Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/71



NE Ensample wylle I telle yow after this matere. It happed that seynt bernard, whiche was an hooly man and of hyhe lygnage, lefte all his grete possessions and noblesse for to serue god in an Abbaye and to lede the better his lyf. He was chosen Abbot, and ware hayer and dyd grete abstynence & was a grete almes man to the poure. And he had a suster whiche was a grete lady, and she cam for to see hym with grete foyson of peple nobly arrayed with ryche robes set with perles & precious stones, & in this grete estate she cam to fore her broder, whiche was a good and holy man. And whan saynt Bernard sawe her in this araye he blessid hym, and torned to her his back. And the lady was gretely abasshed by cause he deyned not to speke to her. & he sente her worde that he was aferd to see her in so grete pryde, & so desguysed & deffaited. Thenne she dide of her ryche atours & ryche robes, & arayed her moche symply, & thene he came to her & said, "Fair suster, yf i loue your body j owe by reson moch more to loue youre sowle. Wene ye not that it displesyth god & hys sayntes & to all the Courte of heuen to see suche pryde and bobauce set vp, and to araye karoyn that within a day after the sowle shal departe shalle so rote and stynke that no creature may feele ne see it withoute errour and abhomynacion. Faire suster, why thynke not ye ones a day how the poure dye for cold and for hongre ther withoute, where as the tenthe parte of youre queyateryes and noblesses myght refresshe and clothe moo than xl persones ageynst the cold?" Thenne this hooly man declared to her hou she shold leue the folye of the world and the bobaunce therof, and shewed to her how she shold saue her sowie soo moche that the good lady wepte. And after she dyde doo selle