IT maye be thoughte full grete sorow was in his ble¦ssyd moder. whan the crea∣tures that felte not made soo grete sorowe as is before rehersed / there can noo tongue saye. nor hert thyn¦ke how merueyllous grete sorow∣es & pyteous tormentes was in ye herte of that blessid vyrgyne mary and saynt bernarde sayth / ¶Nūc soluis virgo maria cum viscera {quod} in partu mutuasti a natura. dolo∣rē pariendo filiū non sensisti quem milies replicando filio moriente passafuisti / Now swete virgin ye haue yelded wyth esurye this that in the byrth of your sone was cha¦unged ayenst nature· For in hys byrthe felte ye noo sorowe nor pay¦ne But in his deth felte ye the thou¦sande folde of sorowes / The moder was nere vnto the crosse at the de∣the of Ihesu crist / whiche she concei¦uyd by the holy goost / But she fay¦led bothe speche & voys / whiche so∣row had taken fro her·
¶O verum eloquiū iustum sime∣onis / O ye true worde of the very Iust Symeon / For thenne was your promyse fulfilled of the swer¦de of sorow· whan that blessid vir¦gyne mary was there present. and hyr swete sone hanged on the cros¦se / She laye at the erthe as dede pa¦le and dyscolored but hyr soule ly∣ued. as in deyēg / And yet was she not dede / but liuyng as a dedely cre¦ature the sorowes tourmented hyr soule so cruelly / that she desired mo¦che more to deye than lyue / For af∣ter the deth of hir swete chylde full painfully & dedely lyued. she though she were not vtterly dede· that daye was she therin full merueyllous. sorow awaytimg whan the blessid body of our lorde Ihesu cryste sholde be taken downe of the crosse. / She wept in sayeng. & sayd in wepyng Alas alas who shall yelde to me your sorowfull moder the dede bodi of hyr dere loue and chylde / O ye cruell Iewes / ye haue acomplished now your desire Wherfore I requi¦re you take down this holy bodi of the crosse / and yelde him to his wo¦full moder / She beyng nere to the crosse beholdyng full pyteously hir swete sone Ih̄u there h̄āgyng / thē¦ne roos she vp on hyr fete / & wyth full grete payne dressyd hyr to the crosse. where she myghte best enbra¦ce the blessyd body of Ihesu cryste. to whom she had somtyme gyuen