Blanquerna

OF OBEDIENCE

The Cellarer1 said to Blanquerna that in all the world there was no virtue of greater merit than obedience. Wherefore, since obedience is Stronger in a man who is in submission to another, than in a man who lives alone in his hermitage, Blanquerna would be adting contrariwise to obedience if he forsook it in that wherein it has the greater virtue and is the better pleasing to God.

2. Blanquerna answered : “ Once on a time it came to pass that a blind man had a son who led him from door to door begging alms for the love of God. The son of this blind man had a dog. The child died, and the blind man took the dog which led him from door to door, according as the child had been wont to do. Now it chanced one day that the blind man left one city to journey towards another. On the road there ran paSl a hare, and the dog desired to drive away the hare from the road, and the blind man followed the dog. The dog went in pursuit of the hare, and came to a great bank, and desired to go down the bank after the hare, which had gone down the side of the bank. The blind man followed the dog, and fell down the bank, and brake his leg, and spake these words :

3. “ ‘ Great is the favour which God gives to man when He grants him bodily sight, whereby the eyes of his under-

of the monastery, and frequently took a large share of responsibility for its administration. We learn, however, from p. 223 that this monastery had

BLANQUERNA

landing may obey that which is demonstrated by bodily sight in creatures that can see, to wit, the nobility of the Creator; but greater is the favour which God gives to the will, which obeys the eyes of understanding, comprehend¬ ing thereby those things which the will is the more bound to obey; for a will obedient to him that has no under¬ standing is like to one in my present State; and if under¬ standing were obedient to will, the intelledl would not be so greatly honoured if will were not the more bound to

4. When Blanquerna had said these words, and many more, the SacriStan answered: “Well do we know and understand the similitude according to the which thou speakeSt, signifying that the will is in peril when it obeys understanding wherein is defeft of comprehension. Where¬ fore, according to thine own words, we would have charity and juStice to give judgment.” While the SacriStan spake these words, a messenger came to him, to bid him go to a lay brother who was sick unto death, to bear to him the Viaticum. So the SacriStan and all the rcSt followed the Body of Jesus Christ, and Strengthened therewith the sick brother. When the SacriStan said to the sick man that he should believe that HoSt to be the Body of Jesus ChriSt, the sick man answered and said that he believed not that HoSt which he saw beneath the form of bread to be the Flesh of Jesus ChriSt.

5. Great was the grief of the Abbot and all the reSt when they saw that the brother believed not and was in error; and they called Blanquerna and begged him to answer the sick man and to deliver him from his error. So Blanquerna asked the sick man if the human understanding is nobler in virtue than are the eyes of the body. The sick man granted to Blanquerna that there was more nobility in the understanding and intelleft than in the eyes of the body and in sight. Blanquerna said to the sick man that since mtelleft was a nobler thing than bodily sight, it behoved

OF OBEDIENCE

man to be obedient to intelleft rather than to bodily sight that man might render to intellefl its due honour; the which intellefl: understands in the Hoft the working of a miracle through the Divine power, even as it understands the world to have been created from nothing.

6. “ By nature, beneath the form of man, are the four elements, the which are invisible to the eyes of the body, which see naught else save only the form of the man wherein they are compounded; and the firft form is in the second as it were secretly. Wherefore since nature is sufficient for that work, how much more are the power, the wisdom and the will of God sufficient to make Flesh to be beneath the form of bread 1 And were it not thus, God would not have demonstrated His power to be above the power of nature.” These words and many more spake Blanquerna to the sick man, who received the Body of Jesus ChriSt as a faithful Christian, praising, blessing and adoring God, for that He had brought him out of the error in the which he had lived. The sick man died and God received his soul ; and the Abbot and the monks returned to the conversation in the which they had been with Blanquerna.

7. “ Blanquerna 1 ” said the Abbot, “ This thing which has happened is to thee an example,1 signifying that God desires thee to be His servant and company with us ; for, hadSt thou not been with us, that soul which to-day has passed from this world had been loft to God, and from his damnation we should have taken cognisance of the ignor¬ ance which is in us, forasmuch as we could not have said to this dead man the words which thou haft spoken to him. Many times has it come to pass that God has sent to us like incidents whereby we may perceive His will. Not only haft thou advantaged the soul of this dead man, but to all of us haft thou given inftruflion wherewith we may fight temptation if we meet it in like manner.”

B LAN QUERN A

8. Blanquerna answered: “ There is one manner more wherein he who has temptation concerning the Body of Jesus ChriSt may be turned from his error, to wit, by faith ; for God desires that man should be obedient to faith, morti¬ fying the imagination when it seeks to offer to the under¬ standing false similitude againSt the operation of the Divine power, and this manner may ye yourselves employ, albeit ye have ignorance through defedt of science.” The Abbot answered Blanquerna: “ A Stronger and surer thing is it to combat error with intelleft and with faith than with faith alone; and therefore juflice accuses thy1 conscience that it is opposed to thy words, the which excuse thee from companying with us.”