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The Cloud of Unknowing, ed. by Evelyn Underhill, [1922], at sacred-texts.com
Of four degrees of Christian men’s living; and of the course of his calling that this book was made unto
A short stirring to meekness, and to the work of this book
How the work of this book shall be wrought and of the worthiness of it before all other works
Of the shortness of this work, and how it may not be come to by the curiosity of wit, nor by imagination
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
THE THREE AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
How God will answer and purvey for them in spirit, that for business about His love list not answer nor purvey for themselves
THE FOUR AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
What charity is in itself, and how it is truly and perfectly contained in the work of this book.
THE FIVE AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE SEVEN AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
Who should work in the gracious work of this book
THE EIGHT AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE NINE AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE THREE AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE FOUR AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
That God giveth this grace freely without any means, and that it may not be come to with means
THE FIVE AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE SEVEN AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
Of the special prayers of them that be continual workers in the work of this book
THE EIGHT AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
How and why that short prayer pierceth heaven
THE NINE AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE THREE AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE SEVEN AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE EIGHT AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE THREE AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE SEVEN AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
How these young presumptuous disciples misunderstand this other word up; and of the deceits that follow thereon
THE EIGHT AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE THREE AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE SEVEN AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE EIGHT AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE ONE AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE TWO AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
That a worker in this work should not deem nor think of another worker as he feeleth in himself
THE THREE AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE FOUR AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
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
THE FIVE AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
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.