In Chapter 7 Julian continues to describe her spiritual insights while contemplating Jesus' Crown of Thorns. In good medieval fashion, she describes copious amounts of blood flowing from Jesus' brow:
The grete dropis of blade fel downe [the great drops of blood fell down] from under the garland like pellots semand as it had cum out of the veynis [like pellets seeming as if they had come out of the veins], and in the comeing out it were browne rede [was deep red], for the blode [blood] was full thick, and in the spredeing abrade [spreading out] it were [was] bright rede [bright red], and whan it come to the browes, than it vanyshid [and when it came to the brows, then it vanished]; notwithstondying the bleding continuid [notwithstanding the bleeding continued] till many things were seene [seen] and understondyn [understood].
And what does Julian come to understand in this vision of dripping blood? Two things: "the mervelous curtesie and homlyhede" of God.
By "homely" or "homeliness" (Middle English: "homlyhede"), Julian means intimate and familiar, meeting us as friendly equals. Fr. John-Julian translates "homely" as "friendly." In addition, Julian describes Christ's condescension toward us as "courteous." The image she uses is of a king who, despite his high status, meets a lowly peasant with generosity and intimacy. In a similar way, the Lord displays toward us a "marvelous courtesy and friendliness." Julian writes:
Julian is overcome by God's coming so near to us in Christ. As she describes, when we truly behold the vast distance God traverses in lowering Himself to meet us in courtesy and friendliness, our hearts are "ravished" to the point where we "forget ourselves for joy."This bodily example was shewid so hey [shown so mightily] that manys hart [man's heart] might be ravishid and almost forgettyng himselfe [forgetting himself] for joy of this grete [great] homlyhede [homeliness]. Thus it fareith be our Lord Jesus and be us [fares between our Lord Jesus and us], for sothly [surely] it is the most joy that may be, as to my sight, that He that is heyest [highest] and mightyest, noblest and worthyest, is lowest and mekest, homlyest [homeliest] and curteysest [most courteous]. And treuly and sothly [truly and surely] this mervelous [marvelous] joy shall be shewne [shown] us all whan we se [when we see] Him. And this will [wills] our Lord, that we willen and trowen [believe and trust], joyen and liken [enjoy and delight], comfortyn us [comfort ourselves] and solacys us [soothe/solace ourselves] as we may with His grace and with His helpe into the tyme that we se it verily [until the time we see it truly]. For the most fulhede [fullness] of joy that we shal have, as to my sight, is the mervelous curtesie and homlyhede [courtesy and homeliness] of our Fader [Father] that is our maker in our Lord Jesus Criste that is our brother and our Saviour.
