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67
On a tyme ther happyd to be a gret fyer in Lynne
Bischop, whech fyer brent up the
gylde halle of
the Trinité and in the same town, an hydows fyer and grevows
ful lekely
to a brent the parysch
cherch dedicate in the honowr of Seynt Margarete, a solempne
place and rychely honowryd, and also al the town, ne had grace
ne myracle ne ben.
The seyd creatur beyng ther present and seyng the perel and myschef
of al the towne,
cryed ful lowde many tymes that day and wept ful habundawntly,
preyng for grace
and mercy to alle the pepil. And, notwythstondyng in other tymes
thei myth not enduryn
hir to cryen and wepyn for the plentyuows grace that owr Lord
wrowt in hir, as this
day for enchewyng of her bodily perel thei myth suffyr hir to
cryen and wepyn as
mech as evyr sche wolde, and no man wolde byddyn hir cesyn but
rathyr preyn hir of
contynuacyon, ful trustyng and belevyng that thorw hir crying
and wepyng owr Lord
wolde takyn hem to mercy. Than cam hir confessowr
to hir and askyd yyf it wer best
to beryn the sacrament to the fyer er not. Sche seyd, "Yys, ser,
yys, for owr Lord
Jhesu Crist telde me it schal be ryth wel." So hir confessowr,
parisch preste of Seynt
Margaretys Cherche, toke the precyows sacrament and went beforn
the fyer as devowtly
as he cowde and sithyn browt it in ageyn to the cherche, and
the sparkys of the fyer
fleyn abowte the cherch. The seyd creatur, desiryng to folwyn
the precyows sacra-
ment to the fyre, went owt at the cherch dor, and, as sone as
sche beheld the hedows
flawme of the fyr, anon sche cryed wyth lowde voys and gret wepyng,
"Good Lorde,
make it wel." Thes wordys wrowt in hir mende inasmeche as owr
Lord had seyd to hir
beforn that he schulde makyn it wel, and therfor sche cryed,
"Good Lord, make it wel
and sende down sum reyn er sum wedyr that may thorw thi mercy
qwenchyn this fyer
and esyn myn hert." Sithyn sche went ageyne into the cherch,
and than sche beheld
how the sparkys comyn into the qwer thorw the lantern of the
cherch. Than had sche
a newe sorwe and cryed ful lowde ageyn for grace and mercy wyth
gret plenté of
terys. Sone aftyr, comyn into hir three worschepful men wyth
whyte snow on her
clothys, seying unto hir, "Lo, Margery, God hath wrowt gret grace
for us and sent us
a fayr snowe to qwenchyn wyth the fyr. Beth now of good cher
and thankyth God
therfor." And with a gret cry sche gaf preysyng and thankyng
to God for hys gret
mercy and hys goodnes, and specyaly for he had seyd to hir beforn
that it schulde be
ryth wel whan it was ful unlykely to ben wel, saf only thorw
myrakyl and specyal
grace. And now sche saw it was wel in dede, hir thowt that sche
had gret cawse to
thankyn owr Lord. Than cam hir gostly fadyr unto hir and seyd
he belevyd that God
grawntyd hem for hir preyerys to be delyveryd owt of her gret
perellys, for it myth not
be, wythowtyn devowt preyerys, that the eyr beyng brygth and
cler schulde be so sone
chongyd into clowdys and derkys and sendyn down gret flakys of
snow, thorw the
whech the fyr was lettyd of hys kendly werkyng, blyssed mote
owr Lord ben.
Notwythstondyng the grace that he schewyd for hir, yet, whan
the perelys wer sesyd,
sum men slawndyrd hir for sche cryed, and sum seyden to hir that
owr Lady cried
nevyr, "Why crye ye on this maner?" And sche seyd for sche myth
non otherwise do.
Than sche fled the pepil that sche schulde geve hem non occasyon
into the priowrys
cloistyr. Whan sche was ther, sche had so gret mende of the Passyon
of owr Lord
Jhesu Crist and of hys precyows wowndys and how dere he bowt
hir that sche cryed
and roryd wondirfully so that sche myth be herd a gret wey and
myth not restreyne
hyrself therfro. Than had sche gret wondyr how owr Lady myth
suffyr er dur to see
hys precyows body ben scorgyd and hangyd on the crosse. Also
it cam to hir mende
how men had seyd to hirself beforn that owr Lady, Cristys owyn
modyr, cryed not as
sche dede, and that cawsyd hir to seyn in hir crying, "Lord,
I am not thi modir. Take
awey this peyn fro me, for I may not beryn it. Thi passyon wil
sle me." So ther cam a
worschepful clerk forby hir, a doctowr of divinité, "I
had levyr than twenty pownde
that I myth han swech a sorwe for owr Lordys Passyon." Than the
sayd doctowr sent
for hir ther he was to come and speke with hym, and sche wyth
good wyl went to hym
wyth wepyng terys to hys chambyr. The worthy and worschepful
clerk dede hir drynkyn
and made hir ryth good cher. Sithyn he ledde hir to an awter
and askyd what was the
skylle that sche cryed and wept so sor. Than sche teld hym many
gret cawsys of hir
wepyng and yet sche teld hym of no revelacyon. And he seyd sche
was mech bowndyn
to lovyn owr Lord for the tokenys of lofe that he schewyd to
hir in divers wysys.
Aftyrward ther cam a persun that had takyn degré in scole
wheche schuld prechyn bothe
for non and aftyr non. And, as he prechyd ful holily and devowtly,
the sayd creatur
was mevyd be devocyon in hys sermown, and at the last sche brast
owt wyth a crye.
And the pepil began to grutchyn wyth hir crying, for it was in
the tyme that the good
frer prechyd ageyn hir, as is wretyn beforn, and also er than
owr Lord toke hir crying
fro hir. For, thow the mater be wretyn beforn this, nevyrthelesse
it fel aftyr this. Than
the persun cesyd a lityl of hys prechyng and seyd to the pepil,
"Frendys, beth stille and
grutchith not wyth this woman, for iche of yow may synne deedly
in hir and sche is
nowt the cawse but yowr owyn demyng, for, thow this maner of
werkyng may seme
bothe good and ylle, yet awt ye for to demyn the best in yowr
hertys, and I dowt it not
it is ryth wel. Also I dar wel say it is a ryth gracyows gyft
of God, blissed mote he be."
Than the pepil blissyd hym for hys goodly wordys and wer the
mor steryd to belevyn
hys holy werkys. Aftyrward, whan the sermown was endyd, a good
frend of the seyd
creatur met wyth the frer whech had prechyd so sor ageyn hir
and askyd how hym
thowt be hir. The frer, answeryng scharply ageyn, seyd, "Sche
hath a devyl wythinne
hir," no thyng mevyd fro hys opynyon but rathyr defendyng hys
errowr. |