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.

 Love: Or, to speak more briefly, let us take one Soul to represent them all, says Love. This Soul neither longs for nor despises4 poverty or tribulation, Mass or sermon, fasting or prayer; and gives to Nature all that it requires, with no qualm of conscience; but this Nature is so well ordered through having been transformed in the union with Love, to whom this Soul’s will is joined, that it never asks anything which is forbidden. Such a Soul is not concerned about what it lacks, except at the needful time; and none but the innocent can be without this concern.

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.