3

¶ Þe more shame þat he him
dide 
Þe more þe godman low
He drof him out of engelond ·
⁊ let him crye fleme 
Þis godeman went forþ ful glad
He tok he neuer ȝeme ·
To þe Abbey of seint Amand ·
Biȝonde þ^e see he him drow 
⁊ soiorned þere longe 
⁊ ladde god lif y now ·
¶ After king edwines deth 
Edgar þa^t was hi^s brother 
Was king ymad for he was 
nerre þan any other ·
Swiþe gode man he bicom 
⁊ louede wel holy chirche 
⁊ eche man þa^t him þerto radde
After hem he gan wirche ·
Men tolde him of seint donston 
Þat his broþer drof of londe 
Wiþ vnright for his godnesse 
⁊ gan him to vnderstonde ·
¶ After him he sende anon 
Þat he com aȝein sone 
And bileued his counseiller ·
Of þa^t he hadde to done ·
Seint donston com hom aȝein ·
And faire was vnderfong ·
⁊ hadde his abbey al in pes 
Fro wham he hadde be long ·
¶ Wiþ þe king he was swiþe ·
wel 
⁊ was his counseiller 
Muche men spak of hi^s godnes 
Wide fer ⁊ ner ·
It bifel þa^t þe bisshop ·
Of wircestre was ded 
Þe king ⁊ þ^e erchebisshop Ode 
Þer of nom here red ·
¶ And þ^e holi Abbot seint donston 
bisshop þei made þere 
to make him herre in gode
lawe 
His wille þei it nere ·
He shal after quod þ^e erchbisshop 
In mi stede here beo 
Erchebisshop of Cantirbury 
⁊ þa^t men shal y seo ·
What wostou þis oþer seide 
þou spekkest folich y wis 

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Nostou namore þan þi fot  vp god al it is ·
¶ Mi leue frend qquod þis gode man  blame me nought
Wel I wot þa^t oure lord  in mi mouþ it brought
As who seiþ of þilk thing  þa^t he haþ in me seide 
tell I may þei it bifalle  after þa^t I am dede ·
Bisshop he was of london  seint donston suche also 
Of london ⁊ of wircestre  ⁊ held boþe two ·
It bifel þa^t erchebisshop  of Canturburi was ded 
Þe pope ⁊ king edgar  þer of nome here red 
And made þis seint donston · erchebisshop þere 
Gode men þat him knewe wel glad þer of were ·
Ge fourmed thorw al engelond  þat eche person sholde chese 
to holde him chaste fro lecherie  or elles his chirche lese ·
Seint athelwold was þo  bisshop of winchestre 
And seint of wold þe gode man  bisshop of wircestre ·
Þese bisshops ⁊ seint donston  were at one rede 
⁊ Edgar þe gode king  to do þis gode dede ·
¶ Þese threo bisshops went aboute  thorw al englond 
And hiþer person caste out  þer might non hem astonde ·
Here chirches ⁊ here oþer god  clanliche þei hem binome 
⁊ bistte it on gode men  thorwe þe popes gr^ant of Rome
Eyghte ⁊ fourti Abbeyes  of monkes ⁊ of nonne 
of treso^r þa^t þei rered in engelond  of persons so y wonne
And so it was wel bet biset  þan it was er on shrewen 
For þere gode maistres beoþ  som godnesse wil sewen ·
Gode were þo threo bisshopes  þa^t in on time were þo ·
Þe bettre is engelond for hem  ⁊ worþ euer mo ·
Oure lord ȝaf on erthe  seint donston fair gr^ace 
Þat at o time as he was  in a prⁱue place ·
¶ His fader ⁊ his moder boþe  in þe Ioye of heuen on
hey 
After þa^t þei dede were  Apertliche he sey ·
Wel gret loue oure lord him kidde  whan he shewed him
þere 
So mychel of his prⁱuete · whil he on liue were ·
As he lay an oþer time  in his bed a night 
He sey þe Ioye of heuene  ⁊ þe place wel dight ·
Angels he herde also  singe a meri song þer inne 
þa^t men singeþ ȝet in holi chirche  whan men mase bigynne 
Kirielyson christeleyson  was þa^t meri songe ·
þis holy man þa^t herde þis  thought no thing long
harpe he louede swiþe wel  of harpe he coude y now 
A day he sat in his solace  ⁊ a lay þer onne he drow ·
þe harpe heng vpo þe wou  þo it was time to ete 
þo it was þerto brought  he sat a don to mete ·
¶ Of heuene he gan thenke sone  of ioye þa^t he say þere 
of þe ioyeful blisse þa^t þer was  among halwen þa^t þere were ·
He sat as he were nome  so muche þer onne he thought 
His harpe þa^t heng ope þe wow  of whom he litel rought ·
Bigan to kiþe his holy thought  ded treo þei it were
As oure lordes will was  þa^t all herde þa^t were þere ·