The Middle English charters of Christ ...
About this Item
- Title
- The Middle English charters of Christ ...
- Author
- Spalding, Mary Caroline, 1877-
- Publication
- [Baltimore,: J. H. Furst company, printers,
- 1914]
- Rights/Permissions
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DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States
- Subject terms
- English poetry
- Link to this Item
-
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/AFW1075.0001.001
- Cite this Item
-
"The Middle English charters of Christ ..." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/AFW1075.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 31, 2024.
Pages
Page 95
APPENDIX II
ADDITIONAL TEXTS
1. CARTA DOMINI NOSTRI IESU CHRISTI
Brit. Mus. Add. MS. 21253, f. 186a.
Sciant presentes et futuri. scilicet. omnes qui sunt celo et in terra. Quod ego Iesus Christus filius dei patris et Marie vir|ginis deus et homo pro hereditate mea Iniuste et proditiose a meis ablata diu sub manu aduersarij detenta teste toto mundo in stadio pugnaui aduersum diuici. victoriam optinui et here|ditatem meam recuperaui sesinam in parasceue cum heredibus meis accepi. habendum et tenendum seisinam in longitudinem et latitudinem in eternum. secundum dispositum est a patre meo. libere et quiete. Annuatim et continue Reddendo cor mundum deo et animam puram. In cuius rei testimonium hanc presentem cartam proprio sanguine conscripsi. legi. per totum mundum publicaui. Sigillum que mee diuinitatis appo|sui cum testomonio patris et spiritus. Nam hij tres testimonia dant in celo scripta. lecta et confirmata. et generi humano tra|dita feria. quinta. parasceues. super montem caluarie publice et aparte in eternum durature. Anno a creatione mundi. 5. 2. 3. 2. Nota quod condicio amplia est vt continue Red|damus deo cor mundum et animam puram al[i]oquin satisfaci|mus contra ius nostrum Si autem preuemus a peccato. Iusto titulo vendicare possumus regnum celorum. [folio 186b] Dicunt enim Iura ciuilia quod filius habens patrem suum interfectum non potest vendicare hereditatem patris sui nisi prosequatur interfectorem patris sui Pater noster Christus est interfectus. Quis eum interfecit. Certe peccatum. quia peccatum erat causa quare captus est. flagellatus. et occisus. Si ergo vis esse heres eius oportet quod prosequeris. peccatum quod eum interfecit. sicut filius prosequitur interfectorem patris sui. non desistens eum damnare et alios ad eius odium aluere. Age quod illud iudi|cetur. exulet. et interficiat et omnino et finaliter destruatur.
Page 96
Numquam patiaris quam in te est quod peccatum fauorem hab|eat et quod omnes illud odiant. que interfecit patrem tuum Christum. Et sic poteris iuste vindicare eius hereditatem. scilicet Regnum celorum.
2. CARTA LIBERA
St. John's Coll. Camb. MS. E. 24, f. 22a.
Page 97
3. CARTA DEI
Bod. MS. Kent Charter 233.
Page 98
4. CARTA CELESTIS HEREDITATIS (A Prose Tract, related to the Charter of Christ.) [Cambridge University MS. Ff. 6. 34.]
Page 99
Page 100
[folio 72] A good tretys of a notable chartour of pardoun of oure lorde Ihesu crist &c. [in a different and later hand].
Euery wise man þat cleymeþ his eritage. eiþir askeþ gret pardoun: kepiþ bisili & haþ ofte mynde vpon þe chartre of his calenge | & þerfore eche man lerne to liue vertuously: & kepe & haue mynde vppon þe chartre of heuene blisse | & stodie stidfastli þe witte of þis bille: for þe pardoun þerof schal dure wiþouten ende | vndirstonde wel þat þe chartre of his eritage, & þe bulle of his euerlastinge pardoun: is oure lord ihesu crist. writen wiþ al þe myȝt & vertu of god | þe parchemyn of þis heuenli chartre. is neiþir of scheep ne of calf: but it is þe bodi & þe blessid skyn of oure lord ihesu loomb þat neuere was spot|tid wiþ wem of synne | & was þere neuere skyn of scheep neiþir of calfe so sore & so hard streined on þe teynture eiþir harewe of eny parchemyn makere as was þe blessid bodi and skyn [folio 72b] of oure lord ihesu crist. for oure loue streined & drawen vppon þe iebat of þe cros herde neuer man fro þe biginnyng of þe world til to now. neþir schal hens to domesdai: þat euere writere wroot vppon schepis skin eiþir on calues wiþ so hard & hidouse pennes. so bittirli so sore & so depe as writen þe cursid Iewis vppon þe blessid bodi & swete skin of oure lord ihesu crist. wiþ harde nailes. scharpe spere & sore prickinge þornes instide of here pennes | thei writen so sore & so depe. þat þei perciden hise hondes & feet wiþ harde nailes: þei openeden his herte wiþ a scharpe spere | þei perssiden vppon his heed a corowne of
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scharpe þornes þat licli perciden to his brayn panne | þe woundis vppon þat blessid bodi and swete skyn of crist: weren instide of lettris | & as clerkis seyn & specialli seint anselme. þere weren vppon þe blessid bodi of crist open woundis bi noumbre fyue þousend foure hundrid seuenti & fyue | þis is þe noumbre of lettris: wiþ whiche oure chartre was written | bi which we moun cleyme oure eritage. if we liven [folio 73] riȝtli: & kepe þis chartre stidfastly in mynde | þe sentence & vndir|stonding writen wiþinne & wiþoute þis blessid chartre & bodi of ihesu crist: is oure bileue | for he is þe cofre in whom is closid & loken: al þe tresoure of witte & wisdom of god | vppon þis blessid chartre. was writen weilinge. eiþir mournynge. song & sorwe | weilinge eiþir mornynge; for sorwe of oure synnes | for þe whiche to ben helid & waschen awey: crist god and man must suffre so hard & peyneful woundis | vppon cristis bodi þat is oure heuenli charter: was writen singinge to alle þilke þat parfiteli forsaken here synnes | for þei han ful medicine & helpe: þorouȝ vertu of the bittir woundis & precios blood of ihesu | & vppon þe woundis of ihesu mai be red sorwe. to alle hem þat for false likinge & lust þat duriþ but a while. bynden hem-self to synne & seruage of þe fend | & lesen þe help of þe heuenli chartre & so here heritage; & wenden blyndli to sorwe þat duriþ for euere | þe laces of þis heuenli chartre: is þe biheeste of god & þat god mai not lie. for he is souereyn treuþe | þe firste laas is his [folio 73b] biheeste; þat was dai eiþer oure a synful man eiþir woman leueþ here synne hooli & hertli wiþ bittir sorwe & turneþ hem to him; he schal receiue hem to his mercy | but eche man be war þat he tarie not longe; lest for his owne vnkyndenesse grace be taken fro him | þe secounde laas is þe ful trist þat we han þat god may not lie neþir be false of his biheefte | hereinne hangiþ sikirli; oure trist of oure eritage | & bi þese two lacis hangiþ þe seel of oure chartre; selid wiþ þe blood of þe lomb crist | þat is cristis flessche taken of the clennest dropes of blood in þe swettest virgine marie; more craftili & merueylousli. þan euere ony bee. bi craft of kynde gadriþ þe wax of floures of þe feeld | þe printe [Transcript reads prince.] of þis
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seel; is þe schap of oure lord ihesu crist hanginge for oure synne on þe cros. as we moun se bi þe ymage of þe crucifix | he haþ his heed bowid don; redi to kisse alle þilke þat verili turnen to him he haþ hise armes spred abrood; redi to biclippe hem | he is nailed faste foot & honde to þe crosse; for he wole duelle wiþ [folio 74] hem & neuere wende awey fro man; but if man forsake him first þorouȝ synne | he haþ al his bodi spred abrood: to ȝeue himself hoolly to vs cleuynge to him | vtterli he haþ his side opened; & his herte cloue for or oure sake | so þat wiþoute lettinge we moun crepe in to cristis herte & reste þere þorouȝ stidfast bileue & herti loue | þis chartre may not fiyr brenne ne watir drenche; neiþir þeef robbe neiþir ony crea|ture distroie | for þis scripture þe fadir of heuene haaþ halewid eiþir maad stidfast | & sente it into þe world; þe whiche scrip|ture mai not be vndo as þe gospel witnessiþ | þis scripture is oure lord Ihesu crist; chartre & bulle of oure eritage of heuene | locke not þis chartre in þi coffre; but sette it eiþir write it in þin herte | & alle þe creatures in heuene neiþir in erþe neiþir in helle moun not robbe it neiþir bireue it fro þe. but if þou wolt þi self assentinge to synne | & if þou kepist weel þis chartre in þe coffre of þin herte wiþ good liuynge & deuote loue lastingli to þin ende | as tristeli & treuli as he is trewe [folio 74b] god; þoroouȝ vertu of hise chartre þou schalt haue þin eritage of blisse duringe wiþouten ende. . . . .