Altenglische legenden.

32. De sancto Bricio diacono sancti Martini [S. Tib. fol. 296 b 2—271 a 2.] ).

Saint Brice, when saint Martin was ded, Was ordand bisschop in his stede, Als he bifore had till him talde Whils þai both had þaire wites in walde; [T whills.] For, wills saint Martin lifed in land, [H wills, T whills.] Line 5 Saint Brice was euer to him seruand; And, þat he suld haue angers sere, Tald he him, on þis manere. So it bifell opon a day, Als þai went both by þe way: Line 10 A seke man kome to seke medcyn And to be salued of saint Martyne; And for he knew noght whilk was he, He asked ane of his menze: "Whilk es þe bisschop, I zow pray?" Line 15 And Brice, his dekin, þus gan say: "Go furth, he said, vntill þou finde A mased man al out of minde, Þat vses ay for fantasy Forto stare upward to þe scy". Line 20 Þe seke man soght & sone he fand Þe bisschop up to heuyn lukeand. He asked him bute of his bale: And hastily he was made hale. When he was helid, right als he wald, Line 25 Saint Martin sone his dekin cald And asked him bitwene þam twa: Bi what caus þat he scorned him swa To tell þe pore man he was wode, For þat his eghen to heuyn-ward stode — Line 30 Þus he bigan Brice forto blame. And he was all confused for schame; Sone he bigan him to excuse, Bot on none wise might he refuse Þe fawes þat he had said bifor(n) — [T biforn, H bifor.] Line 35 So barely es it on him born. Þe bisscop spac þan wordes fre: [T bisschop.] "Suthly, Brice, I say to þe: God sall grante þe graces slike Þat þou sall haue my bisscop-rike [T bisschop.] Line 40 And be bisschop efter my day; And suthly als to þe I say Þat þow sall in þat ilk degre [T þou.] In many angers oft-sithes be And suffer sere anoyes saltou: Line 45 Þan sall þou wit wh(a)t me ailes now". [H wht; new, T now.] And Brice, when he þir wordes herd, Till his mayster þus he answerd — His wordes to warand will he wene And his maister more forto tene, Line 50 For in hert was he sumdele prowde — Þus he answerd all o-loude: "Me think, I said suth for sertayn, For þir wordes er haly in vaine". Saint Martin wald no langer chide, Line 55 For wele he wist what suld bitide. — When he was ded, als I are tald, And wroght miracles ful mani fald, Saint Brice, als said þis haly man, Efter him was ordand bisschop þan. Line 60 And haly life þan gan he lede In praiers and in almus-dede — Proud zit was he sum-tyme sene, Bot euer his body he keped clene Fro alkins lust of licheri. Line 65 Bot þus bifell it noght-forþi, Als his maister bifore had said, Þat he suld suffer sere vpbrayd. Efter his ordinance threty zere Þan bifell on þis manere: Line 70 A woman þat his lander was In þat tyme had done trispas: Flesly scho had hir body filde, [T flessly.] And was deliuer of a knaue-childe. [T u. H deliuer.] To þe bisschop sum men put þe blame, Line 75 And seyn all þe pople said þe same: [H seyn, T seþin.] Bi-caus þat scho so come and zede & wessche his clothes, when þai had nede. And halely all þai toke to rede Forto stane him vnto dede. Line 80

Line 80 Vnto him come þai on a brayd And haly þus to him þai sayd: "A, god þat ful of mercy es Has hid ful lang þi wikkednes And kepid þe, þat þou bare no blame: Line 85 Bot now sall it cum out with schame; Lang has bene layned þi licheri: Þat turnes þe now to velani. Ouer-lang þi foul handes haue we kisst [H kisst.] Þat we wend had bene ful blist. [folio 190] Line 90 To uoid it now auailes þe noght, [T void, H uoid.] We wate how wikkedly þou has wroght. With bitter bale boght sall it be!" Vnto þam all þan answerd he: "I am sakles and vnknawand Line 95 Of þis þat ze put me on hand: Þat sall ze se, both ald & zing". Þe child he bad bifor þam bring. Þe childes eld was thretty dais, Als þe kinred recordes & sais; Line 100 Þai broght it furth bifor þam all. And þe bisschop to Crist gan call Þat he moght þare all opinly Acquite him, als he was worthy. Vnto þe childe þan þus said he: Line 105 "On Cristes bihalf I cumand þe: Als he es god son hegh in heuyn, Omang þir men now þat þou neuyn And say to þam þe suth, if I Gat þe euer with my body Line 110 Or ani wise mi flessche haue filde". Þan vnto him answerd þe childe And said: "mi fader ertou noght, Nowþer in word ne dede ne thoght". Þe puple wald noght trow þis tale, Line 115 Bot þaire ill purpose held þai hale, And to þe bisschop said þai zit: "Forþermare we will þow witt [T þou.] And ask who es his fader now, Sen he sais it es noght þou". Line 120 Þan answerd Brice to þam ogayne: "Me nedes nogh(t) so fer to frayne; Al-if I bere unworthi blame, None oþer now I will defame. Lat þam now þat it nedes untill Line 125 Spir and wit what so þai will — Þat toched me here, has he talde". Þai answerd with wordes ful balde And all þai said untill him sone: "Be deuils craft þis has þou done, [T bi.] Line 130 For sertes it es ogains kinde A child to speke þat haues no minde. Þarfore þou sall be neuer þe ner, Herefore we hald þe wele þe wer". Þan to him bremely gan þai braid Line 135 And tenefully to him þai said: "Þou sall no langer, als þou has bene, Be maister ouer vs all bidene; Of bisschop wrang þou beres þe name, Þat so haly es halden at hame Line 140 And seþin es so ill within — On þi-self sal be sene þi sin!" Saint Brice zit, forto mak him clere, Wroght wonderly on þis manere: Hate brinand coles stilly he did Line 145 In his lap and þare þam hid — He lapped þam in his clothes all hate, And sogat furth he toke þe gate, Vnto saint Martyns graue he went With mikell pople in present. Line 150 And doune he kest þe coles þare Omang all þe men þat þare ware: Þe coles zit ful clere gan brin, And þe clothes þat þai lay in With swete sauore war faire and clene Line 155 And no brining opon þam sene. Þe bisschop said: "sirs, als ze se Þir clothes with-owten brining be, So es my bodi clene with-in With-owten filth of fleffly syn — Line 160 Ful wrangwisly I am acused; And þarfor haues me now excused!" Þir wikked folk and ful of ire, When þai saw þus of þe fire, Þarfore trowed him neuer þe mare Line 165 Ne to despise him wald noght spare; Þai angerd him ilk day inlike And gert him leue his bisschoprike —

Þa wordes plainly to fulfill Þat saint Martyn had said him till: Line 170 Þat he suld oft-syþes angerd be When he had tane þat dignite, And wrangwisly oft be vpbraid — Þus fand he suth all þat was said: With þis falshede and oþer slike Line 175 Was he put fro his bisschoprike, And (þe) pople bi ane assent [þe fehlt.] Chese a-noþer, when he was went, And made him bisschop in his stede. And Brice went furth ful will of rede, Line 180 He went vnto þe court of Rome Þare to be rewlid bi rightwis dome; With him went no grete menze — Anely bot a clerk and he. Als he went wepeand by þe way, Line 185 With sary hert þus gan he say — Thinkand how þe time gan pas, Sen saint Martyn his maister was:

Merito hec pacior quia peccaui in sanc|tum epm Martinum.

He sais: "I am worthi ful wele To haue þis dole euerilkadele, Line 190 For trispas I haue done lang syne Ogayns my maister, saint Martyne: He þat was haly and mild of mode, [T he þat, H þat he.] Said I, was fond and sumtyme wode; When he luked unto heuyn on hight, Line 195 I said he raued and did nogh(t) right; And þat he did with conciens clere, Turned I vnto euil manere. He said me nemly and new Tales þat I find now ful trew: Line 200 He said I suld to wirschip win And suffer sere angers þarin; Now find I trew all þat he talde, With sere defautes ful manifalde". Þus went he furth makand his mane, Line 205 Ful drerily bi him allane. When he was went, þe folk of Tours, Þat did him first ful grete honowrs, Harmed him bihind his bac And fast omang þam gan him lac; Line 210 And his preste Justiniane Þat efter him was left allane, Bad þai tite efter him wende, Or with sere pain þai suld him schinde: — [T u. H schinde.] And furth to Rome-ward gan he fare, Line 215 Bot he died lang, or he come þare. A bisschop made þai sone in hy Þat named was bisschop Armency, And he was bisschop seuyn zere And prelat of ful grete powere. Line 220 And so lang dwelled saint Brice in Rome. Bi þat ilk time þe pape gaf dome Þat he suld be bisschop of Tours And haue ogain all his honours, And all þa cursed þat did him wrang. Line 225 He toke letters and leue to gang. [T u. H he te toke.] And als he went so on his way Fro þe cete of Rome þe sext iornay, On þe night slepand him thoght — Als þe suth in werk was wroght: Line 230 Þe bisschop of Tours, suth to tell, [T bissop.] Had taken a feuer ferly fell And out of þis life gan he pas — Þat wist saint Brice wele þare he was. And on þe morn he said in hi Line 235 To þam þat war in cumpani: "Rises upp, he said, smertly and sone, And haste us heþin withouten hone, To þe cete of Tours will we wende, To beri our broþer and oure frende! Line 240 Þe bisschop of þat same cete [H of þat of.] Hastily sall beried be — Ded he es with-owten drede." Herto his menze toke gude hede. Sone on þe morn þai toke þaire wai Line 245 And trauailed als fast so þai m(ai). [H u. T me st. mai.] And astily when þai come hame, [T hastily.] Als he had said, þai fand þe same: When þai entred at þe zate, Þai met grete pople in þe gate Line 250 Berand a cros thurgh-out þe toune [T H cros st. cors.] With ful grete processioune:

Þat was þe bisschop to birijing, Als god had ordand in al thing. [T biriing.] Þus when þe bisschop beried was, Line 255 Saint Brice omang þe pople pas [Brice fehlt in T. T pass.] To clayme his right, als was worthi, Þat he was put fro wrangwisly; And þore he schewed by papes myght Þat he had reson a(n)d verray right. [H ad.] Line 260 Þore he was resayued ogayn, And all þe folk of him ful fain; Al halely þe cete of Tours Welkumd him with grete honowrs. Seuin zere efter thurgh goddes grace Line 265 Was he bisschop in þat place. He lifed in luf and charite And maynte(n)d gudely his degre. [H maynted, T mayntend.] And folk þat him bifore had flemid War fain to do all als he demid, Line 270 And mercy all of him þai ass: And he forgaf þam þaire trispas. When he had bene on þis manere Bisschop seuyn and fourty zere, Þan es he past with panes of ded, [T u. H panes.] Line 275 And Eustache ordand in his stede. Enterd he was with gude entent. His saul up into heuyn es hent, And þare he praies for folk in-fere Þat wirschippes him in werldes here. Line 280 God len us so here forto lif Þat we oure gast to him mai gif!

Amen. Amen. Amen.