Page:The Apocryphal New Testament (1924).djvu/107

l. 531. A Rych man was in that cete (city)
That to Jhesu had envye,
Josep fader, Braudyn hyth he,
Ouer his sone he made maystrye.
He seyd: my sone, thou were me dere,
Now thou dost ayen my wylle
To ben with Jhesu, of hym to lere—
Thou were wel betre to ben stylle.

For hys loue thou xalt (shalt) be kept
In a tour of lym and stone,
Hys loue thou xalt abyin (rue), Josep,
Ne geynyt the no betre won.
To the xal noman komyn ne lep:
Ther myth thou cry & kalle alon
That noman of the xal takyn kep,
Ne for onys to her thi bon.
I suere by God adonay
Lyth ther thou xalt non haue:
Lud thou cry wellaway,
Non helpe geynyt the to craue.

Jhesu, that hath the thus shent
Out of presoun xal the not bryng
Be (By) no maner of sharment (charm)
That he kan of rede & synge.
Josep seyd anon ryth:
‘Fader, thou myth done thi wyl.
Jhesu is ful of mekyl myth,
He wyl not suffre me to spyle.’
Josep left in that prisoun,
The dorys weryn lokyn faste;
Ther lay Josep al alon,
To hym kam Jhesu ryth in haste.

‘Josep; felaw,’ qwath Jhesu,
‘For my loue thou lyst here,
Thou xalt se more of my vertu,
For so I wyl, my leue fere.’
Jhesu fond a lytyl bore (hole)
And bad Josep hys fynger take:
Heyl & sond as he was core
He kam out withoutyn wrake.
Euer with Jhesu he wold be;
Nothyng myth hym lette:
Euer was Jhesu hym so fre,
For hys felaw he hym fette.

In some versions the father, returning and finding the tower empty, is struck blind. The names in the English version, Joseph and