The Book of Margery Kempe

Here bgynnyth a schort tretys and a com-fortabyl for synful wrecchys, wher-in þei may haue gret solas and comfort to hem and vndyrstondyn þe hy & vnspecabyl mercy of ower souereyn Sauyowr Cryst Ihesu, whos name be worshepd and magnyfyed wythowten ende, þat now in ower days to vs vnworthy deneth to exercysen hys nobeley & hys good-nesse. Alle þe werkys of ower Saviowr ben for ower exampyl & instruccyon, and what grace þat he werkyth in any creatur is ower profyth yf lak of charyte be not ower hynder-awnce. And þer for, be þe leue of ower mercyful Lord Cryst Ihesu, to þe magnyfying of hys holy name, Ihesu, þis lytyl tretys schal tretyn sumdeel in parcel of hys wonderful werkys [...] (Chapter I, 1-14).

On a tyme, as þis creatur was at Cawntyrbery in þe Cherch a-mong þe monkys, sche was gretly despysed & repreuyd for cawse sche wept so fast bithyn of þe monkys & prestys & of seculer men ner al a day boþe a-for-noon & aftyr-noon, also jn so mech þat hyr husbond went a-way fro hir as he had not a knowyn hir & left hir a-loon a-mong hem, cheys hir as sche cowde, for oþer comfort had she noon of hym as þat day. So an eld monk whech had ben tresowrer wyth the Qwen whyl he was in seculer clothyng, a riche man, & gretly dred of mech pepyl, toke hir be þe hand, seying vn-to hir, "What kanst þow seyn of God?" "Ser," sche seyth, 'I wyl boþe speke of hym & heryn of hym, " rehersyng þe monk a story of Scriptur. The monke seyd, "I wold þow wer closyd in an hows of ston þat þer no man speke wyth þe. (Chapter XIII, 18-33).

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