VII
THE ANSWER OF MY LADY POVERTY
THE ANSWER OF MY LADY POVERTY
To these Words my Lady Poverty, with joyful Heart, and cheerful Mien, and most sweet Voice, made answer, saying: I confess to you, my Brothers and most dear Friends, that from the moment you began to speak, I was filled with Gladness and exceeding great Joy, for I acknowledge your Fervour, and already know your Holy Intent; your words are dearer to me than Gold and Precious♦Ps. xviii. 11.♦Stones, and sweeter far than Honey and the Honeycomb. For it is not you that speak,♦Mark xiii. 11.♦but the Holy Ghost that speaketh in you, and it is His♦1 John ii. 27.♦Unction that inspires you in all the things which you have spoken concerning the Most High King, Who by His Grace alone chose me as His Beloved, taking away my Reproach♦Luke i. 25.♦among Men, and glorifying me among the Highest in Heaven. Therefore I desire, if it will not weary you, to tell you the story of my Estate. It is a long Story, but not less useful, and will teach you how to walk with God and please♦Gen. v. 22.♦Him, giving heed that you who wish to put your hands♦Luke ix. 62.♦to the plough in no wise look back.
I am not new,[21]as many think, but old and full of years, knowing the nature of Things, the Varieties of Creatures, the mutability of Time. I know the vacillations of the Heart of Man, in part by the experience of Ages, in part by subtlety of Nature, in part by the Merit of Grace. In the beginning I dwelt in the Paradise of God, where Man was naked. Or rather, I was in Man, and of his Essence when he was naked, walking with him in that spacious Paradise, fearing nothing, doubting nothing, thinking no Evil. I thought to have stayed with him forever, for he had been created by the Most High, just, good, and wise, and placed in a most beautiful and delectable Place. I was joyful exceeding, entertaining him at all Times, for possessing Nothing, he belonged wholly to God. But, woe is me, he succumbed to Evil, which had been unknown from the beginning of the Creation, and the unhappy Spirit of Evil, who, through Vainglory, had lost Wisdom, entered the body of a Serpent because he could not inhabit Heaven, and treacherously assailed Man, that like himself he might become a transgressor of the Divine Law. Unhappy Man, giving ear unto his evil Counsellor, acquiesced and consented, and having forgotten God, his Creator, followed the Example of the first Transgressor. In the beginning, says Holy Writ, Man was naked but not♦Gen. ii. 25.♦ashamed, for he was perfect in innocence. But having sinned, he knew that he was naked, and being ashamed, he hastily made himself an apron of the leaves of the fig-tree.[22]
When, therefore, I saw that my Companion had sinned, and was dressed in leaves (for he had nothing else), I left him. And standing afar off, I beheld him through my Tears, and waited for Him Who should save me from Faintness of Spirit in so great♦Ps. liv. 9.♦a Storm. And suddenly there came a Sound from Heaven♦Acts ii. 2.♦that shook the whole of Paradise, and a most bright Light shone from Heaven. And I looked and beheld the Lord of♦Gen. iii. 8.♦Majesty walking in Paradise in the cool of the day, resplendent in ineffable Glory. A mighty Host of Angels was in His Train, crying with a loud Voice: Holy, Holy, Holy,♦Isa. vi. 3.♦Lord God of Sabaoth, the Earth is full of the Majesty of Thy Glory. Thousands of♦Dan. vii. 10.♦Thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand[23]stood before Him. Then in Fear and Trembling, overcome with Dread and Amazement, my Body chill, my Heart fast beating, I cried out of the Depths:♦Ps. cxxix. 1.♦Mercy, Lord—have Mercy! Enter not into Judgment with♦Ps. cxlii. 2.♦Thy Servant, for in Thy Sight shall no Man living be justified. But He said unto me: Go, hide thyself for a while, until Mine Anger be overpast. And♦Isa. xxvi. 20.♦straightway He called my Companion, saying: Adam, where art thou? Who answered: I heard Thy Voice,♦Gen. iii. 9, 10.♦and was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself. Naked indeed! The man who♦Luke x. 30.♦went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among Thieves was stripped of this World’s Goods, but Adam had been robbed of the Likeness of God. But that King Who is Most High and yet most Gracious, awaited his Repentance, and gave him the Opportunity of returning to Him. Yet in his wretchedness he inclined his♦Ps. cxl. 4.♦Heart to evil Words, and to making excuses for Sin. And thus he increased his guilt, and heaped up punishment, treasuring♦Rom. ii. 5.♦up unto himself Wrath against the day of Wrath and Revelation of the just Judgment of God. For he spared not himself nor his seed after him, delivering up All to the terrible Curse of Death.
And all the Angels that were present condemned him, and the Lord cast him forth♦Gen. iii. 23.♦from Paradise by a just but not less merciful Judgment, and bade him return to the Earth from whence he was taken, greatly tempering the Curse He had laid upon him. And being stripped of his robe of Innocence, God made him garments of skins, therein signifying that Death had come into the World. And when I saw my Companion clothed with the skins of dead beasts, I left him altogether, for he had been cast forth to multiply his labours, whereby he might become rich. I went forth a♦Gen. iv. 12.♦fugitive and wanderer upon the Earth, weeping and mourning exceedingly, and I found not♦Gen. viii. 9.♦where to rest the sole of my Foot. When Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the other Patriarchs, received in promise Riches and a Land flowing with Milk and Honey, I sought Rest among♦Eccli. xxiv. 11.♦them, but found none. A Cherub with a Flaming Sword♦Gen. iii. 24.♦stood before the Gates of Paradise until the Most High came down from the Bosom of the Father, Who sought me out most graciously. And when He had fulfilled all those Things of which you have spoken, and desired to return to the Father Who had sent Him, He made me a Testament to His Elect, and confirmed it by irrefragable Decrees: Lay not up Gold nor♦Matt. x. 9.♦Silver, nor Money. Carry neither Purse, nor Scrip, nor♦Matt. x. 10 and Luke x. 4.♦Bread, nor a Staff, nor Shoes, nor two Coats. And if any♦Matt. v. 40.♦Man will contend with thee and take away thy Coat, let go thy Cloak also. And whoever♦Matt. v. 41.♦shall compel thee to go a Mile, go with him other twain.♦Matt. vi. 19.♦Lay not up unto yourselves Treasures upon Earth, where Rust and Moth doth corrupt, and where Thieves break through and steal. Take no♦Matt. vi. 31.♦thought, saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? And take no Thought of the Morrow, for the Morrow will take Thought♦Matt. vi. 34.♦for itself. Sufficient unto the Day is the Evil thereof. Whosoever doth not renounce♦Luke xiv. 33.♦all that he hath, cannot be my disciple.... And many the like sayings, which are all to be found in the Gospels.