University of Virginia Library

[O]f þar ydolis þe bischope,
aristodemus, þat wes ȝape,
raisit a gret sedicione
In þe puple of þat towne,
sa þat þai drew to partyse þare,
Ilkane vthir til sla al ȝare.
þan sad Iohne til aristodeme:
“sa þu wil þis folk mak quem,
sa me quhat þou wil I do,
and I sal sone consent þar-to.”
he sad: “gyf þou wil I trew
In þi god, I wil þat þu
drinke þe venome I sal þe gyfe;
and [gyf] þat þar-eftir [þu] ma lyf
but hourte or schath in þe,
I sal treu þi god suthfaste be.”
sad sancte Iohne: “þat do wil I.”
aristodemus þan in hy
sad: “I wil þu se twa
ded of þe venome þu sal ta,
þat þu þe mare abasit be,
þat þai de þat þou ma se.”
aristodemus went vith þat
to þe proconsul, quhare at he sat,
and twa þat suld hedit be
fore þar trespace, bocht he,
and before al þam of þe towne,
he gert þame drynk dedly poysone,
and þai sone but ony mare
fel ded done in þat place þare.
sancte Iohne ȝet but abaysitnes
þe saymne drink tuk neuir-þe-les,
and croysit It, & drank al oute
but rednes with blith wlte.
þane al þe folk, þat saw þat sycht,
be-gud to lofe god of mycht.
bot aristodeme sad in hy:
“In sum parte ȝet dout haf I;
bot gyf þu ma in-to þis sted
rase þir twa men fra ded,
fore-owte dowt þan sal I trew
In þat god, þou prechis now.”
sancte Iohne tuk of þan his kirtill,
and to þe vntreufull gawe it till.
sad he: “quhat amowis þe
þe kyrtil fore to gyf to me?”
quod he: “to þat entent, þat þu
of þi mystreutht haf scham now.”
þan Aristodemus cane say:
“quhat! venis þu þi kirtil ma
ger me of fors in þi goddis trev?”
þane sad sancte John: “ga furth nov,
and vith myn kirtil but delay
hele ȝone ded men, & þus say:
‘cristis appostil send me now
In his name to resuscit ȝou.’”
and quhen aristodeme had done,
þai rudly sone did Ionys biddinge,
rase; and þe proconsul, þat wes ȝape,
and of þare lawis þe bischope,
trowit in criste, & al þer kyne
Thru baptisme forsuk þar syne,
and In worschipe of sancte Iohn mad
a fare kirke but abad.
for he conuertyt had nerhand
al hale þe puple of þat land.
þan mad he byschoppis ay-quhare,
to strinth and vpehald goddis lare,
and min[i]stris of syndry state,
till enforme þe puple, how-gate
þai suld varly kepe þam fra syn,
and thru gud ded syne hewyn wyne.