The South English Legendary

Seint Anneis þe holy maide wel ȝong by gan
To serui God almiȝti to be[o] Cristen womman
He[o] nas bote þrittene ȝer old þo he[o] was to deþe ibroȝt
For þe loue of Iesu Crist þat de[o]re us haþ iboȝt
In Rome þer he[o] wonede so vair womman nas non
As þis maide forþward was of fel & of bon

As þis ȝonge þing com a day goynde fram scole
Þe constables sone hure isey & huld hure for fole
He louede hure in folie & was in gret mornynge
And carede hou he miȝte best þis to ende bringe
For stille mornynge þat he made he werþ swuþe lene
Þerof wondrede muche is frendes & muche him gonne bimene
Hi esste a day in priuete wat were him so to uare
He tolde ham fram ende to oþer war of was is care
& hou he wolde hym sulf asle bote he miȝte hure loue wynne
Þo his fader nemiȝte turne is þoȝt he þoȝte of oþer gynne

He ladde him to þis holy maide & nom hure bi þe honde
Maide he sede lo her my sone þat riche worþ of londe
And fair grace þe is icom his herte he haþ þe ytake
Riche womman þou worst inou he wilneþ þe to make

Heiost þou worst of al þi cun of lond & oþer þinges
Gold and seluer þe tit inou broches & eke ringes

Go fram me þis maide sede þou luþer deþes fode
Wostou fouly mi clene lif þou ne bringst me in such drede
Ich habbe me a spouse ynome þou nost nawer such non
Briȝtore þan eny liȝt þat euere an eorþe schon
For ech þing mai wondri of is cunde is moder is clene maide
His fader of womman neuere nuste as þe prophete us saide
Of noȝt he made al þe world and ȝaf us oure fode
Wel de[o]re wiþ is swete blod he boȝte vs vpe þe rode
On me he haþ a marke ido þat i ne ssel non oþer take
Wel deorworþe þing he me bihat nel ich him forsake

Þe constable þat het Simphroni hou geþ þis he sede
Ware þou liuie on þe ualse god turn þi þoȝt ich rede
And tak þis child to þi spouse & þench in þin owe god
Oþer me ssel þe tormenti þat þou sselt be[o] ney wod

Be[o] stille sede þis maide þo be[o] stille þou deuelles lime
Þou ne sselt to day mid no þreting mi gode þoȝt binime
Redi ich am for is loue þat me haþ de[o]re aboȝt
Tormentis auonge & þane deþ I ne drede þerof noȝt
Me let somny al þan toun þe maide ham stod byuore
Þe constable hure let strupe so naked so he[o] was ibore
Þat echman ssolde hure de[o]rne lymes ise[o] hure to ssende
Vnwreste man þis maide sede ssame þe tit atte ende

Ertou noȝt assamed in þi þoȝt bi eny womman þus do
Wanne þou of womman ert icome & [e]ch þat her stonde also
Þis maide [w]as noȝt for hure ȝonghede ac ar hure smok were of inome
On hure heued was so miche her sodeinliche bicome
Þat helede al hure swete body & tilde bineþe hure kne[o]

Þat me nemiȝte for þat her of þe body noȝt yse[o]
An hous þat seruede of bordel þer was þer biside
Þer inne þe constable hure let do & let crie wide
Þat alle þat folie do wolde þuder ssolde wende
And finde þer a fol womman of body fair and hende

Þo þe maide was þer inne ido so uol was þe stude of liȝte
Þat noman for briȝthede þe maide ise[o] nemiȝte
Þe maide sat adoun akne[o] and dude hure preiere
Louerd he[o] sede wel ȝong icham among my fomen here
Euerich fondeþ me do ssame þat aboute me doþ wende
Ne ȝiue neuer Louerd no luþerman power me to ssende
Euere he[o] sat in hure beden and on oure Louerd gan crie
Nemiȝte noman for liȝte hure se[o] þat com in for folye
Ac euere wanne hy come in to don hore fole þoȝt
On God hy hurde hure crie uaste & ne seie hure noȝt

Þo bigan ech after oþer as euerich in com
For miracle þat hy seie turnde to Cristendom
And bigonne uorþ wiþ hure on oure Louerd uaste crie
Þo was it [an] hous of orisons þat was er of folie
As þis maide in hure beden sat an angel þer com gon
A rochet inis hond he broȝte wittor[e] nemiȝte be[o] non
Þis maide dude on þis rochet for naked he[o] was er
Naþeles hure [bodi] ne sei me noȝt for liȝte ne for her
Þo he[o] hadde þis rochet on namore ihud he[o] nas
Vairor þing nas neuere iseie þanne þis ȝonge þing þo was

Þe constables sone come to don as hi hadde er ised
Ac ar hy miȝte handly hure hy folle adoun standed
His felawes þat wiþ him come wiþoute were wel stille
And hopede for he was so longe þat he hadde ido is wille
Naþeles þo he to longe was on gan wiþinne gon
And fond þis child ligge ded so cold so eny ston
He lep out into þe stret loude he gan to grede
Comeþ men and sleþ þis wicche for hure luþer dede

Þe constables sone he[o] haþ aslawe as ȝe mowe her ise[o]
Comeþ and nymeþ hure anon þat he[o] awey ne vle[o]
Þat folk com reke aboute þat hous & fonde þat it was ded
Alle þe baillifs þuder come to nyme þer of red
Somme sede þat he[o] was a wicche & somme þat he[o] was wod
Ac alle for þe childes deþe wroþe were in hore mod
And stod & iuggede among hom to bringe hure to deþe sone
Þe maide sat adoun akne[o] & dude to God hur bone

Louerd he[o] sede if it [is] þi wille þi miȝte and þi grace
Þou cuþ and send þis child lyf here in þisse place
Þat þis luþer folk þat her is þy miȝte mowe yse[o]
Ne lete Louerd noman þe deþ auonge for encheson of me

Adoun þer com an angel maide Anneis he sede
Oure Louerd haþ ihurd þi bone þat þou him bede
He blessede þat child & it aros fram deþe to lyue
And þonkede God & orn hym out at þe dore wel bliue
And com out amang al þat folk loude he gan to crie
O God is in heuene ibore of þe mayde Marie
Þat is Fader & Sone & Holy Gost louerd of alle þinge
Þat wille hadde þoru is swete miȝte fram deþ today me bringe
Byleueþ ȝoure false godes for hy nabbeþ poer non
Enes to meuy of þe stude namore þanne a ston
Þe childes fader and many oþere swuþe glade bycome
Þo hy seie þis miracle and Cristendom nome

Wod wroþe were þis luþer men hi gonne bitwene hom telle
In wuch martirdom hy miȝte þis holy maide quelle
Hy lete make a gret fur þer amidde þe place
Forto brenne þis holy maide ac þare cudde Godes grace

For þo þe maide was þuder ibroȝt in þe fure me hure þreu
Þat fur to clef amidde ato & þe luþer men wel ikneu
Forþ it smot in eyþer side and barnde hom al clene
Nas þis maide iwemmed noȝt for it ne touchede noȝt ene

As he[o] sat adoun akne[o] in eiþer side was þe leiȝe
Louerd he[o] sede ȝif þou wolt þat ich her ssel deiȝe
Al ȝare ich am þat fur to auonge þat is in eiþer side
Weþer ich ssel her imartired be[o] oþer lengor[e] abide

Þo he[o] hadde þis word ised þat fur quente anon
Namore hete nas in þe place þanne in þe colde ston
Ȝute hi þat bileuede aliue on God biluuede noȝt
And byspeke hou hi miȝte on take þat he[o] were to deþe ibroȝt
Hi lete nyme a kene swerd & þoru hure þrote smite
Þe rede blod orn adoun ope hure limes so wite
Þat fairor þing nemiȝte be[o] þanne was þat swete blod
Vpe hure limes þat were so wite þo it þer uppe stod
Þis mayde seint Anneys þus broȝte hure lif to fine
And wende to þe ioie of heuene after þe muchel pine

Agneta secundo

After þat þis luþer folk þis holy maide slou
Hure kynesmen þat louede hure wel sori were inou
Þer was wop and deol inou and eche niȝt hy laie
And wope þer he[o] was ibured for hi ne dorste noȝt bidaie
Seueniȝt afterward þat þe luþer folk hure slou
As hy leiȝe at hure buriels in deol & sorwe inou
And wope for þis holy maide þo seie hi at midniȝt
Touward hom come wel softe as it were a gret liȝt

Þo com þer a companie þe fairoste þat miȝte be[o]
Of maidens al of briȝte golde þat ioie it was to se[o]
Amid þis faire companie seint Anneis hy seie

So muche ioie as hure was wiþ hi ne seie neuere wiþ eiȝe
A lomb wittore þanne eny þing ȝeode by hure riȝt side
Þo seint Anneis isey hure kun hure felawes he[o] bad abide
He[o] stod up and spak wiþ hom wiþ gret ioie inou
Wy weope ȝe he[o] sede for mi deþ iseþ nou ȝoure wou
Noþing ded ne holdeþ me ac in alle ioye ȝe be[o]
For ich am aliue in ioie inou as ȝe mowe her ise[o]
Wiþ þis faire companie virgines faire and hende
In þe ioie of heuene ich am & worþ wiþoute ende

Seint Anneis wiþ hure companie aȝen to heuene drou
Hure kun was after þulke tyme for hure in ioie inou
Þis miracle was wide couþ so þat hit sone sprong
To Constantine þe emperor and to al is court along
So þat Constance his doȝter in wan was al is þoȝt
In siknesse strang inou and ssendfol was ibroȝt

In þe gret uuel he[o] was so strang þat hure nas a stude bileued
Þat nas fol of quiture & of ssab fram hure uet to hure heued
Þe deol þat for hure ymaked was no tonge nemay telle
For more angwise nemiȝte be[o] bote it were pine of helle
Þo þis miracle was icud as oure Louerd þe grace sende
Þere seint Anneis was ibured þis sike mayde wende

On seint Anneis he[o] cride þat he[o] hure erende bere
Þat oure Louerd hure hele sende heþene þei he[o] were
A[s] he[o] cride þus on seint Anneis a softe slep hure nom
Þo þoȝte hure þat þis holy maide seint Anneis to hure com
Constance he sede change þi þoȝt & biluf in Iesu Crist
And þou worst hol ar þou arise in þe stude þer þou list

Þis maide awok & byhuld hure lymes aboute echon
He[o] uelde hure faire & clene inou of fleiss and of bon
Of þe strange sores þat on hure were þer nas isene noȝt on

Ne in þe stude war hi hadde ibe[o] namore þanne in a ston
He[o] aros up clene inou and þonkede God anon
And to grete ioie of al hure frend hamward he[o] com gon
And byluuede on Iesu Crist and ibaptized was
Monimon nom Cristendom for þis holy cas
Þis was lo a uair miracle of seint Anneis iwis
Nou God vs bringe to þulke ioye þat þis maide inne is

University of Virginia Library

De sancta Agneta

Agneta secundo