Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose

English literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500; Great Britain -- History -- 14th century -- Sources

And þe messe shuld bygynne sone.
        Þe preste hym reuest to begynne messe,            70
      And þey ne left þerfore neuer þe lesse,
      But daunsed furþe as þey bygan,
      For alle þe messe þey ne blan.
        Þe preste, þat stode at þe autere,
      And herd here noyse and here bere,                  75
      Fro þe auter down he nam,
      And to þe cherche porche he cam,
      And seyd 'On Goddes behalue, y ȝow forbede
      Þat ȝe no lenger do swych dede,
      But comeþ yn on feyre manere                        80
      Goddes seruyse for to here,
      And doþ at Crystyn mennys lawe;
      Karolleþ no more, for Crystys awe!
      Wurschyppeþ Hym with alle ȝoure myȝt
      Þat of þe Vyrgyne was bore þys nyȝt.'               85
        For alle hys byddyng lefte þey noȝt,
      But daunsed furþ, as þey þoȝt.
      Þe preste þarefor was sore agreued;
      He preyd God þat he on beleuyd,
      And for Seynt Magne, þat he wulde so werche—        90
      Yn whos wurschyp sette was þe cherche—
      Þat swych a veniaunce were on hem sent,
      Are þey oute of þat stede were went,
      Þat <þey> myȝt euer ryȝt so wende
      Vnto þat tyme tweluemonth ende;                     95
      (Yn þe Latyne þat y fonde þore
      He seyþ nat 'tweluemonth' but 'euermore';)
      He cursed hem þere alsaume
      As þey karoled on here gaume.
        As sone as þe preste hadde so spoke              100
      Euery hand yn ouþer so fast was loke
      Þat no man myȝt with no wundyr
      Þat tweluemo<n>þe parte hem asundyr.
        Þe preste ȝede yn, whan þys was done,
      And commaunded hys sone Aȝone                      105
      Þat <he> shulde go swyþe aftyr Aue,
      Oute of þat karolle algate to haue.
      But al to late þat wurde was seyd,
      For on hem alle was þe veniaunce leyd.
        Aȝone wende weyl for to spede;                   110
      Vnto þe karolle as swyþe he ȝede,
      Hys systyr by þe arme he hente,
      And þe arme fro þe body wente.
      Men wundred alle þat þere wore,
      And merueyle mowe ȝe here more,                    115
      For, seþen he had þe arme yn hand,
      Þe body ȝede furþ karoland,
      And noþer <þe> body ne þe arme
      Bledde neuer blode, colde ne warme,
      But was as drye, with al þe haunche,               120
      As of a stok were ryue a braunche.
        Aȝone to hys fadyr went,
      And broght hym a sory present:
      'Loke, fadyr,' he seyd, 'and haue hyt here,
      Þe arme of þy doghtyr dere,                        125
      Þat was myn owne syster Aue,
      Þat y wende y myȝt a saue.
      Þy cursyng now sene hyt ys
      Wyth veniaunce on þy owne flessh.
      Fellyche þou cursedest, and ouer sone;             130
      Þou askedest veniaunce,—þou hast þy bone.'
        Ȝow þar nat aske ȝyf þere was wo
      Wyth þe preste, and wyth many mo.
      Þe prest, þat cursed for þat daunce,
      On some of hys fyl harde chaunce.                  135

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Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose

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