University of Virginia Library

Thane twa ȝounge men in þat place
stud, and saw how þis don was,
sald al þe thinge þat þai had,
and gafe þe þrice but ony bad
to pur men, & mad þare dwellinge
with sancte Iohne to here his prechinge.
It hapnyt syne þir ȝunge men twa
vith Iohne, þare master, for to ga,
and saw quhyle men þat had bene
þare ser[v]andis cled in clathis schene,
and skantly had Ilkane of þa
a singill clath, fore-owtine ma.
þane begouth þai soroful to be.
and fra sancte Iohne þat can se,
small stanis of þe sand
he gadderit vpe in-to his hand,
and turnyt þam in gemmys schene
and in gold fyne and clene,
and bad þai twa men to him bringe
sle men of crafte, þat knew þat thynge.
and sa, but mare, on went þai twa,
sik men sekand to and fra
sewine dais but suiornynge.
and crafty men þan can þai brynge,
þat, quhen þai had þe gemmys sene,
and þe gold, þat ves fyne and clene,
sad, þat nane of þame before
had sene þe preciuse tresore
of fyne gold & of stanis dere.
þane sad he to þai twa: “cum here,
and with þis gud by agane all
þat ere ȝe sald, bath gret & small;
for hewynly reward tynt haf ȝe.
bot florysand a quhile ȝe be,
þat ȝe ma eftirwart falow;
and in riches habund ȝe now,
þat ȝe but end beggeris be!”
þane a-gayne riches arguit he,
and sex cause schavit quhy
þat þai men war þan vnhappy,
þat sa set þar appetyte
In Riches to hafe delyte.
and þe fyrste skil to preve It
he tuk vt of haly vryte,
of þat velfull gret gluttone,
þat varldis velth had in fusione,
and of laȝare, þat met grawe
of his medynge, bot nan hym gafe.
þe todir is, þat all þat ware
or In þis varld þat [ar], cumys bare,
and but riches passis away,
quhen ded of þame wil ma his pray.
þe thryd is, þat al creatur
to be commone settis þare cur,
as sone, mone, sternis al smal,
presis þam to serwe til all,
and rane als, and þe self ayr clere,
sa suld men do til þai ar here,
al þat þai haf mak commone thinge
of mysterful in till helpynge.
þe ferd is fortone, þat wil say
þat riche man is thril alway
to twa: þe tane, is riches
þat he gadderis with gredines,
and servis It, bot It nocht sa hym;
and sa is he fendis lyme;
for he þat mony heppis ay,
Is seruand þare-to nycht and day.
þe fyfte is, sa gret besynes
he has for to get riches,
and besy thocht of þe kepynge,
and gret dut of þe tynynge.
þe sexit scath is, for riches ay
are cause of tynsale nycht & day;
fore riches, prowd and fell,
þai rekis nocht of þe saule hele,
na ȝet þe self fend dredis he nocht,
þat one riches settis his thocht,
na duttis nocht þar-thru to tyne
þe Ioy, þat ma neuir haf fyne.

as sancte Iohne disputand wes
one þis maner agane riches,
men brocht þe cors of a ȝounge man
to be grawine, þat before þane
thretty dais had veddit bene;
for-quhy þat vedo can hym mene,
and his modir and frendis sere
for hym gret, and mad Il chere.
and, in entent þare bale to bete,
þai fel dewot to sancte Ionis fet,
and prayt hym, rycht as he
gert drusiane resuscit be,
þat he wald, one þe sammyn manere,
raise [hym], þat lay [ap-]one þat beyre,
In name of god. & þare-with he
gret Increly fore pure pitte,
and sa to god prayt for þat man,
þat he fra ded to lyfe hym wan,
and commawndit, quhen þis wes done,
to þa twa ȝonge men to tel sone,
þat for-thocht be-cause þat þai
had sald þar gud sa clene away,
þocht þai It þane recouerit had,
quhat payne in hel þam a-bad,
and quhatk[i]ne Ioy þat þai had tynte.
and he tald þane, or euir he stynte,
of paradyse þe Ioy parfyt,
and þe gret blyss and þe delyt;
and of paynis hard and fell,
he tald þam, þat he schaw in hell,
and [sad]: “wrechis, mend ȝow ȝeit!
for ȝour gud angel I saw gret,
and þe feyndis rycht blyth & glad,
for ȝe twa vnhappy tynte had
far palacis þat sal leste euirmare,
schenand with gemmys oure-al-quhare,
and full of Ioy and of delyte.”
and syne aucht paynis tald he tyte,
þat grathit ar in hell fore men,
þat In þis lyf wil nocht god kene:
fellone wormys, þat is to say,
and thike myrknes lestand ay,
and scurgis scharpe, & cald to-gyddir,
þat makis wrechis ful chel to diddir,
and broland fyre, quhare þai sal dwel,
and sycht of fendis, fers and fell,
and schame of synnis, þat ma nocht
amendit be, and dole of thocht.
þane he, þat wes resuscit sa,
and þe todir discipulis twa
to Iohnnis fet fel don in hy,
prayand þat þai mycht wyn mercy.
þan þe appostil sad þame to:
“thretty dais ȝe penance do,
prayand god, oure helpe þat is,
þat þis gold and þir preciuse stanis
to þare firste mater ma be brocht!”
and, as he bad, quhen þai had wrocht,
he sad: “tak þir, & with þame ga
to þe place ȝe brocht þam fra!”
and þai went furth in ful gud vyl,
and al his bydynge can fulfill.
and gold and stanis in þat houre
var turnyt in þare ane nature;
and þai twa vane agane but bad
al þe vertu, þat þai fyrst had.