Twenty-six political and other poems (including 'Petty Job') from the Oxford mss. Digby 102 and Douce 322. Ed., with introduction and glossarial index, by D. J. Kail ...

XVII. Loue that god loueth.

[Digby 102, leaf 116.] [25 stanzas of 8, abab, abab.]

(1)

That ilke man wole lerne wel To loue god wiþ al his myȝt, Þat loue in his herte fele. Þere god doþ loue, loue þou ryȝt; Line 4 There god doþ hate euerydele, Hate it boþe day and nyȝt, Ȝeue hym [folio 116b] noþer mete ne mele, But flyt hym fere out of ȝoure syȝt. Line 8

(2)

¶ Many gret[e] causes is, To loue god, why men ouȝte. He shop vs lyk ymage his, And wiþ his deþ, fro pyne vs bouȝt, Line 12 And ȝut, þouȝ we don ofte amys, For eche a gylt he beteþ vs nouȝt; And we þenke to amende, he profreþ to kys. Man, of loue he haþ besouȝt. Line 16

(3)

¶ Ȝif a lord ȝeue fee or rent For to do a gret office, To serue hym wel is þyn atent, For thy profyt, but not for his, Line 20 For he fyndeþ þe þy vaunsement; Þy loue vppon þe profyt lys. Suche worldly louers are gostly blent; Suche loue to god is cold as yse. Line 24

(4)

¶ Ȝif þou serue god for helle drede, Or loue god for his blisse, Þat loue is worth no parfyt mede: Þou [sechest] thy profyt, and not hisse. Line 28

Line 28 To pyne ne blis, take non hede, But loue god, for good he is. Suche loue to god, his erande doþ spede, [Nota de amore dei &c.] And pleseþ best to god y-wys. Line 32

(5)

¶ Fleschly man may do wele Þe seuene werkes of mercy þat god bed: Ȝeue pore folk mete and mele, Herberwe, drynk, cloþe, and fed, Line 36 For syngulere profyt, eche a dele, For drede of pyne, and couetys of mede. Loue god ouer all, for good he is; To pyne ne blisse, take non hede. Line 40

(6)

¶ Ȝif þou sette loue in þat degre, To loue god, for he þe wrouȝt, Þan make þou hym as he dede þe, Þan loue for loue, euene is brouȝt. Line 44 ȝif þou loue god, for he made þe fre, Þat dyȝed for the, to blisse þe bouȝt, Þan dyȝe þou for hym, as he dyȝed for þe; Ȝut heuene blisse, þou quytest hym nouȝt. Line 48

(7)

¶ Ȝit o thyng þere is byhende, Man, þat god askeþ of the: "Alle worldys delys, fro þyn herte wende, Wiþ alle þyn herte, loue þou me. Line 52 Þy swete þouȝtes [þou] me sende; For worldis goodis, myn are he. Loue me gostly, þat am þy frende, Þanne al euyl shal fro þe fle. Line 56

(8)

¶ Þat loue me gostly, y can assay, For gostly loue in herte y souȝt. Do worldly thyng fro þyn herte away, And haue me principal in þy þouȝt. Line 60

Line 60 Be lord, and haue richesse, þou may; Worldis richesse, for man was wrouȝt. Gostly loue, þat is my pray; [nota] But worldly goodis, in heuene comeþ nouȝt. Line 64

(9)

¶ For gold and syluer, and precyous stones, Swetnes of floures, erþely bewte, Þe shrynes wiþ all seyntes bones, In heuene were foul felþe to se. Line 68 Tyl body and soule aȝen arn ones Mad parfyt in claryte, Saue god hym self, in heuene wones, Þe principal, mankynde shal be." Line 72

(10)

¶ 'God! how may y, man, bygynne Wiþ myn herte to loue þe?' "Repente, and wylne no more synne, So mowe we [MS. ȝe] [folio 117a] frendis be, Line 76 Good soule, sybbe to my kynne; For y made it lik to me. Mankynde y tok, a mayden wiþ-ynne, So, gostly and bodyly, breþeren be we. [MS. wet] Line 80

(11)

¶ Who loueþ god, he wil bygynne For to folwe goddis lore; Loke where he dede wrongly wynne, Make amendis, aȝen restore. Line 84 Ȝoure loue, fro me ȝe parten o twynne For worldis worship, ryches in store, Heuene ȝates ȝe steken and pynne; Þat ye shulde saue, ȝe haue forlore. Line 88

(12)

¶ To gete loue þus bygynne: Wiþ clene herte, and swete þouȝt, Wiþ trewe tong, not falsely wynne, Ne stele, ne flatre, ne lyȝe nouȝt. Line 92

Line 92 Do ryȝtwys dede, out and ynne, Loke þy werkys be euene wrouȝt; Do almes and penaunce, and leue þy synne: Wiþ þese þre loue is bouȝt." Line 96

(13)

¶ God spekeþ to man, and lerneþ lore, Þe comaundementis and þe Crede. "Ȝeue me þy loue, y aske no more, Wiþ al þy herte, in loue and drede. Line 100 And þou nylt ȝeue it me, warne me byfore; Sette pris to selle it; loue and bede, I wole ȝeue the myself þerfore. Where myȝtest þou haue a beter mede? Line 104

(14)

¶ And þou nelt ȝeue ne selle it me, Aȝens me þou wilt debate, Þan wil y gon away fro þe, And ȝelde to þe hate for hate. Line 108 My face wiþ loue shalt þou not se, But steke þe wiþoute heuene ȝate, Fro alle vertues and charyte, Wiþ helle houndes, in endeles date. Line 112

(15)

¶ Haue y þy loue, so may þou quyte I mad þe lik ymage to me; And ȝif þe þenke þat was to lyte, Þanne þenk, y dyed on rode tre. Line 116 Þouȝ þou trespas, y do not smyte, But byd ȝif þou wilt mendid be. And þou be lost, whom wiltow wyte? Is it long on me or þe? Line 120

(16)

¶ Discrecioun of ȝong and old Of alle þynge nouȝt ouȝte. Of alle þat may be bouȝt and sold, Loue for loue is euenest bouȝte. Line 124

Line 124 Whan worldis loue doþ fayle and folde, Goddis loue fayleþ nouȝt. Trewe loue makeþ men be bolde; Wiþ loue, felawship to-gydre is brouȝt. Line 128

(17)

¶ ffor loue, god com fro heuene toure, In mayden Mary tok mankynde. ffor oure swete, he drank ful soure. Where myȝt we trewere loue fynde? Line 132 His loue passeþ worldis tresoure, Ȝaf syȝt in helle to gostly blynde. And we wole knytte his loue to oure, ffor soþe, þat knot shal neuere vnbynde. Line 136

(18)

¶ "Haue y þy loue, so may þou gete Þat loue wole þy soule saue, Among myn angels haue a sete, In ioye of heuene, as seyntes haue. Line 140 Ȝif þou nelt [folio 117b] y wol þe þrete, In helle pyne be fendis knaue. Wiþ þy conscience þou trete, Wheþer is þe leuere for to haue. Line 144

(19)

¶ And þou madde in þy mood, To werne me þe loue þou has, I wole caste on þe myn herte blod, To bere witnesse þou forfetest gras, Line 148 And my vengeance, þat is so wood, Wiþ helle houndis in fyre þe chas. Þou hast fre wille, knowest euyll and good: Chese where wyltow take þy plas. Line 152

(20)

¶ And þou of þy loue daungere make, What may thy loue profyte me? And þouȝ þou woldest me forsake, Out of my lordschipe þou myȝt not fle. Line 156

Line 156 Angels bryȝt, and deueles blake, In helle and heuene, my lordschipes be. Þere be no mo wayes to take; Is loue or hate more profyt to þe? Line 160

(21)

¶ Ȝif þy loue to þy flesch doþ bende, To greue me þou dost bygynne. Ȝif þou loue þe world þat wole make ende, Of hym þou shalt more lese þan wynne. Line 164 Ȝif þou be suget, and loue þe fende, He wole þe hate, and ȝeue pyne for synne. Loue me! y am god, þy frende, And oure loues shal neuere twynne. Line 168

(22)

¶ Wheþer trewe loue go or sende, Hym thar not tary in his dede. When mede haþ leue to stande byhynde, Þanne trewe loue, his erande may spede. Line 172 Þouȝ trewe loue haue lityl to spende, Euere he fyndeþ a frend at nede, Þat fro his foon wole hym fende. Who so is loued, hym thar not drede." Line 176

(23)

¶ God sayþ, "y haue mercyes to dele, Þat wole amende, no more do mys. My mercyes, þousandes mo ken fele Þan þousandis worldis wikkidnes." Line 180 His herte blod wrot oure hele, And Ihesus body, þe parchemyn is; Wiþ trewe loue he prented oure sele, Þat is heritage of oure blis. Line 184

(24)

¶ Þere is an herbe þat hatteþ 'trewe loue,' And by name it haþ no pere, Is lykned to Ihesus, y may proue: His handes and feet, þe leves were; Line 188

Line 188 His herte was wiþ a spere þurgh-shoue, Mannys loue was hym so dere. What soule is syk, lay þat herbe aboue, Hit makeþ hool al y-fere. Line 192

(25)

¶ God biddiþ vs do no þynges but two: In loue and drede to hym bende; Lede þy soule, lustes fro, World and flesch, and fro þe fende. Line 196 Ihesus herte was cleued so, To lete out trewe loue to his frende. In that blisse, god, graunte vs go, Þere trewe loue woneþ wiþouten ende! Line 200