ou wilt not
believe Me, for thou wilt bid many beads.[144]

"Daughter, if thou knew how sweet thy love is to Me, thou wouldest
never do other thing but love Me with all thine heart.

"Daughter, if thou wilt be high with Me in heaven, keep Me alway in
thy mind as much as thou mayst, and forget not Me at thy meat; but
think alway that I sit in thine heart and know every thought that is
therein, both good and bad.

"Daughter, I have suffered many pains for thy love; therefore thou
hast great cause to love Me right well, for I have bought thy love
full dear."

"Dear Lord," she said, "I pray Thee, let me never have other joy in
earth, but mourning and weeping for Thy love; for me thinketh, Lord,
though I were in hell, if I might weep there and mourn for Thy love
as I do here, hell should not noye[145] me, but it should be a
manner of heaven. For Thy love putteth away all manner of dread of
our ghostly enemy; for I had lever be there, as long as Thou
wouldest, and please Thee, than to be in this world and displease
Thee; therefore, good Lord, as Thou wilt, so may[146] it be."

She had great wonder that our Lord would become man, and suffer so
grievous pains, for her that was so unkind a creature to Him. And
then, with great weeping, she asked our Lord Jesu how she might best
please Him; and He answered to her soul, saying: "Daughter, have
mind of thy wickedness, and think on My goodness." Then she prayed
many times and often these words: "Lord, for Thy great goodness,
have mercy on my great wickedness, as certainly as I was never so
wicked as Thou art good, nor never may be though I would; for Thou
art so good, that Thou mayst no better be; and, therefore, it is
great wonder that ever any man should be departed from Thee without
end."

When she saw the Crucifix, or if she saw a man had a wound, or a
beast, or if a man beat a child before her, or smote a horse or
another beast with a whip, if she might see it or hear it, she
thought she saw our Lord beaten or wounded, like as she saw in the
man or in the beast.

The more she increased in love and in devotion, the more she
increased in sorrow and contrition, in lowliness[147] and meekness,
and in holy dread of our Lord Jesu, and in knowledge of her own
frailty. So that if she saw any creature be punished or sharply
chastised, she would think that she had been more worthy to be
chastised than that creature was, for her unkindness against God.
Then would she weep for h