goodly olde man that couereth this table and setteth our mete and drynke tofore vs / but we knowe not how it cometh / newe ordeyne neuer no mete ne drȳke for vs / and yet we haue ben .lxxx. yere here / euer our lorde worshypped be he fedeth vs / we be .xxiiij. monkes in nombre euery feryall daye of the weke he sendeth to vs .xii. loues euery sondaye feestfull daye .xxxiiii. loues / the brede that we leue at dyner we ete at souper / now at your comynge our lorde hathe sente to vs .xlviij. loues for to make you vs mery togyder as brethren / al way .xij. of vs go to dyner whyles other .xii. kepe the quyer / and thus haue we done this .lxxx. yere / for so longe haue we dwelled here in this abbey And we came hyder out of thabbey of saynt Patrykes in yrlonde And thus as ye se our lorde hath purueyed for vs / but none of vs knoweth how it cometh but god alone to whome be gyuen honour laude world without ende And here in this lond is euer fayre weder / and none of vs hath ben seke syth we came hyder / whan we goo to masse or to ony other seruyce of our lorde in the chyrche / anone seuentapers of waxe ben set in the quere ben lyght at euery tyme without mannes honde / soo brenne daye nyght at euery houre of seruyce and neuer waste ne mynysshe as longe as we haue ben here whiche is .lxxx. yere And than saynt Brandon wente to the chyrche with the abbot of the place and there they sayd euensonge togyder full deuoutly And than saynt Brandon loked vpwarde towarde the crucyfyxe / sawe our lorde hangynge on the crosse / whiche was made of fyne crystall curyously wrought And in the quere were .xxiiii. seetes for xxiiii monkes the seuen tapers brennynge / and the abbottes se et was made in the myddes of the quere And than saynt Brandon demaunded of the abbot how longe they had kepte that scylence that none of them spake to other And he sayd this .xxiiii. yere we spake neuer one to another / than saynt Brandon wepte for Ioye of theyr holy conuersacyon And than saynt Brandon desyred of the abbot that he his monkes myght dwel there styll with him To whome the abbot sayd Syr that may ye not do in noo wyse for our lorde shewed to you in what maner that ye shall beguyded tyll the seuē yere be fulfylled after that terme thou shalte with thy monkes retourne in to yrlonde in saufte / but one of the two monkes that came last shall dwell in the ylonde of ankers / that other shal go quyke to hell And as saynt Brandon kneled in the chyrche he sawe a bryght shynynge aūgell / came in at the wyndowe and lyghted all the lyghtes in the chyrche And than he flewe out agayne at the wyndowe to heuen / than saynt Brandon merueyled gretly how the lyght brenned so fayre wasted not And than the abbot sayd that it is wryten that Moyses sawe abusshe all on fyre / yet it dyde not brenne / therfore meruayle not therof / for that myght of oure lorde is now as great as euer it was And whan saynt Brandon had dwelled there fro crystmasse euē tyll the twelfth daye was passed Than he toke his leue of the abbot the couent retourned with his monkes to his shyppe and sayled fro thens with his monkes towarde the abbay of saynt Helarye But they had great tempestes in the see fro that tyme tyll palme sondaye And than they came to the ylonde of shepe there were receyued of the olde man whiche brought them to a fayre hall serued them And on she erthursdaye after souper he wasshed theyr fete kyssed them lyke as our lorde dyd to his dyscyples And there abode tyll saterdaye eester euen And than they departed sayled to the place where the grete fysshe laye / and anone they sawe theyr caudron vpon the fysshes backe / whiche they hadde lefte there twelue monethes tofore / and there they kepte the seruyce of the resurreccyon on the fysshes backe and after they sayled that same day by the mornynge to the ylonde where as the tree of byrdes was And than the sayde byrde welcomed saynt Brandon and all his felawshyp / and wente agayne to the tree and sange full meryly / there he and his monkes dwelled fro eester tyll trynyte sondaye as they dyde the yere before / in full great Ioye myrth And dayly they herde the mery seruyce of the byrdes syttynge on the tree And than the byrde tolde vnto saynt Brandon that he sholde retourne agayne at crystmasse to the abbey of monkes / at ester thyder agayne / and the other dele of the yere labour in the occean in full grete perylles / and fro yere to yere tyll the seuen yere be accomplysshed And than shall ye come vnto the Ioyfull place of paradys and dwell there .xl. dayes in full grete Ioye and myrth / and after ye shall retourne home in to your owne abbey in saufe and there ende your lyf and come to the blysse of heuen / to whiche our lorde bought you with his precyous blode ¶ And than the aungel of our lord ordeyned all thynge that was nedefull to saynt Brandon and to his monkes in vytaylles and all other thynges necessarye to them ¶ And than they thanked our lorde of his grete goodnes he had shewed to theym ofte in theyr grete nede and sayled forth to the grete see occean abidynge the mercy of our lorde in grete trouble and tempestes and sone after came to them an horryble fysshe whiche folowed the shyppe longe tyme castinge so moche water out of his mouthe in to the shyppe that they supposed to haue be drowned / wherfore they deuoutely prayed god to delyuer them of that grete peryll And anone after came an other fyssh gretre thā he out of the west see and faught with hym / at the last claue hym in thre pyeces than retourned agayne And than they thanked mekely oure lorde of theyr delyueraunce fro this grete peryl / but they were in grete heuynes bycause theyr vytales were nyghe spent / but by the ordynaunce of our lorde there came a byrde and brought to them a great braunche of a vyne full of rede grapes / by whiche they lyued .xiii. dayes / than they came too a lytell ylonde / wherin were many vynes full of grapes / they there londed thāked god / gadred as many grapes as they lyued by .xl. dayes after alwaye saylynge in the see in moche storme tempest / as they thus sayled sodeynly came fleynge toward them a grete grype whiche assayled them was lyke to haue destroyed theym wherfore they deuoutely prayed for helpe ayde of our lorde Ihesu cryste And than the byrde of the tree
¶ Here begynneth the lyfe of saynt Brandon SAynt Brandon the holy man was a monke and borne in yrlonde / there he was abbot of an hous wherin were a thousande monkes / there he had a full strayte holy lyfe in great penaunce and abstynence and he gouerned his moÌ„kes full vertuously / than within shorte tyme after there came vnto hym an holy abbot the hyght Beryne to visyte hyÌ„ eche was Ioyful of other than saynt brandon began to tell the abbot beryn of many wonders that he had seen in diuers loÌ„des whan Beryn herd that of saynt Brandon he began to sygh sore wepte / saynt Brandon coÌ„forted hym the best wyse he coude saynge / ye come hyther for to be Ioyfull with me / therfore for goddes loue leue your mournynge tel me what meruayles ye haue seen in the great see occean that coÌ„passeth al the worlde aboute / all other waters come out of him / whiche cometh in all the partyes of the erth / than Beryn began to tell saynt BraÌ„don his monkes the meruayles that he had seen full sore wepynge / sayd I haue a sone his name is Meruoke / he was a monke of great fame / whiche had great desyre to seke about by shyppe in dyuers couÌ„trees to fynde a solytary place / wherin he myght dwell secretly out of the besynes of this world for to serue god quyetly with more deuocoÌ„n / I couÌ„seyled hym to sayle in to an ylonde ferre in the see besyde the mouÌ„tayne of stones whiche is ful well knowen And than he made hym redy saylled thyder with his monkes / whan he came thyder he lyked the place ful wel where he his monkes serued our lord full deuoutly And thaÌ„ Berynsawe in a vysyon that this monke Meruoke was sayled ryght ferre eestward in the see more than thre dayes saylynge sodeynly to his semynge there came a derke cloude couered them that a great parte of that daye they sawe no light / as our lord wolde the 〈…〉 away they sawe a full fayre ylonde / thyder 〈◊〉 they drewe / in that ylonde was Ioy myrth ynough the erth of the ylonde shyned as bryght as the sonne / there were the fayrest trees herbes that euer ony man sawe / there were many precyus stones shynyng bryght euery herbe there was full of fygures / euery tree full of fruyte so that it was a gloryous syght an heuenly Ioy tabyde there / thaÌ„ there came to them a fayre yonge man full curtesly he welcomed them al called euery monke by his name sayd that they were moche bouÌ„de to prayse the name of our lord IhuÌ„ that wolde of his grace shewe to theÌ„ the gloryous place wher is euer day neuer night this place is called paradys terrestre but by this ylond is an other ylond wherin no man may come / this yonge maÌ„ sayd to them ye haue ben here halfe a yere wtout mete dryÌ„ke or slepe / they supposed that they had not ben there the space of halfe an houre / so mery Ioyful they were there the yoÌ„ge man tolde theym that this is the place that Adam Eue dwelte in fyrste / euer sholde haue dwelled there yf that they had not broke that coÌ„maundement of god than the yonge man brought them to theyr shyppe agayne sayd they myght no lenger abyde there / and whan they were all shypped sodeynly this yonge man vanysshed awaye out of theyr syght / than within shorte tyme after by the purueyauÌ„ce of our lorde Ihesu they came to the abbay where saynt Brandon dwelled / than he with his brethren recyeued them goodly demaunded them where they had beÌ„ so longe / they sayd we haue beÌ„ in the londe of by heest afore the gates of paradys where as is euer day neuer nyght they sayd all that the place is full delectable / for yet all theyr clothes smelled of the swete Ioyfull place And than saynt Brandon purposed sone after for to seke 〈◊〉 â—e by goddes helpe / anone began to puruey for a good shyppe a stronge vytayled it for seuen yere / and than he toke his leue of all his bretherne toke .xii. monkes with hym / but or they entred in to the shyppe they fasted forty dayes lyued deuoutely and eche of them receyued the sacrament / and whan saynt Brandon with his .xii. monkes were entred in to the shyppe there came other two of his monkes and prayed hym that they myght sayle with him And than he sayd ye may sayle with me but one of you shall go to hell or ye come agayne / but not for that they wolde goo with hym And than saynt BraÌ„don bad the shypmen to wynde vp the sayle forth they sayled in goddes name so that on the morowe they were out of syght of ony londe and forty dayes forty nightes after they sayled playne eest And than they sawe an ylonde ferre fro them and they sayled theyderwarde as fast as they coude they sawe a grete rocke of stone appere aboue all the water and thre dayes they sayled aboute it or they coude gete in to the place But at the last by the purueeaunce of god they founde a lytell hauen there wente a londe euery th one and than sodeynly there came a fayre houÌ„de fell downe at the fete of saynt Brandon made hym good there in his maner / and than he badde his brethren be of good there / for our lorde hath sente to vs his messenger to lede vs in some good place / the houÌ„de brought them in to a fayre halle where they founde the tabbles spredde redy set ful of good mete and drynke And than saynt Brandon sayd graces / thaÌ„ he and his brethren sate downe and ete and dranke of suche as they founde And there were beddes redy for them wherin they toke theyr rest after theyr longe labour And on the morne they retourned agayne to theyr shyppe sayled a longe tyme in the see after or they coude fynde ony loÌ„de tyl at the last by the puruyauÌ„ce of god they sawe ferre fro them a full fayre ylonde full of grene pasture wherin were the whytest gretest shepe that euer they sawe For euery shepe was as great as an oxe soone after came to them a goodly olde man / whiche welcomed them made to them good chere / sayd this is that ylonde of shepe here is neuer colde weder but euer somer that causeth the shepe to be so great whyte they ete of the best grasse herbes that is ony where than this olde man toke his leue of them and badde them sayle forth ryght eest and within shorte tyme by goddes grace that they shold come in to a place lyke paradys /
wherin they sholde kepe theyr eester tyde than they sayled forth came soon after to that londe but bycause of lytell depth in some place in some place were great rockes but at the last they wente vpon an ylonde wenynge to them they had ben saufte made theron a fyre for to dresse theyr dyner but saynt Brandon abode styll in the shyppe whan that fyre was ryght hote the mete nygh soden than this ylōde began to moue / werof the monkes were aferde / fled anone to shyppe lefte the fyre mete behynde them meruayled sore of the mouynge / saynt Brandon comforted them and sayd that it was a great fysshe named Iasconie whiche laboured nyght day to put his tayle in his mouth but for gretenes he may not And than anone they sayled west thre dayes thre nyghtes or they sawe ony londe / wherfore they were ryghe heuy / but soone after as god wolde they sawe a fayre ylonde full of floures herbes trees / werof they thanked god of his good grace / anone they wente on londe / whan they had gone longe in this they foūde a full fayre well and therby stode a fayre tree full of bowes / on euery bough sate a fayre byrde / they sate so thycke on the tree that vnneth ony lefe of the tree myght be seen the nombre of them was so grete they sange so meryly that it was an heuenly noyse to here / wherfore saynt Brādon kneled downe on his knees wepte for Ioye / made his prayers deuoutly to our lorde god to knowe what these byrdes mente And than anone one of the byrdes fledde fro the tree to saynt Brandon he with flekerynge of his wynges made a full mery noyse lyke a fydle that hym semed he herde neuer so Ioyfull a melody / than saynt Brandon cōmaūded the byrde to tell hym the cause why they sate so thycke on the tree sange so merely / than the byrde sayd Somtyme we were aungelles in heuen / but whan our mayster lucyfer fell downe in to hell for his hye pryde / we fell with hym for our offences / some hyger / some lower after the qualyte of the trespace bycause our trespace is but lytell therfore our lorde hath set vs here out of all payne in full grete Ioye myrth after his pleasȳge here to sarue hȳ on this tree in the best maner we can / the sonday is a day of rest fro all worldly occupacyon / therfore that daye all we be made as whyte as ony snowe for to prayse our lorde in the best wyse we may / than this byrde sayd to saynt Brandon that it is .xii. monethes passed that ye departed fro your abbey in the .vii. yere here after ye shal se the place that ye desyre to come to / all this .vii yere ye shall kepe your ester here with vs euery yere / in the ende of the .vii. yere ye shal come in to the londe of byhest / this was on ester daye that the byrde sayd these wordes to saynt Brandon / than this byrde flewe ayen to his felowes the sate on the tree / than all the byrdes began to synge euēsonge so meryly that it was an heuenly noyse to here / after souper saynt Brandon his felowes wente to bedde slepte well / on the morne they arose by tymes / then̄e those byrdes began matyns pryme houres all suche seruyce as crysten men vse to synge / and saynt Brādon with his felowes abode there .viii. wekes tyll trynyte sondaye was past / they sayled agayne to the ylonde of shepe / there they vytayled thē wel / syth toke theyr leue of that olde man retourned agayne to shyppe / than the byrde of the tree came agayne to saynt Brandon / sayd I am come to tell you that ye shall sayle fro hens in to an ylonde wherin is an abbey of .xxiiii. monkes which is fro this place many a myle / there ye shal holde your crystmas your ester with vs lyke as I tolde you / than this byrde flewe to his felowes agayne And than saynt Brandon his felowes sayled forth in the occean / soone after fell a grete tempest on them / in whiche they were gretly troubled longe tyme sore for laboured / after that they founde by the purueaūce of god an ylonde whiche was ferre fro theym / than full mekely prayed to our lorde to sende thē thyder in saufte but it was .xl. dayes after or they came thyder / wherfor all the mōkes were so wery of that trouble that they set lytel pryce by theyr lyues / cryed cōtynually to our lorde to haue mercy on them brynge them to the londe in saufte / by purueaunce of god they came at the laste in to a lytell hauē / but it was so strayte that vnneth the shyppe myght come in / after they came to an ancre / anone the monkes wente to londe / whan they had longe walked aboute at the last they foūde two fayre welles / that one was fayre clere water / that other was som what troubly thycke And than they thanked our lorde full humbly that had brought them thyder in saufte they wolde fayne haue dronken of the water / but saynt Brandon charged them they sholde not take without lycence For yf we absteyne vs a whyle our lorde wyll puruaye for vs in the best wyse And anone after came to them a fayre olde man with hore here welcomed them full mekely kyssed saynt Brandon ledde them by many fayre welles tyl they came to a fayre abbey / where they were receyued with great honour solempne processy on with .xxiiij. mōkes all in ryall copes of cloth of golde and a ryall crosse was before them And than the abbot welcomed saynt Brandon his felawshyp and kyssed them full mekely / toke saynt Brandon by the honde ledde hym with his monkes in to a fayre hall / and sette them downe a rowe vpon the benche / and the abbot of the place wysshe all theyr fete with fayre water of the well that they sawe before / after ladde them in to the fratour and there sette them amonge his couent anone there came one by the purueyaunce of god / whiche serued them well of mete and drynke / for euery monke had set before hym a fayre whyte lofe and whyte rotes and herbes whiche were ryghte delycyous / but they wyste not what rotes they were / they dranke of the water of the fayre clere well that they sawe before whan they came fyrst to londe whiche saynt Brandon forbode them And the abbot came and chered saynt Brandon his monkes and prayed them ete and drynke for charyte / for euery daye our lorde sendeth a
of the ylonde where they had holden theyr Eester to fore Came to the grype smote out both his eyen / after slewe hym / wherfore they thanked our lorde And than sayled forth contynually tyll saynt Peters daye And than songen they solempnely theyr seruyce in the honour of the feest And in that place the water was so clere that they myght se all the fysshes that were aboute them wherof they were full sore agast / and the monkes counseyled saynt Brandon to synge no more For all the fysshes lay than as they had slebe And than saynt Brandon sayd drede ye not for ye haue kepte by two eesters the feest of the resurreccyon vpon the gretefysshes backe / and therfore drede ye not of these lytell fysshes And then̄e saynt Brandon made hym redy wente to masse badde his monkes to synge the best wyse they coude / and than anone al the fysshes a woke and came aboute the shyppe so thycke that vnneth they myght se the water for the fysshes / whan the masse was done all the fysshes departed soo as they were no more seen And seuen dayes they sayled al waye in that clere water And than there came a southe wynde droue the shyppe northwarde where as they sawe an ylonde full derke and full of stenche smoke / there they herde grete blowynge and blastynge of belowes / but they myght se noo tynge but herde great thonderinge wherof they were sore aferde and blyssed them ofte / soone after there came one stertynge out all brenynge in fyre and stared full gastly on them with great starynge eyen / of whome the monkes were agaste / at his departynge fro them he made the horyblest crye that myght be herde / soone there came a great nombre of fendes assayled them with hokes brennynge yron malles / whiche ranne on the water folowynge theyr shyppe fast in suche wyse that it semed all the see to be on a fyre / but by the pleasure of our lorde they hadde noo power to hurte ne greue them ne theyr shyppe wherfore the fendes began to rore and crye and threwe hokes and malles at them / and they than were fore aferde prayed to god for cōforte helpe for they sawe the fendes al aboute the shyppe them semed than all the ylonde the see to be on a fyre / with a sorowful crye all tho fendes departed fro them / retourned to the place that they came fro And than saynt Brandon told to them that this was a parte of hell / therfore he charged them to be stedfaste in the fayth For they sholde yet se many a dredefull place or they came home agayne / than came the south wynde droue theym ferther in to the north where they sawe an hylle all of fyre / a foule smoke stenche comynge fro thens / the fyre stode on eche syde of the hyll lyke a wal all brennynge and than one of his monkes began to crye wepe full sore sayd that his ende was comen that he myght abyde no lenger in the shyppe / and anone he lepte out of the shyppe into the see than he cryed and rored full pyteously cursynge the tyme that he was borne also fader moder that begate hym bycause they sawe no better to his correccyon in his yonge age For now I must go to perpetuall payne And than the sayenge of saynt Brandon was verefyed that he sayd to hym whā he entred / therfore it is good a man to do penaunce forsake synne for the hour of deth is incertayn And than anone the wynde tourned in to the northe droue the shyppe in to the south whiche sayled seuen dayes cōtynually And than they came to grete a rocke stondynge in the see / theron sate a naked man in full great myserye and payne For the wawes of the see had so beten his body that all the flesshe was gone of / and no thynge lefte but synewes bare bones And whan the wawes were gone / there was a canuas that hynge ouer his heed whiche bette his body full sore with the blowynge of the wynde And also there were two oxe tonges / and a great stone that he sate vpon the whiche dyd to hym full great ease And than saynt Brandon charged hym for to tell hym what he was And he sayd my name is Iudas that sollde our lorde Ihesu cryste for .xxx. pens whiche sytteth here soo wretchedly / how be it I am worthy to be in the gretest payne that is But our lorde is so mercyful that he hath rewarded me better thā I haue deserued For of ryght my place is in the brennynge fyre of helle But I am here but certayne tymes of the yere that is fro crystmasse to twelfth daye and fro eester to wytson tyde be paste and euery feestfull daye of our lady euery saterdaye at none tyll sondaye that euensonge be done but all other tymes I lye styll in hell in full brennynge fyre with Pilate / Herode Cayphas therfore accursed be the tyme that euer I knewe them And than Iudas prayed saynt Brandon for to abyde styll there all that nyghte / and that he wolde kepe hym styll that the fendes sholde not fetche hym to hell And than he sayd to hym with goddes grace / thou shalte abyde here all this nyght And than he asked Iudas what cloth that was that henge ouer his heed he sayd it was a clothe that he gaue vnto a lepre / whiche was bought with the money that he stale fro our lorde whan I bare his purse / wherfore it dooth to me full great payne now in betynge my face with the blowynge of the wynde And these two oxe tonges that hāge here aboue me I gaue them somtyme to two preestes to praye for me / them I bought with myn owne money / therfore they ease me bycause the fysshes of the see gnawe on thē spare me And this stone that I syt on laye somtyme in a desolate place / where it eased noo man / and I toke it thens and layde it in a foule waye where it dydde moche ease vnto them that wente by that waye And therfore it easeth me now / for euery good dede shal be rewarded euery euyll dede shal be punysshed And on the sonday ayenst euen there came a great multytude of fendes blastynge and rorynge / they bad saynt Brandon goo thens that they myghte haue theyr seruaunte Iudas / for we dare not come in the presence of our mayster but yf we brynge hym to hell with vs. And than sayd saynt Brandon I lette not you to do your maysters commaundement but by the power of our lorde Ihesu I charge you to leue hym this nyghte tyll to morowe How darest thou helpe hym that solde his mayster for .xxx. pens vnto the Iewes / and caused hym also to dye the
moost shamefull deth vpon the crosse And than saynt Brandon charged the sendes by his passyon that they sholde not noye hym that nyght And than the fendes wente theyr waye rorynge and cryenge towardee hell to theyr mayster the great deuyll / than Iudas thanked saynt BraÌ„don so ruefully that it was pyte to se and on the morne the fendes came with an horryble noyse sayenge that they had that nyghte suffred great payne by cause they broughte not Iudas and sayd that he sholde suffre double payne the .vi. daye folowynge they toke than Iudas tremblynge for fere with them to payne And after saynt BraÌ„don sayled south warde thre dayes thre nyghtes on the fryday they sawe an ylonde And than saynt Brandon began to synge sayd I se the ylonde wherin saynt Poule the heremyte dwelleth hath dwelled there .xl. yere without mete drynke ordyned by mannes honde / they came to the londe saynt Poule came welcomed them humbly he was olde forgrowen so that no man myght se his body Of whome saynt BraÌ„don sayd wenynge / now I se a man that lyueth more lyke an auÌ„gell than a man / wherfore we wretches may be ashamed that we lyue no better Than saynt Poule sayd to saynt Brandon / thou arte better than I for our lorde hath shewed to the moo preuitees than he hath done to me / wherfore thou oughtest to be more praysed than I To whom sayd Brandon saynt / we be monkes must labour for our mete But god hath prouyded for the suche mete as thou holdest the pleased / wherfore thou art moche better thaÌ„ I. To whome saynt poule sayd somtyme I was a monke of saynt Gatrikes abbey in yrlonde was warden of the place where as men entre in to saynt Patrykes purgatorye And on a daye there came one to me I asked hym what he was And he sayd I am your abbot Patryke charge the that thou departe fro hens to morne erly to the see syde there thou shalte fynde a shyppe in to whiche thou muste entre / whiche god hath ordeyned for that whose wyll thou must accomplysshe / so the nexte day I arose wente forth souÌ„de the shyppe in whiche he entred / by the purueyuÌ„ce of god I was brought in to this ylonde the seuenth daye after And than I left the shyppe wente to londe and there I walked vp downe a good whyle And than by the purueyauÌ„ce of god there came an otter goynge on his hynder fete brought me a flynt stone an yron to smyte fyre within his two sore clawes of his fete / also he had aboute his necke great plente of fysshes whiche he caste downe before me wente his waye and I smote fyre made a fyre of styckes dyde sethe the fysshe by whiche I lyued thre dayes And thaÌ„ the otter came agayne brought me fysshe for other thre dayes thus he hath done this .li. yere thorugh the grace of god / and there was a great stone out of the whiche our lorde made to sprynge fayre water clere swete / wherof I drynke dayly thus haue I lyued one fyfty yere I was forty yere olde whan I came hyder am now an hondred and .xi. yere olde abyde tyll it please our lorde to sende for me and yf it please hym I wolde fayne by dyscharged of this wretched lyfe / and than he badde saynt Brandon to take of the water of the well to cary in to his shyppe / for it is tyme that thou departe for thou hast a great Iourney to do for thou shalte sayle to an yloÌ„de whiche is forty dayes saylynge hens / where thou shalt holde thy cester lyke as thou hast done tofore where as the tre of byrdes is fro thens thou shalte sayle in to the londe of byhest shalte abyde there forty dayes And after retourne home in to thy countre in saufte And than these holy men toke leue eche of other they wept both full sore kyssed eche other And than saynt Brandon entred in to his shyppe sayled eueÌ„ .xl. dayes southe in full great tempest And vpon eester euen came to theyr ê“curatour whiche made to them good chere as he had before tyme from thens they came to the great fysshe where they sayd matyns masse on ester daye / whan the masse was done the fysshe began to meue swaÌ„me forth fast in to see wherof the monkes were sore agast whiche stode vpon hym / for it was a great meruayle to se suche a fysshe as great as al a countree for to swyÌ„me soo faste in the water / But by the wyll of our lorde this fysshe set all the monkes a londe in the paradyse of byrdes all hole souÌ„de And than retourned to the place he came fro And than saynt Brandon his monkes thanked our lorde of theyr delyueraunce of the great fysshe kepte theyr eestertyde tyll trynyte sondaye lyke as they had done tofore tyme after this they toke their shyppe and sayled eest .xl. dayes / at the forty dayes ende it began for to hayle ryght fast And therwith came a derke myste the whiche lasted longe after whiche fered saynt Brandon all his monkes prayed vnto our lorde for to helpe them ¶ And than anone came theyr procuratour badde them to be of good chere for they were comen in to the londe of byheest And sone after that myst passed awaye / and anone they sawe the fayrest countree westwarde that ony man myght se was soo cleere and bryght that it was an heuenly syght to beholde And al the trees were charged with rype fruyte herbes full of floures In whiche londe they walked forty dayes but they coude not se none ende of that londe and there was all way day neuer nyght / the londe was attemperate / ne to hote ne to colde And at the laste they came to a fayre ryuer / but they durst not goo ouer And there came to them a fayre yonge man welcomed them curtoysly called eche of them by his name dyde great reuerence to saynt Brandon and sayd to them be ye now Ioyfull / for this is the londe that ye haue sought But our lorde wyll that ye departe hastely he wyll shewe to you more of his secretes whan ye come agayne in to the see / our lord wyll that ye lade your shyppe with the fruyte of this londe and hye you hens For ye may no leÌ„ger abyde here / but thou shalte sayle agayne in to thyn owne countre And soone after that thou comest home thou shalte dye And this water that thou seest here departeth the worlde a sondre For on that other syde of this water may no man come that is in this lyfe And the fruyte that ye se here is alwaye thus rype euery tyme of the yere / alwaye it is here lyght as ye now se he that kepeth our lordes hestes coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes at all tymes shall se this londe or he do passe out of this worlde And than saynt Brandon and his monkes toke of that fruyte as moche as they wolde and also they toke with theym great plente of precyous stones And than they toke theyr leue wente to shyppe wepynge sore bycause they myghte noo lenger abyde there And than they toke theyr shyppe came home in to yrlonde in saufte / whome thyr bretherne receyued with ryght great Ioye gyuenge thankynges vnto our lorde whiche had kepte them all that seueÌ„ yere fro many a peryll and brought theym home in saufte To whome begyuen honour and glorye worlde without ende Amen ¶ And soo soone after this holy man saynt Brandon wexed feble seke / had but lytell Ioye of this worlde but euer after that his Ioye mynde was in the Ioyes of heuen And within shorte tyme after he beynge full of vertues departed oute of this worlde vnto euerlastynge lyfe in heueÌ„ and was worshypfully buryed in a fayre abbey / the whiche he hymselfe fouÌ„ded where our lorde sheweth for this holy saynt many fayre myracles wherfore let vs deuoutly praye to this holy saynt that he praye for vs to our lorde that he haue mercy on vs to whome be gyuen lande honoure and empyre worlde withouten ende Amen ¶ Thus endeth the lyf of saynt Brandon Emprynted at London in the Fletestrete at the synge of the sonne By wynkyn de worde Wynken de Worde