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 ...

THe fourth grete loue that is in the werld is betwene man & wyf / yet the wyf may be so

wretchyd of hyr body / and soo en∣straūged to hyr husbonde / that per∣auenture though she wolde retorn̄ to him again / he wolde not receyue hyr / And this hath be ofte preuyd but the loue of our lorde Ihesu crist passith all beyonde this loue / For neuer was the soule of his loue a¦companyed wyth soo many syn̄es nor soo often in a voutre / or other syn̄es / but yf she wolde retourne to to hym agayn. he wolde gladly re∣ceyue hyr wyth grete Ioye / Wher∣fore alway be he honoured & than∣kyd. for he is euer redy to theym y^t wyll leue the fende & come to hym As hymself sayth by Ieramye the prophete· ¶Si dimiserit vir vx¦orem suā / &c. tu autem fornicata¦es cū amatoribus tn̄ reuertere ad me dicit dn̄s / Yf a man leuith his wyfe for ony synne / it maye wel be for it befalleth often. But ye fayre loue / though ye haue offended in dedely syn̄es innumerable. yet leue not therfore to retorne to me / and I shal receyue you full swetly & be¦nygnely / And what dooth more yet this amerous kynge. whā his loue is torned from hym / he gooth folowynge & cryenge after hyr / ly¦ke as it is wreten in the book of lo¦ue· ¶Reuertere reuertere suaui∣tatis / reuertere reuertere vt intui∣amur te.

¶Retorne ye. retorne ye to me ye wretchyd soules / Retorne ye to the entente that I maye defende you & kepe you from your enmyes / that wyll confounde you. And saynte austin sayth that our lorde spekyth this to the synfull soule / ¶Capud meū spictis tenui / ma¦nus meas clauis obiecti / lancee la¦tus apperui sanguinem meū fudi vt michi coniungerem te. et tu di∣uidis te a me. erubesce. My hede & face I helde agaynst the fowle spyt¦tynges / my hondes I spradde aga∣yns harde nayles / I openyd my sy¦de agayns the spere / my precyous blood I shedde to Ioyne you to me / And wolde ye thenne thus depart fro me / Ye oughte full gretly to be ashamed / A good lorde mercy what is this / that he sekith the sin¦full soule soo ententyfly / and cal∣lith hir soo often / like as it is wre¦ten in the book of loue / ¶En ipse erat post parietem nostrū prospici¦ens per cancellos /