|b[St._Bartholomew,_in_Three_Lives_from_the_Gilte_Legende |b_from_MS_B.L._Egerton_876,_ed._by_Richard_Hamer. |b_Heidelberg:_Carl_Winter_Universit„tsverlag,_1978,_pp._75-87.] |p75 |rSAINT_BARTHOLOMEW |r[f.198v] Seint Bartilmew the apostell went into Ynde that is in the ende of the worlde, and entred into a temple wher as was an ydole that hight Astrot and abode there as a pilgrime. And in that ydole duelled a fende that saide he coude hele al maner [of] |r5 siknesses, but he lyed, for he coude yeue hem [no maner of] hele, but he cesed to make hem sike. And that temple was full of sike folkes, and thei coude haue none ansuere of that ydole, so that thei went to another cite wher ther was another ydole that hight Beriche and asked hym whi that Astrot wolde geue hem |r10 none ansuere. & Beriche saide: "Youre god is harde strened and bounde with cheines of [fyre] that he dare not ones brethe ne speke sethe that Bartilmew, the apostell of almighti God, entred into the temple." And thei asked: "What is that Bartilmew?" And the fende saide: "He is an nigh frende of |r15 almighti God, and therfor he is come into this prouince for to uoide out al the goddes of Ynde." And thei saide: "Telle us tokenes that we mowe knowe hym and that we may finde hym." The fende saide: "He hathe blak here and crispe, fayre skyn and glad eyen, his nose streite and even, a longe berde and a |r20 litell hore, of right comly stature. He is clothed with [a] white cote and with a white mantell, and his cote is wrought with purpill, and in eueri corner of hys mantell there is a precious stone of rede. And this [xxvj] yere his clothes wer neuer empaired ne wexse foule. He worshipeth God eueri day and |p76 knelithe an C tymes in the day [and an C tymes in the nyght]. The aungeles gone with hym that suffre hym neuer to be weri ne to fele hunger. He is alway of one semblaunt, glad and meri. He seithe alle thinges before and knowithe al. He spekithe al |r5 ma|r[f.199r] nere of langages, and he knowithe what y saie to you now. And whanne ye seke hym yef hym luste ye shull finde hym, and yef hym luste he wil noght be found of you. And y praie you yef ye finde hym that ye saie to hym that he come noght here, that his aungeles do not to me as [they haue] do to my |r10 felawe." And thanne thei came, and whanne they had sought hym ij dayes besily and coude not finde hym, in a day there was a demoniak, that is a man vexid with a fende, that cried and saide: "Apostell of God, Bartilmewe, thine orisones brennen me." And the apostell saide: "Holde thi pees and go oute |r15 thennes." And anone he was deliuered. And whanne Polumen, kinge of the rewme, herde this thinge, whiche had a doghter lunatike, he sent to the apostell praieng hym that he wolde come and hele his doughter. And whanne the apostell was come to hym and he sawe that she was bounde with cheynes and al |r20 torent with her tethe al thinge that cam nighe her, he comaunded that she shulde be unbounde. And the seruauntes saide thei durst not go to her. And he saide: "Y haue hym here bounde, the fende that was bounde in her, and ye drede you." And anone she was vnbounde [and deliuered]. And thanne the |p77 kinge wolde haue presented the apostell with cameles charged withe golde and with precious stones, but thei might in no wise finde hym. And in the morwtide after foluinge he apered to the kinge in his chaumbre alone and saide to hym: "Wherto soutest |r5 thou me yesterday with golde and precious stones? Tho yeftes be necessarie to hem that coveyten erthely thinges, but y desire none erthely thinge." And thanne Seint Bartilmew beganne to teche the kynge of the manere of redempcion of lyff, shewinge amonge other thinges how Ihesu Crist had ouercome the |r10 fende by merueilous and couenable might and right and wisdom. For it was a sittyng thinge that he that had ouercome the sone of the uirgine, whiche was Adam that was fourmed of the erthe that was virgine atte that tyme, were ouercome of the sone of a uirgine. And he ouercome hym mightely whanne he cast hym |r15 mightly oute of his lordship, the whiche he hadde take awey bi castinge oute with strength the furst man. And right as he that hath ouercome a tyraunt sent his felawes to sette his signe oueral and for to caste oute the other tyrauntes, right so Ihesu Crist sendithe oueral his messengeres for to fordo the |r20 worship of fendes. Rightwysely, for it was right that he that had ouercome man by eting and helde hym yet, that he were ouercome by a man fastinge, & that he shulde holde hym no more. Wisly, whanne the art of the fende was ouercome bi the art of Ihesu Crist. The art of če fende was for right as the |r25 faucon takith the bridde, right so toke he Ihesu Crist in če desert. For that he fasted he assaied whedir he hadde hungir, and yef he hadde had hunger for to haue deceiued hym by mete, |p78 and yef he hadde not hungir he wist wel withoute faile that he was God. But he might in no wise deceiue hym, for he had hunger and yet he consentid nothing to hym in his temptacion. And whanne he had longe preched to hym če sacrementis of the |r5 faithe, he saide to the kinge that yef he wolde resseiue baptyme he wolde shewe hym his god bounden withe cheines. And so the day foluyng whanne the bisshopes of ydoles did sacrifice bysides the paleys of the kinge, the fendes begunne to crie and saye : "Sese ye, cursed wrechis, to sacrifie to us, lest ye |r10 suffre wors thanne y that lye here harde bounde in cheynes of fyre with the aungell[es] of Ihesu Crist that the Iwes crusified and wende to haue brought |r[f.199v] hym to dethe. And that dethe hathe enc[he]ined us and oure kingdom and bounden with bondes of fire oure prince [and] anone cast hym in the bondes of |r15 dethe." And thanne anone thei cast cordes abought the ydole for to throwe hym downe, but thei might noght. And thanne the apostell comaunded to the fende that he shulde go oute and breke the ydole, and anone he went oute and destroied al the ydoles of the temple. And thanne the apostell made his |r20 orisones, and alle the sike men were heled. And thanne the apostell halowed the temple of God, and comaunded to the fende that he shulde go into desert there he shulde noye no man. And thanne the aungell of God appered there and flye al aboute the temple, and marked the signe of the crosse with his fyngre in |r25 the iiij corners of the temple, saieng: "Oure Lord saithe that |p79 right as ye be clensed of alle youre siknesse, this temple be clensed of alle filthe. But now y shal shewe you hym that duelled here before this tyme, to whom the apostell comaunded to go into desert. And drede you noght of the sight of hym, |r5 but makithe yn youre forehedes the signe that y haue titled in these stones." And thanne he shewed hem an Ethiope blacker thanne any tempest, če visage sharpe, the berde longe, his eres strechinge to his fete, his eyen flamyng as brenninge yren, castinge oute sparkeles of fire by his mouthe medeled with |r10 brimstone, his hondes bounden withe brenninge cheynes behynde his backe. And thanne the aungell saide: "For that thou hast herde the comaundement of the apostell and hast tobroke alle the ydoles of the temple, y shalle unbinde the, and go thi way in suche place wher thou noye no creatoure, and be there into |r15 the day of iugement." And whanne he had so saide, the fende went his waye with a gret thunder and lighteninge, yollinge and crienge, and the aungell of oure Lorde stied up into heuene before alle the peple. And thanne was the kinge cristened with his wif and alle the peple, & lefte his kingdom and becam |r20 disciple of the apostell. And thanne alle the bisshoppes of ydoles gadered hem togederes & went to Astriardes king, the brother of Polomen, and compleined hem of the losse of her goddes, and of the distruccion of her temple, and of the conuersion of his brother that was conuerted by wichecrafte. |r25 Than the kinge Astriardes was wonder wroth, and anone he sent a Ml armed men to take the apostell. And whanne he was brought before the kinge, he saide : "Art thou he that hast peruerted my brother?" [And] the apostell ansuered and saide: "Y haue noght |p80 peruerted hym, but y haue conuerted hym." And the kinge saide: "Right as thou haste made my brother to forsake his god and leue in thine, right so will y make the to forsake thi god and beleue in myne." And če apostill saide: "Y bonde the god that |r5 thi brother worshipped and shewed hym to the peple fast bounde, and constreined hym to breke his fals ymages, and yef thou might do that to my God thou mightest lyghtly bringe me to thine entent, and yef not y shall tobreke alle thine goddes & leue thanne in myn." And as he saide these thinges, it was |r10 saide to the king that his god Baldak was al tobrokin and throuen downe to the erthe. And whanne the kinge herde that, he al torent his purple that he was clothed in and comaunded that the apostell were bete withe staues and that he were flaine al quik, and so he made his blessed ende. And cristen |r15 men toke the bodi and beried it worshipfully. And thanne the kinge Astrages with the bisshopes of the temple were rauisshed of the fende and deiden sodenly. And the kinge Polymen was ordeined into a bysshop and fulfelled the office of bisshop |r[f.200r] xx yere, and after that he rested in pees full of |r20 uertues. There is diuerse opiniones of the manere of his passion, for the blessed Dorothe saithe that he was crusified. And he saithe in this wise : "Bartilmew prechid to hem of Ynde, and gaue hem the gospell after Matheu in [her] propre tunge. And he was crucified in the Gret Ermenye the hede dunwarde, and |p81 beried in the cite of Dalbane." And the same Theodore saithe that he was hilt, and in sum bokes it is saide that he was only beheded. And these contrarie thingges mow be assoiled in this wise: as men sayne, he was furst crucified & before he deied |r5 he was take doune of the crosse, and for to haue gretter turnement he was hilt, and at the laste he was beheded. In the yere of oure Lorde CCC xxxiij the Sarisenes assailed Sisile, & wasted al that yle wher the body of Seint Bartilmew rested, and brostin hys sepulcre, and castin his bones here and |r10 there. And it is redde that his body cam oute of Ynde in this wise: whanne the Paynimes + sawe that [the] sepulcre [of hym] was gretly worshipped for the miracles that felle there, thei had gret dispite, and putte hym in + a tumbe of lede, and caste hym in + the see, and so bi the will of God he cam into that |r15 yle. And whanne the Sarisenes hadde departed his bonis here & there and [th]rewe hem abrode, the apostle apperid to a monke and saide to hym: "Go gadre my bonis that be departed here and there." And he ansuerid and saide: "Bi what reson shulde y gadre thi bones or what worship shulde y do hem, sethe |r20 thou hast lete us to be destroied?" And the apostell saide: "Oure Lorde hathe spared this peple here a longe tyme thurgh my merites, but for her synnes that be so grete and crien to the heuene y may aske ne gete no foryeuenesse for hem." And thanne the monke saide [to] hym: "How shulde y finde youre bones |p82 amonge so mani other as be ther?" And če apostill saide: "Thou shalt gadre hem by night, and tho that thou findest shininge as fire, take hem up anone." And thanne the monke fonde hem euene as he saide, and toke hem up and went into a shippe and come to |r5 Bonifaunt that is the maister cite of Poile, and thedir he bare hem. And men saye that thei be now atte Rome, but thei of Bonifaunt saie that they haue the body. A woman brought a vessell full of oyle for to putte into the lampe of Seint Bartilmewe, and as she enclined the vessell for |r10 to haue poured it into the lampe, there wolde no licoure come oute in no wise, and yet it was even atte the mouthe of the vessell. And t[h]anne one of hem saide: "I trowe it be not agreable to the seint that this oyle be putte in his lampe." For whiche cause thei putte it in another lampe, and the oyle |r15 cam oute anone. So as the emperour Peduyk distroied Bonifaunt, and hadde comaunded that all the chirches that were there [were] distroied, and did al his powere to bringe that cite + to another place, and that a man fonde and sawe men al in white |r20 and shininge, and hym thoght that thei were in a gret counsaile togeder. And as he had gret meruaile what thei were, he asked one of hem, and he ansuered: "This is Seint Bartilmewe the apostill with other seintez that hadden chirches in this citee, that spekin and ordeine togederes to what peyne thei may be |r25 demed that haue take hem from her tabernacles. And thei haue confermed among hem by sentence that withoute ani delaie thei |p83 shul go to the iugement of God for to ansuere upon that." And anone that emperour deied cursidly. Seint Ambrose saithe in this wise in his Preface that he made of this apostell in abbregging his legent: "Ihesu crist, thou |r5 hast dey|r[f.200v] nid to shewe to thi disciples preching mani thingges of [thi] diuinite and of thi trinite in meruailous manere and of thi mageste, amonge the whiche thou sen[d]est the blessed Seint Bartilmew, worshiped bi right gret prerogatif, to peple of ferre cuntre. And tho it were so that he were vtterli |r10 ferre from mannes conuersacion alwey he deseruid bi his predi_caciones to marke with thi signe the begynninge of that peple. A with how gret preisinges is to be worshipped this meruailous apostell, whanne it suffisithe hym noght to sowe the faithe amonge the hertes of the peple, but he persid as in fleing the |r15 ferrest contrees of the londes of Inde, and entred into the temple wher there were a gret cumpanie of sike folke withoute nombre, and made the fende so dume that he gaue none ansuere to none of tho that worshipped hym. And the quene that was lunatik bi the malice of the fende he made vnbinde and gaue her |r20 to her fader al hole. A how is he worthi to be nombred amonge [the] heuenly felawship, to whom the aungell appered to preise the faithe of hym bi his miracles and cam fro the soueraigne, and shewed to all the peple the fende bounde in cheynes, and had entailed in the stone the signe of the crosse of oure Lorde |r25 bering hele. And the kinge and the quene were baptised with the peple of her citees. And atte the laste the tiraunt |p84 brother of the king Polymen, newe in the faith, bi the relacion of the bisshop[es] of the temples made + the blessed apostell to be bete, to be flayne, and to receyue right piteous dethe. And as he denounced the mischef of dethe, he had and bare with |r5 hym into [the] heuenly ioye victorie of his glorious strif." And the blessed Theodore, abbot and noble doctour, seithe of this apostell in this manere amonge the other thinges: "Seint Bartilmew preched furst in Lycony, and after in Inde, & atte the last in the citee of Alban in the Grettest Ermony, and |r10 there he was hilt and sethe his hede + smete of, and ther he was beried. And whanne he was sent to preche of oure Lorde, as y rede, he herde that God saide to hym: "Go preche, go oute and fight, and take upon the če gret periles. I haue furst fulfelled the werke of my fader and am the furst witnesse. |r15 Fille the vessell that is necessarie, folu thi maister, loue thi Lorde, putte thi blode for his & thi flesshe for his flesshe, and suffre that he hathe suffered. Thyn armures ben debonairte in thi suetingges, mildenesse amonge wicked men, pacience." And the apostell refusid not, but as true seruaunt |r20 obeied to his maister and went reioysinge, and as the lyght of God + enlumined the derkenesse, so as Seint Austin witnessithe in his boke, and right as a teler of Ihesu Crist he profited in spirituel tilthe. Seint Petre the apostell tellithe the nacions, and Bartilmewe foluinge dede thinges like. Seint |p85 Petre dede mani gret wonders, and Bartilmewe dede [mani] worthi miracles. Seint Petre was crucified the hede dunwarde, and Bartilmewe was hilt al quik and had his hede smete of atte the last. And they encresed the chirche semblably by the yefte of |r5 the holi gost. And right as an harpe yeuithe a swete sowne with mani strengges, right so alle the aposteles gaue swete melodie of diuine vnite. And thei were ordeined for to be crioures of the kinge of kingges, and thei departed amonge hem alle the worlde. And the place of Ermeny was the place of |r10 Seint Bartilmew, that is fro Euylach into Gabaon. And there he ered the unresonable feldes with the plowe of the tunge, in hyding within the depnesse of hertis the wordis of feith, and in plantinge the vyne of oure Lorde and trees of Paradys, in ympinge in euerich |r[f.201r] the remedies medicinables of |r15 passiones, & [raised up] the thornes not vnderstonding, and cutte downe the wodes of felonie, and closid it aboute withe thornes of techinge. But what worship yalde these tyrauntes to the creatoure? Forsothe unworship for worship, cursinge for blessinge, paynes for guerdones, and tribulacion for rest, and |r20 right bitter dethe for lyf. And sethe that this holi seint had suffered mani turmentes, he was atte the last hilt of hem [and] he deied noght, and therfor he dispised not hem that slow hym, but taught hem by miracles. But ther was nothing that might withdrawe her bestiall thoughtes ne that might withdrawe hem |r25 from euell. What dede thei after? Thei arose in wodenesse ayenst the holi body, the seke refused her medicine, the citee forsoke his keper, the blynde hym that gaue hem sight, tho that |p86 perisshed her gouernour, and the dede hym that gaue lyf. And how trowe ye thei caste hym oute? Forsothe thei caste the holy bodi into the see in a cofre of lede, and the cheste remeued from that region of Armoni with the chestis of iiij other |r5 marteres that were caste with hym in the see, and these iiij went before in that large space of the see and dedin seruice to the apostell right as his seruauntes in a manere til that thei come into the parties of Sesile, into an yle that is cleped Lyparis, as it was sheuid to the bisshopp of Ostione that |r10 thanne was present. And this right riche tresour cam to right a pore woman, and these right precious margarites cam to a right simple creatoure. And thanne the other iiij went into other cuntrees and lefte če holy apostell in that yle. And one of hem that hight Papyen went into the citee of Sesile, and he |r15 sent that other that hight Lucien into the citee of Massien, and he sent that other two into the londe of Calabre. And thanne was the apostell resseiued worshipfulli with gret preisingges, and there was ordeined a chirche in the worship of hym. And the hille of Vulcan was nye [vn]to that yle, and was |r20 to hym full disesi for that she receiued fire, the whiche hille by the merites of Seint Bartilmew withdrow hym from that yle vij myle withoute sight of ani man and sette herself towardes the see, and yet she aperithe there into this same day. I sawe Bartilmewe blessed of blessed, clerenesse of the devyne light |p87 of holy chirche, fissher of resonable fisshes, wounder of the fende that hadd wounded the world by his thefte. Thou reioycest, the sonne of the worlde, enluminynge all erthely thyngges, the mouthe of God, the tunge enbrasid puttinge oute |r5 wisdom, a welle goodly renninge full of holynesse, that haludest the see by thi goingges vnremuables, that madest the erthe rede bi thi blode, that repairest shininge in heuene in the middell of the devine cumpanie clere in the shininge of glorie, and reioiest the in [the] gladnesse of ioy withoute |r10 ende." And this is that Theodore saithe.