University of Virginia Library

“mychty god, makare of al
warldis, þat gayne are or cum sal,
with hart & mouth I ȝeld lowyng
to þe, as to my souerane king,
þat fra þis warldis filth þat me
drawine has þi seruand to be,
& kepit me in-to clenes,
nocht for my sert, bot þi gudnes,
& has me grantyt of þi grace
to cum to Ioy, þat na end has.
sa, dere lord, I pray to þe
þou grant me for þi gret pytte
pardone for al þat me did myse.
& als, der lord, I ask þe þis,
þat, quha in mynd has myn passion,
or wrytis It for deuocione,
or redis, or gerris be red,
or honouris me in ony sted,
or dois in þe name of me
deuocione, quhat-euir It be,
grant þame forgefing of þar myse
& in þi kyrk þe mykil blyse.
& gyf þai be sted in ned,
quhare-euir It be, I ask for med,
þat þai sik helpe for my sak haf,
as þai in ned wil me crawe;
& quhat-euir woman It be
þat in tyme of byrth callis on me,
grant þat woman but [ony] wath
deliueryt be & þe barne bath,
as I trast in þe, hewynis king,
born be for my sak but merryng.”
& quhen scho had hyr prayere mad,
a gret hug thonir [com] but bad,
& a quhyt dow was sene
fra þe hewine com to þat schene,
& twechyt hyre & sad: “margaret,
þat in sic thrang wil nocht forȝet
þame þat of þe makis memore here,
sa blissit þu art to god & dere
þat he þi bown granttis þe
for al þat euire sal honoure þe,
þat ar present or be syne sal;
þat þu askis he granttis al.
cum now þarfor to þe lestand blis,
þat þu has bocht in gret distres,
with þe haly curt of hewine!”
& as þe puple herd þis stewine
& þe thonir þat hydwis was,
þai fel flatlingis on þare face.
with þat scho dressit vpe þe sicht
to þe basare, þat malchus hicht,
& bad þat he suld fulfil
þe byding at fourmyt was hym til.
þane he, þat sene had opynly
godis vertu sa properly
þat he for hyre þane saw don,
til hyre request sad na son,
& sad: “god forbed þat I
with wenemyt handis sla þe in hy.”
quod scho: “but þu do I byd þe,
na part sal þu haf with me.”
þane sad he: “Ihesu, for þi pitte
þu input nocht þis ded to me!
for maugre myn þis ded do I;
I put me hale in þi mercy.”
a scharpe swerd þane he hynt
& hyre vnhedyt at a dynt,
& at hyr fet fel ded don,
& at mad hyme gud pardon.
þane of hyre cors a dow al quhyt
flaw, þat to se was delyt,
& in þe clowdis clame belyf,
on seand bath man & wyf.
a cristine man, callit theophin,
wes by hyre al þis tyme,
bath in preson & without,
& to serwe hyre wes ȝarne about,
& put in wryt word & ded,
þat men eftyrewart mycht red.
& in antioche of his cost a sepultur
he gert mak hyre of gret cure,
& embalmemyt hyre body,
& laid it þare honorably,
quhare god cesis nocht to wyrk
vertus, in strinthing of haly kirk,
& for to gere knawine be
quhou he had hyre in gret daynte,
& hou he quytis þam þare med,
þat seruis hyme in word or ded.
þe quhilk he grant ws grace to do,
þat we ma saufly cume hym to.