myne armes. I wyll nat be seperat frome hym, other thou shalt cast hym owt with me or els thou shalt let vs bothe be, except that you wold haue a temple withowt a Christe. These be the thynges that I wold yow shall know ymagyne you therfore what shal be your answer. For this thinge pleasythe me very well. Frome oure stony churche the calendes of Auguste, the yere frome my sonnes passyon a M. CCCCC. xiiii. I stony lady subscrybyd thys with myne owne hande.

Me. Trewly that was a soro and fearfull epistle, I suppose that Glaucoplutus wyll beware frõ hêsforthe.

Ogy. Ye & if he be wyse.

Me. Wherfore dyd nat that good saynt Iames wryte to y^t man of the same mater.

Ogy. I can nat tell, except it be bycause he is so ferre of, and now a dayes men be moche searchyd for suche maters, & in theyr iornaye theyr lettres takê frome them.

Me. I pray you, what god dyd send you into Englõd?

Ogy. I saw the wynd maruelouse prosperouse thyderward, and I had almoste promysyd this to that blessyd lady of Walsyngã that I wold seke her within .ii. yere,

Me. What wold you axe of her.

Ogy. No new thyngs at all, but suche as be comen, as to kepe saffe and sownd my housholde, to encreasse my goodes, and in thys world to haue a lõge and mery liffe, and whã I dye euerlastynge lyffe in another worlde.

Me. May nat owr lady grante the same at home with vs? She hathe at Antwarpe a moche more lordly temple thã at Walsyngame.

Ogy. I denye nat but it may be so, but in dyuers places she grantes dyuers thynges, wether it be her pleasur so to do, or bycause she is so gentle, that as cõcernynge this purpose, she wyll gyue her selfe to our affectyões.

Me. I haue harde oft of saynt Iames, but I pray you describe to me the kyngdome of Walsyngam.

Ogy. Verely I shall tell you as shortly as I canne. Yt is the most holy name in all England, and you may fynde some in that yle, that suppose thayr substãce shal nat prospayre except they vysyte her with thayr offerynge euery yere ones as thay be able to gyue.

Me. Wher dothe she dwell?

Ogy. At the vttermost parte of all England betwyxt the Northe and the Weste, nat vary ferre from the see, skarsly iii myles, the towne is almost susteynyd by the resort of pylgrymes. The college is of Canões, but thay be suche as hathe thayr name of the Laten tonge and be called Seculares, a kynd betwyxte monkes & Chanones.

Me. What you tell me of Amphybyanes be thynges doutfull.

Fyber is a beste of y^e see & y^e land.

A Cocatrice wil kyll a man with a loke. Amphybyanes, suche as y^e mõstre Fyber is.

Ogy. No thay be rather suche as the Cocatrice. But withowt dissimulation, I shall put you owt of this dowte in thre wordes. To them that thay hate, thay be Chanones, and to them that thay loue thay be Monkes

Menede. Yet yowe doo nat open thys redle.

Ogy. I shall paynte it before youre eyes, if the bysshope of Rome doo shot hys thonderbowlt amõgst all monkes, thay wyll than be chanones, & nat monkes, but and if he wold suffre all monkes to take wyues, thã wyll they be monkes,

Me. O new partakeres, I wold to god they wold take away my wyffe.

Ogy. But to come to our purpose, the college hathe skarsly any other Rêttes. emolumêtes but of the liberalite of our lady. For the great offeryngs be kepyd stylle, but if ther be any litle some of monaye offerid that goith to the comens of the company, & the mayster whome thay call pryoure.

Me. Be thay of a vertuous lyffe?

Ogy. Nat to be dispraysyd, thay be more vertuous thã ryche of thayr yerely renttes. The temple ys goodly & goregious, but oure Lady dwellythe nat in it, but y^t was purchasyd for the honor of her sone. She hathe her owne temple, that she may be of the ryght hand of her sone.

Me. Apon the right hãd. Whiche way dothe her sonne loke than?

Ogy. It is well remembryd. Whan he lokythe to the West, his mother is apõ his right hand, but whã he turnythe hym to the Este she is apon the lefte hand. But yet she dwellythe nat in that churche, for it is nat yet buyldyd all vpe, and the wynde runnythe thorow euery parte with open wyndowes & dowres, and also nat ferre of is the Occiane seye father of all wyndes.

Me. what doo yow tell me wher dothe she dwell thã?

Ogy. In y^e same churche whiche I told you was nat all fynyshyd, ther is a lytle chapell seelyd ouer with wodde, on ether syde a lytle dore wher y^e pylgrymes go thorow, ther is lytle light, but of y^e taperes, with a fragrant smell.

Me. All these be mete for religyon.

Ogy. Ye Menedemus if you loke within you wyll say that it is a seate mete for sayntes, all thynges be so bright in gold, syluer, and precyous stones.

Me. You almost moue me to go thyther also.

Ogy. It shalnat repente you of your iornay.

Me. Spryngithe ther no holy oyle?

Ogy. I trowe you dote, that spryngythe nat but owt ofthe sepulchres of sayntes, as saynt Andrew, & saynt Katerê, owr lady was nat beried.

Me. I graût I sayd amysse, but tell on your tale.

Ogy. So moche more as thay persayue youre deuocyõ, so moche larger reliques wyl thay shew to you.

Me. Ye and peraduêture that thay may haue larger offerynges, as is sayd that, many lytle offerynges makythe a heuy boxe.

Ogygy. Her chaplens be alway at hand.

Me. Be thay of y^e Chanones?

Ogy. No, thay be nat permyttyd to be with her, lest that peraduenture by occasyon of that religyon, thay shuld be plukkyd frome thayr owne religyõ, and whylst thay kepe that virgyne, thay regard very lytle thayr awne virgynyte, alonly in that inner chapell whiche is our ladyes preuy chãbre, ther standithe a certayne Chanõ at the autre.

Me. For what purpose?

Ogy. To receyue and kepe, y^t whiche is offeryd.

Me. dothe any man gyue ayenst hys wyll.

Ogy. No, but many men hathe suche a gentle shamfastnes, that thay wyll gyue some thynge to hym that standythe by, other thay wyll offre more largely, whiche thay wold nat doo