Vitas patrum.

¶ And nexte folowyth the lyfe of sa¦ynt Maryne / Begynnynge in latyn ¶ Fuit frater quidam / et cetera Caplm .xliii.

[illustration]

SOmtyme a seculer man whi∣che hadde but one oonly doug∣hter / whom he delyuerd to go∣uerne to one of his frēdes / And after he put hym self in relygyon / where he dy∣de wyth a good wyll / alle that thabbot commaunded hym / After that he hadd be there a longe space of tyme / he ofte remembryd his doughter / insuche wyse that he becam alle melancolyus /

¶ Thabbot seenge his corage chaun¦ged / and that he was not so Ioyous as he had be accustomed / demaunded him the cause of his heuynesse /

¶ Thenne he ansuerde in wepynge / that he hadde lefte in the cyte an oonly sone. whome he moche loued. and for that cause he was melancolyous / and also by cause he wyst not how he dyde / The abbot sayd to hym / Goo & fetche hym and brynge hym hyther to thende that he may duelle wyth the / And ne∣uerthelesse the sayd relygious hadde no sone. but oonly a doughter. as afore is sayd / the whyche hadde to name Ma∣ryne / but he wold not telle soo to the ab∣bot / by cause he hadd concluded to brin¦ge her in / in abyte dyssymyled / And went to the cyte / whyche was dystant fro his monastery xxxii. myle or there a¦boute / And brought his doughter clad lyke a man / and callyd hyr Maryn / In whyche estate she was theryn vnto the age of riu••· yere. and was suffycyently Instructe / as welle in letture as other¦wyse in the waye of helthe / hir fader shewed hyr how vyrgynyte was a fay¦re estate moche agreable to god / In pra¦yeng her ryght affectuously to kepe hit well / and that she sholde be ware and wyse from the grynnes of the fende.

And that she sholde neuer late be kno∣wen that she was a woman / she comen to the age of xvii. yere / her fader deyed and departed out of the worlde.

¶ After she becam moche obeyssaunt to thabbot and to alle them of the mo∣nastery / in suche wyse that she was mer¦ueyllously loued of thabbot and of all the relygyous wenynge allewaye that she hadde be a man.

¶ The sayd monastery hadde .ii. oxen and alytyll carte seruynge for the rely∣gious for to fetche their necessytees at the see whyche was by theim a thre my¦le of. ¶ On a tyme the abbot called Maryn / and asked hym why he wente not somtyme lyke as the other brethern dyde for to fetche vytayllys for the co∣uente. Maryn whiche was moche obers¦saunt wente incontynent thyder / Now it is to be noted that on the waye there was a man named Paudoux. in whos hous the sayd Maryn otherwhyle abo∣de alle nyght wyth his other brethern / Whan it was soo late that they myght not retorne to the monastery. And hit happed that the doughter of the sayd Paudoux was wyth chylde goten by a man of warre

¶ The fader seyenge hys doughter grete wyth chylde began to repreue her angrely and thretened her for to knowe who hadde-goten it /

¶ Thenne by thynstruccyon of her lo∣ue. ansuerde that Maryn the relygyous hadde doon it ¶ The fader thenne ac∣companyed wyth hys frendes cam to thabbot / ¶ recoūted to him y^e caas. Whe¦rof thabbot was gretely admerueylled

And sente anone for Maryn / And de∣maunded of hym yf he hadde commy∣sed thys grete synne / Maryn began to wepe & sayd Fader Abbot I haue gre∣tely synned / the whyche dyspleasyth me sore-Wherfore I praye you that ye wyll charge me wyth penaunce suche as ye shall thynke to be apperteynynge to the correccyon of my grete offense /

¶ Thabbot in a grete furye droof him out of y^e monastery / to fore whyche wy¦thout entrynge in agayn she was by y^e space of foure yere / lyeng vnder the ga¦te vpon the bare ground / makyng there sharpe penaunce for the synne whyche she hadde not commysed / And whanne the brethern wente for prouysyon of the couent / she asked of them brede for the loue of god and suche penaunce she en¦dured by the space of iiii. yere in whiche tyme she endured not oonly grete indi∣gen••es / But also many rebukes and shames / as well of y^e parente•• and fren¦des of the doughter whiche hadde leyde to by y^e sayd caas / as of other folke thy¦der comynge / whyche called her paper la••d and ypocryte And yet that wor∣se is / ¶ After that the sayd doughter hadde leyen in a certayn tyme for to no¦••••••ysshe her chylde whyth her pappes /

¶ She brought the chylde to hym sa∣yenge•• holde Maryn take thys chylde / and nourysshe it lyke as thou haste ma¦de it. ¶ She receyued it benygnly / And two yere duryng she nourysshed it swe¦tely with suche as was gyuen to hi•• for the loue of god / ¶ The relygyouse bre∣thern seyeng her grete pacyence and hu¦mylyte / moeued wyth grete pytee and compassyon prayde thabbot y^t it wold playse hym in preferrynge mercy tofo∣re the rygour of Iustyce to calle agayn brother Maryn / whyche thynge he wol¦de in no wyse doo / hauynge allwaye a∣yenst hym merueyllous indygnacyon bycause of the sayd trespaas / ¶ Fyna∣bly he beynge vaynquysshyd by conty∣nuel prayers of hys brethern / called hȳ in agayn and sayd to hym / Maryn I haue grete conscience / seen the grau••te of thy synne / yet I admytte the neuer∣theles to come in for to playse my bre∣thern whyche haue humbly prayde me for the many tymes / I suffre that thou and thy myserable chylde whyche hast goten in aduoultrye be lodged her wy∣thyn as straunge persones / ¶ And by cause that thou art not worthy for to fe¦lawshyppe and commynyke wyth the brethern. but in doynge to them scruple lyke as the caas shall requyre / I ordey∣ne that thou be allwaye subgette to ma¦ke clene all the places of here wythin / & take & here awaye the fylthe and vncle¦ne thynges / And also in lyke wyse to fetche water for to wasshe the pottes & disshes and to helpe the nedes of the bre¦thern / ¶ The whyche penaunce she ac∣cepted wyth good wyll and good herte / and so longe she contynued that ••he de¦parted out of this world fro lyf to deth / ¶ Thys thynge pronoūced by the bre∣thern to theyr abbot / Whyche sayd to them / My brethern ye knowe well the enormyte of hys synne of whyche he hath not made condygne penaunce /

And therfore it is not decent ne couena¦ble that he be buryed in our monastery But neuertheles seen his obedyence / I am content that ferre in the maner ac∣customed he buryed by you out of the monastery / The brethern for to doo

that whyche was permytted to theym came in to the lytyll chambre where he was deed / ¶ And in dyspoyllynge and takynge of his clothes for to ennoynte hym / They knewe that she was a wo¦man. And were merueylously abasshed ¶ And began to waylle bytterly wyth grete abundaunce of teeres / ¶ And In∣contynent camen and shewed to the ab¦bot / Who for this thynge was gretely ••oenyd. and towchyd of a merueyllo∣us contrycyon and dysplaysure / ¶ And telle there to the grounde. Smytynge wyth his hondes agaynst his brest and his heed sayenge / ¶ O gloryous Ma∣ry••e I byseche the that of the afflyccy∣••••s whyche I haue gyuen to the / that thou accuse me not tofore god / For by ygnoraunce I haue done it / ¶ Alas yf thou haddest tolde to me the trouth / I had neuer commysed towarde the thys merueyllous faw••e /

¶ After that he hadde moche lamen∣ted and waylled. he dyde doo burye her solempnly wythin the chyrche of y^e mo¦nasterye / ¶ And that same daye came she whiche hadde vntruely accused her of the caas. for whyche she hadde done soo grete penaunces / The whyche vex∣ed and tormented of the deuyll confes∣syd openly her synne / Declarynge the name of hym whyche hadde goten the chylde / ¶ Alle the Relygyouses perso∣nes of the monasteryes nyghe by aduer¦tysed of this mysterye / In the honoure of the glorious vyrgyn came to the mo¦nastery wyth theyr Crosses and tapres lyghte and brennynge / in syngyng ym¦••••••s and psalmes / In praysynge the name of god / To whom they thanked and rendred graces of that whiche had playsed hym for the edifycacyon of the yr soules to shewe to theym this merue¦yllous fayte. ¶ And after in the sayde monasterye were shewed and done ma¦ny myracles by the prayers of the holy vyrgyne saynt Maryne /

¶ Thus endyth the lyfe of saynt Ma∣ryne /