(15) Martha, Martha, thou are careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

(2) "Now, therefore, Mary, not only ye, but every man who shall accomplish the mystery of the raising of the dead,--that which healeth the demons and all pains and all sicknesses and the blind and the lame and the maimed and the dumb and the deaf, which I have given unto you aforetime,--he who shall receive [that] mystery and accomplish it, thereafter then, if he ask for all things, for poverty and riches, for weakness and strength, for . . . and healthy body, and for all healings of the body and for the raising of the dead and for healing the lame and the blind and the deaf and the dumb and all sicknesses and all pains,--in a word, he who shall accomplish that mystery and ask for all the things which I have just said, then will they quickly come to pass for him."

(1) And Mary drew nigh unto him, fell down, adored his feet and kissed his hands and said: "Yea, my Lord, reveal unto us: What is the use of the ways of the midst? For we have heard from thee that they are set over great chastisements. How then, my Lord, will we remove or escape from them? Or in what way do they seize the souls? Or how long a time do they spend in their chastisements? Have mercy upon us, our Lord, our Saviour, in order that the receivers of the judgments of the ways of the midst may not carry off our souls and judge us in their evil judgments, so that we ourselves may inherit the Light of thy father and not be wretched and destitute of thee."

(14) Now the Scripture kindles the living spark of the soul, and directs the eye suitably for contemplation; perchance inserting something, as the husbandman when he ingrafts, but, according to the opinion of the divine apostle, exciting what is in the soul. "For there are certainly among us many weak and sickly, and many sleep. But if we judge ourselves, we shall not be judged." Now this work of mine in writing is not artfully constructed for display; but my memoranda are stored up against old age, as a remedy against forgetfulness, truly an image and outline of those vigorous and animated discourses which I was privileged to hear, and of blessed and truly remarkable men.

(2) "'10. The Lord hath become my helper. "'11. He hath changed my lamentation into joy; he hath rent my mourning-robe and girded me with joy.'" And it came to pass when the First Mystery had heard Martha speak these words, that he said: "Well said, and finely, Martha." And the First Mystery continued again and said unto the disciples: "Pistis Sophia again continued in the song and said:

(1) And Mary again started forward and said: "Yea, my Lord, I understand in what manner thou dost discourse with me, and I will comprehend them all [ sc. thy words]. Now, therefore, concerning these words which thou sayest, my mind hath brought forward four thoughts in me and my light-man hath led me and exulted and seethed, desiring to come forth out of me and enter into thee. Now, therefore, my Lord, hearken that I may tell thee the four thoughts which have arisen in me.

(1) Absorbed in his delight, that contemplator Assumed the willing office of a teacher, And gave beginning to these holy words: "The wound that Mary closed up and anointed, She at her feet who is so beautiful, She is the one who opened it and pierced it. Within that order which the third seats make Is seated Rachel, lower than the other, With Beatrice, in manner as thou seest. Sarah, Rebecca, Judith, and her who was Ancestress of the Singer, who for dole Of the misdeed said, 'Miserere mei,' Canst thou behold from seat to seat descending Down in gradation, as with each one's name I through the Rose go down from leaf to leaf. And downward from the seventh row, even as Above the same, succeed the Hebrew women, Dividing all the tresses of the flower; Because, according to the view which Faith In Christ had taken, these are the partition By which the sacred stairways are divided. Upon this side, where perfect is the flower With each one of its petals, seated are Those who believed in Christ who was to come.

(4) Thou know'st it; since, for her, to thee not bitter Was death in Utica, where thou didst leave The vesture, that will shine so, the great day. By us the eternal edicts are not broken; Since this one lives, and Minos binds not me; But of that circle I, where are the chaste Eyes of thy Marcia, who in looks still prays thee, O holy breast, to hold her as thine own; For her love, then, incline thyself to us. Permit us through thy sevenfold realm to go; I will take back this grace from thee to her, If to be mentioned there below thou deignest." "Marcia so pleasing was unto mine eyes While I was on the other side," then said he, "That every grace she wished of me I granted; Now that she dwells beyond the evil river, She can no longer move me, by that law Which, when I issued forth from there, was made. But if a Lady of Heaven do move and rule thee, As thou dost say, no flattery is needful; Let it suffice thee that for her thou ask me. Go, then, and see thou gird this one about With a smooth rush, and that thou wash his face, So that thou cleanse away all stain therefrom,

(1) "Deus venerunt gentes," alternating Now three, now four, melodious psalmody The maidens in the midst of tears began; And Beatrice, compassionate and sighing, Listened to them with such a countenance, That scarce more changed was Mary at the cross. But when the other virgins place had given For her to speak, uprisen to her feet With colour as of fire, she made response: "'Modicum, et non videbitis me; Et iterum,' my sisters predilect, 'Modicum, et vos videbitis me.'" Then all the seven in front of her she placed; And after her, by beckoning only, moved Me and the lady and the sage who stayed. So she moved onward; and I do not think That her tenth step was placed upon the ground, When with her eyes upon mine eyes she smote, And with a tranquil aspect, "Come more quickly," To me she said, "that, if I speak with thee, To listen to me thou mayst be well placed." As soon as I was with her as I should be, She said to me: "Why, brother, dost thou not Venture to question now, in coming with me?"

(82) And the Spirit signifies, that if you do not leave off this Contention, you shall have no other Sign [given you] than the Contention must devour yourselves, you must consume yourselves. Therefore are you not mad? Are you not all Brethren, and are you not all in Christ? If you did converse in Love, what should you need to strive about your native Country wherein you dwell? O leave off, your Cause is evil in the Sight of God, and you are all found to be in Babel. Be advised; the Day breaks. How long will you keep Company with that adulterous Whore? Arise, your noble Virgin is adorned in her orient Garland of Pearl; she wears a Lily which is most delightful; be brotherly, and she will adorn you indeed; we have seen her really, and in her Name we write this.

(61) Act and word manifest the secret thoughts and mind, When your witnesses are purified they are accepted, They enter into conflict with you, O stiff-necked one; "Stand aloof and wait for them, for they too wait." O God, who hast no peer, bestow Thy favor upon me; Since Thou hast with this discourse put a ring in my ear, Take me by the ear, and draw me into that holy assembly Where Thy saints in ecstasy drink of Thy pure wine! Now that Thou hast caused me to smell its perfume, Withhold not from me that musky wine, O Lord of faith

(3) And when we were a little farther onward, I heard a cry of, "Mary, pray for us!" A cry of, "Michael, Peter, and all Saints!" I do not think there walketh still on earth A man so hard, that he would not be pierced With pity at what afterward I saw. For when I had approached so near to them That manifest to me their acts became, Drained was I at the eyes by heavy grief. Covered with sackcloth vile they seemed to me, And one sustained the other with his shoulder, And all of them were by the bank sustained. Thus do the blind, in want of livelihood, Stand at the doors of churches asking alms, And one upon another leans his head, So that in others pity soon may rise, Not only at the accent of their words, But at their aspect, which no less implores. And as unto the blind the sun comes not, So to the shades, of whom just now I spake, Heaven's light will not be bounteous of itself; For all their lids an iron wire transpierces, And sews them up, as to a sparhawk wild Is done, because it will not quiet stay.

(3) But if the assertions made by us appear to certain of the multitude to be different from the Scriptures of the Lord, let it be known that it is from that source that they have breath and life; and taking their rise from them, they profess to adduce the sense only, not the words. For further treatment, not being seasonable, will rightly appear superfluous. Thus, not to look at what is urgent would be excessively indolent and defective; and "blessed, in truth, are they who, investigating the testimonies of the Lord, shall seek Him with their whole heart." And the law and the prophets witness of the Lord.

(1) Martha again came forward and said: "My Lord, I am sober in my spirit and understand the words which thou sayest. Now, therefore, give me commandment to set forth their solution in openness." And the First Mystery answered and said unto Martha: "I give thee commandment, Martha, to set forth the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered in her song." And Martha answered and said: "My Lord, these are the words which thy light-power hath prophesied aforetime through David in the seventh Psalm, saying: "'12. God is a righteous vindicator and strong and long-suffering, who bringeth not on his wrath every day. "'13. If ye turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow and made it ready. "'14. And he hath made ready for him instruments of death; he hath made his arrows for those who will be burnt up. "'15. Behold, injustice hath been in labour, hath conceived wrong and brought forth iniquity. "'16. It hath digged a pit and hollowed it out. It will fall into the hole which it hath made. "'17. Its wrong will return on its own head, and its injustice will come down on its pate.'" When Martha had said this, the First Mystery which looketh without, said unto her: "Well said, finely, Martha, blessed [one]."

(4) Envoy and servant sooth he seemed of Christ, For the first love made manifest in him Was the first counsel that was given by Christ. Silent and wakeful many a time was he Discovered by his nurse upon the ground, As if he would have said, 'For this I came.' O thou his father, Felix verily! O thou his mother, verily Joanna, If this, interpreted, means as is said! Not for the world which people toil for now In following Ostiense and Taddeo, But through his longing after the true manna, He in short time became so great a teacher, That he began to go about the vineyard, Which fadeth soon, if faithless be the dresser; And of the See, (that once was more benignant Unto the righteous poor, not through itself, But him who sits there and degenerates,) Not to dispense or two or three for six, Not any fortune of first vacancy, 'Non decimas quae sunt pauperum Dei,' He asked for, but against the errant world Permission to do battle for the seed, Of which these four and twenty plants surround thee.

(3) When then Jesus had said this, Mary continued, threw herself at Jesus' feet, kissed them and said: "My Lord, still will I question thee. Reveal [it] unto us and hide [it] not from us." Jesus answered and said unto Mary: "Question on what ye question, and I will reveal [it] unto you in openness without similitude." When then the Saviour had said this, the disciples came forward, cried out all together and said: "O Saviour, thou hath made us very exceedingly frenzied because of the great deeds of which thou tellest us; and because thou hast borne up our souls, they have pressed to go forth out of us unto thee, for we issue from thee. Now, therefore, because of these great deeds of which thou tellest us, our souls have become frenzied and they have pressed very exceedingly, yearning to go forth out of us on high to the region of thy kingdom."

(1) "'1. Hearken unto me singing praises unto thee, O Light of lights. Hearken unto me uttering the repentance for the thirteenth æon, the region out of which I have come down, in order that the thirteenth repentance of the thirteenth æon may be accomplished,--those [æons] which I have overstepped and out of which I have come down. "'2. Now, therefore, O Light of lights, hearken unto me singing praises unto thee in the thirteenth æon, my region out of which I have come down. "'3. Save me, O Light, in thy great mystery and forgive my transgression in thy forgiveness. "'4. And give unto me the baptism and forgive my sins and purify me from my transgression. "'5. And my transgression is the lion-faced power, which will never be hidden from thee; for because of it have I gone down. "'6. And I alone among the invisibles, in whose regions I was, have transgressed, and have gone down into the chaos. Moreover I have transgressed, that thy commandment may be accomplished.' "This then Pistis Sophia said. Now, therefore, let him whom his spirit urgeth to understand her words, come forward and proclaim her thought." Martha came forward and said: "My Lord, my spirit urgeth me to proclaim the solution of that which Pistis Sophia hath spoken; thy power hath prophesied aforetime concerning it through David in the fiftieth Psalm, saying thus:

(53) But if the Soul of the dying Party be quite loosed off from the Band of Jesus Christ, and that itself (by its own pressing in) does not reach the Thread [of Faith,] then the Prayers of those that stand by about it help not, but it is with them, as Christ said to his seventy Disciples, which he sent abroad; When you enter into a House, salute them [that are in it.] And if there be a Child of Peace in that House, then your Salutation of Peace shall rest upon it, but if not, then your Salutation shall return to you again. Thus also their hearty Wish of Love, and their earnest Pressing in to God, returns again to the Faithful, who are so heartily inclined to the Soul of their Friend.

(4) Christians, be ye more serious in your movements; Be ye not like a feather at each wind, And think not every water washes you. Ye have the Old and the New Testament, And the Pastor of the Church who guideth you Let this suffice you unto your salvation. If evil appetite cry aught else to you, Be ye as men, and not as silly sheep, So that the Jew among you may not mock you. Be ye not as the lamb that doth abandon Its mother's milk, and frolicsome and simple Combats at its own pleasure with itself." Thus Beatrice to me even as I write it; Then all desireful turned herself again To that part where the world is most alive. Her silence and her change of countenance Silence imposed upon my eager mind, That had already in advance new questions; And as an arrow that upon the mark Strikes ere the bowstring quiet hath become, So did we speed into the second realm. My Lady there so joyful I beheld, As into the brightness of that heaven she entered, More luminous thereat the planet grew;

(27) Thus we every one of us labour and finish our Day's Work, every one in his own Field, and in the Harvest every one shall stand tby his Labour, and enjoy his Fruit which he has sown; therefore my Hand shall not be weary of digging; this we speak seriously, according to its high Worth in the Wonders of God, known in the Council of the noble Virgin. Of the Use of the highly precious Testaments of Christ the Son of God.