A dialoge or communication of two persons

lokyd moch after suche a fashion, at the last came the thyrd.

Me. Perauenture thay desyryd to descrybe you.

Ogy. But I suspecte another mater.

Mene. What was it?

Ogygy. There was a certayne theffe y

had stole almost all owr ladyes frontlet, and I supposyd y

they had me in suspycyon thereof. And therfore whan I was within the chapell I mayd my prayers to our lady after thys fashiõ. Oh cheffe of all women Mary the mayd, most happy mother, moste pure virgyne, we vnclene, and synners, doo vysyte the pure & holy, and after our abylytye we haue offeryd vnto the, we pray thy that thy sone may grante this to vs, that we may folow thy holy lyffe, and that we may deserue thorow the grace of the holy ghoste, spirytually to cõceyue the lord Iesus Christ, & after that conceptyon neuer to be separat from hym, Amen. This done I kyssyd the aultre, and layd downe certayne grotes for myne offerynge and went my waye.

Me. What dyde our lady now, dyd nat she make one sygne, that you myght know that she had hard youre prayeres.

Ogy. The lyght (as I told you before) was but litle, and she stode at the ryght ende of the aultre in the derke corner, at the last the communicatyõ of the fyrst Sexten had so discoregyd me, that I durst not ones loke vpe with myne eyes.

Me. This pylgremage came but to smale effecte.

Ogy.. Yes, it had a very good & mery ende.

Me. You haue causyd me to take harte of grasse, for (as Homere saythe) my harte was almost in my hose.

Ogy. Whan dynar was done, we returnyd to y

temple.

Me. Durste you goo & be susspecte of felonye?

Ogy. Perauenture so, but I had nat my selffe in suspiciõ, a gyltles mynde puttythe away feare. I was very desyrous to see that table whiche the holy Sexten dyd open to vs. At the last we fownde it, but it was hãgyd so hye that very fewe could rede it. My eyes be of that fashion, that I can nother be callyd

Linceus, nother purre blynd. And therefore I instantly desyryd Alldryge to rede it, whose redynge I folowyd with myne owne eyes, because I wold skarsly truste hym in suche a mater.

Linceus ys a beaste so quike eyed y

it wyll see thorow any wall

Me. Well, now all doubtes be discussyd.

Ogy. I was ashamyd that I doubtyd so moche, y

mater was so playne set forthe before oure eyes, bothe the name, the place, the thynge it selffe as it was done, to be breffe,there was nothynge lefte owte. There was a mane whos name was Wylyam whiche was borne in Parise, a man very deuoute in many thyngs but pryncypally excedynge relygyous in searchynge for the relyques of all sayntes thorowowt all the world. He after that he had vysytyd many places, contrayes, and regyones, at the laste came to Cõstantynenople. For Wylhelmes brother was there byshope, whiche dyd make hym pry to a certayne mayde, whiche had professyd chastyte, that hadde parte of oure ladyes mylke, which were an excedynge precyous relyque, if that other with prayer, or monaye, or by any crafte it myghte be gotte. For all the reliques that he hadde gotte before were but tryfles to so holy mylke. Wyllyam wold not rest there tyll that he had gotte halffe of that holy mylke, but whan he had it, he thoghte that he was richer than Croeseus.

Me. Why nat, but was it nat withowt any goodhope?

Ogy. He went thã streght home, but in hys iornay he fell seke.

Me. Iesu there is nothynge in thys worlde y

is other permanent, or alwayes in good state.

Ogy. But whan he sawe & perceyuyd that he was in greate ioperdye of his lyffe, he callyd to him a frenchman, whiche was a very trusty companyon to hym in hys iornay. And commaundyd all to auoyd the place, and make sylence, & pryuyly dyd betake to hym thys mylke, apon this condycyõ, that if it chãcyd to come home saffe & sownde he wuld offre that precyous tresure to our ladyes aultre in Paryse, whiche standythe in the myddys of the ryuere Sequana, whiche dothe apere to separat hymselffe to honor and obaye our blessyd lady. But to make short tale. Wylyam is deade, & buryed, the Frenchman mayd hym redy to departe apon hys iornay, & sodêly fell seke also. And he in great dyspayre of amendynge, dyd commyth y

mylke to an Englishmã, but nat withowt great instance, and moche prayer he dyd that whiche he was mouyd to doo. Than dyed he. And y

other dyd take the mylke, and put it apon an aultre of y

same place the Chanones beynge present, whiche were yt as we call Regulares. Thay be yet in the abbaye of saynt Genofeffe. But y

Englishmã obtaynyd the halffe of that mylke, & caryed it to Walsyngã in England, the holy ghost put suche in hys mynde.

Me. By my trothe this is a godly tale.

Ogy. But lest there shuld be any doubte of this mater, y

Byshopes whiche dyd grante pardon to it thayre names be wryten there, as thay came to vysyte it, nat withowt thayre offerynges, and thay haue gyuen to it remyssyon, as moche as thay had to gyue by thayre authorite.

Me. How moche is that?

Ogy. Fowrty dayes.

Mene. Yee is there dayes in hell.

Ogy. Trewly ther is tyme. Y

but whan thay haue grãtyd all thayre stynte, thay haue no more to grante.

Ogy. That is nat so for whan one parte is gone another dothe encrease, and it chansythe dyuersly euyn as the tonne of Canaidus. For that althoghe it be incontynently fyllyd, yet it is alway emptye: and if thou be takynge owt of it, yet there is neuer the lesse in the barell.

Me. If thay grãte to an hunderithe thowsand mê fowrty dayes of pardone, wuld euery man haue elyke?

Ogy. No doubte of that.

Me. And if any haue forty byfore dynar, may he axe other forty at after souper, is there any thynge left than to gyue him?

Ogy. Ye, & if thou aske it ten tymes in one howre.

Me. I wold to God that I had suche a pardon bagge, I wold aske but .iii. grotes, and if thay wold flowe so faste.

Ogy. Ye but you desyre to be to ryche, if y

you myght for wyshynge, but I wyl turne to my tale, but there was some good holy man whiche dyd gyue this argumente of holynes to that mylke, and sayd that our Ladyes mylke whiche is in many other places, is precyous & to be worshipyd but thys is moche more precyous, & to be honoryd, bycause the other was shauen of stones, but this is the same that came out of the virgynes brest.

Me. How kno you that?

Ogy. The mayd of Cõstantynople, which dyd gyue it, dyd saye so.

Me. Perauenture saynt Barnard dyd gyue it to her.