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

                                
                                  And for heo so fair was : he hopede hire out of þulke bi-leue lede.
                                
                                  An old quene þare was bi-side : strong hore and baudestrote;
                                
                                  heo hadde Niȝe douȝtren liȝt wummen. : þe Duyk bi-gan hire gret mede bi-hote,
                                  Line 8 
                                
                                  Þat heo scholde þat maide wite : and mis-techen hire and rede,
                                
                                  And fondi ȝif heo miȝte hire bringe : in fol þouȝt oþur in fol dede.
                                
                                  Þis clene þing was to þis hore i-brouȝt : þat heiȝte Affrodose.
                                
                                  heo, and hire douȝtren al-so : maden hire þe glose,
                                  Line 12 
                                
                                  And bi-hete hire quoynte þingus fale : of seluer and of golde,
                                
                                  Richesse and oþur Ioye i-nouȝ : þat heo hire þouȝt chaungi scholde;
                                
                                  heo seiden : "hov miȝte a swuche creature : þus gent and þus freo,
                                
                                  hende and milde and swete i-novȝ : with-oute Iolifte [beo]?
                                  Line 16 
                                
                                  Þi ȝongue blod nolde it þolie nouȝt : scholde þi Ioie beon þe bi-nome;
                                
                                  In þis lond nis prince so heiȝ : þat þov ne miȝtest him wel bi-come."
                                
                                  ¶ Þis Maide, þei heo were ȝong : bi-gan to Answerie a-non,
                                
                                  And seide, "beo stille, þou deueles bouk! : þe ne worth here non i-won.
                                
                                  Þe hexte prince þat is ani : In loue ich habbe i-take,
                                
                                  In mine ȝonghede and euere-more : to holde him for mi make.
                                  Line 22 
                                
                                  Swete and hende and milde he is : on him is al mi þouȝt,
                                
                                  Ich am so faste to him i-bounde : þar-of ne bringuest þou me nouȝt."
                                
                                  Þis luþere wummen weren ech-one : studefastliche Niȝt and daiȝ
                                
                                  A-boute to bringue luþer þouȝt : In-to þis swete ȝounge mayȝ;
                                  Line 26 
                                
                                  Þritti dawes heo was with heom : þat heo fondeden euere
                                
                                  to bringue hire into þe deueles lore : Ake heo ne spedden neuere.
                                  Line 28 
                                
                                  Þis wychche wende to þe Duyk þo : þat het quincian,
                                
                                  And seide, "sire, i-ne mai chaungi nouȝt : þe þouȝt of þis womman;
                                
                                  Liȝtloker man may þane hardeste ston : make nesche ase wolle
                                
                                  Þane þat Maide þoruȝ any gin : of hire þouȝt bringe schulle."
                                  Line 32 
                                
                                  Þe Duyk let a-non þis mayde fette : and Axede ȝwat heo were.
                                
                                  "godes schulchone," heo seide, "ich am" : heo nadde none fere.
                                
                                  he Axede of ȝwat kunne heo were. : heo seide, "of gent and freo."
                                
                                  Þe Duyk seide, "hov miȝt þov gentil womman : and eke a schulchone beo?"
                                  Line 36 
                                
                                  "Ȝus," seide þat maide þo : "hit is more fraunchise
                                
                                  to beon gode[s]schulchene oþer is þral : þane king oþur Iustise." [folio 95] 
                                
                                  "Anovre ovre godes!" seide þe Duyk : "ne spec of þi god non-more,

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 194
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 20, 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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