Vitas patrum.

¶Of the deth of saynt Pachomyen / & begynnyth in latyn ¶Certus ita{que} pa¦chomius / Caplm C.iiii.

SOne after a solempnite of Es¦ter. the holy man Pachomyen felt hȳself sore seke & feble. w^t hȳ was Theodore y^t full besily seruyd hym / And he beynge in this grete syke¦nes. he had alway y^e face well colouryd & mery. & ii. dayes bifore y^t he deyed. he assēbled all his bred{er}n / In the presēce of whom he made suche a proposicōn / ¶Ryʒt dere bred{er}n I knowe y^e god wol call me. & that I shall sone goo oute of this world after y^e holy fad{er}s / So I bese¦che you hertely. y^t ye woll remēbre you alwaye of the rules & charges y^t I haue yeue & done to you afore this tyme / & y^t ye woll kepe yourself wel fro y^e secte of tha••ryens & of thother ouerleders & de∣nyers of the fayth of Ihū Cryst / but a∣cōpanye & haunte wyth theym y^e drede god & that loue him perfytly / I see the tyme of my life y^t comyth to an ende. & my dethe is nye / And therfore chose in my presence a pastour y^t shall be fader & techer of the saluacōn of your soules And asmoche as I can know Petrony¦en semyth me wyse ynouʒ for to teche you. & to kepe you fro euyll doynge. but what someuer I saye of it. ye may cho¦se after your good discrecōn him y^t shal seme you good / ¶They all togyd{er} amō¦ge theym chose Petronyen swetly. and wyth theyr good wyll / the whiche was constaunt & stedfast in the fayth meke of conuersacyon / Wyse of vnderston∣dynge. and perfyghte in condycyons / ¶Saynt Pachomyen knowynge that

this Petronyen was that tyme syke in the monastery of y^e Thebenesyens. pra¦yed deuoutly our lorde for his helthe / & to the Relygyouses y^t were absent was sent worde. that they shold come to the decease of theyr fader abbot Pachomy¦en / The whiche in blessynge hymselfe wyth the vertuous sygne of the Crosse. deceassed vpon y^e Translacōn daye of saynt Nycholas. in y^e moneth of Maye And yelded his soule in the hondes of an angell of heuen· that was come for to receyue it / ¶And att his dethe were present dyuers Religyouses in grete nō¦bre. whyche all the nyghte contynuelly sayd psalmes aboute his body. And on the morowe he was buryed in the mo∣untayn where his graue was ordeyned ¶Soone after was the holy fader Pe∣tronien sent for by some y^t brought hȳ But he was yet sore feble. & lyued not long aft{er} Pachomyen Leuyng his succe¦ssour a nother holy fad{er}. namid orsiscū /

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