CCCCXXXIII.
Laurencius accusat facientes sibi
iniuriam.
We rede in þe 'Meracles of our̛ Ladie,' how at Rome þer was a yong man̛ þat hyght Stephan̛, þat vsid̛ gladlie to take giftis & so for to forbar right of many folke in þe law. And he wronguslie tuke away & held̛ in possession̛ vnto hym̛ selfe iij howsis of Saynt Laurens kurk, and a garthyn̛ of Saynt Agnes kurk̘. So hym̛ happend̛ to be seke & sulde dye, and hym̛ þoght he was broght befor̛ þe iugement of Almighti God̛. And onone as Saynt Laurens saw hym̛, he come vnto hym̛ with a grete indignacion̛ & iij tymys he thrustid̛ hym̛ be þe arm̛, & þat sare, & crusid̛ it att it warkid̛ gretlie with. And Saynt Agnes nor none oþer vyrgyn̛ wold̛ nott ans luke on̛ hym̛, bod turnyd̛ þer facis fra hym̛-ward̛. And þan̛ þe iustis gaff a sentans of hym̛ & said̛; becauce he tuke oþer mens gude fro þaim & selde þe treutℏ for takyng of giftis, he sulde be putt into þe place at Iudas þe traytur was in. And þan̛ come Sanctus Proiectus, whome þis Stephan had had grete deuocion̛ to in his life, & prayed Saynt Laurens & Saynt Agnes to forgiff hym̛. And so our̛ Ladye & þai prayed for hym̛ vnto þis iustis, to so mekuƚƚ he grauntid̛ þat his saul [sul]de [MS. his saulde goo.] goo agayn̛ vnto his body, & þer he sulde do penans xxxti dayes. And our Ladie gaff hym̛ in commandment þat he sulde daylie say þis psalme, ' Beati immaculati,' whils he liffid̛. And when̛ his saule come vnto his bodie agayn̛, his arm̛ was als bla & als sare with þe thrustyng of Saynt Laurens as he had suffred̛ it evyn̛ on̛ his body, whilk takyn̛ was apon̛ hym̛ ewhils he liffid̛. And þat at he had wronguslie takyn̛ away, he restorid̛ itt and did penans þerfor̛. & opon̛ þe xxxti day he passid̛ vnto Almighti Godd̛.