University of Virginia Library

Sone when al þir saus war said,
þe woman to þe prior prayde
þat he wald speke þat gaste vntill
so þat he did hir namore ill,
for goddes luf of mightes maste.
Þe prior þan spak to þe gaste:
“I coniore þe by god allane,
and bi his halows euerilkane,
if þou may, þat þou will sese
and lat þi wife now lif in pese,
and pursu hir nomare with paine”.
And þan þe voice answerd ogayne:
“Þat mai I noght do, for no nede,
bot sho lif chaste in widowhede,
and also ger (sing for vs twa)
thre hundreth messes withouten ma;
a hundreth of þe haligast sal be
or els of þe hali trinite,
and a hundreth of oure lady,
and of Requiem fifty,
and oþer fifti all in-fere
of saint Peter þe apostell dere”.
Þe woman herd þir wordes wele,
and granted to do ilka dele;
sone als sho might sho made hir (boun)
till all þe abbays of þat toune,
al prestes and freres gan sho (prai)
þat þai sold sing al on a day.
Thre hundreth messes was (for him sone)
on þe maner bifore said (done).
And þus when þai [OMITTED]
þe gaste [OMITTED]
þus may men h [OMITTED]
þat messes er m [OMITTED]
Bot ȝit þe prior (in þat sesoune)
vnto þe voice ma(de þis questioune):
he asked if he wist (in ani wise)
in wh(at tyme anticrist suld rise)
to pursu (cristen men) [OMITTED]
Þe voice [OMITTED]
“[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] goddes preuete,
[OMITTED] question ȝow vnto
[OMITTED] his will es forto do”.
(Þe prior) said: “me think right wele
(þou) hers oure spekeing ilkadele”.
Þe voice said: “so I do, sertayne”.
And þan þe prior said ogayne:
“Þou has eres þan to þi hereing;
wharfore þou ert a bodily thing,
and noght gasteli als þou has tald”.
Þe voice answerd with wordes bald:
“hali writ þus telles vs till:
Þe spirit enspires whare so he will,
and his voice well may þou here,
bot þou may noght on no manere
wit what place þat he cumes fra,
ne vnto what place he will ga—
Spiritus ubi uult spirat & uocem eius audis:
sed nescis unde ueniat aut quo uadat”.
And right als he þir wordes gan say,
(al sodain)li he went oway,
(so) þat þai herd of him nomare.
(&) al þe tyme þat þai war þare
(it) was till time of euynsang.
Þe prior þan bad ilk man gang
(in) þe name of god whare þai wald be;
(and) bad þam als in ilk cuntre,
(if þai) war asked of þis case,
(þat) þai suld sai how þat it wase,
[OMITTED] it es proued in dede;
[OMITTED] þai ȝede.
(Þe prior) þan withowten faile
(gaf) þe woman his counsaile
(þat sho suld) kepe hir clene and chaste,
(als scho was) warned with þe gaste;
(and als he) bad anoþer thing:
(þat ilka dai a) preste suld sing
[OMITTED] in þat ilk place
[OMITTED] was.
(and als he bad, þe) woman did
[OMITTED] id
[OMITTED] gude chere
[OMITTED] noght cum nere
[OMITTED] vse
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
þat had [OMITTED] till ende,
and bisoght him with all hir maine
vntill þe hows to wend ogayne,
to loke if þat þai might here mare
or find oght of þat ferli fare.
Þe prior þan with wordes hende
granted gladly forto wende;
he toke of oþer orders twa,
of austines & menures alswa,
so þat þai war twenty freres
al samyn with-owten seculeres,
and al samyn so þai went
to Gyes hows with gude entent.
and in þat hows said þai and he
Placebo with þe dirige
for his saul þat was husband þare,
and for all saules þat sufferd care.
When all was said in gude degre
till Requiescant in pace,
þai herd a voice cum þam biside
als it did at þat oþer tide,
like a besom by þam it went
þat war swepeand on a pament.
sum of þe folk þarfore war flaid;
and sone þe prior vnto it said:
“I coniore þe with main & mode
in þe vertu of Cristes blode,
in þis stede þat þou stand still
and answer what we ask þe will”.
Þan þe voice with wordes meke,
als a man þat had bene seke,
vntill þe prior þus gan say:
“Whi deres þou me þus ilk day?
it es noght lang sen I tald þe
all þat þou wald ask of me;
what sold I now say to ȝow here?”
And þan answerd anoþer frere,
a diuinowre of grete clergi:
he said, “tell here till vs in hi
wheþer þat þou of pain be quit,
or els what pain þou suffres ȝitt”.
Þe voice answerd sone onane
and said: “I loue god al his lane!
for swilk grace vnto me es graid
thurgh messes þat war for me said
þat fro þis time now efterward
am I past fra all paynes hard
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] no mare”.
[OMITTED] said þat frere:
“tell vs what pain þat þou has here
fro (purgatori s)en þou es past”.
Þe voice answerd at þe last:
“with flaume of fire I haue grete pain”.
And þan þe frere answerd ogayn
and said: “if þou fele fire so hate,
tell vs what may it best abate,
or if ani thing amend þe may”.
Þe voice answerd and said: “nay;
me bus it suffer sertain daies”.
And þan þe prior to him sais:
“Lo how þat I haue gederd here
freres and oþer folk in fere
of þi wordes to bere witnes
and of þi meruailes more & les,
þat we mai al þis case declare
bifor þe pape, when we cum þare;
and þarfore tell vs sum meruaile
þat we mai tell with-owten faile”.
Þe voice answerd vnto þir saus:
“I am noght god, þat wele þou kn[a]wes,
and meruailes fals vnto none els
bot vnto him and his angels.
and neuer-þe-les þus I ȝow teche:
bot if ȝe better þe popil preche
þan ȝe haue done þis time biforn,
lightly may ȝe be forlorn;
and luke ȝe speke moste specially
ogains þe sin of symony
and vsure, manslaghter, and maneswering,
avowtri, and fals witnes bering.
bot if þe folk þir sins forsake,
I warn ȝow god will vengance take;
bot if he let for þe praiere
of milde Mari, his moder dere,
and of þe halows euerilkane,
els suld vengance sone be tane
ful mani tymes omang man-kin
when þai vse swilk outrage sin;
and ȝe sall suffer þe same paine,
bot if ȝe preche fast þare-ogaine.
for now es sin vsed wele mare
þan any werkes of goddes lare—
þat sall þai sumtime ful sare rew!”
Þan asked þe prior if he knew
how many papes suld (be of Rome)
al fro þat time till þe dai of dome—
þat asked he for men suld knaw
when þe werld nere till end suld draw.
Þe voice said: “I can tell no thing
what sall bitide in time cumyng;
þarfor þou may noght wit of me
how many papes of Rome sal be,
ne meruailes of me wit ȝe nane.
and þarfore I kownsail ȝow ilkane,
whare so ȝe will wend forth ȝowre way.
bot prayes for me more, if ȝe may,
and for all saules þat suffers pain;
for þis I say ȝow for sertayne:
hali kirk praies noght so fast
for cristen saules þat heþin er past
als þai war won, right wele I ken,
ne namore dose none oþer men.
þarfore I rede þai mend þam sone,
or any euill to þam be done”.
When he had tald þir tales þam till,
he said nomare, bot held him still.
And for þai herd of him nomare,
al þe men þat þan war þare
went, and tald þir tales ilkone
playnly vnto þe pape Iohn
þe twa and twentide, I vnderstand,
for he was nere in þe same land.
hereof was meruaild mani a man.
and at þe pase next efter þan
þat same pape sent men of his
forto seke þe soth of þis.
and als he bad þai did in dede;
and þe prior with þam ȝede.
Þe hows of Gy oft-siþes þ(ai soght),
bot of þe gaste ne herd þai (noght);
and þarby might men (wit ful euyn)
þat he was hent vp vn(til heuyn),
whare conforth es with [OMITTED]
als himself had said [OMITTED]
Vntill þat con(forth [OMITTED]
thurgh praiers of [OMITTED]