[The Tale of the Temptation of St. John Chrysostom's Deacon.]
An holy man telleþ vs þus, [A tale]
Men calle hym Ion Crysostomus;
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He was a bysshope, and ful gode clerk,
Þat shewe hys bokës of hys werk;
Swych grace of God, grauntede hym was,
At euery tyme þat he song hys masse
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Þe holy goste to hym was sent
whan he shulde receyue þe sacrament;
Certeynly, aftyr þe sacrë,
Yn a dowue lyknes he myȝt [myghte hyt se.] se,
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So whyte and [Omitted.] so blesful, and so clere, [folio 59a]
whan he vsed vpp-on þe autere.
Of þat cumfort, and [and of.] þat syȝt,
He þanked oftë God almyȝt.
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Þe fendë hadde þarwith enuye,
And wulde shewe hys wykked maystry.
A day seynt Ion shulde synge hys messe,
Þe fende made hym yn womman lyknesse,
weyl atyrede, with mochë pryde,
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And stodë ouþer men besyde.
Þe dekene þat serued seynt Ion,
At here turnyng tymes echon
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He behelde þys womman weyl,
And hys herte chaunged euery deyl;
Temptacyun of þys womman,
Ouer al yn hys þoȝt hyt ran.
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Þe bysshope, aftyr þe sacrë,
Shulde receyue God, as byfyl [fyl.] to be;
As he stode and heylde [helde.] þe oste,
He loked vp aftyr þe holy goste;
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But þat tyme ne come hyt noȝt.
Seynt Ion hadde þarfor [þarfore hade.] grete þoȝt,
