Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/34



HENNE I wolde that ye knewe thexample of a folysshe woman that fasted the fryday, of whome I shall telle to yow the hystorye. Ther was a folysshe woman in the Cyte of Rome that alwey fasted the fryday in thonoure of the passyon of swete Ihesu Criste, and the saterday in thonoure of the Vyrgynyte of oure lady, and alwey these two dayes she kepte surely. Hit happed on a nyght that she went toward her loue, when it was derk, and sodenly, or she was ware, she felle in to a pytte whiche was twenty fadom depe. And as she was fallyng, she escryed with an hyhe voys, "Lady, helpe!" and she fylle vpon the water, and fond it hard as a plank. And there cam a voys to her that saide, "In thonoure of the vyrgyn Marye, and of her sone, for whome thou hast fasted, thou art saued. And fro hensforthe kepe thy body clene fro the synne of thy flesshe." And on the morn peple cam for to drawe water, and fond the woman in the pytte, oute wherof anone she was drawen vp and lete goo. And the peple merueyled moche how she was saued. And she said to them, how that a voys had said to her that it was for the fastynges that she had kept the fryday and saterday, as ye haue herd. And for this grace that god and the blessid Vyrgyn oure lady saynt Marye had done to her, she made a vowe to them, that she shold kepe her chaste and clene, and shold vse her lyf in the seruyce of god and of his chirche. And euer after, nyght and day, she serued in the chirche for to lyghte the torches, tapres, and lampes, and to kepe clene the chirche. Now on a nyght there cam to her a Vysyon, that she drewe and tooke oute of a donghylle a vessell, lyke to a plater of syluer. And when she beheld hit, she sawe therin many black spottes; and a voys cam sayeng, "Scoure and make clene this plater, and take awey the blak spottes so long 28