þe stature of hir was of a doutous iugement. for su{m}tyme sche constreyned[e] {and} schronk hir selue{n} lyche to þe comune mesure of men. {and} su{m}tyme it semed[e] þat sche touched[e] þe heuene wiþ þe heyȝte 40 of hir heued. and when sche hef hir heued heyer sche p{er}ced[e] þe selue heuene. so þat þe syȝt of men lokyng was i{n} ydel. [Sidenote: Her clothes were finely wrought and indissoluble, but dark and dusky, like old besmoked images.] ¶ Hir cloþes weren maked of ryȝt delye þredes {and} subtil crafte of p{er}durable matere. þe wyche 44 cloþes sche hadde wouen wiþ hir owen hondes: as I knew wel aftir by hir selfe. declaryng {and} schewyng to me þe beaute. þe wiche cloþes a derkenes of a forleten and dispised elde had[de] duskid {and} dirkid as 48 it is wo{n}t to dirken by-smoked ymages. [Sidenote: On the lower hem of her garment was the letter Π and on the upper Θ.] ¶ In þe neþerest[e] hem or bordure of þese cloþes me{n} redden [[pg 6]] ywouen in swiche a gregkysche .P. þat signifieþ þe lijf actif. And abouen þ{a}t l{ett}re in þe heyȝest[e] bordure 52 a grekysche T. þat signifieþ þe lijf contemplatif. [Linenotes: 26 _auaunted[e]_--auauntede _be_--ben 27 _haþ_--MS. haþe _not_--nat _stedfast_--stidefast 28 _In þe mene_--omitted _recorded[e]_--recordede 30 _saw_--MS. sawe, C. sawh _stondyng above_--MS. studiyng aboue, C. stondinge abouen _heyȝt_--heyhte _my_--myn 31 _greet_--gret 32 _brennyng_--brennynge _clere seing_--cleer seynge 33 _swiche_--swych 34 _strenkeþ_--strengthe _it----emptid_--it myhte nat ben emted _Al_--alle 36 _wolde----trowe_--wolden nat trowen 37 _iugement_--Iuggement 38 _sumtyme_--somtyme _constreyned[e]_--constreynede _schronk_--MS. schronke, C. shronk 39 _lyche_--lyk 40 _semed[e]_--semede _touched[e]_--towchede 41 _when_--whan _hef_--MS. heued, C. hef _heyer_--hyere 42 _perced[e]_--percede _syȝt_--syhte _lokyng_--lookynge 44 _crafte_--craft 45 _wouen_--MS. wonnen, C. wouen _owen hondes_--owne handes 46 _knew_--MS. knewe, C. knewh _selfe declaryng_--self declarynge _schewyng_--shewynge 47 _derkenes_--dirknesse _forleten_--forletyn 48 _dispised_--despised _had[de] duskid_--hadde dusked _dirkid_--derked 49 _by-smoked_--the smokede _neþerest[e]_--nethereste 50 _þese_--thise 51 _swiche_--omitted _gregkysche_--grekyssh{e} _signifieþ_--syngnifieth 52 _heyȝest[e]_--heyeste] [Headnote: A DESCRIPTION OF PHILOSOPHY.] [Sidenote: Between the letters were steps like a ladder.]