BOOK THE FIRST

Wherein is described the nature of dark night and how necessary it is to pass through it to Divine union; and in particular this book describes the dark night of sense, and desire, and the evils which these work in the soul.⁷³⁷³The Codices give neither title nor sub-title: both were inserted in e.p. [‘Desire’ is to be taken as the direct object of ‘describes’; ‘these’ refers to ’sense’ and ‘desire,’ not to the dark night.]