it were impossible any soul to
have meed of God without this, and all after the quantity of this
shall stand the quantity of meed; for whoso hath much of this, much
meed shall he have, and whoso hath less of this, less meed shall he
have. And all these other things, as is fasting, waking, sharp
wearing, and all these other, they are needful[201] in as much as
they are helply to get this, so that without this they are nought.
And this without them is sometime sufficient at the full by itself,
and it is often times full worthily had and come to of full many
without any of the others. All this I say for that I would by this
knowing that thou charged and commended each thing after that it is:
the more, "the more," and the less, "the less"; for oft times
unknowing is cause of much error. And oft times unknowing maketh men
to charge more and commend more bodily exercise (as is fasting,
waking, sharp wearing, and all these others) than they do ghostly
exercise in virtues or in this reverent affection touched before.
And, therefore, in more declaration of the meed and the worthiness
of this reverent affection, I shall say a little more than I yet
have said, so that, by such declaring, thou mayst be better learned
in this working than thou yet art.

All this manner of working beforesaid of this reverent affection,
when it is brought in by these two thoughts of dread and of hope
coming before, may well be likened to a tree that were full of
fruit; of the which tree, dread is that party that is within in the
earth, that is, the root. And hope is that party that is above the
earth, that is, the body[202] with the boughs. In that that hope is
certain and stable, it is the body; in that it stirreth men to works
of love, it is the boughs; but this reverent affection is evermore
the fruit, and then, evermore as long as the fruit is fastened to
the tree,[203] it hath in party a green smell of the tree; but when
it hath been a certain time departed from the tree and is full ripe,
then it hath lost all the taste of the tree, and is king's meat
[that was before but knave's meat].[204] In this time it is that
this reverent affection is so meedful as I said. And, therefore,
shape thee for to depart this fruit from the tree, and for to offer
it up by itself to the high King of heaven; and then shalt thou be
cleped God's own child, loving Him with a chaste love for Himself,
and not for His goods.[205] I mean thus: though all that the
innume