University of Virginia Library

This marke þe ewangelist suthly
wes of þe kinryk of levy,
& preste als; & baptysme tuk
of sanct petire, as sais þe buke,
& of goddis word [wes] his printeis,
þat he taucht furth as ware & vyse,
& vith sancte petir to rome vent,
& to þe puple þat þare lent
cristis ewaungelis prechit richt faste.
& þai þat leile ware at þe laste
tuk with ewangelis & cane pray
sanct mark þat he but delay
vald trawele, & put in-to wryte,
& þare in lestand mynd lef It.
þane word be word but delay,
as he had hard his master say,
richt trewly þare he put in wryt.
& quhene petyre examyt It
and fand it leile, for-þi gert he
It in al placis aprowit be.
quhene petyr saw þe stedfastnes
& þe ferme treutht þat in mark vas,
to preche in aquelea
crystis ewangel he gert hyme ga.
þare he sa hapinly wrocht þane,
þat mony sawle to criste he wane.
þai ewangelis þai kepe in daynte.
als þare a man conuertit he
þat ermogere had to name,
a mychty man & of gret fame,
& with hyme syne to rome hym had,
quhar sancte petir hym bischope mad
of aquelea, Ilke-dele
þar he his stat steryt vele.
þane þe vntrewful þar can hym ta,
& felly strak his nek in twa.
þane sancte petyre þis mark send
til alysandyre, þame til amend.
sa wes he þe fyrste þat þare
spak ony word of goddis lare.
& he in til his fyrste enttre
of alysandir, þat gret citte,
til þame sa techit þe ewangele
þat richt mony in lytil quhyle
he wane to god be his sermone,
& ekyt þare deuocione
In parfyte treutht & castyte.
sa it wes ferly for to se
nocht anerly threw þe schewynge
of þe ewangele, na of þe virkine
of ferly werkis þat he wrocht
to sek & sare at hyme socht;
bot anerly befor þe lawe
þat his clene lyfe þame sample ga[we];
& did sa wele þare þat he
wes lifand in gud pouste.
syne his relikis reuerently
war brocht agane in Italy.
& he wes of sa gret meknes,
quhen he with men mad maste of wes,
þat, for he wald nocht haf þe state
of bischape, his thome of he bat.
bot god disponyt vthire-way
þane he cuth othyre do or say;
for sanct petris autoryte
distrinȝet hyme byschape to be
of alisandir, & hyme mad
send hyddir þar saulis to god be gratht.

and quhene he enterit at þe ȝete
of þe citte in þe hey-gat,
þe tane of his schone rafe þare.
& he, as he profete ware,
sad, or he ȝed of þat stede:
“I se wele þat myn gat is sped,
na sathanas sal nocht mare me,
bot fra ded wark louse sal I be.”
with þat he lukyt by hym sone,
& saw a bochour mend al[d] schone,
& gef hyme his scho for to mend
for syk price as he had to spend.
& as þe bochoure wes mendand
þe scho, he hwrte rycht sare his hand,
& þare-with cryit in til hy:
“In til a god ay trew sal I.”
& quhene mark harde hym sa swa,
sad: “god richt wele has sped myn wa;”
& with his spittinge & with ȝerde
mad hyme þat hurt wes, hale & ferd.
& quhene þe bochowre saw þis wrocht,
sancte marke in til his house he brocht,
& askyt hyme quhat he wes.
& he hyme tald þe suthfastnes,
þat he of criste wes a seruand,
& fore saule-heile come in þat land.
quod he: “& I wald gladly se
þi cryste, quham of þu tellis me.”
sad marke: “gyf þu wil hym knaw,
clerly to þe I sal hyme schaw.”
þane cristis treutht a lange quhile
he techyt hyme, & þe ewangele,
& gert hyme trew & baptysme tak,
& al his menȝe for his sake.
þane quhene þe men of þat citte
hard þat a mane of galilee
dyspysit þare goddis, & na-vyse,
as þai did, wald make sacrifyce,
how for to get hyme þai can spy.
& fra he wyst þat, in til hy
þat sammyne bochore, to quham his scho
to mend he had gyfyne to,
& his hand heilyt sudanly,
þat to name had anany,
of þat towne bischape sacrite hyme.
& he went to pentapolym,
& twa ȝere þane dwelt he þare,
techand besyly cristis layre.
& in-to alisandir fra þine
fra pentapolyme com agane syne,
& be þe byschape of þat stede
he fand þe cristyne treutht vel sprad.
& in þe tyme he wes away,
þe folk þat trowit in cristis lay,
one a crage nere þe se-syd,
had mad a kyrke lang & vyd
In til a place þat bucculy
to name had—þat is bubulcy—
quhare þe byschape anany
did his office ful thryftly.

the bischapis þan of þe templis,
quhen þai harde sone of þus,
gret wechyne mad besyly,
to tak sancte marke, for invy;
fore he drew men fra fals erroure,
& taucht þame a god til honoure.
sa þa byschapis gret thinge
tynt ilke day thru his prechinge.
& sa eftyre spyit þai,
þat þai fand hyme one pasck-day,
& sone til erd cane hyme caste,
& his handis & fete band faste,
& kest a rape a-bowt his hals,
as he had bene a traitore fals,
& drew hyme, as he sa cane ly,
thru al þe towne dyspituisly.
bot he ay lofyt god þat he
mycht for his sak martyre be.
þe scharpe stanis his flesch rafe,
til gret pecis one þame clafe,
& syndry placis of þe stret
with his blud vare mad wet,
& þare-with faste cane þai cry:
“draw we þis ox to bubulcy!”
& quhene þai lange tym þis had done,
þai put in presone þe gud man sone,
quhare in merknes, as mydnycht,
ane angel come with gret lycht,
& confort hyme debonarly;
& criste hyme-self come in til hy,
In þe sammyne habyte þat he
In þis warld wonte wes to be,
& tuke hyme vpe quhare he lay,
& swetly syne cane til hym say:
“myn ewangelyste, pece to þe be,
dred nocht, for I ame ay with þe,
& þi name of lyfe in þe buke
sall wrytine fynd quha wil luke,
& þine sal neuir be put away.”
þane one þe morne quhen it wes day,
þai drew hyme newly thru þe towne;
& quhene þat he to ded wes bowne,
prayt for þam þat sa had done
þat god forgyfe suld þame sone,
& sad, sittand one his kne:
“In manus tuas domine.”

ande quhene þe paianis vald haf brynt
his cors, & for na thinge stynt,
sa wondire myrke become þe ayr,
þat before wes clere & fayre,
& thonyre flaw done & fyr-slacht,
þat stand one fut na man macht;
& gret haile fel in sic degre,
þat ilke a mane presit to fle,
& lewit þe body it alane.
þane cristine mene sone has It tane
& mad richt wele his sepultur
with drede of god & gret honour.
syne, eftyre cristis birtht but vere
four hundir sexti & sewyne ȝere,
fra alisandir, quhare fyrst wes he
grawine, as now hard haf ȝe,
to venis was translat[it] syne;
quhare now a kirke fare & fyne
In honoure of hyme is wele mad,
quhare god, to quham he serwit had,
wirkis gret ferlis for hym ay,
& euir sal do to domysday,
to þe strinthinge of haly kirk,
& fore to eg mene gud to werk,
& do ay gud & leyf Il.
als vittirly I pray hyme til
owte of þis lyfe þat I ma twene
but sc[h]ame, det, & dedly syne.