Bote holy wille and swete egginge
To Godus seruyse chyld forþ bringe.
Line 220
A child he won þorwh godus mihte,
Þorwh Godus heste, and hedde insihte:
In Eliȝabeth þe holigost lihte
And þat child in hire dihte.
Line 224
Eliȝabeth ful glad was þo
Þat heo gon wiþ chylde go!
A-wey heo let al hire wo
Þat heo hedde fourti ȝer and mo.—
Line 228
Whon þat child scholde iboren be,
His frendes aboute of þe cuntre
Wiþ blisful chere, gamen and gle
Alle he comen þe child to se.
Line 232
¶ Þenne seiden his frendes alle
Ȝakarie heo wolden him calle.
Þat herde þe Modur, þer heo lay,
And onswerde and seide: "nay,
Line 236
"Mi leue frendes, doþ a-way!
Ion he schal hote, ȝif I may."
¶ Alle heo seiden þat þer nas non
In al heore kynde þat hihte Ion.
Line 240
To Ȝakarie þe word heo brouhte
And bad him sigge what he þouhte.
And he a table sone souhte
And þeron þe nome wrouhte.
Line 244
On þe tablet he wrot anon
Þe childes nome, he wrot Ion—
"God bi-fore he schal gon [v. 247-8 should follow v. 196.]
And to him torne mony on."
Line 248
Wondur hedde þo al his kynde
Hou he mihte þis nome fynde.
Bote God his tonge let vnbynde;
And he him louede wiþ al his Mynde.
Line 252
"God," he seide, "i-blessed þou be,
Þat of his folk wolde haue pite,
And his Merci haþ i-sent to me,
Þat þis child schulde i-bore be!
Line 256
[This stanza follows v. 266 in the MS.] And þou, child, schalt ben clept prophete,
Þou schalt greiþe godus strete,
