Chapter XIII
THE MYSTICAL ARK
itself. Not being satisfied with the things it gathers from Hkeness, but proving different things by different arguments and gathering others by means of reasoning, it leaves all corporeal likeness far behind itself by a discussion of a chain of reasoning and goes beyond the supreme height of our ark by means of consideration. In this way the crown of the ark is supported when it is raised to the height, because in understanding invisible things the soul of the contemplative is assisted not a little by means of the likeness of visible things. The crown, as much as the ark itself, both expands wider and rises higher when by means of visible things a keen contemplator clearly perceives invisible goods of a greater number and a more excellent worth than those visible things. For the great number of invisible goods is far too abundant for such a number of corporeal similitudes to be able to represent it.
Nevertheless, all corporeal things have some similitude to invisible goods. Some have a kind of slight similitude, exceedingly far away and almost foreign, while others have a nearer and more evident similitude. The nearer they are, the more evident they are. Above these are others, exceedingly near and related, and, if I may say so, completely expressed to such a degree that they seem no longer to approach by means of visible things but seem to cling and to be ingrafted much more than merely to come near to. Thus, from these things that come near to those things and show a more evident image of invisible things, we ought in any case to draw a similitude, so that our understanding can rise by means of those things which we know well to those things which we do not know through experience. So it is that the crown of the ark does not go down to the lower part of the ark.
Nevertheless, it joins itself to the ark in its upper part.
Chapter XIII How in this kind of contemplation a person begins to become spiritual
In this first state a person begins to exist as a living creature, and he learns to be made a spiritual being, because now he should begin to bring together spiritual things and to be formed in the novitiate of his senses, as he endeavors more and more each day to
RICHARD OF ST. VICTOR
taste those things which are above, not those which are upon the earth.
It is great labor to abandon accustomed things, to leave behind in the lowest place the lowest of ingrained thought, and to fly from earthly things to heavenly things by means of a higher investigation.
Here, first, that one who teaches a person knowledge, the wisdom of God, that light "which illumines all persons coming into this world" (John 1 :9), begins to pour out itself: at one time to pour the ray of its light on the eyes of the mind, and at another time to hide itself by withdrawing. And so it frequently visits the soul. At one time it lifts it to a high place and at another time presses it down to a low place and abandons it to itself. But it returns again unexpectedly, and when it was not hoped for, it appears and shows itself merry. Here finally it begins to form a kind of prelude of a marvelous vision that precedes the sight of intuition, and just as the eagle begins to thrust himself into diverse places by his own flying back and forth when inciting his young to flight, so it first begins to kindle the soul of the contemplative with longing for flying and at some time to instruct it perfectly for full flight. Here, first of all, the soul recovers its ancient dignity and claims for itself the inborn honor of its own freedom. For what is more alien to the rational spirit, what is more guilty of ignoble slavery, than that the truly spiritual creature should ignore spiritual things and the creature that has been made for invisible and highest goods should not be able at the least to rise up to the contemplation of invisible things, not to mention to stand in such contemplation. Here,
I think it is sufficiently clear how rightly the intimate continuing presence and continual intimacy of this speculation that takes third place is indicated by the crown; how fitly that is called "crown," by which the victorious soul is crowned. Hence, in any case, he who has been able by means of contemplation of the mind to pass over from the hardships of this place of exile to the liberty of invisible joys receives the crown of spiritual knowledge. Then at last that rational spirit, who has sat for a long time in the darkness and the shadow of death while chained in poverty and iron, violently breaks through the mid-point of an infinite number of the lowest longings and carnal thoughts that are attacking on all sides and resisting everywhere—while at last the darkness of ignorance is dispersed