University of Virginia Library

XLVII.—EFFAME.

Effame, þat ves fare of face,
a senatoure dochtir ves
of rome with þe best of ane.
in tyme of dioclesyane,
quhen scho saw hou cristine men
one syndry wys var torment þene,
to þe Iug þane of þe ton
scho sped hire, þo he ves fellone,
& one hye voice sad hyme to,
þat cristis seruand hal ves scho,
& syne to crist sic vitnes bare,
þat hartis of fele, þat þan var
red for of payne þe bittirnes,
scho strenthit of hire stedfastnes.
& as þat Iug had put of lyf
mony cristine successiue,
he prayt þame þat lifand war,
thru paynis þai saw men thol þar.
bot eufame, þat sic payne sene had,
abasit ves nathing, na red,
bot ay þe mare stedfast ves scho
þe hardare payne þai ȝed to,
& cryit one [þe] Iug lang,
þat he did hire mykil wrang.
þane sperit he at hire son
quhat wrang he had hir don,
& blyth ves, wenand in hy
þat scho come for to sacrify.
þane sad scho: “men wele vat
of my kine þe noble estate,
& I ame knawine in þis ton
vith þe best vpe & done;
þane [quhy] þe folk of symple kine
& vnknawine þis ton withine
befor me sendis þu to tak crone
of crist for med of his passion,
& me deferris for to wyne
þe Ioy þat my delyt is in?”
þe Iug sad: “I wend þu
to sacryfy ver cumyne nov
& til haf reutht of þi ȝouthed,
sa to turment þu nocht ȝede.”
quod scho: “þar-for I come nocht,
bot erar to thole is my thocht.”
&, for scho cane sic ansuere ma,
þe Iug son gert hir ta,
& in a myrk pressone hir lay.
& one þe morne quhen it ves day,
vnbundine gert hir cum þare
ymang þame þat bundyn var sar.
& as scho come til his presence,
scho compleynit of þe gret offence
þat he did hir agane þe law,
of þe emperoure hafand nan aw,
for he let hir vnbundine gang
& nane vthir. þat callit scho wrang.
þane gert he buffit hir rycht sare,
& led to presone but ony mare,
& folouyt hir, beand in wil
his lykine vith hir til fulfil.
& starkly scho vith-stud ay,
for ocht þat he cuth do or say;
for god his handis þan sa dycht,
þat to force hir he had na mycht.
þane trewit he wele but wene
þat enchantit he had bene;
for-þi he send his stewart rath
to gif hir gud & hicht hir bath,
for alkine slycht to wyne hir wil,
his hasty lykine til fulfil.
& as he come to þe pressone,
rycht þare he fel done,
&, þo he had þe keys brocht
vith hyme, duris opyn he [ne] mocht,
na with hameris na ax brek,
for al he mocht do or spek,
þo he pressit neuir sa faste.
& hyme assaylit at þe last
a feynd, þat gert hym rare & cry,
& ryfe hyme-self dispituisly;
sa þat scantly vith þe lyfe
he eschapit þat fele strife.
þane wes scho of preson tane,
& one a rond quhele set on ane,
foul of colis red brynnand;
& he þat mad it, ves stannand
vith-in it, & be a takine tacht
as þai suld torment vith al macht;
þat ves, as he suld knok withine,
to draw fast suld þai begyne,
for þane þe gret fir suld brek oute,
& bryne þe madyne bane & route.
& he þat in þe quhele bad
as he had al redy mad,
þe Irne of his haund can fal,
quhar-with he suld turne with-al;
& þai þat vtrely var but wene,
vend þe takin it had bene,
& drew fast at al þare macht
þe quhele a-bout, as he þaim tacht.
& hyme þat closyt ves þar-in
in askis smal it can son bryne;
bot eufame, þat stud on þe quhele,
god haile kepit ilke deile,
na þe fyre deryt hir na-thing.
þar-of scho ȝald til god lofing.
þe kyne þane of þat crafty man,
þat in þe quhele brynt ves þane,
a gret fir mad a-bout þe quhele,
hir to bryne venand wele.
bot as þe quhele ves brynt avay,
ane angel come but delay,
& set hir one a hil one hicht,
& held hir hale thru godis mycht.
in þat place wes þane ane,
þat callit ves appelliane,
þat to þe Iug son cane say
þat “þai þat are of cristine lay
bot be yrne ma nocht be
ourcumyne; þarefor I consel þe
þat þu hire nek gere strik in twa.”
fele of þame þane can lederis ta,
to bring hire sone fra þat hicht,
quhar scho lofit godis mycht;
& as þai had þe lederis set
fra of þe hicht hire to get,
he þat wes mast in gud wil,
his handis for to strek hir til,
ves sa tane of parlesy,
þat as half ded stil can he ly.
& ymang vthire ane þare ves,
þat to name had sostynes,
þat til clyme til hir presit fast,
& ves conuertyt at þe last,
& askit hir pardone mekly,
syne hynt a swerd in hand in hy,
& to þe Iug sad, þat he
had lewar with þat suerd slane be
þane he wald hand one hir lay,
þat godis angel kepyt ay.
ȝet þe Iug, fel & fere,
gef byding til a chancelere,
þat he suld haf hir hyne away;
& syne gif byding but delay,
þat ȝung men, þat lust til fulfil,
þat madyne þai suld gang til,
& trauale hir þar sa lang,
til scho failyt þame ymang.
& quha erast come hir to,
sic wantones for to do,
saw mony madynis stand hir by
prayand to god increly;
& al þat þat sicht had sene,
be-come cristine son bedene.
þe presydent þan ves ful wa,
seand hyme ourcumine sa;
for-þi he gert þe maydyn þar
be tane, & hangit be þe hare.
& for scho þar-of rocht na-thing,
he gert hir in pressone thring
sex dais but ony fude
of met or drink to do hir gud.
& eftire sone þe sewynd day,
betweine four stanis gert hir lay,
& pressit hir, to do hir pyne,
as men dois grappis of þe wyne.
bot þe angel hir kepyt swa,
þat in na torment ves hir fra,
þat þai stanys turnyt al
thru hir prayer in povdir smal.
þane ves þe presydent rycht wa
a[t] a maydine oure-come hym sa,
& had schame þat he ne docht
for ony paynis chang hir thocht.
þane he put hir in a place,
at a-bout hir vele closit wes,
& let in til hir bestis thre,
þat var of sa gret cruelte,
þat þai wald ryf & swely sone
mane or best but ony hone.
bot god þai bestis mad sa mek,
þat þai fel al thre til hir fet,
& faynand hir þare talis knet,
& as a cheare þar-on hir gert set,
& schamit sa þe presydent
ful gretumly in his entent.
þane come a turmentoure sone,
for to tak wrake for-owtyne hone
of hir þat gert þe presydent
for schame be nere-hand schent;
& thrang a sword in til hir syd,
& mad a slope, depe, & wyd,
& sa to god mad a martyre.
to quham þe Iug, as for his hyre,
of costly gud gef a kirtil
& of fyne gold a wrethe þar-til.
& fra þat gif[t] he had tane,
vnese ves he of þe place gane,
quhene a fel lyone son hym met,
& veryt hyme but langare let,
& rawe þat vnese mocht
of his body be fundine ocht.
& þis fel Iug, þat priscius hicht,
ȝet his awne flesch day & nycht,
til he hyme-self had brocht to ded,
of mannis helpe but remed.
& eftir þis ves sanct eufame,
þe haly virgine of gud fame,
in calsidone to sepulture
ful richely [brocht] in gret honoure.
& scho tholit sic passione
fra cristis incarnacione
twa hundre & aucht score of ȝere,
as I trew wele but were.
I pray hir helpe vs sa hartly,
ve leid oure lyfe sa gud-ly,
out of þis varld we may twyn
but schame, det, & dedly syne.