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   On a nygth, as this creatur lay in hir bedde wyth hir husbond, sche herd a sownd of
melodye so swet and delectable, hir thowt, as sche had ben in paradyse. And therwyth
sche styrt owt of hir bedde and seyd, "Alas, that evyr I dede synne, it is ful mery in
hevyn." Thys melody was so swete that it passyd alle the melodye that evyr myght be
herd in this world wythowtyn ony comparyson, and caused this creatur whan sche
herd ony myrth or melodye aftyrward for to have ful plentyuows and habundawnt
teerys of hy devocyon wyth greet sobbyngys and syhyngys aftyr the blysse of heven,
Not dredyng the schamys and the spytys of the wretchyd world. And evyr aftyr this
drawt sche had in hir mende the myrth and the melodye that was in heven, so mech
that sche cowd not wyl restreyn hyrself fro the spekyng therof. For, wher sche was in
ony cumpanye, sche wold sey oftyntyme, "It is ful mery in hevyn." And thei that
knew hir governawnce befortyme and now herd hir spekyn so mech of the blysse of
hevyn seyd unto hir, "Why speke ye so of the myrth that is in hevyn; ye know it not,
and ye have not be ther no mor than we," and wer wroth wyth hir for sche wold not
her no speke of wordly thyngys as thei dedyn and as sche dede beforntyme. And aftyr
this tyme sche had nevyr desyr to komown fleschly wyth hyre husbonde, for the dette
of matrimony was so abhominabyl to hir that sche had levar, hir thowt, etyn or drynkyn
the wose, the mukke in the chanel, than to consentyn to any fleschly comownyng saf
only for obedyens. And so sche seyd to hir husbond, "I may not deny yow my body,
but the lofe of myn hert and myn affeccyon is drawyn fro alle erdly creaturys and sett
only in God." He wold have hys wylle, and sche obeyd wyth greet wepyng and sorwyng
for that sche mygth not levyn chast. And oftyntymys this creatur levyd chast, cownseld
hir husbond to levyn chast, and seyd that thei oftyntymes, sche wyst wel, had dysplesyd
God be her inordynat lofe and the gret delectacyon that thei haddyn eythyr of hem in
usyng of other, and now it wer good that thei schuld be her bothins wylle and consentyng
of hem bothyn punschyn and chastysyn hemself wylfully be absteynyng fro her lust of
her bodys. Hir husbond seyd it wer good to don so, but he mygth not yett, he schuld
whan God wold. And so he usyd her as he had do befor, he wold not spar. And evyr
sche preyd to God that sche mygth levyn chast, and three or four yer aftyr, whan it
plesyd ower Lord, he made a vow of chastyté, as schal be wretyn aftyr be the leve of
Jhesu. And also, aftyr this creatur herd this hevenly melody, sche dede gret bodyly
penawnce. Sche was schrevyn sumtyme twyes or thryes on the day, and in specyal of
that synne whech sche so long had conselyd and curyd, as it is wretyn in the gynnyng
of the boke. Sche gaf hir to gret fastyng and to gret wakyng. Sche roos at two or three
of the clok and went to cherch and was ther in hir prayers onto tyme of noon and also
al the aftyrnoon. And than was sche slawnderyd and reprevyd of mech pepul for sche
kept so streyt a levyng. Than sche gat hir an hayr of a kylne swech as men dryen on
malt and leyd it in hir kyrtylle as sotyllych and prevylich as sche mygth that hir husbond
schuld not aspye it, ne no mor he dede, and yet sche lay be hym every nygth in his
bedde, and weryd the hayr every day, and bar chylderyn in the tyme. Than sche had
three yer of gret labowr wyth temptacyons whech sche bar as mekely as sche cowde,
thankyng ower Lord of alle hys geftys, and was as mery whan sche was reprevyd,
skornyd, or japyd for ower Lordys lofe, and mych mor mery than sche was befortyme
in the worshepys of the world. For sche wyst rygth wel sche had synned gretly agens
God and was worthy mor schame and sorwe than ony man cowd don to hir, and
dyspite of the werld was the rygth way to hevynward sythen Cryst hymself ches that
way. Alle hys apostlys, martyres, confessorys, and virgynes and alle that evyr comyn
to hevyn passed be the wey of tribulacyon, and sche desyryd nothyng so mech as
hevyn. Than was sche glad in hir consciens whan sche belevyd that sche was entryng
the wey whech wold leden hir to the place that sche most desyred. And this creatur
had contrycion and gret compunccyon wyth plentyuows teerys and many boystows
sobbyngys for hir synnes and for hir unkyndnesse ageyns hir maker. Sche bethowt hir
fro hir chyldhod for hir unkyndnes as ower Lord wold put it in hir mende ful many a
tyme. And than, sche beheldyng hir owyn wykkednes, sche mygth but sorwyn and
wepyn and evyr preyn for mercy and forgevenes. Hir wepyng was so plentyuows and
so contwnyng that mech pepul wend that sche mygth wepyn and levyn whan sche wold,
and therfor many men seyd sche was a fals ypocryte and wept for the world for
socowr and for wordly good. And than ful many forsokyn hir that lovyd hir befor
whyl sche was in the world and wold not knowyn hir, and evyr sche thankyd God of
alle, nothyng desyryng but mercy and forgefnes of synne.