lectures11-13-第14章

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passage　suitable　for　our　purpose。







〃First　of　all；　carefully　excite　in　yourself　an　habitual



affectionate　will　in　all　things　to　imitate　Jesus　Christ。　　If



anything　agreeable　offers　itself　to　your　senses；　yet　does　not　at



the　same　time　tend　purely　to　the　honor　and　glory　of　God；　renounce



it　and　separate　yourself　from　it　for　the　love　of　Christ；　who　all



his　life　long　had　no　other　taste　or　wish　than　to　do　the　will　of



his　Father　whom　he　called　his　meat　and　nourishment。　　For　example；



you　take　satisfaction　in　HEARING　of　things　in　which　the　glory　of



God　bears　no　part。　　Deny　yourself　this　satisfaction；　mortify　your



wish　to　listen。　　You　take　pleasure　in　SEEING　objects　which　do　not



raise　your　mind　to　God：　　refuse　yourself　this　pleasure；　and　turn



away　your　eyes。　　The　same　with　conversations　and　all　other



things。　Act　similarly；　so　far　as　you　are　able；　with　all　the



operations　of　the　senses；　striving　to　make　yourself　free　from



their　yokes。







〃The　radical　remedy　lies　in　the　mortification　of　the　four　great



natural　passions；　joy；　hope；　fear；　and　grief。　　You　must　seek　to



deprive　these　of　every　satisfaction　and　leave　them　as　it　were　in



darkness　and　the　void。　　Let　your　soul　therefore　turn　always：







〃Not　to　what　is　most　easy；　but　to　what　is　hardest；







〃Not　to　what　tastes　best；　but　to　what　is　most　distasteful；







〃Not　to　what　most　pleases；　but　to　what　disgusts；







〃Not　to　matter　of　consolation；　but　to　matter　for　desolation



rather；







〃Not　to　rest；　but　to　labor；







〃Not　to　desire　the　more；　but　the　less；







〃Not　to　aspire　to　what　is　highest　and　most　precious；　but　to　what



is　lowest　and　most　contemptible；







〃Not　to　will　anything；　but　to　will　nothing；







〃Not　to　seek　the　best　in　everything；　but　to　seek　the　worst；　so　



that　you　may　enter　for　the　love　of　Christ　into　a　complete



destitution；　a　perfect　poverty　of　spirit；　and　an　absolute



renunciation　of　everything　in　this　world。







〃Embrace　these　practices　with　all　the　energy　of　your　soul　and　you



will　find　in　a　short　time　great　delights　and　unspeakable



consolations。







〃Despise　yourself；　and　wish　that　others　should　despise　you；







〃Speak　to　your　own　disadvantage；　and　desire　others　to　do　the



same；







〃Conceive　a　low　opinion　of　yourself；　and　find　it　good　when　others



hold　the　same；







〃To　enjoy　the　taste　of　all　things；　have　no　taste　for　anything。







〃To　know　all　things；　learn　to　know　nothing。







〃To　possess　all　things；　resolve　to　possess　nothing。







〃To　be　all　things；　be　willing　to　be　nothing。







〃To　get　to　where　you　have　no　taste　for　anything；　go　through



whatever　experiences　you　have　no　taste　for。







〃To　learn　to　know　nothing；　go　whither　you　are　ignorant。







〃To　reach　what　you　possess　not；　go　whithersoever　you　own　nothing。







〃To　be　what　you　are　not；　experience　what　you　are　not。〃







These　later　verses　play　with　that　vertigo　of　self…contradiction



which　is　so　dear　to　mysticism。　　Those　that　come　next　are



completely　mystical；　for　in　them　Saint　John　passes　from　God　to



the　more　metaphysical　notion　of　the　All。







〃When　you　stop　at　one　thing；　you　cease　to　open　yourself　to　the



All。







〃For　to　come　to　the　All　you　must　give　up　the　All。







〃And　if　you　should　attain　to　owning　the　All；　you　must　own　it；



desiring　Nothing。







〃In　this　spoliation；　the　soul　finds　its　tranquillity　and　rest。



Profoundly　established　in　the　centre　of　its　own　nothingness；　it



can　be　assailed　by　naught　that　comes　from　below；　and　since　it　no



longer　desires　anything；　what　comes　from　above　cannot　depress　it；



for　its　desires　alone　are　the　causes　of　its　woes。〃＇182＇







＇182＇　Saint　Jean　de　la　Croix；　vie　et　Oeuvres；　Paris；　1893；　ii。



94；　99；　abridged。















And　now；　as　a　more　concrete　example　of　heads　4　and　5；　in　fact　of



all　our　heads　together；　and　of　the　irrational　extreme　to　which　a



psychopathic　individual　may　go　in　the　line　of　bodily　austerity；　I



will　quote　the　sincere　Suso's　account　of　his　own　self…tortures。　



Suso；　you　will　remember；　was　one　of　the　fourteenth　century　German



mystics；　his　autobiography；　written　in　the　third　person；　is　a



classic　religious　document。







〃He　was　in　his　youth　of　a　temperament　full　of　fire　and　life；　and



when　this　began　to　make　itself　felt；　it　was　very　grievous　to　him；



and　he　sought　by　many　devices　how　he　might　bring　his　body　into



subjection。　　He　wore　for　a　long　time　a　hair　shirt　and　an　iron



chain；　until　the　blood　ran　from　him；　so　that　he　was　obliged　to



leave　them　off。　　He　secretly　caused　an　undergarment　to　be　made



for　him；　and　in　the　undergarment　he　had　strips　of　leather　fixed；



into　which　a　hundred　and　fifty　brass　nails；　pointed　and　filed



sharp；　were　driven；　and　the　points　of　the　nails　were　always



turned　towards　the　flesh。　　He　had　this　garment　made　very　tight；



and　so　arranged　as　to　go　round　him　and　fasten　in　front　in　order



that　it　might　fit　the　closer　to　his　body；　and　the　pointed　nails



might　be　driven　into　his　flesh；　and　it　was　high　enough　to　reach



upwards　to　his　navel。　　In　this　he　used　to　sleep　at　night。　Now　in



summer；　when　it　was　hot；　and　he　was　very　tired　and　ill　from　his



journeyings；　or　when　he　held　the　office　of　lecturer；　he　would



sometimes；　as　he　lay　thus　in　bonds；　and　oppressed　with　toil；　and



tormented　also　by　noxious　insects；　cry　aloud　and　give　way　to



fretfulness；　and　twist　round　and　round　in　agony；　as　a　worm　does



when　run　through　with　a　pointed　needle。　　It　often　seemed　to　him



as　if　he　were　lying　upon　an　ant…hill；　from　the　torture　caused　by



the　insects；　for　if　he　wished　to　sleep；　or　when　he　had　fallen



asleep；　they　vied　with　one　another。＇183＇　Sometimes　he　cried　to



Almighty　God　in　the　fullness　of　his　heart：　　Alas！　Gentle　God；



what　a　dying　is　this！　　When　a　man　is　killed　by　murderers　or



strong　beasts　of　prey　it　is　soon　over；　but　I　lie　dying　here　under



the　cruel　insects；　and　yet　cannot　die。　　The　nights　in　winter　were



never　so　long；　nor　was　the　summer　so　hot；　as　to　make　him　leave



off　this　exercise。　　On　the　contrary；　he　devised　something　farther



two　leathern　loops　into　which　he　put　his　hands；　and　fastened



one　on　each　side　his　throat；　and　made　the　fastenings　so　secure



that　even　if　his　cell　had　been　on　fire　about　him；　he　could　not



have　helped　himself。　　This　he　continued　until　his　hands　and　arms



had　become　almost　tremulous　with　the　strain；　and　then　he　devised



something　else：　　two　leather　gloves；　and　he　caused　a　brazier　to



fit　them　all　over　with　sharp…pointed　brass　tacks；　and　he　used　to



put　them　on　at　night；　in　order　that　if　he　should　try　while　asleep



to　throw　off　the　hair　undergarment；　or　relieve　himself　from　the



gnawings　of　the　vile　insects；　the　tacks　might　then　stick　into　his



body。　　And　so　it　came　to　pass。　　If　ever　he　sought　to　help　himself



with　his　hands　in　his　sleep；　he　drove　the　sharp　tacks　into　his



breast；　and　tore　himself；　so　that　his　flesh　festered。　When　after



many　weeks　the　wounds　had　healed；　he　tore　himself　again　and　made



fresh　wounds。







＇183＇　〃Insects；〃　i。e。　lice；　were　an　unfailing　token　of　mediaeval



sainthood。　We　read　of　Francis　of　Assisi's　sheepskin　that　〃often　a



companion　of　the　saint　would　take　it　to　the　fire　to　clean　and



dispediculate　it；　doing　so；　as　he　said；　because　the　seraphic



father　himself　was　no　enemy　of　pedocchi；　but　on　the　contrary　kept



them　on　him　（le　portava　adosso）　and　held　it　for　an　honor　and　a



glory　to　wear　these　celestial　pearls　in　his　habit。　　Quoted　by　P。



Sabatier：　　Speculum　Per