This boke is compyled by Dan Iohn Lydgate monke of Burye, at the excitacion [and] styrynge of the noble and victorious prynce, Kynge Henry the fyfthe, i[n] the honoure glorie [and] reuerence of the byrthe of our moste blessed Lady, mayde, wyfe, [and] mother of our lorde Iesu Christe, chapitred as foloweth by this table

¶ Howe mercy and peace brought in this plee before the hyghe iuge Ca. xii. (Book 12)

ANd right forth w^t / before the kyng of glorie Mercy and peace the cause brought alone And in the hygh heuenly consistorye Peace sayd thus / amonge hem euerichone O blessed lorde / that arte bothe thre and one So please it the benygnely to here What I wyll say / and my suster dere.

¶ Remembre lorde / amonge thy werkes all Howe thou madest mercy souerayne That whan that euer vnto the she call Thou maiste not of right her prayer disdayne And specially / whan that we bothe twayne To thyne hyghnes / for any thynge requyre Thou muste of grace / fulfyll our prayere.

¶ Is not thy mercy greate aboue the heuen Thyne owne doughter chefe of thyne alye And hath her place aboue the sterres seuen With the ordres of euery Ierarchye

Whome daye by daye / thou canst so magnefye Amonge thy werkes / to make her empresse To helpe wretches / whan they ben in distresse.

¶ Thy mercy eke abydeth euer with the Lyke thy gretnes & thy magnyficence And who that dothe mercy and pyte Dothe sacrefice / hygh in thy presence And is not mercy / of more excellence (Lyke as the sauter well reherce can) Upon the erthe / than the lyfe of man.

¶ Thy selfe / also as it is playnly couthe Auysedly who so taketh hede therto Sayest openly with thyne owne mouthe That a thousande / thou canst thy mercy do And holy Dauid / recordeth eke also With his Harpe / aboue all thynge That he thy mercyes eternally shall synge.

¶ And howe myghte eke any creature Upon erthe / in any maner kynde Without mercy / any whyle endure For all were gone / yf mercy were behynde Wherfore lorde on mercy haue thy mynde The wofull captyfe / to take vnto thy grace That hath so longe / be seuered fro thy face.

¶ And though that I be humble meke & fre Forsothe lorde of ouete and of right yet euer in owne / my dwellyng is with the.

For selde or neuer / I parte out of thy sight Peace is my name / that power hath & myght Thorowe my connyng / they that be mortal fone By the helpe of the / to accorde in to one.

¶And also lorde as holy writte can tell That of thy peace / there may none ende be And eke thy peace / doth euery wyght excell And art thy selfe / of very duere Called the prynce of peace and vnyte And yet by hotest wretches to releue That is mankynde / & shall neuer fro hym meue.

¶And Iob recordeth the holsomest fruyte Of all thys worlde / spryngeth out of peace Now lorde sithen / I am made to be refuyte And to the wofull comfort / and encreace Graunte of thy grace / nowe a full releace That I and mercy / may the sone confounde Of thy••ke caytyse / that lyeth in pryson bounde.

¶So that he may haue lyberte To go at large / and haue rempssion Of this thraldome and captyuyte And be delyuered out of this pryson So that there may be made redempsyon For his seruage and fynall paye Lorde of thy mercy / without more delaye.

¶And whan they had / her mater full purposyd Mercy and peace / with full hygh sentence

Touchynge man with synne so enclosed The iuge gaue benigne audyence And whan he had kept longe scilence For all the skilles / to hym that they layde Yet at the laste▪to hem thus hesayde.