[Sidenote: Begyns are nuns, though it cometh to mean superstitious and hypocritical women from their nature.] Begyn and Bigott yo{u} expounde sup{er}sticious hypocrites, whiche sence I knowe yt maye somewhat beare, because yt sauorethe of the disposit{i}one of those begins, or Beguines, for that ys the true wrytinge. But this woorde Begyn sholde in his owne nature rightlye haue ben expounded, sup{er}sticious or hipocriticall wemenne, as appereth by chaucer himselfe, w{hi}che nombrethe them emongest the wemen in the Romante of the Roose when he sayethe, But empresses, & duchesses, These queenes, & eke countesses These abbasses, & eke Bigins, These greate ladyes palasins. And a little after, in the same Romante, he doth write, That dame abstinence streyned Tooke one a Robe of camelyne, And ganne her gratche as a Bygin. A large cover-cherfe of Thredde She wrapped all aboute her hedde. These wemene the Frenche call Beguynes or nonnes; being in Latyne called Bigrinæ or Biguinæ. Whose originall order, encrease, and contynuance are sett downe by mathewe Paris and Mathewe Westm{inster}. But as I sayed, since I haue not my mathewe Paris at hand, I will sett you downe the wordes of mathewe Westmynster (otherwise called “Flores Historiarum” or “Florilegus”) in this sorte. Sub eisdem diebus (w{hi}ch was in the yere of Christe 1244, and aboute the 28 of kinge Henry the thirde,) quidam in Almania precipuè se asserentes vitam et habitu{m} relligionis elegisse, in utroq{ue} sexu, sed maximè in muliebri, continentia{m}, cu{i}u{s} vitæ simplicitate profitentes, se voto priuato deo obligaru{n}t. Mulieresq{ue}, quas Bigrinas vulgaritèr vocamus, adeò multiplicatæ sunt, quòd earu{m} numerus in vna ciuitate, scilicèt Colonia, ad plus quam mille asseritur ascendisse, etc. After whiche, speakinge yn the yere of Christe 1250 of the encrease of relligious orders, he sayeth, Item in Alemania et Francia mulieres, quas Biguinas nominant, etc.