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

23 Seint fid[es] [[6 Octob.]]

SEinte Fey, þat holie Maide : of swiþe heiȝe men heo com. Swiþe ȝong in hire childhod : heo turnede to cristindom, And holi lijf i-nou heo ladde— : þat word sprong wel wide Of hire guodnesse and of hire holi lijf : a-boute in eche side. Line 4 ¶ A luþer Aumperour þare was þo : þat hiet Dioclician, And is felawe þat was al-so : þe schrewe Maximian; A luþur Iustise huy hadden with heom : is name was dacian : To deþe huy brouȝten ȝware huy founden : ani cristine Man. Line 8 ¶ Þe Iustise Dacian : wende in-tal [= in-to al] þe lond And a-slouȝ alle þe cristine men : þat he ouȝwere fond. So þat he heorde telle : ase he wende bi þe wey, Of þis holie maide and clene : and i-cristned, seinte Fey. Line 12 ¶ To þe toune þare heo was inne : ase a wod man he wende, And burstinde in grete wrathþe : is bedeles a-boute he sende, To crie a-boute in eche strete : ȝif men miȝhte ani finde Cristine man oþur womman : þat huy heom scholden faste binde Line 16

Line 16 And bi-fore him bringue haste-liche— : þat huy ne sparede non!— And bote huy wolden heore [þouȝt] tuyrne : anoþur it scholde gon. ¶ Þo þe banne was þus i-cried : þare was Ioye I-nouȝ Among þe paeyns euerechone : þat Man cristine men so a-slouȝ; [folio 53] Line 20 Ake seoruwe and sor and deol i-nouȝ : among cristine men þare was, Þo huy seiȝen heore deth i-come : and non oþur bote þare nas. ¶ Seinte Fey was furst i-souȝt : for men wusten of hire wel wide. Ioyful heo was and glad i-nouȝ : þo men þe banne criede; Line 24 Ake forth heo wende wel baldeliche : nolde heo nouȝt longue a-bide, Ake profrede hire to þe tormentores : ase men souȝten hire wide. With hardie heorte heo wende forth. : þe tormentores hire nome And harleden hire wel filliche : forth toward hire dome. Line 28 ¶ Þe Iustise for wrathþe wende [r. vemde] þo : heo bi-fore him come. heo made þe signe of þe croiz : and blessede hire i-lome; heo bad ore louerd wel mildeliche : þat he ire ȝeue þere Studefaste bi-leue and strencþe of heorte : þat heo ouer-come nere, Line 32 And in hire tormenz treowe heorte : and þat he ire ȝeue is grace To his onour answerie wel : þe Iustise in þat place. ¶ Þe Iustise bi-heold þat Maide : with ful sori chere, he grennede and femde touward hire : riȝht ase he wod were : Line 36 "Dameisele," he seide, "ȝwat art þou? : ȝwat þencstþou for-to do? Tel me on ȝwam þou bi-lieuest : and ȝwat is þi name, al-so." "Sire," seide þis holie Maide : "Fey ich hote nouþe, And cristine womman ich habbe i-beo : sethþe ich ani guod couþe. Line 40 Mi name nelle ich nouȝt for-sake : no mi cristindom noþur; Þou miȝht þretne al þat þou wolt : of me ne worth þe non oþur." ¶ Þo bi-gan þis Dacian : fair semblaunt to make, "Maide," he seide, "ich rede þe : þat þou an oþur red take. Line 44 Þench þat þou art fair and noble : and þat þe bet bi-come A noble lauedi to beon and heiȝh : þane beo i-brouȝt here to dome. For ȝif þou wolt don aftur me : in grete Ioie þou worst i-brouȝt And in grete nobleie, ase þe bi-cometh— : þare-fore torne þi þouȝt." ¶ "Certes, sire," þis maide seide : "þou spext embe nouȝt, Line 49 For i-nelle neuere him for-sake : þat so deore me hathþ a-bouȝt; For ich habbe to him mi vou i-maked : þat i-nelle neuere breke. Þare [r. þare-fore] do elles ȝwat þou wolt : bote þat þou þarof ne speke; Line 52

Line 52 For I-nelle nouȝt honouri þine false godes. : for in þe sautere it is i-write Þat alle swuche Deouele beoth : and þat may ech Man i-wite." ¶ Þo fierde þe Iustise ase he were wod : and made wel sori bere, And was neihȝ wod for þis Maide seide : þat is godes deuelene were. he liet fette a bed of bras : brod and heiȝh also, And dude strepe þis Maide naked : and in þis harde bedde ire do. Line 58 ¶ Þis Maide, þo heo naked was : with glad semblaunt in wende; huy streiȝhten hire a-long and a-croiz : and gret fuyr þare-onder tende, And casten on grece riue i-nouȝ : þat drof up so gret leiȝe Þat þis maide þouȝte al a-fuyre : ase huy þat stoden þare i-seiȝe. Line 62 Þe tormentores stoden þare-bi-side : with kene oules and strongue And tur[n]den þat Maide side and oþur : ouer þe fuyre wel longue, Line 64 Þat heo þoruȝ strencþe of þe grece : ofte al a-fuyre stod. [folio 53b] Euere lai þat holie Maide : ase hire nere nouȝt bote guod, hire heu heo nolde chaungi enes : ne tuyrne hire þouȝt; Alle men þat þe wonder i-seien : þe enchesun nusten nouȝt. Line 68 ¶ Cristine men manie : þo huy herden telle Þat þe Iustise was þudere i-come : with tormenz heom to quelle, huy ornen out of toune hem for-to huyde : ech in is side, for doute, And leiȝen in puttes and in olde diches : ȝeon^t al þe contreie a|boute. Line 72 An holi man þare hudde him so : þat men cleopeden capras, Þat in þe north-side of þe toun : in one olde roche he was. ¶ He lai and darede out of is hole : ase he dorste for doute, And i-saiȝ al þe torment of seinte Fey : ase he [biheold aboute, [om. (so Ash.)] ] Line 76 hou men rosteden hire with fuyr and grece : and to-drowen hire al-so— For it was a luyte þare-bi-side : þat þis dede was i-do. Ase þis fuyr bi-gan to brenne : þis holie man i-seiȝ, A coluere þare cam, so ȝwijt so milk : fram heouene fleo on heiȝ, Line 80 ¶ A croune of guold heo bar a-doun : þat schinde swiþe briȝhte, Briȝhtore þane þe sonne leom. : oppe þe maidenes heued [Ash. maide heo] aliȝhte And sette þe croune on hire heued : with þe winguen heo bleu faste Aȝein þat fuyr, ase him þouȝte : þat it ne miȝhte nouȝt i-laste— Line 84 Fram-ward þat Maide heo bleu it euere : þat it ne cam hire no-þing neiȝh,

And heo lai þare in alle Ioye : ase þis holie man i-seiȝh. Þare-fore oþure þat weren hire neiȝh : nusten nouȝt hou it was, Þat þouȝte þat heo was al a-fuyre : and neuere þe worse hire nas. Line 88 ¶ Þis holie man seint capras : þat i-seiȝh al þis, to him-seolf he seide, "ich a-bide : nou sone to longue, i-wis;" he sturte out of þis deope Roche : and þudere or[n] wel faste; to þis tormentingue sone he cam : no-þing him ne agaste. Line 92 Loude he gradde with folle Mouth : "Ich am cristine Man, I-nelle for-sake Ihesu crist : for drede of Dacian. To longue ich habbe heonne i-beo— : þat me for-þuncheth sore. here is Ioye and blisse i-nouȝh : þat schal bringue us to more." Line 96 ¶ Tweie breþren þare comen þo al-so : seint Felician And seint prime : þat seide also to þis Dacian. Wod-wrothþ was Dacian þo : he dude heom nime ech-on, Seinte Fey and alle þe oþere : and smiten of heore heuedes a-non. Line 100 Þe tormentores i-redie weren : and gonne þat maide take And hire felawes forth with hire : þat nolden ore louerd for-sake, And ladden heom forth to heore ende-day : and heore heuedes smiten of sone In gret wrathþe ech aftur oþur : and duden heore maistres bone. Line 104 ¶ To þe Ioye of heouene a-non huy wenden : and þare bi-leue with|outen ende; Aungles þare weren to bere heom forthþ : þat ore louerd þudere gan siende. Þe luþere men leten þe bodies ligge : þo huy weren i-brouȝt of dawe, In a foul stude al on-bured : þare bestes heom scholden to-drawe. Line 108 Ake cristine men þat þare weren neiȝh : þerto stelen bi niȝhte And bureden heom in a derne stude : ase nobleliche ase huy miȝhten. [folio 54] Nou seinte Fey and hire felawes : ore erinde beode so, Þat we moten to þe Ioye come : þare huy beoth inne i-do. Line 112