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 ...

WE CRysten oughte moche hertly to Re∣mēbre in our hertes & thynke on the rih̄t grete loue y^t the swe¦te childe of bethleem Ih̄u crist shew¦ed to vs / by the woūde of his preci¦ous side / in vij. signes ful of right grete loue. ¶Th̄e fyrst signe of loue was shewed to vs in this / y^t he wold make of his precyo{us} wo¦ūde the leure red & blody to call ou¦re hertes. that by fleēg thoughtes ofte seaseth hem by fals loue vpon the careyne of vayn creatures ¶The seconde signe is in this y^t

h̄e made their tresour to redeme vs this tresour is that of his precio{us} b̄ody was put out the most precio¦us lif that euer was or euer maye be. & gaf it for to redeme our soules fro the paynes of helle. He gaf ther¦fore also his precious soule ful of all weles / full of grace wythoute mesure. ful of all the blessid diuyni¦te / ful of the myght of god y^e fader Ful of the sapyence of god the so¦ne / ful of the grace of god the holy goost / And for asmoche as one bo¦ūtee requireth a nother. we ought to opē to him the tresour of our her¦tes. whiche shold be in golde. ensen¦ce. & myrre. this is to knowe the golde of feruent loue. thensence of deuout prayer. the myrre of penaū¦ce & of satysfaccōn ¶The thyrde signe is shewed in this. that he ma¦de there a welle to wasshe our hert{is} this is the welle of grace that sprī¦geth fro the depnes of the diuyni∣te / & cometh thorugh the woūde of his side / & costeth vpon the grauell of holy medytacyon / and decendeth in to the draught of the conscyēce. right bren̄yngly / for to put out all vnclennesse: ¶The fourth signe is in this / that he made there a ta∣uerne. to make vs drynke this ta¦uerne hath the humanytee nature fulfyllid wyth wyne of consolacy¦on· that the true hert ordeneth in ve¦ry charite / In this tauerne descen¦ded the sone of god bi ix. degrees / y^t thus representeth the ix. orders of angels. This wyne god the fader tūned / god the sone pressed. god y^e holy goost it fylled wyth ful mesu¦re thrugh holy desire he reysed by y^e vertu of the fire of loue / wherof the furnays of the hert ought to be al∣way hote ¶The v. signe is in this that he made there a nest for vs to rest in / In this nest shold the religi¦ous soule seke y^e rest of his conscy¦ence bi holi contēplacōn / & flee thoc¦cacōns that myght meue hir herte to desire & spredde to many creatu∣res / by disordinat & fals affeccyon ¶The vj. signe is this tha the ma¦de there a sheld to defende vs frō ou¦re enmyes. that seaseth not day ne night to doo their power to deceiue vs / Thise enmyes bē the flesshe the world / & the fende / frō whiche none may defende hem nor kepe / but bi y^e vertu of the pascōn of our lord ihe¦su cryst. & of his swete woūdes ¶The vij. signe is in this that he made there a tree of lif for vs in hī to entree / & al thus as the waxe of the candell shold entree wythin the wyke for to drawe the light to it / thus shold y^e religious hert be ētred wythin this woūde by loue & bren¦nyng charite. & ought to be couerd wyth erth by y^e knowlege of oure owne freelte / & wrapt in the barke by remebraūce of that deth that vs al hath redemed / & seke the rewarde

of the same by the steppes of holy werkes in the vertue of perseuera¦ūce wyth very humylite / & thenne draweth the light of deuocōn / war¦dur of honest conuersacōn / sauour right pleysaūt / wyth swete refeccy¦on. Thus is the hert drawē to na¦ture diuyne by the vertue of loue whiche of two makyth one all in / Ioye that neuer shall haue ende Wyth this leure be our hertes cal¦de of this tresour truly redemed / of this welle clene wassht / of this ta¦uern swetly made drunke / In this nest stilly to rest wyth this sheelde defended & kept. Soo that withou¦te ende be we in god soo set / that ne¦uer in noo tyme be we f••om hym dysseuered / Amen /