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

Dominica ii. Adventus Domini secundum Lucam.

Dixit Ihesus discipulis suis, Erunt signa in sole, et luna, et stellis, et in terris, pressura gentium pre confusione sonitus maris et fluctuum. Arescentibus hominibus pre timore et ex∣pectatione que superuenient uniuerso orbi. et cetera.

TODAY sain Louk telles us In our godspel, that Jesus Spac of thing that es to com, And namelic of the dai of dom. Takning he said sal be don Bathe in the son, and in the mon, And in the sternes al biden, And folc sal thol wandreth and ten, For folc sal duin for din of se, And for baret that than sal be, Ouer al this werd bes rednes, Wandreth, and uglines, For mihti gastes of the heuin Sal be afrayed of that steuin,

Than sal Crist cum that men may se In maistri and in gret pouste. Quen this bigines for to be, Lokes up and ye may se That your biing and your pris Ful ner cumen tilward you es. Him self our biing he calde, For he boht us quen he was salde. Quen Crist hauid said this grimli sau, An ensampel gan he schau, And said, quen ye se lefes spring, And thir tres froit forthe bring, Than wat we wel that somer es ner. Als may ye wit on that maner, Quen ye se thir takeninges in land, That Crist es ful ner cumand. For heuin and erthe sal pas thar, Bot my word passes neuer mar; Als qua sai, thing that I you telle, Ne mai na miht fordo ne felle, Quen this werld that I mad of noht Sal be gane and til end broht, Than sal mi word be sothe fast, For mi kinric sal euer last. This es the strenthe of our godspel, Als man wit Inglis tung may tel.

The maister on this godspel preches, And sais that Crist thar in us teches For to forsak this werdes winne, Ful of wrechedhed and sinne, For Crist sais us hou it sal end, And warnes us ful fair als frend, He telles us takeninges snelle Thar he biginnes his godspelle, And sais kinric sal rohly rise Igain kinric, and ger men grise, For bale sal ger thir bernes blede, And mak in land hunger and nede. This bale sal bald baret breu, And fel mikel of this werdes gleu. Slic wordes said Crist of thir wers That folc in werd ful derf deres, For quatkin wer sal fal in land, Til pouer folk es it sarest schouand, That felis wel nou hali kirk That bers of baret be ful irk; For it and pouer men hauis bathe Of wer and wandreht al the schathe, This baret pinnes pouer pride Als thai wel wat that walkes wide, Bot werdes haht and hey tures Getes thir cite men fra stures,

Forthi riche men hauis ay, I wis, Inohe of met and drinc and blis, Bot pouer tholes the baret, That hauis defaut of clathe and met, And forthi warnes Jesus bathe Riche and pouer of thair schathe, Thar he schaues in our godspelle Takeninges that bird our pride felle. He sais takeninges sal be don Bathe in the sone and in the mon, The sun sal turn intil mirknes, Als sais Joel, that bers witnes Of Crist that thir takeninges us schaues In our godspelle wit grisli sawes: For mon, he sais, sal turned be In til blod, that folk sal se, Quen sun and mon sal thusgat turn, Than sal the sinful sar scurn, For than may thai wit witerly, That Crist sal com to dem in hi, Bot god men sal na thing dred, For than sal thai be seker of med In that blisful land that thay Sal euer lif in gamen and play; And Crist in our godspel forthy Confortes us ful mildeli,

And bides us lok til grouand tres For quen men leues on thaim sees, Men wat that ful ner es somer comand, And riht sua mai we understand Quen we se thir takenis cume, That nerhand es the dai of dom. Bot for Crist spekes of takeninge That tithand of this dom sal bringe, Forthi es god that I you telle Sum thing of thir takeninges snelle: Sain Jerom telles that fiften Ferli takeninges sal be sen Bifor the day of dom, and sal Ilkan of thaim on ser dai fal. The first dai sal al the se Boln and ris and heyer be Than ani fel of al the land, And als a felle up sal it stand, The heyt thar of sal passe the felles Bi sexti fot, als Jerom telles, And als mikel the tother day Sal it sattel and wit away, And be lauer than it nou esse, For water sal it haf wel lesse. The thride dai mersuine and qualle And other gret fises alle

Sal yel, and mak sa reuful ber That soru sal it be to her. The ferthe day freis water and se Sal bren als fir and glouand be. The fift day sal greses and tres Suet blodi deu that grisli bes. The sexte day sal doun falle Werdes werks bathe tours and halle. The seuend day sal stanes gret Togider smit and bremly bete. And al the erthe the achtande day Sal stir and quac and al folc slay. The neynd day the fels alle Be mad al euin wit erthe salle. The tend day sal folc up crep, Als wod men of pittes dep. The elleft day sal banes rise And stand on graues thar men nou lies. The tuelft day sal sternes falle. The thretend day sal quek men dey alle, Wit other ded men to rise, And com wit thaim to gret asise. The faurtend day at a schift Sal bathe brin bathe erthe and lift. The fifetende day thai bathe Sal be mad newe and fair ful rathe,

And al ded men sal rise, And cum bifor Crist our iustise.

Vnde Versus de ejusdem Signis.

Signis ter quinis se prodet ad ultima finis Mundani motus Domino soli modo notus. In signo primo surget mare stans quasi murus Erigat in proprios post pauca sinus rediturus, Atque quater denis cubitis transcendere montes Cernetur, paucique fluent in flumina fontes. Oculet in signo sic se maris unda secundo, Ut vix aspectum capiat: diuersa profundo Monstra super fluctus post hec ubi nata patebunt, Rugitusque sui celos horrore mouebunt. Quarto cum fluuiis ardebunt equoris unde, Fontibus ut latices effundant non erit unde. Rorem sanguineum quinto deducet ab [herbis] Horror et arboribus lacrimis perfusus acerbis. Hinc turres et tecta cadent, que diruet edes Sexta dies, omnis que solo ruet ardua sedes. Augebit lapidum conflictus in orbe timorem, Terribilemque dabit collisio seua fragorem. Concuciet terram post hec motus generalis, Omnia conturbans, horrendus, et exitialis. Omnibus equatis in plano terra jacebit, Strata superficies nichil asperitatis habebit.

Hinc velud amentes exibunt ante latentes In latebris homines et fari nulla ualentes. Sicca super tumbis post hec surgencia stabunt. Casus stellarum signans discrimine finem Nesciet ulterius clarum deducere finem. Corpore uiuentes simul absque mora morientur, Ut pariter clangente tuba cuncti repetentur. Optimus inde status celum terramque nouabit, Luce sub eterna, quem nulla dies uariabit, Conuocet ut cunctos cum buccina protinus urgens Iudicis ante pedes ueniet plebs tota resurgens.

Isti Versus omittantur a lectore quando legit Anglicum coram laycis.

Than sal Crist dem als king ful wis, And ger the sinful sare grise, Sa grisli sal he to thaim be, That thaim war leuer that thai moht fle Fra that dom that he sal dem Than al this werd, sa bes he brem Tille thaim that sinful cumes thar, And forthi sal thai gret sar, And say allas that we war born, Schamlic haf we us self forlorn. Than salle thair wike dedes alle, Stand and igaines thaim kalle, And with thair takening ber witnes

Of thair sin and thair wiknes. Of mikel soru sal thai telle, For Satenas wit feres felle, To bind thaim he sal be ful snelle, And bremli draw thaim till helle, Thar thai sal euermare duelle, And wafullic in pines welle, And endeles of soru telle. This bes thair dom that her in sin Ligges, and wil thair sin noht blin, Bot wald thai think on domes dai Thaim bird lef thair plihtful play. Allas allas quat sal thai say Bifor him that miht ful may, Quen al the men that was and esse Sal se thair sines mare and lesse, And al the angeles of the heuin, And ma fendes than man mai nefen. Igain sawe may thar nan be, Of thing that alle men may se. Of this openlic schauing Hauis Godd schawed many taking, Of a taking that I haf herd telle, That falles wel til our godspelle. A blak munk of an abbaye [Narracio.] Was enfermer of all I herd say,

He was halden an hali man Imange his felaus eurilkan, An cloyster monk loued him ful wel, And was til him ful speciel, For riuelic togider drawes Faithe lufreden god felawes. Fel auntour that this enfermer Was sek, and he that was til him der Com to mak him glad and blithe, And his lufredene til him to kithe, He asked him hou he him felid, And he his stat alle til him telld, And said ful hard fel I me, To dede I drawe als ye mai se. His felau was for him sary, And praied him ful gern forthie, That yef Godd did of him his wille, That he suld scheu his stat him tille. This seke monk hiht to com him to, Yef he moht get lef thar to: I sal, he said, yef I may, Com to the my stat to say. Quen this was sayd, he deyed son, And his felau asked his bon, And prayed Godd for his mercye, That he suld schew him openly,

Other wakand or slepand, Of his felaw state sum tithand, And als he lay apon a niht, His felaw com wit lemes liht, And tald him bathe of heuin and helle, And he prayed he suld him telle His state, and he said wel far I Thoru the help of our Lefdi, War scho ne hafd ben, I hauid gan To won in helle wit Satan. His felau thoht herof ferly, And asked him quarfor and qui, And sayd, we wend alle wel that thou Haued ben an hali man til nou: Hou sal it far of us kaytefes, That in sin and foli lyes, Quen thou that led sa hali life, Was demed tille hell for to drife. Quen this was said, the ded ansuerd And tald his felaw hou he ferd, And said son quen I gaf the gaste, Till my dom was I led in haste, And als I stod my dom to her Bifor Jesus, wit dreri cher, Of fendes herd Ic mani upbrayd, And a boc was bifor me layd,

That was the reuel of sain Benet, That Ic hiht to hald and get. This reul thai gert me rapli rede, And als I red, sar gan I drede, For ouerlop moht I mac nan, Bot of the clauses euerilkan, Yald Ic account hou I thaim held, And my consciens gan me meld, It schawed thar ful openlye That I led mi lif wrangwislie, For in the reul es mani pas, That than igain me casten was, Quar thoru almast haued I thare Ben demid til helle for to fare. Bot for I lufed wel our Lefdye Quil I lifd, Ic hafd forthie Ful god help thar thoru hir mercy, For scho bisoht Crist inwardlie That I moht in purgatorie Clens mi sin and mi folye. Forthi hop I to far ful welle, For mi soru sal son kele; Forthi my frend I prai the, That thou ger felaus prai for me. Quen this was said, awai he went, And his felawe ful mikel him ment,

And efter this siht mani a dai Gert he for his sawell prai. This tal haf I tald you, To schew on quat maner and hou We sal be demed, and yeld acount Quat our sinnes mai amount, For al sal com to rounge, I wis, Thar, that her mistakin isse Bi the lest idel thoht, For thar forgifnes bes riht noht. Than sal we bye the sines dere Of quilke we er noht schriuen here, Yef we be her of sines schriuen, Thar hauis Godd us thaim forgiuen, Forthi birdd us our sin her bete, Wit schrift of mouthe and wonges wete. For schrift of mouthe es medecine That schildes man fra helle pin, For if we schrif us clen of sinne Wit penanz, ded we sal haf winne, And mai be siker on domes dai, To wind intil that blisful plai, Thar Crist sal euer mar be king, For his merci he thider us bring.

Amen.