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thane com a pylgrime sodanly
to þe ȝet, and fast can cry,
for goddis sak entre askand;
and fore he sped nocht, with his hand
he knokit faste apon þe ȝet,
sayand, fayne he wald haf met
before þe bischope, ore ellis nocht,
fore þare-for had he þiddir socht.
þane come þe portare in but hone,
and to þe bischope sad rycht sone
þat. quhen þe bischope herd, þat he
askit met in sic degre,
he askit þe lady quhat hyr thocht,
gyf he suld haf entre or nocht.
scho sad: “schere, me think resone
þat ȝe ask hym sum harde questione,
þe quhilk gyf he can nocht vndo,
þat þe entre be warnyt hym to;
for, gyf hym wantis sic prudence,
he suld nocht cum in ȝour presence.”
þe bischope thocht, and all þe lafe,
þe sentence ganand þat scho gafe.
þane speryt þai vpe and done,
quha suld mak þis questione;
bot þar wald no man vndertak
sa sle a question for to mak.
þe bischope sad: “lady, sene ȝe
of sle spekine has sutelte,
with wisdome þare-to at ȝore wil,
sendis ȝe questione hym til!”
þane sad scho: “sir, askis hym in hy
of þis warld þe maste ferly,
þat god in lytil space has wrocht.”
and to þat man, quhen þis wes brocht,
he mad answere but abad,
þat þe maste merwale, þat god mad
“Is in þe visage of þe mane,
þat all are lyk, and ȝet, nocht-þan,
In ilke face In sum degre,
men fyndis diuersyte
of almen þat euir has bene
sen þe warld was, forout wene.
And in þe face þe wittis all
of þe cors are stedyt, gret & smal.”
and quhen þis ansuere wes mad
till al þat in þe hall abade,
cuth na man fynd till amend
þe answer, þat wes to þam send.
ȝet sad þe lady: “bot I wyll
ane vthyre questione send hym till,
quhare-In we ma assay his wit;
and gyf he will answere It,
he is worthy till haf entre.
þare-fore sperys at hym, gyf he
can say, quhare þe erd hyest Is.”
and quhen þe pilgram had herd þis,
he sad: “þe corse of dere Ihesu
In hewyne empyre is heyest nov,
þat sammyne is bath god and man
In a persone; sa mane we þane
trew, þat þe erde in his persone
Is in þe hyeste regione.”
þane he þat mediatoure had bene,
and hard þis answere all bedene,
recordyt it to þe bischope all
as he harde, bath gret & smal.
þane all þat in þe hall were,
llowit þe pilgrame answere,
and sad, worthy ware þat he
to þe hall suld welcum be.

bot þe lady ȝet sad: “nay,
anis ȝet we wil assay,
and þe thred tyme al-þire-beste,
and wit gyf he doucht to be geste;
fore proponyt till hym sal be
a thinge of gret diffyculte,
and myrke, and hard fore to say,
gyf his wit gud be til assay;
and gywe he cane vndo þat worde,
he may wele syt at ȝoure awne burde.
þare-fore spere at hym, quhat space is ewyne
fra þe ȝerde vpe to þe hewyne?”
þe portare þane þis demand mad
to þe pilgrame, quha but abade
sad to hyme agane: “þu ga
til hyre þat cane þis demand ma,
and spere at hyre grathly;
for schow wat It bettyr þane I;
fore schow met It, quhen scho fell
of þe hey hevine done to hell;
and fore þat I in hell neuir wes,
I cane nocht grathly tel þe space.
and say þis bischope als, þat schow
þat sic demand has mad me to,
Is þe fende in wemanis schape,
hyme with fandinge til vmlape.”
þe portare, þat hard hym sa say,
come till þe hall but delay,
haffand wondir with rednes,
[&] tald þis til all þat þare wes,
quhare-of þai had gret ferly.
bot þe fend wes away in hy,
sonare na ony man cuth thynke,
and lewit þe place full of stinke.
þe bischope þane hymself blamyt,
þat wes in poynte to hawe ben schamyt,
quhene he consentit fore to syne,
and fore þat cause þe fend socht hym.
þane he repentyt hym in hy
of his trespace and his foly,
and gret with his ewyne rycht sare,
and bad þe portare pase but mare
to bringe þe pilgram. bot he þane
away wes went fra sicht of mane.
þe bischope gert þe puple call,
and word be wourd sad to þa all,
how þat þe fend come till his In
In wemanis schape, to ger hym syne,
and commawndit þam fore to pray
fore hyme, als wakk and fast þe day,
til god of his debonare will
one sum manere wald schau þam til,
quha-euire wes þe pylgram, þat sa
saffyt hym fra his felone fa.
þane til hym-self þat nycht but bad
In visione wes warning mad,
þat sancte Andro, to god rycht dere,
“as a pylgrame apperyt here,
to kepe þe fra þe fend, þat, na he,
had wikitly confundyt þe.”
and þe bischope fra þat tym, ay
to sancte Andrew nycht and day,
wes mare dewote ine al thinge
of sancte Androw in þe lowynge,
to quham wyrschipe and honour be
of alkyne men in al degre!
ȝet men mycht say mekile thinge
of sancte Andrew in lowinge;
bot, fore I am alde and swere,
I will say no mare of hym here.
bot lowis hym gretly, for he wes
our al þe lave of maste meknes,
and wes þe fyrste man of þam al,
þat we appostil now can call,
þat chosyne ware with criste to be,
all his derreste and mast priwe.
and syne sanct petir, his awn broþir,
he broucht to criste before al vthyre,
and syne deit apone þe tre,
as In It deit his master fre.
þar-for he suld haf honowringe,
þat sa thankful til hevynis kinge
was fyrste and laste, and traste is now
to bruk þat blyse with dere Ihesu,
þat ay sal leste but ony end,
to þe quhilk blyse he vs al send!