[Legenda aurea sanctorum, sive, Lombardica historia] [Wyllyam Caxton]

Here foloweth the lyf of seynt Marye magdalene / And first of her name /

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MArie is as moche to saye as bytter / or a lyghter / or lyghted by thys ben vnderstonden thre thynges that ben thre the best partes that she chaas / That is to say / parte of penaunce / parte of contemplacion wythin forth / And parte of heuenly glorye / and of thys treble partye is vnderstanden that is sayde by our lord Marye hath chosen the best parte / whiche shal not be taken fro her / The first parte shalle not be taken from her by cause of thende whiche is the folownyg of bles sydnes / The second by cause of contynu¦aunce / ffor the contynuaunce of her lyf is cōtynued with the contemplacion of her contrary / The third by reson of per∣durablenes / And for as moche as she chafe the best parte of penaunce / she is sayde a bitter see / ffor therin she had moche bitternes / And that appiered in that she wepte so many teres that she weshe therwyth the feet of our lord And for so moche as she chaas the parte of contemplacion wythinforth she is a lyghtar / ffor there she toke so lar∣gely / that she spradde it habundantly She toke the lyght there / wyth whiche afterward she enlumyned other / And in that she chaas the best parte of the heuenly glorye / she is sayde the lyght For thenne she was enlumyned of parfyght knowlege in thought & with the lyght in clernes in body / magdale¦ne is as moche to saye as abydyng culpable / Or magdalene is Interpreted closed or shette / or not to be ouercomen Or ful of magnyficence / by whiche is shewed what she was to fore her con∣uersion / and what in her conuersion / and what after her conuersion / For to fore her conuersion she was abydyng gylty by oblygacion to euer lastyng payne / In the conuercion she was gar¦nysshyd by armour of penaunce / She was in the best wyse garnysshed wyth penaunce / For as many delyces as she had in her / So many sacryfyses were founden in her / And after her conuer∣sion she was praysed by ouer haboun∣daunce of grace / For where as synne habounded / grace ouer habounded and was more &c̄

Of marye Magdalene

MArie Magdalene had her sur name of Magdalo a castel and was born of ryght no¦ble lygnage & parentis whiche were descended of the lygnage of kynges / And her fader was named Sirus / and her mo¦der Eucharye / She with her broder la∣zare / and her suster Martha posseded the castel of magdalo / whiche is two myle fro nazareth / and bethanye the cas¦tel whiche is nygh to Ierusalem / and also a grete parte of Ierusalem / whiche all thyse thynges they departed emong them / In suche wyse that marye had the castel magdalo / Wherof she had her name magdalene / And lazare had the parte of the cite of Ierusalem / & martha had to her parte bethanye / And whan Marye gaf her self to all delyces of the

body / And lazare entended alle to knyghthod martha whiche was wyse gouerned nobly her brothers parte / & also her susters / and also her owen / and admynestred to knyghtes / And her seruauntes and to pouer men suche ne∣cessytes as them neded / Neuerthe••••s after thascencion of our lord they sold all thyse thynges and brought the va∣lwe therof and leyde it at the feet of y^e appostlys / Thenne whan magdalene habounded in rychesses / And by cause delyte is felawe to rychesses and ha¦boundaunce of thynges / and for so mo¦che as she shone in beaute gretly and in rychesses so moche the more she submy∣sed her body to delyte / and therfore she bost her ryght name / and was callyd customably a synner / and whan our lord Ih̄u cryst prechyd there and in o¦ther places / She was enspyred wyth the holy ghoost / And went in to the hous of Symon leprous where as our lord dyned / Thenne she durst not by cause she was a synner appere tofore the Iust and good peple / but remay¦ned behynde atte feet of our lord / and wesshe his feet wyth the teres of her ey¦en / and dryed them wyth the heer of her hede / and enoynted hem wyth pre¦cyous oynement / For thenabytantes of that regyon vsed baynes and oyne¦mentes for the ouer grete brennyng & heet of the sonne / And by cause that Symon the pharysee thought in hym self / that yf our lord had ben a very prophete / he wold not haue suffred a synful woman to haue touched hym / Thenne our lord repreued hym of hys presumpsion / and foryaf the woman alle her synnes / And this is she that same marie magdalene to whom our lord gaf so many grete yeftes / And shewed so grete signes of loue / that he toke from her seuen deuyls / he enbraced her alle in his loue / and made her right famylyer wyth hym / he wold that she shold be his hostesse / And his procu¦resse in his Iourney / he oft tymes excu¦sed her swetely / For he excused her a¦yenst the pharyse whyche sayde that she was not clene / and vnto her suster that sayde that she was ydle / and vnto Iu¦das sayd that she was a wastresse of good / and whan he sawe her wepe / he coude not wythholde his teres / And for the loue of her he reysed lazare whi¦che had be four dayes deed / and heled her suster fro the fluxe of blood which had holden her seuen yere / And by the merites of her he made marcelle cham¦briere of her suster martha to saye that swete word / blessyd be the womb that bare the / and the pappes that gaf the souke / but after seynt ambrose it was martha that sayde so / And thys was her chambriere / This marie magdalene sayd it is she that wesshe the feet of our lorde and dryed them wyth the heer of her hede / & enoynted them with precyous oynement / and did solempne penaunce in the tyme of grace / And was the first that chaas the best parte whiche was at the feet of our lorde / an herde his prechyng / whiche enoynted his hede / and at his passyon was nygh vnto the crosse / whiche made redy oyne¦mentis / and wold enoynt hys bodye and wold not departe fro the monu¦mente / whan hys descyples departed / To whom Ihesu cryst appyered first af∣ter his resurectione / and was felawe to the appostlys / and made of our lord appostolesse of thappostles / Thēne after thascencion of our lord the xiiij yere fro his passyon / long after that the Ie¦wes had sleyn seynt Stephen / and had caste out the other dyscyples out of the Iewery whiche went in to dyuerse con∣trayes and preched the word of god Ther was that tyme wyth thappostles seynt maxyme whiche was one of the lxxij dyscyples of our lord to whom the blessyd marie magdalene was com¦mysed by seynt peter / and thenne whan the descyples wer departed / Seynt maxyme / marye magdalene / and lazar her brother martha her suster Marcelle chaumberer of martha / and seynt cedo∣nye whiche was born blynde & after enlumyned of our lorde / alle thyse to gydre & many other crysten men were taken of the mescreauntes and put in to a shyppe in the see wythout ony ta∣kyl or rother / for to be drowned / but by the puruyaunce of almyghty god they cam al to marcelle / where as none wold receyue them to be lodged / they duellyd and abode vnder a porche to fore a tēple of the peple of that contray

And whan the blessyd marie magdale¦ne sawe the peple assembled at this tem¦ple for to doo sacrefyse to thydollis / she aroos vp peasibly with a glad visage a dyscrete tongue and wel spekyng / And began to preche the faythe & lawe of Ihesu cryst / and withdrewe them fro the worshippyng of thydollis / Thenne were they admerueylled of the beaute of the reson / and of the fayr spekyng of her / And it was no merueylle that the mouth that had kyssed the feet of our lord so deboneyrly and so good¦ly shold be enspyred with the worde of god more than the other / And after that it happed that the prynce of the prouynce and hys wyf made sacrefise to thydollis for to haue a chyld / And marie magdalene prechid to them Ih̄u cryst / And forbade them tho sacrefyses And after that a lytil whyle marie Magdalene apperyd in vysion to that lady sayeng / wherfor hast thou so moche rychesse / and suffrest the pour peple of our lord to deye for hungre & for colde / And she doubted and was aferd to shewe thys vysion to her lord And thenne the seconde nyght she appe¦red to her agayn and seyd in lyke wyse and adiousted therto menaces / yf she warned not her husbond for to comforte the poure and nedy / And yet she said nothyng therof to her husbond / And thēne she appered to her the third nyght whan it was derke and to her husbond also with a frownyng & angri visage lyke fire lyke as al the hous had bren∣nyd / And sayd thou tyraunt & membre of thy fader the deuyl with that serpent thy wyf that wil not saye to the my wordes / thou restest now enemy of the crosse / whiche hast filled thy bely by glotonye wyth dyuers maner of metes and suffrest to perisshe for hungre the ho¦ly Seyntes of our lord / Lyest thou not in a paleys wrapped with clothes of sylke / And thou seest hem wythout herberough descomforted / And goost forth and takest no regarde to them / Thou shalt not escape so ne departe wythout punysshement thou tyraunt and felon bycause thou hast so long ta∣ryed / And whan marie magdalene had sayd thus / she departed awaye Thenne the lady awoke and sighed / And the husbond syghed strongly al¦so for the same cause and trembled / And thenne she sayde sir hast thou seen the sweuen that I haue seen / I haue seen sayd he that I am gretly amer∣ueylled of / And am sore afferde what we shalle doo / And hys wyf sayde It is more prouffytable for vs to obey her / Thenne to renne in to the yre of her god whom she prechyth /

For whyche cause they receyued them in to theyer hous and mynystred to them alle that was necessarie and ne∣deful to them / Thenne as Marie magdelene prechyd on a tyme / The sayde prynce sayd to her / wenest thou that thou mayst defende the lawe that thou prechest / And she answerd / Certaynly I am redy to defende it / as she that is confermed euery day by my¦racles / and by the predycacion of our mayster seynt peter / whiche now sitteth in the see at rome / To whom thenne the prynce sayde / I and my wyf ben re¦dy to obey the in alle thynges / yf thou mayst gete of thy god whom thou pre∣chest that we myght haue a chylde / And thenne marie magdalene sayde that it shold not be left therfor / And thenne prayed vnto our lord that he wold vouchesauf of his grace to yeue to them a sone / And our lord herd her prayers / And the lady conceyued Thenne her husbond wold goo to seynt peter for to wyte yf it were trewe that marie magdalene had prechyd of Ihesu cryste / Thenne hys wyf sayde to hym / What wyll ye doo sir / wene ye to goo wyth out me / nay whan thou shalt departe I shalle departe with the / and whan thou shalt retorne agayn I shal retorne / and whan thou shal reste and tary I shal rest & tary / To whom her husbond answerd and sayde / dame it shal not be soo / For thou art grete and the perylles of the see ben wythout nombre / thou myghtest lyghtely pe∣rysshe / thou shalt abyde at home & take hede to our posessyons / And this lady for no thyng wold not chaūge her put poos / But fyl doun on her knees at hys feet sore wepyng requyryng hym to take her wyth hym / And so atte laste he consented and graunted her request / thenne marie magdalene sette

the signe of the crosse on theyr sholdres to thende that the fende shold not enpes¦she ne lette them in thayer Iourney / Thenne charged they a shyppe habun¦dantly of alle that was necessarye to them / And left alle theyr thynges in the kepyng of marie magdalene / And went forth on theyr pilgrymage / And whan they had made theyr cours and sayled a day and a nyght / ther arros a grete tempest and orage / And the wynde encresed and grewe ouer hidouse in such•• wise that this lady which was grete and nygh the tyme of her chyl∣dyng began to wex feble & had grete anguysshes for the grete wawes and troublyng of the see / and sone after bygan to traueyle and was delyuerd of a fair sone by accasyon of the storme and tempest / And in her chyldyng deyed / and whan the chyld was born he cryed for to haue comforte of the te¦tes of his moder / and made a pyte∣ous noyse / Alas what s••rowe was thys to the fader / to haue a sone born whiche was cause of the deth of his mo¦der / And he myght not lyue / for ther was none to norisshe hym / Alas what shal thys pylgrym doo / that sceth his wyf dede / and hys sone cryeng after the brest of his moder / And the pyl¦grym wept strongly and sayd / Alas caytyf alas what shal I doo / I desired to haue asone / and I haue lost both the moder and the sone / and the marōners thenne said / this dede body must be cast in to the see / or ellis we al shal perys¦she / for as long as she shal abyde with vs / thys tempest shal not cesse / And whan they had taken the body for to caste it in to the see / the husbond sayde abyde & suffre a litil / and yf he wil not spare to me my wyf / yet atte lest spare the lityl chylde that cryeth / I praye you to tary a whyle for to knowe yf the moder be a swowne of the payne / and that she myght reuyue / and whiles he thus spacke to them the shypmen espyed a montayn not fer fro the shyppe / And thenne they said that it was best to set the shippe toward the lond and to bu∣rye it there and so to saue it fro deuou¦ryng of the fysshes of the see / and the good man dyd so moche with the ma∣ronners / what for prayers and for mo¦ney that / they brought the body to the montayn / and whan they shold haue dygged / for to make a pytte to lay the body in / they fond it so hard a Roche that they myght not entre for hardnes of the stone / & they left the body theer lyeng & couerd it with a mantel / and the fader leyde his lityl sone atte brest of the deed moder / & sayd wepyng / O marie magdalene why camest thou to marsele to my grete losse & euyl aduen¦ture why haue I at thyn Instaūce en∣treprysed this Iourney / hast thou requy¦red of god that my wyf shold conceyue and shold deye at the chyldyng of her sone / for now it behoueth that the childe that she hath conceyued and born pe∣rysshe bycause it hath no norice / Thys haue I had by thy prayer / and to the I commaunde them to whom I haue commendyd alle my goodes / And also I commende to thy god yf he be myghty that he remembre the soule of the moder / That he by thy prayer haue pyte on the chyld that he perysshe not / Thenne couerd he the body alle about wyth the mantel and the chyld also / And thenne retorned to the shyppe / And helde forth hys Iourney / And whan he cam to Seint pe¦ter / seynt peter cam ayenst hym / And whan he sawe the signe of the crosse vpon hys sholdre / He demaunded hym what he was / and wherfor he cam / and he told to hym alle by ordre / To whom peter sayde / pees be to the / thou art wel com / and hast byleued good counseyle And be thou not heuy / Yf thy wyf slepe / And the lytil chyld rest with her For our lord is almyghty for to gyue to whom he wyl / and to take awaye that he hath gyuen / and to restablisshe and gyue agayn that he hath taken / And to torne all heuynes and wepyng in to Ioye ¶ Thenne Peter ladde hym in to Iherusalem and she∣wed to hym alle the places where Ih̄u cryst prechyd and dyd myracles / and the place where he suffred deth / And where he ascended in to heuen / And when he was wel enformed of Seynt Peter in the fayth / And that two yere were passyd syth he departed fro marselle / He toke hys shyppe fort retorne agayn in to hys contraye / and

as they sayled by the see / they cam by the ordynaunce of god by the roche where the body of hys wyf was lefte and his sone / Thenne by prayers and yeftes he dyd so moche that they ary¦ued theron / And the lytil chyld whom marie magdelene had kepte went ofte sythes to the see syde / and like smale chyldren toke smale stones and threwe them in to the see / And whan they cam they sawe the lytil chyld playeng wyth stones on the see side / as he was wont to doo / and thenne they meruey∣led moche what he was / And whan the child sawe them / whiche neuer had seen peple tofore was aferde and ranne secretly to hys moders breste and hyde hym vnder the mantel / And thenne the fader of the chyld went for to see more appertly / And toke of the man∣tel / And fond the chyld whyche was right feyr sukyng his moders breste / Thenne he toke the chyld in his armes and sayd / O blessyd ma¦rie magdalene I were w••l happy and blessyd yf my wyf were now alyue / and myght lyue and come agayn with me in to my contreye / I knowe veri∣ly and byleue wythout doubte / that thou that hast gyuen to me my sone / and hast fedde & kepte hym ij yere in thys roche / ¶ Mayst wel restablisshe his moder to her first helthe / And with thyse wordes the woman respired and toke lyf and sayd lyke as she had ben awaked out of her slepe / O blessyd marie magdalene / thou art of grete merite and gloriouse / For in the paynes of my delyueraunce thou were my mydwyf / And in al my necessy∣tes thou hast accomplysshid to me the seruyce of a chaumberer / And whan her husbond herd that thyng / he admer¦ueylled moche and sayde / lyuyst thou my right dere and best beloued wyf To whom she seyd / ye certaynly I lyue and am now fyrst come fro the pylgri¦mage / fro whens thou art come / And alle in lyke wyse as seynt peter ladde the in Iherusalem / And shewed to the alle the places where our lord suf∣fred deth / was luryed / And ascen∣ded to heuen / And many other places I was wyth you wyth marye magda∣lene / whiche ladde and accompanyed me / And shewed to me al the places whiche I wel remember and haue in in mynde / And there recounted to hym alle the places and the myracles that her husbond had seen / And neuer fayled of one article ne went out of the waye fro the sooth / And thenne the good pylgryme receyued his wyf and his chyld / And went to shyppe And sone after they cam to the porte of marselle / And they fond the bles¦syd marie magdalene prechyng with her desciples / And thenne they kne¦lyd doun to her feet / And recounted to her alle that had happened to them And receyued baptisme of Seynt max¦ymyn / And thenne they destroyed al the temples of thydolles in the cyte of marse••le / And made chirches of Ih̄u cryst / And with one accord they chaas the blessyd Seynt lazare for to be bys∣shop of that cite / And afterward they cam to the cyte of Ays / And by grete myracles and prechyng they brought the peple there to the fayth of Ihesu cryst / and there seynt maxymyn was ordeyned to be bysshop /

In this mene whyle the blessyd marie magdalene desyrous of souerayn con∣templacion / sought a ryght sharp de∣serte / and toke a place whiche was or¦deyned by thangele of god / and abode there by the space of xxx yere without knowleche of ony body / In whiche pla¦ce she had no comfort of rennyng wa∣ter / ne solace of trees ne of herbes / And that was bycause our redemer dyd do shewe it openly / That he had ordeyned for her refection celestial / and no bodily metes / And euery day at euery hour canonycal she was lift vp in thayer of thangellis / And herd the gloryous song of the heuenly companyes with her bodily ••eres / Of whiche she was fedde and fylled with right swete metes / and thenne was brought agayn by thangellis vnto her propre place / in suche wyse as she had no nede of corporal norisshyng / It happed that a preest whiche desired to lede a solytarye lyf toke a Celle for hym selfe a twelue forlonge fro the place of marie Magdalene /

On a daye our lord opened the eyen of that preest / and sawe with his bodyly

eyen in what maner the Angelles descended in to the place where the blessyd magdalene dwellyd / and how they left her in to thayer / and after by the space of an hour brought her agayn with dyuyne praysynges to y^e same pla¦ce / and thenne the preest desired gretly to knowe the trouthe of this merueyl∣lous vision / and made his prayers to almyghty god / and went with grete deuocion vnto the place / and whan he approched nygh to it to a stones cast / His thyes began to swelle and wex fe¦ble / and his entrayles began within hym to lacke breth and syghe for fere and assone as he retorned he had hys thyes al hool / & redy for to goo / And whan he enforced hym to goo to the place / al his body was in langour & myght not meue / and thenne he vnder¦stode that it was a secrete celestial place where no man humayn myght come / & thenne he called the name of Ih̄u and sayd / I coniure the by our lord / that yf thou be a man or other creature resona∣ble that dwellist in this caue / that thou answere me / and telle me the trouth of the / And whan he had sayd this thre tymes / the blessyd marie magdalene ansuerd / Come more nere / and thou shalt knowe that thou desirest / & thēne he cam tremblyng vnto the halt waye and she sayde to hym / Remembrest thou not of the gospel of marie mag∣dalene the renommed synful woman whiche wesshe the feet of our sauyour with her teeris / and dryed them wyth the heer of her hede / & deserued to haue foryeuenes of her synnes / & the preeste sayd to her I remembre it wel that is more than xxx yere that holy chirche bileueth and confessith that it was don & thenne she said I am she that by the space of xxx yere haue ben her without wittyng of ony persone / and like as it was suffred to the yesterday to see me In lyke wise I am euery day lyft vp by the handes of thangellys in to thay∣er / and haue deserued to here with my bodely eeris the ryght swete song of the companye celestyal / And bycause it is shewed to me of our lord that I shalle departe out of thys world / Goo to Maxymyne / and say to hym that the next day after the resurrection of our lord in the same tyme / that he is acustomed to arise & goo to matyns that he allone entre in to his oratorye and that by the mynysterye and seruyce of Angellys he shal fynd me there / And the preest herd the boys of her ly¦ke / as it had be the boys of an angelle but he sawe nothyng and thenne anon he went to seynt maxymyn and told to hym alle by ordre / Thenne saynt max¦ymyn was replenysshed of grete Ioye And thankyd gretly our lord / And on the sayde day and hour as is afore¦sayd he entrid in to his oratorye / And sawe the blessyd marie magdalene stā¦dyng in the quyre or chore yet emong thangellys that brought her / and was lyfte vp fro therthe the space of ij or iij cubyttis / And prayeng to our lord she held vp her handes / and whan Seynt maxymyn sawe her he was aferd to ap¦proche to her / And she retorned to hym and sayd / come hyther myn own fader and flee not thy doughter / And whan he approched & cam to her / as it is redde in the bokes of the said seint maxymyn For the customable vision that she had of angellis euery day / the chyere and visage of her shone as cleer as it had ben the rayes of the sonne / And thenne alle the clerkes and the prestes a fore sayde were called / And marie magda∣lene receyued the body and blood of our lord of the handes of the bysshop wyth grete habundaunce of t••eres / and after she stratched her body tofore the aulter / And her ryght blessyd soule departed fro the body and went to our lord / and after it was departed ther yssued out of the body an odour so swe¦te smellyng that it remayned there by the space of senen dayees to al them that entrid in / ¶ And the blessyd maxy∣myn enoynted the body of her with dy¦uers precious oynementis / and bury∣ed it honourably / And after commaū¦ded that his body shold be buryed by heers after hys deth /

Egesippus wyth other bokes of Iose∣phus accorden ynough wyth the sayd storye / ¶And Iosephus sayth in hys tratye that the blessyd man mag¦dalene / After the ascencion of our lord for the brennyng loue that she had to Ihesu Cryste / ¶ And

for the grief and descomfort that she hadde for the absence of her mayster our lord she wold neuer see man / but after whan she cam in to the countray of Ays / She went in to deserte and dwellyd there xxx yere wythout knou¦yng of any man or woman / And he sayth that euery day atte vij houres ca¦nonyques she was lyft in to thayer of the angellys / But he sayth that whan the preest cam to her / He fond her en∣closed in her celle / And she requyred of hym a vestement / And he delyuerd to her one / whiche she clothed and co∣uered her wyth / And she went wyth hym to the chirche and receyued the com¦mynyon / and thenne made her prayers with Ioyned handes / and rested in pees In the tyme of charles the grete in the yere of our lord vijClxxj Gerard duc of burgoyne myght haue no child by his wyf / wherfor he gaf largely al∣messe to the pour peple / & founded ma∣ny chirches and many monasteries / & whan he had made thabbay of uisilia∣cense / he & thabbot of the monasteri sent a monke wyth a good resonable felaw¦shyp vnto ays for to bryng thyder yf they mygt of y^e reliques of saint marie magdalene / & whan the monke cam to the sayd cite / he fond it all destroyed of paynems / Thenne by auenture he fond the sepulcre / for the writyng vpon the sepulcre of marble shewed wel that the blessyd lady marie magdalene res∣ted and lay there / and thistory of her was merueyllously entayled & coruen in the sepulcre / and thenne this monke opened it by nyght and toke the rely¦ques / and bare them in to his lodgyng and that same nyght marie magdalene apperyd to that monke sayeng / doubte the nothyng make an ende of thy wer¦ke / thenne he retorned homward vntil he cam half a myle fro the monastery But he myght in no wyse remeue the relyques fro thens / til that thabbot & monkes cam wyth prosessyon and recey¦ued them honestly / And sone after the duc had a chyld by hys wyf / Ther was a knyght whiche had a cus¦tome euery yere to goo a pylgrymage vnto the body of seint marie magdalene whyche knyght was slayne in batayle And as his frendes wepte for hym lyeng on the byere / they sayd wyth swete and deuout quarelles / why she suffred her deuoute seruaunte to dye wythout confessyon and penaunce / Thenne sodenly he that was deed aroos Alle they beyng sore abasshed / And made one to calle a preest to hym / and confessyd hym wyth grete deuocion / And receyued the blessyd sacrament And thenne rested in peas / There was a shyppe charged wyth men and women that was perisshed and alle to brake / And there was a¦mong them a woman wyth chylde whyche sawe her self in peryl to be drou¦ned / And cryed fast on marye mag¦dalene for socour and helpe makyng her auowe that yf she myght be saued by her merytes and escape that perylle yf she hadde a sone she shold gyue hym to her monasterye /

And anon as she had so auowed / A woman of honourable habyte and be∣aute apperyd to her and toke her by the chynne / and brought her to the ryuage alle sauf / And the other pe∣rysshed and were drowned / And after she was delyuerd and had a sone and accomplisshed her auowe lyke as she had promysed / Some say that ma¦rie magdalene was wedded to Seynt Ioh̄n theuangefist whan crist called hym fro the weddyng / and whan he was called fro her she had therof Indig¦nacōn / that her husbond was taken fro her / & went & gaf her self to alle delyte but by cause it was not couenable that the callyng of seynt Ioh̄n shold be occa¦sion of her dampnacōn / therfor our lord conuerted her mercifully to penaunce and bycause he had taken fro her soue¦rayn delyte of the flesshe / he replenys¦hed her with souerayn delyte spirituel to fore al other / that is the loue of god & it is sayd that he ennoblesshed seynt Ioh̄n to fore al other with the swetnes of his famyliarite / by cause he had takē hym fro the delyte aforsayd / there was a man whiche was blynde on both his eyen / & dyd hym to be ledde to the mo¦nastery of the blessid marie magdalene for to visite her body / his leder sayd to hym that he sawe the chyrche / And thēne the blynd man ••scried and said with an hye voys / O blessyd

marye magdalene helpe me that I may deserue ones to see thy chyrche / And anon hys eyen were opened and sawe clerly all thynges aboute hym / There was another man that wrote hys syn¦nes in a cedule and leyde it vnder the couerture of the aulter of marie magdalene mekely prayeng her that she shold gete for hym pardonne & for∣yeuenes / and a whyle after he toke the cedule agayn and fond alle his syn∣nes effaced and stryken out / Another man was holden in pryson for dette of money in yrons / And he called vnto his helpe ofte tymes marye mag¦dalene / ¶ And on a nyght a fayre woman apperid to hym and brake all his yrons / and opened the dore / and commaunded hym to go his way / and whan he sawe hym self loos he fledde away anon / ¶ There was a clerke of fflaundres named Stephen rysen and mounted in so grete and desordonnate felonnye that he haunted alle maner synnes / ¶ And suche thyng as aper∣teyned to hys helth he wold not here Neuertheles he had grete deuocion in the blessyd marye magdalene and fas¦ted her vygyle / And honoured her feste / And on a tyme as he viseted her tombe / He was not alle aslepe nor wel awaked / whan Marie magda¦lene apperyd to hym lyke a moche fayr woman susteyned wyth two an¦gellys one on the ryght syde and a no¦ther on the lyft syde / And sayde to hym lokyng on hym despytously / Stephen / why reputest thou the dedes of my merytes to be vnworthy / wher fore mayst not thou atte instaunce of my merytes and prayers be meued to pennaunce / For sythe the tyme that thou begannest to haue deuocyon in me / I haue alwaye prayed god for the fermly / Aryse vp therfore and repent the / And I shalle not leue the tyl thou be reconcyled to god / And thenne forthwyth he felt so grete grace shedde in hym / That he forsoke and renounced the world and entrid in to relygyon / And was after of ryght parfyght lyf / And atte deth of hym marye Magdalene stondyng be¦syde the biere wyth angellys whyche bare the soule vp to heuen wyth heuenly song in lykenes of a whyte douue / Thenne late vs praye to thys blessyd marye Magdalene that she gete vs grace to don penaunce here for our syn∣nes / that after thys lyf we may come to her in euer lastyng blysse in heuen Amen

Thus endeth the lyf of Seint marie Magdalene /