Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
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Editor: Horstmann, Carl, b. 1851.
Title: Companion to the English prose works of Richard Rolle : a selection / from the edition by Carl Horstman.
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Rights Statement: No Copyright
Transcribed from: Yorkshire writers : Richard Rolle of Hampole, an English father of the church and his followers / edited by C. Horstman.
Rolle, Richard, of Hampole, 1290?-1349.
Horstmann, Carl, b. 1851., ed.
London: Sonnenschein, 1895-1896
Subject terms:
English prose literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500.
English language -- Middle English, 1100-1500 -- Texts.
Mysticism -- England
URL: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/rollecmp

Table of Contents
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Prose Treatises of Ms. Rawl. C 285
Be whate takynes þou sal knaw if þou luf þin ennemy, and what ensampyl þou sal tak of Crist forto luf hym
What thyng helpes mast a mans knawyng and gettis hym þat hym wantes, & mast distroys syne in hym
On the name of Iesus
Sentences from Gregory
How ane Ankares sal haf hir to þaim þat comes to hir
Sentences
Of the ten Commandments
Points best pleasing to God
Ms. Rawl. C 285
Ms. Vernon (Bodl. Eng. poet a.)
Ms. Harley 1704
Against Boasting and Pride
Sayings of the Fathers
Quotations from Bonaventura, R. Rolle &c.
Ms. Rawl. C 285
Ms. Cambridge Dd V. 55
Treatises of Ms. Harley 1022
The Rule of the Life of Our Lady
A Tretyse of þe Stodye of Wysdom þat Men Clepen Beniamyn
section
¶ Here it is to say how drede sprynges in a mans affeccion.
¶ Here it is to say howe sorowe spryngese.
[¶ Here is to say of hop.]
¶ Here is to say of [luffe].
¶ Here is to say of [doubull syght in ymaginacion].
¶ Here it is to say of doubull [vertu in sensualite].
How ioy of inwarde swetnes rises in a mans saul.
¶ How hatredyn of syn rysis in mans affeccion.
¶ How ordend schame ryses in a mans sawle.
Here it is to say of þe two sons of Rachel: Ioseph & Beniamyn.
Wythdragh þi þoght
Thre pontȝ
Treatises of Ms. Cambr. Dd V. 55
Of Proper Will
(Walter Hilton's) Of Angels' Song
Ms. Cambridge Dd V. 55
Ms. Thornton (Lincoln Cath. 91)
On Deadly and Venial Sin
Ms. Thornton (Lincoln Cath. 91)
The Privity of the Passion:
section
The meditacione of vndrone.
The Meditacione of Middaye.
A meditacyone off Non¯e.
¶ Also at None &c.
¶ At the houre of Euensonge.
¶ Att Complyne.
A meditacione [after] complyn; & oþer thyngeȝ of his beryeng.
How oure lorde went to hell: fyrste aftire his ded.
The rysyng vp of owre lorde Ihesu, and how he apperid firste to his modire, oure lady saynte Marie amen.
¶ How Maudeleyne & hir systers com to þe sepulcre.
Rynnyng to þe graue &c.
¶ How oure lord Ihesu appered to Maudeleyne.
How owre lorde apperide to [þe] thre Maries.
¶ How oure lorde appered to Iosephe of Aromathye.
¶ How oure lorde apperid to Symone Petire.
How owre [lord] Ihesu appered to two disciples goand to þe castell of Emaus.
The Mirror of St. Edmund
Ms. Thornton (Lincoln Cath. 91)
section
Ms. Vernon (Bodl. Eng. poet a.1)
section
How Mon schal loken his staat.
What is to liuen parfyt lyf.
What þing makeþ mon holi.
Of þe godnesse of vre lord, & hou mon schal spenden his tyme
How þat Mon schal spenden his tyme.
Whuche-Manere Mon schal knowe God in eueri Creature.
How Mon mai seo Godes wille in Holi writ.
Of þe seuene dedly synnes.
Of seuene Blessynges of þe Ewangelye.
Of þe seuene ȝiftes of þe holigost.
Of þe ten Comaundemens and of heore Sufficience.
Of seuene vertues and of heore Sufficience.
Of þe twelue articles of þe Fei.
Of þe seuene dedes of Merci.
Of þe seuene preyeres of þe
Of þe seuene drueries in bodi, and seuene in þe soule.
Contemplacion of God.
Contemplacion before Matynes.
Contemplacion be-fore Prime.
Contemplacion biforen Terce.
Contemplacion biforen Midday.
Contemplacion bifore Non.
Contemplacion bi-foren Euensong.
Contemplacion bi-foren cumplyn.
Contemplacion of God and of his deite.
Of þe largesse of God.
Of þe swetnesse of God.
To lyuen Honorabliche, Loueredenliche, and Meokeliche.
(Walter Hilton's) On the Mixed Life
Ms. Vernon (Bodl. Eng. poet a.1)
section
Þe Prologe.
Whi gode desyre neodeþ to be ruled be discrecion, and medeful werkes to be wrouȝt in ordre of charite.
Þat þe lyf of Marie & Martha menged to-geder is acording to hem þat are in heiȝ degre.
To whom actyf lyf a-cordeþ, & to whom contemplatif.
How medled lyf longeþ speciali to prelates of holichirche & also to worldly lordes þat rule oþer men.
Hou vre lord Ihesu Crist & holi men in heiȝ degre schewed ensaumple of medled lyf in lyuyng.
To whom medled lyf is most a-cordyng, and to whom contemplatyf lyf is most medeful.
Here hit is schewed what lyf is most a-cordyng to [him] þat þis bok was mad to.
Þat men schulde vse medled lyf as a mon schulde haue him to Crist & to his lymes.
Þat sum-tyme schulde a lord leue gostli ocupacion and gladli ȝeue him to meedful worldli werkes.
Hou be ensaumple of Iacob & of his two wyues men schal rule hem riȝt in þe medled lyf.
Þat contemplacion schulde be had in desyr, and werkes of actyf lyf in vse wiþ-outen anger & vnskilful drede.
Þat nedful worldli werkes kundel gostli desyres, proued be bodili ensaumple.
Hou be mekenes & diuerse gode werkes is þe loue of god norisched in mony mennes hertes.
How þe fuir of loue wasteþ alle synne and is a gret criȝing in þe eres of god.
What disyr is, & siker swetnes.
What difference is be-twixe desyr & þe loue of god.
How werkes wiþ-outen schewen þis desyr.
Hou after þi slepe þou schalt quiken þin herte wiþ preyeres and gode þouȝtes & put awai vuel þouȝtes þat letten deuocion.
How ordeind [þouȝt] of þin owne synnes and of oþer mennes norrisscheþ þi desyre to god.
Þat fele þouȝtes of þe monhede of vre lord discretli vsed norischeþ þe desyr to god.
Þat þouȝtes of fele vertues norisscheþ þi desyr to god.
Þat þouȝt of diuerse seyntes & of heore vertues norischeþ þi loue to god.
Þat þe þouȝt of þe merci of vr lord schewed to synful men norrischeþ þi desyr to god.
Þat þouȝt of [þe] wrecchednes of men & of þe ioyes of heuene norisscheþ þi desyr to god.
Hou þe desyre of worldli men and þe desyr of heuene is meded at þe last ende.
Hou discrecion is nedeful in þenkyng & preying, & hou hit is sum-tyme for to passe fro þat on to þat oþer.
Hou a man schal haue him in þenkyng of þe passion of vre lord Ihesu; whon deuocion lastes & whon hit passeþ a-way.
Hou a mon schal haue [him] warli in þouȝt & disire, & wisli vse þe grace þat god haþ ȝiuen to hym.
Ms. Thornton (Lincoln Cath. 91)
[Additional material from printed editions]
[Beginning]
[Conclusion]
text
The Abbey of the Holy Ghost
The Charter of the Abbey of the Holy Ghost
section
section
section
Hou god ordened a waye to sauen man.
Here now hou goddys douȝtren pleteden for mannus soule aforn¯ here fadur.
Hou Crist is founder of þe abbeye of þe holy gost.
De Worde's Early Editions, Attributed to Rolle
Contemplations of the Dread and Love of God
section
A ¶ How eche man sholde desyre to loue god.
B ¶ How men somtyme loued god / & how holy men somtyme were vysyted with swetenes in the loue of almyghty god.
C ¶ What is drede / and how a man sholde drede god.
D ¶ What is charyte and how & why thou shalt loue thy god.
¶ Of foure degrees of loue / & in the fyrst ben fyue poyntes.
¶ Ordeyned loue.
E ¶ The fyrst is that thou shalt loue thy flesshe onely that it be susteyned.
F ¶ The seconde is thou shalt loue the worlde to no superfluyte.
G ¶ The thyrde is thou shalt loue thy neyghboure for god.
H ¶ The fourth is thou shalt loue thy frende for his good lyuynge.
I ¶ The fyfthe is thou shalt loue thyn ennemye for the more mede.
¶ In the seconde degree of loue ben thre poyntes.
¶ Clene loue.
K ¶ The fyrste poynte is thou shalt loue no vyce with vertue.
L ¶ The seconde is þou shalt hate all euyll customes.
M ¶ The thyrde is thou shalt not sette lyght by synne be it neuer so lytell.
¶ In the thyrde degree of loue be fyue poyntes.
¶ Stedfast loue.
N ¶ The fyrste is thou shalt loue god with all thy desyre.
O ¶ The seconde is thou shalt in the begynnynge of thy werkes thynke on the worshyp & drede of god.
P ¶ The thyrde is thou shalt do no synne vpon trust of other good dedes.
Q ¶ The fourth is thou shalt rule the dyscretly that thou fayle not for [to] feruent wyll.
R ¶ The fyfthe is thou shalt not leue thy good lyuynge for feynte [herte] ne for temptacyon.
S ¶ How by encreace of vertues thou mayste come to parfeccyon.
T ¶ How good wyll is and may be in dyuerse maners.
U ¶ What profyte is in prayer and in what maner thou shalt praye.
X ¶ How þou mayst be ware & knowe of temptacyons wakynge or slepynge / & how þou shalt withstande them.
Y ¶ How thou shalt be pacyent & what tyme pacyence is moost nedefull.
Z ¶ How perseueraunce is nedefull & how thou mayst be perseueraunt.
AB ¶ By what prayer or thought thou mayst be styred to deuocyon.
¶ A short medytacion of the passyon of our lorde Ihesu cryste.
section
The Remedy Against the Troubles of Temptations
Four profitable things
The remedy ayenst the troubles of temptacyons
chapter
¶ The seconde chapytre.
¶ The thyrde chapytre.
¶ The fourth chapytre.
¶ The fyfte chapytre.
¶ The syxte chapytre.
¶ The seuenth chapytre.
¶ The eyght chapytre.
¶ The nynth chapytre.
¶ The tenth chapytre.
Katherine of Rome
Pieces of Ms. Vernon (Bodl. Eng. poet a.1)
Forms of Confession
section
section
section
section
section
section
section
Þe ten Comaundemens.
section
section
section
section
section
section
VII dedes of Merci
þe fyue wittes.
þe X comaundemens.
¶ «Wȝuche are þe seuene dedli synnes?» — Pruide, Envye, Ire, Slouþe, Couetyse, Lecherie, Glotonye.
¶ «Whuche are a Monnes fyue wittes?»—Heering, Seoing, Smellyng, Tastyng, and Touching.
¶ Heer beþ þe gostli werkes of Merci.
section
A Talkyng of þe Love of God
Works wrongly attributed to R. Rolle
¶ Consyderacyon of a man hym-selfe.
Off yuel þouȝttys.
Off chastyte.
Off contynuale preyer.
Off fastynge.
Off drynke.
Off lokynge.
Off wommen.
Off good bysynes.
Off redynge.
Off mekenesse.
Sadnes of mynde.
Off paciencye.
(Of manhod.)
Off peece.
Off compassyon.
Folowynge of goodnesse.
Dyspysynge of preysynge.
Honeste conuersacyon.
Good felowschype.
Kepynge of þinne eres.
Kepynge of þinne mouþe.
Synne of bacbytynge.
Off lyynges.
Off swerynge.
Off a-vowe made.
To god alle þinge ys open.
Off conscience.
Hydynge of vertu.
Off confession.
Of fore-þouȝte.
Off techynge.
Curiosite.
Off obedience.
Off souereynte.
Dyspyte of the worlde.
IX Poyntys
The Profits of Tribulation
The Six Masters
Twelve Profits of Tribulation
Of the first prophet of tribulacion.
The secund prophet of tribulacion.
Of the thrid prophet of tribulacion.
Of þe IIIIth prophet of tribulacion.
The fyfte profet of tribulacione.
Of the VI profet of tribulacion.
Of þe seuenth prophet of tribulacion.
Of þe VIII profet of tribulacion.
Of the IXth profet of tribulacion.
The X profet of tribulacion.
Of the XI profett of tribulacion.
Of the XII profett of tribulacion.
Boke of Craft of Dying
The ffirst chapter is of commendacion of deth, & [of] cunnynge for to dye well.
The secund chapter is of þe temptacion[s] of men that dyene.
The þrid chapiter conteyneþe the interrogacions þat schulden be asked of hem þat were in her deth-bed while þei may speke and vnderstond.
The IIIIth chapiter conteyneth ane instruccion with certeyne obsecracions to hem þat schullen dye.
The fyfte chapiter conteyneth an instruccion vnto hem þat shullen dye.
The sixte Chapiter conteyneth praiers þat shullen be seid vpon hem þat bene a-dyinge of som man þat is abowt him.
A Tretyse of Gostly Batayle
The Mirror of Sinners
A meditacion of þe fyue woundes of Ihesu Crist
A meditacion for oon to seie by him-self al-oone
(St. Anselm's) Meditation I
Three Arrows of Doomsday
section
How a man schulde comforte a nother þat he grucche not whanne he is seeke.
Ȝef deeth goo faste on a man, speke to hym thus.
Whan thowe hast tolde hym alle this, or ellys ȝef þou myght not for hast of deeth: bygynne heere eer his mynde goo from hym:
Diliges dominum