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12
Thys creatur was sent of owyr Lord to divers placys
of relygyon, and among on
sche cam to a place of monkys wher sche was rygth wolcom for
owyr Lordys lofe,
save ther was a monk whech bar gret offyce in that place despysed
hir and set hir at
Nowt. Nevyrthelesse sche was sett
at mete wyth the abbot, and many tymes of the
mete sche seyd many good wordys as God wold hem puttyn in hir
mende, the same
monke whech had so dyspysed hir beyng present and many other
to heryn what sche
wold sey. And thorw hir dalyawns hys affeccyon gan gretly enclyne
to hirward and gan
to have gret savour in hir wordys. So that aftyrward the forseyd
monk cam to hir
and seyde, sche beyng in cherch and he also as that tyme, "Damsel,
I her seyn God
spekyth onto the. I pray the telle me whethyr I schal be savyd
or nowt and in what
synnes I have most dysplesyd God, for I wyl not levyn the but
thow con telle me my
synne." The creatur seyd to the monke, "Goth to yowr Messe,
and yyf I may wepe for
yow I hope to han grace for yow." He folwyd hir cownsel and went
to hys messe.
Sche wept wondyrly for hys synnes. Whan messe was endyd, the
creatur seyd to owyr
Lord Cryst Jhesu, "Blyssed Lord, what answer schal I geve to
this man?" "My derworthy
dowtyr, sey in the name of Jhesu that he hath synned in letthery,
in dyspeyr, and in
wordly goodys kepyng." "A, gracyows Lord, this is hard for me
to sey. He schal do me
mech schame yyf I telle hym any lesyng." "Drede the not but speke
boldly in my name in the
Name of Jhesu, for thei arn no leesyngys." And than sche seyd
agen to
owyr Lord Jhesu Crist, "Good Lord, schal he be savyd?" "Ya,"
seyd owyr Lord Jhesu,
"yf he wyl forsakyn hys synne and don aftyr thi cownsel. Charge
hym that he for-
sake hys synne and be schreve
therof and also hys offyce that he hath wythowtynforth."
Than cam the monk agen, "Margery, telle me my synnes." Sche seyd,
"I pray yow,
ser, askyth not theraftyr, for I undyrtake for yowr sowle ye
schal ben savyd, yyf ye
wyl do aftyr my cownsel." "Forsothe I wyl not levyn yow but yyf
ye telle me my
synne." "Syr, I undyrstond that ye han synned in letchery, in
dyspeyr, and in kepyng
of wordly good." Than stod the monke stylle sumdel abaschyd,
and sythen he seyd,
"Whether have I synned wyth wyfes er wyth sengyl women?" "Ser,
wyth wyfes."
Than seyd he, "Schal I be savyd?" "Ya, syr, yf ye wyl do aftyr
my cownsel. Sorwyth
for yowr synne, and I schal help yow to sorwyn; beth schrevyn
therof and forsake it
wylfully. Levyth the offyce that ye han wythowtynforth, and God
schal geve yow
grace for my lofe." The monke toke hir be the hand and led hir
into a fayr hows of
offyce, made hir a gret dyner, and sythen gaf hyr gold to prey
for hym. And so sche
toke hir leve at that tyme. Another tyme whan the creatur cam
ageyn to the same
place, the fornseyd monke had forsakyn hys offyce at hir cownsel,
and was turnyd fro
hys synne, and was mad suppriowr of the place, a wel governyd
man and wel dysposyd,
thankyd be God, and made this creatur gret cher and hyly blyssed
God that evyr he
saw hir.
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