University of Virginia Library

XLVIII.—JULIANA.

Sanct Iulyane, ȝet ve rede,
to þe prefect of Nichomede,
eulegius þat to name had,
ves handfast; & þo he hir bad
consent til hyme, as he callit skil,
þe band of maryag to fulfil,
be na vay vald scho do sa,
bot he cristine treutht vald ta.
& as hir fadire herd þat scho
vald nocht consent his wil to do,
he gert dispoile hir but bad
of al þe clathis scho one had,
& with wandis doungyne rycht il
til hir spouse bad gif hir til.
þat sad til hir: “my leman dere,
quhy scornis þu me, lat me here,
refusand me, & I ne wat quhy?”
scho ansuert hyme deliuerly:
“sa þat þu in god wil trew,
to do þi wil I consent now;
& mar gettis þu nocht of me,
bot þu trew, & baptyst be.”
þane sad he: “my lemman dere,
þat ma I do be na manere,
for & I did, but ony doute
our emperoure, þat is sa stout,
suld send one me to ta,
& son gere strik my neke in twa.”
þane sad scho til hym: “gyf þat þu
þi varldis lord sa dredis nov,
þat dedly is & mone away,
þane byrd me wele my lord dred ay,
þat is vndedly, & sal deme al
eftir oure dedis, gret & smal.
do furth þare-for þat lykis þe,
for þu sal neuir dissawe me.”
þar men þane dang hir sare,
syne hangit hir be þe hare
half a day, & moltyne led
he gert ȝet a-pone hir hed.
& as he saw þat hurt hir nocht,
chennys of yrne son var wrocht;
þar-vith stratly scho ves bundine,
& syne in a pressone thrungine.
& as scho ves þar alane,
for to fand hir þe feynd has tane
þe schape of angel, of his mycht,
& come til hir, schenand ly[ch]t,
& sad til hir: “Iulyane,
of god ane angel I ame ane,
& send me for to monest þe
þat, or þu forthire torment be,
þat þu til god[is] sacryfy.”
&, helpand god, scho vest in hy
þat it wes sathane, hir fel fa,
þat hir þane entysyt sa;
& gretand to god, scho can pray
deuotely, & þusgat say:
“lord of hewine, I pray to þe
þu thole me nocht tynt be,
bot schew me quhat he is,
þat in þis wyse me entysis.”
a voice þane come til hir [al]-sone,
& bad hir tak þat wik sprit sone,
& hyme vndir hir fet lay,
quhat þat he ves to gere hym say.
þe wykit spryt þane son scho lacht,
as godis voice hir tacht,
& quhat he ves at hym can frane.
& he sone sad hir a-gane:
“I ame a feynd; to dissawe þe,
sathane, my fadire, here send me
in þis forme, dissawand þe.”
ȝet sad Iulyane but delay:
“quha is þi fadire, þu me say!”
quod he: “belzebus, I-wis,
of feyndis al þe fadire is,
þat send[is] vs to do Ile;
& quhene we do nocht all his wil,
he gerris dynge ws schreuytly,
& oure al maste fellonly
quhene we thole vs in ony gre
of cristine man ourcumine be.
þare-for wat I wittirly,
þat for my sorow here come I,
sene I mycht nocht ourecume þe,
bot tholis me ourcumine be.”
sad scho: “quhat fleis þou mast
of þe cristine, þu tel in hast,
& in quhat tyme lest gref ȝe may
to cristine men” scho bad hym say.
sad he: “ferrest fle we þane,
& lest greuis cristine man
in tyme of mes of haly kirk,
to lowe god quha beis nocht Irk,
& quhene prayere or preching
Is sad of god in-to lowing,
or vthir quhar þat increly
men seruis god deuotely;
bot oure al tyme þan ar ve schent,
quhar tretyt is þe sacrament
of godis body at altare burd,
þat prestis þar makis be his vord;
for we mon obey þar-til,
& it honoure agane oure wil.”
þane Iulyane hym hynt in hy,
& vith þat chenȝe hyme band stratly,
þar-with þa hir bundyn had,
& fast dang one hym but bad
þat al hir mycht ful increly,
til þat þat feynd fast can cry
one hir but cesyng ay on ane:
“haf of me mercy, Iulyane!”
þane eftir into lytil space,
þe prefect, þat fellon wes,
of Iulyane þat had gret thocht,
of pressone bad scho suld be brocht.
þane brocht scho furth in hir hand
þe fel feynd bundine in a band,
þat cryit one hir euire in ane:
“haf mercy of me, Iulyane,
& ger me no mare scornyt be,
þo þu sic mastry haf of me!
for I haf tynt al my powere
ony cristine for til dere.
& cristine, I here wele say,
ar commonly mercyful ay,
& þu of me has pyte nane!
mercy! mercy! Iulyane!”
nocht-þane, scho drev hym to þe ton,
& in a depe gausk kist hym done,
þat ves a ful foule pyt,
rycht vgly & ful ves It.
þane cane he rycht rudly rare,
& sad; he had schame fer mare
þat woman, þat be kynd wes
brukil bath of mynd & flesch,
had schamefully hyme ourcumyn þan,
þane it had bene ony mane;
for quhen he ne mocht eschewe
to wyne man, he beguth at ewe;
for-þi he wend sa he mocht
Iulyane [haf] in fanding brocht.
þe prefect þan gert Iulyane
til his presence bring one ane,
& speryt quhat craft scho oysyt,
þat hyme & his sagat dyspisit.
scho sad, na craft it wes,
bot god gef hir tholmodnes,
þat of his paynis scho ne rocht—
in god sa scho set hir thocht.
quod he: “ȝet prowe sal we
gif þu ma ourcumine be.”
a quhele þan he gert sone dycht,
rycht awful to manis sycht,
& one hit gert hir be done,
& stent hir þar-one but hone
vith cordis stark one Ilke syd,
til bath þe flesch raf & þe hyd,
& syne hir banys sa to-quassyt,
þat þe self merch out passyt.
bot god his angel til hir sende,
til comfort hir & til amend,
þat brak þe quhele in pecis smal,
& mad hir [hale] & sond at al.
þane þai þat saw þis [þar] aboute,
of godis aw had sic doute,
þat fele of þame þe feynd forsuk,
& to god & his treutht þaim tuk.
& þat tyme war hedyt þene
in þat place fywe hundre men,
& eke twa hundre & thretty
of wemane þat var stannand by.
& to þai al god gef þe crone
of martirdome for þar wardone.
ȝet mycht þis nocht suffice til
þat presydent, þat wes sa Il,
bot gert set in til his yre
a mykil pot a-pone þe fyre,
& gert melt it ful of leyd,
& kaste hir in atoure þe hed.
bot þe fel payne [hir] grewit nocht,
bot as a bath as hir thocht.
þe prefect þane his godis smal
varyt, & bannyt euir þame al,
þat mocht nocht [ger] for al þar mycht
a ȝyng madine to ded be dycht,
na ȝet to ger punys hir sa,
þat scho hir purpos suld fal fra,
& wytand wele syne how scho
sa mykil wrang had don þaim to.
ȝet thocht he nocht, neuire-þe-les,
to fulfil þare wikitnes,
& bad his tormentoris hir led
a-way, & strik of hire hed.
& as þai var with hir gan[g]and,
þe selfe feynd, scho furth dang,
in þe fygure come in hy
of a ȝung man, & fast can cry,
& sad: “se, ȝe spare hir nocht
þat gret wrang til ȝour godis wrocht;
& me þis nycht scho has fel dongine,
& in a foule pyt me thrungyne!
for-þi gyf hir hir warȝeld nov,
or mykil mare scho sal hourt ȝou.”
þane Iulyane kyste vpe þe e,
quhat he þat vas, for to se,
þat to þe puple sa-gat spak,
& set one hir sa mekil lak.
þane þe feynd fled in hy,
& rarand roydly he can cry:
“alace! alace! me wrech maste!
I dout scho sal tak me in haste,
& bynd me, & bete me ful sare.”
sa fled he but ony mare.
þane band þai hir in þat sted,
& in hast strak of hir heide.
& hir kyne, þat var mychtty,
gert mak hir sepulture in hy,
quhar eftire in-to lytil space
a costlyk kirk til hir mad ves.
þar god wirkis for hir nov
ferlys fele to gere men trew,
of al seknes giffand remed
to þame þat sekis in þat sted
til worschipe god in entent,
& kene to quham sic grace he lent.
& als sone as Iulyane
out of þis present lyf ves tane,
þe prefect passit to þe se,
to pas oure; bot son wes he
drownyt, & foure & thretty men,
þat his seruandis var as for þene.
& al war castine thru þe storme,
bath he & his, one þe morne
in a forest be þe se-syd.
þare wild bestis þat tyd
come, & ȝet þaim al sa clene,
þat mare of þaim ves nocht sene.
sanct Iulyane, þat ourcom here
fele paynis in tholmod chere,
& ves neuir-þe-les seruand
leile to god, I tak one hand,
for þe desert þat þu can ma
to god, þat þe a-wansit sa,
to god of hewine þu pray for me,
þat I ma sa worthy be,
ovt of þis lyf þat I ma twyne
but schame, deit, & dedly syne.