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thane fra þat habitacione
of licie, syne to þe towne,
christofore passit but abade.
bot, fore he na knawlage had
of þare langage, he prayt lange,
þat he mycht it vndyrstand.
þane þe Iugis, þat hyme saw þare
prayand sa sa late & ayre,
fore a wodman demyt hym al
In þat towne, gret & smal,
& lewit hyme al, & passit þar way.
& It, quhare-fore þat he can pray
to god, he gat: vndirstandynge,
& of þare langage clere spekine.
þe cristine þan had pennance strange,
þai fel paianys, þat dwelt amange,
& othyre word þaim as vnwise,
to maumentis mak sacrifice,
& reny criste & his fay,
ore thole hard ded but delay;
& sum of þame þar wald forsak
cryst ore syk [a] deid to tak.
christofore, to confort þane þai,
couerit his face, & furth can ga,
be-cause þat he mycht cowertly
mare helpe þame þane opynly,
& passit to þame, þat ware sa sted,
& fore dowt of ded ware rad,
& prayt þame, þai suld nocht tyne
fore sa schort & lytil pyne
þe blyse of hewine, þat ay sa dere
had bocht, & als was sa nere.
of þat a Iuge persawinge had,
þat he sic sermonynge þan mad,
& strak hyme fellely in þat place.
christofore þane vnhelyt þe face,
& sad: “cristine gyf I ne ware,
þu suld by þat strak [ful] sare.”
& þare was in þat tyme
of hethine fele & cristine hyne.
christofore þane hym wmthocht,
& his staf, þat he þare brocht,
In-to þe erd he strak done,
& mad to god þis oracione:
“dere lord cryst, as þu safit me,
quhare in poynt tynt I was to be,
& eftyre al lordis fand þe maste,
eftyre myn trawel mad in waste,
to me synful þu schawit þe,
& syne þi meracle þu let me se,
in-to þis staf, þat now is dry,
bath floure & froyt ferlyfully;
sa, lord, gyf þi willis be,
do now, þat þire folk ma se,
& gere It grene be, & froyt bere,
to strinth þi treutht, as It ded ere;
sa þat þai, þat here ar stad
In dowt of ded, & are sa rad,
be nocht abaisit [for] to tak
hard torment[is] fore þi sak!”
quhen þat christofore þis prayere
had mad, as ȝe hard [haf] heyre,
his staf, þat was sture & stark,
was cled with lewis, & with bark,
& daitis fare, & flouris fele.
& of þat pepule þan vnlele,
[þat] had sene þat ferly sycht,
lewyt þe myrknes & com to lycht,
& conuertyt was þat day
aucht thousand men to cristis lay.
þe kinge, þat þis tale had herd,
wel nere of wit as wod he ferd.
fore-þi, christofore [for] to ta,
he [send] twa hundreth knychtis & ma.
þai fand hyme his prayere makand;
bot nan of þaim durst tak on hand
In ony wise to spek hyme to,
bot did furth as þai saw hym do,
& fenȝeit þame prayere to mak,
fore dred he suld of þame tak wrak.
& fore [þir] knychtis dwellinge mad,
als fele he send ȝet but [a]-bad,
christofore to brynge hyme sowne;
bot as þe fyrst did, þai haf don.