University of Virginia Library

XI.—SYMON AND IUDAS.

qwene agabarus weste þat he
mycht nocht Ihesu in his lyfe se,
he send til hyme þane a paynteore,
þat rycht sle wes in portratore,
to paynt his fygur propirly,
& to bring It til hyme in hy,
sa þat þe fygure se he mocht
of quham þe face he se na mocht.
bot quhene þe payntur had hym sene,
he mycht nocht grathly dresss his ene
for to behald hyme in þe face,
sa ferly schenynge in It wes.
for-þi, for ocht þat he do mycht,
to portra It he had na slicht.
bot criste, to quham al thocht is bare,
fra hyme a lynyne clath tuk þare
& lad it one his visage sone;
& his fygur, fra þat wes downe,
In þat clath mycht be sene clerly,
as he has standyne hym-selfe by;
& with þe payntoure to þe kinge
send it, to fulfill his ȝarninge.
bot quhat-kyne schape þat Ihesu had
of visage, or quhow it wes mad,
as tellis Iohnne of damassene:
he had gret & fare gray ene,
his browis brad & mad rycht wel,
& his visage lange but dele,
& þar-with sum-thinge stoupand wes,
þat is takine of gret grace.
eftyr Ihesu vpraisit wes
fra hyne to hewyne, þan sancte thomas
þis Iudas, callit thadee, send
til agabarum, hyme til amend,
as criste be-for hyme hecht to do.
& quhene þat he þe king com to,
& sad he wes þe dyscipill,
þat Ihesu criste had send hym til,
agabarus saw in his face
a godly licht þat ferly was.
& quhene þat sicht he sene had,
abaysit he wes, & ferly had,
& honowrit god & sad: “I trew
þat þu art printece of Ihesu,
þat hecht to me ane of his to send
of myn seknes me til amend.”
þan Iudas [sad]: “sa þat thow
In goddis sowne wil trewly trew,
al thy ȝarninge he sal fulfill.”
þane sad agabarus hym til:
“suthfastly in hyme I trew;
& had I al þe Iowis now,
& gaynand possibilite
& dout of rome lettit nocht me,
þai suld al de owtakand [n]ane.”
þane Iudas has þe epystil tane,
þat criste to agabarus wrat,
quhare-In he heycht to mend his stat,
& with it bot twechit his face,
þat ay to þat tyme leper wes,
& he of al fylth clene wes mad
In saule and body but abad.
firste in mesopotanea
& in ponto Iudas cane ga
to preche, & symon in egipe.
bot syne to-gyddire war þai knyt
& in-to perce þare way can ta,
quhare þai fand þa wechis twa,
arphaxat fals & ȝaroene,
þat had dissawyt mony mene
be-for in ethiopia,
but sancte mathow gert þam hyne ga.
þe kyng of babylone had hycht
one þam of Inde þat tyme to fycht,
& woradach, þat wes his duke,
þat batale to do, vndyrtuke;
þare-for his goddis askyt he
quhat end of þat batale suld be.
& for þai ansuere ȝald hym nane,
to þe next tempil he is gane,
to wit þat þe goddis þare
how in þe batal he suld fare,
& quhy his god answerit nocht
til It þat he had at hyme socht.
þa fendis þane answer can ma:
“be-cause þare come dyscipilis twa
of Ihesu criste, þat al cane stere,
þare-for mad þai na answere.”
þane sad þe duke: “tel, quhat men
þa ar, sa we may kene.”
bot þe feynd þat durste nocht do,
na ȝet ony takine gyf hym to.
þane gert þe duk richt besyly
sek, & fand þame in hy,
& fraynit at þame quhat þai war,
& for quhat cause þai com þare.
“of our kine gyf þou wil frane,
we are hebreis, nocht to layne;
& anent oure condicione,
we grant ws seruandis ay bown
of Ihesu criste, oure lord der;
& þe cause we come here,
Is of ȝoure sawlis þe sawete,
þat þe fend be his sutellite
gert þame [na] be slane vtraly.”
þane sad þe duk: “na towme haf I
of sik thing now for til her;
bot at myn gane-come hale & fer
I sall ȝou here mare of þis thinge.”
quod þai: “It war mare bettire thinge
to knaw hyme & his helpe crafe,
be quham þu mycht þe wictoure hafe,
or ellis ger þi fays be
rycht wondir fayne to tret with þe.”
quod he: “me think ȝou mychty-are
þane oure goddis ar, be fulfar;
þare-fore to me answer ȝe make,
quhat end sal þe batal take?”
þane sad þai: “to þat end, þat þu
kene þi goddis are learis now,
we sal lef þame to gyf þe answer
of ocht þat þu wil at þam spere;
sa quhene þai say þat þai myskene,
þu sal wel wit þai dissawe men.”
& til þe duk his goddis gafe
answere, þat he suld batal hafe,
& fele suld de þare at þe laste.
þane þe apostil[is] lucht rycht faste.
þe duk sad þane: “þat rednes me
assalȝeis; quhare-for sa laucht ȝe?”
þane sad þai: “þe thar nocht dred na-thing;
for pece with ws ay-quhar we bryng;
for to-morne, or it terse be,
fra þame of Ind sal cum to þe,
messyngeris, & put þam in þi will.”
þane sad þe byschapis hyme til:
“þir twa sik talis now tellis þe,
for þat þu suld mar vnwar be
vith þi fais, & þat þai mycht
heithar our-cum þe in feycht.”
to þe duk cane þe apostil[is] sa:
“nocht a moneth, bot a day
bad we þe byd, & þu sal se
to-morne þi fais ourcumyn be.”
þane bad þe duke his men kepe
þe bischapis & þe apostilis eke,
to se quhat end þe thing suld tak,
þat he mycht gaynand revard mak
to þame þat suthfaste fundyn war,
& thame þat fals war punyse sar.
thane one þe morne þat tym of day
It fel as þe apostolis cane say.
& wald þe duke in til his Ire
hafe brynt þe bischapis in a fyr;
bot þe apostolis for-bad hym ay
to bryne þame, & cane say:
“of Ihesu criste we haf byddynge,
oure mastere, ded men to lyf bringe
& nocht to sla, bot erar we
of Ilke man suld haf pitte.”
þane had þe duke gret ferly
of þare meknes, & bad þan in hy
þat þare guddis suld gyfine be
to þe apostolis of his gyfte fre.
bot quhen sik tak wald þai nocht,
bot bad til þe kynge furth þam brocht,
& to þe kynge þe duke sad þane:
“þire are goddis in fowrme of mene,”
& to hyme þe duk tald þe tal
as I befor sad alhale.
bot þai wechis, makand defens,
sad in þe kingis awne presens,
þat þe apostolis for invy
agane hyme wrocht sutelly,
as fals traytouris & Il men.
þe duke, þat west þe suth, þan
sais: “dare ȝe with þam strife opynly!”
þane ansuert þai til hym in hy:
“gyf þu wil se þat in oure sycht
þer men to spek sal haf na mycht,
þe wyse[s]t þat are with þe kyng
& þe beste spekand ger furth bryng,
& þou sal se þat þai sal nocht
spek a word, quhen þai ar brocht.”
þane wes mony adwocat
to þe kyng brocht fwte-hate,
& sorcery sa dum þame mad,
þat nane to spek a word had,
na takyne mak quhat þai cuth mene
with hand, na hed, na with ene.
þai wechis to þe kinge sad þare:
“to profe wele þat we goddis are,
we sal gyf þam leyf to speke,
bot nane a fowt furth to streke,
syne gyf þam leif to ga,
& syne þar sycht sal tak þam fra,
þat, þo þare ene al opyne be,
þai sal na mycht haf for to se.”
& al was in þis wyse done.
þe duk þe adwocatis sone
brocht to þe apostolis, confundyt
& for schame nere owt of wyt.
þe quhilkis þane for þar clethinge
þai had in dyspyt & hethynge.
þane symon sad: “It ma wel fall
þat in a kyste þat wrocht is all
with costlyke wark & sutelte,
þat þar ma [vil] thinge þare-in be,
& in a kyste mad of clay
men ma costlyke thingis lay;
& þar-for suld a man fyrste
se it, þat lad war in þe kyste,
& nocht to dyspice for-owt assay
þe thinge þat þare-in lay.
heycht ws þar-for to lewe quytly
ȝour fare ydolis & costly,
& in a god verray trew,
þat fleschly ene ma nocht se now,
& we sall in ȝour froynttis mak
syk a mark, we vndirtake,
þat sal scoomfyt ȝon twa aloute
& ger þame of ȝow haf gret dowt.”
to þis quhene þai consentit had
[&] þe croice in þare froyntis made,
be-fore þe kynge þa come belyfe,
& sad, þai war redy to stryfe
with þai men þat thru sorcery
befor of þame had victory.
þane þai twa wekyt men com sone,
venand to do as þai had done
vith þa vysmen before þe kynge;
bot þai mycht mere þam in na thinge.
þai wysmen þan scouryt þam faste;
bot thru þare crafte at þe laste
of serpentis a multytude
befor þe kynge brocht, quhare he stud.
þan sone commawndyt þe kynge
þat þai þe appostolis furth suld bryng.
& quhen þai ware cumyne þare,
ayre of þame with stute fare
but rednes schot þai edryse til,
& of þame cane þare mantillis fil,
& keste þam one þa wechis ewyn,
& sad: “in name of god of heywne,
we byd ȝow þat ȝe stere ȝou nocht
til þire edryse þare wil haf wrocht.”
þane þe edryse bate þam sa sare,
til þai as wolfis lowd can rare.
þan þe apostil[is] with þe kynge,
þat stud & beheld þat thynge,
to þe apostolis request can ma
to thole þe edryse þa men sla.
sad þai: “we come in þis sted
erare to rase men þat ware ded,
þane ony liffand man to sla.”
bot þane þare prayer can þa ma,
& bad þe edris suk owt faste
al þe venyme þai can caste
In þai wechis, þat had mare care
of þat swkyne þan þai had yare.
syne to þe eddris can þai sa:
“ve commawnd ȝow to hald ȝour va.”
þe apostil[is] þane sad þam til:
“sik tormentis ȝe sal haf stil
þir thre dais, & þane sal ȝe
of ȝoure sorow waryste be,
þat at þe leste one þat kyn wyse
ȝe ma for-sak ȝoure gret malice.”
bot quhen þai had thre dais bene
but met, drynge, ore slepe, but wene,
tholand paynis Ithandly,
þe apostolis com to þame in hy
& sad þam: “god wald one na wyse
of ony man haf thret seruice;
for-þi þat hale fredome ȝow til
we gyfe to pase quhare-euire ȝe wil.”
bot þai in þare malice bydand
went þine, & nere al þe land
of babylone one stere mad þai,
& þe apostolis to sla assay.
thyr twa wikyt men, quham-of we
spak before, went til a citte
þat bygyt is bathe wele & fare,
& callyt Is suamayr,
quhare-in byschapis ware sewynty,
þat serwit ydolis trewly.
þe quhilk þa twa excit rath
to do þe apostolis skath,
in syke wyse, gyf þai com þare,
to ger þame sacryfy but mare,
or ellis lewand for na dowte
to tak þame ore to sla alowte.
þan quhen þe apostolis had al-quhare
In þat land sawyne goddis lare
& cumyne ware to þat citte,
quhare-of befor here spake we,
þe forsad byschapis of þat stede
al hale þe puple with þam lede,
& þe apostolis tuk rycht þare,
& to þe tempil led but mare,
þat of þe sowne þe name had.
quhare-at wodmen but abad,
In quhame þe feyndis þan can dwel,
one þe apostolis þis can ȝele:
“to-gyddyre quhat haf we to do?
for, sene ȝe come her-In, lo,
before þe houre fare sarare we
ar brynte þane we ware brynt to be.”
goddis angel þan cane appere
& to þe apostolis sad þis here:
“ane of þir ȝe chese til ȝow;
quhethire ȝe wil þis wark fal now
richt sodanly, or ellis ȝe
fore goddis sake wil martyris be.”
quod þai: “we ȝarne al þir men
be conuertyt, & we þane
be martyris for goddis sake,
& na mane þar-for vengeance tak.”
and quhen þe apostolis þis sad had
& in þe puple sylens mad,
þai sad: “men, wittis playnly
þat ȝoure ydolis ar herbry
of þe fals fend, & nocht ellis;
& for þat cause in-to þame dwellis,
we commawnd þam, þat þai apere
& ilkane brak þare ydolis here;
& als þat men clerly se may
quhat þai are dyssawyt þam ay.”
twa ethiopis to þat þane spak
as ony sut fere mare blake,
& brak þare symulacris þane,
& come furth, seand mony man,
& ȝelland lowd held þare way,
& mony man put in effray.
& quhen þe bischapis þis has sene,
þai war sa ful of yre & tene,
for þe tynsale þat þai þar hade,
& of þe ruyne wes þare mad
of þare goddis, quham throw þai
full welful lywe be-for had þai,
þat one þe apostolis þai schot þare,
& slew þame bath but ony mare.
& in þat houre quhen sik clernes
suld be as in-to somyre wes,
þe thonir throw sa wondyrly,
þat It þe tempil done in hy
gert fal, & þai wechis þare
brynt as þai colis ware.
and quhen þe kinge herd þis, fut-hete
he gert þe apostolis translat,
& brynge to þe sammyne citte
quhare-in mast part dwelt he,
& with gret besynes & cure
mad þame a costlyk sepulture,
& gert a ferly fare kirke make
a-beoufe þame for þare sake.
to þer twa hartly I pray,
þat be þare helpe I sa sped ma,
fra þis lyfe I may twyne
but schame, det, & dedly syne.