University of Virginia Library

Sere mene of sere intencione
to sancte blase has devocione:
sume fore Il of awne ore bane,
þat in þe hals mony men has tane,
& put has [bene] in-to parele als
fore thing þat hapnyt in þe hals;
& sum men honouris hyme fore-thi,
þat þare gudis suld multyply;
& sume men gud opunyone
has, þat til honoure hym are bone,
suppos þai wat nocht certanly
quhat man he was. þare-fore I,
þare gud opunyone to eke,
set me rycht besyly to seke
quhat man he was & of quhat land,
til at þe laste þat I fand
of hyme in-[to] þe “goldine legende”
bath þe begynnyng & þe ende,
as I sal here vndo ȝou to
but ony ekine set þare-to,
as in sentence mare ore les.
fore þis blase sa debonare was
& haly, þat þe cristyne mene
[þat] In sebast ware dwelland þane,
of capadose, his land in til,
mad hyme byschape aganis his wil.
þe sammyne tyme dyoclyciane
fore godis sak slew mony ane,
sparand nothyre mane na wyfe
þat he wyst led cristine lyf;
to cristine treutht sik fa was he.
&, as I sad, of þat cunctre
suppos sancte blase byschape was,
fore dout of dede ȝet nocht-þe-les
til wyldernes he went alane,
fore dout of dyoclyciane,
& þare in-to [a] wasty stede
heremytis lyf wel lang he lede,
quhare vthyre lyfynge had he nocht
bot as þe foulis til hym brocht.
þare-of wele he was content
& t[h]ankit god þat he hyme lent.
a kryk in-[to] a crage he hade,
& þare his dwelling has he mad,
quhare wyld bestis oure all
Ilke day [come], gret & small,
þat in þe forest rest can ta,
hart & hynd, da & ra,
to conford hyme, þat anerly
dwelt in þat hole; bot nocht-fore-þi
þai wald nocht lef his mansione,
til he gaf þame his ben[y]sone.
& gyf It hapnyt ony of þa
ony seknes fore to ta,
til hyme fore helpe It vald sek,
as to þe leyche dois þe sek,
& stil with hyme þare abad,
til It gat þat It socht had.

of þat cunctre þe president
til huntyne has his knychtis sent.
& quhene þai al a day had socht
In þe wod, þa fand rycht nocht,
to of chans þai come nere by
þe place quhare sancte blase can ly,
& þare gret multytud fand
of wyld bestis one þam gowand.
of þe quhilkis fore þa mycht nane
sla, abaysit þa past hame,
& tauld þe lord quhow þa fand
a man in-[to] a kryk sittand,
& hyme before sa gret plente
of wyld bestis farly wes to se,
& sad [þat] þai mycht nane of þai
fore þat man nothyre tak na sla.
þane send he ma knychtis þam with
to hwnt in-[to] þat sammyn fyrth,
& bad, gyf þai þat man cuth fynd,
ore vthyre folk, þai suld þam bynd,
& bryng to hyme but delay.
& went þai furth one þare way.
bot or þai come, þat ilke nycht
Cryst aperyt to blasis sycht,
& sad: “ryse & mak me oferand!”
& be þat blase can vndirstand
[þat he sowne was to tak
þis warldis dede fore cristis sak.
sowne come þane [þa] knychtis in hy,
& bad blase þat he spedly
suld pas, & hyme-self present
to þare lorde, þe presydent.
þane answeryt he with glad chere,
& sad: “welcum, myne falowis dere!
be prewe of ȝou rycht wele I se,
þat crist has [had] gud thocht one me.”
þane he rase & ȝud his way
with þame, & þame prechyt ay
crystis fa be myraclis wrocht.
þane fore his halynes hyme socht
a womane, & fand hyme in þat sted,
& brocht hyre sone in poynt of ded;
fore of a fesch oure his hals was gane
al onpersawit a gret bane.
rycht pituysly þane cane scho gret,
& [set] hyre sone be-fore his fet,
& prayt hyme fore cristis sak,
þat he hyre sone hale wald mak.
Sancte blase one hyme þe hand cane lay,
& to god þis cane he pray,
þat he suld hale be of þat Il,
& al vthyre þat prayt hyme til,
& of ony vthyre seknes als
þat grewit þame in þare hals.
þane rase þe chyld & a-va cane ga
as he had wittine of na way.
& als sancte blase passit furth his way,
a powre womane cane hyme say:
“godis seruand, I pray þe
þat sume helpe þu wil gyf me
þat, bot a gryse, had gud nane,
& þat a wolfe has fra me tane;
þe quhilk fore god I pray þe sane,
þat hyme þu gere it bryng agane.”
þane sad he: “wyf, be nocht grewit,
fore god sal mak þe be rele[v]yt.”
with þat þe wolf þe gry[s] [has] brocht
vnhurt & vnskathit owcht.
þane entryt in-[to] þe citte
þe knychtis þat hyme led, & he,
& sone of hyme has mad present,
or þai fane, to þe presydent,
þat commawndyt þame but bad
þat to presone he suld be had.
sancte blase before hyme, he cane say:
“welcume, gud blase, welcume ay,
& al-wais mot þu lef in blyse,
fore frendis til oure godis þu Is!”
þane blase sad hyme: “[In] Ioy þu be,
þu nobile prince of þis cunctre!
say nocht of godis, bot of god,
fore þat word afferis ay be ode,
na nane sic suld mene godis mak,
þat suthfastly are fendis blak
and sal be brynt in lestand fyre,
& þare serwandis in-to þare hyre.”
þe presydent þane was [ful] wrath,
& bad his knychtis tak hyme rath,
& fyrst with stawis sare hyme dyng,
& syne in presone als hyme thryng.
þane sad hym blase with stur chere:
“certis, þu art a foule, but were,
þat thru þi paynis trewis now
fra god verray to gere me bow,
þat confortis me & strinthis sa.”
þe knychtis þane hyme dang but hone,
& bundyne has in presone done.
þe powre wyf þane, quhene scho hard
quhou fellely þai vith blase ferd,
þe gryse þat þe wolf rewit hir had,
scho tuk & slew but abad,
& hyme til þare-of scho be-socht,
& bred & candil has als brocht,
& to þe presone, quhare sancte blase
was, þis brocht scho has.
& he þar-of gret thank cane ma
to god, & to þe wyf alsa,
& þare-of ȝet as his will;
& syne þe womane sad he til:
“euire-ilke ȝere a candil ta,
& þare-of offerand to me ma
In-to þe kyrk þat sowne sal be
Halowit in the name of me;
& þu gud prosperite sal haf
þare-eftyre, & al þe layf,
þat me honouris vith wax ore offerand,
quhene-euire þai be & of quhat land.”
& to þis wyf fel as he cane say.

eftyre þat þe presydent
sancte blase til hyme gert [present],
& hyme cane flesche, & mak tysyng,
fore to fore-sak crist his kynge,
& til enclyne fals godis till;
bot he mycht neuir wyne his will.
& quhene he schaw he wald nocht
lof his godis, na of þame rocht,
he gert his knychtis but pyte
hang hyme wele he one a tre,
& gert þame keme his tendir flesch
with Irne camys, til al was
rewyne of til þe banis bare;
syne tuk hyme done, þat was sa sare,
& gert hyme in presone bynd.
sewine wemane come þane hyme be-hynd,
folowand þe way þat he ȝud,
gaderand þe dropis of his blud,
& as gret relyk þat blud mad—
sic hope in god & hyme þai had.
þe presydent, quhene [he] herd þis,
owt of his wit nere gane is,
& bad þame þai wemane tak,
& strenȝe þame sacrifice to mak.
& þai til hyme answerit sone:
“gyf þu wil re[uerens] be done
to þi godis in opine sycht
be ws, þat sal ws þare-to dycht,
gere bryng þame to þe locht, quhare we
ma wesch ws & clene be,
to mak clenly oure sacrifice
to godis, þat [þu] sagat pryse.”
þe presydent was þane rycht blyth,
fore he wend þai wald do alswith
as þai sad. fore-þi ilkane
he gert his godis owt be tane,
& haf þame to þe vatyre-syd,
þat was ferly depe & wyde.
þe sewine wemane þane, ore þai stynt,
Ilkane a god in hand has hynt
& keste þame in þe watir depe,
& sad: “it nedis nocht to seke
þame, gyf þai godis be,
fore þare mycht here sal we se.”
& quhene þe presydent þis harde,
as wode of wit hale he ferde,
& strak hyme-self in-[to] þe face,
sayand to þame þat by hyme was:
“quhy thole ȝe þame oure godis tak,
& þis to kast þame in þe lak?”
his ministeris answert hyme,
þat þai with falset & with gyne
had hyme disawit, & þame als;
fore nane wald treu þai had bene fals.
þe wemene answert þat quhill,
þat “suthfast god tholis na gyle;
bot, had ȝoure godis suthfast bene,
þai had persawit wele & sene
þat we wrocht fore to do þame il.”
þe presydent with fellone will
gert melt leyd in fusione,
& gert clammys lad by done,
& sewine hawbrekis red brynnand, [OMITTED]
one vthyre half sewine sarkis schene
he gert lay a-pone þe grene,
& sad: “wemane, awysis ȝow
quhilk of þyre twa ȝe wil tak nov:
othyre þir serkis tak ȝe lo,
& honoure to oure godis do,
ore ellis þe hawbrekis & þe lede
& Irne clammys to þe ded!”
& of þa wemane sewine, ane
þe sewine sarkis vpe has tane
& slang þame in þe fyre in hy.
þane had scho childir twa hyre by,
þat sad til hyre: “modir dere,
lew us nocht be-hynd þe here,
bot fil ws now with swetnes
of hevynnis blyse þat sal nocht cese!”]
þire wemene þane þe presydent,
fore he ne mycht change þare entent,
nakit one treis gert hangit be,
& þare flesche rywine, þat he mycht se,
with Irne kamys to þe bane.
bot of þare flesch blud rane nane,
bot fore þe blud þe mylk owt rane.
to þame sa noyt ane angel þane,
to confort þame, come of hewyne,
& sad to þame with swet stewine:
“haf ȝe na dred, myn cisteris dere,
bot beis confort & makis gud chere!
fore wark-man, þat cane wele be-gyne,
& mak gud end, ore he blyne,
fore his wark sal haf warysone
& of his master benysone.”
þane ordenyt þe presydent
to put þai sewine to gret torment,
& in þe mikil fyre þai made,
he gert þam castine be but bade.
bot þat fyre be godis grace
sa sodandly þane slokit was,
þat payne of It nane felit þai.
þane cane þe presydent þam say:
“dois a-way ȝoure sorcery,
& til oure godis al-mychty
mak sacrifice, as ȝe suld do!”
þane with a woyce þai sad hym to:
“þat þu begonnyne has, fulfill!
fore god has callit ws hym til,
til bruk with hyme þe blyse be-one.”
þe tyrande sentence gaf þan sone
to stryk þare nekis þare in twa.
bot quhene þai þat payne suld ta,
one þare kneis þai set done,
& þis mad þare oracione:
“lord god, þat of þi gret mycht
fra merknes ws has brocht to lycht,
& sacrifice of ws wil make,
In pece oure saulis nov þu tak,
& send ws to þat lifand lyf,
þat we haf ȝarnyt in þis stryf!”
basaris þane þare hedis of strak,
& þare saulis god cane tak.

quhene þis was done, þe presydent
gert sancte blase [be] til hym present,
& sad til hyme: “quhat is þi thocht?
wil þu oure godis honoure ore nocht?”
quod he: “tyrand, wit þu wele
þat I þi manauce dred na dele;
fore-þi do one quhat-[sa] þu wil,
my body here I gef þe til.”
þe tyrand þane gert bynd hym fast,
& in a depe locht hyme cast.
bot god hyme losyt, & he in hy
ȝed one þe watyre as on land dry,
fra he þe cowrs on it had mad,
& þare dwelt, & lange abad,
& one þat folk lowd criyte he:
“gyf ȝoure godis werray be,
In þare name cumis to me now;
In þame þane I sal als trew.”
þane of þat folk of il lyf
ȝede in þe locht sexty & fyfe,
gyfand þare godis treutht to
þat þai, as he dide, suld do;
bot sodanly þai drownyt al,
& ferlyand mony how þat suld fal.
þane ane angel lichtit done
fra hewine, & sad in swet sone:
“dere blase, cum þine of þat layk,
& crone of martirdome to þe tak
In hewine, þat is derly mad!”
þane blase to þe land but bad
Come, & sone þe presydent
gert hyme before hyme be present,
& sad til hyme: “has þu ȝet thocht
oure godis til honoure ore nocht?”
sancte blase sad til hyme þane:
“waful wreche, þe byrde wele kene
þat fals godis I honoure nane
þat are mad of stok ore stane.”
þane bad þe tyrand, men suld ta
sancte blase & strik his hed hym fra.
& he to god mad thankyng
þare-of, & þis mad praynge:
“lord Ihesu, fore þi gret powste
my bowne, I pray, þu grant to me
þat, quha-sa-euire in þare throt
seknes has, awne ore mot,
ore ony kyne perplexite,
ore ony vthyre Infyrmyte,
or ȝet at me succure wil seke
þare bodely gudis fore til eke,
& menskis me with þare offerand,
with candel or mes, ore prayand—
lord Ihesu, fore þi mykil blyse,
at myn request grant þam þis,
þat gud & goldinck þai ma haf
with hele, gyf þai þare-eftir crafe.”
a woice of hewine þan, erand al,
on sancte blase swetly can cal,
sayand: “to god þu art sa dere,
þat he has tyd þe þi prayere,
& ȝet wele mare sal gyf al þai
þat of þe mencione wil ma.”
þe basare þan, ore he stynt,
a scherand swerd has he hynt.
þe hed he strak fra þe hals
of blase, & of þe chyldir als,
þat I haf tald be-fore of here,
one þe thryd day of februare
thre hu[n]dyre ȝere auchty & aucht
fra Ihesu criste oure flesch had laucht. [OMITTED]
als wysly helpe me hyn to twyn
but schame, det, ore dedly syne.