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 the Bisshop dyd do sompmon Io∣seph for our Lady was with chylde Capitulo. xxvii. (Book 27-30)

TOuchynge this thinge / playnly yf I conne Howe worde by worde / sothely in sentence Of this thynge / the rumour is yronne And reported / that thorow necligence Of this Ioseph: or by vyolence Howe that Marie / goth with chylde greate Wherfore they haue / in a sodeyn heate.

¶ Cyted hym afore hym to apere And he came forthe / with sober countenaunce Of whome anone / the Bysshop gan enquere Abyathar of his gouernaunce From poynt to poynt / with euery circumstaunce Touchinge this thynge / what it might amounte Or howe that Ioseph wolde yeue a counte.

¶ That Marie debonayre and so mylde That somtyme was / of suche opynyon In the temple / is greate nowe with chylde 〈2 pages missing〉〈2 pages missing〉

Of tonges large / and euery fantasye As is somtyme shewed by the hewe Of them that dranke the drynke of Ielosye As Numeri dothe clerely specefye Wherfore anone / there is nomore to seye Make you redy / for ye bothe tweye.

¶ Shullē make a taste / whether it be soure or sote There is none / agaynsay ne excusacion Tyll the trouthe / be ryped in the rote Ne shullen procede / to this conclusion That god list make / a declaracion Of all this thynge / for fauour or for routhe There is no mene / but the playne trouthe.

¶ For yf god liste / that your innocence Lyke your deserte / by openly excused Than is your merite / of your excellence That ye toforne / falsely were accused And sithen this prefe / may nat be refused But that ye muste / obeye to the lawe Come of anone / & you not withdrawe.

¶ Do sette her forth / and brynge her to presence That hath in vertue / so excellent a name In whome was neuer yet founde offence But vnto this tyme / euer floureth in her fame And standeth at large / from euery maner blame Nowe let her come / & lyke as god your ewre For you disposeth / taketh your auenture.

¶ And she ano••e / was of her frendes brought Knowinge not / what all this might mene Deuoyde of drede / bothe in herte and thought For drede in soth: may nat do no tene To conscience / that is of synne clene Ne vengeaunce / there no place ocupyeth Where innocence / a soule vngylty gyeth.

¶ For the fyre may no whyle brenne After the brondes be taken awaye Ne the ryuer holde his course and renne The hede sprynge drye / sothely this is no naye Ne vengeaunce playnly / make may none assaye To execute agaynst innocence Ne voyde of synne his mighty vyolence.

¶ For nothinge but synne / may engender shame For selde or nat / ben the chekes rede Of hym in soth / that is deuoyde of blame For who so is clene / taketh litell hede To wynke or blenke / for ony maner drede And for the assaute / of ony misty cloude Light of vertue / may no whyle shroude.

¶ It may a while / be derked with a skye As is amonge the fayre bright sonne And with the wyndes / of malice and enuye The clere sterres / often wexen donne But whan trouth / sette abroche his tonne To make the soth / openly be knowe The wynde of falsenes / may no lenger blowe.