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the apostil þan thru his gud lare
Infowrmyt al þat var þare
schortly of thre, þat is to say,
þat þai suld honoure þe kirk ay,
& to the prestis do honoure
of haly kyrk þat has þe cure,
& be na way þat þai ware swere
goddis vord euir to here.
þe quen þan com agane
þe kynnge, þat hyr þis can f[r]ane:
“quhar has þu bene, dame, al day?”
till hyme sodanly can scho say:
“I wende myn cistere mygdony
had bene a fowle, but nov se I
þat wyser wyfe ma nocht be;
fore to þe apostil scho brocht me,
þat has me kend þe suthfast vay
to cristis blyse, þat lestis ay.”
þe quene vald nocht fra þat day
bede with þe kynge be ony way.
þe kynge, þat wes þan full gretly
grewit, bad þai suld in hy—
þat þai suld þe apostil bynd
fulfaste his handis hym behynd,
& brynge to hym but delay.
& quhen he come, þis can he say:
“þu hyll man & of will thra,
þat gerris oure wiffis fra vs ga,
Induce þam now to cum ws till,
gyf þe ded þu eschew will!”
þe apostil sais: “one na-kyne vyse
may I do þat, quhil þat þu Is
In sic erroure as þu arte now,
as be ensampil þu may trew,
as Is þe ensampile of þe kynge,
& of þe towre, & þe wylsprynge.
for þu, þat kynge & mychtty Is,
deigneis nocht till hafe ful serwice,
but wil þat, quha serwis þe,
mane or wemen, honeste be;
þane sal þu trew in þe sammyn vyse,
þat god ȝarnis honeste serwice
of man or wyf, quhethir it be,
þat seruis hym in þare degre.
þar-for, me think, I serwe no blame
quhen I say: god luffis þe sammynne
In his serwandis, as þu will
þi serwandis trewly serwe þe till.
& I with besynes & cure
has bygyt now a wel he toure,
& þu, me thinke, for fawt of wyt,
byddis me now distroy It;
& I hafe dolvyne in þe erde eke,
a spryngayd in It to seke,
& has fundyne, and þu sais me
þat I suld stope [it] & lat be?”
þan wes þe kynnge Angry and wrath,
& bad his tormentouris wel rath
brynge platis of Irne & stele,
& in þe fyre gert het þam wele,
& ger þe appostil one þam stand,
bundyne faste bath fwt & hand,
bar-fwte. bot þare a ferly fell:
þat vndyr þam sprange vpe a well
& sloknyt sone be goddis grace
þai brynnand platis in þat place.
& þane þe kynge at þe consell
of his macht, þat wes ferly fell,
gert het ane oyne hat brynnand,
& thomas þare-In fute & hand
gert put. bot sone but bade
thru goddis grace It cald wes mad,
& [he] þe tothire day but were
of It come owt hale & fere.
& þane sad caryse to þe kynge:
“gud lord, gere hym mak som offeringe
til oure gret god, þe sene, & sa
his god with hyme he sall wrath ma,
& fra þis tyme furth na mare sal he
one þis wyis helpe hym, ȝe sal se.”