What sche doþ atte the Masse tyme.

Now goo wee to þe messe, þat þis forseyde virgyn heeriþ ful gladly, whan sche maye haue a preste; to whom sche gyueþ entente wiþ study of wonder deuocyone, sighynge & coueitynge wiþ hyȝ desyres þe sighte of oure lordes body. ¶ Sooþly, anone as she seeþ þe eleua∣cyon [ 10] of the sacramente, in þe selfe momente of the sighte þere-of, sche berith ouer wiþ a merueilous mouynge alle hir body ouerthwarte þe bedde, strecchynge forþe hir armes on booþ sydes hir, & makith a crosse of hir-selfe, and so sche abidith alle-starke as a stok in a swogh and rauishynge; soo þat þe armes, heed and nekke, with a [ 15] party of þe shuldres er wiþ-outen hire bedde ¶ and so as vnto þat parte of þe body she hengiþ in þe eyre withouten sterynge, as longe as the masse is in doynge, and þe visage of þe virgyne is algat sum∣whatly streight vp towarde the auter, as if sche byhelde allewey þe sacramente þurgh þe myddes of the dore; ¶ and þe toþer dele of [ 20] the body, fro þe lendes to þe soles of þe feet, is stille as hit was by∣fore & strecchid forþe after þe beddes lengþe. ¶ Þen whan þe masse is doon (&) þe preste haþ put of his chesibil: þe forseide virgyn turniþ ageyne to hir-selfe and is put to þe state þat sche was wonte to be in, so þat she liggeþ in hir bedde righte as she laye, or she were [ 25] rauesched. ¶ Forsooþ, if sche schal þan receyue þe sacrament, she turnith hir anoon ageyns þe auter, and hir sistres and hir moder lifte vp and vndir-sette hir wiþ cloþes or wiþ two piloues, and so sche abidith neiþer liggynge ne sittynge, but as bytwix booþ, haldynge hire handys to-gedir, wiþ fulle deuoute sighynges and goostly greyd∣lynes [ 30] and oþer-while wiþ teerys abidynge mekely þe comynge of hire sauyoure & spouse. ¶ And whanne þe preste, cladde wiþ an albe, offirs to hir þe sacramente, she metiþ oure lorde with alle her spirite, & in þe selfe momente þat sche openiþ her mouþe and takiþ þe oste, she is rauyshed euen forþwiþ: ¶ soo þat anone she closith her mouþe [ 35] and stekith her lippes to-gider and standith stoon-stille; nor it maye not be perceyued þat she holdith þe sacramente in hir mouþe or sche∣wiþ hir moistes or swolowes or decloseþ hit in her mouþe, nor she moueþ teeþ ne lippes ne chekys. ¶ And so she abidiþ starke & ra∣uishid a good space. And whan þe pilous are taken awaye or oþere [ 40] cloþes þat hilde hir vp byfore, neuer-þe-latter she abidith vnmouid in þe same manere of body and membrys as she was whan sche receyued þe sacramente. ¶ Afterwarde sche commith agayne to hir-selfe and lenys hir heed to þat place as hit is wonte to ligge. ¶ And hir chere semiþ þen ful specyous and cleer & gracyous, abouen þat I maye write [ 45] or seye: & þen is she delityd wiþ heuenly and goostly swetnesse of oure lorde; and, as hit semiþ, she looþes bodily byholdynges and takiþ neuere hede to mennes spekynges, ¶ and, as mykel as she maye for Page  116 shame, she refusith to be seen & to see. ¶ And so in silens & stabil ioye of mynde she contynueþ þat tyme, vnto she ryse vp atte þe oure þat foloweþ. ¶ Also hit is to witte þat she is neuere housilde, or she haue schreuene hir byfore masse: þe whiche schrifte semiþ raþere of louvynge þan of blamynge, as þe forseyde abbot, hir confessour, [ 5] tolde me. ¶ Sooþly, she blamith hir-selfe mykel for she is not so par∣fitely in louvynge & þankynge of oure lorde as she aghte to be, ¶ and also þat she oþere-while dredith & is sory more thanne she aghte, for vnkyndenes and dampnacyone of man-kynde, for by-cause þat men knowe not þe beenfetys of oure lordys passyone & of here [ 10] saluacyon.—Certeynly, for þat wee haue made mencyon of confessyon, wee wole þei witte þat likeþ to heer, þat oure seruauntes, foot-men þat kepe oure hors, stood onys be-syde hir, to aske helpe of hir pray∣ers. Þanne oon of hem, þat was a Braban & knewe hir langage, kne∣lyd doune and bysoghte hir þat sche wolde praye for hym and for [ 15] his felawes. ¶ Þanne she answerid and seyde: 'ȝif ȝee wil do after my counseyle, I wille bisely praye (for) ȝow'. And þey bihighte þat þey wolde. Þan forwiþ sche sayde: ¶ 'Goo shryue ȝow of ȝoure syn∣nes & doþ penauns, & I schal praye (for) ȝow wiþ good wille; or elles I wolde not entermete me þere-of, for I schulde trauel in veyne'. [ 20] ¶ And when sche hadde byholden hem bisely, sche callid specially to hir oon of hem þat was ȝongest, a feyre ȝonge man, sympel and wel witted, & made oon þat knewe booþ her langage seye vnto hym þat, as sone as hee myghte, he shulde make hym a lewde frere of Clare∣ualle or of an oþere hous of oure ordir, where hee myghte fynde a [ 25] place of his conuersyone; and þat she counseyled hym on alle wise. And þe same ȝonge man byhighte gladly to do after hir counseyle; and so it was done. ¶ For not mykel after, at þe prayers of þe same virgyne, wee sende þe same ȝonge man to oure hous of Clareualle and made hym a conuers, þat is to seye a lewde frere. ¶ And whan þe [ 30] forseide abbot, keper of þe same virgyne, asked of hir, while I was presente, why sche chas þat ȝonge man amonge oþere and badde hym be a man of religyone: ¶ she answeryd goodly & smyland: þat she knewe hym in state of hem þat shalbe saued; and ȝif hee hadde þen dyed, hee schulde soon haue comen to heuene; ¶ and þerfore [ 35] sche desyred þat þe staat of þat ȝonge man were strengthed wiþ re∣medy of religyone and felawschyp of religyous men. ¶ Afterwarde it was knowen of þe same ȝonge man, þat often and bysely hee wolde be schreuen and as many tymes as hee myghte, hee wolde be atte masse ful deuoute, ¶ and in sympilnesse of obedyens and innocens, [ 40] as men myȝhte see, he passed his felawes. ¶ þre dayes after þat atte þis was doon, þe forsayde Braban þat prayed þe virgyn to praye for hym and for his felawes, visityd hir efte-sones. ¶ And many folke beynge þere presente, ¶ anoon as she bygan to loke on hym, she brest oute in to siche woordys: 'ȝit arte þou not schreuene. Þou has [ 45] don folily, for þou abidiþ to schryue thee. Why taryes þou? why feynes þou? ¶ Þe deuyl is ful slye, & þou knowith not þe poynte of þy deth'. ¶ And hee was alle aschamed and wente aweye; and on Page  117 þe morne hee was schreuen in þe cite of Leody to a frere þat hadde Popes powere, as it was seyde; and hee assoyled hym, as þe same ȝonge man sayde afterwarde.—¶ Þis was doon openly, & in couerte no-þinge, ¶ and wee bere witnesse to þat at wee haue seen. ¶ þerfore it is to do shortly of þat þat wee haue herde by tellynge of oþere—for [ 5] now þis litil boke encreces to a gretter.

The forsayde abbot tolde me & my felawes þat vpon a good-fry∣daye in þe ȝeere of oure lorde a thowsande two hundrede sexty and sex þe same virgyne heed bygan to ake in a tyme bytwix two ouris, whan she hadde reste fro peynes as she was wonte to haue, [ 10] and sche myghte not holde hir heed vpon a pilow no while in o ma∣nere, but now and now trollid it hyderwarde and þyderwarde. And whanne hir moder and hir sustirs perceyued þat, þey liȝhted candellis and loked nere & bisily byhelde þe maydens heed: and þey sawe, and schewed to oþere bisyde, prickynges as of þornes, alle reed with [ 15] blody dropes, rounde about þe hede of the virgyne in þe maner of a gerlonde, figurynge the corowne of þornes of oure lorde.—¶ Also the same ȝeere on seinte Barnabe daye þe same abbot tolde vs in þe hous of þe virgyne þat in þe vigil of þe same feste atte euesonge∣tyme hee coom to þe virgyns hous and whanne sche hadde endyd her [ 20] euensonge, she asked þe abbot what feste was on þe morne. ¶ Þen þe abbot, þat hadde seyde euensonge of the fery ridynge (&) þoghte on no feste by negligens of his chapeleyne, answerid and seyde: þere was no feste on þe morne. ¶ 'ȝis certeynly, quod sche, þere is maad a grete feste in paradys of a grete lorde'. Þe abbot herde þat and [ 25] loked a kalender; & seyde euensonge of þe feste.—¶ Also vpon a daye þe abbot asked hir howe and by what strengthe she myghte suffre so many and so greuouse peynes. And sche answeryd: 'I suffre but litil to regarde of a mayden þat is callyd Mary, the whiche dwellith in a towne of Flaundirs þat is callid Insula. ¶ Sooþly, sche is tur∣mentyd [ 30] fer sharper and longer þan I'. ¶ And thanne sche bygan to discryue þe passyouns of þat same Marye, as þof sche hadde seen hir many tymes in angwysche of peynes. Neuerþeles, sche neuere sawe hir, ¶ and, as hit is leuyd, sche herde neuere worde of hir of any erthely creature; ¶ nor the same abbot knewe no thinge of þat same [ 35] Marye, nor neuer come tithinge of hir in to þat cuntrey: for þe for∣seyde virgyns dwellyn fer a-twynne. ¶ Ferþermore sche seyde þat þe same Marie and sche sawe ilke oþere often whanne þey were rauyshed, and þat sche knewe hir ful wele; and seyde þat she was a ful wyse mayden & þat sche hadde þe spirite of wisdome and cown∣seyle; [ 40] ¶ and she tolde myche of hir pacyens & wysdome, þat wee knowe wele is soþe: ¶ for often we haue þat same Marye seen, as wee wente by þat forseyde towne Insula, by-cause of oure visitacyons. ¶ Sooþly, the 1. [Ms. qd (= quod) the.] kynge of Fraunce visityd hir oþere-while and gerte make hir a ful honest chapelle—but Inogh of this atte this tyme.—More-ouere [ 45] be hit knowen to hem þat wole witte: þat þe vtward Page  118 clennes of þe same virgyn Eliȝabeth beeriþ witnesse and open euydens of hir inwarde clennes. ¶ For aftir commun witnessynge of hem þat dwelle with hire, she forbedith her tunge fro yuel, & hir lippys þat they speke no gyle; ¶ soo þat fro hir mouþe comeþ neiþer spotel ne spittynge nor no maner of moisture or mater of vnclennes fro hir [ 5] nese-þirles.—¶ Sooþly, of hir meet & drynke I write þat at I am syker of. ¶ Onees atte a dewe oure, and, as me meniþ, bytwix sexte & noon, hir moder broghte hir a litil mylke in a litil dyshe, & þen oure felawe, þe abbot of Clareualle, putte a spoonful þere-of to hir mouþe, & þat she suppyd atte three suppyngis as hir semyd with difficulte: [ 10] & þan sche bygan to fille with-alle, as she hadde loþed meet þat was gyuen hir. And anoon was taken hir drynke: wyne medelid wiþ watir; & whanne sche hadde tastyd þere-of, she wolde not drynke. ¶ And I dare saye wiþ good consciens þat a doufe wolde haue dronken moor atte oonys of the welle-watir þan the mayden didde of þe cuppe. [ 15] ¶ And þis is verrely leeuyd þat she etiþ & drynkeþ raþere after oþere mennes wille þan for any luste or nede of hir-selfe. Also oþere-while, if þere be putte to hir mouth fruytes of trees or flesche or fysche, þen she soukys sumwhat of þe sotil substauns, no-þinge receyuynge of þe gros mater.—¶ Ferþermore hit is to be notyd þat neiþere she [ 20] ne hir fader ne moder nor noon of hir meenye maye not be garte on no-maner wyse to receyue any gifte or anykyns presaunte; ¶ Þey sey þat þey haue Inowgh, and holdeþ hem payed of þat atte god hath gyuen hem. ¶ Sooþly, þey are wonder symple and innocente, as wee were enfourmed by oure owne consideracyone and oþere trewe men∣nes [ 25] tellynge.—¶ Wherfore this virgyne, whos lyfe is alle mirakil, ȝe moor-ouer alle hir-selfe is but myrakil, as hit schewiþ by the abouen writynge, figures and expounes not allonly Cryste, but Cryste cruci∣fyed, in hir body, ¶ and also þe figuratif body of Cryste, þat is holy chirche. Loo, in þe distinxione of oures she representys þe custome [ 30] of holy chirche, ordeynid by god, as Dauyd seith: ¶ 'Seuen tymes on the daye, lorde, I seyde louvynge to þe'. ¶ In woundes and peynes she affermiþ þe feith of þe passyone, in ioye and myrþe after peyne gladnes of þe resurrexyone, ¶ in rauishynge þe ascencyone, ¶ in ro∣dynes of hir reuelacyouns & spiritual lyfe she figurith þe sendynge of [ 35] þe holy goost, and of þe sacramente of þe auter and of confessyon, & þen of desyres of alle mennes saluacyone, & of sorowe of vnkyn∣denes & dampnacyone of mankynde. Þat atte is writen aboue, declariþ openly Inowȝ þat þou, man, arte vnexcusabil, if so quik argumentȝ & open reproues stir þe not to strengthe of feith, to desyre of charyte [ 40] and deuocyone. Þere is ȝit mykel to be writen of this mater; but nede of occupacyouns and werknesse 1. [l. weiknesse.] of body makeþ me to putte vp my penne.