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57
Than it happyd ther cam an other monke to Lynne at the tyme of
remownyng, as
custom was amongys hem, whech lovyd not the sayd creatur ne wolde
suffryn hir to
comyn in her chapel as sche had do befor that he cam thedir.
Than the priowr of
Lynne, Dawn Thomas Hevyngham, metyng wyth the sayd creatur and
Maistyr Robert
Spryngolde, whech was hir confessowr that tyme, preyd hem to
holdyn hym excusyd
thei sche wer no mo howselyd in hys chapel, "For ther is comyn,"
he seyd, "a newe
brothyr of myn whech wil not comyn in owr chapel as long as sche
is therin. And
therfor provydith yow an other place, I pray yow." Maistyr Robert
answeryd, "Syr,
we must than howselyn hir in the chirche; we may not chesyn,
for sche hath my lordys
lettyr of Cawntyrbery and hys seel, in the whech we arn comawndyd
be vertu of
obedyens to heryn hir confessyon and ministryn to hir the sacrament
as oftyn as we
ben reqwiryd." Than was sche howselyd aftyr this tyme at the
hy awter in Seynt
Margaretys Chirche, and
owr Lord visited hir wyth so gret grace whan sche schulde ben
howselyd that sche cryed so lowde that it myth ben herd al abowte
the chirche and
owte of the chirche as sche schulde a deyid therwyth that sche
myth not receyvyn the
sacrament of the prestys handys, the preyst turnyng hym ageyn
to the awter wyth the
preciows sacrament, til hir crying was cesyd. And than he, turnyng
ageyn to hir, schulde
minystyr hir as hym awte to do. And thus it happyd many a tyme
whan sche schulde ben
howselyd. And sumtyme sche schulde wepyn ful softly and stilly
in receyvyng of the
preciows sacrament wythowtyn any boystowsnes as owr Lord wolde
visityn hir wyth
hys grace. On a Good
Fryday, as the sayd creatur behelde preystys knelyng on her
kneys and other worschepful men wyth torchys brennyng in her
handys befor the
Sepulcre,
devowtly representyng the lamentabyl deth and doolful berying of owr Lord
Jhesu Crist aftyr the good custom of Holy Cherch, the mende of
owr Ladiis sorwys
whech sche suffryd whan sche behelde hys precyows body hangyng
on the Crosse
and sithyn beriid befor hir syght sodeynly ocupiid the hert of
this creatur, drawyng hir
mende al holy into the Passyon
of owr Lord Crist Jhesu, whom sche behelde wyth hir
gostly eye in the syght of hir sowle as verily as thei sche had
seyn hys precyows body
betyn, scorgyd, and crucifyed wyth hir bodily eye, whech syght
and gostly beheldyng
wrowt be grace so fervently in hir mende, wowndyng hir wyth pité
and compassyon,
that sche sobbyd, roryd, and cryed, and, spredyng hir armys abrood,
seyd wyth lowde
voys, "I dey, I dey," that many man on hir wonderyd and merveyled
what hir eyled.
And the mor sche besiid hir to kepyn hir fro criyng, the lowdar
sche cryed, for it was
not in hir powyr to take it ne levyn it but as God wolde send
it. Than a preyst toke hir
in hys armys and bar hir into the priowrys cloistyr for to latyn
hir takyn the eyr,
supposyng sche schulde not ellys han enduryd, hir labowr was
so greet. Than wex
sche al blew as it had ben leed and swet ful sor. And this maner
of crying enduryd the
terme of ten yer, as it is wretyn beforn. And every Good
Friday in alle the forseyd
yerys sche was wepyng and sobbyng five er six owrys togedyr and
therwyth cryed ful
lowde many tymes so that sche myth not restreyn hir therfro,
whech madyn hir ful
febyl and weyke in hir bodily mytys. Sumtyme sche wept on Good
Fryday an owr for
the synne of the pepil, havyng mor sorwe for ther synnys than
for hir owyn, inasmeche
as owr Lorde forgaf hir hir owyn synne er sche went to Jerusalem.
Nevyrthelesse sche
wept for hir owyn synnes ful plentyuowsly whan it plesyd owr
Lord to visityn hir
wyth hys grace. Sumtyme sche wept an other owr for the sowlys
in Purgatory;
an
other owr for hem that weryn in myschefe, in poverté,
er in any disese; an other owr
for Jewys, Sarasinys,
and alle fals heretikys
that God for hys gret goodnes schulde puttyn
awey her blyndnes that thei myth thorw hys grace be turnyd to
the feyth of Holy
Chirche and ben children of salvacyon. Many tymes, whan this
creatur schulde makyn
hir preyerys, owr Lord seyd unto hir, "Dowtyr, aske what thu
wylt, and thu schalt
have it." Sche seyd, "I aske ryth nowt, Lord, but that thu mayst
wel gevyn me, and that
is mercy whech I aske for the pepil synnys. Thu seyst oftyntymes
in the yer to me that
thu hast forgovyn me my synnes. Therfor I aske now mercy for
the synne of the pepil,
as I wolde don for myn owyn, for, Lord, thu art alle charité,
and charité browt the br>
this wretchyd worlde and cawsyd the to suffyr ful harde peynys
for owr synnys. Why
schulde I not than han charité to the pepyl and desiryn
forgevenes of her synnes? Blyssed
Lorde, me thynkyth that thu hast schewyd ryth gret charité
to me, unworthy wrech.
Thu art as gracyows to me as thei I wer as clene a mayden as
any is in this worlde and
as thow I had nevyr synned. Therfor, Lorde, I wolde I had a welle
of teerys to constreyn
the wyth that thu schuldist not takyn uttyr venjawns of mannys
sowle for to partyn
hym fro the wythowtyn ende, for it is an hard thyng to thynkyn
that any erdly man
schulde evyr do any synne wherthorw he schulde be departyd fro
thi gloryows face
wythowtyn ende. Yyf I myth as wel, Lorde, gevyn the pepyl contricyon
and wepyng
as thu gevyst me for myn owyn synnes and other mennys synnys
also and as wel as I
myth gevyn a peny owt of my purse, sone schulde I fulfille mennys
hertys wyth contricyon
that thei myth sesyn of her synne. I have gret merveyl in myn
hert, Lord, that I, whech
have ben so synful a woman and the most unworthy creatur that
evyr thu schewedist
thi mercy onto in alle this werlde, that I have so gret charité
to myn evyn cristen
sowlys that me thynkyth, thu thei had ordeynd for me the most
schamful deth that
evyr myth any man suffyr in erde, yet wolde I forgevyn it hem
for thi lofe, Lord, and
han her sowlys savyd fro evyrlestyng dampnacyon. And therfor,
Lord, I schal not
sesyn, whan I may wepyn, for to wepyn for hem plentyuowsly, spede
yyf I may. And,
yyf thu wylt, Lord, that I sese of wepyng, I prey the take me
owt of this world. What
schulde I don therin but yyf I myth profityn? For, thow it wer
possibyl that al this
world myth be savyd thorw the teerys of myn eyne, I wer no thank
worthy. Therfor
alle preysyng, al honowr, al worshep mot ben to the Lord. Yyf
it wer thy wille, Lord,
I wolde for thi lofe and for magnyfying of thi name ben hewyn
as smal as flesch to the
potte." |