I. CHRIST'S PRAISE OF PURITY; THE WEDDING-FEAST
Clannesse who so kyndly cowþe comende, [folio 61a]
And rekken up alle þe resounz þat ho by riȝt askez, [and here, as generally, represented by & in MS.]
Fayre formez myȝt he fynde in for [þ] ering his speche, [MS., M. forering; M. note forbering (?); Th. (p. 44), B. forþering.]
And in þe contrare, kark and combraunce huge.
Line 4
For wonder wroth is þe Wyȝ þat wroȝt alle þinges
Wyth þe freke þat in fylþe folȝes hym after—
As renkez of relygioun þat reden and syngen,
And aprochen to hys presens, and prestez arn called.
Line 8
Thay teen unto his temmple and temen to hymselven,
Reken wyth reverence þay r[ec] hen his auter, [MS., wt which M. here, as always, expands with, I have expanded wyth, since this is the spelling in over two-thirds of the cases where the scribe writes it out: MS. r. .hen with second and third letters blurred, though c is partly legible.]
Þay hondel þer his aune body and usen hit boþe:
If þay in clannes be clos, þay cleche gret mede;
Line 12
Bot if þay conterfete crafte, and cortaysye wont,
As be honest utwyth, and inwith alle fylþez,
Þen ar þay synful hemself, and sulped altogeder,
Loþe God and his gere, and hym to greme cachen. [MS. (but see Introd., p. x); M. boþe.]
Line 16
He is so clene in his corte, þe Kyng þat al weldez, [corte, M. here, as always, expands courte (but see Introd., p. x, n. 3).]
And honeste in his housholde and hagherlych served,
With angelez enorled in alle þat is clene,
Boþe wythinne and wythouten, in wedez ful bryȝt,
Line 20
Nif he nere scoymus and skyg and non scaþe lovied,
Hit were a mervayl to much, hit moȝt not falle.
Kryst kydde hit hymself in a carp onez,
