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

Be my Coumfort, Crist Ihesus!

[Lambeth MS. 853, ab. 1400 A.D., page 20.]

IHesus þat sprong of iesse roote, As us haþ prechid þi prophete, Flour and fruyt boþe softe and sote, To mannis soule of sauour sweete; Line 4 Ihesu! þou brouȝtist man to boote Whanne gabriel gan marie greete, To felle oure foomen vndir foote, In hir þou siȝ a semeli sete: Line 8 ¶ A mayden was þi modir meete, Of whom þou took fleisch for us; As ȝe may boþe my balis beete, So be my coumfort, crist ihesus. Line 12

Ihesu, þou art wijsdom of witt Of þi fadir ful of myȝt! Mannys soule, to saue it, In poore aparaile þou were piȝt. Line 16 ¶ Ihesu! þou were in cradil knyt, [page 21] In wede wrappid boþe day & nyȝt, In bethleem born, as þe gospel writt, With aungelis song and heuene liȝt. Line 20 Barn y-born of a beerde briȝt, Ful curteis was þi comeli cus; Þoruȝ uertu of þat sweete siȝte, So be my coumfort, crist ihesus. Line 24

Ihesu, þat were of ȝeeris ȝong, Fair and sresch of hide and hue,

Whanne þou were in þraldom þrong, And turmentid with many a iewe, Line 28 ¶ Whanne blood and watir were out wrong, For beetinge was þi bodi blewe; As a clot of clay þou were for-clonge, So deed in þrouȝ þanne men þee þrewe. Line 32 ¶ But grace of þi graue grew; Þou roos up quik coumfort to us. For hir loue þat þis councel knewe, So be my coumfort, crist ihesus. Line 36

Ihesu, sooþfast god and man, [page 22] Two kindis knyt in oon persone, Þe wondir werk þat þou bigan Þou hast fulfillid in fleisch & bone. Line 40 ¶ Out of þis world wiȝtli þou wan, Liftynge up þi silf a-loone; For myȝtili þou roos, & ran Streiȝt vnto þi fadir in trone. Line 44 ¶ Now dare man make no more moone; For man it is þou wrouȝte þus, And god wiþ man is maade at oone, So be my coumfort, crist ihesus. Line 48

¶ Ihesu crist, holi and hende, Þat beerde was blessid þat bare þee, Aftir hir whanne þou gan sende, In heuene blis wiþ þee to bee. Line 52 ¶ Out of þis worlde whanne sche wende, Boþe bodi & soule were sett in see Hiȝer þan ony of [of in margin.] aungelis kinde, In troone a-fore þe trynyte. Line 56 ¶ Þere may þe sone his modir se [page 23] In heuene an hiȝ to helpen us; Þou peerless princes, praie for me! And be my coumfort, crist ihesus. Line 60

Line 60

Ihesu, my souereyne sauyour, Almyȝti god, þere ben no moo: Crist, þou be my gouernour, Þi seiþ lete me not fallen fro. Line 64 ¶ Ihesu, my ioye and my socoure! In my body and soule also, God, þou be my strengist fode, And wisse þou me whan me is wo. Line 68 ¶ Lord, þou makist freend of foo, Lete me not lyue in langour þus, But se my sorowe, & seie now 'ho,' And be my coumfort, crist ihesus. Line 72

Ihesu, to þee y crie and greede; Prince of pees, to þee y praye; Þou woldist bleede for mannis nede, And suffre manye a feerdful fray. Line 76 ¶ Þou me fede in al my drede [page 24] Wiþ pacience now and ay Mi lijf to lede in word & dede As is moost plesaunt to þi pay, Line 80 ¶ And to deie weel whanne it is my day. Ihesu, þat deied on tree for us, Lete me not be þe feendis pray, But be my coumfort, crist ihesus! [[The two Hymns to the Virgin, "Heil be þou, Marie," printed on pages 4-7 of this Text, follow here.]] Line 84

AMEN.