How Our Lady's Sauter was First Found

Publication Statement:

This file is part of the facsimile-edition of the Auchinleck Manuscript was co-edited by Professor David Burnley and Dr Alison Wiggins. The HTML versions of the resource are freely available at http://www.nls.uk/auchinleck/

Notes:

This manuscript file was originally supplied as saute.html and the header file was located in heads/saute_head.html both of which were converted to TEI XML by Dr James Cummings of the Oxford Text Archive. The notes below were taken from the header file and each HTML paragraph placed in a separate note.

Scribe 1

6-line stanzas, rhyming aabaab. 258 lines, including 13-line lacuna on f.259va.

Two other manuscripts:
Bodleian Library MS 1687 (Digby 86). c.1275. Digby 86 also has in common with Auchinleck: The Harrowing of Hell, The Sayings of St Bernard and The Thrush and the Nightingale.
Bodleian Library MS 1485 (Laud lat.95).

Edition:
C. Horstmann, Altenglische Legenden, Neue Folge (Heilbronn: Henninger, 1881): 220-224. (Edition of the Digby 86 text).

Another edition:
D. Laing, A Penni Worth of Witte, Abbotsford Club (Edinburgh, 1857): 97-106.

Index 1840.

Source:

The Auchinleck Manuscript (NLS Adv MS 19.2.1) is one of the National Library of Scotland’s greatest treasures. Produced in London in the 1330s, it provides a unique insight into the English language and literature that Chaucer and his generation grew up with and were influenced by. It acquired its name from its first known owner, Lord Auchinleck, who discovered the manuscript in 1740 and donated it to the precursor of the National Library in 1744.

How Our Lady's Sauter was First Found


Leuedi swete & milde, [f.259rb] [Image]
For loue of þine childe,
Ihesu ful of miȝt,
Me þat am to wilde
Fram schame þou me schylde,[5]
Bi day & bi niȝt.
Ichil bigennen here
& tellen þe manere
Now in þis stounde
Of þi sauter here,[10]
Wiþ wel gode chere,
Hou it was yfounde.
Sende me þi grace
Now in þis place,
So wele for to done,[15]
Y bid þe þi grace.
Þerto liif & space.
Yhere now mi bone.
A riche man was while,
Þat loued no gile;[20]
He loued holi chirche.
Bisiden him a mile
An abbay of seyn Gile
His eldren dede wirche.
Gode liif þis man ladde.[25]
On sone he hadde,
Þat gode dedes dede.
Wiþ cloþ & wiþ bedde
His sone fair he schredde [f.259va] [Image]
In þilke stede.[30]
Monke þerin he bicam
.... .... .... ....
.... .... .... ....
.... .... .... ....
..... .... ..... ...[35]
.... .... .... ....
.... .... .... ....
.... { 13 lines lost where miniature removed. }
.... .... .... ....
..... .... ..... ...[40]
.... .... .... ....
.... .... .... ....
.... .... .... ....
.... .... .... ....
Queint man & sleiȝe.[45]
For it was euer his wone
To teche him bi costome.
Þe order, fer & neiȝe.
He ȝede forþ aboute
Wiþinne & wiþout[50]
Wiþ þe lord aday.
His sone he lete þerout;
He ȝede for to aloute –
Tellen ich ȝou may –
Þe leuedi ful of miȝt[55]
Þat bar our driȝt,
In a chapel þere,
Bi day & bi niȝt
When he þerto com miȝt,
Were where he were.[60]
ȝou al tellen y may
An hundred ich day
Greteinges he seyd.
Wele he held his lay
& þe order, par ma fay,[65]
For loue of þat mayde.
Wele he hadde ywrouȝt
For gode was his þouȝt;
Þat was wele ysen.
He no lesse it nouȝt,[70]
Heuen he hadde ybouȝt
Þurth his gode ben.
No lete he non stounde [f.259vb] [Image]
Þat he no fel to grounde
& aknewes badde[75]
& þouȝt on þe fif wounde
Þat God for alle þe mounde
On rode hadde ysprad.
An hundred to þe maide
Greteinges he seyd[80]
Bi tale ich day.
He nouȝt it no layd,
Ac so wele he playd,
Riȝt soþe for to say,
Þat he seiȝe wel briȝt[85]
Our leuedi ful of miȝt
On a Saterday, ywis,
Where sche sat vpriȝt
Half-cloþed bi siȝt,
& seyd to him þis:[90]
‘Mi monk, no drede þe nauȝt,
For y þe haue ylauȝt
& y þe wil take.
Þou hast don a gode frauȝt.
No bestow nouȝt bicauȝt;[95]
God ne schal þe lake.
Y þanke þe here nouþe
For þatow wiþ þi mouþe
Me hast paid so wel;
Bi norþ & bi souþe[100]
It schal be wel couþe
Þine dedes eueridel.
Ac þou most more say,
For me now ich day
Fifti al bi score[105]
Of aue maries,
Ich day þries.
Wite now wharfore:
Þat is riȝt mi sauter.
& þou it schalt ywite her[110]
Hou it schal be do:
Fifti say bifore,
& euer ten bi score,
& þe antemis þerto.
In tokne of þe blisse[115]
Þat fel me wiþ, ywis.
Þo þe aungel to me cam [f.260ra] [Image]
& seyd me tiding
Þat of me schuld spring
God bicome a man.[120]
After say þou sone
Fifti middidone
Al for þat ich blis
Þat he wiþouten sore
Wald of me be bore;[125]
Þerof þat þou no misse.
Þerafter þou shalt say
Eft fifti ich day,
Bi þine fingres ten,
Of aue maries,[130]
Ich day þries –
Telle it fele men –
Fifti at þe nende,
For y shulde wende
To mi sone þo[135]
For blis, & for to amende,
Þat he to me gan sende,
To me comen & go.
He brouȝt me to þe blis
Þat neuer no schal mis, [140] [ schal: altered from original sshal.]
In þat ich stounde.
Blisced be þe time
Þat he brouȝt out of pine
Þerin were ybounde.’
‘A, leuedi, y þe grete,[145]
For þou art fair & swete
& gode to serue wel.
Graunt me þi nore,
For y schal eueremore
Don þis eueri del.[150]
ȝif y durst & couþe,
Ich wald wite nouþe,
Leuedi, here of þe,
Whi þe failes gore,
Sleuen & no more[155]
Of cloþ ich on þe se?’
‘Þis cloþe þou me ȝeue
Of Friday at eue,
Þurth aue maries,
Þo þou me gun grete[160]
& no day nold lete [f.260rb] [Image]
Ac seydest fifti tviis.
For þou most say more
Þries fifti bi score.
Also y teld þe.[165]
Today a seueniȝt
Ycloþed al ariȝt
Þou schalt me fair yse.
Be here of al scille,
& say wiþ gode wille[170]
Al þis greteinges,
& y schal þe bring
Fram mi sone, þe king,
Gode tidinges.’
Mari went þo oway[175]
& þe monke ich day
Seyd riȝt þre siþes
Wiþ wel gode wille
Boþe loude & stille
His aue maries.[180]
Þat day a seuenniȝt
Our leuedi, ful of miȝt, [ leuedi: i is written superscript.]
To þe monk cam,
In hir wede riȝt
Ycloþed swiþe briȝt[185]
& þonkede þe man.
‘Fair is now mi wede,
For bedes þat þou bede,
Þatow hast ȝeue me.
Mi sone þe wil rede,[190]
Þat þou noþing no drede
For soþe y telle þe.
Þou schalt abot bicome,
When þou art hom ynome,
For ȝour abot schal dye.[195]
Haue þou euer in wone
To sigge bi costome
Þine aues ich day.
Wende al about
& preche it in & out[200]
Þat þis is mi sauter;
For al þat ich day
Wil þis for me say,
Y schal hem ben wel ner.
Leue monke, ich telle þe [f.260va] [Image] [205]
Þat þou most al for me
Wenden ner & wide
& tellen of þis þing
& so my sone bring
Fele him biside.[210]
For þurth aue maries
Þat men schal siggen þries
In þe worþschippe of me,
Y schal hem help alle
Þat to me wille calle,[215]
For soþe y telle þe.
Nis non þat schal day,
Þat þries wil say
Þis aue maries –
Wiþouten housel & schrift –[220]
Bi day no bi niȝt,
For non folies.
He schal in ich place
Wele finde mi grace
At his liues ende,[225]
& he schal finde space
& haue gode grace
Him al for to amende.
Gon ichil hanne.
Say it mani man[230]
Þis & make it couþe.
For seuen ȝer after þis
Þou schalt dien, ywis –
Y telle þe wiþ mouþe.
So long is þi time[235]
To hold þe & þine
& hem for to teche.
After þat of pine
Þou worst ybrouȝt to mine,
For y schal be þi leche.’[240]
Marie went forþ hir way.
& þe monke ich day
Folk to God bring,
Þurth þis ich þing
& his precheing.[245]
Gode was þis tidinge.
Now ich bidde here,
& on alle wiþ gode chere,
Þat ȝe sigge þries
Wiþ wel gode wille[250]
Boþe loude & stille
Þis aue maries.
& God our alder driȝt
So ȝiue ous strengþe & miȝt
So wele for to done[255]
Þat at our ending
He mot ous alle bring
To blis swiþe sone.
Amen