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2
In fewe yerys aftyr that this yong man had weddyd he cam hom in
to Inglond to hys
fadyr and hys modyr al chongyd in hys aray and hys condicyonis.
For afor tyme hys
clothys wer
al daggyd and hys langage al vanyté; now he weryd no daggys,
and hys
dalyawns was ful of vertu. Hys modyr, havyng gret merveyl of
this sodeyn chongyng,
seyd unto hym, "Benedicité, sone, how is it wyth the that
thu art so chongyd?" "Modyr,"
he seyd, "I hope that thorw yowr preyerys owr Lord hath drawyn
me, and I purpose be
the grace of God to folwyn yowr cownsel mor than I have don beforn."
Than hys
modyr, seyng this mervelyows drawte of owr Lord, thankyd God
as sche cowde,
takyng good heed of hys governawns for dred of symulacyon. The
lengar that sche
beheld hys governawns, the mor sadde sche thowt he was and the
mor reverent to owr
Lordward. Whan sche knew it was the drawt of owr Lordys mercy,
than sche was ful
joyful, thankyng God ful many timys for hys grace and hys goodnes.
Sithyn, for he
schulde be the mor diligent and the mor besy to folwyn owr Lordys
drawyng, sche
openyd hir hert to hym, schewyng hym and enformyng how owr Lord
had drawyn hir
thorw hys mercy and be what menys, also how meche grace he had
schewyd for hir,
the whech he seyd he was unworthy to heryn. Than he went many
pilgrimagys to
Rome and to
many other holy placys to purchasyn hym pardon, resortyng ageyn to
hys wife and hys childe as he was bowndyn to do. He enformyd
hys wife of hys
modyr in so meche that sche wolde leevyn hir fadyr and hir modyr
and hir owyn
cuntré for to comyn into Inglonde and seen hys modyr.
He was ful glad therof and
sent word into Inglond to hys modyr to certifyin hir of hys wyfys
desyr and to wetyn
whedyr hys modyr wolde cownselyn hym to comyn be lond er be watyr,
for he trustyd
meche in hys moderys cownsel, levyng it was of the Holy
Gost. Hys modyr, whan
sche had lettyr fro hym and knew hys desyr, went to hir preyer
to knowyn owr Lordys
cownsel and owr Lordys wyl. And, as sche preyid for the sayd
mater, it was answeryd
to hir sowle that whedyr hir sone come be lond er be watyr he
schulde comyn in safwarde.
Than wrot sche letterys to hym, seying that whedyr he come be
londe er be watyr he
schulde come in safté be the grace of God. Whan he was
certifiid of hys moderys
cownsel, he speryd whan schippys schulde come into Inglond and
hiryd a schip er ellys
a part of a schip in whech he putt hys good, hys wife, hys childe,
and hys owyn self,
purposyng alle to comyn into Inglond togedyr. Whan thei weryn
in the schip, ther
resyn swech tempestys that thei durstyn not takyn the see, and
so thei comyn on lond
ageyn, bothyn he, hys wife, and her childe. Than thei left her
childe in Pruce
wyth her
frendys, and he and hys wife comyn into Inglond be lond wey to
hys fadyr and to hys
modyr. Whan thei wer come thedir, hys modir ful meche enjoiid
in owr Lord that hir
felyng was trewe, for sche had felyng in hir sowle, as is wretyn
beforn, that whedyr
thei come be lond er be watyr thei schulde comyn be safté.
And so it was in dede,
blissyd mote God ben. Thei come hom on the Satyrday in good heele,
and on the next
day that was the Sonday, whil thei wer at mete at noon with other
frendys, he fel in
gret sekenes that he ros fro the tabyl and leyd hym on a bed,
whech sekenes and
infirmité ocupiid hym abowte a monyth, and than in good
life and ryth beleve he
passyd to the mercy of owr Lord. So gostly and bodily it myth
wel ben verifiid he schal
comyn hom in safté, not only into this dedly lond but
also into the lond of levyng men,
wher deth schal nevyr aperyn. In schort tyme aftyr, the fadyr
of the sayd persone folwyd
the sone the wey whech every man must gon. Than levyd stille
the modyr of the sayd
persone, of whom this tretys specyaly makyth mencyon, and sche
that was hys wife, a
Dewche woman, dwellyng wyth hys modyr a yer and an halfe unto
the tyme that hir
frendys whech wer in Duchelond, desyryng to have hir hom, wretyn
lettrys to hir and
steryd hir to resortyn to hir owyn cuntré. And so sche,
desiryng the benevolens of hir
frendys, utteryd hir conseyte to hir eldmodyr, declaryng to hir
the desyr of hir frendys,
preying hir of good lofe and leve that sche myth resortyn to
hir owyn cuntré. And so
thorw hir eldmodrys consentyng sche purveyid hir to gon as sone
as any schippys
wentyn into that lond. So thei speryd a schip of that same lond
and hir owyn cuntremen
schulde seylyn thedyr, and hem thowt it was goodly that sche
schulde rathyr seylyn wyth
hem in her schip than wyth other men. Than sche went to hir confessowr
for to be
schrevyn,
and, whil sche was in the schryvyng, the sayd creatur, hir eldmodir, went
up
and down in the qwer, thynkyng in hir mende, "Lord, yyf it wer
thi wille I wolde
takyn leve of my confessowr and gon wyth hir ovyr the see." Owr
Lord answeryd to
hyr thowt, seying, "Dowtyr, I wote wel, yf I bode the gon, thu
woldist gon al redy.
Therfor I wyl that thu speke no word to hym of this mater." Than
was sche ryth glad
and mery, trustyng sche schulde not gon ovyr the see, for sche
had ben in gret perell on
the see afor tyme and was in purpos nevyr to comyn theron mor
be hir owyn wille.
Whan hir dowtyr in lawe was schrevyn, the good man whech was
confessowr to hem
bothyn as that tyme cam to hir and seyd, "Ho schal gon wyth yowr
dowtyr to the see
syde tyl sche come at hir schip? It is not goodly that sche schulde
gon so fer wyth a yong
man alone in strawnge cuntré wher her neithyr is knowyn,"
for a strawnge man was
come for hir and her neithyr was but lityl knowyn in this cuntré,
wher for hir confessowr
had the mor compassyon of hir. Than the sayd creatur seyd ageyn,
"Syr, yyf ye wele
biddyn me, I schal gon wyth hir my self tyl sche come at Yepiswech,
ther lyth the schip
and hir owyn cuntremen that schal ledyn hir ovyr the see." Hir
confessowr seyd, "How
schulde ye gon wyth hir? Ye hirtyd but late yowr foote, and ye
ar not yet al hool, and
also ye arn an elde woman. Ye may not gon." "Sir," sche seyd,
"God, as I trust, schal
helpyn me ryth wel." Than he askyd ho schulde gon wyth hir and
brynge hir hom ageyn.
And sche seyd, "Ser, her is longyng to this chirch an ermyte,
a yong man. I hope he
wil for owr Lordys lofe gon and comyn wyth me, yef ye wil gevyn
me leve." So sche
had leve to brynge hir dowtyr to Yepiswich
and than comyn ageyn to Lynne.
Thus thei
passyd forth in her jurné in tyme of Lenton,
and, whan thei weryn five er six myle
fro Lynne, thei comyn forby a cherch, and so thei turnyd in for
to heryn messe. And,
as thei wer in the chirche, the forseyd creatur, desiryng teerys
of devocyon, non myth
purchasyn at that tyme but evyr was comawndyd in hir hert for
to gon ovyr the see
wyth hir dowtyr. Sche wolde a putt it owt of hir mende, and evyr
it cam ageyn so fast
that sche myth not rest ne qwiet han in hir mende but evyr was
labowryd and
comawndyd to gon ovyr the see. Sche thowt it was hevy to hir
to takyn sweche labowr
upon hir and excusyd hir self to owr Lord in hir mende, seying,
"Lord, thu wost wel I
have no leve of my gostly fadyr, and I am bowndyn to obediens.
Therfor I may not do
thus wythowtyn hys wil and hys consentyng." It was answeryd ageyn
to hir thowt, "I
bydde the gon in my name, Jhesu, for I am abovyn thy gostly fadyr
and I schal excusyn
the and ledyn the and bryngyn the ageyn in safté." Sche
wolde yet excusyn hir yf sche
myth in any wey, and therfor sche seyd, "I am not purveyd of
gold ne of sylver suffi-
ciently for to gon wyth as I awt to be, and, thow I wer and wolde
gon, I wote wel my
dowtyr had levar I wer at hom, and peraventur the schip maistrys
schulde not receyvyn
me into her vessel for to gon wyth hem." Owr Lord seyd ageyn,
"Yf I be wyth the, ho
schal ben ageyns the? I schal purveyin for the and getyn the
frendys to helpyn the. Do as
I bydde the, and ther schal no man of the schip sey nay unto
the." The creatur say ther
was non other help but forth sche must at the comawndyng of God.
Sche thowt that
sche wolde fyrst gon to Walsyngham
and offeryn in worschep of owr Lady, and, as
sche was in the wey thedir ward, sche herd tellyn that a frer
schuld seyin a sermown
in
a lityl village a lityl owt of hir wey. Sche turnyd into the
cherch wher the frer seyd the
sermown, a famows man, and a gret audiens had at hys sermown.
And many tymys he
seyd thes wordys, "Yyf God be wyth us, ho schal be ageyns us?"
thorw the whech
wordys sche was the mor steryd to obeyn the wil of God and parformyn
hir entent. So
sche went forth to Walsingham, and sithyn to Norwich
wyth hir dowtyr in lawe, and
the ermyte wyth hem. Whan thei cam at Norwich, sche mett a Grey
Frer, a worschepful
clerk, a doctowr of divinyté whech had herd of hir levyng
and hir felyngys befor
tyme. The doctowr schewyd hir gret cher and dalyid wyth hir as
he had don befor
tyme. Sche, many tymys syhyng, was hevy in cher and in cuntenawnce.
The doctowr
askyd what hir eylyd, "Sir," sche seyd, "whan I cam owte of Lynne
wyth the leve of
my confessowr, I purposyd
to ledyn my dowtyr to Yepisweche, wher is a schip in the
whech sche be the grace of God schal seylyn to Deuchelond, and
I than to turnyn hom
ageyn as sone as I myth goodly to Lynne wyth an ermyte whech
cam wyth me for the
same entent to ledyn me hom ageyn. And he wenyn fully that I
schulde don so. And, ser,
whan I was abowtyn six myle owt of Lynne
in a chirch to makyn my preyerys, I was
comawndyd in my sowle that I schulde gon ovyr the see wyth my
dowtyr, and I wote
wel sche wolde I wer at hom, and so wolde I yf I durst. Thus
was I mevyd in my sowle
and no rest myth han in my spiryt ne devocyon tyl I was consentyd
to do as I was
mevyd in my spiryt, and this is to me gret drede and hevynes."
The worschipful clerk
seyd unto hir, "Ye schal obey the wil of God, for I leve it is
the Holy Gost that spekyth
in yow, and therfor folwyth the mevyng of yowr spiryt in the
name of Jhesu." Sche
was meche comfortyd wyth hys wordys and toke hir leve, goyng
forth to the see syde
wyth hir felaschip. Whan thei were comyn thedir, the schip was
redy to seilyn. Than
sche preyid the maistyr that sche myth seilyn wyth hem into Duchelond,
and he goodly
receyvyd hir, and thei that weryn in the schip seyd not onys
nay. Ther was non so
meche ageyn hir as was hir dowtyr, that awt most to a ben wyth
hir. Than sche toke hir
leve of the ermyte that was come thedyr wyth hir, rewardyng hym
sum deel for hys
labowr and preying hym to excusyn hir to hir confessowr and to
hir other frendys
whan he come hom to Lynne, for it was not hir wetyng ne hir entent
whan sche partyd
fro hem to a passyd the see nevyr whil sche had levyd, but, sche
seyd, "I must abeyn
the wil of God." The ermyte partyd fro hir wyth hevy cher and
cam hom ageyn to
Lynne, excusyng hir to hir confessowr
and to other frendys, tellyng hem of her sodeyn
and wondirful partyng and how it was not hys knowyng that thei
schulde a partyd so
sodeynly asundyr. The pepil that herd therof had gret wondyr
and seydin as thei woldyn.
Sum seyd it was a womanys witte and a gret foly for the lofe
of hir dowtyr in lawe to
putte hir self, a woman in gret age, to perellys of the see and
for to gon into a strawnge
cuntré wher sche had not ben beforn ne not wist how sche
schulde come ageyn. Summe
heldyn it was a dede of gret charité for as meche as hir
dowtyr had beforn tyme left hir
frendys and hir cuntré and cam wyth hir husbond to visityn
hir in this cuntré that
wolde now halpyn hir dowtyr hom ageyn into the cuntré
that sche cam fro. Other
whech knewe mor of the creaturys levyng supposyd and trustyd
that it was the wille
and the werkyng of almythy God to the magnifying of hys owyn
name. |