The PurveyProject

De sancto Matheo apostolo et euangelista
Homilies for Saints

Par Alina MIHOC
Publication en ligne le 05 octobre 2013

1/f. 73v/ Frendys, this glorious apostle and euangeliste seynt Mathei, after the ascencioun of oure Lord Ihesu Cryste, he went into a londe that was called Ethiopie to preche Goddes wordes amonge the peple. And so he cam into a cite that was cleped Nathabere, and thereinne were ii men that vsed wichecrafte and here names were Yaroes and Arphaxat. And so with her soscery thei made men to beleue that thei myte bothe yeve lyf and deth. And ii dragons thei had with hem that were ii deuels and thei ii stongen many men. And so at the laste seynt Mathei toke his inne at a mannes hous of the cite and his name was Eumicus. And he tolde seynt Mathei where theise ii sorcers were with

2/f. 74r/ here ii dragouns. And whanne he had brout him into the hous where thei were inne, he bad him that he shulde not open the dore but speke to hem at the wyndow, for whi he seyde, ‘the dragouns ben helmed with brymstoun brennynge [that]1 cometh eueremore wellynge out at here erys and at the nose thrilles. And the foule odure that cometh from hem sleth alle men that cometh to hem’, he seyde, ‘and therefore come ƿu not thereinne’. And tho seyde seynt Mathei to him ayen: ‘Open ƿu me the dore hardely and go thiseluyn to the wyndow and beholde what thei shul don’, seyde he. And he dede so and Mathei went him into the hous and sawe there ii dragouns that were foule and oribel to loke on. And anon the dragouns come to seynt Mathei and fel doun at his feet, and ley stille as thei had ben dede. And tho seyde Mathei to theise sorcers theise wordes: Vbi estars vestra si potestas exitare eos. And this is to sey : ‘Where is now youre crafte’, seyde Mathei, ‘yif ȝe may reyse hem up ayen?’. And tho theise sorcers went and made here wichecrafte for to reyse hem up ayen, but thei myte not don it for

3/f. 74v/ nowte that thei cowde don. And whanne thei sen that thei myte not reyse hem up ayen, anon thei dede hem to gon awey and lete the dragouns be stille. And whanne thei were gon, seynt Mathei bad hem ryse up ayen and bad hem gon into wildernesse and neuere after to tempte man. And tho the dragouns resyn up and went here way and neuere were sen more. And al the peple beleued on him for ƿat he wrout seche meracles: to the blynde he yaf liȝt, and reysed dede man to lyf, and men that were syke he heled hem. And he cristende the kynge Eglippus that was an hethen man, and his sone and his dowter that hite Eufigenia, that was a nobil mayden in her leuynge. For after she was become christen, anon she toke her to the wey of seynt Mathei to leue eueremore in chastite. And so after whanne this kynge2 Eglippus saw at the laste he shulde dye, he gaf al his reme to his broder sone – his name was Hirtacus – and he to be kynge after him. And so whanne this kynge3 was dede and Hirtacus was made kynge, tho wolde he fayn haue had a wif and couet no womman to haue so meche as he dede the mayden Eufigenia. And so upon a tyme this kynge Hirtacus cam to seynt Mathei and seyde right thus to him: ‘Take ƿu half my reme

4/f. 75r/ and helpe me that I may haue Eufigenia to be my wedded wif’. And anon Mathei denyed it and seyde : ‘Nay, for I do the wele to wetyn that she was wedded to God, kynge of heuene. And how myte ƿu thanne’, seyde he, ‘haue here to be thi wif?’. And whanne seynt Mathei had thus denyed the matrimony, the kynge Hirtacus wax al wroth with him and went anon out of temple, and Mathei went him to masse. And whanne masse was don, this kynge Hirtacus sent to him a manquellere, and right as he stode at the auter, he cam to him there. He stode and anon he out with his swerd and smote of his hed. And there he yelde up the goste, et cetera.

Notes

Pour citer ce document