1AND it came to passe, when my sonne was entred into his chamber, he fel downe, and dyed.stylus2And we ouerthrew the lightes, and al my citiezens rose vp to comfort me: and I was quiet til the next day at night.stylus3And it came to passe, when they were al quiet to comforte me, that I might be at rest, I rose vp in the night and fled, and came into this field, as thou seest.stylus4And I purpose not now to returne into the citie, but here to abide, and neither to eate nor drinke, but without intermission to mourne, and tast, euen til I dye.stylus5And I left the sermons, wherin I was, and with anger answered her, and sayd:stylus6Foolish woman aboue al, seest thou not our mourning, and what thinges haue chanced to vs?stylus7because Sion our mother is sorowful with al sorow, and humbled with humilitie, mourning most bitterly,stylus8and now wheras we al mourne, and are sorie: because we are al in perdition, & thou art sorie for one sonne.stylus9For aske the earth, and she wil tel thee, that it behoueth her to mourne, which bringeth forth so manie vpon her to perdition.stylus10And of her, manie were made from the beginning, aud others shal come: and behold almost al walke into perdition, and the multitude of them is made to destruction.stylus11Who then should mourne more, but she that hath lost so great a multitude, rather then thou which art sorie for one?stylus12But if thou sayst to me: That my lamentation is not like the mourning of the earth, because I haue lost the fruite of my wombe, which I brought forth with sorowes, and bare with griefes:stylus13but the earth according to the custom of the earth, the multitude present in it is departed, as it came:stylus14and I say to thee: As thou hast brought forth with labour: so also the earth geueth her fruite, man, from the beginning to him that made her.stylus15Now therefore withhold thy sorow with thy self, and beare strongly the chances that haue happened to thee.stylus16For if thou wilt iustifie the limit of God, thou shalt receiue thy sonne in time, and shalt be commended among wemen.stylus17Goe therefore into the citie to thy husband.stylus18And she sayd to me: I wil not doe it, neither wil I goe into the citie, but here wil I dye.stylus19And I added yet to speake to her, and sayd:stylus20Doe not so, but consent to me: for how manie chances of Sion? Be comforted for the sorow of Ierusalem.stylus21For thou seest that our sanctification is desolated, and our altar throwen downe, and our temple destroyed,stylus22and out psalterie is humbled, and the singing is put to silence, & our mirth is dissolued, and the light of our candlestick is extinguished, and the arke of our testament is taken for a spoile, and our holie thinges are contaminated, and the name that Is inuocated vpon vs, is profaned almost, and our children haue suffred contumelie, and our priestes are burnt, and our Leuites are led into captiuitie, and our virgins are defiled, and our wiues rauished, and our iust men violently taken away, and our litle ones destroyed, and our yong men brought in bondage, and our strong men made weake.stylus23And which is the greatest of al, the seale of Sion, for she hath resigned her glorie now, and is deliuered into the handes of them that hate vs.stylus24Thou therfore shake of thy great heauines, and lay away from thee the multitude of sorowes, that the Strong may be merciful to thee againe, and the Highest may geue thee rest, a rest from labours.stylus25And it came to passe, when I spake to her, behold her face did shine on a suddeine, and the countenance appeared as lightning, so that I was afrayd aduenturing to come nere her, and my hart was sore afrayd: and considerng what this should be.stylus26And behold sodenly she sent forth a great and fearful voice, so that the earth moued at the voice of the woman.stylus27And I saw and behold the woman appeered to me no more: but a citie was builded, and a place was shewed of huge fundations, & I was afrayd, and cried with a lowd voice, and sayd:stylus28Where is Vriel the Angel, who from the beginning came to me? for he hath brought me into the multitude of the excesse of my minde, and my end is made corruption, and my prayer a reproch.stylus29And when I pake these wordes, behold he came to me the Angel, who in the beginning bad bene come to me, and he saw me:stylus30and behold I was layd as a dead man, and my vnderstanding was alienated, and he held my right hand, and strengthened me, & set me vpon my fete, and sayd to me:stylus31What ayleth thee? and why is thy vnderstanding trubled? and wherfore is thy vnderstanding vnderstood, and the sense of thy hart?stylus32And I sayd: Because thou hast forsaken me: and I in dede haue done according to thy wordes, and went forth into the field, and behold I haue seene, and doe see that which I can not vnderstand.stylus33And he sayd to me: Stand and I wil tel thee.stylus34And I sayd: Speake my Lord, forsake me not, lest perhaps I die in vayne.stylus35For I see that which I knew not, and heare that I know not.stylus36Or is my sense deceiued, or my soule in a dreame?stylus37Now therefore I besech thee, that thou shew to thy seruant concerning this excesse of minde.stylus38And he answered me, and sayd: Heare me, and I wil teach thee, and wil tel thee concerning the thinges, whereof thou art afrayd for the Highest hath reueled manie secretes to thee.stylus39For he hath seene thy righteouesnes, that thou sorowest for Sion vnmeasurably, and mournest for her continually.stylus40This thefore is the vnderstanding of the vision which thou hast seene a litle after.stylus41Thou sawest a woman mourning, and thou didst begin to comfort her:stylus42and now thou seest not the likeness of a woman, but a builded citie hath appeared to thee.stylus43And wheras she told thee of the casulatie of her sonne: this is the solution.stylus44This woman, which thou sawest, is Sion: & wheras she told thee, her whom thou thoughtest now to be a builded citie,stylus45that she was barren thirtie yeares: for there were three thousand yeares in the world, when there was not oblation offred in it.stylus46And it came to passe after three thousand yeares, Salomon built a citie, and offered oblations: then was it that the barren brought forth a sonne.stylus47And wheras she told thee, that she nourished him with labour: that is the dwelling in Ierusalem.stylus48And wheras she sayd to thee, that my sonne coming into his chamber, dyed, and that calamitie happened: that is the ruine that is made?stylus49And behold thou hast sene the similitude of her, and how she mourned for her sonne, and thou beganst to comfort her for these thinges which haue chanced: these are to be opened to thee.stylus50For now the Highest seeth, that thou art sorie in minde, and doest suffer with thy whole hart for her: and he hath shewed thee the clearnes of her glorie, and the fayrnes of her beautie.stylus51Therefore I bad thee remaine in the field, where no house is builded.stylus52For I knew that the Highest would shew thee these thinges.stylus53Therefore I commanded thee to goe into the field, where no fundation is a building.stylus54For the worke of mans building could not susteyne in the place, where the citie of the Highest began to be shewed.stylus55Therefore feare not, neither let thy hart be afrayd: but goe in, and see the splendor, and greatnes of the building, as much as the sight of thine eyes is able to see.stylus56And after ward thou shalt heare as much as the hearing of thine eares can cape.stylus57For thou art blessed aboue manie, and art called with the Highest, as few.stylus58But to morow at night thou shalt remaine here.stylus59And the Highest wil shew thee visions of high thinges, which the Highest wil doe to them that inhabite vpon the earth in the last dayes.stylus60And I slept that night and the next, as he commanded me.stylus
