Legends of the holy rood; Symbols of the passion and cross poems. In Old English of the eleventh, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. Edited from Mss. in the British Museum and Bodleian Libraries, with introduction, translations, and glossarial index, by Richard Morris.

                                
                                  On þis wisse gan þai couenant make.
                                  Line 100 
                                
                                  A water was þam twa by-twene,
                                
                                  And a brig all ouer it clene.
                                
                                  Þe sarzyn was mekill of brede and lenth,
                                
                                  And traisted mikill in his awin strenkth.
                                  Line 104 
                                
                                  Þarfore þis forward gan he ma
                                
                                  To do þe batail bitwix þam twa.
                                
                                  And þat þe cristend man suld mete him [folio 178:1] 
                                
                                  In middes þe brig was ouer þe brim,
                                  Line 108 
                                
                                  And wheþer so might maistri win
                                
                                  On his side suld þe bataill blin;
                                
                                  And he suld haue in his pousté
                                
                                  All þat þai bath had, land and fe.
                                  Line 112 
                                
                                  To þis couenant assented þai bath,
                                
                                  And þarto band þai þam with ath,
                                
                                  Þat if þaire men on owþir side
                                
                                  Come forto help þam in þat tide,
                                  Line 116 
                                
                                  Þai suld be cut for þaire iornay,
                                
                                  Þaire armes and þaire legges oway,
                                
                                  And so be kasten in þe flode,
                                
                                  And saue þam suld none erthly gude.
                                  Line 120 
                                
                                  When bath þe sides war sworn þar-till,
                                
                                  Þis couenand lely to fulfill,
                                
                                  Þe twa lordes [MS. lorde lordes.]  on þe brig [MS. bring.]  met,
                                
                                  And aiþer hard on oþer set.
                                  Line 124 
                                
                                  Ful fast þare faght þai tow in fere,
                                
                                  And none oþer durst negh þam nere.
                                
                                  Þan cristen men, with hertes fre,
                                
                                  Prayed to ihesu crist, þat he
                                  Line 128 
                                
                                  Suld send þaire prince þe victory,
                                
                                  Als he for þam on rode wald day,
                                
                                  And all þai praied þan with a voice:—
                                
                                  "Thurgh vertu of þi haly croyce,
                                  Line 132 
                                
                                  Whar-thurgh þou wan þe victori
                                
                                  Of þe fende, oure fals enmy,
                                
                                  Þou grante þis day oure prince to wyn

About this Item

Title: Legends of the holy rood; Symbols of the passion and cross poems. In Old English of the eleventh, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. Edited from Mss. in the British Museum and Bodleian Libraries, with introduction, translations, and glossarial index, by Richard Morris.
Author: Morris, Richard, ed. 1833-1894,
Canvas: Page 125
Publication: London,: Pub. for the Early English text society, by N. Trübner & co.,; 1871.
Subject terms: Crosses -- Legends.

Technical Details

Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aha2702.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/aha2702.0001.001/157:4

Rights and Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact [email protected]. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact [email protected].

DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

IIIF

Manifest: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/api/manifest/cme:aha2702.0001.001

Cite this Item

Full citation: "Legends of the holy rood; Symbols of the passion and cross poems. In Old English of the eleventh, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. Edited from Mss. in the British Museum and Bodleian Libraries, with introduction, translations, and glossarial index, by Richard Morris." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aha2702.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 30, 2025.

Legends of the holy rood; Symbols of the passion and cross poems. In Old English of the eleventh, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. Edited from Mss. in the British Museum and Bodleian Libraries, with introduction, translations, and glossarial index, by Richard Morris.

Annotations Tools

Actions

About this Item

Technical Details

Rights and Permissions

Related Links

IIIF

Cite this Item