Whon Ioseph herde þis tyþinge,
Marie he heold in clene weddynge
And wiþ þe Maide in good lykinge
Mayde bi-lafte to his endynge.—
Line 336
Bi hem þat weore bi-fore
Ioseph wuste whon god scholde be bore . . . . .
¶ Þat tyme was mih [Last words cut out with the picture on the front page.] . . . . .
Augustus Cesar wa . . . . .
Line 340
In al þat lond nas . . . . .
Ouer al þat lond w . . . . .
He criede his ban . . . . .
To alle þat weren . . . . .
Line 344
Þat vndur him no . . . . .
Þat were of eny oþu . . . . .
Whon Ioseph þus h . . . . .
Wiþ him tok þe Ma . . . . .
Line 348
Out of Naȝareth h . . . . .
And to Bethlehem h . . . . .
In Bethleem he tok his wonynge,
ffor Marie was neih childynge,
Line 352
And for his kun and his ofspringe
Weoren of Dauidþes hous, þe kynge.
In Bethlehem hous he tok,
Luytel and pore, as seiþ þe Bok,
Line 356
In an old cote and al to-falle—
Nedden heo no bettere halle.
Seint Ierom a Mayde kende
In a writ þat he hire sende:
Line 360
Þat [þat] Mayde won hire bred
Wiþ hire nelde and hire þred.
Whon þat child was forþ brouht,
Luytel heo hedde oþur riht nouht
Line 364
fforte leggen Inne þat Bern,
But a luyte hei oþur vern;
Heo wounden him wiþ þat heo mihten gete,
And leyden him, þer bestes ete. [(Picture: Birth of Jesus.)]
Line 368
Heo leyden him in Bestes stalles,
I-loke bi-twene two olde walles—
