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

                                
                                  Cristine heo was and al hire kun : swiþe hende and quoynte,
                                
                                  So fair womman Men nusten non : no so guod in euerech pointe.
                                
                                  ¶ Of hire fair-hede and of hire guodnesse : men tolden in eche side,
                                
                                  Þat þe word cam into Enguelond : and elles-ȝwoder wel wide.
                                  Line 8 
                                
                                  A kyng þare was þo in Enguelonde : and Man of gret poer;
                                
                                  Gret nobleie he heorde telle : of þis maide feor and ner:
                                
                                  his wille was gret þat is sone : þis Maide in spoushod hadde.
                                
                                  Ake Men þe ȝuyt in Enguelond : cristinedom non nadden.
                                  Line 12 
                                
                                  ¶ Þe king of enguelond, þat was þo : to þe kyng of Brutayne gan siende
                                
                                  For is douȝter to is sone : þat was is heyr so hende;
                                
                                  And seide, ȝif þat he þare-aȝen were : þat þe dede nere i-do,
                                
                                  him and alle his he wolde destruyȝe : and al his lond al-so.
                                  Line 16 
                                
                                  Þo þis Messagers comen to þis kyng : and heore erinde hadden i-seid,
                                
                                  Sori and dreori was þis king : he ne couþe þare-of no red:
                                
                                  For þe king of Enguelond : was heþene, and alle his,
                                
                                  And for he wuste wel þat is douȝhter nolde : i-wedded beo, i-wis,
                                  Line 20 
                                
                                  And also, for þe kyng of Enguelond : was of so gret miȝhte
                                
                                  Þat he no strencþe ne miȝhte habbe : aȝein him for-to fiȝhte.
                                
                                  And naþeles Triwes of is answere : aȝein þe messagers he nam.
                                
                                  Deol and sor and luyte gladnesse : in is heorte þare cam!
                                  Line 24 
                                
                                  ¶ He ne tolde no-þing is douȝter fore : of þis reuful cas;
                                
                                  Ȝeorne he bad god niȝht and day : for he redles was,
                                
                                  And criede on him swiþe reufulliche : þat he him scholde rede.
                                
                                  A niȝht an Aungel to is douȝter cam : and þeos wordes to hire sede:
                                
                                  "Ne beo þou nouȝht a-ȝein þis sonde : Ake, þine fader forto paye,
                                
                                  Graunte i-wedded for-to beo : and bide þat he it delaiȝe
                                  Line 30 
                                
                                  Ane þreo ȝer, þat þou mouwe þe ȝwile : þi Maiden-hod anoure;
                                
                                  And þat huy þe purchace clene maidenes : with þe to habbe in þi boure:
                                  Line 32 
                                
                                  ¶ And þat þe king of Enguelonde and is sone : and þi fader beon alle at one rede
                                
                                  Þe for-to cheose ten clene Maidenes : with-oute eche wicke dede;
                                
                                  Ȝwane ȝe Endleue to-gadere beothþ : þat huy eou finden ȝeot þer-to
                                
                                  Euer-ech of eov a þousend maidenes : to serui eou al-so,
                                  Line 36 
                                
                                  Þat ȝwane ȝe alle to-gadere beoth : þat ech mouwe in is side

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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 87
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
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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 22, 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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