PROLOGUE & TABLE OF CONTENTS

Here beginneth a book of contemplation, the which is called the CLOUD OF UNKNOWING, in the which a soul is oned with GOD.

PROLOGUE & TABLE OF CONTENTS

Here Beginneth the Prayer on the Prologue

GOD, unto whom all hearts be open, and unto whom all will speaketh, and unto whom no privy thing is hid. I beseech Thee so for to cleanse the intent of mine heart with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that I may perfectly love Thee, and worthily praise Thee. Amen.

Prologue

Here Beginneth the Prologue

IN the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost! I charge thee and I beseech thee, with as much power and virtue as the bond of charity is sufficient to suffer, whatsoever thou be that this book shalt have in possession, either by property, either by keeping, by bearing as messenger, or else by borrowing, that in as much as in thee is by will and advisement, neither thou read it, nor write it, nor speak it, nor yet suffer it be read, written, or spoken, of any or to any but if it be of such one, or to such one, that hath by thy supposing in a true will and by an whole intent purposed him to be a perfect follower of Christ not only in active living, but in the 46 sovereignest point of contemplative living the which is possible by grace for to be come to in this present life of a perfect soul yet abiding in this deadly body; and thereto that doth that in him is, and by thy supposing hath done long time before, for to able him to contemplative living by the virtuous means of active living. For else it accordeth nothing to him. And over this I charge thee and I beseech thee by the authority of charity, that if any such shall read it, write it, or speak it, or else hear it be read or spoken, that thou charge him as I do thee, for to take him time to read it, speak it, write it, or hear it, all over. For peradventure there is some matter therein in the beginning or in the middle, the which is hanging, and not fully declared where it standeth: and if it be not there, it is soon after, or else in the end. Wherefore if a man saw one matter and not another, peradventure he might lightly be led into error; and therefore in eschewing of 47 this error, both in thyself and in all other, I pray thee for charity do as I say thee.

Fleshly janglers, open praisers and blamers of themselves or of any other, tellers of trifles, ronners and tattlers of tales, and all manner of pinchers, cared I never that they saw this book. For mine intent was never to write such thing unto them, and therefore I would that they meddle not therewith; neither they, nor any of these curious, lettered, or unlearned men. Yea, although that they be full good men of active living, yet this matter accordeth nothing to them. But if it be to those men, the which although they stand in activity by outward form of living, nevertheless yet by inward stirring after the privy spirit of God, whose dooms be hid, they be full graciously disposed, not continually as it is proper to very contemplatives, but now and then to be perceivers in the highest point of this contemplative act; if such men might see it, they 48 should by the grace of God be greatly comforted thereby.

This book is distinguished in seventy chapters and five. Of the which chapters, the last chapter of all teacheth some certain tokens by the which a soul may verily prove whether he be called of God to be a worker in this work or none.

Table of the Chapters

Here Beginneth a Table of the Chapters

CHAPTER

That in the time of this work all the creatures that ever have been, be now, or ever shall be, and all the works of those same creatures, should be hid under the cloud of forgetting

A short conceit of the work of this book, treated by question

How a man shall have him in this work against all thoughts, and specially against all those that arise of his own curiosity, of cunning, and of natural wit

A good declaring of certain doubts that may fall in this work, treated by question, in destroying of a man’s own curiosity, of cunning, and of natural wit, and in distinguishing of the degrees and the parts of active living and contemplative

That in the time of this work the remembrance of the holiest creature that ever God made letteth more than it profiteth

How a man shall know when his thought is no sin; and if it be sin, when it is deadly and when it is venial

That a man should weigh each thought and each stirring after that it is, and always eschew recklessness in venial sin

That by virtue of this work sin is not only destroyed, but also virtues begotten

What meekness is in itself, and when it is perfect and when it is imperfect

That without imperfect meekness coming before, it is impossible for a sinner to come to the perfect virtue of meekness in this life

A short proof against their error that say that there is no perfecter cause to be meeked under, than is the knowledge of a man’s own wretchedness

That by virtue of this work a sinner truly turned and called to contemplation cometh sooner to perfection than by any other work; and by it soonest may get of God forgiveness of sins

That a very contemplative list not meddle him with active life, nor of anything that is done or spoken about him, nor yet to answer to his blamers in excusing of himself

How that yet unto this day all actives complain of contemplatives as Martha did of Mary. Of the which complaining ignorance is the cause

A short excusation of him that made this book, teaching how all contemplatives should have all actives fully excused of their complaining words and deeds

How Almighty God will goodly answer for all those that for the excusing of themselves list not leave their business about the love of Him

The true exposition of this gospel word, “Mary hath chosen the best part”

Of the wonderful love that Christ had to man in person of all sinners truly turned and called to the grace of contemplation

How God will answer and purvey for them in spirit, that for business about His love list not answer nor purvey for themselves

What charity is in itself, and how it is truly and perfectly contained in the work of this book.

That in the time of this work a perfect soul hath no special beholding to any one man in this life

That without full special grace, or long use in common grace, the work of this book is right travailous; and in this work, which is the work of the soul helped by grace, and which is the work of only God

Who should work in the gracious work of this book

That a man should not presume to work in this work before the time that he be lawfully cleansed in conscience of all his special deeds of sin

That a man should bidingly travail in this work, and suffer the pain thereof, and judge no man

Who should blame and condemn other men’s defaults

How a man should have him in beginning of this work against all thoughts and stirrings of sin

Of two ghostly devices that be helpful to a ghostly beginner in the work of this book

That in this work a soul is cleansed both of his special sins and of the pain of them, and yet how there is no perfect rest in this life

That God giveth this grace freely without any means, and that it may not be come to with means

Of three means in the which a contemplative prentice should be occupied; in reading, thinking, and praying

Of the meditations of them that continually travail in the work of this book

Of the special prayers of them that be continual workers in the work of this book

How and why that short prayer pierceth heaven

How a perfect worker shall pray, and what prayer is in itself; and, if a man shall pray in words, which words accord them most to the property of prayer

That in the time of this work a soul hath no special beholding to any vice in itself nor to any virtue in itself

That in all other works beneath this, men should keep discretion; but in this none

That by indiscretion in this, men shall keep discretion in all other things; and surely else never

That all writing and feeling of a man’s own being must needs be lost if the perfection of this work shall verily be felt in any soul in this life

How a soul shall dispose it on its own part, for to destroy all witting and feeling of its own being

A good declaring of some certain deceits that may befall in this work

A good teaching how a man shall flee these deceits, and work more with a listiness of spirit than with any boisterousness of body

A slight teaching of this work in purity of spirit; declaring how that on one manner a soul should shew his desire unto God, and on ye contrary, unto man

How God will be served both with body and with soul, and reward men in both; and how men shall know when all those sounds and sweetness that fall into the body in time of prayer be both good and evil

The substance of all perfection is nought else but a good will; and how that all sounds and comforts and sweetness that may befall in this life be to it but as it were accidents

Which is chaste love; and how in some creatures such sensible comforts be but seldom, and in some right oft

That men should have great wariness so that they understand not bodily a thing that is meant ghostly; and specially it is good to be wary in understanding of this word in, and of this word up

How these young presumptuous disciples misunderstand this word in, and of the deceits that follow thereon

Of divers unseemly practices that follow them that lack the work of this book

How that by virtue of this work a man is governed full wisely, and made full seemly as well in body as in soul

How they be deceived that follow the fervour of spirit in condemning of some without discretion

How they be deceived that lean more to the curiosity of natural wit, and of clergy learned in the school of men than to the common doctrine and counsel of Holy Church

How these young presumptuous disciples misunderstand this other word up; and of the deceits that follow thereon

That a man shall not take ensample of Saint Martin and of Saint Stephen, for to strain his imagination bodily upwards in the time of his prayer

That a man shall not take ensample at the bodily ascension of Christ, for to strain his imagination upwards bodily in the time of prayer: and that time, place, and body, these three should be forgotten in all ghostly working

That the high and the next way to heaven is run by desires, and not by paces of feet

That all bodily thing is subject unto ghostly thing, and is ruled thereafter by the course of nature, and not contrariwise

How a man may wit when his ghostly work is beneath him or without him and when it is even with him or within him, and when it is above him and under his God

Of the powers of a soul in general, and how Memory in special is a principal power comprehending in it all the other powers and all those things in the which they work

Of the other two principal powers, Reason and Will, and of the work of them before sin and after

Of the first secondary power, Imagination by name; and of the works and of the obedience of it unto Reason, before sin and after

Of the other secondary power, Sensuality by name; and of the works and of the obedience of it unto Will, before sin and after

That whoso knoweth not the powers of a soul and the manner of her working, may lightly be deceived in understanding of ghostly words and of ghostly working; and how a soul is made a God in grace

That nowhere bodily, is everywhere ghostly; and how our outer man calleth the work of this book nought

How that a man’s affection is marvelously changed in ghostly feeling of this nought, when it is nowhere wrought

That right as by the defailing of our bodily wits we begin more readily to come to knowing of ghostly things, so by the defailing of our ghostly wits we begin most readily to come to the knowledge of God, such as is possible by grace to be had here

That some may not come to feel the perfection of this work but in time of ravishing, and some may have it when they will, in the common state of man’s soul

That a worker in this work should not deem nor think of another worker as he feeleth in himself

How that after the likeness of Moses, of Bezaleel and of Aaron meddling them about the Ark of the Testament, we profit on three manners in this grace of contemplation, for this grace is figured in that Ark

How that the matter of this book is never more read or spoken, nor heard read or spoken, of a soul disposed thereto without feeling of a very accordance to the effect of the same work: and of rehearsing of the same charge that is written in the prologue

Of some certain tokens by the which a man may prove whether he be called of God to work in this work

AND HERE ENDETH THE TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS

GHOSTLY FRIEND IN GOD, I pray thee and I beseech thee that thou wilt have a busy beholding to the course and the manner of thy calling. And thank God heartily so that thou mayest through help of His grace stand stiffly in the state, in the degree, and in the form of living that thou hast entirely purposed against all the subtle assailing of thy bodily and ghostly enemies, and win to the crown of life that evermore lasteth. Amen.