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11. De festo sci Petri apostoli quod dicitur in Cathedra.
Saint Peter, Cristes apostil dere,
In þis werld had grete powere.
Þis fest he has and oþer twa,
And þis es cald þus: In Cathedra.
It leres vs with-outen lett
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How he was first in chayer set
In Antioche, and sethin in Rome,
Als chefe curate of Cristendome.
Bot first he went in diuers land,
Þe sede of goddes wurd sawand;
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Of haly kirk he set þe ground,
Als god him-self first had it found:
For god to him þir wurdes said,
Als it es in þe godspell grayd:
Dico tibi quia tu es petrus & super
hanc petram edificabo ecclesiam meam:
"Peter, he sayd, þou es þat stone
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Þat I sal big my kirk opon".
And al þis to fulfill in dede,
To Antioche prechand he ȝede.
Sune when þe folk might vnderstand
Þat Peter was to þam cumand,
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Þai went with grete processioune
And kest pouder opon þair croune,
Þai did penaunce with all þaire mayne,
And barfote went þai him ogayne.
Þài loued god fast for his cumyng,
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And sum men loued him for þis thing:
For he had Simon Magus feld
Þat lang bifore had with þam dweld.
And many þat war seke and sore
And with þat maumet hurt bifore,
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Come þedir and vnto Peter knelde
And prayd him forto be þare belde
And warisch þam out of þaire wo.
With-outen noumber come þar so.
Saint Peter þan saw wele inogh
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How all cuntres vnto him drogh.
Þan vnto god hertly he prayd
And in his praiers þus he sayd:
"High fader in heuyn, loued mot þou be
Þat of þi grace grauntes to me
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Forto fulfill all þat þou hight
To oure maister Jhesu, mekil of might:
So þat ilk creature may knaw
Þat þou es lord of high and law".
Þus praid he vnto god, and gret.
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An(d) sethin on heght vp he him sett,
So þat all þe puple might him se,
And vnto þam all þus said he:
"Bihaldes, he said, and sese me now
Ane erthly man als ane of ȝow,
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And þarfore trows noght more ne les
Þat I may saue ȝow of no sekenes!
Bot trous þat he may ȝow amend
Þat doun fro heuyn to erth descend:
For in him es al þe hele anely
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Both of man saul and of body.
And in him if ȝe trewly trow,
Thurgh his help hele hete I ȝow".
Þai cried and graunted both ȝung and alde
Him verray god þat he of talde,
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And þarto held þai handes on hight.
And so þore come a sodain light
Thurgh grace of god omang þam all:
So war þai helid grete and small;
Al þat war blind sune had þai sight,
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And croked and lame rase vp ful right.
Byfor saynt Peter fete þai fell,
Ful mekil mirth was þam omell.
In seuyn days, when þis was puplist,
Mo þan ten thowsand war baptist;
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Þai forsoke al þaire maumetry
And trowed in Jhesu Crist mercy.
So als he to þe pople prechid
And laus of Crist vnto þam techid,
A proud prince, þat hight Trophilus,
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Sent efter Peter and said him þus:
"How dar þou, felow, for drede & awe
Turn my folk ogayns my lawe?"
Saynt Peter sayd: "I dar avow,
Al þat I tell aw þe to trow".
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Þe prince bad þan þat he suld sune
