58 hic incipit uita sancti Siluestri.
SEint Siluestre pope was : þe furste þat þare cam
þat euere hadde Rome in pes : to holde up cristindom;
For alle þat comen bi-fore him : luþere Men to-drowe
And harleden heom out of þe londe : and with tormens manie huy slowe.
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Ake ore louerdes miȝhte euere wax : and þe strencþe of cristindom,
So þat it was in betere pays : þo seint siluestre cam.
¶ It bi-fel þat he prechede þe Aumperoure : Costantin þat was þo;
þat he grauntede him þe churche of Rome : in pays with-outen wo.
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Ake erore he hadde wo i-nouȝh : are it miȝhte þar-to astonde:
For in prisone he was ofte ido : and ofte i-driue out of londe.
¶ A luþur Iustise cam in a time : in-to þe contreye a-boute
For-to tormenti cristine men : and to [overlined.] harli with gret route;
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he liet martri ane holie Man : þat hiet thymothe,
And liet him sethþe in a foul stude : casten with gret vilte.
Seint siluestre wente a-niȝht : and þat bodi þannes drouȝh
And burede it with gret honour : in a fair place i-nouȝh.
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¶ þe Iustise sethþe it vnder-ȝat : siluestre faste he nam, [folio 166b]
And seide, "þeof, þou schalt habbe : þat ilke sulue dom
Ȝwy laddest þou a-wei þanne þeof trichour? : ȝwodere hastþou him -brouȝt?"
"Certes, sire," quath siluestre : "þeof ne trichour nas he nouȝht;
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Ake þou art swuch on, ich wot it wel : and godes martyr he is.
And þat þou þare-of þe soþe i-seo : to-niȝht þou schalt, i-wis,
In strongue deþe a-strangled [be] : and wiende to þe pine of helle."
"A, þeof traitour," quath þe Iustise : "raþer ichulle þe a-quelle."
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¶ He liet nime þis holie man : and in strong prisone caste,
For-to he bi-seiȝe him in ȝwat deþe : he were i-brouȝt ate laste.
his soper he liet greiþi faire : ase he was i-woned to do,
And with grete pruyte and nobleiȝe : he eode and sat þar-to.
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A fisches bon schet in is þrote : ase he sat and .et.,
þat neuereft ne cam out a-ȝein : are he is lijf fur-liet;
For he was a-choked a-non : and toward þe deþe he drouȝh,
Vnneþe he liuede for-to mid-niȝht : with pine and seoruwe i-nov.
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