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

¶ A declaracion of the thre Kynges of theyr thre giftes. Capitulo. lxxv.

NOwe Christe Iesu this day this hygh feste We the beseche / with herte / will / & thought Onely of mercy / to here our requeste For the myracles / that thou therin haste wrought For loue of hem / that the so ferre haue sought

The worthy kynges / that came out of Caldee The ••o honoure / in Bethleem the cyte.

¶ And through the prayers of these kynges thre That for thy loue / token her vyage Iesu defende vs from all aduersite And make vs stronge / & sure in our passage In this exyle / and parlous pylgrimage With our fo men of malice / and of pryde Whiche haue vs bysette an euery syde.

¶ The whiche our golde / of parfyte charite Wolden vs byreue by persecusion That we shulde offre of feruente vnto the O•• hertely loue / and hygh deuocion And eke our Franke of contemplacion Wherwith he shulde make our sacrifise O•• hygh disdayne and malice they dispise.

¶ For Golde of trouthe / is falsely nowe alayed By fayned loue / and simulacion And fayth with fraude / is corrupt & frayed With double tonges and detraccion Our Franke also / of hygh perfeccion That sholde brenne clere aboue the skye Is with the code medlide of enuye.

¶ That it alas / gyue may no light In the centre of true affeccion For day of trouthe / is tourned in to night Thorowe false reporte / and false suspeccion

And thus good ••ayth / is ro••••ed vp s•• dow••e And true menynge / derked with a skye That we in Englisshe calle•• flaterye.

¶ And thus our offrynge / goeth almoste wronge Of Golde / of Franke / for ought I can espye And our Myrre hath behynde full longe Us to preserue / from all suche trecherye For nowe is torned / into Ipocresye Our holynes / & that is greate ruthe And cause why / for fraude hath banysshed truthe.

¶ But Chrike Iesu / that all this mayste amende And that is amisse / in eche state redres This hygh feste / suche grace to vs sende That we the Golde of stablenes And eke the Franke of parfyte holynes May on this day present vnto the With all true herte / as dyd these kynges thre.

¶ And graunte also / bothe to hygh and lowe To haue suche Myrre in her a vertence That euery wyght / his owne fautes knowe And that no man be hasty of sentence To deme lightly before / or in absence For sodeyne dome / meynte with ygnoraunce Hath a longe tayle / shewynge of repentaunce.

¶ For in sothnes / if that euery man Wolde make a myrrour of his owne mynde To deme hymselfe / of thynge that he well can

And open his eyen / that hath be longe blynde To se his fautes / that he coude fynde I trowe in soth / for any hasty rape Harmeles fro dome his felowe sholde ascape.