subjected to severe penance. Also, any woman who shall be convicted of having been carnally acquainted with a priest, shall do public and solemn penance, as though she were convicted of adultery, even though she may have been absolved; but if a betrothed woman be convicted of an offence of this kind, she shall be punished as if for twofold adultery, lest impunity for such an offence shall lead others to commit that fault.

How the earl of Salisbury was preserved from shipwreck.

About this same time, the earl of Salisbury, who had been fighting with count Richard in the transmarine provinces, embarked to return to England; but being exposed to great danger at sea, and being driven in different directions by the violence of the winds for several days and nights, in common with his sailors and all the rest of those on board his ship, gave up all hopes of safety, and therefore, committed to the waves his costly rings, and all his property in silver, gold, and rich garments, which he had on board, in order that as he had entered naked into mortal life, so he might pass to the regions of eternity deprived of all earthly honours. At length, when they were in the last state of despair, a large and brightly shining light* was seen at the top of the mast by all on board the ship, and they also saw standing near the light a female of great beauty, who kept the light of the taper, which illumined the darkness of the night, alive, notwithstanding the force of the winds and rain which beat upon it; from this vision of heavenly brightness, the count himself, as well as the sailors, conceived hopes of safety, and felt confident that divine help was at hand. And though all the rest of the people in the vessel were ignorant what this vision portended, the aforesaid earl William alone assigned the honour of this mercy to the blessed virgin Mary; for the aforesaid earl, on the day when he was first made a belted knight, had assigned a wax taper to be kept constantly burning before the altar of the blessed mother of God, during the mass which was usually chanted every day at the hour of prayer, in honour of the said virgin, and that he might receive an eternal in exchange for a temporal light.

* Sailors often see lights at the mast-head just after a storm, but the Virgin Mary no longer interferes on such occasions.

How the said earl escaped the snares of his enemies.

When the next morning broke, the earl and his companions were driven by the force of the storm towards the isle of Rhé, about three miles from Rochelle, and, having got into their small boats, made their way to the island. In that island was a convent of the Cistercian order, to which the earl sent messengers, asking leave to hide himself from his enemies, till a more favourable breeze should arise; the abbat of the place willingly granted this, and received him. and his fellow voyagers with all honour. This island was then in the charge of Savaric de Mauleon, who was then fighting under Louis, the French king, and was watching several of the islands, with a large body of soldiers: two followers of his who knew the earl well, and who had been appointed with several others to guard this island, went in a friendly manner to the earl, after he had lain hid there for three days, and told him that, unless he left the island before daylight of the following day, he would be taken prisoner by their companions, who with them were watching the islands and seas round. The earl then made the two soldiers a present of twenty pounds of sterling money, and at once embarked, and put to sea, where he was tossed about on the waves for three months before he landed in England.

How Master Otho came to England on the business of his holiness the pope.

In the same year, Master Otho, a legate of the pope, arrived in England, and presented letters to the king on urgent business connected with the Roman church; but the king, on learning the purport of the letters, replied that he could not and ought not of himself to give a definite answer on a matter which concerned all the clergy and laity of the kingdom in general. Therefore, by the advice of Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, a day was appointed by the king, in the octaves of the Epiphany, for all the clergy and laity to assemble at Westminster, then to discuss the aforesaid matter, that whatever seemed right to all might be determined on.

How the said Otho endeavoured to make peace between Falcasius and the king.

Shortly afterwards, Master Otho, on behalf of the pope,

humbly begged the king of England to become reconciled to Faulkes, and to restore to him his wife and all the possessions which he had lost, and to receive him again on terms of friendship, as he had so faithfully served his father and himself in time of war. To this the king replied, that, for his open treachery he had, by the decision of his court and with the consent of all the clergy and people of the kingdom, been banished from England, and although the care of the kingdom belonged especially to him, yet he ought to observe the laws and established customs of the kingdom; and when Otho heard this, he ceased to ask anything further of the king on behalf of Faulkes. Otho then took two marks of silver from all the conventual churches of England, under the name of procuration-money. It should also be known, that when Master Otho came to England, the pope sent messengers throughout the world, making unjust exactions, as will be hereafter told.

Of a certain girl who gave up the world and retired to the order of the Minorites.

About this time there was a certain girl of noble extraction in the province of Burgundy, whom her parents had appointed heiress to large possessions, and wished to give in marriage to a man of illustrious descent; but the girl, who from her early years had been imbued with a liberal education, had in the secret purity of her heart dedicated her virginity to God. She therefore left her parents' abode disguised in the habit of a pilgrim, the more easily to escape their sight, and betook herself to a convent of some brothers of the order of Minorites; there, at her own request, she in accordance with the rigorous rules of that order, laid aside her shoes, clothed herself in sackcloth, and contemptuously cut off her luxuriant hair, thus endeavouring, by all the means in her power, to transform her natural beauty of person into every kind of deformity. After she had attempted to do this but ineffectually, since she could not, against the will of God, deform the beautiful arrangement of her body, which was incomparable in all its proportions, she made it her only endeavour to consecrate to the eternal Spouse, who is in heaven, that purity of flesh which was internal; and, the more easily to carry this purpose into effect, she of her

own will chose a life of poverty, took on herself the office of holy preaching, clothed herself in rough garments, had a mat on a pallet to lie upon and a stone for a pillow, and punishing the flesh by continual watchings and fastings, she in urgent prayer employed herself in the contemplation of heavenly things. At length when she had for many years, in all perfection and sanctity of life, studied to please God and to preach the gospel of peace through cities and castles, and especially to the female sex, the enemy of the human race became envious of her perfection, and for seven months surrounded her with so many and great temptations, that, unless she had been supported by divine assistance, she would have lost all the virtuous aspirations of her former life; for day and night the devil brought back to her mind the abundant possessions of her parents which she had left, the produce of the fruitful vineyards, the pleasant meadows adorned with various kinds of flowers, the delightful sound of the gushing fountains and pleasantly murmuring rivulets, the lofty trees of the forests, fertility in offspring, the embraces of a husband and the enjoyments of love, the soft beds of the rich, the mirth of jesters, the splendour of rings and jewels, and the sweet taste of fish, poultry, and venison. Amidst these and other similar temptations the girl was almost in despair and frequently indulged in divers reflections, as to whether she should return to what she had left, or persevere in the pursuit of religion, and in this state of torture both of body and mind she passed days and nights; but the merciful God, who does not permit those that trust in him to be tempted beyond endurance, restored to the girl the eye of reason, that she might discover how great and how full of care are all temporal things and the pleasures above-mentioned, what disgrace in carnal intercourse, with how much toil temporal wealth is gained and with what sorrow it is lost, of how much importance virgin purity is with God, who wished his own mother to be productive and yet to remain in virginity, the reward which follows good works, the pleasure there is in holy and divine contemplation, the union of the inhabitants of heaven, how sweet and delectable is the enjoyment of holy spirits to reign with Christ, where cold affects not, where hunger and thirst afflict no one, and where none are oppressed by anger, quarrels, vain glory, envy, pride, animosity, avarice,

covetousness, or drunkenness. This blessed virgin often entertained these and the like thoughts, and amidst all this whirl of temptation she still preserved her former virtues, and, being armed with the weapons of God, she happily.defeated all the deceitful wiles of the devil and sent him in confusion to hell.

How this girl was released by a devil from a ravisher.

After a few days, when this girl had been altogether freed from these attacks of the devil, he returned to her and, saluting her, said, "Save you mistress of mine, and virgin well beloved of the God of heaven; I am that Satan, who have for seven months lately led you, although to no purpose, into so many temptations, in order to recall you from your intentions and to ensnare you in those toils; but since I have been overcome by you and failed in my deceitful arts, a punishment has been imposed on me by the Lord of heaven, which is, that I shall never henceforth be allowed to tempt any race of beings or to hinder any one from good works. Moreover I am commanded by the Lord, whom I must obey, at once to perform whatever you order me, and also to undergo any punishment you may impose on me." The girl on hearing this, said to the devil, "May God preserve me from any intercourse with you and from any attendance of yours, for He knows that I never liked such a servant." Soon after this, the said girl, happening to go to a certain city to obtain a lodging, entered the house of a woman and procured a lodging with her. In the evening a young man, the son of the aforesaid woman, returned from his accustomed business, and when he saw the young woman to whom his mother had given a lodging out of charity, he began to admire the natural disposition of all the girl's limbs, which were covered by such humble clothing, though she was pale and thin; for in her the work of nature was so perfect, that from the soles of her feet to the top of her head there was no defect, but by the disposition of her whole body she plainly showed the nobility of her race. The young man was fired with desire for the virgin, and approached her asking her to grant his wish. She in reply firmly refused the young man's request, and declared that she had from her youth consecrated her virginity to the Lord; and she more