Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/31

 substance are considered by themselves separately; and the memory, or the understanding, or the will, are considered relatively to certain things, and these three have unity amongst themselves. I understand that which I will to understand and remember, and I will that which I understand and remember. Wherever memory is, there is understanding and will. Let us now consider the wonderful swiftness of the soul : it hath so great swiftness that at the same time, if it so will, it contemplateth heaven and flieth over sea, traverseth countries and cities, and in thought disposeth all these things in its vision ; and as soon as it heareth the name of the city that it knew before, so soon can it in thought create that city, whatsoever it be. So also, as to every other thing that it before knew or knew not, it can create them in the mind whenever it heareth them spoken of. So active is the soul, that even in sleep it resteth not; but when it thinketh of the city of Rome it cannot at the same time think of Jerusalem, neither when it is thinking about one thing can it at the same time think of another, but is busied with that one thing until that thought depart and another come. Verily God Almighty knoweth all things at the same time, and hath all things present to Him, and they are ever in His sight, and never unknown to Him, and this is that which is said, that God is, everywhere, all things ’; because that all things that ever were, or now are, or are to come, are all present to God's sight, not once but alway. The life of the body is the soul, and the life of the soul is God. If the soul leave the body, then the body dieth; and if God leave the soul because of very grievous sins, then dieth it in its better part, so that it is lost to the eternal life; but nevertheless it never cometh to an end in its eternal punishment.

This death betideth the soul if it allow desire and anger to reign in it, rather than reason, which should ever direct it to good deeds. Through reason alone are we better than the irrational beasts. With two dignities Almighty God adorned man's soul ; that is say, with immortality and happiness : but it lost happiness