seke.

Me. Iesu there is nothynge in thys worlde y^t is other permanent, or alwayes in good state.

Ogy. But whan he sawe & perceyuyd that he was in greate ioperdye of his lyffe, he callyd to him a frenchman, whiche was a very trusty companyon to hym in hys iornay. And commaundyd all to auoyd the place, and make sylence, & pryuyly dyd betake to hym thys mylke, apon this condycyõ, that if it chãcyd to come home saffe & sownde he wuld offre that precyous tresure to our ladyes aultre in Paryse, whiche standythe in the myddys of the ryuere Sequana, whiche dothe apere to separat hymselffe to honor and obaye our blessyd lady. But to make short tale. Wylyam is deade, & buryed, the Frenchman mayd hym redy to departe apon hys iornay, & sodêly fell seke also. And he in great dyspayre of amendynge, dyd commyth y^e mylke to an Englishmã, but nat withowt great instance, and moche prayer he dyd that whiche he was mouyd to doo. Than dyed he. And y^e other dyd take the mylke, and put it apon an aultre of y^e same place the Chanones beynge present, whiche were yt as we call Regulares. Thay be yet in the abbaye of saynt Genofeffe. But y^e Englishmã obtaynyd the halffe of that mylke, & caryed it to Walsyngã in England, the holy ghost put suche in hys mynde.

Me. By my trothe this is a godly tale.

Ogy. But lest there shuld be any doubte of this mater, y^e Byshopes whiche dyd grante pardon to it thayre names be wryten there, as thay came to vysyte it, nat withowt thayre offerynges, and thay haue gyuen to it remyssyon, as moche as thay had to gyue by thayre authorite.

Me. How moche is that?

Ogy. Fowrty dayes.

Mene. Yee is there dayes in hell.

Ogy. Trewly ther is tyme. Y^e but whan thay haue grãtyd all thayre stynte, thay haue no more to grante.

Ogy. That is nat so for whan one parte is gone another dothe encrease, and it chansythe dyuersly euyn as the tonne of Canaidus. For that althoghe it be incontynently fyllyd, yet it is alway emptye: and if thou be takynge owt of it, yet there is neuer the lesse in the barell.

Me. If thay grãte to an hunderithe thowsand mê fowrty dayes of pardone, wuld euery man haue elyke?

Ogy. No doubte of that.

Me. And if any haue forty byfore dynar, may he axe other forty at after souper, is there any thynge left than to gyue him?

Ogy. Ye, & if thou aske it ten tymes in one howre.

Me. I wold to God that I had suche a pardon bagge, I wold aske but .iii. grotes, and if thay wold flowe so faste.

Ogy. Ye but you desyre to be to ryche, if y^t you myght for wyshynge, but I wyl turne to my tale, but there was some good holy man whiche dyd gyue this argumente of holynes to that mylke, and sayd that our Ladyes mylke whiche is in many other places, is precyous & to be worshipyd but thys is moche more precyous, & to be honoryd, bycause the other was shauen of stones, but this is the same that came out of the virgynes brest.

Me. How kno you that?

Ogy. The mayd of Cõstantynople, which dyd gyue it, dyd saye so.

Me. Perauenture saynt Barnard dyd gyue it to her.

Ogy. So I suppose. For whã he was an old man, yet he was so happy y^t he sukkyd of y^e same mylke, that Iesus hymselffe sukkyd apon.

Me. But I maruayle why he was rather callyd a hony sukker than a mylke sukker. But how is it callyd oure ladyes mylke that came neuer owt of her breste?

Ogy. Yes it came owt at her breste, but perauenture it light apon the stone y^t he whiche sukkyd knelyd apon, and ther was receyuyd, and so is encreasyd, & by ye wyll of god is so multyplyed.

Me. It is wel sayd.

Ogy. Whan we had sene all thys, whyle that we were walkynge vpe & downe, if that any thynge of valure were offeryd, so y^t anybody were present to see thaym ye Sextens mayd great haste for feare of crafty cõuayêce, lokynge apõ thaym as thay wold eate thaym. Thay poynte at hym with there fynger, thay runne, thay goo, thay come, thay bekke one to an other, as tho thay wold speake to thaym that stand by if thay durste haue be bold.

Mene. Were you afrayd of nothynge there?

Ogy. Yis I dyd loke apõ hym, lawghynge as who shold saye I wold moue him to speake to me, at laste he cam to me, and axid me what was my name, I told him. He axid me if yt were nat I that dyd hange vpe there a table of my vowe writen in Hebrew, within .ii. yere before. I confessid that it was y^e same.

Me. Cã you wryte hebrewe?

Ogygy. No but all that thay cãnat vnderstond, thay suppose to be Hebrewe. And than (I suppose he was send for) came the posterior pryor.

Me. What name of worshipe is y^t? Haue thay nat an abbate?

Ogy. No

Me. Why so?

Ogy. For thay cannat speake Hebrew.

Me. Haue thay nat a Bishope?

Ogy. No.

Me. What is y^e cause?

Ogy. For oure lady is nat as yet so ryche, that she is able to bye a crosse, & a mytre, whiche be so deare,

Me. Yet at least haue thay nat a presedente?

Ogy. No veryly. What lettythe thaym?

Ogy. That is a name of dygnyte and nat of relygyõ. And also for that cause suche abbayes of Chanones, doo nat receyue the name of an abbate, thay doo call thaym maysters?

Me. Ye, but I neuer hard tell of pryor posterior before.

Ogy. Dyd you neuer learne youre grãmere before.

Me. Yis I know prior posterior amõgst the fygures.

Ogy. That same is it. It is he that is nexte to the prioure, for there priour is posterior.

Me. You speake apon the supprioure.

Ogy. That same dyd entertayne me very gently, he told me what greate labure had be abowt y^e readynge of thos verses, & how many dyd rubbe thayr spectakles abowt thaym. As oft as any old ancyent doctor other of deuynyte or of the lawe, resorted thyder, by and by he was broght to that table, some sayd y^t thay were lettres of Arabia, some sayd thay were faynyd lettres. Well at the last came one that redde the tytle, it was wryten in laten with greate Romayne lettres, y^e Greke was wryten with capytale lettres of Greke, whiche at the fyrst syght do apere to be capytale latê lettres, at thayr desyer I dyd expownde ye verses in laten, trãslatynge thaym word for word. But whã thay wold haue gyuyn me for my labour, I refusyd it, seynge that ther was nothynge so hard that I wold not doo for our blessyd ladyes sake, ye thogh she wold commaûd me to bere this table to Hierusalê.

Me. What nede you to be her caryoure, seynge that she hathe so many angelles bothe at her hedde and at her fette.

Ogy. Than he pullid owt of hys purse a pece of wodde, that was cutt owte of the blokke that our ladye lenyd apon. I perceyuyd by and by thorow the smell of it, that it was a holy thynge. Than whan I sawe so greate a relyque, putt of my cappe, and fel down flatte, & very deuoutly kyssyd it .iii. or .iiii tymes, poppyd it in my pursse.

Me. I pray you may a man see it?

Ogy. I gyue you good leue. But if you be nat