Vitas patrum.

¶Of the shappe of a woman y^t apered to saynt Iohn̄ the Almoner Patryarke of Alexandrye / & begynnyth in latyn ¶Cū{que} illis &c. Caplm .C.xii.

THe sayd saynt Iohn̄ rehercyd o¦nes to the hope of them y^t glad¦ly gyue for goddis sake. that he beynge on a nyghte a slepe. sawe in dremynge a ryght fayre and clere wo∣man.

[illustration]

and shynynge as the sonne / And crowned with a crowne of lawrer / In musynge of her grete bewte he a woke / ¶And him semyd that he sawe her in dede stondynge byfore hym / ¶Soo he blessyd hym Incontynent. And spake to her. After askynge what she was / ¶To whom she answerde all smylin¦ge that she was the moder of the doug¦hter of the kynge / ¶And after sayd to hym / My frende yf thou wolt loue me I shall presente the byfore the soueray¦ne emperour / For none hath there soo grete power as I haue / ¶Thenne af∣ter she vanysshed a waye from his syg¦hte / ¶Thenne the holy man Iohan supposyd after his aduys. that it was compassyon or almesse that was appe∣red byfore hym in lykenesse of a wo∣man / By cause she hadd on her heed a fayre crowne of lawrer / ¶For certayn¦ly the grete compassyon & benygnytee that god hath to the poore synners / He hathe made his ryght dere and swete chylde Ihesu Cryste to take our kyn∣de flesshe / and suffre soo many euylles for vs / ¶The holy man after this vy¦syon aroos / wythout to a wake ony bo∣dy. and wente to the chyrche / ¶And in¦goynge thyder he founde a poore euyll clothyd man / and as deyenge for colde ¶Soo toke he of his gowne. and ga∣ue it hym for to clothe hym wyth all / And after retornyd wythoute to entree in to the chyrche / Puttyrige in hymselfe a doubte whether the aduysion that he had seen were of god or non / ¶And in retornynge to hys howse warde. he met wyth a man clothyd wyth whyte vesty¦ments / that gaaf hym an hundred pe∣nyes / Sayenge that he sholde dystrybu¦te theym where it playsed hym / ¶And by cause hym semyd that he had be o∣uer hasty and redy to receyue the sayde penyes. doubtynge to be dysceyued / He wente to haue delyuered theim ayen to hym that gaaf theym to hym / ¶But he cowde not. by cause the other was vanysshyd away / ¶Soo had he then̄e some vnderstondynge and knowlege that this vysion was come to hym of god /