The PurveyProject

Exaltacione Sancte Crucis; Crispi

Par Élodie MONTEAU
Publication en ligne le 28 février 2013

1/189v/ Worshipfull ffrendis, this day is callid þe exaltacion of þe holy crosse þat Criste dyed vpon, þat is to sey the liftyng vp of þe crosse of Criste. Iaunnes þat fame doctour, in Libro de sanctis, seith þat þere was beside Iherusalem an hethyn man called Cosdroe, kyng of Persarum. He had conquerid a grete parte of þat cuntree of cristendom and made þem to be his obediencers. And with his myghty power, he had from Iherusalem þe holy crosse of Criste þat Seint Elene founde, þat she had left þere to be worshipped. Whan þis cursid kyng Cosdroe had robbid, spolid and distroyed abbeis, manasterijs and chirchis of cristendome, with ‘þat’ robbery he did make a tour of siluer and goulde, powdered with precyous stones, where he satte in a trone of golde, to be worshippid as a God. In þat trone he sette ymages lyke

2/190r/ þe sunne and þe mone with sterris al aboute, and bi sotell and pryvy condites and spowtis, cast dovn water as it had reyned. Also vndir þe erth, he did make caves and depe dyches and put horse and bestis þerein to make þe tour to turn aboute þat he satte in and commaunded euery man to worship ‘hym’ as a God. Whan he had this do, he res[ygn]ed his crown to a son þat he had. As it is written in libro matriali de officione that þis hethen kinge Cosdroe he satt in his trone as a God, ‘he hymsilf as’ þe ffadir in þe myddis, þe crosse on his right hand in þe stede of þe son, and on þe lift hande, a cok in stede of þe holy goste, and charged all men to call þeir god vpon peyn of dethe. Than þat tyme þere was an emperour called Heraclius, a gode cristen man, a verey knyght of God. he herd of þis grete abbucion of þe fals kyng Cosdroe, and he raysed a grete pusaunce of peple, to withstond and distroye þis    king Cosdroe. And with grace and fortune, he toke forth his jorney. And whan þis holy emperour Heraclius cam with his oste to a grete water called Daunby, þere mette with hym kynge Cosdroe his son and his eyr, with a grete multitude of hethyn peple, sending before hym his embassitours to þe gode cristen emperour Heraclius, þat if it plesyd hym, þat ‘þei’ tweyn shuld fyght togedir and no mo of þe peple of bothe partyes to be spilt or slayn. And which of þem two had þe victory and þe higher hande shuld haue all his goodes and landis. And vnto þis covenant conceynted þe emperour Heraclius, and ‘þan it was’ proclamed commaundyd þat what man leyde any hand to help oþir partye, his leggis and armes shuld be smyt and hewed of, and cast into þe water of þe grete flode of Daunby. Heraclius þe gode cristen emperour made hym redy to batayle and commytted hym to þe power of God. And with grace, he

3/190v/ myghtely went vpon þat hethyn peynym king Cosdroe his son, vpon þe brigge ouere þe flode of <Daunby>. And as it was þe will and pleasur of God, the gode cristen emperour Heraclius had þe victory and higher hande and þat felde with grete worship. And so he toke there þe kingis to his presoner, where þe saide kingis son yelde hymself to þe emperour and prayed hym þat he myght be cristenyd. And not all onely he, but all his peple were conuerted to cristen feith Cosdroe, þe cursid hethyn kyng, wist noþing of þis batell but he satte styll in his trone, ffor he was so hated þat no man wolde tell hym þereof. So þe emperour went vnto Cosdroe þe kyng vnto his trone, saying vnto hym þus : “O þu Cosdroe, kinge of Persarum, in as mych as þu haste do worship on þis wise to þe holy crosse of Criste, yf þu woll be baptized and forsake þi fals beleve, I shall spare þe at þis tyme. But if þu woll not be conuertyd bi God þat dyed on þe crosse, I ‘shal’ smyte of thyne hede or I goo hens.” Than Cosdroe, þat cursed kyng dispysed God and all cristen feith and so Heraclius þe emperour, for his obstinacye he smote of his hede. And because he was a kynge, he did bery hym. Heraclius founde þere a yonge son of king Cosdroe of x yere age, whom he did baptize and gafe hym þe goodis of his ffadris lifelode. So þan þe emperour did bete dovn þe trone of syluere and goulde and all þe syluere he gafe it amongst his oste. But þe goulde and þe precious stoned he reservid to þe reparacion of þo chirchis þat that fals king Cosdroe had robbid and spoyled.þan the gode cristen emperour Heraclius, with grete reuerence

4/191r/ <and> worship toke vp þe crosse of Criste to bere it ageyn to Iherusalem. And whan he came rydyng from þe mounte of Olyvete to þe gates of Iherusalem, sodenly þe stones of þe gates closed togyddir and made an hole wall, where upon apperid an aungell of God, holding þe signe of þe crosse in his hand, seying to þe emperour in þis wyse : “Whan our souereyn saviour Ihesu kynge of blisse passed bi þis porte beforn his precius passion, he cam not ryally ryding and arayed with purpur and diademe to entre þis citee of Iherusalem, but mekely he satte vpon a lytyll asse to shewe example of mekenes to þem þat wol worship hym.” This seyde, sodenly þe aungell of God was gone. Than þat holy emperour Heraclius light dovn of his horse and voide away his crovn and did of all his cloþis safe his shirt with bare fete, reuerently toke vp þe crosse of Criste in his armes. So þan, as it was þe wil of God, þe gates of þe citee disclosed and openyd ageyn and gafe free entre to þe emperour and to all thoo willing to com in. Than þere was felt þe most redolent odour and savour and swetnes þorugh oute all þe citee of Iherusalem þat euere was felid or smellid, þat same day and tyme þat þe holy crosse was take from Cosdroe, þat hethyn tyraunte in þe province of Persarum into Iherusalem. Not withstanding þat þei be many myles asondir. Than an holy king was þere þer sent devoutely seyde þis holy antem and prayed to þe holy crosse, saying in þis wise : “O crux splendidior cunctis astris mundo celebris hombrus muleum amabilis sanctior vniuersis que sola fuisti digna portare talentum mundi, et cetera” ; “O þu precius crosse of Criste, splendidius and more bright þan all sterris, helpyng comforting and moste solacius to þe worlde,

5/191v/ ffull plesaunce and amerous and loofing to gode men, moste holy and devoute to be holde above all erthly thingis, þat þu were worþi to bere þe bountevous besaunte of þe worlde, Goddis blessid body. O þu bewtevous, swete, holy and precius tree, helpe and safe þis present pepyll þat þis day be gadderid to þy loovyng lawde, worship and praysyng.” That same day by þe myght of God were shewid many grete myracles. For as we fynde written, a man þat leye dede oon day and oon nyght was restored ageyn to life. Also, iiij croked and bedered men were made hole to go vp right. Also x leppres were made hole and clene, xv blynde men were restored to þeir sight. Also diuerse men and women þat were vexid with wicked spiritis and devellis þei were deliuered from þem and made hole. And many þat were vexid with dyuerse sikenes were cured and restored to helth bi vertu of þe holy crosse. The crosse of Criste was more tentirly worshipped and more devoutely þat tyme and aftirward than euere it was beforn. Now it is with grete reuerence and worship promotid, exalted and enhaunced, wherefore it is called the exaltacion of þe crosse. I ffynde wrytten in Legenda Sanctorum þat in þe citee of Costantynenoble, a Iewe vpon a tyme cam pryvely into a chirch of Seint Sophie, w<h>ere no man was present at þat tyme but he alone. And boldely, he went to an ymage of þe crucifix and for dispyte, with a knyfe he kytte þe ymage throte. And sodenly, it spronge oute blode vpon þe Iewis face and handis, hede and clothes. Whan he perceyved þe blode, he was gretely abasshed and aferde. Than the Iewe toke dovn þe ymage from þe crosse and kest it in a depe dyche with water, þat no man shuld ffynde it. So a cristen man mette with þe Iewe and axed hym where he hadde slayne a man. To whom answerd

6/192r/ þe Iewe : “I haue slayn no man, but I knolage my trespace þat I haue done. For with þis knyfe, I smote an ymage of þe symylitude of þe God of cristen men, ffor þat God of cristen men ys grete, and þe beleve and feith of cristen men is trewe and feythfull.” Than þe Iewe led many cristen men to þe diche where he had cast in þe ymage of þe crucifix, and all þe dyche was full of rede blode. Whan þe Iewe perceyved þis, he cryed God mercy, ffalling on his kneis he axed for charitee to ‘be’ baptyzed in all haste. And so he was. Than þei toke vp þe ymage of the crucifix, and with grete reuerence bare it ageyn to the chirch. But þe wounde in þe ymage throte is yett ffressh with blode into þis day in Constantynenoble. Therefore, euery man and woman worship þat day þe exaltacion of the crosse, þat we may be worthi to receyve grace and mercy. Graunte vs þat mercifull Lorde Crist Ihesu þat offred vp his owne precius body in þe mounte of Caluery, vpon þe cros on gode Fryday for mannys redempcyon.

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