MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG 



then concludes by saying that " all the kingdoms 

 of this world shall perish, and the earthly and 

 the heavenly Paradise shall pass away, and all 

 shall dwell together in God " the Empyrean 

 of Dante, where he " saw ingathered, bound by 

 love in one volume, the scattered leaves of all 

 the universe ; substance and accidents and their 

 relations, as though together fused, after such 

 fashion that what I tell of is one simple flame." 

 In her very varied writings many beautiful and 

 suggestive thoughts are to be found, as, for instance, 

 when " Understanding " converses with " Con- 

 science," and accuses Conscience of being at the 

 same time both proud and humble, and Conscience 

 explains that she is proud because she is in touch 

 with God, and humble because she has done so 

 few good works. And again, when " Understand- 

 ing " and " the Soul " hold converse. Under- 

 standing, desirous of knowing everything, asks 

 the Soul why such brilliant light radiates from 

 her, and the Soul replies by inquiring why 

 Understanding asks this, seeing that she is so 

 much wiser than the Soul. When Under- 

 standing would still penetrate the unspeakable 

 secrecy between God and the Soul,, the Soul 

 refuses to answer, since, as she explains, to her 

 alone is given union with God, to which Under- 

 standing can never attain. Or, again, when 

 Mechthild, telling how the Soul, no longer led 

 by the Senses, but leading them to the desired 

 goal, says, " It is a wondrous journey along 

 which the true soul progresses, and leads with it 



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