[Liber festivalis]

Judie epiphanie

GOod frendis this day is callid the xij. day but hit is the xiij. day of cristus bir¦the The whiche day ho¦ly churche callid hit the Epiphania domini that is to sey the shewing of oure lord ihesu criste verray god and mā for this day he was shewed verray god and man be thre offerynges be his cri¦stonyng and also be tour¦nyng of water in to wy¦ne. The xiij. day of his birthe be offeryng of the thre kynges and that sa¦me day xxx. wynter and xiij. dayes aftyr his bir∣the he was cristened in the water of flom Jor∣dan and that same day twelfemonthe aftyr he tourned water in to wy¦ne at the weddyng of ca¦ne galilee. But the feste makythe moste mynde and mencion of the iij. kynges offerynge and there late vs folowe the forme of hooly churche. & here ye shall here howe hit fill of her offeryng to oure lord Jhesu criste verray god and man These thre kynges whe∣re of the lynage that pro¦phecied how a sterre shul¦de shyne of Jacob but they were noo iewes of

kynde but they hadde her¦de by prophecye of this where fore the hadde gre∣te desire and ••usce to see hit and so oftyn tyme whanne myghte come to gedyr vppon certeyne hi¦ghe hilles than they wol∣de dispute amonge hem of this sterre So hit hap¦pid vppon Cristemas nyghte the same tyme as oure lord was borne they were to gerdyr and we∣re disputyng of this ster¦re Super mōtem au¦ctorelē. vpon the hill

Dominna enim e¦rat ••at••a Oure lord was borne Et appar•• it illis And apperid to hem in the sterre as fayre a childe and vndyr his hede a bryghte crosse of golde and seyde thus to hem goo ye a none in all the haste that ye may in to the londe of iury & ta••e with yow Gold mir¦re and ensence And of¦fer these thre thynges to hym that ye shall fynde there newe born•• kynge of Iewes verray god and man and I shall be youre gyde and lede yow the wey. Thanne they a none for grete ha∣ste they toke bestys that be callid dromedaries that be of soche a kynde they be so swifte that they woll renne further in on day than any othir beste wolle renne o•• go in thre dayes And so they co∣me to Iherusalem that was the che••e Cite of all iury hopyng that they shulde here there somme tydinges where that this childe was borne. But as sone as they tourned in to the Cite of Iheru¦salem thanne they loste the sighte of the Sterre that ladde hem euer the wey till that they come the dyr bryghter thanne the sonne Thanne whā they come in to the Ci∣te of iherusalem they ro¦de to kyng he rowde for he was there the same

tyme and seyde to hym ••bi est qui natua ē¦re•• indeorum where is he that is borne that is kyng of iewes. ••idi∣mus enim stellam eius in oriente. we sawe his sterre in the este ••eniemus adora••e eum we be come to wor¦shippe hym. Thanne kyng he rowde was trou¦beled and all the Cite with hym but more fore flateryng of hym man of any loue that they had to hym Thanne kyng he rowde askyd his cler∣hys where this child shul¦de be bore and they seyd in Bethleem ••de. Thā kyng herowde askid the kynges p̄uely of the ster¦re and bad hem goo in to Bethleem and wor∣shippe the childe and co¦me ayene by hym and telle hym where he my∣ghte fynde the childe that he myghte goo worship∣pe hym. Thanne whan the kynges where passed towardes bethleem a nō the sterre aperid to hem and whanne they sawe the sterre was come ayen they were glad in theyr hertys and as hit is in many places peynted the kyng that is in the myd¦dell for grete loye of the sterre he lokyd bacwarde to his felow be hinde h••m & with his finger shewid hym the sterre And that is the cause that the myd¦dyll kyng lokyd bacwar¦de. And thus the sterre broughte hem to bethleē and whan the sterre co¦me ouer the house there as oure lord was ynne he stode stille Than the kynges lyghted downe and yede in to the house and with all the reueren¦ce that they cowde kny∣lyng a downe and offe∣red eche of he in these iij thynges Anrum tus∣se et mirram Golde cense and mirre knowle¦chyng by the golde that he was kyng of all kyn¦ges And by the ••ncense that he was verrey god

And by the myrre that he was verey man & sho∣lld be dede & leyde in gra¦ue with c••te roting.

For golld is chefe of all metallis Ensens is bren¦te in holy chirche in wor¦shippe to god. Mirre is an oyntement that ke¦pithe dede bodies frome ••tyng. Thus whanne the kynges had do her offeryng be techyng of the angell Per altam viam reuersi sunt in regionem suam By a nothir wey they wente towardes her own londes and lefte kyng herowde. and the ster•••• vanisched a wey from hem. Thanne as seynte Bernard seythe ioseph kepte of this gold as mo¦che as him nedith•• to his tribute that he shuld pay to the Emperour and also more to kepe oure la¦dy with whyle she lay in childe bedde and the re∣menaunte be delid to po¦re people soche as hadde grete nede there to. The sence he brente to putte •• way the stenche of the sta¦ble there as she lay ynne. And with the Mirre oure lady a noynted her childe to kepe hym from wormes and disseses

But what be fill of the kynges aftyr I fyn¦de nothyng in certayne but somme people haue an opynyone howe that seynte Thomas of In∣de Cristoned hem whā he come in to that coun¦trey of Inde. and than as the sterre lyghtenyd hem to cristus birthe So the hooly goste lygh¦tenithe hem in her soules and taughte theym the perfyte wey of the be le∣ue and also of perfite & gracious leuyng in so mo¦che that they lefte all her kyngdome and wente forthe one pilgrr••mages that is for to say to Ihe¦rusalem and in many o∣thir places and so they come forthe to myllayne and there they diede alle thre. And so aftyr that

they were translatid to coleyne and there they be yit. Nowe haue ye herde by these thre kyn∣ges how oure lord ihesu criste was this day shew¦ed verray god & man where for like as they of∣fered with grete deuociō so shulde ye do youre of∣ferynges whan ye come to holy churche kneling doune with all the reue∣rence that ye can or may not on youre one kne as to a temperall lord but on bothe youre knees & do hym worshippe with good preyoures Than offer ye preciouse golde for there is no golde so p̄∣cious as is the good pre∣youre deuoute And than holde vp your hondis to hym with all the reueren¦ce that ye can and deuou¦te herte prey to hym and shewe hym all youre loue of youre hertes and than ye offer to hym ensence. For there is none ensen∣ce sauerithe so swete byr¦nyng in the fyre as dothe good preyoure that is de¦uoutly seyde with a byr∣nyng loue in clene chari¦te And yf thou do thus than thou offereste kne∣lyng on thy knees ma∣ke a crosse on the erthe & kysse hit and thinke well thou arte but erthe. than muste ye offer mirre for right as mirre kepithe a body from rotyng so the mynde of dethe kepithe a mannes soule from ded¦ly synne in this wyse doo ye youre offeryng and than shall ye haue as mo¦che mede as had the se iij kynges. Also he was shewed bothe god and man at his cristonyng For he come to the wa∣ter of flom Iordan he wente in to the water & halowed hit for right as he was circumcised to conferme the newe lawe and for no nede that he hadde ther to for he was clene with oute synne but for to make the sacramēt that shulde wasthe hem toke cristonyng in his

name from all synnes

Thanne was iohā bap∣tiste redy there & moche people with hym that co¦me thethir to the cristo nyng. Than seyd Io¦han to oure lord all qua kyng and tremelyng. blessid lord thou arte god dislambe with oute syn thou haste no nede to be cristoned of me but that I •• man gotyn & borne in synne haue nede to co¦me and be cristoned of in remission of synnes

Thanne seyde oure lord criste jhesu johan suffer at this tyme for thus we muste fulfille alle righte wisneste and iohan cri∣stoned oure lord ihesu criste and as hit is credi¦ble oure lady was cristo∣ned aftyr with othir of cristus disciples and all the people that were co∣me thedyr Than whan all were cristoned oure lord wente oute of the watyr and as he wente oute of the brynke of the watyr and all the people with hym Apertisūt ••eli heuen opened and a grete lighte be clipped hym in sighte of alle the people the hooly gost co¦me downe in likenesse of white doue and lightid on cristus hed and the fadir spake & seyde thus in heryng of all the peo¦ple Hir est filiu•• mena dilectua in quo michi bene com¦placui. This is my welbeloued sone the whi¦che plesith me This was to teche all criston peple the feythe of the be leue of hooly churche for all criston people be boun∣de to be leue stede fastely in the fadyr and the sone and the hooly goste.

In baptismo chri∣sti toto trinitas se¦mauifesta••it scili∣cet. Pater in noce filin•• in carne▪ spi∣ritus sanctus in co¦lumba et totum ce∣lum apertum est

In cristus baptym all the hooly Trinite was

shew••d for the fadir spa¦ke in voyce whan he seyd Hic est filin•• me∣n•• dilectu•• This is my welbeloued sone and was there bodely whan Iohan baptiste seyde

Ecce agnus dei and the hooly goste was sen∣te Sicut columba as a white doue These ben thre persones in on god∣hede for the fadir spake a¦boue and the sone was there bodely and the ho¦ly goste in likenesse of a doue ye shall be leue that these iij. persones be but one god in trinite This be leue ye shall know on the watyr brynke that is in youre cristonyng at the founte where fore he that beleuythe thus and dothe werkys of be leue shall be saued Qui cre¦diderit et baptisa∣••u•• fuerit sal•••••• erit He that beleuithe and is cristoned shall be saued and folowithe the werkys of beleue.

Qui ••ero non cre∣diderit condem••na bitur And he that be¦leuithe not nor doth•• not the werkys of beleue shal be dampned The wer¦kis of beleue be mekenes and charite for with ou¦te these ij. shall no mā be saued and he that hath these ij. he is wreton in the genelogie of our lord ihesu criste the whiche is radde in cristemasse that begynnethe a boue with Abraham And so co∣mythe downewardes to ioseph and to oure lady ••n shewyng that he that is moste mekyste in hert is moste nexte oure lord ihesu criste and soche he a vaunsith in euerlasting blysse And there for the Genelogie this nyght be¦gynnythe at ihesu criste & gothe vpwardes to abra¦ham and so to god Al¦so he was shewed verray god in trinite whann he tourned watyr in wyne at the weddyng. Hit happit so the people ••••ac∣kyd wyne at the mete.

Thanne badde our lord that they shulde take vi. steues or pottys that we¦re empty and bad fill hē with watyr and they did Thanne oure lord bles¦sed hem and bad they sholde ••ere theym that be ganne the table and late hym begynne and than he be ganne and seyd hit was the beste wyne that euer he dranke. Thus oure lord shewed hym selfe bothe god & man god in that he tourned watyr in to wyne and man in that he et•• and dranke with hem This miracle he shewde at the weddyng in tokenyng that he blessed all wed∣dynges that he done af∣tyr the lawe of holy chir¦che And there for kepe youre wedloke and be in full feythe and beleue of hooly churche as hoo¦ly churche techithe and so ye shall come to euer lastyng blysse Amen