Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/161

he answered to them that they shold make her bely to be opened, and that vpon her herte they shold fynde a grete tode; and yet more sayd to them, "yf hit be not so as I say, I wylle and am contente that she be buryed there as ye wylle haue her to be." They wente thenne and spake to gyder, but they dyd jape and mocke of that the curate had said, and seyd that it myst not be, and that hardyly she myght be opened, to thende they myght the more jape and mocke with hym. Thenne they made her to be opened, and found a grete tood vppon her herte, ryght fowle, lothely, and hydous. The preest thenne coniured the sayd tood, and demaunded of hym why he was there and what he was. And the tood ansuered that he was the deuyll that had euer tempted her by the tyme and space of xxv yere, and specially in the synne in whiche he found most auauntage, that was, in the synne of yre and wrathe. For euer syn that tyme she bare soo grete yre and so grete wrathe vppon a woman her neyghbour, that neuer she thought to pardonne her the trespas that she hadde done vnto her. "And that other daye whanne thou confessyd her, I was on my foure feet vpon her herte, where as I her so streyght enclawed, and so chaffed of wrathe and yre, that she myght haue no wylle to forgyue. Notwithstondynge, an houre was that I had grete fere that thou sholdest haue had her fro me, and that she shold haue be conuertysed thorugh thy prechynge, but neuertheles I hadde the vyctorye, in suche wyse that she is oure for euermore." And whanne al they that were there herde these wordes they were moche merueylled, and neuer syn they durst speke of her buryenge in hooly erthe. Here is a ryght. good ensample how one ought to pardonne and forgyue to other, for who that forgyueth not with his good wylle, wyth grete payne he shal obteyne and haue forgyuenesse of god, and peraduenture it myght well befalle to hym as dyde to the sayd Burgeyse, of whome ye haue herd.