A   And the Angell that was sent vnto me (whose name was Uriell) gaue me an answere, ∧ sayd: Thy hert hath taken to moch vp&obar; it in thys worlde, ∧ þu; thynckest to compreh&ebar;de the waye of the Hyest. Then said I: Yee, my Lorde. And he answered me, and sayde: I am sent to shewe the thre wayes, and to sett forth thre symylytudes, before the: wherof yf thou canst declare me one, I wyll shewe the also the waye, that thou desyrest to se: and I shall shewe the from whence the wicked herte commeth. And I sayde: Tell on my Lorde. Then sayde he vnto me: Go thy waye, weye me the weyght of the fyre, or measure me the blast of the w&ibar;de, or call me

agayne the daye that is past. Then answered I and sayde: What m&abar; borne is able to do þt;? Why requirest thou soch of me? And he sayde vnto me: If I shulde aske the, how depe dwell&ibar;ges are in þe; see? Or how great water springes are vp&obar; the firmam&ebar;t? Or how great water sprynges are in the beginnynge of the depe? Or which are the out goinges of paradyse? Paradu&ebar;ture thou woldest saye vnto me: I neuer wente downe yet into þe; depe nor hel, nether dyd I euer clyme vp into heauen. Neuerthelesse, now haue I asked the but only of fyre and winde and of the daye, where thorow thou hast trauayled, and from the which thou canst not be separated: and yet canst thou geue me no answere of them.

He sayd moreouer vnto me: Thyne awne thynges, ∧ soch as are growne vp &wt; the, canst thou not knowe: how shuld thy vessel then be able to compreh&ebar;de the waye of the Hyest, and now out wardly in the corrupte worlde, to vnderst&abar;de the corrupci&obar; that is euid&ebar;t in my sight? Then sayd I vnto hym: It were better that we were not at all, then that we shulde lyue in wyckednesse, ∧ to suffre, ∧ not to know wherfore. B   He answered me, ∧ sayd: I wente in a wood, ∧ ^note the trees toke soch a deuyce &abar;d sayd: Come let vs go, and fyght agaynst the see, that it maye departe awaye before vs, and that we maye make vs yet more woddes.

The floudes of the see also in lyke maner toke thys deuyce, &abar;d sayde: Come, let vs go vp, and fyght agaynst the trees of the wodd that we maye make oure lande the wyder. The thought and deuyce of the wodde was but vayne and nothinge worth, for the fyre came and consumed the wodd: The thought of the floudes of the see came lyke wyse to naught also, for the s&abar;de stode vp and stopped them.

If thou were iudge now betwixte these two, whom woldest thou iustifie, or whom woldest thou condemne? I answered ∧ said: Uerely it is a folysh thought that they both haue deuysed. For the grounde is geuen vnto the wodd, ∧ the see also hath hys place to beare his floudes. Then answered he me, &abar;d sayde: Thou hast geuen a ryght iudgement, why iudgest thou not thy self also? For lyke as the ground is geuen vnto the wodd, and the see to his floudes: euen so ^note they þt; dwell vpon earth, may vnderst&abar;de nothinge, but that which is vpon earth: and he that dwelleth aboue the heau&ebar;s, may only vnderst&abar;d the thynges, þt; are aboue the heauens. Then answered I, and sayd: I beseche þe;, O Lord, let me haue vnderstandynge: for it was not my mynde to be curyous of thy hye th&ibar;ges, but of soch as we dayly medle withall, namely, wherfore that Israel is blasphemed of the Heath&ebar;, and for what cause the people (whom thou euer hast loued) is geuen ouer, to be punyshed of vngodly nacyons: ∧ why þe; lawe of our fathers is brought to naught and the written couenauntes come to none effecte, and we passe awaye out of þe; worlde as the greshoppers, &abar;d our lyfe is a very feare, ∧ we are not worthy to optayne mercy. What wil he do then vnto his name, which is called vpon ouer vs? Of these thinges haue I asked question.

C   Then answered he me, ∧ sayd: The more thou searchest, the more thou shalt maruell for the world hasteth fast to passe awaye, ∧ cannot comprehende the thynges, þt; are promysed for the righteous &ibar; tyme to come, for ^note thys worlde is full of vnrighteousnes &abar;d weaknes.

But as concernynge the thinges wherof thou askest me, I will tell the. The euell is sowen, but the destruccion therof is not yet come. Yf the euell now that is sowen, be not turned vpsyde dowen, and yf the place where the euell is sowne, passe not awaye, then c&abar;not the thynge come þt; is sowen &wt; good. For the corne of euell sede hath bene sowen in the hert of man from the begynnyng, and how moch vngodlynes hath he brought vp vnto thys tyme? and how moch shal he yet bryng forth, vntyll he come into the barne.

Pondre now by thy self, wh&ebar; the corne of euell sede is cutt downe, how greate a barne shall it fyll? I answered and sayd, How and wh&ebar; shal these thinges come to passe? Wherfore are our yeares fewe ∧ euell? And he answered me, sayinge: Haste not thou to moch vp&obar; the Hyest, for thy hastynes to be aboue him is but vaine, thou makest to moch a do. Did not the soules also of þe; righteous aske questyon of these thynges in theyr holynes say&ibar;g: ^note How longe shall I hope of thys fashyon? Wh&ebar; c&obar;meth the frute of my barne, and my rewarde? And vp&obar; this Ieremial þe; Arch&abar;gel gaue th&ebar; answere, and sayd: Eu&ebar; wh&ebar; the nombre of the sedes is fylled &ibar; you, for he hath weyed the worlde &ibar; the bala&ubar;ce: in measure and nombre hath he measured þe; tyme, ∧ moueth it not, vntyll the same measure be fulfylled: Then answered I ∧ sayde: O Lord, Lorde, now are we all full of synne, and for our sake paradu&ebar;ture it is not, the barne of the ryghteous shall not be fylled, because of the synnes of them that dwel vpon the earth.

D   So he answered me, ∧ sayd: Go thy waye to a wom&abar; wyth chyld, and aske of her wh&ebar; she hath fulfylled her nyne monethes, yf her childebed maye kepe þe; byrth anyl&obar;ger within her, Then sayde I: No Lord, that can she not. And he sayde vnto me: In hell þe; secret places of soules are lyke the preuy chamber of a woman. For lyke as a woman that

trauayleth, maketh haste, when the tyme ∧ necessyte of the byrth is at hande. Euen so doth she haste to delyuer it that is commytted vnto her. Loke what thou desirest to se, it shalbe shewed the from the begynnynge, Then answered I, and sayde: If I haue founde fauoure in thy syght, and yf it be possyble, and yf I be mete therfore, shewe me then, whether there be more to come then is past, or more past then is for to come. What is past, I knowe: but what is for to come, I knowe not.

And he sayde vnto me: Stande vp vpon the ryght syde, and I shall expounde the symylitude vnto the. So I stode, and behold, an whote burnynge ouen w&ebar;te ouer before me: and it happened that when the flamme was gone by, the smoke had þe; vpper h&abar;de. After thys there went ouer before me a watery cloude, ∧ sent downe moch rayne wyth a storme: ∧ wh&ebar; the stormy rayne was past the droppes remayned styll. Then sayde he vnto me: lyke as the rayne is more then the droppes, and as the fyre exceadeth the smoke, euen so the measure of the thynges that are past, hath the vpperhande. Then wente the droppes and the smoke aboue: &abar;d I prayed &abar;d sayde: May I lyue (thynkest thou) vntyll that tyme? Or what shal happen in those dayes? He answered me, &abar;d sayde: As for the tokens wherof þu; askest me. I maye tell the of them in parte: but as touchynge thy lyfe. I may not shewe the, for I am not sent therfore.

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