And they made thee forsake thy God, 65
And worship stockes and stones;
Besides the charge they put thee to
In breeding of young bones.
Hadst thou not bin beside thy wits,
Thou wouldst not thus have ventur'd; 70
And therefore I do marvel much,
How thou this place hast enter'd.
I never heard, quoth Jonas then,
So vile a scold as this.
Thou whore-son run-away, quoth she, 75
Thou diddest more amiss.
'They say,' quoth Thomas, women's tongues,[464]
Of aspen-leaves are made.
Thou unbelieving wretch, quoth she,
All is not true that's sayd. 80
When Mary Magdalen heard her then,
She came unto the gate.
Quoth she, good woman, you must think
Upon your former state.
No sinner enters in this place 85
Quoth Mary Magdalene. Then
'Twere ill for you, fair mistress mine,
She answered her agen:
You for your honestye, quoth she,
Had once been ston'd to death; 90
Had not our Saviour Christ come by,
And written on the earth.
It was not by your occupation,
You are become divine:
I hope my soul in Christ his passion, 95
Shall be as safe as thine.
Uprose the good apostle Paul,
And to this wife he cryed,
Except thou shake thy sins away,
Thou here shalt be denyed. 100
Remember, Paul, what thou hast done,
All through a lewd desire:
How thou didst persecute God's church,
With wrath as hot as fire.