tHis book was compiled by dan john lydgate mon●e of bury/ at the excitation and stirring of the noble and victorious prince/ King harry the fifth/ in th'honour glory & reverence of the birth of our most blessed lady/ maid wife/ and mother of our lord Ihesu cryst/ chapytred as followeth by this table  

first the prologue  
The nativity of our lady capitulo primo & secundo  
How our lady was offered in to the temple capitulo t●rao  
Of the conversation of our lady in the temple capitulo iiij  
How our lady received the seven yefts of the holy ghost ca v  
How our lady prayed to god for seven petitions capitulo uj seven viii  
How joseph used the craft of a carpenter capitulo ix  
How our lady is set for ensample of virginity capitulo x  
How mercy and peace/ rightwiseness and truth desputeden for the redemption of mankind capitulo xi  
How mercy and peace brought in this plea before the high Iuge capitulo xii  
How god the father of heaven answered to mercy and peace capitulo xiii  
How the father of heaven accorded the four sisters capitulo xiv  
How his son should take mankind capitulo xv  
How gabryel the angel was sent to our lady capitulo xuj  
A lamentation of saint bernard capitulo xvij  
A recapitulation of the words of gabryel to our lady And how holy men by divine likeness/ wort of our lady in commendation of her capitulo xviij  
A commendation of our lady capitulo nineteen  
authentic conclusions against unbylefful men that saiden that christ might not be borne of a maid capitulo xx  
How our lady went to saint johan Baptist's mother capitulo xxj  
How our lady made magnificat capitulo xxij  
How our lady after the birth of saint john baptist returned to nazareth capitulo twenty-three  
How the maidens that weren attendant to our lady/ comforteden joseph capitulo xxiv & xxv  
How the angel warned joseph to abide with our lady capitulo xxuj  
How the bishop did do somone joseph/ for our lady was with child capitulo xxvij xxviij xxix thirty  
How our ladies friends wailed and mourned when the bishops made so strong a proof of her virginity capitulo xxxj  
How our lady prayed to god to show her virginity ca xxxij  
How the people and bishop dread of the assay that was made to our lady capitulo xxxiij  
A commendation of chaucers capitulo xxxiiij  
How christ was born after the making of the world v M j C four score nineteen year capitulo xxxv  
How joseph and our lady went to bethlem to pay tribute capitulo xxxuj  
How joseph went to s●che a midwife capitulo xxxvij  
A devout prayer that our lady made/ when christ was born capitulo xxxviij  
How the midwife durst not entre with joseph in to the bows for a great light appeared within capitulo xxxix  
How balaam prophesied the st●r●x that showed Christ's birth capitulo xl  
How our lady received the midwives capitulo xlj  
How the hand of salome weighed dry capitulo xlij  
How tharge●●ys appeared to the shepherds and told of the birth of christ capitulo xliij  
How the shepherds founden christ with our lady capitulo xliiij  
How god would not be born/ but of a maid mother and wife capitulo xlv  
How Ysaac prophesied the birth of christ by touching the clothes of his son jacob capitulo xluj  
How the garnet apple is likened to our lady capitulo xlvij  
How joseph figured the birth of christ capitulo xlviij  
How nature obeyeth to virginity capitulo xlix  
How the chief temple of rome fell the night of Christ's birth/ and other wonderful tokens capitulo L  
How the night of Christ's birth a well in rome ran oil capitulo Lj  
How the senators of rome wolden have holden Octavyon their emperor as for her god capitulo Lij Liij  
How the romans when they had domination over all the world made an image & called it their god capitulo Liiij  
How wise sybyle told to the senate of rome the birth of christ capitulo Lv  
How the prophets prophesied the birth of christ capitulo Luj  
A question assoiled which is worthiest of king wine or woman capitulo Lvij  
How our lady ought worthily to be recommended and honoured for the birth of christ capitulo Lviij  
Of liknessies of our lady in commendation of her capitulo Lix  
How christ was circumcised capitulo lx  
How in four manner of wises christ was circumcised capitulo lxj  
How christ suffered circumcision in his chosen people capitulo lxij  
How the people of god that due joshua had in governance were saved by the steadfast believe of the name of Ihus capitulo lxiij  
How prophets and martyrs suffreden death for the name of Ihus capitulo lxiiij lxv  
How Ihesu christ was both prophet/ priest/ king/ and mighty champion capitulo lxuj  
How by the prophecy of balaam/ watch was made upon an hill capitulo lxvij lxviij  
How the three kings perceived the star capitulo lxix  
How king Herod sent for the three kings capitulo lxx lxxj  
Of the joy that the kings had when they fond christ capitulo lxxij  
Of virtuous poverty and meekness of our lady capitulo lxxiij  
How the angel warned the three kings/ to pass not by herod's// but by another way capitulo lxxiiij  
A declaration of the three kings/ of their three yefts capitulo lxxv  
How we should do this offering ghoos●ly capitulo lxxuj  
How our lady was purified capitulo lxxvij  
How simeon received christ in the temple of our lady capitulo lxxviij  
How where and when symeon made Nunc dimittis servum tuum domine capitulo lxxix  
Of the joy that anna the daughter of Phanes had when christ was offered in to the temple capitulo lxxx  
A profitable declaration of the properties of the Turtle and the dove capitulo lxxxj  
How Candelmasse took first the name capitulo lxxxij    


o Thoughtful heart plunged in distress  
With slombre of sloth this long winters night  
Out of the sleep of mortal heaviness  
Awake anon & look upon the light  
Of thilk star that with her beams bright  
And with the shining of his streams merry  
Is wont to glade all our emysperye   

And to oppress the darkness and the dole  
Of heavy hearts that sorowen and sighen oft  
I mean the star of the bright pool  
That with her beams when she is aloft  
May all the trouble assuage and assofte  
Of worldly waves which in this mortal see  
Hath us bysecte with great adversity   

The rage of which is so tempestuous  
That when the calm is most blandishing  
Then is the storm of death most perilous  
If that he want the light of her shining  
And but the sight alas of her looking  
From death is brink us to escape  
The haven of life of us may not betake   

This stream in beauty passy●h plyades  
Both of shining and of streams clear  
Boetes and artur and also jades  
And esperus when it doth appear  
For this is spica with her bright spear  
That toward even at midnight & at morrow  
Down from heaven adawyth all our sorrow   

whose bright beams shinen fro so far  
That clouds black may the light not stain  
For this of jacob is the fair star  
That under waves never doth decline  
whose course is not under the ecliptic line  
But ever liche of beauty may be seen  
Amid the ark of our meridyne   

And drieth up the bitter tears wet  
Of au●o●● after the morrow grey  
That she in weeping doth on flowers fleet  
In lusty aprille and in fresh may  
And causeth phoebus the bright someris day  
With his wain goldborned bright and fair  
To enchase the mists of our cloudy air   

For this is the star that bore the bright son  
Which holdeth the spear of juda in his hand  
whose streams been out of jesse run  
To shed her light both in see and land  
whose glad beams without eclipsing stand  
Estward to us in the orient full sheen  
With light of grace to wide all our tene   

Now fair star/ o star of sterris all  
whose light to see aungelis delight  
So ●at the gold dew of thy grace fall  
In to my breast like scalis fair and whit  
Me to inspire of that I will indite  
With thilk balm sent down by miracle  
When the holy ghost the made his tabernacle   

And the liquor of thy grace shed  
In to my pen to ensumyne this ditty  
Thorough thy support that I may proceed  
Somewhat to say in laud & praising of the  
And first I think of thy nativity  
So that thine help from me not twin  
benign lady anon to begin   

The nativity of our lady capitulo primo  

a flower of ●●rtu full 〈…〉  
Full made was with 〈…〉  
Only by grace upon the 〈…〉  
Out of jesse springing from the 〈◊〉  
Of god ordained to be refute and 〈◊〉  
Unto mankind our trouble to determine  
Full long before by prescience divine   

The which flower preservyth man fro death  
Unto the virtue who so lys● take heed  
That in a garden amid of nazareth  
So fair sometime 'gan to spring and spread  
That thorough the world both in length & breed  
The fresh odour and also the sweetness  
Hertis comforteth of all her heaviness   

O nazareth with bethlem the beside  
This flower the maketh of name more ryalle  
Than other room elate and full of pride  
Or mighty troy with the sturdy wall  
whose renown holdeth to be peregalle  
In honour price fame or reverence  
Unto your passing worthy excellence   

If for the fruit commended be the tree  
Thou hast ruore laud and commendation  
For thilk flower spring out of the  
Than hath auffrike or worthy scipyon  
Of rome Cesar or of fabyon  
Though her names were sometime grave in gold  
Her idle fame to thine may not be told   

Therefore rejoice and be right glad and light  
O nazareth of name most flowering  
For out of the flower most fair of sight  
Most full of grace sometime did spring  
Of the which fully remembering  
So long agone spoke holy isaiah  
When that he said in his prophesy   

That on this flower plainly should rest  
The holy ghost for his chosen place  
As for the fairest and also for the l●ste  
That ever was and moste full of grace  
whose passing beauty no storms may defface  
But ever a like continueth fresh of hew  
Withouten f●dyng the colour is so true   

For this is the flower that god himself beheld  
The whit lelye of the chosen vale  
The sweet rose of the fair field  
Which of colour waxyth never pale  
The violet our languor to avail  
purple bewyd thorough mercy and pity  
To succour all that in mischief be   

And from the stock of joachim and anne  
This holy flower had her original  
To him afore by sign showed when  
The angel told 'em plainly that there shall  
Of hem be borne a maid in special  
Chosen of god most chief of her ally  
And for her meekness height shall mary   

And when the angel at the gate of gold  
Had of this maid the birth prophesied  
And all the manner of hem both told  
In books old as it is specefyed  
Home to her house anon they have 'em h●●d  
And she conceiveth this faithful true wife  
By joachim the holy fruit of life   

Out of the which 'gan grow all our grace  
Our old sorrows fully for to sign  
The bitter gall plainly to enchase  
Of the venom called serpentine  
For that when anna had months nine  
Borne this fruit so holy and entiere  
Thorough the grace of god anon it did appear   

In the orient to glad all mankind  
With deadly error oppressed of the night  
With clouds black/ and with sky●● blind  
Till they were cleared with fairness of the light  
Of the which the angel sometime had a sight  
With jacob wrestling from him as he brayed  
So long afore to him when he said   

let me depart withouten more affray  
against me and make no resistance  
The night is passed/ lo the morrow grey  
The fresh aurora so fair in appearance  
Her light dawyth to void all offence  
Of winter nights full long and tedious  
With new appearing so glad and gracious   

This is to say the holy dawyning  
Of this maid of her nativity  
The night 'gan void of our old morning  
As the angel in figure did see  
With such a touch made jacob be  
Sore in his sinews like as it is found  
In thilk member where lust doth most abound   

In figure only that there should spring  
Down by dissent out of his kindred  
A clean maid in will and in working  
Pure of intent both in thought and deed  
With aurora with his beams read  
The night avoided with his copes done  
Afore the upperyst of the bright son   

Right so this maid at her nativity  
The night of death avoided hath away  
And bright calendys' most lusty for to see  
Of Phoebus' uprist withouten more delay  
For she is aurora soberly this is to say  
Out of which as prophets 'gan devise  
The son of life to us 'gan first devise   

Of whose birth full many a day before  
Albumazar wrote in special  
And said a maid soothly shall be borne  
Under the sign above celestial  
That called is the sign virginal  
The which maid as he eke tell can  
Shall bear a child without spott● of man   

And as Minerva mother of prudence  
Is hold a maid/ right so this heavenly queen  
Bore in her womb the faders sapience  
And mother was and maiden clean  
Of god provided plainly forto been  
succour to man and help in all our need  
When she was borne this flower of womanhead    

How our lady was offered in to the temple capitulo tercio  

aNd after three year as was the usage.  
Her mother paps she left as in sowking  
And than anon in her tender age  
Unto the temple devoutly they her bring  
And unto god they made offering▪  
Of this maid for to abide there  
With other maidens that in the temple were▪   

And not withstanding her passing tenderness  
Her green youth but of years three  
Thorough God's help this branch of holiness  
Withouten help went up 'gree by gree  
fifteen aloft that all mighten see  
Tofore that altar of so great an hight  
And when her mother thereof had a sight   

For very joy anon she fill a down  
And said thus that all mighten here  
God from above hath herd mine orison  
Of his goodness and granted my prayer  
And comfortid mine oppressed cheer  
In sight of 'em that loosen at my pain  
And of malice 'gan at me disdain   

Now hath he been my singular refute  
To my tristesse consolation  
For he hath made the barren to bear fruit  
Thorough his mighty visitation  
And made clear my confusion  
And all my woe for to overgo on  
Only by grace amid all my soon   

And thorough his might the hearts hath bowed  
Of 'em that 'gan to chase at me by pride  
Wherefore she hath unto god avowed  
That her daughter shall in the temple abide  
The holy ghost for to been her guide  
For evermore by god's purveyance  
Thorough her meekness him to do pleasance   

Forth all her life there to sleep and wake  
Him for to serve with humble parfytenesse  
That all maidens might ensample ta●e  
Of her alone to live in cleanness  
And specially of her meekness  
benign port countenance and cheer  
If that hem list of her they might bear   

Full of virtue devoid of all outrage  
Her heart was that god to dwell in che●e  
And day by day right as she wax in age  
Right so in virtue 'gan she to increase  
And night ne day would she never cease  
To exclude sloth and vices to weruaye  
With hand to work or with mouth to pray   

For but in god her heart nought delighteth  
So upon him entirely was her thought  
And from above by grace he her visiteth  
That every thing but him she set at nought  
Of worldly lust she hath so little thought  
That out of mind she let it ever slide  
That nought but god may in her abide   

And when that she xv year did attain  
She was as sad in conversation  
And also demure soothly for to say  
From all chyldehede and dissolution  
In governance and in discretion  
And in talking as wise and as sage  
As any maid of thirty year of age    

Of the conversation of our lady in the Temple  

aNd of her rule this was her usage  
From day to day this holy maid entire  
From prime at morn by continuance  
Till three of the bell to be in her prayer  
And till the son was at midday spear  
On gold and silver & on wu●●es soft  
With her hands she would work oft   

And even at none to bring her her food  
From god above there was an angel sent  
Which that she took as for her lyfloode  
Thanking him ay with all her hole intent  
And after meet anon this maid is went  
again to pray till phoebus went to rest  
And at even with him she took her rest   

This life she lad & this course she gooth  
In whom was never yet fond offence  
And never man saw this maid wrooth  
But ever meek and full of patience  
Of heart clean and pure of conscience  
This life she lad & as lokis teach  
Of words few & wonder soft of speech   

The meet also that was to her brought  
Out of the temple for her sustenance  
With heart glad & with a perfect thought  
To pour & needy that lived in penance  
To give it freely was all her pleasance  
And who that ever of her had a sight  
Of all disease was made glad and light   

And every wight grieved with sickness  
A touch of her made 'em hole anon  
And they that were in thought & in distress  
When they her say her malice was a gone  
And thus she was to evericho one  
Of all mischief refute and remedy  
With a beholding of her goodly eye   

And of this maid eke as it is told  
Her godly face was so full of light  
That no man might sustain to behold  
For hit was clearer than the son bright  
That the crown in the winters night  
Of adryanne ne of the sterris seven  
To her fairness ne be not for to neve ne   

Yet never man tempted was to sin  
While he beheld on her goodly face  
The holy ghost so hole was her within  
That all environ spread 'gan his grace  
Where that she was present in the place  
For alway god gaf her to her presence  
So fulsome light of heavenly influence   

Ne none so fair was never found in reme  
As was that maid of juda and Zion  
The daughter chosen of Iherusalem  
Of davythiss seed to be set alone  
Of all maidens to reckon hem everichone  
She bore the prize as well in fairness  
As she excelled in virtue and goodness   

Let be thou grece and speak not of Eleyne  
Ne thou Troy of young pollycene  
Ne room of Lucrece with her eyen twain  
Ne thou cartage of thy fresh queen  
Dido that was sometime so fair to seen  
Let be you: boost & take of 'em none heed  
whose beauty faileth as flower in frosty meed   

〈◊〉 was meek but not to her meekness  
And judith wise/ but she yet did excel  
And bersabe of great seemliness  
And rachel fair jacob can you tell  
But she alone of woman heed the well  
Of bounty beauty that never fade may  
Nought like a flower that flourisheth but in may   

Passith eachone both nigh and far  
Both in fairness and in perfection  
Right as the son doth a little star  
And as the Ruby hath the renown  
Of stones all and domination  
Right so this maid to speak of holiness  
Of women all is lady and mistress   

Of whom spoke sometime wise Solomon  
In sapience who so list to seek  
That she was chosen for her self alone  
This whit down with her eyen meek  
whose cheeks weren her beauty for to ●ke  
With ●●lyes meynte & fresh roses read  
This is to say who so can take heed   

first with the rose of womanly sufferance  
And with the fair lily next of chastity  
She was ennewyd to give her suffisance  
As well in goodness as in beauty  
And as he saith she fairer was to see  
Than other phoebus platly or lucyne  
With horns full of heaven when they shine   

And of this maid as saint ancelme faith  
In his writing her beauty to termine  
Of face fair but fairer yet of faith  
He saith she was this holy pure virgin  
whose chaste heart to no thing did incline  
For all her beauty but to holiness  
Of whom also this author saith express   

That she was daughter of david by dissent  
Star of the see and God's own analle  
Even in this world alway of one intent  
And god's spouse his hests to fulfil  
And ever ready for to do his will  
Cristis temple and also receptacle  
Of the holy ghost and chosen tabernacle   

The gate of heaven and also the fairness  
Of women all who so looketh a right  
Of maidenhead lady and princess  
One of the five that bore her lamps light  
Ready to meet with her spouse at night  
Full prudently awaiting at the gate  
That for no sloth she came not to late   

In figure eke the chaundelabre of gold  
That sometime hare seven lamps sheen  
This is to say the receit of the hold  
Of god preserved for she was so clean  
thorough her merit endued for to been  
By grace of him that is of power most  
With the seven yefts of the holy ghost    

How our lady received the seven yefts of the holy ghost capitulo quinto  

He first gift was the gift of dread  
To eschew each thing that shall god displease  
The next pity of very womanhead  
To rue on all that she saw in disease  
The third cunning god/ and man to please  
The fourth strength thorough her steadfastness  
Only by virtue all vices to oppress   

Of council eke she had excellence  
To keep her pure in virginity  
For ay with council allied is prudence  
Of understanding eke the pefte had she  
For god himself cheese with her to be  
And of wisdom so god list her advance  
To know each thing that was to his pleasance   

She was also the Throne void of sin  
Th●● standeth so ryal in gods own sight  
To fore which seven lamps brenne  
With heavenly fire so spiritual of light  
That never wast but ever alike bright  
Contynuen in one here above in heaven  
By the which throne and the lampys seven   

Is understand this maid most enter  
With seven virtues that in her were found  
That sometime weren with ghostly light so clear  
Thorough light of virtue inwardly iocounde  
Only thorough grace that did in her abound  
And all they were grounded in meekness  
Her light to god more pleasantly to dress   

For faith in her had a ground so 〈◊〉  
That hit was void of all doubleness  
Her hope of trist was also mayntynoble  
rotted in god by perfect sick ●nesse  
whose charity so large 'gan him dress  
That up to god hasted ran the fire  
With heart of cleanness to all by desire   

Strong in virtue prudent in governance  
She had also conveyed with cleanness  
And sovereignly she had attemperance  
In all her works with great advysidnesse  
And ever annexed unto rightwiseness  
Within her h●rte of womanly bounty  
She had of custom mercy and pity   

Sothfast ensample also of chastity  
As saith ambrose she was in thought & deed  
And true mirror of virginity  
Of port benign full of bowlyhede  
As humble of cheer and feminine of dread  
Prudent of speech of what she list to show  
Large of sentence and but of words few   

To pray & read that was ever her life  
Of heart waker by devotion  
To god alway with thought contemplative  
Full fervent ever in her intention  
And idle never from ocupation  
And specially to alms-deed  
Her hand was ever ready at the need   

And full she was of compassion  
To rue in all that felt woe or smerky  
Well willed ever with hole affection  
To every wight so long was her ●er●e  
Sad with all this that her never a●●er●●  
A look a myo of her eyen fair  
So close of sight was this deboneyre   

And in psalms of holy prophesy  
To look and read she found most delight  
And when she saw and found in Is●ye  
Of Christ's birth how he did write  
To god she left her tender h●ndys white  
Beseeching him she might abide and see  
The basful day of his nativity   

And in the book of elizabeth  
That titled is of her avisions  
I find how this maid of nazareth  
Said every day seven orisons  
That called been her petitions  
With humble heart this blissful young maid  
Full lowly kneeling even thus she said    

How our lady prayed to god for seven petitions capitulo quinto  

o Blissful lord that knowest the intent  
Of every heat in thine eternal sight  
Yeve me grace the first commandment  
To fulfil as it is skill and right  
And grant also with heart will & might  
And all my soul and all my knowing  
The for to love above all other thing   

And give me might plainly to fulfil  
The next bidding like to thy pleasance  
And for to love with heart and all my will  
My neighbour in deed and countenance  
Right as myself with every circumstance  
And herewithal for joy woe or sm●●te  
What thou lovest to love with all mine heart   

Thy precept grant eke that I may  
fulfil also both early and late  
In such manner as most is to thy pay  
benign lord and make me for to hate  
Mankyndes foo for he made first debate  
In kind of man and made him to trespass  
Against the and to lose his grace   

And lord grant me for thy mercy dign  
Above all thing for to have meekness  
And make me humble sufferaunt & benign  
With patience & Inward mildness  
Of all virtues give me eke largeness  
To be accepted the to queem and serve  
To find only thy grace I may deserve   

And also lord with quaking heart & dread  
meekly I pray unto thy day tee  
Me for to grant of thy godlihede  
The gracious our for to abide and see  
In which the holy chosen maiden free  
In to this world here after shall be boar  
Like as prophets hath written here before   

How that she shall by thine election  
Be maid and mother to thy sone dear  
Now good lord here mine orison  
To keep mine eyen and my sight entire  
That I may see her holy hallowed cheer  
her sakerid beauty & holy countenance  
If thou of grace list me so much advance   

And keep mine ears that they may also  
Here her speech & her dalliance  
And with my tongue speak that maiden unto  
Patiently thorough her sufferance  
Of worldly joy this were suffisance  
And her to love like as I desire  
benign lord so set mine heart afyre   

And lord also on me save thou vouch  
Though I thereto have no wordynesse  
That holy maid to handyl and touch  
Mine own lady and my mistress  
And that I may with humble buxumnesse  
Upon my feet in all my best wise  
Go unto her for to do service   

And to that flower of virginity  
Grant also lord that I may have space  
meekly to bow & kneel upon my knee  
Under support only of her grace  
And to honour the goodly young face  
Of her son as she doth him wrap  
In clothes soft l●ggyng in her lap   

And love him best plainly to my last  
Wi●h all mine heart & mine hole service  
Withouten change while my life may last  
Right as thyself lord canst best devise  
So that I may in faithful humble wise  
In all this world no more grace attain  
Than love him best with all my might & pain   

And to thy grace also lord I pray  
To grant me to fulfil in deed  
holy the statutes and meekly to obey  
Within the temple as I here hem read  
For but thou help I may no thing speed  
As of my life & therefore unto the  
all I commit as thou list it be   

The observance & the preceptis all  
That to thy temple ● lord been partynent  
So let thy grace by mercy on me fall  
That I may do 'em with all mine hole intent  
And every bidding and commaundeyeent  
That thy ministers assygnen unto me  
Make me fulfil with all humility   

And thy temple & thy holy house  
benign lord keep me from all damage  
And make thy people to be virtuous  
To thy pleasance of every manner age  
The for to serve with heart & whole courage  
And where they err/ lord on any side  
Or thou do right let mercy be her guide   

And thus this maid alway day by day  
In the temple maketh her prayeris  
To please god what she can or may  
The chief resort of all her desires  
Till she attain to fourteen years  
With heart avowed both in thought & deed  
For to continue in her maidenhead   

Of whose intent god wot full unware  
Weren some of them that in the temple abide  
Of which a bishop called abiathar  
Cast him fully for to/ set a side  
her purpose plainly and so for to provide  
That her avow maked of chastity  
Should not hold but utterly that she   

Should be wedded soothly if he might  
Unto his son of high affection  
For that she in every wights sight  
So passing good of condition  
And to fulfil his intention  
abiathar byhoteth gold and ●ente  
To the bisshoppi● to make her to assent   

To this purpose & to her they gone  
And what they may they 'gan her excite  
And to affirm to her everyone  
With sugrid tungys' of many words white  
That god above doth him more delight  
In birth of children than in virginity  
Or any such avowed chastity   

And more in children is honoured in certain  
And more in hem hath he his pleasance  
Than in such as been not but b●rayn  
Without fruit thorough misgovernance  
And holy writ maketh remembrance  
That no man was soothly for to tell  
Without seed blessed in Israelle   

To whom anon with look down cast & cheer  
benignly & in full humble wise  
This holy maid said as ye shullen here  
Certes add she if ye well you advise  
Which in yourself so prudent been and wise  
And well advert in your discressyoune  
That a ●el sometime had a dowbyl crown   

One for his faithful true sacrifice  
Offering to god of humble heart and free  
And another as I shall devise  
〈…〉 his body kept in chastity  
And Ely eke as ye may read and see  
For 〈◊〉 in heart was a maiden clean  
He was ravished above the sterris seven   

Body and all in a char of fire  
For ●e him kept from all corruption  
Therefore in vain is plainly your desire  
To speak with me of this opinion  
For god well knoweth mine intention  
How I have vowed as it to him is couth  
To be a maid fro my tendyr youth   

And all my life so forth to persevere  
For life or death only for his sake  
From which purposes shall I not dissever  
Thorough his grace whether I sleep or wake  
To keep and hold I have undertake  
My maidenhead sithen go full yore  
again which ne speaketh to me no more   

And when they saw her heart not mutable  
But ever steadfast of one affection  
And ever eliche as any centre stable  
They have made a convocation  
Of all the kindreds in conclusion  
The eight day for to come in fere  
By one assent to treat of this matter   

This is to say that of old usage  
Of custom keep for a memorial  
That every maid of fourteen year of age  
Rich and pour of the stock rial  
In the temple no longer dwell shall  
But by statute shall be take and married  
By the law and no l●ngyr tarried   

And when they were assembled all in one  
Isacar in open audience  
'Gan to pronounce afore 'em everyone  
Full prudently the some of his sentence  
And said sires with your patience  
So hit your ●ris offend not ne grieve  
Declare I shall my meaning with your leave   

If ye remember sithen solomon the king  
Of Israel sceptre bare and crown  
In this temple so ryal in building  
Have young maidens by division  
Of custom had her conversation  
Both kings daughters & prophyces eke  
As ye may find if ye list to seek   

But to the age of fourteen year  
abiden here and no longer of space  
As ye well know withouten any were  
And than be removed from her place  
And in her stead other did pace  
As custom was & each in her lineage  
delivered was unto marriage   

And as a law it hath be kept full true  
Unto this time in high & low estate  
But now marry hath fond an order new  
To keep her clean and Inuyolate  
A ●enst which there helpeth no debate  
For of fire chose and heartily volunty  
She hath to god avowed chastity   

Wherefore me seemeth it were well sitting  
To her purpose by good digression  
First that we might fully have knowing  
Of God's will in this opinion  
For thenne it were a more perfection  
Her clean intent as seemeth unto me  
And eke the stronger of authority   

First that we might know verily  
To whose keeping she shall committed be  
And they assenten hereto verily  
Withouten more of high or low degree  
And of accord & of one unity  
The priests all begunnen to proceed  
To cast ●ette down by each kindred   

The which lot on juda fell anon  
As 〈…〉 through God's purveyance  
And 〈…〉 him everyone  
Purpose 〈…〉 new ordinance  
That 〈…〉 of that alliance  
That 〈…〉 withouten more delay  
Should 〈◊〉 a yard again the next day   

And to the bishop highest of eachone  
Every 〈◊〉 of hem did his yard bring  
Among which joseph had brought one  
Though he were old & passion his liking  
And he anon maao his offering  
To god above and a sacrifice  
In the old law such as was the guise   

And god to him then did appear  
And with the yerdis bade that he should gone  
And put them everichoons in fere  
In sancta sanctorum ligging one by one  
And in the morrow to come again eachone  
Eueriche his yard to receive again  
And upon which yard only were seen   

A down appear and up to heaven flee  
He shall have without more obstacle  
mary in keeping so fair upon to see  
As it is right for the high miracle  
And when they come to the tabernacle  
As ye have heard the bishop devoutly  
every his yard delivered by and by   

But utterly upon none them of all  
At thilk time was there no thing seen  
For god's hest was nought ye fall  
Of her desire to put 'em in certain  
Wherefore the bishop with new fire again  
entered is in to the seyntuarye  
And while that he a while there 'gan tarry   

Goddis angel appeared to him new  
Down fro heaven by miracle sent  
And told plainly the best of god was true  
But how himself was somewhat negligent  
For to deliver by commandment  
Every man his yard as be ought  
And when the bishop aright him bethought   

He 'gan remember plainly in his mind  
That of disdain and wilful negligence  
The yard of joseph was left behind  
Whereby he knew that he h●d done offence  
And 'gan anon to bring it in presence  
And took it joseph devoutly in his hand  
Among 'em all there they did stand   

All behind dissevered from the press  
With humble cheer in the lowest place  
And of this yard in manner reckless  
Full still of port with a dreedful face  
And when he did with his hand embrace  
His yard again full debonair of look  
For Innocence of humble dread he quoke   

And suddenly through grace above divine  
All openly in every wights sight  
Upon the yard of joseph full benign  
Was seen a down of fetheris lily white  
That toward heaven took the flight  
And with one voice the people tho abraid  
And unto joseph all atones said   

Bl●ssed art thou & blessed is thy chance  
Thy face blessed & thine adventure  
And blessed is thine humble attendance  
And thou art blessed so long tendure  
For to possede so fair a creature  
So good so holy now in thy passing age  
So clean a maid to have in marriage   

And she anon by priests of the law  
Assigned was unto his governance  
But silly joseph 'gan him to withdraw  
With humble cheer & shamefast countenance  
And said certes there is none accordance  
between her youth flourishing in fairness  
And me whom age with unlust doth oppress   

For she is fair & fresh as rose in may  
And well I wot also a maiden clean  
And I am old with whit lockis grey  
Passid full for my tendyr years green  
Wherefore I pray you to consider and seen  
To accord discordant saith to me no more  
between her beauty & my lockis hoar   

And when the bishop saw the humble intent  
Of this joseph and the Innocence  
And how that he to take her nold assent  
To him he said in open audience  
joseph he said take heed to my sentence  
And be well aware that thou the not excuse  
Again the will of god for to refuse   

This holy maid assigned unto the  
By open sign which all the people say  
Through God's grace & mighty volunty  
Against which bewaar to dssobeye  
And think how he sometime made to die  
A byron and dathan only for the offence  
Doon to him of inobedience   

Quod joseph that will I not in no thing  
To God's will ne bidding contrary  
But her accept in to my keeping  
For whom god hath showed signs fair  
Which is so good benign and debonair  
That I to her will servant be & guide  
Till for her god list bet to prevyde   

And as the custom of the law hem ●onde  
So maked was the confirmation  
By hest of wedlock between 'em hand in hand  
And he her took to his possession  
With heart clean and meek affection  
But while he went to bethelem the city  
mary abode still in galilee    

How joseph used the craft of a carpenter capitulo ix  

aT nazareth in her faders how  
Like her avow of heart alway in one  
And five maidens the most virtuous  
Of the temple were chosen out anon  
Of the bishop with her for to gone  
To wait on her by humble attendance  
In what they can to serve and do pleasance   

Of which the first called was reyca  
And S●eph●a the second as I find  
Susanna Zabe● and Abigea  
The other three as books maken mind  
Which would never thorough sloth be behind  
But ay in one as it is specefyed  
In work and prayer were occupied   

And unto 'em as made is mention  
That of living so faithful weren & true  
And diligent in occupation  
delivered was silk of sundry hew  
For to make diverse works new  
In the temple of Intention  
Only to be in ministration   

And as it is put in remembrance  
Eueriche her silk took by adventure  
Like as her hand fell thereon by chance  
But marry as god though shope her ewer  
The purple silk took in to her cure  
Of gracious hap of sort without sight  
The which colour of custom and of right   

To none estate is kindly sitting  
Of doubt to speak in special  
But to the state only of a king  
So that no wight but of the stock ryal  
By statute old this colour use shall  
For by old time ye should no man seen  
In purple clad but outher king or queen   

Wherefore the sort full rightfully is fall  
Verily by dew disposition  
Upon mary that before 'em all  
By line right is descended down  
Of blood ryalle and by eleccioun  
Of god above was chosen for to been  
For her merit of heaven and earth queen   

And mother eke as ye shall after here  
Of thilk king that was clad in tread  
Of purpur hew both face and cheer  
Down to the foot from his blessed b●ed  
When he of purple did his banner spread  
On calvary abroad upon the ●●ode  
To save mankind when he shed his blood   

And of this purple that I spoke of to●orne  
I find plainly how that mary wrought  
Tyilke veil that was on twain torn  
The same our when he so dear us bought  
Lo how that god in his eternal thought  
provided hath by Just purveyance  
The purple silk to his moders chance    

How our lady is set for an ensaunple of virginity capitulo decimo  

but now I leave this blessed maid dear  
In nazareth among her friends to dwell  
leading a life more purfyt and enter  
Than any tongue suffice may to tell  
For even like as a fulsum well  
Shedyth his streams in to the river  
Right so marry an ensaumpeler clear   

Yaffe to all by plenteous largeness  
Only virtue upon every side  
O well were they to whom thou were masters  
And blessed eke that might on the abide  
To have by ensample so virtuous a guide  
And blessed was that holy company  
That day by day the seen with her eye   

And blessed was the palace & the house  
In which thou haddist thy holy mansion  
Fortuned well & wonder gracious  
So humb●e was thy conversacioun  
And blessed was also all the town  
There thou abode & blessed the village  
O holy maid where thou hadst hostage   

And blessed was the worthy table rich  
Where day by day thou wentest unto board  
For in soothness the joy was not like  
Of Croesus' king for all his rich hoard  
And blessed be they that herden word by word  
Of thy speech & blessed the hour and time  
Of all thy life from even till the prime   

O weelful eke and gracious the sight  
Of 'em that mighten upon the behold  
For well they ought to be glad & light  
That weren with the alway when they would  
And blessed weren young and old  
That were rejoiced with thy excellence  
When that hem l●st of thy high presence   

O the joy who could tell a right  
Of thine heavenly meditations  
Ascending up above the sterris bright  
In thine Inward contemplations  
Or the blessed & holy visitayons  
Who can rehearse bright as son or levene  
So oft sent down to the fro heaven   

Or who can tell thine holy slepies soft  
With god alway full in thy memory  
For love of whom thou sighedyst full oft  
When thou were fool in thine oratory  
Or who can tell the melody or glory  
That aungelys hath maked in the place  
For the joy they had to look in thy face   

I am rude to rehersen all  
For unkonning & for lack of space  
The matter is so Inly spiritual  
That I dare not so high a style pace  
But lady mine I put me all in thy grace  
This first book compylid for thy sake  
Of my simpleness & thus an end I make   

beseeching all to have pity & routh  
That thereof shall have any Inspection  
If ought be left of necligens and sloth  
Or said to much of presumption  
I put it meekly to hi● correction  
And axe mercy of my trespass  
There as I err & put me in her grace   

And thorough her benign supportation  
So as I can forth I will proceed  
With all mine heart & whole intention  
praying that maid of so goodlihead  
Crop & rote to help in this need  
Whom I now leave in nazareth sojourn  
And to my matter I will again return    

How mercy and peace rightwiseness and truth disputeden for the redemption of mankind capitulo undecimo  

wHo that is bound and fetterid in prison  
thinketh long after deliverance  
And he that feeleth pain and passion  
Desireth sore after allegiance  
And who that is in sorrow and penance  
little wonder of heartily heaviness  
Though he covet releases of his distress   

And who that liveth in languor & in woe  
For in exile and prescription  
And is withsette with many a cruel foo  
And can no gain to his salvation  
To escape death without great ransom  
Full long he thinketh of full little space  
While he in bonds abideth after grace   

And yet to record of old felicity  
In soothfastness encresith more his pain  
Than all the constraint of his adversity  
And causeth him more to sigh & plain  
For joy passed can hearts more constrain  
Her wealth afore to bewep and wail  
Than all the torment that hem doth assail   

O who could ever sith the world began  
Of more joy or of gladnoe tell  
Than sometime could the worthy kind of man  
That shapen was in paradise to dwell  
Till he alas was banished in to hell  
Fer in exile from his possession  
And there to abide stockid in prison   

And he hath lost his riches and honour  
His mirth his joy & his old welfare  
His force his might and holy his succour  
And was of virtue naked made and bare  
And lay full seek languishing in care  
So far proscripte out of his country  
That by the law there may no recover be   

whose neck oppressed with so strong a c●ene  
Say plunged down without remedy  
That when mercy would have been amene  
rightwiseness 'gan it anon deny  
And when that peace for recover 'gan to cry  
Came troth forth with a stern face  
And said plainly that he get no grace   

For peace and mercy to guider assembled were  
Full long agone to treat of this matter  
And rightwiseness with hem was eke there  
And troth also with a deynous cheer  
And when they were all four in fere  
As ye have herd and 'gan to entrete  
Than first of all cruelly to threat   

Troth began almost in a rage  
Of cruel Ire and of melancholy  
And said shortly that man for his outrage  
Of very right must needs die  
And thus began the controversy  
Between the susteryn & troth alway in one  
Said plainly that recover was there none   

For I quoth troth at his creation  
Told him the parel afore his offence  
But he me put out of his ●●ndon  
And gave to me no manner audience  
And I quoth right all my diligence  
Would him have ruled but he took none heed  
Wherefore of me he get none help at need   

And when he gave credence to the snake  
He made his quarrel even against right  
And again troth he falsely 'gan to take  
When he her clean put out of his sight  
And again peace began a quarrel to sight  
When he from him mercy set afar  
And so he set himself all out of her   

Therefore quoth right pletith for him no more  
But let him have as he hath deserved  
Ye do great wrong if ye will him restore  
That hath his hest to you not conserved  
A yis quod mercy nature hath reserved  
To peace my sister ylaynly and to me  
On wretches ever for to have pity   

And offendyth hath of ignorance  
More than of malice iwis qd mercy though  
Yet for all that he must have his penance  
Quod right anon like as he hath do  
And think quod peace that toward Jericho  
He was disposed among his cruel soon  
For lack of help when he left him alone   

That was qd troth for he was reckless  
To go the way y taught him of reason  
Quod mercy than the mortal foo of peace  
The old serpent rote of all treason  
Of false envy and indignation  
Lay a wait to bring him in a train  
When he to him falsely did fain   

That if he eat of the forboden tree  
The fair faite in paradise present  
He should like unto god be  
Of good and evil to have intendment  
And for my sister troth was absent  
And ye yourself also rightwiseness  
He was betrayed slightly by falseness   

Wherefore quoth mercy I purpose uttertye  
Him to relieve if I can or may  
And I quoth peace will help faithfully  
The great ire and rancour to allay  
Of judgement to put it in delay  
And here upon to find full refuge  
I will proceed afore the high judge    

How mercy and peace brought in this plea before the high Iuge capitulo xii  

aNd right forthwith before the king of glory  
Mercy and peace the cause brought anon  
And in the high heavenly consistory  
Pees said thus among 'em everyone  
O blessed lord that art both three and one  
So please it the benignly to here  
What I will say and my sister dear   

Remember lord among thy works all  
How thou madest mercy sovereign  
That when that ever unto the she call  
Thou mayst not of right her prayer disdaigne  
And specially when that we both twain  
To thine highness for any thing require  
Thou mud of grace fulfil our prayer   

Is not thy mercy great above the heaven  
Thine own daughter chief of thine ally  
And hath her place above the sterris seven  
With the ordris of every hierarchy  
Whom day by day thou canst so magnify  
Among thy works to make her empress  
To help wretches when they been in distress   

Thy mercy eke abideth ever with the  
Like thy greatness & thy magnificence  
And who that doth mercy and pytre  
Doth sacrifice high in thy presence  
And is not mercy of more excellence  
Like as the psalter well rehearse can  
Upon the earth than the life of man   

Thyself also as it is plainly couth  
advisedly who so taketh heed thereto  
Sayest openly with thine owen mouth  
That to a thousand thou canst thy mercy do  
And holy david recordith eke also  
With his harp above all thing  
That he thy mercies eternally shall sing   

And how might eke any creature  
Upon earth in any manner kind  
Without mercy any while endure  
For all were gone if mercy were behind  
Wherefore lord on mercy have thy mind  
The woeful caitiff to take unto thy grace  
That hath so long ●e severed fro thy face   

And though that I be humble meek & free  
Forsooth lord of duty and of right  
Yet ever in one my dwelling is with the  
For seld or never I part out of thy sight  
peace is my name that power hath & might  
Thorough my kunning they that be mortal foone  
By the help of the to accord in to one   

And also lord as holy writ can tell  
That of thy peace there may none end be  
And eke thy peace doth evety wight excel  
And art thyself of very duty  
called the prince of peace and unity  
And yet byhotest wretches to relieve  
That is mankind & shall neu●r fro 'em move   

And joob recordeth the wholesomest fruit  
Of all this world springeth out of peace  
Now lord sithen I am maked to be refute  
And to the woeful comfort and increases  
Grant of thy grace now a full releases  
That I and mercy may the ●oon confound  
Of thilk caitiff that lieth in prison bound   

So that he may have liberty  
To go at large and have remission  
Of this thraldom and captivity  
And be delivered out of this prison  
So that there may be made redempsion  
For his servage and final pay  
Lord of thy mercy without more delay   

And when they had her matter full purposed  
Mercy and peace with full high sentence  
Touching man with sin so enclosid  
The judge gaf benign audience  
And when he had kept long silence  
For all the skills to him that they laid  
Yet at the last to hem thus he said    

How god the father of heaven answered to mercy and peace capitulo xiii  

Mine own daughter next to mine ally  
Though your request come of tendyr heart  
Ye must consider with a prudent eye  
Of rightwiseness it may not me asterte  
Like your asking by favour to advert  
Unto the cause that ye represent  
But right and troth fully would assent   

Withouten whom I may not proceed  
To execute any manner judgement  
Wherefore let call her in this great need  
For I moat work by her advisement  
And when they weren come and present  
Than troth anon touching this matter  
Said openly that all mighten here   

If hit so be this man that trespassed  
Ne be not deed for his iniquity  
Though utterly the franchise is defaced  
Both of my sister rightwiseness and me  
And finally our both liberty  
Goeth unto nought of our jurisdiction  
But he be punished for his transgression   

The word of god that plainly may not err  
Told him afore withouten any dread  
The great parelle of this mortal war  
eating the apple that he must be deed  
But he of sloth took thereto none heed  
Wherefore he must as right lust provide  
Withouten mercy the doom of death abide   

And though that peace be of pity moved  
Man to deliver with a zeel of routh  
rightwiseness would then be aggrieved  
With me to consent that am called truth  
And as me seemeth it were to great a sloth  
Dome or cause plea or any suit  
Withouten us twain to be execute   

Me seemeth eke my sister peace doth wrong  
To foster a man & hold against us twain  
That hath been conversant so long  
Among us discord to restrain  
Therefore quoth peace now will I not feign  
To do mine office right to modify  
That she of rigour cause him not to die   

Than quoth right of necessity  
Hit must follow though he were my brother  
That he must die by doom of equity  
Or in his name moat be deed some other  
So of my ship guyed is the rother  
That ne may err for wave ner for wyn●e  
More than the anchor of troth will me bind   

Certes quoth mercy so it not displease  
Unto your noble and wise providence  
His death to you may be little ease  
For holy writ rehearseth in sentence  
If you consider in your advertence  
That death of sinners the high god to quence  
Is wert of dethiss if ye of right list dem●   

For sinful blood is no sacrifice  
To god above that every thing may seen  
Than must ye the death of one devise  
That is of sin Innocent and clean  
And is I trow under the son sheen  
Thorough the world to rehearse all mankind  
It were full hard such one for to find   

For rust with rust may not scoured be  
Ne foul with filth may be purified  
But who is soyl●d with dishonest  
To wash another it is not applied  
Black unto white may not be died  
Ne blood infect with corruption  
To god for sin is none oblation   

figure hereof ye may behold and see  
As the bible maketh mention  
How that a lamb of spot & filth fear  
Sometime was take by election  
And offered up in satisfaction  
To god for sin for to signify  
Who should for man's ransom die   

Must be clean pure and Innocent  
Right as a lamb from every spot & blame  
And truly under the firmament  
There was none such sithen adam did atame  
The fruit to eat for either halt or lame  
In sovereign virtue is all the kind of man  
Wherefore qd mercy the best read that I can   

That peace my sister cese this discord  
And all the strife that is us between  
And that we pray our judge & mighty lord  
To this matter benignly to seen  
And of his grace to shape such a mean  
For troth & right so prudently ordeygne  
That peace ne I have no cause to plain   

And this request is nought against right  
Ne unto troth plainly none offence  
If that our judge of his great might  
Ordain so in his providence  
To scare away thorough his sapience  
That troth and right be not displeased  
Thorough peace & me though man be holp & easid    

How the father of heaven accorded the four sistren capitulo xiv  

aNd when that she by reason had fined  
That grounded was plainly upon skill  
The high judge by mercy is inclined  
To condescend of grace to her will  
And in such wise her asking to fulfil  
That right be served & truth not dismayed  
That peace & she shullen eke be well apaid   

And by sentence anon definitive  
The judge said for conclusion  
In Innocent pure and clean of life  
Shall meekly die to pay the ransom  
For man's guilt and transgression  
And he so freely shall the death abeye  
In all his pain that he no word shall say   

And thus shall right in all manner thing  
Have her desire and troth shall not fail  
But agreeably in their working  
To execute fully to stint this batayle  
And for that peace in moche may avail  
And mercy eke shall not be aggrieved  
Her brother asking also shall be achieved   

To find a man that shall undertake  
This mighty quarrel of mercy and pity  
To suffer death only for man's sake  
Vncompellyd freely and of volunty  
That is a lamle withouten spot shall be  
And with his blood shall wash undefouled  
The guilt of man with rust of sin y mouled    

How his son should take mankind capitulo xv  

but for to wete of what stock be shall spring  
Of what kindred and of what estate  
My soothfast word eternally living  
Mine own son with me Increa●e  
Shall down be sent to be Incarnate  
And wrap himself in the mortal kind  
Of man for love so that he may find   

A clean ground his palace unto build  
In all the earth neither of lime ne stone  
But in a maid debonair and mild  
The humble daughter of juda and zion  
And unto her shall truth & mercy gone  
By one accord sent afore my face  
Like my devise to cheese me a place   

And say to her in all manner thing  
Her tabernacle that she make fair  
Against the coming of her mighty king  
Which is my son and mine own heir  
That in her breast shall have his repair  
Where troth & mercy shall to guider meet  
By one assent and her rancour let   

And there shall peace kiss rightwiseness  
And all the susteris accord in that place  
And right shall leave all her stourdynes  
And trewthiss sword shall no more menace  
And finally mercy shall purchase  
A charter of pardon like this maiden clean  
And which for man is so good a mean   

That he shall mow escape dangers  
A mid the forest free from every trap  
While the maid that causeth all this peace  
Hath the unicorn sleeping in her lap  
That thorough meekness shall his horn so wrap  
There it was wont to slay by violence  
Thorough d●th it shall again d●th ●e defence   

Against venom more wholesome than treacle  
Every poison asofte and assuage  
When the lion maketh his habitacle  
Within a maid but of tendir age  
And gabriel shall gone on message  
To her anon mine own secretary  
With new tidings & no longer tarry    

How gabryel the angel was sent to our lady capitulo xuj  

aNd right forthwith the angel tar●eth nought  
But held his way from the see of glory  
Unto this maid clean in will and thought  
Where as she sat in her oratory  
With heart intentive & with hole memory  
great to god and all her full mind  
To whom the angel when he did her find   

benignly with all humility  
Said unto her anon as ye shullen here  
Hail full of grace our lord is with the  
Ne dread the not but be right glad of cheer  
That art to god so acceptable and dear  
That holy his grace is upon the fall  
To be most blessed among women all   

And with that word thorough God's might  
All hole the some of the deity  
That from heaven his blissful beams bright  
shed on ther●he of our humanity  
When in the breast of a maiden free  
The holy ghost by free election  
For her meekness hath made his mansion   

For when that bernard sometime 'gan behold  
With thought up lift by contemplation  
The bright son in heart he 'gan to cold  
Inly atoned in his aspection  
And full devoutly in a meditation  
Thereof remembering as he 'gan take heed  
Said even thus quaking in a dread    

A lamentation of saint bernard cayitulo xvij  

a Lord quod he so I am agrysed  
And sore a dread to look on this clearness  
And yet well more with fere I am surprised  
For to behold for mine unworthiness  
Only word to write or to express  
Of this mystery and great privity  
benign lord lest thou say to me   

What art thou bold or darist in any wise  
My rightwiseness to tell or to write  
Or to presume so hardly to devise  
My testament with thy mouth indite  
That certes lord but if thou respite  
My wretchedness by support of thy grace  
I greatly dread of death for my trespass   

But would god through his great might  
And his goodness like to my desire  
That from th'altar that burneth in his sight  
No little sparkle but a flame of fire  
Would down dissende mine heart to inspire  
For to consume with his fervent heat  
The rusty filth that in my mouth doth fleet   

And all uncleanness cankerid there of old  
To make clean and to scour away  
That thorough his grace I durst be so bold  
Other to write or some word to say  
That was rehercid upon the blissful day  
When gabriel and marry met  
In nazareth and humbly her great   

But sithen this man so parfyt of living  
This holy bernard so good and gracious  
So dreedful was this matter in writing  
That was of life so Inly virtuous  
How dare I than be presumptuous  
I woeful wretch in any manner wise  
To take on me this parfyt high emprise   

My lippis pollute my mouth with sin soiled  
Mine heart unclean and full of cursidness●  
My thought also with all vices foiled  
My breast receit & chest of wretchidnesse  
That me to write of any parfitnesse  
Not only dread of presumption  
But for to eschew the Indignation   

Of god above for my great offence  
That I am bold or hardy in his sight  
To dare presume the great excellence  
For to describe of her that was so brigh  
But under hope that mercy passeth right  
And that disdain my style not very  
With humble heart thus to him I pray    

A recapitulation of the words of gabriel to our lady how holy men by divine liknessis wrote of our lady in commendation of her ca xviij  

o Lord whose mercy goth not to decline  
But ever eliche stondyth hole in one  
That sometime sendist down frum seraphyne  
To isaiah an angel with a stone  
wherewith he began to touch his mouth anon●  
To purge his lippis from all pollution  
So let thy grace to me descend down   

My rude tongue to explite and speed  
Somewhat to say in commendation  
Of her that is well of womanhead  
And thorough her help and meditation  
Be to my style full direction  
And let thy grace alway be present  
This book to further after mine intend   

For of my life for to undertake  
To speak or write in so devout matter  
little wonder though I tremble or quake  
And change both countenance and cheer  
Sithen this maiden of vertu tresorere  
Perturbyd/ was in look and in visage  
Of gabriel to here the message   

And full demurely still 'gan abide  
And in her heart casting up and down  
Full prudently upon every side  
The manner of this salutation  
And how it might in conclusion  
In any wise fully performed be  
She standing hole in her virginity   

And when the angel saw her lowlyhede  
He● humble countenance changed in her face  
He said mary for no thing that you dread  
For tofore god thou hast found grace  
And shalt conceive within a little space  
And in thy womb a son of all virtue  
And shalt him call when he is borne Ihesu   

That shall be great & named sothfastlye  
son of the highest that ever was of might  
And god to him shall give full justly  
The see of david his own faders right  
And he shall reign in every wights sight  
In the house of jacob eternally by line  
whose kingdom ever shall last & never fine   

And though his hest were passing of renown  
Surmounting eke as in excellence  
That outwardly gave so marvelous a sown  
And wonderful to her audience  
Thenne she full meekly of great reverence  
And look down cast of her eyen clear  
benignly the angel 'gan inquire   

In what manner shall this thing betide  
Sithen I no man know in no degree  
Quod gabriel within thy blessed side  
The holy ghost shall I shrouded be  
And all the virtue of the trinity  
Enclose shall in thy breast so clean  
The son of life with all his beams shenna   

Wherefore this child that shall of the be borne  
Shall called be God's sone eterne  
Behold & see a little her toforn  
Elysabeth thine own cousin dear  
conceived hath sithen gone half year  
Though she for age went to have been barren  
And is with child to put all in certain   

That to god is no thing inpossible  
But as him list may every thing fulfils  
Unto whose word be fully now credible  
Byholde quoth she of god the meek avalle  
With all mine heart obeying to his will  
In every thing right as him list it be  
And like thy word fall it unto me   

Lo she that was chosen for to been  
Of all this world lady and empress  
Of heaven & earth alone to be queen  
And God's mother for her holiness  
Lo for all this how lowly with meekness  
She all committeth unto God's will  
As he ordaineth ready to fulfil   

And would not call herself none other name  
But God's handmaid in full low manner  
O where is all the transitory fame  
Where is your boast or daren you apere  
Of pomp or pride or surquidry in fere  
With your forblowe blowing vanity  
Sithen that a maid thorough her humility   

Of pride hath now won the victory  
And openly hath yevyn him a fall  
Thorough whose lowliness the high king of glory  
Within her womb hath made in special  
His dwelling place & his hospital  
And with one word of the maid I spoke  
The holy ghost is in her breast yloke    

A commendation of our lady capitulo nineteen  

aNd when th'angel from her departed was  
And she alone in her tabernacle  
Right as the son perisheth thorough the glass  
Thorough the cristalle beralle or spectacle  
Without harm/ right so by miracle  
In to her closet the faders sapience  
Entrid is withouten violence   

Or any wemme unto her maidenhead  
On any side in party or in all  
For God's son taking our manhood  
In her hath build his palace principal  
And under pight this mansion ryalle  
With seven pillars as made is memory  
And therm set his reclynatorye   

Which is performed all of pure gold  
Only to us for to signefy●  
That he all holy made hath his hold  
Within this maid that called is mary  
And seven pillars that sholden this maid gye  
Ben seven spirits so as I can discern  
Of god above this maid to govern   

For all the treasure of his sapience  
And all the wisdom of heaven and earth thereto  
And all the richesses of spiritual science  
In her were shit and closed eke also  
For she is the tour without words more  
And house of ivory in which Solomon  
shut all his treasure in his possession   

She was the castle of the crystal wall  
That never man might yet unclose  
In which the king that made and causeth all  
His dwelling chief by grace 'gan dispose  
And like as dew descendeth on the rose  
With silver dropys and of the leaves fair  
The fresh beauty ne might not pair   

Ne as the rain in aprille or in may  
Causeth the virtue to run out of the rote  
The great fairness nought appeyte may  
On vyolettis and on herbs soot  
Right so this grace of all our grievous boot  
The grace of god amid the belly whit  
The beauty causeth to be of more delight   

And as the cokyle with heavenly dew so clean  
Of kind engendereth white pearls round  
And hath no cherishing but the sun sheen  
To his fostering as it is plainly found  
Right so this maid of grace most abound  
A pearl hath closed within her breasts white  
That from the death might all our ransom quite   

She was eke the gate of the lockis bright  
Set in the north of high devotion  
Of which sometime the prophet had a sight  
Ezechyel as is written in his avision  
Which stood ever close in conclusion  
That never man entre shall ne pace  
But god himself to make his dwelling place   

And yet in sooth as I reherde can  
So as the flees of geddon was wet  
Tofore he fauhgt with hem of madyan  
With heavenly dew environ all be set  
In sign only he speed shall the bet  
Right so hath god on her his grace showed  
With the holy ghost when she was bedewed   

In token plainly she should succour be  
Unto mankind manly for to fight  
Again the devil that hath in his pouste  
All madyan with his fell might  
And thorough the help of this maiden bright  
And thorough the dew of her heavenly grace  
We shall this serpent from our lands chase   

She was also of gold the rich urn  
Keeping the man of our salvation  
That all our woe may to joy turn  
With wholesome food and full perfection  
She was also as scripture maketh mention  
The yard of aaron with fruit and leaves lad  
Of virtue most to comfort us and glade   

She was the altar of cedar gold and stone  
Steadfast and true in perfection  
And as the cedar conserving ay in one  
His body clean from all corruption  
And for to make a full oblation  
Of every virtue to god in chastity  
She shone as gold by perfect charity   

And on this altar she made her sacrifice  
With fire of love brenning as bright  
To god and man in every manner wise  
As done the sterris on the frosty night  
Her frankincense gave so clear a light  
Thorough good ensample that the perfect levene  
Of her living reached in to heaven   

She was the throne where that Solomon  
For worthiness set his ryal see  
With gold and yvore that so bright shone  
That all about the beauty men might see  
The gold was love/ the ivory chastity  
And twelve lions so great huge and large  
That of this work bore up the charge   

Of the old law weren prophets twelve  
That long before 'gan behold and see  
That Solomon God's son himself  
Should in this maid behold his ryal see  
So that in sooth her clean virginity  
To be a mother should no thing let  
Amid her breast that he his throne set   

She was the woman that saint john  
Saw in heaven so richly appear  
Clad in a sun which brighter shone  
Than phoebus doth in his long spear  
And twelve sterris that passingly were clear  
So as to him plainly did seem  
Weren set above in her diadem   

And as him thought at her feet there stood  
A large moan bright and no thing pale  
In figure only that she that is so good  
To suage the bitter of our old bale  
The sun of life maked to avail  
Down to the earth to govern us and guy●  
And eke the moan to us doth signify   

All holy church large to behold  
Within this maid had his original  
When finally with his rights old  
The synagogue of Jews had a fall  
For in this maid the first faithful wall  
Of holy church god 'gan first to build  
When with his son he made her go with child   

And to reform the rudeness utterly  
Of blind folks that could not perceive  
How that marry might kindly  
A maid be and a child conceive  
That if him list reason to conceive  
They may examples right enough  
Of this matter according unto kind    

authentic conclusions against unbeleeful men that saiden that christ might not be borne of a maid capitulo xx  

o Blind man thorough thine iniquity  
Why hast thou lost thy reason and thy sight  
That thou of malice list not for to see  
How christ Ihesu thorough his great might  
To his disciples held the way right  
Thorough the yatis shit by great defence  
Without breaking or any violence   

Who might he not of his magnificence  
Within a maid make his mansion  
And she yet stood in high excellence  
Of maidenhead from all corruption  
Ye been to blind in your digression  
That list not to see also how he rose  
From death to life in his sepulture close   

And here withal thou mayst also advert  
How he full graciously of his mighty grace  
Made peter out of prison to start  
And where him list freely for to pace  
And yet the doors were shit of the place  
What wonder than though god by miracle  
Within a maid made his habitacle   

And being close and parfytly shit  
With all the bonds of clean virginity  
For soothfastly her cleanness was not let  
Upon no side ne yet her chastity  
But increased and favour for to see  
That gods son list to light adown  
Within this maid to make his mansion   

Eke hildefons telleth of a tree  
In stead of faite heri●h birds small  
From year to year by kind as men may see  
Without meddling of female or of male  
This verily is sooth plainly and no tale  
Than wondre not though christ were borne between  
The chaste sides of a maiden clean   

Eke certain birds called vultures  
Without meddling conceyvyn by nature  
As books say withouten any lees  
And of her life an hundred year endure  
Than the lord of every creature  
That causeth all no wonder though I say  
Though that he were conceived of a may   

And plunyus in books natural  
Write of a roche great and large also  
That will remove with a finger small  
But if a man do all his might thereto  
It will not steer neither to ne fro  
Right so this maid that is of virtue most  
With a finger of the holy ghost   

And with a touch of his mighty grace  
conserved hath steadfast god and man  
That never might remove from her face  
Of thilk avow that she first began  
To be a maid as forforth as she can  
In heart & will as any roche stable  
That from his ground is not removable   

This clerk also this wise plunius  
saith in tauriche there is an earth found  
That of nature is so virtuous  
That will cure every manner wound  
Right so marry was the earth found  
That god out choose by election  
To bear the fruit of our redemption   

That should be health and also medicine  
To all our wounds when they ache or smart  
And our griefs & our hurts fine  
From death to make us to asterte  
With wholesome balm piercing to the heart  
Our festerid soris that they shall ache no more  
Ne that she ne were we were all forbore   

And furthermore this author can eke tell  
Within his book who so looketh a right  
To jupiter sacred is a well  
That when it hath quaint his brands bright  
That oft again it giveth them a new light  
Who list assay sooth as he shall find  
What wonder than though the god of kind   

Amid this well from filth of sin cold  
Full of virtue with fair streams clear  
His lodging took & his mighty hold  
And thorough his grace set it new afyre  
With the holy ghost that withouten were  
Though she were cold from all flesshlyhede  
She brent in love hotter than the gleed   

And in falisco as him list to write  
Is a well that causeth eke of new  
When the oxen drink to be white  
And suddenly to change her hew  
What marvel than though the well true  
The well of health and of life eterne  
The lord of all so as I can discern   

These streams shed in to this maid free  
To make her whightest as in holiness  
That both should maid and mother be  
And ever in one/ keep her cleanness  
Withouten change so that her whiteness  
Ne fadeth never in beauty ne in colour  
Of maidenhead to bear both leaf and flower   

And who that would dispute in this matere  
I hold him mad or else out of mind  
For if he have his eyen whole and clear  
He shall now see preef enough by kind  
For he that made both leaf and rind  
And with a word these waste words wild  
Might make a maid for to go with child   

And 〈◊〉 that made the high crystal heaven  
The firmament & also every spear  
The goldyn axtree & the sterris seven  
Cythera so lusty for to appear  
And read marce with his stern cheer  
Might he not eke only for our sake  
Within a maid of man the kind take   

And he that causeth fowls in the air  
In her kind to wax and multiply  
And fish eke with fins si●●d fair  
In deep waves to govern 'em and gye  
And doth one live & another die  
And giveth beasts her food upon the ground  
And in his kind doth 'em to abound   

Sithen he is lord and causeth all thing  
To have being if I shall not fain  
And is the prince and the worthy king  
That all enbracith in his mighty chain  
Why might he not by power sovereign  
At his free choice that all may save and lose  
To his mother a clean maid cheese   

Who causeth the fruit out of the hard tree  
By virtue only that springeth from the rote  
To grow & wax ●●ke as men may see  
With leaves green & new blossoms soot  
Is it not that lord that for all our boat  
Would of a maid as I rehearse can  
meekly be borne without touch of man   

For he that doth the tender branches spring  
And fresh flowers in the great meed  
That weren in winter/ deed & eke dropping  
Of balm void & of lustyhede  
Might be not make his grain to grow & seed  
Within her breast that was both maid & wife  
Whereof is made the soothfast breed of life   

And he that gravyd of his great might  
Without poyntel in the hard stone  
And the tabl●s with letters clear and bright  
His ten precepts & buildings eurichone  
The same lord of his power alone  
Hath made this maid here in earth bow  
A child conceive and no man to know   

And he that made the bush to appear  
All on flame with fe●ly sparkles sheen  
And when moyses 'gan to approach near  
And yet no harm came to the bows green  
The same lord hath conserved clean  
His habitacle & his herber sweet  
In this maid from all fleshly heat   

And he that made the yard of moyses  
Of a serpent to take the likeness  
In the hall among all the press  
Where pharaoh the people did oppress  
And in desert the bible beri●h/ witness  
The river made to run out of the stone  
The thirst to staunch of the people anon   

And over this for to verefye  
His great might sampson the strong man  
As judicum doth plainly specify  
Drank the water that from the channel ran  
And he that made the floods of jurdan  
To torn again for love of joshua  
That all his people clearly might see   

And how waves 'gan a sondre break  
And like an hill to stand high on loft  
And he that made the ass to speak  
To balaam for he road so soft  
Why might he not by power proved oft  
Sithen he the iron made in the water house  
Be of a maid ●orne for man's love   

And he that made an angel for to take  
Abacuk the prophet by a little here  
And suddenly bring him to the lake  
In babylon which was so fere  
And to visit ligging in his fore  
Danyel among the beasts rage  
Till he to him brought the pottage   

The doris shut of the strong prison  
For to assuage of hunger all his pain  
And in a moment to his mansion  
Full suddenly restored him again  
Why might he not as well in certain  
The same lord of a maid than  
Take flesh and blood and become man   

And he that made the sun at gabaon  
To stand & shine upon the bright shield  
Of joshua and toward achalon  
The moan also as all the host beheld  
The long day they fought in the field  
against the kings of mighty of amorre  
That his people clearly might see   

And he that made the shadew to return  
In the orlage of king ezechy●  
By ten degrees only to perform  
By ●●ste●y made to him of isaiah  
Why might he not that all this world shall gye  
Of a maid by the same skill  
Freely he borne at his own will   

And he that fed with five Louis small  
five thousand in solitary place  
Far in desert sitting in a vale  
Thorough the foison and plenty of his grace  
〈◊〉 same ●ord why might he not purchase  
W●th●n a maid during her maidenhead  
When that him list to take his manhood   

F●● as the b●e both w●x and honey shed  
A● the ●yue who taketh heed thereto  
R●ght so mary flowering in maidenhead  
〈…〉 her womb god and man also  
And 〈…〉 soothe she was bo●he two  
I dare affirm 〈◊〉 per●o●e in fere  
A ma●de clean and Christ's mother de●re   

And as the beam shining from so far  
S●●di●h his light as men may well espy  
Withouten harm of hindering of the star  
And so as manna fell down fro the sky  
Right so this flower that called is mary  
With womb hallowed in to chastity  
conceived ha●h in her virginity   

And as the barnacle in the hard tree  
Of kind breedeth and the vine flower  
Causeth the wine floor for to be  
Thorough bachus might & grape's governor  
Right so in sooth mankyndes saviour  
As the barnacle and flower out of the vine  
Sprung of mary she being virgin   

And as a worm under a stone  
Of th'earth cometh without engendure  
And as the fenyx of which there is but one  
To ashes brent reneweth by nature  
Right so this lord that all hath in his cure  
Our kind again fro sin to renew  
Took flesh and blood in this maid true   

And as the snow fro jupiter doth fall  
Thorough the force of sagittaryus bow  
And zepherus doth the flouris fall  
On whit blosmys when she doth blow  
Right so in sooth the grace alight a bow  
Of the holy ghost like a wind cherishing  
amid the maid to make his dwelling   

And to the flower did no duresse  
But perfectly conserved her beauty  
From every storm and fleshly lustiness  
A● like fresh of fairness for to see  
As by ensanmples more than two or three  
As ye toforn have herd devise  
Which as me seemeth aught enough suffice   

To all that be grounded in the faith  
against falsehood to stand at defence  
And yet in such so as Saint Gregore saith  
Faith hath no merit where as evidence  
Or man's reason giveth experience  
But he that leaveth and findeth no reason  
Ne kind according is worthy more guerdon   

But if that any be now in this place  
That hath doubt or ambyguyte  
Thorough false error that doth his heart enb●●ce  
Either of malice or of iniquity  
For to accuse the blessed virginity  
Of marry plainly this is my loan  
But if so be that he amend soon   

And ask mercy for his great offence  
Of her that is of mercy ground and well  
That he of vengeance have experience  
With Ixyon down deep in bell  
And that the clapper of his distuned bell  
May canker soon I mean his false tongue  
Be dumb for ever & never eft to be rung   

With him I am no better in charity  
Than ye have herd at eve and at morrow  
For here my truth he get no more of me  
Save cerberus I take him to borrow  
What ever he be and leave him with sorrow  
To tantalus his hunger to appease  
At few words pass over is an ease    

How our lady went to saint johan Baptist mother capitulo xxj  

fOr what in sooth upon any side  
Is p●rbus chare appeared of his light  
Though eyen raw may not abide  
For to behold against his beams bright  
Right so plainly though the goundy sight  
Of heretics may not sustain  
For to behold the clearness of this queen   

May in no wise soothly disencoece  
Her clear light ne her perfect brightness  
whose say streams shullen never sense  
Withouten eclipse to shine in cleanness  
For of this maid as books done express  
When gabriel to heaven drew the coast  
She replenysshid was of the holy ghost   

Roos up anon and out of nazareth  
Toward the mounteyns fast 'gan her high  
And there she salewith meekly elizabeth  
Within the house of true zacarye  
And right forthwith when she did espy  
Of marry the meek salutation  
And thorough her eris when passed was the sou●   

Within her womb plainly thus to tale  
For very joy and spiritual gladness  
The young Infant with his limbs smal●  
Reioysid him the gospel saith express  
And she fulfilled in very soothfastness  
With the holy ghost loud 'gan to cry  
And even thus said unto mary   

blessed art thou among women all  
And of thy womb blessed the faiyte also  
And how to me of hap is now befall  
My lords mother for to come me to  
For very joy I note what I may do  
For soothfastly thy greeting as I here  
Within my womb my little child now here   

Rejoiceth him for gladness as he can  
That of all woe mine heart it doth relieve  
And blessed art thou that first this joy began  
The word of god so faithfully to believe  
Now be right glad & thine heart move  
For all thing shall performed be  
That been of god behested unto the   

mary then with a devout intent  
With look benignly and full humble cheer  
The same hour being ay present  
Elizabeth her own cousin dear  
With a full meek and humble cheer  
And all the accord and whole melody  
Of the holy ghost said in her harmony    

How our lady made magnificat capitulo xxij  

wIth laud and prise my soul magnefieth  
Eternal lord both one two and three  
That all hath made and every thing now gyeth  
Which of his might and bounteous pity  
Of his goodness and high benignity  
Only of mercy list to have pleasance  
For to consider and graciously to see  
To my meekness and humble attendance   

My sprite also with heart & thought in fere  
Reioysid bath with fulsum abundance  
In god that is mine heart sovereign entere  
And all my joy and all my suffisance  
My hole desire and all my sustenance  
Within my thought so deep he is grave  
That but in him without variance  
In all this world I can no gladness have   

For he from heaven goodly hath behold  
Of his handmaid the humility  
Wherefore in sooth all only for he would  
all kynredies shall blessed call me  
Of the which the thank/ o lord be unto the  
With pace and honour of every voice & tongue  
Thorough armony of soothfast vayte  
For this alone be to thy name sung   

For he to me hath do things great  
Of high renown and passing excellence  
His grace made fully in● to fleet  
For he is mighty of his magnyfyce n●e  
His name holy and most of reverence  
That will I leave it shall me never start  
With all my true faithful diligence  
To thank him of all my hole heart   

And he his mercy most passingly famous  
For kin to kin & so down to kindred  
Shall thorough his grace be so plenteous  
Perpetually that it shall proceed  
And specially to them that loven and dread  
Mine own lord with heart will and mind  
To such his pity shall ever spring & spread  
Of due right & never be behind   

He hath his arm enforced & made strong  
His dreedful might that men may see & know  
And proud men they rain not full long  
He served hath & made him full bow  
With all his heart down of the wh●le hem throw  
For to abate her surquidry and pride  
Or they were aware her pomp was overthrow  
Full suddenly and saide her boast a side   

And mighty tyrants from her ryal see  
He hath availed and y put a down  
Aod humble and meek for her humy●●te  
He hath enhanced to full high renown  
For he can make atransmutation  
From bow to high as it is seen full oft  
And when him list the domination  
Of worldly pomp to fall full unsoft   

He hath fulfilled and fostered in her need  
With the goods of plenteous largeness  
Hem that were hungry & I●dygent in dread  
And hem relecid of all her wretchidnesse  
And he the rich hath reached from his richesses  
Full wild & waste to make upon the plain  
And suddenly plungyde in distress  
All solitary & left him lig in vain   

For he his child chosen of Israel  
benignly hath taken to his grace  
And of his mercy is remembered well  
To wide only vengeance from his face  
And humble peace shall occupy his place  
And pity shall be sosid in his stall  
And truth shall his right so embrace  
To set mercy above his works all   

As he hath spoken & faithfully behight  
To our faders that hath been here tofore  
To abraham & to his seed of right  
That his mercy shall lest evermore  
For near his mercy all the world were lore  
Unto the which to make man attain  
He ha●h made mercy our kind to restore  
And of all his works to be sovereign    

How our lady after the birth of saint john baptist turned to nazareth capitulo twenty-three  

aNd when this blessed gracious ditty  
Was said to god devoutly of marry  
I find after plainly how that she  
Still in the how bood of zacharye  
Three months the gospel may not lie  
And after that I read in certain  
To nazareth that she went again   

And there abode in contemplation  
In her prayers alway day by day  
With many an holy meditation  
To queem her lord in what she can or maan  
From whom her thought went never  
Her full mind ne her remembrance  
For but in him she hath no pleasance   

In all this world of no manner thing  
For all her joy was on him to think  
What ever she did praying or working  
No thing but he might in her heart sink  
For finally whether she wake or wink  
Amid her heart he was alway present  
So fix on him was set her hole intent   

And day by day this holy life she lad  
This perfect maid thorough high devotion  
So fervent love unto god she had  
There may be made no division  
For she sequestrid her opinion  
From all the world & let it plainly gone  
So hole to god she gaf her heart alloon   

For ever in love she brent more and more  
Toward god in his high service  
Was all her lust with heart set so sore  
All earthly thing she fully doth despise  
And day by day her womb 'gan to rise  
Through the fulfilling of the holy ghost  
Therein by look whom she loved most   

This mean while joseph ay sojourned  
In galilee god wot full Innocent  
Of all this thing and why he not returned  
Was for that he was so diligent  
In carpentrye with all his full intent  
Sundry works of marvelous emprise  
By carpentrye to forge and devise   

For in this craft inpassing excellence  
He had in sooth & high digression  
And was had most in reverence  
Of all the workmen of that region  
And for he had in cunning such renown  
Like a master there is no more to say  
The workmen all his bidding did obey   

And when he had all his work achieved  
He is repaired to nazareth again  
But lord how he was in his heart amoved  
When that mary he hath with child y seyn  
That sore astonied he not what he may say  
So at his heart it sat so Inwardly  
Till at th● last he abrayed suddenly   

And said alas how it is fall of new  
In mine absence or what thing may this be  
〈◊〉 this maid so faithful & so true  
〈◊〉 with child & god wot not with me  
That sometime had avowed chastity  
And to my keeping eke delivered was  
What shall I say of this sudden case   

What shall I answer myself to excuse  
Unto the bishop if he me appose  
For either must I plainly her accuse  
Or my guilt with this guilt enuose  
This thing is open I may it not enclose  
O blessed god so do me now this grace  
Out of my breast this woeful ghost to trase   

For certes lord & it were thy will  
I had liefer utterly to die  
Than thorough my word this maid for to spill  
As I moat need if I her bewray  
And on myself if I the charge lay  
For to affirm she hath conceived by me  
I moat accuse her vow of chastity   

And so myself appeche of untruth  
Sithen I in sooth did her never know  
O blessed lord have on this matter ruth  
For utterly my wit is brought so low  
To see corn grow where no seed is sow  
And reason also platly can I none  
How a maid with child should gone   

And flower forth in her virginity  
I never saw ne never yet did read  
And this I doubt my reason can not see  
How that marry hath kept her maidenhead  
In mine absence & this I double dread  
My wit is brought & wot not where to torn  
For double cause that I have now to morn   

That one is this that my fantasy  
May never accord that she did offence  
And reason plainly agaynward doth deny  
And upon kind grounded his sentence  
To prove soothly without resistance  
That never woman in nature's sight  
Without a man a child conceive might   

And with that word he breast out for to weep  
Like as he would all in tears drown  
And for the constraint of his sighs deep  
Stood on the point for to have fallen down  
His sudden woe made him almost swoon  
So for distress this joseph far in age  
Of Inward thought caught was in a rage    

How the maidens that weren attendant to our lady comforteden joseph capitulo xxiv  

aNd when the maidens weren ay present  
And ever in one abiding on mary  
And understood what that joseph meant  
all atones they began to cry  
And said joseph leave thy fantasy  
And thine error for it is folly  
Withouten advice to dame suddenly   

And certainly with all our heart enter  
Of knowledging in very sickerness  
We will record everyone in fere  
Al openly touching her cleanness  
And here upon bear openly witness  
Like as we know unto this same day  
though nigh all this world at ones will say nay   

For we in sooth thorough busy diligence  
Have been with her both day & night  
And never departed out of her presence  
But ever in one had of her a sight  
And late & early with all our might  
On her awaited without Words more  
And from our sight she did never go   

And every hour both tide and time  
Of us there was no division  
And all the morrow tide till the high prime  
She never stint of her devotion  
To be in prayer and in orison  
And each day by continuance  
A certain hour she had a dalliance   

With holy angels that with her kneeled or stood  
And on a time thorough God's purveyance  
Of his hand she took her holy food  
As needful was to her sustenance  
And this in so●h hath been her governance  
And as we eachone of her can record  
Wherefore joseph this life doth not accord   

In soothfastness of thine opinion  
That so mysdemyth of this maiden f●●e  
Of fantasy or of fal● suspicion  
For to accuse her virginity  
Of which thing we dare ensure the  
That no wight made soothly to devise  
But the holy ghost he● womb for to rise   

And here upon we record can  
Of all the time thou were in galyle  
She never alone was with no man  
And what she spoke we might here and see  
Wherefore joseph let thy tallies be  
And dame not amiss in word nor in thought  
For all this thing by God's hand is wrought   

And by his angels coming on message  
Is this thing fully brought about  
Therefore joseph let thine ire assuage  
And of marry be no thing in doubt  
Certes qd he I may not void out  
My fantasy to assent in any wise  
It should be like as ye now devise   

For by an angel it were inpossible  
her to conceive like as ye witness  
But if it so were that it be credible  
Some wight by sleight taking the likeness  
Of an angel thorough fraudelent falseness  
Thorough Innocence shortly to conclude  
By engine of fraud her thought to deludo   

And eft again for his Inward pain  
He 'gan to change both face and hew  
And from his eyen the salt tears mine  
Like as he would drown himself of new  
So sore he 'gan in heart for to rue  
For this matter that for his mortal woe  
He can no read ne wot what he may do   

And in his heart he cast many a way  
To have fond refute with all his full mind  
And thought alway he would her not betray  
For he was rightful plainly as I find  
And thus he 'gan in sundry thoughts wind  
As in balance for possyd up and down  
Till at the last in conclusion   

He purposeth fully & casteth him utterly  
To go his way soothly if he might  
And thought he would forsake her privily  
And never more to come in her sight  
Till an angel on the same night  
Sent down from god to joseph did appear  
While that he slept and said as ye shall here    

How the angel warned joseph to 〈◊〉 with our lady capitulo xxuj  

o Thou joseph ne dread thou not belive  
Thou the s●n● of david of line by dissent  
For to take marry to thy wife  
Which is a maid with all her full intent  
With whom is ay the holy ghost present  
Of whom god as I the tell before  
In very so●h that shall of her be borne   

And like in sooth as writyth Crisostomus  
Of this matter that for causis three  
Unto joseph as he telleth us  
The angel came and first he said that he  
Sithen he was rightful that in no degree  
Of purpose rightful he should unrightfully  
This holy maid forsake privily   

Another cause he writeth eke express  
That his forsaking might to her name  
Be dishonour and cause in soothfastness  
Of untrue tongues for to speak her shame  
And though in her there were no spot of blame  
Suspetion to void on ever either side  
The angel bad that joseph should abide   

The third cause & also most true  
Was that he with more diligence  
Should her keep when he the sooth knew  
That she was clean without all offence  
And wist plainly that by magnificence  
Of the holy ghost his erreur to enchase  
conceived hath this maid full of grace   

And when joseph abrayed out of his sleep  
And in his heart by revolution  
'Gan to cast and to take keep  
against the morrow of his avision  
He caught comfort and consolation  
Of all that ever he was afore dispayrid  
And to marry again he repayrid   

And thanked god with all his hole heart  
That he to him hath so graciously  
In recomfort of his Inward smart  
His great might declarid opynlye  
And of Marie full benignly  
He axeth mercy of humble affection  
That ever to her he had suspicion   

And of his error & of his trespass  
This hoar grey with all humility  
With weeping eyen 'gan to ask grace  
And she anon of womanly pity  
His heaviness when she did see  
comforted him in all that ever she might  
And he anon in all their sight   

And all her maidens standing environ  
'Gan even thus for to cry loud  
Certes quoth he my dark suspection  
Cam of blindness for I none other could  
But now in sooth the misty black cloud  
Of ignorance is so clarefyed  
That all the troth to me is verified   

Thorough grace of god that mine old rudeness  
Is now from me chacid clean away  
Have me excused of my dark dullness  
With all mine heart benignly I pray  
My night of error is turned in to day  
That I may now with mine eyen old  
The bright beams of tytan well behold   

That for darkness I nist what to done  
Only for lack of his beams bright  
Weren me bereft thorough the cloudy moan  
And had within me no clear insight  
That this eclipse was caused all to soon  
By her sudden Interpocessyone  
That was chief ground of my suspection   

This is to say that mine earthly thought  
So was oppressed darked and borne down  
That worldly skyees that I might nought  
Ne was nor worthy to have Inspection  
Of this dark knowledge by relation  
Till the sun of his grace did shine  
My wit eclipsid fully to enlumine   

For he to me hath his angel sent  
Mine ignorance fully for to clear  
Wherefore of you in all my best intent  
O ye maidens that be present here  
I ask mercy with all mine heart enter  
Of all that ever that ha●h be spoken & said  
And lowly I pray you be not evil apaid   

And they eachone thanked god of all  
With heart and will both in word and deed  
That he on joseph hath in special  
His grace of new made for to spread  
To void away all his hole dread  
Of every conceit and Imagening  
To make him know the truth of this thing   

There thorough in sooth the joy 'gan renew  
Among 'em all eachone of one accord  
The harmony entuned was so true  
Between 'em that there was none discord  
Not so much as a little word  
And thus in joy a while I let hem dwell  
And of the bishops forth I will tell    

How the bishop did do sompmon joseph for our lady was with child capitulo xxvij  

touching this thing plainly if I con  
How word by word soothly in sentence  
Of this thing the rumour is I run  
And reportid that thorough negligence  
Of this joseph or by violence  
How that marry goth with child great  
Wherefore they have in a sudden heat   

cited him afore him to apere  
And he came forth with sobyr countenance  
Of whom anon the bishop 'gan inquire  
abiathar of his governance  
From point to point with every circumstance  
Touching this thing what it might amount  
Or how that joseph would give a count   

That marry debonair and so mild  
That sometime was of such opinion  
In the temple is great now with child  
against thee avow of her profestion  
By some engine of collusion  
In providence of her virginity  
notwithstanding utterly that she   

avowed had of hole affection  
all her life to keep in her maidenhead  
And was that time of such perfection  
That soothfastly withouten any dread  
Of such another could I never read  
Her virtues all to reckon hem by and by  
From day to day that time truly   

She never stint for to work or prey  
But like a mirror of all holiness  
The will of god fully did obey  
With all her heart and all her business  
And with all this fulfilled of meekness  
She was example to every manner wight  
That there abode or of her had a sight   

And every day without words more  
Stound●ele from the heaven adown  
Goddys angel came to and fro  
Where as she lay in contemplation  
And at the last of great affection  
By signs showed of God's volunty  
She was of us asigned unto the   

After the custom plainly of the law  
That thou shouldest concern her and govern  
Now be well aware that thou have not mysdrawe  
Her t●ndyr thought fro god that is eterne  
The troth of things clearly can concern  
Wherefore beware that thou be not to wite  
In this matter lest he will the quite   

Quod joseph than with heed enclyned ●●we  
Sirs speak I will if it your will be  
Of this thing I am not aknowe  
The soothfast lord that every thing may see  
My tryst is fully he will excuse me  
Of rightwiseness & shield me fro shame  
Of all that ever ye put me in blame   

For I have kept her in the same point  
Of maidenhead that she was me betake  
Of which as yet she standeth in no dysjointe  
I dare affirm & swear it for her sake  
And for my part what proof ye list to make  
I will be ready & let it not be sparid  
Till verily the sooth be declared   

Than quoth the bishop all suspestion  
To devoid and all ambyguyte  
That god may make demonstration  
Of you twain how the truth may be  
Ye shullen at taste both thou and she  
Of thilk water to speak in words few  
That god ordained truth for to show   

To exclude plainly every conceit new  
Of tongues large and every fantasy  
As is sometime showed by the hew  
Of them that drank the drink of Ie●osye  
As Numeri doth clearly specify  
Wherefore anon there is no more to say  
Make you ready for ye both fifty   

Shullen make a taste whether it be sour or soot  
There is none agaynsay ne excusation  
Till the troth be riped in the rote  
Ne shullen proceed to this conclusion  
That god list make a declaration  
Of all this thing for favour or for ruth  
There is no mean but the plain truth   

For if god list that your Innocence  
Like your deserve be openly excused  
Than is your merit of your excellence  
That ye toforn falsely were accused  
And sithen this proof may not be refused  
But that ye must obey to the law  
Come of anon & you not withdraw   

Do set her forth and bring her to presence  
That hath in virtue so excellent a name  
In whom was never yet found offence  
But unto this time ever flourith in her fame  
And standeth at large from every manner blame  
Now lat her come & like as god your ewer,  
For you disposeth taketh your adventure   

〈◊〉 she anon was of her friends brought  
〈…〉 not what all this might mean  
〈…〉 of dread both in heart and thought  
〈…〉 in sooth may not do no tene  
To conscience that is of sin clean  
〈…〉 there no place ocupyeth  
〈…〉 a soul ungylty gyeth   

〈…〉 may no while brenne  
〈…〉 brands be taken away  
〈…〉 river hold his course and run  
〈…〉 spring dry soothly this is no nay  
Ne vengeance plainly make may none assay  
〈◊〉 e●cute against Innocence  
Ne void of sin his mighty violence   

For nothing but sin may engendyr shame  
For s●lde or not been the cheeks read  
Of him in sooth that is devoid of blame  
For who so is clean taketh little heed  
To wink or blenke for any manner dread  
And for the assault of any misty cloud  
Light of virtue may no while shroud   

It may a while be darked with a sky  
As is among the fair bright son  
And with the winds of malice and envy  
The clear sterris often wexen done  
But when troth set abroach his ton  
To make the sooth openly be know  
The wind of falseness may no lengyr blow    

How our ladies friends wailed and mourned when the bishops made so strong a proof of her virginity capitulo xxxj  

tHan sithen troth may no while dare  
horns shrink ne hide him in his nest  
But like a son his light abroad declare  
When she that was the very chosen chest  
Of all cleanness & therewith all the best  
Of all good how might hit betide  
Her light of virtue to be set a side   

That hit nil shine maugre who saith nay  
When her beams been openly discurid  
As gold in fire fined by assay  
And as the tried silver is depurid  
And she that was in virtue most assured  
Where the holy ghost his dwelling did set  
How might then any mists lot   

The clear light of her parfytnesse  
Or any manner preef or probation  
In any part for to make it less  
For light will out it may not be borne down  
And so will troth have domination  
For any falseness that men can conspire  
Than she that was so fully set a fire   

Of the holy ghost ne dare but little dread  
To drink water whether it be thykke or clear  
To take a proof of her maidenhead  
For her harm it shall have no power  
For to deface her colour or her cheer  
But rather amend more and clarefye  
The dark dimming of every cloud sky   

And so marry standing in the place  
And all her friends about environ  
Where men may see upon many a face  
Of friendly ruth and compassion  
The salt treris fall and run down  
For dread and love they had for to seen  
So hard assay made on her age green   

But she alway constant as a wall  
In thought in cheer abashed never a deal  
Ne in her heart dreadeth not at all  
But upon god tristyth alway weal  
That he of troth shall try out the steel  
And by that she spoke but words few  
Withouten speech he shall the deed show   

And when the water fully was confect  
Like the statute and the rites old  
The bishop hath the cup first direct  
Unto joseph and him the parel told  
And manly he 'gan hit hold  
And drank it up & changed not his cheer  
And seven times about the altar   

He went than by custom as he ought  
Of face and colour alway like new  
And to marry also the bishop brought  
A cup of water & she of heart true  
Acceptith eke this godly fresh of hew  
And or she drank this holy perfect maid  
Al openly thus to god she said    

How our lady prayed to god to show her virginity capitulo xxxij  

o Sothfast lord that hast the knowledging  
Of every thing thorough thy might  
And art so true and so just a king  
To high and low thou wilt do right  
And nothing may be shrouded fro thy sight  
Thorough none engine ne thy face asterte  
But soothfastly knowest every heart   

So that no wight fade may ne fain  
Tofore the eye of thy sapience  
Now let thy grace down fro heaven train  
clearly in deed and not by appearance  
To show in me if there be offence  
Of any guilt mine avow to appeche  
To the I pray so thy light to reach   

That hit be couth here all openly  
To wete in sooth whether I in chastity  
Have led my life as faithfully  
Like as thou knowest for the love of the  
And if I have my virginity  
Conceruyd hole this is mine orison  
Make openly a demonstration   

And with that word the drink she did ataste  
And went her course about the altar  
And all the people 'gan to gasen fast  
If any sign did in her appear  
Other in colour countenance or cheer  
But all for nought plainly as I told  
The more on her they losten and behold   

The more she was in her sight fair  
And like as phoebus in jolly green may  
When she hath chasid the dark misty air  
Shineth more clear the bright summer's day  
When thilk vapours been driven clear away  
Right so joseph and also marry  
So fresh were in every wights eye   

That to behold they thought it did 'em good  
The long day in her opinion  
For in her face alway was the blood  
Without paling or any drawing down  
And alway more fair of Inspection  
Of which thing the people 'gan marvel  
And for atoned thoughten her wits fail    

How the bishop and the people dread 'em of the assay that was maked to our lady capitulo xxxiij  

aNd in party greatly weren dysmayed  
Lest that god on hem would take vengeance  
For they so far God's might have assayed  
O●f error blind and very Ignorance  
And right forthwith of heartily repentance  
They bonchen her b●estys wi●h fysties wonder sore  
And all atones f●●len down afore   

This holy maid with humble reverence  
And wolden her feet have kissed there anon  
axing mercy of her great offence  
And she forgave it hem everichone  
And all the bishops and the people gone  
benignly to bring her away  
And to her palace fully her convey   

Of whom the noise to the heaven rung  
Wi●h heart and speech as they magnefye  
The lord above in every wyghtes tongue  
For joy and mirth 'gan him glorify  
And all the day thus in melody  
They lad for●h till it drew to eve  
And godely than of her they took her leave   

And forth they went every man his way  
In the story as made is memory  
But marry in all the haste she may  
Entr●d is in to her oratory  
As she that ha●h won the victory  
Of all though that afore 'gan muse  
her maidenhead of malice to accuse   

And thorough her merit hath the mouths shut  
And lippies closed of 'em that weren in were  
And day by day keeping her closette  
continually lay in her prayer  
Expectaunt ever like as ye shall here  
With humble heart and devout obeisance  
Upon the time of her deliverance   

The holy ghost being ay her guide  
Her chamber she kept her day awaiting  
As ye shall here if ye list to abide  
And god toforn yet or the birds sing  
And or that floura doth the flouris spring  
Tofore the calendies of apryle or of may  
My purpose is plainly if that I may   

For to proceed forth in this ditty  
So as I can or make mention  
Of the feast and solemnity  
That called is the Incarnation  
Only through help and supportation  
Of her that is so plenteous benign  
Or that phoebus entre in the sign   

With this carecte of the ariete  
Of this feast somewhat shall I write  
But o alas the rhetorics sweet  
Of petrake Frances that could so indite  
And tullyus with all his words white  
Full long agone and full old of date  
Is deed alas & passed in to fate    

A commendation of chauceres capitulo xxxiiij  

aNd eke my master chauceris now is grave  
The noble rhetor poet of britain  
That worthy was the lawrer to have  
Of poetry and the palm attain  
T●at made first to distill and rain  
The gold dew dropys of speech & eloquence  
In to our tongue through his excellence   

And fond the flouris first of rhetoric  
Our rude speech only to enlumine  
That in our tongue was never none him like  
For as the son doth in heaven shine  
In midday spear down to us by line  
In whose presence no star may appear  
Right so his dities withouten any peer   

Every making with his light distain  
In soothfastness who so taketh heed  
Wherefore no wonder though mine heart plain  
Upon his death and for sorrow bleed  
For want of him now in my great need  
That should alas convey and direct  
And with his support amend and correct   

The wrong traces of my rude pen  
There as I err and go not line right  
But that for he ne may me not ken  
I can no more but with all my might  
With all mine heart & mine Inward sight  
Prayeth for him that now lieth in chest  
To god above to give his soul good rest   

And as I can forth I will proceed  
Sithen of his help there may no succour le  
And though my pen be quaking ay for dread  
Nether to clyo ne to calyope  
Me list not call for to help me  
Ne to no muse my poyntel for to gye  
But leave all this and say unto marry   

O clear castle and the chaste tour  
Of the holy ghost mother and virgin  
Be thou my help council and succour  
And let the streams of thy mercy shine  
In to my breast this third book to fine  
That thorough thy support and benign grace  
Hit to perform I may have life and space    

How christ was borne after the making of the world five thousand an hundred four score and nineteen year capitulo xxxv  

when all was hushed & all was in salonce  
And in his course the long sterry night  
Was half passed & fresh of appearance  
Lucyna shone in heaven fair and bright  
Thy word o lord that is most of might  
Which ay abideth & parteth not fro the  
Sent & descendeth from thy ryal see   

Hath suddenly upon all earth  
Shad his light for our salvation  
As I shall sing or may's day the ferthe  
If ye list here of humble affection  
How in the year of computation  
Forty and two of octavyan  
furthermore after the world began   

five thousand as beda list define  
And an hundred soothly this is no lees  
And therewithal ninety year and nine  
When all the world in rest was & in peace  
Withouten war and of olympyades  
In the hundred ninety year and three  
And by chronicle eke as ye may see   

Than augustus by commandment  
Generally withouten exception  
Bad by his letters that the precedent  
Of each province city borough or town  
thorough out the world make description  
Of every heed so that each man  
At a certain day in all the haste he can   

Upon a pain be found in the city  
〈…〉 was borne without more delay  
Bo●he high and low of what estate he be  
After his statute his tribute for to pay  
And that no man be hardy to say nay  
To quite himself of every circumstance  
To make in open a reconnaissance   

With hand assured and hole professnon  
Of the province tofore the precedent  
That he is subject unto come town  
With all his heart and his hole intent  
And here upon that he paid his rent  
As the custom and the statute bond  
That is to say that he bring in his hand   

A large penny imprinted with the name  
And the image of the Emperor  
And there upon he should anon atame  
Another of new and for the more honour  
With hand touched swear for sweet or sour  
While he liveth and never for to rue  
With heart and body plainly to be true   

To temper his bidding to obey  
Withouten grudging or rebellion  
With all his might for to live and die  
And than anon the dyscripsion  
Of every heed in his own town  
Was made in haste where that he was boar  
And after that I find furthermore   

His name was regestrid with 'em there  
Perpetuelly to be in mind  
And this discryving if ye list to here  
Was made first in syrye as I find  
By one cyrynus the people for to bind  
To be to rome in subjection  
For 〈◊〉 cyrynus in that region   

Was preferred there under the emperor  
In ●okes old as made is mention  
And ●hiles he was their governor  
Was first then begun the description  
The 〈◊〉 in sooth after the foundation  
Of mighty room seven hundred & fifteen  
At which time with his beams sheen   

Was fresh phoebus in his first face  
Of caprycorn the lowest station  
The same year called the year of grace  
The year of comfort and remission  
Being the thyrteneth the indiction  
The golden number of the same year  
eighteen accounted in our calendere    

How joseph & our lady went to bethlem to pay tribute capitulo xxxuj  

tHe year of Herod thirty year and one  
When made was the discripsion  
As ye have herd that joseph must gone  
To bethlem for conclusion  
To pay his tribute in his own town  
As the statute afore doth specify  
By cause that he and also marry   

Whereof the housolde & the tribe borne  
called juda and of the kindred  
Of worthy david as I have said toforn  
And on her journey as they 'gan 'em speed  
And holy joseph did her bridal lead  
And suddenly marry than abraid  
And unto joseph even thus she said   

Y iwis qd she me thinketh that I see  
Two folks greatly discording  
Upon the way appearing unto me  
That one rejoicing that other complaining  
To whom joseph benignly looking  
Answered again & bade her ride in peace  
And prayed her also not to be reckless   

Only words for to speak in vain  
But hold her way and her journey right  
And unwarely afore them in the plain  
Apperid an angel with face stern & bright  
Of whom the beauty gave a pleasant light  
The place environ & a sweet odour  
And his clothing the like lily flower   

Was whit in sooth as snow that falleth new  
Which 'gan anon cheer and look to move  
And therewithal with a changed hew  
began also joseph to reprove  
And shortly bade his words that he leave  
And said in sooth that he was to blame  
For to be bold any words to tame   

Against marry through thy negligence  
To say that she spoke any words vain  
For that she saw/ was none appearance  
But very sooth as she hath it say  
For trust me well and be right certain  
Of this folk of which she spoke to the  
In soothfastness like as thou shalt see   

Ben the folks and the peplis twain  
That been dissevered in full large space  
That one of jews that weep shall and plain  
With many tear distilling in her face  
That wilfully shall refuse his grace  
Of froward heart for to be benign  
To devoid and plainly to resign   

The synagogue with her rights old  
Which in short time shall draw to decline  
And her faces quench and wax cold  
With sacred light that weren wont to shine  
For time is come that they must fine  
And the wailing of her darked cheer  
Unclose shall & show as bright and clear   

This time of grace fully to obey  
With heart & will & with humble cheer  
For God's word that no man may withsay  
Hath hasted it/ gone full many a year  
To abraham and also Isaac in fere  
And to jacob that in her holy seed  
Full hastily who so will take heed   

Shall all the peplies blessed be  
Through out the world in every land & re●●e  
And with that word that joseph might see  
The angel sty above the son beam  
And be goth forth toward bethleme  
With marry till that they both twain  
In full little space 'gan to attain   

To the bonds of bethlem the city  
Weary and mate somedeal of her viage  
Where they founden of people such plenty  
In the city of every manner age  
That they might have no manner herbegage  
In all the town neither bower ne hall  
Save a stable and a little stall   

That was sequestrid and set a side  
Out of all prees the story saith express  
●ade for beasts therein to abide  
〈◊〉 strait & narrow shadowed with darkness  
In to the which joseph 'gan him dress  
With marry to rest there all night  
And as she entered a new sudden light   

All the place enlumined environ  
That shone as bright as any summer's day  
So that this ●●tyl humble mansion  
Was fresh and light as phoebus is in may  
Whic● 〈◊〉 to weigh and increase ay  
〈…〉 was there all be that it was night  
And 〈◊〉 anon the soothfast son of light   

Of all our joy cast him to arise  
And shed his light to glade all mankind  
For toward midnight shortly to devise  
When all was husshte holy writ maketh mind  
As soothly as he did him wind  
In the sides of this holy maid  
So easily this new son abraid   

When he was borne in to this mortal life  
Upon the earth to shed his brightness  
Withouten help of any midwife  
Or of his mother travail or sickness  
For she that first conceived in cleanness  
It sat right well that she should also  
Withouten travail or any manner woe   

For to go quite at her deliverance  
And specially have a prerogative  
In her childing to feel no penance  
Sithen she was maid mother and wife  
Chosen of god for to stint our strife  
Of all women by herself alone  
Wherefore hit sat not her to cry and groan   

Like to other women that be Inly sick  
In the time of their travelling  
Wherefore sithen she was to none other like  
No pain felt she the hour of her childing  
And as I find at her delivering  
Theridamas was no wight but herself alone  
For thilk time joseph was out gone    

How joseph went to seche a midwife to our lady capitulo xxxvij  

iN full great haste to inquire and seek  
Some midwife to help in this need  
And in this while with her eyen meek  
She childed hath this flower of maidenhead  
And home again as joseph 'gan him speed  
And to the place the midwives brought  
Even at the door abashed in her thought   

Stoden still atoned of that light  
And the brightness that shone in the place  
again kind that time of the night  
That they ne might sustain in her face  
And no wonder for the son of grace  
Within which cast his light to far  
Of whom the moan and each other star   

receiven her light every in her spear  
Al by that he lay here in earth low  
In a stable with his sacred cheer  
Sool with his mother that no man did know  
Of whom her ●ook she meekly 'gan to throw  
Godely beholding his fair young face  
And kneeling down began to embrace   

His tender limbs in her arms twain  
And wrawyd him in clothes tenderly  
And took him up & soothly 'gan him lie  
In her law and full humbly  
She beheld his features by and by  
So fair shapen in party and in all  
And with her milk very celestial   

And heavenly sycour of her paps small  
His 〈◊〉 limbs she spread in every cost  
The whit balm to make hit avail  
Fet from the conduit of the holy ghost  
Upon the thing that she loved moste  
And gave him sowke of the payment soot  
That sprung & grew out of the holy rote   

Of maidenhead & from the chaste vine  
Of all cleanness was I tried out  
Wherewith she made her young child to dine  
Whom heaven & earth must obey and lout  
All be that he with beasts him about  
Say humbly as ye have herd devise  
And after this his mother did arise   

And lift him up soothly in to the stall  
Where the ass and the ox stood  
And on her knees she 'gan anon to fall  
And worshipped him this best of all good  
That yeuy●h to angels and to man food  
And than this maid with debonair cheer  
With face erect and hands eke in fere    

A devout prayer that our lady made when christ was born capitulo xxxviij  

tO god above began thus for to pray  
O lord qd she with all my full might  
To whom each thing justly must obey  
To the I than as it is skill and right  
That thou so godly list to have a sight  
To my meekness though I unworthy be  
And not disdain of thy benignity   

To grant only of thy high goodness  
Me to increase in to such excellence  
To be a maiden and mother in cleanness  
To bear thy son and thy sapience  
That never twynneth out of thy presence  
But in heaven abideth ay with the  
And in earth meekly now with me   

Lieth in a stable of cheer most debonair  
Tofore my face my joy and my comfort  
Which with the looking of his eyen fair  
Is hole my gladness and fully my disport  
soothfast pleasance and my chief resort  
My dear son and my lord also  
To whom with heart and all that I can do   

I thank the lord that liggist me before  
That thou list cheese to have affection  
Of me so meekly in earth to be borne  
And fro thy father to descend adown  
Only for help and savacioun  
Of mankind freely of thy will  
My blessed child that so good & still   

Liggest now here meekly by sufferance  
Amid the beasts so fair Upon to see  
And hast no wight to thine attendance  
Like thine estate awaiting upon the  
Save that thou hast so godely chosen me  
Of thy grace upon the to abide  
I to serve and thou to be my guide   

As it is right & joseph with us twain  
To take his part what fortune so betide  
Like as thou list of grace to ordain  
And than anon right in the self tide  
joseph came in & stood her beside  
And suddenly when he the child doth see  
Full humbly kneeling on his knee    

How the midwife durst not entre with joseph in to the house for a great light appeared within capitulo xxxix  

worshipped him with all his heart & might  
With all his will & all his full thought  
And telled mary for fere of the light  
The midwives that he had brought  
Astoned were that they durst nought  
Entre in but kept 'em afar  
For cause only that a new star   

Ascended was upon that mansion  
That spread his light & his beams sheen  
From East to west thorough out the region  
That all they that did it seen  
'Gan fast muse what it might mean  
And in her hearts greatly for to charge  
That a star so bright so fair and large   

Of new did appear in that reem  
That never none such was seen tofore  
Of which star prophets in Iherusaleem  
That time were astonied wonder sore  
saiden plainly withouten any more  
That this star did signify  
Thilk star which in his prophecy    

How balam prophesied the star that showed Christ's birth capitulo xl  

bAlam the son of beor as I find  
Commendith so in all his best wise  
When he said soothly of the kind  
Of worthy jacob a star should arise  
And eke also as he doth devise  
Full openly the bible can you tell  
How that a yard out of Israhel   

Shall spring also to smite and oppress  
The fell dukes of moab with her might  
And he shall waste in war soothfastness  
The children of sooth and of kind right  
With the shining of his beams bright  
Conquer also to his subjection  
Withouten obstacle and have poscessyon   

Of ydume for his heritage  
With many another rich region  
And of Seyr the rich baronage  
Shall to him lout/ for his renown  
So that this star in conclusion  
Which in bethleme brightest of sterris all  
The which above the little oxys stall   

So sheen shone at the nativity  
Of the child as ye have heard me tell  
Betokeneth plainly as ye shall after here  
That the lord of heaven earth and hell  
Which may of moab the tyranny fell  
Was there by look & held his hostage  
I● a sta●le narrow as any cage   

〈◊〉 bestis though he were lord of all  
〈…〉 world may at his will govern  
Which in his hand hangith as a ball  
In 〈…〉 his m●ght is so eterne  
And 〈…〉 th●ng mary 'gan concern  
Within herself s●ker and full ●●oos  
And after that she meekly up rose    

How our lady received the midwives capitulo xlj  

aNd to the door wonder womanly  
She went a pace and when she did see  
The midwives full benignly  
She brought 'em in with all humility  
Shephora and also Salomee  
And hem welcometh in full low manner  
And when that they these signs saw in fere   

Of the sterris/ and the beasts kneel  
Toward the child to do him reverence  
And 'gan also by other tokens feel  
Of maidenhead that there was none offence  
And that she stood hole in that excellence  
Of perfect cleanness and virginity  
And mother to be and flower in chastity   

Withouten wemme on any party found  
Of all the preves that they make could  
And when they saw her pappis so abound  
With heavenly milk sent from above the cloud  
Shephora 'gan thenne to cry full loud  
That a maid hath a child borne  
The which thing was not seen before   

In all this world who so list to take heed  
For it in sooth the right of all nature  
passeth plainly & also doth exceed  
The wit of man I do you well assure  
But I see well through the mighty cure  
Of God's hand this thing is brought about  
Whereof platly I am no thing in doubt   

But assented with heart and hold credence  
Having thereon none ambiguity  
And thenne anon for the great offence  
And for wantriste of her fellow salome  
Opynly that all men might see  
Wax in that arm deed and cold as stone  
With which she was hardy for to gone    

How the hand of Salome wexed dry capitulo xlij  

tHe child to touch of presumption  
And his mother without reverence  
devoid of dread or of devotion  
Or any faithful humble advertence  
Don as her aught of his magnificence  
Wherefore anon for her high trespass  
All openly in the same place   

She punished was that all might hit see  
And 'gan for sorrow weep and complain  
And said lord have pity upon me  
And of mercy rue upon my pain  
And of mine offence that thou not disdain  
Ne to thine highness it be no displeasance  
That I a wretch blind of ignorance   

Offended greatly hath in thy sight  
Of moche unkunning and Indiscressyon  
And suddenly in all their sight  
Even amids of that mansion  
An angel bright sent from heaven down  
Did appear bidding her anon  
With devout heart that she should gone   

Full humbly in her best intent  
Unto the child for to have succour  
And touch the hem of his vestement  
Reverently and with great honour  
For he in sooth is the saviour  
Of all the world and of all mankind  
And power hath plainly to unbind   

All though that plainen and been in distress  
When they to him meekly will call  
And salome devoutly 'gan her dress  
Toward the child & on her knees fall  
And said o lord that power hast of all  
Let thy mercy on me spread  
For to succour me in this great need   

Me wretched wight punished rightfully  
And lost for ever save only thy grace  
For in sooth save only thy mercy  
I have lost mine arm alas for my trespass  
And with that word as she did embrace  
To touch the cloth that he lay in bound  
Without more this salome hath found   

Remedy and was made hole again  
Suddenly or she could it spy  
And up she rose and may no longer fayn  
But in the street openly 'gan cry  
How the lord that all this world may gye  
descended is and become man  
And while that she thus in the street ran   

Telling the birth/ & of the star also  
And of her arm and of her sudden cure  
The people 'gan fast to draw to  
To hearken more of this adventure  
For in her speech some 'gan 'em assure  
And that her words might be credible  
And specially for to them vysyle   

The star shone ever above the house  
Ay like fix without motion  
So bright so long so glad so joyous  
That all that had Inspection  
In heart perfit and true intention  
●hat they weren reioysid and made light  
And all this thing fell upon the night   

On a sunday mine author will not lie  
As ye may find if ye list to read  
The viii kalendis for sooth of januarye  
When mary example of maidenhead  
Was of age who so will take heed  
Sixteen year this flower of nazareth  
At the vision of saint Elizabeth   

Plainly recordeth look and ye may see  
And in this night of most worthiness  
Of Christ's birth and nativity  
As the gospel saith and beareth witness  
When the shepherds with great business  
Kept her watch the long winters night  
Upon her sheep/ an angel with great light    

How the angels appeared to the shepherdis and told the birth of christ capitulo xliij  

amid the field to hem did appear  
And gave 'em comfort in her great dread  
And bad hem be light and glad of cheer  
For I add he show to you in deed  
A joy that doth every joy exceed  
That finally shall of all disease  
To all folk comfort be and ease   

And be to 'em refute and succour  
In all mischiefs and adversity  
For now this day mankyndes saviour  
In bethleme of david his city  
Is borne in sooth like as ye may see  
Goth and beholdeth how that it is fall  
And ye shullen find in an ox's stall   

How that he lieth in clothes narrow wound  
This young faunte with cheer full benign  
The which thing when that ye have found  
That all is sooth let be to you a sign  
And suddenly with laud & prise condygne  
With the angel the hole chivalry  
Of all heaven by one harmony   

For joy hereof 'gan to say and sing  
Glory and honour in the heavenly see  
Be unto god eternally during  
And in earth peace and rest be  
To all though men that of one unity  
This high feast honour and magnify  
And we eachone of one melody   

O mighty lord we praise and bless the  
And worship eke with humble reverence  
And glorify thine high majesty  
And thanking give to thy magnificence  
For thy glory and thine excellence  
O thou lord god/ o king celestial  
O god the father most mighty found at all   

And god the son his child above eterne  
Crist Ihesu borne of this heavenly queen  
O god also the chosen lamb so darn  
son of the father withouten spot all clean  
That dost away the worlds sin and tene  
Have mercy on us of thine high goodness  
Sith thou thyself in perfit holiness   

alone thou art soothly holy and no more  
And lord alone over all thing  
And worthiest and highest eke also  
O christ Ihesu of heaven and earth king  
With the holy ghost in glory reigning  
Ay with the father by eternity  
Three knit in one through perfit unite    

How the shepherdies founden christ with our lady capitulo xliiij  

aNd when the angels with this heavenly song  
The birth of christ had magnified  
With perfit gladness that was 'em among  
To heaven anon/ again they have 'em hied  
And the hi●rdys by one accord allied  
Ben hastily unto bethlem gone  
Where they founden when they came anon   

Marie and joseph and the child also  
laid in a stable according every deal  
As the angel had said 'em unto  
And of the sight they liked wonder weal  
And in h●m self 'gan know and feel  
That all was sooth that they said afore  
Of the angel how a child was boar   

In to this world mankind for to save  
After the record of old prophecy  
Whereof they gan so great a joy have  
That all atones they 'gan magnify  
God above devoutly and to glorify  
returning hem devoid of every smart  
And marry choose within her heart   

conserved all that she did see  
word and deed and every manner thing  
That befylle in this nativity  
Full secretly thereon imagining  
And prudently herself governing  
Kept her son with all her busy cure  
Which on this day as saith bonaventure   

Like a spouse from his chamber is gone  
His chosen children through his benignity  
In his church to joy 'em of zion  
By perfit peace & soothfast unity  
And he this day hath showed the beauty  
Of his face of excellent fairness  
In whose honour this day of high gladness   

Was made the ympne the gospel saith also  
Our alther mirth and joy to increases  
Gloria in excelcis deo  
And in earth this day a perfect peace  
To man was showed withouten any lees  
And as saith paul God's benignity  
This day appeared in our humanity    

How god would not be borne but of a maid mother and wife capitulo xlv  

aNd over this as he eke tell can  
God was this day in similitude  
In earth honoured in likeness of man  
And he this day his godhead did include  
In our manhood and shortly to conclude  
This day also if I shall not feign  
Befyl also other things twain   

The wonderfullest and most marvelous  
That ever yet were seen tofore  
Whereof no wight by kind is capyous  
First how god to save that was forlorn  
Lowly in earth list to be boar  
And how a maid in her virginity  
Might also child/ and a mother be   

The which things passen and transende  
Reason of man by kinds likeness  
But faith above must all comprehend  
And hit embrace by perfect stableness  
And make his ground upon the witness  
Of prophets which in her prophecy  
So long aforne 'gan to speak and cry   

After the coming of this mighty king  
Our old woe and trouble to enchase  
To whom david said in his writing  
O blissful lord show to us thy face  
And we in sooth only thorough thy grace  
Shullen saved be from all mischief & dread  
And also now in our great need   

Send to us thy comfortable light  
Us to enlumine ligging in darkness  
Eke isaiah with all his Inward sight  
Up to heaven 'gan his look to dress  
And said lord of thy great goodness  
Out of desert from the hard stone  
Unto the daughter dwelling in syone   

Send down thy lamb fulfilled with meekness  
T●at lordship hath and domination  
Of all the earth our dole to redress  
And would god for our salvation  
This mighty lord for to come a down  
The high heavens would break on twain  
Us to relieve of that we so complain   

And david spoke eke this lord unto  
In the psalter our sorrows for to fine  
And said lord in releases of our woe  
In high heavens thy mercy make incline  
And down descend/ & let thy grace shine  
Upon us wretches in the vale of sorrow  
And lord do daw thy holy glad morrow   

Quod solomon and show to us thy light  
Of thy mercy & rue on our distress  
And with thy virtues that be so moche of might  
That no man may count them ne express  
fulfil zion & with high gladness  
Thy peoples hearts make to renew  
That thy prophets may be found true   

For out of the shall proceed anon  
The mighty king and lord of Israel  
And now this day is carven out of stone  
Without hands of that holy hell  
Of which sometime the prophet danyelle  
In his book wrote so long afore  
To signify that there should be borne   

At Iherusalem/ where as a mighty king  
Shall come in haste his people to visit  
And he shall bring peace in his coming  
Of whom the power shall not be a light  
For hit shall last as him list to write  
From see to see and all the earth spread  
thorough out the world in length and breed   

And baruk commanded to Iherusalem  
To be hold in all his best intent  
Toward the brightness of the son beam  
And wisely look in to the orient  
To see the gladness that this day is sent  
Down to the earth now that criyst is boar  
Of whose coming so many a day afore   

Spoke isaiah & said in words plain  
The high heavens do your grace adieu  
And said also the skies should rain  
Upon earth her moisture for to show  
And bad the ground eke in words few  
For to open and thus this heavenly shower  
For to bring our alther saviour   

And Jeremy spoke eke of this day  
And said on height god should make seed  
A grain of david fairer than flower in may  
Which in fresshnes shall ever spring & spread  
And conserve juda out of dread  
And eke Israel keep in sickerness  
And he shall make doom and rightwiseness   

Upon the earth of high and low degree  
And rightwiseness men shall his name call  
When he cometh to sit in the see  
Of king david in his rial stall  
And he also tofore the priests all  
Both of juda and levy shall devise  
With new incense to do sacrifice   

To god above for the great offence  
Of the people and ignorance  
With his offering make recompense  
Or that the sword be whet of vengeance  
Even like as made is remembrance  
In malachye in the same wise  
This son of life shall spring and arise   

To all the that him love and dread  
And been expectant with all humility  
On his coming to such he shall out shed  
His light of grace at his nativity  
Wherefore be glad like as it may be  
Thou bethleme called effrata  
Though thou be little named in juda   

For ●ut of the shall proceed anon  
The mighty king and lord of Israel  
And now this day is carven out of stone  
Withouten ●●ndes of that holy hell  
Of the 〈◊〉 sometime the prophet danyelle  
In his ●●ke wrote so long afore  
●o sig●efye that there should be borne   

A child in sooth without touch of man  
Of a maid after his behest  
That like a stone was y corue out than  
When he was borne/ of this high feast  
Only to bear the crown/ and the chest  
In babylonye of the great image  
That made man first for to do outrage   

For now in sooth common is the day  
Of prophets so long before ●ehyght  
For christ Ihesu plainly this is no nay  
Is like a stone who so looketh a right  
Which by his wisdom & his faders might  
And the virtue of the holy ghost  
Was carven out so clean of every coast   

Of that blessed perfect holy hill  
That groweth full of wholesome flouris fair  
For out of her that was in heart and will  
A perfect maid humble and debonair  
Like as the dew of heaven doth repair  
Upon hermon alway new and new  
Amending ay the fresshnes of her hew   

Right so thorough virtue lasting aye in one  
Of the holy ghost/ this day of mary  
Was carven out the soothfast angle stoou  
Whom that prophets praise and magnify  
For she this day was the glad sky  
Which the child of elye did see  
So pleasantly dessende from the tree   

Upon the earth naked and barren  
Of wholesome faite/ and of herbs soot  
That hath shed the comfortable rain  
The grain of grace for our alther bo●e  
That pierced hath even to the rote  
Of our Welfare/ to do the leaves spring  
For she alone is the field flowering   

That sometime gave so passing a sweetness  
To Isaak when he was fall in age  
Of which he cast so Inward gladness  
That him thought ho●e his courage  
renewed was and with a glad visage  
Unto jacob of heartily joy said  
On his clothes as he his hands laid    

How isaac prophesied the birth of christ by touching of the clothes of his son jacob capitulo xluj  

mine own child and my sone dear  
The great sweetness of the fresh odour  
Of thy clothing to me is so enter  
That hit fro me devoideth all languor  
Seeing tofore that there should a flower  
Out of the field spring of his kindred  
The which should such an odour shed   

That all the world shall comfort find & hele  
In the sweetness against each malady  
And sovereign health in every mischief feel  
So that this was no wight but marry  
That by dissent came of his ally  
Out of the which to glade all our cheer  
This day in earth there did a flower appear   

The sweetest yet that ever man beheld  
Passing the rose and the fleur-de-lys  
And of this holy fresh fair field  
Sometime the spouse spoke in canticis  
When he it saw so fresh at his devise  
And abundant of a temper air  
And that it was so passing I●ly fair    

How the garnet apple is likened to our lady capitulo xlvij  

o How the balm of heavenly liquor  
Of thy sweetness with sovereign suffisance  
Like paradise shedyth his vapour  
early a morrow avoiding all grievance  
Like the fruit that is of such pleasance  
The garnet apple of colour golden hewed  
Thorough whose odour the courage is renewed   

Of every wight that may the air receive  
For even like as the golden rind  
Is plain & shining as ye may conceive  
His colour keeping ever in one by kind  
And doth his pypynes in the scales bind  
To do comfort to seek in her access  
Right so marry our sickness to redress   

This day hath borne the wholesome holy fruit  
The fruit of life that with his sweet breath  
Is remedy and also chief refute  
To mankind again the fever of death  
For as the grain of the garnet sleeth  
The strong axes and doth the heat avail  
Right so this day out of the golden scale   

The wholesome pepyne and the grain of life  
Crist Ihesu 'gan first to appear  
And of mary mother maid and wife  
The goldyn garnet with his scales clear  
Being all hole and ever a like entere  
Was borne in sooth for to refresh belive  
Our old axes/ and right as the olive   

His oil shedith and branch leaf ne tree  
Apperith not of fairness ne colour  
Right so mary flowering in chastity  
This day hath borne our alther saviour  
The oil of peace to stint our languor  
To soft our soris and our swelling slake  
Of all our wounds when they smart o● ache   

And now this day shortly for to write  
This blissful time of the nativity  
Of young joseph the cote polymyte  
Wrought by the power of all the trinity  
Within the closette of chosen chastity  
performed was and by none hand of man  
As alysaunder well wherce can   

Within his book made in special  
On cantica as ye may read and see  
The which cloth of purple most rial  
hued with cleanness of virginity  
This day hath showed in our humanity  
The godhead hole for by this cloth is meant  
Of our kind the freel garment    

How joseph fygurid the birth of christ capitulo xlviij  

aLso this day of joseph the canele  
Amid the field that doth the virtue flower  
Was gathered up by cleanness every deal  
Whom all that other 'gan worship and honour  
For in chastity clean chosen bower  
Of maidenhead this canel grew by kind  
That when the brethren of joseph did bind   

Eueriche his sheef the bible 'gan devise  
How hit stood up among 'em everyone  
And all the other 'gan atones rise  
And worshipped it meekly one and one  
For this joseph saw this day alone  
Son and moan and sterris eke eleven  
To him obey upon the high heaven   

And the soothfast garner of the holy grain  
As saith guydo was a maid sweet  
In whom was shit soothly for to say  
The sacred store and eke the hallowed wheat  
Of the seven year that did in plenty fleet  
For on this perfect root virtuous  
The seven eeris of grain so plenteous   

This day be grown to full perfection  
To save egypte in his great need  
And for to be to him salvation  
In craft when he hath need  
For this is the grain that fostre and feed  
With full repast woman child and man  
And all his brethren dwelling in canaan   

'tis young joseph this joseph the second  
Shall by his wit help and relieve  
And jacob made in plenty to abound  
With fulsum food at morrow and eke at eve  
That the hunger on no side ne grieve  
Of the seventh year unto his lineage  
And like as joseph in his tendyr age   

Thought he saw high up in heaven  
Son and moan in his avision  
And therewithal sterris eke elleven  
Honour him with great devotion  
Of this joseph excelling of renown  
This new joseph christ Ihesu himself  
Of the sterris and the signs twelve   

Honowrid was with low subjection  
Though he lay low in an ox's stall●  
For both troni and domination  
And hole the court above celestial  
This high feast for a memorial  
The laudis song in the heaven quere  
Like as david ●ad in the saultere   

praiseth the lord of the high empire  
And with one voice his birth glorefyeth  
That hath with love brent and set a fire  
Seraphyn wherefore him magnefyeth  
Between two bestis/ though he in earth lieth  
Full humbly through his humility  
And now this feast of the nativity   

The high angels and virtues all  
Preysen him as they been wont to done  
And let the sweetness of their notis all  
Down to the earth where God's own sone  
This day ●ath chose with us for to won  
And lieth now wraped in his mothers barm  
Whom well softly with her holy arm   

And with the fairness of his fingers white  
Full softly she doth him embrace  
And in so much in heart doth delight  
His tender limbs to weld and compass  
And to behold the goodliest face  
That ever was forged by nature  
For hit was he▪ I dare well you assure   

Whom she beheld with her eyen meek  
That from eterne was in h●s faders thought  
And one with him who can take keep  
His own word that all made of nought  
Whom a maid hath to mankind brought  
Thorough her meekness of heaven & earth queen  
The lynyal stock of juda to sustain   

Whom that jacob on his fatal day  
When antropos should his thread untwine  
Which c●o●o had put long in delay  
And lachesis or they would it fine  
'Gan to bless & thus to hem divine  
When all his brethren stood environ  
This old grey with a full soft swoon   

O juda juda thy brethren everyone  
Shall praise and worship the great renown  
Of thine estate which shalt of all thy soon  
The pride oppress and make 'em lout down  
That shall be cleped the whelp of the lion  
The ryal best which maugry who saith nay  
Shall mighty be to catch and take his pray   

And proudly bear it home unto his cave  
My sone juda in thy dreadful tene  
For through thy might thou shalt victory have  
Magre eachone that the reverses mean  
For who shall mow withstand or abstain  
Thy kingly power to make resistance  
again thy manhood and thy magnificence   

That shall in the so clearly show and shine  
Without clipsing of any manner cloud  
The sceptre of whom/ in sooth shall never fine  
To be famous by report of law loud  
Ne never cese/ ne in covert shroud  
Till a duke arise of thy kindred  
Whom all the world shall obey and dread   

The which in sooth is for to be sent  
Out of thy seed by succession  
Like a king to hold his parliament  
With his kegys' and his region  
And he shall be to every nation  
soothfast abiding & succour in her need  
And he shall bind his mighty stern stead   

Of very force at the wholesome vine  
And tie his ass under the grapes red  
And he his stole/ that like to god doth shine  
And his pall by might of his manhood  
Shall wash in grapes that shullen bleed  
The reed blood deeper than scarlet hew  
And thus arrayed in his vester new   

Of look be shall be sterner to behold  
Than the streams of the light star  
And of eyen fairer many fold  
Than wine fined shining through a verre  
And like ivory that cometh fro so far  
His teeth shall be even smooth and white  
And like in sooth as joseph list indite   

The sone of jacob in his testament  
Whereto his children/ he maketh mention  
Tofore his death with full devout intent  
His presence as they knelyn down  
To hem rehearsing the great avision  
Which he had in egypt gone full yore  
In the forest among the holtes hoar   

How that he saw twelve hearts white  
Full lustily go in her pasture  
And after that as lincoln list to write  
He saw of juda borne a creature  
Of thought & deed a very maid pure  
And in his dream he thought he did seen  
Of her brought forth/ without spot all clean   

A lamb most fair to his Inspection  
That ever he saw/ unto his pleasance  
On whose life hand stood a fierce lion  
And beasts all by one alliance  
That were in earth through cruel resemblance  
A forcing hem by sheltron in battle  
By fell malice this fair lamb to assail   

But or they avail might in fight  
The lambies power made 'em for to die  
And hem vanished through his humble might  
That man & angel when they this conquest say  
They fellen down and the lamb did obey  
Sent of god this meek warrior  
Which was borne to be our saviour   

Unto mankind and protection  
To slay the lion that he may not endure  
And according with his avision  
This lamb of god clad in our armure  
This day was borne of a maid pure  
And lord of all here in a little cage  
By kin descended out of lineage   

Of the worthy and mighty brethren two  
And as burion out of a stock growing  
Right so this child from levy/ and also  
From mighty juda grew out succeeding  
Borne of the blood to be priest and king  
So intermeddled by succession  
Of both these two was the generation   

Till the branches be run and so far gone  
By lynyal course descending as a steyre  
Till the kindreds were both grown in to one  
In to a branch to have her repair  
That was proved plainly to been eyre  
The right of levy in priesthood to succeed  
And by Just title who so list take heed   

For to be king and bear the diadem  
After his father and be successor  
To worthy juda of Israel to queem  
To be her prince and mighty governor  
And fro jacob this burion and this flower  
first 'gan spring/ to jesse till hit reached  
And so forth down till the buds caught    

How nature obeyeth to virginity ca xlix  

tHe holy sides in a pure virgin  
To bear fruit that shall mankind save  
And now this day the prophecy to fine  
In bethleme within a little cave  
Kind and maid such were have  
For this matter how no creature  
To man's might justly by nature   

That been contrary have her resting place  
For maid and mother shortly for to say  
In one person to guider may not trace  
For by kind that one must void away  
But in this caas nature did obey  
To a maid and gave up hole her right  
Wisely adverting/ she was to feeble of might   

In this matter to hold chaumpartye  
With her that was of face most benign  
Wherefore she wydeth all rancour and envy  
And humbly her quarrel doth resign  
For hi● were vain for nature to malign  
Though she of kind be the empress  
Again her lord that made her so mistress   

That she moat need of necessity  
In every thing to his will obey  
And be minister unto his volunty  
Sith of her might/ he beareth himself the key  
For in to her by no manner weigh  
It is no wrong ne no prejudice  
Though of a maid without sin or vice   

That was so holy and parfyt found at all  
He would grace descend down so low  
To take the clothing f●●el and mortal  
Of our kind to make a burion grow  
That never was of man set no sow  
But with a word and the consenting  
Of a maid a graefe burgeoning   

Of judas stock this day 'gan appe●●  
When christ was boar of a maid free  
And the father sent his sone dear  
Down to the earth to make an vny●●  
By perfect love and fervent charity  
Eternally be bond that may not fail  
Fully assured by wedding & spousal   

Between his son his chosen city  
And holy church perpetually to last  
And in a chamber by excellence fair  
Of maidenhead that himself cast  
The holy knot and the bond so fast  
Y bounden was that it may never untwine  
And of that array for to termine   

Where the feast and the wedding was  
In all the earth y hallowed and hold  
In a closette more clearer than verre or glass  
Or any ●erelle brighter to behold  
For by record of patriarchs old  
The chaste chamber was within adorned  
With gold of faith fair bright y borned   

With charity that giveth so clear a light  
To recomfort all that been in presence  
And with silver depured out so bright  
thorough high wisdom of ghostly sapience  
And all the ge●●●nee that have excellence  
In moral virtue for to show & shine  
The closette chosen so clearly enlumine   

That of uncleanness there may no clipsing be  
So fulsum light is there of parfytnesse  
For there the violets men may behold & see  
Of clean intent and of holiness  
With roses strewed in god to have sweetness  
And with lilies of chastity y meynt  
And thereof colour that never will be faint   

This● vyolet●is betoken maidenhead  
Like to purple in sign of victory  
And in this chamber full of honest dread  
The chose closette the chaste oratory  
This day in sooth the high king of glory  
To show his might how he for man 'gan wirche  
Y spowsid hath our mother holy church   

And like a spouse he proceeded is  
Out of his chamber for to rectefye  
All that was wrong or in our kind amiss  
Wherefore this feast for to glorify  
Full long agoon to sing his psalmody  
The king david entune did his harp  
And with the tenors & the trebblys sharp   

He to heaven 'gan enhance and raise  
This day of days most worthy & famous  
And all prophets in her saws praise  
This noble feast/ this feast gracious  
And fro heaven with voice melodious  
Aungelis full low/ soon down alight  
For to honour this holy night   

The night of nights hyghhest of eachone  
Excelling all as in worthiness  
For in this world was creature none  
In heaven ne earth ne in soothfastness  
On land ne see that with great business  
Her devoir did this night to honour  
Him that was borne mankind to succour    

How the chief temple of rome fell the night of Christ's birth and other wonderful tokens capitulo  

for on this night by every 〈◊〉  
Was soothly showed his nativity  
In bethlehem how of a maid pure  
A child was borne most sovereign of deg●●e  
And first of all in rome the city  
His birth was showed highly by miracle  
For wall and roof tow●is and pinnacle   

Of the temple most famous in the town  
To god of p●es that was consecrate  
The same night to ground fell down  
Plain with the earth waste and desolate  
In which temple most ryal of estate  
The statue stood of mighty romulus  
And at the building the story telleth thus   

Of this temple they of rome went  
To apollo with humble sacrifice  
To have answer in her best intent  
How long this fane ryal of asyse  
So strong built and in so trusty wise  
That it should last ever and endure  
Again the assent of any creature   

Or parturbing on any manner side  
And he gave answer unto one and all  
How this temple with his walls wide  
With his cresties and bataling ryalle  
Shall ever stand sure withouten fall  
Unto the time that a maid child  
And they anon that first made it build   

Of this answer glad & full credible  
That this temple ever should stand  
For hem thought it was inpossible  
A maid ever either on see or land  
To have a child and so they understand  
And they anon gave the temple a name  
By 〈◊〉 assent for the great fame   

And called i● as I can discern  
The temple of peace with his walls white  
And therewith named is eterne  
And at the entry so they did write  
But on the night the truth to indite  
When christ was borne of a maid clean  
This temple fell down endlong the green   

To fulfil the true prophecy  
Of apollo that told 'em all this thing  
And in that place/ in worship of mary  
And of her son of heaven and earth king  
Standyth a church full ryal of building  
And even like the selfsame time  
The great statue long or it were prime   

Of romulus that was deified  
Fel to the earth and braced on pieces small  
And though romans made him stellefyed  
His great heed for all that did avail  
Of whom all the workmen made a tale  
That forged it many a day afore  
And in sooth till a child were boar   

Of a maid it should stand up riyht  
This great image and never his heed incline  
But he alowted upon the same night  
When christ was boar of a pure virgin  
Like as the workman did afore divine  
again the conceit and the intention  
Of that he meant in his opinion   

I find also that the skies done  
Which of custom curtain so the night  
The same time with a sudden son  
Enchaced were that it wexid all light  
As at midday when phelus is most bright  
To show soothly that the son of life  
Was borne that night to stint all our strife    

How the night of Christ's byeth a wel●e in Rome ran oil capitulo lj  

aNd even than as books also tell  
In very sooth withouten any were  
The sylf time in rome was a well  
Of his streams passingly enter  
To look upon as any crystal clear  
From his veins as it did boil  
Of which the water changed in to oil   

The same night/ and to tybre ran  
So large plenty that all might hit see  
Of which well long before or than  
All openly in rome the city  
Sybylle the wise that had sovereignty  
Of prophecy plainly wrote and told  
That the water of this well should   

The same night change his liquor  
In to oil/ and so a day endure  
When of this world was borne the saviour  
In bethelem of a maiden pure  
And as I find also in scripture  
The same day high in the firmament  
Toward the party of the orient   

Were seen three sons lustily appear  
every of 'em large round and bright  
That cast abroad his fair beams clear  
thorough all the world in every man's sight  
The which sons drew line right  
Her course holding in haste and that anon  
Till they three were joined in to one   

To mankind plainly to declare  
That he was borne in whom were founden three  
To increases our joy and our welfare  
flesh and soul and eke the deity  
knit all in one by soothfast unity  
Which as a son wyding shower and shade  
Was born this day all the world to glade    

How the senatis of rome would have holden octavyan her emperor as for her god capitulo lij  

also in rome as writeth Innocent  
In his chronicle making mention  
How the senates all by one assent  
In consistory of affection  
Which they had in her opinion  
Unto her noble and mighty emperor  
octavian of worthiness the flower   

Wolden eachone him have deified  
And called him by name Inmortalle  
The which thing when he had espied  
As he that was full prudent found at all  
To his presence made anon to call  
Sybylle that was mirror of sapience  
Here upon to here her sentence   

And therewithal that she moat deffyne  
Without doubt or ambiguity  
As far in such as phoebus doth now shine  
If there were any of power more than he  
Or peregall unto his degree  
From East to west here in earth low  
In all this world that she could of know   

And this was done upon the self day  
When christ was borne in bethlem by miracle  
And she full wisely nold put him in delays  
To give answer making a small obstacle  
Till at the last the fine of her oracle  
Amid the chamber of the emperor  
Standing environ/ many a senator   

Was plainly thus with cheer and face bold  
O emperor life up anon thine eye  
And look up yonder/ & see the sercle of gold  
About the son which ethe is to espy  
And there behold thou mayst it not deny  
A maid sit of beauty most soveyrene  
Holding a child in her arms twain   

And yet anon as octavyan  
Saw the child by clear Inspection  
With out abode/ a voice he herd than  
From aloft unto the chamber down  
Behold and see with humble affection  
This is the altar of the high heaven  
Set in the son clear as any leaven   

Wherefore sybylle all abroad 'gan say  
To him anon/ & list not for to bide  
Thy crown avail/ and the child obey  
whose face the son bright may not hide  
And let now be all thy pump and pride  
And at one word she platly 'gan him tell  
The child's might his power did excel   

Which thing when he 'gan plainly understand  
Of faithful will and hole heart entere  
He kneeled down & list no lengre stand  
And with incense cast in the sencere  
He did worship unto the altar  
And to the child most excellent of fame  
And list no more usurp on him the name   

To be called again all skill & right  
Wrongfully a god sith there is but one  
And right anon this noble worthy knight  
thorough out the world his precept made to gone  
To provinces and countries everyone  
Upon pain of death that none of 'em all  
Be hardy more/ a god him for to call   

For he well wist by signs openly  
And evydencis eke in special  
There was one borne of power more worthy  
Than was himself/ and thereto Inmortalle  
To whom no thing in earth is peregalle  
Of all this world of high ne low estate  
And for this skill after dedicated   

Was that chamber by high devotion  
To mary plainly this is no nay  
And called eke for this avision  
A ra ce●●/ yet unto this day  
The name abideth/ and slideth not away  
Ne lesyth not the light of his brightness  
Thorough none eclipsing of foryetefulnesse   

And in edgady the lusty large wines  
That time of year of her kind bare  
'Gan flourish & flower/ & in stead of wines  
With rich● balm her branches to repair  
And the virtue that winter made bare  
Thorough constraining of cold in the rote  
Nature made wi●h fresh blossoms soot   

To ascend upon the same night  
Upon the crop with fruit and leaves new  
Making the bows as lusty to the sight  
As fresh & as fair of colour and of hew  
And as plenteous her colour to renew▪  
As in september when bachus hath power  
To show his might that time of the year   

Lo how the lord & the mighty king  
That hath lordship over grape and vyn●  
Unto whose might every manner thing  
Heaven and earth must incline  
Can branches bare/ with fresh flowers fine  
Array new/ though they be scer and old●  
In frosty winter & in weather cold   

As in summer when phoebus is aloft  
When flora reigneth in may/ & in aprille  
And make blossoms to be as smooth & soft  
Amid december when men for cold of chylle  
Wherefore this feast freely at his will  
The night I mean of his nativity  
To show his might in erbe flower & tree   

He made the wines as ye have heard me sayne  
In edgady her balm for to shed  
When they were most naked and barren  
And out of season who so can take heed  
Of which night long afore I read  
That in egypt the prophet Jeremy  
Full openly in his prophecy   

To the priests of that kingdom told  
That the Idols of her temples all  
Withouten any rest by miracle should  
Break her necks and to ground fall  
When a maid in an ox's stall  
Hath borne a child this thing shall betide  
Wherefore the priests in her fanes wide   

Of very faith & of high credence  
Secretly upon a little stage  
Upon his word with humble reverence  
Of a maid let make an image  
And in her arm a child of tendyr age  
Doing thereto in her paynim wise  
After her rites a manner of sacrifice   

And on this hest/ ay fro year to year  
They were awaiting when that it would be  
Till on a day of hap the king came near  
The noble worthy and wise Tolome  
The which thing when that he did see  
Anon of 'em the cause he 'gan inquire  
Why & wherefore the image was set there   

And they eachone of one intention  
gave answer/ & list not for to lie  
It was ordained of old tradition  
showed toforn thorough holy prophecy  
In which they did faithfully espy  
Vndyspayrid the hest shall not vary  
Of the prophecy/ a while though hit tarry   

And soothfastly in conclusion  
Upon the time of the nativity  
The false idols in egypt fell down  
And all to burst/ in pieces more than three  
To show truly that y borne was he  
Of heaven and earth that hath the regally  
And shall destroy all false mammetry    

How romans when they had domination over all the world maden to them an ym●●● and called it their god capitulo l●●●  

I find also as writeth carnotence  
In his book pollycronycon  
That when romans hadden excellence  
Of high lordships so many a day a gone  
And the peplis/ and realms everyone  
Stoden unto hem under low servage  
From year to year paying a trewage   

Of a tribute that was customa●●●  
To the empire of ve●●y 〈◊〉  
For with the romans & senate's honourable  
When they flowrid in most felicity  
devised have for a rials  
Amid her town in most worthy place  
A large statue femynyne of face   

That made was of copper and of bras  
Large and long & wonderful to see  
And of entail divided the compass  
This great image called should be  
Goddess of rome and like a majesty  
In her right hand should also hold  
A large world full stern to behold   

Which should of rowndenes have the figure  
To signify that she most glorious  
The city hath holy in her cure  
And how by her they were victorious  
And here upon most excellent famous  
They did a workman seek up and down  
And to perform thorough out all the town   

And at the last of hap such one they find  
That passed all to work in entail  
And was subtle both of wit and mind  
To work in metal & said he nold not fail  
Of this emprise that may so much avail  
To the city and shortly in this case  
thorough his engine it performed was   

So rially/ in the world no man  
Coude amend it in that ilk tied  
And to behold it many a thousand ran  
So glad of it they were on every side  
Till at the last one of very pride  
Presumptuously 'gan to cry and call  
And said shortly the legs were to small   

So great a work long to sustain  
For lack only of good proportion  
Wherefore anon with sudden ire and tene  
The workman brent in his opinion  
Rebuking him of his presumption  
And suddenly perturbed in his mind  
Answerid again shortly as I find   

As it had been halfendele in scorn  
And said friend if thou can understand  
Till that a child be of a maid borne  
I undertake that this work shall stand  
Thine bread is dull in water and in land  
To lack thing thou canst not amend  
And the workman sother than he wend   

Hath of this work said & prophesied  
For on the night when that christ was borne  
In very sooth it may not be denied  
Of brass the goddess is broke and to torn  
And all the cost/ of the work forlorn  
In sign only that the lord and sire  
And mighty king of the high empire   

Was borne that time in the little town  
Of bethlem/ of a pure virgin  
To whose power and domynaciowne  
great room meekly shall incline  
For earthly lordships needs must fine  
With all their pomp/ and lout to him low  
When the power of this king is know    

How wise sybylle told to the senates of rome the birth of christ capitulo lv  

aNd of this time gone full many a 〈◊〉  
wise sybyll● called tyb●elyn  
Spoke to the Senate full openly & 〈◊〉  
Her dream exponing of the sons ny●●  
Which they saw all atones shine  
Upon a night every full diverse  
To hem declaring plainly in her verse   

That each son in her avisions  
Which in heaven were so bright and fair  
Betokeneth soothly the generations  
That shall succeed diverse and contrary  
Of which sonme shall vanish and appear  
And of beams wax wonder done  
Unto the time that the eight son   

His streams shed as red as any blood  
That specefyeth the generation  
That shall by kind be furious and wood  
And unto virtue full of rebellion  
Till there be borne a mighty champyoun  
Out of the stock of juda that shall haunt  
His mighty hand her tyranny to daunt   

whose mother shall come of the kindred  
Of the ebrewies/ and issue of her line  
And out of 'em even alike  
As doth a flower out of the root spyne  
And she shall be mother and virgin  
And told 'em eke in her prophecy  
When she is borne/ height shall mary   

And she shall be eke by election  
Mother to him that is of power most  
Of whom the birth and the conception  
Shall fully be of the holy ghost  
And he shall stretch unto every cooste  
His great kingdom that shall never fine  
And his birth she 'gan also assign   

And told forth affirming steadfastly  
When he were borne that he should be  
Both god and man to guider verily  
And of the night of his nativity  
To hem of rome many things told she  
And specially what he should height  
As openly ye may have a sight   

In thilk verse that alleged be  
In great austyne where ye may the name  
In the beginning/ of christ Ihesu see  
And of his renome/ & of his great fame  
And by and by how she did attame  
To the Jews his coming every deal  
Of which thing/ like they no thing weal   

certain priests of the jews law  
'Gan to grudge as they gave audience  
And bad to her/ her tongue to withdraw  
And would for anger have put her in silence  
And ●ist of malice give no credence  
Unto no word/ that she spoke or said  
Till that she of sudden ire abraid   

And said o Jews blind with the sky  
Of ignorance and malice Indurate  
Ye shall to him of very false envy  
Be wicked rebel and obstinate  
And ay with him ye shall holden debate  
And magreth you/ and all your enmity  
Yet shall he reign and king crowned be   

When he is borne in the heritage  
Of his father who so that saith nay  
And proceed out of your lineage  
And of his coming shall be no delay  
And told 'em eke plainly of the day  
Of his birth bet than I can rhyme  
And like his word coming is the time   

The time of times/ the time of life & 〈◊〉  
The time of joy & no thing to morn  
Sithen he is borne with so fair a face  
The golden world making to return  
The world of peace the kingdom of satorne  
Of which sometime proba that was wife  
Of adelphus wrote in her life    

How the prophets prophesied the birth of christ capitulo luj  

tHe time also that is authorised  
Of prophets in her prophecy  
Where his coming is openly devised  
Record I take first of him abdye  
That saith thus the bible may not lie  
How in the hill plainly of zion  
Shall joy and health come both in one   

Unto mankind and salvation  
Where he set his kingdom and his see  
Whereby is take the mighty region  
Of worthy juda and he shall also be  
succour and help unto ydume  
Of esau that called is the hill  
To joy both to obey his will   

And Naym height juda to be light  
And bade him hallow his feasts principal  
For that shall newly inspire his sight  
ascended is upon his see royal  
That shall to the be both tower and wall  
chief defence and protection  
In every woe and tribulation   

And abacuk making mention  
Of his coming when he wrote in tree  
Of green box his avision  
Where he spoke plainly of his nativity  
And his shining clear and light shall be  
And of the horns be platly 'gan to say  
That he shall hold in his hands twain   

Therein is hid his power and his might  
That on his soon kingly he shall show  
And of the hill he telleth there a right  
How he shall bow 'em/ & the croppis hew  
And telleth eke in words not a few  
Of Ethiope and also Madyan  
The tabernacles how they shall quake than   

And b●ruk eke scribe of Jeremy  
Full openly wrote of his coming  
And bad look up clearly with thine eye  
And of david a burion and the spring  
Shall be sustained to rain like a king  
And he shall do thorough his worthiness  
Doom in earth and also rightwiseness   

And sophone bad abide a while  
Upon this day with devotion  
For he shall gather out of every isle  
Of each kingdom and every region  
His people in one of high affection  
And also there▪ as he maketh mind  
From the f●odes of Ethiope and ynde   

They shall to him devoutly offering bring  
And do to him dew sacrifice  
And false gods eke thorough his working  
With ryal might he shall also despise  
And from her sees make 'em to arise  
And fro the bonds of her dwelling place  
Of very force drive 'em and enchase   

And of his birth long or that it fell  
In a vision wonderful of sight  
Spoke the prophet called danyelle  
And said him thought he saw upon a night  
Like to behold as he 〈◊〉 right  
A sone of man coming with a 〈◊〉  
To whom power honour and regally   

There given was perpetually to abide  
And his kingdom by eternity  
Shall stand hole and not divide  
Which shall not pass neither corrupt be  
whose coming eke when he did see  
The holy prophet old ezechyel  
Saith thus the bible can you tell   

I shall ordain & prudently provide  
An herdsman my sleep to keep sure  
To wake the flocks every tide  
To keep 'em wisely in to her pasture  
And furthermore he doth us eke assure  
The holy prophet forth in his writing  
soothly affirming that there shall be a king   

Of all folks whose empire shall be one  
And no longer divided in to twain  
Which in idols made of stock and stone  
Ne shall no more be pollute to ordain  
False offerings to god that they say  
And the prophet that called is adgee  
Full openly who so list to see   

Writeth of his birth in a little stound  
Even like as he was enspyrid  
That he shall move heaven see and ground  
And he that is of all most desired  
Shall come in haste like a king attired  
For joy of the which holy zacarye  
To Christ's spouse this doth specefye   

〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 thou daughter of zion  
And sing thou daughter of Iherusaleme  
Behold 〈◊〉 king shall come right anon  
That shall be 〈…〉 in bethleme  
And his power shall fro 〈◊〉 to royame  
The bonds 〈◊〉 of his rya●te  
As far in sooth as any flood or any see   

Holden her course as they with wawes' wind  
Out of her mother the great occian  
Of whose coming malachye maketh mind  
Within his book the bible tell can  
How the name of him both god and man  
Shall stretch his streams withouten ween  
From thilk place where the son sheen   

Reysith his light when it beginneth daw  
At the uprist in the morning  
Unto the west where he goeth under wave  
Till eft again his chariete he bring  
In to the East that doth the lark sing  
For joy only that his beams rise  
And of his coming doth eke amos devise   

And saith he shall newly by miracle  
Restore again and eke reedify  
Upon that day the mighty tabernacle  
Of king david with all the regally  
And of this child writeth also ysayd  
When he is borne that in his presence  
Kings for dread shullen keep salence    

A question assoiled which is worthiest of king wine or woman capitulo lvij A question assoiled which is worthiest of king wine or woman capitulo lvij  

aNd as in earth is made a question  
Of things three which was worthiest  
King wine or woman in comparison  
Each y praysid & holden as for best  
And all this strife as darius 'gan lest  
Zorobabel withouten any sloth  
Above eachone had preferred truth   

And while they were atraverse of these three  
every holding his opinion  
Zorobabel of right and equity  
To woman gave his commendation  
Making forthwith of truth mention  
Only in sign as he can devise  
from woman first/ truth must arise   

Which is the bond & knot principal  
Of all virtue it may not be denied  
And therewithal so excellent royal  
With god himself that is next allied  
And for it is so much magnified  
Thorough the world of price and worthy fame  
God cheese himself of that to bear the name   

And with his mouth himself so list him call  
As the gospel maketh mention  
And by record of prophet's all  
God descending to one conclusion  
This day in earth for our salvation  
Of a woman in maidenhead flowering  
To mankind troth did spring   

And fro heaven rightwiseness beheld  
How truth & mercy in a maid met  
And thus is troth sprung out of a field  
Where the holy ghost the rain of grace set  
To make the graff that he fro juda fet  
To fructify/ and a pure virgin  
That shall be title of the same line   

The crown of juda to him accept anon  
And underfang it as a champion  
Which was bereft so many a day a gone  
From sedechye away in babylon  
When that was made a transmigration  
By the tyrant nabugodonosore  
whose cruelty last shall no more    

How our lady ought worthily to be recommended and worshipped for the birth of christ capitulo lviij  

nOw he is borne that is rightful heir  
That shall make better than neomy●  
His people of juda for to have repair  
jerusaleme again to reedify  
Though Herod that falsely doth occupy  
As a foreign through his cruel might  
By tyranny and no title of right   

Of whom the kingdom shall not long endure  
The reign usurping by extortion  
For the lord of every creature  
This day hath take his Just pocessyon  
In bethlehem within a small dungeon  
He & his mother as who saith but alone  
To wait on him/ other few or none   

A lady mine how god hath made the rich  
Thyself alone all richesse to possede  
For in this world none is the like  
Of plenty ryal fro the land of meed  
Where the hills of gold been as I read  
May no treasure in his means raise  
again thy treasure for to counterpoise   

For certes lady thou alone hast all  
That within heaven angels desire  
The jewel rich the treasure celestyalle  
Of heaven king of earth lord and sire  
And him that hath all the hole empire  
Of land & see & the monarchy  
Thou hast holy lady mine to gye   

And as austin the holy doctor writeth  
In a sermon of the nativity  
We may to the say right as he biddeth  
With devout heart kneeling on our knee  
O blessed lady flower of virginity  
We prayen eachone o well of our welfare  
Like a mother not thy milk to spare   

Yeve him plente that is so plenteous  
Of fulsomeness angels to feed  
And give him sowke the payment gracious  
Of thy paps let thy conduit shed  
The sweet milk all about in breed  
Moderly it making to avail  
On his fair tendyr limbs small   

Glad master thou be that safe list to vouch  
With his soft round lips light  
To have plosaunce thy breasts for to touch  
Only to sowke thy blessed paps white  
And that him list so godly to delight  
For his play to have so moche bliss  
Ever among thy holy mouth to kiss   

And suddenly with childly cheer jocund  
Than anon thy whit neck to embrace  
With his soft tendyr arms round  
And than atones fall on thy face  
And of his eyen fulfilled of all grace  
A goodly look to the ward incline  
And so forth his cheeks lay to thine   

And with his fyngries mouth & eyen touch  
His small pawmys on thy cheeks lie  
His young face between thy paps couch  
And hold him still with all his busy pain  
And gripe hem fast with his hands twain  
For therein was his heavenly repast  
Thy young son when he list break his fast   

There was his food and his nourishing pure  
soothfast seleer of his sustenance  
The ton of life that ever did endure  
Ay like fresh unto his pleasance  
With sacred liquor of holy abundance  
That none but he may touch ne appronhe  
For hit for him was only set abroach   

For in that liquor is full remedy  
Holy refuyte and plain medicine  
again the venom brought in by envy  
thorough false engine & malice serpentine  
When the snake made adam to dine  
Of the apple that was intoxicate  
Falsely with god to make him at debate   

But now the milk of thy paps twain  
benign lady is to us tria●le  
Within thy breast springeth from a vain  
Against the death to be to us obstacle  
O how it is a passing high miracle  
Thorough gods might/ & by nought else  
Out of a breast to see two small wells   

Of a maid springing as a river  
To give him drink that is king of all  
O goodly lady/ o heavenly botel●re  
When we in mischief to the clepe & call  
Some drop of grace let upon us fall  
And to that celer make a ready weigh  
Where thou of mercy alone berist the key●   

And of grace let be no scarcity  
Good lady that art of grace well  
For now this day in earth is borne of the  
The soothfast god of heaven earth and hell  
Which is come down with us for to dwell  
And hath of the our mortal kind y take  
Of all our woe an end for to make   

Sometime fro heaven fy● down the man  
To refresh the hungry in her need  
And that befell in desert right than  
When moyses the people did lead  
But now this day in earth man to feed  
An humble maid to all that been true  
In this desert hath brought manna new   

Which to angel is the food of life  
To man repast of joy and of gladness  
chief recomfort and restoratyf  
To all feeble oppressed with sickness  
O good lady o mirror of meekness  
benign flower of womanhead the well  
In this desert where as now we dwell   

Send us thy manna of sovereign hearts he'll  
To our comfort and consolation  
And let us grace in thy mercy feel  
For our refuyte and refection  
And in this vale of confusion  
Let the grace fro the skies rain  
The manna of life that we may attain   

For thou alone ar● comfort singular  
To all though that no refuyte con  
This day also of mercy the river  
from which all grace is to mankind run  
The star also that hath brought forth the son  
The sone of life in earth for to won  
O maid o mother o daughter of thy son   

Which none in sooth sith the world began  
Was both two but thyself alone  
For who is he that remember can  
First or last late or else soon  
So bright a son spring of so fair a moan  
Save this day the son of life most sheen  
From the arose & thou a maid clean   

Without eclipsing or losing of thy light  
For thou a mother and maid both two  
In v●●tu●ay●e like sheen and bright  
O fair ●oose/ o roose of Jericho  
That hast this day god and man also  
In bethelem borne again the grey morrow  
The night to void of all our old sorrow    

Of liknessis of our lady in commendation of her capitulo lix  

nOw fair ●edre cypress of zion  
springing light of nazareth  
Chosen chamber of wise solomon  
Flower of the field sweetest on holt & heath  
Of whom all virtue saveth men fro death  
Of syloe the water eke depurid  
Whereby the leper of Naman was recured   

Laude and glory of Iherusalem  
Thou named arte and of Israel gladness  
wholesome cistern this day of bethlehem  
The thirst of david to staunch and distress  
Of paradise the well in soothfastness  
Foison that floweth in to sundry royalmes  
The soil to adieu with his sweet streams   

The land also of promission  
That milk and honey both in fere shedyth  
The soil and ground of our salvation  
With his herbs that fosterith us and feedeth  
Now blessed maid whose mercy ever needeth  
Also that liven in thy service  
This high feast so for us devise   

That in honour of thy sone dear  
We may of heart read sing and pray  
And let the streams of thine eyen clear  
Thy servants/ o lady mine convey  
To continue fully until we die  
The to serve with heartily love and dread  
As most is plesing to thy womanhead   

And this feast of feasts principal  
called the feast of the nativity  
Make love & peace to reign overall  
And hearts joy with perfect unite  
Void all discord & let no rancour be  
In hearts closed by malice or enmity  
But of thy grace so govern us and gye   

This high feast in which thy son was borne  
Now this mydwynter night with full affection  
While phoebus shineth in the caprycorne  
We may the serve with all devotion  
And lady mine in conclusion  
Now this month that called is december  
Upon thy servants faithfully remember    

How christ was circumcised capitulo lx  

when janus bifrons in cold januarie  
With frosty beard entered in the year  
And phoebus char neigheth to aquary  
His watery beams tofore feverere  
When that his light was pale & nothing clear  
And from him late was passed lucyne  
The same night as I saw her shine   

Adorned new with beams glad and merry  
On the heaven and cast his streams down  
I 'gan remember of the high ferry  
That called is the circumcision  
How hit befell than by revolution  
By just acountyng in the calendere  
The first day of the new year   

And thought I would in my book proceed  
Of this feast somewhat for to write  
And to the gospel first I 'gan take heed  
Of this day how luke list to indite  
Though he thereof speak but a light  
And was full brief and compendious  
Yet of this day high and glorious   

He writeth plainly & saith how that anon  
After the day of the nativity  
When eight days passed were and gone  
The child was brought with all humility  
To the temple lowly for to be  
As the law of the Jews hath devised  
The eight day to be circumcision   

And he thereto meekly did obey  
And with a knife made full sharp of stone  
His mother looking with a piteous eye  
The child was corue therewithal anon  
That all about the reed blood 'gan gone  
Without abode as saith bonaventure  
And for the pain he did endure   

And for sharpness of the sudden smart  
The child 'gan weep that pity was to he●●  
Wherefore his mother of very tendyr heart  
Out braced on tears & might herself not steer  
That all bedewed were her eyen clear  
When she saw him that she loved so  
So young so fair to weep so for woe   

But he anon in all his passion  
For all that he was so young of age  
In manner he had a compassion  
To see his mother to weep in her rage  
And put his hand unto her visage  
On mouth and eyen passingly benign  
And as he could goodly made a sign   

Withouten speech to stint her weeping  
That came to her of motherly pity  
And she full well conceiveth his meaning  
From point to point & than anon 'gan she  
To look on him that was so fair to see  
And his feturis considered by and by  
And in her arms wonder womanly   

She took him up & prayed him be still  
As of moderis is plainly the manner  
And he in all obeyeth to her will  
Though he were young & 'gan to change his cher●  
And with h●r kerchye● she made his eyen clear  
On his cheeks in all that ever she may  
Full moderly the treries wiped away    

How in four manner of wises christ was circumcisid capitulo lxj  

and like of alquyn as it is devised  
That christ Ihesu who so list to see  
In four manners was truly circumcisid  
first of his father at his nativity  
With the knife of wilful poverty  
And now this day which is not feigned  
Eke with a knife by the law ordained   

The third manner ye may eke consider  
How with the knife of great adversity  
That he was kit first when he came hither  
Taking for us our humanity  
And alther last with full cruelty  
For us he suffered circumcision  
Upon the cross during his passion    

How christ suffered circumcision in his chosen people capitulo lxij  

eKe in four manner who so can take heed  
Cryst in is chosen by good Inspection  
Here in this world withouten any dread  
Of new he suffered circumcision  
The first is made by false detraction  
That kytteth away both friend and fame  
And the shining of her good name   

The second is by false tyranny  
Of such that have no conscience at all  
But taketh away by cursed robbery●  
Vnrightfully her goods temporal  
And the third soothly is most mortally  
Of heretics that falsely disobey  
To holy church & to our faith vareye   

The fourth is made by effusion of blood  
Of tyrants that the body sleeth  
When they of malice again the faith stood  
To execute her venom up by death  
To make martyrs to yield up the breath  
Whom christ Ihesu eternally in glory  
Ordained hath a palm of victory   

Eke five times cryst in his manhood  
Shad his blood by effusion  
And alther first when he did bleed  
Upon the day of circumcision  
And next in sooth tofore his passion  
Upon the hill for anguish when he sweat  
The red blood which all his body wet   

The third time his blood most virtuous  
'Gan run out by many a cruel wound  
When that he was this king most gracious  
Of the jews to a pillar bound  
The fourth time eke as it is found  
He spent his blood for our alther good  
When he was nailed high upon the rood   

And alther last when longeus a fere  
thorough his heart plainly as I find  
On caluere him pierced with a spear  
That blood & water as books make mind  
'Gan stream down to his eyen blind  
By whose virtue anon this paynim knight  
Only of g●●ce recovered hath his sight   

And in books eke as it is told  
How the piece of his Incision  
Was by an angel in an urn of gold  
To charks brought in a vision  
And be anon of great affection  
Of this miracle for the excellence  
Made hit be kept for great reverence   

And at A●on but if books lie  
Full many year by revolution  
In a church soothly of mary  
But clerks have an opinion  
That the day of resurrection  
When christ Ihesu rose from death to live  
The same piece returned as belive   

To the place where that it came fro  
sithen that it was soothly as I find  
Of his manhood pertaining thereto  
And a party longing to his kind  
Though hit be so that books make mind  
That in rome it is yet preserved  
And year by year when this feast is served   

In a church which men of custom call  
Sancta sanctorum of old foundation  
The same day there the priests all  
Solem●nely make a station  
When all the people gone on procession  
Fully in h●pe better for to speed  
From year to year there they sing & read   

And furthermore the story doth devise  
The same day right forthwith anon  
In the temple as they him circumcise  
He named was Ihe of eachone  
The which name long or that agone  
Was of the angel told & said afore  
To his mother or that he were bore    

How the people of god that our joshua had in governance weren saved by the steadfast believe of the name of Jesus' capitulo lxiij  

aNd to rehearse the great worthiness  
Of this name which may not be described  
My wits been so dull with rudeness  
And in the chain of ignorance guided  
That I alas of konning am depry●ed  
Thorough lack of wit in any manner wise  
To underfang so passing high emprise   

For this is the name who so can discern  
Most excellent and most of dignity  
The name of names sacred from eterne  
As saith bernard who so list to see  
Fygurid first unto joshua  
thorough his knighthood/ when he should lead  
The people of god to save 'em in her need   

For this is the name that hearts most desire  
For therein is so passing sweetness  
For it may best hem with grace inspire  
And with plenty of all goodly richesse  
It is comfort & succour in sickness  
refute also/ rest and remedy  
To all though that feelen malady   

Against languor the best medicine  
In all this world that o where may be found  
For this name is so heavenly and divine  
That hearts seek it doth with he'll abound  
It cureth soris/ it he●ith every wound  
And saveth man fro many a sword & spear  
Where ever they riden in land far o● near   

It is first written in the book of life  
For worthiest and most of reverence  
And it is eke best preservative  
again the assent of the violence  
Of wicked air to void pestilence  
And from the death hem that plainen sore  
Of his virtue to health it doth restore   

It is also soothfast salvation  
To all that be in poverty and in need  
It is defence/ it is protection  
In each parille & in every dread  
It is also the guerdon and the meed  
In them that been in exile of outrage  
Repeyre final of her pilgrimage   

This is the well with the four streams  
Whereof writeth bernard in his sentence  
That thorough the world refresshith all royames  
It is so wholesome & of such excellence  
The first be calleth the stream of sapience  
Of which the flood most Inly is abound  
And rightwiseness he namyth the second   

And the third be calleth holiness  
For hit excellyth in perfection  
The fourth also as I can express  
Is the flood of our redemption  
And of the first in conclusion  
Of which the streams been so fresh and fine  
Who so looketh a right is whole our doctrine   

And of his right to make mention  
The wholesome well ever doth flow & fleet  
With mercy medlid and remission  
Tofore his doom his ire for to let  
And of the third the water is so sweet  
By good ensample who so can discern  
In virtue ay how we shullen us govern   

And of the fourth to speak in special  
Is all our health and salvation  
For therein is our remedy final  
against death and full protection  
whose blood sprung out of Christ's passion  
And who that list by water to attame  
He shall it find closed in the same   

Of perfit richesses it is t the resorye  
Which may not waste buty liche abide  
The fire it quencheth also of envy  
And repressith the bolning eke of pride  
And thorough meekness settith ire a side  
And who that hath this name in remembrance  
Him the spirit of sloth may do no grievance   

It is also the mighty pavise fair  
again wanhope and dysperation  
Crystal shield of pallas for despair  
Thereto avoid the foul abusion  
And who that maketh his Invocation  
To this name with heart of stableness  
It giveth him strength & also sickerness   

The cruel fire & brenning to withstand  
Of lechery and all temptation  
It is refute to fire & eke to bond  
That have therein her hole affection  
whose virtue was to king solomon  
Full long afore in divine oracle  
As I find showed by miracle    

How prophets and martyrs suffreden death for the name of Jesus' capitulo  

This is the name of prophets specified  
In her writing and in her books old  
Of apostles most highly magnified  
By whose virtue they the truth told  
This made also martyrs to be bold  
And mighty like scerne champions  
With stable heart to suffer her passions   

By this name they were victorious  
In her torment patience to have  
This is the name that ygnasius  
Had in his heart of gold deep grave  
Whereof the tyrant 'gan him sore abave  
When that he saw his heart cut a twain  
〈◊〉 letters new depycte in every vain   

〈…〉 name that to confessouris  
〈…〉 in her abstinence  
〈◊〉 is the 〈◊〉 that in sharp shouris  
〈…〉 lust was whole her defence  
〈◊〉 y●ue hem might to make resistance  
again sin and knightly to warreye  
●nd to continue in virtue till they die   

It is the feast and the figured food  
Of maidenhead and of virginity  
The oil of grace wholesome to all good  
Which in the lamps of perfit chastity  
Brenning so clear with love and charity  
That worldly winds boistous & blowing  
Ne may not quench the light of his shining   

This is the name that most giveth melody  
Unto the ere and the sweetest sown  
It is the name of heavenly harmony  
To void out sin and all temptation  
With full accord against division  
It causeth hearts no longer to debate  
That parted been with the wrest of hate   

This name is joy of sorrowful in distress  
Eternal meed of 'em that lyu●n in bliss  
Salue unto 'em that languor in sickness  
Vesture in cold to hem that clothes miss  
sovereign repast hungry for to wis  
For to escape the cruel violence  
Of needs sword whetted with indigence   

christ is the name of soothfast sacrament  
That first was yeven of holy unction  
And he was called first for this intent  
For he for man should make oblation  
And for he came for our salvation  
To 〈◊〉 away the rust of all our blame  
He hath of Jesus' worthily the name   

I find in books of old antiquity  
In his writing as clerks list express  
How there were four persons of degree  
Sometime anoint for her worthiness  
Somme for manhood & some for holiness  
With observance and solemnity  
As was covenable unto her degree   

prophets priests & they that beren crowns  
As worthy kings of every region  
Anointed weren & mighty champyownes  
Within palastre thorough her high renown  
Or in champcloos hardy as lion  
Entre would some quarrel to deraign  
singularly by emprise of 'em twain   

And christ was all by reason as I prove  
first prophet by Information  
And by his doctrine most worthy of believe  
And he was eke the mighty champion  
That singularly for our salvation  
fought with the fiend & had of him victory  
Maugre his might & wan the palm of glo●●   

And he was pressed man to reconcile  
That banyssid was out of his heritage  
Whom a serpent falsely did exile  
Of false malice in a sudden rage  
And he was borne only by lineage  
To be a king and by power eterne  
When he is crowned his people to govern    

How christ Ihesu was both prophet priest king and mighty champion capitulo lxuj  

nOw christ Ihesu soothfast priest & king  
And for mankind most worthy warrioure  
Prophet also and truest in living  
Be thou our help/ be thou our succour  
And like a king be thou our governor  
And champion to help us in our need  
And like a prophet to wisshen us and read   

O christ Ih●su to the I clepe and cry  
from day to day to help us and relieve  
And of thy grace us wretches for to gye  
Or that thou thy rightwiseness prove  
Let pity first the to mercy move  
And or thy sword of vengeance us menace  
Let troth afore thy rightful doom embrace   

For of our help thou art the pyllere  
again despair holy our sustenance  
Our strength our might our requite far & near  
In each peril to save us from myscheaunce  
Thou art our force & our sustenance  
And in mischief when dread would us assail  
Thou art our shield thou art our supportayle   

Thou art mighty and thou art meek also  
Thou art rightful/ and thou art merciable  
Lamb and lion called both two  
And soothfast king whose reign is Inmutable  
To repentant/ by rigour not vengealle  
And ever afore in punishing of thy law  
Pees to prefer/ or right his sword may draw   

And to bring the lost sheep again  
Out of desert in to his pasture  
That was errant idle/ and in vain  
O christ Ihesu of thy benign cure  
More ready ay to save and to cure  
All that been sore/ & scabbed eke with sin  
Rather with pity than thou with reddur win   

Now thou that art the very rightful line  
All that is crooked goodly to redress  
And master of mercy all our mischief fine  
O christ Ihesu well of all sweetness  
Lord of pity & lord of rightfulness  
Have upon us this day compassion  
That called is thy circumcision   

And graunt● us grace with dew reverence  
This high feast so noble and so dign  
Worship & hallow devoid of all offence  
And be to us goodly and benign  
That were this day marked with the sign  
And the carecte by the law ordained  
Is very sooth & no thing feigned   

And so as thou that never did trespass  
Thorough thy meekness and lowly subjection  
Suffer wouldest this day of thy grace  
For our offence/ have circumcision  
So cut from us all temptation  
Of worldly lust & make the flesh to serve  
To the spirit till the body starve   

And grant us grace to live chaste & clean  
O christ Ihesu while that we been here  
Thorough the prayer of that heavenly queen  
That is maid and mother eke in fere  
With help of her grant us this new year  
So prudently with virtue us provide  
Our vices all that we may circumside   

And christ Ihesu we pray unto the  
let thy name whether we ride or gone  
In each peril and each adversity  
Be our defence against our mortal foo  
To make 'em stand still as any stone  
And all that casten us falsely to wareye  
Make her malice meekly to obey   

To thy name & make 'em stand all back  
Or they have power to hawnte her cruel might  
And wicked spirits so horrible & black  
That busy been to wait us day and night  
let thy name drive 'em out of sight  
And in our forehead when we Ihe Impress  
Make us of grace her malice to oppress   

For to thy name holy we commend  
Our life our death body heart & all  
Our soul also when we hens wend  
O christ Ihu o lord immortal  
praying to the when thou us dame shall  
To save all though from eternal shame  
That have full faith & hole trist in thy name    

How by the prophecy of balaam watch was made upon an hill capitulo lxvij  

tHou lord whose light descendeth fro so fer●●  
Thorough the roundness of the spears nine  
Withouten whom phoebus ne no star  
Upon heaven power hath to shine  
Let now thy light my darkness enlumine  
That thorough thine help I may my style gye  
Somewhat to say of thine epiphany   

And let my breast benign lord be dewyd  
Down with some drop from thy majesty  
That was this day by a star showed  
Out of the East to worthy kings three  
Which on this night of thy nativity  
'Gan first espy the bright beams clear  
Of this star on the heaven apere   

Of whom the spring was not cansille  
Of fortune ne sudden adventure  
For many a day or this thing befylle  
And many a year by record of scripture  
With a waiting & wonder busy cure  
In very sooth as I remember can  
A certain kindred toward the occian   

Which of the stock and the line came  
Who so list look in books from a far  
And of the blood of old balaam  
That sometime had with his ass were  
The which said there should rise a star  
Out of jacob and from Israelle  
Al be that he thereof no time could tell   

Upon whose word fully in believe  
There should arise such a star light  
Weren twelve chosen the truth for to prove  
Within mydwynter ever fro night to night  
When in aquary phoebus shed his light  
For to await in all her best wise  
When this star in heaven would arise   

And these twelve weren of kindred  
Of balam as ye have heard me tell  
That year by year should take heed  
Upon an hill beside a little well  
And there in fere a certain space dwell  
Anointed & bathed in clothes white  
And they of custom to speak but a light   

But in prayer & in certain rites used  
They must wake and wait in special  
And none of 'em platly to be excused  
Upon this hill named victoryalle  
And if one did that his sone shall  
This statute old his place occupy  
●r effys one that were next of ally   

〈◊〉 this committed during many year  
〈◊〉 custom used of antiquity  
〈◊〉 phoebus went by moving circular  
●o they kept her times by degree  
And each year weren certain days three  
〈◊〉 ●a●kyng cast and computation  
Sought & chosen out by good election   

For 〈◊〉 await the uprist by the morrow  
Of this star with his lemes glade  
Which balam said should avoid her sorrow  
At his vp●●st whose beams may not fade  
To show his light in every shroud & shade  
Without wresting or drawing to decline  
Till at the last for the same fine   

To see this star most famous of renown  
On the heaven when it should appear  
The worthy kings as made is mention  
Upon the hill to guider gone in fere  
For cause they who so list to here  
Were of the stock of balam down descended  
Wherefore of sort the hill they be ascended   

As fell on 'em by custom to succeed  
At a certain of the year by revolution  
And on this hill eastward they took heed  
By good advice in her Inspection  
The same night of the Incarnation  
When christ was born in bethlehem of mary  
The same our/ the star they espy   

Of new aryson in the orient  
Full lusty of whom the beams light  
'Gan enlumine all the firmament  
From East to west it gave so clear a light  
That of the streams every manner wight  
astonied was they were so bright & sheen  
And to the eye/ full perceant for to seen   

The which star drew his course of right  
Toward the hill like as books tell  
Where the kings the long winters night  
It to await solitary dwell  
And there anon upon her knees fell  
And thanked god with all her hearts lust  
Which hath not hem defrauded of her lust    

How the three kings perceived the star capitulo lxix  

aNd all that night to guider as they work  
Upon this star that shone so fair & clear  
And suddenly upward as they 'gan look  
They saw a child above the star appear  
So young so fair in a golden spear  
Full rially stand/ & above his heed  
A large cross that was of blood full red   

The which child spoke to hem anon  
Above the hill with voice and cheer benign  
And bad hem fast that they should gone  
In to juda right as any line  
And follow alway the star for a sign  
That shall 'em bring to that region  
Where the king most worthy of renown   

Was borne that time to have the regally  
Of Iewes land of very dew right  
To whom the star did specify  
When he was borne with his clear light  
And they anon when passed was the night  
The next morrow no longer list abide  
But toward him cast 'em for to ride   

With great array and ryal apparel  
As was sitting to their worthiness  
They shope hem forth/ & for they nold not fail  
To do honour to his nobleness  
With hem they took gold & great richesses  
To spend & give/ & also for they meant  
With yefts great the child to present   

And forth they gone no longer would they tarry  
Thorough many a land/ & many a diverse isle  
Eueriche of hem on a dromedary  
Which weren so swift that full many a mile  
They passed have within a little while  
That in the space of days thirteen  
By conduit only of the star sheen   

They entered been in to Iherusaleem  
That of juda was the chief city  
Conveyed ever with the bright beem  
Of the star that was so fair to see  
And when they amid the city be  
Not astonied axed in audience  
Where is the king greatest of reverence   

Of jews borne for to bear the crown  
whose star we have seen in the orient  
That from heaven cast his streams down  
Which all the world under the firmament  
Is glad to see/ & we of one intent  
Have yefts brought out of our country  
Him to honour in his rial see   

And when Herod of their coming knew  
He troubled was/ & also all the town  
And 'gan anon to change cheer and hew  
And made in haste a convocaciyn  
Of all the priests dwelling environ  
To know clearly/ & be certified  
Of the place that was specefyed   

Of prophets where christ shall be borne  
And they anon the truth to him told  
In bethlehem as they full long afore  
Fownden out in her books old  
And all the manner to him they unfold  
From point to point as matthew maketh mind  
Redith his gospel and there ye shall hit find    

How king Herod sent for the three kings capitulo lxx  

aNd than Herod 'gan the kings call  
And of this matter entered privily  
And curiously how that it was fall  
He 'gan inquire & asked busily  
And of the star also by and by  
He axed 'em and in words few  
How & what wise it 'gan first show   

And when they had told him every del●  
They departed out of his presence  
But first he ●ade 'em to inquire  
Of the child with all her diligence  
And when they had done him reverence  
He charged 'em under words fair  
Homwardes by him all gates to repair   

To give him clearly Information  
Of her exploit & of the child also  
Surely affirming by false collusion  
That he himself would soon after go  
Unto the child and his devoir do  
To worship him/ & all under colours  
As the worm/ or serpent under flowers   

Da●●th full oft & keepeth him covertly  
Of ky●de malice till they a time see  
To shed her venom/ & than suddenly  
All atones when they unwarest be  
They styngen and shewyn her cruelty  
And her venom under flowers fair  
Full oft is hid till they may appear   

Right so thou serpent full of iniquity  
False tiger full of doubleness  
Under fair colour of humility  
Thy venom dareth/ & also thy falseness  
O thou tyrant oh rote of cursidnesse  
Thou Herod of malice most mortal  
What weenest thou/ him that knoweth all   

To dysseyve with thy slily wile  
What can sugar under gall fain  
What weenest thou the kings to beguile  
And of malice bring 'em in a train  
Of whose coming though that thou disdain  
It may not help plainly ne ●ayle  
For of thy purposes plainly thou shalt fail   

For by grace they shullen in quye●●  
Maugre thy might all the danger pass  
For though that thou with words honey sweet  
maliciously upon her death compass  
They shullen escape despite of thy face  
For all the conject of thy princes wise  
As the story shall anon devise   

And so with venom in his heart look  
He gave hem leave pass thorough his reme  
In her repair him casting to ●e wroke  
If they return again by Iherusaleme  
And so the star hem brought to bethleme  
And line right the child's heed above  
Where as he lay still 'gan to hove    

Of the joy that the kings had when they found christ capitulo lxxij  

but who the joy could tell or indite  
Or with his mouth the mirth express  
Or who can plainly with his pen write  
The great bliss or the gladness  
Which they made in soothfastness  
After her journey & her long weigh  
Above the house when they the star say   

That 'gan to hem clearly certify  
Without more the child's dwelling place  
And they anon fast 'gan 'em high  
With lusty heart & glad of cheer and fa●●  
To alight down in a little space  
They made 'em ready & with reverence  
They entryn in/ & came in to presence   

Where as the child most worthy of degree  
Was with mary in an ox's stall  
And humbly the kings all three  
Forth they went toward the stall  
And brought her treasure & her yefts all  
As reverently as they could devise  
And him presented in all her best wise   

Like as her estate every after other  
Making their present with all humility  
Like her age as brother after other  
Gold frank & myrrh they gave him all three  
After custom of pierce and Chaldee  
For of that land when kings present make  
The custom is such yefts for to take   

And this was done with foison and plenty  
In very sooth and great abundance  
For in her present was no scarcity  
For of richesses they had all suffisance  
Wherefore they cast with devout obeisance  
Of due right with the child to part  
Of her treasure or that they depart   

And for gold is paid for tribute  
As hit is found of antiquity  
Therefore the kings for a manner suit  
That they him aught of very duty  
They brought him gold out of her country  
And gave it him withouten repentance  
holy of heart for a recognisance   

And frank also as clerks can devise  
Ordained is in conclusion  
To god only to make sacrifice  
With contrite heart and devotion  
Therefore to him for oblation  
They brought frank to signify than  
That he was both soothfast god and man   

And for they would in all thing obey  
To his highness with all her busy cure  
In token he should for mankind die  
They brought myrrh to his sepulture  
For like a man/ death he most endure  
And with his blood shed in his passion  
For our trespass for to make redemption   

In frank also who that can discern  
Is understand the high majesty  
Of his power which that is eterne  
And eke also his high deity  
The gold betokeneth his high dignity  
And myrrh declareth unto us at all  
Of his manhood that he was mortal   

And gold betokeneth of love the fervence  
That he to man had of affection  
And frank betokeneth the sovereign excellence  
In holiness his conversation  
And myrrh betokeneth the tribulation  
That he suffered and all the great penance  
For us in earth by continuance   

In gold he was know as a king  
In frank a priest who so can take heed  
Of myrrh also this day the offering  
Was longing only to his manhood  
And thus he was withouten any dread  
Both king & priest as I discryve can  
And for our sake in earth a mortal man   

In gold also most glorious metal  
Fygurid was his high deity  
In frank also that is so cordyalle  
The soul also of christ most perfit of degree  
And myrrh betokeneth thorough his dignity  
His flesh the which by disposition  
May never suffer no corruption   

And of these yefts passing reverent  
Full of mystery & heavenly privity  
And when they had made their present  
Unto the child ay sitting on her knee  
And with great advice they began behold & see  
Tofore that they remove from that place  
His godly cheer & his fair face   

considering his feturis by and by  
With great Insight/ and humble intention  
And ay the more they look busily  
The more they think in her Inspection  
And thoughten alway as in her reason  
Though kind & god hath set in one figure  
The beauty holy of every creature   

It might not in sothenes ●euen been liche  
To his fairness/ neither peregall  
For he that is above nature rich  
Hath made this child fairest in special  
For in his face they be holden all  
The hole beauty/ & fairness eke also  
Of heaven & earth to guider both two   

Wherefore no wonder though they hem delight  
Most passingly upon him to see  
For they in heart reioycen hem not alyte  
On him to look that they have liberty  
For ay the more plainly that they be  
In his presence the parfy●e hot fire  
Of heartily joy hem brent in desire   

And of one thing good heed they took  
How that the child demurely cast his sight  
Toward hem & godely 'gan to look  
On her faces with his eyen bright  
And how that he put his arms right  
goodly to hem making a manner sign  
To them of thanking/ with cheer full benign   

And of his mother they much thing inquire  
touching his birth with humble affection  
And she answereth most feminine of cheer  
Full prudently to every question  
With cheer demure/ & look y cast adown  
With all the port of womanly cleanness  
Herself demeaning chiefly with meekness    

Of virtuous poverty and meekness of our lady capitulo lxxiij  

o She that was of heaven and earth queen  
And of hell lady and princess  
O what was she alas that might abstain  
To be proud considered her meekness  
O pride alas o rote of our distress  
Though thy boost above the sky blow  
Thy building high shall be brought full low   

O surquidry alas why nylt thou see  
How that she had heaven in her demesne  
And lady is both of land and see  
And of the axtre between the poles twain  
And of the embracing of the golden chain  
Yet unto her I say in soothfastness  
Above all this agreed her meekness   

O pomp elate with thy cheris bold  
Remember & see and look how that she  
Of whom kings have joy to behold  
In her presence to kneel on her knee  
Though she of women be highest in degree  
Take heed & see how lowly in a stable  
How that she sat this lady honourable   

Were therre of gold any clothes found  
Of silk damask or rich turturyne  
Or was there arras about her heed bound  
Or was there any velwet crymsyne  
Or was there any samyte or satyne  
Or were there any tapytes large or wide  
The naked ground to cover or to hide   

Or was her palace built of lime & stone  
Or the pillars set on marbyl grey  
Or the ground paved on to gone  
Or fresh parlours glasid bright as day  
Or were therein chambris of array  
Or for estates was there any hall  
Save a dungeon & and an ox's stall   

Or of her bed was the apparel  
Of gold & silk corteyned large about  
Or were the shetis of long or wide entail  
kit out of reins/ nay without doubt  
Or were there any ladies for to lout  
To her highness with busy observance  
Or of maidens any attendance   

O as me seemeth of very dew right  
Ye women all sholden take heed  
With your pearls & your stones bright  
How that our queen flower of womanhead  
Of no devise embroidered hath her weed  
Ne furrid with ermyn/ ne with cristy grey  
Ne marty●n ne sabyl I trow in good faith   

Was none founden in her garment  
And yet she was the fairest for to see  
That ever was under the firmament  
That me seemeth ye sholden have pity  
To see a lady of so high degree  
So seemly atyrid o ye women all  
So narrow closed in an ox's stall   

Let be your pride and your affection  
Of rich array & no thing you delight  
In worldly pomp and such abusion  
Of soudry clothes read black and white  
And be well aware or the spear bite  
Of cruel death and the fell smart  
My council is to lift up your heart   

To that lady & to that worthy queen  
That you may best help in your need  
And you relieve in every woe and tene  
And deliver from all mischief and dread  
And think plainly & take right good heed  
That all shall pass array & eke richesses  
When ye list ween & all your seemliness   

Let 'em afore be to you a kalendere  
Isowde Eleyne/ and eke polycene  
Hestor also & dydo with her cheer  
And rich candace of Ethiope queen  
Lygge they not grave under colours green  
And yet all this may not your pride attame  
notwithstanding that ye shall do the same   

And after death abideth no memory  
For ay with death cometh foryetefulnesse  
And fare well than array and all veynglorye  
Save only virtue that standeth in sickerness  
I take record of the high meekness  
Of her that is of holiness well  
Of whom I think soothly for to tell   

How that she sat for all her worthiness  
Holding her child lowly on the ground  
And kings kneeling as ye have herd express  
Beholding her in virtue most abound  
Till at the last they have a ●●yser found  
To take her leave/ and the same night  
They 'gan to ride homeward all her might    

How the angel warned the three kings to pass not by herod's but by another way capitulo lxxiiij  

aNd suing after on the next night  
While they slept at her lodging place  
Came an angel appearing with great light  
And warned 'em that they nought ne trace  
By herod's but that they should place  
Withouten tarrying/ in all the haste they may  
To her kingdom by another way   

And in short time to their region  
They been repaired/ the gospel telleth thus  
And of her names to make mention  
The first in ebrew was called appelleus  
The next amerus the third damarus  
And in greek the first galgatha  
And sarachym/ the third malgalatha   

And in latin as books make mind  
The first of hem named was jasper  
And the second plainly as I find  
Like mine author rehearse as I dare  
called was and named balthazar  
And the third ye get of me no more  
As I read was called melchyore   

Of whose repair as some books say  
That first of all they wenten to the see  
And returning to her kingdom again  
They shipped 'em at tharse the city  
For which Herod of cursed cruelty  
In tharse made all the ships burn  
Whereof writ david the psalter if ye ken   

And unto you clearly to specify  
touching this feast & this solemnity  
Whereof is said this word epiphany  
Which is a word of great authority  
And said and componed who so can see  
Of epy first/ and phanoes soothe to say  
And one word componed of these twain   

Cometh this word of epiphany  
And this word epy by dyscripsion  
Is said of height as I can signify  
And of a showing by demonstration  
As phanoes said/ and so by good reason  
Epy and phanos both knit in fere  
Is a showing that doth a loft appear   

And for this day aloft was the star  
Which crristes birth and Incarnation  
With his streams 'gan shed from so far  
From East to west in many a region  
Whereof this feast in conclusion  
As ye toforn have herd me specify  
This feast is called of epiphany   

The which feast hath a prerogative  
Of miracles notable in special  
For things four wrought in christs life  
Weren on this day by his power ryalle  
The first of all for a memoryalle  
Is of the kings as ye have heard me say  
Which were in idle to rehearse again   

The second is/ it is soothly told  
That christ Ihesu/ this day of saint john  
The year when he was thirty winter old  
Baptised he was in the flom jordan  
At which time three kings under one  
Apperid this day worthy of memory  
The first was that from the high glory   

The faders voice as clerks list indite  
Cam down to earth that men might here  
And like a down with fair federis white  
The holy ghost also did appear  
And christ Ihesu the faders soon enter  
This day appearing in our mortal kind  
Was of saint johan baptist as I find   

And for as much as they all three  
This day were seen by soothfast appearance  
They being one in perfit unite  
Therefore this day of most reverence  
named is truly in this sentence  
Theophanos for god in triple wise  
Therein appeared as ye have herd devise   

For the●s is as much for to mean  
As god in english if ye list to see  
And phanoes/ as showing withouten ween  
As ye have herd afore rehearsed of me  
For in earth o god in trinity  
This day appeared withouten any lie  
Ye truly may it call theophanye   

Eke when christ was old thirty year  
This day he turned water in to wine  
That passingly was to the eye clear  
And of tarrage july good and fine  
The which he sent to archedeclyne  
And for this miracle july virtuous  
In galilee was showed in an house   

This same day which man did espy  
As holy church maketh mention  
Therefore hit is named bethphanye  
For beth in english by dyscripsion  
Is called an house or a mansion  
Of which miracle renomed of fame  
Bethphanye this day hath the name   

Eke in the year of his passion  
Fer in desert this day also I read  
With ●oues five thorough his great foison  
five thousand I find that he did feed  
Of which miracle if ye taken heed  
This day is last named phagyfanye  
Like as first was cleped epiphany   

For this word phagy in to our intent  
Is said of feeding of refection  
For which miracle passing excellent  
That is so famous & so high of renown  
Like as the gospel maketh mention  
Therefore this day among the other all  
Ye justly may/ it phagyfanye call    

A declaration of the three kings of their three yefts capitulo lxxv  

nOw christ Ihesu this day this high feast  
We the beseech with heart will & thought  
Only of mercy to here our request  
For the miracles that thou therein hast wrought  
For love of 'em that the so far have sought  
The worthy kings that came out of caldee  
The to honour in bethlehem the city   

And thorough the prayers of these kings three  
That for thy love token her viage  
Ihesu defend us from all adversity  
And make us strong & sure in our passage  
In this exile and perilous pilgrimage  
With our foo men of malice and of pride  
Which have us bysette on every side   

The which our gold of perfit charity  
Wolden us bereave by persecution  
That we should offer of fervent unto the  
Of heartily love & high devotion  
And eke our frank of contemplation  
Wherewith he should make our sacrifice  
Of high disdain & malice they despise   

For gold of truth is falsely now allayed  
By feigned love and symylation  
And faith with fraud is corrupt & frayed  
With double tongues & detraction  
Our frank also of high perfection  
That should burn clear above the sky  
Is with the coode medlid of envy   

That it alas give may no light  
In the centre of true affection  
For day of truth is turned in to night  
Thorough false report/ & false suspection  
And thus good faith is rolled up so down  
And true meaning darked with a sky  
That we in english callen flattery   

And t●us our offering goeth almost wrong  
Of 〈◊〉 of frank/ for aught I can espy  
And our myrrh hath be behind full long  
Us to preserve from all such treachery  
For now is turned in to hypocrisy  
Our holiness & that is great ruth  
And cause why/ for fraud hath banished truth   

But christ Ihesu that all this mayst amend  
And that is a miss in each state redress  
This high feast such grace to us send  
That we the gold of stableness  
And eke the frank of perfit holiness  
May on this day present unto the  
With all true heart as did these kings three   

And grant also both to high and low  
To have such myrrh in her a●uertence  
That every wight his own faults know  
And that no man be hasty of sentence  
To dame lightly before or in absence  
For sudden doom meynte with ignorance  
Hath a long tail showing of repentance   

For in soothness if that every man  
Would make a mirror of his own mind  
To dame himself of thing that he well can  
And open his eyen that hath be long blind  
To see his faults that he could find  
I trow in sooth for any hasty rape  
Harmless fro doom his fellow should escape    

How we should do this offering ghostly capitulo lxxvi  

nOw christ Ihesu that knowest every heart  
And no thing may be hid fro thy presence  
Ne from thine eye decline ne asterte  
Grant us this day of thy magnificence  
The gold of love/ the frank of Innocence  
And the chaste myrrh of clean intention  
So to present in our oblation   

To thine highness that it be acceptable  
While that we live ever from year to year  
As was the offering in bethleme in a stable  
Made unto the & to thy mother dear  
Of the kings that with the streams clear  
Of a star conveyed were by grace  
Where thou lay/ to come to the place   

And unto the this day we clepe and call  
Thou blessed queen of kings empress  
That gave thy son sowke in a stall  
That chaste milk of virginal cleanness  
That thou this feast o star of holiness  
convey our offering to that sterry see  
Where next thy son thou hast the souerayn●●   

And good lady in this sorrowful vale  
Of trobyl and woe & of heaviness  
Sithen thou of jacob art the right scale  
The way of life/ the ladder of holiness  
Toward that court the even weigh dress  
And make thy men thither to ascend  
Where ever bless & joy hath none end   

For certes lady in this life we lack  
〈◊〉 soothfast joy all the suffisance  
Save among we kneel afore the rack  
W●●rwyth thy son was sometime thy pleasance  
〈◊〉 us rejoicing as by remembrance  
〈…〉 by likeness to look on thine image  
An● 〈◊〉 thy son with his fair visage   

But o alas there is but a likeness  
Of portraiture that doth great offence  
For we may not have full the blessedness  
O● thy visage/ neither of thy presence  
And so to us great harm doth appearance  
When that we see of our desire we fail  
We may plain/ but it may not avail   

Yet day by day of true affection  
We gone of new thy likeness for to see  
Where of one thing we have compassion  
To see the beasts that so humble be  
To stand so near between thy son and the  
The rude ass and the ox also  
And than we say complaining in our woe   

With all our heart o what thyng● may this 〈◊〉  
To see that lord in a rack ly●  
That hath the heaven in his po●ste  
And all this world power hath to gye  
O how it is that the regally  
Of heaven & earth is brought down so low  
That no man list uneath his power know   

And suddenly our hearts gynnyth cold  
For astoning & is for woe nigh mate  
So great a queen when that we behold  
alone sitting all disconsolate  
So fair so good & of so high estate  
Most womanly and so benign of cheer  
Thy sone & the to guider sitting in fere   

In the bonds of so narrow a dungeon  
Whereof all earth tremble shall and quake  
And every wight by lamentation  
Weep & plain sigh and sorrow make  
O blissful queen only for thy sake  
To see on the none other waiting  
But beasts with hay hem self feeding   

But in one thing comfort yet we feel  
O good lady soothly if we see  
Three worthy kings afore thy face kneel  
Bryngen her yefts with all humility  
And hem govern like to thy degree  
With meek attendance & full busy cure  
But all this thing we see but in picture   

Alas the while & yet it doth us ease  
And in party aswagith our grievance  
For no thing may our sorrow so appease  
As ever of the to have a remembrance  
For in the lady/ is whole our sustenance  
Though we live in languor for thine absence  
Yet good lady for thy magnificence   

To thy servants of thy grace see  
And to thy son be for us a mean  
This high feast which longeth unto the  
In which thou were honourid like a queen  
With myrrh & frank & gold that shone so clean  
Now for the honour this day was to the  
And for the love of the kings three   

When we shall part out of this woeful life  
And make an end of this captivity  
Or herod's thorough his mortal strife  
The fiend bytrappe us thorough his cruelty  
Now that time lady of thy benignity  
Against the snaris of this dreadful were  
To life et●●ne be thou our lodestar    

How our lady was purified capitulo lxxvij  

glory and price laud & high honour  
O blessed queen be yeven unto the  
That were of gold the close chaste tour  
Su●●●y founded upon humility  
Shet●● with the key of clean virginity  
From all sin fully to be assured  
And of the holy ghost round about enuyrid   

That never no brenning of fleshly heat  
Assail might thine holy tabernacle  
With dew of grace thy closette was so sweet  
Fulfilled with virtue only by miracle  
God chase thy womb for his tabernacle  
And hallowed it so clean in every coast  
To make it sacrarye for his owen ghost   

notwithstanding that thou were so clean  
Above all other by election  
Of meekness only o thou heavenly queen  
Thou list to have none indignation  
The day to pass of thy purification  
But to fulfil the precept of the law  
In every thing & not a poynt● withdraw   

But even like as it is specefyed  
Levitici who so can understand  
To the temple to be purified  
Thou meekly come thine offering in hand  
Al be the law set on the no bond  
For it is there made mention  
Touching the law of purification   

If a woman conceive by a man  
And have a child by meddling 'em between  
That it be a male the law teacheth than  
Forty days that she should be unclean  
And keep her close that no man should her seen  
And after that she should her offering  
In law expressed to the temple bring   

But taketh heed in conclusion  
How this law like as ye shall find  
Ne was not put but by condition  
Only to them that corrupt weren by kind  
thorough touch of man/ of such is made mind  
The days numbered of her purgation  
To come and make her oblation   

And bring a lamb the which in sacrifice  
Should all be brought in the holy place  
And a pigeon as law doth devise  
She should eke offer as for her trespass  
And than all filth from her to enchase  
She of the priest hallowed & sacrified  
Returneth home & fully purified   

And if she had in her possession  
readily no lamb only for poverty  
Than should she take for her oblation  
Two turtle dowries & therewithal go free  
Or two pigeons like as ye may see  
Levitici where as by distinction  
Of this offering is made description   

But this maid who so can take heed  
Excluded was fro this condition  
That bore a child without man's seed  
Being ever clean from all corruption  
Where thorough she was from such oblation  
By law except/ & was under no charge  
For her cleanness standing at her large   

For of her womb the cloister virginal  
Was ever eliche both first and last  
Closed & shit as castle principal  
For the holy ghost devised it and cast  
And at both times shit as like fast  
In her childing no more thorough grace y broke  
Than at her conceiving/ than it was vnloke   

For nature withouten any strife  
repugnance or any resistance  
●aue this maid prerogative  
As mother to have experience  
Only of childing/ & feel none offence  
Nether of sickness ne of such manner woe  
In traveling as other women do   

She was except from all such passion  
For her cleanness/ & so was none but she  
And yet her time of purification  
She did abide of her humility  
And like as law ordaineth by decree  
After all this of custom as she ought  
To the temple she her offering brought   

To give ensample only of meekness  
To the law she meekly would obey  
From point to point the gospel saith express  
And on no side would it not withsay  
And though that she bore of gold no key  
To buy a lamb for poverty constraining  
Yet she full meekly to make her offering   

Brought two turtils as it is said afore  
That was the offering of power folk eachone  
Which to the temple when that she hath borne  
As custom was she offered hem anon  
And after that old simeon  
With humble heart and a full pain  
The child embracing in his arms twain    

How simeon received christ of our lady in the temple capitulo lxxviij  

Of his mother goodly 'gan him take  
Of loving heart and great devotion  
And such a joy of him 'gan to make  
Within himself of high affection  
That he ne could neither by word ne sound  
Outward declare neither with cheer ne face  
The passing joy that 'gan his heart embrace   

And he was rightful holy and virtuous  
This old man this blessed symeon  
dreadful also and passingly famous  
Among the priests to reckon hem everyone  
That was expectant & full long agone  
Of the comfort and consolation  
Of Israel in his intention   

For he had answer of the holy ghost  
In his prayer that he should see  
The birth of christ that is of power most  
And eke fro death that he shall go free  
To the time of his nativity  
And to the day that with his eyen old  
The birth of him that he may behold   

The which day that with his eyen old  
And for that he by revelation  
The time knew he hath the way hold  
To the temple with high devotion  
To see of christ the presentation  
How that mary and joseph eke also  
The child presented and her offering do   

And for that christ was the first borne  
After the law in his tendyr age  
Not of Levi as ye have herd toforn  
But of juda comen by lineage  
Therefore his mother most holy of visage  
Her offering made list not for to strive  
For him again to pay shillings five   

Like as the custom of the law was  
She meekly made his redemption  
And simeon beholding all this case  
Full stilly in his Inspection  
For love brenning/ by affection  
Of very heart suddenly abrayed  
Holding the child even thus he said    

How where and when symeon made Nunc dimittis servum tuum dnen secundum verbum tuum in pace capitulo lxxix  

o Blissful lord of thy high grace  
If that thou list now thou mayst me let  
Out of this life in rest and peace to pace  
And suffer me to die in quiet  
For now to me death is wonder sweet  
Now have I seen thy health and thy succour  
And of mankind lord and saviour   

Which thou hast dight afore the faces all  
Of each people to make 'em glad and light  
To late thy grace so to earth fall  
Thorough all the world to show his beams bright  
That may be called for comfort of his light  
Unto all the gentilies the revelation  
The glory also and the salvation   

Of Israel thy people in special  
To void hem out of all darkness  
And marry full meekly listenyth all  
And 'gan marvel with great advysidnesse  
Of the words that he 'gan express  
And joseph eke 'gan to wonder also  
And symeon hem blessing both two   

Spoke to mary and said in audience  
Behold and see in thine Inspection  
How he is put in ruin and offence  
Of many one here in his region  
And to some in resurrection  
That shall relieve thorough his mighty grace  
And thorough thy soul shall a sharp sword pace   

Of heartily woe to see his passion  
That passingly shall be bitter and fell  
To open hearts by confession  
Her sorrowful thoughts openly to tell  
And anna than daughter of phanuelle  
Borne of the tribe of the kindred  
called asser soothly as I read    

Of the joy that anna the daughter of phanes had when christ was offered in to the temple capitulo lxxx  

tHat was that day run 〈◊〉 in age  
Within the temple by continuance  
Soole by herself out of marriage  
Say night and day in fasting & penance  
In widow habit sad of countenance  
And in prayer was her busy cure  
Which in that hour of grace or adventure   

When christ was there with his mother dear  
In the time of his oblation  
This anna came demure and sad of cheer  
And unto him with great devotion  
When she him saw/ fell on knees down  
Recomforted of all her old smart  
Him honouring with all her hole heart   

Said openly that all might here  
〈◊〉 merry and light in your intention  
And 〈◊〉 man be glad and of good cheer  
For now is borne for our salvation  
〈◊〉 that shall make our redemption  
〈◊〉 young child blessed mote he be  
That me hath granted his face for to see   

And than in sooth when every thing was done  
After the law withouten exception  
And than anna and holy simeon  
Had of this child made declaration  
As ye have herd in conclusion  
This child & joseph & this maid free  
Returned home again in to galyle    

A profitable declaration of the propy●tees of the turtle/ and the dove Capitulo lxxxuj  

nOw as me seemeth in this high ferry  
That named is the purification  
Every man ought to be glad and merry  
And with good heart/ and hold intention  
devoutly bring his oblation  
And offer first the turtle of Innocence  
Of very meekness and heartily patience   

And who that would this offering make aright  
He may not fail none of both two  
first shine in cleanness with his chaste light  
As the Turtyl/ and therewith also  
Lyche the dove both in weal and woe  
His heart daunt so by temporance  
To void rancour/ and plant in sufferance   

And as the turtle by contemplation  
For sin sorroweth with great waymenting  
Only for love of thilk eternal dilection  
That lasteth ay/ and hath none ending  
And as the bird showeth the coming  
Of green wherewith fresh birds new  
Right so of virtue with flowers fair of hew   

He must exampel of the turtle take  
And be well aware that he not ne vary  
But live sole when he hath lost his make  
And in prayer be also solitary  
And look alway that he not ne tarry  
On no carrion of no flesshelyhede  
And with all this to take also heed   

That he his life ●ede not in vain  
But like a down be●ely afpye  
Where he of vertu gather may the grain  
And that he i'll not out of company  
Waiting also the gall of envy  
And that he have ay indignation  
Of sinful lust out of corruption   

On any carrion to foster him and feed  
And evermore with all his busy pain  
Eschewing sin love god and dread  
And with the dove sigh and complain  
For his offence/ and with wings twain  
Take his flight as farforth as he can  
Thorough perfit love/ both to god and man   

And as the dove toucheth eke her make  
〈◊〉 with kissing when they together gone  
So must he whether he sleep or wake  
Thorough chastity set his heart in one  
And like a dove maketh his nest of stone  
This is to say among all his pleasance  
He must his flesh daunt with penance   

And as the dove with her eyen meek  
Of kind aspyeth amid the river  
The ●●wbys shadow when he doth her seek  
Seching his repast both far and near  
Right so must he with perfit eyen clear  
Amid the waters full of woe and strife  
In the waves of his mortal life   

The deadly shadow of the fiend eschew  
That waiteth him with snares large & huge  
And to the death ay doth him pursue  
To trap him here in his deluge  
And like a dove flee to his refuge  
By grace only if he may escape  
Or death bytraye him with his sudden trap   

And who so by cleanness with the turtle fleets  
As I tofore have made mention  
And like a down afore his peril fleeth  
Of de●h to eschew the persecution  
And can be meek in tribulation  
I dare record it/ write it for sooth  
Truly to god he his offering doth   

And who that ever liveth in chastity  
And hath envy enclosid in his heart  
He may well offer what so that he be  
To god a turtle/ but the down nought  
Wherefore they must be to guider brought  
That cleanness by soothfast unity  
Without parting be knit with charity   

And soothly than there is no more to say  
When his offering and oblation  
Is justly made to god of both twain  
It is accepted of more devotion  
And for to make a short description  
Of the turtle and ●he downies kind  
Redith these versis/ and ye shall it find   

Alta petit turtur cantando genut veniens 〈◊〉  
Nunciat et caste vivit solus que mor●tur  
Pullos nocte fovit mortecinium que fugit  
Errana legate volicat sociata cadavera vitat  
fell caret plangit socium que per oscula tangit  
Petra dat huic nidum fugit hos●● flumī● visum  
Rostro non ledit geminos pullos bene nu●nt   

This feast also both of more and less  
thorough out the world/ in every region  
Called is the feast of candelinesse  
For sundry skills/ in conclusion  
As old books make mention  
And how this feast first took his name  
So as I can to you I will attain    

How candelmasse took first the name capituse lxxxij  

sometime when rome thorough his high renown  
Was most flowering in power & in might  
Every fifth year by revolution  
In february upon the first night  
Each man & child with a taper light  
Went in the city two & two a pace  
Unto a temple which sacred was   

To 〈◊〉 of old fandation  
That mother was to mars omnypotente  
In whose honour this procession  
Ordained was by great advisement  
At each lustre weening in her intent  
That her power and great worthiness  
preserved was through help of this goddess   

From all asaute of every adversayre  
Supposing fully in her opinion  
That she fort●●e made debonair  
For to sustain the honour of her town  
And thorough her help and meditation  
That mighty mars to increase her glory  
In all conquest gave to him glory   

For which cause thorough out the city  
As ye have h●●de of high & low estate  
Was fi●st ordained this solemnity  
In the temple that was consecrate  
To februa the goddess fortunate  
Thorough help of whom they were victorious  
And so this custom superstitious   

In Rome town as mine author saith  
observed was long/ and many a day  
Yet after that they turned to the faith  
But ever in one this city they kept always  
For old custom is hard to put away  
And also usage grieveth folk full sore  
To do away that they have kept yo●●   

But at the last pope Sergius  
Of the people seeing this error  
And that the customme was full perilous  
Died his devoir/ and also his labour  
That rite to change in to the honour  
Of our lady/ so that this high feast  
From the highest down to the lowest   

Every man and woman in her hand  
To the Temple should a taper bring  
Thorough out the world in every manner land  
And there with all make her offering  
After the gospel the priests hand kissing  
With light solemn that all might it seen  
In honour only of the heaven queen   

That best may be our medyatryce  
To her son/ that is without fail  
Both lord and king and she Imperatryce  
Of land and see of peace and of battle  
Withouten whom no conquest may avail  
For she hath power more in soothfastness  
Than Februa of Rome the goddess   

And thus this rite was utterly refused  
By sergyus as ye have herd devise  
That was afore of hem of Rome used  
Full many a day in her paynim wise  
Whom to sow all christian must despise  
And of candles when this rite 'gan pass  
Came the name first of Candelmasse   

This feast also of full long agone  
The name took of the procession  
Made of Anna and holy simeon  
When they him me● with great devotion  
Brought to the temple to this oblation  
As was the law customme and usance  
Of holy church for a remembrance   

observed forth fro year to year  
Of February on the first day  
With sacred light upon taperis clear  
Shining as bright/ as phoebus in may  
When the people/ in what they can or may  
Full ready been of one intention  
To make in figure a presentation   

Of Crist Ihesu with all her full might  
signified/ who so can take heed  
By the taper/ that we offer light  
For first the wax betokeneth his manhood  
The week his soul/ the fire his godhead  
For as the wax is made of new  
Thorough small bees of flowers fresh of hew   

Thorough cleanness only and diligent labour  
On blossoms gathered/ and to hive brought  
So Crystes manhood grew out of a flower  
Whoos fresh beauty of colour fadeth nought  
For a maid clean in will and thought  
Lyche as wax of flower soot and glade  
Is tried out/ and doth 'em not to fade   

So Crist Ihesu conserving her cleanness  
His manhood took of a maid free  
She standing hold flowering in fairness  
With all the freshness of virginity  
And as a taper is one together on three  
So thilk lord/ that is both three and one  
Took flesh and blood to save us everichone   

Of a maid which this day fro 〈…〉  
meekly went to be 〈◊〉  
To the temple of Ierus●lem  
As her tofore it is specified  
In whose honour this feast is magnified  
Of all christian men with fresh tapres sheen  
To signify/ who so that will be clean   

Must offer a taper together made of three  
Of faith and work and true intention  
For soothfastly/ but they conjoined be  
Without parting or division  
Nother his offering ne oblation  
How fair outward plainly that it seem  
To god above it may never queem   

And though this tapre brenne bright all day  
And environ make his light to shed  
If work of faith prolonged be away  
And true intent follow not the deed  
Far well his guerdon/ his merit & his meed  
For when these three be not knit in one  
He nies not able to offering for to gone   

For if these three together be not meint  
faith/ work/ and whole intention  
His offering fareth but as a taper quaint  
That giveth no light/ but bryghtynesse environ  
For dark of deed from all devotion  
His offering is/ but if this three  
Be knit in one thorough perfect unity   

Now christ/ that art the soothfast holy light  
The heart of man for to enlumine  
Upon us wretches/ for thy/ see so bright  
let the son of thy mercy shine  
For love of her that is a pure virgin  
Which on this day to the temple went  
Of meekness only the fo● to present   

〈◊〉 whose prayer lord of thy might  
Grant us grace/ when we be old  
And shall die to hold our ●●pres 〈…〉  
To fore thy see where that it is t●ld  
seven chaundelors all of 〈◊〉 gold  
freshly with light stand afore thy 〈◊〉  
The dye to come of mercy grant us grace   

And in this exile where as we soiourn●  
Grant us lord while that we been here  
In February/ as Phoebus doth return  
The circuit of his golden spear  
Upon this day ay fro year to year  
With tapres fresh/ and 〈…〉  
To keep and hallow 〈◊〉 honour of that 〈◊〉   

To whom 〈…〉  
Dedy●●t 〈…〉  
Which 〈…〉  
Between 〈…〉  
And 〈…〉  
To thy 〈…〉   
 
Sancte & Indiuidue trinitati/ Ihesu cristi crucifix humanitati gloriose beat marry virgini/ sit semp terna gloria/ ab omni creatura/ per Infinita seculorum secula/ Amen  
Unto the holy and undivided trinity  
Three persons in one very godhead  
To Ihesu christ crucified humanity  
And to our blessed ladies maidenhead  
Be gevyn laud and glory in very deed  
Of every creature/ what somever he be  
World withouten end/ amen say all we  
Benedictum sit dulcissime nomen Ihesu crysti/ ● gloriosissime marie matris eius ineternum & ultra Nos cum prole pia benedicat virgo maria Amen  
blessed be the sweetest name of our lord  
Ihesu christ/ and most glorious marry  
His blessed mother/ with eternal accord  
More than ever/ tendure in glory  
And with her meek soon for memory  
Bless us marry/ the most holy virgin  
That we regne in heaven with the orders nine    

imprinted by William Caxton