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58
On a tyme, as the forseyd creatur was in hir contemplacyon, sche
hungryd ryth sor
aftyr Goddys word and seyd, "Alas, Lord, as many clerkys as thu
hast in this world,
that thu ne woldyst sendyn me on of hem that myth fulfillyn my
sowle wyth thi word
and wyth redyng of Holy Scriptur, for alle the clerkys that prechyn
may not fulfillyn,
for me thynkyth that my sowle is evyr alych hungry. Yyf I had
gold inow, I wolde
gevyn every day a nobyl for to have every day a sermown, for
thi word is mor worthy
to me than alle the good in this werld. And therfor, blyssed
Lord, rewe on me, for thu
hast takyn awey the ankyr fro me whech was to me synguler solas
and comforte and
many tymes refreschyd me wyth thin holy worde." Than answeryd
owr Lord Jhesu
Cryst in hir sowle, seying, "Ther schal come on fro fer that
schal fulfillyn thi desyr." So,
many day aftyr this answer, ther cam a preste newly to Lynne
whech had nevyr knowyn
hir beforn, and, whan he sey hir gon in the stretys, he was gretly
mevyd to speke wyth
hir and speryd of other folke what maner woman sche was. Thei
seydyn thei trustyd to
God that sche was a ryth good woman. Aftyrward the preyst sent
for hir, preyng hir to
come and spekyn wyth hym and wyth hys modyr, for he had hiryd
a chawmbyr for
hys modyr and for hym, and so they dwellyd togedyr. Than the
sayd creatur cam to
wetyn hys wille and spak wyth hys modyr and wyth hym and had
ryth good cher of
hem bothyn. Than the preyste toke a boke and red therin how owr
Lord, seyng the cité
of Jerusalem, wept therupon, rehersyng the myschevys and sorwys
that schulde comyn
therto, for sche knew not the tyme of hyr visitacyon. Whan the
sayd creatur herd
redyn how owr Lord wept, than wept sche sor and cryed lowde,
the preyste ne hys
modyr knowyng no cawse of hyr wepyng. Whan hir crying and hir
wepyng was cesyd,
thei joyyd and wer ryth mery in owr Lord. Sithyn sche toke hir
leve and partyd fro
hem at that tyme. Whan sche was gon, the preste seyd to hys modyr,
"Me merveylyth
mech of this woman why sche wepith and cryith so. Nevyrtheles
me thynkyth sche is
a good woman, and I desyre gretly to spekyn mor wyth hir." Hys
modyr was wel
plesyd and cownselyd that he schulde don so. And aftyrwardys
the same preyste lovyd
hir and trustyd hir ful meche and blissed the tyme that evyr
he knew hir, for he fond
gret gostly confort in hir and cawsyd hym to lokyn meche good
scriptur and many a
good doctowr whech he wolde not a lokyd at that tyme had sche
ne be. He red to hir
many a good boke of hy contemplacyon and other bokys, as the
Bybyl wyth doctowrys
therupon, Seynt
Brydys boke, Hyltons
boke, Boneventur, Stimulus
Amoris, cendium
Amoris, and swech other.
And than wist sche that it was a spirit sent of God whech
seyd to hir, as is wretyn a lityl beforn, whan sche compleynyd
for defawte of redyng,
thes wordys, "Ther schal come on fro fer that schal fulfillyn
thi desyr." And thus sche
knewe be experiens that it was a ryth trewe spiryt. The forseyd
preste red hir bokys the
most part of seven yer er eight yer to gret encres of hys cunnyng
and of hys meryte,
and he suffryd many an evyl worde for hyr lofe inasmeche as he
red hir so many
bokys and supportyd hir in hir wepyng and hir crying. Aftyrwardys
he wex
benefysyd and had gret cur of sowle, and than lykyd hym ful wel
that he had redde
so meche beforn. |