University of Virginia Library

XLIV.—LUCY.

Ȝhete wil I wryt of þe story
here next of sancte lucy,
þat borne wes of syrycusane,
& mychty kyne had mony ane.
scho wes fare, wyse, & chaste,
& set hire hart one god maste,
& to serwe hyme wes nocht swere.
sa hapnyt hire a tyme til here
þe gret lose of sanct agatha;
& mad hire hydire for til ga,
& at [hir] fe[r]tre for to wak,
& þare to god hir prayere mak.
for of agatha þe renovne
gert hire haf deuocione.
& hir modyr eutycia
scho tretyt with hire for to ga,
for four ȝere scho had þe Il,
þat oftymys fallis wemen til;
na scho mycht get na medycine,
þat cuth hire stanche of þat pyne.
& for scho trewit sancte agas
of hele suld get hire modir grace,
samyne þai went of dewote wil
of agatha þe fe[r]tre til,
& wok þar, & prayt a nycht.
& one [þe] morne at dais lycht,
quhene þai herd þe bellis ryng,
& prestis schupe þaim mes to syng,
þane went þai til alteris sere,
deuotely messis for til here.
& ymang vthire wes a mes,
quhar þe ewangel repetyt ves
of a woman þat of tweching
of cristis heme but vthir thing,
of sic seknes gat hele quyt
of hire sad treutht thru meryt.
þane sad lucy: “modir dere,
gyf þu trewis wrytine is here,
trow agas has hyme ay present,
for quham scho sufferit herd torment;
&, þarfore, wil þu twech now
hir fe[r]tre & ferme trew,
I trew þu sal parfytly be
hale of þine infirmyte.”
& as þe messis war al done,
þe folk went hame at þe novne,
bot þai twa at þe fertre lay
in gret deuocione for to pray.
& tyd lucy for to slepe;
&, as hire thocht, takand kepe,
saw agatha at hire richt hand
vith ful feile angelis stand,
schrud in schenand wed
brichtare þane siluir, but dred,
& sad hire: “cystire lucy dere,
to god deuote, in thocht ful clere,
quhy askis þu me þat þu
to þi modire ma gif now?
for þi treutht has mad hire hale,
& bete wele of all hire bale.”
þane waknyt sancte lucy,
& til hire modire sad in hy:
“lo, modire, þu art mad hale,
for þu trewyt to my tale.
þar-for be hire I coniure þe
þat thru sic travale helyt þe,
þat to spouse me þu nemmyne nocht,
bot, quhat-euir it wes þu thocht
in weding fore to gif to me,
to gyfe to poure men I leife þe.”
hire modire sad: “couer myn ene,
&, quhat to þe spedful be sene
to do of my gud, do alsone!”
þane lucy til hire sad but hone:
“It þat þu gifis at þi ded-day,
þu gifis, for þu ma nocht away
ber it; for-þi þi gud þu giffis,
gif þu wil thank haf, til þu liffis;
to gif þi gud, thank has þou nan,
quhene þu of þis lyf is tane.
for-þi, til þu has powste,
gif, & þu sal rewardit be.”
þare-for, quhen þire twa com hame,
sancte luca & hire forsad dame,
þai gef þare gudis plentuisly
to þame þai saw mast nedy.
& quhen þar meble ilke day
ves nere delt clenely away,
þane sawyt þai, as þat ves done
þare gudis w[n]mowable sone.
& as þis come to þe knawyng
of hyme þat suld haf in weding
lucy, speris at hire nowrise,
quhar-for hire gudis in sic vise
var sald for mast part away,
& delt to poure men ilke day.
& scho, þat ves var & wyse,
sad, þat lucy in merchandrise
had fundine a thing for to by,
quhare-in mare profyt cane ly
þane in ocht þat sald has þai
be lyklynes alway,
& þat in til his nam scho bocht,
for scho to mak [hym] riche thocht.
& he, þat sete had his lykyng
alhale in temporale thing,
to sel þe gud ves mare besy
be-for þane ves sanct lucy,
venand þat he suld at his weding
þare-thru hafe doublyt al his thing.
& syne, quhen he persawit veile
þat al wes sald ilke dele,
& ymang poure men delt away,
þane to þe prefet but delay,
þat to name had pascasius,
he went & plenȝet of his spouse,
þat scho had tane þe cristine fay
agane þare lawis osyt Ilke day,
in contrare of þe emperoure,
of commone thing þat has þe cure.
paschasyus þane in al hy
befor hyme gert bryng lucy,
& bad þat scho suld criste forsak,
& sacrifice til ydolis mak.
sad scho: “thankful sacryfice
& plesand to god mony wyse
is to helpe pure men & fede,
& visit mysterful in ned.
bot now, for nocht is lefyt me,
quhar-of I ma gif cheryte,
of my-selfe wil I offerand mak
to god, þat in thank sal It tak;
for I haf dressit my ful wil
hou I ma sonest cume hym til.”
til hire þane sad Pascasyus:
“sic wordis suld þu nocht say ws,
bot erare lyk þe til a fole,
as þu art cled in cristis stole;
for to me mak þu nocht þat spek,
þat has þe lawis for to kepe
of hyme þat is nov emperoure,
& al þe varld has in cure.”
þane lucy sad: “richt as þu
þe law of þi prynce kepis nov,
rycht sa þe lawis sal I kepe
of my god in ded & speke;
& for þi princis þu art rad,
& cristine treutht serwe god me bad;
þi prince wil nocht þu wreth nov,
& I to wreth god sal eschew;
þu til þi prince wil enples,
& to serwe god is myne ese.
þare-for do þu þat þe spedful is,
for rycht sa wil I do I-wys
it þat is my maste profyt.”
paschasius sad hir tyt:
“þi patrimone, wele persawe I,
þu has dispendit, as se I,
one þaim þat has corr[u]mpit þe;
þar-for as hure þu ansueris me.”
þane til hyme sad lucy:
“sir, my patrimone haf I
stablit in sa sekire place,
quhare foule corrupcion neuir ves;
bot sic corrupturis as þu
to me at lykyne spekis nov,
I wiste neuir Il in body na thocht,
na ȝet wit sal, dred þe nocht!”
paschasyus sad þan hire til:
“þat þu me tald, it war my wil,
quha ar fyleris of þe body
& of þe thocht.” þan sad lucy:
“of þe thocht fyleris are ȝe
þat wald entyse ws þat we
suld cese to serwe our creator
fore it þat seruis nocht ane houre;
& corruptouris of cors ar þai
þat varldly lyking settis ay
befor lykyne þat ma nocht
cese, bot þare-of has na thocht.”
þe prefet sais: “al sic spekyng
sal sese, fra we begyne to ding.”
quod lucy: “trew þu but les
þat godis vord ma neuir cese.”
quod þe prefet: “I trev þat þu
trewis þu art god rycht nov!”
sad lucy: “I wat þat I
ame godis seruand encrely,
til his appostolis þat can say
‘se, ȝe dout be na way
befor kingis quhen ȝe sal stand
or befor precydentis of þe land,
quhat ȝe sal say in þat houre,
na of ȝoure ansuere haf na cure;
for wysdome sal I gif ȝu til
& mowth til ansuere þaim with skil,
for in ȝow sal þe haly gast
til al mak ansuere mast & leste.’”
þe presydent sad: “wenis þu
þe haly gast is in þe nov?”
lucy ansuert hyme in hy:
“quha here weile lufis & chastely,
of þe haly gast tempil ar þai.”
pascasius þane can til hire say:
“to þe bordale þu sal be led,
& be sa fylit in þat sted,
þat tyt þe haly gast fra þe,
for fylth of þi flesche, sal fle.”
quod scho: “þe body ma nocht
be fylit bot of consent of thocht.
for, þo þu ger men fyle me
agane my wil, my chastyte
sal doublit be me to þe crone,
þat I sal wyne for my wardone;
for of my wil neuir sal I
consent to fyle my body,
for ony payne or ony wa,
þat þu to me þare-for ma ma.
for my body ay is bone
to haf al pyne & passione
for godis sak, quham in I trew.
do furth þare-for! quhat bydis þu?
for þu sal fynd me redy ay
to tak mare payne þan thu think ma.”
þe presydent gert [til] hyme bryng
sere houlouris, & gef bydding
hir to þe bordale to led,
& quhen scho var in þat sted,
þa suld ger be criyt tyt,
quha-sa-euir had appetit
til haf a maydine but med,
þai suld þame to þe bordale sped,
for þar fynd suld þai a madine
to mak assith til þaim Ilkane;
& þat nane suld hire body spare
til ony lyfe in hire ware.
þane þai went furth but abad,
to do þat þai in byding had.
hir to þe bordale wald þai haf brocht
for sic cause; bot þai mocht nocht;
for þe haly gast had sa
stithit hire, þat nane of þai
mycht of þat place a fute hire stere.
þe presydent, þat wes by nere,
ves amowit ful gretumly,
& gert a thousand men in hy
cume to draw hyre furth of thret.
bot þai mycht hire na forthir get,
þo bath hire fet & hire handis
var bundine faste with Irne bandis.
to helpe þame come, a thousand men,
fyfty ȝok of oxine þene,
to flyt hire furth one þe way;
bot in waste [wes] al did þai,
for vnsterit scho stud stil
as a crag, to byd godis wil.
enchaunturis þane he gert cum sere,
hir with enchanmentis to stere;
bot scho mycht nocht steryt be
mare þane ware a rutfast tre.
þane þe presydent can spere:
“quhat wichecraft dois þou here,
þat þu, þat is maydine al ȝing
& lyk is til a teyndir thing,
ma nocht be had a fute of lynth,
of men na oxine for þe strinth?”
quod lucy: “neuir ȝet delt I
with wichecraft, bot sikirly
It is of criste þe benyfice,
þat stithis me on þis wyse;
for, gyf þu wald ȝet ek to
ten thousand, [þai] suld nomare do.”
þane ves it tald þe presydent
þat wischcrafte & Inchaunment
vith nectyng mocht be lousit sone.
þane gert he caste on hire but hon
of necting a gret quantyte,
þat foule ves to fele or se,
þar-with for to flit hyre thocht.
bot al ves in wast þai wrocht.
& quhene he mycht do nomare,
a ful gret fyre he gert mak þare
about hyr one ilke syd,
þat scalyt fare þe low, & wyd,
& kiste þare-in pyk & brynstan,
to bryne hyre bath lyre & bane.
bot þat grewit hyre nomare,
na It a tempryt bath ware.
þane lucy one hicht can say:
“of god I haf gottine delay
of my martirdome, for þat I
out of dout suld put sikirly
al cristine men to thole passione,
& say to wyne ay lestand crone,
& til eke schame als þe mare
til hethine þat vntreuful are.”
pascasius ves þane ful wa,
quhen he saw hyme scornyt sa.
for-þi his frendis, þat ware nere,
til confort hyme & mend his chere,
a sword in hire hals can thryng.
bot þat hire refit nocht þe speking,
for scho sad: “trewly, I tel ȝow
þat to kirk pece is giffine now,
for þis day ded has tane
of þis warld maxymyane,
& dyoclyciane but dout
of his kynrik [is] put owt.
& as agatha, my cystire fre,
is protectryse of þis cyte
of cathanen, rycht swa sal I
mak prayere to god Ithandly
of Cyricusane for þe towne,
þat to helpe [it] god be bon.”
& rycht as scho þis tale tald,
fra rome come men, þat ves bald.
þan band þai pascasyus rycht þare
& led hyme sa to cesare;
for cesar had herd syndry tel,
þat þis pascasius ves fel,
& refit gudis for gredynes
In þe cunctre quhare he ves.
& quhen he ves brocht to rome,
of þe senat thru þe dome,
his nek þai gert strik in twa,
&, quhare he seruit, [he] cane ga.
& sanct lucy out of þat sted,
quhare scho for god tholyt ded,
ves nocht steryt, bot duelt stil,
as lyk wes to be godis wil;
bot quhen prestis in gud entent
had ministiryt hire þe sacrament,
& scho had ȝoldine god þe geste,
þai mad a fare grawe in [til] haste,
& hyre entyryt vorthely,
as oyse of kirke wes, deuotely.
þane come hire mychtty frendis but hon,
& mad a crafty kirke ful sone,
qu[h]are restis, & sal do ay,
hire poudyre til of dome þe day;
& feffyt it mychtyly
of gret rentis & mychty,
to sustene þaim þare suld lyfe,
þare seruice to god ay to gyfe,
In lowing of god firste, & syne
in honoure of þis haly virgine.
twa emperouris vare þat tyme:
þe tane ves callyt constantine,
& þe todire maximyne.
eftir criste oure flesch had tane
thre hundre tene ȝere & ane,
þis ded ves done, ȝe red here,
þe xiij day of discembre, but ver.
nov lucy, for quham god of hewine
þis wrocht for þe, ore þu went hyne,
þu purchas ws sic grace, þat we
oure lyf led [her] in sic degre,
ovt of þis warld þat ve ma twyn
but schame, det, & dedly syne.