This Old English version is one of the earliest vernacular translations of the vita of Mary of Egypt.
It is not based directly on the Sophronian vita but was made using its ninth century Latin translation by Paulus Diaconus.
The manuscript sources selected for printed editions Surius 1875 and Patrologia Latina 73 [1879] of said Latin translation by Paulus are the most likely sources for this translation into Anglo-Saxon.
The Old English text, in its turn, is preserved in its complete form in a single manuscript, currently held at the British Library (Cotton MS Julius E VII); it contains, among other texts, Ælfric's Lives of Saints.
First, Direct transcription of Cotton MS Julius E VII ...............
In my transcription I am trying to represent, as faithfully as possible, all scribal abbreviations and variant typographic characters of the original Anglo-Saxon manuscript.
The text is that of (6.e) Magennis 2002, which offers the most recent transcription of the manuscript.
Differences in the manuscript (6.a) and (6.d) Skeat 1890 are indicated via footnotes.
Both printed editions contain a parallel translation into Modern English (6.).
(15) ‘Ða þa seo symbelnyss becom þære halgan deorwurðan rode upahefennysse [Skeat: úp-ahefennysse], ic foregeode, þa geongan swa swa ær on þæt grin forspillednysse teonde.
Ða geseah ic soðlice on ærnemergen [Skeat: ærne mergen] hi ealle anmodlice to þære cyrcan yrnan.
Ða ongan ic yrnan mid þam yrnendum, and samod mid heom teolode toforan þam temple becuman.
Ða þa seo tid becom þa halgan rode to wurþigenne, þa ongan ic nydwræclice gemang þam folce wið þæs folces þringan, and swa mid micclum geswince ic unsælige [Skeat: ungesælige] to þæs temples dura becom mid þam þe þær ineodon.
Ða ic sceolde in on þa dura gangen, þa ongunnon hi butan ælcere lættinge ingangan; me witodlice þæt godcunda mægen
[ Cotton MS Julius E VII, fol. 129r ]
þæs ganges bewerede, and ic sona wæs ut aþrungen fram eallum þam folce, oððe ic ænlipigu on þam cafertune to læfe oþstod.
Ða ongan ic þencan þæt me þæt gelumpe for þære wiflican unmihte, and ic me þa eft ongan mæncgan to oþrum, þæt ic wolde on sume wisan inn geþringan, ac ic swanc on idel, mid þam þe ic þone ðerscwold [Skeat: erscwold] þæra dura gehran.
(16) ‘And hi ealle þyder inn onfangene wæron butan ælcere lettinga [Skeat: lettinge]; þa wæs ic ana ut asceofen.
Ac swilce me hwilc strang meniu ongean stode þæt me þone ingang beluce, swa me seo færlice Godes wracu þa duru bewerede, oððe ic eft standende on þæs temples cafertune wæs.
[Ab hier weiter Stevenson abglechen:]
þus ic þrywa . oþþe feower siþum þrowode minne willan to geseonne . [and] eác to fremanne . [and] þa ða ic naht ne gefremode . þa ongan ic ofer þ[æt] geor[n]e wénan [and] mín lichama wæs swiðe geswenced for þam nyde þæs geþringes ; Ða gewát ic witodlice þanone . [and] mé ána gestód on sumum hwomme þæs cafertunes .
[and] on minu[m] mode geornlice þohte [and] smeade for hwilcum intingu[m] me wære forwyrned þæs liffæstan treowes ansyn . þa onhran soðlice mín mód [and] þa eagan minre heortan hælo andgit mid me sylfre þencende þ[æt] me þone ingang belucen þa onfeormeganda (sic) minra misdæda .
Ða ongan ic biterlice wepan . and swiðe gedrefed mine breost cnyssan . and of inneweardre heortan heofonde forðbringan . þa geomorlican siccetunga ;
Ða geseah ic of þære stówe
[ Skeat 1890, p. 30 ]
þe ic ón stód . þære halgan godes cennestran anlicnysse standende . [...]
(6.b) Skeat 1890
= Printed edition of (6.a) Cotton MS Julius E VII
Anonymous: De Transitu Mariae Aegyptiace, in: Walter W. Skeat (ed.), Aelfric's Lives of Saints. Being a set of sermons on Saints' days formely observed by the English Church, vol. 2: Chapters 23B-37, London 1890, p. 2-52.
This volume contains a translation of the Anglo-Saxon text into modern English, cf. (6.d) below.
(6.c) Stevenson 1996 = Printed edition of (6.a) Cotton MS Julius E VII
(6.d) Magennis 2002
De Transitu Mariae Aegyptiacae, in: Hugh Magennis (ed. and trans.), The Old English Life of Saint Mary of Egypt. An edition of the Old English text with modern English parallel-text translation, Exeter 2002, p. 58-120.
[...]
[ Ibid., p. 29 ]
When the festival of the elevation of the precious Rood arrived, I went before the young men, as before, enticing them to the snare of perdition.
Then indeed I saw them all run with one accord to the church early in the morning. Then began I to run with the runners,
and together with them endeavoured to arrive before the temple. When the time came for reverencing the Holy Rood,
then I began violently to push among the people against the people, and so with much toil I, poor wretch, arrived at the temple-door with those who were entering therein.
When I ought to have entered at the door, the rest began to enter without any hindrance; but the divine might prevented me from going in,
and I was soon thrust out from amid all the people, until I stood behind alone in the vestibule.
Then I began to think that this had happened to me on account of my womanly want of strength,
and so I began once more to mix myself with others,
that I might somehow push my way in.
But I toiled in vain, whenever I touched the threshold of the doors. And they were all received therein without any hindrance, when I alone was pushed out.
Just as if some strong company of men opposed me to prevent my entrance, so the sudden vengeance of God barred the door to me, until I was again standing in the vestibule of the temple.
Thus thrice or four times I endeavoured to behold and also to fulfil my will; and when I in no wise succeeded, then I began to think earnestly about it, and my body was extremely wearied by the compulsion of the pressure. Then, verily, I departed thence, and stood alone in a corner of the vestibule,
and earnestly deliberated in my mind, and considered for what cause the sight of the quickening tree was denied me. Then indeed a knowledge of salvation touched my mind and the eyes of my heart, while pondering with myself that the filthiness of my misdeeds had closed the entrance against me.
Then I began to weep bitterly, and in great sorrow to beat my breast, and sighing from my inmost heart to bring forth sorrowful sobbings.
Then
[ Ibid., p. 31 ]
from the place where I stood I beheld the likeness of the holy Mother of God standing there ; [...]
Death of St. Mary of Egypt (April 2.), in: Walter W. Skeat (ed.), Aelfric's Lives of Saints. Being a set of sermons on Saints' days formely observed by the English Church, vol. 2: Chapters 23B-37, London 1890, p. 3-53.
The Life of St Mary of Egypt: April 9, in: Hugh Magennis (ed. and trans.), The Old English Life of Saint Mary of Egypt. An edition of the Old English text with modern English parallel-text translation, Exeter 2002, p. 141-209.
High resolution scans of the whole manuscript are available at the British Library (BL), with the vita of Mary of Egypt starting at image 252. (After the 2023 cyberattack on the British Library, their digitised archives are only available via an interim solution, with no option of linking to individual manuscript pages.)
Bibliographical details @ Regesta Imperii OPAC
Scan @ Internet Archive, p. 2 ff.
Scan
@ Wikimedia Commons, p. 2 ff.
Scan: 