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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;
Page 55
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.
Page 56
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)
? Eufeniens ansuered sone,
As he au? tte forto done,
To ? e pope Innocent, 891
And seide, ? ei? he shulde deye,
Of swiche a Man cou? e he nou? th seye,
By god omnipotent*. [[MS. omnipototent]];
'ffor swiche a Man ? if I knewe,
ffayn I wolde hym to ? ou shewe
Treuly wi? god entent. ' 897
? an seiden ? e Cardinales twelue,
'God ? eue ? at it were ? i-selue
Byfore vs in present. ' 900
(76)
? In ? at tyme tweie emperoures
Of Rome kepten ? e honoures
wi? her cristen menee; 903
? at on hete Archadius,
And ? at o? ere Honorius;
? ai weren hende & fre.
Page 61
906
wi? Eufeniens ? ai wenten ri? th
fforto fecchen goddes kni? th,
? at was so good of fe. 909
Ac eufeniens was swi? e li? th,
And went bifore his hous to di? th
wi? gret solempnite 912
(77)
? Eufeniens, whan he hom cam,
Al his meignee he vndernam,
? if ? at ? ai euere ysowe 915
Any Man ? at so holy were
As ? e Aungel tolde of ere,
Of his meignee to knowe. 918
Alexius wardeyn com ? an,
And seide, 'sir, it is ? oure bede|man,
? at lij? ded by ? e wowe; 921
He ? at ? ou hast so longe yfed,
wi? mete & drynk, cloo? &. bed,
He bare hym euer lowe. 924
(78)
? 'I trowe wel it may so be,
whom so ? ee seche, ? at it is he,
ffor he was good of lijf; 927
His bedes he bad as a frere,
Ne wolde he nou? th, while he was here,
Louen fi? th ne strijf; 930
A book in his honde he halt
Swi? e fast, & narewe yfalt,
who ? at it cou? e descryue; 933
I ne woot what he ? ereinne wrou? th;
? e parchemyn I hym bou? th,
Gon fourty dayes & fyue. '
Page 62
936
(79)
? ? oo ? at ? is herden ? e Emperoures
And o? ere lordes of honoures,
? ai ? ankeden god almi? th. 939
He led hem ? ere lay ? at body,
Clene & fair, & sumdel rody,
fface feir & bri? th. 942
? e on Emperoure his honde vp took,
And wolde haue taken out ? e book
? at was fair of si? th; 945
Alexius ? e book helde ? oo;
? an was ? e Emperour swi? e woo,
And in his herte afli? th.
Page 63
948
(80)
? ? e Emperour ? oo speke bigan,
And seide vnto ? e body ? an,
? ere it lay in ? e herne; 951
'? ou? we ben Men of synful lijf,
Emperours we ben wi? outen strijf,
Rome forto gouerne; 954
we defenden holy chirche
A? eins hem ? at wolden wirche
Dedes stoute & sterne; 957
? erfore delyuer vs ? i book,
? at ? e poeple ? ere-on mowe look,
wisdom forto lerne. '
Page 64
960
(81)
? whan ? ai hadden so yseide,
Alexius, ? ere he was yleide,
Opened vp his honde; 963
To ? e pope wolde he nou? th forsake,
Bot lete hym ? oo ? e book vptake,
To rede ? at he fonde. 966
? oo ? apostoile had his book, [folio 26a]
His chaunceler he it bitook
To rede, I vnderstonde; 969
Othoo was his name,
A Man yholde of gode fame
Ouer al Rome londe. 972
(82)
? ? e book he red wi? gode wille,
? e folk herkned & helde hem stille
wi? outen any boost 975
Til ? e book was red & seide.
Alexius was bifore hem leide,
ffulfild of ? e holy gost. 978
? e chaunceler wel loude grad
whan he ? e book of Alexius rad
Among ?