ites Catherine, speaking in the
person of the eternal Father, "this sweet and loving Word born in a
stable, while Mary was journeying; to show to you, who are
travellers, that you must ever be born again in the stable of
knowledge of yourselves, where you will find Him born by grace
within your souls."[23] The soul is a mirror that reflects the
invisible things of God, and it is by purity of heart alone that
this mirror is made clear. "Therefore," writes Richard of St.
Victor, "let whoso thirsts to see his God, wipe his mirror, purify
his spirit. After he hath thus cleared his mirror and long
diligently gazed into it, a certain clarity of divine light begins
to shine through upon him, and a certain immense ray of unwonted
vision to appear before his eyes. This light irradiated the eyes of
him who said: Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon
us; Thou hast put gladness in my heart. From the vision of this
light which it sees with wonder in itself, the mind is wondrously
inflamed and inspired to behold the light which is above
itself."[24]

Pepwell's volume has been made the basis of the present edition of
these seven treatises; but, in each case, the text has been
completely revised. The text of the Benjamin, the Epistle of Prayer,
the Epistle of Discretion, and the Treatise of Discerning of
Spirits, has been collated with that given by the Harleian MSS. 674
and 2373; and, in most cases, the readings of the manuscripts have
been adopted in preference to those of the printed version. The
Katherin has been collated with Caxton's Lyf; the Margery Kempe with
Wynkyn de Worde's precious little volume in the University Library
of Cambridge; and the Song of Angels with the text published by
Professor Horstman from the Camb. MS Dd. v. 55. As the object of
this book is not to offer a Middle English text to students, but a
small contribution to mystical literature, the orthography has been
completely modernised, while I have attempted to retain enough of
the original language to preserve the flavour of mediaeval devotion.

EDMUND G. GARDNER.

I.

HERE FOLLOWETH A VERY DEVOUT TREATISE, NAMED BENJAMIN, OF THE MIGHTS
AND VIRTUES OF MAN'S SOUL, AND OF THE WAY TO TRUE CONTEMPLATION,
COMPILED BY A NOBLE AND FAMOUS DOCTOR, A MAN OF GREAT HOLINESS AND
DEVOTION, NAMED RICHARD OF SAINT VICTOR

A TREATISE NAMED BENJAMIN

THE PROLOGUE

A GREAT clerk that men call [25] Richard of Saint Victor, in a book
that he