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N
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

N
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Abbas of Denney, an hows of nunnys, oftyn tymys sent for the sayd creatur 
that sche schulde come to speke wyth hir and wyth hir sisterys. The creatur thowt sche 
wolde not gon tyl an other yer, for sche myth evyl duryn the labowr. Than, as sche was 
in hir meditacyon and had gret swetnes and devocyon, owr Lord comawndyd hir to 
gon to Denney and confortyn the ladiis that desyryd to comownyn wyth hir, seying 
on this maner to hir sowle, "Dowtyr, go forth to the hows of Denney in the name of 
Jhesu, for I wole that thu comfort hem." Sche was loth to gon, for it was pestylens 
tyme, and hir thowt that sche wolde for no good a deyd ther. Owr Lord seyd to hir 
mende agen, "Dowtyr, thu schalt go saf and come saf agen." Sche went than to a 
worschepful burgeys wyfe, the whech lovyd hir and trostyd hir ryth mech, whos 
husbond lay in gret sekenes, and teld the worschepful wife that sche schulde go to 
Denney. The worthy woman wolde that sche schulde not a gon and seyd, "I wolde not," 
sche seyd, "that myn husbond deyid whil ye wer owt for forty shillings." And sche 
seyd agen, "Yyf ye wolde geve me an hundryd pownde, I wolde not abydyn at hom." 
For, whan sche was bodyn in hir sowle for to gon, sche wolde in no wey wythstond it, 
but for anythyng sche wolde forth what that evyr fel. And, whan sche was bodyn ben 
at hom, sche wolde for no thyng gon owte. And than owr Lord telde hir that the 
forseyd burgeys schulde not dey. Than yede she ageyn to the worthy wife and bad hir 
ben of good comforte, for hir husbond schulde levyn and faryn ryth wel and that he 
schulde not dey yet. The good wife was ryth glad and seyd agen to hir, "Now gospel 
mote it ben in yowr mowth." Sithyn the creatur wolde a sped hir forth as sche was 
comawndyd, and, whan sche cam to the watyrs syde, alle the botys weryn forth to 
Cambryggeward er than sche cam. Than had sche mech hevynes how sche schulde 
fulfillyn owr Lordys biddyng. And anon sche was bodyn in hir sowle that sche schulde
not ben sory ne hevy, for sche schulde ben ordeynd for wel anow and sche schulde gon 
safe and come saf agen. And it fel so in dede. Than owr Lord mad a maner of thankyng 
to hir, for as meche as sche in contemplacyon and in meditacyon had ben hys modyrs 
maydyn and holpyn to kepyn hym in hys childhod and so forth into the tyme of hys 
deth and seyd unto hir, "Dowtyr, thow schalt han as gret mede and as gret reward wyth 
me in hevyn for thi good servyse and the good dedys that thu hast don in thi mynde 
and meditacyon as yyf thu haddyst don tho same dedys wyth thy bodily wittys 
wythowtyn forth. And also, dowtyr, whan thu dost any servyse to the and to thin 
husbond in mete or drynke er any other thyng that is nedful to yow, to thi gostly 
fadirs, er to any other that thu receyvyst in my name, thu schalt han the same mede in 
hevyn as thow thu dedist it to myn owyn persone er to my blissyd modyr, and I schal 
thankyn the therfor. Dowtyr, thu seyst that it is to me a good name to be callyd al good, 
and thu schalt fyndyn that name is al good to the. And also, dowtyr, thu seyst it is 
wel worthy that I be callyd al lofe, and thu schalt wel fyndyn that I am al lofe to the, for 
I knowe every thowt of thyn hert. And I knowe wel, dowtyr, that thu hast many tymys 
thowt, yyf thu haddist an had many chirchys ful of nobelys, thu woldist a govyn hem 
in my name. And also thu hast thowt that thu woldist, yyf thu haddist had good anow, 
a made many abbeys for my lofe for religiows men and women to dwellyn in and a 
govyn iche of hem hundryd powndys be yer for to ben my servawntys. And thu hast 
also in thi mende desyryd to han many preistys in the town of Lynne that myth syngyn 
and redyn nyght and day for to servyn me, worschepyn me, and preysyn and thankyn 
me for the goodnes that I have don to the in erthe. And therfor, dowtyr, I behote the 
thu schalt have the same mede and reward in hevyn for this good willys and thes good 
desyrys as yyf thu haddist don hem in dede. Dowtyr, I knowe alle the thowtys of thin 
hert that thu hast to alle maner men and women, to alle lazerys, and to alle presonerys, 
and as mech good as thu woldist gevyn hem be yer to serve me wyth I take it as yf it 
wer don in dede. And, dowtyr, I thanke the for the charité that thu hast to alle lecherows 
men and women, for thu preyst for hem and wepist many a teer for hem, desyryng that 
I schulde delyvyr hem owt of synne and ben as gracyows to hem as I was to Mary 
Mawdelyn and that thei myth han as gret lofe to me as Mary Mawdelyn had. And 
wyth this condicyon thu woldist that every of hem schulde have twenty pownde be yer 
to lovyn me and preysyn me. And, dowtyr, this gret charité that thu hast in thi preier to 
hem plesyth me ryth wel. And also, dowtyr, I thanke the for the charité that thu hast in 
thi preyer whan thu preyist for alle Jewys and Sarazenys and alle hethyn pepil that thei 
schulde comyn to Cristen feith that my name myth be magnyfiid in hem, and for the 
holy teerys and wepyngys that thu hast wept for hem, preying and desyryng that yyf 
any preyer myth bryngyn hem to grace or to Cristyndom that I schulde heryn thi preyer 
for hem yf it wer my wille. Forthermor, dowtyr, I thanke the for the general charité 
that thu hast to alle the pepil that is now in this worlde levyng and to alle tho that arn 
for to come into this worldys ende, that thu woldist ben hakkyd as smal as flesche to 
the potte for her lofe so that I wolde be thi deth savyn hem alle fro dampnacyon yyf it 
plesyd me, for thu seyst oftyn in thy thowt that ther arn inowe in helle and thu woldist 
that ther schulde nevyr mo men deservyn for to comyn therin. And therfor, dowtyr, for 
alle thes good willys and desyrys thu schalt han ful hy mede and rewarde in hevyn. 
Beleve it ryth wel, and dowt it nevyr a deel, for alle thes gracys ar my gracys, and I 
werke hem in the myself for thu schuldist han the mor mede in hevyn. And I telle the 
trewly, dowtyr, every good thowt and every good desyr that thu hast in thi sowle is the 
speche of God, al yf it be so that thu her me not spekyn to the sumtyme as I do 
sumtyme to thi cler undirstondyng. And therfor, dowtyr, I am as an hyd God in thi 
sowle, and I wythdrawe sumtyme thi teerys and thi devocyon that thu schuldist thynkyn 
in thyself that thu hast no goodnes of thiself but al goodnes comyth of me, and also thu 
schuldist verily wetyn what peyn it is for to forbere me, and how swet it is for to fele me, 
and that thu schuldist be the mor besy for to sekyn me agen, also, dowtyr, for thu schuldist 
knowyn what peyne other men han that wolde felyn me and may not. For ther is many 
a man in erth that, yyf he had but oo day in al hys lyve tyme of swech as thu hast many 
days, he wolde evyr lovyn me the bettyr and thankyn me for that oo day. And thu 
maist not, dowtyr, forberyn me oo day wythowtyn gret peyne. Therfor, dowtyr, thu 
hast gret cawse to lovyn me ryth wel, for it is for no wreth, dowtyr, that I wythdrawe 
sumtyme fro the the felyng of grace and the fervowr of devocyon but that thu schuldist 
knowyn ryth wel that thu maist be no ypocryte for no wepyng, for no criyng, for no 
swetnes, for no devocyon, for no mynd of myn passyon, ne for non other gostly grace 
that I geve er send to the. For thes arn not the develys gyftys, but thei arn my gracys 
and my gyftys, and thes arn myn owyn special gyftys that I geve to myn owyn chosyn 
sowlys the whech I knew wythowtyn begynnyng schulde come to grace and dwellyn 
wyth me withowtyn endyng. For in alle other thyngys thu maist ben an ypocrite yf thu 
wilt, that is to sey, in undirstandyng, in many bedys byddyng, in gret fastyng, in gret 
penawnce doyng wythowtyn forth that men may se it, er in gret almes dedys doyng 
wyth thin handys, er in good wordys spekyng wyth thi mowth. In alle thes, dowtyr, thu 
maist ben an ypocrite yf thu wilte, and thu maist also don hem wel and holily yf thu 
wilt thiselfe. Lo, dowtyr, I have gove the swech a lofe that thu schalt non ypocrite be 
therin. And, dowtyr, thu schalt nevyr lesyn tyme whil thu art ocupiid therin, for hoso 
thynkyth wel he may not synnyn for the tyme. And the devyl knowith not the holy 
thowtys that I geve the ne no man in erde knowyth how wel and holily thu art ocupiid 
wyth me, ne thiself can not tellyn the gret grace and goodnes that thu felist in me. And 
therfor, dowtyr, thu begilyst bothe the devyl and the worlde wyth thin holy thowtys, 
and it is ryth gret foly to the pepil of the worlde for to demyn thin hert that no man may 
knowyn but God alone. And therfor, dowtyr, I telle the trewly thu hast as gret cawse to 
enjoyin and ben mery in thi sowle as lady er maydyn in this world. My lofe is so mech 
to the that I may not drawyn it fro the, for, dowtyr, ther may non hert thynke ne tunge 
telle the gret love that I have to the, and that I take witnes of my blissyd modyr, of myn 
holy awngelys, and of alle the seyntys in hevyn, for thei alle worschep me for thi lofe 
in hevyn. And so schal I ben worschepyd in erth for thi love, dowtyr, for I wyl have 
the grace that I have schewyd to the in erth knowyn to the worlde that the pepil may 
wonderyn in my goodnes and merveylyn of my gret goodnes that I have schewyd to 
the that hast ben synful, and becawse that I have be so gracyows and mercyful to the, 
thei that ben in the worlde schal not dispeyrin, be thei nevyr so synful, for thei may 
han mercy and grace yyf thei wil hemself.