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60
The good preste, of whom it is wretyn beforn, the wheche was hir
lystere, fel in
gret sekenes, and sche was steryd in hir sowle for to kepyn hym
in Goddys stede. And,
whan sche faylde swech as was nedful for hym, sche went abowtyn
to good men and
good women and gate swech thyng as was necessary unto hym. He
was so seke that
men trustyd no thyng to hys lyfe, and hys sekenes was long contunyng.
Than on a
tyme, as sche was in the chirche heryng hir messe and preyid
for the same preste, owr
Lord seyd to hir that he schulde levyn and faryn ryth wel. Than
was sche steryd to gon
to Norwych
to Seynt Stefenys Chirche wher is beriid the good vicary, whech deyd but
lityl befor that tyme, for whom God schewyd hy mercy to hys pepil,
and thankyn hym
for recuryng of this preyste. Sche toke leve of hir confessowr,
goyng forth to Nor-
wich. Whan sche cam in the chirch yerd of Seynt Stefyn, sche
cryed, sche roryd, sche
wept, sche fel down to the grownd, so fervently the fyer of lofe
brent in hir hert.
Sithyn sche ros up agen and went forth wepyng into the chirche
to the hy awter, and
ther sche fel down with boistows sobbyngys, wepyngys, and lowde
cryes besyden the
grave of the good vicary, al ravyschyd wyth gostly comfort in
the goodnes of owr
Lord that wrowt so gret grace for hys servawnt whech had ben
hir confessowr and
many tymes herd hir confessyon of al hir levyng, and ministryd
to hir the precyows
sacrament of the awter divers tymes. And in so meche was hir
devocyon the mor
incresyd that sche sey owr Lord werkyn so special grace for swech
a creatur as sche
had ben conversawnt wyth in hys lyfetyme. Sche had so holy thowtys
and so holy
mendys that sche myth not mesuryn hir wepyng ne hir crying. And
therfor the pepil
had gret merveyl of hir, supposyng that sche had wept for sum
fleschly er erdly
affeccyon, and seyd unto hir, "What eylith the woman? Why faryst
thus wyth thiself?
We knew hym as wel as thu." Than wer prestys in the same place
whech knew hir
maner of werkyng, and thei ful charitefully led hir to a taverne
and dede hir drynkyn
and made hir ful hy and goodly cher. Also ther was a lady desyred
to have the sayd
creatur to mete. And therfor, as honeste wolde, sche went to
the cherch ther the lady
herd hir servyse, wher this creatur sey a fayr ymage of owr Lady
clepyd a pyté. And
thorw the beholdyng of that peté hir mende was al holy
ocupyed in the Passyon of owr
Lord Jhesu Crist and in the compassyon of owr Lady, Seynt Mary,
be whech sche was
compellyd to cryyn ful lowde and wepyn ful sor, as thei sche
schulde a deyd. Than cam
to hir the ladys preste seying, "Damsel, Jhesu is ded long sithyn."
Whan hir crying was
cesyd, sche seyd to the preste, "Sir, hys deth is as fresch to
me as he had deyd this
same day, and so me thynkyth it awt to be to yow and to alle
Cristen pepil. We awt
evyr to han mende of hys kendnes and evyr thynkyn of the dolful
deth that he deyd for
us." Than the good lady, heryng her communicacyon, seyd, "Ser,
it is a good exampyl
to me, and to other men also, the grace that God werkyth in hir
sowle." And so the
good lady was hir avoket and answeryd for hir. Sithyn sche had
hir hom wyth hir to
mete and schewyd hir ful glad and goodly chere as long as sche
wold abydyn ther.
And sone aftyr sche cam hom ageyn to Lenne, and the forseyd preyste,
for whom sche
went most specialy to Norwich, whech had redde hir abowte seven
yer, recuryd and
went abowte wher hym lykyde, thankyd be almythy God for hys goodnes. |