The early South-English legendary ; or, Lives of saints. I. Ms. Laud, 108, in the Bodleian library. Edited by Carl Horstmann.

                                
                                  And to strongue deþe heom duden : swiþe manie and fale;
                                
                                  huy ne spareden none þat huy miȝhten finde : noþur grete ne smale.
                                
                                  ¶ A luþur Iustise þat with heom was : to enguelonde he cam,
                                
                                  To Martri alle cristine men : and destruyen cristindom.
                                  Line 12 
                                
                                  A clerk, a guod cristine man þat was : heorde it telle wide
                                
                                  Of tormens þat huy duden oþur men : he ne dorste no long a-bide,
                                
                                  Ake he fleuȝ elles-ȝwodere : þat he i-Martred nere;
                                
                                  To seint Albones house he cam : and bad is In þere. [folio 47] 
                                
                                  ¶ Seint Albon, þe ȝwile he with him was : a-waitede and i-saiȝ
                                
                                  hov he was in is oresones : boþe niȝht and daiȝ:
                                
                                  he þouȝte þat he was a fol : þat he was heþene so longue,
                                
                                  he gan to leue on Ihesu crist : and cristinedom ta-fongue.
                                  Line 20 
                                
                                  ¶ Þe Iustise þane clerk liet seche : so þat it was i-kud
                                
                                  hou at seint Albones house : with him he was i-hud.
                                
                                  Kniȝhtes he sende to fechchen him : ȝif he i-founde were.
                                
                                  To seint Albon huy comen : and echsten after him þere. [[This v. is written on the margin; v. 25-6 are spurious.]] 
                                
                                  huy comen and founden seint Albon : and axeden him a-non
                                
                                  Ȝweþur ani swuch þere were. : "for gode," quath þis holie man,
                                  Line 26 
                                
                                  "For gode," seide þis guode Man : "I nelle it nouȝt for-sake,
                                
                                  A swuch Man ich am mi-seolf : I nelle eou non oþur take."
                                  Line 28 
                                
                                  ¶ "A, þeof," seiden þis luþere men : "artþou i-come þar-to,
                                
                                  Ȝwane þou wolt for þat strongue þef : to deþe beo i-do?"
                                
                                  Þis holie man huy bounden faste : and to þe Iustise him brouȝte,
                                
                                  And tolden him þat he pulte him forth : for þat oþur þef þat huy souȝten.
                                  Line 32 
                                
                                  ¶ "Bel ami," quath þe Iustise : "seie ȝwat is þi name
                                
                                  And of ȝwat kunne þou art i-come : þat ore godes dost schuch [r. swuch]  schame."
                                
                                  "To þis Axingue," quath seint Albon : "ichulle answerie sone.
                                
                                  Of ȝwat kunne ich am i-come : luyte þou hast to-done;
                                  Line 36 
                                
                                  Alban is mi name, i-wis : and ich honori al-so
                                
                                  God þat schop alle þing : and euere-more wolle do."
                                
                                  ¶ "A, traitur," quath þe Iustise : "artþou i-come þar-to,
                                
                                  I schal don tormenti þi bodi : fram heued to þin ho.
                                  Line 40 
                                
                                  hastþou i-hud þane þef at-hom : þat doth us so muche schame,
                                
                                  And pulst forthþ þi-self, þo [r. þou]  cheitif : to deþe in his name:

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Title: The early South-English legendary ; or, Lives of saints. I. Ms. Laud, 108, in the Bodleian library. Edited by Carl Horstmann.
Canvas: Page 68
Publication: London,: Pub. for the Early English text society by N. Trübner & co.,; 1887.
Subject terms: Christian saints

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aha2708.0001.001
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Full citation: "The early South-English legendary ; or, Lives of saints. I. Ms. Laud, 108, in the Bodleian library. Edited by Carl Horstmann." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aha2708.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 21, 2025.

The early South-English legendary ; or, Lives of saints. I. Ms. Laud, 108, in the Bodleian library. Edited by Carl Horstmann.

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