Altenglische legenden.

Inuencio corporis sancti Stephani.

Saynt Steuen was staned & grauen was he Byside Jerusalem, þe riche cete, Als saynt Gamaliel and Nichodeme In þat tyme þar-to toke ȝeme — For þai war disciples of Crist Line 205 And on his name byfore baptist; Þarfore Gamaliell wouched saue To lay þat body in his awyn graue. Bot efterward thurgh goddes grace It was translate till oþir place — Line 210 And of þat ilk translacioun Es named "saynt Steuyn inuencioun": Þat es þe finding of his body — With wirship, als it was worthy. Gamaliell liffed lang efter þan Line 215 And Nichodem also, þat nobil man; And Saul, þat þe ftaners clothes held,

In cumpany þan with þam dweld, Als a child halden in awe, And of þam lered he goddes lawe. [Ms. ho st. he.] Line 220 And sethin, when þai both war ded, Þai war berid in þat same sted Whore þai had layd sayn Steuyn body — For wele þai loffed to lig him by. Lang efter — who so likes to lere, Line 225 How þai war translate, may men here — Biside Jerusalem wund ane, A nobill prest, hight Lucyane; Ful haly man and gude was he, Þarfore god shewed him preuete. Line 230 It fel on a friday at night Half slepand saw he selkuth sight: A faire old man stode him byfore, Of stature had he sene none more, With longe berd, and light of chere, Line 235 His klothing was al whyt & clere, It was enbrouded many folde With crosses & with ringes of golde, His shose war wroght withouten wems, With gold bordures obout þe hems; Line 240 Of gold also he bare a wand. Þar-with he touched þe prestes hand: "Rise vp, he sayd, and redy þe To wend fro my felows & me Þat ligges þore in swilk a stede Line 245 And so lang es sen we war dede; Wend vnto Iohn, þe pape of Rome, And say him: it es goddes dome Oure bodis to be in honest place, Whare god for vs will shew his grace: Line 250 For when þe world sal be desesed, By oure prayers he will be plesed, And men þat sal be in mischeue For oure sake sal haue releue". Þe preste was for þis fare affrayd Line 255 And softly þus to him he sayd: "Lord, he sayd, what man ertow Þat tels þir tales vnto me now?" He sayd: "I am Gamaliell, Of wham þou herd oft-tymes tell. Line 260 I norishd þe appostell Paule, Þat byfore tyme was namid Saul, I lered him of goddes lay. And also, sir, þou has herd say How þat Iews ogayns resown Line 265 Staned saynt Steuen withoute toun; His body left þai in þe felde, Wild bestes at þaire will to welde. I berid it, þou wote wele whare, And my body es berid right þare, Line 270 And Nichodeme, my cosyn trew, Þat on þe night spak with Jhesu — Of Peter & Iohn he was baptist And lely lerd þe lawe of Crist. Saynt Steuen & I ligges euyn mete, Line 275 And he ligges at saynt Steuen fete; And by him sal þe body be fun Of Abyas, þat was my sun And with my-self he toke baptym And clene vnto Crist kepid he him Line 280 And his laws was him lefe to lere — Þus sal þou find vs foure in-fere. And my wife & myne oþer fun, Þat Cristes law wald neuer cun, In oþer place þai grauen ware Line 285 And þaire graues er both voyd & bare. Þus saltow find, als I þe say". When þis was said, he was oway. Þan þis gude preste Luciane Wakend & was will of wane. Line 290 He prayd to god þat he wit moght Whethir þir saws war suth or noght; And if he suld wirk on swilk wise, Þat he myght haue þis warnig thrise. It fell efter on þat day seuyn-night Line 295 Of al þis same þan had he sight; Þe old man askid him whi Þat he forgat him so lyghtly, And whi he tentid no better to His herand for him forto do? Line 300 Þan Lucian answerd, als him thoght, And said: "sir, I forgat it noght. Bot vnto god þus-gat I prayd: If he war of þis message payd And if it war in goddes name, Line 305 Þat I suld thre tymes se þat same; And if it war by goddes will,

I wold be fayn it to fulfill". Þan answerd þus Gamaliell: "For þou trowes noght þat I þe tell, Line 310 I sal þe shew by proces playne Als þou sall find þe suth sertayne". Foure panyers shewd he in þat stede, And þe first of gold ful of roses rede, And oþer two of gold ful clere Line 315 Full of whit roses both in-fere, Þe ferth of siluer burnist bright And ful of fafron semyd it right. "Þus sal þou find wele on þis wise Þe graues whare oure foure bodis lies: Line 320 Whore þou sal fynd swilk roses rede, Þat es saynt Steuyn, þat first was dede; By two with whit roses, tak þou ȝeme, My graue and my cosins Nichodeme; And by þe ferth full of safron Line 325 Þe graue of Abyas, my sun, Þat al his life in clennes last And clene out of þis werld past. Þus sal þou find, als I þe say". When þis was sayd, he was oway. Line 330 Lucian to þis tale gude tent toke, Bot ȝet habade he al þat woke By-caus he wald thryse se þat sight. And fel þat same day seuyn-night: Gamaliell gun to him appere Line 335 And rebuted him on ruid manere And blamed him ful bitterly — Þat Lucian was abayst þar-by. And on þe morn with trew entent Vnto Jerusalem he went Line 340 To Iohn, þat þan was bisshop þare, And told him al þis ferly fare And how þat it was goddes will Þat saynt Steuyn suld noght lig þore still, And of þe rose he told tokinnyg [folio 19] Line 345 And als of all þat oþer thing. When þe bisshop wist al what he ment, Efter oþer bisshopes sone he sent And oþer maysters of clergy, To do þat dede more solemply. Line 350 And in þat place þai all apperd Whore Lucian, þe preste, þam lerd. And als þai in þe ground þore groue, Þe erth it-self bygan to moue; Omang þam come so nobill smell, Line 355 Þat grete ioy was þore forto dwell. Of Jerusalem and of þat cuntre Come mekill folk, þat sight to se, And mony seke & sare fast þeder soght. And many miracles was þare wroght: Line 360 For thurgh þo sayntes war helid þen Of seke and sore sexty and ten. In saynt Steuyn graue rede roses war laid, Als Lucian byfore had þam said. Þai toke vp þe relikes bydene Line 365 And layd þam in cases ful clene. Vnto þe cete þai þam bare, With wirship als þai worthi ware, And þare þai did þam for hald In a kirk, þat was Syon cald, Line 370 Whare saynt Steuyn had bene bifore — For lyfand was he dekyn þore. In whilk place was grete vertu shewd And grete belde both to lerid and lawd: For þeder men soght fro sydes sere. Line 375 And sethin byfell on þis manere: Ane Alexander, of grete honowre, Of Jerusalem was senatowre; He lufid saynt Steuyn with hert & thoght For grete werkys þat he saw þore wroght: Line 380 And in þat same place gert he make [Ms. meke in make corr.] A fayre chapell for saynt Steuyn sake; A reall towmb he made al-so And þorein set he kistes two: In þat one to rest ful really Line 385 Þe relikes of saynt Steuyn body, And in þat oþer ordand he His owyn body suld berid be. And so it was, when he was dede, And seuyn ȝeres restid he in þat stede. Line 390 Þan fell auenture so þat his wife, Þat efter him was left on life, Wold wende whore scho was born & bred In oþer cuntre to hir kynred, And counsayl gat þat scho suld craue Line 395 Hir husband cors with hir to haue. For þat poynt fast scho puruayd

And to þe bischop fast scho prayd To haue þe body of hir husband With hir home to hir owyn land, Line 400 For hertly luf, scho had him till. Þe bisshopp grauntted to do hir will; "Bot, dame, within þe towmb, he sayd, Two kistes of siluer se I grayd; And whethir of þam þi husband be, Line 405 Þat wote noght I — þi-self byse!" "A, sir, scho sayd, wele I record Whilk es saynt Steuyn & whilk my lord". And so thurgh hap, als says þe boke, Þe relikes of saynt Steuen scho toke, Line 410 Þethin gert scho bere þam albydene And wend Þat it hir lord had bene. Scho festid þam forto lede ouer se To Costantyne, hir owyn cuntre. Þe mariners þare ship ordand. Line 415 And als þai went with þam fro land, Ful mekyll mirth come þam omell Of angell sang and nobill smell. Bot when þai come in-middes þe flode, Þan deuils cried als þai war wode, Line 420 Þai raysed þe wynd with weders wik And made þe ayre with mist ful thik, Þai cried ful loud and sayd: "allas! Steuyn, oure enmy, now here furth pas. Vnto vs dose he grete dispite, Line 425 Now sal we fand it forto quite". Þe mariners þan wend haue dyed And on saynt Steuen ful fast þai cried. And sune to þam he gun apere: "Dredes ȝow noght, for I am here!" Line 430 Þan al þe tempest ful sone sest, So of þaire wo þai war relest. Bot deuils set vp a sori sown And sayd: "sen we may noght þam drown, Bot brin þam sone we sall noght tary, Line 435 Both þe ship and Steuen, oure aduersary". Þai kest vp fire ligh als þe leuyn. Bot angels sone war sent fro heuyn And al þo deuils, if þai war wode, War drownd in depnes of þe flode. Line 440 Þe mariners furth sayled syne And sauely come vnto Costantyne. Vnto a kirk, þat þan was þare, Þe body of saynt Steuen þai bare, With mekill mirth & solempne sang. Line 445 And þore þo relikes restid lang. — Now may men lere with-outen let How saynt Steuen & saynt Lourance met Þaire bodis samen efter þaire dede, And ȝit þai rest in þat same stede. Line 450 Theodolus, Emperoure of Rome, To Costantyne þat tyme he come For thing þat fell to his empire, And also for he had grete desyre Of saynt Steuen vertus forto here. Line 455 And for he had a doghter dere Þat trauaild was with fendes fele, And þore he hopid scho suld haue hele: To Rome he sent so als he thoght, And bad scho suld be þeder broght, Line 460 To be touched with þo relikes gude. And when þe fende þis vnderstode, Þeder to pas he was noght payd, He cried within hir and þus sayd: "Out of þis woman I will noght pas, Line 465 Or tyme þat Steuen, þat staned was, Be broght to Rome, and his body Be dight with saynt Lowrance for to ly, And þat his body lig þore still — For so es þe appostels will". Line 470 And sone when þir wordes bald Vnto þe Emperoure war tald, He gedird togeder þe clergy Of Costantyne, & prayd specially For his sake þat þai wald vouche saue Line 475 Saynt Steuen body þat he might haue, With reuerence forto rest in Rome, And saynt Lourence to Costantyne at come — His body hight he þai suld haue In stede of saynt Steuen forto graue. Line 480 On þat couenand þai graunted tyte. And þan þe Emperoure gert write And sent letters þe pope vnto, To aske his leue þis dede to do. Þe pope þan, þat hight Pelagy, Line 485 By counsail of al his clergy Graunted þe Emperours entent, And cardinals þarfore he sent, For saynt Steuen suld by þaire presens Be broght to Rome with grete reuerence. Line 490

Line 490 And so he was sone efter syne. And Grekes come fro Costantyne Saynt Lourence body þeder to bringe. Bot þore bifell ful ferly thinge: Þai come to Rome with grete renowne Line 495 And to a kirk þai made þam bowne, Namid of saynt Peter ad uincula; And þe Emperoure doghter, Eudosya, Foloud ful fast with mony a frende, Forto be deliuerd of þe fende. Line 500 Bot when þai to þe kirk war cumen, Þe berers semid nerehand bynomen; [Ms. bynomen.] In-to þe kirk þai might noght wyn. Þan þe fend, þat was þe woman in, Cried and said: "ȝe wirk in vayne. Line 505 I told byfore my-self sertayne Þat he wold by saynt Lourence ly, By-caus he lufes his cumpany". Þan turned þai furth with gude entent And to saynt Lourence graue þai went. Line 510 Þe mayden touched, when þai come þare, Þe kist whore saynt Steuen relikes ware: [Ms. kirk st. kist.] Þe fend with mekill care and cri Went out, and scho was hale in hy. Þan al þe peple in þat place Line 515 Louid god ful fast for his grete grace. Þe stone obouen þai put oway Of þe toumb whorin saynt Lourence lay: Þe body remude, als god vouche saue, And left to saint Steuen half þe graue — Line 520 In takining þat he was wele payd His brother suld be by him layd. Bot þan þe Grekes layd on þaire hand Him forto haue by þaire couenand In stede of saynt Steuen euermore, Line 525 Als þaire forward was made bifore. To tak him vp, none wald þam let; Bot al þat þaire hend on him set And al þat for þat same war sent, Out of þaire wit wightly þai went; Line 530 And nothing might relese þaire payne, To þe bodis war laid samyn ogayne: Þan war þai helid, als þe buke says, Bot þai died al within ten days. When þir relikes war samyn layd, Line 535 A voyce was herd fro heuyn, þat sayd: "A grete reuerence to Rome bitides, [folio 20] Þat in a close haldes and hides Þe bodis of two sayntes sere Þat er ful blissed both in-fere Line 540 And ful grete bifore god in heuyn". Al had grete ioy þat herd þis steuyn. Þan al þe pople home þai ȝode, And þore rested þe relikes gude. Whore mekell grace sethin has bene sheud [Ms. sethim.] Line 545 And grete releue to lered and lewd. For þore to blind es gyfen þe sight, [es st. was.] And vnto crokid þaire lims ful right, Þe ded war raised in diuers place Thurght þe relikes and goddes grace, Line 550 Þe dom might speke, þe defe might here; And als al oþer seknes sere Wharfore men wold for comfort craue, Þaire hele ful haftly might þai haue. Of many meruailes might men tell Line 555 Þat þore in diuers tymes byfell. Whilk er noght set here in þis boke, Bot in þaire legend, who likes to loke, [Beachte den Gegensatz von legend u. lesson 560.] Þore may men se þam set al sere. And by þis lesson may men lere Line 560 To wirk wele in þis werld al-way And cum to þe life þat lastes ay. Vnto þat life þat lord vs lede Þat sufferd ded for oure misdede! Amen.