Nachträge zu den legenden / [ed. C. Horstmann].

a) Ms. Vernon, Fol. 317b.

"Jhesu, kyng of heuene and helle, [1 l. I, Jhesu.] Mon and wommon, I wol þe telle What loue I haue I-don to þe; Loke what þou hast don to me.— Of alle Joye þou weore out pult [ 5] Wiþ resoun and wiþ þin oune gult; Pore þou weore I-dryuen a-way, As a best þat goþ on-stray.

ffrom my kindome I com doun, Te seche þe from toun to toun, [ 10] Min heritage, þat is so fre, In þi mischef to ȝiue hit þe. And whon þat ȝifte I ȝiuen þe scholde, I dude as þe lawe wolde: To a Mayden I meked me, [ 15] ffor no chalange schulde be; wel dernely I kepte þe and me Til I my tyme wolde se, ffourti wokes and fourti dawes, To folfulle þe olde lawes; [ 20] þe Mayden was trewe, mylde & fre, heo receyued me for þe. þorw my monhede and my grace þus com sesyng furst on place. And whon þe sesyng was do so, [ 25] fful gret envye hedde þenne þi fo; þenne Belsebub and Sathanas hedde gret wonder whi hit was: þei fondede me wiþ felony, wiþ pride, couetyse and gloteny, [ 30] And wel þei wuste I was a mon; But synne in me founde þei non. harde þei þreted me in her þouȝt, þat ilke sesyng schulde be deore abouȝt; þei sende heore sergeauns wiþ may∣strie, [ 35] wiþ wo and serwe me to distruye, And wel þei founde hem geyned nouȝt. Anoþur help was in my þouȝt: More siker þe to make Aȝeyn þi foos, ful of wrake, [ 40] heuene and eorþe in present To make a chartre of feffement; In such amaner þen moste hit be þat I moste ȝiue my lyf for þe: ffor þou art ded, and I am lyf, [ 45] And I moste dye to ȝiue þe lyf.

Mony a wei haue I go In hongur and þurst, colde and wo þritti winter and more þen two, Or my dede weore al I-do. [ 50] Ne mihte I fynde no parchemyn ffor to laste wiþ-outen fyn; Bote, as good loue bad me do, Min oune skin I tok þer-to. To gete me frendes, I ȝaf good mede— [ 55] So doþ þe pore þat haþ gret nede: On a þoresday a soper I made, Boþe frend and fo to maken glade, wiþ mete and drynk to soulus fode, wiþ holi word my flesch and blode: [ 60] And þis I made for Monkynde, Mi loue-dedes to haue in muynde—

hoc facite in meam commemoracionem.

Or I fro þe bord a-ras, Of my frend bi-trayed I was; he fond me goande in þe way, [ 65] As þe Leoun goþ to his pray—

Susceperunt me sicut leo paratus ad predam.

A curtul I hedde and cloþus mo, And sone I hedde hem alle for-go—

So hedde I þis chartre writen, þo was I naked, wel may ȝe witen; [ 70] þei casten lot as wolde bi-falle, wheþer on schulde haue hem or parten alle. ffrend and fo þat wiþ me metten, In my neode alle me for-letten; And to a piler I was I-piht, [ 75] Togget and tauwed al þe niht And wasschen in myn owne blode, And strayte I-streynet on þe Rode, Streyned to druye on Rode-tre, As parchemyn oweþ for to be. [ 80] Here now and ȝe schul witen hou þis chartre was I-writen. vppon myn neb was mad þe ynke wiþ þe Jewes spittyng on me to stynke. þe penne þat þe lettre was wiþ writen, [ 85] weore scourges þat I was wiþ smiten. how mony lettres þeron beon, Red and þou miht wite and seon: ffif þousend foure hundred fyfti and ten woundus on me, boþe blak and wen. [ 90] To schewen ou alle my loue-dede, Mi-self I wole þis chartre rede. Ȝe Men þat gon bi þis weye, A-bydeþ a luytel, I ow preye, And redeþ alle on þis parchemyn, [ 95] ȝif eny serwe beo lyk to myn—

O uos omnes qui transitis per uiam;

Stondeþ and hereþ þis chartre red, whi I am woundet and al for-bled.

'Sciant presentes et futuri,

wite ȝe þat are and schal be-tyde, þat Jhesu crist wiþ blodi syde, [ 100] þat was boren in Bedleem And offred in to Jerusalem,

þe kynges sone of heuene aboue, wiþ mi ffadres wille and loue Made a sesyng whon I was born, [ 105] To þe, Monkynde, þat was forlorn. wiþ my cha(r)tre here present I make nou a confirmament: þat I haue graunted and ȝiuen To þe, Monkynde, wiþ me to liuen [ 110] In my Rewme of heuene-blis, To haue and to holden wiþ-outen mis, In a condicion, ȝif þou be kynde And my loue-dedes haue in Mynde, ffre to haue and fre to holde, [ 115] wiþ al þe purtynaunce to wolde, Myn heritage þat is so fre. ffor homage ne for feute No more wol I aske of þe, But a foure-leued gras ȝeld þou me: [ 120] O lef is soþfast schrifte, þe toþur is for synne herte-smerte, þe þridde is "I wol no more do so", þe feorþe is "drede god euermo"; whon þeose four leues to-geder ben set, A "trewe loue" men clepen hit. Of þis Rente beo nouȝt be-hynde, ffor þorw þe ȝer þou may hit fynde; Elles mai þou not fynde hit in my wounde, ffor þer mai "trewe loue" wel be founde. [ 130] And þif þou falle and gretly mis-take, Mi dede I wole neuer forsake; And þif þou amende þe and Merci craue, þin heritage ȝut schalt þou haue.' Þe seles þat hit was seled wiþ, [ 135] þei were grauen vp-on a stiþ; Of gold nor seluer weore þei nouȝt, Of stel and Iren were þei wrouȝt: wiþ þe spere of stel myn herte þei stongen þorw myn herte and þorw my longen; Iren nayles þurleden me þorw feet and hondes to þe tre. Þe selyng-wax was deore abouȝt, Ate myn herte rote hit was souȝt, And tempred al wiþ vermilioun [ 145] Of my rede blod þat ran doun—

Factum est cor meum tanquam cera liquescens. in medio ventris mei.

ffyue seles weore I-set þeron: ffader and sone, god and mon, þe fyfþe is for to leeue most, þat i-comen of þe holygost. [ 150] [150 l. i com?] In pleyn pouwer þi stat to make, A croune on myn hed (I gon) to take [152 I gon (con?) fehlt.] Of þornus, in toknyng þat I am kyng And freoly may ȝiue þe þi þing— þis witnesseþ þis Jewes alle, [ 155] On kneos þei gonne to me falle And seiden loude on heore scornyng "heil be þou, lord and Jewes kyng." Bi-twene two men þis (chartre) was seeled, þei boþe weore seke, þat on I heled, [ 160] Bi-twene two þeues on hih I-piht, In toknyng þat I am mon of miht, þat Norþ and West on heiȝ hille þat I may deme boþe gode and ille—

Quia neque ab oriente neque ab occi∣dente.

A-þhurst I was ful sore I-swonken, þe beuerege moste nede be dronken: A loue-drynke I asked of þe, Eysel and galle þou ȝaf to me— þis witnesseþ Matheu and Jon, Luk and Mark and monyon, [ 170] And nomeliche my moder swete: ffor heo lafte neuere teres to lete; Ar þis chartre writen was, fful ofte heo seide allas allas! So bare I was of worldes gode, [ 175]

whon I schulde dye on þe Rode, þat I hedde nouȝt wher-of to take, Mi testament wher-of to make, But of my leoue moder dere— heo stod bi me wiþ serwful chere; [ 180] And whon I my cosyn hire bitoke, heo caste me mony a serwful loke. In knowleching I made a cri "Pater pater, lamaȝabatani." Bi-hold þou, mon, wiþ herte and eȝe, [ 185] ffor þi loue hou I schal dye:

Consummatum est, þis chartre is doon. Mon, þou hast ouercome þi foon! To helle I wente þis chartre to schewe Bi-fore þi fo, Sathanas þe schrewe; [ 190] þo he was schent and brouht to grounde, wiþ nayles bored and speres wounde, [191 u. 192 umzustellen.] A strayt couenaunt I-mad þer was Bi-twene me and Sathanas: Al my catel to haue away [ 195] þat he me refte wiþ false pray. Aȝein I com and made a feste AMong þe leste and þe meste— A parti þo gunne knowe me, þat I was mon of gret pouste. [ 200] þe feeste laste fourti dawes, To do men knowe my newe lawes; þat feeste was al of ioye and blis, þat Esterday ȝit cleped is. On endenture I lafte wiþ þe, [ 205] þat euer þou schuldest siker be: In preostes hondes my flesch and blode, þat for þe dyede on þe Rode. A by-keye I tok þe also: þe token þat I was on I-do, [ 210] To bere wiþ þe wher þat þou go; þenne þar þe not drede of þi fo. To my fader I moste gon, ffor al his wille haue I don. A cote-armour I bar wiþ me, [ 215] ffor þat I tok of þy liuere; þe cloþ was riche and ful fyn, þe chaumpe hit was of red camelyn.

A ful feir mayden to me hit wrouȝt, Oute of hire boure I hit brouȝt; [ 220] Poudret wiþ fyue roses rede, ffyf woundes þat I þoled dede. whon I come eft aȝeyn to þe, þer-bi þou maiȝt knowe me. Þeose þat beoþ of rente be-hynde [ 225] And þeose dedes haue not in mynde, fful sore may þei ben a-dred whon þis cha(r)tre schal be red: Alle þeose schul go to helle-pyne; And wiþ me to blisse schul go alle myne. [ 230] Pay þi rente, keep þe from gylt, Cum and cleyme whon þat þou wilt, þe blisse þat loste oure frende." to þe whuche blisce crist vs bringe wiþouten ende.

A. M. E. N. Amen.