(1) Wherefore the Saviour, taking the bread, first spake and blessed. Then breaking the bread, He presented it, that we might eat it, according to reason, and that knowing the Scriptures s we might walk obediently. And as those whose speech is evil are no better than those whose practice is evil (for calumny is the servant of the sword, and evil-speaking inflicts pain; and from these proceed disasters in life, such being the effects of evil speech); so also those who are given to good speech are near neighbours to those who accomplish good deeds. Accordingly discourse refreshes the soul and entices it to nobleness; and happy is he who has the use of both his hands. Neither, therefore, is he who can act well to be vilified by him who is able to speak well; nor is he who is able to speak well to be disparaged by him who is capable of acting well. But let each do that for which he is naturally fitted.

(6) The one uprose and down the other fell, Though turning not away their impious lamps, Underneath which each one his muzzle changed. He who was standing drew it tow'rds the temples, And from excess of matter, which came thither, Issued the ears from out the hollow cheeks; What did not backward run and was retained Of that excess made to the face a nose, And the lips thickened far as was befitting. He who lay prostrate thrusts his muzzle forward, And backward draws the ears into his head, In the same manner as the snail its horns; And so the tongue, which was entire and apt For speech before, is cleft, and the bi-forked In the other closes up, and the smoke ceases. The soul, which to a reptile had been changed, Along the valley hissing takes to flight, And after him the other speaking sputters.

(13) Therefore it has a beginning in man, but none in God; and therefore I must also write in a creaturely manner, or else thou canst not understand it.

(27) If we now search into the Life of Man in the Mother's [Womb or] Body, concerning his Virtue [or Power,] Speech, and Senses, and the noble and most precious Mind; then we find the Cause why we have made such a long P Register concerning the eternal Birth; for the Speech, Senses, and Mind, have also such an Origin as is above-mentioned concerning the eternal Birth of God, and it is a very precious Gate [or Explanation.]

(12) For as nature, with the working, wrestling and rising up of its birth or geniture, stood in the time of the kindling, just such a matter attracted itself together. Now it may be asked, How then is a comprehensible or palpable son come to be out of an incomprehensible mother? Answer.

(2) Then to the wheels the maidens turned themselves, And the Griffin moved his burden benedight, But so that not a feather of him fluttered. The lady fair who drew me through the ford Followed with Statius and myself the wheel Which made its orbit with the lesser arc. So passing through the lofty forest, vacant By fault of her who in the serpent trusted, Angelic music made our steps keep time. Perchance as great a space had in three flights An arrow loosened from the string o'erpassed, As we had moved when Beatrice descended. I heard them murmur altogether, "Adam!" Then circled they about a tree despoiled Of blooms and other leafage on each bough. Its tresses, which so much the more dilate As higher they ascend, had been by Indians Among their forests marvelled at for height. "Blessed art thou, O Griffin, who dost not Pluck with thy beak these branches sweet to taste, Since appetite by this was turned to evil." After this fashion round the tree robust The others shouted; and the twofold creature: "Thus is preserved the seed of all the just."

(1) Of language put into other people's mouths, nine tenths will succeed. Of language based upon weighty authority, seven tenths. But language which flows constantly over, as from a full goblet, is in accord with God. When language is put into other people's mouths, outside support is sought. Just as a father does not negotiate his son's marriage; for any praise he could bestow would not have the same value as praise by an outsider. Thus, the fault is not mine, but that of others. To that which agrees with our own opinions we assent; from that which does not we dissent. We regard that which agrees with our own opinion as right. We regard that which differs from our opinion as wrong. Language based on weighty authority is used to bar further argument. The authorities are our superiors, our elders in years. But if they lack the requisite knowledge and experience, being our superiors only in the sense of age, then they are not our superiors. And if men are not the superiors of their fellows, no one troubles about them. And those about whom no one troubles are merely stale. Language which flows constantly over, as from a full goblet, is in accord with God. Because it spreads out on all sides, it endures for all time. Without language, contraries are identical. The identity is not identical with its expression: the expression is not identical with its identity. Therefore it has been said, Language not expressed in language is not language. Constantly spoken, it is as though not spoken. Constantly unspoken, it is not as though not spoken.

(3) And on that day was closed the mouth of all beasts, and of cattle, and of birds, and of whatever walketh, and of whatever moveth, so that they could no longer speak : for they had all spoken one with another with one lip and with one tongue.

(6) Speech went off. Having remained away a year, it came back and said: c How have you been able to live without me?' They said: 'As the dumb, not speaking with speech, but breathing with breath, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, knowing with the mind, procreating with semen. Thus have we lived.' Speech entered in.

(35) Thus the Fiat inclined itself now to the Heart of God, and the Essences received the divine Virtue [or Power,] and there sprung up the Blossom in the Fire; and out of the Blossom [sprung] again the Own [proper] Tincture, and thus Eve was a living Soul: And the Tincture filled itself in the Growth (even as it is a Cause of all growing) so that instantly there was a whole Body in the Tincture. For that was possible, they were not yet fallen into Sin, neither were there yet any hard Gristles and Bones.

(1) LOOK thou have no wonder why that I speak thus childishly, and as it were follily and lacking natural discretion; for I do it for certain reasons, and as me thinketh that I have been stirred many days, both to feel thus and think thus and say thus, as well to some other of my special friends in God, as I am now unto thee.

(38) Now then, if we consider the miserable Fall of Adam and Eve, we need not to run long after the mad Antichrist, to fetch [or learn] Wisdom from him; he has none. Let us only consider ourselves, and compare the heavenly and earthly Images one with the other, and so we [shall] see the whole Root and Ground thereof: We have no Need of a Doctor, nor of any strange Language about it, it stands written in our Body and Soul; and when we see it, it terrifies us so much, that we tremble at it, as Eve and Adam did in their Fall.

(12) Now when the Tincture was become thus earthy and feeble, by the Overcoming of the Spirit of the great World, then it could not generate [in a] heavenly [Manner,] and was also possessed with Inability; and then the Council of God stood there, and said; seeing he is become earthly, and is not able [to propagate,] we will make a Help for him; and the Fiat stood in the Center, and severed the Matrix from the Limbus: And the Fiat took a Rib in the Midst of Adam out of his right Side, and created a Woman out of it.

(107) But when it cometh forth upon the tongue, then the tongue and the upper gums close the mouth; but when the spirit thrusteth at the teeth, and will go forth, then the tongue openeth the mouth at the teeth, and will go forth before the word, and at the mouth does as it were leap forth for joy.

(99) There the tongue is terrified, trembleth and croucheth to the nether gums, and then the spirit cometh forth from the heart, and closeth the word, which conceiveth itself at the hinder gums, in the astringent and bitter quality, in the wrath, and goeth forth mightily and strongly through the fierceness, as a king and a prince, and also openeth the mouth, and ruleth with a strong spirit from the heart through the whole mouth within, and also without the mouth, and makes a mighty and long syllable, as a spirit which has broken the wrath.

(10) Therefore all Arts and Sciences, [or Trades,] are (through the starry Spirit of this World) from God, manifested in Man, that they may appear in Wonders; and to that End God created this World, that his Wonders might be made manifest; and therefore God permitted, that Man is entered into the Spirit of this World, that he might manifest his Wonders through him. Yet he desires also that he should not misuse this World, but that he should go again out of this World into him; he desires that Man should be where he is. And therefore he instantly showed Adam and Eve their monstrous Form, by the bestial Cloathing which he put on them, per Spiritum majoris Mundi, [by the Spirit of the great World.]

(138) When the Father speaketh or pronounceth the WORD, that is, generateth his Son (which is always done for ever and eternally), then that Word first taketh its original in the astringent quality; therein it fixeth, conceiveth or compacteth itself; and in the sweet quality it taketh its fountain, spring or source, and in the bitter quality it sharpeneth and moveth itself, and in the heat it riseth up and kindleth the middle sweet fountain or source.

(25) Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shall be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

(110) But that the tongue does crouch towards the nether gums, and is sharp at the point, and will not be used about the hissing, signifieth that the outward birth or geniture, together with all the creatures which are therein, cannot comprehend or reach to apprehend the Holy Spirit, which goeth forth out of the innermost birth or geniture out from the heart of God, neither can they hinder him by their power.

(3) For some men are so cumbered in nice curious customs in bodily bearing, that when they shall ought hear, they writhe their heads on one side quaintly, and up with the chin: they gape with their mouths as they should hear with their mouth and not with their ears. Some when they should speak point with their fingers, either on their fingers, or on their own breasts, or on theirs that they speak to. Some can neither sit still, stand still, nor lie still, unless they be either wagging with their feet or else somewhat doing with their hands. Some row with their arms in time of their speaking, as them needed for to swim over a great water. Some be evermore smiling and laughing at every other word that they speak, as they were giggling girls and nice japing jugglers lacking behaviour. Seemly cheer were full fair, with sober and demure bearing of body and mirth in manner.