b) aus Ms. Bedford, fol. 280.
Alle cristen folke, ȝe listen and lere
Of an holy buysshope & a martere,
Whos name is clepede seynte Erasmus,
As þe boke says & trewe men telle vs.
Of an holy man here may men rede
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Whate merite þey may haue & what mede
That wille worship god & hym deuoutely
Euery sonday, withe thre þinges princi|paly.
And þo þinges be þay, as ȝe shall here:
Withe a deuoute pater noster or oþer praiere,
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And withe som almesdede, lesse or more,
Of mete or of mony geuyn to þe pore,
Ande withe som candel-lighte more or lesse
Brennynge ate evynsonge, matens or messe.
He þat doos þese þre þinges for þis mar|tur sake, [Ms. marur.]
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These rewardes folowyng forsoþe shal he take:
On is þis: þat he shalle haue to his le|uynge
A resonable fode to his last endynge;
An oþer is þis: þat any of his foone
Henderynge or harme to hym schalle do none,
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Ȝif his cause be trew — þis is certan, —
Þrouȝte þe prayere of þis holy man,
And what þat he askis resonabbly,
God wille ite graunte hym of his mercy;
An oþer is þis — þat schall hym plese:
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He shalle be releued of all maner desese;
Aud an oþer is þis, as þe boke seyþe:
He shalle dey in þe riȝt beleue & feythe, [tasel = teasel, fuller's thistle.]
And all so, or þe soule fro þe body twy(n), [Das vorletzte Wort ist unleserlich, scheinbar balst.]
He shall haue shryfte & contricion for his sy(n),
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Moreouer he shalle resceyue, or he be dede,
Cristes owne bodey in þe forme of brede,
And he shalle reseyue afore his endyng
The holy blessed sacremente of annoyn|tyng.
And so shalle he come to þat ioye & blys,
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In þe whiche as we trow þis holy man is,
Thate is þe blys of hevyn þat neuer shalle ende —
God geue vs all grace þedyr for to wende.
Sers, ȝe shall vnderstand, as we wretyn fynd,
þat þis holy man was ponysshed & pynde
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In þe cuntre of Champayne, as þe boke telles
And as men reporte þat in þe cuntre dwelles.
Whos day falles in þe somer on þe þrid day [In brandlet ist die letzte Silbe durch Corr. unleserlich.]
Of Juyn, next monythe after May.
And on þe sonday he had his most woo,
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Of whiche I shall tell iou, or I hens goo,
Vnder two fals tyrauntes ful vntreuly,
þat were fals traytours to god allmyghty:
Þe name of þe fyrst was callid Dioclician,
And þe secund was callid Maximian.
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