818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863 |
N
N
N
N
N
N |
16
Than went this creatur forth to London wyth hir husbond
unto Lambhyth,
ther the
Erchebisshop lay at that tyme. And, as thei comyn into the halle at
aftyrnoon, ther wer
many of the Erchebysshoppys clerkys and other rekles men bothe swyers
and yemen
whech sworyn many gret othis and spokyn many rekles wordys, and this
creatur boldly
undyrname hem and seyd thei schuld ben dampnyd but thei left her sweryng
and other
synnes that thei usyd. And wyth that cam forth a woman of the same
town in a pylche
and al forschod this creatur, bannyd hir, and seyd ful cursydly to
hir in this maner, "I
wold thu wer in Smythfeld, and I wold beryn a fagot to bren the wyth;
it is pety that
thow levyst." This creatur stod stylle and answeryd not, and hir husbond
suffred wyth
gret peyn and was ful sory to heryn hys wyfe so rebukyd. Than the Erchbusshop
sent
for this creatur into hys gardeyn. Whan sche cam to hys presens, sche
salutyd hym as
sche cowd, prayng hym of hys gracyows lordshyp to grawnt hir auctoryté
of chesyng
hyr confessowr and to be howselyd every Sonday, yyf God wold dysposen
hir therto,
undyr hys lettyr and hys seel thorw al hys provynce. And he grawnt
it her ful benyngly
all hir desyr wythowtyn any sylver er gold, ne he wold latyn hys clerkys
takyn anythyng
for wrytyn ne for seelyng of the lettyr. Whan this creatur fond this
grace in hys sygth,
sche was wel comfortyd and strengthyd in hir sowle, and so sche schewyd
this
worshepful lord hir maner of levyng and swech grace as God wrowt in
hyr mende and
in hir sowle to wetyn what he wold sey therto yyf he fond any defawte
eythyr in hyre
contemplacyon er in hir wepyng. And sche teld hym also the cawse of
hyr wepyng
and the maner of dalyawns that owyr Lord dalyid to hyr sowle. And he
fond no defawt
therin but aprevyd hir maner of levyng and was rygth glad that owyr
mercyful Lord
Cryst Jhesu schewyd swech grace in owyr days, blyssed mot he be. Than
this creatur
boldly spak to hym for the correccyon of hys meny, seying wyth reverens,
"My Lord,
owyr alderes Lord almyty God hath not gon yow yowyr benefys and gret
goodys of
the world to maynten wyth hys tretowrys and hem that slen hym every
day be gret
othys sweryng. Ye schal answer for hem les than ye correctyn hem or
ellys put hem
owt of yowr servyse." Ful benyngly and mekely he suffred hir to sey
hir entent and
gaf a fayr answer, hir supposyng it schuld ben the bettyr. And so her
dalyawns
contynuyd tyl sterrys apperyd in the fyrmament. Than sche toke hir
leve and hyr
husbond also. Sythen thei comyn agen to London, and many worthy men
desyred to
heryn hir dalyawns and hir comunycacyon, for hir communycacion was
so mech in
the lofe of God that the herars wer oftyntyme steryd therthorw to wepyn
ryt sadly.
And so sche had ther rygth gret cher, and hir husbond becawse of hir,
as long as thei
wold abyden in the cyté. Aftyrward thei comyn ageyn to Lenne,
and than went this
creatur to the ankyr
at the Frer
Prechowrys in Lenne
and teld hym what cher sche had
had and how sche had sped whyl sche was in the contré. And he
was rygth glad of hir
comyng hom and held it was gret myracle hir comyng and hir goyng to
and fro. And
he seyd to hir, "I have herd mych evyl langwage of yow syth ye went
owt, and I have
ben sor cownseld to leve yow and no mor to medyl wyth yow, and ther
is behyte me
gret frenschepys wyth condycyon yf I leve yow. And I answeryd for yow
thus: `yyf
ye wer in the same plyte that ye wer whan we partyd asundyr, I durst
wel say ye wer
a good woman, a lovere of God, and hyly inspyred wyth the Holy
Gost. `And I wyl not
forsake hyr for no lady in this reme for to speke wyth the lady and
levyn hir, for rathyr I
schuld leve the lady and speke wyth hir, yyf I mygth not don bothen,
than I schuld don
the contrarye."' Rede fyrst the twenty-first chapetre and than this
chapetre aftyr that. |