The helpe and grace of almighty god ...

De sancto Laurencio martire.

gOode frendes suche a daye ye shall haue sainte Laurence day goddes owne holy martir His mar¦tirdome as maximys sayth shyneth to all holy churche. and lightneth all the worlde. wherfore ye shall come to god and holy church and fast theuyn This sainte was holy in lyuynge and greate in compassion of ferynge. Saint Au∣styn sayth that ensampl•• ••nge is more comendable than is preching and techynge Therfore saint Laurence ga∣ue all cristen peple to shewe ayenst ma¦lice mekenesse. and ayenst couetyse lar¦genesse. ayenst persecucion and trybu∣lacion. loue and swetenesse. when six∣tus the pope hadde be in spayne he bro∣ghte Laurence with him to Rome and made him archdeken to serue holy chur and pore people Thenne hadde the Emperoure enuye to him and purpo∣sed to do him to dethe Thenne Laurē¦ce to shewe mekenesse. ayenste malyce. enqu••red faste after pore people & wēt to theym and gaue them mete & drynke and clothes and soo he come to a wedo¦wes house ther as many pore peple we¦re logyd the whiche wedowe had been longe seke of the hede ache Thenne lau¦rence hadde compassion on her and ma¦de her hole and mekely wasshed al the pore peoples feet and seruy•••• theym at mete and drynke And for he herde that there was a pore man beside in a place that was blynde he went thyder and he¦lyd him Soo euir the more themperou¦re shewyd malice to him the more he ga¦ue him to mekenesse and holy deuocion He shewyd also ayenste couetise large¦nesse For whan pope Sixtus hadde ta¦ke to laurence the tresoure of holy chur¦che to kepe and to gyue to theym y^t had nede Then blessed Laurence folowed his master and saide

Sancte pater noli me derelin∣quere.

Holy fader forsake nat me. for I haue dealyd all the tresoure that thou too∣kest to me. wherfore go nat thou to thy passion assone but let me goo with the as we haue seruyd god to gydder So lete vs suffre deth to gyddre Then said the pope I wyll goo to fore and thow shall come after and suffre more penā¦ce then I may For I am olde and thou arte yonge and mayste suffre more thā I. and therfore make the redy. for ther is grete turment ordeyned for the Thē were there some that herde Laurēce spe¦ke of treasoure Thenne the Emperou•• sente after Laurence and sayd

Ostende michi thesauros ecclē

Shewe me the tresoure of the churche or els thou shalte be putt to suche a tor¦ment that thou shal be fayne to deliuer it Thenne how pope Sixt{us} and saint Laurence come to this treasour ye shal here ¶we rede that there was a hooly man that hight origines that cōuerted Philyp the Emperoure Thenne the

Realme of Fraunce was rebell ayen∣ste the emperoure of Rome Thenne the emperoure sent a knight of his into Fraunce with moche people to ouirco∣me fraunce This knyght was called de¦cyus and in shorte tyme he made fraū∣ce subgettes to the Emperoure as they were bifore Then whanne this empe∣roure phylip herde that Decyus hadde doon so well to grete worshyp to De∣cius and to thanke him for his iourney The emperoure toke with him a fewe. men and rode oute of Rome ayenst de∣cius to welcome hym home Thenne de¦cius sawe that the Emperoure dyd him so greate worship he thoughte it hadde be for drede and nat for loue & thought to be emperoure him selue And so in y^e nyght nexte after as the Emperoure. lay in his bedde slepynge Decius slew him and toke all his people to Rome. with him Thenne whanne the Romay¦nes & the senatoures herde therof what for drede and what for loue they made Decius Emperoure Thenne whanne Philippes sone herde tel that his fader was dede in this wyse he was aferde y^t decius wolde haue slayne him and too¦ke all his faders tresoure to holy chur¦che and bare it to pope Sixtus and to

Laurence praynge hem if so were that Decius slewe him they shold dele this treasoure to holy churche and ••o pore people that hadde nede Thenne decius made to slee philyps sone for fe¦re left he wolde auenge his faders deth whanne he hadde come to mannys sta¦te And this was the tresoure that pope Sixtus and Laurence hadde. and for this tresoure they put Laurēce into pri¦son Then was there a man that hyght Lucell{us} in prison that by grete weping had loste his sighte. then Laurence ma¦de him to se agayn and cristned hym. wherfore many blynde men & wymen come to Laurence and hadde ther sight Thenne the Emperoure sent to Laurē¦ce to deliuer the treasoure Then he prai¦ed him of thre daies respyte and thēne he wolde shewe him the treasoure Soo thies thre daies Laurence was lete out of prison and went and gadred all the pore people to gyder that he coude fynd blynde lame or croked and the thridde daye he broughte them bifore the Em∣peroure to his palys and saide Lo here is euirlastinge tresoure. this wyll ne∣uir fayll for it wyll endure for euer in heuyn Soo shewyd Laurence ayenste couetise largenesse for he delyd for god¦des sake all that he hadde and myghte haue spent it invanyte and he had wol¦de Also in turmēt of his passion he she¦wyd loue and swetnesse Thenne them¦peroure cōmaunded to brynge forthe. all maner of turmentry scourges nay¦les. stones. salte pyche brymstone brē∣nyng coles. yron shaftes. barres of y∣ron gredirens and cōmanded al shold be spent vpon Laurence but if he wold shewe the treasoure & forsake his god And to doo sacrifice to mawmentes

Thenne saide Laurence thou vnblessed man these metes and dryn∣kes haue I euir desired For right as swete metes and drynkes please thy bo¦dye So these turmentes please my soule. and maken me stronge and my¦ghty to suffre passyon. for my lordes

sake. Thenne was themperour ••••••th and commaunded to bete hym wyth scourges full of knottis. and leue not tyll the blode ranne downe on euery syde. and thenne they layd cheynes off yron brennynge to his sydes: that bren¦ned the flesshe fro the bones. and euer laurence thanked god hertely. Thenne was decius wode for woo & said thou¦gh thou wyth thy wytche crafte scor∣nest my tourmentis. yet thou sholdest not scorne me. And thenne he commaū¦ded ayen to bete hym wyth whippes and knottes of lede tyll the bones we∣re bare. Thenne laurence helde vp his hede and prayed to god thenne came a voyce fro heuen and sayd. thou muste suffre moo tourmentis and passion for loue of me This decius herde it hym self. and thou shal come in to grete io∣ye and blysse. Thenne sayde decius to the people ye may here all how the fen¦des come and comforte hym. goo and bete hym ayen wyth scourges Thenne was there a knyghte of the emperours that hyght Romanus. that sawe an an¦gell wyth a shete of sylke come and wype laurence sydes. Thenne he forso¦ke the emperour. & become the dysciple of saynt Laurēce And laurence anone crystened hym. Thenne decius made to smyte of Romanus hede. thenne deci{us} dyd make a grete fyre and set a gred-yren theron to rost laurence. and thres∣ted hym downe wyth fyre forkes Thē¦ne laurence loked vpon themperour & sayd. thou wretche that syde that is ••osted ynough. ete therof whyle that other syde rosteth. I drede not thy tormentes and caste his eyen vp to god and sayd. Lorde Ihesu criste take my spyrite. and so he yelde vp the go•••• Thenne the tourmentours wente her waye and lefte the body lyeng there. Thenne come cristen people and toke the body. and beryed it wyth grete la∣mentacion. Thus Laurence shewed mekenesse ayenst malyce and largenes ayenst couetyse. ayenst passyon. loue & swetenesse for the gret loue that he had to god▪ made hym sett noughte by all his tourmentis that were doo to his bo¦dy. ¶Saynt gregory telleth how there was a preste that hyghte staculus and was besy to amende a chirche of saint Laurence that was dystroyed wyth lō¦bardes but he wanted brede to his wer¦ke men and made moche sorowe ther∣fore· and he prayed to god and to saint Laurence besely of helpe. And thenne he loked in to an ouen and foude it ful of new white brede. But he wente it wold haue serued hem for a weke. & it fonde hem ynough all the tyme that his werke was a makyng. ¶We fynd that there was an emperour that w•••• a cursed man of lyuyng. And whan he was dede. there come a legion of fē¦des to fetche hym. and as they come by an holy hermites celle they made a gre¦te noyse. thermyte had grete merueyll therof and opened a wyndowe & spake to one of hem y^t come behynde. and as¦ked in the name of god what they were And he sayd fendes that were sente to the emperour that was dede to luke yf they myght haue hym for her rewarde thenne the armyte cōmaunded them to come agayn by him to knowe howe.

they sped. and he dyd so. and said whā his sinnes were layed in the balaunce and was nye ouercome. Thenne come the brennyng deken laurence: & layed a grete pot on the balaunce & it drewe vp altogyder. this pot was a gret cha¦lyce y^t thēperour made to worship saint laure••nce. Thus ye may lerne to suffre a yenst enuyous people. also what me¦de is in largnesse. to gyue them that ha¦ue nede. and what ioye and meryte it is to suffre trybulacion and persecucion & disease paciently lerne of the holy mar¦ter saint laurence. and lete vs take him for a myrrour. and praye to hym that he wyll be medyatour to god for vs y^t we may come to euerlastyng blysse.