Of the sekenese opteyned of God be petition. Third chapter.

And when I was thirty yers old and halfe, God sent me a bodely sekeness in which I lay three dayes and three nights, and on the fourth night I tooke all my rites of Holy Church and wened not a levyd till day; and after this I langorid forth two dayes and two nights. And on the third night I wened oftentimes to have passyd, and so wened they that were with mee; and, in youngith yet, I thought great sweeme to dye; but for nothing that was in earth that me lekid to levin for, ne for no peyne that I was aferd of, for I trusted in God of His mercy. But it was to have lyved that I might have loved God better and longer tyme, that I might have the more knoweing and lovyng of God in blisse of Hevyn. For methought all the time that I had lived here so little and so short, in reward of that endlesse blisse, I thought, nothing. Wherefore I thought, "Good Lord, may my living no longer be to Thy worshippe?" And I understood by my reason and be my feleing of my peynes that I should dye, and I assented fully with all - with all the will of my herte to be at God will. Thus I durid till day, and be than my body was dede fro the middis downewards as to my feleing. Then was I stered to be sett upright, underlenand with helpe, for to have more fredam of my herte to be at Gods will, and thinkeing on God while my life would lest.

My curate was sent for to be at my endeing, and by than he cam I had sett my eyen and might not speke. He sett the cross before my face and seid, "I have browte thee the image of thy maker and Saviour. Louke thereupon and comfort thee therewith." Methought I was wele for my eyen were sett up rightward into Hevyn where I trusted to come be the mercy of God, but nevertheless I assented to sett my eyen in the face of the Crucifix, if I might; and so I dede. For methought I might longer duren to loke even forth than right up. After this my sight began to failen and it was all derke about me in the chamber as it had be night, save in the image of the Cross wherein I beheld a comon light, and I wiste not how. All that was beside the Cross was uggely to me as if it had be mekil occupyed with the fends. After this the other party of my body began to dyen so ferforth that onethys I had ony feleing, with shortnesse of onde; and than I went sothly to have passid.

And in this, sodenly all my peyne was taken fro me, and I was as hele, and namely in the other party of my body, as ever I was aforn. I mervalid at this soden change, for methought it was a privy workeing of God and not of kinde, and yet by the feleing of this ease I trusted never the more to levyn. Ne the feleing of this ease was no full ease to me, for methought I had lever a be deliveryd of this world. Than came suddenly to my minde that I should desyre the second wounde of our Lords gracious gift, that my body might be fullfilled with minde and felyng of His blissid passion, for I would that His peynes were my peynes, with compassion, and, afterward, longeing to God. But in this I desired never bodily sight nor sheweing of God, but compassion as a kinde soule might have with our Lord Jesus that for love would beene a dedely man, and therefore I desired to suffer with Him.