Hymns to the Virgin & Christ, the Parliament of devils, and other religious poems.

Who can not Wepe, com lerne of me. (THE VIRGIN'S SONG OVER HER DEAD SON.)

[MS. O. 9. 38, Trin. Coll. Cambridge. Written mostly as prose.]

Sodenly A-frayd, halfe wakynge, halfe slepyng, and gretly dysmayd, A woman sate wepyng, Line 2 With fauour in here face far passynge my reson; And of here sore wepyng þis was þe encheson: Here sone yn here lappe layd, sche seyd, sleyn by treson: yf wepyng myȝt rype be, hit semyd then yn seson. Line 6 Ihesus, so sche sobbed, so here sone was bobbed And of hys lyue robbed; Line 9 Seynge thys wordys as y sey the, "Who can not wepe, com lerne of me." Line 11

y seyd y cowde not wepe, y was so hard hertyd. Line 12 Sche answerd me schortly with wordys þat smartyd, "Lo, nature schall meve þe; þow must be conuertyd, thyn owne fadyr thys nyȝth ys dede:" thys schee twhertyd: Line 15 "Ihesus, so my sone ys bobbed, and of hys lyue robbed. ffor soth then y sobbed Line 18

Line 18 Veryfyyng thys wordys, seyng to the, Who can not wepe com lerne at me." Line 20

"Now, breke hert, y the praye! thys cord lyeth so rulye, Line 21 So betyn, so woundyd, Entretyd so fuly. What wyȝt may be-hold, and wepe not? none truly, to see my ded dyre sone bledynge, lo, thys newly!" Line 24 Euer stylle schee sobbed, So here sone was bobbed, And of hys lyue robbed. Line 27 Newyng these wordys, as y sey the, "Who can not wepe, com lerne at me." Line 29

On me sche cast here yee, and seyd, "see, man, thy brother!" Line 30 Sche kyste hym, and seyd, "swete, am y not thy modyr?" And swonynge schee fylle; ther hyt wold be no nothyr: y not whych more dedlye, the tone or the todyr. Line 33 yett sche reuyued, and sobbed how here sone was bobbed, & of hys lyue robbed. Line 36 "Who can not wepe," thys ys the lay, And with that wordys schee vanyschyd ffinis. Line 38 A-way.