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1
Whan this creatur was twenty yer of age or sumdele
mor, sche was maryed to a
worschepful burgeys and was wyth chylde wythin schort tyme, as
kynde wolde. And,
aftyr that sche had conceyved, sche was labowrd wyth grett accessys
tyl the chyld
was born, and than, what for labowr sche had in chyldyng and
for sekenesse goyng
beforn, sche dyspered of hyr lyfe, wenyng sche mygth not levyn.
And than sche sent
for hyr gostly fadyr, for sche had a thyng in conscyens whech
sche had nevyr schewyd
beforn that tyme in alle hyr lyfe. For sche was evyr lettyd be
hyr enmy, the devel,
evyrmor seyng to hyr whyl sche was in good heele hir nedyd no confessyon
but don
penawns be hirself aloone, and all schuld be forgovyn, for God
is mercyful inow. And
therfor this creatur oftyn tymes dede greet penawns in fastyng
bred and watyr and
other dedys of almes wyth devowt preyers, saf sche wold not schewyn
it in confessyon.
And, whan sche was any tym seke or dysesyd, the devyl seyd in
her mende that sche
schuld be dampnyd, for sche was not schrevyn of that defawt.
Wherfor, aftyr that hir
chyld was born, sche, not trostyng hir lyfe, sent for hir gostly
fadyr, as iseyd beforn, in
ful wyl to be schrevyn of alle hir lyfetym as ner as sche cowde.
And, whan sche cam
to the poynt for to seyn that thing whech sche had so long conselyd,
hir confessowr
was a lytyl to hastye and gan scharply to undyrnemyn hir er than
sche had fully seyd hir
entent, and so sche wold no mor seyn for nowt he mygth do. And
anoon, for dreed
sche had of dampnacyon on the to syde and hys scharp reprevyng
on that other syde,
this creatur went owt of hir mende and was wondyrlye vexid and
labowryd wyth
spyritys half yer eight wekys and odde days. And in this tyme
sche sey, as hir thowt,
develys opyn her mowthys al inflaumyd wyth brennyng lowys of
fyr as thei schuld a
swalwyd hyr in, sumtyme rampyng at hyr, sumtyme thretyng her,
sumtym pullyng hyr
and halyng hir bothe nygth and day duryng the forseyd tyme. And
also the develys
cryed upon hir wyth greet thretyngys and bodyn hir sche schuld
forsake hir Crystendam,
hir feyth, and denyin hir God, hys modyr, and alle the seyntys
in hevyn, hyr goode
werkys and alle good vertues, hir fadyr, hyr modyr, and alle
hire frendys. And so sche
dede. Sche slawndred hir husbond, hir frendys and her owyn self;
sche spak many a
reprevows worde and many a schrewyd worde; sche knew no vertu
ne goodnesse;
sche desyryd all wykkydnesse; lych as the spyrytys temptyd hir
to sey and do so sche
seyd and dede. Sche wold a fordon hirself many a tym at her steryngys
and a ben
damnyd wyth hem in helle. And into wytnesse therof sche bot hir
owen hand so
vyolently that it was seen al hir lyfe aftyr. And also sche roof
hir skyn on hir body
agen hir hert wyth hir nayles spetowsly, for sche had noon other
instrumentys, and
wers sche wold a don saf sche was bowndyn and kept wyth strength
bothe day and
Nygth that sche mygth not have hir wylle. And, whan sche had
long ben labowrd in
thes and many other temptacyons that men wend sche schuld nevyr
a skapyd ne levyd,
than on a tym, as sche lay aloone and hir kepars wer fro hir,
owyr mercyful Lord Crist
Jhesu, evyr to be trostyd, worshypd be hys name, nevyr forsakyng
hys servawnt in
tyme of nede, aperyd to hys creatur, whych had forsakyn hym,
in lyknesse of a man,
most semly, most bewtyuows, and most amyable that evyr mygth
be seen wyth mannys
eye, clad in a mantyl of purpyl sylke, syttyng upon hir beddys
syde, lokyng upon hir
wyth so blyssyd a chere that sche was strengthyd in alle hir
spyritys, seyd to hir thes
wordys: "Dowtyr, why hast thow forsakyn me, and I forsoke nevyr
the?" And anoon,
as he had seyd thes wordys, sche saw veryly how the eyr openyd
as brygth as ony
levyn, and he stey up into the eyr, not rygth hastyli and qwykly,
but fayr and esly that
sche mygth wel beholdyn hym in the eyr tyl it was closyd ageyn.
And anoon the
creature was stabelyd in hir wyttys and in hir reson as wel as
evyr sche was beforn,
and preyd hir husbond as so soon as he cam to hir that sche mygth
have the keys
of the
botery
to takyn hir mete and drynke as sche had don beforn. Hyr maydens and hir
kepars cownseld hym he schulde delyvyr hir no keys, for thei
seyd sche wold but geve
awey swech good as ther was, for sche wyst not what sche seyde
as thei wende.
Nevyrthelesse, hir husbond, evyr havyng tendyrnes and compassyon
of hir, comawndyd
thei schulde delyvyr to hyr the keyys. And sche toke hyr mete
and drynke as hir
bodyly strength wold servyn hir and knew hir frendys and hir
meny and all other that
cam to hir to se how owyr Lord Jhesu Cryst had wrowt hys grace
in hir, so blyssyd
mot he be that evyr is ner in tribulacyon. Whan men wenyn he
wer for fro hem, he is
ful nere be hys grace. Sythen this creatur dede alle other ocupacyons
as fel for hir to
do wysly and sadly inow, saf sche knew not veryli the drawt of
owyr Lord |