iii. kl̅. a[u]gusti. nat̄l̄ sanctorum abdon. et sennes.
On decies dagvm ðæs deoflican caseres .001
wæron twegen kyningas on crist gelyfde .
Abdon and Sennes . mid soðum geleafan .
Ða asprang heora word to ðam wælhreowan casere .004
þe ða ana geweold ealles middan-eardes .
and ealle oðre cyningas to him cneowodon .
and heora rice wunode swa swa he ana wolde .
Þa asende decius to þam foresædum cyningum .008
and het hí gebringan on bendum to him .
wolde hi gebigan fram godes biggencgum .
to his gedwyldum . and to his deofolgildum .
Hwæt þa cwelleras . þa þa cynincgas gebundon .012
and on isenum racenteagum to ðam arleasan gebrohton
for cristes geleafan . to cwealm-bærum witum .
Decius þa het þa halgan cyningas015
his godum geoffrian . ac hi andwyrdon þus .
We offriað ure lac þam lyfigendan gode .017
hælendum criste . and we hopiað to him .
geoffra ðu sylf þinum sceandlicum godum .
Þa cwæð decius se deofles biggenga .020
Þysum is to gearcigenne þa reþestan wita .021
Abdon and sennes hī andwyrdon ðus .022
Hwæs abitst þu casere cyð hwæt þu wylle .023
þæt þu wite soðlice . þæt we orsorge syndon
on urum hælende criste . þe hæfð þa mihte .
þæt he ðine geþohtas . and þe sylfne mæg
mid ealle towurpon . and on ecnysse fordon .
Þa on þam oðrum dæge . het decius se casere028
lætan leon and beran to þam geleaffullum cynegum .
þæt hi hi abiton . buton hi bugon to his godum .
and be-tæhte þa wican ðam wælhreowan ualeriane .
Þa cw̅ ualerian᷒ to þam cynegum þus .032
Beorgað eowrum gebyrdum . and bugað to urum godum .033
and geoffriað him lac . þæt ge lybban magon .
gif ge | þis ne doð . eow sceolon deor abitan .
Abdon and sennes sædon þam arleasan .036
We gebiddað us to drihtne gebigdum limum .037
and we næfre ne onbugað . þam bysmorfullum anlicnyssum .
manna hand-geweorc . þe ge habbað for godas .
Þa het ualerianus . ða halgan unscrydan .040
and lædan swa nacode (sic) to ðære sunnan anlicnysse .
forðan ðe hí wurþodon ða sunnan for god .
and bebead his cempum . þæt hi ða cristenan cynegas
to þære offrunga geneadodon . mid eges-licum witum .
Þa cwædon ða cynegas to þam cwellere ðus .045
Do þæt þu don wylt . and se dema het046
beswingan þa halgan hetelice swyðe .
mid leadenum swipum . and lædde hi syððan
to ðam wæfer-huse . þær ða deor wunodon .
beran . and leon . þe hi abitan sceoldon .
and het lætan him to . twegen leon .
and feower beran . binnan þam huse .
þa urnon þa deor egeslice grymetende .
to þære halgena fotum . swylce hi fryðes bædon .
and noldon awæg gan . ac hi weredon hi swyðor .
swa þæt nan man ne dorste for ðæra deora ware
þam halgum genealecan . oððe into ðam huse gan .
þa cw̅ ualerianus to ðam cempum ðus .
Heora dry-cræft is gesyne swutollice on ðysum .059
and he wearð swyðe gram for þære deora ware .
and het ða æt nextan þa hæðenan cwelleras
ingan mid swurdum . and ofslean þa halgan .
Þa ðe þis gedon wæs . þa het se dema teon063
þæra halgena lic to ðam hæþengilde .
þæt ða cristenan sceoldon sceawian be him .
and bysne niman . and bugan to þam godum .
þe læs þe hi wurdon . swa wælhreowlice acwealde .
Ða æfter þrym dagum . com sum diacon þær to .068
quirinus gehaten . and he ða halgan lic
nihtes gelæhte . and ledde to his | huse .
and lede hi digellice on ane lædene ðruh .
mid mycele a[r]wurðnysse . and hi mannum þær
bediglode lagon . to langum fyrste .
oð þæt constantinus . se cristene casere . eft to rice feng .
and hi ða afundene wurdon . þurh cristes onwrigennysse .
Ge habbað nu gehyrod hu ða halgan cyningas076
heora cynedom for-sawon for cristes geleafan .
and heora agen lif forleton for hine .
Nimað eow bysne be ðam . þæt ge ne bugon fram criste079
for ænigre earfoðnysse . þæt ge þæt ece lif habbon .
Item Alia. [in translation: The letter of Christ to Abgarus]
Nu we spræcon be cynegum we willað þysne cwyde gelencgan .081
and be sumum cynincge eow cyðan git . Abgarus wæs geciged .
sum gesælig cynincg on syrian lande .
and se læg beddryda on ðam timan
þe se hælend on þysum life wæs .
He hæfde ge-axod be ðæs hælendes wundrum .086
and sende ða ardlice þis ærendgewrit him to .
Abgarus gret eadmodlice þone godan hælend .088
þe becom to mannum mid iudeiscum folce .
Ic hæbbe gehyred be ðe . hu ðu gehælst ða untruman .090
blinde . and healte . and bedrydan aræst (sic) .
hreoflige þu geclænsast . and þa unclænan gastas afligst .
of wodum mannum . and awrecst ða deadan .
Nu cwæð ic on minum mode . þæt ðu eart ælmihtig god .094
oððe godes sunu ðe sylf come to mannum .
þæt ðu ðas wundra wyrce . and ic wolde ðe biddan
þæt ðu ge-medemige þe sylfne . þæt þu siðige to me .
and mine untrumnysse gehæle . for ðan þe ic eom yfele gehæfd .
Me is eac gesæd þæt ða iudeiscan syrwiað .099
and runiað hī betwynan hu hi þe berædan magon .
and ic hæbbe ane burh þe unc bam genihtsumað .
Þa awrát se hælend him sylf þis gewrit .102
and asende ðam | cynincge ðus cwæðende him to .
Beatus es qui credidisti in me . cum ipse me non uideris .104
Scriptum est enim de me . quia hii qui me uident non credent105
In me . et qui non uident me . ipsi credent et uiuent .
De eo autem quod scripsisti mihi ut ueniam ad te .107
oportet me omnia propter quæ missus sum hic explere .
Et postea quam compleuero recipi me ad eum a quo missus sum .109
Cum ergo fuero assumptus . mittam tibi aliquem110
ex discipulis meis ut curet ægritudinem tuam .
et uitam tibi atque his qui tecum sunt prestet .
þæt is on engliscum gereorde . Eadig eart ðu abgar .113
þu þe gelyfdest on me . þonne ðu me ne gesawe .
Hit is awriten be me on witegung-bocum [←witegu-] .115
þæt ða þe me geseoð . hi ne gelyfað on me .
and þa þe me ne geseoð . hi gelyfað and libbað .
Be þam þe ðu awrite to me . þæt ic come to þe .118
ic sceal ærest afyllan þa þincg þe ic fore asend eom .
and ic sceal beon eft genumen to þam ylcan ðe me asende .
And [sic @ Skeat] ic asende to ðe . syððan ic genumen beo .121
ænne minra leorning-cnihta . þe gelacniað þine untrumnysse .
and þe lif ge-gearcað . and þam þe gelyfað mid ðe .
þis gewrit com þa to þam cyninge sona .
and se hælend fore-sceawode syððan he to heofonum astah .
þæt he sende þam cyninge swa swa he ær gecw̅ .
ænne of ðam hund-seofontigum . þe he geceas to bodigenne .
se wæs tatheus gehaten . þæt he gehælde ðone cynincg .
He com ða þurh godes sande . to þære fore-sædan byrig .129
and ge-healde þone untrumne on þæs hælendes mihte .
swa þæt ða ceaster-gewaran swyðe þæs wundrodon .
þa gemunde se cyning . hwæt crist him ær behét .
and het him to gefeccan þone | foresædan tatheum .
se wæs eac gehaten oþrum naman iudas .
and mid ðam he ineode . þa aras se cyning .
and feoll to his fotum ætforan his ðegnum .
forðan þe he geseah sume scinende beorhtnysse .
on þæs iudan andwlite þurh godes onwrigennysse .
and cw̅ þæt he wære soðlice cristes discipulus
him to hæle asend . swa swa he sylf behét .
Þa andwyrde se tatheus ðam arwurðan cyninge þus .141
For-ðan ðe þu rihtlice gelyfdest on þone ðe me asende .142
forðam ic eom asend to þe . þæt ðu gesund beo .
and gif ðu on his geleafan þurhwunast . he wile ðe getiðian
þinre heortan gewilnunga to-eacan þinre hæle .
Abgarus him andwyrde anrædlice and cwæð .146
To þam swyðe ic gelyfe on þone lyfigendan hælend .147
þæt ic wolde ofslean gif hit swa mihte beon
þa ðe hine gefæstnodon on rode-hencgene .
Þa cw̅ tatheus him to .150
Crist ure hælend wolde150
his fæder willan gefyllan . and eft faran to him .
Abgarus cwæð him eft to .152
Ic wat eall be þam .152
and ic on hine gelyfe . and on his halgan fæder .
Tatheus cw̅ þa gyt to ðam wanhalan cyninge .154
forþi ic sette mine hand on ðæs hælendes naman
ofer ðe untrumne . and he [eac] swa dyde .
and se cyning wearð gehæled sona swa he hine hrepode .
fram eallum his untrumnyssum . þe he ær on þrowode .
Abgarus þa wundrode . þæt he wearð gehæled .159
butan læce-wyrtum . þurh ðæs hælendes word .
swa swa he him ær behet þurh his ærend-gewrit .
Tatheus eac siððan sumne mann gehælde162
fram þam micclan fot-adle . and fela oðre menn
on þære byrig gehælde . and bodode him geleafan .
Ða cw̅ abgarus him to .165
On cristes mihte165
þu wyrcst þas micclan wundra . and we ealle ðæs wundriað .
sege | me ic þe bidde soð be ðam hælende .
hu he to mannum come . and of middan-earde ferde .
Tatheus andwyrde abgare . and cwæð .169
Ic eom asend to bodigenne hat þine burh-ware cuman170
ealle to-somne . on ærne mergen .
þæt ic him eallum cyðe cristes tocyme .
and be his wundrum þe he worhte on life .
þa het se cynincg cuman his ceaster-gewaran .
and tatheus him bodade bealdlice be criste .
and him eallum sæde þone soðan geleafan .
and mancynnes alysednysse þurh ðone mildan hælend .
þæt he wolde hine sylfne syllan to deaðe .
and to helle gecuman to gehelpene adames .
and eac his gecorenra of adames cynne .
and hu he syþþan astah to his soðfæstan fæder .
and cymð eft to demenne ælcum be his dædum .
Æfter ðyssere bodunge . bead se cyning þam bydele .183
goldes . and seolfres gódne dæl to lace .
ac he nolde niman nan ðingc to medes
his wunderlicre mihte . oððe his mærlican bodunge .
and sæde ðam cyninge .
We forsawon ure æhta .187
and forleton ure agen . hwi sceole we oþres mannes niman .
Þis wæs þus geworden . and þær wunode á syððan189
se soða geleafa . on þære landleode .
þam hælende to lofe . þe leofað á on ecnysse. AMEN.