The PurveyProject

De festiuitate omnium sanctorum
Homilies for Saints

Par Alina MIHOC
Publication en ligne le 05 octobre 2013

1Frendys, herith how this solempne feste of al halowes was first ordeynde. There was sumtyme in Rome a temple whanne Rome was sette that was called Panteon and in certyn tymes alle the deuels

2/f. 80r/ wolde comyn thedyre. And thanne shulde paynemys come thedyre and worshipe hem for here goddys. And this worde ‘Panteon’ betokenyth a temple of al goddess. And so after, cristendome encresed there. And after there was a pope – his name was Bonifacius. And so upon a tyme this pope Boniface yede him to the emperoure of Rome and seyde to him that he desyred gretly the temple Panteon, that was ordeynde to worshipe al deuels and ˊyteˋ were turned and made a chirche in the worshipe of al halowere. And anon the emperoure concented wele thereto, and in the firste day of nouembre ben halowed and so the apostolice of Rome encresed. And anon it was ordeynde that al Holy Chirche shulde halow that forseyde day in the honor worscipeof al seyntes. And also I preue wele that God himself it confermed ƿat this day be halowed. I shal shewe yow be an ensample that I fynde and rede in a boke. That there was a monke in Rome the whiche was an holy man

3/f. 80v/ and loued meche God. And so it fel on al halow nyte that this monke went him to his bed with his bredyre. And whanne he was faste on slepe, Goddes angels comyn to him and toke his spiryte from him and bere it up to heuene. And whanne he was comyn thedyre he sawe there Goddes mageste stonde and a kynge thereinne sittynge with a crowne on his hed. And after that this soule sawe a fayr quene comynge with gret multitude of maydenes folwynge here. And thei come alle before the kynge and salude him. And after that he sawe xii men, alle in a clothing and so come gretynge the kynge. And after he sawe comyn a gret company of clerkis, alle in white clothinge and so comyn before the kynge and salude him and dede him gret reuerence. And after that he sawe a gret multitude of kynges comyn and worshyped the kynge as he sat in his trone. And whane thei were alle comyn togedyre before the kynge, on of his clerkis began matyns and the clerkes holpen him to synge forthe matyns. And so tho spak the soule and seyde theise wordes to the angel: Domine, inque sunt hec mirabilia? And this is to seyn: ‘ƿu my lord’, seyde the soule, ‘what may

4/f. 81r/ theise meruels be, the whiche I haue here sen?’ And the angel answerd him ayen and seyde that he wolde telle him what it was. ‘Yendere quene, the whiche ƿu seste’, he seyde, ‘is the blessed mayden Mary with alle here uirgyns the whiche suffred martirdam for the loue of Criste. And now thei do thankynges to him and preyen to him for al cristen peple, that he wolde haue mercy on hem to foryeve hem here trespass, [the ]1 whiche that halowen and do reuerence to h[i]m2. And tho xii men ben xii apostles that thanke him so. And alle the kynges ben holy marters that were marterd for the loue of Criste. And the clerkes ben holy confessours the3 whiche cristen men worshipe. And therefore’, seyde the angel, ‘thei haue now4 gret ioye thereof and thanke al here Lord God there, and preyen to him for al cristen men that he wolde foryeve hem here mysdedys that thei haue don, the whiche that day do worshipe and reuerence in erthe to hem. And he that began matyns was seynt Peter, the whiche hath in his disposicioun

5/f. 81v/ al holy righwyse soules’. And whanne the angel had tolde the soule alle theise thynges, he seyde to him that he wolde brynge him into the body that he cam fro and he bad him that he shulde telle it as he saw and herd to the peple. And whanne he had brout the spiryte ayen into the body, the angel wanysed awey. And be that tyme he sawe his bredyre had seyde for his soule placebo and dirige and had leyde the body on a bere to bery him. And whanne thei shulde a takyn and leyde him out of the bere, this monge began to meuen himself and set him on the bere. And alle his bredyre were sore aferd and adrad of him. And anon this monke began to spekyn and asked after the pope. And tho he rose up and went to the pope and tolde as he sawe and herd. And whanne he had tolde what he wolde, the pope helde up his hondes and thanked God thereof; and thus this solempne feste was first founden of al halowyn, et cetera. Sic.

Notes

Pour citer ce document