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

                                
                                  Wel deore with is swete blod : he bouȝte us on þe rode.
                                
                                  Ane marke he hathz on me i-do : þat I-ne scholde non oþur take,
                                
                                  Deorewurþe þing he hath me bi-hote : I-nelle him neuere fur-sake."
                                
                                  ¶ Þe Constable het Symproni. : "hov geth þis," he seide,
                                
                                  "Ȝweþur þov bi-leue on þe false gode? : torne þi þouȝt, ich rede
                                  Line 34 
                                
                                  And nim þis child to þi spouse : and þenk on þine owene guod,
                                
                                  Oþur ischal do þe so tormenti : þat þov schalt neiȝ beo wod."
                                  Line 36 
                                
                                  "beo stille," seide þis maide þo : "be stille, þou deueles lime,
                                
                                  Þov ne schalt to-dai for no þretning : mi guode þouȝ[t] me bi-nime.
                                
                                  Ich am redi for is loue : þat deore me hath i-bouȝt
                                
                                  tormenz a-fonge, and þe deth al-so : for Ine drede me riȝt nouȝt."
                                  Line 40 
                                
                                  þe Constable let somony al þe cite : and brouȝte þis mayde heom bi-fore;
                                
                                  hire for-to schiende, he dude hire strepe : so naked so heo was i-bore,
                                
                                  Þat ech man scholde i-seon hire derne limes : þe more hire to schende.
                                
                                  "Onwreste man," þis mayde seide : "schame þe worth atþenende.
                                  Line 44 
                                
                                  ¶ Ne schameth þe no-þing in þi þouȝt : bi womman þus to do,
                                
                                  Ȝwan þou of womman art i-come : and ech man is al-so?"
                                
                                  Þat [al. þat maide]  was not [ags. hnot]  for hire ȝong-hede : are hire smok were of i-nome,
                                
                                  Þare was [MS. was was]  on hire swete heued : so muche fair her i-come,
                                
                                  Þat hudde al hire swete bodi : þat it tilde bi-neothe hire kne [MS. kneo] ;
                                
                                  Þo ne miȝten men for here : of hire bodi nouȝt i-se.
                                
                                  An hous þat seruede of bordel : þare was bi-side:
                                
                                  Þare-Inne þe constable hire let do : and sethþe het crie wide
                                  Line 52 
                                
                                  Þat alle þat wolden folie don : þudere scholden wende
                                
                                  And finde þare a fol womman : of bodie fair and hende.
                                
                                  Þo þat Maide was þare-Inne i-do. : so ful was þat hous of liȝte
                                
                                  Þat no man for brijȝt-hede : þat Mayde i-seo ne miȝte.
                                  Line 56 
                                
                                  Þat Maide sat a-doun a-kneo : and seide hire oresun þere:
                                
                                  "Louerd," heo seide, "ȝong ich am : a-mong mine fon i-brouȝt here,
                                
                                  Euerech fondeth to don me schame : þat he[r]-a-boute wendez:
                                
                                  Louerd, ne ȝif neuere no luþer man power : mi bodi for-to schende!"
                                
                                  Þis Maide sat euere in hire beden : to ore louerd heo gan crie:
                                
                                  hire ne miȝte no man for liȝte i-seo : þat come þere-In for folie,
                                  Line 62 
                                
                                  Ake euere ȝwane heo comen In : to don heore fole þouȝt,
                                
                                  heo heorden hire crie on ore louerd so ȝerne : and hire ne seiȝen nouȝt. [Vv. 63, 64 are tr. in the MS.]

About this Item

Title: The early South-English legendary ; or, Lives of saints. I. Ms. Laud, 108, in the Bodleian library. Edited by Carl Horstmann.
Canvas: Page 182
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 19, 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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