The main function of ‘Bonum lectum’, as mentioned in the previous chapter, is allegory, explaining to its audience how to prepare the ‘chambour of þi soule’ and ‘an honest bede […] in þe whiche oure lorde iesu criste wille haue likinge to reste inne’. The text explains that this bed ‘is þe bede þat oure lorde iesu crist speikeþ of in his boke of loue and seiþ <Canticorum primo Lectulus noster iam floridus est> oure bede is ful of floures’. This reference to the Song of Songs illustrates that ‘Bonum lectum’ is the product of a long tradition of thought and reflects contemporary theology. As argued by Daniel Frank, the ‘frank eroticism’ of the Song of Songs required allegorisation, in order that Christians could be reconciled to its place in the canon. Medieval commentaries on the Song of Songs placed great emphasis on its allegorical nature, sparking a renewed appreciation of allegory throughout the Middle Ages. The bed in the Song of Songs is treated in medieval commentaries as a metaphor for the relationship between the two speakers and between the believer and God, as well as a physical space in which the soul seeks the bridegroom Christ. This chapter will address the pervasive idea that the bed is a suitable space in which to meet with God, and the ways in which this idea is played out in late medieval England. It begins with an exploration of religious encounters and prayer in bed, before moving on to look at evidence of devotional practice in the chamber. Finally, it explores the ways in which the relationship between faith and beds extends beyond the walls of the chamber.

Encountering God in bed

The verse referring to the bed in the Song of Songs is usually translated into a female voice, which commentaries often take as a representation of the believer or the Church as the bride of Christ, or as the Virgin Mary. Conversely, ‘Bonum lectum’ attributes the Bible verse to Christ, so that the ‘honest bede’ is ‘þe bede þat oure lorde iesu crist speikeþ of’.