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N
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

N
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Whan this booke was first in wrytyng, the sayd creatur was mor at hom in hir 
chambre wyth hir writer and seyd fewer bedys for sped of wrytyng than sche had don 
yerys beforn. And, whan sche cam to chirche and schulde heryn messe, purposyng to 
seyn hir mateyns and swech other devocyons as sche had usyd afor tyme, hir hert was 
drawyn awey fro the seying and set mech on meditacyon. Sche beyng aferd of 
displesawns of owr Lord, he seyd to hir sowle, "Drede the not, dowtyr, for as many 
bedys as thu woldist seyin I accepte hem as thow thu seydist hem, and thi stody that 
thu stodiist for to do writyn the grace that I have schewyd to the plesith me ryght 
meche and he that writith bothe. For, thow ye wer in the chirche and wept bothyn 
togedyr as sore as evyr thu dedist, yet schulde ye not plesyn me mor than ye don wyth 
yowr writyng, for dowtyr, be this boke many a man schal be turnyd to me and belevyn 
therin. Dowtyr, wher is a bettyr preyer be thyn owyn reson than to preyin to me wyth 
thin hert er thyn thowt? Dowtyr, whan thu preyist be thowt, thu undirstondist thiselfe 
what thu askyst of me, and thu undirstondist also what I sey to the, and thu undirstondist
what I behote the to the and to thin and to alle thi gostly fadyrs. And, as for Maistyr 
Robert, thi confessour, I have grawntyd the that thu hast desiryd, and he schulde han 
halfe thy teerys and half the good werkys that I have wrowt in the. Therfor he schal 
trewly be rewardyd for thy wepyng as thow he had wept hymselfe. And beleve wel, 
dowtyr, that ye schal be ful mery in hevyn togedyr at the last and schal blyssyn the tyme 
that evyr yowr on knew yowr other. And, dowtyr, thu schalt blissyn me wythowtyn 
ende that evyr I gaf the so trewe a gostly fadyr, for, thow he hath be scharp to the 
sumtyme, it hath ben gretly to thy profyte, for thu woldist ellys an had to gret affeccyon 
to hys persone. And, whan he was scharp to the, than thu ronne wyth al thy mynde to 
me, seying, `Lord, ther is no trost but in the alone.' And than thu crydist to me wyth al 
thin hert, `Lord, for thi wowndys smerte drawe alle my lofe into thyn hert.' And, 
dowtyr, so have I do. Thow thynkyst oftyn tymys that I have do ryght meche for the, 
and thu thynkyst that it is a gret myracle that I have drawyn al thyn affeccyon to me, 
for sumtyme thu wer so affectyd to sum synguler persone that thu wendist that tyme it 
had ben in a maner inpossibyl to a wythdrawyn thyn affeccyon fro hym. And sithyn 
thu hast desyryd, yyf it had plesyd me, that the same persone schulde a forsakyn the for 
my lofe, for, yyf he had not supportyd the, fewe men wolde a sett any prise by the, as 
the semyd. And thu thowtist, yf he had a forsakyn the, it had be the grettest repref that 
evyr cam to the as agens the pepil, and therfor thu woldist a suffyrd that repref wyth 
good wil for my lofe yf it had lykyd me. And thus wyth swech dolful thowtys thu 
encresyst thi lofe to meward, and therfor, dowtyr, I receyve thi desirys as yf thei wer 
don in dede. And I knowe ryth wel that thu hast ryth trewe love to that same persone, 
and I have oftyn seyd to the that he schulde be ryth fawyn to lovyn the and that he schulde 
belevyn it is God that spekith in the and no devyl. Also, dowtyr, that persone hath 
plesyd me ryth wel, for he hath oftyn in hys sermownys excusyd thy wepyng and thi 
crying, and so hath Maystyr Aleyn don bothyn, and therfor thei schal have ful gret 
mede in hevyn. Dowtyr, I have telde the many tymys that I schulde maynteyn thi wepyng 
and thy crying be sermownys and prechyng. Also, dowtyr, I telle the that Maistyr 
Robert, thi gostly fadyr, plesyth me ful meche whan he byddyth the belevyn that I 
love the. And I knowe wel that thu hast gret feyth in hys wordys, and so thu maist ryth 
wel, for he wil not flatyr the. And also, dowtyr, I am hyly plesyd wyth hym, for he bid- 
dith the that thu schuldist sittyn stille and gevyn thyn hert to meditacyon and thynkyn 
swech holy thowtys as God wyl puttyn in thi mende. And I have oftyn tymys bodyn 
the so myself, and yet thu wilt not don theraftyr but wyth meche grutchyng. And yet 
am I not displesyd wyth the, for, dowtyr, I have oftyn seyd onto the that whethyr thu 
preyist wyth thi mowth er thynkist wyth thyn hert, whethyr thu redist er herist redyng, 
I wil be plesyd wyth the. And yet, dowtyr, I telle the, yf thu woldist levyn me, that 
thynkyng is the best for the and most schal incresyn thy lofe to me; and the mor homly 
that thu suffyr me to be in thi sowle in erthe, it is worthy and rythful that I be the mor 
homly wyth thi sowle in hevyn. And therfor, dowtyr, yf thu wilt not don aftyr my 
cownsel, do aftyr the cownsel of thi gostly fadyr, for he biddith the do the same that I 
bidde the do. Dowtyr, whan thi gostly fadyr seith to the thu displesyst God, thu levyst 
hym ryth wel, and than takist thu meche sorwe and gret hevynes and wepist ful fast tyl 
thu hast gotyn grace ageyn. And than I come oftyn tymys to the myself and comfort 
the, for, dowtyr, I may not suffyr the to have peyne any while but that I must do 
remedy. And therfor, dowtyr, I come to the and make the sekyr of my lofe and telle the 
wyth myn owyn mowth that thu art as sekyr of my lofe as God is God and that no 
thyng is so sekyr to the in erthe that thu maist se wyth thi bodily eye. And therfor, 
blissyd dowtyr, love hym that lovyth the and forgete me not, dowtyr, for I forgete not 
the, for my mercyful eye is evyr upon the. And that wote my mercyful modyr ful wel, 
dowtyr, for sche hath oftyn tymys telde the so, and many other seyntys bothyn. And 
therfor, dowtyr, thu hast gret cawse to lovyn me ryth wel and to gevyn me al thyn hool 
hert wyth alle thyn affeccyonis, for that I desyr and nothyng ellys of the. And I schal 
gevyn the ther ageyn al myn hert. And, yyf thu wilt be buxom to my wil I schal be 
buxom to thi wil, dowtyr, beleve it ryth wel.