Altenglische legenden.

Þare was ane Philyp king sum tyde Of Yturie and of Trachonide, And þis ilk Philip was þe sun Of elder Herod, þe fals felun, In was daies, als it es red, Line 5 Jhesus vntill Egipt fled. Efter þat Herod was anoþer, And þis ilk Philip was his broþer. Þis ȝonger Herod þan was he Þat regned seyn in Galile, [T seþin, H seyn od. seþn?] Line 10 In whas daies Crist was done on rode And made mans raunsoune with his blude. And als it es talde in story, Areth, þe king of Araby, Gaf his doghter to king Philip [folio 176] Line 15 In mariage, with grete wirschip — Hir name was cald Herodias; To king Philip wedded scho was. And seyn bifell efter þat while: [T seþin, H seyn od. seþn?] Þe king Areth thurgh liþer gile Line 20 And king Herod to-geder spak Þat he suld his doghter tak Fra kyng Philip, þat faire hir led, And þat king Herod suld hir wed. So Herod his awin wife forsoke, Line 25 And king Areth his doghter toke And to king Herod he hir gafe, Fra Philip, forto hald and haue. His broþer wife þus weded he; For he was man of more pouste, Line 30 Fra his broþer þus he hir held. In spousebrek so þai samin dweld. In þis same time Jon baptist Went prechand þe law of Crist. And sone, when he herd tithing tell Line 35 Of þis fare how it bifell, How Herod had his wife refused And his broþer wife wrang vsed: To Galile his gate he graid And unto him al þus he said: Line 40 "Herod, he said, þou dose grete greue! For bi þe law hastou na leue To hald þi broþer wife in spouse-breke; On þe sal cum uengance and wreke. Leue and mend þi sinful dedes! Line 45 Ogains þe law þi life þou ledes". Herodias felouns and kene, Þat Philip wife byfore had bene, When scho wist hou saint Jon said: To him scho was ful euil payde. Line 50 And by hir rede and hir resoune Herod did him in depe presoune. And þan both night and day scho soght How þat he might to ded be broght. And king Herod at hir requeste, Line 55 Him for to sla, in hert he keste. Oft he thoght him forto sla, [folio 176] Bot for drede durst he noght do swa: Of þe pople he had grete dout Þat wonde in þat cuntre obut — Line 60 For all folk held him a prophete, Of uertuse and of mightes grete; And also Herod ful wele knew Þat he was haly, gude an trew. Þarfore he him in preson zemed — Line 65 A feyned suffrance wele it semed. His wordes to here oft-siþes he soght, And efter his wordes sum thinges he wroght; Bot he held him in strang prisoune, For he sau þat all folk was boune Line 70 His biding and his will to do Of all þat euer he talde þam to; And better him thoght to sla him sone, Or any more meruailes war done — For els he thoght all folk suld knaw Line 75 How he lifed ogains þe law, And so he thoght þai suld him dere, Gret penance to ger him bere. Lo, al þus for suspecione Was saint Jon sett in presoune, Line 80 In a kastell, with pine and wa, Þat namen was Macheronta; [H namen.] Many day þare gan he dwell.

And efterward þus it bifell: A sertan day in ilka zere Line 85 Held king Herod solempne and dere And made gret festes in zeres biforn: For on þat ilk day was he born; And bi þat eaus, þe suth to say, A reall feste he made þat day, Line 90 With men þat war of most pouste Of all þe landes in Galile. Þar ware minestrals many & inogh [& ist zu tilgen?] Þat diuers gle þat day furth drogh, Tregetoures in halles and hales, And als dissores with diuers tales — Line 95 Þare was all maners of menistralsyes Þat used es at grete mangeryes. Saltacio filie Herodiadis. A doghter had Herodias, A gentill damisell scho was. Line 100 And (in) scho come in-to þe hall [T in, fehlt H.] Bifor þe king and his gestes all. Þe mayden þare bigan to play Ful sotilly, þe suth to say, Scho daunced and tumbild diuers saut Line 105 Ful faire and wele, with-outen faut, Þat all þe gestes bigane to glade Of þe gle þat þis maiden made; Scho made men meri most and leste Þat cumen war to þe kinges feste. Line 110 Warfore þe king grette athes sware [T wharfore.] Bifor all lordes þat war ware: [l. þare st. ware?] Þat þe maiden of him suld haue Wat so scho wald efter craue, [T what.] And on þis wise he said hir till: Line 115 "Aske of me, mayden, what þou will, And gladly sall I gif (it) þe, [T it, fehlt in H.] Half-dele my kingdome it it be", [H lingdome.] And þarto athes gan he swere, All folk þaron witnes to bere. Line 120 And when þe king þusgat had sworn To þe maiden þat plaied him biforn, Out of þe hall full sone scho gase Vntill hir moder Herodias, What scho suld craue þare forto spir, Line 125 And on þis wise scho said till hir: "Moder, scho said, my lord, þe king, Has graunted to me myne asking: If I ask halfdele his kingdom, To gif it me, he es bousom; Line 130 Þarto he has sworn athes sad". Þan vas þe moder meri and glad, [H vas, T was.] And sone, when scho þir wordes herd, Till hir doghter þus scho answerd: "Doghter, wend vnto þe king Line 135 And luke þou ask none oþer thing Bot Jon heued, of baptist, to be In a disch deliuerd unto þe; In þe kinges presoun he dwelles; [T dwells.] Ask his heuyd and no-thing els!" Line 140 Þe may was till hir biding baine, In to þe hall scho went ogayne, Baldly forto ask hir bone, And to þe king þus said scho sone: "Mi lord, scho said, als þou hight me, Line 145 Þis bone now will I ask of þe: Þou gif to me Jon, þe Baptist, heuid, Þat of(t) my moder rest has reued, [H of, T oft.] And in a diff þat it be laid! Forto fulfill þat þou are said." Line 150 Þan chaunged þe kinges mode, Vhen he hir asking understode; [H vhen, T when.] And for he had so said hir to, He wist noght what was best to do. What for þe ath þat he had sworne Line 155 So many kinges and princes biforn, And for þe nowmber of folk ful grete Þat samen sat þare att þe mete, He wald o nane wise greue þe barn Ne þat scho suld hir asking tharn, Line 160 Sen it es swa granted in þaire present. [H it es swa, T it was, swa fehlt.] Bot unto preson sone he sent And bad men suld Jon heuyd of smite And gif it till (þat) mayden tite, [þat fehlt in T u. H.] To bere it att hir will oway, [H bereit.] Line 165 For mirth þat scho has made þis day. Turmentoures þan made þam boune And went ful prestly to prisoune

Whare saint Jone sat in a hole, Ful redy-boun þe ded to thole. Line 170 Whith loud uoice þan þus he cried [T u. H whith.] To god, in wham he him affied, And said: "my lord mighty and fre, Mi spirit zeld I vnto þe, At þi will ay forto welde." Line 175 Þan to þe strake his heuyd he helde. Þe turmentoure his swerd out drogh And so in preson he him slogh; Þe cors þare ligand still he leuid And to þe maiden he gaf þe heuid Line 180 In a dissche, als þe king bad. And furth scho went with hert glad And broght it hir moder unto, All hir will þar-with to do. And still scho held it with hir-selue, Line 185 For-þi þat no-man suld it delue [folio 177] Ne with þe body it forto laine, For dout þat he suld rise ogayne. Þe body still in preson dweld, And þe heuid with hir scho held; Line 190 And hir wit was on þis wise: For þat þai suld nogh(t) samin rise.