CHAPTER CXI.
How þe deuill dissauit a paip,
That did till him þe gretare iaip.
Fra þe Natiuite past oure
A thousand ȝere and þar to foure,
Fra þat deid wes þis Benet,
Nixt him foure papis had þare det
Payit of kynd, and tane þe deid.
To þaim succedit in þar steid
The secund Siluester, and ȝeris foure
Wes paip of Rome, and mare attoure,
A Franche man be nacioun,
A monk als be professioun,
Off þe abbay of Florens,
In the diosy of Aurelyanenss.
Bot prevely he stall away
Be nycht out of his abbay,
And worthit ane appostata.
And till at he wes liffand sa,
He covate attour mesoure
Hie estatis and honour;
And þare upone in prevete
With þe feynd he maid trete,
And till him als he maid homage.
And þare he hecht him avantage,
And þat he suld releiffit be,
Or he deit, to þe papis se,
And in þe meyntyme with all
Till vthire statis þat mycht fall.
The bischoprik of Renss rycht sone
Fell vacand, and þar to he wes done.
And syne þe archbischop of Rawen
Waikit efter; þat gat he þen.
Efter þat vaikit þe papis se;
Chosin to þat wes he.
Fra stait to stait thus raiss he fast,
Till he wes paip maid at þe last.
His promovare him oft assayit
How of his part he held him payit;
“All weill,” qoud he rycht blithly,
And thankit him of his curtasy.
Quhen he wes in his stait hieast,
In till his thocht ay wald he cast
How his lattyre end suld fall
Efter his estatis all.
Than at þe feynd apon a day,
As þai were samyn in þare play,
He askit him how lang þat he
In þat estait suld liffand be.
The deuill ansuerd till him agane
That he in alkin eise, but pane,
Suld lif and in prosperite,
Ierusalem till he suld se,
And in it als suld sing his mess.
Off þat word wonder blith he wes,
For he thocht neuer out of Rome
To Ierusalem to cum.
Sa it fell efter on a day,
As he oft in till oiss had ay
With his clergy throu þe tovne
To gang in till processioun,
And sa in till a kirk he come,
That þai Ierusalem callit in Rome.
And quhen þis pape revestit wes
And redy for to syng his mess,
He herd about him a gret dyn,
As mony deuillis were þarin.
Than sperit he quhat þai vsit to call
That kirk, and thai him ansuerd all,
Ierusalem in Streit Laterane.
Than [sychis] maid he mony ane,
And maid opin predicacioun
Off all his obligacioun
To þe feynd, and said “Allace!
That euer borne of moder I was!”
Bot ȝit he trowit nocht for thy
That God suld of him haif mercy.
Than gert he þare his toung out tak,
That with the feynd sic wordis spak;
Syne gert smyte of his handis twa,
That with þe feynd þe band couth ma;
And efter þat syne baith his feit,
That for to mak þat cunnand ȝeid.
Thus of his membris he maid deviss,
That seruit the feynd in þat seruice;
Bot his saull for till endure
He commendit till his Creature.
Sa mony trowit þan þat he
With haly men suld savit be,
For his verray repentans
That he had of his fell chance.
This Siluester in his ȝouthheid
Be bapteme Garbart to name had;
Off him were writtin thire verss,
As he wes greyit for till reherss:
Transit ab R. Garbartus in R. fit papa [vigens] R.
Qui fuit promotus [ab] episcopatu Revensi ad archi-episcopatu[m]
Raviense[m] et vltimo ad papatum.
He had twa lordis at his lare,
That his ȝoung scolaris sumtyme were,
Schire Oto þe first emperour,
And Robert, þat king wes of honour
Off France; and the pape liffand thus,
Than maid wes Sancti Spiritus
Assit nobis gracia,
The sequens, with other ma
Versis, þat vsit is to say
Ilk ȝer of Witsonday,
Befor þe Ewangeill in þe queire
At þe hie mess ilk ȝere.
The Denmarkis þan with stalwart hand
Distroyit the south of all Ingland;
All Cantyrbery and Lyncolne schyre
Thai waistit wiþ wappinis and wiþ fyre.
Off men and barnis, and wiþ women,
Thai summond þaim be ten and ten;
The tend part þai kepit qwik,
The laif ay þai wald sla and stik,
Sparand na condicioun
Off seculare, na of religioun.
Viii. thousand summond þan were kend
Off bodyis savit fra þe teynd,
And bot foure monkis anerely;
The laif were slane doune but mercy.
Off Ingland þat tyme þe barnage
Payit to þe Denmark gret trewage,
Ilk ȝere xl. thousand pund
Off vsuall money, gud and round.
And for Sanct Alphege wald nocht pay
Thre thousand pundis of þat monay,
For he wes Archbischop of Canterbery,
And till hald it fre stude stithly,
Thir tyrandis tuke þis haly man,
That of þat kirk wes archbischop þan,
And held him lang quhile in hard pyne;
A lurdane slew him of þaim syne,
That he had hovin in Cristin fay,
And nocht befor þat bot a day.
