A vision and exposition thereof.
THERFORE I thought it not inconuenient to set downe a vision, which he that
hideth much from wisemen & reuealeth it to babes visited me withall, being a most
simple and vile wretch. In the miserie of this time, in that ciuill and detestable
discord betwéene the king and the erle of Poitiers, I being with the king at Chinon
castell the seuenth ides of Maie: at night in my sléepe about the cocke crowing,
me thought I saw a great multitude of men looking vp into heauen, and a it were
woondering at somewhat. So I lifting vp mine eies to sée what the same was, I saw
a bright light breake out betwéene the thickenesse of the clouds, and the clouds
A strange vision.
being incontinentlie seuered asunder, and the lower heauen as it were being opened,
and the sight of mine eies pearsing through that window to the empeircall heauen,
there appered the court thereof in great multitude, wide open as it were to be spoiled,
all kinds of munition being bent against it. You might haue séene there a head
cut from one, an arme from another, and some striken through with arrowes,
some with lances, and some with swords. And when manie of the beholders either
for the brightnes, or terror, or pitie, had fallen flat on their faces: me thought that I
(to see the end of the matter) did view it longer than the rest. So they hauing
gotten the victorie ouer all the other, the bloudie slaues fell vpon the prince of the
heauenlie orders, sitting in his throne as he was woont to bee pictured, and drawing
him from the throne on the right had, hauing his breast naked, they thrust him
through the right side with their lances, and immediatlie there followed a terrible
voice in this maner, Woch, woch, O Holi-ghost! But whether it came frō heauen,
or was vttered by the people beneath, I can not tell; and so the terror of this voice
& the vision awakened me.
I call him here to witnesse, to whome all things are apparant and manifest, that
immediatlie as I sat in my bed, & reuolued these things in my mind, I was in so
great an horror both of bodie and mind, for halfe an houre and more, that I feared
least I should haue fallen besides my selfe. But recoursing deuoutlie to the onlie
refuge of humane saluation, & blessing my forehead with the crosse eftsoones, &
fortitien, my mind thereby, I passed the rest of the night without sléepe, & so
through Gods grace returned fullie to my selfe: yet to this daie I can neuer remember
that vision without horror. What may be more terrible to a creature than to see
his creator smitten through with weapons? What man without gréefe can abide to
sée the seruants of God, & patrons of men to be murthered? Who can behold the
Lord of nature to suffer, & dooth not suffer therewith? What this vision portendeth,
without preiudice to anie I will shew brieflie. He that suffered once in his owne
The meaning of the foresaid vision.
person for all, giueth vs to vnderstand, that he now suffereth again, but that in his
flocke. And he that by triumphing ouer the crosse, and ascending to the right
hand of his father, hath victoriouslie entered his kingdome; his enimies now go
about to depriue him of his kingdome, and subuert his church, which he gathered
vnto him by the shedding of his bloud. Therefore, as I doo suppose, this passion
did not appeare vpon the crosse, but his maiestie: as though the crosse now being
taken awaie, his enimies go about to take that glorie from him, which he got on
the crosse. Or else that his faithfull had suffered, not in the crosse, but with
weapons in that holie land, which he after so manie miracles had consecrated with
his bloud. So likewise he declared this his passion which he for his susteined, not
in the crosse, but in his maiestie: so he signified, that all the court of heauen suffered
with the like compassion, mouing his to reuengement with the shewing of so great
grtefe. As concerning that voice beginning in a barbarous language and ending
in Latine, what I thinke I will shew. Woclh, woch, in the Germane toong, is a
signe of gréefe doubled. And where that wofull mourning voice began in the
Germane toong, and ended in Latine, it maie be signified thereby, that onelie the
Almans and the Italians take this the affliction of their Lord more grieuouslie than
other nations, as their hasting declareth. God forbid that the passion or
lamentation be here vnderstood by anie slaughter of the christians and people in
this expedition.
