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   69
 
 

Also on a Good Fryday at Seynt Margaretys Chirch the priowr of the same place 
and the same town, Lynne, schuld prechyn. And he toke to hys teme, "Jhesu is ded." 
Than the sayd creatur, al wowndyd wyth pité and compassyon, cryid and wept as yyf 
sche had seyn owr Lord ded wyth hir bodily eye. The worschepful priowr and doctowr 
of divinité suffyrd hir ful mekely and no thyng mevyd ageyn hir. An other tyme Bischop 
Wakeryng, Bischop of Norwich, prechyd at Lynne in the seyd cherch of Seynt 
Margarete, and the forseyd creatur cryid and wept ful boystowsly in the tyme of hys 
sermown, and he suffyrd it ful mekely and paciently and so dede many a worthy clerk, 
bothyn reguler and seculer, for ther was nevyr clerk prechyd opynly ageyn hir crying 
but the Grey Frer, as is wretyn beforn. So owr Lord of hys mercy, liche as he had 
promysyd the seyd creatur that he schulde evyr provydyn for hir, steryng the spiritys of 
tweyn good clerkys the whech longe and many yerys had knowyn hir conversacyon 
and al hir perfeccyon, made hem mythy and bolde to spekyn for hys party in excusyng 
the seyd creatur, bothyn in the pulpit and besyden wher thei herd any thyng mevyd 
agen hir, strengthyng her skyllys be auctoriteys of Holy Scriptur sufficiently, of whech 
clerkys on was a White Frer, a doctowr of divinité. The other clerk was a bacheler of 
lawe canon, a wel labowrd man in scriptur. And than sum envyows personys 
compleynyd to the Provincyal of the White Frerys that the sayd doctowr was to 
conversawnt wyth the sayd creatur, forasmech as he supportyd hir in hir wepyng and 
in hir crying and also enformyd hir in qwestyons of Scriptur whan sche wolde any 
askyn hym. Than was he monischyd be vertu of obediens that he schulde no mor spekyn 
wyth hir ne enformyn hir in no textys of Scriptur, and that was to hym ful peynful, for, 
as he seyd to sum personys, he had levar a lost an hundryd pownd, yyf he had an had 
it, than hir communicacyon, it was so gostly and fruteful. Whan hir confessowr
perceyvyd how the worthy doctowr was chargyd be obediens that he schulde not spekyn 
ne comownyn wyth hir, than he for to excludyn al occasyon warnyd hir also be vertu 
of obediens that sche schulde no mor gon to the frerys, ne spekyn wyth the sayd doctowr, 
ne askyn hym no qwestyons as sche had don beforn. And than thowt sche ful gret 
sweme and hevynes, for sche was put fro mech gostly comfort. Sche had levar a lost 
any erdly good than hys comunycacyon, for it was to hir gret encres of vertu. Than 
long aftyrward it happyd hir goyng in the strete to metyn wyth the seyd doctowr and 
non of hem spak o word to other. And than sche had a gret cry wyth many teerys. 
Aftyr, whan sche cam to hir meditacyon, sche seyd in hir mende to owr Lord Jhesu 
Crist, "Alas, Lord, why may I no comfort han of this worschepful clerk, the whech 
hath knowyn me so many yerys and oftyn tymes strengthyd me in thi lofe? Now hast 
thu, Lord, takyn fro me the ankyr, I trust to thi mercy, the most special and synguler 
comforte that evyr I had in erde, for he evyr lovyd me for thy lofe and wold nevyr 
forsakyn me for nowt that any man cowd do er seye whylys he levyd. And Maistyr 
Aleyn is putt fro me and I fro hym. Syr Thomas Andrew and Syr John Amy arn 
benefysed and owt of town. Maistyr Robert dar unethys spekyn wyth me. Now have I 
in a maner no comfort neithyr of man ne of childe." Owr merciful Lord Crist Jhesu, 
answeryng in hir mende, seyd, "Dowtyr, I am mor worthy to thy sowle than evyr was 
the ankyr and alle tho whech thu hast rehersyd er alle the werld may be, and I schal 
comfortyn the myself, for I wolde spekyn to the oftynar than thu wilt latyn me. And, 
dowtyr, I do the to wetyn that thu schalt spekyn to Maistyr Aleyn ageyn as thu hast don 
beforn." And than owr Lord sent be provysyon of the priowr of Lynne a preste to ben 
kepar of a chapel of owr Lady, clepyd the Jesyn, wythinne the Cherch of Seynt 
Margarete, whech preyst many tymes herd hir confessyon in the absens of hyr princi- 
pal confessowr. And to this preyst sche schewyd al hir lyfe as ner as sche cowde fro 
hir yong age, bothe hir synnes, hyr labowrys, hir vexacyons, hir contemplacyons, and 
also hir revelacyons and swech grace as God wrowt in hir thorw hys mercy, and so 
that preyste trustyd ryth wel that God wrowt ryth gret grace in hir.