The PurveyProject

De sancto Laurencio
Homilies for Saints

Par Alina MIHOC
Publication en ligne le 05 octobre 2013

1Frendys, ȝe shal haue a solempne feste in Holy Chirche of an holy seynt and martyre seynt Laurence, the whiche suffred meche martirdam for the loue of Cryste of Decies the emperoure, that leued on fals lawes and on fals goddes. And be chesoun that Laurence dispysed his goddess and wolde no sacrifyse makyn to hem, he dede to take him and lede him to the iustise Valerian, and bad him that he shulde enquire

2/f. 66r/ of him what his tresoun was and of wham he beleued on. And also he bad him if he wolde not make sacrifyse that he shulde put him into prisoun. And tho the iustise dede him to come before him and exampned of his beleue, and commaunde him to make sacrifyse to her goddes or ellys he shulde1 be ponyshed. And he answerd him ayen and seyde: ‘To your goddess wil I neuere no sacrifyse makyn, for thei be dome and def, and my Lord God I wil neuere forsaken’. And thanne this iustyse wax al wrothe with his answere and toke him a man to kepe him – his name was Ypolitus – and that he shulde caste him into depe prisoun without mete or drynke. And dede as he bad him don. And thanne it tellith that there was thereinne a gentyl man – his name was Lucillus – that thurgh wepynge and gret sorowynge that he had made he had lost his ien sight and myte not se. Thanne seyde this holy man Laurence to him : ‘Man’, seyde he, ‘beleue in Criste and become cristen man and Crist shal sende the thin ien sight’. And Lucille answerd him ayen and seyde theise wordes: In Christus credo et idola vana respuo. And this is to seyn: ‘In Crist I beleue’, he seyde, ‘and alwey the ydolatrius I forsake’.

3/f. 66v/ And thanne Laurence thanked God thereof and toke watere and caste on him and gaf him cristendome. And whanne he had so don, anon this mannes ien opened and he sawe wele and feyre. And tho he lifte up his hondes and thanked God thereof and seyde thus: ‘Blessed be my Lord Ihesu Cryste, the whiche hath yeven me sight thurgh besekyng of gentyl Laurence. For I was blynde and now I may se’, he seyde. And than this man Ypolitus sawe wele that Laurence had heled  him of his sight thurgh the grace of God. And anon therewith he forsoke alle his fals goddess and becam cristen man. And whanne the emperoure herde seyn that Laurence had conuerte his men to cristen faith, and anon he wax al wrothe with him and commaunde his turmentours to brynge him out of prisoun and vnspoyle him and to make him naked, and so to bete him wele with stanes and with clubbes of led to tempre wele his vnbuxome hert. And after that to take berres of yren brennynge hote and right so leyn hem to his sydes. ‘And after that’, he seyde, ‘bidde him to make sacrifyse to oure goddes or ellys he shal haue as meche sorow as we can don him’. And whenne thei had don to him al theise tourmentes, hit greued him nout but lewe thereate and seyde to hem thus theise wordes: Infelix non cencio tormenta tua quia has epulas semper desiderabant. And this is for to sey: ‘ƿu vn-

4/f. 67r/ -blessed man, I fele not thi termentrye for whi I haue alwey desired theise metys and theise drynkes’, seyde Laurence. And tho this emperoure Decies had a knyte with him – his name was Romanus – and he thurgh confourte and thurgh myracles that he sawe of this holy man seynt Laurence makyng, he forsoke his feith and renyed his goddes and cam to Laurence and he soute that he wolde make him a cristen man. And anon Laurence toke up his honde and blessed him, and after caste water upon him and cristende him. Thanne the emperoure herde seyn that this knyte Roman was become cristen man, and anon he commaunde his turmentours to bete him wele with scourges; and after thei hilde him and thei dede as he bad hem. And after thei led him without the cite, and there thei smete of the knytes hed. And Cristes angels come thedyre and brout up the soule to heuene blisse with he[m]2. And after, the emperoure called his turmentours and commaunde hem to brynge forthe Laurence, and that thei shulde make him a bed of yren berres and ley vnbuxome Laurence upon. And whanne he ley thereon naked, thei stretched out his hondes and his feet and bonde him sad thereto. And after thei leyde brennynge colys vnder

5/f. 67v/ the bed of iren and it was made in the manuere of a grediren, and with iren forkes thei stoden and turned him. And whenne thei had put fyre longe vnder, thanne seyde Laurence to hem theise wordes: Assatum est iam nostra et mandura. And this is to seyn : ‘Hit is rosted; I now turne the toder syde and ete ƿe’, he seyde. And in that turmentrye he yelde up the goste to God of heuene, and Cristes angels comyn anon to the cors and beryn up thesoule to heuene where is euerelastynge ioye and blisse. Amen.

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