The early South-English legendary ; or, Lives of saints. I. Ms. Laud, 108, in the Bodleian library. Edited by Carl Horstmann.

                                  
                                    Ihesu crist, for þe suete loue : of seinte Katerine
                                  
                                    graunti us þe Ioye of heuene : and schilde us fram helle pine.
                                  
                                    Amen amen, segge we alle : for is holie tyme.
                                    Line 304

26 Vita sancte Lucie uirginis.

                                    
                                      SEinte lucie, þat holie Mayde : In Cezile was i-bore;
                                    
                                      Ȝong heo bi-gan to serui god : and bi-lefde sunne and hore;
                                    
                                      Dame Evtice hire Moder het : þat hire to wommane brouȝte—
                                    
                                      Of hire childe wel glad heo was : ase heo suyþe wel ouȝte.
                                      Line 4 
                                    
                                      So bi-feol þat on Dame Eutice cam a siknesse : swiþe greuous and long—
                                    
                                      Four ȝer he [= heo]  hadde gret pine— : þe menison of blode wel strong.
                                    
                                      On leches heo hadde i-spendet [MS. i spendedet]  : Muche del of hire guod,
                                    
                                      Ake þare nas non þat hire hele miȝte : þat heo ne bledde euere blod.
                                    
                                      So þat wide In þe londe Men tolden : of seinte Agace,
                                    
                                      Of Miracles þat comen at hire schrine : þoru ore louerdes grace
                                      Line 10 
                                    
                                      In þe cite of Cathenes : þere þis holi womman lay;
                                    
                                      Folk wende þudere wel wide : boþe Niȝt and day
                                      Line 12 
                                    
                                      bi manie scor to-gadere : of eche londe a-boute. [folio 59b] 
                                    
                                      Þo seinte lucie þis i-saiȝ : al dai so gret route,
                                    
                                      "Moder," heo seide, "þou hauest an vuel : ful greuous with-alle
                                    
                                      And we hereth of miracles al day : þat of seinte Agace doth falle:
                                      Line 16 
                                    
                                      go we þudere forth mid oþure : to þe holie seint Agace,
                                    
                                      And þare þou schalt to hele come : þoruȝ ore louerdes grace."
                                    
                                      ¶ Nov was lucie stilleliche : I-torned to cristine-dom,
                                    
                                      Ake hire Moder heþene was : and al þat heo of com;
                                      Line 20 
                                    
                                      Lucie to ane heþene manne : was i-weddet In hire ȝong-hede,
                                    
                                      Ake Naþeles clene Mayde heo was : with-oute eche fol dede.
                                    
                                      Hire Moder heo nam stilleliche : and with oþere Men heo wende
                                    
                                      To seinte Agace Toumbe : hire Moder for-to amende.
                                      Line 24 
                                    
                                       [vv. 25-6 are tr. in the other MS.] And i-heorde þe Masse a dai : mid oþure þat þere were,
                                    
                                      Þo heo weren þudere i-come— : so longue [al. a stounde]  heo lefden þere.
                                    
                                      So þat þe godspel was þat day : ase lucie onder-stod,
                                    
                                      Of a womman þat ȝwylene hadde : þe menison of blod
                                      Line 28 
                                    
                                      And cam ant touchede þe lappe : of ore louerdes cloþes ene
                                    
                                      Ase he eode In grete prece : and was hol a-non and clene.

About this Item

Title: The early South-English legendary ; or, Lives of saints. I. Ms. Laud, 108, in the Bodleian library. Edited by Carl Horstmann.
Canvas: Page 101
Publication: London,: Pub. for the Early English text society by N. Trübner & co.,; 1887.
Subject terms: Christian saints

Technical Details

Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aha2708.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/aha2708.0001.001/149:3

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Cite this Item

Full citation: "The early South-English legendary ; or, Lives of saints. I. Ms. Laud, 108, in the Bodleian library. Edited by Carl Horstmann." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aha2708.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 20, 2025.