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The Canon of Purity preached daily concerning cleanness of heart, because all they that have purity of conscience shall in the next life see God, according as Jesus Chrift has promised in the Gospel. That Canon went through the city, and took note of those that were in sin and those that were in penitence; and to those that were in sin he preached and gave many similitudes whereby he made them to be conscious of their sins. It came to pass one day that before a great multitude of people he put forth

and consciousness of sin and confession accord each with the other againft obftinacy and cruelty and despair.

4. Before them all there passed a lady right nobly clad, and upon her features she had set divers colours that she might be looked upon pleasantly with respeft to the pleasures of luft. Then the Canon of Purity spake before them all, in such manner that the lady heard it, and asked which thing was capable of being greater, whether purity

BLANQUERNA

and on the morrow let him seek forgiveness and do penance. For if it is a thing moil foul to look upon carrion and those unclean parts of the person which nature commands us to cover, how much the more foul is it to remember, under¬ hand and love sin and guilt, whereby the soul may no more see God but will see itself for ever in hell, and behold only the demons, which are things mofl horrible to the sight.”