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A Holy man that had be Cha∣pelayn to saynt Basylle. and his sucessour in the bysshopry¦che of Capadoce / And the whyche wro¦te vnto saynt Iherom the lyf of saynt Basylle / ¶Reherseth that a Senato∣ur of Rome. called Protherius hadd a doughter. The whyche he wolde offre
and sacrefye vnto god / Thynkynge yt she shold be a relygyous woman / But the deuyll enuyuous ouer all goodnesse ¶For to lette and wythdrawe the holy purpoos of the sayd Protherius / enflā∣med wyth the fyre of concupyscence o∣ne of his housholde seruauntes / The whyche enamoured hymselfe on his sa¦yd doughter / ¶And by cause he knewe for certayne. that he was not her lyke for to haue her by maryage / He wente to a mayster of Magyke / To whom he shewed his caas / Sayeng that yf he cowde lerne hȳ ony meane by the whi∣che he myghte haue the sayd doughter: He sholde gyue hym a grete somme of golde / ¶The Magycyen or Nygra∣mancer answerd that he cowde not do it / ¶But and he wolde he shold make him speke with the deuyll / whiche was his procurour / By whoos werkyng he sholde well now haue ryght soone hys wyll / ¶Thenne the folisshe louer ans∣werde to the sayd Magicyen / That he was redy to doo all that he shole com∣maunde hym / Soo that he myghte ge∣te all that he desired / ¶Thenne the sa¦yd Magycien made him to forsake his Creatour And to forsake his parte of the Ioyes of paradis / And this done he made hym to take hym a bylle contey¦nynge the wordes that folowe wryten oonly wyth his owne honde /
¶My lorde and my Procurour / by cau¦se that I muste wythdrawe oute of the Crysten relygyon· and bynde myself to thy wyll. to the ende that thy subgettes ben multeplyed / I sende the this mes∣sager berer of my lettrers. whyche is de¦syrous & taken wyth the loue of a may de / Werfore I praye that thou wolt doo soo moche for me. that his wyll be ful∣fylled / To thende that by hym I may haue Ioye and glory / And power to cō¦maūde other / and brynge theym in thy obeyslaunce / ¶This letter soo made the Magycyen delyuered it to the foly∣sshe louer / and sayd to hym / That att a certayne hour of the nighte / he sholde goo and put himselfe vpon the graues of the Paynyms and Heretykes / And that there he sholde holde vp his letter in the ayre. And anone certayne messen¦gers sholde come to hym. whyche shol∣de brynge hym to the deuyll / ¶Thus dyde this vnhappy wretche / And soda∣inly came to hym a grete multytude of wickyd spirytes from the prynce of der¦kenesse. and of wyckydnesse. The why¦che in grete Ioye ladde hym tofore the¦yr prynce / Whyche was sett vp on hihe in a grete chayer / And abowt hym we¦re a grete multytude of deuylles wyth¦oute nombre / In presence of whom he presented his wrytynge / ¶And after that it was radde / the sayd prynce say∣de vnto hym / ¶Now come hyther my frēde / Doost thou byleue in me / He an¦swerd ye / ¶Yet agayn questyoned him sayenge / ¶Doost thou forsake Ihesu Cryste / he answerd as afore / Ye / Thē∣ne the prynce of the deuylles sayde to hym / ¶Ye Crysten men are false shre¦wes / For whan ye haue nede to be hol∣pen of me / Ye praye me / And after that ye haue gote your desyre. Ye denye and forsake Incontynent to that ye haue promysed to me / And soone after reto∣nrne to youre god whyche is soo moche good and swete. and mercyfull / That he refusyth not ony Synnar / ¶But this notwythstondynge / yf thou wolte
that I shall doo thy wyll to be perfor∣med and fulfilled to thy behouf & play¦sure / Thou muste fyrste gyue to me a letter of thyne honde / By the whyche thou shalt denye and forsake the sacra¦ment of baptesme. and the crysten fay∣the / ¶Secōdly thou shalt promyse me that thou shalt serue me in this worlde And atte the daye of dome thou shalte holde me felishyp. for to be wyth me af¦terwarde perpetuelly in all the tormen¦tes that I suffre / This vnhappy man promysed him all the same / And Incō¦tynent all the deuylles. maysters of for∣nycacion were sente towarde the sayde mayde. for to tempte and styre her to the loue of the vnhappy man forsayde ¶The whyche sodaynly was soo take wyche loue of hym. that she myghte no ther ete nor drynke / And after that she had borne this woodnesse a lytyll spa∣ce of tyme / Fynably she sayde vnto her fader / ¶O my fader haue pyte vpon me / For certainly I am sore tormented of the loue of one of thy seruaūtes / My fader I biseche the shewe now what a loue thou haste to thy chylde / For yf yu enclyne and falle not to my weele thou shalte see me deed wythin shorte tyme / ¶The fader began to wepe sayenge Alas what is falle to the my doughter. What is he that woll take fro me my tresour / What is he that hath defoyled the / What is he that hath put oute the lyghte of myn eyen / I wolde haue ma¦ryed the to the souerayne kinge Ihesu Cryst. and to hym a••owe thy vyrgyny¦tee. for to serue hym in deuoute relygy¦on / My truste was to haue be saued by the And thou art now wered wode and in to ydle loue ybroughte. and leuyth ye loue of thy Creatoure / Truely but yf thou take Ihesu Cryste to thy spowse thou shalt put myn olde aege in to per¦petuell sorowe / ¶The doughter wolde not agree to the wyll of her fader / but answerd / My fader yf thou graunt me not my desyre. I ensure the that thou shalt see me fynysshe my dayes thrugh bytter anguysshe wythin shorte tyme ¶The fader ferynge her wordes pur∣posed hymselfe to playse her / And sent for her sayd louer. for to make the bry∣dale bytwene theym / ¶And after that he had taken to theym all his goodes. He sayd vnto his doughter for his last worde to her / ¶Goo my vnhappy do¦ughter thou shalt repente the ones of yt thou haste thus lefte god for to serue ye deuyll / ¶After that they were maryed they dwelled togid{er} a certain space of ti¦me. Duryng ye whiche. the folissh louer thus wedded went neuer to the chyrche And also receyued not his Creatoure / ¶Wherof some toke hede. and shewed it vnto the sayd doughter his wife. say¦eng that her husbonde was not a Crys¦ten man / ¶Whan ye wretched woman had herde thyse tydynges. she layed her selfe downe at the groūde as cōfortlees and with her nayles scratchyd her tend vysage. & bete her whyte brestes. trow¦ynge to haue slayne herself for sorowe. ¶After she sayd suche wordes / Ha my god neuer that persone shall be sauyd that dysobeyeth his frendes / Who shal sende worde to my fad{er} of my cōfusyon Ha wretchydnesse is wel happed to me In what vnhappe am I com̄. whi was I euer borne. Alas yt I was not aft{er} my byrth caught in to heuen / & as she was th{us} in suche sorow. her husbonde came
trowynge to haue knowen the causes of her wrath / ¶And after that he had stylled and peasyd her somwhat / She desyred hym to goo wyth her to the chirche for to receyue togyder their ma¦ker / ¶Thenne the wretchyd man con¦fessyd his synne vnto his wyfe / ¶The whyche as hauynge force and courage of man ranne vnto saynt Basille. and sayd to hym / ¶Alas thou man of god haue of me pyte. poore and vnhappy / I haue yeuen my bodi for to be gouerned by the deuyl / Haue pyte of me horryble Inobedyent. that wolde not obeye my fader / ¶And after that she had reher∣ced & shewed all the befalle of her hus∣bonde / Saynt Basylle sente for hym for to wyte of hym yf this thynge was true / Wherat he answerd ye / ¶Then̄e for to brynge hym to penaunce. He as∣kyd hym yf he wolde retorne for to ser¦ue Ihesu Cryste / He answerde he myg¦hte not / by cause that he had promysyd to the deuyll. that he shold neuer doo to hym seruyce· and had gyuen therof his wrytynge wyth his owne honde to the deuyll / ¶Saynt Basylle his answere well vnderstonde shewed vnto him the grete mercy of god. and how he is euer redy to receyue mekely oure penaunce / ¶The good doughter knelyd byfore the sayd saynt Basylle. & sayd to hym O thou seruaunt of god haue mercy of our synne / The holy man enquyred of the sayd husbonde. yf he had ony hope to be sauyd. Wherat he answerde that ye / ¶This herynge. he brought theym in to a secrete place wythin the chyrche And durynge thre dayes. he kepte hym there in contynuell prayers. And oft ty¦mes bothe daye and nyghte he came. and vysyted hym / And askyd hym how it was wyth hym. And he answe¦red alwayes that he had none hope mo¦re of lyfe / by cause of the cryenges and callynges that the deuelles made day∣ly and nyghtly abowte hym / ¶Why∣che shewed vnto hym the wrytynge yt he hadde made vppon his promyse to the prynce of helle / Sayenge vnto him ¶Goo vnhappy man. thou arte come vnto vs / And not we to the / What we neste thou for to do / ¶The holy man comforted hym. and moeuyd and sty∣red hym in sayenge to hym / That he sholde euer haue stedfaste faythe and good hope in god. ¶He gaue hym a ly¦tyll mete / And blessyd hym wyth the signe of the Crosse / ¶And after he ma¦de hym to entree in his place where he was byfore / ¶Whanne he hadde ben there ••i the space of fourty dayes / The holi man came to him / And examyned hym how he dide / ¶He answered that he was in good suretee / For that nygh¦te he had seen the sayd saynt Basylle. that bataylled for hym agaynst the de¦uylles / And that he hadde ouercomen theym / ¶Thenne the holy man brou∣ghte hym streyght to his chambre whe¦re his slepynge place was / ¶And the nexte daye by the mornynge. he gadred togyder all the Clergye. and other fol∣ke of deuocyon / To whom saynt Ba∣sylle declared and shewed this that fo∣lowyth / ¶My chyldren ye knowe that I am your Pastour / And that I muste yelde acompte of your soules / I hadd lost a shepe / The whyche god hath sen¦te agayne to me / ¶And by cause that the good Pastour for to quyte his cōscy¦ence oughte to praye contynuelly for
his shepe / I enioyne and cōmaūde you yt ye bothe day & nyght be wyth me for to praye god. to thende yt this shepe soo come ayen to me may purchace his sal¦uacōn / ¶Soo began they al togider to praye god. wyth wepynge & syngyng) Kyrieleyson (After the gode pastour to¦ke the pore man by the honde. & broug¦hte hym in to the chyrche / ¶The de∣uyll vnto whom he had done hōmage. & all his company. came to ye assemble / trowynge to haue take the poore syn̄ar out of the holy bysshops hondes / & soo began he to crye wyth an horryble voy¦ce. sayeng / O thou holi man of god hel¦pe me / ¶Then̄e saynt Basylle torned his wordes vnto the deuill & sayd to hȳ What askest thou ye deuyll dampned. & the worste of alle other wicked tendes / It suffyseth the not that thyself & all th•• company be dampned. but art abo∣wte full belye thrugh your cursed temp¦tacōns for to make the pore creatures of god to false wyth you in hell / The deuyll answerde / Basylle ye doost me w••••ge to my grete harme / for I & my felowes here well the voyces of theym ye synge Kyncleyson / Saynt Basylle answerd / God dooth this to thi harme & not I / The deuyll yet agayn sayd to hym / Basylle thou doost me grete wrō¦ge / for this synnar is come to me. & not I to hym / He hath forsake his Creato¦ur in my presence / & therof he hath gy¦ue to me his writynge wyth his honde wryten. for a wytnesse of the same / the whyche wrytyng I goo present byfore the euerlastȳg Iuge / ¶Saynt Basylle then̄e sayd to ye deuyll / Blessyd be god / My people shall neuer ceasse to praye / nor shal not brynge downe theyr hon∣des. whiche are heued vpward to heuen tyll that thou haste gyuen ayen the sa∣yd wrytynge vnto this poore synnar / ¶Alle this noble assemble made after more deuowte prayers. than afore had done / And ceassed not tyll that the say¦de wrytynge was taken in to the hon∣des of ye sayde holy man / The whyche after the receyuynge of it. he yelded gra¦ces vnto god / And sayd to the syn̄a•• by¦fore all ye peple yt was there / ¶My bro¦der knowest not thou this letter / He an¦swerde ye / And that it was wryten wt his owne honde / ¶Then̄e saynt Ba∣sille brake it in peces. and brought him to the chirche for to make Confessyon / Whyche thynge done. he Receyued his Creatour / And after sente-hym home agayn vnto his his wyfe / The whiche of his grete grace she thanked deuowt∣ly our lorde /