Richard Rolle was born at Thornton-le-Dale, near Pickering, in Yorkshire. He was sent to Oxford, already a formidable rival to the University of Paris; but the severer studies were evidently uncongenial to his impulsive temperament. He returned home without taking orders, improvised for himself a hermit's dress, and fled into solitude. His piety attracted the favour of Sir John and Lady Dalton, who gave him a cell on their estate. Here, in meditation, he developed his mystical religion. He did not immure himself, or cut himself off from human companionship. For a time he lived near Anderby, where was the cell of the recluse Margaret Kirkby, to whom he addressed his Form of Perfect Living. Another important work, Ego Dormio et Cor Meum Vigilat, was written for a nun of Yedingham (Yorks.). Towards the end of his life he lived in close friendship with the nuns of Hampole, and for one of them he wrote his Commandment of Love to God. At Hampole he died in 1349, the year of the Black Death. By the devout he was regarded as a saint, and had his commemoration day, his office, and his miracles; but he was never canonized.

He wrote both in Latin and in English, and it is not always easy to distinguish his work from that of his many followers and imitators. The writings attributed to him are edited by C. Horstmann, Yorkshire Writers, 2 vols., London 1895-6. Besides the prose works noted above, he wrote, at the request of Margaret Kirkby, a Commentary on the Psalms (ed. Bramley, Oxford 1884), based on the Latin of Peter Lombard. A long didactic poem in Northern English, the Prick of Conscience, has been attributed to him from Lydgate's time onwards; but his authorship has recently been questioned, chiefly on the ground that the poem is without a spark of inspiration. It is not certain that he wrote Love is Life, which is included here because it expresses in characteristic language his central belief in the personal bond, the burning love, between God and man. The first prose selection shows that he did not disdain the examples from natural history that were so popular in the sermons of the time. The second is chapter xi of the Form of Perfect Living, which is found as a separate extract from an early date.

With Rolle began a movement of devotional piety, which, as might be expected from its strong appeal to the emotions, was taken up first among religious women; and signs of a striving for effect in his style suggest that the hermit was not indifferent to the admiration of his followers. He brings to his teaching more heart than mind. He escapes the problems of the world, which seemed so insistent to his contemporaries, by denying the world's claims. His ideas and temperament are diametrically opposed to those of the other great figure in the religious life of fourteenth-century England—Wiclif, the schoolman, politician, reformer, controversialist. Yet they have in common a sincerity and directness of belief that brushes aside conventions, and an enthusiasm that made them leaders in an age when the Church as a whole suffered from apathy.

A. LOVE IS LIFE. Cambridge University Library MS. DD. 5. 64, III (about 1400) f. 38 a.

B. THE NATURE OF THE BEE. (The Thornton MS. (before 1450); ed. Horstmann, vol. i, p. 193.) Moralia Ricardi Heremite de Natura Apis.

The bee has thre kyndis. Ane es Þat scho es neuer ydill, and scho es noghte with thaym Þat will noghte wyrke, bot castys thaym owte, and puttes thaym awaye. Anothire es Þat when scho flyes scho takes erthe in hyr fette, Þat scho be noghte lyghtly ouerheghede in the ayere of wynde. The {05} thyrde es Þat scho kepes clene and bryghte hire wynge?.

Thus ryghtwyse men Þat lufes God are neuer in ydyllnes. For owthyre Þay ere in trauayle, prayand, or thynkande, or redande, or othere gude doande; or withtakand ydill mene, and schewand thaym worthy to be put fra Þe ryste of heuene, {10} for Þay will noghte trauayle here.

Þay take erthe, Þat es, Þay halde Þamselfe vile and erthely, that thay be noghte blawene with Þe wynde of vanytÉ and of pryde. Thay kepe thaire wynges clene, that es, Þe twa commandementes of charytÉ Þay fulfill in gud concyens, and {15} thay hafe othyre vertus, vnblendyde with Þe fylthe of syne and vnclene luste.

Arestotill sais Þat Þe bees are feghtande agaynes hym Þat will drawe Þaire hony fra thayme. Swa sulde we do agayne deuells, Þat afforces thame to reue fra vs Þe hony of poure {20} lyfe and of grace. For many are, Þat neuer kane halde Þe ordyre of lufe ynence Þaire frendys, sybbe or fremmede. Bot outhire Þay lufe Þaym ouer mekill, settand thaire thoghte vnryghtwysely on thaym, or Þay luf thayme ouer lyttill, yf Þay doo noghte all as Þey wolde till Þame. Swylke kane {25} noghte fyghte for thaire hony, forthy Þe deuelle turnes it to wormes, and makes Þeire saules oftesythes full bitter in angwys, and tene, and besynes of vayne thoghtes, and oÞer wrechidnes. For thay are so heuy in erthely frenchype Þat Þay may noghte flee intill Þe lufe of Iesu Criste, in Þe wylke {30} Þay moghte wele forgaa Þe lufe of all creaturs lyfande in erthe.

Wharefore, accordandly, Arystotill sais Þat some fowheles are of gude flyghyng, Þat passes fra a lande to anothire. Some are of ill flyghynge, for heuynes of body, and for<Þi> {35} Þaire neste es noghte ferre fra Þe erthe. Thus es it of thayme Þat turnes Þame to Godes seruys. Some are of gude flyeghynge, for thay flye fra erthe to heuene, and rystes thayme thare in thoghte, and are fedde in delite of Goddes lufe, and has thoghte of na lufe of Þe worlde. Some are Þat {40} kan noghte flyghe fra Þis lande, bot in Þe waye late theyre herte ryste, and delyttes Þaym in sere lufes of mene and womene, als Þay come and gaa, nowe ane and nowe anothire. And in Iesu Criste Þay kan fynde na swettnes; or if Þay any tyme fele oghte, it es swa lyttill and swa schorte, for othire thoghtes {45} Þat are in thayme, Þat it brynges thaym till na stabylnes.

<F>or Þay are lyke till a fowle Þat es callede strucyo or storke, Þat has wenges, and it may noghte flye for charge of body. Swa Þay hafe vndirstandynge, and fastes, and wakes, and semes haly to mens syghte; bot thay may noghte flye to lufe {50} and contemplacyone of God, Þay are so chargede wyth othyre affeccyons and othire vanytÉs.

C. THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST. (Chap. xi of The Form of Perfect Living; ed. Horstmann, vol. i, p. 196.)

Þe seuene gyftes of Þe Haly Gaste, Þat ere gyfene to men and wymmene Þat er ordaynede to Þe ioye of heuene, and ledys theire lyfe in this worlde reghtwysely. Thire are thay:—Wysdome, {55} Undyrstandynge, Counsayle, Strenghe, Connynge, PetÉ, the Drede of God. Begynne we at Consaile, for Þareof es myster at the begynnynge of oure werkes, Þat vs myslyke noghte aftyrwarde. With thire seuene gyftes Þe Haly Gaste teches sere mene serely. {60}

Consaile es doynge awaye of worldes reches, and of all delytes of all thynge? Þat mane may be tagyld with, in thoghte or dede, and Þarwith drawynge intill contemplacyone of Gode.

Undyrstandynge es to knawe whate es to doo, and whate {65} es to lefe, and Þat that sall be gyffene, to gyffe it to thaym Þat has nede, noghte till oÞer Þat has na myster.

Wysedome es forgetynge of erthely thynges and thynkynge of heuen, with discrecyone of all mens dedys. In Þis gyfte schynes contemplacyone, Þat es, Saynt Austyne says, a gastely {70} dede of fleschely affeccyones, thurghe Þe ioye of a raysede thoghte.

Strenghe es lastynge to fullfill gude purpose, Þat it be noghte lefte, for wele ne for waa.

PetÉ es Þat a man be mylde, and gaynesay noghte Haly {75} Writte whene it smyttes his synnys, whethire he vndyrstand it or noghte; bot in all his myghte purge he Þe viltÉ of syne in hyme and oÞer.

Connynge es Þat makes a man of gude <hope>, noghte ruysand hyme of his reghtewysnes, bot sorowand of his {80} synnys, and Þat man gedyrs erthely gude anely to the honour of God, and prow to oÞer mene Þane hymselfe.

The Drede of God es Þat we turne noghte agayne till oure syne thurghe any ill eggyng. And Þan es drede perfite in vs and gastely, when we drede to wrethe God in Þe leste syne {85} Þat we kane knawe, and flese it als venyme.