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thane decius cane til hyme say:
”laurens, þu gattis na-wise delay,
bot tel now quhare þe hurdis are,
þat þu has heicht [vs] to declare!”
sanct laurence þane but abad
al þe poure men þat hyd he had,
before in ypolitis In,
In-to þat place he gart cum til hyme,
& sad with hey voice and clere:
“lo sir, to þe I half brocht here
lestand tresoure þat ma nocht falȝe.”
bot þat spek cuth nocht awalȝe,
for walaryane hyme bad in hy
to [his] fals godis sacryfy,
& his wechcraf[t] haly fore-ȝet,
quhare-in his treutht he halely set.
þane laurens cane nyt opinly
til fals godis to sacryfy.
decius, nere woud, bad þat he
dispolȝeit of his clathis suld be,
& syne one his body bare
with scharpe schurgis dungyn sare;
& syne bad lyft hyme vpe, þat he
of al paynis þe kynd mycht se;
with chenȝeis he gert bynd hym sone.
& as he bad, quhene al was done,
In þe tempil of Iouis sittand,
he gert bryng hym, bundyne fut & hand,
& with stafis gert hyme be beft,
til na-thinge hale one hyme was left;
& Irne platis of fyre brynnand
til his sydis syne þai band;
& eftyre syne with lompis of lede
he gert men dyng hyme nere to ded;
& þar-eftyre gert hyme straucht
In til framis with al þare macht,
& syne with schorgis dungyne be,
þat gret sorow was to se. [OMITTED]
“nou ma þu, catefe, wel se
þat I þe victor haf of the
na of þe tresoure þat þu socht,
na of þi paynis gyf I nocht.”
þane decius til his men can say:
“hat Irne til his sydis lay,
& als with stawis bet hyme wele,
þat tormentis now ma he fele!”
þane sayd sancte laurens dewotly:
“lord Ihesu criste, haf of me mercy!
fore, accusyt, I nyt þe nocht
bot granttyt þe in word & thocht.”
In þat oure a worthy knycht
to laurens sad, þat romane hycht:
“a fare ȝung man be-fore þe stand
I se, with a schet in hand,
clengeand þi hortis þat are sare.
þare-fore I pray fore godis ayre
þat me þu nocht leif, bot baptyse me,
fore throw þe I treu saf to be.”
with þat he brocht a vatir-cane,
& laurens hyme baptist þane.
& fra decius þat wyst,
he gert hed hyme for-out fryst.
þat ypolyt cane gret richt sare,
& before al had granttyt þare,
þat he had bene a cristine mane,
na ware laurens þat richt þane
bad he suld crist in hyme hyd,
til he hyme bad, quhat-euir betyd.