University of Virginia Library

XXIV.—ALEXIS.

Owhene-euir ilke cristine man
of cristis treutht gyf he ocht cane,
trewis þat thre statis are sere,
In quhilkis almen sal apere,
þat euire tuk lyf & cristine-dome,
be-fore god one þe day of dome:
of matrimone othyre in þe stat,
or contenens, as clerkis wat,
or ellis of virginite,
þe quhilkis mast dygne is of þe thre.
þo matrimone mad god of hewine,
& commawndyt to be kepyt ewine,
betwix oure fore-fadir & his mak
matrimone cane he mak,
befor þat man had don syne,
& als þe place of welth with-In,
In paradyse, þe place but pere,
þare is blys & Ioy but were.
& quhene god for ws com man,
borne he was of wedyt woman;
& wedyng honouryt he þat tyme
þat he turnyt vatyre in-to wyne.
& þat weding plesyt hyme,
fore ensampil I may bring In
þat he in weding borne was
of mary, þe quene of grace.
& contynens als wele he lufyt,
as [be] syndry ma be prowit:
fyrst, be þat noble wyf anna,
þat callit was prophetissa,
& treuly to god seruit ay
in þe tempil, nycht & day,
foure schore of ȝere, forout sak,
& prophecy of god cane mak,
sayand “forsuth, þis is he,
thru quham þe warld sawit sal be.”
of cristis byrth þe fourty day
of criste þis word scho cane say,
quhene his mody[r] mad hire offerand
for hyme eftyr þe law of þe land.
& symeone, þat in wedoue-hed,
þat lang tyme þat his lyf can led,
þocht he blynd was of gret elde,
with hartly eene ȝet he beheld
In tempil as þai brocht Ihesum,
& in armis sone hyme nom,
& sad: “now, lord, lat pas in pece
me, þat al tyme þi serwand was,
fore myne ene now has sene þe hele,
þat þu [has] hicht to Israel.”
of contynens mony vthyre ma
ensample mene ma ta:
as of margret, of scottis quene,
In widoued hyre lyf led clene,
& of þe noble wyf alsa
of rome, þat callyt was paula,
eliȝabet of vnguery,
& als þe magdelayne sancte mary,
sancte petyre als, & sancte germane,
& of vthyre sic mony ane;
sume eftyre weding, sum eftir syne
þai wex chast, & hewine can wine.
bot to god þai emples mast
þat fra þe byrth lifit þam chast,
as margret did, & agatha,
cecile, katerine, & lucya;
bot in oure laydy is best prowit
quhou wele virginite he lufyt.
for þe honoure of madyne-hed
sancte Iohne þe ewangelyst, we red,
slepand a-pone crystis kne
was dygne his privete to se;
In pathmos als þe angel brycht
schawyt hyme ful sely sycht.
fore in þame þat lifis chaste,
makis resting þe haly gaste;
for I trew þat god be
with maydined & with humelyte.
& I ȝou a tale wil tel,
In rome quhylum quhou befel
of a mane, þer wertuise twa
parfytly had & vthyre ma.
In Rome a nobile mane was,
eufamyan callyt, & his wyf aglas;
& with þe emperoure mast dere
he wes haldine, & but pere;
& he thre thousand men had ay,
serwand hyme bath nycht & day,
In clathis of silk cledine were,
& beltis of gold, costlyk & dere.
merciful was eufamyane
til al þat he saw ned begane.
Ilke day in his house had he
of pure folk fusyt burdis thre,
& Ilke day þat oure of nowne
to pere hyme-self wald serue but hone.
& his wyf was of þe sammyne wil
sic godlyk werkis to fulfil.
þai had na barnys þame betwene,
& þat gretly cane þai mene;
fore-þi to god þai prayt sa ȝarne,
þat þat laydy consawit with barne;
syne dyliuere was þat myld,
thru godis helpe, of a knaf chyld,
fare & quhyt, as vatir fame,
and had alixes to his name.
& fra þine in-to castyte
þai lufyt furth, scho & he.
& þat þare barne suld be na fowl,
þai set hyme ayrly to þe schule,
artis liberalis for-thy
þat he suld cone, & philosophy.
& fra he come to fourtene ȝere,
a maydine, þat mycht be his pere,
þai socht, & fand of hys kyne
þe emperoure house withine.
þai maryt þame of gret nobillay,
fore cummyne of mychty men ware þai,
& gret fest at þe weding mad,
as þai þat warldly welthis had.
bot as cummyne was þe nycht,
& he & scho to bed was dycht,
of fleschly lust he had na thocht,
bot beyisit hyme how he mocht
gere hyre consent to chastyte.
& lang sermone þare-of mad he
til hyre, quhow scho suld god dred,
& þare-of rasawe gret med
In hewine eftyre þis brukil lyf,
“fore al mone de, man & wyf,
& sic as we are fundyne here
before þe Iuge we sal apere,
& gyf reknyne þat Iuge til
of al dedis, gud & Il,
& fore oure dedis, nocht to layne,
resawe oþire Ioy or payne.”
& quhene he mad had lang preching,
he betacht hyre his gold ryng,
& syne his belt he schare in-twa
& betaucht hyre þe hed alsa,
sayand til hyre: “my leif swet,
þire twa I gyf þe to kepe;
fore-þi, my der, as þu lufis me,
kepe þame, to god wil I þe se!
& here to hyme I þe betak,
as my lufyt warldis mak.”
and quhene alixes sewinten ȝere
had dwelt in þat kirk-ȝard þer,
seruand god ful dewotly,
ane ymag þane of oure laydy,
þat in þe kyrke was honouryt ay,
þis to þe sacristane cane say:
“bryng in ȝoure powre man þar-owt,
for he is worthy for to bruk
þe kynryk of al welth mast;
for in hyme restis þe haly gast
& his prayere ful mony mendis,
þat be-for god alsone ascendis.”
bot ȝet quhene þe sacristane
be þat had persawing nane,
to þat ymage prayt he,
þat he þare-of mare wyse mycht be.
til hyme grath takine gaf scho þane,
quhare-by he suld þat mane ken,
before þe dure þat sat þare-owt.
& for hyre þe sacristane cane lout,
& lowyt hyre as he wele aucht,
& sped hyme furth, as scho hyme taucht,
& brocht alixes in til hy,
& tald til al quhou oure laydy
of þat mane mad sa gret lowyng.
for-þi sone auld and ȝyng
honouryt hyme gretly,
fra þai hard þis farly.
bot he of mane lowe wald nane;
for-þi he fled hyne, or he fane,
be þe nycht, sa priwely,
þat nane mycht wit, þat was by.
bot, certis, now are fundine quhon
þat in þat manere wald haf done,
bot erare haf tane þe lowing
for lytil cause, of auld & ȝyng.
sa did he nocht, for þat he
parfyt was in humylyte,
& fled wane glore for-þi but hone.
& to leodyce he sped hyme sone,
& þare a schipe he fand redy
to sayle, & in gat in-to hy,
of tars of cecile þat was bowne.
& as þai saylyt, a wynd fel done,
þe hawine of rome agane þare wil,
disponand god, had þame til.
& [quhen] alixes þat cane se
þat of his purpos faylit he,
in hyme-self þane has he thocht
þat he vnkennyt dwel mocht
with his awne fadyre in til house,
& til nane oythire be noyus,
na charg nane vthyre with his fud,
his fadire had sa mykil gud.
one þus purpos, quhene he was sat,
his fadyre sudanely he met,
fra þe p[a]lace hame gangand,
with fele folk hyme folowand,
þat serwyt hyme Ithandly.
alixes one hyme [þan] cane cry,
& sad: “þu godis seruand der,
me poure pylgriame, I pray þe, here,
& biddis þat I resawyt be
In-to þi house parcheryte,
& with þe crummys gere me fed
of þi bred, sa þi sawle haf med,
& as þu wald god had pyte
of þi a sone, quhare-euire he be!”
ȝet his fadire knew hym na dele,
bot his fadyre he knew rycht wele.
his fadyre þane commawndit þat he
til his houise sowne led suld be,
& til a serwand gert hyme betak
to kepe hyme, for his sonnys sak,
& bad he suld haf met & clath,
& þat na man did hyme lath.