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thane ȝoȝimas at hyr can spere:
“ete þu na met, sene þou come here?
& quhat manere of clethinge
had þou for to cleth þe sene syne?”
þan answert scho, & sad: “but were
[It is], þat in þe fyrst aucht ȝere
þe twa lafis & half ete I;
& syne furth gres anerly,
sik as I fand, has bene myn fud
In þus waste quhare I ȝud.
bot vthyr clathis had I nane
þane I brocht oure flume Iordane;
bot in few ȝeris clene war þai.
for gret elde wastit a-way.
gret cald þare-for of ser snaw
I haf tholyt, ȝou byrd wel knaw,
sa þat I vmquhyle wald be
hard frosyne as ony tre;
vthyr tyme þe sone brynt me,
til I worth blak as ȝe ma se;
& quhyl for het, & syne for cauld
one þe ȝerd done fal I wald,
but spret or steringe hand þare,
a ded body as I þane ware.
þis haf I drywyn þe sewynten ȝere
In ned & mony fandinge sere.
& fra þat tyme one to þis day
þe grace of god me kepyt ay
in sawle, & hayle in body,
helpand myn borcht. þis lyf led I
with met þat ma nocht wastyt be,
In habundance & gret pleynte.
þis wes I cled, & fed alsa
thru godis word, þat al can ma;
for wrytine is ‘nocht al anerly
man liffis of bred, bot sykyrly
In al gud word þat procedis
of godis mowth,’ as men redis;
&: ‘þai þat þame dyspolȝeis of syne
& consciens clene has þame In,
suppos þat þai haf clething nane,
he cane ger þame be cled with stane.’”
& fra ȝoȝimas persawit It,
þat scho alleygit haly wryt, [OMITTED]
& psalmis, ore lettres wthyre.
þane smyland sad scho: “gud bruthyre,
na, for to þis day saw I nane,
sene I come oure þe flume Iordane,
of vylde, na tame, na kind beste,
sene at I come in þis foreste;
na letyre neuir saw perfay,
na psalme hard [one]-to þis day,
na ȝet herd man red haly wryt
be-fore. þou wele wat It,
þat godis word is ay mychty
to doctrine manis wit in hy.
þus is þe hend of al but were,
þat þu ȝarnis of me to spere.
be cristis byrth I Requere þe,
þu wald pray to god for me.”