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

                                
                                  For he hadde so luþur man i-be— : are huy dorsten him vnder|fongue.
                                
                                  ¶ Seint Barnabe i-knev him ferst : so þat he formest brouȝte
                                
                                  Þe apostles in cuthrade with him : and in riȝte þouȝte,
                                  Line 16 
                                
                                  And tolde heom hov ore swete louerd : bi weye to him cam
                                
                                  And smot him and bi-nam him is siȝt : and brouȝte him to cristindom.
                                
                                  ¶ Sethþe þo fram Ierusalem : þe Apostles gonne wende,
                                
                                  For-to prechi godes lawe : þat so guod is and hende,
                                  Line 20 
                                
                                  And to þe londe of Cypre : seint Barnabe huy gonne þo sende: [This v. om. in other MSS.] 
                                
                                  Ase he wende forth in is wei : in one stude he fond
                                
                                  A felauȝschipe of quoynte Men : þe wiseste of al þe lond.
                                
                                  he spac with heom so quoynteliche : ase he bi heom cam,
                                  Line 24 
                                
                                  Þat þar nas non of heom alle : þat ne wondrede of his wisdam.
                                
                                  "Sire sire," seide on of heom : þat was of grete fame,
                                
                                  "Tel us of ȝwannes þou art : and ȝwat is þi name,
                                
                                  And fram ȝwannes þou art hidere i-come : and for ȝwuche þingue;
                                  Line 28 
                                
                                  Þou comest here into ore lond : ich wot for sume tiþingue."
                                
                                  ¶ Seint Barnabe þis holie Man : fondede in eche pointe
                                
                                  to answerien heom wel quoynteliche : for huy weren heom-self so quoynte.
                                
                                  "Sire," he seide, "þov axest wel : and ich ou wulle telle:
                                  Line 32 
                                
                                  Barnabe ich am i-cleoped : þe deueles fo of helle,
                                
                                  Iesu cristes man ich am : þat me gan hidere siende,
                                
                                  Fram Ierusalem ich am i-come : and þus a-boute wiende
                                
                                  For-to prechi is holie name : þat brouȝte us out of biende.
                                  Line 36 
                                
                                  Bi-leueth on him and ȝe worþeth in Ioye : euere with-oute ende."
                                
                                  he prechede so þis grete men : þat huy turnden heore þouȝt
                                
                                  And weren þare to cristindom : þoruȝ seint Barnabe i-brouȝt
                                
                                  And bi-liefden on Iesu crist : and heore heorte ope him caste,
                                  Line 40 
                                
                                  And prechede also of ihesu crist : and turnde þut folk wel faste. [folio 32] 
                                
                                  Seint Barnabe wende him forth : and to þe londe of cipre he com,
                                
                                  to tuyrne men to ihesu crist : and to prechi cristindom.
                                
                                  He cam and fond a foul dede : þat schendful was to do:
                                  Line 44 
                                
                                  Men vrne nakede al a-boute : and wummen al-so.
                                
                                  Seint Barnabe was þar-of a-schamed : for it was a schenful dede
                                
                                  Þat þe schrewene neren a-schamede nouȝt : to schewi heore wrechhede.

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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 27
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 19, 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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