ABSTRACT
Good men and woymen, suche a day N. 3e schull haue Saynt Martynes day, and come to þe chyrche, and worschyp God and 4 Saynt Marteyne, þat ys aftyr þe apostoles holden þe holyest con-fessour þat ys yn holy chyrche. And þat ys knowen by þe gret myracles þat God hath schewed by hym, boþe yn hys lyfe and aftyr hys deth. Fyrst, when he was but xv 3ere old, as he rode 8 among oþer knyghtys and was not 3et folowed, he kyt his mantell || yn too partes, and 3af halfe to a pore man þat was naket. Wherfor 155 a yn þe nyght aftyr he saw Cryst clothyd yn þe same cloþe and sayde to hys angell by hym: ‘Martyn þat ys not 3et folowet haþe 12 clapyd me yn þys cloþe.’ Wherfor he was aftyr folowet, and laft all þe worlde occupacyon, and 3af hym all to holynes. Then as he 3ede by þe waye, þe fende mette hym yn lyckenes of a man, and askyd hym whedyr he wold; and he sayde whedyr þat God wold. 16 Then sayde þe fende: ‘Go whedyr þou wolt, I woll be þyn enmy yn all þyng þat I con oþer may.’ Þen sayde he: ‘God is 1 my helper, wherfor 2 I drede not what þat euer men do to me.’ Þen he lyuet so holy aftyr, þat he reyset þre mon from deth to lyue. 20 So for þe gret holynes of hym he was chosen byschop of Towres, and as men wern yn þe see negh to haue ben spyllet, on of hom þat knew þe holynes of hym cryet and sayde: ‘Seynt Martyne, helpe vs now!’ and anon þay werne holpen. And as he rode 24 abowte yn his vysytacyon, howndys hunted a hare vndyr his hors wombe. Then, for he had compassyon of þat sely best, he bade þe howndys stond styll, tyll þe gyltles best were paste 3 hor enmys. Then anon þe howndes stoden styll, as þay haden be pyght yn þe 28 erth, tyll he 3af hom leue forto goo. Then, as he rode forth, he sawe a gret eddyr swym ouer a watyr. Þen sayde Martyn to hyr: ‘Turne agayne to þe 4 bongke þat þou come fro’ and so dyd scho anon, Þen sykyt Seynt Martyn ynwartly and sayd: ‘I am sory 32 þat neddyrs heren me, and men wol not here me’. Anothyr tyme, 273in 1 þe 3atys of Paryse, he cusset an horrybull mesell, wherby he was hole anon. He was of soo gret pacyens and suffrence þat hys clerkes smoton hym; but he toke hit pacyently, and was neuer þe wroþer aftyr wyth hom. 4
