![]() | Legends of the Saints in the Scottish Dialect of the Fourteenth Century | ![]() |
eftsonnis scho fel to pray
one kneis, & [þis] cane say:
“I lowe þi name & gloryfy,
Ihesu crist, suthfast victory,
for quham dyspysit I haf hale
þis warld & of it gyfis na tale,
& in brukil kynd als stad
ourcome my fay & mad mad.
lord Ihesu, grace grant me here
a-gayne fayndingis to persewere!”
& hyre prayere quhen scho had
ser-wyse to god deuotely mad,
a licht of hewine rathly schane,
quhare scho set al hyr alane,
& as a cors wes be sicht
fra hewin to erd schenand brycht,
& one þat cors set a dou,
þat sad: “margaret maydine, þou trew
þat þu art blyssit & ay sal be,
for hewine ȝettis bydis þe.”
& one þe morne, quhen sown was brycht,
þat menskis al þe warld of lycht,
þis waryt Iug, in stul set,
gert margaret son befor hym fet,
& sad [til] hyr rycht cerryosly:
“maydine, I red ȝou sacrify
til oure godis, or þu tyne
þi lif, at ȝet is left, with pyne,
& lef þi wikit fals belewe,
& honoure to oure godis gyf,
& of þi ȝouthed fare & fresss
tyne nocht þe floure in wilfulnes.”
þane ansuert scho but delay,
& sad: “Ihesu I sal honor ay,
makar of hewine & ȝerd & al,
to quham I euir empless sal;
& al þine ydolis I dispyse
þam to do honor or seruice.”
þane wes þe tyrand vondir ten
quhene he hard þis of þe maydine clene,
& bad men suld platis ta
of Irne, lang & brad alsa,
& mak þame hat brynnand, & lay
til hyr sydis, þat sa can say
of his godis dyspytuisly
of hyre passand-gret foly,
sa þat scho, brynt richt sare,
sik wordis suld spek nomare.
þane wes of Irne mony plat
layd til hyr sydis, brynnand hat,
þat hyr flesch brulyt & brynt sa
þat thankful rek to god can ga
in plesand smelling of suetnes
& sacrifice, þat thankful wes.
bot þocht scho was brynt without,
within scho wes withoutyne dout
of hewinly deu thru þe haly gast,
quham in hyre confort wes ay mast;
bot for gret stedfastnes
scho rocht lytil of hyre flesche.
olybrius thru wikit wil
harder payne he put hir til;
& for þat watir eftyr fyre
ful noyful is to sic martyre,
a fat, þat wes [bath] depe & wyd,
of watir gert he fil þat tyd.
&, as he bad, þai hyre band
with cordis smart fut & hand,
& kyst hyre in þat fat, to drown.
& quhen scho wes þis þare-in don,
þane in þe watir as scho lay
to Ihesu crist þis can scho say:
“der god! brak my bandis in hy,
& I sal to þe sacryfy
me in sacrifice of lowing.
& als I pray þe, suthfast king,
to blis þis vatir, at it be
for wel of baptyme to me,
& of my synnis in forgyfnes,
& þat þe folk mare & les
ma kene & se þat þu alane
is suthfast god, & ellis nane,
& has na ending na begynnyng,
of hewine & erde makare & king.”
one kneis, & [þis] cane say:
“I lowe þi name & gloryfy,
Ihesu crist, suthfast victory,
for quham dyspysit I haf hale
þis warld & of it gyfis na tale,
& in brukil kynd als stad
ourcome my fay & mad mad.
lord Ihesu, grace grant me here
62
& hyre prayere quhen scho had
ser-wyse to god deuotely mad,
a licht of hewine rathly schane,
quhare scho set al hyr alane,
& as a cors wes be sicht
fra hewin to erd schenand brycht,
& one þat cors set a dou,
þat sad: “margaret maydine, þou trew
þat þu art blyssit & ay sal be,
for hewine ȝettis bydis þe.”
& one þe morne, quhen sown was brycht,
þat menskis al þe warld of lycht,
þis waryt Iug, in stul set,
gert margaret son befor hym fet,
& sad [til] hyr rycht cerryosly:
“maydine, I red ȝou sacrify
til oure godis, or þu tyne
þi lif, at ȝet is left, with pyne,
& lef þi wikit fals belewe,
& honoure to oure godis gyf,
& of þi ȝouthed fare & fresss
tyne nocht þe floure in wilfulnes.”
þane ansuert scho but delay,
& sad: “Ihesu I sal honor ay,
makar of hewine & ȝerd & al,
to quham I euir empless sal;
& al þine ydolis I dispyse
þam to do honor or seruice.”
þane wes þe tyrand vondir ten
quhene he hard þis of þe maydine clene,
& bad men suld platis ta
of Irne, lang & brad alsa,
& mak þame hat brynnand, & lay
til hyr sydis, þat sa can say
of his godis dyspytuisly
63
sa þat scho, brynt richt sare,
sik wordis suld spek nomare.
þane wes of Irne mony plat
layd til hyr sydis, brynnand hat,
þat hyr flesch brulyt & brynt sa
þat thankful rek to god can ga
in plesand smelling of suetnes
& sacrifice, þat thankful wes.
bot þocht scho was brynt without,
within scho wes withoutyne dout
of hewinly deu thru þe haly gast,
quham in hyre confort wes ay mast;
bot for gret stedfastnes
scho rocht lytil of hyre flesche.
olybrius thru wikit wil
harder payne he put hir til;
& for þat watir eftyr fyre
ful noyful is to sic martyre,
a fat, þat wes [bath] depe & wyd,
of watir gert he fil þat tyd.
&, as he bad, þai hyre band
with cordis smart fut & hand,
& kyst hyre in þat fat, to drown.
& quhen scho wes þis þare-in don,
þane in þe watir as scho lay
to Ihesu crist þis can scho say:
“der god! brak my bandis in hy,
& I sal to þe sacryfy
me in sacrifice of lowing.
& als I pray þe, suthfast king,
to blis þis vatir, at it be
for wel of baptyme to me,
& of my synnis in forgyfnes,
& þat þe folk mare & les
ma kene & se þat þu alane
64
& has na ending na begynnyng,
of hewine & erde makare & king.”
![]() | Legends of the Saints in the Scottish Dialect of the Fourteenth Century | ![]() |