The Brother Ambrose was ever a saintly man approved
of God and beloved by the Brethren. To him one night,
as he lay abed in the dormitory, came the word of the
Lord, saying, "Come, and I will show thee the Bride,
the Lamb's wife." And Brother Ambrose arose and was
carried to a great and high mountain, even as in the
Vision of Blessed John. 'Twas a still night of many
stars, and Brother Ambrose, looking up, saw a radiant
path in the heavens; and lo! the stars gathered
themselves together on either side until they stood as
walls of light, and the four winds lapped him about as
in a mantle and bore him towards the wondrous gleaming
roadway. Then between the stars came the Holy City with
roof and pinnacle aflame, and walls aglow with such
colours as no earthly limner dreams of, and much gold.
Brother Ambrose beheld the Gates of Pearl, and by every
gate an angel with wings of snow and fire, and a face
no man dare look on because of its exceeding radiance.
Then as Brother Ambrose stretched out his arms because
of his great longing, a little grey cloud came out
of the north and hung between the walls of light, so
that he no longer beheld the Vision, but only heard a
sound as of a great multitude crying 'Alleluia'; and
suddenly the winds came about him again, and lo! he
found himself in his bed in the dormitory, and it was
midnight, for the bell was ringing to Matins; and he
rose and went down with the rest. But when the Brethren
left the choir Brother Ambrose stayed fast in his
place, hearing and seeing nothing because of the Vision
of God; and at Lauds they found him and told the Prior.
He questioned Brother Ambrose of the matter, and when
he heard the Vision bade him limn the Holy City even
as he had seen it; and the Precentor gave him uterine
vellum and much fine gold and what colours he asked for
the work. Then Brother Ambrose limned a wondrous fair
city of gold with turrets and spires; and he inlaid
blue for the sapphire, and green for the emerald, and
vermilion where the city seemed aflame with the glory
of God; but the angels he could not limn, nor could he
set the rest of the colours as he saw them, nor the
wall of stars on either hand; and Brother Ambrose
fell sick because of the exceeding great longing he
had to limn the Holy City, and was very sad; but the
Prior bade him thank God, and remember the infirmity of
the flesh, which, like the little grey cloud, veiled
Jerusalem to his sight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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