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It appeared to me that somewhat was amiss, but I knew not what it was:  I was a little afraid.  Master Richard was not to be seen, but his door was wide, so I thought he would not be praying.  As I came up the path I saw something that astonished me.  There was a circle of beasts about the hut, little conies that sat in the sunlight and shadow, without feeding, though it was the time for it; and as I came nearer I saw other beasts.  There was a wild cat crouched in the shadow of the hazels moving his tail from side to side; a stag with his two does stood beneath a beech-tree, and a boar looked over the bank against which stood the hut.

They did not move as I came up and looked in at the door.

This is what I saw within.

The holy youth was seated on his stool with his hands gripping the sides and his eyes open, and he was looking towards the image of our Saviour on the right-hand side.

You have seen his holy and uncorrupt body, but in life he was different to that.  He was not above twenty years old at this time, and of a beauty that drew men’s eyes to him. [This is the exact phrase used of Richard Rolle, hermit of Hampole.] His hair was as you know it; a straight, tawny, nut-brown head of hair that fell to his shoulders; and he had the cleanest line of face that ever I have seen.

His hair came low upon his straight forehead; his nose was straight, with fine nostrils; he had a little upper lip on which grew no hair, a full lip beneath very short, and a round cleft chin; his eyebrows were dark and arched; his whole face smooth and thin, and of an extraordinary clean paleness; he had a curved throat turned to a pale brown by the sun, though the colour of his body, I have heard it said, was as white as milk.  He was dressed always in a white kirtle beneath, and a brown sleeveless frock over it of the colour of his hair, that came to his ankles, and was girt with a leather band.  He went barefoot, but carried a great hat on his shoulders when he walked.  He moved slowly at such times, and bore himself upright.  His hands were fine and slender, and were burned brown like his face and his throat.

I tell you that I have never seen such a wonderful beauty in mortal man; and his soul was yet more lovely.  It is no wonder that God’s Majesty delighted in him, and that the saints came to walk with him.  He was like neither man nor woman.  He had the grey eyes of a woman, the mouth and chin of a man, the hands of a matron, and the figure of a strong virgin.  I was always a little man, as you know, and when I walked with him, as I did sometimes, the top of my cap came just beneath his ear.

Master Richard, as I have said, was seated now on his stool, with his knees together, and his hands gripping the sides of his seat.  His chin was a little thrust out, and he was as still as a stock.  This I knew, was the manner in which sometimes he entered into strong contemplation; and I knew, too, that he would neither hear me nor see me till he moved.  So I watched him a moment or two, and I grew yet more afraid as I watched; for this is what I saw: