|b{Hieronymus}
|b{in_PROSALEGENDEN,_Lambeth_306,_fol._188,}
|b{print:_Caxton_1484}
|b{ed._Horstmann,_C.,_Anglia_3_(1880)}
|b{pp.328-360.}


|r[IV._S._HIERONYMUS.]
|r[Aus_ms._Lamb._432,_fol._1.]
|r[EINLEITUNG]


   |r<b> RIght nobill and worthy lady and my full reuerent and dere goestly
     doughter in oure lord Jhesu, I haue mynd how on seint Jerommys
     day, that is the morow after Myhelmasse-day, after y had told you
     sumwhat of the lyf and miracles of seint Jerom, I said that with
 |r5 oure lordis helpe, when y had leysonre, y wold write his lyf and



|p329


     myraclis in ynglyshe, to praysyng and honoure of oure lord and of
     hyme, / and that not only ye shuld knowe hit the more clerely to
     your gostely profecte, but also hit shuld mow abyde and turne to
     edifcacion of othir that wold rede hit and do to copy hitt, for youre
 |r5 selffe, and sithe to lat other to rede hit and copy hit, who so will. For
     ther is ther-in nedfull to be had and know and had in mynd of all ffolke.
     For in the ffyrst V chapitres we may lerme and take ensampill to lyffe
     in crystynmannis lyff in penaunce and straytnesse, and in the VII=the=
     and in the IXthe chapiters we may lerne to dye. / And what is more
|r10 nessessarye to any man or womman in erthe than con lyve and dye?
     Sothely all ffolke lyve and dye, and eche mane that lyvith not well
     he / shall dye. // But ffull fewe ther bene that can lyve and dye.
     What is it to conne lyve and dye, but to lyue so that we be alwey
     redy to dye; so to haue oure hert and oure soule redy vnto god,
|r15 that we abyde dethe as the cummyng of a lovid ffrend čat we
     desyre to goo with frome wrechednesse vn-to delycious? Than
     lerne we to lyve and dye; ffor hit is so gret dulness not to cun
     do, ne be about to lerne, that thing that euery man dothe and must
     nedis do. But yf hit seme over-hard to vse the sharpe discipline
|r20 of this scole where we shull lerne this holsom lesson; than we may
     loke in the thirde, ffourthe, and ffyfte chapitres and se the grace
     and the reward that is yevene to theme that fferuently loboure
     about this lernyng. // And yf the comfort of so gret reward make
     not oure hard hertis to melt then we may se in the VIII=the= and
|r25 X=the= chapitres the strayte dome we go to, and the gret paynys
     that bene put after this lyf vnto all truantis; that we beholding
     therof may breke oure dulnesse, and hast us to go lerne and tra_veyle
     in the scole of penaunce. And yf we behote oure-selffe
     long lyf, thinking that hit wolbe long or this reward or paynys
|r30 com, and so wex wery to abyde so long in straytnesse and tribu_lacion
     without comfort, and čerfore begynne to play wantone among
     the lustis of the world and of the flesshe, while we shull studye
     in the scole: than loke in the VI=te=, XII, XIlI, XIIII, XV, XVI,
     XVII, and XVIII chapitres, and we shall see how mercyfull oure
|r35 lord, after he hathe suffred his scolers to be chasti¨ed a litill while,
     anone he helpeth thane and deliuerith theme frome thayre dissease,
     not only in theyre dethe but also in this present lyff; and ageyne_ward
     he ffrely betith all truantis as well with temporall vengeaunce
     as with endles payne. And so he gynth in (t)his lyf to bothe her
|r40 reward and punyshing, čat we shuld očer for love of joye or for
     drede of payne, temporall or euerlasting, stabely and hastely sett



|p330


     us to entre and to abyde in čis scole to lerne to lyve and to dye,
     and so we shalbe the better willid čerto. At the last in the XIX
     chapitre oure mercifull lady yevith herre blessing to all sucche
     scolers. // And in all these chapitres we may se the grete worthi_nesse and
 |r5 holynesse of him that was bothe a disciple and a master
     in this scole: seint Jerome; how holy and atrayte he was in lyving,
     and how myghti and mervelous aftir his deth; and profttable hit is
     to do aftir him and to do him service. // Thus is this warke devidid
     in to XIX chapitres, that ye shull not ovir-wery to rede hit,
|r10 while ye mayv at eche chapitres ende haune a resting place, yf
     ye haue leysourec, to rede no more at onys, and anočer tyme rede
     anočer.
     The ffyrst chapitre is of the lyff of seint Jerome, as hit is take
     of legendea aurea.
|r15 The secund is of his lyf as seint Austyn writith in his pistell.
     The thirde is that seint Jerome apperid to seint Austyne in gret
     joye and swetnesee the same oure of his dethe.
     The IIII=te= is howe IIII other men had a meruelouse vision of seint
     Jerome če same oure čat he dyed.
|r20 The V=te= is how seint Johne Baptist and seint Jerome, arayed
     bothe alyke, apperid to seint Austyne.
     The VI=te= is howe be meritis of s. Jerome th(r)e men were
     areysid from dethe to lyff in distruccion of an heresye.
     The VII=te= is of mervelous and fferfull deth of an holy man, callid
|r25 Euseby, and how s. Jerom aperid to him and comfortid him in
     the oure of his deth.
     The VIII=te= is how the said III men that were areysid, told of the
     paynys of hell and of purgatory.
     The IX=te= is of the dying of the same III men and how s. Jerom
|r30 helpid them in thayre dying.
     The X=te= ia how the soulis of the same men after thayre dethe
     stode tofore the dome, and howe s. Jerom led theme to the
     joyes of heuen, the paynys of purgatorye and of hell, and
     sithe bad theme go ayeyne to thayre bodies.
|r35 The XI=te= is of two myraclis of seint Euseby that were do, or his
     body were buryed.
     The XII=te= is howe an heretik, callid Sabinian, was mervelous be_hedid,
     and a byshop, callid Silvan, deliuerid from dethe by
     help of seint Jerom.
|r40 The XIII=te= how the fende apperid in the liknesse of the same
     byshop Syluane and slaunderid him mervelonsly, and how
     Jerome helpid hyme.
     The XIIlI=te= how seint Jerome savid two hethen men, that come
     to vysite hyme, frome thevis and from dethe.
|r45 The XV. how s. Jerome savid too yong mene frome dethe that
     Come frome Rome to vysytt hyme.



|p331


     The XVI. is how an abbey of Nunnys was distroyid for symony
     and for couetyse, and how s. Jerome saued oue of those
     Nunnys that was not gylty in that synne, when all other were
     kyllid be vengeaunce,
 |r5 The XVII. is how III heretikes were merue(lou)sly punyshid for
     offence ayeynys s. Jerome.
     The XVIII=te= is how s. Jerom deliuerid a man out of presone fro
     one lond to anočer on one nyght.
     The XIX. is how oure lady praysith s. Jerom as is writt in the
|r10 reuelaciounys of s. Brigithe.-
     
     Explicit capitula.
     
|r(I.) This in the lyff of seint Jerome, as hit is take of legenda aurea.
     Capitulum primum.
     |r<b> SEnt Jerome come of noble kynne. Aud in his childhode he was
|r15 sent to Rome to lerne, and ther he lernyd grew, latyn and ebrew. //
     And on a tyme, as He writith him-selffe to the holy mayde Eustace:
     whan he studied besely nyght and day in bokis of poetis and of
     philosofres, bycause thay sauoure him better than bokis of holy
     scripture: hit happennyd that about mydlent he was smyttyne with a
|r20 soddeyne and a fferuent ffeuer, in so muche that all his body was
     dede and cold vnto the hert. And whan his frendis were besy to
     dispose for his buriyng, sodenly he was ravishid tofore the dome
     of god: and ther was he askid what man he was; and he answerid
     that he was a crystynman. // Than said the iuge:  `thou saist not
|r25 sothe; for thou art an hethen man, and not a crystyn man. ffor
     where thy tresoure is, ther is thine hert: // and thy hert is more
     apone worldly bokis than apone holy writt'. Seint Jerome couthe
     not answere, but anon cryed and said:  `haue mercy apon me, lord!'
     and thay that stode be-syde, prayed that hţe myght haue foryef_nesse,
|r30 for he was but yong. // And than seint Jerome swore tofore
     the iuge almyghti god, and said:  `lord, yf y haue euer ony seculer
     or worldly bokis to rede apone theyme herafter, than forsake thou
     me for a crysten man!' And by this othe he was let goo. Anone
     he levyd ayeyne and found him-selffe al bewepte, and his body
|r35 sore and full of wondis of the betingis that he suffred toffore the
     iuge. // And from thennys forthe he studied and red as besely apone
     holy bokis as he had do toffore apone worldly bokis. Than he
     made himselffe a monke, and čer he lyvid so holye, chastising his
     body with the lust čerof and withstanding the desyris therof and
|r40 of the world, that he causid other that were relygeouse to be the
     better for his ensampill. // Whan he was XXXIX yere of age, he
     was made a cardenall prest in the chirche of Rome. // And after the
     pope was dede, all ffolke cryed and sayd that Jerome was worthy
     to be pope. But for-asmuche as he had vsyd to blame the ffleshly_nesse
|r45 ofmysgouernyd clerkis and religeouse peple, thay with gret



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     indignacion lay in wayte to do hyme repreve. And on a nyght,
     whan seint Jerome shuld ryse to matennys, as he was wont to, he
     did apone hyme a wommannys cloče and so went in to the chirche,
     wenyng hit had bene his owne: which his enmyse had layd by his
 |r5 beddis syde, to make folke wene that he had a wommane in his
     chamber, and so to scorne hyme. // And whane he sawe that malice,
     he fledde thens, and come vnto Costantyne-noble. And ther he
     comende with the byshop of holy scrypture, and sithe went into
     desert, and ther he suffred grete penaunce and dissease IIII yere,
|r10 to-gedyr. Wherof he writith vnto the holy mayd Eustace and sayth:
     `Whan y was in desert in that gret wildernesse, where is a ffoule
     horryble dwellyng place, all to-brent with the sonne, me thought y
     was amongis the delicis of Rome. All my body was defformyd and
     cladde in sakke, and my skynne made blak like a man of Ynde.
|r15 Euery day weping, euery day wayling; and whan sleping come
     apone me, vnnethe y wold suffre my dry bonys to rest apone the
     bare erthe. Of mete ne drink y speke not, whan thay that bene
     seek vse but cold watyr and hit semyth glotony to ete any thing.
     Sothe, y was ffelow of scorpyonnys and of wild beestis. And yet
|r20 in this cold body and in my dede fleshe y ffelt brennyng and ste_ring
     of vnclennes. And therfor, sithe thay fele sucche temptacionis
     that so dispise ther bodies and ffyhttyht only with thayre thoughtis,
     what suffryth tho men or wommen that lyven in delitis? Sothely
     as the apostell sayth that čay lyve in body but thay bene dede in
|r25 soule. // But oure lord is my witnesse, that after many wepingis ffull
     often-tyme me semyd that I was amongis the company of angelis'.
     // After he had lyvid thus in desert IIII yere, he went ayeyne vnto
     Bethelem, and there offrid him-selffe as a wyse beest to abyde by
     the crybbe of oure lord. And ther gaderyd many disciplis and
|r30 foundid a Monastorye and lyvid vnder the rule of the apostelis.
     And lv yere and a halff he travellid about translacion of holy writt,
     and to his ende he lyvid a virgyne. / Also he wrote the lyvis of
     holy ffathers in a boke that is callid Vitas patrum. He was also
     so wyse, that, what man had askid hym any questione, he shuld
|r35 anone without tariing yeff hyme a resonable answere and sufficiant.
     And when čer had yet (beue) neuer no serteyne servyse in holy
     chirche, but euery body song and redde what he wold: / the emper_oure
     prayed the pope that he wold ordeyne sum wyse mane to set
     diuerse service. And then the pope knew weell that seint Jerom
|r40 was parffitt and moest exellent in latyne tong, grewe and ebrewe,
     and in all wysdome: he comitid to him the office. / And seint Jerome
     then devydid the sawter in to nocturnys, and assynyd to eche day
     in the weke a propir nocturne, and ordeynyd that Gloria patri shuld
     be said at euery end of euery psalme; he ordeynyd also pystolis
|r45 and gospellis for all the yere, and other thingis that longyn to



|p333


     devyne service: and sent them from Bethelem vnto the pope.
     Whiche he and all his cardynallis reseyuyd and apprevid and auctori¨ed
     for euer. Then with abstynence and laboure he wex so wery and
     ffebill, that, when he lay apone his bedde, he myht not aryse
 |r5 but as he pullid up him selffe with a rope tyed apone a wall, for
     to go do the service that longid to be do in the monastorye.
     After this he made himselffe a grave in the mouthe of the cave
     where oure lord lay whan he was bore. And ther, after he had
     lyvid ffoure score yere and XVIlI and VI monethis, he dyed and
|r10 was buryed the yere of oure lord CCC and XVIII.
|r(II.) Of the lyff and passing of this holy doctour seint Jerom
     seint Austyne wrytith vnto Ciryll, byshop of Jherusalem, in
     this wyse. Capit. II.
     |r<b> O thow worshipffull preest Cirill, trowist thou that scilence is to
|r15 be kepte frome the praysing of če holv preest Jerom, that was
     moest gloriouse servaund of crystene ffeithe and a cornerstone of
     oure moder, holy chirche, in whome hit is in maner gouernyd and
     made sure, and now a shynyng sterre in heuenly blisse? Or ellis thou
     dredist that y shuld speke of hyme as a lysping child, or as a man
|r20 with foule lippis? // But for hevennys tellith the glory of god, and
     all that god made prayse him in his dedis, why shuld a resonable
     creature be still frome praysing, while all vnresonable creaturis are
     not still? Therfor other y shall speke or be still; yf y be still, y
     shalbe bode speke with stonys. Forsothe y shall speke, and not
|r25 be still, to prayse the hyghe and worthy Jerome; ffor thoughe y
     be an vnworthy and insufficient prayser, yet y shall not cease of
     his praysing. Therfore oure tung and oure hond be made sure, and
     the tung mot not cleve to the palate. For, serteynly, this man is
     grete, right holy, mervelouse, and to be dred, aboue all that be
|r30 about us. Grete he is in holynesse of his right excellent lyff, grete
     in depnesse of his vnspekable wysdome: and in quantite of his
     right grete joye; mervelouse is he in vnwont myraclis; and to be
     dred, for the grete power gheuyn hyme of god. But how grete
     this gloriouse Jerome is in holynesse of his lyf, howe shuld oo tung
|r35 make knowing, whan vnnethe all tungis of all that bene on lyve
     in erthe may suffice to tell his excellence? Be hit leffull therfore
     to call another Samuel, another Hely another Johne Baptist, dwelling
     in desert and made ly her bodies with sharpnesse of mete and of
     clothing; but gloriouse Jerom was not of les lyving: whiche is an
|r40 hermyte dwelling lIlI yere in deserte, had no ffelow but wild beestis
     and scorpyonnys, and ffourty yere to-gedre he neuer dranke wyne ne
     syder, but fled thayme so muche, that vunethe he wold here thayme
     namyd; he ete no mete that come nere the ffyre, but only twyes
     in the wittest (!) nede of his sekenesse; nexte his fleshe he weryd
|r45 a sakke of here and hillid him above with a clothe moest vile; // he



|p334


     knew neuer other bedde but the erthe; onys on the day only after
     euensong-tyme he ete ffruyte or levis or herbis or rotis, and after,
     yeving hyme to prayr, he woke till two houris within nyght; and
     than he slepte apone the ground till mydnyht; and than anone he
 |r5 rose and till day he entendid to redingis and to holy scripturis.
     He wepte for right small veniall synnys so bitterly, that men myght
     haue wend he had slayne a mane. Eche day thries he bete his
     ffleshe with so harde betingis, that ryvers of blode flowid frome his
     body. He eschewid as a tempest to speke any ydell word; idell
|r10 was he neuer, but alway ocupied in holy wrytyngis and redingis
     or techingis of other. What shall y say more? yf y shuld speke
     the lyvis of all sayntis, I wene y shuld ffynde no more holy than
     he. But for we namyd Samuell tofore: we may shewe clerely that
     he was Samuell: ffor fro his mothers tetis he was clepid to studye
|r15 of lecture and sett service of holy scripture; so that in the light
     of his chere albeflowid with godly wysdome we se the lightis of
     bothe testamentis, and in strengthe of his arme a grete party of
     heretikis is disparlid; he is the glorie of oure vertu, translating the
     old lawe and the newe frome the langage of ebrew in to latyne
|r20 and in to grew, bothe to abyde for euer vnto all that come aftyr;
     declaring many preuyteis and dowtes; and araying the ordre of
     dyuyne service. // He edefyed nye all the chirche, so that he apperid
     gretly in depnesse of vnspekable wysdome. He couthe all liberall
     service so parfytly that all men say noone apperithe like hyme, and
|r25 as y lernyd my-selffe by experyence of other pistelis of holy writt
     that he sent vnto me, I ffynd neuer none like vnto hyme, for he
     couthe the langage and letters of Ebrew, Grew, and Caldy, Perse,
     Mede, Arabi and ny of all nacionis, as thoughe he had be bore and
     norishid amongis theme. Here what shall y say more? Neuer man
|r30 couthe nor knew in kynd that that Jerome couthe. / But, worshipfull
     ffader, wene thou nott that y say these thingis wenyng that thou
     knew nott the lyf and vertuouse of Jerome but by me, while thou
     thy-selffe were his felowe a long tyme. But y call god to witnesse,
     that for the holynesse of so vnspekable a mane y may not be still,
|r35 thoughe y wold; for merveylis and myraclis knowleche his holy_nesse,
      / and also the selffe heuennys, in whiche he is grete and of
     more blisse than many of the sayntis that are theryne. No man
     doute that he hathe one of the gretest and hyghest siteis among
     the mansyonnys of oure euer-lasting ffadir; // ffor, while euery man
|r40 is rewardid ther after his lyf and meritis, and he was of moest
     parffit lyf: hit shewith that he is one of the grettest and highest
     cite¨eynnys of heuenly Jherusalem. Whiche that shull more sykerly
     and playnly be bylievid of us: tofore all men that oure age hathe
     mynde of, he apperid moest meruelouse in vnwont tokennys and
|r45 vnnumerable miraclis. Of whiche the worshipfull man Eusebye de_clared
     somme vnto me by his letteris. But of other wondris that be



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     do ther euery day mervelously, as y here by contynuall relacion, I 
     pray the, right dere ffader, that, whan thou mayst haue leysere,
     thou woldest gadre as many of thayme as thou may, amd send
     theme vnto me, that ame so desyrouse to here of so worthi dedis
 |r5 and so proffitable. e. c.
     Howe seint Jerome the same oure that he dyed append to seint
     Austyn. Capit. III.
     |r<b> That the meretis of moest holy Jerom he not hidde, I shall tell
     that byfell me thoroughe goddis grace the same day of his passing.
|r10 For the same day and houre that holy Jerom did of the cote of
     ffilthe and vnclennesse and was cladde with the clothing of joye
     and vndedlynesse: while y was in my sell, thinking besely what
     glory and myrthe was in tho blissid soulis that Joyed with Cryst,
     desyring to make therof a shorte tretis, as y was prayed; y toke
|r15 penne and ynke, to write a pistell čerof vnto moest holy Jerom,
     that he shuld write ayeyne onto me what he ffelith in (t)his mater
     -- ffor y knewe wele čat in so hard a questione y myght not be
     lernyd so evydently as of him of no man alyve. And whane y
     beganne to write the begynnyng of my letter: / sodenly an vnspek_able light, |r20 with a mervelouse swetnesse of swete smell, entirid
     into my cell, at complyne-tyme. And whan y see hitt, y was so
     gretly astonyed, that y lost all my strengthe bothe of hert and of
     body. // I wyst not y ett that the marvelouse hond of god had en_haunsyd
     his servaunt Jerome, making his marvaylis to knowe to
|r25 muche peple; I wist not that god of his wont mercys had dissoluyd
     his trew servant Jerome frome corrupcion of body, and arayed him
     so hye a cete in heuene. -- But ffor myne yghene had neuer see
     sucche a lyght, my smelling had neuer ffelt sucche a sauoure: y
     was gretly astonyed at so vnharde merveylis. // And while y thouht
|r30 in my-selffe what hit myght be, anone čer sownyd a voyce out of
     the light, sayiug these wordis: `Austyn, Austyn, what sekist thou?
     Trowest thou that all the see shalbe put in a littell vessell? or wenyst
     thou to close all erthe in a littill ffyste? or to lett the firmament
     frome contynuell meving? or to lett the se frome his wont cours? That
|r35 mannys yghe myght neuer se, shall thine se, or thine ere here that
     neuer mannys herd? wenyst thou that thou mow vndirstond that
     neuer mannys hert vndirstode neyther myght thinke, that shalbe
     the end of an endles thing? That may not be mesure, how shall
     hit be mesurid? Rather shall all the erthe be hold in a littill ffyst,
|r40 rather shall all če see be sparryd in a littill put, rather shall the
     see sease ebbing and fflowing, than thou shuldest vnderstond the
     leest parte or porcione of Joyes and blisse that blessid soulis haue
     in heuen withouten end -- but yf thou were tawht by experience
     and tastyng of the same blisse as y ame. Therfore traveyle thou
|r45 not to do thingis that bene inpossible, till the ende of thy lyf be



|p336


     comme; seche thou not here tho thingis that may not be knowe but
     of theme that bene in blisse! // But rather traveyle thou to do sucche
     service and dedis that thou may be in posessione in sucche thingis
     there as thou desyrest to knowe here! ffor thay that onys entir
 |r5 thiddir, go neuer out ayeyne'. // Than I all astonyed for drede
     and with strengthe of hert toke to me a littill boldnesse and sayd:
     `Who art thou that drowpest so swete wordis in to my throte?'
     `I am, he said, Jerome preest, to whome thou hast begonne to write 
     a pistell. I am his soule that this same oure is in Bethelem levyng
|r10 če byrdene of fleshe, am Joynyd vnto Crist and felaw with all cum_pany
     of heuen, cladde in light and arayed with the stole of vn_dedly
     blysse, go to the euerlasting kingdom of heven. // And frome
     hennys forthe y abide no lassing of Joye, but mornyng whane I
     shalbe Joynyd ayeyne to the body that shalbe gloreffied, and the
|r15 glorye that y haue now alone I shall haue than with the body, in
     the day of resurreccione, whane all mankynd shall aryse and oure
     bodies shalbe Joynyd from corrupcione, and we shalbe ravishid up
     in to the ayre, to mete with Cryst, and so we shalbe alway with
     oure lord'. // Than I, Austyn, not cessing to wepe, answerid and
|r20 said: `O thou worthiest of men, wold god I myght be worthi to
     be thy ffoet-man! But haue mynd on thy seruant, thoughe y be
     moest nnworthye, whome thou lovist in the worlde with so grete
     affeccione of charite! By thy prayer y may be clensid of synne;
     by thy gouernaunce y may go without stombling in the right way
|r25 of vertu; be thy besy deffence y may contynually be deffendid
     frome myn enmyse, and be thy holy leding y may comme to the
     hauen of helthe. And now like hit the to answere me to sum
     thingis that y shall aske of the!' Than said the soule: `Aske what
     thou wolt, knowing that y shall answere to all thy wyll.' // Than I
|r30 sayd: `I wold witt yf the soulis that be in hevyne may will any
     thing that thay may not gett'. The soule answerid: `Austyne, know
     thou o čing: that the soulis in that heuenly blisse are made so
     sure and stabill, that ther is no will in heuin but goddis will, ffor
     thay may will no thing but that god will. Therfore thay may gitt
|r35 what that thay will; and what thay will, god will and fulffillith hit.
     None of us is defrawdid of oure desyris ayeynyst oure will; ffor
     none of us desirith any thing but god; and for we haue god alway,
     as we will, oure desyris is alway fulffillid; ffor we abyde parffetly
     in god, and he vs'. O fadir Cirill, hit wer to long to write in
|r40 čis short pistell all thingis that that gloriouse soule answerid and
     made know vnto me. But y hope with goddis helpe after fewe
     yeris to cum to Bethelem, to visitt his holy reliques, and than to
     declare more openly that y herd and haue writt. Yf y shuld speke
     withe the tungis of all men, y myght in no wyse worthyly expresse



|p337


     how sotelly, how openly and how meruelously that (soule) expressid
     vnto me the vnite of the Trenyte and Trynite of the vnite, and the
     generacione of the sonne of the ffader, and the goyng forthe of the
     holy goest frome the ffader and the sonne, and the Je(r)archies and
 |r5 ordres of angelis, of blissid spiritis and her mynystracion and
     blissis, Joyis of holy soulis, and other thingis profitable and herd
     to mannys vndirstonding. And after this the light vanyshid away;
     but the swete sauoure abode many dayes after. Howe meruelouse is
     therfore this mane, doyug so many merveylis and shewyng to men
|rl0 so vnwont wondres!' Therfore to hyme cry we, and Joy we and
     yef we glory vnto his praysing! And we are not sufficient to
     prayse him: ffor he is enterid into the house of oure (lord), bright
     and moest feyre, where without doute he hathe an euerlasting sete
     among the hyghe mansionnys of blisse.
|r15 How ffowre men had a visyon off seint Jerom in the oure of his
     dethe. Capit. quartum.
     |r<b> But ffor-thy that trouthe shuld be declarid by mo witnesse than
     be oon, I confferme more playnly the trouthe of this thing. A worthy
     man, callid Severe, exellent in wysdome and cunnyng, with thre
|r20 other men, being the same day and oure ot the passing of seint
     Jerom in the Cite of Turon, see a vysyone like vnto myn; of whiche
     the same Severe witnessith vnto me, for that the highe Joye of
     Jerome shuld not be hidde to the worlde, leest thay that haue
     delyte to folowe the steppis of his holynesse, yf thay knewe not
|r25 that he hathe so grete a reward, thay mygbt wex wery and cesse
     frome the way of holynesse: Godde wold that thay shuld see and
     knowe how many and worthy rewardis of holynesse he hathe yeff
     vnto him, that thay shuld the more sikerly drawe after steppis of
     his vertu -- ffor the hope of rewarde lessithe the strengthe of laboure.
|r30 The day of seint Jerome passing, at complyne-tyme, the said Severe
     was in his owne house, and thre other goed men with him, of
     whiche too were monkis of seint Martynes monastorye, entending
     to holy redingis. Sodenly thai herd in heuen, in erthe and in the
     ayre innumerable voycis of moest swete songis, vnherd, vnspekable,
|r35 and the sound of organys, symphanys and of instrumentis of all
     musyke: with the whiche, as than semyd, heuene and erthe and all
     thing sownyd on euery syde; so that with swetnesse of that melody
     theyre soulis were in poynt to go out of her bodies. And thus
     astonyed, thay lokid up in to heuen: and see all the ayre and all
|r40 that is about the firmament shyne with light brighter thane the
     sonne, out of whome come the swetnesse of all swete odoure. And
     than thay prayid god that thay myght witt why all this was. Than
     ther come a voyse out of heuen and sayd: `Lat no merueyle mene
     howe, nor think hit no mervelous, thoughe ye see and here sucche



|p338


     thingis, ffor this day king of kingis and lord of lordis, Crist Jhesu,
     comythe ffeestifully ayeynyst the soule of gloriouse Jerome in
     Bethelem going out of this wicked world, to lede him to the king_dome
     of hevene; so more excellently and highe toffore other, as he
 |r5 shynyd tofore other in this world by merytis of more highe and
     holy lyving. This day the orderis of all angelis, Joying and singing
     with sucche voycis as ye here, comyng with thayre lord; this day
     all compaynis of patriarkis and prophetis, this day all holy martyris,
     this day all confessoris, and this day the gloriouse and moest highe
|r10 virgyne Mary, moder of god, with all her holy virgenys aboute her,
     and the soulis of all that bene in blisse, comyth Joyfully and ffesti_fully
     ayeynyst thayre contre-mane, there cite¨eyne, and eyre of
     heuen with theme'. These thingis said, the voyse was still. But
     the light, odoure, and song abode an oure affter, and so seasid. By
|r15 this thingis, ffadir, is hit shewid, that he is of the hyest Cetece¨ns
     of heuenly Jherusalem; and no-man dout but that, as his will is
     more nere to goddis will, so he may gitt there what he will, rather
     than other.
     Howe seint Johne Baptyst and seynt Jerom append vnto seynt
|r20 Austyn in a vysyon. Cap. V.
     |r<b> No-man thinke that I am so bold to say that seint Jerome is better
     than seint Johne Baptist -- ffor as oure savyoure berith witnesse:
     none is more than he; nor, that Jerom is in the blisse of heuen to-
     fore Petir and Paule and other apostelis, that ware chosyne and
|r25 hallowid of Cryst him-selffe. // żett, thou resone fforbede to
     say that Jerome shuld haue more glorie in heuene than thay:
     y se no reasone why hit shuld (not) be lefull to say that
     Jerome is even in blisse with hem, while he was not discord_ing
     from hem in holynesse. And sith god is not acceptoure
|r30 of parsonys, but he dissernith the meritis of eche parsone -
     he yevithe to eche as thay disserve -: ¨yf hit seme that
     Jerom shuld haue lasse Joye than Johne Baptist and other
     apostolis, ¨ett the merytis of his holynesse, the grevis of his laboure,
     the bokis of his writingis, the translacion of bothe the lawis, the
|r35 ordinaunoe of dyvyne servise, the fruytis and profitt of goednesse
     that he did not only to all that be now but also to heme that
     be to comme, seme to preue that Jerom is evyne to heme in
     blisse. // But leest that y make a scornyng to sum mane that
     wold deme that for carnall affeccionis, wherethorough a mane
|r40 may lightely erre frome trouthe, or fro vnkunnyng of my_selffe
     I lykennyd glorious Jerom to seint Johne Baptst or other
     apostelis: y take god to witnesse that I shall tell a thing that y
     lernyd neuer of man but by reuelacion of almyghti god, that
     honourethe and magnefieth this chosynne. The ffourthe nyght



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     after his passing, whane y thoughte desyrously apone the praysing
     of moest blissid Jerome and began to write a pistyll therof to the:
     aboute midnyght, whane slepe come apone me, ther byffell me a
     wondirfull vicion. There come to me a grete multitude of angelis,
 |r5 and amonges theme were two men incomparable brighter thane the
     sonne, so like that ther semyd no dyfference, saff the tone bare
     thre crownys of gold sett full of preciouse stonys on his hede, and
     the other but two. Bothe thay ware cladde with mantellis moest
     white and ffeyre, all with gold and preciouse stonys. Thay were
|r10 so ffayre that no-mane myght emagyne hitt. Thay bothe come nere
     vnto me and stode still in scilence. Thane he that had thre crownys,
     sayd vnto me these wordis: `Austyne, thou thinkest what of trouthe
     thou shuldest say of Jerom, and after long thinking thou wost
     neuee. Therfore we be come bothe onto the, to tell the his blisse.
|r15 Sothely, this is my ffellaw Jerome, whome thou seest, the whicche
     is evyne to me in all wyse in glory, as he was evene to(me) in
     lyving; that y may, he may; that y will, he will; and as y se god,
     so he sethe god, knowith god, and ondirstondith god, in whome is
     all blesfulnesse of all sayntis, nor no saynt hathe more or lesse
|r20 blisse thane another, but in asmuche as one hathe more clere con_templacion
     and sight than other of the fayrnesse of god. That
     crowne that y bere more than he, is the aureall of martirdome,
     by whiche y endid my bodely lyff: // ffor, thou Jerome ffor the tra_vellis
     and disseasis and other grevouse thingis whicche he suffred
|r25 Joyfully for Cryst, and so beyng a verray marter, hathe not lost
     the reward of martirdome, ¨it, ffor he endid not his lyf by the
     swerd, he hathe not the aureall that is yevyne in tokenyng of mar_tirdome.
     The too other crownys that bothe he and y haue, are the
     aureallis that are dew only to a virgyne and doctours, by whiche
|r30 thay are knowene ffrome other'. Than answerid I and said: `Who
     art thou, my lord?' He sayd: `I ame Johne Baptyst, that ame come
     downe to teche the of the glorye of Jerome, that thou tell hit to
     other peple. For knowe that the worship that is done to any saynt,
     is do to all sayntis -- ffor ther is none envye, as is in the world,
|r35 where eche mane sechith rather to be abouen thane vnder; not so
     in heuen, but ther eche soule is as gladde of others Joye and blisse,
     as he had hit him-selffe. Wherfore the Joye of eche is the Joye of
     all, and če Joy of all is the Joy of eche'. Whan these thinggis were
     sayd, that blissid cumpany yede ther way. And y woke of that
|r40 swete slepe and ffelt in me so grete feruoure and brennyng of love
     and charite, that y felt neuyr so muche afore. And frome thense
     forthe was ther neuer none appetite in me in envye or of pride
     as was toffore. God is my witnesse that ther is so muche feruoure
     of charite in me, that y Joy more of an others goed thane of myne;
|r45 I desyre more to be vndir all than abouen any. I say not this for



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     to gitt me vayne praysing, but for no man shuld wene that these
     were vayne dremys, wherby we are oft scornyd, but a trewe vysyone,
     by the whicche we are otherwhile taught of god. Prayse we ther_ffore
     god in his seynt, prayse we therfore moest holy Jerom, that
 |r5 did gret thingis in his lyff and hathe reseyuyd grete thingis in his
     dethe. Men ought not to be slewffull to prayse him, whome god
     hathe magneffied; ne wene no-mane to do wrong to seint Johne and
     to the apostellis, evenyng Jerome vnto theme, for thay wold
     gladly, yf thay myght: ¨eve him of thayre glorie. Therfor thou
|r10 that worshippest seint Johne and the apostelis, worship also seint
     Jerom, ffor he is evyne vnto thayme in all thinggis. Sykerly
     therfore, withouten doute, knowlege we with devocion that Jerome
     is euen vnto Johne; ffor yf we say that he is lasse than Johne, we
     do derogacion vnto him and Johne. This tretis of the praysing of
|r15 Jerome y send vnto the, fader Cirell, praying the that thou scorne
     not my littyll witt, but that thou rede this praysingis that y haue
     writtyne, of charite; iff all tungis of all men shuld prayse him, thay
     were not sufficient. Worshipfull ffader, haue mynd on me synner,
     whane thou stondist in that place where the body of Jerome lieth;
|r20 and comend me vnto him with thi prayers -- ffor no-mane doute but,
     what euer Jerome desyrithe in hevene, he may gitt hitt, ffor he
     may in no wyse be defrawdid of his desyre. Fare weell, ffader,
     and pray for me!
|r(lII) Here endith the pistyll of seint Austyn vnto Cirill, and begynnyth
|r25 the pistyll of the same Cirill vnto seint Austyn of the myracle
     of seynt Jerom. Cap. VI.
     |r<b> To the worshipffull mane, worthiest of byshoppis, Austyne, by_shopp
     of Ypone, Cyryll, byshop of Jherusalem, lowest of all prestis,
     sending greting, and to ffollowe his steppis whose holynesse ceasith
|r30 nott to shyne in erthe: that is to say of gloriouse Jerome whose mynde
     is had in euerlasting blisse; and how worthy he is thou wotest
     weell thy-selffe, for thou vsest right mucche his speking and doc_trine.
     But y to speke of him, sithe y ame in all wyse wikkid and
     vnworthi, y hold hit to mucche holdnesse. But ¨itt, ffor thi charite
|r35 compellith me to write to the sum of the mervelouse myraclis that
     god lyst to do by him in oure dayes, to shewe him gloriouse to
     the world and to all ffolke: trusting in thi prayers I take hit on
     hond and shortly y shall tell a fewe of many. And ffyrst y will
     begynne at an holy man, Euseby, disciple of Jerome. Affter
|r40 the dethe of moeste gloriouse Jerome ther rose an heresy amongis
     the Grekis whicche come vnto us that be of Latyne tung. Whicche
     heresy laborid to preve by wickyd resonnys that all savid soulis
     shuld not come to the aighte and knowlege of god, in which is all
     blysse, till the day of dome, whane thay shulbe Joynyd ayeyne to
|r45 the body; and also that dampnyd soulis shuld haue no payne till
     that day. The reson was this: ffor like as the soule with the body



|p341


     had done weell or evill, so with the body hit shuld resay ve mede
     or payne. Thay said also that ther was no place of purgatorye,
     where soulis that had not do full penaunce ffor thayre synnys shuld
     be purgid. And this wikked secte encresid; we were so sory,
 |r5 that us yrkid to lyve any lenger. Than y gaderid to-giddre
     all oure byshoppis and enioyned theme fasting & prayers, that the
     powere of god shuld not suffre his faythe so to be trowbillid.
     A, mervelouse and in happis not se tofore! Thre dayes of ffasting
     and prayers fulfillid, gloriouse Jerome appering one the nyght
|r10 ffolowing to his dere sunne Eusebye toforsaid in his prayers and
     with benynge speche comfortid him and said: `Drede the nott of
     this wikkid secte! ffor that shall sone haue an ende'. Thane Euseby
     lokid one hyme: and he shone with so mucche bryghtnesse, that
     no mannys yghen myght loke apone him. But weping for Joye,
|r15 Euseby myght vnncthe speke; but as he myght, he cryed and said:
     `Thou art my ffader Jerome'. And oftene rehersing this wordis, he
     said: `ffader, why forsakest thou me? why dispisist thou my cnmpanye?
     sertayne, y shall hold the and not leve the, nor thu shalt not go
     without thy sunne, whom thou lovest so mucche'. Gloriouse Jerome
|r20 answerid: `My swete sun, he sayd, I shall not forsake the nor
     leve the be vncomfortid: ffor the XX day after thou shalt folow
     me and be with me in Joye withouten ende. But say to Syrill and
     to his bretheryne, that thay all and all clerkis that be mene of trew
     crystene ffaythe, and also all that bene of the other secte, cum to
|r25 morow to-gedre to the crybbe of oure lord, where my body lieth;
     and make thou the bodies of thre mene that are this nyght dede
     in the citee, to be brought vnto the place where my bonys is buried;
     and thou shall lay apone them the sakke that y vsid to were: and
     anone thay shall aryse and groundly distroye this heresye'. Than
|r30 gloriouse Jerom bad him fare well and apperid no lenger. On the
     morow worshipfull Euseby come vnto me that was thane at Bethelem,
     and told me all that he had sene. And I, doyng thonking to god
     and to gloriouse Jerome, did bring the thre ded bodies to us all
     gaderid to-gydder in that place where oure sauyoure was bore of
|r35 the clene virgyne, where also lieth the body buried of gloriouse
     Jerome. O meruelouse mercy of god vnto man! In howe many
     wyse canne he helpe thayme that trustith in hyme! In howe many
     worshippis canne he enhaunse his servantis! In this tyme men of
     evell desyrith to scorne men of right believe; but bethe glad, men of
|r40 right ffaythe, and praysith god in voyse ioying, ffor ye haue resayvid
     mercy in hyme inmyddis of his tempill! The worshipfull mane
     Euseby come vnto the bodies of eche of the thre dede men, and,
     kneling on his kneis and bolding up his handis vnto heuen, he
     prayed, all men hering, and said: `God, to whome no thing is vnposs_ible, |r45 no thing grevouse, that čou doest grete merveylis alone, and



|p342


     dispisiet none that hopith in the: send to us vertu of thy grace
     and strengthe, and here the prayers of thy servantis; and that the
     ffaythe that thou haest ¨eve me to abyde vndeffylid, and that er_roure
     of the trouthe may appere, by meritis and prayers of thy
 |r5 gloriouse lovid Jerome bring ayeyne in to the bodies the soulis that
     thou hast made to go oute therof!' After that prayer he toke the
     sakke that Jerome vsid, and touchid the dede bodies therwith: and
     anone thay opennyd thare yghenne and shewid all tokennys of lyff
     verreyly, and rose, and begane with a clere voyse to tell openly all
|r10 the Joyes of holy soulis and the paynys of synners in purgatorye
     and in hell. ffor, as thay told me afftirward, seint Jerome led
     thayme into paradise, purgatorye, and to hell: that thay shuld tell
     to all ffolke that was tho there; and after bad thayme to go to
     thayre bodies ayeyne and do penaunce ffor thayre synnys that thay
|rl5 had do: ffor the same day and oure that worshipfull Euseby shuld
     dye, thay shuld passe also, and yf thay did well, thay shuld haue
     Joye with him. And so hit ffell, as y shall tell afterward. These
     thingis done, grete multitude of peple bothe of the true ffaythe
     and of this secte seing openly thayre erroure and the grete meritis
|r20 of Jerome, yaffe grete praysingis vnto god, that forsakith not thayme
     that tristith in him. // Thus, dere Austyne, we be tawght not to drede
     the pursuers of oure ffeythe, and to knowe howe redey oure pite_full
     lorde is to helpe all tho that call apone him in tyme of tribula_cion,
     and how myghty gloriouse Jerome is to promote the praye(r)s
|r25 of thayme that in clene hert prayeth and trustith vnto hyme.
     Of the mervelouse dethe of the said Euseby, and how seint
     Jerome apperid vnto hym in the oure of his passing. Capi_ tulum VII.
     |r<b> Whan tyme come that worshipfull Euseby knewe that he shuld
|r30 passe, as he was enformyd by the same vicione of seint Jerom:
     the thirde day tofore he was myghtely smyttene with a ffeuer. And
     than he made his bretheryne lay him nakid on the erthe and lay
     vpone him the sakk that gloriouse Jerome vsid to were. Than kist
     he his bretheryne, and, benyngly comforting theme, he styrid theme
|r35 to abyde stabely in the holy lyving; he ordeynyd by ensampill of
     gloriouse Jerom that he shuld be buried nakid without the chirche
     in which the body of seint Jerome lieth. After this he strenghid
     hyme-selffe with the comyng and percepcion of the holy body of
     oure lord Jhesu Crist and comendid him-selffe to god and to seint
|r40 Jerome. And so he lay thre dayes without bodely sight or speche,
     his bretheryne stonding about hyme, contynually saying and reding
     theyre sawter, the passione of oure lord and other holy thingis.
     But for sothe hit is hard and fferefull to all that lyvith in this
     world, this that y shall now tell the. The day that he shuld dye,
|r45 two owris tofore the passing of that blissid soule worshipfull
     Euseby byganne to behaue him so ferefully, that the,monkis, that



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     stode about him, ffell downe to the erthe for ffere as men out of
     her mynde; ffor otherwhile he turnyd vp his yghene and wrong his
     hondis to-gydder, and with a fferefull fface and a hard voyse he
     satt up and cryed `I shall not, I shall not; thou liest, thow lyest'.
 |r5 Aftir this he fell downe ayeyne to the erthe and, festenyng his
     fface to the ground as muche as he myghte, he cryed `helpe me,
     helpe me, bretheryne, that y perishe nott!' And thay hering this,
     weping and tremling for fere askid hyme: `ffader, howe is it with
     yowe? He said: `Se ye not the multitude of ffendis that wold ouer_come me?' |r10 Thay askid hyme: `What wold thay that thou shuldest
     do, whane thou saydest: y shall nott, I shall not?' He answerid:
     `Thay laboure and traveyle me that y shuld blasfeme the name
     of god, and therfore y cryed that y shuld not do hitt'. And thay
     askid hyme: `Whi, ffader haddest thou thy fface to the ground?'
|r15 He answerid: `that y shuld not see thayre lokingis, whiche be so
     ffoule and orrible, that all the paynys in the worlde are right nought
     in comparisone therof'. Amonge these wordis he bygane to doo
     and to crye ageyne as he did tofore, and so come vnto the last
     ende of his lyff. His brether that stode aboute hyme, for fere and
|r20 sorow fell down as dede, not witting that thay myght do. // But god
     that is gloriouse in his seyntis, mervelouse in mageste, benyng and
     mercifull to theyme that drede hyme, // he fforsaketh not his servan_tis
     in tyme of nede: ffor, whane worshipffull Euseby com vnto the 
     last ende, gloriouse Jerom apperid and benyngly comfortid hyme.
|r25 And whan he come, all that Innumerable cumpanye of ffendis for
     fere of hyme vanyshid away as smoke, as many of the monkis
     berith witnesse that by the dispensacion of god se hit. But all
     that stode aboute herd how Euseby said:  `ffrome whennys comyst
     thou, fader? why bast thou taryed so long? I pray the, forsake
|r30 not thy sunne'. // And sodeynly all thay herd howe Jerome answerid
     ageyne: `Abyde, sunne, be not afferd! for y shall not forsake the,
     whome y luffe so mucche'. Than after a litell while worshipffull
     Euseby dyed. And the same oure dyed the thre men that were
     areysid, and, y hope, went with Euseby vnto euer-lasting Joye; ffor
|r35 all tho XX dayes after thay were areysid, thay gaffe thayme to so
     muche penaunce, that without doute thay were worthy to be re_wardid
     withe endelesse blysse. & cet.
       Howe the said thre men aftyr thay were areysyd, told Cyrill of
          the paynys of purgatorye and of hell. Capitulum octavum.
|r40 |r<b> I trowe, hit be not to kepe sylence of tho thingis that y lernyd
     of tho thre men in tho dayes that thay lyvid, after thay were arerid
     -- ffor all that tyme y was contynually with sum of thayme, ffrome
     mydmorow vnto euensong -- tyme, desyring to know the preveteis of



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     that lyf that we abyde after this short and passing lyff. But thoughe
     y lernyd many thingis of heme, yet now because of shortnesse y
     may tell but a ffewe. On a tyme, whane hit happenyd me to go to
     one of theme, y found him sore weping; and after y ffelt that he
 |r5 wold take no comfort by my wordis I askid him the cause of his
     weping. And whane y had askid him often, he answerid nott. At
     the last compellid by my long instaunce, he answerid and said:
     `Iff thou knewe two thingis that had experience of the last day,
     ther shuld evir be yne the cause of weping'. Than said I: `(I)
|r10 prey the: tell what thou seest'. // `O what paynis and turmentis are
     ordeynid not only to the dampnyd soulis, but also to thayme that
     be in purgatorye!' Than said I: `Of thingis that I knowe nott, y
     canne yeff no certeyne sentence; but y trowe that thay be not like
     to če paynys and disseasis that were suffred here'. // He answerid:
|r15 `yf all the paynys, tormentis and affliccionse that myght be
     thoughte in this world, were likennyd to the leest payne that is
     there: all that semyth payne and torment shuld be solace and com_fort;
     ffor, yf any man alyve knewe the paynys by experience, he
     shuld rather chese to be turmentid vnto the ende of the worlde
|r20 withouten remedye with all the paynys to-gedre that all men suf_fred
     ffrome Adam till this tyme, than the turmentid oo day in hell
     or in purgatorie with the leest payne that is there. And čerfore,
     yf thou aske me the cause of so gret weping: hit is the drede of
     paynys that are wyslye ghevyne vnto synners; ffor y knowe weell
|r25 that y haue synnyd a¨eynyst god -- and I doute nott but that
     he is rightwisse. And therfore merveyle not thoughe y sorow!
     But rather thou oughtest to be gretly merveylid why men that
     wote weell thay shall dye at the last by experience of other, lyvithe
     here in so gret siknesse and thinketh not how so ascape so grete
|r30 paynys'. // Att these wordis y was touchid with an Inward sorowe,
     so that y myght vnnethe speke. And y said: `Alas what is this
     that y here! But y pray the, tell me what difference is there by_twene
     the paynys of hell and of purgatorye'. He said: `Ther is no
     difference in gretnesse of payne; bnt in oo wyse ther may be
|r35 difference: ffor the paynys of hell abydith none ende, but mornyng
     at the day of dome, whan the bodies shalbe turmentid with the
     soulis; and the paynys of purgatorye hathe ane ende, ffor, after
     thay haue done thayre penaunce ther, thay shalbe take vnto end_lesse
     Joyes'. I askid: `Be thay that are in purgatorye, turmentid
|r40 all like or ellis dyuersly?' `Sum more greuously thane summe, after
     the quantite of thayre synnys. For in hevyne all blissid soulis be_hold
     the fayrnesse of god wherin is all blisse; and, thoughe eche
     of theme haue as muche Joye as thay can, will or thinke, yet thay
     be not all even like in Joye: ffor sum haue more, and sum haue
|r45 lasse, after the dedis that thay haue done. And yf thou merveyle



|p345


     that ther may be dyuerse Joyes in sayntis, while the only cause is
     god himselffe, in whome may be none diuersite: the answere is this:
     that the knowing, beholding and vndirstonding of god is all the
     reward of Joye of sayntis; amd čerfore, yf all soulis in blisse see
 |r5 and knowe god as he is, yet summe se and vndirstond (him) lesse
     than other and haue lesse Joye, and sum se and vndirstood him
     more clerely and so haue more Joye. So may hit be said of the
     paynys of dampnyd soulis: ffor all dampnyd soulis be in one place
     of paynys, yet thay are turmentid with dyuerse paynys after the
|r10 qualite of theyre synnys. For ther is so muche defference bytwixste
     the paynys of crystene men and of hethen men, that the paynys of
     hethene men in regarde of the paynys that false crystcne mene
     suffryse, be as hit were no paynys, // and yet thay be vnspekable
     and may not be thoughte of any that lyffyth in erthe -- and so
|r15 hit is worthy, for crysten men ressayvith the grace of god in vayne
     that will not be amendid of thare synnys, while that thay lyve,
     holy scripture crying apone theme contynually and thay sett not
     therby'. // I said: `Hit is right horrible that thou sayst, and wold
     god hit were besely ffestennyd in the myndis of all that bene a
|r20 lyve, that thay myght cease frome synne for dred of payne, yf thay
     wold not for luffe of Joye'.
       Off the dying of these thre men areryd, and how seint Jerom
          comfortid them in thayre passing. Cap. IX.
     |r<b> `Nowe I pray the, tell me how hit was with the, the last day
|r25 whane thy soule partid frome thy body.' // He said: `Whane the oure
     of my deth come, there come so grete a multitude of evill spiritis
     and ffendis in to the place ther y lay, that ffor mnltitude thay
     myght nought be nombryd. The liknesse of theme was sucche, that
     ther may be thoughte no thing more paynffull ne more horryble -
|r30 ffor any mane alyve wold rather put him-selffe to bryne in the
     hottest flawmys of ffyre thane he wold se the formys of theme in
     twynkeling of an yghe. These fendis come vnto me and brought
     vnto my mynde all the synnys that euer y did, styring me to trust
     no lengher on the mercy of god, ffor y myght not ascape the with_standing of |r35 thayme. And whane all the strengthe of my spirit
     ffaylid, so that y was nere in the poynt to assent vnto theme:
     glorouse Gerom come with a grete cumpany of angelis about hyme,
     seuen tymys bryghter than the sonne, and comfortid me. And tho
     he se tho wickid spiritis, how hard thay troubillid me, he was gretly
|r40 styrid ayeyngst theme and said with a ferdfull voyse: `ye spiritis of
     wickednesse and of all cursidnesse, why come ye hidder? wyst ye
     wele that thus he shuld be socouryd be my helpingis. // Levith hyme
     anone and withdrawe youre wickidnesse fro him, as fast and as
     ferre as the eest is frome the west'. And anone withe these wordis
|r45 all that cumpanye of cursid spiritis was afferde, and with grete
     cryingis and waylingis thay went out of the plase ther y lay. And



|p346


     than gloriouse Jerom bad sum of the angelis that čay shuld nought
     go ffrome me, but abyde till he come ayeyne. And with the tother
     angelis in hast he went his way. And whan he was gone, the
     angelis čat were left to kepe me, beganne to comforte me, behot_yng me ffayre,
 |r5 yf y wold suffre and abyde with strong peyne of
     hert. // And amonges these wordis of comforte an oure past; and
     thane come seint Jerome ayeyne and, stonding in the durre, he
     said: `comvth in haest!' Than sodenly my soule lefte the body
     so grevously and so bitterly, that no mannys mynde myght vndir_stond what
|r10 angwishis and disseasis thay were, but yf he had lernyd
     theme by experiencis, as y haue: ffor yf the vndirstonding of all
     shuld esteme all angwyshis and sorow that thay cowthe, thay shuld
     acount theme at noughte in regarde of departing of the soule ffrome
     the body'. But while he told me these and many mo thingis ffull
|r15 hard and dredfull to all men, whiche y write not here for lengthe,
     the day began to ende and therfore he must lyffe to tell tho thingis
     that byffell him after his dethe, whiche y desynd moest to here.
       How these thre men stode toffore the dome of god, and how seint
         Jerom led them to see the Joyes of heuen, the paynys of
|r20     purgatory and of hell, and than he bad theme go ageyne to
         thayre bodies. Cap. X.
     |r<b> The nexste day folowing y callid če othere too with him, to witt
     howe thay acordid, that by witnesse of theme all thre y myght be
     taught the more surly. And whane one bygane to tell me that that
|r25 other had told me toffore, y said: `Thoughe these thingis be prof_fitable
     and hit is not vayne to speke theme oftene, ¨et leving this
     that y haue herd, y pray you, tellith fforthe what byffell you after
     youre departing frome youre bodies'. Than said he that spake
     vnto me to morowe toffore: `What askis thou, Cirill? hit is not
|r30 possible to be told, for spirituall thingis may not be comprehendid
     of oure wittis. Thou knowest that thou haest a soule, and ¨itt
     what a soule is thou knowest not; and thou knowist that god is,
     but what he is thou maste not knowe in this lyffe, but by experience
     of example; so hit is of angelis and of all vnbodely thingis. For
|r35 while ther is many thingis know in kynd that for febilnesse of oure
     littell vndirstonding we may not vndirstonde: howe shuld we vndir_stond
     heuenly thingis and spirituall that be in all wyse straunge
     fro the knowing of kynde?' Than y said: `It is as thou sayst.
     But y pray the, tell thou me than so as these mene that be here
|r40 with me shall bere witnesse, that had experience of the same thingis
     as weell as thou'. He sayd: `So shall y tell as y may. Whane my
     soule was dyssolvid frome the body with so many angwishis and
     sorowis as y said toffore, sodenly and vnspekabli in twinkeling of
     an yghe hit was bore tofore the presence of god demyng; but howe
|r45 or of whome hit was borne I knowe not -- and hit is mervayle,



|p347


     ffor now y ame in the hevy body and than was the soule without
     body or flesshe. There tofore the Juge was the soulis of many
     rightwis men, tremeling with vnspekable fferis what the Juge shuld
     doo. Alasse, why knowe not thay that be dedly, to whome shalbe_fall as than
 |r5 byfell us! certayne, were not the vnknowing therof,
     thay shuld not synne so ofte as thay do! ffor we did no synne in
     all the tyme of oure lyff that myght be hidde frome the Juge; but
     all that euer we didde, was all clerely knowe to all that stode
     there, as yf thay had be present, in so muche that the leest of all
|r10 the thoughtis apperid there as hit was. Bethinke the, with howe
     many and how grete fferis we were smyttene with, at that. tyme! /
     There stode many ffeendis bering witnesse of all the evillys that
     we had do, declaring the tyme and the place and the manere, and
     we oure-selffe mvght not say nay to that that was putt apone us;
|r15 ffor eche ot us knew weell that hit was trewe, and also the Juge
     knewe all thingis and was moest rightfull. Alasse, alasse, what
     shall y say, what sentence abode we thane! ffor mynde therone y;
     quake yett and ame afferid. Owre wickidnesse cryed after venge_aunce
     vnto the Juge, and vnnethe apperid ther any goed, whereby
|r20 we myght haue hope of mercy; and all that were there cryed that
     we were worthy to be in torment and payne. And whane there
     ffaylid nothing but oonly to yeffe the sentence ayeynyst us that is
     yeven ayeynyst synners: gloriouse Jerom, brighter than all sterris,
     with seint Johne Baptist and with seint Peter, prince of the apostellis,
|r25 and with a grete multitude of angelis come vnto the trone of the
     Juge and prayed that oure sentence myght be taryed a while, and
     that we myght be gevyne vnto him, ffor the reuerence and deuocione
     that we hadde to him, and for nede to distroye the said heresye.
     And as he wold, so hit was grauntyd hyme. Aftir this he with his
|r30 blessid companye ledde vs with hyme and declarid vnto us where
     all crystyne soulis haue euerlasting Joye that may not be spoke,
     that we shulde bere witnesse therof. And then he lad us to pur_gatorye,
     and to hell, and not only he shewyd us what was there,
     but he wold also that we shuld assay the paynys by experience.
|r35 And whan this all was doo, that tyme the worshipfull Euseby
     touchid oure bodies with Jerommys sakke: the same gloriouse Jerom
     badde hem turne ayeyne to oure bodyes, and that we shuld bere
     witnesse of all that we had see, and behoting that, yf we did dewe
     penaunce for oure synnys, we shulde on the XXti day after haue
|r40 endlesse blisse with worshipfull Euseby, that shuld passe frome this
     worlde the same day and the same oure. And so were oure bodies
     Joynyd to oure soulis ayeyne'. O dere Austyne, many fferfull
     thingis lernyd y of tho thre mene, which, yf thay were impressid
     into mannys mynde, thay shuld vtterly rende away frome theme
|r45 the love of all erthly thingis and grete besynesse that is had
     theraboute, that nowe make many a man to erre. // But for y
     abyde thy commyng, to vysitte the relyques of seint Jerom,
     as thy letteris make mynd, I leve of nowe and a while touche of



|p348


     the sepulture of worshipfull Euseby and sithe forthe speke of the
     myraclis of gloriouse Jerom.
        Off too myraclis that Euseby wrought, or his body were buryed.
           Cap. XI.
 |r5 |r<b> Whan this holy man was dede, ahout mydnyght or mydmorow,
     anone čer shewid many myraclis to bere witnesse of the holynesse
     of his lyff. Of whicche y will tell twayne. Ther was a man, a
     monke ot the same abbay, that for waking and weping had lost his
     syght. And anone as he touchid the worshipffull body of Euseby,
|r10 hbe had his sight ayeyne, as tofore. Another mane ther was that
     had a ffende within him and was out of his witt, and come and
     met with us, as we bare the body of holy Euseby: and anone he
     was deliuerid and made hole. Thinke we inwardly how this mane
     was in his lyff, that myght do so grete myraclis so astely after his
|r15 ende! Thinke we on his holynesse with grete drede! for, sithe he
     that was so holy, had so parilouse a troubill and temptacion at his
     ende, howe shall we, synffull wrecchis, ascape that oure, and wote
     not howe sone we shall come therto? Than we buryed the bodye
     of holy Euseby with dewe worship, but nakid as his master was,
|r20 by the chirche in which the holy body of gloriouse Jerom is buried;
     and in the chirche the bodies were buried of the said thre mene
     that died the same oure.
        Howe an heretyke, callid Sabyan, was mervelously byhedid and
          ouircomme by the merytis, of seint Jerom. Cap. XII.
|r25 |r<b> Ther was an heretik, callid Sabyny, and that said there was too
     wyllis in Cryst, sum tyme discording, in so muche that he said Crist
     wold many thingis that he myght not do. And with this heresy
     he did us so muche sorow, that y may not tell hit with any wordis;
     for he peruertid the ffolke that is comyttid vnto us, as a ravishing
|r30 wolffe. And for he shuld maynteyne his heresye the more effectu_ally,
     he made a tretys therof and said that glorious Jerome had
     made hitt, to make us gyff ffeythe therto. But y knewe that glori_ouse
     Jerome made a pistill ayeynyst the same erroure, a litill tofore
     be dyed. And čerfore y clepe(d) the same heretike on a sunday
|r35 with all his disciplis vnto the chirche in Jherusalem, for to dispute
     and preve his erroure. Ther was gaderid to-geddir also all oure
     bishoppis and many other trewe crystene mene, and so oure disput_acion
     durid frome none till evyne. And whan the same heretik
     laid agaynyst us the same tretis that he fadrid apone gloriouse
|r40 Jerom: // Syluan, archebyshop of Na¨areth, myght not suffre so
     muche wrong to be putt apone Jerom; ffor he lovid and worshippid
     seint Jerome with so muche affeccion and deuocion of hert, that at
     the begynnyng of any thing that he did he askid ffirst helpe of god
     and of gloriouse Jerome; and therfore he was callid Jerome nye of



|p349


     all ffolkis. He rose ayeynys this heretik and blamyd hyme sharply
     for the wikkednesse that he did. And whan thay had long strevyne
     and eche of theme sayd agaynvs other what thay myghte, att last
     thay accordid to-gydir thus: that, yf seint Jerome shewid by the
 |r5 secund day at none that he had ffalsly made that tretys, the here_tikis
     hede shuld be smyttyne of; / and ellis shuld Sylvanus, the
     archbyshop. And thus eche man went home. All that nyght we
     yaff us to prayere, asking helpe of god, čat faylith none that trustith
     in hyme; but he is grete and right praysable, and ther is no numbre
|r10 of his wisdome. Whane the oure come on the nexste day, the
     heretik with his disciplis come into the chirche and went about as
     a ramping lyone, seking to devoure the servantis of god. And all
     the peple of trewe ffaythe stode in the chirche, cleping the name
     of gloriouse Jerome. But gloriouse Jerom ffarid as he had slepte
|r15 and not toke kepe of thayre prayers. and I, all bewepte, stode
     astonyed, and merveilid why gloriouse Jerome abode so long. And
     whan ther apperid no-thing of myracle, the heretik cruelly callid
     apone Syluan to do that he had hight. Than holy Sylvan went to
     the place where he shuld be hedid, Joying as thoughe he hadde
|r20 gone to a ffeest; and all byshoppis and other crystene men that
     stode there weping, he comfortid and said: `Joyeth with me, my
     dere frendis, Joyeth and beth not hevy! ffor god levith not theme
     that hopith in hyme'. Than he knelid downe and said: `Moest holy
     Jerom, helpe, yf hit please the! and thoughe y be worthy muche
|r25 more turment than this, yett, lesse falsnesse haue place, do thou
     socoure to trouthe! // And yf hit be not lefull that y be holpe, be
     mercyfull vnto me in the oure of my dethe, that y be not departid
     frome endlesse blisse!' // And than he hild fforthe his nekke and
     bad the turmentoure smyte: and lyfte up his swerd on hye,
|r30 desyring to smyte of the worshipffull byshoppis hede at o stroke:
     than sodenly, all men seyng, come gloriouse Jerom and put up his
     hond and hilde still the swerde and bad Sylvan to ryse. And than
     he blamyd the heretyke, shewyng howe he had vntruly made čat
     tretise and vndirstond the scripture, and therfore he threting hyme,
|r35 and vanyshid frome the sight of all the peaple. And anone as
     gloriouse Jerome was go, the heretikes hede ffell apone the ground,
     smyttyne of frome the bodye, as thoughe hit had be smyttyne with
     a swerd at a stroke. And whan all see this grete mervayle sodendly,
     thay were astonnyed and thanked god, and the disciplis of the here_tikis |r40 turnyd vnto the way of trouthe. // Loo, how the trust that this
     worshipfull byshop had onto god and gloriouse Jerome was effectu_ally,
     for he dred nought to dye ffor trouthe, yeffing ensampill to
     all cristene men -- ffor he is no trew crystene mane that sparith to
     dye for trouthe; sithe Crist ¨aff his lyf for us to by us frome all



|p350


     thraldome we owe not to be afferde to yeff oure lyff for hyme,
     whan tyme is; for no-man may gitt the ground of blysse, but yf
     he ffyght lawfully therfore.
        Howe the ffeende apperid in liknesse of the said Sylvan byshop,
 |r5       slaunderid hym mervelously, and howe he was deliuerid by
           seint Jerome. Cap. XIII.
     |r<b> For y haue said sumwhat of Sylvan, y will say another thing of
     hyme as mervelous as the ffirst, wherof be as many witnesse as
     there bene ffolke dwelling in the citees of Na¨areth and of Bedlem,
|r10 that sawe hitt with thayre yhen. The old serpent, the ffende, that
     was for his pride cast downe in to the depnesse of hell, hauyng
     envye at this worshipffull byshop Syluan, greuously he was sterid
     ageynyst him and gelfully he travellid to slaundre hyme, that, as
     many as by ensampill of his holynesse had increasid in the wayes of
|r15 holy conuersacion, so by his ffall thay myght be sterid to evill.
     // On a nyght he toke the liknesse of the said holy mane and apperid
     vnto a worshipffull and a grete woman, lying in her bedde, and
     visittid hir to cum vnto her vnleafully, asking the consent of
     her body. Than the womman, not knowyng the man, was afferd
|r20 and, seyng her-selffe alone in her chamber with a man, wist not
     what for to do, but cryed loude and ofte, so čat withe her busye
     crying thay awoke čat were aslepe not only in the same house,
     but also her negborouys aboute. And all thay cum rennyng to the
     womannys chambre and askid her what her aylid. And she, being
|r25 sore afferd, told theme. But in the mene tyme that gylefull serpent
     hidde him vnder the bedde. And thay sought about long, to witt
     what man hit was, and at the last thay ffound him. And whan
     thay byhield him with many a candell light, thay went verrayly
     that hit had bene Sylvan, the archebishop: and than all thay stoed
|r30 astonyed and in a maner out of thayre wittis, not witting what to
     say nor do, seing bothe his holyneese and that ffoule abhominable
     dede. At the last thay asked him whi he had do sucche wicked_nesse.
     And he answerid: `what diddy I agaynys this womman,
     thoughe she callid me to do this dede?' The womman hering, with
|r35 weping answerid that he said vntrulye. Then he wylling to styre
     men more agaynyst če servaunt of god, to make theme to sclaundre
     hyme the rather, be began to speke so ffoule and horryble wordis
     of vnclennesse, that noman myght suffre them for foulnesse, but
     with dispite and grete reprevis thay compellid him and made hyme
|r40 go out of the house. And on the morow thay told about what was
     ydo, & cryed čat Syluan archebishop an ypocrite and worthy
     to be brent; in so muche that all Na¨areth was so sterid agaynys
     the byshop, that thay myght not here his name but yf thay cursid



|p351


     hyme. A mervelous pacience of this man, a token of gret holynesse!
     T
     Whan he herd all this slaundre and repreef, he mevid not onys his
     mouthe to speke any evill word, nor his hert was no-thing styrid
     to vnpaciens, but alway he thanked god and said: his synne had
 |r5 deservid hitt. Allas, Austyne, what shall y say? not only y, ffle
     as muche as y may wrongis and reprevis, but ofte y ame begylid
     with a ffewe wordis. I desyre the reward of heuen, vnto tra_veyle
     čerfore I take no kepe; but yett y wott weell, ther may no_mane
     come there but by the way of traveyle and of affliccion and
|r10 dissesis. And what shall y else deme, while I ffynde my lyff and
     maners of holy men, but that y must be ffounden discording frome
     theme in my dethe? // And in reward hit is full hevy and grevous
     to me to thinke on holy mennys lyffis and of myne; hit is mervelous
     to here how men rede and speke of holy mennys dedis as y do,
|r15 and will nothing do as thay didde. Thus y say to shewe myne
     owne ffollye. Y knowe weell that y haue oftene herd of the same
     Sylvannys mouthe that he thought him-selffe neuer so weell at ease
     as whane he sawe himselffe dispisyd and troden downe of all ffolke.
     But this slaundre of hyme grewe so ffarre, that hit went in to
|r20 Alisaundre and Cipre and other londis and Citeis, so muche that
     éer durst noman come with-in his durre. Mervelous god, sytting
     above and seynng all folke, he suffrith his servantis to ffall in tri_bulacion
     and disseasis for thayre better, but he faylith theme not
     whan nede is. After a yere was past that the fende had vsid
|r25 sucche malice ayeynys the servaunt of god, the holy bysbop, the
     same byshop lefte all other thingis and went prevely vnto the
     chirche where the body of gloriouse Jerome is buried, as to an
     haven of refute. / And there at his tombe he sett him to pray; and
     after he had abyddene there two ouris in his prayer, ther come a
|r30 man into the churche of the spirite of malyce: and fynding the holy
     mane there praying, be ranne to him as a dragonne and reprevid
     him, saying that he laborid contynually to styre womennys hert to
     vnleffull lustis. But the Innocent lambe, Sylvan, Joying of his owne
     dispite, answerid not. Than he with his right hond drow out his
|r35 swerde that he bare by his syde, and lyfte hit up, to haue put hit
     in-to Sylvannis throte. // And whan the worshipfull byshop put
     ayeynyst hyme this word: help, gloriouse Jerom!: // the man turnyd
     his swerd in-to his owne throte and so slowe hyme-selffe. // After
     that hit happenyd that another wickid mane come into the chirche;
|r40 and wenyng that če holy byshop Sylvan had slay hyme, he toke,
     his swerd, to haue slayne the byshop; and to tell shortely: he slowe
     him-selffe, as the other did toffore. And vnnethe was he ffall to
     the ground, or other too men come yne-to the chirche: and seying
     this men ded, thay went the holy man had done hit; and therfore
|r45 one of theme that was more cruell, beganne to crye and callid him



|p352


     theef and said: `How long shall thy malice endure? Thou styrest
     wommen vnto foule will, and therto sleest men thus prevely. Ser_tayne,
     this day shalbe an ende of thy wickidnesse' and anone he
     ranne with his nakid swerd to haue slayne hyme. And whan Sylvan
 |r5 had said this worde: helpe, gloriouse Jerom! this mane slew him_selffe,
     as če other too had do tofore, with his owne hond. The
     tother man that come with hyme, seying this, was afferd, a
     ranne out ot the durre, and cryed out and said: `Comyth hidder,
     all folke, and se this wikkid Sylvan, that not onely diffoulith
|r10 wommen, but also with his wichcrafte he sleeth men!' Then all
     the peple of men and wommen come rennyng and crying that
     Sylvan the byshop was worthy to be brent. And whane this come
     to myne eris, I went thidder, weping and full hevy. / And čer y se
     how among cruell wolffis stode that meke lambe Joyfull and merye,
|r15 as ¨yff be had bene in grete prosperite; no-thing he said ellis but:
     `y snffrid this rightwisly, for y haue synnyd ayeynist god'. All
     thay bett hyme, all thay pullid hyme and led him vnto the torment
     was more grevous. // But anone as he was ledde out at the chirche
     durre, sodenly gloriouse Jerom was rysyne up out of his place
|r20 where he lay, so bright, that nomannys yghen myght wele dure to
     loke apone hyme: and with his right honde toke Sylvan by the
     right hand, and with a-fferefull voyse he bad theme that hild
     hyme, leve of. // Whiche voyce and visyone was of so grete poure,
     that all that were there were a-fferd and, all the strengthe of thayre
|r25 bodies ffayling, thay ffell downe apone the erthe as ded mene. In
     the mene tyme a woman, bounde bothe handis and ffeet, and ffull
     of the ffend, was brought vnto the chirche for helpe, by handis of
     many mene. And anone as če womannys ffote touchid the chirche_durre,
     the feend bygan to crye fferfully by her mouthe and said:
|r30 `Mercy, mercy, glorious Jerom! for by the I ame turmentid to-   ffore
     my tyme'. // Gloriouse Jerom said vnto hyme: `Thou wickid spiritt,
     go out of this servaunt of god and tell the wickidnesse that čou
     hast done ayeynyst Sylvane, shewing thy-selffe in likenesee of
     Sylvan, so čat all men myght haue wend hit had ben Sylvan, the
|r35 archbishop'. And he told all that he had doo ffor to slaundir the
     servant of god. And sithe with grete crying the ffend vanyshid
     awaye. And gloriouse Jerom than not leving the right hond of
     his byshop said vnto hyme with a softe voyse: `What desyrist thou,
     my dere Sylvan, that y shall do more for the?' He answerid: `My
|r40 lord, he said, that thou leve me no lenger'. Then said gloriouse
     Jerome: `That thou askis, hit shalbe do. Come therfore anone after
     me!' And thus said, he apperid no lenger. But after the space
     of a short oure Sylvan the byshop paste vnto Cryst. All than the
     pepill was astonyed and mervaylid. Aftyr this the body of wor_shipfull Sylvan, |r45 the archebishop, was borne vnto the chirch of Na¨a_reth
     withe dewe worshippe with the multitude of peple bothe of
     Na¨areth and of Betheleme, and there in the chirche of Na¨areth
     we buried the body, as was semyng. But many wordis myght not



|p353


     expresse fully the wordis of this worshipfull byshop. But, for y
     haue more to say of seint Jerom: I leve of as nowe.
        How two hethen men that come to vysitt seint Jerom were mer_velously
           dyluerid from thevis and from dethe. Cap. XIIII.
 |r5 |r<b> Tweyne worthy hethen men, riche and goed men, and the maner
     hering of the myraclis of gloriouse Jerome, come frome the Cite of
     Alysaundre withe muche richesse and fferuent deuocione, to vysitt
     the reliques of gloriouse Jerome. And goyng in thayre way hit
     happennyd theme to erre of thayre way into a grete wode, where
l0 thay sawe no steppis of men nor of horse. And therfore thay
     clepid apone the name of gloriouse Jerom and hole commyttid
     theme to his keping. In the same wode dwellid a prince of thevis,
     having vnder him more then V hundred, sending some o way and
     summe another way to slee men and to bring there goedis vnto
|r15 hyme. This prince seyng these two mene, he clepid thre thevis and
     bad theme go sle theme. And whan thay had take thayre armure
     and were nye at thayme: where thay see tofore but too, than thay
     sawe an Innumerable multitnde, and one goyng tofore theyme so
     bright, that none myght loke apone him. Than the thevis were
|r20 afferde and wyst nott what to doo, but turnyd ageyne. And whan
     thay were ffarre frome theme: thay lokid ayeyne: and see but two,
     and than began to pursue theyme ageyne; but assone as thay come
     nere, thay sawe as thay did tofore. Than were thay more astonyed,
     and in all haste went to thayre prynce and told him. And he callid
|r25 theme ffolis, and clepid other XII thevis, goyng hy(m)-selffe with
     thayme. And thay all the while thay were affarre, thay see but
     too; and thay come nere: and thay sawe as meny as the other did
     tofore. Than čay were afferde, and thayre hertis trembelid and all
     the strengthe of thayre bodies faylid for ffere. And whan thay
|r30 come ageyne to theme-selffe, thai thought that thay wold suwe
     after theyme, to se prevely what shuld ffall. Whan evyne comme
     apone these pilgremys, thay wist not what to do ne where to be
     loggid: and therfore thay turnyd to the XlI thevis to aske counsell
     of theme, wenyng thay had bene way-ffaring mene, as thay
|r35 ware. // And whane thay turnyd to the thevis-ward, thay se but too,
     and thane thay were bold to mete with theme. And after that thay
     met, the thevis askid of whennys thay were and whidder thay wold.
     Thay answerid and said: `We be men of Alisaundre goyng to Be_thelem,
     to visitt the reliques of gloriouse Jerome'. Thay askid
|r40 what men were thay that come with theme. The tother merveylid
     and said thay sawe none, sithe čay come into that wode, save theme
     and očer thre. The prynce of thevis told hem all as hit was,
     praying theme to tell hyme what was the cause. Thay said: thay
     knew no cause, but yf hit were for thay comyttid thayme to the
|r45 keping of gloriouse Jerom. Than these thevis, sodenly enspirid



|p354


     with the holy goest, fell downe at thayre ffete, asking theme for_yefnesse,
     and sithe led theme to thayre ffelawis. At če begynnyng
     of the nyghte thay come to the tother thevis abyding after
     theme, and told theme as hit hadde beffall, praying theme to leve
 |r5 all thayre synnys and to go with theme to visitte the gloriouse body
     (of) Jerom. // The tother thevis scornyd him and said: thay wold
     sle thayme, yf evir thay spak any more therof: And thay not
     ceassing therof, many of the thevis arose and drewe out thayre
     swerdis. But, thay calling after helpe of seint Jerom, thay myght
|r10 nother lyft up thayre swordis nor put theme up, tyll thay whome
     thay wold haue slayne had prayed to gloriouse Jerom for thayme.
     // O vnspekable mercy of oure savioure, that in so many wisis
     bringgethe whom he will to knowlege of trouthe! // Anone all the
     cumpany of thevis, seyng this, thonkid and praysid god and glori_ouse
|r15 Jerom, and made a vowe to visitt his reliques. Therfore,
     whan morow come, mo then thre hundred thevis that were there
     that tyme left the wode and went with the said mene of Alsaundre
     vnto the tombe of gloriouse Jerom, telling these wonders. // There
     the hethen men were bapti¨ed and, leving all the vanyte of the
|r20 worlde, went in-to monastorye. // And tho thevis also ¨eff theme to
     holy lyving by the grace of god and by the meritis of gloriouse
     Jerome.
        Howe tweyne yong men by seynt Jerom were savid from dethe,
           that come from Rome to visytt him. Cap. XV.
|r25 |r<b> When two yong men govng ffro Rome toward Bethelem to visitt
     the reliquys of gloriouse Jerome, hit happennyd thayme to cum by
     a village XII myle frome Constantyn nobill. And to mile from that
     village, ore thay come therto, were too men slayne. Wherfore men
     of that towne gaderid to-gedir and beganne to seke aboute who
|r30 hit shuld be that did that dede. And whan thay hadde all sought,
     thay found none but onely two yong mene that come fast bye.
     // Whom thay toke, wenyng thay hadde slayne the tother men.
     Whereof the yong men were amerveylid and swore as muche as
     thay myght that thay knewe not therof. But thay sett not ther
|r35 bye thayre wordis, but ledde forthe tho yong men in all hast to
     thayre village, and sithe sent theme to Constantyne noble with
     grete accusing. // And ther with rygoure of grete turment thay were
     compellid to knowlege thayme gylty, where thay were not gylty:
     and so thay were demyd to be hedid. Allas, what hert myght
|r40 conteyne hitt frome weping to so many vaylingis of Innocentis
     whicche were arrayed bothe with yongthe and with ffayrenesse and
     with noble byrthe? For, weping and wayling and sighing contynu_ally,
     thay said: `Gloriouse Jerome, is this thy rewarde that thou
     yevist to theme čat serue the? is it this that we haue deservid



|p355


     with traveyle of oure way? Alas, thou Cite of Rome, thou knewe
     of oure birthe, we wend not thou shuldest haue bene so vnknowing
     of oure ende'. // Thus thay were ledde to če place where thay shuld
     be hedid; // mucche peple stonding there and abyding. // And there
 |r5 thay knelyd downe and helde up his(!), hondis and said with a lowde
     voyse: `Grloriouse Jerome, anker of oure helthe and haven of oure
     hope, bowe thine eris vnto oure prayers at this tyme, so that, yf
     we did not this synne for whiche we be punyshid, we may ffele,
     of thy wont pite, the helpe of thy delyueraunce; and yf we be
l0 gylty, lat us be dede, as nede askith!' And whan thay sayd thus,
     thay putt out theyre nekkis to če smyters, saying no-thing but: helpe,
     helpe, gloriouse Jerome! // What merveyle thoughe the mercyfull
     helper Jerome myght not absteyne him frome shewyng of mercye
     to so many teris of theme that come vnto him, while the hertis of
|r15 all čat stode aboute, ye of the said turmentours, were mevid vnto
     compassione! Than thay lyft up thayre swerdis and smote one
     theyre neckis: but thayre nekkis toke the stroke, as thoughe thay
     had bene of stone. And thay smote ayeyne and ayeyne; but thay
     ffelt thame but as thay had be smyttene with a strawe. Whereof
|r20 ther rose a grete merveyle to all that stode aboute, and gret multi_tude
     come rennyng to see. At the last the Juge that demyd theme
     come him-selffe and bad theme smyte ageyne, that he myght see.
     And thay smote, but thayre nekkis wold not be hurte. Thane the
     Juge mervaylid gretly and wist not what hit myght be, but thoughe 
|r25 čat tbay hadde vsid sum wiche-crafte. And therfore he comaundid
     that in all haste thay shuld be made nakid, and brenne theme.
     Thay made a grete ffyre aboute theyme and put theryne oyle and
     picche, the rather to distroy the lyff. But he that deliuerid theme
     frome swerdis couthe also helpe theyme, crying contynually apone
|r30 hyme in the ffyre. The ffyre brent ffast and the flamys ascendid
     up right highe; but the yong mene by the helpe of gloriouse Jerom
     restid thayme as in a mery herbere. At the last the Juge wold
     witt whedder hit be miracle or wichcraft: he bad thay shuld be
     hongid VIII dayes, and yf thay lyvid so, thay shuld goo whither
|r35 thay wold. But the presence of gloriouse Jerom ffaylid theyme not:
     for mervelously he kepte theme all tho dayes, holding up thayre
     ffete with his hondis. On the VIIIte day all the peple of the Cite
     and of townys come aboute, and the Juge him-selffe came to the
     gallowis: and there openly thay sawe this gloriouse myracle. // The
|r40 kepers telling theme what thay had sene. Than all merveylid and
     praysid god and gloriouse Jerome and did grete worship to the
     yong mene, and muche peple went frome Constantynoble vnto
     Bethelem to visitt the relikis of gloriouse Jerome. And anone the
     yong men casting frome theme all worldly vanyte enterid into the
|r45  monastorye where gloriouse Jerome lyffyd, nyght and day entending
     to prayere and to penaunce and to holy lyffyng e. c.



|p356


        Howe a monastorye of Nunnys was distroyed ffor conetise and
           for symonye. Cap. XVI.
     |r<b> The myracle of these yong men tofor is cause of grete mervayle,
     Joy and deuocion. But this that ffollowith yevithe cause of grete
 |r5 drede, namely to religeouse peple. In a contrey, callid Thebayda,
     was a monastorye of nunnys about two yere ago, right fayre and
     worthy, wher-yne were abowt two hundred ladies, honest in religeone
     and maners and in contynuall reclusione. Nowe euerichone lesseč
     bothe thayre eris, that the tone lat not go out all that the točer
|r10 taketh in. // ffor he that shall sayle in the depe see, haue he neuer
     so goed a shippe and hole; hit avvaylith him not, yf an hole be
     lefte in the bottume, where water may cum yn and drowne him.
     Why y say this, the mater of this storye shall shewe. For the said
     monastorye had many vertuous and holinesse of lyffyng, // but hit
|r15 kepte oo synne, of symonye, that causid hit to be stroyed. ffor by
     če instruccion of the ffend the nunnys had this ambicion: that,
     whan any shuld he resayvid anone amongest theme, thay toke her
     not so muche for charite and mercy as thay didde for love of
     monney; ffor ther myght none entre to abyde in that abbay, but yf
|r20 she brought a certayne summe of monney with her. In this mon_astory
     was a nunne ffer in age, that had cast frome here the love
     of all erthely thing and frome her childhode entendid onely to god
     in prayers and ffastingis. // And gretly she abhorryd and hatid this
     vice that was amongis theme. / To hir on a nyght, beyng in prayers,
|r25 as she was wont, gloriouse Jerome apperid in gret light and bad
     her goo on če morow and tell the abbesse and to the točer nunnys,
     that, but thay seasid of thayre syn, thay shuld ffele the sodeyne
     vengeaunce of god. And whan he was ago, she mervelid gretly
     what he was that yaff her this charge. And all that nyght she
|r30 abode waking. // On the morowe she rang the chapitre bell, and,
     whan thay were all gaderid, merveyling why thay were callid so
     hastely: this holy lady rose up among theyme and told theyme
     what she had sene and herd. Anon all the other scornyd hir and
     said she was a ffole, and howe she myght in happis be dronken
|r35 ovir nyght and dreme sucche thingis. But she thanking this re_preeff,
     deffendid hir withe the shild of pacience, and sorowing of
     thayre obstynacye, but Joying of her owne dispite, went vnto her
     wont prayers, beseching contynually that hit beffall not her susters,
     as she had herd. And X dayes she abyding in this prayere, on a
|r40 nyght about mydnyght, gloriouse Jerom apperid to hir and bad her
     go without drede and tell her susters as she had warnyd him to_ffore.
     Than she askid: `Who art thou that biddis me do these
     thingis? He said: `I ame Jerom'. And anone he was goo out of
     her sight. But she knowing thayre hardnesse, wist not what to do
|r45 or sey; yet she thought she had levere be holde of theme woed and
     dronke than to do ageynyst the will of god. Therfore she did



|p357


     gadre her susters, as she did to -ffore to haue told thayme what
     she see and herd. But as sone as thay see hir aryse: or she be_ganne
     to speke, thay went out of the chapitre with mowis and
     scornys. The third day at nyght after aboute mydnyght gloriouse
 |r5 Jerom with an vnspekable multitude of angelis apperid vnto the
     lady beyng a slepe, and bad her aryse and go out of the monastorye,
     that she were not smyttyne withe the soddeyne sentence that shuld
     come apone theyme. But whan she prayed with grete weping that
     thay myght be sparid: gloriouse Jerome bad her go in hast to the
l0 abbesse and to her susters and tell thayme; that, yf but thay didde
     penaunce ffor thayre synnys that same nyght, thay shuld ffeele
     vengeance of god; and yf thay abode still obstynate, than she
     shuld go out and no lenger abyde in that monastorye. Than this
     nunne ffull of angwishe and hevynesse went in-to the chapitre and
|r15 rong the bell hastely. Werwith the abbesse awoke. And whan
     she wist who hit was, she was wrothe and come to the chapitre
     and blamyd her gretly and wold here no word of her saying, and
     said: but she lefte sucche thingis, she shuld no lenger abyde in the
     place with hire. That lady answerid: `Tary not to do as thou sayst!
|r20 ffor y will no lenger abide in this place. Grlorious Jerom hathe
     apperid vnto me and said that this monastorye shall anone be
     smytten with the wrathe of god'. Than the abesse wenyng that
     she had said this of madnesse, bad the keper of the gate dryve
     her out, and whan she had be a while, take her ynne ayeyne 
|r25 hoping that čerby she wold haue ceasid of sucche dedis. But this
     nunne was glad to goo, and ffull of sorowe and weping for the
     myschief comyng to če place. O fferefull god, strong and myght_full,
     and who shall withstond hyme? Allasse why drede men him
     nott that prouoke so muche his wrathe and may not ffle his hondis,
|r30 but his grete dome must nedis take theme at the last? Wrecchis be
     afferd by this exampill here, thay that trust in herre richesse, what
     dome god sent from heuen apone this monastorye turnyng away
     thayre fface fro him for luff of mony. Vnnethe was this nunne
     gone out of the durre, but sodenly anone all the monastorye ffell
|r35 downe on the grounde, sleyng all the nunnys, so that there abode
     none alyve, but čis ladye into a monastory in a cuntre fast by
     and there lyvid in grete holynesse. To this myracle y will Joyene
     another shewyng the fferefull domys of god, that the hard hertis of
     synners myght be turnyd in to softenesse of pennaunce.
|r40    How thre heretykkis were mervelously punysshid for offence
           ayeynyst seint Jerom. Cap. XVII.
     |r<b> An heretik of the Grekis disputid openly apone a sunday with a
     preest in the Cite. And whan the preest for diffence of his party allegid
     an auctorite of seint Jerome, to distroy the reasonnys of the Greke: /
|r45  the Greke with a bold voyse was not ashamyd to say that Jerome,
     light of all trowthe, lyed. And for he did suche a wickednesse
     with his speche, he spake nevir word after. Another heretik of če
     Arryannys, whan one had brought an auctorite of seint Jerome



|p358


     ageynyst him in disputacion and the heretik hadde boldely said he
     lyed: anone he was smytten with the vengeaunce of god; ffor he
     hadde not ffully endid the word, but that he cryed all the day
     after without ceesing: `Mercy, mercy, gloriouse Jerome, ffor y ame
 |r5 turmentid of the withe hard paynys!' and whan he had cryed thus
     with all the day as mocche as he myght, at complyne-tyme, all
     men seyng that were there, wrecchedly he dyed. Another heretik
     see in the chirche of Syone an ymage of gloriouse Jerome, and said:
     `Wold god that y had hadde the in honde, while thou lyviddest,
|r10 that y myght haue slayn the with my swerd!' and than he pullid
     out his knyff and smote hit in the throte of the ymage. A, how
     grete is this Jerome doyng thus many merveylis! This heretik
     myght smyte his knyff in the ymagis throte, but he myght not gytt
     out his knyf agayne frome the ymage, nor his honde frome the
|r15 knyff, till hit was knowene openly. / But anone ther come blode
     ffollowing out of če wound, as of a lyving mane. Which seassid
     not yet in shewyng of the myracle. The same tyme that čis was
     do, the Juge of če cuntre was in the chircheyerd. To whom glori_ouse
     Jerom apperid with the knyff in his throte, asking of him to do
|r20 vengeaunce for the offence, telling him how hit was. če Juge was
     astonyed, and all čat were there. And goyng in to the chirche, čay
     se če heretik stond with his knyff in the throte of the ymage. And
     also sone as thay see hit, thay myght take away his honde. Than
     thay toke him, and, for he did obstinatly in his evill saying: that
|r25 he sorowid for no thing saeff for that he alow not Jerom by his
     lyff, the multitude of peple withe stonys and stavis, swerdis and
     speris slowe hyme.
        Howe seynt Jerom delyuerid a man out off preson ffrom one lande
           to another in a nyghte. Cap. XVIII.
|r30 |r<b> Ihone, my neve, whome thou knowest arayed with all ffayrnesse,
     whom y chese to me in stede of sun, told the, as y wene, what
     byffell. But yett that it may the bettir be had in mynde, I wiIl
     write hit. The same Johne was take two yere ago of men of the
     londe of Perse, and sold to the officers of the king of Perse. And
|r35 ffor his excellent ffayrnesse he was ordaynyd to serve the king.
     And whan he had bene a yere with grete sorow and werynesse in
     če kingis court: the same day twelmoneth serving the king at mete,
     he myght not for hevynesse kepe hyme from weping. And whan
     the king see hit and had besely askid and knewe the cause, he bad
|r40 serteyne knyghtis take him and kepe him in the castell. In the
     nyght ffolowing he being in the castell all bewepte in his slepe
     gloriouse Jerom come vnto him and, as him thought, toke him by
     the honde and ledde him with him to the Cite of Jherusalem. //
     On the morowe Johne awoke and, wenyng that he had bene amongis



|p359


     the knyghtis, he ffounde him-selffe in the house ther dwellid
     And than he was nye madde ffor mervayle and couthe not.well
     witt where that he, was in the castell or in my house. At the last
     he com to him-selffe and cryed, and so woke theme that were a
 |r5 slepe. Than come thay all rennyng to me withe gret Joy and said,
     John was comyne. Yet y was doutffull: till y went my-selffe and
     se him present whiche y went had bene among the Parsees.
     Than he told us how he was holpene, and he thankid and pray(s)ed
     god aud glorious Jerom. By whose meritis and prayers oure lord
|r10 delyuere us ffrome all evill and bring us to the Cite of all weell,
     to dwell with him in endlesse blisse and Joy amen.
|r(IV) Here endith the pistill of Cirill to seint Austyn of seint Jerom.
        How oure lady seint Marie comendith seint Jerom is če reue_lacion
           of seint Burgitt. Capit. XIX.
|r15 |r<b> Whan seint Burgitt was on a tyme in her prayers, she said vnto
     oure lord: `Blessid be thou, my god, that art thre and one, thre in
     parsonys, one in nature. Thou art verray ffayrnesse and power,
     thou art verray rightwysnesse and trouthe, by whome all thingis
     lyvith and hathe thayre beyng. Thou art like a ffloure growing
|r20 singulary alone in ffeelde, of whiche ffloure all that drawith therto
     resayvith swetnesse in thayre tasting, relieving in thayre brayne,
     dilectacion in thayre sight and strengthe (in) all thayre membris.
     So all that drawith vnto the, are made the ffayrer: byleving synne,
     wiser: following the will of the and not of the ffleshe, more right_wyshe: |r25 ffollowing the profete of the soule and the worship of the.
     Therfore, moest pytefull god, graunt me to love that pleasith the,
     myghty to withstonde temptacionis and to dispise all worldly thingis,
     and to be holden busye in my mynde'. The moder of god, oure
     lady, answerid: `This salutacione gat the that goed Jerome by his
|r30 meritis, that went frome fals wisdome and founde trew wisdome,
     that dispisid erthely wisdome, worship, and wanne god him-selffe.
     Blessid is that Jerome: and blessid are thay that followith his tech_ing
     and lyving; ffor he was a lover of wisdommys, a myrrowre of
     all that were parfett in vertu, and a doctoure and a techer of all
|r35 clennesse and trouthe'.
         Another tyme oure lady said to seint Burgitt:
     |r<b> `Dowhter, haue mynde howe y told the that Jerome was a lover
     of wisdommys, a ffolower of parffitte monkis; and auctoure and
     deffensor of trouthe, that gate the by his meritis that prayer that
|r40 thowe saydest. And nowe y adde to and say: that Jerome was
     trompe, by the whiche the holy goest spake; he was also a fflawme,
     inflamyd of the fyre that come apone me and apone the apostelis



|r360


     on pentycost-day. And the(r)fore blissid are thay that herith this
     trompe and folowe ther-after.' Amen.