University of Virginia Library

XLII.—AGATHA.

Agatha, þe madine clere,
ves cumyne of gentil kyn but vere,
& fare vas of hire body,
& cler of thewis but velany,
& in þe ton of cathenence
seruit god but offence.
& quincyane in þat quhile
ves consol[ar] of cesile,
& cumyne ves of carlis kine,
þo he til sic a stat can vine.
chynsche he ves, lycherus als,
& seruice mad til ydolis fals.
& for þe stat þat þan held he,
he gert agatha til hym brocht be,
til haf hire to wyf for hire gret kyn,
sa men suld þe mare dout hyme.
& for hir beute he had wil
vith hir his foule lust to fulfil.
& to get gud of gredines,
he wald hir haf als for riches.
& as he seruit ydolis fals,
he wald scho sa did als.
sa til his presence quhen scho
cumyne wes, he sad hir to:
“quhyne art þu borne, madyn fre,
& of quhat kyne, þu tel me,
& to quhat godis has þu mad
sacrifice fra þi ȝouthad?”
scho sad hyme stedfastly:
“to god of hewine ay serwe I,
& euire sal do, for ocht ma be;
for mychtyaste of al is he.
na I sal hyme neuire nyt,
for he is my suffrane delyt.”
as quincyane persawing had
þat scho wes of wil sa sad,
til a matrone he can hir ta,
þat callit ves effrodosya,
þat wes a commone bordelere,
& douchteris nyne scho had, þat were
of þat crafte richt as scho;
& to þe teynd he tacht hir to,
þat þai hire thretty dais suld prufe,
quhile be aw & quhile be lufe,
to change hir purpos & wil,
& to ger hire consent hyme til.
þai ten tuk þat innocent
& to þare Innys with hir went,
& fandyt hire in syndry wyse,
to ger hir mak sic sacrifice,
& syne to ger hir til consent,
& to quincyane get hire entent.
to do sa, þai vald quhyle
hir flesch far hir to begil,
& ferly far hichtis hir make,
bot in thank scho ne vald tak.
syne vthir tyme þai wald
hir schore vith visage bald,
& gere hire sa thole sic payne,
þat [scho] suld þe ded ȝarne fayne,
& syne manauce hire, þat scho
þe foule bordale suld be led to.
bot scho stedfaste ves in thocht,
þat of al þis na-thing rocht,
bot tuk bath ewine in a lyne,
þar harsknes & þare fleching.
& as fandyt þai had hire sa,
þai thretty dais als & ma,
& mocht be naway get hyre wil
þare godis to sacryfy til,
na to consent to quincyane,
bot sad nay ay in ane,
sayand, scho had fondit hir thocht
one a grond þat fallis nocht,
“þat is, in my god criste Ihesu,
þat noþire ma brak na bow.
þare-for ȝoure wordis ar bot wynd,
& I ȝoure hichtis bot hething find,
& al þe manauce of ȝoure payne
I dred fere les þane I do rayne;
for þe grownd-wal of my thocht
ma nocht falȝe, þat dred I nocht.”
& sayand þis, ilke day
scho gret, & ythandly cane pray,
þat worthy scho mycht be to take
martirdome for cristis sake;
for scho thristyt oure althing
for til cume til hewynnis kyng.
& fra affrodysya
saw þat scho persewerit sa,
& wald nocht fal fra hir entent,
to quincyane scho son went,
& sad, it wes les maystry
hard stanis to grynd, suthly,
& yrne to mak als nesss
as leide, þat neuir ȝet done ves,
“þane for to wryth agathis wil
fra cryst, to consent ȝou til;
for nane way ma scho changit be
fra hir entent, þat sal ȝe se.”
þane quincyane wes rycht wrath,
& gert bryng hyme þe madyn rath,
& sad: “of quhat condicione
art þu?” & scho redy bowne
sad: “gentil-womane ame I,
my kine þat vitnesis opynly.”
quod he: “quhy mais þu þe þan thril?”
& sone scho answert þare til:
“for I ame cristis maydine ay,
þare-for I ame seruand, I say;
for it Is swferane mast gentrise
to Ihesu crist to mak serwice.”
þane quincyane, as þis ves done,
sad: “of twa thingis ches ane sone;
til oure godis oþire sacryfy,
or thole hard turment in til hy.”
quod scho: “þi vyf mot be
lyk as þi god is to þe,
Iubitere, thru quham þat þu
has na grace in god to trew.”
þane in wryth quyncyane
[bad] gef hire buffetis mony ane,
sayand til hire: “quhy channeris þu
my gret god agane now?”
sad scho: “I haf ferly
þat þu art brocht to sic foly,
þat þu sal þaim þi godis cal,
or mak þame seruice gret ore smal,
& vald nocht þat þi wedyt wyf
suld nocht þame resemble in þis lyf,
& sais sene I do foly,
þat wil nocht to þame sacryfy,
& sais gret wrang I do þe to—
þat I for-think, sa haf I ro!
bot, gif þi goddis gud be,
þat þu þaim folow, gud semes me;
& gif þu lathis þare cumpany,
to me þu consent[is] playnly.”
quod quyncyane þane agane:
“of nocht seruis þire wordis vayne.
sacrifice til oure godis mak,
or til hard tormentis þe tak!”
sad agatha til hyme: “parde,
vith wyld bestis þo þu ryf me,
fra þai here my godis name,
but dout þai sal be stil Ilkane;
& gyf be fyre þu threttis me,
godis angele, men ma se,
vith dew of hewine ma softine sa,
þat þi fyre sal me do na wa;
& gyf þu me wond, I gyf na tale,
þe haly ga[s]t sal mak me hale.
þare-for do one as þu has thocht,
for of þi panys rak I nocht.”
þane bad he hir til presone drav,
for þat scho stud of hyme nan aw.
& scho went furth to thole sic pane,
& ves þar-of mare blyth & fayne,
þane þo scho callyt had bene
to þe best fest, euire wes sene,
& to god betaucht al þe striwe
þat scho suld thole in-[to] þis lyf.
þane quyncyane one þe morne
gert bryng þis maydine hym beforne,
& bad þat scho cryst suld nyt
& sacryfy is godis to tyt.
& for scho vald nocht nyt þat name,
he gert strek hire in a frame,
& torment hir in syndry vyse,
for scho wald mak na sacrifice.
ȝet sad scho: “mare delyt haf I
in þere panys, sekyrly,
þane ony man fane suld be
to se þe thing [he] fanest vald se,
or gyf a man sudendly
a hurd had fundine wn[u]enandly.”
þane quynciane gert hir hyng
one hicht, & syne hyre dyng,
& in hir pap wirk hir way,
& syne ryfe it quhyt in twa.
þane scho sad: “tyrand fel
& prentyse of þe feynd of hel!
to fra me ryfe has þu na schame
sic as þu swkyt of þi dame?
bot ȝet haf I my papis hale
in my sawle, & euire sal.”
þane gert he put hire in presone,
& mad strat Inhibicione,
þat na man accesss suld hafe
to leche hire na hir lyf safe,
na for til gyf hire til hir fud
bred or wattir, to do hir gud.
& as scho set about mydnycht
in þat pressone forowt lycht,
ane commone ald man enteryt þare,
& a barne befor hyme bare
of brynnand sergis sic fusione
þat licht as day ves þe presone;
& brocht al medycinaris nere,
þat for hyr tyse gannand were,
& sad hir: “[þo] þe consulare
in ser wais torment þe sar,
ȝet has þu done hym wel mare il
in ansuer þu has mad hyme til;
& þo he þi fare pape haf ryfine,
to þe hel sal sone be gyfine.”
þane sad scho: “medycyne fleschly
ȝet gef I neuir to my body,
& schame war gyf I now tynt it
& sa lang now had It kepyt.”
þane sad þe ald: “my douchtyr dere,
schame nocht with me in na manere,
for I ame cristine man, þu trew.”
quod scho: “schame may nocht helpe nov,
bot I lowe þe fadir of blis,
þat þus of me thochtful is,
as for to do sic besynes
to confort me in to distres.”
“quhen wil þu thole, quod þe man,
þat I þe helpe, sene I crafte cane?”
quod scho: “for I haf god nere,
þat be word ma mak me fere,
&, gyf it lykand til hyme be,
at his wil he ma hele me.”
quod he: “I ame his appostil, þou trew,
& to heile þe, he send me now,
&, lo, art þu nov hale & sownd
of al weme & als of wond!”
sanct petir þane vanyst away;
& scho one kneys fel but delay,
& lowit god þat scho hir fand
hale & fere, fut and hand.
þe geyleris tuk þe flicht,
þai war sa red of þe gret lycht;
ȝet ane of þame þane hire bad,
þat away scho vald pas sa stad.
quod scho: “god scheld þat I
tyne my crone, nov is redy!”
quod quyncyane: “gif þu wil lyf,
honoure til oure godis þou gife!”
quod scho: “þu trew trewly
þat al þi wordis are foly.
suld I honoure stok or stane
or ony thing bot god alane,
þat helyt veile has my body,
þat þu gert ryf sa cruely?”
sad quynciane: “quhat is he?”
quod agatha: “of hewine god he,
þe quhilk till þat I
ma lif, sal luf Ithandly.”
quod quincyane: “now we sal se
gyf þi criste ma helpe þe.”
þane bad he schellis & brynnand cole
straw in þe floure, herd to thole,
& nakyt þare-one hire rol,
til scho of ded had quyt þe tol.
& as [þ]ay his byding had
fulfillit, but mare abad
þe erde steryt sa felloun[l]y,
þat al þe cyte in til hy
schuke & to-giddire strake,
& of mystrowand tuk sic wrake,
þat of þe ton gret part can fal,
& twa gret consulis with-al
of quincyane ware smorit son.
þan blamyt þe puple hym rycht son,
& sad til hyme in gret hy:
“al þus we thole for þi foly.”
þane dred he þe sedicione,
& gert haf hire ȝet in pressone.
þar scho mad hire oracione;
& as to god scho had tald
hire oracione, þe gast scho ȝald,
thre hundre l. ȝeris & thre
fra god man lykit here to be.
þane hewinely men, of marmour fyn,
a tabil mad, & lad it syne
by þe cors, & away son
þai vanist but ony hone,
of þar sicht wanest away
& neuire ware sene to þis day.
& wrytine ves in þat tabil
rycht fare lettire & legeable:
“haly thocht, wilful & clene,
& honoure gef scho god but wen;
& deliuerance of hire cuntre
scho gat at god, & mad It fre.”
& fra þis tale, I tel ȝow nov,
ves kid, als wele payane & Iow
& crystine men come, in-to wil
devot prayere [to] mak hire til.
& quincyane, eftire ded scho ves,
socht hir riches in syndry place.
sa come twa hors þat sythtware,
& fast faucht vith dyntis sare,
& of þe hors rycht fast þe tane
vith his fete dang quincyane,
& þe todir bate hyme faste
& in þe rywere cane hym caste.
bot in quhat place his caryon lay,
west nane to þis day.
& eftir, be a ȝere wes ovtgane
þat agatha þe ded had tane,
a gret hyl, ves nere þe ton,
brak owt in fyre & brynt don,
weltrand, as [it] a borne had bene,
meltand stanis & erde brynt clene,
& sa ner come [to] þe tone
be lyklynes to bere It done.
þane of payanis a multytud,
seand þis, one wallis stud,
for reddure war abaisit sa,
þat þai ne wist quhar to ga.
þan come þame to mynd percace
þe uertu of sanct Agas;
& til hir fertre went þai,
& tuk a clath [þat] þar-one lay,
& sped þame vith It to þe wal,
& with a cord let it oure fal
agane þe fyre; & It stud stil
ne come nerrare þe ton til.
þar-for, sanct Agatha, I þe pray
þu helpe ws sa, at we may
owt of þis wrechit warld twyne
but sudende ded, schame, & syne.