Sammlung altenglischer legenden, grösstentheils zum ersten male hrsg. von C. Horstmann.

Nou wol I wiþ good entent [Moriar innocens ne moriar nocens; nihil medium est hodie: aut rea ero san|guinis tui aut martir mei.] Raþur dye an innocent Þen liuen a while and lete þe dye And leose so innocencie; To day for me schal go no mene — Line 450 And þat, forsoþe, þou schalt wel sene: Oþur i schal beo gulti of þi blood Oþur martir beo wiþ mylde mood. Ȝif I beo sone comen aȝein hom, [Si cito redii, quis me audeat excludere? si moram feci, quis me audeat absolvere?] Who is so hardi holde me þer from? Line 455 And ȝif þat I haue dwelled to longe, Me to asoyle ho dar vndurfonge? I haue agulted more to þe lauh, [plus legibus debeo, rea non solum fugae meae sed etiam caedis alienae.] For out of prisun þat i flauh, And I am gulti, þow wost, also Line 460 Of þe to þur monnes deþ þerto Þat in to prisun tok þe way And þerfore was slayen þat day. I þe telle wiþ open breþ: Mi membres suffisen to þe deþ, [Sufficiunt membra morti quae non sufficiebant inju|riae; est in virgine vulneri locus qui non erat contumeliae: ego opprobrium declinavi, non martirium; tibi cessi vestem, non professionem mutavi.] Line 465 Þe whuche, forsoþe, nouȝt gon longe, Weore not sufficient to þe wronge. A maiden haþ on hire bodi Place, woundes on to suffri, To whom, leeue wel! hit is non ese Line 470 Ne no good, mon forte disese. Sclaundre þauh þat i fled in þouht, To ȝelde vp martirdom to þe þouȝt i nouht: Þauh I my cloþing leide adoun, I chaunged not my professioun. Line 475 Tofore me to deþ ȝif þou woldest go, [Quodsi mihi praeripis mortem, non redemisti me sed circumvenisti.] Þou hast not bouȝt me from wo, And i may sei in herte þen sone: Þou hast me gyled and vndurgone. Be war, be war, I preye nou þe, [Cave quaeso, ne con|tendas, cave ne contradicere audeas! noli eripere beneficium quod dedisti, (dum mihi hanc sententiam negas, illam restituis superiorem: sententia enim sententia su|periore mutatur, si posterior me non tenet, superior sententia tenet).] Line 480 Aȝeinsei me not, strif not wiþ me! Þat þou me ȝaf, þe benefice, To take hit me fro, be not so nice! We schul make good al vr biheste, [Possumus utrique satisfacere sententiae(!), si me prius patiaris occidi; in te habent aliam quam exerceant poenam, (in virgine obnoxius pudor est).] To god, wiþouten eny cheste, Line 485 Ȝif þou me soffre now in certeyn Furst ar þou forte beo sleyn; Anoþur peyne vppon þe Þei han icast to do, parde. Þe more joyful þou shalt beo, [Itaque gloriosior eris, si videaris de adultera martirem fecisse, quam de martire adulteram reddidisse."] Line 490 Of avouteres ȝif þat þou seo A martir þat þou hast maad, And þou þer aftur þe more sad, Þen þat þou furst a martir were And lafte me aftur to avoutere". Line 495 Whon þat þei þus hed striuen, [(Quid exspectatis?) duo contenderunt et vicerunt: nec divisa est corona sed addita.] As þe dom was iȝiuen Boþe forsoþe weoren do to dede — God þerfore haþ quit heore mede. Þe biginnyng of þis martirdom [Ita|que sancti martires invicem sibi beneficia conferentes, altera principium martirio, dedit alter effectum.] Line 500 Furst of þat mayden com, But þe kniht þe effecte folfuld, For þat he was furst iculd; But, as God wolde for þe nones, Þei toke heor coroune boþe at ones. Line 505