haue and perceue the ioys that thow hafte feyne and mekyl more. yeffe thow contynew and perfeuer in the drede of god. And when he had feyde thys to me he browghte me forthe throwe the fame gate that we came yn. wherfor ful heuy and fory was y and more than a man may suppose. for wele y knew that y must turne ageyne. fro that heuynly blyffe to thys worldys wrechidnes. And gretely he exhortyd me. how y schulde dyspose me. to abyde the day of my callyng oute of my body yn clennes of herte and of body. and mekenes of fpirite wyth dylygent kepyng of my religyon. Dylygently he feyde to me. kepe the commaundementys of god. and dyspose they leuyng aftyr the example of ryghtwes men. And truely

fo hyt fchal be. that aftyr the terme of they bodely leuyng thow schal be admyttyd bleffydly. to her felefchippe euerlastyngly.

Of the swete pele and melodye of bellys that he herde in paradyse and also how he came to hym self ageyne.

And whyle the holy confeffour fent nycholas thys wyfe spake yet with me fodenly y harde ther a folenne pele and a rynggyng of a meruelus fwetenes. and as al the bellys yn the worlde or what fumeuer ys of fownyng had be rongyn to gedyr at onys Trewly yn thys pele and rynging brake owte also a meruelus fwetenes. and a variant medelyng of melody fownyd wyth alle And y wote not whether the gretnes of melody. or the fwetnes of sownnyng of bellys was more to be wondirde And to fo grete a noyfe y toke good hede and ful gretly my mynde was fufpendyd to here hyt Sothly anone as that gret and meruelus fownnyng and noyfe was ceffyd fodenly y faw my felfe departyd fro the fwete felefchippe of my duke and leder fent Nicholas Than was y returnyd to my felfe ageyne. and anone y hard the voycis of my brethyrne. that ftode abowte our bedde alfo my bodely ftrenthe cam ageyn to me a lytyl and a litil and myn yes opinde to the vse of seying as ye fawe ryghte wele. Alfo my fekenes and febulnes by the whiche y was longe tyme ful fore diffefid was vtwardly excludyd and gonne fro me. and fate vppe before yow so stronge

y

and myghty as y was afore by hyt foroful and heuy And y wende that y had be then yn the chirche afore the auter. where y worschipte fyrste the croffe And as tochyng the taryng that y made yn thys vyfyon y had wende hyt had be noone. but al only the space of on matens while. and now as vnderstonde. y was terdye .ij. days and more And now as compendeusly as y kowde y haue here tolde yow of al tho thingys the whiche y fawe and were fchewyd to me yn body or yn spirite at the inftauns and commandement of youre holynes and deuoute charyte. And nowe y befeche you mekely and that with fore weping that ye will with faue [vouchfafe] to praye to god for me an vnhappy wrecche yat y may scape the grete and greuys peynys of fynners the whyche y fawe. and cum to the ioys of the holy fowlys that y knewe. and alfoo to fee euerlaftyngly the gloryous face of oure bleffyd lorde and fauyur ihesu criste and oure bleffyd lady sent marye.

A proffe that thys reuelacyon ys of god and moste nedys be trew for the grete myraclys that our lord shewyd on this same monke that same tyme.

Mony inftruccyons and opyn examples byn here at the begynnyng of thys narracyon that euydentely prouyn thys vyfyon. not to be of mannys conceyte but vtwardely of the wylle of god the whiche wolde haue hyt fchewed to crystyn pepul Neuertheleffe yese there be fo grete infydelyte or infyrmyte of any persons that can not beleue to these thyngys aforfeyde lete hem confyder the grete fekeneffe and febulnes of hym that fawe hyt. fo fodenly and fo fone helyd in to a very wytnes and trowthe of this vyfyon that he fawe. Alfo let hem meruelle the grete noyse that was abowte hym. and also howe that he was prycked in hys fete with nyldys by the whyche he kowde not in any wyfe be mouyd. Forthermore let hem take hede to hys yes that were so ferre fallyn done in to hys hede and was not feyne onethe to brethespace of .ij. days. and also aftyr a ful longe space of howris onethe lafte myghte be perfeuyd yn hym a ful smalle meuyng as a thynne drede yn hys vytalle veynys Also let hem confyder hys con

tynualle wepyng and terys the whyche he had aftyrward many days. And befyde all thes thyngys we knowe also a nothyr certen thynge that was a ful feyre myracle and a very tokyn of godys curacyon schewyd on hym the fame tyme. and as mekyl to be merueld. Sothely he had al mofte the space of an hole yere yn hys lyfte legge a grete fore and a ful byttur as hyt were a canker large and brode wherby he was peynyd intollerably. And he was wonte to sey. that he had seche a forow and peyne therof. as he had bore an hoote plate of yrne bownde faste to hys legge And ther was no emplaftur no oyntmente nethyr any othyr medicyn how be hit that he had mekyl of lechis leyde to hyt. yat myghte yese hym of hys peyne or drawe the wownde to gedyr Trewly yn the space of hys raueshyng. he was fo fully helyd that he hym felfe meruelyd wyth vs to fele and fee the peyne and ache wyth the wownde fo clene agonne. that no tokyn of hyt. ne figne of rednes or of whythnes remaynyd aboue the meruelus curacion of god. Al only thys differens had hys legge that was fore. fro todyr legge that where the forfeyde fore was that place was bare and had none heere.

Ful delectable hyt was to hym as he feyde fro that tyme forthe. as ofte as he harde any folenne pele of ryngyng of bellys. by cause hyt wolde then cum to hys mynde ageyne. the ful fwete pele and melody the whyche he herde. when he was amonge the bleffyd fowlys yn paradyfe. Sothely aftyr that he was cum to hym felfe and hys brethirne had tolde hym. that now ys the holy tyme of yestyr. than fyrste he beleuyd. when he harde hem rynge folenly to complen. for then he knew certenly. that the pele and melodye. that he herde yn paradyfe. wyth fo grete ioy and gladnes. betokynde the fame folennyte of yeftir yn the whyche owre bleffyd lorde and fauyur ihesus crifte rose vppe visibly and bodely fro dethe on to lyfe. to home wyth the fadyr and the holy goofte be now and euermore euerlastyng ioye and blysse Amen.

SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE

BETHLEHEM

BETHLEHEM is a little city, long and narrow, and well

walled, and on each side enclosed with good ditches. It was formerly called Ephrata, as Holy Writ says, "Lo, we heard it at Ephrata." And towards the east end of the city is a very fair and handsome church, with many towers, pinnacles, and corners strongly and curiously made; and within are forty-four great and fair pillars of marble. And between the city and the church is the Field Floridus, that is to say, the field flourished; for a fair maiden was blamed with wrong, and slander, that she had committed fornication, for which cause she was condemned to be burnt in that place; and as the fire began to burn about her, she made her prayers to our Lord, that as truly as she was not guilty, he would by his merciful grace help her, and make it known to all men. And when she had thus said, she entered into the fire, and immediately the fire was extinguished, and the faggots that were burning became red rosebushes, and those that were not kindled became white rosebushes, full of roses. And these were the first rose-trees and roses, both white and red, that ever any man saw. And thus was this maiden saved by the grace of God. And therefore is that field called the field that God flourished, for it was full of roses.

JOHN BOURCHIER, LORD BERNERS

OF THE MANER OF THE SCOTTIS, AND HOW THEY CAN WARRE

THE

HESE Scottysshe men are right hardy, and sore travelying in harneys and in warres; for whan they will entre into England, within a day and a nyght, they wyll dryve theyr

JOHN BOUCHIER, LORD BERNERS

211

hole host xxiii myle, for they are all a horsbacke, without it be the traundals and laggers of the oost, who folow after, a foote. The Knyghtis and squiers are well horsed, and the comon people and other, on litell hakeneys and geldyngis; and they carey with them no cartis nor chariettis, for the diversities of the mountaignes that they must passe through, in the country of Northumbreland. They take with them noo purveyance of brede nor wyne, for their usage and sobreness is suche in tyme of warre, that they wyll passe in the journey a great long tyme, with flesshe halfe soden, without brede, and drynke of the ryver water without wyne: and they nother care for pottis nor pannis, for they seeth beestis in their owne skynnes. They are ever sure to fynde plenty of beastis in the countrey that they wyll passe through. Therfore they cary with them none other purveyaunce, but on their horse bitwene the saddyll and the pannell, they trusse a brode plate of metall, and behynde the saddyll, they wyll have a lytle sacke full of ootemele, to the extent than whan they have eaten of the sodden flesshe, than they ley this plate on the fyre, and tempre a lytle of the ootemele, and whan the plate is hote, they cast of the thyn paste theron, and so make a lytle cake in maner of a crakenell, or bysket, and that they eate to comfort withall theyr stomakis.

THE TAKING OF EDINBURGH CASTLE (1340-1).

In this voyage they distroyed more than thre dayes journey into the realme of Englande, and thane retourned into Scotlande, and conquered agayne all the fortresses that were holden by the Englysshmen, except the cyte of Berwyke and thre other castals, the which dyd them great trouble. They were so stronge, that it woulde have ben harde to have founde any suche in any countrey; the one was Stirling, an other Roxburgh, and the third the chyefe of all Scotlande, Edenborowe; the whiche castell standeth on a hygh rocke, that a man must rest ones or twyse or he come to the hyest of