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

                                
                                  "To-day þou schalt my broþer be, for þou wilt don be rede.
                                
                                  Þoru clene loue ȝ good be-leue þi broþer my spouse is,
                                
                                  Þar-þoru þou schalt be-come also my broþer when þou art his.
                                  Line 116 
                                
                                  Mid Vallerian þou most go to þe bisschop Vrban
                                
                                  Ȝ be cristned, ȝ do also as he þe rede can."
                                
                                  "Is þat vrban," quaþ tiburs, "þat so ȝerne haþ be souȝth,
                                
                                  Þat ȝare haþ be fleme ȝ hud? ȝ ȝif he were forþ brouȝth,
                                  Line 120 
                                
                                  ffor-berne he scholde, ȝ we also, ȝif we wiþ him were;
                                
                                  Ȝ so þe while we heuene souȝthen, for-barnd we scholde ben here."
                                
                                  "Ȝif þer nere," quaþ þis mayde, "onliche bote þis lyf,
                                
                                  ffol he were þat it wolde [lese] for any-maner strif;
                                  Line 124 
                                
                                  Ȝ seþe þer is so mury lif þer þat we schulle after a-fonge,
                                
                                  ffol is þat nelle a whyle ben wo, to be in ioye so longe."
                                
                                  "Leue broþer," quaþ tiburs, "þou haue merci of me
                                
                                  Ȝ led me to þat gode man, ich be-seche þe."
                                  Line 128 
                                
                                  Þat o broþer þat oþer ladde to þe bisschop Vrban;
                                
                                  Þar he for-sok his foule lawe, ȝ be-cam cristene man.
                                
                                  Tiburs, þo he com aȝen, þan aungel sey a-non
                                
                                  Þat cecilie him hadde be-hote, in þe chambre wiþ hire gon.—
                                  Line 132 
                                
                                  Cecilie, for ȝe wyfman was, at hom ȝe moste a-byde;
                                
                                  Ak þese breþeren, þat men were, a-boute wenten wyde,
                                
                                  And whane me martyreden cristenemen, þider he wolden gon
                                
                                  Ȝ stele to whan [MS. whom]  he myȝtte best, ȝ burien hem [MS. him]  a-non.
                                  Line 136 
                                
                                  Als þei burieden twey godemen þat y-martired were,
                                
                                  Come þe emperoures men .ȝ nomen hem ryȝt þere.
                                
                                  To-fore þe Iustise he weren i-brouth. þei [al. me]  askede hem [MS. him]  a-non:
                                
                                  "Who made ȝou so hardi to burie þe emperoures foon,
                                  Line 140 
                                
                                  Þe mys-bi-leuede trichours þt were aȝen oure lawe,
                                
                                  Þat wiþ ryȝth Iugement of þe lond were i-brout of dawe?"
                                
                                  "Sire, we wolde," þis oþere seyde, "þat we worþi were
                                
                                  here knaues forto habbe I-be, þat þou let quelle þare!
                                  Line 144 
                                
                                  he leften þing þat nas nawt, þei it semblance hadde,
                                
                                  Ȝ toke good þing þat was ȝ worþ .ȝ. no semblance nadde.
                                
                                  Þe worldes ioye, þat haþ semblance, for so[þe] nawt it nys;
                                
                                  And þei þe blisse of heuen þinke lite, . mechul ȝ swete it is."
                                  Line 148 
                                
                                  "Beaus amys, me þynkþ þat ȝe ben wode:
                                
                                  worþe he is to habbe wo, who-so ne keput nat of gode."
                                
                                  "In wynter," quaþ Vallerian, "Idel men sitten ȝ drynkun,
                                
                                  To bismere he leyen here [al. erþe]  tilien þat a-boute sowynge swynkeþ;
                                  Line 152 
                                
                                  In heruest, whan þe swynkeres moweþ fair schef ȝ good ȝ rype,
                                
                                   [al. erþe] In meseyse ȝe mowen gon vp ȝ doun, he nabbeþ neuere agripe:

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 493
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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