University of Virginia Library

Qwene paule prechit godis vord,
þat befor al it had in hurde,
It hapnyt hyme percase to cume
to þe tone of yconyum.
þane onesiphorus herd say,
þat to þat ton paule [come] þe vay;
vith wyf & barnys he hyme met,
& til his Inys son hyme feit,
& hyme resawit in blythnes,
& mad feste to mar & les.
& sone eftire paule mad sermone
til al þat til here hyme var bone;
& of þis tale þe proprete
ves mast þat tyme of chast[it]e.
& as he here-of prechand ves,
be þe wyndou hapnyt sit percace
a damycele, þat to name
tecle [had], of ful gud fame,
& dochtyr ves to theody,
& handfast to thammary.
& fra scho herd paule preche
godis word & þe folk teche,
at þat wyndou scho set stil
til he prechit þe puple til,
& for nocht vald part away,
bot set stil bath nycht & day.
þane angrely come thamarus,
hir spouse, til hir, & sad þus:
“tecla, quhat thing amowis þe,
þat has na scham to byd fra me?
for-þi to me þu twrne in hy
& lewe al sic verray foly!”
bot quhen he saw he sped nathing
for his enculȝe or entysing,
to þe proconsul he ȝed sone,
& tald hyme al he had done.
þane þe proconsul gert but mare
sanct paule be brocht hym rycht þare,
& tecla als he gert be brocht,
þat come vith a Ioyful thocht.
& as paule come of presone,
þe puple cryit with hye sone:
“quhy lettis þu wemen to be
maryt with men in þis cyte?”
þane tecla spak na word þan,
bot beheld paule, þe haly man.
hir modire þane, theodya,
þat saw hir douchtir stil stand sa,
Cryit loud, þat al mycht here:
“tak my douchtir & bryne hir here,
þat al weman ensampil ma ta
þus þare spouse to part fra!”
ȝet ves þe proconsul þan wa,
þat þane sa criyit theodya;
& gert paule of þe cyte ding,
& tecla eftir furth gert bryng,
þat scho suld brynt be but bad,
as hir modire þat dome giffine had;
& to þe place vent, or he stynt,
quhar tecla þane suld be brynt.
& with hyme vent mony, to se
hou tecla suld brynt be.
& befor al hir spouse can ga,
þat to name had thamyra,
to se þe fyre, to bere þe wod;
for to se hir bryne sa, thocht he gud.
& quhene scho dispoilit wes
of al hir clathis mare & les,
til entre in þe fir but let,
þe proconsul for pyte gret
& of hir stedfastnes had wondire.
nocht-þane, of wod dry as toundire
þa mad a caf, & put þar-in
bath pyk & tere, to ger it bryne,
& [bad] hir clyme a-pone þat cast.
& scho þare byding did in haste,
& bath hir armys strekyt þane
in fourme of croice, & syne vpe wan.
vith bellyse þai blew þe fyre,
to gere it bryne in-to gret yre.
of hir god had sic mercy,
þat al þat hard tremlyt in hy;
vndire & a-beofe fel done
slete & snaw in sic foisone,
þat slokit þat fir alsone
as men a candel suld haf done.
þe low þare-of scalyt wyd,
& syndry brynt one ilke syd;
bot tecla vist of nomare sare
þane scho wyst or scho come þare.
þis meyne-tyme sanct paule ves
duelland in a priwe place,
& anesyophire al with hyme
vith wyf & barne, in-to daphyme.
& as paule þare fastand lay
& prayand til one þe thrid day,
þe chyld of anesophyrus,
þat fastit lang, to paule sad þus:
“ve hungire sare & bred has nane.”
for-þi paule has his kirtyl tane,
& gef it til þe barne in hy,
& bad hyme þare-vith bred by,
& cume agane til hyme gud sped,
þat he mycht al þe menȝe feyd.
& þare þe barne ȝed to by bred,
he saw tecle in þat sted,
& til hir sad: “hou now?
sa, tecle, quhar gais þu?”
quod scho: “I haf of godis mycht
eschapit þe fire þat ves dycht
to bryne me to brule & smeke,
& now sanct paule I gang to seke.”
þane sad he: “cume vith me, & I
sal bryng þe til hyme nere her by,
þat for cause of þe nov gretis,
& vith teris his chekis wetis,
& fastis als deuotely,
þat god suld haf of þe mercy.”
& quhen þe barne had tecle brocht
to paule, he had Ioy in thocht,
&, as he saw hir face, can say:
“god, king of hewine, blissit be ay,
þe fadire of oure lord Ihesu
cryst, I lof þe hartly nov!
for it þat I askit at þe,
of þi grace [þu] has grantit me,
of þis maydine þat with þe lyf
eschapyt has be mykil strife.”
þane sad tecle to paule rycht þare:
“maister, I wil cut of myn hare,
&, quhar þu passis, folou þe.”
þane sad he: “þat ma nocht be,
for þe vedir is fel & Il,
þo þu to trawale be in wil;
& þu art als of gret bewte,
for-þi þe far mare dred I me
þat vthir ocupacione,
or, ma fal, temptacione
our-tak þi thocht & ger þe fal
fra þine entent in part ore al.”
quod scho: “gif me al anerly
in god a takine, quhar-in I
a-gane temptacione ma stand!”
þane he hir blissit with his hand.
þane paule send onosophorum
& [his] als to yconium,
& vith tecle held his way
til antioche but delay.
as þai in þe cyte þan come,
a man, þat sandris had to nam,
& of þat ton ves þe ourman,
fra he had sene tecle þane,
he luffit hir rycht increly;
& þane in til gret hy
in his armys hynt hir sone.
& scho, þat thocht it Il done,
cryit hye: “supprice me nocht,
na haf nocht foly in-to thocht!
for godis seruand nov ame I,
of þe best kine of ycomy,
& for I wald with na man wed,
I ame fled out of þat sted.”
& for he vald nocht lewe þane,
his mane in hir hand scho wan,
& rawe of it a gret part done,
& of his heid kist it done son.
þis man þan, suppos þat he
hir luffit in-to sic degre,
he wes eschamet nocht-for-þi;
& to þe proconsul went in hy,
& hir as sacrilege be-tacht
to þe proconsul, þat son hir lacht,
& fraynit gif scho sic trespas
had done, & gif scho cristine ves.
& for scho grantit al þis sone,
þe consul bad þane but hone,
þat fele bestis suld losit be
til wery hir, þat al mycht se;
& þar-to set a certane day.
þane tecle cane hym mekly say,
þat he vald thole [hir] for to be
kepit in virginite,
na thole na man do hir vnrycht,
quhil scho suld with þai bestis fycht.
a michty wyf þan, triphena,
cane tecla þane in ȝemsel ta;
& hire douchtir apperit hir til
in slepe, þat callit ves falcinil,
& sad: “modire, in name of me,
tak tecla, & hir modire be,
sa scho be oure aduocat
anence god, til amend oure stat!”
tryphena þan þis madine lacht,
& did rycht as hir dochtir tacht.
þane eftire in þe mornyng
stratoclem can tecla furth byrng;
& trypha vald nocht part hire fra,
bot be þe hand can hir ta,
& sad: “as my dochtir dere
led to þe grawe, sa but were
I sal gang vith þe, for to se
hou þe bestis dois with þe.”
son ves tecla fra tryphe had,
& spoylit of hir clathis but bad,
& set in to þe deput place,
þat for sic gilt ordenyt ves;
& lattine var til hire belyfe
barys & lyonnys, hir til ryfe.
& ymang þai bestis ves
richt stark & fel a lyonnes,
þat come to teclis fet in hy,
& to kepe [hir] þar cane ly.
þane come a fel bar in þe sted,
tecla to ryfe, & sla stane ded;
bot sone þe lyones hir met,
& slaw þar but langare let.
syne come a lyone fel & fere
& to sla tecle nichit nere;
bot sone þe lyones hyme met,
& hynt in armys for-out let,
& þare to-gidir facht þai bath,
til stane ded var þai rath.
quhene he saw þis mycht nocht awalȝe,
na þe bestis vald hir nocht assalȝe,
to þe consul he sad in hy:
“bulys, þat ar fel, haf I;
to þame þarfor tecle ȝe bynd,
haffand hir handis fast behynd!”
þe consul sad þane with soroful wil
to sandris: “do quhat þu wil!”
þane band þai hir fut & hand,
hand & fut þaim ymang;
& for þam to gere wod ga,
ȝet brynnand Irne þai can ta,
& kist ymang þe bulis son on one,
to gere þaim sla hire þar richt sone.
& quhen þe bulis be-couth to ga,
þe fir þare bandis brynt in twa,
þat þai rycht mekly passit away,
& did [hir] nothire tene na tray.
& triphena, þat þis beheld,
Is slongyne far in-to þe feld.
þane al hir menȝe in þat sted,
cryand loud sad, scho ves ded.
þe consul þane abaisit vas,
& al þe cyte mare & les;
& sandris ves in sic effray,
þat he fel done, & syne can pray
to þe consul, þat he suld hafe
mercy of hyme & of þe lave,
& gere tecle be mad fre,
for dout þat tynt var þe cyte;
“for gif cesare percace ma here
hou tryphena, his cusing dere,
in þis manere be falline done,
he sal bryne vs & þis tone.”
þe consul þan gert bring hym nere
tecle, & at hir cane spere:
“quhat þu art, tel me nov,
& vith quhat crafte þu delis nov,
þat þe na fel best twech ma?”
þane til hyme mekly can scho say:
“of lifand god seruand ame I:
þar-for na best ma me wery.”

& comavnd hir to bring hir sone
hir clathis, & one þaim ves done.
þane gud confort tuk triphena,
& blyth agane tecle cane ga,
& in armys hynt hir in hy,
& sad: “nov trew I sekirly
þat þai at ded ar, ryse sal.
cum þine & bruk my gudis vith-al!”
þane ȝed scho hame vith hir ewine,
& vith hir duelt dais sewine.
hir menȝe sa tacht scho þane,
þat fele of þame to god scho van.
syne to Marran can scho pas,
quhar sanct paule þan put vas,
& al þer dedis cane til hym tel
per ordre ewine as þai fel.
& þar-of paule had gret ferly,
& lowit god ful increly;
& fele, þat herd it, var rycht þare
confermyt in-to cristis lare.
to paule þan sad scho: “nov wil I
vith þi leif pas til ycony.”
sad he: “ga þi gat, & saw
godis vord for-out aw!”
þane cristine til tecla send
gold & clathis, hir til mend.
til god tecla prayere can may,
& sanct paule als, for trifena.
& tecle lewit a gret part þene
of gold to paule, to gif poure men,
& held hir get til ycony,
til onosophirus herbry.
& to þe erd fel in þat place,
quhar scho thru paule van godis grace,
& gretand, sad: “god, I lof þe,
þat in þis place þi licht send me!”
þane fand scho thamyrum nev ded,
hir fadire, þat duelt in þat sted;
& hir modire thyodyane
lifand scho fand ȝet þane,
& hire conuertit but delay
thru hire preching to cristis fay,
& mad hire trew þat þare is nane
bot mychty god of hewine alane.
& fra þine to scileucyane
scho went, & vith hir mony ane,
þat to god scho van thru sermone,
& in pece endyt in þat tone,
god of hewine hir helpand,
forout end ay regnand;
to quhame honoure & Ioy be
in ewire-mare tyme, percheryte.

[N]ow, tecle, þat þis for god strafe,
& ay þe victory cane hafe,
in hou euire herd payne þou þane
in fyre, or best tholit or mane,
& þe vertu of tholmodnes,
ay kepyt in-to stedfastnes,
& with sic uertu & with ma
oure-come wele þi fellon fa
& al his wilis Ilke-dele;
als wysly as I trew þis vele,
& þat þu has vith god sic grace,
þat quhat þu wil þu ma purches,
vith hart als trewly pray I þe,
þat þu myn advocat vald be
to god, fra hyne þat I ma twyn
but det, schame, & dedly syne.
Amen, Amen, Amen, &c.