Altenglische legenden.

18. De sca Cristina virgine et martire.

Gude maydins suld we mak in minde [Ms. mak st. haf?] And of saint Cristine carp bi kinde, How scho was cumen of gentil kin — Bot fals godes al troud þai in. Sho was ful fayre of hide and hew Line 5 And lufd of all men þat hir knew. And for scho was so wynly wroght, Ful mani vnto hir fader soght And ful grete riches vnto him bed, His doghter to þaire wife to wed. Line 10 Bot hir fader for hir fairhede Said, scho suld do none oþer. dede Bot dwel ay in þair goddes seruise. Þarfore he ordand on þis wise: Cristine, his doghter, he did him-selue Line 15 In a toure, with maydins twelue. He cumand þat þai þore suld haue Al þat þai wold efter craue; Diuers godes þore gert he make Of gold and siluer for þaire sake, Line 20 And bad þat þai suld do no-thing Bot to þo gods do þaire wirschiping. Bot Cristine þarto had no haste: Scho was fulfild of þe hali gaste; All fals goddes sone scho refusid Line 25 And to wirschip a god scho vsed. Hir maydins wirschip to þam did; And hir awin ofrand ai scho hid And gaf it sethin with hert glad To help pure men þat mister had. Line 30 Hir maydins sune persayuid hir dede. And one vnto hir fader ȝede, Scho said: "sir, þi doghter dispise Vnto oure gods to do seruise; Hir ofrand preueli scho hides Line 35 And dose it on sum oþer sides. And als, sir, we here by hir saw Scho lattes mekil bi Cristes law". Hir fader þan was ful euil payd. He went and softly to hir sayd: Line 40 "Mi doghter dere, in my blissing [Ms. in st. on.] Honure our goddes ouer al thing!" Þan answerd scho on þis manere: "Cal me na-more þi doghter dere, Bot for his doghter þou me deme Line 45 To wham right sacrifice wil seme, Þat es noght ded god, made with hend, Bot god þat lifs with-outen end". Þan said hir fader: "doghter dere, At me, þi fader, suld þou lere Line 50 Noght to wirschip a god allone, For drede þat oþer gods ilkone Wold be wroth to þe in-fere". Þan answerd scho on þis manere: "Þou sais better þan þou can knaw. Line 55 I mak mine ofrand, als me aw, To fader and sun and hali gaste". Herto þan answerd he in haste: "Whi suld noght oþer gods be Wirschipd als wele als þo thre?" Line 60 Scho said: "al-if I tell þam fere, All es a god with-outen pere, All in a might and a god-hede — To neuin me oþir it es no nede". Þan wist he noght what he suld say, Line 65 Bot al for wroth he went oway. Al þo maumetis þan toke Cristine Þat war of gold and siluer fyne, Sum scho brak and sum scho melt, And vnto pouer men scho it delt. [l. þe gold st. it?] Line 70 Hir fader come a-nother day And fand his gods all waste oway; Þe oþer maydins to him teld Al-how his doghter doun þam feld And gaf þe gold to pouer men fode. Line 75 Þan for wroth he was nere wode. He bad, XII wight men in þat stede Suld spoil hir and ding hir to dede. Þai bet hir, nakid bot hir ferk, Till þai war all wery of werk; Line 80 Þai war ful prest to do hir payne, Till þai had lost both might & mayne.

Þe mayden was no-thing affrayd, Bot to hir fader al þus scho said: "Þou man, þat es withouten schame, Line 85 Cal now opon þi gods by name And bid þam, if þai be of mayne, Go gif þir men þaire might ogayne! For to me mai þai do no skathe". Þan wex he wude & wunder wrathe. Line 90 In depe prison he did hir cast And with cheynis bad he bind hir fast. When hir moder herd of al þis fare, In hert scho had ful mekill kare; Vnto þe presun gun scho wend Line 95 And rafe hir clothes with hir hend, Scho fell vnto hir doghter fete [folio 163] And þus scho said, & sore gun grete: "A, doghter, haue mercy on me! I haue no comfort bot of þe. Line 100 Dere doghter, trow þi fader rede, Els bringes þou me vnto mi dede". Cristyne þan answerd to hir þore: "Þi doghter cal þou me namore! Þe es no bote me forto blame, Line 105 I trist me in my goddes name. For al þe murning þou mai make His seruis sal I neuer forsake". Hir moder saw scho wroght in vain, And ful wroth went scho home ogayn, Line 110 ffcho told þe fader all how scho ferd And how hir doghter hir answerd. Þan gert hir fader sone on þe morn Bring hir to bar furth him byforn; He bad hir to his goddes assent, Line 115 Or with sere payne scho suld be schent; His doghter suld scho noght be cald Ne for hir fader him forto hald, Bot so scho suld lofe al hir prise. Þan answerd Cristin wurdes wise: Line 120 "Sertis, scho said, if þou tak kepe, Þou dose to me ful grete wirschipe; For vnto me it war grete euyll To be cald doghter of þe deuill. All þat er of þe deuils kynde, Line 125 For þaire fader þai sall him fynde. Þou es þe sun of Satanas, For all þi hert to him þou has; And vnto Crist my hert es knit". Þan was he wude, out of his wit. Line 130 He cumand men to go bilyue [Ms. tu st. to.] With nayles and hokes hir flesch to riue. Þai war willy to wirk hir wogh, Hir tendir flessh þai all to-drogh. Scho tuke a pece vp in þat place Line 135 And kest it in hir faders face: "Tirand, scho said, mased out of minde, Tak þore and ett of þine owin kinde!" Þan on a quele he did hir fest And fire with oyle vnder it kest. Line 140 Þai had furguns and moni a croke, So forto smore hir in þat smoke. Bot þe fire so fro hir it withdrogh: A thowsand and fifty þore it slogh. Of al þat fire feld scho nankin sare, Line 145 Ne noiþer was hurt hide ne hare. Hir fader of þis demid ȝitt Þat all was wroght by deuils wit; He ne wist in werld what him wast best. In prisoun fast he did hir fest, Line 150 And on þe night þan next folowand Vnto his men þus he cumand: A heuy stone to hir hals at bind And fest hir hend fast hir bihynd And kast hir fer out in þe se: Line 155 So hopid he best venged to be. His men fulfild his cumandment. Bot angels sune war to hir sent And kepid hir hale bitwix þaire hend; And Crist him-self to hir descend, Line 160 He baptist hir þore in þe see And þus he said: "I baptis þe In þe name of mi fader in heuyn And in my name, his sun to neuyn, And in name of þe haly gast also". Line 165 Þan saynt Mighell he toke hir to, He bad him lede hir vnto þe land; And sune he did als he cumand. Sune when hir fader herd þis tale, In hert he had ful mekill bale. Line 170 He gert fetche hir furth him bifore And þus he said vnto hir þore:

"What deuils werkes er þe within, So þat no fyre may þe bryn? To fend þe er þi fendes ay boun, Line 175 So þat no waters may þe drown. I se þi witchecraft þe warand Als wele in water als on land". He was so stonayd in þat stunt: He strake him self fast in þe frunt. Line 180 And þan said Cristyne him vnto: "Vn-happy fole, whi fares þou so? Crist has graunted to me swilk mede, Þat of þi paynes haue I no drede." Þan eft in prison was scho broght. Line 185 And on þe morn he him bithoght With sum quaintise hir to quell. And on þat same night so bifell: For wo he was so will of rede, Þat on þe morn was he funden ded. Line 190 And Cristyne dweld in prison still, Ay redy to wirk goddes wyll. So when hir fader was funden dede, A-noþer curst come in his stede, A tyrant and mayster of maumetry; Line 195 To Cristyne had he grete enuy. When he sere suteltese vp soght And in none wise might turn hir thoght: A credill of iren for hir he makes And hinged it up on iren stakes; Line 200 Vnder it gert he mak grete fire And kest in oyle, to mak it schire. Sethin toke þai hir with bitter brayd And in þat credel allone hir layd; Þan put þai to rosyn and pik, Line 205 To smor hir in þe smoke so thik. Ful wight men gert he to it go with crokes to draw it to and fro: To haste hir sone forto be ded Or els to turn vnto his rede. Line 210 Cristine herfore was noght affraid, Bot loueand god al þus scho said: "Loued be þou, lord, of mercy milde, Sen I am a new-cristend childe, Þat suffers þam þus to rok me, Line 215 Als a ȝung childe aw forto be." Ful wroth þan was þe domesman, And to his men he cumand þan: Hastily hir heuid forto schaue And mak hir nakid, like a knaue, Line 220 And thurgh þe cete lede hir syne To þaire god þat hight Appoline And ger hir to him mak ofrand. Ful sone þai did als he cumand. Bot al-if þai so made hir bare, Line 225 God couerd hir ful wele with hare. And when scho come þaire god bifore, On þis wise said scho to him þore: "I bid þe, deuil, no langer dwell!" Þan vnto pouder als fast he fell. Line 230 Þe men war ferd and fast þai ran And tolde þis to þe domesman, How þat his god was fallen doune. For sorow als fast he fell in swoune And hastily he gaf his gaste Line 235 To him þat he had seruid maste. Þan was Cristine in prison done. And efter him þai had ful sone Anoþer Juge, Julianus hight, Þat Cristes law mered at his might. Line 240 He gert Cristine bifor him bring; Bot for him wold scho do no-thing Ne to his law arly ne late. Þan gert he hete ane ouen ful hate; And when þe fire was best to brin, Line 245 Þan gert he cast Cristyne þarin; Þai closed it ful fast bifore. And fiue days so dweld scho þore, At hir awyn lift to fit or gang, With mekill mirth of angell sang; Line 250 Of al þe fire scho felid no warm. Þan come scho furth with-outen harm. Þan Juliane hert was heuy als lede, And sayd scho wroght by deuils rede. And sone he sent efter a man Line 255 Þat mikell of wunder craftes can: Wild wurmes couth he charm & chaunt; His craft he bad him with hir haunt. Two scorpions to hir he kest, And two nedders on hir he fest, Line 260 And a wilde wurme on aiþer pap. Bot fro heuyn (was) sent hir slike happ: Þai merrid hir noght, bod made hir clene. Þarat þe Juge was wunder tene, To þe enchaunture in tene he sayd: Line 265 "Go ger þi bestes vnto hir brayd

To-tyme þai ger hir fayntly fall"! And he said: "right so I sall". He bad þo bestes opon hir bite: And to him þan turned þai tyte Line 270 And so þai bate him in þat stede, Þat doun he fell bifor þam dede. Þan Cristine bad þo wurmes go To wildernes whore þai come fro, Þat þaire malice namore war kyd. Line 275 And als scho cumand, sune þai did. Thurgh gods might þe man scho raysd — Þarfore þe folk ful mekill hir praisd. Julian þan was wunder wrothe. He bad schere of hir pappes bothe. Line 280 His men war glad þarto to gang, For þam thoght scho lifed ouer-lang. When þai war schorn, al men might se How milk went out whore blude suld be. Þan was þe terant wunder tene, Line 285 And for (to) him hir karping kene [im Ms. fehlt to, oder ein Verb (greuid).] More wikkedly he wold him wreke, So þat scho suld no langer speke: Hir tung out of hir heuid þai reft. [folio 164] Bot þarfore was hir speche noght left, Line 290 Scho spak þan als scho did biforn; And toke hir tung þat was of schorn, To Juliane face scho gert it flee And þarwith strake scho out his ee. And vengeance so was on him tone, Line 295 Þat he was blind als any stone. He charged his men þan in þat stede To schote at hir, till scho war dede. Þai toke scharp arows in þat tyde And schot hir thurgh on ilka syde. Line 300 God set hir tyme, als he vouched saue, When he hir sawl to him wald haue. With schoteing so þan made scho end, In lastand life ay forto lend. And so with Crist ay lifs Cristyn — Line 305 God graunt vs to þat life to wyn! amen.