am nat worthy to preyse the // 'Quia non est Speciosa
Laus in Ore Peccatoris / In as mych as ther ys no
worthy prey[s]yng in the mouthe off a Synfull man' /
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how shall I euere be bolde or hardy to telle fforth the
Magnyffycence off thy laude // Certys, lady, yiff I
see that I be nat benygnely herde off the, I wyl
arrettyn the cause to my synnes, and to the grete
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defautys that I ha done; ffor thow, lady, ffayllest
neuere, nor thow wantest nat to do socour and helpe to
alle that deuoutly besechyn and prayen vn-to the. Et
hoc est quod promisisti Ecclesiastico xxiiijo: "Sum, &
vsque ad Futurum seculum non desinaui" / That is to
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seyne / "I am, and in-to the worlde that is to komene,
I shall nat Cesse ffor to be" / And ther-ffore, blyssed
lady, be-cause thow hast ben, and euere art, and shalt
ben, Comfort and Consolacion to alle wrechches and
Synfull men, In hope that thy Mercy and thy Consola|
cion in my grete Nede [Stowe folio 295b] Shall nat ffayllen vn-to me /
Thys ys my Secounde Consolacioun, which that I
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cachche in the. /
The Thrydde Consolacion
Off A Troublyd Sowle
The Thrydde Comfort and Consolacion, O blyssed
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lady, that I have, ys this, That I se that ffolkys,
oppressyd with werynesse off ther owne thoughtys,
ffynden a Shadwyng place and an holsomme Refuge
whan they fflen to the ffor socour and helpe // wherfore,
lady, yiff I seye and beholde thatt the ffoxys off the
Line 16752
Erthe hadden holys to putte Inne ther heedes, And
bryddes off the heyre, nestys to breden Inne, and a
Sparwe koude ffynden out an hevese off an hous to
bredyn Inne / And a Tortyl a place to make hym Inne
a Neste to ffostren hys bryddes ther-Inne // And that
I say also this hygh hylles, ordeyned ffor hertys to
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pasturen Inne, And in kavyd stones ffounde an hoole,
an yrchoun to haue his Reffuge ther-Inne; And amonge
al thys, I seye the Childeren off men Dysconsolat
and Destytuyt off ther loggyng // As whilom thy
blyssed sonne hadde no place wher to putte Inne his
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