The PurveyProject

De sancto Nicholao episcopo
Homilies for Saints

Par Alina MIHOC
Publication en ligne le 05 octobre 2013

1Frendys, we redyn of a glorious beshop, seynt Nicholas, that God shewed many myracles be his lyf. And as sone as he was born of his moder, he toke him anon to an holy lyf. For whanne he soke his moder, ii dayes in the weke he wolde soke but ones on the day, the Wednesday and the Fryday. Also we redyn that whane he was vii yere of age, he was set to scole and lerned faste and began to wax a gret clerke. And so after it fel whanne he shulde haue ben best founde to scole, his fader dyed and his moder bothe from him. And the catel that thei hadden, thei lefte it to the childe to kepyn him with. And so thei were bothe dede and the childe had al here good that thei lastyn. And so upon a day he bethout him what he myte best do with

2/f. 84r/ his fader good. And so there was in the cite of Patras a poreman that had iii dowters to be maryed, and he was a pore man and had right nowte to marien hem with. And so at the last the man seyde to his dowters that he myte no lenger fynde hem nor susten hem wele. ‘Wherefore’, he seyde, ‘kepe yourself; therefore do yow tomorrow, and take eche of yow a white yarde in your hondes and leuyth be your bodies’. And whanne theise maydenes herde theise wordes of here fader, thei wepte and made gret mone and preyed to God of helpe and of sum socoure of sum good man. And so that nyte thei went to her beddes. And this Nicholas was enspired with the Holy Goste. And so as God wolde, he cam that same nyte to theise maydenes chambere and threwe into the chambere a bagge with golde and went his wey preuely. And whanne theise maydenes resyn on the morow, thei founde this golde lyenge in the flore, wherewith thei were right wele maryed and

3/f. 84v/ were right good wommen eueremore after, and faren wele thurgh the helpe of seynt Nicholas. And so I may shewyn of him anodere myracle. There was a bocher of the same toun, and iii clerkes were inned at his hous. And so it fel on a nyte as thei leyn and slepte in here bed, the bocher and his wif come there as thei leyn, and eche of hem with an ax in her honde that thei hadden set hem on the hed and slewe hem right there al iii clerkes. And whanne thei had so don, thei bere hem1 into a saltynge trow and cast on salt vpon hem, right as thei had ben lardere. And whanne al this was don, on the nyte after, there cam a voys to this good clerke Nicholas, and bad him that he shulde gon to seche a man of the toun that had don to deth iii clerkes that were inned at his hous. ‘And bid ƿu him brynge hem forthe beforn the alle iii clerkes’. And so whanne it was day, he rose him up and went thedyre to his hous, and spake with him thereof of the same mater, and exampned him thereof. And rebuked him foule, and bad him anon that he shulde lede him where thei weryn.

4/f. 85r/ And whanne the beshope sawe hem, al iii beforn him, anon he doun on his kneys and helde up his hondes to God andbesout him of grace, that he wolde reyse hem ayen to lyf. And whanne he had made his preyers thus to God, he toke up his hondes and blessed hem. And al iii clerkes resyn up ayen to lyf. And whanne the bocher sawe that thei were on lyue thurgh his preyers, tho he fel doun before him on his kneys, and thanked God and him of that gracious reysynge and of that gracious myracle that ther was don. And moreouere anoder myracle I wil shewe yow. There was a womman of the cite that had a yonge childe. And so upon a tyme, she shuld wassh her childe in hote water. And so she ordeynde here a fyre vnder the caudroun and filde it ful of water, and dede the childe thereinne to be bathed. And whanne she had don, in the mene tyme cometh the beshope to the toun, and the womman went here forthe to se the beshoppe. And she

5/f. 85v/ ran here forthe with him and lefte the childe lyn in the cawdroun, and gret fyre there vnder. And this womman cam to the chirche and sawe the beshope and had his benision. And so at the laste, she thout on here childe that she lefte lyn in the cawdroun with watere, and cryed to God of helpe and to seynt Nicholas. And so she ran home as fast as she can gon. And whanne she cam home, she fonde here childe pleyenge with the burbeles of the watere, and the water welled faste ouere the fyre, and the childe neuere the wers. And that was a feyre myracle of God and of seynt Nicholas. Theise myracles and many mo God almyty shewed for the loue of seynt Nicholas. Amen.

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