University of Virginia Library

Ande sene sum thinge is sad here
of paule, þat was peteris fere,
of hym mare ȝet will I tell,
before his deid as hym befell.
sone eftir his conuersione
and þe gret persecucione,
as accordis hillarius,
In schorth spech sayand þus:
“In philippis, with wandis sar,
he wes firste doungyne, & syn þare
presonyt and put in stokis,
and eftere þat vndir gret lokkis
stanyt, and in exoma
tholit panis syndry alsa;
In thesalunuca als he
tholit rycht gret perplexite;
In epheso als wes he gewine
till wilde bestis, till hym haf rewine;
and in damase at-oure þe wall
In a creile he wes latin fall;
and in Ierusalem he wes bofte,
spyit, waitit, and bundyn ofte;
and eftere in sesaria
bundyne, and tholit panis ma;
and sailand in Italy
In parelis wes he stad sindry;
and eftir, quhen he come to rome,
wndir fell nero tholit dowme,
and ded wes,” sais yllarius,
þat his story writtis till ws;
sayand of hym, þat firste quhen he
beguth appostill fore to be,
he heilyt hym þat crepil wes,
and restorit Patroclase;
a serpent als, callit wipera,
þat of venim fillit is sa
þat quham it bittis, it mon be ded,
þar agane is no remed;
and þat serpent bate his hand
of vituryne in-to þe land,
and he in þe fyre but schathe
fra hym [it] keste, or ony wath.
opunionis als syndry are
of petir and paule, quha wes mar;
bot paule wes les in his degre,
and in sum oþir mar wes he,
and als in-to sum othir thinge
he wes to petir as ewelinge;
for paule wes lese of dingnite,
bot in-to prechinge mare wes he;
and, gyfe we say suthtfastnes,
In lyk þai ware in halynes.
aymo recordis In his saw,
þat paule ay, fra þe cok craw
to þe fyfte our of þe day,
quhare-euir he wes, þis oysit ay,
with his handis to be wirkand,
and to þe nycht syne ay prechand,
And all þe lawe spendyt but were
In fude, In slepe, and in prayer.
Ierome ws sais in his lessone,
þat paule, fra cristis passione
ewene þe fyfe and twenty ȝere,
and of nero þe toþir, bwte were,
festus hym send bundyn to rome,
and nero hym gert þar be done
In fre presone, quhare twa ȝer ay
he liffit, In prechinge ilkaday
a-gane þe Iowis; and syne nero
In þe weste partis has lattyn hym go,
and prechit þare in landis sere,
till of nero þe thratten ȝere.
þat tyme of his religione,
and of his wisdome, ran sic renown,
sa þat all wonderit war but were
his ferly warkis þat mycht here.
als sic grace þat tym he had,
þat feile to hym war frendis mad,
þat war to nero Rycht prewe,
þat he gert trew and baptiste be;
and ȝete, quhen to nero cesar
of his pystilis sum rede war,
he wald commende þam, þocht þat he
vas fillit of all cruelte.