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of maxymyne þan with þe wil,
& hir cystyre consentand til,
at terrascone dwelte martha ay,
til of hyre lyf þe last day,
In prayer & in gret fastinge,
& mad sone a gret gaderynge
of madynis & of cysteris sere,
& syne þare gert scho werk but ver
a kyrke, wele mad & traystly,
In þe honoure of oure lady,
quhare scho strate lyfe ay can led,
sa þat hyre-selfe scho vald nocht fed
with flesche, fysche, butyr, na chese,
þocht scho suld þe lyf leyse.
& hyre bot anis wald scho fed
euir-ilke day vith mekil ned.
a hundrecht tymys ilke day
one hyr kneis scho vald pray,
& alsa ofte one þe nycht,
prayand god with al hyr mycht.
It hapnyt hyre at awynenovn
be-twene þe watyre & þe tovne
for to preche þe puple to,
befor as scho was wont to do;
It hapnyt þat be-ȝond þe vatere
a ȝunge mane wald hafe ben at hir,
sum gud of hyre moutht to here;
bot for na vyscele wes þane nere,
he enterit in riuere faste,
& swemand ay, til and mycht leste;
bot he falȝeyt, “& drownyt þar
be strynth of flud, þat hym don bar.
& scantly þe todir day
fand þai quhare þe body lay,
to ryvine al castine one a schald.
þane tuk men to consale, þai vald
þe body bere to sancte martha
til awynone, & sone dyd sa,
& [it] befor hyr fet þai lad,
& vith a voyce syne þai sad
of his drownynge þe enchesone,
sayand, wald scho mak vrysone
for hym to god, gud hope had þai
þat þai suld hafe hyme quek avay.
for þat þane scho fel to þe grownd
vith armys spred, & sa [la] a stovnd,
& sad: “Ihesu criste, my lord dere,
as þu myn bruthire raysit, laȝer,
myn awne dere geste, sa, I pray þe,
rayse þis chyld, þat al ma se!
sa for þi merakile þai may
be ferme in þe treutht [alw]ay.”
þane scho tuk hym be þe hand;
& he rase, & one fet can stand,
& lowit god hale & fere.
þane scho a prest gert cum ner,
& baptyste hyme in þat stede;
& eftyre gud lyfe he lad.
sone schawyt god hyre but les,
eftyre a ȝere þat scho suld cese.
þane hyre þe fevris al þat ȝere
trawalyt gretumly but were.
þe auchtand day or scho cane de,
scho saw þe angel[is] þat bare vpe he
mary, hyr cystyre, sawle in hewyne
with Ioyful sange & swet stewyne.
eftyre [þis] grace was til hyre lent,
of cysterys & bruthyre convent
scho send, & sad to þame but wer:
“myn cysteris & myn chyldir dere,
haf Ioy of me, for I hafe sene
myn cystyre sawle, of syne ful clene,
hee brocht in hewyne with angel gle.
me byrd be blyth þat sycht to se.”
sone eftyre martha but were
persawyt hyre passage be sa nere,
& bad hyr madynis þai suld dycht
candelis yneucht, & þame lycht
a-bowt hyr, til þe tyme of ded,
& wak about hyre in þat sted.
& ore scho to þe ded was dycht,
befor þe mydys of þe nycht,
þai þat [þa] lichtis suld kepe,
for hewynes fele one a slepe.
þane ruschit a wynd in sodanly,
& slokyt þa lichtis halely;
& scho with þat sone has sene
a company of feyndis vnclene.
þane begouth scho to pray in hy,
& sad: “myn dere fadir, haly
& myn geste to me sa dere,
quhy are al þire feyndis gaderit here?
hely defere þe nocht fra me,
bot in myn helpe no[v] haste þu þe!”
þis sad, hyre cystyre has scho sene,
of fyre a brand hyr handis betwen
haffand, quhar-of þe sergis al
scho lychtyt, bathe gret & smal;
& athyre of þame callit vthir be nam.
vith þat come criste in-to þat hame,
& sad: “myn luffit hoste, cum to me,
for, quhare I ame, þu sal ay be.
me, þi geste, ofte cane þu plese;
for-þi in hewyne I sal þe ese;
& þame þat callis one þe here,
þare prayere sal I grant & here.”
þane furth scho gert hyre borne be,
one to þe hewyne þat scho mycht se,
& bad þame hyre in askis lay,
& schaw til hyre a croice verra;
& with syk wordis prayt scho:
“myn dere geste, resawe me þe to,
& þi powre madyne nov kepe me;
as þu in erde deyngnyt to be
herbryt with me, do sa þat I
be now resawyt in þi herbry!”
before hyre þane in þat stede
lukis evangel scho gert be rede; [OMITTED]
vith þat scho swelt, & gawe þe gest.
& al hyre covent, leste & maste,
apone þe morne, it wes sovnday,
hyre body in þe kyrk cane lay,
& hyre exequies dewotly
did, as afferyt, & solempnitly.
& thre oure of day þus vas.
& þane at petragorycas,
frontus, þat þare was byschape þane,
In þat sammyne tyme his mes begane.
& quhen þe fyrst collet wes done,
In his cathedyre he sat done sone,
& fel one slepe of godis wil;
& slepand, god sad hyme til:
“frontus, myn luffyt & dere,
gyf þu wil, as þu sad but vere,
do to myn hoste, folow nov!”
& he to bydynge sone cane bov;
& sudandly in þe towne
þay war bathe sat in terrascone,
& hale þe offyce can þai say
about hyre cors, þat þare þan lay.
& [quhen] þe mes ves al sad,
In-to þe grave þai twa hyre layd
with þare handis, criste & frontus.
& quhen þe thinge wes done þus,
be þame at petragorycas
to þe ewangel al sad vas.
þe puple mad lange dwellinge;
bot he þat þe godspel sulde synge,
but byschapis blyssinge vald nocht rede,
& hyme to wakine ȝet had dred.
bot nocht-þane for þe puple sak,
þat lange abad, he gert hym vak,
& askyt hyme his benysone,
of þe ewangel to red a lesone.
& þe byschape sad alsone:
“myn brethyre der, quhat haf ȝe done,
þat me has vaknyt one þis vyse?
for I with criste at þe seruice
vas, & þe entirment of martha,
& hyre exequies alsa.
bot myn gluwis & myn rynge
þare I lewyt, fore myn wakinge.
for-þi a messingere send sone,
& feche þame to me but hone,
þat I lefyt, quhene I mad me bowne
þat holy body to lay done,
& to þe sacristane to kepe
gafe, quhene ȝe raysit me fra slepe;
& sa forȝet haf I þame þare.”
& þai, þat for þame send vare,
suth þai fand þe byschape al tald,
for-þi langare duele þai na vald,
bot brocht þe ta glufe & þe rynge,
& levyt þe todyre in taknynge
of þat marvale, & alsa
how wele criste lufit martha.

at quhais towme eftyr hyr decese
sa mony merwalis done vas,
þat þe kynge of france, glowdowe,
hyre sepulture come for to se,
In hope of helpyne of þe stane,
þat in þe neris hym had tane.
þe quhilk eftyre schort abad,
quhen he his offerand had mad,
hele gat of his Infyrmyte.
for-quhy vele It dowit he
of al þe land thre myle about,
& mad it fre but ony doute
of al warldly exaccione,
þat he þane gaf, castel or tovne.
þane hir madyne marcilla
vrat al hyre lyfe; & cane ga
to þe towne of clavony,
quhare scho prechit yt[h]andly
godis vourde tene ȝer & mare,
&, quhene scho ded, vas grawene þare,
& restis nov with god in pece.
sa god vs grant at oure decese.

there cysteris drev wele in a lyne,
þat þis endyt in a tyme,
& her to god sa thankful ware,
þat þai with hyme to hevine can fare,
quhen þai vncled vare of þis flesche;
& ȝet in ȝerde ar nocht-þe-les
honouryt & lowit mony-faulde
for þare gud ded of ȝung & aulde;
for Ihesu criste is nocht Irke
for þame gret mervalis to virke,
& namely for magdelane mary.
& I a tale sal tele þare-by.

In flavndris borne ves a clerk,
a tyrand man in vord & vark,
& in baptysme was callit stevyne,
& to þe powre was euir vlewyne;
brokil a[l]s he was of flesche,
& althinge þat vnleyful vas
he oysyt ay, & had na thocht
of saule-heile, na of It wrocht.
ȝet þane gret affeccione
he had, & als deuocione
In þe magdelane, & ilke ȝere
to faste hyre ewine he vas nocht swere,
& ilke ȝere one hyre day
solempnyt seruice to ger say
& houris, in-to gud entent.
sa hapnyt a tyme he vent
hyr sepulture to vysit,
& þare prayand, had apetyt
to slepe, & þane done he lay,
& eftir þat hyme-self vald sa
þat nodir was he slepand rycht sundly
na ȝet vakkand al fullely.
þe magdelane to hyme can apere,
as voman fare vith visage clere,
ane angel brycht haffand but vene
one athire syd, hyr to sustene;
bot hyr ene var of vatere vete,
as scho noyusly had gret;
& sad hyme: “stewine, I pray þe, quhy
ar þi dedis sa vnworthy
þou ȝeldis me for myn meryt?
myn gud dede suld þe bettir quyte;
to compuncione þu suld steyre,
þe instance of myn prayer sere.
for, sene þu in deuocione
had me, I haf bene ay bowne
to pray for þe Ithandly.
for-þi ryse, na langar ly,
& sare for-think þi synnis al
& þe leyf I na sall,
til god þat þu reconsalyt be,
gyf þu doys þat I say þe.”
& he sone sa mekil grace
fand, þat in hyme ȝetine vas,
þat he renuncyt halely
to þis vykit varld & his foly,
& ful of gret compunccione
enteryt in-to relygione,
& his mysdyd amendit all
þat he dyd, bathte gret & smal.
& as he ded was, by his bere
þe magdelane stud vith angelis sere,
& his saule bare vpe in hewine,
as a quhyt dow in angelis stewyn.
& þat mony mene has sene
ful redly with fleschly ene.