The Mirror
of Simple Souls
Margaret Porette 1250 - 1310
Chapter 7. Of how this Soul is noble, and how she takes heed of nothing.
Love: This Soul, says Love, takes no heed
of shame or honour, of poverty or of riches, of comfort or of hardship, of love
or of hate, of Hell or of Paradise.
Reason: For God’s sake, Love, says Reason,
what is the meaning of what you say?
Love: What does it mean? says Love. The
one whom God has given understanding of it knows that, and no-one else, for no
book contains it, nor can man’s intelligence comprehend it, nor can any
creature’s labouring be rewarded by understanding or comprehending it. Rather
this is a gift given by the Most High, into whom this creature is ravished
through fullness of knowledge, and in her understanding she remains nothing.
And such a Soul, having become nothing, at once has everything and has nothing,
wishes for everything and wishes for nothing, knows everything and knows
nothing.
Reason: And how is it possible, Lady Love, says Reason, that this Soul can wish for what this book says, when it has already said before that she has no will at all?
Love: Reason, says Love, it is
not at all her will which wishes this, but rather it is the will of God which
wishes it in her; for this Soul does not dwell in Love, for Love would make her
wish for this through any longing; rather it is Love who dwells in her, who has
taken her will from her, and so Love works her own will in the Soul, and Love
performs her works in her without her help, as a result of which no anxiety can
remain in her. This Soul, says Love, is no longer able to speak of God, for she
has been brought to nothing in all her external longings and inward feelings
and all affections of the spirit, so that whatever this Soul does she does
because it is some accustomed commendable practice, or because Holy Church
commands it, but not through any longing of her own, for the will which
prompted longing in her is dead.
Chapter 8. How Reason is astounded
that this Soul has abandoned the Virtues, and how Love praises them.
Reason: Ah, Love, says Reason, who
understands only the obvious and fails to grasp what is subtle, what strange
thing is this? This Soul experiences no grace, she feels no longings of the
spirit, since she has taken leave of the Virtues, which give to every pious
soul a form of good life, and without these Virtues no-one can be saved or
attain to perfect living, and with them no-one can be deceived; and none the
less this Soul takes leave of them. Is she not out of her mind, this Soul who
talks like that?
Love: No, not at all, says Love, for souls
such as she possess the Virtues better than any other creature, but they do not
make use of them,2 for they are not in their service as they once were; and,
too, they have now served them long enough, so that henceforth they may become
free.
Reason: And when, Love, says Reason, did they
serve them?
Love: When they remained bound in love and
obedience to you, Lady Reason, and also to the other Virtues; and they have
stayed in that service so long that now they have become free.
Reason: And when did such souls become
free? says Reason.
Love: Once Love dwells in them, and the
Virtues serve them with no demur and with no effort3 from such souls.
Love: Ah, truly, Reason, says Love, such
souls who have become so free have known for long the bondage which Lordship is
wont to exact. If anyone were to ask them what is the greatest torment which
any creature can suffer, they would say that it is to dwell in Love, and yet to
be subject to the Virtues. For one must yield everything they ask to the
Virtues, at whatever cost to Nature. And so it is that the Virtues ask honour
and possessions, heart and body and life. That is that such souls should give
up everything, and still the Virtues say to this Soul, which has given all this
to them and has held back nothing with which to comfort Nature, that only with
great suffering is the just man saved. And therefore this wretched Soul,5 still
subject to the Virtues, says that she would be willing to be hounded by Dread
and suffer torment in Hell until the day of judgment, if after that she was to
be saved. And it is true, says Love, that the Soul over whom the Virtues have
power lives in such subjection. But the souls of whom we speak have brought the
Virtues to heel, for such souls do nothing for them: but rather the Virtues do
all that such souls wish, humbly and with no demur, for such souls are their
mistresses.
Chapter 9. How
such Souls have no will at all.
Love:
If anyone were to ask such free souls, untroubled and at peace, if they would
want to be in Purgatory, they would answer No: if they would want here in this
life to be assured of their salvation, they would answer No: if they would want
to be in Paradise, they would answer No. Why would they wish for such things?
They have no will at all; and if they wished for anything, they would separate
themselves from Love; for he who has their will knows what is good for them,
without their knowing or being assured of it. Such Souls live by knowing and
loving and praising; that is the settled practice of such Souls, without any
impulse of their own, for Knowledge and Love and Praise dwell within them. Such
Souls cannot assess whether they are good or bad, and they have no knowledge of
themselves, and would be unable to judge whether they are converted or
perverted.
Reason: For God’s sake, what does this mean?
Love: I tell you in reply, Reason, says
Love, as I have told you before, and yet again I tell you that every teacher of
natural wisdom, every teacher of book-learning, everyone who persists in loving
his obedience to the Virtues does not and will not understand this as it should
be understood. Be sure of this, Reason, says Love, for only those understand it
who should seek after Perfect Love. But if by chance one found such Souls, they
would tell the truth if they wanted to; yet I do not think that anyone could
understand them, except only him who seeks after Perfect Love and Charity. Sometimes,
says Love, this gift is given in the twinkling of an eye; and let him who is
given it hold fast to it, for it is the most perfect gift which God gives to a
creature. This Soul is learning in the school of Divine Knowledge, and is
seated in the valley of Humility, and upon the plain of Truth, and is at rest
upon the mountain of Love.
Porette, Margaret. The
Mirror of Simple Souls (Notre Dame Texts in Medieval
Culture) University of Notre Dame Press.
