University of Virginia Library

XLV.—CRISTINE.

The gentil virgine s: cristine,
þat god seruit vith hart fyne,
come of kyne of mykil mycht,
þat seruit god[is] day & nycht;
& in tyro of ytaly
hir fadire duelt as mast mychtty.
& for scho ves his perand are,
fetyse, fasonyt wele, & faire,
he mad a toure of lyme & stane,
a starkare mocht be fundine nan.
þar-in put he his dochtyre dere,
& twelf madynis, þat fosterit vere
vith hire to serwe, he gert ga
in þe toure hire seruice to ma.
& godis gert he mak syndry
of gold & siluire mychtyly,
& put þame vith hyre in þe toure,
for scho suld do to þaim honour,
& incense laid in a wyndo by,
quhar-with scho suld sacryfy.
þane for þe cause of hire bewte
ful mony ȝarnyt hire to se,
til hafe hire in weding;
bot hire kyne wald for na thing
þat scho til man suld gyffine be,
bot serwe furth in virginite,
til þar godis til enplese,
for as þame thocht þat ves mast ese.
bot scho ves tacht wele in haste
be steryng of þe haly gaste,
& al þai ydolis mare & les
scho had in-to wlatsomnes,
& þe incense, þar-with scho
vikit sacrifice suld mak þaim to,
in a wyndo scho lad It by,
& it hyd þare ful craftfully.
hire fadire come a day percace
in-to þe toure, quhar his dochtir ves,
& hir twelfe madynis tald hym sone
hale how his dochtire had done,
þat sacrifice vald mak na day
til hire godis be ony way,
“for scho sais, cristine is scho.
seis þarfor quhat ȝe wil do!”
þane hir fadire kissit hir ofte,
& gluthryt hir with vordis softe,
& hir entysyt mony wyse
to godis to mak sacryfice,
& sad [til] hir: “my dochtire dere,
do furth my byding in gud chere!”
quod scho: “þi dochtir cal nocht me,
bot I his dochtyre ay sal be,
& sacryfice [one]-til hyme mak,
þat sal in thank rycht wele It tak;
þat is, to god in trinite,
to quhame for euire I offer me,
& nocht to godis, þat neuir had
lyfe, bot are vith handis mad,
& ma nocht spek, se, na ga—
quhatkine godis suld be þa?”
þane sad þe fadir: “gif þat þu
vil nocht to syndry godis now
mak sacrifice, at lest til ane
sa þat þe lafe nocht crabyt be
na gretly grevyt at þe!”
þane sad scho: “þu has sad wele
vnwittandly, sa haf I seele!
for I mak myn offerand but were
euir-ilke day to godis sere,
& are bot a god nocht a laste,
þe fadire, þe sone, þe haly gaste.”
þane sad þe fadire: “sene þat þu
þai sere godis honouris now,
quhy wil þu nocht honoure with-al
al vthire þat goddis ve cal?”
quod scho: “þo I nemmyne thre
personis, ma bot a god be;
fadire, sone, & haly gaste;
& þire thre, quha vele cuth taste,
Is bot ane in diuinyte,
þo I nemmyne personnys thre.”
hire fadir vent [in] wrath away.
& crystyane but [mar] delay
gadryt sammyne þai godis al
of gold & siluere, & brak smal,
in smal pecis but delay,
& gefe to poure men away.
hire fadire, venand vele to do,
a-nothire tyme come hire to,
to þai godis to do honoure,
þat he befor lewit in þe toure;
& he fand nane he honour mocht.
þare-of gret ferly hyme thocht,
& at cristine he speryt sone,
quhat scho vith his godis had don.
þane hire maydinis can hym say,
þat scho [had] delt þame al away,
& brokine þame in pecis smal.
þat hyme thocht verste of al.
& quhene he wist þis ves done,
he gert hire clathis tak of son,
& gert men ding hire ful faste
vith handis fel, til þai mycht leste.
& þat he gert do ythandly,
til twelfe men war wery.
cristine sad [til] hire fadire þane:
“but honoure & schame Ivyle man
& wlatsume to god sykyrly,
se hou al þere are very,
þat dyngis me, & ȝet but vere
in godis seruice I persewere;
þarefor suld þu be prayere seke
tyl þi godis, þare strinthis til eke,
& sa, to nev þare vertu, fand;
for þai haf nere tynt þare aynd.”
þane gert he bynd hire faste
vith yrne chenȝeis, & hire caste
in til a presone depe & myrk.
& quhen hire modir herd þis verk,
scho rafe hire clathis & hire hare,
& cryit loud, & he can rare,
& to þe presone vent ful sone,
& til hire douchtir fete fel one ane,
& sad: “cristyane, my dochtyre brycht,
þat of myne ene is souerane lycht,
vith hartly vil to þe I pray
þat þu wil rew of me þis day!”
quod scho: “quhy callis þou me
þi douchtire? for I haf one me
þe name of god almychtty.
for-þi ga þi vay in hy!”
& quhen þe modire saw þat scho
mocht no mare with hire douchtyre do,
til hire husband scho com sone,
& tald hyme al hou scho had done,
& þat scho mycht be na skyl
of hire douchtyre turne þe wil.
hire fadire þane of fellon thocht
gert hyre befor hyme sone be brocht,
& bad hire scho suld sacryfy
til þare godis in al hy,
ore ellis thole torment sa fel,
þat it suld ferly be to tel,
“& þu sal neuir callit be
my douchtir; trewly, I tel þe.”
þane sad scho [til] hyme but hone:
“a ful gret grace þu has me done,
þat sic hicht makis to me,
þat þi douchtir I sal nocht callit be;
for of sathanes trewly art þu,
ȝa, fadire, fermely þis þu trew!”
þane commandyt he to perse hir flesch
with scharpe nalys, þat teyndir was,
& hire lymmys to draw in twyne,
til ony lyf ware hire in.
þane cristyane of hire flesch can pul,
þat rywine wes, a handful,
& kyste [it] in hire fadire face,
& sad tyl hyme, þat angry wes:
“þu tyrand, þat þi flesch can get
of þi body, now It ete!”
hir fadire þane but ony hone
gert hir on a quhele be done,
& fyre vith oyle þar-on gert he
be mad in gret quantyte.
þane þe gret lo[w] scalit on heid,
& slew fywe hundire in þat sted;
bot til hire it did na lath,
in body, na ȝet in clath.
ȝet vend hire fadire sekirly
al þat had bene sorcery;
for-þi one nev he gert hire bynd,
& in a myrk pressone hire flyng.
& as cumyne ves þe nycht,
he bad his menȝe þai suld dycht
a hewy stane til hire bynd faste,
& in þe se syne hire caste.
& quhen þai had his bydding don,
godis angel apperit sone,
& hire in handis hynt in hy,
& held hire one lofte ban-dry.
þane cryste hym-self, þat al mocht se,
[come] of hewine, þat in þe se
baptyste hire, & cane say:
“I baptyse þe here þis day
in god, my fadire, & in me
& in þe haly gaste, al thre;”
& to sancte mychel hire betacht,
þat blythly hire in handis lacht,
& set hire one land al dry.
& quhen hire fadire þis ferly
herd, strak hym-self in þe front,
ȝet sayand, as he wes wont:
“quhat wichcrafte oysis þu,
þat þe se na ma now
drowne þe, for ocht men ma do?”
þis answere scho mad hym to:
“þu fellone fule & vnhappy,
of god sic grace gewine haf I.”
hire fadire [þane] commawndit sone
þat scho in preson suld be don,
& one þe morne hire to ta,
& hire heid strik of hire fra.
bot vrbane, hire fadire, þat nycht
ves fundine ded be godis mycht.
to quham a Iug can succed
callyt denyse, ewil of ded,
þat gert a kirtil be mad meet
for hire, syd done to þe fete,
of yrne, as ane habresone;
& as þis ves redy mad bon,
in-to þe fyre he gert it caste,
& drew it syne on hire faste,
& walland oyle & pyk alson
he gert cast þare abeone;
& gert foure wicht men to ga,
þat suld rol hire to & fra,
þat scho þe sonnere suld be slane
eftyre þat ilke fellone payne.
bot scho vnhurt lofit god ȝarne
þat scho, nov borne as a barne,
ves rokit sa, felend na sare,
as barne þat in þe kardil vare.
þat Iuge, as he þis had sene,
nowly gert tak hyre in teyne,
& schawe hire heid to þe suerd,
& gert men tak hire eftirwerd
of hire clathis, & gert hire be
led nakit thru þe cyte,
tyl apolyne til scho ves brocht.
& þane to pray scho cesyt nocht,
til þe fals ydol don can fal,
& in poudre lousyt al smal.
& as þe Iug þis herd say,
he wes sa red but delay
he fel done þare stane ded.
& þare succedit in his sted
a fellone Iug of mony ane,
þat callyt wes Iulyane.
& he ane oyne gert be mad
red het, & put hire in but bad,
& closit it, as þat ves done.
bot godis angel come sone,
& duelt with hire dais fywe,
vith hire sang lowand god of lywe.
þane come þare fele þe sext day,
to se how hire body lay,
þat þai wend bene brynt had;
& fand hire bath blyth & glad,
lowand god at al hyre mycht
þat of his angelis gef hyre sycht.
ȝet Iulyane went wittirly,
& al vthire, it had bene sorcery.
þane twa serpentis he gert bryng on ane,
þat haspidis has to name,
& als fellone vthyre twa,
þat to nam has vypera,
& twa colubris rycht fellone
befor hire he gert lay done.
þe serpentis hire fete can lyke,
& hurt hire nocht, þo þai var wyk.
aspidis til hir papis socht,
& sukyt þame, & noyt nocht.
Colubres a-bout hyr nek lay
vnhurtand, lykyt suet away.
þane Iulyane, þat þis has sene,
vend it sorcery had bene.
til his enchantoure þan sad he:
“me think þu begilis me,
þat gerris nocht þire bestis byt,
& sla ȝone maydine but respyt.”
þane he profit his craft to do;
& al þai bestis socht hyme to
in mykil brath in-to þat sted,
& gert hyme fal done stane ded.
þane cristine, þat wes nocht rad
for þai bestis, but bad þaim bad
þat þai suld pase til wildirnes,
quhar of men wes nan accese,
& neuire cum to grewe man.
& furth went þai richt þane.
& dynyse, þat ȝet lay ded,
þe secund Iug of þat sted,
at hire prayere scho rasit þan;
& he become cristine man.
ȝet Iulyane, þat wes sa thra,
bath hire papis gert ryf hir fra;
& men mycht se þare gret ferly,
þat mylk for blud come out in hy.
& seand þat, he wes [ful] wa,
& sone gert carwe hire tong in twa;
bot scho þe spek tynt na deile,
bot, as befor, spak als wele;
& scho strak Iulyane in þe e
vith it, & lettyt hyme þane to se.
þane Iulyane, þat wes wa,
in his hand a bow can ta,
& with ane arrow in hire syd
he mad a slope, depe & wyd,
& of ane vthire arrow þare
he strak hir thru þe hart, sa sare
þat to god scho ȝald þe gaste,
þat it resawit in til haste.
& þis in tyre done ves,
eftir criste resawit oure flesch
twa hundre lxxxvij ȝere;
& þane ves emperoure but were
þe fellone Dioclysiane,
þat cristine men slew mony ane.