The myrrour or glasse of Christes passion

¶Of the sorowe and compassyon of our ladye.

AS the great clerke Alberte sayth vpon these wordes of Luke:* 1.1 Tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius. The swerde of sorowe shal passe thorowe thyn awne soule. It is the more true exposition and sentence when this pronowne deriuatyue, tuam / is resolued in to his primityue, tui / so that this is the true sentence of the for∣sayd wordes of Luke, the swerde of sorowe / that is: the payne of the passyon and deth of thy sonne (O vyrgyne Mary) which he suffred in his bodye: shall perse and passe thorowe the soule of thyne awne selfe Marie. So that the sorowes whiche thou felt not at the birth of thy sonne, so that therby thou dyd not knowe thy selfe a mother: at his deth thou shalt fele them in moste payn∣full and sorowfull maner, so that thou shalte knowe thy self then to haue had a chylde and to be a mother. Our sauiour Iesus her sonne was to Marie his mother as her awne herte, and therfore when he was borne of her: she felte as if halfe her herte had bene borne and departed from her body. And as that thynge whiche is halfe without and halfe within, if that parte that is outwarde be pricked or hurte: the parte inwarde doth fele the payne aswel as the outwarde parte. And so when Iesus the sonne of the vyr∣gyn was scourged and pricked with thornes, the herce of the glo¦rious virgyn / was in a maner also payned and pricked, and so in lyke maner when her sonne Iesus was crucifyed and his herte persed with a spere: it seamed to her as if her awne herte hadde ben persed with the same spere. And therfore god wroughte no small miracle in that that the gloryous virgyn hys mother woū∣ded inwardlye in her soule with so many greuous and greate sorowes dyd not yelde vp her spiryte and dye, and specyallye when she se her moste dearebeloued sonne hangynge bytwixte two theues / naked / wounded / scorned of all men / crucyfyed / and deade, and then his herte persed with a speare: It was (I saye) a greate miracle that she lyued.* 1.2 For the wyfe of Phinees the sonne of Hely / the Iudge of Israel hearynge that the arke of god was taken / she beynge greate with chylde: sodaynlye felle to traueyllynge. and for the greate and vehement sorowe the whiche that she hadde for the takynge of the arche of god: she chylded and dyed, and yet her sorowes and greate paynes

ware no thynge so vehement and so greate as the sorowes of the blessed virgyne Mary, nor ware to be compared to the sorowes of the mother of Iesu / whiche dyd se the bodye of her sonne (sig¦nifyed by that arche) crucifyed by hys enemyes / and so put to the moste shamefull death / whiche vyrgyne also the same nyght after that her sonne was buryed: goynge thorowe the cytye of Hierusalem / weapte so bitterlye and pitiouslye / that all bothe men and women that se and herde her: ware prouoked to sorowe and mournynge. Also that moste encreased her sorowes: that she dydde se hym at his deathe, so bette / wounded / in greate thyrste or drynesse / and coulde not helpe hym, and namelye so cruellye racked vpon the crosse / there nayled / and after his deth his herte persed with a speare. These ware her sorowes / and aboue thyese she was compelled to entre in to an other mannes house, and there to continue in sorowe and mournynge. And so the mother of god / the quene of heuen / and the ladye of all the worlde was susteyned with the almes and charitye of other men. But why wolde oure lorde suffer her to haue all these tri∣bulacyons? bycause he intended to exalte her after her deathe a∣boue all creatures in glorye, whiche excellente / singular and vn¦estimable gyfte, he wolde not gyue to her for the merites of any other persone (for the rewarde of glorye / shalbe gyuen after a mannes awne merytes and deseruynges, and not for any other mannes merytes) And therfore he wolde haue hys blessed mo∣ther subdued to harde lobours / paygnes / and sorowes in her selfe, in the moste hyghe pouertye / in extreme vilytye and des∣pection / in the moste profounde mekenesse / moste pure chasty∣tye / moste perfyte charitye / and in other lyke vertues and pay∣nes, and specyally in sufferynge of paynes and sorowes (that she myghte go by the same waye / that her dearebeloued sonne Iesus dyd.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Luc. 2. E.
• * 1.2

  Pri. Reg. 4. D.