Þat James was so done to ded:
Þar-fore he soght in ilka stede
Line 10
Cristen men where he migh(t) ta,
And many ane he stroyed swa.
And saint Peter at þe last [T And to.]
He pursued and in preson cast,
And þare to kepe him he cumand, —
Line 15
For þare hegh fest was nere cumand
Þat pasch was cald in þat cuntre:
Þan used þai grete solempnite
And in þat day þai wald noght do
Thing þat ani charge fell to. [T any.]
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Þarfore Herod, þat fals feloune,
Set saint Peter in presoun
And thoght wele þat he suld be slane
When þaire fest war fulli gane. [T fully.]
He was set in a dongon depe,
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And sextene knightes him forto kepe.
And þe men þat went with him are,
Praied ful fast for his wele-fare,
To Crist þai cald with gude entent,
With-o(u)ten hali kirkes cumandment. [H with oten.]
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So it fell on þe night biforn
Þat he suld die opon þe morn:
In þe preson he fell in slepe,
Bitwene þe knightes þat gan him kepe,
Bun with cheynes strang and store;
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And stalworth men stode at þe dore,
And al obout þe hows þai stode,
It forto zeme with wapin gude.
And at midnight þe men ilkane
Fell in slepe, and waked nane.
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In-to þe preson come a gleme
Brighter þan þe sunes beme,
And ane angell come in þat tide
And towched Peter on þe side;
He said unto him on þis wise:
Line 45
"Smertly bid I þe up rise!"
Þe cheynes fell þan fra his hend,
And up he rase, als he him kend.
Þan sayd þe angel to him sone:
"Do on þi gere, biliue haue done!
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Al þi clathes þou do on þe [H And al, and fehlt in T.]
And hose and schose, and folou me!"
Þan did he als þe angel bad,
A(n)d folowed furth with hert glad;
And no-thing wist he what it ment,
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Bot with þe angell euyn he went;
And in his hert he trowed bitwene
Sum uisioun þat he had sene.
Both furth þai went omang þam all, [T Bot.]
Til þai war past þe secund wall,
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And till þe zates past þai plaine:
Þat euyn was opind þam ogayne.
When he was broght þus on þis wise
Fra þe daunger of his enmyse
And, whare he wald, ful wele might ga,
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Þan þe angell past him fra —
And how he went þan wist he noght.
Þare stode he stil and him bithoght, [T still.]
And musand on þis ferly fare
On what manere he might cum þare.
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Fra þe presoun whare he was laid,
And to him-self al þus he said:
Nunc scio uere quia misit deus e. c. [H felt st. self.]
"Now wate I wele in mine entent
Þat god of heuyn his angel sent,
Me to bring þus of my bandes
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And help me out of Herodes handes
And fra þe despite of þe iewes
Þat me ilkaday with euyl pursues".
Þan loued he god hertly omang
And thoght wheder him was best to gang.
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To Mari hows he whent onone [whent st. went.]
Þat moder was of James and John:
For þare war of his frendes Inew
Þat in þe trowth of Crist war trew
And lufed him right wele I-nogh —
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Þarfore unto þam he drogh.
He knokked on þe zate with gude will:
And sone a maiden come þar-till.
And when scho saw þare Peter stand;
In ogain scho went rinand,
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Þe zates still zit left scho sperde,
And tald þam hou scho Peter herde,
Scho said þam þat þe zate he stode. [H þat st. at.]
And þai threpid on hir scho was wode:
"Woman, þou ert wode, þai sayd,
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