¶ This treatise is of love and speak of iiij of the most special Louis that been in the world and showeth verily and perfitly by great reasons and Causis/ how the marvelous & bountevous love that our lord Ihesu christ had to man's soul excedyth to far all other loves as appeareth well by the painful passion and torments that he suffered for the redemption thereof. so that all lovis that evyr were or evyr shallbe arne not to be like nid to the least part of the love that was in him. which treatise was translated out of frenshe Into english/ the year of our lord Mcccclxxxxiij/ by a person that is unper fight in such work wherefore he humbly beseech the learned readers with patience to correct it where they find need. And they & all other redders of their charity to pray for the soul of the said translator ¶ Canticum beat marry de dolore suo in passione filii sui plenitudo legis est dilectio:  

The apostle seinte paul saith the fulfilling of the law is love & saint gregory seyth  
¶ Quicquid precipitur in sola caritate solidatur/  
All this that is commanded in the old law and in the new is/ only in love confirmed for this saith saint austin ¶ Habe caritatem et quicquid vis Have ye charity and do what ye will so it Agree with charity and all shall turn to your we'll/ As saint Ambrose saith after that same effect in contrary words ¶ Qui non habet caritatem omne bonum quod habet amittit/ who that hath no charity he loseth all the weles/ that he hath or any thing that man doth without love is not acceptable to god/ & of this saith saint paul ¶ Si linguis hominn̄ loquar et angelorum Item si tradidero corpus meum ita ut ardean et si distribuero onnes facultates meas in cibos pauperrum caritatem autem non habuero nichil michi prodest/ Though that I could speak with tongue of angel & man And that I should do never so much penance and yield my body to the fire to be brent and give all my good to feed poor folks If I had not with this love in god and to all folks for god all this should no thing profit/ for as saith the holy abbot moyses All the penance that we suffer and other good works that we do or cause to be done/ ne be but Instrumentis for to aredy the heart that love may more soon grow there in with holy devocon/ and this may ye see be ensample If a nedill sowed not nor sherid/ clipped not who would hold them in their handys' men love not such thyngiss for themself but for the welies/ that men do with hem/ So is it of the works/ of penance they be not to be be loved for themself only/ but for the holy love that groweth in the heart of man be their help and be their procreation and that Ihu christ more sooner sendeth his grace & maketh the heart clean and of clear sight. which none may have that be occupied and ovyr corians/ about worldy vanyteys and carnal love/ for this that the love of the world derkyth the eyen of the thought that it may not know god/ nor give no comfort in beholding him specially that is full of joy clear love of heart as saint/ bernard saith Do saith he ij things/ oon is/ this all that ye do of we'll do it specially for the love of god or for the love of your neighbour in god. In all your deeds have one of these ij intents or both for the second cometh of the first and who hath his heart enclerde of this special love no well is done in heaven nor in earth but he is partner thereof/ as saith saint Paul/ ¶ Omnia munda mundis quoinquinatis autem nihil mundum To folks of clean heart belongeth all cleanness And the folks of fowl heart no clean thing belongeth/ For this/ ovyr all other things be coryous. to keep your heart clean in the love of our lord Ihu christ and no thing desire in this world/ but only the love of god and though things that helpeth you toward him/ love no thing for themself/ thus as meet and drink/ man or woman or other things necessary that helpeth you to your leaving and to be sustyned in the service of our lord jhu christ For thus speaketh saint Austyn to our lord saying ¶ Minus te amat q aliquod pnter te amat quod propter te non amat. This is to say ye love god less than any other thing that ye love without him if ye love it not for him/ love shall be put in the balannce of saint myghel and they that most hath loved most shall be glorified in heaven/ and not they that have led hardest life & lengeste penance but though that most have loved. augustinus. ¶ Non diuturnitas temporum/ non univerositas bonorum operum auget meritum Sed maior caritas maiorque voluntas auget meritum. This increaseth not chiefly the merit to be long in good life & to do many good works/ But greatest charity and best will increaseth the merit. love is/ the Cenycyall of paradies for is great freedom for he wythholdyth no thing but giveth all that he hath and himself also/ as saint poule saith ¶ Caritas non querit que sua sunt. charity desireth not that is his/ own/ and right marvelously loveth the sweet god charity. for he maketh hit his chambyrleyn his counsellor his/ spouse fro whom he may hide no thing that he will do of thought that he hath in his heart. as he said to abraham in genysis. ¶ Nunquit celare potero abraham que gesturus sum. Should I saide our lord hide from abraham any thing that j may do nay in no manner so dear is love with him that he maketh it his fellow and yet will j say more/ the god maketh it his master for this/ that he doth all that love him comaundyth Shall I mow prove this. ye without fail be these words/ For here speaketh he that was the man of the world/ that most loved god in his time in the book of Nombrys/ ¶ Divisi juxta verbum tuum non dicit preces/ I had thought said our lord to moyses to avenged me on this/ people But ye say me that j should not/ your word be there warrant// Men say that love bindeth/ ye for troth love bond the allmyghty god so firmly that he might no thing do but as love gave him leave now prove we this/ marvel. ¶ Comune non est qui consurgat et teneat te. Lord said I say will ye strike A we may say alas/ theridamas is none that holdeth you as he ought For if any loved you ryhnt he might hold you and let you that ye would not do it ¶ In genesi ad loath. Festiva non potui ibi quicquam facere donec egressus fueris. This was when our lord would confound sodom and gomor loath his lover was/ there to whom our lord saide haste you to go out of sodom for before that ye be gone may I do them none harm/ here appeareth wherbi the lovers/ of the sweet king of heaven bindith him A lone love how thou art precious & without peer Love is like to a precious stnoe that is of such virtue that who that hath it shall have what thing that he touch with the said stone the same vartue hath love For if ye love the vartues/ or bounteys' the other folks have in them their weles/ ye make yours be the touching of your holy love/ as saint gregory saith/ ¶ Aliena bona si diligis tua facis. If ye love the goodness of other ye make it yours with out any mor travail O love how thou art precious and with out peer Now right dear beloved in god take heed to three thing be which ye may learn wherefore ye ought to love our lord on thing is the great welies and graces that he hath given you/ on other is the great love that he hath showed you: The third that he desyryth your love so faruently Now remember you well that great gift most comonnly draweth & encresyth love. And what hath god given yond All the world with the apporthenaunce and paradise with all his delyties And to adam our father all the thing & creatures undyr heaven as byrdys' bestis & fyshies all were put undyr the foot of man & at our comandment before the sin of him whereof david saith. ¶ Omnia subiecisti sub pedibus eius oves et boves And yet for all that these things be ordained still for to serve the good and sustain them in the service of our lord Another gyste hath he given us and every day giveth us this is him self for to keep us and help us in all our needs. As seyt saint Austyn. ¶ De multis periculis liberavit me virtute sua Quando errabam reduxit me. quando ignorabam docuit. me/ quando contristabar consolatus est me/ quando peccabam corripuit me quando cecidi erexit me. quando steti tenuit me/ quando ivi duxit me/ hec et alia multa fecit michi dominus meus/ de quo erit michi dulce semper loqui/ semper cogitare/ semper gracias agere/ Of many hath delivered me my saviour when I walked he led me. when I could not he taught me/ when I sinned repued me/ when I was heavy he comforted me. when I fell he araised me. when I stood he sustyened me/ when j zode he led me This great bounteys. & many other hath done to me mi lord jhu christ of whom it shall be alway sweet to speak and to think and alway to yield him thanking. For full evil shall befall of us if he took not good keep of us for our enemies have beset us/ all abooute to confound us. This is to/ know. our flesh/ the fiend: and the world. unde versus. ¶ Nos certant triplici certamine tres inimici. Serpens antiquus caro lubrica mundus iniquus/ Three enemies grieve us/ be three manner of battles as the old serpent the fiend and the frele unstabyll flesh & the deceynable world/ as saint Barnard saith ¶ O anima innocens. o lilium candens O flos tener delicate vide quomodo caute ambules inter spinas habitas subversores tecum habes: intra te sunt extra te sunt/ super te sunt/ circa te sunt In carne tua sunt O ye Innosent soul O ye flower of lely fair and white O ye tendyr & delicious flower take keep that ye go wisely among the thorns for there in habit your deadly enemies that wait to overthrow you and with inn you they be & without you they be ovyr you they be and round about you they be/ now see how great a gift this is of god for to defend you be his good will/ as david saith/ ¶ Scito bone voluntatis tue coronasti nos/ Fair lord saith david/ great thing have ye given us/ for ye have crowned us with the shield of your good will But these gysties beforesaid be but little in comparison of on gyste that he hath given us/ that is the gyste of himself for so moche loved he us that he hath given himself to us whereof saint paul saith ¶ Cristus dilexit eccleciam et dedit se ipsum pro eo. Ihun christ loved so much his love that he would give himself for her so high a gift was nevyr given to such wretches. ne for such wretches/ Augustinus. ¶ Miser ego quantum debeo diligere deum meum cum me fecit non arborem nec avem nec aliquod de animalibus Sed hominem me voluit esse saith saint Augustyn alas I wretch how I ought to love my lord god that made me when I was no thing and neither tree nor bird nor non other best but man would he that I ware and gaf me wherewith to leave and to feel and know good & ill I was perishte and juged to death & he dyscended to me mortal & mortality received suffyrd pascon and veynquyshte death and thus he me restablyshte where j was parysht & sold in mine own sins/ and he came after me to buy me again. and so dearly loved he me that the pries of his precious blood he gave for me be such condycon that the remembrance of him should alway abide in me/  
In canticis canticorum sponsus ad sponsam/ ¶ Pone me ut signaculum super cor tuum Et ut signaculum super brachium tuum/ Fair love saith our lord and love jhu christ put me as a little seal on your heart to the intent that ye may think on me often/ & put me as a seal upon your arm so that ye embrace me with holy devotion. Right dear beloved friend in god now take heed intentively and with great devotion to this ensample that followeth/ and wherefore ye should love this sweet jhu cryst therein shall ye find delicious matyr for this hath done jhu the king of glory be your soul that is his love as doth a king of far countries. that loveth a strange lady & sendeth his massengers/ before with his lettyrs of love: In the same manner died our lord Ihu the sent his patryarkis & his prophetis of the old testament with letters. These ware the sweet prophecies. of his gracious coming in to earth & than at the last he came all privily and brought with him the gospels as lettyrs opened & wreted with his precious blood. and with the same saved he his love to conquar her Now let her a tale in syngnyfyaunce of the entire love of our sweet lord Ihu christ Theridamas was a lady some time in great war with her deadly enemies that had destroyed the substance of all her land and she all poor was besieged in an old castle with him round about & this castle was weak and made of full feeble matter nevertheless there was a rich king and of great power that marvelously loved her with such far neuce that often he sent his messengers on to her & sent her many fair jowellys & good socours wherewith she myghth be sustained and good help of his noble many to defend her & her castle And she received all these thing as a villain that unuethies could yield him a gramercy for all these great welies so rude & hard was her heart how be it had not the bounty and the pity of this noble king been she had be utterly lost & destroyed for he was so surprised with her love that at the last he came himself to the roof of the tower and showed her his fair visage which was most fair of all other to behold and spoke to her so sweet Words/ & delicious that they might have quikned a body half deed: There did he many marvels/ and showed great mastryes/ and before her eyen proved part of his power. and told of his rychesse and offered to make her queen of all that he had & to give her all his reme with this that she would give him her love without more But this was in vain for her loan would she not promise him A was not this a great abusion of this bestly wretch that was not worthy to serve undyr his feet/ yte of his debonarite pity had so veynquysht him be for'rs of love that at the last he said A madam I see well ie be greatly grieved with your enemies that be so ner you and so fierce & strong that ye may in no wise escape there hands/ but they will put you to evil and sorrowful death but ye have help/ wherefore I will for your love entyrprise this battle upon them to dysconfyte your enemies how be it I know well that I shall receive among them full hard & deadly wounds but with my good will I shall take them tho win your heart And now I pray you full petonsly weeping for the great love that I shall show you that at the lest ye will love me after my painful death sith in my life ye will not love me than in this manner entyrd this king in to this battle and dystounfyted all her enemies/ & delivered her from them that purposed her death and was himself wounded so sore and grievously that he died but by miracle rose/ he frodeth to live was not this lady ovyr unnatural and moche to be blamed if she loved not him ovyr all other This same king is the sweet Ihus that in this manner hath love to our souls. that fiends had besieged and he as a noble saviour sent her many messengers & many great bounteys done to her. and fynalle came himself for to prove his love and showed well be chivalry that he was/ worthy to be be loved/ whereof saith saint barnard/ ¶ Nun dei filius cum esset 〈◊〉 sinu patris a regalibus sedibus pro anima tua descendit ut eam liber●ret a potestate dyaboli quam cum audisset peccatorum finibus irretica jamque demonibus tratendam ut morte perpetua dampnaretur flevit super illa qui se flere nesciebat nec solum flevit sed ecia occidi pertulit/ unde versus Aspice mortalis per te datur hostia talis/ Ne see you not right dear friends saith saint barnard that Ihu christ the son of god how that he being in the bosom of his father descended fro that rial seat in the heavenly empire for the love he had to your soul to deliver her fro the power of the fiend when he hard how she was besieged and with the bonds of sin embraced and without tarrying should have be delivered to the fiend to the preson of hell and was condemned to perdurable death/ And he be great pity and compassyoun wept full tenderly for her in asmuch as she neither could weep nor help her self and yet he weep not only but offered himself to die for her relief Behold now mortal wretches who suffered death for your life/ this did the sweet Jesus' the king of heaven to win your love as knight were won to do some time he came to the tourney and for the love of his love which is your soul bar his shield on all parties of the bathayle as A valiant knight and A hardy His shield that covered the godhead was his blessed body that was spread upon the hard cross there appeared he as A shield in his arms with his hands strained and pierced and his feet nailed down as sum men say the tone upon the t'other And where this shield had no side syngnyfyeth that his disciples that should have be shield to his sydis/ fled all/ from him as he saith in the gospell· ¶ Relicto eo omnes fugerunt. They be all fled & left him all for fere of death This shield is given us for our dyffense against all evils and all temptacon. as saint Jerome saith/ ¶ Dabit stictum cordis in laborem tuum. Lord jhesu christ thanked be ye/ ye have given us a shield for our hearts which is the thought of your painful/ travail whereof saith saint Barnard./ ¶ Quid tam efficax ad curandum vulnera nec non ad purgandum mentis quam cristi vulnerum sedula meditacio/ what thing is so spedful to hele and purge the spiritual wounds. as intentive medytacon of the sorrowful wounds of our sweet lord jhu christ/ & david saith with this shield be environed all they that loven him And serve him night and day. Scito circumdabit te veritas eius non timebis a timore nocturno. Ne dread we not the fere of the night for this is the trowth the son of god/ enuyroundyth us with his. shield where sum evyr we be. and it more be his good will with his shield he hath crowned us. as david saith for with his good will suffyrd he all this. as Isaee saith. ¶ Oblatus est quia ipse voluit/ Now will ye say peraventure wherefore suffyrd he these marvelous great pains might he nolightlyer redeem us fro hell A yis/ yis might he with moche less if it had pleased him/ but he would not so wherefore but to show us how moche he loved us and to give us ensample to love him: for such as men love little they let it lyghtli go and if they have it not they ask not theraftyr/ & also the more pain and harm that a man suffereth for his friend the more his he to be beloved/ whereof saint bernard saith/ ¶ Amplius michi vilis esse non debeo quia tantum deo placuit anima mea. ut mori pro me eligeret ne me perderet. In asmuch as the sweet jhesus was more vile in earth for me in so moche is he to me more dear in sweet love for I could not think that he had loved me so much/ A sweet Ihu fro henceforth ought I not to set lyttyll be my soul sin it was so pleysaunte to him that he chaas rather to suffyr death than lose it Iten Barnardus ¶ Nisi amasset me dulciter non me in carcere Requisisset illa maiestas. If the sweet jhesu had not loved me the more feruenhly he had not come from his high rial majesty for me that was so low in hell In this shield be three things the gown is/ the wood. the tother is the skin. and the third is the colour This it is of the shield that Ihu christ hath left you The wood of the cross the lethir of the painful passion of our lord. And colour of his red blood/ than the skin of his precious body was all to rent and broken and colowred with his precious blood and the cross also The third reason of this shield is that after the death of a valiant knight men should show his shield in the remembrance of him This shield is the crucifix that is/ set in the church where men may see and think of the chivalry that our lord jhu christ did on high upon the cross/ on the mount of calvary before them of his blessed dear sorrowful mother/ This shield is hanged up in every church that his love which is our soul may behold how dear he hath bought her/ he let not to bear his shield & to open his side to show his heart & showed all openli how entyrly he loved her and how she ought often to think of the tokens of love that in this shield is: syngnyfyed/ whereof saith saint bernard ¶ O felix anima aspice inclinacionem capitis ad osculum/ extencionem brachiorum ad ampbexum. O ye blessed and happy spouse of jhu christ behold on the crucifix the shield of jhesu christ your spouse And see the inclination of his head to kiss you/ se the spreding of his arms to clip you behold the opening of his side and the crucyfyenge of his fair body and with greet affeccyoun of your holy love turn it and return it from side to side/ fro the heed to the feet and ye shall find that there was never sorrow nor pain like to that pain our lord Ihesu christ endureed for your love & saith he hath given so much for your love and yet may not have it/ It is gree marvel I may saith he give now no more wherefore ye will love me and that forthymketh me but when I may no further I shall say such thing whereof ye shall have pity if ye will at the lest be charity of great gifts. whereof speaketh saint barnard. ¶ Vere compaciendun est ei qui dedtt nobis clavos in salsam carnem in cibum/ sanguinem in potum/ aquam ex latere/ in balneum sudorem sanguinis in medicinam: & propriam animam in redempcionem. Truly is the sweet Ihesu christ A herttely lover and A compassyonate that hath gnuyn us/ so many great specyalteys Behold how he hath given us/ his nails in sauce. his sweet flesh in meet/ his precious blood in drink watyr of his precious side in Baynes his bloody sweet in medicine/ his propyr blessed soul in our redemption A what may we more axe that he should give for us Alas/ alas/ full hard is that heart and full unnatural that will not love him that hath given so moche for their love-here is a great specialt wherefore we should love god The second cause wherefore god is to be beloved more than any other thing is for the marvelous. great love that he hath showed us. ovyr all other Louis. There be four special Louis: in this world the one is. between ij good fellows The t'other between mother and child/ The third between body and soul And the fourth between man and wife But the dear love that Ihu christ loveth us and also that we should love him. passeth & surmounteth all other Louis Men might say that this/ were a right good fellow that would lay his pledge in place for to acquit his/ felaw out of debt & of usury/ but the sweet Ihu put himself in place and layed his tendyr body to acquit his love which is our soul out of the prison of hell and of all usuries whereof david saith ¶ Et pro usuris et iniquitate redimit animas eorum. From all usuries and ynyquiteys/ he hath redeemeth our souls Take heed now who brought this pereaunte to the place. wete ye well it was the blessed maiden our lady saint marry that bore the sweet Ihu. the son of god in her virginal womb in the time of winter. & in the city of Bethlen for to put him in plegge to make our peace. in the place where the angels/ sung gloriously before his▪ father in heaven: ¶ Gloria in excelsis deo/ et in terra pax. Glory be yeldyn on high to god and in earth peace to men of good will But loo how malicious were these cruel jews. that they deigned to log this lady that bore this blessed pledge and in so cold atyme as it was then in wyntyr/ paraventur it was frost and the pure virgin marry great with child/ and went to seek sum place where she might rest her she was so weary of the great travail that she hath in walking moche of that day tell it was. nigh night and wist not whether to go safe at the end of the town was ij high walls of rokkes▪ and this pytons weary virgin entered there and found an ox. and an ass teyed there and so straight was the place. that unneath might she and josoppe her spouse have any room to sit in with ease. but there were they fain to rest till it was midnight/ that the son of god was borne/ and so poor was the bed of this lady and so straight that her child might not lie by her as saith the gospel. ¶ Peperit filium suum primogenitum & pannis eum in voluit et reclinavit eum in precepio quia non erat ei locus in diversario. Marry bare a son & wraped him in poor clothes/ and layed him in the rakke before beasts▪ for this. that she had not in all the world so moche place that his little sweet body might lie in: for if she had put him behind the beasts it was/ so straight there where folks used to go and come that they should have hurt him with their feet the way was so near there Now I pray you right dear sustyr remembyr you steadfastly when ye lyein your large soft bed well arrayed with rich clothes and warm covering and hot furrys/ so well at ease and your jentylwoman so ready to serve you. than think ye often with great pity how she that was/ the queen of angels/ and Empress of all the world how her bed was/ straight and hard and arrayed with poor clothes. & was so cold a time of the year and at the our in the night And how this poor and petous lady had great desire to serve him & in likewise have in your mind how her sweet son our lord jhesu christ lay full hard in the rakke weymenting and tendyrly weeping as for cold and dyssese. as chyldyrne do werof a holy man speaketh▪ ¶ Vagit infans inter arta conditus/ presepio The little child waymenting & weeping full piteously where he lay between the beasts/ in the straight manger his. sweet tendyr body wrappeth in poor clothes/ such as that blessed virgin his mother had bounden his hands his feet & his theyes/ with a straight bend And thenne If any had come to jhu christ and saide to him A ye sweet babe that be so young and so little wherefore make ye such sorrow and weep so piteously he might have answered. if it had pleased him and be of age to speak. what marvel is It though j make sorrow for I know well that I am common in to this▪ place out of my celestial glory for to acquit such folks. that will not love me. nor I shall nevyr have on good day nor on good hour and I am now among so fellow people that will put them in devour day and night to say & do me all the harm & pain that they may think or devise Nevertheless I shall enforce me now so that my friends for whom I am come hither will love me/ but this. is/ a great sorrow that they for whom I am come shall con me so little thank for all the love that I show them in my coming. and for all the pain and tourment that I shall go to My dear friend in god truly if ye think on all these thyngiss I believe verily that in the night ye will lie in such thoughetis and have befo●● your bed an Image of our lady and salew the crowned queen of the celestial throne and her son Jesus' the high king of heaven that lay in the vile stable thus poorly/ I pray you think thenne on mi sinful soul that It may have part of your devotion and I trust we shall find this that saint paul promiseth us where he saith if we have compassion to gadyr in earth with Jesus' and with his blessed mother we shall rain together in heaven with our lord and his sweet mother this is a full good convenance Now remembyr you well that the longer the pledge lieth in a place the more usury runneth upon It/ upon this precious jewel that lay more than xxxij year in pledge and the longer that he levied the more great & grievous was his pains and sorrows a● he saith be the prophet david Super dolorem vulnerum meorum ad d●●●rūt. The● encreced alway more and more upon the sorrows of my wounds. ye truly for in all his life suffyrd he the greatest poverty and the greatest vylene and pain that evyr yette any man might suffyr/ whereof himself saith by david ¶ Pauper ego sum et in laboribus a iuuentute mea exaltatus/ & humiliatus et conturbatus alway sith my youth/ sith I was/ a little child I have be full poor and yn great travail and in full great and hard pains exalted and humbled & full anguishly troubled Alas/ what pity was this of the sweet Ihu Christ that was in such poverty on palm sunday when he had preached the word of his father before None & bode all the aftyrnone fasting till evening and beheld full piteously about him to see if any would have pity of his/ dyscyplys that were hungry/ but none there was/ that deigned to give him or them meet nor would log him in all the city of jerusalem. wherefore it behoved 'em to go that evening to great leges thence/ to the castle of bethany at the hou●● of martha and mary magdel●yn And as the gospel 〈◊〉 his dyscypl●s had at that 〈…〉 great hungyr the as they went through the fields they went in to the wheat & gathered of the eris and rubbed them in their hands and blue away the chaff and eat the greines. and yet were they full egerli reproved and blamed of the fellow jews. and so great haste at sometime had his power diciples there that they took no keep to wash their hands or they set them down to the board and of himself it is written. ¶ Ihesus fatigatus exitinere sedebat super fontem etc Ihu was one day weri of great walking that he had/ and sat down for to rest him by a well side. & came a woman of samary to fetch water at the well. and the sweet Ihesu that was so weary for travel prayed her to give him drink/ And she would not but began to chide with him/ whereof he might say by the prophet david ¶ Defeccio tenuit me pro pecca toribus derelinquentibus legem tuam Full greet default holdeth me fair sweet father for sinners/ that refuse your commandment/ this night the sweet Ihesu cryst said to his father/ himself pleineth him of this default ¶ Vulpes foveas habent et volucres celi nidos. filius autem homuns non habet vb● capud suum reclinet My dear sweet fa●●● mercy I am poor in earth for: fo●is have holes where they may lie birds of the wood have nests where they may rest And Ihesu christ the son of marrow hath not so much of place as he may leen his heed to/ alas what poverty is this/ a god mercy Saint gregory/  
¶ Magna abusio et nimis magna quod velis vermiculus vult dives esse pro quo ita pauper fuit deus sabaoth et dns magestatis/ great abusion is it/ and over great scorn that such vile worms in earth as we should desire to be so rich sith he that was/ the king of glory & lord of all power suffered such poverty here for us/ Item bernardus/ ¶ Summu● magister elegit paupertatem esurie sitire mori sicut ista sunt simpliciter eligenda qui tibi aliud/ dicit. sit tibi 〈◊〉 ethineus' et puplicanus/ Ihu cryst the great king & master chose poverty and suffered hungres & thirst whereby yet showeth well that these are things specially to be chosen and who that will say otherwise hold them as a myscreaunte/ Se what usury of eager poverty ran upon this pledge in the place where he was put for us. Now have we said somewhat of his poverty/ but what villainy suffered the sweet Ihesu cryst in this life in the place where he lay so long for us/ For the gospel saith that when he preached to the people for the salvation of their souls & opened to them the right way toward heaven & when he had ended his right sweet sermon for all his service the fellow Jews start on him and would have stoned him to death & thenne said he full piteously alas fair folks wherefore will ye now slay me. ¶ Multa bona opera ostendi vobis a patre meo ꝓpter quod opus me vultis lapidare/ Many good works have I shewede you fro my father for the which ye would slay me/ Right as he had said to them/ I have given meet to your poor folks/ I have made your seek folkys hole I have done all that ye have desyrede me I have thought you the scripture of my father & now would ye slay me ¶ Non ex operibus bonis lapidamus te sed de blasphemia et nunc scimus quia demonium habes/ They answerede. for thy good works we would not slay the but for thy blaspheming & that we know full well thou haste a devil wythine they body. ¶ Et Ihesus abscondit se et exiuitde templo/ And Ihns hide him & went out of the temple when he saw that they would have put him to this shameful death he made a sorrowful compleinte by the prophet david ¶ Ego sum vermis et non homo obꝓbrium hoīm & abieccio plebis/ Right sweet father mercy what shall I do I am holden so vile in earth for sinners that these folks take me not as a man but as I were a worm/ I am in reproach of men & of all caytyffys I am in abjection/ A what marvel was this if he made such complaint to his father that sent him hedyr/ where alway he recevide evil for his good dedis/ and harm & hate for his sweet love/ & great shame for his honour as himself seyde· ¶ Retribuebant michi mala pro bonis et odium prodilecione me a/ They yield me evil for weal & hate for love/ Alas what vylete was this that Ihes● cryst suffered among this malicious folkys/ that alway in his blessed words were cruel & again seyers and in his holy deeds they were privy aspyers and in his anguishous pains/ they were sorufull & in his preyrs he had poor comforters/ & in his gracious deeds full few thankers wherefore he plaineth him in osee the proohete. ¶ Consolacio abscondita est ab oculis meis/ Every comfort in this world is hide before my sorrowful eyen as the prophet david saith. ¶ Heu michi quia incolatꝰ meus ꝓlongatꝰ est And in the gospel of mark Ogeneracon incredula quam diu apud vosero quam diu vos paciar/ Alas I sorrowful for this that I am so moche prolonged here with these myscreaunt folk where I have so long abiden in pledge And of this speak saint austin to proud folks. ¶ Ecce humilitatis exemplum superbis superbie medicamentum quid ergo intime sis homo. O pellis morticina/ quo tendis insanies fedida quid in flaris princeps tuus humilis est & tu superbus capud tuum humile et tu membrum superbi diaboli et comes membrorum suorum ¶ we have ensamples of meekness medicine against pride wherefore/ wretched men discharge you thereof/ O ye mortal carrion wherefore go ye in such height o ye stinking filth wherefore be ye swollen with rotyn pride was not your/ prince & heed humble & ye that be his subjects & membryrs be pride maketh you fellows to the fiend and his members ¶ Item Erubesce homo esse suberbus qr factus est deus humilis ¶ Have shame wretched man to be proud in asmuch as god that made you is humble ¶ Discite a me qr mitis sum et humilis cord ¶ Learn ye of me that am debonair & humble of heart saith our lord/ Ihu christ in the great pain that he suffyrd in this place of our mortality/ This is the third part of usury that ran upon this pledge was the sweet body of our lord Ihu cryst whereof himself saith he jerom the prophet. ¶ O vos omnis qui transitis per viam attendite & videte si est dolor sicut dolor meus ¶ O ye all folks that pass be the way of this sinful world behold & see if any sorrow or pain be so great or like unto mine Truly nevyr man borne of mother led so sorowfulk life nor the suffyrd so painful death as/ The sweet. Ihu christ there as he lay in pledge for his love/ For tendyrly weeping came he in to this world whereof he pleneth him be the prophet. ¶ Caligaverunt oculi met a fle● tu meo & alibi languerunt occuli mei pre inopia.  
¶ My fair eyen be come all dark so moche weep/ I for my love that will not love me & all the clearness of mine eyen be anysshe for pain & dyssese/ And what marvel for he went poorly & piteously in earth all barfote in cold in heat in hard in soused fro town to town from country to country which was full of frost/ and snow a● saith saint barnard·  
¶ Exivit a patre deposito diademate aspersit caput cinere nudo pede eiulans et flens venit querens illum qui perierat  
¶ He came from his father & put of his crown of the reyngne celes●tyall & strewid his head with ashies all barfote sighing/ & weeping & full piteously lamenting came heder to seek his love that same poor caitiff that was perysht/ A god mercy how he was in great heaviness & many syghtꝭ and desyries to his joy fro whence he came Truly he was not to ●lame for he came from his great honour that is to say when he was with his Angels & archangel's which were ready for to serve him to his pleasure & now was the sweet Ihu in preson in this valley of misery where so many unhappy people were to shame him & mock him to say & do evil unto him without pity as himself saith. ¶ Multiplicati sunt super capillos capitis mei qui oderunt me gratis.  
May enemies be multiplied more than the hairs of mine head that hateth me dedeli Behold now him that was in so great joy & eses he that was king of heaven that had need of nothing that was in earth deigned to come in so great default as for to suffyr so sorrowful peynies and so great labour as to be in cold in hungyr in thirst & in hardness/ & weariness in heaviness & shortly to say all the evelies & peynies that we have deserved fill upon his glorious head whereof saith isaiah.  
¶ Vere langores nostros ipse tulit & dolores nostros ipse portavit et nos putauimus eum quasi leprosum percussum a deo & humiliatum Truly Ihu the sweet king of heaven suffyrd languor & bore the sorrows & peynies of our desert upon himself & for the great anguisshiss & shamis that he suffird folk wend that he had been a mesel A god how humble ware ye to suffyr them so cruelly/ & vengably to strike you & for such anguysh he plained him to his father in the gospel ¶ Nunc anima mea turbata est et quid dicam pater saluifica me ex hac hora sed propter hoc veni in horam hanc ¶ Now is my soul greatly troblede. A what may I say fair dear father save me nevertheless herefore I came in earth to suffyr so hard peynis to acquit my friends & of all this made he no force if he might have won the love/ our soul for the which he suffyrd so great sorrows & grievous pain in the place where he was put for our love/ wherefore ye may well think for truth that it behoveth us to suffyr sum penamnce for him & for our savacon/ how beyt he hath no need of us of our good deeds whereof david saith ¶ Bonorun meorum non indiges dne ¶ Fair lord saith he ye have no no need of my good deeds/ but for all that good will not save a man if he help not thereto himself as saint Austyn saith. ¶ Qui fecit te sine te non iustificabit te sine te. that same that made you without your help he will not save you without your help/ and the gloze upon saint paul. ¶ Deus pro omimbus sanguinem suum fudit illis solis prodest sanguis xpi qui voluptates deseruunt & se ipos affligunt God shed his blood for all but to them only shall his blood profit in redempcon/ that leave the delight of their flesh & chastise their bodies in penance/ for it should be no reason that he should suffyr all the pain/ & we should have all the joy here/ & elsewhere/ For truly if/ we suffer not some penance. The father will no more spare us his ill chyldyrn: than he did the sweet Ihu cryst his good child whereof saint Bernard saith ¶ Qui non pepercit filio suo nunquam fimento nunquam parcet servo nequ●m How should he spare us vile stinking filthy. that spareth not his sweet son Ihu christ. how should he than spare his fowl and evil felons/ Now I pray you sith your soul is the love of Ihu christ the high king of heaven that if ye may no more do for his sweet love yet at the leeste that ye have often yn remembrance these three manner of anguyshies that he suffered/ so long in the place where he lay for your aquytayle/ when ye behold your rich clothes & other fair jewels your great horses/ & fair harness than bethink you of the poor clothing that your lord & love Jesus christ & his disciples had & how they went about barfote in wyntyr & in somyr/ & what dyssese they suffered/ & also often when ye sit at the table so richly arrayed & served & goodly jentylmen about you so well arrayed & well serving that serve you so nobly with cups of gold & syluyr vessel with so many & diverse/ & good meats with delicious sauces & pleysaunt wines/ than remembyr you with great compassion how poorly the rich king of heneve was served your spouse the sweet Ihus when he was so weary for great travail & hungyr that it behoved him to go out of the cite of samerie in the mean time that his disciples went in to the city to fetch bred & in the mean whylies came a woman to fetch watyr at a well whereby he sat/ & he prayed the woman to give him of her water to drink/ but she would not but rather reproved him full egyrly/ & he spoke again so benignly to that woman that she was converted & than came his discyplis. And brought meet and set them all down without table and without cloth/ & peradventure took one of their poor mantellies & set thereon there bred & said▪ Rabi manduca & dixit eyes. Ego cibum habeo manducare quem vos nescitꝭ meus cibus est ut faciam voluntatem eius qui misit me ut ꝑfician opus eius. His disciples said master eat now & he answered I have meet to eat whereof ye know no thing a good lord mercy yet for all the great desire he had to eat he abode till it was near high none that he veinquisht does desire & would sooner eat/ O that this is a great ensample to us whamn we have any time great desyr to any delicious meet or drink or any other sore temptacon we should fight ●●●nst our own will▪ But what saide he after my meet is that I must do the will of my father that is to suffyr hungres & thirst & great anguisshies & grievous pains/ & bethink you also how the poor disciples eat the ears of wh●te in the seldis when they went with their sweet mastyr Ihu christ/ & of himself it is wretyn that he came one day in the morning & had great hungyr as he that had watched in prayeer/ & in travail & in sermonies/ & saw a fig tree full of levys without any fruit & when he came near it he saide to the fyggetre/ ye shall nevyr bear fruit without end and forth with the fygtre became all dry behold now fair friend how many dissesis your sweet spouse suffird for to redeem you/ Wherefore it is good for you to think well & often on all this wahn ye be in the dysporties of this world or when ye see other comforted in foul vanyteys/ Remenbyr you thenne with privy sighing how petowsly the sweet Ihus the son of god wept when he came riding all barfote upon A poor ass Videns Ihus civitatem flevit super illam dicens qr cognovissis & tu civitatem id ecclesiam As he came & knew all this that was to come aswell to thee that were present as to all us that should come after & wept piteously for compassion of us & saide if ye knew asmuch as I know ie should weep as tendirly as I do/ right as he had said to them I weep for this that ye do in folly & in vanity/ & that ye think not how straight the way is that goth toward heaven/ whereof himself saide ¶ Arta est via que ducit ad celum & pauci inveniunt illam et iterum. Non ne oportuit xpm pati et ita intrare in gloriam svam Full strait is the weigh that ledyth to perdurable life & few folks find it/ Ne see ye not well that Ihu cryst suffyrd full sharp travail or evyr he entrede in to his glory/ & for this wept he that we so lightly forget ourself & take no heed how wretchedly we be engendyrde nor how sorrowfully we be borne nor how perlously we live in sin & in vanity nor how hedously we shall die nor know not when nor how soon nor of what death we shall die Circumdabunt te inimici tui vallo & coangustabunt te undique. ¶ your enymies that fiend's shall be about you and enuyrounde you with anguysh & torment of all parties a how perilous is the estate & sorrowful for the which god himself wept so tendyrly whereof saith saint barnard: Compatitur dei filius & plorat patitur homo & Ridet. The son of god hath compassion for man & wepyth/ & man shall suffyr all the peril that laugheth & mackth but a jape/ also when men praise you in any thing whereby ye feel veynglory spring in your heart: be think ye thenne/ and full intentive oo the humylyteys of sweet Ihus yur anmyable spouse that seyth· Non veni ministrarised ministrare. He came not in earth to be served but to serve/ it is wretyn how saint clement axed one time of saint petyr how our lord Ihu dealt among his disciples in earth/ & saint petyr began to weep full tendyrly Now fair maystyr said saint clement wherefore weep ye so piteously/ truly said saint petyr I can not keep me fro weeping when I here speak of him/ or verily think on him & of his gracious deeds/ We were onday greatly grieved with hungyr & cold & at night was lodged in an old house that was broken on the ton part thereof where the cold entyrd greatly which annoyed us for our sweet maystyr/ Ihesu christ put himself between the cold & us & I perceived him that same night five times with his own clothes covyr our feet/ A good lord mercy & so humbly served he us as to wash our feet how great a pity was this/ In like wise think how sorrowful. & heny he was against his painful passion that was so right anguishous/ Think how he langourd ·xv days before his death for in signification thereof men sing & read of his pastion xv days before his resurrexion/ ¶ For than was he in syghingys' & heaviness & praiours/ & so full of trouble that he had lityll will to eat or drink nor of no comfort & yet for all this he saide to his/ dysciplys ¶ Desiderio desideraui hoc pasca manducare vobiscum antequam paciar I have great desire to eat with you a supper before I shall suffyr death/ And his apostles appointed thenne where they should eat their souper & eat y●t And when they had supped he took of his ovyr garment and gird him with a toell and towke fair watyr in a basin & wesh e fethte of his disciples & yet the feet of the fellow judas whereof saith saint gregory ¶ Quis tumorem cordis non repellat si secum conferat quod qui sedet in throno super cherubin lavit pedes sui proditoris What swelling or rancour of heart is so great that should not assuage if he well remembered him of him that sit so high aboune angels in heaven that wish the feet of his own traitor judas/ & after he took breed in his fair hands & blessed it & thanked his father of all the harm & pain that he had suffered in earth or should suffyr/ & gave it to his apostles with his own hands to eat/ & said Eat ye this for it is in flesh & than took he win & blessed it & gave hem to drink/ & said Drink this for this is my blood drink & eat now with good will. For nevyr fro henfforth shall I drink with you before I have suffered the most marvelous & painful death that evyr man suffyrd in earth. Alas what sorrowful tidings might his disciples here than. A how they were sorrowful & dyscounfortted/ Alas how they wept piteously & no marvel though they made wondyrfull sorrow for he was all their help/ & all their comfort & now hard they verily that they should lose him that same night/ Alas what sorrow & lamentable pleynte there was when the sweet Ihu had be so long in place for the love of his love & so many usuries of grievous peynies & anguishous ran upon him & he would not go out of the said place to the time he had all accounted & paid/ & when they came for to rekne he was led upon the high mount of caluaries where he was condemned of the cruel & fellow jews & made him to mount all on her on the hard cross right fast teyed with great naylis   

NOw may ye know verily or ever the jews would leave the plegde out of their keeping they would rekyn every ferthing & every mail without any for getting & in the same manner did they of this plegde the blessed body of Ihu christ that was there present to answered before them of every demand/ Now hark how straightly he reckoned that his dear mother might full sorrowfully rekyn/ A blessed marrow full of pity of weeping of thought & bittyr sorrow she was upon the mount of caluarey without comfort & without help be spraynte with the precious blood of her right petous sweet son Ihu as the blood than sprang out of his painful woundys'/ there as he hang upon the cross/ his fair hands strained full sore & wept so sorrowfully that she might in no wise her petous teries refreyne ne/ So might she peradventure say A I wretch wherefore leave I so long to see my dear sweet child suffyr so great & owtragyous pains/ Alas fair son your colour that was more clear th āe any flower is become now all pale & blue for your pains that be so grievous/ I see your heed crowned with sharp thorns evy round so grevousli/ and betyn on with great staffs your I●n behold me so piteously that faileth you be very force of pain which pierceth thorough mine heart as/ a sharp sword of hard steyll your sweet & delicious words Now become full heavy & sorrowful & the abbomynable spyttyngys' of the fellow proud jews soil you full fowl for the love of sinful folks/ the fair colour of your lips is now become as blue as led that had be greatly betyn/ Thy sweet face I see all bloody & thy teries running down from your great travail & pains that be so hard/ And for ye said that ye had thirst the cruel wretched Jews to do you greater harm gave you to drink eysyll/ And gaul & yet more they evennymed your tongue Alas how I am sorrowful for you Ihesu my dear child that I see thy pure head suffyr so right grievous peynies that nevyr did to no man harm nor nevyr evil nor shameful word con from your moethe & yet see I much more harm all down your body/ I see your fair arms so rudely drawn on length & so straight strained on travas on the cross that doth mine heart full great annoy/ And great sorrow may I well take to see you suffyr so great turmentꝭ that your anguishous life is all full of sickness for your dedely wounds that be so cruel/ And deep that/ I see the streams of blood come fro your fair hands down on your shuldyrs & your sides ne/ wly skorged that hath be so sorbe tin & anguyshously that the skin is overall broken & your pure flesh wounded the hard cross hurteth you at your back in such wise it uneath endur your weary bonies wherewith my soul is so grieved that it may in no wise be comforted/ Alas your fair body so courteys so free so benign & now see I it all bare upon the hard cross strained & wounded like as hounds had gnawn it/ And broken it with their teeth/ I see your thighs coloured as the marble stone & your knees & legs tremble for your grievous pains/ O Ihu yourfayr feet I see now wound & pierced why that great nail fastened to the tree of the cross I see also the stones & rubych over all red with your blood/ Alas wherefore may I not die now & be pertner of your woeful painies there were no thing/ so sweet to me as to suffer death with you my dear child & spouse Ihu but I may not have my desire fore that you my sweet child would I die a god what shall we wretches do when we shall yield acomptis before the face of Ihu christ that put him in the place to yield so strait acoumpt for us as is before rehearsed A in evil hour be they born that is not in the grace of that blessed Ihu that so great pain & vylene suffyrd in so wretched a place to deliver our souls out of the boudies of the fiend The same that made this treat took it out of an authority that seysaynt ancelme saith/  
¶ Actende quod candet nudatum pectus Rubet cruentatum latus ten sa arent ulcera procera Rigens brachia labia inigrescunt rosea regia pallent ora decora languent labia caput corona stimulat spinea pellis dorsi flagellis est Rupta spens corporis facta est livida crura pendent mermorea rigat turbatos pedes sanguis unda etc:  
¶ Now dear friend behold well how straightly was reckoned every party both wythynne & without of the soul & of the body & with how many diverse pains ensearched that no thing was foryetyn but that it was in all yoleden be torm & pastouns & ovyr grievous compunctions for to acquit our souls out of the place of hell nevyr friend showed such a specialte as the good/ Ihu christ hath done for his love our souls worshypte & thanked be he of all creatures withouten end.   

ANother great love of the world is between mother/ & child & a Right fervant love should this be if the child had such a sickness that it might nevyr be helid but it were bayned in the mothyrs' blood & if the mother would make this bain this showed well a great & special love/ A this bain made the sweet Ihu christ the very parfyght good love when we were so sick of sin so vile & so dishonest that no thing in all this world might wash us hele us but alonely the precious blood of/ Ihu christ & he so graciously that so good heart made us this bain with out any again seeing as saith saint Iohn in the apocalypse. ¶ Qui dilexit nos & lavit nos in sanguine suo a peccatis nostris. He loved us & wish us in his precious blood from our sins/ Lo when a man is seek of a great sickness & may not endure an oura hot bain at the beginning nor also he is not heeled be the first bain wherefore it behoveth that he be often bayned & alway warmer & warmer & in the same manner made Ihu christ our beynes osten in his pcing blood the first that he made was when he was but viii days old.  
¶ Postquam consummati sunt dies octo ut circumcideretur puer vocatum est nomen eius Jesus'/ when viii days where ended that they should circmcise our lord the sweet child was called Ihu by his name/ But by the blood that he left than of his tender body in the circumcision ne were we not yet enterli helede for we had the meselry of sin whereof we where so full of sin & inpostumies that our soul was all full of hedowies matyr & venomous/ bifore the face of the holy trinity/ And the sweet Ihu took thereof so great pite that he went all alone by himself the night before his passion & fill gronelinge to the earth byfor his father of heaven/ and prayed him full petouslis for the health of his love our soul that was so sick of sin even at the death of hell that is so horrible/ and saint barnard saith. ¶ Quasi numquam membris omnibus flevisse videtur/ He wept not alonli upon his father with his blessed eyen but with all the members of his lody/ for so full of compassion was his piteous heart & so full of bitter anguyshies & hard labours was his tender body than that the sweet of his read blood dropped from him as saith the gospel: ¶ Positis genibus &/ c Et factus inagonia pro lixius orabat & factus est sudor eius sicut gut sanguins decurrentis in tarran/ He put his weary kneys upon the hard earth & so long prayed his father till he was almost in soven & in so great pain that the sweet sprang out of his body as drops of blood that ran to the earth to bain his love our soul to hele her & make her fair & clean without & amiable to behold whereof saith saint banarde  
¶ Vere compaciendun est ei qui dedit nobis sudorem sanguins in medicinam/ Trewli we ought to have great compassion & pity of our sweet lord Ihesu our love that gaf us the sweet of his precious blood for to bayne our sowlis/ But yetes were we not all hole for our souls were enfundyrd in the mortal dropsy whereof we might never have health but it were recoured by baynes Now this dropsy is such a sickness that makyt a man orrbyly swollen for the fowl humours/ that run between the skin. and the flesh in such mannere were our wretched Souls/ orrybly swollen and so hydowies that god would not that none of them should enter in to heaven. byfor him they were so fowl englutede and envenomed with the filth of sin. And what died our sweet lord & love Ihesu cryst that was the most wise fisicien he made a right precious & special bayn for us/ how he suffered wilfulli that these cruel fellow Jews took him & striped him as naked as he was borne/ and bond him to a pylere of cold merbyll with hard cords. & thenne ij fellow tormentors full quick & ready to do evil with ij scourges beat him cruelly without mercy & turment him so outrageousli that his tendyr skin all to brake. & the precious blood ran down his body & legs by stremis on to his feet in such wise was he there tormented that many years after men might see the peler all bloody whereof he saith by the prophet isaiah. Corpus meum dedi ꝑcucientibus et genas meas vellentibus faciem meam non averti ab increpantibus et conspuentibus in me   

IGaf my tender body to turmentis & strokes & my face I turned not fro those folkis that spite on me & shamefully blamed me/ In such manner & such travail made he this bain to save his love our soul from all swelling of the sickness of this spiritual dropsy/ And yet was our souls still encumbered with pain of the heed that is a full sore sickness. ¶ Cui capud infirmum cetera membra dolent/ A & who that is seek in his heed all other parties of his body complain/ And therefore the good Ihesu saw the heed of his love so seek that she was all anguished & enraged wherbi she could not knove god nor serve him he had so great pity & compassion thereof that himself suffered wilfully that these mortal enemies wound together a great crown of thorns long & sharp & thykke the prikked so wofulli his blessed heed & beat with a great staff upon the crown that made his precious blood to rem down in many places on his forehead as it is saith in the gospel. ¶ Plectentes coronam de spinis posuerunt super caput eius & acceperunt arundinem et percusserunt/ In such manner suffered the sweet & amiable Ihu his tendyr heed to bleed for to save the heed of his sick love our soul for whom he suffered in his holy heed as saints said/ A M. wounds & thus siath he in job· ¶ Conscidit me vulnus super vulnus/ The hard crown kittith me wound upon wound & saint bernard saith Quam suanissimun est seruital michi bone Ihesu corona illa capitis tui   

A sweet Ihesu this crown of your heed is to me full dear Now fair friend remember you when ye will sleep and your heed is laid so eseli upon soft pelowies/ how painful was the crown of thorn vopn the head of the blessed Ihu your spouse that shed so great plenty of blood to hlpe your soul/ Now yette was there another sickness whereof our wretched soul languysht which was stricken with the deadly litarge/ these letarges. been opellaconns in the veins and in the sinews enterlased privily that maketh a man slumboring & alway ready to sleep till he be deed/ And in the same manner were our souls sore stricken with the spiritual litarge whereby she neither might nor could help her self but abide still alway in mortal negligence unto the time that it should descend in hell/ But how did then our sweet lord/ & love Ihu cryst/ wit for truth that he will fully suffyrd to be let blood on veynies &/ senewys & of all parties/ of him for to bane the wretched soul of man/ And how was he let blood he suffyrd that these fowl & villain jews took him with full great disdain & hang him all naked upon the cross/ and pierced through his fair hand is/ and feet with full great & mighty nails/ whereof himself saith by david. ¶ Foderunt manus meas et pedes meos dinumeraverunt omnia ossa mea. ¶ They have thyrled my hands/ & my feet and nombyrd all my bonies/ Alas/ what sorrow they died him so great that the stremis of blood ran from all parties of his blessed body with so gre●e speed that his love might be baynet therewith both without and wythynne/ But than might our lord Ihesu christ say to his love our soul my dear love now be ye far in debt by reason ovyr all things to love me Alas yet love ye me nod & I have so often shed my ●lode to bain & purge you from all sicknesses/ from all filthy/ & yet for all this will ye not love me yet fair love now shall I make you a gift of amore special love whereby ye should in no manner deny me your love. I shall give you the holy blood of my heart to bain your heart in so that ye may alway love me/ Thenn came a strong blind knight with a long sharp spear & struck him so justly though the side that he pierced his amorous heart. & forthwith ran out great plenty of blood & watyr & ran full fast down upon his body/ whereof he saith in the book of love ¶ Vulnerasti cor meum soror me a sponsa vulnerasti cor meum. ¶ now have ye wounded my heart fair suftyr and spouse now have ye wounded my heart. what can ye ask me any more of love/ Now I pray you for my sake that ye will leave your sin so that ye may love me the more sweetly/ whereof saith saint bernard ¶ Nun pro te vulneratus sum/ none pro te satis afflictus sum/ desine amodo peccare. quia peccata magis gravant me. eciam vulnera peccati/ quam vulnus lateris mei. Now say me my love that I love so moche/ think ye not that I am wounded and tormented enough for you/ whereby ye ought to love me/ Now leave your sins then frohens forth/ For the wound of your sin grieveth me more than died the wound of my side A my dear friend put we us utterly in devour to love Jesus christ our sweet love & spouse that suffered so great pain to wash us in his precious blood from all moral sickness/ whereof our souls languysshid. And else be we to far unnatural/   

NOw see we the third love that is between the soul & the body/ There is a full great love between the soul & the lody. And that appeareth well/ for they been in great torment & pain when they shall depart/ For the greater love that is between friends/ the greater pain is at their departing/ And there was nevyr body that so moche loved soul/ nor soul body/ as died the body of Ihesu cryst his soul/ and his soul his body. which was no marvel/ For there never was nor never shall be such a body and soul joined together/ And yet for all that he suffered well that his soul departed from his body/ for to adjoin our pour souls to his without end in his celestial reign/ And by what death departed his glorious soul fro his blessed body. It was by the most cruel death shameful/ and dishonest that they could devise among them to judge him to/ A what sorrowful pity was of this death of Ihesu christ/ It was so cruel: that many a day and often he plained him to his disciples before his death/ And saith in the gospel. ¶ Ecce ascendimus Iherosoliman etc/ Loo my dear brethren we shall go in to Iherusalem. And the son of marrow shall be delivered by treason to the bishops and masters of the law/ And they shall condemn him to die right cruelly. And how cruelly he shall be delivered to jews to mock/ to beat and crucify. and the third day shall arise from death to life. And what marvel was this. if he playnid him of this dethe· For his flesh was always as in languour & pain against his death/ as he saith by david/ ¶ Estimabam me quasi mortuum super terram. I take myself as a man deed upon the earth/ And this was well proved for it is not found that ever he lough once in all his life/ but often times weptte he full piteously/ As when he saw the sepulture of Lazare that was deed and buried. which was/ a little before his passion. And he beheld full piteously upon the body of Lazare/ ¶ Fremuit inquid spu/ et turbavit seipsum/ et lacrimatus est Jesus'/ He trembled in his spirit. and troubled himself. and began to weep/ Men say that he is as a deed man that will not answer. when men either do or say him any harm In such manner was it of Ihesu christ. as himself saith by David the prophet/ ¶ Ego autem tanquam surdus non audiebam/ et sicut mutus non aperiens os suum ¶ For troth when men myssay me. I go forth as a deef man that heareth not/ and as a dombpe man/ that openyth not his mouth ¶ Of this cruel death had he so great fere & trouble/ that the night before he suffered his passion/ he took saint peter. saint james. and saint johan with him/ And privily before them three he began so great lamentation that it was marvel. and looked so piteously/ And plained him so sorrowfully: saying ¶ Tristis est anima mea usque ad mortem/ sustinete hic/ & vigilate mecum. Fair dear brethren said he my soul is heavy torwade the death/ abide here with me. and wake with me/ For I am in full great trouble & fere/ And then he withdrew him fro them as far as one might cast a stone/ and fell down to the earth. and plained him full pitously to his father in heaven/ and said/ ¶ Abba pater cui onmia possibilia sunt/ transfer calicem hunc a me/ Fair lord god my right dear father/ to whom all thing is possible I pray you that ye will remove this hard death fro me/ Nevertheless/ not as I will/  
But as ye will your will be done/ I am ready to obey it/ and to take this death for the salvation of man's soul/ ¶ Spiritus quidem promptus est/ caro autem infirma/ Truly my spirit is ready to suffer this cruel death/ but my flesh is full troubles & fearful/ ¶ Fiat voluntas tua/ Your will be done fair sweet father. And on the morrow was he judged to the most hard death that any man could judge this was to be crucified. And then pilate said to the fellow jews. Quid faciam de illo qui dicitur xp̄s/ illi dixerunt crucifige eum/ Pilate said to the jews what will ye that I do of him that men call cryst/ & they said crucify him Alas what sorrow was this how they yielded him shrewdly his service for all the weles and bountees that he had done to them. they took him & crucified him to piteously/ And yet for all his pain he cried to his father mercy/ And said ¶ Pater ignosce illis/ quia nesciunt quid faciunt. A sweet father perdone them of all this harm they do to me for they know not what they do/ A god mercy what marvelous meekness and sweet pite was this in him/ He said not fair father venge me on these fellow folks that slay me without desert and cry so highly crucify him crucify him. But he said pardon them my death fair sweet father/ ¶ Hec mutacio dextere excelci This was a wonderful change that alway against harm. he died good/ Sweet Ihesu yet over these mortal pains that he suffered in his woeful body. he had in his compassionable soul thremaner of anguyssles of full egyr and bitter sorrow/ that made him to sigh marvelously with great tribulation ¶ these three anguisshes hinge in his holy soul/ as three sharp spears that smote him alway to the heart The first anguish was for the sorrow that his blessed mother and the other three maryes made that were so wet with their sorrowful tears. The second anguisshe was for his disciples refused him and believed not in him. nor held him not for god. For this that he would not help himself to escape· And fled all from him/ and left him all strange/ Whereof he saith by the prophet david/  
¶ Qui videbant me foras fugierunt a me. oblivioni datus sum tanquam mortuus a cord/  
My disciples that saw me taken they fled fro me· and I was put in forgetting among 'em as if I were deed/ The third anguish was the great sorrow that he had for these fellow tyrants that put him to death: to see how he lost his long travail for the salvation of their souls. and how he had utterly lost them/ And he saith ¶ Non veni vocare justos sed peccatores ad penitenciam I came not in earth to call the rightful but the sinners to penance/  
And he saw well that they had the hearts so hard/ that they would never do penance. And among all thoos sinners at that time he won but the thief that was hanged on the right side of him/ which cried him mercy· And more sorrow and more compassion had he of the loss of judas his traitor and of the other felons/ than of his own proper death/ As he saith by david.  
¶ Zelus domus tue comedit me et alibi Tabescere me fecit zelus meus quia oblitisunt verba tua inimici mei. Fair sweet father the great desire that I have to the salvation of your people werith me sore with sorrow and anguish/ And after he saith my right great jealousy maketh me all weary in my spirit/ for this that mine enemies have forgotten your commandments And at the last when he felt his cruel death approche· his pour soul had full great trouble/ then sighed he with chevering then cried he with piteous plaints. then wept his languishing eyen/ as saith saint paul. ¶ Cum clamore valido. et lacrimis offerens exauditusest pro sua reverencia/ With great cry and tears he suffered his soul depart with hard death/ for the love of his deer beloved/ man's soul/ ¶ But what was his cry/ the most sorrowful that ever was herd ¶ Clamavit voce magna Eloy/ Eloy/ lamazabatani/ hoc est deus meus/ deus meus ut quid de reliquisti me.   

MY sweet father my god/ my god why have ye forsaken me· & let me suffer so cruel death. for the folk that give me no thanks for all the harms that I have/ & shall suffer for there love/ ¶ Alas what great woe may be to all the world/ when Ihesu should die weeping so piteously. & so sorrowfully playninge/ for such as took no more heed of his hard passion that he suffered for them/ no more than if he never had become man/ Another reason was there as he plained him & wept full piteously/ for that so few folk should be so dear bought/ whereof saint gregory saith/  
¶ Si respicio faciem cristi in cruce pendentis. primis michi occurrit quod flevit orans SꝪ quare flevisti bone Ihu/ quare flevisti cum pocius esset gaudendum maxime tunc cum operabaris salutem in medio terre/ affligens peccata nostra cruce dampnans diabolum. Saluans miseros/ flevit igitur qr cum passio sua sufficeret redempcioni omni profuit redempcioni paucorum/ ¶ When I behold the face of Ihesu christ hanging upon the cross first it runneth in my mind/ that he in praying wept. But why wept ye sweet Ihesu/ why wept ye/ where rather it should be joyed specially when he brought health in the mids of the earth. & fixed our sins on the cross/ dampning the devil/ & saving wretches. But for this wept he. that his passion was sufficient enough to the redemption of all folks/ & should profit alonely to the redemption of so few/ For full few been in all the world of religious or secular/ or any other manner of folks of holy church or other that a right loveth the king of glory the sweet Ihesu Christ. as they ought. whereof saith saint paul. ¶ Omnes que sua sunt querunt non que Ihesu cristi/ All folks seek ententyfly the profit of their bodies. and not the love that they own to Ihesu christ/ And our lord himself saith/ ¶ Putas ne filius hominis inveniet fidem super terrain/ Ween ye that that Ihesu the son of marry found faith or charity in earth for sooth bookful scarcely/ Now dear friend remember ye how yourself hath loved full pourly our good lord and love Ihesu cryst/ And how our neighbours of this world been now corrupted with many manner of sins And how the death of our sweet lord/ & spouse the son of god was hard & cruel. Thenne ought we well to weep together with Ihesu cryst/ and cry him mercy whereof saint bernard saith/ ¶ Tria sunt preciosa unguenta/ scilicꝪ flere pro peccatis proptiis/ pro peccatis proximi/ pro compassione passionis cristi/ Three precious ointments been/ th'one is precious. the other more precious. the third riht precious. The precious is to weep for our sins/ The more precious is to weep for the sins of our neighbours. The right precious is to weep for the compassion of the cruel death of Ihu christ/ whereof saith saint bernard/ O bone Ihesu si tam dulce est gaudere de te/ A Ihesu if it be so sweet to weep with you/ how it shallbe sweet to be joyous with you/ and after he saith/ ¶ O bone Ihesu cito lacrimas invenit & soluitur in gemitum qui tui sensum habet doloris. O good Ihesu full soon might he find tears & great matter of sighings that had any feeling & understanding of your sorrows & pains/ And after of the peteous plaints that ye made. And when ye cried with high voice to your father/ ¶ In manus tuas domine commendo spiritum meum In to thy hands fair sweet father I yield my spirit/ for the love of my dear love man's soul to deliver from hell ¶ Et inclinato capite emisit spiritum/ And inclined his blessed heed & yielded his glorious spirit/ A fair friend think on him that was so benign to these hard torments/ whereof saint bernard saith.  
¶ O bone Ihesu benign cum hominibus conversatus es. quam magna hominibus largitus es/ quam dura pro hominibus passus es quam dura verba. duriora verbera durissima crucis tormenta passus es/ O good Ihesu how benign thou were conversant with men how great things thou hast given man/ how hard pains thou hast suffered for man/ as hard words/ hard beatings/ and right cruel and mortal torments/ that blessed be thou most merciful Ihesu/ For never man suffered so hard death as he suffered for our souls to make us partners of all the joys of heaven. And he suffered not only this cruel and hard death but also the most fowl & shameful death that they might put him to/ And all this suffered he for the love of man's soul/ For what shame was this/ that judas this traitor merchant sold him to the fellow jews to slay/ as men do an ox or a cow/ And yet for a wretched price/ for thirty pens: For judas scaryot said to the jews ¶ Quid vultis michi dare et ego eum vobis tradam/ at illi constituerunt ei triginta argenteos. What will ye give me and I shall deliver you him/ And established to give for him thirty pens of silver And he brought the jews the same night to the place where our lord Ihesu christ was. And when he came he said ave rabi/ Heyle master. and kissed him/ And our lord said to him full piteously/ ¶ Amice ad quid venisti. Friend wherefore come ye/  
Thenne came after the jews/ and took our lord full rudely/ And full sore bound him/ as if he had be an arrant thief/ And led him in the city before his mortal enemies: Whereof himself plained him to them that led him/ and said ¶ Tanquam ad latronem existis cum gladiis & fustibus comprehendere me/ cotidie apud vos eram docens in templo/ et non me tenuistis:   

A Why do ye me so great villainy/ that ye come with swords and weapons forto take me as I were a thief/ and every day I have be before you in the temple· and ye took me not/ wherefore do ye this to me now/ ¶ But for all that they left him not/ but drwe him forth before caiphass/ where the cruel jews accused him of felony and treyson· And he was brought forth thus as a lamb. whereof he said/ ¶ Ego quasi agnus mansuetus qui portatur ad victimam/ I suffer all together the vilaynous words & reproaches as a meek lamb with out resistance that men beareth to slay But Cayfas their master took so great disdain for this that Ihu would not answer/ that he said to him in scorn. Where been your disciples what folk been they how have ye taught them/ And Ihesu answered/ I am accustomed to speak openly and alway to teach folk in the synagogue and the temple/ there as the jews came/ and in secret places as here is I shall speak lityll/ And what ask ye me· ask them that have herd what I have said And uneath had he ended his words/ but there start forth a fellow ribawde/ that struck him full cruelly in his fair visage with his hard hand/ And said full eagerly before all folks/ ¶ Sic respondes pontifici. Should thou thus answer to the bishop. A how the sweet Ihesu answered to this fellow wretch/ ¶ Si male locutus sum testimonium perhibe de malo si autem bene cur me cedis/ If I speak evil/ bear witness of evil/ and if it be well/ wherefore smites thou me He said not thou cursed traitors ye have stricken me with wrong/ ye shall be confounded in hell/ Whereby ye may see his benignity ¶ But for all this the cruel tyrants buffet him/ & covered his blessed eyen/ and beat with their cursed fists all about his blessed heed. and smote his fair visage full villainously/ whereof saint bernard saith. ¶ Libertas captivorum traditur/ gloria angelorum illuditur/ splendour lucis eterne et speculum sine macula conspernitur/ deus omnium flagellatur/ vita hominum occiditur/ quid nobis restat ad agendum/ eamus et moriamur cum illo O bone Ihesu trahe me me post te/ non in odorem suavitatis sed in odorem tue passionis. ¶ A Ihesu christ that was the deliverer of prisoners/ he was delivered to prison for us/ The glory of angels was mocked for us/ The shyner of eternal light and mirror without any spot is despised/ God almighty is scourged/ The life of man is slain/ & what is now for us to do/ Go we & die with him: A good Ihesu draew me after the not in to the odour of sweetness/ but in to the odour of thy hard passion.  
¶ And when they had all the nyight tormented him/ and done him all the harm and shame they could. On the morn they assembled them all together. and judged him to the most shameful death that they could think/ which was to be hanged upon the cross/ upon an high mountain between two thieves/ whereof this verse is said. ¶ Dismas et gismas medio divina potestas/ Et cum iniquis de putatus est/  
¶ Dysmas the tone thief hang on that one part/ and Gysmas the other thief on the other part/ and between them hinge the divine majesty/ this was our lord Ihesu Christ/ And when he was judged/ the cruel tormentors and hangmen trussed the heavy wood of the cross upon his back/ as saith saint johan the evangelist/ ¶ Eduxerunt eum et cetera/ They led Ihesu out of the city/ and himself bearing his hard cross/ so faint & weary/ that uneath might he bear it/ whereof he saith by david. ¶ Q m defecit in dolore vita mea/ My life and my force faileth me in sorrow and pain/ And when they saw he might not go so speedily as they would they took with force a strong man that passed by the way/ which was named simon/ And made him against his will to bear the cross. the sooner to haast the death of our lord Ihesu cryst/ ¶ And when they took fro him the cross to deliver to simon. they smote our lord full cruelly/ Thenne came there women of galilee following our lord/ and wept full peteously/ And made full great sorrow to see him suffer so moche shame and pain without desert ¶ And when he saw these women weep so sore: he had full great pity/ And said to them/ ¶ Filie Iherusalem nolite flere super me/ etc/   

daughters of Iherusalem weep ye not for me/ but for yourself/ and your children/ For the days shall come when ye shall say/ blessed be the barren woman ● and the wombs that never bore child. and the breestes that never gave suck/ For then shall ye begin to say/ mountains fall on us/ and the earth cover us/ ¶ The cruel jews led him forth. and hang him on the cross naked before all the people in the same fowl place/ where the stinking rotyn careyns were of the bodies of thevis·s that they had put to death in that same place afore/ ¶ Alas when he was crusifyed thus sorrowfully/ the cursed traitors escryed him so shamefully/ & said/ ¶ Moventes capita sua dixerunt vath qui destruit templum dei/ et in tribus diebus illud reedificat/ salva teipsum. si filius dei es descend de cruce:  
¶ They brandished their heads/ and said in scorn/ see him here that same that will destroy the temple of god/ & make it again within iij days/ Now save thyself if thou be the son of god/ Come down of the cross where thou art hanged/ Thus cried the fellow jews See that same that avaunted him himself to save other folks/ and himself he may not save/ See how these unhappy jews tempted him/ these same folk that died him the sunday before so great honour· that they laid their clothes in the way where he passed. and cast flowers and branches before him and song ¶ hosanna filio david benedictus qui venit in nomine domini   

Glory and honour be done to Ihesu the son of god/ & of the lineage of david/ And blessed be he that cometh in the name of our lord the king of Iherusalem/ w Whereof saint bernard speaketh of this shame/ ¶ Ab eodom populo/ in eodem loco et in ipso tempore paucissimis interpositis diebus/ primo cum tanto triumpho susceptus/ postea crucifixus est/ Of the same people and in the same place/ and about the same tyme. where he was first received with great honour/ After was he hanged on the cross as a thief. See how great difference was this. then to receive him as king of Iherusalem/ and forth with to say. we have no king but cezar. And how the difference was between the region & the cross between the flowers and the crown of thorns before him were clothes of silk & rich panes spread/ & now was he dispoyllid all naked/ Alas what shame Ihu suffered of though same folk that died him so great honour a litil before/ & anon after so many reproaches. so vilaynously hanging on the cross between two theves·s for the love of his dear love manes soul was he thus shamefully slain/ that men might hold him for master of the thieves And hang there so fowl arrayed as if he were a mesel/ as he saith by isaiah the prophet/ ¶ Non est ei species neque decor/ et vidimus eum & no erat asspectus/ et desideravimꝰ despectum & novissimum virorum virum dolorum & scientem infirmitatem. et qua si absconditus vultus eius & dispectus/ unde & nec reputauimus eum/ Nother beauty nor honour was in him at that hour/ And we saw him/ and desired him despised/ And the last and most vile of all men/ And his face difformed with blood and fowl spytting/ so that we had him in derision/ ¶ A sorrow of sorrows that the Emperor of heaven and of all the world suffered. So cruelly was he wounded for our wretched souls of which we hold so lityll price For this admonestith saint Bernard to take keep of the vilaynies and sorrows that Ihesu cryst suffered for us. And saith. ¶ Oho no considera filium virginis illusum/ spictis linidum/ plagis confixum clavis/ A man beheld the son of the virgin mary foylid with fowl spittynges. all bloody of his wounds/ and pierced with nails/ Take heed of the king of angels being on the cross/ pale to the death/ fowl in flesh/ pass by this/ And take keep when ye see the figure how he is a man meekly bowing. a man smitten with shameful death. A man like unto a mesel/ A man of all sorrows appearing on his body and all wrapped in sorrow/ And yet when he was past all the anguyssh pain and shame that he might suffer in his life for the love of his love man's soul they died him after his death the greatest shame they could think. For they would not berry him among other jews/ but without the town/ as a man that were accursed/ And his blessed soul descended in to hell/ for to destroy the mortal enemies of his love man's soul/ And to fetch them out that long had abiden him there ¶ Now for God's sake let us remember well how much we are bounden to love that sweet Ihesu cryst/ that so many manner of shames suffered to put us in honour And that he suffered so shameful death to confirm our souls in the freedom of perdurable life/ For of all the pains that been in this world shame is the greatest. For we may find many of christian folk that will suffer hardness of life/ as fasting/ lying hard: cold hungres/ thirst/ and diseases for the love of god/ But to be holden vile & dyspysid for the love of god uneath shall ye find any/ For the wretched heart desireth always to be honoured and praysid/ And by this we may well know that he loved us and loveth us entirely/ that so many shames & dispytes suffered for the love of us.  
¶ The same that is the very perfit honour/ and of him cometh all honours that blessed be he of all creatures that us so moche hath loved. and loveth. that gracious lord/ the most true and heartily lover ¶ Now have we spoken great part of his hard death/ and of the shame that men died him/ whereby ye may here that never man died of so painful and vile a death/ whereof he plaineth him by the prophet david saying/  
¶ Defeccio tenuit me pro peccatoribus derelinqentibus legem tuam/   

Fair sweet father full great defawten me holdeth for sinners/ that have lest your law Now for truth their was nevyr man had more of poverty & default than he had in his hende/ and this showeth saint barnard that saith. ¶ Lignum defuit capiti. terra pedi vestimentum corpori. potus ori. amicus consolacioni· ¶ Alas what default was this/ the tree failed to his heed/ the earth failed to his feet/ clothing failed to his body/ every friend failed to his comfort/ Now behold more verily of this great default that the tree failed to his heed for the cross where he hinge was without head. for when he was so weary & his heed grieved him that was so sore betyn & brosed with many great strokes▪ that uneath his neck might bear it it was so atoned with pain/ & when he had so great need to rest his woeful/ heed he found not so much ease that he had any place to lean it to. he was strained so high upon the cross that his head might touch no part thereof/ A what unmeasurable pains/ and sorrows he had/ there found he an ovyr hard and sharp pelow/ for the heed of so noble and great a king as he was O good lord when we feel any great pain or febilnesse in our hedis we will have soft pelowies undir our hard heads/ and some woman or some man to hold it for taswage the pain but he had neither the ton nor the tothyr but skornars as himself saith be jerom the prophet. ¶ Factus sum in derisum omni populo meo canticum eorum tota die   

I Am made in derision & in mockage of all my people & their everiday song The t'other great default that earth failed to his feet and not to them only but to all his body/ that was so cruelly pained that he was seek on to the death & in all the large world had he not so much of place as he might put one foot on earth to rest his woeful body/ that was all to betin/ and brosed/ but hang in the air tere with great nayles·s full piteously Alas their is not so vile a sarazin ne so fowl a mesel ne so pour a wretch but that they might find some place or house where they might take some rest or ease in their sickness. A sweet Ihu christ wherefore would ye be in so great dyssese ovyr all other of the world Truly for love so moche had bound him in such wise that he reached not of all the dysesys he had for the foruent love he had to man's soul. Now see here the third default/ that was Clothing to his/ fair body as he saith by job: ¶ Nudus egressus sum de utero matris me. & nudus revertar illuc· ¶ All naked I am come fro my mothers womb/ and all naked I shall return out of this world/ For the fellow Iewes had rob him of his clothes. & departed them among them/ as he plaineth him by david the prophet/  
¶ Consideraverunt et inspexerunt me/ deviserunt vestimenta mea et super vestem meam miserunt sorten ¶ these jews have considered & beholden me/ and have divided my clothing to them & cast lots thereon. which of theirs it should be And the sweet Ihesu would not strive against them/ but with good will gave them for their service all that he had of earthly thing which was no more but only his clothes/ so pour was he at that time/ for thus saith saint bernard ¶ Quando fuisti pauperior/ tunc fuisti largior O bone Ihesu. When thou were most pour. then were thou most large/ for thenne gavest thou to the thief the kingdom of heaven/ to saint john evangelist thy mother/ to thy father thy spirit/ and to us thy flesh to eat/ & thy blood to drink/ And thou gavest thy clothing to thy crucyfyers/ in such wise that thou abodeste all naked on high upon the patyble/ A good lord god mercy the most strong thief of the world that were judged to be hanged yet should he have to cover him a pour gown or a poor shirt But Ihesu the king of glory had neither gone nor shirt to cover him/ where he hang openly before all folk. whereof he plaineth him by david/ ¶ Factum est cor meum tanquam cera liquescens in medio ventris mei/ My heart is becomen all soft & melting as it were wax in my body/ Alas we pour wretches what joy may we have of our honour/ that is come of none other thing. but of the shame of Ihesu christ. What gladness may we have of ease that is come of the disease of the sweet Ihu cryst/ How may we glorify us of our riches that cometh of the poverty of Ihesu christ ¶ What delight may we have of our freedom/ that is all comen of the bonds & emprysonement of our lord Jesus christ/ It never pleysed him that he should suffer & bear on his body all the harm & pain that we have so much deserved/ without we been partners with him in some manner of penance & sorrow. For troth so shall we do if we will be partners of his joy/ For he is not wort●● to be partner to the winning/ that will not be partner to the loss whereof saint bernard saith.  
¶ Videntes angustias dni nostri Ihu cristi. leviter portauimus nostras ¶ If we saw thanguishes that our lord Ihesu christ suffered for us we should bear ours the more lightly. And if we will not be of his livery in compassion. it is no reason we should be of his livery in consolation/  
¶ See ye now the fourth default that Ihesu christ had/ that was drink fayllid him to his mouth/ Two manner of men have great need of drink/ A man that hath moche travailed/ and a man that hath moche bled. And both these things were in our lord Ihesu christ that day. For never may was so weary of painful travail & woeful service as he was. whereof himself saith by isaiah the prophet ¶ Service me fecistis in pectins nostris/ et laborem michi prebuistꝭ in iniquitatibus nostris/  
¶ Ye make me serve in your fowl sins to give my labour in your iniquity/ And after he saith ¶ isaiah/ Laboravi sustinens I have traveled in suffering/ For I have suffered all the harms that men would do me. for the love of man's soul/ And if ye will ye may find written: that in that labour he traveled so moche/ that the blood ran fro his tender body/ forto cry for mercy to his father. for his love man's soul/ that was condemned to perpetual prison/ As he saith by Iherom ¶ Laboravi rogans I have sore traveled in praying for your soul's/ these were hard labours/ ¶ The second cause to say he was let blood/ It was not of one vain/ nor of two. but he bled over all his body/ In so many places·s that it was great dyfficulte to number the wounds of the amiable body of Ihesu christ/ that plenteously bledde· But when we been let blood upon a little vain on our arms. we keep us all still & close in a chamber/ that none air come in to hurt us. And have all things ordained to our comfort ¶ A good lord all otherwise went it at your painful bleeding. that was so cruelly drawn out of the town. without any mercy or pity/ and by the shameful tyrants hanged upon the Cross against that brenning son strained as strait as·s a parchment skin to dry/ And by these painful wounds & labours/ he had great thirst which was no marvel/ And then he plained him peteously/ & said/ ¶ Scicio/ I have thirst/ & what then. They gaaf him no hippocras nor wine/ ne yet fair water/ But they gaaf him easel and gall meddled together/  
¶ Alas what drink was this to be given at so great a need. ¶ Cum gustasset noluit bibere. sed dixit consummatum est/   

When he had taasted he would not drink/ but said all is fulfilled/ then might he well have saint alas/ now am I outrageously served/ that for all the company that I have had with them and for all the honours that I have showed to them/ they yield me now thus shrewedly my service. that in so great disease as/ I am now in/ and in so great default they will not give me a lityl water to drink. Now am I outrageously served/ For truly this same died more harm than many other of the pains that he suffryd· And no marvel/ for he had long laboured for to teach them for to save their souls▪ and to draw their love toward him/ And for all this great love yet at the last they died him this great villainy Whereof he plaineth him by Iherom the prophet saying/  
¶ Recordare paupertatis & trangressionis mee absinthij & fellis/ Fair friend remember you of the poverty that I suffered for you/ And remember of the great disptes that was done to me· when they gaaf me to drink so evil a drink for your love/ whereof saith saint bernard/ ¶ Sitivi salutem vestram/ I have thirst said our lord/ and not only for drink/ but only for your salvation/ O good lord mercy/ who had ever in him so farm love as he/ when he was in so painful caas/ that he felt the fevers of his hard death prick so sore his piteous soul/ Yet said he not alas/ the hard cross destroyeth my seek body. But he said I have great thirst that my love may be delivered from hell/ He said not how these thorns raze mine woeful heed/ Nor alas how my hands & feet been broken & pierced with great nails. Nor alas that I should suffer so many great pains without desert/ But he said I have desire that my love were saved▪ as saint bernard saith. ¶ Tantum me dilexisti o bone Ihu quod inmemor fuisti doloris/ & non inmemor mee salutis. dixisti scicon non dixisti doleo/ So moche thou hast loved me o good Ihu. that thou hast not remembered thy sorrow/ & yet thou hadst the remembrance of my salvation/ when thou saidest I thirst after your salvation/ and said not I have great sorrow for my pains/ But all otherwise took it the fellow jews/ and therefore they died him such a noye/ that they most bitter easel and gall gaaf him to drink/  
¶ The fifth default that was full great/ was when every friend failed to his comfort/ so as himself plaineth him by david/ ¶ Singulariter sum ego donec transeam I am left alone without comfort. till that I be passed out of this mortal life/ Whereof he saith by isaiah. ¶ Circumspexi et non erat auxiliator. I beheld all about me. and there is none that of any thing helpeth me/ or will comfort me/ And sith saith he by isaiah ¶ Torcular calcavi solus/ & non erat de gentibus vir mecum/ I have trodden in the villain pressours all alone/ and of all the folks in the world I have not one man with me Whereof saith isaiah ¶ Quare ergo est rubium indumentum tuum et vestimenta tua sicut calcancium in torculari/ ¶ But fair lord god wherefore was then thy vestiment so read/ as they that have pressed wine at the pressure. Ye for troth the vestiment that he was clothed in was his clean skin/ that was all red of his blessed blood as he had pressid red wine all alone with out comfort and without help/ ¶ But fair friend ye would say peradventure. that alone without comfort was he not/ For he had his dear mother full near him for to comfort him. It is troth his sorrowful mother was near him: but he was more pained of the compassion of his piteous mother than of his own passion/ And this may ye here by a lamentation of our lady/ that saint bernard writeth that beginneth thus/ as hereafter followeth/   

QVis dabit capiti meo aquam et oculis meis fontem lacri marum ꝙ possim flere per diem & noctem donec servo suo dominus Iheus christus coopereat visu/ vel sompno consolans animam meam  
Who shall give to my heed water and to mine eyen a well of tears that I might weep by day & night so long. that it would please our lord Ihesu christ to apere to me his servant in sight. or in dream to comfort my weary soul. ¶ O ye daughters of Iherusalem the blessed friends of our lord help me to weep in praying/ and pray in weeping so long. that our spouse in his beauty so benign/ and so sweet to us will appear/ Think devoutly/ and remember intentively in your hearts how bitter a thing it is to be departed from him to whom ye have promised everichone hoolily to hold you. to whom ye have avowed yield your soul's/ thenne to him fair daughters/ fair virgins. fair maidens & pure/ that have avowed chastity to Ihesu Christ/ come to the sweet virgin that bore him. For she bore the king of glory And she will give him or her that will require him with good love/ She bare him she gaaf him suck/ the eight day he was circumcised/ and the xl day he was presented to the temple/ and offered for him ij turtles/ And after fled for fere of Herod/ and bore him in to egypt/ and nourished him & took keep of him/ and followed him from place to place till he came to the cross. And left she him there thenne nay truly▪ she tarried there as long as ever she might/ I believe verily that she was among the women that followed Ihesu christ for to serve him. And it was no marvel though she followed him/ for he was all her joy/ all her comfort. and all her desire/ Wherefore I suppose well that she was among them that complained our lord in weeping. She wept then with thoos daughters of Iherusalem/ to which Ihesu bearing his cross turned & said/ O ye daughters of Iherusalem ne weep ye not on me/ but weep ye on yourself: and on your children/  
¶ The voice praying the blessed mother of Ihesu christ/ O lady of paradise thamiable mother of our lord Ihesu christ is it not this troth that I say/ Now blessed lady I humbly beseech you/ that it like you to say me the troth/ and not to dyspleyse you/ though I your servant speak thus hardly to his lady/ And to the intent sweet virgin that I may more worthily and devoutly here what it will please you to say/ I beseech you that ye will give me some of the tears that ye had in the passion of your dear child. And to show me the manner of the compaseyon and sorrow that ye had then.  
¶ The voice of the virgin mary ¶ Transsumptive illa respondit illud quod tu queris/ conpungitiwm est magni doloris/ sed quia glorificata sum. flere non possum. tu autem cum lacrimis/ scribe ea que magnis doloribus ipsa perpensi. ¶ She answered/ a fair friend/ this thing that thou desirest is compunction with great sorrow/ but for by cause that I am glorified. I may not wepe· But writ thou with tears those things the which I myself have suffered with great sorrows/  
¶ The voice praying/ A lady of paradise/ grant me this that ye speak/ and then have I all that I desire O queen of heaven mother to the crucified christ Ihesu/ say to me what it pleyseth you/ And your poor servant shall humbly here▪ what that it liketh you to say/ And my dear lady I beseech you that ye will vouchsafe to tell me if ye were in Iherusalem when your sweet son was taken and bound/  
¶ The voice of the blessed virgin ¶ Come illa respondit/ in Iherusalem eram quando hec audivi gressu qualicunque potui & vix potui ad deum meum flens venire cunque illum fuissem intuita pugnis percuti/ et alapis cedi/ in fancy conspui/ spinis coronari/ et obprobrium hominum fieri. commota sunt omnis viscera mea. et defecit spiritus meus/ & non erat michi flere/ neque sensus neque vox.  
¶ Which answered fair friend in Iherusalem I was. when I heard that he was taken/ then sped I me forth going as I might/ and scarcely all weeping as I was could I come to my god. And when I beheld him stricken with fists/ and beaten with great strokes/ in his blessed face bespitted crowned with thorns/ and made the repreef of men/ then was I so inwardly moved with sorrow that my spirit failed me/ so that I was as thenne past weeping/ wit or voice. But I was not alone for there were with me my sisters and other women full heavy and sorrowful. that wept for my sweet child as much as he had be thereAmong the which was mary mawdeleyne/ that over all other save myself made sorrow/ And thenne pilate commanded that Ihesu christ should be brought forth to his torments/ and bear the cross himself: upon the which he should they ¶ And thus was he drawn toward his deadly torments/ And then was there full great press of people that followed him/ And some mockid him/ and some cast mire and filth upon his heed. and in his sweet face/ which all the heavenly corte delighteth to behold: And I his sorrowful mother followed him with other women of galilee/ and I was as half deed with sorrow. But they supported me till we came unto the place of his passion where they crucified my son before mine eyen/ And he beheld me so piteously/ and saw me/ and I him when he was raised upon the cross/ fastened with three great boyustyous nails of iron/ And more me thought he sorrowed for me/ than of his own pain/ And he took it as mekly as it were a lamb before them that crucified him/ And made no noise/ nor opened not his mouth/ And I seek as I was beheld my lord and my son hanging on the cross/ and of so right fowl death dying in sorrow ¶ I was then so traveylid in my thought. that it can not be spoken of no mouth.  
And it is not to be marveled/ he was of so meek a look and of so sweet/ of word/ and so benign in every conversation: And there saw I his precious blood run with great streams in all parties in such wise that his visage was all strained therewith/ and all his beauty changed so moche. that he was before the most fair that ever was/ seemed then to be the most fowl of all other/ ¶ then saw I well that the prophecy of isaiah was accomplished in him  
¶ Vidimus eum/ et non erat ei species neque decor/   

WE saw him/ and in him was neither beauty nor honour/ it was so changed by beating and spyttynge/ and casting of mire/ and other filth upon him by these cursed people/ Trueli this was to me a grievous torment. to see me thus sorrowfully deceived from him that I had borne/ and nourished. and now to be left alone/ which increased me with sorrow upon sorrow/ so that my voice failed me/ when I would speak. there took me such a sorrow that closed my heart so that I could no thing do but snob & sigh when I saw in dying the same that died for love. & that my soul loved/ And then beheld he me and saw that I wept and would have comforted me/ But in no manner I could receive no comfort/ And then I wept in seeing and said in weeping/ Alas fair son why grant ye me not to they for you· Alas what shall I now do my deer son dieth/ wherefore dieth not his sorrowful mother with him. A fair son my only love leave not after you/ But take me with you so that ye die not thus alone/ but let us die together. suffer your woeful mother to be slain with you/ O ye wretched death/ ne spare me not. for now your coming should please me. slay me with my sweet son that is all my joy and all my comfort/ and the life of my soul. Now my deer son do so moche that I may they with you sith I have borne you to this cruel death. Alas take keep now of your sorrowful mother. and here my prayer/ receive me with you in your passion in such wise that we that have lived in one flesh & loved of one love may die of one death/ A ye cruel men wherefore sp●re ye me sith ye crucify my child/ crucify me with him/ or make me die of some other death/ I rekke not what it be so that I die with my son/ Alas my sweet child should ye die thus alone Now see I my life die/ and my health perish/ All my hope is taken out of th'earth/ Wherefore liveth the sorrowful mother after the son Take the mother. and put her to death with her son/ sith ye spare not the son spare not the mother/   

A death thy cruelty now to me should be great joy if I might die with my son Ih̄us. A woe is me/ the death that I desire so moche departeth fro me A my dear child. it is moche better for me to die than to live a deadly life/  
¶ O dear son/ o blessed sweet son receive the prayers of your sorrowful mother And be not hard to her that hath be alway so benign to all other/ Truly it is according that the son should here his sorrowful mother so discomforted/ Now sweet child receive your mother with you on your cross/ that I may live alway with you after your death/ For truly there should no thing be to me so joyful as to die with you upon the cross. Nor no thing may be to me more painful than to live after your dethe·  
¶ A fair sweet child/ the very true son of god. have pity on your sorrowful mother. For ye be my father and my mother Ye be my husband. ye be my son/ ye be all the joy and comfort I have in this world/ And now am I Orphelin of father/ widow of husband/ dyscomforted of child/ these cruel jews have taken all from me ¶ A fair sweet son what shall I do frohens forth/ Fair lord what shall befall on me/ My dear child where shall I find comfort/ Most special friend/ and all my love/ where shall I find help & counsel ¶ Fair sweet son I know well that ye may do what that ye will But if it please you not that I day now with you/ I beseech you that ye will leave me some gracious comfort.  
¶ The voice of our lord to his blessed mother answering there where he hang so painfully on the cross/ And turned his eyen full pytefully toward saint john th'evangelist/ and said to his mother. Woman see there your son/ And saint johan was then there present full piteously. and continually weeping/ ¶ Ac si diceret. O maria dulcissima mollis ad flendun & mollis ad dolendun/ tu scis qr ad hoc rem veni/ ad hoc de te carnem sumpsi. ut per crucis patibulun saluaren genus hunanum.  
¶ As if he had said O most sweet mary being so ready to compassion and weeping/ and so ready to piteous sorrow/ ye know well that for this I came: and for this I took flesh of the. that by the patyble of the cross I should redeem mankind. How otherwise should be the scriptures accomplished whereby ye know well that it behoveth me to suffer death for the salvation of mankind/ And the third day I shall arise again and appear to the and to my disciples/ Now seize ye your weepings and your sorrows fair sweet moder· sith that I go now to my fader· where I shall receive the glory of my paternal majesty/ ¶ Ye ought to make joy with me/ & be glad of this that I shall find the sheep that hath erred so long/ and be lost/ For only one shall they/ by whom the world shall be saved/ And this that pleyseth to god my father ● how should it dyspleyse you my sweet moder· Wherefore I pray you weep no more/ nor make no more these sorrowful complaints/ For I shall not leave nor forget you. But am and shall be with you always with out end/ For though I am not after the flesh obeisant to the death/ yet after my divinity I am and shall be always immortal and unsuffring of pain/   

WEll know ye fair sweet mother frowhens I came Wherefore be ye thenne so sorrowful/ though I ascend there frowhens I descended/ It is time that I return to him that send me hither/ And there may not ye come now/ but surely ye shall come after. And in the mean time johan that is your nephew shall be in stead of your son & shall take keep of you/ & be your true comfort & thenne beheld our lord saint iohnn and said to him See here thy mother I recommend her unto thee/ and pray the fair sweet friend serve her/ and take good keep of her/ For I deliver her unto thy keeping/ receive thy mother johan/ and not as thy mother without more. But receive her more gladly for this that she is my mother. Truly few words spoke our lord But when these two that heard him thus swetli speak/ they sesed not of weeping But sorrows martyred them in such wise that they could not speak one word.  
these two blessed virgins hearing our lord thus speak with hole voice/ And saw him draw near to his death/ they could not answer one word/ but were as ha●f deed/ fay●linge both their spirits & voice/ They wept full bitterly And sorrowed for the sword of the passion of our lord Ihesu christ pierced thorough their soul's/ This sword pierced them both full cruelly. and who most fervently loved most cruelly was tormented This was the mother that felt the sorrows that her son suffered/ The sword of sorrow was the wounds of Ihesu christ/ which were painful torments in the soul of his mother/ When Ihesu christ had delivered his blessed mother in the keeping of saint johan. And he saew that tender maiden so piteously wepe· snob and sigh. that no thing in all this world might comfort her/ then had he so great sorrow/ that by compassion thereof the anguish of the hard death seized him by the heart/ And cried with marvelous voice and sorrowful/ and yielded up his spirit/ ¶ Now may ye see well how he had fault of every manner of comfort/ and how his blessed mother died him then more of sorrow than of comfort/  
¶ Now have ye heard how hard death and shameful the sweet Ihesu hath suffered for the love of his love our soul's/ ¶ If she would yet in any manner give him her love/ And have compassion of him/ and all his painful death whereof be many things that may increase our love and our compassion.  
¶ The first thing is the great sorrow that was in our lord Ihesu christ: of the which he saith by jeremy/ ¶ Non est dolor sicut dolor meus/   

THere is no sorrow like unto my sorrow/ and it was no marvel/ For much more tender is a young clean virgin Innocent without sin than an old wretched sinner/ Now was there never a more pure virgin ne more tender. nor so clean as was the blessed pure virgin marry the fair mother of our lord. Ihesu christ/ of whom he tork his humanity of the most pure drops of her vyrgynal blood without sin and any substance of the human seed. For when this blessed body was borne of his mother/ he was more tender than is the apple of the eye. And as lityll pain died grieve in his sweet body/ as it should do in the sight of our eye.  
¶ For his blessed mother was never blamed of sin/ whereof he was so tender that there was never man/ nor none other creature that in this world died suffer so great sorrows/ and so hideous torments as died our lord Ihesu christ in his tender body two & thirty year during/ alway grievous & more grievous. And he received them full hardly and wisely for the love of his love. as he saith by isaiah.  
¶ Ideo posui faciem meam ut petram durissimam/ et subditur/ qui est adversarius meus./ accedat ad me/ Therefore I have put my face as a right hard stone/ who saith who is. mine adversaries come to me to do me asmuch harm as they will/ And I shall receive them for the love of my love/ ¶ The second is/ the Right great love/ and that appeared between Ihesu christ and his mother/ For by the great love that his mother had toward him/ the sword of hard martyrdom passed thorough her soul as simeon promised her. when she offered Jesus' in the temple/ ¶ Et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius/ The sword shall pass thorough your soul/ ¶ Also david plaineth him greatly for his son Absalon in the book of kings/ ¶ Quis dabit michi ut ego moriar pro te. Alas mi fair son absolon/ what shall I do sith ye be deed: wherefore may I not die for you/ Thus seemeth it that the death of his son was more grievous unto him. than should have be his own proper dethe· In like wise our blessed lady had by many fold more sorrow of the death of her sweet son/ than she should have of her own/  
¶ And accordingly children have great love unto their mother/ and nature moveth them to be in full great fere and sorrow when they see their mother beaten or wounded/ ¶ But what child saw ever his mother thus martyred and so beaten and wounded of mortal sorrow as Ihesu christ saw his mother/ Not only in body ne in her tender heart but in her holy soul that was specially crucified with him. And who loved ever mother so tenderly as died the sweet Ihesu cryst Whereof saith saint Ancelme/ ¶ Alloquens filius cum benedicta matter sic dixtt vestro continuo a more langueat cor meum liquefiet anima mea/ deficiat caro mea utinam sic viscera anime me dulci feruore dileccionis vestre ex arescerent ne viscera carnis mee ex arescant/   

HOw sweetly the son of god Jesus' spoke to his blessed mother aynt mary's that said/ Fair mother of your continual love that ye have to me my heart languysshyth my soul may wax soft. my flesh may fail. I desire that the entrails of my soul might dry for favour of your love/ as the entrails of my flesh been dried for languor of anguisshe and of grevaunce·  
¶ Alas how great pity is it when so good friends shall departed with so great sorrow/   

THe third reason is wherefore men ought to have compassion of his great Innocency. For greater sorrow is it to see a man suffer great harm with out desert/ as saint peter saith/ ¶ Ipse enim peccata non fecit nec inventus est dolour in ore eius· He never died sin nor no treason/ wherefore we ought to have the greater sorrow/ that he suffered so moche torment for us/ as isaiah saith/ ¶ Ipse enim vuln●ratus est propter iniquitates nostras. at tritus est propter scelera nostra. Truly he was mortally wounded for our iniquity/ and all defoiled for our felonyes'/ A man that hath a noble heart will have full great compa●●ōn when another shall suffer pain for his desert. For he himself thinketh he feeleth the pain in himself/ whereof it is written in the book of kings. That when david by pride had numbered his people/ wherefore our lord sent ●n angel to slay his people. for the displeysure that he took of the same pride ¶ And when david saw the angel slay his folk/ he said to our lord full pe●eously/  
¶ Ego sum qui peccavi/ ego inique egi/ isti ●ui oves sunt/ quid fecerunt. vertatur obsecro ira tua contra me/ O fair lord said he I have sinned/ and I am he that hath done evil/ these folks that been innocentes/ what have they done wherefore they been slain/ I beseech the lord that thou return thy wrath toward me/ and take vengeance on me. for I am worthy/ and they not/ Thus may we saye· a lord god mercy/ we been they that have ynned/ we aught by reason to suffer passion & death/  
¶ A good Jesus'/ ye sinned never/ wherefore should ye bear the vengeance of our trespasses & evil deeds/  
¶ The fourth thing is his nobleness/ for greater pite is it of a noble man when he is vile entreated than of a vile person/ And there was never none found so noble nor of so rial nor gentle lineage. as was the sweet Ihesu cryst/ For he was and his the son of the king of heaven/ of the earth/ & of hell. and of all them that been therein. And by his mother was he comen of the lineage of the rich king david and of the wise king Solomon/ A good lord mercy. for he was lityll accustomed to lead such life Full strange was it to him to suffer such pains/ as isaiah saith/ ¶ Alienum opus eius/ ut operetur opus suum peregrinum est ab eo Moche changed is his work that he doth this vile craft/ It is full strange to him/ And this showeth saint bernard more openly/ ¶ Illud capud angelicis spiritibus adorandum & tremendū● spinis et tribulis coronatur ● aures que audi unt can●us. angelorum audivit insultus judeorum dicencium/ crucifige crucifige eum. oculi lucidiores/ sole calligaverunt in morte/ etc. That heed is crowned with thorns & breres/ that is worshipped & feared of angels/ The ears which here the songs of angels. thenne heard the crying of Iewes. crucify him crucify him/ The eyen that been brighter than the son became then all dark in his death. The face that is most fair among the sons of men was then all foiled with foul spittynges. The hands that maden heaven & earth were strained then on the cross. The feet that be to be honoured were thenne rudely nailed to the tree/ O good lord there was never so noble a person/ so gentle nor so courteous. And yet was never none so sorrowfully entreated. ¶ The fifth reason that was in 〈…〉 his benignity And his 〈◊〉. whereof saint paul saith/ ad 〈◊〉 ¶ Apparuit benignitas & hum●nitas salvatoris nostri cord dei/ The benignyte & the humanity of god our saviour appeareth/ And Jesus himself said. ¶ Discite a me quia mitis sum & humilis cord Learn this of me fair love/ for I am humble of heart: O saint marry mercy/ when he was so benign a man & so debonayr. what need was it to beat him so felonously/ what need was it so cruelly with a sharp spear to pierce his sweet heart so mortally/ What need was it thus to torment him and so shamefully to draw so blessed a child/ so fair a son & so debonayr· and of so humble a heart as our lord Ihesu christ was/ Alas alas wherefore bound & slew the fellow jews so rudely the same that never died harm/ but to all folks showed love & debonairty/ whereof saint austin plaineth him full greatly saying/ ¶ Odolor inestimabilis o angustia singularis/ palmatur que est vera palma victory/ spinis coronatur qui venit spinas peccatorum confringere ligatur▪ qui soluit compeditos in ligno suspenditur qui erigit elisos. sons vite. sitis panis/ angelorum esurit/ Quid plura disciplina. ceditur salus/ vulneratur vita ad tempus/ moritur ut inops inperpetuum moriatur   

Sorrow inestimable/ O anguisshe singular he was palmed▪ that is the true palm of victory/ he was crowned with thorns/ that came to break the thorns of sin/ He was sore bound that came to lose them that were in bonds/ He was hanged on the cross/ that raiseth 'em that been overthrown/ The well of life had thirst/ The breed of angels had hungres: And what more. discipline was beaten/ Health was wounded/ Life for a time was deed to slay death wythouten end/ There was never none heard of creature that received by many fold so great harm in reward of his great goodness. And then to remember his benignity & his great debonaire/ whereof holy church maketh great sorrow in an ympne of the passion/ And piteously complaineth that so gracious a body was so cruelly stricken with a spear/ and pierced so deep with great nayles·s & saith then to the cross. ¶ Flecte ramos arbor alta/ etc. O ye high tree of the cross/ withdraw your branches/ slake your entrails/ that been so stretched/ and your rigour the which he gaaf/ assuage you siyth all the membres of the sovereign debonair king is strained on the hard stock. ¶ The sixth cause wherefore men should have compassion of our lord Ihesu christ this was the semblance of other things that maken sorrow/ For when a man seeth other folk make sorrow/ he is more apt to sorrow with them/ In like wise behold how many ensamples were of sorrow when our lord Ihesu christ died/ The unreasonable creatures made sorrow/ The son withdrew his light hiding his beams and became all dark/ The hard stones all to brake· thus as though they had compassion of their creator The veil of the temple claf on to as if it were for anguish of the spouse of holy church. whose body was so piteously entreated/ The bodies of deed folk aroos for ensample of that sorrow/ And that men ought to remember that death with great compassion: And also it is a great ensample of pity & sorrow the lamentable complaint that his blessed & sorrowful mother made for the death of her sweet son when she was left alone of all friends ci of saint johan/ to whose keeping she was delivered/ beholding then her dear child deed upon the cross hanging between two thieves/ Well might she make then the most sorrowful complaint that evyr was made/ Whereof saith saint bernard/ ¶ Quis dabit capiti meo aquam/ etc. And when her son was deed on the cross/ saint bernard saith thus/ ¶ Cogitare libet quantus dolour tunc. infuit matri mulieri cū'sic dolebant insensibilea/ non lingua loqui. nec mens cogitare valebat quanto dolore afficiebantur pia viscera marry   

IT may be thought full great sorrow was in his blessed mother. when the creatures that felt not made so great sorrow as is before rehearsed/ there can no tongue say. nor heart think how marvelous great sorrows & piteous torments was in the heart of that blessed virgin marry and saint bernard saith/ ¶ Nunc soluis virgo maria cum viscera ꝙ in partu mutuasti a natura. dolorem pariendo filium non sensisti quem milies replicando filio moriente passafuisti/ Now sweet virgin ye have yielded with esurye this that in the birth of your son was changed against nature· For in his birth felt ye no sorrow nor pain But in his death felt ye the thousand fold of sorrows/ The mother was near unto the cross at the death of Ihesu christ/ which she conceived by the holy ghost/ But she failed both speech & voice/ which sorrow had taken fro her·  
¶ O verum eloquium justum simeonis/ O ye true word of the very Just simeon/ For thenne was your promise fulfilled of the sword of sorow· when that blessed virgin marry was there present. and her sweet son hanged on the cross/ She lay at the earth as deed pale and dyscolored but her soul lived. as in deyeng/ And yet was she not deed/ but living as a deadly creature the sorrows tormented her soul so cruelly/ that she desired moche more to die than live/ For after the death of her sweet child full painfully & deadly lived. she though she were not utterly dede· that day was she therein full marvelous. sorrow awaytimg when the blessed body of our lord Ihesu christ should be taken down of the cross./ She wept in saying. & said in weeping Alas alas who shall yield to me your sorrowful mother the deed body of her dear love and child/ O ye cruel jews/ ye have accomplished now your desire Wherefore I require you take down this holy body of the cross/ and yield him to his woeful mother/ She being near to the cross beholding full piteously her sweet son Ihu there hanging/ thenne rose she up on her feet/ & with full great pain dressed her to the cross. where she might best embrace the blessed body of Ihesu christ. to whom she had sometime given sowke with her own sweet breasts/ but she might not areche him And then enforced she her with all her power to stretch her as high as she might areche to touch some part of him: wherewith she oue●●hrewe to the earth. and lay there a great while in marvelous sorrows/ But yet again the great ferventness of love made her to arise/ coveyting her dear son: And enforced her with all her power to draw him to her/ But she was so fulfyllid with sorrow/ so weigh kid and wearied wythinward martyrdom. that she could not sustain her/ but overthrew again to th'earth ¶ O grave martirium/ O frequens suspirium/ O languens pectus virgineum liquefacta est anima mea/ facies pallet rosea/ SꝪ precioso filii rubet cruore respersa cadentis fluctus/ sanguinis/ ore sacro tangebat terram deo●culans/ quam cruoris unda rigabat/   

O How grievous martyrdom. O how deep & often sighs/ O how this virgynal heart was painfully tormented And this holy soul that was all dissolved in sorrow/ And this colour that before was fresh as the rose/ was become so piteously pale: And she all besprens clid with the precious blood of her sweet son/ whereof great plenty fill upon the earth/ which she with her holy mouth kissed/ so entrerly. that she broke the waves and clotyrs of that precious blood/ touching the earth/ so wonderfully was she tormented with full great sorrows ¶ O was not this more like a sorrowful dying than a life And while she was in these torments came a noble man. that was named joseph/ which was truly in his heart a disciple to Ih̄us/ And he went all hardly to pilate/ and axed the body of Ihesu christ. which was granted to him/ then took he another man with him that was called Nychodemus/ so came they to golgatha where our lord was crucified/ And brought with them their Instruments to take out the nails of his hands & feet. and to take him down of the cross. And when that blessed virgin saw that they would take him down/ she rose up as well as she might for all her sorrow to help them to her power ¶ That one took out the nails and that other sustained his body that it should not fall to the earth And his blessed mother took him by the arm. And as soon as he was taken down/ his sweet mother took him in his arms full sorrowfully kissing and clipping him. so piteously weeping/ that she all to wet his blessed visage with her sorrowful tears/ And tormented hyrselfe with many and often sighs/ and snobbynge full lamentably complaining/ wringing her hondes·s and said/ O my sweet son. why suffered ye these fellow jews to crucify you. O what sorrow now I your wretched mother holdeth you deed in my lap. A what shall I sorrowful do now/ Alas fair son alas where is become that great joy that I had in your nativity/ alas now is my joy changed/ and turned in to great sorrow/ my fair dear child And evyr among she kissed full sweetly his blessed visage with so great plenty of sorrowful tears/ as all her flesh had be molten in tears/ And then said she full piteously to the body of her son/ say me my right sweet son Say me mine only son. the life of my soul My singular comfort. mine only joy. Wherefore suffer ye me thus sorrowfully to abide after you. Say me my sweet lord god/ wherefore be ye so far from me. A god mercy comfort my soul/ Behold me/ & have mercy on me/ Now speak who speak will/ how great was the sorrow that then had the blessed mother of Ihesu christ/ Truly there may no creature say nor think perfectly the greatness of the sorrow: that this piteous blessed virgin felt ¶ For how be it that she knew well that he was very god & man and that he should arise again fro death to life the third day/ thus as he said himself/ Yet was her love so fervent unto him. that made her sorrow to pass and exceed all other sorrows that ever were/   

ANd thenne after she had long continued in this travail and torment with sorrowful sighs and weeping/ then came joseph and Nychodemus to wrap up his blessed body in a clean cloth of sendal. and to lay it in a fair new sepulchre of stone/ ¶ thither came thousand thousands of angels to the burying of their lord/ which sungen pray singes to almighty god/ But mary his blessed mother gave heartily sighs & snobbynges. and sorrowfully wept by the sepulchre/ This sorrowful mother would have be buried by her son/ And full often times by constraint of love embraced him and said full piteously/ ¶ Miseremini mei miseremini me/ saltem vos amici mei/ illum adhuc paululum relinquite michi/ She said to Joseph & nychodeme have mercy on me have mercy on me my friends my friends/ & let me alityll behold his visage sith it is overcoverd so so that I may have some comfort/ and put him not thus soon in the sepulchre/ But if ye will needs bury him/ bury me with him For a sorrowful life shall I have after him/ then by the most reverend and humble ways they could they died their devour to peasifye her/ and laid his blessed body in the sepulchre/ full bitterly weeping all/ in such wise that unethiss any of them might sown a right word And what marvel was it: They saw his piteous mother dyspourueyed of all manner of comfort/ which was a great increasing of their sorrow/ And thus the lord of this life was given to the sepulchre of death: And when he was buried/ his blessed mother drew toward him embracing the sepulture with all her heart so as she might/ and called on Ihesu christ. and said/ Fair son what shall I do that am your wretched mother/ Now might ye say then fair virgin/ ¶ Anima me liquefacta est/ ut dilectus locutus est. quesivi eum & non inveni illum. vocavi et non respondit michi/   

MY sorrowful soul is all dessoluid for anguish of mi sweet son/ that intendeth not to my words/ I seek him & I may not find him. I speak to him/ and he answereth me not Then came saint john/ to whom our lord had delivered her in keeping so sore weeping/ that in no wise he could refrain hym· Thenne took he up this blessed virgin weeping & snobbing in sorrows. and so wearied in weeping. & so much grieved & discomforted/ that unneaths her feet might sustain to bear her notwithstanding thus as she myighte. with the help of the holy women that were there. they all with weeping entered in to Iherusalem/ many women that saw this had such pity of the sorrowful weeping of the blessed virgin mary that they could not refrain their tears/ Her sorrowful heart & piteous demeaning constrained many a hard heart to weep & sorrow/ and thus was she led all with weeping unto the house of saint johan both hirself weeping & all that went with her/ and as many as saw her So rested she & abode in his house: which honoured her/ served her & loved her more than she had be his own mother/ And when our lord was buried. the jews sealid his sepulture/ & appointed certain kniighntes in harness for to keep it/ In the mean time the blessed virgin marry endured great sorrow in the house of saint johan/ For she wept continually without comfort/ for there was no friend she had might ease her/ nor saint john himself. for she was alway in sorrow & bitter tears. A who is so encombrid with sin/ or is so much encumbered of earthly love/ Or who is so fulfyllid of error/ or is so charged with worldly richesse/ that hath the heart so hard/ that they can not have compassion & compunction when they red or here of the sighs & weepings/ the sorrows & torments that this blessed pure virgin saint mary the right sweet mother of our lord Ihesu christ suffered Truly they have the heart right hard & without mercy/ that hath not some compassion of these pains/ And who that is without mercy & pity. god will have no mercy nor pity on him/ if it be not the greater marvel For seldom is the man saved that is without a merciful heart/ whereof saint bernard saith. ¶ Nemo duri cordis salutem umquam adeptus est. nisi forte miseratus deus abstulerat ab eo cor lapideun & dederit ei cor carneum Never man of hard heart purchased not thealth of his soul. but peradventure the merciable god hath be pleysed some time to take from him his heart of stone/ and give him a tender heart of flesh/ whereby he may be saved. ¶ Nunquid cor durum ipsum quod nec compassione scinditur. nec pietate mollitur minis non cedit/ etc.   

IS not this a hard heart that is not moved by compassion/ nor softed by pity nor maketh no force of menaces that can come to him nor other/ Nor taketh no heed of counsell/ Nor to no man's judgement/ not to shame nor despising/ nor to no manner peril/ Is not this man over foolish in the opinions of all reasonable folks/ that all things past forgetteth/ And negligently useth those things that been now and taketh none heed to purvey for such things as been for to come But shortly putteth all in adventure/ This is a hard heart that neither dreadeth god/ nor beareth reverence to man/ And if ye leave not me ask Pharaon. that had the heart so over hard/  
¶ Now fair sweet friend haven ye heard that our lord Ihesu christ loved more his love/ than ever soul loved body: For he loved her more than his life/ when he gave his life and suffered his glorious soul to depart fro his precious body for the love of her/ that honoured/ praised and thanked be he of all creatures without end/   

THe fourth great love that is in the world is between man & wife/ yet the wife may be so wretched of her body/ and so enstraunged to her husband/ that peradventure though she would return to him again/ he would not receive her/ And this hath be oft proved but the love of our lord Ihesu christ passeth all beyond this love/ For never was the soul of his love acompanyed with so many sins nor so often in a voutre/ or other sins/ but if she would return to to him again. he would gladly receive her with great joy/ Wherefore always be he honoured & thanked. for he is ever ready to them that will leave the fiend & come to him As himself saith by jeramye the prophete· ¶ Si dimiserit vir uxorem svam/ etc. tu autem fornicataes cum amatoribus tn̄ revertere ad me dicit dns/ If a man leaveth his wife for any sin/ it may well be for it befalleth often. But ye fair love/ though ye have offended in deadly sins innumerable. yet leave not therefore to return to me/ and I shall receive you full sweetly & benignly/ And what doth more yet this amorous king. when his love is turned from him/ he gooth following & crying after her/ like as it is written in the book of love· ¶ Revertere revertere suavitatis/ revertere revertere ut intuiamur te.  
¶ Return ye. return ye to me ye wretched souls/ Return ye to the intent that I may defend you & keep you from your enemies/ that will confound you. And saint austin saith that our lord speaketh this to the sinful soul/ ¶ Capud meum spictis tenui/ manus meas clavis obiecti/ lancee latus apperui sanguinem meum fudi ut michi coniungerem te. et tu dividis te a me. erubesce. My heed & face I held against the fowl spyttynge/ my hands I spradde against hard nails/ I opened my side against the spear/ my precious blood I shed to join you to me/ And would ye thenne thus departed fro me/ Ye ought full greatly to be ashamed/ A good lord mercy what is this/ that he sekith the sinful soul so intentively/ and calleth her so often/ like as it is written in the book of love/ ¶ En ipse erat post parietem nostrum prospiciens per cancellos/   

Behold how Ihesu christ was behind the wall watchynge· and beholding Inward by the creveces if she would in any wise return to him/ And in the apocalypse is said/ Ecce ego sto ad hostium & pulso/ et si quis apparuerit michi intrabo ad eum etc. See how I am at the door & knock & make noise/ & who that cometh to open his door I shall enter in with him to his comfort As it is said in the gospel/  
¶ Omnes qui laborati et ornati estis/ venite ad me et ego reficiam vos/ O all ye that been traveled in the service of the fiend & charged with sin▪ come to me and I shall refresh you & comfort you/ And what doth he if he seeth you coming toward him to cry him mercy/ It is written in the gospel. ¶ Occurrens prodigo cecidit super collum eius osculatusque est eum/ etc. When he seeth the soul coming toward him/ he spredith his arms to clip her & kyssyth her. and maketh greater joy of her than of many other that were with him always/ as himself saith ¶ Dico vobis quod ita gaudium est in celo super uno pcconre penitenciam agente/ quam super nonaginta novem justis qui non indigent penitencia. I say you surely that greater joy is there in heaven of one only sinner doing his penance/ than of ninety & nine rightful. that never had need to do penance/ And yet here a greater marvel of the love of Ihesu christ/ For though his love man's soul be never so much foylid with deadly sin/ yet asson as she cometh to him he maketh her as clean as she was tofore the sin. & as rich of all weles/ as saint austin saith/ ¶ Erant sicut fuerant antequam ꝓiecerā eos/ They shall be as clean & rich of good works/ & restablisshid in virginity of the soul/ & if ye will have an ensample how this may be ye may here by▪ this. All the sins that is or ever was may not be do but in three manners/ That is to know in thought/ in word/ or in work. Now should not this be one of the greatest sins that a man might do in thought/ to think & desire to destroy all holy church/ truly this same was the thought & desire of saint paul: as it is wreten in actibus applorum Saulus adhuc spirans. etc. Saul began furiously tenforce him to the destruction of all cristyndom with menaces & beatings/ & went to archbishops & to principal masters of the jews/ & gate letters of them to take all crysten men that he might find wherso ever he came/ & bring them bound and put them in prison And in his chief authority & malice was he converted to our lord/ And is now a high saint glorified in heaven with saint johan evangelist/ and other that were of pure and perfect life. Also the greatest sin that man might do with word. should be to renye our lord/ & saint peter renyed hin three times in one night. & when he had thus done/ he took right heartily repentance/  
¶ Exivit petrus foras et flevit amare/  
He went out and wept full bitterly. and sorrowed. cried god mercy/ And now is he senescall of heaven. And the most fowl sin of the body is the vile sin of the flesh/ And men would say that he or she should be the greatest sinner of the world that had accompanied them/ not only most commonly with man. but also with fiends. And mary mawdeleyn had them within her/ which is now the dear love of our lord Ihu Cryst/ as saith saint gregory/ ¶ Maria septem demonia habuit/ qui universis viciis plena fuit/ Marry had seven fiends within her/ by which she was fulfyllid with all manner of vices/ But for all those evil vices she made a reasonable amendment/ as saint gregory saith/ ¶ Quotquot in se habuit delectamenta. tot de se invenit holocausta Asmany delights as she had in her of sins/ so many sacrifices died she upon herself/ for amends of her offences.   

NOw return we to this great love that our lord hath showed us· whereof he saith yet by Zacharye. ¶ Zelatus sum zion zelo magno/ I am jealous over man's soul with a great jealousy/ As he saith in exodi ¶ Ego sum deus zelotes/ I am god the jealous/ And not allonly was he jealous of the good. but to make peace with thevil/ as david saith ¶ Zelaui super iniquos pacem pccōrum videns/ I have desired by great jealousy to have peace with evil folks/ so saith he to saint peter in the sawter/ ¶ Tabescere me fecit zelus meus/ My jealousy hath caused me to suffer death/ & yet mine enemies have forgotten my words. so that they will in no wise grant me their love for all that I have do for them/ And yet again saith our lord Ihu cryst ye shall not escape me/ but that ye shall grant me your love/ I ask ye whether it be to be given/ or to be sold/ or to be taken with force/ If it be to be given. to whom may ye better give it than to me that pass all men that ever were & am fairest of all other. He is so fair that if a man were in hell & might see his visage & beauty of his divinity/ he should feel neither harm ne pain/ And therefore saith he where may ye better set your love than on me/ Am not I the king of all kings/ am I not more fair than other/ nor am I not of more high lineage than any prince. Am I not more wise than all other/ & am I not of all folk most courteous/ & of all thing most large & free/ & am I not of all other the most sweet & debonayr then is there none exscuse▪ sith that ye may find in me all the causes of reason/ wherefore man should give his love/ and namely if ye have cleanness & chastity/ For none may love a right but they be clean fro deadly sin: ¶ Now and ye will not give your love. I will by'r it/ will ye sell it for mi love/ or for any other thing/ It is most reasonable merchandise. love for love/ And if it be to sell for that price/ I have truly bought it with another love/ And that love that I have showed you passeth all the Louis of the world And though they were all together yet is it gretter·s And if ye say that ye will not give it me so good cheap/ name how much ye will have· And ye can not name so much but I will give you asmuch. ¶ Will ye castles/ will ye reams/ Or will ye ask all the world/ Yet shall I make you a better covenant/ give me your love and I shall crown you in heaven/ & make you seven times more clear thenne is the son/ Nor nevyr harm shall touch you: nor nevyr thing shall grieve you/ nor no weal shall fail you· But all your will shall be done in heaven in earth and in hell ¶ For never man's wit may devise/ nor heart think the joy & the glory that I will give you for your love without any comparison. without any reckoning and without any end more & more. And much more with all the gladness of Easter▪ all the beauty of absolon. as often as he died clip his heed/ he might sell the here that was kit of for ijCC siclis of silver. The swiftness of Asaell that would strive with the hearts in running. The strength of Samson that slew at one time a thousand men in battle/ The largeness of cezar/ The renomee of alexandre the holiness of moyses But good lord mercy would not a man give all worldly goods for one of these graces/ And all these together in comparison of the soul is as no thing. Wherefore if ye be so enraged & so froward that ye refuse so great again as I offer you/ Thenne take heed to the third that I will have it by force/ or at your peril/ For I hold ready the sword of cruel vengeance over you to slay you with cruel death. and depart body & soul/ and put them to perdition & to confound them both in hell. for to be tormented with fiends sorrowfully anguysshously & continually without end. Answer now if ye will defend you against me if ye can or may/ or else grant me your love that I desire with so great jealousy & with so fervent heart/ & not for my weal but for yours Now take good heed to these words of Ihesu christ/ Is not she of over hard heart that to such a saviour will not grant her love/ If she remembered well these three things/ what he is/ and how great is the love of so high a lord as he is. and so vile & so simple as she is. she should do her devour to love him/ though she should a hundred times suffer death for the love of him/ whereof saint bernard saith/ ¶ Quomodo est istud sine modo a nobis deus amari meruit qui prior nos dilexit tantus. & tantum gratis/ tantillos & tales miseros/   

IN what manner is this· & above all manner that can be devised by all earthly wits that our lord Ihesu cryst deserved to be beloved/ for that he loved us first/ & loveth us so much without our desert which is so simple & such wretches as we been/ And as saint bernard saith/ ¶ Omne tempus in quo de deo non cogitas hoc te perdidisse computa/ All the time in which ye think not on god/ reckon it as lost. For therefore be we called christian. to serve christ and to remember of his sorrowful pains that he suffered for our love/ And surely if we will not often think on his pains/ we shall receive over grievous vengeance And to us shall be reckoned the death of our lord Ihesu cryst/ whereof saint bernard plaineth him in saying/ ¶ Quamdiu vixero ero memor laboris quem christus sustinuit in predicando/ fatigacionun in discurrendo temptacionun in ieiunando/ vigiliarun in orando/ lacrimarun in compaciendo. etc. As long as I shall be in this life I shall remember me full piteously of the grievous labours that our lord Ihu Christ suffered in preaching. and of the weariness in his going about. & of his temptations/ in fasting of his watch in prayer/ and of the tears that he wept by compassion I shall remember also his sorrows/ & his despising with shameful spittynges and the hard strokes that they laid upon him/ & the fellow repreves that he suffered. And the great nails/ and all these other passions that he suffered for me/ ¶ And if I do it not/ there shall be cast on me to my confusion the Innocent blood that Jesus cryst shed upon the earth for me. Do we then/ do we by the counsel of saint bernard/ and by the counsell of king david/ that saith in the sawter ¶ Sepcies in die laudem dixi tibi/ Fair lord god seven times in the day I yield to the thankings & praisings for our benefactors & benefits/ And for this reason been seven hours of the of the day commanded to say in holy church. in remembrance of the passion of our lord Ihesu christ. For this that at every hour suffered he so much shame. These seven hours been called/ compline. matins/ prime. tierce. myddy/ noon. & vespres. When ye say or here compline. think full intentively how at that our judas betrayed him & sold him for thirty. pens/ so good cheap was never seen sold nor bought so delicious & precious flesh/ And well may this time be called compline for this that our lord would soon after pass from this painful life/ The which death was purposed of the fellow jews that he should not escape For it was of him/ as of a man condemned to die for theft/ and is delivered to his execution/ of whom men say though he be yet living. he is as a deed man/ for cause he is judged to the death/ This theft wherefore Ihesu christ was condemned/ was not for gold nor silver/ but for an apple that was full bitter/ as we have hard that adam stolen in paradise/ where he died sacrelage/ whereby he was acursid out of holy church pained in this mortal life sorrowfully ixC years & more/ tormented in hunger & thirst in great labour & anguish/ and sith died of right painful death/ And his soul decended unto the horrible pains of hell/ and lay there bound in prison & darkness xlC years & more/ so that he & all his lineage that died went thither to the time that our lord Jesus' christ shed his precious blood on the holy cross/   

This aught ye to think when ye say or here complin/ & have full great fere of our lord/ whom ye have so often offended. when he took so great & grievous vengeance of adam that he had made with his own hands for one apple/ that was of no value that he took against his commandment. And therefore at that hour yield w● culpable to god within our hertes·s and to the pressed with our mouth/ And if ye may then have in mind all that ye have done that day against the commandment of god ● of all that ye have evil spoken with your mouth/ and with your eyen evil beholden & oft. & of all that we can think that day we have done against the will of our creator/ and devoutly require mercy & pardon/ And this hour was concluded felonously the death of Ihu christ for our sins/ And have very hope that we shall have this that we desire/ if we repent ourself truly. and be well confessed. so that our asking be reasonable/ For this saith our lord in the gospel/ ¶ Pette et accipietis/   

Require and ye shall receive after this compline/ He said to his three disciples full piteously/ fair brethren abide and wake here while I make my prayers to my father. Then fill he down to the earth/ and prayed three times his father that if it miight be his passion were put from him: And then appeared an angel to him & comforted him/ whereof ye ought to think/ that as long as he was in his prayer/ he sweat drops of blood/ In the mean time slept his disciples/ but himself had no will to sleep/ to the time that he died on the cross/ and thenne rested he in the sepulture unto the day of his resurrection/ & then awaked he thus as a man sleeping hastily awaketh thus/ soon & sooner awoke he fro death. whereof david the prophet saith/ ¶ Excitatus est tanquam dormi ens dns. At matynes yield we thankings to our lord Ihesu Christ and specially in the night/ for this that at such hour/ was he for us taken within a garden by the treason of judas his disciple. After tormented & dyspoyllid. beaten: bouffeted/ and falsely accused/ And with their fowl spittle foylled/ of all his disciples left/ & of his apostles refused for their lord/ & all this nyghnte villainously & cruelly without any mercy drawn with painful torment These were his matins of hard lessons/ ¶ Who these things truly believeth/ understandeth. and hath in remembrance by holy devotion/ & yieldeth thankings to him that this suffered/ he singyth his matins spirituelly At matynes when we rise & think to say matins/ Or when we here other say them. or if we lie in our beds waking about midnight/ we may think & take ensample of the great passion of Ihu christ/ and how meekly he suffered at that hour of the night/ if we be in any tribulation or adversity either bodily or ghostly the remembrance of his meek sufferance then should be to us great comfort/ And at the hour of prime should we yield thankings to our lord/ For at that hour was he shamefully bound as a thief. & brought to the court before pilate/ and delivered him to be judged: At that hour brought judas again to the court the thirty. pens that he had received for his great treison/ and in continent hang himself for sorrow & despair/ And at that same hour was our lord acused to pilate of three things/ first said they full falsely/ that he had defended that no man should pay no truage to Cezar of his earthly ream/ For asided not he to the people/ that he would be their king earthly/ But he said that his own ream was not temporal/ but perpetual that never shall have end. And after they accused him that he should say/ & that was truth that he was the very son of god/ And at this hour was he sent· by pilate to herode· where he would not speak one word. wherefore they held him for a fool & out of his wit/ And made him to be clothed in white as a fool. & so sent him again to pilate/ and after that was Herod & pilate accorded that had be long before at debate/ At the hour of tierce yield we thankings to our lord Ihesu christ. For at that hour cried the jews against him. crucify him crucify him/ At that hour was he put out as a thief/ whiles that they yielded the sentence of his perdition & give his judgement/ At this hour sent Pilate'S wife to her husband/ that he should meddle no more with Ihesu christ/ And this was by the entysinge of the fiend/ that by a woman put us all to damnation. & by a woman would have dystourned our redemption/ weening to have overthrown us in perdurable perdition/ But by the sweet virgin marry god sent our salvation/ so that the felons might not follow the fiends presumption/ At this hour wish pilate his hands/ and would no more enterment with Ihesu christ. By this went he to have made him clean. that he should not have be guilty thereof/ At this same hour was our lord bound to the pyle● all naked. And was so long beaten with scorges/ that there was no place of his body/ but it was painfully bleeding from his heed unto his feet/ His flesh was all stained with his precious blood And so largeli the blood ran out of his tender body that long time after appeared it on the pillar whereto he was bound & beaten/ At this hour they clothed him in a mantle of purple ● And at this hour they put a crown of thorns upon his heed painfully pricking him/ and delivered him a reed in his hand as a great staff/ and sith kneeling in scorn salued him saying/ Heyle king of jews. and therewith gave him a great stroke upon the face· And when they had thus mocked him & beaten him/ they took of his mantel of purple/ and clothed him in his own clothes again & led him forth to the mount of calvary. And made him bear his own cross whereon he should die. At that hour came his blessed mother with other women following after him full piteously weeping/ Also these shames and many more pains suffered he between thour of tierce & myddy for our wretched souls/   

AT the hour of mydy yield we thankings to our lord Jesus christ/ For at that hour spread he his sweet body upon the cross/ and his hands & feet were fastened with three great nails This cross was made of iiij manner of woods/ The wood that went the length of the cross was of sidyr/ the piece that went overthwart was of appletree/ and the tabyl above wherein was written in ebrew in grew/ & in latin/ ¶ Jesus' nazarenus rex judeorum. that was of olif That same underneath that bare & sustained all the remnant was of cyprus At that hour required our lord Ihesu cryst his father right piteously to pardon those tormentors his death/ for all the pains that they died him. At that hour divided they his overgarment but his cote abode all hole/ At that hour mockid they him that passed by the way. At that same hour promised he to the thief paradise:  
And that same hour delivered he his dear mother to saint john evangelist in keeping/ And from that same hour becamm the son dark unto high none. and lost his virtue & clearness/ At the hour of none yield we thankings to our lord/ for at the hour he raised a great cry upon the cross/ where ash heng & said in ebrewe/ ¶ Heloy heloy lamazaba tani/ My god my god wherefore have ye left me & forsaken me. This said he not for this that he was left of his father/ for that is not to be believed/ but for that he was left at this hour of all the world: safe of his mother & one only thief that in his great pain believed on him ¶ At this hour plained him the same that was well & spring of life/ that he had thirst. & they offered him easel & gall/ to th'intent that he should they more sooner. but he would not drink thereof/ after that he had tasted it/ And thenne was done all that was to be done before his death/ & thenne was all accomplished that a thousand year before was of his passion spoken by the holy ghost & said in prophecy/ whereof our lord Ihu cryst himself said at this hour/ ¶ Consummatum est/ This is to say/ it is fulfilled And thenne said he all in crying/ ¶ In manus tuas dne commendo sp̄m meum/ And yielded his spirit & died the same that us giveth & sustaineth our life/ at this same hour clove the hard stones/ th'earth & the mountains/ And the sepulchres of deed bodies opened/ The veil of the temple claf in the mids/ And for these marvels & many other that befell at that tyme. Centuryo and all other that kept that blessed body that hinge there on the cross dread them saying. This is truli the son of god At the same hour broke they the thighs of the two thieves that hinge on each side of our lord Ihesu christ. And at that hour a blind knight with a sharp spear pierced him through his tender flesh & side unto the heart. to know if he were perfectly deed And thenne ran from his heart blood & water/ for to wash us from the filth of sin. And of that blood ran down by the spear to the hand of longeus wherewith he wiped his eyen. and forth with received his sight/ And that hour was saint johan & all his other disciples & friends departed from him/ safe the tender virgin marry his sorrowful mother/ that abode there alone among the deed thieves with the blessed body of her son/ At the hour of evensong yield we thankings to our lorde· for at this hour came joseph abaremathye & nychodemus that often had lodged our lord/ & was not consenting to his death. and had gotten leave of pilate to take down the body of Ih̄us/ and so he & Nychodemus died. And anointed it with myrrh/ And wrapped it in a fair clean cloth/ and laid it in the sepulchre And also at that hour his mother/ and his other friends that then were returned made full sorrowful complaint for him/ And after that as some say was joseph abaromathye taken & put in prison by the jews And the third day made our lord his resurrection. after his piteous & painful death that he suffered for us synnars Whereof he be honoured & thanked without end. And for this that we have oft & many times offended against that great love that he hath showed us. & daily showeth us we ought devoutly to pray & serve him/ not only seven times of the day/ but fro the beginning of our life unto the end: to praise him to glorify his name/ & his passion to remember/ And thus saith david ¶ A solis ortu usque ad occasum laudabile nomen dni/ Amen   
¶ Here endeth the lamentation of our lady/ which she had in the passion of our saviour/   

¶ Here beginneth a treatise much profitable for reformation of souls defoiled with any of the seven deadly sins/  

TO his riht dear sister salute & health of soul & of body in him. that is true saviour In whom is alway charity. patience & chastity. which in troth defendeth us fro evil doing and mevyth us to the holy trinity/ this he grant us by his holy pity/ the sweet Jesus' christ/ of whom as much more as man understandeth & saith of his marvelous goodness/ so moche more loveth he & hath joy in him for spyrituell joy cometh of the love of our lord the right sweet Jesus'/ And the very sign of love is to think often on him. Wherefore remember you oft of the humility of his incarnation/ of the goodness of his conversation/ & of the charity of his passion: And who well remember these may find sure medicine against every deadly sin & temptation/ first who that intendeth to be proud/ bethink him of the great humility of our lord Ihesu christ. which is so great that heaven & earth may not comprehend him/ And by his meekness list to close him within the womb of a maid. Thus was the son of god ensample of humility & medicine of pride/ as saint austin saith/ for he hath showed to· us meekness in all his works/ For he would have an humble mother the blessed virgin mary/ & an humble house where he was borne/ which was called a dyversorye & so humble a bed/ as the manger for beasts And when he came to the age of xii. year/ by his meekness he was obedient to joseph & to his blessed mother as it is showed in the gospel & when he came to more age he choose meek persons/ as saint peter & saint andrew/ poor meek fisshars with other such to be in his company. in token that what man or woman that would be with him in his perdurable joy/ it behoveth hem to be humble/ & meek as saint austin saith By the humility of Ihu christ ye may come to the joy perdurable/ For in asmuch as Ihu Christ is king of that country whether we intend to go/ And for asmuch as he is man: he is sure way whereby we shall go/ for he is our example/ so as he saith in the gospel I have given you ensample of humility Now may the proud folk understand that they may go by none other way but by Ihu christ this is by the way of meekness/ ¶ For as saint james saith. For god resisteth to the high & proud folks. & to the humble he gyveth his grace/ They been humble that can mark there own proper defawtes & hold themself for fools & wretches. For the more they dispraise themself/ the more largely shall they have the grace of our lord▪ wherefore it is said in scripture/ The greater that ye be in authority: the more humble should ye be in your heart in word/ & in work/ And then shall ye find grace at our lord/ & after the joy without end. Which us grant the sweet Ihu cryst that so much loveth humility/ ¶ Against the sin of Envy   

WHo should rejoice the hurt of other/ or be sorry of the weal of other/ as envious folk done/ if they behold by the eye of firm faith/ how great charity the sweet Ihu very god & man showed us/ not for his we'll/ but for the weal of other/ when he so dear bought us from th'infernal prison/ which was with no little ransom: when he gave himself for our salvation/ and all this made charity For he rejoiceth the weal of other And the sorrow of other was more painful to him than his own which showed well by his most piteous & painful death that ever man suffered in earth. for the relief & comfort of other. This charity was the gift that he left with his disciples at his departing. as he saith in the gospel/ By this shall all folks know if ye been truly my disciples/ for thenne shall ye have truly charity/ & love among you  
Now dear sister remember well what mark he setteth upon all his Wherefore if ye will be one of his ye must be of that mark/ as would our lord I were one of the least of theim· For god is ordener of love/ And in love resteth himself so as saint john saith. ¶ Deus caritas est. etc. Now take good heed by these ensamples that be so open how good a thing is humility of heart with true love of Ihu christ/ For there is no thing under heaven that he loveth so much/ & if ye have that ye shall have all weles and god himself. And if ye fail that ye shall fail all that may torn to your we'll/ and as saint paul saith/ Know ye not well that where many folks fight together in great oostes. that thoos that hold them firm together may not lightly be. discomfited in no wise And so is it of the spyrituell battle against the fiend. for he doth all his force to dysceve & depart our hearts/ and to take fro us true love & charity/ And assoon as the hearts been therefro departed/ the fiend entereth & sleeth on every part For where a man gooth alone in a cumbrous way and stumblith commonly he falleth/ But and there were many together/ every one might help other. For if one stumble/ another is ready to hold him up or he fall/. And if one of them wax weary. his fellow will help to lead him.  
¶ This temptation is stumbling that maketh many to fall in the mire of sin: if he be not sustained by other with true charity/ and so saith saint gregory. By these ensamples appeareth it then/ that who that is bound with other in true charity/ & love hath a mighty help against temptation/ And who that is unbound by hatred soon stynkith & overthroweth·s Behold well thenne how moche is worth the alliance of true charity & love/ that all good & goodness holdeth together/ so that none may perish that hath that/ Moche loveth us our sweet lord Ih̄us/ and claimeth of us none other reward/ but to love him again/ and this should no man deny/ for always he may find matter enough in his heart if he enserche well/ In good hour are they born that can love him aright. which almighty god grant us so to do by his holy pity   

WHo should be inpaceint with any thing/ or keep wrath in his heart/ that beholdeth the patience that our sweet lord Ihu christ had in all his life/ Three degrees been there in patience. The first is high. that is when ye suffer humbly for your own gylti/ The second more high/ if ye suffer humbly without your desert/ The third is best and most high/ if ye suffer pain humbly· for your good deed. ¶ For though we suffer harm for our desert/ we may not with Right complain us/ Now full unhappy and unwise were he that would rather choose to be fellow of judas/ than the fellow of Ihesu christ/ and yet both two were hanged on the tree. judas for his desert/ And Ihu without desert For his great bounty was cruelly hanged on the cross By this may ye take ensample that what man that wrongeth you or hurteth you in word or deed is your light It giveth you clearness/ and taketh fro you the cloud of sin/ But is not this evil that man turneth to darkness/ this that should be his lyight/ so that it maketh him much more dark/ as when a man hath tribulation or adversity & taketh it impacyently/ he doth against nature and as evil metal/ For that thing derkyth him that of his nature should give him light & clearness. Wherefore my dear sister think on the patience of Ihu/ & of the remedies against wrath/ That one remedy is to answer ●ebonay●ly to the angry. For Solomon sayth· fair answer refraineth Ire. The second is silence/ when mouth is still the fire quencheth/ and the heat assuageth/ then been they still fro chyding/ And therefore saith saint paul to the Irous folk hold your peace. & speak not to the wrathful/ The third is to behold to our own proper defaults/ for a man in that is more apt to perceive the fawtes of other than of himself/ And solomon saith the power man that hath defawt of gods he is measurable to other/ this is to say/ a man that perceiveth himself disposed to wrath/ & feeleth in him many defawtes of impacyence/ he forbeareth & suffereth moche more other with greater patience But he that can perceive no default in himself lightly is wroth with other: The fourth is to behold in what condition the wrathful is/ for the wise man calleth wrath a lityl woodness And then a man that is wroth seemeth as out of his wit/ & to a mad man is folly to answer/ For the Irous man that is ready to say evil & curse may uneath suffer any man or woman to be in the house in rest with him/ he maketh so moche chiding. Whereof the gospel saith vj. M. fiends vj. C.lx & vj. were entered by that sin in to one man/ & never one of them departed from other/ for this the wrathful hath the cursing of our lorde· and the peaceable & patient of meek heart hath his blessing Whereof he saith in the gospel/ blessed be the peaceable/ for they shall be called the children of god: And to the contrary/ unhappy be they wrathful/ for they shall be called the children of the fiend/ Wherefore good sister remember often the patience of Ihesu christ/ & of all his blessed apostles. martyrs. confessors & virgins/ how great anguish & pain they suffered with patience for to have the joy perdurable. Whereof saith saint paul/ by many tribulations behoveth us to enter into the reign of god: Now take good heed how those that been patient. peaceable/ & debonayr been well by loved with the sweet Ihesu. Now ye know well when dear friends depart asunder/ the last words that they speak at their departing is best remembered: And among the last words that our lord said when he ascended to heaven/ & left his dear friends in a strange country were of sweetness & of peace/ for thus said he to theim· peace be among you/ my peace give I to you/ This peace grant us Ihu christ by paeyence in heart/ In meekness by word/ And in deed by debonayrtee.   

WHo is it that by sloth should leave to learn. or to labour to do well. that behold by true faith how Ihesu christ was in earth. in going. in preaching/ and in all well doing/  
¶ After all this behold how in the end of his life he was traveled/ when he prayed so that with his sweat ran from him drops of blood running down on his blessed body to th'earth/ And after behold when he was at the pyler· how sorrowfully he was scourged of the fellow jews not only on his legs but overall his fair body/ And at the last behold how he upon the hard cross was sore traveled the day of his letting blood. Where other folks take rest & eschew the light/ & keep them close in their chambers when they been let blood of any vain/ But our blessed lord Ihesu Christ vent upon the mount of calvary/ & yet more on the cross/ & was let blood in v places with wounds large & deep & in the veins capital/ for he was let blood in his heed & in many places/ Than who by the eye of true faith behold well this travail of Ihesu christ would joyfully travail for his love/ & never would be idle. so as saith saint Iherom/ For by sloth cometh many evils/ and therefore saith an holy father/ Do alway well that ye be not found Idle of the fiend. whereby he may tempt you Another medicine against spiritual sloth is in the hope & comfort to of everlasting joy: And this may a man have by holy meditation of the passion of the sweet Ihesu christ & of his joy of heaven. ¶ And these meditations comen oft by good lessons/ heard of other folk. or by reading themself that maketh man & woman firmly to trust in god. and for no sin to be in dyspaire of his mercy/ for thus saith saint bernard/ I have sinned greatly wherewith my conscience is trowblid/ but for this I despair not for I shall think of the wounds of our lord that he suffered for synnars. And then can I not be afraid for no sin that I have done in time passed but that I shall be saved/ if I have grace to come with repentance to the mercy of our lorde· another remedy there is against sloth/ & against every evil. and a mean to purchase every we'll/ This is orison/ and therefore the fiend dreadeth moche the chartable prayer/ for this cause the prayer entereth so much in the court of Jesus christ against the fiend that it doth two things/ It bindeth him & brenneth him/ We read that a holy man was in his prayers/ & the fiend came fleeing over him in the air/ & should pass toward the occident. by the commandment of julian the emperor of Rome. And there became he so fast bound by the prayers of the holy man that to him ascended as wings mounting toward heaven. that in no wise he might remove by the space of x. days entirely/ And of another fiend read we in the life of saint bertylmew/ that as he was in his prayers. the fiend said to him. great pane have I with you/ for your prayers burn me sore/ And for this I pray you good sister that ye oft remember these things/ & thennel shall ye have the joy of heaven that shall be given to them that t●aueylle for our lord Ihesu cryst/ So as he himself saith in the gospel/ call saith he the labourers & give them their hire: that is the joy of heaven   

WHo shield be covetous or scarce/ as been they that will for the purchasing & receiving of earthly weles trespass against god/ if they behold by true faith the great poverty that was in the sweet Ihesu: that contained fro the beginning of his life more & more unto th'end/ For at the first time when. the king was borne that made both heaven & earth/ he had not so much place on all the earth upon which his lityl body might rest/ And therefore his piteous mother wrapped him in poor clothes & laid him in a manger betwixt an ox & an ass/ As it is said in the gospel/ Yet after this was he more pour/ so as he himself said that he had not so much place whereon he might rest his heed/ so pour was he of earthly logging/ But yet followeth a greater poverty/ for the king of glory was despoiled. & a●●e naked put upon the cross. And yet what is more marvel/ that of all the large earth & broad might he not have space to lay his body to die upon. For the cross was not of breed past a fo●e/ or lityll more This was a thing of great marvel. that he that was almighty in heaven & in earth/ would wilfully be so pour as I have here before touchid Thenne unhappy been they that overmuch desyren earthly goods & love & honour of this world Whereof saint paul speaketh sore against & saith in this wise. It is not evil to have them/ but rather it is evil to love them/ For the rychesse of this world is but thing that gooth & cometh. And therefore who that hath richesse & loveth it becometh pour/ & they that have riches & loveth poverty is rich/ For these rich folks that overmuch loven this world have the curse of god so as he saith in the gospel/ Cursed be ye rich folks that have your comfort in your riches. But to them that lityll love it hath he given his blessing & the joy perdurable/ & thus saith he in the gospel ¶ blessed be the poor. for theirs shall be the ream of heaven. This grant us the sweet Jesus' that so moche loved povertee·   

WHo should eat overmuch by will or custom or drink/ whereby that the natural forces of the soul or body should be destourbed/ so that they may not do th'office that they are ordained to/ such that been thus accustomed been the gluttons that are oft grudging for meet & drink/ ¶ But who that by true faith be hold well the pour petaunce that our lord Ihesu christ had the day that he was let blood on the cross they should have lityll appetite to that gluttony/ There been two manner of folks that have great need of good/ & comfortable meats/ this is to know. they that travail/ & they that bleed. And the day of his passion our lord was both in hard travail & bleeding. and his poor petaunce was thenne but a draft of easel & gall/ as the gospel showeth. who then should grudge for default though he have sometime not plenty at his will of meet or drink. for the servant ought not to be better served than his lord/ whereof our lord speaketh by jeramye/ Remember you said he that have so much trespassed of my great poverty. & of the bitterness of the easel & gall that was given to me to drink: & yet had I no thing trespassed. Alas wretches that we been/ For truly if we thought of this great default we should be content with lityll/ & furnyssh penance with abstinence. and help those members of our lord that have great default/ which been the poor needy/ But it is great marvel that these rich men have not great remorse of conscience to think how they withdraw from the mouth of god in the poor/ & give it to the children of the fiend/ as to these minstrels & triflers/ gluttons & unthrifts/ & done against the commandment of our lord Ihesu christ/ & to the reryll of her soules·s For the book saith/ for the commandment of god receive the poor. which is to mean to help them after your power/ And if ye may not/ yet have compassion on theym· and be of good will to help them/ and god will reward you. And saint austin saith the rich be made to help the poor/ and the pour to pray for the rich. & god will give to each of them richesse & joy without end The which joy us grant the sweet Jesus' that fasted xl days in earth.   

Against lechery is to be noted the cleanness of the pure virgin mary/ for he should be over vile of his body that by true faith behold the clean birth of Ihesu christ & of his riht clean & pure mother the blessed virgin saint marry and the cleanness of the life that they led in earth/ and all theirs/ And on that other party how shamefully evil & unclean is that vile sin/ they should hate it with all their hearts. and flee it as the death/ if they were not out of their wits or of such frowardness that they raught not of their damnation.  
For we read in genesis that god for that vile shameful sin destroyed all the world by the flood For it rained xl days & xl nights/ And this wate● was so high that it was above the highest mountain in earth xv cubytes·s which drowned all folks & beasts & fowls in the world/ saving noe & his wife/ his three sons & their iij. wives/ And those beasts & fowls that were saved in the same ark. the which water rose so high over all earth. to wash away the filth & foiling of that vile sin of lechery And as high shall rise the fire before the day of judgement to purge the earth of sin. as a wise father saith/ A how unclean a thing & vile is that fowl sin of lechery/ which foileth not only th'earth/ But the air. the which filth to wash away sufficeth not all the water that was in earth but that god sent fro heaven Rayne xl days & xl nights/ And for simple fornication that the folk of israhel died with the women of madyan read we that there were slay of them in one day by the comaundement of moyses twenty-three thousand men/ And saint paul witnesseth. And for the avowtry that the folk of gaba died one night in the ravishing the wife of a man were slain lx. & v. M. men/ And for that vile & shameful sin a against nature god destroyed v. cities For it reigned upon sodom & gomore stinking sulphur & brenning fire/ and overthrew the cities & all the ream about/ And all though that inhabited in the cities/ & all the things growenge in that land/ And this was done in sign that god took no vengeance upon the sinners only/ but on the place where they inhabited/ & of all the place about them that either used it or knew it. and might amend them & would not And know well that in all manners/ the any man or woman procureth or assenteth thereto out of marriage/ it is deadly sin. and one of the greatest sins that is/ For saint austin saith in the decree/ Auoutry is greater sin than fornication/ & woors & more vile is a man to sin with his own mother then with another woman/ But over evil & abominable is it of the sin against nature/ & the least of all out of marriage is damnable Wherefore ye wretches that follow so the vice desires of your flesh. bethink ye and repent you And remember how grievous is this vile sin of lechery. And thereof saith saint john in thapocalypse/ the vicious wretches & avouterers/ that will not leave their sin shall be pained perdurably in a lake of stinking sulphur & brenning fire. for this that they been now so brenning in the fowl desire of their wretched flesh before god & his angels/ and all good folks/ But yet the mercy of our lord is so great/ that when the wretched man or woman repenteth 'em of her sins/ have they ever so much offended in any sin what so ever it be/ so that they keep 'em clean forth in body & heart shall go to the joy perdurable where they shall see Ihu cryst the father & the holy ghost. so as saith the gospel/ blessed be the clean of heart: for they shall see god/ & sweet Jesus the son of mary/ & all the holy company of heaven/ My dear sister there I trust we shall be together both body & soul at the great day of judgement And this grant us almighty god of his Infinite mercy/ Amen/ And all ye that read or here this. pray ye for him that made it/ & for them that wrote it: and for her that was the cause that it was made/ and of your charity for them that translated it/ & wrote it out of frenssh in to englissh/ one pater noster & one avee/ that god have mercy on us. & that we may come to him after this mortal life in to the everlasting life without departing/ Amen/   

AS wise folks say there been three signs of very love & friendship/ One is a person will be glad to speak well of whom they love best. Another they will be glad to here often well & good tidings of them/ The third they have them so much in their remembrance▪ that at sometime all other thing is forgotten. but only the same thing that they love best/ And this is the most sure & true sign of all other/ & most to be praised. And this died saint Fraunceys/ of whom pope gregory witnesseth by his bull/ that he saw often with his eyen/ that when men named the name of Jesus before saint fraunceys/ he was so ravished with that blessed name. that he had neither the hearing nor the sight of any person or thing that was done about him for a tyme. And thus my right dear sister for god's sake over all thing love ye him· & do your true devour to win the special favour and grace of him that so highly will mary his lovers. As well proved it saint Katherine and saint anes and hold ye thenne this manner to think what a love the sweet Ihns' is·s Think first how by naturel reason ye be most beholden to love them that most hath given you and most hath done for you with out any desert of you & without any reward of you/ For all the good & weles that is in you/ ye have received of him. Then she wit well that above all other ye ought to love him with all your heart/ & with all your power/ For after the great weles & bounties that ye have received of him/ so ought your love to be great toward him/ & this saith himself by the prophet isaiah/ I have no desire of gold nor silver/ nor other treasure. but only of the faithful love of man or woman/ Now bethink you well thenne dear sister where may ye better give your heart & love than to him/ Wherefore to remember you every day if ye have leisure. what been the weles that ye have received of god without your desert/ & say or think in this manner/ My lord god I understand well that ye of your grace hath made me of no thing/ and given me being among your creatures/ and truly when I was no thing. I might no thing deserve/ Thenne all this that I am & have/ I have received of your special gift & grace without my desert/ And of your creatures there been some higher & some lower/ And I know well that ye might have made me the most vile creature that is/ and this died ye not But of your bounty formed me to be among the most high creatures that is/ this is to know angel & man that in your own likeness shall see you in your glory. And this dignity have ye given me without my desert/ if I lose it not by my defawte· And by this reason merciful lord am I entirely bound sovereignly to love you/ with all my soul with all my heart/ and with all my power/   

then after think again yet. Lord among these creatures·s angel & man. there been some of one part & some of another. For some of them for their sin fill in to hell/ And ye all piteous high king of heaven descended from your high throne in to your lityll privy chamber. this was the womb of the blessed virgin/ when of her it pleysed you humbli to be born/ & to receive the human flesh/ to suffer death for the redemption of all mankind. whereof all be not partners/ but such as be christian & live well thereafter/ & they in the right faith/ But other may not claim that. as jews & sarrazins and all other miscreants & untrue christian And good lord ye miyghte have let me die without baptism/ and thenne had I be cast with them in to hell without end/ But this died ye not. but made me partner of your redemption by the grace that ye have given me to receive baptism whereby ye delivered me fro the snare of perdurable death/ And yet had I thenne no thank to yield you. nor nought have deserved of on weal or grace no more than they that died uncrystned: and descended in to hell without recover/ o merciful lord Ihu how moche am I bounden by this reason over all thing to give you that poor love that can come of me/ And after this think further of though that been crystened how some of them been naturel fools & without understanding. & how god hath given you without your desert reasonable understanding ¶ Also in like wise some of 'em been lepers deef/ & dumb/ and full of other foul sicknesses. or lame or difformed/ And ye have received of god without your desert your natural health & right shape. whereof humblis thank him. And think then ferder that some there be that have their health & well form & reasonable understanding. & yet all the days of their life live in great poverty and labour for their meet/ drink & clothes/ and yet have thereof full scarce sustenance/ And all otherwise hath our lord purveyed for you/ for to have delicious meats & of all other sustenaunces great largesse without your desert/ Behold thenne fro the beginning of your life in all times if ever ye could find in you any manner of weal lityl or much: but that ye have received it of god by his special love & grace that he hath given to you more than to many other/ And with these great bounties that he hath given you/ Remember you of the great harms & dangers that he hath defended you & delivered you from/ & say or think in this manner/ most merciful lord Ihesu I know well that I have oft sinned deadly/ both by will & deed. whereby ye might by rightful judgement have condemned me forthwith in to hell without end/ And this died ye not/ but by your great mercy hath spared me/ & given me leisure to do penance. And by this only reison am I bound to serve you/ & love you over all thing/ And when ye shall have in such manner well enserchid in your heart the great graces & gifts that ye have received of our lord Ihu cryst/ If ye advise you well your life & your deeds. and behold what we'll/ what love and what kindness ye have yielded to him that hath showed you so great love & done so much for you with out your desert. peradventure ye shall well perceive in yourself that no thing in regard have ye yelden to him. but only sin/ and if ye may find there any weal. it is so lityll. that it is as no thing against so many graces & benefits as he hath lent & given you & when these things ye have well remembered & well turned & returned/ thenne with a hole mind speak or think humbly & devoutly in your heart toward him My sweet lord Ihu christ I perceive well that some Rent am I bound to give you for so many bountees & weles as ye have given me And I know well that though I had a thousand worlds in my power for to give you. no thing should that increase you. For your glory & riches is so great & infenite. that there may no thing increase it/ for ye have need of noothing/ & therefore good lord I wot well/ that ye ask of me no more than may be found in my power/ This is to know. that I love you/ & serve you with all my soul/ with all my heart. & with all my power. But this may I not have but of your gift. for I have no thing of myself/ but sin & malice/ And it were to great a wrong & unkindness to yield you sin & malice for your great bountee & sweetness that ye have showed me/ & truly than behoveth me to have it of you For there is no weal nor goodness but it cometh of you But how shall I have it of you/ not by buying for I have no good to give you but of your own. for ye are lord of all thing/ & have power over all/ ¶ Ha good lord thenne behoveth it me to get it by humble & fair prayer. And if I pray to you ye may rightfully refuse it. for this that I am a wretched siner And yet merciful lord I know well that though I had in me the sins & malices of all creatures/ which should be overmuch. yet were all my vile wretchedness lityll in comparison of your great bounty Wherefore almiighty god all merciful & piteous/ I beseech you that your great bountee be not withdraw by my wretchidnesse Sith it is so good lord that I yield me to you/ & come to you with great dread & despair for my great wretchydnesse/ but yet with great sure hope of you for your marvelous mercy & bounty/ and sith ye ask of me no more for all the weles & graces that I have received of you/ but that I should love you over all thing/ and this may I not have but only of you & of your gift/ Wherefore most merciful lord sweet Ihesu I beseech you. for that love that made you descend from heaven. & to be come man for man and to suffer so cruel & hard death for love of the redemption of man. That it may please you tern toward me: & grant me of your grace that I may yield you my lityll poor love against the great marvelous & merciful love ye have showed unto me/ So that my poor heart rest on no creature by vain & deceivable love contrary to your will & pleysure/ As verily as I know well that no thing is to be beloved/ But for bounty or beauty that they have received of you/ And most gracious lord for the painful passion that ye deigned to suffer for my sins/ ye that never died sin/ I require & humbly beseech you. that ye grant me very sorrow & true repentance for my sins in this life/ so that I be not by them delivered to eternal pain/ And dear sister when ye shall thus have spoken to the son. turn you thenne to his blessed mother. & say or think. O most blessed glorious virgin marry & mother of our lord Ihu cryst/ for that sweet love that was between you & your deer son when ye so sweetly embraced him them same that is the king of glori And with your breast gaaf him sowke/ and many a sweet kiss gave and received of him/ I require & humbly beseech you/ that ye purchase me that grace of your dear child truly to love him. And my prayer so to advance/ that I may attain his blessed love/ And I beseech you mother of mercy/ for that great sorrow that was in your heart when ye saw your deer son with out guilt suffer so hard & cruel death: for me sinful & all other synnners. that it will please you to be mean for us to get us his grace of true repentance for our sins/ here in this wretched & short life: so that we may to his pleysure peaceable depart▪ & come joyfully to the presence of your deer son & you/ there to continue without end/ Amen/    

¶ Here followeth a Treatise that speaketh of the virtue. & of the branches of the appletree. which is exponed morally: as followeth here after/  

THE Prophet saith these words/ I shall mount to the appletree/ & take of the fruit/ Sometime is understand by the appletree the cross/ And sometime penance. Sometime contemplation/  
¶ On the appultre of the cross gather men the fruit of life. On. ¶ This appletree should have seven branches/ and upon every branch a bird & a flower/ The first branch is consideration of himself/ that is when the soul knoweth hyrselfe/ and enserchyth faithfully & truly in her conscience. so that therein abide no thing that should displease god Upon this branch maketh the peacock his neest/ The peacock is of such nature that when she slepyth on nights/ and wakyth suddenly. she crieth for the fere that she hath to lose her beauty. ¶ This signifieth the soul that our lord hath form and created so fair that in the night of this dark world ought alway to be in dread/ so that she lease not her beauty/ which been the bounties & the graces that god hath lent & given her. so ought she by great discomfort to cry when she feeleth & knoweth any darkness/ and shortly and with firm faith to chase away all her defawtes/ Upon this branch is a full fair flower that is of good odour. & also hath an heavenly colour/ which is called Narde. It is an herb lityll & low & of hot nature/ that signefieth humility. that gladly obeyeth hirself/ & that may not be done without the heat of charite· Such humility yieldeth great colour & odour/ for it drew the son of god down to earth/ so as our lady it witnesseth▪ there where she sayth· For he hath behold the humility of his hondmayde. She said not the virginity nor the charity/ nor the noblesse/ nor many other virtues/ wherewith she was fulfilled. But she said rather humylite/ For this was the special virtue wherefore the son of god descended in her For if she had not be perfit meek he would never have chosen her. for he resisteth to the proud. & to the humble giveth his grace. Well rested this sweet lady upon the branch of contemplation/ that kept humility/ & lost not her holiness Upon this branch desired david to sit/ when he said in praying Bedew me lord with esoppe/ thenne shall I be more white than snow Isoppe signefieth that same yᵉ. narde doth/ The Isoppe purgeth the breast. & humility purgeth the heart of Rancour/ of envy/ of shrewdness & of all felonyes·s By this desired david to be clensid after his great sin/ for he knew well that this was the true medicyn/  
¶ The second branch of contemplation is compunction of their neighbours. for when the soul hath good will to amend all this that god is displeased for. & by the knouleche receiveth the flower of very humility. Then ought she to have compassion of her neighbours/ the appletree of Penance gather men seven fruits/ Four to the body: and three to the soul The first fruit that the body shall have after his penance▪ done shall be clearness/ so scripture saith The just folk shall shine as the son in the Ream of their father/ Of this saith saint paul/ we shall behold saith he our lord Ihesu christ that shall reform the bodies of our humanity. as figure to the body of his clearness The second fruit that the body shall have/ shall be liightnesse. for it shall be as light as the thought is now. Whereof men find of our lord after his resurrection that he was light/ For now appeared he to them that were in eumans'▪ and forthwith to them that were in Iherusalem. The third fruit that the body shall have shall be subtlety. They shall not be then so grows as they are now/ but they shall be full subtle/ As men find also of our lord Ihesu christ after the said resurrection/ that he entered among his disciples when the doors were shit/ This might not be done before but by miracle/ The fourth fruit that the body shall have/ shall be Impassibylite/ this shall be health/ for it shall be so hole that it shall never may have sickness in body nor in soul. these four fruits shall the body have/ and the soul shall have three. The first shall be the knowledge of the godhead whereof saint paul saith/ I know now a party by figure. & as men look in a glass/ But thenne shall I know like as I am now known we shall know god in all as he is & see him clearly without coverture or without glass. this shall be the light of the great glories that the soul shall have/ The second shall be the glory of humanity of Ihu christ/ The third shall be love. For if the soul have knowledge & sight & love not/ this should be no perfit glory/ But she love her god whom she shall see & know Now come we to the appletree of contemplation/ Thappultree is straight & slender dounward & large upward. For the soul that will mount in contemplation ought to be straight & slender dounwarde to all earthly things & to all carnal affecconns'/ & large upward in the love of god and of his neighbour/ For like as the appletree the more plain it be without bows till it come to the height the more spreadeth it in the top. thus doth the soul that stretcheth on height by contemplation of time having no low bows of worldly ne carnal affection spreadeth moche more upward in love to god/  
And should apply her humbly and gladly to the need of their afflictions. Upon this branch maketh the shrikeowle her neest/ that is of such nature: that she draweth her about such places as deed bodies been buried. And when any is near his death she feeleth it aferre/ & crieth loud by great pity & sorrow: This bird signifieth the compastion of the soul that should put her in great diligence about 'em that been in sin for to convert 'em & bring 'em again in the way of salvation/ And when she perceiveth any that approacheth to the death of the soul by deadly sin/ thenne should she cry by great lamentation to god with tears & with orisons/ Upon this branch groweth the flower of glane/ this glane groweth about waters/ By this water is understand they that Renne in deadly sin about whom should grow charity & give attendance to the compascyonat soul/ Upon this branch was mounted david. that said/ Lord for this that the sinners have not kept your laws/ I have cast this great abundance of tears. Upon this branch was thereime mounted the prophet that said who shall give water to my heed/ a for this that he thought water might dry and fail. said he after/ and to mine eyen wells of tears/ that I might weep the wretchedness of my people/ He thought tears that never should seize/ such tears should have the soul that will mount upon the appletree of contemplation. as an holy father was thereon well mounted. that said who is seek in all holy church either in body or in soul/ but that I be trowblid & sorry with 'em/  
¶ The third branch of thappletree is temporal affliction/ when she putteth hirself in great afflict by penance/ & also that she suffereth joyfully & with a peaceable heart all adversities for the love of our lord. Upon branch maketh the swan her nest/ that is of such nature that when she shall die she singyth This signifieth the soul that hath joy in tribulation. Upon this branch were mounted thappostles of whom men say: the apostles had great joy when they went out of the counsels of the jews & pharesees/ where they were beaten. for this that they thought them worthy to suffer shame for the name of our lord Ihesu christ/ Upon this brauche grew the flower of the lelye/ whereof the spouse saith in the canticles/  
¶/ Thus as the lelye is among the thorns. thus is my love among the children of the world/ ¶ when the flower of the lelye is among the thorns they prick her. and she pryckyth hem not. but rather yieldeth good odour by true patience/ Thus ought the holy soul to do. She ought not answer by sharp words but rather ought to yield good odour by true patience to all them that done her any offence. so that she may say with saint paul/ we been of good odour to god in all places·s But they that yelden evil for evil. and been ready to answer by signs and by words. And will not forget one word that folk say to them or do any wrong/ nor will not forgive/ all such folks been not of the apple tree of contemplation/  
¶ The fourth branch of contemplation is compunction/ compunction is when the soul is sore moved and pricked with the trauey●es of our lord Ihesu christ. so that she forgetteth all other pain & travail that may come to her/ For as men will and may more ease ●y drive out a wedge or a pin of tree that is myssette by another In like wise when the soul is moved & pricked with tribulation. It ought to remember how her sovereign saviour & love was for her pierced & nailed on the cross. And this sharpness & sorrow should put away all other pain & sorrow from her ●ert Upon this branch maketh her neest a bird which is called harpia. that hath the semblance of a manes visage/ & her nature is to slay the first man she findeth/ & thenne goeth she to some water/ where she beholdeth hirself. & seeth that she hath slain her own likeness. & then maketh she a full great sorrow alway that ever she saw any man. This signifieth the soul that slew christ by her sin/ whose semblance is in her/ for to his semblance was she created/ And when she remembreth how Ihu was deed for our sins thenne ought ● she to make great sorrow & lamentation/ Thus as the turtle doth when she hath lost her fellow. & she come to the place where he died/ & find feders or any other sign she maketh great sorrow Thus ought the soul to do that hath lost Ihu cryst her good lord & love/ she aught to do thus as died the daughter of a king that abode orphelin. And men took away her inheritance/ then was there the son of a mighty king that had so great pity of her that he took this young lady to his wife and conquered again her heritage. and died in the battle/ then this young lady took the arms of the knight that for her was dede· And beheld them every day weeping upon th'arms & made marvelous great sorrow/ The daughter of the king that abode orphelin & lost her heritage/ this was the soul that was daughter of adam/ that was a right noble man when he was in paradise/ But he lost his inheritance when he was driven thence by his sin/ And then had the son of god great pity for the soul that was thus disherited/ and descended fro paradise/ to mary her: this same day of marriage was made/ when he joined his deyte to our humanity & fro that day fought for us xxxij year & an half/ & at the last died for us in the battle of the cross/ Wherefore we ought well to do thus as this young lady died always to have his death in remembrance/ & with great compassion often to behold his arms/ This is his cross/ his spear/ his nails: & all the Instruments of his passion/ and weep every day for this. that our lord & sovereign love was deed for us. ¶ Upon this branch groweth the rose/ that signifieth martyrdom spunelly. & though that be thus touched & pricked forgotten lightly all worldly troubles: and may well saey ● am wounded by charity/ for this is the true way of charity/ For as well content is the very charitable with 'em that blame hem· as them that praise 'em/ For the soul that is verily confirmed in god. ne is not overthroen by adversity ne a reysid by ꝓsperite The v. branch of contemplation is abiding/ when the soul is of so great desire that she abideth our lord in desiring. ¶ Upon this branch were mounted the prophets of th'old time/ that so much desired the coming of our lord. when they said come lord & tarry not/ & another said/ if he make tarrying abide we him/ for he shall come/ & tarry not long/ Upon this branch was mounted david/ when he said behold we & abide we our lord/ & after said he thus/ as the heart desireth the well/ thus desireth my soul to the my god/. & in another place saith he/ ¶ Dormitavit anima mea prete dio/ Saint paul was mounted on day on this branch & said. I desire to be dissolved/ & to be with christ. & in another place he said▪ Wretched man who shall deliver me of this body of death. ¶ Upon this branch maketh the nightingale his neest. that is of such nature that he singyth all night against the day/ & when he seth the day & the son rise he maketh so gree joy the uneath he keepeth his life this signefieth the holy soul that in the dark night of this life abideth our lord/ & when she feeleth his coming in her heart by grace· she hath so great joy/ that she can neither speak nor be still/ such was the good ●ld symeon/ that was so joyful when he behold the coming of the son of god/ whereof he saith/ Ha god when shall come the sweet child/ when shall he be born· when shall I see him whether shall I dure so long that he may find me here at his holy nativity. May ever my eyen see that same/ by whom the eye of the soul shall be awakid· These words said he every day in his prayer. by the oppressing of the great desire of his heart/ And by his great desire had he answer of the holy ghost that he should not feel death till he had seen the very son of god. Thus died he as the nightinggale that singeth all the night/ When he saw come day. & the son of justice of whom mary was mother. & brought him to be offered in the temple. he ran against him & embraced him/ and held him against his heart/ and had so great joy/ that uneath his heart might abide it. And then made he this fair song ¶ Nunc dimittis servum tuum dne/ etc./ Lord put your servant in peace/ for now I see the pease that I have so much desired ● whereof I have so much joy that death is no pain to me. And for god's sake do we as simeon died/ embrace we this sweet child in th'arms of our hearts/ Saint anne embraced him in the temple/ that had somoc desired him: Upon this branch grew the flower of safrens and the flower blanch/ which signefyen/ that this fervent desire maketh the soul pale & yellow/ whereof it saith in the canticles/ let me not to behold though I be black for the son hath dyscoloured me And in another place saith he arrayed with flowers set on with thorns. for I languysshe in love/ The sixth branch of the apple tree is visitation/ when our lord hath pity on the soul desiring him he visiteth her by his grace. that he giveth her the feeling of his sweet presence/ that she hath so much desired. Upon this branch maketh the swallow her nest/ & she is of such nature/ that she taketh her fedinge in air & in fleeng/ This sign fyeth the soul visited of god/ that aught to take no comfort nor pleisure of no temporal thing: but of god allonly. And though things needful to the body should they take thus. as in fleeng. that is to abide thereon as lityll as they may/ but only for their sustenance/ Upon this branch was mounted ezechiel when he said all thus/ as the fawn that crieth after his mother/ & taketh no comfort but of her/ thus the soul contemplative when she cometh again to hyrselfe/ and seeth the great joy that she shall have of this sufferance. she aught not to obey her to her own will/ nor to sin but alonely to the will of god./ Upon this branch groweth the marygold. which is of such nature/ that when the son showeth the flower spreadeth/ And when the son wythdr●●eeth it closeth/ Right thus should do the comtemplatyf soul against the son of justice/ and aught always to open her heart by desire & by love/ And if it fall any time that grace be withdrawn. they should close their hearts against all foreign pleysures. & against all sin. & ought to take no rest nor comfort till it come again. And as the marygold followeth the son/ so ought the contemplative soul to follow our lord to serve him/ to desire him/ & to go after him/ such was Mary mawdeleyne when she went to the sepulchre/ where she found no thyng· but th'angel that answered her of whom she took lityll heed/ for she was so fervent in the love of our lord whom she sought. that she might receive no comfort of th'angel/ And yet was he as clear as a full fair star/ But she axed for the son that all enlumyneth/ & took lityll keep of all other cle●nes/ She sought him oft where he was not. & thither came she with right great desire: For there was the last place where she had left him· and for this wend she there surely to find him by her desires. And afterward she found him. For truly who that will persever in devout prayers/ & refuseth for him all other foreign pleysures/ they shall surely find him without doubt. himself promiseth so in th'apocalypse & saith/ I love them that love me/ and those that wake bytymes for me shall find me/ And thus for cause she loved him/ she fond him/ and yet said he more/ If any open his gate for me I will enter in with a good will & dwell with him. & he with me/ and shall eat gladly with him. & he with me. Upon this branch sat david/ when he said my soul hath refused all comfort/ but only of thee/ ¶ The seventh branch of contemplation is affection. that is. when the soul is come to this that she feeleth so much of god that the humanity ne may not hold her but rather fail. Upon this branch was david mounted/ when he said. I shall remember me of god & shall delight me & exercise me in the love of hym· & my spirit faileth And in another place he saith mi soul faileth. Upon this branch maketh her nest the phoenix. that signifieth the spiritual folk/ for this that he is singular. For full few is of them. or of such that come to this high stage/ The phoenix is of such nature/ that when he shall die/ he gathereth together thorns/ and gooth in to the most hot part of all the land that he is in. & when he hath heaped them/ he fleeth over them so long that they begin to burn. and then burneth he himself in that fire/ and of those ashes groweth another fenyx The phoenix in one sense signefieth our lord Ihu christ that was with out father in earth. to whom was never none like/ & in him was all the branches of virtues assembled/ which by love brent himself on th'altar of the cross. The phoenix also signifieth the holy soul spirituell that hath gathered together the thorns of good virtues/ & beareth 'em in to the heat of charity/ So make they to god sacrifice of body & soul when they offer to him in thodour of his humanity on the altar of their hearts by perfit desire. and this sacrifice is full pleysaunt to god/ whereof david said/ such sacrifice is crase/ And in another place said/ then is the sacrifice crase when 〈…〉 is raised by wings of 〈◊〉 ●esires/ out of all bodily affections & imaginations/ and she is joined to god in crase/ & is drunken of the crase of the holy ghost/ so that for the time her behoveth to fail by the great habundante joy that she feeleth/ This signifieth the queen of saba/ that came to Iherusalem for to see the sapience of Solomon/ whereof she had heard the great renomee But when she saw him/ she said she saw more than she had heard/ And as scripture saith she failed in hirself for the marvels that she beheld in him. The fruit of this branch is Ihu cryst/ that said I am the flower of the field/ and the lelye of the valley Of this fruit said Elisabeth/ ¶ Benedictus fructus. etc. The leaves of this branch been the cries/ sighes·s the sownynges/ and the snobbynges that they have that been thus mounted.    

¶ HEre been declared the signs whereby men may seek the love of our lord/  

WE christian ought much heartily to Remember in our hearts & think on the riht great love that the sweet child of bethlehem Ihu christ showed to us/ by the wound of his precious side/ in seven. signs full of right great love. ¶ The first sign of love was showed to us in this/ that he would make of his precious wound the leure red & bloody to call our hearts. that by fleeng thoughts oft seizeth 'em by false love upon the carrion of vain creatures ¶ The second sign is in this that he made their treasure to redeem us this treasure is that of his precious body was put out the most precious life that ever was or ever may be. & gaf it for to redeem our souls fro the pains of hell. He gaf therefore also his precious soul full of all weles/ full of grace without measure. full of all the blessed divynite/ full of the might of god the father Full of the sapience of god the son/ full of the grace of god the holy ghost/ And for asmuch as one bountee requireth another. we ought to open to him the treasure of our hearts. which should be in gold. incense. & myrrh. this is to know the gold of fervent love. thensence of devout prayer. the myrrh of penance & of satisfaction ¶ The third sign is showed in this. that he made there a well to wash our hertis this is the well of grace that springeth fro the deepness of the divinity/ & cometh thorough the wound of his side/ & costeth upon the gravel of holy meditation/ and decendeth in to the draft of the conscience. right brennyngly/ for to put out all uncleanness: ¶ The fourth sign is in this/ that he made there a tavern. to make us drink this tavern hath the humanity nature fulfyllid with wine of consolation that the true heart ordaineth in very charity/ In this tavern descended the son of god by ix. degrees/ that thus representeth the ix. orders of angels. This wine god the father tunned/ god the son pressed. god the holy ghost it filled with full measure through holy desire he raised by the virtue of the fire of love/ whereof the furnaces of the heart ought to be always hot ¶ The v. sign is in this that he made there a nest for us to rest in/ In this nest should the religious soul seek the rest of his conscience by holy contemplation/ & flee thoccasions that might move her heart to desire & spread to many creatures/ by disordinat & false affection ¶ The vj. sign is this tha the made there a shield to defend us from our enemies. that seizeth not day ne night to do their power to deceive us/ these enemies been the flesh the world/ & the fiend/ from which none may defend 'em nor keep/ but by the virtue of the passion of our lord Jesus christ. & of his sweet wounds ¶ The seven. sign is in this that he made there a tree of life for us in him to entry/ & all thus as the wax of the candle should entry within the wyke for to draw the light to it/ thus should the religious heart be entered within this wound by love & brenning charity. & aught to be covered with earth by the knowledge of our own freelte/ & wrapped in the bark by remembrance of that death that us all hath redeemed/ & seek the reward of the same by the steps of holy works in the virtue of perseverance with very humility/ & then draweth the light of devotion/ wardur of honest conversation/ savour right pleysaunt/ with sweet refection. Thus is the heart drawn to nature divine by the virtue of love which of two maketh one all in/ joy that never shall have end With this leure be our hearts called of this treasure truly redeemed/ of this well clean wassht/ of this tavern sweetly made drunk/ In this nest stilly to rest with this shield defended & kept. So that without end be we in god so set/ that never in no time be we f●om him dyssevered/ Amen/    

¶ How faith exhorteth the person to eschew & have in contempt all evil thoughts/ & to reduse themself in all points to good works under the hope of divine grace/  

great await aught every body to have upon themself. that they return not again unto those sins that they have been reconciled of For vain is the penance. that the same offence soileth again. Where resist with all your power from doing those sins that ye have lost/ so that they grow not in you again. Thenne understand what ye been & to what intent ye been made/ for such as god hath ordained you ought ye to be ¶ Have in you very believe that ye by one only sin been many virtues lost/ Thenne for the love of god give not your soul to the power of the flesh/ suffer none uncleanness to abide in you/ Resist at the beginning of evil thoughts/ & soon may ye thenne surmount the remnant. Know ye for troth that by your thoughts shall ye be judged for the body may not be corrupt till the thought be first corrupt/ And when the will thereto consenteth the flesh is all ready to sin. & therefore torn your will from evil thoughts/ & the body shall not sin understand to this that is admonested to you: that ye be not foiled with none uncleanness of lechery/ nor that ye be vainquynshed by fornication. for these been great sins among all other/ For better is it todey than to do fornication/ & better to lose your life than be foiled with lechery/ Therefore bewaar/ for continuance sometime maketh one to sin. Haa god how chastity attaineth the blestful ream of heaven/ & lechery draweth a man to the dark dungeon of hell If lecheri asayleth you: think what torment they suffer that hath be thereto habandoned & horrible been the pains of hell/ wherefore pray god devoutly with tears both night & day/ & when ye awake of your first sleep return ye do prayers. for customably orison surmounteth th'arms of the fiend. orison is the first virtue again thassaults of all evil thoughts/ Fulfil not your appetite by meats/ but chastise your bodies by fasting/ for otherwise it is hard to vaynquyssh the temptation of the flesh. but by fasting/ & orisons/ for overmuch delicacy in meet & drink inclineth the flesh to uncleanness/ The eyen been the first arms of unclenesse/ The sight is the first covetise of men or women/ Therefore withdraw your eyen if ye be nigh the serpent. so that ye be not hurt/ For if ye be nigh the fire/ though ye were of iron. yet should ye be sometime warm For that sin hurteth greatly such as been founden vain/ Therefore occupy you perfectly in good works & good thoughts/ Chatyse your lodyes by rightful travail/ & so may ye profit to yourself & to other/ And be alway humble to all folks/ If ye keep humility ye shall have glory/ for the more humble ye be the more shall ye follow the hienes of glory Use not to avaunt you of your good deeds/ so that ye bring not yourself in pride/ But rather obey & humble yourself most when ye feel your heart moved to be razed with pride. Beware of high mounting for fere of over low descending. For pride casted down th'angels out of heaven and made them fiends in hell/ Remember ye of the humility of our lord/ which was obeysaunt to his father unto the death So take ye perfightly thensampleensample of him/ Will ye be humble. Then have always shame in your heart of the remembrance of your sins And go always with humble manners & sober visage. & by sighing & weeping in your heart. & sweet shall be though tears/ for great sins asken great amends/ Over all things make you sure of your sins For therein shall ye find matter ynouh to make you pensif. And in all your other sicknesses & troubles be not sorrowful/ But ye ought humbli to yield god thankings. that hath sent them to you/ to th'intent that ye should come the more clean before him Have always attemperance in prosperity/ & patience in adversity Refrain your Ire. & overcome it by sufferance/ Suffer other patiently when they do you wrong/ For by patience & being still shall ye soon overcome the wrathful/ Think what pain almighty god suffered for you. that was pierced with nails/ & crowned with thorns. and condemned to be crucified on the cross This aught to give you a great comfort to bear with patience all Injury. And be not hasty to strike them that have stricken you. But suffer all such things for the love of god. and he wy●● give you a great reward/ If ye have displeysed any man. sleep not till ye have accorded him with you again/ If any man hath done against you/ yield him not after his desert/ but with good heart pardon him/ For wrath/ departeth man from god. Be of good will to all folks/ If your enemy have any misadventure/ ye ought not to rejoice it/ For ye may hap to fall in like peril/ With compleyners pleyne ye/ with them that weep/ weep ye. Be of chartable heart to all folks/ and care not who praiseth you. or blameth you/ For none may better know what ye been than yourself/ Be simple & clean & of discrete manner/ so that your demeaning offend not the voice of other/ whereby they may fall in sin. Flee the company of many folks and specially of them that been light to fall in sin/ Who desireth and haunteth the company of wise folks: is wise/ And a perilous thing is it to be conversant among them that been evil/ Vain words foylen much the soul/ let never thing pass your mouth that should offend the ears of the hearers/ Fowl word shall never be without judgement. Take good keep to your mouth/ so that ye speak not but in time & place covenable/ For every creature shall yield reckoning of their words on the day of judgement/ Be not light to speak afore great folks. but if ye be questioned or commanded/ Full heard it is with moche speech a man to keep him without some offence Be not hasty to judge the life of other folks. Detraction is great sin. & cause of endless damnation/ When ye be moved to judge other folks/ think then on your own sins. And then shall ye fynnde lityll cause to judge other if ye take good keep of yourself/ Or who that speaketh evil of other. or who that been glad to here/ evil/ they been partners to both offences. Be not light of believe to every bodies saying/ Nor speak none untrue thing. For every losing is a sin ● The untrue tongue saith his own will: david saith god shall destroy all those that use leasings/ Promise not that thing/ that ye may not do For moche be ye to be blamed if ye yield not that thing that ye promised. let not your word be contrary to your thought/ for no thing may be hid from god/ for he seeth & knoweth all/ Good life is always cause of joy/ If ye live well ye need never to be in sorrow. If ye be virtuous avaunt not thereof. whereby ye may lose it/ Nevertheless when ye do or think any evil/ show it anon by confession/ then shall ye be saved. For sin groweth from lityll to g●ete/ And if it be showed by confession it is soon made of great lityll. Sloth noyeth moche to good works. negligence slaketh the courage/ & quencheth the light of conmyge: Vices overcometh soon the slothful persones·s Take keep to this/ to th'intent that ye been not founden vain For if sloth hath a little entry it will lightly grow toomuch/ If ye be good & virtuous. thenne shall ye be glorified/ Beware when ye do any thing well/ that ye covet not the praise of folks/ whereby ye may lose the great reward that ye should have of god/ Lese no time/ but that ye do always some good/ nor covet not to know of other thus ● that they would be lo●he ye knew. When folks speak to you/ hearken them readily/ and speak by deliberation/ For in some thing is th'end greater than the beginning/ In which the speaker hath more great honour: and better should be the last word than the first. Demean yourself to every body/ so that ye offend not the will of god/ Grete pain shall have the cruel persons and such as thereto consenten/ Wherefore consent ye to no sin/ But when ye been moved soon return your hearts. s●o that ye be not envenomed therewith Be not oversharp to your seruates/ but do so that they have delight to serve you/ In all your works ought to be attemperance/ For every overmesure turneth to vice/ as to moche or te lityll. In all your deeds hold discretion. for if ye keep not discretion/ there is no virtue in no thing that ye do· but rather it is vice/ Do by other as ye would they should do by you/ Do none enoyes to other by your witness. nor with your word impair no body/ Do not willingly harm to none. lest ye suffer such at the day of judgement/ Ne maynt●ne none again troth/ be they rich or poor/ Look ye be true to all/ so that your troth be never corrupt by no covetise of richesse give never judgement without mercy. It is a perilous thing to judge a man by suspicion For sometime is blamed the same that is gyltlees/ Be not raised in pride for none honour that ye have/ but keep you in humility For it is full hard to have honour without sin/ The honour of this world is so deceivable/ that it maketh sometime the most mighty persons to suffer the most strong torments/ For the highest trees been most in dangeour of the wind or tempest/ The rich man arrayed in purple and gold and hath his knights about him & his arms with moche more no bless/ yet for all that is he often in great tristesse. anguyssh & peril Though he lie in a bed of silk yet is he often in moche more trouble than he that lieth in raynen or in the straw/ Lytill while endureth the glory of this world/ Say me now where been the kings the princes. & the mighty/ & the great rich folks of this world. All been passed. as a shadow vanyssht. & as a dream. And who that enplieth them in the great gains of this world. shall never have rest. wherefore if ye will have rest/ cast from you the besie cures of this world for riches is but seldom gotten without sin. It befallith oft that they that have great richesses have not alway rest. And special they that most delight them therein/ For these earthly charges discevereth man from god. For none may have the glory of god & of the world together. In this manner may ye know how ye should live a right/ Therefore take heed that ye use not though things that been defended in this little treaty. The most rightful ought not to trust in his own bounty/ For our sins overthroweth all anon/ if it be not every day purged by good works/ The sinful man or woman ought not despair of the mercy of god For god would they should be converted & live/ thus as by wisdom is customably made great famylieryte after discord/ Better it is to dispose the secular famylieryte▪ than to lose the salvation of the soul And as we have followed the evil folks to do evil/ From hens forth be we not slothful to follow the good folks to do well/ and go no more out of the right way Who will be good. be he first as a disciple. and begin no thing of himself/ whereby he may after repent him. ¶ then if ye will well behold this teaching and counsel/ the ofter that ye behold them the more of fruit ye shall find in them. And god grant us grace to keep them well: to the end that it may cleanse us of all our sins/ and make us hole of all our wretchedness. very god & very man without end/ by all the world/ of the worlde· Amen/   

HEre beginneth a teaching by manner of predication made to the people by master Albert containing ix. articles.  
¶ Master Albert archbishop of Coleyne said these words in the person of Ihesu christ/  
¶ The first is this. give a a penny for my love in thy life while thou hast power and health And this shall please me better. & more shall avail thee/ than if men gave after thy death for the a heap of silver/ that were as high as from earth to the sky. ¶ The second is weep one tear for my sufferance & passion that I have suffered for the & for thy sins/ & it shall pleise me more/ & be better for thee/ than if thou wept asmuch of tears as is water in the see/ for any other thing that is vain & changeable/ ¶ The third is this/ break thy sleep/ & thy own will when thou mayst do it to worship & praise me. & it shall please me more. & be better for the than if men send xii. knights in good quarrel for the after thy death ¶ The fourth is this/ keep the fro evil saying of thine neighbour/ & hurt no body wilfully. & this shall please me more & be better for the than if thou wentest barefote so long that men might follow the by the tracks of thy blood ¶ The v. is this suffer joyfulli a hard word when men say to the for the love of me. & this shall pleise me more & better for thee/ than if it might be that thou sufferedest as many rods to be broken upon thy body as might lie on a great field ¶ The vj. is herberow the poor/ & do good to them that been needy. & thou shalt please me more & be better to thee/ than if thou fastid xl. year breed & water/ ¶ The seven. is do good to thy power in all that thou may/ & put peace & love among thy neighbours/ & it shall please me more & better to thee/ than if thou were every day ravysshnt to heaven/ ¶ The viii is this/ if thou desire oni thing either for soul or for body. or for any other thing. or case/ pray therefore herely to myself/ & it shall please me more & better for thee/ than if my mother & all the saints in heaven prayed me for thee/ so much it pleaseth me thine own prayer with true heart/ ¶ The ix. is this/ love me sovereignly over all creatures of good heart/ of good love & true/ & this shall please me more & be better for the than if there were a pillar that retchid from earth to heaven/ and sharp as rasours/ & were possible that thou mightest go upon this pillar. & come down again every day & not day It pleyseth me more that thou should love me faithfully with all thy soul. & with all thy heart entirely ¶ Here begynen diverse treatises & ensamples of saint paul/ & other doctors in divinity.  
¶ In nomine dni amen/ Thapostle saint paul saith/ that all they that will live surely in Ihu christ shall suff●e persecution But our lord Jesus christ will not that his chosen servants fail in tribulation For he comforteth & helpeth them himself & giveth them virtue of his grace & saith/ Have no fere I am with you alway unto the end/ And haven you the holy scriptures to teach. you▪ For by patience & comfort of holy scripture ought all folks to have hope in the same that said Trust ye in me for I have vainquysshed the world/ wherefore in all & over all is necessary & profitable the remembrance of the painful & meek sufferance of our lord Ihu christ. It comforteth in all tribulation It surmounteth all temptation/ It delivereth from all tristesse/ It taketh away all vain gladness. And of dyspayres maketh deliverance/ and is the sure true hope of pardon. It is the rule of obedience and the example of patience/ and sure medicine again all evil. And of all true weles the very rote. ¶ There were six master together/ and one asked to another what thing they should say of god & began to speak of tribulation/ The first master said if any thing were more noble than tribulation to any creature living in this world/ god rather would have given it to his son. & therefore he gave him more to suffer thereof than to any other creature that ever was or shall be. ¶ The ij master said that if any creature were as clean fro sin as he was at thour that he was cristened▪ & might live thirty. year without bodily meet/ & also that god had given him grace to speak with th'angel in thayre/ so as he died to marry magdalen. yet might he not dysserne in this life so great merit as some decern in aversite by patience bearing/ ¶ The third master said if the mother of god & all the saints that been in h●●●en prayed for a creature they might not get him so great merit as he should get by bearing patiently adversity/ ¶ The fourth master said that our lord Ihu christ hinge on the cross half a day/ & therefore honour we the crosse· But I say that we ought by more great reison honour tribulation than the cross For our lord suffered that more than thirty year in earth/ ¶ The fythe master said rather than to leave the least reward that might be gotten by patient suffering of tribulation/ he had as leave forbear the sight of god unto the day of doom. An holy man say the the none is worthy to have tribulation; but such as desire it gladly tribulation quencheth the sins tribulation arrayeth the person to know the secretis of god/ tribulation maketh a man to know himself/ & other/ & multiplieth the virtues/ & proveth him as gold in the furnaces of god/ & charity/ this doth tribulation tribulation buyeth again the time lost/ & the creature embelissheth with innocence. & maketh him able to receive all the weles that god giveth to his friends/ & it is the treasure that none may be comparid to tribulation/ uneath the creature to good/ And that is the most certain weal that is.  
¶ Now asketh the sixth master wherefore we suffer so enviously tribulation/ And it is answered for three causes/ The first is for we have lityll love to god/ The second for we think lityll of the reward that god will give us therefore/ The third for this that we think full lityll of the sufferance that our lord Ihesu cryst suffered for us/ Praised may he be of his great bounty. Amen:  
¶ Thus endeth this present book which treateth first of the glorious passion of our saviour/ and of the compassion that his blessed mother had thereof/ And also showeth in another treatise following wherefore we ought to love our saviour more than any other thing/  
¶ Also showeth another treatise much profitable for reformation of souls defoiled with any of the seven. deadly sins.  
¶ Itm̄ another treatise showing the signs of ghostly love. ¶ Itm̄ a treatise of the virtues & of the branches of the appletree which is exponed morally as is before expressed/  
¶ Also following is declared whereby men may seek the love of our lord Ihesu christ.  
¶ And the last treatise of this foresaid book speaketh to exhort the person to eschew/ and have in contempt all evil thoughts/ And to reduce themself in all points ●o good works/ under the hope of divine grace:   printer's or publisher's device