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.

[folio CClxviib:1] THe exaltacion of the holy Crosse is sayd· by cause that on this day þe holy crosse and fayth were gretly enhaunced / and it is to be vnderstonde that tofore the passion of our lorde Ihesu crist. þe tree of the crosse was [Orig. wan.] a tre of fylthe / for þe crosses were made of vile trees: and of trees without fruyt: for all that was planted on the mount of caluarie bare no frute It was a fowl place / for it was the place of þe torment of theuis: It was derk for it was in a derke place and wythout bewté / It was the tree of deth / for men weren [folio CClxviib:2] put there to deth. It was also the tree of stenche / for it was planted amonge the caroynes / and after the passion the crosse was moche enhaunced / for the vylté was transported in to pre|cyosité: Of the whiche the blessyd saynt andrew saith / O precious holy crosse god saue the: His bareynes was torned in to fruyte / as it is sayd in the cantycles / I shall ascende vp in to the palme tree: His ignobylité or vnworthines was torned in to sublymité and heyth The crosse þat was torment of theuis / is now born in the front of themperours / hys derknes is torned in to lyght and clernesse wherof crisostom sayth the crosse and þe woundes shall be more shinyng than the raies of the sonne at the iugement: his deth is conuerted in to perdurabilyté of lyf / wherof it is sayd in the preface: that frowhens þat the deth grew / frothens the lyf resourded / and