Page:The Mediaeval Mind Vol 1.djvu/409

CHAP. XVI our body changed to bestial shape, while our soul remained in its dignity, that is, in the likeness of God. "Readily man entangles himself in love of bodies and of vanity; but, willy, nilly, he is torn with fear and grief at their dissolution. For the love of perishable things is as a fountain of useless fears and sorrows. The Lord frees the poor man from the mighty, by loosing him from the fetter of earthly love.

"The human soul is tortured in itself as long as it can be tortured, that is, as long as it loves anything besides God.

"Thou hast been clinging to one syllable of a great song, and art troubled when that wisest Singer proceeds in His singing. For the syllable which alone thou wast loving is withdrawn from thee, and others succeed in order. He does not sing to thee alone, nor to thy will, but His. The syllables which succeed are distasteful to thee because they drive on that one which thou wast loving evilly.

"All matters which are called adverse are adverse only to the wicked, that is, those who love the creature instead of the Creator.

"If in any way thou art tormented by fear, or anger or hate or grief of any kind, lay it to thyself, that is, to thy concupiscence, ignorance, or sloth. And if any one wishes to injure thee, lay that to his concupiscence. Thy distress is evidence of thy sin in loving anything destructible, having dismissed God. Thou dost grieve over the ruined show; lay it to thee and thine error because thou hast been cleaving to things that may be broken.

"He seeks a long temptation who seeks a long life.

"What God has not loved in His friends—power, rank, riches, dignities—do not thou love in thine.

"Snares thou eatest, drinkest, wearest, sleepest in; all things are snares.

"We are exiles through love and wantonness and inclination, not through locality; exiles in the country of defilement, of dark passions, of ignorance, of wicked loves and hates.

"In so far as thou lovest thyself—that is, this temporal life—so far dost thou love what is transitory.

"Adverse matters do not make thee wretched, but rather show thee to have been so; prosperity blinds the soul, by covering and increasing misery, not by removing it.

"Every one ought to love all men. Whoever wishes another to show special love toward him is a robber, and an offender against all.

"Mixed through this body, thou wast wretched enough; for thou wast subject to all its corruptions, even to the bite of the flea or the sorunculus. This did not suffice thee. Thou hast mixed thyself up with other quasi bodies, the opinion of men, admiration, love, honour, fear and the like. When these are harmed, pain comes to thee, as from bodily hurt. Thy honour is