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   Thys creatur, whan owyr Lord had forgovyn hir hir synne as is wrete beforn, had a
desyr to se tho placys wher he was born and wher he sufferyd hys passyon and wher
he deyd, wyth other holy placys wher he was in hys lyve and also aftyr hys resurrexyon.
As sche was in these desyres, owyr Lord bad hir in hir mend two yer er than sche went
that sche schuld gon to Rome, to Jherusalem, and to Seynt Jamys, for sche wold fayn
a gon but sche had no good to go wyth and than sche seyd to owyr Lord, "Wher schal
I han good to go wyth to thes holy placys?" Ower Lord seyd agen to hir, "I schal send
the frendys anowe in dyvers contreys of Ynglond to help the. And, dowtyr, I schal go
wyth the in every contré and ordeyn for the; I schal ledyn the thyder and brynge the
ageyn in safté, and noon Englyschman schal deyn in the schyp that thow art in. I schal
kepe the fro alle wykked mennys power. And, dowtyr, I sey to the I wyl that thu were
clothys of whyte and non other colowr, for thu schal ben arayd aftyr my wyl." "A, der
Lord, yf I go arayd on other maner than other chast women don, I drede that the pepyl
wyl slawndyr me. Thei wyl sey I am an ypocryt and wondryn upon me." "Ya, dowtyr,
the mor wondryng that thow hast for my lofe, the mor thu plesyst me." Than this
creatur durst non otherwyse do than sche was comawndyd in hir sowle. And so sche
went forth wyth hir husbond into the cuntré, for he was evyr a good man and an esy
man to hir. Thow that he sumtyme for veyn dred lete hir alone for a tyme, yet he
resortyd evyrmor ageyn to hir, and had compassyon of hir, and spak for hir as he durst
for dred of the pepyl. But alle other that went wyth hir forsokyn hir, and ful falsly thei
accusyd hir thorw temptacyon of the devyl of thyngys that sche was nevyr gylty in.
And so dede o man whech sche trostyd gretly on and proferyd hymself to gon wyth hir
into the contré, wherthorw sche was rygth glad, trostyng he wold wel supportyn hir
and helpyn hir whan sche had nede, for he had ben dwellyng long tyme wyth an
ankyr, commensowr in dyvinyté and an holy man, and that ankyr was this womans
confessowr. And so hys servawnt toke leve be hys owyn steryng to gon wyth this
creatur into the contré, and hir owyn mayden went wyth hir also long as thei ferd wel
and no man seyd nothyng ageyns hem. But, as sone as the pepyl thorw entysyng of
owyr gostly enmy and be the sufferawns of owyr Lord spak ageyn this creatur for sche
wept so sor, and seyd sche was a fals ypocryte and falsly deceyved the pepyl, and
thretyd hir to be brent. Than the forseyd man was holdyn so holy a man and that sche
trustyd so mech upon uttyrly reprevyd hir, and fowely despysed hir, and wold no
forther gon wyth hir. Hir mayden, seyng dysese on every syde, wex boystows agens
hir maystres. Sche wold not obeyn ne folwyn hir cownsel. Sche let hir gon alone in
many good townys and wold not gon wyth hir. And evyr hir husbond was redy whan
alle other fayled and went wyth hir wher owyr Lord wold sende hir, alwey trostyng
that al was for the best and schuld comyn to good ende whan God wold. And at this
tyme he led hir to spekyn wyth the Bysshop of Lynkoln, whech hygth Philyp, and
abod three wekys er thei mygth speke wyth hym, for he was not at hom at hys paleys.
Whan the Bysshop was comyn hom and herd seyn how swech a woman had abedyn
hym so long to speke wyth hym, anon he sent for hir in gret hast to wetyn hir wylle.
And than sche cam to hys presens and salutyd hym, and he derly wolcomyd hir and
seyd he had long desyred to speke wyth hir and he was rygth glad of hir comyng. And
so sche prayd hym that sche mygth speke wyth hym in cownsel and schewyn hym the
secretys of hir sowle, and he lymyt hir a tyme convenyent therto. Whan the tyme cam,
sche schewyd hym hyr medytacyons, and hy contemplacyons, and other secret thyngys
bothe of qwyk and of ded as owyr Lord schewyd to hir sowle. He was rygth glad to
heryn hem, and suffryd hir benyngly to sey what hir lysted, and commendyd gretly hir
felyngys and hir contemplacyons, seyyng thei wer hy maters and ful devowt maters
and enspyred of the Holy Gost, cownselyng hir sadly that hir felyngys schuld be
wretyn. And sche seyd that it was not Goddys wyl that thei schuld be wretyn so soon,
Ne thei wer wretyn twenty yer aftyr and mor. And than sche seyd ferthermor, "My
Lord, yf it lyke yow, I am comawndyd in my sowle that ye schal gyve me the mantyl
and the ryng and clothyn me al in whygth clothys. And, yf ye clothyn me in erth, owyr
Lord Jhesu Cryst schal clothyn yow in hevyn, as I undyrstond be revelacyon." Than
the Bysshop seyd to hir, "I wyl fulffyllen yowr desyr yyf yowr husbond wyl consentyn
therto." "Than sche seyd to the Bysshop, "I prey yow late myn husbond come to yowr
presens, and ye schal heryn what he wyl sey." And so hyr husbond cam before the
Bysshop, and the Bysshop askyd hym, "John, is it yowr wyl that yowr wyf schal take
the mantyl and the ryng and levyn chast, and ye bothen?" "Ya, my Lord," he seyd, "
and in tokyn that we bothen vowyn to leve chast her I offyr myn handys into yowyr,"
and he put hys handys betwen the Bysshoppys handys. And the Bysshop dede no mor
to us at that day, save he mad us rygth good cher and seyd we wer rygth wolcome.
Another day this creatur cam to mete at the request of the Bysshop. And sche saw hym
gevyn wyth hys handys, er he set hym to mete, to thirteen powyr men thirteen pens
and thirteen lovys wyth other mete. And so he dede every day. This creatur was steryd
to hy devocyon wyth this sygth and gaf God preysyng and worshepyng that he gaf the
Bysshop grace to don thes good dedys wyth plentyuows wepyng, in so mych that alle
the Bysshopys meny wer gretly merveylyng what hyr eyled. And sythen sche was set
to mete wyth many worthy clerkys and prestys and swyers of the Bysshoppys, and the
Bysshop hymself sent hir ful gentylly of hys owyn mees. The clerkys askyd this creatur
many hard qwestyons, the wych sche be the grace of Jhesu resolvyd, so that hir answerys
lykyd the Bysshop rygth wel and the clerkys had ful gret mervayl of hir that sche
answeryd so redyly and pregnawntly. Whan the Bysshop had etyn, he sent for this
creatur into hys chawmbyr, seying to hir, "Margery, ye and your husbond spak to me
for to gyfe yow the mantyl and the ryng, for whech cause I have take my cownsel, and
my cownsel wyl not gyf me to professe yow in so synguler a clothyng wythowtyn bettyr
avysement. And ye sey be the grace of God ye wyl go to Jerusalem. Therfor
prayth to God that it may abyden tyl ye come fro Jerusalem that ye be bettyr prevyd
and knowyn." On the next day this creatur went to chirch and prayd to God wyth alle
hyr spyritys that sche mygth han knowlach how sche schuld ben governd in this mater
and what answer sche mygth gife to the Bysshop. Owyr Lord Jhesu Crist answeryd to
hir mend in this maner, "Dowtyr, sey the Bysshop that he dredyth mor the schamys of
the world than the parfyt lofe of God. Sey hym, I schuld as wel han excusyd hym yyf
he had fulfyllyd thi wyl as I dede the chyldren of Israel whan I bad hem borwe the
goodys of the pepyl of Egypt and gon awey therwyth. Therfor, dowtyr, sey hym, thow
he wyl not don it now, it schal be don another tyme whan God wyl." And so sche dede
hir massage to the Bysshop of Lyncolne as sche had in comawndment. Than he preyd
hyre to gon to the Archbusshop of Cawntyrbery, Arundel, and preyn hym to grawntyn
leve to me, Bysshop of Lyncoln, for to gevyn hir the mentyl and the ryng inasmech as
sche was not of hys dyocyse. This cawse he feyned thorw cownsel of hys clerkys, for
thei lovyd not this creatur. Sche seyd, "Ser, I wyl go to my Lord of Cawntyrbery wyth
rygth good wyl for other cawsys and materys whech I have to schewe to hys reverens.
As for this cawse I schal not gon, for God wyl not I aske hym theraftyr." Than sche
toke hir leve of the Bysshop of Lyncolne, and he gaf hir twenty-six schelyngys and
eight pence to byen hyr clothyg wyth and for to prey for hym.