I30 ^i)e ILittle jFlotorrs of 



man in this land fo great, or fo noble, to 

 whom, were he promifed a mofb beauteous 

 palace filled with gold, it were not eafy to 

 bear moft loathfome burdens, to gain fo 

 rare a treafure." Now the mind of the 

 aforefaid Brother Bernard was fo bent upon 

 this Celeftial Treafure promifed to all true 

 lovers of God, that for fifteen years con- 

 tinually he went ever with his head and 

 face upraifed to heaven ; and in all that 

 time he fatisfied never his hunger at table, 

 albeit he ate of that which was put before 

 him a little, forafmuch as he faid that the 

 mere ia.tt of eating naught conftitutes not 

 perfe6l abftinence, but true abftinence is 

 to be temperate in all things which are 

 favory in the mouth ; and thereby he at- 

 tained to fuch clearnefs and light of intel- 

 le6l that even the great Do6lors of the 

 Church had recourfe to hira for the folu- 

 tion of knotty queftions and hard paffages 

 of Scripture ; and he made plain every 

 puzzle to them, and inafmuch as his mind 

 was freed and abftra6led from all earthly 

 things, he, after the manner of a Swallow, 

 flew oft aloft in thought ; hence fometimes 

 twenty days and fometimes thirty days he 

 would abide alone upon the top of very 



high 



