The South English Legendary

Sein Benet was ibore in þe lond of Nuirsie
To Rome he was wel ȝong ysend [] to lerni of clergie
His norise he hadde þer wiþ him þat him wel nesse weste
Fram hure he stal wel stilleliche a day þat he[o] it nuste
And bileuede is scole & eke hure & þat him were isibbe
And wende into wildernesse in penance forto libbe
Honger and chile he hadde þer & no confort he nadde
Stabliche he was inis bede swuþe strang lif he ladde
Siker ic ne mai noȝt be[o] þat þe deuel to him enuie [n]adde
Of þe ordre þat he make ssolde swuþe sore he dradde

At o time as þis godeman to is orisons him nom
In forme of a þrustel cok þe deuel to him com
And flei al aboute is eiȝen þat he ssolde is miȝte do
Forto cacche þis vaire voul & bileue is beden so
Þis holiman nom neuere ȝeme ac to God is herte sette
Þe deuel fley forþ is wey þo he nemiȝte him noȝt lette

Þo he sei þat þulke art nas noȝt anoþer doghede he nom
In forme of a uair womman to him sone he com
Wiþ fair speche and fair semlant in such fo[n]ding he him broȝte
Þat he bileuede al is orisons go forþ wiþ hure he þoȝte

Þe godeman sone ofþoȝte is þoȝt to amende he was cof
Þoru signe of þe verrai crois þene deuel awey he drof
Him sulf he strupte naked anon among þornes he wende
And breres & turnde her & þer and al is fleiss torende
Þulke sunne he boȝte deore inou as we ssolde oure mid riȝte
Þe deuel neuere aȝen him nolde wiþ þulke sunne fiȝte
For wanne he may a man ouercome wiþ a sunne þoru is lore
Vonde he wole mid þulke sunne euere þe leng þe more
And ȝif þe man wol fiȝte aȝen ofssamed he is so sore
Þat neuere eft he nele wiþ þulke sunne uondi him more

Ac efter feste oure Louerd com to a preost þer biside

123

Þou makest he sede mete inou aȝen þis heiȝe tide
And mi sergant in wildernesse is in muche pine
For he naþ noþer mete ne drinke parte wiþ him of þine
Þis preost as oure Louerd him het to wildernesse gan gon
Mete & drinke he nom wiþ him sein Benet he fond anon
Benet he sede ich habbe þe here mete & drynke ibroȝt
Þat þou sselt boþe ete & drinke for uaste ne sseltou noȝt

Ȝuse soþes quaþ þis godeman time it is to uaste
Me and eche Cristene man þe wile Leinte ilaste

Nai sede þe preost noste noȝt þat Leinte is al ido
And þe heie time of Ester is nou icome us to

Seiste soþ quaþ þis holyman oure Louerd us lete him queme
Wite Crist ich wende it were Leinte ne nom ich neuere ȝeme
Me þincþ he were a queinte man bote he couþe of gramerie
Þat ssolde stele a day of Leinte seggeþ ȝif ich lie

Sein Benet et þo wel & dronk & þonkede Godes sonde
And suþþe he wende wide aboute & prechede in þe londe
To God he turnde muche folk and to Cristendom
So þat to þe hul of Cassin þoru Godes grace he com
Maumets he uond þere uale & men of luþer lawe
Þat folk he turnde to Iesu Crist þe maumes he gan todrawe
Of sein Johan þe Baptist a churche he let þere rere
Þer men honurede Iesu Crist þat heþene er were
Þe ordre of blake monekes ferst he made þere
Moni godemen come to him þat þe abit bere
Þe uerst abbei he let þer rere þat was in eni londe
To him and to is werk also þe deuel hadde gret onde

A ston hy uonde swuþe vair to hore werk wel god and clene
Al þe volk þat þere was nemiȝte him hebbe up ene
Sein Benet isei þene deuel him holde he blessede þen ston
Þe deuel orn þo awey o man it bar anon

Anoþer time þo þis work was hey imad of stone

124

Þe deuel com to Sein Benet as he sat al one
Benet he sede þou hast werkmen ichelle loke hou hom spede
I ne com noȝt ney hom moni day ich mot of serui mi mede

Sein Benet sende þe workmen word & bad hom iwar be[o]
And sede hou he hom wolde lette þei hi nemiȝte him yse[o]
Ar þe messager sede is erende þe deuel was wel ȝare
And þat work uelde up þe doun hi ne miȝte noȝt hom so ware
And a ȝong child þat monk was was of falle þare
Greot deol is breþeren for him made & tofore sein Benet him bare
Þis holiman þoru Godes grace arerede him fram deþe to liue
Þe deuel nadde neuere eft no poer is work so to driue
Ac þo he nadde poer non is work to lette more
He fondede bringe is monkes [] into luþer lore

Þer was a monk þat nemiȝte wiþ is broþeren noȝt dure
As him þoȝte for feblesse is seruise to hure
Ac al day ȝeode out of þe quer is felawes it bispeke
Sein Benet hi tolde uore lest he is ordre breke
Þis godeman bihuld at matyns ȝif he it miȝte ileue
He sei a lite blac polled grom nyme þe monk bi þe sleue
And ladde him out fram is felawes sein Benet ȝeme nom
Byhinde he siwede afterward and to þe monk com
A lite he smot him wiþ a ȝerd a lite he gan to chide
Þe pollede boye vlei anon he ne dorste no leng abide

Merci sire þis monk sede i ne miȝte it habbe bileued
For feblesse þei me wolde habbe ismite of min heued

No sede þis holyman al to prest þou were
To þe deuel þat þe ladde uorþ he ne ssel þe namore lere

Þis monk ȝeode into is felawes & euer eft stable was
Neuere eft nadde þe deuel miȝte to bringe him in þat cas

A god seliman biside ofte hadde in wone

125

To sein Benet fastinge wende to herie Godes sone
A day as he was þuderward a man com bi þe weie
And sede he wolde wiþ him go wandri aboute & pleie
Bred he sede ich habbe ibroȝt it is god þat we ete
Leste we beo feble bi þe weye for defaute of mete

Nay soþes þis oþer sede inel noȝt my uast breke
Ar ich habbe þoru Godes grace wiþ þis holyman ispeke

Anoþer day bi þulke weie þis felawe com efsone
And bad him ete for feblesse & he nolde noȝt do is bone

Þe þridde time as þis godeman touward sein Benet ȝeode
His felawe com ȝute to him & gret loue him gan beode
He ladde him into a wel fair mede of floures & of gras
A cler welle þeron amidde a swuþe uair stude it was
So fair he spak þo wiþ him for þis murie stude
Þat þis godeman sat adoun & et as he hadde ofte ibede
Ac þo he com to þis holyman sein Benet anon sede
Godeman þou nere noȝt iwoned to don er þis dede

Þe deuel þe haþ yuonded þrie to bringe þe to is rede
Þe þridde time he þe ouercom in þulke ualse mede
Hit nas no mede þei it þoȝte so he wol him narwe þenche
Hou he may a man best bitraie is godnesse to quenche
Þis holiman þoȝte of alle þing þei he ne sei it noȝt
So þat þe tiþinge of þis wonder to þe king was ibroȝt
Þat soþe he wolde þerof fonde is beste robe he tok þere
And cloþeþ þerwiþ a iogelor as þei he king were

Nobliche he ȝeode to sein Benet king he was h[e] sede
Leue sone quaþ þis holyman do of oþer mannes wede
Kynges cloþes þou hast on for he dude þe hider sende
Ac a fol þi sulf hider þou come & a fol þou sselt hom wende

A gentil man þer biside tweie costres wiþ wine
Sende a day sein Benet bi on of is hine
Ac þis messager was vnhende þat o costret forþ he bere
Þat oþer leuede bi þe weie to nyme it hamward þere

126

Ȝeode uorþ wiþ o costret & dude is presant bliue
Leue sone quaþ þis holiman þonke þi louerd swuþe
Ac of þat costret ne drink þou noȝt þat þou hast bileued bihinde
Ac ar þou drinke loke wat þou miȝt þer inne finde

Þis oþer was ofssamed sore ac þo he com wiþoute toun
An eddre he uond inis costret swymme up and doun
Þat was for wreche þuder icrope him to apoysene þere
Ac for al is gile sein Benet nolde þat he apoisened were

In a deore ȝer it biuel þat sein Benet is couent
For defaute as mani oþere hadde gret torment
As hi were a day sore afingred to þe bord hi sete
Hy nadde bote vif smale loues hi alle to þe mete
Ech monk was sori inis heorte ac noþing hi ne sede
Wi be[o] ȝe sori quaþ sein Benet of noþing nabbe ȝe drede
Habbeþ god hope to Iesu Crist for he is god and hende
Ar to morwe þisne time inou he wol ȝou sende
In hore gerner þat amti was amorwe hi fonde & nome
To hondred sak uol of gode wete hi nuste wanne it come

A monk wende him out a day so ne aȝte he noȝt do
Wiþoute leue of sein Benet & wiþoute is blessinge also
He wende to speke wiþ is frend as he dude er ilome
And amang is frendes he deide þere ar he aȝen come
Me dude by him as me aȝte do & burede him wel uaste
Ac þe eorþe anon so he was ibured up aȝen him caste
Hy burede him ene and ef sone ofte and fale siþe
Ac þe eorþe him caste euere up aȝen is frendes were vnbliþe

Sein Benet hurde her of telle þuder he gan gon
He blessede þis wrecche body & het it burie anon
Þis men in þe eorþe it burede stille anon it lay
Echman hadde þerof wonder þat þus miracle isay
Þe eorþe nolde him auonge for he iblessed nas

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Of þis holyman sein Benet was þis a wonder cas

Þe uaire miracles þat of him were no tonge telle nemay
Þo he was old and feble inou is endynge he say
Þe time he tolde of is deþe þer biuore þe seueþe day
Þo gan him nyme a strong feuere bote six dawes he ne lay
Þane sixte day he let is breþeren to þe heie auter him lede
And let him houseli is orisons he sede
To oure Louerd he held up is honde & þonkede is swete sonde
And þer riȝt he deide atte weued bitwene is breþeren honde

In þe vif hondred ȝer and in þe eiȝteþe ȝere
After þat God an eorþe com sein Benet deide here
Tweie monkes þulke niȝt þat in diuerse stude were
Beie hom þoȝte o metyng as an angel ham gan lere
Hom þoȝte hy seie a wel uair wei wiþ flores swote & briȝte
Fram sein Benetes celle al estward swuþe liȝte
Into heuene tilde þe oþer ende and þe angel to hom sede
Þus forþ sein Benettes soule to heuene we gonne lede
Nou God for loue of sein Benet us lete þane wei wende
And to þe ioie þat he is inne to him come atte nende

University of Virginia Library

De sancto Benedicto