11 - Eight Chapters on Perfection

Summary

Hilton is identified in five of the seven complete manuscripts as translator into English of the Eight Chapters ‘ founden in Maister Lowis de Fontibus book at Cantebrigge’; Hilton's source does not survive. Lluis de Font, an Aragonese Franciscan friar, was assigned to read the Sentences at Cambridge in 1383, and if his university career followed the normal course, his regency as a Master or Doctor in Theology may be dated to 1391–3 or 1392–4. Hilton's version has been suggested to show parallels with The Scale, Book II, and may date from the later years of his life at Thurgarton.

Base manuscript: Lambeth Palace Library MS 472 (L), fbls. 213V-223V. Also cited: Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, fonds anglais 41 (p).

Here bigynnen viii chapiteres necessarie for men that geven hem to perfection, whiche weren founden in Maister Lowis de Fontibus book at Cantebrigge, and turned into Engelisch bi Maister Watier Hilton de Turbaton.

Of tokenes and wirkyngis of love.

The first tokene of love is that the lovere submitte fulli his wil to the wil of him that he loveth, and this special love hath three wirkynges. The first is, yif he that is loved be simple and pore, meke and in dispite, thanne he that loveth coveiteth to be vile, pore and meke, and to be in repreef, like to him that he loveth. The secunde, that it maketh a man to leve alle manere affeccioun or frendschipe that is contrarie to this love, and so it maketh him forsake fadir and alle othere affecciouns in as mykil as thei are contrarie to the wille of him that he loveth.