The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 40
OF THE THIRD WYF OF THE KNYGHT.
ONE after toke the said knyght his thyrdde wyf, and were long-tyme to geder, but at the last she deyde, wherfore the knyght was nyghe deed for sorowe. And when she was dede, the knyght cam to his Eme and praid hym for the same as he hadde done for his two firste wyues. And as the hooly man was in his prayers and oryson, it cam to hym in aduysyon that an angel was before hym, whiche shewed hym the torment & peyne that the poure sowle suffred, for he sawe appertely and clerely how one deuylle helde her faste with his hondes or clowes by her heres and tressis, as a lyon holdeth his proye, in suche manere that she couthe nought meue her hede here ne there, & dyde put brennyng nedels thorugh her browes, whiche entred in to her heede as ferre as he myghte thruste them in. And the poure sowle at euery tyme cryed horrybly. And after he had made her to suffre suche grete martyre that ouerlonge lasted, another deuylle horryble and ouer hydous cam there with grete brondes of fyre and thrested them vnto her face. And in suche maner he tormented her and brente and entflammed her ouer alle sydes, that the Heremyte was therof sore effrayed and trembled for fere. But the Aungel assured hym and saide that she had wel deserued it, and theremyte demaunded of hym why, and the Angel saide that she had popped and polysshed her face for to seme more faire and plaisaunt to the world, and that it was one of the synnes that was moost displesynge to god. For she dyde hit by pryde, by whiche men falle to the synne of lecherye, and fynally in to all other. For aboue alle thynge it displesith to the Creatour, as one wylle haue by crafte more beaute than nature hath gyuen to hym, and that hit suffyseth hym not to be made and compassid after the hooly ymage, of whome alle the Aungels in heuen take alle theyr ioye and delyte. For yf god had wolde of his hooly purueauce, they had not be wymmen, but they had be domme beestes or serpentes. And why thenne take they no heede to the grete beaute whiche their creatoure hath gyuen hym, and why doo they put to their faces other thynge than god hath gyuen hem? It is therfore no merueyle yf they endure and suffre suche penaunce. And thenne said the Aungel, "She hath wel deserued it. Go ye there as the body of her lyeth and ye shall see the vysage ryght hydous and effrayed. And by cause he was eueer besy aboute her browes and aboute her temples and forheede to dresse and paynte them that she myghte be faire and playsaunt to the worlde, it is conuenient and ryght that in euery place wheroute she plukked ony here of her face, that there be put every day a brennynge bronde. Syre," said the Heremyte, "shalle she be longe in this torment?" "Ye," said the angell, "a thousande yere," and more he wold not discouere ne telle to hym of hit. But as the deuylle dide putte the brounde in her face the powre sowle cryed sore and cursed the houre that she euer was borne or engendryd. And of the fere that thenne the hooly heremyte hadde he awoke alle affraid, and cam to the Kayght and told hym his vysyon. The knyght was sore a basshed and right sore meued of this auysyon, and went to see the body that men wold haue supposed had be fair, but they founde the vysage soo black and soo hydous and so horrible to see that it was grete confusion. Then bileued wel the knyght for certeyne al that theremyte his vncle had told hym, wherof he had grete horroure and grete abhomynacion and pyte, in so moche that he lefte the world and dyde were the hayre euery fryday and euery wednesday, and gaf for goddes sake the third parte of all his reame and good. And fro thennes forth he vsed an hooly lyf and had no cure more of the worldly bobaunces ne plaisire, so moche he was ferful and agaste of that he had sene his last wyf, and of that vncle had told hym.