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ere Alexius was borne; 567
? oo was ? e poeple in wel more care,
ffor ? at ? ai were aryued ? are,
? an ? ai weren er biforne; 570
ffor ? at tyme were ? e folk of Rome
? e mest shrewen of cristendome
wi? outen o? es ysworne. 573
ffor pilgrymes ? at aryueden ? ere,
her catel ? at ? ai wi? hem bere,
On hast was forlorne.
Page 47
576
(49)
? Ri? th so bifel by ? oo dawes
By Alexius & his felawes.
Of sorou? was her speche; 579
Also sumtyme bifel a cas,
? oo god almi? tty bad Ionas
To Nyniue gon & preche; 582
Ionas wist wel her wille,
? e folk of niniue weren ille
And wicked for to teche; 585
Away Ionas wolde haue ystole
ffrom goddes hest, & han hym hole;
Ak sone hym fel a wreche. 588
(50)
? Ionas wende god bigile,
And wolde haue went to ano? er yle
In ? e grikkissh Cee; 591
he gan to shippen atte Ryuage;
wynde aroos wi? wood rage,
? at sorou? it was to see. 594
ffyue dayes euere iliche it lest
wi? sorou? & care, her tempest,
? at seyl ne mi? th ? ere be. 597
? an seide ? e maister 'forso? e Iwys
Sum cursed Man amonges vs is,
? at wel witen mowe we. 600
(51)
? 'we wille? caste amonges vs alle,
Lott, on whom it may bifalle,
And ouere bord he shal be cast. ' 603
And whan ? e prophete herde ? is,
He ? ou? th he had ydon amys,
And was sore agast. 606
? ries ? ai beren aboute ? at lot,
Ac on Ionas fel vche grot,
? e first and ? e last. 609
? e maister hym ? rew ouere bord;
A whal hym swalewe at oo word
ffor oo morsel in hast;
Page 48
612
(52)
? And ? ere he dwelled forso? e apli? th
? re dayes fulle & ? re ni? th,
ffor Ionas was vntrewe; 615
And at ? e ? re dayes ende,
Swiche grace god gan sende,
? e Cee to londe hym ? rewe. 618
whan ? e whal was comen to londe,
? erto was many mannes honde
On hym forto hewe; 621
And whan ? e whal was to-cleued,
Ionas pylte vp his heued,
And gan his body shewe. 624
(53)
? vp he roos, ? e folk to teche,
And goddes wordes he gan preche,
And lered hem her lefnesse, 627
And made hem wynne goddes loue,
To wonen wi? hym in heuene aboue,
? e poeple more and lesse. 630
? Ri? th so Alexius had yment
To Tars forto haue ywent;
Ac god hym sent destresse, 633
And made hym to Rome wende,
To wonen ? ere among his frende,
holy wryt bere? witnesse.
Page 49
636
(54)
[folio 24b] ? whan Alexius was to londe ygon,
Seyl ? ai drou? en vp onon,
And wenten in ? e Cee, 639
Al to thars till ? ai come
ffro ? e wicked londe of Rome,
And maden solempnite. 642
Alexius com in-to his owe,
And of his frendes was he nou? th knowe,
ffor so naked was he;
And als a straunge man he went
To his fader wi? gode entent,
And seide to hym par charite, 648
(55)
? 'Eufeniens, goddes frende,
? ou art holden good & hende,
Alesed of gret Almesse! 651
ffor his loue ? at was ybete,
And for vs suffred woundes grete,
helpe me in ? is destresse, 654
ffor I ne can to no Man gon
Mete to crauen, bot ? ee on,
No herberewe more ne lesse; 657
Make of me ? i bede-man!
And by hym ? at ? is werlde wan,
? ou mi? th haue heuene blis;
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660
(56)
? '? iue me ? e crommes of ? i table,--
? an doostou dedes merciable,--
And herberewe in ? ine house; 663
And of Alexius, ? i son so fre,
Afterward I shal telle ? ee,
? at ? ou helde preciouse: 666
? an shaltou be day & ni? th
Glad, whan ? ou hym seest wi? si? th,
And ek ? i trewe spouse. ' 669
Eufeniens ansuered ? oo,
'I graunt wel ? at it be so.
? ine bedes ? if ? ou wilt ouse. ' 672
(57)
? To a Man he hym bitook,
? at seke Men cou? e wel look,
Nou? th as a Man of task; 675
To kepe ? at Man he bad hym ? ink,
And brynge hym bo? e mete & drynk
whan he wolde ask. 678
'? if god wil, my creatoure,
He shal be kepte wi? honoure,
His peynes forto lask, 681
To seien his bedes, & bidde for me
To veray god in trinite,
fforto he be roted to ask. '
Page 51
684
(58)
? Eufeniens bad he shulde be
? ere ? at he mi? th hym ysee
late and erly; 687
In ? e halle he shulde be layd.
was ? ere non ? at it wi? sayd,
Bot graunted hastyly; 690
? ai loued hym more ? an any man.
To kepe hym wel, he hete hem ? an,
And wisten neuer why 693
His wijf hym loued at herte dere;
wel wolde she ? at he serued were,
And mychel was hym by. 696
(59)
? wi? outen any grucchyng word,
Mete ? at was vpon hire bord
? ai senten hym to almesse, 699
Ri? th of her owen dissh,
were it flessh oi? er fissh,
while he was in destresse; 702
? us was ? e pilegryme yserued ? an.
who he was, wist noman,
Gret was his ? olemodenesse; 705
ffor ? if his moder oi? er his wijf
hadden ywist Alexius lijf,
It had ben her gladnesse.
Page 52
708
(60)
? wi? hym ? ai speken, & hym sei? en
wi? her mou? e & wi? her ei? en,
ffader & moder & wijf; 711
Nou? th for ? an non hym knew,
Noi? er by hide ne by hew;
Al chaunged was his lijf. 714
His fader he sei? often grete,
And his moder teres lete
ffourty si? es & fyue. 717
yuel mi? th hym liken ? at sei? ? is;
his martirdom was strong I-wys,
Of sorou? & paynes ryue. 720
(61)
? Alexius in al wise
Dude to god his seruise
wi? stedfast wille in hert, 723
In fastyng, & in orisouns,
In many manere deuociouns
Of peynes ? at weren smert.
Page 53
726
And al was forto wynne heuene;
To here Aungels wi? mylde steuene,
he suffred ?
is pouert 729
ffulle seuentene ? er;
he wered breech maked of her,
And al swiche was his shert. 732
(62)
? Sergeauntz, ? at ? ere-inne were,
Ofte si? es gramed hym ? ere,
And despised hym fast. 735
? e wasshyng of her vessel
? ai cast on hym euerydel,
? at was swi? e vnwrast; 738
And cleped hym shrewe ypo|crite,
And ofte-tymes gonne hym smyte
Vnder ? e cheke in hast: 741
Ac Alexius was of god fulfild,
In gode penaunce he it helde,
And ? anked hem at ? e last.
Page 54
744
(63)
? Alexius, ? at was goddes kni? th,
ffor penaunce ? at was on hym li? th,
Almest his lijf was lorne. [folio 25a] 747
Wel he sei? , ? orou? de? es law? es,
? at he drou? to his endyng daw? es,
ffor de? com hym biforne. 750
His sergeaunt he cleped sone,
And for his loue, bad hym a bone,
? at bare ? e crovne of ? orne, 753
To fecche hym enk & parchemyne,
fforto write in latyne
His lijf si? ? e he was borne. 756
(64)
? His sergeaunt was glad & bli? e;
Enk & parchemyn also swi? e
He fette, & hym bitook; 759
Alexius ? o write bigan;
Ak ? ere was non bifore ? an
? at wist he cou? e in book. 762
? ere-inne he wroot oord & ende,
Hou he fro his wijf gan wende,
And al his kyn forsook; 765
And hou Alex at his partyng,
whan he took his wijf ? e ryng,
hou rewly she gan look; 768
(65)
? And hou in pilerynage he ? ede,
In hunger, in ? orst, in pouere wede,
And in what manere, 771
And hou he sat in grete destresse
Amonge ? e pouere, & fenge almesse
Seuentene ? ere;
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774
And hou his frendes comen hym by,
And he hem knew apertely,
? at sou? tten hym fer & nere; 777
And hou he stale a-way hem fro,
? at non hym knew of alle ? o,
So chaunged was his chere; 780
(66)
? And hou ? e ymage of oure lefdy
? e sergeauntz hete apertely,
In, hym, forto take, 783
And byd his bedes in ? e chirche,
Goddes werkes ? ere to wirche,
His sorou? forto slake; 786
And hou ? at folk com fer & wyde
To ? at chirche in vche syde,
honour hym forto make; 789
And hou he stale away hem fro,
And wolde nou? th be honoured so,
bot libbe in woo & wrake; 792
(67)
? And hou he wolde to tars haue went,
And whiche a tempest god hym sent,
? at droof hem to Romeyne; 795
And hou he bad his fader good
herberewe & o? er lyues food,
He wroot forso? e to seyne; 798
And hou he sei? seuentene ? ere
ffader, & moder, & wijf ? ere,
wi? sorou? & mychel peyne; 801
And he wolde hem nou? th yknowe,
Bot bare hym bo? e symple & lowe,
? at had ben Man of meyne.
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804
(68)
? Iesus, ? at is kyng of glorie,
his martirdom & his victorie
Sei? , & his trauaile; 807
And whan he had his lijf ywrite,
he hidde ? ere noman shulde ywite,
his book of gode paraile. 810
Priuelich Alex it bare,
? at noman mi? th ? erof be-ware
Hou mychel it wolde auaile; 813
And, whan he dyed, I vnderstonde
It was founden in his ri? th honde,
writen wi? outen faile. 816
(69)
? On palme sonenday, after messe,
In ? e chirche amonge ? e presse,
A voice com, I ? ou rede, 819
ffrom heuene adoune, wel shille & clere,
? at seide to hem in ? is manere,
where-of many gonne drede,
Page 57
822
And seide, '? ee ? at trauailed be
In hunger & ? urst for loue of me,
Come? ! I shal ? ou fede, 825
In heuene, ? at is so fair & bri? th,
? are euere is day & neuere ni? th,
And ioye wi? outen drede. ' 828
(70)
? ? e poeple & ? e clergie,
ffor ? at voice songen ? e letanye
wi? gode deuocioun; 831
And bisou? tten ? e heuene kyng,
? at he shulde ? iue hem tokenyng
ffro heuene to er? e adoun, 834
Of ? e voice what it were
? at among hem com ? ere
wi? so mery soun. 837
? e voice com eft ano? er tyme,
And seide as I schal seie in Ryme;
Herkne? ? is resoun:
Page 58
840
(71)
? '? ere is a Man of dedes gode,
Spirituel, & mylde of mode,
Now in Rome Cite; 843
In penaunce he is ? ou amonge,
Certeynly ? ee ne shullen nou? th longe
here in er? e hym see; 846
A gode fridayes morowenyng
he shal wende to heuene kyng,
? at sytte? in trinite. 849
Take? wi? hym ? e ri? th pace
To ? e chirche of seint Boneface
wi? grete solempnite. ' 852
(72)
? ? ai sou? tten hym & nou? th ne founde,
And hadden many sorou? ful stounde,
Til ? e gode fryday; 855
wi? gret deuocioun among,
Of bedes & of chirche song, [folio 25b]
To god ? ai maden her pray;
Page 59
858
? ai praiden hym for his pyte,
And for his mychel humilite,
? at he hem sent to say 861
where was ? e Man ? e Aungel of tolde
Twyes er ? an wi? wordes bolde,
? at in swiche payne lay. 864
(73)
? ? e ? rid tyme com ? e voice
ffro hym ? at was don on croice
wi? gret solempne li? th, 867
And seide, 'wende? wi? oute soioure
To Eufeniens ? e Cenatoure,
ffor ? ere he lij? vche ni? th. 870
Swi? e good ha? ben his lijf;
His werkes shullen be made rijf;
His soule is fair & bri? th. ' 873
? at ilk tyme, as I ? ou seie,
His gost went ? e ri? th weie
ffro ? e body to god almi? th.
Page 60
876
(74)
? ? e holy pope Innocent
And ? e Emperoures swi? e went,
Sire Eufeniens to calle, 879
And chalenged hym in ? is manere,
Eufeniens & his wijf yfere,
Ri? th amonge hem alle; 882
'In ? ine house is, ? at is so meke,
Goddes man ? at we seke;
Hou may ? is cas bifalle? 885
we haue ysou? th hym fer & wyde,
Hou darstou goddes sergeaunt hyde
In boure oi? er in halle? ' 888
(75)
?