ON SECUNDE WEDNESDAI AFTIR EESTIR WEKE.

[SERMON CXC.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ how Crist apperide, after tyme þat he was *. [Christ's resur∣rection de∣clared to the women by angels,] deed. Luk telliþ, On þe Sunday next, after þe sabot of Jewis, eerli and in þe grey day, camen wymmen to se þe sepulcre, bringinge þe oynementis þat þei hadden maad redi. And so þes wordis of Mark, þat þes wymmen camen to þe sepulcre whanne þe sunne was risun, moten be wel undirstonden. Sum men seien þat þei camen ofte, and ofte wenten aȝen. Mark telliþ of þis comyng, þat þei camen at þe sunne risynge; but Luk telliþ of þe first comyng, þat þei camen on þis Sunday; and þis semeþ more lik to soiþ, þan þat þei tarieden bi þe wey, til þat þe sunne was risun; for love was spore to þes 1. [So E; A has þis.] wymmen, to make hem to haste faste. And þei foundun þis grete stoon turned fro þe dore of þe grave. And þei, comynge in, founden not þe bodi of þe Lord Jesus. And it felle, while þei weren astonyed in þeir mynde of þis, lo, two men stonden biside hem, in shynyng cloiþ, and þes two men weren two angels. And while þei dredden, and castiden doun þer face to þe erþe, þe angelis seiden to hem, What seken ȝe þe lyvyng among deed men? He is not here, now in bodi, but he is risun; þenke ȝe how he spak wiþ ȝou, ȝit whanne he was in Galile, and seide, þat mannis sone mut be bitrayed in to synful mennis hondis, and be pitchid upon þe cros, and rise on þe þridde day. And þei hadden mynde of Cristis wordis, and þei turneden aȝen fro þe sepulcre, and tolden alle þes to þe enlevene, þat weren apostlis, and to alle oþer. And þes wymmen weren Marie Mawdeleyn, and anoþer womman was Joone, and Marie James modir, and oþir wymmen þat weren wiþ hem, þat seiden þes þingis to apostlis. And so it semeþ bi þes wordis þat here weren fyve wymmen at þe leste. And þes wordis weren semyng Page  146 to þes men, as þei weren founed wordis, for wymmen, whanne þei ben affrayed, speken ofte wordis out of witt, and þes disciplis trowiden not hem. And Petre roos, and ran to þe grave, and knelynge doun, sawe þe lynnen cloþis put bi hem silf; and he wente awey, wundringe bi him silf þat þing was doon1. [of þat þyng þat was done, E.].

And here men seien comunly, þat Crist apperide here to *. [and believed in by them before it was believed by the apostles.] Petre, whanne he wente bi him silf; but, for he wantiþ oþir witnesse, þerfore þis gospel telliþ it not. But þe gospel telliþ þat Crist apperide to Petre; and it is licly þat in þis tyme. And of þis gospel it semeþ opyn, þat þes wymmen trowiden wel þat Crist was risen fro deeþ bifore þe apostlis, as Petre, or Joon, or ony oþer. Crist shewide him goostli to his modir, and telde hir how he was risun. Marie Mawdeleyn wiste not ȝit alle þe treuþis of þis uprisyng, but hadde doute of many oþer, as it semeþ of Joones gospel. And so Petre and Joon passiden þes wymmen soone aftir in many pointis; but þes wymmen trowiden to þe aungels, þat Crist was risen and was alyve.