"Cristofre to fore his baptysme was named reprobus But afterward he was named Cristofre whiche is as moche to saye as bearring cryste, of that, that he bare cryst in iiij maneres: he bare hym on his sholders by conueyeng & leding, In his body, by makinge it lene, In mynde by devotio', & in his mouth by confession & predycacion.+

"Crystofre was of the lynage of the canonees & he was of a ryght grete stature: And had a terryble & ferfull chere; and contenaunce, And he was vij cubytes of lengthe, And as it is redde in somme hystories, that wha' he serued and dwelled wyth the kyng of canonees It came in his mynde that he wolde seches the grettest prynce that was in the world, and hym he + appearance. § seek.

wolde serue & obeye; And so ferre he wente that he came to a ryght grete kynge of whom the renomme generally was that he was the grettest of the world, and whan the kynge sawe hym he receyued hym in to his seruyse & made hym to dwelle in his courte, ¶Vpon a tyme a mynystrell songe to fore hym a songe in whiche he named ofte the deuyll: And the kynge whiche was a crysten man whan he herde hym name the deuyll, made anone↑ the synge of the crosse in his visage‡, and whan cristofre saw that he had grete merueyle what synge it was: & wherfore the kynge made it, And he demaunded of hym, And by cause the kynge wold not saye he saide, yf thou telle me not I shal noo lenger dwelle with the: and thenne the kynge told to hym sayng: alwaye whan I here the deuyll named, I fere that he shold haue power ouer me. and I garnisshe§ me with this synge, that he greue ne anoye me, thenne crystofre said to hym thou doubtest the deuyll, that he hurte the not thenne is the deuyll more myghty & gretter than thou art, I am thenne deceyued of my hope & purpose, For I had supposed I had foundon the mooste myghty & the mooste grettest lord of the world: But I commaunde the to god: for I wyl goo seche hym for to be my lord and I his seruante and thenne departed fro this kynge: And hasted hym for to seche the deuylle & as he went by a grete deserte: he sawe a grete companye of knyghtes of whiche a knyghte cruell & horryble came to hym & demaunded whyther he went & crystofre answerd to hym and sayd I goo seche the deuyl for to be my mayster, And he sayd I am he that thou sechest & then cristofre was glad & bou'd hym selfe to be his seruaunt perpetuell & toke hym for his mayster & lord, & as they wente to gyder || by a comyn waye, they founde there a crosse erecte & stondyng, And anon as the deuyll sawe the crosse he was aferde and fledde and lefte the right waye & brought crystofre aboute by a sharpe ++ deserte, & after wha' they were passyd the crosse he brought hym to the hye waye that they had lefte. & whan crystofre sawe that he merueyled. & demaunded wherof he doubted and had lefte the hye and fayr waye, and had goon soo ferre aboute by so aspre deserte, And the deuyl wolde not telle to hym in no wyse, Thenne crystofre sayd to hym, if thou wylt not telle me, I shall anone departe fro the and shall serue + immediately. front. § guard. [] together. ++ rough and stony. ++ rough.

**

renown.
common.

the nomore, wherfore the deuyl was constrayned to telle hym and sayd: there was a man called cryst whyche was hanged on the crosse, and whan I see his synge I am sore aferd and fle fro it wher someuer I see it, To whom cristofre sayd thenne is he gretter & more myghtyer than thou, whan thou art aferd of his synge, And I see wel that I haue laboured in vayn, whan I haue not fondon* the grettest lord of the world, And I wyl serue the no lenger, Goo thy waye thenne for I wyl go seche Jhesu cryst: And whan he had longe sought and demaunded where he shold fynde cryst, At last he came in to a deserte to an heremyte that dwellyd there. & this heremyte preched to hym of Jhesu cryst and enformed hym in the fayth dylygently and sayde to hym, This kynge whom thou desyreste to serue, requyreth the seruyse that thou must ofte faste: And cristofre sayd to hym requyre of me somme other thyng & I shall do it for that whiche thou requyrest I maey not do. And the heremyte sayd thou must thenne wake & make many prayers, And cristofre sayd to hym I wote not what it is, I may doo no suche thinge, & thenne the heremite sayde to hym knowest thou suche a ryuer, in whyche many be perysshed & lost, to whom crystopher sayde: I knowe it well, thenne sayde the heremite by cause thou arte noble & hye of stature, and stronge in thy membrys thou shalt be resydent by the ryuer And thou shalt bere ouer all theym that shal passe there whyche shal be a thynge ryght couenable to our Lord Jhesu cryste whom thou desyrest to serue and I hope he shal shewe hym selfe to the, thenne sayde cristofre certes this seruyse maye I well do & I promyse to hym for to doo it, thenne went crystofre to this ryuer: and made there his habytacle § for hym, And a gret pool in his honde in sted of a staf by whiche he susteyned hym in the water, And bare ouer all maner of peple wythout cessyng & there he abode thus doyng many dayes: And in a tyme as he slepte in his lodge he herde the voys of a childe whiche called hym & sayd, Crystofre come out, & bere me ouer, Thenne he awoke and wente out. but he founde no man, And whan he was agayn in his hous, he herde the same voys, and he ranne out and fond no body, The thyrde time he was called and came thyder and fond a chyld besyde the ryuage** of the ryuer: whiche prayed him goodly ++ to bere hym ouer the water, And thenne cristofre lyft vp the child on * found. + know. + agreeable. § place of habitation. ** bank. ++ earnestly.

Il pole.

his sholdres and toke his staffe and entryed in to the Ryuer for to passe, And the water of the riuer aroos and swellyd more and more. And the child was heuy as leed, & alwaye as he wente ferther, the water encresed and grewe more, & the chyld more and more weyed heuy in soo moche that crystofre had grete anguysse, And was aferd to be drowned, And wha' he was escaped wyth grete payne and passyd the water, And sette the chyld a grounde, he sayd to the chyld. Chyld thou hast me put in grete peryll, thou wayest* al most as I had had all the world vpon me I myght bere no gretter burdon, And the childe answerd: Crystofre merueyle the noo thyng, For thou hast not onely born alle the world vpon the, But thou hast born hym that created and made all the worlde vpon thy sholders, I am Jhesu cryst the kynge, to whom thou seruest in this werke, And by cause that thou knowe that I saye to the trouthe, sette thy staf in the erthe by thy hous, And thou shalt see to morne + that it shal bere floures and fruyte and anone he vanysshed from his eyen: And thenne crystofre sette his staf in therthe,‡ and wha' he aroos on the morn he fonde his staf lyke a palmyer § berying floures leues and dates, And thenne cristofre went in to the cyte of lacye|| & vnderstode not theyr langage, Thenne he prayed our lord that he myght vnderstonde theym & so he dyd. and as he was in this prayer the Juges supposed that he had be a fool, and left hym there. and thenne whan cristofre vnderstode the langage, He coueryd his visage and wente to the place where they martred crysten men. and comforted theym in our lorde And thenne the Juges smote hym in the face and cristofre sayd to theym, yf ye were not crysten** I shold anone auenge myn Iniurye, And thenne crystofre pytched his rodde in therthe, And prayed to our lord that for to conuerte the people it myght bere floures and fruyt: And anone it dyd soo, And thenne he conuerted viij thousand men. And thenne the kynge sent two knyghtes for to fetche hym to the kynge. And they fond hym prayeng: and durst not telle to hym soo: And anone after the kynge sent as many moo, and they anone sette theym don for to praye wyth hym, and whan crystofre aros he sayde to theym what seche ye And when they sawe hym in the vysage, they sayde to hym, the kynge hath sent vs that we shold lede the bounden vnto hym: And Crystofre sayd to theym:

weighest. § palm-tree.

+ to-morrow morning.
Lycia.

the earth. ** christian.

yf I wolde ye sholde not lede me to hym bounden ne vnbounden, & they said to hym yf thou wylt go thy way go quyt where thou wylt, and we shal saye to the kynge: that we haue not founde the It shal not bee so sayde he, But I shal goo wyth you: & thenne he conuerted theym in the faythe, and commaunded theym that they sholde bynde his hondes behynde his backe, & ledde hym soo bounden to the kynge: & whan the kynge sawe hym he was aferde and fyl doun of the syegt* and his seruauntes lyft hym vp and releuyed hym agayn: And thenne the kynge enquyred his name and his countree and crystofre sayd to hym, tofore or† I was baptysed I was named reprobus and after I am named Crystofre, tofore baptesm a cananee, Now a crysten man, to whom the kynge sayd, thou hast a folysshe name that is to wete ‡ of cryst crucyfied whiche coude not helpe hym selfe ne maye not profyte to the, Now therfore thou cursed cananyen why wylt thou not do sacrefyse to our goddes: to whom crystofre sayd: thou art ryghtfully called dagarus for thou art the deth of the worlde and felawe of the deuyl, and thy goddes ben made wyth the hondes of men, And the kynge sayde to hym thou were nourysshed amonge wylde bestes, and therfore thou mayest not saye but wylde langage and wordes vnknowen to men, And yf thou wylt now do sacrefyse to the goddes: I shall gyue to the greate yeftes § and grete honours: and yf not, I shalle destroye the and consume by greate paynes and tourmentis, But for alle thys he wold in no wyse doo sacrefyse. wherfore he was sente in to pryson, and the kynge dyd do behede the other knightes that he had sente for him whom he had conuerted and after this he sente in to pryson to saint Crystofre two fayr wymen of whom the one was named hysena, and that other aquylyne, and promysed to them many grete yeftes yf they coude drawe crystofre to synne wyth theym, and whan crystofre sawe that he sette hym doun in prayer: And whan he was constrayned by the' that enbraced hym to meue ||. he aroos and sayd what seke ye: For what cause be ye comen hyther, And they whiche were affraied of his chyere and clerenes of his visage sayden: Holy saynt of god haue pyte of vs soo that we may belyeue in that god that thou prechest; And whan the kynge herde that, He commaunded that they shold be laten oute and brought to fore hym, to whom he sayde, ye be deceyued, but I swere to you bi

" of the sight. + before that. + know. § gifts. || to be wanton.