University of Virginia Library

Of haly messe in þe secre
syndry sanctis set we se,
þat sere men wat nocht quhen & quhare,
na of quhat meryt þai ware,
or quhy þai suld in sic degre
in messe befor vthir sete be.
for-þi here wil I spek sume thing
of twa, þat worth ware [gret] lowing,
& ar contenyt in þe mes
for þar gud lyfe & halynes.
& cosynas wes þe tane,
& syne þe thothir damyane.
& twa twynnis þai ware,
& a gud wyfe þame bare,
& callit wes theodera,
in þe cyte of egea.
& þare modir, þat cristine was,
þame fosterit in al halynes,
& tacht þame in ȝuthede
þare god to luf wele & drede.
& for þa had na herytage
to mak dispence gret ore large,
þar modir til a crafte þaim set,
quhare-of þai mycht þare liffin[g]e get.
þat wes crafte of medycyne,
quhare-in þai ware parfyt syne,
þat, helpand þe haly gaste,
al seknes þai couerit in haste;
& þat in men nocht anerly,
bot [als] in bestis, parfytly.
bot gyft for þare craft nocht
wald þai tak, for al men mocht,
bot frely þar crafte þai gefe
til al þai saw mystere hafe.
in þat cyte wes a matrone,
þat of gret gudnes had renon,
& had to name palladya;
bot sik a seknes cane hire ta,
þat scho mycht get na hele
of ony þat with þat crafte wald dele.
for-þi, quhen scho hard þe fame
of cosynus and damyane,
scho come til þame, & tald al
hou be-tyd hir, gret & smal.
& þai, haffand of hyre pytte,
in þe name of þe trynite
did say til hire but [mar] delay,
þat hale & sownde scho went away.
þane of hir gud scho bad in hy;
bot it to tak þai hire deny.
þe matrone ȝet tuk damyane,
fra his bruthire be hyme ane,
& prayt hyme for goddis sake
of hire a smal gyfte to take.
& he gruchit it for to ta;
bot scho ȝet hyme coniurit sa
be goddis name & his mycht,
& al his halowis one hicht,
& for þe luf of oure laydy,
þat he It tuk tarowandly.
& þat wes nocht fore gredines
of þe gyft þat gewine wes,
bot to mak satisfaccione
to þe wyfis deuocione,
for to dispyt he wes rad
þe mycht, quhare-by scho coniurit had.
& quhen cosynus wyste þat he
hire gyfte had tane in sic degre,
he gef byddyng, þat, quhen þat þai
ware ded & suld be laid in clay,
þat of his bruthire þe body
in a grawe suld nocht with hyme ly.
bot god aperit to cosynas
þat nycht, quhare he slepand was,
& wele excusit damyane
of þe smal gyfte he had tane,
þe quhilk erare of dout of hyme
he tuk, erare þane gud to wyne.
þe fame son of þare halynes
was wyd spred, & þe gudnes,
& hou þat al þat þame socht,
þai gef heile & tuk rycht nocht,
& þat als wele of beste as man.
þe proconsul helesyas þane
sa besyly gert þame be socht,
þat þai ware sammyne til hym brocht.
& firste þare names speryt he,
quhyne þai ware, & of quhat cunctre,
& quhat þare fortone wes with-al—
he sperit at þame, gret & smal.
þe marteris þane sad hyme til:
“oure namys wit & þu wil,
Cosynus is giffine me name,
& to my bruthire damyane;
& oure cunctre is araby;
bot as of fortone, sekirly,
gud cristine men, sa haf I blis,
cane na-thing wit quhat forton is.
ȝet haf we vthire brethire thre,
& þar names we tel þe.
ane is callit anytimus,
& ane vthire bamicius,
& eupynus is þe thryd.”
þane cane þe fellon Iuge byd,
til ydolis þai suld be had,
& sacrify but a-bade, he sad.
& gyf þai gruchit to do sa,
he bad wicht men suld þame ta,
& bynd þame handis & fete faste,
& syne dyng til aynd mycht leste.
bot þe sanctis mad hethyng
þat þai sa faste can þame dinge.
þane bad he bynd þame faste,
& fer in-to þe se þame caste.
& son his bydding haf þai done.
bot goddis angelis com þan sone,
& lousit þame [bath] fut & hande,
& set þame sound on dry lande.
& eftyr ware þai agane brocht
to þe proconsul, þat ferly thocht
at his men þame nocht dronyt had.
for-þi he sad þame but abad:
“I suere ȝow be þe goddis al,
þat I honoure & euire honoure sal,
þat ȝe be weschcrafte oure-cume
me & my men al & sume,
for of tormentis ȝou rekis nocht,
&, in þe se quhen ȝe ware brocht,
ȝe ware no mare dronit þare,
bot lay softe as ȝe slepand ware.
ken me þare-for ȝoure crafte, & I
in þe name of my goddis mychtty,
or in þe name of adryane,
þat is þe maste god of ilkane,
I sal folow ȝou but bade.”
& scantly sad þis word he had,
quhene twa feyndis apperit þare,
& dang hyme in þe face rycht sare.
þane cryit he rycht putusly:
“gudmen, I pray ȝou helpe in hy;
to ȝoure god for me ȝe pray,
þat he me helpe but delay!”
to god þane prayt þai for hym bath,
& þe feynd[is] fled away rath.
& quhene þe consul wist þat þai
fled, þane said he but delay:
“gudmen, be-haldis now & se
hou my goddis ware wrath with me
& with þe nefis one me layd,
þat I wald leife þame, for I said;
þar-for wil I thol na way
þat my goddis ȝe mare myssay.”
a gret fyre þane gert he be mad
& caste þame in bath but abad;
bot, þai vnhurt in hare ore hyd,
þe fellone lou scalyt wyde,
& of þa folk mony brynt
in al syd ore it stynt.
þe proconsul þan, þat wes wrath,
commaundit men to tak þame bath,
& in a frame stent þame stratly.
þane his byding wes done in hy.
bot goddis angel wes þane nere,
& kepit þame bath haile & fere,
til tormentouris sa wery ware,
þat þai had mycht to do na mare.
þe consul ȝet gert þaim hyme bryng,
þat of his paynis wiste na-thing
bot ware als haile, blyth, & glad,
as þai of payne na wit had,
& bad men þat þire brethire thre
in a dongeone suld thrungyne be,
& þat cosmus and damyane
fra his presence son suld be tane,
& hangit hye but langare leit
disputuisly one a gebeit,
quhare al þe puple of þe stede
mycht cume & stane þame to ded.
þane presit faste ful mony ane
þai haly marteris for to stane;
bot al þe stanis þai can caste,
one þame-self fel at þe laste,
& slew of þame rycht mony þare,
& mony of þame wondit sare;
bot ȝet twechit nocht a stane
sancte cosmus na sancte damyane.
þe consul þane, þat þis has sene,
wes sa schameful & sa tene—
for na man wes þat cuth hym red
hou he suld put þai men to ded—
þat hyme falȝeit wit & mycht,
as man þat to þe ded ware dycht.
þane angrely þire bruthire thre,
þat he in pressone gert done be,
he gert bryng to þat place,
quhare a hye tre fichit was;
& tormentoris syne gert he ta
þe tothire haly brethire twa,
& hang þame hye one þat tre.
quhare foure knychttis but pyte
þane schot at þame with [al] þare mycht.
bot þe arrowis agane rycht
turnyt, & sleu mony þare
of þay [þat] wntreuful ware;
bot goddis angel can þame were
þat þai mocht na slepe þame dere.
þane wes þe conswle vndir tene
& schamyt, quhen he þis had sene.
for-þi he gert þai brethire fywe
be tane & vnhedyt belywe;
for wthir-wais cuth he nocht
be rewengit, as hyme thocht.
þe cristine, þat þane ware nere
quhene þir marteris þis slane were,
thocht quhou damyane had sad,
þat his bruthire suld nocht be lad
in til a grawe with hym; fore-þi
þai war thochtful quhare gere hym ly.
And, lo, [þar] tyd a ferly thing.
as þai here-of had spekyne,
a camel come rynnand þaim til,
& sad þame, it wes goddis wil
þat þai suld ly in a stede
to-gyddir, quhene þai ware dede.
þane ware þai astonyt gretumly,
herand þe camel speke clerly,
& þare-by þai kneu god wald þai
in a grawe sammyne lay.
þar-fore in erde þai laid þaim sammyn,
for dout of god & gastly gammyne.
& vndir dioclecyane
þe marteris of þis lyf wer tane,
quhene of þe dat ware but were
twa hundre gane sewine & auchty ȝere.

[S]one eftire tyde percase
þat a werkman sa wery wes
fore trawale, þat he fel one slepe,
& rekles wes hyme-selfe to kepe,
bot lay one [þe] feild, gapand.
& a serpent come crepand,
& in his mouth enteryt but bad,
& sa in-[to] his wame done slaid.
& quhen he waknyt, hame he went,
vnwittand þane hou he wes schent.
bot eftire sene a-but mydnycht,
as to reste he hyme dicht,
he feld paynis sa sare & fel
þat gert hyme roydly rare & ȝel;
for þat serpent hyme traualit sa,
þat he ne wiste quhat to do for wa,
bot cryit ay in til a rane
apone cosman and damyane,
prayand þame for goddis sake
hyme of his sorou for to slake,
& gert hyme frendis but delay
bere one quhare þai sanctis lay.
&, þo he hard & Il sted was,
he fel one slepe for werynes.
& as þe serpent had entre
in at his mouth, as are sad we,
one þe sammyne wise it slad oute,
seand al þat stud a-bowte.
þane þai, seand þis ferly thinge,
lowit god, & bellis cane ryng,
& mad þe merakile sone kyde,
hou be þai sanctis hyme betyde.
& þai sanctis he seruit ay
fra þine one-til enday.

[A] man in þat cunctre wes,
hafand his erand to pas,
his wyfe, he luffit atoure althing,
betacht þe sanctis in kepyne,
& tacht hire takine, quhareby scho
suld wit quhen scho suld cume hym to;
sa in warld þar wes no ma
wiste þat takine bot þai twa.
fore-þi þe feynd, oure fa fellone,
þat in contrare ay of resone
& of his kynd has wytinge
of manis wil & prewe thing,
sone be-thocht hyme of a wile,
þat sympil woman to begyle.
& of a man þe fourme can ta,
& syne to þe woman can ga,
& sad, hire husband hym had send
hir to conforte & to mend,
& for to tel hyre þat he wes
for a tyme sted in sic a place,
quhare hyme behowit a tym bid stil;
þare-for worth hire cume hyme til,
“& to þat end he sad to me,
þat I suld cume to feche þe.”
þane sad scho: “freynd, I treu þe nocht
bot þu had þat takine brocht,
þat, I treu, wiste no ma
bot we, quhen he went me fra.”
þane sais þe warlou: “suth sais þu;
þar-for, þat þu sal me treu,
þis is þe takine he send to þe,
quhareby þu sal treu to me.”
ȝet wes scho dred[and] & sad þen:
“þe takine suthly wele I kene,
bot, for I Recommendit wes
to damyane & to cosynas,
I wil þu grant til þare altere
ga suere, & put me out of were,
þat to my husband þu me bryng
hale and fere but merryng.
þane, þat done, I sal anter me
but delay to pas with þe.”
þane wente þai to þe kyrk in hy,
quhare þire twa sanctis cane ly,
& [he can] suer one þe altere
to bryng hyre bath hale & fere
til hir husband but ony mare.
þane bounyt þai þame & furth fare,
tyl It tyd þame percase
to cume in-[to] a prywe place,
quhare he thocht hyre for to sla,
& fra hire horse [hir] cane he ta.
& scho, þat wes for hym hery,
mad sare chere, & cane he cry:
“now god of sancte damyane
& of sancte cosyne, helpe one ane!
for I ware nocht [in] þis sted now,
had I nocht trewit in-to ȝow.”
þane come þai sanctis bath in hy,
with a ful bricht cumpany,
þat hyre rescuyt fra hire fa,
þat durste nocht byd, fra þai com sa.
þane of þame sad til hire ane:
“we are cosimus and damyane,
to quhame þi husband tacht þe,
quhene he went of þis cunctre.
þare-for we cume in þi helpyng,
& als for þu gef trewyng
to þe ath þat þi fellone fa
ap-one oure altere he cane ma.”

þe pape philep in Rome gert ma
a kirk in honoure of þire twa,
quhare a man þaim seruice mad
for his heile, þat cancre had,
þat sa consumyt had his the,
þat begare & crepele wes he.
for-þi he prayt to þai twa
sanctis, til helpe hyme þan, sa
þat be þame he mycht get his heile,
& to þame he suld be seruand leile.
syne hapnyt hyme a nycht to ly
fore sorowfulnes al wery,
& saw þire sanctis cume hym til,
til helpe hyme in gud wil,
& brocht with þame enoynmentis fresche
& yrnis scharpe to cut ded flesche.
þane sad ane: “quhare sal we
flesche get þis want to supple?”
þane his bruthire til hym sad:
“in þe kirkȝard ȝestrewen wes lad
ane ethiope, & ȝet his flesche
is caloure Inucht & als fres.”
þe cancryt flesche þai schure away,
& fillyt þar-of but delay,
& it enoyntit syne with slicht,
& slad one owte of his sicht.
with þat þe sek mane waknit swith,
& fand hyme hale, & wes rycht blyth,
myslewand ȝet þat it wes he
wes mad hale in sic degre.
þare-for he cryit hely
to sere men þat ware [hym] by,
& prayt þaim luf god but abad,
þat þis merakil kyd had.
þane, to prowe þis gret ferly,
to þe sad grawe þai send in hy,
& fand it done in suthfastnes,
as here befor recordit wes.
als verraly helpe þai ws to twyne
fra hyne but det & dedly syne.