The South English Legendary

Seint Agase þat maide in Sicile was ibore
Wel ȝong Cristene he[o] bicom & forsok sunne & hore
Of fair porture þis maide was & stable in Godes lore
Þe duk of þe lond it vnderȝet hit riu him wel sore
He nemiȝte for ruþe hure do in pine for ȝonghede
And for he[o] was ȝong he hopede out of bileue hure lede
[An] old quene þer was þer biside strong hore and baudestrote
Niȝe doȝtren he[o] hadde strange horen þe duk gan hure mede bihote
Þat he[o] ssolde þis maide wite & mislere hure & rede
And fondi hure forto bringe in fol þoȝt & fol dede

Þe maide was to þe hore ibroȝt þat het Affrodose
He[o] and hure doȝtren alle made hure þe glose
And bihete hure queinte þinges of seluer & of golde
Richesse and oþer ioie inou wiþ þat he[o] þe þoȝt changi wolde
Hou miȝte hi sede such creature þus gent & þus fre[o]
Hende & milde and swete inou wiþoute iolifte be[o]
Þis ȝonge blod it nolde þolie ssel þi ioie þe be[o] binome
Nis so hei prince in þe lond þat þe nolde bicome

Þis maide þei it were ȝong bigan answerie anon

Site stille he[o] sede þou deueles bouk ne tit þe here no won
Þe hexte prince þat is in loue ich habbe itake
In my ȝonge blod and euere mo holde ich him wole to mak[e]
Swete and milde & hende he is he haþ al my þoȝt
So faste ich am to him ibonde þat þou ne bringest me þerof noȝt

Þis luþer womman & alle hure were niȝt and day
Aboute to brynge luþer þoȝt in þis ȝonge may
Þritti dawes he[o] was wiþ hom þat hi fondede euere
To bringe hure in þe deueles lore ac hom ne spedde neuere
Þis wicche wende to þe duk þat het Quyncian
I nemay he[o] sede changi noȝt þe þoȝt of þis womman
Liȝtloker me may þane harde ston make nesse as wolle
Þanne me þat maide þoru eni gin of hure þoȝt bringe ssolle
Nou ssame habbe such conseiler wanne ich ssel segge soþ
For muche is þe wowe an eorþe þat luþer quene doþ

Þe duk let uecche þat maide anon & esste wat he[o] were
Godes ssilchene he[o] sede ich am nolde God þat inere
He esste of wat kunne he[o] were he[o] sede of gent & fre[o]
Hou miȝte he sede [þu] gentil womman & eke ssulchene be[o]

Ȝuse sede þis maide þo it is more franchise
To be[o] Godes ssulchene oþer þral þanne king oþer Iustice
Honure oure godes sede þe duk ne spek of him namore
Oþer þou sselt such pine auonge þat riwe ssel þe sore

I ne ssel so sone quaþ þe maide in no pine be[o] ibroȝt
Þat it nel swagi ȝif ich habbe in God of heuene mi þoȝt
Ȝif þou bringst me in eni vure and ich me biþenche
In þe pine þat he þolede for me anon it wole quenche

Þe duk let nime þat maide anon and into þe gaihol lede
Þe maide was þo also glad as me hure to feste bede
In strang prison he[o] was ido þer on longe he[o] lay
Þe duk het hure afterward biuore him bringe a day
Agace he sede biþench þe bet bilef þi fole þoȝt
Biluf in oure godes þat mowe helpe ar þou worse be[o] broȝt

Þe maide sede þou spillest breþ þou specst embe noȝt
Ac ich rede þe honuri him þat deore þe haþ iboȝt
And bilef þi ualse godes þat poer nabbeþ non
Þat beoþ igraued of a stok oþer of an harde ston

Neltou noȝt quaþ þe duk þi folie ȝute bileue
Strong pine and torment in þi limes me ssel þe do ar eue
Hokes and wiþþin he let nime & to hure breste binde
And let þerwiþ is tormentors hure bresten of wynde
Vnwreste bouk þat maide sede to þe duk Quyncian
Nastou noȝt ssunnes gret to defouli a womman
Þe lime þat þou soke on þi moder þat haþ þe uorþ ibroȝt
Do nou þin owe confusiun i ne drede me riȝt noȝt
Gret pine þolede þat clene þing ar hi were of idrawe
So muche [was] hure herte on God þat it negreuede noȝt an hawe
Þo hi were idrawe of in prison he[o] was ido
Þe duk let wite þe prison uaste þat noman ne com hure to
Hure wonde to hele oþer hure pine to lisse
Ac oure swete Louerd ne forȝet hure noȝt þo ne deorst he[o] misse

As he[o] in prisone was alone an old man þer com gon
Grete boxes of oynemens he broȝte monyon
And seide þat he hure hele wolde þou ne sselt þat maide sede
Inelle þat noman bote God me wissi and rede

Ich am sede þis olde man inis name hider iwend
For his apostel ich am to þe he me haþ isend

Þine wonden forto hele þat þu hast for him stronge
In þe ioie of heuene þou sselt þi mede auonge
Þe wonden he gan to smurie hi werþ hol in a stonde
Þe maide nuste war he bicom þo he hadde iheld hure wonde

Þe duk let þat maide biuore him bringe þe ueorþe day
Haste he sede ichanged þi þoȝt þat maide sede nay
Þi word he[o] sede ne deþ non oþer þat þou spexst þus to me
Bote horegeþ foule þe eir as it deþ þer inne fleo
Wod is þat stok oþer ston wole to helpe calle
And noȝt God þat haþ iheled mine sore wonden alle

Derste ȝute quaþ þe duk of þine false gode telle
Beo þou so wod to nemny him more in strong deþ ichelle þe quelle

Þou wrecche bouk þat maide sede inelle blynne noȝt
Þe wile ich libbe him to nemne mid worde & mid þoȝt

Þe duk het hure forberne anon a gret fur let make
As hi hure wolde þer inne bringe þe eorþe bigan to quake
As wide as þe cite was and feolde þe dom halle
Tweie men þat iuggede hure to deþe offalle were mid þe [w]alle
Þat folk of þe cite was adrad to þe duk hi sede
Þis maide is god & we [beoþ] for hure in gret peril & drede
Gret torment þou hure hast ido þou ne sselt do namore
Þo þe duk ihurde þis adrad he was wel sore

Þat maide he let to prison lede him sulf scapede awey
Bi a posterne stilleliche þat noman him ne sey
Þo þe maide into prison com adoun heo sat akneo
Louerd he[o] sede fram mani a pine þou hast isaued me
Fram fure and fram wonden strange þou me hast ibroȝt
Þou me hast iweost fram childhod þat i ne misbiluuede noȝt

Let me Louerd to reste wende for her me þencheþ longe
Time it is to endy mi lif mi soule þou auonge
Mid þis word biuore þat folk he[o] bigan to deiȝe
Þer was mani a soriman & mani a weping eiȝe
Þat folk þat hure louede wel siwede hure uaste
Þat body hi nome wiþ gret honur & burede it attelaste

As hi burede þis holy body a ueorde þer com go
Of þe fairoste children þat miȝte be[o] þre[o] hondred & mo
Ȝonge þinges of on age in wite cloþes of palle
A table of marbre inis hond þat on bar touore ham alle
Hi ioyned it to þe holy tombe þo hi come þerto
Wel sweteliche hy wende aȝen þo hi hadde ido

Angles it were þat aliȝte for seint Agace to gronde
Clerkes bihelde þe table ȝeorne þer inne write i fonde
Þis maide hadde holi þoȝt God he[o] dude honur
Deserued he[o] haþ to al þe contreie deliuerance of langur

To soþe hy miȝte þis laste word attelaste vnderstonde
For þulke tyme a twelfmonþe of an hul of þe londe
Strang fur þer gan eorne out as water doþ of welle
Barnde al þat þere aboute was quik þing it gan quelle
Hit barnde roche & harde ston riȝt as it col were
Spradde wide into al þat lond þat folk was in gret fere
Hy ne dorste bileue at no toun ac orne as folk [wode]
Atte tombe of seint Agace þere hi ueorst atstode
As it fel in hure holy day as sone as hi were þere
Þat fur queinte into al þat lond riȝt as it neuere nere
Ac arst [it] hadde six dawes ibarnd & six niȝt also
And orn as þei it water were & barnde al þat it com to
Þo ssewede oure Louerd þat it was soþ þat þe maide seint Agas
Deseruede liuerance to al þe contrey for þer isene it was
As wisliche bidde we hure as he[o] þe contreie ȝaf bote
Þat we to þe ioie of heuene to hure come mote

University of Virginia Library

De sancta Agatha