Part 2
The holy croſſe was founden two hondred yere after the reſurrexyon of our lord / It is redde in the goſpel of nychodemus[E] / that whan adam wexyd ſeck / Seth hys ſone wente to the gate of paradyſe tereſtre, for to gete the oyle of mercy for to enoynte wythal hys faders body / Thenne apperyd to hym ſaynt mychel thaungel and ſayd to hym / travayle not the in vayne / for thys oyle / for thou mayſt not have it till fyve thouſand and fyve hondred yere been paſſed / how be it that fro Adam unto the paſſyon of our lord were but fyve +MC+ and +xxxiii+ yere / In another place it is redde that the aungel broughte hym a braunche / and commaunded hym to plante it in the mounte of lybanye Yet fynde we in another place / that he gafe to hym of the tree that Adam ete of / And ſayd to hym that whan that bare fruyte he ſhould be guariſſhed[8] and alle hoole[9] /. whan ſeth came ageyn he founde his fader deed / and planted this tree upon his grave / And it endured there un to the tyme of Salomon / and bycauſe he ſawe that it was fayre, he dyd[10] doo hewe it doun / and ſette it in his hows named ſaltus / and whan the quene of ſaba came to vyſyte Salamon / She worſhypped this tre bycauſe ſhe ſayd the ſavyour of alle the world ſhold be hanged there on / by whome the royame[11] of the Iewes that be defaced and ſeace.[12] Salomon for this cauſe made hit to be taken up / & dolven[13] depe in the grounde. Now it happed after that they of Ieruſalem (dyd do make a grete pytte for a pyſcyne[14] / where at the mynyſters of the temple ſholde weſſhe theyre beſtys / that they ſhold ſacrefyſe / and there founde thys tre / and thys pyſcyne had ſuche vertue, that the aungels deſcended and mevyd the water / and the firſt ſeke man that deſcendyd in to the water after the mevyng / was made hole of what ſomever ſekeneſſe he was ſeek of. And whan the tyme approched of the paſſyon of our lord / thys tree aroos out of the water and floted above the water / And of this pyece of tymbre made the Iewes the croſſe of our lord / Thenne after this hyſtorye / the croſſe by which we been ſaved / came of the tree by whiche we were dampned. And the water of that pyſcyne had not his vertue onely of the aungel / but of the tre/. With this tre wherof the croſſe was maad / there was a tree that went over thwarte / on whiche the armes of our lord were nayled/. And another pyece above which was the table / wherin the tytle was wryten / and another pyece wherein the ſokette or mortys was maad that the body of the croſſe ſtood in ſoo that there were foure manere of trees / That is of palme of cypres / of cedre and of olyve. So eche of thyſe foure pyeces was of one of thoſe trees/. This bleſſed croſſe was put in the erthe and hyd by the ſpace of on hondred yere and more / But the moder of themperour which was named helayne[F] which founde it in thys manere / For Conſtantyn came wyth a grete multytude of barbaryns nygh unto the ryver of the dunoe / whyche wold have goon over for to have deſtroyed alle the contree / And whan conſtantyn had aſſembled his hooſt / He went and ſette them ageynſt that other partye / But as ſone as he began to paſſe the ryver / he was moche aferde / by cauſe he ſhold on the morne have batayle / and in the nyght as he ſlepte in his bedde / an aungel awoke hym / and ſhewed to hym the ſygne of the croſſe in heven / and ſayd to hym / Beholde on hye on heven/. Thanne ſawe he the croſſe made of ryght clere lyght / & was wryten there upon wyth lettres of golde / In this ſygne thou ſhalte over come the batayle/ Thenne was he alle comforted of thys vyſion / And on the morne / he put in his banere the Croſſe[15] / and made it to be borne tofore hym and his hooſt / And after ſmote in the hooſt of his enemyes / and ſlewe and chaced grete plente / After thys he dyd doo[16] calle the byſſhoppes of the ydolles / and demaunded them to what god the ſygne of the croſſe apperteyned. And whan they coude not anſwere / ſome criſten men that were there tolde to hym the myſterye of the croſſe / and enformed hym in the faythe of the trynyte / Thenne anone he bylevyd parfytly (in) god / and dyd do baptyſe hym / and after, it happed that conſtantyn his ſone remembred the vyctorye of his fader / Sente to helayn his modre for to fynde the holy croſſe / Thenne helayne wente in to Iheruſalem / and dyd doo aſſemble all the wyſe men of the contre / and whan they were aſſembled / they wold fayn knowe wherfore they were called / Thenne one Iudas ſayd to them / I wote[17] wel that ſhe wyl knowe of us where the croſſe of Iheſu criſte was leyed / but beware you al that none of you tell hyr / for I wote wel then ſhall our lawe be deſtroyed / For zacheus my olde[18] fader ſayde to ſymon my fader / And my fader ſayde to me at his dethe / be wel ware / that for no tormente that ye may ſuffre / telle not where the croſſe of Iheſu criſte was leyde / for after that hit ſhal be founden / the Iewes ſhal reygne no mour / But the criſten men that worſhypped the croſſe ſhal then reygne / And verayly this Iheſus was the ſone of god.
Then demaunded I my fader / wherfore had they hanged hym on the croſſe ſythe it was knowen that he was the ſone of god / thenne he ſayd to me fayre ſone I never accorded thereto / But gayn ſaid it alwaye / But the Phariſees dyd it bycauſe he repreyvd theyr vyces / but he aroos on the thyrd day / and his dyſciples ſeeing / he aſcended in to heven / Thenne by cauſe that Stephen thy broder belevyd in him / the Iewes ſtoned hym to dethe.
[Sidenote: 19 _Inform._]
[Sidenote: 20 _Burn._]
Then when Iudas had ſayd theyſe wordes to his ſelawes / they anſwerd we never herde of ſuche thynges / never the leſſe kepe the wel if the quene demaunde the therof / that thou ſay no thynge to hyr / Whan the quene had called them / and demaunded them the place where our lord Iheſu criſte had been crucefyed/ they wold never tell her nor enſygne[19] her /. Then commaunded ſhe to brenne[20] them alle/. But then they doubted and were aferde / & delyvered Iudas to hyr and ſayd / lady thys man is the ſone of a prophete and of a juſte man / and knoweth right wel the lawe / & can telle to you al thynge that ye ſhal demaunde hym/.
[Sidenote: 21 _More ado._]
Thenne the quene lete al the other goo, and reteyned Iudas without moo[21]/. Thenne ſhe ſhewed to hym his life & dethe & bade hym cheſe whyche he wold. Shewe to me ſayd ſhe the place named golgota where our lord was crucefyed / by cauſe and to the end that we may fynde the croſſe/. Thenne ſayd Iudas, it is two hondred yere paſſed & more / & I was not thenne yet borne. Thenne ſayd to hym the lady / by him that was crucyfyed / I ſhal make the periſſe for hungre/ yf thou telle not to me the trouthe.
Thenne made ſhe hym to be caſte into a drye pytte / and there tormented hym by hungre / and evyl reſte / whan he had been ſeuen dayes in that pytte / thenne ſayd he yf I myght be drawen out / he ſhold ſay the trouthe / Thenne he was drawen out / and whan he came to the place / anone the erthe moevyd and a fume of grete ſwettneſſe was felte in ſuche wyſe that Iudas ſmote his hondes togyder for ioye / and ſayd / in trouthe Iheſu criſte thou art the ſavyour of the worlde.
[Sidenote: 22 _Twenty Paces._]
It was ſo that adryan the Emperour had doo make in the ſame place where the croſſe laye a temple of a goddeſſe by cauſe that all they that come in that place ſhold adoure that goddeſſe/. But the quene did doo deſtroy the temple / Thenne Iudas made hym redy and began to dygge / and whan he came to +xx+ paas[22] depe / he fonde three croſſes and broughte them to the quene / And bycauſe he knewe not whiche was the croſſe of our lord / he leyed them in the myddel of the cyte / and abode the demonſtraunce of god / and aboute the houre of none / there was the corps of a yonge man brought to be buryed / Iudas reteyned the byere / and layed upon hit one of the croſſes / and after the ſecond / and whan he leyed on hit the third / anone the body that was dede came ageyn to lyf/.
[Sidenote: 23 _Everlaſting._]
Thenne cryed the devyll in the eyre Iudas what haſt thou doon / thou haſt doon the contrarye that thother Iudas dyd/. For by hym I have wonne many ſowles / and by the I ſhal loſe many / by hym I reygned on the peple / And by the I have loſt my royame / never the leſſe I ſhal yelde to the this bountee/. For I ſhal ſend one that ſhal punyſſhe the / and that was accomplyſſhed by Iulian the apoſtata / which tormented hym afterward whan he was byſſhop of Iheruſalem / and whan Iudas herde hym he curſed the devyl and ſayd to hym / Iheſu cryſte dampne the in fyre pardurable[23]/. After this Iudas was baptyzed and was named quyryache[G]/. And after was made byſſhop of Iheruſalem/. Whan helayn had the croſſe of Iheſu criſte / and ſaw ſhe had not the nayles / Thenne he dyd dygge in therthe ſo longe / that he founde them ſhynyng as golde/. thenne bare he them to the quene / and anone as ſhe ſawe them ſhe worſhypped them wyth grete reverence/.
Thenne gafe ſaynt helayn a part of the croſſe to hir ſone / And that other parte ſhe lefte in Iheruſalem cloſyd in golde / ſylver and precious ſtones/.
[Sidenote: 24 _Euſebius, Biſhop of Ceſaræa._]
[Sidenote: 25 _Killed._]
And hyr ſone bare the nayles to themperour / And the emperour dyd do ſette them in hys brydel and in hys helme whan he wente to batayle/. This referreth Euſebe whiche was byſſhop of Cezayr[24]/ how be it that other ſay otherwyſe/. Now it happed that Iulyan the appoſtate dyd doo[25] ſlee quyriache that was byſſhop of Iheruſalem / by cauſe he had founde the croſſe / for he hated hit ſoo mooche / that where ſomever he founde the croſſe / he dyd hit to be deſtroyed / For whan he wente in batayle ageynſte them of perſe / he ſente and commaunded quyriache to make ſacrefyſe to thydolles / and whan he wold not doo hit / he dyd do ſmyte of his right honde / and ſayd wyth this honde haſt thou wryten many letters / by whyche thou repellyd moche folke fro doynge ſacrefyſe to our goddes/.
[Sidenote: 26 _Mad dog._]
[Sidenote: 27 _Since._]
[Sidenote: 28 _Turn this evil_]
Quyriache ſayd thou wood hounde[26] thou hiſt doon to me grete prouffyte / For thou haſt cut of the hande / wyth whiche I have many tymes wreton to the ſynagoges that they ſhold not byleve in Iheſu criſte / and now ſythe[27] I am criſten / thou haſt taken from me that whiche noyed me / thenne dyd Iulyan do melte leed, and caſte it in his mowthe / and after dyd doo brynge a bedde of yron / and made quyriache to be layed and ſtratched theron / and after leyed under brennyng cooles / and threwe therein grece and ſalte / for to torment hym the more / and whan quyriache moved not / Iulyan themperour ſaid to hym / outher thou ſhalt ſacrefyſe (to) our goddes / or thou ſhalt ſay at the leſte thou art not criſten/. And whan he ſawe he wolde not do never neyther / he dyd doo make a depe pytte ful of ſerpentes and venemous beſtys / and caſte hym therein / & whan he entred / anone the ſerpentes were al deed/. Thenne Iulyan put hym in a cawdron ful of boylyng oyle / and whan he ſhold entre in to hit / he bleſſyd it & ſayd / Fayre lord torne thys bane[28] to baptyſm of marterdom / Thenne was Iulyan moche angry / and commaunded that he ſhould be ryven thorough his herte with a ſwerde / and in this manere he fynyſſhed his lyff.
The vertue of the croſſe is declared to us by many miracles / For it happed on a tyme that one enchantour had dyſceyved a notarye / and brought hym to a place / where he had aſſembled a grete companye of devylles / and promyſed to hym to have muche rycheſſe / and whan he came there / he ſaw one perſone blacke ſyttynge on a grete chayer / And all aboute hym al ful of horyble people and blacke whiche had ſperes and ſwerdes / Thenne demaunded thys grete devyll of the enchantour / who was that clerke / thenchantour ſayd to hym / Syr he is oures / thenne ſayd the devyl to hym yf thou wylte worſhyp me and be my ſervaunte / and denye Iheſu cryſte / thou ſhalt ſytte on my right ſyde / The clerke anone bleſſyd hym wyth the ſygne of the croſſe / and ſayd that he was the ſervaunte of Iheſu criſte / his ſavyour / And anone as he had made the croſſe / that grete multitude of devylles vanyſſhed aweye. It happed that this notarye after this on a tyme entryd with hys lord in the chyrche of ſaynt ſophye / & knelyd doun on his knees to fore the ymage of the crucyfyxe / the which crucifyxe as it ſemed loked moche openly and ſharpelye on hym/. Thenne his lord made hym to go aparte on another ſyde / and alleweye the crucifixe torned his eyen toward hym/. Thenne he made hym goo on the lefte ſyde / and yet the crucifixe loked on hym / Thenne was the lord moche admerveyled / and charged hym & commaunded hym that he ſhold telle hym wherof he had ſo deſerved that the crucifyxe ſo behelde and loked on hym / Thenne ſayde the notarye that he coude not remembre hym of no good thynge that he had doon / ſaufe that one tyme he wold not renye nor forſake the crucifixe tofore the devyl/.
Thenne late us ſo bleſſe us with the ſygne of the bleſſyd croſſe that we may therby be kepte fro the power of our ghooſtly and dedely enemye the devyl / and by the glorious paſſyon that our ſaveour Iheſu cryſt ſuffred on the croſſe after this lyf we may come to his everlaſtyng blyſſe amen/.
Thus endeth thynvencion of the holy croſſe.
[Sidenote: 29 _The Roman and Engliſh Churches celebrate this Feſtival on February 14._]
[Sidenote: 30 _Carrion._]
[Sidenote: 31 _Vileneſs._]
[Sidenote: 32 _Reſourced or repleniſhed._]
Exaltation of the holy Croſſe[29] is ſayd / bycauſe that on this daye the hooly croſſe & faythe were gretely enhaunced/. And it is to be underſtonden that tofore the paſſion of our lord Iheſu cryſte / the tree of the croſſe was a tree of fylthe / For the croſſes were made of vyle trees, & of trees without fruyte / For al that was planted on the Mount of Calvarye bare no fruyt. It was a fowle place / for hit was the place of torment of thevys / It was derke / for it was in a derke place and without any beaute / It was the tree of deth / for men were put there to dethe / It was alſo the tree of ſtenche / for it was planted amonge the caroynes[30] / & after the paſſyon the Croſſe was moche enhaunced / For the Vylte[31] was tranſported into preciouſyte / Of the whiche the bleſſyd ſaynt Andrewe ſayth / O precious holy Croſſe god ſave the / his bareynes was torned into fruyte / as it is ſayd in the Cantyques / I ſhall aſcende up in to a palme tree / et cetera / His ignobylyte or unworthynes was tourned into ſublymyte and heyght / The Croſſe that was tormente of thevys is now born in the front of themperours / his derkenes is torned into lyght and clereneſſe/ wherof Chryſoſtom ſayth the Croſſe and the Woundes ſhall be more ſhynyng than the rayes of the Sonne at the jugement / his deth is converted into perdurabylyte of lyf / whereof it is ſayd in the preface / that fro hens the lyf reſourded[32] / and the ſtenche is torned into ſwetenes / canticorum /. This exaltacion of the hooly croſſe is ſolempnyſed and halowed ſolempnly of the Chirche / For the faythe is in hit moche enhaunced /.
[Sidenote: 33 _Choſroes II., who reigned in the ſeventh Century._]
For the yere of oure lord five honderd & +xv+ / our lord ſuffred his people moche to be tormentyd by the cruelte of the paynyms / And Coſdroe[33] Kynge of the Perceens ſubdued to his empyre all the Royaumes of the world / And he cam into Iheruſalem and was aferd and a dred of the ſepulcre of our lord & retorned / but he bare with hym the parte of the hooly Croſſe / that ſaynte Helene had left ther. And then he wold be worſhiped of alle the peple / as a god / & dyd do make a tour of gold and of ſylver wherein precious ſtones ſhone / and made therein the ymages of the ſonne and of the mone and of the ſterres / and made that by ſubtyle conduytes water to be hydde / and to come doune in the maner of rayne / And in the laſte ſtage he made horſes to draw charyotes round aboute lyke as they had mevyd the toure / and made it to ſeme as it had thondred / and delyvered his Royaume to his ſone. And thus this curſyd man abode in this Temple / and dyd doo ſette the croſſe of our lord by hym and commaunded that he ſhold be callyd god of alle the peple / And as it is redde in libro de mitrali[H] officio the ſaid Coſdroe reſydent in his trone as a fader / ſette the tree of the Croſſe on his ryght ſyde in ſtede of the ſonne / and a cock in the lyft ſyde in ſtede of the hooly ghooſt / & commaunded / that he ſhold be called fader /. And then Heracle[I] themperour aſſembled a grete hooſt / and cam for to fyght wyth the ſonne of Coſdroe by the ryver of danubie / & thenne hit pleaſyd to eyther prynce / that eche of them ſhold fyght one ageynſte that other upon the brydge / & he that ſhold vaynquyſſhe & overcome his adverſarye ſholde be prynce of thempyre withoute hurtyng eyther of bothe hoſtes / & ſo hit was ordeyned & ſworn / & that who ſomever ſhold helpe his prynce ſhold have forthwith his legges & armes cut of / & to be plonged / & caſt in to the Ryver.
[Sidenote: 34 _Throne, or ſeat; French, ſiège._]
[Sidenote: 35 _Astoniſhed._]
[Sidenote: 36 _Shoen—shoes._]
[Sidenote: 37 _Beſprinkled._]
[Sidenote: 38 _Invited._]
[Sidenote: 39 _Pacified, appeaſed._]
[Sidenote: 40 _Ampullæ, bottles or flaſks._]
[Sidenote: 41 _Conſecrated._]