Prosalegenden die legende des ms. Douce 114 (dialekt von Nottinghamshire?) / [ed. C. Horstmann].

¶ What she doþ for þe oure of matynes.

At mydnyȝhte, soþely, sche ryseþ, to knowleche wonderfully þe be∣gynnynge of oure lordes passyone, þat is to saye, how hee was taken and drawen hyder and þyder ful cruelly wiþ wicked mennes handys. ¶ Neuerþeles it is to witte þat booþ þis oure and oþere oures she is [ 45]

rauesched, or sche ryse for hir bedde, and sche abydeþ in the same staat þat sche is rauisched in a good while, alle starke as an ymage of tree or stoon, wiþ-outen felynge or mouynge and brethe, þat no þinge maye be touchyd or stiryd of hir, not as mykel as hir litil fynger, but if alle the body be moued with-alle. After the whiche raueschynge [ 5] as turnyd agayne to hir-selfe, sche ryseþ vp and goth oute swiftly of hir bedde, and walkith in here chaumbyr with a merueylous and a manerly goynge, as hit is trowed, with aungels ledynge. ¶ Soþely, sche was holden with so mikel febilnesse of body and lymmes, whanne sche was but fyue ȝeer olde or þere-a-boute, þat, þof the hous þat [ 10] sche was in, hadde brente ouer hir, sche myghte not haue goon oute with-outen helpe, as alle þe cuntrey doutles knoweth; and þat con∣tynual chastisynge of goddes ȝeerd, and so mortifiynge of here owne flesche fro þe innocens of fyue ȝeer age vnto þe age þat sche is nowe of, þat is twenty ȝeer, is ful stronge and vnfaylabil preef of hool and [ 15] clene virginite. But this þat I haue seyde, I knewe moor be heerynge þanne be sighte. Neuerþeles besyde my purpos I put heere þis inci∣dent, þat booþ þe reeders and heerers may knowe þat þe stirynges and berynges of this forseyde virgyn, þe whiche, as men maye, schulbe discryued after, come not of hir strengthe, but of a priue vertue of [ 20] god. ¶ And so as it is seyde: atte mydnyghte after hir raueschynge sche ryseth merueylously stronge to suffre labour and peyne, þat was byfore in body weyke & vnmyghty. And whanne sche is vp, cladde as sche is alle-wey wiþ a wollen coot next her flesch and with a whyte lynnen garnemente sumwhatly trailynge on þe erthe, þan sche [ 25] walkeþ ful honestly in hir chaumbyr, and with-oute blynnynge, as sche goth and commith ageyn, sche swappeþ hir-selfe vpon þe chekys wiþ booþ handys, ¶ and of hir strokes maye be herde acordaunte sowne and cleer. And so in þe steed of psalmes as in tymbyrs and wele sownynge cymbals she solempnyȝes þe watches of the firste [ 30] nocturne. After þat, sooþly, as for lessuns, sche makith a bigynnynge of oure lordys passyone, how Le [Ms. sche.] was taken and with a feerful cruelte drawen. Þan it is to se how sche takith her owne cloþes byfore her breste with her right hande and drawith hir-selfe to the righte syde, and þanne with her lefte hande to þe lefte syde; and oþere-while [ 35] sche berith ouer hir- selfe euen forwarde dyuers tymes, as sche were drawen with vyolens, ¶ as men do with þefes & mensleers þat are pul∣lyd and luggyd ful vyolently wiþ oþere mennes handes; represen∣tynge oure lorde Jhesu wordes þat hee seyde to hym(!): 'ȝee come to take me as a þefe with swerdys and battys'. ¶ And anoon after sche [ 40] strechys oute her riȝhte arme and makiþ a fiste of her hand, and lo∣kiþ grymly, braunysshynge hir fiste, and makes feerful tokens and bekenynges with eyen & handys, as a body þat were wrooþ and angry. And after þat anoon sche smitith her-selfe vpon the cheke, so strongly, þat alle hir body bowith to þat party ageyns þe ground for heuynesse [ 45] of the stroke; þan sche smytes hir-selfe in þe nodel of the hede by∣hynde,

now bitwix þe schuldirs, now in the necke; ¶ and þanne sche noseles downe forwarde and wonderly crokes her body and dasches her heed to the erthe. ¶ Also oþere-while sche takith vyolently hir heer, þat is aboute her forhede but short, and smitith þe grounde with hir heed wiþ a meruaylous draughte, & hir feet vn-meuyd. ¶ And also [ 5] sche takiþ hir-selfe by þe heer, booþ on þe riȝhte syde and þe lefte, her and þere, sterynge & bowynge hir-selfe wiþ draght of hir handys, ¶ wiþ a maner þat may neiþer be herde ne tolde. ¶ Also sche takiþ her owne cheekys, þe whiche byfore sche hadde smyten wiþ many strokes, now with þe platte hande now with þe fiste, and oþere-while [ 10] wiþ her fingers, drawen to-gedir, as sche wolde pulle oute her chaules. Also oþere-while sche bowiþ her arme and strekith oute hir fynger nexte þe thoumbe, drawynge the toþere fyngers to-gedir into hir hande, & puttith to hir eyen ofte-sythes, now to þat oon now to þat oþer, as sche wolde graue hem oute or bore hem in. ¶ And, sooþly, alle þis [ 15] sche rehercys often and aboundauntly. Þerfore it semith þat in a newe and vnherde manere sche schewith in her-selfe booþ þe persone of Criste suffrynge and þe persone of þe enmye turmentynge: she re∣presentiþ þe persone of oure lorde while sche suffres, and the enmyes persone while sche puttis [l. pullis.] , drawes, smytes, or þretys. ¶ Soþely, [ 20] whanne these and oþere lyke are doon often and vntellably as for þe firste nocturne of matyns, she wrappeþ hir-selfe downe to þe grounde vpon her backe ful honestly & fulle manerly, as forto reste hir fro grete charge of trauelle; so þat þen sche hath no powere of bodily strengþis, but syghes after heuenly and goostly solas, ¶ and goþ in [ 25] spirite vnto god. ¶ And after þat communly longe space of reste and swoghe sche ryseþ vp as wele & fully counforted, stronge and delyuere to serue þe secounde nocturne of matyns in þe forme before∣seyde. ¶ And in steed of salmes, þis newe tymbrer settiþ her flesche for an harpe, and hir chekys for a tymber, and ioy(!) for a sawtry, and [ 30] hir handys and fyngers for a wrast—þat is an instrument of organ∣songe—and so with a newe maner of syngynge sche folowith forþ wakynges of þe secounde nocturne, doynge efte-sones þe figure, ma∣ners and tokens of þe biginnynge of oure lordes passyone, as hit is seyde byfore. ¶ After þat, whan þe ende of turmente comeþ, in as [ 35] mykel as in hir is sche restith hir froo þat vnsuffrabil trauelle, euen as she were alle ouercomen and anentiȝed. And a litil while after, now and now, sche makith sobbyngs and sighes, as a body schulde dye. ¶ Þen, for-sooþ, as sche schulde ȝeeld þe gost, sche is raue∣sched and restith alle her body froo tourmente and laboure. ¶ And [ 40] tille þat while she is comunly longe rauyshed, and noon oþer þinge is seen in hir but starkenes of membrys, palnes of visage with-oute blood, and alle-maner lackynge of felynge, mouynge and breth, as hit were a deed body. ¶ Atte þe laste oure lorde, þat slees and qwykenes, makynge cleer wedyr after tempeste, restorith hir aȝeyn to lyfe. [ 45] ¶ And wiþ a merueilous onest and schameful gladnesse of cheer, cau∣sed

of goostly ioye, she þinkeþ of no sorowe ne grucchiþ not ageyns goddes rodde: ¶ for þere is seen no tokens of turbil or tribulacyone in her visage, but raþere þe gracyous cleerte of hir utwarde sembe∣lande affermith and prouith þe inwarde mirþe of hir mynde. ¶ And þen anon is taken to hir a tabil, ful wele depeynte with an ymage of oure [ 5] lorde crucifyed; and holdyng þat open and vncouerd wiþ booþ han∣dys, ful deuoutly she lokiþ on oure lorde, ¶ and often and þikke sche seiþ þese woordys: ¶ 'ȝouche here, ȝouche heere', ¶ þat is to sey in Englysche: swete loord, swete lord, and wiþ hire clene virgyn-lip∣pys she kysseþ often sweetly þe feet of oure lordis ymage. ¶ Among [ 10] þees she makiþ fro hire priue herte rotys large, depe, iocunde & luf∣sum sighes wiþ a clere stirynge of breste and þroot and with a swete sounynge whysperynge of her lippes. ¶ After þat sche lokith euene in þe same ymage with alle þe intente of hir mynde. ¶ And a litil after, whanne she has [Ms. was tas tasted.] tasted, as it is trowed, þe vnspekabil swetnesse [ 15] of his passyone: forþ-with, as sche is wonte, sche is rauesched and waxes alle starke, holdynge þe tabil as sche didde byfore; ¶ and oþere-while her lippes are ioyned to the feet of the crucifix, and hir necke and hir heed a litil reryd fro the grounde, as accordith to a kyssynge—¶ and soo she lastith vnstirred and starke, and alle þat oþer dele [ 20] of the body cleuynge to þe pamente. And oþere-while þe same tabil is lenyd vpon hir breste, and some-tyme abouen her face, after dyuerse holdynges of þe tabil in þe bikumynge of euery rauishynge. ¶ And in þe spaces of þos rauischynge(s) þe same tabil is holden so strongly with her fyngers, þat, when þe tabil is shaken, moued or drawen of [ 25] any body, as with enfors to haue it aweye, ¶ hit departith neuer, but alle hir body is stiryd after þe sterynge of þe tabel. ¶ Þen þe spirite, turnynge ageyne fro þe contrey of goostly ioyes, quykenes þe [Ms. of þe.] body, gladith the mynde, lightsomnes þe semblaunte and bishines hit with a gracyous cleerte. And soo she durith a good space, wiþ incres of [ 30] swetnesse, as semes to hem þat se right as she didde, in biholdynge of þe ymage, wiþ oþere hyȝ tokens of deuocyone, as hit is seyde by∣fore. Amonge these ioyes, sooþly, þe same virgyne chaunges no chere, but her countenaunce is stedfastly sette in consideracyone of þe ymage; so þat she byholdith no body nor noon oþere thinge but [ 35] the tabil allonly, nor sche spekith to no body ne gyues noon answere to hem þat speke to hir, but hir þouȝt holly vpon oure lorde. ¶ Whan alle this is doon, mykel moor solempnely and moor merueylously þan I can or maye write: sche keueriþ and closeþ þe same tabil & takith hit to som body bisyde hir, and strikeþ forthe hire armes to her moder [ 40] and to her sostres, ȝonger thanne sche, þat serue hir; and þey take and liftes hir vp fro þe erthe and berith and leyeþ hir in her bedde. And she schewith to hem cleernesse of cheere, charite of herte, glad∣nesse of mynde, and swetnesse of goostly woordes. ¶ Neþeles she is but of fewe woordys, the whiche woordes are ful spoken oute, but [ 45] sche makith hem swete with an esy and mylde gladsumnes and may∣denly

schamefastnes. And so þe nocturns, matyns and laudys wonder∣ly endyd, alle þat oþer tyme vnto prime she spendiþ in ioye and mirþe, in þankeynges and lovynges of oure lorde, ¶ not forgetynge þe contrey þat sche hauntiþ, in þe whiche, as Ysaye saiþ, are foun∣den ioye and gladnesse, þankynges & voys of preisynge. [ 5]