University of Virginia Library

[I]n antioche duelland wes
a man of richt gret riches,
& of þar prestede he had hade,
bot seruice til ydolis he made.
& had a dochtir farly fayre,
þat wes his anerly aperand are,
of fasone & of coloure bricht,
& to name Iustine hicht.
scho had in-to custume ay
in hir windou sit ilke day,
þat wes þe commone stret wel nere.
sa hapnyt hir a tyme til here
a cristine dekine, þat prely hicht,
tel ser talis of godis micht,
þat ware wrytine in þe ewangel.
& quhen scho lesnyt had a quhile,
be helpe of hyme & godis grace
conuertit to þe treutht scho wes.
bot þat scho held as priuete,
abydand oportunyte
til scho þe sacrament mycht tak,
þat cristis douchtir suld hyre mak.
bot þat wes nocht sa priuely
na it wes persawit in hy.
þare-for hyre fadir can hir wit
gretly þat scho lefit his ryt;
for hir modir tald hym hou scho
wes Ihesu criste conuertit to.
In þe next nicht eftir þay
slepand in bed sammyne lay,
Ihesu criste with angelis sere
to þame half slepand can apere,
& sad to þaim: “cumys to me now,
& hewins blis I sal gyf ȝow.”
& þai of þat avisione
fayne ware, & syne to treu bone.
& quhen þai rase, but abade
with a douchtir þat þai hade
þai conuertit, & baptyme tuke
at fonstane, as sais þe buke,
& ware in cristine treutht parfyte
& of payanis lewit þe ryte.

þane wes duelland in þat tone
a man þat was of Il renowne,
& cypriane to name he lacht,
& fra fyfe ȝeris he wes tacht
in þe lare of nygramancy
& in þe lare of sorcery;
for his kyne in his ȝouthede
to serwe þe feynd hym offerit hade.
þar-for be his nygramancy
he wald wirk mony ferly,
as to gere a woman apere
as scho ane wgly gillet were;
& he wald gere a woman wene
þat a man woman had bene.
& sum tyme apere wald he
quhat kynd of foule hym lykit to be,
& translat hyme as hyme thocht.
in craftis sere sic thing he wrocht
for to dissawe men slichfully
thru deylis crafte & sorcery.
& þis Iustyn þan for hyre beute
sa increly lufit he,
þat he ne mocht hir luf for-ga,
as hyme thocht, for wele na wa,
bot brynt in þat fel desyr
ner-hand as he ware in fyre.
for quhat-sa beste lykis hyme
þat sic wodnes byggis in,
hyme thinkis beste quhat-sa it be,
to na resone haffand ey.
a feynd þane til hyme can he cal,
& his ȝarnyng tald [hyme] al,
þat a madyne sa he lofit
þat he mycht nocht be remowit,
þo scho had tane cristine fay,
þat he to werray schupe hym ay,
& askit hyme gyf he mocht
mak hyr til his wil be brocht.
þane sad he: “is þare nocht ellis
bot þis þat þu to me tellis
quhare-for þu me trawalis now?
for, war þu wyse, þu suld trew
þat I mycht gere þe wele eschewe.
wald þu think hou adam & ewe
I gert be put of paradyce,
& how I gert Kayine vnwise
sla his bruthire for inwy,
quhare-thru he was vnhappy,
& ȝet be my slichtis gude
I wes cause of noese flude,
& als þe fare cunctre þat hicht
sodome & gormor, thru [my] slicht
ware distroyt but remede,
quhare now is bot þe see rede,
quhare na thing of lyf ma be,
quhy suld þu dout of my pouste?
& ȝet ma þu ensampil ta
quhow þat I gerte Iowis sla
þare lord cryste & kyne & blude
dispituisly a-pone þe rude.
sa sald þu trew þat I mocht
gere þine erande til end be brocht,
sa þat scho son sal cum þe til,
& þi ȝarnyng hale fulfil.”
þane to gere hyre son consent
& hyre to cum til his entent,
a lytil vngument he hym tacht,
& bad hyme ga þare-with stracht
til hyre chawmir, quhen he sau poynt,
& þe wallis oututh ennoynt,
“& I sal nocht be fere away,
& syne cum & my mycht assay,
& bllaw sa gud a coule hire til
þat scho sal do quhat þu wil.”
þane cypriane mad nan abade
bot with þe wngument furth glade,
&, as he wes tacht, he has done.
þane þe feynd wes redy sone,
& hyre in-to lychery
inflammyt sa gretumly.
þane scho persawing hade
þat þe feynd þat fanding made;
for-þi hir forhed & breste bath
scho taknyt of þe croice rath,
& al hyre body syne bethacht
to god to kepe for his macht.
& þane sonnare þan man mycht say,
þe fals fend went away,
& fel ferit, fra he had sene
þat takine mad befor his ene.
he flede, &, ore he fayne,
Come & stud befor cypriane,
þat sad til hyme: “tel me now
quhare is Iustyne, as sad þu?”
quod he: “for one hyre sic a sicht
I saw þat refit has my mycht
sa vtrely, þat I ne durste duel.”
quod he: “þane sped þe on til hell,
& þare þu þi mastre prowe!
for þu dow nocht for my behufe.”