And so þai dyd, I telle ȝow trewly:
Dystroyd þe cete wyt towres proude
& solde XXX (thyrte) Iues for a peny
And rode þe strete wyt-in & wyt-oute.
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And when þis emperours had þus do,
Þai turnyd hamwarde in þer way.
Þan se þai a howse a lytyll þam fro
Oure-growne wyt Iwen, þe sothe to say. [Iwen = iwin, ivy.]
Onone þai askyde þe Ieues þer-fore
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Why þat howse was ordande þere.
And þai answerde bothe lesse & more
Þai wyld tell as þai lerende wore, [Ms. scheinbar berende.]
And sayd: "in Cristys passyon tyme,
For a Iue lewed on hys law,
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Þai putte hym þer to preson-pyne;
And þis was oure eldyrs saw".
Whe(n) þe emperours hard þis tale, [Ms. whe.]
To þe howse þi heed þam onone [þi = þai. heed = hiȝed,]
And brake þe stones grete & smale,
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& so þai lefte no hole stone.
Þer þai fond þis Iue wyt fres chere [Ms. freschere; l. fresch ere (= aire)?]
Haldyng þe blode in hys lappe all rede.
Þan were þai in dowte bothe in-fere,
Wondyryng þat he was not dede.
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Þai askyd hym wyt wordys bolde
Of hys lynage & wat he was,
And wat thyng in hys lappe he dyd holde,
And wy þat he was putte in þat place. [Ms. þis od. þat?]
Þe Iue þam tolde bothe worde & ende
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As it es declared a lytyll be-fore,
And prayd þam forthe forto wende
& sofur hym to hawe hys tresore:
"My luf, my lyst, my lyfe here-on es,
I tell ȝow, syrs, wyt grete chere.
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Me thyng bot few days, I-wys, [thyng = thynk.]
Sen þe tyme þat I af kepyd it here".
Þai ansuerd & sayd: "nay,
Þis blode we wyll bere wyt vs
And ordan nyt in a better aray,
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For þe lufe of suete Jhesus".
To þe Iue þai gan forthe reche,
Þe holy blode þai tok fro hym onone.
Þan lost he bothe syght & speche
& fel downe to powdyre, dede as a stone,
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As he had bene dede a hundered ȝere before —
No noþer thyng of hym left þer was.
Þan dyd þis Emperours sygh reght sore,
For a grete merwell to þam it was,
And so godys worde may not esterte [Ms. esterte = aetsterte etsterte.]
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Þat in hys gospell wrytyn is:
"Were es þi tresure, þer es þi harte".
And þat was prowyd þer, I-wys: [a. R.: Vbi thesaurus, ibi cor tuum erit.]
For alle hys tresure was in þat holy blode allone
Þat he had kepyd for hys solace;
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Nedys most hym dy, wen it was gone.
& so god toke hym to a noþer place.
Thys blode þai toke, þis Emperours,
Wyt þe vernakylle and oþer relykys þat in þe tempul were,
And broght þam to Rome wyt gret honours
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To þe tempull of pes, & sette þam þere —
As saynt Jerom wyttyns wele Iwys [wyttyns v. witnen, altisl. vitna, testify.]
In þe exposicione of þe prophete Johell —
And he þat will not trow on þis,
Seke þe bok, & þer he may fynd hym well. [Ms. hym st. hyt.]
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Þis holy blode, þe vernakylle & þe cir|cumsicione
In þe tempul of pes were done at Rome,
And þer here haldyn wyt grete deuocione [here = ere.]
To Charls, þe grete Emperour, come.
Þis Charles partyd þis holy blode in|two:
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To Almayne wyt hym a part he brogh
In-to þe castell Triuelence, he ordand it so,
In grete worchep, as hym gode thogh.
And þer it was many a ȝere in þat castell,
In grete worchep & hee deuocione,
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