This tretyse is of loue and spekyth of iiij of the most specyall louys that ben in the worlde and shewyth veryly and perfitely bi gret resons and causis, how the meruelous [and] bounteuous loue that our lord Ihesu cryste had to mannys soule excedyth to ferre alle other loues ... Whiche tretyse was translatid out of frenshe into englyshe, the yere of our lord M cccc lxxxxiij, by a persone that is vnperfight insuche werke ...

A Dethe thy cruelte now to me sholde be grete Ioye yf I myghte deye wyth my sone Ih̄us. A woo is me / the deth that I desire soo moche departeth fro me A my dere chylde. it is moche bet∣ter for me to deye than to lyue a de∣dely lyffe /

¶O dere sone / o blessid swete sone receyue the prayers of your sorow¦full moder And be not harde to her that hath be alwaye soo benygne to all other / Truly it is accordyn¦ge that the sone sholde here his so∣rowfull moder soo dyscomforted / Now swete child receyue your mo¦der wyth you on your crosse / that I maye lyue alwaye wyth you after your deth / For truely there sholde noo thyng be to me soo Ioyfull as to deye wyth you vpon the crosse. Nor no thynge maye be to me mo¦re paynfull than to lyue after yo∣ur dethe·

¶A fayre swete chylde / the very true sone of god. haue pyte on yo∣ur sorowfull moder. For ye be my fader and my moder Ye be my hus¦bonde. ye be my sone / ye be all the Ioye and comforte I haue in thys worlde / And now am I Orphelin of fader / wydowe of husbonde / dys∣comforted of chylde / Thyse cruell Iewes haue taken all from me ¶A fayr swete sone what shal I doo frohens forth / Fair lorde what shall befalle on me / My dere chylde where shall I fynde conforte / Most specyall frende / and alle my loue / where shall I fynde helpe & coūseyle ¶Fayr swete sone I knowe well that ye may doo what that ye will But yf it pleyse you not that I dey now wyth you / I beseche you that ye wylle leue me some gracyous comforte.

¶The voys of our lorde to his blessyd moder answeryng there whe¦re he hyng so paynfully on the cros¦se / And tornyd his eyen full pyte∣fully towarde saynt Ioh̄n theuan¦gelyst / and sayd to his moder. Woman see there your sone / And saynt Iohan was thenne there pre¦sent full pyteously. and contynuel¦ly wepyng / ¶Ac si diceret. O maria dulcissima mollis ad flen∣dū & mollis ad dolendū / tu scis qr ad hoc rem veni / ad hoc de te carnē sūpsi. vt per crucis patibulū salua¦rē genus hūanum.

¶As yf he had sayd O moost swete marye beyng soo redy to cō∣passion and wepyng / and soo redy to pyteous sorowe / ye knowe wel that for this I came: and for this I took flesshe of the. that bi the pa¦tyble of the crosse I sholde redeme mankynde. How otherwyse shol¦de be the scryptures accomplysshyd wherby ye knowe well that it beho¦ueth me to suffre dethe for the sa∣uacyon of mankynde / And the thyrde daye I shall aryse agayne and appere to the and to my dyscy∣ples / Now sease ye your wepyn¦ges and your sorowes fayr swete moder· syth that I goo now to my fader· where I shall receyue the glo¦rye of my paternall maieste / ¶Ye oughte to make Ioye wyth me / & be gladde of this that I shall fynde the shepe that hath erred soo longe / and be loste / For oonly one shall dey / by whom the worlde shal be sauyd / And this that pleyseth to god my fader •• how sholde it dys∣pleyse you my swete moder· Wherfore I praye you wepe nomo¦re / nor make noo more thise sorow¦full complayntes / For I shall not leue nor forgete you. But am and shal be wyth you alway with oute ende / For though I am not after the flesshe obeysaunte to the dethe / yet after my dyuinyte I am and shall be alway Inmortal and vnsuffrynge of payne /