What he pondered with himself concerning the vision.
WHEN he awoke he began to revolve with sagacious mind those things which he had seen and for some time to have a doubtful opinion in his wavering mind -- namely, whether they should be taken for a fantastic illusion, which is wont to happen to men at times in their slumbers, or for a heavenly oracle, of which he judged himself scarcely worthy. There were contending in the faithful man's heart humility and fear, and it was uncertain to which he should rather give credence. For as a humble man he desired to remain hid and not to presume himself to things higher than he understood. As a fearful man he dreaded to neglect the apostle's precepts, and by so neglecting to be held not humble but proud at the strict weighing of the supreme Judge. His fear, being furnished with the more worthy convictions and stronger suggestions, gained the victory and, accompanied by the grace of the good deed proposed to be done, raised the humble, comforted the faint-hearted, and strengthened this faltering man with firm step in his happy purpose. As the same, therefore, who had formerly instructed him by a nightly vision was now more inwardly teaching him, as we believe, by his unction, he determined to perform his commands; especially since he himself had been enjoined merely to use diligence, whilst all the rest was the province of the teacher now to ordain.
Truly by dreams we read that more than once many secrets of the Divine Will have come to the knowledge of men in the course both of the Old and New Testament, whereof let it suffice to bring forward one proof from each. Holy Daniel by a dream learns the king's dream and by God's revelation knows the interpretation thereof. The just Joseph is warned in sleep not to fear to take Mary his wife and, the moment of persecution being at hand, to flee into Egypt, and, when the author of the persecution was dead, he is bidden by an angel to return to Judea. And so we must believe that visions fashioned in times of night do not always foretell a case of deceit, but sometimes are pregnant with heavenly mystery and worthy of faith and wonder. By these and many proofs of Holy Scripture are we taught. To have a perfect knowledge of these I think to be a matter not of human wit but of divine bounty, and so let us leave it to inspiration [of the Holy Spirit] [in the Middle English version, not the Latin] as it is ordained.
The Book of the Foundation of St. Bartholomew's, Smithfield Rendered into Modern English from the original Latin version preserved in the British Museum, numbered Vespasian B. IX, by Mr. Humphrey H. King and Mr. William Barnard for use in the Records of St. Bartholomew's Priory by E.A. Webb. |
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