University of Virginia Library

As recordis Iohne cassiane,
a ȝounge man quhile a fule had tan,
quhilk we ane partryk cal,
and to sancte Iohne com þare-vith-al,
and gaf It, as in dingnite.
and blithly it resawit he,
and softly vith his handis twa
It handlyt, & þ[a]r-of [play] cane ma.
þe ȝunge man saw þat he plait
vith þat foule, & til vthire sad:
“be-hald ȝone ald, & se how ȝarne
he plais vith ȝone foule, as a barne!”
þat quhen sancte Iohne persavit had,
thru spyryt þat hym þe schauyn mad,
he þat ȝung man askit but mare,
quhat It ves in hand he bare.
“It is myn bow, I tel ȝu to,”
quod he. “quhat sal ȝu vith it do?”
“and þe foulis þare-vith I sla,
and lytil bestis vthir ma.”
sad sancte Johne: “þu lat me se
in quhat maner þat suld be!”
þe ȝunge man þan his bov bent syne,
and vith his hand þare-vith can lyne.
sancte Iohne þan a quhyle ves stil,
þane spake na thinge þe ȝung man til;
and þar-for he [h]is bow vnbent.
þane sad sancte Iohne: “tel þi entent,
quhy þu vnbent þi bow sa sone!”
“bot,” he quod, “I sa had done,
It suld hafe bene son out of pyth
to schot ony takil vith.”
þane sancte Iohne ansuerit þer-til:
“sa do I for þe sammyn skyll;
for manis brokilnes ma nocht
of contemplacion haf thocht
bot sum disport Ithandly,
na It suld be quhile wery,
as of þi bow þou sais me,
gyf þat It bent suld lange tym be;
for þocht þe eyrne fle heyeste,
and þe sone seis clerlyaste,
ȝet mon of fors he cum done
to þe law ȝerd, & þer suiorne,
rycht sa manis deuocione,
þat quhile fra contemplacione
Is drawyne, sal þe scharpar be,
and þe devotare, quhen þat he
eftsonis dresss hym to pray;
for temporale thing lestis nocht ay.”