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7
Whan thei wer come to Akun,
the seyd creatur met wyth a monke of Inglond, the
whech was to Romeward. Than was sche mech comfortyd in as mech
as sche had a
man that sche cowde undirstonden. And so thei abedyn ther togedyr
ten er ellys eleven
days for to seen owr Ladys smokke and other holy reliqwiis whech
wer schewyd on
Seynt Margaretys
Day. And in the mene tyme that thei abedyn ther it lukkyd that a
worschepful woman cam fro London, a wedow wyth meche meny wyth
hir, to seen
and worschepyn the holy relikys. The sayd creatur cam to this
worthy woman,
compleynyng that sche had no felaschep to gon wyth hir hom into
Inglond. The wor-
thy woman grawntyd hir al hir desyr, and dede hir etyn and drynkyn
wyth hir, and
made hir ryth good cher. Whan Seynt Margaretys Day was comyn
and gon and thei
had seyn the holy relikys, the worschepful woman sped hir fast
owt of Akun wyth alle
hir mené. The seyd creatur, wenyng to a gon wyth hir and
thus defrawdyd of hir
purpose, was in gret hevynes. Sche toke hir leve of the monke
whech was to Romeward,
as is wretyn beforn, and sithyn gate hir a wayne wyth other pilgrimys
and pursuyd
aftyr the forseyd worthi woman as fast as sche myth to lokyn
yf sche cowde ovyrtakyn
hir, but it wolde not be. Than it happyd hir to metyn wyth tweyn
men of London
goyng to Londonward. Sche preyid hem to gon in her cumpany. Thei
seydyn, yf sche
myth duryn to gon as yerne as thei, sche schulde be wolcome,
but thei myth not han no
gret lettyng; nevyrthelesse thei wolde helpyn hir forth in hir
jurné wyth good wyl. So
sche folwyd aftyr hem wyth gret labowr tyl thei comyn at a good
town wher thei
mettyn pilgrimys of Inglond wer comyn fro the cowrt of Rome and
schulde gon hom
ageyn into Inglond. Sche preyid hem that sche myth go wyth hem,
and thei seydyn
schortly that thei woldyn not lettyn her jurné for hir,
for thei weryn robbyd and haddyn
but lityl mony to bryng hem hom, wherfor thei must nedys makyn
the scharpar jurneys.
And therfor, yf sche myth duryn to gon as yern as thei, sche
schulde be wolcome and
ellys not. Sche saw non other socowr than to abydyn wyth hem
as long as sche myth,
and so left tho other tweyn men and abood stille wyth this men.
Than thei wentyn to
her mete and madyn mery. The sayd creatur lokyd a lityl besyden
hir and sey a man
lyn and restyn hym on a benchys ende. Sche enqwiryd what man
that was. Thei seydyn
it was a frer, on of her felaschep. "Why etith he not wyth yow?"
"For we wer robbyd
as wel as he and therfore ych man must help hym self as wel as
he may." "Wel," seyd
sche, "he schal have part of swech good as God sendith me." Sche
trustyd wel that owr
Lord schuld ordeyn for hem bothyn as wer nedful to hem. Sche
dede hym etyn and
drynkyn and comfortyd hym ryth meche. Sithyn thei wentyn alle
in fer togedyr. The
sayd creatur cam sone behyndyn; sche was to agyd and to weyke
to holdyn foot wyth
hem. Sche ran and lept as fast as sche myth tyl hir myghtys failyd.
Than sche spak
wyth the powr frer whom sche had cheryd beforn, proferyng to
aqwityn hys costys tyl
he come at Caleys,
yf he wolde abydyn wyth hir and latyn hir gon wyth hym tyl thei
comyn ther, and yet gevyn hym reward besyden for hys labowr.
He was wel content
and consentyd to hir desyr. So thei letyn her felaschep gon forth,
and thei tweyn
folwyd softly as thei myght enduryn. The frer, beyng evyl for
thryst, seyd to the
creatur, "I knowe thes cuntreys wel anow, for I have oftyn tymys
gon thus to Romeward,
and I wote wel ther is a place of recreacyon a lityl hens. Late
us gon thedyr and
drynkyn." Sche was wel plesyd and folwyd hym. Whan thei cam ther,
the good wife
of the hows, havyng compassyon of the creaturys labowr, cownselyd
that sche schulde
takyn a wayne wyth other pilgrimys and not gon so wyth a man
alone. Sche seyd that
sche was purposyd and fully trustyd for to a gon wyth a worschepful
woman of London,
and sche was deceyvyd. Be than that thei had restyd hem a while
and dalyid wyth
the good wife of the hows, ther cam a wayn forby wyth pilgrimys.
The good wife,
havyng knowlach of the pilgrimys in the wayne, whan thei wer
passyd hir hows, sche
clepyd hem ageyn, besechyng hem that this creatur myth rydyn
wyth hem in her wayne
for the mor sped of hir jurné. Thei, goodly consentyng,
receyvyd hir into her wayn,
rydyng alle togedyr tyl he comyn at a good towne wher the sayd
creatur parceyvyd the
worschepful woman of London of whom is beforn seyd. Than sche
preyid the pilgrimys
that weryn in the wayne thei schulde heldyn hir excusyd and latyn
hir payn for the tyme
that sche had ben wyth hem as hem lykyd, for sche wolde gon to
a worschepful woman
of hir nacyon that sche parceyvyd was in the towne, wyth the
whech sche had mad
forward whan sche was at Akun
for to gon hom wyth hir into Inglond. Sche had good
lofe and leve and partyd fro hem. Thei redyn forth, and sche
went to the worschepful
woman, wenyng to a be receyvyd wyth a rith glad cher. And it
was evyn ryth contrary;
sche fonde rith schort cher and had rith scharp langage, the
worschepful woman seying
to hir, "What wenyst thu for to gon wyth me? Nay, I do the wel
to wetyn I wyl not
medelyn wyth the." The creatur was so rebukyd that sche wist
not what to do. Sche
knew no man ther ne no man knew hir. Sche wist not whedir to
go. Sche wist not wher
the frer was whech schulde a ben hir gyde ne whedyr he schulde
comyn that wey er no.
Sche was in gret diswer and hevynes, the grettest, as hir thowt,
that sche had suffyrd
syn sche was comyn owt of Inglond. Nevyrthelesse sche trustyd
in owr Lordys promysse
and abood stille in the towne tyl God wolde sendyn hir sum comfort.
And, whan it
was ny evyn, sche saw the frer comyng into the towneward. Sche
hyid hir to spekyn
wyth hym, compleynyng how sche was deceyvyd and refusyd of the
good woman that
sche trustyd so meche to. The frer seyd thei schulde don as wel
as God wolde gevyn
hem grace and comfortyd hir into hys power, but he seyd he wolde
not abydyn in that
towne that nyth, for he wost wel it was a perlyows pepil. Than
went thei forth togedyr
owt of the towne ageyn the evyn wyth gret drede and hevynes,
mornyng be the wey
wher thei schuldyn han herborwe that nyth. Thei happyd to comyn
undyr a wodys syde,
bisily beheldyng yf thei myth spyin any place wherin thei myth
restyn. And, as owr
Lord wolde, thei parceyvyd an hows er tweyn, and in hast thedir
thei drowyn ther was
dwellyng a good man wyth hys wife and tweyn childeryn. Than heldyn
thei non hostel
ne not wolde receivyn gestys to her herborw. The seyd creatur
saw an hep of
brakys in an hows, and wyth gret instawns sche purchasyd grace
to restyn hir on the
brakys that nyth. The frer wyth gret preyer was leyd in a berne,
and hem thowt thei wer
wel esyd that thei haddyn the hows ovyr hem. On the next day
thei made aseth for
her lodgyng, takyng the wey to Caleysward, goyng wery weys and
grevows in dep
sondys, hillys, and valeys tweyn days er thei comyn thedyr, sufferyng
gret thrist and
gret penawns, for ther wer fewe townys be the wey that thei went
and ful febyl herberwe.
And on nyghtys had sche most dreed oftyn tymys, and peraventur
it was of hir gostly
enmy, for sche was evyr aferd to a be ravischyd er defilyd. Sche
durst trustyn on no
man; whedir sche had cawse er non, sche was evyr aferd. Sche
durst ful evyl slepyn
any nyth, for sche wend men wolde a defylyd hir. Therfor sche
went to bedde gladlich
no nyth les than sche had a woman er tweyn wyth hir. For that
grace God sent hir,
wher so sche cam for the most party maidenys wolde wyth good
cher lyn be hir, and
that was to hir gret comfort. Sche was so wery and so ovyrcomyn
wyth labowr to
Caleysward that hir thowt hir
spiryt schulde a departyd fro hir body as sche went in the
wey. Thus wyth gret labowrys sche cam to Caleys and the good
frer wyth hir, the
which ful goodly and honestly had ben governyd to hirward the
tyme that thei went
togedyr. And therfor sche gaf hym reward as sche myth ateyn so
that he was wel
plesyd and content and departyd asundyr. |