XVII.
Absolucio. Absolucio eciam valet post
mortem.
We rede of a monke þat hight Hubertus, whilk þat when̛ he sulde dy, he askid̛ straytlie þat þe abbott myght com̛ vnto hym̛ & assoyle hym̛, as he did̛ other of his brether þat dyed̛. And þis abbott was fro home, & in þe mene while [þis] monke deyed̛. And when̛ þe abbott come home þai tellid̛ hym̛, and þis abbo[tt] went vnto þe altar̛ þer þis monk was berid̛, & sett hym̛ down̛ on̛ his kneis & prayed for hym̛. And as he satt in his prayers, hym̛ þoght þis monke rase oute of his grafe & come vnto hym̛, & said̛, "Benedicite!" right as he had bene o life, and askid a due absolucion̛. So þis abbott, gretlie astonyd̛ þer-with, Said̛, " miseriatur tui et c̛, et absolucionem." And þan̛ þis monk̘ askid̛ hym̛ penans. And þis abbott wiste neuer whatkyn̛ penance sulde be giffen̛ vnto þaim at wer deade; and he commandid̛ hym̛ þat he sulde be in purgatorie vnto he had said̛ a mes for hym̛. And when̛ þe monk̘ hard̛ þis, he cryed̛ so horrible, þat aƚƚ þe abbay hard̛, on̛ þis maner of wise; "O ! þou man̛ with-oute mercie! þat hase commandid̛ me to be so long in þe grete payn̛ of purga[to]rie [MS. purgarie.] ." And with þat he vanysshid̛ away.