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

                                
                                  Vnneþe heo was tweolf ȝer old : are heo dude folie :
                                
                                  hire bodi and al hire wille heo dude : to sunne of lecherie.
                                  Line 4 
                                
                                  Þaron heo hadde so gret delijt : þat in hire owene londe
                                
                                  heo ne miȝte fulfulle hire owene wille [al. al hire]  : þo bi-gan heo hire vnder|stonde,
                                
                                  heo wende into Alisaundrie : and þare heo wonede longue.
                                
                                  Alle þat bi hire ligge wolden : gladliche he dude a-fongue;
                                  Line 8 
                                
                                  heo ne sparede leinte ne oþur tyme : preost ne oþur non,
                                
                                  riche ne pouere, ne oþur [al. om.]  weddede men : þat heo ne let to hire gon.
                                
                                  Men þat ne hadden none wille : swuch sunne forto do,
                                
                                  with faire wordes and fol semblaunt : heo brouȝte heom ofte [folio 118]  þer-to;
                                
                                  Þare nas man in no mester : so gleu ne so quoynte
                                
                                   [al. om.] Þat heo nas to bringue men to sunne : wel prestore in eche poynte.
                                
                                  For þulke dede heo ne tok : of no man mede ne wunne—
                                
                                  for non ne scholde for defaute : bi-leue þe foule sunne;
                                  Line 16 
                                
                                  Oþur any [al. om.]  mede bote hire foule wille : heo kepte of no man;
                                
                                  with spinningue and with seuwingue : hire liflode heo wan.
                                
                                  hit is sunne and schame to ani man : to þenche oþur to wite
                                
                                  Þe fuylþe of þe wrechche sunnes : þat we findeth of hire i-write.
                                  Line 20 
                                
                                  For to hire-sulue one heo seide : þat schame it was to huyre,
                                
                                  Ȝwaþur ani womman euere on eorþe were : so sunful a creature;
                                
                                  hit was wonder þat þe eorþe i-opened nadde : ase heo hire-sulf gan telle,
                                
                                  And i-swoluwe hire ase heo þar-on ȝeode : into þe putte of helle.—
                                
                                  In Alisaundrie heo liuede þis foule lijf : ȝeres seuentene,
                                  Line 25 
                                
                                  Þat so muche vildede of womman : nas neuere i-seiȝe, ich wene.
                                
                                  On a day in heruest : as þis womman bi-heold a-boute,
                                
                                  bi þe weiȝe heo saiȝ muche folk : and manie grete route.
                                  Line 28 
                                
                                  heo þouȝte, for heo was so i-knowe : in Alisaundrie in euer-eche ende,
                                
                                  Þe lasse sockne heo hadde of hire folie : þannes heo wolde i-wende;
                                
                                  heo þouȝte, "a-mong þis straunge men : so fale ase ich i-seo,
                                  Line 31 
                                
                                  Mi wille ich miȝte muche of heom habbe : with heom i-chulle beo."
                                
                                  A-mong heom heo cam and axede heom : ȝwodere huy alle þouȝte.
                                
                                  heo seiden, heo wolden to Ierusalem : for þe swete rode heo souȝten
                                
                                  Þat scholde op-on þe holie rode-day : eche manne i-schewed beo,

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 261
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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