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1
Afftyr that owr Sovereyn Savyowr had take the persone whech wrot
first the tretys
aforn seyd to hys manyfold mercy, and the preiste of whom is
beforn wretyn had
copiid the same tretys aftyr hys sympyl cunnyng, he held it expedient
to honowr of the
blisful Trinité
that hys holy werkys schulde be notifyid and declaryd to the pepil, whan
it plesyd hym, to the worschip of hys holy name. And than he
gan to writyn in the yer
of owr Lord 1438 in the fest of Seynt
Vital Martyr sweche grace as owr Lord wrowt in
hys sympyl creatur yerys that sche levyd aftyr, not alle but
summe of hem, aftyr hyr
owyn tunge. And first her is a notabyl mater the whech is not
wretyn in the forseyd
tretys. It befel sone aftyr that the creatur beforn wretyn had
forsakyn the occupasyon
of the worlde and was joynyd in hir mende to God as meche as
frelté wolde suffyr.
The seyd creatur had a sone, a tal yong man, dwellyng wyth a worschepful
burgeys in
Lynne, usyng
marchawndyse and seylyng ovyr the see, whom sche desyryd to a drawyn
owt of the perellys of this wretchyd and unstabyl worlde yyf
hir power myth a teynyd
therto. Nevyrthelesse sche dede as meche as in hir was, and,
whan sche myth metyn
wyth hym at leyser, many tymys sche cownselyd hym to leevyn the
worlde and folwyn
Crist in so meche that he fled hyr cumpany and wolde not gladlych
metyn wyth hir. So
on a tyme it happyd the modyr to metyn wyth hir sone thei it
wer ageyns hys wille and
hys entent as that tyme. And, as sche had don beforn tyme, so
now sche spak to hym
ageyn that he schulde fle the perellys of this world and not
settyn hys stody ne hys
besynes so mech therupon as he dede. He not consentyng but scharply
answeryng
ageyn, sche, sumdel mevyd wyth scharpnes of spiryt, seyde, "Now
sithyn thu wil not
leevyn the world at my cownsel, I charge the at my blissyng kepe
thi body klene at the
lest fro womanys feleschep tyl thu take a wyfe aftyr the lawe
of the Chirche. And, yyf
thu do not, I pray God chastise the and ponysch the therfor."
Thei partyd asundyr, and
sone aftyr the same yong man passyd ovyr the see in wey of marchawndyse,
and than,
what thorw evyl entisyng of other personys and foly of hys owyn
governawnce, he fel
into the synne of letchery. Sone aftyr hys colowr chawngyd, hys
face wex ful of
whelys and bloberys as it had ben a lepyr. Than he cam hom ageyn
into Lynne to hys
maistyr wyth whech he had ben dwellyng befor tyme. Hys maistyr
put hym owt of
hys servyse for no defawte he fond wyth hym, but peraventur supposyng
he had ben a
lazer as it schewyd be hys visage. The yong man telde wher hym
likyd how hys
modyr had bannyd hym, wher thorw, as he supposyd, God so grevowsly
ponyschyd
hym. Sum persone, havyng knowlach of hys compleynt and compassyon
of hys disese,
cam to hys modyr, seying sche had don ryth evyl, for thorw hir
prayer God had takyn
venjawns on hir owyn childe. Sche, takyng lityl heed of her wordys,
let it passyn forth
as sche had mad no fors tyl he wolde comyn and preyin for grace
hys self. So at the
last, whan he sey non other bote, he cam to hys modyr, tellyng
hir of hys
mysgovernawns, promittyng he schulde ben obedient to God and
to hir and to amende
hys defawte thorw the help of God enchewyng al mysgovernawnce
fro that tyme
forward upon hys power. He preyid hys modyr of hir blissyng,
and specialy he preyd
hir to prey for hym that owr Lord of hys hy mercy wolde forgevyn
hym that he had
trespasyd and takyn awey that gret sekenes for whech men fleddyn
hys company and
hys felaschep as for a lepyr. For he supposyd be hir preyerys
owr Lord sent hym that
ponischyng, and therfor he trustyd be hir preyerys to be deliveryd
therof yyf sche
wolde of hir charité preyn for hym. Than sche, havyng
trust of hys amendyng and
compassyon of hys infirmyté, wyth scharp wordys of correpcyon
promysyd to fulfillyn
hys entent yyf God wolde grawntyn it. Whan sche cam to hir meditacyon,
not forgetyng
the frute of hir wombe, askyd forgevenes of hys synne and relesyng
of the sekenes
that owr Lord had govyn hym yyf it wer hys plesawns and profite
to hys sowle. So
longe sche preyid that he was clene delyveryd of the sekenes
and levyd many yerys
aftyr and had a wife and a childe, blissyd mote God ben, for
he weddyd hys wife in
Pruce in Dewchelonde. Whan tydyngys cam to hys modyr fro ovyr
the see that hir
sone had weddyd, sche was ryth glad and thankyd God wyth al hir
hert, supposyng
and trustyng he schulde levyn clene and chast as the lawe of
matrimony askith. Sithyn,
whan God wolde, hys wife had a childe, a fayr mayde child. Than
he sent tydingys to
hys modyr into Inglond how gracyowsly God had visityd hym and
hys wife. Hys
modyr, being in a chapel of owr Lady thankyng God of the grace
and goodnes that he
schewyd to hir sone and havyng desyr to sen hem yyf sche myth,
anon it was answeryd
to hir mende that sche schulde seen hem alle er than sche deyid.
Sche had wondyr of this
felynge how it schulde be so as sche felt, in as meche as thei
weryn beyowndyn the see
and sche on this halfe the see, nevyr purposyng to passyn the
see whil sche levyd.
Nevyrthelesse sche wiste wel to God was nothyng impossibyl. Therfor
sche trustyd it
schulde be so as sche had felyng whan God wolde. |