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A woman there was some tym alyve, that was a bawde betwene an housbond- man and anothere mannys wife, and ofte sithe had brought hem togedre in the synne of avoutery; and contenued many a day throw help of this bawde. Atte laste this woman, that was bawde, felle seke, and shuld deye. She thought in here herte, how she had ben a synfull wrech, and was sory in here herte that ever she had offendid God, and thought she wolde amende here, as holy chirche wolde; and sente for here criature and was shrevyn and toke here penaunce, as she myght for the tyme, and was in wille never to torne agayne to synne; and wepte faste, and praiede Criste, for the vertue of His blessyd passyon, that He wolde have mercy on here, and also for the prayere of His blessyd modre and all seyntes; and so she passyd oute of this worlde. And sone after, the man and the woman that lyvedyn in synne, deyedyn withoute repentaunce. This womans housbond praide faste for his wife, that was the bawde, that God wolde shewe hym how his wife fared. Afterwarde on a nyght, as he lay in his bedde, his wife aperid to hym, and seide, "Housbond, be not aferde, but rise up, and go with me, for thou shalte se mervayles." He rose, and wente with here, til they come into a fayre playne. Then she seide, "Stond here still, and be not aferde, for thou shalte have no harme, and wisely beholde what thou shalte se." Then she wente a litill way from hym til she come at a grete stone that had an hole in the myddes; and as she stode afore the stone, sodenly she was a longe addre, and putte here hede in at an hole in the myddys of the stone, ande crepte throwe; but she lefte hire hame withoute the stone, and anone she stode up a fayre woman. And sone after com two devyls yellyng and broughtyn a cawderon full of hote wellyng brasse, and sette it downe besyde the stone; and after hem came othere two devyls, cryenge, and broughtyn a man; and after hem came othere two devyls, with grete noyse, and broughtyn a woman. Than the two devyls tokyn bothe the man ande the woman that they brought, and caste hem into a cawderon and helde hem there, till the fleshe was sothyn fro the bone. Then they tokyn oute the bonys, and leyde hem beside the cawderon; and anone they were made man and woman. And the devyls caste hem in agayne into the cawderon; and thus were they served many a tyme. And then the devyls wentyn as they comyn thiddere. The woman, that crepte throw the stone, wente agayne to hire housbonde, and seide, "Knewes thou ought this man and this woman?" He seide, "Yee, they were oure neghbores." "Sawe thou," she saide, "what payne they had?" He saide, "Yee, an hideouse payne." "This peyne," she seide, "shull they have in helle ever more, for they lyvedyn in avoutery, and amendid hem nought. And I was bawde betwene hem, and brought heme togedre; and I shuld have bene with hem in the cawderon ever had I nought amendid me in my lyfe, with contricion, confession, and satisfaccion, as I myght, be the mercy of God; and crepte throw the stone, and lefte my hame behynde me." The stone is Criste; the hole is his blessid wounde on His side; and the hame is my synnes that I lefte behynde me, be the merite of Cristes passion; and therfore I shall be savyd. Go thou now home, and bewarre of synne, and amende thee, for thou shalte lyve but a while; and do almesse dedes for thee and for me." Then the housbond wente home, and did as she bade hym; and with in shorte tyme after he deyede and wente to the blisse. |
1 bawde. As a go-between the bawd is associated with a long tradition of courtly love; as a panderer or procuress she is more closely aligned with prostitution. This bawd recalls Dame Sirith, the most famous intermediary of English fabliaux.
1-2 housbond-man. "Husband" derives from OE hus + bonden and refers to the male head of household who is "bound" to his domestic duties.
19 grete stone. Since a miracle is about to occur this may allude to the rock of Exodus through which water passed to quench the thirst of the Israelites during their exile in the desert.
20 addre. The snake is a traditional symbol of sin and temptation. But once it sheds its old skin, it is also a sign of Christ the new man, raised on the Cross even as Moses raised the serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9; see John 3:14). The Biblia Pauperum ?e? juxtaposes Moses raising the serpent with the Crucifixion, where Christ on the Cross makes redemption possible, whereby the sinner, i.e., the serpent, can slough off the old wrapping of sin by passing through the sharp passage of penance. That the bawd is transformed into a "fayre woman" (line 22), like the serpent shedding its old skin, demonstrates her newly acquired state of grace. The amazing transformations demonstrated here differ from the illusions of magicians and necromancers since they are rendered by someone who has been absolved.
23 cawderon. The punishment is reminiscent of those found in Dante's Inferno, though cauldrons of boiling oil were also found in the legends of saints. St. John the Evangelist, for instance, was martyred when he was placed in such a vat.
38 contricion, confession, and satisfaccion. These acts are prerequisites for absolution. See Chaucer's The Parson's Tale (CT X[I]106-08).