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 ...

MY sorowfull soule is al des¦soluid for anguysshe of mi swete sone / that entendeth not to my wordes / I seke hym & I maye not fynde hym. I speke to hym / and he answeryth me not Thenne came saynt Ioh̄n / to whō our lorde had deliuerde hir in kepī∣ge soo sore wepyng / that in no wy¦se he cowde refreyne hym· Then̄e to¦ok he vp this blessyd virgyn wepī¦ge & snobbing in sorowes. and soo weryed in wepyng. & so moche gre¦uyd & dyscomforted / that vnnethes hir fete myghte susteyne to bere hir Notwythstōdyng thus as she my¦ighte. wyth the helpe of the holy wy¦men that were there. they all wyth wepyng entryd in to Iherusalem / many wymen that sawe this had suche pyte of the sorowfull we∣pyng of the blessyd vyrgyn marye that they cowde not refreyne theyr teres / Hyr sorowfull herte & pyteo¦us demeanyng constreyned many a harde herte to wepe & sorow / and thus was she ledde al wyth wepin¦ge vnto the hous of saynt Iohan bothe hirself weping & all that wē¦te wyth hyr / and as many as saw hyr So rested she & abode in his ho¦us: whiche honoured hir / serued her & louyd hyr more than she had be his owne moder / And whan our lorde was buryed. the iewes sealid his sepulture / & apointed certē kni¦igh̄tes in harneys for to kepe it / In the meane tyme the blessid virgyn mary ēdured grete sorow in the ho¦us of saynt Iohan / For she wept contynually wythout comfort / for

there was no frende she had mygh¦t ease hyr / nor saynt Ioh̄n hymsel¦fe. for she was alwaye in sorowe & bytter teres. A who is soo encom∣brid with syn̄e / or is somoche encō¦bryd of erthly loue / Or who is soo fulfyllid of errour / or is soo char∣ged wyth worldly rychesse / that ha¦the the hert soo harde / that they can not haue compascōn & conpūccyon whan they redde or here of the sig∣hes & wepynges / the sorowes & tor¦mentes that this blessid pure vyr¦gyn saynt mary y^e ryght swete mo¦der of our lorde Ihesu cryst suffryd Truely they haue the herte right harde & wythout mercy / that hath not some compascōn of thyse pay∣nes / And who that is wythoute mercy & pyte. god wyll haue noo mercy nor pyte on him / yf it be not the gretter merueyle For seldom is the man sauyd that is wythout a mercyful hert / wherof saynt bernar¦de sayth. ¶Nemo duri cordis sa¦lutem vmquā adeptus est. nisi for¦te miseratus deus abstulerat ab eo cor lapideū & dederit ei cor carneum Neuer man of harde hert purcha∣ced not thelth of his soule. but pera¦uenture the mercyable god hath be pleysed some tyme to take frō hym his hert of stone / and gyue hym a tender hert of flesshe / wherby he may be sauyd. ¶Nunquid cor durum ipsum quod nec compassione scin¦ditur. nec pietate mollitur minis non cedit / &c.