The Middle English charters of Christ ...

ADD. 11307

Ihesu kyng of heuene and helle [folio 89] Man and womman I wole þe telle What loue I haue don to þe And loke what þou hast don for me Of alle ioye þou were out pult Line 5 With treson and wythoute gult Pore þou were dryuon a-way As a best þat goþ on stray ffro my rych I cam a-doun To seche þe fro toun to toun Line 10 Min erytage þat is so fre In þi myschef to ȝeuon it þe Line 12

Line 12 What þat ȝefte I ȝeuon sholde Line 13 I dede as þe lawe wolde To a mayde I demytted me Line 15 ffor no chalange sholde be Wel dernely sho kepte me Tyl I my tyme wolde se ffourty wokes saue V. dawes To fulfulle þe olde lawes Line 20 Þe mayde was trewe mylde & fre Sho receyued me for þe By my manhede and my grace Thus cam sesyng furst in place Whan þat sesyng was y-do Line 25 Wel gret envye hadde þanne þi fo Tho belsabub and sathanas [folio 89b] Hadde gret wounder whi it was He fondes me wiþ felonye Wiþ pryde coueytise and glotenye Line 30 Wel he wiste I was a man But synne in me ne fond he nan Line 32

Line 32 Harde he þratte me in his þouȝt Line 33 That sesyng sholde ben dere a-bouȝt He sente his seruantes with may|strye Line 35 Wiþ wo and serwe me to distrye Wel he fond hym geyned noȝt Another help was in my þouȝt More syker þe to make Ageyn þi fo ful of wrake Line 40 Heuene and erthe in present To make a chartre of feffement In such manere byhoueþ to be Þat I moste ȝyuon my lyf for þe ffor þou art ded and I am lyf Line 45 I mot die to ȝiue þe lyf Many a wey I haue y-go In hunger thurst chele and wo Thritty wynter and mo þer-to Or my dede were y-do Line 50 Ne myȝte I fynde no parchemyn ffor to laston wel and fyn Line 52

Line 52 But as loue bad me do [folio 92] Myn owne skyn y ȝaf þer to To gete me frendes I ȝaf god mede Line 55 So doþ þe pore þat haþ gret nede Vn a thoresday a soper y made Boþe frend and fo to maky glade Wiþ mete and drynk to soule fode Wiþ holy word my flesch and blode Line 60 This I made for mankynde Mi loue-dedis to haue in mynde

Hoc facite in meam commemora|cionem

Or I fro þe bord aras Of my frend betrayd y was He fond me goyng in þe way Line 65 As þe lyon goþ tyl his pray

Susceperunt me sicut leo paratus ad predam

A kirtel I hadde and cloþes mo Line 67 Ac alle I hadde sone for-go Tho þei haddon þis chartre writon Tho was I nakud wel mowe ȝe wyton They caston lot as wolde by-falle Wheþer on shold hau al or parton alle Line 72

Line 72 ffrend and fo þat with me metton Line 73 In my nede alle me for-letton To a pyler I was plyȝt Line 75 I tugged and tawed al a nyȝt And waschon in myn ovne blod [folio 92b] And streyte y-streyned vpon þe rod Streyned to drye vp-on a tre As parchemyn oveth for to be Line 80 Hereth now and ȝe shulle weton Hou þis chartre was y-wryton Vpon my neb was mad þe enke Of iewes spotel on me to stynke The pennes þat þe lettres wryton Line 85 Weron scories þat I wiþ was smyton Hou many lettres þer-on ben Red and þou maist weton and sen ffive thousand CCCC fifty and ten Woundes on me boþe rede and wen Line 90 To shew ȝou alle my loue-dede Miself I was þe chartre rede Line 92

Line 92 ȝe men þat gon forþ by the weye Line 93 Abideth and lokeþ with ȝoure ye And redeþ on þis þarchemyn Line 95 ȝif eny serwe be lyk to myn

O uos omnes qui transitis per viam attendite

Wiþstondeþ and hereþ þis chartre rad Whi I am wounded an al for-blad

Sciantpresentes & futuri &c

Witeth ȝe þat ben and shul betyde I ihesu crist with blody syde Line 100 That was born in bedlem [folio 93] And offred in-to Iherusalem Þe kynges sone of heuene a-boue Wiþ my fader wille and loue Made a sesyng whan I was born Line 105 To þe mankynde þat was for-lorn Wiþ my chartre here in present I make heron confirmament That I haue granted and y-ȝeue To þe mankynde with me to leue Line 110 In my revme of heuon blisse To haue & to holden withouten mysse Line 112

Line 112 In a condicioun ȝif þou be kynde Line 113 And my loue-dedes haue in mynde ffre to haue and fre to holde Line 115 Wiþ al þe purtinaunce to wolde Min erytage þat is so fre ffor homage ne for fewte No more wole I aske of þe But a four leued gras to ȝelde me Line 120 That on lef is opon shryft That oþer thin herte to smerte skyft [An upward curl on the line crossing the t of this word is evidently due to an attempt to make at the same time with the last letter the upper mark of a colon. The same attempt may be seen at the end of many lines.] The tridde I wole namore don so The ferde drede god euermo Whan þuse leues to-gydere ben set Line 125 A trewe loue men clepon it Of this rente be not be-hynde [folio 93b] ffor thorȝ þe ȝer þou may it fynde Or elles seche it in my wounde ffor þere may trewe loue ben founde Line 130 Thaw þou be falle and gretly mystake Mi dede wol I not forsake Line 132

Line 132 ȝif þou amendy and mercy craue Line 133 Thyn erytage shalt þou haue The selus þat it was seled wiþ Line 135 They weron grauon on a stiþ Of gold ne seluer ne ben þei noȝt Of styl and yron þey weron wroȝt Wiþ spere of stil myn herte þei stongon Thorw myn herte and my longon Line 140 Iron nailes thrilledon me Thorw fet & hand to þe tre The selyng wax was dere abouȝt At myn herte rote it was souȝt And tempred al wiþ vermylon Line 145 Of my blod þat ran a-doun

ffactum est cor meum tanquam cera liquescens &c

ffyue seles weron set þeran Of fader and sone god and man The fifte þat is to leue most That I cam of þe holy gost Line 150 In playn power þi stat to make A corone on myn hed haue I take Line 152

Line 152 Of thornes in token þat I am kyng [folio 95] Line 153 And frely may ȝyuon my þyng This witnessen þe iewes alle Line 155 On knes to me þey gonne doun falle And loude cryede in hure scornyng Heyl be þou lord of Iewes kyng By-twene to men þis was y-seled Boþe weron syke þat on I helud Line 160 By-twene to þefes on hy y-pyȝt In tokon þat I was man of myȝt That north and west on wilde hulle Þat I may iugge boþe gode and ylle

Quia neque ab oriente neque ab &c.

Aþorst I was ful sore y-swonke Line 165 Þe beuerache moste neþes ben þronke A loue-drynk I asked of þe Eysel and galle þou ȝeue me

Hijs testibus

Matheus and Iohan Luk Mark and many on Line 170 And namely my moder swete ffor she lufte neuer teres lete Line 172

Line 172 Or þis chartre wryto was Line 173 Wel ofte sho seyde alas alas So bare I was of wordles god Line 175 Whan I sholde deye vpon þe rod Þat I ne hadde wher to take My testament wherof to make But of my moder lef and dere [folio 95b] Sho stod by me with reuful chere Line 180 Whan I my cosyn hure bytok Sho caste me many a sory lok In cnowlychynge I made a cry

Pater lamaȝabatany

Byhold now man wiþ herte and ye Line 185 ffor thy loue how I shal dye Consummatum þis chartre is don Man þou hast ouercome þi fon To helle I wente þis chartre to shewe By-fore þi fo sathanas þe shrewe Line 190 Tho was he shent and broȝt to grounde Wiþ nailes bore and speres wounde Line 192

Line 192 A scrit [Ms. Ascrit.] of couenaunt I-mad þer was Line 193 By-twene me and sathanas Al my catel to haue away Line 195 That he me rafte with fals fray Agayn y com and made a feste Among þe leste and þe meste Aparty þo men gonne knowe me That I was man of gret pouste Line 200 That feste lesteþ fourty dawes To do men knowe my newe lawes That feste was of ioye and blis That esterday ȝet y-cleped ys On endenture I lafte with þe Line 205 That euere þou sholdest syker be In prestes hond my flesch and blod [folio 97] That for þe dyed vpon þe rod A by keþe [bykweþe?—see Glossary.] I tok þe also The tokene þat I was onne y-do Line 210 To bere wiþ þe were so þou go Thanne þar þe not drede of þi fo Line 212

Line 212 To my fader I moste gon Line 213 ffor al his wille I haue y-don Line 214 A cote armure I bar wiþ me Line 215 ffor þat I tok of þy leuere The cloþ was ryche and ryȝt fyn Line 21. The chaumpe it was of red camelyn A wel fayre mayde to me it wroȝt Out of hure bour I it brouȝt Line 220 I-poudred with fyue roses rede Wiþ woundes þat I deled dede Whan I com eft aȝeyn to þe Ther-by myȝt þou knowe me Line 224

Line 224 Tho þat ben of rente be-hynde Line 225 An þuse dedes haue noȝt in mynde Sore may þeyer ben adrad Whan þis chartre shal ben rad Alle þey shulle to helle pyne With me to blisse shulle go myne Line 230 Pay þi rente kep þe fro gylt Line 231 Come and cleyme whan þou wylt The blisse þat loste oure former frende Crist vs sende wiþouten ende.

Amen