The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 8
OF A COMYN WOMAN THAT WENTE TO SEE HER LOUE, AND FYLLE IN A PYTTE.
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 tyll it be as clene and whyte as it was when it cam from the handes of the maystre goldsmythe. And this aduysyon cam to her thre tymes, and when she awoke, she remembryd her aduysyon to god. And when hit was hyhe day, she wente for to confesse her to an hooly man, and told to hym her aduysyon. And when the good man had herd all the maner, he said to her, "Fayre doughter, ye ar moche beholden to serue god, whan he wylle youre saluacion, and warneth and sheweth to yow how ye ought to wasshe yow and make you clene by confession of your synnes. And I shall shewe yow hou he hath shewed by youre aduysyon the Vessel of siluer whiche was foully bespottyd of the donghylle, whiche sygnyfyeth the sowle that is in the body. And yf the body consentid not to doo synne, she shold be alwey whyte as the vessel of syluer that cometh fro the goldsmythe. Ryght so is the sowle when hit cometh fro the fonte of bapteme. And lyke as the Vessel that ye sawe was in the donge, in lyke wyse is the sowle in the body, whiche is no thyng but donge and fylthe. For when the Chaytyf body hath synned by his fals delytes, for euery synne that he hath done ther cometh a black spot in the sowle, and that abydeth vnto the tyme that the body, whiche dyde the trespas, haue cōfessid and bewaylyd it in suche manere as he dyde the dede, and therof hath made satisfaction. And therfor, fayre doughter, the voys of the vysyon hath said that ye shold make yow clene & whyte lyke the syluer that cometh fro the goldsmyth. For when ye come fro the fonte of baptesme, after ye ought put it in place, where it shold be kepte clene and withoute ordure; that is to saye, to kepe you fro goyng in to place, where as ye ought absteyne you for to doo synne. And kepe yow wel that ye synne nomore, for it is a good thyng to be shryuen, but it is better after the confession to kepe hym that he falle not ageyne therto, for the tornyng ageyne is wors than the first. And when ye shold be shryuen, ye ought to saye alle, and reteyne no thyng behynde, and it ought to be said in the manere as the dede was done. Thenne, my fair douȝters, said the good man, I shalle telle to yow an ensample of a bourgeyse, a moche myghty woman.