et cetera Caplm C.xvi. IN Alexandrye was a Prouost or ruler of the cyte namyd Nyceta fulfylled of the deuyll the whyche came to argue and repreue the holy Patryarke saynt Iohan / Sayenge to hym / ¶ Syre ye waste all the londe For ye deale to freely the syluer that is broughte to you / Better it were that ye sholde putt it to the comyn tresour / ¶ The holy man wythoute to angre hymself answerde to hym / Haa my lorde it is not leyffull that the goodes gyuen to the god in heuen be torned or appropred to the erthely thynges / ¶ But and yf semith the to be doo / Goo thou vnder my bedde and take the tresoure of Ihesu Cryste that is there / So doo therof thy wyll / ¶ Thenne this Patrice that hadd the rule and gouernaunce of the comyn wee le in Alexandrye made alle to be laden / And lefte hym noo more than to the nombre of an huÌ„dred penyes of golde / ¶ And as he was comynge downe from the sayd Patryarkes chambre / He mette wyth men of Affryque the whiche bare certayne bot telles full of golde / Vpon some of the whiche was wryten / Hony ryght good And vpon the other / Hony wythoute smoke / ¶ The sayde Patryce or Ruler whan he sawe thise superscrypcoÌ„ns sente worde to the sayd holy man that he sholde sende hym some honne / ¶ And he that was so moche humble and meke sente hym the bottell vpon whyche was wryten Honee right good wyth a letter wherin was wryten this that fofolowyth ¶ Our lorde that hath sayd I shall not leue the. Is wythout lesynge / And he is very god the whyche gyueth bothe mete and lyfe / ¶ And noo man corruptyble can not by ony wyse constrayne him / And therfore to god I coÌ„mende the / ¶ And after he commaunded to theym that bare the sayd battelles· that they sholde make theym to be openyd afore theym / And that they sholde saye that all the other that they had seen were full of syluer / ¶ The whyche thynge done / Whanne the sayde Patrice sawe that he sente hym but one bottell alone / he was sore we othe agaynst hym / And after he radde his lettre ¶ And whanÌ„e he sawe that worde That man corruptyble canne not constrayne god / He was full sory and dysplaysaunt of that he hadd done / ¶ And Incontynent came agayne to the holy Patryarke / And toke hym agayne alle that he had hadde of hym ¶ And wyth this he gaaf hym of hys owne thre hundred penies of golde / Requyryng hym by grete contrycyon that he wolde gyue hym penaunce for his synnes / ¶ Thenne the holy man was sore merueyllyd of his conuersyon soo sodaynly sore / ¶ And seenge his repentaunce comforted hym wyth mery wordes / And from that tyme ther were soo grete frendes togyder that the sayd Nicera Patrice of Alexandrye made hym his Godsypp / ¶ Of the scarnesse and derthe of scorne and suche goodes / ¶ And of a man that required to be made Deaken and begynnyth in latyn ¶ Qui Abraham c. Caplm C.vii. GOd that tempted Abraham for to knowe his obeyssaunce / Towchynge the offrynge vp of hys sone Ysaac / ¶ In lyke wyse be tempted the good Patryarke Iohan as herafter folowyth / ¶ It is rehercyd here aboue how the Assiryens that had be sore oppressyd of the Percyens For to eschewe theyr woodnesse forsoke and lefte theyr owne londe / And many of theim came to Alexandrie for to be socoured in theyr pouertee by the holy Patryarke Iohan / ¶ They beynge in Alexandrye happed there a grete derthe and scarcitee of corne thorugh the occasyon of the flode of the ryuer of Nyle that bedewyth and watreth the londe had be soo mynysshyd lessed of water that it myghte not yeue hys moystâ—es ouer floweÌ„ges acustomyd to the erthe ¶ Soo had act that tyme the Patriarke gyuen for goddis sake to the poore peple alle hys tresour and wyste not where to borow more nother golde nor syluer / Wherof he was ryght sory and namely by cause he myghte nor contynue his almesse / as he had of custome / ¶ He sett hyÌ„self to praye contynued in his orysons loÌ„ge tyme ¶ In the sayd cite was a man bygame / that is to wyte the whiche by cause he knewe that the holy man was in grete necessytee wolde constrayne hyÌ„ to make hyÌ„ a deaken in his chirche / And by cause he sholde not haue durst speke to hym therof he sent hym a letter by the whyche he besoughte hym that he wolde make hym deaken in his chirche / to the ende that in seruynge god wyth hyÌ„ he might haue remyssoÌ„n of his synÌ„es he sholde gyue hym .ii. C.M. Rasers of whete wyth a C. four score pouÌ„de of money / ¶ His lettres seen the Patryarke sent for hym after made to go oute of his chambre all his folke that were there / By cause that he wolde not repreue hym by for theim / ¶ After that they were gone the holy Patryarke sayd to hym / ¶ My frende thy proffer is moche necessary seeng the tyme of the derthe that we haue now / But neuerthelesse it is defoylled with the synne of Symonye ¶ In the olde testament men offred not the bestes to god· were they grete or lytyll / but yf they were pure clene / ¶ For of those that were bespotted man dyde neuer offrynge / ¶ And therfore god had not agreable the sacrefyce of Caym / ¶ And as towchyng my bredern or euer thyself or I were god had pâ—rueyed and nourysshyd theym / And he shall yet doo soo to theim and to me as I hope / ¶ For all they that kepe the coÌ„maundements of god / shall not haue nother nede nor pouerte but all plentee habundance of goodes / ¶ Our lorde that multeplyed the .v. loues of barley / maye well multeplye also .x. Rasers of whete that are in my Garnere / ¶ And therfore my frende I shall tell the for an answere that whiche is wryten in that tes of thapostles / That is that thou shalt not haue in the chirche nother part nor porcoÌ„n ¶ And as he sayd thise wordes came Incontinent tidynges to the holy Patriarke how two shyppes of the chirche were londed wythin the hauen and came out of Cecyle lade wyth whete / ¶ ThenÌ„e the holy man thankyd oure lord sayeng / My god I thaÌ„ke the that thou wolde not haue suffred that I shold haue solde thy grace for ony nede that I haue had / ¶ Certaynly my god I byleue stedfastli that thou shalt neuer forsake in the grettest nede theym that shall obeye the / that wyth good herte shall fulfylle thy coÌ„mauÌ„dements / ¶ Of two clerkes that dyde falle in to synne / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Quibusdam / Caplm C.xviii TWo yonge Clerkes hauynge questyon togyder smote wrongefully eche other / ¶ And
for this cause by the holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ they were denouncyd acursyd / ¶ That one of theym tweyne knowleged his synne / But the other abydynin his obstynacy dyspysed the sayd sentence of cursynge / ¶ For he was well gladde to haue occasyon for to flee the chyrche to abyde in his wyckydnesse / And neuerthelesse he thretenyd the sayde Patryarke to dysplayse hym in hys persone / ¶ And men sayde comynly that it was he that had born to the Patryce Niceta the money of the chyrche that was taken vnder the bedde of the sayd Patriarke / And that had be yelden again afterwarde as it is sayd afore / ¶ The malyce of this outrageous acursyd maÌ„ was shewed to the holy Patryarke but this notwythstondyng he had of hym pyte / And remembred the worde of the apostle saynt Poul sayenge / Who is he that is seke not I / ¶ Now was the charyte of the sayd Patryarke soo grete / the whan he sawe one in synÌ„e he wepte vpon hym / And as to hym was aduys he felte well his sykenesse / ¶ He thenÌ„e made the sayd acursed man to be callid to hym / And waâ—tyd him of his conscyence as he was wonte to warne his other subgettes / ¶ But whan he sawe his euyll frowardnesse and that he was made harde in his synne / He lefte and forsoke hym as a rotyn membre / ¶ This neuerthelesse vpon a Sondaye the sayde Clerke beynge yet in his frowardes As the holy Patryarke came to the awter for to offre his sacryce vnto god / after his custome / ¶ He remembred hym of the counseylle of Ihesu Cryste that sayd / ¶ Whanne thou shalt brynge thine offrynge vnto the awter / And that thou shalt thynke that thy brother hathe some euyll wyll and hate agaynste the / Thou oughtest to leue that that thou woldest offre to god / And goo to hym thyne enmye for to reconcyle the wyth hym / ¶ Wherfore the holy Patryarke willynge to doo soo· sente Incontynent for the sayde acursyd man / And made the messager praye that he sholde come to speke wyth hym vnder surete / And whanne he was come / This holy Patryarke knelyd on his knees afore him And beloughte hym of mercy / ¶ Wherof it happed that the sayd acursyd persone had knowlege of his sinne and he hymselfe requyred mercy / ¶ Thorugh his humylyte was the prowde frowâ—de man mekyd in his pryde / ¶ And by his charytee was the hate of the sayde acursyd man paste / ¶ And fynably he dyde penaunce of the sinne that he had done / And had of it grete contrycyon dyspleysaunce / ¶ Of the noyse that the holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ had agaynst the Ruler Niceta / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Deâ—mquidam / Caplm C.xix NEuer to haue noyse with a nother it is angels lyfe / SoÌ„tyme to stryue the one wyth the other it is manÌ„es lyf / Euermore to haue noyse hate it is a deuyls lyfe / ¶ To this purpose is to be noted that the holy Patriarke / for some right of the lawe Cyuyl had on a tyme questyon wyth the sayd Patrice Niceta / The questyon was suche that the Patrice wold haue certain trybute to be put sett of newe vpon the peple of the londe / The whiche thynge the sayd Patryarke wolde not consente / by cause that the poore folke sholde haue be hurte therby ouer sore / ¶ And for the grete varyaunce that fell therby they departed from eche other with wrath the one agaynst the other / ¶ Soone after att after none / aboute fyue of the clocke / The sayd holy Patryarke thynkinge in hymself that the wyse man oughte neuer to angre hymself for noo maner cause that it be sente his Archedeaken to the said ruler Niceta sent him onÌ„ly thise wordes ¶ DnÌ„e sol ad occasuÌ„est / That is asmoche for to say my lorde the sonne is nygh to goo vnder / After that Niceta had herde thise wordes he cowde not hold his couÌ„tenaunce but as fulfylled wyth the fyre of the holy ghoste camÌ„ to the sayd holy Patryarke the whiche whan he sawe hym he sayd to hyÌ„ / ¶ Alas thou arte welcome the sone of the chyrche obeyssauÌ„t to her coÌ„mauÌ„dements / ThenÌ„e they dyde enbrace eche other in token of grete loue After the whyche enbraginces the holy Patriarke began totake the worde said to hym in this wyse / ¶ My lord I praye the byleue me / For by cause I knowe the sore trowbled I wolde well haue spoke with the / for none other cause I couÌ„seylle warne the the in tyme to come thou byleue nomore noo reportes of false tales flaterers ¶ For yf thou woll lene thyne eeres vnto suche they shall gyue the a cause many euylles to begynne / And they shall counseylle the that thyÌ„ge whyche shall not be nother leyffull good ne prouffytable / ¶ For I haue founde myselfe dysceyued therby oftentymes / ¶ Wherfore to theyr reportes sayenges flaterynges and false accusacyons men oughte neuer to gyue credence nor faythe / ¶ Thenne the Patryce consyderynge the mekenesse and the fayr ensamples of the sayd Patryarke answerde that he sholde neuer byleue suche men / Nor sholde not gyue faythe byleue to theyr flaterynges ne to theyr wordes / ¶ But he sholde dyspyse theym and sette theym alle atte noughte / ¶ And by this manere meanes was peasyd that questyon that was bytwix theym for the cause aboue sayde / ¶ Of Gregori the neuew of tholy Patryarke / And begynÌ„yth in latyn ¶ Iste memoriabilis / Caplm C.xx BYtwene one namyd Gregory whiche was neuew of the sayd holy Patryarke a Tauerner of Alexandrye moeuyd a grete debate / In whyche this Gregory openly was sore wronged by shamefull wordes to hyÌ„ sayd by the sayd Tauerner / the whiche Gregory consyderyng· the he that was neuew of the sayd holy Patryarke had be thus dyspysed or fowle spoken vnto openly of a man Infamyd began to wepe right sore / And the holy Patryarke seenge the secrete dysplaysauÌ„ce sorowe that his neuewe made / wolde know what was the cause / Grogory herupon examined coude not for his grete anâ—e dyscharge nor shewe his courage in â—â—wyse nor speke wyth the sayd holy Patryarke / ¶ Neuertheles some that had herde seen the debate tolde hym a parte how it was / The holy Patryarke willyng to he le fyrste his neuew or euer he sholde enquyre ferder of the trouth of the befall sayd to hym for to comfort hym suche lyke wordes in substaunce / My neuew I am gretely merueyllyd· sore euyll apayd how that foole hath be so holde to open his mouth ayenst the / Byleue thou me I ensure the. that I shall doo this daye a thynge wherby all Alexandrye shall merueylle / ¶ And after seenge his anger heuinesse tempred peasen kyssed his sayd neuew sayd / My swete frende yf in folowynge
haue an other fader than god ¶ The abbot Macharye asked to the abbot Zacharye what werkes ought a monke for to do for to be holden taken for a veray Relygyouse And how be it that the sayd Zacharye wolde not answere to it / bycause that hym thought that the sayd Macharye whiche was his elder / knewe it better than he dyde hym selfe Neuerthelesse he wolde obey hym / sayd as to his aduyse / that the man ought to be taken for a true Relygyouse whiche yeldeth hym selfe subget constrayneth hym to endure all the necessytees wrethchednesse of this worlde ¶ Of the abbot Theodore otherwyse called the ferme tolde some men / that amonge his other vertues / he had these thre whiche here after be declared The fyrst is / that he wolde not kepe nothyng The seconde that he was wōnderfully abstynente And the thyrde that he fledde gladly the companye of men theyr conuersacyon ¶ The abbot Iohan Naue / for to exhorte lerne all maner of folke to lyue vertuously / sayd that a man ought to enforce hym selfe to take haue in hym som what of all vertues And therfore he sayd that in rysyng a mornyng he ought to dyspose hȳ selfe to take of euery vertue the begynnyng / that is to wyt to kepe the cōmaūdementes of god / to be pacyent in his aduersytees / drede loue god / to be strong in resystyng ayenst the tēptacōns of the deuyll / to be charytable / humble of herte of thought / to cōtynue in oryson sorowyng wepynge for his synnes for to obteyne of them remyssyon / to haue a clene conscyence without enuye or rancour / to be dōme when men sholde do to hȳ ony wrong louyngly without wrathe / peasyble with out to yelde euyll for euyll / but good forylle without vayn glorye / to holde hȳselfe the lesser of the lesse / to be sobre of that tonge without euyll to saye / clene of eyen / to behaue hȳ selfe humbly as subget vnto euery one / forsakyng all temporall goodes to hȳ selfe / euer to fast suffre / wepe / to fyght ayenst the deuyll to bere honger thurste / to watche / to haue bothe colde and hote / to kepe hym selfe naked / kepe hym selfe close within hym selfe as within a tombe or sepulcre lyke as he were all redy dede / to knowe that deth rydeth nyght hym euerye daye ¶ The abbot Ioseph thebeyn sayd that there be thre ordres or degrees of vertuous men whiche be well agreable vnto god The fyrste is when a man is taken with some gryfe or aduersytee / and durynge the same / some temptacyons come to hym / to the whiche he with sayth yeldynge of alle thankes and graces vnto our lorde The seconde degre is when all his dedes are clene afore god without to be entremed led with besynesses or worldly doynges temporall / that is to saye / that they be not bespoted with the fylthe of synne The thyrde whan a man for the worshyp of god entrynge in to Relygyon / gyueth his owne propre wyll vnto his fader spyrytuall forsakyng all his owne affeccyons to the desyres of this worlde ¶ The abbot Cesyon tolde of an abbot named Iohan that was fyrst pryncypall among the Relygyouses of his tyme / that had be a vertuouse man in his lyue Spekynge of the whiche he sayd that where he sawe hymselfe atte the houre of his deth / stedfastly dysposed hȳself for to departe with all gladnesse towarde our lorde Many Relygyouse beyng about hym wepynge / prayed him that he wolde leue to them by maner of a gyfte of charyte som good worde by the whiche they myght ascende to the perfeccyon whiche is in Ihesu cryste To whom syghyng he sayd by maner as he wold shewe them / that he neuer had done his owne wyll / also he neuer taught nor warned no bodye to do ony good werke / but he had done fyrst the same hym selfe ¶ An other brother questyoned an olde fader askyng hȳ what good he myght do wherby he myght haue at the laste euerlastyng rest To whom the olde fader answered ¶ God oonly knoweth what is good to be done / but alwayes I haue herde saye longe agoo that one of our faders questyoned somtyme the grete abbot Nestor whiche was synguler frende vnto the abbot Anthonye / asked hym what thynge was to hym necessarye to be do for to be saued by it To whom this Nestor answered / that all werkes were not lyke / laynge vnto hȳ this that holy scrypture sayth / that is to wyt that Abraham was an hospytaler god was with hym Helyas loued rest and lyfe contemplatyue / and god was with hym Dauyd was humble and god was with hym Thenne do as thyn owne corage desyreth after god / kepe well thy herte from euyll thought ¶ The abbot named Pastor sayd / that to kepe hymselfe / to consydere hymself and to haue dyscrecyon / these thre thynges were the werkes of a good Relygyouse ¶ A Relygyouse axed hym how a brother of Relygyon ought to entreate behaue hym selfe / wherat he answered We haue seen Danyell in whom was founde no maner of accusacyon / but of the seruyce that he dyde and made to his god ¶ Morouer sayd yet the sayd holy fader Pambo / that pouerte and trybulacyon are couenable to a solytarye man ¶ And it is wryten / that he that desyreth to lede suche a lyffe / ought to haue the condycyons of Noe / of Iob and of Danyell For Noe wolde noo thynge possesse Iob wolde here pacyently wounderfull trybulacyons / and Danyell wolde dyscerne prudentely Yf a man thenne haue in hym these thre condycyons / he shall lyghtely dwelle with god ¶ Yet sayd the sayd Pambo that a relygyouse that shall haue in a hate the delectacyons of the flesshe and vayne glorye / shal be lyghtly free and delyuered of the Illusyons and decepcyons of the worlde ¶ Some saye of the sayd abbot Pambo / that atte the houre of his dethe / he sayd to the holy men that acōpanyed hȳ suche or lyke wordes Syth that I haue be in this solytarye place that I had buylde this celle where I dwelle I can not remembre that euer I ete brede / but that I had goten it with my labour And also I haue not vttred nor spoken ony worde / wherof I haue repented me of And thus I go to our lorde / as I sholde begynne to do to hym ony seruyce ¶ The abbot Sysoyns sayd / care not yf that be contempned and dyspysed / but cast thy wylles behynde thy back make thy selfe free sure from all worldly cure to dyspysyng puttynge them to nought / and thou shalt haue veray reste ¶ The abbot Iames as he sholde decesse out of this worlde / sayd vnto his Relygyouses / kepe your selfe that ye haunte ne comyn not with the
atte the abbot that he wolde gyue the benedyecyon to his doughter And they wolde retorne in to the cyte / ¶ And thus sayeng she kneled downe on bothe her knees tofore hym in sayenge / My fader I byseche the that it may playse the to pray for me to the ende that god woll saue my poore soule / ¶ Thise wordes sayde the Abbot layed his honde vppon her ¶ The god that knoweth the creatures tofore they were born blesse the and make the to haue parte in his Reame / ¶ After that tyme as ofte as her fader founde ony Relygyous persone· he lad hym in to his house And prayed hym to praye for her / ¶ The Abbot hadde a custome to make feeste and solempnytee the day that he was Instituted Abbot of his monastery / ¶ That daye comynge he sent to the house of Pafunce for to praye him to come to that solempnytee / ¶ The relygyous that came founde not the say-Pafunce att home / ¶ But it was tolde hym by his seruauntes that he was gone oute / ¶ Eufrosme that seenge called the Relygyous and axyd of hym many thynges / ¶ Fyrste how many bredern were in his monastery / The Relygyous sayde that there were thre hundred two and fyfty / ¶ After she axyd yf there were ony dyffyculte to receyue in to the Relygyon of ony that wolde rendre hyÌ„ Relygyous / ¶ To whom he answered that nay / Sayenge that oure lord god hadde sayd that who soo euer wolde come to hym he wolde not caste hym out from hym / ¶ Thyrdly she demaunded yf they songe the psalmes alle togyder And also how they fasted / He ansuered that eueryche fasted after his power / But they songe alle togyder ¶ And also she asked of alle the rules of the sayde monasterye / And he tolde alle to her ¶ After she sayde to the sayde Relygyous that her wyll was to lede the state and lyfe of Relygyon / But she dradde moche to offende her fader Whyche wolde doo her to be maryed / ¶ The Relygyous sayde to her / My syster delyuere not thy body to a man mortall but to god whyche is Inmortall gyue thy beaulte / And secretely take the habyte of a man / and make thyselfe Relygyouse in some monastery where some euer it be / ¶ Whyche thynge herynge the sayd doughter was greteli comforted and reioyced / ¶ But neuerthelesse she had in herselfe some heuynesse / By cause that she cowde not aduyse her by what moyen she myghte doo and accomplysshe this thynge / For she durste not truste in ony laye man / ¶ The Relygyouse sayde to her / Thy fader shall be thre or four dayes in the Abbaye / ¶ And therfore sende for some deuowte Relygyouse man / Whyche ryght gladly shall pourueye for thy caas / ¶ And thus as they deuysed togyder came her fader / Whyche demaunded of the Relygyous the cause of his comynge thyder / ¶ The whyche sayd to hym that his Abbot prayed hym that it wolde playse hym to come to the solempnytee of his feest / ¶ Pafunce moche Ioyous of his comynge wente in to a shyp wyth the Relygyous and came to the monasterye / ¶ Incontynent that they were departed / Saynt Eufrosyne desyrynge to accomplysshe and fuldoo her purpoos and entencyon sente for to seche a Relygyous of the monastery of the Abbot Theodocyen / The whyche beynge comen to her she anone recyted to hym and tolde her caas and entencyon / ¶ And that whyche she hadde enterprised to doo and accomplysshe / ¶ And thenne he herynge thyse fayre and deuowte wordes sayde to her / ¶ My loue and frende god hathe taughte vs. that who that renouÌ„cyth not fader and moder theyr chyldren and theymselfe by theyr free wyll is not worthy to be dyscyple of our lorde Ihesu Cryste / ¶ And therfore I saye yf thou mayst thou oughtest to renounce thy parents and kinnesfolke for to ensewe and folowe Ihesu Cryste / ¶ Remembre the not· ne take noo thoughte for the herytage of thy fader for there â—en ynow of poore wydowes and of poore monasteries to whom he may dystrybute and deale his goodes / ¶ Saynt Eufrosine ansuerd I truste in god and· in thy wordes / And praye the that thou wolâ—e praye for me / ¶ And that Incontynente thou cutte of and take a waye myn heere 's / ¶ The Relygyouse his oryson made in prayenge sayde / ¶ Oure lorde god whyche hathe delyuered from perill alle his sayntes woll kepe and preserue the from alle euyll / ¶ Anone after he cutte of her heere 's / And that done departed from thens yeuynge praysinge to oure lorde god and consyderynge in herselfe what she had to doo for to entree in to the Relygyon of wymmen ¶ â—nowynge that her fader in sekynge her myghte happely finde her there / ¶ And therfore in leuynge the habite of a woman cladde her with the habyâ—e of a man / ¶ And after departed from the house of her fader and wente in to the monasterye thyther as he was gone ¶ And Incontynent that she knewe that her fader was departed She founde the manere to speke wyth the Abbot / gyuynge hym to vnderstonde that she was a man that gladly wolde be there Relygious and named her selfe Smaradyn / ¶ The Abbot receyued her gladly / and for as moche as she semyd a chylde of yonge aege ¶ She was delyuered to be endoctryned and taughte in the rules of the Relygyon to a nother Relygious man namyd Agapyton / ¶ She beynge there by cause she was moche fayre and pryncypally of vysage / Many of the Relygiouses beganne to murmure in sayenge / That it was a deuyll in lykenesse of a Relygyous / ¶ And that by her beaulte many of them were fall in synne / ¶ Fynably they sayde it to the Abbot / The whyche that knowynge commaunded to Smaradyn that he shold make his prayers alone in his lytyll chambre / And that he sholde noo more come in to the chyrche / ¶ Whyche thynge she dyde gladly and helde her there soo solytaryly that alle the Relygiouses merueylled of the grete constaunce that she hadde in soo yonge aege / ¶ Her fader Pafunce retourned fro the sayd monasterye / And whanne he was comen home he founde nought his sayde doughter And anone was surprysed and taken of a grete and merueyllouse sorowe and heuynesse ¶ And beganne to aske alle his seruauntes and chamberers where she was bycome and whâ—ther she was goon / ¶ To whom they ansuered that in the mornynge she departed oute of the house as they supposyd for syth they hadde not seen her ne knewe not where she was bycome In contynent and wythout taryeng he sente his messagers to alle partyes and fro Relygion to Relygyon as well in Alexandrye as in Egypte But he cowde here noo tydynges wherof he was full of heuynesse and soo ryght sorowful that vnneth it maye not be
transitory and maye no lenger dure thanne foure score yere / Thou knoweste also that the worldly rychesses and the vanytee of this worlde arn noo thynge but a lytyll wynde / ¶ But the rychesses of heuen ben alwaye durable perpetuel / ¶ Now my syster thou oughtest to knowe that all they that louen dysordynatly the honoures of thys worlde ben pryued from the goodes of heuen / ¶ And ofte the rychesse worldly possessyons ben cause of the confusyon and vtterly dystruccyon of theim that haue theym / ¶ His wyfe herynge thyse wordes sayd to hym / What playsyth that that we doo / CoÌ„maunde thy good playsure and I shall accomplysshe it ¶ For thy wyll is myne That whyche thou wolte I woll / ¶ Antigonius ansueryd We haue a doughter god be thankyd / And we oughte to be contente that one wyth that other wythout to haue affectyon to lyue emonge the voluptuosytees of this worlde / ¶ Thenne his wyfe lyfted vpp her hondes to heuen in sayenge / O my lorde loue blessyd be our lorde that hath made the worthy to knowe thyne helthe / ¶ Truely my loue I haue many tymes prayed god / that he wolde humble the. and torne thyne entendemente to wyll to flee thy flesshely coÌ„cupyscences worldly / But I neuer durste declare to the ony thynge therof for the grete fere gode loue that I had to the / ¶ And for asmoche as thy wyll is suche / Lete vs departe of our temporell goodes to the ende that they be not cause to make vs descende in to helle / ¶ Other holsom reasons the lady gaaf to Antigonius her husbond the whiche herof praysynge thankynge god with all his herte Dystrybuted the gretest parte of his goodes to the poore people / ¶ And after lyued not but one yere wyth his good lyfe holy vertuouse in perfyghte deuocyon· chastytee contynence / ¶ Of his dethe was moche sorowfull the emperour whyche was of hys kynÌ„e and also alle the Romayns for the grete vertues that were in hym / And also for the pyte that they hadd of his wyfe Eufraxe whiche had not bâ— but .ij. iij monethes wyth hym / ¶ After that he was buryed the good lady Eufraxe toke her doughter also namyd Eufraxe And presented her to the Emperour to her frendes sayenge ¶ O souerayne emperour and ye alle my lordes frendes I put in to your hondes this poore Orphelyne Humbly you supplyenge that in fauoure contemplacyon of the gode very loue that ye had to her fader Antigonius it wolde playse you to doo her to be Instructe and taughte in gode maners vertues And to be to her gode faders conduytours / ¶ The lordes herynge this pyteuous requeste were in contynent moeuyd to wepynge waylynge / ¶ And a lytyll after that they had resprysed theyr spyrytes the emperour desyred counseylled the good lady that she sholde consente to the maryage of her fayr doughter / of one of the Senatours the rychest of alle the other / ¶ To the whyche she accorded / And the sayde doughter receyued ernest of the maryage / ¶ But after by cause that the sayde doughter atte that tyme that the sayde Maryage was treated / was but fyue yere olde / And that the senatoure was greuyd to abyde tyll that she were suffysaunte of aege for to accomplysshe the sayde maryage / ¶ He concluded to demaunde the moder to his wyfe / ¶ And for to come to his entencyon / He sente notable ladyes to the Emperesse for to labour that the moder wolde take to husbonde the sayde Senatour / The whyche thynge the sayde Emperesse and the sayde ladyes supposyd to haue made and accomplysshed it ¶ But the good lady wydowe wolde neuer in that maner leue her â—eâ—e to here it / But repreâ—yd theym angrely In shewynge to theym the grete Inconuenyent in whyche they wolde brynge her That is to wyte in desyrynge her to leue the way of helthe for to take the worldely waye for to brynge her to eternal dampnacyon / And emonge other wordes she sayde to the emperesse / ¶ A madame to what thynge woll ye Induce me Alas whanne I was wyth my husbonde that was I kepte chastytee And ye labour to me that I sholde folowe the amorouse wymmen I shall neuer doo it / ¶ The emperour induertysed of the enterpryse of his wyfe was euyll contentent wyth her sayenge thyse wordes ¶ Come hyther my wyfe ye be wel presumptuous to woll breke the maryage whyche hath be soo honestely begonne ¶ Ne knowe ye not that oure cosyn kynnes woman Eufraxe woll lede a solytary lyfe / ¶ Haue ye now forgoten the loue that ye had to her husbonde whan he lyued / Woll ye now doo hym Iniurye / ¶ Alas yf ye haue louyd hym whyle he lyned ye oughte after his deth to loue his wyfe whyche is soo good and Iuste / ¶ The emperesse herynge thyse wordes was soo moche trowbled that she was two houres wythoute spekynge and semyd to be deed / ¶ The good Eufraxe knowynge thyse tydynges / was in lyke wyse wrothe Doubtynge that it sholde be layed to her that she sholde be cause of the dyscencyon of the emperoure of his wyfe in suche wyse that she myghte be in daunger of deth ¶ And in waylynge wepynge she sayd to her doughter ¶ Lete vs goo in to Egypte my dere doughter we haue there many londes and possessyons whyche I shall leue vnto the. For alle that I haue is thyne / And soo they wente in to the londe of Egypte / ¶ They â—eynge there arryued vysyted her londes possessyons And fynably came in to the partyes of Thebayde where they dyde many almesses to the monasteries relygyons / ¶ And emonge all other they came to a Relygyon of wymmen in a towne wherin were an hundred thâ—â—ty monasteryes of relygyouses / ¶ There some ete no apples ne fygges ne draÌ„ke no wyne The other ete noo oyle ne other lycour Other fasted an hole day Other wysshe noo fete / And whanne ony spake to theym they were abasshyd ¶ They laye on the erthe and ware euery daye the heyt / ¶ And yf by aduenture one of theym were syke / there was noo medycyne gyuen to her ¶ But the sykenesse that she hadde was reputed for a benedyccoÌ„n of god ¶ They wente neuer out of the monasterye but they hadde a Portiere the whyche gaaf ansuere to alle theym that came thyder / Eufraxe knowynge the honeste and deuowte conuersacyon of the sayde Relygyouses vysyted theym ofte And gaue them lyght to the chyrche for to doo the seruyce of god / ¶ On one daye emonge the other Eufraxe spake to thabbesse and to the pryÌ„cypallis of the monasterye And sayde to theym / My good ladyes I woll yeue to you twenty or thyrty pouÌ„de of golde of reuenue for and to the ende that it wolde playse you
enfourme me in thyne holy lawe ¶ And fynably wyll gyue to me the glorye eternall / ¶ And from thens forth on Pastumyen besyed hym in deuowte comtemplacyons / Alwaye awaytinge that the angell of god sholde come agayne to him ¶ But that notwithstondynge he wente agayne to his crafte / whyche was as tofore is sayde to make cordes of Ionâ—es / ¶ And fynably the aungell apperyd to hym and sayde / Pastumyen wolt thou that I lede the to a preest / Whyche shal baptyse the in the name of the fader of the sone and of the holy ghoste / To whom he ansuered that it was the grettest Ioye that myghte come to hym / And that he desyred none other thynge ¶ Anone the aungell tooke him by the heere 's / and bare hym vnto a place where as was an an holy man named Prisce / To whom the Aungell commaunded that he sholde enseygne and teche hym the faythe and lawe / And to lyue as a good Crysten / ¶ The holy fader seenge the grete bryghtnesse of the aungell Sodaynly he was abasshed in suche wyse that he felle downe for fere / But the aungell releuyd hym and comforted hym sayenge ¶ Be not aferde / for I am the seruaunte of god as thou arte / ¶ And in sayenge thise wordes the aungell chaunged his fourme vnto the semblaunce or lickenesse of a man clad wyth whyte and of a playsaunt face / ¶ After agayne he sayde to hym / Doubte the noo thynge / I come to the for to shewe to the fro god / That it is his playsure that thou take to the this goode man Pastumyen / And that thou enfourme hym in the faythe of holy chyrche To the ende that he maye deserue the glorye eternall / ¶ And Incontinente the aungell departed / ¶ Saynt Prysce thenne toke Pastumien And enfourmyd hym in the faythe / And to faste and to doo other vertuous werkes / ¶ After he baptysed hym and this done he made a prayer vnto oure lorde sayenge thus ¶ O sone of god I yelde to the humbly thaÌ„kynges of thys that it hathe playsed the. by thyne holy ghoste to reconcyle me to god thy fader And thou haste redemyd me from eternall dethe / The whyche dethe suffren perpetuelly alle they that byleue not in thy name / Alas I knowlege now that alle thynges the lasse oughte to obeye the gretter And the symple to theym that ben wyse / ¶ The seconde commaundement that ye oughte / for to kepe is subieccyon To the ende that in reuerent drede ye maye serue god wyth a chaste herte pure and clene / ¶ The thirde is that ye oughte to lyue sobrely and Iustly in hauynge compassyon on youre soules and of others / ¶ The fourth that ye oughte to chastyse youre bodyes by fastynges and abstynence after your possybylyte / For to the spyryte desyrynge to gete vertue it is a synguler delectacoÌ„n and playsaunce to be and enhabyte in a body lene by penaunce / ¶ The fyfthe is for to be ofte in oryryson and prayer in ensâ—ewyng the doctryne of the appostle whyche commaundyth vs to praye god wythoute ceassynge / For after his doctryne alle they that contynuelly faste and pray to god Lyghtly they putt vnder by the vertue of the faythe alle the cautels and subteltees of the deuyll of helle / And causyth also to resyste and wythstonde alle vyces and synnes / ¶ Fyrst and pryncypally to pryde / For of that synne proceden alle euylles And euery daye as one seeth by experyence / Pryde is the orygynall roote of al synnes / ¶ By pryde ben the aungellys caste downe in to helle / By cause that Adam desyrynge to knowe the good euyll ete of the fruyte forboden in transgressynge and brekynge the commaundement of god / ¶ By this concupiscence he deseruyd and bounde him and alle his posterytee and ofsprynge vnto the dethe eternall / Wherof we hadde neuer be quyte yf the blessyd sone of god by his grete mercy and by his worthy dethe and passyon hadde not quyted redemed vs / ¶ The vertue opposyte and coÌ„trary to pryde is Humylytee roote of alle good / And the begynnyng and getâ—nge of al vertues wythoute the whyche was neuer none ne neuer shall persone be perfyghte / ¶ And the cause that most moeuyd oure blessyd Sauyoure to take oure humanyte in the wombe of the vyrgyne of the Intemerate and moost clene and ryght blessyd vyrgyne Marye that was her humylytee For in soo doynge is wryten in the Cantycle / God hathe beholden the humylytee and mekenes of his hondmayde Quâ—a respexte humilitatem ancille sue c ¶ After the holy man Pastumien commaunded theym that they sholde haue charytee fraternall togyder in hauyng perfyghte faythe / Sayenge that the princypall Rule and mooste grettest charge that Religyouses oughte to haue is for to haue one wyth a nother perfyghte loue and charytee / Wythoute the whiche none Relygyouses in the cloystre maye not well gouerne theymselfe / ¶ Whan many brethern ben togyder wythoute loue eche entendyth to his synguler prouffyte / And soo theyr comynte is deuyded / ¶ Soo euery reame and other gouernement of multytude and of subgettes yf it be deuyded wythoute doubte it is desolacyon / ¶ Alas now the mooste parte of Relygyouses in this present tyme enteÌ„de to be Abbottes Pryours and to offyces Desyrynge to be oute from theyr brethern / ¶ Lyke as the byrde sechyth but to escape oute of the cage / ¶ And who sholde demaunde or wyte the reason wherfore I trowe that there sholde be defaulte to haue loue wyth theyr brethern / ¶ For by cause that thei ben ouermoche replenysshyd and fulfyllyd wyth the dampned vyce of Pryde they can not be compatyble and felyshypped wyth the other / But woll be alone ¶ A lorde god well is chaunged the tyme that the holy faders fledd in to deserte sedynge there a solytary lyfe for to renounce and leue the worlde / and to lede a lyfe contemplatyf / ¶ And as it is sayde the Relygyouses whanne they be closyd in an abbay where as they haue ben put for to be oute of the worlde / They thynke on none other synne but to opteyne and gete pryeryes and other benefyces / Whether it be by synne or no synne to the ende to retorne agayne to the worlde / For the whyche thynges all deuocyon is loste / ¶ Perauenture yf the Pryours were vnyed and onyd wyth the abbayes / And that suche Relygyouses had none occasyon for to departe with oute lycence / It sholde be better and lightlyer for theyr helthe / thanne for to seke theyr lodges from vyllage to vyllage / ¶ It hath be seen in tyme passed that the chyldren of kynges for to serue god haue renouÌ„ced and vtterly forsaken all theyr rychesses / ¶ But now whan there ben many in a noble house / they ben made Abbottes tofore that they ben relygyouses ¶ Noo
thynge for deuocyon But to the ende for to enryche theym wyth goodes and rychesses of the chyrche for to lyue atte theyr playsure God knowyth what shall be the ende ANd folowynge thenne the doctryne and tethynge that Pastumyen gaaf to his Religyouses ¶ He commaunded theym ferthermore to loue not oonly the one that other But to loue god pryncypally wyth all theyr herte / That was the fyrste commaundement that god gaaf to Moyses in the moutayne of Synay / ¶ But wyth the same commaundement must be Ioyned the lone that we oughte to haue that one wyth a nother / ¶ Whanne alle Relygyouses louen eche other / and god pryncypally and fyrste / Yet muste they haue the vertue of obedyence / ¶ Loue wythoute obedyence is noo thynge ¶ For lyke as the grasse lettyth the corne to fructefye and encreace / In lyke wyse who that is in obedient and fastyth and prayeth / bryngyth fourth noo fruyte for fawte of obedyence / ¶ After he commaunded theym to excercyse the nyghtes in prayers / ¶ For by nyghte the deuyll makyth moo lettynges to deuowte persones thanne he dooth in the daye Lyke as the Gospel saythe / ¶ Who woll doo euyll Hatyth lyghte / ¶ And to this purpoos sayth the Gospell Awake awake For ye know not the howre whanne the theyf of the soules woll come / ¶ He commaunded theym also that they sholde wryte in a Table of theyr conscyences all the commaundementes of god / And that ofte they sholde laye the clothe for to take refeccyon spyrytuell in sauourynge and etynge the ten loues composyd of the ten commaundementes of the fayth ¶ The twelue artycles of the lawe / And the werkes of mercy / ¶ More ouer he sayde / O ye my brethern / whyche desyre to be very obedyent and charytable to loue eche other / byleue ye after the sentence of Baruth the prophete whyche sayth / that ye ben now the felowes of god / ¶ And in a nother place the holy scrypture sayth well happy â—en the peasyble For they ben the sones of god / ¶ Now they that ben peasyble ben obedyent and charytable / ¶ They thene that shall desyre in this corruptyble world to enioye the fruytes of heuen / He muste renounce and forsake his propre wyll in hauynge perfyghâ—e charyte / ¶ After he coÌ„maunded theym yf they hadde amonge theym ony dyscencyon or debate / that Incontynente it sholde be appeasyd / For god oure lorde dwellyth ne abydeth but in one place of peas / ¶ And the contrarye where as is dyssencyon the deuyll regnyth ¶ And ferthermore he deffended them that they neuer sholde be angry ne wrothe ne to theyr brethern ne to straungeres / ¶ And that for ony gayne of the worlde that they myghte gete They sholde not oâ—cupye theym wyth temporell thynges But oonly in werkes spyrytuell By the whyche they myghte lyghtely gete the herytage of the Reame of heuen / ¶ And whanne ony temptacyons sholde come to theym the whyche with grete payne the ymyghte eschewe / ¶ He admonested theym to torne to god / In lyf tynge theyr hondes to heuen And sayenge ¶ O my god I pray the that it playse the to helpe me / And to enforce my poore freyltee to the ende that I maye vaynquysshe and surmounte my mortall enemye / ¶ And he sayde that anone after oure prayer made to god Comen his aungellis to oure ayde for to comforte vs / ¶ And for to proue thys thynge to be true He tolde thenÌ„e to theym that on a tyme. he beynge on a mountayne came tofore hym a grete companye of deuyllis in lyckenesse of men humayne And bi cause that by the will of god he knewe well that they were deuylles / He all resoluyd / And wythoute hauynge ony drede kneled downe on the erthe in prayenge god that it wolde playse hym to make the same deuylles to departe / ¶ And Incontynent they vanysshed awaye as a fume or a smoke tofore the wynde / ¶ Many other temptacions the deuylles made to hym But god delyuered hym alwaye by the deuowte prayers that he made / ¶ Therfore in concludynge he sayde to his Relygyouses / My chyldren be ye ferme and stable in the faythe in resystynge the deuylles temptacyons / And that ye ben clymynge by feruente charyte to the loue of god / The whyche in soo dooenge he shall to you be alwaye a protectour / And by his helpe ye maye gete the reame of heuen / ¶ Thus endyth the storye of the ryght holy man Pastumyen ¶ Here folowyth of saynt Onuffryen Heremyte / And begynnyth in latyn Beate memorie paphoncius et cetera / Caplm .l. SAynt Phaphunce hauynge desyre for to vysyte alle the Relygyouses that weren in the hermytages for to accomplysshe the helth of his body more lyghtly his waye bare wyth him a lityll water and brede / ¶ And whanne he hadde walked by the space of foure dayes his vytaylle faylled him / And became all confusyd and halfe deed By cause he was soo feble that he hadde neytheyr foote ne legge that myghte susteyne hym / by cause he had neyther to ete ne to drynke / ¶ But neuerthelesse he was by the helpe of god made alle hoole and guarysshed / And hadde as moche strength as though he hadde well eten and dronken / ¶ And thenne beganne to walke agayne And contynued soo foure dayes without mete and drynke ¶ The sayd foure dayes passed / by cause he felte hymselfe feble / He was constrayned to lye downe on the erthe as he hadde be deed / ¶ And he lyenge on the erthe Sodaynly sawe by hym a man in merueyllous glory ferdfull and terryble in shynynge / Worthy of prasynge in beawte / Longe of corpulence and right clere of regarde / Whom Paphunce seenge hadde grete fere but anone after he comforted hym / ¶ For in approchyng towched his lyppes and his houdes / And restored and gauf to hym strengthe / ¶ And Incontynent aroos vpp and walkyd seuentene dayes after tyll he came to a place where as god wolde brynge hym ¶ To whyche place he came and saw a man as he rested hauynge his face terryble all coueryd wyth heer lyke as a brute beest / ¶ And fro the raynes downe alowe he hadde a vestement of leues and of herbes / ¶ Whanne Paphunce sawe thys man soo deformyd / He was sore abasshyd / And not wythoute cause / ¶ For he hadde neuer seen suche lyckenesse of man ne of woman and wyst not what to doo But fledde in to a mountayne whyche was nyghe to that place And there hydde hym vnder the braunches of the trees / He was soo sore aferde / ¶ And there he beganne to syghe merueyllously ¶ Knowynge that by cause of his aege and abstynence he myghte goo noo ferther / ¶ This man seenge that Paphunce was fledde tofore him / and that he was aferde came nyghe to hym And callynge and cryenge with an hyghe
be declared herafter ¶ How in his yonge aege be distroyed the Ydollis / begynÌ„ith in latyn / ¶ Her enim c / Caplm .lv. THis sayde Pachomyen in hys yonge aege beynge yet a chyld was broughte by his parentes as to a temple of ydolatrye beynge by the ryuer of Nyle for to adoure and sacâ—rfye the ydolles / ¶ The preest sacrylege wold make sacrefyce whanne they were come after theyr dampnable and wycked lawe / ¶ But the deuyll wolde not gyue ansuere as he hadd be accustomyd to doo Wherof the folysshe preeste was moche abasshed / ¶ And fynably the deuyll shewed to the cursyd preest / that the goddis wolde yeue none ansue â—t but yt Pachomyen were expulsid oute of the same temple / ¶ His parentes were moche angrye whanne they sawe hym constrayned to departe from theym And wiste not what they sholde do ¶ A nother tyme he beinge replenysshyd wyth the grace of god / As one gaaf him to drynke of the wyne that had be sacrefyed to the ydolles / Incontynente he casted it vppe agayne by manere of vomyte Lyke as it hadde be poyson Notwythstondyng that he was not yet Crysten / ¶ How the sayde Pachomyen was taken for to goo on werre And beginÌ„yth in latyn ¶ Eodem tempore et cetera Caplm .lvi. IN the same tyme Constantyn obteynynge the Empyre of rome dide constrayne all the yonge men of his countree for to habylle put theim in armes for to serue hym in his warre / Emonge whom he was reteyned to wages / ¶ The sayde Pachomyen whyche thenne was in the aege of twenty yeres / After that he was put vppon the see / The wynde aroos / And made theym to arryue in a cyte in whyche dwelled Crysten men / ¶ Whanne they of the cyte sawe theym come lyberally they receyued theym / And honestly they admynystred to theym alle theyr necessitees / ¶ Pachomyen seengâ—â—â—yr charite and humanytee enquyred â—â— his felowes what men they were / Whyche ansuered to hym that they were crysten men / And that theyr custome was to be soo humble and charytable to alle the worlde Hopinge to haue therfore rewarde of their god ¶ Pachomyen herynge this was moche heuy in his herte for that he myght not haue none other knowlege of them ¶ Wherfore he made his prayer to god in sayenge / O god almyghty whyche haste made heuen erthe graunte thou to me my prayer That is that it playse the to giue me perfighte knowlege of thy name / And that I be delyuered of the oblygacyon in whyche I 'am bounde And I shall be thy seruaunt alle the tyme of my lyfe / ¶ And I promitte to the that I shall renounce the worlde for to beye the onely / He thenÌ„e retornynge frothe warre wyth his felowes they passyd by dyuerse countrees and Regyons in whiche some tyme Pachomyen was tempted wyth the synne of the flesshe / But neuertheles rmeÌ„bryng of the promise that he hadd made to god he resisted the temptacoÌ„n And wolde neuer coÌ„mise the sayd synne Desyrynge for the loue of oure lorde to lyue chastely / ¶ How Pachomyen receyued the holy Sacrament of baptim / And bgynnyth in latyn ¶ Igitur constantinus c Caplm lvii· IT happed that Constantyn the Emperour of Rome after that he was Crysten And that by the faythe credence that he hadde to god He hadde opteyned vyctorye agaynste his aduersaryes Concluded for to dyscharge his subgettes of the grete exaccyons and charges that they bare by cause of men of warre And to gyue theym leue and to sende theym home And soo he dyde / ¶ Pachomyen thenne seenge hymselfe delyuered of his seruyce IncoÌ„tynent came in to a towne called Smobostrum beynge beyonde the partyes of The haydes / ¶ And there in the chirche in acomplysshinge the promyse that he made to god Promtly he was baptysed But a merueyllous thynge happed after his baptesme / ¶ For in the same nyghte that he was crystened he sawe in his dreme / How in to his ryght bonde descended a dewe the whiche myraculously coÌ„uerted in to hony / ¶ After he herde a voys whiche sayde to hym O Pachomyen considre wel this that is happed to the. For this is the sygne of the grace that god hathe gyuen to the / ¶ Pachomyen was after enflammed wyth the grace of the holy ghoste / And rendred hymselfe wyth the relygyouse men for to lerne the state of holy and perfyghte life / ¶ How saynt Pachomien desirynge to be Heremyte or Relygyous / wente to the holy fader Palemon dwellynge in deserte / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Andiuit autem / Caplm .lviii. AFter that Pachomyen herd say that in desertes was an holi man named Palemon moche deuoute contynuelly seruynge god He wente to hym and knocked atte his doore / ¶ And he opened halfe his doore / and demaunded of hym what he wolde â—â— what he soughte ¶ Now the holy man Palemon was terryble to beholde· By cause that by longe tyme lyuynge solytaryly he hadde ladde a strayt lyfe and harde in the deserte / ¶ Pachomyen ansuerde to hym moche humbly / Fayre fader I come to the by the coÌ„maundemente of my god to the ende that I â—e made and constytuted Relygios ¶ The holy fader sayde to him Thou mayst not be Relygyous here / It is not a lytyll thynge to be made Relygyous But he oughte well rypely to thynke the holy conuersacyon in whiche he oughte to liue / ¶ For many haue ben in desertes sayd the holy fader whiche haue not perseueryd in theyr begynnynges / ¶ Pachomyen ansuered that the maners in all persones ben not semblable / ¶ And therfore he prayed hym / that he wolde receyue hym And by succession of tyme he sholde knowe his courage and affecyon / ¶ The holy fader sayde to hym / My frende I haue sayde tofore that here thou mayste not be Relygyous / And therfore goo in to some Monastery of Relygyon / ¶ And whanne thou haste hâ—â—d in chastyte and contynence in obeyenge the rules of Religyon / ThenÌ„e shalte thou come agayne to me gladly I shall receyue the / ¶ But take hede what I shall saye to the / And waye it well tofore thou procede ony ferther / And I shall saye to the what thou shalte doo to gete the helthe of thy soule / I lyue here compentli ynough / ¶ For my custome is to ete oonly brede and salte I vse none oyle ne wyne / And I wake ordynarily tyll mydnyghte / And somtyne all the nyghte / Bisye some tyme in prayer A nother tyme in contemplacion Or otherwise ocupienge myselfe in some helthfull werke / ¶ Pachomyen whanne he had all herde Lyke as the dyscyples ben abasshed in the presence of theyr mayster / So he was somwhat abasshed in herynge the wordes of the holy man But this notwythstondynge he trustynge in the grace of god he purposyd alle to endure /
C.xlv FOr to styre his peple to mekenes· openly gaaf the holy Patryarke thise exortacoÌ„ns / My chyldern lete vs consyder put in our hertes the grete godenes of god his grete merci And certaynly we shal not desire to be put in grete honours that ben so dangeroous / But playnly we shall desyre to lyue in symple astate and pouertee / ¶ Alas what pouertee cowde we haue for to be also poore as hath be the lord our Sauyour and Redemer Ihesu Criste that kyng was bothe of heuen of erthe / ¶ Lete vs thynke vpon his mede fulnesse grete goodnesse that hath be shewed to vs / Where as we neuer shold haue ben yf he bi his grace had not formed Adam / The whyche by Inobedyence caused vs subget vnto euerlasting dethe / ¶ And alwayes thrugh his grece mercy paynfull passyon so moche benygnely he hath boughte vs ayen ¶ We also shall consydre that at all times that we fall in dedely synÌ„e the deuyll maye slee vs. brynge in to helle / And in dede he sholde doo it ne were the perfyghte loue that our lord hath to vs ¶ For coÌ„tynuelly by his doughter that is the chyrche· he prayeth vs to retorne to penaunce to th ende we maye haue hys grace / ¶ O moost swetnes whan he that may both daÌ„pne saue vs at his wyll And that alle thynges maye wythoute vs / And wythout hym we maye no thyÌ„ge / Neuerthelesse he prayeth vs that we woll loue him / ¶ How many theues euyll dooers are in the worde that god punysshyth not but coueryth theyr synnes / How many ben in the see that god preseruyth that they ben not robbed of the Pyrates / or drowned in to the deppest botomes But coÌ„maundeth the see that it suffreth theym to come to porte sauf / in abydynge the amendement of theyr lyfe / ¶ How many receyue the body of our lorde in dedely synne whiche he punysshyth not forth with / How many brybers theues are kepte from the wylde bestes / ¶ How many synÌ„ars ben preseruyd the anone after theyr synÌ„e thei ben not take of the deuyll of hell How many lurdens lye bi harlottes aduoutrers dronkelew glosâ—ets and other to all vyces ben wrapped / neuerthelesse god abydeth theym to gyue vnto them his mercy yf they woll aske it ¶ The bee fleeth in Somer in hylles valâ—es for to make hony swete for oure monthes that haue vttred sayd soo many fowle wordes and shamful / The floures shewe theim for to reioyce our â—yen whiche enforce theym for to loke on comyn wymmen / Or dysceyue a manÌ„es wyfe / ¶ We thenne that done suche dedes / And haue soo many rewardes of god / What drede oughte we for to haue whan oonly we consydre the last hour of oure dethe / ¶ Dyuerse ensamples of dethe gaaf the holy Patryarke to the ende that they that were prowde folysshe louers sholde mekely and lowely obeye theymself for to haue contrycyon / takynge sorowe for theyr synnes ¶ This holy man sayde It suffysyth me for to be sauyd to haue a coÌ„tynuell mynde of dethe / For at the selfe hour none shal acoÌ„pany wyth vs / but onÌ„ly our gode bad dedes ¶ Alas lete vs thyÌ„ke how our gode angel shal be wroth whaÌ„ aft our deth he shall finde noo gode dedes done bi vs wherby he miÈte kepe defeÌ„de vs ayeÌ„st thacusyÌ„g of our enmie the deuyll of hell / Alas thenÌ„e shall we pray god the he wol yeue vs space to liue yet a lytyl while to doo penauÌ„ce but to vs shal be answerd / Pore creature that haste euyl speÌ„ded the time that thou hast lyuen thou shalt neuer haue no respite sayd of hyÌ„self / Alas pore IohnÌ„ how shal thou passe the way for to goo in paradys / whaÌ„ afore the thou shal see somany enmies of horrible accusars byfore the rightwys Iuge / ¶ Alas IohnÌ„ what fere and drede shalt thou thenne haue whan Incontyâ—â—â—e after thy dethe thou shalt be presentes afore the Iugement of god ¶ This holy man had euer in his remembrauÌ„ce the good Symeon that had be so iusce And that whiche whan the hour of his dethe was come / that his soule ascended to paradys / mette wyth a grete coÌ„pany of deuilles in dyuers orders / Fyrst mette the soule of the sayd Symeon the order of proude deuylles And there she was questioned yf she had not be proude After he mette with the deuylles princes of sklaundrynge / and in lyke wyse she was there askyd yf she had not reported euyl of other / After this she met wyth other deuylles prynces of fornycacoÌ„n the whiche wolde accuse hym of flesshely dedes and flesshely desyres / And whan the soule is styed vnto heâ—uen and that she muste nedes yelde acounte afore god / the angels gyue her nomore socours / and hath thenne noo comfort ne helpe but of suche good dedes as he hath done in this worlde / As to this tyme the good Patryarke consydered how the soule hath noo comforte but onÌ„ly of her good dedes / ¶ And for to moue the more his spyryte / he broughte vnto his mynde the dethe of saynte Hâ—larion the whyche at the laste houre of his deth sayd vnto his soule / O my soule goo hardly out of my body Lxxx. yere thou hast serued god / Why ferest thou now thy departynge / ¶ O wonderfull a thyng / o moost drede o charyte vnable to be colde The good Hilarion the was ·lxxx yere al his lyfe had seruyd god in doynge grete penauÌ„ce neuer had synÌ„ed dedely but al his dayes was Ioyned to the goodnesse of god as he had hadde in erthe the perfeccyon of an angel / This notwythstondyng that he lyued an heuenly lyfe in makyng wonderfull miracles yet he feryd the dethe namely the sayd holy Patryarke that sayd ¶ What shall thou my soule answere to the horryble accusars that somoche ben subtyll / I fere me full sore that we shall be taken at our answers whaÌ„ the deuyls shall gyue vnto vs somany accusacoÌ„ns As of leesynges of couetise of myssayeng of vnpyte of euyll mynde· of hate and of all other synÌ„es / TheÌ„ne shall we well nede to haue gode aduocates that shall speke for vs / ¶ For the grete fere that we shall thenne haue shall kepe vs that we shall not answere noo thyng / And therfore we must pray god that we maye haue good angels for to lede vs in all our dedes whan that we oonly goo fro one cyte to a nother we take our guides / to th ende that they lede vs the streight waye / ¶ ThenÌ„e muste we well praye whan we shall depart from the erthe to heuen / that we be not ladde from our streyght waye but ledd guyded by good conduytours / Thys holy patryarke layed suche medyacoÌ„ns afore his eyen for to meke hyÌ„self / And who that
was buryed / And there she kepte herselfe thre dayes wythoute ony mete or drynke / Makyng there wayllynges wythoute nombre and wepynges / Hauynge alwayes an hope that the holy Patryarke sholde lete her vnderstonde some tydynges of her synne / ¶ She often sayd vnto hym / Alas holy Patryarke I hadd soo grete an hope of thy lyfe the whyche I byleue not to be ended ¶ For god and his chyrche wytnessen vnto vs. that the Iuste lyue euerlastyngly / And therfore I byleue that thou arte not deed / But rather arte more lyuynge as to the euerlastynge lyfe· than thou were afore in this worlde / ¶ Alas my frende I ne requyre of the none other thynge / but oonly that thou wolte lete me wyte where my scrowe is become that I toke the / ¶ O my souerayne god that sayd to the woman Cananâ—e That thorugh her faythe she was sauyd / ¶ Syth that I haue in the stedfaste byleue that thou mayst make me att thys tyme acertayned of my scrowe / I byseche the / that thou woll be playsed I to haue it agayne / ¶ One a daye she sayenge suche wordes / ¶ The holy Patryarke acompanyed wyth two bysshops wyth the whyche he was entered aroos oute of his gaue· and sayde to the sayd woman / ¶ O poore nedy woman why leuest thou not in rest theym that ben here wyth me / Thou hast wepte soo moche that we ben all bedewed wyth thy teeres / And wyth this he toke her agayne her scrowe / And askyd her yf she knewe it / The whyche wordes sayd he and the sayde two holy bisshops layed theymselfe downe agayne wythin theyr tombes / ¶ And the sayde woman openyd her letter And founde therin wryten the wordes that here folowe ¶ For the loue of Iohan my seruaunte thy synne is enrased oute / ¶ O what is he that cowde or myghte reherce the power of our lorde the whiche is soo mercyfull and louely bothe to men and wymmen / And that soo freely grauntyth and dooth the wyll of all those that drede hym / And that wyth goode herte sekith hym / Whyche gloryfyeth theym that loue hym / And by myracle magnyfyeth theym / ¶ The holy Patryarke forsayd was not onÌ„ly gloryfyed in one place but in all countrees of the Eest partyes / And now saynt Iherom makyth vs to knowe hym ferdermore in thyse partyes of the Weste / ¶ How the dethe of the forsayd holy Patryarke Iohan was shewed to a relygyouse namyd Sauyn / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Eadem enim die c / Caplm C.lv. THe daye that this holy Patryarke deyed / a Relygyous man namyd Sauyn beynge in Alexandrye sawe by the wyll of god the holy Patryarke Iohan / The whyche accompanyed wyth a grete nombre of clerkes was ladde by one of theym tofore an emperour in his palays / After he sawe hym come out of the gate / ¶ The whyche vysyon bytokened the departynge of his body from the soule Whan he was out of the gate came to hym a fayre lady a yonge mayde shynynge bryghter than the sonne / Hauynge on her heed a crowne of Olyue tree· The whiche toke him anone by the honde and ladde him forthe / ¶ Bi this visyon the good relygyouse man ymagyned that the holy Patryarke was passynge oute of this worlde at that houre vnto euerlastynge glory And this he gaaf to knowe vnto dyuers persons It happed thenÌ„e that oute of Chypre came many marchauÌ„tes in to AlexaÌ„drye To whom was askid after the hour of the Patryarkes forsayd dethe / And by theyr answere was cleerly knowe that the sayd vysyon was true / And that at the same hour that as the Relygyouse man had shewed it the sayd holy Patryarke was deed / Gyuyng stedfast fayth by this that sayd is to this vysion and namly for cause of the mayde that ladde hym by the honde / For they Iudged that is was Almese / that afore tyme in this worlde had shewed herselfe to this holy Patryarke forsayd in lykenesse of a mayde / And had promysyd hym as here afore is sayd / That yf he wolde loue her / she sholde present hym byfore the souerayne emperour that is our blessed Sauyour Redemer Ihesu Cryste / ¶ Of a nother vysion that a Citeyzyn of AlexaÌ„drie had touchyÌ„ge the deth of this holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ the Almoner / begynÌ„yth ¶ CuÌ„ auteÌ„ / Caplm C.lvi. ANd not onÌ„ly by cause of the visyon of the forsayd religyoê° / but also for a nother vysion that happed to a pore man feryng god whyche dwelled in Alexandrye the enhabytauÌ„tes of the same cyte byleuyd the Almese Mercy had presented the forsayd holy Patryarke vnto god / This good pore man that same nyghte that the holy Patryarke IohnÌ„ deyed sawe by spirytuell vysyon all the poore folke of the cyte of Alexandrye / Aswell children faderlees and moderlees as wymÌ„en and other what so euer persone in grete noÌ„bre / Beryng in theyr hondes brauÌ„ches of Olyue tree the whyche wente to the seruyce and Dirige of the holy Patriarke / ¶ Wherfore it was cleerly shewed Almese dede presented hym afore god / as it is sayd aboue / ¶ How out of his sepulcre flowed and ranne oyle· And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Hymnodia c· Caplm C.lvii YF we had of the gloryfycacion of the holy Patryarke none other reason to shewe but the same that here folowith / Yet ought we onely to be certayne withoute ony doubtfull demynge that he is of the nombre of sayntes / ¶ After that this holy body was enteryd buryed our Redemer wyllyng to shew the worthynes of hym· coÌ„maunded that out of his graue sholde flowe and renne oyle of whose swetnes swete smelling sauour by syÌ„guler grace were the folke beynge present fulfylled namely all the sike folke that were enoynted therwyth receyuyd fully theyr helthe ayen / And not oonly this myracle happed in the londe of Chypre aforsayd to the worshyp of the sayde holy Patryarke / But also in dyuers other to the ende that we that see how they haue contynued and lyued holyly in this worlde· sett and applye our courages to ensewe theym in theyr dooynges / ¶ We shall praye mekely the gode saynt IohnÌ„ the Almoner that it wolde playse hym of his large mekenesse for to spare for vs after oure mortall lyfe the tresours that neuer shall haue ende that he hath spared for hyÌ„self thrugh his grete almese other grete werkes so that we ensewe the same maye be wyth hyÌ„ fedde in the glory of heuen / Amen / ¶ Here begynnyth the lyfe of saynt Eugene / whose feest is halowed the day after the feest of the Natiuyte of our sauyour IhuÌ„ Cryste / And begyynyth in latin ¶ In septimo igitur et cetera Caplm C.lviii SOmtyme an Emperour of the Romayns namyd Chomodrê° for to rule gouerne the cytee of Alexandrye the londe of Egypte vnder the lordshyp of Rome sent in to
of the worlde / he answerde that it was the same that was vpon the worlde / The wordes of the worlde are swete notwithstondyng that it shall be full bytter to hym that shall lyue in it vyciously / But who that wol be in the worlde maye not obeye his sensualytee serue god / By cause that none shall not serue well two lordes And that the naturell manly desyres are contrary to the saluacoÌ„n of our soules / And therfore my mayster coÌ„maunder sayde saynt Basylle / I praye the lete vs quycken our spirytes that ben deed by syÌ„nes / And for to purchace lyfe euerlastyÌ„ge lete vs folowe the techynges of thapostles of the souerayn god Redemer of all the worlde / ¶ Yf we woll put payne to obeye hym notwythstondynge that we ben alle redy stryken in aege Yet shall we haue asmoche of rewarde by medyacoÌ„n of his grace as they that haue be in his seruyce from the tyme of theyr yongthe / ¶ For it is wryten in the gospell that as grete a rewarde had he that came at the hour of Sexte as he the was comÌ„ at the hour of Prime / The doctour Eubole herynge the warnynges of his dyscyple Basylle began to saye / ¶ O Basylle true shewer expownar of that faythe of Criste thrugh the. I byleue in one god almyghty In tyme past that I knewe I dyde shewe the. now alle that is myne I gyue vnto the. putt in thy possessoÌ„n purposyng to lede wyth the thou remenauÌ„te of my lyfe / yf it playse to my god IhuÌ„ Cryst I shall receyue wtin shorte tyme the holy sacramente of baptym / Saynt Basylle answerde O my mayster blessyd be oure god that hath mekely lyghtned the in giuynge to the wyll courage to forsake leue the foule errours wherin thou were ouerthrowen thrugh the vayn worldly science· and that now thou knowest his mercy ¶ Syth that thou woll be wyth me· I shall teche the how we shal lyue in getynge our wee le in delyueryng ourself from the lettyÌ„ges of this wretched world / ¶ Fyrst we shall selle all that we haue shall gyue it to the poore nedy for goddys sake after we shall goo to the holy cytee of Iherusalem / The whyche thynge they dyde / And clothyd theymself in Raymentes lyke Crysten people / for to receyue Crystendom / ¶ And in goynge thyder they torned many Paynems that they fonde in theyr waye to the Crysten fayth / ¶ How Eubole was crystened in the FluÌ„me Iourdan / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Apprehendentes autem cetera Caplm C.lx. THenne whan saynt Basylle his doctour Eubole were come in Ihâ—l'm they went vysited al the holy places worshiped theim for the loue of our lorde / After they presented theself tofore the bisshop of the cyte namyd Marimyen kneled byfore him bysechyge him that he wold crysten them in the flum Iordan ¶ The sayd bysshop receyued theim moche mekely / acompanyed with many notable persones sad theim to the forsayd flum / WhaÌ„ theâ— were come to the bryke of the same saynt basyll sate on both his knees / besouÈt god deuoutly that he wold vouchesauf to shewe some token to theim of his grace After he rose vp toke of al his clothes for to entre wythin the flood thenÌ„e the sayd bysshop went crystned hym / Att whiche crystnynge a moche merueyloê° thynge happed there / For a grete lyght as it had be fyre makyng wonderful shinyng came from heuen vpon theim / out of the fyre flewe out a whyte doue / the whiche after she had trowbled the water flewe ayen in to heuen / Of whiche thyÌ„ge those present were moche merueyled For they had neuer seen soo quycke ne soo grete a lyghte / Soo began they to prayse glorifye the name of god and pryÌ„cipally the bisshop the contynuelly remeÌ„bred the loue that saynt Basylle had to the Redemer of the world They .ii. thenÌ„e togyder crystened enoynted with the holy oyle retorned to Ihrl'm there they dwelled a yere ¶ After the knowlege of whiche they toke theyr waye towarde Anthyoche / thenne was saynt Basylle made Deaken / ¶ How sayÌ„t Basylle beyng a bysshop coÌ„posed the masse / in coÌ„posyng of whiche he sawe god his apostles begynning ¶ CoÌ„uenientes c· Caplm C.lxi. MAny bysshops were assemblyd in Anthyoche the whyche chose saynt Basylle to be bysshop And after that he was ordened he made his prayer to god bysechyng hym that he wold gyue him the gyfte of vnderstondynge by the whyche he myght to the exaltacoÌ„n of the fayth his glorioê° name make a seruyce or offyce to hym agreable in makynge vnto hym oblacyon of his precyous blode / And that in this dooyng he myghte receyue the grace of the holy ghost ¶ The gode Basylle after this request was by the space of sixe dayes as al chauÌ„ged wythdrawe fro his thought / But neuertheles he purposed to make the sayde seruyce / ¶ And on a nyghte after the sayd dayes paste / he had a syghte of god the whyche acompanyed of all his apostles as whan he wrote the wordes that preestes proferon vpon the breed sayde to hym / Basylle after thy desyre be thy mouth fulfyllyd of praysynge to th ende that by thy owne worde thou make sacrefyce vnto me of my bloode / ¶ Saynt Basylle that coude not abyde the syght departed with grete fere and went to the awter where he began to saye wryte this that here folowyth / Be my mouth fulfylled wyth loeuynge to th ende that it synge ympne to thy Ioye / Wyth this he made many other orysons that ben customably sayd whan the body of our lorde is to be consecrate of the preest / the whiche are not to be wryten to ony laye folke / Nor to be had in comynicacoÌ„n but onÌ„ly amonge men of the chirche / And after the consecracoÌ„n eleuacoÌ„n of the hoste whyche was of brede he deuyded it in thre partes / of the whiche he vsyd the one in grete drede reuerence the other he kepte for to bere wyth hym / and the thyrde he kepte for to be putt in to a doune of fyne golde the whyche he had doo make for to be hanged ouer the awter in by tokenyng of that same doune that appered ouer hym whan he was crystned in the flum Iordan / ¶ Eubole manâ— other clerkes were thenne afore the gate of the temple beholdinge this mystery they sawe abowte hym a wonderful lyght whyche constrayned them to fall to the grouÌ„de / And wyth this they sawe a grete multytude of men al clothed in whiche rayments / the whyche acoÌ„pamed hym in makynge the sayd sacrefyce ¶ The masse done saynt Basyll gooyng out of the chyrche / al them present worshipped him puttynge byfore hyÌ„ theyr knees to the grounde made hym more grete honour than they had be acustomyd
He made on a tyme his prayer vnto god that in a certayn tyme he myght haue no lust for to slepe / to the ende that nyght daye he sholde watche for to fyght ayenst the deuyls tyll that he had acomplysshed that whiche Dauyd sayth in his psalme ¶ Neuer sayth he in spekynge of the deuyls I shall not ceasse tyll they be ouercome The whiche Requeste god grauÌ„ted him ¶ And this holy Pachomyen sayd / that the deuyls haue no myght ouer vs / so that we wyll resyst to theyr teÌ„ptacoÌ„ns / by meane of that grace of god whiche we ought to calle vpon ¶ He sayd also that many tymes he had herde the deuyls when they recouÌ„ted theyr coÌ„trouersyes togydre / how on a tyme one of them sayd these wordes I gyue oftentymes wouÌ„derful lettynges grete temptacoÌ„ns vnto an hermyte / but as so soone that I haue gyue hym one assawte / he casteth hyÌ„self doÌ„ne to the erthe prayeth god / wherfore I am coÌ„strayned to flee awaye all coÌ„fuse ¶ An other sayd I holde a nother in my puyssauÌ„ce whiche fulfylleth folysshly all the wycked thoughtes that I sette hyÌ„ afore I make hym often to chyde to braule to make noyse with his neyghbours I yelde hyÌ„ slouthfull to the seruyce of god ¶ And therfore the holy man Pachomyen sayde to his brethern I pray you my children / that ye be alwayes redy to calle vpoÌ„ the grace of the holy gâ—ost when ony temptacoÌ„n shall come vpon you / be awaytyng in oryson / as the postle gyueth couÌ„seyll / watche curyously in doynge of the same With this he warned them to haue euer in theyr mynde the name of IhuÌ„s And after that he had in trute taught them thus / they went ayene to theyr houses / neuer they spake wordes in vayne the one to the other / but alwayes of the holy scrypture / pryncypally of those thynges that moeued theÌ„ to prayer / and to loue drede god ¶ Oure lorde gaf a synguler gyfte of grace to one of that olde holy faders / for he sawe wonderfull thynges whiche his brethern myght not see Whan the sayd brethern dysputed togyder of the holy scriptures / he sawe the angels that assysted about them And to the contrary when they deuysed of vayne thynges / he sawe the deuyls in lykenes of hegges playng amoÌ„ge them / toke plesure in theyr wordes And his custome was atte ony tyme that he sawe suche vysyon that he withdrawe hymselfe in to his chambre / there he wepte full pyteously / consyderynge the myseryes wretchydnesse in whiche the deuyll putteth vs thrugh his subtyltees / decepcoÌ„ns malycyouse temptacoÌ„ns And after he went ayen to his brethern / whiche he exorted to flee vayne wordes / also folysshe thoughtes / in shewyng vnto them / that by the same we slee in vs the grace of god / renne in to his Indygnacyon / of all the court of paradyse ¶ Morouer he sayd that he was certayn that as soone incontyneÌ„t that we profer or within our thougâ—te purpose for to do ony thyng dyshonest our good angell departed from vs / and Incontynent the hadde angell taketh possessyon of our soule ¶ After he warned them that they sholde not speke euermoche / sayeng that in habondauÌ„ce of wordes / men maye not eschewe synne / also the spyryte is therby more weeke toÌ„ withstonde ayenst the wycked teÌ„ptacoÌ„ns ¶ In the palays of Theodosiê° them perour was an holy man named Arsenye that had two children / one was called Archadiê° / thother Honoriê° / the whiche were by the sayd emperour holden ouer the font stone The good Arsenyen after that he had in his herte besyly consydered the estate of this worlde the vanytees of the same / he forsoke all went to that deserte of Sychye for to vse there the remenauÌ„t of his lyfe in beyng allone / to be departed from the worshypes of the worlde He beyng yet in the worlde he was clothed moost precyously of all other that were in the palays seruyng that emperour And when he was in the sayd deserie / he was that man among the other that more pouerly fouly was arayed Vpon a tyme wenyng to be in his chaÌ„bre with many of his brethern / he herde a voyce that sayd to hyÌ„ Arsenye come out of thy chambre / I shall shewe that the vayne werkyÌ„ges of men The whiche voyce by hyÌ„ herde / hym semed that he lept out of his habytacoÌ„n / incontyneÌ„te he sawe a grete Ethyopyen that hewe wood gadred it in a hepe / after that he had gadred moche of it / he trowed to haue lyfte it vpon his backe / but he coude not / because there was to moche of it Yet agayne he hewe more therof sette it vpon the other ¶ Syn after he sawe an other Ethyopyen that toke water out of a pouÌ„de putte it in to a vessell whiche was so full of holes that it myght not holde no water whiche was sypylled and wente out atte the holes ¶ After he was brought atte an other parte where he sawe a grete buyldyng lyke a Temple / before the whiche were two men vpon two horses eyther of them bare a long perche vpon theyr sholders / and bothe togydre attones wolde haue entred in the sayd Temple / but they myght not passe / withstaÌ„dyng the lettynge of the sayde perches that they bare ouerthward when they wolde haue passed thrughe the gate And nother of them wolde not meke hym selfe to the other / but eyther of them wolde be the fyrst that sholde entre ¶ The whiche vysyons were to hyÌ„ by the sayd voyce expowned in the maner that foloweth Fyrst they that bare the perches ouerthward / betokened thoo that haue charge of relygyouses as abbottes an other / the whiche in theyr offyces wexe proude wyll not humble hyÌ„self the one towarde the other / in despysynge the worde of god that sayth ¶ My childern lerne of me / for I am humble and swete in herte / and by this meane ye shall fynde the saluacyon of your soules ¶ This proude folke by theyr pryde abyden out of the chirche / come not in / that is to saye / that they haue no parte in paradyse ¶ He that assembled the wood in a hepe / sygnefyeth those that do many synnes / when they trowe for to retourne to do penauÌ„ce / they be so sore laden that they can not aplye themselfe to do ony good / but be therto slouthfull neclygent / wherby coÌ„tynuelly they gader Ioyne syÌ„ne vpon syÌ„ne / fynably they be daÌ„pned because that they wyll not leue theyr euyll customes ¶ That other the toke the water out a pouÌ„de put it in a vessell full of holles / betokened those that do some good but neuerthelesse they do more of euyll than of good / wherby they lese theyr meryte
not wonte to see ony men / wolde not gyue vnto her broder none occasyon to come vnder her shadowe for to comoÌ„ne amonge women of Relygyon / wherfore she lete him wyt that she wolde nother see hym nor speke with hyÌ„ / that he sholde retorne to his owne monastery ayen that he wolde praye god for her / to th ende the helpyng the grace of god she myght see hym in the Royalme of heuen ¶ A monke walkyng by the waye mette somtyme an abbesse acompanyed with some Relygyouse wyÌ„men whiche this monke made grete force to loke vpon them for to knowe what they were and of what monastery / and for this cause lefte his waye toke theyrs To whome the abbesse sayd / that yf he had be a parfyte Relygyouse he sholde not haue putte hym in payne for to loke vpon them somoche that he sholde haue knowyng that they had be women / as she wolde haue sayd / that in goyng on his waye / he ought to open so soberly his eyen that he sholde not see nor apperceyue thoos that cam ayenst hym or that passed theyr wayes by hym ¶ An holy man whiche was Archebysshop of the Cyte of Alexandrye / and hadde to name Theophyle requyred som holy faders Relygyouses / that they shold come toward hyÌ„ in the sayd cyte of AlexaÌ„drye / trustyng that by theyr prayers merytes he sholde dystroye some temples where were done many ydolatryes within the sayd cyte in the contree about it These holy faders ones among other etyng with the sayd archebysshop were serued with veell where of they ete not takyng hede to theyr mete The archebysshop whiche desyred to make theym good there toke a capon that was in his dysshe afore hyÌ„ and sette it before one of the sayd holy faders / saynge that it was good that he sholde ete of it The holy fader answered vnto hym Certaynely I haue wende to this houre that I hadde eten coles / but syn I perceyue that it is flesshe I shall no more ete of it After the whiche wordes sayd the other Relygyouses lefte theyr etynge of suche flesshe that was brought before them ¶ An other Relygyouse desyred some for to ete of his lytyll loues of newe brede that he had baken hym selfe vnder the asshys And when they hadde ete eche of them one of this small loues / they left theyr etyng The brother that had boden them therunto seeyng the pacyence of theyr abstynence / and that they sholde well haue eten yet more of them / prayed them in the name of god that they wolde yet ete some / tyll that they had theyr fylle of them So began they ayen for to ete of the sayd loues of brede to the nombre of ten euery man / whiche thyng they dyde as veraye Relygyouses / not for noo necessyte that they had of it / but pryncypally for to obey vnto the request of the sayd Relygyouse that therto had desyred them in the name of our lorde god ¶ An other holy fader was somtyme syke of a gryuouse sykenesse whiche was suche / that out of his entraylles he casted blood by grete plente And for to socoure hym atte his nede a Relygyouse brought hym some almauÌ„des / wherof he made hym a cawdell whiche he presented vnto the good holy fader saynge Fayr fader I praye the that thou wyll ete this / for I hope that it is good for to Restowre the thy helthe And after that the holy fader had loked vpon hym a long whyle / he sayd to hym Certaynly my brother I dyde desyre that god sholde holde me .xxx. yere in this sykenesse / for this cause he wolde not obeye to the Request of the sayd Relygyouse / nother ete of the candell the he had brought to hym / was coÌ„strayned to bere it ayen with hym to Retourne in to his celle ¶ An auncyent fader hauyÌ„g his celle ferre within the desertes / and departed from all folke / was vysyted of a brother whiche founde hym sore syke So he wasshed hym his face that was all bespoted and wasted for bycause of his sykenesse And after he made redy certayne thynges for hym to ete that he hadde brought there with hym And the good olde fader seeyng this / he sayd vnto hym Certaynely my brother I hadde forgoten that men hadde taken ony solas or pleasures in etynge And after he presented hym with a cuppe of wyne for to drynke / whiche good aeged fader beholdynge the sayd cuppe beganne for to wepe and sayd / that he hoped not to drynke of ony wyne tyll that dethe sholde take hym ¶ An other olde fader purposed ones in hymselfe that he sholde not drynke duryng the space of .xl. dayes contynuelly And there as he was in a grete necessyte bycause of the hete / he dyde fylle a glasse full of water / that whiche he henge vp before hym within his celle And when his brethern asked hym why he dyde so / he answered he dyde it to th ende that in seeyng the same water within the sayd glasse / where as he sholde haue a lust and desyre to take of it for to stynte his thrust withall neuertheles sholde not cast of it / he myght by this meane receyue of our lorde more grete Rewarde ¶ An other broder walkyng by the waye with his moder that was alredy come to a grete aege / fouÌ„de a streâ—e thrugh whiche they must passe / whiche thyng his moder sholde not haue conne doo withstandyng her olde aege feblenes Wherfore the brother constrayned for to haue her ouer / toke of his mauÌ„tell and be wrapped her handes withall / to th ende that he sholde not couche her naked flesshe And thus he toke her vp on his necke bare her ouer the sayd streme And where his moder asked him why he had be wrapped her handes in his mantell he answered that he had done it / bycause that he knewe that the bodye of a woman is lykened vnto fyre that all wasteth And for this cause to thentente he sholde eschewe that in touchyng her naked flesshe the remembrauÌ„ce of other women sholde not be brought in his mynde / he wolde thus be wrappe her handes ¶ An other aeged holy fader sayd that he knewe a Relygyouse whiche was wonte to fast all the holy passyon weke And the satyrdaye of the sayd weke whan he came to the masse with the other Relygyouses he wayted tyll the masse were begonne for to entre within the chirche And the masse done / after he had receyued the holy sacramente of the aulter he departed hastly out of the chirche / to the ende that he sholde not be constrayned by his brethern for to ete with them / for he loued better to lyue solytaryly etynge within his celle alone some colles or beetes soden in water salt than for to comyn with them ete other metes ¶ Many brethern in Sychye were ones
of hedges or busshes / how be it that somtyme he be hurte with thornes that he fyndeth in his waye / netheles be setteth not therby tyll that he hath taken the hare ¶ In lykewyse the relygyous persone or other that seketh oure lorde Ihū cryste / that is to wyt he that desyreth by good werkes to obteyne his grace Incessantly applye his entente to be scourged tourmented by penaūce / passe lyghtly all the sclaūdres that may come to hym / vnto the tyme that he come to the glorye celestyall / in comyng to the same he take Ihesu cryste at that cours / that is to wyte in rennyng after hym / in folowyng hȳ by good maners And thenne that he come to the same Ioye / he take his praye whiche is the fruycyon of his precyous vysyon / in the whiche delyteth all the court celestyall ¶ An other aged fader sayd that lyke as a tree whiche is ofte dysplaunted transported from one groūde to an other may bere no fruyte Lykewyse the relygyous persone that ofte goth from one place to an other may not prouffyte ne doo ony werke that is helthfull ¶ Ther was a relygyous persone whiche fonde hym strongly oppressed and tempted to leue his monastery And for as moche as he myght not well withstande it / he declared to an olde fader askyng hym herupon some remedye / the whiche coūseylled hym that he sholde go to his celle / that he sholde leye his bodye to wedde that he sholde not go out And in so doyng he sholde payne hȳselfe to cast his thoughtes away say to his body that he sholde thynke all that he wolde sauf oonly that he go not out of his celle And in so doynge the sayd Relygyous vaynquysshed the sayd temptacyon ¶ An other aged fader sayd that the celle of a relygyous persone is lykened to the fornays or chemyney of Babylon where the thre childern Sydrac Mysaell / and Abdenago fonde the sone of god whiche kepte theym from brennȳge Or ellys to the busshe / pyler / or cloude in whiche god spack to Moyses ¶ A relygyous persone was tempted contynuelly by the space of .ix. yere for to forsake the company of his brethern And to that ende euery daye he dyde of his pylche or skynne in the whiche after his rule he hadde be accustomed to lye slepe in And whan it was euyn he sayd to hym selfe I shall departe go hens to morn / on the morn I shall abyde yet this daye for the loue of god And whan he had contynued thus in this varyacyon by the space of .ix. yere in doyng euery daye as sayd is / our lorde toke awaye from hym that temptacyon ¶ An other Relygyous by force of tēptacōns fonde hȳ selfe so troubled that he lost lefte the rule of relygyon And lyuyng dyssolutely / as he wolde somtyme sette hymselfe to do well come agayn to lyue Relygyously / his temptacōns letted hym / wherfore he had grete sorowe And in bewaylyng the tyme that he had lost wasted in lyuȳg myschaūtly sayd in hym selfe Alas whan shall I fynde my selfe in suche astate as I was wonte to be And in makyng suche sorowe he purposed to amende him selfe But neuertheles he had a corage so slouth / that he coude not ne wolde take ayen his relygyous lyfe / wherfore on a daye he transported hym vnto an holy aged fader / to whom he reherced all his myserable lyfe / how he coude not put hym to lyue well The aged fader knowyng his myschaunt caas for to reduce hym to good lyfe / recoūted to hym suche an example as foloweth ¶ Ther was a man somtyme / whiche had a fayr pyece of londe / the whiche he lefte by his grete neclygence tourne in to so grete ruyne that hit was ouer charged growen with thystles / thornes / and grete buysshes Thynkyng on this caas / a certayne tyme after he cōcluded that he wolde sette ayen in value the same pyece of londe And sayd to his sone that he sholde go see in what astate it was / that he sholde make dylygence to wede take away the thystles buysshes / refresshe it Thenne he faynyng to wyll obeye his fader / went to the sayd pyece of londe And as he behelde the grete multytude of thornes buysshes thystles that grewe theron / he fonde hym selfe so slouth feble of corage / that he coude not begynne to werke / sayneg in hym selfe thus A lorde god how shall it be to me possyble to stubble make clene this pyece of londe here Certaynely I shall neuer conne make an ende therof / and leyde hym selfe doun on the groūde by slouthe latchesse / began to slepe And so contynued many dayes without doynge of ony labour And the fader desyryng to see what his sone had done in the sayd loude On a daye he wente thyder / fonde that he had nothyng laboured / asked hym why he had noothyng done And he answered to hym wenyng to sense hym / that whan he was come had seen the grete habundaūce of thystles thornes / he coude not enterpryse soo grete labour / for that cause he leyed hym doun slept His fader heryng his answere / repreued hym of his slouth latchednes / sayd to hȳ that he sholde begynne to labour / sholde not do but a certayn one daye / as moche an other daye / vpon whiche he soo dyde in obeyng the cōmaundement of his fader And whan he sawe in labouryng that it began to amende / he toke therin grete pleasyr / that in short tyme / it was refresshyd made clene In lyke wyse my brother sayd the olde fader It byhoueth to the a lytyll lytyll to werke / in so dooyng the corage shall not faylle the / god by his holy grace shall restore the in to thy former astate This heryng the relygyous man toke leue of the holy fader in thankyng hȳ mekely in good pacyence And with grete constaūce made resydence in his celle / began to werke lyke as the holy fader had instructe taught hȳ And in this maner fyndyng reste / he was promoted by our lorde to right deuoute vertuous lyfe ¶ There was an olde fader the whiche had be accustomed to be ofte enfebled by sekenes And it happed that it was the pleasyr of god that duryng an hole yere he was hooll in good poynt without to be touched ne gryeued with ony bodely sekenes And consyderyng in hȳselfe that he was in ouer grete helth he entred for this cause in a grete melancolye / of the whiche he was strongly tourmented / wepte sayeng that god had lefte forgoten hym bycause that he vysyted hȳ no more with sekenes ¶ An other aged holy fader sayd that an other broder was by the space of .lx. yere so sharply tempted
his mynde / coÌ„syderyng theyr werkes he began to wryte in the erthe in sayeng these wordes Pambo fasted two dayes hole in the weke / eteth two lytyll loues baken in the asshes / is he therfor a monke / nay and after he wrote sayeng Pambo receyueth of his werkes .ij pens dystrybuteth in almes / is he therfore a monke / certaynly nay And after that he was styll a lytyll he sayd to theym that the werkes that they dyde were good But yf they kept theyr conscyences ayenst theyr neyghbours in soo doyng they sholde be saued And with these wordes that sayd relygyoê° beyng well edyfyed / departed retorned in grete Ioye ¶ An other broder Relygyous asked the sayd abbot Pambo / how he myght do that the euyll spyrytes / that is to saye the deuylles of helle defended hym to do ony good werke to his neyghboures To whom the holy fader answered / that he sholde saye nomore so / for in tho wordes he made god a lyer / but he sayd to hyÌ„ absolutely these wordes I wyll not do mercy / sayd that god purueyeng for our caas ayenst the sayd enemyes of helle / had sayd these wordes That is to wyte I haue gyuen to you power to marche vpon the serpent scorpyons / to trede theym vnder your fete And in lyke wyse I haue gyuen to you power vpon the strength of thenemye Thenne sayd the holy fader to the Relygyous / why defoulest not that the stynkyng and foule enemyes ¶ Thabbot Paladius sayd that it is of necessyte / that the soule that wyll lyue coÌ„uerse accordyng to the wyll of Ihesu cryste / to lerne in the fayth tho thynges whiche he knoweth not / also that he shewe teche manyfestly that whiche he had lerned And yf the soule do not eueryche of these two thynges there as she may do it / it may be sayd of suche a soule that she is withholden with a maladye enraged For the fyrst pryncypall begynnyng to departe hyÌ„ selfe fro god / is to haue ennoye greuauÌ„ce to shewe teche the good that he can And whan we haue appetyte that the soule alwaye loue god ¶ An other relygyous axed of thabbot Sysoy wherfor it was that his passyons myght not departe froÌ„ hyÌ„ To whom the holy fader answere / that it was bycause that the vessellys of the same passyons were within hyÌ„ / as who sholde saye he receyued theym ouer lyghtly And furthermore he answered hyÌ„ that he sholde gyue to theym theyr wages the they were worthy to haue / they shall goo theyr waye ¶ Saynt Syncletyce sayd that they whiche by grete labours / in peryll of the see gadre assemble teÌ„porall rychesses haue grete thynges Thenne they desyre to gete yet more repute lytyll or nothyng that they haue And the worse is they sette all theyr entent affeccoÌ„n to haue gete thoo thynges that they haue not But we our selfe whiche ought to enforce vs to prouffyte in relygyon / haue no charge or besynesse of thynges that is to saye of vertues that we ought to gete / also we wyll not possesse theym whiche ben to vs necessary for to gete that loue of our lord Yet sayd that good lady Syncletyce that the ther be two maner of heuynesses / that one is to the soule vtyle prouffytable / that other corrupteth is ryght doÌ„megeable TheÌ„ne the heuynesse whiche is prouffytable is that / whaÌ„ by cause of our synnes we wayle wepe for theym / for thyngnorauÌ„ce of our neyghbours / also in feryng that we fall not fro our good purpose / to th ende that we may come to the perfeccoÌ„n of all bouÌ„de / this is the veray spece of heuynesse That other heuynesse the corrupteth the soule / is that whiche the fende sendeth to vs without ony reason / that whiche tholde faders calle it ennoye or greuauÌ„ce / therfore it is necessary to vs to cast it away with all dylygence / in makyng to god contynuell prayers psalmodyes orysâ—â—s ¶ Yet sayd the holy lady Syncletyce / that the fende by his euyll cautell excyteth somtyme theym that ben conteÌ„platyfe to make grete inmoderate abstynences And otherwhyle he putteth in to theyr ymagynacoÌ„n that whiche is but resonable / to be harde dyffycyle to bere / whan theÌ„ne we wyll dyscerne thabstynence dyuyne holsome fro the whiche is tyraÌ„nyke dyabolyke / we ought to obserue kepe the thynges / that is to wyte / that in all tyme we haue one vnmutable rule in fastyng / that we determyne not sodaynly to faste four or fyue dayes coÌ„tynuell / after we to fyll the bely with grete multytude of metes / for that reioyceth moche strongly our enemye aduersary the deuyll / for alway that whiche is done without mesure / gooth to corrupcoÌ„n / lete vs not thenne sodaynly caste awaye our armour / to th ende that we be not fouÌ„de naked in the bataylle / by this nakednes taken lyghtly put to deth Now our armour ben our bodyes / the knyght is our soule / wherfore it behoueth vs to be dylygent kepe vs that we be redy to socour that one that other ¶ On a tyme two olde faders camen fro the partyes of Peluse vnto the abbesse Sarre / in comyng thyder they sayd that it was nede to meke theymself / that is to say / to purpose to her some wordes whiche sholde gyue to her cause of humylyte They theÌ„ne arryued to her in deuysyng togyder the one of them tweyne sayd to her / that she sholde take hede be well ware / that she enhauÌ„sed ne lyfte vp her self in her corage / that she sholde not be proude in auauÌ„tyng sayng that to her whiche was a woman were comen solytary relygyouses To whom prudently she answered that how be it that she was a woman of sexe femenyne / neuertheles she had the corage of a man as she wolde saye that she was not so indyscrete for tenhauÌ„ce her self by ouer moche vauÌ„terye And morouer the sayd abbesse sayd to theym / yf I requyred of god that euery maÌ„ sholde haue of me good reputacoÌ„n eyther were of me well edyfyed I sholde do so moche that I wolde be fouÌ„de doynge penauÌ„ce tofore theyr yates / but I seche not this vayne glorye / but praye god that my corage my werkes be reputed of lytyll estymacoÌ„n ayenst all men ¶ Thabbot Ypericiê° sayd that he is veryly wyse that by his werkes / not by worded ensygneth techeth other ¶ On a tyme cam a noble maÌ„ of Rome be cam made hyÌ„self relygyous in a chirche of Sychye / whiche had had tofore a palays moche gretly renoÌ„med / had a seruauÌ„t whiche mynystred to hyÌ„ his necessytees The preest hauyng the pryncypall mynystracoÌ„n of the same chirche / coÌ„syderyng that this relygyoê° man had be in
saye / that whiche the sayd saynt Anthonye had demauÌ„ded hym ¶ Thenne saynt Anthonye sayd to hym / that he â—onâ—y had fouÌ„de the yate of humylyte / for in spekyng of the holy scrypture ought noman to gloryfye hym / but rather to meke humble hym ¶ Thabbot Arsenye beyng allone in his celle / the deuylles camen somtyme for to lette hym of his contemplacoÌ„ns On a tyme among the other they cam at the hour / whan the brethern brought hym his refeccyon corporall And they taryeng at the dore herde the sayd abbot cryeng with an hye voys sayeng My god leue me not without thy mercy And bycause I neuer dyde dede merythâ—ryous I praye the gyue me grace that now I may entrepryse the begynnyng of helthfull lyfe And this sayd 〈…〉 humylyte / â—ow he it he had so 〈…〉 ledde a ryght parfyght lyâ—◠¶ Of the same holy abbot Arsenye recounten his brethern / that whan he was in the palays of themperour / ther was none cladde with more precyous Robes than he And countrarye whan he was Relygyous for to more to meke humble hym selfe / he cladde hym with the moost vyle clothynge more course than all the other He asked on a tyme of an olde fader of Egypte what thoughtes and medytacyons he ought to haue for to lyue holyly The whiche olde fader answered to hym sayeng Arsenye I meruaylle me how thou that art a clerke / knowyng the grekysshe lettres latyn / demauÌ„dest suche a questyon of me that am a rude man / that can not dyscerne bytwene synne vertue Thenne the holy fader Arsenye coÌ„syderyng his humylyte sayd to hym these wordes I haue knowen the lawes tradycoÌ„ns latyne greke But yet knewe I neuer the a.b.c of suche a rude man that is no clerke / whan he spacke / his speche was sorowfull / whan he was styll spacke not / it was to hym gladnesse ¶ Whan thabbot Pastor herde tydynges of his deth / he sayd of hym these wordes Thou art well happy fader Arsenye / for thou hast wepte bewayled thy selfe in this worlde As who sholde saye / he that bewayleth ben epeth not his synnes in this worlde mortall / in doyng penytence / he shal bewept hyÌ„ incessauÌ„tly in torment euerlastyng ¶ An holy fader named Danyell wytnesseth of the sayd holy fader Arsenye many fayr rewles of his holy conuersacyon ¶ Fyrste the sayd abbot Arsenye presumed neuer to speke ony questyon doubtouse touchynge holy scrypture ¶ Secondely be wrote not gladly ony lettres myschyef to his Relygyous brethern And whan he had be longe out of his couent / was come ayen to the chirche / he shewed not hym selfe / but put hym selfe behynde a pyler by cause he wolde not be seen / also that he sholde see none other Notwithstandynge that his face was angelyke pleasant as the face of Iacob ¶ Thauncyent faders rehercen that some relygyoê° brethern presented theyÌ„ selfe to fore thabbot Ammon / to th ende that he sholde Iuge some questyon moeued among theym But the good fader Ammon dyssymyled wolde Iuge no persone That seeyng a woman she sayd to an other that was by her My neyghbour take hede see this fayr fader whiche is all a fooll Thus as she sayd these wordes / the sayd Ammon vnderstode it / and sayd to her My frende how longe wenest thou that I haue had paynes labours in deserte for to gete this fatuyte folye And for thoccasyon of the / that is to wyce for thy Iniuryouses I sholde haue this daye loste it As who sayd / that yf I had not endured pacyently that whiche she had sayd / he had falle in Inpacyence / by that he had loste the meryte of his penauÌ„ces / yf by newe penauÌ„ce he had not retorned to god ¶ The holy faders recouÌ„ten that in the cyte of Exyrynque was a bysshop named Assus / the whiche beyng a monke to fore he was electe bysshop / ladde a right harde strayt lyfe And also wel whan he was bysshop / he wolde haue ledde suche a lyfe / as that he had ledde in his hermytage Thenne as desolate / wenyng to be out of the grace of the holy ghost made ofte his prayer vnto god in sayeng O my lord my god / the dygnyte epyscopall in whiche I am coÌ„stytued maketh me to be separate from thy loue In so moche that I may not doo suche penaunces as I was wonte to doo in deserte To whom was shewed that nay / and that our lord socoured hym more whan he was in deserte in solytude / bycause that men myght not thenne helpe hym But he beyng a bysshop he myght haue ayde and helpe of men / wherfore god gaaf not soo grete consolacyon ne suche strength in his penaunces strayt lyuyng ¶ The abbot Danyell wytnesseth that in Babylon the doughter of a prouoost was vexed of a deuyll the whiche she hadde within her bodye The sayd prouoost had grete famylyaryte with a Relygyous man / of whom he asked ofte couÌ„seyll for to knowe by what moyen his doughter myght ben preserued from this vexacyon dyabolyke ¶ The sayd monke answered that he knewe noo remedye / but the prayers of the holy hermytes lyuyng in the desertes But by cause that the sayd monke knewe theyr humylyte / he counselled the sayd prouoost that he sholde awayte whan ony of theym cam to the market for to selle theyr hottes or paners / and that he sholde bye thâ—ym and not paye / but constrayne hym to come to his hous for his moneye And whan he were come / he sholde make his doughter demonyake to come to fore hym / thenne he sholde praye hyÌ„ to praye to god for his sayd doughter / hopyng by this moyen that she sholde be heled and restored to her helth And fynably it happed than that an olde hermyte cam to the market for to selle his paners And anone after the counseyll of the Relygyous man the sayd prouoost brought hym to his hous / for to paye to hym there his moneye for the marchauÌ„dyse that he hadde bought of hym And after that the holy fader was entred in to the hous / the doughter beyng gryeuously tourmented of the deuyll was presented tofore hym The whiche in hyr grete woodnesse gaaf to the sayde hermyte incontynent a buffet vpon his cheke The whiche consyderyng the coÌ„maundement of our lorde Ihesu cryste in his gospell / presented and profred to hyr that other cheke / to th ende that she sholde gyue to hym yet an other buffette The deuyll whiche was with in the bodye of the sayd doughter / whan he perceyued the grete humylyte of the holy hermyte / by his grete pryde he coude ne myght noo lenger kepe ne holde hym within her in the presence of the holy man But with an hye voys cryed by the mouthe of the sayde doughter sayeng O vyolente