 | Legends of the Saints in the Scottish Dialect of the Fourteenth Century |  |
1
[PROLOGUE.]
Catone sais, þat suthfaste thing is,þat Idilnes giffis novrysingis
to vicis. þare-for, quha-sa wil be
vertuise suld Idilnes fle,
as sais “þe romance of þe rose,”
but settyng to of ony glose,
þat, thru þe vicis of ydilnes,
gret foly, quhile, & vantones
syndry hartis enteris withine,
& gerris men ofte sic thing begyne,
þat þai ma nocht fra thyne be brocht,
fra þai þare-in beset þare thocht.
þar-for þo lordis suld nocht [sa] wirke,
þat steris landis & haly kirke;
ȝit, quhene þai hafe þare thing done,
þat afferis þare stat, alsone
þai suld dresse þare deuocione,
in prayere & in oracione,
or thingis þat þare hart mycht stere
tyl wyne hewine, tyl þai are here.
& þe next way þare-to, I trew,
Is for to red ore here now
storysse of sere haly men,
þat to plesss god vs ma kene,
þat as merroure ar vs to,
2
þare-fore, in lytil space here,
I wryt þe lyf of sanctis sere,
how þat men ma ensample ta
for to serwe god, as did þai.
& quha-sa wil nocht, sal haf blam,
quhen he sal cume til his lang ham.
þar-for, sene I ma nocht wirk
as mynistere of haly kirke,
fore gret eld & febilnes,
ȝet, for til eschew ydilnes,
I hafe translatit symply
sume part, as I fand in story,
of mary & hir sone Ihesu,
þat, as I tre[w], is notyt now
in syndry placis in wryt,
to gere deuot men think on It:
hou oure lady consawit ves,
& of hir birth þe blissitnes,
& of dedis of hir barned,
& hou scho can hir-selwyn led,
demaynand hire in althing ewine,
til scho consawit godis sone of hewyne,
thru steryng of þe haly gest,
scho beand altyme vergine chaste;
& hou þat crist ves of hire borne,
to ransone mankynd þat ves lorne,
& hou scho fosteryt hyme & fed,
& hou in egipe syne hyme led,
& hou, quhen ded ves herrod fel,
scho [cum] agane til israel,
& forthir of þis story syne,
til he of watere mad þe wyne.
syne tuk I one hand to tret
forthire & of þe ewangel speke,
3
richt to cristis ascencione,
tretand þar-eftire be lele witnes,
hou þat criste rase in to þat flesch,
þat he had tane of oure lady;
& how til hel he vent in hy,
& of þe merwalis he vrocht þare;
& hou he brocht vs fra þe care;
& hou þat longius, þe knycht
þat of his ene had tynt þe sycht,
& mad ȝet þare in cristis syd
a slope, þat ves bath lang & vyd,
vith ane scharpe spere a-pon þe rud,
bot, quhen til his hand ran þe blud,
& vith þat hand [he] twechit his he,
thru grace of god he can se,
& syne of god sic grace he had,
þat for hyme he ves martyre mad.
& of his modire syne sad I
sume thing, þo It be rudly:
hou scho demanyt hir flesche,
til saule & body to-gydir ves.
syne mad I furth sum mencione
of criste & his compassione,
þat scho in-til hire hart had hyd,
quhen scho saw hou þe Iouys ded
vith hyme, þat scho of body bare,
þe quhilk þat scho saw pynit þare.
syne mad I furth mencione
of hir ded & hir assumpcione,
& hou þat crist in hewine but wene
his modir cronyt & mad quene.
syne of ferlyis þat war wrocht
be hir in erd, lefit I nocht,
til I had mad þaim redy
4
& ȝet vald I, & I mycht,
na var eld & falt of sycht,
of þe twelf appostolis spek now,
þat var rycht dere one-til Ihesu,
& war vith hyme as chosine knychttis,
seruand hyme bath day & nychtis;
for he had þame inflammyt swa,
þat nan of þaim vald part hym fra.
for his luf to de þai ne rocht,
na ȝet of varldly thingis thocht,
til þat he ves vith þaim in lyfe.
& quhen he ded ves, alss swyth. [OMITTED]
In-to þe nycht as candil clere,
and as salt sesonis all,
þe hartiss at one crist will cale.
and als god gaff þame sic mycht,
at þai had haile poware and slycht
To confownde þe fend, our fa,
quhen he conuertit ony of þai;
ffor þai raisit dede men to lyff,
and þai þat tynt had wittis fyffe,
þai restoryt þame allswa
fra schenschepe of oure felone fay;
As to deff men gyfand herynge,
and to blynd men als scharpe seynge,
and spek till oþer at war dum,
Handis and fet till oþire sum,
And of all sekness, and of all bale,
In name of Ihesu þai mad haile,
As he had hecht before þame to,
5
and god, at is of mekill mycht,
of þis warld callit þame þe lichte,
and sad þame alswa, quhen at he
suld sit in sege of maieste,
þai twelf suld set with hym-self,
and of israel demande þe k[y]nrikis xij;
and ȝet oure þat, he þame gafe
Playne powar our þe laffe,
to bynd and loiss, as þame thocht,
al syne to þame to schryfte ware brocht.
And disciplis ȝet had he may,
forowtin þir, sewinty and twa,
þat ware with hym in gret distress,
In þis warld till at he wess,
and eftyre scalit ware wyd-quhare,
to wyne þe folk to cristis lare,
and for þare trawel syne can win
þe bliss of hewin þat þai are In.
And þis wess a swet company.
Bot to þe apostulis now will I,
In ordour set, as I find it
Comprehendit in haly wryt;
and heire I will þare namyss schaw:
Sanct petir first and syne Androw,
Iames þe mare and Iohn alswa—
blesit be þai breþir twa!
Philip syne and bertholomow;
next þame, thomas and mathow,
Iames þe less and Tadee with-all,
his broþer, at we Iuda call,
and symon of Cananee,
syne Iudas skarioth—bot he
Deit; and quhen he wes dede,
Mathias wes chosin in his stede.
sum part be eleccion,
6
apostil syne chesit paule,
To helpe and succour many sawle.
bot thowcht god chesit Androw firste
to be ane apostill, as hym leste,
at Petir firste I wald begyne,
and sa furtht to myn purposs win;
for Petir prince wes of þame all,
at apostulis now we call.
| Legends of the Saints in the Scottish Dialect of the Fourteenth Century | |