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¶Capitulum primum
WHanne the Heremyte had kepte syr Launcelot thre dayes / the heremyte gate hym an hors / an helme / and a suerd / ¶And thenne he departed about the houre of none And then∣ne he sawe a lytel hows / And whanne he came nere / he sawe a Chappel / and there besyde he sawe an old man that was clo∣thed al in whyte ful rychely / and thenne sire launcelot saide god saue yow / god kepe yow sayd the good man / and make yow a good knyghte / Thenne syr Launcelot alyghte and en∣tred in to the Chappel / and there he sawe an old man dede in a whyte shert of passyng fyne clothe / ¶ Sir said the good man this man that is dede oughte not to be in suche clo∣thynge as ye see hym in / for in that he brake the othe of hys ordre / / For he hath ben more than an C wynter a man of a re∣lygyon / And thenne the good man and sire Launcelot wente in to the Chappel / and the good man tooke a stole aboute hys neck and a look / and thenne he coniured on that book / & with that they sawe in an hydous fygure & horryble / that there was no man soo hard herted nor soo hard but he shold haue ben a∣ferd / Thenne saide the fende thow hast trauaylled me gretely / Now telle me what thou wilt with me / I wille saide the go∣od man that thow telle me how my felawe became dede / & whe∣ther he be saued or dampned / Thenne he said with an horryble voys / he is not lost but saued / how may that be sayd the good man / It semed to me that he lyued not wel / for he brake his ordre for to were a sherte / where he oughte to were none / And who that trespaceth ageynst our ordre dothe not wel / Not soo sayd the fende this man that lyeth here dede was come of a grete lygnage / and there was a lord that hyghte the er∣le de Vale that helde grete werre ageynste this mans neuewe the whiche hyghte Aguarus
And soo this Aguarus sawe the Erle was byggar than he / Thenne he wente for to take counceylle of his vnkel the which lyeth here dede as ye maye see /
¶ And thenne he asked leue & wente oute of his heremytage