<fol. 16v>Chyrche yn the wurschyp of Sant steuyn yt is callyd
goddys holy martyr yt suffurd dethe for cryst sake
Aftur yt cryst styet up to euen yan to youre deuocoun
styr ye more to yis holy Martyr yt suffred dethe for crystes
sake as ye boke of ye apostul tellyth . When cryst
Was styet to heyuen yen ye apostullys tendyt all
to prechyng of goddys woord and to holy prayers dud
for . yey my3t+not all yt tendyt to ye Faythe yey cho
syn vj . holy men owt of sexty and x yt were crystes
dyscypuls to help hem yn goddys seruys of ye whnch
ye same steuen was the Furst And yur wysest and so ful
of grace and my3ht of ye holy gost yen he dyd mony
wundurs and myraculys yn ye pepull . But you3
he were neuer so holy a lyuer he had here mony enmys
Wher-fore mony Juwys of dyuersys cuntrys had enuy to ye
same stephen they resundyd agayns hym and sputet
wt hym a3ens crystyn faythe hauyng~ perposes yf yey
my3ht+not ouer-cum hym by dysputacouns by fals whycchys .
do hym to dethe but when sant steuyn knuwe yeyre
malys he tho3t to sese hym by on of yes iij ways . be
schamyng~ yn dysputacoun or be drede by reuelacoun . or .
by loue off holy Orysens Fyrst he sayd be schamyg~
yn dysputacoun for yey be-gan to speke wt hym And he
was so ful of ye holy gost yt yey had no wt nor no
Power to wt-stond hym but he ouer-cumme he~ yn al yeyr~
maters &~ preued her wytnes fals & sayd yt he Wos redy
to dye in uerefyyng~ al yt he sayd and ht was grete schame
to he~ yt wer~ clerkys & knuwe ye lane & ye profecyse yt schuld
comme & were fulfyld in ihesu crist yt he preched off and
<fol. 17r>And yet yey wold not Be-leue yn hym but all-way A3en-stode
ye holy gost yt speke yn hym and schewet hem yn her
conscyens that yey dyd amysse and yere as yey sauwe
the commyn pepull turne to the faythe for wurddys or for
myraculs . yt god schewyt alway yn theyre sy3t yey alway
agaynstode and set goddys wordys at no3t and not only
by malys off Enmys hertys and by many reson off scrip
ture yan were yey more angry agayn hym and fretyd yeyr@
hertys wt-yn-forthe and gnast wt yeyr~ tethe a3eynyst hym
and fretyt her-self and for yey my3ht+not ouer-cumme hym
by dysputacoun yey so3tyn yf yey my3ht take hem yn
Any woord of claundur yn god where-fore yey myhtt
laufully haue done hym to dethe Then knuwe sant
steuyn her malys and lyft up hys hyes to heyuen
And sau ihesu goddys sone stond at ys fadurs hand yen
sayd sant stephene~ loo . J se . ihesu stond at hys fadur
hond redy to help me and yerwt anon~ a hys face schon
as bry3ht as he hadde ben an Angell of heue~ But
whe~ yey herd hym speke yey full fayn were to stop
yeyre herys And yo3he yey had herd hym speke fals &
Schalaundur . yn god yt ht had ben to horebull to any
man to haue herd hym lye so Than~ anone yey druw
hym owt ye sete to stone hym wt stonys to dethe as
for a sclaundurer of god And schosen~ ij men yt best counth
cast stonys at hym and dyspoylyt hym of his clothys and
layd hem at ye Fete of a man~ wos callud Sale
yt aftur was sant paule For he was on of ye cheefe
yt stonet san . steuen to dethe but whan san . steuen
<fol. 17v>That he myht+not sesen hym by reuelacoun ya~ turned he
to deuowt oryson and yen yey castyt at hym stonys to
smyte+owt his brayne he cryde to god & sayd lord ihesu take
my sprete / And for he wold pray more deuowtly for his
enmys yen for hym-selfe he kneled downe to yt herthe And
sayd ihesu lord let ye sen of hem be for3euen And anon
When he sayd so he sclepyt yn god . then taketh hede
good men sychn a brennnyg~ he had yn hys saule yt pray
d more deuowtly for his dedly enmys yan he dyde
for hym-selfe Jn thys he gaffe an hye ensampull
to all cristen me~ and weme~ to haue charyte yche on
wt odur & to pray hertyly for yeyr~ enmys & for hem yt pur
sude you or dede you any dysese . For he yt prayth deuoutly
for hys enmys he is yan a martur For martyrdome fallyt
iij wyse yt is passyon and wylle yer-to wt wylle wyt
passyon by passyon wt-outyn wyll Jn scheuig~ of thes
iij marturdomys yes iij festys yt Suwen the byrthe off
cryst he schall be set re3t to ihesu cryst in heuen San
steue~ for he had passyon es next & wyll yerto San
John hade wylle but he was not slayne Jnnocentys
yey sufferd dethe yey had no wyll yus many on by martur
dam you3e he sched+not hys blode yt when hem suffurd wrang
or persecucoun of alle me~ and thankyt god yer-off And take
ht wt good wylle & prayed to god for hys enmys yn Ful
charyte . For martyrdam wt-owt~ charyte as paule sathn
profettes not wher~-for~ take goode hede and ye schal
Fynd yt yes iij were yn ful charyte san . steuen when
he schuld dye he knelet downe & for hys Enmys he
prayd san John when he yoode to his dethn he sad to hem
<fol. 18r>CHyldryn loue to-gedur And yt is yno3he Jnnocentes . For yey
where so yong~ yt yey cowthe+not speke they schewde her
loue by opun synnes for yey loughe on hem yt sloo hem
And playd wt her hondys than for encheson yt san ste
uyn wos so gloryus a martyr god scweud for hym many
myraculys off ye whychn yis is on / Ther~ was an honesty
woman and had viij sonnes and iij douters but yn a+mys
hap yn a day wrothe down ye modur so yt scho in grete
malys cursyd hem And anone for yt euyl . wyll . Vengans
Fell opon hem so yt ye memburs of hem whokyn so yt
see hem had gret ruth on hem and ruden hem gretly
And for yey my3t nat do not werke yey yode all
abowte ye Cuntre as nakyt bestys . Than ht happt
so yt on of ye bretherne yt he3t poule and a syster he3t
Pallida come yn-to chyrche of sant steue~ and whe~
yis man herd tel . how deuoutly san . steue~ prayed for
hys enmys yt scloe hem then he had ful trust yt he
wold pray so for hem And yen he wold be hys seruand
alway afftur . yt he schuld be hole and so in full
hope he yode yn-to ye chaunsell & wt his hert prayt
to san steuen and anone yn ye sy3t of all men he wos
hole and when ye systur sau ye brodur hole scho prayd
on the same wyse to san steue~ and yan as scho prayd
scho fell a-slepe and whan scho wakyt scho was all
hole and wt all her hert scho thankyd god & san steuen
Anodur myracull san Austen tellynth of a senatur
of Rome and hys wyffe yedyn to ierusalem and yer he
byld a chapell in wurschep of san steuen but
<fol. 18v>Long aftur but long aftur hys dethe hys wyfe wold goo a3eyn to
her aune cuntre and wold haue ye bonys of her husband wt her
And so wt prayer and wt gyftys ye byschap brou3t to her ye bonys
of san steue~ and also her husbandys bones . and sayd to her
J knaue not whyche ben ye bones of yi husband yen sayd scho
Ser y knaue well yyes ben ye bones of my maystur and scho
wyst+not whedur yey were so or nay . And whan scho
cam to ye see a . angell . song yn ye ayer and swet sauyr cam
owt of ye bones yt ht passyd any spycery And yan fyndys
cryden wo ys us for stouen yt bytturly brend us and
beth us & yer-wt rered suchn a+tempest yt ye schypmen w<?>nd
to haue ben drownnet yan yey cryed to san steuen &
anone he apered to hem & sayd be no3ht adrede and A
none the tempest cesyd yen ye fendys cryand sayd yu wyk
kyd prince owre maystur brene ye schyp . for steuen yt
ys oure aduersare is yer-in Than ye prince of fendys send
. v . fendys to haue brend ye schyp but yan was ye angel
of god redy & drounet hem yn ye see And whan yey
come to lond wt ye schyp Feendys cryden . goddys seruand
cummys yt was stonet to dethe wt ye wykkyd Jues / yen
yn ye wurchyp of san . steuen men made a chyrche & put
ye bones yer-in where god wro3ht mony marancls for hym