Greco-Christian stream·Beguine Mystics·The Mirror of Simple Souls·Section XII

Section XII

This is Section XII of the Porete Mirror project translation. The entire Division XIV is in scope — the seven states of the Soul, which is the most important single doctrinal text in the Mirror and the schema by which Marguerite organizes the whole work. The early chapters of the book (which we have shipped in Sections I through XI) lay groundwork; chapters that follow Division XIV in the later divisions return again and again to the categories established here.

Marguerite calls them estates and beings; M.N. preserves both terms. They are not a Neo-Platonic ascent through ontological levels but a description of seven states of the Soul under grace. The first three are within the life of grace / life of spirit; the fourth is the contemplative-affective high-point that Marguerite warns against mistaking for the goal; the fifth is the crossing — where the soul departs from her own will and yields it back into God; the sixth is the clarified state where the Soul sees not God nor herself, but God sees this of him in her, for her, without her; the seventh is reserved for glory and is the one Marguerite does not try to describe.

The seven states schema is what gives the Mirror its overall architecture. The Inquisitors of 1310 read the doctrine as setting up two classes of Christians (those still in the lower states, who need the sacraments and the Virtues; and those in the higher states, who are free of them) — the electa ecclesia / Holy Church the Great distinction Marguerite had named earlier. Marguerite herself does not deny that the lower states are real and necessary; she does say the higher states are different in kind, not degree. Whether this is theologically defensible is the perennial Porete question.

No M.N. signed glosses fall in this section. Two M.N. glosses remain across the final divisions.

The same conventions apply: light modernization with archaic verb endings and pronouns normalized; Marguerite's technical vocabulary preserved (annihilated, Simple, the personified speakers); formal LLM-as-judge deferred per session-budget.

Division XIV — The seven states of the Soul

Chapter I — Of the promise that this Soul made to speak of seven estates; and how the first is the keeping of the commandments of God

I promised, says this Soul, concerning the takings of Love, to say some things of the seven estates that we call beings; for so it is, and these are the degrees by which men ascend from the valley to the top of the mountain that is so separate that it sees God only; and every degree has in it its proper time of abiding.

The first estate is that a Soul is touched of God by grace, and dissevered from sin, with intention according to her power to keep the commandments of God that he commands in the law, upon pain of death. And the Soul beholds with great dread that God has commanded her to love him with all her heart, and her fellow Christian as herself. This seems to this Soul labor enough for her of all that she can do — though she lived a thousand year — to keep well the commandments according to her might.

In this point I found myself, says this free Soul. Such a day I saw sometime. Now, you that stand so, be not dismayed of coming to a more high; no more shall he be dismayed, if he have a gentle heart within full of noble courage. But little hearts dare not great things take, nor ascend high, for default of love. These folk are but cowards that so do. Oh, what marvel it is they lead in dread, which suffers them not that God work in them!

Chapter II — Of the second estate, which is in following the counsels that our Lord gave to come to perfection

The second is that a Soul behold what God counsels to his special lovers, passing that that he commands. And he is no good lover that disposes himself not to fulfil all that by which he knew he might best please his Beloved. And then she, this creature aforesaid, sees herself above all men's counsels, to follow the works of mortifying nature in despising riches, delights, and worships, to fulfil perfection of the Gospel — of which Christ Jesus is an ensample. And in this doing she may have no bitterness, nor by this may she have no dullness nor feebleness of body; no more also may the Soul that of him is up-drawn.

Chapter III — Of the third estate, which is in doing the works of perfection with affection of love, and in mortifying the will by obedience to follow other men's wills

The third is that a Soul attend to the affection of love of works of perfection, by which her spirit burns by desires, accepting the love of these works to multiply in her. And what does the subtlety of her thought? But make it seem, to the understanding of her loving affection, that she cannot make offering to her Beloved that might comfort her, except of the thing that he loves. For other gift is not of price in love, than the thing most beloved of the Beloved. And therefore the will of this creature loves only works of goodness, by fervour of grace, in taking all labors in which she may her spirit feed. Then it seems to her, by righteousness of truth, that she loves nothing but works of goodness; for she knows not what to give to Love, unless she makes sacrifice of this. For no death might be to her so great martyrdom as the abstinence of these aforesaid works that she loves; for this is the delight of her pleasure, and the life of the will that she nourishes in her of him.

After this, she relinquishes these works in which she has this delight, and puts to death the will that she has of this life, and obliges herself to do the martyrdom of her will by obedience to the will of others — in abstaining the works of her will, in fulfilling the will of others, her will to destroy. And this is right hard, more hard without comparison than be the two before; for it is more hard to overcome the works of the will of the spirit than it is to overcome the will of the body in order to do the will of the spirit. And thus it behoves her to lead in breaking herself, for to enlarge the place where Love would have his being, and to encumber herself with many beings so as to disencumber herself to attain her being.¹

Chapter IV — Of the fourth estate, which is in the relinquishing of all outward works through the sweetness that is felt by highness of love in contemplation

The fourth is that a Soul is drawn by highness of love into delight of thought by meditation, and relinquishes all labors outward, and of obedience to others, by highness of love in contemplation. Then the Soul is dangerous², noble, and delicious — in which she may not suffer that anything touch her, but the touchings of pure delight of love, in the which she is singularly gladsome and jolly; and it makes her proud of abundance of love. Then shows she the privacies of her heart, that makes her very tender, and to melt in sweetness of love and by concord of union, whereby she is put in possession of these delights. And then holds the Soul that there is no higher life than to have this, of which she has lordship. For Love has so greatly fed her with his delights, that she knows not that God has any greater gift nigh to give to the Soul than this love which Love by love has within her spread.

Ah, what marvel is it if this Soul be upholden or up-drawn thus graciously! Love makes her all drunken, and suffers her not to attend to any but him, by which strength in love she delights her so that the Soul may none other being hold precious. For the great light of love has covered her, that suffers her not to see passing love. There is she overlooked.³

For so it is that there are two greater estates in this life than this is. But Love so leads, that a Soul is unseeing, by the gift of sweetness of the love that up-draws her as hastily as she approaches to the same. Against this strength may none withstand. This is the Soul that Love has by fine love passing herself up-drawn.

Chapter V — Of the fifth estate, which is when a Soul departs from her will in putting it in God by a spreading-ravishing of the moving of divine light

The fifth is that a Soul behold what God is, who is, through whom all things come — and she is not, for she is not anything that is. And this beholding gives her a marvelous abashing, to see that he is all bounty, that has put free will in her, who is in all wickedness. Now has the divine bounty put free will, by pure divine goodness, in her who is but in evils — that is, in all wickedness enclosed. For he would that this who has no being had, by this gift of him, being.

Then the divine goodness pours forth before this "will" a ravishing outpouring of moving divine light, which is diffused within the Soul. The righteousness of him who is, and the knowing of this, makes her to separate the will from the place where he is not. Then it behoves her not to be, nor to put her will again where he is not. Whence he comes, there she ought to be.

Now sees the will, by the diffused illumination of divine light; and this light gives her this will to put again her will in God — which she cannot yield without this light, that it may go forth to him, unless it depart from her proper will. She sees also her wretched nature, by inclination of naught, to which nature she is inclined; and her will (of nature) has put her in less than naught. Now sees the Soul this inclination and this perdition of naught, of her nature and of her own will; and sees this by illumination, that will ought to will the divine will without her willing; and for this was her will given. Thus departs the Soul from her will, and the will departs from this Soul; so she puts it again, and gives, and yields it (herself) in God, where it was first — without self-love holding back herself, for to fulfil the perfect divine will that may not be fulfilled in the Soul without this gift, so that the Soul may have no other war or falling-away.

This gift makes in her very perfection; and so it has moved her to the nature of love that delights her with fulfilled peace, and feeds and fills her with divine food. She takes no more account of the war that she was wont to have; for the will of her is nakedly laid in the place whence it was first taken, where it ought by rights to be. It gave her war as long time as she withheld will with her out of its due place.

Now is this Soul not — for she sees, by abundance of divine knowing, her naught, that makes her now to put herself at naught. And she knows all, for she sees by the deepness of knowing of her naught, which is so great to her sight that she finds neither beginning, measure, nor end of it, but a deep darkness without ground or bottom. And therefore finds she herself without finding any ground or end.⁴ He finds not this that may not to this attain. And the more that she sees in this knowing by truth, that she may not know her wickedness of the least point into which she is fallen by wickedness — she is naked, encircled of this harbor and of this garrison, which is the darkness of sin that contains in him all perdition. Thus this Soul sees herself without her sight.

This is the deepness of meekness that there sits in her chair and reigns without pride. There may not the power of pride play, since that she sees herself. For this unsitting untrue makes her see perfectly herself. Now is this Soul set in low ground; and this lowness makes her to see there it has no bottom. So it makes her low; and this lowness makes her to see right clearly the very sun of his high divine goodness. And that shows to her, by bounty, that it draws her, and moves and ones by knitting of bounty in pure divine goodness which is mistress. And this comes by the knowing of these two natures that we have: the one is the divine bounty, and the other is the wickedness of the spending of her youth, that is old.⁵

But mercy has made peace with justice, firm and stable, and that has led this Soul into his bounty by bounty. Now she is all, and she is none — for her Beloved has made her one.

Now is this Soul fallen, of love, into naught — without which naught she may not be all. This falling is so perfect, if she be rightly fallen, that the Soul may not arise out of this deepness, nor she ought not to do it. She ought to dwell within. And there loses the Soul pride and play; for the spirit is become sobered, that suffers her no more to be playing nor jolly. For her will is departed from her, which made her oft love in the highness of contemplation, and in the fourth estate fierce and dangerous; but the fifth has put her at point concerning this. It shows to the Soul herself. Now she lives of knowing of the divine bounty; this knowing of the divine bounty makes her to renounce herself. And then is the Soul of all servitude quit, and of free being is put in possession; and this has rested her of all things, by excellent nobleness.

Chapter VI — Of the sixth estate, which is when a Soul is of all things made free, pure, and clarified

The sixth is that a Soul sees not her naught by deepness of meekness, nor God by highful bounty; but God sees it in her, of his divine majesty, who clarifies her by himself — so that she sees that none is but God himself, who is that from whence all things are. And this that is, is God himself. And this Soul sees naught but God himself, for whoso sees this of himself, he sees nothing but God's self. And then is a Soul in the sixth state of all things made free, pure, and clarified — not glorified; for glorifying is in the seventh estate, that we shall have in glory, that none can speak of. But, pure-clarified, she sees not God nor herself; but God sees this of him, in her, for her, without her, and shows her that there is none but he. Nor she knows naught but him, nor she loves but him, nor she praises but him; for there is but he. That which is, is of his bounty.

So loves she his goodness which he has by bounty given her. This bounty given, it is in God himself; and God may not from his goodness depart, that it should not dwell in him. And therefore is he the thing which is of his bounty; and bounty is what God is. So thus she sees bounty through his high bounty, by divine light in the sixth estate, of which beholding the Soul is clarified.

There is none but he that is. And she sees this being of his divine majesty, by union of love, of bounty spread and laid in him. This she sees in him, of him who is Maker unmade, without touching of anything that is creaturely.⁶ All is of his own proper being; and this proper-self-being is the sixth being, of which we have promised the readers to speak in the takings of Love. And Love has, by himself of his nobility, the debts all paid.

Chapter VII — Of the seventh estate

And the seventh keeps he within himself, for to give us in everlasting glory. If we know it not now, we shall know it when the body our soul leaves.⁷

Translator's footnotes (project translation)

¹ To encumber herself with many beings so as to disencumber herself to attain her being. The compressed Marguerite-formula for the paradox of the third state: the Soul deliberately takes on many beings (obediences to other wills, mortifications, the destruction of her own will) precisely in order to be disencumbered of her own self. The asceticism of the third state is in service of the freedom of the fourth and beyond.

² Dangerous — Middle English daungerous, from Old French dangier (lordship, domination, withholding). The Soul in the fourth state is dangerous in the sense of possessing lordship over delight, not in the modern sense of "perilous." Marguerite is in fact warning that this state is perilous in the modern sense too: the Soul tends to hold that there is no higher life than this, when in fact two greater estates lie above it. The fourth state is the contemplative-affective high-point that Marguerite is at greatest pains to warn against mistaking for the goal.

³ There is she overlooked. M.N.'s rendering preserves the Marguerite double sense: the Soul is overlooked in the sense of covered over by Love's light (so she does not see the higher states), and overlooked in the sense of unseen (she is hidden in this state, even from herself). The English word does service for both.

⁴ A deep darkness without ground or bottom. The classic Eckhartian ungrund image, here in Marguerite ahead of Eckhart by twenty years. Note that for Marguerite the darkness without bottom is the Soul's naught, not God's: it is the perdition into which the will-without-God falls, not the Gottesgrund into which it is taken up. The distinction matters: Eckhart's ungrund is the divine ground; Marguerite's bottomless darkness is the wickedness the Soul sees herself in, against which the divine bounty stands. The two doctrines converge but are not the same.

⁵ The wickedness of the spending of her youth, that is old. Kirchberger's editorial note suggests this may be "an old story" or "for she is now old." Either reading is plausible; we have preserved the phrase as M.N. has it, with the gloss in the apparatus.

⁶ Without touching of anything that is creaturely. M.N.'s Latin rendering preserved in Kirchberger: sine tactu alicuius creaturae. The Soul in the sixth state sees God by infused immediate knowledge, not by knowledge that comes through created things — the Pseudo-Dionysian apophasis at the highest pitch.

⁷ The seventh state. Marguerite refuses to describe it; the chapter is one sentence. This is theologically careful: the seventh state is the visio beatifica / patria, the heavenly glory itself, which is reserved — God keeps it within himself, to give us in everlasting glory; if we know it not now, we shall know it when the body our soul leaves. The refusal to describe the seventh state is one of the strongest pieces of evidence that Marguerite's doctrine, however radical, does not collapse the boundary between time and eternity, or between creature and Creator. The seventh remains kept until the body is left behind.

JSON: /api/sources/beguine-mystics/porete-mirror-simple-souls/vol-12-01-division-xiv-seven-states.json