text3-44

2433
2434
2435
2436
2437
2438
2439
2440
2441
2442
2443
2444
2445
2446
2447
2448
2449
2450
2451
2452
2453
2454
2455
2456
2457
2458
2459
2460
2461
2462
2463
2464
2465
2466
2467
2468
2469
2470
2471
2472
2473
2474
2475
2476
2477
2478
2479
2480
2481
2482
2483
2484
2485
2486
2487
2488
2489
2490
2491
2492
2493
2494
2495
2496
2497
2498
2499
2500
2501
2502
2503
2504
2505
2506
2507
2508
2509
2510
2511
2512
2513
2514
2515
2516
2517
2518
2519
2520
2521
2522
2523

And than preyid sche to God, seying, "As wostly, Lorde, as it is thy wille that I
schulde be clad in white, as grawnt me a tokne of levyn, thundyr, and reyn so that it
hyndir ne noy no thyng that I unworthy may the rathyr fulfillyn thy wil." Than owr
Lord answeryd and seyd unto hys unworthy servawnt, "Dowtyr, dowte it not, thu schalt
have that tokyn be the thryd day." And so it was. On the Fryday next folwyng, erly in
the morwenyng, as sche lay in hir bed, sche sey gret levyn, sche herd gret thundyr and
gret reyn folwyng, and as swythe it passyd awey and was fayr wedir ageyn. And than
sche purposyd hir fullych to weryn white clothis, saf sche had neithyr gold ne sylver
to byen wyth hir clothyng. And than owr Lord seyd to hir sowle, "I schal ordeyn for
the." Than went sche forth to a worshepful man in Norwich to whom sche was ryth
wolcome and had gret chere. And, as thei sat togedyr tellyng good talys, evyr owr
Lord seyde in hir sowle, "Speke to this man, speke to this man." Than sche seyd to
that worshepful man, "Wolde God, ser, that I myth fyndyn a good man whech wolde
lendyn me two nobelys tyl I myth payn hym ageyn to byen me clothys wyth." And he
seyde, "That wil I do, damsel, gladly. What clothys wil ye weryn?" "Ser," sche seyde,
"white clothis, wyth the leve of God." So this good man bowt white cloth and dede
makyn hir a gowne therof and an hood, a kyrtyl, and a cloke. And on the Satyrday,
whech was the next day, at evyn he browt hir this clothyng and gaf it hir for Goddys
lofe, and meche mor goodnes dede to hir for owr Lordys lofe, Crist Jhesu be hys
reward and have mercy upon hys sowle and on alle Cristen. And on the Trinité Sunday
next folwyng sche was howselyd al in white, and sithen hath sche sufferyd meche
despyte and meche schame in many dyvers cuntreys, cyteys, and townys, thankyd be
God of alle. And sone aftyr hir husbond cam fro Lynne unto Norwych to se how sche
ferd and how sche had sped, and so went thei hom togedyr to Lynne. And sche in
schort tyme aftyr fel in gret sekenes in so mech that sche was anoyntyd for dowt of
deth. And sche desired, yf it wer the wil of God, that sche myth sekyn Seynt Jamys er
sche deyid and suffyr mor schame for hys lofe, as he had hyte hir befor that sche schuld
do. And than owr Lord Jhesu Crist seyd to hir in hir sowle that sche schuld not dey yet,
and sche wend hirselfe that sche schulde not a levyd for hir peyn was so gret. And
hastily aftyrwarde sche was heyl and hoyl. And than it drow into wyntyrwarde, and
sche had so meche colde that sche wist not what sche myth do, for sche was powr and
had no mony, and also sche was in gret dette. Than suffyrd sche schamys and reprevys
for weryng of hir white clothys and for sche cryed so lowde whan owr Lord gaf hyr
mende of hys Passyon. And for the compassyon that sche had of owr Lordys Passyon
sche cryed so wondyr lowde, and thei had nevyr herd hir cryen beforetyme, and it was
the more merveyl onto hem. For sche had hir fyrst cry at Jerusalem, as is wretyn
beforn. And many seyd ther was nevyr seynt in hevyn that cryed so as sche dede,
wherfor thei woldyn concludyn that sche had a devyl wythinne hir whech cawsyd that
crying. And so thei seyden pleynly and meche mor evyl. And al sche toke pacyently
for owr Lordys lofe, for sche wist wel that the Jewys seyd meche wers of hys owyn
persone than men dede of hir. And therfor sche toke it the mor mekely. Sum seyde
that sche had the fallyng evyl, for sche wyth the crying wrestyd hir body turnyng fro
the o syde into the other and wex al blew and al blo as it had ben colowr of leed. And
than folke spitted at hir for horrowr of the sekenes, and sum scornyd hir and seyd that
sche howlyd as it had ben a dogge and bannyd hir and cursyd hir and seyd that sche
dede meche harm among the pepyl. And than thei that beforntyme had govyn hir
bothyn mete and drynke for Goddys lofe now thei put hir awey and bodyn hir that
sche schulde not come in her placys for the schrewyd talys that thei herd of hir. And
aftyrward, whan tyme cam that sche wolde gon to Seynt Jamys, sche went to the best
frendys that sche had in Lynne and telde hem hir entent, how sche purposyd to gon to
Seynt Jamys yyf sche myth han good to gon wyth, but sche was powr and awt meche
dette. And hir frendys seyden to hir, "Why have ye govyn awey yowr good and other
mennys also? Wher schal ye now have so meche good as ye owe?" And sche seyd
agen, "Owr Lord God schal helpyn ryth wel, for he fayld me nevyr in no cuntré, and
therfor I trust hym ryth wel." And sodeynly cam a good man and gaf hir fowrty pens,
and wyth sum therof sche bowt hir a pylche. And evyr owr Lord seyd to hir, "Dowtyr,
stody thow for no good, for I schal ordeyn for the, but evyr stody thow to love me and
kepe thi mende on me, for I schal go wyth the wher thow gost as I have hite the
beforn." And aftyrwarde ther cam a woman, a good frend to this creatur, and gaf hyr
seven marke for sche schulde prey for hir whan that sche come to Seynt Jamys. And
than sche toke hir leve at hir frendys in Lynne, purposyng hir forward in al the hast that
sche myth. And than was it seyd in Lynne that ther wer many thevys be the wey.
Than had sche gret drede that thei schulde robbyn hir and takyn hir golde awey fro hir.
And owr mercyful Lord, comfortyng hir, seyd onto hir, "Go forth, dowtyr, in the
name of Jhesu, ther schal no thef han powyr ovyr the. Than went sche forth and cam to
Brystowe on the Wednysday in Whitson weke, and ther fond sche redy the brokebakkyd
man whech had ben wyth hir at Rome, whom sche left in Rome whan sche cam thens
too yer befor this tyme. And, whil they wer in Rome, sche borwyd certeyn golde of
hym and be the byddyng of God sche gaf awey to powr pepil al the mony that sche
had, and that sche had borwyd of hym also, as is wretyn beforn. And than, whil sche
was in Rome, sche hite hym to payn hym ageyn in Bristowe at this tyme, and so was
he come thedyr for hys payment. And owr Lord Jhesu Crist had so ordeyned for hir, as
sche went to Bristoweward, that ther was govyn hir so meche mony that sche myth
wel payn the forseyd man al that sche awt hym. And so sche dede, blissed be owr Lord
therfor. And than sche lay stille in Bristowe be the byddyng of God for to abyden
schepyng six wokys, inasmech as ther wer non Englisch schepys that myth seylen
thedyr for thei wer arestyd and takyn up for the kyng. And other pilgrymes that wer at
Bristowe, desiryng to spedyn her jurné, went abowte fro port to port and sped nevyr
the mor. And so thei cam ageyn to Bristowe, whyl sche lay stille and sped bettyr than
they for al her labowr. And, whil sche was thus stille in Bristowe aftyr the byddyng of
God, owr mercyful Lord Crist Jhesu visityd hys creatur wyth many holy meditacyons
and many hy contemplacyonys and many swet comfortys. And ther was sche howselyd
every Sonday wyth plentyuows terys and boystows sobbyngys, wyth lowde cryingys
and schille schrykyngys. And therfor many man and many woman wondyrd upon hir,
skornyd hir and despised hir, bannyd hir and cursyd hir, seyde meche evyl of hir,
slawndryd hir, and born hyr on hande that sche schulde a seyd thyng whech that sche
seyd nevyr. And than wept sche ful sor for hir synne, preyng God of mercy and
forgevenes for hem, seying to owr Lord, "Lord, as thu seydyst hangyng on the cros
for thi crucyfyerys, `Fadyr, forgeve hem; thei wite not what thei don,' so I beseche
the, forgeve the pepyl al scorne and slawndrys and al that thei han trespasyd, yyf it be
thy wille, for I have deservyd meche mor and meche more am I worthy."