No More Learning

ud
Wi? ful meche honour: 597
To alle ? at were in ? at place
? er com owt ? oru godes grace
A ful swete odour. 600
So swete ne smelde ? ei neuere non,
Als so wyde as ? ey hadden gon,
Of no spiserye.
Page 79
603
? ei worchipeden him alle wi? o stephne
& ? ankeden Iesu crist of heuene
& his moder Marye. 606
// Nou Iesu crist ? oru ? e preyer
of ? at cors seint I tolde ? ou her,
? if ? i wille it be, 609
Graunte vs alle god endyng,
And in heuene a wonying!
Amen, par charite. 612
Page 20
[Laud MS. 463, leaf 116. ]
LEstene? alle & herkene? me,
? ong & olde, thewe & freo,
And I. ? ou telle sone, 3
hou a ? ong man, gent & freo,
Bigan ? e werldes wele to fleo,
y-bore was in Rome. 6
In Rome was a doughty man,
? at was cleped Eufemyan,
Page 21
Man of mychel myghte; 9
Gold & Siluer he hadde . y. -nouh,
Halles & boures, oxen & plouh,
And wonder wel it dyghte. 12
? ffor all ? e seke of ? e burhg
ffaste were y. -sough[t] ? oruhg,
& brouht to his house. 15
he let hem bedde wel & fede,
And to hem tok goed hede,
him-self & his spouse.
Page 22
18
? e man hadde a god wif,
She ne louede flyt ne stryf
In al hire liue. 21
? e sekemen ofte she fedde,
& softe brou? t hem obedde,
blessed beo she to wiue. 24
? ? ei were to-gedere ? eres two,
& so ? ei were somdel mo,
With-outen any blede.
Page 23
27
? ei bede god with herte gode,
? at hem sende suich a fode
to serue hem & drede. 30
And Iesu Crist, ? at is so mylde,
? af hem grace, she was with chylde,
? e gode lauedye. 33
Bo? e be day, & be nyght,
? erne ? ei ? onked our dright,
& Seinte Marie.
Page 24
36
? ? o ? e child y. -bore was,
? ei ? onked Crist of his grace
wi? glad chiere. 39
Also as ? e wone was,
As ? ei coude with softe pas,
to chirche ? ei it bere. 42
// ? o ? is child to chirche com,
To afong Cristendom,
as ? e ryght is, 45
his fader & his moder ? o
Swi? e bli? e were bo,
& cleped it Alexijs. 48
? ? ei nadde bot ? ilk sone,
therfore as it is ? e wone,
? ei loued it ? e more. 51
? o he was old, ? eres seuen,
? ei him wissed with mylde steuen,
& sette him to lore.
Page 25
54
? ? is child wex & wel they,
Cristes help him was ney,
& ? at was wel y. -sene; 57
for more he lerned in on ? er
? an any of his o? er fere
dide in ? eres tene. 60
// As sone as he vnderstod
Werldes blisse nas not god,
Who it vnderstode, 63
Werldes wele he forsok,
& to Iesu. Crist him tok,
? at deyede on ? e Rode. 66
// he besought nyght & day
heuen king, ? at al wel may,
? eue him strength & mygh[t]e 69
A? ein ? e feond ? at is aboute
to bring his soule in gret doute,
gostliche to fighte.
Page 26
72
? his bone herde ? e King of heuen,
& spak to him wi? mylde steuene,
& seide, 'Alexijs, 75
To-day ? ou may bli? e beo,
? i bone I. grante ? e,
& a sete in heuen blisse. 78
? And . I. ? e do to vnderstonde,
? at ? ou most ? ole shame & shonde,
al for my sake. 81
Into vnkou? lond ? ou most wende,
Sone I. wile ? e ? ider sende,
& al ? i kin forsake. 84
Into vnkou? lond ? ou shalt fare,
& suffre myche tene & care,
& al for loue myn; 87
& sithen ? ou shalt a? ein come,
& in ? i fader hous wone,
& ? er-in haue goed fyn. '
Page 27
90
? ? e childes fader fel in elde,
& his moder godes helde
? eres hadde fele. 93
he wold his sone shold wiue,
To glade hem in her liue,
& haue werldes wele. 96
? ei sought hem sone a mayde,
? at witty was, as al folk sayde,
comen of hy kinne. 99
Womman she was of heu bright,
heo ? ouht on crist day & nyht,
& kepte hir fro sinne. 102
? o ? ei wer to-gidere come,
? is maide & ? is ? ong gom,
In godes lawe, 105
? ere was game & myche gleo,
Ac, for-so? e, tel I, ? e,
eyled him no plawe.
Page 28
108
? ? e day was go, ? e nyht was com,
Seide ? e fader to ? e sone,
wi? glad cher, 111
'vp arys, sone myn,
& go into boure ? yn,
To glade ? i fere. ' 114
// ? o he com to boure to his fere,
he beheld ? e may of glad chere,
& of bright hewe. 117
Sone menged his ? ouht,
In fonding he was brouht,
his car began al newe. 120
ne sy? te & made sory chere,
? e teres out of his wete lere
bitter he let falle. 123
Ne myht glade him his fere
with wordes ne with fair chere,
? at stod shred in palle.
Page 29
126
[folio 116b] ? No lenger to hele of he brak,
? e ? ongman to his bride spak,
with wel fair bere: 129
'Lemman, haue goday,
No lenger I ne may
wi? ? e leuen here. 132
// Wende I. mot fer of lond,
& suffre tene & peines strong,
my sinnes to bete. 135
Bo? e I. mot, for godesake,
ffader & moder myn forsak,
& ? e ? at art so suete. ' 138
// ? o she hadde herde ? is tale,
Al hir blis turned to bale,
y. -swowe she fel to gronde. 141
?
o she of swounyng ros,
Atterliche hir agros
with care she was y-bound.
Page 30
144
? Sone ? o she myht stonde,
She tar hir heer, & wrong hir hond,
& made reuful bere. 147
'Nou ? ou wilt my lef of londe,
Loke I. may after ? e long,
Alas, ? at I. ded nere. 150
// Allas, mi lef, what hastou ? ouht,
Iu myche care ? ou hast me brouht,
on me ? ou hast sinne. 153
After ? at ? ou art gon,
Vpbreid me tyt manyon
of ? i riche kinne. 156
// Awey, mi lef, ? at I. was bore,
ffor al my blisse is forlore,
& nou waxe? my pine. 159
Alone her-inne I. wile wone,
& euere eft mannes mone shone,
Al for loue ? ine. '
Page 31
162
? 'Lemman, al for ? i sake,--
So do? ? e turtel for hir make
whan he is y. -slawe,-- 165
Al myrthe I. wile forsake,
& euere-more sorwe take,
& shone al plawe. ' 168
he tok his girdel in his hond,
& his mantel ? erwi? he wond,
& his ring of golde. 171
'Mi lemman, haue ? is to ? e,
& o? er while ? enk on me
Whan I. lye vnder molde. 174
? Gret wel fader & modur myn,
leue her-inne, & beo her hyne
with wel milde mode. 177
? ilk lord . I. ? e beteche,
? at is of alle bales leche,
& de? ? oled on ? e rode. '
Page 32
180
// Out of bour he went anon,
As swi? e as he myht gon,
Right to ? e stronde. 183
Sone a ship he fond ? are,
? at was redy to fare
Into vnkou? lond. 186
? Into ? e ship anon he wend,
& god suche wind sende
? at sone to lond hem brouht. 189
? at ship was god, ? e watur deope,
& o? er while sore he wepe,
& was in gret ? ouht.
Page 33
192
// ? o he vp to londe com
he seld his clo? es euerichon,
& bou? t him pore wede; 195
And his gold & his feo
Among ? e pore delte he
? at hadde mych neode. 198
? Sone he it vndernom,
? at he to a borugh com,
? at mychel was & kete. 201
Sone so he ? ider com
to ? e temple ? e weye he nom,
God selue to grete.
Page 34
204
Among ? e pore he woned ? ar
In sorwe & in myche care,
til he fel to elde.
Page 35
207
Ouht ? at he spare myht
Be day, & eke be nyht,
his pore feren he delde.
Page 36
210
? o ? e ti? ing was y. -com
To ? e fader of ? e sone,
hou [he] was a-go, 213
him ? ouht his herte wold to-breke,
On word ne myht he speke,
for sorwe ne for wo. 216
Ofte he sy? te, & grente sore,
To tar his her, his lockes hore,
? e gode old man. 219
? erne he gradde godes ore,
? at he ne moste liue namor
to swoune he began.
Page 37
222
? his moder wi? softe pas
went to bedde, & gradde 'allas
? at she was y. -bore. ' 225
Nolde she neuere eft out-com,
? er she weope for hir sone,
? at she hadde lore. 228
All ? at ? er-inne were
// hem-self drou? be ? e her,
& wrong her hond; 231
Besou? te god, he shold hem ler,
To what lond he go wer,
& wher he wer astond.
Page 38
234
his fader & his moder bo,
ffor her sone wer wo,
? at . I. ne may of telle. 237
fforto seke her sone,
In which lond he wer becom
Men ? ei sent snell. 240
? It befel vpon a day,
? at ? e men nom her wey
for? right be ? e chirche; 243
? ere her lord nyht & day
Among ? e pore folk lay,
Cristes will to wirche.
Page 39
246
he knew hem, & ? ei not him,
Of her goed ? ei ? euen him,
as it wolde falle. 249
he heried god, & made him glad,
? at he for his loue hadde
Almes of his thralle. 252
Out of ? e bourgh ? ei went sone,
to her lord ? ei come
wi? goed spede. 255
Ti? inges none ? ei brouhte
Of his sone ? at ? ei soughte,
In vnkou? e theode.
Page 40
258
? ? o ? is ? ongman woned hadd
In ? e toun as a pore ladde
? eres seuentene, 261
God wolde his care wende,
& to his fader hous him send,
to bring him out of teone.
Page 41
264
It befel in a nyght
? at ? e mone shon bright,
? e belleward him wend. 267
? e leme of heuen he sey aliht,
& stonde vpe godes knyght,
? at al ? e chirche a-tende.
Page 42
270
[folio 117a] ? Sone at morwe whan it was day,
? at he be ? is man say,
wide he it tolde.
Page 43
273
To ? e chirche ? ei gonne teo
? ilk holy man to seo,
Bo? e ? ong & olde.
Page 44
276
? ? is holy man turned his thought,
worshipe of men kepte he nou? t,
? at is frakel atte ende. 279
Out of bourgh he went anon,
to ? e watur he com gon,
? er-ouer he moste wende.
Page 45
282
// Into ? e shipe he went a nyght,
Elles-whare ? ei hadde tyght
Into vnkou? e londe. 285
? ei went fair swi? e ryght,
& sone at morwe ? o it was lyht
At Rome ? ei gonne astonde.
Page 46
288
? ? o he to londe come
Into ? e toun he moste rome,
his liflode to wynne.
Page 47
291
As he went ? oruh ? e strete,
his oune fader he gan mete,
As he com fro his inne.
Page 48
294
// ? o ? e sone his fader mette,
Mildeliche he him grette,
And bad him som gode. 297
? e godeman sone herd his bone,
for al his blod gan menge sone
vpon his oune fode.
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300
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