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olibrius þan, quhar he wes set,
thru bitirnes of gal wes het,
& bad his seruandis in to ten,
þat þai suld tak þat maydin schen,
& dispoil hyre of hyr clathis—
þat til woman ful lath is—
& strakis fel til hyre let warpe,
& rawis flesch with schorgis scharp,
& bad þat þai suld nocht blyne,
hyre body til þai suld se with-in,

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“to tak reuengeance of hir cors,
of our godis þat makis na force.”
þane wikit men þat madyn fare
hangyt he vpe in þe ayre,
& with schorgis fra tope to ta
hyr far flesch raf, til al þai
þat by stud mycht wele thru þe skine
þe guttis se þat war þar-in.
bot scho wes cled in haubersione
of treutht & of deuocione,
& enkrely behaldand hewine,
sic prayer mad with myld stewine:
“lord Ihesu crist, I treu in þe;
lat me neuir confundit be,
na at my fais scorne me nocht,
for in þe set is al my thocht!”
þane of hyre cors in sic fusione
þe blud ran in stremis done,
þat mony gret þat cane It se,
of hyr payne hafand sic pyte;
for of hyre flesche teyndir & clere
rywine & rent fel pecis sere.
& quhen þe tyrand saw hir so fayre,
he sad: “margaret, betir it ware
consal þi-self, & lewe þi ryt,
& turne þe til oure godis tyt,
& be nocht thra in þine entent,
bot erare to my wil consent,
sa þat þu be na hardare beft
& tyne þe lyf at ȝet is left.”
þane ansuert scho [til] hym on ane:
“þu wyrkis þe warkis of sathane,
þi fadir, þat ful feynd of hel;
bot treuly to þe now I tel
þat þi consal til I lyf,

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I wil nocht do, na honoure gyf
to þi flatryng na godis dume,
þat man has mad al & sume,
bot I honoure & gloryfy
crist of hewine al-mychty,
makare of nocht [of] alkine thing,
& suthfastly hewynis king,
þat of hewine þe sonnis beme
geris here a-pon ws leme,
& with mony sternis sere
payntyt þe lyft, as we se here.
& alsa suthfast god is he,
& for man deigneit for to be
man. of þe warld þe trespas,
thru his blud þat innocent was,
he bocht, & he, rychtwyse,
for our synnis come sacrifice
til god his fadir til enples,
nocht for hyme-self, bot for oure ese.
& he, richtwise, for vnrichtwise
deit, & sene one sic wyse
rase fra ded thru þe stering
of his godhede, for oure mending,
& sa thru his ded mychtely
of deid oure-come þe signery,
& to þame þat hym seruis here
sal gyf þe blis of hewyn but were,
þat sa mykil is þat nan ma
in thocht it think, na tong say,
for it excedis manis wit
to deme or to spek of it.”
Ande quhen scho þis [had] sad, belyf
þe tyrand gert hir flesch ryf
with irne camis þat scharp schare,
þat hyre rybbis ware mad bare,

57

& flayne of hyre sa wes þe skyn
þat men mycht se hyr wame with-in.
eftyre sown þe blud fel
als clere of hyre as of a wel
as dois watir one wyntir day.
þane al þat by stud can say:
“margaret, forsuth we haf pyte
one þi hard torment þus to se,
& þi beute þat þu has tynt,
for þu wald nocht of foly stynt
til honoure hyme þat hangit was
one a gebbet for his trespas.
þare-for we gyf þe consel now
þat þu til oure godis trow,
& als consent til fulfil
hale olibrius [his] wil,
to eschape þe drery payne
of ded or at þu be slayne.”
þane sad scho: “hald ȝu stil!
for ȝoure consal is wikit & wil;
for þis payne þat done is to me
þe saufté of my saule sal be.”
syne cane scho to þat prefec say:
“vnschameful hund, & ellis nocht may
þane gredy lyone fillit be,
playne poware here is gefin þe
of þis flesch for to do þi wil,
bot my saule ma nocht þu spil;
for crist sal kepyt, at it wrocht.
þare-for of þe I rek richt nocht.”
þe tyrand þan, to se þe flude
þat fra þe maydine ran of blude,
had schame; þar-for þe face he hyd
with his mantyl, & syne cane byd
his men ga son & tak hyre done,

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& thryng hyre in a depe dongeone,
til he mycht fynd sum new torment,
to gare hyre til his wil consent.
& til his tormentouris bad he
þat þe presone sa myrk suld be,
þat na kyne lycht mycht cum þare,
& þat scho suld be bundin sare.
bot quhen his fellon wil wes done,
Ihesu crist send hyr confort sone
of sic lycht, þat, quhare scho lay,
was mare licht þane of þe day.
& quhen scho wes þis wyse sted,
scho knelyt & hyre prayere bad
to god of hewine with blyth chere,
sayand wordis þat are here: