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

Dominica iii. Adventus Domini secundum Matheum.

Cum audisset Iohannes in vinculis opera Cristi, mittens duos de discipulis suis, ait illi; Tu es qui venturus es, an alium expectamus. Et respondens Ihesus, dixit illis: Euntes renunciate Iohanni que audistis et uidistis. Ceci uident, claudi ambulant. et cetera.

SAYN Mathew the wangeliste Sais that sain Jon the Baptiste Was in prisoun, and herd telle Of Cristes dedes and his spelle, And send of his decipils twa, And bad thaim thai suld ga To wit at Crist, quither it war he That suld cum mannes bote to be, Or we, he said, an other Crist sal bide, That fel miht the fendes pride. Sain Jon decipels yed and said Thair erand that on thaim was laid,

And quen Crist thair asking herd, Ful mildely he thaim ansuerd, And bad thaim tille thair maister schaw His dedis that thai herd and sawe. Als qua sai, dedes bers wittenes Of me, that I sothefast Godd es, I gif the blind, he said, thair siht, I ger the halt men ga riht, I mac unhale men al hale, And def men I bet of bale, I rais men fra ded to life, And pouer men mas me ful rife, And ful bliced, he said, es he That es noht sclaunderd in me. Als qua sai, Jowes hauis eftand nithe At me for the ferlikes that I kithe, Forthi er thai sclaundered in me, Quen thai miht of mi goddhed se, And forthi bliz Ic him wit graze That folues noht the Jewes traze. Slic wordes til thaim spak Crist That com fra sayn Jon the Baptist, And quen thai hafd herd Crist sawe, Hamward til sain Jon gan thai drawe, And als thai til sain Jon ward yode, Crist spac tille thaim that bi him stode,

For thai hauid ben sain Jon to se In wildernes, for thar woned he, Bifor that Herodis the feloun Did sain Jon in his prisoun. Forthi asked Crist mare and lesse, Quat thing thai soht in wildernes. Quat thing, he said, yed ye Intil wildernes to se, Wend ye of sain Jon for to finde A red that waiues wit the wind. Als qua say, he es nan of tha That waifes for welthe or for wa, For werdes welthe and wa es winde, That makis werdes men ful blinde, For welthe to pride our hert draus, And wa geres us thol hard traues, Bitwix thir tua we held als reed, In wa we murne, in welthe we wede, Bot sain Jon igain bathe stode, For nouther of thaim chaunged his mod; Forthi asked Crist quether man him soht Als he war man of fliker thoht, And thus askid Crist quether men yede To se a wind waiuande rede, Quen thai yed sain Jon to se, That stithe stod als stalworth tre,

Als qua sai, wen ye that he Es als tuifald of hert als ye, Nai, for he es sa stedfaste That na wind mai him fra me caste. Slic wordes als I you telle Sais Crist to dai in our godspelle Of sain Jon, that stithe stode Igain fanding of werdes flode, For he no was noht lic in dede Til thaim that heldes als the rede. For mani man mai bisend be Unto the rede, als thinc me, That es at say, thir glotherers That in thair an hand fir beres, In the tother water ber thai, Als lawed men er won to say. Thai kindel baret wit bacbiting, And slokenes it wit thair glothering, Thai heeld in tuin, als dos the red, Wit fair speche and wit falshed, Thai ger thair riche men misdo, For al thair thing thai spek thaim to; For quethir sa thai do wel or ille, Thai hald wit thaim in al thair wille. Mirthe and med and werdes belde Gers thaim til falshed helde,

Bot sua did noht sain Jon, I wis, That snibbed Herod quen he did misse, And said it was igain the lawe His brother wif fleyslic to knawe. He helded noht, bot stithe stod, And for sothesawe sched his blod. In sted of tal, I wille you telle Hou it of his slahter felle. The king Herode wit mikel unriht [Nota.] Raeft his brother his wif that hiht Herodias, and sain Jon herde Wit quatkin sin Herodes ferd, And snibbed him of his sinne, And bad him that he suld it blinne. Quar thoru Herodes als feloun Did sain Jon in his prisoun. Herodias als wikke womman Wald that sain Jon hauid ben slan. He mired hir flesly liking, Forthi scho wald to ded him bring, Bot chesoun till him fand scho nan, For Herodes that him hafd tan, Sau that he was an hali man, And thoht ful lathe to be his ban, For of sain Jon stod him awe, And sinned les for his sawe,

And herd his word wit god wille, And did mikel that he said him tille. Herodes mad a fest, and cald Princes thar to and bernes bald, And als he wit his gestes seete, And mad him glad, and drank and eet, Bifor him com a fair yong lasce, That Herodias dohter was, And tumbeled sa wel for alle, That thar was gedered in that halle, That al war payed of hir play, And Herodes til hir gan say, Quat sa thou wil, thou ask me, For freli sal I graunt the. He swar his athe that he suld fille Alle hir asking and hir wille. Thoh thou he said ask haluen dele Mi kingerik, I grant it wele. This mai ran tille hir moder swithe, And bad hir that scho suld hir lithe Quat the king hir hauid bed, And askid hir moder quat scho red. Hir moder was fain quen scho this herd, And sone hir dohter scho ansuerd, And said, loc that you ask noht Bot that sain Jones hefd be broht

In a disce sone bifor the, For this thing wald I gladli se. This maiden child ran to the king, And said, sir, this es min asking, Yef thou wil that mi wil be don, Thou grant me min asking son, And gif me in a disce weued Sain Jon the Baptist heued. Ful ille payed was the king Quen he herd this asking, Him thoht scham igain to kalle That he hauid hiht bifor thaim alle, And for he hauid sworn his athe, To wrech that laze thoht him lathe, Forthi he send his queller soune And bad hir wille suld be don. His queller did als he him bad, And mad this maiden child ful glad, For he broht hir als scho hauid said, Sain Jones heuid in a disce laid. Thus was this mai sain Jones ban, That was for riht and sothesaw slan, But thurt him noht haf tint his heued, Yef he als red wald haf weuid. Yef he hauid noht snibbed the king, Bot loued his dedes wit glothering,

Than moht he haf gan quit away, And lifd in werdes welth and play. Bot he did wel better than, I wisse, For nou es he in well mar blisse, And Herod and Herodias Er bathe in hel wit Satenas. Nou haf ye herd hou sain Jon stod For sothefastnes, and ched his blod. Forthi in our godspel sais Crist Til the folc, of sain Jon the Baptist, Wend ye of sain Jon for to find A red that waiues wit the wind, Nay, but swa stedfast es he, That na thing gers him tuifald be, For he sal stand in sothefastnes, And thol ded for rihtwisnes. An other asking, als auntour felle, Asked Crist in our godspelle, Til thaim that stod him about, And of sain Jon hauid dout, Quat yed ye, he said, to se In wildernes, ye tel me, A man robed in wlank wede, Als qua sai, nai, ne in fairhede, For al men wist that knew sain Jon, That he hauid camel har him upon,

Forthi asked Crist, quethir thai yed To se sain Jon in wlanke wede, Als qua sai, es he nan of tha That er cled in gren and gra. Crist spac of thaim that gas in gren, To scheu the folc quat he wald men. In kinges houses, he said, won thai That er cled in gren and grai, Als qua sai, about kinges es Wel mar pride than in wildernes. Her mai ye se that Jhesu Crist Loues sain Jon the Baptiste. For he in pouer wed was cled, And in pouert his lif he led, And her bi wil Crist us lere, To forsak proud clething her. The god clerk sain Gregorie Schewes us aperteli, Yef sin no war in wlanke wede, Haued noht Crist loued sain Jon in lede For the clething of pouert: For thoh prid be al in the hert, Riche clething noht forthi Schroudes sua man bodi, That rifli geres it man think mar Of his bodi, that it wel far,

Than he of his sawel dos, Sua thinc him of his wed gret ros, Quil he fandes his fleis to fede, And mac it fayr wit wlanc wede. His fairnes witout he schawes To sem better than his felaues. For elles forze wald he nan mak Quether his clething war quit or blac, Bot for he wil be heier calde Than othere, and for better talde, Forthi he schroudes his bodi And lates of pouer men hetheli; The liking of his wlanc wede Gers him tin his sawel mede. Forthi loues Crist in our godspel Pouer wed [our prid to fell], And askes ef the folc yed To se sain Jon in wlanc wede. Als qua sai, bisen sal ye take This werdes welthe for to forsak, For werdes welthe and prid and play Endes al wit ten and tray. In our godspel yet askis Crist Of sain Jon the Baptiste, For thris the folc askid he, Quat thing they yed for to se

In wildernes, and at the last He cald sain Jon prophet sothefast, And said to thaim, I sai you yet, Yed ye to bihald the prophet, Of sain Jon in wildernesse, Ya, wit ye wel that mar he esse Than prophetes war in his tim, For prophetes spac mikel of him, Thoru quaim God hit he suld send His angel, mannes lif to mend. I send, he said, my messager Bifor mi face mi word to berre. This sais the fader of heuin to Crist Of sain Jon the Baptist, That bifor Crist graythed the way Als sais our godspel of today. Nou haf I graytheli you tald Hou sain Jon the Baptist es cald Jesus Crist messager, For he was send his word to ber, And I to dai fourtenniht tald Hou sain Jon bodword broht bald. He was ryt Cristes messager, For he broht word that he was ner. And als was he mar than a prophet Quen he scheued that he bihet.

It falles to prophet for to sai The thing that efter falle may, Bot sain Jon said and scheued bathe, For that he hit, he scheued rathe. Quen Crist com to flum Jordan Als other men did mani an, Of sain Jon to be baptist, Than said sain Jon Jesu Crist Til al that folc wit swetli swar That thar habout him gederid war, This es that lamb that I you hiht, That dos away this werdes pliht, Godes lamb mai ye se her, Of him spac Ic als messager. Bot her mai sum man thinc ferly, Als sais the clerk sain Gregorie, That sin sain Jon the Baptist Knew sa wel that Jesu Crist, Quarfor send he sithen him tille, To wit quether he suld fulfille Thing that was said in prophecie Of him that mankind suld bie. First sain Jon said that Crist was he, That al mankind bot suld be, And sithen he spired quether he war cumen To felle the fend that man hauid nomen.

Ful schilfuli and wit resoun Mai men ask this questioun. The god man sain Gregorie Undos this word dohtilye, And sais that sain Jon ful wel wist That he of quaim he spac was Crist, That tok kind of maiden Mari, Bot he no wist noht witerlye, Quether he suld mankind bye, And heri helle als king mihtye, And forthi send sain Jon him to, To wit quether he war com to do Thing that moht bring man fra helle, Thar him bihoued euer dwelle, Tille he war comen that haued mihte To fulfille that the prophetes hauid hiht, That es at say, to mak the fin For sin, and bring thaim of pin To blis that may haf na ending, Our Lauerd Jesus thider us bring.

Amen.