[Poems from the Vernon MS]

At Constantynnoble in þat Cite
Dwelled a Marchaunt of herte fre,
Sumtyme was riche, ful of lewte,
And after fel in pouerte;
And, as þe Bokes telles vs,
He was i-clept Teodorus.
He louede god and vre ladi,
And serued þat Mayden speciali.
And in þat Cite, soþliche,
A Ieuh þer dwelled, was wonder Riche;
In his lay he hedde good name,
He was I-clepet Abrahame.
Theodorus he louede wele,
Gret lykyng hedde wiþ him to dele.
Theodorus hedde þouht and care,
ffor he nedde not wiþ to chaffare;

158

He caste him þerfore to borwe.
To þe Ieuh he wente a-Morwe;
Þer he told him his Mischeef
And preiede hym of sum Releef,
Of his Gold him for to lene,
And þus to hym he gon hym mene.
Þe Ieuh onswerde wiþ gret honour:
“Loke hou þou maiht make me seur
Me to paye at certeyn day,
And þe to helpe I schal assay.”
Theodorus seide: “icham be-hynde,
ffor me þer wol no Mon hym bynde;
He þat sum-tyme was my fere
Me passeþ bi wiþ-outen chere.
But ȝif þou dorstest be so hardi
To take vr ladi seinte Mari
ffor my Borw, be Mi ffay,
I schulde þe pay wel at þi day.”
Þe Ieuh seide: “my goode feere,
I graunte þe, sire, þi preyere,
ffor I haue herd ofte-siþe
Þat ladi is Corteis and Bliþe,
Men seiþ heo wol hem neuer fayle
Þat in hire seruise wol trauayle.
Þerfore go we in to ȝour chirche,
And þer þis forward we wol worche;
Þer is an ymage of hire iliche,
A-Rayed wel wiþ Iuweles Riche:
Tac þou hire me þer bi þe hond!
Of þe kep i non oþur bond.”

Whon he hed seid, þei gonne to gon.
To þat churche þei comen anon.
Theodorus In good Manere
Kneled a-doun, bad his preyere,
And aftur þat wiþ good visage
Went hym vp to þat ymage,
And tok hit bi þat on hond,
And bad þe Ieuh scholde to him fond,
And seide: “sire, so god me saue,
ffor my Borwh þis ladi haue,

159

Þat i schal paye þe at my day
Treweliche and wel al þi Monay
Þat þou schalt me nou take,
Al my disese wiþ to slake.”

Þe Ieuh him tok a summe of gold,
Good Moneye and wel I-told,
And sette hym þer a certeyn day
Him to paye hit wiþ-oute delay.

Þe Cristen Mon þen was ful fayn,
Þey wenten hom ful fayn a-ȝayn.
And he arrayed him ful fast
A schip wiþ seil and eke a Mast:

To Alysaundre he gon sayle.
Þer he a-Ryued wiþ-outen fayle.
Þenne he bouȝte faste and solde,
And eueri day þe pons tolde
He won faste day by day.
Þe ȝeer passed sone a-way.
He þouhte so muche on his wynnyng
ffor-ȝat þe day of his paȝyng,
Til þe Euen was I-comen
A-Morwe schulde paye þat he hedde nomen.

Hit fel in to his Muynde þon
He schulde bi holde a fals Mon;
To þat Cuntre so fer a-twynne
In so schort while miht he not wynne
fforte holde his day of paye.
Bote to vr ladi he gon to praye
Hym to counseyle and to rede
What mihte þenne be his beste spede;
And cast hit in herte outurly
To truste in god and vre ladi.
He tok hym þenne a luytel kyst,
Þer-Inne he putte, þat no wiht wist,
Þe summe of gold, verreyment,
Þat þe Ieuh hedde hym I-lent,
And a lettre, þat seide þus:
“Þis to Abraham Ieuh sent Theodorus;”
Aftur þat, wiþ his hond
Aboute wiþ Iren he hit bond,

160

In to þe séé þen he hit cast,
Preied vr ladi ben Schip and Mast,
Hit to saue In Godes nam
To þe Ieuh Abraham.

Þe Ieuh a-Ros vppon þe Morn,
As I ow telle, wiþ-oute scorn,
And stilliche forþ gon he stalke
To þe séé-syde, þer forte walke,
Þat Ebbet and flowed faste bi his house
Þer he dwellede and his spouse.
Soone he was war wel I-nouh
Of a Cofre, touward hym drouh,
ffloterynge in þat salte séé.
Gret wonder he hedde what hit miȝt be.
fful sone to hym he hit vp nom,
Vndur his arm he bar hit hom.
he fond þer-Inne, verrement,
Þe gold þat he hedde furst and lent;
Beo þe lettre he wuste also
ffrom what Mon þat hit com fro.
He caste hit þenne in to an Ark,
Þat was boþe styf and stark.
To telle þerof no wiht him luste,
But wente him forþ as no wiht wuste.

Longe afturward in Godes nome
Theodorus was comen home.
Wiþ him þer mette mony on
Þat him welcomede swiþe son.

Wiþ Abraham þe Ieuh he mette,
fful Corteysliche he hym grette
And þonked hym of his fordede,
And preied god schulde quite his Mede.

þe Ieuh seide þo: “so mot I þe,
I trouwe þat þou scorne me;
Whi hast þou broken þi terme-day
Of þe payȝement of Mi Monay?”

Theodorus seide: “þou wost wel,
I haue þe payed eueridel;
I take my Borwh to my witnesse,
I owe þe nouþer More no lesse;

161

Go we to churche boþe i-fere,
And þer þe soþe þou schalt here.”
“I graunte wel,” quaþ þe Iewe;
“But þou me paye þou schalt hit rewe!”

Þe Iew made hit wonder touh
And wende hit hedde beo good I-nouh.
Whon þei were bi-fore þat ymage
Þat for þe gold was mad his gage,

Theodorus seide wiþ Mylde steuene:
“Ladi, as þou art qween of heuene,
Help me nou from worldly schome,
I preye þe in þi sones nome;
Þou wost wel, ladi, þer þou sist,
I putte þe gold in to a kist
And, to þis Ieuh þat hit schulde wende,
I preyed þe hit to him sende.
As I truste on þi sone and þe,
Ladi, þe soþe scheuh for me.”

Þe ymage spac, as god hit wolde,
And seide: “Ieuh, þou hast þi golde,
And in þe botme of þyn ark
Þer þou hast leid eueri Mark.”

Þe Iewh wox a-schomed þo
And graunted wel þat hit was so.
Alle þat leeued on his lay
A-schomed weren þat ilke day.
Þer he hedde saumple bi good dome
Cristene mon forte bi-come.—

Þis ladi is ful gracius,
Þat þenkeþ euere þus on vs.
Þerfore to hire loke þou be trewe,
And chaunge we hire not for non newe!
Heo wole vs helpe in vre Mischeef
In þis world to vs Releef,
And afturward wiþ-outen mis
Geten vs heuene-riche blis
Þorw þe grace of hire sone,
Wiþ him þere forte wone.
And þat hit mote so be
Seiþ alle AMen, Par charite.

AMEN.

University of Virginia Library

VI. [hou a iew lente a cristenemon moneye, and took vre lady to borow.]