University of Virginia Library

[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
»Eiþur oþur þus to cloþun and fede;
Such purueaunce men schulde make
Þat charite gunne not to slake,
But as he gladliche nou ȝiueþ and doþ
Þat he mowe do afturward forþ.«
Of þeos word was heo nouht aferd,
Ful myldeliche heo onswerd:
»God i take to my witnes,
For his loue do i þis godnes;
And also hit is my disir
To dye a pore beggir,
No peni to my douhtres leue,
So clene awey my good to ȝeue
Þat of myn owne leue nouht bihynde.
A schete, my bodi in to wynde,
Of moni men þat her liue,
Ȝif i bidde, þei wol me ȝiue;
A beggere ȝif he aske of me
Anoþur monnes þing þauh hit be,
Ȝif I from him þenne torne myn eȝe,
And þenne for faute þe pore mon dye,—
I take witnes of seint Poule—
God of me wol aske his soule.«

ÞIs wommon of so gret nobleye
Wolde not spende hire moneye,
Þat heo hedde kept for þe nones,
In to suche precious stones
Þat wiþ þis world and eorþe here
Passen awey al in fere,
But to stones þat meuen and lyue,
To whuche God haþ his grace iȝiue:
In eorþe her þat ben pore
And sum tyme hungren and þursten sore,—
Of þe whuche, wiþoute lipse,
Seint Jon seide in þe Apocalipse:
Þe cite of þe grete kynge
Is mad ouer alle þinge.

OÞur souuel vsede heo non
But oyle wiþ hire bred alon,
But hit were þe grettore festeday;
Þen lutel mete wolde hire pay.
Of hony oþur milk or elles fisch
Oþur eiren comen non in heore disch,
And oþur metes þat to mouþ ben swete,
Ful luyte of hem heo wolde ete.—
Sum men þer ben neuerþeles:
Al þauh þei vsen no gret deyntes,
Her wombes þei wollen wiþ such metes fille
And chastite þerfore þei spille,
And ȝit þei wene hit beo clannes
Hem to fulle wiþ suche mes.—

(JERONIMVS dicit:)

But i kneuȝ a mon of þe Susurron—
Þat is a schrewed nacion(!)—
Þat seide to hire on þis maneere:
»Þou þi self spillest here,
Þou art so feruent in vertue
Þat sum men seyn þart waxen newe
Out of þi witte; þerfore i red,
Cumforte þi brayn beter wiþ sum bred
And wiþ sum substancial mete,
Þi wit aȝeyn forte gete,
And take þe to anoþur scole,
For men þe holde but a fole.«
Þenne heo him ful sone onswerd,
As wommon þat of God was ferd:
»To gode angeles and to men
Spectacle mad forsoþe we ben:
For Cristes loue we ben holden vnwys;
But neuerþeles þenk on þis:
Þat þing þat is to God folye
To men hit is wisdam and joye.«
Þus holy writ bereþ witnes—
Good is beo war boþe more and les.

AN Abbei of men of religioun
Heo hedde mad, of gret renoun;
And aftur þat, wiþouten wene,
Heo gederde of maidens clene
Þreo wel feire cumpaignies
And hem sette in feir abbeyes,
God to serue day and niht,
Þat made alle þing, derknes and liht.
Whon eny of hem bigonne to chide,
Wiþ softe wordes in þat tyde
Heo wolde hem ouercome anon
And loueliche make hem aton.
Whon þe ȝonge in hote blood
Bigonne to waxe wylde of mod:
Þouh þei were neuer so nessche,
Wiþ fastyng heo maad hem chast heor flesche:
For þe bettre heo chose and toke
Þat þe wombe raþur þen þe þouht oke.
Heo seide: »clannes of bodi in cloþing
Is ofte þe soule defoulyng«—
Þat heo seide, for þei schulde nouht
Haue to muchel in heor þouht
Bisynesse of gret aray
For þe bodi, niht ne day.—
Deedes þat men holden no trespas
In þis world in certeyn cas,
Idon in cloystre heo hem heold
Ful gret trespas, as heo feld.
To hem heo wolde, whon þey weore seke,
Flesch and fisch let dihten hem eke,
But, þouh hire self weore seek also,
Heo nolde not ete neuer þe mo:
To oþure heo schewed hire godnes,
And to hire self al hardnes.

IN a somer hit biful,
In þe Moneþ of Jul,
Þat al hire bodi, hond and fote,
Was taken wiþ a feuere hote;
Þat hedde ibrouht hire so lowe
Þat vnneþe heo mihte breþ blowe.
But aftur þat wiþ Godus gras
Of þat seknes heo mended was.
Þen leches hire counseyled and bad,
Wiþ wordus softe and eke sad,
Þat heo schulde vse to drinke wyn,
A luitel þunne, but not to fyn;
Þei seiden wiþ o vois alle
Þat heo mihte lihtliche falle
In to a dropesye and synke,
Ȝif þat heo watur dude drinke.

ÞEn i bigon priueliche
To preye þe pope ful specialiche,
Þat was icalled Ephiphayn—
Of his presence heo was euer fayn,—
Þat he schulde bidde hire and constreyn
Wyn to drinke wiþouten feyn.
But heo parceyued sone hit,
Heo louh and seide hit was my wit
Þat þe pope Epiphayn
So schulde hire bidde and to hire sayn.
Whon i sauh þat heo so louh,
Out of þe hous I me drouh.
And whon þat i was out iworþe,
I abod til heo com forþe;
Þen I him asked hou he hedde isped
Of þe wordus þat I him red.
He onswerde þat heo him bad
To bidde an holde mon, þat wolde be lad,
Wyn forte drinke, for heo wolde non,
For frendes counseyl ne for fon.
Whon þat heo serwe schulde make
For deþ, for hire children sake,
Euere þerwiþ heo was meke;
But neuerþeles heo was ofte seke
For hire hosebondes diȝinge
And for hire children departynge,
Out of þis world whon þat þei went;
But euermore heo tok entent
Wiþ signe of þe holy crois
Hire mouþ to stoppe and hire vois,
Hire þouht also heo wolde refreyne,
On God þerfore þat heo nolde pleyne.
And þauh monkynde, þat is so frele.
For frendes deþ wol make gret dele,
Wiþ good bileeue and sad preyere
Hire soule heo cumforted here.
Studefastliche heo set hire wit
In muynde to haue holy writ;
Heo louede wel good stori
And clept hit foundement of soþfastnus, witerly.
Whon heo hit herde, was hire vertue
Parfytliche forte suwe
Þe spirituel vndurstondyng,
To kepe hire soule in good lyuyng.
Heo hedde also þis vertu
Þat heo couþe speken Ebru,
In so muchel, wiþouten lesynge,
Þat heo wolde boþe rede and synge
Þe salmus of þe sauteer
Wiþouten fayle al in feer,
Vppon hire tonge feire hit felle
On Ebru hire tale to telle.
So dude aftur hire hir douhtur dere,
Eustoche, þat wel couþe lere.

NOu who mihte wiþoute wepyng
Telle of þis wommons departyng
Out of þis world at Godus wille,
Þat heo disirede euere to folfulle?
In to a wondur gret seknes
Þis wommon fel, wiþouten les;
Þen hed heo founden hire desire
To wende to þat lord and sire
Þat made alle þing of nouht
And wot boþe dede and þouht.
Whon heo feled wel þat heo schulde dyȝe,
Hire limes woxun cold, þen fayled þe eȝe,
But ȝit such strengþe as heo had,
Þeos versicles heo seide and bad:
Domine dilexi decorem domus tue
Et locum habitacionis glorie tue,
And þe salm hol and sum
Quam dilecta tabernacula tua domine virtutum,
Þat alle men mihte here hire sey
Elegi abiecta esse in domo dei mei
Magis quam habitare in tabernaculis peccatorum,
Til þat þe breþ was hire binum.
But neuerþeles heo lay ful stille,
Heo onswerd no mon at his wille.

Ich hire asked hou þat hit was
Wheþur heo soffred ouȝt peine in þat plas,
And whi heo nolde not onswere
To men þat calden vppon hire þere.
On Gru heo onswerde wiþ good fyaunce
Þat God hir hedde isent þat chaunce
Þat heo feled no maner greef,
But al was pes: þat was hire leef.
Aftur þat made heo no res,
But sweteliche heold hire pes,
And þen hire eȝen wenten to geder,
And feir and clene as swannes feþer,
But euer þe tonge gon to sey
Elegi abiecta esse in domo dei mei,
Þat men mihte vnneþe ihere,
Wiþ þe versus tofore al in fere,
Til þat þe gost heo hedde iȝiue,
Wiþ God euermore to liue.
Þen þe monkes of þat hous
Þat heo hedde mad so glorious,
And þe maydens also
Þat heo to gedere hedde gedered þo,
Token hir bodi wiþ dreri mood
And to þe place þer heor chirche stod
Ful deuoutliche þei hit bare,
And buried hit riht sone þare,
Faste bi vndur þe churche
Þat god for hire wondres doþ worche.
Þen Eustoche, hir douhtur, leope
To hire sepulcre, forte wepe;
So gret deol heo made, parde,
Wiþ hire iburied heo wolde haue be.
God is witnesse, i dar wel say,
Hir modur wiþ hire lafte no money,
But raþur in oþur mennes dette;
Þat was hard to hem þat wer sette
Þorwh hire in religiun,
Monkes and maidens of deuociun;
Þenne was hard hem forþ to fynde,
And worse was (ha) left al bihynde.
Al þis storie, hol and sum,
Telleþ to ou þus seint Jerom,
Þat kneuh hire lyf and hire ende.
Þerfore haueþ hit wel in mynde!
Fare wel, Paula, and prey for vs
To Godus sone, þat is Jhesus!