The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 9
OF HER THAT DEYDE, AND DURST NOT CONFESSE HIR SYNNE.
HERE was a woman of grete renomme and fame, lyke to be a blessid woman and charitable, for she fasted thre dayes in the weke, of whiche she fasted tweyne to brede and to water, and gafe moche almesse, vysyted the seke, norysshed the orphanes, and was at masse vnto mydday, and said many orysons and prayers, and lyued an hooly lyf, as a good woman ought to doo. And it happed that she departed oute of this world, by whome oure lord wold shewe ensample, how she was lost for one only dedely synne. For the sepulture in whiche she was leyd bigan to fume and smoken, and the erth to brenne, and there had ben seen on the graue overmoche torment. And the peple of the Countrey merueyled moche what it mente, for they wende veryly, that she hadde be saued above alle other wymmeh. Thenne was there an hooly man in the Cyte, which toke the crosse, the stole, and hooly water, and coniured the sowle in the name of god, and requyryd of almyghty god, that it plesyd hym to shewe to hym wherfore this stenche and this tormente was there. Thenne a voys was herd that sayd, "I am the poure synnar that am dampned to perpetuel fyre. For god sheweth that my wretchyd body gyueth oute smoke and torment by ensample. And I shalle telle to yow how it hath bifalle me by the synne of my flesshe. I laye ones with a Monk, and I durst neuer confesse me therof, for doubte to be accused for shame of the world. And I doubted more the bobaunce of the world than the spyrytuel vengeaunce of my synne. I fasted, I gaf for goddes sake my good, I herd masses and said many orysons & heures, and me semed the grete good dedes and abstynence that I dyde quenchyd and estyncted al my synnes whiche I durst not telle ne saye to the preest. Wherfore I am deceyued and loste; for I telle wel vnto alle, that who that dyeth in dedely synne and wylle not forthynke it, he is dampned perpetuelly, for the synne ought to be confessid also foully as the dede was done, and by the same manere." And when she had al said, alle they that were there present were moche abasshed, for there was none but that he thouȝt she had be saued. And thus said this good man this ensample to this woman that confessyd her, that she shold confesse and telle her synnes lyke as she had done them, and she shold put aweye the spottes of the syluer vessel, these ben the spottes of the sowle. And thenne this woman confessid her, and lyued after an holy lyf. And thus the begynnyng of her sauacion cam of the fastynges that she fasted on the fryday in thonoure of the passion of oure lord, and the saterday for thonoure of the vyrgynyte of our blessid lady, by whiche she was saued from perylle; for ther is no good dede done but it is rewarded. And it is a moche hooly thyng to faste, and the more payne it doth or hurte to the heede or body, so moche is the fastyng more of meryte, & greter of valewe. For yf the fastyng greuyd not, there shold thereof be no mede ne merite. & yet for to shewe an ensample how fastyng is of grete meryte, it is trouthe that the kynge of Nynyue and alle his Cyte were saued therby, as it is conteyned in the grete book of the byble. For god had doo synken certayne Cytees and townes for the grete synnes that they delyted in. And god commaunded his prophete to telle to this kyng and to the Cyte that yf they amended them not, that they shold perysshe in lyke wyse. Thenne the kyng and the peple of the cyte had grete drede and fere; and for tappease the yre of god, alle they that were of age fasted fourty dayes and fourty nyghtes, and kneled doune on her knees and putte sackes on theyr hedes in grete humylyte, wherfore god took mercy on them, and repeled his sentence. And so by theyr mekenes and fastynge they were saued. And therfore, my fayre doughters, fastyng is an abstynence and a vertu moche couenable, whiche withdraweth and restreyneth the flesshe from euylle desyres, and humbleth the herte and geteth pardon and grace of god. And thenne all yong wymmen, and specyally the maydens and wydowes ought to fast, as I haue said here to fore by these ensamples, whiche, by the playsyre of god, ye shall well reteyne and kepe.