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

44 Vita sancti Eadmundi regis.

SEint Eadmund þe holie kyng : i-bore was here bi este [The half-lines al. transposed.] In þe on ende of Engelonde : of ȝwam Men makiez feste; For of southfolke he was kyng : and of þe contreie wel wide. Þare weren in Enguelonde þo : kyngus in fale side. Line 4

Line 4 Swyþe fair knyȝt and strong he was : and hardi and quoynte, Meoke and milde and ful of milce : and large in eche poynte. Twey princes of an oþur lond : þat weren in luþere þouȝte, Nomen heore red to-gadere faste : to bringue enguelond to nouȝte; Line 8 hubba was þat on i-hote : and þat oþur heiȝte hynguar. Into enguelond huy comen with gret fierd : are ani man were i-war : In North-humberlond huy bi-gunne : and þare huy slowen to grounde And robbeden and barnden al to nouȝt : and destruyden al þat huy founde. Line 12 þo huy hadden north-humberlond : clanliche a-doun i-brouȝt, Al-so huy wolden al enguelond : and þouȝten huy nolden blinne nouȝt : hynguar, þat þe o. maister was : his felawe he bi-lefde þere, hubba, [&] wende here bi este : to quelle þat þare were. Line 16 Of þe guodnesse of seint Eadmund : he heorde muche telle : Into is lond he wende a-non : to fondi him to quelle. Into is hexte toune he cam : er any man were i-war, And robbede furst al þat he fond : and made þane toun wel bar; Line 20 And al-so he slov þat folk to grounde : al þat he miȝte of-gon, Ȝong and old, wyf and Mayde : he ne sparede neuere on. children fram heore moder breste : he drov and let heom quelle [folio 131b] And al-to-hewe bi-fore þe moderes : þat reuþe it was to telle; Line 24 ¶ þare-After he let þe Moderes a-sle : sorewe þare was I-novȝ! þane toun he barnde al to douste : and al þat folk a-slovȝ. he axede at some of þe men : ȝware heore kyng were; And huy teiȝten him ȝware he was : huy ne dorsten non-oþur for fere : In þe toune of Eglesdone : a guod wei þannes, he was. Line 29 þo þe luþere prince heorde þat : he ne made no softe pas, Ake wende him þudere ful hastifliche : with is luþere men ech-one. huy comen and metten þane holie kyng : with-oute þe ȝate al one. Line 32 A-non so hynguar wuste þat it was he : he let him nime þere, And bi-segi is Men alle : þat with-Inne were. ¶ þis holie kyn[g] was faste Inome. : and In a luyte stounde Bi-fore þe prince he was i-lad : naked and faste i-bounde, [vv. 37-8 are to be transposed.] For-to a-fongue þare is dom : and non so men him nome (!), [al.: þo his dom was iȝyue, faste me him nom] Line 37 Riȝt as men ladden ore louerd bi-fore pilatus : for-to a-fongue is dome. In a wode as he was i-lad : to a treo huy him bounde

And with smarte scourges beoten him sore : and maden him many a wounde. Line 40 þis holie man stod euere stille : he ne grochchede nouȝt ene, Ake euere he cride "god, þin ore!" : and non oþur he nolde him mene. So þat þis luþere tormentores : þat beoten him so sore, þouȝten þat [al. þei] huy him schame duden : and [al. om.] hov huy miȝten don him more. huy benden heore bouwene and stoden a-feor : and heore Arewene riȝten : Ase to ane marke huy schoten to him : ase euene ase huy miȝten. þe Arewene stikeden on him ful þicke : and al is bodi to-drowe; And euere stod þis holie man : riȝt stille, ase þei he lowe. Line 48 Ase ful ase is an Irchepil : of piles al-a-boute, So ful he stikede of Arewene : with-Inne and with-oute, So ful, þat in none stude : on Arewe ne miȝte In wende bote he for-korue some oþure : more is bodi to rende. Line 52 Ase þe holie man i-Martred was : seint sebastian, Also huy serueden is holie bodi : and schoten þane holie man, þat euerech pece fram oþur fleu : þat wonder was of is liue. And euere he stod ase him no rouȝte : and cride on god wel bliue. Line 56 þo hynguar i-saiȝ þat huy ne miȝten : þare-with ouer-come him nouȝt, A-non he let is heued of smyte : þat he were of liue i-brouȝt.

Ase þis holie man is beden bad : a man smot of is heued; And [al. ac] is bodi was [al. was er] al-to-rend : and nouȝt i-hol bi-leued. Line 60 And for it was so al-to-drawe : huy leten it ligge þere. Ake, for men ne scholden nouȝt finde is heued : forth with heom huy it bere Into þe wode of Eglesdone : ane [MS. ane ane] derne stude huy founde : A-mong þicke þornes huy it casten : and hudden it in þe grounde. Line 64 þo heo hadden of þis holie kyng : al heore wille þere, glade and bliþe huy wenden forth : luþere Men ase it were. þat heued huy hudden derneliche : þat no cristine man ne come, Ȝif þat þare ani bi-lefte a-lyue : and with him þannes it nome. [folio 132] Line 68 A wilde wolf þare cam sone : and to þe heuede he drovȝ, And þare oppe he lai and wuste it faste : a-ȝein is kuynde i-nouvȝ— For is kuynde were more to for-swolewen it— : and lickede [MS. lickeden] it ofte and custe,

And riȝt ase he wolde is owene ȝwelp : with wilde bestes it wuste. Line 72 ¶ Sethþe þare comen cristine Men : and in sum power weren i-brouȝt : þat holie bodi huy founden sone : for it nas i-hud riȝt nouȝt. Ake for huy ne founden nouȝt þat heued : a-boute huy wenden wide And souȝtten it longue, In manie studes : euerech in his side. Line 76 huy ne miȝten it finde for no þyng. : so þat huy comen ane day bi-sides þulke þicke þornes : þare ase þat heued lai. huy nusten nouȝt þat it was þere. : þo bi-gan þat heued to grede, Ase it a-mong þe þornes lay : and riȝt þeose wordes sede : Line 80 ¶ "Here, here, here," with swete voyz : ase þei he were a-liue. þo þat folk i-heorde þat : þuder-ward huy wenden bliue : þat heued huy founden in þulke stude : ase hit him-sulf sede. Louerd, i-hered beo þi miȝte : þat þare was a fair dede! Line 84 þat heued huy beren to þe bodi : and setten it euene þare-to, And beren it forth with gret honovr : ase riȝt was forto do. [al. 4 vv. more.]

TO seint Eadmundesburie huy ladden him : ase men cleopiez nouþe þene toun— þare is on Abbeie of blake Monkes : ase huy setten him a-doun. Line 88 In swyþe noble schrine huy brouȝten him : ase riȝt was for-to do. þare he lijth ȝeot hol and sound : ase heo i-seoth þat comieth him to : For is bodi þat was so to-drawe : hol bi-cam a-non And sound, as þe ȝwyle he a-liue was : boþe of flesch and bon; Line 92 ¶ þat heued al-so faste to þe bodi : ase it was euerer. In al is bodi nas o weom : þat man miȝte i-seo þer, bote ase is heued was of I-smyte : ase ore louerd it wolde, A smal red line is al-a-boute : schininde ase of golde. Line 96 A swyþe fair pilegrimage it is : þudere forto fare, For-to honouri þat holie bodi : þat þare hath i-leie so ȝare. Novþe god for þe loue of seint Eadmund : þat was so noble king, graunte us þe Ioye þat he is Inne : aftur ovre ending. Amen. Line 100