University of Virginia Library

SVm tyme þer was an heþen man
Þat men called Sauyn þan.
Of his furste wyf he gat a childe
And called him Sauyn, god and mylde,
Of his secunde wyf also
A feir douhtur he gat þo
And called hire rihte name
Sauyna, wommon of gode fame.
Sauyn þe ȝonge rad on a boke
On a tyme as he gon loke,
Þis vers, wiþouten mor:
Asperges me domine & mundabor.
What was þerof þe vndurstondyng,
Couþe he not wite for noþing.
In to his chaumbre he wente him þere,
Leide him in askes and in an here,
And seide he hedde leuer dye þen
But he mihte wite what þat was to men.
An angel seide to him þis red:
»Trouble not þi self riht to bi ded,
For riht here in þis place
Of God þou hast ifounden grace;
Whon þou art cristned, wite wel nou,
Þou schalt beo whittore þen is þe snouh,
And þen scha(l)t þou riht wel wite
What is to sei þat þou sauh write«.
Whon þe angel was gon him fro,
Idoles and maumetes he forsok þo
And worschiped hemnomore aftur þat tym.
Þerfore his fader was wroþ wiþ him
And seide: »beter is, wiþouten drede,
Þat þou al one beo dede
For þou vr godus nult not honoure,
Þen alle we dyen in on vre«.
Priueliche fleih he þan
To þe citéé of Tetrasinan.
Whon he com to þe watur of Secan,
Þer preyed he God, as a good man,
Þat cristendom he wolde him sende.
And so hit was, er he þeonne wende.
Þen seide vr lord: »þat þou hast souht,
Þou hast nou founden—leose hit nouht!«
He stiked þer his staf adoun
And seide þen his orisoun—
Toforen alle þat þer weren þat vre
Hit bar leues and eke floure.
So þat for þat miracle þo
A þousund an hundred and eiȝte þerto
Men bileeued in vr lord
And worschuped him wiþ herte and word.
Whon þe emperour Aurelean
Herde of such a maner man,
Þider he sente mony knihtes
Him to take and bringe forþ rihtes.
Whon þei comen to þe watur syde,
Þei founden him preyinge in þat tyde;
Þei weren aferd him to lette,
But, whon he ros, þei him grette
And seiden: »sire, wite þou parde,
Þe emperour desyreþ to seo þe.
Go we þerfore to Aurelian!«
And whon þat he was ibrouht þan,
For he nolde not do sacrifise
To heore maumetes on heore gyse,
Fot and hond he let him bynde
And al to-beten bifore and bihynde.
Sauiniam seide þenne anon riht:
»Puyt forþ mo tormens, ȝif þat þou miht!«
Þe emperour comaunded anon þat he
In þe middel of þat citéé
Schulde beo bounde to a piler,
Þat he mihte feor no ner,
And wode and oyle put to him þan
And fuir, to brenne Sauinian.
Whon þe emperour him sauh in his turment
Preye to God wiþ good entent,
And þat he was neuer þe wors
For þe fuir, at þat cours
For wonder in þat ilke stounde
He fel doun griuelyng to þe grounde,
And ros vp wod as eny hare
And seide þeose wordus þare:
»Þou wode best, wiþ þi doyng
Suffiseþ not þi deseyuyng
Of mennes soules, so mote þou þriue,
But wiþ wicchecraft vs deceyue«.
Sauiniam seide to him þo:
»Ȝit Þorwh me schullen soulus mo
And þou þi self beo tornd to God,
Þauh þou beo nou ful wilde of mod«.
Þe emperour comaundede in þat stounde:
Vppon þe morwe he schulde beo bounde
To a stok and þenne beo schote
Wiþ arwes from hed to fote.
Whon þei schoten, his bodi to peire,
Þe arwes hengen in þe eire
On his luft syde and his riht arm,
But he him self hedde non harm.
Þe emperour ful wroþ hym leete,
Anoþur day bad men him schete
And seide: »wher is þi God? þou
Let him saue þe from þeos arwes nou«.
On of þat same arwes wiþouten lyȝe
Hutte þe emperour in þe eȝe.
And for he hedde lost his eȝe-siht,
He comaundede him to prisun anon riht,
And he bad also wiþ sorwe
Þei schulde gurde of his hed amorwe.
Sauinian preied God in þat cas
Þat he moste come to þat plas
Þer he was cristned for Godus sake:
Anon his veteres al to-brake,
And among þe knihtes euerichon
To þat flod he wente anon.
Þe emperour herde of þis cast
And bad men schulde pursuwe him fast,
His hed þer of to smyte—
For þat was his most delyte.
Whon Sauinian sauh ful riht
Þat þer suwed him mony a kniht,
Vppon þe watur he wente anon,
As þeih he on eorþe hedde igon,
Til þat he com to þat same plas
Þer þat he icristened was.
þe knihtes waded in ful fast
And come to him atte last;
Þei weren aferd him forte smite,
He bad hem not spare for no despite,
»And whon þat ȝe haue so idon,
Takeþ my blod wiþ ou anon
And to þe emperour ful riht
Bereþ hit, þat he mowe haue his siht,
Þat he mowe knowe euer afturward
Godus vertue, þat is vr lord!«
Whon his hed was of ismite,
In his oune hondes he tok hite
And þorwh Godus grete graas
Bar hit nine and fourti paas.
Þe emperour afturward wiþ hiȝe
Wiþ þat blod enoynte(d) his eȝe:
And anon riht wiþouten more
He sauh as wel as dude bifore,
And þen he seide wiþ milde mood:
»Forsoþe, cristen mennes God is good!«
A wommon þat blynd hedde iben iwis
Fourti winter, herd of þis
And let men to þat place hire bere,
And þer heo made hire preyere:
And þorwh þe grace of God almiht
And of his seynt heo hedde hire siht.
Þis seint was sent þus to glorie
Þe niþe kalende of Februarie(!).
But his owne susteer
Diȝed anoþur tyme of þe ȝer.
Of hire now schal i tel,
And ȝe wollen lusten me wel.

SAuina was heþene ȝit
And in idoles hedde gret dilyt,
And preyȝede for hir broþur to hem fast,
Heo wepte also. but atte last,
In hire slep as heo was leyd,
An aungel com and to hire seid:
»Sauina, wep þou no more!
Saue þi self, beo not forlore,
And forsak al þyn hauyng:
And þou schalt fynde þi broþur, dwellyng
In þe moste worschupe iwis
Þat may beo, in joye and blis«.
Whon heo awok of hire slepyng,
Heo asked hire felawe: »sauȝ þou eny þing?«
»Ȝe, heo seide, my deore ladi,
I saih a mon speke wiþ þe, verreyli,
But what he seide, wot i nouht,
Þerfore þeron haue I no þouht«.
Sauyna seide: »loke þou hit not oute«.
»Nay, dame, quaþ heo, wiþoute doute,
Whateuer þou wolt, do þi wille,
So þou þi self nouþur sle ne spille«.
Vppon þe morwe whon hit was day,
Boþe two þei wenten heore way.
Hire fadur hir souhte in eueri plas—
No mon couþe wite wher þat heo was.
His hondus þen heold he vp to heuene
And seide þeos wordus wiþ mylde steuene:
»Ȝif þou beo God of heuene, as men letes,
Lord of al: brek my maumetes
Þat miht not saue my children twein—
Hem to truste is not but veyn«.
Vr lord sende a þondur anon
And brac his idoles euerichon.
Alle þulke þat seȝen and þere stood
Euer aftur leeued in God.
Sauina com þenne to Rome,
Eusebie þe pope ȝaf hire cristendome;
Twey blynde heo heled þoruȝ Godus sonde
And tweyne þat weren croked, fot and honde.
Vppon a niht in hire slepyng
An angel com to hire, seyȝing:
»Sauina, hou hast þow
Forsaken þi richesse, now
Þou art ifed her wiþ delice?—
Beo þou not þerof to nice.
Aris vp þerfore out of þis plas
And go to þe citéé of Thretas—
Loke þou beo not longe beohynde—
Þer þi broþur þou schalt fynde«.
Heo seyde to hire maiden þo:
»Hennes forsoþe we moste go«.
»A, ladi! heo seide, whodur wol ȝe?
Alle men here louen wel þe,
And þou wolt go on pilgrimage,
To dye, or þou come to ful age?«
Heo onswerd: »God al vr weye,
What þat vs nedeþ, wol purueye«.
Heo tok wiþ hire barli-bred þen,
Til þat heo com to þe cite of Rauen,
To a riche monnes hous in þat stede,
Whos douhtur was neih dede—
For hire hir frendes maden serwe.
Þer heo asked hire herborwe
Of a seruaunt of þat hous,
Þat hire onswerde sone þus:
»Hou mihte ȝe beo herborwed her,
Seþþhe my maistresse makeþ such cher
And al oþur beoþ wiþ del bistedde,
For hir douhtur is neih ded a bedde?
Sauina onswerde wiþouten more:
»Heo ne schal not dyȝe þerfore«.
In to þat hous þen heo wonde
And tok þe child vp bi þe honde
And made hire hol of hire seknesse—
þerof made joye boþe more and lesse.
Þe goode mon of þe hous and his wyf
Wolden han wiþholden hire as heore lyf,
But þerto wolde heo nouȝt assent,
But went hire wei wiþ good entent.
Whon heo com to a plas
Þat nas bote a myle from Tretas,
Heo seide to hire maiden þere:
A luytel þat heo wolde reste here.
Out of þat citéé a noble man
Com to hem tweyne þan,
Lycen icalled was he,
And he hem asked: »whennes beo ȝ?«
Sauina seide: »sire, parde,
I am riht of þis cuntre«.
Lycen seide: »whi gabbest þou?
Þi tonge scheweþ þe for a pilgrim nou«.
Sauina seide þenne to him:
»Forsoþe, sire, I am a pilgrim,
And seche my broþur Sauinian
Þat was ilost long tyme agan«.
Lycen seide þan: »in certayn,
He þat þou sechest was islayn.
Hit neodeþ not to þe forte scof:
For Cristes loue his hed is of,
His bodi, as i þe sey, iwis,
In Godus place iburied is«.
Prostrat heo fel þen to grounde
And preyed to God þus in þat stounde:
»Lord, on God in Trinite,
Suffre þou nou me no more
Beo fortrauayled wiþ weyes sore,
Ne my bodi awei to pas,
Ȝif þi wille beo, out of þis plas!
To þe also, lord, i comende
Mi damysele for to defende,
Þat wiþ me þus hiderto
Haþ isoffred pyne and wo.
And my broþur, þat wiþouten lye
I wende to haue seyȝen here wiþ eȝe,
In þi kyngdom mak me him seo,
Lord, þauh i vnworþi beo!«
Þis orisoun whon heo hedde ised,
Anon riht þo heo was ded.
Whon hir seruaunt þerof was war,
Heo wepte and hedde muche car,
For heo nedde nouȝt, sikerly,
To burie wiþ þenne þe bodi.
Þe forseid mon þenne parde
Sende a criour þorwh þe cite,
Þat alle men schulde come to him,
To burie a wommon, a pilgrim.
And so þei duden soþliche
And burieden þe bodi worschipefuliche.—
Þe dai, þat þe feste is of seint Sauin & Sauina,
Is þe festeday of seint Sabina,
Þat was a wyf of gret miht
To Valentinian þe kniht,
Þat, for heo nolde not do sacrifise
On þe heþen mennes wyse,
Was imartred and don to ded,
For þei smiten of hire hed.