The South English Legendary

Seint Vincent in Spaine was & [to] a Cristen bissop he com
Þat me clupede Valleri & nom of him Cristendom
Wiþ þe bissop he byleuede þo in seruise as it were
And was his dekne wel priue Cristen men to lere
Þis holy bissop Valleri wel feble was of speche
And noþing apert is tonge nas þat folk forto teche
Þeruore he tok sein Vincent clanliche his poer
For he was renable inou to prechi uer & ner
So þat þe Iustice of þe lond Dacian was is name
Let nime þis bissop uaste & defouli wiþ gret ssame
And aposede him of Cristendom & þretnede wel uaste
Bote he forsok Iesu Crist & to him is herte caste

Þis bissop for is feble tonge spak wel feble speche
Sein Vincent was wroþ inou & sede ich mot þe teche
Wy spekestou so sympelliche as þou adrad were
Spec baldeliche as it bicomþ war of hastou fere
Nim herte to þe and confort þat oþere þat Cristen be[o]þ
Þat hy today hardy be[o] as hy þe yse[o]þ

Hou geþ þis quaþ þe Iustice were þis þeof wene fiȝte
And wiþsegge us al abrod me ssel him oþer diȝte
Leteþ þane bissop awey gon for is milde speche
Vincent ȝe nime & binde anon me ssel him oþer teche
Wiþ scourges and wiþ staues uaste ȝe him bete
Þat euerich lyme him be[o] nome er þan ȝe him lete

Vincent sede þou paiest me wel þis ne likeþ me noȝt ille
I ne sey neuere [man] þat so wel acorded to my wille
Nou ich hopie to habbe game er me þoȝte lange
For it wol me to ioie turne and þe to pine strange
Þe tormentors nome þis holyman & to a piler him bonde
Wiþ scourges hi leide him on & made hym harde wonde
Wanne he ȝeue him a deop wonde liȝe he gan wel smere
Þe tormenturs sede & clupede help þo hy weri were
And sede we be[o]þ ouer come oure armes akeþ sore
Helpeþ and beteþ þane þeof for we ne mowe more

Þe Iustice was so wroþ wiþ him he let hom anon take
And let tormenti somme so sore þat ech lym hom gon ake
And somme he let to deþe bringe & somme in oþer torment
And euere he let uerss & nywe tormenti sein Vincent

Wanne hy were ibete þis holyman gan speke
Louerd ihered be[o] þi name nouþe ich am wel awreke
Þe more þat hi beteþ me þe bet me is ywis
Hom it turneþ to pine and wo & me to ioie & blis

Þe Iustice sede nemay ich noȝt mid noþing þerto bringe
Þat þou nelt nemne þi ualse god for al oure betinge

Þou luþer gost quaþ sein Vincent byþench þe ȝute more
Inabbe noȝt torment inou þer after me longeþ sore
Þo he was yscourged so þat me miȝte ise[o] ech bon
And euerich ioint and synueu þe Iustice gan ner gon
Vincent he sede of þi sulue haue reuþe and mercy
Ne let namore þin hendi bodi wiþ tormens defouly
Biluf on oure godes & turn anon þi þoȝt & þi mod
Ichelle þe ȝiue into al þe lond gret poer & god
Be stille sede sein Vincent al atter is þi lore
Be stille anon þou deueles tonge þou makest me dredde sore

Hit me greueþ þat þou feinest þe more þanne al þe pine
And al þe tormens þat þou me dest þou & alle þine
Ne bilef noȝt ȝut ne be[o] þou noȝt so sone bineþe ibroȝt
Þou most ȝute more ioie bringe & gladnesse in my þoȝt

Ȝute þou sselt quaþ þe Iustice more torment afonge
He lette him lede wiþ oute þe toun & in a gibet [honge]

Vincent uor folie bigan to eorne þo he hurde þis dom
Þar nas non þat him miȝte of take ar he to þe gibet com
Þo þat he anhonge was gret ioie he made & blys
Euere he prechede as he heng Godes word iwis
Þe lengore þat he þare heng þe more ioie he made
We ne ssolleþ neuere queþe þis tormenturs ouercome þis tade
Hy nome hym adoun & ladde him uorþ biuore þe Iustice
And sede þat hi nemiȝte him bringe to deþe in none wise
Alas sede þe Iustice is oure miȝte us bynome
War of serueþ oure godes þat ssolde him ouercome
Ledeþ him wiþoute þe toun a gret fur ȝe make
Þat þe þeof be[o] amidde ibroȝt ibonde to a stake
For brenne he ssel euerich lyme ne be[o] he noȝt so ware
Wanne he is to douste ibrend we be[o]þ ibroȝt of care

Þe tormenturs nome seint Vincent to do þe Iustice heste
Þe godeman wende into þe vur as gladlich as to feste
Þo hy wende þat Vincent ybarnd to douste were
Hy ourne to telle þe Iustice gladdore neuere hy nere
Hy ne miȝte so sone come hom þat seint Vincent nas er
Atom biuore þe Iustice mony sori man was þer
Þe tormentors tolde þe Iustice hou he ibarnd was
Alas quaþ þe Iustice neuer er yssend ich nas
Schel þ[e] þef us ouercome Mahon nou þin ore

Þei he torment habbe iheued ȝute ich can þenche more

He let nyme plates of ire somdel þunne & brode
And legge hom abrode in þe place ney wat a cartes lode
Gret fur he let þer uppe make & þo hi glowinge were
Þat wode vur hy nome awey and sein Vincent þuder bere
Hi leide him on þis furi plates & somme þerof hy toke
And leide anouwarde is holy body wiþ an irene croke
Al he was þer on ihud ȝute nadde he none fere
Þat grece of him orn abrod as þei it friinge were
Þe swuþþore þe grece boillede þe gladdore he him made
And lou smere wanne þe plates inis fleiss gonne wade
Atte biginnynge he was glad and gladdore atte ende
Alas sede þe king þo þis þeof us wole schende

Þis torment ne helpeþ us noȝt anoþer we mote þenche
He let make a gret fur þat noþing ne miȝte quenche
Sein Vincent hi leide amidde & suþþe salt hy nome
& mid lomen in is [wounden] caste & in þe vur ilome
Þat þe salt is wonden ssolde vrete wiþ þe vure
Þe sprangling of þe blodi salt wide me miȝte ihure
Ȝe sede þis holyman þis is a murie feste
Monie ioie ich abbe iheued and þis is mid þe meste
Wanne is blod sprengde in þe rof þanne lou he smere
Þis king and al is men mid him in gret angwise were
And sede we be[o]þ nei ouercome Mahon war is þi miȝte
Schel þis þeof wiþ is wicchinge aȝen þi poer þus fiȝte

Ȝute ich þenche sede þe king of one pine stronge
Þat be[o] þis þeof þeron ido he ne worþ noȝt aliue longe
He sette þe derkoste put þat in þe gaihol was
As fol of swerdes pointes as mede is of gras
Þer uppe þis holyman hy caste & faste ine bonde
Þat þe swerdes ssolde anon ȝiue him deþes wonde
Vaste hy loke alle þe doren & let him þere be[o]
Vpe þis swerdes in derkhede þat he nessolde noȝt ise[o]

Þer com an angel wiþ a taper bernynge inis honde
And bar him al up of þe swerdes þoru oure Louerdes sonde
Þe angel was þer wiþ him as longe as he þer was
Wiþ bernynge taper & ioie ynou neuere more nas
Þo it was longe þerafterward þis men come biside
And wende þat he were ded a stonde hy gonne abide
Þo hurde hy þis holyman loude & murie singe
& herede God of heuene hi orne & tolde þe kinge
Þo was þe king ney wat iswowe he sede sikinge sore
Alas oure miȝte us is bynome ne can ich þenche more
Oure godes ne helpeþ us noȝt þat alle habbeþ to wolde
Inelle neuer eft aȝen him be[o] criant ich me holde

Wanne no pine ne mai him quelle oþer þing ichelle fonde
Goþ and makeþ a nesse bed þe nesso[s]t of my londe
Of quilten and of materas of cheisil and of palle
And suþþe leggeþ him þeron swuþe nesse mid alle

Þo þe bed was imad to þe gaihol hy wende
Of þe liȝt of heuene hy fonde it fol as oure Louerd it sende
Wel softe hy nome þis holyman & faste custe is wonde
And to relikes gaderede þe blod þat hy þere fonde
Hy leide hym in þis nesse bed & þo he was ido þer on
His preiere he dude to oure Louerd Crist & gan deiȝe anon

Þo þe king þis isey þat he deide in is bedde
Tormentis he sede we habbeþ ido ac vuel us þerof spedde
Ded we wolleþ him ouercome wanne we nemiȝte alyue
Into þe wilde ueld þat body bereþ blyue
Wilde bestes and foules to drawe it wolleþ sone
Þis men broȝte þat body þer & dude þe kynges bone

Þo com þer vle[o] a reuene and adoun þerby aliȝte
Kene and steorne and dredfol al prest forto fiȝte
Wanne þer com þuderward eny foul þat þis body sey

Þis reuen smot to gronde anon nemoste þer come non nei
Ac euere he drof hom awey þuderward wanne i come
Ne miȝte þer non so kene come þat a mossel þerof nome

A wolf þer com ek þuderward his mete forto fette
Þo he wolde of þe bodi nyme þe reuen aȝen hym sette
And fley and smot mid bile & fot þat þe wolf attenende
Blody was & ouercome and aȝenward gan wende
Þis reuen weste þat body longe noþing iwemmed it nas
Þo þe king vnderȝet of þat holy cas
Þat bodi he let vecche hom & sede wat is oure red
Ne ssolde we him neuere ouercome noþer quik ne ded
Ȝif we ne mowe quik ne ded ouercome hym alonde
For no queintise þat we doþ awater we scholleþ fonde

He let it lede uer in þe se and þerto bond a ston
And caste it of þe ssip hit gan to synke anon
Þo þe mariners iseie þis glad hi were & blyþe
Forto telle þe king uore hy hiȝede wel swuþe
Nemiȝte hy so sone to londe come þat hi nefonde alonde
Þis holy body wel uaire ligge uppe þe se sonde
Sore ofgremed and ofssamed hamward hy gonne wende
Þe king hi tolde al þat cas fram biginnynge to þan ende

Alas alas quaþ þe king alas þe ssame and þe ssonde
We ne mouwe him ouercome quik ne ded awater ne alonde
Do we him al of oure þoȝt we ne mouweþ us neuere awreke
Ich doute þat it mi bane worþe hure ich more of hym speke

Sein Vincent com a niȝt in slep to a god womman þer biside
And sede war is body lay and bad hure noȝt longe abide
Ac þat he[o] hym ssolde burie sone for hym longede after reste

Þis womman wel þis vnderstod þo he[o] awok mid þe beste
He[o] wende and soȝte þis holy body he[o] fond it swuþe sone
He[o] let it burie wiþ gret honur as riȝt was to done
Þus seint Vincent þis holyman in Spaine endede is lyf
And wende to þe ioie of heuene after þis pine & strif
I ne hurde neuer martir non þat hadde more torment
Ne þat wiþ somme ouercome nas bote sein Vincent
Nou Iesus for þe loue of him lete us such lyf lede
Þat we mote to heuene come & forȝiue us oure misdede

University of Virginia Library

[De Sancto Vincencio]