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 nature obeyeth to virginite. Capi. xlix. (Book 49)

THe holy sydes in a pure virgine To bere fruyte / that shall mankynde saue And nowe this day / the prophecye to fyne In Bethleem / within a litell caue Kynde and mayde / suche werre haue For this mater / howe no creature To mannes might / iustely by nature.

¶ That ben contrarie / haue her restinge place For mayde and mother / shortely for to seye In one persone to gyder may nat trace For by kynde / that one muste voyde aweye But in this cas / nature dyd obeye To a mayde and gaue vp hole her right Wysely aduertinge / she was to feble of might.

¶ In this mater to holde chaumpartye With her / that was of face moste benigne Wherfore she voydeth / all rancour and enupe And humbly her quarell doth resigne

For it were vayne / for nature to maligne Though she of kynde / be the emperesse Agayne her lorde / that made her so maystresse.

¶ That she moste nede of necessite In euery thynge / to his will obeye And be minister vnto his volunte Syth of her might / he bereth hym selfe the keye For in to her / by no maner weye It is no wronge / ne no preiudice Though of a mayde / without synne or vice.

¶ That was so holy / and parfyte founde at all He wolde grace descende downe so lowe To take the clothinge / freel and mortall Of our kynde / to make a burion growe That neuer was of man sette ne sowe But with a worde / and the consentinge Of a mayde / a graffe burgeninge.

¶ Of Iudas stocke / this day gan appere Whan Christe was borne af a mayde fre And the father sent his sone dere Downe to the erthe / to make an vnite By parfyte loue / and feruent charite Eternally be bounde / that may nat fayle Fully assured / by weddinge & spousayle.

¶ Betwene his sone / his chosen eyre And holy chyrche / perpetually to laste And in a chaumbre / by excellence fayre

Of maydenhede that hym selfe caste The holy knotte / and the bonde so faste I bounden was / that it neuer vntwyne And of that araye for to termine.

¶ Where the feste and the weddinge was In all the erthe / I halowed and I holde In all closette / more clerer than verre or glas Or ony berelle / brighter to beholde For by recorde of Patriarkes olde The chaste chaumbre / was within adorned With golde of faythe fayre bright I borned.

¶ With charite / that geueth so clare a light To reconforte / all that ben in presence And with syluer / depured out so bright Thorugh hygh wisdome of ghostly sapience And all the gemmes / chat haue excellence In mortall vertue / for to shewe & shyne The closette chosen / so clerely enlumine.

¶ That of vnclennesse / there may no Clipsing be So fulsum light is there of parfytnesse For there the Uiolettes men may beholde & se Of clene entent and of holynes With Roses strewed in god to haue swetenes And with Lylies of chastite I meynte And therof colour / that neuer will be feynte.

¶ These Uiolettes betoken maydenhede Lyke to purpell / in signe of victorie

And in this chambre / full of honest drede The chose closette / the chaste oratorie This day in soth / the hygh kynge of glorie To shewe his might / howe he for mā gan wirche y spoused hath our mother holy chyrche.

¶ And lyke a spouse / he proceded is Out of his chambre for to rectefye All that was wronge / or in our kynde amys Wherfore this feste for to glorefye Full longe agone / to singe his psalmodye The kynge Dauid / entune dyd his harpe And with the tenoures / & trebbles sharpe.

¶ He to heuen gan enhaunce and reyse This day of dayes / moste worthy & famous And all the prophetes / in her sawes preyse This noble feste / this feste gracious And fro heuen with voyce melodious Angels full lowe / sende downe alight For to honoure this holy night.

¶ The night of nightes / hyghest of echone Excellynge all / as in worthines For in this worlde / was creature none In heuen ne erthe / ne in sothfastnes On lande ne see / that with greate busynes Her deuoyre dyd this night to honoure Hym that was borne / mankynde for to socoure.