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The mercy and justice of God desired to beftow upon the abbess her reward, for she was of a great age and had laboured well in the service of God. So God was pleased to call her to His glory that He might show her what manner of Mafter she had served : He desired to show her how His power could reward His servants. So He was pleased to give to her Himself in glory and to be therein her glory, since she had given herself to Him in this world. The messengers that He sent to bring her to Him were the trials that she bore patiently in her sickness, the which trials God gave to her that she might have patience and obedience, purify her body of all sin, and straightway, after this life, go to her eternal reft.

2. While the abbess was sick, an agreement was made among the sifters that they should beg her to counsel them in the eleftion of one to succeed her after her days were done ; for she had better knowledge of the sifters, and of their obedience, than had any one of themselves. So certain of the foremoft among the sifters prayed the abbess secretly to assign to themselves one of them as superior according as seemed to her the moft fitting. The abbess answered and said : “ As it seems to me, the sifter moft meet to be superior is Sifter Natana, for I have found her ever obedient and devoted to her order ; and she has left great riches and honours for the sake of religion. And since I am at the gate of death, as well I know, ye may be assured that I cannot speak falsely; wherefore I counsel you that ye make Sifter Natana abbess.”

3. It pleased God now that the abbess should pass from this life to that glory which endures for ever. Right honourably was her body disposed in burial, and great was the honour which the chiefeft citizens and the ladies of the

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city and the religious orders paid on that day to the abbess. Greatly was the abbess mourned by all the people, and by the sifters of the convent, and moft of all by Sifter Natana. Many masses were said for the abbess on that day in the monaftery; and such was her holy life that in all the churches of the city masses were sung for her soul. All that day was a day of weeping and prayer among the sifters, who had loft that which they moft loved in this world. And they agreed that in the chapter-house, after the sermon which a friar was to preach concerning the abbess, one of themselves should comfort all the reft with words of consolation.