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 ...

O How greuous marterdo∣me. O how depe & often sig¦hes / O how this virgynal herte was paynfully tormented And this holy soule that was all dyssoluyd in sorowe / And this co∣lour that before was freshe as the rose / was become soo pyteously pa¦le: And she all bespren clid wyth the precyous blood of hir swete so¦ne / wherof grete plente fylle vpon the erthe / whyche she wyth hyr holy mouth kyssed / soo entrerly. that she brake the wawes and clotyrs of that precyous blood / towchyng y^e erthe / soo wonderfully was she tor¦mented wyth full grete sorowes ¶O was not this more lyke a sorowfull deyeng than a lyf And whyle she was in thyse tormentes came a noble man. that was na∣mid Ioseph / whiche was truly in his herte a discyple to Ih̄us / And he wente all hardely to pylate / and axyd the body of Ihesu cryst. whi¦che was graunted to hym / Thenne took he a nother man wyth hym that was callyd Nychodemus / soo came they to golgatha where oure lorde was crucyfyed / And broug∣hte wyth theym theyr Instrumen¦tes to take oute the nayles of his hondes & fete. and to take him dou¦ne of the crosse. And whan that blessyd vyrgyne saw that they wol¦de take hym downe / she roos vp as well as she myghte for all hyr so∣rowe to helpe theym to hyr power ¶That one took oute the nayles and that other susteyned his body that it sholde not falle to the erthe And his blessid moder took hym by the arme. And as soone as he was taken downe / his swete mo∣der took hym in his armes full so∣rowfully kyssyng and clyppynge hym. soo pyteously wepyng / that

she all to wette his blessyd vysage wyth hyr sorowfull teres / And to¦urmēted hyrselfe wyth many and often sighes / and snobbynges ful lamentably complaynynge / wryn∣gyng hyr hondes· and sayd / O my swete sone. why suffryd ye thise fe¦lon Iewes to crucifye you. O what sorow now I your wret∣chyd moder holdeth you dede in my lappe. A what shall I sorowfull doo now / Alas fayre sone alas where is becom that grete Ioy that I had in your natiuyte / alas now is my Ioye chaunged / and torned in to grete sorowe / my fayre dere chylde And euyr amonge she kys∣syd full swetely his blessid vysage wyth soo grete plente of sorowful teres / as all hyr flesshe had be mol∣ten in teres / And thenne sayd she full piteously to the body of hyr so¦ne / Saye me my right swete sone Saye me myne oonly sone. the ly¦fe of my soule My synguler confor¦te. myne oonly Ioye. Wherfore suf¦fre ye me thus sorowfully to aby∣de after you. Saye me my swete lorde god / wherfore be ye soo ferre from me. A god mercy comforte my soule / Beholde me / & haue mer¦cy on me / Now speke who speke wyll / how grete was y^e sorow that thenne had the blessyd moder of Ihesu cryst / Trewly there may no creature saye nor thynke perfyght¦ly the gretnes of the sorowe: that this pyteuous blessid virgyne felt ¶For how be it that she knewe well that he was very god & man and that he sholde aryse ayen fro de∣the to lyfe the thyrde daye / thus as he sayd hymself / Yet was hyr loue soo feruent vnto hym. that made hyr sorowe to passe and excede all other sorowes that euer were /