University of Virginia Library

AMange al vthir of þat land,
a fare ȝounge man sancte Iohn fand,
þe quhilk, þocht he wes fellone,
he wane to god thru his sermone;
and to a bischope hym betaucht,
to trete hym wele fore all his maucht;
for of depose in to þe name
he lefit hym with hym, to fle blame.
þe bischope tretyt hym for-þi,
as he his son var, tendirly.
bot fra he to rype elde wane
he lefit þe bischope, & vent þan
to sterk thefis, & but abad
þare master man þai sone hym mad.
syne eftir, quhar þe bischope wes,
hapnyt sancte Iohne to cum on case,
and bad hym þe depose furth bryng,
þat he lefit in his kepynge.
þe [bischope] wes abaysit þane,
as veinand þat þe haly man
had askit hym sum money,
as In depose þat with hym lay.
bot sancte Iohne þat k[n]ew his thocht,
sad: “sik depose ask I þe nocht,
bot þe ȝounge man I ask þe,
þat, as depose, þou tuk fra me.”
þe bischope sad: “faddir dere,
as In sawle he is ded but were,
and with theffis in sik a hyll
as prince is dwelland to do Ill.”
and quhene þe appostil herd hym say
þat þe ȝonge man wes sa away,
he rafe his clathis & befte his face,
and to þe bischope sad: “allace!
I wend til haf wel done þane,
quhen I betaucht þe þat mane!”
a horse þan gat he til hym ȝare,
and he lape one forowtyn mare,
and to þat hyll In gret hy
prekit, & onabasytly.
and quhen þat ȝounge man saw þat he
come prekand in sic degre,
he ves schamyt, & ves schone,
and one his horse gat alsone,
and fled. bot sancte Iohne fo[r]ȝetand elde,
prekyt faste eftyr, & hym behelde,
cryand hey: “swet sone dere,
fle nocht, bot byd, þi faddir here
ane ald man, vnermyt now,
þat mon ȝeld resone, wele þou trew,
to criste for þi saule; & ȝet I,
to de for þe, is al redy,
as criste did, al oure myse to mend.
for-þi turne þe, fore god me send
to wyne þe, þat þou be nocht tynte!”
þane he, þat fled fyrste, can stynt,
and þane sa fore-thocht his mysded,
þat he gret sar for his mysded,
and fel done to sancte Iohnnys fete,
and vith his teris can þame vete,
and þam and handis kyssit swa,
In hope þat he suld pardone ta.
sancte Iohne to his reutht tent can tak,
and for hym bath can fast & wak,
and prayt for hym, til he wes
restoryt wele to goddis grace.