University of Virginia Library

XLI.—AGNES.

[OMITTED] “& his fadire of wyf wat nocht
na of sic delyt neuire rocht,
to quhom seruis ythandly
þe angelis & has ferly;
as of habundance is na lessing
na of his riches na mynissing;
& of his odoure thru þe smel
þa ryse agane þat deid can fel,
& al sekmen of his tweching
of verray heile gettis mending;
& his luf is ay chastyte,
& haly mon his tweching be,
his cuplyne is madynhed,
ay schenand in word & deid.”
þer fywe scho repetyt efte
& sad til hym, or scho lefte:
“his kyne is of hye degre,
& mare fare is possibilyte,
& to be-hald he is farare,
& to luf hyme he is swetare,
& al grace is excedand;”
& fywe beneficis reknand
þat hir spouse gef hir & al þai
þat hir to spouse lykis to ta.
& first, in takine of weding
he erlis þaim with his ryng,
of fele vertuse with syndrynes
he clethis þame, & neuir-þe-les
with þe fare blud of his passione
taknys þar chekis vpe & done,
& cuplis þaim with hyme til hand
of luf þat euir is lestand,
& rychtis þame with þe tresoure
of hewinly Ioy, grathit þarfore;
“& my luffar in sic wedyng
has me erlyt with his ryng
my richt hand & als at anys
has ennornyt with schenand stanis,
& with his mantele cled has me
of fyne gold, ful fare to se,
& syne with bruchis ful mony
has me arayt craftly;
& he þar-to of his gret grace
has mad a takine in my face,
þat I sal tak one na manere
bot hyme any [vthir] lufere,
& his blud has my chekis mad
ful fare, þat falow ware & fad.
& als his body is to myne
cuplit with Ioy þat ma nocht fyne.
& he sic tresoure schewit me
þat neuire mar gane sal be,
gif I wil as til hyme dere
in til his luf ay perseuere.
al sic giftis, & wele mare,
he has giffine me with Ioyful fare;
þarfor suld [I] vnhappy be,
gif I lef sic a luf for þe.”
& quhen þe ȝung man herd þis tale,
his hart þane cane to-brist for bale;
for sorow hyme sa sadly socht,
þat of hyme-self na thing he rocht;
bot seknes had he nothir-quhare,
bot in his hart he had sic care,
þat til his chawmir he hym sped,
& ruschit done one his bed.
þane can þai til his fadir tel
hou at his son in seknes fel;
bot quhat seknes, þai ne wiste.
for-þi his fadir send but friste
medicinaris, his stat to se
& to deme quhat seknes had he.
þe quhilkis quhen þai saw his stat,
has sone persawyng be his late
þat hyme nothire ailyt mare ne myn
bot þat luf distrenȝet hyme.
his fadir sperit quhat scho wes
he luffit. & þai sad agnes,
þat hyme behuffit haf til his vif,
or ellis for hir tyne þe lyf.
þane ves he blyth & thocht son
his sonnis ȝarnyng suld be done;
& gert agnes be brocht hyme til,
venand his etlyng to fulfil,
& sad hir: “agnes, þu suld kene
þat þu art cummyne of symple men
in regard of my gret mycht
& of my dignite þe hicht;
ȝet sal I thole my son wed þe,
anerly for þi bewte,
& gif þe far possessione
of castellis, towris, & of towne,
& gold and siluir neuir-þe-les,
in sic plente as þu wil ges;
& sa ma þu to mare stat wyne,
þane euir wane ony of þi kyne.
& ful war þu for to forsak
til haf my son to þi mak.
þat has na cause to tak þe
bot anerly for þi bewte.”
þane agnes sad hym schortly:
“certis, gud sir, maryt ame I,
& I ma na wyse brak þat band,
for gold, siluer, na for land;
& my spouse is mychtyere
þane þi son, & fere richere,
& has giffine me in mariage,
þat neuir sal falȝe, his herytage;
for-þi, sir, spek to me nomare
here-of, for þis is þine answare.”
þane þe prefet begane to spere
at frendis þat hym teyndir were,
quhat man it wes & quhat he had,
þe man þat agnes þe ruse of mad.
& sume of þame sad hyme to,
þat crist hir spouse callit scho.
þan þe prefet newit his spek,
& gluthryt hir with wordis mek
& fandit fa[s]t to bow hir vil;
bot scho plat nay ay sad hym til.
& quhen faire spek cuth nocht awalȝe,
with harsknes he can hir assalȝe,
& manesit hire to bet & bynd
& put hir al turment he mycht fynd
& pyne hire, til scho granttit do
his sonnis ȝarnyng. bot na sais scho,
bot his thret na his gluthryng
scho set bath in til a lyne,
& at his vordis mad smylyng
in manere of scornyng.
þe prefet þane, þat wes wrath,
sad: “of twa thingis ches ane rath;
gif þu wil virgine be,
mak sacrifice, þat I ma se,
humyly one til oure goddes,
þat mychtty is & euire ȝet wes,
or ellis to þe bordale ga,
to thole al men þe frely ta.”
ȝet for-cause scho wes freborne
& hire eldris hir beforne,
of hire kyne he had dred
for to supprice hir as of ded.
þarfor he thocht hire to gere sla
for þat cristine treutht scho can ta
agayne þe lawis oysit þane,
quhare-for war slane wyf & man.
þane sad scho: “nothire wil I
to þi fals godis sacryfy
na ȝet sal I fylit be
vith ony manis flesch, parde;
for I haf goddis angele ay,
þat kepis me bath nycht & day.”
þe prefet þan but ony mare
gert dispole hir al bare,
& gert hire til þe bordale lede,
to fylyt be with ful dede.
& quhene hire clathis al of ware,
god send sic sydnes in hyre hare
þat scho wes cled mare ewinely
with hare þane with hire clathis in hy.
nocht-þane, as scho in þe bordale
wes brocht, agane hir wil haile,
godis angel scho redy fand
þare, in clernes schennand,
þat cled hir in a garment quhyte,
þat to be-hald wes delyte.
& sa þe bordale wes but bad
þe place of haly prayer mad,
sa fere þat, quha enteryt þare,
suld cume of it fere clennare,
& gyf he ȝald dettyt honoure
til god, þat al thing has in cure.
ful mony for-þi entryt þare,
þat for sic licht hire forbare,
& come owt frely þat þare wil,
for reuerence þat lycht þai gaf til.
þe prefet son merwale had
þat nane in þe bordale bade
vith hir þane for to play,
bot but abad come away.
for-þi in þe bordale he went,
to tak hire furth in [til] entent,
& ruschit syne in þe gret lycht.
bot, or þat he hir tweche mycht,
þe feynd threst his throt sa sare,
þat ded done he fel þare.
& quhene þe prefet herd tel
þe myschefe his son befel,
he rayrit rudly & gret fast;
& to þe bordale at þe last
he come, quhar his son lay ded,
& til agnes in þat sted
he sad: “quhy has þu myn son slane?”
& sobrely scho sad agane:
“certis, I did na scath hyme til,
bot he, of quham he did þe wil,
in til hyme did his pouste
& weryit hyme, as ȝe se,
for he na reuerence gef þe lycht,
þat schane here-in be godis sycht,
as did þe laf, þat come here-in
& lefit for dred of god to syne.”
þe prefet sad: “now sal apere
gyf þu my son, til me ful dere,
has be þi wichcrafte slane,
or gyf þu may rase hyme agane
othir be craft or be slicht
of hyme þu [sais] has sic mycht,
crist, þi spous, þat þu sais wil
& may þi ȝarnyng wel fulfil.”
vith þat one kneis scho fel done,
& mad to god hire oracione,
deuotely, þat men mycht here,
sayand: “my spous & lord dere,
rase þis man be-cause of me,
þat al þir folk þi mycht ma se!”
& as scho þat word cane say,
þe corse rase but delay,
& prechit til al apon hicht
of crist, hir spouse, þe mykil mycht,
& quhou þat he had sene in hel
of werchis þare þe panis fel,
& þe gret Ioy in hewine þat he
saw, þat vnnovmerit mycht be.
ful fele þane, seand þis ferly,
become cristine son in hy.
of þe tempil þe bischopis al,
seand þis gret ferly fal,
& considerand þe ty[n]sel grete
of gud, þat þai war wont to gete
of þame þat tuk þe cristine fay
& fra þar ryt went away,
sedicion rasit in hy
ymang þe puple felloun[l]y,
& cryit fast: “ga sla hir sone,
þat þis wichcrafte has done,
& peruertis thocht and wil
of al þat treutht giffis hir til;
for, suthly, bot scho slane be,
in schort tyme men sal se
þat men sal hale lef oure lay,
& twrne þaim to þe cristine fay.”
bot as þe prefet hyme bethocht
of þat gret wondir þat scho wrocht
til his son, þat witnes bare
til his ded & til his lare,
vald scho had bene of þat sted;
bot for he his awne men dred,
he deput in his sted þare,
þe law to hald þaim, a vicare,
& sorouful went away; for he
as he wald, mycht nocht hir fre.
þat vicar þane, or he fane,
þat aspacius had to name,
as inflammyt of fellone yre,
gert tormentouris mak a fyre
& agnes bundine cast þare-in,
þat al men mycht se hir bryne.
bot þar men mycht se godis mycht;
for þat fyre in twa ewine rycht
departit, & scalit ful wyd,
& þe mystrowand of al syd
It brynt; sa þat [þe] hethine had
gret care, þe cristine [men war] glad.
aspacius þan, þat wes wa,
gert tormentouris agnes ta,
& thru hir als put a sword,
for þat scho prechit godis vord.
& sa, be scheding of hir blud
he mad to god a martir gud,
& send hir sa one til hir spouse,
to duel with hyme in til his house,
thre hundre ȝere fra crist flesch tuk
& nyne [þar]-to, as sais þe buk.
hir [frendis] come with Ioy þat day
to tak hir cors & bere away,
& eschapit narowly
of þe fel paianis for inwy,
[þat] kist stanis at þame þane;
bot of godis mycht a-way þai wan,
& dicht for hir a sepulture,
& lad [hir] in with gret honoure.
þar at hire prayer sar & sek
gettis heile, þat cane hir sek,
in lofing of god, hewynnis king,
to quham be honoure but ending.
& þis wes done, I ȝou say,
in rome þe ane & twenty day
of þe moneth of februere,
& þe dat for-wrytine here.