Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

Þe kyng was sori, and alle his : þat huy ne miȝten him make a-bide. Forth he wende þene deuel to seche : ake natheles nouȝt wel wide— [folio 122] For þe schrewe wole euere a-redi beo : to heom þat beoth to him i-nome. Þo Cristofre cam with-oute toun : gret folk he saiȝ come wel on horse, with grete nobleye : swyþe fierce and proute. Cristofre heom mette we[l] baldeliche— : he nadde of heom no doute. 36 Þe maister, fiers with-alle : cam and mette with him a-non, "Beu sire," he seide, "ȝwat art þou? : and ȝwodere þenxt þou gon?" "Ich am a ma[n] opon mi seruiz : and noman serui i-nelle Bote mi louerd þat ich seche : þe heiȝe deuel of helle." 40 "Beu frere," quath þe oþur, "ich it am : wel-come ar þov to me! Þe beste seruiz þat þou wolt cheose : man schal deliueri þe." Cristofre saiȝ is grete folk : and þat he was of gret pouwer : Of swuch a louerd he was wel glad : and al-so of þat grete mester. 44 Þe Maister heiȝte al is folk a-wei : bote heom-seoluen tweie, To teche him is mester priueliche : ase huy wenden bi þe weie. Ase huy wenden taleȝinde forth : of þis luþere seruise, In þe wei heo iseien one croiz stonde. : þe deuel gan þarof a-grise : 48 his wei in breres and in þornes : wel feor bi-side he nam; Þo heo þe croiz i-passede hadden : a-ȝein to þe weie he cam. Cristofre him Axede ȝwi it were. : and him was loth to telle. "Certes," he seide, "bote þou me segge : no leng serui þe i-nelle." 52 "Cristofre, mi leoue freont," quath þe deuel : "ichulle þe telle fayn, with þat þou serui me after-ward : þe betere with al mi mayn : with a swuch croiz ase we þare i-seien : þe heie god þat was here Ouer- cam and in soruwe brouȝte : me and alle mine fere." 56 "Þanne is he herre," quath Cristofre : "and hath power more?" "Þat ne may ich nouȝt for-sake," þe feond seide : "and þat me for|þinchez sore." "Daþeit þanne," Cristofre seide : "þat leng beo in þine seruise, Ȝif ich of þane heie manne may oȝt i-wite : in anie kunnes wise!" 60 Forth he wende and souȝte ore louerd. : wel wide he gan gon. Atþe laste he fond ane hermite : to him he wende a-non, he tolde him clanliche al-hou it was : and hou he a swych man souȝte.
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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 272
Publication
London,: Pub. for the Early English text society by N. Trübner & co.,
1887.
Subject terms
Christian saints

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https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aha2708.0001.001
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"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.
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