University of Virginia Library

sancte thomas þane þai bad in hy:
“til oure tempil ga sacrify!”
& thomas sad to þame one hycht:
“quhilk opis þu be of mare mycht,
þu or þat thinge þat mad has þu?
& suthfaste god dispicis now,
& honowryse þi awne payntynge,
at na-thinge settand hewynis kynge;
bot, as carisius sais, þe
venys þat my god wrath wil be
with me, gyf þat I sacrify
to þi god. na; bot sikyrly
with þi god wrath wil he be,
& with þi-selfe, bot nocht with me;
for þi god þat ȝe honoure all,
he sal gere brak in powdir small;
bot I þat god sal ho[no]ur ay,
sa mychty dedis ma do sa.
þi god, þare-for, q[u]hen I honoure
& criste, myn god, in-to þat houre
þi god ourtirwis nocht in hy,
til þi god sal I sacrify;
sa þu do þe sammyn to myne,
quhen þu seis þi god vertu tyne.”
þane sad þe kynge: “me think þat þu
as pere & peyre sais to me now.”
sancte thomas þane in hebrow spak
to þe fend, þat ves ful blak:
“þu, þat in þat Idol dwellis
to dissawe men & do nocht ellis,
þat alsone as I knel done
to myn god for deuocione,
I commavnd þe, þat þou brak all
þat ydole in-to powdir small.”
with þat þe apostil knelit done,
& sad þir wordis with hey sone:
“lo, I honoure, bot na mawnment,
bot suthfaste god in gud entent;
lo, I honoure, bot na metall,
þat brokill is & sone ma fall;
bot lo, I honoure god of hewyne
& Ihesu criste, his sone ful ewyne,
In quhais name I þe commawnd,
ful fend, þat þare-In is dwelland,
þat þu þat semulacre brake,
or ony man may hand þe reke.”
þane at þat word but ony mare
It meltit as It vax ware,
& þe fend, þar-In had bene,
flaw a-way, & neuir wes sene.
þan al þe prestis gef a ȝell,
as þai had bene fendis of hell.
& of þe tempil þare bischope,
for doute þe apostol suld eschape,
with a swerd strak hym in hy
In at þe bak throw þe body,
sayand: “I sal revenge sone
þe wrange þat to myn god is done.”
bot carisius & þe kynge
In þat place mad na mare dwellinge,
bot fled richt faste out of þat sted,
fra þai saw þe apostole ded;
for þai weste wele þat þe pup[i]le,
to tak rewengeance, war in will
to sla þam & þe byschope bryne,
þat done had þat horrible syne,
þat þai to þe apostol had don.
þane cristyne men, but ony howne,
hym enterit with gret honoure
In a grawe, mad with gret cure,
quhare god of hewyne dois fore hym ay
myraclis grete to þis day,
&, as I trew, sal do euirmare
til al þai þat are sek or sare,
& sekis hym dewotly
& threw, sal hafe þare helpe in hy.
for, þocht to treu he wes swere,
quhen he can goddis wordis here,
he wes eftyr fwll wel trewand,
quhen he a fyngyr of his hand
had put depe in goddis syd,
yn þat wonde bath depe & wyd.
& sa þe benysone he wane
of Ihesu criste to mony man,
þat blissit al þat saw nocht,
& trewit It in ded & thocht.
for-þi, sancte thomas, we þe pray
þat þu oure helpe be, now & ay,
& get vs grace, we hynne ma twyne
but det, schame & deidly syne.