English metrical homilies from manuscripts of the fourteenth century : with an introduction and notes / by John Small.

Explicit Prologus. Incipit ratio quare presens opus in∣cipiat dominicam primam Adventus Domini.

AR the fulthe of tim was comen, Satenas al folk aued nomen, For mankind in prisoun he held, Wiht outen help wit outen belde, Ai til God in trinite Of mankind hafd sa gret pite, That he send his son for to take Fleys and blod for mannes sake, For wit outen fleis and blode, Moht Crist noht by apon the rode Mankind, that in fleis and felle, Was demed to the pin of helle, Forthi hafd God of man mercye, That was bigiled thoru envie Of Satenas that wiht lesinge Gabbid Adam and his ofspringe,

And gert mankind ga tille helle, Thar he suld euer mar duelle, Yef it ne hauid ben Godd almihti, That send his son thoru his merci, To yeld for mankind raunceoun, And lesse us al of prisoun, Goddes sun and Goddes sande, Com to les mankind of bande, And was born of mayden Marye, Mankind on rode for to bie, And forthi Crist com us to, Our aller nedes for to do, A monethe bifor his birthe, Hali kirk wit menske and mirht, Welcomes him euer ilke a yer, And thankes God on fair maner, For Cristes com and Goddes sande, That lesed us of the fendes bande, And forthi at that blissful tyme, Quen hali kirk welcumes hime, Wil I bigin to mak my spelle, And of his com sum thing telle, For Cristes to com mad endinge, Of al our soru and our murning.

Explicit istud precedens Argumentum. Incipit Euange∣lium ejusdem Dominice secundum Marcum.

Inicium Euangelii Ihesu Cristi filii Dei, sicut scriptum est in Ysaya Propheta. Ecce mitto angelum meum ante faciem tuam qui preparabit viam tuam ante te. Vox clamantis in deserto parate viam Domini, rectas semitas facite ejus. Fuit Iohannes in deserto. et cetera.

Sayn Mark byginnes his godspel Wit wordes that I wil you tel, And tas witnes of Ysaye, That spekes of Crist in prophecye. This Ysaye than spekes ful euen, In the fader nam of heuin, Til Crist of sayn Johan the Baptiste, That bodword broht of him that Crist; I send, he says, my messager Bifor thi face thi word to ber, That sal graithe bifor the the way, Wit word that he of the wil say. Thir wordes says God almihty, Thoru the prophet Malachye, And als than spekis Ysaie, Of sayn Jon ful openlye,

Thai scheu bathe an wit sere letter, Forthi bers us trow thaim the better. Thai tald how sayn Jon the Baptist Suld graithe the gates bifor Criste, For sayn Jon was in wildernes, And baptized folk in forgifnes Of sin, and kend thaim the way Tilward that blis that lastes ay, For mikel folk of a contre That our godspelles kalles Jude, And of Jerusalemes cite, Com of sain Jon baptized to be, Thai schraf thaim of thair sines clen, And sayn Jon baptized thaim biden. In strang penance his lif he ledde, Wit camel hare was he cledde, Wod hony and froit he ete, And taht the folk thair sine to bete, And said a stither gom than I, Efter me sal com in hy, That es sa menscful and mihty, That I me self es noht worthi To les the thuanges of his schon, Sa mikel god thoru him bes don; For I in water baptiz you, Bot apon him aw ye to trow,

For he sal wit the haligaste Baptiz you and your sinnes waste. This es the strenthe of our godspel, That man wit Englis tung mai telle. In this godspel als think me, Tua thinges mai we gastli se. The first es worsip and louing Of Jhesu Cristes to coming, For it falles to a mihty king, That messager word of him bring. Ar he com til his biging, Als sain Jon broht of Crist tithing; Of quaim Ysay the prophet Bers witnes wit wordes suet, And sain Mark settes his witnes, In our godspel als wel worthe es. The tothers thinge that we may se, In our godspel als think me, Than es the gret derworthines Of precheours that bers witnes Of his to com and mas it couthe, Wit word that comes of thair mouthe, For thai er Cristes messagers, Til al that thair sermoun heres. Thay telle the folk on quat maner, That mankind was to Godd sa der,

That he send his son us to, Our aller nedes for to do. That was our Lauerd Crist Jesus, That was send to dey for us, Forthi bird we in his cuming, Welcum him als worthi king, For in hali bok find we, Of Cristes to cuminge [poyntys] thre. The first was quen he com to tak Fleis and blod for mannes sak, He lyhted doun ful mekeli Into the maiden wamb of Mary, And schop him bodi of hir fleyse, And dubbed him wit our liknes, And welk in werld als sinful man, Bot sinles was he al an; Wit our licnes bigiled he The fend that his manhed moht se, But pride made the fend sa blind, That his godhed moht he noht find. He wend that Crist war noht bot man, And thoru his godhed was he tan. Cristes godhed the fend tok, Als fisce es tan wit bait and hoc; For his godhed in fleis was felid Als hok in bait, quare thoru he telid

The fend, that telid our fadir Adam, And broht mankind in mikel blam; Hauid Satenas wist witerlye That Criste hauid ben Godd almihtye, For al this werld hauid he noht gert, The Jowes sting him to the hert, Bot for he sau him noht bot man, Godhed in him wend he war nan, Forthi he fanded ithenlye, To harl him in til his balye, He wend wel wit him to fare, Als he hauid don with other are, For quen Crist suelt apon the tre, His sawel gern spied he, Yef he moht se or find thar inne, Any filth or spotte of sinne, And for he fand thar in riht nan, Als fisce wit hok was he tan. The fendes miht that was ful stithe, That he was won bifor to kithe, Was alle taken in Cristes hand, That him in hel sa harde band, That neuer mar sal he wend Out of hel, bot ay thar lend, And Crist reft him than mani man, That he fra Crist bifor had tan.

For son, quen Crist on rod was slain, He herid hel als mihti thain, And broht thaim al that war his, Mihtfullik in till his blis, His godhed and his sauel samen, Broht thaim al fra pin to gamen, Thus com ur Lauerd Crist us to To bring us al fra, til rest and ro; Forthi beres man that ese mad hale, And blisfully bette of his bale, Welcom Crist that com to bring Us til his blis als mihti king. Nou se ye qui and for quas sake, Crist com til us our kind to take. His first com was bodilye, Bot an other est gastilye, That es quen Crist gifes us wille, His comandmenz to fulfille, For son, quen we haf wil to do Al that the precheour says us to, And feles our hert in charite, For sothe ful siker mai we be, That Crist es comen in til our hertes Gastli that us til godnes ertes, Of us self haf we noht bot sin, Bot quen Crist wirkes us wit in,

Than at the first biginne we, God cresten men for to be, That mai ye se aperteli, Wit mani ensampel witerly, Namly bi Mari Maudelayn, That lang hauid in sin lain, Quen Crist com gastly til hir hert, Ris of her sinne son he hir gert. For son, quen scho hauid hir tanne To Crist, scho wex a god womman, Of hir wil Ik aperteli telle, Yef ye will list and lithe mi spel. Werldes welthe gert Marie wede, [Rotanda Relatio.] Quil scho was yong in hir fairhede. Scho gaf hir hert til sinful play, And kest hir maidenhed away. For rifli gers werldes win Thir fair wimmen fal in sin, Scho lived hir lif in licherye, Ai til Crist haued of hir mercie, He com til her gastilye, And gert hir leue al hir folie, Scho umthot hir quat scho hauid tint, And igain sin gan scho stint, Hir rewed of hir self ful sare, And hauid for hir sin slik kare

That nan that hers spek of Marie, Thar haf wanhop of Godes mercie, For do man neuer sa mikel sin, And he wil his sin blin, Godd of heuin es ai redi, For to haf of him mercie, That was sen in the Maudelayn, That bird mak sinful man ful fain. Sain Louk the god godspeller, Telles us on quat maner, That this ilc sinful Marye, Gat forgifnes and mercie. He sais that in that ilk toun, Woned a man that hiht Symoun, Thar Mary woned that tim that scho Hafd will penanz for to do, This ilk Simonde was a mesel, Bot Crist hafd gifen him his hel, He hafd inoh quar of to lif, And almous to the pouer to gif. Fell auntour that he prayd Crist To eet wit him at his biwist, And Crist that seknes fra him kest, Com and eet wit him als gest, And son, quen Mari herd telle, That Crist suld to the meet thar duelle,

Scho com thar Crist him seluen sette, And sua sar than gun scho grede, That wit teres scho wes his fete, That scho of hir eyen lete, Scho wiped his feet wit her hare, And kissed thaim wit suetli suare, And blotned thaim wit smersles suete, That al feled suetnes that thar sete, Scho hauid boht this ointment, To smer hir auen bodi gent, To mak suet smelland hir bodye, Quil scho haunted hir folye. This Symond, of quaym I spak are, Biheld this womman lufli fare, And thoht that yef Crist war prophet, Him bird wit qua handeles his fet, Als qua say, him bird wit that scho War noht worthi this dede to do, For sin mas hir unworthi, To nehe him that sud be hali. And als Symond thoht this, Crist wist quat he [thoht] I wis, And said, Symond tak yem to me, Ik haf sum thing to spek wit the, Simond ansuered and said him tille, Sai on maister, quat es thi wille.

And Crist sette him ensampel than, And said it was a riche man, This riche man hauid dettours fele, And sum war fals and sum war lele, A man haht him fifty penis, Another an honderet or the prise, And nauther hauid penis for to yeld, And he kid [thaim] curtaysi and beld, And forgaf thaim thair dette bathe, Wit outen stez wit outen schathe, Quether of thir tua lufd him mar, And Symond ansuerd Crist ful yar, And said, he quaym he mar forgafe, Wit riht mar lufe sudd til him hafe; And Crist said, you hauid demid riht, For thus fars dette of sinful pliht; I com hider in als uncouthe man, Water to min fet bedd thou nan, And this womman hauis wasced mi fet, Wit salt teres that scho gret, And her heuid hauis scho mad al bare, And wiped min fet wit hir hare; You kissed me noht sin I com ine, To kis min fet can scho noht blin; Forthi es hir forgiuen hir sin, For mikel luf that scho kidd her in,

The les that man luues me, The les sin mai him forgiuen be, Bot for hir luf es til me lele, I forgif hir sinnes ful fele, Ga, he said, womman in pes, For al thi sinnes forgiuen es. This tal haf I tald you, To scheu on quat maner and hou, That quen Crist cumes intil our hertes, To lef our sin he us ertes, And geres us ask him forgiuenes, Of al our sinnes mar and les. His first to com was bodili Quen he was born of our Lefdi, For than he com in fles and bane For to hel sinful man; His other com es gastilye, Til our hert, quen we lef folye, For of us self haf we bot sin, Of him comes al our welth and win, For quen he cumes gastlic us to, Than haf we wil us god to do. Nou haf ye herd twifald to com, The thred sal be on day of dom, Quen we sal ris thoru blast of bem And Crist sal cum al folc to dem.

Til god men sal he be quem, And to the wik ful grisli sem, Igain thaim sal he be sa brem, That of his land he sal thaim flem, Of this to com tel I noht nou, For Crist him seluen telles hou He sal cum than, and wit quat miht, In our godspel to dai sefniht, And qua sa wil that godspel her, Than mai ye se on quat maner Crist sal cum to dem us alle, For igain him may we noht calle, Forthi red I we al pray That he be til us quem that day, And bring us til his mikel blis, That til rihtwis men graithed es. Amen say we al samen, Thar bes joy and endles gamen.

Amen.