University of Virginia Library

XLVI.—ANASTACE.

Þe nobil womane anastace
in rome of gret kine borne wes
& douchtir ves of a mychty
man, callit pretaxaty,
& payane he wes neuir-þe-les;
bot hire modire cristine wes,
a womane of gud fame,
& fausta scho had to name.
& scho hire douchtir gef to lere
to grisogone, þat with gud chere
in cristine treutht mad hire parfyt;
& scho to lere It had delyt.
syne til a man of gret kyne
nere by rome with mykil wyne,
scho ves giffine, þat [had] to name
publy, a man of gret fame,
& vedit hire, & brocht til house,
as afferyt til his spouse.
bot scho, þat thochtful wes ay
of Ihesu criste & of his fay,
thocht scho suld nocht marit be
vith a payane sic as wes he.
ane vthire cause wes ane,
þat chaste scho suld luf alane.
for [t]hire causis fra his bed,
fenȝeand hire sek, away is fled.
& quhar scho wiste ony ware
liffand in-to cristis lare
put in pressone, scho vald ga,
& pure clething one hire ta,
in mykil dout ythandly,
& confort þaim ful besyly
vith almus dedis, les & mare,
vesch þare fet, & keme þar hare.
þane publy strat kepyn til hir mad,
sa þat narroly fud scho had,
& [in] ane house gert stekit be,
þat narroly mycht scho furth se,
bot a wyndo til haf disport,
but mare disport or conforte.
þis tyme dyoclyciane
gert grisogonus be tane,
& put in presone ymang vthire;
þe quhilk scho fed as hire bruthir
als lang as scho had accese;
bot fra tyme scho closit ves,
sic remed ȝet purchaste scho,
þat a kerlyne come hir to,
a medyatrice, to cume & ga
betwene anastace & al þai
godis confessouris þat ware
in presone or in bandis sare,
bot betwene [hir] maste teyndirly
& grisogone, þat was haly.
be þis kerlyng þan wald scho
hir almus dedis to þame do.
lettris of confort þane alswa
betwene þame bare scho to & fra.
& quhene lang it had bene þis,
hire fellone husband publyus
maugre his to pers ves send,
certane nedis fore til end;
& to kepe his spouse, ordenyt he
a wykit man of his menȝe,
& ordenyt hire vatir & Iwil bred;
for he vald rycht fayne haf hir ded.
& sa bad he þat it suld be
ore he agane come, for causis thre.
þe first [þat] steryt his entent
ves, for scho vald nocht consent
in weding to fulfil his wil
in luste of flesch, as hym thocht skil;
þe todire, be-cause þat scho
þe cristine treutht had tane hir to;
þe thred cause [þat] cane hyme stere,
for scho had landis fare & sere,
and meble in gret quantyte,
&, gif scho ded war, hal had he.
& as he wes passit his way,
þis fellone seruand but delay
sa fellonly hire sone can trete
in strat ȝemesel & in fewte,
þat hir lyfar had bene ded
þane sic lyfe ony tyme to led.
thre moneth eftire þis ewynly,
þe caryone of fellone publy
to rome ves brocht be þe se;
& al þai menȝe þane cane fle,
til anastace þat keparis ware,
in syndry placis here and þare.
& scho, mad quyt of presone,
brukit al hire possessione;
& þane sudendly scho sald
al hire gud, by quha vald,
& quha of gud ned had maste,
scho relewit þame in til haste,
& eraste quhar scho wist ony ves
in presone or in seknes;
& skonryt with nane
how foule sekness sa þai had tane,
bot mekly vald scho wesch þar fet,
& with softe sawis þare saris bet,
& dicht þame, & keme þare hare,
as þe modir suld do þaim bare.
& firste to grisogone tald scho
al hale þat hapnyt had hir to,
& of þe ded of hire husband,
& hou scho brokine ves of band;
þat lowit god bath he & scho
ful ofte, as þame byrd wel to do.
þane þai of rome be wryt gert tel
to dyoclesyane þe fel,
þat faste ves slayand cristine men,
in aquiely, quhar he wes þane,
how þe cristine grew ay,
& how fele folk lewit þare lay.
þare-of, þai sad, wes mast to blame
grisogonus be his rycht name.
& [he] wrat agane, & bad sla
al cristine þat þai mycht ta,
& grisogonus þai suld hym send,
þat he of hyme mycht mak sum end.
& þai his biding did rycht sone,
& send hyme gresogone but hone.
þane folouyt anastacya
grisogone, in wele & wa.
quhene he to dyoclysyane
come, he hyme sad one ane:
“of þe prefet tak þe dignite
& of consul, as kynd is þe,
& lat na foly þe our-ta,
bot sacrifice to godis ma!”
grisogonus til hyme can say:
“in thocht I honoure a god ay,
& virschepe hyme in hart I sal,
& honoure in my dedis al,
& honoure sal I neuire mare
þame þat symulacris are,
& dewilis þat þaim duellis in;
& wil þu thole me, ore þou blyne,
I sal þame brak in powdir smal,
for I þame wary, & euire sal.
& þe pouere þu hichtis me,
& þe gret state & dignite
I refuse & forsakis ay,
as vndire my fet I do clay.”
þane fellone dyocliciane
gert grisogonus be tane,
& gert sone cute his nek in twa,
for sacrifice he ne wald ma.
ȝet anastace had madynis thre,
þat vald for na necessyte
lefe hire; & [ane] wes agyne,
thyonia þe todir þene,
þe thryd of þame yrenen hicht;
þai seruit god at al þare mycht.
& þe prefet, for þai var ȝinge,
gert þame thre al hyme bring,
& commawnd þame to sacrify.
bot playne “nay,” þai sad in hy,
for þai for hyme & vthire nane
vald leif þe treutht [þat] þai had tan.
þane in dyspyt gert he
þame put in presone al thre.
& anastace bad þame by,
& þame to serwe ves ful besy.
& þe presone, quhare-in þai
var, nere þe kechine lay,
& in it for to kepe vmquhile
of þe kechine ves vtensel.
& þo þat place ves lacht & myrk,
ȝet god cane his mychtis wirk,
& of his mycht mad it schenand,
& confort þame vith angel sang.
& for þire thre ver farly fayre,
þe prefet yddire had repare;
bot as he to þame cumyne wes,
his thocht changit in sic wodnes,
þat, quhene he thocht þaim til embrase
or til kyse, as his wil wes,
pottis or pannis vald he hynt
in armys & kise, or he stynt.
& as he wend he had done
til his wenyng Inuch, al-sone
fra þat place þan vald he ga,
raggit & rent & blak alswa;
sa þat þai þat bad hyme þen
beout þe dure, cuth hym nocht kene,
bot erar vend he had bene
a vod man, fra þai [had] hym sene;
for-þi dispytuisly vald þai
dyng hyme, & put hym a-way.
þane to þe emperoure to ga
he dressit hyme, his playnt to ma
þat men had done hyme sic Iniure.
bot, or he to þe emperoure
mycht cume, men ȝet sare hyme dang,
sume vith scurgis, & sum vith wand,
& sume in-[to] his face vald spyt,
& vthir sum [kest] richt ful dryt,
& sum mony sar buffet
one his face ful sadly set;
for al þai þat hym had sene,
vend brane wod he had bene.
& vith al þis sa blynd ves he,
þat he mycht nocht hym-selfe se,
bot as [to] his awne sycht
he ves rycht cumly, fare, & brycht.
& þe fend quham he had
lang seruit, sic reward hym mad.
nocht-þane gret sorow can he ma
þat herd hym syne defoulit sa.
as [it] ves tald hym eftir sone
þat þai thre madynnis it had don
be wichcraft & sorcery.
þare-for he spoylit þaim in hy,
þat he mycht nakit se þare flesch
quhar-in his sufferane delit ves.
&, as he vend mak þaim bare
of þar clething, ferly fel þare;
for þai wald nomare a-way twyne
þane suld haf done þare awne skyn,
sa mocht þai be naway
fra þare bodys be tane away.
sa þe prefet for abasing,
fast routand fel on slepyng,
& sadly slepand lay stil,
for ocht men mycht do hyme til;
& his frendis þat of hym rocht,
sa slepand til his Inys hym brocht.
quhen dyoclisiane þene herd
hou with dulycius it beferd,
ane erle, callit sir cycyny[u]me,
til his presens he gert cume,
& bad he suld but pyte
ger sla þai verginis al thre.
cycinius þane in til yre
of dry matere gert mak a fire,
& þer thre madynnis he gert cast in,
venand in haste þai suld bryne.
bot þai þar-in bad but merryng
of clathis, of corse, or of vthir thing,
bot ȝald þe saulis to god of hewyn,
þat þame reschauyt vith angel stewyn.
þe emperoure, þat fellon wes,
til a prefet gef anastace,
til haf hire til his wyf frely,
gyf he mycht gere hire sacryfy.
þe prefet þar-of ves rycht blyth,
& had hire til his chawmir suyth,
& becuth hir til enbrase;
bot he þe sycht tynt in þat place.
til his fals godis þan went he,
to consal þaim gyf he mycht be
recouerit of his maledy.
& þai ȝald hyme ansuere in hy:
“for þu grewit anastace nov,
til vs but bad gewine is þu,
to duel with ws but end in hel,
& euire thole torment cruel.”
his seruand[is] led hym hame þan,
& in his house as he wane,
he ȝald þe gast but abad,
as his mawmentis hym tal[d] had.
& til ane vthir prefet, as he wes
ded, gefine ves anastace,
þat gert hire in presone do.
&, quhene It wes tald hyme to
þat scho wes riche habundandly,
he sad hir til al prewely:
“cristine woman gif þu wil be,
þu mon do as god byddis þe,
þat sais: ‘he þat renuncis nocht
til al þat he has, he ma nocht
my discipil ony way be.’
þare-for gif al þi gud to me.
bot þu renunce til al þi gud,
þu seruis hyme nocht þat deit on rud,
for god in his ewangel sais treuly
‘na man ma twa lordis serue;’ for-þi
þu ma nocht here serue to riches
& als to þi god with besynes.
for-þi renunce al vith gud wil,
& þi god sa þu ma serue til.”
sad scho: “sutht is, god bad
sel al þe gudis þat I had,
& gif pure men, & nocht ryk;
& þat þu poure be, is nocht lyk;
þar-for, gif ocht I gyf þe to,
aganis godis byding I suld do.”
þe prefet þan gert bynd hir faste,
& in a depe presone caste,
þat scho suld duel but drink or mete,
or ellis ocht mycht hir refete.
bot god send til hire theodase,
þat twa moneth befor slane ves,
& fed [hir] þar of hewinely fud,
þat naman wist hou it ves gud.
syne ves scho put in exile
of palmaryas in ane Ile,
with twa hundre verginis clene;
& fand fele þare þat had bene
in exile lang for cristis sak,
in fasting, prayere, & in wak.
eftire þat þe prefect al
of þe pressone til hyme gert cal,
& befor [hyme] a gret fire mak,
& anastace band til a stak,
& brynt hire in-[to] poudir smal;
& syndry of þe lawe with-al
be sere paynis he put to ded.
bot ane þare ves in-[to] þat sted,
þat tynt had gud[is] in plente
for cristis sak, bot ay sad he:
“criste sal na man fra me ta,
for payne, passione, na for wa.”
ȝet þane sone apolyna
þe cors of anastace can ta,
& in hir ȝard gert it entere,
of gastly Ioy vith gret affere.
& eftir [þat] son scho gert wirk
one hir grawe a costlyk kirk,
quhar-in suld men hir vorschepe ay
in lowe of god til domysday.
þis vndir dyoclicyane
ves done, quhen of god war gane
twa hundre auchty & sewine ȝere
eftir þat cryst oure flesch tuk here.
þane pray ve to sanct anastace,
þat to serwe god þis besy ves,
þat scho mak ws hyne to twyne
but det, schame, or dedly syne.