ALBON UND AM PH ABEL.
[BUCH IU.J
i;8
Grace was guyde, and trouthe his pre-
seruatife,
95° Fayth bare vp all, | charite was his
, leche;
His tonge enspired, the people for to
teache;
His body fehle, | his membres impo
tent,
Yet tonge and herte were of one assent.
His herte stronge, stable as dya-
mant —
955 Fayth had of stele forged his ytnage,
His hope in god was so perseuerant:
Dispayre in hym myght haue none
auantage.
For his gracious influent langage
And by myracles, in hym shewed than,
960 That day to Christ was turned many
a man.
His doctrine fyxe in his (!) remem
brance,
Most souerently than gantherindelyte,
Let theyr ydols go vnto a mys
chaunce
Whiche myght them nother helpe nor
profyte;
965 God with his grace lyst them to visile;
Of one assent | gan them redy to make
After his counsell the fayth of Christ
to take.
They were compuncte and maden
theyr prayer
With repentance and voyce most la
mentable
970 To graunt them parte of that he suf
fered there
Touchyng his passyon greuous and
importable,
In that ioye | whiche is perdurable,
Touchyng the syghtes that they had
sene
Therof by grace to put them in cer-
tene,
975 Lyke as theyr trust and theyr per-
fyte beleue
Was in Jesu of herte, thought anddede,
With hole affection, that it shall them
not greue
For Christes sake theyr blode in hast
to blede;
They stode so hole, hauyng of deth
no drede,
980 In theyr opinion our fayth to mag-
nyfye,
That they dispised all ydolatrye.
Theyr prince and iuge the whyle in
presence stode
Lyke a man fall in to a franesye,
Voydeof reason, and as a tyrant wode
985 Commaunded all his turmentours to
hye
Without exception of lowe or hygh
partye
To kyll and sleye — and no mercy
take —
That haue theyr goddes of dispite
forsake.
They preased in, the martyr to en-
combre,
99° Lyke gredy wolfes or tygrys of assent,
They slough that day a thousande
full in nombre,
For to obeye his fell commandement;
Amphibalus beinge ther present,
Whiche in spirite besyly gan entende
995 To Christ Jesu theyr soules to com-
mende.
A cruell paynem, stoute, indurate
and bolde,
Spake to the martyr of hatefull cruelte:
„Whiche of the citieothcrnewe oroide
In any wyse hath trespased agayne the
1000 Whiche hast caused theyrgreataduer-
site,
These innocent people in so shorte
a whyle
With thy traynes and sleyghtes to
begyle ?
Our statutes and lawes thou hast
foyled
By occasyon of thy parlous langage,
1005 And our citie most cruelly spoyled
961 his st. her. 962 than st. they. 989 I. martyrs. 994 Ed. sptrite.
962) thei st. than, 963) gon. 970) here. 973) seyn. 974) certeyne. 982) the fehlt. 983) frenesye. 984) a fehlt.
985) comaundeth. 986) of high or low. 987) To sleen, (kyll and fehlt). 989) martyres’ 990) of one.
994) gan bysily. 998) What of this c. outlier of new or of o. 1001) her st. these. 1004) bi the, 1005) despised
