Ihesu kyng of heuene & helle [folio 51]

Man & womman y wol ȝow telle

What loue I haue do to þe

Loke what þu hast do for me

Of alle Ioye þu were out pulte

With treson and wiþ-oute gulte

Pore þu were dryuen a-way

As a best þat goþ astray

ffro my riche I cam a-doune

To seche þe fro toune to toune

Myne heritage þat ys so fre

In þy myschif to ȝeue hit þe Page  21

Whan þat ȝyft I ȝeue þe shulde

I dede as þe lawe wolde

To a mayden I ordeyned me

ffor [no]*. [The letters in this word and in those bracketed in the two next lines are blurred.] chalinge shuld be

ff[ul wor]þely she kept me & þe

[Tyl y] my tyme wolde y-se

ffourty wykes & fourty dayes

To fulfille þe ryȝt lawes

Þe maide was mylde trewe & fre

She rekeued boþe me and the

Me þi manhede and þy grace

Þus com þe sesyng ferst a place

Whan þis sesyng was y-do

Ful gret envye had þan þy fo

Þo belsabub and sathanas

Had gret wonder why hit was

Þey fonded me with felonye

Wyþ pride couetise and glotenye [folio 51b]

Wel he wyst I was a man

But synne in me fond he non Page  23

Hard he þretened me in his þouȝt

. . . . .

. . . . .

. . . . .

. . . . .

Anoþer þing was in my þouȝt

More syker þe to make

Agayn þi fo ful of wrake

Heuene & erþe in present

To make a charter of feffement

In suche maner by-houeþ to be

Þat I most ȝeue lyf for þe

ffor þu art dede & y am a-lyue

Y most daye to ȝeue þe lyffe

Many a way y haue go

In hunger in þurste chele & wo

XXX wynter & mo þen two

Or my chartre was y-do

Ne myȝt þey fynd no parchemyne

ffor to laste wyþ-oute fyne Page  25

But as loue bade me to do

Myne owne skyn y tok þer-to

To gete my frendes y ȝaf good mede

So doþ þe pore þat haþ gret nede

On a þursday a soper y made

ffrend & fo to make glade

With mete & drinke to soule fode

With holy word my fleysh and blode

Þis I made for mankynde

My loue-dedys to haue in mynde

Or I fro þe bord a-ros

Of my frend by-traied y was

He fonde me goande in þe way

As þe lyon goþ to his pray

A curtel I had & cloþes mo

Alle y hadde sone for-go

Þey þat had þis chartre wryten

Þo was y naked wel mow ȝe wyten

Þey casten lot as wold by-falle

Wheþer on shuld haue or parten alle Page  27

ffrend & fo þat wyþ metten

In my nede alle me for-leten

To a pilour y was pyȝt

I tugged and towed al a nyȝt

And waschen on myn owne blode

And [str]eyȝt y streyned on þe rode

S[trey]ned to drye on a tre

As parchemyne ouȝt for to be

Hyreþ now & ȝe shul wyten

How þis chartre was wryten

Vpon my face was made þe ynke

With Iewes spotel on me to stynke

Þe penne þat þe letteres was with wryten

Of scorges þat I was with smyten

How many lettres þer-on bene

Rede and þu myȝt wyte and sene

.V. þousand .iiij c. fyȝfty and ten

Wondes on me boþe blac and wan [folio 52b]

To shewe ȝow al my loue-dede

My-silf y wol þis chartre rede Page  29

Ye men þat goþ by þe way

A bideþ & lokeþ wyþ ȝoure ey

And redeþ on þis parchemyn

Is þer be any sorwe like to myn

ȝet stondeþ & hireþ þis chartre red

Whi I am wonded & al for-bled

Wyte ȝe þat ben and shull be-tyde

Ihesu crist wyth blody syde

Þat was bore in bethleem

And offred in to Ierusalem

Þe kinges sone of heuene a-boue

Wyþ my fader wyl and loue

Made a sesyng whan y was born

To þe mankinde þat was for-lorn

Wyþ my chartre here present

I make now confirmament

Þat I haue graunted & y-ȝeue

To þe mankynde with þe to leue

On my reme of heuene blisse

To haue & holde wyþ-oute mysse Page  31

In a condicioun if þou be kinde

And my loue-dedes haue in mynde

ffre to haue & fre to holde

With al þe purtenaunce to wolde [folio 53]

My heritage þat is so fre

ffor homage ne for feute

No more wol I aske of þe

A foure leued gras þu ȝeld to me

Þat o leef is soþfast shryft

Þat oþer for synne hert smert

Þe þrydde I wol no more do so

Þe ferþe drede god euer mo

When þes foure leues to-gedre ben sett

A trewe loue men clepeþ hit

Of þis rente be noȝt by-hynde

ffor þourȝ þe ȝere þu may hit fynde

Els may ȝe se in my wounde

ffor þer may trew loue be founde

Þouȝ þu falle gretly mystake

My dede wol I neuer forsake Page  33

If þu amende and mercy craue

Þyn heritage truly shalt þu haue

Þe seel þat hit is seled with

Þei weren graued upon a styth

Of gold ne syluer were þei noȝt

Of styel & yren þey were wrouȝt

With spere of stile my hert þey stongen

Þourȝ myne herte and my longen

Þre nailes þurled me

Þourȝ feet & hondes to þe tre

Þe selyng wexe was dere bouȝt

At myn herte rote y-souȝt [folio 52]

And tempred al with vermyloun

Of my blode þat ran doun

ffyue seles were y-sett þer-an

Of fader & sone god & man

Þe fyfþe ys for to loue most

Þat I cam of þe holy gost

In pleyn powere þy state to make

A signe on myn hed y take Page  35

Of þornes bi-tokenyng þat I am king

And frely may ȝeue al þing

Wytnesse of þe Iewes alle

On knees to me þey gon falle

And loude cried on her scornying

Hail be þu lord & Iewes kyng

By-twyne two men þis was y-seled

Boþe were sike þat on y heled

By-twyne two þefes on hye I-pyȝt

In tokne þat I was man of myȝt

Þat north & west on hye hulle

Þat I may deme boþe good & ylle

A þurst I was ful sore y-swonke

Þe beuerage most nedes be dronke

A loue drynke I asked of þe

A ysel and galle þey ȝaue to me

Matheu and Iohn

Luk. Mark. and many on

And namely my moder swete [folio 54]

ffor she lefte neuer terys to wepe Page  37

Or þis chartre y-writen*. [Immediately following this in the MS. is a y cancelled.] was

fful ofte she seyde allas allas

So bare I was of worlych good

When I shuld dey vpon þe rood

Þat I nadde wher-to to take

My testament where-on*. [h written above the line.] to make

But of my leef moder dere

She stode by me with sorful chere

Whan I my cosyn hir by-toke

She cast on me many a sory loke

In knowleche y made a cry

By-hold now man with herte & ye

ffor [*. [The word in this space is blurred.]] loue how I shal dye

Consummatum þis chartre is done

Man þu hast ouer-come þi foon

To helle y wente þis chartre to shewe

By-fore sathanas þat olde shrewe

Þat he was shent & brouȝt to grounde

With nailes bore and speres wonde Page  39

A wryt of couenaunt I-made þer was

By-twyne me and sathanas

Al my catel to haue a-way

Þat he me rauesched with fals pray

A-ȝen y come and made a feste

Among alle boþe mest and leste

A-party men þo gunne knowe me [folio 54b]

Þat I was man of gret pouste

Þe feste laste fourty dawes

To do men knowe my newe lawes

Þe feste was al of Ioye and blisse

Þat ȝesterday ȝet holden ys

On endenture y laft with þe

Þat oueral þu shuldest siker be

In prestes hond my flesh & blod

Þat for þe deyed on þe rood

A key y toke þe al-so

. . . . .

To bere with þe where þu go

. . . . . Page  41

To my fader I most gon

ffor al his wille I haue done

A cote Armure y bare with me

ffor þat I took of þi lyuere

Þe cloþ was riche & wel fyne

Þe champe was of white camelyn

A wel faire maide to me hit wrouȝt

Out of hire boure I hit brouȝt

I-poudred with fyue roses rede

Of wondes þat I þoled dede

When y com eft aȝen to þe

Þer-by myȝt þu knowe me Page  43

Þo þat ben of rente bi-hynde

And þese loue-dedes haue noȝt in mynde

Sore may þey þan be a-drad

Whan þis chartre she be rad

Alle þey shulle to helle pyne

Wiþ me to blisse shul go myne [folio 55]

Pay þi rente bue noȝt by-hinde

ffor þourȝ þe ȝere þu myȝt þat gras fynde

Pay þi dette kepe þe fro gylt

Come and clayme when þu wylt

Þe blysseþat lost oure forme frende

Crist vs graunt with-oute ende