of your wild birth, and live for ever. 42. I am grown out of the root of the good tree, and the fruit of the holy tree is in my power, and I sit on the throne of the divine power; I have power in heaven and on earth, Come unto me, and buy for money the fruit of life. 43. Whereupon all nations flocked to him, and did buy and eat, even till they fainted: All the kings of the south, the west, and towards the north, did eat the fruits of the factor, and lived under a great impotence; for the wild tree of the north grew more and more over them, and made waste of them a long time. And there was a miserable time upon earth, such as never was since the world stood; but men thought that time to be good, so terribly had the merchant under the good tree blinded them. 44. But in the evening God in his mercy took pity on man's misery and blindness, and stirred up the good tree again, even that glorious divine tree, which did bear the fruit of life; then there grew a twig nigh unto the root, out of that precious tree, and was green, and to it was given the sap and spirit of the tree, and it spoke with the tongue of man, and shewed to every one the precious tree, and its voice was heard in many countries. 45. Then men resorted thither to see and to hear what was the matter, and there was shewn unto them the precious and vigorous Tree of Life, of which men had eaten at the beginning, and were delivered of their wild nature. And they were mightily rejoiced, and did eat of the Tree of Life with great joy and refreshing, and so got new strength from the Tree of Life, and sang a new song concerning the true real Tree of Life, and so were delivered from their wild birth, and then hated the merchant and his factors, as also their false wares. 46. But all those came that did hunger and thirst after the Tree of Life, and those that sat in the dust, and they did eat of the holy tree, and were healed of their impure birth and wrath, or fierceness of nature, in which they lived; and so were engrafted into the Tree of Life. But only the factors of the merchant came not, and his and their dissemblers, and those that made their gains with false wares, and had gathered treasure together, for they were drowned and quite dead in the gain of the merchant's whoredom, and lived in the wild nature; and so their anguish and shame (which was discovered) kept them back, because they went a whoring so long with the merchant, and seduced the souls of men; notwithstanding they gloried that they were engrafted into the Tree of Life, and lived in sanctity by a divine power, and hawked about the fruit of life. 47. Now because their shame, deceit, covetousness, knavery and wickedness were discovered, they waxed dumb, and stayed behind; they were ashamed,* and repented not of their abominations and idolatry, and so went not with the hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of Eternal Life; and therefore they grew faint in their thirst, and their torment riseth up from eternity to eternity, and they are gnawed in their conscience. * "they were ashamed," etc., lit., "they were ashamed to repent." St M. has, "ils n'osaient pas faire pénitence," "they did not dare [or venture] to repent." 48. Now the merchant, seeing that the deceit of his false wares was discovered, grew very wroth, and despaired, and bent his bow against the holy people, who would buy no more of his wares, and so destroyed many of the holy people, and blasphemed the green twig that was grown up out of the Tree of Life. But then the great prince MICHAEL, who standeth before God, came and fought for the holy people, and overcame. 49. But the prince of darkness perceiving that his merchant had a fall, and that his deceit was discovered, raised a tempest from the north out of the wild tree against the holy people, and the merchant of the south made an assault upon them: then the holy people grew hugely in their blossom, even as it was in the beginning, when the holy and precious tree grew, and that overcame the wrath or fierceness in nature and its prince; thus it was at that time. 50. Now when the noble and holy tree was revealed to all nations, so that they saw how it moved over them and spread its fragrancy over all people, and that any one that pleased might eat of it, then the people grew weary of eating its fruit, which grew on the tree, and longed to eat of the root of the tree; and the cunning and wise people sought after the root, and contended about the same: so the strife was great about the root of the tree, insomuch that they forgot to eat of the fruit of the sweet tree, by reason of the controversy about the root of the tree. 51. Now they minded neither the root nor the tree, but the prince of darkness had another design, intending something else; when he saw that they would eat no more of the good tree, but contended about the root, he perceived that they were grown very weak and faint, and that the wild nature predominated in them again. 52. Therefore he stirred them up to pride, so that every one supposed that he had the root at
of your wild birth, and live for ever. 42. I am grown out of the root of the good tree, and the fruit of the holy tree is in my power, and I sit on the throne of the divine power; I have power in heaven and on earth, Come unto me, and buy for money the fruit of life. 43. Whereupon all nations flocked to him, and did buy and eat, even till they fainted: All the kings of the south, the west, and towards the north, did eat the fruits of the factor, and lived under a great impotence; for the wild tree of the north grew more and more over them, and made waste of them a long time. And there was a miserable time upon earth, such as never was since the world stood; but men thought that time to be good, so terribly had the merchant under the good tree blinded them. 44. But in the evening God in his mercy took pity on man's misery and blindness, and stirred up the good tree again, even that glorious divine tree, which did bear the fruit of life; then there grew a twig nigh unto the root, out of that precious tree, and was green, and to it was given the sap and spirit of the tree, and it spoke with the tongue of man, and showed to every one the precious tree, and its voice was heard in many countries. 45. Then men resorted thither to see and to hear what was the matter, and there was shown unto them the precious and vigorous Tree of Life, of which men had eaten at the beginning, and were delivered of their wild nature. And they were mightily rejoiced, and did eat of the Tree of Life with great joy and refreshing, and so got new strength from the Tree of Life, and sang a new song concerning the true real Tree of Life, and so were delivered from their wild birth, and then hated the merchant and his factors, as also their false wares. 46. But all those came that did hunger and thirst after the Tree of Life, and those that sat in the dust, and they did eat of the holy tree, and were healed of their impure birth and wrath, or fierceness of nature, in which they lived; and so were engrafted into the Tree of Life. But only the factors of the merchant came not, and his and their dissemblers, and those that made their gains with false wares, and had gathered treasure together, for they were drowned and quite dead in the gain of the merchant's whoredom, and lived in the wild nature; and so their anguish and shame (which was discovered) kept them back, because they went a whoring so long with the merchant, and seduced the souls of men; notwithstanding they gloried that they were engrafted into the Tree of Life, and lived in sanctity by a divine power, and hawked about the fruit of life. 47. Now because their shame, deceit, covetousness, knavery and wickedness were discovered, they waxed dumb, and stayed behind; they were ashamed,* and repented not of their abominations and idolatry, and so went not with the hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of Eternal Life; and therefore they grew faint in their thirst, and their torment rises up from eternity to eternity, and they are gnawed in their conscience. * "they were ashamed," etc., lit., "they were ashamed to repent." St M. has, "ils n'osaient pas faire pénitence," "they did not dare [or venture] to repent." 48. Now the merchant, seeing that the deceit of his false wares was discovered, grew very wroth, and despaired, and bent his bow against the holy people, who would buy no more of his wares, and so destroyed many of the holy people, and blasphemed the green twig that was grown up out of the Tree of Life. But then the great prince MICHAEL, who stands before God, came and fought for the holy people, and overcame. 49. But the prince of darkness perceiving that his merchant had a fall, and that his deceit was discovered, raised a tempest from the north out of the wild tree against the holy people, and the merchant of the south made an assault upon them: then the holy people grew hugely in their blossom, even as it was in the beginning, when the holy and precious tree grew, and that overcame the wrath or fierceness in nature and its prince; thus it was at that time. 50. Now when the noble and holy tree was revealed to all nations, so that they saw how it moved over them and spread its fragrancy over all people, and that any one that pleased might eat of it, then the people grew weary of eating its fruit, which grew on the tree, and longed to eat of the root of the tree; and the cunning and wise people sought after the root, and contended about the same: so the strife was great about the root of the tree, insomuch that they forgot to eat of the fruit of the sweet tree, by reason of the controversy about the root of the tree. 51. Now they minded neither the root nor the tree, but the prince of darkness had another design, intending something else; when he saw that they would eat no more of the good tree, but contended about the root, he perceived that they were grown very weak and faint, and that the wild nature predominated in them again. 52. Therefore he stirred them up to pride, so that every one supposed that he had the root at
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