Here begynneth the kalendre of the newe legende of Englande

De sancta Frideswida virgine.

SEynt frydeswyde was borne in Oxforde aboute the yere of our Lorde seuyn Hundred and fyftye And after her Chyldehod was paste she lyuyd with wortys / barley Brede / and Water / After by assent of her Fader and Modershe was made a Nunne / And by her exaumple .xii. other noble virgyns enteryd also in to relygyon / And by the helpe of the Kynge she made a Monasterye / where she lyuyd in Fastyngys / and conty∣nuell Prayers / a Hundred tymes on the Daye / & as ma∣ny tymes of the Nyght she prayed knelynge / the Deuyll enuyed her / And to haue deceyuyd her he apperyd lyke our Lorde with Aungellys / and bad her come and wor∣shyp hym whom she had longe seruyd / And by Spyryte she knewe hym and dyspysyd hym / And so he went awey with a great stenche / and she contynued in prayer quyet¦lye and without fere / And thenne the Deuyll mouyd the Kynge alger to desyre her to his voluptuous pleasure so that the Kynge sent his seruauntys for her & when they coulde not haue her assente to come to the Kynge / And wolde therfore haue takyn her by Strength / they were anon strykyn Blynde / And by desyre of all y^e people that came to that spectacle she made them see agayne / And y^e same nyght an Aūgell apperyd to her and bade her goo to Chamyssyde / And there she shuld fynde a Bote and a yonge man prepayryd by our Lorde to conuey her / for the Kynge wolde come to take her awaye / & so she wente to Chames and in an houre space with two Susters she was conueyed in the sayde bote .x. myles / And sodeynly the bote & y^e rower were gon / & there they lyuyd in a wyl¦dernesse .iii. yerys in great abstynēce / vigillis and pray∣ers / And when the Kynge in the Mornynge coulde not

fynde her in a great Ire he studyed to destroy the Tow∣ne wherfore when he came to the north yate / He was stry¦ken blynde / and for his offence as it is sayde it is prohy∣bytyd to Kyngys of Englonde to come within the Tow¦ne of Oxforde to this day / And after .iii. yerys she came agayne and made an Oratory at thornbury by Oxforde there by her Prayers sprange a feyre welle / On a tyme when she came to Oxforde all the people met her / And a fowle lepoure prayed her in y^e name of god to kysse hym and so she dyd / and anon he was made hoole / as she was praynge an Aūgell tolde her that she shuld dye the .xiiii. kalendas of nouember / And so he went fro her and lefte her seke of the Axes / And when her strength was moche goon fro her / she sawe seynt Katheryne and seynt Cecy∣lye / whom she had euer moche worshyppyd / And as she cryed to theym I come Ladyes I come / she went to oure Lorde the sayd .xiiii. kalendas of Nouember / And anon came a great Lyght into the house that fyllyd all the hou¦se / And the towne full of a goodly swete ••auoure / And she Lyeth in Oxforde.