University of Virginia Library

of þis nero quha wald for-þi
behald þe dedis verraly,
þat luffit sa þis schort delyt,
þat he mon euir dwel in syt,
als wele in body as in sawle,
and wald syne luk to paule,
þat conuertit and lewit his syne,
and of Ihesu sic luf can wyne,
þat he is mad til ws merour,
þat na man suld for gret errour
fal in wanhope for to purches
eftir syne of god þe grace,
þe doctor gregor sais þar-by,
þat nothir stekis fra godis mercy
of þe fel syne þe quantite,
na ȝet þe gret ennormyte,
na ȝet þe latnese of þe howre,
ellis þat till our saweour
þe will of þe man k[n]awyn be,
as be sanct paule we ma se,
þat rocht of na wardly thinge,
ellis þat he mycht criste Inbringe.
for-þi in his pystil, he wrat
to þame of rome, [he] sad þusgat,
þat he tholit trawal ful gret,
and als bath gret hungir & het,
and þat he wes oft in presone
for cristis sak, but resone;
and of þe Iowis he can tak
gret dispyt for his master sak;
wondis fyfe tymis fourti, ane lese,
and strakis one his nakit flesche
with a swerd, fel and Ill,
mad for sic cause of litill skil;
and with wandis dongyne sar,
for þat he prechit cristis lare;
and anis als stanit wes he;
and thriis fchipe-brokine in þe se,
and all þe nycht hale and þe day
at sey-grownd, he sad, he lay;
and ofte tym tholit he gret wath
In gattis and in wattir bath;
and a-mang thefis and his kyn
he wes of[te] tym parele In;
and in cites and wildirnes
in gret parele ful oft he wes;
and a-mange þam þat war fals
he wes ofte in parele als;
and trawel with dule and wrak
he tholyt ofte for cristis sak;
and in a creile or þe wall
of damasse he wes lattyn fall;
owtwart thingis neuir-þe-les
owtane, þat wes þe besynes
þat he had of all þe kirk,
þat is, þat al men suld wel wirk.
for quha-sa had Infirmite,
þare-for wes paule sek as he;
and quha for his gilt tholit blame,
paule for hyme brynt for schame.
& thocht þat he was rewyst ewine,
as hyme-self sais, to þe thred hewyne
& syne in paradis, quhare he
herd, as he sais, priwete,
as It afferyt nocht to man
to spek þat thing, þat [he] herd þan;
of þis yet þan na Ioy had he;
bot ay of his infirmyte
he had gret Ioy; for þan, he wist,
Crystis vertu in hyme suld reste.
& als, as sais a gret doctor,
of alkyne folk sanct paule had cure,
& he was wischeall chosine, throw
to bere þe name of swet Ihesu.
& he to Ihesu criste was ayre
of wisdome in þe vertu fare,
& fillyt all þe warld wele nere
with cristis [e]wangel, þat is clere;
& [at the] last Iugment sall bryng
nere hand all men befor þe kyng.
& for sic cause he trawalyt mare
þane all þe postilis, þat euir ware,
for till gere all men leif þare syne,
& þare sawlis to god to wyne.
laith of lysing als taucht he
til Ilke man in his degre,
to princis, lordis, & pure men,
to thrillmen & to women,
& to ȝoung men als gef he lare,
& faddire & modyre, þat þaim bare,
to licheouris & to continent,
till all he prechit his entent;
&, schortly, he was hym allane
a commowne man till euirilkane.