nd that
maid had, as hap was, in that one point more learning than had both
your physicians besides--and hath, I believe, at this day in many
points more.

ANTHONY: In faith, so believe I too. She is very wise and well
learned, and very virtuous too.

But see now what age is: lo, I have been so long in my tale that I
have almost forgotten for what purpose I told it. Oh, now I
remember me: As I say, just as I myself felt my body then both hot
and cold at once, so he who is contrite and heavy for his sin
shall have cause to be both glad and sad, and shall indeed be both
twain at once. And he shall do as I remember holy St. Jerome
biddeth--"Both be thou sorry," saith he, "and be thou also of thy
sorrow joyful."

And thus, as I began to say, to him that is in this
tribulation--that is, in fruitful heaviness and penance for his
sin--shall we need to give none other comfort than only to
remember and consider well the goodness of God's excellent mercy,
that infinitely surpasseth the malice of all men's sins. By that
mercy he is ready to receive every man, and did spread his arms
abroad upon the cross, lovingly to embrace all those who will
come. And by that mercy he even there accepted the thief at his
last end, who turned not to God till he might steal no longer, and
yet maketh more feast in heaven for one who turneth from sin than
for ninety-nine good men who sinned not at all.

And therefore of that first kind of tribulation will I make no
longer tale.

V

VINCENT: Forsooth, uncle, this is very great comfort unto that
kind of tribulation. And so great, also, that it may make many a
man bold to abide in his sin even unto his end, trusting to be
then saved as that thief was.

ANTHONY: Very sooth you say, cousin, that some wretches are there
who so abuse the great goodness of God that the better he is the
worse in return are they. But, cousin, though there be more joy
made of his turning who from the point of perdition cometh to
salvation, for pity that God had and all his saints of the peril
of perishing that the man stood in, yet is he not set in like
state in heaven as he should have been if he had lived better
before. Unless it so befall that he live so well afterward and do
so much good that he outrun, in the shorter time, those good folk
that yet did so much in much longer. This is proved in the blessed
apostle St. Paul, who of a persecutor became an apostle, and last
of all came in unto that office, an