talke you must think that you see fifty-one nunnes, al ladies by birth, hauing all their noses and vpper lippes flead of, al flaming in a fire, being shut into a church: then do you imagine that you see this lady, the mistris and gouerner of the rest, standing dismembred and burning amongst the rest, to say as foloweth.”] THE LYFE OF LADYE EBBE. How Lady Ebbe dyd flea her nose and vpper lippe away, to saue her virginitie.[1223] 1. Do nothing muse at my deformed face, For nature it in perfect moulde dyd make: And when your wits haue wayed well the case, You wyll commende me much for vertue’s sake: With these my handes which from my face dyd take Mine ouer-lippe, and eke my seemely nose, So to auoyde the rage of all my foes. 2. For I by byrth a prince’s daughter borne, An abbiesse by my profession, Of which estate I neuer thought it scorne, It greatly did delight me to be one, Which might erect diuine religion: At _Collingam_ I tooke this charge in hand, And fiftie more of chaste _Dianae’s_ bande. 3. Al ladies borne by birth of high degree, Which there did vowe with me their liues to leade, And to auoyd carnall fragilitie, We al did vowe as you ryght wel may reade, With single liues to liue in feare and dreade Of God our lorde, so to refrayne the vice Of fleshly luste, which doth to sinne intice. 4. Then did the _Danes_ the _Saxon_ state inuade, And they who did the _Brittayne_ state destroy, To sue for grace were glad and wel apayd, So strangely did the _Danes_ vs then annoye, That _Saxons_ like the men of broyling _Troy_, Amazde, they gazde, not knowing what was best, So strayghtly were the _Saxons_ then distrest. 5. These dreadful _Danes_ they had no feare of God, But sauage, they did make their lust a lawe, Whome God did send for a reuenging rod, To make vs _Saxons_ liue in feare and awe Of him, who did from seruile bondage drawe Vs out, and made vs liue at libertie, When as we serude with cruel slauerie. 6. Not much vnlike the murmuryng _Israelites_, Sometyme we serude our Lorde with feare and dread In trouble we imployde our whole delightes, To fast and pray: but when we quiet were, We restlesse led our liues, all voyde of care, Forgetting him who did in ech distresse, With helping hande vs blesse with good successe. 7.