The Cloud of Unknowing: Page IndexThe Cloud of Unknowing: Page Index Introduction page 5 page 6 page 7 page 8 page 9 page 10 page 11 page 12 page 13 page 14 page 15 page 16 page 17 page 18 page 19 page 20 page 21 page 22 page 23 page 24 page 25 page 26 page 27 page 28 page 29 page 30 page 31 page 32 page 33 page 34 page 35 page 36 page 37 page 39 Prayer page 41 page 43 Prologue page 45 page 46 page 47 page 48 Table of the Chapters page 49 page 64 page 65 Chapter 1: Of four degrees of Christian men's living, and of the course of his calling that this book was made unto page 66 page 67 page 68 Chapter 2: A short stirring to meekness, and to the work of this book page 69 page 70 page 71 Chapter 3: How the work of this book shall be wrought and of the worthiness of it before all other works page 72 page 73 page 74 Chapter 4: Of the shortness of this work, and how it may not be come to by the curiosity of wit, nor by imagination page 75 page 76 page 77 page 78 page 79 page 80 page 81 page 82 page 83 page 84 page 85 Chapter 5: That in the time of this work all the creatures that ever have been, be now, or ever shall be, and all the works of those same creatures, should be hid under the cloud of forgetting page 86 page 87 page 88 Chapter 6: A short conceit of the work of this book, treated by question page 89 page 90 Chapter 7: How a man shall have him in this work against all thoughts, and specially against all those that arise of his own curiosity, of cunning, and of natural wit page 91 page 92 page 93 page 94 page 95 Chapter 8: That in the time of his work all the creatures that ever have been, be now, or ever shall be, and all the works of those creatures, should be hid under the cloud of forgetting page 96 page 97 page 98 page 99 page 100 page 101 page 102 page 103 Chapter 9: That in the time of this work the rememberance of the holiest creature that ever God made letteth more than it profiteth page 104 page 105 page 106 page 107 Chapter 10: How a man shall know when his thought is no sin; and if it be sin, when it is deadly and when it is venial. page 108 page 109 page 110 page 111 Chapter 11: That a man should weigh each thought and each stirring after that it is, and always eschew recklessness in venial sin. page 112 page 113 Chapter 12: That by Virtue of this word sin is not only destroyed, but also virtues begotten. page 114 page 115 page 116 Chapter 13: What meekness is in itself, and when it is perfect and when it is imperfect. page 117 page 118 page 119 Chapter 14: That without imperfect meekness coming before, it is impossible for a sinner to come to the perfect Virtue of meekness in this life page 120 page 121 page 122 page 123 Chapter 15: A short proof against their error that say, that there is no perfecter cause to be meeked under, than is the knowledge of a man's own wretchedness page 124 page 125 page 126 Chapter 16: That by virtue of this work a sinner truly turned and called to contemplation cometh sooner to perfection than by any other work; and by it soonest may get of God forgiveness of sins page 127 page 128 page 129 page 130 page 131 Chapter 17: That a very contemplative list not meddle him with active life, nor of anything that is done or spoken about him, nor yet to answer to his blamers in excusing of himself page 132 page 133 page 134 Chapter 18: How that yet unto this day all actives complain of contemplatives as Martha did of Mary. Of the which complaining ignorance is the cause page 135 page 136 page 137 Chapter 19: A short excusation of him that made this book, teaching how all contemplatives should have all actives fully excused of their complaining words and deeds page 138 page 139 page 140 Chapter 20: How Almighty God will goodly answer for all those that for the excusing of themselves list not leave their business about the love of Him page 141 page 142 page 143 page 144 Chapter 21: The true exposition of this gospel word, 'Mary hath chosen the best part' page 145 page 146 page 147 page 148 Chapter 22: Of the wonderful love that Christ had to man in person of all sinners truly turned and called to the grace of contemplation page 149 page 150 page 151 Chapter 23: How God will answer and purvey for them in spirit, that for business about His love list not answer nor purvey for themselves page 152 page 153 page 154 page 155 Chapter 24: What charity is in itself, and how it is truly and perfectly contained in the work of this book page 156 page 157 page 158 Chapter 25: That in the time of this work a perfect soul hath no special beholding to any one man in this life page 159 page 160 page 161 page 162 Chapter 26: That without full special grace, or long use in common grace, the work of this book is right travailous; and in this work, which is the work of the soul helped by grace, and which is the work of only God page 163 page 164 page 165 page 166 Chapter 27: Who should work in the gracious work of this book page 167 Chapter 28: That a man should not presume to work in this work before the time that he be lawfully cleansed in conscience of all his special deeds of sin page 168 page 169 Chapter 29: That a man should bidingly travail in this work, and suffer the pain thereof, and judge no man page 170 page 171 Chapter 30: Who should blame and condemn other men's defaults page 172 Chapter 31: How a man should have him in beginning of this work against all thoughts and stirrings of sin page 173 page 174 Chapter 32: Of two ghostly devices that be helpful to a ghostly beginner in the work of this book page 175 page 176 page 177 Chapter 33: That in this work a soul is cleansed both of his special sins and of the pain of them, and yet how there is no perfect rest in this life page 178 page 179 page 180 Chapter 34: That God giveth this grace freely without any means, and that it may not be come to with means page 181 page 182 page 183 page 184 page 185 Chapter 35: Of three means in the which a contemplative prentice should be occupied; in reading, thinking, and praying page 186 page 187 page 188 Chapter 36: Of the meditations of them that continually travail in the work of this book page 189 page 190 Chapter 37: Of the special prayers of them that be continual workers in the work of this book page 191 page 192 page 193 Chapter 38: How and why that short prayer pierceth heaven page 194 page 195 page 196 Chapter 39: How a perfect worker shall pray, and what prayer is in itself; and, if a man shall pray in words, which words accord them most to the property of prayer page 197 page 198 page 199 Chapter 40: That in the time of this work a soul hath no special beholding to any vice in itself nor to any virtue in itself page 200 page 201 page 202 Chapter 41: That in all other works beneath this, men should keep discretion; but in this none page 203 page 204 page 205 Chapter 42: That by indiscretion in this, men shall keep discretion in all other things; and surely else never page 206 page 207 Chapter 43: That all writing and feeling of a man's own being must needs be lost if the perfection of this work shall verily be felt in any soul in this life page 208 page 209 page 210 Chapter 44: How a soul shall dispose it on its own part, for to destroy all witting and feeling of its own being page 211 page 212 page 213 page 214 Chapter 45: A good declaring of some certain deceits that may befall in this work page 215 page 216 page 217 page 218 Chapter 46: A good teaching how a man shall flee these deceits, and work more with a listiness of spirit than with any boisterousness of body page 219 page 220 Chapter 47: A slight teaching of this work in purity of spirit; declaring how that on one manner a soul should shew his desire unto God, and on ye contrary, unto man page 221 page 222 page 223 page 224 Chapter 48: How God will be served both with body and with soul, and reward men in both; and how men shall know when all those sounds and sweetness that fall into the body in time of prayer be both good and evil page 225 page 226 page 227 page 228 Chapter 49: The substance of all perfection is nought else but a good will; and how that all sounds and comforts and sweetness that may befall in this life be to it but as it were accidents page 229 page 230 Chapter 50: Which is chaste love; and how in some creatures such sensible comforts be but seldom, and in some right oft page 231 page 232 page 233 Chapter 51: That men should have great wariness so that they understand not bodily a thing that is meant ghostly; and specially it is good to be wary in understanding of this word in, and of this word up page 234 page 235 page 236 page 237 Chapter 52: How these young presumptuous disciples misunderstand this word in, and of the deceits that follow thereon page 238 page 239 Chapter 53: Of divers unseemly practices that follow them that lack the work of this book page 240 page 241 page 242 page 243 page 244 Chapter 54: How that by virtue of this work a man is governed full wisely, and made full seemly as well in body as in soul page 245 page 246 page 247 page 248 Chapter 55: How they be deceived that follow the fervour of spirit in condemning of some without discretion page 249 page 250 page 251 page 252 Chapter 56: How they be deceived that follow the fervour of spirit in condemning of some without discretion page 253 page 254 Chapter 57: How these young presumptuous disciples misunderstand this other word up; and of the deceits that follow thereon page 255 page 256 page 257 Chapter 58: That a man shall not take ensample of Saint Martin and of Saint Stephen, for to strain his imagination bodily upwards in the time of his prayer page 258 page 259 page 260 page 261 page 262 page 263 Chapter 59: That a man shall not take ensample at the bodily ascension of Christ, for to strain his imagination upwards bodily in the time of prayer: and that time, place, and body, these three should be forgotten in all ghostly working page 264 page 265 page 266 page 267 Chapter 60: That the high and the next way to heaven is run by desires, and not by paces of feet page 268 page 269 page 270 Chapter 61: That all bodily thing is subject unto ghostly thing, and is ruled thereafter by the course of nature, and not contrariwise page 271 page 272 page 273 Chapter 62: How a man may wit when his ghostly work is beneath him or without him and when it is even with him or within him, and when it is above him and under his God page 274 page 275 Chapter 63: Of the powers of a soul in general, and how Memory in special is a principal power comprehending in it all the other powers and all those things in the which they work page 276 page 277 page 278 Chapter 64: Of the other two principal powers, Reason and Will, and of the work of them before sin and after page 279 page 280 Chapter 65: Of the first secondary power, Imagination by name; and of the works and of the obedience of it unto Reason, before sin and after page 281 page 282 Chapter 66: Of the other secondary power, Sensuality by name; and of the works and of the obedience of it unto Will, before sin and after page 283 page 284 page 285 Chapter 67: That whoso knoweth not the powers of a soul and the manner of her working, may lightly be deceived in understanding of ghostly words and of ghostly working; and how a soul is made a God in grace page 286 page 287 page 288 page 289 Chapter 68: That nowhere bodily, is everywhere ghostly; and how our outer man calleth the work of this book nought page 290 page 291 page 292 Chapter 69: How that a man's affection is marvelously changed in ghostly feeling of this nought, when it is nowhere wrought page 293 page 294 page 295 Chapter 70: That right as by the defailing of our bodily wits we begin more readily to come to knowing of ghostly things, so by the defailing of our ghostly wits we begin most readily to come to the knowledge of God, such as is possible by grace to be had here page 296 page 297 page 298 page 299 Chapter 71: That some may not come to feel the perfection of this work but in time of ravishing, and some may have it when they will, in the common state of man's soul page 300 page 301 page 302 page 303 Chapter 72: That a worker in this work should not deem nor think of another worker as he feeleth in himself page 304 page 305 Chapter 73: How that after the likeness of Moses, of Bezaleel and of Aaron meddling them about the Ark of the Testament, we profit on three manners in this grace of contemplation, for this grace is figured in that Ark page 306 page 307 page 308 Chapter 74: How that the matter of this book is never more read or spoken, nor heard read or spoken, of a soul disposed thereto without feeling of a very accordance to the effect of the same work: and of rehearsing of the same charge that is written in the prologue page 309 page 310 page 311 Chapter 75: Of some certain tokens by the which a man may prove whether he be called of God to work in this work page 312 page 313 page 314 page 315
