For Zakary, Baptist fadir, hadde geten Joon sixe moneþis bifore; and so bi a litil tyme Joon was man bifore Crist. But evene bi sixe moneþis was Joon born before Crist; for Crist was man, but not Joon, fro þe [So E; for tyme, A.] tyme þat he was conceyved. And Zacharie in repreef was clepid bareyne, wiþouten fruyte. For no word þat God seiþ shal be impossible to him; and so, siþ God wole have it þus, it mote algatis be so.
And Marie, as ful ripe in mekenesse, answeride þus to þe aungel: Lo, here þe handmaiden of God; Be it done to me after þi word. And, as men seien comunli, in þis tyme Marie con|seyvede Crist. For, as Eve, for þe tyme þat she was moost proud, loste mankynde, so Marie, for þe tyme þat she was most meke, won mankynde. And here, ȝif þou wilt plese Marie, or God hir sone, be algatis meke; for mekenes wole plese to Marie, siþ she woot it plesiþ to God. And herfore she seiþ in hir song: God bihelde þe mekenesse of his maiden, and certis, herfore, lo, alle kynredis shal seie þat I am blessid. And so, ȝif þou wilt plese oure Ladi, traveile þou to growe in mekenes. Also, siþ ech hie þing mote have a good and stable ground, and ȝif þou wilt come to hevene þou moost make a tour þidir, and so, if þou wilt come to hevene, stable þee in Cristis mekenesse. And so as þe sentre is lowest of alle þingis, so Crist is þe mekeste þat mai be. Also, þe lower þat a vessel is, þe more of licour wole it take; and so þe mekere þat a man is, þe more of grace wole he take. And so, ȝif þou wilt have grace of God, meke þee wele in þi soule; for mekenes meveþ to pacience, and to al oþer manere of vertues.
