The myroure of Oure Ladye, containing a devotional treatise on divine service, with a translation of the offices used by the sisters of the Brigittine monastery of Sion, at Isleworth, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Edited from the original black-letter text of 1530 A.D., by John Henry Blunt.

¶ Of them that ar lyght to speke or to slepe in tyme of goddes seruice.

Capitulo .xviii.

Amongest these other letters of our Lordes holy [Hinderers of Divine Service by talking or sleeping.] houres; ar spekers and slepers namely they that ar lyght to speke, for they let other as well as themselfe, & gyue occasyon of yuel. How perylous this vyce ys, ye may se by these examples. ¶ There was a yonge religyous vyrgyn aboute ten yere of age in the order of [Cesarius in dialog. dist. xij. Capitulo .xxxvj.] Cystews whose name was Gertrude, whyche after her deth cam agayne on a day at euensonge tyme when all the Couent was in the quyer, & enclyned [Folio .xxj.] lowe before the hye auter, she cam in to place there she was wonte [How the young Cistercian nun Gertrude came into quire after her death,] to stande in the quier, & at the ende of euensonge of our lady she fel downe prostrate, tyl all was done & then she rose, & went her wayes. None saw her but a nother mayde of the same age, that was wont to stande by her in the quier whiche was aferde, & told yt

to the Abbes, & on the nexte day by byddyng of the Abbesse she asked of the same virgyn when she came agayne and sayde vnto her. Syster Gertrude good [and when asked by another little maid why she came,] syster Gertrude from whense comest thou now & what doest thou amongst vs after thy dethe. Then she answered and sayd I come hyther to make amendes for [answered that it was to make amends for whispering half words to her during service time.] my trespace for I rowned to the in the quyer halfe wordes, & therfore I am byden to satysfaccion in the same place, & but yf thou be ware of the same vyce, thou shalte suffer the same payne after thy dethe. And after she had appered so foure tymes; she sayde, Sister I hope I haue fulfylled my penaunce from hense [After having done this penance she went to bliss.] furthe thou shalt no more se me, & so she went to blysse. ¶ But take ye hede syth this yonge mayde of ten yere of age was punysshed so for halfe wordes; what shall they suffer that ar of greater age for hole wordes spoken in tyme of place of sylence. ¶ It is also redde of saynte Seueryn archebysshop of Colyn, [How the holy Saint Severinus appeared after death to his Archdeacon with fire raining down upon him.] whiche was so holy a man that he harde aungels synge, when saynt Martyn dyed many hundereth myles fro hym, & gat by his prayer that hys Archedeacon harde the same songe. This same saint Seuerine apperyd after his deth to the same archedeacon, arayed in his bysshopes aray, & standynge as yt had bene in the ayre betwene heuen & erth, & aboue his hed was as it had bene a clowde of fyer sparkelyng & dropyng vpon his hed, & vpon all his body. Then said the arche∣deken vnto hym. Art thou not my lorde Seueryne, he answeryd & sayd ye. & the Archedeken asked, what is that, that I se art thou in fyer; he sayd, ye am I. Then the archedeken sayd, we worshyp the syr he sayd as a saynt, & thow sufferest so grete tormente; saynt Seueryne answeryd. This I suffer, for in syngyng of [as a punishment for sometimes attending to business during Divine Service.] goddes seruyce in the quier. I was more neglygente then I shulde haue be. For whyles my clarkes songe the seruice of god, & I was presente with them; sometyme

bothe my seruauntes, & other came to speke to me of dyuerse nedeful thenges, & I entended to them, & gaue them answeres, the archedeken sayde, syr I trowe yt be no greate tormente that thou sufferest, & when he had said so; a droppe of the fyry clowde fel upon hys arme, [How the Arch∣deacon was convinced that the fire was real: and cried Ah! mine arm, mine arm! But was healed by the Saint's blessing.] whyche brent the flesshe anon vnto the bone, & he cryed a myne arme myne arme, then said sainte Seueryne vnto hym. Drede the not for now shalt thou se notwithstondyng my paynes, how moche I may do agenst god, & then the holy bysshop lyfte vp his hande, & blissed his arme. & anon yt was hole, so that he felte neuer payne therof after. ¶ Here ye may se what payne they deserue that ar bounde to sylence, & without nede speke in tyme of our lordes holy seruice; whyle this holy bysshop that was not bounde to sylence of relygion, was thus greuously tormented, for he spake in tyme of these holy houres thinges that were nedeful. ¶ Of them that ar dul & slepy in goddes seruice, we [How St Bernard saw an angel cense those that were singing devoutly, but pass by the sleepy and negligent.] rede that saynt Bernarde se an angel with a sencer go al aboute the quier & sence them that prayed & songe deuoutly, & passed forthe by them that were slepy, & neglygente. Of an other holy man we rede, that was on a tyme [Folio .xxij.] oppressed wyth heuynes of slepe in oure lordes seruyce. And there cam an aungell in lykenes of a reuerende persone and toke hym by the breste and [How an angel drew a sleepy clerk out of quire and asked him whether he came there to sleep or to wake.] drew hym out of the quyer, & whyle he was thus drawen he beganne to a wake and openyd hys eyen, & sawe hym and sayde, what arte thow syr he sayde, & why drawest thow me so. He answered. And why slepest thow so; whither comest thow to chyrche to slepe or to wake; And anon he was gon, and the goodman droue sleape from hym, and was more ware to kepe hymselfe waker in goddes seruyce alway after.