er own sin, and for compassion of that
creature.

Our Lord said to her: "In nothing that thou dost or sayest,
daughter, thou mayst no better please God than believe that He
loveth thee. For, if it were possible that I might weep with thee, I
would weep with thee for the compassion that I have of thee."

Our merciful Lord Jesu Christ drew this creature unto His love, and
to the mind of His passion, that she might not endure to behold a
leper, or another sick man, specially if he had any wounds appearing
on him. So she wept as if she had seen our Lord Jesu with His wounds
bleeding; and so she did, in the sight of the soul; for, through the
beholding of the sick man, her mind was all ravished in to our Lord
Jesu, that she had great mourning and sorrowing that she might not
kiss the leper when she met them in the way, for the love of our
Lord: which was all contrary to her disposition in the years of her
youth and prosperity, for then she abhorred them most.

Our Lord said: "Daughter, thou hast desired in thy mind to have many
priests in the town of Lynn, that might sing and read night and day
for to serve Me, worship Me, and praise Me, and thank Me for the
goodness that I have done to thee in earth; and therefore, daughter,
I promise thee that thou shalt have meed and reward in heaven for
the good wills and good desires, as if thou haddest done them in
deed.

"Daughter, thou shalt have as great meed and as great reward with Me
in heaven, for thy good service and thy good deeds that thou hast
done in thy mind, as if thou haddest done the same with thy bodily
wits withoutforth.[148]

"And, daughter, I thank thee for the charity that thou hast to all
lecherous men and women; for thou prayest for them and weepest for
them many a tear, desiring that I should deliver them out of sin,
and be as gracious to them as I was to Mary Magdalene, that they
might have as much grace to love Me as Mary Magdalene had; and with
this condition thou wouldest that everich[149] of them should have
twenty pounds a year to love and praise Me; and, daughter, this
great charity which thou hast to them in thy prayer pleaseth Me
right well. And, daughter, also I thank thee for the charity which
thou hast in thy prayer, when thou prayest for all Jews and
Saracens, and all heathen people that they should come to Christian
faith, that My name might be magnified in them. Furthermore,
daughter, I thank thee for the general charity that thou hast to a