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28
Also this cumpany whech had putt the forseyd creatur
fro her tabyl that sche schulde
no lengar etyn among hem ordeynd a schip for hemself to seylyn
in. Thei bowtyn
vessellys for her wyn and ordeyned hem beddyng for hemselfe but
nothyng for hir.
Than sche, seyng her unkyndnesse, went to that same man wher
thei haddyn ben, and
purveyd for hyr beddyng as thei had don, and cam ther thei weryn
and schewyd hem
how sche had don, purposyng to seylyn wyth hem in that schyp
whech thei had
ordeyned. Sithyn, as this creatur was in contemplacyon, owyr
Lord warnyd hir in hir
mende that sche schuld not seylyn in that schip, and he assyngned
hir another schip, a
galey, that sche schulde seylyn in. Than sche told this to summe
of the cumpany, and
thei teld it forth to her felawshep, so than thei durst not seyl
in the schip whech thei
had ordeyned. And so thei seldyn awey her vessellys whech thei
had ordeyned for her
wynys and wer ryth fayn to comyn to the galey ther sche was,
and so, thow it wer
ageyn her wyl, sche went forth wyth hem in her cumpany, for thei
durst non otherwyse
don. Whan it was tyme to makyn her beddys, thei lokyd up her
clothis, and a preste
wech was in her cumpany toke awey a schete fro the forseyd creatur
and seyd it was
hys. Sche toke God to wytnesse that it was hire schete. Than
the preste swor a gret
othe, and be the boke in hys hand, that sche was as fals as sche
mygth be and dispysed
hir and alto rebukyd hir. And so sche had evyr mech tribulacyon
tyl sche cam to
Jerusalem.
And, er sche cam ther, sche seyd to hem that sche supposyd thei weryn
grevyd wyth hir. "I prey yow serys, beth in charité wyth
me, for I am in charité wyth
yow and forgevyth me that I have grevyd yow be the wey. And,
yyf any of yow hath
anything trespasyd agens me, God forgeve it yow and I do." And
so thei went forth
into the Holy Lond tyl thei myth se Jerusalem.
And, whan this creatur saw Jerusalem,
rydyng on an asse, sche thankyd God wyth al hir hert, preyng
hym for hys mercy that
lych as he had browt hir to se this erdly cyté Jerusalem
he wold grawntyn hir grace to
se the blysful cité of Jerusalem
abovyn, the cyté of hevyn. Owyr Lord Jhesu Cryst,
answeryng to hyr thowt, grawntyd hir to have hir desyr. Than,
for joy that sche had
and the swetnes that sche felt in the dalyawnce of owyr Lord,
sche was in poynt to a
fallyn of hir asse, for sche myth not beryn the swetnesse and
grace that God wrowt in
hir sowle. Than tweyn pylgrymys of Duchemen went to hir and kept
hir fro fallyng, of
whech the on was a preste. And he put spycys in hir mowth to
comfort hir, wenyng
sche had ben seke. And so thei holpyn hir forth to Jerusalem.
And, whan sche cam
ther, sche seyd, "Serys, I prey yow beth nowt displesyd thow
I wepe sore in this holy
place wher owyr Lord Jhesu Crist was qwyk and ded." Than went
thei to the tempyl
in
Jerusalem, and thei wer latyn
in on the to day at evynsong
tyme and abydyn therin til
the next day at evynsong tyme.
Than
the frerys lyftyd up a cros and led the pylgrimys
abowte fro on place to an other wher owyr Lord had sufferyd hys
peynys and hys
passyons, every man and woman beryng a wax candel
in her hand. And the frerys
alwey, as thei went abowte, teld hem what owyr Lord sufferyd
in every place. And the
forseyd creatur wept and sobbyd so plentyuowsly as thow sche
had seyn owyr Lord
wyth hir bodyly ey sufferyng hys Passyon
at that tyme. Befor hir in hyr sowle sche
saw hym veryly be contemplacyon, and that cawsyd hir to have
compassyon. And
whan thei cam up onto the Mownt
of Calvarye sche fel
down that sche mygth not
stondyn ne knelyn but walwyd and wrestyd wyth hir body, spredyng
hlr armys abrode,
and cryed wyth a lowde voys as thow hir hert schulde a brostyn
asundyr, for in the cité
of hir sowle sche saw veryly and freschly how owyr Lord was crucifyed.
Beforn hir
face sche herd and saw in hir gostly sygth the mornyng of owyr
Lady, of Sen John
and
Mary Mawdelyn,
and of many other that lovyd owyr Lord. And sche had so gret
compassyon and so gret peyn to se owyr Lordys peyn that sche
myt not kepe hirself
fro krying and roryng thow sche schuld a be ded therfor. And
this was the fyrst cry
that evyr sche cryed in any contemplacyon. And this maner of
crying enduryd many
yerys aftyr this tyme for owt that any man myt do, and therfor
sufferyd sche mych
despyte and mech reprefe. The cryeng was so lowde and so wondyrful
that it made the
pepyl astoynd les than thei had herd it beforn and er ellys that
thei knew the cawse of
the crying. And sche had hem so oftyntymes that thei madyn hir
ryth weyke in hir
bodyly myghtys, and namely yf sche herd of owyr Lordys Passyon.
And sumtyme,
whan sche saw the crucyfyx, er yf sche sey a man had a wownde
er a best whethyr it
wer, er yyf a man bett a childe befor hir er smet an hors er
another best wyth a whippe,
yyf sche myth sen it er heryn it, hir thowt sche saw owyr Lord
be betyn er wowndyd
lyk as sche saw in the man er in the best, as wel in the feld
as in the town, and be hirselfe
alone as wel as among the pepyl. Fyrst whan sche had hir cryingys
at Jerusalem, sche
had hem oftyn tymes, and in Rome
also. And, whan sche come hom into Inglonde,
fyrst at hir comyng hom it comyn but seldom as it wer onys in
a moneth, sythen onys
in the weke, aftyrward cotidianly, and onys sche had fourteen
on o day, and an other
day sche had seven, and so as God wolde visiten hir, sumtyme
in the cherch, sumtyme
in the strete, sumtym in the chawmbre, sumtyme in the felde whan
God wold sendyn
hem, for sche knew nevyr tyme ne owyr whan thei schulde come.
And thei come
nevyr wythowtyn passyng gret swetnesse of devocyon and hey contemplacyon.
And,
as sone as sche parceyvyd that sche schulde crye, sche wolde
kepyn it in as mech as
sche myth that the pepyl schulde not an herd it for noyng of
hem. For summe seyd it
was a wikkyd spiryt vexid hir; sum seyd it was a sekenes; sum
seyd sche had dronkyn
to mech wyn; sum bannyd hir; sum wisshed sche had ben in the
havyn; sum wolde
sche had ben in the se in a bottumles boyt; and so ich man as
hym thowte. Other gostly
men lovyd hir and favowrd hir the mor. Sum gret clerkys seyden
owyr Lady cryed
nevyr so ne no seynt in hevyn, but thei knewyn ful lytyl what
sche felt, ne thei wolde
not belevyn but that sche myth an absteynd hir fro crying yf
sche had wold. And
therfor, whan sche knew that sche schulde cryen, sche kept it
in as long as sche mygth
and dede al that sche cowde to withstond it er ellys to put it
awey til sche wex as blo as
any leed, and evyr it schuld labowryn in hir mende mor and mor
into the tyme that it
broke owte. And, whan the body myth ne lengar enduryn the gostly
labowr but was
ovyr come wyth the unspekabyl lofe that wrowt so fervently in
the sowle, than fel
sche down and cryed wondyr lowde. And the mor that sche wolde
labowryn to kepe it
in er to put it awey, mech the mor schulde sche cryen and the
mor lowder. And thus
sche dede in the Mownt of Calvarye,
as it is wretyn beforn. Sche had so very
contemplacyon in the sygth of hir sowle as yf Crist had hangyn
befor hir bodily eye in
hys manhode. And, whan thorw dispensacyon of the hy mercy of
owyr sovereyn
savyowr Crist Jhesu it was grawntd this creatur to beholdyn so
verily hys precyows
tendyr body, alto rent and toryn wyth scorgys, mor ful of wowndys
than evyr was
duffehows of holys, hangyng upon the cros wyth the corown of
thorn upon hys hevyd,
hys blysful handys, hys tendyr fete nayled to the hard tre, the
reverys of blood flowyng
owt plenteuowsly of every membr, the gresly and grevows wownde
in hys precyows
syde schedyng owt blood and watyr for hir lofe and hir salvacyon,
than sche fel down
and cryed wyth lowde voys, wondyrfully turnyng and wrestyng hir
body on every
syde, spredyng hir armys abrode as yyf sche schulde a deyd, and
not cowde kepyn hir
fro crying, and these bodily mevyngys for the fyer of lofe that
brent so fervently in hir
sowle wyth pur pyté and compassyon. It is nowt to be merveyled
yyf this creatur
cryed and made wondirful cher and cuntenawns, whan we may se
eche day at eye
bothe men and women, summe for los of werdly good, sum for affeccyon
of her kynred
er for werdly frenshepys thorw ovyr fele stody and erdly affeccyon,
and most of alle
for inordinat lofe and fleschly affeccyon yyf her frendys er
partyn fro hem, thei wyl
cryen and roryn and wryngyn her handys as yyf thei had no wytte
ne non mende, and
yet wetyn thei wel inow that thei displesyn God. And, yyf a man
cownsel hem to
leevyn er seesyn of her wepyng er crying, thei wyl seyn that
thei may not; thei lovyd
her frend so meche and he was so gentyl and so kende to hem that
thei may be no wey
forgetyn hym. How meche mor myth thei wepyn, cryen, and roryn
yyf her most belovyd
frendys wer wyth vyolens takyn in her sygth and wyth al maner
of reprefe browt befor
the juge, wrongfully condemnyd to the deth, and namely so spyteful
a deth as owr
mercyful Lord suffyrd for owyr sake. How schuld thei suffyr yt?
No dowt but thei
schulde bothe cry and rore and wrekyn hem yyf thei myth, and
ellys men wold sey
thei wer no frendys. Alas, alas, for sorwe, that the deth of
a creatur whech hat oftyn
synned and trespasyd ageyn her maker schal be so unmesurabely
mornyd and sorwyd.
And it is offens to God and hyndryng to the sowlys on eche syde.
And the compassyfe
deth of owyr Savyowr, be the whech we arn alle restoryd to lyfe
is not had in mende
of us unworthy and unkende wretchys, ne not we wylle supportyn
owyr Lordys owyn
secretariis whech he hath indued wyth lofe, but rathyr detractyn
hem and hyndryn
hem in as mech as we may. |