¶ This book is compiled by Dan Iohn Lydgate monk of bury/ at the excitation & stirring of the noble and victorious prince/ King Henry the fifth/ in the honour glory & reverence of the birth of our most blessed Lady/ maid/ wife/ & mother of our lord jesus Christ/ Chapitred as followeth by this Table.  
  

  


¶ first the Prologue  
¶ The nativity of our Lady. Capitu. I two.  
¶ How our Lady was offered in to the Temple. Capitulo. iii  
¶ Of the conversation of our Lady in the Tipple. Capitulo. iiii.  
¶ How our Lady received the seven gifts of the holy ghost. Capitulo. u  
¶ How our Lady prayed to god for. seven. peticione. Capitulo. vi. seven. viii.  
¶ How joseph used the craft of a Carpenter. Capitulo. ix.  
¶ How our Lady is set for example of virginity. Capitulo. x.  
¶ How mercy and peace/ right wiseness & truth disputeden for the redemption of mankind. Capitulo. xi.  
¶ How mercy and peace brought in this plea before the high judge. Capitulo. twelve.  
¶ How god the father of heaven answered to mercy and peace. Capitulo. xiii.  
¶ How the father of heaven accorded the four sisters. Capitulo. xiiii.  
¶ How his son should take mankind. Capitulo. xv.  
¶ How Gabriel the Angel was sent to our Lady. Capitulo. xuj.  
¶ A tamentation of saint bernard. Capitulo. xvii.  
¶ A recaputulation of the words of Gabriel to our lady. Capitulo. xviii.  
¶ And how holy men by divine likeness/ written of our Lady in commendation of her. Capi. xviii.  
¶ A commendation of our Lady. Capitulo. nineteeen.  
¶ authentic conclusions against unbyleffull me that saiden that Christ might not be born of a made. Capitulo. xx.  
¶ How our Lady went to saint johan Baptistes mother Capitulo. xxi.  
¶ How our Lady made magnificat. Ca xxii.  
¶ How our Lady after the birth of saint Iohn baptist returned in Nazareth. Capi. xxiii.  
¶ How the maidens that weten attendaunte to our Lady/ comforted joseph. Capi. twenty-five.  
¶ How the Angel warned joseph to abide with our Lady. Capitulo. xxvi.  
¶ How the bishop did do somone joseph for our Lady was with child. Capi. xxvii. xxviii. xxix. thirty.  
¶ How, our ladies friends wailed and mourned when the Bisshopes made so strong a proof of her virginity. Capitulo. xxxi.  
¶ How our Lady prayed to god & show her virginity. Capitulo. xxxii.  
¶ How the people and bishop dread of the assay that was made to our Lady. Capitulo. xxxiii.  
¶ A commendation of chauchers. Capi. xxxiiii.  
¶ How Christ was born after the making of the world. u m. i c. four score. nineteeen. year Capitulo. xxxv.  
¶ How joseph and our Lady went to Bethleem to pay tribute. Capitulo. xxxvi.  
¶ How joseph went to seche a midwife. Capitulo. xxxvii.  
¶ A devout prayer that our Lady made when Christ was born. Capitulo. xxxviii.  
¶ How the midwife durst nat enter with joseph in to the house/ for a great light appeared within Capitulo. xxxix.  
¶ How Balaam prophesied the Star that showed Christ's birth. Capi. xl.  
¶ How our Lady received the midwives'. Capitulo. xli.  
¶ How the hand of Salome waxed dry. Capitulo. xlii.  
¶ How the Angels appeared to the Shepeherders & told of the birth of Christ. Ca xliii.  
¶ How the Shepeherders founden Christ with our Lady. Capitulo. xliiii.  
¶ How god would nat be born/ but of a maid mother and wife. Capitulo. xlv.  
¶ How Isaac prophesied the birth of Christ by touching the clotheses of his son jacob Capitulo. xlvi.  
¶ How the Garnet appel is likened to our Lady Capitulo. xlvii.  
¶ How joseph figured the birth of Christ. Capitulo. xlviii.  
¶ How nature obeyeth to virginity. Ca xlix.  
¶ How the chief Temple of Rome till 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. li.  
¶ How the Senators of Rome wolden have held Octavian their Emperor as for her god Capitulo. lii. liii.  
¶ How the Romayns when they had 〈◊〉 over all the world made an image & call it their god. Capitulo. liv.  
¶ How wise Sibille told to the Senate of Rome the birth of Christ. Capitu. lv.  
¶ How the Prophets prophesied the birth of Christ. Capitulo. lvi.  
¶ A question assoiled/ which is worthiest of king/ wine for woman. Capi. lvii.  
¶ How our Lady aught worthily to be recommended and honoured for the birth of Christ. Capitulo. lviii.  
¶ Of likeness of our Lady in commendation of her. Capitulo. lix.  
¶ How Christ was circumcised. Capi. lx.  
¶ how in four manner of wyses Christ was circumcised. Capitulo. lxi.  
¶ How Christ 〈◊〉 circumcision in his choose people. Capitulo. lxii.  
¶ How the people of god that due joshua had in governance were saved by the steadfast believe of the name of jesus. Capitulo. lxiii.  
¶ How Prophets and matters suffreden death for the name of jesus. Capitu. lxiiii. lxv.  
¶ How jesus Christ was both prophet/ pressed king/ and mighty champion. Capitulo. lxvi.  
¶ how by the prophecy of Balaam/ watch was made upon an hill. Capitulo. lxvii. lxviii.  
¶ How the three Kings perceived the Star. Capitulo. lxix.  
¶ How King Herode sent for the three Kings Capitulo. lxx. lxxi.  
¶ Of the joy that the Kings had when they found Christ. Capitulo lxxii.  
¶ Of virtuous poverty and meekness of our Lady. Capitulo. lxxiii.  
¶ How the Angel warned the three Kings to pass not by Herodes/ but by another way. Capitulo. lxxiiii.  
¶ A declaration of the three Kings/ of their three gifts. Capitulo lxxv.  
¶ How we should do this offering ghostly Capitulo. lxxvi.  
¶ How our Lady was purified. Capitulo. lxxvii.  
¶ How Simeon received Christ in the Temple of our lady. Capitulo. lxxviii.  
¶ How where and when Simeon made/ Nunc dimitus servum tuum domine secundum verbum tuum in pace. Capitulo. lxxix.  
¶ Of the joy that Ann● the daughter of Phanes had/ when christ was offered in to the Temple. Capitulo. lxxx.  
¶ A profitable declaration of the propertes 〈◊〉 Turtell and the Dove. Capitu. lxxxi.  
¶ How Candelmasse took first the name. Capitulo. lxxxii.   
¶ Here endeth the Table/ here after followeth the Prologue. Laus Deo   


O Thoughtful heart/ plonged in distress  
With slombre of sloth/ this long winters night  
Out of the sleep of mortal heaviness  
Awake anon/ and 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 emisperye.   

¶ And to oppress the darkness/ and the doole  
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 wawes/ which in this mortal see  
Hath us bysette with great adversity.   

¶ The rage of which/ is so tempestuous  
That when the calm/ is most blandisshing  
Than 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 deaths brink/ us to escape  
The haven of life/ of us may not betake.   

¶ This stream in beauty/ passith Plyades  
Both of shining/ and of streams clear  
Bootes' and Artur/ and also jades  
And Esperus/ when it doth appear  
For this is Spice/ with her bright spear  
That toward even/ at midnight & at morrow  
Down from heaven adawith all out sorrow.   

¶ Whose bright beams shining fro so far  
That clouds black may the light not stain  
For this of jacob/ is the fair star  
That under wawes/ never doth decline  
Whose course: is not under the ecliplyke line  
But every lyche of beauty may be seen  
Amid the ark/ of our meridyne.   

¶ And drieth up the bitter teries wet  
Of Aurora after the morrow grey  
That she in weeping both on flowers fleet  
In lusty april/ and in fresh may:  
And causeth Phoebus the bright summer's day  
With his way●● gold borned bright and 〈◊〉  
To enchase the mys●●● of our cloudy air.   

¶ For this is the star/ that bore the bright son  
Which holdeth the spear/ of juda in his hand  
Whole streams been/ out of jesse co●●e  
To 〈…〉 light both in see and land  
Whose glad beams/ without eclipsing stand  
eastward to us in the Orient full sheen  
With light of grace to void all our tene.   

¶ Now fair star/ oh star of stetries all  
Whose light to see/ Angels delight  
So let the gold dew of thy grace fall  
In to my breast/ like scalys fair and white  
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 enlumine this dyte  
Thorough thy support/ that I may proceed  
Somewhat to say in laud & praising of the  
And first I think/ of the nativity  
So that thine help/ fro me not twin  
benign lady/ anon to begin.   
¶ Here endeth the prologue.   

¶ Here beginneth the birth of our most blessed lady maid/ wife/ and mother of our lord jesus christ/ compiled up dan john Lydgate/ monk of saint Edmondes: Bury At the excitation and steering of the noble victorious prince/ King Henry the fifth.  

A flower of virtue/ full long kept in ●●●os  
Full ma●e was/ wholesome levys foot  
Only by grace/ upon the stalk aloof  
Out of celse/ springing from the ro●s  
Of god ordained/ to be requite & bot●  
Unto mankind our trouble to determine  
Full long before/ by pres●●●ns divine.   

¶ The which ●●ou●e preserveth man fro death  
Unto the virtue/ who so ●yst take heed  
That in a garden/ amid of Nazareth  
〈◊〉 fair sometime 'gan to spring a spread  
That thorough the world both in length & breed  
The flesh odour/ and ●●●o the sweetness  
H●●●●s comforteth of all he● h●●upnesse.   

¶ O Nazareth/ with bethlem the beside  
This bloure the maketh/ of name more ●yall  
Than other Rome: ●late and full of pride  
O mighty Troy/ with the s●ou●dy brickwall  
Who●e renown holdeth to be peregall  
In honour/ price ●ame/ or reverence  
Unto your passing worthy excellence.   

¶ If for the fruit commended be the tree  
Thou hast more laud and commendation  
For thy ●ke flower/ spring out of the  
Than hath Aus●●ike or worthy Scipyon:  
Of Rome Cesar/ or of Fabyon  
Though her names/ were sotyme grave in gold  
Her idle fame/ to thine may not be cold   

¶ 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 prophecy.   

¶ That on this flower/ plainly should rest  
The holy ghost/ for his choose place  
As for the fairest/ and also for the best  
That ever was/ and most full of grace  
Whose passing beauty/ no storms may defface  
But ever a like/ continueth fresh of hew  
Withouten fading/ the colour is so true.   

¶ For this is the flower/ that god himself beheld  
The white Lelye/ of the chosen vale  
The sweet Rose/ of the fair field  
Which of colour/ waxith never pale  
The violet/ our languor to avail  
purple he wyd/ 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 him plainly/ that there shall  
Of him be born/ a maid inspeciall  
Choose 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 prophected  
And all the manner/ of him both told  
In books old/ as it is specified  
Home to her house anon/ they have them byed  
●nd she conceiveth this faithful true wife  
●y joachim/ the holy fruit of life.   

¶ Out of the which/ 'gan grow all our grace  
〈…〉 sorrows fully for to ●y●e  
〈…〉 plainly to ●●●●ace  
Of ●he ●●●yme/ called Serpentyne  
For that when▪ 〈◊〉/ had months nine  
〈…〉 this ●r●y●e ●o holy and ●●●●●re  
Thorough the gra●● of god anon it did appear.   

¶ 〈◊〉 the Orient to glade all mankind  
〈◊〉 deadly error oppressed of the night  
With ●lowdes blocks/ and with skies blind  
Till they were ●leryd/ with fairness of y●●yght  
Of the which the angel sometime had a sight  
With 〈◊〉 wrestling/ from him as he ●rayed  
So long a●●orne/ to him when he said.   

¶ let me depart/ withouten more affray  
Against me/ and make no resistance  
The night is passed to the morrow grey  
The fresh Aurora so fair in appearance  
Her light dawith/ to void all offence  
Of winter nights full long and tedious  
With n●we appearing so glad and gracious.   

¶ This is to say/ the holy dawning  
Of th●● maid/ of her nativity  
The night 'gan void/ of our old morning  
Is the Angel/ in figure dydse  
With such a touch/ made jacob be  
Sore: in his sinews/ like as it is found  
In thy●ke member/ where lust doth most hab●●de.   

¶ In figure only/ that there should spring  
Down by dissent/ out of his kindred  
A ●●ene maid in will/ and in working  
Pure of intent/ both in thought and deeds  
With Aurora/ with his beams read  
The night avoided/ with his copes done  
afore the vp●yst/ of the bright son.   

¶ Right so this maid/ at her nativity  
The night of death/ avoided hath away  
〈◊〉 bright Calendies/ most lusty for to see  
Of Phe●●s uprist/ withouten more delays  
For ●he is Aurora/ sobrely this is to say  
Out o● which/ as Prophets 'gan devise  
The son of light/ to us 'gan first devise.   

¶ Of whose birth/ full many a day before  
A●o●m●zat written in special  
And said a maid soothly shall be born  
Under the sign/ above celestial  
That called is/ the sign virginal  
The which maid/ as he ●ke tell can.  
Shall ●ere a child/ without spot of man▪   

¶ And as minerve mother of prudence  
je hold a maid/ right so is this heavenly q●●●e  
B●re in her womb/ the fadely sapience  
And mother was and may den clean  
Of god provided/ plainly for to been  
So coure to man and help in all our need  
When she was born this flower of womanhede.    

¶ How our lady was o●●●yd in to the temple Capi. iii  

ANd altar three year a● was the usage  
●er moders ●appi● she left as in sowk●●  
〈◊〉 than inone/ in her ●nder age  
Unto the temple/ o●uou●ly they 〈◊〉 bring  
〈◊〉 unto god they made ostering  
〈◊〉 this maid for to abide there  
With other maidens▪ that in the temple were.   

¶ And not withstanding/ her passing tenderness  
〈◊〉 ●re●● youth but of y●●●s three  
thorough gods help this branch of holiness  
Withouten help/ went up 'gree by gr●s  
●y●●en● alo●●● that all mighten see  
tofore that altar o●●o great an height  
And when her mother thereof had asight.   

¶ For very joy/ anon she ●ylle a down  
And said thus/ that all my g●●en here  
God from above ha●d herd myn● ory●on  
Of his goodness/ and granted my prayer  
And comforted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  
In syg●● of 'em that 〈◊〉 at my pain  
And of malyc●/g●n at me di●da●ne.   

¶ Now hath he been my singular refute  
To my tristesse consolation  
For he hath made/ the dareyn● to bear frut●  
Thorough his mighty v●●itacion  
And made clear/ my confusion  
And all me woe/ for to overgone  
Only by grace/ amid all my fone.   

¶ And thorough his might/ the hearts hath bowed  
Of him that 'gan to chase/ at my pride  
Wherefore she hath/ unto god avowed  
That her daughter/ shall in the temple abide  
The holy ghost for to be her guide  
For ever more/ by gods purveyance  
Thorough her meekness/ him to do pleasance.   

¶ Forth all her life/ there to sleep and wake  
Him for to serve/ with humble par●ytenes  
That all maidens/ might ensample take  
Of her alone/ to live in cleanness  
And specially/ of her me●enes  
Be●yg●e port/ t●●●●naunce and cheer  
If that him jest/ of herthey might lere.   

¶ Full of virtue/ deloyde of all outrage  
Her heart was/ that god to dwell in there  
And day 〈◊〉 day/ ●yght as she we●e in age  
Right so in virtue/ 'gan she to increase  
And night ne day/ would she never cease  
To exclude sloth/ and vices to werraye  
With hand to work/ or with mouth to pray.   

¶ For but in god/ her heart naught delighteth  
So upon him entirely was her thought  
And from above by grace he her vysiteth  
That every thing/ but him she set at naught  
Of worldly lust/ she hath so little thought  
That out of mind she let it ever slide  
That naught 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 discretion  
And in talking/ as wise and sage  
As any maid/ of thirty year of age.    

¶ Of the conversation of our Lady in the Temple. Ca four  

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 wulles so●●e  
With her hands/ she would work oft.   

¶ And 〈…〉  
From god 〈…〉  
Which that 〈…〉  
Thanking 〈…〉  
And after 〈◊〉/ anon this maid is went  
Again to 〈◊〉/ till 〈◊〉 went to 〈◊〉  
And at 〈◊〉 with him she took her rest.   

¶ This life she 〈◊〉/ and this cou●se ●he goeth  
In whom was 〈◊〉/ yet found offence  
And never man saw/ this maid wr●th  
But eu●● meek/ and 〈◊〉 of pa●●enc●  
Of heart clean/ and pu●● of conscience  
This life she led/ and as bakes teach  
Of words ●ewe/ and wondersoft● of speech.   

¶ The meat also/ that was to her brought  
Out of the temple/ for h●● 〈◊〉  
With heart glad●/ and with a 〈◊〉 thought  
To poor and ●●●y/ that ly●●d in penance  
To ye●e it ●r●ly/ was all he pleasance  
And who that ●uer/ of her has a sight  
Of all disease/ was made gl●●● and light.   

¶ And every wight/ grieved with sickness  
A touch of her/ ●ade him hole anon  
And they ●●at were/ in thought and in des●res  
When they her s●/he● malice was agone  
And thus she was to every ch●ue  
Of all 〈◊〉/ rehayte and remedy  
With a beholdyng●/ of her godly eye.   

¶ And of this 〈…〉 as it is told  
Her godly face/ was so full of light  
That no man might sustain to ●eh●lde  
For it was clearer/ than the son bright  
That the crown/ in the winters night  
Of Adryanne/ ne of the stars seven  
To her fayrnes/ ne be not for to neven.   

¶ Yet never man tempted was to sin  
While he beheld on her goodely face  
The holy ghost/ so hole was her within  
That all enuyrone spread 'gan his grace  
Where that she was present in the place  
For always god gave her to her presence  
So fulsome light/ of heavenly influence.   

¶ Ne none so fair/ was never found in rhyme  
As was that maid of juda and Zion  
The daughter choose of Iherusalem  
Of davidis sede/ to beset alone  
Of all maidens/ to reken●hem everychone  
She bore the prise as well in fayrnes  
As she excelled/ in virtue and goodness.   

¶ Let be thou greece/ and speak not of Eleyne  
Ne thou Troy/ of young Pollycene  
Ne Rome of Lucrece/ with her eyen twain  
Ne thou Cartage/ of the fresh queen  
Dido that was sometime so fair to seen  
Let be your boost/ and take of 'em no heed  
Whose beauce faileth/ as flower in frosty meed.   

¶ 〈…〉  
And judith 〈…〉  
And Ber●abe/ of 〈…〉  
And Rachel fair/ jacob can you tell  
But she alone of womanhead the well  
Of bounty/ beauty/ that never fade may  
Naught like a flower th●● storysshed but in may.   

¶ Passeth eachone both nigh and far  
Both in fayrnes/ 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 master.   

¶ Of whom spoke sometime wise Solomon  
In sapience/ woso list to seek  
That she was choose/ for herself alone  
This white down/ with her eyes meek  
Whose cheeks weren he beauty for to eke  
with lylyes' 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 ennewed to give her suffisance  
As well in goodness as in beauty  
And as he sayeth she fairer was ●ose  
Than other Pheus/ platly or Lucyne  
With horns full of heaven/ when they shine.   

¶ And of this maid/ as saint 〈◊〉 saith  
In his writing/ her beauty to 〈◊〉  
Of face fair/ but fairer yet of faith  
He saith: she was this holy pure virgin  
Whose chaste heart/ to nothing did incline  
For all her beauty: but to holiness  
Of whom also/ this author saith express.   

¶ That she was daughter/ of David by descent  
Star of the see/ and gods own ancille  
Even in this world/ alway of one ●nten●  
And gods spouse/ his hests to fulfil  
And ever ready/ for to do his will  
Christ's temple/ and also receptacle  
Of the holy ghost/ and choose tabernacle.   

¶ The yare of bruen▪ and also the fayrnes  
Of women all/ whoso looketh a right  
Of may denhede/ lady and princes  
One of the five/ that ●are her lamps light  
Ready to meet/ with her spouse at night  
Full prudently/ away ●ynge at the yare  
That for no stouthe/ she came not to late.   

¶ In figure the▪ the chaundelabre of gold  
That sometime/ her seven lamps sheen  
This is to say/ the recey●● 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 yestes of the holy ghost▪    

¶ How one lady receing the seven yestes of the holy ghost. Ca v.  

THe first yeste▪ was the yeste of dread  
To ●fthe 〈◊〉 ●he thing th●● shall god displease  
The next pity of very women heed  
To rue on all▪ that she saw in disease  
The third cunning/ god and man to please  
The fourth str●ng the/ th●r● we her steadfastness  
Only by virtue/ all vices to oppress.   

¶ Of council thee/ she had excellence  
To keep her pure in virginity  
For aye with council/ ●●yed is prudence  
Of understanding/ eke the yeste had she  
For god himself/ chose with her to be  
And of wisdom/ so god list her advance  
To know erhe thyuge/ that was to his pleasance.   

¶ She was also/ the Throne void of sin  
That standeth so royal/ in gods own sight  
To fore which seven lamps brenne  
With heavenly fire/ so spiritual of light  
That never wast/ but ever alike bright  
Continued in one/ here above in heaven  
By the which Throne: and the lampesseven.   

¶ Is understand/ this maid most enter  
With seven virtues/ that in her were ●ounde  
That sometime wered/ with ghostely light so clear  
Thorough light of virtue/ in wordily ●●co●nde.  
Only thorough ●ence/ that did in her 〈◊〉  
And all they/ were grounded in me●enes  
Her light to god: more pleasantly to distress.   

¶ For faith in her/ had a ground so stable  
That it was void/ of all doubleness  
Her hope of trust/ was also mayntynable  
Rotyd in god/ by parfy●e sykernes  
Whose charity/ so large 'gan him dres  
That up to god/ hasted ran the fire  
With heart of cleanness/ to all by desire.   

¶ Str●nge in virtue/ prubent in governance  
She hath also conveyed with cleanness  
And ●oueraynly/ she had attempetaunce  
In all her works/ with great aduysione●  
And ever annexed/ unto righwysnes  
within her heart/ of womanly bounty  
She had of custom mercy and pity.   

¶ soothfast ensample also of chastyre  
As sayeth Ambrose/ she was in thought and ded●  
And true mirror of virginity  
Of poorte benign/ full of lowlyhede  
As humble of cheer/ and feminine of dread  
Prudent of speech/ of what she list to show  
Large of sentence/ and but of words ●ewe.   

¶ To pray and read/ that was ever her life  
Of heart w●●er: by devotion  
To god alway with thought contemplative  
Full withdraw 〈…〉  
And idle never from 〈◊〉  
And specially/ to 〈◊〉  
Her hands was 〈◊〉 ●edy at the ●ede.   

¶ And full she was of compassion  
To rue in all that ●alt woe or smart  
Well willed ever/ with hold affection  
To every wight/ so long was her heart  
Sad with all this/ that her never asterde  
A look a ●●s/ of her eyen fair  
So close of sight was this debonair.   

¶ And in Psalm of holy prophecy  
To look and read/ she found most desyte  
And ●dan she saw/ and found in isaiah  
Of Cristies hyrthe/ how he did write  
To god she ly●●e/ her tender hands white  
Beseeching him/ she might abide and se●  
The blissful day of his na●yuy●e.   

¶ And in the book of Elyzabeth  
That ●yrulyd is of her avisions  
I sinned 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. Ca v.  

O Blissful lord/ that knowest the intent  
Of every heart/ in thine eternal sight  
give me grace/ the first commandment  
To fulfil/ as it is skill and right  
And grant al●o/ with heart will and might  
And all my soul/ and all my knowing  
The first to love/ above all other thing.   

¶ And give me might/ plainly to fulfil  
The next biding/ 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 here with all/ for joy and smart  
What thou lovest/ to love with all mine heart▪   

¶ Thy precept/ grant eke that I may  
Fulfil also/ both erly and late  
In such manner/ as most is to thy pay  
benign lord/ and make me for to hate  
Mankyndes so/ for he made first debate  
In kind of man/ and made him to trespass  
Against thee/ and to liese 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 myldenese  
Of all virtues/ give me eke largenese  
To be accepted/ the to queme and serve  
To find only thy grace I may deserve.   

¶ And also lord/ with quaking heart & dread  
meekly I pray unto thy deite  
Me for to grant/ of thy godlyhede  
The gracious hour/ for to abide and see  
In which the holy choose maiden free  
In to this world/ hereafter 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 grace list/ me so moche 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 handyll 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 me knee  
Under support/ only of her grace  
And to honour the goodly young face  
Other soon/ as she doth him wrap  
In clotheses soft lygging in her lap.   

¶ And love him best plainly to my last  
With all mine heart/ & mine hole service  
Withouten change/ while my life may last  
Right as thyself lord caused 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 him 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 observances/ & the precepts all  
That to thy temple/ oh lord been partynent  
So let thy grace by mercy on me fall  
That I may do 'em/ with all mine hole entents  
And every bidding and commandment  
That thy mynystres 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  
Therefore 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/ always day by day  
In the temple maketh her prayers  
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  
Wherein sum of them/ that in the temple abide  
Of which a bishop/ called Abyathar  
Cast him fully/ for to set a side  
Her purpose plainly/ an so for to provide  
That her avow made 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 wyghtes sight  
So passing good of condition  
And to fulfil/ his entention  
Abyathar byhoteth gold and rent  
To the bishops/ to make her to assent.   

¶ To this purpose/ & to her they go  
And what they may/ they 'gan her excite  
And to affirm/ to her everyone  
With sugared tongues/ 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 'em/ hath he his pleasance  
Than in such/ as been not but barayn  
Without fruit/ thorough misgovernance  
And holy writ/ maketh remembrance  
That no man was soothly for to tell  
Without seed/ blessed in Israel.   

¶ To whom anon/ with look down cast & cheer  
Benygnely/ & in full humble wise  
This holy maid/ said as you shall here  
Certes quoth she/ yfye will you advise  
Which in yourself/ so prudent been and wise  
And well advert/ in your discressioune  
That Abel sometime had a double crown.   

¶ One for his faithful true sacrifice  
Offering to god/ of humble heart and free  
And another/ as I shall devise  
For he his body/ kept in chastity  
And Ely eke/ as you may read and see  
For he in heart/ was a maiden clean  
He was ravished/ above the stars seven.   

¶ Body and all/ in a char of fire  
For he 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 tender youth.   

¶ And all my life/ so forth to persevere  
For life or death/ only for his sake  
From which purpose/ 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  
Against which ne speaketh to me no more.   

¶ And when they saw/ her heart not mutable  
But ever steadfast/ of one affection  
And ever eli●he/ as one centre stable  
They have made/ a convocation  
Of all the kynredes/ in conclusion  
The eight day/ for to come in fere  
By one assent/ to ●r●●e of this matter.   

¶ This is to say/ that of old usage  
O● custom keep/ for a memorial  
That every maid/ of fourteen year of age  
Rich and poor/ of the stock rial  
In the temple/ no longer devil shall  
But be statute/ shall be take and married  
By the law/ and no longer tarried▪   

¶ And when they were assembled all in one  
Isacar in opyn audience  
'Gan to pronounce/ afore him everyone  
Full prudently/ the sum of his sentence  
And said si●es/ with your patience  
So it your ears offend not ne grieve  
Declare I shall/ my meyning with your leave.   

¶ If you remember sithen Solomon the king  
Of Israel sceptre bore and crown  
In this temple/ so ryal in building  
Have young maidens by division  
Of custom had/ her conversation  
Both kings daughters & prophytes ache  
As you may find/ if you list to seek.   

¶ But to the age of fourteen year  
abiden here and no longer of spoke  
As you 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 inviolate  
Against which/ there help●th no debate  
For of fire chose/ and heartily volunte  
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 gods will/ in this opinion  
For thant 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 lot down by each kindred.   

¶ The which lot/ on juda fill anon  
As I suppos/ ethrogh goods purveyance  
And Isacar among hem everyone  
Purposed hath a new ordinance  
That every wight/ of that alliance  
That wyfles were/ withouten more delay  
Should bring a yard/ against the next day.   

¶ And to the bishop/ highest of eachone  
everich of hem did his yard bring  
Among which/ joseph had brought one  
Though he were old/ & passed his liking  
And he alone/ made his offering  
To god above/ and a sacrifice  
In the old law/ such as was the guise.   

¶ And god to him/ than did appear  
And with the yields/ bad that he should go  
And put them everyone in fere  
Insancta 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 say.   

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

¶ But utterly upon none them of all  
At thilk time/ was their nothing sayne  
For gods hest/ was nought you ytall●  
Other desire/ to put 'em in certain  
Wherefore the bishop/ with new fire again  
Entered is in to the senturye  
And while that he a while there gantarye.   

¶ Gods angel appeared to him new  
Down fro heaven/ by miracle lent  
And told plainly/ the hest of god was true  
But how himself/ was somewhat negligent  
For to deliver by commandment  
Every man his yard/ as he 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 had done offence  
And 'gan alone/ to bring it in presence  
And took h●● joseph devoutly in his hand  
Among 'em all there they did stand.   

¶ All behind dissevered/ from the pres  
With humble cheer/ in the lowest place  
And of this yard/ in manner reckless  
Full still of port/ with a dreadful face  
And when he did with his hand embrace  
His yard again full debonair of lok●  
For Innocence of humble dread he quoke.   

¶ And suddenly through grace/ about divine  
All openly in every wyghtes sight  
Upon the yard of joseph full benign  
Was seen a dow●e/ of fetheris lily white  
That toward heaven took the flight  
And with one voice the people tho abraid  
And unto joseph/ all atones said.   

¶ Blessed art how/ & blessed is thy chance  
Thy face blessed/ & thine adventure  
And blessed is thine humble attendance  
And thou are blessed so long tendure  
For to possede/ so fear a creature  
So good/ so holy/ now in thy passing age  
So clean a maid/ to have in marriage.   

¶ And she alone/ by preestes 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/ flor●sshyng in fairness  
And me/ whom age with unluste doth oppress.   

¶ For she is fair & fresh/ as rose in may  
And well I wot/ also a maiden clean  
And I am old/ with white locks grey  
Passed full fore/ my tender years green  
Wherefore I pray you/ to condsydre and seen  
To accord discordant/ says to me no more  
between her beauty/ & my locks whore.   

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

¶ This holy maid/ assigned unto the  
By open sign/ which all the people say  
thorough gods grace/ & mighty volunte  
Against which beware to dyssobeye  
And think how he sometime made to die  
Ab●●on and Dathan/ only for the offence  
Done to him/ of inobedience.   

¶ Quod joseph/ that will I not in nothing  
To gods 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 provide.   

¶ And as the custom of the law him bond  
So made was the confirmation  
Be hest of wedlock/ between him hand in hand  
And he her took/ to his possession  
With heart clean/ and meek affection  
But while he went to Bethelem the city  
Marie abide still in Galilee.    

¶ How joseph used the craft of a carpenter. Ca ix.  

AT Nazareth in her father's house  
Like her avow of heart always in one  
And five maidens the most virtuous  
Of the temple where cozen out alone  
Of the bishop with her for to go  
To wait on her/ by humble attendance  
In what they can/ to serve and do pleasance.   

¶ Of which the first/ called was Reyca  
And Scepha the second/ as I find  
Susanna zabell and Abiega  
The other three/ as books maken mind  
Which would never thorough sloth be behind  
But aye in one/ as it is specefyed  
In work and prayer were occupied.   

¶ And unto him/ 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 mynyst●acion.   

¶ And as it is put in remembrance  
Eueriche her silk took by adventure  
Like as her hand ●yll thereon by chance  
But Mary as god though shope her eure  
The purple s●●ke 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 rial  
By statutes old this colour use shall  
For by old time/ you should no man seen  
In purple clad/ but other king or qu●ne,   

¶ Wherefore the sort full rightfully is fall  
●●●●ly by dew disposition  
Upon mary/ that before hem all  
By line right/ is descended down  
Of blood rial/ and by eleccioun  
Of god above/ was choose for to been  
For her merit of heaven and earth queen.   

¶ And mother eke/ as you shall after here  
Of thilk king/ that was clad in reed  
Of purple hew/ both face and cheer  
Down to the feet/ from his blessed heed  
When he of purple did his banner spread  
On calvary abroad/ upon the road  
To save mankind/ when he shed his blood.   

¶ And of this purple that I spoke of toforne  
I find plainly how that mary wrought  
Thilk veil/ that was on twain torn  
The same hour/ when he so dear us bought  
Lo how● that god in his eternal thought  
provided hath by just purveyance  
The purple sp●ke/ to his mother's chance.    

¶ How our lady is seat for an ensample of virginity. Ca x.  

BUt now/ I leave this blessed maid there  
In Nazareth/ among her feddes to devil  
leading a life more par●yte and enter  
Than any tongue/ suffice may to tell  
For even like/ as a fulsum well  
Shedyth his streams/ in to the river  
Rtght so Marry/ an ensaumpeler clear.   

¶ Gave 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 eye.   

¶ And blessed was the palace & the house  
In which thou hadst thy holy mansion  
Fortuneth well/ & wonder gracious  
So humble was thy conversation  
And blessed was also all the town  
T●●●ce 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 lyche  
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 weelfull eke and gracious the sight  
Of 'em that mighten upon the behold  
For well they aught/ to be glad and light  
That weren with the always when they would  
And blessed weren young and old  
That were rejoiced with thy excellence  
When that hem list of thy high presence.   

¶ O the joy/ who could tell a right  
Of thine heavenly meditations  
Ascending up above the stars bright  
In thine inwardecon templations  
Or the blessed & holy vysitations  
Who can rehearse/ bright as son or leaven  
So oftesent down/ to the fro heaven.   

¶ Or who can tell/ thine holy slepes soft  
With god always/ full in thy memory  
For love of whom/ thou sighedest full oft  
When thou where sole in thine oratory  
Or who can tell/ the melody or glory  
That angelys hath made in the place  
For the joy they had to look in thy face.   

¶ I am rude/ to rehersen all  
For uncunning/ & for lack of space  
The matter is/ so mly spiritual  
That I dare nat so high a style pace  
But lady mine/ I put me all in thy grace  
This iyrst book/ compiled 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 negligence and sloth  
Or said to much of presumption  
I put it meekly to her correction  
And ash 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/ & hole entention  
praying that maid ofso 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 & truth disputed for the redemption of mankind. Ca xi.  

W Not that is bound and fettered in prison  
thinketh long after delyverawce  
And he that feieth pain and passion  
Desireth sore after allegiance  
And who that is in sorrow and penance.  
little wonder of heartily heaviness  
Though he covet/ relees of his distress.   

¶ And who that liveth in languor & in woe  
Fear in exile and prescription  
And is with set/ with many a cruel foe  
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/ encreseth more his pain  
Than all the constraint of his adversity  
And causeth him more/ to sigh & plain  
For joy passed/ can herten more constrain  
Her wealth afore/ to be weep and wail  
Than all the torment/ that him doth assail.   

¶ O who could eversith the world began  
Of more joy or of gladness tell  
Than sometime could the worthy kind of man  
That shapen was in paradise to devil  
Till he alas/ was banished in to hell  
Fear in exile/ from his possession  
And there to abide/ stocked in prison.   

¶ And he that 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 bore  
And lay full seek languyssenge in care  
So fear proscripte out of his country  
That by the law/ there may no recoverbe.   

¶ Whose neck oppressed/ with so strong a ch●●●  
Say plunged down/ without remedy  
That when mercy would have been a●ane  
Right wysnes '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 ware  
Full long agone to treat of this matter  
And rightwiseness/ with him was eke there  
And troth also/ with a deynous cheer  
And when they were all four in fere  
As you have heard/ and 'gan to entreat  
Than first of all cruelly to threte.   

¶ Truth 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 sistren & truth always in one  
Said plainly that recover was there none.   

¶ For I quoth Troth/ at his creation  
Told him the apparel afore his offence  
But he me put out of his bandon  
And gave to me no manner audience  
And ● quod 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 fallely 'gan to take  
When he her clean put out of his sight  
And again peace/ began a quarrel to fight  
When he from him mercy set afar  
And so he set himself/ all out of her.   

¶ Therefore quoth Right/ pleteth for him no more  
But let him have/ as he hath deserved  
you do great wrong/ if you will him restore  
That hath his hest/ to you not conserved  
Ayes quoth mercy/ nature hath reserved  
To peace my sister plainly and to me  
On wretches ever/ for to have pity.   

¶ And offendeth hath of ignorance  
Moore than of malice: y wys quod mercy to  
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 fone  
For lack of help/ when he left him alone.   

¶ That was quod Troth/ for he was reckless  
To go the way/ I taught him of reason  
Quod mercy than the mortal foe 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 forbode tree  
The fair fruit in paradise present:  
He should like unto God be.  
Of good and evil/ to have intendment  
And for my sister/ troth was absent  
And you yourself/ also rightwiseness  
He was betrayed/ sleyghtly by falseness.   

¶ Wherefore quoth mercy/ I purpose utterly  
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 judge Ca twelve.  

ANd right forth with/ before the king of glory  
Mercy and peace the cause brought alone  
And in the high heavenly consistory  
Peace said thus/ among him everyone  
O blessed lord/ that art both three and one  
So please it the benygnely 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 disdain  
And specially/ when that we both twain  
To thine highness/ for any thing require  
Thou must 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 stars seven  
With the orders 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 pity  
Doth sacrifice/ high in thy presence  
And is not mercy/ of more excellence  
(Like as the sauter well rehearse can)  
Upon the earth/ than the life of man.   

¶ Thyself/ also as it is plainly couth  
Auysedly who so taketh heed thereto  
Sayest openly with thine own mouth  
That a thousand/ thou canst thy mercy do  
And holy David/ recordeth 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 go/ if mercy were behind  
Wherefore lord on mercy have thy mind  
The woeful captyfe/ to take unto thy grace  
That hath so long/ be severed fro thy face.   

¶ And though that I be humble meek & free  
Forsooth lord of ovete and of right  
yet ever in own/ 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 cunning/ they that be mortal fone  
By the help of thee/ 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 every wight excel  
And art thyself/ of very duere  
Called the prince of peace and unity  
And yet by hottest wretches to relieve  
That is mankind/ & shall never fro him move.   

¶ And job recordeth the holsomest fruit  
Of all this world/ springeth out of peace  
Now lord sithen/ I am made to be refute  
And to the woeful comfort/ and increase  
Grant of thy grace/ now a full release  
That I and mercy/ may the sone confound  
Of thy●ke caytyse/ that lieth in prison bound.   

¶ So that he may have liberty  
To go at large/ and have rempssion  
Of this thraldom and captivity  
And be delivered out of this prison  
So that there may be made redempsyon  
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 enclosed  
The judge gave 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 hesayde.    

¶ How god the father of heaven/ answered to mercy and peace. Ca xiii.  

●Ine own daughter/ next to mine ally  
Though your request/ come of tender heart  
you moste consider/ with a prudent eye  
Of rightwiseness/ it may not me asterte  
Like your asking/ by tavour to advert  
Unto the cause/ that you 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 mo●e work by her advisement  
And when they waren come and present  
Than troth alone/ touching this matter  
Said openly/ that all mighten here.   

¶ If it so be/ this man that trespassed  
Ne be not deed/ for his iniquity  
Though utterly the franchesse is defaced  
Both of my sister/ rightwiseness and me  
And finally/ our both liberty.  
Goeth unto naught/ of our jurisdiction  
But he be punished for his trausgression.   

¶ The word of God/ that plainly may not err  
Told him afore/ withouten any dread  
The great apparel/ of this mortal war  
eating the appel/ that he must be deed  
But he o● sloth/ took thereto none heed  
Wherefore he must/ as right list provide  
Without mercy/ the doom of death abide.   

¶ And though that peace/ be of pity moved  
Man to deliver/ with zeal of ruth  
Righwisnes would than be aggrieved  
With me to consent/ that am called truth  
And as me seemeth/ it were to great aslouthe  
Dome or cause plea or any suit  
Without 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 fain  
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/ mo●e be deed sum other  
So of my ship guided is the rather  
That ne may erre●tor wawe nor for wind  
Moore 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/ reherceth in sentence  
If you consyderd/ in your advertence  
That death of sinners/ the high god to queme  
Is wert of de●hes/ yfye of right list dame.   

¶ For sinful blood/ is no sacrifice  
To god above/ that every thing mayes●n●  
Than must you death/ of one devise  
That is of sin/ innocent and clean  
And is I ●rowe/ under the son sheen  
Thorough the world/ to rehearse mankind  
It were full hard/ such one for to find.   

¶ For rust with rust/ may not scoured be  
Ne ●oule with filth/ may be purefyed  
But who is soiled/ with dishonest  
To wash another/ it is not aplyed  
Black unto white/ may not be died  
Ne blood infect with corruption  
To god for sin/ is none oblation.   

¶ figure hereof/ you may not be died  
As the bible maketh mention  
How that a lamb of spot & filth free  
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 nonesuch/ sithen Adam did atame  
The fruit to eat/ for either halt or lame  
In sovereign virtue/ is all the kind of man  
Wherefore quoth mercy/ the best read that I can.   

¶ That peace my sister/ cease this discord  
And all the stryte/ that is us between  
And that we pray/ our judge & mighty lord  
To this matter benygnely to seen  
And of his grace/ to shape such a mean  
For troth & right/ so prudently ordain  
That peace ne I/ have no cause to plain.   

¶ And this request is naught against right  
Ne unto troth plainly none oftence  
If that our judge of his great might  
Ordain so in his providence  
To scape away/ thorough his sapience  
That troth and right be not displeased  
Thorough peace & me though man be holp & eased.    

¶ How the father of heaven accorded the fouresystren Ca xiiii.  

ANd when that she by reason had fyned  
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 dysmayed  
That peace/ & she should eke be well apaid.   

¶ And by sentence alone diffynytyfe  
The judge said for conclusion  
An innocent pure and clean of life  
Shall meekly die/ to pay the ransom  
For man's guilt and trasgression  
And he so freely/ shall the death abaye  
In all his pain/ that he ●o 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 battle  
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 lonely for man's sake  
Uncompellyd freely and of volunte  
That is a lamb 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. Capittulo. xv.  

BUt for to weet/ of what stock he shall spring  
Ot what kindred/ and of what estate  
My soothfast word eternally living  
Mine own son/ with me encreate  
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 go  
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 gyde● met●  
By one assent/ and her rancour let.   

¶ And there shall peace kiss rightwiseness  
And all the sisters accord in that place  
And right shall leave all her stourdines  
And trewthes sword/ shall no more menace  
And finally/ mercy shall purchase  
A charter of pardon/ like this maiden cle●●  
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 death/ it shall again death be defence.   

¶ Against venom/ more wholesome than treacl●  
Every poison asofte and assuage  
When the lion maketh his habitacle  
Within a maid/ but of tender age  
And Gabriel shall go on message  
To her alone/ mine own secretary  
With new tidings/ & no longer tarry.    

¶ How Gabryell the Angel was sent to our Lady. Capittulo xuj.  

ANd right forthwith the angel tarrieth naught  
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 ente●tyfe/ & 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 alone as you shallen 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 gods might  
All hole the some of the deyte  
That from heaven his blissful beams bright  
shed on th'earth of our humanity  
When in the breast of a maiden free  
The holy ghost/ by free election  
For his 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  
july astoned/ 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. Capittulo. xvii.  

A Lord quod he/ so I am agrysed  
And sore a drade/ to look on this clearness  
And yet well more/ with fear I am surprised  
For to behold for mine unworthiness  
Any word to write or to express  
Of this mystery/ and great privity  
Benign lord jest thou say to me.   

¶ What art thou bold or darest in any wise  
My rightwiseness to tell or to writ  
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 brenneth in his sight  
No little sparkle/ but a flame of fire  
Would down descend/ mine heart to inspire  
For to consume with his fervent heat  
The rusty filth that in my mouth doth fleet.   

¶ And all uncleanness/ cankered 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 Marie met  
In Nazareth and humbly her great.   

¶ But sithen this man/ so perfit of living  
This holy bernard/ so good and gracious  
So dreadful was this matter in writing  
That was of life so inly virtuous  
How dare I than be presumptuous  
I woeful wretch in any manner wy●e  
To take on me this perfit high emprise.   

¶ My lips pollute/ my mouth with sin ysoyled  
Mine heart unclean/ and full of cursidnesse  
My thought also/ with all vices foiled  
My breast receit & chest of wretchidnesse  
That me to write of any parfitnesse  
Nat only dread of presumption  
But for to esche we 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 bright  
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 liknesses written of our Lady/ in comen dation of her. Capitulo. xviii  

O Lord whose mercy goth not decline  
But ever ●liche/ standeth hole in one  
That sometime sendest down from Seraphyne  
To I say an Angel with a stone  
Wherewith he began to touch his mouth alone  
To purge his lips from all pollution  
So let thy grace to me descend down.   

¶ My rude tongue/ to explite and speed  
Somewhat to say/ in commendation  
Ofher 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 intent.   

¶ For of my life for to undertake  
To speak or writ/ in so devout matter  
Little wonder though I tremble or quake  
And change both countenance and cheer  
Sithen this maydeu of virtue tresorere  
Perturbed 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 lowly heed  
Her humble countenance/ changed in her face  
He said mary for nothing that you dread  
For to fore god/ thou haste found grace  
¶ And shalt conceive/ within a little space  
And in thy womb a●one of all virtue  
And shall him call (when he is born) jesus.   

¶ That shall be great/ & named sothfastlye  
son of the highest/ that ever was of might  
And god to him/ shall leave give full justly  
The see of David/ his own father's right  
And he shall reign in every wyghtes sight  
In the house of jacob/ eternally by line  
Whose kingdom ever shall last & never fine.   

¶ And though his hest where passing of ●●now●●  
Surmounting/ eke as in excellence  
That outwardly/ gave so marvelous a●ow●●  
And wonderful to her audience  
Than she full meekly of great reverence  
And look down cast other 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/ shally shrouded be  
And all the virtue of the trinity  
Enclose shall in thy breast so clean  
The son of life/ with all his beams sheen.   

¶ Wherefore this child/ that shall of the be born  
Shall called be gods sone eterne  
Behold & see a little here tof●r●●  
Elyzabeth thy●● own co●yn de●●  
conceived hath sithen go half year  
Though she forage went to have been barren  
And is with child/ to put all in certain.   

¶ That to god is nothing impossible  
But as him list/ may every thing fulfil  
Unto whose word/ be fully now credible  
Byholde quoth she/ of god the meek ancille  
With all mine heart/ obeyeng 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 given 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 spoken  
The holy ghost/ is in her breast yloke.    

¶ A commendation of our Lady. Capitulo. nineteeen.  

ANd when the Angel from her departed was  
And she alone in her tabernacle  
Right as the son perissheth thorough the glass  
Thorough the crystal/ berall or spectacle  
Without harm/ right so by miracle  
In to her closer the father's sapience  
Entered is/ withouten violence.   

¶ Or any wemme/ unto her maidenhead  
On any side in party or in all  
For gods s●ne/ taking our manhood  
In her hath build his paleyce principal  
And under pight/ this mansion ●yall  
With seven pylers'/ as made is memory  
And therein set his reclynatorie.   

¶ Which is performed/ all of pure gold  
Only to us for to signify  
That he all holy made hath his hold  
Within this maid/ that called is mary  
And seven pylers 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 shut/ and closed eke also  
For she is tour/ without words m●  
And house of puore/ in which Solomon  
shut all his treasure/ in his possession.   

¶ She was the castle/ of the crystal brickwall  
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 drops/ 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 fayrnes/ naught appeyre may  
On vyolettes/ and on herbs sote  
Right so this grace/ of all our griefs boat  
The grace of god/ amyde the belly white  
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 son 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 raunsoune quite.   

¶ She was eke the gate/ of the locks bright  
Set in the north of high devotion  
Of which sometime the Prophet had a sight  
Ezechyell as is written in his avision  
Which stood ever close in conclusion  
That never man enter/ shall 〈◊〉 pace  
But god himself/ to make his dwelling place.   

¶ And yet in sooth/ as I rehearse can  
So as the fluce of Gedyon was wet  
Before he taught/ with him 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 bydewed▪   

¶ In token plainly/ she should succour be  
Unto mankind/ manly for to fight  
Against the devil/ that hath in his pouste  
All madyan with his fell might  
Andrea thorough the help/ of this maiden bright  
And thorough the dew/ of her heavenly grace  
We shall this serpent from our bonds 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 ●ade  
Of virtue most to comfort us and glade.   

¶ She was the aultre/ cedar/ gold/ and stone  
Steadfast and true in perfection  
And as the cedar conserving all 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 perfit 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 down the stars on the frosty night  
Her frankincense gave so clear a light  
Thorough good ensample/ that the perfit leaven  
Of her living/ reached in to heaven.   

¶ She was the throne where that Solomon  
For worthiness set his rial set  
With gold and ivory/ 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 gods sone himself  
Should in this maid/ behold his rial see  
So that in sooth/ her clean virginity  
To be a mother/ should nothing let  
Amid her breast/ that he his throne set.   

¶ She was the woman that saint johan  
Saw in heaven/ so richly appear  
Clad in a son/ which brighter shone  
Than Phoebus doth in his long spear  
And twelve stars/ that passyngly 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 nothing pale  
In figure only/ that she that is so good  
To suage the bitter of our old bale  
The son of life/ made 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 brickwall  
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 Marie might kindly  
A maid be/ and a child conceive  
That if him list/ reason to conceive  
They may examples/ right enough find  
Of this matter according unto kind.    

¶ authentic conclusions against unbeleufull men that saiden that Christ might not be born of a maid Capitulo. xx.  

O Blind man/ thorough thine iniquity  
Why hast thou lost/ thy reason & thy sight  
That thou of malice/ list not for to see  
How Christ jesus/ thorough his great might  
To his disciples/ held the way right  
Thorough the yates/ yshette by great defence  
Without breaking/ or any violence.   

¶ Why might he not of his magnificence  
Within a maid/ make his mansion  
And she yet stood/ in high excellence  
Of maidenhead/ from all corruption  
you been to blind/ in your discretion  
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 shut of the place  
What wonder than though god by miracle  
Within a maid/ made his habitacle.   

¶ And being close/ and parfytly shut  
With all the bonds/ of clean virginity  
For sothfastly/ her cleanness was not let  
Upon no side/ ne yet her chastity  
But increased/ and favour for to see  
That god's son/ listen to light adown  
Within this maid/ to make his mansion.   

¶ Eke Heldefons/ telleth of a tree  
In stead of fruit/ heareth 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 wonder not though/ Crist were born between.  
The chaste sides/ of a maiden clean.   

¶ Eke certain birds/ called bultures  
Without meddling conceiving by nature  
As books sayne/ 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 Plunius/ in books natural  
writ 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 ●e 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 fertorth 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 isso virtuous  
That will cure every manner wound  
Right so Marie 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/ percinge to the heart  
Our festerid soris/ that they shall ache no more  
Ne that she ne were/ we were all forlore.   

¶ 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 eft again it giveth them a new light  
Who list assay/ soothe 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 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 maiden heed 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 hole and clear  
He shall now see proof 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 he that made the high crystal heaven  
The firmament/ & also every spear  
The golden axtre/ & the stars seven  
Cythera: so lusty for to appear  
And read marce/ with his stern hcere  
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 w●xe and multiply  
And fish eke with fynnes sleid fair  
In deep ●aves 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 embraceth 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 these.   

¶ Who causeth the fruit/ out of the hard tree  
By virtue only/ that springeth from the rote  
To grow & wax like as men may see  
With leaves green/ & new blosmes sote  
Is it not that lord/ that for all our boat  
Would of a maid/ as I rehearse can  
meekly be born/ 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 droping  
Of balm void/ & of lust●hede  
Might he not make/ his grain to grow & seed  
Within her breast/ that was both maid and wife  
Whereof is made/ the soothfast bread of life.   

¶ And he that gravyd of his great ●ight  
Without poyntell/ in the hard stone  
And the tables/ with letters clear and bright  
His ten precepts/ & buildings euericho●e  
The same lord/ of his power alone  
Hath made this maid/ here in earth low  
A child conceive/ and no man to know.   

¶ And he that made the bush to appear  
All on flame with ferly sparkles sheen  
And when Moses '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 ye●de of Moses  
Of a serpent/ to take the likeness  
In the hall among all the prees  
Where Pharaoh/ the people did oppress  
And in desert/ the Bible beareth witness  
The river made to run/ of the stone  
The thirst to staunch/ of the people alone.   

¶ And over this/ for to verefye  
His great might: Samson 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 wawes 'gan asunder break  
And like and 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 hove  
Be of a maid born/ for man's love.   

¶ And he that made/ a angel for to take  
Abacuk the prophet/ by a little hear  
And suddenly bring him to the lake  
In Babylon/ which was so fear  
And to visit ligginge in his fear  
Danyell among the beasts rage  
Till he to him brought the pottage.   

¶ The doors shut/ of the strong prison  
For to assuage of hunger all his payve  
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 son 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 shade we to return  
In the orlage of King Ezechye  
By ten degrees only to perform  
By hest I made to him of I say  
Why might he nat/ that all this world shall gye  
Of a maid/ by the same skill  
Freely be born at his own will.   

¶ And he that fed/ with five loves small  
five thousand/ in solitary place  
Far in desert/ sitting in a ●ale  
Thorough the foison/ and plenty of his grace  
The same lord/ why might he not purchase  
Within a maid/ during her maidenhead  
When that him list to take his manhood.   

¶ For as the Bee/ both wax and honey shed  
At the hive/ who taketh heed thereto  
Right so Marie flowering in maidenhead  
Bore in her womb/ god and man also  
And yet in sooth/ she was both two  
I dare affirm/ one person in fere  
A maid clean/ and Christ's mother dear.   

¶ And as the beam shining from so far  
Shedith 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 Maria  
With womb hallowed into chastity  
conceived hath in her virginity.   

¶ And as the Barnacle in the hard tree  
Of kind breedeth/ and the vine flower  
Causeth the wine/ florre for to be  
Thorough Bacchus might/ & grape's governor  
Right so in sooth mankyndes saviour  
As the barnacle and flower out of the vine  
Sprung of Marie she being virgin.   

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

¶ And as the Snow/ fro jupiter doth f●ll  
Thorough the force of Sagittarius 〈◊〉  
And zepherus doth the flowers fall  
On white blosmes/ when she doth blow  
Right so in sooth/ the grace alight alow  
Of the holy ghost/ like a wind cherishing  
amid the maid/ to make his dwelling.   

¶ And to the flower/ did no duresse  
But parfytly/ conserved her beauty  
From every storm/ and fleshly lustiness  
An like fresh of fayrnes for to see  
As by examples/ more than two or three  
As you tofore/ have heard 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 embrace  
Either of malice/ or of iniquity  
For to accuse the blessed virginity  
Of Marie plainly/ this is my bon●  
But if so be that he amend son.   

¶ And are 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 hell  
And that the clapper/ of his destuned 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 you have heard/ at even 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 jew words pass/ over is an ease.    

¶ How our Lady went to saint Iohan Baptist mother. Capitulo. xxi.  

FOr what in sooth/ upon any side  
Is Phoebus' char appeyred of his light  
Though eyen raw/ may not abide  
For to behold/ against his beams bright  
Right so plainly/ though the goundy sight  
Of here tyke● may nat sustain  
For to behold the clearness of this queen.   

¶ May in no wise soothly disencreace  
Her clear light/ ne her p●rfyte brightness  
Whose fair streams/ shullen never cease  
Withouten Eclipse to shine in cleanness  
For of this maid/ as books done express  
When Gabriel to heaven drowe the cooste  
She replenisshed was/ of the holy ghost.   

¶ Rose up alone/ and out of Nazareth  
Toward the mounteyns fast 'gan her high  
And there she sale with meekly Elizabeth  
Within the house of true Zacharie  
And right forth with/ when she did espy  
Of Marie the meek salutation  
And thorough her ears/ when passed was the sound   

¶ Within her womb/ plainly thus to tale  
For very joy/ and spiritual gladness  
The young infane/ with his lymes small  
rejoiced him the Gospel saith express  
And she fulfilled in very soothfastness  
With the holy ghost/ loud 'gan to cry  
And even thus said unto Marie.   

¶ Blessed art thou among woman all  
And of thy womb/ blessed the fruit also  
And how to me of hap/ is new befall  
My lords mother/ for to come me to  
For very joy/ I note what I may do  
For sothfastly thy greating as I here  
Within my womb/ my little child now here?   

¶ Rioyseth him/ for gladness as he can  
That of all woe/ mine heart it doth relieve  
And blessed are 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/ byhested unto the.   

¶ Marry than with a devout intent  
With look benignly/ and full humble ●here  
The same hour being aye present  
Elizabeth her own cosyndere  
With a full meek/ and humble cheer  
And all the accord/ and hold melody  
Of the holy ghost said in her harmony.    

¶ How our Lady made Magnificat. Capitulo. xxii.  

WIth laud and prize/ 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  
rejoiced hath/ with fulsome 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 kynredes shall be blessed (call me)  
Of the which the thank/ oh lord be unto the  
With price and honour/ of every voice and tongue  
Thorough armony/ of soothfast unity  
For this alone/ be to thy name song.   

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

¶ And he his mercy/ most passyngly 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 dreadful might/ that men may see & know  
And proud men they rain not full long  
He served h●th/ & made 'em full low  
With all his heart down of the wheel 'em throw  
For to a●●●●e her surquedry and pride  
Or they were ware/ her pomp was over throw  
Full suddenly/ and laid her boast a side.   

¶ And mighty tyrants/ from her rial so  
He hath avayled/ and I put a down  
And humble and meek/ ●or her humility  
He hath enhanced to full high renown  
For he can make atransmutation  
From low to high/ as it is seen full oft  
And when him li●● the domination  
Of worldly pomp/ to tall full unsoft.   

¶ He hath fulfilled/ and fostered in her need  
With the goods of plenteous largeness  
Him that were hungry/ & indigent in dread  
And hem rel●●ed/ of all her wretchedness  
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 void only/ vengeance from his face  
And humble peace/ shall occupy his place  
And pity shall besesed 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 father's/ that hath been here tofore  
To Abraham/ & to his seed of right  
That his mercy shall last evermore  
For near his mercy/ all the world were lore  
Unto the which to make man attain  
He hath made mercy/ our kind to restore  
And of all his works/ to be sovereign.    

¶ How our Lady after the birth of saint johan baptist turned to Nazareth. Capitulo. xxiii.  

ANd when this blessed gracious dyte  
Was said to god/ devoutly of Marie  
I find after plainly/ how that she  
Still in the house/ bode of Zacharie  
Three months/ the Gospel may notlye  
And after that/ I read in certain  
To Nazareth/ that she went again.   

¶ And there above/ in contemplacio●  
In her prayers/ always day by day  
With many an holy meditation  
To queme her lord/ in what she can or may  
From whom her thought/ went never away  
Her full mnyde/ ne her remenbrance  
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  
Nothing/ but he might in her heart sink  
For finally/ whether she wake or wink  
Amid her heart/ he was always present  
So fix on him was set her hole intent.   

¶ And day by day/ this holy life she lad  
This party emayde thorough high devotion  
So servant love/ unto god she had  
There may be made no division  
For she sequestered her opinion  
From all the world/ & let it plainly go  
So hole to god/ she gave her heart alone.   

¶ 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 aye sojourned  
In Galilee/ god wot full innocent  
Of all this thing/ and why he not returned  
Was for that he was so diligent  
In Carpentry●/ 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 discretion  
And was had/ most in reverence  
Of all the werkmen/ of that region  
And for he had in cunning/ such renown  
Like a master/ there is no more to say  
The werkmen all his bidding did obey.   

¶ And when he had all work achieved  
He is repaired to Nazareth again  
But lord how he was in his heart moved  
When that Marry/ he hath with child yseyne  
That sore astoned/ he nat what he may say  
So at his heart/ it sat so inwardly  
Till at the last/ he abrayed suddenly.   

¶ And said alas/ how it is fall of new  
In mine absence/ or what thing may this be  
Sithen this maid/ so faithful & so true  
Is 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 nat enclose  
O blessed god/ so do me now this grace  
Out of my breast/ this woeful ghost to trace.   

¶ For certes lord/ & it were thy will  
I had liefer utterly to die  
Than thorough my word/ this maid for to spill  
As I more need/ if I her bewray  
And on myself/ if I the charge lay  
For to affirm she hath conceived by me  
I more 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 reuth●  
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 go.   

¶ And flower forth/ in her virginity  
I never saw/ ne never yet did read  
And this I doubt/ my reason can nat see  
How that Marie/ hath kept her maydenhed●  
In mine absence/ & this I double dread  
My wit is brought/ & wot not where to turn  
For double cause/ that I have now to mourn.   

¶ That one is this●that my fantasy  
May never accord/ that she did offence  
And reason plainly/ again ward 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 brown  
And for the constraint/ of his sighs deep  
Stood on the point/ for to have fallen down  
His sudden woe/ made him almost sown  
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 comforted joseph Capitulo. xxiiii.  

ANd when the maidens weren ●y presents  
And ever in one abiding on Marie  
And understood/ what that joseph meant  
All at once/ they began to cry  
And said joseph/ leave thy fantasy  
And thine error/ for it is folly  
Withouten advice/ to de●e suddenly.   

¶ And certainly/ with all our heart enter  
Of knowledging/ in very sickerness  
We will record/ everyone in fere  
All openly touching her cleanness  
And here upon bear openly witness  
Li●● as we know/ unto this same day  
Though all this world/ at one's 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 & erly/ 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 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 puru●aunce  
Of his hand/ she took her holy food  
As needful was to her sustenance  
And this in sooth/ 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 misdeemeth/ of this maiden free  
Of fantasy/ or of false suspection  
For to accuse her virginity  
Of which thing/ we dare ensure the  
That no wight/ made soothly to devise  
But the holy ghost/ her womb for to rise.   

¶ And here/ upon we record can  
Of all the time/ thou were in Galilee  
She never alone/ with was no man  
And what she spoke/ we might here and see  
Wherefore joseph/ let thy tales be  
And dame nat 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 Marie/ be nothing in doubt?  
Certes quoth he/ I may not void out  
My fantasy to assent in any wise:  
It should be like/ as you now devise.   

¶ For by an agell/ it were impossible  
Her to conceive/ like as you 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 delude.   

¶ And eft again/ for his inward pain  
He 'gan to change/ both face and hew  
And from his eyen/ the salt tears rain  
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 away  
To have found refute/ with all his full mind  
And thought always/ 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 possed up and down  
Till at the last in conclusion.   

¶ He purposeth fully & casts 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  
Scent down from god/ to joseph did appear  
While that he slept/ and said as you shall here.    

¶ How the Angel warned joseph to abide with our Lady. Capitulo. xxvi.  

O Thou joseph/ ne dread thou not belive  
Thou the son of David/ of line by dissent  
For to take Marie to thy wife  
Which is a maid/ with all her full intent  
With whom is aye the holy ghost present  
Of whom god/ as I the tell before  
In very sooth/ that shall of her be born.   

¶ And like in sooth▪ as writeth 〈◊〉  
Of this matter▪ that for c●us●s three  
Unto joseph as he telleth us  
The Angel came/ and first he said that 〈◊〉  
Sithen he was rightful/ that 〈◊〉 no degree  
Of purpose rightful/ he should unrightfully  
This holy maid/ forsake privily.   

¶ Another cause/ he writeth the express  
That his forsaking/ might to her name  
Be dishonour and cause in soothfastness  
Of untreve tongues/ for to speak her shame  
And though in her/ there were no spot of blame  
Suspection 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 s●th knews  
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  
●an to cast/ and to take keep  
Against the morrow/ of his avision  
He caught comfort/ and consolation  
Of all that ever he was afore despaired  
And to Marie again/ he repaired.   

¶ And 〈…〉 hole heart  
That he to him/ hath so 〈◊〉  
In recomfort of his in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  
His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●ight declared openly  
And of 〈…〉  
He asketh mercy of humble affection  
That ever to her/ he had suspection▪   

¶ And of his error/ & of his trespass  
This whore grey/ with all humility  
With weeping ●y●●/ 'gan to are grace  
And she alone/ of womanly pity  
His heaviness/ when she did see  
Comforted him/ in all that ever she might  
And he alone/ in all their sight.   

¶ And all her maidens/ standing environ  
'Gan even thus/ for to cry●●owde  
Certes quoth he/ my dark suspection  
Came of blindness/ for I none other coude  
Butt now in sooth/ the misty black cloud  
Of ignorance/ is so clarefyed  
That all the troth/ to me is verefyed.   

¶ Thorough grace of god/ that mine old rudeness  
Is now from 〈◊〉 chased clean away  
Have me excused/ of my dark dullness  
With all mine heart/ benignly I pray  
My night of 〈◊〉/ is turned in to day  
That I may now/ with mine eyen old  
The bright beams of Titan well behold▪   

¶ That for darkness/ I wyste what to done  
Only for lack/ of his beams bright  
Weren me bereft/ thorough the cloudy moan  
And hath within/ me no clear insight  
That this Eclipse/ was caused all to soon  
By hersodeyn interpocession  
That was chief/ ground of my suspection.   

¶ This is to say/ that mine earthly thought  
So was oppressod/ derked and born down  
That woldely skies/ that I might naught  
Ne was nor worthy/ to have inspection  
Of this dark knowledge/ by relation  
Till the son/ of his grace did shine  
My wit Eclipsed/ 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 you maidens/ that be present here  
I axe mercy/ with all mine heart enter  
Of all that ever/ that hath be spoken & said  
And lowly I pray you/ be not evil a paid.   

¶ And they eachone/ thanked god of all  
With heart and will/ both in word and deed  
That he on joseph/ hath inspeciall  
His grace of new/ made for to spread  
To void away/ all his hole dread  
Of every conceit/ and imageninge  
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  
Nat so much as a little word  
And thus in joy/ a while I let him devil  
And of the bishops/ forth I will tell.    

¶ How the Bishop did do sompmon joseph for our Lady was with child Capitulo. xxvii.  

Touching this thing/ plainly if I con  
How word by word/ soothly in sentence  
Of this thing/ the rumour is yronne  
Andrea reported/ 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 sober countenance  
Of whom anon/ the bishop 'gan inquire  
Abyathar 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 Marie debonair and so mild  
That sometime was/ of such opinion  
In the temple/ is great now with child   

Of tongues large/ and every fantasy  
As is sometime showed by the hew  
Of them that drank the drink of jealousy  
As Numeri doth clearly specify  
Wherefore anon/ there is no more to say  
Make you ready/ for you both fifty.   

¶ Shullen make a taste/ whether it be sour or sote  
There is none/ agaynsay ne excusation  
Till the truth/ be ryped 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 desert/ by openly excused  
Than is your merit/ of your excellence  
That you toforne/ falsely were accused  
And sithen this proof/ may nat be refused  
But that you 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 floureth in her fame  
And standeth at large/ from every manner blame  
Now let her come/ & like as god your ewer  
For you disposeth/ taketh your adventure.   

¶ And she ano●e/ was of her friends brought  
Knowing not/ what all this might mean  
devoid of dread/ both in heart and thought  
For dread in sooth: may nat do no tene  
To conscience/ that is of sin clean  
Ne vengeance/ there no place ocupyeth  
Where innocence/ a soul ungylty gyeth.   

¶ For the fire may no while brenne  
After the brands be taken away  
Ne the river hold his course and run  
The heed spring dry/ soothly this is no nay  
Ne vengeance plainly/ make may none assay  
To execute against innocence  
Ne void of sin his mighty violence.   

¶ For nothing but sin/ may engender shame  
For seld or nat/ 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 derked with a sky  
As is among the fair bright son  
And with the winds/ of malice and envy  
The clear stars/ often wexen done  
But when troth/ set abroach his ton  
To make the sooth/ openly be know  
The wind of falseness/ may no longer blow.    

¶ How our ladies friends wailed and mourned when the bishops made so strong a proof of her virginity. Capitulo. xxxi.  

THan sithen truth/ may no while dare  
Horns shrink/ ne hide him in his nest  
Butt like a son/ his light abroad declare  
When she that was the very choose chest  
Of all cleanness/ and there with all the best  
Of all good/ how might it betide  
Her light of virtue/ to be set a side.   

¶ That it nill shine/ maugre who saith nay  
When her beams been openly discured  
As gold in fire/ fined by assay  
And as the tried/ silver is depured  
And she that was in virtue most assured  
Where the holy ghost/ his dwelling did set  
How might than/ any mists let.   

¶ The clear light/ of her parfytnesse  
Or any manner proof or probation  
In any part/ for to make it less  
For light will out/ it may not be born down  
And so will truth 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 thick or clear  
To take a pre●e/ of her may denhede  
For her harm/ it shall have no power  
For to deface her colour or her there  
But rather amend more/ and clarefye  
The dark dymming/ of every cloud sky   

¶ And so Marie 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 tears/ 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 brickwall  
In thought in cheer/ abashed never a deal  
Ne in her heart/ dreadeth nat at all  
But upon god/ tristeth 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  
T● bishop hath the cup first direct  
Unto joseph and him/ the apparel told  
And manly/ he 'gan it hold  
And drank her up/ & changed nat his cheer  
And seven times about the altar.   

¶ He went than by custom as he aught.  
Of face and colour/ alway like new  
And to Marie/ also the bishop brought  
A cup of water/ & she of heart true  
Accepteth eke this godly fresh of hew  
And or she drank/ this holy perfit maid  
All openly thus to god she said.    

¶ How our Lady prayed to god to show her virginity. Capitulo. xxxii.  

OSothfast lord/ that hast the knowledging  
Of every thing/ thorough thy might  
And art so truwe/ and so just a king  
To high and low/ thou will't do right  
And nothing may be shrouded fro thy sight  
Thorough none engine/ ne thy face asterte  
But sothtastly 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 nat 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 it be couth/ here all openly  
To weet 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  
Concerned hole/ this is mine orison  
Make openly a demonstracian.   

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

¶ The more she was in her sight fair  
And like as Phoebus'/ in jolly green may  
When she hath chased/ the dark misty air  
Shines 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 hem good  
The long day in her opinion  
For in her face/ alway was the blood  
Without poling/ or any drawing down  
And alway more fair of inspection  
Of which thing/ the people 'gan marvel  
And for astoned/ thoughten her wits fail.    

¶ How the bishop and the people dread 'em of the assay that was made to our Lady Capitulo. xxxiii.  

ANd in pasaye greatly/ weren dis●●●●●  
Jest that god on hem/ would take vengeance  
For they so far/ god's might have assayed  
Of error blind and veray ignorance  
And right forthwith/ of heartily repentance  
They bonchen her breasts/ with fists wonder sore  
And all atones/ fellen down afore.   

¶ This holy maid/ with humble reverence  
And wolden her feet have/ kissed there a none  
asking mercy/ of her great offence  
And she forgave it hem every chone  
And all the bishops/ and the people go  
Benignly/ to bring her away  
And to her palace/ fully her convey.   

¶ Of whom the noise/ to the heaven rung  
With heart and speech/ as they magnefye  
The lord above/ in every wights tongue  
For joy and mirth/ 'gan him glorify  
And all the day/ thus in melody  
They lad forth/ till it drowe 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 Marie in all the haste she may  
Entered is in to her oratory  
As she that hath won the victory  
Of all though that aforne 'gan muse  
Her maiden heed/ of malice to accuse.   

¶ And thorough her merit/ hath the mouths shut  
And lips closed of 'em/ that weren in were  
And day by day/ keeping her closet  
Continuelly lay in her prayer  
Expectaunt ever like/ as you shall here  
With humble heart/ and devout obeisance  
Upon the time/ of her deliverance.   

¶ The holy ghost/ being aye her guide  
Her chambered she kept/ her day awaiting  
As you shall here/ if you list to abide  
And god toforne/ yet or the birds sing  
And or that Flora/ doth the floris spring  
Tofore the kalends of Apryll or of may  
My purpose is plainly/ if that I may.   

¶ For to proceed/ forth in his dyte  
So as I can/ or make mention  
Of the feste and solempnite  
That called is/ the Incarnation  
Only through help/ and supportation  
Of her that is so plenteous benign  
Or that Phoebus enter in the sign.   

¶ With this carecte/ of the Ariete  
Of this feste/ somewhat shall I write  
But oh alas/ the Rhetorics sweet  
Of Petrake Frances/ that could so indite  
And Eullius/ with all his words white  
Full long agone/ and full old of date  
Is deed alas/ and passed into fate.    

¶ A commendation of Chaucer's. Capitulo. xxxiiii.  

ANd eke my master Chaucer's now is grieve  
The noble rethore/ Poet of Britain  
That worthy was/ the laurer to have  
Of Poetry/ and the palm attain  
That made first/ to distill and rain  
The gold dew drops/ of speech & eloquence  
In to our tongue/ through his excellence.   

¶ And fond the flowers/ 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 dyttes/ 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 na● k●nne  
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 be  
And though my pen/ be quaking aye for dread  
neither to Clyo/ ne to Calyope  
Me list not call for to help me  
Ne to no muse/ my poyncell for to gye  
But leave all this/ and say unto Marie.   

¶ O clear Castle/ and the chaste tour  
Of the holy ghost/ mother and virgin  
Be thou my help/ conceyle 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  
It to perform/ I may have life and space.    

¶ How Criste was born after the making of the world/ five thousand and hundred/ four score and. nineteeen. year. Capitulo. xxxv.  

When all was hushed/ & all was silence  
And in his course/ the long sterry night  
was half paste/ & fresh of appearance  
Lucina shone in heaven fair and bright  
Thy word oh lord/ that is most of might  
Which aye abideth/ and parteth not fro the  
Sent & dissendeth/ from the Ryall see.   

¶ Hath suddenly/ up on all earth  
Shad his light/ for our salvation  
As I shall sing/ or may's day the ferthe  
If you list here/ of humble affection  
How in the year of computation  
Forty and two/ of Octavian  
furthermore/ after the world began.   

¶ five thousand/ as Beda list define  
And an hundred soothly/ this is no leace  
And therewithal/ ninety year and nine  
When all the world in rest was & in peace  
Withouten war/ and of Olympiad's  
In the hundred ninety year and three  
And by chronicle/ eke as you may see.   

¶ Than Augustus by commandment  
Generally/ withouten exception  
Bad by his lettres 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  
Where he was born/ without more delay  
Both 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 circonstaunce  
To make in open a reconisaunce.   

¶ With hand assured/ and hold profession  
Of the providence/ to fore the precedent  
That he is subject/ unto Rome town  
With all his heart/ and his hole intent  
And here upon/ that he paid his rent  
As the custom/ and the statute band  
That is to say/ that he bring in his hand.   

¶ A large penny/ enprinted with the name  
And the image of the Emperor  
And there upon/ he should anon attame  
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 tempre/ his biding to obey  
Withouten grutchinge/ or rebellion  
With all his might/ for to live and die  
And than anon/ the description  
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 registered/ with him there  
Perpetuelly/ to be in mind  
And this discrivinge/ if you list to here  
Was made first in Sirie/ as I find  
By one Cirinus/ the people for to bind  
To be to Rome. in subjection  
For this Cirinus in that region.   

¶ Was perferred there under the Emperor  
In books old/ as made is mention  
And whiles he was their governor  
Was first than begun the description  
The year in sooth/ after the foundation  
Of mighty Rome/ seven hundred & fifteen  
At which time/ with his beam sheen.   

¶ Was fresh Phoebus'/ in his first face  
Of Capricorn/ the lowest station  
The same year/ called the year of grace  
The year of comfort and remission  
Being the thyrtheneth the indition  
The golden number of the same year  
eighteen accounted in our calendere.    

¶ How joseph & our Lady went to Bethleem to pay tribute. Capitulo. xxxvi.  

THe year of Herode/ thirty year and one  
When made was the discripsion  
As you have heard/ that joseph must go  
To Bethleem for conclusion  
To pay his tribute/ in his own town  
As the statute afore doth specify  
By cause that he/ and also Marie   

¶ Whereof the household/ & the tribe born  
Called juda/ and of the kindred  
Of worthy David/ as I have said toforne  
And on her journey/ as they 'gan 'em speed  
And holy joseph/ did her bridle lead  
And suddenly/ Marry than abraid  
And unto joseph/ even thus she said.   

¶ I iwis quod she/ me thinketh that I see  
Two folks/ greatly discording  
Upon the way/ appearing unto me  
That one rejoicing/ that other compleyninge  
To whom joseph benignly looking  
Answered again/ & bade her ride in peace  
And prayed her also/ nat to be rechelece   

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

¶ Was white in sooth/ as snow that falls 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 soothe/ as she hath it sayne  
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 people's twain  
That been dissevered/ in full large space  
That one of jews/ that weep shall and plain  
With many tere 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 derked 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/ go full many a year  
To Abraham/ and also Isaac in fear  
And to jacob/ that in her holy seed  
Full hastily/ who so will take heed.   

¶ Shall all the people's blessed be  
Through out the world/ in every land & reme  
And with that word/ that joseph might see  
The Angel sty above the Son beam  
And he goth forth/ toward Bethleme  
With Marie/ till that they both twain  
In full little space/ 'gan to attain.   

¶ To the bonds of Bethleem the city  
Weary and mate/ somdele 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 sequestered/ and I set a side  
Out of all prees/ the story saith express  
Made for beasts/ therein to abide  
Full strait & narrow/ shadoweth with darkness  
In to the which/ joseph 'gan him dress  
With Marie/ to rest there all night  
And as she entered/ a new sudden light▪   

¶ All the place/ enlumined environ  
That shove as bright/ as any summer's day  
So that this little humble mansion  
Was fresh and light/ as Phoebus is in May  
Which 'gan to wax/ and increase aye  
While she was there/ all be that it was night  
And right anon/ the soothfast Son of light.   

¶ Of all our joy/ cast him to arise  
And shed his light/ to glad all mankind  
For toward midnight/ shortly to devise  
When all was hushed/ 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 born/ in to this mortal life  
Upon the earth/ to shed his brightness  
Withouten help/ of any mid wife  
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 chyldinge/ to feel no penance  
Sithen she was maid/ mother and wife  
Choose of god/ for to stint our strife  
Of all women by herself alone  
Wherefore it sat nat her to cry and groan.   

¶ Like to other women/ that be inly sick  
In the time of their travailing  
Wherefore sithen/ she was to none other like  
No pain felt she/ the hour of her childing  
And as I find/ at her delivering  
There was no wight/ but herself alone  
For thilk time/ joseph was out go.    

¶ How joseph went to seche a mid wife to our Lady. Capitulo. xxxvii.  

IN full great haste/ to inquire and seek  
Some mid wife/ to help in this need  
And in this while/ with her eyen meek  
She chylded 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/ a stoned 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 so far  
Of whom the Moon/ and each other Star.   

¶ receiven her light/ every in her spear  
All by that he lay/ here in earth low  
In a stable/ with his sacred cheer  
Sole with his mother/ that no man did know  
Of whom her look/ she meekly 'gan to throw  
godly beholding/ his fair young face  
And kneeling down/ began to embrace.   

¶ His tender limbs/ in her arms twain  
And wrapped him in clotheses tenderly  
And took him up/ & soothly 'gan him lie  
In her lap/ and full humbly  
She beheld his features by an by  
So fair shapen/ in party and in all  
And with her milk/ very celestial.   

¶ And heavenly liquor/ of her paps small  
His tender limbs/ she spread in every cost  
The white balm/ to make it avail  
Fet from the conduit/ of the holy ghost  
Upon the thing/ that she loved moste  
And gave him so wke/ of the payment sot●  
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 dyn●  
Whom heaven & earth/ must obey and lowth  
All be that he/ with beasts him about  
Say humbly/ as y● 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 giveth to Angels/ and to man food  
And than this maid/ with debon●yr cheer  
With face erect/ and hands eke in fere.    

¶ A devout prayer/ that our Lady made when Christ was born. Capitulo. xxxviii.  

TO god above/ began thus for to pray  
O lord quod she/ with all my full might  
though whom each thing/ justly must obey  
To thee/ I than as it is skill and right  
That thou so godely 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 aye 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  
though whom with heart/ & all that I can do.   

¶ In thank the lord/ that liggest me before  
That thou list cheese/ to have affection  
Of me so meekly/ in the earth to be born  
And fro thy father/ to descend a down  
Only for help and salvation  
Of mankind freely of thy will  
My blessed child/ that so good and still.   

¶ Liggest now here/ meekly by sufferance  
Amid the beasts/ so fair upon to see  
And haste no wight/ to thine attendance  
Like thine estate awaiting upon the  
Save that thou haste/ so godly choose 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 sel●e tide  
joseph came me/ and stood her beside  
And suddenly/ when he the child doth s●  
Full humbly kneeling/ on his knee.    

¶ How the midwife durst nat enter with joseph in to the house for a great light appeared within. Capi. xxxix.  

WOrshipped him/ with all his heart & might  
With all his will/ & all his full thought  
And telled Marry/ for fear of the light  
The midwives'/ that he had brought  
Astoned were/ that durst naught  
Entre me/ but kept 'em afar  
For 'cause only/ that a new star.   

¶ Ascended was/ upon that mansion  
That spread his light/ & his beams shine  
From este 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 Iherusalem  
That time were astoned/ wonder sore  
saiden plainly/ withouten any more  
That this star/ did signify  
Thilk star/ which in his prophecy.    

¶ How Balaam prophesied/ the star that showed Christ's birth. Capitulo. xl.  

BAlaam the son of Beor/ as I find  
Commends 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 springe also/ to smite and oppress  
The ●elle dukes of Moab/ with her might  
And he shall waste/ in war soothfastness  
The children of seethe/ and of kind right  
With the shining▪ of his beams bright  
Conquer also/ to his subjection  
Withouten obstacle/ and have possession.   

¶ Ofydume for his heritage  
With many another rich region  
And of Seyr/ the rich Baronage  
Shall to him lout/ for his renown  
So that this start in conclusion  
Which in Bethleem/ bright of stars all  
The which above the little Ox's stall.   

¶ So sheen shone/ at the nativity  
Of the child/ as you have heard me tell  
Betokeneth plainly/ as you shall after here  
That the lord of h●uen/ earth and hell  
Which may of Moab/ the tyranny fallen  
Was there by look/ & held his hostage  
In a stable norowe/ as any cage.   

¶ Among beasts though/ he were lord of all  
And all this/ may at his will govern  
Which in his hand/ hangs as a ball  
In very sooth/ his might is so eterne  
And all this thing/ Marry 'gan conceru●  
Within herself/ syker and full close  
And after that/ she meekly up rose.    

¶ How our Lady received the mid wives Capitulo. xli.  

ANd to the door/ wonder womanly  
She went a paace/ and wh●●se dydse  
The mydwyue● 〈…〉  
She brought he●/ 〈◊〉 with all homilite  
Shephora/ and also 〈◊〉  
And hem welcometh/ in full low manner  
And when that they/ these signs saw in ●●re.   

¶ Of the stars/ and the beasts kneel  
Toward the child/ to do ●●m reverence  
And 'gan also/ by other 〈◊〉 feel  
Of may denhede/ that there was none offence  
And that she stood hole in that excellence  
Of perfit cleanness/ and virginity  
And mother to be/ and flower in chastity.   

¶ Withouten w●●me/ on any party ●ounde  
Of all the preves/ that they make coude  
And when they saw/ her paps so abound  
With heavenly milk/ sent from above the cloud  
She ph●ra 'gan 〈◊〉 to c●y●full loud  
That a maid hath a child born  
The which thing was not seen beforce.   

¶ In all this world/ who so list to take heed  
For it i● soothe/ the right of all nature  
Passeth plainly/ and also doth exceed  
The wit of man/ I do you well assure  
But I see w●ll through/ the mighty ●u●●  
Of god's hand/ this thing is brought about  
Whereof platly/ I am nothing in doubt.   

¶ But assented with heart and hold credence  
Having thereon/ none ●mbig●y●●  
And then a●o●e/ for 〈◊〉 great offence  
And for wantruste/ of her ●●owe Salome  
Openly that all men might see  
Were in that arm deed and cold as a stone  
With which she was hardy for to go.    

¶ How the hand of Salome we●ed dry. Capitulo. x●ii.  

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

¶ She punished was/ that all might it 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 n●t disdain  
Ne to thine highness/ it be no displeasance  
That I a wretch/ blind of ignorance.   

¶ Offended greatly/ hath in thy sight  
Of ●●che according/ and ●●d●scression  
And suddenly/ in all their sight  
Even amiddes/ of that mansion  
An Angel bright/ sent from heaven down  
Did appear/ biding her ●●on●  
With devout heart/ that she should go.   

¶ Full humbly/ in her best intent  
Unto the child/ for to have succour  
And touch the hem/ of his ●estemente  
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 tgo that plainen/ and been in distress  
When they to him/ meekly will call  
And Salome/ devoutly 'gan her dress  
Toward the child/ and on her knees fall  
And said/ oh lord that power haste 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 loath/ save only thy mercy  
I have lost mine arm/ alas for my trespass  
And with that word/ as she did embrace  
To touch the clot/ 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 made no longer ●ayne  
But in the street/ openly 'gan to cry  
How the lord/ that all this world may gy●  
Descended is/ and become man  
And while/ that she thus in the street ran   

¶ Telling the birth/ and 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  
Aye like fix/ without motion  
So bright/ so long/ so glad/ so joyous  
That all that inspection  
In heart perfit/ and tree we entention  
That they weren rejoiced/ and made light  
And all this thing/ fell upon the night.   

¶ On a sunday/ mine author will nat lie  
As you may find/ if you list to read  
The. viii. kalends/ for sooth of januarie  
When Marie example/ of may denhede  
Was of age/ who so will take heed  
S●rtene year this flower of Nazareth  
At the vision of saint Elizabeth.   

¶ Plainly recordeth/ look and you may s●  
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 Sheep herds/ and told the birth of Christ Capi. xliii.  

Amid the field/ to him did appear  
And gave 'em comfort in her great dread  
And bad hem be light/ and glad of cheer  
For I quoth 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 my mischiefs and adversity  
For now this day/ mankyndes saviour  
In Bethleem/ of David his city  
Is born in sooth/ like as you may see  
Goth and beholdeth/ how that is fall  
And you shall find/ in▪ a ox's stall.   

¶ How that he lieth/ in clotheses narrow wound  
This young faunte/ with cheer full benign  
The which thing/ when that you have found  
That all is sooth/ let be to you a sign  
And suddenly/ with laud & prise condign  
With the Angel/ the hold chivalry  
Of all heaven/ by one harmony.   

¶ For joy her of/ 'gan to say and sing  
Glory and honour/ in the heavenly see  
Be unto god/ eternally and during  
And in earth/ peace and rest be  
To all to men/ that of one unity  
This high feste/ 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/ oh King celestial  
O god thy father/ most mighty found at all.   

¶ And god the son/ his child above eterne  
Christ jesus/ born of this heavenly Queen  
O god also/ the choose lamb so darn  
son of the father/ withouten spot all clean  
That dost away/ the worlds sin and ten●  
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 jesus/ of heaven and earth king  
With the holy ghost/ in glory reyninge  
Aye with the father/ by eternity  
There knit in one/ through perfit unite.    

¶ How the shepherds founden Christ with our Lady. Capitulo. xliiii  

ANd when the Angels/ with this heavenly song  
The birth of Christ/ had magnefyed  
With perfit gladness/ that was 'em among  
To heaven anon/ again they have 'em hied  
And the herds by one accord a lied  
Ben hastily unto Bethleem go  
Where they founden/ when they came anon.   

¶ Marry 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 'em self/ 'gan know and feel  
That all was soothe/ that they said afore  
Of the Angel/ how a child was born.   

¶ In to this world/ mankind for to save  
After the record of old prophecy  
Whereof they gan so great a joy have  
That all at once/ they 'gan magnify  
God above/ devoutly and to glorify  
returning him/ devoid of every smart  
And Marie close within her, heart.   

¶ Conserved all that she did see  
word and deed/ and every manner thing  
That befylle in this nativity  
Full secretly/ thereon ymageninge  
And prudently/ herself governing  
Kept her son/ with all her busy cure  
Which on this day/ as saith Bonaventure.   

¶ Like a Spouse/ from his chambre is go  
His choose children/ through his benignity  
In his church/ to joy 'em of Zion  
By perfit peace/ and soothfast unite  
And he this day/ hath showed the beauty  
Of his face/ of excellent fayrnes  
In whose honour/ this day of high gladness.   

¶ Was made the ympne/ the Gospel saith also  
Our alther mirth/ and joy to increase  
Gloria in excelsis de●:  
And in earth/ this day a perfit peace  
To man was showed/ withouten any leace  
And as say the paul/ god's benignity  
This day appeared/ in our humanity.    

¶ How god would nat be born/ 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 nat fain  
befell 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 forlese  
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 it embrace/ by perfit 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 bleffull lord/ show to us thy face  
And we in sooth/ only through thy grace  
Shall saved be from all mischief & dread  
And also now in our great need.   

¶ Send to us thy comfortable light  
Us to enlumine/ ligginge 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  
That 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 hevenes'/ would break on twain  
Us to relieve/ of that we so complain.   

¶ And David spoke/ eke this lord unto  
In the Sawter/ our sorrows for to fine  
And said lord/ in release of our woe  
In high hevenes'/ thy mercy make incline  
And down descend/ and let thy grace shine  
Upon us wretches/ in the vale of sorrow  
And lord do daw/ thy holy glade morrow.   

¶ Quod Solomon/ and show to us thy light  
Of thy mercy/ and rue on our distress  
And with thy virtues/ that be so moche of might  
That no man may count them ne express  
fulfil Zion/ and with high gladness  
Thy people's hearts/ make to renew  
That thy Prophets'/ may be found true.   

¶ For out of the/ shall proceed anon.  
The mighty king/ and lord of israhel  
And now this day/ is coruen out of stone  
Without hands of that holy hell  
Of which sometime the prophet Daniel  
In his book written so long aforne  
To signify/ that there should be born.   

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 alyte  
For it 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 Baruch 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 Christ is born  
Of whose coming so many day aforne.   

¶ 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 jeronime 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 springe & spread  
And consetue juda of dread  
And eke israhel keep in sykernes  
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 Levi 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  
Euenlyke as made is remembrance  
In Malachi in the same wise  
This son of life/ shall spring and arise.   

¶ To all though/ 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 Bethleem I called Effrata  
Though thou be little named in juda.   

¶ For out the shall proceed anon  
The mighty king/ and lord of israhel  
And now this day/ is coruen out of a stone  
Withouten hands/ of that holy hell  
Of the which sometime the prophet Daniel  
In his book written so long aforne  
To signify/ that there should be born.   

¶ A child in sooth/ without touch of man  
Of a maid after his behest  
That like a stone/ was I corn out than  
When he was born/ of this high feste  
Only to bear the crown/ and the chest  
In Babilonie of the great image  
That made man first for to do outrage.   

¶ For now in sooth comen is the day  
Of Prophets so long before behygh●  
For Christ jesus/ plainly this is no nay  
Is like a stone/ who so looketh a right  
Which by his wisdom/ & his father's might  
And the virtue of the holy ghost  
Was coruen out so clean of every cost.   

¶ Of that blessed perfit holy hill  
That groweth full of wholesome flowers fair  
For our ofher/ that was in heart and will  
A perfit maid/ humble and debonair  
Like as the dew of heaven doth repair  
Upon hermon alway/ new and new  
Amending aye the tresshnes of her hew.   

¶ Right so thorough virtue/ lasting aye in o●●  
Of the holy ghost/ this day of Mar●e  
Was coruen out the soothfast angle stoon  
Who me that prophets praise and magnefy  
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 fault/ and of erbes sote  
That hath shed/ the comfortable rain  
The grain of grace/ for our alther boat  
That pierced hath/ even to the rote  
Of our welfare/ to do the leaves spring  
For the alone/ is the field flouringe.   

¶ That sometime gave so passing a sweetness  
To Isaac/ when he was fall in age  
Of which he cast/ so inward gladness  
That him thought hole his courage  
Renewed was/ and with a glad visage  
Unto jacob/ of heartily joy said  
On his clotheses/ as he his hands laid.    

¶ How Isaac prophesied the birth of Crist by touching of the clotheses of his son jacob. Capitulo. xlvi  

MIne own child/ and my son dear  
The great sweetness/ of the fresh odour  
Of thy clothing/ to my is so enter  
That it fro me d●u●ydeth all languor  
saying tofore/ that there should a flower  
Out of the field/ spring of his kindred  
The which should such an odour shed.   

¶ That all world shall comfort find & hele  
In the sweetness/ against each malady  
And sovereign health/ in every mischyeffele  
So that this was no wight but Marie  
That high dissent/ came of his ally  
Out of the which/ to glad all our cheer  
This day in earth/ there did a flower appear.   

¶ The swettest/ yet that ever man beheld  
Passing the Rose and the flower delyse  
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 tempre eyre  
And that it was so passing inly fair.    

¶ How the Garnet appel is likened to our Lady. Capitulo. xlvii.  

O How the balm of heavenly liquor  
Of thy sweetness/ with sovereign suffesaunce  
Like paradise/ she dyth his vapour  
Erly a morrow/ avoiding all grievance  
Like the fruit/ that is of such pleasance  
The garnet appel/ of colour golden hewed  
Thorough whose odour/ the courage is renewed.   

¶ Of every wight that may the eyre receive  
For even like/ as the golden rind  
Is plain & shining/ as you may conceive  
His colour keeping/ ever in one by kind  
And doth his pepynes in the scales bind  
To do comfort to seek in her access  
Right so Marry our sickness to redress.   

¶ This day hath born/ 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  
Christ jesus 'gan first to appear  
And of Marie/ mother maid and wife  
The golden Garnet/ with his scales clear  
Being all hole/ and ever a like entere  
Was born in sooth/ for to refresh belive  
Our old Axes/ and right as the olive.   

¶ His Oil shedeth/ and brance lief no tree  
Appeareth nat of fayrnes ne colour  
Right so Marie/ flouringe in chastity  
This day hat born our alther saviour  
The Oil of peace to stint our languor  
To soft our sores/ and our swelling slake  
Of all our wounds/ when they smart or ache.   

¶ And now this day/ shortly for to write  
This blissful time of the nativity  
Of long joseph/ the cote of polimite  
Wrought by the power of all the trinity  
Within the closet of choose chastity  
Parformed was/ and by none hand of man  
As Alexander well rehearse can.   

¶ Within his book/ made in special  
On Cantica/ as you may read and see  
The which cloth of purpell/ most rial  
Hewed with cleanness of virginity  
This day hath showed in our humanity  
The godhead hole/ for by this clot is meant  
Of our kind/ the freel garnement.    

¶ How joseph figured the Birth of Christ. Capitulo. xlviii.  

ALso this day of joseph the canele  
Amid the field/ that doth virtue flower  
Was gathered up by cleanness every deal  
Whom all that other/ 'gan worship & honour  
For in chastity/ clean choose bower  
Of may denhede/ this canell grew by kind  
That when the brethren of joseph did bind.   

¶ Eueriche his shefe/ the Bible 'gan devise  
How it stood up/ among him everyone  
And all the other/ 'gan atones rise  
And worshipped it meekly one and one  
For this joseph saw this day alone  
Son and Moon/ and Stars eke eleven  
To him obey/ upon the high heaven.   

¶ And the soothfast garnet 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 perfit rote virtuous.  
The seven ears of grain so plenteous.   

¶ This day be grown/ to full perfection  
To save Egipte in his great need  
And for to be to him salvation  
In craft/ when he hath end  
For this is the grain/ that scatter and feed  
With full repast/ woman child and man  
And all his brethren/ dwelling in Canaan.   

¶ This young joseph/ this joseph the second  
Shall by his wit/ help and relieve  
And jacob made in plenty to abound  
With fulsum food/ at moro we and eke at cue  
That the hunger/ on no side ne grieve  
Of the seven year/ unto his lineage  
And like as joseph/ in his tender age.   

¶ Thought he saw/ high up in heaven  
Son and Moon/ in his avision  
And therewithal/ Stars eke eleven  
Honour him with great devotion  
Of this joseph excelling of renown  
This new joseph/ christ jesu himself  
Of the Stars/ and the signs twelve.   

¶ Honoured was with low subjection  
Though he lay low in a Ox's stall  
For both crony and domination  
And hole the court/ above celestial  
This high feste/ for a memorial  
The laudes song/ in the heaven quere  
Like as David had in the Saultere.   

¶ Praiseth the lord of the high empire  
And with one wise/ his birth gloresyeth  
That hath with love brent and set a tire  
Seraphyne/ wherefore him magnefyeth  
Between two beasts/ though he in earth lieth  
Full humbly/ through his humility  
And now this feste of the nativity.   

¶ The high Angels/ and virtues all  
praisen him as they be wont to done  
And let the swetens/ of their notes all  
Down to the earth/ where gods own sone  
This day hath choose/ with us for to won  
And lieth now wrapped in his mother's barmy  
Whom well softly with her holy arm.   

¶ And with the fayrnes of his fingers white  
Full softly she doth him embrace  
And in so much/ in heart doth delight  
His tenderlymmes/ to weld and compass  
And to behold/ the goodliste face  
That ever was forged by nature  
For it was he/ I dare well assure.   

¶ Whom she beheld/ with her eyen meek  
That from eterne/ was in his father's thought  
And one with him/ who can take keep  
His own word/ that all made of naught  
Whom a maid hath to mankind brought  
Thorough her meekness of heaven/ & earth queen  
The lynyall stock of juda to sustain.   

¶ Whom that jacob on his fatal day  
When Antropos should his thread untwine  
Which Cloto had put in delay  
And Lachesis/ or they would it five  
'Gan to bless/ & thus to hem divine  
When all his brethren stood environ  
This old grey/ with a full soft sowed.   

¶ O juda juda/ thy brethren everyone  
Shall praise & worship the great renoun●  
Of thine estate/ which shalt of all thy fone  
The pride oppress/ and make 'em lout down  
That shall be cleped/ the whelp of the Lion  
The rial beast/ which Maugri 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 ten●  
For through thy might/ thou shalt victory have  
Maugre eachone/ that the reverses mean  
For who shall move/ withstand or abstain  
Thy kingly power/ to make resistance  
Again thy manhood/ and thy magnificence.   

¶ That shall in thee/ so clerey show and shine  
Without ●lipsinge/ of any manner cloud  
The sep●e● of whom/ in sooth shall never fine  
To be famous/ by report of law loud  
He never cese/ ne in covert shroud  
Till a Duke arise of the kindred  
Whom all the world/ shall obey and dread.   

¶ The which in sooth/ is for to be sent  
Out of the seed by succession  
Like a King/ to hold his parliament  
With his lieges 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 ●ye his Ass/ under the grapes read  
And he his stole/ that like to god doth shine  
And his pall/ by might of his manhood  
Shall wash in Grapes/ that shall bleed  
The reed blood/ deeper than scarlet hew  
And thus arrayed/ in his vesture new.   

¶ Ofloke he shall be sterner to behold  
Than the streams of the light star  
And of eyen fair many fold  
Than wine fyned shining through a verr●  
And like juore/ that cometh fro so terre  
His teeth shall be even/ smooth and white  
And like in sooth as joseph list indite.   

¶ The son of jacob/ in his testament  
Whereto his children/ he maketh mention  
To fore his death/ with full intent  
His presence as they knelin down  
To hem rehercinge/ the great ●uision  
Which he had in Egipte gone full yore  
In the Forest/ among the holtes whore.   

¶ How that he saw twelve hearts white  
Full lustily go in her pasture  
And after that Lyncolne list to write  
He saw of juda born 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 same/ unto his pleasance  
On whose lift hand stood a fierce Lion  
And beasts all by one alliance  
That were in earth/ through cruel resemblance  
Aforcinge 'em by sheltron in battle  
By fell malice/ this fair lamb to assail.   

¶ But or they a●●yle might in fight  
The lambs power/ made him for the die  
And hem vanisshed through his humble might  
That man & Angel/ when they this conquest say●  
They fellen down/ and the lamb did obey  
Scent of god this meek warrior  
Which was born to be our saviour.   

¶ Unto mankind and protection  
To slay the Lion/ that he may nat endure  
And according with his avision  
This lamb of god/ called in our armure  
This day was born 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  
Fro mighty juda/ grew out succeeding  
Born of the blood/ to be priest and King  
So entremed lyde by succession  
Of both these two was the generation.   

¶ Till the branches be run/ and so far go  
By lynyall course/ de●●endinge as a steyre  
Till the kynredes were both grown in to one  
In to a branch/ to have repair  
That was proved plainly to been eyre  
The right of Levi/ in priesthood to succeed  
And by just title/ who so list to heed.   

¶ For to be king/ and bear the Diadem  
After his father/ and by successor  
To worthy juda/ of Israhel to queme  
To be her prince/ and mighty governor  
And fro jacob/ this burion and this flower  
first 'gan spring/ to jesse till it reached  
And so forth down/ till the buds caught.    

¶ How nature obeyeth to virginity. Capi. xlix.  

THe holy sides in a pure virgin  
To bear fruit/ that shall mankind save  
And now this day/ the prophecy to fine  
In Bethleem/ 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 nat trace  
For by kind/ that one must void away  
But in this case/ nature did obey  
To a maid and gave up hole her right  
Wisely advertinge/ she was to feeble of might.   

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

¶ That she most need of necessity  
In every thing/ to his will obey  
And be minister unto his volunte  
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 perfit found at all  
He would grace descend down so low  
To take the clothing/ freel and mortal  
Of our kind/ to make a burion grow  
That never was of man set ne sow  
But with a word/ and the consenting  
Of a maid/ a graff burgeninge.   

¶ Of judas stock/ this day 'gan appear  
When Christ was born of a maid free  
And the father sent his sone dear  
Down to the earth/ to make an unite  
By perfit love/ and fervent charity  
Eternally be bound/ that may nat fail  
Fully assured/ by wedding & spousal.   

¶ Between his son/ his choose eyre  
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  
I bound was/ that it never untwine  
And of that array for to termine.   

¶ Where the feste and the wedding was  
In all the earth/ I hallowed and I hold  
In all closet/ more clearer than verre or glass  
Or any beryl/ brighter to behold  
For by record of patriarchs old  
The chaste chamber/ was within adorned  
With gold of faith fair bright I borned.   

¶ With charity/ that giveth so clare 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 gems/ chat have excellence  
In mortal virtue/ for to show & shine  
The closet choose/ 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 I meynte  
And thereof colour/ that never will be faint.   

¶ These Violets betoken maidenhead  
Like to purpell/ in sign of victory  
And in this chambre/ full of honest dread  
The chose closet/ the chaste oratory  
This day in sooth/ the high king of glory  
To show his might/ how he for man 'gan wirche  
yspoused hath our mother holy church.   

¶ And like a spouse/ he proceeded is  
Out of his chambre for to rectefye  
All that was wrong/ or in our kind amiss  
Wherefore this feste for to glorify  
Full long agone/ to sing his psalmody  
The king David/ entune did his harp  
And with the tenoures'/ & trebles sharp.   

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

¶ The night of nights/ highest 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 born/ mankind for to succour.    

¶ How the chief tipple of Rome fill the night of Christ's birth/ and other wonderful tokens ⸪ Capitulo. L  

●Or on this night/ by every creature  
Was soothly showed his nativity  
In Bethleem/ how of a maid pure  
A child was born/ most sovereign of degree  
And first of all in Rome the city  
His birth was showed/ highly by miracle  
For wall and roof/ Toures and pinnacle.   

¶ Of the Temple/ most famous in the town  
To god of peace/ that was consecrated  
The same night/ the ground fill down  
Plain with the earth/ waste and dissolate  
In which Temple/ most rial 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 rial of asyse  
So strong bylte/ 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 crests/ and batalinge rial  
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 to the Temple a name  
By one assent/ for the great fame.   

¶ And called it/ 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 born of a maid clean  
This Temple fill down/ enlonge the green.   

¶ To fulfil the true prophecy  
Of Apollo/ that told 'em all this thing  
And in that place/ in worship of Marie  
And of her son of heaven/ and earth king  
Stands a church full rial of building  
And even like the self/ the same time  
The great statue/ long or it were prime.   

¶ Of Romulus'/ that was edefyed  
Fallen to the earth/ and burst on pieces small  
And though Romayns made him stellefyed  
His great heed/ for all that did avail  
Of whom all the werkmen made a tale  
That forged it many a day afore  
And in so●h/ till a child were boar.   

¶ Of a maid/ it should stand up right  
This great image/ and never his heed incline  
But he alowted upon the same night  
When Christ was born of a pure virgin  
Like as the werkmen did aforne divine  
Again the conceit/ and the entention  
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 waxed all light  
As at midday/ when Phoebus is most bright  
To show soothly/ that the son of life  
Was born that night/ to stint all our strife.    

¶ How the night of Christ's birth: a well in Rome ran Oil ⸪ Capitulo. li.  

ANd even than as books also tell  
In very sooth/ withouten any were  
The self time/ in Rome was a well  
Of his streams passyngly enter  
To look upon as any Crystal clear  
From his veins/ as it did boil  
Of which the water/ changed into Oil.   

¶ The same night/ and to Tibre ran  
So large plenty/ that all might it see  
Of which well long before or thann  
All openly in Rome the city  
Sibille the wise/ that had severaynte  
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 born the saviour  
In Bethleem of a maiden pure  
And as I find also in scripture  
The same day/ high in the firmament  
Toward the party of the Oriente.   

¶ 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 born/ in whom were founden three  
To increase our joy and welfare  
Flesh and soul/ and eke the deite  
knit all in one/ by soothfast unite  
Which as a Son voiding shower and shade  
Was born this day/ all the world to glade.    

¶ How the Senates of Rome would have held Octavian her Emperor/ as for her God. Capitulo. lii.  

ALso in Rome/ as writeth Innocent  
In his Chronicle/ making mention  
how the Senate's 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 deyfyed  
And called him/ by name immortal  
The which thing/ when he had espied  
As he that was full prudent found at all  
To his presence/ made anon to call  
Sibille: that was mirror of sapience  
Here upon: to here her sentence.   

¶ And there withal/ that she must deffyne  
Without doubt or ambiguity  
As far in sooth/ as Phoebus doth now shine  
If there were any of power more than he  
Or peregall unto his degree  
From este to west/ here in earth low  
In all this world/ that she could of know.   

¶ And this was down upon the self day  
When Christ was born/ in Bethleem by miracle  
And she full wisely/ Nolde put him in delay  
To give answer mankind a small obstacle  
Till at the last/ the fine of her oracle  
Amid the chambre of the Emperor  
Standing environ/ many a Senator   

¶ Was plainly thus/ with cheer and face bold●  
O Emperor/ lift up anon thine eye  
And look up gynder/ & see the stercle of gold  
About the Son/ which each is to espy  
And there behold/ thou mayst it nat deny  
A maid sit of beauty/ most sovereign  
Holding a child in her arms twain.   

¶ And yet anon as Octavian  
Saw the child/ by clear inspection  
Without abode/ a voice he heard than  
From aloft/ unto the chambre down  
Behold and see/ with humble affection  
This is the Altar of the high heaven  
Set in the Son/ clear as any leaven.   

¶ Wherefore Sibille/ all abroad 'gan say  
To him anon/ & list nat for to bide  
Thy crown avail/ and the child obey  
Whose face: the Son bright may nat hide  
And let now be/ all thy pomp and pride  
And at one word/ she platly 'gan him tell  
The chyldes might/ his power did excel.   

¶ Which thing/ when he 'gan plainly understand  
Of faithful will/ and hold heart entere  
He kneeled down/ and list no lengre stand  
And with incense/ caste 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 and right  
Wrongfully a god sith there is but one  
And right anon/ this noble worthy knight  
Through out the world/ his precept made to gon●  
To provinces and contreyes everyone  
Upon pain of death/ that none of 'em all  
Be herd more/ a god him for to call.   

¶ For he well wist/ by signs openly  
And evidences/ eke in special  
There was one born/ of power more worthy  
Than was himself/ and thereto immortal  
To whom nothing in earth is peregall  
Of all this world/ of high ne low estate  
And for this skill/ after dedicated.   

¶ Was that chambre/ by high devotion  
To Marie plainly/ this is no nay  
And called eke for this avision  
Ara cel●/ yet unto this day  
The name abideth/ and slideth nat away  
Ne loseth nat the light of his brightness  
Thorough none Eclipsinge/ of sorietefulnes.   

¶ And in Edgadi/ the lusty large wines  
That time of year/ of her kind 〈◊〉  
'Gan flourish & flower/ and in stead of wines  
With rich balm/ her branches to repair  
And the virtue/ that winter made bore  
Thorough constraining of cold in the rote  
Nature made with fresh blossoms sote.   

¶ To ascended 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 Septembre/ when Bacchus hath power  
To ●●e●● his might/ that time of the year.   

¶ Lo: how the lord & the mighty King  
That hath lordeshipe/ over grape and vine  
Unto whose might/ every manner thing  
Heaven and earth mu●●● incline  
Can branches bore▪ with fresh flowers fine  
Array new/ though they be sear and old  
In frosty winter/ and in weather cold.   

¶ As in summer/ when Phoebus is aloft  
When Flora reigneth/ in may & in April  
And make blossoms/ to be as smooth & soft  
Amid Decembre/ when men for cold of chill  
Wherefore this feste freely at his will  
The night I mean/ of his nativity  
To show his might/ in erbe flower & tree.   

¶ He made the wines/ as y● have herderd 〈◊〉  
In Edgad●●●er ●aw●e for to shed  
When they were most naked and harayne  
And out of● e●o●/ who so can take heed  
Of which night/ long aforne I read  
That in Egipte/ the prophet jeronime  
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 a Ox's stall  
Hath b●●●e a child/ this thing shall 〈◊〉  
Wherefore the priests/ in her fa●es wide.   

¶ Of very faith/ and of high credence  
Secretest upon a little stage  
Upon his word/ with humble reverence  
Of a maid ● let make an image  
And in her arm/ a child of tender age  
Doing thereto/ in her paynim wise  
After her rites/ a manner of sacrifice.   

¶ And on this hest/ aye fro year to year  
They were a waiting/ when ● 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 the●●.   

¶ And eachone/ of 〈…〉  
Gave answers/ & list nat for to lie  
It was ordained/ of old tradition  
She wed ●ofo●●●/ through holy prophe●ye  
In which they did faithfully espy  
Undispared the hest shall nat vary  
Of the prophecy/ a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though it carry.   

¶ And soothe fastly ●n conclusion  
Upon the time/ of the nativity  
The false Idolis/ in Egipte fallen down  
And all to burst in pieces/ more than three  
To show truly/ that born was he  
Of heaven and earth/ that hath the regally  
And shall destroy/ all false ma● merry.    

¶ How Romayns/ when they had domination over all the world maden to them an image/ and called it their god. Capitulo. liv.  

I find also as writeth Carnotence  
In his book Pollicronicon  
That when Romayns hadden excellence  
Of high lorshippes'/ so many day a go  
And the people's/ and Re●m●s euer● chone  
stooden unto 'em/ under ●owe servage  
From year to year/ paying a trevage.   

¶ Of a tribute/ that was customable  
To the empire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  
For with the Romans/ & Senate's honourable  
When they flowered/ in most felicity  
Devised have for a ●ialte  
Amid her town/ in most worthy place  
A large statue/ feminyne 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 round●nes have the figure  
To signify/ that she most glorious  
The ●yte hath/ holy in her cure  
And how by her/ they were victorious  
And here upon/ most excellent famous  
They did a werkmen/ seek up and down  
And to perform/ through out all the town.   

¶ And at the last/ of hap such one they find  
That passed all/ to work in entail  
And was subtile/ both of wit and mind  
To work in metal/ & said he would nat fail  
Of this emprise/ that may so much avail  
To the city/ and shortly in this case  
Through his engine/ it parformed was.   

¶ So rially/ in the worlds no man  
Coude amend it/ in that ilk tied  
And to behold it/ many a thousand ran  
So glad of it/ they were an 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 sustene  
For lack only/ of good proportion  
Wherefore anon/ with sudden pre and tene  
The workman brent in his opinion  
Rebuking him/ of his presumption  
And suddenly/ partur●ed in his mind  
Answered 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 born  
I undertake/ that this work shall stand  
Thine heed is dull/ in water and in land  
To lack thing/ thou can●●e nat amend  
And the workman/ sother than he wend.   

¶ Hath of this work/ said & prophesied  
For on the night/ when that Christ was born  
In very sooth/ it may nat be denied  
Of brass the goddess/ is broken 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 born that time/ in the little to 〈◊〉  
Of Bethleem/ of a pure virgin  
To whose power/ and dominacione  
great Rome/ meekly shall incline  
For earthly lordships/ needs must fine  
With all their pomp/ and louvre to him low  
When the power of this king is know.    

¶ How wise Sibille told to the Senates of Rome/ the birth of Christ. Capi. lv.  

ANd of this time go/ full many a year  
Wise Sibille/ called Tibertyne  
Spoke to the Senate/ full openly & clear  
Her dream expouning/ of the sons nine  
Which they saw/ all at once 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 generacio●s  
That shall succeed/ diverse and contrary  
Of which Son/ 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 specefieth/ the generation  
That shall by kind/ be furious and wood  
And unto virtue/ full of rebellion  
Till there be born/ a mighty champion  
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 Ehrewasla●d issue of her line  
And out of 'em/ even ylyke proceed  
As doth a flower/ out of the rote spyne  
And she shall be mother and virgin  
And told 'em eke/ in her prophecy  
When she is born/ height shall Marry.   

¶ 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 cost  
His great kingdom/ that shall never fine  
And his birth/ she 'gan also assign.   

¶ And told forth/ affirming steadfastly  
When he were born/ 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/ you may have a sight.   

¶ In thilk verse/ that alleged be  
In great Augustine/ where you may the name  
In the beginning/ of Christ jesus to se  
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 nothing 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 list of malice/ give no credence  
Unto no word/ that she spoke or said  
Till that she of so deign pre abraid.   

¶ And said: oh Jews blind with the sky  
Of ignorance/ and malice indurate  
you shall to him/ of very false envy  
Be wicked/ rebel/ and obstinate  
And aye with him/ you shall held debate  
And maugreth you/ and all your envy  
yet shall he reign/ and kind crowned be.   

¶ When he is born/ 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 tyme.   

¶ The time of times/ the time of life & grace  
The time of joy/ & nothing to morn  
Sithen he is born 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 written in her life.    

¶ How the prophets prophesied the birth of Christ Capitulo. lvi.  

●He time also/ that is authorized  
Of prophets in her prophecy  
Where his coming is openly devised  
Record I take/ first of him Abbye  
That saith thus/ the Bible may nat 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 festes principal  
For that shall newly inspire his sight  
Ascended is/ upon his see royal  
That shall to the be/ both tour and Wall  
Chief defence/ and protection  
In every woe and tribulation.   

¶ And Habacuk/ making mention  
Of his coming/ when he written in tree  
Of green box/ his avisyon  
Where he spoke/ plainly of his nativity  
And his shining clear/ and light shall be  
And of the horns/ he platly 'gan to sayve  
That he shall hold/ in his hands twain.   

¶ Therein is hid/ his power and his might  
That on his fone/ kingly he shall show  
And of the hill/ he telleth there a right  
How he shall bow 'em/ & the crops hew  
And telleth eke/ in words nat a few  
Of Ethiope: and also Madian  
The tabernacles: how they shall quake than.   

¶ And Baruch/ eke scribe of jeronime  
Full openly written/ of his coming  
And badloke 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/ through his worthiness  
Dome 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 floods/ of Ethiope and ●●de.   

¶ They shall to him devoutly offering bring  
And do to him dew sacrifice  
And false gods/ eke through his working  
With royal might/ he shall also despise  
And from her seas/ make him to arise  
And fro the bands of her dwelling place  
Of very force/ drive him and enchase.   

¶ And of his birth/ long or that it fallen  
In a vision/ wonderful of sight  
Spoke the prophet called Daniel  
And said: him thought he saw upon a night  
Like to behold/ as he deemed right  
A sone of man/ coming with a sky  
To whom: pour/ honour/ and regally.   

¶ There given was/ perpetuelly to abide  
And his kingdom: by eternity  
Shall stand hole/ and nat divide  
Which shall nat pass/ neither corrupt be  
Whose coming eke when he did see  
The holy prophet old Ezechiel  
saith thus/ the Bibell 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/ into 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 senger divided into twain  
Which in Idols/ made of stock and ston●  
Ne shall no more be pollute to ordain  
False offerings/ to god that they say  
And the prophecy/ that called is Adge  
Full openly/ who so list to see.   

¶ Writeth of his birth/ in a little stound  
Even like as he was inspired  
That he shall move/ heaven/ see/ and ground  
And he that is of all most desired  
Shall come in haste/ like a king a tired  
For joy/ of the which holy Zacharie  
To Christ's spouse/ this doth specify.   

¶ Be glad and light/ thou daughter of Zion  
And sing/ thou daughter of Iherusalem  
Behold thy king shall come right anon  
That shall be born/ soothly in Bethleem  
And his power/ shall fro royalme to royalme  
The bonds stretch/ of his royalty  
As far in south/ as any flood or any see.   

¶ Holden her course/ as they with waves wind  
Out of her mother/ the great Occian  
Of whose coming/ Malachi maketh mind  
Within his book/ the Bible tell can  
How the name of him/ both god and man  
Shall strotche his streams/ withouten ween  
Fro thilk place/ where the Son shen●.   

¶ Reyseth his light/ when it beginneth daw  
At the upriste in the morning  
Unto the west/ where he goeth under wawe  
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 I say  
When he is born/ that in his presence  
Kings for dread/ shullen keep silence.    

¶ A question assoiled/ which is worthiest of king/ Wine/ or woman. Capitulo. lvii.  

ANd as in earth/ is made a question  
Of things three/ which was worthiest  
King/ wine/ or woman/ in comparison  
Each I praised/ and held as for best  
And all this strife/ and 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 band/ & knot principal  
Of all virtue/ it may nat be denied  
And therewithal/ so excellent royal  
With god himself/ that is next allied  
And for it is/ so much magnefyed  
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 prophets all  
God descending/ to one conclusion  
This day in earth/ for our salvation  
Of a woman in maidenhead flowering  
To mankind/ truth did spring.   

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

¶ The crown of juda/ to accept anon  
And underfang it as a champion  
Which was bereft/ so many a day a go  
From Sedechie away in Babylon  
When that was made/ a transmigration  
By the tyrant: Nabugodonosor  
Whose cruelty/ last shall no more.    

¶ How our Lady aught worthily to be recommended/ & worshipped for the birth of Christ. Capitulo. lviii.  

Now he is born/ that is rightful heir  
That shall make better than Neomie  
His people of juda/ for to have repair  
jerusalem again to reedify  
Though Herode/ that falsely doth occupy  
As a foreign/ through his cruel might  
By tyranny/ and no title of right.   

¶ Of whom the kingdom/ shall nat long endu●●  
The reign usurping/ by extortion  
For the lord of every creature  
This day hath take/ his just possession  
In Bethleem/ within a small dungeon  
He & his mother/ as who saith but all on●  
To wait on him/ other few or none.   

¶ A lady mine/ how god hath made the rich  
Thyself alone/ all richesses to possede  
For in this world/ none is the lyche  
Of plenty royal/ 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 conterpeyse.   

¶ For certes lady/ thou alone haste all  
That within heaven/ Angels desire  
The jewel eyche/ the treasoure celestial  
Of heaven king/ of earth lord and sire  
And him that hath all the hole empire  
Of land & see/ and the monarchy  
Thou haste holy lady mine to gye.   

¶ And as Augustine the holy doctor writeth  
In a sermon of the nativity  
We may to the say/ right as he biddeth  
With devout her●e/ kneeling on our knee  
O blessed lady/ flower of virginity  
We prayen eachone/ oh well of our welfare  
Like a mother/ nat thy milk to spare.   

¶ give him plenty/ that is so plenteous  
Of fulsomeness Angels to feed  
And give him souke/ the payment gracious  
Of thy paps/ let thy conduit shed  
The sweet milk/ all about in breed  
Motherly: it making to avail  
On his fair tender limbs small.   

¶ Glad mayst thou be/ that save list to vouce  
With his soft round lips light  
To have pleasance/ thy breasts for to touch  
Only to souke/ thy blessed paps white  
And that him list/ so godely to dely●●  
For his play/ to have so moche ●●●ss●  
Ever among thy holy mouth to kiss.   

¶ And suddenly/ with childely cheer jocund  
Than anon/ thy white neck to embrace  
With his soft tender arms round  
And than at once/ 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 fyngres/ mouth/ & eyen touch  
His small paumes/ 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 hand twain  
For therein was his heavenly repast  
Thy young son/ when he list to break his taste.   

¶ There was his food/ and his norisshing pure  
Soothe fast seleer/ of his sustenance  
The ton of life/ that ever did endure  
Aye like fresh/ unto his pleasance  
With sacred liquor/ of holy abundance  
That none but he may touch ne approach  
For it for him/ was only set abroach.   

¶ For in that liquor is full remedy  
Holy refute/ and plain medicine  
Again the venom/ brought in by envy  
Through ●a●●●●ngyne/ & malice serpentine  
When the snake made Adam to dine  
Of the appel/ that was intoxicate  
Falsely with god/ to make him at debate.   

¶ But now the milk/ of thy paps twain  
Benign lady/ is to us treacle  
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 naught 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 goodely lady/ o heavenly botelere  
When we in mischief/ to the clepe & call  
Some drop of grace/ let upon us fall  
And to that celer/ make a ready way  
Where thou of mercy/ alone bearest the key.   

¶ And of grace/ let be no scarcity  
Good lady/ that art of grace well  
For now this day/ in earth is born of the  
The soothfast god/ of heaven earth and hell  
Which is come down/ with us for to devil  
And hath of thee/ our mortal kind tale  
Of all our woe/ an end for to make.   

¶ Sometime fro heaven/ fill down the man  
To refresh the hungry in her need  
And that befallen/ in desert right then  
When Moses the people did lead  
But now this day/ in earth man to feed  
An humble maid/ to all that been truwe  
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 restoratyfe  
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 devil   

¶ Send us thy manna/ of sovereign hearts hel●  
To our comfort/ and consolation  
And let us grace/ in thy mercy feel  
For our refute/ and re●eccion  
And in this vale of confusion  
Let the grace/ fro the skies rain  
The manna of life/ that we may attain.   

¶ For thou alone/ art comfort syngule ●  
To though/ that no requite con●e  
This day also/ of mercy the river  
from which all grace/ is to mankind run  
The star also/ that hath brought forth the sone  
The sone of life/ in earth for to won  
O maid/ oh mother/ o daughter of thy sone.   

¶ Which none insoth/ 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 Moon  
Save this day/ the Son of life most sheen  
From the arose/ & thou a maiden clean.   

¶ Without Eclipsinge/ or losing of thy light  
For thou a mother/ and maid both two  
In virtue ay like sheen and bright  
O fair Rose/ oh Rose of Jericho  
That haste this day/ god and man also  
In Bethleem born/ again the grey morrow  
The night to void/ of all our old sorrow.    

¶ Of likeness of our Lady/ in commendation of her. Capitulo. lix.  

Now fair cedar/ Cypress of Zion  
Springing light of Nazareth  
Choose chambre/ of wise Solomon  
Flower of the field/ swettest on holt & heth  
Of whom all virtue/ saveth men fro death  
Of Siloe/ the water eke depured  
Wher●y the leper of Naman was recured.   

¶ Land and glory/ of Iherusalem  
Thou named art/ and of Israel gladness  
Ho●●om cistern/ this day of Bethleem  
The christ of David/ to staunch and distress  
Of Paradise the well in soothfastness  
Foison that floweth/ in to sundry Royames  
The soil to adieu/ with his sweet streams.   

¶ The land also of promission  
That milk and honey/ both in fere shedeth  
The soil and ground/ of our salvation  
With his herbs/ that fostereth us and feedeth  
Now blessed maid/ whose mercy ever needeth  
Also that lyven in thy service  
This high fist▪ 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/ oh lady mine convey  
To continue/ fully vutyll we die  
The to se●ue/ with heartily love and dread  
As most is pleasing to thy womanhead.   

¶ And this feste/ of festes' principal  
Called the feste of the nativity  
Make love and peace/ to reign overall  
And hearts joy/ with perfit unite  
Void all discord/ & let no rancour be  
In hearts closed/ by malice of enmity  
But of thy grace/ so govern us and gye.   

¶ This high feste/ in which thy son was born  
Now this midwynter/ night full affection  
While Phoebus shineth in the Capricorn  
We may the serve/ with all devotion  
And lady mine in conclusion  
Now this month/ that called is Decembre  
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/ neyeth to aquary  
His watery beams tofore Feverere  
When that his light/ was pale & nothing clear  
And from him late/ was passed Lucine  
The same night/ as I saw her shine.   

¶ A ourned 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 it befallen/ than by revolution  
By just acounting in the Calendars  
The first day of the new year.   

¶ And though 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 go  
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 circumcised.   

¶ 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 go  
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 here  
Wherefore his mother/ of very tender heart  
Out burst on tears/ & might herself nat steer  
That all bydew●d/ where her eyen clear  
When she saw him/ that she loved so  
So young/ so fair/ to weep for wo.   

¶ 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/ passyngly benign  
And as he could/ goodely 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 fetures/ considered by and by  
And in her arms/ wonder womanly.   

¶ She took him up/ & prayed him be still  
As of motheres/ is plainly the manner  
And he in all obeyeth to her will  
Though he were young/ & 'gan to change his cheer  
And with her kerchyef/ she made his eyen clear  
On his cheeks/ in all that ever she may  
Full motherly/ the tears wept away.    

¶ how in four manner of wyses Christ was circumcised Capitulo. lxi.  

ANd like of Asquyne/ as it is devised  
That Christ jesus/ who so list to see  
In four manners/ was truly circumcised  
first of his father/ at his nativity  
With the knife of wilful poverty  
And now this day/ which is nat feigned  
Eke with a knife/ by the law ordained.   

¶ The third manner/ you may eke consider  
How with the knife of great adversity  
That he was kite/ 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 choose people Cap●. lii.  

●Ke in four manner/ who so can take heed  
Christ in it is choose/ by good inspection  
Here in this world/ withouten any dread  
Of new/ he suffered circumcision  
The first is made/ by false detraction  
That ky●teth 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●  
Unrightfully/ her goods temporal  
And the third/ soothly is most mortal  
Of heretics/ that falsely disobey  
To holy church/ & to out faith vareye.   

¶ The fourth/ is made by effusion of blood  
Of tyrant/ that the body sleeth  
When they of malice/ again the faith stood  
To execute her venom up by death  
To make mar●ers/ to yield up the breath  
Whom Christ jesus eternally in glory  
Ordained hath/ ● palm of victory.   

¶ Eke five times/ christ in his manhood  
Shed his blood by effusion  
And alther first wh●n he did bleed  
Upon the day of circumcision  
And in sooth/ tofore his passion  
Upon the hill/ for auguysshe when heswete  
The red blood/ which all his body wet.   

¶ The third time/ his blood most virtuous  
'Gan ren●e 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  
Through 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 grace/ recovered hath his sight.   

¶ And in his books/ eke as it is told  
How the piece of his Incision  
Was by an Angel/ in an urn of gold  
To Charles borough in a vision  
And he anon of great affection  
Of this miracle/ for the excellence  
Made it be kept for great reverence.   

¶ And at Acon/ but y● 〈◊〉  
Full many a yet by revolution  
In a church soothly of Marie  
But clerks have an opinion  
That the day of Resurrexion  
When Christ jesus rose from death to live.  
The same piece returned as belive.   

¶ To the place/ where that it cain fro  
Sithen that it was soothly as I find  
Of his manhood/ pertaining thereto  
And a patty/ longing to his kind  
Though 〈◊〉 be so/ that books make mind  
That in Rome it is yet preserved  
And year by year/ when this teste is served.   

¶ In a church/ which men of custom call  
Sancta Sanctorum/ of old foundation  
The same day/ there the priests all  
solemnly make a station  
When all the people go on procession  
Fully in hope/ better for to speed  
From year to year/ there they sing and read.   

¶ And furthermore/ the story doth devise  
The same day/ right fortwith anon  
In the Temple/ as they him circumcise  
He named was jesus of eachone  
The which name long or that agone  
Was of the Angel told & said afore  
To his mother/ or that he were boar.    

¶ How the people of god that duke joshua had in governance/ weren saved by the steadfast believe of the name of jesus. Capitulo. lxiii.  

ANd to rehearse the great worthiness  
Of this name/ which may hat be described  
My wits been so dull with rudeness  
And in the chain/ of ignorance guided  
That I alas of cunning am deprived  
Thorough lack of wit/ in any manner wise  
To undertonge/ 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 say the bernard/ who so list to see  
Figured first unto joshua  
Through his knighthood/ when he should lead  
The people of god/ to save hem in her need.   

¶ For this is the name/ that hearts most desire  
For therein is so passing sweetness  
For it may best ●em/ with grace inspire  
And with plenty/ of all goodely riches  
It is comfort/ & so succour in sickness  
refute alfo/ rest and remedy  
To all though/ that feelen malady.   

¶ Against 〈…〉  
In all this world/ th●● 〈◊〉 may ●e ●ound●  
For this name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and divine  
That hearts seek/ it doth with hole abound  
It cureth sores/ it heleth every wound  
And saveth man fro many a sword & spear  
Where ever they riden/ in laud far or 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 eyre/ to void pestilence  
And from the death/ him 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/ and in every dread  
It is also the guerdon and the meed  
In them that ●en in exile of outrage  
Repeyre final of her pilgrimage.   

¶ This is the well/ with the four streams  
Whereof writeth bernard in his sentence  
That through the world/ refressheth all Romayns  
It is so wholesome/ & of such excellence  
The first he calleth the stream of sapience  
Of which the flood most inly is abound  
And right wiseness/ he nameth the second.   

¶ And the 〈…〉  
For it excels in perfection  
The fourth/ also as I can express  
Is the stood of our redemption  
And of the first in conclusion  
Of which the streams been so fresh and fine  
Who so looketh a right/ is hold our doctrine.   

¶ And of his right/ to make mention  
The wholesome well/ ever doth flow & fleet  
With mercy medlede and remission  
Tosore his doom/ his pre for to lere  
And of the third/ the water is soswete  
By good example/ who so can discern  
In virtue aye/ 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 attain  
He shall it find closed in the same.   

¶ Of perfit richesses/ it is the resorye  
Which may not waste/ but yliche abide  
The fire it quencheth/ also of envy  
And represseth the bolning eke of pride  
And thorough meekness/ setteth ire a side  
And who that hath this name in remembrance  
Him the spirit of sloth/ may do no grievance▪   

¶ It is also/ 〈…〉  
Again wanhope/ and 〈◊〉  
Crystal shield of P●●l●s f●● despair  
Thereto avoid/ the foul Abusion  
And who that maketh his ●●uocacion  
To this name/ with heart of stableness  
It giveth him strength/ & also sikerness.   

¶ The cruel fire and brenning to withstand  
Of lechery/ and all temptation  
It is refute to 〈◊〉/ & eke to bond  
That have therein/ her hold affection  
Whose virtue was to king Solomon  
Full long aforne in divine oracle  
As I find/ showed by miracle.    

¶ How Prophets and martyrs suffreden death for the name of jesus. Capi. lxiiii.  

THis is the name of Prophets specified  
In her writing/ and in her books old  
O● apostles/ most highly magnefyed  
By whose virtue/ they the truth told  
This made also martyrs to bebolde  
And mighty like starve champyons  
With stable heart/ to suffer her passions.   

¶ By this name they were victorious  
In her torment/ patience to have  
This is the name that Ignasius  
Had in his heart of gold deep 〈◊〉  
Whereof the tyrant 'gan him sore above  
When that he saw/ his heart cut a twain  
And letters new/ dep●●●● in every vain.   

¶ This is the name/ that to confessoures  
Was full repast in her abstinence  
This is the name/ that in sharp showers  
Of fleshly lust/ was hole her defence  
It gave 'em might/ to make resistance  
Again sin/ and knightly to warreye  
And to continued/ in virtue till they die.   

¶ It is the feste/ and the figured food  
Of may denhede/ 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/ boisterous & blowing  
Ne may nat quench/ the light of his shining.   

¶ This is the name/ that most giveth melody  
Unto the ear/ and the swettest sou●  
It is the name/ of heavenly armonie  
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 him that lyven in bliss  
Salue unto 'em/ that languor in sickness  
Uesture in cold/ to him that clotheses 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 given 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 succour a way 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  
Some 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  
Appointed weren/ & mighty Champiousnes  
Within palastre/ through her high renown  
Or in champclose/ 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 glory   

¶ And he was pressed man to reconsile  
That banished was out of his heritage  
Whom a Serpent falsely did exile  
Of false malice/ in a sudden rage  
And he was born only by lineage  
To be a king/ and by power eterne  
When he is crowned/ his people to govern.    

¶ How Christ jesus was both prophet pressed king and mighty champion. Capitulo. lxvi.  

Now Christ jesus soothe fast pressed & king  
And for mankind/ most worthy warriors  
Prophet also/ and truest in l●uynge  
Be thou our help/ be thou ou● 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 jesus 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 right●●●snes prove  
Let pity first the to mercy ●eue  
And or thy 〈◊〉 of vengeance us menace  
Let tronthe afore thy rightful doom embrace.   

¶ For of our help/ thou art the pyllere  
Again despair/ holy our sustenance  
Our strength/ our might/ our requited far & near  
In each peril to save us from mischance  
Thou art our force/ and our sustenance  
And in mischief/ when dread w●lde 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 immutable  
To repentant/ by rigour nat vengeable  
And ever aforne/ in ponisshing of thy law  
Peace to prefer/ or right his sword may draw   

¶ And to bring the lost sheep again  
Out of desert into his pasture  
That was errant idle/ and in vain  
O Christ jesus of thy benign cure  
Moore redyay 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/ goodely to redress  
And master of mercy/ all our mischief fine  
O Christ jesus/ well of all sweetness  
Lord of pity/ & lord of rightfulness  
Have upon us this day compassion  
That called is the circumcision.   

¶ And grant us grace/ with dew reverence  
This high feste/ so noble and so dign  
Worship & hallow/ devoid of all offence  
And be to us goodely and benign  
That were this day marked with the sign  
And the carecte/ by the law ordained  
Is very sooth/ and nothing 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 kit 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 jesus/ 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 jesus/ we pray unto the  
let thy name/ whether we ride or gon●  
In each peril/ and each adversity  
Be our defence/ against our mortal sone  
To make 'em stand estille as any stone  
And all that casten us falsely to warey  
Make her malice/ meekly to obey.   

¶ To thy name/ & make 'em stand all back  
Or they have power/ to haunt 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 jesus impress  
Make us of grace/ her malice to oppress.   

¶ For to thy name/ holy we commend  
Our life/ our death body/ heart and all  
Our soul also/ when we hence wend  
O Christ jesus/ oh lord Immortal  
praying to thee/ when thou us dame shall  
To save all though/ from eternal shame  
That have full faith/ & trust trust in thy name.    

¶ how by the prophecy of Balaam watch was made upon an hill. Capi. lxvii.  

THou lord/ whose light dessendeth fro so far  
Thorough the roundenes of the spears. ix.  
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.   

¶ To see this star/ most famous 〈◊〉  
On the heaven/ when it should appear  
The worthy kings/ as made is mention  
Upon the hill/ together go in fere  
For cause they/ who so lift to here  
Were of the stock of Balaam down descended  
Wherefore of sort/ the hill they be ascended.   

¶ As fill on 'em/ by custom to succeed  
At a certain of the year by revolution  
And on this hill/ east werde they took heed  
By good avise/ in her inspection  
The same night/ of the Incarnation  
When Christ was born in Bethleem of Marie  
The same hour/ the Star they aspye.   

¶ Of new arysen in the Oriente  
Full lusty/ of whom the beams light  
'Gan enlumme all the firmament  
From east to west/ it gave so clear a light  
That of the streams/ every manner wight  
Astoned was/ they were so bright & sheve  
And to the eye/ full perceant for to seen.   

¶ The which Star/ drove his course of right  
Toward the hill/ like as books tell  
Where the kings/ the long winters night  
It to a wait/ solitary devil  
And there anon/ upon her knees fallen  
And thanked god with all her hearts lust  
Which hath nat hem defeauded 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 up ward/ as they 'gan look  
They saw a child/ above the star appear  
So young/ so fair/ in a golden spear  
Full royally stand/ and about his heed  
A large cross/ that was of blood full read.   

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

¶ Was born that time/ to have the regally  
Of Jews land/ of very dew right  
To whom the star did specify  
When he was born/ with his clear light  
And they anon/ when passed was the night  
The next morrow/ no longer list abide  
But to ward him/ caste him for to ride.   

¶ With great array/ and royal aparayle  
As was sitting/ to their worthiness  
They shope hem forth/ & for they would nat fail  
To do honour to his nobleness    


¶ To give him clearly information  
Other exploire/ and of the child also  
Surely affirming/ by false collusion  
That he himself would soon after go  
Unto the child/ and his devoyrdo  
To worship him/ & all under colours  
As the Worm/ or Serpent under flowers.   

¶ Darith full oft/ & keepeth him covertly  
Of kind malice/ till they a time se  
To shed her venom/ & than suddenly  
All at once/ when they unwarest be  
They styngen and she win her cruelty  
And her venom/ under flowers fair  
Full oft is hid/ till they may appear.   

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

¶ To discepue with thy slily wile  
What can sugar under gall fain  
What wenyste thou/ the kings to beguile  
And of malice/ bring him in a train  
Of whose coming/ though that thou disdain  
It may nat help/ plainly ne veil  
For of thy purpose/ plainly thou shalt fail.   

¶ For by grace/ they shullen in quiet  
Maugre thy might all the danger pas  
For though that thou/ with words honey sweet  
Maliciously/ upon her death compass  
They shullen scape/ 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 yloke  
He gave 'em leave/ pass through his reme  
In her repair/ him casting to be wroke  
If they return again by Iherusalem  
And so the star/ him brought to Bethleem  
And line tied/ the chyldes' heed above  
Where as he lay still/ 'gan to hove.    

¶ Of the joy that the Kings had when they found Christ. Capi. lxxii.  

BUt who the joy could tell or indite  
Or with his mouth/ the mirth express  
Or who can plainly with his penue write  
The great bliss or the gladness  
Which they made in soothfastness  
After her journey/ and her long w●y●  
Above the house/ when they the star say.   

¶ That 'gan to hem clearly certify  
Without more/ the chyldes dwelly age place  
And they anon/ fast 'gan 'em high  
With lusty heart/ and glad of there and face  
To alight down in 〈◊〉 space  
They made he●● ready/ & with reverence  
They entered in/ and came in ●o 〈◊〉.   

¶ Where as the child most worthy of d●g●●  
Was with Marie in a Ox's stall  
And humbly the kings all three  
Forth they went toward the stall  
And brought her treasure/ & her g●●●es all  
As reverently as they could devise  
And him presented in all her best wy●e.   

¶ Like as her estate/ every after other  
Making their present/ with all humility  
Like her age/ as brother after other  
Gold/ Frank/ & Myr●he/ they gave him all thr●  
After custom of Perce and Chaldee  
For of th●● land/ when kings present make  
The custom is such gifts for to take.   

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

¶ And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is pa●ed for tribute  
As it is found of ●●tiquite  
Therefore th● kings/ for a manner suit  
That they him 〈…〉  
They brought him gold ou● of her co●tr●  
And gave 〈…〉  
holy of heart/ for a recog●isaunce.   

¶ And Frank also/ as clerks can devise  
Ordained is in conclusion  
To god only/ to make sacre●ise  
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 ●er busy cure  
In token he should for mankind die  
They brought myrrh to his sepulture  
For like a man/ death he must endure  
And with his blood/ ●hed in his passion  
For our trespass/ for to make redempciom.   

¶ In Frank also/ who that can discern  
Is understand the high majesty  
Of his power/ which that is eterne  
And eke also/ his high dey●e  
The gold betokeneth his high dignity  
And myr●he declareth/ unto us at all  
Of his manhood/ that he was mortal.   

¶ And gold betokeneth of love the fervence  
That he to ma● 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 hed●  
Of myrrh also this day the offering  
Was longing only to his manhood  
And thus he was withouten any dread  
Both king and priest/ as I discrive can  
And for our sake in earth a mortal man.   

¶ In gold also/ most glorious metal  
Figured was his high deyte  
In Frank also/ that is so cordial  
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 gifts passing reverence  
Full of mystery/ & heavenly privity  
And when they had made their present  
Unto the child aye sitting on her knee  
And with great advise/ they began behold & see  
Tofore that they remove from that place  
His godly cheer/ and his fair face.   

¶ Considering his fetures by and by  
With great insight/ and humble entencion  
And aye 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 nat in sothenes/ heaven been liche  
To his fayrnes/ neither peregall  
For he that is above nature rich  
Hath made this child/ ●ayreste in special  
For in his face/ they beholden all  
The hole beauty/ and fayrnes eke also  
Of heaven and e●the/ to guider both two.   

¶ Wherefore no wonder/ though they him dely●●  
Most passingly upon him to see  
For they in heart rejoicen hem nat alyte  
On him to look/ that they have liberty  
For aye the more plainly that they be  
In his presence/ the perfit hot fyr●  
Of heartily ●oye/ hem brent in desire.   

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

¶ And of his mother/ they moche thing inquire  
Touching his birth/ with humble affection  
And she answereth most feminine of cheer  
Full prudently to every question  
With cheer demure/ and look ycaste adown  
With all the port of womenly cleanness  
Herself demening/ chiefly with meekness.    

¶ Of virtuous poverty and meekness of our Lady Capitulo. lxxiii.  

O She that was of heaven and earth queen  
And of hell lady and princes  
O what was she/ alas that might fustene  
To be proud considered her meekness  
O pride alas/ oh rote of our distress  
Though thy booste above the sky blow  
Thy byloing/ high shallbe brought full low.   

¶ O Surquedry/ alas why n●●te thou see  
How that she had heaven in her demeyne  
And lady is both of land and see  
And of the axtre/ between the poles twain  
And of the enbracing/ of the golden chain  
yet unto her/ I say in soothfastness  
Above all this/ agryed her meekness.   

¶ O pomp elate/ with thy cheres bold  
Remember and 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 louly in a stable  
How that she sat this lady honourable.   

¶ Were there of gold any clotheses found  
Of Silk Damask/ or rich Tartaryne  
Or whas there Arras about her heed bound  
Or was there any Uelwet 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 bylte of lime and stone  
Or the pylers set on marble grey  
Or the ground paved on to go  
Or fresh parlours/ glazed bright as day  
Or were therein chambers 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 sheets 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  
you women all sholden take heed  
With your pearls/ and your stones bright  
how that our queen/ flower of womanhead  
Of no devise embrouded hath her weed  
Ne furred with Ermyn/ ne with Christi grey  
Ne Martyred/ ne Sabil● 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/ you sholden have pity  
To see a lady of so high degree  
So seemly atyred/ oh you women all  
So narrow closed in an Ox's stall.   

¶ Let be your pride/ and your affection  
Of rich array/ & nothing you delight  
In worldly pomp/ and such abusion  
Of soundry clotheses/ 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 riches  
When you lest ween/ & all your seemliness.   

¶ Let 'em afore be to a Kalendere  
I sowed Eleyne/ and eke Policene  
Hester also/ and Dido with her cheer  
And rich 〈◊〉/ of Ethiope queen  
Lygge they nat grave/ under colours green  
And yet all this/ may nat your pride atame  
Natwithstanding/ that you shall do the same.   

¶ And after death abideth no memory  
For aye with death/ cometh foriet fullness  
And fare well than array/ and all vainglory  
Save only virtue/ that standeth in sikernesses  
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 you have herd express  
Beholding her in virtue most abound  
Till at the last/ they have a leisure 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 Herodes/ but by another way. Capi. lxxiiii.  

ANd suing after on the next night  
While they slept at her lodging place  
Came an Angel appearing with great light  
And warned him/ that they nouht ne trace  
By Herodes/ 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 Hebreu was called Appolleus  
The next Amerus/ the third Damarus  
And in Greek/ the first Galgatha  
And Sarachim/ 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 Balthasar  
And the third/ you get of me no more  
As I read/ was called Melchior.   

¶ 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 Herode/ of cursed cruelty  
In Tharse made all the ships burn  
Whereof write David the Saulter if you ken.   

¶ And unto you clearly to specefie  
Touching this ●este/ and this solemnite  
Whereof is said this word epiphany  
Which is a word of great authority  
And said/ and compouned/ who so can see  
Of Epi first/ and Phanos soothe to say  
And one word compouned of these twain.   

¶ Cometh this word of epiphany  
And this word Epi by discripsion  
Is said of height/ as I can signify  
And of a showing/ by demonstration  
As Phanos said/ and so by good reason  
Epi and Phanos/ both knit in fere  
Is a showing/ that doth a loft appear.   

¶ And for this day/ aloft was the star  
Which Christ's birth/ and incarnation  
With his streams 'gan shed from so far  
From east to west/ in many a region  
Whereof this feste in conclusion  
As you toforne have herd me specefie  
This feste is called of epiphany.   

¶ The which feste hath a prerogative  
Of miracles notable in special  
For things four/ wrought in Christ's life  
Weren on this day by his power royal  
The first of all/ for a memorial  
Is of the kings/ as you have heard me say  
Which were in idle/ to rehearse again.   

¶ The second is/ it is soothly told  
That Christ jesus this day of saint johan  
The year when he was thirty winter old  
baptized he was in the flow jordan  
At which time/ three kings under one  
Appeared this day/ worthy of memory  
The first was that from the high glory.   

¶ The father's voice/ as clerks list indite  
Came down to earth/ that men might here  
An like a down/ with fair federes white  
The holy ghost also did appear  
And Christ jesus the father's sone 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 partyte vn●●●  
Therefore this day of most reverence  
Named is truly in this sentence  
Theophanos for god in triple wise  
Therein appeared as you have herd devise.   

¶ For The●s is as much for to mean  
As god in english/ if you list to see  
And Phanos/ as showing withouten ween  
As you have heard afore rehearsed of me  
For in earth/ ● god in trinity  
This day appeared withouten any lie  
you truly may it call Theophanie.   

¶ Eke when Christ was old thirty year  
This day he turned water in to wine.  
That passyngly was to the eye clear  
And of tarrage/ inly good and fine  
The which he se●t 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 it is named Bethphanie  
For●eth in english by discripsion  
Is called a house or a mansion  
Of which miracle renomed of fame  
Bethphanie this day hath the name.   

¶ Eke in the year of his passion  
Fer in desert/ this day also I read  
With loves five/ through his great foison  
five thousand I find/ that he did feed  
Of which miracle/ if you taken heed  
This day is last named Phagiphanie  
Like as first was cleped epiphany.   

¶ For this word Phagi in to our intent  
Is said of feeding/ of re●eccion  
For which miracle passing excellence  
That is so famous/ & so high of renown  
Like as the Gospel maketh mention  
Therefore this day among the other all  
you lustily may it Phagiphanie call.    

¶ A declaration of the three Kings of their three gifts. Capitulo. lxxv.  

Now Christ jesus this day this high feste  
We the beseech/ with heart/ will/ & thought  
Only of mercy/ to here our request  
For the miracles/ that thou therein haste wrought  
For love of 'em/ that the so far have sought  
The worthy kings/ that came out of Chaldee  
The ●o honour/ in Bethleem the city.   

¶ And through the prayers of these kings three  
That for thy love/ token her viage  
jesus defend us from all adversity  
And make us strong/ & sure in our passage  
In this exile/ and perilous pilgrimage  
With our foe men of malice/ and of pride  
Which have us bysette an every side.   

¶ The which our gold/ of perfit charity  
Wolden us bereave by persecution  
That we should offer of fervent unto the  
O● heartily love/ and high devotion  
And eke our Frank of contemplation  
Wherewith he should make our sacrifice  
O● high disdain and malice they despise.   

¶ For Gold of truth/ is falsely now allayed  
By feigned love/ and simulation  
And faith with fraud/ is corrupt & frayed  
With double tongues and detraction  
Our Frank also/ of high perfection  
That should burn clear above the sky  
Is with the code medlide 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/ and false suspection  
And thus good ●ayth/ is ro●●ed up s● dow●e  
And true meaning/ derked with a sky  
That we in english calle● flattery.   

¶ And thus our offering/ goeth almost wrong  
Of Gold/ of Frank/ for aught I can espy  
And our Myrrh hath behind full long  
Us to preserve/ from all such treachery  
For now is turned/ into Ipocresye  
Our holiness/ & that is great ruth  
And cause why/ for fraud hath banished truth.   

¶ But Chrike jesus/ that all this mayst amend  
And that is amiss/ in each state redress  
This high feste/ 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 vertence  
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 ghostely. Capitulo. lxxvi.  

Now Christ jesus y● knowest every heart  
And nothing may be hide 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 entention  
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 Bethleem in a stable  
Made unto thee/ and 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 souke in a stall  
That chaste milk of virginal cleanness  
That thou this feste/ oh Star of holiness  
convey our offering/ to that Star see  
Where next thy son/ thou haste the sooner aynte.   

¶ And good lady in this sorrowful vale  
Of trouble and woe/ and of heaviness  
Sithen thou of jacob art the right scale  
The way of life/ the Ladder of holiness  
Toward that country/ the even way dress  
And make thy men thither to ascend  
Where ever bless/ and joy hath no end.   

¶ For certes lady/ in this life we lack  
Of soothfast joy/ all the suffisance  
Save among we kneel afore the rack  
Wherewith thy son was sometime thy pleasance  
And us rejoicing/ as by remembrance  
Only by likeness to look on thine image  
And on thy son/ with his fair visage.   

¶ But oh alas there is but a likeness  
Of portraiture/ that doth great offence  
For we may nat have/ full the blessidnes  
Of 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 nat avail.   

¶ yet day by day/ of true affection  
We go of new/ thy likeness for to s●  
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 wo.   

¶ With all our heart/ oh what thing may this be  
To see that lord in a rack lie  
That hath the heaven in his postye  
And all this world/ power hath to gye  
O how it is that the regallie  
Of heaven & earth is brought down so low  
That no man list uneath his power know.   

¶ And suddenly our hearts gynneth cold  
For astoning/ & is for wonygh mate  
So great a queen/ when that we behold  
Alone sitting all disconsolate  
So fair/ so good/ and so high estate  
Most womanly/ and so benign of cheer  
Thy sone/ and the together suiting in fere.   

¶ In the bands of so narrow a dungeon  
Whereof all earth tremble shall and quake  
And every wight by lamentation  
Weep & plain/ sigh and sorrow make  
O blessed queen/ only for thy sake  
To see on thee/ none other waiting  
But beasts with hay himself 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 gifts 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 as wageth our grievance  
For nothing may our sorrow so appease  
As ever of thee/ 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 magnificeuce.   

¶ To thy servants of thy grace see  
And to thy son/ be for us a mean  
This high feste/ which longeth unto the  
In which thou were honoured 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 Herodes through his mortal strife  
The fiend by trap us thorough his cruelty  
Now that time lady of thy benignity  
Against the snares/ of this dreadful were  
To life eterne/ be thou our loode Star.    

¶ How our Lady was purified. Capitulo. lxxvii.  

Glory/ and price/ laud/ & high honour  
O blessed queen/ be given unto the  
That were of gold/ the close chaste tour  
Surely founded upon humility  
shut with the key/ of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  
From all sin/ fully to be assured  
And of the holy ghost/ round about enuired.   

¶ That never no brenning of fleshly heat  
Assail might thine holy tabernacle  
With dew of grace/ thy closet was so sweet  
Fulfilled with virtue/ only by miracle  
God chase thy womb for his tabernacle  
And hallowed it so clean in every cooste  
To make it sacrarie/ for his own ghost.   

¶ Natwithstanding/ that thou were so clean  
Above all other by election  
Of meekness only/ oh 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/ & nat a point withdraw.   

¶ But even like as it is specified  
Levitici who so can understand  
To the Temple/ to be purified  
Thou meekly come thine offering in hand  
All be the law set/ on the no band  
For it is there made mention  
Touching the law of purification.   

¶ If a women conceive by a man  
And have a child/ by meddling hem 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 thede in conclusion  
How this law like as you shall find  
Ne was nat put/ but by condition  
Only to them that corrupt weren by kind  
Through 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 pressed hallowed & sacrefied  
Retorneth home/ and fully purified.   

¶ And if she had in her possession  
readily no lamb/ only for poverty  
Than should she take for her oblation  
Two turtell Doves/ & therewithal go free  
Or two pigeons/ like as you may see  
Levitici/ where as by distinction  
Of this offering is made description.   

¶ But this maid/ who so can take heed  
Excluded ●as fro this condition  
That bore a child/ without man's sed●  
Bring ever cle●e from all corruption  
Where through/ 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 ●t and cast  
And at both times shit as like fast  
In her childing no more through grace ybroke  
Than at her conceiving/ than it was unloke.   

¶ For nature withouten any strife  
repugnance/ or any resistance  
Gave this maybe prerogative  
As mother to have experience  
Only of childing/ & feel none offence  
neither 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 decrete  
After all this of custom as she ought  
To the Temple she her offering brought.   

¶ To give example only of meekness  
To the law she meekly would obey  
Fro point to point the Gospel saith express  
And on no side would it ●at withsay  
And though that she ●are of gold no key  
To buy a lamb/ for poverty constreyning  
yet she full meekly to make her offering.   

¶ Brought two Turtles/ as it is said aforne  
That was the offering of poor folk eachone  
Which to the Temple/ when she hath born  
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. lxxviii.  

OF his mother goodely 'gan him take  
Of loving h●rte/ and great devotion  
And such a joy of him 'gan to make  
Within himself/ of high affection  
That have could nother 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 Simeon  
dreadful also/ and passing famous  
Among the priests/ to reckon him everyone  
That was expectant/ and full long agone  
Of the comfort and consolation  
Of Israel in his entention.   

¶ 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 know/ he hath the way hold●  
To the Temple/ with high devotion  
To see of Christ the presentation  
How that Marie and joseph eke also  
The child presented/ and her offering do.   

¶ And for that Christ was the first born  
After the law/ in his tender age  
Nat of Leu●/ as you have herd toforne  
But of juda/ comen by lineage  
Therefore his mother/ most holy of visage  
Her offering made/ list nat for to strive  
For him again/ to pay shyllynges five.   

¶ Like as the custom of the law was  
She meekly made his redemption  
And Simeon beholding all this case  
Full st●lly in his inspection  
For love brenning by affection  
Of very heart/ suddenly abrayed  
Holding the child/ even thus he seyed.    

¶ How where and when Simeon made Nunc dimittis 〈◊〉 ●uum d●● secundum verbum tuum in pace. Capitulo. lxxix.  

O Blissful lord of thy high grace  
It 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 haste dight afore the faces all  
Of each people to make 'em glad and light  
To let 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 gentiles the revelation  
The glory also/ and the salvation.   

¶ Of Israel the people in special  
To void hem out of all darkness  
And Marie full meekly listeneth all  
And 'gan marvel with great advisedness  
Of the words that he 'gan express  
And joseph/ eke 'gan to wonder also  
And Simeon hem blessing both two▪   

¶ Spoke to Maxie/ 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 so me in resurrexion  
That shall relieve thorough his mighty grace  
And thorough thy soul/ shall a sharp sword pace.   

¶ Of heartily woe/ to see his passion  
That passyngly shall be bitter and fell  
To open hearts by confession  
Her sorrowful thoughts/ openly to tell  
And Anna than daughter of phanuel  
Born 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 f●r in age  
Within the Temple by continuance  
Sole by herself out of marriage  
Say night and day/ in fasting & penance  
In Widow abyte/ sade of countenance  
And in prayer was her busy cur●  
Which in that hour of grace or adventure.   

¶ When Christ's was there/ with his mother dear  
In the time of his oblation  
This Anna came/ demure and sade of cheer  
And unto him/ with great devotion  
When she him saw/ fill on knees down  
Recomforted of all her old smart  
Him honouring with all her hole heart.   

¶ Said openly that all might here  
Bethe merry and light/ in your entention  
And every man be glad/ and of good cheer  
For now is born for our salvation  
He that shall make our redemption  
This young child/ blessed must 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 you have herd in conclusion  
This child & joseph/ and this maid ●●e  
Returned home again in to Galilee.    

¶ A profitable declaration of the prop●rtes of the Turtell/ and the Dove Capitulo. lxxxi.  

Now as me seemeth in this high fer●e  
That named is the Purification  
Every man ought to be glad and merry  
And with good hert●/ and hol● 〈◊〉  
devoutly bring his oblation  
And offer first the turtell of innocence  
Of very meekness/ and heartily patience.   

¶ And who that would this offering make a right  
He may nat fail/ none of both two  
first shine in cleanness/ with his chaste light  
As the Turtell/ and therewith also  
Lyche the Dove/ both in we●e and woe  
His heart daunt so by temporance  
To void rancour/ and plant in sufferance.   

¶ And as the Turtell by contemplation  
For sin sorroweth with great waymenting  
Only for love/ of thilk eternal dilection  
That lasteth aye/ and hath none ending  
And as the birth showeth the coming  
Of green wherewith fresh birds new  
Right so of virtue/ with flowers fair of hew.   

¶ He must exampell of the Turtell take  
And be well aware/ that he nat ne vary  
But live sole when he hath lost his make  
And in prayer be also solitary  
And look alway that he nat ne tarry  
On no carrion of no fleshly heed  
And with all this to take also heed.   

¶ That he his life lead nat in vain  
But like a Dove busily aspye  
Where he 〈…〉 may the grain  
And that he 〈◊〉 n●t out of company  
Waiting also the gall of envy  
And that he have ●y indignation  
Of sinful lust out of corruption.   

¶ Of any carrion to foster him and feed  
And evermore with all his dusy 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 touchet eke her make  
Only with kissing/ when they to guider go  
So moste 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 Hawks shadow/ when he doth her seek  
seeking his repast/ both far and near  
Right so must he with perfit eyen clear  
Amid the waters full of woe and strife  
In the wawes of his mortal life.   

¶ The deadly shadow of the fiend esche w●  
That waiteth him with snares large & huge  
And to the death/ aye doth him pursue  
To trap him here in his deluge  
And like a Dove f●e 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 Turtell 〈◊〉  
As I tofore have made mention  
And like a Dove afore his peril fleeth  
Of death to esche we 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 enclosed in his heart  
He may well offer/ what so that he be  
To god a Turtell/ but the Dove naught  
Wherefore they must be together brought  
That cleanness by soothfast unite  
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 Turtell/ and the doves kind  
readeth these verses/ and you shall it find.   

¶ Alta ●etit 〈◊〉 cantando gemit veniens Ver  
Nunciat et caste vivit solus que moratur  
Pullos no●te fo●● morticinium que fugit  
Erranea legate vol●●at sociata cadavera vital  
fell care ●plang●● so●ium que per oscula tangit  
Petro dat huic ●●dum fugit host flum●e visum  
Rostro non ledit geminos pullos bene nutrit.   

¶ This feste also/ both of more and less  
Through out the world/ in every region  
Called is the feste of ●andelmesse  
For sundry skills/ in conclusion  
As old books make mention  
And how this feste first took his name  
So as I can/ to you I will atame.    

¶ How Candelmasse took first the name. Capitulo. lxxxii.  

Sometime when Rome/ through his high renown  
Was most flourige i power & i might  
Every fifth year by revolution  
In February upon the first night  
Each man and child/ with a taper light  
Went in the city/ two and two a pas  
Unto a Temple/ which sacred was.   

¶ To Febru● of old foundation  
That mother was to Mars omnipotent  
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 gods.   

¶ From all assault of every adversaire  
Supposing fully in her opinion  
That she fortune made debonair  
For to sustain the honour of her town  
And through her help and meditation  
That mighty Mars/ to increase her glory  
In all conquest gave to him glory.   

¶ For which cause/ through out the city  
As you have heard/ of high & low estate  
Was first ordained this solemnity  
In the Temple that was consecrated  
To Februa the god's fortunate  
Thorough help of whom they were victorious  
And so this custom superstitious.   

¶ In Rome town/ as mine auctor saith  
Observed was/ long and many a day  
yet after that/ they turned to the faith  
But ever in one/ this rite they kept alway  
For old custom is hard to put away  
And also usage grieveth folk full sore  
To do away that they have kept yore.   

¶ But at the last Pope Se●gius  
Of the people saying this error  
And that the custom was full ●eryllo●s  
Died his devoir/ and also his labour  
That rite to change in to the honour  
Of our Lady/ so that this high feste  
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 withal 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 mediatrice  
To her son/ that is without fail  
Both lord and king/ and she imperatrice  
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 gods.   

¶ And thus this rite was utterly refused  
By Sergius as you have herd devise  
That was aforne of hem of Rome used  
Full many a day in her paynim wise  
Whom to she we all Christian must despise  
And of Candles/ when this rite 'gan pass  
Came the name first of Candelmasse.   

¶ This feste also/ of full long agone  
The name took of the procession  
Made of Anna and holy Simeon  
When they him meet with great devotion  
Brought to the Temple to this oblation  
As was the law custom and usance  
Of holy church for a remembrance.   

¶ Observed for thee/ 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 entention  
To make in figure a presentation.   

¶ Of Christ jesus with all her full might  
Signefied/ who so can take heed  
By the taper/ that we offer light  
For tyrste 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 labours  
On blossoms gathered/ & to hive brought  
So Christ's manhood/ grow out of a flower  
Whose fresh beauty of colour fadeth naught  
For a maid clean/ in will and thought  
Lyche as wax of flower sote and glade  
Is tried out/ and doth 'em nat to fade.   

¶ So Christ jesus conserving her cleanness  
His manhood took of a maid free  
She standing hold flowering in fairness  
With all the fresshenes 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 Bethleem  
meekly went to be purified  
To the Temple of jerusalem  
As her toforne/ it is specified  
In whose honour/ this feste is magnefied  
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 entention  
For sothfastly/ 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 queme.   

¶ And though his taper bren bright all day  
And environ make his light to shed  
If work of faith the/ prolonged be away  
And true intent/ follow nat the deed  
Far well his guerdon/ his merit & his meed  
For when these three be nat knit in one▪  
He is nat able to offering for to go.   

¶ For if these three to guider be nat meynte  
faith/ work/ and whole entention  
His offering fareth but as a taper quaint  
That giveth no light/ but brightness environ  
For dark of deed from all devotion  
His offering is/ but if this three  
Be knit in one/ thorough perfit unite.   

¶ 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 for to present.   

¶ Thorough whose prayer/ lord of thy might  
Grant us grace/ when we be old  
And shall die to hold our tapers light  
Tofore thy see/ where that it is told  
Seven Chaundelars/ all of pure gold  
Fresshely with light standeafore thy face  
Theder to come of mercy/ grant us grace.   

¶ And in this exile/ where as we sojourn  
Grant us lord while that we been here  
In February/ as Phoebus doth return  
The circuit of his golden spear  
Upon this day/ aye fro year to year  
With tapers fresh/ and bright torches sheen  
To keep and hallow/ in honour of that queen/   

¶ To whom this feste is in special  
Dedicat both of more and lass  
Which bore her child in a little stall  
Between an Ox/ and a silly Ass  
And blessed queen/ this feste of Candelmasse  
To thy servants/ shield and succour be  
To keep and save from all adversity.   
¶ Here endeth the book of the life of our Lady made by Dan john Lydgate monk of bury at thynstaunceinstance of the moste christen king: king Henry the fifth   


¶ Go little book/ and submit the  
Unto all them/ that the shall read  
Or here/ praying 'em for charity  
To pardon me of the rudehede  
Of mine enprynting/ nat taking heed  
And if aught be done to their pleasing  
Say they these ballads following.   

¶ Sancte & individue Trinitate/ jesus Christi crucifixi humanitati gloriose beat Marie virgini/ sit sempiterna gloria/ ab omni creatura/ per in finita seculorum secula. Amen  

¶ Unto the holy and undivided trinity  
Three persons in one very godhead  
To jesus Christ crucefied humanity  
And to our blessed ladies maidenhead  
Be given laud and glory in very 〈◊〉  
Of every creature/ what soever he be  
World withouten end/ Amen say all we.   
¶ Benedictum sit dulcissime nom● jesu Christi/ et gloriosissime Marie matris eius ●●eter●ū & ultra. Nos cum ꝓle p●a b●dicat virgo Maria. Am●,  

¶ Blessed be the swettest name of our lord  
jesus Christ/ and most glorious Marie  
His blessed mother/ with eternal accord  
Moore than ever/ to endure in glory  
And with her meek soon for memory  
Bless us Marry/ the most holy virgin  
That we reign in heaven with the orders nine.    
¶ Here endeth the life of our Lady   

¶ Imprinted at London in the Fleetstreet/ by me Robert Redman/ dwelling in saint Dunston's parish/ next the church. In the year of our lord god. M. CCCCC. thirty I The first day of the month of Novembre