Chapter XXII
RICHARD OF ST. VICTOR
chamber of such immense breadth, that comprehends, conceals and preserves so many substances of things, so many forms of substances, so many kinds of things, so many species of kinds, so many individuals of species—indeed so many particular natures, so many qualities, so many quantities, actions and passions, conditions, positions and places of individuals during the revolution of its extent of time, and after having preserved them for a long time, it brings them forth in the midst of all? Think, if you are able, how great, how wide, how large, how deep, how high, those treasuries are that are able to collect from all sides and to preserve without confusion so many treasures of knowledge and jewels of wisdom. Without doubt the capacity of memory is marvelous but the liveliness of the understanding is no less marvelous.
It is easy to ponder and gather how great and marvelous it is from the things already said. For whatever sense touches, thought produces; whatever imagination forms, natural ability investigates and memory conserves. The understanding grasps knowledge of these things, and when it pleases it admits them to consideration and draws them into contemplation.
Chapter XXII Concerning the consideration of those things pertaining to the third stage
In the third stage of this contemplation we consider the will of the rational soul and its manifold affection.
For who is able to explicate worthily all the modes of change it assumes in a momentary disturbance; how it accustoms itself to change in many ways with the impulse of alternating changes? Let each one think by what disturbances his soul is daily affected. From that let him gather how the soul is changed in many ways. Now it raises itself up into confidence, at another time it falls into a lack of confidence; now it is fixed by steadiness, at another time it is shaken to the foundations by sudden fear. Now anger disturbs it, at another time a great anger stirs it up.
It is not so great a marvel that it is affected at single moments by various qualities and diverse disturbances.
But it is extraordinarily awesome that it is often touched at almost
THE MYSTICAL ARK
the same moment by contrary affections. Now it is led by hatred, now by love; now it is distracted by rejoicing, now by lamentation.
How often in the midst of the marvelous dancings of our thanksgiving do we see how a cause of sadness, suddenly coming on and rising up, shakes the soul violently and throws it down. Suddenly all the celebration of the exulting soul is turned into lamentation.
It is not so great a marvel that the soul itself often and suddenly assumes contrary qualities with respect to different things. But it is very marvelous that with respect to one and the same thing it leads over from one kind of affection to an opposite kind of affection. For afterward we often pursue with hatred things once loved very much and for a long time, and we suddenly detest violently things formerly regarded as good and longed for. But so that we may yet marvel more amply, if you wish to pay careful attention to one and the same affection of man, you will see that concerning one and the same thing, the affection changes in many ways. For now from great it becomes small; at another time it becomes great from small.
At some time, from great it becomes greater; at some time, from a moderate size it becomes smaller. And so, again, the same affection of the soul increases and decreases about the same thing; now it swells up violently and now almost, now completely fails and often after full failure it revives completely.
Pay attention to this in human affection: how great it is in great things, how sublime in sublime things; how small it is in small things, and worthless in worthless things; how, I say, it is great and sublime when it raises itself up into the height; how it is small and worthless when it throws itself down into the lowest parts. When it raises itself up in daring, you will often see that it even despises death and in the midst of the greatest perils it has no trepidation. However, afterwards in the silence of the night you will see the same soul suddenly frightened and losing steadiness of soul on account of a slight breath, the motion of one leaf, or even the falling of leaves. But who would suffice to enumerate all the qualities of human affection?
Who would suffice to explicate all the modes of its changes? There are almost as many varieties of affections as there are differences of things. For just as we feel differently about different things in the approval of things, so we are affected in differing ways about different things in the affection for things. For the longing of affection is accustomed to be varied according to the judgment of approval.