Book Two - Chapter 12

Of the daughter of Wymond the priest.

A CERTAIN priest, Wymond by name, had many years governed the church of St. Martin which is situate in the corner of the road which leads to Westminster, and had received from the Bishop of London the deanery of the neighbouring churches for the discussion of ecclesiastical matters. This man, indulging unduly in lustful pleasures, and ever apt to go from bad to worse, and not restraining the lust of the flesh with the bridle of chastity, procured for himself a common strumpet, either for the works of the flesh or terrors of the night, and of her begat a daughter in unlawful intercourse. Whom loving with fatherly affection, when she reached childish years he set her to be instructed in letters, and later, when she was grown up and of a marriageable age, he committed her to a certain matron to establish a manly mind in her woman's heart, to keep her from the vices attendant on that age which makes it prone to fall, and to study to school her diligently in wholesome doctrine. So the girl was carefully guarded, and educated with chaste discipline, and she began to be more learned than her teacher and to reveal a beauty and example of maidenly honour to the girls and others living about her. In fact, though the said maid was sought by many suitors, she could not be seduced by the crafty suggestion of any. She welcomed not the wheedling talk of panders, but, subduing and bravely trampling under the heel of virtue the pleasures of carnal enticement, remained unspotted. Her pure chastity the enemy of mankind grudged, and, wishing to overcome her purpose of modesty, took counsel and sought for new subtleties of injury, and devised and set on foot against the maid unheard of deceits. That the righteousness of divine justice permitted this we do not so much wonder at as shudder and deem it a terrible thing that it could happen in the sight of God. So that cunning serpent takes upon himself the form of a very beautiful youth, and, conspicuous as a nobleman of royal blood, with precious ornaments that obscured rather than adorned his person, thus he suddenly glided into the chamber in which the maiden sat alone. At sight of him the girl was smitten with sudden terror and marvelled in amazement whence he came and how he entered, but gazed upon the beauty of his countenance and the splendour of his attire with more simplicity than prudence.

That enemy of weak womanhood perceived her fear, wherefore drawing nearer he seated himself at her side and, discharging fearful venom from his deadly breast, at first comforted her timidity with the sweet poison of words. He then pressed her with prayers and promises to give her assent to wickedness. Meanwhile, whilst he was cunningly weaving the nooses of his machination, the maiden, little by little, recovered from her amazement, and acquiring some sort of confidence in speech, is said to have answered thus --

"It is not the part of a prudent man, or one that uses reason in his mind, so shamelessly to utter a desire of such a kind when formed in his heart, or to wish to act so unfittingly. First it were right that the splendour of thy birth should have been made known to my parents, then with the approval of my family and thine to make a legal contract of marriage, and that contract being made and strengthened by the solemn authority of the church's sanctification, mutually to render the debt of the flesh not in the heat of passion but only for the sake of generating offspring. Thou, striving in quite the contrary direction, makest no mention of God or man, but only passionately puttest first the heat of thy boastful mind, and prayest me to put aside respect for God and man and consent to thy so evil pleasure. But first tell me who thou art, and who witnessed thy admission hither; afterwards, concerning the other matters, use thou saner counsel."

To this the enemy replied --

"Why seekest thou here the order of reason, where we converse together only for our pleasure. Here pity is gain, religious scruple is but superstition. When it is a matter of wrecking chastity, no law or custom is to be regarded, but the reward of debauchery is alone to be considered. Whence and who I am, how I came, it is idle to ask, only let thy affection be joined to my petition and the swift result shall immediately follow the promise."

While they were conversing thus, and more to the same effect, the maid's nurse, coming upon them, wondered with whom she talked, for she heard the speaker's voice but saw no one except the maiden. At her approach the enemy vanished, but none the less, by no means forgetting his bold shamelessness, whenever he saw the girl alone he regularly used to meet the maid in the same manner of a wanton youth. But she, protecting herself with prayers and the sign of the cross, escaped all his pitfalls untouched. But on a certain day, while the girl was alone in her chamber, lo, the evil robber was there, more beautiful than his wont, more bright in attire, and at first he poured out prayers, then he added promises, but when these availed him nought he prepared to employ force. But the maiden, anticipating his boldness, filled the whole house with loud cries. Meanwhile, while the servants were running to her, the evil enemy -- as he departed -- smote the maiden, saying --

"Because thou wouldest not consent to me and receive somewhat of my gifts, now thou shalt feel what the hand of my emnity can do."

Forthwith, at the enemy's departure, the maiden, falling to the ground, afflicted in mind, was also tortured with dreadful suffering of body and, rolling backwards and forwards with inordinate movements of her limbs, she testified the internal pain she suffered. The servants running to her found her but half alive and filled the house with the tumult of their wailing. The neighbours came together, a crowd collected on all sides, and the hearts of all were filled with amazement and horror at the strangeness of what had happened. But when the maiden had been thus tortured for some long time, she at length, foaming at the mouth, after many sighs and regaining breath a little, told what had been done to her; how the evil enemy had appeared to her, with what promises he had tried to induce her to consent to his passion, and how on his departure-being confoundedhe had struck her, and how dreadful weakness had followed the blow. Before she ended her tale, lo, a second time she began to be tortured in the same manner as before. So, when she was thus afflicted twice or thrice, or even oftener every day, at the request of the maid herself and by the advice of her parents, she was brought to the church of the most blessed apostle Bartholomew. But while she was being borne in the litter and they were crossing before the hospital of the same church, the aforesaid enemy was at her side, saying to the maiden --

"Whither art thou being borne? Thinkest thou that the apostle will deliver thee from my hands? Unless thou consentest to me, thou shalt die worn out with longer and severer pains."

Again, too, when she was being taken down from the litter and carried into the church, he appeared to her, saying --

"Stay, girl, stay thy step and forbid them to carry thee into the church, and I will make health and all things that are desirable to health to flow to thy hand at thy will."

To this the maiden answered nothing, but, trusting in the Lord, with hands stretched to heaven she prayed for the mercy of the Most High.

So the wicked one, seeing that he was mocked, raged against the maiden with still more bitter pangs and smote her with still more cruel suffering than usual. The canons of the church were present seeing these things and beseeching the apostle with devout prayers that with his wonted pity he would succour the stricken maiden. The Lord heard and listened to His servants making such just requests, and by the merits of the apostle delivered the maiden from the fiend and, so delivered, restored her to perfect health. So the girl was handed over to her parents, who all, rejoicing in the Lord, preached everywhere the virtue of the apostle, praising and blessing God who hateth nothing that He hath made, whose judgements are very deep.

 

The Book of the Foundation of St. Bartholomew's, Smithfield Rendered into Modern English from the original Latin version preserved in the British Museum, numbered Vespasian B. IX, by Mr. Humphrey H. King and Mr. William Barnard for use in the Records of St. Bartholomew's Priory by E.A. Webb.

Rahere's Garden Home tbird's home page Photographs and text copyright Tina Bird, 2003-2008 Last modified 12 December 2008