To plede aȝeynes holy writ.
Vppon a day he com to here
Seint Ambrose preche, þe peple to lere,
And he sauh at Ambroses ere
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An angel speke þe wordus þere
Þat to þe peple he dude preche —
Wel forte lyue he dude teche.
Of þat siht he was ful feyn, [Quo viso fidem quam persequebatur coepit defen|dere.]
To cristene feiþ he tornde aȝeyn
Line 310
And defended strongliche
Þat he hedde dispysed falsliche.
A coniuror þer was also [Quidam aruspex daemones advocabat et ipsos ad nocendum Am|brosio transmittebat, sed (reversi daemones renuntiabant, quod) non solum ad ipsum sed nec etiam ad fores domus suae appropinquare valebant, (quoniam ignis insupera|bilis omne illud aedificium communiret, ut etiam longe positi urerentur.)]
Þat þouȝte to Ambrose worche wo;
He calde vp fendes and forþ hem sende,
Line 315
Seint Ambrose forte schende.
But þei nedde pouwer, wiþ no gin,
To neihe þe hous þat he was in,
Ne nouþur nuyȝe his persone —
God ȝaf him grace, þat sit in trone.
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Hit bifel bi þat coniurour [Prae|dictus vero aruspex cum a judice propter quaedam maleficia torqueretur, clamabat amplius ab Ambrosio se torqueri.]
Þat he was take and put in tour.
Whon he was turmented for his misdede,
He seide seint Ambrose him put in drede;
On seint Ambrose he cried out —
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Þei wondred on him þat stoden about.
Þer was a mon in Melan [Quendam daemoniacum Mediolanum in|gredientem daemon dimisit, egredientem invasit; interrogatus de hoc daemon ait Am|brosium se timere.]
Þat þe fend was fallen on.
In to þe citee whon he schulde go,
Þe deuel wolde him fleo fro;
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And whon þat he schulde outward wende,
In to þat mon he wolde lende.
He was asked hou þat was.
Þe fend onswered in þat cas
And seide: awei from him he fledde,
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For seint Ambrose sore he dredde.
ANoþur mon bi nihtes tale [Alius quidam nocte ejus cubiculum adiit, ut gladio ipsum necaret, prece ac pretio a Justina inductus; sed cum dextra gladium elevasset, ut ipsum percuteret, continuo aruit manus ejus. (Die bei Grässe l. c. hier folgende Erzählung von der Verweisung des Kaisers aus der Kirche fehlt im engl. wie auch in der Edit. princ.; sie folgt später ausführlich.)]
In to seint Ambroses chaumbre stale:
Justyne, þat wikked emperice,
Him hedde i huired to beo so nice,
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Þat holy mon forte sle
And afturward awey to fle.
Þis mon wiþ his riht hond
His swerd out drouh, as brennyng brond,
Forte haue smiten þis holy mon;
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But his arm druyed vp anon,
He ne mihte on none wyse
Þerwiþ aftur do no seruyse.
ANoþur mon þe fend hedde take, [Quidam a daemonio arreptus clamare coepit ab Ambrosio se torqueri. Cui Ambr.: Obmutesce, diabole, quia non te torquet Ambrosius sed tua invidia, quia illuc homines adscendere conspicis unde tu turpiter corruisti, nam Ambrosius nescit inflari. At ille statim obmutuit.]
And turmented him wiþ muchel wrake
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And maad him crie in his wodnes:
"Ambrose me pyneþ wiþ wikkednes."
Ambrose seide: "pes, þou foule fende!
Ambrose þe doþ no þing schende,
But þyn envye, for þat þou sest
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Of cristen men, boþe lest and mest,
Steyhȝe vpward from whennes þou fil;
Ambrose nis not inflat of wil."
Þe fend þenne ouercome wes
And of his criȝing heold his pes.
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HIt bifel vppon a day, [Quadam vice cum beatus Ambr. per civitatem pergeret, quidam casu lapsus est et in terra prostratus jaciebat: quod videns alter ridere coepit. Cui A.: Et tu, qui stas, vide ne cadas. Quo dicto statim lapsum doluit suum qui riserat alienum.]
As Ambrose wente bi þe way,
A mon slod aȝeynes his wil,
Adoun to þe eorþe sone he fyl.
Anoþur mon, þat þer was,
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