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the feynde, þat saw he mycht nocht þan
eschewe, þe schape of a ȝung man
tuk, & come but [mare] delay
in þe chawmir quhare Iustine lay,
& in hys armys sone hyre hynt,
for to kyse hyr he nocht stynt,
& syne becuth vnschamefully
to diffule hyre thru lychery.
bot scho, þat þersawinge hade
It wes a feynd sic mastry made,
foret, briste, and hyr body
with þe croice scho taknyt in hy;
& he sonnere but delay
meltit þane wax in fyre away.
þane, tholand god, hyre he can saile
with felone feuere & gret trawale,
þat mad hyre sa falow & fade
þat nerhand dede wes scho made.
& til eke hyre perplexite,
he mad sic a mortalyte
in antioche of beste & man,
þat mycht nocht be estymyt þane,
& gert wod men oft rare & cry,
bot þat Iustine in til hy
gef hyr consent to wedit be,
sone peryst sal be þe cyte.
þane þai, þat saw þis pestilence,
& trewit scho mycht mak defence,
Come til hyre fadir house in hy,
& one hyme fast can gret & cry,
prayand hyme for þare saufte
þat Iustine son suld wedit be,
or ellis suld þat fellon clade
confonde þe cyte but abade.
bot scho ne wald consent þertil,
fore fayre na lath, gud na Il.
þarfor gudmen of þe towne,
doutande sa harde confusione,
in yre come til hire fadir in,
in entent it al to bryne,
bot gyf, to bryng þaim out of care,
his douchtir sonnare wedit ware.
þane prayt scho god þare increly;
& he hyr herd sodendely,
& gert cese þat mortalyte
bath in land & in cyte.
þe feynde, seande he ne mocht
oure-cum Iustine, as hym thocht,
thocht to fyle hyre gud name,
& sclandir hyr, & gere thol scham.
& for to dissawe cypriane,
þe fourme of hyre has he tane,
sa þat he in al degre
wes lyke Iustine for to be,
& come rynnande to cypriane
& hyme a-bout þe hals has tane.
& he, wenand it sa ware,
sad: “wel-cum, my hart dere,
fayreste woman & but blame!”
& as þe feynde herde hir name,
he had na langare mycht to byde
bot fled as reke & can hym hyde.
þane cypriane persawit wele
þat he wes scornyt ilke dele,
& in hart [he] had gret care,
& lufit Iustine fere þe mare.
fore-þi he wald sere fourmys ta,
quhare thru he mycht hir nerreste ga;
quhile foule, quhile woman, of þe slicht
of his falshed, & of þe nycht
walk fore hyr sak; bot quhene he
pressit at hyre Inis for to be,
his feyndis fourme wes son [un]hyde,
& he fore cypriane wes kyde.
þe feynd, þat wist þane þat he
wes oure-cumyne in al degre,
with gret schame his way is gane,
& aperit til cypryane,
& sad til hyme son: “hou now?
me think ourecumyne is þu!
wrechis, quhare is ȝoure mycht,
quhare is ȝoure poware & ȝoure slicht,
þat ȝe cane nocht a maydine ȝyng,
as ȝe haf hicht, on me to bryng?
tel me þare-fore, I pray þe þis,
quhare-in hyre mekil uertu is.”
þane sad þe feynde: “sa þat þu
to me wil suere ane ath now,
þat þu sal neuir fra me depart
thru gyle na thru ony arte,
I sal tel þe opynely
þe vertu of al hyre victory.”
þane sad til hyme cypriane:
“hou I sal suere, þu tel one ane!”
“suere be my vertuise, þat gret are,
þat þu sal neuir fra me fare,
& I sal hale discouer to þe
quhare-in scho ourecumis me.”
þane cypriane bad na langere,
bot þat sammyne ath cane til hym suere
þat he askit. & þe feynd þane
wend he traste wes of þe man,
sad hyme: “þat maydine mycht had nan
for til resiste agayne sathane,
outane a takine scho on hir ay
makis þat me fleis away.”
“þe takine now þu tel to me,
for of me þu art traste, parde;
for in sum parte ma assith me
of þe lang seruice I haf mad þe;
protestand ay þu haf na doute
of me þat is þine vndirloute;
for quhat thing sa euir It be,
þat þu sal now discouer to me.”
“it is of þe tre þe taknynge
quhare-one þe Iowis criste can hing
at myn entysing fore inwy,
& but cause can hyme crucyfy.”
sad cypriane: “quhow ma þat be,
þat for þe takine of a tre
ȝe fle sa & dare nocht byde,
bot fast forcis away to hyde?”
“certis,” quod sathane, “gyf þu be
sa lele as þu sais to me,
I sal say forout mare
quhy for þat takine we red are.”
quod cypryane: “I þe pray
þe suth now to me þu say!”
þane sad til hyme sathane:
“quhene I had first dissauit man,
sa þat be myne entysynge
he wes tynt & his o[f]sprynge,
ware nocht god, þat hyme made,
of his pyte reutht of hym hade,
& for his sawete becom man—
bot þare wes I dissawit þan,
for he wes borne of a vergine
a-ganis þe kynd of manis lyne.
of man þe myse fore to remede,
of verra man he tholyt dede—
bot had I wist but ony wene
þat he god & man had bene,
I had nocht tholit sekyrly
þe Iowis sla hym for inwy.
bot, for I wend he had bot man
bene, I gert sla hyme þane.
þane, as is manhed wes dede,
manis myse [for] to remede,
he come til hel [al] anerly,
& at our ȝettis cane cry,
& ymang ws he enteryt þare,
& al þat in oure pressonnis ware,
þat lykit hyme, he tuk away,
sene first he mad adame of clay,
& with his croice ws fleyt sa
þat of ws durst defence nan ma.
sene syne þe takine of þe tre
ful awful is to myne & me,
bath in þe payne þat I thole ay
& in þe tynsale of my pray;
for al mankynd þat lyf can lede,
þat deit before criste wes dede,
ware send me as my propyre thinge,
& in my presone mad duellynge;
& I, of þis warld prince but dout,
thru þat tre is quyt put out,
na ȝet ma I na liffand wyne
bot hyme þat wil nocht lef his syne.
& sa, to mak conclusione,
þat tre wes my confusione.
now haf I sad þe suth to þe
quhy þat takine confundis me.”
quod cypryane: “I se wele now
þe crucyfit is mare þan þu.”
& þe feynd þat granttit til,
þo it war aganis his wil,
& sad: “ȝa, is he fere mare
þane are lifand ore lyf bare,
& we ar til hyme vndirloute
at his byding ay but doute,
& he has put ws in-[to] hel,
[þar] þai þat we dissawe, sal duel;
for quha in oure seruice mais ende,
euirmare with ws sal wende.”
sad cypriane: “þan I þat man
wil serwe þat crucyfit wes þan.”
þe feynd sad: “sa ware þu lorne
gyf þu ware fals & mansuorne;
for þu has suorne of my oste be þe mycht,
þat þu sal nothire fore strinth na slicht
depart fra me til ony mane.”
cypryane sad til hyme þane:
“þe & þi wikit feyndis al,
þat seruis þe, gret & smal,
here I forsak, & takis me
til hyme þat hangit on þe tre,
& his takine one me I lay
be-twene me & þe now for ay.”
& as he þis sone sad hade,
þe feynd þan fled but abade.
& cypriane gret Ioy can ma
þat he þe feynd eschapit sa.
for-þi he socht but ony bade
þe bischope til he fundyn hade.