The right plesaunt and goodly historie of the foure sonnes of Aymon. Englisht from the French by William Caxton, and printed by him about 1489. Ed. from the unique copy, now in the possession of Earl Spencer, with an introduction by Octavia Richardson.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

¶ How reynawde went to coleyn vpon the ryne, where he founde that men edefyed the chirche of saynte peter. And [folio L.L.vi.b] there toke hym a wylle for to serve there the masons for the love of oure lorde / and dyde so / but at the last thother laborers had so grete envy by cause he dide better his devour than thei, & that he was better loved than they of the maisters, for the good servyse that he dyde / that they slew him, & put hym in a sacke, & casted him in the water of ryne. But bi the wylle of god / his body apered above the water, makyng grete myracles / soo that he was named a saynte that day that he was buried.

In this party sheweth thistory, that whan reynawd was departed from mountalban / he toke his way

thorugh the wodes, & went a long while that he ete but apples & medlers wylde all that daye. and whan the nyghte was com, he layd him doun vnder a tree / and as he wold slepe, he made the signe of the crosse vpon him / and recomended to our lorde, & slept tyll it was daye. and whan the daye appered, reynaude rose vp & went on his waye thrughe the wode / and went evermore thrugh the travers of the wodes wel the space of viii dayes / wythoute ony other mete / but wylde frute. and soo longe he went by his iourneis that he cam oute of the wodes / and incontynent he fonde a hous of religyon, where he abode that night / the monkes wold have gyven him mete / but he toke no thyng but brede & water. and whan the daye cam, he went on his waye / and dyde somoche day bi daye that he cam to coleyn vpon the ryn / And whan Reynawde was come to the cyte / he founde the chirche of saynte peter a makynge / where were many masons ²& many laborers, that served theim.² And whan he sawe this / he went in to it, and kneled byfore the hie auter / and made his prayers by grete devocyon / And as he was thus knelinge full besely aboute his orisons / It came sodenly in to his mynde that [folio L.L.vii.a] he wold abyde there and serve the masons for thonour of god & of saynt peter / And whan he had made his praier, he rose, & began to loke the place well, & vpon the werkmen that wrought there / and sayd to hymself, that it was better to serve the masons / than to walke styll in the forest amonge the wylde bestes. And whan reynawde had bethought hym well, he went to the mayster mason, & sayd to hym / 'Maister, I am a stranger, & have noo goodes of the worlde / wherof I may live / yf it playse you

I shall serve the masons of suche thynges as theim nedeth for their werke as a pour laborer nedeth' / And whan the mayster mason herde reynawd speke soo, and saw he was a tall man & wel made / he answerde to him swetly in this wyse / 'my frende, ye seme not to be yssued of a pour hous / for ye are more like a kyng than a mason ¹or laborer,¹ wherfore I dare not put you in werke by noo wyse, notwythstandyng that ye be thus pourly arayed' / 'Mayster,' sayd reynaude, 'care not therfore, for & it playse you / I shalle serve you truly after my power' / 'My frende,' sayd the mayster of the werke, 'sith it playse you to doo soo / it plaiseth me ri[g]ht well / but I wyll not reteyn you for that pryse that I do knaves, for I shall paye you in conscyence after the werke that ye shall doo' / 'mayster,' sayd reynaude, 'I am wel content.' Thenne the mayster mason said to hym, 'my frende, goo helpe thise four that ye see there, that may not bere the stone / for thei be but truauntes' / 'mayster,' sayd reynaude, 'be not angri wyth the pour folke, for I wyll goo fetche it to you anone' / 'frende,' said the maister, 'peyn not yourselfe therto, for it is not in your puissaunce wythoute ye had more helpe than thilke knaves, For the stone is of grete weyght' / 'mayster, ²lete me alone,' sayd reynaude, 'I shall brynge it to you.'² and whan reynaude had said soo / he cast his mantell fro him & cam to the iiii men that helde [folio L.L.vii.b] the stone, & sayd to theym / 'Lordes, & playse you / goo fet another stone, & I shall bere the same.' 'frende,' sayd the four men, 'ye saye well yf ye can / and we wylle lete you doo wyth a goode wylle' / Thenne reynawd toke vp the stone, & charged it vpon his necke / and bare it vpon

the walle where it sholde be set / and whan thother laborers saw that, they were abasshed, & merveylled gretly of it / and began to saye thone to thother, 'here is wonder! fro whens may this devylle becom / we shall never winne but lityll aslonge as he is wyth vs here.' And whan the mayster masons sawe reynaude bere soo grete a stone & soo hevy / he was glad of it; and whan reynaude had brought the stone there as it sholde be set, the mayster sayd to hym, 'frende, put not doun the stone yet from you' / 'Syr,' sayd reynawde, 'I shall well holde it in my armes as longe as ye wyll.' thenne the mayster made the place redy there as the stone shold be set. and whan he was redy / he sayd to reynaude, 'lete goo the stone, my frende, whan ye wyll / and blessed be god & thour that ever ye were borne.' and whan reynaude had set doun the stone, the mayster commaunded hym that he shold fette him morter / 'wyth a good wille,' sayd reynaude. Thenne came reynaude doun, & laded of the morter more than x. other men sholde have doon / and bare it to the mayster mason, & sayd to hym / 'Mayster, care not for noo thing / for I shall serve you well of all thyng that ye nede, by the grace of god. and see that ye werke as fast as ye can / for I shall bryng you more stones & morter myself alone than ye shall conne ocupye, but ye haste you well' / and whan the mayster mason herde reynaude speke thus / he was merveylled, & sayd / 'By my soule, frende, yf ye doo half that ye say, ye shall doo ynoughe.' thenne went reynaude agen, & brought vp so many stones that he made wyth it a grete hepe vpon the walles, ¹ynoughe for to ocupye at [folio L.L.viii.a] ones all the masons that were there¹ / and thenne reynawd sayd to theim / 'Fayr maysters, thynke to werke well / for whan thise stones ben layd

& this morter occupyed, I shall brynge you more.' And whan the masons herde hym speke soo / thei began to saye amonge theym that the chirche of saynte peter had founde a goode laborer / and that he oughte to be well rewarded. 'By my feyth, mayster,' sayd reynaude, 'I care not for noo money' / and whan came at evyn that the laborers sholde leve werke & receyve their money, the mayster mason set hym doun for to paye the laborers, whiche toke v. penys a daye. thenne the mayster called reynaude, & sayd to hym / 'Com hider, my fayr frende, take here what it playse you / for ye have served better than ony of thother' / thenne [Reynawde] put hymselfe forthe / and toke a peny, sore agenst his wylle / And whan the mayster sawe that, he sayd to hym / 'by the body of god, my fayr frende, ye shall have xx more / for elles my conscyence sholde becharged wyth your labour; & yf ye wylle werke, ye shal every daye have somoche / for there was never soo good a laborer as ye be one.' 'Mayster,' sayd reynawde, 'yf ye wylle that I shall werke ony more / gyve me but one peny / whiche shal be for to bye brede for to susteyne wythall my body / for this that I doo / I doo it for the love of god, & for none other.' frende,' sayd the mayster, 'I wylle not trouble you nomore; doo as ye wylle' / Thenne toke reynawde leve of the mayster mason, and went to the towne for to get hymself a lodgynge, & boughte a peny worthe of brede. and soo had he nomore to his souper but brede & a lityll water. And whan he had eten / he went & leyed him upon a lityll strawe ²for to take his rest that nyght.² and whan the day was com, reynaude rose vp & wente to his werke, & founde no body there / and thenne he wente to the chirche, & sayd his prayers afore an ymage of our lady. [folio L.L.viii.b] This

hangyng, the masons cam for to goo to their werke; and whan they were vpon the walle / they asked yf the stronge man were not come. 'Mayster,' answerde reynaude, 'I am here; wylle ye ony thyng?' 'frende,' sayd thenne the mayster mason / 'brynge vs stones & morter.' 'sire,' sayd reynawde / 'I shall wyth a good wille, & that anone' / Thenne fet he stones & morter in grete plente / ¹and brought it vp vnto theim¹ / and I promyse you that reynawd laded more atones than xv. other dyde / And thus served reinawde the masons in the chirche of saynt peter at coleyn many dayes; and every daye at evyn he toke his peny of the mayster, & nomore, for to bye hym brede with, as ye have herde / for he ete never but bred, & dranke water / Thus lived Reynawde there a longe while, servyng there the masons, as it is sayd, for the love of god & of saynte peter / and dyde so truly his devour, that thother labourers had grete envy at hym, for they were all set at nought for the love of hym of the masons / for the grete servyse that he dyde to theym / Sore an angred were thother laborers whan they sawe that they were all thus forsaken & all set aside, & sayd to eche other in this wyse / 'By god, we ben dyffamed bi thys grete knave, that doth somoche labour / and therfore we be put a side of the maysters. the grete devyll broughte hym well here, for we shall never gete noo thyng aslonge as he is here, for he serveth all the masons alone of al that thei nede for to have, and thus we ben left alone.' thenne sayd one of theim / 'My felawes, yf ye wylle byleve me / we shall slee him.' 'How saye ye that,' sayd a nother / 'ye wote well it is impossible to vs to doo soo, for he is horryble stronge / and if we set vpon hym, he shall kylle vs all.' 'frende,' said he, 'I shall tell you how we shall doo soo / See you

yonder vawte by the grete hous?' 'ye,' said thother / 'wyte it that that grete knave goth & slepeth [folio M.M.i.a] there every nyghte whan we are goon home / And therfore, yf ye wylle byleve me / we shall goo this nyght there where he is a slepe / and we shall take eche of vs a pykeaxe, or elles an hamer / and therwith we shall dasshe the brayn out of his hede / and whan we have thus slayn hym / we shall put hym in a grete sacke, & shall cast him wythin the ryver / ²that is there nyghe² / and thus shall be nomore herde of hym' / and whan thother laborers herde this traitour speke, thei accorded all to his counseylle / and they dyde as they were purposed soner than they wende thei sholde have do / For at noone, whan the masons left werke & went to their dyner, the poure reynawd went & rested hymself vnder the vawt, where he was wonte to rest hymself every nyghte. And whan the traytours saw that, they cam to him that first had spoken the treyson, & toke him a grete hamer of a mason in his hande; ²and they spyed that reynaud was fallen a slepe. this traitour wyth the hamer went to reynawde softly,² & smote hym wyth the hamer well depe in to the brayn / And whan Reynawd felte the stroke that the traytour had gyven hym / he set his armes in maner of a crosse vpon his brest, & said in this maner / 'O, good lord Ihesu criste, have mercy on my soule / and wylle pardonne theim that have broughte me to my dethe' / and whan he had sayd thise wordes / the soule departed oute of the body. And whan the traytours had thus slayn reynawd, they put him in to a grete sacke, that they had ordeyned therfore / and thenne they laded the carte wherin they brought the stones wyth the body of hym, and soo caryed hym to the ryver of ryne, wherin they cast hym. And whan they had doon soo / they laded the

carte wyth stones, & brought theym to the chirche werke as thei were wonte to doo / and as thei were by the way / thei met the mayster mason / that said [folio M.M.i.b] to theym / 'By my feyth, galantes, I conne you now thanke, for ye mende yourselfe, For ye have doon grete dyligence sith dyner / that ye have laden soo many stones / and that ye ben soo ferre wyth theym to the werke warde' / 'Mayster,' sayd the traytours / 'mocke not wyth vs soo; but goo to your purse & gyve vs som drynkynge money' /

Sore merveylled was the mayster, of that he sawe his laborers more dyligent than they were acustumed / thenne the labourers began to say to the mayster of the werke / bi maner of a mocke / 'where is that grete lorden, that he helpeth not now / I holde hym goon wythout leve, by cause he myght not labour noo lenger / For we herde saye / that he sholde never ceasse tyll he had founde hys wyfe agen.' And whan the maister mason herde that / he was sory, & sayd to theym agen, 'By my feyth, I byleve that ye have chassed hym awaye; but I promyse you yf I can wyte that ye have doon soo / It were better for you that ye were at Iherusalem' / 'Mayster,' sayd the laborers, 'ye maye well saye to vs what ye wille / but we dyde never saye oughte to hym that sholde dysplayse hym' / and whan the noble reynaude was thus caste in to the river of ryne by the laborers of the chirche of saynt peter, ye must wite that he wente not to the botome of the water / but wente harde above the water alonge the streme. And at that [hour] our lorde shewed for him a fayr myracle. For all the fysshe of the ryver gadred theym abowte the corps / and by the grete strenghte of the fysshes it was taried, ²and went noo ferder with the² streme / by the wille of our lorde / And the grete fysshes put theymselfe vnder hym, and bare hym vpon

the water, soo that he apered to every mannis syghte / And there the fysshes bare him soo vp vnto nyghte. And whan the nighte was come / apered abowte the corps a grete quantyte of torches by [folio M.M.ii.a] the vertue of our lorde / and angelles that song there so melodyously, that they that herde it wolde never have goon fro it. And to saye trouthe / there was soo grete lighte abowte the corps / that all they that saw it, wende that all the water of the ryne had be a fyre / and whan the folke of the cyte saw soo grete a myracle they ranne all thyther / bothe men & wymen & children / And also the archbyshop of saynte peter wente thyther wyth all his colege in a fayr processyon / syngyng by grete devocyon / and taryed vpon the ryne / for they durste not goo noo ferther / and they sawe the fysshes that bare vp the corps above the water. And whan they that were there sawe that / they were abasshed / ²and merveylled gretly what it myghte be,² and beganne to saye the one to the other / 'God! what may he be, for whom our lorde sheweth so fayr a myracle' / 'Lordes,' sayd the archebysshop / 'I shall telle you as myn avyse gyveth me / Wyte it that it is the body of some saynte that our lorde wylle have worshypped, that is come here from somwhere / whiche god wylle not that he be loste / nor drowned in the water / See ye not how the fysshes holde hym above the water / by the vertue of our lorde' / Thenne the bysshop commaunded that men sholde goo see what it was, and anone folke went there wyth botes, and they founde that it was the grete man that was one of the labourers wyth the masons in the chirche of saynte peter / And whan the mayster of the werke saw this, he was gretly abasshed / and went to theim that had slayn him, and sayd to theym, 'Ye hoursons, false traytours! ye have slayn the good man / saye ye the trouth / for yf ye denye it, I shall prove it vpon you' / And whan the

laborers herde the mayster mason speke thus / they began al to crye, and said, 'By god, mayster / we have doon it withoute doubte / for envye that we had atte hym. And therfore [folio M.M.ii.b] lete vs be drowned, hanged, or drawen, or what iustyse ye wylle / For we have well deserved to be punysshed' / And whan the archebysshop herde the traytours soo speke, he began to wepe tendrely, and all colege also. And the archbysshop was counseylled that he sholde lete goo the murderers at theyr adventure for to doo penaunce of their sinnes, the whiche thynge the archbysshop dyde wyth a goode wylle. Thenne was the body of reynawde broughte to londe, and was put vpon a carte for to bere hym to the chirche / whereas he was had worshipfully with fair processyon. And whan the corps was in the chirche, the archebysshop made hym redy for to synge the masse by grete devocyon. And whan the servyce was doon, the archbysshop wolde have goon a processyon wyth the corps aboute the chyrche, and commaunded four lordes that were there that they sholde bere the corps / And thenne the barons wolde have don his commaundement / but whan they cam therto / they coude not move the corps / by noo strengthe that they coude put therto. Sore merveilled were the barons whan they saw that, and sayd to eche other / 'Now may we well knowe that we be not worthy to touche thys holy corps. For we be wycked synners / wherfore lete vs go to shryve, and put ourself in good astate' / And while they spake thus togyder / ³the corps rose vp of hymselfe / and was borne / noo man knoweth how, oute of the chirche in to the carte whiche anone moved / and wente his waye streyghte oute of the cyte, wherof they were all gretly merveylled.³ and whan the carte was oute of coleyn, he

went a pas all the hie waye. And whan the peple sawe that / they began all to wepe by cause the corps wolde not abyde / Thenne sayd the archebysshop to theym / 'Syres, now may ye well see that this is a holy corps, by the grete myracles that god sheweth by hym [folio M.M.iii.a] now / and all this daye a fore vs all / wherfore lete vs goo after hym for to worshyp hym / For it were not well doon for to lete hym goo thus alone' / 'My lorde,' sayd the peple / 'ye saye well' / and thenne all the clerge & all the comen peple, lityll & grete, that myghte goo, folowed the corps. And ye oughte to wyte, that in all the cyte of colen abode nother man nor woman / but went wyth the corps, and all the clergy folowed after, singyng in grete devocyon. Soo moche wente the carte that he came to a lityll towne that is called croyne, and there he abode styll. And ye must wyte that our lord dyde shew there many fayr myracles for the love of the holy body / For all sike peple, of what siknes it was, that cam there for to worshyp the holy body / were hole incontynent / This happed of the noble knyghte Reynawde of mountalban / as ye have herde. And ye ought to wyte that the renomme of the holy body was soo spred all aboute, that folke cam to croyne, where it abode, from ferre ways for to seke hym / and he made there so fayr myracles / that of all the royame, & of all almayn, folke drew theder. And somoche were worthe the offrynges / that were doon there wythin a short while / that of a litil chapell there as the body rested / whiche was of our lady, is now a royall chirche & a grete.

And whan the holy body was abyden in this lityll chapell, as it is sayd, where god made contynuelly myracles / tharchebysshop of coleyn & all the clerge cam to the corps, and vncovered his visage, that every body sholde see hym / that cam there, yf haply that ony man or woman myghte knowe hym for to have his name / for none cowde name him, but the holy corps / But there cam noo man that cowde knowe hym. And whan the archbysshop sawe that no body cowde saye what he was / he was sory for it / for if he had knowen his name, he wolde have put hym [folio M.M.iii.b] in a shryne of golde, by cause of the grete myracles that he made dayly; for he made ye deef to here / the blinde to see / the lame to go, & right mani that were dombe he made to speke / and often tymes apered tapres of wexe brennyng about the corps. ¶ Now shal ye here how the noble reynaud was knowen / Ye oughte to wite that the bredern of reynaud / that is to wyte, alarde, guychard, & rycharde, were on a day vpon a mountain soo sory that they cowde not comforte theymself / bycause they cowde not here noo tydynges of theyr broder reynaud / Thenne cam a pylgrym forthby that salved the barons. 'Pylgrym,' sayd alard / 'fro whens come ye / yf ye wote ony newes, telle it vs, I praye you' / 'Lordes,' sayd the pylgrym, 'wyth a gode wylle I shall telle you that I knowe. Wyte it that I com out of almayn, from a towne that is called croyne, by colein vpon the ryne, where I have seen many grete myracles doon of god, for the love of a man that cam to the cyte but late ago, the whiche was so grete / that every body sayth there that he was a gyaunt / and wyte ye, that whan he

cam there / that he sawe men make the chirche of saynt peter / soo dyde he presente there his servyse to the mayster mason, the whiche reteyned hym gladly / Shortly to saye, this grete man dyde wonder of berynge of stones & of morter. For he bare more atones than XV. other of the laborers that were there wyth him; and he was all day wythout mete, saff at evyn / he toke a peny that he gate, for nomore he wold have for his labour a daye, and therwyth he boughte hym brede, and dranke none other to it but water / ²and thenne went to his rest vpon a lityll strawe vndre a grete vawte² / And ye must wyte that this grete man was well loved of the maysters masons of the sayd chirche, whiche wold often have gyven hym mete & wyne / and more mony. But he wolde never take noo thynge [folio M.M.iv.a] but a peny oonly by the daye for to bye hymself brede, as I tolde you afore / He served so well all the masons there, that they were more contente of hym alone / than of the other laborers. And whan the laborers sawe that they were soo lityll set by / for love of this grete man / they were sore an angred / and toke grete envy at him / and conspyred togyder for to slee hym shamfully / Soo dyde they aspye hym where he slepte vnder ⁴the sayd vawte⁴ / while the mayster masons were goon to dyner / And thenne one of theym came to hym with a grete hamer in his hande / and brayned him. thenne they put hym in a sacke, & caryed hym in a cart to the ryver of the ryne / where they cast hym / And wyte that whan they had doon soo / our lorde shewed there a grete myracle / For all the fysshes of the ryne assembled theym aboute the corps / and made it abyde in one place above the water. And whan the nyghte was com, angelles were herde there / that songe melodyously

the servyse of the deed soo hie, that all they of the cite myghte here theym / and it semed that all the water about hym had be in a fyre of the grete light that was seen there / Thenne cam the archebysshop of colen wyth all his colege, & made the corps to be taken / and broughte in a carte vnto the chyrche. And whan he was there / tharchbysshop sange masse / for this was in the mornynge. And whan the servyse was doon, the archebysshop sayd to four lordes that were there / that they sholde take vp the corps for to have hym to his grave wyth fayre processyon / But thise foure barons cowde never move hym / from the place where he was. ¹But the corps, incontynent to every bodys sight, that was there was broughte in to the carte agayne / wyth the twynkeling [folio M.M.iv.b] of an eye, and sodeynly the carte departed¹ / and wente awaye a lone oute of the towne / as goode a pas as ten horses had drawen at it, whiche was sore agenste the wylle of the people, that wept full tenderly bycause it wolde not abyde with theym / But all they of the cyte / bothe lityll & grete, wente a processyon after it / vnto a lityll towne / where the corps of the grete man abode stylle, whiche is called croyn, in a lityll chapell of our lady / where he dooth now many a fayre myracle; for I ensure you that all the sike that seke hym there be made hole / and retourne to theyr home in goode helthe. And soo have I lefte there the archebysshop of coleyne / and all the clergy that hathe doo make of the offerynges that ben gyve there to thys holy corps, a fayr place / and a royall chirche / there as the sayd chapell of our lady was afore' /

Whan alarde, guycharde / and rycharde herde the pylgryme speke soo / they beganne all thre to

wepe full sore for pyte that they had of theyr brother Reynawde / for well they knewe it was he of whom the pylgryme spake / 'Alas, my brethern,' sayd rycharde, 'now be we well dystroyed / and vndoon for ever; For I knowe well that it is our dere broder that we have soughte soo longe' / Wyte it that the thre brethern made there soo grete sorowe, that it canne not be rehersed / And whan they had made this grete sorowe / they toke leve of the pylgryme / ¹and thanked hym,¹ and wente to make theym redy / and thenne toke theyr waye towarde croyne, by Coleyne on the ryne / And they dyde soo moche by theyr iourneys / that they came to Croyne / And lighted byfore the chirche, they and theyr folke / where they founde soo grete a flowynge and gaderynge of the people, and soo grete prese [folio M.M.v.a] of folke, that wyth grete peyne they myght entre wythin the chirche. And whan the knyghtes were wythin, they wente nyghe the holy corps, that was vpon a fayr bere all vncovered, and sawe soo grete light abowte the corps as there had ben a hundred torches / Thenne went they as nyghe him as thei cowde for to loke hym in the face / and anone they knewe that he was their broder / and wyth that thei loked vpon hym, they felle doun all in a swoune to therthe. And whan tharchbisshop sawe that, he was sore abasshed, & sayd to some of his colege / 'Sires, I byleve that we shall soone knowe that we have desired soo longe / For I wene that thyse lordes knowe well this holy corps' / This hangyng, were the thre bredern comen agen to theymselfe / and began to crye and fare as they had ben mad / thenne sayd alarde, all wepyng in thys maner, 'Alas, what shall we now caytyff knyghtes doo, pour of honour & of all wele, sith that we have lost our broder, by whom we were so sore doubted & dred / Alas, dere broder! who was soo hardy to laye honde on

you? I byleve that he knew not your debonairte & kyndnesse / for he wolde not have slayne you so cruelly' / And thenne he torned him towarde his two bredern & sayd / 'My fayr bredern, we ought well to be sory / sith we have lost our broder reynaude / that was all our hope, our trust, & comfort.' 'Alas,' sayd rycharde, 'broder reynaude, why had ye ever that courage for to habandoune vs as ye dyde / seeng that ye loved vs somoche. Alas, ye stale awaye yourself by nyghte / for to come amonge thandes of the murderers that have slayne you soo cruelly / Alas, they wyste not the grete dommage that is of your dethe!' Whan the thre bretherne had wepte ynoughe, in grete sobbynges and lamentacyons for the love of theyr dere broder [folio M.M.v.b] Reynawde / they went and [kissed] the corps on the mouthe, the one after the other; and wyth this thei felle doun agen in a swoune / And whan thei were come agen to theymself / rycharde began to crye, & saye / 'Alas, fair bredern, now ben we lost for ever / For we shall no more be set by, nother doubted nor drede more than children / wherfore I saye that we shold slee ourself / to the ende that we maye be wyth you, for we oughte not to live after your deth' / Wyte it that who had be there, he sholde have had an harde hert, but he sholde have wepte for to see the thre bredern make theyr mone.

Whan the archebysshop and the burgeys that were there, sawe the grete sorow that the thre knyghtes made, the good archebisshop came to theym, and sayd / 'Lordes, be ye not dysplaysed of that I shall saye to you! Syres, to my semynge, ye doo not well for to make soo grete sorowe, nor to discomforte yourself so moche as ye doo / but rather ye shold make

grete ioye / and be glad for your broder, that is a saynt in hevyn, the whiche hathe suffred martyrdom in the servyse of our lorde / wherof ye maye see that he rewardeth hym well for it. For ye see now byfore your eyen the grete myracles that he dooth. wherfore I praye you that ye wyll recomforte your selfe. And telle vs, yf it playse you, what ye ben / and how is this holy body named, and what his name was whan he lived in this worlde / to the ende that his name be wryten abowte his tombe.' And whan his bredern herde the archebysshop speke thus, they began a lityll to leve theyr sorowe / and thenne alarde, that was theldest after reynawd, sayd to hym, 'Lorde, sith it playse you to knowe what we be, & how this corps is called, I shall telle it you wythoute fawte / Ye muste wyte that this corps was called, ¹whan he was amonge us alive¹ / Reynawde of mountalban, the ryght [folio M.M.vi.a] worthy knyghte; and [we three th]at ben here are his brethern. And well I wote that ye have herde speke of the four sones of aymon / the whiche charlemagn the grete, kynge of fraunce, werred soo longe.' Thenne whan the archebysshop / and the people herde that they were the four sones of aymon / of the whiche all the world spake / and that the holy corps was the goode reynawde of mountalban / the noble & valiaunt knyghte / they began al to wepe for pyte and for ioye / by cause they sawe all byfore theym the moost noble & worthyest knyghte of the worlde / that in his life was more to drede than ony man alive, that was deed in the servyse of our lorde / doinge penaunce. After that thise thre brethern had thus lefte a lityll theyr sorowe / they made their broder to be layd in his tombe, that was ryght ryche, that the archebysshop had doon make /

where the holy corps resteth yet at this daye / as evydently is knowen / and he is called saynt Reynawde the marter / The memory of hym was that tyme put in wrytynge auctentykly; and every yere is there kepte for hym grete solempnyte & feest. And after the sepulturynge of the holy corps, the brethern wente agen in to theyr countree.

My fayr lordes thenne, that this present boke shall rede or here, we shall praye god & the gloryous saynte Reynaude the marter / that he gyve vs grace to persevere / and contynue our liff in good werkes, by the whiche we may have at our endynge the liff that ever shall laste.

AMEN

Notes

• Comment apres ce que regnault fust party de montauban pour son ame saulver, il ala a colongne .. F. orig. N. i. back.
• guerissant de toutes maladies .. F. orig. N. i. back.
• de plusieurs sortes, F. orig. N. ii.
• ^2—2 omitted. F. orig.
• a nostre seigneur, F. orig. N. ii.
• au mostier de nostre seigneur, F. orig. N. ii.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig. N. ii.
• ^2—2 vous aurez la pierre incontinent sans ayde daultruz que de moy si dieu plait et tous les sains, F. orig. N. ii. back.
• ^1—1 devant les maistres ... F. orig. N. iii.
• viii. F. orig.
• ^2—2 omitted, F. orig.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig.
• ^2—2 omitted, F. orig.
• ^2—2 omitted, F. orig.
• ^2—2 omitted, F. orig.
• ^2—2 omitted, F. orig.
• till, orig.
• ^3—3 le charret se partist tout seul par laid de nostre seigneur nondaultre et se mist a cheminer moult fort au devant de tout le peuple. Quant le clergie vist ce ils commencerent a plourer tendrement apres le charret qui sen aloit ainsi que ouy avez. Vous denez scavoir que quant le charret se mist a cheminer quil passa devant la tombe la ou lon le voloit enterrer, mais il passa tout oultre que lon ne le peult arrester et sortie hors de la cite de coullongne, F. orig. N. v.
• saint.
• pour la volente de dieu, F. orig. N. v. back.
• de France, F. orig N v. back.
• a croyne. Quant larcevesque vist que le corps estoit delibere de demourer illecques il vit au corps ... F. orig. N. v. back.
• En celluy temps que larcevesque et tout son clergie gardoient a croyne le corps saint, ainsi que vous ay compte, F. orig. N. vi.
• dix, F. orig.
• ^2—2 omitted, F. orig.
• ^4—4 ung grant voultre sus ung peu de paille entredeux, F. orig. N. vi. back.
• ^1—1 Et en ce faisant le charret sen partist dillecques tout a par foy ... F. orig. N. vi. back.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig.
• et non sans cause, F. orig. N. vii. back.
• arehebysshep, orig.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig.
• [ ] from Ed. 1554, corrected. A piece cut out of Caxton's edition.
• en gloire celestielle de paradis.