Here after folowith the boke callyd the myrroure of Oure Lady very necessary for all relygyous persones.

¶The seconde Lesson.

INtendens Igitur deus, In thys Lesson the aungel shew∣eth that god hathe more worshyp. and aungels more ioye and man more pro¦fyte of our lady. then al creatures that euer were made in erthe. He sheweth also how the ho¦ly vertues and workes of oure lady. are lykened by dyuerse creatures. that god made in the begynnynge of the worlde. And thus he begynneth. Intendens igitur Therfore god preposynge to make the worlde wyth other creatures that are therein▪ he sayde Fiat, Be yt made.* 1.1 Et statim, And anon that was parfytly made. that he entended to make. Mundo ita{que}, And when the

worlde. and all creatures, saue onely man were par∣fytly made. and were reuerentely presente with faire¦nesse to the syghte of god. there was yet a lesse worlde vnmade p̄sente before god wyth all fayrenesse. wher of shulde come more glorye to god. and more myrthe to aungels. and more profyte to echeman that wolde vse the goodnesse of yt. then of thys more worlde. O predulcis, O moste swete lady vyrgyn mary. amy¦able and louely to all. and profytable to all▪ full con¦uenyently thou arte vnderstande by thys lesse worl∣de. Ex scriptura,* 1.2 Men also knoweth of scrypture. that yt plesed god to departe lyghte frō darkenesse in this more worlde. But for sothe that departynge of lygh∣te and darkenesse that shulde be made in the after thy makynge. plesed hym moche more. That ys to saye. when the ignorance of thy tender chyldehode. whiche ys lykened to darckenesse. shulde in all wyse departe from the. and the knowynge of god. whyche ys lyke¦ned to lyghte. wyth wylle and vnderstandynge to ly¦ue after hys wylle, shulde abyde moste fully in the w^t moste feruente charyte. Cōuenienter ita{que}, And cōueny¦ently. is all tendernesse of yong chyldehod lykened to darckenesse in whiche yonge chyldehode god ys not knowen. ne there ys had reason ne dyscresciō to wyt what ys to be done. Hanc vti{que}, But thow. o. vyrgyn clene fro all synne haste ouerpassed thys tendernes of yonge age.* 1.3 moste innocently. Deinde, Furthermore. as god made tow lyghtes. wyth starres also. necessa∣ry to thys worlde. one for the day. a nother for the ny¦ghte▪ so he se before, that tow lyghtes shulde be made in the. moche more bryghte. Primum, For thy fyrste ly¦ghte

was thy godly obedyence. whyche shone moste clerely as y^e sōne in heuen before aūgels. & in the worl¦de before good men. to whome god is veryly euerlast¦ynge daye. Secundum, And the secōde lyghte was thy moste stable faythe by whiche as by lyghte of the mo¦ne. many that in nyghtes tyme. that ys. frome that howre in whyche the maker of all thynges shulde suf¦fer dethe in hys manhod for hys creature. vnto his re¦surreccyon▪ wandrynge wretchedly in darkenesse of dyspayre. & of mysbyleue▪ shulde be broughte agay∣ne to knowlege of trouthe. Stellis, The thoughtes al∣so of thy harte apered lyke vnto starres. in that•• that from that tyme that thou haddest fyrste knowyng of god thou abodest so feruente in the charyte of god vn¦to thy dethe▪ that all thy thoughtes appered more bri¦ghte to the syghte of god. and of aungels. then starres do in the syghte of men. Volucrum, Also the hyghe fly¦ghtes. and the swete sownynge songes of byrdes of dyuerse kyndes▪ bytokened al the wordes of thy lyp¦pes whyche shulde stye up wyth all swetnesse frome thyne erthely bodye vnto the eres of hym y^e settyth in trone of mageste to souerayn ioy of aūgels. Preterea•• Furthermore thow were lyke to all the erthe. in that. that is all thynges that haue erthely body in this mo¦re worlde. shulde be noryshed of y^e fruytes of the erthe ryghte so all the same thynge. shulde not onely take noryshynge of thy fruyte. but also the selfe lyfe. Flori¦geris, Thy workes also myghte worthyly be lykened to florysshynge and fruytefull trees. for thou shuldest do them with so greate charyte. that they shulde dely¦te god. and hys aungels. more then the fayrenesse of

al flowres. and the swetnesse of al fruytes. Prefertim•• Namely whyle yt is to be byloued wythout all dou¦te that god se in the. before thy makynge. mo vertues then in all kyndes of herbes. of flowres. of trees. of fruytes. of stones. or of metalles. that mighte be foun¦de in brede of all the worlde. Vnde, wherfore no mer∣uayle thoughe god had more delyte in the. thow lesse worlde. that were yet to be made▪ then of thys more worlde. Nam licet, For thoughe the worlde were ma¦de before the. yet yt was to perysshe wyth all thyng∣es that were therin. But thow in thyne vnfaylynge fayrenesse. after the endelesse fore ordenaunce of god shuldest abyde vndepartably in his moste loued loue In nullo, For that more worlde deserued in nothynge ne myghte deserue. that it shulde be made euerlasting. Sed tu, But thow O. blyssed mary. moste fulle of ver¦tues. haste after thy makynge. moste worthyly deser¦ued. by the helpynge grace of god. wyth the perfeccy∣on of all vertues▪ all thinges that god hathe vouched¦safe to do wyth the. Tu aufem, ¶Respōce. Benedicta, Blessed be the erthe whose flowres. fade not. whose fruyte ys lyfe. of all that lyue. geuyng noryshynge to all mankynde. ¶Uerse. Vere, For southe thys erthe ys the vyrgyn mo¦ther. the flowres are her workes. her sonne ys the fruyte. ¶Thus the verse expouneth the responce. and bothe accordeth to the lesson. as ye maye se. ¶Benediccio, Corona, The quiene arayed with the croune of vertues▪ be redy to vs contynewally in defense. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Genes. primo.
• * 1.2

  Genes. primo.
• * 1.3

  Genes. primo.