University of Virginia Library

Of sancte thomas spek vil we,
next sancte Iohne in his degre.
quhen thomas In cesaria
cristis treutht prechit to & fra,
oure lord apperit til hym þare,
& til hym sad: “I wil þu fare
til Inde, & lefit fore na thinge,
quhare gundoforus is þare kynnge,
þat nov has send his proveste here,
abney, bis[i]ly fore to spere
a man, þat sic palace can make,
þat he in grete thank vil take,
and als reward hym t[h]ankfully,
gyfe he his varke dois parfytly.
for-þi til hym I will send þe.”
thomas sad: “lorde, I pray þe,
þat þu send me quhare-euir þou will,
ovtane þe felloune Indis till.”
þane god a-gane can til hym say:
“to þa fel yndis hald þi way;
for þi protectour sal I be.
quhen þu hale ynd has to me
conuertyt, þu sal in hy
cum to me vith þe victory.”
þane til oure lord thomas can say:
“þi vil, lorde, be doune ay!
fore lo, þi servand þat þi vill,
to pase quhare þu vil send me til.”
þan þis abney vent vpe & done
In-to þe merkete of þe towne:
oure lord in-to forme of mane
hym met, & hym fraynit þane,
quhat he soucht. & [he] in hy
sad: “sik a man of craft seke I,
þat, thru gret crafte vith costly thinge,
Cuth mak a palace til oure kynge,
as þe gretaste of rome are mad.”
vith þat oure lord but abad
be-thacht hym thomas be þe hand,
as þe maste crafty of þat land,
& þat beste cuth do sic thinge
othir fore emprioure ore kynge.
þan vent þai to þe se but bad,
& þat þare vil gud vend þai had,
& aryvyt at a citte,
quhare þe kinge of þat cunctre
of nev his douchter vedit had,
& fore þat cause a gret feste mad,
& gerte mak gret monicione,
þat al þat euire vare in þe tovne
of al degre, maste and leste,
suld but assonȝe cum to þat feste,
&, as þai vald þe kingis dedenȝe
eschev, na manne suld fenȝe.

thane hapnyte thomas & abnene
þare to cum amange þir mene.
& quhene þai set var in þe hall,
a madyne com amange þam all
of hebrow borne In-to þe land,
hafand a quyschile in-to hand,
& of ilke man but abade
ane lowynge in hir myrth scho mad.
& quhen schow com to sancte thomas,
amange al vthire þat þare ves,
scho had sone persavinge þane,
þat he of hebrow ves a manne;
for nothir ete na drinnge vald he,
bot to þe hewine had ay is he.
for-[þi] of hym in-to lowynge
vith hir fistule þan can scho synge
of his cuntre in-to þe lede:
“þare is bot a god but drede,
þat of hebreis þe god Is,
& makare of althinge I-wis.”
& quhen he hard hir say sa,
rycht besily he can hire pray,
In þe sammyne led, fore til repete
þai sammyne wordis, hym to rehete.
a seruand of þe houss vith þat
be-held þe manere how he sat,
& mete & drink vald nocht assay,
bot to þe hewine ves govand ay,
gafe hym a gret strak on þe schek.
& þe appostil, þat wes meke,
sad: “sir, bettir is þat þu
for þis trespace be punyst nov,
þan þar-fore þu be punyste sare,
quhare pardone sal be neuir mare.
þar-fore ryse of þis place I ne vil,
til a hund þat hand brinnge me til,
þat nov has strekine me so sare.”
vith þat þat servand mad hym ȝare,
a-gane þat etinge had þe kinge,
þe velvatter for to brynge.
& as he vent in-to þe strete,
a fel hund sone can hym mete,
and veryt hym, & drank his blud;
and hundis ete hym to þare fud.
& a blak hund þat ves nere-hand,
quhen þai hym ȝet, gat his Richt hand,
& in þe myddis of þe hall
gat It, & lad before þame all.
& quhen þai had þat sicht sene,
þai ware abaisit al bedene.
þe vordis þan of þe appostil
þis madyn tald þam al till,
& hyre fistule kiste sone away,
& til his fet fel but delay.
þane al þat sat þar-in a-bout,
of þis had bath ferly & dovt,
persavand þat sancte thomas
ves a man fulfillit of grace.
for-þi þe kinge prayt hym þat tyd,
þat bath þe brydgrome & þe bryd
he vald blyse ore he ȝed avay.
þan thomas on þis vijs can say:
“der Ihesu, þat of hewine is kynge,
blyss vith þi hand þis gadd[er]ynge
& [in] þar hartis þe sed schaw
of lestand [lif], þat þai þe knaw
þe suthfaste god þat lestis ay.”
vith þat sancte thomas vent avay.
& in þe hand of þat ȝunge man
a branche fare ves fundyne þan
of a palme tre, þat datis bare,
þe fayreste ves euir sene þare.
& of þat fare froyte in þat tyd
bath ete þe bryd-grome & þe bryd,
& one slepe syne fel þai rath,
& a lyk dreme dremyt þai bath.

thame thocht þe maste costly kynge
& maste fare oure al thinge,
schrove in gold & stanis sere,
as thame thocht, to þam suld appere,
& in armys can brase
þame bath in-to þat Ilke place,
& sad: “myn appostil ȝov
blessit, sa þat ȝe ar now
parsaneris of lestand lyfe,
quhare ȝe sal euir duel but stryfe.”
& quhen þai vaknyt, þai can tel
athire til vthire as It befel
to þame þan in þar dremynge,
þat ves lyk in alkine thinge.
& as þai þuss-gat carpand vare,
þe appostil to þam com þare,
þat euire had be goddis grace,
þocht þe chavmer wel closit vas,
& sad: “myn lord to ȝou send me,
þocht þis place vell closit be,
þat myn blissinge ma on ȝou reste.
þar-for sais to me now fyrste,
gyfe ȝe forout corrupcione
of flesche kepit myn benysone!
for chastite is souerane quene
of al vertuise euir bedene,
& of euir lestand hele vith-al;
& virginite ve ma cal
cister til angelis, þat ay
seruis to god nycht & day,
& of al gudis þe valdinge,
& of lustis al þe ourcumyn[g]e,
& of treutht þe rewarde,
& puttinge of þe fend bakvart,
and sikirnes of þe Ioy, þat ay
lestis. & til ȝou I say
þat ruttinge com of þe flesch lechery,
þat oysit is al commonly;
of rottinge pollucione
Is generit, in oure flesche þar done;
& of pollucione of flesche
grovis, as ve vat, giltines;
& of giltines þe schame
Is generit, & of It þe blame.”
& as þe apostil tald þis here,
twa come and tald vith glad chere:
“ve ar angelis, ȝe sal vele treu,
send fra god to kepe ȝou now,
þat sal, and ȝe þe bidding ȝeme
of þe apostil wel & queme,
to god sal present al ȝour vil,
þat rychtwijs ȝarning suld of skil.”
þe apostil þan þame baptist þare,
& mad parfyt in cristis lare.
eftir þat pelagia—
þat ves þe bryd—þe val can ta,
þat halouyt ves, & þe gold rynge;
& sone for hir fare prechinge
vith stedfaste hart tholit dede.
& hyr spouse syne of þat stede
ves mad bischope, fore he ves vyse;
& til his name he had d[e]neyse.