Husband:  Jacob temporally, God spiritually.  Wives to Jacob:  Leah, that is to say, Affection; Rachel, that is to say, Reason.  Maid to Leah is Zilpah, that is to understand, Sensuality; and Bilhah maiden to Rachel, that is to understand, Imagination.

The sons of Jacob and Leah are these seven that followeth:  Reuben signifieth dread of pain; Simeon, sorrow of sins; Levi, hope of forgiveness; Judah, love of righteousness; Issachar, joy in inward sweetness; Zebulun, hatred of sin; Dinah, ordained shame.

The sons of Jacob and Zilpah, servant of Leah, are these:  Gad, abstinence; Asher, patience.

The sons of Jacob and of Rachel are these:  Joseph, discretion; Benjamin, contemplation.

The sons of Jacob and Bilhah, servant to Rachel, are these:  Dan, sight of pain to come; and Naphtali, sight of joy to come.

In this figure it is shewed apertly of Jacob and of his wives, and their maidens, and all their children.  Here it is to shew on what manner they were gotten, and in what order:—­

First, it is to say of the children of Leah; for why, it is read that she first conceived.  The children of Leah are nought else to understand but ordained affections or feelings in a man’s soul; for why, if they were unordained, then were they not the sons of Jacob.  Also the seven children of Leah are seven virtues, for virtue is nought else but an ordained and a measured feeling in a man’s soul.  For then is man’s feeling in soul ordained when it is of that thing that it should be; then it is measured when it is so much as it should be.  These feelings in a man’s soul may be now ordained and measured, and now unordained and unmeasured; but when they are ordained and measured, then are they accounted among the sons of Jacob.[31]

CAPITULUM I

HOW THE VIRTUE OF DREAD RISETH IN THE AFFECTION

The first child that Leah conceived of Jacob was Reuben, that is, dread; and therefore it is written in the psalm:  “The beginning of wisdom is the dread of our Lord God."[32] This is the first felt virtue in a man’s affection, without the which none other may be had.  And, therefore, whoso desireth to have such a son, him behoveth busily and oft also behold the evil that he hath done.  And he shall, on the one party, think on the greatness of his trespass, and, on another party, the power of the Doomsman.[33] Of such a consideration springeth dread, that is to say Reuben, that through right is cleped “the son of sight."[34] For utterly is he blind that seeth not the pains that are to come, and dreadeth not to sin.  And well is Reuben cleped the son of sight; for when he was born, his mother cried and said:  “God hath seen my meekness."[35] And man’s soul, in such a consideration of his old sins and of the power of the Doomsman, beginneth then truly to see God by feeling of dread, and also to be seen of God by rewarding of pity.