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4238

     75
 
 

As the sayd creatur was in a chirch of Seynt Margaret to sey hir devocyons, ther 
cam a man knelyng at hir bak, wryngyng hys handys and schewyng tokenys of gret 
hevynes. Sche, parceyvyng hys hevynes, askyd what hym eylyd. He seyd it stod ryth 
hard wyth hym, for hys wyfe was newly delyveryd of a childe and sche was owt hir 
mende. "And, dame," he seyth, "sche knowyth not me ne non of hir neyborwys. Sche 
roryth and cryith so that sche makith folk evyl afeerd. Sche wyl bothe smytyn and 
bityn, and therfor is sche manykyld on hir wristys." Than askyd sche the man yyf he 
wolde that sche went wyth hym and sawe hir, and he seyd, "Ya, dame, for Goddys 
lofe." So sche went forth wyth hym to se the woman. And, whan sche cam into the 
hows, as sone as the seke woman that was alienyd of hir witte saw hir, sche spak to hir 
sadly and goodly and seyd sche was ryth wolcome to hir. And sche was ryth glad of 
hir comyng and gretly comfortyd be hir presens, "For ye arn," sche seyd, "a ryth good 
woman, and I behelde many fayr awngelys abowte yow, and therfor, I pray yow, goth 
not fro me, for I am gretly comfortyd be yow." And, whan other folke cam to hir, sche 
cryid and gapyd as sche wolde an etyn hem and seyd that sche saw many develys
abowtyn hem. Sche wolde not suffyrn hem to towchyn hir be hyr good wyl. Sche 
roryd and cryid so bothe nyth and day for the most part that men wolde not suffyr hir 
to dwellyn amongys hem, sche was so tediows to hem. Than was sche had to the 
forthest ende of the town into a chambyr that the pepil schulde not heryn hir cryin. And 
ther was sche bowndyn handys and feet wyth chenys of yron that sche schulde smytyn 
nobody. And the sayd creatur went to hir iche day onys er twyis at the lest wey, and, 
whyl sche was wyth hir, sche was meke anow and herd hir spekyn and dalyin wyth 
good wil wythowtyn any roryng er crying. And the sayd creatur preyid for this woman 
every day that God schulde, yyf it were hys wille, restoryn hir to hir wittys ageyn. And 
owr Lord answeryd in hir sowle and seyd, "Sche schulde faryn ryth wel." Than was 
sche mor bolde to preyin for hir recuryng than sche was beforn, and iche day, wepyng 
and sorwyng, preyid for hir recur tyl God gaf hir hir witte and hir mende agen. And 
than was sche browt to chirche and purifiid as other women be, blyssed mote God 
ben. It was, as hem thowt that knewyn it, a ryth gret myrakyl, for he that wrot this 
boke had nevyr befor that tyme sey man ne woman, as hym thowt, so fer owt of hirself 
as this woman was ne so evyl to rewlyn ne to governyn, and sithyn he sey hir sad and 
sobyr anow, worschip and preysyng be to owr Lord wythowtyn ende for hys hy mercy 
and hys goodnes that evyr helpith at nede.