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the sammyne tyme in þe cite
war sewine men, in þare degre
In þe cuntre with þe best
haldine & [þe] vorthyeste,
riche, ȝunge, and wele tawcht,
& cristis treutht al had þai acht:
fyrst malcus, & maxymyane,
Iohnne, denyse, martymyane,
sarapione, & constantyne;
þer drew ful ewine in a lyne.
þire sewine þane soroful ware,
seand þe paynis & þe care
þay tholyt, þat wald deny
til ydolis to sacryfy.
& for þai walde nocht criste forsake,
& sacrifice til ydolys mak,
& for þai dred fore ded be kyd,
In til a house þai þame hyd,
quhare þai liffyt in fastinge
deuotly, & in prayinge.
sa priwely was þis nocht done
na þai ware wreyt alsone
til decius, & til hyme brocht.
& til peruert þame sone his thocht
wes, & in mony wyse
to gere þame mak foule sacrifice.
& quhene þai wald bow na way
til hyme, fore ocht he do may,
he thocht þat he wald spare
to þame a lytil forthyrmare,
In hope þat he suld bow þare wil,
& gere þame trew his godis til;
& for þat he was fare to fare
of þe cyte vthyre-quhare,
he gaf þame respyt, til þat he
come agane til þe cite.
& als sone as he was gane,
þe sewine al þare gudis has tane
& sald, & gafe largely
til al þat pouere ware & nedly.
syne of consent & of a wil
þai passyt nere by til a hil
of celyone, & rest has tane
In a hol cowe vndir a stane,
to byd þare priwely,
til þe wodnes ware gane by,
þat decius in cristine mene
ful fellely ȝet oysyt þene.
& as þai thocht, sa þai dyd,
& þare lang tyme ware hyd.
& of þare folowis ilke day,
to by þare met, ane send þay,
In begaris wed, þat he mycht sa
vnkennyt wel cume & ga.
quhene decius a-gane was cummyne,
þe sewine fane he wald haf nomyne,
to strenȝe þame to sacryfy,
& fore þat cause gert þame espy.
þane malchus, ane of þaim, was þare,
to by þare met, in þe sychtware,
& þat aspyit, & was agaste,
& til his folowys sped hyme fast,
& tald þame fra tope to ta
quhow decius þame socht to sla.
sary ware þai þane ilkane.
bot malchus furth þe met has tane,
& layd to þame, & þai cane ete,
to ma þame stark, confort to get
to þat end, & in entent
þat starklyare to thole þe torment.
& eftyre met spek held þai
of cryst, & til hyme cane pray,
& fel one slepe sudanedly.
& one þe morne wele ayrly
sir decius þame fast has socht,
& teyne was, [quhen] he fand þam nocht.
& sowne [þan] was tald hyme til
þat þai ware sculkand in þe hil
of chelyone, & quhou þat þai
to pouer had gefine þare gud a-way,
& cristine treutht wald nocht forsak.
þane al þare kine he gert tak,
& sad þai suld de but mare
bot þai tald hyme quhare þai ware.
þane set þai al þare payne
to sawfe þame-selfe, to be nocht slane.
þai sad: “of þame we wat nocht,
na of þare ded na of þare thocht,
bot at we here syndry say
þat þai haf put þare gud a-way,
& gewine It to pouer, & gane,
quhare-to, wyt haf we nane.”
Ȝet cesare sa warly wrocht,
& þai sewine sa slely socht,
& has gotine witting quhare þai ware.
þane thocht he þai suld nomare
cristis treutht mantene na wyse,
na let mene to mak sacrifice.
þane til his mene cane he byd,
þat þai suld ga quhare þai þaim hyd,
& þe cawe mowth stope, sa þat þai
suld neuire fra þine come away,
bot for hungyre de wrechly.
& his byding þai did in hy,
& of þe cawe þe mouth of stane
stopyt wele, or þai fane.
& þis has sene theodorus,
þat cristine ware, & raphynus,
quhou playnely þat he had wrocht
with þai sewine men þat he had socht,
& wrat þar gestis in-to led,
& priwely þane in þat sted
layd It ymang þe stanis gret,
In hope þat cristine suld It get.

and fra deid was decius,
þe fellone tyrand þat wrocht þus,
& his Il generacione,
& als al þat successione,
& runnyne was of tyme but were,
th[r]e hundir sewinty & sewine ȝere,
& þe threty-tyd ȝere ewinely
of theod[o]sis seygnery,
þat was mast cristine emperoure,
þat was ȝet one to þat oure,
ful fele mene held þat herysy,
rysing of flesch þat can deny.
bot þai þat ware gud cristine men,
ful gret disputacione hald þan
to confond þis gret errore.
& namely þis gud emperoure
sa sorowful was fore þis strife,
þat he in sorow led his lyf,
sytand in askis & gled in hare,
putand a-way purpure & chare,
with wak fud, gretand ay
with mekil wa to god cane pray,
þat noyus stryfe til debat,
& to schaw hyme þe suthfast get.
þane god, þat is al merciful,
& confortis þame al soroful,
& helpis þame fra wa to wine,
þat þare ferme hope wil set hym In,
to þis emperoure cane se,
thru his inborne gret pyte,
& eftyr ded of flesch-rysing
scheu hyme suthfast taknying
In-to þire sewine, I spak of are,
as I sal tel ȝou forthyrmare.

god steryt þe hart of a burches,
In ephysy þat dwelland was,
a house to byg in-[to] þat hil,
þat gaynand ware his hyrdis til.
& as he thocht, sa has he done.
& quereouris gadryt sone
stanis to wyne. & tid þat þai
begane til hew quhare þire men lay,
& of þe cawe þe entre fand,
& syne al opine let It stand.
þire sewine men, þat I of mene,
þat in þe cawe sa lang had bene,
ras vpe, as It was godis wil,
Ilkane vthyre spekand til;
& quhene þai saw þe dais lycht,
wend þai had slepyt bot a nycht,
& fel þane In þe new carpyng
of þe gret noy and pyne,
þat, as þai wend, fore-owt more
þai tholit one þe day before;
& at malchus of new can frane,
gyf cesare thocht þame to payne.
sad he: “ȝystrewine wele lat,
gyf ȝe think one, I tald how-gat
he thocht to put ws to torment
bot gyf we wil to hyme consent.”