THe tyme of thaduēt or comyng of our lord in to this world is halowed in holy chirche the tyme of iiij we­kes in betokenyng of iiij dyuerse comynges / The j was whan he cā & apierid in humayn nature & flessh The ij is in the herte & cōscyence / The iij is at the deth / The iiij is at last Iugemēt / The last weke may vnnethe be accō plissed / For the glorye of the sayntes whiche shal be yeuen at the last comyng shal neuer ende ne fynysshe / And to this signyfyaūce y^e first responce of the first weke of aduent hath iiij verse to reke­ne Gloria patri & filio for one / to the reporte of the iiij wekis / and how be it that there be iiij comynges of our lord / yet y^e chirche maketh menciō in especial but of tweyne / y^t is to wete of that he cā in humayne nature to the world / & of y^t he cometh to the Iugemēt & dome / as it apperith in thoffyce of the chirche of this tyme / And therfor the fastynges that ben in this tyme ben of gladnes and of Ioye in one partie / & that other partie is in bitternesse of herte / By cause of the comyng of our lorde in our nature humayne / they ben of Ioye & gladnes / And by cause of the comyng at y^e day of Iugemēt / they be of bitternes & heuynes As towchyng the comyng of our lord in our bodyly flessh we may considre thre thynges of this comyng That is to wete thoportunyte / the necessyte / & the vty / lyte / The oportunyte of comyng is takē by the reson of the man that first was vaynquysshyd in the lawe of nature of the defaulte of the knowlege of god / by whiche he fyll in to euyll errours / & therfore he was cōstrayned to crye to god Il­luīa oculos meos / y^t is to saye lord gy­ue lyght to myn eyen After cam the la / we of god whiche hath gyuen cōmandement in whiche he hath ben ouercome of Impuissance / as first he hath cryed / ther is non y^t fulfilleth but that comādeth for ther he is only taught / but not delyuerd fro synne ne holpē by grace / & therfore he was cōstrayned to crye / ther laketh non to comande but ther is none that accōplisheth the cōmandement / Thēne cam the sone of god in tyme whā mā was vaynquysshid of ygnorance & Impuissaūce / to y^e yf he had so comē to fore / ꝑauenture man myght saye y^t by his owne merites he myght haue be saued / & thus he had not be boūde to yeld thankes to god / The ij thynge y^t is shewd vs of this co­myng is the necessyte by reson of the tyme / of whiche thappostle poul speketh / ad galatas the iiij chapitre / At vbi ve­net plenitudo temꝑis / whan the pleni­tude or ful tyme of the grace of god was ordeyned / thēne he sente his sone y^t was god & sone of the virgyne & wyf / whiche was made subget to the lawe / To that y^t they be subget to y^e lawe he bought hem agayn & were receyued sones of god by grace of adopcion / Now saith saynt au­styn y^t many demande why he cam not rather / he answerth that it was by cause that the plenytude of tyme was not co­me / whiche shold come by hym that all thynges were ordeyned & made / & after whan this plenitude of tyme cam / he cā that of tyme passed hath delyueryd vs To that we shal be delyueryd of tyme we shal come to hym / where as no tyme passeth / but is perpetuite / The iij thyng that is shewde to vs of this comyng is the vtylyte & proufit that cometh for the cause of the hurte & sekenes generall / For syth the maladye was general / the medecyne must be general / wherof saith saynt Austyn / that thenne cam the grete medecyn / whan the grete maladye was thurgh all the world wherof the holy chirche remembreth in vij Antemmis y^t ben songen to fore the natyuyte of our lord where the maladye is shewd in di­uerse maners / And for eche demādeth remedye of his maladye of the phisicyen For to fore the comyng of our lorde we were ygnorant / & blynd bounden to payne ꝑdurable / bonde to the deuyll / Alyed to hym by euyll custome of synne / ywrapped in derkenes / & dryuen out of our contrey and therfore we haue grete nede of a doctour or techer / of ayenbyar of a delyuerer / of a conduyter / of a lighter or Illuminer and of a Sauy­our / ¶Therfore thenne that we were ignorant / we had nede that we were of hym taught and lerned / ¶And therfore we crye in the first Antheme O sapiencia que ex ore altissimi pro­disti et cetera ¶O sapience souerayne / [Page] whiche art descended fro the mowthe of the most hye / Come to vs / & teche vs the waye of prudence / And for as moche as it is ouer lytyl to vs for to be taught / we demāde in the secōde Anthe­me to be agayn bought & saye / O adonay & dux domus israhel &c̄ / veni ad redi­mendum nos in brachio extenso / O thou souerayn syre & prynce of the hous of ysrahel come & ayenbye vs by thy puyssan̄ ce wyth armes stratched but lityl shold it prouffyt vs for to be taught & ayen­bought / yf yet we were holden in pryson fast shette / And therfore we demande to be delyuerd sayeng / O radix iesse veni ad liberandum iā noli tardare / O Rote of Iesse come & delyure vs & tarye not And what auaylleth vnto prysoners to be bought agayn & delyueryd yf they were not vnbōden / & fre to goo where they wolde / lytyl shold it prouffyte / & there fore we demaunde that we may be vnboūd & losed fro all bonde of synne whan we crye in the fourth Antheme / O clauis dauid &c̄ O keye of dauid that closeth that noman may opene / and openest that noman may shytte / Come to vs / & cast the prisoner out of the pryson that sytteth in derkenes & shadowe of deth / For they that haue ben longe in pryson & derk places may not se clerly but haue theyer eyen dym / Terfor after we be delyueryd fro pryson it behoueth that our eyen be made clere & our sight illumyned for to see whyder we shold goo / & therfore we crye in the fyfth an­theme / O oriens splendor lucis eterne veni & illumina sedentes in tenebris et vmbra mortis / O Oryent that art the resplendour of theternal lyght come and Illumyne them that sytte in derkenes & shadowe of deth / & yf we were taught / lighted / vnbounde & bought / what shold it auaylle to vs / but yf we shold be sauyd / And therfore we requyre to be sauyd / & therfore we saye in the two last Anthemes / the vj & the vij we demande to be saued / whan we crye / O rex gēcium veni et salua hominē / quem de limo formasti / O thou kynge of peoples / come & saue the man / that thou hast fourmed of the slyme of therthe / & in the seuenth / O emanuel rex et legifer nos­ter / ueni ad saluandum nos domine de­us noster / o emanuel that art our kynge & berar of our lawe / our lord our god / come and saue vs / The proufyte of his comyng is assigned of many sayntis / in many maners / For luke saith in the fourth chapytre / that our lord was sent and came to vs for vij prouffytes where he saith the speryte of our lord on me whiche he reherseth by ordre / he was sente for the comfort of the poure / to hele theym that were seke in synne / to delyuere theym that were in pryson / to teche theym that were vncunnyng / to foryeue synnes / to bye agayn al mankynde And fore to yeue reward to theym that deserue it / And saynt Austyn putteth here iij prouffytes of his cō myng & seyth / In this wretchid world what haboundeth / but to be born / to laboure / & to deye / Thyse ben the marchādyses of our region / and to this marchādyses / the noble marchant Ihūs descended And by cause / all marchans gyue & take they gyue that they haue / & take y^t they haue not / Ihesu Cryst in this mar­chandyse gaf & toke / he toke that / whiche in this world haboūdeth that is to wete to be born / to laboure / & to deye / he gaf agayn to vs to be born spirituelly / to aryse / & to regne pardurably / And / he hym self cam to vs to take vylōnyes / & to gyue to vs honour / to suffre deth / & to gy­ue vs lyf / to take pouerte / & to gyue vs glorye / Seynt Gregore putteth iiij. causes of the prouffyte of his comyng sayeng / Studebant omnes superbi de eadē stirpe progeniti▪ prospera vite presentis appetere: Aduersa deuitare: ob probria fugere: gloriā sequi: They of the world in their pryde descēded of the same lignage / studyed to desire the pros­perite of this present lyf / teschue thad­uersites / to fle the reproefs and shames & tensiewe the glorye of the world / and our lord cam encarnate emong them as­kyng & sechyng the aduersitees / despytyng the prosperitees / embrachyng vy­lōnyes / fleyng all vayne glorye / And he hym self whiche descēded frō glorye / cā & he comē taught newe thynges / And in shewyng merueylles / suffrid many euyll / seynt bernard putteth other cau­ses / & saith y^t we trauayll in this world for iij maner of maladyes or sekenes / For we bē lyghtly deceyued Feble to doo well / & frayll to resiste ayens euyll / [Page ij] yf we entende to doo wel / we faylle / yf we doo payne to resiste the euyll / we ben sourmounted and ouercome / & for this / the comyng of Ihesu Cryst was to vs necessarye / To that he enhabiteth in vs by faith / he enlumyneth our eyen of the herte / And in abydyng with vs / he helpeth vs in our maladye / & in beyng with vs he deffendeth our fraylte ayenst our ene­myes / Of the secōde comyng whiche shal be atte last Iugemēt / Two thynges ben to be seyne / that is to wyte / that whiche cometh to fore the Iugement / And that whiche shal be atte Iugement / As fore the first / thre thynges shal be to fore the Iugemēt / First the terrible cōfusion of signes & tokenes / Secōdly the malyce & the deceyte of Antecryst / and the thirde of the uehemēt & merueyllous operaciō of the fy [...]e / As touchyng the signes saynt luke saith in the xxv chapitre / Erūt signa in sole luna & stellis &c̄ / Ther shal be grete signes in the sonne / in the mone / & in the sterres & in therthe oppression of peple anguysshous for the confusion of the sowne of the see & of the wawes / The in first signes bē determined in the booke of thapocalips in the vj chapitre / Sol factus ē niger tanquā saccus cilici­nus / & luna facta ē sicut sanguis / & stelle ceciderūt suꝑ terram / Thēne shal be the tyme / that the sonne shal be black / as a sacke groos & rude / & the mone shal be as blood / & the sterres shal falle on therthe / The sonne is said derke for as mo­che as he is depriued of his lyght / as though he wepte for the deyeng of men For saynt Austyn saith / y^t the vengeāce of god shal be so cruel at the day of do­me / that the sonne shal not dar beholde it Or as for to speke of the propre signy­ficacion spirytuelly to be vnderstōden / is that the sonne of Iustice Ihū Cryst shal be thēne so derke / y^t noman shal dar knowe hym / The heuē is here takē for thayer And the sterres be called of this heuen whiche haue symylytude & semblaūce li­ke sterres / And after the comyne lan­gage / men saye that they falle fro heuen / whā they descende vnder the heuē / and in that / the scripture cōfermeth to the maner comyne of spekyng And thēne shal be made suche oppression / For the qualyte of the fyre shal haloūde strongly / & this shal our lord doo for the terrour & f [...]re of the synners / Or the sterres shal be said to falle / for by cause they caste out Rayes of fyre / Or by cause ther be many that seme clere as sterres / & thēne shal fal fro the faith / Or that they witthdra­we theyr light / that they ne may be seen lytil or nought / Of the fourth signe / the whiche shal be the pressure & thāguysshe that shal be vpon therthe saith seynt Mathew in the iiij chapitre / y^t thēne shal be suche tribulaciō / that neuer was none so grete seen vpō therthe / syth the world begā / ne neuer shal be / The v signe shal be / the cōfusion that shal be on the see / & herof saye sōme & ymagyne / that the see shal perysshe / by a grete brekyng of his first qualite / that is to saye of his puis / saūce & vertue / accordyng to that saynt Iohn̄ saith in / thapecalips in the xxj cha­pitre / Et mare Iā nō est / And as touchyng to his qualites of his wawes / of rysyng & other accidens / And af­ter this that some other saye / the fown shal be moche grete / For it shal gyue out a merueyllous grete noyse & bruyt / For the see shal be lyft vp xl cubites aboue the montaygnes And after shal aswage & goo doun / Or to speke af­ter the lettre / playnly after the sentence of saynt gregore / Thēne / shal the see be made newe / And troublyng of the wa­wes that neuer were herd lyke / Now we haue that saynt Iherome sheweth to vs / in y^e yerly historyes of thebrews xv signes & tokenes / the whiche shal come byfore the Iugemēt / but he declareth not yf they shal shewe contynuelly / or yf ther shal be space bytwene them / The first signe is that the see shal aryse fyftē cubytes aboue y^e heyght of y^e mōtaynes / in beyng in his place as a wall / The ij day the see shal descēde so lowe that vnnethe it shal be seen / The third signe / the gre­te fysshes as whales & other shal appiere a boue the water / & shal crye vnto the heuē / And god only shal vnderstonde their crye / ¶ The fourth signe shal be that the see and water shal brenne / The fyfte signe that the trees and her­bes shal gyue dewe of blood and in the v day diuerse clerkys afferme / y^t all the byrdes of thayer shal assēble in a felde / euerych kynde by them self & shal not ete ne drynke / but shall abyde the comyng of the Iuge in grete feer / The [Page] [...] [Page ij] [...] [Page] vj signe the edefices & byldyngig shal falle doun / & in this vj day thondres & tempestis ful of fyre shall growe in the west where the sonne goth doun / ayenst the firmamēt in rennyng to the eest / The vij signe the stones shal smyte & hurtle to gydre / & shal cleue in foure parties / & eche partye shal smyte other ne none shal vnderstande ne here the sowne / but god only / The eyght signe shal be the moeuyng & general tremblyng of ther­the / whiche shal be so grete as it is said that noman ne beste shal not mow stōde theron / but falle to the ground / The ix. signe / Alle the erthe shal be euē & playn And all the montaygnes and valeyes shall be brought in to pouldre & be all lyke / The tenth day the mē shal yssue out of the caues / & shal goo by the wayes & feldes / as men alyened & out of their witte / And shal not conne speke one to another / Te xj day the bones of dede men shal yssue out of their beryels & places & shal hold theym vpon their sepulcres / & fro the sonne rysyng vnto it goo doun the sepulcres shal be open to thende that the deede bodyes may all yssue / The xij· signe all the sterres shal fall fro the heuē & shal sprede out Rayes of fyre / & thēne grete quantyte shal growe / In this xij. daye it is said that alle the beestes shal come to the felde howlyng / & shal not ete ne drynke / The xiij. signe alle lyuyng shal deye / to thēde that they shold aryse with the dede bodyes The xiiij. day / the heuen & therthe shal brēne The xv. day shal be a new heuē / & new erthe / & all thing & all dede mē shal aryse / The ij thyng / y^t shal be a fore Iugemēt shal be y^e folye & malice of ātecryst / he shal payne hym to deceyue all men by iiij. maners / The j maner shal be by suasion & false exposicion of scripture / For as moche as he may he shal gyue theym to vnderstāde that he is Messyas / whiche was promysed in the lawe that he sold come / whom we saye Ihū Cryst / & he shal destroye the la­we of Ihū Cryst / & shal ordeyne his la­we / in allegyng dauid the prophete that saith / Cōstitue dn̄e legislatorē suꝑ eos / Thus shal he saye / that it was said for hym as he that was ordeyned of god for to sette lawe vpon his place / After this that is seid in the scripture of da­nyel / danielis xj dabūt abhominacionē & desolacionē tēpli &c̄ / Antecryst & his cō plices shal gyue abhominacion & desolacion to the tēple of god in this tyme as saith the glose / Antecrist shal be in the tēple of god as god / for that he shal destroye the lawe of god / The seconde ma­ner shal be by merueyllous oꝑacion of myracles / wherof saith thappostle saynt poule in his secōde epistle ad thesalonicē ­ses in the seconde chapitre / where he saith Cuius aduentus erit secundū operatio / nem sathane ī (oī (bus))omnibus verbis et prodigijs mendaci (bus) / Of Antecryst it is said that the comyng shal be after the operaciō of sathan / in all his signes in all his mer­ueylles / and false lyeng dedes / wherof saynt Iehan maketh menciō in thapoca­lips the xiij: chapitre / Fecit signa vt etiam ignem faceret de celo in terram descendere Antecryst shal make suche signes that is to seye / he shal make suche toke­nes / that he shal make the fyre descende fro heuen / The glose saith / y^t lyke as the holy goost descended in likenes of fyre / In lyke wyse shal Antecryst gyue the euyl spirite in lykenes of fyre / Te thyrde maner that he shal doo for to deceyue / shal be in gyuyng of yeftis / of whiche is wreton in the booke of daniel the prophete / in his xj chapitre / dabit eis potestatem in ml̄tis / & terrā diuidet gratuito / Antecryst shal gyue puissance to his seruauntis in many thynges / And shal departe therthe to them after his will / The glose saith / that Antecryst shal gyue many yeftes to them that he shal deceyue / And to his disciples he shal deuyde therthe / & them that he may not subdue by terrour & fere / he shal subdue & ouercome them by auarice & make them therby tobeye hym / The iiij maner for to deceyue them shal be by tourments that he shal gyue to them / wherof daniel saith in his viij chapitre / Supra qd credi po­test / vniuersa vastabit / Noman shal bileue how he shal destroye & tormente thē that will not bileue in hym / For to drawe thē to hym by force / And saynt gre / gore saith of hym Robustos quippe iter­ficiet & cetera he shal slee the grete and strong meen / whan he may not wynne ne ouercome thē by herte ne will he shal ouercome them by torment The thirde thyng that shal goo to fore the Iuge­ment / shal be the right vehement fyre [Page iij] fyre / the whiche shall goo to fore the face of the Iuge / And god shal sēde this fyre for foure causes / Fyrst for the renewyng of the world / for he shal pur­ge & renewe the elemētes / And lyke to the fourme of the deluuye / It shal be xl. cubites hyer thā alle the mōtaynes / lyke as it is wreton in thystorye scolastyque For the werkes of the peple may moūte so hye / Secōdly for the purgatiō of the people / For thēne that fyre shall be in stede of the fyre of purgatorye to them that thēne shall be on lyue / Thirdely for to to gyue more gretter tormente to thē that be dampned / Fourthly for to gyue more clerenes & light vnto the seyntes / For after the sayeng of saynt basylle / our lorde god whā he shal make the purgaciō of the world / he shal departe the hete of the fyre fro the resplendour & bryghtnes And all the hete he shal sende to the place of dāpned people by cause they shold be the more turmented / And all the resplendour brightnes he shal sende to the place of seyntes / to thēde that they be the more conforted / Of thies that shal ensiewe & folowe the Iugemēt ther ben many the first shal by the descenciō of the Iuge The Iuge shal descēde in to the vale of Iosaphat / & shal sette the good on his right honde / & the euyll on the lift honde in an hye place in thayer / by cause other shold see them / And it ought not to be byleued that within that lyte v [...]leye / all myght be enclosed / after that / whiche saynt Ierome saith / but many shal be there / & the other ther aboute / Neuertheles in a lytil space of lōde / may be men with out nombre by dyuyne puissaūce & ordynaunce / & yf it be of necessite / the chosen people shal be in thayer for the agilite & lightnes of theyr bodyes & also in soule / And thenne the Iuge shal despute & repreue the wicked men of the werkes of mercy / whiche he ordeyned to vs / And they shal not mowe replye / but shal thē ne wepe vpon thē self & vpō theyr dedes lyke as saynt Iohn̄ Grisostō saith vpon the gospell of seynt Mathew / in sayeng that the Iewes shal wepe their lyf / whā they shal see their Iuge / and hym / that gyueth lyf to all men / whō they estemed & trowed a dede man / & shal blame thē self for his body hurt & wounded by thē And they may not denye theyr cruelte but shal wepe in grete distresse / The paynems whiche by the vayne disputaciōs of the philosophres were deceyued / & supposed to haue ben folye to worshipe god crucyfyed / The Crystē mē synnars shal wepe / that haue more louyd the world than god / The heretyques shal wepe by cause they holden fals opynyons ayens the faith of Ihū Cryste / whom thēne they shal see the souerayn Iuge / whom the Iewes crucyfyed / and so shal all the lynages of the world wepe / for they shal haue no force ne power ne strengthe to re­siste ayenst hym / ne they may not flee to fore his face / ne they shal haue no tyme of space to doo penaūce for theyr synnes ne to make satisfaction of the grete anguissh that they shal haue of al thynges ther shal nothyng abyde to thē but wepyng / The seconde thynge that shal folo­we atte Iugement is the difference of the ordres / For thus as saynt gregory saith / at the day of Iugement shal be iiij thynges / two on the partye reproued / & two on the partye chosē / The first shal be dāpned & perrisshyd to whom he shal saye / Esu [...]ui & nō dedistis michi mādu / care / I had hongre / & ye haue gyuen to me no mete The other shall not be Iuged & perysshe / of whom it is wreton. Qui nō credit iā iudicatus ē / he that beleueth not is now Iuged / for they shal not perceyue the wordes of the Iuge / whiche wold not kepe the wordes of god / The other of the partye of the good shal be Iuged / & shal reygne as they to whom shal be said / I haue hadde hungre / & ye / haue gyue me mete / The other shal not be Iuged / and yet shal regne / That is to wyte the parfyght men that shal Iuge other / not that they shal gyue the sentence of the Iugement / For the souerayn Iuge shal only yeue the sentence but they be said Iuges / by cause they be present approuyng the Iugement / And this assistence shal be first to the honour of sayntes / For it shal be grete honour to them to haue theyr seetes & sytte with the Iuge / lyke as Ihū Cryst promysed to them / that they shold be syttyng vpō xij. seetes Iugyng the xij lignages of Israhel Secōdly to the cōfirmaciō of the sentēce / For the syhal aproue the sentēce yeuē of the Iuge / as don the assistētis in Iugemēt wiche approue [Page] the sentence of the Iuge that is good & Iuste / And with their hādes they sette to theyr names in wytnesse / lyke as dauid saith / Vt faciāt ī eis Iudiciū con­scriptū &c̄ / To thende that they make vpon the dampned / Iugement wreton with the Iuge / Thirdly that shal be to condēpnacion of the euyl peple / whom they shal condempne by the werkes of their good lyf / The thirde thyng that foloweth the Iugemēt that shal be then­seygnes & tokenes of the passyon of Ihesu Crist / That is to wyte / the crosse / the naylles / & the woundes / The whiche signes shal be fyrst for to shewe his gloryous victorye / And by that they shal ap­pere in thexcellēce of his glorye / Wherof saith saynt Iohn̄ Grysostome that the Crosse & the woundes shall be more shynyng than ony Rayes of the sōne / now then saith he / cōsydere ye what the vertue is of the crosse / The sonne thēne shal be derke / and the mone shal gyue no lyght here by thēne may ye vnderstonde / how moche the crosse is more shynyng than the mone / & more clere than the sonne / Secondly for to shewe his mercy / by whiche he shal saue the goode / Thirdly for to shewe his Iustice / how Iustly he hath dampned thē that be euyll / by cause they haue despysed so noble pryse as his blood / & sette not therby / And therfor as saith seynt Iohn̄ Grisostome / he shal saye to thē harde wordes by maner of re­preef / For your sake I made my self a man / for you I haue ben beten / bounden scorgyd and crucified / where is now the fruyt that I haue suffred so many Iniuries fore / lo see the prys of my blood that I haue gyuen to redeme you / where is the seruyse / that ye haue don to me for the prys of my blood that I haue gyue for you / And where I was god in my glorye I cam doun & was made mā for you / And ye haue made me more vyle than ony thyng / For alle maner thynges of fylthe ye haue more loued than my Iustyce & my faith / The fourth thynge that foloweth the dome or Iuge­memt / is the straytenesse & the Rygour of the Iuge / For it may not bowe ne le ne for nothyng / For he is all myghty / ne noman may doo ony thynge ayenst hym ne by yeftes ne otherwyse / For alle ri­chesses be in hym & all tresour / And he­rof saith seynt bernard / The day shal co­me / that clene & holy hertes shal be more worth than wordes aourned / & good cō science better than a sacke ful of moneye For this is he that shal not be deceyued by wordes / ne shal bowe for yeftes / & herof saith seynt Austyn / we awayte vpon the day of Iugement / & that day shal be right ful of equyte / The Iuge thē shal yeue no fauour to none be he neuer so p [...]yssant / ne do ayenst Iustice / ne noo bysshop / none Abbot / ne no prnyce may corrupte hym for gold ne syluer / ne for hate / For all goodnes is in hym / Ther­fore none hate may be in hym / wherof Salomon the wyse saith capl̄o xj / Odisti eo (rum) que fecisti / God hated neuer thynge that he made and created / For he is right Iuste / & so Iuste / that they / that he calleth his brethern / they be false cristen men / whom he shal not delyure after this that dauid saith / fratrem non redimet / Also he shal not be deceyued by errour / For he is right wyse / Of him saith seynt leon the pope of this Iugement whiche is the sentence of the souuerayn Iuge / that is that hys regarde & lookyng makyth all thyng to tremble / to whome all ferme & stable thyng in cōparison / is mouable / And alle secrete thyng / opene / to whom all derkenes is clere / alle thyng without voys answereth / Silēce cōfes: seth & wytnesseth / And without voys thought speketh / And for as moche as his wysdom is so grete / Ayenst his wy­sedom aduayle none allegaciōs of aduocates / ne sophym of philosophres / ne the fair wordes aourned of thyntercessours ne moyens / ne the malices of them that be cautelous / And of thise fooure here saith seynt Iherome / Quāti illic elīgues & muti / feliciores loquaci (bus) erūt. quo ad primum / Quanti pastores / philosophis quo ad secundum / Quanti eustuci / oratoribus / quo ad tercium / Quanti hebetes / argucijs preferendi sunt cicero­nis / quo ad quartum / how many shal ther be at this Iugement / that shal ha­ue no tongue / by whiche they shal not speke / whiche shal be more eurous and blessyd than the fair & grete spekars And the herdemen and shepherders more happy / than the philosophers / And how many rude and symple men / more than the wyse men / And [Page iiij] how many foles & Innocens more than the shewers of the doctrynes of Ciceron / than of other ful of vayne science / They shal be sette to fore and receyued at that day / lyke as he wold saye / the fyrst shal be taken / & the other shal be putte away / The fyfthe thynge that shal be atte day of dome / shal be thorrible accu­sacion / For thenne shal be there accu­seurs ayenst the synner / The first accu­ser shal be the deuyll / Of whome seynt Austyn saith / that thenemy thēne shal be redy whiche shal recite the wordes of our profession / And shal shewe to fore vs / alle that euer we haue don / and in what place / and what tyme we haue synned / And what good thēne we shold haue don / & he shal saye to the Iuge / right trewe Iuge / deme & Iuge this synnar to be myn / for his trespaas whiche wold be thyne by grace / he is thyne by nature / he is myne by his myserye / he is thyne by thy passyon / he is myne by monycion / To the he hath be in obedyent / To me he hath be obedyent / he hath receyued of the the vesture of In­mortalite: Of me he hath taken this penyble cote / wyth whiche he is clad / he hath lefte thy vesture / and is comen to myn Ryght Iuste demer / Iuge hym to be myne for to be dampned with me / Alas / Alas / how may the mouthe of them open that shal thus be foūden / whā they shal be Iustly dampned to be with the deuyll / [...] The second accusement is oure owne trespaas / For oure owne propre synnes shal accuse vs / As the wyse salomō saith / sapiētie quarto / ve­nient in cogitatōem pccō (rum) suo (rum) timidi / & traducēt illos ex aduerso īiqⁱtates eo (rum) To the Iugement they shal come in the thought of their synnes in grete drede / And their wyckednesses shal caste them out afterward: Thēne theyr werkes shal saye to gydre / Thou hast made vs: we ben engendred of the / we shal not leue the / But alleway we shal be with the / And [...]ith the we shal goo to the dome / Thus in many thynges & crymes they shal accuse the synners / The thirde accuse [...] shal be all the world / wherof sayth seynt gregorye / yf thou demande who shal accuse the I saye the world whiche is offended And saynt Iohn̄ grisestome seyth that at that day there we shal answere nothyng / but the heuen / the erthe / the water / the sonne / the dayes / & the nyghtes / shal be in wyt­nes of our synnes / And yf we speke not / oure werkes & our thoughtes shall be moeued / and all the world shal be ayenst vs to fore god / And shal accu­se vs strongly / The sixth thyng that ensieweth the dome / shal be witnes trewe without fayllyng / The synnar shal ha­ue iij wytnessis ayenst hym That one that is aboue hym that is to wete / that shal be Iuge & wytnes / lyke as he saith by the mouth of Ieremye the prophete / I am Iuge and witnes saith our lord / That other witnes is within hym / that is to wete his conscience / therfor saith saint Austyn yf thou dredest the Iuge comyng / correcte thy conscience / For the worde of thy mouth is the wytnes of thy conscience: That other wytnes is by hym / that is his propre angele deputed to his kepyng. the whiche by cause that he knoweth his conscience / shal be­re witnes ayenst hym / wherof it is said in Iob / The heuenes that is to saye the angeles thēne shall shewe thynyquytees of the synners / The seuenth thyng that shal be atte Iugement is the constraynt of the synners: wherof saith saynt gre­goire / O how strayte shall be the wayes to synners / all aboue shal the Iuge sytte ful of wrath / And vnderneth thorri­ble & cōfused region of payne / on their ryght side theyr synnes / whiche shal accuse theym / On their lyft syde theyr enemyes deuylles without nōbre drawyng them to torment / within theym theyr cō science shal be brennyng / And with out forth the world brennyng / The caytyf and myserable synnar thus taken: whyther shal he flee / or whyter shal he goo / he shal not mow hyde hym / For it is Impossible / And to shewe it is In­tollerable / so moche that he shal not conne bere it / The eyghte that he shal haue the sentence inreuocable / This sentence shal neuer be repelled / ne it may be appeled / For thappellacion shal not be re­ceyued for thre causes: as it shold be in Iugement the first cause is for thexcellē ce of the Iuge / As of a kynge. yf he ye­ue a sentence / it may not be appelled in his royaume / For ther is none therin aboue hym souerayn

and in like wise of themperour / and of the pope / Secondly for theuydence of the cryme / wiche is notoryly kno­wen / Thirdly whan the thynge of whiche the Iugement is yeuen may not be differred / And that it haue not dila­cion / And for thise thre causes / ther maye none appele be fro the dyuyne sentence / First for thexcellence of the Iuge For god hath none aboue hym / but he is aboue all other in eternyte / in dig­nyte / and in auctorite / And somme wise / may be appelled fro the Empe­rour to god / But fro god may nomā appelle / for he hath none aboue hym / Secondly for the crime / For alle tres­paas and synnes shal be there openly shewd / wherof saith seynt Ierome / that in this daye alle our dedes shal be shewd / like as they were writen in a table & noted / Thirdly for the thyng whiche may not suffre dilacion / For alle thynges that shal be don atte Iugement shal be don in a twynkelyng of an eye / Thēne late vs pray that we may in this holy tyme so to receyue hym that at the day of Iugement we may be receyued in to his euerlastyng blisse

Amen

Whan the world had en­dured fyue thousand & nyne hondred yere af­ter eusebe the holy saynt Octouian themperour cō manded that alle the world shold be descriued / so that he myght knowe / how many cytees / how many townes / & how many personnes he had in alle the vniuersal world / Thēne was so grete peas in therthe that alle the world was obeyssaunt to hym And therfore our lorde wold be born in that tyme / that it shold be knowen that he brought peas fro heuen / And this emperour cōmanded that eueri mā shold goo in to the tounes / cytees or villages frowhens they were of / and shold brynge with hem a peny in kno­wlechyng that he was subgette to thempyre of rome / And by so many pens as shold be founden receyued / shold be knowen the nombre of the personnes / Ioseph whiche thēne was of the lignage of dauid / And dwellyd in Nazareth / wente in to the cyte of Bethlem [Page v] And ladde with hym the virgyne ma­rie his wyf / And whan they were comen theder / by cause the hostryes were alle taken vp / they were constrayned to be with oute in a comyn place where alle peple wente / And ther was a stable for an asse that he brought with hym and for an oxe / In that nyght our blessid lady and moder of god was delyuerd of our blessyd sauyour vpon the heye that laye in the racke / At whiche Natiuite our lord shewd many mer­uaylles / Fo by cause that the world was in so grete peas / the Romayns had don mad a tēple / whiche was named the temple of peas / On whiche they cō ­seylled wyth Appollo / to knowe how longe it shold stond and endure / Appollo answerd to them that it shal stōd as lōge / tyl a mayde had brought forth and born a chyld / And therfore they dyde do wryte on the portal of y^e temple / loo this is the temple of peas that euer shal endure / For they suppo­sed wel / that a mayd myght neuer bere ne brynge forth a chyld / This tem­ple / that same tyme that our lady was delyuerd and our lord born / ouerthre­we & fylle alle doun / Of whiche Crys­ten men afterward mad in the same place a chirche of our lady whiche is callyd scā maria rotunda / that is to saye the chirche of seynt marie the Round / Also the same nyght as recordeth Innocent the thirde whiche was pope / that there sprange and sourded in rome the same nyght a wel or a fountayne / and ran largely alle that nyght & alle that day vnto the ryuer of Rome called Ty­bre / Also after that recordeth saynt Iohn̄ Grisostōme / the thre kynges were this nyght in theyr orysons and prayers vpon a montayne / whan a sterre appered by them whiche had the forme of a right fayr chyld / whiche had a crosse in his forhed / which sayd to these thre kynges / that they shold goo to Iherusalem / And there they shold fynd the sone of the virgyne god and man whi­che thēne was born / Also ther appered in thorient thre sonnes / whiche lytil & lytil assembled to gydre / and were all on one / As it is sygnyfyed to vs / that thies thre thynges / is the godhed / the soule / and the bodye / whiche ben in thre natures assembled in one persone / Also Octauian themperour / like as In­nocent recordeth / That he was moche desyred of his counseyll and of his people / that he shold doo men worshippe hym as god / For neuer had ther be to fore hym so grete a maistre and lord of the World as he was / Thenne themperour sente for a prophetesse named Sebyle / for to demand of her / yf ther were ony so grete and lyke hym in therthe / Or yf ony shold come after hym / Thus atte hour of mydday she behelde the heuē / and sawe a cercle of gold aboute the sonne / And in the myddle of the cercle a mayde holdyng a chyld in her armes Thēne she called thēperour amd shewd it hym / whan Octauien sawe that / he merveylled ouer moche / wherof Sebyle sayd to hym / hic puer maior te est / ipsum adora / This Chyld is gretter lord than thou art / worshippe hym / Thēne whā themperour vnderstod that this chyld was gretter lord thā he was he wold not be worshipped as god / but worshipped this child that shold be born / wherfore the Cristen men made a chirche of the same chambre of themperour / and named it Ara celi / After this it happed on a nyght / as a grete maistre whiche is of grete auctorite in scripture whiche is named bartilmew recordeth that the Rodde of eugaddi whiche is by Iherusalem whiche berith bame flowred this nyght and bare fruit and gaf liquour of bame / After this cam the angelle and apperid to the shepher­des that kepte their sheep / and said to theym / I anounce and shewe to you a grete Ioye / For the savyour of the world is in this nyght born / in the cyte of Bethleē / there may ye fynd hym wrapped in clowtes / And anon as the Aungell had said this / a grete mul­titud of angelis appered with hym / & began to synge / honour glorye & helth be to god on hye / And in therthe peas to men of good wyll / Thenne said the shepherdes late vs goo to bethleem and see this thyng / And whan they cam they fonde lyke as the angele had said And it happed this nyght / that all the sodomytes that dyde synne ayenst nature were deed and extynct / For god hated so moche this synne / that he [Page] myght not suffre / that nature humayne whiche he had taken / were delyuerd to so grete shame / wherof saīt Austī saith / that it lackyd but lytil / that god wold not become man for that synne / In this tyme Octouian made to cutte and enlarge the wayes / and quyted the Ro­mayns of all the dettes that they ought to hym / This ffeste of Natyuyte of our lord is one of the grettest feestes of all the yere / and for to telle alle the myracles that our lord hath shewde it shold conteyne an hole booke / but at this ty­me I shal leue and passe ouer / sauf one thynge that I haue herde ones pre­c [...]yd of a worshipeful doctour / that what persone beyng in clene lyf / desire on this day a bone of god / as fer as it is rightful / and good for hym / our lord atte reuerence of this blessyd & hie feste of his natyuyte wyll graūte it to hym thēne lete vs alway make vs in clene lyf at this feste that we may so plese hym / that after this short lyf we may come vnto his blysse Amē

The day of the circūsicion of our lord ther ben four thynges that make and shewe it to be holy and solempne / The first is the vtas of the Natyuyte / The secōde thymposicōn of a newe name beryng helth / The thirde theffusion of his precious blood / The fourth the sig­nes of the circumcision / As for the first it apperith / For the vtas of sayntes ben solempne / by moche more Reson ought it to be of hym that is the sayncte of all saynctes / Now it semeth that the Natyuyte of our lord ought not to haue no­ne vtas / For the natyuyte tendeth to the deth / And the decees of sayntes haue their vtas / by cause they be born of the natyuyte that stratcheth to lyf ꝑdurable for to be after gloryfyed in body / And by the same waye it semeth that the Natyuyte of the glorious virgyne Marie And of seynt Iohn̄ baptiste / and of the resurrexiō of our lord ouhgt not to haue vtas / For the resurrexiō was thē don / herto we ought to consydre lyke as saith a doctour that in this vtas we shold fulfylle suche thinges / as we accōplisshyd not in the prīcypal day that our lord was born in / of whiche of aū cyent tyme men were wonte to synge atte masse / Vultum tuum domine / &c̄ / to the honour of our lady seynt marie / The other octaues or vtases / as of pa [...]ke whitsōtyde / the Natyuytees of our lady & seynt Iohn̄ baptist ben of deuociō as of other sayntes / that men will honoure for singuler cause or affection / And they may be said the octaues of figuracion / For they signyfye and figure the octa­ue of the last resurrection perpetuell / whiche is the eyght eage / And as to the seconde / this day was his name Imposed to hym / and was named with the newe name that the mouthe of god named / This is the name / of whiche ther is n [...]ne other vnder heuē by whiche we may be saued / that is Ihesus / After seynt bernard this is the name / whiche in the mouthe is hony / In the eere melodye / and in the herte Ioye / This is the name / after that he saith it lyghteth & shyneth lyke oyle / whan it is prechyd it fedeth the soule / whan it is in the mynde of the herte / it is swete and it enoynteth whan it is called / And as the euangelist sayth / he had thre names / that is to wete / the sone of god / Ihūs / and Cristus / He is called the sone of god / in somoche as he is god of god the fader / Cristus in so moche as he is a man taken of a per­sone dyuyne vnto nature humayne / and Ihesus in as moche as he is god vnyed to our humanyte / And of this thre manere of names sayth seynt bernard / ye that lye in duste and pouldre arise out of your slepe and awake ye / and gyue preysyng to god / loo here that our lord shall come vnto your helthe / he cometh wyth oygnement / he cometh with glorye / Ihūs cometh not without helthe ne Crist cometh not wythoute vnction / ne the sone of god without glorye / For he is oure helthe / our vnction / and our Ioye / and as touchyng this treble name / to fore his passion he was not [Page vj] parfyghtly knowen / as touchyng the fyrst / he was somwhat knowen by coniectyng / as of his enemyes whiche saide Ihū Crist to be the sone of god / And as to the seconde of lasse or fewer he was knowen for Ihesu Crist / And as to the thirde vocally / for as moche as by the voys he was callyd Ihūs / But as to the reson of the name / he was not knowen / For Ihesus is asmoche to saye as savyour / And this vnderstoode not they / After the resurrec­tion / this name treble was clarefyed and declared / The fyrst to the certaynte / The second to the publycacion / The thirde to the reson of the name / The first name is sone of god / And that / thyse names ben appropred to hym / seynt hillarye in his booke that he made of the trynyte saith thus / Vere filium dei vni­genitū / In diuerse maners / this name sone of god is knowen / as it is witnessid of god / God the fader witnessith it / that he is his sone / Thappostles preche it / The religyons bileue it / The fendes our enemyes confesse it / And Therfore we knowe our lord Ihesu Crist in his maners / by name / by nature / by natyuyte / by puyssaunce / and by his passion ¶ The seconde name is cristus whiche is interpreted vnction / For he was enoynted wyth the oylle of gladnesse / to fore all them that to hym were partye / And by that he is said en­oynted / it is shewed / that he was a prophete / A champyon / a preste / & a kynge Thyse four persones somty­me were wonte to be enoynted / Ihesu Crist was a prophete techyng the doctryne dyuyne / A champiōn in the batayll agayn the deuyll whom he ouercam / a preest in recōcylyng thumayne lynage to god the fadre / And a kynge in dystrybutyng & rewardyng euery man Of this second name we ben all named For of this name Criste / we be called Crysten men / Of whyche name seynt austyn saith thus / Euery Crysten man ougth to be Crysten of right & Iustice / of bounte / of entyerte / of pacyence / of Chastete / of clennesse / of humylite / of Innocence / And pyte / And thies names here / ben of Crysten men / and thou how defendest thou this name / & reteynest for thy self so many thynges of whiche thou hast habundance / and none appetyte / knowe thou that he is not cristen only that berith the name / but he that doth the werkes of Cryste / ¶ The third name is Ihesus / And this name after that seynt bernard saith is mete / fontayne / medecyn / & lyght / And it is mete to many vertues / For it is confortatyf / it nourisshith / it is enforsyng & strengthyng / and it augmenteth & encreaceth / Of thyse he saith hym self / This name Ihesus is mete / For as ofte as thou remembrest it / thou art comforted / what is that whiche as­sailleth so moche the herte of hym that is thouthful / who is that whiche exerciteth the wytte thus repayred in vertue / The vertues comforten / encreace good ma­ners and honestees / who is that nou­rissith thus the chast affectiōs / nothyng of the world so moche as this name Ihe­sus / Secondly he is said a fontayne / wherof saynt bernard saith Ihesus is the fontayne of lyf sealed / the whiche spre­deth in to foure stremes / For it gyueth to vs / wysedom / Ryghtwisnes / sanctificacion / and redempcion / wysedom in predicacion / in gyuyng to vs of our synnes / absolucion by ryghtwisnes / sanctificacion in oure conuersacion / And by his passion / our redempcion / And in an other place he saith / thre stremes renne of this name Ihūs / that is to wete / worde of sorowe / by whiche is vn­derstond confession / Spryngyng of precyous blood / by whiche is sygnyfyed affliction / water of clensyng whiche sygnefyeth compunction / whiche of god is smeton to the herte / Thirdely it is medecyne / wherof saith seynt ber / nard / This name Ihesus is suche a me­decyne / that refrayneth the strength of wrathe / it appeaseth the swellyng of pryde / it heleth the woundes of enuye / it restrayneth the fyre of lecherye / it des­trayneth the flamme of Couetyse / it at tempreth the thurst of Auarice / And it dryeth al rotyn wretchidnes / Fourthly it is lyght / wherof saith seynt bernarde / wenest thow that so grete a light / And so sodeyn clerenes may be preched and shewde thurgh out the world / but by this name Ihesus / This is the na­me that seynt poul bare to fore the peple and to fore kynges / as a lyght sette [Page] vpon a candelstyl or chaundeler for to lyght to alle / Also this name ihesus is of grete swetenes / wherof saith saynt bernard / yf thou be Cryst / it hath no savoure in me but yf y rede this name Ihesus / yf I dispute or argue / I am not assured but yf this name Ihesus be herd Also Rychard of saynt victor saith thus Ihesus is a swete name / A name delec­table / a name confortyng the synnar / and a name of holy hope / Thēne Ihesus is to me swete Ihesus / that is to saye my savyour / Secondly that Ihesus is of gre­te vertue / wherof saith peter rananensis uocabis nomen eius Ihesum / Thou shalt calle this name Ihesus / this is the name that hath gyuen to blynde their sight / to deef men heeryng / To croked goyng / to dombe speche / to dede men lyf / And all the strēgthe of the deuyll is chaced away and taken out of the body that he possessyd / Thirdly this name Ihesus is of grete excellence / And of grete hyenes / whe­rof saith saynt bernard / The name of my savyour / of my brother of my flessh and of my blood / this is the name that is hyd fro the begynnyng of the world but in thende it is reueled & shewd / this is the name that can not be expressid / & of so moche as it may not be expressyd of so moche it is more merueyllous / & of somoche as it may not be estemed / so moche is it of more grete grace / And this name was Imposed to hym first by thangel / And of the fader putatyf Io­seph / Ihesus is said savyour / And it is said savyour in thre maners or by puissaunce to saue / or of habituacion / or of dede & of werke / the first / puissaūce or myght is to hym perdurable / The secō de of myght of habituacion is to hym syth the begynnyng of his conception / lyke as the aungelle shewde / and after that he hath puissaunce of dede and werke after that the name was Imposed to hym of Ioseph by cause of hys passyon that was to come / wherof the glose saith vpon this word / vocabis nomen eius ihesum / And here thou shalt Impose to hym this name / whiche was gyue to hym by thangele to fore begynnyng of this world / whan thēne he sayde thou shalt Impose to hym this name / he she­weth the denominacion made by Ioseph And whan he said that of the angelle or of the souerayn it was made / he tow­ched the ij other domynaciōs / And ther­fore was this Circumsicion establyssyd in the heed & begynnyng of the yere at Rome / whiche is chief of the world / and ennobled with the first lettre of the chief of the A.b.c. sette in the first place thus fourmed / Ihesu Crist the hede of the chirche is this day circūcided / the name is gyue to hym and Imposed / And the vtas of the natyuyte is halowed / The thirde thynge that is considered of this holy day / is theffusion or shedyng of the blood of Ihesu Cryst / For on this day fyrst he began to shede his bloode / the whiche after dyuerse tymes he shedde / Fyue tymes he shedde his blood for vs / First atte his circumsicion / And this tyme was the begynnyng of oure redēp­cion / Secondly in oryson / And in this tyme he shewde the desire that he had of our redempcion / Thirdly wan he was bound to the pyler and beten / and this was the merite of our redempcion for by his woūdes we were saued / Fourthly whā he was crucyfyed / And this tyme was the prys of oure redempcion / And thēne he payed that whiche he had not taken / Fyfthly whan his syde was ope­ned And this tyme was of our redempcion the sacrement / For thenne out of his syde yssued blood & water whiche signefyeth that we ought to be puryfyed by the water of baptesme / the whiche water ought to haue vertue and effect of the precious blood of Ihesu Cryst / The sixthe thyng of this holy day / is the signacle of the Circumsicion / the whiche Ihū Cryst on this day of his benygnyte daygned to take / And ye ought to knowe that for many resons he wold be circuncised / First for the cause of hym self / that he wold shewe that he had takē our uery flessh humayne / For he knewe wel / that ther shold somme come after that shold saye / that he had not taken body real of the virgyne Marie / And therfore wold he be circumcised really in flessh humayne / for to destroye theyr erroure / And to shede his naturel blood / For a body fantastyque shal shede no blood / Secondly for the cause of vs / for to shewe to vs / how we shold be circuncised spirituelly / After that saynt ber­nard saith / Ther be two maner of [Page vij] circumsicions that we ought to doo / that is to wete withoute forth our flessh / & within our herte / The circumsiciō of our body / is in thre thynges / in habyte that it be not noyeful / In operacion that it be not repreuable / in worde that it by not despytous / The circumsicion of the herte within forth is also in thre thyn­ges / in thought that it be holy / in af­fection that it be pure / in encencion that it be rightfull / Item for the rightful cause of vs / to that he wold saue vs in this maner that he was cutte in one mē bre for to saue all the body / In lyke wyse wold Ihū Cryst suffre the cuttyng of his circumcision for to saue all the spyrituel body of the chirche / They ben the mē bres of the chirche that byleue in hym / whiche by the faith of the chirche shall be saued / Of whiche circumsicion saith saynt poul ad Colocenses secundo / ye ha­ue taken the circumcison not made with the honde to despoylle & cutte the flesshe / but the spirituel circumsicion of Ihesu Cryst is that all vices be cutte of & take away / Thirdly he wold be circumcised by cause of the Iewes / that they shold haue none excusacion / but for to byleue in hym / For yf he had not be circumsi­sed / they myght saye / they ought not to receyue hym by cause he folowed not the fadres of the lawe / Fourthly by cause the deuyl shold haue no knowleche of the mystery of thyncarnacion / As the circumsicion was gyuen ayenst orygynal synne / the deuyl wende that he that receyued it were a synnar / & had nede of the remedye of circumsicion / And for this cause Ihesu Cryste wold that his moder beyng all way a virgy­ne shold be maryed / by cause that by the sacrament of matrymonye / his In­carnacion shold be hyd from the feende / Fyfthly for to fulfylle parfyght Iustice and parfyght humylyte / the whiche is to submytte hym to one lower than hym selfe / therfore wold he thus be circumcised / for to shewe to vs this humylite / as he that is lorde and maistre of the lawe / submysed hym selfe to the lawe / Sixthly for tapproue and fulfyll the lawe of Moyses / the whiche was good & holy For he was not comen for to destroye the lawe / but for to fulfylle and kepe the lawe / Thus saith saynt poul the xv chapytre / I saye to you that Ihesu Cryst was mynystre of the circumsicion for the trouth of god / to conferme the promesses that he had mad vnto the fadres of tholde lawe / And the cause why the circumsicion was made the viij / day / ther ben assigned many reasons / The first is for to vnderstonde the sence of the lettre as it lyeth / For lyke as Raby moyses whiche was a right grete philosophre in theologye how wel that he was a Iewe / whan a chylde in the state of vij dayes after he is born / is also tē dre / as he were yet in the wombe of his moder / And atte vij day he is fortefyed and affermed / Therfor as he saith / our lord wold that the lytil children atte viij day shold be circumcised / by cause they shold not be hurte by the grete ten­drenes y^t they haue yet / And he wold not that they shold abyd aboue the viij day for iij causes that he assigneth / The first is fore to eschewe the peryll of deth / that he shold not deye within the viij dayes / The seconde is for teschewe the pay­ne of the chyldren For in the doyng of the circumsicion is a grete payne / And therfore wold our lord god / that they were circumcised whylis they had lytyl ymagynacion / For whan they haue lytil vnderstōdyng / they fele not so moche payne / The thirde cause / for teschewe the heuynes of the parentes / For by the circumsicion many chyldren deyed / And yf they had abyden til they had be gret­ter / And thēne deyed / the fader and moder shold haue ben more soroufull / than they shold be atte age of viij dayes The second cause is vnderstande in spiri­tuel dede / that is to wyte / that the viij day is taken for the resurrexion / whiche is the vtas of our lyf / For thenne shal we be circumcised fro alle payne and fro all myserye / And thus / thies viij dayes shall be vnderstod by the viij ages / The first is fro Adam to Noe / The secōd fro Noe to abraham / The thirde fro abrahā to Moyses / The fourthe fro moyses vnto Dauid / The fyfte fro Dauid to Ihesu Cryst / The vj fro Ihesu Cryst vnto thēde of the world / The vij of the deyeng on therthe / And the viij of the general resurrection to heuen / Or by theis viij ben vnderstande viij thynges the whiche we haue in the lyf perdurable / the whiche [Page] seynt Austyn reherceth / in recityng that our lord saith / what other thynge is it that he saith / I shal be theyr god / that is that I shal be to them all that / wherof they shal be ful / And al that whiche by reson they may demaunde / that is to wete / lyf / helth / mete habondance of all glorye / honour / and peas / and all goodnes / Or otherwise we may take by the vij dayes a man in body & in soule / of whiche the iiij dayes ben vn­derstande by the iiij elementes of whiche the body is composed / And iij dayes / they ben iij vertues naturell that ben in the soule / for to desire or coueyte For to be angry or moeued / For to vnder­stonde reason & to conceyue it / The man thēne that now hath vij dayes / whan he shal be ioyned to god / fro whom the Ioynyng shal neuer be deffeted / thēne shal he haue the viij day / And in this viij day he shal be circumcised fro all synne and from alle payne / The thirde reason is taken after the sens morall / And after this / the viij dayes may be taken in dyuerse purpos / The first may be said knowlege of his synne / lyke as dauid saith Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco / I haue knowlechyng of my synne / The seconde pourpos / is for to leue synne / and take the good / the whiche is shewd vs by the sone that dispended his good folyly / And whan he had perceyued that he had don euyll & folisshly / he aduertised hym self / and saide I shal departe and retourne to my fader / And shal praye that I may ser­ue hym / and that he receyue me to mercy / & make me as one of his seruaūtis The thirde is shame of synne / wherof saith seynt poul to thē that for their synnes be in peyne and in torment / what fruyt haue ye founden in tho synnes in your lyf / of whiche now ye be ashamed The fourth is drede of the comyng Iu­gement and dome / wherof Iob saith / I haue fered and doubted god / as men drede the wawes of the see in their grete rage and tempest / And seynt Iherome saith thus / Siue comedam siue bibam &c̄ As ofte as I ete or drynke / or that I doo ony other thynge / alway me semeth that I here the soun & the voys cryeng / Aryse ye dede mē / and come to the dome and Iugement / The v is concricion / wherof seynt Iherome saith / gyue thy wepyng & bytternesse / of that whiche y^u hast angryd thy god by thy synne / The vj is confession / wherof dauid saith / dixi confitebor &c̄. I haue said & purposed in my herte / that I shal confesse me to god and make knowleche of my synne / The seuenth is hope of pardon / For yf Iudas had had very repentaunce & hope / and had confessid his synne / he had had foryeuenes & pardon / The viij is satisfaction and sacrefyse / And then is the mā veryly circumcised / not only fro the synne / but also fro payne / where the ij first dayes ben for the sorowe of synne that hath be don / and the will for tamende it the thirde day we shold confesse the euyll that we haue don / and the good dedes that we haue left / The other iiij dayes ben oryson / effusion of teres / Afflictiō of body / And almesse gyuen / Or other wise by these viij dayes may be vnderstā de viij thynges / of whiche the consideracion cutteth of and taketh awey all euyll wyll of synne / And who that shal cō sidere it / shal haue made a grete Iorney / Of whiche seynt bernard nameth vij of them / sayeng that vij thinges ben in thessence of a man / that yf a man wel considere them / he shal neuer synne / And they be thies / the vnite of our nature / the vilte and fylthe of our werkes / The sorowe of our yssuyng / The mutabylite of our estate / Thangnyssh of the deth / The myserable and vnsurete of our nature of body and of soule / The dampnacion detestable and horrible / & the consideracion of the glorye of heuene / whiche may not be recounted / the fourth reason is taken to the vnderstandyng espirytuell / And after this / the fyue dayes shal be the fyue bokes of moyses / in whiche the lawe is conteyned / And the two other / ben the prophetes & the the psalmes of dauid / And / the viij shal be the doctryne of the gospellis / but in the first vij dayes / the circumcision parfyght was not made / but on the viij daye was parfyght / circumcision of syn­ne and of payne now it is made in ho­pe / After it shal be don in dede / And of the flessh of the circumcision of Ihesu Cryst / it is said that the āgel [...] brought it to Charlemayn & he bare it to Amcon And sette it there honourably in the [Page viij] chirche of our lady And after as it is said that he bare it to Chartres / And now it is said / to be at Rome in the chirche that is called scā sancto (rum) / And there it is wreton / y^t the precious flessh of Ihū Cryst is there right clere / and the nauyll also / Also it is said that it is in the chirche of our lady at ādwarp in braband / And there I knowe Well y^t on trynyte sonday they shewe it with grete reuerēce / And is there born abowte with a grete and a solempne procession and that though I be vnworthy haue seen dyuerse tymes And haue rede and herd there of many myracles that god hath shewd there for it / And as towchyng I haue herd saye there / that there was a Cardynal sente fro Rome for to see it / And as he was at his masse solempnly / it was leyd [...]n the corporas at whiche tyme it bled thre dropes of blood on the said corporas / There they worshippe it as fore the flessh of our lord whiche was cutte of at his circunsicion & named it there prepucium dn̄i / yf it be trewe / to somme it semeth merueyll by cause it is so that the flessh that was cut of / was of the very flessh that was cutte of his body humayne / ¶Somme hold that whan Ihesu Cryst aroos fro deth to lyf / that he retourned with the body gloryfyed to his place / Of the vtas of the natyuyte of Ihesu Cryst / that is callid the day of circumsicion / we fynd that / Ihesu Cryst sayde by the mouthe of his sayntes / Non v [...]ni legē soluere / sed adimplere / I cam not said Ihū Cryst to breke the lawe / but to fulfylle it / And he was that day circcum­cised and named Ihesus / whiche is as moche to saye as sauyour / And at the circumcision / must be cutte a litil of the skynne at thende of the membre or yerde / And that is sygnysyrd and shewde that we ought to be circumcised / and cutte and takeen away fro vs the synnes and euyll vices / that is to wyte Pryde / wrath / enuye / couetyse / slougth gloute nye / and lecherye / and all syn­nes / and purge vs by confession / by contrycion / by satisfaction by almesde­des and by prayers / and to gyue for goddes sake of the goodes that he hath lente vs / For we haue nothyng pro­pre / but Ihesu Cryst hath lente to vs all that we haue / thēne it is wel reason / that we doo gyue for hym to the poure of suche goodes as be his / For we ben but seruauntes / And we ought to gy / ue to the hungry mete / to the dursty drynke / to the naked clotyng / vysyte the seke And to fore al thynges to loue god / and after our neyghebours as our sylf / And despoylle our self fro synne / And clothe vs with good werkes and vertues / And folowe the co / mandement of Ihesu Cryst / And in this manere we shal fulfyll the wyll of our fader Ihesu Cryst / yf we ben so purged and thus circumcised / Thenne la­te vs pray vnto the lord of heuene / that saith that he cam not to breke the lawe / but to fulfyll it / that he gyue vs grace / In suche maner to fulfyll the la­we and his wyll in thys world / that we may come in to his holy blysse in heuen

Amen

THe fest of thepiphanye of our lord is aour­ned of foure myracles / & after them it hath foure names / On this day the kynges worshipped Ihesu Cryst / / And saynt Iohn̄ baptyst baptysed hym / And Ihesu Cryste chaunged this day water in to wyn / And he fedde fyue thousand men with fyue loues of brede / Whan Ihesu cryst was in the age of xiij dayes the thre kynges cam to hym / the way lyke as the sterre ledde them / And therfore this day is callyd Epiphanye / or the tiephanye in comyn langage / And is said of this terme ephi / whiche is as moche to saye as aboue / And of this terme phanes / whiche is as moche to say as apparicion / For thenne the sterre appierede aloue them in thayer / where the same Ihesus by the sterre that was seen aboue them shewde hym to the kynges / And that day xxix yere passed / that whas at thentre of xxx yere / For he had xxix yere and xiij dayes / and began the xxx yere as saith seynt luc / Or af­ter this that Bede saith / he had xxx. yere complete as the chirche of Rome holdeth / And thenne he was baptysed in the flood or ryuer of Iordan / & therfore it is callyd thiephanie / said of theos / whiche is as moche to saie as god & phanes / Apparicion / For thenne god / that is the trynyte appierede / god the fader in voys god the sone in flessh humayne god the holy goost in lykenes of a dou­ue / After this that same day a yere whan he was xxxj yere old and xiij. dayes / he torned water in to wyn / & therfore it is called bethania / sayd of beth / that is to saie an hows / and phanes / that is apparicion / And this myracle was doon of the wyne in an hows by whiche he shewde hym very god / and this same day [...] yere after y^t was xxxij yere he fedde fyue thousand men with fyue loues / lyke as bede saith / And is also songen in an hympne wiche begynneth Illuminans altissimus / And therfor it is called phagiphania of phage / that is to saye mete / And of this fourth myracle some doubte yf it were don on this day / For it is not wreton of bede expressely / And by cause that in the gospell of saynt Iohn̄ is red that it was don nyghe vnto paske / Therfore the foure apparicions were sette on this day / The first by the sterre vnto the crebbe or racke / The second by the voys of the fader on flo [...] Iordan / The thirde [Page ix] of the water in to wyne at the hows of archedeclyn ¶The fourth by the multiplicacion of fyue loues in deserte / Of the first apparicion we make solempnyte on this day pryncipally And therfore poursiewe / we thisto­rye suche as it is / whan our lord was [...]orn / the thre kynges cam in to Iherusalem of whome the names ben wreton in ebrewe / That is to wete Appelyus / Ameryus / and D [...]mascus / ¶And in greke / Galagalath / Magalath / and Tharath / And in latyn / Iaspar / Melchior and Baltasar / ¶ And it is to we­te that this name Magus hath thre significacions / It is said illuseur or de­ceyuour / Enchaunteur / and wyse / They ben sayd illuseurs and deceyuours by cause they deceyued herodes / For they retorned not by hym whan they departed fro the place where they had honoured and offred to Ihesus / but retorned by another way in to theire cō tre / ¶ Magus also is said enchaun­teur / And herof ben said thenchauntours of pharao Magi / whiche by their malefice made their merueylles by thē chauntyng of the craft of the deuyl / And saynt Ioh̄n Grisostom calleth this kynges magos / as wycked and euyldoers /

For fyrst they were ful of malefices / but after they were conuerted / to whō god wold shewe his natyuyte / and bryng them to hym / to thende that to synners he wold doo pardon Item ¶Magus is said wise / For Magus in hebrewe is said doctour in greke philosopher / and in latyn wy­se / wherof they be sayd magi / that is to saye grete in wisedom /

And thies thre cam in to Iherusalem with a grete companye and grete es­tate / But wherfore cam they to Ihe­rusalem whan the chyld was not born there / Seynt remyge assygneth foure reeasons /

¶ The first reson is that the kynges had knouleghe of the natyuyte of the chyld that was born of the virgyne marye / [...] But not of the place / And by cause that Iherusalem was the most cyte Ryall /

And there was the See of the souerayn preest / they thought that so noble a chyld so nobly shewd [...] ought to be born in the most noble cyte that was ryalle / The seconde cause was / For in Iherusalem were the doctours and the wyse men by whome they myght knowe where the sayd chyld was born / The third cause was to thende that the Iewes shold haue none excusacion / For they myght haue sayd that they had knowleche of the place / where he shold be born / but the tyme knewe they not & therfore they myght saye w [...] [...]eleue it not / [...] And the kynges shewde to them the tyme / and the Iewes shewde the place / The fourth to the doubte of the Iewes & their curiosite / for thise kynges byleued one only prophete / And the Iewes byleued not many / They sought a straunge kynge / And the Iewes sought not their owne kynge / Thise kynges cam fro ferre contrees / And the Iewes were neghbour [...] fast by / These kynges were successours of balaam / [...] And cam at the visyon and sight of the sterre / by the prophesie of their fader whiche said / that a sterre shal be [...] or sprynge out of Iacob / and a man shal arise of the lignage of Israhel [...] That other cause that me­ueth theym to come to Iherusalem put­teth saynt Iohn̄ Crisostome whiche saith That ther were somme that affermeden for trouthe / that there were grete clerkes that curiously studyed to knowe the secretes of heuen / And after they chosen xij of them / to take hede / And yf ony of thyem deyede / his sone or next kynnesman shold be sette in his place / And thise xij euery yere / ascended vpon a montayne whiche was called victoryal / and thre dayes they abode there / and weesshe them clene / and prayed our lord that he wold shewe to theym the sterre that balaam had sayd and prophesyed be forn / Now it hapened on a tyme / that they were there the day of the natyuyte of Ihesu Cryst / and asterre cam ouer theym vpon this mōtayne / whiche had y^e fourme / of aright fayr child & vnder his [Page] [...]ede was a shynyng crosse / whiche spack to thise iij kynges sayeng Goo ye haste­ly in to the londe of Iudee / And there ye shal fynde y^e kynge y^t ye s [...]che whiche is born of a virgyne / Another cause putteth seynt Austyn / For it myght wel be that the angele of heuene appiered to theym whiche sayde the sterre y^t ye see / is Ihesu Cryst / Goo ye anone and worshippe hym / Another cause putteth seynt ly­on / that by the sterre whiche appiered to theym / whiche was more resplendis / shyng & shynyng than the other / that it shewde the souerayn kynge to be born on therthe / Thenne anon departed they for to come to that place / Now may it be demanded / how in so lytil space of xiij dayes / they myght come from so ferre as fro the eest vnto Iherusalem / whiche is in the myddle of the world / whiche is a grete space and longe way / Therto answerith seynt remyge the doctour and saith that the chyld tho whom they wente / myght well make them to goo somoche way in that while / Or after this that saynt Iherome saith / that they cam opō dromedaries / whiche ben beestis y^t may goo as moche in one day as an horse in thre dayes / And whan they cam in to Iherusalem / they demaunded in what place the kynge of Iewes was born / And they demaūded not yf he was born For they byleuyd it fermly / that he was born / And yf ony had demaunded of them / wher by knowe ye / that he is born they wold haue answerd / we haue seē his sterre in thoryent / And therfore we come to worsshippe hym / This is to vnderstond / we beyng in the oryent sawe his sterre / that shewde that he was born in Iudee / And we be come to worship- hym / And therfore saith this doctour Remyge that they confessid this child veray man / veray kynge / and veray god veray man whan they said / where is he that is born / veray kynge / whan they said kynge of Iewes / veray god / whan we be comen to worshippe hym / For ther was a comaundement / that none shold be worshipped but god / And thus as saith saint Iohan Crisostome they con­fessyd the chlyd / veray god / by worde / by dede / And by yeftes of their tresours that they offred to hym / and whan herode hade herd this / he was moche troubled / And all / Iherusalem with hym herode was troubled for thre causes / Fyrst by cause he dredde that the Iewes wold resseyue the chyld born for thier kyng / And reffuse hym as a straūger wherof saith saynt Iohn̄ crisostōe in suche wise as the bowes of a tree that ben hye be soone moeuyd ▪ with the wynde / so they that ben in hye estate of the world a lyght renomee troubthle them / Secondly lest he shold be blamed of the Rom [...]ynes / yf ony were kyng but yf he were ordeyned by themperour / For so had the Romayns ordeyned / that no­ne shold be callyd lorde ne kynge / but yf it were by the cōmandement of them­perour / ¶ Thirdly he was angry / as saynt gregory saith / whan the kynge of henen was born / the kynge of therthe was troubled and not without cause / For the erthely lordshyp is counfounded whan the hyenes of heuene is declared and perceyued / And all the contree of Ierusalem was troubled with hym for thre causes / Fyrst by cause that the euyll enioye them not / of the presence ne the comyng of the ryghtfull and iuste / Secondly for adulacion and fla­teryng / that they were sory of his angre Thirdly for lyke as the wyndes that ben contrarye in the see as longe as the wawes be moeued / In lyke wyse the contraryte of prynces and wrath falleth on the people / And therfore they doub­ted and feered leste they shold be tormented ¶ Thenne herode called alle the prestes of the lawe / and doctours / and demaunded of theym / where Ihesu Cryst shold be born / And whan he had vnderstonde of theym that he shold be born in bethleem the Cyte of Iuda / he called the thre kynges a parte / and demaunded of theym dylygently the tyme that the sterre appiered to theym / For to knowe / what he shold doo yf the kynges retorned not agayn to hym / And he said to theym / assone as ye shal haue founden the chyld / and ha­ue worshipped hym / that they shold retorne and shewe it to hym /

In faynyng that he wold worshippe al­so hym / ¶ And thought that he wold goo sle hym / ¶And it is to wyte that assone as they were entred in to Ihrl̄m / the sight of y^e sterre was taken frō [Page x] thē / and for thre causes / First that they shold be cōstreyned to seche y^t place of his natyuyte lyke as they were certefyed by y^e appieryng of the sterre / And bye the prophesye of the place of his byrthe / and so it was don / Secondly / that they that sought the helpe and the world / had deserued to lese the ayde dyuyne / The iij. by cause that the signes by gyuen to mescreauntes / And prophesyes to them that byleue well lyke as thappostle saith And therfore the signe whiche was gy­uen to the thre kynges / whiche yet were paynems / ought not tappere to them as longe as they were with the Iewes / and whan they were yssued of Iherusalem the sterre appered to them wiche wente to fore them / and brought them / til it cam aboue the place were the chyld was / & ye ought to knowe y^t ther ben thre opynyons of this sterre whiche Remyge y^e doc doctour putteth sayeng / that some saie that it was the holy goost whiche appie­red to the thre kynges in the fourme of a sterre whiche after appiered vpon the hedeof Ihesu Cryst in the lykenes of a douue / Other saye / lyke to saynt Iohn̄ Crysostom / that it was an angele y^t apperyd to the shepherdes / and after appered to the kynges / but to the shepherdes Iewes / as to them that vse reason / in fourme of a resonable creature / And to the paynems as to vnresonable / in lyk­nesse of nature vnresonable / that is to saye of a sterre / Other say more resona­ble and more veritable / that it was a ster newe created & made of god y^t whiche whā he had don his offyce / was brought agayn in to y^e mater wherof it was first fourmed / And this sterre was this y^t fulgencius saith / it differenced fro the other sterres in thre thinges / First in situacion / for it was not fyxed in the firmament / but it henge in thayer nygh to therthe / Secondly in clerenes / for it was shynyng more than the other / it appiered so that the clerenes of the sōne myghy not hurte ne appale hir light but at playn mydday it had right grete light and clerenes / ¶ Thirdly in moeuyng / for it went allway to fore y^e kynges in maner of one goyng in the way / ne it had none tornyng as a cercle tourneth but in suche maner as a ꝑsone gooth in the way / And whan the kynges were yssued out of Iherusalem / and sette in their waye / they sawe the sterre / wherof they had lost the sight / And were gretly enioyed / And we ought to note / that ther ben v maners of sterres that thise kynges sawe / The first is material / The seconde spirituel / The thirde Intellectuel / The fourth resonnable / The fyfthe substancyall / The first that is material they sawe in theest / The seconde that is spirituell / They sawe in hert / and that is in the faith / For yf this faith had not be in their hertes that had lighted theym they had neuer seen the sterre materiall / they had fayth of thumanyte / whan they said where is he that is born and of his Ryall dignyte / whan they called hym / kyng of Iewes / And of his deite whan they said / they wente to worshippe hym / The thirde / Intellectuell / wiche is that the aungele that they sawe in vysion / whan it was by than­gele shewde to theym / that they shold not retorne by herode / how be it / that after one glose / it was our lorde that warned theym / The fourthe / that was resonable that was the vyrgyne marye whom they sawe in the stable holdyng her chyld / The fyft that is substancyal / that is to saye that he had substance aboue all other singuler / And that was Ihū Cryst whō they sawe in the crybbe / And herof is it said in the gospel / that they entred in to the hous / and fonde the chyld wyth marie his moder / And thenne they worshippid hym ¶ And whan they were re entred in to the hows secretely / And had founden the chylde they kneled and offred to hym thies thre yeftes / that is to wete / Gold / Encence / And myrre And this saith seynt Austyn O infancia cui astra subduntur et cetera O infancie or chyldhode to whom the sterres ben subgette / to whos clothes Angellis bowe / the sterres gyuen vertue / the kynges Ioyen / And the folowers of wysedom bowen theyr knees / O blessyd tygurye or lytyl hows / O holy sete of god / And saynt Iherome saith / this is an heuene / wh [...] re is no light but the sterre / O palays celestyall in whiche thou dwellest / not as a kynge [...]ourned with precyous stones / but encorporat / to whom for a softe bedde was duresse & hard cribb. [Page] For curteyns of gold and sylke / the fume & stenche of donge / but the sterre of heuene was clerely embelysshed / I am abasshed whan I beholde thise clothes and see the heuene / the herte brenneth me for hete / whan I see hym in the cryb be a poure mendiuaūt / and ouer hym the sterres / I see hym ryght cleer / ryght noble and right riche / ¶ O ye kynges what doo ye / ye worshippe the child in a lytyl foul hous wrapped in foule clowtes / is he thenne not god / ye offre to hym gold / and wherof is he kynge / & where is his ryall halle / where is his trone / where is his court ryall frequen­ted & vsed wyth nobles The stable / is that not his hall / ¶ And his trone y^t racke or crybbe / They that frequente this court / is it not Ioseph and marye / they ben as vnwetyng / to thende that they become wyse / of whom saith hillarye in his seconde boke that he made of the try­nyte / the virgyne hath born a chylde / but this that she hath chylded is of god the chyld is lyeng in the racke / and thangeles ben herd syngynge and preysyng hym / the clothes be foul and god is worshiped / The dygnyte of his puissaunce is not take awey / though thumy lite of his flesshe is declared / lo how in this child Ihesus were not onely the humble and smale thynges / but also y^e riche & / the noble and the hye thynges and herof saith saynt Iherome vpon the epystle ad hebreos / Thou beholdest the [...]ake of Ihesu Cryst / See also the heuen / Thou seest also the chyld lyeng in the crybbe / but take hede also how the aungelles synge and preyse god / herode is persecuted / And the kynges worsshippe the chyld / The pharysees knewe hym not / but the sterre shewde hym / he is baptysed of his seruaūte / but the voys of the fader is herd aboue thondryng / he is plonged in the water / but the ho­ly goost descended vpon hym in lyknes of a douue / and the cause wherfore thise kynges offred thise yeftes / many rea­sons be assygned / One of the cause is as saith Remyge the doctour / that thaū cyent ordenaunce was / that nomā shold come to god ne to the kynge with a voyd hand / but that he brought hym some yefte / And they of caldee were acoustomed to offre suche yeftes / They as scolastica historia saith cam from thend of perse fro the caldeyens where as is the flood of saba / of whiche flood the regyon of saba is named / The seconde reason is of saynt bernarde / For they offred to marye the moder of the chyld gold for to releue her pouerte / Encence ayenst the stenche of the stable and euyl ayer / ¶ Mirre for to comforte the ten­dre membres of the chyld and to putte away vermine / The thirde reason was that they offred gold for to paye the trybute ¶ Thencence for to make sacrefice the myrre for the sepulture of dede men / The fourth for the gold sygnefyeth dilection or loue / Thencence oroyson or prayer / ¶ The myrre of the flesshe mortyfycacyon / And thies thre thinges ought we offre to god / Te fyfthe by cause by these thre / ben sygnefyed thre thinges that ben in Ihesu cryst / The precyous deyte / The soule full of holy­nes / And thentier flessh alle pure and withoute corrupcion / ¶ And thise iij thinges be signefyed / that were in tharke of moyses / The Rodde whiche florisshid / that was the flessh of Ihesu cryst that Roos fro deth to lyf / The tables wherin the comandementis were wreton that is the sowle / wherin ben all the tresours of sapience and scyence of god hydde / The manna signefyeth the god­hede whiche hath all swetenes of suaui­te By the gold whiche is most precy­ous of alle metallis is vnderstand the deyte / by thencence the sowle right deuoute / For thencence signifieth deuocion & oroyson / by the myrre wiche preserueth fro corrupcion / is vnderstonde the flesshe whiche was without corrupcion / And the kynges whan they were ad­monested and warned by reuelacion in theyr slepe / that they shold not retorne by herode / and by an other way they shold retorne in to their contre / lo here thenne how they cam and wente in their Iourneye / For they cam to adoure and worshippe the kynge of kynges in their propre personnes / by the sterre that led them / and the prophete that enseygned & taught them / And by the warnyng of thangele retorned / And rested at their deth in Ihesu Cryst / of whom the bodyes were brought to melane / where as now is the conuente of the freres [Page] precho [...]s / And now ben at coloyne in seynt peters chirche whiche is the cathedrall / and see of tharchebisshop / Then ne late vs pray vnto almyghty god y^t this day shewed hym to thise kynges / And at his baptesme / where the voys of the fader was herd & the holy ghoost seen / And at the feest torned water in to wyn / and fedde fyue thousand men besyde wymen and chyldren with v. loues and two fysshes that at the reuerence of this hye and grete feste / he forgyue vs oure trespaces and synnes that after this short lyf we may come tohis euerlastyng blysse in heuen /

Amen

AT Septuagesme be­gynneth the tyme of deuiaciō or goyng out of the way of the world / whiche began at Adam and dured vnto moyses / And in this tyme is redde the book of genesis / The tyme of septua­gesme representeth the tyme of deuyaciō that is of transgression / The sexages­me sygnefyeth the tyme of reuocacion / The quinquagesme signefieth the tyme of remyssion / The quadragesme signefieth of penaunce and satisfaction / The septuagesme begynneth whan the chir­che syngeth in thoffyce of the masse circūdederunt me / and endureth vnto the saterday after ester day / The sep­tuagesme was institued for thre rea­sons / lyke as mastre Ioh̄n beleth put­teth in thoffyce of the chirche / The first reason was for the redempcion / For the holy fadres somtyme ordeyned that for thonour of thascencion of Ih̄u cryst In the whiche our nature ascended in to heuen / And was enhaunsed aboue thangeles / y^t this day shold be halowed solempnly / And shold be kepte fro fastyng / And at the begynnyng of the chirche also solempne as the sonday / And procession was made / in representyng the procession of thappostles / which they made on that day / or of thā gellis that cam to mete hym and ther­for comenly the prouerbe was / that the thursday and the sonday were co­syns / For thenne that one was as solempne as that other / but by cause y^t the festes of sayntes cam and ben multeplyed whiche were greuous to halowe so many festes / therfore the feste of the thursday cessed / And for to recompence that / ther is a weke of abstynence ordeyned lyke to lente / and is called septuagesme / That other reeason is for the sygnyficacion of the tyme / For by this tyme is signefyed to vs the tyme of deuiacion / of goyng out of the way of eyxle / and of tribulacion of thumayne lignage / fro syth Adam vnto then­de of the world / Whiche exile is halo­wed vpon the reuolucion of vij dayes / & of vij.M. yere / vnderstōdē by lxx dayes or lxxC. yeris / For fro the begynnyng of the world vnto thascencion / we a­counte vj thousand yere / and of the rest that we rekene it for the seuenth thousand / of whiche god knoweth only the terme / Now it is so that Ihesu cryst bought vs out of this exile in the vj age / in hope of perpetuel lyf / of all them that be reuested with the vesture of Innocence / by bapteme we ben re­generate / And whan we shal haue passed the tyme of this exyle he shal clothe vs of double vesture / that is to wete of body and soule in glorye / and in the tyme of deuyacion and of exyle we leue the songe of gladnes / that is alleluya / but the saterday of ester we synge one alleluya / In enioyeng vs & thankyng god of the vesture perpetuel whiche by hope we abyde for to recouure in the sixth age / And in the masse we sette a tracte / In fyguryng the labour that yet we ought to doo and in fulfyllyng the comandemens of god / And the double Alleluya that we synge af­ter ester / sygnefyeth the double vesture tht we shaal haue in body and in soule The thirde Reson is for representacion / For the septuagesme representeth lxx▪ [Page] yere / in whiche the chyldren of Israhel were in babilone in seruytude / And in suche maner that they caste away / and lefte their vsage of songe of gladnesse sayeng / Quomodo cantabimus canti­cum domini &c̄ ¶ Thus leue we the songe of preysyng and of gladnes / After licence was gyuen to them to re­torne / in the tyme of Sexagesme / and begonne thenne to Ioye and so we doo the satirday of ester / as in the yere of Sexagesme we synge Alleluya / in representyng their Ioye and gladnesse how wel in the retornyng / they had payne and sorowe to take their thyn­ges and bere with them / therfor we synge anon after the tracte whiche foloweth the alleluya / And in the saterday after ester in whiche Sptuagesme is complete we synge double Alleluya / in fyguryng the playn gladnesse that they had / whan they were retorned in to theyr contree / And this tyme thus of the seruytude of the chyldren of Israhel representeth the tyme of our pylgremage of the lyf of this world / ¶ For thus as they were delyuerd in the syxtyth / so we­re we in the syxte age / And as they had payne in gadryng & assemblyng theyr thynges for to bere with them / So haue we in fulfyllyng the comandements of god / And like as they were in reste whan they cam in to their contre / and in gladnes and in Ioye / in lyke wyse we synge double alleluya / y^t betokeneth double Ioye / that we shal haue / as wel in body as in sowle / In this tyme thēne of exile of the chir­che full of many tribulacions / and as throwen out in to the depenesse of desperacion almost and despayr sigheth for sorowe in sayeng thoffyce of the masse Circundederunt me gemitus mortis / &c̄ And sheweth many demonstracions that she suffreth / as well for the myse­rye y^t she had deserued by synne As for the double payne that she is ronne in / & as for the trespas to her neyghbour / but all way for as moche as she falle not in despayr / is purposed to her in the gospell and epystle thre maner of Re­medyes / The first is / that yf she will yssue of thyse t [...]ybulacions / that she laboure in the vygneyerde of her sowle in cuttyng and pullyng out the vyces and the synnes / And after in the waye of this present lyf she seche the werkys of penaunce / And after that in doyng spyrytuel bataylle / she defende her strongly ayenst the temptacions of thenemye / And yf she doo thyse iij. thynges / she shal haue threfold reward For in labouryng god shal gyue her y^e peny / and in wel rennyng the prys / And in well fyghtyng the crowne / And by cause that septuagesme sygne­fyeth the tyme of our captyuyte / the remedye is purposed to vs / By the whiche we may be delyuerd / in fleyng the myserye by rennyng / by vyctorye in fyghtyng / and by the peny in vs ayen beyng /

THe Sexagesme be­gynneth whan is songe in the chirche at office of the masse Exurge domi­ne / And this endeth the wednesday after ester day / And was instytued for redempcion / for sygnefycacion / and for representa­cion / For redempciō it was instytued For Melchisedech the [...] and sylues­tre Institued that men shold ete twyes on the saterday / to thende that they y^t that had fasted the fryday / whiche shold all way be fasted / were not greued / And in rechaet them of the sa­terdayes of this tyme / they adiousted and Ioyned a weke of the lente ther­to / And called it sexagesme / That other reson for signeficacion / For that tyme sygnefyeth the tyme of wedow­hed of the chyrche / and the wayl­lyng of the same for thabsence of [Page xij] here spouse / Wiche was rauishid in to heuē Ther be ij wynges gyuē to y^e chirche The j is thexercitaciō of vj werkis of mercy & y^e fulfyllyng of y^e x cōmademēts of y^e lawe / for sixti make six sithes ten. And by six be vnderstond the vj werkes of mercy / and by ten / the n comandementis of the lawe / The thirde reson is for representacion / For the sexages­me representeth also the mysterye of re­demption / For by ten. is vnderstond the man / whiche is the tenth peny / whiche is made & formed to that / that he be the reparacion of ix ordres of angellis / or for that he is fourmed of foure qualy­tees / to the body / And to the soule / he hath iij powers that is to wete / me­morye / vnderstondyng / and wyll / whiche ben made that he serue the blessyd trynyte / to thende that we byleue ferm­ly in hym / and loue hym ardantly and dylygently we haue & holde hym in our mynde / By sixe / ben vnderstonde vj mysteryes / by the whiche the man is redemyd by Ihesu cryst / the whiche ben / the Incarnacion / the Natyuyte / the passion / his discencion in to helle / his re­surrexion / And his ascencion in to he­uene / And by cause that the sexages­me stratcheth vnto the wednesday after ester / that day is songen venite benedicti &c̄. For they that fulfylle the werkes of merci shal here in thende / venite / as Ihesu cryst witnesseth / And thenne shal the dore be opened to the spouse / And embrace god her spouse / And it is warned in a pystle / that she shold beere paciently tribulacion as seynt poul dyde / in thabsence of her espouse / and in the gospell / that she be alway ententif to sowe good werkes / And that she that had songen as despayred / Circundederunt me gemitus mortis / Now retorne for to demaunde that she be holpen in her trybulacions / and require to be delyuerd in say­eng / Exurge domine adiuua &c̄ whiche is the begynnyng of thoffice of the masse And this doth holy chirche in thre ma­ners / For somme ben in holy chirche that ben oppressed of aduersite / but they ben not cast out / And some that ben not oppressed / ne caste out / And somme that ben oppressyd and caste out / And by cause that they may not bere aduersitees it is to drede / and grete perill lest the prosperitees all to breke theym / wherfor holy chirche cryeth that he aryse / as to the fyrst in confortyng them / for it semeth that he slepeth / whan he delyuereth them not / She cryeth also as to the seconde / y^t he aryse in conuertyng them / fro who­me it semeth / that he tourneth his face fro them in puttyng them fro hym / She cryeth also as to the thirde / that he arise in helpyng them in prosperite / And in delyueryng them /

tHe quinquagesme dureth fro the sonday / in whiche is songē in the chirche in thof­fyce of the masse / Esto mihi &c̄: And that endeth on ester day / and is Iustitued for supplecion & fulfyllyng for signeficacion / and for representacion for fulfyllyng and accomplysshyng / by cause that we shold faste four [...]y dayes after the fourme of Ihesu cryst / And ther be but xxxvj dayes to faste but mē fast not the sondayes / for the gladnesse and the reuerence of the resurrexion / and also for thensaunple of Ihū cryst whiche ete two tymes with his disciples on the day of his resurrexion / whan he entred in where his discples were / and the do­res or yates shytte / And they brought hym parte of a rosted fyssh and of an hony combe / And after that with his ij disciples whiche wente to Emaus / He ete also as some saye / And therfore ben foure dayes put to for acōplysshyng of the sondayes whiche be not fasted / And after by cause the clergye goon by fore the comyn peple so shold they goo in deuocion and holynesse / therfo they begynye to faste two dayes byfore / and absteyne them fro etyng flessh / And thus is one weke putto / whiche is called the qunquagesme after this that saynt ambrose saith / that other reason is for the signeficacion for y^e [Page] [...] [Page xij] [...] [Page] quynquagesme signefyeth the tyme of remyssion / And of penaunce / in whiche the synnes ben pardonned and foryeuē The fyftythe yere was the yere of remyssyon / For thenne the dettes were quy­ted / The bonde men were fraunchised & lete goo free / And eueryche cam agayn to his heritages / by whiche is vnderstande / that by penaunce our synnes be for­yeuen / And fro the seruitude & bondage of oure enemye we be delyuerd / And so we ben retourned to the mansion of our heritage of heuen / The thirde reason is for representacion / For the quynquagesme representeth not to vs only the tyme of remyssyon / But also thestate of the beatitude of heuene whiche is to vs represented / For in the fyftyth yere seruauntes were made free / And in the fyftyth day that the lābe was sacrefyed the lawe of moyses was gyuen / And the fyftyth day after the holy goost was gyuen / And therfore this name fyfty representeth the beatitude of heuen / whe­re as was taken the possession of liberte the knowleche of verite / and perfectiō of charite / Now it is to wete / that thre thinges ben necessarye whiche be conteyned and sette in thepystle / and in the gospell / that is that penaunce / that is to saye the werkes of penaunce ben per­fyght / That is to wete / charite / whiche is purposed in the epistle / And the memorie of the passion of Ihesu cryst / and faith whiche is vnderstonde / by the sight gyuen to the blynde man / whiche ben cō teyned in the gospell / For fayth / maketh the werkes acceptable to god / For without faith noman may plese god / & the mynde of the passiō of god maketh tho werkes lyght / wherof saith saint gregory / yf the passyon of Ihesu cryst be well had in mynde / ther is nothyng but it may be born and suffred easely For the loue of god may not be ydle / this saith seynt gregorye / yf it werke it is grete / And if it refuse / it is no loue / And thus as the chirche at the be­gynnyng / as despayrede had cryed / Circundederunt me gemitus mortis / & after retornyng to hym demaunded to be holpen / Thus now whan she hath take affyaunce and hope of pardon / for hope of penaunce she prayeth and saith / esto mihi in deum protectorem / Or she demaundeth iiij thynges / that is to we­te protection / confirmacion / refuge & conduyte / All the chyldren of the chirche / or they ben in grace / or they ben in synne / or in aduersyte / or in prosperite / They that ben in grace demande for to be confermed / They that ben in synne demaunde refuge / They in aduersyte demaunde protection / that they fro their tribulations may be defended / & they in prosperite demaunde conduyte / that they [...]ay be of god ledde and conduyte And thus as it is said quynquagesme termineth And endeth at ester by cause that penaunce maketh them to ryse to newe lyf / And in signeficacion herof / the psalme of miserere mei deus / whiche is the fyftyth psalme / And the psalme of penaunce is in the tyme of lente oft vsed and sayd

THe quadragesme whiche we calle now in englyssh / lente / bygynneth the sonday in whiche is songen in thoffyce of the masse / Inuocauit me &c̄ / And the chirche whiche was moche troubled to fore by so many trybulacions and had cryed / Circundederunt me / And after in respyryng & syghyng had axyd helpe in sayeng / Exurge domine / Now she sheweth that she is herd / whan she saith he hath called me / and I haue herd / Now it is to vnderstonde / that the quadragesme conteyneth xlij dayes / For to acounte the sondayes / And yf they be not rekened / ther ben but xxxvj dayes for to faste / whiche ben the thenthe part of the dayes of the yere / But the foure dayes to fore ben put to / by cause the nombred sacred by the quadragesme be accomplysshyd / the whiche our saueour Ihesu Cryst halowed by his holy fastyng And by cause we faste in this nombre of fourty / ther may be assygned thre reasons / The fyrst reason putteth seynt Austyn whiche saith / that seynt mathew [Page xiij] setteth xl generacions / to thende thē that our lord by his holy quadragesme dessē ded to vs / we shold assende to hym by our quadragesme / That other assigneth the same sayeng / To that we may haue the quynquagesme / We must put to xl ten / For vnto that / that we may com to the blessed glorye and rest in heuen / it behoueth vs to laboure alle the tyme of this present lyf / And therfore our lord alode xl dayes with his dissiples after his resurection / and after the tenth day he sent to them the holy ghost / The third reson assigneth maister prepositiuus in y^e sōme of thoffice of the chirche whiche seyeth / The world is deuided in to iiij par­tyes / And the yere in to iiij tymes / and the man of iiij elementis & iiij complexions is composed / And we haue the newe lawe whiche is ordeyned of foure euangelistes / And the x cōmaundemen­tis that we haue broken It behoueth thēn that the nombre of ten by the nombre of iiij be multiplyed / that thus we make the quadragesme / that we fulfiyll the cōmandementis of the olde lawe & newe Our body as sayd is / is composed of iiij elementis / lyke as they had iiij se­tes in oure body / That is to wete the fy­re whiche is in the eyen / thayer in the tongue and eeres / the water in the natural membres named genitoires / And the erthe hath dominacion in the hondes and other membres / Then in the eyen is cu­riosite / in the tongue and eeris is scuri­lite / In the naturel membres that is to saye genitoires / voluptuosite / And in the handes and other membres / cruelte / & thise iiij thynges confessid the publicane whan he prayed god / he held hym a ferre in confessyng his luxurye / whiche is stynkyng / lyke thus as he sayd / Sire I dare not approche to the / For I myght stynke in thy nose / and by cause he durst not lyfte vp his eyen / he confessed curi­ocite / And in that he smote hym self on the brest / he confessed cruelte / And whā he sayd deus ꝓpicius esto michi peccatori he confessed the cryme and glotonie whiche we ought to represse / Saynt gregorye in his omelyes putteth also thre reasons / wherfore in abstinence is holden the nombre of xl / For the vertu of the x comaundementis in the lawe / And for thaccomplysshement of the iiij bokes of theuangelistes / And also in this world we that ben in mortal body be compo [...]d of the iiij elementis / And by the wyll of the mortal body / we gaynsay the commaūdementes of god therfor then we y^t haue disobeyed the cōnaūdemētis of god by y^e desire of y^e flessh / it is cordyng y^t y^e same flessh by iiij tymes x We put to penaū ce & affliccyon / fro this present day vnto ester vj wekes comyng that ben xlij dayes / Yf the sondayes be taken away / Ther abyde in thabstynence but xxxvj dayes / And the yere is demened by iij hondred sixty and v dayes / we gyuen the tithe of them to god whan we fast / And this saith seynt gregorye / wherfore kepe we not this fastyng / in the tyme that Ihū cryst fasted whiche was anon after his baptesme / But we begynne so that we continue vntil ester / herof ben assyned iiij reasons in the sōme of thoffice of master Ioh̄n bethel / in thoffice of the chirche Tle first is that we wyl aryse with Ihū Cryst / For he suffrid for us / And we ought to suffre for hym / The second is To that we shold folowe the chyldren of Israel whiche first yssued out of egipte / And in this tyme yssued also out of ba­bylone / the whiche thyng appiereth / For as wel that one as that other / anon as they were retorned / halowed the solemp­nyte of ester / Andthus we for to ensue them in this tyme we faste to thende that fro egipte and fro babilone that is to vnderstond from this mortal world in to the contraye of our heritage of he­uen we may entre / The thirde reason is / by cause that in the prym temps the hete of the flessh meueth and boyleth / to thend that we may refrayne vs / ther in this tyme we fast / The fourth is / for asmo­che as anon after oure fastyng / we ou­ght receyue the body of Ihesu crist / For in lyke wise as the children of Israhel to fore they had eten the lomb / they put them in afflicion by penaunce / in etyng wylde letuse & bitter / right so we ought to withdrawe & put vs in affliction by penaunce / to thende that the more worthily we may take and receyue the lombe of lyf Amen

THe fastyng of the quatee temps callyd in englyssh ymbre dayes / the pope Calixte ordeyned theym / And this faste is kept iiij tymes in the yere / and for dyuerse reasons / For the first tyme whiche is in marche / is hote and moyste The second in somer / is hote and drye The thirde in heruest / is cold / & drye The fourthe in wynter / is cold & moy­ste / Thenne late vs faste in marche / whiche is prymtemps / for to represse the hete of the flessh boylyng / and to aquē che luxurye or tattempre it / In somer we ought to faste / to thende that we chastyse the brennyng and ardour of auarice In haruest for to represse the drought of pryde / and in wynter for to chastyse the coldnesse of vntrouthe and of maly­ce The second reason why we faste iiij tymes for thyse fastynges here begynne in marche in the first weke of the lente / to thende that vices wexe drye in vs / For they may not all be quenchid / Or by cause that we caste them away / And the bowes and herbes of vertues may growe in vs / And in somer also in the whitson weke / For thenne cometh the holy goost / And therfore we ought to be feruent and esprysed in the loue of the holy goost / They be fasted also in Septembre to fore mychelmas / And thise be the thirde fastynges / by cause that in this tyme / the fruytes ben gadred / & we shold rendre to god the fruytes of good werkes / In decembre they ben also And they ben the fourth fastynges and in this tyme the herbes deyen / And we ought to be mortefyed to the world / The thirde reason is fore tensiewe the Ie­wes / For the Iewes fasted foure ty­mes in the yere / that is to wete to fore ester / to fore whitsontyde / to fore the set tyng of the tabernacle in the temple / in septembre / And to fore the dedicacion of the temple in decembre / The fourth reason is by cause the man is composed of iiij elementis touchyng the body / and of thre vertues or powers in his sowle that is to wete the vnderstondyng / the wyll / & the mynde / To this thenne that this fastyng may attempre in vs iiij tymes in the yere / at eche tyme we faste thre dayes / to thende that the nombre of foure may be reported to the body / and the nombre of thre to the sowle / Thise ben the reasons of maister beleth / The v reason as saith Iohn̄ damascenus / in marche and in prymtemps the blode groweth and augmenteth & in somer colere / In septembre melancolye / And in wynter flewme / thenne we faste in marche for tattempre and depresse the blode of con­cupiscence / disordynate / for sanguyne of hys nature is ful of flesshly cōcupis­cence / In somer we faste / by cause that colere / shold be lessed and refreyned / of whiche cometh wrath / And thenne is he ful naturelly of yre / In heruest we fast for to refrayne melancolye / the melancolyous man naturelly is cold couetous and heuy / In wynter we fas­te for to daunte and to make feble the flewme of lyghtnes and forgetyng / For suche is he that is fleumatyke / The sixte reason is for the prymtemps is lykened to the ayer the somer to fyre the heruest to therthe / and the wynter to water / Thenne we faste in marche to thende that the ayer of pryde be attemperat to vs / In somer / the fyre of concu­piscence & of auaryce / In septembre the erthe of coldenesse and of the derknes of Ignorance / In wynter the water of lightnes and Inconstaunce / The vij re­son is by cause / that marche is reported to Infancye / Somer to yongthe / Septembre to stedfast age & vertuous / And wynter to auncyente or olde age / We faste thenne in marche that we may be in thynfancye of Innocencye / In so­mer for to be yonge by vertu and constā ce / In heruest that we may be ripe by at tēperaunce in wynter y^t we may be auncient & old by prudence & honeste lyf / or atte leste that we satysfye to god of that whiche in thise iiij seasons we haue offended hym / The viij reson is of maystre guylliam dancerre / We fast saith he in thise iiij tymes of the yere / to thende that we make amendes for all that we haue faylled in all thise iiij tymes / and they be don in thre dayes eche tyme / to thende that we satisfye in one day / that / whiche we haue faylled in a moneth & y^t whiche is the fourth day that is wednesday / is the day in whiche our lord was betrayed of Iudas / & the fryday by cause our lord was crucifyed & y^e saterday / by cause he lay in y^e sepulcre / & thappostles were for [Page xiiij] of herte and grete sorowe /

THe Passyon of our lord was bytter for the sorowe that he suf­fred in derysions despi­tuous / And of many fylthes fructuous / The sorowe was cause of fyue thynges The first by cause it was shamefulle / for the place of the mount of caluarye where as malefactours and crymynel persones were put to execucion / And he was there put to deth right foull / the crosse was the tormente of theues / And yf the crosse was thenne of sha­me and of vylonye / she is now of glo­rye and of honour / wherof saith saynt Austyn / Crux latronum qui erat supplicium &c̄ / The crosse whiche was the Iustice of theuys / is now become the sygne of glorye in the forhedes or frontes of emperours / And yf he had suche honour at his tormente / what dyde he to hys seruant / for the shame­ful felawshp that he dyde to hym / for he was sette with malefactours / but the one of them was conuerted / whiche was called dysmas / lyke as it is said in the gospell of Nychodemus And he was on the ryght syde of our lord / And that other on the lyfte s [...]de was dampned whiche was callid gesmas / To that one thenne he gaf the royame of heuene / and to that other helle / wherof saith saynt Ambrose / Auctor pietatis in cruce &c̄ / he saith / the auctour of pyte hangyng on the crosse deuyded offyces of p [...]te in scculyer erandes / that is to saye / The persecucion to thapostles / peas to his disciples / hys body to the Iewes hys spyryte to the fader / to the vyrgyne the messages of the weddyng of the souerayn espouse / To the theef pera­dys / To synners helle / And to the Crysten penytent he comanded the crosse / Loo this is the testament that Ihesu cryst made hangyng in the crosse / Secondly the sorow was caused Iniustly / For none iniquite was founde in hym / And pryncypally Iniustly they accused hym of thre thynges / The first was / they said / that he def­fended to paye the trewage / and for he [Page] said that he was a kynge / and he said hym to be the sone of god / ¶ And ayenst thyse thre accusacions we saye on the good fryday thre excusacions in the persone of Ihesu crist / Whan we synge popule meus / Where Ihesu crist repreued them of thre benefetes that he dyde and gaf to them / that is to we­te the delyueraunce of them fro Egypt the sustentacion and the gouernaūce in deserte / And the plantacion of the vigne in a londe propyce / lyke as Iesu cryst wold saye / thhou accusest me / by cause that I deffende to paye thy trewage / And thou oughtest more to thāke me of that I haue delyuerd the fro the trewage and fro the scruytude of pharao / and of Egypte / Thou accusest me / that I calle my self kynge and thou oughtest better to yelde me thankynges / of that whiche I gouer­ned the in deserte with mete royalle / Thou accusest me of this that I saye me to be the sone of god / And thou oughtest more to thank me that I haue chosen the to be in my vygne yerde / and in a ryght good place / I haue planted them / The thirde cause is / by cause he was despyted & forsaken of his fren­des / whiche semed a thyng more tol­lerable to be suffred of his enemyes / than of them whom he helde to be his frē des / And alleway he suffred deth for his frendes / and hys neyghbours / that is of thē of whos lignage he was born Thys said he by the mouth of dauid / Amici mei & proximi &c̄. My fren­des & my neyghbours haue approcheed ayenst me and so haue contynued / wherof said Iob capitl̄o xxx. Noti mei quasi aliem recesserunt a me / My neyghbours that knewe me as straun­gers haue lefte me / Item he suffred of thē to whom he had don moche good lyke as saynt Ioh̄n recordeth Iohānis viij / I haue wrought many good thynges to you / & herto saith saynt bernard O good Ihesu how swetely hast thou conuersyd wyth men ¶ And how grete thynges in the most haboun­daūt wyse hast thou graūted to them / how hard & sharpe / thynges hast thou suffred for thē / hard wordes / harder strokes & betynges / & most hard tormētes of the crosse / neuertheles they rendre & yeld to the the contrarye The fourth cause is for the tendrenes of his body / wherof dauid saith in figure of hym in the second book of kynges / he is lyke as y^e most tēdre worme of the wode / wherof said saynt bernard / O ye Iewes ye be stones / but ye smyte a better stone / wherof resowneth the sowne of pyte / & boyl­leth the oyle of charyte / and saynt Ihe­rome saith / he is delyuerd to knyghtes for to [...]e beten / and their betyngis haue cruelly woūded & torne the most precy­ous body in whos breste y^e godhed was hydd / The fyfth cause was by cause she was generall for it was ouerall / that is to saye oueral his body / & in all the naturell wyttes of his body / And first the sorow was in his eyen / For he wept tendrely as saynt poul saith in his epistle ad hebros / twyes he ascended on heyght that he myght be ferre herd / he cryed strōgly / by cause none shold be excused / he added therto wepyng that we shold haue cōpassion / & to tēdre our hertis / & he had wepte to for ij tymes also one tyme whā he reysed lazare / & that other tyme whā he approchyd Ihrl̄m he wepte / the first teres were of loue / wherof is said in y^e gospel / beholde how he loued hym / The secōde were of cōpassion / vpon Ihrl̄m / But this thirde wepyng teres were of sorow / Secōdly the sorow was in heeryng with his eeris y^t repre­ues & vylonyes that was said to hym & blasphemyd / Ih̄u crist in especial had iiij thynges in which he herde blasphemyes & repreues / for he had right excellēt noblesse / as to y^e nature dyuyne / he was sone of the kynge ꝑpetuell souerayn / and as to the nature humayne he was born of the lygnage ryall / & as to this he was also kyng of kynges / & lord of lordes / he was also souerayne trouthe / For he is the waye / the lyf / and the trouthe / wherof he said hym self Thy worde is trouthe / The sone of god / that is the word of god the fader / he hath also souerayn power aboue all other / For none may surmounte hym / For all thynges ben made by hym / & nought is made without hym / he hath also syn­guler bounte / For ther is none good of hym self / but god only / And in thyse foure thynges here / Ih̄u cryst had opprobryes and blasphemyes [Page] First as to his noblesse wherof is said in saynt mathew capl̄o xiij / Is not this the sone of the smyth said they And we know wel his moder called marye / Secondly as to his power / wherof is said also in saynt mathew / This same casteth out the fendes of the bodyes in the power of the prynce of deuellis / And in an other place of mathew the xxvij chapitre he hath saued other / and he may not saue hym self / And neuertheles wyth his only voys he made his persecutours falle doun to the erthe / whan he demaū ded them in the gardyne whom seche ye / They answerd / Ihesu of nazareth / and whan he said / I am / they fyll doun to therthe / wherof saith saynt austyn / One only voys without ony darte smote a cruel companye ful of hate / dredfull by armes doun to the ground and put them aback / by the vertue of the god­hede hyd in hym / what shal he doo whan he shal Iuge / hym that hath don so that he ought to be Iuged what shal he mowe dooo whan he shal regne / that hath don this / whan he shold deye / Thirdly he suffrid obprobryes as to the veryte / whefro is sayd in saynt Iohn̄ / Thou bereft wytnes of thy self / and thy wytnesse is not trewe / lo how they said hym to be a lyar / when it is so that he is waye trouthe / and lyf / This verite & trouthe pilate deserued not to knowe ne to vnderstond / For after trouthe he Iuged hym not / he began his Iugemēt wyth trouthe but he perseuered not / For he made his questyon sayeng / what is trouthe / but he abode not the solucyon / ne he was not worthy to here it / saynt austyn saith that he abode not the solucion / by cause that so sone as he had made the question / It cam in his tought that the custome was of the Iewes / that one shold be delyuerd to them at paske / And therfore he wente out anon and abode not the solucion The thirde cause is after seynt Iohn̄ crysostome For the questiō was so grete and of so grete difficulte / that he had nede of longe tyme to aduyse and to discusse it / And he laboured for the delyueraunce of Ihū Cryst / And therfore he yssued out anon / Neuertheles it is redde in the gospel of nicodemus that Ihesu crist answerd / veritas de celo est / And pilate saide in erthe is no trouthe / & Ihūs said to hym how may be trouthe in erthe whiche in erthe is Iuged of thē that haue power in erthe / Fourthly he suffred blasphemye as to his bounte and good­nes / For they said that he was a man synnar and deceyuor in his wordes luce xij / he hath moeuyd the comyn peple with his doctrine in begynnyng from galyle hether / And hath broken the cōmandemens of the lawe / for he kepeth not the sabat day / Iohannis nono / Thirdly the sorowe was in smellyng of thordure & fylthe / For he myght smell grete stenche on the mount of caluarye / where as were the bodyes of deede men stynkyng wherof is said in scolastica historia / that Caluarye is the bone of the hede all bare / And by cause that many were there byheded / and many skulles of heedes were there sparteled all openly they said that it was the place of caluarye / Fourtly the sorowe in tastynge / wherof he cryed Scicio / I am a thurste / Ther was gyuen to hym vynaygre med­led wyth myrre and galle / to thende that he shold the sonner deye and the ke­pars myght the sonner departe / and goothens / For it is said by vynaygre men deye moche soone / And with this also they gaf to hym myrre / For to haue the more payne for the byternesse of the myrre and of the galle / wherof saith seynt Austyn / his purete was fulfylled wyth vynaygre in stede of wyn / his swetenes with galle / thynnocent is sette for gyl­ty / and the lyf deyeth for deth / Fyftly the sorowe was in towchyng / for in alle the partyes of hys body / he was towched and wounded / fro the plante of his foot / vnto the toppe of his heed was none hole place / And how he suffred so­rowe in all his naturel wyttes / saynt bernard telleth / that saith / The hede that made angelis to tremble is perced and prycked with the qualite of sharp thor­nes / the visage whiche was most fayr of all other membres / is fowled byspette and hurte with the thornes of y^e Iewes The eyen more shynyng than the sonne ben extynct in the deth / The eeris heere not the songe of thangellis / but thassaultes of the synners / The mouthe that techeth and enseygneth thangelis is made drynke vynaygre & galle / The feet of whom the stappes ben worshipped / ben atached [Page] with nayles to the crosse / The handes that fourmed the heuenes ben stratched on the crosse and naylled with nayles The body is beten The syde is perced wyth a spere / And what may more be said / ther abode nothyng sauf the ton­gue for to praye for the synners / And for to recomende his moder to his disci­ple / Secondly his passyon was despited of mocqueries and derysions of the Ie­wes / Fore foure tymes he was mocqued Fyrst atte hous of anne / where he recey­ued spyttynges / buffetes and blyndfellyng of the Iewes / werof saynt bernard sayth Ryght swete and good Ihesu / thy desyrous vysage / whiche angellis desyre to see the Iewes / wyth theyr spyttyn­ges haue defoylled / wyth theyr handes haue smeton wyth a veyl for torn they haue couerd / ne they haue not spared to hurte it with byttyr woundes / Secondly he was mocqued in the hous of herode / whiche reputed hym for a fool and alyend fro his wytte / by cause he myght haue of hym none answere / And by derysyon he was clad with a whyte vesture wherof saith saynt bernard / Tues homo &c̄ / he saith thus ¶ Thou art a man and hast a chapelet of flow­res / And I am god / and haue a chapelet of thornes / Thou hast gloues on thyn hondes / And I haue the naylles fyxed in myn hondes / Thou daunsest in white vestures And I god am mocqued And vilipended / and in the hows of herode had receyued a whyte vesture / Thou daunsest and playest with thy feet And I with my feet haue laboured in grete payne / Thou lyftest vp thyn armes in Ioye / And I haue stratched them in grete repreef / Thou stratchest out thyn armes a crosse in carollyng and gladnes / And I stretche myn in the crosse in grete obprobrye and vylonye / Thou hast thy syde & thy breste open in signe of vayn glorye And I haue myne opened with a spere / Neuertheles retorne to me / and I shal receyue the / But why and wherfore Ihesus in the tyme of his passyon to fore herod / pilate / and the Iewes was thus stylle and spack not / ther ben thre reasons and Causes / The first was by cause they were not worthy to hiere his answere / The seconde was by cause eue synned by spekyng / and Ihesus wold make satisfaction by beyng stylle & not spekyng / The thirde is by cause / that all that euer he answerd / they peruerted it / Thirdly Ihesus was moqued in the hous of pylate / For they clad hym with a rede mantel / And in his honde they toke hym a reed / And sette vpon his heed a crowne of thornes / And kne­led on their knees to fore hym sayeng / hayll kyng of Iewes / This crowne was of Ionkes of the see / And we hold & saye that the blood sprang out of his hede / wherof saith saynt bernard / Caput illud diuinum &c̄ / The heede precious & dyuyne was percyd with thornes vnto the brayne / of the soule / Ther ben thre opynyons in what place pryncipally the soule hath her place / or in the herte / for the scripture saith / Cut of the herte comē the euyl thougthes / Or in the blode / by cause the scripture saith / the soule of eue­rych is in the blode / or in the hede / by cause theuangeliste sayth / whan he enclyneth his hede / he rendred his spyryte / and this treble opynyon it semeth that the Iewes had knowen / For whan they wold make the sowle yssue out of the body / they sought it in the hede whan they thrested the thornes to y^e brayne / They sought in the blood / whan they opened his vaynes in the feet and handes / And they sought it in the herte / whan they perced his syde / Ayenst thise thre Illusions / on gode fryday to fore the crosse is shewed / we make thre adoracions in sayeng / Agyos / Otheos / yskyros &c̄ in honouryng hym thre tymes / lyke as he was for vs moqcued & scorned on the crosse Fourthly he was scorned on the crosse The prynces of y^e preestes with thold men & maistres of the lawe clerkes and doctours sayd to hym / yf he be kynge of Israhel late hym descēde fro y^e crosse now to thende that we byleue in hym / wherof saith saynt bernard / In that Ihesu shewde the more grete vertue of pacience / he comanded humylyte / he accomplissyd obedyence / he performed charite / And in signe of thise iiij vertues / the iiij corners of the crosse ben a [...]urned wyth precyous gemmys / & stones / And In the most apara [...]te place is charite / And on the right syde is obedyence / And on y^e lyft side is pacience / And bynethe is humylyte the Rote of all vertues / And alle [Page xvj] thise thinges that Ihū Cryst suffred saynt bernard gadryth to gydre sayeng / I shal said he as longe as I shal lyue remēbre the labours / that he had in prechyng / of the trauaylles that he had in gooyng fro one place to a nother by londe / and fro Cyte to cyte / Of his wakynges in prayeng / of his tēptacions in fastyng of his wepinges and teres in hauyng cō passion / of the awaytynges on hym in spekyng / in assayeng hym & temptyng And at laste / of the vylonyes / of the spyttynges of the mocqueryes / of the obprobryes / And of the naylles / Thirdly his passion was proufytable & fructuous the whiche may be proufytable in thre maners / That is to wete in re­mission of synne / In yeftes of grace / And in demonstracion of glorye / And thies thre thinges ben shewd in the tytle of the crosse / The first is Ihesus / The second nazarenus / And The thirde rex in deorum / For there shal we all be kyn­ges / of the prouffyt spekyth saynt Austyn sayeng / Our lord Ihesu cryst hath put away the synnes passed / present & to come / the synnes passed in pardonyng them / the present / in withdrawyng men from them / them to come / in ye­uyng grace to esschewe the synnes / yet the same doctour saith thus / we ought to preyse / to thanke / to loue / and to honoure hym / For by the deth of our savyour and redemer we ben brought to lyf / fro corrupcion / to incorrupcion / from exyle vnto our contree / fro wepyng to Ioye we ben called agayn / And how wel the maner of our redempcion was prouffytable / it appiereth by v reasons / that is to wete / by cause it was right acceptable tappese god / right helpyng to saue vs / right effectuel / to drawe to hym thumayne lignage / Ryght wyse to fyght ayenst thenemy of humayne ly­nage / And to reconcyle vs to god / for After this that saynt Ancelme saith / Ther is nothyng more sharp ne more stronge that a mā may suffre by his propre wyll / without it be of god / than to suffre deth with his owne propre will for thonour of god / ne noman may bet­ter yeue to god to his honour / tha [...] gyue hym self to deth for hym / And this is that thappostle saith ad ephesi [...]e [...] iij / Our lord hath gyuem hym self in to oblacion and sacrefice for vs in to the odour of swetenesse to god the fader / And how he was sacrefyed / that was in vs appeasyng god / Seynt Austyn in the boke of the Trynyte saith thus / what thyng may be more gr [...]ciously & playsantly receyued / than the flesshe of our sacrefyse / whiche was maad the precyous body of our preest / Therfor iiij thynges ought to be considered in all sacrefise / First hym to whom is offred / that whiche is offred / hym that offreth And hym for whom the offrynge is of­fred he hym self is / the moyen of bothe two / that is to saye god and man / he was hym self that dyde offre / And he was hym self / that was offred / And the same doctour saith yet of this sacr [...]fyse / how we be to god reconcyled / Ihū Cryst is the preest / And the sacrefyse / he is god and also he is the temple / he is the preest by whome we bē reconcyled God to whom we ben reconcyled / And y^e temple in whom We be recōcyled / The sacrefyse of whom we ben reconcyled / & saynt Austyn saith / consideryng them y^t despyse this reconciliacion / And sette nought therby / he saith in the persone of Ihū Cryst in repreuyng thē / whan thou were enemy to my fader I haue reconcy­lyd the / whan thou were ferre / I brought the agayn / whan thou were taken / I cam for to redeme the / whan emonge y^e montaynes and the forestes thou were out of the waye I sought / the / to thende that of the vulues ne of the euyll bestes thou were not eten ne all to torn̄ / I ga­dred the / And bare the in myn armes and delyuerd the to my fader / I labou­red / I swette / I put myn hede ayenst the thornes / stratched myn hondes vnto the naylles / opened my syde to the spe­re / haue shedde my blood / And haue gyue ouer my sowle and lyf for to Ioyne the to me / And thou hast departed thy self fro me / Secondly Ihesu crist was right couenable and necessarye for to saue vs and to hele and cure vs of our maladye and sekenesse / for by cause of the tyme and of the place / And of the maner of the tyme as it apperith For Adam was made and synned in y^e moneth of marche / and on the fryday whiche is the vj day of the weke / and therfor god in the moneth of marche & [Page] on the fryday wold suffre deth / and at at mydday whiche is the vj hour / Se­condly For the place of his passyon / y^e whiche myght be considerid in thre ma­ners / for one place / eyther it is comyn or especyal / or singuler / The place comyn where he suffred / was the londe of pro­myssyon / The place especyall the moūt of caluarye / The place singuler the crosse / In the place comyn the first man was there fourmed / that was in a feld aboute or nygh damas / where it is said in a place specyall he was there beryed For ryght in the place where Ihesu cryst suffred deth / it is said that adam was buryed / how wel that this is not autē tyque / For saynt Iherome saith y^t adam was buryed in ebron / And also in the book of Iosue is wreton the xiiij chapitre / In a place singuler he was deceyued y^t is to wete in y^e tre not in this on whiche Ih̄s suffred deth / but in an other / tre Thyrdly he was right couenable by cau­se of the curyng / the whiche by manere was semblable to the preuaricacion / by lyk and contrarye / For thus as saith saynt Austyn in the booke de doctrina cristiana / By a woman he was deceyued And by a woman he was born a man / And the man delyuerd the men / one mortal / delyuerd the mortall / and the deth by his deth / And saynt ambro­se saith / Adam was of therthe a virgi­ne / Ihesu cryst was born of the virgine Adam was made to thymage of god / Ihesus was thymage of god / by a woman folye was shewde / by a woman wysedom was born / Adam was naked Ihesu cryst naked / The deth cam by the tre / the lyf by the crosse / Adam in de­serte / And Ihesus in deserte / but by the contrarye / ¶ For after saynt gregorye Adam synned by pryde / by mobedience and by gloutonye / For he coueyted the hyenes of god / for the serpent said to theym / ye shal be semblable to god / he brake the comandement of god / and / desired and coueyted the swetenes of the fruyt by gloutonnye / And by cause the maner of the sauour ought to be by the cōtrarye / therfore this manere was right couenable by the humyliacion / by the fulfyllyng and affliction / or of the dy­uyne volente / And herof sayth thappostle ad philipenses / humiliauit sepisum Thirdely Ihesus was right proufitably to drawe to hym thumayn lynage / For one of y^e world his frewil saued myhgt neuer haue drawen mankynd to hys loue And how he draweth vs to his loue / saynt bernard saith / Aboue alle thyng o good Ihesu gyue me grace to loue the And by this thyng he drewe vs most to his loue / That is the chalys good lord that thou hast dronkē / whiche was the werke of our redempcion This ch [...]lys is thy passyō whiche lightly may appropre our lord to the / this is that draweth most playsantly oure deuocion and Iustly reyseth it / and sonnest streyneth and most vehemently taketh our affection / And where thou lamentest and there as thou despoyllest the of thy rayes naturell / there shyneth most thy pyte / there is most clere thy charyte / And there habundeth most thy grace / & how also we ought to retorne to the affy­aunce of hym / saynt poul saith ad romanos viij / he spareth not his owen sone / but for vs alle / he delyuerd hym / wherof saynt bernard saith / who is he that is not rauysshid to hope of affyaū ­ce / whiche taketh none hede to the disposicion of his body / he / hath his hede enclyned to be kyssed / the armes stratched tembrace vs / his hondes perced to gy­ue to vs / The syd open to loue vs / The feeet fixed with nayles for to abyde with vs / And the body stratched all for to gyue to vs / Fourthly he was right wyse and right wel aduysed for to fyght ayenst thenemy of thumayne lygnage / Iob xxv / His wysedom hath smeton the prowde man / ¶ And after / may ye not take the fende wyth an hoke / Iesu Cryst hath hydd the hoke of hys dyuynyte vnder the mete of our humanyte / and the fend wold take the mete of the flesshe / and was taken wyth the hooke of the godhede / Of this wyse takyng sayth saynt Austyn Oure redemptour is comen / and the deceyuer is vaynquysshed / And what dyde our redemptour / he leyd out his bayte to our deceyuour and aduersayre / he hath sette forth his crosse / And within he hath sette his mete / that is his blood / For he wold shede his bloode / not as a dettour And therfore he departed fro y^e dettours And this dette here thappostle calleth [Page xvij] Cirographe / or oblygacion / the which Ihesu Cryst bare and attouchyd it to the crosse / Of which saynt Austyn saith / Eue toke of the fēde synne by borowyng by vsure / and wrote an obligacion / she leyde it for pledge / ¶And the vsure is augmented and grewe vnto alle the re­menaunt of the lignage / ¶ Thenne toke Eue of the fende synne / whā ayenst the comandement she consented to hym / She wrote thobligacion / whan she put h [...]r hande to the tree ayenst the deffēce of god / She delyuerd pledge / whan she made Adam to consente to the synne / And thus thusure grewe / and augmentid vnto the remayne of alle the lignage Ayenst them that retche nothyng of this redempciō / Seynt bernard saith in the ꝑsone of Ih̄u cryst / My peple saith Ih̄u what myght I haue don for the y^t I haue not dō to the / what cause is ther that ye serue sonner the deuyll our aduersary / than me For he hath not created ne hath nouris­shid you / but this semeth a lytyl thyng to them that be ful of Ingratitude / I haue redemed you / and not he / and for what prys / not with gold ne siluer / ne of the sonne / ne of the mone / ne with ony of the angellis / but with my propre blood / And after / Considere yf of right for so many benefices ye ought to chese to haue my companye / And yf ye will alle leue me / atte lest come wyth me for to wynne a peny a day And by cause they delyuerd Ihesu cryst to deth / that is to wete Iudas for auarice / the Iewes for enuye / And pylate for drede / And therfore it is to see what payne was delyuerd to them of god for this synne / But of the payne and of the birthe of Iudas / thou shalt fynde in the legende of saynt mathye / Of the payne and ruine of the Iewes in the legende of saynt Iames the lasse / And of the payne of pylate and his byrthe thou shalt fynde in one apocryfum where as it is said in this manere / Ther was a kyng callyd tyrus whyche knewe carnelly a mayde called pilam / whiche was doughter of a myllar named atus / And of this doughter he engen­drid a sone / she toke her name / and the name of her fader whiche was callid Atus / and composed thus of their na­mes one name to her sone / and named hym pilatus / And whan he was thre yere old she sente hym to the kynge And the kynge had a sone of the quene whiche semed to be of the age of pylate / And thise two sones whan they were of age of discrescion / ofte they fought to gydre and with the slynge they pleyed oft / And the kynges sone also which was legytyme / was more noble / And in all feates he knewe more / and more was sette by by cause of his birthe And pylat [...] seeyng this / was moeued of enuye and wrath / and pryuely slewe his brother / the whiche thyng the kyng herd saye / and was moche angry / And demaunded of his counseyll what he myght doo and make of this trespaas and homycyde / ¶ The whiche all with one voys / said that he was worthy to suffre deth / ¶ And the kynge wold not double the payne and pugnycion / but by cause he ought to the romayns yerly a trybute / he sente hym in hostage to the Romayns / as well for to be quyte of the deth of his sone / and that he shold not be constrayned to put hym to deth / as wel as for to be quyte of the trybute that he ought to Rome /

In this tyme was at Rome one of the sones of the kynge of fraunce / whiche also was sente for trewage / ¶ And whan pylate sawe hym / he anon accompanyed with hym / ¶ And sawe that he was preysed to fore hym for the wytte and for the maners that were in hym / pylate slewe hym also /

And whan the Romayns demāded what shold be doon in this matere / They ans­werd that he whiche had slayn his bro­ther And estraunglyd hym that was in hostage / yf he mygt lyue shold be yet moche prouffytable to the comyn wele / And shold daunte the neckes of thē that were cruel and wood / And thenne sayd the Romaynes / that syth he was worthy to dye / he shold be sente in to an yle of the see named ponthus / to them that wyll suffre no Iuge ouer them / to thende that his wyckednes may ouercome and Iuge them / or ellys that he suffre of hem lyke as he hath deseruyd /

Thenne was pylate sente to this cruelle peple & wylde / whiche tofore had slayn their Iuge / And it was told to hym to what peple he was sent / [Page] And that he shold considere how his lyf was hongyng / And in grete Ieopar­dye / he wente consyderyng his lyf / & thought to kepe it / dyde so moche what by menaces and promesses of torment as by yeftes / that he subdued them alle and put them in subiection / And by cause he had victorye of this cruel pep [...]e he was named of this yle of pontos / pounce pilate / And whan herode herde his Inyquytees and his fraudes / he had grete Ioye therof / And by cause he was wycked hym self / he wo ld haue wyc­ked with hym / And sente for hym by messagers and by promyse of yeftes y^t he cam to hym / And gaf hym the power vpon the Royame of Iudee & Iherusalem / & whan he had assēbled & gadred to gy­dre moche moneye / he wente to rome with out knowyng of herode / & offred right grete sommes of moneye to themperour / for to gete to hym self / that whiche herode so helde / And so he gate it / And for this cause herode & pilate were enemyes vnto the tyme of the passiō of Ihesu cryst whom pilate sente to herode / Another cause of enemyte is assigned in scolasti­ca historia / Ther was one that sayd hym self to be god / and had deceyued many of galylee / and brought the pe­ple in to garizain / where he had said / that he wold goo vp to heuen / And pi­late cam vpon them / And whan he hath knowleche of the dede / he slewe hym & all his peple by cause he doubted that he wold haue deceyued them of Iudee / And therfore were they enemyes to gy­dre / For herode regned in galylee / And whan pilate had delyuerd Ihesu Cryst to the Iewes for to be crucyfyed / he doubted themperour / that he shold be reproued of that whiche he had Iuged an Innocent / And sente a frende of his for texcuse hym / and in this whyle Tyberius thēperour fyl in to a greuous ma­ladye / ¶ And it was told to hym that there was one in Iherusalem that cured al maner maladyes / ¶ And he knewe not that pilate and the Iewes had slayn hym / he said to volusien whiche was secrete with hym / Goo in to the parties ouer see / And saye to pylate that he sende to me the leche or maistre in medecyne / for to hele me of my maladye / And whan he was come to pylate / And had said his message / pylate was moche abasshyd / and demaunded xiiij dayes of dylacion / with in whiche tyme volusien fonde an old woman named veronica / whiche had be famylyer and deuoute with Ihesu Cryst he demaūded of her / where he myght fynde hym that he sought / She thenne escryed and sayd Alas lord god / my lord / my god was he / that ye axe fore / whom pylate dampned to deth / and whom the Iewes delyuerd to pylate for enuye / & comaunded that he shold be crucyfyed / Thenne he complayned hym soroufully / & sayd I am sory by cause he may not accō plyssh that / whiche my lord themperour hath charged me / To whō veronyce said my lord and my maistre whan he wente prechyng / I absente me ofte from hym I dyde do paynte his ymage / For to ha­ue alway wyth me his presence / by cause that the figure of his ymage shold gyue me somme solace / And thus as I bare a lynnen keuerchief in my bosome oure lord mette me / and demaūded whyther I wente / and whan I had told hym whyther I wente and the cause / he demaunded my keuerchief / And anone he enprynted his face and fygured it therin / And yf thy lord had beholden the fygure of Ihesu Cryst deuoutly / he shold be anon guarisshed and heled / And volusien axid is ther nether gold ne siluer that this fygure may be bought with / She answerd nay / but stroonge of corage / deuoute / and of grete affeccion / I shal goo with the / and shal bere it to themperour for to see it / and after I shal retorne hether agayn / Thenne wente volusien with veronike to Rome / and said to themperour / Ihesus of nazareth whom thou hast longe desired / Pylate & the Iewes by enuye and with wronge haue put to deth / and haue hanged hym on the crosse / and a matrone a wydowe is come with me / whiche bryngeth thy­mage of Ihesu / the whiche yf thou with good herte and deuoutly wylt beholde & haue therin contemplacion / thou shalt anon be hole / And whan themperour had herd this / he dyde anone make re­dy the waye With clothes of sylke / & made thymage of Ih̄u to be brought to fore hym / And anone as he had seen it & worshiped it / he was all guarisshed [Page xviij] and hoole / Thenne he comaūded that pylate shold be taken and brought to Rome / And whan themperour herd that pylate was come to Rome / he was moche wroth and enflammed ayenst hym And bad that he shold be brought to fore hym / Pylate ware alway the garment of our lord which was with­oute seem / wher with he was clad whā he cam to fore thēperour / And assone as themperour saw hym / all his wrath was goon [...] & the yre out of his herte / he coude not saye an euyl word to hym & in his absence he was sore cruell to­ward hym / & in his presence he was alway swete & debonair to hym / & gaf hym lycence and departed / And / anon as he was departed / he was as angry & as sore moeued as he was to fore / and more by cause he had not shewd to hym his fureur / Thēne he made hym to be called agayn / & sware he shold be ded / And anone as he sawe hym hys cruelte was all goō / wherof was grete meruaylle / now was ther one by thyn­spyracion of god or at the persuasion of som crysten man / caused themperour to despoylle hym of that cote / and anon as he had put it of / The emperour had in his herte as grete yre and fureur as he had to fore / wherof themperour meruaylled of this cote / And it was told to hym that it was the cote of Ih̄u Thēne themperour made pylate to be sette in pryson / tyl he had counseylled what he shold doo with hym / And sen­tence was gyuen that he shold dye a vylayns deth / And whan pylate herd the sentence / he toke a knyf and slewe hym self / And whan themperour herde how he was deed / he said certaynly he is deed of a right vylaynous deth and fowl / For hys owne propre hand hath not spared hym / Thenne his body was taken and bounden to a mylle stone & was caste in the ryuer of tyber for to be sonken in to the bottom̄ / And the yll spyrytes in thayer began to moue grete tēpestes & merueyllous wawes in the water & horryble thondre and lyght­nyng / wherof the peple was sore aferd & in grete doubte / And therfor the Ro­mayns drewe out the body / & in derysi­on sente it to vyane / & caste it in to the ryuer named Rosne / viane is as moche to saye as helle whiche is said Iehenna For thenne it was acursid place and so ther is his body in the place of malediction / And the euyl spyrites ben as wel there as in other places / And made suche tempestes as they dyd byfore / in so moche y^t they of that place myght not suffre it / And therfor they toke the vessel / wherin the body was & sente it for to berye it in the terroir of the cyte of losane / The whiche also were tempes­ted / as the other / And it was taken thens and throwen in to a depe pytte alle enuyronned with montaynes / In whiche place / after the relacion of som­me / ben seen illusions / and machynacions of fendes ben seen growe and bo­ylle / And hether to is thistorye callyd ypocryfū redde / They that haue redde this lete them saye and byleue as it shal plese them / Neuertheles in scolas­tica hystoria / is redde that pylate was accused afore themperour Tyberius / by cause he dyde put to deth by vyolence thē that were Innocent by his myght And that maulgre the Iewes he sette ymages of paynems in the temple / And that the moneye put in corbanam he toke and dyde with all his prouffyt and was preuyd in his vysage that he made in his hows / alleyes and conduytes for water to renne in / And for thyse thynges he was sente to lyon in exyle for to deye emōg the people of whome he was born / And thys may be wel supposed that this Istorye be trewe / For to fore was the edicte gyuen that he shold be put in exyle to lyons / And that he was exyled er volusien retorned to themperour / But whan themperour herd how he made our lord Ihesu to deye / he ma­de hym fro hys exyle to come to Rome / Eusebe and Bede in theyr cronycles say not that he was enprysoned & put in exyle / But by cause that he fyll in many myseryes / by despayr he slewe hym self wyth his owne hand /

HEre to fore we haue made mencion of deuyacion of thumayne lygnage which dureth fro Septuagesme vn­to Ester / here after we shal make mencion of the tyme of reconsiliacion / whiche dureth fro Ester vnto the vtas of whitsontyde / lyke as holy chyrche hath ordeyned /

THe Resurrection of our lord Ihesu cryst was the third day after his deth / And of this bles­syd resurrectcon / seuen thynges ben to be consy­derid / Fyrst of the tyme that he was in the sepulcre / that be thre dayes and thre nyghtes he was in the sepulcre / And the thirde day he aroos Secondly wherfore he aroos not anon whan he was deed / but abode vnto the thirde day / Thirdely / how he aroos / Fourth­ly / wherfor his resurrection taryed not vntyl the generall resurrection / Fyftly wherfore he aroos / Sixtly how ofty­mes he appyered in his resurrection / And the seuenth / how the holy faders whiche were enclosed in a partye of hel­le / he delyuerd / & what he dyde &c̄ / As to the first poynt / it ought to be knowen that Ih̄us was in the sepulcre iij dayes & iij nyghtes / But after saynt austyn the first day is taken by synodoche / that is that the last part of the day is taken The secōd day is takē all hool / the thir­de is taken after the first part of the day / thus ther bē iij dayes / & euery day hath his nyght goyng byfore / & after bede the ordre of y^e dayes was chaūged & y^e cours ordeyned / for byfore / y^e dayes wente byfore / & the nyghtes folowed / after the tyme of the passyō / that ordre was chaūged / for the nyghtes goō by­fore & this is by mysterie / For mā first ouerthrewe in the day / & fyll in to the nyght of synne / And by the passyon & resurrection of Ih̄u cryst he cā agayn fro the nyght of synne vnto y^e day of grace As touchyng the secōd cōsideracion / it ought to be knowen / y^t it is accordyng to reson that anō after his deth he ouht not to aryse / but ought to abyde vnto y^e third day / & that for .v· reasōs / the first for the signyfycacion / to that / that the lyght of his deth shold cure our double deth / & therfore .j. day hool & ij nyghtes he laye in y^e sepulcre / that by the day we vnderstande the light of his deth / & by the ij nyghtes our double deth / and this [Page xix] reason assigneth the glose vpon saynt luc luce vicesimo / vpon this text / Oporte­bat xpristum pati &cetera /

The second for certayn probacion / For right so as in the mouth of tweyne or of thre is the wytnes establysshyd / right so in thre dayes is proued all dede and fayt veritable / And to thende to preue that his deth was veritable he wold lye therin thre dayes / The thirde / for to shewe his puissaunce / ¶ For yf he had arysen anon / it shold seme that he had not suche myght / for to gyue his lyf as he had to reyse hym / And this reason toucheth thappostle ad Corintheos xv· Therfore is ther first made menciō of his deth / lyke as his deth was veryly she­wed / so his very resurrection is shewed and declared / ¶ Fourthly for to fi­gure the restauracion / ¶ And this rea­son assigneth Petrus rauenensis / Iesu cryst wold be thre dayes in his se­pulcre / in fygure in benefete doyng / that is to wete to restore them that ben falle / to repayre them that ben in therthe / And to redeme them that were in helle / The fyfthe for the representyng of treble estate of ryghtful men / And this reason assigneth seynt gregorye vpon ezechiel sayeng / The sixth day of the weke Ihesus suffred deth / The saterday he laye in the sepulcre / The sondaye he aroos / The present lyf is yet to vs the sixth day For in anguisshes and sorowes we ben tormented / The saterday also is that we rest vs in our sepulcre / For after the deth we shal fynde the rest for our soule / The sonday is the eyght day / that day we shal be free of the deth and of all so­rowe in body and in sowle in glorye / Thenne the sixth day is to vs sorowe / the seuenth reste / and the eyghte glorye / As to the thirde cōsideraciō how he aroos it appiereth veryly that he aroos myghtyly / For by his propre myght he aroos Iohannis nono / Potestatem habeo &c̄ / I haue said I haue power to delyuer my soule / and I haue power to resume it agayn / that is to saye / to deye whan I will / [...] And to ryse agayn whan I will / Secondly he aroos Ioyously / For he toke awaye all myserye all in­firmyte and all seruitud / wherof he saith in the goospell of Ioh̄n / Iohannis xxvj he said whan I shal aryse agayn I shal auaunce me and goo to fore you in to galylee / where ye shall see me free and delyuerd / Galylee is as moche to saye as transmygracion / that is to saye dey­yng / Ihesu cryst thenne whan he aroos wente to for vs / For he wente fro my­serye to glorye / and fro corrupcion to in­corrupcion / wherof saynt lyon the pope saith / After the passion of Ihesu Cryst the bondes of deth broken / he was trans­ported from Infirmyte to vertu / fro mor­talite to perpetuite / and fro vylonnye to glorye / [...] Thirdly he roos prouffy­tably / for he caryed wyth hym his proye wherof saith Ieremye the iiij chapiter / Ascendit leo de cubili &c̄ / The lyon is resen out of his bedde / Ihesus ascended on hye vpon the crosse / And the robbour of the peple enhaunsed hym self Ihesu Cryst robbed helle wherin was thumayne lygnage / As he had said / Cum exaltatus fuero &c̄ / Whan I shal ascende on hye I shall drawe to me alle myne / of whom helle hath holden and kept the soules / whiche were enclosed in derknes and the bodyes in sepulture / Fourthly he aroos merueylously / For he aroos without openyng of the sepulcre whiche abode fast closed / For lyke as he yssued out of his moders bely / And to his disciples the dores closed and shytte so he yssued out of his sepulcre / wherof is red in scolastica historia / of a monke of saynt laurence without the walles / in the yere of thyncarnacion of our lord M.jCxj / whiche meruaylled of a gyrdle / with whiche he was gyrt / that with out vndoyng or openyng / it was cast to for hym / wherof whan he sawe it he m erueylled / and he herd a voys in thayer sayeng / Thus may Ihesu cryst yssue out of his sepulcre / & the sepulcre all cloos Fyftly he aroos trewly / For he aroos in his propre body / And by sixe maners he shewed that he was veryly rysen First by the Angele whyche lyed not / Secondly by many and oftymes appye­ryng / Thirdly by etyng openly / and by no art fantastyke / Fourthly by palpaciō of his very body / Fyftly by ostēcion of his woūdes / by whiche he shewde that it was the propre body / in whiche he had veryly suffred deth /

Syxthly by his presence in comyng in to the hows the gates shytte / whan he [Page] ent [...]ed sodanly / and Invisibly / by whyche he shewde that his body was gloryfyed / Seuenthly he aroos Inmortally / For he shal neuer after deye / Ioh̄is vj / xpūs resurgens &c̄ / And seynt denys in an epistle that he made to demophilum saith that Ihū cryst after his assencōn sayd to an holy man named Carpo / I am alle redy yet to suffre for to saue man / by which it semeth that yf it were nede that yet he were redy to suffre deth as it is conteyned in the same epistle / This holy man Carpo tolde to seynt denys / that a paynem peruerted a Crysten man and brought hym out of the faith / And this Carpo toke suche angre therfore in hys herte / that he was seke / and this Carpo was of so grete holynes that as ofte as he song masse / an heuenly vision appe­red to hym / But whan he shold praye for the conuersion of them bothe dayly he prayd god / that both tweyn myght be brent in a fyre / ¶ And on a ty­me abought mydnyght he made this pra­yer vnto god / And sodanly the hous in whiche he was in / was deuided in two partyes / And a right grete fornaysse appiered there / And he loked vp and behelde the heuen and saw it open & Ihū Cryst whiche was enuyronned wyth a grete multitude of angellis / and beside the fournays thise two men were trem­blyng for grete drede that they had / the whiche men were byten of serpentes that yssued out of the fournays / whiche drew them by force in to the fournays / & also of other men they were repreued and vylonnyed / And this holy man Carpo in beholdyng them had grete delyte and toke pleysaunce in theyr pugnycion in suche wise / that he lefte the vision of heuē and sette not ther by / but was angry that they fyll not sodenly in to thefour­nays / and thenne as he loked vp in to heuen / he sawe the vision that he had to fore seen / And Ihūs Cryst whiche had pyte of thise two men / a roos vp out of his trone / & cam vnto them with a grete multitude of angellis / And put forth his hond and delyuerd them / And Ih̄s sayd to Carpo / smyte me from hens forth I am redy to suffre for to saue man / This ensample recyteth saynt denys / As to the fourth article / wherfore he abode not vntyl the generall resurrection / Thre reasons ben assygned / ¶ The first for the dignyte of his body / For he was deyfyed and cam fro the deyte / And therfore it was no reson that his body shold so longe lye in therthe / wherof dauid saith / Non dabis sanctum tuum videre corruptionem / Thou shalt not suffre thyn holy body see corruption / The secōd reason is for the stedfastnes of the fayth / For yf he had not thenne arysen / the faith had perisshyd / men wold not haue byleued that he had be very god And that appiereth wel For in his passiō sauf our lady / alle lost fayth / But whan they had knowleche of his resurrection / they recouerd it agayn as saith seynt poul Si xpristus non surrexerit / vana est fi­des nostra / yf Ihesu Cryst had not ry­sen / our fayth had be vayn or none / The thirde cause / For thexemplar of our resurrection / Ther shold be but fewe / that shold byleue the resurrection to come / yf Ihesus Cryst had not rysen / And this is our example and our hope / And therfore sayen thappostles / Ihesu Cryst is arysen / And we shal aryse / For his resurrection is cause of oures / wherof saith saynt gregorye / Our lord by example hath shewed that he promysed in reward / as that we shold knowe hym to haue rysen / ¶ Thus in our self we shold haue hope of the reward of his re­surrection / And we ought to knowe that Ihesu Cryste wold not prolonge his resurrection / aboue thre dayes to thende that desperaciō shold not be in the world As to the fyfthe Article it is wherefore he aroos / he aroos for foure thynges moche proufytable to vs / ¶ For his resurrection made the Iustyficacion of our synnes / she enseyneth new lyf of maners she engendrith the hope of reward / and ordeyneth the resurrection of all / Of the first saith saynt poul ad Romanos / Ihesu Cryst deyed for our synnes / and aroos for to Iustefye vs / ¶ Of the se­c [...]nde / lyke as Ihesu Cryst aroos by the glorye of the fader / whiche is a new glo­rious lyf / So ought we in spyrituell lyf take newe maners / Of the thirde By his grete mercy god hath reysed vs in hope of lyfe by the resurrection of Ihesu Cryste / ¶ Of the fourth it is said to vs in scripture / Ihesu Cryst aroose fro deth / For by man / is deth come to men / [Page xx] And by man / that is Ihesu Cryste / the lyf is come to men / Thus ben they y^e fyrst of dede mē / Adam of thē that deyde / & Ih̄u cryst of thē that ben a lyue by his resurrection / And thus it appiereth that Ihesu cryst had iiij propretees in his re­surrection / The first is that our re­surrection is differed vnto the last resur­rection / And Ihesu cryst aroos the third day / As saith the glose vpon this psal­me Ad vesperum demorabitur fletus &c̄ At euensongetyme shal be wepyng / And on the morn gladnes and Ioye / The glose saith that the resurrection of Ihesu Cryst is cause sufficient of y^e resurrectiō of sowles in this present tyme / And of the bodyes in tyme to come /

The seconde proprete is that we ryse by hym / And he aroos by hym self / wherof saith saynt ambrose / how myght he seke helpe to reyse his body / whiche reysed other The thirde proprete is that we become duste or asshes / And his body myght not be torned in to asshes / ¶ The iiij proprete is that his resurrection is cause sacramental of our resurrection / ¶ As touchyng the sixte article / hou ofte he appiered the day of his resurrection / he appiered fyue tymes / ¶ First to marie Magdalene / marci vltimo / After his resurrectiō he appiered first to marie mag­dalene / whiche is fygure of penitentes And for fyue reasons he appiered to her First for she loued hym most ardantly / by cause she loued so moche / god foryafe and pardonned her many synnes / Secondly for to shewe that he deyde for synners / Mathei ix / Non veni vocare &c̄ I cam not for to calle rightful men but synners to penaunce / ¶ Thirdly for to veryfye his word / Mathei xxi Amē dico quia meretrices &c̄ / ¶ To the ypocrites and phariseys he sayd / that co­myn wymen and the publicā shold goo to fore them to the kyngdome of heuen / Fourtly for by cause / that lyke as a woman was messager of deth / so a woman shold he messager of lyf / after the glose / [...] Fyftely lyke as synne habounded / so shold grace more habounde lyke as thappostle saith ad romanos v. The seconde tyme he appered to the thre maries whiche retorned fro the monumēt whan he said to theym auete / god gre­te you / And thenne they approched hym And helde his feet / And that is the figure of humble prayers / to whom our lord appered / as wel for the reason of the nature / as for the reason of thaffectiō For they helde his Feet / whiche sygne­fyeth thaffection of the herte / Thirdly he appered to saynt pieter / but whan ne in what place / it is not knowen / but yf it were by auenture / whan he retorned fro the monument wyth saynt Iohn̄ / For it myght wel be / that saynt peter in somme place torned fro saynt Iohn̄ / where god appiered to hym / or by auentu­re whan he was allone in the monument lyke as it is sayd in scolastica historia or parauenture in a Caue or a fosse / For it is redde in thistoryes / whan he renyed and forsoke our lord / that he fledde in to a Caue / where as the mon­tayn is / whiche is called the montayne of the cocque / or ellis after that it is said that he wepte thre dayes contynuelly after that he had renyed god / And there Ihesus appered to hym / and com­forted hym sayeng / [...] Peter bere the vertu of obedyence / to whome our lord sheweth hym / Fourtly he appiered to his disciples / whiche wente to Emaus wiche is as moche to saye / as desire of coū seyll / and signefyeth / to vysyte the poure membres of Ihesu cryst and to helpe them as it is said in the gospell / Goo and selle all that thou hast / And gyue it to poure people / Fyftly he appiered to his disciples / whiche were to gydre in a place closed / and this signefieth relygyous men that ben in the world / with the yates of theyr v wyttes closed / Thyes fyue apparicions weren the day of his resurrection / And thyes fyue representeth the preest in his masse whan he tourneth hym fyue tymes to the peple / but the thirde tornyng is in silence / whiche signifyeth tapparicion made to saynt peter whiche is not knowen when it was made ne in what place / Sixthly he appyered the eight day to his disciples / whan saynt thomas was there / whiche had said / that he wold not byleue it / til that he had seen the woundes / the naylles / and that he had put his hande in his syde / The seuenth tyme he appiered to his disciples fysshyng / Ioh̄is vltīo / And that signyfieth prechers / whiche ben fysshers [Page] of men / The viij tyme he appered to his disciple in the mount Thabor / Mathei vltimo / And that signifyeth them that ben contemplatyf / For in the said hylle was our lord transfygured / The ix tyme he appered to xj disciples where they satte atte table / where as he repreued their incredulite and hardnes of herte / By whiche we vnderstonde the synnars in the xj nombre of transgressyon sette / whome our lord by his mercy somtyme vysiteth / The tenth tyme he appiered to to his disciples in the mount of olyuete by whiche is sygnefyed thē that ben ful of mercy / and that loue compassion / to whom our lord appierith / whiche is fader of mercy and of pyte / fro this place he ascended vp in to heuen / Ther ben thre other maner of appariciōs of whiche is made mencion / whiche were made the day of the resurrection / but they be not had in the texte of the gospel / The first was that he appered to saynt Iames the lasse / whiche is named Iames alphei of whiche thou shalt fynde in his legēde The seconde that he appered / was to Io­seph / as it is red in the gosppell of Ny­chodeme / For whan the Iewes had herde that Ioseph had demanded the body of Ihesus of pylate / And that he had put it in his monument / They were angry and had indignacion on hym / And toke hym and put hym in a secrete pla­ce / where diligently they closed hym and kepte hym / and wold haue slayn hym after their sabbat day / And Ihesus the nyght of his resurrection entred in to the hows where he was in / and ouer lyft vp the iiij corners of the hows / and wyped & clensid his visage & kyssed hym / And without brekyng of ony locke or seall he brought hym in to his hous in Arimathye / The thirde is / after that it is byleued / he appered vnto his mo­der marye / the gloryouse virgyne / and how be it / that the holy euangelystes speke nothyng herof / the chirche of Rome appproueth it / For the same day is ma­de stacion at our lady the maiour And yf we shold not byleue by cause theuuā ­gelistes make no menciō therof / it shold folowe that after his resurrection he appiered not to her / but that ought not to be byleued / that suche a sone shold not le­ue his moder without vysytyng / and doo to her so lytyl honour / And perauē ture the euangelystes speke no worde of her / by cause it apperteyneth not to them but to sette wytnes of the resurrection / And the virgyne marye ought not to be sette in for no wytnes /

For yf the wordes of straunge wymen were reputed for lesynges / moche more shold the moder be / by cause of the loue that she had to hym that was her sone / And thaugh the euangelistes ha­ue not wreton it / yet they knewe wel for certayn / that it is right / that first he shold enhaunce and comforte her that had most payne and sorowe for his deth And that witnesseth saynt ambrose in the thirde book of virgynes / Vidit ma­ria &c̄ / / Marye sawe the resurrection / and she byleued it parfyghtly / Marye magdalene sawe it / and yet she doubted it / ¶ Of the seuenth / how Ihesus crist drewe the holy fadres out of helle / and what he made there / The euangelist tel­leth not clerly / Neuertheles saynt Austyn in a sermon / and Nichodemus in his gospell shewe it somwhat / and saynt Austyn saith / Anone as Ihesu Crist had rendred y^e spyrite the soule y^t was vnyed to his godhed / was quyk and lyuyng in the depnes of helle descended / And whan he was atte deppest of the derkenes lyke as a Robber shynyng and terrible to the tirantis of helle / They behelde hym and began to demaunde and enquyre / who is he that is so stronge / so terryble so clere and so shynyng / ¶ The world whiche is to vs subget / sente to vs ne­uer suche one deed / ne he sente to vs ne / uer suche yeftes in to helle / who is he thenne that is so constant / that is en­tred in to the ferthest ende of our parties and he doubteth not only our tormentes but yet he hath vnbound them / of their bondes / whom we helde and kepte / And they that were wonte to waylle & wepe vnder our tormēts assayllle vs now by theyr helthe / And now not only they fere vs but now threten and manace vs And they sayd to their prynce what prynce art thou / all thy gladnesse is peris­shed / and all thy Ioyes ben conuerted in to wepynges / whan thou hengest hym in the crosse / thou knewest not what domage thou sholdest suffre in helle / After thise cruell wordes of them of helle / Atte [Page xxj] commandement of our lorde / all the loc­kes / alle the barres / and shyttynges ben broken and to frusshed / And loo the peple of sayntes that come knelyng to fore hym in cryeng with pytous voys sayeng / Oure redemptor thou art comen for to redeme the worlde / we haue aby­den the euery day / thou art descended in to helle for vs / And leue vs not / but that we be with y^e / whan thou shalt retorne to thy brethern / lord swete god / shewe that thou hast despoylled helle / And bynde the auctour of deth wyth his bondes / rendre to the world now glad­nes / And quenche the paynes / And for thy pyte vnbynde the caytyfs fro seruitude / whyles thou art here / and assoylle the synnars whan thou descēdest in to helle them of thy partye / this saith saynt Austyn / And it is redde in the gospell of nychodemus / that Carinus and lencius sones of old symeon aroos with Ihesu Crist / And they were adiured and sworn of anne / of Cayphas / of Nichodeꝰ of Ioseph & of gamaliel that they shold telle and saye what Ihesus dyde in helle And they rehersed and sayde / whan we were wyth our faders in the place of obscurte and derknes / sodenly it was al­so lyght and clere as the colour of the sonne lyke purple gold and lyght ryall whiche enlumined alle thabitacion vpon vs / And anon Adam the fader of thumayne lygnage begā to enioye Sayeng This lyght is the lyght of the creatour of the lyght sempyternel / whiche promysid to sende to vs hys lyght perpetuell / And ysaye cryed / This is the lyght of god the fader / lyke as I seide lyuyng in therthe / the peple that were in derknes sawe a grete lyght / Thenne cam our fader Symeon / And in Ioyeng sayde / gloryfye ye our lord / For I re­ceyued Cryst a chyld born in the world in to myn hondes in the temple / And I was constrayned by the holy goost to saye / Nunc viderunt oculi mei saluta / re tuū / I haue now seen with myn eyen thyn helth whiche bryngeth and hath made it redy to fore the face of all thy peple After come one whiche semed to be an heremyte / And whan we demaunded hym what he was / he answerd that he was Ioh̄n that baptysed Cryst / and he that am goon to fore hym / for to ma [...] redy his waye / And shewde hym with my fyngre / whan I saide / Ecce agnus dei / and am descended for to shewe to you that he cometh sone to visyte you / Thenne said seth / whan I cam to the gate of paradis for to praye our lord to sende me hys angelle / And that he wold gyue to me of the oylle of mercy for tenoynte y^e body of adam my fader which was seke / The angel mychel appered to me and said / laboure not in prayeng by wepyng for the oylle of the tre of mercy / For by no waye thou mayst gete it / tyl that v thousand and v.C. ye­res ben accomplisshed / And whan the patriarkes and the prophetes herd this they enioyed and demened grete feste / Thenne Sathan prynce and demener of deth said to helle / make you redy to receyue Ihesu whiche gloryfyeth hym self to saye / I am the sone of god / and he is man that dred the deth for he said my soule is sorouful vnto the deth / And many that I haue made lame and croked he thath heled / and made them goo right / Thenne answerd helle and saide / yf thou art myghty and so grete as thou saist / who is this man Ihesus that thou dredest not / and is aduersarye to thy puissaunce / yf he saith that he dredde the deth / he wyll take the / And woo shal be to the / perpetuelly as longe as y^e world shal dure / & Sathan answerd I haue tempted and haue moeued the people ayenst hym / I haue made redy the spere / I haue medled the vynaygre and the galle to gydre / and haue made redy the tree of the crosse / and anone he shal dye / to thende that I may brynge hym hyther / Thenne helle answerd / is not this he that reysed lazare / whom I reteyned / And Sathan said / that sa­me is he trewly / And helle said to Sathan / I coniure the by my vertue and by thyne / that thou brynge hym not hyther whan I herde the myght of his word & his commandement I trembled for fere / I myght not kepe lazare / but he escaped fro me / And lyke an angele he spran­ge on hye and departed fro vs / And thus as they spaken / ther cam a voys lyke a thondre / whiche sayde / Attollite &c̄ Take away your gates ye prynces And lyfte ye vp the yates perdurable / and the kynge of glorye shal entre in [Page] At this voys the deuyllis ran thyder and shytte fast the gates with barres of yron / And then said dauid haue not I prophecyed this that I see / whan I said / Confiteantur domino quia contri­uit portas ereas &c̄ / is not this he that hath broken the yates of helle of strong mater / and hath broken the barres / & thēne after cam a grete voys whiche said agayn Attollite &c̄ / And whan helle sawe that he had cryed twyes thus / and knewe hym not / thenne he saide / who is this kynge of glorye / to whom dauid answerd / this is our lord stronge and myghty in bataylle / whiche is kynge of glorye / Thenne cam in the kyng of glorye / And enlumyned the derknes and put forth his right hand and toke the right honde of Adam and said / peas to the / And to all thy sonnes that ben Iuste / and thenne our lord departed fro helle / and all the sayntes foloweth hym / And our lord holdyng the hōde of Adam delyuerd hym to Mychel tharchangele / and he brought them in to paradis Thenne cam two honourable men and auncient and they demaunded them and saide / who be ye that wyth vs haue not be yet dede / and in body and in sowle ye be sette in paradys / One of them spack and answerd I am Enoch whiche am hyther translated / And this is helye whiche by the will of god is comen he­ther in a chariot enflamed of fyre / yet haue we not tasted the deth / But we be kept vnto the comyng of Antecryst for to fyght with hym / & of hym we shal be slayn / And after thre dayes and an half we shal be receyued in the clowdes in thayer / And thus as they spak / ther was another y^t bare vpon his sholdres the tree of the crosse / the whiche whan he was demaūded what he was he saide / I am a theef and was crucyfied with Ihesu and I beleued on hym that he was y^e creatour of the world / And I prayed hym sayeng / lord haue mynde on me / whan thou shalt come in to thy Royame And he said to me / this day thou shalt be with me in paradys / and gaf to me this signe of the crosse / and said to me bere this / and goo forth to paradys / And yf the angele that is kepar of paradys / will not suffre the to entre / shewe to hym this signe of the crosse / and saye / that Ihesu cryst whiche is crucyfyed sente the thyder / And anon as I had said y^t he bad me saye / The angele opened the gate to me / and sette me in the right sid of paradys / And whan Carinus & lencius had recounted thies thynges here Anon they were transfygured / and were nomore seen / And heerof speketh gre­gory Niceus And saynt Austyn / lyke as is founden in somme bookes / Anon as Ihesu cryst descēded in to helle / y^e nyght began to wexe clere / And anon the por / ter black and horrible / emong them in sylence began to murmure sayeng / who is he / that is so terrible / and of clere­nes so shynyng / Our maistre receyued neuer none suche in to helle / ne y^e world caste neuer none suche in to our cauerne / This is an assayller / and not dettour / a brekar and destroyer / And no synner but a despoyller / we se hym a Iuge / but no bysecher / he come for to fyght / & not to be ouercomen / A caster out and not here dwellar / /

THe letanyes ben don twyes in the yere / The first be don on saynt markes day and that is called the more leta­nye / And the second be don on the thre dayes byfore thascencion day / and is called the lasse letanye / and letanye is as moche to saye as supplicaciō or prayer / The first letanye is named in thre maners / First it is called the more le­tanye / Secondly the procession of vij ordres / Thirdly the black crosse / Thenne this letanye is said the more / for thre reasons / The first reason is for hym that Institued it / that was saynt gregorye the pope / and that was at Rome / whiche is lady and heed of the world / by cause that the body of the prynce of thappostles is there and the holy see / And also for the reson of the cause wher fore it was Institued / and that was for a right grete and greuous maladye For as the Romayns had in the lenton [Page xxij] lyued sobrely and in contynence / and after at ester had receyued theyr sauy­our / After they disordred them in etyng in drynkyng / in playes and in lecherye A nd therfore our lord was meuyd ayenst them / and sente to them a grete pestelence / whiche was called the botche of impedymye / and that was cruell & sodayne / and caused peple to dye in goyng by the waye / in playeng / in beyng atte table / and in spekyng one with another sodeynly they deyed / In this manere somtyme fnesyng they deyed / so that whā ony persone was herd fnesyng anone they that were by said to hym / god helpe you / Or Cryst helpe / and yet endureth the custōme And also whan he fneseth or gapeth he maketh to fore his face the signe of the crosse and blessith hym / And yet endureth this custome / And how that pestelence begā it is foun­de in the lyf of saynt gregorye / Secondly this letanye is said procession of seuen ordres / by cause that whan they were made / seynt gregorye ordeyned them by vij ordynances / For in the first ordre was all the clergye / in the second were the monkes and relygyous men / In the thirde were alle the nonnes / In the fourth alle the children / In the fyfthe all the laye peple / In the sixthe alle the wydo­wes And in the vij alle they y^t were maryed / But by cause that nowe we may not fulfylle in nombre of personnes / we ought to fulfylle it in nōbre of letanyes For it ought to be said vij tymes / or the procession be left / Thirdly this letanye is said the black crosse / For thenne in signe of pestylence / of wepyng and of penaunce / they cladde them wyth black clothes / And parauenture for that same cause / they couerd the crosse and the aulters wyth blessyd hayres / And thus we shold take on vs clothyng of penaūce Ther is an other letanye / whiche is called the lasse letanye / the whiche is made the thre dayes tofore thascēcion / And this Instituted seynt Mamertyn bisshop of vyane / in the tyme of themperour lyon whiche regned the yere of our lord iijClviij / to fore the Institucion of the first / And is said the letanye the lasse / the rogacions and processions / For it is The lasse letanye to the difference of the first / by cause that this lasse letanye was Institued of a lasse whiche was a sym­ple bisshop / in a lasse place / and for lasse maladye / And the cause of the institucion was this / For thenne at vyane were grete erthe quaues / of whiche fyl doun many chirches and many houses / and ther was herde grete sownes and grete clamours by nyght / And thenne happed a terrible thyng on ester day / For fyre descended fro heuen that brente the kynges palays / yet happed more mer­ueyllous thyng / For lyke as the fendes had entred in to the hogges / right so by the suffraunce of god for the synnes of the peple / the fendes entred in to wulues and other wylde bestes / whiche euerych doubted / and they wente not only by the wayes ne by the feldes / but also by the cytees ronnen openly / And deuoure den the chyldren & olde men and wymen And whan the bisshop sawe that euery day happed suche sorouful aduentures / he cōmanded and ordeyned / that the peple shold faste thre dayes / And he instituted the letanyes / and thenne the tribulaciō ceassed / And fro than forth on the chirche hath ordeyned & confermed that this letanye shold be kept and obserued ouer all / It is said also Rogacions / For thenne we praye and demaunde the suf­frages of alle the sayntes / and we thus haue good cause for to kepe this ordenaū ce / and faste in thise dayes / And for many reasons it is institued / Fyrst by cause it appeaseth the bataylles / that co­mynly begynne in prymtemps / Secōdly by cause that the fruytes whiche be thēne tendre / that god will multeplye / Thirdly by cause that euery man shold mortefye in hym self the moeuynges of hys flessh / whiche in that tyme boylle / Fourtly by cause y^t euerich dispose hym self to receyue the holy goost / For by fastynges / by orysons / and by deuocion / is one more able and more worthy / But two other reasōs assigneth maistre will̄m dancerre / by cause than whan Ih̄u cryst wold ascende vnto heuen / he sayde / Aske ye duely and ye shal haue / And we may the more faithfully demaunde / whan we haue the promesse of god / Secondly by cause y^e holy chirche fasteth & prayeth / that she haue but lytil flessh / that is to make the body lene by absty­nence / and to gete wynges by prayer / [Page] For prayer is the wynge of the sowle / by whiche she fleeth to heuen / to thende that she may folowe Ih̄u cryste ascēdyng vp to fore vs to shewe vs the waye / And knowe ye that the foule that ha­boundeth in plente of flessh / and hath but fewe pennes or fethers / he may not wel flee / Thus this letanye is called pro­cession / For thenne the chirche maketh generall procession / And in this pro­cession the crosse is born / the clockes and belles ben sowned and rongen / the ba / ners ben born / And in somme chirche a dragon with a grete taylle is born / And ayde and helpe is demaunded of alle seyntes / ¶ And the cause why the crosse is born and the belles rongen / is for to make the fēdes and euyll spyrites aferd and to flee / For lyke as the kyn­ges haue in bataylles tokenes and sig­nes royall / as her trompes and baners right so the kynge of heuen perdurable hath hys signes mylytaunt in the chirche he hath belles for busynes and for trōpes he hath the crosse for baners / And lyke as a tyraunt and a malefactour shold moche doubte / whan he shal here the busy­nes and trompes of a myghty kynge in his lande and shal see his baners / In lyke wyse the enemyes the euyll spyri­tes that ben in the regiō of thayer / doubte moche whan they here the trompes of god whiche ben the belles rongen / And whan they see the baners born on hye / And this is the cause why the belles be rongē whan it thondreth / and whan grete tem­pestes and oultrages of wether happen / to thende that the fendes and wicked spyrites shold be abasshed and flee / and ceasse of the moeuyng of tempest / how be it also / that ther is another cause ther with / that is for to warne the crysten peple / that they put them in deuocion and in prayer for to praye god that the tempest may ceasse / Ther is also the baner of the kynge / that is the crosse / whiche the enemyes dred moche and doubte / For they drede the staf / with whiche they haue ben hurte / And this is the reason wherfore in somme chirche / in the tyme of tempest and of thondre / they sette out the crosse ayenst the tempest / to thende that the wycked spyrites see the baner of the souerayn kynge / & for drede therof that they flee / And therfore in procession the crosse is born / And the belles rongē for to chace and hunde away the fendes beyng in thayer / and to thende that they leue to tempest vs / The crosse is born for to represente the victorye of the resurrectiō and of thascencion of ihesu cryste / For he ascēded in to heuē wyth all a grete praye And thus this baner that fleeth in the ayer signefyeth Ihesu cryste assendyng vnto heuene / And as the peple folowe the crosse / the baners and the procession Ryght so whan Ihesu Cryste styed vp in to heuen / a grete multitude of seyntis folowed hym / And the songe that is songen in the procession / signefyeth the songe of angellis and the preysynges / that cam ayenst Ihesu cryste / and conduyted and conueyed hym to heuene where is grete Ioye and melodye In som chirches and in especiall in them of fraunce is ac­customed to bere a dragon with a longe taylle fylled ful of chaff or other thynge The two first dayes it is born to fore the crosse / And on the thirde day / they bere it after the crosse with the taylle all voyde / by whiche is vnderstonden / that the first day to fore the lawe / or the seconde vnder the lawe / the deuyl regned in the world / And on the thirde day of grace by the passyon of Ihesu cryste he was put out of his Royame / After in this pro­cession singulerly we calle the suffrages of alle the sayntes / And why we calle to y^e sayntes / dyuerse reasōs ben assigned here to fore / But yet ther be of the generall wherfore we praye the sayntes / Fyrst for our pouerte / and for the glo­rye of sayntes / and for the reuerence of god / For the sayntes may well knowe the vowes and the prayers of the sup­plyauntes / For in the myrrour perpetuel that is Ihesu cryste / they vnderstonde how moche it apperteyneth to theyr Ioye and to our prouffyt / Thenne the first reason is for our pouerte / and for our myse­rye / or for our defaute / we haue somme merite to thende that where our merites be not suffycient / the suffrages of sayntes may auaylle vs / or for deffaute that we haue in contemplacion of god / And that we may see parfyghtly the lyght so­uerayn that we see and beholde in his sayntes / or for the deffaulte that we haue in louyng god / For we see that some she­we more gretter affection to a saynt / than [Page xxiij] they doo to god / And suche peple be in perfyght / The second reason is for the glorye of sayntes / For god wyll that we call y^e sayntes / by cause that by their suffrages that we requyre / we gloryfye them / & the more gretly we preyse them The thirde reason is for the reuerence of god / to thende that the synners that ha­ue offended god / the which dar not ap­proche to god in theyr persones / they approche hym by the frendes of god in demandyng their suffrages / And in thyes letanyes / we ought to repete this songe of angellis / Scē deus / Scē for­tis / Scē et inmortalis miserere nobis / Item Ioh̄n damascene recordeth in his fourth book / that in Constantynoble for a trybylacion that happed there / there were letanyes made / it happed that a chyld amydde the peple was rauysshed to heuen & this cantycle he lerned there / And after thenne he retorned to the people / And in the mydde of the peple he songe it / And anon that tribula­cion ceassed / and after at the Ceene of Calcidone / this cantycle was approuued / & the cause concluded / we knowe that it is so that the fendes ben put out by thys cantycle / Sancte deus / Of this cantycle and praysyng the auctorite is approued by iiij reasons / Fyrst by cause that an angele taught it first / Secondly by cause at the prolacion and repeticion of this cantycle / that tribu­lacion ceassed / Thyrdly by cause that the sene of Calcydone approuued it / And fourtly by cause that the fendes and enemyes so moche drede and doubte it /

THascencion of our lord Ihesu cryst was the fourty day after his re­surrection / for whiche to declare / vij thynges ben to be consydered Fyrst thenne he ascen­ded / Secondly / why he ascended anon after his resurrection / Thyrdly how he ascended / Fourthly what companye ascended with hym / Fyftly by what meryte he ascended / Syxtly where he ascēded / & seuēthly werfore he ascended [Page] As to the first / he ascēded fro the moūt of olyuete by bethanye / the whiche mō ­tayne / after another relacōn / is said the mōtayne of thre lyghtes / For by nyght on the side of the west it is lyghted of the fyre that brēneth in the tēple / which neuer is put out ne quenchyd / On the mornyng it is light of thoryent / for she hath first the rayes of the sonne / byfore it shyneth in the cyte / and also it hath grete haboūdaūce of oylle y^t nourissheth the lyght / & therfor it is said the hylle of iij lyghtes / vnto this hylle Ih̄u crist cōmanded his disciples that they shold goo / For on the day of his ascēcion he appered ij tymes / one tyme / to xj disci­ples that ete in the hall where they had souped with hym / Alle the appostles & the disciples / & also the wymē abode in y^e partye of Ihrl̄m / which is said Mel­los / in the mōtayne of Syon / where da­uid had made his palais / & there was the grete hall arayed & ordeyned for to souppe / where as Ih̄u crist cōmanded y^t they shold make redy to for ete the pas­ke lābe / & in this place the xj apostles abode / & the other disciples & the wymē abode in dyuerse mansyons there aboute and whan they had eten in this halle our lord appiered to them & repreued them of their Incredulite / And whan he had eten with them / & had comā ­ded them that they shold goo to the moūt of Olyuete / on the syde by beta­nye / he appered agayn to them / and answerd to them of the demaūdes that they made to hym indiscretly / and with his handes lyft he blessyd them / & anō to fore them he ascended vnto heuen / Of the place of this ascencion saith supplicius bisshop of Ih̄rm / & it is in the glose / For there was edyfyed a chirche in the place where were made y^e signes of his ascenciō / neuer syth myght be set­te there ony pamēt / it coude not be leyde ne sette / but anone it yssued out / And the stones of the marble sprange in to the vysages of them that sette it / And that is a signe that they be stones on which cryst passed vpon whiche lye in the pouldre & duste & abyde for a tokene & signe certayn / As to the second poynt werfor he ascended not anon af­ter his resurrection / but abode xl dayes / that was for iij reesons / Fyrst for the certificacion of his resurrection / And more stronge it was to proue his resurrection than his passion / for fro the first day vnto the thirde / the passyon myght be wel preued / but to preue the veray resurrection / it required moo dayes / & therfor a gretter tyme was requyred bytwene the resurrection & thascencion / than bytwene the passyon & resurrectiō And herof saith lyon the pope in a ser­mon of thascēcion / This day the nōbre of xl dayes is complete / & dispensed by right holy ordenaunce / & to the prouffyt of our ensegnemēt & techyng / to then­de that in the space of his presence cor­porell / the faith of techyng was neces­sarye / & we ought to gyue thankynges to the dyuyne dyspensacion / for the tar­dyue creaūce of holy fadres to vs ne­cessarye / for they doubted of that / which we doubte not / Secōdly he abode for the cōsolacion of thappostles / For the cōso­lacion dyuyne surmounte the tribulaci­ons temperall / And the tyme of the passyon was the tyme of trybulacyon to thappostles / And therfor ther ought to be moo dayes vnto thascencion / than to the resurrection / Thyrdly for the mys­terye of the comparacion / for to gyue to vnderstonde / that the consolacions dyuyne ben compared to trybulacions as the day vnto an hour / and the yere vnto a daye / ¶ And that this be trew it appereth by the wrytyng / of the pro­phete ysaye / ¶ I shal preche a yere playsaunt to our lord / and a day of vengeaunce to god / ¶ Loo for one day of trybulacion / he rendrith a yere of consolacion / And that is by com­parison as the day to an hour it appie­reth by that / that our lord was deed and laye in the sepulcre xl houres / whiche was the tyme of trybulacion / And by xl dayes after his resurrection he appiered to his disciples / Whiche was the tyme of consolacion / And this saith the glose / by cause that he was fourty houres deed / After he was xl dayes lyuyng er he ascended in to heuen / As to the thirde poynt / how he ascended it appierith how that he ascendeth myghtyly / For by hys puyssaunce and vertue saith Ysaye / he ascēded in to heuen / Ysaye lxvij / And also Saynt Iohan saith / [Page xxiiij] Noman ascended in to heuen by his oune puissaunce and myght / but the sone of man that is in heuene / And how be it that he ascended in a clowde / he had no ne ned / but by cause that he wold shewe that euery creature is redy to serue his creatour / he ascended in his propre ver­tue / and in this is the difference / After that scolastica historia saith / of Ihesu crist / of Enoch and helye / For Enoch was translated / helye was born but Ihesu cryst by his owen myght is ascen­ded in to heuen after saynt gregorye / The first that is to wyte Enoch was en­gendred of a man / And he was engendryng / The seconde that is to saye Helye was engendred / & not engendryng The thirde that is to wyte Ihesu Cryst he was born / not engendryd of a man ne engendryng / Secondly he ascended openly / For seeyng his disciples he as­cended wherof is said Ioh̄is xvj / Vado ad eum qui me misit &c̄ / I goo to my fader / & none of you demaundeth / whyther gost thou / the glose saith I goo so open­ly / that noman demanded of that they sawe atte eye / And therfore he wold ascende in theyr presence / by cause they myght bere wytnesse / And that they shold enioye of that they sawe nature humayne ascende to heuene / and that they shold desire to folowe hym / Thyrdly he ascended Ioyously / For the aūgellis syngyng and enioyeng he ascended in to heuene in gladnes / wherof saith saynt Austyn / Ascendente xpristo pauet &c̄ / Ihesu cryst ascēdyng / the heuene abasshed the sterres merueylled / the companyes of heuene enioyed / the trompe sowned And alle the syeges of the playsaunt place made melodyes / ¶ Fourthly he ascended lightly wherof dauid saith / he styed vp as a gyaunt with a grete paas and moche hastely and lighly he ascēded whan he passed so grete a space in a momente / Raby moyses whiche was a gre­te philosopher reherceth that euery cercle or euery heuen of eche planete hath the thyknes and the waye of vC yere / that is to saye as one may goo in a playne waye in vC yere / And that is the distaunce by twene heuen and heuen / and bytwene cercle and cercle / after / that whiche is said so grete / and as ther bē seuen heeuenes after his sayeng fro the centre of therthe vnto the concauite of the heuen of saturne / whiche is the vij waye of vijM yere / And vnto the concauite of the eyght heuen vijM and vijC yere / that is as moche space as one shold goo in playn waye in vijM and vijC yere / yf a man myght lyue so longe / And that euery yere be of iijClxv dayes / And the way of euery day be of x [...] myle & euery myle be of two thousand paas or cubytes / And this saith Raby moyses whiche was a grete philosopher / yf it be trouthe or no / god knoweth / For he that all hath made & created in certayn nombre / in certayn poys and weyght / and in certayn mesure / he knoweth all Thenne this leep or spryngyng was gre­te that Ihesus cryst made fro therthe to heuene / Of this leep and dyuerse other leepes of Ihesu cryst / seynt ambrose saith Ihesu cryst cam in to this world to make a leep / he was with god the fader / he cam in to the virgyne marye / And fro the virgyne marye in to the crybbe or racke / he descended in to flom Iordane / he ascended vpon the crosse / he descended in to his tombe / Fro the tombe he aroos / & after ascended vp in to heuen and syt­teth on the right honde of the fader / As to the fourth poynt / is wyth whom he ascended / he ascended with a grete praye of men and grete multitude of aūgellis / And that he ascēded vp with the praye of mē it appereth by this that dauid saith Ascendisti in altum cepisti captiuitatem &c̄ / Lord thou hast ascended on hye / And hast taken them that were captiues enprisonned / and the seruytude thou hast affranchysed / And also that he ascēded with a grete multitude of angellis / it appereth by the Interrogacions that thange­lis made of the desputacions to them by­nethe / whan Ihesu cryst ascended in to heuen as ysaie recordeth ysaie lxiij / Quis est iste qui venit de edom &c̄ / Who is he that come fro edō with his clothes dyed where as saith the glose / that somme of thangellis that knewe not playnly the mysterye of thyncarnacion / of his passion and of his resurrection / that sawe our lord ascende with all a grete multi­de of angellis and of sayntes by his owen vertue / merueylled and said to thangellis that accompanyed hym / who is this that cometh fro edom / And yet [Page] they said who is this kynge of glorye &c̄ Saynt denys in the booke of gerarchye of holy angellis in the vij chapytre saith Thus semeth it that he said / that thre questions were made to thangellis whan y^t Ihesus ascended / The first were the firste to them self / The second were the pryncipalis to Ihesu Cryst / that ascended / The thirde were the lasse to the grettest / Of whiche they demaunded emong them who is this that cometh fro Edom / his clothis dyed of bosra / This worde Edom is as moche to saye as ful of blood / & this word bosra is to saye anguisshe and tribulacion / Thus as they wold haue said / who is this that cometh fro the world ful of blode / by the synne of the world / and of malyce ayenst god / And our lord answerd I am he that speketh in Iustice / ¶ And saynt denys saith thus / that he said / I am he that disputeth Iustice and rightwisnes of helthe in the redempcion of humayne lignage / he was Iustice in as moche as he that was creatour brought agayn his creatures / fro the straunge Iurisdiction / And he was rightwisnes in as moche as the enemye whiche had assaylled vs / he put & cast out of the domynacion that he had in thumayne lignage / And after this / maketh saynt denys a question / Syth the pryncypal angellis ben nyghe to god / and ben without moyen enlu / myned of god / wherfore demaunded they the one of the other / lyke as that they wold haue lerned eche of other / but he saith that gyueth this solucion / that in that they demāunde eche of other / it sheweth that they desire to knowe / And in that first emonge them they had collacion / it sheweth that they durste not auaunce them to fore the dyuyne progression / And for this first they ought to axe echeone other / by cause that paraduenture their interrogaciō were not ouer hasty vpon the illuminaciō that they had receyued of god without moyen / The second question is / And that was the first and souerayn aungele sayeng to Ihesu Cryst / Why is thy clothyng rede and thy vestymentis as troden or fulled in a presse / Our lord hath his clothyng and his body rede all couerd with blood by cause that yet whan he ascended / he had his woundee in his body / after this that bede saith / he must kepe his woundes in his body / for v reasons / and he said thus Our lord kepeth his woundes / And to the day of Iugement he shal kepe them / to thende that it conferme his resurrection / And for to praye the fader for vs / he presenteth them / to thende that the goode see the grete merci / by whiche he hath redemed them / ¶And that the wycked peple may knowe / that rightwisly they be dampned / And that eternelly / he bere with hym the signes of his gloriouse victory perpetuell / And to this question answereth our lord / Torcular calcaui &c̄ / The presse I haue torned & fowled all allone / And of all men ther was not one that wold helpe me / the presse is the crosse / in the whiche he was pressid in suche wyse that the blood sprange out / ¶ Thus Ihesu cryst called the enemye the pressour / whiche that thus had wrapped thumayne lygnage with cordes of synne / and quenchid hym so clene / that he had nothyng spi­rituel / but that it was without expressyd / And only he shewd it in the vyrgyne marye / but our champion fought so strongly / And defowled the pressour so foule / that he brake the boūdes of synne / And ascended into heuen / And after this h [...] opened the tauerne of heuen and poured out the wyne of the hooly goost / The thirde question / is the which [...] the lasse angellis made to the gretter & more in sayeng / who is this kynge of glorye / They answerd and sayde / The lord of vertues he is kynge of glorye / And of this question of thangellis and of thanswere of the other / saith saynt Austyn / Al the ayer is halowed in the companye dyuyne / ¶ And alle the tourbe of deuellis fleyng in thayer fledde bacward whan Ihesu cryst ascended / to whome thaungellis that were in the company of god ranne / And demaunded / who is this kynge of glorye / And they answerd / this is he that was whyte and colourd as a rose / the whiche was seen without colour / and wythoute beaute / Seke in the tree / stronge in his despoylle Fowll reputed in his body / wel armed in the batayll / styngyng in his deth / Fair in his resurrection / whyte born̄ of the virgyne / Rede in the crosse / pale in repreuys / / And clere in heuene / [Page xxv] As to the fyfte / it is for what merite he ascended / And we ought to vnder­stonde that he ascended in treble meryte / wherof saith saynt Iherome / Ihesu cryst ascended in meryte of trouth / For that which had be promysed by prophetes / he fulfyllyd in merite of humylyte & debonayrte / For lyke as he was sacre­fyed lyke a lombe / for the lyf of the peple in meryte of Iustice / But by Ius­tyce / and not only by puyssaunce / but by Iustyce and by ryght thou hast delyured man / and I haue withholden of thy puyssaunce / And thy vertue shal brynge the to heuen / this said god the fader to the sone / As to the sixthe that is whither he ascended / it ought to be knowen / that he ascended aboue alle the heuenes / as thappostle saith ad ephesi­os quarto / He that descended fro heuen that is he that ascended aboue alle the heuenes / by cause he fufylled all thyn­ges / he said aboue alle the h [...]uenes / by cause ther be many heuenes aboue whiche he ascended / ¶ There is an heuene materiel / an heuene racionel / an he­uen Intellectuel / and an heuene substā ­cyall / Ther ben many heuenes materyel The heuē of thayer / which is called ae­reū / one other called ethereū / Anothe [...] ol [...]imperiū / another igneū / another side­reū / another crystallinum / and another empireū / The heuē resonable is the man Iuste / whiche is said Iuste by cause of the dyuyne habytacion / For lyke as heuene is the sete of god as the prophete ysaye sayth Clū uiichi sedes est / our lord saith that the heuene is his sete / reght so is the soule of a rightwis man lyke as salomon saith / The soule of a rightwis man is the sete of sapyēce / by reason of the holy cōuersacion / For the sayntes by holy cōuersacion and desyre dwelle in heuen as saith saynt poul our cōuersacion is in heuē / by cause of cōtynuell oꝑacion in vertue / For lyke as the heuenes moue contynuelly with­out restyng / in suche maner the seyntes moeue alway by good werkes / The heuen intellectuell / bē thaūgellis / & thaū ­gellis bē called heuē / by y^e reasō of dyg­nyte & of their vnderstondyng / wherof saith saynt denys in the boke of dy­uyne names in the iiij chapitre The dy­uyne spirites & the aungelles bē aboue the creatares which bē & lyue aboue all thynges that lyue & vnderstonde / and knowe aboue alle other wittes / & rea­sons / & more than alle other thynges y^t been in beyng / they desire wele & good / of which they be ꝑticipaūt / that is god Secondly they ben right fair by cause of thir nature / and of their glorye / of which beaute sayth saynt denys in the boke tofore alleged / Thangel is the manyfestacion of dedes & wyll of god by whom they be shewd / and he is the cle­renes of derke light / he is a myrour pure & right clere / without receyunyg of ony fylth or spotte in hym / yf it be leef­full to saye he is the beaute & the com­formyte of the bounte of god / Thirdly they be right stronge / by cause of theyr vertue & myght / of which strenght / saith Ioh̄n damascene in his second bo­ke the viij chapytre / where he saith / Fortes sunt et parati &c̄ / The angellis of god ben stronge and alway redy to fulfyl the wyll of god / And they be found alleway anon where god wille haue them / The heuen hath iij cōdicions It is right hye / ryght fayr / and right strōge / Of ij the first saith salomō / eccle­siastici xliij / The firmam̄t is the beaute of the height / & the beaute of heuē is in y^e sigght of glorye / The heuene is substā ciall / that is the qualite of the dyuyne exellence of Ih̄u crist cā / & after this he ascended / wherof dauid saith / A summo celo egressio eius &c̄ / Fro the hye & souerayn heuē the sone of god descended / & ascēded agayn vnto the soue­rayn heyght / the qualite of the dyuyne excellence / & that he ascēded aboue all y^e heuenes materiell / dauid sayd it clerely whiche said / Eleuata est magnyficen­cia tua suꝑ celos / lord god thy magny­ficēce is left vp & eleuate aboue all the heuenes / materiell / he ascēded vnto the heuen where god the fader sitteth / not lyke vnto helye / which ascendeth in a chare of fyre vnto a hye regiō / Fro whens he was translated in to pa­radis terrestre / he wente no ferther / but Ih̄u Cryst ascended in the hyest heuē / that is callid celum empireum / whiche is the propre habitaciō of god of than­gellis / and of the sayntes / And this habitacion properly apperteyneth to dwellars / for this heuene aboue [Page] alle other heuenes hath excellence in dyuinyte / in priorite / in situacion / and circumference / ¶And thefore it is conue­ment / of Ihesu Cryste / whiche all the he­uenes of intelligence and rasonable sur­mounteth in dyuynyte / in eternite / in situacion / of inmobylyte / and in circū ­ference / of puissance / semblably it is thabitacion of sayntes / of good congruite / For that heuen is wythout difformy­te / vnmeuable of parfyght lyght / and of capacite without mesure / And ryght­fully it apperteyneth vnto angelis and vnto sayntes / whiche were alle one in operacion / vnmeuable in dilection shynyng in the fayth and in knoweleche of grete capacite in receyuyng the holy ghoost / / It appiereth by this scrypture that saith in the cantycles / Loo this is he that comyth lepyng in the montaynes and ouerpassyng the hylles / And who that ascended aboue all the heuenes of intelligēce / that is to saye aboue thangellis appyereth by dauid that saith he ascended aboue the cherubyn-whiche is as moche to saye as the plenytude of scyence / and flewe vpon the pennes of the wyndes / And who ascended aboue vnto the heuen substancyall / that is to thequalyte of god the fader / it appiereth by the gospell of marke / Marci vltimo / Dominus qui dem Ihesus xpristus &c̄ / ¶ Syth that our lord had spoken to his disciples he was sette in heuene on the ryght side of god / wherof saith saynt bernard / to my lord Ihesu cryst it is said syngu­lerly / and gyuen of my lord god the fader / that he sytte on the ryght side of his glorye / In glorye in essence consub­stanciall by generacion / semblable of mageste / and nothyng vnlyke and of eternyte semblable / Now may we saye that Ihesus in his ascencion was right hye of iiij maners of heyght / that is to wyte of place / of remuneracion of reward / of knowleche / and of vertualyte or strengthe / ¶ Of the fyrst saith thappostle ad ephesios / He that descended / hyther doun / that is he that ascended aboue alle the he­uenes / Of the seconde ad ephesios secundo He was made obedient vnto the deth / Where saynt Austyn saith / The humy­lyte of clerenes is the meryte / and the clerenes of mekenes is the mede or re­ward / mekenes is the merite of clerenes And clerenes is the reward of meke­nes / Of the thyrde saith dauid / Ascendit super cherubin / he ascended aboue cherubyn / that is aboue the plenytude of science and of knowleche / / Of the fourth it appiereth / for as it is wreton / he ascended aboue Seraphin / whiche is in­terpreted the strengthe of god / And we ought to knowe / that of his Ascencion / we haue nyne fruytes prouffytable / Tle fyrst is thabytacion of the loue of god / wherof is said in the gos­pel / Iohannis xvj / Nisi enim abiero &c̄ / But yf I shal goo / the holy ghoost shal not come to you / where saith saynt Au­styn / yf ye seche me by flesshly loue ye may not cōprehende the holy ghoost which is spyrituelle loue / The seconde is the more gretter knowleche of god / wherof saith saynt Ioh̄n in the gospel / yf ye lo­ue me wel / ye shal haue grete Ioye / For I goo to my fader / For he is gretter than I am / where saith saynt austyn / I shal withdrawe this forme of huma­nyte / in whiche my fader is more gretter than I / as to that ye may see god / The thirde fruyt is the meryte of the faith of whom saith saynt lyon the pope in a sermon of thascencion / Thenne began the fayth more certayn tapproche / whiche techeth vs the sone to be egall to the fa­der and semblable / and as to the body substancyall of Ihesu cryst / of whiche he is lasse than the fader / and wherof he had no nede / And this vigour is of grete courage and ferme without doubte for to byleue that / whiche is not seen at eye / and to affyxe the desyres that may not be beholden / And saynt austyn saith He ascended as a gyant to renne in his waye and taryed not / but he ranne cry­eng by voys / by wordes / by dedes / by deth / by lyf / by descendyng / and by ascendyng in cryeng that we shold retorne to hym by good he [...]te / that we may fynde hym / The fourth is oure surete therfore ascended Ihesu cryst in to heuen for to be oure aduocate to god the fader And we ought to holde vs wel assured whan we haue suche aduocate to god the fader / and this witnesseth to vs saynt Ioh̄n that saith in his canonne / we haue aduocate the fader / Ih̄ū Cryst whiche is mercyful to vs for our synnes / and of this surete saith seynt bernard / O man [Page xxvj] saith he we haue a sure goynge or a co­myng to god the fader / where the moder is to fore the sone / to whome she she­weth her breste and her pappes / And the sone sheweth to the fader his side and his woundes Thenne we may not be put away / where we haue so many signes of loue and of charite / ¶The fyfte is our dygnyte / a grete dygny­te haue we goten / whan our nature is lyfte vp vnto the right side of the fader / wherof thangellis of heuen consi­deryng that / deffended for to be wor­shyped of man / Apocalipsis xix / Saynt Iohan wold haue worshippid thangele that spack to hym / and thangele deffended hym in sayeng / Beware the that thou doo not so / For I am thy brother and thy seruaunt / where as the glose saith / that in the old lawe / he defended not to be worshipped of mā but after thascencion whan he sawe mā lyft vp aboue hym / ¶ And of this saynt lyon saith in a sermon of thascen­cion / This day the nature of our hu­manyte hath be born aboue the heyght of all puyssaunces vnto where as god the fader sitteth / as that it shold se­me more merueyllous / whan it is se­en that it is moche ferre fro men / so mo­che more shewe they the reuerence and thonour that they haue /

And herof the faith mystrust not / ne hope slaketh not ne charyte amynys­shith not / The syxthe is the stedfastnes and fermete of our faith / wherof saith saynt poul ad hebreos sexto / To Ihesu cryst we renne for refuge / for to kepe the hope that hath be delyuerd to vs / as an ancre / whiche is ferme to the sowle and sure / whiche ledeth to wythin he­uen / where Ihesu cryst byfore vs en­tred / And saynt lyon saith thus / the Ascencion of Ihesu cryst / is our mountyng and lyftyng vp / And where the Ioye of our hede is / there abydeth the hope of our body / [...] The seuenth is the shewyng of the waye of heuen / wherof sayth Mychee the prophete he ascended to shewe vs the way / And saynt Austyn saith / Thy sauy­our hath made the way to the / Aryse thou / and goo thyder / For thou hast that thou entendeste be not now slouth­full / The viij is the openyng of the yate of heuen / for lyke as adam opened y^e yate of helle / in lykewise Ih̄u crist opened the yate of heuene as the chirch syngeth Lord god Ihesu cryst / thou art he that hast ouercome the pry [...]k of deth / that is the deuyll / and hast ope­ned the royame of heuen to them that byleue in the / The ix is the preparaciō of the newe place / wherof Ihesus saith in the gospell of Ioh̄n / I goo for to make redy your place in heuene / And saynt Austyn sayth / Lord araye that thou hast made redy / Thou arayest vs lord to the / and thou arayest the to vs / whan thou makest redy the pla­ce / to thende / that to the in vs / and in the to vs may be the preperacion of the place / and the mansion of the euer lastyng helth /

Amen

THe holy ghoost / as wytnessheth saynt luke in thystorye of thactes of thappostles / on this day was sente to thappostles in the fourme & lyknes of tongues of fyre / And of this sen­dyng & comyng / viij thynges ben to be considered / Fyrst fro whō he was sente Secōdly in hou many maners he was sēte / Thirdly in what tyme he was sēte Fourtly how ofte he was sēte to thap­postlis / Fyftly in what wyse he was sente / Syxtly in to whō he was sente / Seuently wherfor he was sente / And eyghtly by whome he was sente / As to the first / it is to wete / that he was sente fro the fader / & fro the sone he was sente & he also hym self the holy goost gaf & sente hym self / Of the first saith saynt Ioh̄n Ioh̄is xiiij / The holy ghoost which is said paraclitus / whō god the fader shal sende in my name / This is he that shal teche vs alle / Of the secōd saith saynt Ioh̄n / yf I goo saith Ih̄us / I shal sende hym to you / Now it is to wyte / that the sendyng is cōpared in thre maners to the sendar / First as he that gy­ueth beyng in his substaūce / & in this maner the sonne gyueth his rayes or bemes / Secōdly as in gyuyng vertu or strengthe / and so is the darte gyuen by the vertue & str [...]engthe of hym that cas­teth it / Thirdly to hym that gyueth his iurisdictiō to another / & thus the messager is sente frō hym / of whoō he hath y^e comandem̄t / & after thyse iij maners the holy ghoost may be said to be sente / For it is said sent of the fader & of the so­ne / as hauyng vertu & auctorite in his operaciō / not withstondyng hym self gyueth & sendeth hym / The whiche thyng semeth to be verytable after this that the gospel of Ioh̄n saith / Iohannis decimosexto / Cum venerit ille spiri­tus veritatis &c̄ / ¶ Whan the spyrite of trouth shal come / whiche procedeth fro the fader / he shal bere wytnes of me that he cometh fro me / Now sayth saynt lyon in a sermō of the pentecoste / The Incomutable deyte of the blessyd trynyte / is wythout ony chaungyng one in substaunce / not dyuyded in operacion alle one in wylle / lyke / in omnypotencye / egalle in glorye and in hys mercy / he hath taken to hym self the werke of our redempcion that the fader be to vs mercyful / the sone to vs proufytable / and god the holy ghoost enflawme vs / ¶ And by cause that the holy ghoost is god / therfore he gyueth hym self / And that this is trewe / Saynt Ambrose in the booke of tholy ghoost sayth thus / The glorye of the diuynyte is approw­ued by iiij reasōs / or for he is without [Page xxvij] synne / or for that he leueth the synnes / or for that he is creatour / & not creature or for that he worshiped none / but he is worshippid / & in that is shewed to vs / that the blessid trynyte was all gyuen to vs For the fader hath offred all that he had / as saith saynt austyn / he hath sente to vs his sone in prys of oure redēpcion / & the holy ghoost in signe of our adopciō / Semblably the sone of god / hath gyuē hym self vnto vs For thus saith saynt bernard / he is our pastour / he is our pasture / & he is our redēpcion For he gaf his soule in pris of our re­dēpcion / his blood in to drynk / his flesh in to mete / & his dyuynyte in to fynal reward / Sēblably the holy ghoost gaf hym self alle to vs / lyke as thapostle saith / by y^e holy goost is gyuē the word of sapiēce to one / to another of sciēce / & thus of all graces particuler is gyuen by the same holy ghoost / and herof saith saynt lyon the [...] / The holy ghoost is thynspyrer of the faith / gyuer of sciēce techer of chastete / & cause of all helthe / As to the secōd / he is sente in iiij ma­ners / that is to wete / that the holy ghoost in ij maners / Inuysebly & vysebly As touchyng in to the hert [...]s pure and chast he descended vysybyly / whan by somme signe vysyble he is shewed / ¶ Of the sendyng Inuy­syble saith saynt Ioh̄n / Iohannis iij. Spiritus vbi wlt spirat / The holy ghoost where he will he Inspyreth the hertes / but thou knowest not whens he cometh / ne whither he wille goo / And it is no merueylle / ¶ For as saynt bernard saith of this word niuysyble / he is not entred by the eyen for he is not couloured / ne by the eeres for he sowneth not / ne by the nose­threlles / ¶ For he is not medled with the ayer / ne he entreth not by the conduyte of the mouth / For he may not be swolowed ne by the felyng or attouchyng / For he is not manya­ble ne may not be handlyd Thou demaundest thenne yf he hath sought ony place naturelle or humayne by whiche thou mygktest knowe that he be comen in to the / Knowe thou saith saynt benrard / that of the [...] moeuyng of the herte / I haue vn­derstande by his presence / And by the fleyng of vyces / I haue felte the vertu of his puyssaunce And by the discuscion & repreuyng of my synnes hydde I am amer­uaylled of the depnesse of sapyence And of thamendement of my ma­ners how lytyl and smale that they be / I haue experience of the bounte of his mansnetude and of the reformacion and renouacion of the spirite of my herte / I haue perced the thyk­nes and the noblenes of his beaute / And of the regard and consideraciō of all thise thynges / I am abasshid of the multitude of his gretnes / The sendyng vysible / whan it is in ony signe visible it sheweth / And it is to wete that in fyue sig­nes visible / the holy ghoost is sente & shewed / First in signe of a douue vpon Ih̄u cryst whā he was baptised / luce iij y^e holy ghoost descēded in bodyly lykne [...] of a douue vpō hym Secōdly in lyk­nes of a fair clowde & clere vpon Ihesu crist at his trāsfiguraciō mathei xvij / [...] he ye tspekyng a bryght clowde shado­wed them / this was vpon y^e moūt thabor / where Ihesu cryst spack with saynt Petir Iames and Iohan And thus as he spack ther descended a clere clowde that couerd hem alle / whe­re as the glose saiththus / ¶ Whan Ihesu cryst was baptysed / and also whan he was clarefyed the mysterye of the trynyte was shewde / The holy ghoost was shewed atte baptesme in lyknes of a douue / & in the hylle in lyknes of a clere montaygne & clowde Thyrdly he was sheewde in lyknes of a blowyng or a blaste / as saith saynt Iohan / Iohannis vicesimo / He brethed and blewe on them and said Take ye the holy ghoost in yow / of whom ye foryeue the synnes / they shal be foryeuen / ¶ And of whom ye re­teyne the synnes / they shal be re­teyned / ¶ Fourthly in lyk­nes of fyre Fyftly in lyknes of tongues / And in thyse two maners he appiered to vs to gyue vs to vn­derstonde / that the propretees of the tongue and of fyre he putteth in the hertes / where he descendeth / The douue hath wayllyng for his [...]nge / she hath no galle / she maketh her [Page] hows in an hole / or in a walle of stone / And thus the holy ghoost / them that he replenessheth / he maketh them to waylle for theyr synnes / Wherof saith Ysaye the prophete / Ysaye lix / we all shal rore ly­ke beres / and waylle lyke dowues in thynkyng humbly and bytterly how we haue erred ayenst the scripture / And for this comforteth vs thappostle seynt poul / ad Romanos viij / The holy ghoost ceasseth not to praye for vs / in moe­uyng vs to wayllynges without nom­bre / for our synnes whyche ben without nombre / Secondly the douues ben with­out galle / And the holy ghoost maketh them suche / where he descendeth / ¶ For that is his nature / Wherof saith the wyse man / Sapiencie xij / O quam bonus et suauis &c̄ / O lord god how moche good and swete is this spyrite in vs Item in the same place / he is called swete / benygne / and humayne / of that he maketh vs benygne and humayn that is to wete swete in worde / benygne in herte and humayne in werke / ¶ Thyrdly the douues dwelle within the holes of walles of stone / that is to saye / in the woundes of Ihesu cryst / he maketh them dwelle / that he fulfylleth / wherof it is said in the cantykes / Cantico (rum) ij / Aryse thou my spouse / my loue / and my douue my spouse and loue / that is a deuoute soule / & come my douue / for to nourysshe smale pygeons in the holes of the walle that is in the woundes of our lord / whe­rof saynt Iherome saith / Spiritus oris nostri &c̄ thus as he wold saye / the spi­rite that is of our mouthe / that is Ihesu cryst / For he is our mouth / and our flesshe maketh vs saye to cryst / In thyn vmbre / that is in thy passion in whiche Ihesu cryst was obscure. derke: and despyted / we shal lyue by contynuel me­morye / Secondly he was shewd in lyknes of a clowde / The clowde is lyft vp fro therthe / by vertue of the sonne / And nourysshith and engendryth rayn And refresshyth and coleth thayer and therthe / ¶ Thus the holy ghoost / them that he replenesshith he lyfteth fro therthe for to despyse therthely thynges / as saith the prophete / Ezechiel / ¶ The holy ghoost hath lyft me in to the ayer by­twene heuene and erthe / and hath brought me in to Iherusalem in the vysiō of god Secondly he refressheth therthe that is the hertes / ayenst the dryenesse of brennyng of vices / ¶ And of this was said to the virgyne marye / Spiritus sanctus superuemet in te: etc̄ The holy ghoost shal come in the / And the vertu of hym that is hyest shal sha­dowe the / and fro alle ardour of vices shal cole the / ¶ And the holy ghoost is called water / by cause that water hath the vertue and nature to refresshe & cole / wherof saith saynt Ioh̄n theuan­gelyst / Fro the holy ghoost the flodes of lyuyng water shal renne / ¶ And that same saith he of the holy goost / whiche thappostles receyued and of them that receyuyd hym / ¶ For the ryuers ran thurgh all the world vpon them that byleuyd in god / ¶ Thyrdly he engendryth rayne / the whiche descendeth by dropes / ¶ And this is that dauid saith / The holy ghoost shal blowe / and make waters to flowe / that is to saye by the teeris comyng fro the herte droppyng fro the eyen / ¶ Fourthly he is shewd in lyknes of breth / whiche is a spyrite of the herte / whiche is cast out by the mouth / whiche is lyght / hote / Swete / and necessarye to brethe with Thus the holy ghoost is lyght to be shedde / in to a man / he is most swyf­te of ony thynge that is moeuable / as the glose saith vpon this worde / factus est repente de celo sonus et cetera / At the comyng of the holy ghoost / he made moeuyng as of thondre / and of wynde / vehement and sodayn and fulfyllyd alle the hows / where thap­postlis saten / whyche abode hym in gre­te deuocion / ¶ For the grace of the ho­ly ghoost / wrought not in his operaciō of space / ne of tyme / but he had sodeyn mocyon / ¶ Secondly he is hoote for to enflamme the hertes / wherof Ihe­su cryst saith / I am comen to [...]ast fyre in therthe / but this is that brenneth and enflammeth the hertes / And is compared to wynde whiche is hote / whe­rof is said in the canticles / Vem au­ster et perfla ortum meum / ¶ Come wynde of the south and blowe in my gardyn / that is my sowle / Thyrdly he is swete / for to make swete the hertes and therfore he is named by the name of vnxyō y^e swete vnxion of hym techeth vs [Page xxviij] whiche apperteyneth to our helthe / And it is named by name of dewe / wherof syngeth holy chirche / Et sui roris as percione fecundet / where she prayeth that the asperciō and spryngyng of the dewe make our hertes to growe in vertues and also by space of tyme stylle and calme / After the stroke of the fyre descended a swete sowne of ayer softe and smalle / And ther was our lord / Fourthly it is necessarye to brethe in suche manere / that yf it myght not yssue out of the mouthe / that he myght not brethe / anon̄ the man shold deye / And thus shold we vnderstande of the holy ghoost / after this that dauid saith Auferes spiritum eorum et deficient / et in puluerem etc̄ / lord god as sone as thou shalt take awaye theyr spyryte / they shal faylle / And therfore saith he / Emitte spiritum tuum &c̄ / Lord god sende thy spiryte in to thē and they shal be created by spyrituel lyf and be renewed / For the holy ghoost is he that gyueth lyf / Fourthly he was shewed in the lyknes of fyre /

Fyftly in lyknes of tongues / And the cause for whyche he appiered in thyes two maners / I shal here after saye / As to the thirde pryncypal in whiche tyme he was sent / he was on the fyfty daye sent after ester for to gyue to vs knowleche that the holy ghoost cam / And it is the perfection of the lawe / the remuneraciō perdurable / and the remyssion of synnes it appiereth of the perfection of the lawe For fro the daye that the lābe was sacre­fied in that old lawe / the lawe was delyuerd the fyfty day after y^t / as the chirche saith in fyre And also in the newe testamēt / fyfty dayes after ester descended the holy ghoost on the mount of syon in lyknes of fyre / lyke as the lawe was gyue in the hyest of the mount of Synay / so the holy ghoost in the solier where y^e soup­per of Ihesu cryst and of his appostles was made / ¶ In this appiereth that the holy ghoost is the perfection of all the lawe / ¶ For in that is the plenytude of dilection / Secondly the perdurable re­muneracion is in the holy ghoost / wherof the glose saith thus / that the fourty dayes in whiche our lord conuersed with his disciples / signfeye the holy chirche / also the fyfty day / on whiche the holy ghoost was gyuen expressheth the peny of the last retrybucion / and reward perdurable / ¶ Thirdly of the holy ghoost is the remyssyon of synnes / as saith the glose / Therfore it was gyuen in the fyfty day / by cause in the fyfty yere was the Iubylee / and alle thyng pardonned And by the holy ghoost the synnes ben pardonned / ¶ And it foloweth in the glose / In the Iubylee spyrytuel / the prysonners ben delyuerd / the debtes ben quyted / the exyled ben repelled and called home / therytages ben ren­dryd / And the bonde men ben rendred from theyr seruytud and made free / And the gylty of deth ben made quyte and delyuerd / wherof saith scynt poul The lawe of the spyryte of lyf in Ihesu Cryst hath delyuerd me fro the lawe of synne and of deth / ¶ After the dettes of synne be left / for charyte couerith & quenchith grete multytude of synnes / The exiled men ben callyd home / And the prophete saith / Spiritus tuus bonus &c̄ / Lord thy / good spirite hath brought me in to the right londe of my contree / that is in to heuen /

The herytage lost is rendrid / wherof saith saynt poul / The holy ghoost had gyuen wytnes to our spyryte that we ben the sones of god / ¶ And yf we be sones we be heyres / whiche were seruauntes to synne we be made free to god / For where the holy ghoost is / there is fraunchyse and lyberte / As touchyng the fourthe / how ofte he was sente to thappostles / after that the glose saith / he was gyuen to them by thre tymes / that is to wete to fore the passion of Ihesu cryste / after the resurrection / and after thascencion / Fyrst [...]o doo myracles Secondly to relece the synnes / And thyrdly to conferme the hertres /

Fyrst whan he sente them to preche / and to caste fendes out of bodyes / and to hele the seke malades / he gaf to them the puissaunce / ¶ And thise meruaylles dyde they by the holy ghoost / Neuertheles it is not consequent that who som euer haue the holy ghoost doo myracles / For / saynt gregory saith the myracles maketh not a man holy / but shewe hym holy / ne also euery man that doth myracles hath not the holy ghoost /

For euyl peple auaunte them to haue don myracles sayeng / lord lord saye [Page] they haue not wel prophesyed in thy name / thou hast gyuen to vs the spyryte of prophesye / God doth myracles by his angellys by mater amyable that they haue / And the fendes by vertues natu­rall / whiche ben in thynges created na­turelly / And thenchaunter by helpe of fendes / The good crysten man by Iusty­ce publyque / The euyl crysten man by signes of Iustyce / Secondly they had the holy ghoost / whan he brethed on thē sayeng / take ye the holy goost in to you to whome ye loose their synnes they shal be loosed / and of whome ye reteyne / they shal be reteyned / Neuertheles none sauf god may foryeue synnes / as to the synne that is in the soule / and whiche is thobligaciion to payne pardurable or as to thoffence of god / the whiche is only foryeuen by the Infusion of the grace of god / and by the force and vertue of c [...]ntricion / neuertheles we saye that the preest assoylleth of synnes / as for that he is Insynued or sheweth that the syn­ner is assoylled of god / as to that / that the payne that shold be perpetuel / he chaū geth in to temporal of purgatorye / and also for that the payne temporal is dewe he releceth partye / Thyrdly the holy gho­ost was gyuē to them on this day / whan he confermed so theyr hertes / that they dredde no tormente / by the vertue of the hooly ghoost whiche all ouercometh / wherof saith saynt Austyn / Suche is the grace of the holy ghoost / that yf he fynde heuynesse in the herte / he breketh it yf he fynde desyre of euyll / he destroyeth it / yf he fynde vayne drede / he caste it out / And Saynt lyon the pope saith / the holy gho­ost was hoped of thappostles / not for thē fyrste he had enhabited in them / but by cause that the hertes to hym sacred and dedyed more shold vysite them / and more habundantly by grace shold abyde in encreacyng his yeftes not thenne bygon of whiche he was not newly shewyng his operacion / For hys largesse passed all habondaunce / As to the fyfthe / that is to wite how he was sente / it is to be knowen / that he was sente / wyth grete sowne in tongues of fyre / the whiche tongues appiered syttyng / And the sowne was sodeyn fro heuen vehement / and shynyng / It was sodeyn / For he had no nede of space temporell / It was fro he­uen / For he made them celestyall that he re [...]lenesshyd / vehement / For he gaf drede of loue / or for that / that he toke away the sorow perdurable / whiche is maledic­tion / or for that / that he bare the herte out of carnall loue / also he was replenesshyng / Fo [...] he fulfyled all thappostles as saith saynt luc / Repleti sunt omnes spiritu sancto / And it is to wete that ther ben iij signes of replenyssyng that were in thappostles / The first is that the place where he is yeueth no sowne / lyke a tonne of wyn that is full / to this purpoos spekyth Iob / Shal not the oxe crye and rore / whan the racke is ful / The oxe shall not bowe ne crye whan the cryb­be shal be full / lyke as he wold saye / Whā the herte is ful of grace / hym ought not grudche by impacience / This signe had thappostles / For in the tribulacion that they had / they resowned not ne grudched by Impacience / but Ioyously wente to the presence of the tyrauntes to pryson and to tormentes / The seconde signe is that he may receyue nomore / ellis he were not full / In this maner he that is all fylled demandeth nomore / In lyke wyse the sayntes that haue plenytude of grace / may receyue none other licour of erthely delectacion / ¶And by cause they haue tasted the swetnes of heuen they haue none appetyte to the erthe­ly delectacions / wherof saith saynt Au­styn / who so drynketh one drope of delyces of paradys / the whiche one drope is gretter / than all the see occean / whiche ought to be vnderstōde / that all the thurst of this world is in hym extyncte / And this signe had thappostles / whiche wold haue none of the goodes of this world in propre / but put it all in comyn The thirde signe / is for to renne ouer out / as it appierith by a Ryuer whiche aryseth and renneth ouer his bankes / As salamon saith / whiche fyllyth as phison wysedom / This flode or ryuer phison / of his nature ariseth and spryngeth ouer / and watreth and arrouseth the bonde aboute hym / In lyke wyse thappostles began to sprede abrode / For after they had receyued the holy ghoost they began to speke dyuerse langages / where the glose saith / that / that was the signe of plenytude / For the vessell full shedeth ouer / as it appiereth of saynt [Page xxix] Peter / For anone as he began to preche he [...]nuerted thre thousand / Secondly he was sente in tongues of fyre / And here be thre thynges to be considered / First for whom he was sente conioynctly in the tongues of fyre / Secondly wher­fore he was sente in tongues of fyre more than in another element / ¶Thirdly wherfor he was sente in tōgues more / thā in another membre / As to the first / for thre reasons he was sent and appiered in tongues of fyre / to thende that their wordes shold enflamme the hertes / Second­ly that they shold preche the fyry lawe of god / Thirdly that they shold knowe that the holy ghoost whiche is fyre spack in them / And that they shold doubte nothyng / And by cause alle men shold here the wordes of god / And they shold attrybue ne take to them self that they conuerted by theyr predicacion / but by the wordes of god / ¶ Of the second we ought to knowe that he was sent in lyknes of fyre for many reasons / The first is taken after the seuen vertues of grace / The holy ghoost cam in the maner of fy­re for to make meke hyghe thynges by the yefte of drede / he amolyfyeth and softeth hard thynges by the yefte of pyte he illumyneth hard thynges by y^e yefte of sciēce / he restrayneth the flodes of vices by the yefte of counseyl / he affermeth and consolideth softe thynges by the yefte of str [...]ngthe / he clereth the ruste of synne by the yefte of vnderstandyng / he draweth vp the creatures by the yeft of sapience / The second reason is taken after his dignyte and excellence / the fyre surmounteth and excedeth all other elementes in beaute / in ordre / and in vertue / In beaute by cause of the fayrnes of lyght / In ordre by cause of his situacion / In vertu / by cause of vigour in operacion / In lyke wyse the holy ghoost in thyse iij thynges excedeth all For the first he is said the holy ghoost pure without fylthe / For the second / holy ghoost whiche compriseth all other spyrites of vnderstondyng / by his incomprehensibilite / For the thirde he is said holy goost hauyng alle vertue for he is Invyncyble For he hath all strength seeyng all thynges fro ferre / The third reason is taken as to hys manyfold ef­fecte And this reason assigneth Rabanus sayeng that the fyre hath iiij vertues or natures / It brenneth / it purgeth / it chauffeth / and it lighteth / In lyke wyse the holy ghoost brenneth the synnes / he purgeth the hertes / he casteth away alle coldnes and drede of the hertes / And he enlumyneth theym that ben ignoraūt Of the first saith zacharye the prophete / He broyleth and brenneth the h [...]rtes / as the fyre brenneth the syluer / Also dauid sayd / Lord I praye the brenne my reynes and my herte / and drye them fro all synne / he purgeth also the hertes / after that as saith ysaye / Whan our lord had wasshe away the fylthes of the dough­ters of syon / & hath purged the blood of Iherusalem fro the myddle of hym / in the spiryte of Iugement / and in the spyryte of brennyng / thenne shal they be in sauete and surete / and kepte ayenst all tempeste / And the prophete speketh of the purgacion that shall be made atte laste / whan all shal be purged pure & clene that shal goo in to heuen / he casteth out also all coldenes and pusyllanymyte of the hertes / wherof thappostle saith / Be ye feruent in spyryte / that is of her­te / the whiche thyng the holy ghoost maketh / whan he espriseth hym of hys loue And herof saith saynt gregory / The holy goost appyered in fire for alle the her­tes whiche he replenessid / and voyded the coldnes of fere / and enflamed them with desyre of the glorye perdurable / He enlumyned also the ygnorauntes / whe­rof sayth the wyse man / Lord god who shal knowe thy sciēce / yf thou gyue not thy sapience and sende to vs thyn holy spyryte from aboue / that is he that all enseyneth and techeth / The fourthe reason is taken after the nature of hys loue / Loue is sygnefied by the fire for iij cau­ses / The first cause is / for the fire is al­way moeuyng / So is it of the holy goost / For them that he replenesshith / he maketh them to be in contynuel moe­uyng of good operacion / wherof saith saynt gregory / The loue of god is neuer ydle / as longe as it is in the herte of a deuoute persone / it fructyfyeth / And it fructyfyeth not / it is a signe that it is not there The seconde is / For the fyre emonge al the other elementis hath but lytle matere / but stronge vertue in operacion it hath in his qualite / Thus the holy ghoost whom he replenesseth maketh [Page] them to haue but lytle ne lot [...] erthely thynges / and gretly to spyrituel thynges in so mochethey loue not worldly thynges more wordly / but spyrytuelly / Saynt bernard putteth iiij maners of loue / y^t is to wete to loue y^e world flesshly / the spyrite flesshly / the flessh spyrituelly / & the spyryte spyrytuelly / The thirde cause is for that the fyre abassheth and meketh the thyn­ges hye / he hath tendede on hye thynges despercled to vnye them / and them despercled to beynge to gydre / And by thyes thre thynges ben vnderstonden thre ver / tues of loue / For as saith saynt denys in the book of the names dyuyne / the fyre hath iij vertues ¶ For he enclyneth the hye thynges doun / he lyfteth the thynges lowe in heyght / he ordeyneth the thynges egall to theyr ordenaunce / And thyse thre thynges maketh the holy ghoost in them that he replenesshyth / For he enclyneth them by humylyte / he lyfte them vp in desyre of hye thynges / And ordey­neth them to gydre by vnyte of maners Thyrdly he apyered in lyknes of a ton­gue more than in an nother membre / And for iij reasons / The tongue is the membre that is enflamed of the fyre of helle / and is of grete dyffyculte to go­uerne / And proufytable whan it is wel gouerned / And by cause that the tongue was enflamed of the fyre of hel­le / she hadde nede that the holy ghoost shold come tenflame it / as saith saynt Iames / It is the fyre of the holy gho­ost / and by cause it is euyl and lyght­ly gouerned / she hath the more nede / For after that / that saynt Iames saith in his cronycle / ¶ All nature of bestes of byrdes and of serpens ben maystryed and ruled by man / but the tongue may not be maystryed / And by cause it is a membre proufytable whan it is wel go­uerned Therfore he had nede of the ho­ly ghoost that shold gouerne it / he appiered also in a tongue whiche is moche ne­cessarye / To prechours he is necessarye For he maketh them to speke feruently withoute drede / and therfore he was in that lyknes / as saith saynt bernard / The holy ghoost descended vpon the disci­ples in tongues of fyre / to thende that they shold preche and speke the lawe of the tongues of fyre / ¶ The holy glooost also maketh them to speke and preche hardyly and constan [...]ly / as saynt luc saith in thactes of thappostles / They were alle replenesshyd with the holy ghoost / and begonne to speke wyth hardynesse the word of god / he maketh them also to speke in many maners / for the grete and dyuerse multytude of hierers / And therfore it is said / they began to speke wyth dyuerse tongues / in suche wyse as the holy ghoost admynystred to them / he made them also to preche prouffytably to the edyfycacyon of the peple / wherof saith ysaye / The holy ghoost is descended vpō me and hath enoynted me with his grace / wherof he had made my wordes play­saunt and prouffytable to thelthe of creatures / ¶ Thyrdly the tongues appiered syttyng / in signefyeng that he was necessarye to prefidentes and Iuges / For he gyueth auctoryte for to pardone & to foryeue synnes / as saith saynt Ioh̄n / take ye the hooly ghoost / by whom ye shal take away the synnes of them that wil repente them / he yeueth also wyse­dom for to deme and Iuge / wherof saith ysaye / I shall put saith god my spyrite vpon them that shal Iuge & deme truly / he gyueth also debonnayrte and swetnes for to supporte and molyfye the Iugemēt as it is said Numeri x. I shal gyue to my peple of my spyryte that is in the / for to supporte the burthen of my peple / The spyryte of moyses was the spyryte of benygnyte and of swetnes that was in hym / for to Iuge the peple / Moyses was most meke and most debonayr / and therfore god delyuerd to hym his peple for to gouerne / The holy ghoost gyueth also aournement of holynes for tenfor­me / as saith the scrypture / ¶ The holy ghoost hath aourned the heuenes / that ben the hertes wherin he descendeth / And as to the sixth in to whom he was sent in to thappostles / that were vessellis cle­ne and pure and disposed to receyue the holy ghoost / And that for vij causes that were in them / first they were quyete and paysyble in herte / And this segnefieth that is songen / Dum complerentur dies pentecostes &c̄ / The day of the pentecost they were alle to gydre in one place styl be assembled / The day of the pentecost is the day of reste / after that ysaye saith / vpon whom shal my spyryte descende / but vpon an humble herte and beyng [Page xxx] stylle / Secondly he was herde by dy­lection / And this is that the scrypture saith / Erant omnes parit [...]r / They were alle to gydre for they were all of one herte and of one wyll / ¶ And thus the spyrite of man gyueth not lyf to the membres / but that they be to gy­dre / in lyke wyse the holy ghoost gyueth not spyrituel lyf but to the mēbres unied spyrituelly / And as the fyre quenchith and goth out whan the brondes ben ta­ken away soo the hooly ghoost goth away whan the membres by dyscorde ben deuy­ded / and therfore it is songen of thappostles / that the holy ghoost fonde them all of one accorde by loue and by charyte / & enlumined them wyth clernes shynyng in them of the dyuyne deyte / thyrdly they were in a secrete place / ¶ For they were in the place / where Ihesu cryste ma­de with them his maundey / or soupper / wherof is said Ozee ij / I shal lede mannes soule in to a solytarye place / & shal speke to it in secrete / ¶ Fourthly they were in oryson and prayer / contynuell wherof is songen / Orantibus appostolis deum venisse &c̄ / whan they were in prayer thenne cam the holy ghoost vpon them whiche prayer is necessarye / to receyue the holy ghoost / lyke as the wyse man saith / I haue prayed god / and the holy ghoost is comen in me / wherof saith Ihesu cryst / Ioh̄is xiij / I shal praye god my fader / And I shal sende to you in my stede the holy ghoost that shall comforte you / Fyftly they were garnys­shyd with humylite and mekenes / And that is / that they were syttyng whan the holy ghoost cam / And herof saith dauid / lord god thou art he that sendest the fontaynes / in to the valeyes / that is the holy ghoost whiche is the fontayne of grace / whiche he sendeth in to the humble hertes / ¶ Syxtly they were in peas to gydre / in that is to be vnderstande / that they were in Iherusalem / whiche is as moche to saye / as the vysion of pees / And that pees is necessarye to receyue the holy ghoost / our lord shewde whan he cam to theym after his resurrecti­on sayeng / Pax vobis / Peas be with you / and after sayde / take ye the hooly ghoost / Seuently they were lyft vp in contemplacion / And this is to vnder­stond that they receyued the holy ghoost in an hye place / wherof saith y^e glose / who that now desireth the holy ghoost in hys herte / late hym put the hous of his flessh vnder hys feet / by lyftyng vp his herte by contēplacion / And as to the seuenthe wherfore he was sente / it is to be noted For vij causes he was sent / that ben vn­derstonden in this auctorite / Paraclitus autem spūssanctus: quem mittet pater in noīe meo. ille vos docebit omnia / The first cause is for to conforte the soroufull / whā is said paraclitus / whiche is as moche to saye as comfortour / as god saith by ysaye / The spiryte of god vpon me and it foloweth / to thende that I shold com­forte the wepars of Syon / that ben the doughters that sawe god / wherof saith saynt gregore / The holy ghoost is said comfortour / to them that he fyndeth wayllyng for theyr synnes that they haue cō mysed / he maketh redy hope of pardon in lyftyng theyr hertes fro affliction of sorowe / ¶ The seconde is for to quykene the dede whan he saith spiritus / for the spyrite is he that quykeneth / as it is said in ezechiel / Ye bones that be drye and with­out lyf I shal sende in you my spyryte / & ye shal lyue / ¶ The thyrde cause is for sanctefye and make clene the synners / in this that he said Sanctus as it is said spirite by cause he gyueth lyf / Also he saith Holy by cause he sanctefyeth and maketh clene / and it is said pure and clene / therfore saith dauid / The grace of the holy ghoost whiche is aflood pure and clensyng / he gladeth the cyte of god / that is holy chyrche / and by this flood our lord hath sanctefyed his tabernacle / The fourthe cause is / he is sente for to conferme loue emong them that ben in discorde and hate / whiche is noted in this word Pater / he is said fader / by cause that naturelly he loueth vs as saith saynt Ioh̄n in the gospel / Iohannis xiij / Ihesu cryst saith my fader loueth you as his sones / ¶ And yf ye be hys sones thenne be ye brethern eche to other / And bytwene brethern ought alleway to perseuere loue and frendship / The fyfte cause is for to saue the Iuste and trewe men / in this that he saith In nomine meo / that is Ihesus / that is to saye sauyour / In whos name the fader to the holy ghoost to shewe that he cam to saue the peple / The syxte cause is for forme [Page] the ignoraūtes / in this that he saith / Ille vos docebit oīa / The holy ghoost whā he shal come he shal teche you all thynges As to the seuenth / that he is gyuen or sent first in the begynnyg of the chirche by prayer / as thus whā he cam thappo­stlis praid god & were in prayer / whe­rof is songen / Orātibus applis deū ve­nisse / thappostlis praiēg the holy ghoost cā / & luce .iij. Ih̄u prayeng y^e holy ghoost descended / Secondly he cam by heeryng attentyfly and deuoutly the word of god actuū x / As saynt peter was pre­chyng the holy ghoost descēded vpon them / Thirdly he cam by holy & besy operacion / that is by this that is said / Imponebāt manus super eos & accipie­bant spm̄ scm̄ / Thappostlis put their hō des on them that byleued / & anon they receyued the holy ghoost / and this Im­posicion of thandes sygnefyeth thabsolucion of the preest / whiche absolucion gyue vs the holy ghoost / Amen /

THe grete largesse & benefayttes that god hath distributed to cristē peple gyue to the said peple grete dygnyte for ther is no peple ne neuer was so grete a nacion / y^t their goddes had approched so nyghe them / ae our lord god is vnto vs / The blessid sone of god wold make vs partyners vnto his dyuynyte & godhede / & therfore toke our nature / to thende y^t makyng hym self man / he wold make men as goddes / And all that he toke of vs / he gaf all agayn to vs for our sauacion / he gaf his propre body in of­fryng vnto god the fader in the aulter of the crosse for our recōciliacion / & shedde his blood in pris & wasshyng our synnes to thēde y^t we myght be redemyd fro the myserable seruytude wherin we were & that we shold be also clene and clēsid of our synnes / & also to thēde / y^t this excellēt benefice abide to vs in perpetuell memorye / he hath vnto deuoute hertes & faithful gyuē his owen body in mete / & his precious blod in drynk in lyknes of brede & wyn / O precioꝰ feste & conuyne / & verayly ful of grete wō dre / y^e feste helthful & replenesshid of all swetnes / what thyng may be more pre­cious / than y^e noble cōuynye or feste / in which / not only y^e flesshe of calues ne of oxen lyk as was gyuē in thold la­we for to taste / but the ꝓpre body of Ih̄u which is very god is presented for re­ceyue and assauoure deuoutly / what thyng myght be more full of grete ad­miraciō / than is this holy sacram̄t in which the brede & wyn ben cōmyxted substācyelly in to the ꝓpre body of Ih̄u And therfor Ih̄u crist there is contey­ned vnder the spece & lyknes of brede [Page xxxj] & wyn / he is eten & receyued of y^e good & trewe cristen men / but for that / he is not departed in pyeces ne asondred in his mēbres / but abydeth all hoole & en­tier in euerich of his partyes / For yf this holy sacram̄t were deuyded or deꝑ­teed in a M. partyes / in euerich partie / shold remayne [...] propre body of our lord hool & entier / None other sacremēt is not of somoche merite / ne so full of helth as this sacram̄t is / for by this be purged the synnes / the vertues ben encreaced / & the thoughtes be engrassed & fulfylled with thabundaunce of alle good vertues / he is in holy chirch offrid for the lyuyng & them that ben deed / to thende that he may prouffite to all that which is for their saluaciō / of all them that ben ordeyned & institued to consa­cre it / y^e swetnesse of this holy sacram̄t may none expresse / by the which swetenesse is spirituelly tasted & remembred thexcellēt charyte that god shewde in his gloryous passyon / & to thende that it myght be the more feruētly impressed in y^e hertes of deuoute & faithful peple / of the grete largesse of his charite whā he shold deꝑte out of this world & goo to god his fader / & wold ete his paske lambe with his disciples / thēne he insti­tued this holy sacram̄t lyke a memoire perdurable of his passion / as thaccom­plyssem̄t of aūcyent fygures / & of the myracles that were don by hym / And also to thende that they that were sorouful & heuy for his absence / shold therby haue som̄ solace synguler / This is a thyng thēne rihgt conuenyent & conue­nable vnto the deuocion of deuoute her­tes to remēbre solēply thynstitucion of so helthful & meruayllous sacram̄ [...]t / to thēde that the ineffable maner of thor­naūce & thought dyuyne / vysyble be honoured & worshipped / & that the myght & puyssaūce of god be loued & thanked which in this sacram̄t werketh so mer­ueyllously / & also of so helthful & of so swete & gracious benefyce be gyuē and rendred to god due thankynges & gra­ces / ¶ And how wel that the day of the Cene or souper / in which this noble sacramēt was institued is specy­all memoire made of this sacram̄t / how be it the surplus of the seruyce of the same day apparteyneth to the passyon of our lord / In the which passyon our mo­der holy chirch is occupied all that day deuoutly / & by cause this intusticion of so noble sacram̄t may be halowed more solempnly / the pope vrban y^e fourth by grete affection that he had to this holy sacram̄t moeued of grete deuocion / he ordeyned the feste & remēbraunce of this holy sacram̄t the first thursday after the octaues of pentec [...]ste / for to be halowed of all good cristen peple to thende that vse thurgh out all the yere this holy sacrem̄t to our saluacion / may doo our de­uoyr to this holy Institucion specyal­ly in the tyme / whan the holy ghoost enseyned & teched the hertes of the disci­ples to knowe the mysterye of this ho­ly sacram̄t / For in that tyme there / the trewe faithful disciples begā to frequē ­te it It is redde in thactes of thappostles that they were ꝑseueraūt in the doctryne of thappostles / & in comynycacion / of y^e brekyng of the brede in deuoute orysōs after the sendyng of the holy ghoost / & to thēde that the holy instituciō of this amerous sacram̄t shold be the more ho­nourably halowed on the said day & by the vtas or octaues folowyng / in stede distribucion material that ben distributed in cathedral chirches / the forsaid pope vr [...]an hath gyuē of his power & largesse apostolyque / wages spirituell & ꝑdon speciall vnto all thē / that shal be personelly in clene lyf atte houres dyurnelle and nocturnel ¶ Of this holy solempnyte / to thēde that euery good chatholyque ꝑsone shold haue y^e more desire to come to one / so grete a so­lempnyte / ouerall where it shal be halo­wed / / That is to wyte at matynes an C. dayes of ꝑdon / atte masse as moche atte first euensong as moche / & atte se­cond euensong on the day / also an .C. dayes / atte houres of pryme / of tierce / of sixth / of none / & of cōplyne at euerich of thies houres xl. dayes / On the other dayes duryng y^e octaues / for eue­ry day to thē that shal be atte matynes atte masse / at tierce / at sixthe / none euē song / & cōplyn / an C· dayes of par­don / & all thise pardons of y^e tresour of the chirch by the myserycorde dyuyne he hath gyuen thē & institued tendure perpetuelly / This sacram̄t fygured our lord Whan he sente Māna fro heuen / vnto y^e [Page] olde fadres in deserte / where they were fedde with mete celestiall / & it is said that the mē had eten brede of angellis / but alleway all they that had eten the­rof they deyden in deserte / But this mete that ye now receyue is the lyuyng brede which descēded fro heuene / that admynystred the substaūce of the lyf eter­nell / & therfor who someuer receyue this brede here worthyly / he shal neuer deye eternelly / for this is the propre body of Ih̄u crist / now cōsidere here thēne / which is most excellente & most proufytable / the brede of thangellis / or the propre body of Ihesu crist / which is lyf ꝑdurable The manna aforsaid cā fro heuen / This precious flessh is aboue y^e heuene / This māna is celestyalle / This flessh here is god the creatour of heuenes / the māna was kept vnto the morn / & was corrupte this brede may fele no corrupciō / To them in deserte abouesaid sprāge water out of a stone / to vs is sprongen the blood of thamerous Ih̄u crist / The wa­ter refresshith them for an houre / but the precious blood of Ih̄u crist wessheth vs ꝑpetuelly / The Iewes drank / & alwaye were a thurst / but thou cristen man whā thou hast drōken of this beuurage here y^u mayst neuer after haue thurst / That other was gyuen to thē in a shadowe & vmbre / but this was gyuen in trouthe now ye shal vnderstōde this that was in y^e shadow / they dranke of the water y^t yssued out of the stone / this stone was Ih̄u cryst / & yet they plesed not alway in their werkes to god / & therfore dey­ed they in deserte / All tho thynges ther were don in figure / for to gyue knowleche of thynges more grete and more notable / It is moche gretter thyng of the lyght / than of the shadow / semblab­ly of verite / than it is of fygure / And also moche gretter of y^e body of our cra­tour & maker / than it is of the manna that cam fro heuen / Thou shalt demande ꝑaduenture how thou affermest & assurest me that I receyue the body of Ih̄u crist whah I see another thyng / we ha­ue many exāples / by the wich we may wel preue / that it which thou receyuest is not that thyng that nature hath fourmed / but it is wel that y^t the benedicti­on hath consecrated / the benedictiō hath gretter myght than nature / for by bene­nedictiō oftymes nature hath ben chaū ­ged / Moyses that helde a rodde in his honde / whā he caste it to the erthe / it becā a serpente / Anone he toke it vp / and it torned in to the nature of a rodde / Thou seest thēne how by the grace of the pro­phete / the nature hath be chaūged twies of the serpēt / & of the rodde / the ryuers of egypte ranne somtyme their cours naturell / but sodaynly by y^e vaynes of th [...] fōtaynes blood begā to yssue / & ren­ne so longe that the peple wist not for to drynke / after at the prayer of the prophete / the ryuer of blood cessed / & cam agayn to his nature of water / as it was afore / the peple of the ebrews was on a tyme all enuyrōned & enclosed of thegipciens bytwene the see & them / Moyses lyft vp his rodde / & thēne the water departed / & assambled vnto the lyknes of a walle / & there appiered to them a way for to goo on foot / And the flood of Iordan in his propre place ayenst his nature / retorned ayenst the hyll / The old faders that were in deserte also on a tyme had grete thurst / moyses toke his rodde & smote a stone out of y^e which yssued grete habūdance of water Is not y^e grace of benedictiō which hath we ought aboue nature / whan the stone gyueth water / which he may not by nature / ¶ Marach which was a Ryuer right bytter in such [...] [...]yse that the peple that had grete thurst / myght not drynke it / Moyses put a staf in the water & sodaynly by the grace of benediction which there wrought / it loste his bitter­nes & becam swete / Semblably in the tyme of elysee the propheete / one of the sones of the prophetes lete falle the yrō of his axe in the water / the which yrō after his nature sāck doū to the bottom of the water / Thēne he cā to helysee prayeng hym for his axe / helysee put hys bourdon in the water / & anon the yron begā to swymme aboue y^e water / which is a thyng aboue nature / for the weiht of the yron is heuyer than the lycour of the watre / by all thise thynges & by the blessynges of prophetes we see cler­rely how grace or benediction hath thus wrouht aboue nature / & thēne sith that benedictiō humayne dyuerse tymes hath thus cōuertid thynges ayenst nature / what shal we saye of [Page xxxij] the consecracion dyuyne / where the wor­des of god werke / For this holy sacre­ment here that thou receyuest / is consecra­te of the worde of Ih̄ū cryst / Thenne yf y^e worde of helye was of so grete effecte that it made fyre to descende from heuen / of moch [...] more valewe and effecte is y^e worde of Ihesu cryst for to torne the lyknes of elementes / ye haue redde of the werkes of the world / as god said and cōman­ded so was it made / he comanded and it was made / And the worde that made alle thyng of nought / may not the same chaūge the thynges / that haue ben made in to other spece and lyknes / It is not lasse to hym to create thynges than to chaunge thynges / we shewe also the mysterye of thyncarnacion of our maker Ihesu cryst / was not that aboue nature that Ihesu cryst was born of the vyrgyne marye / yf thou demande of thordenaunce of nature / thou knowest that the womā hath acustōme to conceyue by the seed of man / But the vyrgyne marie engen­dryd and conceyued aboue thordenaūce of nature & alleway remayned a vyrgy­ne / And this holy sacrement / that we nowe consecrate / is the propre body of Ihesu cryst / that was born of the vyrgyne / Wherfore thenne sechest thou of thor­denaunce of the precious nature / of Ihe­su cryst / whan he is aboue all nature / He that was born of the vyrgyne is the propre flessh of Ihesu cryst / the whiche was crucyfyed and buryed / And veryly this propre flessh is in thys sacramēt Our sauour Ihesu cryst saith Lo this is my propre body / to fore the benedictiō of the celestial wordes it is another especie / but after the consecracion it is the propre body of our lord / ¶ For assone as the consecracion is preferred and said the substaunce of the brede is conuerted in to the blessid body of Ihesu cryst / and in lyke wyse of the wyne and water in the chalys / after the wordes of consecra­tyon said is the veray body of our lord also hool in flessh and blood / All the remenaunt that is said in the masse ben praysynges and lonynges / to our lord and also prayers for the chirche / for the kynges and for the peple But whan this holy sacrament is consecrate the pres [...]e vseth not his owen worrdes / but he speketh the propre wordes of Ihesu cryst & so consacreth the sacrement / the whiche worde of Ihesu cryst is it / by whiche alle thyng was made / the heuen / the erthe and the see / thenne mayst thou see what a werker is the word of Ihesu cryst / ¶ And syth that so moche myght and power is in the word of Ihesu cryst / that it whiche neuer had ben / began to be / ¶ Thenne by moche more rea­son may he make that is / to be conuer­ted in to other substaunce / And thus that whiche was brede to fore the conse­cracion / is the propre body of Ihesu crist after the consecracion / And thus hath our blessyd lord lefte to vs his bles­syd body for to be honoured and wor­shyppyd here in erthe / ¶ And by rea­son me thynketh he myght doo no lasse / consyderyng our Instablenes / and how prone the people haue ben to worshipe fals godes / and ydolles / ¶ And how ofte his owen chosen peple the Iewes / de­parted fro his lawes and toke to them fals goddes / notwithstondyng the gre­te myracles & merueyllous that he dyd and shewd for them / than to leue his owne propre body here emonge vs dayly to be remembryd in eschewyng of all ydolatrye for the saluacion of our soules / Whom we byseche that we maye receyue vnto our perpetuall / saluacion Amen /

THe Dedicacion of the chirche is solempnly halowed emonge the o­ther feestes of the chirch And by cause that it is double chirche or Temple that is to wete materiall and spyrytu­ell / And therfor it is to be seen shorth­ly of the dedicacion of this double tem­ple / As to the dedicacion of the temple materyall / iij thynges ben to be considered / first wherfor it is halowed or de­dicate / Secondly how it is halowed / Thirdly by whom it is halowed / And by cause that ij thynges ben in the chir­che that ben halowed / that is the aul­ter and the temple / therfor it is first to be seen how the aulter is halowed / The aulter is first halowed for thre thynges / First to make sacrefise to god as it is said genesis viij. Noe edyfyed first an aulter to our lord / & toke of all the birdes & of all the beestes of the world & offred them vpon the aulter / & the sacrefise that we make vpon y^e aul­ter is the body & blood of Ih̄u crist that we sacrefye in memoire of the passiō of our lord after y^t he cōmāded vs & said Doo ye this in my memorye / we haue iij memoryes of the passion of our lord y^t one is the mynde of the passiō hym of that we haue in wrytyng / & that other ymagyned in figure / & y^t is to the sight for thymage of Ih̄u crist / & of the other ymages that bē in the chirche for the remēbraūce of Ih̄u crist & of his sayntes is for to moeue y^e deuociō of the people Thise ben also as y^e bookes of the laye peple / & thise ij memoryees ben but one / The secōd memorye is in worde / that is the passiō of our lord prechid / & this mynde is as to the heeryng / The thirde mynde is the passion of our lord trāsfi­gured in to this sacrem̄t / which is veri­ly the soule / body / & blood of Ih̄u crist / & this mynde is as to y^e tastyng / and yf the passiō of Ih̄u crist whiche is wreton enbraceth y^e talēte / & that which is prechid ēbraceth it yet more / Moche more ouht this sacrem̄t enflāme in whiche it enprynted so signyficatly / Secondly as for to calle y^e name of our lord / wherof is said genesis xij / abrahā edefyed an aulter to our lord / & this inuocacion or-callyng ought to be made / after y^t thap­postle saith to thymothee / or by prayers made by admyraciō for to take away y^e euyllis fro vs / Or by orysons made to gete the goodes / or by requestes made tē creace the goodes & to kepe them / The first that is made vpon the aulter is said ꝓprely a messe by cause that Ih̄u crist is sente fro heuen / And this worde messe ꝓprely is said of sendyng / and to the messe Ih̄u crist is sente from his fa­der / and sacreth the same h [...]ste / [Page xxxiij] For first we haue hym fro hys fader sent to vs by his incarnacion / And after sent of vs to his fader by hys passyon / And first he began to be with vs by sacrefyeng And we with hym by this oblacion that he praye for vs / And it is to wete that the messe is songen in thre langages / that is in greek / in hebrew / and in latyn / And is for to represente the tytle whiche was sette on the crosse in his glo­ryous passion / whiche was in greek / hebrew / and latyne / And also for to signefye that alle maner langage ought to preyse god / The tongue latyn is thoffyce gospell and pystell / And the songe in greek is the kyryes whiche ben said ix tymes that we may come to the ix or­dres of Angellis / ¶ The hebrew is Alleluya / Sabaoth / and Osanna / Thirdly it is halowed for to synge on / And herof saith the book of ecclesiaste the xlvij chapitre / he ordeyned them power ayenst theyr enemyes / and made them to be put away fro aboute the aulter / and made the syngers to synge and to gyue swete melodyes in theyr sowne / and said melodyes in plurel nombre / after that hugo de sancto victore saith ther ben thre sownes that make thre melodyes / For ther is a sowne by smytyng / by wynde and by songe / the touchyng or smytyng apparteyneth to the harpe / And the wynde to thorganes / And the voys to the songe And this concordaunce of songe / and touchyng of tharpe may be ass [...]gned to the concordaunce of good maners / For as to the touchyng of tharpe / it may be reported to the werke of the handes / and blowyng of thorganes / to the deuocion of the thought / ¶And the songe of the voys to the prechyng of the word of god but in this what proufyteth the swetnes of the voys wythout the swetnes of the herte / She breketh the voys / but the wyll kepeth the concordaunce of the voys and of good maners / so that by ensample he accorde hym to his neghbour / and by his good wylle he accorde hym to god / and by obedyence to his maistre / and this is the treble maner of musyke / whiche is reported to the treble difference of thoffyce of the chirche / For thoffyce of the chirche is made in psalmes in lessons and in songe The first maner of musyke is made by touchyng of fyngres / as in the sawtrye and semblable instrumentis / The second is the songe as of the voys / and that aparteyneth to the lessons / And therof saith / Synge ye to hym in deportyng your voys / The thirde that is by blowyng / ap­parteyneth to the songe of a trompe / And herof saith dauid / Prayse ye hym in the sowne of the trompe / The temple or the chirche is halowed for fyue reasons / The first is by cause that the deuyl and all his power be put oute / Wherof saynt gregorye recounteth in his dialogue / that as a chirche of theretyques Arryens was yelden to good crysten men And they halowed it / and had brought in reliques of seynt fabyen and sebastyen / and of saynt agathe alle the peple were there assembled and they herde sodenly an hogge crye & renne hyther and thyder emonge their feet se­chyng the doores of the chirche / And he myght not be seen of noman / wherof the peple had grete meruaylle / But our lord shewed to them / that it was the foule spiryte that dwellyd to fore in that place / And that nyght was a grete noyse vpon the coueryng of the chirche / lyke as they had ronne vpon it / ¶ And the second nyght was yet a gretter noyse / And the thirde nyght was so ferdful and so horri­ble agrete noyse as that the chirche shold haue be thorwen doun vnto the foūdemēt / And thenne the wicked spirytes depar­ted and cam nomore there / The hydows sowne signefyed that for certayn the f [...]nde yssued by constraynt / the whiche he had longe holden / Secondly it is halo­wed by cause that they that flee to the chirche shold be sauf / wherof somme chirches after the dedicacion be preuyleged of prynces / that they that ben culpable & fle to the chirche that they may be sauf / wherof the Canone saith / The chirche de­fendeth the culpables fro blood / that they ne lese lyf ne mēbre / And therfore Ioab fledde to the tabernacle / & toke the aulter Thirdly it is halowed by cause that the orysons be enhaunsed there / And it is signefyed in the book of kynges the viij chapitre / whan the temple was dedicate / Salomon saide / who someuer shal praye in this place / thou shalt here hym lord in heuene / And whan thou hast herde hym thou shalt be to hym debonayr / And we worshippe god in the chirches toward the cest / for thre reasons / after that danyel [Page] saith in the fourth book the first chapitre First by cause that we shewe / that we re­quyre our peas / Secondly that we behol­de Ihesu crist crucyfyed / Thirdly that we shewe that we abyde hym a Iuge to come And danyel saith / God plāted paradys in the hous of the eest / Fro the whiche he exyled man / by cause he brake his comandement / and made hym to dwelle to fore paradys toward thoccydent / er he wente ony other part / and therfore we loke now in the chirche toward thoryent / And our lorde crucyfyed beheld toward thoccydēt And thus loke we worshyppyng hym toward thoryent / he was born an hye / and so worshippe hym thappostles / ¶And so shal he come as they sawe hym gooyng to heuene / And so worshippe we hym to­ward thoryent in abydyng tyl he come / Fourthly the chirche is halowed by cause that there lou ynges and preysynges be rendred and gyuen to god / ¶And this is doone atte vij tymes or houres canony­calls / at matyns at pryme / at tierce and so atte other / And how be it that god is to be preysed in all the houres of the daye / but by cause our infirmyte suffyseth not therto / it is ordeyned that at thise houres we prayse god specyally / by cause that thies houres in som thynge ben more pre­uyleged than the other / for at mydnyght whan matyns ben songen Ih̄u cryst was born / & also was taken & despysed of the Iewes / And atte same hour he despoyl­led helle / takyng mydnyght largely that is to saye afore day he aroos fro deth to lif And he appiered atte hour of pryme / & it is said that he shal come to the dome at mydnyght / wherof saynt Iherome saith / I wene that tho thynges that thappostles haue said shal be by fore day /

For the day of the vygylle of ester byfore mydnyght it hehoueth not to leue maty­nes / For the people abyde the comyng of Ih̄u cryst And whan this tyme shal co­me men ought to haue surete that all men make feste that daye / And we synge at that hour praysynges / by cause that we yeue hym thankynges for his natyuyte / for his takyng / & of the delyueraūce of y^e holy apostlis / so that we may besyly aby­de his comyng / and the lawdes ben adiousted to the matynes / by cause that in the morow tyde he drowned thegypciens in the see and created the world and aroos / & at this hour late vs gyue thākynges to god that we be not drowned in the see of this world with the egipciens / And that We rendre louynges to god for our [...]racion / and for his resurrection / Atte our of pryme Ihesu crist cam in to the temple / and the people assēbled there to hym as lucas saith the xxj chapitre / he was at that hour psented to pylate / And at this hour after he was rysen he appiered first to the wymē / & this is the first hour of the day / And therfore late vs rēdre our thā ­kynges to god and praysyng / by cause that we may folowe Ih̄u cryst that we may yelde to hym the first fruyt of alle our werkis / At the hour of tierce Ihesu cryst was crucifyed in the tongues of the Iewes / and was bounde to a stake and beten to fore pilate / And as it is said the stake or pyler that he was boūde to she­wyth yet his blood / And this same houre was the holy ghoost sente to thappos­tles / In the syxte houre he was naylled to the crosse & derknesses were thurgh out all the world / so that the sonne bywept the deth of his lord / & couerid hym with black / in suche wyse that he gaf no lyght to them that crucyfyed his lord / And at this hour was he atte dyner y^e day of his ascencion with his disciples / Atte hour of none Ih̄u cryst gaf vp his spyrite / and the knyght percyd his syde / And the companye of thappostles had a custome for tassemble thenne for to praye / And Ihesu cryst ascended that hour in to heuene / And for thise honours prayse we our lord at alle oures / At euensonge tyme Ih̄u cryst made the sacrement of his body and of his blood to gydre / he weesshe the feet of his appostles / and disciples / he was ta­ken doun of the crosse and born to the se­pulcre / he manyfested and shewed hym self vnto his disciples in habyte of a pylgryme / And for thyes thynges the chir­che gyueth thankynges to god at this hour / Atte complyn Ih̄u Crist swette water & blood / his monumēt was delyuerd to be kept / and there he rested / And whā he was rysen / he shewyd hym self peas to his appostle [...] / And of thyse thynges gy­ue we louynges and thankes to god / And herof saith saynt bernard / hoew w owe to rendre and gyue thankynges to god / My brethern saith he / whā ye sacrefise to god with praysynges & thankynges / [Page xxxiiij] Ioyne your mynde to your wordes and thy talente to thy wytte / and gladnes to thy talente / and demeurte to thy gladnes / And humylyte to thy demeurte And to humylyte fre wyll / Fyfthly the chirche is halowed / for tadmynystre there the sacramentes of the chirche / lyke as on the table of god in whiche the sa­cramentes ben comunyed and admynys­tred and somme sacramentis ben admy­nystred & gyuen to them that entre / as baptesme / And somme be gyuen to them that yssue out / as is the last vnction or enelyng / And somme be gyuen to tha­byders and dwellars / as is ordre / And somme fyghte and falle / to them is gyuen penaunce / Somme other con­traryen / and to them is gyuen hardynesse of courage for tenforce them / and that is by confirmacion / And to other is gy / uen mete for to susteyne them / And this is for to receyue the sacred body of Ihesu cryste / And somtyme is taken away the lettyng that they falle not in to synne / and that is b [...] conionction of maryage Secondly it is to wyte how she is halowed / and it ought first be knowen of thaulter and after of the chirche / And many thynges apparteyne to the halowyng of the aulter / ¶ And first ben made on the foure corners of the aulter / foure crosses of holy water / ¶ and enuyroned aboute vij tymes / and vij tyme aroused and besprenct wyth tholy water styck or spryncle / After then­cence is brent on the aulter / And after it is enoynted with crysme / And thēne it is couerd with black cloth / and this representeth them that goon to the aultre For they ought first to haue charite in iiij maners / that is that they loue god and them self / theyr frendes / and theyr enemyes / And this signefyeth the iiij cros­ces on the iiij corners of the aulter / and of thise iiij corners is said in genesis the xxviij chapitre / ¶Thou shal stratche to thoryent / to thoccident / to the north / & to [...]he south / Or the iiij crosses ben made in the iiij corners ben signefyed that Ih̄u cryst saued by the crosse the iiij partyes of the world / Or for this that they sig­nefye that we ought to bere the crosse of Ihesu cryst in iiij maners / that is in the herte by thought in the mouth by confes­siō in the body by mortifycacion / And in the vysage by contynuel impression / Secondly to haue cure and owe to wa­ke / and this signefyeth by thenuyron­nyng or goyng aboute the aultre / For they synge thenne / the waytes of the cyte haue founde me / For they ought haue cure and watche vpon them that ben to them commysed / And for this cause putteth gylbert the necglygence of prelates emonge the thyngys dysordynate / this foule thyn­ge and moche perillous that is to wy­te a blynde archyer / and haltyng mes­sager / a prelate neclygent / a doctour not connyng / and a dombe cryer / thi­se ben a peryllous felausship / Or by the seu [...]n goynges aboute / of the aulter / ben signefyed seuen considera­cions that we ought to haue vnto the seuen vertues of the humylyte of Ihesu cryst / ¶ And to goo ofte aboute them The first vertue is / that he that was riche be made poure / The seconde that he was putte in the racke or the in crybbe The thirde that he was subgette to his parentes / The fourth that he encly­ned his heed vnder the power of his seruaunt / ¶ The fyfthe that he sustey­ned the disciple theef and traytre / The sixthe / that tofore a fellonous Iug [...] he held his pees and spack not / The seuenth that he prayd pytously for them that crucyfyed hym /

Thyrdly they ought to haue mynde of the passyon of Ihesu cryst / and that is signefyeed by the spryngyng and cas­tyng of the water / whiche signefyed seuen effusions of the blood of Ihesu crist The first was in the circomsicion / The seconde was in the oryson / The thirde whan he was beten atte pyler / The fourth whan he was crowned with thor­nes / The fyfth in percyng his hondes The sixthe in naylyng his feet / And the seuenth in openyng of his syde / And thyse arousemens or spryngyng of blood / were made with the spryncle of humylyte and of charyte without estimacion / And the aulter is enuyronned vij tymes for to signyfye that the vij yef­tes of the holy ghoost ben gyue in the baptesme / Or by the vij goynges aboute ben signefied the vij comynges of Ih̄u cryst The j was fro heuē in to the bely of his moder / The ij fro the bely vnto the crybbe / [Page] The thirde fro the crybbe in to the world / The fourth fro the world vnto the galous of the crosse / The fyfte fro the crosse vnto the sepulcre / The sixth fro the sepulcre to helle / The seuenth fro helle / whan he aroos and ascended vnto heuen / Fourthly they shold haue ardant prayer amorous and devoute / And this is signefyed by the encence whiche is brent vpon the aulter / And thenne it hath vertue / tascende by the lightnes of the fume / and to comforte by his qualite / and to conioyne by the gumme / and to conferme by that it is aromatous or wel smellyng / And all in lyke wyse i [...] the orison or prayer / whiche ascendeth to the mynde of god / It conforteth the soule as to the synne passed in axyng medecyne / It estrayneth as to that whiche is to come for to be ware therof / It confermeth / as to that is presente in ge­tyng defence and kepyng / or it may be said that deuoute orison is signefyed by thencence / that it apparteyneth that it as­cende to god And herof saith ecclesiastes Oryson of humylite gyueth to god swe­te sauour whan it yssueth out of an herte enflammed / And thappostle saith moche encence is gyuen to hym / Fyftly they ought to haue resplēdour or bryghtnes of conscience / and the odour of good renommee / And this is signefyed by the crys­me or creame / they ought to haue a pure conscience / so that they myght saye wyth thappostle / Our glorye is the wytnes of our conscience / and also is good renom­mee / wherof thappostle to timothee / it be­houeth that he haue good wytnes / of them that ben out / And crysostome saith that the clerkes ought not to haue no fyl [...]he / ne in worde / ne in dede / ne in thought / ne in opynyon / For they ben the vertue and beaute of the chyrche / And yf they be euyll / they make foule all the chirche / Syxthly / they ought to haue clennes of good werke / whiche / is signefyed by the whyte clothes and clene of whiche the aulter is couerd / Thusage of couerture & of vestements were foūde for to couere / For to chauffe and kepe warme / and for to araye ordynatly / And the good werkis coueren the na­kydnes of the soule / wherof thappostle saith / clothe the with white vesture / that the conffusiō of thy nakednes appere not they araye the soule with honeste / wherof thappostle saith to the Romayns / Clothe you with vestymentes of lyght they enchauffe and enflamme vs in cha­ryte / wlerof it is sayd / Be not thy vestementes hoote / For it auayleth lytil to hym that gooth to the aulter / yf he haue souerayn dygnyte / and a lyf defamed / it shold be an horryble thynge to see hym in an hye sete / and a lowe lyf / souerayn degre and lowe estate / A sad visage and lyght in werkis ful of wordes / and nothyng of dede / Noble of auctoryte and fleyng corage / ¶ Secondly it ought to be seen how the chirche is sacred and halowed / And to that apparteynen many thingis / For the bisshop gooth all abou­te thre tymes / And at euery tyme that he cometh to the gate / or dore / he knocketh wyth his croys sayeng / Prynces opene your yates / And the chirche is wasshen within and withoute / with holy water And a crosse of asshen is made on the pauement / and of sonde a trauers / the Angle fro thorient vnto that Whiche is ayenst thoccydent / And the A. B. C. is wreton within of lettres of greke and of latyn / Crosses ben made on the wallis of the chirche / and they be en­oynted with creme / ¶ And it is to wete / that the thre first goynges aboute signefye thre goynges aboute / that Ihe­su cryst made for the halowyng of this chirche / The first was whan he cam fro heuen in to the world / the seconde was whan he descēded fro the world in to helle The thirde was whan he cam agayn fro helle and ascended in to heuen / Or the thre gooyng [...]s aboute / shewe that the chirche / is halowed in thonoure of the trynyte / or for to signefye the thre estates of them that ben to be saued of the chirche / That ben virgynes continentis / and maryed folke / whiche be signefyeed in the disposiciō of the chirche materyall / lyke as hugo de sancto victore sheweth / For he saith that the sanctuarye signefieth the ordre of virgyns / the chore or quyer signefieth the continentes / And the body sygnefyeth thordre of them that ben maryed For the sayntuarye is strayter than the chore or quyer / and the quyer strayter than the body For thordre of vrgyns is more worthy than the contynētes / & thordre of the contynētys is more worthy than they that be maryeed / [Page xxxv] The seconde knockyng atte dore signefieth the treble right that Ihesu cryst hath in the chirche / wherfore it ought to be opened to hym / ¶ For it is his by creacion and swete by redempcion / and by pro­messe of gloryfyeng / And of this thre fold right saith Anselme / Certaynly lorde for somoche as thou hast made me I owe my self al to the / by cause thou redemyst me / I owe my self al to the / by cause thou hast promysed to me so grete thyngis I owe my self vn to thy loue / & by cause thou art gretter than I / for whō thou gauest thy self / and to whom thou promysest thy self / I owe to the more thā my self / And this that the bysshop cryeth thryes / opene your yates &c̄ sygnefyeth the treble power that he hath in heuen / in the world / and in helle / And this that the chirche is thryes wasshen within and withoute / sygnefyeth thre causes The fyrst is for to put out the deuyll / And therfore is said in the blessyng of the water / that it be blessyd to chace away all the power of thenemye the fende with his angellis cursed and shrewd And thou oughtest to knowe that this holy water is made of four thynges / that is of water / of salt / of wyne / and of asshes / whiche thynges put out the deuyll / and chacheth hym away / By the water is signefyed theffusion of teeres / by the wyn is signefyed spyri­tuel gladnesse / and by the salt is shewd mewre distrecion / And by thasshes is parfonde humylyte / Secondly it is dedi­cate for to make her self clene from all erthly thynges / whiche were corrupt by syn­ne / And therfore by cause it shold be clene from all ordure / it is wasshen wyth holy water / so that it be clene and pure And this was signefyed in tholde lawe that all shold be clensed by water / Thirdly it is halowed for to take away all malediction / For therthe atte begynnyng was cursyd with his fruyt / by cause man Was deceyued by fruyte / and and the water was not cursed / And therfore it is said that our lord ete fysshe / but it is not fonden that euer he ete ony flesshe by name / sauf the p [...]ske lambe / And that was in ensample for taccomplysshe the commandement of the lawe / And by cause that all malediction and cursynges shold be take awaye / is the chirche wasshen wyth holy water / Fourthly the A.B.C. is wreton in the pauement in latyn and in greek / and thys signefyeth the comunion of that one and of that other / people / Or it sygne­fyeth that one and that other testament / or thartycles of our faith / For thescrip­ture of the lettres greekes and latyn / that were made on the table of the crosse / representeth thassemble of the faith made by Ih̄u crist on the crosse / & therfore is this crosse leyde & made trauers fro thā ­gle of thoryent vnto thangle of thoccident for to signefye that it that was first on the right syde / was made the lift syde / & that whiche was atte heede was made at­te ende / & thus to the contrarye / And it representeth the scripture of that one and that other testament / whiche was accom­plisshid by Ih̄u crist / on the crosse / For he said whā he deyde / all is accomplisshid And the crosse is made trauerse / by cause that y^e one was chaūged in to that other For all the lawe is in a rolle / Thirdly the crosses ben paynted in the chirche / & that is for thre causes / The first is to fe­re the deuyll / For whan they see the sig­ne of the crosse there / by whiche they haue ben put out / they ben aferde / & dar not en­tre / For they doubte and drede moche the signe of the crosse ¶ / And herof saith Crysostome / In what place they shal see the signe of the crosse / they shal flee / For they drede the staf of whiche they haue bē hurte / Thirdly it representeth the arty­cles o [...] the faith / For the pauement of the chirche is the fondement of our faith the lettres that ben within wreton ben tharticles / of our faith / by the whiche the rude peple and newe ben introduced And they of the one and other peple whiche ought repute them for asshes and for pouldre / after this that abraham saith in genesis / I shal speke to my lord / as that I were asshees / and pouldre / Secōdly for to shewe the signe of the victorye of Ih̄u crist / For thise crosses ben signes & baners of Ih̄u crist and of his victorye / & therfore ben there paynted the cros­ses for to shewe that the place is dyuyne subgette to god / And also it is of custo­me to emperours / & to other prynces that Whan a toun or cyte is takē or yoldē / for to sette vp within the baners and then­signemens of the lordes / to signefye that [Page] it is subgette to them / Thyrdly for to represente thappostles it is vsed for to sette vp xij lyghtes tofore the crosse / for to represente the xij Apostles / whiche by the faith of god crucefyed / they enlumy­ned all the world / And enoynted with creme / in baptesme / For oylle signefieth clennesse of conscience / and bame signe­fyeth thodour of good lyf / ¶And it is to knowe that the chirche or the tēple was as it is said assallyed by thre persones / By Ieroboas / by nabuzarde and by Anthiocus / For as it is redde in the book of kynges / Ieroboas dide do make two calues gylte / And dyde do sette that one in Iudee / and that other in beleth / whiche is said the hows of god / And this dyde he by couetyse / And therfore it is signefyed that the couetyse of cler­kes maketh moche fowle the house of god / the whiche auaryce regneth moche in them / wherof saynt Iherome saith / that fro the leste vnto the grettest they folowe all auaryce / And saynt bernard saith the same / whome wilt thou gyue me of thise preuostes that entende not more to empte the purse of his subgettis / than to take away from them theyr synnes / The calues ben theyr neuewis and theyr sones / whiche they sette in bethel the hous of god / And the chirche is assaylled by Ieroboas after this that is said / The chirche is assaylled whan it is ede­fyed and bylded of thauaryce of thusu­rers / and of theuys / wherof is red that an vsurier had founded a chirche / And thenne he prayed the bysshop for to dedye and halowe it / And as the bysshop & his clerkes made thoffyce of the dedicaciō he sawe the deuyll whiche was in a chay­er by the aulter in thabyte of a bysshop / And said to the bisshop / Why halowest thou my chirche / cesse ye / For the ryght therof aparteyneth to me / by cause it is made of vsure / and of ra­vayne / And thenne the bysshop and his clerkes were sore aferd and fledde And anon the deuyll destroyed the chirche with grete storme and grete noyse Nabuzardan as is red in the xxv chapitre of the book of kynges / that he brente the hous of god for he was prynce of the cokes / and signefyeth them that serue to glotonnye and to luxurye / and make of theyr bely theyr god / And after this that thappostle saith / that theyr bely is theyr god / And hughe of saynt vyctor sheweth how theyr bely is theyr god and saith / Men were wont to make temples to the god­des / and dresse aultres / ordeyne my­nystres / for to serue them / to sacrefyse beestes / and to brenne encence / But now the bely and the kechyne is the temple / the table is the aulter / the cokes ben mynystres / the beestes sacrefyed ben the flessh soden and rosted / thencence is thodour of the sauour /

The kynge Anthiocus was the most proud man and the most couetous / and assaylled the chirche of god as it is red in the makabews / ¶ And by hym ben signefyed pryde and couetyse / whiche coueyte not to prouffyte / but to serue / And they defowle moche the chirche of god / ¶ Of whiche couetyse and pryde / saynt bernard saith / They goon worshipfully of the goodes of our lord / And yet they gyue hym no worship / they goon euery day as goliardes in ha­byte shynyng and ryall apparayll / they bere gold on theyr brydles / on their sadles / and on theyr spores / theyr harnoys shyne more than the aulters / And thus as the hows of god was dishonoured by thies thre / right so was it dedycate by other thre / And moyses made the first dedicacion / And salomon the seconde / and the thirde Iudas machabeus By the whiche is signefyed that we ought to haue in the dedicacion of the chirche / the humi­lite that was in moyses / the wysedom and discrecion that was in salomon / & the very confession of faith that was in Iudas machabeus / ¶ And after it apperteyneth to see of the dedicacion of the temple spirituel / whiche temple we be / that is to wyte thassemble of good crysten men / And this temple is ma­de of lyuyng stones / as saynt peter saith late vs edeffye whiles the stones ben quyck / it is said of stones polys­shed / wherof is songen / the Ioyntures ben made of polysshyd stones / it is made of square stones four cornerd / y^t is to saye of spūtuel stones that haue iiij squares / that is to wyte fayth / hope charyte & good werke whiche bē all egall / as saynt gregory saith / as longe as thou byleuest / thou hast hope / and louest as moche [Page xxxvj] as thou bileuest / and hopest / and louest to werke in them / ¶ In this temple the aulter is the herte / And vpon this aulter thre thynges ought to be offred to god / the first thyng is the fyre of loue perdurable / lyke as thappo­stle saith / the fyre of dilection shal be per­durable / and shal neuer faylle at thaul­ter of the herte / ¶The seconde thyng is thencence / of oryson and prayer wel smellyng / as it is said in paralipomenon / Aaron and phynees brente encence vpō thaulter of sacrefyses / that is to seye where were brente the thynges precious and wel smellyng / ¶ The thirde thynge is sacrefise of ryghtwysnesse / and this is thoffryng of penaunce / in sac [...]fyse of parfyght loue / and in calues of [...]orte­fyeng of the flesshe / and herof sait dauid Thou shalt accepte the sacrefyse of right­wysnesse thoblacions and holoca [...]stes / This temple spyrituell that we ben / is of god in the maner as the temple materyel / For first the souerayn bisshop / whā he fyndeth the dore of the herte shytte / he gooth aboute thre tymes / whan he bryn­geth to our mynde / the synne of the mouth / of the herte / and of the werke / And of this treble goyng aboute saith he / as to the first / I haue goon aboute the cyte / that is to wete of the herte / And to the second saith ysaye / take thy harpe / And as to the thyrde / the comy [...] woman is forgoten / ¶ Secondly he smyteth thre tymes the dore of the herte whiche is closed to thende that it shold be opened to hym / And he smyteth by the stroke of benefyce / of counseyl / and of playeng / Of this [...]ble stroke / it is said in the prouerbis / I haue strratched out myne hand &c̄ / as to the euyll / & as to the benefices gyuen / he saith / thou despysest all my counseyll / And as to counseyll espyred / thou despysest my coū ­seyllis / And to the blamyng / that is for the playes to the gyuen / or this treble goyng aboute / is doon whan he me­ued vs to resonable knowleche of synne / and to sorowe for them / and tauenge and blame our self for synne / Thirdly he arouseth or watreth the temple spyri­tuel iij tymes with water / and so ofte it ought to be watred or bespreynct / And this wateryng signefyeth thre maners of shedyng of teres / For as saynt gregoore saith / the thought of an holy man shold be confused in sorowe / in cō sideryng / where he was / where he shal be And were he is / or he was said in synne / or he shal be in Iugement / or he is in maleurte / And there as where is no Ioye / whan he shedeth thenne his teres of the herte consyderyng that he was in synne / and shal be in Iugement for to gyue a rekenyng for synne / Thenne is this temple watred ones of water And whan he is contryte to wepe for his vnhappynes / and maleurte Where he is / the temple is watred the second tyme / And whan he wepeth for the Ioye where he is not / he arouseth or watreth the temple / the thyrd tyme / And thou oughtest to knowe / that wyne / salt / and asshes ben medled with this water / For with the other sacramentis we ought to haue wyn of spyritue [...] gladnes / Salt of rype wysedom / or wyn wyth water is vnderstonde the humylyte of Ihesu cryst / that he had in takyng flessh humayne / the w [...]ne Wyth water is the word humayne And by the salt is vnderstonden the holynes of hys lyf / whiche is sauyour to all of hys religyon By thasshis is vnderstoden his passyon / And of thyse thre thynges we ought to water our herte / the whiche ben the bles­syngis of hys incarnacion by whiche we ben called to humylite / thensample of his conuersacion by the whiche we ben enformed to holynes / and the mysterye of his passyon / by the whiche we ben moeued to charyte / Fourthly in this tem­ple of the herte spyrituel is wreton the A.B. C. Or the scripture spyrituel and this scripture is treble / That is to wyte the euyllis of thyngis / the wytnessis of dyuyne benefetes / and thaccusac [...]on of his propre trespaces / And of thyse thre thynges saith thappostle to the Ro­mayns / The peple that haue lawe doo naturelly the thynges that ben of the la­we / They that haue no lawe / make lawe to them self They that shewe the wer­ke of the lawe wretō in theyr herte / that is the first / The wytnes of their consci­ence is the seconde / and he that thynketh taccuse hym self is the third / Fyftly the crosse ought to be paynted in this chirche / that is to vnderstonde that it ought to haue the sharpnesses of penaunce / [Page] And thyse sharpenesses ought to be en­oynted / and haue lyght of the fyre For they be not only to be suffred in paci­ence / but with good will and by charite And herof saith saynt bernard / he that is thretened and menaced with the dre­de of Ihesu Cryst / he bereth the crosse in pacience / he that prouffyteth in hope / berith it gladly and with good will / but he that is parfyght in charyte / enbraceth it ar­dantly / and moche peple see our crosses / that see not our enoyntyngis / And he that shal haue alle thise thyngis in hym shal be the tēple of god / to his honour & shal be playnly worthy / that god enhabi­te and dwelle in hym by grace / so that he may dwelle in god by glorye / the whiche he gyue vs that lyueth and regneth god in heuen world without ende / Amen