University of Virginia Library

XIV.—LUCAS.

Crystis ewangeliste sancte lucas
as of nacion cyrus was.
In his ȝouthede leyrit he
In antyoche leche to be,
& in þat crafte was wele parfyt.
bot fra he come to rype eld, tyt
to þe apostolis he hyme band,
& folowit þame in mony land,
& þare haly dedis be-dene
wrat opynly as he had sene.
sum mene sais ȝet neuir-þe-les
þat he a proselyt mad was
& knew lettris of hebrew;
bot lettris of grek wel he knew.
syne folowit he paul fra tone to tone
to þe tyme of his passione,
þat syne to rome vith hyme had he,
& gerte hyme þar sancte petir se.
bot fra sancte paule he partyt nocht,
for wele na wa þat he thole mocht,
bot in al tribulacione
to pase with hyme ay wes bowne,
& in his pylgrimage ay
he folowit hyme nycht & day.
& his trawale & dedis all
he put in wryt, gret & small;
& als gestis þat he leyryt
of vthris apostolis put in wryt;
& syne of þame al mad a buke
to þame þat lykyt þare-in to luke,
In lofe & memore of þare name,
& how þai liffyt her but blame,
& to þe stablyne of þe kyrke,
& for to kene men wele to wirk.
& quhene sancte mathee his ewangel
had mad, as I say[d] sum quhyle,
In-to þe land of Iudea,
& marke in-[to] ytilia,
& luke mad his ewangel syne,
of thingis hard mar þan of sene,
as he of syndry leryt had,
þat with Ihesu dwellynge mad,
fra he becwthe to wirk merwale
to þe laste end of his trawale;
bot of oure lady al-þire-maste,
þat ful wes of þe haly gaste,
he gat maste part in-fowrmy[n]ge;
for scho þe suth wyste of althinge
best, of his werk & of his layre,
fra þe tyme þat scho hym bare;
for scho had ay in hyre hart hyd
al þat he sad & at he dyd
In flesche til he wandryt here,
& tald it þame þat vald hyre spere.
& þis luke he his ewangelis can ma
In byt[i]ne & in asya,
quhare he techit men to lef syne,
& quhow to god þai suld syn wyn.
& for to serwe god mare sud pay,
warld[l]y t[h]ink he lefyt ay,
for he had nothire vyf na cheld,
bot his flesche kepyt euir vnfylit
& gret care als he mad
þat he mycht nocht martir be mad
for goddis sak, as he had sene
syndry be, quhare he had bene.
bot he in bythanea
þe endynge of his lyf can ma,
quhene he had drywyn wel oure
þe kanttis of sewynty ȝeris & foure.
& dewot mene in honoure
of his cors mad þe sepulture.
syne eftyre þai translat[it] hyme
to constantynopolyne,
quhare he sal be to domysday,
god wirkand merwalis for hym ay,
& þane of hyme reward to ta—
as his ewangel menynge can ma,
þat þe angel his trumpe sal blav,
& ger þame ryse þat lyis law,
& to þe Iugment apere,
quhare al sal tak as þai seruit here,
gud for gud, & il for Ill.
a! wysely luk, I pray þe til
þat I one þat auchtful day,
quhene god our dedis sal assa,
befor hyme trastly ma apere,
& to be saf haffand na vere;
& þare-to helpe, þat I hyne twyn
but schame, det, and deydly syne.