# The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 66

OF THE BURGEYS WHICHE WOLD NEUER PARDONNE HER EUYLLE WYLLE TO ONE HER NEYGHBOUR, WHERFORE SHE WAS DAMPNED.
Y fayre doughters, beware ye well that the synne of yre ouercome yow not. For god sayth in his holy euägely, that men out to pardonne to them that haue mysprysed and mysdone. And yf one be smeton of his neyghbour, or of his broder crysten, vpon one cheke, he oughte to leye forth the other for to receyue on it as moche. For takynge vengeaunce is none meryte, but is contrary to the sowle. And yet sayth oure lord, that yf one haue ony hate or wrathe with ony other, he ought to goo and aske hym mercy to fore he make or doo his oryson, offrynge, or prayer, that it may be of ony valewe and playsaunt to god. For of no maner of man ne woman whiche ben in the synne of yre, god receyueth not theyre offrynge, how grete that it be, for as god that maad the pater noster, whiche sayth that god shold pardonne to them as they pardonned to other, therfore we ought to pardonne eche one to other. And thus they that ben euer in wrathe and hate, yf they saye the pater noster, theyr prayer is more ageynst them than with them. And vpon thys I shalle telle yow an ensample of a grete Burgeyse, as I herd saye at a predycacion or prechynge. This Burgeyse was moche ryche, charytable, and moche preysed, and had on her many signes and tokens to be a good crysten. It befelle that she was brought thorugh a grete sekenes to the bedde of dethe. Ther cam to her her curate or parson, whiche was a hooly man and trewe. He herd her in confessyon, and as he came to speke to her of the synne of yre, sayenge to her that she must pardonne to alle them that had mysprysed or mysdone vnto her. And whanne she herde of that artycle, she ansuerd that a woman whiche was her neyghboure had soo moche mesprysed and ​mysdone vnto her, that she myght neuer pardonne ne forgyue her with her good wyll. Thenne the holy man began to put forthe & shewe vnto her by fayr wordes & ensaples, how Ihesu Cryst forgaaf & pardonned his dethe. Also he reherced to her thexample of a knyghtes sone, whos fader had be slayne. This knyghtes sone came to an heremyte and confessyd hym, and as he came to the synne of yre he sayd that he myght neuer pardonne ne forgyue to hym that had slayne his fader. And the holy heremyte shewed hym how god forgaf his dethe, and many other ensamples he dyd shewe vnto hym. And so moche he sayd that by his swete and fays wordes the child pardonned and forgaf his fader's dethe with good wylle, in suche wyse that whanne the child cam to knele before the crucyfyxe, he enclyned his heed toward hym, and a voys was herd whiche sayd, "By cause that thow hast pardonned humbly for the loue of me, I pardonne and forgyue to the al thy synnes and mysdedes, and thow shalt haue grace to come to me in to the celestyal ioye." This parson or curate thenne shewed and told this ensample with many other to the sayd Burgeis, but for none ensample ne for no thynge that he couthe saye or doo she wold neuer forgyue her euylle wylle, but in that estate she deyde, wherof hit befelle that atte nyght 2 vysyon came to the sayd curate or parson by the whiche vysion he sawe how the deuyls bare away with them the sowie of the sayd burgeys, & how she had vpon her herte a grete tode; & as the mornyng cam somme came and told hym how she was passyd oute of this world. And also came to hym her children and her parentes to speke with hym for her buryenge and enterement, and that she myghte be buryed within the chirche. But the preest ansuered to them that she shold not be buryed in none holy erth, by cause she wold neuer pardonne ne forgyue to her neyghbour, and that she was dede in dedely synne, wherfore the Frendes and parentes of her dyd stryue with hym. And thenne ​he answered to them that they shold make her bely to be opened, and that vpon her herte they shold fynde a grete tode; and yet more sayd to them, "yf hit be not so as I say, I wylle and am contente that she be buryed there as ye wylle haue her to be." They wente thenne and spake to gyder, but they dyd jape and mocke of that the curate had said, and seyd that it myst not be, and that hardyly she myght be opened, to thende they myght the more jape and mocke with hym. Thenne they made her to be opened, and found a grete tood vppon her herte, ryght fowle, lothely, and hydous. The preest thenne coniured the sayd tood, and demaunded of hym why he was there and what he was. And the tood ansuered that he was the deuyll that had euer tempted her by the tyme and space of xxv yere, and specially in the synne in whiche he found most auauntage, that was, in the synne of yre and wrathe. For euer syn that tyme she bare soo grete yre and so grete wrathe vppon a woman her neyghbour, that neuer she thought to pardonne her the trespas that she hadde done vnto her. "And that other daye whanne thou confessyd her, I was on my foure feet vpon her herte, where as I her so streyght enclawed, and so chaffed of wrathe and yre, that she myght haue no wylle to forgyue. Notwithstondynge, an houre was that I had grete fere that thou sholdest haue had her fro me, and that she shold haue be conuertysed thorugh thy prechynge, but neuertheles I hadde the vyctorye, in suche wyse that she is oure for euermore." And whanne al they that were there herde these wordes they were moche merueylled, and neuer syn they durst speke of her buryenge in hooly erthe. Here is a ryght. good ensample how one ought to pardonne and forgyue to other, for who that forgyueth not with his good wylle, wyth grete payne he shal obteyne and haue forgyuenesse of god, and peraduenture it myght well befalle to hym as dyde to the sayd Burgeyse, of whome ye haue herd.