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

                                
                                  To god heo[m] [MS. heo]  torneden in þe place : seuen þousende and mo.
                                
                                  Toward a-maner wildernesse : seint Cristofre wende,
                                
                                  In godes seruise to lede is lijf : ase ore louerd him grace sende.
                                
                                  Þe Iustise tolde þe kyngue fore : of swych a man þat he i-seiȝ
                                
                                  Turne þat folk and he ne dorste : for strencþe come him neiȝ.
                                  Line 132 
                                
                                  Þe king het sone to hundret kniȝtes : seche forto heo him founde,
                                
                                  And þat huy scholden him nimen and leden : bi-fore him, faste i-bounde.
                                
                                  Forth wenden þis knyȝtes : wel I-armede, a-non.
                                
                                  Toward Cristofre huy comen a luyte : and bi-heolden him echon:
                                  Line 136 
                                
                                  huy alle ne dorsten come him neiȝ : ake hamward huy gonne fleo,
                                
                                  And tolden, þo huy comen hom : þat huy ne miȝten him noȝwere i-seo.
                                
                                  "Ouȝ, ȝe cowardes," quath þe king : "nabbe ȝe him nouȝt i-founde?
                                
                                  Ichulle, ȝif he a-liue is : habbe him, faste i-bounde."
                                  Line 140 
                                
                                  he sende to hundret oþur knyȝtes : þat hy him wide souȝte,
                                
                                  And þat huy ne comen neuere a-ȝen : are huy him with heom brouȝte.
                                
                                  Wel I-armede heo wenden forth. : and a-non so huy Cristofre i-seie,
                                
                                  huy stoden and ne dorsten gon him ner : oþur vnneþe bi-holden him with eiȝe.
                                  Line 144 
                                
                                  ¶ Cristofre stod and him [r. hem]  bi-heold : and axede hem ȝwat huy wolden.
                                
                                  "For no-þing ne dorre we," þe knyȝtes seiden : "bi þe don þat we scholden:
                                
                                  Þe king us het bringue þe to him : and þine hondene faste binde.
                                
                                  Ȝif þou wolt, we wollez him segge : þat we ne mouwen þe finde."
                                  Line 148 
                                
                                  "Nay, certes," seide Cristofre þo : "ȝe scholden beo i-blamede so;
                                
                                  Ake with ou ichulle [MS. ichulle ichulle]  gon : and loki ȝwat he wulle habbe i-do."
                                
                                  he made heom al a-ȝein heore wille : ase a þef, faste him binde,
                                
                                  þat heo neren i-blamede, and leden him forth : his hondene him bi-hinde.
                                  Line 152 
                                
                                  Of godes lawe bi þe weie : Cristofre heom gan so lere, [MS. lerere] 
                                
                                  Þat echone, are huy comen hom : faire i-cristnede were.
                                
                                  Natheles huy ladden him forth : bi-fore þe kyngue, faste i-bounde,
                                
                                  And seiden, "here is godes knyȝt : nouþe we him habbeth i-founde."
                                
                                  þe king sat an heiȝ op-on is sege. : and a-non so he Cristofre i-seiȝ,
                                
                                  For drede he feol doun to grounde : þat is necke to-barst neiȝ.

                                  Line 158

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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 275
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 21, 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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