Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

Altenglische legenden.

And he ageynward of his magnyficence Shal to the grante a statly fayr guerdoun: [graunte vnto the.] Assigne tresour onto thi dispence, [vnto.] 500 And vnder him regne in this regioun. [vndir.] To these requestis make no rebellioun: [To this request.] For, yif thou do, thou shalt lese in this stryff Thy kyngdam first, thy tresour, and thy lyff. [kyndam.] Loo heer theffect of myn ambassiat — [here.] 505 To the I haue nomore in charge to seyn. [charg.] Thi counseil tak of folk of hih estat, [counsayl. take. of fehlt.] Shortly concludyng, and lese no tyme in veyn: What to my lord I shal reporte ageyn; Mak no delaies of that we han in hande, [Make. dellayes. haue on honde.] 510 Reherse in substance wherto he shal stande!" [But telle in s. . stonde.] The kyng, nat rakel, but of hih prudence, [rakyl.] As he that was discret, manly and wys, Lyst for noon haste lese his pacience; Thouh he this mater sette at litil pris, [matere se t. litel.] 515 Yit he purposed to heere and se thauys [purpoosyd.] Of a bisshop, which that stood beside, By his counseil an answere to prouyde. The Bisshop stondyng in a perplexite At such a streit what was forto seyne — [suych. streyght.] 520 For of discrecioun he pleynly did se, Lyk as thenbassiat dide his wit constreyne, [did. witt.] How this mater requered oon of tweyne: [matere re queryd.] Outher tendure, for short conclusioun, [outhir.] Void of al respit deth or subieccioun: [voyde. respight.] 525 Toward the kyng with a ful pitous cheer, The said bisshop, gan to tourne his face, Which, for astonyd of this sodeyn mateer, [Which sore astonyd.] Koude yeue no counseil in so short a space — [Cowde yive.] Such mortal dreed gan al his look difface 530 That he vnnethe had no woord to speke; [he fehlt.] Til atte laste thus he gan out breke: [at the.] "To holde a feeld ye stonden vnpurueied, [stondyn.] Heer atte hand your enmy is batailid; [here at the. bataylle d.] Yif his requestis of you be disobeied, 535 Your castel heer is lyk to been assailid, [heer fehlt. to be assaylled.] Of men nat stuffid, nouther weel vitailid: [not. nouthir. vitaylled.] And of too harmys at so streiht a prykke [two army s.] It were wisdam to chese the lasse wykke. Fro Cristis feith so that ye not flitte, [Crystes. that fehlt.] 540 Hool in your herte that it be conserued, By dissymylyng ye may your-self sub|mytte, [Be dyssemelyng. sylff.] Sithe the kyngdam shal to you be reserued; [sith. kyndam. be to yow reservyd.] And that your lif may be fro deth con|serued, [And fehlt. fro deth may be preservyd.] Your-silff submyttyng ye may dissymyle and feyne 545 For a tyme, til god list bet ordeyne". [As for a.] This bisshop hadde a ferful tendirnesse, [The b.] A Jelous dreed in his·ymagynatiff; [Jalous.] Seyng the mater stonde in such streihtnesse [Seeyng. matere. stood.] As iupartie of the kynges liff, [As in j.] 550 Knew no diffence nor preseruatiff As for the tyme in his opynyoun, [oppynyo un.] Nor noon auoidance, sauf symylacioun. [save symblacioun.] But blissid Edmond was not born to feyne — [blyssed.] Yt longid not onto his roial blood; [It longith nat vnto.] 555 His herte euer on, departed not on tweyne, [ay oon. departyd.] Hatid too heedis closid in oon hood; [two.] So stable and hool withynne his soule he stood By manly force, of o face and of o cheer, [be. of face and o cheere.] Caste otherwise to gouerne this mateer. [othir. mateere.] 560
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Title
Altenglische legenden.
Author
Horstmann, Carl, ed. b. 1851.
Canvas
Page 406
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 22, 2025.
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