Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

Altenglische legenden.

That growys vpone godys groūnde, Off þis peyne þat thou me seyste 125 Canne neuer make me vnbonde. Sonne, þou be a preste, I wote wele, Ons or þis dey VII ȝere: At messe, at matyns ne at mele Thou take me neuer in þi prayere! 130 Loke, sone, þou do, as I þe sey, The(re)fore I werne þe wele beforne: Fore euer þe more þou prayst fore me, My peynes schall be more & more. Fare wele, he seyd, my dere sone! 135 The fader of heuen betech I þe. And werne euery mane, where so þou come, Off wedloke-brekynge wer to be!" The angell begane þe chyld to lede Sone out off þat wrechyd wone, 140 In-to a forest, was longe in brede. The sone was vppe & bryȝht it schone. He lede hym to a feyre arbour — The pathys wer of clene crystalle — That to hys fyȝht was passynge feyre 145 And als bryȝt as any ber(i)alle. The wallys semyd of gold bryȝht, With dores & with tourys stronge. They herd vpone þe ȝatys on hyht Mynstralsy with angellus songe, 150 The pylycane & þe popyne-Jay, The tymour & þe turtell trewe, A hondreht M. on a rewe, The nyȝhtyngale with notys newe. On a grene hyll he saw a (tre), 155 The fauour of it was stronge & ftore; [Ms. fauour.] Pale it was & wāne of ble, Lost it had þe frute & floure. [Ms. hat.] A reufull syȝht þat chyld gane se, And of þat syȝh(t) he hade grete drede, 160 "A, god lady, how may þis be? The blode of þis tre lokys so rede." The angelle seyd: "þis is þe tre That god Adam þe frute forbede, And þerfore dryuene oute was he 165 And in þe erth hys lyffe he lede. Fore in þe place þer thou seys it spred, Grow þe appull þat Adam bote, [grow st. grew.] And þat was thourhe Evys rede And þe deuyll of hell it wote. 170 When any synfull come here-Ine, As þou seyst, chyld, with me, Fore vengawnce of þat cursyd synne The blode rynneth oute of þis tre." [Ms. an hylle st. a tre.] He lede hym forth vpone þe pleyne: 175 He was wer of a pynnakyll pyȝht: Syche one saw he neuer none, Off clothes of gold þat burnest bryȝht. There vnder sate a creatoure Als bryȝht as any sonne-beme. 180 The angell dyde hym grete honoure. "Lo, son, he seyd, þis is þi neme: [þi neme = þin eme.] Thy (fader) broþer þou may sene, [feyre st. fader.] In heuens blys with-outen ende. So myȝht þi fader wele a bene, [a = haue.] 185 And he to wedloke had be kynde. Therefore he hath gete hym helle Endles in þat depe dongeone, There euer-more forto duelle, Fore in helle is no redempcione." 190 Man, fro myscheff the amend, And þou may syte all saue fro care. Fro dedly synne god þe defende, And vnto blys þi saull schall fare.
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Title
Altenglische legenden.
Author
Horstmann, Carl, ed. b. 1851.
Canvas
Page 370
Publication
Heilbronn,: Gebr. Henninger,
1881.
Subject terms
Saints -- Legends
English poetry
Legends

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https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afw1383.0001.001
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"Altenglische legenden." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afw1383.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 18, 2025.
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