University of Virginia Library

Sa it hapnyt at a tyme percace,
fra þe emperoure send was
his stewart, man of gret mycht
& fel, & olibryus he hycht,
cristine men to sek ay-quhare,
in quhat land sa þai ware,
to sla or torment but delay,
bot þai renyit cristine fay.
& betyd þat he come percase
nere by quhare þis madyn was
kepand hyre fostir modir schepe;
& til hir beute tuk sic kepe
þat he with-ine wes het in hy
with ful wil of lychery,
sa þat he reste be na way mocht,
til þat scho was befor hym brocht.
þane he beheld hyre ink[r]ely,
& of hyr beute had ferly;
& ay þe mare he has hyre sene
with outwart & with inwart ene,
þe hardar wes he wet within
with hyr fleschly for to syne.
þan ware handis wyolent
layd one þat cristis Innocent,
þat as a schepe ymang wlfis brath
beheld quha fyrst suld do hir scath,
lukand a-bout on ilke syd
quha fyrst suld rewis hir þat tyd,
& has na helpe, sted in sic pres,
bot god, in quham hyr hope al was.
for-þi deuotely can scho pray
til hyme, & þire wordis say:
“tyne nocht my sawle with fellon men,
bot erare sic grace þu me lene
þat I ourcume may my fellon fa!”
olibrius þane wes ful thra
to fand hyr & ger consent
til his lykine & his entent,
with wordis quhyle polyst & clere,
& quhile with athis gret & sere,
syne sayand: “I wil nocht scorne
þe, bot, be þu fre borne,
I wil þe wed & haf to wif,
til I ma lest in þis lyf;
& suppos þu bastard be,
ȝet sal I for þi beute
as concubyne þe hald & haf
in mast daynte, abeouf þe lawe.”
& for scho hym nan ansuere mad,
he speryt at hyre but abad
quhat wes hir nam, & of quhat kyn
scho wes of, scho suld tel hyme,
or quhat god did scho honour til,
& at scho wald fulfil his wil
consentand til flescly delyt.
þane ansuert scho but respyt:
“as to þe fyrst, I haf na scham
to tel þat margeret is myn nam.
& syne to ansuer of my kine,
I wes borne þis towne within,
In lauchful bed of folk mychtty,
in þis towne gottine was I.
as to þat þu askis now,
in-to quhat god at I trew,
I honoure Ihesu crist alway,
& euir sal do til I lyf may;
for vthir god is nane bot he,
þat mad of nocht erd & tre.
& quhare þu wald I gaf consent
to syne with þe, þane ware I schent.”
þan, quhen he herd of hyre belewe,
he treuyt wel for til eschewe,
& sad: “madyn, granttis þu,
þou trewis sa in Ihesu,
þat Iouys sleu for his trespas,
þat of na mycht na vertu was
to help hyme-self na ony ellis?”
“It is nocht suth,” scho sad, “þu tellis;
bot, for þai hyme on tre can hynge,
þai tynt þame-self & þare o[f]spryng,
of his wil set ded he tuk,
to wyne ws fra þe feyndis cluk.
for he wes ay but begynnyng,
& euir sal be but endynge,
& has þe gyfine lyf & aynde,
to strif with hyme þe þo þu faynde,
& þu cese sal, quhen he wil,
for ocht þat þu ma do þare til.
& he mad hewine of nocht,
& man to duel þare-in wrocht,
& mad hym maister syne & king
þat in þis warld is of althing.
& quhen þe feynd syne of inwy
had depriwit hyme wikitly
of sic Ioy & of sic welth,
þane oure manhed tuk hym-self,
& deit for vs a-pon þe tre,
in til oure flesch þat tan had he,
& one þe thryd day rase fra ded
thru þe strinth of his godede,
& ransonyt ws with his blud
fra ded til lyf a-pon þe rud.”
ful wa wes þane olybrius,
fra margaret had sad þus,
na he cuth nocht be kindly skil
gaynand ansuere mak hir til.
for-þi, til he avysit ware
to ȝeld til hyre rype ansuere,
he bad his men þai suld hir kepe
In a dongeone myrk & depe,
quhare nan mycht with hyre spek,
na met na drink na cleth [hir] rek.
þane entryt he in-to þe towne,
& on his wyse mad hym boune
to sacrify to godis sere
deuotely on þis manere;
& quha-sa-euir wald nocht do sa,
for-out pyte he thocht to sla.
& on þe morne, quhen day was lycht
& son had spred his bemys brycht,
olybrius of þat cyte
in mydis gert he set vpe sa he
his dempster-stule, þat he mycht here
al causis þat brocht þare were,
& namely for to spere of þai
þat offerand til his godis ma
wald nocht, þat he mycht se.
þane margret ger[t] he furth brocht be
out of presone til his presence,
& or he spak ocht, mad sylence.
syne sad he: “madine, haf pyte
of þi-self & consent til me
& honoure to my godis gyf,
þat þu in welt[h] with me ma lif!
for, treuly, I haf pyte
of þi ȝouthed and beute,
þat me be[h]oufis of ned spil,
my godis honoure gyf þou na wil.”