3820
3821
3822
3823
3824
3825
3826
3827
3828
3829
3830
3831
3832
3833
3834
3835
3836
3837
3838
3839
3840
3841
3842
3843
3844
3845 |
|
66
"Now, dowtyr, I wyl that thu ete flesch agen as thu wer won to
don, and that thu be
buxom and bonowr to my wil and to my byddyng and leve thyn owyn
wyl and bydde
thy gostly fadyrs that thei latyn the don aftyr my wyl. And thu
schalt have nevyrthelesse
grace, but so meche the mor, for thu schalt han the same mede
in hevyn as thow thu
fastydyst stille aftyr thin owyn wyl. Dowtyr, I badde the fyrst
that thu schuldist leevyn
flesch mete and non etyn, and thu hast obeyd my wyl many yerys
and absteynd the
aftyr my cownsel. Therfor now I bydde the that thu resort ageyn
to flesch mete." The
sayd creatur with reverent drede, seyd, "A, blisful Lord, the
pepil, that hath knowyn of
myn abstinens so many yerys and seeth me now retornyn and etyn
flesch mete, thei
wil have gret merveyl and, as I suppose, despisyn me and scornyn
me therfor." Owr
Lord seyd to hir agen, "Thu schalt non heed takyn of her scornys
but late every man sey
what he wyl." Than went sche to hir gostly fadyrs and teld hem
what owr Lord had
seyd unto hir. Whan hir gostly faderys knew the wyl of God, thei
chargyd hir be vertu
of obediens to etyn flesch mete as sche had don many yerys beforn.
Than had sche
many a scorne and meche reprefe for sche eete flesch ageyn. Also
sche had mad a vow
to fastyn o day in the weke for worschep of owr Lady whyl sche
had levyd, whech
vow sche kept many yerys. Owr Lady, aperyng to hir sowle, bad
hir gon to hir
confessour
and seyin that sche wolde han hir dischargyd of hir vow that sche schulde
ben mythy to beryn hir gostly labowrys, for wythowtyn bodily
strength it mytyn not
ben enduryd. Than hir confessowr,
seyng be the eye of discresyon it was expedient to
be do, comawndyd hir be the vertu of obediens to etyn as other
creaturys dedyn
mesurabely wher God wolde sche had hir fode. And hir grace was
not discresyd but
rathar encresyd, for sche had levar a fastyd than an etyn yyf
it had ben the wyl of God.
Forthermor owr Lady seyd to hir, "Dowtyr, thu art weyke inow
of wepyng and of
crying, for tho makyn the febyl and weyke anow. And I kan the
mor thank to etyn thi
mete for my lofe than to fastyn, that thu mayst enduryn thy perfeccyon
of wepyng." |