The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 24
OF THEM THAT PLAYE AND IAPE AT THE MASSE.
SHALLE telle yow another Ensample of them that jangle at the masse, when they ought to here the seruyse of god. It is conteyned in the gestys of Athenes that ther was an heremyte, a moche hooly man and of blessid lyf. And he had a Chappel in his hermytage of saynt Johan. And thyder cam many knyghtes, squyers, ladyes, and damoysels of the Countre, as wel for the feste as for the holynes of hym. And this hooly heremyte songe the masse, and when he torned hym after the gospel he behelde the ladyes and damoisels, knygtes and squyers, that bourded & iangled in the tyme of the masse and ronned one with another. And he beheld moche theyr contenaunce, and he sawe that at eche ere of man and woman was a fende, moche black and horryble, whiche also laughed and jangled amonge them, and wrote the wordes that were said. These fendes wenten spryngyng vppon theyr queynt arayement and nyce araye, lyke as the smale byrdes that lepe fro brauche to brauche. And this hooly man blessid hym and merueyled. And when he was in his canon aboute thende he herde them speke and laughe, and thenne he smote the booke for to make them be stylle, but somme there were that wold not. Thenne said he, "Fayre lord god, make thou them to hold their pees and be styll, and that they may knowe their folye." Thenne they that soo laughed bigan to crye and braye, bothe men and wymmen, as demonyakes and suffryng so grete peyne that it was a pytous thyng to see and here. And when the masse was songen the hooly heremyte said hou he hadde sene the fendes of helle laugh vpon them with euyl contenaunces when he was at the masse. And after he told them that they fylle in grete perylle when they spak and bourded, and of the grete synne that they dide in the tyme of the masse, when they shold haue ben in the seruyse of god, to whiche none ought to come but for to gyue laude, praye humbly, and deuoutely to worshippe god. And after this he said how he sawe the fendes lepe and spryng vpon the hornes and other nyce apparaylle of many wymmen, and they were tho that talked and jangled with company, and they that thought more to complaire and plese their amorettes & delytes of the world, than to plese god, & to haue the regardes and beholdynges of the musardes on them; he saw on these the fendes pynne their keuerchyefs. But vpon them ỷ sayd their prayers & were in deuocio, they were not on them ne touched the, how well there were ynough of them that were wel arayed & curyously. But it holdeth more in that hert than in thabyte. And after he said that soo arayed them for to ben the beter sene and take heede of done grete synne, and they that take playsir in the seruyse of god angre sore and gyuen grete debate to the fende oure enemy. After that he had said thus many thynges, the wymmen and they that cryed and were so tormented threwe awey their gaye arraye as peple oute of theyr wyt, and alweye abode they there in suche manere nyne dayes. And on the tenthe day they were brought ageyne to their right mynde by the prayer of the hoofy heremyte. And thus were they chastised, that fro than forthon they kepte them from spekying and janglyng in the tyme of the seruyce of god. Wherfore we may wel vnderstonde by this ensample that no persone ought not talk in the chirche ne distourble the seruyse of god.