[Liber festivalis]

De circumcisiōe domini.

[illustration]

GOod frendis so che a day is cal∣lid new yeris day and is the firste day of the begynnyng of the Newe yere that is co∣myng and is the laste day of the yere that is go¦ne. And there fore this day ye shall come to god and hooly churche to here youre deuyne seruice forthe this yere. For like as a good seruaunt that hathe a good mastir ma¦kithe his comenaunt but ones but holdithe forthe from yere to yere hauing full truste in his maistre that he woll for his good seruice yeffe hym a good towarde in his grete nede

at his laste ende. In the same wyse goddis ser∣uauntis makythe come∣naunte with hym ones y^t is at cristonyng at the founte and there he ma∣kythe comenaunte to be goddis seruaunt hauyng full truste in god that at his grete nede that is atte the day of dome quyte hym for his seruice in e∣uer lastyng blysse of he∣uene and so woll he doo to all that be good trewe seruaūtes Thus this day is call••d new yeris day.

Also hit is callid Cir∣cumcisi•• ••••mini the circumcision •••• our lord

Also this day is callid new yeris day for this day is the firste day of the ka lendyr & the yere gothe moche he kalendyr there for his is callid new yeris day Seinte Austein seith this day & this nyghte he thyn people vse many fal¦se opynions & wyche craf¦tys and false be leue the whiche be not to telle a¦mong cristen people les te they tourned to that vse where fore ye that be cristē people be well we¦re lefte ye be desceyued be any false so••ery as be ta∣kyng counsell of on mā be fore a nothir or in be∣yng or sellyng or in bo¦rowyng or senyng in the whiche somme haue diuerse opimons. And yf they be well shreuyn they be worthy for to ha¦ue grete penaūce for ther misse beleue for that co∣mythe of the fende and not of god This day is callid the circumcisione of oure lord for as holy chuche tellith this day he was circumsised & blede his blode for oure sake for whan the flesche was cut¦te he blede faste & was full ••ore for he was but yong and tendyr and but viij dayes olde & there fore he blede the more. Thanne ye shall vnderstonde that he bledde v. tymes fore vs. ••ni•••••• enim ••i ci••••a sa••guin•• s••∣•• pro nobi•• eff••dit

The firste tyme that he shedde his blode was as this day whan he was cir¦cumcised. A nothir was for fer of his passione for righte as a childe wepith for fere whā he seethe the rodde & hathe no harme so the flesche of our lord swede blode for drede of a strenger passion that was comyng. The thridde tyme was in his flagella cion▪ whan he was betyn with stourges so that all his body ranne on redde blode. The fourthe ty∣me was whā he was nay led honde & fote on the crosse. The fifte tyme was whā that longinus perisched his herte with a spere that watyr & blo∣de come oute of his woū¦des And than they toke vp the crosse with the bo¦dy & lifte hit vp on highe & with a sodeyne fall they lette the crosse fall doune in to the mortesse that all the senowis & v••ynes and ioyntes braste a two and blode & watyr come out of euery wounde this he suffered for vs Thāne seethe criste was cicumci¦sed and shedde his blode thus for vs y^• was with outyn synne & circumci∣sion is for synne remedy & helpe why wolde he be circumcised that did no synne Sanctus augu stiuua dicit ••rop∣terquat••or causa•• Seint Austeyn se••th hit was for foure causes. the firste was to make a see∣the with the iewes for el¦se they wolde & myghte haue seyde that he hade be of her lawe where for they wolde not resceyue him consente to his te∣chyng. this was to dis∣ceyue the fende For right as the fende disceyued a dam & Eue and so all mankynde was damp∣ned So hit fill to criste to disceyue the fende whe¦re thourghe all mankyn¦de myghte be saued. than whau the fende saw that he was circumcised as a no••••ir childe he wende y^•

he hadde take that penaū¦ce in remedy of originall synne. and so he knowe hym not frome a nothir childe for yf he had know hym verely that he had rome to haue bought mā¦kynde he wolde neuer ha¦ue tysed the iewes to ha¦ue putte criste to dethe. And this was all the cau¦se that our lady was wed¦did to Joseph for to di¦sceyue the fende for the fen¦de shulde wende that Jo¦seph had be his fadir and not consceyued of the ho¦ly goste The thrydde cause why he was circū∣cised that was in confer¦myng the olde lawe in grete comforte to the ol∣de fadres y^• were of the ol¦de testament fore & yf he hadde be cristoned and not circumcised hit had be a grete discomforte to all that were be fore the incarnation of oure lord ihesu criste The four∣the cause of his circum∣cision was for oure lord woste well that ther wol¦de come heretikes aftyr that wolde haue seyde y^• criste had a body of the erthely fantesy and not of flesche and blode as on of vs haue for a body of the eyere may not ble¦de And there for to put a wey alle soche errours criste was circumcised and blede in his cut tyng of his flesche the whiche flesche was cutt from his membre an angell aftyr brought hit to kyng char¦les for the moste precious relike in the worlde and for the gretteste worship¦pe that he ••owde do ther to he broughte hit to ro∣me to a churche that is callid Saneta sanc∣torum For these iiij. causes criste was circum¦cised This day also hit is callid the vtas of the natiuite that is the viij. day of oure lordis birthe in grete tokenyng to all vs that bethe good ser∣uauntes to thynke on the¦se viij. dayes that folow∣ith the birthe The fir∣ste

day is to thynke y••∣wardly on the sede that we were conceyued of that is fowle and abo∣mynable in hit selfe that as a man or a woman be they neuer so feyre that & they sawe the mater they wolde haue be a shamed of hym selfe to thynke •• he were euer conceyued of that foule thynke.

The secounde day is to thynke how greuous∣ly he ••aynithe his mo∣dir in his birthe in so mo¦che that hit is an grete mi¦racle of god that she may haue her lyffe The iij day is to thynke how fe∣ble and howe wreched he is borne for all the be∣stis of kynde somwhat cā helpe hem selfe sau man kynde he nothir may nor can helpe hym selfe in no degre but dye a none but he hadde helpe & socoure of othir. The iiij. day is to thynke in how mo∣che parell and drede he leuithe here fore in e••••ry place dethe folowith him and is euer redy to falle on hym what tyme newe¦re no man knowithe but only god hym selfe In certum est locua in quo mor•• te exspe∣ctat. It is in certeyne the place there as dethe a bidithe the The v. day is for to thynke how hor¦rible dethe is whanne he comythe for in shorte spa¦ce and tyme he makyth a man to stinke that alle the beste frendis that he hathe be a vysed to put hym in to the erthe and hyde hym there. The vi. day is to thynke how rewfull is the departyng of the body and the sou¦le that may not be depar¦ted till the he rte in the body br••ke fore drede of the sightes that the sou∣le shall see that for grete fere the he rte brekyd. O mor•• quam amara est memoria tua. O thow dethe howe bit∣ter it is to thynke vppon whanne th••w arte co∣myng to any man.

The vij. is to thynke how dredefull is the do∣me that he shall goo to a none and howe streyte his iugement shall be thā he that woll thynke one these vij. dayes besely on the viij. day I hope he shall be circumcised that is he shall be cutte a wey from the luste of his fle∣sche and of synne and so do parte from this worl∣des likkyng. and thus comyth the viij. day that is the ••tas of criste that is the ioye of blysse that shall neuer haue ende to the whiche god bryng vs all to Amen.