A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom [61]
for Him in all His woe till
He was laid in the grave. Obtain for me, from thy tender Son, that in thy
sorrow and His sufferings I may subdue my own. Moreover, that I may shut
myself up with Him in His sepulchre from all temporal anxieties; That I may
be inspired with disgust for all this world; That I may only cherish a
perpetual desire of Him, and may persevere in His praise and service to the
grave. Amen.
-----------------------
When all this was ready and written out, there still remained a little
to make up at the end of a chapter, appertaining to our Blessed Lady, and in
that very part he had left a blank space until he should be inspired with it
by God, for he had been many months in a state of spiritual dereliction, so
that he could not finish the chapter. Then he besought our Blessed Lady, the
Mother of God, that she would do it. And, on the eve of St. Dominic, at
night, after he had sung matins, it seemed to him in his sleep, as if he
were in a chamber; and as if, while he was sitting there, a very fair youth
entered with a ravishing harp, and with him four other youths with flutes.
Then the youth with the harp sat down by the brother, and began to touch his
harp, and play upon it very sweetly. This was pleasant for the brother to
hear, and he said to him, O, when wilt thou come to the place where I dwell,
and lift up my heart a little with thy music? Then the youth asked the
brother if he was still busy with what he had for a long time been occupied
with? To which he said, Yes. Then the youth answered and said: It is hard to
play. So he turned to the four with flutes, and bid them blow. Then one of
them answered and said that if two of them blew it would be enough. But the
other said, that two would not be enough, and that they must all blow their
flutes together, and he gave them a certain tune, which was well known to
him, but of which the brother knew nothing, and it was done accordingly.
Meanwhile he presently neither saw nor heard any harp or flute, but saw
that the youths had in their hands a picture, above all measure lovely, of
our Blessed Lady, and that it was worked in cloth, and the mantle of the
picture was red and purple, with damask embroidery, which it was delightful
to behold, and the ground was as white as snow. Then the brother marvelled
greatly, and took pleasure in the sight; and he perceived that they would
needs complete it, and, first of all, fill up the empty space. Then they
said, See how it grows! Presently he saw it completed. And then one of them
took a needle and thread, and made on the fore part of the mantle very
skillful cross stitches, and they were very finely done, and wonderfully
adorned our Blessed Lady. And now his eyes were opened, and he understood
that he should no longer doubt that it was given him to complete the ground,
the blank space, and the spiritual picture, which had so long been denied to
him; for he was accustomed to have all that he had hitherto performed
clearly manifested to him by God in the way of some similitude like the
above, and so, on the morrow, he finished his work to the end.
[1] A form of prostration, "at full length on the right side," practiced by
the Dominicans.
[2] viii.2
[3] Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 24, 26, 27; xl. 20
[4] Cant. vi. 5
[5] Without prejudice, however, to their own individuality, as Suso
elsewhere clearly teaches.
[6] Cor. ii.2
[7] Sancti Bernardi Sermones in Cantica Canticorum. Sermo xliii.
[8] Jeremias xxix. 11
[9] Gen. ii. 10
[10] According to a legend of the Middle Ages, the unicorn loves chastity so
much that it can only be caught by a virgin, who in consequence lies in wait
at a place where the unicorn is accustomed to seek its food, and which is no
is no sooner conscious of the virgin's presence than it approaches her
softly, and lays its head in her lap and falls asleep. Then she makes a
sign, and the concealed hunters rush upon their prey.
[11] Psalm xvii. 5
[12] According to a practice of the middle
He was laid in the grave. Obtain for me, from thy tender Son, that in thy
sorrow and His sufferings I may subdue my own. Moreover, that I may shut
myself up with Him in His sepulchre from all temporal anxieties; That I may
be inspired with disgust for all this world; That I may only cherish a
perpetual desire of Him, and may persevere in His praise and service to the
grave. Amen.
-----------------------
When all this was ready and written out, there still remained a little
to make up at the end of a chapter, appertaining to our Blessed Lady, and in
that very part he had left a blank space until he should be inspired with it
by God, for he had been many months in a state of spiritual dereliction, so
that he could not finish the chapter. Then he besought our Blessed Lady, the
Mother of God, that she would do it. And, on the eve of St. Dominic, at
night, after he had sung matins, it seemed to him in his sleep, as if he
were in a chamber; and as if, while he was sitting there, a very fair youth
entered with a ravishing harp, and with him four other youths with flutes.
Then the youth with the harp sat down by the brother, and began to touch his
harp, and play upon it very sweetly. This was pleasant for the brother to
hear, and he said to him, O, when wilt thou come to the place where I dwell,
and lift up my heart a little with thy music? Then the youth asked the
brother if he was still busy with what he had for a long time been occupied
with? To which he said, Yes. Then the youth answered and said: It is hard to
play. So he turned to the four with flutes, and bid them blow. Then one of
them answered and said that if two of them blew it would be enough. But the
other said, that two would not be enough, and that they must all blow their
flutes together, and he gave them a certain tune, which was well known to
him, but of which the brother knew nothing, and it was done accordingly.
Meanwhile he presently neither saw nor heard any harp or flute, but saw
that the youths had in their hands a picture, above all measure lovely, of
our Blessed Lady, and that it was worked in cloth, and the mantle of the
picture was red and purple, with damask embroidery, which it was delightful
to behold, and the ground was as white as snow. Then the brother marvelled
greatly, and took pleasure in the sight; and he perceived that they would
needs complete it, and, first of all, fill up the empty space. Then they
said, See how it grows! Presently he saw it completed. And then one of them
took a needle and thread, and made on the fore part of the mantle very
skillful cross stitches, and they were very finely done, and wonderfully
adorned our Blessed Lady. And now his eyes were opened, and he understood
that he should no longer doubt that it was given him to complete the ground,
the blank space, and the spiritual picture, which had so long been denied to
him; for he was accustomed to have all that he had hitherto performed
clearly manifested to him by God in the way of some similitude like the
above, and so, on the morrow, he finished his work to the end.
[1] A form of prostration, "at full length on the right side," practiced by
the Dominicans.
[2] viii.2
[3] Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 24, 26, 27; xl. 20
[4] Cant. vi. 5
[5] Without prejudice, however, to their own individuality, as Suso
elsewhere clearly teaches.
[6] Cor. ii.2
[7] Sancti Bernardi Sermones in Cantica Canticorum. Sermo xliii.
[8] Jeremias xxix. 11
[9] Gen. ii. 10
[10] According to a legend of the Middle Ages, the unicorn loves chastity so
much that it can only be caught by a virgin, who in consequence lies in wait
at a place where the unicorn is accustomed to seek its food, and which is no
is no sooner conscious of the virgin's presence than it approaches her
softly, and lays its head in her lap and falls asleep. Then she makes a
sign, and the concealed hunters rush upon their prey.
[11] Psalm xvii. 5
[12] According to a practice of the middle