This book opened with an exemplum about a Devonshire priest who diligently set out to deliver extreme unction to a dying woman. He faced many challenges in this task, but succeeded in vanquishing a demon, witnessing a miracle of the consecrated host, and fulfilling his pastoral duties to a female parishioner. The tale ends with the priest going home, praising God for the marvelous events that had occurred.

I would like to end this book by relaying the conclusion of a similar, but more somber story that I introduced in the fourth chapter, Pastoral Care. Shrewsbury School MS 3 contains the tale of a young girl whose father sexually abused her as a child. The mother discovered the illicit affair and the father shunned his daughter. When the young girl, now very emotionally confused, “saw her father have no use of her,” she flew into a rage, murdering him in the night. Immediately thereafter she ran away to another country and became a prostitute, or “common woman” as the text specifically reads. Yet haunted by the guilt of her livelihood, her former incestuous relationship, and the murder of her father, she stumbled into a local church one day where a devout cleric was preaching. The sermon focused on “the mercy of our lord and how ready he is to grant mercy to sinners and they will ask it.” Overwhelmed by her guilt, the penitent prostitute threw herself at the feet of the preacher, pouring out her crimes and begging forgiveness.