No More Learning

ou? th:
'Si? en Iesus me ha? hider i-brou? th
In-to ? is cite,
Page 48
252
I ne can no betere red of alle,
Bote gon to my faderes halle
In pore mannes rowte, 255
I may sitte in ? e rowe,
? er nis no man ? at me schal knowe:
So longe Ich haue ben oute. ' 258
Vpon a day sire Eufemian
ffro ? e paleys was he gan,
And homward he ? ede, 261
Wi? mikel folk ? at wel waren dy? th,
Bo? e knaue sweyn & knyth,
? at gode were in nede.
Page 49
264
Alex ? oute he wolde him mete;
& ran for? faste be ? e strete
Vn-til ? at he him mette; 267
Whan he say ? at [he] was ney,
Wi? a voys bo? e loud & hey,
Sire Eufemian he grette, 270
& seyde wi? a mylde stephene:
'Sire, for godes loue of heuene
haue merci on me! 273
Ich am a pilgrym pore & nakud,
? at gret defaute ha? I-maked,
Sire, as ? e may I-se.
Page 50
276
'Resceyue me into ? in halle,
? ere ? ine pore men ben alle,
& graunte me ? e mete! 279
And I schal preye ny? th & day
for ? i sone ? at is awey,
? at Iesu crist him ? e gete, 282
'& grante ? e, for his wondes fiue,
? at ? ou myttest him se in ? ine lyue,
? at was ? in herte blisse, 285
&, sire, to habbe wi? oute strif
Ioye of him in soule & lif,
Crist ? e til him wisse. '
Page 51
288
? anne eufemian ? er wi? stod,
& grantede him wi? milde mod,
? e pore man his bone; 291
he grantede him to clo? e & fede,
& bad his men he scholde him lede
To his hous as sone; 294
And grauntede him, as [I] ? ou telle,
An hous allone ? er-in to dwelle
Wi? -outen eny fere, 297
& a man ? at scholde him gete
And bringe him bo? e drynk & mete,
Whan ? at mester were.
Page 52
300
Nou Alex, As ? e habbe? i-herd,
Is dweld in his fader ? erd
As a pore man. 303
In preyere of fasting & waking,
he seruede Iesu, heuene kyng,
In al ? at he can. 306
Seruant? ? at were proute & ? ungge,
him dryuen ofte to he? ingge,
As he ? ede vp & doun; 309
& ofte-si? es, bro? of ffissches,
& water, as he wessch here dissches,
? ei caste vp-on his croun.
Page 53
312
[folio 235b] Of al ? e schame ? at ? ei him wrou? the,
He ? onkede Iesu, ? at him bouthe,
& ? af him my? tte ? erto;
He was ? olemod in alle ? inge,
? er-out ne my? tte no man him bringe,
ffor nowth ? ei couden do. 318
? ere dwelde Alex stille,
As it was Iesu cristes wille,
Seuentene ? er; 321
In his owene faderes In,
kneu him non of al his kyn,
Ney? er fer ne ner.
Page 54
324
At ? e seuente? e ? eres ende,
he wiste he scholde hennes wende,
? oru grace of ? e holy gast, 327
To Iesu crist, godes sone,
In blisse of heuene ay forto wone,
In ? e lif ? at euere schal last.
Page 55
330
// he gat him enke & parchemyn;
And al his lif he wrot ? er-In,
? at he had lyued here, 333
And radde it se? en eueri-del,
& ? onkede god, so my? t he wel,
Wi? ful bli? e chere.
Page 56
336
Whan he hadde I-do as I ? ou say,
Vpon ? e holy soneday
? at com after nest, 339
Wi? meche ioye & meche ly? th,
his soule, ? at was so fair & bry? th,
Wente out at his brest. 342
When his soule was went to heuene,
? er com a vois wi? milde stephene
In-to an holy stede, 345
? er al ? e folk of rome were,
Godes seruise forto here,
To bidden holy bede,
Page 57
348
And seyde ? es wordes wi? oute faille:
"Come? to me, ? at haue? trauaille
O? er charge for my sake! 351
Come? to me, I schal ? ou fille
Wi? ioye & blisse at al ? oure wille,
? at neuere mor schal slake. " 354
Whan ? e folk hadde ? at word herd,
? e[i] were echone sore a-fered
& fullen doun to grounde; 357
As ? ei leyen & hedde here face,
? ar com owth, ? oru godes grace,
In a litel stounde,
Page 58
360
Ano? er stephene mylde & meke,
& bad hem vp arise, & seke
A godes man of rome, 363
'? at ? e mowe, ? oru his preyer,
Of his godnesse ben partener
At ? e day of dome. ' 366
// ? ei risen alle wi? bli? e chere
& southe bo? e fer & nere,
Be weye & ek be strete; 369
Bote for no? ing ? at ? ei wrouth,
Wi? ? at relyk ? at ? ei south,
My? tte ? e[i] nowar mete;
Page 59
372
Til ? at voit? wi? worde meke
Com a? en, & bad hem seke
In sire Eufemianes hous, 375
'? er ? e scholle sone fynde
? at schal hele dombe & blynde,
A relik precious. ' 378
? anne wente ? ei for? a-nan,
& askeden sire eufemian:
? if he knew swich a man. 381
he ansuerede redely
& seyde: lordingges, sikerly,
Of swich ne wot I non.
Page 60
384
? anne wente for? ? e emperuors,
Archadious & honorius,
& Innocent ? e pape, 387
Anon to sire Eufemia[n]s In;
Til ? ei come ? ere, wolde ? ei nat blyn;
Wi? hem wente for? greth frape. 390
? anne cam for? a knaue anan,
& seyde to sire eufemian:
'Go we, sire, I rede,
Page 61
393
And loken [sire] at ? oure pilgrim
? at ? e han fed of long tym,
Wher he be quik o? er dede. 396
'? if he be ded ? at was so meke,
he is ? at man ? at ? ei seke,
I wot wi? -oute drede: 399
he was a man of holy lif,
Of him com neuere stout ne strif,
Ne wikke word ne dede.
'
Page 62
402
Whanne eufemian ? at i-herde,
he ? ede to loke hou alex ferde,
To his hous ful ry? th; 405
[folio 236a] he fond him ded whan he com ? are,
his face, ? er it lay on bere,
As sonne schinede bry? th. 408
In his hond he fond a skript,
Eufemian ? ede to him as tyd
To wyte what was ? er-Inne; 411
Bote for nones kynnes gyn
out of ? e hond ? at it was In
My? tte he it nat wynne.
Page 63
414
Whan he ne my? tte no betere spede,
To ? e emperour he ? ede,
& tolde him ? at tydingge. 417
? ane come? he a? en god pas,
Til he comen ? ar he was,
? e dede corps liggynde. 420
Whan ? ei comen Into ? e hous,
? e emperour seyde ? us
And on ? is manere: 423
"? ei we for synne ben vn-wor? i,
We han to kepyng nawth for-? i
of ? ese londes here;
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426
"And ? is man ? at we pope calle,
ha? ? e kepyng of vs alle
& of holy churche; 429
? erfore deliure vs vp ? e skryt,
? at we ? ere-? oru may se & wyt
hou we schulle wi? ? e werche. "
Page 65
432
Wen ? ei hadde ? us seid here wille,
? e pope leyde his hond ? er-tille,
Alex ? an let go. 435
? e pope as tyd let rede it ? ere
Byfore al ? o ? at ? er were,
herynde his fader also.
Page 66
438
Whan his fader herde it rede,
he was for-wondred & for-drede,
for sorwe he was ney ded; 441
As man ? at hadde de? es wounde
He fel swingge doun to grounde,
Heuy so any led. 444
Wan he hadde longe I-leyn,
? an his stat bi-com a-gayn,
& made reuly chere; 447
he rof his brest, he drou his her
wi? duelful cry & syking sor,
? at pite it was to here.
Page 67
450
Meche doel it is to telle
hou he on ? at body felle,
of weping blan he nouth. 453
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . . *. [no gap in the MS. ]
'Allas nou hastou duelled here
Alle ? ese seuentene ? ere
In myn owene In, 459
& ? ou hast boren ? e so lowe,
& noldest neuere ben o knowe
? at ? ou were of oure kyn.
Page 68
462
Out ay, allas, & weylawey,
? at I euere a-bod ? is day
? is sorwe forto se! 465
I wende han had of ? e solas
In myn elde, allas, allas,
for doel ded willi be! ' 468
Whenne his moder herde of ? is,
? e sterte for? in haste i-wis
as a leonesse, 471
Wi? hire sulf sche ferde to wonder,
Sche rof hire clo? es al to sonder
In a gret wodnesse;
Page 69
474
Sche drou hire her as sche were wod,
& seyde: "for him ? at deyde on rod,
? e men, ? iue? me wey, 477
? at I may to my sone go!
Was neuere moder half so wo
As me is ? is day. 480
? iue? me roum, & lat me se
? e body ? at was boren of me,
& fed was of my brest! 483
lete? me come ? e cors vntil,
ffor ? e wyten ? at it is skyl
? at I be it next. "
Page 70
486
Whan sche my? tte neyh it nere,
Sche fel ? er-on wi? sori chere,
& seyde: "allas, my son, 489
Whi hauest tou ? us wi? vs fare,
Suffred vs for ? e sorwe & care,
Whi hastou ? us don? 492
? ou hast i-seye ? i fader & me
Wepen & maken gret doel for ? e
Bo? e erly & late; 495
And tou hast seuentene ? er
Vn-knowe duelled wi? vs her
In pouere beggeres state. " 498
Ofte-si? e ? e fel doun
opon ? e body al I-swoun,
& kissede honden & feet; 501
& ? at face ? at was so swete,
Sche it kiste, & made it wete
Wi? teres ? at sche let.
Page 71
504
Sche seide: "allas, what me is wo!
[folio 236b] ? ou were my sone wi? -oute mo;
Wepe? al folk wi? me!
I haue ? e fed many a day;
Allas owt & weylawey,
? at I ne knew nout ? e! 510
? ou my? test han ben a greth lording,
& honured als a kyng,
? if it hadde ben ? i wille; 513
Nou hauest ? ou had despit & wrong
Of ? ine ? ralles euere among,
& bor[e]n it ful stille. 516
Allas, who schal ? iue to me
Welle of teres to wepe for ? e
Bo? e day & ny? th? 519
Allas allas, what me is wo!
I wolde myn herte it breke a-tuo
? at I ne saye nowth ? is sy? th. "
Page 72
522
// ? anne cam for? a drery ? ing,
I-clad in clo? es of mournyng,
It was Alex wif; 525
Sche wep ? at pite was to se
& seyde: "Allas, ful wo is me,
? at euere hadde I lyf! 528
Nou al my ioye awey is gon.
Er hadde I hope, now haue I non
To sen him on lyue; 531
Nou am I wydewe, allas ? at stounde!
Sorwe ha? ? iuen myn herte a wounde
? at me to de? e schal dryue.
Page 73
534
// Allas! what is me to rede?
Mi mirour is broken & is dede
? at my liking was Inne. 537
hope of ioye now haue I lorn,
& sorwe is newed me be-forn
? at neuere more schal blynne. " 540
// Al ? at folk ? at stod be-syde,
? at say ? e sorwe so vn-ruyde,
? ey wepe ful tendreliche; 543
? er ne was non ? at my? tte him holde,
Man ne wif man, ?