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Sune þan þe prior toke þe gate
fast toward þe vtterest ȝate;
with him went his breþer twa,
and so did ful many ma.
of þe spirite he saw right noght;
bot in his hereing wele him thoght
þat a noyce efter him come
like a besom made of brome
þat war swepeand on a pament;
swilk a noyse ay with þam went.
and þarto said þe prior þus:
“Þou spirit, shew þe vntill vs
(als cle)rly als þou ert wroght”.
Þareto þe voice answerd right noght.
(Þe) prior þan ogain gan pas
(vnti)ll þe wedow whare sho was
(liggand) seke sare on a bed,
(& had) sho lang bene euill sted;
(þe no)yes folowd als it did are.
(and whan þai) in þe chamber ware
[OMITTED] bigin,
(þe woman bigan) to gnayst and grin
(and for) to cri als sho war wode,
(þat al war) stonaid þat þare stode,
[OMITTED] þai had þat sight to se
[OMITTED] was grete pete.
(Þe pople þan) with al þaire might
[OMITTED] se þat sight,
[OMITTED] vnto þat place
[OMITTED] (þa)t wonder case.
[OMITTED] (lik) vnto lede
[OMITTED] sho war ded.
[OMITTED] are
[OMITTED] come þare,
[OMITTED] stode he still
[OMITTED] till
“[OMITTED] (pa)scioune
[OMITTED] ne
[OMITTED]
þat þi w(if mas slike) murnig”.
Þan sayd þe voyce ful sarili:
“sho wate þe cause als wele als I”.
Þe prior þan in þaire present
sone to þe woman he went
and vnto hir þus gan he say:
“In þe name of god, dame, I þe pray
tel vnto me al þi thoght”.
sho lay ful still and answerd noght.
So still obout þe bed þai stode,
to luke if oght might mend hir mode,
and for hir wa fast gan þai wepe.
Sone efter sho bigan to crepe
vpon hir knese so als sho may,
and cried loud and þus gan say:
“Ihesu mi lord, als þou boght me,
of my paynes þou haue pete,
and grante me of þi help in haste
to bete þis bale þat me has braste”.
Þe prior saw hir sorow and site
and to þe voice þus said he tite:
“Whi es þi wife þus trauailed here?”
Þe uoice answerd on þis manere:
“I talde right now here þe vntill
þat hir-self wate for what scill,
and if þou will wit more alway,
ask hir-self, sho kan þe say”.
Þan eft þe prior to hir gase
and mekill mane to hir he mase,
he said: “to salue þi-self of sare,
tell me þe cause of al þi care,
and out of bale I sall þe bring”.
sho lay and answerd him no thing.
And þan he stode als man amaid,
and to þe voice eft-sones he said:
“Þou creature, I coniure þe
by goddes might and his pete,
and bi vertu of his body
and of his moder mild Mari,
and by þe milk he souk swete,
and þe teres þat sho for him grete
when sho saw hir sun be slane,
and by þe halows euerilkane:
þe sertain soth þat þou me say
of þis meruail, if þou may,
whi þi wife has all þis payne”.
And þan þe voice answerd ogayne
& said: “syr, [OMITTED]
(it es) all for an vnkindly syn
þe whilk was done bifor my dede
bitwix vs twa here in þis stede;
þareof we bath war shreuen sone,
bot þe penance was noght done,
þarfore penance vs bus fulfill
now als fer forth (als) falles þartill”.
(Þan said þe) prior: “or þou pas,
say to me what sin it was,
þat wedded men may warned be
to do swilk thinges in þat degre,
or like to it in dede or thoght”.
Þe voice sayd: “nay, god will it noght
þat I þat sin vnto ȝow say
þat thurgh shrift es done oway;
and of þat sin we bath war schreuyn,
þarfore of god it es forgifen
als to þe blame, þat be þou balde,
(bot tochand) þe penance, I þe talde
aseth bus be made for þat sin
or we to any welth may wyn.
and sen it es done fra goddes sight,
at tell it to men war noght right,
bot if it war, als god forbede,
þat men eft-sones did þe same dede.
Bot warn wedded men & to þam say
þat þai wisely kepe alway
þe rewl of weding with þaire might,
and duly do both day and night;
for þare er many commun case
in whilk weded men may trispase,
and þa cases er kindli to ken
in þis werld omang witty men.
Þis was þe soueraine point, sais he,
whi þat god lete me speke with þe,
for þou suld trow þis stedfastly
and oþer men be mended þarby,
so þat þai may þaire sins forsake
and in þaire liues amendes make”.
Þe woman wepeand als scho lay,
with sari hert þus gan sho say:
“Gude Gy, mi lord, for luf of me
say if I sall saued be
or I sall dwell in dole euermare
for þat dede þat we did are,
whareof I wate god was noght payd”.
Þe voice answerd ful sune and sayd:
“[OMITTED]
þi penance nere till end es broght,
(þou sal be) saued for sertayne”.
and þan þe woman was ful fayne,
and said þare kneleand on hir kne
ane pater noster and ane Aue,
and loued god in word and will.
and þan þe prior sayd hir till:
“Dame, whils þou þis life sall lede,
luke þou ilk day do almus-dede;
for almusdedes may sines waste”.
Þarto þe voice answerd in haste:
“dame, he said, par charite,
when þou dose almus, think on me,
forto alege sum of my payne”.
And þan þe prior gan him frayne
whi he come noght in þat sesoune
vnto men of religioune,
forto tell to þam his life,
titter þan vntill his wife,
sen þat he wist þai war more nere
at pray to god, þan wemen were,
and more wi(seli) þai kowth him wis.
Þe voice answerd þan to þis
and said: “I lufed more my wife
þan any man þat beres life,
and þarfore first to hir I went,
and when me was gifen bi iugement
to suffer penance in þis place,
I asked god of his grete grace
þat my wife might warned be
forto amend hir mis bi me,
and of his grace he gaf me leue
on þis manere mi wife to greue
and forto turment hir biforne,
so þat sho efter might be for(borne)
and þat sho sold noght haue (þe pyne)
for hir sins als I haue for (mine),
bot fulfill it in hir life-day”.
And alsone þan þe prior (gan say):
“Kan þou oght [OMITTED]
þat sho(!) sal haue [OMITTED]”.
Þe voce said: “sho sal [OMITTED]
als lang als my [OMITTED]
bot weterly ful [OMITTED]
þat hastily it [OMITTED]”
Þe prior said: “[OMITTED]
how þou to [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] (ins)trumentes of spekeing”.
Þe prior said þan on þis manere:
“(Ne) sese þou noght, a carpentere,
(þat) diuers werkes oft-siþes has wroght,
withouten ax may he do noght,
and ay þe ax will redi be
to hew with him on ilka tre,
and it may nowther stir ne stand
withowten help of mans hand?
Right so a man here ȝow omell
with-owten tung may no thing tell,
and with his tung ȝit sais he noght
(bot it be) ordande of þe thoght,
(and) þat es of þe saul alwais,
þat ordans all þat þe tong sais.
And by þis tale þou may tak tent
þe body es bot ane instrument
of þe saul, als þou may se,
and þe saul in himself has fre
(powere) of vertuse, might and minde,
(þat god) has gifen to him bi kinde;
(and) so he may speke properly
(with-o)wten help of þe body.
(and) if þou say a man mai noght
(speke) þe thing þat cumes of thoght
(but) if he haue mowth & tung als,
(I say to þe þi) saus er fals:
(for hali writ) bers witnes ful right
(þat go)d and al his angels bright
(spak graiþeli) to ald and ȝung
(and ȝit had) nowþer mowth ne tung.
(right so) may ilka gude spirite
[OMITTED] voices ful parfite,
(and I may) at mine awin will
(speke) with-ou)ten tong ȝow till”.
(Þe prior asked) him in þat stede
(whar saules) dwelles when men er dede
[OMITTED] þe dome be done
[OMITTED] sold wele sune
[OMITTED] payne.
(Þe voice answerd & said) ogayne:
“[OMITTED] forn
[OMITTED] be lorn
[OMITTED] nd
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] bright
[OMITTED] plight
[OMITTED]
whider þat he sall iuged be
to comun purgatori þat es stabill,
or vnto purgatori departabill,
or els vnto þe paynes of hell,
or vnto heuyn in blis to dwell”.