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Whan owr Lord was beriid, owr Lady fel down in swownyng as sche schulde a comyn
fro the grave, and Seynt John toke hir up in hys armys and Mary Mawdelyn went on
the other syde to supportyn and comfortyn owr Lady in as meche as thei cowde er
myth. Than the sayd creatur, desiryng to abydyn stille be the grave of owr Lord,
mornyd, wept, and sorwyd wyth lowde crying for tendyrnes and compassyon that
sche had of owr Lordys deth and many a lamentabyl desyr that God put in hir mende
for the tyme. Wherfor the pepil wondryd upon hir, havyng gret merveyl what hir
eylyd, for thei knewe ful litil the cawse. Hir thowt sche wolde nevyr a partyd thens but
desiryd to a deyd ther and ben beriid wyth owr Lord. Sithyn the creatur thowt sche sey
owr Lady gon homward ageyn. And, as sche went, ther comyn many good women
ageyn hir and seyd, "Lady, us is wo that yowr sone is ded and that owr pepil han don
hym so meche despite." And than owr Lady, bowyng down hir hevyd, thankyd hem
ful mekely wyth cher and wyth contenawnce, for sche myth not spekyn, hir hert was
so ful of hevynes. Than the creatur thowt, whan owr Lady was comyn hom and was
leyd down on a bed, than sche mad for owr Lady a good cawdel and browt it hir to
comfortyn hir, and than owr Lady seyd onto hir, "Do it awey, dowtyr. Geve me no
mete but myn owyn childe." The creatur seyd agen, "A, blissyd Lady, ye must nedys
comfortyn yowrself and cesyn of yowr sorwyng." "A, dowtyr, wher schulde I gon er
wher schulde I dwellyn wythowtyn sorwe? I telle the certeyn was ther nevyr woman in
erth had so gret cawse to sorwyn as I have, for ther was nevyr woman in this world bar
a bettyr childe ne a mekar to hys modyr than my sone was to me." And hir thowt sche
herd owr Lady cryin anon wyth a lamentabyl voys and seyd, "John, wher is my sone
Jhesu Crist?" And Seynt John answeryd agen and seyd, "Der Lady, ye wetyn wel that
he is ded." "A, John," sche seyd, "that is to me a careful reed." The creatur herd as
clerly this answer in the undirstondyng of hir sowle as sche schulde undirstondyn o man
spekyn to an other. And anon the creatur herd Seynt Petyr knokkyng at the dor, and
Seynt John askyd who was ther. Petyr answeryd, "I, synful Petyr, that hath forsakyn
my Lord Jhesu Crist." Seynt John wolde a don hym comyn in, and Petyr wolde not tyl
owr Lady bad hym comyn in. And than Petyr seyd, "Lady, I am not worthy to comyn
in to yow," and was stille wythowtyn the dor. Than Seynt Jon went to owr Lady and
telde hir that Petyr was so abaschyd that he durst not comyn in. Owr Lady bad Seynt
John gon ageyn yerne to Seynt Petyr and bid hym comyn in to hir. And than the
creatur in hyr gostly syght beheld Seynt Petir comyn beforn owr Lady and fallyn
downe on hys kneys wyth gret wepyng and sobbyng, and seyd, "Lady, I cry yow
mercy, for I have forsakyn yowr derworthy sone and my swete maistyr that hath
lovyd me ful wel, and therfor, Lady, I am nevyr worthy to lokyn on hym ne yow
neithyr but up yowr gret mercy." "A, Petyr," seyd owr Lady, "drede the not, for, thow
thu have forsakyn my swete sone, he forsoke nevyr the, Petir, and he schal comyn ageyn
and comfortyn us alle ryth wel, for he behite me, Petir, that he wolde comyn ageyn on
the thryd day and comfortyn me. A, Petyr," seyd owr Lady, "ful long tyme schal I
thynke tyl that day comyth that I may se hys blissyd face." Than owr Lady lay stille on
hir bed and herd how that the frendys of Jhesu madyn her compleynt of the sorwe that
thei haddyn. And evyr owr Lady lay stille, mornyng and wepyng wyth hevy cher, and
at the last Mary Mawdelyn and owr Ladys sisterys tokyn her leve of owr Lady for to
go byin onyment that thei myth anoyntyn therwyth our Lordys body. Than the creatur
left stille wyth owr Lady and thowt a thowsand yer tyl the thryd day cam, and that day
sche was wyth owr Lady in a chapel ther owr Lord Jhesu Crist aperyd unto hir and
seyd, "Salve, sancta parens." And than the creatur thowt in hir sowle that owr Lady
seyd, "Art thu my swete sone, Jhesu?" And he seyd, "Ya, my blissyd Modyr, I am
yowr owyn sone, Jhesu." Than he toke up hys blissyd modyr and kissyd hir ful swetly.
And than the creatur thowt that sche say owr Lady felyn and tastyn owr Lordys body
al abowtyn and hys handys and hys feet yyf ther wer ony sorhed er any peyne. And
sche herd owr Lord seyn to hys modyr, "Der Modyr, my peyne is al agoo, and now schal
I levyn for evyr mo. And, modyr, so schal yowr peyne and yowr sorwe be turnyd into
ful gret joye. Modyr, aske what ye wole I schal tellyn yow." And whan he had suffyrd
hys modyr to aske what sche wolde and had answeryd to hir questyons, than he seyd,
"Modir, be yowr leve I must go spekyn wyth Mary Mawdelyn." Owr Lady seyd, "It is
wel don, for, sone, sche hath ful meche sorwe for yowr absens. And, I prey yow, beth
not long fro me." Thes gostly syghtys and undirstondyngys cawsed the creatur to
wepyn, to sobbyn, and to cryin ful lowde that sche myth not mesuryn hirself ne restreyn
hir therfro on Estern Day and other days whan owr Lord wolde visityn hir wyth hys
grace, blissyd and worschepyd mote he ben. And anon aftyr the creatur was in hir
contemplacyon wyth Mary Mawdelyn, mornyng and sekyng owr Lord at the grave,
and herd and sey how owr Lord Jhesu Crist aperyd to hir in lekenes of a gardener,
seying, "Woman, why wepist thu?" Mary, not knowyng what he was, al inflawmyd
wyth the fyre of lofe, seyd to hym ageyn, "Sir, yyf thu hast awey my Lord, telle me,
and I schal takyn hym agen." Than owr merciful Lord, havyng pité and compassyon of
hir, seyd, "Mary." And wyth that word sche, knowyng owr Lord, fel down at hys feet
and wolde a kyssyd hys feet, seying, "Maistyr." Owr Lord seyd to hir, "Towche me
not." Than the creatur thowt that Mary Mawdelyn seyd to owr Lord, "A, Lord, I se wel
ye wil not that I be so homly wyth yow as I have ben aforn," and mad hevy cher.
"Yys, Mary," seyd owr Lord, "I schal nevyr forsake the, but I schal evyr be wyth the
wythowtyn ende." And than owr Lord seyde to Mary Mawdelyn, "Go telle my bretheryn
and Petyr that I am up reson." And than the creatur thowt that Mary went forth wyth
gret joye, and that was gret merveyl to hir that Mary enjoyid, for, yyf owr Lord had
seyd to hir as he dede to Mary, hir thowt sche cowde nevyr a ben mery. That was
whan sche wolde a kissyd hys feet, and he seyd, "Towche me not." The creatur had so
gret swem and hevynes in that worde that evyr whan sche herd it in any sermown, as
sche dede many tymys, sche wept, sorwyd, and cryid as sche schulde a deyd for lofe
and desir that sche had to ben wyth owr Lord.