A   And it happened that when my sonne wente into hys chamber he fell downe, and dyed: then ouerthrew we all þe; lyghtes, and all my neyghbours rose vp to comforte me. Then toke I my rest vnto the seconde daye at nyght: and wh&ebar; they had all rested, that they might comforte me, I rested and also rose vp by nyght, and fled, ∧ am come hyther in to thys felde, as thou seyst: and am purposed not to come in the citye, but to remayne here, and nether to eate ner dryncke, but continually to mourne and to fast, vntyll I dye.

Then let I my meditacions ∧ thoughtes fall, that I was in, ∧ spake to her in displeasure: Thou foolysh woman, seyst thou not oure heuynes and mournyng, ∧ what happeneth vnto vs? how Syon oure mother is all wofull and sory, and how she is cleane brought downe and in mysery? seyng we be all now in heuynes, ∧ make oure mone (for we be all soroufull.) As for þe; heuynes that thou takest, it is but for one sonne. Dema&ubar;de the earth, ∧ she shall tell the, that it is she which ought (by reason) to mourne, for the fall of so many that growe vpon her. For from the begynnynge all m&ebar; are borne of hir, and other shall come: ∧ beholde, they walke all most all in to destruccion, and many of them shalbe roted out.

Who shulde then (by reason) make more mournynge, then she, that hath lost so great a multitude? ∧ not thou, which art sory, but for one. But yf thou woldest saye vnto me: My mournynge is not lyke the mourninge of the earth, for I haue lost the frute of my body, which I bare &wt; heuynes: but þe; earth is accordinge to the maner of the earth, and the present multitude goeth againe into her as it is come to passe. Then saye I vnto the: lyke as thou hast borne with trauayle ∧ sorowe, eu&ebar; so þe; earth also fr&obar; the begynnyng geueth her frute vnto man, for hym þt; made her. And therfore with holde thy sorowe and heuynes by thy selfe ^note ∧ loke what happeneth vnto the, beare it strongly. For yf thou iudgest the marcke and ende of God to

be ryghteous and good, ∧ receauest his co&ubar;cell in tyme, þu; shalt be c&obar;mended therin. Go thy waye then into the cytie to thy husb&abar;de.

B   And she sayde vnto me: that wyll I not do, I wyll not go in to the cytye, but heare will I dye. So I commened more with her and sayde: Do not so, but be counceled, and folowe me: for how many falles hath Sy&obar;? Be of good comforte because of the sorowe of Ierusalem. For thou seyst that our Sanctuary is layed waste, oure aulter broken, oure temple destroyed, oure playenge of instrumentes and syngyne layed downe, the th&abar;kesgeuynge put to sylence, our myrth is vanyshed awaye, the lyght of oure candelstick is qu&ebar;ched, the arcke of the couenaunt is taken from vs, all oure holy thynges are defyled, and the name that is called vpon ouer vs, is dishonoured: oure childr&ebar; are put to shame, oure prestes are brent, oure Leuites are caried awaye into captiuite, our virgins are defyled, and oure wyues rauished, oure ryghteous m&ebar; spoyled, and oure chyldren destroyed, oure yonge men are brought in bondage, and oure stronge worthyes are become weake: and Sy&obar; (which seale is the greatest of all) is lowsed vp from her worshyp: for she is delyuered into the handes of them that hate vs.

And therfore shake of thy great heuynes, and put awaye the multitude of sorowes: þt; the myghtye maye be mercyfull vnto the, ∧ that the Hyest maye geue the rest from thy laboure and trauaile. And it happened, that when I was talkyng with her, her face dyd shyne and glyster, so that I was afrayed of her, and mused what it myght be. And immedyatly she cast oute a greate voyce, very fearfull, so that the earth shoke at the noyse of the woman: and I loked, and beholde, the wom&abar;, appeared vnto me nomore: but there was a citie builded, ∧ a place was shewed from the grounde and foundacyon.

C   Then was I afrayed, and cryed wyth loude voyce, and sayde: where is Uriel the angell, ^note which came to me at the fyrst? For he hath caused me to come in many consideracyons and hye thoughtes, and myne ende is turned to corrupci&obar;, and my prayer to rebuke. And as I was speakynge these wordes, he came vnto me, and loked vpon me, ∧ I laye as one that had bene deed, and myne vnderstanding was altered, and he toke me by the ryght hande, and c&obar;forted me, and set me vpon my fete, and sayde vnto me: what ayleth the? and why is thine vnderst&abar;ding vexed? and the vnderstanding of thy herte, ∧ wherfore art thou sory? And I sayd: Because thou hast forsak&ebar; me: and I haue done ^note accordinge vnto thy wordes, I wente into the felde, and there haue I sene thynges that I am not able to expresse. He sayde vnto me: Stande vp and be manly, and I shal geue the exhortacion.

Thene sayd I: speake vnto me my Lord forsake me not, lest I dye in vayne: for I haue sene that I knewe not, and herde that I do not knowe. Or shal my vnderstandinge be disceaued, ∧ my mynde? But now I beseche the, that thou wylt shewe thy serua&ubar;t of this w&obar;der. He answered me then ∧ sayd: heare me, and I shall enfourme the, and tell the wherfore thou art afrayed, for the hyest hath opened many secrete thinges vnto the

He hath sene that thy waye is ryght, and that thou takest sorowe c&obar;tinually for thy people, and makest greate lamentacyon for Syon: and therfore vnderstande the vision which thou sawest a lytle whyle agoo after this maner: Thou sawest a woman mourninge, and thou hast comforted her: Neuertheles now seyst thou the lykenes of þe; wom&abar; nomore, but thou thoughtest there was a citie buylded: and like as she tolde þe; of the fall of her sonne, so is this the answere: The woman whom thou sawest, is Syon, and where as she tolde the, that she hath bene thyrtye yeares vnfrutefull and bar&ebar;, those are the .xxx. yeares, wherin there was no offerynge made in her.

D   But after .xxx. yeares Salom&obar; buylded her, ∧ offred, and then bare the bar&ebar; a sonne. And where as she tolde þe;: that she noryshed hym with laboure, that was the dwellynge of Ierusalem. But where as she tolde the þt; her sonne dyed wh&abar; she came into her chamber, that is the fall of Ierusalem. And thou sawest her lykenesse, how she mourned for her sonne: and what els happened vnto her, I haue shewed þe;. And now God seyth, that thou art sory in thy mynde, and suffrest fr&obar; thy herte for her, ∧ so hath he shewed the her clearnesse, and the fayrnes of her bewtye.

And therfore I bad the remayne in þe; felde where no house is builded. For I knew that the Hyest wolde shew this vnto the, therfore I commaunded the to goo into the felde, where no foundacion ner buyldinge is. For in the place where the Hyest wyll shew hys citye, there shall be no mans buylding. And therfore feare not, and let not thyne hert be afrayed, but go thy waye in, and se the glorious and fayre buyldinge, and how greate it is, and how greate thou thinckest it after the measure of thine eyes, and th&ebar; shalt thou heare as moch as thine eares maye comprehende. For þu; art blessed aboue many other, and art called with the Hyest, as the fewe. But tomorow at nyght thou shalt remayne here, and so shall the Hyest shewe the visy&obar;s of hye thynges, which he wyll do vnto th&ebar;, that dwell vp&obar; earth in the last dayes. So I slepte the same nyght lyke as he commaunded me.

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