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Than cam ther a frer to Lenne whech was holdyn an holy man and a good prechowr. 
Hys name and hys perfeccyon of prechyng spred and sprong wondyr wyde. Ther cam 
good men to the sayd creatur of good charité and seyd, "Margery, now schal ye han 
prechyng anow, for ther is comyn on of the most famows frerys in Inglond to this 
towne, for to be her in convent." Than was sche mery and glad and thankyd God wyth 
al hir hert that so good a man was comyn to dwellyn amongys hem. In schort tyme 
aftyr he seyd a sermown in a chapel of Seynt Jamys in Lenne, wher was meche pepyl 
gadyrd to heryn the sermown. And, er the frer went to the pulpit, the parisch preste of 
the same place wher he schulde prechyn went to hym and seyd, "Ser, I prey yow, beth 
not displesyd. Her schal comyn a woman to yowr sermown the whech oftyn tymes, 
whan sche herith of the Passyon of owr Lord er of any hy devocyon, sche wepith, 
sobbith, and cryeth, but it lestith not longe. And therfor, good ser, yyf sche make any 
noyse at yowr sermown, suffyr it paciently and beth not abaschyd therof." The good 
frer went forth to sey the sermown and seyd ful holily and ful devowtly and spak 
meche of owr Lordys Passyon that the seyd creatur myth no lengar beryn it. Sche kept 
hir fro crying as long as sche myth, and than at the last sche brast owte wyth a gret cry 
and cryid wondyr sor. The good frere suffyrd it paciently and seyd no word therto at 
that tyme. In schort tyme aftyr he prechyd ageyn in the same place. The seyd creatur 
beyng present, and, beheldyng how fast the pepyl cam rennyng to heryn the sermown, 
sche had gret joy in hir sowle, thynkyng in hir mende, "A, Lord Jhesu, I trowe, and thu 
wer here to prechyn thin owyn persone, the pepyl schulde han gret joy to heryn the. I 
prey the, Lorde, make thi holy word to sattelyn in her sowlys as I wolde that it schulde 
don in myn, and as many mict be turnyd be hys voys as schulde ben be thy voys yyf thu 
prechedist thyselfe." And wyth swech holy thowtys and holy mendys sche askyd 
grace for the pepyl that tyme, and sithyn, what thorw the holy sermown and what 
thorw hir meditacyon, grace of devocyon wrowt so sor in hir mende that sche fel in a 
boystows wepyng. Than seyd the good frer, "I wolde this woman wer owte of the 
chirche; sche noyith the pepil." Summe that weryn hir frendys answeryd agen, "Sir, 
have hir excusyd. Sche may not withstand it." Than meche pepil turnyd agen hir and 
wer ful glad that the good frer held agen hir. Than seyd summe men that sche had a 
devyl wythinne hir. And so had thei seyd many tymys beforn, but now thei wer mor 
bolde, for hem thowt that her opinyon was wel strenghthyd er ellys fortifyed be this 
good frer. Ne he wolde not suffyr hir to her hys sermown les than sche wolde levyn 
hir sobbyng and hir crying. Ther was than a good preyste whech had red to hir mech 
good scriptur and knew the cawse of hir crying. He spak to an other good preyste, the 
whech had knowyn hir many yerys, and telde hym hys conseyt, how he was purposyd 
to gon to the good frer and assayn yyf he myth mekyn hys hert. The other good 
preyste seyd he wolde wyth good wyl gon wyth hym to getyn grace yyf he myth. So 
thei went, bothe preystys togedyr, and preyid the good frer as enterly as thei cowde 
that he wolde suffyr the sayd creatur quyetly to comyn to hys sermown and suffyr hir 
paciently yyf sche happyd to sobbyn er cryen as other good men had suffyrd hir 
before. He seyd schortly agen, yyf sche come in any cherch wher he schulde prechyn 
and sche made any noyse as sche was wone to do, he schulde speke scharply ageyn hir, 
he wolde not suffyrn hir to crye in no wyse. Sithyn a worshepful doctowr of divinité, 
a White Frer, a solem clerk and elde doctowr, and a wel aprevyd, whech had knowyn 
the sayd creatur many yerys of hir lyfe and belevyd the grace that God wrowt in hir, 
toke wyth hym a worthy man, a bacheler of lawe, a wel growndyd man in scriptur and 
long exercisyd, whech was confessowr to the sayd creatur, and wentyn to the sayd frer 
as the good preystys dedyn beforn and sentyn for wyne to cheryn hym wyth, preyng 
hym of hys charité to favyr the werkys of owr Lord in the sayd creatur and grawntyn 
hir hys benevolens in supportyng of hir yyf it happyd hir to cryen er sobbyn whyl he 
wer in hys sermown. And thes worthy clerkys telde hym that it was a gyft of God and 
that sche cowde not have it but whan God wolde geve it, ne sche myth not wythstande 
it whan God wolde send it, and God schulde wythdrawe it whan he wilde, for that had 
sche be revelacyon, and that was unknowyn to the frer. Than he, neythyr gevyng 
credens to the doctowrys wordys ne the bachelerys, trustyng mech in the favowr of 
the pepil, seyd he wolde not favowr hir in hir crying for nowt that any man myth sey 
er do, for he wolde not levyn that it was a gyft of God. But he seyd, yyf sche myth not 
wythstond it whan it cam, he levyd it was a cardiakyl er sum other sekenesse, and, yyf 
sche wolde be so aknowyn, he seyd, he wold have compassyon of hir and steryn the 
pepil to prey for hir, and undyr this condicion he wolde han paciens in hir and suffyr 
hir to cryen anow, that sche schulde sey that it was a kendly seknes. And hirself knew 
wel be revelacyon and be experiens of werkyng it was no sekenes, and therfor sche 
wolde not for al this world sey otherwyse than sche felt. And therfor thei myth not 
acordyn. Than the worschepful doctowr and hir confessowr cownselyd hir that sche 
schulde not come at hys sermown, and that was to hir a gret peyne. Than went another 
man, a worschepful burgeys, the whech in fewe yerys aftyr was meyr of Lenne, and 
preyd hym as the worthy clerkys had don beforn, and he was answeryd as thei worn. 
Than was sche chargyd be hir confessowr that sche schulde not comyn ther he prechyd,
but whan he prechyd in o chirche sche schulde gon into another. Sche had so mech 
sorwe that sche wist not what sche myth do, for sche was putte fro the sermown 
whech was to hir the hyest comfort in erth whan sche myth heryn it, and ryth so the 
contrary was to hir the grettest peyne in erthe whan sche myth not heryn it. Whan sche 
was alone be hirself in on cherch and he prechyng the pepil in an other, sche had as 
lowde and as mervelyows cryis as whan sche was amongys the pepil. It was yerys that 
sche myth not be suffyrd to come at hys sermown for that sche cryed so whan it 
plesyd owr Lord to gyfe hir mende and very beholdyng of hys bittyr Passyon. But 
sche was not excludyd fro non other clerkys prechyng, but only fro the good frerys, as 
is seyd beforn, notwythstondyng in the menetyme ther prechyd many worschepful 
doctorys and other worthy clerkys, bothyn religyows and seculerys, at whoys 
sermownys sche cryid ful lowde and sobbyd ful boystowsly many tymes and ofte. 
And yet thei suffyrd it ful paciently, and summe whech had spokyn wyth hir beforn 
and haddyn knowlach of hir maner of levyng excusyd hir to the pepil whan thei herdyn 
any rumowr er grutchyng agens hir.