A Stanzaic Life of Christ :: :: University of Virginia Library

The thrid cause assigne I may,
As ȝe fully leue moun,
qvy hit was ordeynt in gode fay,
was for representacioun.

129

ffor septuagesme, with-outen wer,
representes subiectioun
that Iewes ten & sixty ȝer
hade in Babuloyn in bandoun.

And right as thay in that daunger
layden doun murthes, so in prusoun
als song of murthe we lyueng her
layn doun this tyme by gode resoun.

ffor as the Byble mynde mas,
Nabugodononosor the keng
took Ierusalem that holy place
And made in Babiloyne hor wonny[n]g,

And al was for hor owen trespasse
that thay ne deden Goddes biddyng,
thenne laft thay song and al solace
And sayden whil that was enduryng:

‘Goddes song how schuld we syng,
thus lengyng in a straunge londe?
more mater we han of mournyng
whil we ben hoden thus in bonde.’

But after in the sexte ȝere
leue thay haden to go aȝayne,
thenne maden thay murthe in hor maner,
and wer at Goddes byddyng bayn.

therfore on pasche euen i-wys
one alleluy wel syngen we
to represent hor grete blys,
that in the sexty ȝere schuld be.

But foor-as-muche as thay tho
trauaileden ten ȝere tenderly
fforto twynne Babiloyne fro
whit hor goddes that dyd hom ny.

130

In caryage from place to place
so hoom flyttyng that foolk in fere,
ther-fore holy chirche maas
a mynd ther-of in thys maner,

And one pasche euen solempnely
singyn a tracte no thyng amys
anone after the alleluy,
that tokenes trauayl wel i-wys.

But thenne Setu[r]day nextte suyng
when septuagesme an ende maas,
two alleluyes boute lesyng
holy chirche togeder taas,

That ful ioy may singnyfy
when thay wer in hor londe in reste,
thenne might thay sing solempnely
this canticuler wel of the best:

this time of takyng & exil
of Iewes that in thraldom wer,
tokens trauail & peril
whil we in world bene lyuyng her.

ffor riȝt as thay from that any
In þe sexty ȝer wer broȝt,
so in þe sext elde witerly
Crist of bitter bale vs boȝt.

And as thay trauailet day by day
to flitte hor goddes home agayn,
so most we in this elde ay
In gode dedes to make vs fayn.

Then to þe seuent eld that deth is
nedelynges we most come to,
And then to perfite rest i-wys
ȝif we bifore woln godely do,

131

And sing þer double Alleluy
euer-more with-outen ende,
To quych thurȝe his mercy
he make vs worthy forto wende!