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92. Thy Blood Thou Shed for Me
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92. Thy Blood Thou Shed for Me

[_]

Henry E. Huntington Library, MS. HM 142

Ihū, that alle this worlde hast wroghte,
And of a clene virgyn so take oure kynde,
And with thi blode oure soules hast boughte,
My loue to þe I pray þe to bynde,
In werk, in worde, in þought of mynde.
My soule, my body, I yeue alle to the;
So kynde a frende schal I noon fynde,
ffor-why þi blode þow sched for me.

134

fferst, ihū lord, sone after þi byrthe,
The .viii. day, named þi Circumcisyoun,
Thow wepte in stede of yoles myrthe,
And in a maner began thi passion;
So was þou kutte for oure transgressyoun,
With a stone knyf aboue thi kne.
I loue þe, lord, with trewe affeccioun,
ffor þus þi blode thow schedde for me.
The same nyght, lord, þat þou was take,
After þi soper and wasshyng of fete,
Warnynge discyples þat þei schulde wake,
Thou prayed þi fader with dropes ful wete,
Swetyng þi blood þat is so swete.
ffor drede of deth þou wolde not fle—
A cause of loue þis is ful grete—
ffor þus þi blode þou sched for me.
Aftir þi takynge, lord, þou was bounde
Vnto a pyler, & scourged ful sore;
They leyde on þe wounde on wounde,
ffor thi fayre body was alle to-tore;
Noon ynche ther-of was kept in store.
Thus was þou bounde to make us fre,
Mikel am I bounde to þe þerfore,
ffor þus þi blode þou sched for me.
A clothe of purpure on þe þe[i] cast,
And before pylat on þe next morne,
The to crucifye, þei cryed ful fast,
Puttynge on þi hede a croune of þorne
And callyd þe ‘kynge’ with iape & scorne—
The kynge of heuen, of erthe & see.
So witht þi body, þi hede was torne,
And þus þi blode þow sched for me.

135

Then, berynge þe Cros to caluarie,
Vn-to þe mount þou cam at last;
Thi bodyly wounde were woxe al drye,
The purpure þer-to was cleued ful fast.
They rente it of with a grete haste,
And þat was, good lord, more peyne to þe
Than al þe scourgynge þat was now past,
And þus þi blode þou sched for me.
Lord, to þe cros then was þou nayled,
Handis & feet, & lyft up on hye,
Hangenge þer-on tyl þi lyf fayled.
All þis þou suffird us for, to bye
Oure soules to lyue when oure flessche schal dye.
What myght þou schewe more charite?
‘Graunt mercy, good lord, & mercy,’ I crye,
ffor þus þi blode þou sched for me.
Whan þou was deed, þorou a blynde knyght
Wyche claf þi hert with a scharpe spere—
And with þi blode he gate his syght,
Askynge þe mercy & mercy was there.
Euer in my hert this wille I bere.
Of alle þi kyndenes blessit mote þou be!
If I forgate þe, ful vnkynde I were,
ffor .vii. tymes þi blode þou sched for me.

Oracio

Now, now, Ihū, for thi Circumcisioun,
When þou was kut so in fleshe & skyn,
Make with my soule suche a conclusioun,
That I falle neuer in fleshly synne;
And for þe grete drede þat þou stode inne,
Prayinge thi fader yf deth myght passe,
Conforte my soule, þat I may wynne
Hope of þi mercy & drede þe lasse.

136

And for þi skourgynge, bounde with a corde
Vnto þat pylour, al for our sake
Graunt us þat blode, o mercyful lorde,
Oure soules to washe fro synnes so blake;
And for þe thornes þei dide the take,
Crounynge þin heed in-to þe brayne,
Yeue us þat croune þat þou dide make
In heuen for us, witht al þi payne.
And for purpure, þat cleued so faste
Whan it was drawe fro þe drye blode,
Off al þi peynys gif us a taste,
Þat þei may be oure goostly food;
And with þo naylis, so stronge & good,
That peresshid þrou both handes & feet,
Ioyne all oure hertis vnto þat roode,
That we þi kyndenes neuer forgeet.
Now, last we pray, lord, of þi grace,
And for þat spere þat opynde þi syde,
That we may se þi blisful face
Whan we schal here no lenger abyde;
And in þis pryson sle al our pride
With charite, mekenes & pacience,
That, in þat kyngdom þat is so wyde,
We may reioyce euer thi presence.
AmeN.