For he wende heo hedde beo gon
Awey wiþ sum oþur mon.
ON a tyme God almiht [Et ecce angelus domini sibi dixit: Surge mane et sta in via martirii Petri apostoli, et quae tibi obviaverit ipsa tua uxor erit.]
Him cumforted bi an angel briht,
Line 130
And seide to him: "vppon alle wyse
Loke to morwe þat þou rise
And stonde in þe same way
þer Petur and Poul vppon a day
For Cristes loue tok martirdome;
Line 135
And þe furste wommon þat þou seost come
Heo hit is þat is þy wyf,
Þat þou louedest as þy lyf".
Vppon þe morwen he tok þe pas, [Quo facto Theodora cum camelis venit et virum suum videns et recognoscens intra se dixit: Heu me, vir bone meus, quantum laboro, ut eripiar a peccato quod feci in te.]
Til he com to þe same plas.
Line 140
Theodora wiþ hire chamayles
Com þer forþ, to fette hire oyles.
Whon þat heo sauh hire hosebonde,
Heo kneo him wel, boþe fot and honde,
And to hire self softly heo seid,
Line 145
And sykede sore in herte and breyd:
"Allas allas, my gode fere,
Hou sore i trauayle in eorþe here,
Of þat sunne dilyuered to be
Þat i haue sunged aȝeines þe!"
Line 150
Whon þat heo neihȝed him neih, [Cum autem appropinquasset, salutavit eum dicens: Gaudeat dominus meus. Ille autem eam penitus non cognovit; sed cum diutissime exspectaret et se deceptum clamaret (161 Zus.), facta est vox ad eum dicens: Ille qui te heri mane salutavit uxor tua erat.]
Wiþ open vois al an heih
Þenne to him heo seide þis word:
"Stondeþ murie, sire, my lord!"
And he stod stille al in þouht,
Line 155
For outurliche he kneuh hir nouht.
Whon heo was bi him passed hir way
And he hedde longe abide þat day,
He gan to crie and faste he weyled [Ms. hee, aus heo corr.]
And seide þat he was bigyled.
Line 160
In his bed whon he was leide,
At niht a vois to him seide:
"He þat þe saluwed ȝesterday
Was þi wyf, sire, in good fay".
THeodora forsoþe wes [Tantae autem sanctitatis fuit beata Theodora, ut multa miracula faceret: nam et hominem a bestia laceratum eripuit et suis precibus suscitavit, ipsam quoque bestiam insecuta maledixit, quae subito mortua corruit.]
Line 165
Of so gret holynes
Þat God for hire miracles wrouhte
For moni men, as heo bisouȝte.
A wylde best hedde al totoren
A mon and al most forloren, [nach almost fehlt was?]
Line 170
But heo saued þat mon, certeyn,
And him reised vp aȝeyn;
Þe best heo corsed witerliche,
And hit fel doun ded sodeynliche.
ÞE deuel hedde gret enuye [Dyabolus autem, suam sanctita|tem ferre non volens, eidem apparuit dicens: Meretrix prae omnibus et adultera, re|liquisti virum tuum, ut huc venires et me contemneres; per virtutes meas tremendas in te suscitabo proelium, et si non te fecero crucifixum negare, non dicas quia ego sum.]
Line 175
Þat þis wommon was so holye;
To hire he apeered vppon a day
And grimliche gon to hire say:
"Now artou wel imet,
Þow vyle foule stumpet,
Line 180
Ouer al oþure more and lesse
Þou foulest avouteresse!
Þin hosebonde þou hast forsake,
And here þi dwellyng þou hast take,
For þou woldest me dispise. [Ms. stumpet st. strumpet.]
Line 185
I schal þe quyte on oþur wyse:
I þe telle wiþouten fayle,
Aȝeyn þe i schal reyse a batayle,
I schal þe make wiþ muchel wrake
Þe crucifixe forte forsake;
Line 190
And but þat hit beo so, verreily,
Sei þou þat I nam not I".
