When this creature and her fellowship had come to Constance, she heard tell of an English friar, a master of divinity, and the Pope's legate, who was in that city. Then she went to that worshipful man and shewed him her life from the beginning till that hour, as nigh as she might in confession, because he was the Pope's legate and a worshipful clerk.

     And afterwards she told him what discomfort she had with her fellowship. She told him also what grace God gave her of contrition and compunction, of sweetness and devotion and of many divers revelations that God had revealed to her, and the fear that she had of illusions and deceits of her ghostly enemies, of which she lived in great dread, desiring to put them away, and to feel none, if he might withstand them.

     And when she had spoken, the worshipful clerk gave her [52/53] words of great comfort, and said it was the work of the Holy Ghost, commanding and charging her to obey them and receive them when God should give them and to have no doubts, for the devil hath no power to work such grace in a soul. And also he said that he would support her against the evil will of her fellowship.

     Afterwards, when it pleased her fellowship, they prayed this worthy doctor to dinner, and the doctor told the aforesaid creature, warning her to sit at the meat in his presence as she did in his absence, and to keep the same manner of behaviour as she kept when he was not there.

     When the time had come for them to sit at meat, every man took his place as he liked; the worshipful legate and doctor sat first, and then the others, and at the last, the said creature at the board's end, sitting and speaking no word, as she was wont to do, when the legate was not there.

     Then the legate said to her:

     "Why are ye no merrier?"

     And she sat still and answered not, as he himself had commanded her to do.

     When they had eaten, the company made great complaint against this creature to the legate, and said that, utterly, she could no longer be in their company, unless he commanded her to eat flesh as they did and stop her weeping, and that she should not talk so much of holiness.

     Then the worshipful doctor said:-"Nay, sirs, I will not make her eat flesh whilst she can abstain and be the better disposed to Our Lord. If one of you made a vow to go to Rome barefoot, I would not dispense him of his vow whilst he could fulfil it, nor will I bid her to eat flesh whilst our Lord giveth her strength to abstain. As for her weeping, it is not in my power to restrain it, for it is the gift of the Holy Ghost. As for her speaking, I will pray her to cease till she cometh where men will hear her with better will than ye do."

     The company was wroth, and in great anger. They gave her over to the legate and said utterly that they would no more associate with her. He full benignly and kindly received her as though she had been his mother, and received her gold, about twenty pounds, and yet one of them withheld wrongfully about sixteen pounds.

     And they withheld also her maiden, and would not let her go with her mistress, notwithstanding that she had promised her mistress and assured her that she would not forsake her for any need.

     And the legate made arrangements for this creature and made her his charge as if she had been his mother.

     Then this creature went into a church and prayed Our Lord that he would provide her with a leader.

     And anon Our Lord spoke to her

     "Thou shalt have right good help and a good leader."

     Immediately afterwards there came to her an old man with a white beard. He was from Devonshire, and said:

     "Damsel, will ye pray me for God's love, and for Our Lady's, to go with you and be your guide, for your countrymen have forsaken you?"

     She asked, what was his name?

     He said: "My name is William Wever."

     She prayed him, by the reverence of God and of Our Lady, that he would help her at her need, and she would well reward him for his labour, and so they agreed.

     Then went she to the legate and told him how well Our Lord had ordained for her, and took her leave of him and of her company who so unkindly had rejected her, and also of her maiden who was bounden to have gone with her. She took her leave with ful heavy face and rueful, having great grief in as much as she was in a strange country, and knew not the language, or the man who would lead her, either.

     And so the man and she went forth in great dread and gloom. As they went together, the man said to her:

     "I am afraid thou wilt be taken from me, and I shall be beaten for thee, and lose my jacket."

     She said: "William, dread you not. God will keep us right well."

     And this creature had every day mind of the Gospel which telleth of the woman that was taken in adultery, and brought before Our Lord.

     And she prayed: "Lord, as thou drove away her enemies, so drive away mine enemies, and keep well my chastity that I vowed to Thee, and let me never be defiled, for if I am, Lord, I make my vow, that I will never come back to England whilst I live."

     Then they went forth day by day and met with many jolly men. And they said no evil word to this creature, but gave her and her man meat and drink, and the good wives where they were housed, laid her in their own beds for God's love, in many places where they came.

     And Our Lord visited her with great grace of ghostly comfort as she went by the way. And so God brought her forth till she came to Bologna. And after she had come there, there came thither also her other fellowship, which had forsaken her before, And when they heard say that she had come to Bologna ere they had, then had they great wonder, and one of their fellowship came to her praying her to go to his fellowship and try if they would receive her again into their fellowship. And so she did.

     "If ye will go in our fellowship, ye must make a new covenant, and that is this 'ye shall not speak of the Gospel where we are, but shall sit still and make merry, as we do, both at meat and at supper.'"

     She consented and was received again into their fellowship. Then went they forth to Venice and dwelt there thirteen weeks; and this creature was houselled every Sunday in a great house of nuns, and had great cheer among them, where Our Lord Jesus Christ visited this creature with great devotion and plenteous tears, so that the good ladies of the place were much marvelled thereof.

     Afterwards, it happened, as this creature sat at meat with her fellowship, that she repeated a text of the Gospel that she had learnt beforetime with other good words, and then her fellowship said she had broken covenant. And she said:

     "Yea, sirs, forsooth I may no longer keep your covenant, for I must needs speak of My Lord Jesus Christ, though all this world had forbidden it me."

     Then she took to her chamber and ate alone for six weeks, unto the time that Our Lord made her so sick that she weened to have been dead, and then suddenly He made her whole again. And all the time her maiden let her alone and made the company's meat and washed their clothes, and, to her mistress, under whom she had taken service, she would no deal attend.