CHAPTER IX.

THer was a worthi burgoyze, a good woman, wel named and charitable, that fasted .iij. tymes a woke, two [fol/col 4b/2] tymes in brede and water, and gaue gret almesses, and uisited the sike, and norisshed faderles children, and was atte the masses tiƚƚ mydday, and saide her matenis, with gret and meruailous other seruise, and used the blessed lyf that any woman might. And hit happed that she deied, and oure lorde wolde shewe ensaumple how she was lost and dampned for one dedly synne; for in aƚƚ mennis sight her berieles began to smoke, and the erthe to brenne, and on night was gret torment herde on her pitte, of the whiche pepiƚƚ was gretly amerueiled of what it might be; before thei supposed euer that she was saued ouer aƚƚ other. And thedir come an holy man with the holy crosse, and coniured the sowle in the name of Cod to heƚƚ, and shew what stinke and what turment that was and brenninge. Thanne spake a uoys, and saide, " y am the poure synner, y am dampned in fyre, for God shewithe that niy wreched body yeldithe smoke and turment in exsaumple; beware by me, for whanne y was yonge, for the lust of my flesshe, y laye with a monke; & y durste neuer teƚƚ it to my confessour, for drede of encursinge, Page  13 dredinge shame and the bobaunce of the worlde, more thanne spirituel uengeaunce of myn synne. And yet y sende and gaue my good for Goddes sake, herde masses, and saide my seruice diligently, wenyng that the good and the abstinence that y dede shulde haue clensed the synne that y durst not teƚƚ the preest, and therein y am deseiued, and lost; for y saie you aƚƚ, who that dothe a dedly synne and confessith hym not therof, [fol/col 5/1] and deieth so, he is dampned perpetuelly; and therfor ye shulde teƚƚ the synne as foule as ye do it, and in the same manere; and whanne she hadde saide, aƚƚ that herde *. [MS. "herde herde."] her were abaisshed, for there was none that wende but she had be saued. And this exsaumple the good man that shroue the woman in the nexst tale afore tolde her in her shrifte, to that entent that she shulde teƚƚ aƚƚ her synne, and so she shroue *. [MS. "sroue"] her and was sethe of holy lyff, and so she had awaye the spottys of the siluer plater. And so was she saued by her shrifte. And the beginnyng of her saluacion was the fast on the Friday and Saterday in worship of Cristes passion and the uirginite of oure lady, for the whiche she was furst saued from the perile of the weƚƚ, for there nys no good dede but it be quitte. Therfor it is a blessed thinge to faste, for the more harme it dothe the faster, the more is the merit, and of gretter valour; for and the fast greued not, hit were not merit. And yet forto shewe an other exsaumple that fastinge is gret meryt, the king of Nynbe and his citees were saued, as it is wretin in the Bible, for God had made mani citees to sinke for the synne that thei delited hem inne. And so God sent worde to the kinge and the citee bi the profete Ionas, But yef thei amende hem, the citee and the peple shulde be perysshed. And thanne the peple were aferde, and forto apese the wrath of God, aƚƚ thei that were of age to fast fasted fourty dayes and nightes, and knelyng on her kneys and elbowes in sygne of humilite. And whanne [fol/col 5/2] God sawe her humblesse, he had mercy on hem, and [they] were saued, and called out of pestelence by fastinge and humilite. And therfor, faire doughtres, fastinge is an abstinence of vertu, right couenable to Page  14 swage the yre of God, and refrainithe the flesshe of eueƚƚ willes, and humblithe the herte, and impetret pardon and grace of God ; and therfor yong women aught to faste, and specially maydenes and wedwes, as is aforesaid by diuerse exsaumples, the whiche, and God before, ye shaƚƚ take hede of and kepe hem weƚƚ.