University of Virginia Library

“[g]wde cystire, I ame cumyne here,
of þi gudnes for I here
in sere placis be spokine ay,
& had ȝarnyng til assay,
quhethire it sa be ore nocht;
þar-for to þe here I hafe socht,
in mykill wil to duell with þe,
as þu dois, in chastyte.
fore be gud resone I cane feile
þat maistry is to kep it wele;
for manis kynd it mon excede
here lifand to kepe madynehede,
bot, quha-sa here ma luf chaste
thru steryng of þe haly gaste,
is fare lykare for to be
angelis þane manis kynd, parde.
& gyf percase ony mocht
kepe maydine in ded & thocht,
þan wald I wit quhat rewarde
he suld haf þarfor eftirwarde?”
quod Iustine: “rycht grete is þe mede,
& þe trawale smal but drede
in regarde of þat lestand blis,
þat nane cane tel hou gret [it] is,
þat god sal gyf til his dere,
þat thankful seruice makis hym here.”
quod þe feynd: “þu tel me It.
þat oft is rede in haly wryt,
hou god, quhen adame wes made,
of a bane of his syd but bade
eve he mad, quhen he slepand lay,
to be his mak, & syne can say
‘beis sammyne, & grew, & multyply,
& with þe froyt of ȝoure body
fillis þe erde, & it wyne,
& bruk al thing þat is þare-in!’
be his spek lyk is þane
þat man to fere suld haf woman,
& woman in þe sammyne degre
suld man haf hyre make to be,
for þe sawyng of þare sede,
þat þare o[f]spryng mycht grew in brede.
for gyf sic mellyng suld nocht be
for kepynge of verginite,
al kynd of man but ony were
suld falȝe in a hundre ȝere,
& sa wes tynt godis makyne,
& alsa brokine ware his bydinge.
& ȝet wil men se neuir-þe-les
in þe law god gef moyses,
waryit ar þai callit þare
þat had na barne bot barane ware.
þa[r]for I trew, quha precis maste
til þai life to be chaste,
sal godis byding brak, & sa
be demyt til hel & yddir ga.
þar-for, gud cystir, I drede me,
gyf we kepe virginite,
goddis bydynge sal we brak,
þat one oure saulis sal it wrak.
sa quhare we trew mede to take,
sal [we] vndirly godis wrake.”
þe feynd sic perswacione
to Iustine mad, as [wes] resone,
þat he gert hyr haf thochtis thra
hyr chastite to fal fra.
in lychory sa hyre thocht
enflammyt þat nere wantit nocht
na redy scho wes to ga
with þe feynd, þat hir fandit sa,
& in-to purpose to fulfil
It þat scho wes entysit til.
bot god þane schawit his grace
til hyr, þat sa-gat fandit was;
quhare-throw scho cane persawe wele
þat þe entysare wes þe dewil,
þat spak til hyre sa slichtfully
for to dissawe hyr cowartly.
& þan þe croice on hyre scho made;
& [he], as he reke bene hade,
ful sodenely wanyste away;
& scho of seknes but delay,
þat in hyr before cane apere,
rycht þane wes mad hale & fere.