PR 1120 .G39 1902 Copy 1 THE North-English Homily Collection A STUDY OF THE MANUSCRIPT RELATIONS AND OF THE SOURCES OF THE TALES i A Dissertation Presented to the Board of Studies for English Language and Literature of The University of Oxford IN June 1901 For The Degree of Bachelor of Letters KY GORDON HALL GEROULD. 1902 ) / THE North-English Homily Collection A STUDY OF THE MANUSCRIPT RELATIONS AND OF THE SOURCES OF THE TALES A Dissertation Presented to the Board of Studies for English Language and Literature of The University of Oxford IN June 1901 For The Degree of Bachelor of Letters BY GORDON HALL GEROULD. i t 1902 *^ PR 1110 hot BEQUEST OF RCHARD S. HILL MAY 10, 1961 Copy, PRESS OF THE NEW ERA PRINTING COMPANY LANCASTER, PA. 9/7/5^^^ EXAMINERS. Professor Arthur S. Napier. Professor Joseph Wright. W. H. Stevenson, M.A. ^ NOTE. In printing this dissertation I wish to express my obHgations to all those who have given me help in its preparation : for the courteous kindness, among others, of the officers of the Bodleian Library, of the Library of the University of Cambridge, of the Department of Manu- scripts in the British Museum, and of the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris ; to the Librarian of Lambeth Palace who allowed a manuscript to be sent me at Oxford ; and to Rev. J. Fenwick, of Cheltenham, the owner of the Phillipps Collection. Above all I am indebted to the kindness and ever-ready help of my honored teacher and friend, Pro- fessor Arthur S. Napier, at whose suggestion the work was undertaken. I hope in the not too remote future to publish a critical edition of the North-English Homily Collection with a study of its language, for which I have already gathered a good deal of material. PART I. MANUSCRIPT RELATIONS. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF NORTH-ENGLISH LEGENDARY. Horstmann, Altenglische Legenden, Neue Folge, 1881. '' Herrig's Archiv, LXXXII, p. 167. Matzner, Sprachproben, I, p. 278. Morris and Skeat, Specimens of E. E. Lit., II, p. 83. Small ( J ) . , English Metrical Homilies, 1862. MSS. • Edinburgh, Royal Coll. of Phys Ashmole 42, Camb. Univ. G g V. 31. Original '' D d I. I. Collection < Lambeth 260. Harleian 2391. Phillipps 8122. - 8254. Expanded Vernon. Collection (i ■ Addit. 22283. Expanded Harl. 4196. Collection (: ■ Cott. Tib. E, VII. Bodleian, Eng. Poet. C 4. Fragments ■' 7 ^ In possession of Lord Robartes. Of the expanded collections I shall say nothing, confining my atten- tion to the original form. The tables of contents of these collections have been printed by Horstmann, Altengl. Legend., p. Ixxi and p.-^ Ixxviii. The Vernon collection differs chiefly in adding homilies , for a great number of feast days, the Harleian by inserting also homilies for an extraordinary number of week days. The textual differences are well illustrated by the homily for the 2d Sunday in Advent which in MS. Harl. 4196 has only 29 lines out of 288 that approach the normal type of the original collection. ".4 r \ . G. H. GEROULD ORIGINAL COLLECTION. The MSS. of this family have been fully and accurately described by Horstmann (^Altenglische Legenden, Neue Folge, p. Ix. ff. ) in so far as he knew them. A summary description of these will there- fore suffice. Dr. Horstmann had not seen the Phillipps MSS., how- ever, and he considerably antedated MS. Ash. 42, which he placed^ in the second quarter of the 14th century. According to Mr. Fal- coner Madan, of the Bodleian Library, this MS. is rather of the early ^ 15 th century, an estimate which is corroborated by the fact that it ^. contains homilies for certain feast days. This is certainly a mark of its comparatively late date, since the original form of the collection, as implied by the title Evangelia Domiiiicalia, contained homilies only for the Sundays of the church year.^ Later on week-day feasts were gradually included in the collection. As will be shown there is no doubt that the Edin. MS. stands nearer the original than any other which we have preserved ; but unhappily it exists only in a fragmentary form. Yet even this MS. is far from being a perfect type. The MSS. of the collection are the following : — MS. Edinburgh, Royal College of Physicians : thin quarto ; northern dialect; vellum; early 14th century; printed by J. Small, Eng- lish Metrical Homilies, Edin. 1862. MS. Ashmole 42 : large octavo; northern dialect; vellum; early 15th century. MS. Camb. G g V. 31, Univ. Libr. Camb.: quarto; northern dialect; vellum ; date probably nearly same as that of preceding. MS. Camb. D d I. i, Univ. Libr. Camb.: long narrow form; southern dialect ; paper and vellum ; toward middle of 15 th century. MS. Lambeth 260: small folio; northern dialect; paper; toward middle of 15th century. MS. Harl. 2391: quarto; northern dialect: paper; second half of 15th century; contains narrationes only. MS. Phillipps 8122: small quarto; northern dialect; paper and kg^ g^ vellum (vellum enclosing quires, but in most cases apparently cut |l_^ /\ ^ ^ out before copying of contents); small, rather careless hand; 215 J ^^^al^*^ leaves, of which corners are torn through 12 ; bound in vellum- p^^^^ 4^ '^ covered oak boards ; date not earlier than last quarter of 14th century. Begins with a fragment of homily for Nativity. Homilies run from i 1 Horstmann, p. Ixiv. 2 Cf. Plorstmann, p. Iviii. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 7 to 185(a) and include a Life of St. Bartholomew inserted abruptly into Dom. XV. post Trin. At bottom of 185(a) is a colophon with the name of .the scribe : *' Nome sc^ptoris R. S.^ plenu amoris. " A\^th 185(b) begins a Life of St. Anne which runs to 216(b), the end of the volume. Begins : *' All Jjt haues lykyng for to lere Of prophetes sawes & storys sere herkens now to me." " . ^ MS. Phillipps 8254: small quarto; northern dialect; paper; 174 /fA-*^' leaves, of which half of first has been torn out; bound in modern ^p Russia; writing clear but hurried, changes at beginning of 144(a); date first half of 15th century. Breaks in MS. include portion of homily for Purification and for Dom. LXX ; from Feria IL in XL. '^\nd fande per when ]7ai com thider. " — to homily for In die Pentec. 1 The second letter may possibly be G. Mr. F. Madan, who was kind enough to examine a sketch of the letter made from the MS., judged it to be S probably. AeLM A ^^*^ TABLE SHOWING CONTENTS OF VARIOUS MSS. WITH THEIR ARRANGEMENT. Lines show that homilies are contained in MS. Lines show lacunae in MS. Lines ooooooooo show that homilies were never contained in MS. Ash. 42 and Lambeth 260. Camb. Univ. Gg. V. 31 Camb. Univ. Dd. I. I Edinb. Phil. 8122. Phil. 8254. Harl.^ 2391. (tales, only) Title of Horn. Narr. {if any). Prologus. Ratio. Dom. I. in Ad- Mary Magdalene. oosooooooa See below. Abbess only. See below. / ventu. Dom. II. in Ad- Monk who Re- ventu. turned. Dom. III. in Ad- Death of John ventu. Bapt. Dom. IV. in Ad- Pilgrims to St. ventu. James. In die Nativita- (i) St. Martin, (2) Title diff. Title like F.din. tis. St. Antony, (3) St. Machary. / Dom. inf. oct. Archbishop and Nat. Nun. 00000 0/0 In Epiphania. Three Kings. Dom. I. post St. John and the Epiph. Boy. Dom. II. post St. Thomas' 0000000000 0000 000000 000 0/0 00000 Epiph. Mother. Dom. III. post Gyezi. ' Epiph. Dom. IV. post Avaricious Knight. / Epiph. » Dom. V. post Devil as Physi- / Epiph. cian. In Purificatione. (i) Widow, (2) ^ Abbess. Dom. LXX. Hermit who Re- canted. Dom. LX. Mawryne. Dom. L. St. Bernard and Peasant. Dom. I. in XL. Placidas. 0000000000 Dom. II. in XL. Uncharitable Her- mit. In die Annunc. Knight saved by ooooooooo ;^ Mary. Dom. III. in St. Bede. 1 , 1 1 1 • 1 1 ! ! ! : 1 : I 1 XL. Dom. IV. in XL. Piers Toller. In Passione Hermit and Dom. Thieves. Dom. in Ramis. Man in Devil's Placed before Seimo Leash. In die Pasche. St. Martin and I'etri et Pauli 00000 000 Beggar. Feria II. Devil in Church 000000 000 Dom. I. post St. Edmund and Pasche. Devil. Dom. II. post Theobald. Pasche. Dom. III. post Good Monk. Pasche. Dom. IV. post 000000 00 e Pasche. Dom. V. post Mother of James Pasche. and John. In Ascensione. Carpus. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLFXTION Ash. 42 and Lambeth 260. Title of Hovi. Dom. inf. oct. Asc. In die Pentecos- tes. Feria II. In die S. Trinita- tis. Dom. I. post Trin. Dom. II. post Trin. Dom. III. post Trin. Dom. IV. post Trin. Dom. V. post Trin. Dom. VI. post Trin. Dom. VII. post Trin. Dom. VIII. post Trin. Dom. IX. post Trin. Dom. X. post Trin. Dom. XI. post Trin. Dom. XII. post Trin. Dom. XIII. post Trin. Dom. XIV. post Trin. Dom. XV. post Trin. Dom. XVI. post Trin. Dom. XVII. post Trin. Dom. XVIII. post Trin. Dom. XIX. post Trin. Dom. XX. post Trin. Dora. XXI. post Trin. Dom.XXII.post Trin. Dom. XXIII. post Trin. Dom. XXIV. post Trin. In VigiliaS. Joh- annis Bapt. Narr. {if any). Melancholy King. Obedient Servant. Thaisis. Baptism of Christ. Hermit and Angel. Creation. Harsh Monk. Hermit and St. Oswald. Theophil. Parish Priest. Gardener. Monk's Brother. St. Pelagia. Forgiving Knight. ( I ) Gregory and Trajan, (2) Im- prisoned Jews. Gregory's Aunts. Despised Nun. Backbiting Monk. Esther. (In Ash. referred to Dom. IV. in XL. In Lamb., a Latin homily.) IndieS.Johannis St. Alexis. Bapt. Sermo in Festo Simon Magus. Petri et Pauli. (Lacuna in Ash. from Dom. XX. to Dom. XXII. post Irin.) lO G. H. GEROULD It is evident from this table that the MSS. may be divided roughly into two groups : Ash. 42. Lamb. 260. Camb. G g V. 31. Camb. D d I.. I. Harl. 2391. Edin. Phill. 8122. Phill. 8254. This is shown by the heading for Nativity in Edin. and Phill. 8254 ; by the narrative of St. Thomas' mother for Dom. II. post Epiph., omitted in Phill. 8122, Phill. 8254, and Harl. 2391 ; by the titles given for the same Sunday in Edin., Phill. 8122, and Phill. 8254 ; by the ar- rangement of the homilies for Annunciation, Dom. III., and Dom. IV. in Quadragesima ; by the omission of the narrative for Dom. XX. post Trin. in Phill. 8122 and Phill. 8254 ; and by the inclusion of the narratives of St. Alexis and Simon Magus in the members of the first group only. Notwithstanding the individual peculiarities of Camb. D d I. I and Harl. 2391 they range themselves, as far as can be judged from their contents, with group i. On the basis of this conjectural arrangement a detailed study of the affiliations of the MSS. may be made. I have omitted Harl. 2391 and indicate the MSS. by the following letters : A= MS. Ash. 42. B = C = D = E = F = Camb. G g V. 31. Lamb. 260. Camb. D d I. i. Phillipps 8254. '' 8122. G = Edin. (as printed by Small), NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION II RELATION OF A TO C. Taking the homily for the 2d Sunday in Advent as the basis of com- parison. ( I ) The close relationship is shown by the following instances where A and C differ from the other MSS. but are like each other : (2) what ; (8) folk thole bathe traye ; (9) fall; (13) in heght ; (14) all of; (16) mageste and grete ; (19) l>ese ; (22) vs boght when we ware ; (24) Anothir ; (28) je may; (29) ]nr takenynges when je se ; (31) sail awaie fare ; (4i)spekes; (42) in it vs; (49) pat; (51) bales; (58) ):'e pore it . . . sowande ; (69) And; (72) for; (75) j^at takenynges; (76) sterne & sonne ; (85) pai may ]?en trow; (S6) com j^an in hy ; (88) may instead of sal; (89) pare pai ; (102) taken s ; (103) says; (104) taken s ; (105) dome sail; (109) hill; (in) hilles ; (112) Sexti fete ; (116) haue lesse ; (117) pe mere- ; (121) ferde ; (122) brynne ; 130 quake & stere & all men; (131) hilles; (133) oute ; (134) & als . . . out of caues lepe ; (136) in lyes; (140) ]>at gret ; (141) uerraymente ; (142) All |)e erde brenne & ]>e firmamente ; (144) newe be made & pat; (145) all men pan; (146) wip paim to pat assyse ; (147, 148, 149, 150) represented m other texts by two lines ; (152) had leuere ; (154) it breme ; (155) To all syn full pat comes pare ; (158) schamesli ; (i63)maye; (168) paynes ; (169) es in synne ; (170) throughout ; (173) pan may pai ; (175)' all men; (176) sawmpil ; (177, 178, 183, 186) fermorere ; (192) Faythe ymange ; (193) fermorere; (203) If god; (206) leue pat; (216) brijt ; ( 2 2 2 ) foule sathane ; (223) pe toper thojt ; (226) to now; (232) it ferde ; (234) To; (235) I foundid ; (238, 245) I jalde ; (247) I sawe ; (248) pt I had done; (249) In pe rewle in ; (251) Forthi ; (252) to hell for euere mare ; (260) pen- aunce ; (265) pis many ; (266) He gert his brepir for him; (268) wyse ; (274) forgiuen ; (276) vnshriuen ; (278) vs all forgiuen ; (279) vs burd oure synnes bete ; (283) clenli vs schryue ; (284) And do rijt penaunce in pis lyue ; (286) to; (287) euer mare sail. ( 2 ) The separation of C from A is shown by these instances, where C differs from A when A is normal : (4) pt es to pe ; (5) says ; (10) pai sail se ; (23) had pis ; (30) Wt pt criste es nere comand ; (32) euermare ; (43) for to sak ; (62) & of scathe; (63) prines [sic] 12 G. H. GEROULD prud ; (66) jemes riche ; (67) es hay ; (68) Ynowghe mete; (79) oure takenynges ; (81) leaves out he sais ; (98) ]>at nere ; (106) daie sail fall; (108) ere be; (132) j)e erde ; (140) vn to; (141) fourtend sail ; (152) leuere fle ; (158) wehaf; (196) lufe him ; (197) ]7t he felde ; (201) for hym was full; (202) full ^are ; (216) He come to his fellow full ; (221) noght ; (229) lyfed ; (249) plase ; (255) Ihesu criste ; (256) be in purgatorie ; (257) To dense ; (267) tald jowe ; ( 2 7 1 ) rekenyng ; (275) ]?er sail. (3) C could not have been copied from A, as is shown by the fol- lowing instances where C differs from A when A differs from normal r (17) ])er begynnes to; (20) nere ]?an commen es ; (33) All ])e ; (47) of l^e takens ; (70) & hase ; (84) synfull men may mykyll morne ; (88) ])ai may; (151) griseli to J^aim ; (233) & son sayd eftyr I jeld ; (247) I sare ]?er ]?en ; (250) gastly wase ; (254) had I. (4) The same is shown by the following readings from A, when C follows normal and A does not : (21) he talde ; (34) fordone ; (36) ende brojt ; (40) in yng- ; (41) on ])is ; (55) saide ; (57) were fall; (123) daye gresse ; (138) thrittend sail ; (158) lorne ; (218) And prayed; ( 2 8 1 ) rigt j^are ; (271) For ])are ; (279) For j^is. We have, then, established the fact that A and C proceed from a common original which we may call A^. This may be represented graphically as follows : A* /\ / \ A C NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 1 3 RELATIONS OF A*, B, D, G, and E. Again considering the homily for the 2d Sunday in Advent. Varia- tions from normal (in case of D leaving dialectical changes out of ac- count). Larger numbers are numbers of lines in Dom. II. in Ad. Smaller numbers show similarity or difference of changes in indi- vidual lines. A*. 2^ 8\ 9\ i3\ i4\ 16, 17, 19, 22, 24\ 28\ 29, 31, 33^ 40, 4iS 42\ M\ S^\ 66\ 6g\ 70', 72, 75, j6\ 8i\ 84', 85, 86\ 88\ 89, I02\ 103^ 105^ 109^, III^ 112^, 116, II7\ I2l\ I22\ 130^ 131? 133^ i34\ 136', 140', i4i\ 142', i44\ 146', i47\ 148', 149 and 150 07z/y in A*, 151^ 152, i54\ 155^ 163, i73\ 175, 176^ i77\ 178^ i98\ 203, 2o6\ 2i6\ 222\ 223\ 232, 233^ 234^ 235, 238\ 245^ 247^ 248^ 249^, 250^ 252^ 254^ 258 inserted, 260, 262^ 265, 266\ 268\ 272\ 276\ 279\ 284^ 286\ 287\ B. 15, 18, 21, 23, 33'^ 34S 35, 2>8\ 41-, 44I, 46^ 46^ 47^ 50^ 53\ 54\ 57\ 60, 6i\ 62, 63\ 66^ 67^ 69^ 7i\ 74, 78, 84^ 86^ 94, 98^, 99^ 100^, 100^, 102^, 112^, 118, 121^, 123^ 124^ 125^ 126^ 130'. 138', 139-142 replaced, \\f, I44^ \^\\ I55^ 157, i6i^ i62\ 167^ 171, 172^ 176^, 178^ 182^ 184^ i86\ 188, 190, i93\ i94\ 196^ i97\ 198^ 2oo\ 2o5\ 206^, 209, 213^, 225^ 227^, 228^ 237, 244, 246^, 247^, 249^, li?ie inserted before 254, 254^, 259^ 261^ 267^, 271^ 272^ 274^ 282, 283^, 287^ D. i\ 6\ 9% 10, II^ i2\ 13^ I4^ 24^ 25\ 28\ 3o\ 34% s^\ 40, 42% 46% 51% 53% 54% 59% 60, 61% 63% 66\ 70% 74, 79 and 80 reversed, 81^, 82, 88'^, 89, 93, 100% loi, 102% 104% 105% 106, 109% 110% 111% 113, 114, 117% 118, 119% 121% 123% 124% 132, 134% 135% 136% 138% 139% 142% 143% 144% 147% 148% 154% 156% 159, 160% 161% 162% 165, 166% 167% 172% 175, 178% 179 and 180 omitted, 181, 182% 188, 194% 196% 197% 198% 199% 203, 205% 207, 211, 212, 213% 214, 216% 225% 226, 227% 228% 229, 230, 231, 232, 233% 234% 240% 241, 243% 245% 246% 247% 250% 254% 262% 264, 265, 266% 267% 268% 271% 273, 276% 279% 280% 281, 284^ G. 9% 12% 26, 28% 30% 32, 48% 55, 57% 59% 66% 67% 76% 79% 81% 82, 110% 125% 126% 128, 140% 142% 143% 156% 166% 172% 174, 177% 185, 186% 189, 193% 194% 199% 200% 204, 207, 211, 213% 14 G. H. GEROULD 214, 225\ 228^ 243^ 259^ 262^ 267^ 272^ 274', ^75, 279^ 28o^ 283^ 284^ 285, 286^ E. i^ 2^, 5, 6^ 7 and 8 reversed, (f, ii^ 14', 18, 21', 24^, 25', 26, 33'. 34', 36', 38', 42', 44', 46', 47', 48', 50*; SZ\ SA\ 63', 64, 66^ 69^ 7I^ 75, 76^ 79^ 82, 86^ 87, 89, 90, 94, 98^ 99^ loo^ 102', 103^ 104', 105^ 109^ IIo\ 115, II9^ 122^, 124^, 126', 128, 130'. 135'. 136', 138*, 139'. 141', 142*, 146', 151', 156', I6I^ I66^ 167-172 omitted, 173^ 176^ 177^ 178*, 182^ 184^ i86^ 189, 190, 193^, 197s I98^ I99^ 2oo\ 202, 204, 206^, 211, 222^, 223^, 225', 228S 230, 233^ 238^ 240^ 243^ 244, 245^ 247*, 248^ 25o^ 254^ 257, 259^, 261^, 271^ 274^ 275, 280^, 283^, 288. 183 is the sa^ne in B and E. Where all five agree : 3, 4, 27, 37, 39, 43, 45, 52, 65, dZ, 73, 77, 83, 91. 92, 96, 97. 107. 108, 127, 129, 137, 153, 164, 187, 191, 195, 201, 208, 210, 215, 217, 219, 220, 224, 236, 239, 242, 253, 255. 256, 263, 269, 270, 277. Where all disagree : 20, 49, 56, 58, 95, 120, 145, 158, 168, 169, 170, 183, 192, 218, 221, 251, 278, 284. Thus out of 288 lines 45 are the same in all five MSS. and 18 dif- ferent in each MS. A^ has 95 individual variations from the normal, B has 92, D has 121, G has 55, and E has 109. The relative propor- tion of mistakes in G is therefore little more than half that in any other MS. Places where E has mistakes like G alone : (9) sal duin . . . of se ; (26) tres froit ; (no) felle /(?r hille ; (120) bremly bete ; (177) of ])e heuin ; (186) enfermer ; (189) ful wel ; (193) enfermer ; (199) And said ful hard; (204) That he suld ; (225) alle wel; (243) ouerlop ; (259) hop I ; (275) the sines. Where E has mistakes like G and D: (82)salse; (199) And said ; (211) for his mercye. Where E has mistakes like D alone : (34) thyng ; (230) dampned ; (254) Gud help. Where E has mistakes like B alone : (18) Lyfte your heued ; (33) thyng; (38) kyngdom euer ; (53) mekill baret brew; (54) And fast doun fell; (66) fro many ; (94) on j^ame lefes sees ; (151) till l^ame sail he ; (176) syn both ; (190) And drogh to gedir wt luf and selle ; (197) )>at he foore ; (200) I drawe to ded ; (228) That here in; (244) resouns ; ( 2 7 1 ) |)are be knawen ; (264) forgeten. Where E has mistakes like B and D: (100) sail brynges ; (182) God haues. NORTH -ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION I 5 Where D has mistakes like A alone: 28^, 40, 66, 102^ 175, 203, 232, 250, 262\ 265. Like B alone : 60, 74, 118, 188, 213^ Like G alone : 156', i66\ I72^ 194', 207, 214. Like E alone : 34^, 230. Like A and E: 89. Like B and E : ioo\ 254^ Like G and E: 82, 211. I 6 G. H. GEROULD RELATIONS OF A*, B, D, F, AND G. Taking the 3d Sunday after Epiphany as the basis of comparison — Places where the MSS. have individual variations from the normal : — A*. (5) askid him ; (7 and 8) 07ily in A ; (12) on him was na wemme ; (14) him hele ; (20) ryche ; (26) ))e to|>er ; (29 and 30) entire; (49) hay then ; (50) wele mare ; (53) ))are criste ; (55) wan- hope ; (56) sarzynes ; (64) euene [C. steuene]; (65) ))are omitted; {(i(i) l^areeuer; (74) In j^e ; (80) brojt out; (89) had fra heuene ; (91) ]?e lepire ; (95) synne ; (97) And bolnynge ; (98) Es lepire callid })at som ; (106) godes ; (109) a gastely ; (no) sawle ; (112) for his; (120) full vncely ; (129) sente him; (130) of siluer gode wane; (131) j^aim in ; (141) sawe wele ; (151) For ])is ; (152) Lepir callid; (158) mesell man; (164) gerre synne ; (171) for; (177) open ; (185) ihesu vs ]?idir spede. B. (11) ))e make ; (14) hys hele ; (14 a and b) only in B ; (27) ane vn worthy ; (28) sail come ; (31) pi pouste ; (42) myght fullfylle (45) Vnto ; (56) And ]>ay };e payem j^t trowes ; (59) And mykell (60) And by este ; (67) our saw; (78) j^ar fore . . . hys selle (83) wyll I ]?e ; (84) bene clene ; (104) now confundes ; (105) whar men; (106) and prelatyes ; (112) hys clergy; (117) walde nane ; (118) bath synne; (122) of synne ; (126) For to; (128) walde he ])aim ; (138) Whyne coms ; (143) For why; (147) )?an hyght ; (152) haly wrythe ; (154) And to criste ; (158) vnhaly ; (161-166) 077iitted ; (178) A man to hell ; (179) loues ; (181) And pus if. D. (6) ])e folk ])t wer ; (12) anon no wem was; (19) And ]>an ; (28) f>t pu come ; (30) ben schal he ; (32) knyhtis haue ; (33) anon gop ; (34) sone to me; (39) wile a word; (62) ioye schul take; {^^2)) to heuene; {(id^ grennynge ; (68) pis day dop ; (70) pis good man anon ; (71) I haue; {^2) entire ; (74) anon; (75) of pis; (79) mad al ; (80) hate bote; (88) Man had not ben holpin ; (89) not to; (91) & synne; (93) For riht as a; (94) It makip vnhol and lotheli ; (96) foul & loth ; (97) foul pride ; (loo)ofkynd; (105-6) 07nitted ; (107) For ping ; (109) Euer whan ; (in) sum tyme ; (122) & wip couetise for to craue ; (125) sente ; ( 1 2 8 ) he muste hem ; (134) & treccheri ; (138) Fro when he cam & what he had ; (139) sir nowhar ; NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 1 7 (140) |)ar ; (143-4) 0}7iitted ; (147) be hihte ; (148) I jow plyhte ; (154) Crist com ; (156) Til crist com & away wipid it; (158) sike man; (161) So gostli he helid ; (162) j^orw ; (166) seyth J>is day ; (169-70) reversed; (171) lyuip ; (172) folower ; (178) to j^e fendis ; two additional lines at end. F. (6) felychepe [sic] ; (25) seruaundes ; (28) house com ; (31) haue men ; (34) Forth gase ; (42) yt myght fulfuU ; (45) forsoyth he sayde ; (49) wryten se ; (51) j^e Iwes [sic] ; (53) ]7e Iwes ; (55) And suld ; (66) mare be wt sar ; (68) In our gospell ; (73) seruaundes; (74) ]?ai vprase ; (76) tell may; (79) to make hell; (80) to bed hym ; (85) bot yf; (88) he bene ; (93) ])e body; (94) vncomly ; (99) And syn of; (104) now spilles o; (112) for fals ; (113) )>is bokes ; (115) ane halyman ; (118) \\. war; (123) And fast he ran; (130) fayr plente ; (135) ne omitted ; (136) o jar ; (141) ]7i vntryfte ; (142) som gyfte ; (148) Sa be fell; (160) tels to day; (162) for;, (175) Qwen fai folow ; (178) sathanas in; (184) any tene or. G. (6) tha fern [?] of folc ; (32) ic haf knihtes ; (^1^) worthi ; (42) fille ; (47) Imang jowes ; (52) the lau ; (65) ouer ; (74) he rase; (144) and sithen it helid; (146) mi shale ; (147) Helyseus hiht ; (177) fende. A* thus has 39 individual variations from the normal ; B has 36 ; D has 5 7 ; F has 40 ; and G has 1 1 . Places where A* has variations like B alone : (6) all pat folk ; (24) I come ; (39) an anlepi. Like D alone : (43) criste j^ogt ; (65) Putte in ; (152) in boke ; (155) Off adame lepire mankynde ; (180) self. Like F alone: {■Ti'i) to gange ; (35)vnto; (76) tonge ; (182) will vs lede. Like B and D : (9) j^are ; (93) mannes body ; (102) jje boke. Like B and F : (150) pe boke. Like D and F: (25) seruaunde ; (40) seruaunde ; (54) in; (73) seruaunde. LikeB, D, and F : (2) hill. Places where B has variations like F alone: (3) full many; (37) wel omitted; {()i) I'^to ]?air blys wt gud atent ; (64) turment ; (65) mekyll ; (72) For ]>e thar her; (78) perfore ; (no) Mar for gyfte ]>an goddes mede ; ( 1 2 7 ) frendes twa ; (130) gret wan ; (i3i)dyde; (150) hys; (176) vn to. Like G alone : (169) Summe hys myrakyll. 16 G. H. GEROULD Like D and F : (90) fra hym. Places where D has variations like F alone: (46) begins I; (59) p>e west; (112) symony ; (159) hil ; (165) hille ; (167) folewid ; (168) folowid. Like G alone : (33) And L Places where F has variations like G alone: (82) his benisoune ; (98 a and b) only in these MSS., but they disagree in form with each other. Notwithstanding the close relations which subsist between A and C, certain passages indicate contamination of one or the other MS.: — (13) A, B, and F have ]?is myracle fele, while C conforms to the normal; (70) C has kynght \sic'\ in company with B and F, while A conforms to the noi'-inal ; (75) ^ and D have gospell of todaye, while C conforms to the normal ; (137) C, D, F, and G omit full, while A does not ; (173) C agrees with D with folowes y^r loues, while A is normal. From the foregoing examination of these two homilies, the affiliation of the MSS. appears to be that represented by the following diagram : The inconsistencies which will be noticed by comparing the dia- gram with the tabulated variations are probably to be explained by the popularity of the collection and by the carelessness of ecclesiastical scribes who had the less regard for the form of the work since it was non-literary. That is, all the MSS. which are preserved, doubtless only a tithe of those which once existed, were quite evidently made for actual use by priests in their homiletic labors. For the form and literary finish of the homilies they would care nothing, even though regard for such matters had been characteristic of the time. This carelessness renders it uncommonly difficult to disentangle the rela- tions of the surviving MSS. y^ NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 1 9 FRAGMENTS. Bodleian fragments, MS. Eng. poet, c 4, bought from Quaritch in 1895 and identified by Professor Napier, contain Narr. of St. Oswald from Dom. XI. post Trin. in part. It follows Ash. 42 rather closely and certainly belongs to the group A, B, C, D, F. The Robartes fragment I have not seen. ■mi 20 G. H. GEROULD PART II. ANALYSIS OF TALES AND NOTES ON THEIR ORIGIN. NOTE. I have verified all the references contained in the following notes, except in a few cases, where I have always referred to my authority. I have put the titles of the stories which are taken from the Bible in their proper places, but have done nothing further with them. The tales are treated in the order in which they appear in the collection. LIST OF TALES. 1. Mary Magdelayne. 2. The Monk who Returned from Death.^ 3. Death of John the Baptist. 4. Pilgrim to St. James. 5. St. Martin and the Devil. 6. St. Anthony and the Snares. 7. St. Machary. 8. The Archbishop and the Nun. 9. The Three Kings. 10. St. John and the Boy. 11. Birth of St. Thomas. 12. Gyezi and Naaman. 13. The Usurious Knight. 14. The Devil as Physician. 15. The Hermit Who Returned to the World. 16. The Monk Mawryne. 17. St. Bernard and the Peasant. 18. St. Eustace. , 19. The Uncharitable Hermit. 20. The Knight Beguiled by the Devil. 21. St. Bede and the Birds. 22. Piers Toller. 23. The Hermit and the Thieves. > NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 2T 24. The Man in the Devil's Leash. 25. St. Martin's Cloak. 26. The Devil in Church. 27. St. Edmund and the Devil. 28. Theobald and the Leper. 29. The Monk who Prayed to See the Joys of Heaven. 30. The Mother and Her Sons. 3 1 . Carpus. 32. The Melancholy King and His Brother. 33. The Obedient Servant. 34. Taysis. 35. The Hermit and the Angel. 2,6. Story of Creation. 37. The Monk who was Harsh in Judging. 38. The Hermit and St. Oswald. 39. Theophil. 40. The Adulterous Priest. 41. The Thrifty Gardener. 42. The Wicked Brother of a Monk. 43. St. Pelagia. 44. The Knight who Forgave His Enemy. 45. St. Gregory and Trajan's Soul. 46. The Imprisoned Jews. 47. Tarsilla, Gordiana and Emiliana. 48. The Despised Nun. 49. The Backbiting Monk. 50. The Story of Esther. 51. The Widow's Candle. 52. The Prioress who was Miraculously Delivered. 53. St. Alexis. 54. Simon Magus. 55. The Wise Son. 2 2 G. H. GEROULD PARTIAL LIST OF BOOKS AND ARTICLES USED IN PREPARATION OF NOTES. Acta Sa?ictoru7Ji, ed. Bollandists, Antwerp. Aelfric, Metrical Lives of Saints, ed. Skeat, E. E. T. S., Grig. ser. (1881-1900). Bourbon (Etienne de), Anecdotes Historiques, etc., ed. Lecoy de la Marche, 1877. Bozon (Nicole de), Les Contes Moralises, ed. Smith and Meyer, So- ciete des Anciens Textes Fran^ais, 1889. Brandeis (Arthur), qA. Jacof s Well, PartL, E. E. T. S., 1900. Bromyard (Johannes), Suimna JPrcedicantium, Antonius Koberger, NiJrnberg, 1485. Cantipratanus (Thomas), Bonum Universale de Apibus, Duaci, 1605 and 1627. Cassianus (Johannes), Collationes, Migne, Patr. Curs. Lat. t. xlix. Clemens Alexandrinus, Historia Ecclesiastica, etc. , Migne, Patr. Curs. Lat. t. IX. Coincy (Gautier de). Miracles de la Sainte Vierge, ed. I'Abbe Po- quet, 1857. Conde (Jehan de), Le Dit die Roi et des Hermites, ed. Scheler, in Dits et Contes de B. de Conde, 1866-7. Cornu (J.) ed. Traite de Devotion (^Extraits) (from MS. 266, BibL d'Alcobaca Torre de Tombo, Lisbon), Romania XL, p. 381. Crane (T. F.), ed. Jacques de Vitry : Exempla, Folk-Lore Soc, 1890. Crane (T. F. ), ed. Medieval Sermon Books and Stories, 1883. Eude de Cheriton, Fables and Serinons, cf. Hervieux. Foerster (W.) and Koschwitz (E.), Altfranzosisches Ubungsbuch, 1884. Furnivall (F. J.), ed. Robert of Brimne' s Handlying Synne with the French Treatise on Which it is Founded Le Manuel des Pechiez by William of Waddington, Roxb. Club, 1862. Furnivall (F. J.), ed. Adam Daviess Dreams, E. E. T. S. Grig. Ser., 1878. Gaster (M. ), Chronicles of Jerahmeel, Royal Asiatic Soc, 1899. Gaster (M.) An Old Hebrew Romance of Alexander, Journal Royal Asiat. Soc, 1897. ^ NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 23 Godric (St.), De Vita S. Godrid, Surtees Soc, 1845. Gregory the Great, Hojnilies and Dialogues^ Migne, Pair. Cw's. Lat., LXXVL, LXXVII. Gregory of Tours, Opera, Migne, Fatr. Curs. Lat., LXXI. Guibert de Nogent, Opera Omnia, ed. Luc d' Archery, Paris, 165 1. Hagen (Fried. Hein. von der), Gesam7ntabenteuer, 1850. Hampson, Medii Aevi Calendarium. Heisterbach {Qz.^^^XNOXi),Dialogus MiraciUoricm,^^. J. Strange, 185 1. Henczynski (Richard), Leben des Heil. Alexius, Acta Germanica, Band VI. Henry of Huntingdon, Historia Angloruin, ed. Arnold, Mast, of Rolls Ser., 1879. Herolt (John), Serinones Discipuli de Tempore et de Sanctis, Mogun- tiae, 161 2. Herolt (John), Sermones Discipuli Quadragesimales, Moguntise, 1612. ^Herolt (John), Promptuarium Exemplorum, Rothmagi, 15 11. Hervieux (Leopold), Les Fabulistes Latins, Paris, 1893-99. Herz (Joseph), De St. Alexis, Frankfurt, 1879. Herzfeld (George), An Old English Martyrology, E.E.T.S. Grig. Ser., 1900.. Holkot (Robertus), Opus super Sapientiani Salonio7iis, Speyer, 1483. Horstmann (Carl), Barbour' s Legendensa7nnilu7ig, 1881— 2. Horstmann (Carl), Die Legende7i des Hs. Laud 108, E.E.T.S., 1872. Horstmann (Carl), Early South- E7iglish Legendary, E.E.T.S., 1887. Horstmann (Carl), Osbern Boke7ia77i^ s Legende7t, 1883. Horstmann (Carl), Sa7n77ilung Altenglische Legenden, Neue Folge, 1881. Horstmann (Carl), tJber Osbe7'n Boke7ia77i luid seine Legendensa77i77i- lu7ig, 1883. Horstmann (Carl), Zwei Alexiics-Lege7ide7i, Herrig's Archiv, Bd. LVL Horstmann (Carl), Leben des h. Alexius, Herrig's Archiv, Bd. LL Hugh de Saint-Victor, Opera 07nnia, Rouen, 1648 (Migne, Patr. Curs. Lat., CLXXV-CLXXVII). Jacobus Diaconus, Vita S. Pelagice (Migne, Patr. Curs. Lat., LXXIIL, col. 664). Jacobus a Voragine, Lege7ida Aurea, ed. Th. Graesse, 1859. Jacobus a Voragine, Lege7ide Doree, trans. Jean de Vignay, Paris, Verard, 1493. 2 4 G. H. GEROULD Jacobus a Voragine, Legende Doree, trans. M. G. B. (Brunet), 1843. Jacobus a Voragine, Golden Legend, trans. Caxton. Jacobus a Voragine, Festialis, comp. John Mirkus, 1495. Jacques de Vitry, see Crane, ed. Johannes Junior, Scala Celt, Argentinae, 1483. Jubinal (Achille), Nouveau Recueil de Contes, Dits, et Fabliaux. Keller (Adalbert von), Erzdhlungen aus Altd. Hss., Bibl. des Litt. Ver. zu Stuttgart, 1855. Le Grand d'Aussy, Fabliaux ou Contes du XII^ et du XIII* Siecle 1781. Liebrecht (YeMx) , John Dmtlop' s Geschichte der Prosadictungen, 1851. Luard (Henry R. ), ed. Flores Historiaritm, Mast, of Rolls Ser. , 1890. Magnum Speculitm Fxemplorum, Tfoudici, 1603. Marbodes, Opera, ed. Bourasse, Migne, Fatr. Curs. Lat., CLXXI. col. 1465. Martene and Durand, Thesaurus Anecdotoruin, Paris, 171 7. Maurice de Sulli, Les Expositions des Fva?tgiles en Frangoys, Chablis 1489. Maurice de Sulli, Evangiles et Epitres, Chambery, 1484. Maurice de Sulli, Les Manuscrits des Sermons Frangais, Paul Meyer in Ro77iania V., p. 466. Meon, Fabliaux et Contes (after Barbazan), Paris, 1808. Meon, Nouveau Recueil de Fabliaux et Contes, etc., Paris, 1823. Metcalfe (W. M.), ed., Legends of the Saints, Scot. Text Soc. , 1887-96. Meyer (P.), ed.. La Vie de S. Gregoire par Frere Angler, Ro?nania XII., p. 186. Mielot (Jean), Miracles' de Nostre-Dame, ed. G. F. Warner, Roxb. Club, 1885. Migne, Patrologia Cursus Completus Latina. Migne, Patrologia Cursus Completus Grace a. Montaiglon and Raynaud, eds. Recueil des FabliaiLx, 6 tomes, 1872-90. Morris (R.), ed., B tickling Homilies, E.E.T.S. Orig. Ser., 1874-1880. Mussafia (A.), Studien zu den mittelalterlichen Marienlegenden, I.-V. (Sitzungsberichte der K. Akad. der Wissenschaft. ), Wien, 1887- 1898. Mussafia (A.), Ueber die vo?i Gautier de Coincy benutzten Quellen (Denkschriften der K. Akad. der Wissen. Phil. Hist. Classe Bd. 44), Wien, 1896. Neckam (Alexander), ed. T. Wright, Mast, of Rolls Ser., 1863. Oesterley (H.), ed., Gesta Romanormji, 1872. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 25 Oesterley (H.), ed., ScJmnpf und Ernst Johannes Patcli (Bibl. des Litt. Ver. in Stuttgart, Bd. 85). Paraldus (Gulielmus), Summa Virtiitiun ac Vitiorzwi, Basel, 1497. Paris (Gaston), ed.. Vie de Sai?it Alexis (Bibl. de I'Ecole des Hautes Etudes, 1872). Paris (Gaston) and Pannier (Leopold), the same enlarged, 1887. Paris (Gaston), Wilham de Wadington, Hist. Litt. de la Fj^ance, XXVIIL, p. 179. Paris (Paulin), Manns crits Frangais. Pez (Bernardus), Ven. Agnetis Blannekiii-" Vita-- Liber de Miraculis Sanctae-'-Mariae, Vienna, 1731. Pilz (Oskar), Beitrdge zur Kenntniss der Altfranzosische?! Fabliaux, 1889. Roger of Wendover, Chronica, ed. Hewlett, Mast, of Rolls Ser., 1886-89. Ruteboeuf, Oeuvres, ed. Jubinal, 1839. Ruteboeuf, Gedichte, ed. Kraessner, 1885. Skeat (W. W.), cf. Wars of Alexander, E. E. T. S., Ext. Ser., 1886. Steele (R.), ed.. Seer eta Secretorui7i, E.E.T.S., Ex. Ser., 1898. Stengel, La Cangun de Saint Alexis, 1882. Symeon of Durham, Opera Omnia (for Vita S. Oswaldt), ed. T. Arnold, Mast, of Rolls Ser., 1882. Thomas Becket, Materials for the LListory of T. B., ed. J. C. Robert- son, Mast, of Rolls Ser., 1875-85. Thomas Becket, Thomas Saga Erkibyskups, ed. Magnusson, Mast, of Rolls Ser., 1875. Ulrich (J.), ed. Gautier de Coincy, Zeitschrift filr ro7?i. Phil., VI., 334- Vincentius Bellovacensis, Speculum Quadruptex, Douai, 1624. (^Spec- ulum Morale not his, however, see E. Boutaric, Revue des Ques- tions Historiques, t. XVII., p. 5.) Vitce Patru7n, Rosweydus, Ruffinus, etc., etc. {Migne Patr. Curs. Lat., LXXIII). Vitas Patrum, Caxton, Westminster, 1495. William of Malmesbury, Gesta Poritificum Angloru?n, ed. Hamilton, Mast, of Rolls Ser., 1870. Wright (Thomas), A Selection of Latin Stories, Percy Soc, 1842. 26 G. H. GEROULD LIST OF UNEDITED (WHOLLY OR IN PART) MSS. USED IN PREPARATION OF NOTES. \ MSS. MSS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 2333 A. [5267. 5268. 5562. 6845. 6845 4.4. 12593. 14463. 14464. 15913. 17491. 18134. 18168. Bibl. Nat. fran. 375. 410 (anciens fonds, 7018O. 819 (anciens fonds, 7208^) 834 (anciens fonds, 7215')- Brit. lyCus. Arundel 506. '' ^^ Cott. Cleop. C. 10. '' '' Cott. Cleop. D. 9. " " " Jul. D. 9. ^' " Harl. 2277. ^'^ '* '' 2316. ** " Add. 11284. ^' " '' 26770. Balliol College 240. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 27 TALES AND SOURCES (i) Mary Magdelayne : Biblical. ( 2 ) The Monk who returned from death : The officer in charge of the infirmary of an abbey of ''black monks ' ' had a friend, a ' ' cloister monk, ' ' who was strongly attached to him. He fell mortally sick, and during a visit from his friend he promised that if he died he would return to tell how he fared, were he permitted. After his decease the friend prayed for tidings from the dead. At length, while the monk was sleeping, his fellow came back and said that he fared well through the help of the Virgin, without whose aid he should have gone to hell. The other marvelled at this, since the man had been considered holy during his lifetime. He said in reply that after death he was led to judgment before Christ and, as he stood trembling, heard devils upbraid him. He was then compelled to read the Rule of St. Benedict and to answer for each of its clauses. He would certainly have been damned but for the intercession of Mary whom he had loved in life. She besought Christ that he be sent to purgatory. So he was in a fair way to be cleansed of sin but still asked his friend to have the brothers pray for his soul. This tale belongs to a group in which spiritualism and the worship of the Virgin are both taught. I have found some fifteen stories which obviously belong to the group, though no one reproduces every detail of any other, nor does any one contain all the characteristics which mark the group. This family can be separated, however, from the great body of stories which grew up in the twelfth century about the cult of the Virgin. It has five points which appear in various com- binations through all the members of the group, (i) An agreement between two friends (monks or clerks) that the one who dies first shall appear to the survivor ; (2) a return from death ; (3) a message from the devil ; (4) a token or mark given the living man either by friend or devil ; and ( 5 ) the news of the damnation of the dead or his salva- tion. Beside these general traits, there are, of course, numerous minor characteristics which vary widely in the individual tales and which need not be considered in grouping the family as a whole. 28 G. H. GEROULD On the basis of this analysis the stories which I have found arrange themselves into seven sub-families, each composed of from one to six members. I will indicate these sub-families by the first seven letters of the alphabet and under them for convenience treat each story as it falls into place. A. This group is represented only by the version of the Met. Horn. Of the five points enumerated it has nos. (i), (2), (5). B. This group has four representatives, a story in the Speculum Histoi'iale by Vincent de Beauvais, lib. xxv. cap. 89 ; another in Bozon's Contes Moralises, no. 93 (ed. Smith and Meyer, p. 115) ; a third in the collection improperly ascribed to Jacques de Vitry (see Crane, Jacqices de Vitry, p. L. ) which is contained in MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 18134, no. 132, fol. 237(a) ; and finally one in MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 15913, fol. 141(a). The story of Vincent de Beauvais, which is the original of Bozon's tale according to M. Meyer (Bozon, p. 269) has, however, less resem- blance to it than the versions of MS. lat. 18 134, and MS. lat. 159 13. It omits one trait which the others have, viz., the message from the devil. The story is this : Two clerks at Nantes agree that the one who dies first shall appear to the survivor. Soon after one of them sickens, dies, and later appears to his fellow saying that he is eternally damned and showing in proof of it his hand on which was written an infernal letter. This appears under the rubric ' ' Guillelmus in chronicis ' ' and is said to have taken place in the reign of William Rufus. The MS. versions (both of the XIII. century) give no date for the legend but place it **in quadam civitate britannie que nannetis voca- tur. ' ' Here the clerks promise to return on the thirtieth day after death. The ghost appears as agreed and shows his friend his hand on which is written a letter of salutation from Satan to the prelates thank- ing them that they let their people perish. The version of Bozon is like these two except that it does not state the place where the event occurred, nor the time after death of the apparition. In none of these three is the damnation of the clerk expressly stated. This group has, then, all the five chief points of the story, but no one member has them all. C. This group has four representatives, a story in the Bonum Uni- versale de Apibus by Cantipratanus (ti 260-1 280), I. 20, 8; another in a sermon by Eude de Cheriton ( ist part of XIII. century) for Dom. I. post Oct. Pasche (printed by Meyer, p. 269); 2SiO\h.^x\Ti Libra de los ,\ NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 29 JEnxemplos, CXXV. (analyzed by Crane, Jacques de Vitry, p. 135); and finally one in the Exeinpla of Jacques de Vitty (ed. Crane, no. II., p. I). The story is given with the fullest detail in Cantiprataniis. A clerk, disturbed at having to preach before a synod of distinguished bishops, is interviewed by the devil, who makes a mark on his face for a token and tells him to preach thus: " Principes infernalium tenebrarum principes ecclesiae salutant, etc." The clerk did so and was believed on account of the token. The versions of Eude de Cheriton and of the Libra de los Enxeniplos are as follows : The devil in form of a man sent a message to an archbishop by a layman (the customary letter) and as a token struck the man on his face. The devil's mark is only removed when the archbishop sprinkles it with holy water. Jacques de Vi try's version is simpler. The demon wrote to certain negligent prelates in Sicily a letter (the customary letter). This group contains the story in its simplest form. Of the five points it has only (3) and (4) as a group, and one member (Jacques de Vitry) has only (3). Perhaps through a typographical error Pro- fessor Crane says on p. cxii of his introduction that no. 93 of Bozon corresponds to no. I. of his Jacques de Vitry collection. He means, of course, no. II. But, as we have seen, the story in Bozon belongs to a different group. D. Of this subdivision there is but one representative, Caesar von Heisterbach (Cistercian of the XIII. century) Dialogus Miraculorum, dist. I. cap. XXXII. (ed. Strange, I., p. 39). Two students of the black art at Toletus agree, when one is dying, that he shall appear to the survivor twenty days after death. On the appointed day the friend sat in a church reading psalms before the image of Mary for the dead man's soul. The latter appeared, told his friend that he himself was damned, and counselled him to enter the Cistercian order whence fewest souls come to hell. Here we have points ( i ) , ( 2 ) and ( 5 ) , though they are somewhat obscured by the different dressing of the tale. E. This group has two representatives, one of which is repeated with little variation in a great number of medieval collections. This is the story of the dissolute monk at Pavia, found in Mielot, Miracles de Nostre Dame, no. 11 (ed. Roxb. Club, p. 11), Etienne de Bour- bon (^Anecdotes d^ Etienne de Bourbon, ed. Lecoy de la Marche, p. 99), MS. Balliol 240 (no. 25), etc. The other representative is found in Scala C 33^)7 j^st as the cross was the sign of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There are several other legends related of pilgrims to this shrine. The attention of scholars was drawn to the legend by publication of an abstract in the collection of Le Grand d' Aussy {^Fabliaux et Contes, vol. v., p. 58). For the literature of the subject the work of Mussafia is invaluable, especially for the MS. versions. See Studien zu den mittelalt. Marienlegenden, /., /. 10. He has, however, made no general classification, nor has he examined all the versions which he cites. I have examined about twenty-five examples of the legend, several of which were unknown to him. I shall class them for con- venience under the following divisions. A. Among the works formerly attributed to Anselm of Canterbury \?i 2. Miraculum Grande Sancti Jacob (Migno., Pair. Curs. Lat., CLIX., col. 337). As a version of the eleventh century, and probably the representative of the group which stands nearest the original form it deserves careful analysis. A young tailor of Lyons (Ludunensis) named Giraldus, the son of a widow and himself a bachelor, planned to make a pilgrimage to St. James. Before his departure he made a feast and lay with a woman. None the less he set out with two com- panions. They overtook a mendicant pilgrim who joined them. After a few days the devil ' * in humana forma satis honesta, ' ' appeared to Giraldus and reproached him that he had set out without confes- sion. The youth determined to go back, when the devil appeared NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 33 again as St. James and counselled him to unsex himself. Giraldus argued that if he did so he must kill himself also. To this the devil agreed, and ironically added that he would be at hand with his angels to conduct the soul to paradise. That night, while his companions slept, the youth mutilated and stabbed himself. His friends awoke and fled, for fear of being accused of murder. While the people of the inn were preparing the body for burial the dead man revived and told his tale as in the Met. Horn. Except that Mary is said to have been seated over St. Peter's at Rome. After resting for three days the pilgrim proceeded on his way, met his companions, and told them the story. They reported it at his home. On his return Hugh of Cluny and many others saw him with all the signs of his experience about him. This version is treated by Mussafia, Studie7i zu mittletalt. Marienlegen- de?i, L, p. 17, who states that it is found in ^'Sermo de conceptione B. M." by Anselm. There is a story of a pilgrim in that sermon, but it is altogether independent of this. Another very early version of the legend is that contained in MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 14464 as no. 5 of a collection of miracles attributed to Calixtus. The authenticity of this attribution to Calixtus II. has been disproved like that to Anselm in the version above. See Hist. litt. de la Frajice, X., p. 532. Yet as Calixtus died in 11 24, and the version attributed to him was certainly written by some contemporary of his, it must be nearly of the same period as St. Hugh of Cluny. It does not greatly differ from the spurious Anselm. The youth was accus- tomed to go each year to the shrine of St. James. The three pilgrims took with them an ass, with which the friends made off after the sui- cide. The dispute between the apostles and the devil is given in great detail as well as the trial before the Virgin. She is curiously described as of medium height and fair complexion. A translation of this ver- sion is found in MS. Bibl. Nat. fran. 834, fol. 13(a). The MS. is of the late 13th or early 14th cent., but the translation was first made at Beauvais in 121 2, at the command of Comtesse Yolent de Saint-Pol, by a certain Pierre in the time of '^Phillipe le puissant vesque de beauvais" (cf. P. Paris, Manuscrits fran^ais, VI., p. 393). It is curious that this translation should bear the title (Translation de Saint-Jacques) of one of the four supposedly spurious sermons of Calixtus (see Migne, Fat?-. Curs. Lat., CLXIIL, col. 1365, also Hist, litt. above cited) and at the same time should contain the miracles (in translation) of the collection contained in MS. lat. 14464. 34 G. H. GEROULD Vincent of Beauvais, who made his compilation about the middle of the 13th cent., apparently took his version of the legend from this so- called Calixtus, though he refers only to St. Hugh. The only varia- tion which he makes is that he does not name the pilgrim. Only a little later in date is the version of Jacobus Voragine, Lege7ida Aurea, cap. XCIX. (ed. Graesse, p. 427), who gives the story immediately after a similar one attributed to Hugh of St. Victor, of which I shall speak later. This version belongs with the pseudo- Calixtus and the Vincentius. The trade of the pilgrim is not men- tioned, nor the fact that he supported his widowed mother. As in Vincent he is not named. The story occurs in the French translation made at the end of that century by Jean de Vignay , fol. 1 2 6 ( a) . It is also found in Caxton's Golden Legend, which was translated from de Vignay. In the Alphab. Narr. of ]£tienne de Besangon, MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 1 59 1 3, fol. 43(a), the stories attributed to Hugh of St. Victor and Hugh of Cluny are given in the same order as by Voragine. The legend of the pilgrim is here told very briefly, but appears to be from the same source, if not from Voragine himself. It makes this change however in regard to the sin. The pilgrim is spoken of as '' in itinere fornicanti." B. This group is well represented by a version in MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 181 34, fol. 88(b), Libellum de Be at a Virgine Maria, no. 132. Giraldus, a monk of Cluny, according to St. Hugh, while still a lay- man prepared to make the pilgrimage to St. James. Before departure he lay with his mistress, then set out accompanied by his friends. When he had gone a little way he was met by the devil. The rest of the events follow the order in Met. Horn., except that the judgment seat of the Virgin was over St. Peter's. The legend is found with only slight verbal difference from the above in many other Mir acuta Virginis. The MSS. in the following list are of the 12th and the 13th centuries, and vary little in form of this legend which they give. MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 14463, fol. 13(b), Mir. Vir. no. 18. 5267, fol. 30(a), a " no. 8, p. il. iC (( fol. 54(b), a '' no. 6, p. iii I749I, fol. 39(a), a " no. 15, P- ii. 2333A, fol. 31(b). 5268, fol. 22(b), (( " no. 26. I8I68, fol. 84(b). 5562, fol. 28(a), no. so- y^ NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 35 MS. Brit. Mus. Cott. Cleop.' C lo, fol. 120(b), lib. II. no. 8. '* ^' ^' Arundel 346, fol. 62(a), no. 7. '' Balliol College 240, no. 21. It appeared in this form as no. 61 in the fifteenth century prose translation, contained by MS. Bibl. Nat. fran. 410, fol. 34(a). C. There is a prolix version in rhymed Latin verse, \vritten by Gaiferius Casinensis about 1060. Printed by Migne, Fair. Curs. Lai. CXLVIL, col. 1285. A simple youth — not named — of Lyons fell into sin on the way to St. James, was easily deluded, etc. The com- panions are barely mentioned. This version seems to have an inde- pendent origin. D. Another early version which stands by itself is that of Guibert de Nogent (f 1124), De Vita Sua, lib. III., cap. 18 (ed. Luc d' Archery, p. 521, also printed by Poquet, Miracles de la Sai?ife Vierge, p. 290). A young man, not named, had been living in sin with a woman. Afterwards he started on a pilgrimage to St. James but unfortunately carried with him the girdle of the woman. He was met by the devil in disguise, and commanded to mutilate and kill him- self. While his companions pray beside the corpse at the inn he re- vives and tells the usual story. The author says that he had the tale from an old monk Joffredus {Samurensis . . . castri et aliorum castro- rum in Burgundia doininus fuit) , who said that he had it from the man himself. E. A slightly different version is the metrical one of Gautier de Coincy who died before the middle of the thirteenth century. Printed by Poquet, p. 292, and by Meon, Nouveau Recueil, p. 147, though the latter gives neither author nor manuscript. St. *^Hue de Clingni " is the authority. A rich man of Bourgogne, warmed by wine, sinned with a woman. He was disconcerted, but after mass next morning started on a pilgrimage to St. James. He is represented as simple and easily deluded, like the youth in C. Further course of events as in Met. Horn. F. The story attributed to Hugh of St. Victor, above referred to, is this. A pilgrim is persuaded by the devil in the likeness of St. James to kill himself for the sake of obtaining heavenly bliss. The man at whose house he was staying is accused of murder but saved by the pil- grim's resurrection. The latter relates that he was snatched from the devil by St. James who prevailed upon God to send him back to * Cited by Mussafia as Cleop. 20. 36 G. H. GEROULD earth. The pilgrim is not named, and there is no mutilation. This occurs in Legenda Aurea, cap XCIX. (ed. Graesse, p. 427), and in Alphabetum Narrationuin, MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 15913, fol. 43(a). With a slight variation it is also found in the 14th century, Scala Cell, by Johannes Junior, De peregrinatione, fol. 136(a). The pilgrim kills himself, at the devil's instigation, to escape the perils of the world. There is no reference to suspicions attaching to the host. The pilgrim revives among his weeping companions. The place of the Met. Horn, version among these groups seems to be with B. At first sight it would be natural to say that our author found the legend in Voragine, where a large number of his tales are also told, but internal evidence points to the former view. Gerard seems to be a stock name for pilgrims. It occurs again in story of a pilgrim to St. Thomas found 'vs\ Alph. Narr., MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 15913, fol. 68(b), and in Scala Celt, fol. 136(b). (5) Saint Martin and the Devil : In the life of St. Martin it is written that while he was at prayer the fiend came to him in the form of a king. The devil said that he was Christ and urged the Saint to worship him. But Martin through grace knew that it was the fiend and meekly answered that not till death should he see the Lord. At this meek reply the devil disappeared in smoke. The original of this legend is found in the life of St. Martin of Tours by Sulpicius Severus, lib. I., par. 24 (Migne, Fatr. Curs. Latr., XX., col. 174). The ending differs from our version. ''Non se, inquit, Jesus Dominus purpuratum et diademate renitentem venturum esse praedixit. Ego Christum, nisi in eo habitu formaque qua passus est, nisi stigmata prssferentem, venissenon credam." Severus says that Martin told him about this ! ^Ifric tells the story in his life, of St. Martin. See j^lfric' s Lives of Saints, ed. Skeat, hom. XXXI. cap. XXV., II., p. 266. (6) St. Anthony and the Snares: St. Anthony was so meek that he vanquished the fiends. Once he saw the earth spread with snares and traps wherewith were baited men's souls. He asked God what thing was safe from these nets and was told ''mekenes allane." This anecdote comes from the Vitae Patrtim, lib. III. or Verba Seniorum, by Ruffinus (Migne, Fatr. Curs. Lat., LXXIIL, col. 785). NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 37 The voice of God said to Anthony: ''Humilitas sola pertransit, Antoni, quam nullo modo valent superbi contingere." The in- cident is not given in the Vita S. Anthoni by St. Athanasius of Alexandra. It is told by Vincent of Beauvais, Spec. Hist., lib. XIV., cap. 14 ; by Paraldus, the Dominican, in his Summa Virtutum ac Vitiorum, lib. I. (ed. Bale, 1497, fol. 101(a)). ; and in the middle of the following century (XIV.) by Johannes Junior, Scala Celi, De Humilitate (ed. Ulm, 1483, fol. 92(b)). Jean de Vignay gives it in his Legende Doree (ed. Verard, 1493, fol. 34(a)), but it does not appear in the modern editions of his original, Voragine. There seems to be no way to decide whence our author took the legend. Indisputably he had access to the Vitae Patrum, and prob- ably he knew Vincent of Beauvais. (7) St. Machary: One day the fiend met Machary and said that he was unable to strike him with sin because, though he exceeded the hermit in pen- ance, fasting, and watching, the latter surpassed him in meekness. Machary lived in a hermitage near a great city, whence he had fled, and was served by another hermit. He was accustomed to go into the city to sell his handiwork. A citizen's daughter being with child by a clerk accused the hermit in order to shield her lover. Her friends beat Machary about the market-place, and only released him on the surety- ship of his friend. So he returned to his cell and worked hard at his craft in order to send the wench money. At length, when the time of her confinement came, she was not released from travail till she had confessed the truth. But Machary fled from the praise accorded him. This story — really two illustrations of St. Machary 's humility — comes from the Vitae Patrum. It is printed twice by Migne in its double form, once in lib. HI. or Verba Seniorm?i by Rufiinus, and again in lib. v., libellus XV. {^Migne Patrol. Cur. Lat., LXXXIII., col. 778 and col. 958). Both these versions differ from that of Met. Ho7n. in making Macharius tell the story himself. They also explain the presence of the saint's attendant by saying that he was a layman of religious life ; and they difl"er from the Alet. Horn, version in the form of punishment which the saint suffered. John Herolt, the Dominican writer who lived in the first half of the XV. century, prints the version of Ruffinus word for word in his Protnptua7'iic?n Exemploriim, P, ex. 6. /< 38 G. H. GEROULD I have found no English version except that of Caxton in his trans- lation, Vitas Patrum. This follows the Latin closely, though trans- lated out of French. (Caxton, Vitas Patrum, fol. 195.) The first part appears by itself in several compilations : Vincent of Beauvais (f 1264) gives it in his Speculum Historiale, lib. XIV., cap. 18 ; Paraldus in his Simima Virtutu?n ac Vitiorum, lib. I., fol. 161(a); Herolt in the Prompt. Exemp. H, ex. 7 ; Jacques de Voragine in Le- genda Aurea, cap. XVIII. (ed. Graesse, p. 100); Odo de Ceritona in Parabolae, Dom. I. post Oct. Pasche (ed. Hervieux, Fabulistes Latins, tome IV., p. 289). In Caxton' s Vitas Patrum, fol. 93, it is again referred to under the life of St. Jerome. (8) The Archbishop and the Nun : A certain archbishop had jurisdiction over a nunnery situate five miles from his seat. Thither the nuns came, according to custom, to take the veil. On one such occasion, as he sang the mass, he cast his eye on a maiden and lusted for her. When the nuns were gone he could neither eat nor sleep, but sent letters to the abbess, summoning her to him on pretence of business. He told 'her that she must send him the nun who was there the day before. She was horrified at his request, but was under obligations to him for her position and fearful of his displeasure. So she acceded and persuaded the nun to give her body up for the good of the convent. (Here follows a long moraliz- ing interlude. ) The bishop soon repented, lamented at great length, did secret penance, and refused to see his people. At length a mob threatened to break down the palace doors if he did not appear. So he went out and spoke with them, and was compelled by his friends to eat and drink. ' Yet he was still uncleansed and would not perform his offices. Finally he promised to sing the mass on a great day, but when the day came he began to preach to the great congregation in- stead and told all his sins, saying that he would no longer be bishop. He threw off his robes and ran out from the church. Soon he met a woman carrying an infant. The child spoke to him through the Holy Ghost and bade him turn back, for his sins were forgiven. Yet he ran on, disbelieving the words of the child. Then he met an angel who commanded him to return and sing the mass. So he went back and became a holy man. (I have found no original for this story.) (9) The Three Kings : Biblical. NORTH -ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 39 (10) St. John and the Boy: When holy church was new St. John was busy ordaining priests and clerks and bishops. Once when he came to visit a church he found a fair boy, but untrained and wild, whom he took to the bishop to be cared for. The bishop baptized and trained the boy, who nevertheless fell among bad companions and became the chief of a band of robbers underwood. Then St. John came again and asked the bishop for his treasure. He was grieved at what he learned and after reproaching the bishop set out to seek the youth. The robbers started toward St. John as he drew near their retreat, but their chief fled in shame. John pursued him calling, and when he overtook him he promised him forgiveness for his sins. The man repented and became so good that '^ all men had grete ioye of hyme." This legend is found in the Liber quis dives salvetur, by Clement of Alexandria (Migne, Pat7\ Curs. GnEca, IX., col. 647), where it occurs in a life of St. John the Apostle. The events are said to have hap- pened after the return of St. John from Patmos. The name of the city is given as Ephesus which gives a clue to the rise of the legend. There was another John, bishop of Ephesus in the third century, who has often been confused, as in this tale, with the apostle of that name. Undoubtedly this is an anecdote from his life. Clement's mistake was perpetuated by several writers. Vincent of Beauvais gives the legend in the same form. Speculum Historiale, lib. X., cap. 42, referring it to Clemens Alexandrinus and to Eusebius. The reference to the latter I have been unable to verify, as the legend does not seem to exist in the printed works of any Eusebius. The legend occurs again in Speculum Morale (usually printed as the work of Vincent), lib. I., dist. 10, pars. 4, which refers it to Historia Ecclesiastica, lib. III., cap. 23. Presumably our author found the legend in the slightly later compila- tion Lege7ida Aurea, by Jacobus a Voragine, cap. IX. (ed. Graesse, p. 60). Here it is referred to Clemens, Ecclesiastica Historia, lib. IV. The legend bears some likeness to another which is told without names of persons or places. A certain abbot, wishing to convert a robber chief, went out to his hiding-place. When surrounded by the robbers he offered the chief his horse and all his possessions if they had need of them. After some parley he asked the chief why they continued to live by violence when he would feed them all without return if they would come to his monastery. The incredulous chief 40 G. H. GEROULD consented to try the proposal and was sumptuously entertained ; but at the same time he saw the abbot and monks living abstemiously in the midst of plenty. So he was converted. See the so-called Jacques de Vitry collection, no. 62 (MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 18134, fol. 200(a); the Alphabetmn Narr. by Etienne de Besangon (MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 15913, fol. 2(b) ; John Herolt, Serf?iones de Tempore, no. 51, p. 301 ; and Bromyard, Summa Praedicantiuui, E. VII. The last three all refer to Jacques de Vitry and are evidently based upon the pseudo- Jacques mentioned above. T. Wright in Latin Sto7'ies, no. 149, p. 135, prints a version from MS. Arundel 506, fol. 48(a), which does not refer to Jacques, but which is essentially the same. In MS. Balliol 240, no. 6 of the collection, is still another story of a robber saved by a holy man. It concerns Odo, Abbot of Cluny, and a man who afterwards became cellarer. (11) The Birth of St. Thomas of Cawntirbiry : Before St. Thomas of Cawntirbiry was born his mother dreamed that all the water of the Thames was running through her bosom. She told her dream to a good man, and he explained it thus. He said your child shall make many men to sin and shall suffer sorrow. This water flowed spiritually when St. Thomas shed his blood for the love of Jesus. This dream of Thomas' mother is told in the" early life of the saint by Edward Grim (Robertson, Materials for the History of Tho7?ias Becket, II., p. 356). After the dream she consults two wise men. One tells her : ^' Nasciturus ex te reget populos multos. " '^ Et alter quidam, in nullo dissidens a prioris sententia, adjecit quod fluenta gratiarum esset accepturus, quibus natale solum instar fluminis irriga- ret." There is also another vision given by Grim. Thomas' mother dreamed that her womb was so enlarged that she could not enter the church. This latter is given again in the life by William Fitz-Stephen and by the writer whom Robertson calls '^Anonymous II." The dream about the Thames occurs again in the life '^ Anonymous I." (Robertson, IV., p. 3). Other early biographers do not have the story, as far as I have been able to find out. A variant of the legend appears in the Icelandic saga, Thomas Saga Erkibyskups (ed. Magnusson, I., p. 13). In this the Thames flowed * ' so close to the woman that it caught her sark, ' ' and the wise men said, '' that living water would flow from her womb " (trans. Magnus- son). The other vision is also told. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 4I The source of the story in the Met. Horn, may have been one of the numerous biographies of St. Thomas which were written soon after his death. Or our author may have had the legend by word of mouth. Since it did not find its way into the great collection of ex- empla there is difficulty in judging whence our author took it. A similar story is told by William of Malmesbury concerning the mother of ^thelwold. While she was pregnant a golden eagle was seen to fly from her mouth. Gesta Pontificiwi (ed. Hamilton, p. i66). Somewhat similar is the vision of Evelac in the Grail saga, according to which he dreamed that nine streams flowed from the belly of Celi- doine, eight of them equal in size, the ninth larger than all the others put together. This is later interpreted to the king as designating Galahad. See, for example, Hucher, Le Saint Graal, II., P- 323- (12) Gyezi and Naaman : Biblical. (13) The Usurious Knight : Beyond the sea lived a bishop named Piers, and near him a man who had won wealth and knighthood through usury. Nor did these practices cease when he became knight. He passed his time in hunt- ing and in his business. Through the grace of Christ he became peni- tent and confessed to the bishop. For penance the bishop told him that he must give to a beggar whom he should meet whatever he asked. Well pleased by this light command, the knight went out, met the beggar, replied to his request for alms by asking what he wished, and granted him the quarter of corn which he demanded. But the poor man had no sack and so had to sell his alms to the knight for five shillings, since the latter would lend him no sack. The knight put the wheat in a chest, and when he looked at it on the third day he found the chest full of snakes and reptiles. In fear he fled to the bishop and asked what to do. The bishop commanded him to throw himself naked into the chest that he might save his soul. This he did, and the ver- min ate his body. But the bishop came in procession, and leaped scatheless among the reptiles, and took out the holy bones snow-white. These were honourably buried in a nunnery where they heal the sick. This is the variant of a tale found in two Latin compilations of the XIII. century, the one by Etienne de Bourbon (f 1261) and the other by Caesar von Heisterbach (a Cistercian who wrote early in that century). 42 G. H. GEROULD In Etienne de Bourbon, Liber de Septem Donis Spiritus Sancti (p. 368, Anecdotes histo7'iques. . . . du re cueil inedit d'' Etienne de Bour- bon, ed. Lecoy de la Marche) it appears in this form : A usurer, being sick, wished rather to give some grain to the poor than to restore his illgotten wealth. This corn he put into a chest. His servants soon after found it turned into serpents. The usurer, therefore, restored his unrighteous gains and commanded that his dead body should be thrown to the serpents. This was done. '^ Qui dam addunt quod evanuerunt serpentes, et remanserunt ossa alba et nuda cum lumine." In Caesar von Heisterbach, Dialogus Miraculorujn, dist. II., cap. XXXII. (ed. Strange, I., p. 106), the tale concerns a man buried in the church of St. Gereon at Cologne. A certain usurer was penitent, confessed, and was bidden to enclose his gains in a great chest. When he opened it he found it full of reptiles, and was told by his confessor that by this he could see how much God liked the alms of usurers. At the command of the priest he threw himself naked among the vipers. The priest closed the chest and returned the next day when he found the bones, which are buried at the door of St. Gereon' s and prevent all reptiles from entering there. This version is given and referred to Caesar in the Scala Celi of Johannes Junior (cir. 1350), De tisura, fol. 151(b) ; also in Jacobus Well, chap. XXXII. (ed. Brandeis, p. 209). Both these versions follow Caesar closely. It is obvious that the version of the Met. Horn., though it exactly corresponds to neither of these, approaches more nearly the second than the first. Our tale is told with more detail and especially adds the effective incident of the sack, yet it seems probable that it owes its origin at least indirectly to Caesar von Heisterbach. That he was known in England, though by no means the most popular ecclesiasti- cal compiler of his time, is shown by numerous references in Jacob' s Well to which I have referred above. (14) The Devil as Physician : A hermit who dwelt in the desert once saw the devil going by along the road and bearing many painted boxes like a leech. The fiend was bound to an abbey which stood near, and so he told the hermit who asked his purpose. He said he would tempt the brothers with drinks from the boxes, with gluttony, envy, with lechery, or with some other. The hermit let the fiend go and bade him return that way. The devil had little power at the abbey, and on his return he said that only Theotist would do his will. So the hermit NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 43 went to the abbey, to the great joy of the monks. He asked after Theotist, and when he met him he demanded whether he was tempted with fleshly lust. The young man said no. Then the hermit said that that was strange because even he, now an old man, was not free from it. So Theotist confessed that he was direfully tempted and was instructed by his elder. Soon after the hermit saw the fiend going to the abbey but full soon returning with lamentation that no longer had he power even over Theotist who was now stoutest against him. This is a legend from the Vitae Patrum where it is told three times. In lib. III., par. 6i (Migne, Pair. Curs. Lat., LXXIII., col. 769) ; in lib. V. (Pelagius), libellus 18, par. 9 (Migne, LXXIII., col. 981) ; and in lib. VII. (Paschasius), cap. I. (Migne, LXXIII., col. 1027). The devil while journeying to Macarius' hermits, meets that saint. All these versions omit the ruse by which in the Met. Horn. Macarius prevailed upon the young hermit to confess. The young man is named Theopemptus, Theoctistus, and Theopistus in the several versions. In all three versions, as indeed in all I have found except the Met. Ho?n., phials and not boxes form the devil's luggage. In no other, also, is the fiend compared to a physician. Caxton's Vitas Patriun attributes the legend to Jerome, but Gregory and Jerome were to all mediaeval writers convenient names to use when no better offered. The version of the Met. Horn, appears to come from the Speculum Morale (usually printed without due cause as part of the Speculum Magmwt of Vincent of Beauvais) ; see Spec. Mor., lib. III., dist. XIV., pars X. With the exception of the differences above named this is in all respects like the Met. Hom. The name of the young monk is Theotistus. Other examples are: Vincent of Beauvais, Spec. Hist., lib. XIV., cap. 18, where only the first part of the story is given; Jacobus a Voragine, Leg. Aur.y cap. XVIII. (ed. Graesse, p. loi), a brief form with all the conversation between Machary and Theotist omitted ; the early translation of the preceding by Jean de Vignay, ed. Verard, fol. 33(a); Etienne de Besanc^on, Alph. Narr., MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 1 591 3, fol. 82(a), where the young monk's name is not mentioned, nor his conversation with Macarius; Herolt, Prompt. Excmp., T, ex. 14, which is most like Vitae Pat?'u??i, lib. III., par. 61 ; an English version in Jacob's Well, chap. XVII. (ed. Brandeis, p. 115), which is referred to the Vitae Patnwi but is most like Alph. Narr. except 44 G. H. GEROULD that the unnamed young hermit drank from six of the devil's cruets, **evil thoughts, sleeping, jangling, idleness, laziness, and lust"; Magnum Spec. Exenip. (Duaci, 1603), Daemon, no. 10, exemp. CLXXXV., which is very like the Spec. Morale, but is referred to a Liber de Praevidentia, no. 11, of which I know nothing. A variant of the legend is given by Jacques de Vitry (ed. Crane, no. LXXV. p. 34). In this St. Macharius saw a devil, completely covered with phials, who said he saw going to visit the hermits of the desert. On his return the saint saw that all the phials were empty and learned that one monk had drunk the whole, the others re- sisting. This is to be found in precisely the same form in the pseudo-Vitry collection of MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 18134, fol. 201(b), as no. 65. A similar tale is related in the life of St. Godric, Hermit of Finchale (ed. Surtees Society, p. 248). A certain youth who served a man of God saw a huge man approach his master and try to make the saint drink of the bottles with which he was covered. The holy man finally told the servant to sprinkle the tempter with holy water, but on no ac- count to pursue him outside the church. The young man then chased the devil to the door, but he was so eager that he went outside and thus was burned by the liquor that the fiend threw at him. (15) The Hermit who Returned to the World : We find written of a hermit who lived long in the service of God that Satan came to him in the desert as a messenger from his mother and friends. The fiend said that they besought him to return to look after the property which his father had left at his death. By this lie the hermit was persuaded to go home. There he found his father alive and was ashamed that he had been so deceived. But the world's wealth soon made him forget his shame, and he stayed so long at home that he took a wife and died in the devil's service. (I have not found other references to this legend.) (16) The Monk Mawryne : A rich man who had become a monk of most holy life was disturbed because he had left his daughter in the world under the care of friends. His abbot saw that he was troubled and asked his reason. He told his superior that he had a son named Mawryne whom he would fain make religious. The abbot told him that he would receive the boy if he were good. So the monk went after his daughter, clad her like a boy, and instructed her to let no one know her sex. She was shaven monk and called Friar Mawryne. She dwelt in her father's cell and NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 45 became very holy, so that at his death she lived there alone and was greatly esteemed. It happened that the monks were enlarging their abbey and sent Mawryne in charge of a cart to a distant quarry. There she lay a night at the house of a brewster. Now it happened that a swain had lain with the daughter of the brewster. When she was seen to be with child she told her friends that Mawryne had un- done her. They accused Mawryne to the abbot, and she for the love of Christ would not deny the crime. She was driven with bitter words from the abbey and sat outside the gate where she was fed with bread and water. Thither, when it was weaned, the brewster' s daughter brought her child which Mawryne cared for during two winters. When she had lived thus in penance for five years the monks took pity on her humility and begged the abbot that she be admitted again to the abbey. So she was fetched and made scullion and slave of the convent. Soon after she died, and when the monks went to wash the body before burying it in unhallowed ground they found that Mawryne was woman. The abbot bewailed and commanded that she should be buried in great honour. The brewster' s daughter went mad but was healed at the saint's tomb by the will of God. Horstmann (Herrig's Archiv, LVIL, p. 259 ff. ) has printed this narrative from MS. Vernon, where it appears as part of the expanded collection of these homilies. St. Marina or Maria (the names are used indiscriminately to de- scribe her) was one of the numerous holy women of the early church who lived lives of rigorous piety by passing themselves off as men. Pelagia (see no. 43) pursued the same course. Marina's festival is July 17th, or February 12th in the Greek Church. Under the former date in the Acta Sand., and in Migne, Pair. Curs. Lat., LXXIIL, col. 691, is printed the account of the saint from Rosweyd's Viiae Patrum^ lib. I. This is probably the source of our version. Gering, Islendzk y£7>entyri, 1882-3, II., p. 127 ff. treats the history of the legend, dis- tinguishing two groups, both of which go back to an original Greek form: (A) version printed in Migne, Patr. Curs. Grceca, CXV., 347; and (B) that of the Acta Sanct. mentioned above. The former dif- fers from the latter in making the daughter follow her father to the monastery of her own will ; in making her exile from the abbey three years instead of five, etc. To type (A) belong the version in Vincent of Beauvais, Spec. Hist.^ XV., 94, and the Icelandic version printed by Gering, I., p. 149 ff. s& 46 G. H. GEROULD To type (B) belong the majority of the versions preserved, as for example : Jacobus a Voragine, Legenda Aui'ea, cap. LXXXIV. (ed. Graesse, P- 353)- Jean de Vignay, fol. 104(b) (ed. 1493). Etienne de Besangon, Alph. Narr., MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 15913, fol. 5(a). Herolt, Prompt. Exemp., P, ex. 7. Caxton, Vitas Fatru??i, fol. 71. Met. Horn. MS. Harl., 2253, printed by Boddeker, Altenglische Dichtungen des MS. Harl. 22^j, 1878, p. 253 ff.; by Horstmann, Sa7?i?nlung a Itenglisch er L egeiideii , 1878, p. 170 ff. The two versions last named are very similar in form ; and as Kol- bing, Engl. St., II., 509, has already pointed out they agree with each other in some points where they disagree with the version of Acta Sanct. Kolbing concludes that the version contained in the Vernon MS. was made from a Latin form nearly allied to that of Acta Sanct. but not identical with it. As will be seen by reference to the table in Parti., pp. 8 and 9, Boddeker's supposition (p. 255) that the story of Marina is not contained in the Camb. MSS. is altogether in- correct. A story attaching to St. Theodora is most similar to this of Maw- ryne. She was living as a monk under the name of Theodore and was actually solicited by the girl who afterward accused her. The sex of the saint was revealed to the abbot in a dream. Jacobus a Voragine, Legenda Aurea, cap. XCII. (ed. Graesse, p. 397). P'or the general origin of the Marina-Pelagia-Theodore story see no. 43. (17) Saint Bernard and the Peasant : We find written that St. Bernard, on his way to a city on business from his abbey, once greeted a tillman and asked him what was his prayer. The man said that he knew only the Pater Noster. Then the saint asked, ''What jnnkes ])0u godeman all waies. When ])0u ]n pater noster sayes ? ' ' The man said he thought always of Christ. Then said Bernard, ' ' Full well es ]7e ]?t so maie do For so ne fares it nop. of me. ' ' The peasant said that was strange, for a monk should not let his thoughts stray more than a tillman. So the saint promised him his palfrey if he could say Pater Nosters all the day without an evil thought. The man was glad and soon began his prayer, but NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 47 before he had said three words he wondered whether he would get both saddle and bridle with the palfrey. Again he tried, but again failed. And St. Bernard who knew his thoughts gave him nothing. This legend, which is perhaps related to the celebrated fabliau * ' Les Souhaits de Saint Martin ' ' with the numberless affiliated tales associated with it (cf. J. Bedier, Les Fabliaux, p. 177, for discussion of these related stories), is found with certain variations in several collections of exempla : Jacobus a Voragine, Legenda Aiirea, cap. CXX. (ed. Graesse, p. 534); Johannes Junior, Scala Cell, fol. 33(b). Both these versions mention St. Bernard. Herolt \x\ Prompt. Exemp., O, 22, gives a version where a priest takes the place of the saint. An- other variant is found in the pseudo-Vitry collection of MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 18134, no. 12, fol. 182(a). Here one friend offers another his horse if he can say a Pater Noster without thinking of something else. He falls the victim to the thought of the saddle as in our version. Bernard appears in a similar story in the Gesta Romanoru77i, cap. 170 (ed. Oesterley, p. 560), where he wagers his horse at dice against the soul of a ' ' lusor. ' ' He wins by throwing eighteen with three dice against his opponent's seventeen. In Romania, XIH., p. 30, J. Ulrich prints an old Italian legend of St. Bernard and a demoniac, and refers it to Jacobus a Voragine as above. But the story is altogether different. (18) Saint Eustace: A knight named Placidas lived in Rome. He was of good life but knew not Christianity. He had great power under Trajan and was a general of renown. He had a wife of noble birth and life, and they had two young sons. While hunting one day with his knights he saw a herd of deer in a wood and pursued a noble hart so fast and long that he outdistanced all his men. At length the hart leaped up a cliff, where he could not follow, and there stood. As Placidas gazed he saw a crucifix between the beast's horns, and he fell down in fear at the sight. At last he rose and looked again. The hart spoke to him and said that he was the Lord, the Creator of all things, who had been crucified. Many more things he told the knight and commanded him to become a Christian and to come thither again. So Placidas rode home with his followers and told his wife of the happening. About midnight they rose and went with their sons to the bishop who dwelt secretly at Rome. Placidas was then baptized as Eustace, his wife as Theophiste, and their sons as Theotist and Agapiton. The next day 48 G. H. GEROULD Eustace sought the cliff again, and there was instructed by Christ that he should be tempted and should suffer at the hands of Satan like Job, but that he should be delivered. He returned home and was comforted by his wife. Soon after they began to suffer and lost all their servants and wealth. When for shame they could no longer live in Rome they went forth and lived as laborers in a neighboring country. The Em- peror and the people when they found that they were gone sorrowed at their loss. Later Eustace took ship at a port and crossed the sea. The shipmaster was pleased with the lady and would not let her go, but God kept her from stain. So grieving at the loss of his wife Eustace went on with his children. While bearing them across a river one at a time he lost them both, for they were borne away by a wolf and a lion, he being in midstream. But some laborers saved the children and cared for them as their own. Ignorant of all this, and sorely cast down, Eustace went to a town and served a man faith- fully for more than fifteen winters, while near by dwelt his sons and his wife, who supported herself as a seamstress. It happened that the Emperor was in sore need of Eustace as a general and sent into all countries to seek him. Two knights came where he was but did not recognize their old master. They inquired for Placidas, He said he knew no such man but brought them to his master's house. As he served them one of them noticed that he wept, and at last they saw a resemblance in him to Placidas. They proved their suspicion correct by looking at his ear which they knew had once been wounded. With tears of joy they told the husbandmen of Placidas, and so led him to- ward Rome. Eustace told all his adventures, and at the end of forty days they came to Rome. When they arrived they found that Trajan was dead and that Hadrian reigned in his stead. None the less Sir Eustace led the armies of the empire to victory. He came to a city where dwelt his wife ; and his sons, who were in the army unknown to him and to each other, lodged at her house. After three days they began to talk in her presence of their childhood, and so were revealed to her as well as to one another. She went to the general and told her tale, and as she told it recognized her husband. So after many explan- ations they were all united and had more wealth than before. But since they refused to worship the gods of Hadrian, the Emperor bade that they be given to a lion. The lion refused to harm them, and Hadrian in his rage commanded that they be shut up in a brazen ox, heated white-hot. God made the ox all cold and took their souls to NORTH -ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 49 heaven, so that when their bodies were taken out they were found un- singed. The Emperor sighed therefore, and many heathen were turned to Christ. This life of St. Eustace — the medieval Job — varies little from the customary accounts. Indeed, the differences in all the lives are trivial considering the widespread popularity of the legend. The cult of the saint is discussed in the Acta Sand., Oct., tom. VI., die 12. The most complete account of the various versions of the legend is to be found in Dos obras didacticas y dos leyendas sacadas de mantiscritos de la biblioteca del Escorial, ed. H. Knust, 1878, pp. 107 ff. Reviews of this work by H. Varnhagen, AngL, III., p. 399, and by R. Kohler, Zts.f. rom. Phil., III., p. 272 give additional material. Latin versions : (i) Acta Sand., Sept., tom. VL, die 20, p. 123, Acta Fabulosa ex MS. Medicaeo regis Franciae. This is the oldest version which we possess. (2) Vincent of Beauvais, Spec. Hist., lib. X., caps. 58-61 and cap. 82. The martyrdom is here given separately. (3) Jacques de Voragine, Legenda Aurea, cap. CLXI. (ed. Graesse, p. 712). (4) Gesta Romanoruin (ed. Oesterley, p. 444). (5) Etienne de Besan^on, Alpha. Narr. (MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 15913, fol. 36(a), a shortened form of the Legenda Aurea. (6) Johannes Junior, Scala Cell, Passio Christi, fol. 130(b) gives the first part of the legend up to the baptism. (7) Nicephorus Callistus treats the legend in his Hist. Eccl., lib. III., cap. xxix. (Migne, Patr. Curs. Graeca, CXLV., col. 954). (8) Brief resume in Menologiiwi Graecorufn (see Knust, op. cit., p. 107). (9) In hexameters. Acta Sa?ict., loc. cit. (10) In hexameters, MS. Laud Misc. 410, ed. Varnhagen, Zts.filr deutsches Alterthum, XXV., i. (11) In hexameters by Peter of Rheims (see AngL, III., 400). (12) In distiches, MS. Arundel 23, ed. Varnhagen, Zts.filr deutsches Alterthum, XXIV., 241. (13) In distiches. Cod. Ver., XC, fol. 70(a), ed. Diimmler, Zts. fUr deutsches AltertJuun, XXIII., 273. French versions : 50 G. H. GEROULD (i) Fragment of a version in alexandrines byBenoit, MS. Egerton 1066 (see Meyer, Bulletin de la Soc. des Anc. Textes frangais^ IV., 57 ; and Kniist, op. cit., p. 114). (2) In alexandrine couplets, MS. Bibl. Nat. fr. 1555 (see Knust, op. cit., 117), by Guillaume de Ferrieres (see Meyer, loc. cit.). (3) In alexandrine quatrains (see Meyer, loc. cit.). (4) In decasyllables, MS. Bibl. Nat. fr. 1707 (see Knust, op. cit. , p. 116). (5) In octosyllables, MSS. Bibl. Nat. fr. 19530 and Egerton 745 (see Knust, op. cit., p. 116), by a certain Pierre (see Meyer, loc. cit.). (6) In irregular metre, MS. Bibl. Nat. fr. 24951. (7) In octosyllables, MS. F. 149, Bibl. Nat. at Madrid (see Meyer, loc. cit. ) . (8) In prose, Jean de Vignay's Legende Doree, fol. 207(b). For the tragedies on this theme see Nisard, Hist, des Livres popu- laires, 11. , 186; and Knust, op. cit., 117. German versions : (i) Rudolf von Ems, ed. ^oth., Deutsche Fredigten des XII. u. XIII. Jahrh., 1839 (see Knust, op. cit., 119). (2) Der Vaeter Buoch (a translation with additions of the Vitae Patrum), see Knust, loc. cit. (3) Hermann von Fritzler in legenden von Heilige?!, ed. Pfeiffer, Die d. Mystiker des XIV. Jahrh. (see Knust, loc. cit.). (4) A version printed 1455, perhaps by Zobel (see Knust, loc. cit. ) . Italian versions : ( 1 ) Rappresentatione di Sancto Eustachio, a mystery several times printed during the i6th cent, (see Knust, op. cit., 117). (2) La Historia di Sancto Eustachio, verse, (see Knust, op. cit., 118). (3) La Historia santo Eustachio, prose, (see Knust, loc. cit.). (4) Delia Vita S. Eustachio Martire, Giovanni Batt. Manzini, Venetia, 1663, (see Knust, loc, cit.). (5) Historia Eustachio -Mariana, A. Kircher, Romse, 1665, (see Knust, loc. cit.). (6) By Fra Domenico Cavalca, see Kohler, Zts. f. rojn. Phil., III., 275- Spanish versions : ( I ) Translation of Latin version into Spanish prose, ed. Knust, op. cit., pp. 123 ff., from MS. & 11. 8 of the Escurial. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 5 1 ( 2 ) Las qiiatro Estrellas de Roma y el martirio mas sangriento de Sail Eustachio, a comedy (see Knust, op. cit., p. 112). Miscellaneous : Versions of the legend are found in the Scandinavian and Slavic tongues, also in Breton, sometimes as folk-songs. English versions : (i) ^Ifric in his Lives of Saints , no. 30, (ed. Skeat, p. 190) gives a clear, full account which closely follows the original Latin version. (2) Early South-English Legendary, ed. Horstmann, p. 393. For the MSS. see Horstmann, pp. xiii-xxiv. This version is precisely like that of the Met. Ho?n. as far as events are concerned, though it bears little resemblance in language. (3) Met. Hom. Found in all the MSS. save Harl. 2391 and Edin. See table in Part I. Also in expanded collections. (4) Version from MS. Digby 86, ed. Horstmann, Altengl. Leg., Neue Folge, p. 211. This gives no names except that of Eustace. (5) Barbour' s Legend Collection, ed. Horstmann, II., 12; Metcalfe, II., 69. This follows the Legenda Aurea. (6) John Partridge's version, ed. Horstmann, Altengl. Leg., Neue Folge, p. 472 ; also for Roxburgh Club, 1872. (7) In 1599 a drama by John Chettle entitled The Hystorie of the moste noble knight Plasidas was presented in London. Published for Roxburgh Club, 1873. The version of Met. LI0771. probably was taken from the early Latin form and presents the legend without much change. An interesting cycle of romance stories grew up round the Eustace legend. These romances have not yet been made the subject of an exhaustive investigation from the point of view of their general rela- tions to the parent legend (though the literature of the subject is con- siderable) ; nor can I do more here than to enumerate them. The following romances or stories all have more or less intimate connec- tions with the Placidas legend. (i) Guillaume d'Engleterre.^ (2) Der Graf von Savoy. ^ (3) Die gute Frau.^ (4) Wilhelm von Wenden.* ^By Crestien de Troyes, ed. Foerster, 1899. 2 Ed. J. Eschenburg, 1799. 3 Ed. Sommer, Zts. f. d. Alterthum, 11. , 392. < By Ulrich von Eschenbach, ed, Toischer, 1876. 52 G. H. GEROULD (5) The Octavian romances.^ (6) La Historia del Cavallero Cifar.^ ( 7 ) Story in Early English Versions of the Gesta Romanorum, ed. Herrtage, p. 87. (8) Sir Ysumbras.^ In his review of Knust, Dos obras didacticas, in Zts. f. rom. Phil.y III., 272 ff., R. Kohler noticed the resemblance of the legend to the story in the Arabian Nights of the king who lost all, but to whom God restored everything, and to an Armenian variant of this story. The variant remains to be cited according to which the legend attaches to St. Hubert. See Simrock, Die geschichtliche7t Deutschen Sagen, pp. 46, 47; two ballads, nos. 20 and 21, the former by G. Gorres, the latter a folksong. (19) The Uncharitable Hermit : A young hermit was grievously tempted with fleshly lust and con- fessed to a holy hermit who was old and had never known temptation of the body. The old hermit thus was uncharitable and told his brother that he would go to hell. In great despair the young man set out toward the town, meaning to forsake the holy life. On his way he met an old hermit named Apollo, who asked him of his trouble and comforted him by telling him that though old he himself suffered temptation of the flesh daily. After being instructed how to overcome the fiend, the young man returned to his cell to do penance. Apollo went to the hermitage where dwelt the old hermit and prayed that the temptation of the young man might come upon the old man for his lack of charity. Ere he ceased, he saw the fiend shooting through the window with bow and arrow. Grievously tempted the old man cast off his habit and set ofl" townward. Apollo followed him and upbraided him for his sin. The hermit fell on his knees, con- fessing his sin, and through their united prayers he was released from temptation. The original of this legend is the Vitae Fatrum, lib. V., libellus 5 (Migne, Fair. Curs. Lat., LXXIIL, col. 874). It concerns the her- mit Apollonius, who plays the part of deus ex machina. An Ethiopian replaces the devil and shoots at the uncharitable hermit as in the Met. 1 French version, Octavian, ed. Vollmoller, 1883 ; English versions, ed. Sarrazin, 1885. 2 Ed. Michelant, 1872. 3 Ed. Schleich, 1901. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 53 Horn. In this form the story is found in Jacques de Vitry (ed. Crane, no. LXXXI., p. 2>^') ; the pseudo-Jacques de Vitry of MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 18 1 34, fol. 231(a) ; £tienne de Besane se had alle lore." Piers saw this man sell the garment which he gave him. The incident of selling Piers is told in detail. The clerk sold him to an old ac- quaintance named " Zole." The nickname is not given. Another rather free version is that in Jacob' s Well, chap. XXIX. (ed. Brandeis, p. 192). In this the fact of the wager is merely stated. '' Perys bare rye-louys fro \e oven to \e pantrye." In his dream the loaf did not outweigh the sins. The latter part of the story is told with great brevity. The incident about the mantle bears a certain resemblance to the well-known legend about St. Martin which appears as no. 25. (23) The Hermit and the Thieves : A hermit in a desert was robbed by thieves, though he had few pos- sessions. When they were gone he remembered a sack which they had not found, and he ran after them with the sack. They were so moved by his meekness that they repented and were good men from that day. I have found this story nowhere but in Caxton's Vitas Fatrum, fol. 300. There it occurs without essential differences from our version. (24) The Man in the Devil's Leash : A holy man stood in a churchyard praying and saw a fiend pass by with a man in leash. By God's grace the man broke away and went into the church. He made confession to the priest and came out again. The fiend who was awaiting his prey at the stile did not know him and was both astonished and angry when the holy man told him that his victim had passed by. The original of this tale is the Vitae Fatrum, lib. VII. (Migne, Fatr. Curs. Lat., LXXIIL, col. 1046). It is told of Paul the Simple and is more detailed than our story. While the man was within the church Paul prayed and wept. The man who was dark and stained by sin 1 Printed by Morris, Spec, of Early English, 1867, p. 109. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 59 when he entered came out radiant, so that the devil did not know him. Paul first addressed the devil, then heard the narration of the man at some length. The derivatives of this are of three kinds : A. Those which follow the original very closely include : Spec. Morale, Ub. III., dist. XIX., pars III. (somewhat less detailed than that of V. F.); Herolt, Sermo?ies Quadrageswiales, IX. (like that oi Spec. Morale); Herolt, Prompt. Exetnp., M, exemp. 19 (almost word for word like that of V. F.) ', Robert of Brunne, Handlyng Synne and Wadington, Le Manuel des Pechiez (ed. Furnivall, p. 378), where Paul is mentioned only as a good hermit and the chain broke as the man entered the church, and on being questioned the man said he felt burdened with an old sin before he was shriven but afterward felt won- drous light ; and Met. Horn. B. That of John Herolt, Sermones de Tempore, CXXXIX. A mail had evil thoughts. So the devil came to him in the form of a travel- ler. As they were walking together the man began to be afraid and went into a church which they were passing. It was Lent. After con- fession he came out, but the devil did not recognize him and asked where his companion had gone. C. The form of Nicole de Bozon, Contes Moralises, no. 58 (ed. Smith and Meyer, p. 81), where the devil doesn't appear, the holy man merely noticing the change in appearance of a sinner ; and that of Herolt, SermoJies Quadragesimales, XV., where the devil saw men ^'claros recedere de confessione. " (25) Saint Martin's Cloak: St. Martin met a naked cripple one day, and since he had nothing to give but his own clothes and was riding in knight's apparel of tunic and mantle only, he cut his cloak in two with his sword and gave one half to the beggar. People laughed him to scorn, but that night Christ appeared to him clad in the half which he had given the poor man. xA.nd Christ said to an angel : "... todaie Martine cledde me Wi]> )>is clothe als l^ou male se. " This well-known anecdote of St. Martin of Tours is found in the Vita by Sulpicius Severus, lib. L, par. 3 (Migne, Fatr. Curs. Lat. XX., col. 162). It happened while Martin was serving as a soldier in his youth at Amiens. Christ made a long address tQ a multitude of angels when he appeared that night. 6o G. H. GEROULD The legend has been a very popular subject in art. Perhaps its best known appearance in literature is Li Dis du Mantel Saint Martin, by Jean de Conde (ed. Scheler, Dits et Contes, etc., III., p. 313), Two versions in Old English follow closely their original, Severus : Blickling Homilies (ed. Morris, p. 213); and MMxic, Lives of Sai?its. no. XXXI. (ed. Skeat, II., p. 222). (26) The Devil in Church : A holy man at preaching saw the fiend glide about with a pitcher and a cup. And whoever drank of the cup went to sleep. This story is a sort of abstract of a monkish example from the Vitce Pat7'um, often referred to St. Machary. The version of John Brom- yard (late XIV. cent.) is most like this. It runs as follows : *' Un^e Theophili cum Diabolo Feeder e, 1844, p. 11). ^ (7) Del Rio (see Sommer, De Theophili cu7n Diabolo Feeder e, 1844, p. 11). (8) Sigibertus Gemblacensis, Chronica, Migne, Patr. Curs. Lat., CLX., col. 102 (see Sommer, p. 13; Kolbing, p. 3). (9) Vincentius Bellovacensis, Spec. Hist., lib. XXL, cap. 69 and 70. *(io) YiQrc\i\\sY\nctn\2^.2e.,Miracula MaricB Vijginis,^ltd\o\. 1579, (Kolbing, p. 3; Ludorff, p. 61). * (11) Florentius Radewin, ed. with an introduction by W. Meyer, Sitzungberichten der philos.philol. AbtheiluJig der k. bairischen Akad. der Wissenschaften, 1873 (^^e Ludorff, p. 61). (12) MS. Bib. Nat. lat. 2333 A, fol. 115, ed. Weber in Grober's Zts.f. rom. Phil., I., p. 523 ff. (Ludorff, p. 61). (13) Jacobus a Voragine, Legenda Aurea, cap. CXXXI. (ed. Graesse, p. 593) ; cap. CLXXXIX. (ed. Graesse, p. 871). 78 G. H. GEROULD (14) Libellmn de Beata Virgine, no CXXX., MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 18134, fol. 82(b). (15) MS. Bib. Nat. lat. 5267, fol. 19(b). (16) " " '' " 5268, fol. 5(a), no. VI. (17) - " " - 5562, fol. 15(b). (18) - '^ '^ '^ 12593, fol. 149 (b). (19) " '' " '' 14463, fol. 3(b), no. VIII. (20) " " " '' 17491, fol. 141(b). (21) '' Balliol 240, no. II. (22) MS. Brit. Mus. Cott. Cleop., C. 10, fol. 104(a), no. II. (23) Johannes Junior, Scala Cell, De ambitione, fol. 6(b). (24) Etienne de Besan^on, Alph. Narr., MS. Bibl. Nat, lat. 15913, fol. 53(a). (25) Herolt, De Miracidis BeatcB Virginis, ex. 43. The last two, of which Herolt is a derivative of Etienne, make no mention of the Jew but have proceedings with the devil extend over three nights. In old French a well-known version is that of Gautier de Coincy, Miracles de la Sainte Vierge, p. 30. This is the longest version which I know, but gives the events much as in Met. Horn. A somewhat shorter metrical version (2032 lines instead of 2090) contained in MS. Bibl. Nat. fran. 375, is simply a manuscript variant of this. In Rute- beuf (ed. Jubinal, II., p. 79 ; Kraessner, p. 206), is Le Miracle de Thiophile in quasi-dramatic form. The Jew is here called Salatius. Jubinal also prints, p. 327 ff., a short Frier e de Theophile ; and a longer Li Priere Theophilus appeared in Grober's Zeitschrift, L, 247, edited by A. Scheler. In MS. Egerton 612, which contains the col- lection by the poet self-styled Adgar, is a version which has been edited by Weber in Grober's Zts., I., p. 531 ff. The story, told in French prose, is contained in Miracles de la Vierge, no. 28, MS. Bib. Nat. fran., 410, fol. 20(b). This is, however, of the XV. century. Frangois Villon also makes reference to the legend in a Ballade Que Villo7i Feit al a Requeste de sa Mere pour Frier JVostre-F)ame (ed. Jannet, p. 55). For the versions in German, Dutch and Icelandic, see Kolbing, Ludorff, and also Gering, Islendzk Aiventyri. In English three different versions ^ of the legend are extant : 1 Also a short abstract by ^Ifric, Sej-mones Catholiciy De assumptione, ed. Thorpe, I., 448. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 79 (i ) That of the South-EngUsh Legendary, printed by Horstmann, Early South- English Legendary, 1887, p. 288, from MS. Laud io8. For a discussion of the various MSS. in which this legend is preserved see further, Horstmann, Altenglische Legendeft, neue Folge, p. xliv ff. (2) That of the North English Homily Collection, where it appears in all the MSS. which are complete. See tables in Part L (3) That of William Forrest who wrote in the XVL century. Found in MS. Harl. 1703, and edited by Ludorff, William Forresf s Theophiluslegende , A?igl., VII., p. 60 ff. Kolbing in his study, Die engl. Fassunge7i, above cited, leaves the ultimate sources of the English versions undecided. He finds, how- ever, that the northern form (of which he unfortunately used the MSS. of the expanded and therefore more corrupt collections) belongs to a group composed of the Dutch version ^ and two Icelandic versions,^ together with the legends in English (p. 38). He conjectures a long Latin version from which the versions in vernacular may have proceeded. It remains to be noticed that Kolbing has printed the legend from MSS. Harl. 4196 and Vernon in Engl. St., I., 16-57, Die jUngere engl. Fassu7ig der Theophilussage. (40) The Adulterous Priest : A holy parish priest had a dear friend who lived next door to him. The friend and his good wife died leaving a little daughter destitute. Her kin forsook the child, so the priest took her home and nourished her till she grew up and ruled his house. At length the fiend tempted him with lust (so great is the folly for priest or clerk to have a woman near) and made him sin with the maiden. He repented soon and thought to slay himself. He put the woman away, but would not for shame make confession to a priest. So he began terrible penance to cleanse his soul, and thus lived for a twelvemonth. At the end of that time he thought that God had forgiven his sin and so went to the altar to sing mass. But the host vanished from his sight. Another year he fasted and did penance without shrift, and at the end he tried once more to celebrate mass. Again God's flesh and blood vanished. Then he knew that he must confess before he could be forgiven. When he was shriven to a priest he celebrated mass and found three wafers instead of one before him. So he ate the three and thanked God for the miracle. 1 Theophiltas, gedicht der XIV* eeuw, uitgegeven door Ph. B[lonimaert], 1836. ^ Ed. Dasent, above cited, 1-28 ; and linger, Marui Saga, 402-421, 1080-1090. See Gering, XL, note to 137. / / 8o G. H. GEROULD A Story in Robert of Brunne's Handlyng Sy?ine, and William of Wadington's Manuel des Pechiez (ed. Furnivall, p. 300) bears some resemblance to this. St. Gregory tells of a priest who seduced his god-daughter. When she was nearly grown up he asked her parents to let her stay with him one Easter-tide. He got drunk that night and lay with her. Though he knew he had sinned he preferred to go to church and incur God's displeasure rather than remain at home and be suspected by men. For six days all went well, and the priest thought God had forgotten, "Or thojt }>at he hadde hyt for Jy^^ And hym nydede nat )?er of be schryue." But on the seventh day he died, and soon after fire burst from his grave, utterly devouring the body. I cannot find the reference in Gregory's works. (41) The Thrifty Gardener : There was once a poor but generous gardener who gave all he could spare to the poor. Satan put it in his thought to save against his old age, so that he left his charity and gathered a^boot full of pennies. It happened that his foot became sore and began to rot. He sent after wise leeches and spent his pennies fast, but he got no help. When all the money was gone and his foot was worse than ever he called a wise leech who told him that the foot must be cut off or he would die. The leech promised to come on the next day and cut off the limb. That night the gardener lay on his bed and, bewailing his folly in leaving charity, prayed God for help. When he had prayed he saw an angel standing by, who said : "Where es now Y\ penyse, whare J?t ]30u so bisi was to spare ? ' ' The gardener acknowledged his fault and was healed by a touch of the angel. The next morning he went early to work. When the leech came he saw him in the field and praised Our Lord. This story is from the Vitce. Fatrum, lib. V., or Verba Seniorum, by an unknown Greek author (Migne, Fatr. Curs. Lat., LXXIIL, col. 892). Most of the other versions refer to this, though several of them tell the story very briefly. I have found the following examples : Speculum Morale, lib. III., dist. XVIII. , pars VII. Paraldus, Simi77ia Virt. ac Vitiorum, lib. II., fol. 52(b). Bromyard, Sumi7ia Frcedicantiu7ti, E, III., 45. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 8 1 Johannes Junior, Scala Ce/i, De avaritia, fol. 15(a). Herolt, Prompt. Exe77ipl., exem. E, XI. Jacobus Well, chap. XVIII. (ed. Brandeis, p. 125). Caxton's Vitas Patrum, fol. 247. The story is also given as no. 18 in a collection of Latin fables and exempla published by A. Tobler, Zts. filr ro7nanische Phil., XII., pp. 57-88, from MS. Hamilton 390, Kgl. Bibliothek zu Berlin. No ref- erence is made to the Vitce Patrum, nor is the man represented as a gardener, although the general course of events is the same. (42) The Wicked Brother of a Monk : St. Gregory tells us that once a clerk made himself a monk and be- came very holy. He had a brother who was worldly and loved noth- ing but folly. The brother lived in the abbey and was a sorrow to all, yet was endured for the sake of the good monk. The abbot gave him clothing and food, for he was n'er-do-well. He fell sick and at last drew near to death. The brothers came to pray for him, and as they stood beside his bed they saw that he suffered torment. As he lay tossing about he saw an ugly dragon approaching prepared to strangle him. He cried out and besought the monks to leave him, as he was the certain prey of the dragon. They, however, prayed all the faster and bade him pray. He said he could not, because the dragon lay upon him and had his head in its mouth so that his cheeks were wet with the foam. Still the monks prayed and with such effect that the dragon ran away. The sick man thanked God and amended his life, so that he lived and died a holy man. This tale comes ultimately from Gregory the Great to whom it is referred. Indeed, it is very probable that our author took it directly from his works, since they were widely circulated in England. It is found both in the Ho7iiilies and Dialogues. The former is more nearly like our version. It begins : ''Ante biennium frater quidam in mon- asterium meum quod juxta beatorum martyrum Joannis et Pauli Ec- clesiam situm est, gratia conversationis venit, qui diu regulariter pro- tractus, quandoque susceptus est." Homilia, lib. II., hom. j8 (Migne, Patr. Curs. Lat., LXXVL, col. 1292). The brother is said to have followed the monk because of *' carnali amore." In the version of the Dialogues (lib. IV., cap. 38, Migne, Patr. Curs. Lat., LXXVIL, col. 389) the brother is named, ''Theodorus nomine, puer fuit, qui in monasterium meum, fratrem suum necessitate magis quam voluntate secutus est." 82 G. H. GEROULD The version of the Dialogues is that given by Etienne de Besan^on in the Alphabetiun Narratioiium (MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 159 13, fol. 59(a)), who ascribed it to Gregory. Without reference to Gregory and without names is the version of John Herolt, Sermones de Tei7i- pore, sermo, 121. A variant with a different ending occurs in the Speculum Morale, lib. II., dist. IV., pars I. With no justification it is referred to Bede. *' Idem etiam narrat de quodam fabro, qui propter necessitatem operum, in quodam monasterio sustentatus a fratribus, irreligiose vivebat. ' ' He was taken sick and said that he saw hell yawning before him with Satan, Caiphas and the others who slew Christ in the abyss. He was ex- horted to repent, but was unable to do so and died in his sins. (43) Saint Pelagia : In Antioch lived a woman called Dame Pelagia who was a harlot of such fame that she attracted dukes, earls and barons from many towns, and other men from all nations. Now the archbishop of that city made a great assembly of bishops. It happened that they met in a public place where they spoke of the needs of the soul. As they sat there Pelagia rode by to show her beauty to the multitude. She was richly clad and followed by a crowd of men, young and old. When they saw her all the bishops covered their eyes with their hoods except one who gazed long upon her to the great wonder of his fellows who esteemed him holy. At length he began to weep and counselled the bishops concerning her, confessing that he had almost been led astray. That night he dreamed that as he was singing mass he saw a black and stinking bird fly about his head, that while he was going homeward he saw the bird again and cast it into a stone basin filled with water, whence it came out white as snow and flew towards heaven. The next day, while he was preaching, Pelagia came to the church to show her beauty, but she was so moved that, to the wonder of the people, she began to weep for her sins. Later she sent the bishop a letter praying for the love of Christ that she might come to him to learn how to leave her sin. He sent word that she might see him but only in the presence of the other bishops. This she did and fell at his feet begging his pity. He told her that she could only be received into the church if sponsors would stand for her. At this she cried out the more and told of her penitence. So all the bishops sent word to the bishop of the city, who sent a prioress called Romayne to be sponsor at the baptism. St. Nomnus asked Pelagia her name. She said Pe- lagia by right, though men called her Margaret for her beauty. She NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 83 made confession of her sins, was baptized, and placed in the care of the prioress. That day as they all sat together at a feast they heard groans and weeping — the devil lamenting for the souls which he had lost that day in Eliopolis. At the sign of the cross made by Pelagia he flew away but returned to her on the third night and again lamented his loss. On the morn, after she had called her servants together and given them a thousand gold bezants, she brought her wealth to Nom- nus and bade the saint distribute it all in alms. That same day she put off her good clothing and in the night escaped secretly to the Mount of Olives. There she lived in a little house as a man and was known as Pelagius. Now the bishop had a clerk named John who asked leave to go to Jerusalem on pilgrimage. The bishop, knowing through the Holy Ghost where Pelagia had gone, gave the clerk per- mission and told him to enquire after Dan Pelagius. The clerk soon came to Jerusalem and heard of the holy hermit, whom he visited but did not recognize, though Pelagia knew him. He told her of Nomnus, and she asked for the prayers of that holy man, then barred again her doors. Two days later the clerk returned and found her dead. He spread the news, and when the other hermits came to wash the body they found that Pelagius was a woman. Then he knew that it was indeed Pelagia, and praising God he returned to tell the news at home. The source of the Pelagia legend is a life of the saint by Jacobus Diaconus, who represents himself as the disciple who found her living at Jerusalem as Pelagius. Printed inAcfa Safict., Oct., tom. IV., die 8, p. 262. Pelagia' s date is 290 A.D. Dr. Horstmann, Uber Osbern Bokenam, p. 3, has the following note upon Pelagia and the related legend : '■ ' Die mythischen sind entweder durch Umwandlung antiker Gottheiten und Mythen in christliche Heilige und Legenden entstanden : wie (nach Useners Annahme, in s. Legenden der Pelagia, 1879) die an der kleinasiatis- chen Kiiste auftauchenden hh. Pelagia, Marina, Margarita, Pelagia, Eugenia, Theodora alle nur Metamorphosen der asiat. Aphrodite (Aphr. pelagia, Venus marina) sind, oder wie die Siebenschlafersage aus dem Kabylenkultus abgeleitet scheint. ' ' The legend of Marina is given in the present collection as Mawryne (no. 16). To the list in Horstmann should be added Porphyria who became Pelagia. Vita Johan. Elymosinarii, in Vitce Patrum (Migne, Pair. Curs. Lat., LXXIIL, col. 377). It bears some resemblance to the Thaisis legend (see no. 34). 84 G. H. GEROULD The Pelagia legend is found in Jacobus a Voragine, Lege7ida Aurea, cap. CL. (ed. Graesse, p. 674). In this version the order of events is somewhat different. There is no assembly of bishops ; the good bishop is called Veronus of Heliopoleos (or Damieta) ; the abbess Romana is not mentioned nor any sponsor, and the letters between Pelagia and the bishop are differently arranged. This version appears again in Jean de Vignay's translation, fol. 195(a), and in Caxton's Golden Legend. In English there is also the free and somewhat expanded paraphrase in Barbour' s Lege7id Collection (ed. Horstmann, II., p. 74; Metcalfe, II., p. 204). The Met. Horn, legend does not belong to this group, however, and probably comes directly from the life by Jacobus Diaconus. This is proved by likeness in order as well as by similarity in names. Nonnus of the original becomes Nomnus, and Romana Romayne. To the same group belongs the Pelagia of An Old English Marty ro logy (ed. Herzfeld) where it is told for Oct. 19. Also in Caxton's Vitas Patrum, fol. 62. (44) The Knight who forgave his Enemy : There was once a knight who slew another in combat and held him- self in a castle to avoid the son of the latter who had sworn vengeance. On a Good Friday he saw the folk going barefoot to church, and he determined to go forth himself. " * Haue I,' he saide, 'no lyfe hot ane.' " Soon he met his enemy, who lay in wait, and in answer to the re- proaches of the young knight he fell to his knees crying mercy for the love of Christ. Moved by the appeal the knight not only forgave his father's slayer, but kissed him and went with him to the church. At the mass he was courteous and put the old knight first in making offer- ing to the cross. When at length he knelt devoutly to kiss the image, the figure on the rood embraced and kissed him. So he and all the people praised God. This well-known legend, which appears in several forms, probably was first connected with the life of San Giovanni Gualberto, the founder of Vallombrosa, who lived in the nth century. Two early biographers, Beato Andrea, Abbate Strumensi, and Attone gave the legend in its first form. Acta Sanct., Jul., tom. III., die XII. (re- printed by Migne, Fatr. Curs. Lat., CXLVI., col. 667 and col. 765). A Florentine noble in the time of Emperor Henry, Gualbertus by name, had two sons, Ugo and Johannes. The latter was especially NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 85 loved by all. A certain man killed " quemdam propinquum ejus." One day this man met Johannes in a narrow way on a hill -slope, and in fear leaped from his horse to kneel at the feet of the knight. Crav- ing pardon he made the sign of the cross with his arms. This moved Johannes' pity, who allowed the enemy to go in peace. Later he went into a church, where the crucifix bent his head to show approval. The Commentariics in Acta Sanct., p. 311, says that the Breviai'ium Romanitin and later writers speak of Ugo as having been killed and of the pardon taking place on Good Friday. It suggests that these changes were brought about by the influence of Petrus Damianus (see Migne, Pair. Curs. Lat., CXLV., col. 654), who has the story of a man who killed another of higher rank than himself. He was pursued by the son of the slain with thirty followers. He himself had but five attendants and so begged for mercy by the cross which he made. Here the image in a church not far off bowed three times. From this to the later versions the changes were easily made. The tale appears in Caesar von Heisterbach, Dial. Mirac, dist. VIII., cap. XXI., beginning ''Temporibus nostris in provincia nostra." The events run thus : A murderer was pursued and pardoned by the son of his enemy. The young knight shortly afterwards crossed the sea on a crusade, and when he entered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the crucifix bowed to him. Etienne de Besan^on reproduces this version exactly in Alph. Narr., MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 15913, fob 56(a), re- ferring to Caesarius and placing the events in Theutonia. The version of Jacob' s Well, chap. XL. (ed. Brandeis, p. 252) also refers to Caesarius and Theutonia but here the ending is the more common one of the Met. Horn. The image said : "■ ])0u forjyue ])is kny^t ]n faderis deth for my loue & kyssed hym ; per-fore I for jeue ])e alle ]n synnes & kysse ]>e. " The German version, in VaMli's Schimpf und Er?ist (ed. Oesterley), no. 692, lays the scene in Florence and gives the form of popular tradition where the brother was slain and they went arm-in-arm to church of " Sancti Ameniati." John Herolt in the XIV. century gave two Latin versions : one in Sermones de Tempore, no. 130, where the young knight met the elder going to church unarmed, though he had not previously been able to find him; another in Prompt. Exemp. I, ex. 16, referred to Guliel- mus. In the latter, perhaps from a recollection of the Burgundian hero, the man slain was named Guntherus. His brother, who is not named, had set out on a pilgrimage with a great company and unex- 86 G. H. GEROULD pectedly encountered the murderer. Three times the noble, urged on by his followers, was on the point of killing his brother's foe but at length pardoned him. That day as he knelt three times before a crucifix the image each time bowed to him. Only a holy man saw who questioned the knight and learned the good deed he had done. Most like the version of the Met. Hoi7i., is that of William of Wad- ington and Robert of Brunne (ed. Furnivall, p. 120). This is the only other example I have found where the slayer held himself in his castle and only went out on Good Friday. According to this account the knight had remained for twelve months in his " best castel. " The image took his arm off the cross to embrace the young knight. Either the French treatise or its translation is the probable immediate source of our tale. A curious variant of the legend is told by Roger of Wendover, Chronica (ed. Hewlett, HI., p. 22). A vassal of King Richard was caught hunting in the domain of the King, New Forest, and was ban- ished the realm. Reduced to beggary he entered a church in Nor- mandy where Richard was worshipping. He bowed humbly before the cross, and every time he knelt the image' bowed his head. The King saw this and asked the man what he had done to merit such honour. The knight narrated that in youth he had lost his father, and when he grew up he pursued the murderer. The latter avoided him till Good Friday when he went unguarded to church. The young knight overtook him at a wayside cross, but pardoned him when he embraced the cross and promised to build a chapel there for the vic- tim's soul. So when he heard the story Richard too was merciful and restored the knight to his lands. (45) St. Gregory and Trajan's Soul : Trajan w^as an emperor of Rome, who, though he lived and died a heathen, was a good man. Many winters afterward Gregory, the Pope of Rome, passed before the emperor's gate and wept that such a good king should have gone to hell. So great was his pity, that he prayed before the high altar that the soul of Trajan might be brought out of hell. As he prayed, he fell asleep and heard an angel say that Christ had granted his prayer but that he must never again pray for those who had gone to hell. This legend of Gregory the Great is told in the life of the saint by Johannes Diaconus, H., 44 (Migne, Pair. Curs. Lat., LXXV., coL 104). Other references are these : NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 87 Jacobus a Voragine, Legenda Au?-ea, cap. XLVI. (ed. Graesse, p. 196). Paraldus, Summa Virt. ac Vit., lib. I., pars II., tract. II., cap. IV. (fol. 17(a)). Etienne de Besan^on, Alph. Narr., MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 159 13, fob 65(a). Henry of Huntingdon, Hist. Anglorum, I., 25 (ed. Arnold, p. 23). Flores Historiarinn, I., 283 (ed. Luard, I., p. 291). La Vie de S. Gregoire par Frere Angier (ed. Meyer, Rom., XII., p. 186). Secreta Secretorum, ed. Steele, p. 169. ( 46 ) The Imprisoned Jews : God chose a people called the Jews for his own. They were des- cended from twelve brothers and received countless benefits from God, yet they forsook Him many times and as many times were punished. The King of Babylon had many Jews in his realm, and for their wick- edness he drove them into a wilderness surrounded by high hills and commanded that they should never come out. Many winters after- ward King Alexander who had conquered the world came there. The Jews prayed him that they might have leave to come out. He asked them, as books tell us, why they were shut up in the hills. A man answered that they had forsaken their God who had done more for them than for any other people. When Alexander heard this he com- manded that walls of masonry be built so that the Jews should never get out. But what was built by day fell down by night. Seeing this Alexander prayed that God would bring the hills together to make high walls. North, south, east, and west the hills were bound together by his prayer, so that nothing but flying fowl can escape. There the Jews shall remain till Doomsday, when they will go out to slay Chris- tians and receive Antichrist, thinking him the true Christ. For the history of this Christian legend grafted upon the oriental romances of Alexander the Great, see Noldeke, Beitrdge zur Geschichte des Alexanderro7na7ts, 1890; Budge, The History of AIexa?ider the Great, 1889, and The Life and Exploits of Alexander the Great, 1896, and Paul Meyer, Alexandre le Grand dans la litterature fran- gaise du Moyen Age, 1886. All the legendary tales of Alexander are based upon the Greek his- tory falsely attributed to his companion, Callisthenes. The pseudo- Callisthenes lived not later than 200 A. D., and was probably an 8S G. H. GEROULD Egyptian.^ The Christian legend, of which the story of the Caspian gates forms a part, is found in the metrical discourse of Jacob of SerGgh (J52i)^ in Syraic,^ to whom it owes its main character, especially the use of biblical names. A prose Syriac version printed by Budge, Hist, of Alex., was somewhat earlier than this but was written by some one who knew the inroads of the Huns into Europe in the fifth century, because they replace the people of Gog and Magog of the earlier version. Both these works are '' based upon the twenty- ninth chapter of the third book of Pseudo-Callisthenes. ' ' * An Ethiopic version is inserted into the romance in that tongue printed by Budge, Life afid Exploits. Various other references in Greek and oriental writings are given by Budge, Noldeke, and Meyer, but in all of these the wall is made against the Huns or the forces of Gog and Magog. The reference in Josephus is the only one which need be mentioned here, since Josephus is cited as authority by Petrus Comestor (f 1 1 78) . The latter follows, however, the more distinctly Christian form of Jacob of Serugh in his account found in the Historia Scholastica, lib. Esther, cap. .V. (Migne, Fat7\ Curs. Lat:, CXCVHI., col. 1498); and his is the indirect original, at all events, of our version. The second part of the story as related by Peter and the author of Met. Horn, is also given by Vincent of Beauvais, Spec. Hist., lib. IV., cap. 43 ; by Holkot, Opus sup. Sap. Salomonis, lect. CXCVHI.; and in Flores Hist., ed. Tuard, I., p. 65. The version more common in western Europe was that based upon the tenth century translation of Pseudo-Callisthenes by the Neapolitan Archbishop Leo, the Historia Alexandri Magni de Proeliis. This appears in the- French romance in alexandrines, where after conquer- ing Gog and Magog Alexander encloses them in the mountains of ''Tus" whither they had fled.^ Meyer regards '^Tus" as a corrup-. tion of ^ ' mons Caspius " or ' ' mons Imaiis. ' ' ® We find two English references to this version : Wulfstan, ed. Napier, p. 84, variant to line 12, in homily from MS. Bod. NE. F. IV. 12 ; and The Wars of Alexander, ed. Skeat, p. 270. 1 Budge, Hist, of Alex., p. Ixxvii. 2 Noldeke. ^ Given in trans, by Budge, Hist, of Alex., p. 163 fif. < Budge, Hist, of Alex., p. Ixxvii. 5 Meyer, II., p. 386 fif. 6 11., p. 389. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 89 (47) Tarsilla, Gordiana and Emiliana : Gregory says that his father had three sisters who wished to be in rehgion. The eldest was named Tarsilla, the second Gordiana and the youngest Emiliana, who was held to be fair. A bishop gave them their nun's garb and taught them how to lead a holy life. They dwelt together in their own house. Tarsilla and Emiliana served God faith- fully, but Gordiana became an evil woman. She loved to walk in the streets, to play and to sing, but she thought it wearisome to talk of holy things. Her sisters were made sorrowful on her account and reproved her, but to no purpose. She gave all her life to pleasure and longed to marry. After many years God wished to take Tarsilla from the woe of the world and in her sleep sent Felix, who had been Pope in his lifetime, to warn her. Soon after she died. Thereafter she appeared to Emiliana calling her to heaven. When both her sisters were dead, Gordiana stood in awe of no one and took a husband, thus breaking her covenant with God. This story probably came directly to our author from the works of Gregory the Great, where it is told in the same form. Homilia, lib. II., 38 (Migne, Pair. Curs. Lat., LXXVL, col. 1290). The story of Tarsilla' s death is also found in the Dialogues, lib. IV., cap. XVI. (Migne, LXXVIL, col. 348). The Felix mentioned is Felix III. (see note to 'the above, col. 348). The author of the Speculum Morale relates the story but is not the source of our version, because he expressly states that Gordiana married her steward (custos agrorum suorum). Spec. Mor., lib. III., dist. XXXVI., pars X. (48) The Despised but Holy Nun : St. Basil tells us of a nunnery where dwelt a woman who was en- tirely given up to God but who was conj^dered evil by her companions because of her heavy countenance. They scorned her, called her *' oule & vgly thyng," and made her do all the menial tasks of the con- vent. A holy hermit lived near by to whom God said that a woman lived in the nunnery far holier than he, and bade him go there in the morning. Thither he went and was well received by the nuns. He asked that all the nuns be called together, and when they were gathered he said that he missed the one on whose account he had come. They said that none lacked except a woeful wight who was unworthy to be seen. He asked, nevertheless, that she be brought, and when she had come he fell to his knees before her. She in turn bowed before him. 90 G. H. GEROULD The nuns reproved him for kneeling to such a foul thing. But he told them of his message from God, so that they all fell down and asked the woman's forgiveness. She prayed God to forgive them but soon fled away by night from the place and was never heard of more. We be- lieve that God took her into paradise. Though this legend is referred to St. Basil by our author, it really comes from Heraclides Paradisus, cap. XXI. (Migne, Fair. Curs. Lat.^ LXXIV., col. 299). The hermit Piterius was sitting in Porphyrite when an angel appeared and told him to go to the convent of Taben- nensiotae, where lived the holy sister. It is also found in Palladius, cap. XLI. (see Migne, LXXIV., par. 938) ; in the Alph. Narr., of Etienne de Besan^on, MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 15913; and in Jacobus Well, chap. XII. (ed. Brandeis, p. 81). The latter two versions refer to Heraclides. All of them give the name of the hermit, which leaves the immediate source of our version conjectural though Etienne seems the most probable authority (see nos. 33 and 45). (49) The Backbiting Monk : There was a monk prone to backbiting. Though he bore monk's garb he was never monk in deed. At length he died. Afterwards another monk was praying one night in the cloisters for the quick and the dead. As he went about he saw a grinning monk sitting there who cut his tongue into morsels and ate it. This he did -many times, and when he put out his tongue it glowed like hot iron. The monk who saw this hideous sight was frightened but yet conjured the other to tell him what he was. The woeful wight answered weeping and told his name. He said that he suffered this pain because he was wont to speak ill of his fellows behind their backs, and that he must ever re- main in hell. When he had so spoken he disappeared. The legend of the back -biting monk has two forms, that of the Met. Horn, where he was punished after death, and another where his tor- ment began before he died. The second form seems to be the earlier, which a love for the marvellous changed into the more sensational version. According to Thomas Cantipratanus, who was suffragan bishop of Cambrai in the second half of the 13th century, we are to believe that the story originated with him. He says {^Bomwi Univ. de Apibus, ed. 1627, p. 389) : " Huius rei vindictam horribilem valde & mirabilem vidi. Novi ordine, non re ; nomine, non actibus sacerdotem, etc. ' ' He proceeds with the version where the monk was tortured before death. The same is given in Spec. Mor., lib. III., NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 9 1 dist. I., pars IV., and by John Herolt, Prompt. Exemp., D, ex. XI. In the former the event is said to have happened in England. The mystical version of the Met. Horn, is found also in William of Wadington, Le Manuel des Fechiez, and Robert of Brunne's Hand- lyng Synne (ed. Furnivall, p. 113). William says that the event happened in England and that he knows the place, though he won't tell what it is. Robert translated this statement. Though there are differences of detail between this version and ours and though that of the treatise is longer, it seems probable that this is the source whence the author of the Met. Horn, took the legend. The Latin version of John Bromyard, Sunima Prcedicantium, D, VI., 29, has this form, but it was not written till the second half of the 14th century. (50) The Story of Esther : Biblical. (51) The Widow's Candle: A widow so loved Our Lady that she had made a chapel where she heard a mass each day. Once while her priest was gone Candle- mas came round. She was sad because she could have no mass and made her prayer alone in the chapel. There she fell asleep before the altar and dreamed that she was brought into a church whither came a great company of maidens with a lady. They sat down and were followed by men young and old. A clerk brought candles and gave them to all, even to her. Then entered two clerks bearing tapers and after them subdeacons and deacons followed by Christ in the robes of a mass-priest. A Coftfiteor was said, and afterward the mass. When the offertory came the lady offered her taper, and after her the others. But the widow would not give hers up. Then Our Lady sent word that she did wrong to keep the priest so long before the altar. She answered that she would never give up what God had sent her. The Lady commanded the messenger to take it by force. Yet the widow held fast, so that the candle broke between them, and she started out of sleep having the candle tightly elapsed in both hands. She thanked God and treasured the candle till her death when it was given to an abbey, where it works miracles. Jacobus a Voragine, Legenda Aurea, cap. XXXVII. (ed. Graesse, p. 165) has this story with one or two differences. He gives as an alternative reason why the lady did not hear mass, that she had given all her clothes to the poor and could not go to church. There is a distinction between her church and her private chapel. Also the saints Vincent and Lawrence are named as attending Christ in the 92 G. H. GEROULD dream. This version is also found in MS. Brit. Mus. Arund. 506, fol. 52, and MS. Brit. Mus. Harl. 2316, fol. 18. More like the Met. Horn, tale and its probable original (or a form parallel with that original) is the version of Jean Mielot in his Miracles de Nostre-Dame, no. 6 (ed. Warner, p. 9). (52) The Prioress who was Miraculously Delivered : As the prioress of a nunnery was going about the needs of her abbey one day, she found before the gate a little female child. She took pity on the foundling and reared her. At length she made her a nun and loved her heartily. Indeed, she loved all her spiritual daughters and kept them from folly. For this she was loved by the good nuns but hated by the fools. The fiend had envy of her for her goodness and tempted her to lust, so that at last she fell into sin with her steward and conceived of him. She confided her trouble in the foundling whom she had reared, enjoining her to secrecy. This the nun prom- ised, and proposed to the lady that when the child was born she should do away with it and bury it in the garden. So it was agreed. But the nun was false and betrayed the abbess to the bishop, who was made sad, because he had thought the prioress a good woman. The nuns, too, heard of her deed, and some were sorry but others were glad and sent letters to the bishop. He appointed a day to hear the case. When the day came the abbess was great with child and near delivery. That night she remained waking and praying in her chapel, with tears beseeching Our Lady to help her. Finally for weariness she fell asleep before the altar. Then came Our Lady and reproved her for her folly, but delivered her of a male child while she slept. Mary placed the infant in an angel's arm and bade him bear it to a hermit who lived more than seven miles away, and to tell the hermit that he should baptize and rear it. Then Mary disappeared ; and the prioress woke and remained in prayer all the night. In the morning came the bishop and his clergy to give judgment. The bishop sent women to examine the prioress who were sworn to tell the truth. They found her a virgin. Then the bishop was angry with the nun who had given information and bade that she be burned. To save her the prioress told the bishop secretly all the truth. He sent to the her- mit and found the child. When the boy was seven years old the bishop made him a good scholar, and he became the bishop's successor. This conte devot is very well known, but appears nowhere else, so far as I know, in the same form. The incident of the foundling nun NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 9^ is either an invention of our author or something which he found in his immediate original, whether written or oral. Not one of the twenty other examples contain it. The ordinary course of the tale is this : An abbess, tempted by the devil, sins with a youth connected with her convent. The nuns who hate her write to the bishop. On the night before an intended examination she is miraculously delivered and the child sent to a hermit. The examination is triumphantly concluded and the wicked nuns forgiven after the abbess' secret confession. The trait which varies most uniformly in all the representatives is the form of examination to which the abbess was subjected. Though only a minor point it furnishes a clue to the proper arrangement of the stories. The examiners were either : (A) two clerks (usually suc- ceeded by the bishop himself) ; or (B) women whom the bishop had brought with him ; or (C) form not specified. A. In this group the bishop',s name is usually given as Antistes. It includes eleven representatives : Vincent of Beauvais, Spec. Hist., lib. VII., cap. 86. (Probably the earliest version here mentioned. ) Etienne de Besan^on, Alph. Narr., A, MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 159 13, fol. 3(b), referred to Mariale Magnum.^ Exempla de Beata Vi7'gine, no. 39 (mentioned by Mussafia, I., p. 30 as no. ^5), MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 18134, fol. 148(a). Exempla, no. 2, MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 5267, fol. 3(b). - 55, - - - - 14463, fol. 39(a). '' " I, " '' '' " 17491, fol. 42(b). - - - - 2333A, fol. 34(b). Liber de Mir aculis, Potho (ed. B. Pez., no. 2)^^- Latin Stories, ed. Wright, no. 38, p. 38 (from MS. Brit. Mus. Harl. 2316, fol. 6). Jean Mielot, Miracles de Nostre-Daine, no. 50 (ed. Warner, p. 44) (bishop not named). Provencal version, translation of ordinary Latin type, ed. J. Ulrich in Rom., VIII., p. 20 ff. as no. 8 in his collection of exempla from MS. Addit. 17920 in Brit. Mus. Also a miracle-play of early 15th century (according to P. Paris) contained in MS. Bibl. Nat. fran. 819, fol. 14(a), appears to belong to this group. ^ For a discussion of this work, now lost, and its attribution to Alexander de Hales, see Hist. Litt. de la France, XVIII., p. 321 (art. by Petit-Radel). 94 G. H. GEROULD B. Most of the representatives of this group are in French, but the Met. Horn, version belongs to it. The number of women varies con- siderably, though five is the favorite number. The group has seven members which I have examined : Miraciila Virginis, MS. Harl. 2316, fol. 7(b), (the only Latin ver- sion). Gautier de Coincy (from MS. Harl. 4401, fol. 45(b)), ed. Ulrich, Zeitschrift f. r. FhiL, VI., p. 334 (not printed by I'Abbe Po- quet). Meon, Nouveau Recueil, II., p. 314. Mielot, Miracles de Nostre-Dame, no. 70 (ed. Warner, p. 73). (The three above are similar metrical versions, but independent.) Le Grand d'Aussy, Fabliaux ou Contes, V., p. 63 (an analysis of some French version, but not of one here mentioned). Miracles de la Vierge, no. 31, MS. Bibl. Nat. fran. 410, fol. 22(b). Met. Horn. The version from MS. fran. 410, though in 15th century prose and therefore far later not only than our version but also than any other here mentioned, has curiously enough a suggestion ef the foundling- nun story. That is, it states that the abbess was tempted to destroy her child, though by whom tempted it does not say. C. The five representatives which do not specify the form of exami- nation are simply, I think, shortened forms of A : Etienne de Bourbon, Anecdotes Hist. (ed. Lecoy de la Marche, p. 114). Miracula, no. 33, MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 5562, fol. 30(a). " '' 78, '' '' '' '' 12593, fol. 193(b). Johannes Junior, Scala Cell, fol. loi(a). Herolt, De Miractilis, B. V., ex. 25. Scala Cell refers again to the Mariale Magnum, and proves the connection with group A. To type A belongs also a story from MS. Balliol 240, no. 12 (re- ferred to by Mussafia, III., p. 29). It is, however, remarkable, as be- ing the only other version beside Met. Horn, which states that the abbess confided in a nun, here " little by little." The nun tells the archdeacon, the archdeacon the bishop. No mention is made as in the version of MS. fran. 410 and Met. H0771. of a plan to destroy the child. The existence of the nun in the original tale seems probable since she is found in both A and B. As will be seen our English version is, then, the most complete of any here treated. NORTH -ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 95 (53) Saint Alexis : In Rome was once a rich man named Eufemian whose wife was named Aglase. He was a senator and very rich. He had three thousand servants whom he clothed and fed daintily, and he was so charitable that he had always ready in his hall three boards, one for pilgrims, another for the poor, and a third for orphans. So they lived in wealth and holiness, and wanted nothing on earth but one. They had no child. At last God heard their repeated prayers and sent them a son. They gave thanks and christened the boy Alexis which means in our tongue, ' ' Manne fullfilled of gode thewes. ' ' The child grew and became both learned and holy. When he had arrived at man's estate his father arranged that he marry a fair maiden of the emperor's kin, and brought her to his house. There was a great bridal with mirth and feasting and rich gifts. The poor were not for- gotten, moreover. At length the bridal couple were put to bed. When all were gone out of the chamber Alexis preached to his bride of the blessedness of virginity, gave her jewels and also his gold ring, to be a token between them. He told her that he must go thence, into what land he could not tell. She replied meekly. He took silver and gold and rich clothing, and departed. Soon he found a ship and crossed the sea. He entered a city, changed his rich clothing for that of a beggar and fled fast away. For seven winters he lived as a beggar, clad in hair and eating only bread and water. When Eu- femian missed his son he wept, as also did the mother. They sent messengers into every land to seek Alexis. Two of these messengers came where he was sitting as a beggar in the street. They did not know him, he was so changed by penance and hunger, and they gave him alms as well as to the other poor men that they might pray for the discovery of Alexis. Alexis thanked God that he had received alms of his own servants. The messengers went home and made the father sorrow, the mother weep and tear her hair and lament in sackcloth. The young wife wept and declared that she would remain faithful to her lost husband. The city was called Edissa where Alexis lived in poverty. One day as he prayed before an image of Our Lady she came to him and commended his prayers. Another time she appeared to a sacristan in the church and bade him take in the poor man of God. The sacristan found many poor men and so prayed Our Lady to tell him what man she meant. The image answered him that he would find God's servant sitting among the poor men. So he found Alexis who was sad that his goodness had been discovered. The 96 G. H. GEROULD people heard of the miracle, and made Alexis sit in a fair seat, and spoke to him with fair words. He prayed to God in humility and on a dark night escaping from the city came to the town of Laodise. Thence he shipped for Tarsus where he wished to dwell in St. Paul's church. But God turned the winds and sent the ship to Rome. Alexis met his father coming from the church and prayed him, if he loved anyone gone on a pilgrimage, that he would give him help. Eu- femian was reminded of his son and so took the poor man into his house, and gave him a chamber where he could go and come as he pleased, and commanded his servants to obey him. Thus Alexis lived for seventeen winters in the strictest penance, and he suffered patiently the insults of the wanton boys of the house who tried to frighten him at night, pulled his beard, and cast upon him the dish-washings. At length God sent tidings to him that he should die. Alexis thanked God and asked for ink and parchment with which he wrote his life and how he had lived in beggary for thirty-four years. This writing he clasped in his hand and soon died. It was Palm Sunday, and the people were gathered in church when they heard a voice saying : ^' Comes all to me })t suffirs pyne." The people fell on their knees and sang the Kyrie Eleison and again the voice spoke, bidding them seek God's servant, who lay sick in the city. At that moment Alexis died. The people sought but did not find the man indicated by the voice. On Good Friday the Pope and his clergy went early to the church as did the two emperors and many lay folk. They all thought upon the voice, and the Pope bade them pray that they might find who was meant. So they did and at length heard a voice say that they should find in Eufemian's house the body of Alexis. At this all were glad, for there had been great woe at his loss. The Pope and clergy asked Eufemian who knew of no such man. So in procession they sought the holy body, as the book tells. Eufemian inquired of his servants if they knew such a man, but to no purpose till the boy who served Alexis came running to say that his master had died that morning and that he had done great penance. Eufemian ran to him, called, found him lying in rags but marvellously sweet in odor. His bed was all of little stones and he was clad in hair. Eu- femian told the Pope what he had found. The Pope addressed the body and took the parchment from its hand. He bade a clerk read it aloud. When this was done Eufemian began to weep and fell upon the dead body in sorrow. When Aglase heard the news she began to ' ' roupe and rare, ' ' and to lament. The Pope dressed the body NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 97 richly and commanded that it be borne to the church. But so great was the crowd of sick and halt that they could not make way. The wise men of Rome thought of wiles and strewed pennies in the street, but scarcely could they even then bring the corpse to the church of St. Boniface. There was built a rich shrine for Alexis, and all sick men are healed who approach it. The versions of the Alexis legend in various languages differ only in details ; but an exhaustive comparison of them would require a separate and prolonged study, owing to the long and complicated nature of the narrative. The best accounts of the history of the legend are to be found in Massmann, Sand Alexius Leben^ 1843 '■> ^- Kotting, Studien iiber altfranzosische Bearbeitungen der Alexiuslegende, 1890; Amiaud, La lege?tde syriaque de Saint Alexis, 1885 ; P. Miiller, Studien ilber drei dramatis che BearbeitungeJi der Alexiuslegende, 1888. The legend was exceedingly popular both in France and England. The original French metrical version of the nth century was after- wards changed and expanded. It has been repeatedly printed in one form or another. It originated, according to M. Gaston Paris, in Normandy. A critical text of the various forms has been published by MM. Paris and Pannier, Vie de Saint Alexis, 1887. See also Eine altfra?izdsiche Alexius Legende aus dejfi ij Jahrhundert, ed. J. Herz ; Altfranzosisches Obungsbuch, ed. Foerster and Koschwitz, I. , p. 102 ; Gaston Paris in Romania, VIII., p. 163; Stengel, La Can- gun de Saint Alexis. English Versions : There are six metrical versions in English, all of which have been printed including that from the Met. LLom. I. MSS. Horstmann, Herng^ s AreAiv, LI., p. loi. Laud 108, ed. \ Furnivall, Adam Davie* s Five Dreatns, etc., 1878. Horstmann, Herrig's Archiv, LVL, p. Vernon, ed. j 391. ^ Furnivall, as above. Naples, XIII. B. 29. ^ Durham, V. II. 14. ^ See Schipper, Die zweite Version, p. 232. 98 G. H. GEROULD (MSS. Laud, Vernon and Naples, ed. in crit. edition, Schipper, Alexius-legefiden, L, 1877.) II. MSS. Laud 463. Trin. Coll. Oxford 57. J III. MS. Laud 622, ed. Horstmann, ^Qxng^sArchiv, LVL, p. 401. Furnivall, as above, ed. \ Schipper, Die zweite Version der viittele ngl. A lexius - legen den^ 1887 (a crit. ed. of the two L MSS.). Furnivall, as above. Horstmann, Herrig's^r^/^/z/, LIX.,p. 79. IV. Barbour's Legend Collection, ed. Horstmann, p. 210; Met- calfe, I., p. 441. V. MS. Cott. Titus, A. XXVI. , ed. ' Furnivall, as above. Horstmann, Herrig's Archiv, LIX., p. 96. VI. Met. Horn., ed. from MSS. Ash. 42 and Camb. Gg, V. 31, by Horstmann, Altengl. Leg., Neue Folge, p. 174. The Barbour version follows the Legenda Aurea, cap. XCIV. (ed. Graesse, p. 403) very closely ; and the author of III. used the Latin life printed in Acta Sanct., Jul. IV., p. 238 ff., according to Kotting. Whether our version came from one of the redactions of the French metrical version or from a prose vita in Latin I am unable at present to decide. (54) Simon Magus : In the time of Peter there began to preach in Rome a false man called Simon Magus. He said that he was the son of God, and by witchcraft he restored men to life. Peter preached against him and made Simon angry. Then a man died and was brought into a public place that Peter and Simon might try their power in raising him to life. Whoever failed was to be slain. First Simon made his spell of witchcraft, and the head of the dead man stirred. Then the people would have slain Peter, but he bade them make Simon go away and they would see that the man was still dead. So it proved. Then Peter NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 99 commanded him in the name of Christ to rise and tell what he knew of Simon. The man rose and told them that Simon was in the service of Satan. Then the people would have slain Simon had not Peter prevented them. Yet Simon did not cease to plot against Peter. He tied up a savage dog to see if Peter dared unloose it. Unsuccessful in this he fled from Rome for a twelvemonth. On his return he went to Nero and said that he had suffered both from Peter and Paul. He showed his power by changing into many forms, and asked the em- peror to smite off his head that he might rise the third day and prove his godhead. To this Nero agreed and commanded his executioner so to do. Simon took a sheep's head and by enchantment made it like his own. He bribed the executioner to strike off the head in the dark, and so on the third day he appeared to Nero. Nero believed in him, but Peter and Paul said he was Satan. Then Simon accused them to the Emperor falsely as traitors. Brought before Nero Peter proved that Simon was full of treason and demanded that if he were God he should tell what Peter was thinking. The emperor said that this was reasonable. So Peter in private asked the emperor for a barley loaf and this he blessed. Then he asked Simon what he had said and •done. Simon at this was woeful and called for his angels to slay Peter. There came forth black dogs, but they fled from the hallowed bread. Peter taunted him that his angels were of dog nature. Simon was angry and said that he would show his power of flying. So Nero caused to be made a high wooden tower from which by fiendish art Simon flew into the air. Again Nero believed him, but Peter com- manded the fiends that bare him to let him fall. So Simon perished and his soul went to hell in thunder. But Nero in wrath commanded that Paul be beheaded and Peter crucified. This was done, Peter's cross at his own request being turned upside down. This curious legend of Simon and the apostles, which reads like an account of a juggling contest, belongs to the earliest cycle of ecclesias- tical legends. For the development of the tale in the apocryphal his- tory of the apostles, see Lipsius, Die apocryphen Apostelgeschichten unci Apostellegenden, 1883-90, I., 126 ff. ; U., 28 ff. , 284 ff., etc., where the early versions are treated at great length. M. Foerster, Vber die Que lien von y^ /fries Honiilice Cathoiicc^, i legenden, 1892, p. 18 ff., makes a useful division of the Latin versions, (i) The re- suscitation of the man and the subjugation of the savage dog is repre- •sented by a letter of pseudo-Marcellus to the brothers Nereus and lOO G. H. GEROULD Achilles found in Acta Sanct., Mai 12, III., 9. (2) The other events are included in what is usually called Passio Petri et Pauli, printed in Anonyini Philalethi Eusebianiin vitas miracula passionesque apostolorum rhapsodicBy Koln, 1531 (see Lipsius, II., 284). These versions must have been welded by the loth cent., since they are found in the combined form in ^^Ifric, Homili(B Catholicce, ed., Thorpe I., 370. Though it is possible that he joined the two versions, it appears more probable that he simply translated a Latin version which had previously welded the two. The earlier versions in Eng- lish of Wulfstan, ed. Napier, p. 98, and of the Blickliiig Ho77iilies, ed. Morris, p. 171, are simply free renderings of the Passio men- tioned above. ^ It is probable that our version was taken from the Legenda Aurea, cap. LXXXIX. (ed. Graesse, p. 371), with which it agrees in all essentials. I can find no evidence that the compiler knew ^Ifric, and he certainly knew Jacques de Voragine. Simon's melodramatic end is similar to that of an evil-doer, of whom it is related in the life of St. Patrick by Jocelyn (end of the 12 th cent.), and in that attributed toBede, that he was raised from the ground by devils, but was dashed down and killed by the prayer of the saint. See San Marte, Die Sagen von Merlin, p. 51. This is, of course, a case of " grafting." (55) The Wise Son: A certain knight had two sons. One of them was fond of hunting and followed his father to the war. The other loved learning and was very holy. During the knight's absence the latter entered a monas- tery and became a monk. His father in great anger led a force against the abbey and swore to destroy it unless his son were given up. In alarm the abbot besought the monk to go out and appease his father. So the young man went forth and promised to leave the monastery if one custom of the land were changed. The knight asked what this was. The young man said he meant the custom that both young and old should die. The father was so moved by this that he left the world and became a monk. By Etienne de Bourbon, Anecdotes Hist. (ed. Lecoy de la Marche, p. 58) this story is told of a lord of Vignori, who had a son, a soldier, who heard the soldiers of God singing as he passed Clairvaux. The 1 Foerster, p. 18, note. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION lOI editor says concerning Vignori in a note, *'Sans doute, Vignory (Haute-Marne)." Other versions are : MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 18134, fol. 206(a), as no. 80 oi Exempla ascribed to Jacques de Vitry. MS. Bibl. Nat. lat. 15913, fol. 25(a), Alph. Narr. of Etienne de Besangon. MS. Brit. Mus. Add. 26770, fol. 78(b), as no. 34 of a collection ascribed to Jacques de Vitry. Early English Versions of Gesta Rofti., ed. Herrtage, p. 364. Our version was doubtless taken from the Alph. Narr. or from the pseudo-Jacques de Vitry. I02 G. H. GEROULD SUMMARY OF SOURCES USED BY THE COMPILER OF THE COLLECTION. It must be confessed that this study of the sources of the North- English homilies has led to less definite positive results than was hoped. Little light has been thrown on the method of compilation of the col- lection as a whole, and less on the authorship. The negative results are somewhat greater and, by paradox, lead to certain conclusions which are scarcely disputable. The author of the original collection, with which alone I have concerned myself, has been shown to have been no mere compiler or translator. The former fact is proved by a comparison of many individual tales with their probable originals, where the narrator's naive skill has heightened the effect of the story he was telling, or where he has adapted a plot to suit his purpose as in the case of no. 38. That he was not a mere translator is pretty clearly shown, moreover, by the comparatively large number of works which contain the originals or close analogues of his tales. In presenting the following table of results I make no claim to abso- lute accuracy, since dogmatic statements in such matters are at best unsafe ; but I think that it may be trusted to show the originality of the first compiler and the range of his knowledge. Sources. No. I. Biblical. No. 2. Some collection of Mary legends. No. 3- Biblical. No. 4- Some collection of Mary legends. No. 5- Life of St. Martin. No. 6. Vitce Patrum. No. 7. VitcE. Patrum. No. 8. None found. No. 9- Biblical. No. 10. Legenda Aiirea. No. II. Life of St. Thomas. No. 12. Biblical. No. 13- Dialogus Miraculorum by Caesar von Heisterbach No. 14. Speculum Morale. No. 15- None found. NORTH-ENGLISH HOMILY COLLECTION 1 03 No. 16. Life of St. Marina. No. 17. Legenda A urea. No. 18. Life of St. Eustace. No. 19. VitcE Patrum. No. 20. Legenda Aurea. No. 21. Legenda Aurea. No. 22. Legenda Aurea. No. 23. F//^ Patrum. No. 24. Speculum Morale. No. 25. Life of St. Martin. No. 26. ^'/^ Patrimi. No. 27. Zz/"^ of St. Edmund. No. 28. Some collection of exempla. No. 29. Some collection of exempla (or possibly Nicole de Bozon). No. 30. Biblical. No. 31. Nicole de Bozon (?). No. 32. Summa Virtutum ac Vitiorum by Paraldus. No. 33. Alphabetum Narrationum by Etienne de Besan^on. No. 34. Vitce Patrmn. No. 35. Collection of exempla ascribed to Jacques de Vitry. No. 36. Biblical. No. 37. VitcB Patrum. No. 38. A YxQiich. fabliau. No. 39. Life of St. Theophilus. No. 40. Collection of exempla, or Wilham de Wadington (?). No. 41. VitcB Patrum, Speculum Morale, or Paraldus. No. 42. Llomilia of Gregory the Great. No. 43. Life of St. Pelagia. No. 44. Manuel des Pechiez by Wilham de Wadington (?). No. 45. Legenda Aurea, Paraldus, or Etienne de Besan^on. No. 46. Romance of Alexander (ecclesiastical version in Latin). No. 47. LLomilia of Gregory the Great. ^I»? ...18. Etienne de Besan^on. Wilham de Wadington. Bibhcal. Some collection of Mary legends. Some collection of Mary legends. Life of St. Alexis. Legenda Aurea. Exempla ascribed to Jacques de Vitry, or Etiennede Be«:^" No. 49- No. 550- No. 51- No. 52. No. /53. No., '54. No/ 55- \ 1 / S?^''^ O*" CONGRESS 013 978 938 6 104 G. H. GEROULD For two tales (nos. 8 and 15) no originals or analogues have been found. In the case of two others (nos. 41 and 45) it is impossible to decide between a trio of similar stories as to which are the originals. Seven narratives were taken from the Bible, and an equal number from the VitcB Patrui7i. Independent lives of individual saints supplied the material for nine. Collections of Mary legends furnished four and anonymous collections of Latin exempla three or possibly five (see nos, 40 and 55). Six came from Jacobus a Voragine's Legenda Aurea, and two or three (see no. 55) from Etienne's Alphabetum Narrationum. Two came from the Speculum Morale, falsely ascribed to Vincent of Beauvais, a like number from Gregory's Homilia, and two or three (see no. 40) from the French of Wilham de Wadington. One was taken from each of the following sources : Caesar von Heisterbach, Paraldus, Nicole de Bozon (?), a Yxench. fab Haze, and the Alexander cycle. Altogether, excluding the Bible and counting each saint's biography by itself, twenty-two different works are represented in the compilation. This is a large number for one man to use at that day, especially in the compilation of a popular didactic work ; but it must be remembered that the writer was probably a member of one of the rich monastic establishments of the North with considerable stores of books at his command. Moreover, from the changes made it is safe to say that the author sometimes wrote from memory and perhaps from oral tradition rather than from reference to books. Certainly he was neither very learned nor a man of great literary skill. The following passage from the prologue well illustrates the putpose and achievement of the work : Forthi will I of my pouerte Shewe some thinge I haue in hert, On ynglihsse tonge )>at all maye Vnderstand what I will saye. For lewid men base mare mistere Goddes worde for to here |>an clerkes ))t }>aire merour lokes, K seese how J?ai sail Hue in bokes. And bathe clerkes & lawde man ' Ynglihs vndirstand can \>i was born in yngelande And lange has bene j^are in wonande ; Bot all men can nojt I wisse Vndirstand latyne ne frankisse. (From MS. Ashmole 42, fol. i b, vv. 5 9-72. } \