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N
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41
Sumtyme, whan the forseyd creatur was at sermownys
wher Duchemen and other
men prechyd, techyng the lawys of God, sodeyn sorwe and hevynes
ocupying hir hert
cawsyd hir to compleyn wyth mornyng cher for lak of undirstondyng,
desyryng to be
refreschyd wyth sum crumme of gostly undirstondyng unto hir most
trustyd and
entyrlyest belovyd sovereyn, Crist Jhesu, whos melydiows voys
swettest of alle
savowrys softly sowndyng in hir sowle, seyd, "I schal preche
the and teche the myselfe,
for thi wyl and thy desyr is acceptabyl unto me." Than was hir
sowle so delectabely
fed wyth the swet dalyawns of owr Lorde and so fulfilled of hys
lofe that as a drunkyn
man sche turnyd hir fyrst on the o syde and sithyn on the other
wyth gret wepyng and
gret sobbyng, unmythy to kepyn hirselfe in stabilnes for the
unqwenchabyl fyer of
lofe whech brent ful sor in hir sowle. Than meche pepyl wonderyd
upon hir, askyng
hir what sche eyled, to whom sche as a creatur al wowndyd wyth
lofe and as reson had
fayled, cryed wyth lowde voys, "The Passyon
of Crist sleth me." The good women,
havyng compassyon of hir sorwe and gretly mervelyng of hir wepyng
and of hir cry-
ing, meche the mor thei lovyd hir. And therfor thei, desiryng
to make hir solas and
comfort aftyr hir gostly labowr, be sygnys and tokenys, for sche
undirstod not her
speche, preyid hir and in a maner compellyd hir to comyn hom
to hem, willyng that
sche schulde not gon fro hem. Than owr Lord sent hyr grace to
han gret lofe and gret
favowr of many personys in Rome, bothyn of religyows men and
other. Sum religyows
comyn to swech personys of hyr cuntremen as lovyd hir and seyden,
"This woman
hath sowyn meche good seed in Rome sithyn sche cam hydir, that
is to sey, schewyd
good exampyl to the pepyl, wherthorw thei lovyn God mor than
thei dede beforn." On
a tyme, as this creatur was in a chirche at Rome wher the body
of Seynt Jerom lyth
biriid (whech was myraculosly translatyd fro Bedlem
into that place and ther now is
had in gret worshep besyden the place wher Seynt Lauerawnce lyth
beriid), to this
creaturys gostly sygth aperyng, Seynt
Jerom seyd to hir sowle, "Blissed art thow,
dowtyr, in the wepyng that thu wepyst for the peplys synnes,
for many schal be savyd
therby. And, dowtyr, drede the nowt, for it is a synguler and
a specyal gyft that God
hath govyn the, a welle of teerys the whech schal nevyr man take
fro the." Wyth swech
maner of dalyawns he hily comfortyd hir spiritys. And also he
made gret preysyng
and thankyng to God for the grace that he wrowt in hir sowle,
for les than sche
had an had sweche gostly comfortys it had ben unpossybyl hir
to a boryn the schamys and
wonderyngys the whech sche suffyrd pacyently and mekely for the
grace that God
schewyd in hyr. |