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   "Fastyng, dowtyr, is good for yong begynnars and discrete penawns, namly that
her gostly fadyr gevyth hem er injoyneth hem for to do. And for to byddyn many
bedys it is good to hem that can no bettyr do, and yet it is not parfyte. But it is a good
wey to perfeccyonward. For I telle the, dowtyr, thei that arn gret fastarys and gret
doers of penawnce thei wold that it schuld ben holdyn the best lyfe; also thei that
gevyn hem to sey many devocyons thei wold han that the best lyfe, and thei that
gevyn mech almes thei wold that that wer holdyn the best lyfe. And I have oftyntymes,
dowtyr, teld the that thynkyng, wepyng, and hy contemplacyon is the best lyfe in
erthe. And thu schalt have mor meryte in hevyn for o yer of thynkyng in thi mende than
for an hundryd yer of preyng wyth thi mowth, and yet thu wylt not levyn me, for thu
wilt byddyn many bedys whedyr I wil or not. And yet dowtyr, I wyl not be displesyd
wyth the whedir thu thynke, sey, or speke, for I am alwey plesyd wyth the. And, yyf I
wer in erde as bodily as I was er I deyd on the cros, I schuld not ben aschamyd of the
as many other men ben, for I schuld take the be the hand amongs the pepil and make
the gret cher that thei schuldyn wel knowyn that I lovyd the ryth wel. For it is convenyent
the wyf to be homly wyth hir husbond. Be he nevyr so gret a lorde and sche so powr
a woman whan he weddyth hir, yet thei must ly togedir and rest togedir in joy and pes.
Ryght so mot it be twyx the and me, for I take non hed what thu hast be but what thu
woldist be. And oftyntymes have I telde the that I have clene forgove the alle thy
synnes. Therfore most I nedys be homly wyth the and lyn in thi bed wyth the. Dowtyr,
thow desyrest gretly to se me, and thu mayst boldly, whan thu art in thi bed, take me to
the as for thi weddyd husbond, as thy derworthy derlyng, and as for thy swete sone,
for I wyl be lovyd as a sone schuld be lovyd wyth the modyr and wil that thu love me,
dowtyr, as a good wife owyth to love hir husbonde. And therfor thu mayst boldly take
me in the armys of thi sowle and kyssen my mowth, myn hed, and my fete as swetly as
thow wylt. And, as oftyntymes as thu thynkyst on me er woldyst don any good dede to
me, thu schalt have the same mede in hevyn as yyf thu dedist it to myn owyn precyows
body whech is in hevyn, for I aske no mor of the but thin hert for to lovyn that lovyth
the, for my lofe is evyr redy to the." Than sche gaf thankyng and preysing to owr Lord
Jhesu Crist for the hy grace and mercy that he schewyd unto hir unworthy wrech.
Thys creatur had divers tokenys in hir bodily heryng. On was a maner of sownde as it
had ben a peyr of belwys blowyng in hir ere. Sche, beyng abasshed therof, was warnyd
in hir sowle no fer to have for it was the sownd of the Holy Gost. And than owr Lord
turnyd that sownde into the voys of a dowe, and sithyn he turnyd it into the voys of a
lityl bryd whech is callyd a reedbrest that song ful merily oftyntymes in hir ryght ere.
And than schuld sche evyrmor han gret grace aftyr that sche herd swech a tokyn. And
sche had been used to swech tokenys abowt twenty-five yer at the writyng of this
boke. Than seyd owr Lord Jhesu Crist to hys creatur, "Be thes tokenys mayst thu wel
wetyn that I love the, for thu art to me a very modir and to al the world for that gret
charité that is in the, and yet I am cawse of that charité myself, and thu schalt have gret
mede therfor in Hevyn.