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

                                
                                  Þe beste chaffare it is i-bouȝt : þat euere Man to drouȝ;
                                
                                  Woldestþou gon þare-Inne In part : riche man þou were i-nouȝ"—
                                  Line 68 
                                
                                  Þat was þe chaffare þe blisse of heuene : þat heo hadde i-bouȝt.
                                
                                  gret wonder he hadde of þulke Answere : and stod in gret þouȝt.
                                
                                  So þat he onder-ȝat sone : þat heo cristine was.
                                
                                  In grete wrathþe he tolde fore : þe Iustice, þat het pakas. [MS. þakas] 
                                
                                  Lucie was sone i-fet : and bi-fore þe Iustice i-brouȝt.
                                  Line 73 
                                
                                  "Maide," seide þe Iustice : "ȝwat hast þou i-þouȝt?
                                
                                  ¶ Let þi folie," he seide : "Ich rede, on alle wiffe,
                                
                                  And to ore godes, ase riȝt is : do þine sacrefise!"
                                  Line 76 
                                
                                  "Ich habbe," quath þis holie Maide : "al þis þre ȝer i-do
                                
                                  Mine sacrefise to Iesu crist : and ȝuyt i-chulle al-so:
                                
                                  Al þat ich hadde ich habbe ispended : and bi-take In is lore;
                                
                                  And þer-to ichulle mi bodi take : ȝwane me nis bi-leued nomore.
                                  Line 80 
                                
                                  Spene [corr. to spend by a later hand.]  i-chulle nou al mi bodi : fram þe fot to þe heued
                                
                                  And euerech lime In is seruise : nov me nis more bi-leued;
                                
                                  Ich ȝelde him op al mi bodi : sire Iustise, here bi-fore þe,
                                
                                  to spene [corr. to spend by a later hand.]  ech lime In is seruise— : do ȝwat þou wolt bi me!"
                                  Line 84 
                                
                                  ¶ "Nov ich wot," quath þe Iustise : "ȝware-to þou tornest þi mod:
                                
                                  For In hore-dom and In lecherie : þou hast i-spend al þi guod,
                                
                                  Þar-on þou wolt þi bodi al spene [corr. to spend by a later hand.]  : and þar-of þou dest preche;
                                
                                  Ȝwane þov nast non more to spene [corr. to spend by a later hand.]  : for-soþe þou worst a wrechche:
                                  Line 88 
                                
                                  For þov spext ase an hore strong : ȝwane þou wolt for-sake
                                
                                  Þi louerd þat þou art to i-weddet [corr. to i-wedded.]  : and to lechours þe take."
                                
                                  "I-wedded ich was to Ihesu crist" : þis holie maide him tolde
                                
                                  "Þo ich was i-baptized : and þulke weddingue ichulle holde.
                                  Line 92 
                                
                                  Ake to hore-dome þov woldest me bringue : ȝwane þov me woldest make
                                
                                  Mine spousede louerd Ihesu crist : for ani oþur man for-sake."
                                
                                  "Þou schalt for-sake him," quath þe Iustise : "haddestþou it i-swore:
                                
                                  For to þe commune bordel þov schalt beo : i-lad oþur i-bore,
                                  Line 96 
                                
                                   [The following part of this legend is written as prose, in two columns on each page on f. 60b.] And þare schal mani a moder-child : go to þi foule licame
                                
                                  And ligge bi þe, alle þat wollez : in hore-dom and in schame."

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Title: The early South-English legendary ; or, Lives of saints. I. Ms. Laud, 108, in the Bodleian library. Edited by Carl Horstmann.
Canvas: Page 103
Publication: London,: Pub. for the Early English text society by N. Trübner & co.,; 1887.
Subject terms: Christian saints

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aha2708.0001.001
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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 19, 2025.

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

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