The PurveyProject

Sancti Bartholomei Apostoli

Par Élodie MONTEAU
Publication en ligne le 01 mars 2013

1/185v/ Worshipfull frendes, ye shall vndirstond þat þis worde Bartholomeus ys as mych to sey as filius suspendentis aquas, the son of watris holding vp. Than it is to wit God holdith vp watris ij manere wayes. Oon whan he holdeth up clowdis in þe firmament vnto he see tyme to be lette dovn þe reyn vpon þe erth. Anoþir wise, God holdeth vp watris whan a man or a woman hath contricion and is sory for þeir synnes þat he wepith for his synnes and offencis. Than God takith þo teeris and holdeth them vp in þe hill of heven, where all seyntis may haue sight of þem to grete joye to all aungellis in heven. For it is grete joye to þem whan a synner forsaketh his synne, ffor oon teer of weping of a contrite hert quenchith þe ffyre of hell. Of þis spekith Seint Iohanne Crisostomus : “O þu teer of mannis eye, mekely sette in devoutnesse. þi myght is so grete þat þu goste to heven and takest þe worde of the juges movthe, making hym to turn his sentence of dampnacion vnto saluacion. Anoþir, þu makest þyn accusatours dombe þat bene feendis of hell, and quenchist þe fire of dampnacion þat the feendis had made redy to þi comyng. And thus God holdith vp þe water of mannis eye vnto þe tyme of contricion cum”. Than, for Seynt Bartillmewe was Goddis seruaunte, he was hold vp in 'thre manere of' wise, that is to sey in devout oryson having, in feithfull monycion, and in peynfull passion suffering. First, he was holde vp in devoute oryson having, ffor in all his devoute prayers þat he saide with his movthe, he seid þem to God ententifly with his hert, as þe preste saith at his masse in þe preface: Sursum oorda ; þat is to sey “Lift vp or holde your hertis”. It is answerd: Habemus ad Dominum ; “We haue þat vnto God”, þat is to sey, we haue it of God whan we do so. In þat wise had þis holy apostle Seint Bartillmewe euere his hert to God, bothe day and nyght. And an hundred tymes in þe day ‘and a hundred tymys in þe nyght’, ffor grete devocion þat he had vnto God. But for he shuld not be wery of his travayle, God made an aungell euere to goe with hym to preserue and kepe hym.

2/186r/ And þus he was holde vp in devout orison having. He was also holde vp bi feithfull monycion shewyng, ffor allmyghti God gave hym so grete power ouer feendis þat bi his monycion and bidding, he suspendid þem and toke from þem þeir power þat þei had, boþe in men and women and mawmentis. We rede how Seint Bartilmewe cam into þe lande of Ynde and went into a temple in which was a mawment called Astaroth, þat was an ymage made of Goddis likenes, and it was sett in þe temple. þan a devell went into þis ymage and spake to them þat did hym worship, so þat bi suche inchawntmentis by þe devellis craft, he made þe peple beleve þat he was verey God. And for to make þe peple to gife more credence to hym, he made men and women sike. Than shulde þei be brought ‘vnto hym’ and when þei were cum, he losed þeir sikenes þat he had vexid þem with all beforn, and semyng to þem þat þei were recured and helid bi ‘þat’ fals mawment. But whan Seint Bartilmewe cam in‘to’ þe temple, þat mawment had no power to speke in þe presence of þat holy apostill. Than þe peple went to anoþir mawment in a citee besyde, and axed hym why þeir God Ast<a>roth myght not speke, answere nor cure and helpe þe peple as he did beforn. “A ha,” seyd þat mawment, “it is no wondir, ffor þe apostle of God, holy Bartilmew hath bounde hym so sore þat he may not speke oon worde. He is so grete with God þat he knoweth now euery worde þat I speke to you. For he hath an aungell of God þat tellith hym all þat is seid or done by hym. And if ye seche aftir hym to haue hym or speke with hym, if he woll, ye shall fynde hym, and if he woll not, ye shall not fynde hym but he woll hymself.” Than went þei home ageyn and sought hym. Than, as it fortuned, Seint Bartilmewe was amongis þe peple. There ‘was’ a man þat had a fende within hym þat caused þat man was wood and from hymself. The devell þat was within þat wode man cryed and saide: O apostole Dei, incendunt me oraciones tue ; “O þu Bartilmewe apostle of God, thyn holy prayers bren me þat I am   ”. The apostle answerd: “Holde þu þi pece. þu fende, voyde and goo fro þat man” And at þe

3/186v/ apostellis commaundement, þe devell went from þe man and forthwith, he was hole. Than it was so þat þe king of þe citee, called Polimius, had a doughter þat was from hirself and oute of hir mynde, and fast bounde with cheynes of yren. The kyng sent to þe holy apostle, praying hym to cure and make his doughter hole, and so he did. Than he conuertid þe king to cristen feith and baptized hym and all his household, and commaunded þe king, bi his ryall astate, to drawe down all þe mawmentis of þe templis. Than þe king, with þe peple, cast ropes abowte þe mawmentis nekkis to drawe þem down, but þei myght not meve þem, ffor þe feendis were so stronge within them. Than Seint Bartilmewe commaunded þe feendis to go oute of þe ymages, and to pulle and distroye þem, and make þem but powdre of erth. And forthwith, Seynt Bartilmewe prayed to God for þe sike peple þat were þere, and at his prayer, þei were cured, man and woman and childe. Whan the mawmentis were goo, þere cam an aungell dovn from heven in þe sight of all men, and þe temple shyned as bright as þe son. And in iiij parties of þe temple, þe aungellis made a signe of þe crosse in þe wall, and seide to all þe peple in þis wise: “Right as ye all be cured of your sikenes, so shall þis temple be purged, puryfyed and clensed of all þe filth and vnclennes of þe devellis craft. And now,” seide þe aungell, “I shall shewe you þat same devell þat ye haue worshippid in þat mawment for your God.” So þe devell appered to þem, blak as eny pych and lothely to be holde. The aungell seid vnto þe peple: “Þis lothely devell is he þat ye haue worshippid and called hym your God” And because þe peple were so afrayed of þat grysely sight, the aungell bad þem make þe signe of þe crosse in þeir forhedis and drede no devellis. Than þe aungell vnbonde þe devell and bad hym go where no conversacion of man was, and neuere aftir to noye man nor beste. So þe fende went his way, waylling, yelling and crying, and þe aungell scied into heven. Thus was Seint Bartillmewe holde vp by feithfull monycion in schewing.

4/187r/ Also I seid he ‘was’ holde vp bi his grete passion suffering, ffor when the bisshoppis of þe templis perceyved þat all þe peple were conuerted almoste to cristen ffeith, thei called to þe kyng Astryages þat was broþir ‘to’ Polimius, ‘þat was tornyd vn’to cristen feith and distroyed þeir Goddis, and halowid þe temple holi to Criste, praying hym to helpe þem þat he myght dye and venge þem of þis dede. The king Astr<y>ages raysed þe peple and did take Seint Bartilmewe. And whan he cam to his presence, he axed hym who made hym so hardy to conuerte his broþir to cristen feith, and made hym to bileve on a dede man þat was hanged on þe crosse. To whom answerd Seint Bartilmew: “I haue bounde þat fende þat he worshippid for his God, and shewed hym þe same devell in his likenes. And if þu may do so to my God, þan I woll beleve as þu dost, and ellis not”. Than commaunded þe kyng Astryages to putte Seint Bartilmewe vpon a cros, and aftir to be flayn of þe skyn of his body from þe hede to þe fote. Aftir þis, he made his hede to be smyt of. And whan he was dede, cristen men cam and beryed hym with grete reuerence. Thus was Seint Bartilmew holde vp by grete passyon suffering. Wherefore, et cetera.

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