is God's will that we hold us in
comfort with all our might; for bliss is
lasting without end, and pain is passing,
and shall be brought to nought to them
that shall be saved. Therefore it is not
God's will that we follow the feeling of
pains, in sorrow and mourning for them,
but suddenly pass over, and hold us in
the endle'ss liking (that is God). c  -

56 Revelations of Divine Love,

%kt (Sixteenth Chapter, ?
The Eighth Revelation is of the last piteous
pains of Christ'* dying, -the disfigurement
of His Face, and drying, of His Flesh.
f^i FTEKj. this, Christ shewed a part of
Al His Passion, near His dying ; I
saw the sweet Face as it were dry
and bloodless, with pale dying, and deadly
pale languoring, and then it turned mor,e
dead into blue, and after into br^xwiihblue*
as the flesh turned more deep dead. For
His Passion shewed to me most properly
in His Blessed Face, and namely in His,
lips ; wherein I saw these four colours ;
those that were before fresh and ruddy^
lively and liking, to my sight. This was
a pitiful changing, to see this deep dying:
and also His nose clung together and
dried, to my' sight. And the sweet Body
waxed brown and black, all changed; and
turned out of the fair, fresh, ahd lively
colour of Himself, into dry dying. For

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 5 7
that same time that our Blessed Saviour
died upon the Rood, it was a dry sharp
wind, won,drou,s, colcL as to my sight.
An,d what time that the precious Blood
was bled out of the sweet Body, that
might pass therefrom, yet there was a
moisture in the sweet Flesh of Christ, as
\t was shewed. Bloodshed a,nd pain, dried
within,, and blowing of. the wind and cold
coming from without, met together in the
sweet Body of Christ ; and these four
dried the Flesh of Christ by process of
time. And though this pain were bitter
and sharp, yet it was fu$ long fes^uig, as,
to, my sight. And tlie pain, dried up all
the lively s,piri|s of Christ's Flesh. Thus
I saw the sweet Flesh dry in my sight,
part after part drying with marvellous
pain ;( and, as long a,& any spirit had life in
Chris.t's, Flesh, so long suffered He. This
long j^ain, seemed to, m,e as if He liad
been a sennet dead,, dyiag at the point of
outpassing, always suffering the great
pain. And here I saw it seemed as He
had been a sennet dead, it specifyeth that
the sweet Body was so disfigured, so dry,

58 Revelations of Divine Love,
so clogged, so deadly, and so piteous, as
He had been seven-night dead, continu
ally dying. And methought the drying
bf Christ's Flesh was the most pain, and
the last of His Passion.

HLhe (Sebenteeftth Chapter.
The Ninth Revelation "is of the grievous
Bodily Thirst of Christ, considered four-
wise ; ahd of the -petitions according, and
of the rhost pain to a kind, lovert.
ND Sn this drying 'was brought to
my mind this word that Christ
said-: "tf thirst" Fbr I saw in
Christ a double thirst, one bodily and
another ghostly. This word was shewed
for the bodily thirst] and for tlie ghostly
thirst was shewed as I shall say after.
And I understood by the bodily thirst
that the body had failing of inoSs'ture ; for
the blessed flesh and bones we're left all
alone without blood and moisture. The
blessed Body dried all alone a long time,

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 59
with wringing of the nails and weight of
the Body. For I understood that, for ten
derness of the sweet Hands, and the
sweet Feet, by the great hardness and
grievousness of the ^arls, the wounds
waxed wide, and ihe Body setted for
weight, by long time hanging, and <pierc*
ing and raising of the Head, and binding
of the crown, all baken with dry Blood,
with the sweet hair clinging the dry flesh
to the thorns, and the thorns to the flesh
drying. And tn the beginning, while the
flesh was fresh and bleeding, the continual
setting of the thorns made the wounds
wide. And , furthermore, I saw that tire
sweet skin, and the tender flesh, with tire
hair-, and with the Blood, were all raced
and lotosed above from the bone with
the thorns, and broken in many pieces,
and were hanging as they would hastily
have fallen down, while it had natural
moisture. How it was done I saw not,
but I understood that it was done with
the sharp thorns, and the boisterous
grievous setting on of the garland, not
sparing, and without pity, that altogether

60 Revelations of Divine Love,

brake the sweet skin, with the flesh, and
the hair, and loosed it from the bone;
where-through it was broken in pieces as
a cloth, and sagging downward, as it
would hastily have fallen for heaviness
and for looseness./ And that was great
sorrow and dread to me, for methought
that I would not for my life have seen it
fall. This continued a while, and afterwards
it began to change; and I beheld and
marvelled how it might be, and then I
saw it was, fbr that it began to. dry, and
Stint a part of the weight, that was round
about the garland. And so it was en
vironed all about, as it were garland upon
garland ; th© garland of thorns was dyed
with the garland of blood, and that other
garland and the Head all was one colour;
as clotted blood when it was dried. The
skin, and the flesh that seemed of the
Face and of the Body, was small and
wrinkled with a tawny colour, like a dry
board when it is aged, and the Face was
more brown than the Body.
I saw four manners of drying: the first

Skewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 6 1
was bloodless ; the second, pain following
after ; the third is, that He was hanging
up in the air, as men hang a cloth for to
dry ; the fourth, that the bodily nature
asked liquor, and there was no manner of
comfort ministered to Him. Ah, hard and
grievous was that pain* but much more
hard and grievous it was when the moisture
failed, and all began to dry thus clinging.
There were two pains that shewed in the
blessed Head: the first Wrought to the
drying, while it was moist ; the other slow,
with clinging, drying, with blowing of
wind from without, that dried Him more
and pained Him more with cold than my
heart can think, and than all other pains,
for which pains, I saw that all is too little
that I can say, for it may not be told.
The shewing of Christ's pains filled me
full of pains, for I wist well that He suf
fered but once, excepting as He would
shew it me, and fill me with mind of it, as
I had before desired. And in all this
time of Christ's presence, I felt no pain
but for Christ's pains.
Then thought me, I knew full little

62 Revelations of Divine Love,
what pain it was that I asked, and, as a
wretch I repented me, thinking if I had
wist what it had been, loath had me been
to have prayed for it, for methought my
pains passed any bodily death. I thought,1
"Is any pain in hell like this?" and I
was answered in my reason: " Hell is
another pain, for there is despair ; but of
all pains that lead to salvation, this is the
most, to see the Lover to suffer." How
might any pain be more than to see Him,
that is all my life, all my bliss, and all my
joy, to suffer ? Here felt I steadfastly
that I loved Christ so much above myself,
that there was no pain that might be suf
fered, like to that sorrow that I had to see
Him in pain.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 63

'Che eighteenth Chapter.
Of the ghostly martyrdom of our Lady, and
other lovers of Christ, and how all things
suffered with Him, the good and the evil.
/[* ERE I saw in part the compassion of'
T^ J our Blessed Lady Saint Mary for
/ Christ. And she was so united in
love, that the greatness of her love was
the cause of the greatness of her pain, j
For in this I saw a substance of natural j
love, continued by grace, that His crea- \
tures have to Him ; which kind love was
most fulsomely shewn in His sweet
Mother, and overpassing ; for so much as
she loved Him more than all other, her
pain passed all other ; for ever the higher,
the mightier, the sweeter, that the love is,
the more sorrow it is to the lover to see
that body in pain that he loved. And so
all His disciples, and all His true lovers
suffered more pain than their own bodily
dying: for I am suce, by my own feeling,

64

Revelations of Divine Love,

tjkat the least of them loved Him so far
above himself, that it passeth all that I
can say.
Here saw I a great union between
Christ and us, to my understanding ; for
when He was in pain we were in pain,
and all creatures that might suffer pain
Suffered with Him ; that is to say, all
creatures that God hath made to our ser
vice. The firmament and earth failed for
sorrow in their nature, in the time of
Christ's dying ; for it belongeth naturally
to their property to know Him for their
Lord, in whom all their virtue standeth.
And when He failed, then behoved
needs to them for kindness to fail with
Him, inasmuch as they might, for sorrow
of His pains. And thus they that were
His friends suffered pain for love. And
generally all, that is to say, they that
knew Him not, suffered for failing of all
manner of comfort, save the mighty privy
keeping of God, — I mean of two manner
of people that know Him not, as it may
be understood by two persons: the one
was Pilate, the other, person was Saint

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 65
Denys of France, which was that time a
pagan. For when he saw wonders and
marvels, sorrows and dreads, that befell
at that time, he said: "Either the world
is now at an end, or else, He that is
Maker of nature suffereth." Wherefore
he did write on an altar, " This is an altar
lo the unknown God." God's goodness,
that maketh the planets and the elements
to work by nature — to the blessed man and
to the cursed — in that time it was with
drawn from both. Wherefore it was, that
they, that knew Him not, were still in
sorrow at that time; Thus was our Lord
Jesus pained for us, and we stand all in
this manner of pain with Him, and shall
do till that we come to His bliss, as I shall
say hereafter.

66 Revelations of Divine Love,

'Che Nineteenth Chapter.
Of the comfortable beholding of the cruci
fix, and how the desire of the flesh,
without consent of the soul, is no sin,
and the flesh may be in pain, suffering
till both are united to Christ.
SN this time I. would have looked
from the cross, and I durst not;
for I wist well* whiles that I be
held the cross, I, was, secure and safe.
Therefore I would not. assent to put my
sou.1 in.'peril, for besides the cross was no
se'cureneiss for dread of fiends. Then had
I a proffer in my reason, as it. had been
friendly said to me, "Look- up to heaven,
to His Father.'1: And then I saw well,
with the faith that I felt, that therq,was
nothing between the cross and heaven,
that might have dis-easedi me. He,re.
me behoved, to look up, or else to answer.
I answered inwardly, with all the might
of my soul, and said : " Nay, I may

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 6 7
not, for Thou art my keaven." This I
said, for that I would not ; for I would
rather have been in that pain till dooms
day, than have come to heaven otherwise
than by Him ;• for I1 wist well that He-
that bound me so sore, He should unbind
me when He would. Thus was I learned
to choose Jesus for my heaven, whom I
saw only in pain at- that time. Me liked
no other heaven than Jesus, which shall
be my bliss when I come there. And-
this hath ever been a comfort to. me, that
I chose Jesus to be my heaven by His
grace, in all this time of passion and sor
row. And that hath been a learning to.
me, that I should evermore do so,, to,
choose Jesus only to, be my heaven iii
weal and in woe. And though I; as a
wretch, had repented me, as I said before ;
if I had wist what pain it had been,,!' had
been loath to have prayed, it.: he.se I saw
verily that it was grudging and frailty of
the flesh, without assent of the soul, in
which God assigneth no blame.* Repent-
* Saint Jerome says that the first and second suggestions of

68 Revelations cf Divine Love,
ing and wilful choice be two contraries,
which I felt both at that time. And those
be two parts, the one outward, the other
inward. The outward part is our mortal
flesh, which is now in pain> and now in
woe, and so shall be in this life ; whereof
I felt much at this time ; and that part
was that in which I repented. The inward
part is a high and blissful life, which is all
in peace and love : and this is more privily
felt ; and this part is that which mightily,
wisely, and wilfully, I chose ;— Jesus to my
heaven. And in this I saw truly that the
inward part is master and sovereign to
the outward, not charging nor taking heed
to the will of that ; but all the intent, and
the will, is set endlessly to be united to
our Lord Jesus. That the outward part
lihoughts, which the Greeks' call ripoiraOeivisi, frotrt which no
man can be free, God does not punish. He punishes the thoughts
which a man has decreed to do, or which he has1 not repented of
after having done. — Ezech. xviii. In1 Matt. v. he says : " If ai
ritfan see a' wohaaln, and his soul is excited (tkilla'ta)!, he is stricketl,
by a prepaission. If he consent, and make an affection of the-
thought, as David writes, " they passed into an affection of tlie .
feart,'' then from a prepassion a transit is made to a passion ;
the will to sin is present, opportunity is wanting.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich 69
should draw the inward to assent, was not
shewed to me. But that the inward part
draweth the outward part by grace j and
both shall be united in bliss without end,
by the virtue of Christ; this was shewed,

'Che lEtoentieth Chapter.
Of the unspeakable Passion of Christ, and
of three things always tQ be remembered.
^yt ND thus I saw our Lord Jesus
Jr\. languoring long time ; for the
union of the Godhead gave strength
to the manhood, for love, to suffer more
than all men might; I mean, not only
more pain than all men might suffer, but
also, that He suffered more pain than all
men of salvation, that ever were from the
first beginning unto the last day, might
tell or fully think; having regard to the
worthiness of the highest worshipful King,
and the shameful and despiteous death.
For He, that is highest and worthiest, was

jo Revelations of Divine Love,
fully naughted and utterly despised.
For His Passion is to think and to know
what He is that suffered ; seeing, after
this, other two points, which be lower ; the
one is what He suffered, and the other
for whom that He suffered. And in this
He brought to mind in part the height
and the nobleness of the glorious God
head, and therewith the preciousness and
the tenderness of the blissful Body which
He together united, and also the loath-
fulness that in our nature is to suffer pain.
For inasmuch as He was most tender and
clean, right so He was most strong and
mighty to suffer. And for every man's
sin that shall be saved He suffered ; and
every man's sorrow, desolation, and an
guish. He saw, and sorrowed for kind
ness and love. For as much as our Lady
sorrowed for His pains, as much suffered
He sorrow for her sorrows; and more
over, inasmuch as the sweet Manhood of
Him was worthier in nature, for as long
as He was passible, He suffered for us,
and sorrowed for us. And now He is
uprisen, and no more passible ; yet He

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 7 1
suffereth with us, as I shall say hereafter.
(chap, xxxi.) And I, beholding all this
by His grace, saw that the love in Him
was so strong which He hath to our soul,
that wilfully He chose it with great
desire"; and 'mildly He suffered it with
^grea't joy. For the soul that He behold
eth thus, when it is touched by grace, he
shall verily see that the pains of Christ's
Passion pass all pains; that is to say,
which pains shall be turned into overpass
ing joys by the virtue of Christ's Passion.

Wxt ^Cinentgifet Chapter.
Of the three beholdings in the Passion of
Christ, and how we were dying on the
cross with Christ ; but His cheer putteth
away all pain.
ST is God's will, as to my understand
ing, that we have three manners of
beholding of His blessed Passion.
The first is the beholding the hard pain
that He suffered, with a contrition and

72 Revelations of Divine Love,
compassion: and that shewed our Lord in
this time, and gave me grace and might to
see it. And I looked after the departing
with all my might, and weened to have
seen the Body all dead; but I saw Him
not so. And right in the same time that
methought, by seeming that the life might
no longer last, and the shewing of the end
behoved needs to be nigh, suddenly, I
beholding in the same cross, He changed
in blissful cheer. The changing of His
blessed cheer changed mine ; and I was
as glad and merry as it, was possible.
Then brought our Lord merrily to my
mind: " Where is now any point of. thy.
pain or of thy anguish ?" And I was full
merry: I understood tjhat; we be now in
our Lord's meaning, in His cross with
Him ; in' our pains, and in our passion,
dying. And we, wilfully abiding in the
same cross, with His help and His grace,
unto the last point; suddenly He shall
change His cheer to us, and we shall be
with Him. in heaven ; between the one
and the other shall all be brought into joy.
And so meant He in this shewing: " Where

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 73
is now any point of thy pain or of thy
grief?" And we shall be full of bliss.
And here I saw verily, that, if He
shewed now to us His blissful cheer,
there is no pain in earth, nor in no other
place, that should trouble us ; but all
things should be to us joy and bliss: but
since He sheweth us the sad cheer of
Passion, as He bare in this life His cross ;
therefore we be in dis-ease and travail
with Him, as pur nature asketh. And*
the cause why He suffereth, is for that
He wijll of His goodness make us the
heirs with Him in His bliss. And for this
little pain that we suffer here, we shall
have an high endless knowing in God,
which we might never have without that ;
and the harder our pa^ns. have been with
Him in His cross, the more shall our wor
ship be with Him in His kingdom.

74 Revelations of Divine Love,

%\it <Cltteiit£*seronfo dhapter.
The Ninth Revelation is of the looking of
three heavens, and the infinite love of
Christ desiring every day to suffer for as,
if He might, though it is not needful.
tHEN said our good Lbrd, asking:
"Art thou well content that I suf
fered for thee ?" I said, " Yea,
good. Lord, gramercy; yea, good Lord,
blessed mayest Thou be." Then said Jesus
our good Lord: "If thou art content, I
am content : it is a joy, a bliss, an endless
liking to Me, that ever I suffered Passion
for l/iee ; and if I might have suffered more,
I would have suffered more." In this feel
ing my understanding was lifted into
heaven; and there I saw three heavens:
of which sight I greatly marvelled. And
I thought I see three heavens, and all of
the blissful manhood of Christ ; and none
is more, none is less, none is higher, none
is lower, but evenlike in bliss.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich . 7 5
For the first heaven, Christ shewed me
His Father, in no bodily likeness, but in
His property, and 'in His working ; that is
to say, I saw in Christ that the Father is.
The working of the Father is this, that
He -givethreward to His Son Jesus Christ.
This gift and this reward is so blissful to
Jesus, that His Father might have given
Him no reward that might have liked
Him better. For the first heaven, that is
the ^pleasing of the Father, shewed to me
as an heaven, and it was full blissful. . For
He is well pleased with all the deeds that
Jesus hath done about our salvation ;
wherefore we be not only His by His
buying, but also by the courteous gift of
His Father we be His bliss, we be His
reward, we be His worship, be His crown:
and this was a singular marvel, and a full
delectable beholding, that we be His
crown. This, that I say, is so great bliss
to Jesus, that He setteth at nought His
travail, and His Passion, and His cruel
and shameful death. And in these words,
" If I might suffer more, I would suffer
more" I saw truly, that as often as He

76 Revelations of Divine Love,
might die, as often as He woUld, and love
should never let Him have rest, till He
had done it. And I beheld with great
diligence, for to wit, how often He would
die if He might ; and truly the number
passed my understanding, and my wits,
so far that my reason might not, nor could
not comprehend it, nor take it. And
when He had thus oft died, or should die,
yet He would set it at nought for love.
For all thmketh Him but little in regard
of His, love; for though the sweet man
hood of Christ rrught suffer but once, the
goodness of Him may never cease of
proffer \ every day He is ready to the
s,ame, if it might be. For if He, said He,
would for my love make new heavens,
and new earths, it were but Jittfe in
regard ; for this might He do each day, if
He would, without any travail. But for to
die for my love so often that the number
passeth creature's reason, thjs. i:s the high
est proffer that our Lord God might make
to man's soul, as to my sight.
Then meaneth He thus: "How should
it then be, that I should not for thy love do

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 7 7
all that I might, which deed grieveth me
nought, since that I would for thy love die
so often, having no regard for my hard
pains ?" And here I saw for the second
beholding in His blessed Passion, the love
that made Him to suffer, it passeth as far
all His pains as heaven is above earth ;
for the pain was a noble, precious, and
worshipful deed, done in time by the
working of love ; and love was without
beginning, is, and shall be without end ;
for which love He said full sweetly: " If I
might suffer more, I would suffer more."
He said not, if it were needful to suffer
more ; but " If I might suffer more." For
though it were not needful, and He might
suffer more, He would. This deed and
this work about our salvation, was or
dained as well as God might ordain it ; it
was done as worshipfully as Christ might
do it ; and herein I saw a full bliss in
Christ ; for His bliss should not have
been full if it might any better have been
done than it was done.

yB Revelations of Divine Love,

Wxt ^toentg4hirb Chapter.
How Christ willeth that we joy with Him
greatly in our Redemption, and to desire
grace of Him that we may so do.
rND in these three words: "// is a
joy, a bliss, and endless liking to
Me," were shewed three heavens,
as thus: for the joy, I understood the
pleasaunce of the Father ; and for the
bliss, the worship of the Son ; and for the
endless liking, of the Hofy Ghost. The
Father is pleased, the Son is worshipped,
and the Holy Ghost liketh.
And here saw I, for the third behold
ing, the joy of our Lord in His blissful
Passion: that is to say, the joy and the
bliss that maketh Him to like it. For
our courteous Lord shewed His Passion
to me in five manners: of which the first
is the bleeding of the Head ; the second,
the disfiguring of His Blessed Face ; the
third is, the plenteous bleeding of the

Shewed to Mother. Julian of Norwich. 79
Body, in seeming, of scourging ; the fourth
is, the deep drying; these four, as it is
before said, for the pains of. the Passion.
And the fifth is that, that was shewed for
the joy and bliss of the Passion. For it is
God's will that we have true liking with
Him in our salvation. Andi therein He
wills that we be mightily comforted and
strengthened. And thus willeth He mer
rily, with His grace, that our soul be occu
pied, for we be His bliss, for in us He
liketh without end. And so shall we in Him
with His grace. All that He doth for us,
and hath done, and ever shall, was never
cost nor charge to Him, nor might be ;
but only that He died in our manhood,
beginning at the sweet Incarnation, and
lasting to the blessed up-rising on Easter
morrow: so long endured the cost and
charge abouf, ouj;. redemption in deed: in
which deed He ever jpyeth endlessly, as
it is afore said.
And Xesus willeth that we,, take heed to
this bliss, that is in the blissful, Trinity, of
our salvation ;. and that we desire to have
as much ghpstly liking,, with. His grace,.

80 Revelations of Divine Love,
as it is afore said ; that is to say, that the1
liking of our salvation be as like to the
joy that Christ hath of our salvation, as it
may be while we be here. All the Trinity
wrought in the Passion of Christ, minis
tering abundance of virtue and plenty of
grace to us by Him, but only the
Maiden's Son suffered, whereof all the
Blessed Trinity rejoiceth. And this was
shewed in this word: " Art thou well con
tent?" By that other word Christ said:
" If thou art well content, I am well con
tent," it is as if He had said: "It is joy
and liking enough to Me, and I ask not
else of thee for My travail, but that I might
content thee."
And in this He brought to my mind the
property of a glad giver. Ever a glad
giver taketh but little heed of the thing
that he giveth, but all his desire, all his
intent, is to please him, and solace him, to
whom he giveth it. And if the receiver
take the gift gladly and thankfully, then
the courteous giver setteth'at nought all
his cost, and all his travail, for the joy and
delight he hath ; for that he hath pleased

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 8 1
and solaced him that he loved/ Plen
teously and fully was this shewed*^ Think
us wisely of the greatness of this word
Ever. For in that was shewed an high
knowing of the love that He hath in our
salvation, with the manifold joys that
follow on the Passion of Christ. One is,
that He joyeth that He hath done it in
deed, and .He shall no more suffer ; the
other is* that He hath therewith bought us
from endless pains of hell ; another is,
that He hath brought us up into heaven,
and made us. for to„ be His crown and His
endless bliss.

8 2 Revelations of Divine Love,

<Che <Ctoentp.4cmrth Chapter.
The Tenth Revelation is how our Lord
Jesus Christ sheweth in love His blessed
Heart cloven in two, rejoicing.
/^jfl^rl^-ITH a good cheer our good
^fl.>£p% Lord looked into His side,
and beheld with joy ; and
with His sweet looking He led forth the
understanding of His creature, by the
same Wound into His Side within. And
there He shewed a fair and delectable
place, and large enough for all mankind
that should be saved, and rest in peace
and love. And therewith He brought
to my mind His dear worthy Blood, and
His precious Water, which He let pour
out for love. And with this sweet rejoic
ing He shewed His blessed Heart clo
ven in two ; and with His rejoicing He
shewed to my understanding in part the
blissful Godhead, as far forth as He would
at that time strengthen the poor soul for

Shewed to Mother Juliatt of Norwich. 8 3
to understand ; as it may be said, that
is to mean, the endless love that was
without beginning, and is, and shall be
ever. And with this, our good Lord said full
blissfully, " Lo, how I love thee!" as if He
had said: "My darling, behold and see
thy Lord thy God that is thy Maker, .and
thy endless joy. See thine ^n Brother,
thy Saviour, My child ; Behold and see
what liking and bliss I have in thy sal
vation; and, for My love, rejoice with Me."
And also to more understanding, this
blessed word was said : " Lo, how I love
thee!" as if He had said: "Behold and
see that I loved thee so much, or that I
died for thee, that I would die for thee.
And now I have died for thee, and suf
fered wilfully that I may. And now is
all My bitter pain, and all My hard traT
vail, turned to everlasting joy and bliss to
Me and to thee. How should it now be,
that thou shouldst anything pray Me that
liked Me, but that I should full gladly
grant it thee; for My liking is t/iy holi
ness, and thy endless joy and bliss with

84 ' Revelations of Divine Love,
Me?' This is the understanding simply,
as I can say, of this blessed word^ " Lo,
how I love thee I" This shewed our good
Lord to make us glad and merry.

<Che <Ctoentg4fth Chapter.
"The Eleventh Revelation is a high ghostly
shewing of Christ's Mother.
/*¦** ND with this cheer of mirth and joy,
4L\, our good Lord looked down on the
right side, and brought to my
mind where our Lady stood in the time
of His Passion, and said, " Wilt thou see
her?" And in this sweet word, as if He
had said: "I wot well that thou wilt see
My Blessed Mother ; for after Myself, she
is the highest joy that I might shew thee,
and most liking and worship to Me, and
most she is desired to be seen of all My
blessed creatures." And for the marvel
lous, high and singular love that He hath
to this sweet Maiden, His Blessed Mother,
our Lady Saint Mary, He sheweth her

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 85
bliss and joy ; as by the meaning of this
sweet word. As if He said: " Wilt thou
see that I love her, tkat thou mayest joy
with Mein the love that I have in her, and
she in Me?" And also, to more under
standing, this sweet word our good Lord
speaketh in love to all mankind, that shall
be saved, as it were all to one person ; as
if He said: " Wilt thou see in her kow thou
art loved? For thy love I have made her
so high, so noble, so worthy. And this
liketh Me ; and so will I that it do thee."
For after Himself she is the most blissful
sight ; but hereof I am not learned to
long to see her bodily presence while I
am here ; but the virtues of her blissful
soul, her truth, her wisdom, her charity,
whereby I am learned to know myself,
and reverently to dread my God.
And when our good Lord had shewed
this, and said this word: " Wilt thou see
her ?" I answered and said : " Yea, good
Lord, grammercy ; yea, good Lord, if it be
Thy will." Oftentimes I prayed tin's,
and I weened to have seen her in bodily
likeness, but I saw her not so. And

86 Revelations of Divine Love,
Jesus in that word shewed me a ghostly
sight of her, right as I had seen her
before, little and simple, arid pleasing to
Him above all creatures ; and so He will
eth that it be known, that all those, that
like in Him, should also like in her.
And to more understanding He shewed
this example ; as if a man love a creature
singularly above all creatures, he will
make all other creatures to love and to
like that creature that he loveth so much.
And in this word that Jesus said: "Wilt
thou see her?" methought it was the most
liking word that He might give me of her,
with the ghostly shewing that He gave
me of her. For our Lord shewed me
nothing in special, but our Lady Saint
Mary, and her He shewed three times;
the first was as she conceived, the second
as she was in her sorrow under the cross,
and the third was as she is now, in liking,
worship, and joy.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 8 7

'Che ^toentg*#bcth Chapter.
The Twelfth Revelation is, that the Lord
our God is all Sovereign Being.
^4 ND after this, our Lord shewed
At Himself more glorified, as to my
sight, than I saw Him before ;;
wherein I was learned, that our soul shall
never have rest, till it come unto Him,
knowing that He is full of joy, homely,
and courteous, and blissful, and very life.
Oftentimes our Lord Jesus said: "lit am,
I it am, that is highest; I it am, that
thou lovest; I it am that thou likest; I it
am that thou serves t ; I it am that thou
longest; I it am that thou desirest ; I it
am that thou meanest ; I it am that is
All ; I it am that Holy Church preacheth
thee and teacheth thee ; I it am that shewed
Me before to thee." The number of the
words passed my wits and understanding,
and all my might, for they were in the
highest, as to my sight. For therein is

88 Revelations of Divine Love,
comprehended I cannot tell what ; but the
joy that I saw, in the shewing of them,
passeth all that heart can think, or soul
may desire. And therefore these words
be not declared here ; but let every man,
after the grace that God giveth him, iri
understanding and longing, receive them
in our Lord's meaning.

%kt ^toentg^ebentlt Chapter.
The Thirteenth Revelation is that bur Lord
God willeth that we have great regard to
all His deeds, in so nobly making all
things, and how sin is not known but by
the pain.
f^g ND after this, our Lord brought to
jl\ my mind the longing that I had to
Him before ; and I saw nothing
letted me but sin. And so I beheld gene
rally in us all ; and methought, if sin had
not been, we should all have been clean
and like to our Lord as He made us. And
thus in my folly,1 before this tiine, often I

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 89
wondered why, by the great foresaid wis
dom of God, the beginning of sin was not
letted, for then thought me that all should
have been well. This stirring was much
to forsake ; and nevertheless, mourning
and sorrow I made therefore, without
reason and discretion ; but Jesus, that in
this vision informed me of all that me
needed, answered by this word, and said:
" Sin is behoveful, but all shall be well,
and all shall be well, and all manner of
thing shall be well."
In this naked word sin, our Lord
brought to my mind generally all that is
not good ; and the shameful despite, and
the uttermost tribulation that He bare for
us in this life, aiid His dying, and all His
pains and Passion, bodily and ghostly, and
the pains of all His creatures, bodily and
ghostly. For we be all in part troubled,
and we shall be troubled, following our
Master Jesus, till we be full purged of our
mortal flesh, and of all our inward affec
tions, which be not very good.
And the beholding of this, with all the
pains that ever were, or ever shall be.

90 Revelations of Divine Love,
And with all this I understood the Pas:
sion of Christ, for the most pain and over
passing. And all this was shewed in a
touch, and readily passed over into com
fort; for our good Lord would not the
soul were afraid of this ugly sight. But I
saw not sin ; for I believe it had no man
ner of substance, nor no part of being,
nor it might not be known but by the
pain that is caused thereof. And this
pain is something, as to my sight, for a
time, for it purgeth and maketh us to
know ourself, and ask mercy. For the
Passion of our Lord is comfort to us
against all this, and so is His Blessed
Will. And for the tender love that our
good Lord hath to all that shall be saved,
He comforteth readily and sweetly, mean
ing thus: " // is true that sin is cause of all
this pain; but all shall be well, and all
manner of thing shall be well."
These words were shewed full tenderlyi
shewing no manner of blame to me, nor
to none that shall be saved. Then were
it great unkindness of me to blame or
wonder at God for my sin, since He blam-

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 91
eth not me for sin.* And in these same
words I saw an high marvellous privity
hid in God, which privity He shall open
make, and it shall be known to us in
heaven. In which knowing we shall
verily see the cause why He suffered sin
to come. In which sight we shall end
lessly have joy.

'Che Ctoentg^eighth Chapter.
How the children of salvation shall be
shaken in sorrows, but Christ rejoiceth
with compassion ; and a remedy against
tribulation.
/^fHUS I saw how Christ hath com-
*£}; passion on us for the cause of sin.
And right as I was before in the
Passion of Christ fulfilled with pain and
compassion, like in this I was in part ful
filled with compassion of all my fellow
Christians. For full well He loveth peo-
* See note after chapter xxxvii.

92 Revelations of Divine Love,
pie that shall be saved, that is to say,
God's servants. Holy Church shall be
shaked in sorrow, and anguish, and tribu
lation in this world, as man shaketh a
cloth in the wind. And as to this, our
Lord answered, shewing on this manner:
" Ah, a great thing shall I make hereof
in heaven of endless worship, and of ever
lasting joy." Yea, so far forth, I saw
that our Lord rejoiceth of the tribulation
of His servants, with pity and compassion ;
and to each person that He loveth, to His
bliss, for to bring, He layeth on him
something that is no lack in his sight ;
whereby they be lowered and despised in
this world, scorned and mocked, and cast
out. And this He doth for to let the
harm that should take, of the pomp, and
of the pride, and of the vain-glory of this
wretched life, and make their way ready
to come to heaven in bliss without end
everlasting. For He saith: " I shall alto
gether break you from your vain affections,
and your vicious pride ; and after that I
shall gather you, and make you meek and

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 93
mild, clean and * ho lyr by uniting you. to
Me." And then saw I that each kind compas
sion that man hath on his fellow Chris
tians with charity, it is Christ in him.
That same naughting that was shewed in
His Passion, it was shewed again here in
this compassion. Wherein were two man
ners of understandings in our Lord's mean
ing; the one was the bliss that we be
brought to, wherein He willeth that we
rejoice; the other is for comfort; in our
pain. For He willeth that we wit that all
should turn us to worship, and to profit,
by the virtue of His Passion ; and that we
wit that we suffer right naught alone, but
with Him, and see Him our ground.
And that we see His pains and His tribur
bulation pass so far all- that we may suffer
that it may not be full thought. And the
well beholding of this will save us from
grudging and despair in the feeling of our
pains. And if we see verily that our sin
deserveth it, yet His love excuseth us,
and of His great courtesy He doth away
all our blame, and beholdeth us with ruth

94 Revelations of Divine Love,
and pity, as children, innocent and un-
loathful.

'Che 'Ctoentg^ninth Chapter.
Adam's sin was greatest, but the satisfac
tion made for it is more pleasing to God
than ever the sin was harmful.
f\ UT in this I stood beholding gene-
Zq\ rally, dimly, and mourningly, say
ing thus to our Lord in my mean
ing, with full great dread: "Ah, good
Lord, how might all be well for the great
harm that is to come by sin to Thy crea
tures ?" And here I desired, as I durst,
to have some more open declaring, where
with that I might be eased in this. And
to this our Blessed Lord answered full
meekly, and with full lovely cheer, and
shewed that Adam's sin was the most
harm that ever was done, or ever shall be
unto the world's end ; and also He shewed
that is openly known in all Holy Church
on earth. Furthermore, He learned me

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 95
that I should behold the glorious satisfac
tion; for this satisfaction-making is more
pleasing to the Blessed Godhead, and
more worshipful for man's salvation, with
out comparison, than ever was the sin of
Adam harmful. Then meaneth our Blessed
Lord thus, and in this teaching that we
should take heed to this. " For since that
I have made well by the most harm; then
it is My will that thou know thereby that-
I shall make well all that is less."

&he thirtieth Chapter.
How we should joy and trust in our Sa
viour Jesus ; not presuming to know
His privy counsel.
/T* E gave understanding of two parts.
fi+M The one part is our Saviour and
" our salvation. This blessed part
is open, clear, fair, and light, and plen
teous ; for all mankind that is of goodwill,
and that shall be, is comprehended in this
part. Hereto we be bound of God, and

96 Revelations of Divine Love,
drawn and counselled, and learned in
wardly by the Holy Ghost, and outwardly
by Holy Church, in the same grace. In
this willeth our Lord that we be occupied ;
joying in Him, for He joyetli in us. And
the more plenteously that we take of this,
with reverence and meekness, the more
thanks we deserve of Him, and the more
speed to ourself. And thus may we see
and enjoy our part in our Lord. The
other part is hid and shut up from us ;
that is to say, all that is besides our salva
tion, for that is our Lord's privy counsel,
and it belongeth to the royal lordship of
God to have His privy counsels in peace.
And it belongeth to His servants, for obe
dience and reverence, not to will to know
His counsels. Our Lord hath pity and
compassion on us, for that some creatures
make themselves so busy therein ; and I
am sure, if we wist how greatly we should
please Him, and ease ourselves, to leave
it, we would. The saints in heaven, they
will nothing wit, but what our Lord will
show them ; and also their charity and
their desire is ruled after the will of God ;

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 97
and thus ought we, that our wills may be
like to theirs. Then shall we nothing will,
nor desire, but the will of our Lord, like
as they do ; for we be all one in God's
meaning. And here I was learned that I should
only rejoice in our Blessed Saviour Jesus,
and trust in Him for all things.

'Che 'Chirtgsfirjst Chapter.
Of the longing ghostly thirst pf Christ,
which lasteth and shall last till domesday ;
and by the reason of His Body He is not
yet fully glorified, nor all unpassible.
fJ4 ND thus our good Lord answered
Al to all the questions and doubts
that I might make, saying full com
fortably: "I may make all things well, and
I can make all things well, and I shall
make all things well, and I will make all
things well: and thou shalt see thyself that
all manner of things shall be well."
7

98 Revelations of Divine Love,
Where He saith, " / may?' I understand
for the Father; and where He saith, "/
can?' I understand for the Son ; and where
He saith, " / shall?' I understand the
Unity of the Blessed Trinity, Three Per
sons and One Truth ; and where He
saith, " thou shalt see thyself," I under
stand the coming of all mankind that shall
be saved unto the blissful Trinity. And
in these five words God willeth that we
be enclosed in rest and peace. And thus
shall the ghostly thirst of Christ have an
end ; for this is the ghostly thirst of
Christ, the love-longing that lasteth and
ever shall, till we see that sight at domes-
day: for we that shall be saved, and shall
be Christ's joy and His bliss, be yet here,
and some be to come, and so shall some
be well that day. Therefore this is His
thirst, and love-longing of us all together
here in Him to our endless bliss, as to
my sight. For we be not now fully as
whole in Him as we shall be then ; for we
know in our faith, and also it was shewed
in all, that Christ Jesus was both God and
man: and in regard to the Godhead He is

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 99
Himself highest bliss, and was from with
out beginning, and shall be without end,
which very endless bliss may never be
heightened or lowered in itself. And this
was plenteously seen in every shewing,
and namely in the twelfth, where He
saith, " / it am that is highest." And in
regard of Christ's manhood, it is known
in our faith, and 'also, shewed that He,
through the virtue of the Godhead, for
love, to bring us to His bliss, suffered
pains and passion, and died.
And these be the works of Christ's
Manhood, wherein He rejoiceth. And
that shewed He in the ninth, where He
saith: "It is a joy, a bliss, and endless
liking to Me, that ever I suffered passion
for thee?'
And this is the bliss of Christ's work.
And thus He meaneth, where He saith,
in the same shewing, " We be His bliss,
we be His reward, we be His worship, we
be His crown." For in regard that Christ
is our Head, He is glorified and impassi
ble ; and in regard of His body, in which
all His members be knit, He is not yet

i oo Revelations of Divine Love,
full glorified, nor all unpassible. For the
same thirst that He had upon the rood-
tree, (which desire, longing, and thirst, as
to my sight, was in Him from without
beginning,) the same hath He yet, and
shall have, unto the time that the last
soul, that shall be saved, is come up to
His bliss. For, as truly as there is a
property in God of ruth and pity, as verily
there is in God a property of thirst and
longing ; and of the virtue of this longing
in Christ, we have to long again after
Him, without which no soul cometh to
heaven. And this property of longing
and thirst cometh of the endless good
ness of God, right as the property of
pity cometh of His endless goodness.
And though He have longing and pity,
they be sundry properties, as to my sight.
And in this standeth the point of ghostly
thirst, which is lasting in Him as long as
we be in need, us drawing up to His
bliss. And all this was seen in shewing
of compassion, for that shall cease at
doniesday. Thus He hath ruth.and com
passion on us ; and He hath longing to

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 101
have us; but His wisdom and His love
suffer not the same to come till the best
time.

'Che Wxxxty'Stzorib Chapter.
How all things shall be well, and Scripture
fulfilled, and we must steadfastly hold us
in the faith of Holy Church, as is Christ's
will.
/g^NE time our good Lord said, " All
%^J manner of thing shall be well?'
and another time He said, "thou
shalt see thyself, that all manner oj thing
shall be well." And in these two the soul
took sundry manner of understanding.
One was this; that He willeth we wit,
that not only He taketh heed to noble
things and to great, but also to little and
to small, to low and to simple, and to one
and to other. And so meaneth He in
that He saith: "All manner of thing
shall be well." For He willeth that we wit
that the least thing shall not be forgotten.

102 Revelations of Divine Love,

Another understanding is this: that there
be many deeds evil done in our sight, and
so great harms taken that it seemeth to
us that it, were impossible that ever it
should come to a good end. And upon
this we look, and sorrow, and mourn,
therefore ; so that we cannot rest us in
the blissful beholding of God as we should
do. And the cause is this; that the use
of our reason is now so blind, so low, and
so simple, that we cannot know the high
marvellous wisdom, the might and the
goodness, of the blissful Trinity. And
this meaneth He where He saith, " Thou
shalt see, thyself, that all manner of thing
shall be well." As if He said, " Take now
faithfully and trustfully, and at the last
end thou shalt be verily in fulness of joy?'
And thus in the same five words before*
said, " I may make all things well?' I
understand a mighty comfort of all works
of our Lord God that are for to come.
There is a deed, the which the blissful
Trinity shall do in the last day, as to my
sight ; and what the deed shall be, and
how it shall be done, it is unknown of all

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 03
creatures which are beneath Christ, and
shall be till when it shall be done. The
goodness of our Lord God willeth that we
wit that it shall be ; and the might, and
the wisdom of Him by the same love
will conceal it, and hide it from us what it
shall be, and how it shall be done. And
the cause why He willeth that we wit it
thus is, for that He willeth we be the
more eased in our soul, and peaceable iu
love, leaving the beholding of all tem
pests, that might let us of true rejoicing
in Him. This is the great deed ordained
of our Lord God from without beginning ;
treasured and hid in His blessed breast,
only known to Himself; by which deed
He shall make all things well, for right as
the Blessed Trinity made all things of
nought, right so the same Blessed Trinity
shall make all well that is not well. And
in this sight I marvelled greatly, and
beheld our faith, meaning thus: our faith
is grounded in God's word, and it belong
eth to our faith that we believe that God's
word shall be saved in all things. And
one point of our faith is, that many crea-

1 04 Revelations of Divine Love, ""
tures shall be damned, as the Angels
that fell out of heaven for pride, which
be now fiends; and many in earth that
died out of the faith of Holy Church;
that is to say, those tbat be heathen, and
also many that hath received Christen
dom, and liveth unchristian lives, and so
die out of charity. All these shall be
damned to hell without end, as Holy
Church teacheth me to beHeve ; and,
standing all this, methought it was impos
sible that all manner of thing should be
well, as our Lord shewed in this time.
And as to this I had no other answer, fit
shewing of our Lord, but this : " That, that
is impossible to tkee, is not impossible to
Me; I shall save My word in all things,,
and I shall make all things well." And
in this I was taught, by the grace of God,
that I should steadfastly hold me fast in
the faith, as I had before understood.
And therewith, that I should stand and
firmly believe, that all manner of things
shall be well, as our Lord shewed in the
same time.
For this is the great deed that our

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 05
Lord God shall do; in which deed He
shall save His word in all things ; and He
shall make well all that is not well.
But what the deed shall be, and how it
shall be done, there is no creature beneath
Christ that knoweth it, nor shall know it,
till it be done, as to the understanding
that 1 took of our Lord's meaning in this
time.

'Che <Chirtp4hitb Chapter.
The souls of the damned be despised in
God's sight, as the devils. These Reve
lations withdraw not, but strengthen, the
faith of Holy Church. The more we
busy ourselves to know God's secrets, the
less we know.
f^4 ND yet in this I desired, as I durst,
/I that I might have some sight of
hell, and of purgatory. But it was
not my meaning to take proof of anything
that belongeth to our faith ; for I believed
truly that hell and purgatory is for the

1 06 Revelations pf Divine Love,

same end that Holy Church teacheth for.
But my meaning was, that I might have
seen, for learning in all things that be
longeth to my faith, whereby I might live
the more to God's worship and to my
profit. And for aught that I could desire,
I could see of this right nought, but as it
is before said in the first shewing, where
that I saw the devil is reproved of God,
and endlessly damned. In which sight I
understand, that of all the creatures that
be of the devil's condition in this life, and
therein ending, there is no more mention
made of them before God, and all His
holy ones, than of the devil, notwithstand
ing that they be of mankind, whether
they have been Christened or not. For
though the Revelation was shewed of
goodness, in which was made little men
tion of evil ; yet I was not drawn thereby
from any point of the faith that Holy
Church teacheth me to believe.
For I had sight of the Passion of Christ
in divers shewings, in the first, in the
second, in the fourth, and in the eighth, as
it is before said ; wherein I had in part

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 107
feeling of the sorrow of our Lady, and of
His true friends that saw His pains.
But I saw not so properly specified the
Jews that did Him to death ; but notwith
standing, I knew in my faith that they
were accursed and damned without end,
saving those that were converted by
grace. And I was strengthened, and learned
generally to keep me in the faith, in
every point, and in all as I had before
understood, hoping that I was therein
with mercy and the grace of God, desiring
and praying in my meaning, that I might
continue therein unto my life's end. It
is God's will that we have great regard to
all the deeds that He hath done ; for He
wills thereby that we know, trust, and
believe all that He shall do. But ever
more us needeth to leave the beholding
what the deed shall be ; and desire we to
be like to our brethren, which be the
Saints in heaven, that will right nought
but God's will. Then shall we only re
joice in God, and be well, content, both
with the hiding and the shewing. For I

108 Revelations of Divitie Love,
saw verily in our Lord's meaning, the
more we busy us to know His privities, in
that or in any other thing, the farther
shall we be from the knowing.

'Che 'Chirtg^nrth Chapter.
How God sheweth His secrets to His
lovers, and how they please God much,
and receive diligently the preaching of
Holy Church.
/a^UR Lord shewed two manner of
\^S privities. One is this great pri
vity, with all the privy points
thereto belonging ; and these privities He
willeth that we know, thus hid, unto the
time that He will clearly show them to
us. The other are the privities which
Himself shewed openly in this Revelation.
For those are privities which He will
make open and known to us ; for He will
eth that we wit that it is His will that we
know them. They are privities to us, not
only for that He willeth they be privities

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 09
to us, but they are privities to us, for our
blindness and unknowing. And therefore
hath He great ruth ; and therefore He
will make them open to us Himself,
whereby we may know Him, and love
Him, and cleave to Him. For all that is
profitable to us to wit, and for to know,
full courteously our good Lord will shew
us what it is, with all the preaching and
teaching of Holy Church. God shewed
full great pleasaunce that He hath in
all men and women, that mightily and
wisely take the preaching and teaching
of Holy Church: for it is His Holy
Church ; He is the ground, He is the
substance, He is the teaching, He is
the teacher, He is the end, and He is
the reward ; wherefore every kind soul
travaileth. And this is known, and shall
be known to each soul to which the Holy
Ghost declareth it. And I hope truly all
those that seek thus they shall speed, for
they seek God. All this, that I have now
said, and more, as I shall say hereafter, is
comforting against sin. For in the third
shewing, when I saw that God doth all

no Revelations of Divine Love,
that is done, I saw not sin ; and then I
saw that all is well ; but when God shewed
me for sin, then said He, "All shall be
well."

'Che 'Chirtg^fth Chapter.
How God doth all that is good, and suffer
eth all worshipfully by His mercy, the
which shall shine when sin is no longer
suffered.
fyt ND when God Almighty had shewed
^^ so plenteously, and so fully, of His
goodness, I desired to wit, ofa certain
creature that I loved, if it should continue
in good living, which I hoped by the grace
of God was begun. And in this singular
desire it seemed that I letted myself; for
I was not taught in this time. And then
was I answered in my reason, as it were
by a friendly mean: " Take it generally,
and behold the courtesy of thy Lord God,
as He shewed to thee ; for it is more wor
ship to God lo behold Him in all, than in

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 1 1
any special thing?' I assented, and
therewith I learned that it is more wor
ship to God, to know all things in general,
than to like in any thing in special.
And if I should do wisely, after this
teaching I should not be glad for any
thing in special, nor greatly dis-eased for
any manner of thing: for " all shall be
well?' For the fulness of joy is to behold God
in all ; for by the same blessed might,
wisdom, and love, that He made all things,
to the same end our good Lord leadeth it
continually, and there to Himself shall
bring it, and when it is time we shall see
it. And the ground of this was shewed
in the first, and more openly in the third,
where it saith: "I saw God in a point."
All that our Lord doth is rightful, and all
that He suffereth is worshipful. And in
these two is comprehended good and evil ;
for all that is good our Lord doth, and all
that is evil our Lord suffereth. I say not
that evil is worshipful, but I say the suf
ferance of our Lord God is worshipful,
whereby His goodness shall be known

112 Revelations of Divine Love,
without end, and His marvellous meek
ness and mildness by this working of
mercy and grace.
Rightfulness is that thing that is so
good, that it may not be better than it is ;
for God Himself is very rightfulness, and
all His works be done rightfully, as they
be ordained from without beginning by
His high might, His high wisdom, His
high goodness. And right as He hath
ordained it to the best, right so He work
eth continually, and leadeth it to the same
end. And He is ever full pleased with
Himself and with all His works. And the
beholding of this blessed accord is full
sweet to the soul that seeth it by grace.
All the . souls that shall be saved in
heaven without end, be made rightful in
the sight of God, and by His own good
ness. In which rightfulness we be end
lessly kept, and marvellously above all
creatures. And mercy is a working that
cometh of the goodness of God. And it
shall last working as long as sin is suf
fered to pursue rightful souls. And when
sin hath no longer leave to pursue, then

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 i 3,
shall the working of mercy cease ; and
then shall all be brought into rightfulness,
and therein stand without end. By His
sufferance we fall,, and in His blessed love,
with His might, we are kept ; and by
mercy and grace we be raised to, manifold
more joy. And thus ii». rightfulness, and
in His mercy, He will be known and
loved, now and without end. And the
soul that wisely beholdeth in grace is well
content with both, andi endlessly rejoiceth.

'Che 'Chirtg^ixth Chapter.
Of another excellent thing our Lord shall
do, and which by grace- may be learned
partly here ; and how we should joy in
the same, and how God yet doth mira
cles.
eUR Lord God shewed that a deed
shall be done, and that Himself
shall do k ; and it shall be mar
vellous,, and plenteous, and by Him it
shall be done, and Himself shall do it.
And this is the highest joy that the soul
8

1 14 Revelations of Divine Love,
understood, that God Himself shall do it.
And I shall do right nought but sin, and
my sin shall not let His goodness working.
And I saw that the beholding of this is a
heavenly joy in a dreadful soul, which
evermore kindly by grace desireth God's
will. This deed shall be begun here, and
it shall be worshipful to God, and plen
teously profitable to all His lovers in
earth. And ever, as we come to heaven,
we shall see it in marvellous joy. And it
shall last thus in working to the last day ;
and the worship and the bliss of that
shall last in heaven before God, and all
His holy Saints, without end. Thus was
this deed seen and understood in our
Lord's meaning ; and the cause why He
shewed it, is to make us rejoice in Him
and all His works.
When I saw the shewing continued, I
understood it was shewed for a great
thing that was then for to come: which
thing God shewed that Himself should do
it. Which deed hath the properties
aforesaid. And this shewed He full bliss
fully, meaning that I should take it wisely,

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 1 5
faithfully, and trustfully ; but what the
deed should be, it was kept privy to me.
And in this I saw He willeth not that we
dread to know the things that He shew
eth ; He sheweth them, for He willeth
we know them. By which knowing, He
willeth we love Him, and like in Him, and
endlessly rejoice in Him. And for the
great love He hath to us, He sheweth us
all that is worshipful and profitable for the
time, and those things that He will now
have privy, yet of His great goodness Pie
sheweth them close. In which shewing
He willeth we believe, and understand,
that we shall see it verily, in His endless
bliss. Then ought we to rejoice in Him
for all that He sheweth, and for all that
He hideth. And if we wilfully and
meekly do this, we shall find therein great
ease, and endless thanking we shall have
of Him therefore. And this is the under
standing of this word, "that it shall be
done by Me;" that is to say, the general
man ; that is to say, all that shall be
saved: it shall be worshipful, marvellous,
and plenteous, and " By Me it shall be

!• 1 6 Revelations of Divine Love^
- ~ .  _  _ — .  ,j,,^
done, and God Himself sh/all do ify'f" /ind
this shall be highest |oy that; may be be
holden of the deed,, that Qod Himself
shalj do it,, and man shall do right nought
but sin.
Then meaneth our Lord God thus, as
if He said: "Behold and see, here hast
tfcou. matter of meekness ; here hast tkou
matter of love ;¦ here hast tkou matter of
knowing, tkyself ; kere hast thou matter of
rejoicing in Me, and for My love rejoice in
Me ; for of all things therewith mayest
thout most please Me." And as long as we
be in this life, what time that we by our
folly turn us to the beholding of the
reproved, tenderly our Lord toucheth us,
and blissfully calleth us, saying in our
soul:- "Ret Me alone, My dear worthy
child"; intend fa Me-, I am enough for thee,
and rejbice- in- thy Saviour and thy salva-.
tion." And that this is our Lord working
in us, I am sure the soul that is pierced
therewith by grace shall see it and feel it,
And though it be so, that this deed be truly
taken for the general man, yet it excludeth
not the special. For what our good Lord

Skewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 117
will do by His poor creatures, it is now
unknown td me. But this deed, and that
other aforesaid, it is not both one, but two
sundry, but this deed shall be known
sooner, and that shall be as we come to
heaven. And to whom our Lord .giveth
it, it may be known here in part. 'But tlie
great deed aforesaid shall neither be
known in heaven nor in earth till that it
be done. And furthermore, He gave
special understanding and . teaching of
working and shewing of miracles, as this:
"It is known that I have done 'miracles
here before many, and full high, and mar
vellous, worshipful and great, and so as I
kave done, I do now 'continually, and skall
in coming of time. It is known that before
miracles come sorrow, and anguish, and
trouble." And that is, that we should
know our own feebleness, and the mischief
that we be fallen in! by sin, to meek us,
and make us cry to God for help and
grace ; and great miracles come after, and
that of the high might, and wisdom, and
goodness of God, shewing His virtue, and
the joys of heaven, so as it may be in this

1 1 8 Revelations of Divine Love,
passing life ; and that for the strengthen
ing of our faith, and increase of our hope
and charity.
Wherefore it pleaseth Him to be known
and worshipped in miracles. Then mean
eth He thus; He willeth that we be not
borne over-low for sorrows and tempests
that fall to us, for it hath ever been so
before miracles coming,

l _ , _J

'Che 'Chirtg^ebenth Chapter.
How God securely keepeth His chosen,
although they sin ; for that in them is a
godly will, and never satisfied by sin.
/|2^0D brought to mind that I should
\£J} sin ; and for liking that I had in
beholding of Him, I intended not
readily to that shewing. And our Lord
full mercifully abode, and gave me grace
for tp intend. And this shewing I took
singularly to myself; but by all the gra
cious comforts that followed, as ye shall

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 119
see, I was learned to take it to all my
fellow Christians, all in general, and none
in special ; though our Lord shewed me
that I should sin, by me is understood all.
And in this I conceived a soft dread ; and
to this our Lord answered : " / keep thee
full securely." This word was said with
more love and secureness of ghostly
keeping than I can or may tell ; for as it
was afore shewed to me that I should sin,
right so was the comfort shewed secure
ness of keeping for all my fellow Chris
tians. What may make me more to love
my fellow Christians, than to see in God
that He loveth all that shall be saved, as
it were all one soul ; for in every soul
that shall be saved is a godly will that
never finally assenteth to sin, nor never
shall. Right as there is a beastly will in
the lower part that may will no good,
right so there is a godly will in the higher
part, which will is so good that it may
never will evil endlessly, but ever good ;
and therefore we be that He loveth, and
endlessly we do that He liketh. And this
shewed our good Lord in the whole-head

1 20 Revelations of Divine Love,
of love that we stand in His sight, yea,
that He loveth us now as well while that
we be here, as He shall do when we be
there before His Blessed Face. But for
failing of love on our part, therefore is all
our travail.*

* S. Bernard, in Cant. Serm. xxiii. 15. "The purpose of God
standeth ¦firing the judgment of peace standeth firm over them.
thatfea'r I'lirh, hiding their evil deeds and recording their good;
so that, in a wondrous manner, not only good, but also evil
things work together for good to them. O truly and only Blessed
is he to whom the Lord will not impute sin' For no one is there
who hath not had sin. For all have sinned, and all have need of
the glory of God. Vet who shall accuse against the elect of Godl
It is enough for me for all justification to have only Him propi
tious against whom I have sinned. For all that He has decreed
not to impute to me is as though it had not been. Not to sin is
the justice of God : the justice of man is the pardon of God. I
have seen these things, and I have understood the truth of that
sentence : Every one who is born qf God sinneth not, because the
heavenly generation preservelh him. The heavenly geneiation is
eternal predestination, by which God hath loved His elect, and
made them acceptable in His beloved Son before the foundation
of the world, so that in the sanctuary they may come before Him
to see His power and His glory, when they shall be made par-
takers of His inheritance, and shall appear conformed to His
likeness. These then I have marked as never having sinned.
Because, although they seem in some sort to have fallen, they do
not appear so in eternity, for the charity of the Father covereth
the multitude of their sins."

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich .121

%\t Whirts^htTh; Chapter.
How the sins of the chosen shall be turned
to joy and worship. Examples of David,
dPetor,^ndS. ^Tohn of Bevdr-ley.
OJ ND God showed that sin shall be no
£% shame but worship to man ; for
right as to 'every sin [is answering
a pain by truth, right so for every sin is
given to the same soul a bliss by love.
Right as divers sins be punished with
divers pains after that .it be grievous,
right so shall they be rewarded with
divers joys in heaven, for their victories
after, as the sin hath been painful and
sorrowful to the soul in earth. For the
soul that shall come to -heaven is so pre
cious to God, and the place so worshipful,
that the goodness of God suffereth never
that soul to sin finally that shall come
thither. But what sinners they are that
so shall be rewarded, is made known in
Holy Church on earth, and also in heaven,

122 Revelations of Divine Love,
by overpassing worship ; for in this sight
my understanding was lifted up into.
heaven. And then God brought merrily
to my mind David, and others with him, in
the old law without number. And in the
new law He brought to my mind, first,
Magdalen, Peter and Paul, Thomas and
Jude, S. John of Beverley, and others also
without number, how they be known in
the Church on earth by their sins; and it
is to them no shame, but all is turned
them to worship. And therefore our
courteous Lord sheweth for them here in
part, like as it is there fulfilled ; for there
the token of sin is turned to worship.
And S. John of Beverley, our Lord
shewed him full highly, in comfort of us,
for homeliness (and country's sake) ; and
brought to my mind how he is a kind
neighbour, and of our knowing. And
God called him plainly Saint John of
Beverley, as we do, and that with a full
glad and sweet cheer, shewing that he is
a full high Saint in His sight, and a bliss
ful. And with this He made mention
that, in his youth, and in his tender age,

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 2 3
he was a dear worthy servant to God ;
full greatly loving and dreading. And
nevertheless God suffered him to fall,
him mercifully keeping that he perished
not, nor lost no time. And afterward God
raised him to manifold more grace ; and
by the contrition and the meekness that
he had in his living, God hath given him
inlieaven manifold joys, overpassing that
he should have had, if he had not sinned
or fallen. And that this is true, God
sheweth in earth, with plenteous miracles
doing about his body continually. And
all this was to make us glad and merry in
love.

124 Revelations of Divine Love,

%\it 'Chirtg*ninth Chapter.
*0f the sharpness of sin, and the goodness
€*f contrition^ and how oar kind Lord
willeth not that w% &efcpafo 'fe* often
falling.
^VIN is the sharpest scourge that any
>>J chosen soul may be smitten with.
Which scourge altogether beateth
man or woman, and altogether breaketh
him, and purgeth him in his own sight ;
so far forth, that otherwhile he thinketh
himself that he is not worthy, but, as it
were, to sink into hell, till when contrition
taketh him by touching of the Holy
Ghost, and turneth the bitterness into
hope of God's mercy. And then begin
his wounds to heal, and the soul to quicken,
turned into the life of Holy Oiurch. The
Holy Ghost leadeth him to confession,
wilfully to shew his sins nakedly and
truly, with great sorrow, and with great
shame, that he hath so befouled the fair

Skewed to Motker Julian of Norwick. 125
image of God. Then undertaketh he
penance for every sin, enjoined by his
domesman, that is grounded in Holy
Church, by the teaching of the Holy
Ghost. And this is one meekness, that greatly
pleaseth God, and also meekly he taketh
bodily sickness of God's sending: also
sorrow and shame outwardly, with reproof
and despite of the world, with all manner
of grievance and temptations that we be
cast in, ghostly and bodily. Full pre
ciously our good Lord keepeth us, when
it seemeth to us that we be near forsaken,
and cast away for our sin, and for that we
see that we have deserved it. And be
cause of the meekness that we get thereby,
we be raised full high in God's sight by
His grace. And also whom our Lord
willeth He visiteth with His special grace
with so great contrition, arid also with
compassion, and true longing after God,
that they be suddenly delivered of sin and
of pain, and taken up to bliss, and made
even with the Saints. By contrition we
be made clean, by compassion we be made

1 2 6 Revelations of Divine Love,

ready, and by true longing after God we
be made worthy.
These be three means, as I understood,
whereby that all souls come to heaven ;
that is to say, that have been sinners in
earth, and shall be saved. For by .these
medicines it behoveth that every sinful
soul be healed, though after that he be
healed, his wounds be seen before God
not as wounds, but as worships. And so,
on the contrariwise, as we be punished
here with sorrow and with penance, we
shall be rewarded in heaven by the cour
teous love of God Almighty, that willeth
that none that come there lose his travail
in any degree ; for He beholdeth sin as
sorrow and pains to His lovers, in whom
He assigneth no blame for love.
The reward that we receive shall not
be little, but it shall be high, glorious, and
worshipful ; and so shall all shame turn to
worship and joy. For our courteous Lord
will not that His servants despair for often
failing, nor for grievous falling; for our
falling letteth not His love to us. Peace
and love is ever in us, being and working;

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 127
but we be not ever in peace and in love,
but He wills we take heed thus, that He
is the ground of all our whole life in love.
And furthermore, that He is our evei last
ing keeper, and mightily defendeth us
against all our enemies that be full fell,
and full fierce upon us. And so much
our need is the more, for that we give
them occasion by our falling.

'Che Jfortieth Chapter.
How the vileness of sin passeth all pains.
God loveth us while we be in sin, and so
us needeth to love our neighbour.
f^fl ND this is a sovereign friendship of
£\ our courteous Lord, that He keep
eth us so tenderly, whiles we be in
our sin ; and furthermore, He toucheth us
full privily, and sheweth us our sin by the
sweet light of mercy and grace. But
when we see ourselves so foul, then we
ween that God were wrath with us for
our sins. Then we be stirred of the Holy

128 Revelations cf Divine Love,
Ghost, by contrition, into prayer and
desire, amending of ourself with all our
might, to slack the wrath of God, unto
the time we find a rest in soul and soft
ness of conscience. And then hope we
that God hath, forgiven us our sin, and it
is true. And then sheweth our courteous
Lord Himself to the soul, merrily, and of
full glad cheer, with friendfully welcom
ing, as if it had been in pain and in prison,
saying thus: " My dear darling, I am glad
thou art come to Me in all thy woe ; I have
ever been with thee, and now seest thou Me
loving, and we be united in bliss." Thus
are sins forgiven by grace and mercy, and
our soul worshipfully received in joy, like
as it shall be when it cometh into heaven,
as oft-times as it cometh by the gracious
working of the Holy Ghost, and the vir
tue of Christ's Passion.
Here understood I verily that all man
ner of thing is made ready to us by the
great goodness of God ; so far forth,, that
what time we be ourself in peace and in
charity, we be verily safe. But for that
we may not have this in fulness while we

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 129
be here; therefore it befalleth us ever to
live in sweet praying, and in lovely long
ing with our Lord Jesus, for He longeth
ever to bring us to the fulness of joy, as it
is aforesaid, where He sheweth the ghostly
thirst. But now, because of all this ghostly
comfort that is aforesaid, if any man or
woman be stirred by folly, to say or think,
" If this be true, then zvere it good for to
sin, to have the more reward, or else to
charge the less to sin."
Beware of this stirring, for truly, if it
come, it is untrue, and of the enemy. For
the same true love that teacheth us all
this comfort, the same blessed love teach
eth us that we should hate sin only for
love. And I am sure by my own feeling,
the more that each kind soul seeth this in
the courteous love of our Lord God, the
loather is him to sin, and the more he is
ashamed. For if it were laid before us,
all the pain that is in hell, and in purga
tory, and in earth, to suffer it rather than
sin, we should rather choose all that pain
than sin, for sin is so vile, and so hateful,
9

1 30 Revelations of Divine Love,
that it may be likened to no pain which
pain is not sin. And to me was shewed
none harder hell than sin ; for a kind soul
hateth no pain but sin, and nought is evil
but sin. And when we give our intent to
love and meekness, by the working of mer
cy and grace, we be made all fair and clean.
And as mighty and as wise as God is
to save man, as willing He is. For Christ
Himself is the ground of all the laws of
Christian men ; and He taught us to do
good against evil. Here we may see that
He is Himself this charity, and doth to us
as He teacheth us to do: for He willeth
that we be like Him in fulness of endless
love to ourself, and to our fellow Chris
tians. No more than His love is broken
to us for our sin, no more will He that
our love be broken to ourself, nor to our
fellow Christians, but that we nakedly
hate sin, and endlessly love the soul, as
God loveth it. Then should we hate sin,
like as God hateth it, and love the soul as
God loveth it ; for these words that God
said, are an endless comfort, " / keep thee
full truly."

Shelved to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 3 1

'Che Jf0rtp4irst Chapter.
The fourteenth Revelation. How it is im
possible we should pray for mercy and
lack it ; and how God willeth we should
pray ; and how, when we be dry and
barren, that prayer is to Him acceptable
and pleasing.
C^\ FTER this our Lord shewed for
4^\ prayer: in which shewing I saw
two conditions in our Lord's mean
ing. One is rightful prayer. Another is
secure trust. But yet oftentimes our trust
is not full ; for we be not sure that God
heareth us, as we think for our unworthi-
ness, and for that we feel right nought,
for we be as barren and as dry ofttimes
after our prayers as we were before. And
thus in our feeling our folly is cause of
our weakness ; for thus have I felt by
myself. And all this brought our Lord
suddenly to my mind, and He shewed
these words and said: "/ am the ground

132 Revelations of Divine Love,

of thy beseeching. First, it is My will
that thou have it ; and since I make thee to
will it, and since I make thee to beseech it
and thou beseechest it, how should it then
be, that tkou shouldst not have thy beseech
ing ?"
And thus, in the first reason, with the
three that follow, our good Lord shewed a
mighty comfort, as it may be seen in the
same words. And in the first reason,
where He saith, " and thou beseechest it,"
there He shewed the full great pleasaunce
and endless reward that He will give us
for our beseeching. And in the sixth
reason, where He saith, " how should it
then be ?" this was said for an impossible
thing ; for it is the most impossible that
may, that we should seek mercy and
grace, and not have it. For of all things
that our good Lord maketh us to beseech
Himself, He hath ordained it to us from
without beginning. Here may we then
see, that our beseeching is not the cause
of the goodness and grace that He doth
to us, but His proper goodness. And
that shewed He verily in all these sweet

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich . 133
words, where He saith, " / am the ground."
And our good Lord willeth that this be
known of His lovers in earth: and the
more that we know the more shall we
beseech, if it be wisely taken ; and so is
our Lord's meaning. Beseeching is a
true and gracious lasting will of the soul,
united and fastened into the will of our
Lord, by the sweet privy working of the
Holy Ghost. Our Lord Himself He is
the first receiver of our prayer, as- to my
sight, and He taketh it full thankfully,
and highly rejoicing He sendeth it up
above, and setteth it in treasure, where it
shall never perish: it is there before God,
with all His holy Saints continually re
ceived, ever speeding our needs. And
when we shall receive our bliss, it shall
be given us for a degree of joy, with end
less worshipful thanking of Him. Full
glad and merry is our Lord of our prayer,
•and He looketh thereafter, and He will
have it ; for with His grace it maketh us
like to Himself in condition, as we be in
nature. And so is His blessed will, for He

134 Revelations of Divine Love,
saith thus: "Pray entirely, inwardly:
though thee think it savour thee not, yet it
is profitable enough, thougk thou feel it
nought. Pray entirely, inwardly, thougk
thou feel nought, though thou see nought,
yea, though thou think tkou mayest not ; for
in dryness and barrenness, in sickness and
in feebleness, then is thy prayer full plea
sant to Me, though thou think it savour
thee not but little, and so is all thy living
prayer in My sight."
For the reward and the endless thanks
that He will give us, therefore He is
covetous to have us praying continually in
His sight. God accepteth the good will,
and the travail of His servants, howsoever
we feel-; wherefore it pleaseth Him that
we work in prayer, and in good living, by
His help, and His grace, reasonably with
discretion, keeping all our might to Him ;
till when we have Him that we seek in
fulness of joy, that is Jesus. And that
shewed He in the fifteenth Revelation,
where He saith, "thou shalt have Me to
thy reward."
Also to prayer belongeth thanking.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich 135
Thanking is a true inward knowing, with
great reverence and lowly dread, turning
ourself with all our might unto the work
ing that our Lord stirreth us to, rejoicing
and thanking inwardly. And sometimes
for plenteousness it breaketh out with
voice, and saith: " Good Lord, gram-
mercy ; blessed mayest Thou be!" And
sometimes when the earth is dry, and
feeleth nought, or else by temptation of
our enemy, then it is driven by reason
and by grace to cry upon our Lord with
voice, rehearsing His blessed Passion, and
His great goodness. And so the virtue
of our Lord's word turneth into the soul,
and quickeneth the heart, and enteretb by
His grace into true working, and maketh
it to pray full blissfully : and truly to re
joice in our Lord is a full lovely thanking
in His sight.

136 Revelations of Divine Love,

'Che ^oxtytmonb Chapter.
Of three things belonging to prayer; how
we should pray ; of the goodness of God,
that supplieth for all our imperfections
when we do our part.
/jj^UR Lord willeth that we have true
%^J J understanding, and namely in three
things that belongeth to our prayer.
The first is, by whom and how that
our prayer springe th: by whom He shew
eth when He saith, "/ am the ground ;"
and how by His goodness, for He saith,
" First it is My Will." For the second,
in what manner, and how, that we should
use our prayer ; and that is, that our will
be turned into the will of our Lord re
joicing ; and so He meaneth when He
saith, " / make thee to will it." For the
third, that we know the fruit and end of
our prayer ; that is to be united and like
to our Lord in all things, and to this
meaning, and for this end, was all this

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 137
-
lovely lesson shewed. And He will help
us, and He shall make it so as He seeth
Himself: blessed may He be, for this is
our Lord's will, that our prayer and our
trust be both alike large ; for if we trust
not as much as we pray, we do not full
worship to our Lord in our prayer. And
also we tarry and pain ourself, and the
cause is, as I believe, for that we know
not truly that our Lord is the ground in
whom that our prayer springeth. And
also that we know not that it is given us
by grace of His love ; for if we knew this,
it would make us to trust to have, of our
Lord's gift, all that we desire ; for I am
sure that no man asketh mercy and grace
with true meaning, but if mercy and grace
be first given to him. But sometime it
cometh to our mind that we have prayed
long time, and yet it thinketh us that we
have not our asking ; but herefore should
we be not heavy, for I am sure, by our
Lord's meaning, that either we abide a
better time, or more grace, or a better
gift. He willeth that we have true know
ing in Himself that He is being. And in

1 38 Revelations of Divine Love,
this knowing He willeth that our under
standing be grounded with all our might,
and all our intent, and all our meaning;
and in this ground He willeth that we
take our stand and our dwelling.
And by the gracious light of Himself,
He willeth that we have understanding of
three things that follow. The first is, our
noble and excellent making. The second,
our precious and dear worthy again-being.
The third, all things that He hath made
beneath us, to serve us, and for our love
keepeth. Then meaneth He thus, as if
He said, " Behold and see that I have done
all this before thy prayer, and now thou
art, and prayest Me." And thus He
meaneth that it belongeth to us to wit
that the greatest deeds be done as Holy
Church teacheth. And in the beholding
of this, with thanking, we ought to pray
for the deed that is now in doing; and
that is, that He rule us, and guide us to
His worship in this life, and bring us to
His bliss, and therefore He hath done all.
Then meaneth He thus, that we see that
He doth it; and we pray therefore for

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 139
that one is not enough. For if we pray,
and see not that He doth it, it maketh us
heavy and doubtful, and that is not His
worship. And if we see that He doth it,
and we pray not, we do not our duty ; and
so it may not be, that is to say, so is it
not in His beholding. But to see that
He doth it, and to pray forthwith, so is
He worshipped and we sped.
All things that our Lord ordained to
do, it is His will that we pray therefore,
either in special or in general. And the
joy and the bliss that is to Him, and the
thanks and the worship that we shall
have therefore, it passeth the understand
ing of all creatures in this life, as to my
sight. For prayer is a righteous under
standing of that fulness of joy that is for
to come, with true longing, and very
trust, savouring or seeing our bliss, that
we be ordained to, naturally maketh us to
long. True understanding and love, with
sweet meaning in our Saviour, graciously
maketh us to trust. And thus have we it
of nature to long, and of grace to trust.
And in these two workings our Lord be-

140 Revelations of Divine Love,
holdeth us continually ; for it is our duty.
And His goodness may no less assign in
us, that belongeth to us, to do our dili
gence thereto. And when we do it, yet
shall us think that it is nought ; and true
it is: but do we it as we may, and meekly
ask mercy and grace, and all that us fail-
eth we shall find it in Him. And thus
meaneth He where He saith, " / am the
ground of thy beseeching." ^nd thus in
those blissful words, with the shewing, I
saw a full overcoming against all our
wickedness, and all our doubtful dreads.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 141

'Che Jftfrt^thirrj Chapter.
What prayer doth when according to God's
Will ; how the goodness of God hath
great liking in what He doth for us, as if
He were beholden to us, working all
things sweetly.
•Jf^RAYER uniteth the soul to God,
J ^| which is ever like to God in nature,
H and in substance restored by grace ;
but it is oft unlike in condition, by sin on
man's part. Then is prayer a witness
that the soul willeth as God willeth, and
comforteth the conscience, and enableth
man to grace. And thus He teacheth us to
pray, and mightily to trust that we shall
have it ; for He beholdeth us in love, and
will make us partners of His good will
and deed ; and therefore He stirreth us
to prayer, for that that liketh Him to do ;
for which prayer and good will that we
have of His gift, He will reward us, and
give us endless meed. And this was

142 Revelations of Divine Love,
shewed in this word, " and thou beseechest
it." In this word God shewed so great
pleasaunce, and so great liking, as if He
were much beholden to us for each good
deed that we do ; f^and yet it is He that
doth -it,) and for that we beseech Him
mightily to do that thing that Him lik
eth ; as if He said, " What mightest thou
please Me more in, than to beseech mightily,
wisely, and wilfully to do that thing that I
will have done ?"
And thus the soul by prayer is ac
corded with God. But when, our cour
teous Lord, of His special grace, sheweth
Himself to our soul, we have that we
desire. And then we see not, for the
time, what we should more pray, but all
our intent, with all our might, is set
whole unto the beholding of Him. And
this is an high unperceivable prayer, as to
my sight. For all the cause wherefore
we pray is to be united unto the sight
and beholding of Him to whom we
pray, marvellously rejoicing with reverend
dread ; and so great sweetness and de
light in Him, that we can pray right

Shewed Jo Mother Julian of Norwich. 143
nought, but as He stirreth us for the
time. ¦
And well I wot, the more the soul
seeth of God, the more she desireth Him
by grace ; but when we see Him not so,
then feel we need and cause to pray, for 1
fearing, and for unableness of ourself, to '
Jesus. For when a soul is tempted, trou
bled, and left to herself by her unrest,
then it is time to pray to make herself]
supple and pliant to God ; but she by no
manner of prayer maketh God supple to
her, for He is ever one-like in love.
And thus I saw that, what time we see
need wherefore we pray, then our Lord
God followeth us, helping our desire ;
and when we of His special grace plainly
behold Him, seeing none of other needs,
then we follow Him. And He draweth us
to Him by love; for I saw and felt that 1
His marvellous and His fulsome goodness
fulfilleth all our might. And therewith I
saw that His continual working in all
manner of things is done so godly, so
wisely, and so mightily, that it overpass-
eth all our imagining", and all that we can

144 Revelations of Divine Love,
mean or think. And then we can do no
more than behold Him, and rejoice with a
high mighty desire to be all united to
Him, and attend to His motion, and re
joice in His loving, and delight in His
goodness. And thus shall we, with His
sweet grace, in our own meek continual
prayer, come unto Him now in this life,
by many privy touchings of sweet ghostly
sights, and feelings, measured to us as
our simpleness may bear it. And this is
wrought, and shall be, by the grace of the
Holy Ghost, so long till we shall die in
longing for love ; and then shall we all
come unto our Lord, ourselves clearly
knowing, and God fulsomely loving. And
we shall endlessly be all hid in God,
verily seeing, and fulsomely feeling, Him
ghostly hearing, and Him delectably smell
ing, and Him sweetly following, and there
shall we see God face to face, homely and
fulsomely. The creature, which is made,
shall see and endlessly behold God, which
is the Maker. For thus may no man see
God and live after, that is to say, in this
mortal life. But when He, of His special

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 145
grace, will shew Him here, He strength
ened the creature above himself, and He
measureth the shewing after His own
will, and it is profitable for the time.

'Che Jfortgsfonrth Chapter.
Of the properties of the Trinity, and how
man's soul hath the same properties,
doing what it was made for, seeing, be
holding, and marvelling at God, and
seeming as nothing to itself.
/4*T OD shewed in all the Revelations,
VT/ ofttimes, that a man worketh ever
more His will and His worship
duringly without stinting. And what this
working is was shewed in the first, and
that in a marvellous ground; for it was
shewed in the working of the blissful
soul of our Lady Saint Mary, by truth
and wisdom. And how, I hope by the
grace of the Holy Ghost, I shall say as I
saw. Truth seeth God, and wisdom be
holdeth God; and of these two cometh

10

1 46 Revelations of Divine Love,
the third, and that is, a marvellous delight
in God, which is4ove. Where- truth and
wisdom is verily, there is love verily,
coming of them both, and all of God's
making; for God is endless sovereign
Truth, endless sovereign Wisdom, end
less sovereign Love unmade. And a
man's, soul is a creature in God, which
hath the same properties made ; and ever
more it doth that it was made for; it
seeth God, it beholdeth God, and it loveth
God; wherefore God rejoiceth in the
creature, and the creature in God, end
lessly marvelling. In which marvelling
he seeth his God, his Lord, his Maker, so
high, so great, so good, in regard of him
that is made, that scarcely the creature
seemeth ought to itself. But the bright
ness and clearness of truth and wisdom
maketh him to see and to know that he is
made for love ; iu which love God end
lessly keepeth him.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 147

'Che Jari^tifth Chapter. \"
Of the judgments of God, and the different
judgments of men.

€>

OD doometh us upon our natural
substance, which is ever kept one
in Him, whole and safe without
end. And this doom is of His rightful
ness. And man doometh upon our change
able sensuality, which seemeth now one,
now another, after that it taketh of the
parts and sheweth outward. And this
doom is meddled; for sometimes it is
good and easy, and sometimes it is hard
and grievous." And inasmuch as it is good
and easy it belongeth to rightfulness ; and
inasmuch as it is hard and grievous, our
good Lord Jesus reformeth it by mercy
and grace, through virtue of His Blessed
Passion, and so bringeth into the rightful
ness. And though these two be thus
accorded and united, yet it shall be known
both in heaven without end.

148 Revelations of Divine Love,
The first doom is of God's rightfulness,
and that is of His own high endless love ;
and that is that fair sweet doom that was
shewed in all these fair Revelations, in
which I saw Him assign to us no manner
of blame. And though these were sweet
and delectable, yet only in the beholding
of these I could not be fully eased; and
that was for the doom of '_ Holy Church,
which I had before understood, and which
was continually in my sight. And there
fore by this doom methought that me
behoved needs to know myself a sinner:
and by the same doom I understood that
sinners be sometimes worthy blame and
wrath, and these two could I not see in
God ; and therefore my attention and my
desire was more than I can or may tell.
For the higher doom God shewed Him
self in the same time, and therefore me
behoved needs to take it ; and the lower
doom was learned me beforetime in Holy
Church, and therefore I might not by no
way leave the lower doom.
Then was this my desire, that I might
see in God in what manner that the doom

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 149
of Holy Church, here in earth, is true in
His sight, and how it belongeth to me
verily to know it, whereby they might
both be saved, so as it were worshipful to
God, and right way to me. And to all
this I had no other answer, but a marvel
lous example of a lord and of a servant,
as I shall say after, and that full mistily
shewed. And yet I stood in desire, and
will, unto my life's end, that I might know
these two dooms, as it belonged to me.
For all heavenly things, and all earthly
things that belong to heaven, be compre
hended in these two dooms. And the
more understanding, by the gracious lead
ing of the Holy Ghost, that we have of
these two dooms, the more we shall see
and know our failings, and ever the more
that we see them, the more kindly by
grace we shall long to be fulfilled of end
less joy and bliss, for we be made thereto.
And our natural substance is now bliss
fully in God, and hath been since it was
made, and shall be without end.

150 Revelations of Divine Love,

'Che Jfortgsjsixth Chapter.
That we cannot know ourselves in this life
but by faith and grace, but must know
we be sinful. God is never wrath, being
most near the soul, it keeping.
jf^y UT our passing living that we have
J^ J here in our sensuality knoweth not
what ourself is, but in our faith.
And when -we know and see, verily and
clearly, what ourself is, then shall we
verily and clearly see and know our Lord
God in fulness of joy. And therefore it
behoveth needs to be that the nearer we
be our bliss the more shall we long,
and that both by nature and by grace.
We may have knowing of ourself in
this life, by continual help and virtue of
our high nature ; in which knowing we
may increase and wax by furthering
and speeding of mercy and grace. But
we may never full know ourself unto the
last point ; in which point this passing

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 151
life, and all manner of woe, shall have an
end. And%therefore it belongeth properly
to us, by grace and by nature, to long and
desire, with all our might, to know ourself.
In which full knowing we shall verily and
clearly know our God in fulness of end
less joy. And yet in all this time, from
the beginning to the end, I had two man
ner of beholdings. The one was endless
continuant love, with secureness of keep
ing, and blissful salvation ; for of this was
all the shewing. The other was the com
mon teaching of Holy Church, of which I
was before informed and grounded, and
wilfully having in use and understanding.
And the beholding of this came not from
me, for by the shewing I was not stirred
nor led therefrom in no matter or point.
But I had therein teaching to love it, and
like it, whereby I might, with the help of
our Lord and His grace, increase and rise
to more heavenly knowing, and higher :
loving. And thus, in all this beholding,
methought it behoved needs to see and to
know that we be sinners, and do many
evils that we ought to leave, and leave

152 Revelations of Divine Love,
many good deeds undone that we ought to
do, wherefore we deserve pain, ,blame, and
wrath. And notwithstanding all this, I saw
verily that our Lord was never wrath, nor
never shall be. For He is God, He is
good, He is truth, He is love, and He is
peace ; and His might, His wisdom, His
charity, and His oneness, suffereth Him
not to be wrath ; for I saw truly that it is
against the property of His wisdom, and
against the property of His goodness.
God is that goodness that may not be
wrath, for God is nought but goodness.
Our soul is united to Him, unchangeable
goodness ; and between God and our soul
is neither wrath nor forgiveness in His
sight; for our soul is so fulsomely united
to God of His own goodness, that between
God and our soul may be right nought.
And to this understanding was the soul
led by love, and drawn by might, in every
shewing. That it is thus our good Lord
shewed ; and how it is thus verily of His
great goodness, and that He willeth we
desire to wit, that is to say, as it belong-

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 153
eth to creatures to wit it. For all things
that the simple soul understood, God will
eth that it be shewed and known. For
those things that He will have privy,
mightily and wisely Himself hideth them
for love. For I saw, in the same shewing,
that much privity is hid, which may never
be known unto the time that God of His
goodness hath made us worthy to see it-.
And therefore I am well content, abiding
our Lord's will in this high marvel. And
now I yield me to our mother Holy
Church, as a simple child ought.

154 Revelations of Divine Love,

'Che Jfortg^serjenth Chapter.
How we must reverently marvel and
meekly suffer, ever joined to God.. Our
blindness in not seeing God is the cause
of our sin.
tWO points belonging to our soul are
due. One is that we reverently
marvel. The other is, that we
meekly suffer, ever rejoicing in God. For
He willeth that we know that we shall in
short time see clearly in Himself all that
we desire. And notwithstanding all this,
I beheld and marvelled greatly, what is
the mercy and forgiveness of God. For,
by the teaching that I had before, I under
stood that the mercy of God shall be
forgiveness of His wrath, after the time
that we have sinned ; for methought that
to a soul whose meaning and desire is to
love, that the wrath of God were harder
than any other pain. And therefore I
took that the forgiveness of His wrath

Skewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 155
should be one of the principal points of
His mercy. But for ought that I might
behold or desire, I could not see this
point in all the shewing. But how I saw
and understood of the working of mercy,
I shall say some deal, as God shall give
me grace.
I understood thus: man is changeable
in this life, and by simpleness and uncun-
ning falleth into sin ; he is unmighty and
unwise of himself, and also his will is
overlaid. In this time he is in tempest,
and in sorrow, and in woe: and the cause
is blindness, for that he seeth not God ;
for if he saw God continually he should
have no mischievous feeling, nor no man
ner of stirring or yearning that serveth to
sin. Thus saw I, and felt, In the same time ;
and methought that the sight and the
feeling" was high, and plenteous, and gra
cious, in regard that our common feeling
is in this life. But yet methought it was
but low and small in regard of the great
desire that the soul hath to see God. For
I felt in me five manner of workings, which

156 Revelations of Divine Love,
be these: rejoicing, mourning, desire, dread,
and true hope. Rejoicing for that God
gave me understanding and knowing that
it was Himself that I saw; mourning,
and that was for failing ; desire, that was
that I might see Him for ever more and
more, understanding and knowing that we
shall never have full rest till we see Him
clearly and verily in heaven. Dread was,
for that it seemed to me, in all that time,
that sight should fail, and I be left to
myself. True hope was in the endless
love that I saw, that I should be kept by
His mercy, and brought to bliss. And
the joying in His sight, with this true hope
of His merciful keeping, made me to
have feeling and comfort, so that mourn-
: ing and dread were not greatly painful.
And yet in all this I beheld, in the
shewing of God, that this manner of sight
of Him may not be continuant in this
life ; and that for His own worship, and
for increase of our endless joy. And
therefore we fail oftentimes of the sight of
Him ; and anon we fall into ourself, and
then find we feeling of right nought but

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 157
the contrarious, that is in ourself. And
that of the old root of our first sin, with
all that followeth of our own continuance.
And in this we be travailled and tempted,
with feeling of sin and of pain in many
divers manners, ghostly and bodily, as it
is known to us in this life.

'Che Jfart^eighth Chapter.
Of failing and grace, and their properties ;
and how we should rejoice that we suf
fered woe patiently.
dty UT our good Lord the Holy Ghost,
2j3 which is endless life, dwelling in!
our soul, full truly keepeth us,
and worketh therein a peace, and bringeth
it to ease by grace, and maketh it pliant,
and accordeth it to God. And this is the
mercy and the way that our good Lord
continually leadeth us in, as long as we
be in this life, which is changeable. For
I saw no wrath but on man's part, and

158 Revelations of Divine Love,
that forgiveth He in us. For wrath is
nought else but a frowardness, and a con-
trariousness to peace and love. And
either it cometh of failing of might, or of
failing of wisdom, or of failing of good
ness ; which failing is not of God, but it
is in our part, for we by sin and wretched
ness have in us a wrath, and a con
tinuant contrariousness to peace and love.
And that shewed He full oft in His lovely
countenance of ruth and pity; for the
ground of pity is in love, and the work
ing of mercy is our keeping in love. And
this was shewed in such a manner that I
could not perceive of the property of
mercy otherwise, but as it were all love
in love: that is to say, as to my sight,
mercy is a sweet gracious working in love,
meddled with plenteous pity. For mercy
worketh, us keeping ; and mercy worketh,
turning to us all things to good ; 'mercy
for love suffereth us to fail by measure,
and inasmuch as we fail, in so much we
fall ; and inasmuch as we fall, so much we
die. For us behoveth needs to die, inas
much as. we fail of the sight and feeling of

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 5 9
God, that is our life. Our failing is
dreadful, our falling is shameful, and our
dying is sorrowful. But yet in all this the
sweet eye of pity and love departeth
never from us, nor the working of mercy
ceaseth not. For I beheld the property
of mercy, and I beheld the property of
grace, which have two manners of work
ing in one love: mercy is a pitiful pro
perty which belongeth to motherhood in
tender love ; and grace is a worshipful
property which belongeth to royal lord
ship in the same love. Mercy worketh,
keeping, suffering, quickening, and heal
ing, and all is of tenderness of love. And
grace worketh with mercy, raising, re
warding, endlessly overpassing all that
our loving and our travail deserveth ;
spreading abroad, and shewing the high
plenteousness and largeness of God's
royal lordship in His marvellous courtesy.
And this is of the abundance of love ;
for grace worketh our dreadful failing
into plenteous and endless solace: and
grace worketh our shameful falling into
high worshipful rising: and grace work-

1 60 Revelations of Divine Love,
eth our sorrowful dying into holy blissful
life. For I saw truly that ever, as our
contrariousness worketh to us, here Iu
earth pain, shame, and sorrow; right so,
on the contrariwise, grace worketh us to,
in heaven, solace, worship, and bliss ; and
overpassing so far forth, that when we
come up and receive that sweet reward,
which grace hath wrought to us there, we
shall thank and bless our Lord, endlessly
rejoicing that ever we suffered woe: and
that shall be for a property of blessed
love that we shall know I" God, which we
might never have known without woe
going before. And when I saw all this,
me behoved needs to grant that the mercy
of God, and the forgiveness, slacketh and
wasteth our wrath.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 6 1

'Che Jfortp^ninth Chapter.
How our life is grounded in love ; without
it we perish : yet God is never wrathful,
since He mercifully keepeth us, bringing
us to peace, and rewarding our tribula
tions.
fOR it was an high marvel to the soul,
which was continually shewed in
all, and with great diligence, be
holding that our Lord God, in regard of
Himself, may not forgive, for He may not
be wrath. It were impossible ; for this
was shewed, that our life is all grounded
and rooted in love, and without love we
"may not live. And, therefore, to the soul
that, of His" special grace, seeth so far forth
of the high marvellous goodness of God,
that we be endlessly united to Him in love,
it is the most impossible that may be that
God should be wrath. For wrath and
friendship be two contraries ; for He that
wasteth and destroyeth our wrath, and

162 Revelations of Divine Love,
maketh us meek and mild, it behoveth
us needs to believe that He be ever in
one love, meek and mild, which is con
trary to wrath.
For I saw full truly that where our
Lord appeareth peace is taken, and wrath
hath no standing ; for I saw no manner of
wrath in God, neither for short time nor
for long. For truly^ as to my sight, if
God might be wrath awhile, we should
neither have life, nor standing, nor being.
For as verily as we have our life of the
endless might of God, of the endless wis
dom, and of the endless goodness, so also
verily we have our keeping in the end
less might of God, in the endless wisdom,
and in the endless goodness. For though
we feel in us wrath, debate, and strife, yet
we be all mercifully united to the mild
ness of God, and His meekness, His
benignity, and His pliancy. For I saw
full truly that all our endless friendship,
our standing, our life, and our being, is
in God. For that same endless goodness
that keepeth us when we sin, that we
perish not, that same endless goodness

Shewed, to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 6^
continually treateth in us a peace against
our wrath, and our contrarious falling, aixl
maketh us to see our need, with a true dread,
mightily to seek unto God to have forgive
ness, with a gracious desire of our salvation.
For we may not be blissfully saved till we
be verily in peace and in love, for that is our
salvation. And though we be wrath, and.
the contrariousness that is. in< us be now
in tribulation, dis-ease, and woe, as falling
into our blindness and our proneness, yet
we be secure and safe by the merciful
keeping of God, that we perish not ; but
we be not blissfully saved, in having of
our endless joy, till we be all in peace and
in love ; that is to say, full pleased with
God, and with all His works, and with all
His dooms, and loving and pleasable with
ourselves, and with our fellow Christians,
and with all that God loveth,. as love
liketh. And this doth God's, goodness in
us. Thus saw I that God is our very
peace ; and He is our secure keeper, when
we be ourself at unpeace ; and He con
tinually worketh to bring us into endless
peace ; and thus, when, by the working of

1 54 Revelations <of Divine Love,
mercy and grace we be made meek and
mild, then we be full safe. Suddenly is
the soul united to God, when she is truly
f>eaced'ia herself; for in Him is found no
wrath. And thus I saw, when we be all
in peace and in love, we find no con-
trariousness "in no manner of letting.
And that coiltrariousness which is now in
us, our Lord God of His goodness mak
eth it to us full profitable ? for contrarious-
ness is cause of all our tribulation, and all
our woe. And our Lord Jesus taketh
them, and sendeth them up to heaven,
and then they are made more sweet and
more delectable than heart may think, or
tongue can tell. And when we come
thither, we shall find them ready all
turned into very fairness and endless
.worship. Thus is God our steadfast
ground, and shall be our full bliss, and
make us unchangeable, as He is, when we
be there.

Sehewed to Mother. Julian of Norwich. 165

Wit Jfifitei'It dtftapfer.
.low the chosen soul was never dead In
the sight of God j, of a. marvel upon the
same ;; three things embolden hec ta ask.
GocLthe iindeistajtid-ag, of it..
C^JJL ND> in this- mortal life mercy and?
/k%\ forgiveness is our way, that ever
more leadeth us- to grace. And
by the tempest and the sorrow that we
fall into on our part, we be oftea dead, as,
to man's doom- on earth ; but in. the sight
of God the soul that shall be saved was
never dead, nor neve* shall' be. But yet
here I wondered and marvelled with all
the diligence of my soul„ meaning thus:
" Good Lord, I see that Thou art the- very-
truth, and I .know truly that we sin grieve
ously all days, and be nmeh blameworthy ;¦
and I wtay neither leave the knowing qf>
this- truth, nor I see- not the shewing to> ur
no manner qf blame. ¦ How may this be f:
For I know, by the: common teaching of-

1 66 Revelations of Divine Love,
Holy Church, and by mine own feeling,
that the blame of our sins continually
hangeth upon tis, from the first man unto
the time that we come up into heaven."
Then was this my marvel, that I saw our
Lord God shewing to us no more blame
than if we were as clean and as holy as
angels be in heaven. And between these
two contraries, my reason was greatly
travailed by my blindness, and could have
no rest, for dread that His blessed pres
ence should pass from my sight, and I be
left in unknowing how He beholdeth us
in our sin. For either me behoved to
see in God that sin were all done away,
of else me behoved to see in God how
He seeth it-; whereby I might truly know
how it belongeth to me to see sin, and the
manner of our blame. My longing en
dured, Him continually beholding; and
yet I could have no patience, for great
fear and perplexity thinking, " If I take it
thus, that we be no sinners, nor no blame'
worthy, it s-eemeth as I should err, and fail
°f knowing the truth. And if it be true
that we be sinners, and blameworthy, how

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 167
may ii then be that I cannot see this truth
in'Thee, which art my God, my Maker, in
whom I desire to see all truth ? "
For three points make me hardy to ask
it. The first is, for it is so low a thing ; for
if it were an high I should be adread.
The second is, that it is so common ; for
if it were special and privy also, I should
be adread. The third is* that it needeth
me to wit, as methinketh, if I shall live
here, for knowing of good and evil;
whereby I may, by reason and by grace,
the more depart them asunder; and love
goodness, and hate evil; as Holy Church
teacheth. I cried inwardly with all my
might, seeking unto God for help, mean
ing thus: " Ah, Lord Jesus, King of bliss,
how shall I be eased ? Who shall tell me,
and teach me, that me needeth to wit, if I
may not at this time see it in Thee ?"

1 68 Revelations of Divine Love,

Wxt Jfift^fitst Chapter.
The answer to the doubt, by a marvellous
example of our Lord as a servant. We
must wait for God, as it was more than
twenty years after she understood this
example. How it is that Jesus Christ
sitteth at the right hand of the Father.
f^fl ND then our courteous Lord an-
<£\> swered in shewing full mystily, by
a wonderful example of a lord that
hath a servant, and gave sight to my
understanding of both: which sight was
shewed double in the lord, and the sight
was shewed double in the servant. The
one part was shewed ghostly in bodily
likeness ; the other part was shewed more
ghostly without bodily likeness. For the
first, thus I saw two persons in bodily
likeness ; that is to say, a lord and a ser
vant. And therewith God gave me
ghostly understanding: the lord sitteth
solemnly in rest and in peace ; the ser-

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 69
vant standeth before the lord reverently,
to do his lord's will j the lord looketh
upon his servant full lovely, and sweetly,
and meekly; he sendeth him into a certain
place to do His will. The servant not
only he goeth, but suddenly he starteth,
and runneth in great haste, for love to do
his lord's will. And anon he falleth into
a vale, and taketh full great sorrow ; and
then he groaneth, and moaneth, and wal-
loweth, and writheth,, but he cannot rise
nor help himself in no manner of way.
And of all this, the most mischief that I
saw him in was failing of comfort, for he
could not turn his face to look upon his
loving lord, which was to him full near, in
whom is full comfort j but as a man that
was full feeble and unwise for the time, he
attended to his feeling and enduring in
woe. In which woe he suffered seven great
pains. The first was the sofe bruising
that he took in his falling, which was to
him much pain. The second was the
heaviness of his body. The third was the
feebleness that followed of these two;

1 70 Revelations of Divine Love,
The fourth was that he was blinded in
his reason^ and astonished' in his mind, so
far forth, that almost he had forgotten his
own love. The fifth was that he could
not rise. The sixth was pain most marvel
lous to me; and that was that he lay alone.
I looked all about and beheld, and far, nor
near, nor high, nor low> I saw to him no
help. The seventh Was> that the place that
he lay in was hard, long, and grievous. I
marvelled how this servant might thus
meekly suffer all this woe. And I beheld
with advisedness, to wit if I could per
ceive in him any default, or if the lord
should assign him any manner of blame.
And verily there was none seen ; for only
his goodwill and his great desire was the
cause of his falling. And he was as un-
loathful, and as good inwardly) as he was
when he stood before his lord, ready to do
his will.
And right thus continually his loving
lord tenderly beholdeth him, and now
with a twofold countenance: one outward,
full meekly and mildly, with great ruth
and pity, and this was of the first shewing.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 171
Another inward, more ghostly ; and this
was shewed with a leading of my under
standing into the Lord, in restoring which
I saw Him mightily rejoice, for the wor
shipful resting and nobleness that He
will and shall bring His servant to, by
His plenteous grace ; and this was of the
other shewing. And now was my under
standing led again into the first, both
keeping in mind: then said this courteous
lord in his meaning: " To my beloved ser
vant, what harm and disease he hath had
and taken in my service, for my love, yea,
and for his good will ? Is it not reason
that I reward him, his pain and his dread,
his hurt and his maim, and all his woe ?
And not only this, but falleth it not to me
to give him a gift, that be better to him,
and more worshipful than his own healing
should have been ; or else methinketh I did
him no grace ?" And in this an inward
ghostly shewing of the lord's meaning
descended into my soul, in which I saw
that it behoved needs to be, standing his
great goodness and his own worship, that
his dear worthy servant, which he loved

172 Revelations of Divine Love, '
so much, should; be highly and worship-
fully rewarded without end, above that'
he should have been if he had: not fallen ;:
yea> and so far forth, that his- falling and
all his woe that he hath taken thereby,.
shall be turned into the high overpassing.
worship> and endless bliss. And at this.
point the shewing of the example van
ished, and our good Lord led forth my
understanding; in sight and in shewing of
the Revelation to the- .end.
Rut notwithstanding all this forthlead-
ing, the marvelling of the example never
went from me;, for methought it was
given me for answer to my desire: and
yet I could not take. therein full under
standing to my ease at that time. For in
the servant, that was shewed for Adam,
as I shall say, 1 saw many divers proper
ties that might hy no manner be direct to
$ingle Adam. And thus,' in that time, I
stood much in three knowings; for the
full understanding of this marvellous ex
ample was not given me in that time. In
whieh misty example the privities of thex
Revelation be yet much hid. And not<;

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 73
withstanding this, I saw and understood
that every shewing is full of privities* and
therefore me behoveth now to tell thr^e
properties, in which I am somewhat eased.
The first is, the beginning of teaching,
that I understood there in the same time.
The second is, the inward. learning that
I have understood therein since. The
third is, all the holy Revelation, from the
beginning to the end, which our Lord
God, of His goodness, bringeth ofttimes
freely to the sight of my understanding.
And these three be so united, as to my
understanding, that I cannot, nor may not,
depart them. And by these three, as one,
I have teaching, whereby I am to believe
and trust in our Lord God, that of the
same goodness that He shewed it, and for
the same end, right so of the same good
ness, and of the same end, He shall de
clare it to us when it is His will. For
twenty years after the time of the shew
ing, save three months, I had teaching
inwardly, as I shall say.
It belongeth to thee to take heed to all
the properties and the conditions, that

1 74 Revelations of Divine Love,
were shewed in the example, though thee
think that it be misty and indifferent to
thy sight. I assented wilfully with great
desire, seeing inwardly with advisedness,
all the points and the properties that were
shewed in the same time, as far forth as
my wit and my understanding would serve ;
beginning at my beholding at the lord,
and at the servant ; at the manner of sit
ting of the lord, and the place he sat on,
and the colour of his clothing, and the
manner of shape, and his cheer without,
and his nobleness and his goodness with
in ; and the manner of standing of the
servant, and the place where and how, and
his manner of clotliing.'the colour and the
shape, at his outward behaviour, and at
his inward goodness, and his unloathful-
ness. The lord that sat solemnly in rest
and in peace, I understand that he is God.
The servant that stood before Him, I
understood that he was shewed for Adam ;
that is to say, one man was shewed that
time, and his falling, to make thereby to
be understood how God beholdeth all
men, and his falling, for in the sight of

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 175
God all men are one man, and one man is
all men. This man was hurt in his might,
and made full feeble, and he was aston
ished in his understanding, far he was
turned from the beholding of his Lord,
but his will was kept in God's sight, for
his will I saw our Lord commend and
approve, but himself was letted and
blinded of the , knowledge of this will.
And this is to him great sorrow and
grievous disease, for neither he seeth
clearly his loving lord, which is to him full
meek and mild, nor he seeth truly what
himself is in the sight of his loving lord.
And well I wot that when these two be
wisely and truly seen, we shall get rest
and peace here in part, and the fulsome-
ness of the bliss of heaven by His plen
teous grace. And this was a beginning of
teaching which I saw in the same time,
¦whereby I might come to knowing in what
manner He beheld us in our sin. And
then I saw that only pain blameth and
punisheth. And our courteous Lord com-
forteth and succoureth. And ever He is

176 Revelations of Divine Love,
to the soul in glad Cheer, longing and lov
ing to bring us to His bliss.
The plade that the lord sat on was
simple, ort the earth, barren and desert,
alone in the wilderness ; his clothing was
wide and side, and full seemly, as falleth
to a lord ; the colour of his clothing was
blue as azure, most sad and fair ; his
countenance was mercifuk The colour of
his face was fair, brown, white, with full
seemly countenance ; his eyes were black,
most fair and seemly, shewing full of
lovely pity. And within him an heyward,
long and broad, all full of endless heavens.
And the lovely looking that he looked on
his servant continually, and namely, in liis
falling, methought it might melt our
-hearts for love, and burst them in two for
joy. This fair looking shewed of a med^-
ley which was marvellous to behold. The
one was ruth and pity, the other joy and
bliss. The joy and bliss passeth as far
the ruth and pity as heaven is above
earth: the pity was earthly, and the bliss
heavenly. . . .
The ruth and the pity of the Father

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 177
was for the falling of Adam, which is His
most loved creature ; the joy and the
bliss was for the falling of His dear
worthy Son, which is even with the
Father. . The merciful beholding of His
lovely countenance fulfilled all earth, and
descended down with Adam into hell,
witli which continuant pity Adam was
kept from endless death. And this mercy
and pity dwelleth with mankind unto the
time that we come up into heaven.
But man is blinded in this life, and
therefore we may not see our Father God
as He is. And what time that He of His
goodness will shew Himself to man, He
sheweth Himself as homely as may ; not
withstanding that I saw verily we ought
to know and believe that the Father is
not man. But His sitting on the earth,
barren and desolate, is this to mean: He
made man's soul to be His own city, and
His dwelling place, which is most pleas
ing to Him of all His works. And what
time man was fallen into sorrow and pain,
he was not all seemly to serve to that
noble office. And therefore our kind
ia

178 Revelations of Divine Love,
Father would have dight Him none other
place but to sit on the earth, abiding man
kind, which is meddled with earth, till
what time, by His grace, His dear worthy
Son had brought again His city into the
noble fairness, with His hard travail. The
blueness of that clothing betokeneth His
steadfastness ; the brownness of His fair
Face, with the seemly blackness of the
eyes, was most according, to show His
holy soberness. The largeness of His
clothing,, which was fair flaming about,
betokeneth that He hath enclosed in'
Himself" all heayens, apd endless- joy and
bliss. And this was shewed in a touch,
where I saw that my understanding was
led into the Lord ;. hi which I saw Him
highly rejoice, for the worshipful restoring
that He will and shall; bring His servant
to by His plenteous grace.
And yet I marvelled, beholding the
lord and the servant beforesaid: I saw the
lord sit solemnly, and the servant standing
reverently before his lord ; in which ser
vant is a double understanding, one with'
but another within. Outward he was clad'

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 179
simple, as a labourer which was disposed
to travail, and he stood full near the lord,
not even fore anenst him, bub in part
asidej and that on the left side: His
elothing was a white kirtle, single, old,
and all defaulted1, dyed with sweat of his
body, strait sitting to hirh> and short, as it
were an handful beneath the knee ; bare,
seeming as it should, soon be worn up,
ready to* be ragged, and rent. And in
this I marvelled. greatly, thinking: This is
now 1 an tmseemly clothing for the servant
that is so highly loved, to stand in before so
worshipful a lord. And- inward in him
was shewed a ground of love, which love
he had to the- lord* that was even like to
the love that- the lord had to him., The
wisdom* of. the servant saw inwardly that
there was one thing to do; which should
be worship to the lord. And the servant,
for love having no. regard to himself, nor to
nothing that might befaf of him, hastily did
start and run at the sending of his lord
to do that thing which was his will and his
worship. For it seemed by his outward
clothing as if he had been a, continuant

1 80 Revelations of Divine Love,
labourer, and an hard travailer of long
time. And by the inward sight that I
had, both in the lord and in the servant,
it seemed that he was anew, that is to say,
new beginning for to travail, which servant
was never sent out before.
There was a treasure in the earth which
the lord loved. I marvelled and thought
what it might be ; and I was answered in
my understanding, " It is a meat which is
lovesome and pleasing unto the lord." For
I saw the lord sit as a man, and I saw
neither meat nor drink wherewith to serve
him. This was one marvel. Another
anarvel was that this solemn lord had no
servant but one, and him he sent out. I
beheld, thinking what. labour it may be
that the servant should do ; and then I
understood that he should do the greatest
labour, and the hardest travail: that is, he
should be a gardener, delving, and diking,
and sweating, and turning the earth up
and down, and seek the deepness, and
water the plants in time ; and in this he
should continue his travail, and make
sweat-floods to run, and noble plenteous-

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 81
ness of fruit to spring, which he should
bring before the lord, and serve him
therewith to his liking ;. and he should
never turn again till he had prepared this
meat all ready, as he knew that it liked to
the lord, and then he should take this
meat, with the drink, and bear it full
worshipfully before the lord.
And all this time the lord should sit
fight on the same place, abiding the ser
vant whom he sent out. And yet I mar
velled from whence- the servant came ; for
I saw in the lord that he hath within him
endless life, and all manner of goodness,
save the treasure that was in the earth,
and that was grounded within the lord in
marvellous deepness of endless love,. But
it was not all to his. worship, till his ser
vant had thus nobly prepared it, and
brought it before him in himself present.
And without the lord was right nought
but wilderness.
And I understood not all that this ex
ample meant, and therefore I marvelled
whence the servant came. In the servant
is comprehended the Second Person of

1 8 2 Revelations of Divine Love,
the Trinity ; and in the servant is compre
hended Adam, that is to say, all man.
And therefore, when I say the Son it
meaneth the Godhead, which is even with
the Father. And when I say the servant,
it meaneth Christ's Manhood, which is,
rightful Adam. By the nearhood of the
servant is understood the Son ; and by
the standing son the left side is understood
Adam. The lord is God the Father ; the
servant is the Son Jesus Christ ; the Holy
Ghost is -the even love that is in them
both. When Adam fell, God's Son fell,
for the right union which was made in
heaven: God's Son might not be separate
from Adam, for by Adam I understood
all men. Adam fell from life to death
into the vale of this wretched world, and
after that into hell. God's Son fell with
Adam into the vale of the Maiden's womb,
which was the fairest daughter of Adam,
and that was for to excuse Adam from
blame in heaven and in earth. And
mightily He fetched him out of hell. By
the wisdom and the goodness that was in
the servant, is understood God's Son ; by

Shewed io Mother Julian of Norwich. 183
the poor clothing as a labourer standing
"near the left side, is understood the man
hood Of Adam, with a_ the mischief and
feebleness that followettv; for in ail this our
good Lord shewed His own Son and Adam
but one man. The virtue and the good
ness that we have is of Jesus Christ, the
feebleness and the blindness that We have
is of Adam; which two Were shewed in
the servants and thus hath our good Lord
Jesus taken upon Him all our blame. And
therefore our Father may, nor will, no more
blame assign to us than to His own dear
worthy Son Jesus Christ. Thus was He
the servant before His coming linto the
earth ; standing ready before the Father
in purpose, till what time He would send
Him to do the worshipful deed by which
mankind was brought again into heaven ;
that is to say, notwithstanding that He is
God even with the Father, in regard of
the Godhead, yet in His foreseeing pur
pose that He would be man, to save man
in the fulfilling of the will of His Father,
so He stood before His Father as a ser
vant, wilfully taking upon him all our

1 84 Revelations of Divine Love,
charge. And then He started full readily
at the Father's will, and anon He fell full
low in the Maiden's womb, having no
regard to Himself nor to His hard pains.
The white kirtle is the flesh ; the singleness
is that there was right nought between
the Godhead and the Manhood ; the
straitness is poverty ; the old is of Adam's
wearing ; the defaulting is the sweat of
Adam's travail ; the shortness sheweth the
labourer-servant. And thus I saw the Son stand, saying
in His meaning: " Lo ! My dear Father,
I stand before Thee in Adams kirtle, all
ready to start and to run : I would be in
the earth to. Thy worship, when it is Thy
will to senff Me: how long shall I desire
itf Full truly wist the Son when it was the
Father's will, and how long He should
desire ; that is to, say, in regard of the
Godhead, for He is the wisdom of the
Father. Wherefore this meaning was
shewed in understanding of the Manhood
of Christ; for all mankind that shall be
saved, by the sweet Incarnation and Pas-

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 185
sion of Christ, all is the Manhood of
Christ ; for He is the Head, and we be
His members ; to which members the day
and the time is unknown, when every
passing woe and sorrow shall have an
end, and the everlasting joy and bliss
shall be fulfilled. Which day and time
all the company 'of heaven longeth and
desireth ; and all that be under heaven,
which shall come thither, their way is by
longing and desiring. Which desiring
and longing was shewed in the servant
standing before the lord; or else thus, in
the Son standing before the Father in
Adam's kirtle ; for the longing and desir
ing of all mankind that shall be saved
appeared in Jesus ; for Jesus is in all that I
may be saved, and all that be saved is in
Jesus. And all of the charity of God,
with obedience, meekness, and patience,
and virtues that belongeth to us.
Also, in this marvellous example, I
have teaching within me, as it were the
beginning of an A B C, whereby I may
have some understanding of our Lord's;
meaning ; for the privities of the Revela-

1 86 Revelations of Divine Love,
tion be hid therein, notwithstanding that
all the shewings be full of prfviries> The
sitting of the Father betokeneth the God*
head, that is to say, for shewing of rest
and peace ; for in the Godhead may be
no travail. And that He slieWeth Himself
as lord betokeneth to our manhood; the
standing of the servant betokeneth travail ;
and on the left side betokeneth that Ire
was not all worthy to stand even right
before the lord. His starting was the
Godhead, and the running was the Man
hood ; for the Godhead started from the
Father into the Maiden's womb, falling
into the taking of our nature. And in
this falling He took great sore': the sore
that He took was our flesh, in which, as
soon as He took *_, He had feeling of
deadly pains. By that He stood dreadful
before the lord, and not even right, be
tokeneth that His clothing was not honest
to stand even right before the lord, nor
that might not nor should not be His
office whiles He was a labourer ; nor also
He might not sit with the lord in rest and
peace, till He had won His peace right-

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 187
fully with His hard travail. And by the
left side, that the Father left His own Son
wilfully in the Manhood, to suffer all
man's pain, without sparing of Him. By
that His kirtle was at the point to be
ragged and rent, is understood the rods
and scourges, the thorns and the nails,
the drawing and the dragging His tender
Flesh renting, as I saw in some part. The
tender Flesh was rent from the Head-pan,
falling in pieces, unto the time that the
bleeding failed, and then it began to dry
again, cleaving to the bone. And by the
wallowing, and writhing, groaning, and
mourning, is understood, that He might
never rise all mightily from that time that
He was fallen into the Maiden's womb,
till His Body was slain and dead, He
yielding the soul into the Father's Hand,
with all mankind for whom He was sent.
And at this point He began first to
shew His might, for then He went into
hell. And when He was there, then He
raised up the great root out of the deep
deepness, which rightfully was knit to
Jfim in high heaven. The Body lay in

r88 Revelations of Divine Love,
the grave till Easter morrow ; and from
that time He lay never more: for there
was rightfully ended the wallowing, and
the writhing, the groaning, and the mourn
ing. And our foul deadly flesh, that
God's Son took upon Him, which was
Adam's old kirtle, strait, bare, and short,
then by our Saviour was made fair, new,
white and bright, and of endless clearness,
wide and side, fairer and richer than was
the clothing which I saw on the Father,
for that clothing was blue. And Christ's
clothing is now of fair seemly medley,
which is so marvellous that I can it no
descry, for it is all of very worship. Now
sitteth not the Lord on earth in a wilder
ness, but He sitteth on His rich and noble
seat, which He made in heaven most to
His liking. Now standeth not the Son
before the Father, as a servant before the
lord, dreadfully clothed, in part naked,
but He standeth before the Father even
right richly clothed, in blissful largeness,
with a crown upon His Head of precious
richness, for it was shewed that we be'
His crown, which crown is the Father's

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 89
  .  .  _  _  a  _ — ,  ,
joy, the Son's worship, the Holy Ghost's
liking, and endless marvellous hliss to all
that be in heaven. Now standeth not the
Son before the Father on the left side as
a labourer, but He sitteth on the Father's
Right Hand in endless rest and peace.
But it is not meant that the Son sitteth
on the right hand beside, as one man sit
teth by another in this life, for there is no
such sitting, as to my sight, in the Trinity :
but He sitteth on the Father's Right
Hand ; that is to say, right in the highest
nobleness of the Father's joy. Now is
the Spouse God's Son in peace with His
loved wife, which is the fair maiden of
endless joy. Now sitteth the Son, very
God and very Man, in His city, in rest
and in peace, which His Father hath pre
pared for Him of endless purpose, and
the Father in the Son, and the Holy
Ghost in the Father and in the Son.

1 90 Revelations of Divine Love,

Wxt Jftfigs&eartti) Chapter..
How God rejoiceth in- being our Father^
our- Brother, our- Spouse ; and how th«;
chosen have here a minglement of weal
and woe. How Gqd. is with us in. thre.e.
manners, How we may eschew sin,.
fND thus I saw that God rejoiceth,
that He is our Father, and ©od'
rejoiceth that He is our Mother,
and God rejoiceth .that He is our very
Spouse, and our soul His loved wife. And
Christ rejoiceth that He is our Brother,
and Jesus rejoiceth that He is our Saviour.
These be five high joys, as I understand,
in which He willeth that we rejoice, Him
praising, Him thanking, Him loving, Him
endlessly blessing. All that shall bev
saved, for the time of this life, we have
in us a marvellous medley both of weal
and of woe; we have in us our Lord
Jesus Christ uprisen, and we have in us
the wretchedness and the mischief of

Shewed? to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 9 1
Adam's falling and dying. By Christ we
be lastingly kept, and by His gracious
touching we be raised into very trust of
salvation. And hy Adam's falling we be
so broken, in our feeling, in- divers man
ners, by sin and by sundry pains, in which
we be made so dark and so, blind that
scarce we can take any comfort. But, in
our meaning, we abide Qod, and faith
fully trust to. haye mercy an,d grace. And
this is His own working in us, and of
His goodness it openeth the eye of
our understanding, by which we have
sight, sometime more, sometime less,
after that God giveth ability to take.
And now we be raised into the one, and
now we be suffered to fall into the
other. And thus is that medley so mar
vellous in us, that scarce we know of
ourself, or of our fellow Christian, in what
way we stand, for the marvellousness of
this sundry feeling, but for the holy assent
that we assent' to God, when we feel
iii Him truly willing to be with Him with
_11, our heart, with all our soul, and with
all our might. And then we hate and

192 Revelations of Divine Love,
despise our evil stirring, and all that
might be occasion of sin, ghostly and
bodily. And yet nevertheless, when this
sweetness is hid, we fall again into blind
ness, and so into woe and tribulation in
divers manners. But then is this our
comfort, that we know in our faith, that
by the virtue of Christ which is our
keeper, we assent never thereto. But we
grudge there-against, and endure in pain
and in woe, praying into that time that He
sheweth Him again to us.
And thus we stand in this medley all
the days of our life ; but He wills that we
trust that He is lastingly with us, and that
in three manners. He is with us in
heaven very Man, in His own person, us
up-drawing; and that was shewed in the
ghostly thirst. And He is with us on
earth us leading ; and that was shewed in
the Third, where I saw God in a point.
And He is with us in our soul, endlessly
uniting, ruling, and guiding us ; and that
was shewed in the Sixteenth, as I shall
say. And thus in the servant was shewed
the mischief of Adam's falling. And in

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 193
the servant was shewed the wisdom and
goodness of God's Son. And in the lord
was shewed the ruth and the pity of
Adam's woe ; and in the lord was shewed
the high nobleness and endless worship
that mankind is come to by the virtue of
the Passion and the Death of His dear
worthy Son. And therefore mightily He
rejoiceth in His falling, for the high rais
ing and fullness of bliss that mankind is
come to, overpassing that we should have
had if He had not fallen.
And thus, to see this overpassing noble
ness, was my understanding led into God,
in the same time that I saw the servant
fall. And thus we have matter of mourn
ing, for our sin is cause of Christ's pains;
and we have lastingly matter of joy, for
endless love made Him to suffer. And
therefore the creature that seeth and feel-
edi the working, of love by grace, hateth
nought but sin ; for of all things, as to my
sight, love and hate be. hardest and most
unmeasurable contraries.
And notwithstanding all this, I saw and
understood this in our Lord's meaning,
13

1 94 Revelations of Divine Love,
that we may not in this life keep us from
sin, all holy in full cleanness, as we shall
be in heaven. But we may well by grace
keep us from the sins which would lead
us to endless pain, as Holy Church teach
eth us„ and eschew venial, reasonably up
to our might. And if we, by our blind*
ness and our wretchedness, any time fall;
that we readily rise, knowing the sweet
touching of grace ; and wilfully amend
us, upon teaching of Holy Church, after
that the sin is grievous; and go forth
with God in love:- and neither on the one
side fall over low, inclining to despair,
nor on the other side be over^reckless, as
that we give no force ; but meekly know
our feebleness, witting that we may not
stand the twinkling of an eye, but with
keeping of grace, and reverently cleave
to God, in Him only trusting.
For otherwise is the beholding of God,
and otherwise is the beholding of man.
For it belongeth to man meekly to accuse
himself, and it belongeth to the proper
goodness of our Lord God courteously to
excuse man. And these be two parts

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 195
'*—-" ¦-¦¦¦¦ — T<"  —  —  .  ,
that were shewed in the double coun
tenance, in which the lord beheld the fall
ing of his loved servant. The one was
shewed outward, full meekly and mildly,
with great ruth and pity: and the other of
inward endless love. And right thus will
our good Lord that we accuse ourself wil
fully, and truly see and know His ever
lasting love that He hath to us, and His
plenteous mercy. And thus graciously to
see and know both together, is the meek
accusing that our good Lord asketh of us,
and Himself worketh where it is: and this
is the lower part of man's life. And it
was shewed in the outward countenance ;
in which shewing I saw two parts. The
one is the rueful falling of man, the other
is the worshipful satisfaction that our
Lord hath made for man.
The other countenance was shewed
inward, and that was more high and all
one: for the life and the virtue that we
have in the lower part is of the higher.
And it cometh down to us of the kind
love of the self-same by grace. Between
the one and the other is right nought ; for

196 Revelations of Divine Love,
it is all one -love; which one blessed love
hath now in us double working ; for in the
lower part be pains and passions, ruths
and pities, mercies and forgiveness, and
such other which be profitable. But in
the higher part be none of these ; but all
one high love and marvellous joy, in
which marvellous joy all pains be wholly
destroyed. And in this not only our
good Lord shewed our excusing: but also
the worshipful nobleness that He shall
bring us to, turning all our blame into
endless worship.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 197

Wtt J iftg4htd) Chapter.
How the kindness of God asslgneth no
blame to. His chosen, for m them is a
godly will which, never consentetb to^
sin. It behoveth us to he kind to Him*
as never to depart from Him.

31*

rND thus I saw that He wtlleth that
we know that He taketh no harder
the falling of any creature that
shall be saved than He took the falling of
Adam, which we know was endlessly
ltoved, and securely kept in the time of
all his need, and now. is blissfully restored!
in high overpassing joys. For our Lord
God is so. good, so gentle, and so cour
teous, that He may never assign default
in whom He shall be ever blessed and
praised, And in this that I have now
said, was my desire in part answered, and
my great fear some deal eased by the
lovely gracious shewing of our Lord Godv
In which shewing, I saw and understood

198 Revelations of Divine Love,
full surely that in each soul that shall be
saved, is a godly will that never assent-
eth to sin, nor never shall. Which will is
so good that it may never will ill, but
evermore continually it willeth good, and
worketh good in the sight of God. Where
fore our Lord willeth that we know it in
the faith and the belief, and namely and
truly that we have all this blessed will
whole and safe in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the nature that heaven shall be ful
filled with, it behoved needs, of God's
rightfulness, so to be knit and united in
Him, that therein was kept a substance
which might never nor should be parted
from Him, and that through His own
good will, in His endless purpose afore-.
said. . And, notwithstanding this rightful knit
ting, and this endless uniting, yet the.
redemption, and the again' buying of man
kind, is needful and profitable, in every*
thing, as it is done for the same intent
and for the same end that: Holy Church in
pur. faith us teacheth. For I saw that
God began he ver to dove mankind ;., foft

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 1 99
right the same that mankind shall be ia
endless bliss /fulfilling the Joy of God in
regard of His works,), right so the same
mankind hath been, in the foresight of
God, known and loved from without
beginning in His rightful intent. And by
the endless intent and assent, and the full
accord of all the Trinity, the mid-Person
would be the ground and head of this
fair kind, out of whom we be all come, in
whom we be all enclosed, into whom we
shall all go, in Him finding our full
heaven in everlasting joy, by the foresee
ing purpose of all the Blessed Trinity
from without beginning. For before that
He made us He loved us ; and when we
were made we loved Him. And this is a
love made of the natural substantial good*
ness of the Holy Ghost ; mighty by rea
son of the might of the Father, and wise
in mind of the wisdom of the Son. And
thus is man's soul made by God, and in
the same point knit to God. :¦
; And thus I understood that man's soul I
is made of nought ; that is to say, it is I
made, but of nought that is made; as 1

206 Revelations of Divine Love,

i thus;- when God should make man's body
He took the slime of the earth, which is a
matter meddled and gathered of all bodily
things, and thereof He made man's body.
But to the making of man's soul He
would take right nought, but made It.
And thus is the nature made rightfully
united to the Maker ; which is substantial
nature unmade, that is, God. And there
fore, it is that there may nor shall be right
nought between God and man's soul, and
in this endless love man's soul is kept
whole, as all the matter of the Revelation
I meaneth and shewefh,, In which endless
love we be led and kept Of God, and
never shall be lost ; for He willeth that
we know that our soul is a life, which life
of His goodness and His grace shall last
in heaven without end, Him loving, Him
thanking, Him praising. And right the
_ame that we shall be without end, the
same we were treasured in God, and hid,
known, and loved from without beginning.
Wherefore He^ willeth we wit the noblest
thing that ever be made is mankind, and
the fullest substance and the highest vir-

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 201
tue is the blessed soul of Christ. And
furthermore He willeth we wit that this
dear worthy soul was preciously knit to
Him in the making, which knot is so
subtle and so mighty that it is united into
God. In which uniting it is made end
lessly holy. Furthermore, He willeth
that all the souls that shall be saved in
heaven without end be knit in this knot,
and united in this uniting, and made holy
in this holiness.*
* " Then our Lord Jesus* ascending on high, stood before the
Father, and presented to Him in His own person the souls of all
the elect, both of those who were present and had ascended with
Him, as well as of all those who were to come thither hereafter,
and the works, the sufferings, and merits of each : so that they
who are now in a state of sin appeased in Him in the form they
will be hereafter in heaven," — Revelations of S. Mechtild, jui.

202 Revelations of Divine Love,

Wxt Jfiftg4omih Chapter.
How we ought to rejoice that God dwelleth
in our soul, and our soul in God. How
our soul is as it were all God ; and how
faith is the ground of all virtue in the
soul by the Holy Ghost.
(0yt ND for the endless love that God
£\- hath to all mankind, He maketh no
separation in love between the
blessed soul of Christ, and the least soul
that shall be saved, For it is full easy to
believe and trust that the dwelling of the
blessed soul of Christ is full high in the
glorious Godhead. And truly, as I under
stood in our Lord's meaning, where the
blessed soul of Christ is, there is the sub
stance of all the souls that shall be saved
by Christ, (in their exemplar and final
cause.) Highly ought we to rejoice that God
dwelleth in our soul, and far more highly
/ought we to rejoice that our soul dwelleth

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 203
in God. Our soul is made to be God's
dwelling-place, and the dwelling of our
soul is God, which is unmade. A high
understanding it is inwardly to see and to
know, that God, which is our Maker,
dwelleth in our soul. And a higher un
derstanding it is, and more inward, to see
and to know that our soul, that is made,
dwelleth in God in substance ; of which
substance by God we be that we be. And
I saw no difference between God and our
substance, but as it were all God. And
yet my understanding took that our sub
stance is in God ; that is to say, that God
is God, and our substance is a creature in
God. For the Almighty Truth of the
Trinity is our Father, for He made us and
keepeth us in Himself; and the deep
wisdom of the Trinity is our Mother, in
whom we be enclosed ; and the high
goodness of the Trinity is our Lord, and
in Him we be enclosed, and He in us.
i *
We be enclosed in the Father, and we be
enclosed in the Son, and we be enclosed
in the Holy Ghost. And the Father is
enclosed in us, the Son is enclosed in us.

2 ©4 Revelations of Divine Love;
and the Holy Ghost is enclosed in us ; all
might; all wisdom, and all goodness, one
God, one Lord. And our faith is a virtue
that cometh from our natural substance
into our sensual soul by the Holy Ghost.
In which virtue all our virtues come into
us, for without that no man may receive
virtues, for it is nought else but a right
understanding, with true belief, and secure
trust of our being, that we be in God, and
He in us, which we see not. And this
virtue, with all others that God hath or
dained to us coming therein, worketh in
us great things; for Christ mercifully is
working in us, and we graciously accord
to Him, through the gift and the virtue of
the Holy Ghost. This working maketh
that we be Christ's children, and Christian
in living.

Shewed -to Mother Julian qf Norwich. 205

Wxt Jftftg*fffth Chapter.
•How Christ is our way, bringing us to and
presenting us to the Father, as the soul is
inspired into the body, mercy and grace
working : and how Christ took our sen
suality to deliver us from double death.
^4 ND thus Christ is our way, us
f\ securely leading in His laws. And
Christ in His Body mightily bear
eth us up into heaven. For I saw that
Christ, us all having in Him that shall be
saved by Him, worshipfully presenteth
His Father in heaven with us, which pre
sent full thankfully His Father receiveth,
and courteously giveth it unto His Son
Jesus Christ, Which gift and working is
joy to the Father, and bliss to the Son,
and liking to the Holy Ghost, And pf all
things that to us belongeth, it is most
liking to our Lord that we rejoice in this
joy, which is in 'the Blessed Trinity, of
our salvation. And this was seen in ihe

206 Revelations of Divine Love,
ninth shewing, where it speaketh more of
this matter. And notwitlisianding all our
feeling, woe or weal, God willeth we un
derstand and believe that we be more
verily in heaven than on earth. Our
faith cometh, of the kind love of our soul,
and the clear light of our reason, and of
the steadfast mind which we have of God
in our first making. And what time our
soul is inspired into our body, in which we
be made sensual; so soon mercy and grace
begin to work, having of us care and kgep,-
ing with pity and love> In which working
the Holy Ghost formeth in our faith hope,
that we shall come again up above to our
substance, into the virtue of Christ,, in
creased and fulfilled through the Holy
Ghost. Thus I understood that the sen
suality is grounded in nature, in mercy,
and in grace; which ground enableth us
to receive gifts that lead us to endless
life ; for I saw full surely that our sub
stance is in God. And also I saw that
in our sensuality God is ; for in the same
manner that our soul is made sensual, in
the same manner is the city of God or-

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 207
dained to Him from without beginning.
In which city He cometh, and never shall
remove it ; for God- is never out of the
soul in which He shall dwell blessedly
without end. And this was said in the
sixteenth shewing, where it saith, " The
place thai Jesus taketh in our soul, He
shall never remove it'' And all the gifts
that God may give to the creature, He
hath given to His Son Jesus for us.
Which gifts He uniting in us, hath en
closed in Him, unto the_time that we be
waxen and grown, our soul with our
body, and our body with our soul ; either
of them take help of other, till we be
brought up into stature, as nature work-
eth. And then in the ground of nature,
with working of mercy, the Holy Ghost
graciously inspireth into us gifts, leading
to endless life. And this was my under
standing led of God to see in Him, and to
wit, to understand, and to know, that our
soul is a made trinity, like to the unmade
Blessed Trinity, known and loved from
without beginning; and in the making
united to the Maker, as it is before said.

_o8 Revelations of Divine Love,
This sight was full sweet and marvel
lous to behold, peaceable and restful,
Secure and delectable. And for the wor*
shipful uniting that was thus made of
God, between the soul and the body, it
behoved needs to be, that mankind should
be restored from double death, which
restoring might never be unto the time
that the Second Person in the Trinity
had taken the lower part of man's nature,
to whom the highest was united in the
first making. And these two parts were
in Christ, the higher and the lower, which
is but one soul ; the higher part was ever
in peace with God in full joy and bliss,
the lower part, which is sensuality, suf
fered for the salvation of mankind. And
these two parts were seen and felt in the
eighth shewing, in which my body was
fulfilled of feeling, and my mind of Christ's
Passion, and His Dying. And further
more, with this was a subtle feeling, and a
privy inward sight of the high parts. And
that was shewed in the same time, where
I might not for the meanwhile look up
into heaven, and that was for the mighty

Shewed to Mother Julian qf Norwich. 209
beholding of the inward: life, which inward
life is that high substance, that precious
soul, which is endlessly rejoicing in the
Godhead.

Wat Jfiitg*0ixth Chapter.
How it is easier to know God than our
own. soul, God being nearer to us. God
willeth us to desire the knowledge of
Him in mercy and grace.
f^f ND thus I saw full surely that it is
Xl ready to us, and more easy, to
come to the knowing of God, than
to know our own soul. For our soul is
so deep grounded in God, and so end
lessly treasured, that we may not come to )
the knowing thereof, till we have first
knowing of God, which is the Maker to
whom it is united. But, notwithstanding,
I saw that we have naturally of fulness to
desire wisely and truly to know our own
soul, whereby we be learned to seek it
where it is, and that is in God. And
•4

2 1 o Revelations of Divine Love,
thus, by the gracious leading of the Holy
Ghost, we shall know them both in one.
Whether we be stirred to know God or
our soul, it is both good and true, God
is -more nearer to us than our own soul ;
for He is the ground in whom our soul
standeth, and He is the means that keep
eth the substance and the sensuality
together, so that they shall never sepa
rate. For our soul sitteth in God in very
rest, and our soul standeth in God in
secure strength, and our soul is naturally
rooted in God in endless love. And therer
fore, if we will have knowing of our soul,
and communing, and dalliance therewith,
it behoveth us to seek into our Lord God,
in whom it is enclosed. And of this
enclosing I saw and understood more in
the sixteenth shewing, as I shall say.
And in regard of our substance, it may
rightly be called our soul ; and that is by
the uniting that it hath in God. That
worshipful city that our Lord Jesus sitteth
in, it is our sensuality, in which He is
enclosed. And our natural substance is
enclosed in Jesus, with the Blessed Soul

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 2 1 1
of Christ, sitting in rest in the Godhead.
And I saw full surely that it behoved
needs to be, that we should be in longing,
and in penance, unto the time that we be
led so deep into God, that we verily and
truly know our own soul. And surely I
saw that into this high deepness our good
Lord Himself leadeth us, in the same love
that He made us, and in the same love
that He bought us, by mercy and grace,
through virtue of His blessed Passion.
And notwithstanding- all this, we may
never come to the full knowing of God
till we know first clearly our own soul.
For unto the time that it is in the full
might, we may not be all holy, that is,
unto the time that our sensuality, by the
virtue of Christ's Passion, be brought up
into the substance, with all the profits of
our tribulation, that our Lord shall make
us to get by mercy and grace. I had in
part teaching, and it is grounded in nature,
that is to say, our reason is grounded in
God, which is substantially perfect. Of
this substantial kindness, mercy and grace
springeth, and spreadeth into us, working

212 Revelations of* Divine .. Love,
all things in fulfilling, of our joy, These,
be our grounds in which we have our
being* our increase, and; our, fulfilling.
For in our nature we havfe our life and
our being, and in mercy and, grace* we
have our increase and our fulfilling* It
be three properties in one goodness; and
where that one worketh all work in the
things that belong to. us* God willeth we
understand* desiring with all our heart,
and with all our strength, to have knowing.
of them ever more and more, unto the
time that we he fulfilled. For fully to
know them, and clearly to see them,, is
nought else but the endless joy and bliss
that we shall have in heaven, which God
willeth; we begin here hy the- knowing
of His love. For only by our reason we
may not profit, unless we have evenly
therewith mind and love ; nor in our
1 natural ground only that we have in God»
we may not be saved; unless we have,,
coming of the same ground, mercy- and
grace. For of these three workings
all together we receive all our goods, of
Which the first be the goods of nature..

Shewed' to Mother Julian of Norwich. 213
For in bur first making God gave us as
much "good, and as great good, as we
might receive only in our spirit ; but His
foreseeing purpose, in His endless wis
dom, would that we were double.

giilfcsMxi\\ CM|te.
in bur substance we be full, in ciir Sen
suality we fail, which God will repair by
&race. How our higher part is knit to
God in the making, and God is kind to
©ur lower part, in taking our flesh. Of
faith and other virtues. Mary is our
Mother. rND in regard of oar substance, He
made us so noble, and so rich, that
"evermore we work His will and
His worship: where I say we, it "meaneth
man that shall be saved. For truly I saw
that we be that that He loveth, and do
lhat Him liketh, lastingly without any1
ceasing. And of this great riches, and of
this high noble virtues come by measure

214 Revelations of Divine Love,
to our soul, which time that it is knit to
our body ; in which knitting we be made
sensual. And thus in our substance we
be full, and in our sensuality we fail ;
which failing God will restore and fulfil
by working of mercy and grace, plen-
teously flowing into us of His own kind
goodness. And thus this kind goodness
maketh that mercy and grace work in us.
And the kind goodness that we have of
Him enableth us to receive the working
of mercy and grace. I saw that our
nature is in God whole ; in which He
maketh diversities, flowing out of Him, to
work His will ; whose nature keepeth,
and mercy and grace restoreth and ful-
filleth. And of these none shall perish ;
for our nature, which is the higher part,
is knit to God in the making, and God is
knit to our nature, which is the lower part,
in our flesh- taking. And thus in Christ
our two natures be united, for the Trinity
is comprehended in Christ, in whom our
higher part is grounded and rooted ; and
our lower part the Second Person hath
taken, which nature first to Him was pre-

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 215
pared. For I saw full truly that all the
works that God hath done, or ever shall
do, were full known to Him, and foreseen
from without beginning. And for love
He made mankind ; and for the same
love He Himself would become man.
The next good that we receive is our
faith, in which our profiting beginneth ;
and it cometh of the high riches of our
natural substance into our sensual soul,
and it is grounded in us, and we in it,
through the kind goodness of God, by the
working of mercy and grace. And there
of come all our goods, by which we be
led and saved ; for the commandments of
God come therein, in which we ought to
have two manners of understanding: the
one is that we ought to understand and
know which be His biddings, to love
them and to keep them. The other is,
that we ought to know His forbiddings,
to hate them, and to refuse them ; for in
these two is all our working compre
hended. Also in our faith come the
seven sacraments, each following other in
order as God hath ordained them to us,

ai-6 Revolutions if Divine Love,

-and all manner of virtues. For the same
virtues that we have received of our 'sub
stance, given to us in nature of the good
ness of God, the same virtues hy the
working of mercy be given to us in igrace
through ithe Holy Ghost renewed: which
virtues and gifts are treasured to us in
Jesus Christ;; for in that same time that
God knit Him. to our body in the Maiden's
womb, He took our sensual soul. In
which taking He, us all having enclosed
in Him, He united it to our substance.
In which union He was perfect man. For
Christ, haviug knit in Him all man -that
shall be saved, is perfect man. Thus our
Lady is our Miother, in whom we be all
enclosed, and of iber bom in Christ; for
she, that is Mother of our Saviour, is
Mother of all that be saved in our Sa
viour. And our Saviour is our Mother,
>n whom we be endlessly born, and never
shall come out of Him. Plenteously*
fully, and sweetly was this shewed; and it
is spoken of in the first .shewing, where it
is said : " We be alt in Him enclosed, and
He is enclosed in us." And it is spoken

Shewed fio Mother Julian of Norwich. 2 17
of in the sixteenth shewing, where He
saith: " He sitteth in our soul." For it is
His liking to reign in our understanding
blissfully, and to ._k in our soul restfully,
and to dwell in our soul endlessly, us all
working into Him. In which working He
-willeth we be His helpers, giving to Him
all our intent, learning His laws, keeping
His lore, desiring that all be done that He
doth, truly trusting in Him ; for verily I
saw that all our substance is in God.*

*By the word sulstance is to be understood the soul, considered
in its spiritual nature and higher faculties. By the sensuality is
meant the soul as knit to a jleslily nature, and affected by it.
The substance or spirit is joined to Christ by the tie of fatherhood,
because He as 'God created it. The sensuality or flesh trans
mitted hy Adam became united to Him when He, the Word,
became Incarnate. This union is handed on to the members of
His Church by Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. Christ thus
knits to Him the whole man— -lire spirit and the fleshly nature,
the substance and the sensuality.

2 1 8 Revelations of Divine Love,

Wxt Jfiftg^ighth -Chapter.
How God is never displeased with His
chosen. Of three properties in the Tri
nity, Fatherhood, Motherhood, and Lord-
hood. How our substance is in every
person, but our sensuality is in Christ
alone.

«'

OD the blissful Trinity, which is
everlasting Being, right as He is
endless from without beginning,
right so it was in His purpose endless to
make mankind. Which fair nature was
first prepared to His own Son the Second
Person ; and when He would, by full
accord of all the Trinity, He made us all
at once. And in our making He knit us
and united us to Himself, by which uniting
we be kept as clean and as noble as we
were made. By the virtue of that pre
cious uniting we love our Maker, and like
Him, praise Him, and thank Him, and
endlessly rejoice in Him. And this is the

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 219
working which is wrought continually in
each soul that shall be saved ; which is
the godly will aforesaid. And thus, in
our making, God Almighty is our natural
Father. And God all wisdom is our
natural Mother, with the love and the
goodness of the Holy Ghost, which is all
one God, one Lord. And in the knitting,
and in the union, He is our very true
Spouse, and we His loved wife, and His
fair maiden, with which wife He was never
displeased, for He saith : " I love thee, and
thou lovest Me, and our love shall never
part in two."
I beheld the working of all the Blessed
Trinity, in which beholding I saw and
understood these three properties: the
property of the Fatherhood, and the pro
perty of the Motherhood, and the property
of the Lordship, in one God. In our
Father Almighty we have our bliss and
our keeping, and, in regard of our natu
ral substance, which is in us, our making
from without beginning. And in the
Second Person, in wit and wisdom we
have our keeping, and in regard of our

220 Revelations of Divide Love,
sensuality our restoring and Our saving ;
for He is our Mother, Brother, and Sa
viour. And in our good Lord the Holy
Ghost we have our rewarding, _nd our
yielding for our living arid our travail,
^endlessly overpassing all that we desire in
His marvellous courtesy, of high plen
teous grace. For all our life is in threes
in the first our being; and in fhe second
we have our increasing ; and in the third
we have our fulfilling. The first is nature,
the second is mercy, the third is grace.
For the first, I saw and understood that
the high might of the Trinity is our
Father, and the deep wisdom of the
Trinity is our Mother, and the great love
©f the Trinity is our Lord. And all these
have we in nature, and in our substantial
making. And furthermore I saw that the
Second Person, which is our Mother sub
stantially, the samfe dear worthy Person is
now become our mother sensual ; for we
be double of God's making t that is to say,
substantial and sensual. Our substance
is the higher part which we have in our
Father God Almighty; and the Second

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 22-1
Person of the Trinity is our Mother in
nature in our substantial making, in whom
we be grounded and rooted, and He is our
Mother in mercy, in our sensuality taking.
And thus our Mother is to us divers man
ners working, in whom our parts be kept
unseparated ; for in our Mother Christ we
profit and increase, and in mercy He re-
formeth us and restored).. And by the
virtue of His Passion, His death, and His
uprising, He united us to our substance.
This worketh our Mother in mercy to
all His beloved children* which be to Him
pliant and obedient. And grace worketh,
with mercy, and namely in two properties,
as it was shewed. Which working belong
eth to the Third Person, the Holy Ghost:
He worketh rewarding and, giving. Re-,
warding is a_, gift of , trust, that the Lord
doth to them that have travailed. And
giving is a courteous working which He
doth freely of grace, fulfilling and over
passing all that is deserved of creatures.
Thus in our Father God Almighty we
have our being, and in our Mother of
mercy Jesus Christ we have our reforming

222 Revelations of Divine Love,
and our restoring, in whom our parts be
united, and all made perfect man: and by
yielding and giving in grace of the .Holy
Ghost we be fulfilled. And our substance
is in our Father God Almighty ; and our
substance is in our Mother God All- Wis
dom ; and our substance is in our Lord
God the Holy Ghost, all Goodness: for our
substance is whole in each Person of the
Trinity, which is one God. And our sen
suality is only in the Second Person Christ
Jesus, in whom is the Father and the
Holy Ghost. And in Him, and by Him,
we be mightily taken out of hell, and out
of the wretchedness in earth ; and wor-
shipfully brought up into heaven, and
blissfully united to our substance, in
creased in riches and nobleness by all the
virtue of Christ, and by the grace and
working of the Holy Ghost.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 223

Wat Jtiftg^ninth Chapter.
How wickedness is turned into blessing by
mercy and grace in the chosen, for the
property of God is to do good. Jesus our
Mother in nature.
C^t ND all this bliss we have by mercy
£\ and grace: which manner of bliss
we might never have had and
known, unless that property and goodness
which is in God had been contraried,
whereby we have this bliss. For wicked
ness hath been suffered to rise contrary to
that goodness, and the goodness of mercy
and grace contraried against that wicked
ness, and turned all to goodness and wor
ship, to all that shall be saved ; for it is
that property in God which doth good
against evil. Thus Jesus Christ, that doth
good against evil, is our very Mother.
We have our being of Him, where the
ground of Motherhood beginneth, with all
the sweet keeping of love that endlessly

2._4:. Revelations of Divine Love,
followeth. As verily as God is our
Father, as verily is God our Mother, and
that shewed He in all, and namely, in
these, sweet words, where He saith, "/ it
am ;" that is to say, " / it am, the might
and the goodness ofthe Fatherhood; I it
am, the wisdom and. the kindness, of the
Motherhood ; I it am, the light and the
grace that is all blessed love ; I it am, the
Trinity ; I it am,- the Unity; I it am, the
high sovereign goodness of all manner of
thing; I it am that maketh- thee to long ; I
it am, the endless fulfilling of all true
desires." For where the soul is highest,
noblest, and worshipfullest, yet it is low-
est^ meekest, and mildest.
And of this substantial ground' we have
all our virtues in our sensuality, by gift of
nature, and by helping, and speeding of
mercy and. grace, without which we may
not profit. Our high Father' Almighty
God, which is being, He knoweth us, and,
loved us from before any time. Of which
knowing, in His full marvellous deep-
charity, by the foreseeing'endless counsel
of all. the Blessed Trinity^ He would that

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 225
the Second Person should become our
Mother, our Brother, and our Saviour.
Whereof it followeth that as verily as
God is our Father, as verily God is our
Mother. Our Father willeth, our Mother
worketh, our good Lord the Holy Ghost
confirmeth. And therefore it belongeth
to us to love our God, in whom we have
our being, Him reverently thanking and
praising for our making, mightily praying
to our Mother of mercy and pity, and to
our Lord the Holy Ghost, for help and
grace. For in these three is all our life,
nature, mercy, and grace ; whereof we
have mildness, patience, and pity, and
hating of sin and wickedness: for it be
longeth properly to virtues to hate sin and
wickedness. And thus is Jesus our very
Mother in nature of our first making: and
He is our very first Mother in grace by
taking of our nature made. All the fair
working, and all the sweet kindly offices
of dear worthy Motherhood be appro
priated to the Second Person. For in
Him we have this godly will, whole ancj

226 Revelations of Divine Love,
safe without end, both in nature and in
grace, of His own proper goodness.
I understood three manner of behold-
ings of Motherhood in God. The first is,
the ground of our natural making. The
second is, taking of our nature, and there
beginneth the Motherhood of grace. The
third is, Motherhood in working:: and
therein is a forthspreading by the same
grace, of length and breadth, of height and
deepness without end, and all is one love.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 22.7

Wat (Sixtieth Chapter.
How we be brought again forth by mercy
and grace. Of our most kind loving
Mother Jesus ; the properties of this
Motherhood. Jesus is our very Mpther,
not feeding us with milk, but with Him
self, opening His side to us.
<rf\ UT now me behoveth to say a little
ff\ more of this forthspreading, as I
understood in the meaning of our
Lord ; how that we be brought again into
our natural standing, wherein that we
were made by the Motherhood of kind
love, which kind love it never leaveth us.
Our kind Mother, our gracious Mother,
for He would all whole become our
Mother in all things, He took the ground
of His work full low, and full mildly, in
the Maiden's womb. And that shewed
He in the first, where He brought the
meek Maiden before the eye of my under
standing, in the simple stature as she was

228 Revelations of Divine Love,
when she conceived ; that is to say, our
high God, the sovereign wisdom of all.
In this low place He arrayed Him, and
prepared Him all ready in our poor flesh,
Himself to do the service and the office of
Motherhood in all things.
The mother's service is nearest, readi
est, and securest. Nearest, for it is most
of nature ; readiest, for it is most of love ;
and securest, for it is most of truth. This
office, nor might, nor could, never none have
done to the full, but He alone. We wit
that all our mothers bear us to pain and
dying. What is that but our very Mother
Jesus ? He alone beareth us to joy, and
to endless living, blessed may He be.
Thus He sustained us within Him, in love
and travail, unto the full time that He
would suffer the sharpest thorns and
grievous pains that ever were, or ever
shall be, and died at the last And when
He had done, and so borne us to bliss,
yet might not all this make satisfaction to
His marvellous love. And that He
shewed in these high overpassing words
of love : " If I might suffer more, I would

Shewed to Mother Julian qf Norwich. 229
suffer more'' He might no more die, but
He would not cease working. Wherefore
Him behoveth to find us, for the dear
worthy love of Motherhood hath made
Him debtor to us. The mother may give
her child to suck her milk, but our pre
cious Mother Jesus He may feed us with
Himself, and doth full courteously, and
full tenderly with the Blessed Sacrament,
that is the precious Food of very life. And
with all the sweet sacraments He sustain-
eth us full mercifully and graciously.
And so meant He in these blessed words,
where He said, "/ it am, that Holy
Church preacheth thee and leap heth thee:"
that is to say, all the health and the life of
the sacraments, all the virtue and all the
grace of My word, all the goodness that
is ordained in Holy Church to thee, " / it
am."
The mother, may lay her child tenderly
to her breast, but our tender Mother
Jesus, He may homely lead us into His
blessed Breast by His sweet open Side,
and shew us there in part of the Godhead,
and the joys pf heaven, with, ghostly

l2>o Revelations of Divine Love,
secureness of endless bliss/' And that
shewed He in the ninth Revelation, giving
the same understanding in this sweet
word, where He saith, " Lo, how I loved
thee," beholding into His blessed Side
rejoicing. This fair lovely word Mother, it is so
sweet and so kind in itself, that it may not
verily be said of none, nor to none, but of
Him, and to Him, that is the very Mother
of life and all. To the property of
motherhood belongeth kind love, wisdom,
and knowing, and it is God: for though it
be so, that our bodily forthbringing be but
little, low, and simple, in regard of our
ghostly forthbringing, yet it is He that
doth it, in the creatures by whom that it
is doney The kind loving mother that
wotteth, and knoweth the need of her
child, she keepeth it full tenderly, as the
nature and condition of motherhood will.
And ever, as it waxeth in age and stature,
she changeth the works, but not her love.
And« when it is waxed of more age, she
suffereth that it be chastised, in breaking
down of vices, to make the child receive

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 231
virtues and grace. This working, with all
that be fair and good, our Lord doth it in
him by whom it is done. Thus He is our
Mother in nature by the working of grace
in the lower part, for love of the higher.
And He willeth that we know it, for He
will have all our love fastened to Him.
And in this I saw that all debt that we
owe, by God's bidding, to Fatherhood and
Motherhood is fulfilled in true loving of
God, which blessed love Christ worketh
in us. And this was shewed in all, and
namely in the high plenteous words where
He saith, " I it am that thou lovest."

232 Revelations of Divine Love,

Wkt <Sixt2*:fef Chapter.
Of the tenderness of Jesus in our ghostly
bringing-forth. He will not suffer His
child to perish. How a child flieth to
Him in necessity.
^^# ND in our ghostly forthbringing He
J!\ useth more tenderness in keeping,
without any comparison, by as
much as our soul is of more price in His
sight. He kindleth our understanding ;
He prepareth our ways; He easeth our
conscience ; He comforteth our soul ; He
lighteneth our heart, and giveth us in
part knowing and loving in His blissful
Godhead, with gracious mind in His sweet
Manhood, and His blessed Passion, with
courteous marvelling in His high over
passing goodness ; and maketh us to love
all that He loveth for His love, and to be
well content with Him, and with all His
works. And when we fall, hastily He
\raiseth us by His lovely embrace, and His

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 233
gracious touching. And when we be
strengthened by His sweet working, then
we wilfully choose Him by His grace, to
be His servants and His lovers, lastingly
without end> And yet after this He suf-
fereth some of us to fall more hard and
more grievous than ever we did before, as
us t-hinketh. And then ween we that we
be not all wise, that all were nought that
we have begun. But it is not so ; for it
needeth us to fall, and it needeth, us to
see it. For if we fell not we should not
know how feehle and how wretched we be
of ourself, nor also we should not so ful-
somely know the marvellous love of our
Maker ; for we shall verily see in heaven
without end that we have grievously
sinned in this life. And notwithstanding
this, we shall verily see that we were
never hurt in His love, nor we were never
the less of price. in His sight And by
the proving of this falling we shall have
an high and marvellous knowing of love
in God without end. For hard and mar
vellous is that love which may not, nor

-34 Revelations of Divine LoVe,
will not, be broken for trespass. And this
was one understanding of profit.
Another is the lowliness and meekness
that we shall get by the sight of our fall
ing: for thereby we shall highly be raised
in heaven : to which rising we might never
have come without that meekness. And
therefore it needed us to see it; and if
we see it not, though we feel it, it should
not profit us. And commonly first we
fall, and then we see it, and both is of the
mercy of God. The mother may suffer
the child to fall sometimes and be dis
eased in divers manners for its own profit ;
but she may never suffer that any manner
of peril come to her child for love. And
though our earthly mother may suffer her
child to perish, our heavenly Mother Jesus
may never suffer us that be His children
to-perish ; for He is all might, all wisdom,
and all love: and so is none but He,
blessed may He be.
But oftentimes, when our falling and
our wretchedness is shewed us, we be sore
adread, and so greatly ashamed of our-
self, that scarce we wit where that we may

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 235
hold us. But then will not our courteous
Mother that we flee away, for Him were
nothing loather. But He will then that
we use the condition of a child, for when
it is dis-eased and afraid it runneth
hastily to its mother, and if it may do no
more, it crieth on its mother for help with
all its might. So willeth He that we do
as the meek child, saying thus: "My kind
Mother, my gracious Mother, my dear
worthy Mother, have mercy upon me; I
have made myself foul, and unlike to Thee,
and I may not nor can amend it, but with
Thine help and grace!' And if we feel
us not then eased as soon, be we sure
that He useth the condition of a wise
mother. For if He see that it be for
profit to us to mourn and to weep, He
suffereth with ruth and pity unto the best
time for love. And He willeth then that
we use the property of a child that ever
more kindly trusteth to the love of the
mother, in weal and in woe. And He
willeth that we take us mightily to the
faith of Holy Church, and find there our
dear worthy Mother in solace and in true

236 Revelations of Divine Love,,

understanding, with all the blessed com
mon. For one singular person may often
times be broken, as it seemeth to himself,
but the whole body of Holy Church was
never broken, nor never shall be without
end. And therefore a sure thing it is, a
good and a gracious, to will meekly, and
mightily be fastened and united to our
mother Holy Church, that is. Christ Jesus.
For the flood of mercy, that is His dear
worthy Blood and precious water, is plen-,
teous to make us fair and clean. The
Blessed Wounds of our Saviour be open,
and rejoice to heal us. The sweet gra
cious Hands of our Mother be ready and
diligent about us, for He, in all this work
ing, useth the very office of a kind nurse
that hath, nought, else to do but to attend
to the salvation of her child. It is His
office to save us ; it is His worship to do
it; and it is His will we know it: for
He willeth that we love Him sweetly, and
trust in Him meekly and mightily. And
this shewed He in these gracious words,
" I keep, thee full securely."

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 237

Witt §xxtysmonb Chapter.
How the love of God never suffereth His
chosen to lose, for all their hurt is turned
into endless joy.
fOR in that time He shewed our
frailties and our fallings, our break
ings and our naughtings, our de-
spites and our changings, and all our woe,
as far forth as methought that it might
fall in this life. And therewith He shewed
His blessed might, His blessed wisdom,
His blessed love, that He keepeth us in
this time as tenderly and as sweetly to
His worship, and as securely to our salva
tion, as He doth when we be in most
solace and comfort And thereto raiseth
us ghostly and highly in heaven, and
turneth all to His worship and to our joy
without end. For His precious love He
suffereth us never to lose time;- since all
things turn to our greater good. And all

238 Revelations of Divine Love,
this is of the kind goodness of God by
the working of grace. God is kind in
His being ; that is to say, that goodness
that is kind it is God ; He is the ground,
He is the substance, He is the same thing
that is kindness ; and He is very Father
and very Mother of all natures, and all
natures that He hath made to flow out of
Him to work His will, all shall be re
stored and brought again into Him by the
salvation of man, through the working of
grace. For of all natures that He hath
set in divers creatures by part, in man is
all the whole by fulness, and in virtue, in
fairness, and in goodness, in royalty and
in nobleness, in all manner of solemnity
;of preciousness and worship.
Here may we see that we be all bound
to God for nature, and we be bound to
God for grace. Here may we see that us
needeth not greatly to seek far out to
know sundry natures, but to Holy Church
into our Mother's breast, that is to say,
into our own soul, where our Lord dwell
eth ; and there shall we find all now, in
faith and in understanding; and after,

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 239
verily in Himself clearly in bliss. But let
no man nor woman take this singularity to
himself, for it is not so, it is general ; for
it is our precious Mother Christ, and to
Him was this fair nature prepared, for the
worship and the nobleness of man's mak
ing, and for the joy and the bliss of man's
salvation, right as He saw, wist, and knew,
from without beginning.

Wctt §ixt|)4hi£b Chapter.
How the children of Jesus be not yet all
born ; they pass the time of their child
hood in feebleness and ill, till they come
to the joys of heaven,
/]* ERE may we see that we have verily
^fl of nature to hate sin. And we
' have verily of grace to hate sin, for
nature is all good and fair in itself ; and
grace was sent out to save nature, and
destroy sin, and bring again fair nature
into- the blessed point from whence it
came, that is God, with more nobleness

240 Revelations of Divine Love,
and worship, by the virtuous working of
grace. For it shall be seen before God,
of all His holy, in joy without end, that
nature hath been proved in the fire of
tribulation, and therein found no lack, nor
no default. Thus is nature and grace of
one accord ; for grace is God, as unmade
nature is God: He is two in manner and
working, and one in love. And neither
of them worketh without other, nor none
be separated. And when we, by the
mercy of God, and with His help, accord
us to nature and to grace, we shall see
verily that sin is worse, viler, and pain-
fuller, than hell, without any comparison ;
for it is contrarious to our fair nature: for
as verily as sin is unclean, as truly sin is
unnatural. And this is an horrible thing
to see, to the loving soul that would be
all fair and shining in the sight of God, as
nature and grace teacheth. But be we
not adread of this, but inasmuch as dread
may not profit, but meekly make we our
moan to our dear worthy Mother, and He
shall all besprinkle us in His precious
Blood, and make our soul full soft, and

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 2 4 1
full mild, and heal us full fair by process
of time, right as it is most worship to
Him, and joy to us without end. And of
this sweet fair working He shall never
ease nor stint, till all His dear worthy
children be brought forth and born. And
that shewed He where He gave the un
derstanding of the ghostly thirst, that is,
the love-longing that shall last till dooms
day. Thus in our very Mother Jesus our
life is grounded in the foreseeing wisdom
of Himself from without beginning, with
the high might , of the Father, and the
sovereign goodness of the Holy , Ghost.,
And in the taking of our, nature He
quickened us ; and in His blessed dying
upon the Cross He bare us to endless life.
And from that time,, and now ahd ever
shall unto doomsday, He feedeth us and
foddereth us right as the high sovereign
kindness . of motherhood will, and as the
natural need of childhood asketh. Fair
and sweet is our heavenly Mother Jesus
in the sight of our soul ; precious and
lovely be the gracious children in the
sight of our heavenly Mother, with mild-
16

242 Revelations of Divine Love,
ness and meekness, and all the fair vir
tues that belong to children in nature ;
far naturally the child despaireth not of
the mother's love, naturally the child
presumeth not of itself, naturally the child
loveth the mother, and each one of them
other. These be as fair virtues, with all
other that be like, wherewith our heavenly
Mother is served and pleased. And I
understood none higher stature in this
life than childhood in feebleness, and fail
ing of might and of wit, unto the time our
gracious Mother hath brought us up into
that our Father's bliss. And there shall
verily be made known to us His mean
ing, in the sweet words where He saith,
" All shall be well, and thou shall see it
thyself that all manner of thing shall be
well."

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 243

Wht §ixt2-ftmrth Chapter.
The Fifteenth Revelation. How the ab
sence of God is our great pain. Our
patient abiding is pleasing to God, and
He will shine on us at the point to be
delivered.
t^t ND then shall the bliss of our
*L\ Motherhood in Christ be new to
begin the joys of our Father God :
which new beginning shall last without
end. Ndw, beginning thus, I understood
that all His blessed children which be
come out of Him by nature, should be
brought into Him again by grace. Afore
this time I had great longing and desire
of God's gift to be delivered of this world,
and of this life ; for ofttimes I beheld the
woe that is here, and the weal and the
blessed being that is there. And if there
had no pain been in this life, but the ab
sence of our Lord, methought sometime
ijfiat it was more than I could bear. And

244 Revelations of Divine Love,
this made me to mourn and busily to long.
And also of my own wretchedness, sloth,
and weariness, that me liked not to live
and to travail as me befel to do. And to
all this our courteous Lord answered for
comfort and patience, < and said these
words: "Suddenly thou shall' be taken
from all thy pain, from all thy sickness,
from all thy dis-tase, ahd from all thy
woe. And thou shall come up above, and
thou shall have Me to thy reward, and
thou shall be fulfilled of joy and bliss: and
thou shall never more have no manner of
pain, no manner of sickness, no manner
misliking, no wanting of will, but ever joy
and bliss without. end. What should it
then grieve thee to suffer .awhile, since it is
My will and worship ?"
And in this word, '.' Suddenly thou shall'
be taken," I saw that God rewardeth man
for the patience that he hath in abiding
of God's will, and of His time. And that
man lengtheneth his patience over the
time of his living: for unknowing the time
of his passing. This is a great profit: for,
if a man knew his time, he should not

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 245
have patience over that time. And also
God willeth that, while the soul is in the
body, it seem to itself that it is ever at
the point to he taken ; for all this life,
and this longing that we have here, is
but a point And when we shall be taken
suddenly out of pain into bliss, then pain
shall be nought
And in this time I saw a body lying on
the earth; which body shewed heavy and
fearful, and without shape and form, as it
were a foul stinking. mire. And suddenly
out of this body sprung a full fair crea
ture, a little child full shapen and formed,
swift and lively, and whiter than the lily,
which sharply glided up into heaven. The
foulness of the body betokeneth the great
wretchedness of our mortal flesh ; and the
littleness of the child betokeneth the
cleanness and the pureness of our soul.
And I thought, with this body remaineth
no fairness of this child, nor on this child
dwelleth no foulness of this body.,/ It is
full blissful for man to be taken from
pain, more than for pain to be taken
from man; for if pain be taken from

246 Revelations qf Divine Love,
us it may come again. Therefore this
is a sovereign comfort, and a blissful
beholding in a longing soul, that we shall
be taken from pain ; for in this promise I
saw a merciful compassion that our Lord
hath in us for our woe, and a courteous
assurance of clear deliverance ; for He
willeth that we be comforted in the over
passing joy. And that He shewed in
these words: "-And thou shall come up
above ; and thou shall have Me to thy re-
ward, and thou shall be fulfilled of joy
and bliss." It is God's will that we set
the point of our thought in this blissful
beholding as ofttime as we may, and as
long time keep us therein by His grace ;
for this is a blissful contemplation to the
soul that is led of God, and full much to
His worship for the time that it lasteth.
And when we fall again to ourself by
heaviness and ghostly blindness, and feel
ing of pains, ghostly and bodily, by our
fragility, it is God's will that we know
that He hath not forgot us. And so
meaneth He in these words, and saith for
comfort: "And thou shall never more

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 247
have pain in no manner; nor no manner
of sickness, no manner of mis liking, no
want of will, but ever joy and bliss without
end: what should it then agrieve thee to
suffer awhile, since it is My will and wor
ship f" It is God's will that we take His
promises and His comfortings as largely
and as mightily as we may take them.
And also He willeth that we take our
abidings and our dis-eases as lightly as we
may take them, and set them at nought ;
for the lightlier that we take them, and
the less price that we set at them for love>
less pain shall we have in the feeling of
them, and the more thanks and reward
shall we have for them.

248 Revelations of Divine Love,

%\tt §ixtg«f ift'h Chapter.
How he that trusteth God for love with
reverend meekness, is sure to be saved,
God willeth that we dread nothing but.
Him. The power of our enemy is broken,
fyt ND thus I understood that what
1/l, man or woman wilfully chooseth
God in this life for love, he may
be sure that he is loved without end, with
endless love that worketh in him that
grace ; for He willeth we keep this trus-:
tily, that we he as secure in hope of the
bliss of heaven whiles we are here, as we
shall be in security when we are there,
And ever the more liking and joy that we
take in this secureness, with reverence
and meekness, the better liketh Him.
For, as it was shewed, this reverence that
I mean is a holy courteous dread of our
Lord, to which meekness is knit ; and that
is, that a creature seeth the Lord marvel
lous great, and herself marvellous little j

Shewed to Mother Julian qf Norwich. 2e\<)
for these virtues are had endlessly to the
loved of God. And it may now be seen
and felt in measure by the gracious pres
ence of our Lord, when it is; which pres
ence in all things is most desired, for it
worketh marvellous secureness in true
faith, and secure hope by greatness of
charity, in dread that is sweet and delect
able. It is God's will that I see myself as
much bound to Him in love as if He had
done for me all that He hath done. And
thus should every soul, think in regard of
His love ; that is to say, the charity of
God maketh in us such a unity that, when
it is truly seen, no man can part himself
from other. And thus ought each soul to
think that God hath done for him all that
He hath done. And this shewed He to
make us to love Him, and like in Him,
and nothing dread but Him ; for it is His
will we :know that all the might of our
enemies is locked in our friend's hands.
And therefore the soul that knoweth this
securely, she shall not dread but Him that
she loveth. All other dreads she will set
them among passions, bodily sicknesses,

250 Revelations of Divine Love,
and imaginations. And therefore, though
we be in such pain, woe, and dis-ease, that
us thinketh we can think of right nought
but that we are in, or that we feel, yet as
soon as we may, pass we it lightly over,
and set we it at nought. And why ? For
God will be known ; for if we know Him,
and love Him, and reverendly dread Him,
we shall have patience, and be in great
rest And it shall be great liking to us
all that He doth. And this shewed our
Lord in these words: " What should it
then agrieve Ihee to suffer awhile, seeing it is
My will and My worship ?"
Now have I told you of fifteen shewings,
as God vouchsafed to minister them to my
mind, renewed by lightenings and touch-
ings, I hope of the same Spirit that
shewed them all. Of which fifteen shew
ings the first began early in the morning,
about the hour of four; and it lasted
shewing by process full fair and soberly,
each following other till it was noon of the
day, or past.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 251

Wstt §ixt2*0ixth Chaptet.
The Sixteenth Revelation is a confirmation
of the Fifteenth. Of her frailty and
mourning in dis-ease. The comfort of
Jesus. The devil had, after that, great
power to vex hef .
/J^ND after this the good Lord shewed
cJS%r the Sixteenth Revelation on the
night following, as I shall say
after. Which Sixteenth was the conclu
sion and confirmation to all the Fifteenth.
But first me behoveth to tell you in re
gard of my feebleness, wretchedness, and
blindness. I have said at the beginning,
where it saith, " And in this suddenly all
my pain was taken from me" of which
pain I had no grief, nor no dis-ease, as
long as the fifteen shewings lasted in
shewing. And at the end all was close,
and I saw no more ; and soon I felt that I .
should live longer /And anon my sick
ness came again: first in my head, with a

_52 Revelations of Divine Love,
sound and a noise ; and suddenly all my
body was fulfilled with sickness, like as
it was before. And I was as barren and
as dry as I had never comfort but little,
and as a wretch mourned heavily for feel
ing of my bodily pains, and for failing of
comfort, ghostly and bodily: /
Then came a religious person unto me,
and asked me how I fared ; and I said :
" / had raved tO'day ;" and he laughed
loud and drolly. And I said : " TJie cross
that stood before my face, methought it bled
fast." And with this word the person
that I spake to waxed all sad and mar
velled. And anon I was sore ashamed,
and astonished for my recklessness. And
I thought, this man taketh sadly the least
word that I may say, that saw no more
thereof. And when I saw that he took it
so sadly, and with so great reverence, I
waxed full greatly ashamed, and would
have been shriven, but I could tell it to no
priest ; for I thought, " How should a
priest believe me, when, by saying I raved,
¦I shewed myself not to believe our Lord
God." Notwithstanding, T believed Him

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 253
truly for the time that I saw Him. And
so was then my will and my meaning
ever to do without end ; — but as a fool I
let it pass out of my mind:. Ah, lo ! how
wretched I was. This was a great sin
and a great unkindness, that I for folly of
feeling of a little bodily pain, so unwisely
left for the time the comfort of all this
blessed shewing of our Lord God. Here
may you see what I am of myself. But
herein would our courteous Lord not leave'
me. And I lay still till night, trusting in
His mercy ; and then I began to sleep.
i 'And in my sleep, at the beginning, me-
I thought the fiend set him in my throat,
putting forth a visage full near my face,
like a young man; and it was long and
wondrous lean, I never saw none such.
The colour was red, like the tile-stone when
i it is new burnt, with black spots therein
like freckles, fouler than1 the tile-stOne.
i His hair was red as rust not scoured ;
afore, with side locks hanging down in
flakes ; he grinned upon me with a shrewd
look, and shewed me white teeth, so
mickle methought the more ugly. Body

254 Revelations of Divine Love,
nor hands had he none shapely, but with
his paws he held me in the throat, and
would have stopped my breath, and
killed me, but he might not. This ugly
shewing was made sleeping, and so was
none other. And in all this time I
trusted to be saved and kept by the
mercy of God. And our courteous Lord
gave me grace to wake, and scarce had I
any life. / The persons that were with me
beheld me, and wetted my temples, and
my heart began to comfort. And anon a
little smoke came in at the door, with a
great heat and a foul stench, and then I
said, " Benedicite Dominus, Is it all on
fire-that is here ?" And I weened it had
been a bodily fire, that should burn us all
to death. I asked them that were with
me if they felt any stench ; they said nay,
they felt none ; I said, " Blessed be God,"
for then wist I well it was the fiend, that
was come only to tempt me. And anon I
betook me to that our Lord had shewed
me on the same day, with all the faith of
Holy Church ; for I beheld it as both in
one, and fled thereto as to my comfort

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 255
And anon all vanished away, and I was
brought to great rest and peace, without
sickness of body or dread of conscience.

Witt fSixtg^tenth Chapter.
The worshipfulness of the soul, which is so
noble that it could not be better made.
The Trinity rejoiceth in it. The soul can
rest in nothing but God. That the Reve
lations -were no raving and dreaming,
r^i ND then our good Lord opened my
j~tC\ ghostly eye, and shewed me my
soul in the midst of my heart. I
saw the soul so large, as it were an end
less world, and also as it were a blessed
kingdom. And by the conditions that I
saw therein, I understood that it is a
worshipful city. In midst of that city, our
Lord Jesus, very God and very man, a
fair person and of large stature, highest
Bishop, most solemn King, worshipful
Lord. And I saw Him clothed solemnly.

256 Revelations of Divine Love,
in worship. He sitteth in the soul, even
right in peace and rest And He ruleth
and guideth heaven and earth, and all
that is. The Manhood with the Godhead
sitteth in rest ; the Godhead ruleth and
guideth all, without any instrument or
business. And the soul is all occupied
with the Blessed Godhead ; that is, sove
reign might, sovereign wisdom, and sove
reign goodness. The place that Jesus
taketh in our soul He shall never remove
without end, as to my sight; for in. us is
His homeliest home, and His endless
dwelling. And in this He sheweth the liking that
He hath of the making of man's soill ; for
as well as the Father might make a crea
ture, so well would the Hdly Ghost that'
man's soul were made, and so it was done.
And therefore the blissful Trinity rejoic-1
eth without end in the making of man's
soul ; for He saw, without beginning,
what should like Him without end.. All
things that He hath made- shew His
Lordship ; as understanding was given in
the same time, by example of a creature*

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 257
that is led to see great nobleness and
kingdoms belonging to a Lord. And when
it had seen all the nobleness beneath,
then marvelling, it was stirred to seek up
above to that high place where the Lord
dwelleth ; knowing by reason that His
dwelling is in the worthiest place. And
thus I understood truly that our soul may
never rest in a thing that is beneath itself.
And when it cometh above all creatures
into itself, yet may it not abide in the
beholding of itself; but all the beholding
is blissfully set in God: that is, the
Maker dwelling therein ; for in man's
soul is His very dwelling. And the high
est light, and the brightest shining of the
city is the glorious love of our Lord God,
as to my sight. And what may make us
more rejoice in God than to see in Him that
He rejoiceth in us highest of all His works ?
For I saw in the same shewing that if
the Blessed Trinity might have made
man's soul any better, any fairer, any
nobler than it was made, He should not
have been full pleased with the making of
man's soul: but for He made man's soul
»7

258 Revelations of Divine Love,
as fair, as good, as precious, as He might
make it a creature. Therefore the Bless
ed Trinity is full pleased, without end, in
the making of man's soul. And He will
that our hearts be mightily raised above
the deepness of the earth, and all vain
sorrows, and rejoice in Him.
This was a delectable sight, and a rest
ful shewing that is without end. And the
beholding of this, whiles we are here, it is
full pleasant to God, and full great profit
to us. And the soul that thus beholdeth,
it maketh him like to Him that is be
holden, and united in rest and peace by
His grace. And this was a singular joy
and bliss to me, that I saw Him sitting ;
for the truth of sitting shewed endless
dwelling. And He gave me knowing
truly, that it was He that shewed me all
before. And when I had beholden all
this with advisedness, then shewed our
good Lord words full meekly, without
voice, and without opening of lips, right
as He had done afore, and said full
sweetly: " Wit it now well, it was no
raving thou sawest to-day; but take it and

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 259
believe it, and keep thee therein, and comfort
thee therewith, and trust thereto, and thou
shall not be overcome."

Witt §ixtg^ighth Chapter.
How we ought to have secureness in our
troubles, that we shall not be overcome.
tHESE last words were said for
learning of full true secureness ;
that is, that our Lord Jesus, that
shewed me all. And right as in the first
word that our good Lord shewed, mean
ing His Blessed Passion, " herewith is the
fiend overcome" right so He said in the
last word, with full true faithfulness, mean
ing us all: "thou shall not be overcome."
And all this learning and this true com
fort is general to all my fellow Chris
tians, as it is aforesaid: and so is God's
will. And this word, "thou shall not be
overcome," was said full sharply and full
mightily, for comfort and secureness
against all tribulations that may come.

_6o Revelations of Divine Love,
He said not, thou shalt not be troubled,
thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not
be dis-eased, but He said, " thou shalt not
be overcome." God willeth that we take
heed at this word, and that we be ever
mighty in faithful trusting, in weal and
in woe. For He loveth us, and liketh us ;
and so willeth He that we love Him and
like Him, and mightily trust in Him, and
all shall be well: and soon all was close,
and I saw no more.

Witt <Sixtg=nittth Chapter.
Of the seeming long temptation of the
devil to despair. She fled to God, and to
the faith of Holy Church, rehearsing the
Passion of Christ, by which she was
delivered.
/*^* HE fiend came again, with his heat
Ll]. and his stench, and made me full
busy. The stench was so vile
and so painful, and the bodily heat also
dreadful and travailous. Also I heard a

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 261
bodily talking, as it had been of two
bodies ; and both, to my thinking, talked
at one time, as if they had held a par
liament with great business. And all
was soft whispering. And I understood
not what they said. And all this was to
stir me to despair, as methought, seeming
to me as if they scorned bidding of
beads, which are said boisterously, with
much failing of devout attention and wise
diligence, the which we owe to God in
our prayer. And our good Lord God
gave me grace mightily to trust in Him,
and to comfort my soul with bodily
speech, as I should have done to another
person that had been travailed. Me
thought that business might not be likened
to no bodily comparison. My bodily eye
I set in the same cross, where I had seen
comfort afore that time ; my tongue with
speech of Christ's Passion, and rehearsing
the faith of Holy Church ; and my heart
to fasten on God with all the trust and the
might that I thought to myself: meaning,
" Thou hast now great business to keep
thee in the faith, for that thou shouldst not

262 Revelations of Divine Love,
be taken of thine enemies. Wouldst thou
now from this time evermore be so busy to
keep thee from sin, this were a good and
sovereign occupation." For I thought
faithfully, were I safe from sin, I were
full safe from all the fiends in hell, and
enemies of my soul. And thus he occu
pied me all that night, and on the mor
row, till it was about prime day. And
anon they were all gone and passed, and
there was left nothing but stink, and that
lasted still awhile: and I scorned him.
And thus was I delivered of him by the
virtue of Christ's Passion ; for therewith
is the fiend overcome, as our Lord Jesus
Christ said afore.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 263

Wkt §tbtrdxttk Chapter.
In all our tribulations we ought to be
steadfast in faith. How all these shew-
ings are in the faith.
SN all this blessed shewing our good
Lord gave understanding that the
sight should pass. Which blessed
shewing the faith keepeth, with His own
good will and grace ; for He left with me
neither sign nor token whereby I might
know it But He left with me His own
blessed word in true understanding, bid
ding me full mightily that I should believe
it, and so I do ; blessed may He be.
I believe that He is our Saviour that
shewed it, and that it is in the faith that
He shewed it. And therefore I love it,
ever rejoicing; and thereto I am bound
by all His own meaning, with the next
words that follow: " Keep thee therein, and
comfort thee therewith, and trust thereto."

2 64 Revelations of Divine Love,
Thus I am bounden to keep it in my
faith ; for on the same day that it was
shewed, what time the sight was passed,
as a wretch I forsook it, and openly I said
that I had raved. Then our Lord Jesus,
of His mercy, would not let it perish, but
He shewed it all again within my soul
with more fulness, with the blessed light
of His precious love, saying these words
full mightily and full meekly: " Wit it
now well, it was no raving that thou sawest
this day ;" as if He had said: "For that
the sight was passed from thee, thou losedst
it, and couldst not or mightest not keep it.
But wit it now : that is to say, now thou
seest it." This was said, not only for the
same time, but also to set thereupon the
ground of my faith, where He saith anon
following. " But take it, and learn it, and
keep thee therein, and comfort thee there
with, and trust thereto, and thou shalt not
be overcome."
In these six words that follow, where
He saith, " Take it" His meaning is to
fasten it faithfully in our heart; for He
willeth that it dwell with us in faith unto

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 265
our lives' end, and after in fulness of joy ;
willing that we have ever faithful trust of
His blessed promises, knowing His good
ness. For our faith is contraried in
divers manners, by our own blindness,
and our ghostly enemies, within and with
out. And therefore our precious Lover
helpeth us with true ghostly light, and
true teaching, on divers manners within
and without, whereby that we may know
Him. And therefore in what manner that
He teacheth us, He willeth that we per
ceive Him wisely, receiving Him sweetly,
and keep us in Him faithfully. For above
the faith is no goodness kept in this life,
as to my sight. And beneath the faith is
no health of soul. But in the faith there
willeth our Lord that we keep us; for
we have, by His goodness and His own
working, to keep us in the faith. And by
His sufferance, through ghostly enmity,
we are proved in the faith, and made
mighty. For if our faith had not enmity,
it should deserve no reward, as by the
understanding that I have in our Lord's
meaning.

266 Revelations of Divine Love,

Wat §*tbtxtty4h8t Chapter. '
Jesus willeth our soul to be in God in good
cheer. Three manners of cheer, Passion,
Compassion, and Bliss.
/fl^ LAD, and merry, and sweet, is the
\_Jlv blissful lovely appearance of our
Lord to our souls ; for He beheld
us ever living in love longing. And He
willeth that our soul be in glad cheer to
Him, to yield Him His reward. And thus
I hope with His grace He hath drawn, and
more shall draw, the outer appearance to
the inner, and shall make us all at one with
Him, and each of us with other, in true
lasting joy, that is Jesus. I have meaning
of three manners of appearances of our
Lord: the first is, the appearance of Pas
sion, as He shewed whiles He was with
us in this life, dying. The second manner
of appearance it is pity, and ruth, and
compassion; and this sheweth He to all
His lovers, with secureness of keeping

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 2 67
that hath need to His mercy. The third
is the blissful countenance, as it shall be
without end. And this was oftenest
shewed, and longest continued. And thus,
in the time of our pain and our woe, He
sheweth to us the appearance of His Pas
sion and His cross, helping us to bear it
by His own blessed virtue. And in time
of our sinning, He sheweth to us the
appearance of ruth and pity, mightily
keeping us, and defending against all our
enemies. And these two be the common
appearances which He sheweth to us in
this life, therewith meddling the third ; and
that is His blessed appearance, like in
part as it shall be in heaven ; and that is
by gracious touching of sweet lightening
of ghostly life, whereby that we are kept
in true faith, hope, and charity, with con
trition and devotion, and also with con
templation, and all manner of true joys
and sweet comforts. The blissful appear
ance of our Lord God worketh it in us by
grace.

268 Revelations qf Divine Love,

Wat §*tat'B*aeam!b Chapter!
How the chosen soul is deadly for a time",
yet in the sight of God she is not dead.
We have here matter of joy and mourn
ing. The comfort of these shewings.
UOW me behoveth to tell in what
manner that I saw sin deadly in
the creatures which should not die
for sin, but live in the joy of God without
end. I saw that two contraries should
not be together in one standing. The
most contrarious that are, is the highest
bliss and the deepest pain. The highest
\ bliss that is, is to have God in clarity of
endless light, Him verily seeing, Him
sweetly feeling, Him all peaceable having
in fulness of joy ; and thus was the bliss
ful countenance of our Lord God shewed
in part. In which shewing I saw that sin
was the most contrary, so far forth that
as long as we be meddled with any part
of sin we shall never see clearly the

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 2 69
blessed countenance of God. And the
more horrible and grievous that our sins
be, the deeper are we for that time from
this blessed sight And therefore it.
seemeth to us oftentimes as we were in
peril of death, and in a part of hell, for
the sorrow and the pain that sin is to us.
And thus we are dead for the time from
the very sight of our blissful life.
But in all this I saw faithfully that we
be not dead in the sight, of God, nor He
passeth never from us ; but He shall
never have His full bliss in us till we have
our full bliss in Him, verily seeing His
fair blissful countenance, for we are or;
dained thereto in nature, and get thereto
by grace.
Thus I saw how sin is deadly for a
short time to the blessed creatures of end
less life: and ever the more clearly that
the soul seeth God's blissful countenance
by grace of loving, the more it longeth to
see it in fulness, that is to say, in His own
likeness. For, notwithstanding that our
Lord God dwelleth now in us, and is here
with us, and calleth u_j and embraceth us

2 yo Revelations of Divine Love,
for tender love that He may never leave
us, and is more near to us than tongue
may tell, or heart may think ; yet can we
never stint of mourning, nor of weeping,
nor of seeking, nor of longing, till when
we see Him clear in His blissful coun
tenance: for in that precious sight there
may no woe abide, nor no weal fail.
And in this I saw matter of mirth, and
matter of mourning: matter of mirth,
that our Lord our Maker is so near to us,
and in us, and we in Him, by faithfulness
of keeping of His great goodness. Matter
of mourning, for that our ghostly eye is
so blind, and we so borne down with weight
of our mortal flesh, and darkness of sin,
that we may not see our Lord God clearly
in His blissful countenance. / No, and
because of this darkness, scarce we can
believe or trow His great love and our
faithfulness of keeping. And therefore it
is that I say we may never leave off
mourning and weeping. This weeping.
meaneth not all in pouring out of tears by
our bodily eye, but also to more ghostly
understanding. For the natural desire of

Shewed to Mother Julian qf Norwich. 271
our soul is so great and so unmeasurable,
that if it were given us to our joy and our
comfort, all the nobleness that ever God
made in heaven and in earth, and we saw
not the fair blissful countenance of Him
self ; yet should we never leave mourning
nor of ghostly weeping; that is to say,
of painful longing, till when we see verily
the fair blissful countenance of our Maker.
Ahd if we were in all the pain that heart
may think, or tongue may tell, and we
might in that time see His blissful coun
tenance ; all this pain should us not
grieve. This is that blissful sight, the
end of all manner of pain to loving souls,
and the fulfilling of all manner of joy and
bliss. And that shewed He in the high
marvellous words, where He saith, " / it
am that is highest ; I it am that thou
lovest ; I it am that is all." It belongeth
to us to have three manner of knowings. '
The first is that we know our Lord God.
The second is, that we know ourself,
what we are by Him in nature and in
grace ; the third is, that we know meekly
what ourself is in regard of our sin, and

272 Revelations of Divine Love,

in regard of our feebleness. And for
these three was all this shewing made, as
to my understanding.

Wat jSebmtg-thiri Chapter.
How these Revelations were shewed in
three wises. Of two eyils of which God
willeth that we amend. As He is all love,
He willeth that we be not over heavy for
our sins past.
f^N LL this blessed shewing of our
s£\- Lord God was shewed in three
parts: that is to say, by bodily
sight, and by word formed in my under
standing, and by ghostly sight For the
bodily sight, I have said as I saw, as
truly as I can ; and for the words, I have
said them right as our Lord shewed them
me ; and for the ghostly sight, I have
said some deal, but I may never full tell
it. And therefore of this ghostly sight I
am stirred to say more, as God will give
me grace. God shewed two manner of

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 273
sickness that we have ; the one is im
patience, or sloth ; for that we bear our
travail and our pain heavily. The other
is despair, or doubtful dread, as I shall
say after. Generally He shewed sin,
wherein all is comprehended, but in spe
cial He shewed none but these two. And
these two are it that most travaileth and
troubleth us, as by that our Lord shewed
me. Of which He willeth we be amended.
I speak of such men and women that for
God's love hate sin, and dispose them to
do God's will ; then by our ghostly blind
ness we are most inclining to these. And
therefore it is God's will that they be
known, and then should we refuse them,
as we do other sins. And for help against
this, full meekly our Lord shewed the
patience that He had in His hard passion ;
and also the joy and the liking that He
hath of that Passion for love. And this
He shewed in example, that we should
gladly and easily bear our pains ; for that
is great pleasing to Him, and endless
profit to us. And the cause why we are
18

3.74 Revelations of Divine Love,
travailed with, tjhem. is for unk.nowing of
love.. Though the Three Persons of the-
Blessed Trinity be all even in the self,,
the soul took most understanding in love ;
yea, and He willeth in. all tilings that we
have our beholding and our rejoicing in
love. And of this knowing are we most
blind- For some of us believe that God
is all mighty, and may da all.;, and that
He is all, wisdom, and can do. all ; but that
He is all love,, and, wijl do all, there we
fail. And this unknowing it is that most
letteth God's lovers, as to my sight ; for
when we begin to hate sin, and amend us
by the ordinance of Holy Church, yet
there dwelleth a dread that letteth us, by
the beholding of ourself, and of our sin
afore done ; and some of us for our every
day sins. For we hold not our promise,
nor keep our cleanness that our Lord
set'teth us in \ but fall ofttimes into such
wretchedness that shame it is to say it.
And the beholding of this maketh us so
sorry, and so heavy, that scarce we can
see any comfort And this dread w,e take;

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 2 75
sometimes for a meekness, but it is a foul
blindness and a wickedness. And we
cannot despise it as we do another sin
that we know, which Cometh through lack
of true judgment. And it is against
truth ; for of all the properties of the
Blissful Trinity it is God's will that we
have most faithfulness and looking in
love ; for love maketh might and wisdom
full meek to, us. For right as hy the
courtesy of God He forgetteth our sin
after the time that we repent us, so will
eth He that we forget our sin in regard of
our unskilful heaviness, and our doubtful
dreads.

276 Revelations of Divine Love,

Wat (Stutttt^ftfurth Chapter.
Of four manners of fear ; but reverend fear
is never without meek love, yet they be
not both one. How we should pray God
for the same.
j|^OR I understood four manner of
f9J dreads. One is dread of a fray
that cometh to man suddenly by
frailty. This dread doth good, for it
helpeth to purge man, as doth bodily
sickness, or such other pain that is not
sin ; for all such pains help man, if they
be patiently taken. The second is dread
of pain : whereby man is stirred and waked
from the sleep of sin. For man that is
hard asleep of sin, he is not able for the
time to receive the soft comfort of the
Holy Ghost, till he hath received this
dread of pain, of bodily death, and of
ghostly enemies.
And* this dread stirreth us to seek
comfort and mercy of God. And thus

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 277
this dread helpeth us as an entry, and
enableth us to have contrition by the
blissful touching of the Holy Ghost The
third is doubtful dread. Doubtful dread,
inasmuch as it draweth to despair, God
will have it turned in us into love, by
true knowing of love ; that is to say, that
the bitterness of doubts be turned into
sweetness of kind love by grace. For it
may never please our Lord that His ser
vants doubt in His goodness.
The fourth is reverend dread. For
there is no dread that fully pleaseth God
in us but reverend dread, and that is soft.
For the more it is had the less it is felt,
for sweetness of love. Love and dread
are brethren, and they be rooted in us by
the goodness of our Maker, and they
shall never be taken from us without end.
We have it in nature to love, and we have
it of grace to love ; and we have it of
nature to dread, and we have it of grace
to dread. It belongeth to the Lordship
and to the Fatherhood to be dreaded, as
it belongeth to the Goodness to be loved.
And it belongeth to us, that are His ser-

278 Revelations of Divine Love,

vants and His children, to dread Him for
Lordship and Fatherhood ; as it belong
eth to us to love Him for Godhead. And
though this reverend dread and love be
not both in one, but are two in property
and working, yet neither of them may be
had without the other. And therefore I
am sure, he that loveth he dreadeth,
though he feel it but little. All dreads
other than reverend dread that are prof
fered to us, though they come under
colour of holiness, they are not so true.
And hereby may they be known asunder.
The dread that maketh us hastily to flee
from all that is not good, and fall into
our Lord's breast as the child into the
mother's arms, with all our intent, and
with all our mind, knowing our feebleness,
and our great need, knowing His ever
lasting goodness and His blessed love,
only seeking unto Him for salvation,
cleaving to Him with faithful trust: that
dread that bringeth us into this working,
it is kind, and gracious, and good, and true.
And all that is contrarious to this, either
it is wrong, or it is meddled with wrong.

Shewed to Mother Julian qf Norwich. 2j§
Then is this the remedy to know
them both, and refuse the wrong: for the
kind property of dread which we have in
this life by the gracious working of the
Holy Ghost, the same shall be in heaven
afore God, gentle, courteous, and full
sweet And thus we shall in love be
homely and near to God. And we in
dread be gentle and courteous to God,
and both in one manner like even. Desire
we then of otir Lord God to dread Him
reverendly and love Him meekly, and to
trust in Him mightily ; for when we dread
Him reverendly, and love Him meekly,
'our trust is never in vain-; for the more
that we trust, and the mightilier that we
trust, the more we please and worship
Our Lord that we trust in. And if us fail
this reverend dread and meek love, (as
God forbid it should,) our trust shall soon
fee misruled for that time. And therefore
Us needeth much to pray our Lord of
grace that we may have this reverend
dread, and make love of His gift in heart
and in work, for without this no man may
please God.

280 Revelations of Divine Love,

Wat §£btntg*fi£ih Chapter.
How we need love, longing, and pity. Of
three manners of longing in God, How
at the judgment day the joys of the
blessed shall be increased,
SSAW that God may do all that us
needeth: and these three that I
shall say; 73*eed% love, longing. Pity
and love keep us in the time of our need.
And longing in the same love draweth us
into heaven; for the thirst of God is to
have the general man into Him* In
which thirst, He hath drawn His holy
souls that be now in bliss. And so,, get
ting His lively members, ever He draw
eth and dryvketh, and yet Him thirsteth
and longeth.
I saw three manners of longing in God,
and- all to one end. The first is, for that
He longeth to learn us to know Him and
to love Him ever more and more, as it is
convenient and profitable to us. The

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 281
second is, that He longeth to have us into
bliss, as souls are when they be taken out
of pain into heaven. The third is, to
fulfil us of bliss ; and that shall be on the
last day fulfilled, ever to last. For I sawf
as it is known in our faith, that then pain
and sorrow shall be ended to all that shall
be saved. And not only we shall receive
the same bliss that souls afore have had
in heaven, but also we shall receive a
new, which plenteously shall fly out of
God into us, and fulfil us. And those be
the goods which He hath ordained to give
us from without beginning. These goods
are treasured and hid in Himself; for
unto that time the creature is not mighty,
nor worthy to receive them. In this we
should see verily the cause of all the
deeds that God hath done. And ever
more we should see the cause of all
things that He hath suffered, And the
bliss, and the fulfilling, shall be so deep
and so high, that for wonder and marvel
all creatures shall have to God so great
reverence and dread, overpassing that

282 Revelations of Divine Love,
hath been seen and felt, before which the
pillars of heaven shall tremble and quake.
But this manner of trembling and dread
shall have no pain ; but it belongeth to
the worthy Majesty of God thus to be
beholden of His creatures dreadfully
trembling and quaking; for much more of
joy endlessly marvelling of the greatness
* of God the Maker, and of the least part
of all that is made. For the beholding of
this maketh the creature marvellous meek
and mild.
Wherefore God wnleth, and also it
belongeth to us both, in nature and in
grace, to will to have knowing of this,
desiring the sight and the working. For
it leadeth us in right way, and keepeth us
in true life, and uniteth us to God. And
as good as God is, as great He is ;; and as
much as it belongeth to His Godhead to
be loved, so much it belongeth to His
greatness to be dreaded. For this reve
rend dread is the fairest courtesy that is
in heaven before God's Face. And as
much as He shall be known and' loved
overpassing that He is now, in so much

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 283
He shall be dreaded overpassing that He
is now. Wherefore it behoveth needs to
be, that all heaven and all earth shall
tremble and quake, when the pillars shall
tremble and quake.

Wat (S.taittg^ixth Chapter.
How a loving soul hateth sin for its vile-
ness more than all the pains of hell. The
beholding of other men's sins with com
passion helpeth the beholding of God.
S SPEAK but little of this reverend
dread: for I hope it may be seen
in this matter aforesaid. But well
I wot that our Lord shewed me no souls
but those that dread Him ; for well I wot
the soul that truly taketh the teaching of
the Holy Ghost it hateth sin more for the
vileness and the horribleness, than it doth
all the pain that is in hell. For the soul
that beholdeth the kindness of our Lord
Jesus it hateth no hell ; but sin is hell, as

2 84 Revelations of Divine Love,
to my sight And therefore it is God's
will that we know sin, and pray busily,
and travail wilfully, and seek teaching
meekly, that we fall not blindly therein ;
and if we fall, that we rise readily ; for it
is the most pain that the soul may have to
turn from God any time by sin. The
soul that will be in rest when other men's
sins come to mind, he should flee it as the
pain of hell, seeking unto God for help
against it; for the beholding of other
men's sin, it maketh as it were a thick
mist afore the eye of the soul. And we
may not for the time see the fairness of
God, unless we can behold them with
eontrition with them, with compassion on
them, and with holy desire to God for
them. For without this it annoyeth, and
troubleth, and letteth the soul that be
holdeth them ; for this I understand in
the shewing of the compassion.
In this blissful shewing of our Lord I
have understanding of two contraries.
The one is the most wisdom that any crea
ture may do in this life ; the other is the
most folly. The most wisdom is for a

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 285
creature to do after the will and the coun
sel of his highest Sovereign Friend.
This blessed Friend is Jesus, and it is
His will and counsel that we hold us with
Him, and fasten us homely to Him, ever
more in what state soever we be ; for
whether we be foul or Glean, we are ever
one in His loving. For weal, nor for
woe, He willeth never that we flee Him ;
but from the changeableness that we have
in ourself, we fall often into sin. Then
have we this by the stirring of our
enemy, and by our own folly and blind
ness: for they say thus, " Thou wottest
well thou art a wretch, a sinner, and also
untrue, for thou keepest not thy covenant.
Thou promisest oftentimes our Lord that
thou shalt do better ; and anon thou fallest
again in the same, namely, in sloth and
losing of time." For that is the beginning
of sin, as to my sight ; and namely, to the
creatures that have given themselves to
serve our Lord with inward beholding of
His blissful goodness. And this maketh
us adread to appear before our courteous
Lord. Then is it our enemy that will put

286 Revelations of Divine Love,
us aback with his false dread of our
wretchedness, for pain that he threateneth
us by, for it is his meaning to make us so
heavy and so sorry in this, that we should
let out of mind the blissful beholding of
our Everlasting Friend.

Wat (Sstetttg^tath Chapter.
How the enmity of the fiend biteth more in.
our uprising than in our downfalling..
He is to be scorned. How the scourge
of God should be borne in remembrance,
at His Passion.. God is one, and. bliss.
/fll^UR good Lord shewed the enmity
ll U of the fiend, whereby I under
stood that all that is contrarious.
to love and to peace, it is of the fiend,.
and of his party ; and we have of our
feebleness and our folly to fall ; and we
have of mercy and grace of the Holy
Ghost to rise to more joy.. And if our
enemy aught winneth of us by our falling,.
(for it is his business); he loseth manifold

Shewed to. Mother Julian of Norwich. 287
more in our rising by charity and meek
ness.. And this glorious rising it is so
great sorrow and pain to him, for the hate
that he hath to our soul, that he burnetii
continually in envy. And all this sorrow
that he would make us to have, it shall
turn unto himself. And for this it was
that our Lord scorned him, and shewed
that he shall he scorned ; and this made
me mightily to laugh..
Then is this the remedy ; that we be
a-known of our wretchedness, and fly to
our Lord: for ever the more in need that
we be, the more profitable it is to us to
touch Him ; and say we thus in our
meaning: "/ know well that I have de
served pain, but our Lord is Almighty,
and may punish me mightily; and He is
all wisdom, and can punish me wisely ; and
He is all goodness, and loveth me tenderly."
And in this beholding it is profitable to
us to abide ;- for it is a full lovely meek
ness of a -sinful soul, wrought by grace
and mercy of the Holy Ghost ; when we
will wilfully and gladly take the scourg
ing and the chastising that our Lord

288 Revelations of Divine Love,
Himself will give us ; and it shall be full
tender and full easy if we will only hold
us pleased with Him, and with all His
works. For that penance that man taketh
upon himself, it was not shewed me ; that
is to say, it was not shewed me specified ;
but this was shewed specially, and highly, •
and with full lovely cheer, that we should
meekly and patiently bear and suffer that
penance that God Himself giveth us, with
mind of His Blessed Passion; for when
we have mind of His Blessed Passion with
pity and love, then we suffer with Him,
like as His friends did that saw it And
this was shewed at the thirteenth, near at
the beginning, where it speaketh of pity,
for He saith: " Accuse not thyself that thy
tribulation and thy woe is all thy fault ;
for I will not that thou be heavy nor sor
rowful indiscreetly ; for I tell thee, howso
ever thou shalt dor thou shalt have woe.
And therefore I will that thou wisely know
thy penance which thou art in continually,
and that thou meekly take it for thy pen
ance. And then shalt thou truly see that
all this living is penance profitable. " Th is

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 289
place is prison, this life is penance, and
in the remedy He willeth that we rejoice.
The remedy is, that our Lord is with us,
keeping us, and leading into fulness of
joy. For this is an endless joy to us in
our Lord's meaning ; that He, that shall
' be our bliss when we are there, He is our
keeper while we are here, our way and
our heaven, in true love and faithful
trust And of this He gave understand
ing in all, namely, in shewing of His
Passion, where He made me mightily to
choose Him for my heaven. Flee we to
our Lord, and we shall be comforted ;
touch we Him, and we shall be made
clean ; cjeave we to Him, and we shall be
secure and safe from all manner of perils.
For our courteous Lord willeth we be as
homely with Him as heart may think or
soul may desire. But be we ware that we
take" not so recklessly this homely heed
for to leave courtesy ; for our Lord Him
self is sovereign homelyhood, and so
homely as He is, as -courteous He is ; for
He is very courteous. And the blessed
creatures that shall be in heaven with
'9

290 Revelations of Divine Love,
Him without end, He will have them like
to Himself in all things ; and to be like to
our Lord perfectly, it is our very salva
tion and our full bliss. And if we wot not
how we shall do all this, desire we of our
Lord, and He shall learn us ; for it is His
own worship and His liking. Blessed
may He be.

Wat ^tetttg^ighth Chapter.
How our Lord willeth us to know four
manners of goodness : the light to know
Our sins and vileness,
/Ul\ UR Lord of His mercy sheweth us
\3\j our sin and our feebleness, by the
sweet gracious sight of Himself.
For our sin is so foul and so horrible, that
He, of His courtesy, will not shew it us
but by the light of His mercy. Of four
things it is His will that we have know
ing. The first is, that He is the ground
of whom we have all our life and all our
being. The second is, that He keepeth

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 2 9 1
us mightily and mercifully in the time
that we are in our sin, among all our ene
mies that are full fell upon us. And so
much we are in the more peril, for that we
give them occasion thereto, and we know
not our own need. The third is, how
courteously He keepeth us, and maketh
us to know that we go amiss. The fourth
is, how steadfastly He abideth us, and
changeth no cheer ; for He will that we
be turned and united to Him in love, as
He is to us. And thus by gracious know
ing we may see our sin profitable without
despair, for in sooth us needeth to see it ;
and by the sight we should be made
ashamed of ourself, and broken down in
regard of our pride and our presumption.
For us behoveth verily to see that of
ourself we are right nought but sin and
wretchedness. And thus, by the sight of
the less part of sin that our Lord sheweth
us, the more is wasted, which we see not.
For He, of His courtesy, measureth the
sight to us ; for it is so foul and so hor
rible, that we should not endure to see it
as it is. And thus, by this meek know-

292 Revelations of Divine Love,
ing, through contrition and grace, we shall
be broken from all thing that is not our
Lord. And then shall our Blessed Saviour
perfectly cure us, and unite us to Himself.
This breaking, and this curing, our Lord
meaneth by the general man ; for he that
is highest and nearest with God, he may
see himself sinful and needy with me.
And I, that am the least and the lowest
of those that shall be saved, I may be
comforted with him that is highest; so
hath our Lord united us in charity, when
He showed me that I should sin. And
for joy that I had in beholding Him, I
attended not readily to that shewing.
And our courteous Lord rested there, and
would no further teach me, till when that
He gave me grace and will to attend.
And hereof was I learned, though that we
be highly lifted into contemplation by the
special gift of our Lord, yet us behoveth
needs therewith to have sight and know
ing of our sin, and of our feebleness. For
without this knowing we may not have
true meekness, and without this we may
not be safe. And also I saw we may not

Shewed to Mother Julian qf Norwich. 293
have this knowing of ourself, nor of none
of all our ghostly enemies ; for they will
not do us so much good: for if it were by
their will, we should never see it till our
ending day. Then are we much bound to
God that He will Himself for love shew it
us in time of mercy and grace.

Wat §£tents*mnth Chapter.
Of how we sin, and of the unchangeable-
ness of our Lord's love. He willeth with
homely love that We haste us to Him.
f"^| LSO I had in this more understand*
f£\ ing, in that He shewed me that I
should sin. I took it nakedly to
my own singular person, for I was no
otherwise stirred in that time ; but, by the
high gracious comfort that followed after,
I saw that His meaning was for the gene
ral man ; that is to say, all man which is
sinful, and shall be unto the last day ; of
which man I am a member, as I hope, by

_ 94 Revelations of Divine Love,
the mercy of God; for the blessed conv-
fort that I saw, it is large enough for us
all. And there was I learned that I
should see mine own sin, and not other
men's, unless it may be for comfort or
help of my fellow Christian.
And also in the same shewing, where I
saw that I should sin, there was I learned
to be dreadful for unsecureness of myself.
For I wot not how I shall fall, nor I know
not the measure nor the greatness of my
sin ; for that would I have wist dread
fully: and thereto I had none answer.
Also, our courteous Lord, in that same
time, He shewed full sweetly and full
mightily the endlessness and the uii-
changeableness of His love, and also His
great goodness, and His gracious inward
keeping, that the love of Him and of our
souls shall never be separated unto with
out end. And thus in the dread I have
matter of meekness that saveth me from
presumption. And in the blessed shew
ing of love I have matter of true comfort
and of joy, that saveth me from despair.
All this homely shewing of our cour-.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 295
teous Lord it is a lovely lesson, and a
_weet gracious teaching of Himself in
comforting of our soul. For He willeth
that we know, by the sweetness of the
homely love of Him, that all that we see
or feel, within or without, which is con-
trarious to this, that it is of the enemy,
and not of God; as thus, if that we be
stirred to be the more reckless of our
living, or of the keeping of our heart,
because that we have knowing of this
plenteous love ; then needeth us greatly
to beware of this stirring, if it come. It
is untrue, and greatly we ought to hate it,
for it hath no likeness of God's will. And
when we be fallen by frailty or blindness,
then our courteous Lord, touching us,
stirreth us and keepeth. And then will
eth He that we see our wretchedness, and
meekly be it a-known. But He willeth
tiot that we abide therewith, nor He will
eth not that we busy us greatly about our
accusing, nor He willeth not that we be
too wretched on ourself: but He willeth
that we hastily attend to Him; for He
Standeth all alone, and abideth us con-

296 Revelations of Divine Love,
tinually, moaning and mourning till when'
we come. And He hath haste to have us
to Him ; for we are His joy and His
delight, and He is our salve of our life.
Where I say He standeth all alone, I
leave the speaking of the blessed com
pany in heaven, and speak only of His
office, and His working here in earthy
upon the condition of the shewing.

Wat Cifjhtteth Chapter.
How by three things God is worshipped,
and we saved. When we are in sin
Christ abideth alone. We ought again
in kindness to trust to Him.
jt% Y three things man standeth in this
2£J life. By which three things God
is worshipped, and we sped, kept,
and , saved. The first is use of man's
natural reason. The second is common
teaching of Holy Church. The third
is the inward gracious working of the

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 297
Holy Ghost. And these three be all of
one God. God is ground of our natural
reason ; and God is teaching of Holy
Church ; and God is the Holy Ghost
And all be sundry gifts to which He will
eth we have great regard, and accord us
thereto: for these work in us continually
altogether, and those be great things. Of
which greatness He willeth we have
knowing as it were in an A B C, that is to
say, that we may have a little knowing,
whereof we shall have tlve fulness in
heaven ; and that is for to profit us.
We know in our faith that God alone
took our nature, and none but He ; and
furthermore, that Christ alone did all the
great work that belongeth to our salvation,
and none but He ; and right so He alone
doth now in the last end: that is to say,
He dwelleth here in us, and ruleth us,
and guideth us in this living, and bringeth
us to His bliss. And thus shall He do as
long as any soul is on earth that shall
come to heaVen ; and so far forth that if
there were none such soul in earth but

298 Revelations of Divine Love,
one, He should be with that all alone, till
He had brought it up to His bliss.
I believe and understand the ministra
tion of holy Angels, as clerks tell ; but it
was not shewed me: for Himself is near
est and meekest, highest and lowest, and
doth all. And not only all that us need
eth, but also He doth all that is worship
ful to our joy i-n heaven. And there I
say He abideth us, moaning and mourn
ing. It meaneth all the true feeling that
we have in ourself, in contrition and in
compassion ; and all moaning and mourn
ing for that we are not united with our
Lord: and such as is profitable it is Christ
in us. And though some of us feel it
seldom, it passeth never from Christ, till
what time He have brought us out of all
pur woe .; for love suffereth Him never to
be without pity. And what time that we
fall into sin, and leave the mind of Him,
and the keeping of our own soul, then
beareth Christ alone all the charge of us.
And thus standeth He moaning and
mourning. Then belongeth it to us, for
reverence and kindness, to turn us hastily

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 2 99
to our Lord, and let Him not stand all
alone: He is here alone with us all; that
is to say, only for us He is here. And
what time I be strange to Him by sin,
despair, or sloth, then I let my Lord
stand alone, inasmuch as He is in me.
And thus it fareth with us all which be
sinners. But though it be so that we do
thus oftentimes. His goodness suffereth
us never to be alone, but lastingly He is
with us, and tenderly He excuseth us,
and ever keepeth us from blame in His
sight

300 Revelations of Divine Lovi,

Wat Citjht^fef Chapter.
How this blessed woman saw God in divers
manners. There is no resting-place for
Him but in man's soul. He willeth that
we rejoice more m His love than sorrow
for often falling. Why God suffereth sin.
/d^UR good Lord shewed Himself to
%fj J this creature in divers manners,
both in heaven and in earth. But
I saw Him take no place but in man's
soul. He shewed Himself in earth in the
sweet Incarnation, and His blessed Pas
sion ; and in another manner He shewed
Himself in earth, where I said I saw God
in a point And in another manner He
shewed Himself in earth thus, as it were
a pilgrimage ; that is to say, He is here
with us leading us, and shall be, till when
He hath brought us all to His bliss in
heaven. He shewed Himself divers times
reigning, as it is aforesaid, but principally
in man's soul. He hath taken there His

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 301
resting place, and His worshipful city, out
of which worshipful see He shall never
rise, nor remove without end. .
Marvellous and solemn is the place
where the Lord dwelleth. And therefore
He willeth that we readily attend to His
gracious touching, more rejoicing in His
whole love than sorrowing in. our often
fallings. For it is the most worship to
Him of anything that we may do, that we
live gladly and merrily for His love, in
our penance ; for He beholdeth us so ten
derly that He seeth all our living here to
be penance. For kind longing in us after
Him is a lasting penance in us, which
penance He worketh in us, and mercifully
helpeth us to bear it: for His love maketh
Him to long ; His wisdom and His truth,
with His rightfulness, maketh Him to
suffer us here. And in this manner He
willeth to see it in us ; for this is our
kindly penance, and the highest to my
sight For this penance cometh never
from us, till what time that we be fulfilled;,
when we shall have Him to our reward.
And therefore He willeth that we set our

302 Revelations of Divine Love,
hearts in the overpassing ; that is to say,
from the pain that we feel unto the bliss
that we trust

Wat (&xahty*mQnb Chapter.
How God beholdeth the mourning of the
soul with pity, not with blame ; He is
our meekness,
/T* ERE shewed our gracious Lord the
fila moaning and the mourning of our
* soul, meaning thus: "I wot well
thou wilt live, for My love merrily and
gladly suffering all the penance that may
come to thee ; but forasmuch as thou
livest not without sin, therefore thou art
heavy and sorrowful. And if thou might'
est live without sin, thou wouldst suffer for
My love all the woe that might come to
thee, and it is truth ; but be not too much'
aggrieved with sin that falleth to thee
against thy will."
And here I understood that the Lord
beheld the servant with pity and not with

Shewed to Mother Julian qf Norwich. 303
blame, for that this passing life asketh
not to live all without sin. He loveth us
endlessly, and we sin customably ; and
He showeth it us full mildly, and then we
sorrow and mourn discreetly, turning us
unto the beholding of His mercy, cleaving
to His love and to His goodness, seeing
that He is our medicine, witting that we
do nought but sin. And thus, by the
meekness that we get in the sight of our
sin, faithfully knowing His everlasting
love, Him thanking and praising, we please
Him. " / love thee, and thou lovest Me,
and our love shall never be separated iit
twain; and for thy profit I suffer." And
all this was shewed in ghostly understand
ing, saying this blessed word : " I keep
thee full securely'.' And by the great
desire that I saw in our Blessed Lord, that
we should live in this manner ; that is to
say, in longing and rejoicing, as all this
lesson of love sheweth: thereby I under
stand that all that is contrarious to this, it
is not of Him, but it is of enmity. And
He willeth that we know it by the sweet
gracious light of His kind love. If any

304 Revelations of Divine Love,
such liver be on earth which is continually
kept from falling, I know it not ; for it
was not shewed me. But this was shewed,
that in falling and in rising we are ever
preciously kept in one love. For in the
beholding of God we fall not. And in the
beholding of ourself we stand not And
both these be true, as to my sight But
the beholding of our Lord God is the
highest truth. Then are we much bound
to Him, that He will in this living shew
us this high truth. And I understood,
whiles we be in this life, it is full profit
able to us that we see these both at once.
For the higher beholding keepeth us in
ghostly joy and true rejoicing in God ;
the other, that is the lower beholding,
keepeth us in dread, and maketh us
ashamed of ourself. But our good Lord
willeth ever that we hold us much more
in the beholding of the higher, and not
leave the knowing of the lower, unto the
time that we be brought up above, where
we shall have our Lord Jesus to our re
ward, and be fulfilled of joy and bliss
without end.

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 305

Wat CiQhtg4hirb Chapter.
Of three properties in God ; life, love, and
light. How they become ours.
SHAD in part touching, sight, andi
feeling in three properties of God, I
in which the strength and the
effect of all the revelation standeth. And
it was seen in every shewing: and most
properly in the twelfth, where it saith
oftentimes, "/ it am." The properties
are these: life, love, and light. In life is
marvellous homeliness ; in love is gentle j
courtesy ; and in light is endless kindness. '
These three properties were seen in one
goodness ; unto which goodness my rea
son would be united, and cleaving to it
with all its might.
I beheld with reverend dread, and high
marvelling, in the sight and in feeling of
the sweet accord that our reason is in
God, understanding that it is the highest
gift that we have received, and it is

3o5 Revelations qf Divine LoVe,
grounded in nature. Our faith is a light
naturally coming of our endless Day, that
is our Father God ; in which light our
Mother Christ, and our good Lord the
Holy Ghost, lead us in this passing life.
This light is measured discreetly, need
fully to us in the night The light is
'cause of our life; the night is Cause Of
Our pain, and all our woe ; in which woe
we deserve endless reward and thanks of
God ; for we with mercy and grace wil
fully know and believe our light, going
therein wisely and mightily. And at the
end of woe suddenly our eye shall he
opened, and ia clearness of sight our life
shall be full ; which light is God our
Maker, Father, and Holy Ghost, in Christ
Jesus our Saviour. Thus I saw and un
derstood that our faith is our light in our
night, which light is God in endless day.

Skewed ta Mother Julian of Norwich. 307

^he €ightg*fertrth Chapter.
How God loved His chosen from everlast
ing, and that al.1 is Well^Of d^iiiedi.
/^JpHIS light is charity, and the mea-
LIk suring of this light is done to- us
profitably to us by the wisdom of
God. For neither the light is so large
that we may see clearly our blissful day ;
nor it is all shut up from us: but it is
such a light in which we may live reward-
fully with travail, deserving the worship
ful thanks of God. And this was seen in
the sixth shewing, where He saith: "/
thank thee of thy service, and qf thy tra*
vail." Thus charity keepeth us in faith
and in hope; and faith and hope lead us
in charity; and at the end all shall be
charity. I had three manners of un
derstanding in this light of charity: the
first is charity unmade; the second is
charity made ; the third is charity given.
Charity unmade is God ; charity made is

3-8 Revelations of Divine Love,
our soul in God ; charity given is virtue,
and that is a gracious gift of working, in
which we love God for Himself, and our
self in God, and all that God loveth for
God. And in this sight I marvelled highly ;
for notwithstanding our simple living, and
our blindness here, yet endlessly our cour
teous Lord beholdeth us in this working
rejoicing. And of all things we may
please Him best, wisely and truly to be- >
lieve it, and to rejoice with Him and in
Him. For as verily as we shall be in
bliss of God without end, Him praising
and thanking, as verily we have been in
the foresight of God, loved and known in
His endless purpose from without begin
ning. In which unbegun love He made
us; in the same love He keepeth us, and
never suffereth us to be hurt, by which
our bliss might be lost. And therefore,
when the doom is given, and we be all
brought up above, then shall we clearly
see in God the privities which now be hid
to us. And then shall none of us be
stirred to say in anything, "Lord, if it

Shewed to Mother Julian qf Norwich. 309
had been thus it had been well." But we
shall all say with one voice: "Lord,
blessed may est Thou be, for that it is thus ;
thus it is well. And now we see verily
that all things be done as it was Thine ordi
nance, or ever anything was made."

• Wat €i§htg4ifih

How the good Lord shewed that this book
should be otherwise performed than at
the first writing. The cause of all these
shewing? was love.
tHIS book is begun hy God's gift
and His grace ; but it is not yet
performed, as to my sight. For
charity pray we altogether, with God's
working, thanking, trusting, and rejoicing.
For this will our good Lord be prayed,
by the understanding that I took in all
His own meaning. And in the sweet
words where He saith full merrily, " I am
the ground of thy beseeching." For truly,

31 o Revelations of Divine Law,
I saw arid understood; in our Lord's
meaning, that He shewed it $ for He will.
have it known, more thaa. it is, hk which,
knowing He will give us grace to* love
Him, and cleave ta Him.
For He beholdeth His heavenly trea
sure and solace in heavenly joy, in draw
ing of our hearts from sorrow and dark
ness, which we are in. And from the
time that it was shewed, I desired often
times to wit in what was our Lord's mean
ing* and fifteen years after and more, I
was answered in ghostly understanding,
saying thus: " What! wouldst thou wit
thy Lord's meaning in this thing ? Wit it
Welti love was His meaning. Who shewed
it thee f jLove,. Wherefore shewed He it
thee ? For Love. Hold thee therein, thou
shalt wit. it more in the same. But thou
shalt never wit therein other without end."
Thus was I learned, that love was our
Lord's meaning. And I saw full surely
in this, and in all, that our God made us ;
He loved us, which love was never
slacked nor never shall. And in this
love He hath done all His works ; and in

Shewed to Mother Julian of Norwich. 311
this love He hath made all things profit
able to us; and in this love our life is
everlasting. In which making we had
beginning; hut the love wherein He
made us was in Him from without be
ginning. In which love we have our
beginning. And all this shall we see in
God without end,
I pray Almighty God that this book
come not but into the hands of those that
will be His faithful lovers, and that will
submit them to the faith of Holy Church.

K1CHABDSON AND SONS, PlirNTEBS, DEnBY.

1084

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