Of þatow hast me bisouȝt | þi bone graunt y the.
Line 375
& in þe blisse of heuen | þou schalt won wiþ me."
Þo þat maiden Mergrete | hadde herd þat miri steuen
Þat com fram swete Jhesu Crist | out of þe blis of heuen:
Bifor Malcous sche kneled | opon hir knes ful euen
And bad him smite of hir heued, | mo times þan seuen.
Line 380
Sche crid opon Malcous — | nold sche neuer blinne:
"Malcous, smite of mi heued! | forȝiue y þe þe sinne".
"Þat nold y do, he seyd, | for al þis warld to winne:
Þi louerd haþ wiþ þe speke | in wham þou leuest inne."
"Malcous, quaþ Mergrete, | forsoþe y telle þe:
Line 385
Bot þou smite of min heued, | þou miȝt nouȝt saued be.
Haue ydon and smite it of! | and y wil bid for þe
Þat þou schalt haue þe blis | þat Jhesu haþ graunted me."
Malcous had turned his þouȝt | to Jhesu Crist biheue:
For þe miracle þat he seiȝe | he turned to gode bileue.
Line 390
And sori he was in hert | þat he schuld hir greue,
And ȝete he smot of hir heued, | ar þat it was eue.
Anon as he had ydon, | he kneled opon þe grounde
And bisouȝt him merci | þat for ous þoled wounde.
Þe angels cam from heuen | wiþ-in a litel stounde
Line 395
And bar Mergrete soule, | þer al mirþe is founde.
Teodosious, a kniȝt | þat leued on godes lay, [folio 21]
And þe norice of Asie | þat loked þat fair may,
Þai tok vp hir swete bodi, | slawe þer it lay,
And bir(i)d it wiþ miche anour | opon þat oþer day.
Line 400
Þo Mergrete was bir(i)d, | as beþ oþer mo,
And Teodosious þe kniȝt | was ywent hir fro:
Alle þat were seke, | þat þ(i)der wald go,
Jhesu þurch his vertu | deliuerd hem of wo.
Teodosious þe kniȝt | he lete writen hir liif,
Line 405
Þat is now ouer al þe world | name-couþe and riif:
Hou sche þoled hir passioun | stille wiþouten striif,
Þat mirþe is of to here | to maiden and to wiif.
Jhesu, þat on þe rode was don | our soules forto borwe,
Scheld ous fram þe pine of helle | and bring ous out of sorwe,
Line 410
And grace forto ȝeme ous | out of dedli sinne,
And grant ous þe miche ioie | þer seynt Mergrete is inne!
Amen.
Explicit.
