in to a lytyll house made of Ionkes and bowes Wherin he endured tyll he was twenty yeres olde colde and heete Rayne and snowe and other grete necessytees / And after he dwellyd in a nother lytyll houses· whiche was foure fote brode and fiue fote hyghe / But it was a lytyll lenger thanne his body / ¶ This lytyll hous semed better a sepulcre than an house / ¶ He clipped of his heere 's ones a yere / That is to wyte tofore the solempnytee of Ester / ¶ He laye bare vppon a bedde of Ionkes / and soo contynued to the deth / And neuer was he couered but wyth one sacke / The whyche he neuer wasshed / Sayenge that in an hayer oughte not to be soughte clennesse / ¶ He neuer chaunged Robe ne cote tyll tholde was rotyn / His felycytee was to remembre holy scrypture / ¶ And emonge his orysons he songe deuowte psalmes to god as he hadde be presente / ¶ After that he was .xxi. yeres olde vnto .xxvi. he lyued sobrely / ¶ And in thre yere he ete not but onÌ„ly a syxter of wortes medled in a lytyll colde water / In the other thre yeres he ete but breede salt wyth a lytyll water / ¶ After seuen and twenty yeres tyll fyue and thyrty he ete not but sixe vnces of barly breede And for his potage a lytyll coole wortes without oyle ¶ But whan he sawe his body by straytnesse of lyffe became scabby and ronyous / Alytyll for to recomforte hymself / he putt a lytyll oylle in his potage ¶ And he lyued in this life sobrely vnto thaâ—ge of thre and fourty / without etynge apples ne other frutes / ¶ Whanne he came vnto the aege of thre score foure yere and the deth drawynge nyghe· He ete noo more brede tyll he was foure score yere olde but oonly ete meele and scooles brayed / ¶ Alle that he ete and dranke weyed not all but fyue vncis / ¶ And thus fynysshed he his dayes in suche abstynences / ¶ Alas we that ete some more thaÌ„ thyrty other more than foure score vncis of weyghte fyue or syxe tymes on the daye yet ben not well contente / And he that ete not but oonly whanne att the sonne was gone downe one tyme on the daye / And all his mete drynke weyed not but fyue vnces / Yet he lyued vnto the aege of foure score yeres / ¶ Lete vs thenne be sobre vnto the ende to be chaste by the ensample of the good holy fader Hylaryon whyche in his lyffe wolde suffre and endure soo moche euyll and payne / for the honour of Ihesu Cryste / ¶ He beynge in the aege of .xviij. yeres Theues came to hym wenynge to affraye hym by cause of his yonge aege Or for to robbe some thynge fro hym / ¶ And how well they made grete dylygence to fynde his lytyll house Neuerthelesse they went rounde abowte it an hoole daye and a nyghte cowde not fynde it / And on the morne they fonde it and hym therin / ¶ And they demaunded of hym this questyon / Yf the theues came to the. what sholdest thou do thou lytyll man / He ansuered to theym What maye they demaunde or aske seen that I am all naked and haue none moeuable goodes / ¶ Thenne they sayde to hym / Thou myghtest be slayne / ¶ The chylde ansuered / I maye well be slayne truely / But for that I drede-not / For I am redy for to deye / ¶ The theues were moche admerueylled And recounted to hym how they had soughte him / ¶ And after they amended theyr lynes ¶ He was not yet but two and twenty yeres olde / whanne his fame renommee sprange ouer alle the countree of Palestyne by cause of the holynesse of his lyffe / ¶ And in that tyme was a woman in the towne of Lentâ—opolytane whom her husbonde dispysed and hadde in hate / By cause he cowde not conne haue of her in fyftene yeres ony chylde / ¶ Wherfore she came to saynt Helaryon demaundynge or aryng counseylle of hym how she myghte doo ¶ And by cause that at the fyrste tyme he wolde not speke to her but spytte by cause he wolde not speke / Thenne she fell downe on her knees sayenge to hyÌ„ ¶ Fader Hylaryon lete it playse the to here me / torne not awaye thyne eyen from me / But beholde me not as a woman but as one vnhappy and cursyd ¶ Att laste he spake to her in demaundyng her the cause of her sorowe / The whyche by her recyted and opened / saynt Hilaryon sayd to her that she sholde goo home and haue alwaye stedfaste hope in god / ¶ And after for the pyâ—e that he had in her he prayed god often tymes in grete habundauÌ„ce of teeres soo effectuously that in the ende of the yere she had a childe / and that was his fyrste myracle / ¶ The wyfe of one namyd Elypydius comynge to se saynt Anthonie abode in the towne of Gaza wyth threof her chyldern and her husbonde / In whyche towne deyed the sayd thre chyldren ¶ The moder beynge in the myddle of theym thre soo desolate that she wyste not whom moost to bewaylle / ¶ And aduysed her of saynt Hylaryon whyche was nyghe by / And tooke the waye wyth her Chamberers and lefte alle her astate for to come to the place where he was ¶ To whom she sayd I requyre and adiure the in the name of our lorde Ihesu Cryste / Of his gloryous passyon and of the effusyon of hys precyous blood that it playse the to praye for my thre children that they maye by him be reysed from dethe / To the ende that his name be praysed and magnyfyed in the cyte of Paynems / ¶ And also I adiure the in lyke wyse that for thys cause thou come oute of thyne Hermytage And come in to the cyte of Gaza ¶ Thenne ansuered saynt Hylaryon that he wolde neuer come oute of hys celle / ne also wolde entree in to townes ne citees ¶ She noo thynge content of his ansuere fell down prostrate or flatt to the grounde and beganne to crye / Hylaryon reyse my chyldren by thy prayers / the whyche saynt Anthonye hath soo longe kepte and gouerned in Egipte / To the ende that of the they sholde be kepte in Syrye / ¶ All they that were thenne presente wepte / ¶ And how well he dyfferred his gooynge / neuerthelesse she sayd to hym that she sholde neuer departe / But he shold fyrste promyse to goo vysyte her chyldren wyth her / ¶ And soo he was constrayned by her wordes for to goo thyder / ¶ He beynge comen thyder / And seenge the chyldren all colde as they whyche had noo sygne of lyfe / In the presence of grete multytude of people thyder comen by cause of hym / He made his prayer deuowtly to god / ¶ The whyche made the sayde chyldren caste oute grete habundaunce of water oute of
I was admynystred in the chyrche of saynt Iohan in Iherusalem / ¶ I praye the that thou dyspyse not my requeste / But doo as I haue sayde to the / ¶ Wyth this thou shalte saye to IohnÌ„ Abbot of thyne monasterye that there ben some thynges to be corrected in his chyrche and Abbaye the whyche I wol not tell to the now / ¶ But neuertheles thou shalte aduertyse hym to take hede to his Relygyouses / ¶ Thyse wordes sayd the goode woman retourned in to her caue and dwellynge place accustomed ¶ The good Zozimas retornyng to his monastery kyssed the grouÌ„de where as she hadde markyd / In praysynge god / And sayde non thynge alle that yere of that he hadde seen / ¶ For by cause he durste noo thynge saye / He enterteyned wyth his brethern whanne they were retourned from the Desertes after theyr custome / ¶ Alle the yere syghed Zozimas somoche desyre hadde he that it were passyd ¶ Whanne the tyme was come that the brethern sholde departe for to goo in to Deserte to make theyr fastynges as they hadde ben accustomyd / ¶ Zozimas was taken with a feuer / And therfore he abode in the monasterye / ¶ ThenÌ„e he remembred that she had sayde to hym whanne he wolde haue gone wyth the other he myghte not ¶ The daye of the Cene comen / And after that alle the brethern were retourned from Desertes / ¶ Zozimas in obeyenge that whyche that the goode lady saynt Marye Egypcyen hadde sayd to hym / ¶ He tooke a chalys and the precyous body and blood of oure Sauyoure Ihesu Cryste / ¶ And after he putte fygges and Dates in a lytyll panyer and in a lytyll potte potage wyth water / ¶ And soo wente forth as he hadde ben cauzâ—e vnto the rynage of the flom Iourdan / In abydynge the good woman Marye Egypcyen / ¶ And notwythstondyng that it was longe â—â— she came thyder / Yet Zozimas slepte not / Ferynge that she hadde ben there tofore his comynge / ¶ Wherfore he wepte and prayed god in sayenge / My god whyche haste wylled to yeue to me the grace to se this holy woman / I byseche the that it maye pleyse the to graunte to me agayn that I maye yet ones se her / ¶ And in prayenge and makynge hys orysons came to hym a nother fantasye / ¶ And after he sayd / Alas what shal I do whan she shall come / how shall she come ouer the Ryuer ¶ Alas I haue noo Boote to rowe her ouer / Alas that I am vnhappy / ¶ And thus sayenge the holy woman came and taryed on that other syde of the flom Iourdan / ¶ Whanne Zozimas sawe her he was replenisshed wyth Ioye and thanked god / Alwaye thynkynge how she myghte come ouer wychoute boote / ¶ And he beholdynge her what she dyde He sawe her make the sygne of the Crosse vppon the water / ¶ And after she beganne to walke vppon the water / In passynge ouer as stedfastly as she hadde walked vppon drye londe ¶ She beynge yet vppon the water sayd to Zozimas / What doost thou faynt fader whyche arte preest and seruaunte of god kepynge the holy thynges / ¶ And thus sayeng she came vnto the other ryuage of the flood where as was the holy man / Whom she salewed righte humbly / ¶ Thenne he answered I was soo admerueylled of this myracle that I was in maner of a aslepe / Now I knowe / that alwaye it is trouth that god saythe whyche hathe promysed to theym that puryfye theym by penaunce / That they ben agreable to hym ¶ Alas I knowe now / how well I be lasse in perfeccoÌ„n thanne they that ben in this place / ¶ And I helde me the moost perfyghte in my former monastery ¶ This done the holy Marye Egypcyen sayde to hym that he sholde begynne the Symbole Quicunque vult saluus esse et cetera ¶ After they sayde the orayson Domynycall / That is to saye the Pater noster / The whyche achyeued she kyssed the holy fader Zozimas / ¶ And after receyued the holy sacrament of the aulter her maker and â—â—res / ¶ And after lyfte vppe her hondes to heuen and sayde / ¶ O my god suffre now thy honde mayde and poore seruaunte in peas after thy worde / ¶ For myn eyen hathe seen thy helthe ¶ After she sayd to Zozimas Goo now in to thy monasterye and lyue in peas wyth god / ¶ And whanne this yere shall be passed thou shalte come agayne vnto the lytyll Broke where I fyrste spake to the / And yet thou shalte see me agayne yf it playse to my god / ¶ Zozimas answered / Wolde god that I myghte alwaye be wyth the / ¶ My moder I praye the that thou mote ete a lytyll of the mete that I haue broughte to the / ¶ Thenne she toke thre graynes of his LeÌ„tylle and put it in her mouthe sayenge / ¶ It suffyseth to haue the grace of the holy ghost for to susteyne the soule vndefoylled of synne / ¶ Thenne sayde Zozimas pray for me / And remembre myn Infelycyte / ¶ Zozimas tooke her by the fete in prayenge her that she wolde haue the state of the poore synnars and hymself for recommended / ¶ Thyse thynges thus done the good woman made the sygne of the Crosse vppon flom Iourdan and went vppon the water as she dyde tofore / ¶ Zozimas dredefull and Ioyeous retourned agayn in to his monasterye / ¶ But he was dysplaysed by cause he hadde not asked her name / ¶ The yere passed he came agayne in to the place afore sayde / ¶ And byholdynge on alle sydes yf he myghte se her ¶ But he cowde fyude none apparaunce nor knowlege ¶ And lyftynge vppe his eyen to henen made his prayer sayenge / ¶ O my god playsyth it that to shewe to me the Aungell to whom alle the worlde is not worthy to be compared or lykened / ¶ And thyse wordes thus proferred and vttred / he saw ouer the sayde broke a clerenesse shynyng as the sonne / ¶ Vnder whyche bryghtnes laye deed the body of the holy Egypcyen / Hauynge the face towarde the Eest And her hondes Ioyned vppon her breste / Thenne Zozimas aroos and wente vnto the sayde body / ¶ By whyche he wepte a longe whyle / wasshynge her fete wyth his teeres wythout towchynge ony other parte of her body / ¶ Thynkynge in hyÌ„selfe that he was not worthy to towche her / ¶ But by the prouydence of god he founde a letter in whyche was wreton this that folowyth / ¶ Fader Zozimas putte in sepulture the poore body of Marye Egypcyen To the ende that in soo dooynge thou rendre to the erthe that whiche is hys / And poulder to poulder / in prayenge god for my soule / ¶ Zozimas was moche admerueylled In thynkynge how thyse lettres hadde ben wreten / Neuerthelesse he reioyced hym of that he knewe her name / And praysed and
grete to see with the spyrytuell eyen / than with the bodely eyen / to possesse rather suche eyen / by the whiche a synne as lytyll as for to take vp a strawe can not be done / than the eyen that by one oonly loke of concupyscence maye make a man to falle in to the gryÌ„nes of deth with tormente euerlastyng ¶ A Relygyouse dwellyng in the desertes of Nytrye whiche was more sparynge than a couetouse man / not takyng hede that our lorde was solde for .xxx. penys / left behynde hym when he was deed a hondred shelyng whiche he had spared with weuyng of clothes The relygyouses his neyghbours that dwelled in the same desertes as two or thremyle one from an other / hadde togydre counseyll / what they ought for to doo with this hondred shelyng Some of them sayd that men ought to deale it to the poore folke for goddes sake / some sayde that it sholde be gyuen to the chyrche / and some sayd that they ought to sende it to the parentes of the forsayd relygyouse that was deed ¶ But saynt Macharye / the holy fader Pambo / saynt Ysodore and some other holy faders beynge atte the same counseyll and spekyng out of the mouthe of the holy goost decerned concluded that it sholde be buryed with theyr mayster that hadde spared them / saynge Thy moneye be with the to thy losse and destruccoÌ„n And to th ende that this thynge be not thought cruelly done It is to be noted / that by this was moeued suche a feere and soo grete a drede amonge all the monkes and Relygyouses of the londe of Egypte / that euery of them thought a right grete and abhomynable synne in a man to leue onely oo shelyng after his deth ¶ A yong stryplyng borne of Grece became a Relygyouse in the desertes of Egypt And how well that he was sore abstynente and made lene his bodye with paynfull fastynges / grete labours and longe watchynges / neuerthelesse he coude not putte out in hym the mocyons of flesshely concupyscence And where this thyng was shewed vnto the fader abbot of his monasterye / he fouÌ„de the maner for to preserue him therfrom by suche a meane He coÌ„mauÌ„ded to a grete man moche hughe and sore harde / that he sholde goo chyde fyersly / and saye many grete wronges to the sayd Relygyouse / and that yet after grete shame sayd and done to hym / he sholde not gyue hym leue to scuse hym selfe / but sholde euer contynue his blames and complayntes ayenste hym / the whiche thynge this man Incontynent fulfylled And for to moeue and trouble more the sayde yonge Relygyouse / all be it that he was not gylty of the shames that he sayd by hym / he called some persones for to be presente when he spake vnto hym suche shames / the whiche as they hadde be lerned afore helde with the sklaunderar and bare out his dede to the blame of the poore Relygyouse Innocente Where by he consyderynge the grete outrage and shame of the wronges that hym were layed vpon agaynste all truthe / toke hym selfe for to wepe and syghe soo sore that it was grete wounder And contynued his teeres a longe space of tyme as he that was Replenysshed other fulfylled with moche grete heuynesse and putte from all ayde and socoure and other comforte as to hym semed But that he Retourned to god his creatour and Redemer / vnto whome lyenge flatte and castynge hym selfe to the erthe / he made Ryght sorowfull and bytter complayntes of the grete wronges Iniuryes and Rebukes whiche wrongfully and without a cause hadde be putte vpon hym And he contynued this lyfe well an hole yere the whiche ended and acomplysshed / this yonge man was questyoned and asked / how he bare hym selfe touchyng his lecherouse temptacyons / and yf he was passyoned therwith ony more bycau-of them Where vnto he andswered sayd vnto them Alas when it is not honest for me for to haue aptyte to lyue lenger / that I ought to desyre my selfe deed for the grete shames that haue be layd vpon me / how sholde I remeÌ„bre of ony lecherouse appetyte to be within me / as he wolde haue sayd / that detraccyon whiche Iniustly had be done ouer hym / had taken awaye from hym all other cogytacoÌ„ns thoughtes And by this meane the sayd yong Relygyouse was thrugh the aduyse of the sayd holy fader saued kept from the sayd temptacyons / came syn ayen casely to the right waye when he knewe that the sayd wronges had be done to hym for to make hym for to forgette the temptacyons aboue sayd ¶ Here after consequently foloweth a lytyll boke or treatyse conteynyng many instruccyons for folke of Relygyon other contemplatyue / how they owe to behaue them selfe that one with the other / to profyte in Relygyon / whiche begynneth in latyn Interrogauit c. A Relygyouse Requyred the abbot Anthonye that he wolde teche hym how he myght sooneste please our lorde To the whiche Relygyouse the same abbot answered / that to what soeuer place that he sholde goo / he sholde alwayes haue god afore his eyen / and that in the thynges that he sholde doo / he sholde euer haue the wyenessynge and prouynge of the holy wryte / and that he sholde not be vnstedfaste / but in all places where he hadde to dwelle / he sholde perseuerantly abyde therat and not to departe sodeynly therfrom Tellyng morouer vnto hym that in kepyng and obseruyng curyously these thre thynges / he sholde purchace his saluacyon ¶ The abbot Pambo askynge of the abbot Anthonye / how he ought to ledde hym selfe for to lyue vertuously This anthonye sayd to hym / trust not vpon thy holy lyfe Repente not of the thyng that is passed where no remedy can not be hadde to it Refrayne thy tonge from ouermoche and vnprofytable langage kepe also that thou fylle not thy bely ¶ Saynt Gregorye sayd that our lord asketh thre thynges to be pryncypally kept by euery crysten man / the fyrst that he haue a veray fayth kepe it with all his soule / the seconde that he be true in his wordes / the thyrde that he be contente chaste of bodye ¶ Saynt Euagrius sayd that the mere that is dyre without craftly sauer as fruytes herbes rotys is a couenable â—â—ete for men of Relygyon / that suche mete bryÌ„geth them to the hauen of saluacoÌ„n Impassyble / that is to saye to the blysse that euer shall last without ende ¶ Ayen he sayd / that a Relygyouse to whome the deth of his fader was tolde / answered vnto hym that brought hym this tydynges My frende leue of blame no more my fader / saynge by the that he is deed / for thou sayst not well / bycause that I knowe well that he is Inmortall By the whiche wordes / the sayd Relygyouse gaue to vnderstande / that he reputed not hym selfe to
holy sacramente of the awter / But the holy man seenge that it was the deuyll sayde to hym / ¶ O cursyd deuyll why cessest thou not to trowble the deuoute soules / How arte thou soo hardy to play Iape with the holy sacrament of thawter / The deuyll answerd that he supposyd to haue dysceyued hym as he hadd done a nother / The whyche after that he had obeyed to hym he became folysshe and oute of wytte / In suche wyse that with payne and vnethe many holy men myght by prayers and orysons reduce hym agayn vnto his place to his former helth / And whan the deuyll had sayd soo he vanisshed away fro the holy man ¶ Of whom it is radd that by ouer longe beynge in prayer his poor fete whyche were contynuelly in reste were broken roten / And after that he had done this penaunce by the space of thre yeere thangell apperyd to hym said / God hath receyued thi orysons prayers / And sendyth to the worde that all thy soores shall be heelyd guarysshed / Thenne the angell towched hym by the mouth by the teeth· and IncoÌ„tyuent he was all hoole guarysshyd / of al his soores and replenysshed wyth scyence wyth all graces in suche wyse that he neuer after hadde hungre ne thurste / ¶ Thangell coÌ„maunded hym after that he shold goo to other places visytynge his bredern for to comfort theym and tenseyne teche to them holy doctryne ¶ And on a tyme it happed that a man crokebacked came to him to the ende that he myghte recouere helthe / wolde mount vpon a mare for to ryde thyder / the whyche was gyrde wyth one cengle whyche the holy man had made / For gladly euery daye in the weke â—auf the Sandaye he made cengles / coueryÌ„ges of leues of palme wouen after the custome of the countree / And so as the sayd crokebacked was mouÌ„ted on the mare he was forthwyth all hoole / by cause his fete had towched the sayd cengle ¶ The holy man was of so grete meryte vertue / that whan he sente to ony seke people of the brede whyche he had blessed wyth his honde / Yf they ete therof / they were heelyd of all maladyes and sykenesses ¶ He had also this grace that he knewe all the thoughtes of his bredern / And Incontynent wrote to ther faders and abbottes how there some ruled theym in synnes vncleÌ„nesse / And other prouffyted in scyence and vertues / Some were inpacyente sette noughte by theyr bredern / The other were constaunt and in charyte / ¶ He preched to vs to torne our eyen fro thynges transytory and to fyxe theym in goodes in fallyble eternall / ¶ Also sayd the holy fader that is of necessite to a man to haue courage manly or vyrile in leuynge the maners condycyons of euyll chyldren whyche of theyr nature ben vicyous variable and in constaunt / ¶ Of saynt Paphunce / and begynÌ„yth in latyn ¶ Vidimus et alium monasterium / Caplm xvi SAynt Iherom writith of a monastery after where in was an holy heremyte named PaphuÌ„ce strongly renoÌ„med emonge thermites of the desertes / He had dwellyd in thut terest or last desertes of Heracleos a cyte renoÌ„med in Thebayde / of whom saynt Iherom sayth That on a tyme he prayed god that he wolde shew to whom of the sayntes of heuen he sholde be lyke or semblable / Thangell of god answerde to hym that he sholde be lyke to a player vpon a symphonye the whiche by the stretes sought his lyuynge in syÌ„gynge / ThenÌ„e he was moche abasshed of thanswere went forth IncontyneÌ„t for to seche hym where he myght fynde hym / Whan he had fonde hym / he asked by of his lyf of his workes / And he recounted to hyÌ„ how he had alwaye lyued symply in coÌ„misynge many theftes other synnes / Paphunce yet asked hym more feâ—der yf in doynge those theftes he had euer done ony operacyon or werke vertuoê° / The sayd man answerde that he knewe in hym noo good saue on a tyme his felowes whiche were theues as he was hadd take by force a virgyn whiche was sacred to god and whan he sawe / that they wolde haue defoylled her / He thrested emonge theym preseruyd her fro corruptynge / ¶ After this he sayde· that on a nother tyme that he fonde a woman maryed walkynge wythin desertes the whyche was all desolate was nye deed for huÌ„gre by cause she had not ete in thre dayes TheÌ„ne he demauÌ„ded her for what cause she went soo alone in the wodes to whom she answerd that her husbond was prysoner thre of his children by his euyl gouernaunce / And for to eschewe that she sholde not be take she soo fledde not wythstondynge that she gaaf ouer herselfe to the sayd theyf yet neuerthelesse he dyde to her noo dyshonour But gaue to her .iii. C. shilinges of whiche she boughte her husbond the thre chyldern out of pryson / And the theyf sayd that he had done none other good thanne this whiche he had sayd / Thenne the good fader Paphunce answerd / that he hymselfe neuer had done suche werkes of charyte· Sayeng to hym more ouer that god had shewed to hym that he shold haue asmoche Ioye in heuen as he / And therfore he couÌ„seyled hym that he sholde leue his euyll lyfe / and conuerte hym to doo well And Incontynent he caste awaye his â—oytes his symphonie tourned alle his arte of musyke in to spyrytuell songes In suche wyse that he was thre yere in thermytage wyth the sayd holy fader in fastynges merueylous abstyneÌ„ce / And at laste rendred gaaf his spyryte wyth thangels in to heuen· ¶ And after the sayd saynt Paphunce put hyÌ„self to doo more penauÌ„ce gretter thaÌ„ he dyde tofore / And yet ayen he demaunded of god / to what man in erthe he was semblable the voys of heuen answered to hym that he was semblable vnto the lord of a Brugh nye to his hermytage The whiche thyng herde / he went Incontinent for to knowe of the gouernaunce of the sayd lorde / came in to hys hous / Anone as the lorde had receyued him benygnely / The holy fader demaunded of hym of his merytes and vertues / The whyche lorde wyllyng to he â—le and hyde his bountee answered to hym humbly that he neuer had done any gode dede The holy fader suffred it well sayenge that he had reuelacyon that he was semblable lyke in vertues to the holy heremytes dwellynge in deserte / The lorde knowynge the ReuelacoÌ„n made of his lyfe began tex pose the manere of his lyuynge / the whyche was gretly to be merueyled / ¶ Fyrste he sayd how wel that his wyte sythe the tyme of theyr waryage was excellently fayr of yonge aege / Neuerthelesse for the grete loanges that he hadd other tyme recyted of the
and began to crye in sayenge / O god of Cristen men now we confesse that thou art almyghty and oonly Inmortall / Anone after camÌ„ thyse tydynges to the grete Prouoste of Alexandrye / the whyche as enraged sente for to fetche the sayd Iuge the two holy faders / That is to wyte Apolonyon Phylemon ordenynge that they sholde be brought straytly bounde lyke prysoners / But in ledyng theym the holy man coÌ„uerted theym that were come to lede theim / Whyche all they togyder presented themselfe as crysten to the sayd Prouost of Alexandrye / Thenne the cursed prouost seenge that he myghte not reuoke theim fro the cristen fayth he made them alle to be throwen in to the see / And in that wyse they were baptysed in the water / Anone after the see broughte theim to the ryuage all hoole wythout corrupccoÌ„n of theyr bodyes / Thenne were they buryed al togider in one sepulture And god shewyth there euery daye many dyuerse myracles on theym that serue requyre theym / ¶ Of saynt Dioscore abbot beginÌ„yng Vidimus aliuÌ„ / Caplm xx AFter spekith saynt Iherom of saynt Dyoscore whiche hadd in his monastery nyght vnto Thebayde .i. C. religyouses or there abowte To whom he coÌ„mauÌ„ded expressely that they shold neuer receyue their maker yf they had ony synnes in their conscyences / Not onely synnes actuell or in thoughte but also of theym that somtyme happe by dremynges of whiche they falle in pollucoÌ„ns nocturnall / were it by fantasies or by operacoÌ„ns of wymÌ„en or bi habuÌ„daÌ„ce of humours naturell / And he sayde yf somtyme suche pollucoÌ„n came wythout to haue ony faÌ„tasye of ony woman in the manere / that is noo synne But that he take therin no playsaunce after the sayd dreme / For that pollucyon comyth by cause of thabuÌ„dance of thumour whyche is wythin the body of the man ¶ For to eschewe suche pollucyon is necessary fastynge to lyue sobrely / ¶ He gaaf to his dyscyples a symylytude suche / Whan a man is seke And the Fylicyen defendyth to hym ony mete / he kepyth his coÌ„maundement / Thenne the relygiouses all maner of peple that will lyue vertuously oughte to kepe theym to doo thyng that is contrary to the medicyne of the soule / That is to saye that he muste kepe hym fro synne the whyche makyth the soule seke / And in the ende makyth it to deye ¶ And to the contrary yf we kepe it clene wythout dedely synne we shall haue Ioye perdurable / ¶ Of the monasteries of Nitrye begyÌ„nyth in latyn ¶ Venimê° / Caplm xxi AFter saynt Iherom and his felowes camÌ„ in to Nytrye a place the most fayr moost renoÌ„med of Egypte dystaunt fro Alysaundrie xl myle or there about whiche ben escryued to xxx leukes of FrauÌ„ce / There was a cyte namyd Nytrye takynge his name of the sayd region in whiche growyth the Nytre lyke or semblable to sonde / Wherof ben wasshen there the clothes / And otherwise it is called an esspyce of salte after Papye / it is made of water of therthe in Egypte / And in Palestine it is made of grete hete of the sonne / ¶ In the countree were aboute .v. C. monasteryes th one nyghe vnto that other vnder one abbot / Of whom ther some lyued dwelled togyder other helde them solytarily eche by hymselfe that notwithstoÌ„dyng they had alwaye charyte togyder / ¶ And whan saynt Iherom his coÌ„panye approched to them All in a grete companye lyke to a multytude of bees came ayenst theim bryngynge brede botelles full of water And after they broughte theym all singynge in to the chyrche / After wasshed theyr fete wiped theim wyth to waylles / ¶ And they were not onÌ„ly serued of bodyly necessytees / But also they were Instructe in humylytee clemence / ¶ And saynt Iherom sayth that he neuer hadd be in place where he had seen flowe so habundantly charyte mercy ¶ Theyr Oratoryes were full of bookes in scyence dyuyne / And they vsyd none other thynges in all theyr dayes / ¶ Of a nother place callyd Cecylya begynnyth in latyn ¶ Post hunc vero / Caplm xxii THere was a nother place towarde that deserte dystaunte fro that place tofore sayd x. myle or there abowte / the whyche was callyd Cecylia for the multytude of celles and lytyll houses that were there / ¶ The custome of the relygiouses that there dwelled was suche that they spake not th one to the other but the saterdaye sondaye And yf that one came not on that daye Incontynent they thouÈte that he was seke / Werfore that one after that other wente for to see hym / And broughte to hym some thynge for to susteyne helpe hym to his bodyly helthe / They neuer spake togyder but the dayes tofore sayd but yf it were in prechynge or in gyuynge doctryne / Whan ony of theim was gretter Clerke or Inspyred more thanÌ„e a nother / And yf ony wolde goo dwelle wyth ony of them / they were so replenysshed wyth charytee that they lodged theym Incontynent in theyr howses or cotages / ¶ Of saynt AmÌ„onion abbot begynÌ„ynge ¶ Vidimê° quendaÌ„ / Caplm xxiii AMonges the same heremytes relygyouses saynt Iherom saw one namyd AmÌ„onyon to whom god had gyuen all plenytude of graces / pryncypally he had merueyls us charyte humylite none lyke generally asmoche in pacyence clemence benygnyte / Also in scyence prudence he was moost perfite of theim al / The sayd AmÌ„onyon had ii· bredern that one namyd Eusebius the other Euâ—imius / that whyche were not oonly bredern carnalle but also in lyf in religyon in vertues they were germayns / Thise iii. bredern solycyted in theyr tyme the other bredern as the moder thynkyth on her chyldern in helpyng theym not onÌ„ly to theyr corporall lyfe but also to the spirituell as enscynynge theym to vertues good maners / The same saynt AmÌ„onion dwelled in a monastery closyd wyth walles In whiche he hyÌ„selfe had made a pytt And it happed that a broder transported hymself towarde him for to haue a lytyll hous to dwell in thermytage / The whyche answerde to hym that he hadd none but he made hym to dwell in his monastery vnto the time he had fouÌ„de one / ¶ Sone after he delyuerde to him a lytyll one the whiche he fonde nye the sayde monastery / And yf by aduenture had many come he had IncoÌ„tynent gadred togider his bredern and in lytyll tyme had made a monastery / ¶ Of saynt Dydyme why the begynnyth in latyn ¶ Vidimus inter cos Caplm xxiiii SAynt Iherom recounteth of a nother namyd Didyme the whiche was emonge the faders namyd moche vertuouse debonayr / lyke as his vysage shewed well / And suche grace had he of god that he roode vpon the scorpyons other venymous bestes whiche were there in grete habuÌ„dance / By
holy lawe / And also for to conferme thoos that ben here presente / And to brynge theym oute of the heresye of this Heretyke ¶ Incontynent thyse wordes sayde He called the deed man by the name that he hadd in hys lyfe / The whyche anone answerd and rose / ¶ And after that the brethern vnwounde his couerynge He shewed him all lyuyng to thoos that were there presente / The Heretyke this seenge was moche admerueyled / And fledde a way for drede of al the bredern / Whiche chaced hym oute of the countreye / ¶ Therfore oughte noo man dyspute the faythe agaynst the Heretykes but yf he be Inspyred and taughte of god / By the helpe of whom he maye by myracles more than by reasons verytably preue that whyche he woll mayntene / ¶ Of the vertues of that other saynt Machayre of Alexandrye / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Alius vero saÌ„ctus c· Caplm .xxix. SAynt Machaire of AlexaÌ„drye souerayn more than all thother louyd solytude He enquyred curiously of the moost ferre hermitages tyll that he was at the ferthest place of al the deserte / Where he fonde al plentenousnes habuÌ„dance of dyuers fruytes all other good thynges / ¶ There were .ii. bredern to whom he prayed that they shold bryge of the other hermytes thyder by cause the place was moche fertyle habuÌ„dant / The same bredern dreding / not wythout cause theym the they shold brynge to be deceyued wyth teÌ„ptacions of the deuyll by cause that in the same deserte there were many deuylles horryble monstres / And answerde to hym that they myghte not be broughte thyder / but that they shold be in dangeour to be begyled deceyued in comynge / ThenÌ„e the holy fader retorned to his bredern / To whom he shewed thyse thynges whyche he had seen / And by this cause they were moeuyd for to goo wyth hym for to see that same deserte· ¶ The aeged ailcyent men consideryng the dauÌ„geours of the sayd temptacoÌ„ns couÌ„seyled the yonge men that they sholde not goo thyder For the place after theyr oppynyon mighte more be cause to deceyue hem thaÌ„ to moeue theym to deuocoÌ„n And more ouer the holy fader sayd to theym that the places is full of delyces yf we vsyd theym / What hope oughte we to haue of the other worlde / Whan we in this worlde shall lyue at our playsure / The yonge bredern herynge thise wordes fayr remonstrauÌ„ces anone concluded not for to goo thyder / The place thenÌ„e wherin as dwellyd the holy fader Machair was called Sycheon to whyche place was nother waye ne path / And was as ferre from the monasteryes of Nytrye aboute ii· Iourneyes / They had but lytyll water yet it was noyous bitter to dryÌ„ke / ¶ On a tyme was presented to hym a clustre of grapes / the whyche Incontynent by charyte he sente to one of his bredern whyche was seke he gaue it to a nother And that man gaaf it a nother he to a nother / And fro hond to honde it was soo ofte yeuen the fynably it came agayn to hym fro whom it fyrste was departed / And saynt Machair knowyÌ„ge their grete loue that they had togyder for to conferme our fayth saynt Iherom rehercith of the sayd saynt Machaire the he herde saye of the mouthe of the sayd saynt Machaire / that the deuyll came to hyÌ„ on a nyght sayeng / Machair aryse yu. and go we where as the bredern ben asseÌ„bled in prayer / incoÌ„tynent by the grace of god he knew that it was the â—â—yll and answerd to hym / O lyar enâ—â—e of trouth answere to me presently â—â—at haste thou to doo wyth the congregaâ—â— of the holy bredern / The deuyll answeâ— to hyÌ„ / Knowest thou not well that thasseÌ„ 〈◊〉 of relygyous people ne theyr dedes 〈◊〉 neuer made but that we deuylles ben â—â—ed therto come thou shalt see our deâ—â— / ThenÌ„e saynt Machaire put hyÌ„ to â—â—yer / in prayenge god that he wold leteâ—â—n know yf his worde were true in â—â—ynent he sawe lyke lytyl blacke chylâ—â— goo flee by all the partyes of the chirâ—â— / Now was the custome there suche that 〈◊〉 alone sayd the psalmes the other â—â—d· or they answerd / He sawe thenÌ„e yeâ—â—â—e chyldern blacke as ethyopiens whiâ—â—â— deceyned mocked al the bredern In â—he wise whan they towched some biâ—yen anone they were a slepe And yf â—â—â—y towched theim on the mouth they â—â—yd to syÌ„ge Tofor some thei shewed â—â—â—m in lyknes of a woman / and in efâ—â—â— bi dyuers scornes many bredern were â—â—â—eyued in suche wyse that some myghte â—â—t abide in the chirche / To other bredern â—â—y sprange vpon their sholds by can they had none affeccoÌ„n ne thyÌ„ kynge 〈◊〉 their prayers / this seeng saynt maâ—aire made his prayer to god sayenge â—â—y god aryse thou and chace a way the fenâ—â—s to th ende that they appyere not tofore 〈◊〉 face / ne tofore my bredern for our souâ—â— ben all full of theyr socrnes lyke as â—â—w I apperceyue / His orison made he â—â—lled the one after that other al the bredern / â—â—fore whom he had seen the deuylles / â—â—ed them yf in makyng their orrsons â—â—â—i had ben in wyll to doo ony werkes â—â—orell lyke as the holy man had seen / â—â—ey ansuerde ye / ThenÌ„e the holy man knewe that the vayn thoughtes that they had came of the scornyÌ„ges of the deuyll And to this purpoos sayth saynt Iherom that whan the thoughte of the man is wel sett in the loue of god it neuer takith ony fantasye whiche is greuoê° to hym or cause of synÌ„e / ¶ A nother thyÌ„ge more merueylouê° of the said saynt Machaire sayth saynt Iherom / That is to wyte that whan ony of his bredern came to receyue the holy sacrament of thawter / Yf they were not clene in theyr coÌ„scyences it semyd to the sayd holy fader / that the body of oure lorde retorned to thawter But whan the good men came for to receyue theyr sauyour the deuyllis incoÌ„tynent retorned bacwarde ferre ¶ On a nother tyme the same saynt Machayire that other Machaire his broder of whom is to fore spoken put theim in a boot for to go vysite one of theyr bredern with theym were some noble offycers / called trybunes right puyssaunt ryche / hauyng with theym many chyldern grete noÌ„bre of horses Innumerable quaÌ„tyte of syluer wyth other good / Whan one of theym sawe theim in the bote cladde with pore cloâ—hes he sayd to theim / Alas bredern that ye ben happy / whiche thê° despyse the world in it soo despysyng were so vyle poore clothes / Verily it apperyth that ye mocke yourself of theim of the worlde ThenÌ„e the one ansuerde to hyÌ„ truely thou sayst wel for they that folowe god by vertues mocke theymself / But the contrary we haue pyte
of you by cause that the worlde deceyuynge you mocke you / ThenÌ„e he that had aresoned theim whan he was retorned in to his hous gaaf for goddis loue all the he had / And after became hyÌ„self religioê° with the holy heremytes / ¶ Of saynt Amon fyrst relgioê° in Nytrie whiche begynynnth in latyn ¶ IniciuÌ„ sancti / Caplm .xxx. THe fyrste Heremyte in Nytrye was called Amon. the soule of whom IncoÌ„tynent after his dethe was seen by saynt Anthonye borne by angels in to heuen / But for to wryte of his ryght holy lyf we shall begyn at his natyuyte ¶ He was of noble riche frendes the whiche ayenst his wyll dide hyÌ„ to be maryed to a noble womaÌ„ of the couÌ„tree of Nytrye He beynge layed a bedde wyth her the fyrste nyght of theyr espoussaylles he made to her many fayr exortacoÌ„ns in ercytynge her to the noble vertue of chastyte and of vyrgynyte vnder suche or lyke wordes / My loue by cause the wythout fawte thynge corrupte shall fynde corrupcoÌ„n / And by the contrary thynge not corrupt oughte to hope incorrupcoÌ„n / Therfore it is more auaylable to vs tweyne togyder hoole to dwelle entier without flesshly touchynge vs. than the one were corrupte of the other / Thise wordes herde by the dyrgyne / she consented therto lyghtly lyued togyder in honest chastyte virgynyte longe tyme after the deth of theyr frendes And after the holy man went in to the nexte deserte to his dwellynge assembled many Heremytes / And the sayd virgyne abode in her hous accompanyed wyth many virgyns / After that he had be a certayn tyme solytarily in the deserte Some men broughte to hym a chylde enchayned / The whyche had be byten wyth a wood honde besechyng hym to pray for the helth of the sayd chylde / The holy man ansuerde that he had not deserued somoche anenst god that shold enhauÌ„ce his prayers / But neuertheles he sayd to theym that the helthe of the sayd chylde was in theyr hodes / For whanÌ„e they wolde rendre to a poore wydowe an oxe whiche they had robbed fro her theyr childe shold haue helth shall be al hoole / Of whiche wordes they were moche abasshed merueylynge by what manere the holy maÌ„ might know the thefte that they had done soo secretly / ThenÌ„e they went home rendred to the widow the ore that they had stolen / by the prayer of the holy man the chylde was made hole ayen and had his helthe / ¶ A nother tyme came some other to hym / of whom he wolde proue the courages / ¶ He sayde to theym that he had grete necessyte of a tonne ful of water / for to yeue drinke to hem that disyted hyÌ„ / And prayed requyred theim that they wolde brynge to hym a tonne full / whyche they promysed for to doo and to fulfylle / ¶ And after that they were departed fro him the one sayd to his felow the haste promysed the water aswel as I Wherfore thou shalt doo it be borne to hyÌ„ yf thou wolt that it be borne / For I haue not but my camell that whiche shal neuer bere it / That other answerde thou knoweste wel the I ne haue but an asse / the whiche maye not bere soo moche as thy camell maye / For the one is more stronger than the other / To whom that other answered / Doo what thou wolt for I woll not slee my camell / ThenÌ„e the other sayd / I shall laye it on myn asse that whyche thou darst not laye on thy camell / But I hope that the meryte of the holy man shall make possyble that whiche is impossyble to a creature / The asse anone after the he was charged wyth the tonne full of water bare it to the lodgis of the holy man Amon. also lightly as he had borne noo thynge on hym / And thenÌ„e the sayd saynt Amon in receyuyng the sayd water sayd to the gode man whiche was come thyder for to guyde his beest Thou haste done well for to brynge the tonne vpon thyn asse for the camell of thy felowe is deed / And whaÌ„ that other was retorned he fonde that it was true ¶ The sayd Amon was somoche bilouyd of god that he gate of hyÌ„ singuler graces / emong thother whan he wolde passe go ouer the ryuer of Nyle bycause he was shamfaste to vnclothe hyÌ„self sodainly he fonde hymself set ouer the ryuer on that other side of the ryuage / Therfore we oughte faythfully to byleue / that to Iuste and good men is noo thynge impossyble / ¶ Of saynt Pyamon whyche begynnyth in latyn ¶ Non auteÌ„ michi c. Caplm .xxxi. SAynt Iherom recouÌ„tyth in procedyÌ„ge ferder in this werke that this is not a thinge worthy neresonable that ony sholde eschewe or leue to wryte the faytes dedes of the holy faders dwellyÌ„ge in deserte nye the see Parthenie nye to a castell namyd Dyolcho whyche amonge the holy faders he sawe an holy man namyd Pyamon whiche had the yeft of all humylyte benygnytee of reuelacoÌ„n / ¶ On a time whan he sacrefysed to god he sawe an angell nye his awter holdynge a boke in whyche was wryten the names of some relygyouses assystent to his awter / some he wrote not / After the sacrefyce done he axed of theym of whom the names were not writen / But by theyr ansuere he fonde that they were all in dedely synÌ„e Thenne he admonested theym to duo contynuell penaunce / And he hymselfe also lyke as he had be culpable as they were· wepte waylled And contynued so longe and vnto the tyme that in callynge theim vnto the holy sacramente of thawter he knewe by the angel that he had wryten theym in the boke / that they had done penauÌ„ce agreable to god / ¶ A nother tyme he was beten of deuilles that he might not remeue fro the place / Thenne it happed that on a Sondaye that he hadd a custome to receyue his maker / he was constrayned to be horne of his bredern to thawter / Tofore whiche he lyeng flatte on therth / he sawe thangell the caughte his honde for to lyft hyÌ„ vp / forthw t he was hoole / ¶ Of an other holy fader that whiche was namyd IohnÌ„ begyÌ„nyng in latyn ¶ Erat in ipis locis / Caplm .xxxii. THere was in the places aforsayd an holy man namyd IohnÌ„ a nother than he of whom tofore is spoken· fulfylled with alle grace / EmoÌ„ge al other he had one suche that all they that went to hym of what trybulacyon they were trowbled by his worde in contynent they were coÌ„forted / with that he heelyd many persones of dyuers dyseses / And saynt Iherom sayth after al thyse hystoryes by hyÌ„ wreton that for doubte of grete peryllis dauÌ„gers whiche thenne were in the waye he durste not goo in to the hye regyon of Thebayde by Serene wherof
and makynge to his body foule to wchyÌ„ges dyshonest whyche sholde be abhomynable stynkyng shamfull to reherce and all for to moue hym to the synne of lecherye / ¶ The whiche thynge seenge the good knyght of IhuÌ„ Cryst wyst not what to doo to th eÌ„de that he whyche had vaynquysshed the deuyl by soo many tormentes were not ouercome by a woman / ¶ And by cause he myghte not putt her from hym / ne had power of noo membre to put her from hym / He putt oute as moche as he myghte his tongue bote it a sondie wyth his teeth and spitte it in the vysage of the fowle ylle woman / whiche dyshonestly kyssed hym to th ende that the playsaunce of her sholde not moeue hym to synÌ„e / But for the payne and anguisshe that he felte / he myghte conserue kepe his virgynyte / And holde it agaynst the vyolence of the sayde fowle and euill disposed woman / ¶ In that same tyme was saynt Poul in the lowe Regyon of Thebayde of the aâ—ge of syxtene yeres / ¶ But neuerthelesse he was well Instruce in lettres Greke and Egypcyen / He abode and dwelled faderles and moderles wyth one his syster thenne maryed ¶ He seenge the persecucyon of the true Crysten men· wente in to a towne moche ferre fro his couÌ„tree / And from thens in to a mouÌ„tayne full of roches / Att foote wherof was a grete and a merueylous pytte couerd with a stone / ¶ The whyche he toke awaye and loked therin And founde there a moche fayre fountayne / Wyth this there was in the sayd mountayne dyuerse habitacoÌ„ns and dwellinges / Wherin he fonde many maners of Instrumentes / wyth whyche had be made in tyme passed secretly and forged false money Lyke as it is wretch in histories of Egypte in the tyme that Anthonye was with Cleopatra / ¶ Saynt Poul louyd thene merueyllously the sayde place Eyke as god hadde gyuen it to hym / ¶ And there he ladde a solytary lyfe / In oâ—cupyenge deuowte prayers and abstynâ—nces merueyllously / ¶ His vesture was oonly of leues of palme / And other mete also he ete not / ¶ In the same place on the side of Syrye nyghe by the Saâ—asyus lawe saynt Iherom an Hermite the whyche had be there shytte enclosed thyrty yere· without to ete ony other thynge than barly breede to dryÌ„ke water ful of ordure fylthe / ¶ And a nother wythin a cysterne the whyche ete but euery daye .v. fygges for his sustentacoÌ„n / that this is true saynt Iherom callyth god his angellis to wytnesse / ¶ Thenne for tachieue of saynt Poul / We oughte to knowe that whan he was come to thage of C xxx yere in lyuyÌ„ge an heueÌ„ly lyf· In a nother partye was saynt Anthoaye the whiche hadd lyued lxxxx yeres / And by cause that he was tempted of vaynglory / wenynge that in the hermytages hadd none be better than he / By the wyll of god it was shewed to hym by nyghte that there was one more perfyte than he / ¶ And assone as it was daye saynt Anthonye departed / And how well that he was sore feblysshyd in his body / He went fourth wyth a staffe in his honde / And putt hymselfe in dylygence for to seke saynt Poul / ¶ For it was he of whom he had had Reuelacyon / ¶ And whan he had walkyd vnto myddaye / Not knowynge what waye he sholde take and holde He founde a Monstre halfe horse and halfe man / Whom the Poetes name Centaure / Of whom he was gretly abasshed / ¶ And he blessyd hym wyth the sygne of the Crosse / And askyd of hym in what place saynt Poul enhabyted and dwellyd ¶ To this demaunde or askyng the sayd Centaure ansuerde some wordes / whiche saynt Anthonye vnderstode not / And after he shewed hyÌ„ the waye on the ryght honde and IncoÌ„tynent as he hadd fledde he vanysshed a waye fro the syghte of saynt Anthonye / The whiche beeste sayÌ„t Anthonye doubted stroÌ„gly / For we fynde not whether it was a monstre or a deuyll But neuertheles he wente forth / And anone after in a valeye full of stones he sawe a lytyl man hauyng his nosethrilles torned outwarde the forbede full of ferdful hornes / and his fete lyke to the fete of a ghoeâ— / ¶ To whom saynt Anthonye replenysshed with the shelde of fathe and wyth the habergron of hope as a good Champyon adressyd hymselfe questyonynge hym what he was The whyche ansuered / ¶ I am sayde he a mortall dweller in this hermytage with the other / Whyche haue be there dysceyued by many temptacoÌ„ns / ¶ We praye the that thou pray for vs one god onely / The whyche is descended in to the erthe for oure helthe / ¶ Thenne saynt Anthonye herynge thyse wordes wepte and alle by wette his fare wyth teeres / ¶ For he reioyced hym of the glorye of god / And of the contrarye of the destruccyon of the deuyll / ¶ Also he was moche admerueylled how he vnderstode the langage speche of the same beeste / ¶ And after he beganne to smyte with a staffe vppon the erthe sayenge / Acursyd be Alexandrye / The whyche adoure and worshyppe for theyr god thydolles / In whyche the deuylles enhabyte and dwelle / ¶ Ha Regyon what mayste thou saye / The beestes confessen the name of god / And thou worshyppest the deuylles / ¶ In sayenge thyse wordes / The same beeste vanysshed away Lyke as it hadde flowen in the ayre / ¶ After this saynt Anthonye abode in his enterpryse in folowynge the waye of wylde beestes / And not knowynge what waye he sholde take ¶ Thus contynued the seconde daye / wythoute to knowe whether it were daye or nyghte / ¶ And fynably he founde a wulfe gooynge vpwarde towarde a mountayne / The whyche had grete thurste / ¶ And whan he sawe hym goone vp / He wente after vnto a fosse or a dyche The whyche he behelde / But neuerthelesse by cause the place was tenebrouse or derke he apperceyued noo thynge / ¶ Alwaye lyke as he had perfyght dyleccyon / And fered noo thynge / he wente peasybly in to the dyche or hoole / herkenynge yf there were ony thynge / ¶ Soo abydynge by feruente charytee Whyche puttynge from hym alle feere· and drede / Wente soo ferre fourth and soo longe / That he sawe the doore of a place In whyche was saynt Poul / ¶ And in approuchynge or comynge nyghe to the same / He knockyd wyth his fote ayenst a stone whyche made a lityll noyse / ¶ The whyche herynge saynt Poul Incontynent shytte his doore ¶ And whanne saynt Anthonye sawe his doore shytte / ¶ He abode there by the space of syxe houres / ¶ And fynably he sayde to him thyse wordes / Poul my broder / Thou knoweste by Reuelacion of god whom that I am / And fro whens I come / And wherfore I am comyn hyther /
/ Yf thou wolt be perfyghte selle all that thou haste gyue it to the poore and come folowe me And for that thou shalt haue tresour in heuen / ¶ And Incontynent lyke as the holy scrypture makych mencyon he gaue ouer all his possessions / And thre huÌ„dred mesures or acres of londe whyche apperteyned to hym he lefte to his neyghbours / to th ende that he wolde noo thynge of theyrs ne of his syster / Al his other moeuable goodes he solde and toke the money and gaue it to poore people excepte a lytyll whyche he gaaf to his syster whyche was of â—asâ—e aege more fâ—ble of complecâ—nn than he was ¶ And after agayne he retorned to the â—hyâ—â—he / And herde â—adde in the gospel that noo man ought to thynke how he sholde lyue on the morne / And thenne he distrybuted the rysydue of his godes to poore peple And after that he wold no more retorne home to his hous / But recomended his syster to the vyrgynes / To th ende that by theyr good ensamples she sholde be the better enfourmyd in good maners ¶ All his desyre was to enquyre where he sholde fynde ony holy men for to vysyte theym to the ende that he myghte receyue some fruyt / Like as the bee gooth fro floure to floure for to gadre some thynge for to make his hony ware / ¶ Emonge the other there was one solytary man not ferre fro his hous / Whom he ofte vysyted / After that he was retorned to his hermytage he gate his lyuynge by the labour of his hondes / consyderynge that he whiche labourith not is not worthy to ete / ¶ Helas he had somoche ryches whyche he had gyuen for goddis sake / For the honour of whom and in obeyenge his worthy Instruccyons he was content afterwarde to labour / to begge / ¶ What shal thou doo · thou cursyd auaricyous man whyche wolt no thynge gyue for goddis sake / Vneth with grete payne woldest thou nourysshe a poore persone one hoole daye / ¶ Take ensample on saynt Anthonye / whyche lefte al for to be a poore beggar / Yet of that he wanne wyth his grete laboure / he kepte for hym but brede for his sustenauÌ„ce / And the remenauÌ„t he gaaf to the poore / He gouerned hym soo honestly that he was merueylously biloued of all his bredern / ¶ Of al theym that he vysyted he helde to hymselfe some vertue / Of that one he wanne contynence chastytee of an other gladnesse of an other mekenesse lowlynesse of a nother studye pacyence / And fynably he had the fayr vertue of charytee / whyche is the maystresse of all vertues / And in suche wise he profited fro vertue to vertue that emonge alle his bredern there was none lyke to hym / ¶ The deuyll of hell enuye to mankynde seenge the holy lyfe whyche saynt Anthonye began to lede was enuyuous and enterprysed to tempte him / ¶ Fyrst he layed tofore his eyen to th ende that he shold departe out of his hermytage the noblesse of his byrth his sister whom he had lefte alone thabuÌ„daÌ„ce of his godes of the goodes that he myght gete / the dyuerse metes that he might ete generally he presented to him all thynges playsauÌ„t to nature / ¶ And after he shewed hym how it was harde to gete vertue seen consydered the freelte of his bddy· And that he myghte yet lyue longe tyme / Wherfore thenne sholde he be thenne longe in deserte / ¶ All thyse thynges putt he in his mynde for to haue reuokyd hym from his good purpoos / But this notwithstondyng he ouercame alwaye the deuyll by deuowte prayers and ferme constaunce ¶ Often tymes he tempted hym in the synne of the flesshe that was by cause he was in his yonge aege But by longe fastynges and contynuell abstynences he wythstode it manly / ¶ Some tyme by nyght the deuyll apperyd to hym in the lykenesse of a fayre woman / But Incontynente for to wythstonde it he remembred how hys flesshe sholde rote in wormes hastely / ¶ A nother tyme the deuyll moeuyd styred hym to lyue Ioyoeusly in lustes of his flesshe and of the worlde / And thenÌ„e anone he wolde bringe to remembraunce the paynes and tourmentes of helle and the Ioyes of heuen / And by this manere he wythstode all the temptacyons of the deuill / ¶ Fynably whan the deuyll sawe that he myghte not ouercome the good holy man / He knelyd downe to hym in the semblaunce or lykenesse of a lytyll horryble chylde blacke and howlynge / And also in cryenge sayde to saynt Anthonye / ¶ I haue deceyued many heremytes and holy men but by the I am ouercome and put vnder fote / ¶ Saynt Anthonye thenÌ„e asked hym what he was to whom he ansuerde / I am the grete solycytour of Lecherye the deceyuer of yonge peple· called the spyryte of fornycacyon whyche ofte tymes haue tempted the. alwaye thou hast ouercome me / And whan the gode knight saynt Anthonye herd this ansuere / he began to yelde thankynges to god of this that he had put hym vnder fote and sayd / My god be thou my ayde and my Protectoure / And I shall neuer fere ne drede myn enmye ¶ And Incontynent the deuyll whyche was seen by saynt Anthonye as a fantasme vanysshed away / and he sawe hym no more / And thus was the fyrste vyctory gyuen to saynt Anthonye / ¶ But this notwythstondynge he was not well assured / For he knewe by holy scrypture that the deuyll had diuerse maners for to tempte men / Wherfore he kepte him more strongely thenÌ„e and put his body in grete suffraunce to th ende that yf he had vyctory in ony thynges ayenst the deuill he shold not be ouercom by other And for this cause he occupyed his tyme in prayers orysons more than ony of his bredern heremytes ¶ The moost parte he woke nyghte daye / he ete but one tyme on the day and that was after the sonne gooynge downe / Some tyme in thre or foure dayes he ete not but ones and that was brede salte a lytyll water / His bedde was of Ionckes and his vestyment of hayre / ¶ Ofte tymes he laye all naked vpon the grounde / And how well that he had longe tyme suche abstyneÌ„ces yet were they to hym noo thynge greuous / But thoughte alwaye to be att the begynnynge of his penaunce in encreacyng alway his sayd abstynences / ¶ And for teschewe vayÌ„glory / he dyde payne to forgete theim / And in dede he forgate al the good dedes that he hadde doone And enforced to doo more than he had done tofore / ¶ He remembred alwaye in his herte the prophete Helye that sayde / My god seeth to whom we oughte to be clene and apparayled to obeye him wyth redy wylle / ¶ He considerynge alwaye also how he oughte to gouerne hymselfe
/ ¶ A merueyllouse thynge in sayenge thyse wordes the membres of the seke man were restored in theyr strength and helthe / In suche wyse that he wente vppon his fete / ¶ Of whyche thynge and myracle the fame sprange and spradde there alle abowte / ¶ Wherfore the holy man Hylaryon wolde noo lenger abyde there / Not for to departe from thens for ony mutabylyte or chaungynge of thoughte / But by cause he desyred to lyue solytaryly wythoute to haue knowlege of ony persone / ¶ Whanne he was foure score yeres olde he felte himselfe moche feble / And by cause that Esicius his dyscyple was thenne absente / He made a cedule or letter of his honde / By the whyche he lefte to hym alle that he hadde / ¶ That is to wyte his Robe Whyche was made of a sake / His Frocke his Pelycon and his Gospellis / ¶ Alle thyse were noo greteâ—ychesses / ¶ Many deuowte Relygyouses of the cytee of Pafun And wyth theym a notable-notable-woman named Constance att prayers of whom he hadd heeled her sone and her doughter / Camen to hym by cause he was in dysposicyon to deyeed / And spoken wyth hym as he hadde To whom he requyred and neuerthelesse commaunded that Incontynent as he sholde be deed They sholde putt hym in to the erthe in a gardine nyghe to his hous / ¶ And tofore that he deyed there as he hadde noo more charyte he sayd to his soule / What dredest thou my soule / Goo oute of my body / Wherfore arte thou aferde / ¶ It is now gone thre score and ten yere syth thou seruedeste Ihesu Cryste / And now thou dredest to deye / ¶ And thus sayenge he rendred his spyryte to god / Incontynent they buryed hyÌ„ wythin the gardyne ¶ Anone after his dyscyple Esicius whyche was in Palestyne knew his departyng / And thenne he came in to Cypre / ¶ And whanne he was in the gardyne where as he was buryed / He fayned that he wolde dwelle there / ¶ To the ende that they that kepte hym sholde haue noo suspecyon ne mysdemyng that he wolde transporte and carye away the body of saynt Hylaryon / But he wroughte soo pryuely that ten monethes after that he stele hym a waye transported or caryed hym to Maxymian his auncyen and olde chyrche in the whyche the same Esicius and also all the men and Relygyouses there abowte buryed hym in his frocke and his pelycon / Whyche as it is sayde is there alhoole / ¶ And saynt Hylaryon is yet as he was in playne lyfe / Gyuynge out odoures sauours merueyllously smellynge swete / ¶ The good woman Constaunce / whyche hadde be acustomyd in curyouse wakinges to passe the tyme in makinge her prayers there as he had be burybe alyue / ¶ Whanne she knewe that he was transported and taken from thens She wynge the grete loue that she had to him Rendred and gaaf Incontinente her spyryte vnto god / ¶ And yet preseÌ„tly by this occasyon is there grete questyon bytwene theym of Cypre and of Palestyne / ¶ By cause they of Cypresayen that they haue the spirite / ¶ And they of Palestyne sayen to haue the body / ¶ Neuerthelesse in Cypre atte this daye ben done to the praysynge of him moo myracles thanne in Palestine / ¶ And perauenture for almoche as he loued more the place ¶ Or by cause onely that it playsyth god that soo it be done / ¶ Thus endeth this Prossesse of the ryghte holy and deuowte man saynt Hylaryon / ¶ Here folowyth the life of saynt Malachye / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Caromas / Caplm .xxxviii. CAromas is a cyte in Syrie distaunt or beynge of fernesse fro Anthyoche abowte thyrty myle / In the whyche dwelled Malachye a man soo named / ¶ Malachye is a sayeng Syryaque / The whyche in latyn tongue is asmoche to saye as kynge / ¶ This same Malchus or Malachye was an holy man borne of Syrye with hym was alwaye an olde woman the whyche was so olde that she semyd alwaye redy to deye ¶ Thei two were so contynuelly in the chirche that they myghte be lykenye to Zacharye and Elysabeth in deuocoÌ„n / ¶ Saynt Iherom beyng in Syrye some cyteyzyns of the same cyte axed yf the sayd Malachie same woman were maryed or kynnes folke / By cause he sawe theym soo contynuelly togider / ¶ To whom was ansuered that they were holy and deuoute persones towarde god / Thenne saynt Iherom wente to vysite the holy man for to demaunde and enquyre of his life / ¶ The holy man Malachyas sayd to him that he was born of a place namyd Nyzibam / and oonly Herytour of his fader and moder / ¶ The whyche for to contynue their lygnage wold haue constrayned hym to take the Sacrament of Maryage / And nothwythstondynge that he was by his fader strongly menaced and threrenyd / And of hys moder affectuously requyred for to marye hym / ¶ Neuerthelesse he loued beter to these the state of Relygyon and to renounce and forsake the world / ¶ After he sayde to hym that for doubte of the Romayns that made watche vpon the passages and of other men of the sayde countree / He durste not goo in to the Eeste / But wente hym in to the Weste ¶ He sayde to hym also that he had be in an Hermytage whyche was namyd Calcidâ—s and stode towarde the Southe bytwene Mynas Heroas / ¶ And that he had founde there good Relygyous vnder whyche werkynge and laborynge he had lyued longe tyme. ¶ After he was in wyll to retorne in to hys countree / By cause that he wyste well that his fader was deed ¶ And for this cause he wold haue the goodes that were lefte for to gyue a parte to poore peple / Another parte to make a churche the Resydue for to susteyne his lyfe / ¶ The whiche thinge he had declared to his Abbot as he sayd / And he Incontynent blamyd hym / sayenge that it was temptacyon of the deuyll / ¶ And alleged and shewed to hym for the same many fayre hystoryes of some Relygyouses whyche in lyke caas hadd be deceyued / ¶ For the denyll vnder the coloure of good thynge temptyth alwaye the persone for to make him to accomplysshe and doo some euyll / ¶ He sayde ferdermore that his Abbott hadde sayde to hym / That he resembled and was lyke the hounde the whiche after he hadd made his vomyte Retourned and receyued it agayne / ¶ And for prayer that the Abbot cowde doo he wolde not consente to abyde ¶ How be it that he knelyd downe on his knees tofore hym / Prayenge that he sholde not goo / but abyde wyth him in prayenge and shewyng that he that putteth his honde to the plough· That is to saye that entreth in to Relygyon And he loke backewarde / Is not worthy to haue the kyngdom of heuen / ¶ Alas sayde Malachye to
saynt Iherom I was well melchaunte and vnhappy / Whanne by his exhortacyons I wolde not abyde wyth hym / ¶ Whiche thynge I wolde not doo / Wenyng that he sayde soo for none other thynge but for to holde hym companye / for hys ryght singuler prouffyte / ¶ And to me departynge and takynge of hym leue He sayde to me / ¶ Ha a my sone I oughte well to be angry / For I see the deuyll whyche markyth the wyth the signe of dampned men / ¶ And lyke as the shepe that lepâ—th oute of the folde is of the wulfe rauysshed / Ryght soo was I and my companye / ¶ For in comynge from Heroa for to goo in to Edysle we were robbyd of theues / And we were bitwene thre score foure score in a companye / ¶ Emonge whom was taken a wyfe of one of my companye / â— And we were caryed vpon two camellys vnto the house of a lorde / ¶ And in goynge thyder we ete noo thynge but rawe flesshe And dranke milke of Camellis ¶ Finably we arriued and came to the house of the sayde lorde / Where I was constrayned for to saue my poore lyffe to adoure hym wyth his wyfe and his chyldren / ¶ And soo dooynge I muste knele downe on my knees tofore theym / ¶ And after for to encreace my sorowes I was putt for to kepe his shepe The whyche I kepte in suche wyse that they multeplyed in grete foyson / ¶ There I ete noo thinge but softe chese and mylke / ¶ But alwaye I prayed to god and sayde suche psalmes as I haue lerned wyth the Religiouses that I hadde lefte / ¶ The lorde of whom I hadd kepte the shepe for to rewarde me by cause that I hadd kepte theym soo well wolde haue constrayned me to take in maryage this woman the whywhiche was prysoner wyth me / ¶ And by cause I wolde not take her / But in excusynge me I sayde that I was Crysten and not she / also that her husbonde was yet lyuynge whyche was prysoner with a nother lorde / ¶ He drewe oute a swerde and wolde haue slayne me If Incontynent I had not promysed to espowse the same woman prysoner ¶ That nyghte we were shytte bothe in a grete pytte / In whyche I sayd to myselfe / ¶ Alas what hathe it prouffyted to haue lefte fader and moder / and also my countree / for to eschewe maryage yf now I marye myselfe / ¶ I suppose this aduersytee is comen to me bycause I haue desyred to retourne in to my countree ¶ Ha my soule what shal we doo / Alas I shall slee myselfe / It is better that I slee myselfe and be saued thanne for to take a wyfe in maryage and be dampned in helle euerlastyngly / ¶ After I had sayde thise wodes I toke a swerde / And sette the poynt agaynst my stomacke In sayenge to this sayde woman / ¶ O poore woman take me now martyr in maryage Otherwyse shalt thou neuer haue me to husbonde / ¶ Thenne the good woman prisoner knelyd down on her knees tofore me / and beganne to crye / Ha my frende I praye the in the name of god slee not thyselfe / To the ende that thy blood be not cause to lese myn / O yf thou wolt slee thyself / Slee thou me fyrste / And soo as Martyrs we shall be maryed / ¶ I saye to the for trouthe that whanne my husbonde shall be frohens forth wyth me· He shall neuer touche me / ¶ For from this houre forthon I make a promyse to kepe Chastytee ¶ Wherfore thenne wolt thou slee thy selfe yf thou take me in maryage / Yf it soo were that thou woldeste haue me otherwyse / I sholde rather slee myself thanne to consente to be thy wyfe / ¶ But I praye the that thou take me as to thy wife / And I shal takethe as my husbonde in clennesse in louynge my soule and hatynge my body / They shall lyghtly byleue that we ben maryed / And also we shall hastely be maryed whan they see vs loue that one that other / ¶ Thenne was I moche admerueylled of her constaunce and wisdom and louyd her better / thanne yf she hadd be my propre wife / ¶ And how well that we haue sythen lyued as husbonde and wyfe togyder longe tyme / ¶ Neuerthelesse I sawe her neuer naked ne she me Ne neuer towched the one the other / ¶ The sayd Malachye recyted and tolde also to saynt Iherom that on a tyme amonge the other like as he wente to pasture and fede the beestes / He sawe a Molle hylle full of Auntes / And longe tyme I tooke hede to the manere of theyr lyuynge / In consyderyng how some of them bare for to susteyne and to contynue theyr lyfe more gretter paste and more heuyer by the halfe thanÌ„e they were theymselfe / ¶ And he sawe some drawe after theym that whyche they myghte not bere / ¶ Consyderyng also how they were neuer ydle / ¶ And whanne one of theym came out of his hoole for to bere to ete / That other wolde neuer parte vnto that he hadde holpen to dyscharge and vnlade his felowe / ¶ The condycoÌ„n of the Aunte is suche / That whanne he beryth ony herbe hauynge grayne / By cause it sholde not growe wythin the hoole in the erth he takyth awaye the sayde grayne· for in the Garner it shold he Incontynent grene / ¶ Wyth this consydered Malchus the sayeng of Salamon / the whyche sente the slowthfull to the formices or Auntes / ¶ And in thynkynge on thise thynges / He sayde to hymselfe / lyke as saynt Iherom rehercyth / That he was the moost slouthfull of alle mankynde / ¶ And by this cause he ymagyned how he myghte escape from the seruytude where he was in for to fynde some monasterye / In whyche he myghte in seruynge god prouffytably fynysshe his dayes / ¶ Vppon this purpoos he retorned home / And cowde not hyde from his wyfe this heuynesse of his courage / The whyche after that he hadd declared and shewed to her his caas / ¶ Admonested and counseyled hym to flee by nyghte ¶ Thenne sayde the sayd Malachyas that he had in his flocke two beeres the whyche he wold fyrste slee / ¶ And of theyr two skynnes he made two sackes for to bere the flesshe of the two beeres / ¶ And whanne thys was done / He and his wyffe awayted that alle they of the howse slepte / And thenne departed and went theyr waye wythoute makynge grete noyse / And after that they hadde gone ten myle or there abowtes / They founde a Ryuer the whyche they passed prudently / ¶ For whanne they were wythin the Ryuer They wente wythin the same in descendynge well lowe fro theyr fyrste waye for to take an nother / To the ende that yf ony came for to seke them that they sholde not fynde the stappes of theyr fete / ¶ And by
/ ¶ She recounted theym to saynt Iherom / ¶ The whyche in spekynge to the sayde Heretyke and in enfourmynge hym other questyons confounded his in this manere / ¶ Fyrst saynt Iherom demaunded hym yf he byleuyd the Resurrexcōn generall / ¶ The Heretyke ansuered Ye / sowe oughte to byleue / ¶ For it is an artycle of the faythe / ¶ Secondly he demaunded yf the same body that deyed sholde ryse agayne / ¶ He ansuered Ye For it is also trouth / ¶ Thyrdly he demaunded yf the bodyes sholde aryse in the sexe or kynde in the whyche they sholde be deed / That is to wite yf the man shall aryse in the lykenesse of a man / And also in like wise the woman in lykenesse of a woman / ¶ To this demaunde or question the Heretyke ansuered nought / ¶ Saynt Iherom sayde after to him / ¶ Syth that thou wolt not ansuere I shall saye to the by manere of ansuere / ¶ That yf a man ryse not in lykenesse of a man / And a woman in lykenesse of a woman / Thenne it sholde not be Resurreccyon of theym that deyed The whiche Resurrexcyon thou grauntest to be / And also it is true / ¶ We haue prouff herof by oure lorde Ihesu Cryste / The whyche whanne he was arysen shewed his woūdes whyche he hadde receyued in the Crosse / ¶ And also whanne saynt Thomas towched him in his worthy side / ¶ Sayd not oure lorde to his dyscyples / Beholde and see my woundes / To the ende that certaynly ye byleue that I am he that hathe be crucyfyed ¶ Thenne that syth oure lorde after his Resurrexcyon was seen and towched / And that his discyples herde him speke / ¶ It aperyth cleerly thy his membres that he arose in lykenesse of a man and not of a woman / ¶ For by his membres it apperyth that he hadd a body / ¶ By cause that the body is not wythoute membres ne the membres also wythout body / ¶ Therfore it muste conclude that the men shall aryse as men / And wymmen as wymmen / ¶ As towchinge the conclusyon that the Heretyke made in sayenge That maryages oughte to be made in heuen / ¶ Saynt Iherom ansuered that there sholde be none / ¶ For oure lorde saythe that after the Resurreccyon generall shall neuer be maryage made / ¶ And by this the scrypture sayth that there shall none be maryed / And yf it be argued to be wryten that we shall be lyke to good aungellis the Proposycyon oughte to be vnderstonde that we shall be sēblable or lyke to theym in conuersacyon and blessydnesse / As is promysyd to vs. Not by nature / ¶ Saynt Iohan Baptist tofore that he was byheded was called an aungell But for that he hadde not the nature of aungellis / ¶ The symylytude or lylenesses of aungellis is oonly promysed in holynesse of lyfe / ¶ But the nature not for that shal be chaunged / ¶ Yf ony argued in sayenge that god ete after his Resurreccyon Thenne we shall ete after that we were reysed / ¶ The argumente is not prouffytable / ¶ For that whyche was done was for the approbacyon and veryfyenge of the sayyd Resurrexcyon / ¶ He also whanne he hadde Reysyd the sayde good Lazare / Whyche hadde be deed foure dayes ete wyth hym / ¶ Also the doughter of the Synagoge anone after that god hadde reysed Commaunded that mete sholde be gyuen to her / To the ende that they that sawe thise and herde of thise reysinges sholde ne myght not saye that they were bodyes fantastyke / But were very bodyes whyche hadd ben deed and reysed agayne / ¶ As towchynge the question of the chylde vexed of the deuyll whyche had not synned / ¶ And also in what aege we shall aryse / ¶ Saynt Iherom fyrste sayth that the Iugementes of god aren as a grete swolowe / ¶ His scyence is also to vs vnknowen / ¶ Neuer man knewe what god hathe in his entendemente and purpoos / ¶ Secondly ought to be noted with saynt Iherom / That a man whanne he is ten or twenty or thyrty Or a hūdred yere olde is none other than whā he is but two or thre or foure yere olde ¶ And neuerthelesse after the tradycyons and sayenges of the chyrche and the doctryne of saynt Poul / we shal ryse in the aege of perfeccyon In whyche oure lorde aroos fro thyrty to two and thyrty yeres / ¶ And in whyche aege was Adam fourmyd after that the Iewes wytnesse / ¶ In retournynge thenne to saynt Paula / And for to speke of her entendemente sayth saynt Iherom that ofte she kepte and obserued the commaundement that sayth Andi israhel ettace That is to saye ¶ Man here and bestylle / For the good lady Paula was well lyghte to here / And slowe to speke / ¶ She was curyous and besie to haue bokes of holy scrypture / And radde theym gladly / ¶ And for better to prouffyte in theym / She constrayned saynt Iherom to expowne to her the olde Testamente and the newe / ¶ But whanne for ony doubtes he differred to expowne to her certayne proposycyons / Sayenge to her that he cowde not expowne theym / She wolde not byleue hym / ¶ But by contynuell Interrogacyons and desyres she constrayned him to expowne theym after the Sentence moost apparent or lykely and after trouthe and good sens / ¶ Her vnderstondynge was soo grete that she lerned of saynt Iherom the Ebrewe tongue / In suche wyse that she songe the psalmes of the Psaulter in Ebrewe tongue / And songe noo more in latyn / ¶ After that we haue recyted of her holy lyfe conuersacōn that is to saye of her gloryous departing oute of this worlde ¶ Whanne the good lady saynt Paula felte that she had no more hete but a lytyll in her stomack / ¶ She beganne to saye thyse wordes that folowe in wepynge and wayllynge bytterly ¶ O my god I haue desyred the beaultee of thy heuen and glory / ¶ O lorde that thy Tabernacles and dwellynge places ben fayre shynynge / O lorde god I haue more desire to be in thy hous that is in the chyrche than to dwelle with them of the worlde ¶ Anone after she cessed to speke saynt Iherom seeng that she ansuerd not to ony thyng that he demaunded or asked of her / ¶ He asked why she ansuered not / ¶ And yf she hadde in her herte ony heuynesse or gryef / ¶ The goode lady ansuered in Greke / Naye / but she sawe alle Ioyousete and gladnesse / ¶ After she spake noo more / But sygned her wyth the sygne of the Crosse / ¶ There were dyuerse bysshoppis as well of Iherusalem as of other places And wyth theim were grete nombre of preestes and Innumerable companyes of vyrgynes and Relygyouses / ¶ In presence of whom she herde oure lorde / whiche callyd her sayenge / ¶ Come to me my
of halfe an hour / ¶ And after he approchyd nere to hym / And layed his ceâ—e to his vysage for to knowe yf he were deed or a lyue / ¶ But he felte noo thinge but an odoure soo swete that all the place was replenysshyd wyth all / ¶ ThenÌ„e knewe he wel that he was departed out of this worlde / ¶ Thenne Incontynent he beganne to kysse hym his eyen hys berde Wepynge bytterly and sayde Helas my lorde and my mayster Wherfore leuest thou me / Who shall be he that shall gyue to me doctryne as thou hast doon ¶ What shall I saye to the malades and seke people that shall come hyther to haue helthe / ¶ Helas now I see the. and tomorne I shall lese the / ¶ After many lamentacyons the good Anthony slepte / And as he slepte he beâ—de a voyce that sayde / Anthony I shal not leue the here in this place ne in the mountayne in whyche I am Illumyâ—ed wyth the grace of god / ¶ Thou shalte goo secretely in to Anthyoche / to the ende that the people moeue theym not / And shalt telle the tydynges of my dethe / ¶ For now I am departed lyke as it hathe playsed to my Redemer / ¶ Thou shalte neuer cesse to pray god in this place here / And he shall rewarde the in heuen / ¶ Whanne Anthony was awaked he merueylled moche sayenge ¶ O my lorde and mayster remembre thou me in the glorye in whyche thou arte now ¶ After he kissed his fete and layed his hondes vppon his eyen sayenge / ¶ My lorde I praye the gyue to me thy blessynge / ¶ And beganne agayn to wepe sayenge / Helas for to haue myÌ„de of the. What pyece of a Relique shal I take of thy body / ¶ And soo sayeng the body beganne to moeue Wherfore he was affrayed that he durste not towche it / ¶ And bi cause none sholde knowe therof / He sente secretely one of hys brethern to the Bysshop of Anthyoche The whyche accompanyed wyth two other Bisshoppis and also wyth Ardahoruis Prynce of the chyualrye of Anthyoche transported theym thyder and dyde laye the holy corps tofore the aulter of his chyrche / ¶ And thystorye sayth that the byrdes fledden abowte the place where as he was makynge grete cryes and chaterynge in manere of wepinge and waylynges / ¶ The people also and the beestes assembled in soo grete nombre that they were estemyd well atte seuen thousande demeanynge for his dethe a merueyllouse heuynesse / ¶ The mountaynes the feldes trees and also herbes of the places nighe by suffreden for his dethe / ¶ For ouer alle there abowte they were enuyronned wyth a derke clowde testefyenge and wytnessynge the bytternesse that they hadde ¶ Also the good Anthonye abode seuen houres the aungell of god shynynge as a lyghtnynge And his clothes whyte as snowe Wyth whom were seuen auncyent faders whiche longe tyme were by the corps / But what they dyde ne sayd knoweth none Lyke as sayth saynt Iherom / ¶ Durynge the tyme that the body was in the chyrche The Patryarke of Anthyoche wolde haue taken of his berde By cause he knewe that he was a man of holy lyfe But Incontynent thonde wyth whyche he wolde haue towched it waxyd drye / But after by the prayers of theym that were presente and by the euydente myracle he was heelyd / ¶ ThenÌ„ sware he that neyther man ne woman sholde towche it / ¶ Thyse thynges thus done in grete solempnyte torches and tapres beynge lyghte / The body was borne to Anthioche / ¶ But whan he was withdrawen fiue myle to a place callyd Mere. myghte neuer man make hym departe from that place / ¶ There was a man that hadde be fourty yere deyf and dombe and began to crye / Ha seruaunte of god thou arte ryght welcome / Thy comynge hath yeuen to me heryng and spekynge / ¶ I promyse the yf I lyue long· that alway I shall serue the wyth body and soule / ¶ After he aroos and tooke one of the beestes that ladde the corps of the holy man / And anone he was helyd / The cause of the accydente of this deyf and dombe man was this / ¶ He hadde ben amerous of a fayre yonge woman maryed the whyche he had strongely solycited for to haue her company To the whyche he cowde not come / ¶ And after it happed that she deyed whyche dethe came to the knowlege of this man all enraged for her loue / ¶ And after that she was buryed he wente to her sepulture and there deffoyled her And forthwyth he was deyf dombe lame / and soo abode in the same place duryng fourty yere / ¶ All the cyteyzyns of Anthioche came in grete tryumphe and mete wyth the body and bare it in to the grete chyrche / ¶ And there in the chyrche whiche is namyd Penytence in the whiche after his buryenge to the exaltacoÌ„n of his gloryous name ben shewed done Infenyte myracles / And more merueylous than theâ— that haue be done in his lyfe / ¶ Many prynces lordes haue layed oute of theyr tresours to the layd chyrche for to haue of hym some relyke But none myghte â—e had be cause of the othe that the bysshopp made / that his body sholde neuer be towchyd ¶ Of saynt Symeon byleue ye stedfastly that who someuer for the honour of god of hym shall haue the lyfe of hyÌ„ by wrytynge and shall rede it deuowtly and seruynge hym wyth good deuocyon He shall be rewarded for his merytes in the celestyall glorye ¶ To the whiche by his Intâ—essions lete vs prayes almyghty god that we maye obteyne / Amen / ¶ Of saynt Eufraxe vyrgyn / Whyche begynnyth in latyn ¶ In diebus theodoâ—u / Caplm .xlvii. IN the tyme that regned Theodocyen the Iust emperour of the Romayns There was at Rome a Senatoure namyd Antigonius the whiche had a doughter namyd Eufrare / ¶ The sayd Antigonius was a man soo prudent and of soo godâ— counseylle that he gouerned after the lawe of the Romayns all the countree of â—â—â—ye / ¶ He was soo moche humayn that he had compassion of eche persone and admynystred to the poore all theyâ— necessytees / ¶ The emperour louyd hym not oonly by cause he was his kysnesman· but also by cause he was of right good prouffytable couÌ„seylle / ¶ He hâ— bounded in rychesse goodes temporal asmoche as ony man of the cyte / And he had a wyfe descended of the propre very lygnage of Emperours the whiche also was called Eufraxe a woman Iuste mercyful and garnysshyd with alle other vertues / ¶ Antigonius after thenne certayne tyme that god had sente hym his fayre doughter Eufraxe Thynkynge the saluacyon of his soule / Deuysed wyth his wyfe Eufraxe of holy wordes deuowte / ¶ And emong alle other he sayde to her / ¶ Eufraxe my syster and loue thou knoweste that this lyfe is
somoned to her maryage / ¶ And dyde doo assemble all the sisters for to chese an other Abbesse / And they chose one namyd Theogenye / ¶ And after that she was made Abbesse / She callyd her and sayde / My sister thou seest that the sisters haue made good wytnesse of the. And therfore I commaunde the in the name of the Trynite that thou thinke not on temporel godes ne on vayne playsauÌ„ce of this worlde / Ne suffre thy systers be occupied on erthly thynges But make theym to excersyse fastynges prayers and other vertuouse werkes / To the ende that they maye by theyr merytes gete the glorye of heuen / ¶ After she sayde to her systers Ye my good systers haue seen the holy conuersacyon of the ryght deuowte Eufraxe / Doo ye lyke as she hathe doon / to then de that ye maye accompanye her in heuen / And haue wyth her the fruycyon of euerlastynge blessydnesse / And whan she hadde thus sayde she entred in to her Oratorye / and shytte the dore / And after defended that none sholde entere tyll on the morne ¶ On the morn they came vnto the sayde Oratorye and founde that she hadde rendred her spyryte to god ¶ And they buryed and sayed her solempnely by the sayde holy saynt Eufraxe / ¶ And after that tyme there were non moo of theym buryed in the yr sepulâ—ure / ¶ Maâ—ty Demonyakes weâ—en guarysshed vppon the combe where the deuylles cryed ¶ O Eufraxe what shall we doo / Thou doost vs more harme after thy dethe thanne in thy lyte ¶ By thâ—se thynges we oughte to enforce vs to ensyewe by vertuous werkes the ryght persyghte lyte of saynt Eufraxe And in soo dooynge fynably we shall haue the glorye eternall The whyche by her Intercessyons we maye gete Amen ¶ Thus fynysshyth the story of saynt Eufraxe / ¶ Of saynt Machanâ— Romayne whiche was founde nyght by Paradys terrestre / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Gloriam et magnificentiam et cetera Caplm .xlviii. After the reporte and wytnesse of thre deuoute relygyous men Theophyle Serguis Thymus We shall see of the lyfe of saynt Machaire / ¶ The sayd thre relygyous men mette togyder by a monasterye in Mesopotamia in the countree of Syâ—t bytwene two floodes / Of whyche that one is named Eufraxes and that other Tygris / ¶ The Abbot of the sayd monastery was callyd Asclypyon the whiche receyued theym benygnely for to make there theyr professyon after the rule of the sayde monasterye / ¶ Longe tyme after that they hadde lyued comyÌ„ly wyth the brethern / ¶ On a daye aboute nyne of the clocke in the mornynge they mette togyder vpon the Ryuer of Eufrates in disputynge of the conuersacyon and of the grete laboure of the brethern of the sayde monastery / ¶ And thenÌ„e came to Theophile a thought Whyche he sayde to his two felowes Sergius and Thâ—mus ¶ My brethern I shall saye to you / Truly it play syth me / and I haue grete desyre to walke and goo soo ferre vnto that I maye fynde the heuen and the erthe Ioyne togyder / ¶ The other sayd / We haue holde the alwaye companye / And yet we shall not leue the / For thy maners and thy wordes playse vs. We shall goo with the. and not forsake the vnto the dethe ¶ Thyse wordes sayde they departed from thens ¶ And after that they had gone by the space of ten dayes Iourney They arryued and came to the cyte of Iherusalem / And worshypped the places where our lorde Ihesus Cryst had be ¶ His Crosse his sepulture and other sayntuaryes ¶ And after came to Bethleem in whiche place they also worshipped the cribbe where in oure lorde hadde layen and were also in the place where the aungelus spekynge to the Shepeherdes songen Gloria in excelsis deo the whyche place standyth two myle from Bethleem ¶ And after they wente vpp in to the mounte of Olyuete Where as our lorde Ihesu Cryste ascended in to heuen whanne he was receyued in a clowde the daye of his gloryous Ascencyon / ¶ They came agayne in to Iherusalem And there adoured and worshyped god ¶ And after they departed as people gyuynge ouer refusynge all delyers temporell Wythoute to haue ony regarde ne thoughte to the worlde / ¶ The fyfthe daye they passed the Ryuer of Tygris / And entred in to the londe of Perse ¶ They came in to a grete felde namyd Assya / In whyche saynt Mercure martyr slewe Iulyan the Apostata / ¶ After they reentred in to a cyte namyd Catyssefodo / In whyche the bodyes of the thre chyldren Anany as Azaryas and Mysaell ben buryed / ¶ And there they soiourned many dayes / ¶ Foure monethes after they passed the londe of Perse / And entred in to the londe of Inde / And aryued in an how se in whyche noo man dwellyd / ¶ And there they abode two dayes / ¶ And the thyrde daye they sawe come to them a man and a woman armyd / Of whom they had grete drede / ¶ But by cause that the sayd man and woman hadde supposyd that the relygyouse men had ben spyrytes or espyes and retorned agayne / And asseÌ„bled almost a thre thou sande Ethyopyens / The whyche arryued there and bylette the house al aboute where as they weren on theyr knees prayenge to god / ¶ And the other sette fyre atte the foure corners of the howse ¶ The whyche thynge knowen by the religyous men were moche aferde and not wythoute cause / And sprongen out in to the myddes of theym in callynge the name of Ihesu Cryste Sauyoure of alle the worlde / ¶ The sayde Ethyopyens after that they hadde longe parlemented togyder in theyr langage whiche the sayd freres vnderstode noo thynge / ¶ Fynably they lad theym· and broughte theym in pryson obscure and derke / ¶ Alas whanne they weren in pryson none gaaf to them nother mete ne drinke / And had noo comforte of ony man liuynge But beganne to wepe and requyred the mercy of god / ¶ Whanne the cursyd Ethyopyens sawe that they were in contynuell prayer / They lete theym goo oute In chacynge and betinge theym vylandusly rygoryously wyth grete staues tyll they were oute of theyr prouynce / ¶ And they sayd that thei were foure score dayes wythoute mete And herof the Recytour callyth god to wytnesse / The whyche for the honour of god we oughte pyteuously to byleue ¶ Fynably they departed oute of theyr Regyons / And wente towarde the couÌ„treye of the Eest Where they founde a felde delycyous alle full of trees berynge sauourous fruyte and merueyllouse swete Wherof they thankyd god / And ete alle theyr fylle of the fruytes of the sayde trees / And after passed the sayde londe of Iude. And entred in to the londe of Chanane ¶ Whanne they sawe the vysages of the Inhabytauntes of the sayde countreye / They were moche admerueyled ¶ In that countree the men
of Infenyte nombre of people / Symphonysynge more swetter thanne ony other Instrumentes / ¶ After they felte an odoure more swete thanne bame and also thanne ony other spyces aromatyke in al the worlde / ¶ And by the vertue of those armonyes and swete sauours they slepte / Anone after they awoke ¶ And in beholdynge byfore theym / They sawe a chirche decorate and ornate aboue alle puyssaunce humayne / For it semyd alle to be made of crystall / ¶ In that chyrche was an awter moche well arayed / By whyche and by a fountayne there beynge sourded and sprange a water whyte as mylke / Abowte whyche fountayne weren people whyche songen songes of Cherubyn / ¶ Now for to dyscryue the fourme of the sayde chyrche / The partye wythout for the on the syde of the South was of the colour semblable or lyke to a precyous stone namyd Prasym The partye towarde the North was redde as blodde / And towarde the Eest white as mylke ¶ There was also vpon the same chirche many sterres more shynynge thanÌ„e they that shyne in this worlde / ¶ The sonne shone and was more hoter seuen tymes thanne in oure londe / The mountaynes and the trees were wythoute comparyson more hygher thanne they of this Regyon / And the fruytes of the sayde trees were moche fayrer and also moche swetter / ¶ The songe of the byrdes that flewe there resowned vppe to heuen ¶ The erthe of that place had two colource / Of whom that one was whyte and that other reed / ¶ Thyse relygyouses thenne alle abasshed salewed the enhabitauntes of that place and wente forthe theyr waye / ¶ And they wente an hundred dayes wythoute mete But of water they dranke ynough / ¶ And sodaynly they sawe comÌ„ towarde theym a multytude of men wyâ—â—men whiche were but a cubite bye whyche made theym sore aferde / But they sette theyr lyues in the honde of god wente agaynste theym / ¶ And Incontynent by the vertue of god they fledde ¶ Thenne the sayde Relygyouses toke their refeccoÌ„n of herbes whiche they founde in that place And rendred than kynges to god whyche hadde delyuerde theym from soo many perylles / ¶ And after by the wyll of god they founde a fayr waye to walke in / by whyche they wente many Iourneyes / And in walkynge they founde a caue playsaunte ynoughe / and clenly wythin / In to whyche they entred / ¶ After that they were wythin they marked theym wyth the sygne of the Crosse But thei founde there noo persone ¶ And by cause they founde the place soo clene they ymagyned that some man dwellyd there / And soo abode there tyll euen for to knowe yf he that dwellyd there wolde come / They beynge there wythin slepten / ¶ And after that they were a waked they went oute of the caue And Incontynent they saw a man hauyng hys heere 's as whyte as snowe / The whyche couered alle his body / ¶ Whanne the sayde man sawe theym he fell downe to the grounde / ¶ And after he aroos sayde to theym Yf ye ben on goddis halfe / Marke ye wyth the sygne of the Crosse Or ellis goo ye youre waye oute from me in the name of god / whyche sayden to hym that he sholde noo thynge be aferde / And that they were the seruauntes of god as he was / This seenge that good man was longe in his prayers ¶ And notwythstondyng that he had be longe in that place Yet was his face as shynynge as the vysage of an aungell / ¶ His browes couered hys eyen bi force of olde aege The vngles or nayles of his fete and hondes weren merueyllously longe His berde and his heere 's couered also alle his body / And his skynne was as harde as the shelle of a lymace / ¶ The sayde holy man also wepynge demaunded of the thre Relygyouses pylgryms of whens they were / And wherfore they weren thyder come / and of the estate of mankynde And yf the Sarrazyns and Ethnycyens persecuted more the faythe / ¶ The sayde pylgrymes recounted to hym all theyr aduersytees / And how they soughte to fynde the place where as heuen and erthe Ioyned togyder / ¶ The holy man sayde thenne to theym that fro the place where as they were it was no ferre waye to paradyce terrestre / But noo man myghte goo thyther But yf the aungellis bare hym lyke as a voyce hadde sayde to him whanne he hym selfe wolde haue goon thyther / ¶ He tolde to them also as the aungell had tolde to hym that it was but twenty myles to the place where as Adam was created and fourmed and to the sayd paradice terrestre Where as the erthe Ioynyth to heuen / ¶ The sayde pylgrymes herynge thyse wordes were moche enioyed / And entred in to the caue wyth the sayde holy man / ¶ Whanne the euen was comen he prayed theym and sayde That they sholde not holde theym wythin the sayde caue / By cause that there were wyth in a lytyll space therby two lyons whyche camen euery nyghte to lye wyth hyÌ„ ¶ And he fered theym sore leest they sholde doo to theym ony harme or dysplaysure / ¶ Anone after they sawe the sayde two lyons come But the good holy man wente and mette wyth theym / And deffended and forbadde the sayd lyons to doo theym ony greyf / The whyche deffence made they soiourned there surely / ¶ On the morne they asked of the holy man of his estate and conuersacyon / and also of his name / And of what place he was / ¶ To whom he ansuered / Fyrste that he was namyd Machaire / And was borne atte Rome sone of a noble Romayne flourysshynge in good renomme and fame thorugh oute alle the empyre / ¶ After he recounted to theym of his lyfe and conuersacyon and the cause wherfore he was departed from Rome ¶ And beganne to recyte shewe to theym / That he beynge yonge / his fader wolde haue maryed hym and in dede was fyaunced and trouth plyghted and a daye accepted to be wedded ¶ Atte whyche daye after that al thynges necessary for the weddyÌ„ge were made redy / And the lordes Romayns boden for to goo to the celebracoÌ„n and so lempnytee of the sayde weddynge / ¶ The holy man seenge the same preparacyons and ordynaunces / And that the houre approchyd and drewe nyghe Secretely he departed from the house / of his fader And hydde hym in the â—ous of a woman a widowe wyth whom he was famylyer / ¶ In her house he was seuen dayes hydde wythoute to be seen of ony persone of the cyte of Rome / ¶ That same wydowe wente euery daye in to the hous of his fader And knewe alle the was sayde of hym syth he came to her house And shewed alle to the sayde holy man ¶ His fader seenge that he mighte not fynde him was moche angry and also his moder wyth alle
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
lamentacyons and waylynges ¶ And thenne she beganne to tere her heer and to bete her breste and her vysage Enforcynge her selfe for to slee herselfe by dyspayr ¶ And thus in lamentynge and bewaylynge she bewaylled merueylously her vyrgynyte soo loste / ¶ And ferthermore / She sayde Alas me poore synnar I haue loste alle the tyme in whyche I haue done penaunce / Alle myne orysons / Fastynges and good operacyons and werkes ben by me synnar loste ¶ O ye teeres and wâ—pynges maye not redememe / ¶ O my vncle whyche is soo moche soo perfighte What shame and dyshonoure haue I done to the / ¶ Certaynly I now fere me that the wrathe of god shall hastely falle vppon me / that am made Illusyon and mocked of the deuyll ¶ Alas what shal prouffyte me from hensforth to do penaunce / It were better for me to deye thanne to lyue / ¶ O very god What synne haue I done Alas my maker how haue I coÌ„mysed and doon agaynst the suche offence How haue I be soo blynde in my thoughte Ne how haue I be soo ygnoraunte ne had noo knowlege of that whiche I oughte to do Ne where or what shal come of me ¶ Alas where ben the goode monyâ—sons and warnynges that mine vncle sayd and warned me of whan I was vyrgyne And that I hadde purposyd to haue kepte my soule Inmaculate and vndefoylled to Ihesu Cryste my spowse / ¶ Alas I am not worthy to beholde the heuen for I am deed as towchynge the worlde / ¶ And as towarde god I dare not retorne to my wyndowe / by whiche I sprange and came oute / ¶ Alas how I that am full of Inyquyte wyckydnesse shall I be hardy ynough to speke to myne vncle / I suppose yf I retourne to my lytyll howse / Incontynent yf I come and approche and come nyghe to the wyndowe by myracle shall fyre to me that shall brenne me / ¶ After thyse pyteous by wayllynges the poore synnar oute of her wytte as deed and ferre from her helth went her way in to a nother cyte / and chauÌ„ged her habyte / And after went to an hous where as dwellyd comyn wyÌ„men ¶ Now it happed that her vncle knewe her synÌ„e / by a reuelacyon whyche was suche / ¶ In his slepe he dremyd that he saw a dragon merueylous grete and so ferâ—ful that he durste not beholde it / The whiche in syflynge enforcyd him to approche come nyghe his chambre or lytyll hous / And hym semyd ferthermore that in comynge nyghe the same place the same dragon fouÌ„de a doune the whyche he deuowred / And after he had deuowred it he retornyd thither fro wheÌ„â— be came ¶ And whan the holy man Abraham a woke He beganne to wepe estemynge that the deuyl wolde sette scysme dyuysion in the chirche or that many crysten men sholde be torned fro the holy fayth ¶ And so the good holy man wyste not what to doo sauf to praye to god that it myghte playse hym to lete hym haue knowlege what the sayd vysyon betokened ¶ And two dayes after he had a nother dreme lyke / And hym semyd whanne the sayde dragon came nyghe to his house he putt his heed vnder his fete was deuyded in two partyes / ¶ After the whyche vysion the holy man sawe wythin the bely of the sayd dragon the sayde doune whyche he had deuoured And him semyd that the douue was alyue / And thenne Incontinent the holy man put his honde in the sayde bely / And drewe oute the doune a lyue / ¶ ThenÌ„e he a woke after that / wenynge to haue founde his nyece Marye in her Oratorye Came smytynge atte her wyndowe and called her two or thre tymes ¶ And by cause that syth ii dayes he had not herde her in her oratory and prayers He ymagyned and bileued that the vysyon was of his nyece Wherfore he fell downe to the grounde in makynge merueyllous lamentacyons and wayllynges and sayd ¶ Alas what is now happened to me / My doughter is now prysoner in the pryson of the deuyll / O cursyd wulfe rauysshynge Thou haste rauysshed my shepe / O sauyour of all the worlde gyue to me a gyfte That is that my shepe maye come agayne in to her folde tofore er I deye / To the ende that in perpetuell ennoye I finysshe and ende not myn olde aege / ¶ My god dyspyse not my prayer But hastely goode lorde enlarge vpon me thy grace to th ende that she maye be deliuered from the golette of the dragon ¶ The poore doughter was two yere liuynge in lubrycyte and lecherye bounden with the boundes of the deuyll and englotted in his bely / ¶ Durynge the whyche two yere the holy man Abraham prayed contynuelly to god That it playsed hym to reduce and bryng her agayne to penaunce / ¶ I thyse two yeres the holy man sende a famylyer freÌ„de of his for to serche and seche in what place she myghte be The whiche wente and fonde her and brought worde where she was and had seen her in an open house wyth comyn wymmen / ¶ The holy man anone dyde doo opene his house and wente oute of it secretely / To the ende that he sholde not be knowen he toke the habyte of a seculer man / And dyde on a grete hode and mufflyd his vysage by cause he wolde not be knowen / ¶ Now lete vs consydre the comparyson and simylytude of the fyrste Abraham And of the seconde of whom this presente hystorye makyth mencyon / ¶ The fyrste wente in to the batayle agaynste foure kynges / And rescowed and brought home his neuewe Loth Whyche was prysonner / ¶ The seconde wente also to bataylle agaynste the deuyll For to redeme his nyece whyche was prysonner and kepte and holden in thraldom and captyâ—â—te of synne to whyche she was submysyd and gyuen / ¶ For to retorne thenne to this present hystorye the holy man Abraham thus habilled and arayed as sayd is lepe vpon an horse that he had borowed for to make this vyage And so longe rode by his Iourneyes that he arryued in the house where as his nyece was And he beynge comen thider by cause he sawe her not amonge thother yonge wyÌ„men whiche were there demaunded of the hooste yf there wythin were ony yonge woman namyd Marye / ¶ The whiche hooste wenynge that the holy man were come for to commyse and perfourme his lecherye Ansuerd to hym that there with in was suche one Whyche he sayd was as fayre as one myghte see / Gentyll honeste of body / And that she hadde in her body none deformyte / ¶ The whyche wordes herynge the holy man was merueylously Ioyous / And prayed him that she myghte come forth For he wolde ete and drynke wyth her ¶ Incontynent the hoost brought her tofore her vncle prowdely and worldely arayed cladde As comynly ben thyse vnthryfty comyn wymmen / ¶ The holy
also yf thou be otherwyse dysposyd / I wyll not kepe the by force ¶ The rule of the very Relygyouses is for to forsake alle togyder the worlde and to flee all worldly conuersacyons / ¶ And therfore he that wolde saye my fader my moder arn my blode I ought to loue them / He must take hede to saynt Poul that sayth / WhosoÌ„euer that shal be ouercom by the flesshe he shal be seruaunt to the flesshe / And in effecte euery body becomyth thrall vnto hym of whom he letyth hymselfe to be broughte vnder fote / ¶ His moder seenge that she myghte not speke with hyÌ„ purposed to dwell wyth the virgynes that had theyr place nyghe the sayde monastery where her sone was a Relygouse Hopynge by goddis grace that she sholde see hym amonge the other Relygyouses / And also that in this dooynge she sholde purchase some mede to the saluacyon of her soule / durynge the tyme that she were in the monastery wyth the sayde vyrgynes / ¶ And by this that is sayde apperyth openly / that to kepe some tyme Rygoure in the worshypp of Ihesu Cryste and not for noo praysyng ne vaynglory is ofte cause of grete goodes to theim agaynst the whiche men ben Rigorouse How be it that for a shorte space of tyme it semyth theym that men haue offended theym / ¶ Of many reprouyd Relygyouses / To the chapytre begynnynge in latyn ¶ Igitur sicut / Caplm lxxxiii AAfter that we haue seen of the maners and vertues of many vertuouse and holi Freres consequently we shall see the necligence of some reprouyd Relygyouses that folowen after theyr flesshely appetyte oute of al good rule / The whyche gaaf grete malencolyes to saynt Pachomyen / By cause that for noo manere of monycyon ne warnynges that he made to theym they wolde not retorne theym / Wherby the holy man was wonderfully sorowful and heuy / ¶ And complaynynge hym to god he sayd / ¶ O my god that haste lordshypp ouer alle the worlde / Thou commaundest vs to loue oure euyn crysten / And therfore my god that knowest my wyll and the secrete of my conscyence / I praye the that thou wolt not dispyse my oryson The whyche ofte I haue made vnto the for thyse wretchydfull Relygyouses to the ende that thou haue of theym pyte and mercy in gyuynge to theym thy drede reuerently / And grace to knowe thy dyuyne puyssaunce for to obeye and serue the / Hauynge in the onÌ„ly wythout ony other the stedfaste hope of theyr saluacoÌ„n / ¶ Truely my soule is feblyd and tourmented soo moche and all my wâ—ttes trowblyd of theyr abhomynable lyuynge and Innyquyte / ¶ The holy man seenge they wold not amende theym / He made yet agayne prayers vnto god for theym / And after gaaf to theym certayn smale easy rules to lerne theym to honour praye god / To the entente that lytyll and lytyll they myghte accustome theym to doo well / And amende theyr lyfe / ¶ Ferdermore seenge that they coude not accoÌ„plisshe theyr delectacyons and playsures wythstondynge the contynuell denyenge of saynt Pachomyen / That suffred theym neuer goo oute of the monastery for to playse theyr wyckyd wylles / They for loke the monastery and ensyewed the deuyll theyr lorde and mayster / ¶ And after that the other Relgyouses were more desyroê° in the loue of god thanne afore / ¶ For thus as the corne whanne it is weded from the euyll herbes groweth and multyplyeth the better / ¶ In lyke wyse whanne in a felyshypp of folke peasyble are some vycyouse men / It is of necessyte to throwe theym oute from the other / ¶ And by this it is seen that to a man gyuen to the worlde auayllyth hym not to be a Relygyous / For his professyon shall doo hym noo prouffyte yf he be neclygente to kepe the Rules of his Relygyon / ¶ In lyke wyse a prayer prouffyteth not that is made for theym that ben aslepe in theyr synnes yf they helpe not to awake theymself / ¶ How Relygyouses of other monasteryes comynge to vysyte the monastery of saynt Pachomien were not receyued in to the sayd place amonge the dwellers / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Confessor c. Caplm lxxxiiii THere was a preest named Denys that was Confessour Prouysor and admynystratour of of the chyrche of the Centyryens / And well byloued of the holy man Pachomyen / ¶ The whyche Denys knowynge and aperceyuynge that this holy man defferred and putt of for to gadre wythin his monasterye wyth hys brethern the Relygyouses that camen to hym from other monasterys / But made theyr necessytees to be admynystred to theym by theymselfe and wythoute the gates of his monastery / Reproued hym sharply in sayenge to hym / That he dyde not well to doo soo / ¶ The holy man tooke and resceyued benygnely his correcyon / And answeryd to hym ¶ My brother and frende god knowyth my wyll and myn entencyon / And also he knowyth wel how I desyre the saluacyon of alle soules / And none I wolde despyse ne prouoke to wrathe / ¶ I knowe also that god hath sayde in hys gospell / That thys that men shall doo to the leest of his seruauntes / He shall take it in lyke wyse as it were doon to hymselfe / ¶ And therfore wyte it that I doo not soo for to contempne theym ne dyspyse theym / But oonly by cause that I knowe some Relygyouses in my chyrche soo symple that they sholde not conne putte dyfference bytwene theyr ryght honde and lyfte honde / ¶ And yet some other there ben also that bere not the habyte of relygyon / Wherfore me semyth good and nedeful that they that ben comyng to vs from other places be receyued honestly in a nother house by ours / ¶ And whaÌ„ they woll come to the chyrche to serue god they maye come there wyth vs / And after the seruyce dyuyne doon to retourne in to theyr lodges / for to doo there theyr secrete Oracyons or other vertuouse werkes after theyr deuocyon ¶ The preest hering his answere was contente of hym / And wente agayne awaye all recomforted and wyth gode counseylle / ¶ How the gowne of saynt Pachomyen heelyd folke of the blody Flux / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Mulier et cetera Caplm lxxxiiii IN the cyte of the Centiryens a woman had hadd suffred by a longe space a syckenesse callyd the blody Flux / Soo came she to the good preest aboue namyd / And by cause he was famylier frende of saynt Pachomyen· Prayed hym humbly that it wolde playse hym to sende for the holy man Pachomyen that was in his chaÌ„bre sayeng that he had certayn necessary thynges to telle hym / ¶ Saynt Pachomyen came to the sendynge of the sayd preest / And whan he was comÌ„ with in the chirche he made his prayer after he salued the good preest Denys / as they spake
this do â—â— he departed fro theym / ¶ How saynt Pachomyen by his merytes knewe the thoughtes of men / BeginÌ„yng CuÌ„que ê‘gereÌ„t / Caplm lxxxxviii THus as saynt Pachomien was gooynge towarde a nother monastery namyd Thebennense with Theodore Corneylle and many other / He restyd hym in the myddes of the waye as he wolde haue spoke with some of a secrete matere / ¶ And he beynge as rauysshyd / He knewe att his ghostly eye that the relygyouses of his monastery had broken one of his commaundementes that he had enioynyd theym to kepe / ¶ The whyche commauÌ„dement was that they that made the brede sholde not speke noo vayne thynge in makynge the oblacyons / ¶ And for to veryfye that that he knewe of it in his thoughte / He sente Theodore / that was admynystratour of the sayde monastery for to examyne hym of that the bredern had sayd at euen makynge thyse offryÌ„ges / Soo came there Theodore knewe that they had broke this coÌ„mauÌ„dement· wenyng that the sayd brekyÌ„ge was no grete synÌ„e by cause that the sayd coÌ„mauÌ„dement semyd to be of no grete thyng / ¶ Theodore shewed it to the holy man Pachomyen that sayd to hym / How be it that the ordenauÌ„ces that I haue yeue to them for to kepe ben manly in asmoche as I that am a man haue enioyned them to kepe them / Neuertheles they consydre not the peryll that may come to him that dispysith one of the leest coÌ„maundementes that arre ordeyned for to be kept for the worshypp of god / ¶ It is not fouÌ„de in holy scripture that the childern of Israell beynge afore the cyte of Iherico kept duryng vii dayes the scylence that was to theym boden ordeyned for to kepe / And after the vii dayes passed the sayd scylence soo kept they toke anone the sayd cyte of Iherico / The whyche thyÌ„ge was to theim grauÌ„ted of god by cause they dispysed not thoâ— denauÌ„ce or coÌ„mauÌ„dement that had be gyuen to them by his seruauÌ„t in the honour of hym ¶ Anone after saynt Pachomyen came there as the religyous were that made mattes soo began he to werke with heÌ„ in this doynge came there a yonge religyous nouyce that was sette for to serue him The whiche sayd to hyÌ„ fader Pachomyen thou doost not as our fader Theodore dooth The holy man Pachomyen herynge the wordes of this nouyce swetly louyÌ„gly prayed him that he sholde shewe hyÌ„ how he shold doo / And after that he had shewed to hym the maner how he shold make the mattes he contynued abowte it werkynge wyth the other forcyng hymself to do as he was taught by the chylde / Wherby he gaaf grete ensample of mekenesse to all hys bredern In somoche that he bare the correccoÌ„n of the sayd nouyce / The whyche yf he had be proude he wolde not haue endured but to the contrary sholde haue rebukyd hym for it fyersly / ¶ How the deuyll shewed himself to saynt Pachomyen Begynnynge ¶ Alio vero tempore / Caplm lxxxxix THe holy man after this vpon a daye putt hymselfe in to a secrete place / The deuyll anone came to hym in disguysed araye greted hyÌ„ honourably / the holy man thouÈt anone that it was some wycked spyryte / For whan the gode spiryte cometh to a man al heuines departeth fro hyÌ„ his seeng is free of all drede and is full of merueylous Ioye and soo departen fro â—â— al worldly thouÈtes In stede of whiche comyth to hym an affeccoÌ„n a desire of the souerayn thynges / soo sayd he in hyÌ„self / ¶ Syth that this vysion is happed to me I haue be troubled in mi myÌ„de / He rose anone blessed hymself with the sygne of the crosse / ¶ And wyth his hâ—nde he wende to take the deuyll that was in his presence and sayd to hym / ¶ O cursyd deuyll goo fro me thy vysion thy craftes ben but dysceyuable Thou hast not adoo wyth the seruauÌ„t of god / ¶ And incontynent as duste he wente awaye sayenge Ha Pachomyen yf thou hadd obeyed me I sholde haue yelded the my subgett / But the vertu of the souerain god is togrete this notwtstondyng I shall befyghte the wythoute ceasynge to th ende that I maye acoÌ„plysshe my werke wythout delaye Soo toke the holy man hyÌ„ to yeue thankyng to god of the grete fortunes yeftes that he dyde to hym euery daye / ¶ How the myghte of the deuyll was shewed to the holy man Pachomien begynnyth in latyn ¶ In hoc eciam cetera / Caplm C. THe holy man Pachomyen goynge by nyghte wyth Theodore to the sayd monastery had suche a vysion / ¶ A deuyll apperyd vnto him in lykenesse of a woman more hiâ— than other ben comyÌ„ly / And wyth this she shewed to be of soo grete bewte of body of visage that it semid as a thyÌ„ge inpossyble to bebrought forth / The sayd Theodore that also sawe hym was sore trowbled wyth alle in his mynde / But the holy fader sayd to hym that he sholde haue hope in god and that he shold not abasshe hyÌ„self / ¶ ThenÌ„e they sette theymself to prayer besought our lorde that it wolde playse hym by his godly vertu to take away this vysion fro theim / Neuertheles camÌ„ the deuyll more nere hem in that self likenes byfore hyÌ„ were a grete noÌ„bre of deuylles / ThenÌ„e sayd the deuyl to the holy men Pachomien theodore / Why do ye pray god ayenst me in vayn ye can not alway wtstond me / For I haue myÈte power of god to teÌ„pte hem that I woll / ThenÌ„e the holy man Pachomyen axed of hyÌ„ what he was fro whens he camÌ„ whiche of heÌ„ he wolde teÌ„pte to whom he answerd / I am the myÈty deuyl hauyng lordshipp vpon a grete nombre of deuylles / Iudas was soÌ„tyme deceyued by me cast out of the coÌ„pany of thapostles I am she that soweth in erth the sede of the whiche all persones that taast of it are in dauÌ„geour to deye / ¶ And that more is god hath gyue me myÈte for to tempte his seruauntes wythout ceassynge / So am I coÌ„mauÌ„ded by the court of helle for to putt the in her daungeour Neuer man ouercame me but thyself / Thy doctryne yeuyth me subget both to the yonge and to the olde and namely to a hepe of folysshe relygyouses that thou hast gadred togyder / The whyche by thyne exaÌ„ple are obstynate ayenst me / as folke vnable to be ouercome / ¶ For of al the wyles of the deuyll they haue ben teÌ„pted yet they cowde not be ouercome And all this euyll comyth to vs by the sone of god / that hath be made a man of the whiche ye other haue soo grete myghte / ¶ ThenÌ„e sayd to him the holy fader Pachomyen / Thou comyst thenÌ„e for to tempte me onÌ„ly seenge that that thou hast tolde me / ¶ Wherat
IohnÌ„ rehercyd ones to the hope of them that gladly gyue for goddis sake that he beynge on a nyghte a slepe sawe in dremynge a ryght fayre and clere woman and shynynge as the sonne / And crowned with a crowne of lawrer / In musynge of her grete bewte he a woke / ¶ And him semyd that he sawe her in dede stondynge byfore hym / ¶ Soo he blessyd hym Incontynent And spake to her After askynge what she was / ¶ To whom she answerde all smylinge that she was the moder of the doughter of the kynge / ¶ And after sayd to hym / My frende yf thou wolt loue me I shall presente the byfore the souerayne emperour / For none hath there soo grete power as I haue / ¶ Thenne after she vanysshed a waye from his syghte / ¶ Thenne the holy man Iohan supposyd after his aduys that it was compassyon or almesse that was appered byfore hym in lykenesse of a woman / By cause she hadd on her heed a fayre crowne of lawrer / ¶ For certaynly the grete compassyon benygnytee that god hath to the poore synners / He hathe made his ryght dere and swete chylde Ihesu Cryste to take our kynde flesshe / and suffre soo many euylles for vs / ¶ The holy man after this vysyon aroos / wythout to a wake ony body and wente to the chyrche / ¶ And ingoynge thyder he founde a poore euyll clothyd man / and as deyenge for colde ¶ Soo toke he of his gowne and gaue it hym for to clothe hym wyth all / And after retornyd wythoute to entree in to the chyrche / Puttyrige in hymselfe a doubte whether the aduysion that he had seen were of god or non / ¶ And in retornynge to hys howse warde he met wyth a man clothyd wyth whyte vestyments / that gaaf hym an hundred penyes / Sayenge that he sholde dystrybute theym where it playsed hym / ¶ And by cause hym semyd that he had be ouer hasty and redy to receyue the sayde penyes doubtynge to be dysceyued / He wente to haue delyuered theim ayen to hym that gaaf theym to hym / ¶ But he cowde not by cause the other was vanysshyd away / ¶ Soo had he thenÌ„e some vnderstondynge and knowlege that this vysion was come to hym of god / ¶ Of a pylgryme that wolde tempte saynt Iohan the Almoner / Begynâ—nynge in latyn ¶ Adoriâ—ue et cetera Caplm C.xiii. IN the sayd cyte of Alexandrye was a straunger whyche herynge the grete fame of saynt IohnÌ„ the Almoner wolde tempte him for to vnderstonde the certayntee therof / And for to doo this he put of his raymentes toke euyll clothes abowte hym / And after came byfore hym there as he wente towarde the place where the syke peple were kept dressed / ¶ For his customÌ„ was to goo to the hospytalles twies in the weke for to vysite there the syke folke that were there / ¶ This valyaunt man stranger sayd to him / O my lord gyue to me your almesse poore prysoner / ¶ ThenÌ„e the holy man coÌ„mauÌ„ded the men sholde yeue to hym vi pens ¶ Whan he had receyued the fyrst almesse he chauÌ„ged his habyte and Incontynent went ayen tofore hym in sayenge ¶ Alas syre haue pyte of me poore syke man / The holy man ones ayen coÌ„maunded to the Almoner that he sholde gyue hym vi pens of golde / ¶ After that he had taken theym to the Papelarde he said all soft to the holy man that he had had twyes his almesse / Wherat the holy man answerd noo thynge / feynyng as he had not herde hyÌ„ / ¶ Thirdly he came agayn in a nother chauÌ„geable clothynge / for to haue yet a nother almesse / And thenÌ„e the Almoner drew the holy man by the gowne for to gyue hym to knowlege that it was he that had had twyes his almesse that daye / But the holy man coÌ„maunded the men sholde gyue hym twelue pens of syluer sayenge to his Almoner / Doo the I coÌ„mauÌ„de the / For by aduenture it is god that temptyth me / ¶ Of a Maryner of the tynne that was tornyd to syluer / Begynnynge in latyn ¶ Nauclerus quidam et cetera Caplm C.xiiii A Marynar straunger / that by tempest of the see or otherwyse had loste all his goodes / Besechynge humbly to saynt IohnÌ„ the Almoner that he wolde sprede vpon him his mercy / Hauynge pyte vpon hym as he had vpon the other / ¶ Soo he gaaf him v. pounde of golde that he put forthe in marchandise and after retorned vpon the see where he loste all excepte oonly his shippe the whiche was saued ¶ Soo came he ayen to the sayd holy man / prayed hym as aboue / ThenÌ„e he said to him / ¶ My broder thou had dest some syluer euyll goten that thou hast medled wyth that of the chyrche Therfore thou hast loste all / Neuerthelesse he gaue hym agayne x. pounde of golde / Soo went he agayen to the see / Where he had the wynde soo contrary that all his shyppe was perysshyd· abode noo thynge sauf but the men / The whyche thynge seenge the Mary nerâ—he wolde haue slayne hymselfe for sorowe / But god preseruyd hym there fro / And shewed his wrath angre to the holy Patryarke / The whyche Incontynent sente for hym / ¶ The Maryner coueryd wyth asshes / and his clothes all to torne lyke as they are wont to doo in the londe came to the sendynge of the Patryarke / The whyche in beholdynge vpon hym sayd to hym ¶ My frende god haue pyte and mercy vpon the / I trowe / that from hensforth thou shalte not haue none euyll fortune / ¶ Thy shippe is perysshyd bicause it was goten by wronge / ¶ And thenne he made to be gyuen to hym one of the shyppes of the chyrche / that he made be fylled wyth ten thousande râ—sers of whete / ¶ And this done the Marynar wente to the see as he was acustomyd / But he saylled twenty dayes twenty nyghtes that he wyste not whether he drewe to / ¶ Durynge the whiche tyme the gouernoure of the shyppe / as he rehercyd to the Marynar / sawe nyghe hym the holy Patryarke / that sayd to hym / Marinar doubte no thinge thou sayllest well / ¶ After the twenty dayes they londed in Britayne where soo grete necescyte of corn was that they of the londe for grete derth suffred grete hungre / Wherby they were receyued in grete Ioye reuerence / ¶ The folke of the londe asked of the Marynar yf he wolde selle his where for redy moneye or take Tynne for it ¶ And after he had remembred vpon theyr askynge / He toke redy money for the halfe / And for the other halfe he take fyne Tynne / And after wyth a grete gladnesse retornyd in to Alexandrye And were longe tyme art the hauen callyd Penthapolis / To the whyche hauen the maister Marynar of the shypp had a
for to performe his vnlawfull wyll he departed fro his monastery camÌ„ in to Alexandrye / And whan he was come thyder he ladde a playsaunt lyfe· as to men but vnto god ryght agreable / ¶ Fyrste he wrote all the houres playnly / And that whyche he cowde wynÌ„e he gaaf vnto one of theim sayd to her / My frende I praye the gyue me this nyght that is to say that she sholde abstene herself fro fornycacoÌ„n ¶ The sayd abbot for to kepe her fro euyll dedes· abode wyth her al the nyght helde hymself in a corner of the chaÌ„bre prayeng god for her tyll it was day / On the morn he went away prayed her that she shold tell no bodi that he had be with her / ¶ Many dayes nyghtes he contynued this going among theim vnto the time that this was shewed bi an harlot that neuerthelesse wolde not saye that he was a lechour but he acoÌ„panyed theym onÌ„ly for theyr helthe / ¶ The good abbot prayed god that his good purpoos mighte not be lette by the sayd dyscoueryng / Wherfor the deuyll anone entred in the bodi of the sayd woman to th ende that the other sholde fere to saye as she sayd in sheweng the lyf that he lad ¶ SomÌ„ that sawe this woman sike sayd to her beholde euyll womaÌ„ thou seest now how god punysshyth yt. by cause that thou hast lyed vpon the relygious / Thou hast sayd that he gooth not wyth thy felowes for lechery / but thou hast made a lye / Thise thynges notwythstondynge the holy abbot whan he had wrought all daye / He at euen desyred none other but preche the comyn wymÌ„en / sayd to hyÌ„self Goo we goo to a nother place there is a woman that taryeth after ye. ¶ Many that sawe his vsuall comynycacyon that he had wyth thyse wymÌ„en blamed hyÌ„ for it / but he answerd vnto theym / Is not god aswell wroth wyth the other as he is wyth the relygyouses they ben men as other ben / ¶ Some tolde hym that he sholde take a wyfe chauÌ„ge his habyte by cause he shold not be sklauÌ„dred / But he kepte hym well that he consented not vnto theyr oppynyon onÌ„ly to theym he answerd that they shold goo fro him askyÌ„ge them / Are ye assygned my Iuges see to yourselfe lete me do my wyll Fynably he was accusid to the holy Patryarke whiche wold not byleue lightly that men reported vnto him but had in remeÌ„braunte the other relygyouse that in lyke wyse had hadde be accusyd as here byfore is made mencoÌ„n / ¶ And for to stynte the reporters the holy Patriarke tolde an hystory of Constantyn the emperour to whom was lyke wyse reported by an accusar certain blames in writynge ayenst a religyous / ¶ Whan the emperour saw the accusacoÌ„n he sente for the accusar him ytâ— as accused And they beynge aforesayd to the accusaâ— / Truly yf I sawe a seculer preest or a relygious that dide ony synÌ„e I shold hyde hym wyth my mantell / to th ende that his synne sholde not be knowen nor seen of other / And thê° the holy Patryarke peased the accusars of the sayd abbot ¶ Durynge the sayd tyme the seruauÌ„t of god Vitall vsed as he had acustomed wyth the comyn wymen / And wyth this he prayed god deuoutly contynuelly that after his deth to some persone shold the cause be shewed bi reyson wherof he dyde hauÌ„te the comyn wymen to th eÌ„de the peple sholde not abyde by hyÌ„ euyll ensaÌ„pled as also they ought not to be / ¶ For thrugh his prayers many persones that sawe hym praye god by nyghte â—euynge his hondes vp towarde heuen bi feruent deuocoÌ„n kept them self fro flesshly desires namly many wymen by reyson of him kept themselfe from the synne of lechery / ¶ It happed one daye as in a mornyng that he came out of the hous of a comyn womaÌ„ He mette wyth a lewde haskarde whyche for to doo the sayd synne of lechery went to the hous there as the holy man came fro / And at theyr metynge togyder this Vnthryft gaaf hym a buffett sayenge to hym / Knauysshe ypocryte why amendest not thyselfe of thyne ypocrysie / The holi abbot answerd vnto him I shall yelde the ones suche a buffett that all Alexandrye shall come to thy crye ¶ A lytyll whyle after this deyed the holy abbot Vytall / neuer duryng his lyfe was the cause knowe why he drewe to the comyn wyÌ„men / ¶ And it is to wyte that his celle or lytyll hous where he decessed all alone was sett in a place a lytyll fro the towne the whiche was called the gate of the sonÌ„e / ¶ Anone after his dethe or euer it was to oni persone knowen the deuyll came in lykenes of an Ethyopien toward him that had smyten hym hyÌ„ gaaf a grete buffett sayeng The abbot Vitall sendith that this offryÌ„ge / The vnhappy bawdy knaue felle down to the grouÌ„de / foomyÌ„ge as a mad man / Wherof many men wyÌ„men that herde the stroke were sore merueyled by cause they trowed that they had herde the thouder bolte fall / ¶ And truely lyke as the abbot had prophecyed it all the cyte was therof moeuyd / the cyteyzyns came to the cryeng of the sayd vnthryfte / Whyche after a longe space of tyme that he had be in this penauÌ„ce his mynde was restored to hym ayen / And anone he â—auÌ„e to the lytyl heâ—us of the sayd abbot for to crye hym mercy sayeng that he had ouermoche offeÌ„ded ayeÌ„st hyÌ„ whan he mette hym gaaf hym the buffett ¶ Many went thyder with hym in presence of whom the deuyll yet ayen smote the forsayd knaue caste hyÌ„ to theâ—h And they that were come wyth hyÌ„ entred wythin the celle of the sayd Vitall and founde hym on bothe his knees as he shold praye god wyth this it semyd theym that he had one honde to the grouÌ„de wherwyth he wrote thyse wordes / ¶ O ye men of Alexandrye iuge neuer noo man nor woman but that ye knowe him fyrst abyde tyll that god hyÌ„self makyth the Iugement / ThenÌ„e the pore losell confessyd that he had beten hym ¶ And thê° the prophecye was in hym fulfylled / ¶ All thise thyÌ„ges were by the peple rehercyd vnto the holy Patriarke The whiche wyth the Clergye grete nombre of cyteyzyns came to the place where the corps of the holy abbot was All the wyÌ„men in lyke wyse came thyder whiche he had coÌ„uerted to goodnes And bare with theim tapres lampes brenÌ„ynge sayenge Alas we haue loste our hele techynge / ¶ ThenÌ„e they tolde shewed how he companyed wyth theim not for rayson of synÌ„e but for to exhorte styre theym to doo well leue theyr lecherous lyfe malyce / Soo were they sore rebuked / that they hadd not vttred his holy lyfe / But they answerde that
good purpoos / ¶ But in gooynge by the way the one wyth the other / Hopynge this holy man to haue her in to some monastery of relygyouse wymÌ„en / walked togyder so longe that they came to a chyrche at the entree of whyche they fonde a moche fayre chylde that laye on the grouÌ„de / ¶ The whiche this Porphyre moeuyd of pyte compassyon toke bare bytwyx her armes and sith nourisshed hym in the sayde abbots monastery / that whyche soone after made this Porphire a woman of religyon and made her to be callyd Pelage / ¶ Afore that sheâ— was relygyous she beynge yet in the sayd abbots monasteri MarchauÌ„tes came thyder of the cyte of Thyre that well knewe the sayde Pelage / And seenge that she had a chylde sayd to her / ¶ Haa dâ—me ye haue broughte forthe a fayr chylde to the abbot / ¶ Many other dyspytes the sayd to her and to the abbot also / Vi. or vii yere after that the childe was grete the abbot knewe by the wyll of god that in short time he shold deye / for this cause he gaaf to vnderstoÌ„de vnto this Pelage that he must nedes for certain causes go vnto the sayd cyte of Thyr / so coÌ„maunded her to make redy herself thyderwarde wyth hym and that she sholde take her chylde wyth her / ¶ Pelage that wolde not dysobeye hym toke the childe they thre togyder went in to the sayd towne / ¶ And whan they were came thider the abbot laye Incontynent syke in his bed / ¶ ThenÌ„e were tydynges shewed thrugh the cyte how the abbot that hadde ladde awaye Porphyre the â—â—â—yn woman was at poynt of dethe And anone went and vysited hym more than a hundred persones in nombre ¶ In presence of whom and also of Pelage and of the yonge chylde / The abbot callyd after cooles quycke glowyng / ¶ And Incontynent that they were broughte to him / He putt theym vppon his gowne / and sayd this / My bredren byleue that like as god kept somtyme byfore Moyses the busshe brennynge wythout to be apayred nor brente / And as att this presente houre he kepeth my gowne from harme of thise cooles glowynge / ¶ Thus for very certane I tell you that I neuer knewe the synne of this woman· wherof I am accused / Shewynge to theym beynge present the same woman and the chylde / ¶ All they were merueylled and gloryfyed god of the myracle / ¶ And anone after that the holy abbot had taken awaye the false oppynyon that they of Thyr had ouer hym he bytoke his goost in the hondes of our lorde / ¶ For this cause the holy Patryarke for said deffended that folke sholde not gyue noo sentence ouer the yonge man that had broughte the woman of Relygyon oute of her monastery as it is aboue sayde / ¶ More ouer sayd the holy Patryarke that how well men seen ofte the synners perfourme the synne of fornycacyon / Neuerthelesse men ought not to dyspyse theym nor reporte synnars / ¶ For men knowe not what secrete penauÌ„ce they haue done for to decerue the grace / ¶ And in like wise this he sayd of all other synnars / ¶ Suche ben playsauntly clothed and well arayed that who soo sholde take his vesture from his backe dame Penaunce vnder his clothes sholde be fouÌ„de / ¶ Of two Clerkes that made shone begynnyth in latyn ¶ Duobus clericis c· Caplm C.li. DVrynge the tyme that the forsayde holy Patryarke dwellyd in Alexandrie two clerkes were there that made shone for to gete theyr liuyng ¶ Th one had many chyldern to fede / And beside this he nouryshed his fader his moder / ¶ And how be it that he was constrayned to werke contynuelli for cause of the grete charge that he bare / Neuertheles he serued god dayely and herde masse sayenge many prayers and orysons / But that other hadde his thoughte all sette vpon his werke / ¶ And not oonly the dayes that were suffred and assygned to doo lawfully all manere of hondwerke But also he wroughte vpon the sondayes / vppon all other solempne dayes wherin is for boden that noo manere of hondwerke shold be vsyd / And namely thrugh the grete luste that he sett to his werke for lucre of money he slouthed the seruyce of god and herde neuer masse / ¶ But what soeuer payne that he toke he mighte not liue nor mayntene hyÌ„self Where by he fel in enuye agaynst his felow And askyd hym how it myght be that he was richer than he· seenge the grete charge that he had and also that he wrought not soo moche as he dyde / Thys other desyrynge to styre his felowe towarde god and to serue hym sayd vnto hym / That he had founde a tresour in the grounde / wherof he was become ryche / And that yf he wolde kepe hym felyshypp and goo wyth hym he sholde gyue hym parte of that he shold fynde / Where vnto he was agreed / Promysynge to here hym coÌ„panye and to goo wyth hym where some euer he wolde lede hym / ¶ Vnder shadowe of whyche promyse the seruaunt of god sette hym many dayes for goo here masse / And soo moche he vsyd hym therin / that he cowde not leue but that he went euery day to the chyrche for to here masse and serue god / And afterwarde he wexed so ryche that lyÈtly wythout nede he had from that tyme forthon to lyue more honestly wythout comparyson than he dyde afore / ¶ Wherby it apperyth that we ought fyrste to seke the reame of heuen / And god shall socour vs in our dedes / ¶ The holy Patryarke forsayde whan he knewe how this good faythfull hadd conuerted his felowe to serue god / By cause also hym thoughte he was worthi to be a preest for was he â—â—tred ynouÈ of good maners / he ordened hym to the holy order of preesthode / ¶ How the holy Patriarke was called of god for to decesse out of this worlde And begynnyth in latin ¶ Et quidem Caplm C.lii IT happed bi the suffraunce yf god that Alexandrye was subdued of theim of Perse by force of armes / The whiche aduersytee serâ—ge this holy man / and consyderynge the godly counseyle whiche is written in holy scrypture sayenge / ¶ Yf one â—egyoâ— is contrary / Goo to a nother / He made his purpoos to retourne in to Ethyper in the cyte where he was borne / ¶ The whiche thynge knowynge the Patryâ—s Niceta requyred hyÌ„ besyly that he sholde goo to the cheyf cyte of the citees for to exhorte the emperours to lyue vertuously / ¶ The holy Patryarke that neuer refusyd noo thynge that was leyfful good to noo maner of persone / coÌ„sented for to goo wyth the sayd Patryce / The shippes were Incontynent made redy and they toke the see / ¶ It happed by the wyll of god that the shyppe wherin were thise Patryarke Patrice was in
the same countree one namyd Phylyp The whyche departynge out of Rome toke his wyfe Claudia wyth hym two his chyldern / namyd Anitus Sergius / and a doughter of his callyd Eugene They togider came in the cyte of Alexandrye / This Philyp as grete Prouost gouernour there rulynge the cite and all the countree after the ordenaunce of the lawes of Rome put out and broughte downe the cursyd secte of the magicyens that in grete nombre and of longe tyme had by theyr fendly crafte Infected poysened alle the londe / ¶ Secondly he coÌ„maunded that the Iewes shold noo more bere a name in all that londe / And after he ordeyned that the Crysten shold abyde dwelle in the countree but not wythin the cytees But wythout ferre ynoughe from the same There the sayd Eugene was wonderfulli lerned aswell in Greke lettres latyn as also in the scyence of Phylosophye ¶ She had a wytte so quicke so sharpe the lyghte stedfastly she helde alle that she radde or that to her was expowâ—â—â— The face of her was moche playsaunt She was fayr praty of body / but more fayr in thought in chastytyte 〈◊〉 stedfaste and noble / ¶ Whan she came to her fyftenth yere of aege many lordes coÌ„syderyng her grete perfeccoÌ„n made her to be asked to her fader for to haue her by maryage / And amonge thother she was desyred of one namyd Aquylyen the sone of Aquyn Consull of Rome / But her fader that exposyd shewed vnto her the extraccoÌ„n nobles of the sayd Aquylyen for to enduce her to this that she sholde be agreable to mary wyth hym / She wysely answerde that a mayde that hath a wyll to mary oughte to haue her husboÌ„de agreable whaÌ„ she is noble of vertues not onÌ„ly of noble kynrede / ¶ For whan a woman is wedded she is constrayned to folowe the maners of her husboÌ„de not of her freÌ„des / And fynably to this Aquilien to all the other she gaaf an answere that she wolde not mary but had in her purpose that shold lyue chastly / ¶ And bi cause that Phylyppe her fader had chaced all the Crysten folke out of the cyte neuertheles she desyrynge to comyn with theym / And to th ende that her fader that was a Panym sholde haue noo knowlege of it nor suspeccoÌ„n prayed hyÌ„ mekely that he wolde suffre that she myghte goo by manere of sporte vnto the subarbes of Alexandrie for to see some of theyr londes herytages there lyenge nye The whyche thynge was grauÌ„ted vnto her of her fader / And soo it happed as she wente fore by a chyrche of the crysten that she had herde synge thyse verses Omnes dii genciuÌ„ demonia deus auteÌ„ noster cels fecit That is to saye that the goddes of the Paynems are but deuyls / But the god that we Crysten doo worshypp hath made the heuens the erthe / ¶ Whan Eugene herde this songe she began to wepe sayeng to .ii. Emyches that is two men that lacke their membres of mankinde The one namyd Prothus the other Iacintê° that were coÌ„mytted to kepe her serue her / as comynly it was done of custome to the doughters wyÌ„men comen of goode houses / ¶ My frendes I knowe that you I haue ben taughte enformed togyder aswel in the lawes of men as in the vayne scyence of the Phylosophers And haue radde the falages of Aristole the ydes of Platon· the secte of the Epicuriens the techynges of Socrates of the Stoyciens and generally all the doctryne of the Poetes Rethoryciens But all thise vayn scyence are put out and sette asyde by that lytyll verse that I haue herde syÌ„ge by the Crysten OmÌ„s du genciuÌ„ demonia c Ye calle me your lady thorugh the power of my fader whyche he hath ouer you mysusyd / but I am your syster in scyence / Be ye theÌ„ne my bredern and I shall be your syster / ¶ Lete vs goo to the Crysten / And as I shall coÌ„maunde you we shall doo I knowe the bisshopp of Leopolis named Helayn / In whoo 's hous men singe contynuelly the holy scryptures / The sayd bisshop hath vnder hyÌ„ many holy relygyouses / And amoÌ„ge other one there is namyd Theodore the whyche is leder of theym that done the dyuyne seruyce / ¶ Thorugh his prayers his orisons he makith the blynde to see chacyth the deuylles oute of the bodyes of men / ¶ Dyuerse wretches in grete sorowe abydynge by his prayers aren of theyr sykenesse fully helyd / And the desolate recomforted / Wherfore I haue a synguler desyre to goo vnto him / And for to doo this I woll doo cutte my heere 's and clothe myself wyth the clothinge of a man / Therfore I praye you as my bredern that this for to doo ye wol helpe me / ¶ The sayd kepers knowynge her holy deuocion and desyrynge as she to become Crysten gaaf her for to fulfyll her wyll all comforte and ayde / ¶ Soo lepte she out of the chare / wherin she was caryed And clothed her in mannes clothynge / And by the suffraunce of god Incontynent as they were come in the chyrche they mett wyth the sayd bisshopp Helayn / ¶ The custome was in Egipte suche that whanne the bysshopp wente to vysyte the chyrches a grete multytude of Syngers came wyth theim Thus wyth the bysshopp Helayn came mo than .x. thousande the songe afore hym sayenge / ¶ The way of the Iuste is made veryte and the way of the sayntes of god is made redi Eugene this seenge sayde to her felowes / ¶ My freÌ„des here the substauÌ„ce of thys songe / Loke how the god of the Crysten is gode to theim that woll holde the faith of cryst take hede how they knowe that we woll leue our Ydoles for to be Crysten / And for this cause they are come ayenst vs in suche a grete multytude of deuoute peple· that synge soo swete a songe / ¶ Lete vs beholde whyche waye they shall goo / and Ioyne ourselfe wyth vs. Soo shall we synnge tyl that we haue knowlege wyth theym / TheÌ„ne they began to question some of that felyshypp / And askyd what was he that was in the myddes of theym rydynge vpon an Asse / The whyche answeryd that it was their bysshopp Helayn that of his yongthe was a Crysten man / And of soo grete meryte towarde god That of his yonge aege he made dyuerse myracles / ¶ In berynge of fyre in his gowne whyche was noo thynge perysshed by it· and other also wonderfull / ¶ Amonge the other Religyouses one namyd Eutropius rehercyd to Eugene and to her felowes / How wyth in few dayes passed that a magicien namyd Zaree was come thyder / And had shewed that the sayd bysshopp was a false Crysten man / And that falsly he sayd he was sente by Ihesu Cryste for
cure of the thynges that were necessary to be had for the refeccoÌ„n of the bâ—â—derâ— / In sayeng psalmes and orysons she kepte soueraynly a good order / And to all the houres of the seruyce of god aswell by nyghte as by daye soo curyously contynued that she thoughte alle tyme to be loste that was passed wythout graces and praysynges to be gyuen vnto god / ¶ In this holynesse of lyfe she contynued in suche wise / and soo longe That our lorde graunted vnto her soo grete habundance of graces That she chacyd out of menÌ„es bodyes the deuels that tormented theym / Made the blynde to see many other grete myracles she dyde / ¶ AmoÌ„ge the whiche a lady of the londe of AlexaÌ„drie named Melance / amonge other was of grete power heâ— he grete reporte that euery man made of the merueyloê° vertues of the holy virgin Eugene whiche was take as a riÈt holy man came to her for to be holpen heled of a grete feuer that a yere duryÌ„ge more had vexed her body right sore· The whyche Eugene enoynted wyth an oyle anone this woman cast out of her body the corrupt humours that caused wythin her the feuer all hoole so side weÌ„te home ayen to her place that was not ferre Where she toke the grete goblets fylled theym wyth money whyche she sente vnto saynt Eugene / The whyche dispysyng the sayd presents sente theym vnto her ayen forthwyth / Letyng her wyte that of godes she had ouer moche / Wherfor she couÌ„seyled her that she shold deale depart to the poore nedy nedfull the godes presents that she had sent to her / ¶ The sayd MelaÌ„ce heryng thyse wordes was gretly wrothe came toward saynt Eugene / prayeng her that she wolde take receyue agreatly her presents promysyng to gyue her other more grete· but in efect she loste her tyme. For saynt Eugene wold not take theim / This notwythstoÌ„ding Melance left not but she come toward the good Eugene / not knowyng by ony wyse that she was a woman / the beaute of her disceyued the sayd Melance the whyche trowynge that she had be a man and that by hyÌ„ she was heelyd / Not by his holynes but by some crafte or cunnynge of physik lete herself fall by the temptynge of the deuyll in to the synne of flesshly desyre / And thynkynge that the sayd Eugene had refusyd the sayd presents for couetyse to haue had gretter offred other vnto her in more grete habundance than she had tofore / Promysynge to gyue hym yet more of theym asmoche as he wolde aske / ¶ And where she contynued prayenge hym that his playsure were to resceyue the sayde presents / And sawe they were refusyd And to her sente agayne by the goode Eugene / She ranne in to a gretter hete than she was afore / ¶ And atte thys cause feynyng to be syke soo greuously that she sholde not haue moeuyd herselfe out of her bedde / Made saynt Eugene to be prayed that she sholde come and vysyte her And she dyde soo / And beyng there byfore the bedde of Melance that had made the folke to goo oute of her chambre that were there feynynge to declare vnto her some secretes in confessyon as well of her conscyence as of her sikenesse Sayd vnto Eugene suche wordes / ¶ My lorde and my frende Eugene pardonne yf it playse you yf I ouer famylyerly do declare my pouertee vnto you / For I am therto constrayned by the grete sore whyche opressyth me / ¶ Certaynly my lorde the grete and excessyue loue whyche I haue coÌ„ceyued towarde your gracious yongthe The right excellent beaute of the whyche dame Nature hath soo gretly largely endowed you tormentith my pore herte soo sharply that it ne were to me possible neuer to haue Ioye ne playsure in this worlde But yf it come to me of you / ¶ Soo yelde I myself and al my goodes to you alone makynge ordeynynge your goodly persone lorde maister ouer my body and of al my godes ¶ Alas my lord what playsure doo ye take totorment thus greuousli your body by folysshe and vayne abstynences / I haue Infynyte possessions and ryches I haue grete tresours of gold of syluer / I am enhauÌ„sed in auctoryte of noblesse of my kinÌ„e / and this yere I haue loste my childern that are deceased oute of this world / Alas I pray you succede to my goodes in stede of theym / be alone mayster lorde not oonly of me but also of all my possessions godes The deuoute Eugene hering thise fowle wordes dyshoneste exhortacoÌ„ns / answerde to her in this manere / O womaÌ„ daÌ„pned certaynly / thy name beryth truwitnesse of an horrible cursidnes treison / Truely thou hast made redy in the a grete place for the deuyll / DaÌ„pnable disceyuer leue that wyll that thou haste to torne the seruauÌ„tes of god / I woll well that thou knowe that we relygiouses haue wel vsed to lyue otherwise / ¶ The daÌ„pned spyrytes that are to the lyke / take thy godes and not we that haue no appetyte to them nor woll not haue theym / For it is vnto vs a pleysauÌ„t thing to begge our brede wyth our lord IhuÌ„ Cryst / He is habuÌ„dantly ryche that is wyth hym ¶ O Melance the wyll of me is that suche folysshe concupysceÌ„ces depart from the Truely thâ—happynesse that hath assaylled the shall not be cause of thy heele but of dampnacoÌ„n / Thou that art made the house dwellynge of the venymouse dragon shedest spredest a wonderfull venym / But by the callynge of the name of god and by the helpe of hys mercifulnes we haue eschewed and yet we shall eschewe thinfeccoÌ„n of thin abhomynable and horryble poysons / ¶ Thenne this cursyd and wretchyd woman / Impacyent of the repreyffe the the good Eugene had sayd to her / at this cause al enswollen with bytter dâ—Ì„playsure / Knowynge also that she had thus loste her honoure / And doubtynge that Eugene sholde telle her synne for to quenche her feere purposyd herselfe to complayne of hym afore the Iustyce ¶ Wherfore Incontynent she went afore the grete Prouoste of Alexandrye shewed to him in a gret wodnesse and hertly dysplaysure / How for to haue founde the meanes to be holpen of a sykenesse that haue kept her longe she had suffred a yonge relygyous of the Relygyon Crysten that called himself a gode Leche to come towarde her for to hele her / But this Relygyouse replenysshyd wyth treyson Wenynge that she hadde be suche as they were of whom he had taken of a custome his foule delectacyons hadd dare all shame layed asyde speke vnto her shamefull and dishoneste wordes for to haue moeued her vnto his abhomynable wyll / and that worse was / Yf she hadde not callyd her woman abowte her / He sholde haue rauysshyd her and defoyled / ¶ Requyrynge this Melance to
the sayde Prouoste that therof he wolde doo to her as ryghte and reason requyreth / ¶ The Prouoste heryng thise wordes was enflammyd wyth grete woodnesse And sente to the monastery certayne Commyssaryes that charged were to brynge hym prysonere / Eugene and alle the other dwellynge in the sayde monasterye Whyche thynge was done / ¶ And by cause they were in suche nombre that they myghte not be alle in one pryson togyder / They were put in dyuers places and vnder dyuerse kepers fetherâ—â— well harde faste / The sayd Pâ—â—â—oste after gyuyng credence folysshly to the â—â—â—des of the sayd Melance condempned theym all for to deye ordeyned a certayn daye that some of theym shold be take for to be deuoured of wylde bestes The other to be brenÌ„ed thother to be put vnto dyuers tormeÌ„tes / And at this cause was thrugh all the londe grete no ye of the execucion that sholde be done of the sayd Relygyouses / The whyche alle the dwellers of the londe Iudged them worthy to suffre deth / ¶ For they thoughte that Melance whyche was come of a noble hous / and of hyghe kynreed / wolde neuer haue putt vpon theym wythout a Iuste cause suche a charge / ¶ Fynably whan the daye was come that the sayd execucoÌ„n sholde be done alle the dwellers of the townes and cytees lyenge abowte / came to Alexandrye the cyte for to see the same / Wherof some sayd theyr opynyon in one manere and the other sayde otherwyse / ¶ But oure lorde god that neuer leuyth his seruauntes in their moost nede / After that the hangman had made redy the torments other thinges couenable to putt to dethe Eugene and the other relygyouses suffred that the sayd Eugene for to declare the more openly her grete vertues / was by the sayd Prouostr questyoned / And for to make alle the people wyse of the grete malyce of the forsayd wycked Melance / Thenne the sayd Prouoste namyd Philyp that was fader to Eugene and that knewe her not began to speke afore her sayenge in this wyse / ¶ Come hether false Crysten man and the worst of thother Hath thi god coÌ„mauÌ„ded to the to be oppressour defoyler of the noble ladyes Thou art well shamles and ouerseen / What folye causyth the to praye wolde haue take bi foly so noble a lady as is dame Melance ¶ Eugene casted her syght to the grouÌ„de feryng to be knowe of her fader answerd mekeli / Mi god whom I serue hath coÌ„maunded the men shall kepe his chastytee vyrgynyte / vnto all those that done soo he promysyth euerlastyng lyfe in his Ioye of heuen / ¶ And now we maye declare Melance to be a lyar and forger of falshede / But it is better that we suffre some euylles than that she shold be atteyned conuycte of her synne to th ende that we lese not the meryte of our pacience / Alway yf you syre Prouost woll promyse whan she shal be proued fals full of lesyng that ye shal doo her noo harme at this hour we shall approue her synÌ„e / the Prouoste heryng her meke wordes grauÌ„ted her request / ¶ ThenÌ„e Eugene to testyfie the vntrouth of Melance required the men sholde her woman seruaunte in her chaÌ„bre doo come / The Iuge made all the seruauÌ„tes of the sayd lady to be callyd brought afore hym whiche declared by their othes that theyr lady Melance wyth good Iuste cause had complayned her of the Relygyous Eugene / And that he wolde haue constrayned her as it is sayd aboue / ¶ The Prouoste herynge theyr deposicyons sayde vnto saynt Eugene / ¶ What wol thou saye now false wyckyd monke / thou seest how thus many wytnesse thy cursyd delyte / ¶ Eugene of this fals wytnessyng was sore trowbled / So thouÈt she in herself that yf shold hyde her virgynytee / Soo many Relygyouses as were there prysonners wyth her there sholde allisuffre dethe for her and in the tyme to come the euill malycyoê° sholde be more bolde to repreue the seruauÌ„tes of god / Of the other parte she hadd purposed neuer to dyscouer her conuersacoÌ„n but oonly to her spouse IhuÌ„ Cryste / Neuertheles for to saue the lyf of her relygyouses / and to th ende that the cursed Melance and al suche other by falshed· sholde not be in tyme comynge so outrageoê° for to charge wrongfully the crysten peple / she thoughte to open and shewe her befall that was soo secrete / ¶ Soo departed she her gowne fro top to too shewed that she was a womaÌ„ and namely that the Prouost was her fader and Claudia her moder / and tolde hym that Anitus Sergius were her bredern / ¶ This came anone to the ceres of her moder Claudia that was in her place / Wherfore she desyryng to see her doughter ranÌ„e anone to the barres where the Iustyce was / And there the Prouoste she her bredern knewe her / and began to wepe make grete way lynges that longe were to be rehercyd ¶ Anone were broughte gownes of clothe of golde vnto her of the whiche she clothed her as by force / After she shewed to her fader how Prothus Iacintus his two Emiches she had forsake the worlde and all the goodes in erthe and had made theymself Crysten / Thenne all togyder thanked god / sayenge / ¶ O god thy power is now gloryfyed that hath ouercome and banysshyd the enmyes of thy seruauntes / ¶ Eugene was ladde in grete worship in to the house of her fader / And the fyre of heuen came downe vpon the house of Melance / In whyche abode noo body alyue but were all that were 〈◊〉 in brenned and wasted all in to asshes / ¶ Thenne all the Crysten peple that had be put out of the sayd Prouoste were called ayen / And the chyrche was open / the whyche by the space of eyghte yere was shytte / ¶ The fader of Eugene Prouoste of Alexandrye that in the Crysten hadd take awaye theyr fraunchyses restored theim enteerly vnto theym ayen / ¶ And he himself thrugh the enticynge of his doughter Eugene made hym to be crystned his wyfe also all his seruauntes / ¶ Alle the cyte was as it had be one oonly chyrche soo moche began there the name of the Crysten to flourysshe / ¶ Now it is trouthe / as often it happyth that the good are enuyed by the badde / that some wente and reported vnto Seuere Anthony bothe emperours of the Romayns / vnder the whyche / the gouernaunce of all Alexandrye was ruled and gouerned / How Phylyp the Prouost was become a crysten man and dystroyed thydolles and buylded chyrches in the name of the god of the Crysten / And how he hadd ordeyned newe lawes and put asyde the emperours lawes / The whyche wrote vnto hym in this maner / ¶ Philyp we be enformed of the noueltees that thou hast done
/ And att this cause he askyd theym what it was that had moeued theym to come there also the cause why they made hym so grete honour / TheÌ„ne they tolde hym the wonderfull syghte that they had seen / of the whiche saynt Basylle yelded graces to god / ¶ And certayne dayes after he gadred all the peple / In the presence of whom he put the one of the sayd thre partes of the hoste in to the sayd douune of golde hanged it reuerently ouer the awter / And this done He for to comforte the peple and to conferme in the holy faythe of Ihesu Cryste made a moche fayre prechynge / ¶ Att whyche was the grete abbot Of whom herafter shall be spoken / ¶ Of an Ebrew man that saw a chylde bytwene the hoÌ„des of saynt Basylle whan he deuided the body of our lorde And begyÌ„nyth in latin ¶ Diuino quidem c· Caplm C.lxii. BY the wyll of god and duringe the tyme the saynt Basille on a tyme amoÌ„ge other songe masse An Eâ—rewe that was there saw a chylde bitwene the hondes of the sayd saynt Basylle / ¶ The chylde as it semyd to the sayd Ebrewe was by this Basylle parted deuyded / And where they alle after the masse sayd admynistred them self in receyuynge the body of our lorde The sayd Ebrewe man put hymselfe amonge the other Crystens / And so saynt Basylle admynystred hym an hoste as to the other / And consequently askyd to be admynystred wyth the holy chalys that semyd him to be fylled with blood / And his askynge was gyuen to hym / ¶ And he kepynge of eyther one parte bare it vnto his wyfe for to shewe it to her and to conferme her in the vyson that he had seen / ¶ And the nexte daye after he retorned to the holy bysshop and made hymself to be crystned wyth all his meyne / ¶ Of one that forsoke god and gaaf a wrytynge therof sealed wyth his owne honde / And begyÌ„nyth in latin ¶ Illudius auteÌ„ / Caplm C.lxiii A Holy man that had be Chapelayn to saynt Basylle and his sucessour in the bysshopryche of Capadoce / And the whyche wrote vnto saynt Iherom the lyf of saynt Basylle / ¶ Reherseth that a Senatour of Rome called Protherius hadd a doughter The whyche he wolde offre and sacrefye vnto god / Thynkynge that she shold be a relygyous woman / But the deuyll enuyuous ouer all goodnesse ¶ For to lette and wythdrawe the holy purpoos of the sayd Protherius / enflaÌ„med wyth the fyre of concupyscence one of his housholde seruauntes / The whyche enamoured hymselfe on his sayd doughter / ¶ And by cause he knewe for certayne that he was not her lyke for to haue her by maryage / He wente to a mayster of Magyke / To whom he shewed his caas / Sayeng that yf he cowde lerne hyÌ„ ony meane by the whiche he myghte haue the sayd doughter He sholde gyue hym a grete somme of golde / ¶ The Magycyen or Nygramancer answerd that he cowde not do it / ¶ But and he wolde he shold make him speke with the deuyll / whiche was his procurour / By whoo 's werkyng he sholde well now haue ryght soone hys wyll / ¶ Thenne the folisshe louer answerde to the sayd Magicyen / That he was redy to doo all that he shole commaunde hym / Soo that he myghte gete all that he desired / ¶ Thenne the sayd Magycien made him to forsake his Creatour And to forsake his parte of the Ioyes of paradis / And this done he made hym to take hym a bylle conteynynge the wordes that folowe wryten oonly wyth his owne honde / ¶ My lorde and my Procurour / by cause that I muste wythdrawe oute of the Crysten relygyon· and bynde myself to thy wyll to the ende that thy subgettes ben multeplyed / I sende the this messager berer of my lettrers whyche is desyrous taken wyth the loue of a may de / Werfore I praye that thou wolt doo soo moche for me that his wyll be fulfylled / To th ende that by hym I may haue Ioye and glory / And power to coÌ„mauÌ„de other / and brynge theym in thy obeyslaunce / ¶ This letter soo made the Magycyen delyuered it to the folysshe louer / and sayd to hym / That att a certayne hour of the nighte / he sholde goo and put himselfe vpon the graues of the Paynyms and Heretykes / And that there he sholde holde vp his letter in the ayre And anone certayne messengers sholde come to hym whyche sholde brynge hym to the deuyll / ¶ Thus dyde this vnhappy wretche / And sodainly came to hym a grete multytude of wickyd spirytes from the prynce of derkenesse and of wyckydnesse The whyche in grete Ioye ladde hym tofore theyr prynce / Whyche was sett vp on hihe in a grete chayer / And abowt hym were a grete multytude of deuylles wythoute nombre / In presence of whom he presented his wrytynge / ¶ And after that it was radde / the sayd prynce sayde vnto hym / ¶ Now come hyther my freÌ„de / Doost thou byleue in me / He answerd ye / ¶ Yet agayn questyoned him sayenge / ¶ Doost thou forsake Ihesu Cryste / he answerd as afore / Ye / TheÌ„ne the prynce of the deuylles sayde to hym / ¶ Ye Crysten men are false shrewes / For whan ye haue nede to be holpen of me / Ye praye me / And after that ye haue gote your desyre Ye denye and forsake Incontynent to that ye haue promysed to me / And soone after retonrne to youre god whyche is soo moche good and swete and mercyfull / That he refusyth not ony Synnar / ¶ But this notwythstondynge / yf thou wolte that I shall doo thy wyll to be performed and fulfilled to thy behouf playsure / Thou muste fyrste gyue to me a letter of thyne honde / By the whyche thou shalt denye and forsake the sacrament of baptesme and the crysten faythe / ¶ SecoÌ„dly thou shalt promyse me that thou shalt serue me in this worlde And atte the daye of dome thou shalte holde me felishyp for to be wyth me afterwarde perpetuelly in all the tormentes that I suffre / This vnhappy man promysed him all the same / And IncoÌ„tynent all the deuylles maysters of fornycacion were sente towarde the sayde mayde for to tempte and styre her to the loue of the vnhappy man forsayde ¶ The whyche sodaynly was soo take wyche loue of hym that she myghte no ther ete nor drynke / And after that she had borne this woodnesse a lytyll space of tyme / Fynably she sayde vnto her fader / ¶ O my fader haue pyte vpon me / For certainly I am sore tormented of the loue of one of thy seruauÌ„tes / My fader I biseche the shewe now what a loue thou haste to thy chylde / For yf thou enclyne and falle not to my wee le thou shalte see me deed wythin shorte tyme / ¶
Basylle thou doost me grete wroÌ„ge / for this synnar is come to me not I to hym / He hath forsake his Creatour in my presence / therof he hath gyue to me his writynge wyth his honde wryten for a wytnesse of the same / the whyche wrytyng I goo present byfore the euerlastyÌ„g Iuge / ¶ Saynt Basylle thenÌ„e sayd to the deuyll / Blessyd be god / My people shall neuer ceasse to praye / nor shal not brynge downe theyr hondes whiche are heued vpward to heuen tyll that thou haste gyuen ayen the sayd wrytynge vnto this poore synnar / ¶ Alle this noble assemble made after more deuowte prayers than afore had done / And ceassed not tyll that the sayde wrytynge was taken in to the hondes of the sayde holy man / The whyche after the receyuynge of it he yelded graces vnto god / And sayd to the synÌ„aâ— byfore all the peple that was there / ¶ My broder knowest not thou this letter / He answerde ye / And that it was wryten with his owne honde / ¶ ThenÌ„e saynt Basille brake it in peces and brought him to the chirche for to make Confessyon / Whyche thynge done he Receyued his Creatour / And after sente-hym home agayn vnto his his wyfe / The whiche of his grete grace she thanked deuowtly our lorde / ¶ Of a woman to whom her sinÌ„es were forgyuen by the prayer of saynt Basylle / And begynÌ„yth in latyn ¶ Mulier quidaÌ„ c. Caplm C.lxiiii A Woman ryche noble full of the vanitees of the world· vsed euyll of her facultees / For she was prodyge lecherous / Soo that in all maner of her dedes she was vnagreable to god / And as a sowe dooth laye herself in a fowle putdel soo was thys woman wrapped in all fylthe vncleÌ„nesse of flesshe ¶ And somtyme by a syÌ„guler grace that god gaaf her she alone to herself made knowlege of the grete multytude of her synnes and in wepynge sayd to god / Alas my Redemer I that am a poore synnar how shall I make satysfaccoÌ„n towardes the of my synnes / I oughte for to be the temple of the holy ghost / And by my synnes I haue defoylled hurte my soule / I am the moost vnhappy of all the worlde / I byleue not that euer ony woman syn her Crystendom dyde soo synÌ„e gretely / and soo abhomynable as I haue done ¶ Alacke how shall I mow be in certayn that god woll receyue my penaunce ¶ And whan she had well bethoughte herselfe vpon her byfall / God Inspyred her to thyÌ„ke vpon the grete euylles and synnes that she had sinned and done syn her yongthe vnto her olde aege And theym she broughte in mynde wrote in a rolle / And this done / she sealed theym vnder leed / And after purposed whan saynt Basylle sholde come to the chirche for to syÌ„ge masse that she sholde delyuer he Rolle vnto hym / ¶ The whyche thynge she dyde soo in cryenge wych an hyghe voys / ¶ O holy man and seruauÌ„te of god haue pyte of me moost wretched of all other synnars / ¶ Saynt Basylle askyd her the cause of her wayllynge / and she answered / Alas my lorde I haue wryten in this Rolle all my mysdedes and wyckydnesse / I byseche the that thou wolt not loke vpon theim / But vouchesauf to doo soo moche for me by thy prayers towarde god / That they maye be forgyuen to me / ¶ I wote wel that he that hathe gyuen me vnderstondynge and wyll for to knowe theim / shall enhaunse the prayer that thou shalt make for me in this byfalfe / ¶ Therfore I byseche the socour me now at my grete nede / ¶ The holy man toke the rolle of her / And heued his hondes vp towarde heuen sayenge / ¶ O my god it aperteynyth thy dygnytee for to doo that this poore synfull woman askith / thou mayste putt and enrase oute wythin a moment alle the synnes of the worlde / ¶ I byseche the mekely for her / All oure synnes are in a certayne nombre byfore thy mageste / ¶ But thy mercy is wythoute ende / ¶ His prayer thus done / he sette the Rolle vpon the awter / And there the holy man abode prayenge god a daye and a nyghte contynuelly / ¶ The nexte morowe he called vnto hym the sayd woman in presence of some clerkes and sayd to her / ¶ WomaÌ„ thou knowest well that thy synne can not be pardonned· but by the power of god the whyche answerde / ¶ Holy fader I by leue that that thou sayst / And therfor I by seche mekely that it woll playse the to be myn helper towarde him ¶ ThenÌ„e the rolle was opened at openynge of it· It was founde that all her synÌ„es were to her foryeuen except do grete synÌ„e whiche was not enrased nor putt oute ¶ The pore woman was sore heuy dyscoÌ„forted felle to the fete of the holy maÌ„ cried / O maÌ„ of god haue pite vppon me and lyke as thou haste prayed for all my synes Yet ayen pray for me towarde god that this synÌ„e maye be also pardonÌ„ed to me / ¶ Saynt Basylle began to wepe sayde to the woman / My frende stonde vpp I haue as grete nede of pardonÌ„e as thiself / For I am a synÌ„er / He that hath put out thyn other syÌ„nes may emase the same whyche is lefte behynde / And therfore yf in tyme comynge thou kepe the coÌ„maundements of god He shall not only forgyue the this lyue / But wythall he shall gyue the the lyf eternall in euerlasting blysse / Thou shall goo in to the Hermytage where a man is namyd Effrem to whom thou shalt take thy rolle And Ieâ—â—st in god that by his prayers thou shalt be delyuerd of the same synne and shalt haue of it a full absolucoÌ„n to the saluacoÌ„n of thy soule / ¶ The woman walked solonge thrugh the wyldernesse that she fonde the holy man Effrem Soo begane she to knocke att his doâ—e cryenge ¶ O holy man of god haue pite of me / Effrem that bi the knowlege of god knewe the cause why she was come answerde vnto her / ¶ Woman goo thou thâ— way for I am a synnar as the arte / Wherby I haue nede of the mercy of god as thou hast / The woman thenÌ„e cast to hym her rolle sayeng / O holy fader the bisshop Basylle sendeth me to the. gyuynge to me a hope that thurgh thy prayers the greetest of my synnes shall be foryeuen vnto me ¶ Effrem sayd vnto her / Naye my doughter naye / He that by his prayers hathe gote remyssyon of thin other synÌ„es may yet do that the same synÌ„e for that whiche thou comest toward me shall be pardonÌ„ed vnto the / ¶ Torne ayen lyghtly towarde him to the ende that thou mayst speke wyth hym byfore his deth / The woman retorned anone / But whaÌ„ she entred in Cezaree the
vnto the holy faders by reuelacyon dyuyne the trouth of this befalle / that the one gafe his bodye to penauÌ„ce for the salualoÌ„n of his felawe / how be it that he had not done the synne ¶ Men maye doo no fayrer almose than to gyue his body for to saue his euencrysten to praye god for his soule ¶ An other brother there was that semblably was tempted of the synne of lecherye / wherfore by dyuerse tymes he camto one holy fader that was dwellyng ynough nyghe him euer he besought hym that he wolde praye god for hyÌ„ / but the more that the holy fader prayed / the sayd brother to more besely requyred him to praye for hym ¶ And for this cause the sayd holy fader was both nyght daye in oryson for him / but it prouffyted hyÌ„ nought / wherof the sayd holy fader was sore dyscomforted knowyng that his oryson was not herde ¶ But our lord for to comforte hym shewed to hym a vysyon the cause why he was not herde / that it was by occasyon of the neglygence of hyÌ„ for whom he prayed / the whiche wolde not helpe hym selfe for to resyst corageously ayenst the temptacoÌ„n of the deuyls / but rather toke a plesure to see the Illusyons that the deuyll presented vnto hym puttyng in his mynde the remeÌ„braunce of many dyshonost women And how well that in these folysshe Illusyons his good angell that was full heuy and sory as him semed of that he resysted not ayenst the sayd temptacyons / neuertheles he made no force for it So sayd he to the sayd brother My frende but yf the take corage of thy self castyng a backo the delectacoÌ„ns that the deuyll presented to the I can not helpe that by my prayers And therfor thou must put thy selfe in oryson to fast / to sygh to wepe / other abstynences to do Thou knowest that the leche whan he wyl gyue to the pacyent some remedyes ayenst his maladye / yf the seke kepe not hyÌ„selfe from suche metes that ben contrarye to his helthe / with grete payne the leche shall he le hyÌ„ ¶ Also thy selfe the arte in dedely synne thou puttest no payne to recouer the grace of god that thou hast lost / but doest the contrarye of that he coÌ„mauÌ„deth the to do thrugh the pleasure that thou takest in the temptacoÌ„ns of the flesshe Therfor helpe thy selfe / god shall helpe ye. For otherwyse the holy faders that are leches spyrytual sholde not conne because to restore to thy soule her helthe ¶ The brother by these remonstracoÌ„ns toke at his herte so grete contrycyon that he obteyned the mercy of god / the sclauÌ„deroê° wycked passyon of lecherye wente a waye from hym ¶ For no maner of nede that a man hath he ought not to suffre the ony yong woman serue in his house / all be she his kynneswoman or otherwyse ¶ An her myte beyng in his hermytage doynge there penauÌ„ce was by one his kynnes woman wretchedly deceyued For the deuyll styred the same his kynnes womaÌ„ for to see the sayd hermyte in his hermytage where he receyued her benyngly / at this cause she bode with hyÌ„ a space of tyme / the whiche tyme / he knewe her carnaly Not ferre froÌ„ the same hermytage dwelled a holy fader right deuoute / the which by many dayes afore the caas was happed / when he put water in a vessell of his owne for hyÌ„ to dryÌ„ke / incoÌ„tyneÌ„e as he wold take the vessell trowyÌ„g to haue droÌ„ken of the water / the vessell tourned vpsodoÌ„ne in his hande spylled the water coude not drynke out of it Thenne he thought he wolde shewe this to his felawe for to knowe what it mente Soo toke he his waye for to come to his hermytage / but he was beclypped of the nyghte and constrayned for to goo lye in a Temple where Yooles were ¶ As he slepte within the sayde Temple / he herde the deuyls that sayde one to the other / how that nyghte they hadde made an hermyte to falle in the synne of fornycacyon with a woÌ„man that was of his sybbe ¶ The holy hermyte herynge these wordes was therof sore meruaylled ¶ On the morowe acte sprynge of the daye he began to walke forth on his waye vnto the tyme that he was come there as his felawe was ¶ And entryng in his hermytage he founde hym trystefull and sore to the deth ¶ After his gretynge yeuen vnto hym tolde hym how his water dyde spylle oute of his vessell when he sholde drynke / and that for to haue his counseyll in this matere / he was come towarde hym ¶ That other that hadde done the sayd synne of lecherye answered ¶ Alas my brother I haue gretter nede of thy counseyll / than thou of myne / for the last nyght I felle in to the fowle dyshonest and abhomynable synne of fornycacyon / wherof I haue offended my god and my maker wyckedly ¶ Thenne his felawe sayd to hym / that he wyst it well and shewed hym the maner / how he beynge a slepe within a Temple of Ydoles hadde herde the deuyls sayeng the one to the other that whiche is sayd ¶ Thenne he that hadde synned as withoute hope wolde haue gone to the worlde and forsake his hermytage But that other recomforted hym aswell as he coude / praynge hym to abyde styll in his telle / and that better it was to sheue oute the sayde woman to th ende they two togyder myghte doo penaunce tyll that god had pardonned hym his synne / the whiche thynge he dyde / and syth ledde a lyfe moche deuoute and holy ¶ Whan men are ouermoche vexed trauaylled of the deuyll / and tempted of the synne of fornycacyon / the souerayne remedye is to occupye hym selfe in prayers and orysons / or in temporall werkes / and I lee ydlenes whiche is the rote of all vyces ¶ To this purpose we rede that an holy hermyte beyng in a place named Celya / the whiche by the deuyls was sore tempted for to acomplysshe the synne of lecherye He consydered in hym selfe that it was of necessyte that he sholde sette hym selfe to some werke by the whiche his bodye were strongly trauaylled ¶ Now this broder was a potmaker / so aduysed he that he sholde make a woman of erthe / in dede he dyde so / after that she was made / he sayd to his thoughtes the tourmented him of the synne of fornycacyon that he had a woman to kepe But bycause that this notwithstandyÌ„g he was euer teÌ„pted as aboue / he ymagyned to labour more than he had done tofore / made childern of erthe saynge after to his thoughtes when they moeued hyÌ„ to lecherye that he hadde bothe wyfe and childern Morouer for to ouercome his passyons / he purposed to laboure more than he had done afore / sayng that nedes he muste trauaylle / aswell for to gete his wyfe
/ alwayes the vertuous persone ought to flee the places where men doo to hym honour / to the ende that the deuyll tempte hym not by vayne glorye ¶ The abbot Poemen to this purpose recouÌ„ted to his brethern / that in the ryme that Theodosius was Emperour of Constantynople There was an hermyte that hadde a lytell house without the towne of Constantynople nyghe ynoughe to a place of pleasure where the Emperours wente gladely to passe the tyme by maner of recreacion ¶ Theodosius knowyng of the sayde hermyte and that he neuer wente out of his sayde house purposed for to goo vysyte hym And whan he was nyghe the sayd place / he made his folke to tarye and wolde goo there all one Soo came he and knocked atte the hermytes dore The holy hermyte rose vppe anone and opened the gate After that the Emperour was entred there ynne / he looked alle aboute the chambre and he founde there no thynge but a lytyll drye brede He prayed the sayde hermyte that he wolde gyue hym some mete ¶ The holy man presented hym Incontynente brede / salte / and water Thenne after that the Emperour asked hym how the holy faders of Egypte dyde lyue in the deserte Where vnto he answered that contynuelly they prayed and were in theyr orysons for the saluacyon of theyr soules ¶ More ouer the Emperour asked hym yf he knewe hym not And he answered naye Thenne the Emperour tolde hym that he was Theodosius the Emperour of Constantynople ¶ Thenne the hermyte kneled donne on his knees a fore hym to the grounde But Theodosius toke hym vp sayeng in this maner Ye Relygyouses are right happy in this presente worlde / for ye lyue without solycytude and are euer in peas All your laboure is to doo the saluacyon of your soules / and to acquere the Royalme of paradyse And in good sothe I tell the holy fader that I that am Emperour hadde neuer rest / but I haue be am contynuelly in laboure and trybulacyon / and be it in drynkyng or in etyng Dame solycytude cometh and telleth my morcelles After the Emperour salued hym honestely and toke leue of hym The man of god consyderyng all the nyght how the Emperour was come to hym / was a ferde that many other lordes sholde come in lykewyse to hym Wherfore dredynge the grete honour that they myght haue done to hym / purposed to goo thens And in dede he wente to the deserte of Egypte with the other holy faders / to th ende that he were not withdrawe nor brought from his humylyte by the pleasure that he myght haue taken in the vysytacyons of the lordes that shold haue comen see hym Soo ought we well to take hede to the exemple of the sayde holy fader that toke soo moche payne vpon hym for to kepe his humylyte without whiche we maye not come to the euerlastyng glorye ¶ Of the sayd abbot Poemen RecouÌ„ted the holy faders that on a tyme the Iuge of the prouynce where he was that hadde herde many thynges of his holynesse sente hym worde and prayed hym that he wolde wouchesauffe to receyue hym in to his house / for he wolde goo see hym ¶ The holy man Poemen thought in hym selfe that yf the sayd Iuge sholde come to hym / many other myght also come there / where by his conuersacyon sholde be knowen the whiche he hadde kepte soo secretly sythe the tyme of his yongthe ¶ And by this myghte the deuyll thrughe his cautele and malyce tempte him of vayne glorye And thus he sholde lese all the meryte that he hadde acquered ¶ Alle these thynges consydered / the abbot Poemon sente worde to the sayde Iuge that he sholde not receyue him This answere herde the Iuge was angry and wrothe supposyng that the holy fader wolde not receyue hym because he was to grete a synner Alwayes he thought in hym selfe by what maner he myght best speke with hym So he aduysed hym selfe and made to be take and brought to pryson the sone of the syster of the sayde holy man / ymagynyng that when the sayde saynte Poemen sholde knowe of it he sholde come for to sue his delyueraunce towarde hym / or ellys he sholde be contente for to Receyue hym in his celle or lytell house ¶ And this doon he sente worde to the holy abbot Poemen / that he sholde not be wroth for the prysonement of his neuewe For as soone as he wolde come and speke with hym he sholde be delyuered oute of pryson The syster of the sayd holy man all wasshed in teeres went to the deserte for to telle hym these tydynges / but he had a meruayllous constauÌ„ce / for he nother opned the dore nor spake not to his syster wherfor she as a woman froÌ„ her wytte began for to curse Poemen be cause of that he had no coÌ„passyon ouer her sayeng O ryght harde herted euyll man â—â— thy hert made of yron which can not be moeued thurgh the teeres of thy syster Germayn I haue but one oonly sone whiche thou leuest in daunger onely by cause that wyll not obeye to the petycyon of the Iuge The abbot Poemen sent anone suche or semblable wordes vnto the Iuge Syr Iuge Poemen hath no childern of his body begoten ouer whome he ought to sorowe ne make coÌ„passyon The Iuge herynge this wordes / sent him a letter contaynyng this that foloweth Abbot Poemen yf thou wylte not come to speke with me to th ende that thy neue we may be delyuerd / wryte vnto me in forme of a supplycacyon / I shall grauÌ„te all that y shalte desyre of me Thenne at the exhortacoÌ„n of som thabbot Poemen wrote to hym in this maner Thy noblenes shall make good informacoÌ„n of the lyfe of my neuewe / yf he hath deserued deth make hym deye / to th ende that in this presente worlde he be punysshed of his synnes / wherby he maye eschewe that payne euerlastyng And yf he hath not done that thynge wherby he sholde be worthy to suffre deth for it / make of hym that whiche thou maye suffre to be do after thy lawes ¶ A nother of the holy faders of Egypt named Agathon very pacyent humble was of some bretheren vysyted / by cause they desyred to knowe his grete pacyence humylyte that men sayd was in hym And for to preue hyÌ„ they sayd to hym many grete Iniuryes hym repreuyng that all his holy faders were sclauÌ„dred thrugh his pryde / that by his exaltacoÌ„n he setted all the other to nought in bachytyng and blasphemyng them / With this they sayd to hym / that the cause why he blaphemed his felawes / it was by cause he was lecherous And to th ende that men sholde not suppose nor deme hym selfe allone to be lecherous / he contynuelly sclaundred the other The holy man Agathon to these Iniuryes other answered humbly / that he coude not denye the synnes of the whiche he was by them
ony ferther Alwayes he suffreth his chosen for to traueylle and labour / to th ende that they shall haue remembraunce of the labours of trybulacyon / and that they by this meane kepe them fro synne feeryng lest they sholde lese so grete laboures We fynde also wryton / that our lorde made the sones of Ysraell for to traueylle and goo duryng the space of .xl. yere thrugh the deserte / to th ende that hauyng mynde of the trybulacyons that they had there / they sholde haue no wyll for to retourne therat ¶ An other brother questyoned an aūcyent fader asked him the cause whyche Relygyouses at this tyme presente labouryng gete not therby some grace as dyde the aeged Relygyouses ¶ To whome the olde fader answered / that charyte was thenne so grete / that euerychone by vertuouse werkes drewe his neyghbour on hyghe / but now all the worlde applyeth theym to ylle / and euery one ledeth his neyghbour in to helle And for this cause there nys none that geteth ony grace ¶ By an other yong Relygyouse was requyred vnto an aeged fader / that he sholde tell hym yf he wyst not that the holy men had knowloge of the grace of god when it cometh to them Where at he answered / that they knowe it not alwayes ¶ And for an open exemple of this thyng he leyde vnto hym / that ones a dyscyple of an olde holy fader / had· done oo synne / for the whiche the sayd holy fader moeued with yre ayenst hym / crynge sharply had sayd vnto hȳ Goo that thou mayst deye ¶ And anone this dyscyple felle deed to the erthe And when the sayd holy fader see hym deed he was touched with a meruayllouse drede Soo sette he hym selfe to praye god by grete humylyte sayeng O Ihesu cryste my lord and my god I beseche the that it wyll please the to reyse this poore Relygyouse And I promyse the that I shall neuer speke suche wordes without grete consyderacyon And Incontynente after his prayer y made his dyscyple wexed a lyue agayne alle soūde and hole ¶ The abbot Poemen sayde that the man whiche techeth other / and dooth not as he techeth / he is lyke vnto the hyghe welle whiche fylleth with drynke theym that be a thurst / or that wassheth the fylth awaye of euery one / but it can not wasshe hym selfe nor purge the fylthes that are in it selfe ¶ And morouer he sayde that a man whiche desyreth to be vertuouse ought to styre and teche his soule to kepe and obserue those thynges whiche his tonge leueth vnto other For it is a thyng moche to be blamed and worthy of grete Repreuyng to a man whom he presumeth to correcte other folke of some synne or euyll dede / wherof he is hym selfe worthy to be Rebuked for it Wherfore it behoueth of necessyte vnto hym that well wyll teche or edyfye some other / that fyrst he correcte his owne self / ensyewyng the doctryne of our souerayne mayster and techer Ihesu Cryste / the whiche lyuyng vertuously as men fynde it wryten in the trouthe and holy scryptures / shewed fyrst exemple of good lyfe / and thenne after he began to preche And for this cause his predycacyons were soo agreable to those that after the holy faythe desyred to lyue / that they forsake all worldly thynges for to ensyewe hym and lyue after his holy exortacyons whiche were of a grete and wonderfull effycacye / pryncypally bycause of the fayre and ryght honest lyue that he ledde ¶ An holy hermyte some tyme yede towarde the holy fader Poemen whiche receyued hym with grete gladnesse ¶ And after that they hadde enbraced eche other / the hermyte began to speke and to comyn with hym of holy scryptures / and namely of thoo thynges that be heuenly ¶ And thenne the holy fader Poemen heryng his proposycyons / and how be it that he was well settred and sore experte he tourned his face towarde an other brother as thoughe he wolde not here the sayd hermyte nor gyue to hym ony answere ¶ The hermyte thenne seeyng that he wolde not herken atte hym by noo wyse wente out of the celle of the sayd Poemen alle on angred / and sayd to his dyscyple I am wel sory to haue for nought and without cause entreprysed the labour of so grete awaye when he for whome I am come and that I desyred soo feruently for to see wylnyth not speke to me ¶ The dyscyple heryng this came to the holy fader Poemen and sayd to hym ¶ Haa fayre fader / that worshypfull hermyte that now departe from afore the / is come hyther for to see the / and he hath soo good Renōmee and soo grete Ioye in his countree / and thou wylte not speke with hym ¶ Thenne answered the holy fader Poemen ¶ He of whome thou spekest wyll dyspute of the souerayne and heuenly thynges ¶ And I that am an erthely man I can with grete payne speke of the thynges that be erthely ¶ Yf he hadde spoken vnto me of the passyons of Relygyouses happely I wolde haue answered hym therupon / but yf he wyll speke of the heuenly thynges I can nought answere hym therof / for I confesse my selfe not suffysaunt therunto ¶ Thenne the dyscyple Retournyng the hermyte sayd to hym ¶ O man of god / our fader Poemen wyll not speke to the of these hyghe questyons / but when men speke vnto hym of the wretchydnesse and passyons that must be suffred and endured in this worlde / and how pacyently they muste be borne / he speketh therof gladly ¶ The hermyte thenne taken with sadnesse by the wordes of the sayd holy fader / came to hym agayne sayeng ¶ O holy man / counseylle me what I ought to doo for to withstonde ayenst my passyons / whiche Reygne ouer me and kepe me soo wonderfully subgette ¶ The holy fader herynge his wordes and beholdynge vpon hym Ioyously sayd vnto hym ¶ Now thou art welcome vnto me / I shall atte this houre open my mouth and shall fylle it with thy vertuouse goodes ¶ The good hermyte takynge a corage to his wordes sayde vnto hym ¶ In good sothe fayre fader Poemen / good and true is the waye that thou takest And after that they hadde a longe wyle deuysed togydre of many thynges profytable necessarye to the edyfycacōn helthe of theyr soules / the hermyte yeldyng vnto hym graces and thankes / retournyng vnto his owne Regyon ayen ¶ Men fynde that an other aeged holy fader sayd to his dyscyple Yf ony bodye speketh to the of holy scryptures or of ony other thyng / be not therfore wyllynge to chyde nor stryue ayenst hym And yf he sayth well / be thou of his opynyon / yf he speketh euyll / thou shalt telle hym in this maner ¶ My frende loke well what thou sayst ¶ And to this purpose sayd the postle / be not wyllyng for to stryue by wordes And in
heryng the noyse of the rede / as he wolde haue sayd / that a man that desyreth for to do the saluacyon of his soule / can not be to moche withdrawen parted from the charges besynesse of the worlde / whiche are to hym of more lettyng / the more that he delyteth hym to lyue solytaryly ¶ Men fynde that his cellle was departed ferre from all habytacoÌ„ns of folke .xxxij. myle or there about / wente not out often / but he had folke that admynystred vnto him his necessytees ¶ And some holy fader sayd somtyme that the londe of Sychye was destroyed that no bodye dwelled there / the sayd holy fader sayd these wordes The worlde hath lost Rome / the Relygyouses Sychye ¶ The sayd abbot makynge a whyle his abydyng in a place called Canap / a holy matrone an olde virgyne born of Rome the cyte whiche was moche riche / dredyng god / desyrynge hertely to see the sayd holy fader Arsenyen / and came in to Alexandrye towarde the archebysshop Theophyle / and besought hym that he wolde be the meane towarde the sayd holy fader / that his pleasyr were to graunte that she sholde see hym And the sayd Theophyle seeynge the grete affeccyon of the sayd Matrone wente towarde the sayd holy fader Arsenyen / made vnto hym the sayd Request / to the whiche he wolde not consente ¶ So came Theophyle agayne made his report to the matrone / whiche not contente therwithall / made all thynges redy for her selfe to goo there sayeng I byleue haue this stedfaste trust in god / that he shall suffre me to see hym / for all be it that in our cyte of Rome be many holy men that maye comforte me / neuerthelesse for his grete fame I haue purposed for to vnder take this vyage to th ende that I maye see hym ¶ So laboured she so moche by her Iourneyes / that she came to the place where he dwelled ¶ And it happed as our lorde wolde suffre it / that for to haue by her leyser to see the sayd holy fader / she fouÌ„de hym walkyng without his celle She thenne layed herself IncoÌ„tynent to his fete / but neuertheles he toke her vp agayne anone by grete dyspyte / beholdyng vpon her â—yerlly he sayd vnto her ¶ Now yf thou wylt see me in the face beholde me thenne ynoughe here I am ¶ She heryng his rygorouse wordes / was so sore ashamed / that she wyst not what she sholde answere namely she was not too bolde that she durst loke hym in his vysage ¶ And to her sayd agayne Arsenyen / My ymagynacyon is that syth that the woldest see me / thou haste herde speke of my werkes what neded the for to vndertake so grete awaye for to see me / the whiche that hast herde saye of me myght haue suffysed the Knowest not the well that thou art a woman / that it apperteyneth not to thyn astate that the sholdest go from thy place for to go in a strange place I byleue that thou art come hether to th ende that the mayste to telle to the women of Rome Incontynente as that shall come there ayen / that thou hast seen me / to thentente that by the meane the waye be founde in the see for to make the women to come towarde me ¶ Thenne she sayd vnto hym I promyse the holy fader / that yf it please god that I maye retourne to Rome ayen I shall not tell that I haue ben here / nor I shall not be the cause that ony bodye shall come to that / but I praye the that it wyll please the for to praye for me / with this to haue alwayes remeÌ„braunce of me ¶ Wherat he answered I praye god that he wyll put the soone out of my thought She heryng these thynges wente awaye from hym alle wrothe sory And Incontynent that she was come ayen to Alexandrye the cyte because of the grete sorowe heuynesse that she had / a sykenesse toke her with a sharpe fyuer The whiche thynge was tolde vnto the holy archebysshop Theophyle So came he towarde her for to comforte her ¶ And he askynge what she eyled / she answered to hym Alas my lord wolde god that I hadde not come here At my departyng from that holy fader I prayed hym that he wolde woushesauf to haue me in mynde And he hath answered me / that he prayed god / that he wolde take awaye from hym the Remembraunce of me The whiche answere hathe angred troubled me so sore that I am in dauÌ„ger for to deye ¶ Thenne sayd to her Theophyle / knowest not that that the art a woman / that by woman the deuyll tempteth the holy men For this cause the holy man hath gyuen the this answere But neuerthelesse thou ought not thynke but that he wyll praye god besyly for thy soule The good Matrone thenne heryng these wordes ceassed anone her wrath / in grete Ioye gladnesse retourned ayen to the cyte of Rome ¶ The abbot Euagrius sayd that he that wyll kepe hym that he shall not falle in trybulacoÌ„n / to kepe his goost with rest / ought nought to haue dyuerse affeccoÌ„ns towarde many folke ¶ A brother cam in to Sychye towarde the abbot Moyses / to whom vysytyng hym he requyred hyÌ„ that he wolde telle hym some good worde edyfycatyue for to bere it in his mynde to the ende that he sholde haue remembrauÌ„ce of hym So answered vnto hym Moyses / that he sholde go kepe hyÌ„ within his celle / it sholde lerne hym all thynges that be good ¶ The sayd Moyses sayd / that the man that fleeth the companye of men / is lyke a grape of Reysyns rype and swete / but he that seketh theyr felysshyp acompanyeth with them / is lyke vnto the grape that is sowre and bytter ¶ The abbot Nyle sayd that the man that loueth to lyue solytaryly / yeldeth hymselfe soo stedfast to denye withstande ayenst the arowes / that is to wyt ayenst the temptacyons of the fende / that they sholde not touche nor entre in hym / but he that hauntyth comynyth with the men is oftentymes dauÌ„gerously wounded ¶ The abbot pastor sayd / that to apply his thought vnto dyuerse thynges / is the begynnyng of all euylles / more ouer he sayd / that to flee from the temporall thynges was a good a sure lyue Certaynly when a man dresse hym self nyghe a place where men fyght bodely / he is lyke hym whiche is vpon a depe water / to th ende that at suche an houre as his aduersary shal seme good he maye take hym make hym for to falle vnto the botom But yf he partyth hym selfe gooth ferre from the bodely thynges / he is lyke hym that is ferre from the welle / when the fende wyll cast hym from aboue to benethe / for to do this
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
/ or yf he ought to lustre theym in to his thought To whom the holy fader answered / that he sholde late theym entre / and after he sholde fyght with theym and withstande theym Anone after the abbot Pastor retourned in to Sychye where as he made his resydence And certayn tyme after a Relygyous man comen fro Thebayde in to Sychye in spekynge of thabbot Ioseph to some Relygyouses / sayd that he hadde asked hym / how he ought to conduyte hym in his temptacyons / and yf he ought promptely resyste and withstande theym / or ellys receyue theym and fyght ayenst theym And that the sayd Ioseph had sayd that he sholde kepe hym that he receyued theym not / but Incontynente to caste theym fro hym ¶ Thenne the abbot Pastor herynge these wordes of the sayd relygyous persone / and knowyng that the sayd abbot Ioseph hadde counseylled hym to doo the contrarye / departed fro Sychye / and went to Panese where as the sayd Ioseph helde theym And whan he hadde arryued and entresalued eche other The sayd Pastor sayd to hym suche wordes My brother I shall saye to the wherfore I am come here I haue grete desyre to see the / and with this thou knowest I haue manyfested to the some of my cogytacoÌ„ns and thoughtes And I demaunde of the on a tyme / yf to the temptacyons that comen to me I ought incontynent resyste and withstande them in castyng theym behynde me / or yf I in ony wyse ought to receyue theym / and thenne after to caste theym fro me To whiche thou saydest and answeredest / that I sholde not redyly cast theym fro me / but sholde receyue theym and after that I had foughten ayenst theym to caste theym fro me Now I haue sythyn well herde saye of one of our brethern of Sychye comyng fro the / that thou haste counseylled hym all otherwyse to doo Therfor I am comen to knowe of the that thou saye to me for to content my fantasye ¶ Thenne thabbot Ioseph sayd to hym My broder thou knowest that I loue the / certaynly that doost the answered Pastor / whan the requyredest me to gyue the counseyll in this mater Vnderstodest thou not that I gaaf to the as I wolde haue gyuen to my selfe Certaynly yes sayd Pastor Certaynly sayd Ioseph Myn aduyse is suche / that yf thou or I gaaf place to temptacoÌ„ns whan they assaylled vs / and after that we fyght ayenst theym / thenne we haue the more meryte / than yf incoÌ„tynent we cast theym away without to fyght ayenst them In thus dooyng we be the more proeued / and therfore I spack counseylled the as I wolde haue done to my selfe / but euery man hath not the constauÌ„ce to mowe withstande the temptacoÌ„ns whan they delyuer to them ouer grete entree Therfore to hym / to whom I sayd the contrarye I sayd it for his moost surete / by cause I knewe hyÌ„ not ne what strength he had ¶ The sayd abbot Pastor sayd that on a tyme that he transported hym selfe in to the lowe partyes of Eracleos vnto the sayd abbot Ioseph / the whiche had in his monasterye a moche fayr fygge tree And on a frydaye in the mornyng the sayd Ioseph and Pastor deuysyng togyder / the sayd Pastor behelde the sayd fygge tree And Ioseph sayd to hym that he sholde ete of the fygges that ther were But by cause it was fastyng daye / he wolde not ete Neuerthelesse he prayed hym in the name of god that he wolde telle to hym the cause wherfor he wylled hyÌ„ to ete / seen that it was fastyng daye And how be it that he ete not as sayd is / neuerthelesse yet he was ashamed that he had not do that the sayd Ioseph had coÌ„mauÌ„ded hym doubtyng to haue done euyll in as moche as he had not obeyed to his comauÌ„dement / ymagynyng that he had done it without cause Thabbot Ioseph answered hyÌ„ that the olde faders at the begynnyng had not acustome to coÌ„mauÌ„de the yonge relygyouses ony thyng / that it were lawfull to do / but to the contrarye coÌ„mauÌ„ded them to do thynges that semed to be vnprouffytable not decente ne couenable And whan they sawe that they were redy to do all the / whiche was coÌ„mauÌ„ded to theym were it good or euyll Thenne they coÌ„mauÌ„ded theyÌ„ nothyng but that whiche was reson And so ought they to do bycause they knewe that in all thyng they were obeyssauÌ„t ¶ A broder asked the sayd abbot Ioseph in demauÌ„dyng hym what he had to do vpon that whiche he sayd / that he myght not bere ony temptacoÌ„ns / ne labour / ne gyue almesse Thabbot answered hym yf thou mayst not do ony of these thyÌ„ges at the lest kepe thy conscyence clene froÌ„ all euyll towarde thy neyghbours / in this maner thou shalt be saued For god axeth noo thyng but the soule without synne ¶ Thabbot Ysaac of Thebayde deffended his brethern / that they sholde not bryÌ„g ony childern in to theyr monastery / sayng that in Sychye by thoccasyon of childern .iiij. chirches had ben deserted ¶ Thabbot Longyn sayd on a tyme to thabbot Lucius that he had thre thought the greued hyÌ„ / that one was that he wente in to an strauÌ„ge couÌ„tree And the sayd Luciê° answered to hyÌ„ / yf thou reteyne not thy tongue / in what someuer place that thou goost thou shalt not be a strauÌ„ger / but yf thou refrayne it thou shalte be there a pylgryme / After the sayd Longyn sayd to hyÌ„ The seconde admonesteth me to faste two dayes contynuell without etyng The holy fader answered to hym Certaynly my brother / whan by force of fastyng thou becomest so croked that thy hede boweth to thy fete Yet for all that shall not thy fastyng be agreable to god / yf it be not done with a pure entencyon / thenne is it nede to make suche fastynges as ben agreable to god and to kepe the fro euyll thoughtes Yet ayen sayd thabbot Longyn That other thought is that I kepe me from hauntyng with the men And the sayd Luctus answered to him / yf thou canst not correcte thy lyfe in coÌ„uersyng with other In lyke wyse thou canst not correcte thy selfe lyuyng allone solytaryly ¶ Thabbot Macharye sayd yf we put in our remembraunce / that is to saye / yf we forgete not / pardonne the offenses that ben doon to vs by the men we take awaye cutte fro our thought the vertue to haue remeÌ„braunce of our lorde But yf we haue remeÌ„braunce of the euylles that the deuylles excyten vs / we shall be vertuous Inuyncyble ¶ Thabbot Mathoys sayd that the deuyll knoweth not by what passyon or synne he maye pryncypally ouercome or subdue the soule And therfore he soweth in vs euyll thoughtes / but he can not take theym awaye ayen Somtyme be soweth fornycacyons / and semblably other passyons And in the wherin he seeth the soule to be moost enclyned
a good entente / as for cause of sekenesse or other necessyte ¶ A broder cam to thabbot Pastor the seconde weke of lente / in declaryng to hyÌ„ his thoughtis / fouÌ„de in hyÌ„ some rest of coÌ„scyence / theÌ„ne sayd the broder to hyÌ„ I had thought to haue dyfferred this daye for to haue come to the for lytyll thyng The abbot asked hyÌ„ wherfor / the broder answered I doubted by cause that it was lente that the yate sholde not haue be opened Thenne sayd to hyÌ„ the abbot we haue not be acustomed to shette the yate / by the whiche men entre herin / but we desyre more besyly to close shette the yate of that tongue As who wolde say that it is more vayllable to close refrayne his tongue from spekyng in tyme place / than to close and shette the materyall dore of his hous ¶ A broder sayd to thabbot Pastor / yf I gyue ony thyng to my neyghbour / anone the deuyll tempteth me with the synne of vayne glorye / wherfor I drede to do almesse The holy man answered / we ought to socour the necessyte of our neyghbours for the loue of god The same olde fader sayd to the broder one suche a parable Two men labourers dwelled in a cyte / of the whiche the one of that he had sowen gadred but lytyll good therof / yet that whiche he had gadred was not very clene That other dyde sowe nothyng / also he gadred nothyÌ„ge I aske the thenne yf it so happed that ther cam an honger or famyne / whiche of thyse myght best escape this dauÌ„ger The broder answered that he that had sowen gadred TheÌ„ne sayd the holy maÌ„ lyke wyse we ought to sowe good werkes / to th ende that the tyme of famyne beyng come / that is to saye / that we may nomore deserue / the whiche thyng theÌ„ne we wolde haue done may not recouuer it / that we deye not eternally ¶ An other broder cam to speke to a good fader / in departyng froÌ„ hyÌ„ bycause he had supposed to haue letted hyÌ„ sayd to hyÌ„ Fader pardoÌ„ne me / for I haue letted that in thy rule maner to lyue relygyously / to whom the holy man answered thou hast not letted me in my rule for acordyng to the same I ought in good charyte mercy receyue all comers ¶ A man moche solytary strayt of lyuyng / the occupyed hyÌ„self in excercyse of dyuerse werkes dwelled nygh by a monastery in whiche were a grete multytude of bredern / soÌ„tyme it happed that they that went to vysyte cam vnto this holy maÌ„ whiche was so moche solytary they coÌ„strayned hyÌ„ to ete aboue the hour determyned after that they asked hyÌ„ sayng fader art not thou wroth bycause thou etest to fothyn hour / he answered I am neuer wroth / but whaÌ„ I do after myn owne wyll for asmoche as I do this coÌ„trary ayenst my wyll I am nothyÌ„g wroth ne sory therfore ¶ Ther was in Syrye vpoÌ„ that way of desertes an olde man whiche had a custome to receyue all the relygyoê° ê‘sones that passed by that way On a tyme amoÌ„g the other passed a moche so lytary man that whiche for what prayer that the olde fader made / he wold not dryÌ„ke ne ete / sayeng that in no wyse he wolde breke his fast / but the holy maÌ„ sore displesed by cause he wold not acorde to his prayer sayd to hyÌ„ I pray the syth thou wold not ete ne dryÌ„ke with me / at the lest that thou wyle holde me coÌ„pany to pray vnto god vnder a tree whiche is here by / of it bowe doun at my prayer tofore thyn / thou shalt do that I shall requyre the / the whiche thyng that holy fader accorded to hyÌ„ TheÌ„ne began he to praye that was so strayt in his fastyng but the tree bowed nothyng doun warde TheÌ„ne after that other begaÌ„ to praye / all sodaynly the tree bowed it doun / the seeyng that other / he obteÌ„pred obeyed to his wordes / praysed god both togyder of the caas that was to theyÌ„ happed ¶ Two relygyoê° persones cam to an holy man / that whiche had of custome not to ete of all the longe daye / but whan he sawe theyÌ„ he was moche Ioyous / and sayd to theyÌ„ / the fastyng hath his rewarde For who the eteth for charyte / he accoÌ„plyssheth two coÌ„mauÌ„dement / for he leueth his owne wyll / accomplyssheth the coÌ„mauÌ„dement of god in fedyng refresshyng his brethern ¶ A relygyoê° man of Thebes had receyued of god suche a grace / that he myght gyue to all Indygent nedy that whiche was to theym necessary One tyme amonge thother as he dyde his almesse in a strete / he sawe tofore hyÌ„ for to haue some thyng / a woman clothed with olde clothes all to rente that it was pyte to see The relygyoê° man hauyng on her coÌ„passyon / toke his hoÌ„de full of money wenyng to haue gyuâ— it to the sayd woman / but by the grace of god / his honde closed myght gyue to the womaÌ„ but a lytyll parte therof / wherby it appered that she was not so indygent / as it appered withoutforth And after that ther cam an other woman well clothed / whan be sawe her / he sayd in hyÌ„selfe / this persone had no nede toke in his hoÌ„de a lytyll almesse for to gyue to her / but in openyng his honde she toke more than he had put in / in sygnefyeng that this woman was more indygent than her clothes sheweth withoutforth Thenne he meruaylled moche / enquyred of the astate of these two wyÌ„men / he fonde that this womaÌ„ that was well clothed was of grete kynne / was falleÌ„ in pouerte / for that cause she was ashamed for to be euyl clothed / but the other was so clad for to moeue the people for to gyue to her theyr almes And now in these dayes ouer al the worlde be many suche abusyde therfor it is not euyll sayd / see wel to whom that gyuest / for oftymes men gyue to hyÌ„ that is rycher than he that gyueth / how be it that men suppose by cause he is euyl clothed that he hath no thyng ¶ Ther was a relygyoê° man whiche had a broder seculer / that whiche was moche poore / all that the relygyous man myght wyÌ„ne he delyuered to hyÌ„ / but how moche more he gaf to hyÌ„ / the more poore he was / of whiche thyng that relygyoê° meruaylled / declared it vnto a good holy man / whiche sayd to hyÌ„ in this maner yf thou wylt byleue me gyue to hyÌ„ nomore / whan he shall come to the / saye to hyÌ„ My broder whyâ—e I had ony good I gaaf it to that / therfor labour now / of that thou wyÌ„nest sende to me for my dyner / whan ony
good maners And therfore a brother asked thabbot Alonius and demaunded hym what it was of contennement ¶ Thenne he sayd that it was to be amonge bestes vnresonable / as they that ben in deserte / that haue renounced all worldly honour And to that purpose he called the vertue of humylyte erthe In the whiche god our sauyour wyll that sacrefyce be made and accomplysshed ¶ Also after his doctryne and techyng he that excedeth not his astate shal not be reputâ—d proude / but he shall be praysed and honoured of eueryche / he hym selfe by moche grete humylyte serued the brethern beyng at the table / whan they toke theyr refeccyon to gydre And oftentymes the brethern sayd ofte grete praysynges of hym amonge theym But neuerthelesse he answered to they not one worde And whan he was asked and demaunded wherfore he answered to theym not in sayeng some thyng / he sayd for this reason Yf I hadde answered / it sholde seme that I were gloryoê° of theyr praysynges ¶ The abbot Ioseph was on a tyme with the abbot Pastor and in spekyng togydre of one named Agathon The sayd Pastor named hym Abba / whiche is as moche to saye as fader And by cause it was a name of honour and of auncyent The sayd Ioseph asked for what reason he hadde called hym fader / seen that he was yet moche yong To whome he answerde his tongue / that is to saye tacyturnyte / and prudence in langage made hym to deserue to be named fader / for the aege made hym not soo to be called / but the vertue Therfore the sayd Pastor neuer gaynsayde by wordes with an holy fader / but all theyr wordes he enhaunsed praysed ¶ In the tyme that Theophyle bysshop of Alexandrye cam from thou sayd place of Alexandrye / in to the desertes of Sychye / the relygyouses for to come speke to hym were assembled / prayde to an abbot named Pambo / that he wolde make a predycacyon att the comyng of the sayd Theophyle for to comforte hym in esperyte The whiche answerd yf he be not wel edefyed with my scylence / he shal be lasse by my wordes ¶ A brother that was named Pystus / and seuen other brethern hermytes his felawes vysyteden thabbot Sysoy dwellyng in that yle whiche is called Clysmatos / to whom they prayde / that he wolde gyue to theyÌ„ some admonycoÌ„ns / by the whiche they myght be the better gete theyr helth To whom he answered My brethern pardonne me yf it please you / for I am not but a best a Idyote without entendemeÌ„t But I shall recouÌ„te to you that whiche I haue seen in .ij. holy faders That one was named thabbot Or / that other abbot Atrem that whiche I haue vysyted long tyme for to knowe theyr coÌ„uersacoÌ„n / theÌ„ne whan I was arryued with theyÌ„ I prayed theyÌ„ in lyke wyse as ye haue prayed me / that they shold gyue to me some doctryne for my helth wherto the sayd abbot answered / broder do here in all that whiche thou shalt see doon by vs here / other thyng can I not saye repreche Thou shalt knowe here my fader Atrem / whiche dooth by the moyen of the grace of god more than he maye in all vyolence And in lyke wyse dooth god to all other that enterpryse this rule and maner of lyuynge They were not both of one prouynce But in theym was all plenytude of grace And pryncypally Atrem was of grete obedyence / and Or of parfyght humylyte / as it appereth fayttes whiche shall after be sayd ¶ On a tyme a certayne man brought a fysshe for to ete / the whiche thabbot Atrem wolde make redy for theyr dyner And as he putte the knyef in the fysshe for to deuyde and cutte it / the abbot Or began to crye Atrem atrem / and incontynent the sayd Atrem lefte his knyfe within the fysshe without to drawe it out and deuydyng of the fysshe And the sayd Atrem ranne to the sayd abbot Or / without to saye that he sholde tarye tyll he hadde appoynted the fysshe ¶ Thenne demaunded the holy fader Sysoy of the sayd Atrem how he hadde goten soo grete obedyence / he answered that it was by the merytes of his abbot Or / and thenne he knewe his obedyence For the sayd fysshe was not rosted ne appoynted lyke as it apperteyned Notwithstandynge the sayd Atrem wolde haue done it gladdely to th ende / that the sayd Sysoy sholde knowe his obedyence / whan they cam to dyner / the sayd Atrem delyuered fyrst a parte of the sayd fysshe but halfe soden / the whiche the sayde holy fader Or ete in praysyng it as ryght good and well appoynted After he presented of the sayd fysshe to hym an other parte / whiche was not but / but halfe soden sayeng Fader forgyue me for this pyece hath ben by me euyll soden and appoynted ¶ The holy fader Or answered My broder I byleue that thou hast doon the beste that thou coudest doo arter thy power / and therfore it is to me agreable ¶ Whan this was doo the sayd Atrem spacke to the sayd Sysoy sayeng these wordes ¶ My brother and frende thou seest well that thobedyence that is in me procedeth of this good abbot Or / whiche is soo humble and obedyente that I am constrayned to ensyewe and folowe his maners and condycyons ¶ After this the sayd Sysoy departed moche Ioyous and conforted And rewled hym selfe vpon that whiche he hadde seen in the sayd two holy faders Therfore answered the sayd Sysoy to one of the brethern whiche was with the sayd Pystus whan he asked hym / broder shewe to vs sygne and example of charyte towarde vs / and gyue to vs some doctryne My frende who hath plenytude of vertues / and pryncypall humylyte aboue all other he compryseth all the holy scrypture ¶ An other brother asked and demauÌ„ded of hym what was of very pylgremage To whom he answered / that it was to kepe hym selfe stylle And in what someuer place that he were / to blame nothyng / but all to prayse / with out to haue ony desyre of ony worldly thyng that it were ¶ An hermyte on a tyme vysyted the abbot Sysoy in a place named the montayne of saynt Anthony / to whom the sayd broder sayd these wordes Fayr fader it is a longe tyme that thou hast he here I suppose and bylere certaynly that thou hast not yet the noble vertues that had the holy fader Anthonye / the whiche answered to hym Alas my brother and my frende what sayst thou / yf I had one sparkle of his charyte whiche was in hym I sholde be all in a fyre Notwithstondynge I wote not ne knowe man so parfyght that may bere the penaunces / whiche made and suffred the good and holy abbot saynt Anthonye After he asked yf in tyme passed the deuylles tempted the relygyous people as they dyde thenne that
that an hermyte had with hym a yonge dyscyple replenysshed with alle euyll wylle On a tyme amoÌ„g other the holy man repreued hym of his synne in sayeng to hym My sone do not that That not withstondyng the same dyscyple amended not hym selfe / wherfore thermyte seeyng that he was pertynax obstynate he corrected hym nomore / but coÌ„cluded in hym selfe / to suffre hym to do what hym good semed After that yet he dyde worse / for he shytte closed the celle of the sayd hermyte In the whiche was nomore but thre loues oonly / suffred hym faste thre dayes / duryng the whiche tyme / the sayd hermyte sayd noo thynge ne dyde to hym ¶ This knowyng an other hermyte his next neyghebour made potage for hym delyuered it to hym by an hole of the walle of his celle / asked hym wherfore his dyscyple was so longe or he cam / he answered without ony angre / that whan it pleased hym he sholde come ayen ¶ Many phylosophres beyng togydre in a place / passed by theym a Relygyous well and honestly clothed after his astate The phylosophres desyryng to preue the pacyence of the relygyoê° man called hym in sayeng to hym Ha monke come and speke to vs / and so he dyde ¶ After this passed an other grete monke and of lowe condycoÌ„n / to whome the phylosophres sayden Ha monke folysshe and euyll come and speke with vs / incontynent he went to theym And anone as he was comen / one gaue a buffet to hym on the cheke After whiche buffet by hym receyued whiche was armed with pacyence / presented to theym that other cheke after the couÌ„seyll of Ihesu cryste / whan they knewe his pacyence / they praysed hym / and made hym to sytte in the myddes of theym / sayeng / veryly this is a veray monke ¶ After they demaunded how moche more penaunce doo ye in deserte than they that be in the worlde For they sayd / yf ye faste / soo doo we / yf ye chastyse your bodye / soo do we / thenne what doo ye more than we The monke answered / we lyue in hope / and we kepe scylence and our thought fro thynkyng euyll The phylophres herynge this last answere / praysed theyÌ„ sayeng that it was an harde thyng that to do to theym that ben in the worlde / for they theym selfe coude not do it ¶ An holy fader hadde a dycyple of grete pacyence / the whiche on a tyme / by cause that he was angry putte hym anone out of his hous ¶ The good dyscyple was not proude / but yelded hym humbly and pacyente wente not from the dore of his fayr fader / to fore the whiche whan the fader opened his dore / the dyscyple anone fylle doun on his knees / in askynge hym forgyuenes ¶ The holy fader gretely admeruaylled of his pacyence sayd to hym Ha my sone from hens forth thou shalt be my fader / for by thyne humylyte and pacyence / thou hast ouercome my pusyllanymyte Entre and goo in my sone / thou shalt be holden and reputed my fader And I that am olde shall be thy yong dyscyple / that is to saye / that I am yonger than thou in vertues For by thy grete pacyence constauntly suffred / thou hast put doun my feble age ¶ And to this purpose recounten some holy faders / that many yonge Relygyous men nowrysshed theym that ben olde bycause of theyr euyll gouernaunce And pryncypally we fynde of an olde hermyte whiche made not in a daye nyght but one matte / the whiche he solde anone and dranke the moneye whiche he hadde receyued Soo it happed that a yonge brother with hym lodged / whiche also euery daye made a matte / the whiche in lyke wyse the same olde man solde with the his / enployed in wyn all the moneye that he had receyued for theym after dranke it without to brynge ony therof to his dyscyple sauf oonly a lytyll brede whiche he brought to hym atte euyn This lyfe ladde the olde fader by the space of thre yere / without ony grutchyng of the yonge man or ony euyll worde After consyderyng that he was naked he ete not but brede not halfe ynoughe / purposed hym to departe and to goo in to an other hermytage / but on that other syde he consydered that he ought to endure it for the loue of god And that he was not hermyte for ony other thyng but for to doo penaunce / wherfore he concluded that he wolde not departe out of his hermytage ¶ And anone an Aungell appyered to hym sayeng Brother departe not / for to morn we shall come to the. Of this apparycyon was moche Ioyous the yonge dyscyple And after he prayde his olde fader thermyte that on the morn he wolde not goo out of his celle in to the towne as he was accustomed to goo euery daye / and that his frendes sholde come seche hym The hour comen that the sayd hermyte was accustomed to goo for to selle his mattes / he sayd to his dyscyple My sone I wyll goo to selle our mattes For they for whom thou abydest seen that it is now late / wylle not come this daye ¶ The dyscyple answered My fader knowe for trouthe that they shall come And in sayeng those wordes he rendred and yelded vp his speryte Thenne the olde fader began to crye / helas helas / a longe tyme it is that I haue lyued in this deserte in grete neclygence of my helthe / and thou vertuous childe by the pacyence that thou hast had of me in a lytyll tyme hast taken by assault the Royame of heuen And fro theÌ„ne forthon the olde hermyte becam moche sobre / lyued more holyly than he had be accustomed ¶ Grete pacyence and meruayllous suffred a comyn woman was named Thays / the whiche was of soo grete beaute garnysshed / that for her pleasaunte maynteyne and swere regarde many yonge fresshe and lecherous persones solde theyr rentes and reuenues for to entreteyne and accompanye the sayd Thays And in th ende they cam to shamefull pouerte and mendycyte And that worse / detestable more dauÌ„gerous thynge was / by cause that many pretended to enioye her eueryche at his owne wyll Oftentymes her dore was blody with the blood of the yong men that in grete nombre faught for her An holy fader abbot named Paphunce aduertysed of her poore myserable lyfe / desyryng to withdrawe the sayd Thays from her euyll lyfe / cladde hyÌ„ selfe in seculer habyte / toke moneye for to go to the hous of the sayd Thays dwellynge thenne in a cyte of Egypte The holy saynt fonde her in her hous And after that he had salewed her / he presented offred to her a shelyng for her rewarde of the synne whiche he fayned to coÌ„myse with her Thays whiche toke of all hondes receyued the shelyng / made the good
that it was god For it is wryten in the psalmyste God is our refuge / strengthe vertue in trybulacōns whiche persecute vs strongely ¶ A brother asked hym what prouffyten the fastynges and wakynges that men make The holy man answered / that they make the soule humble and meke For it is wryten Lorde god beholde my mekenes my labour / and forgyue me my synnes / yf it pleaseth the. And therfore yf we take on vs payne / god shall haue pyte mercy on vs. ¶ A brother demaunded of an olde fader / what ought a man to doo agayne the temptacōns of the fende To whome he answered / he ought fyrst to wepe to th ende that god helpe hym And yf he praye deuoutly / god shall socoure hym For it is wryten Yf god helpe me I fere noo man ¶ A brother asked yf a bondeman haue trespaced / what shall he saye to his lorde / yf he wyll punysshe hym To this he answered that he sholde saye My lorde I haue trespaced / but yf it please the. I praye the to pardonne me / anone his mayster shall forgyue hȳ Thus we that be boūde and seruaūtes to god / whan we haue synned / and we retorne to hym in confessyng our synnes / he wyll pardonne vs Incontynent The ende of our operacyons is not to Iuge ony persone For whan god slewe all the fyrste begoten in Egypte / ther was not one hous but there was one therin deed Thenne asked a brother what was that that soo saye And he answered to hym / that yf we behelde well our synnes / we sholde thynke noo thyng of the synnes of our neyghboures It is grete folye to a man to forsake his deed corps in his hous / for to go by wepe one in his neyghbours hous he is deed towarde his neyghbour / the whiche thynketh not on the werkes of other / and dooth no harme to ony persone / ne thynketh none euyll in his corage / the whiche also despyseth no man bycause he is a synner / and the whiche is not vnyed to hym that dooth euyll to his neyghbour / ne speketh yll of ony persone / but sayd to hym selfe God knoweth the thought of euery man / I not It behoueth thenne to flee the detractours For it is sayd in the gospell Iuge no man / to th ende that ye be not Iuged of god One ought not also hate ony persone / though he were his enemye Ne despyse a man bycause he chydeth with his neyghbour For otherwyse thou sholdest haue noo reste ne peas in thy conscyence ¶ An other olde fader sayd / thou man lyuyng thynke that thy god is born of the virgyne Marye for the loue of the / he hath be made man and alwaye abydeth god / he hath be made a lytyll childe / he was a redar and prechar whan he toke the boke in the synagoge and sayd The speryte of god is vpon me / by cause he that hath enoynted me / hath sente me to preche the gospell to the poore synners / he had be subdeken / whan he chaced out of the temple theȳ that solde and theym that bought / he was deken whan he weeshe the feet of his appostles / in cōmaūdyng theym to wesshe the feet of theyr brethern / he was made preest whan he abode in the myddell of the temple techynge theym / he was made bysshop in takyng the brede and in delyueryng to his dyscyples / he hath be beten for the loue of the / he hath be crucyfyed / he aroos the thyrde daye And after ascended in to heuen / and all for vs / and all he hath doon for to saue vs. And neuertheles we wyll nothynge endure ne suffre for the loue of hym Late vs thenne be sobre and wake we / praye we deuoutly and kepe we his cōmaūdementes to th ende that we may be saued / was not Ioseph solde in to Egypte in to a straunge londe The thre childern were they not brought prysoners in to Babylon And how well they had no knowlege / god was theyr helpe and were saued in th ende / for as moche as they dradde / who that gyueth hym all to god hath no free wyll / but doth as god cōmaūdeth hym without payne of conscyence And yf thou wylt do after thyn owne wyll without helpe of god / thou shalt haue ouermoche payne in thy conscyence ¶ A brother asked of thabbot Pastor fader what is that to saye / that one ought not to thynke on the next daye folowynge The holy man answered / that is to vnderstonde of a man that is in temptacyon / that is to saye / that he ought to resyste it the same daye / without to thynke to resyste it on the morn ¶ A brother demaūded from whens it cam / that a man how well he be a grete synner / neuerthelesse he is not a shamed to detracte the renōmee and fame of an other To whom the holy man answered by suche a parable / ther was a poore man whiche had a wyfe the whiche sawe an other woman that was moche fayrer than his wyfe with out comparyson / and desyred her and dyde soo moche that he had her in maryage / but she was as poore as that other It happed thenne / that tho two wyues / wente with her husbonde to a market And by cause they were both naked / they put theym selfe in a tonne but that one seeyng that the people were departed / sprang out of the tonne / and founde olde clothes and ragges / couered her in suche wyse / that she myght well goo amonge the people / without to haue ony shame Thenne that other woman hauyng therof enuye sayd to hyr husbonde This folysshe woman is all naked / and neuerthelesse she is not a shamed to goo amonge the people Thenne answered to hyr the husbonde in grete angre / she hath some what couered and hydde hyr pouerte and confusyon / but as for the / thou art all naked / and yet thou mockeste her as moche as thou mayste ¶ Thus sayd the holy fader / is eche man a detractour / the whiche not consyderyng his owne synnes / cesseth not to saye euyll of an other whiche ben better than he ¶ The abbot Iohan sayd to some of his brethern / that there were thre phylosophres the whiche were good frendes to gydre Of whiche one of theym deyeng lefte his childe to that other And whan he was grete / he defoylled the wyfe of his moneytour / wherfore he was put out of the hous And how well that he dyde grete penaunce / neuerthelesse the phylosopher wolde not suffre hym to reentre in to his hous But sayd to hym that he sholde goo amonge theym that were Iuged to the deth for to dygge gadre with them metall within the Ryuer thre yere longe And whan he hadde soo doon and fulfylled that penaunce / he sholde retourne to the phylosophre and than he