A Stanzaic Life of Christ | ||
ijo in auditu, cum ei obprobria & blasfemie irrogate sunt.
pynet he was ful pitousely,
when he herd Iewes fast crying
that he wolde Moyses lawe destruye.
thay fondet to do hym any,
but four prerogatiues had that keng
to maister hom whit, as tel wol I.
Habuit primo excellentissimam nobilitatem.
forto godhede ȝif we shyn go,
verray Goddes sone was he,
And heȝest heuen he com fro.
that he was comen of kynges blode,
therfore both God & kyng verray
I may preue hym, that was so gode,
And comen of kynges kyndly,
kyng in erth I calle hym con,
And keng of heuen als verrayly.
kyng of kenges men may hym calle,
And lord of lordes, non sich as he,
ffor of al wele he is þe walle.
Prope est rex regum & dominus dominancium.
repreuyng vnresonably
hym, that was Goddes son verray,
smyth sone calde hym hokerly.
Matheus xiijo: Nonne iste est filius fabri? Nonne mater eius dicitur Maria? Secundo habuit ineffabilem veritatem.
As hym-self saide in erth her
that he was way to wayue our wo,
sothnes, and lif all thre in fer.
Ego sum, via veritas & vita.
As writes þe gode sayn Ion i-wys,
repreuyng hym that he shuld say
thing that wer fals & al amys.
Iohannes viijo: Tu de te ipso testimonium perhibes, testimonium tuum non est verum.
that was walle of al sothnes,
way & lif in hym was als,
As I saide bifore expres.
quen Ihesu Crist bifore hym come,
that of sothnes laft þe riȝt gate
And for hym falsly ordeynt dome.
with sothnes, as I shal ȝou say,
but from þat way ful sone he went
for wordly dede that ilk day.
examinet hou þe cause stode,
he fonde gret malys & enuy
In hom, & in Ihesu but gode,
then wer þai ferd lest he shuld wende,
And saiden, ‘ȝif þou let þis mon gone,
thou nart not þe emperoures frende.’
Si hunc dimittis, non es amicus Cesaris.
of þe emperour time comyng,
And delyueret aȝayn resoun
Ihesu to deth bout tarying.
Tercio habuit insuperabilem potestatem.
So fulle miȝt & eke power
that miȝt no way ouer-comen be,
As Ion þe euangelist witnes her:
Omnia per ipsum facta sunt & sine ipso factum est nihil.
And bout hym is made no thing,’
Ȝet aȝayn þis þe Iewes hade
Agayn resoun aȝayn-pittyng.
Mattheus xiio: Hic non eicit demonia nisi in Belzebub principe demoniorum.
that with an eul gost nyet was,
that he by oþer power none
then deulis power wroȝt so has.
Item Mattheus xxviio: Alios saluos fecit, seipsum non potest &c.
mony bifore out of hor tene,
but saue hym-self from rode tre
myȝt he not then, as wel was sene.
of quych þe contrary preue I may,
As schowide was ryȝt in hor siȝt
quen he was taken þe selue day;
with his voice he drof hom doun,
ffor as thai to hym wer comyng
And forto sese hym redy boun,
‘Ihesu of Naȝareth,’ saide þay,
And fellen doun onon riȝt tho
the first worde that he con say.
Quem queritis? Ihesum Nazarenum, & continuo ceciderunt in terram.
And sais ful wel & witterly
that I shal first say in Latyn
And in Englisch openly:
Augustinus: Vna vox turbam odiis ferocem, armis terribilem sine vllo telo percussit, reppulit, strauit virtute latentis diuinitatis. Quid iudicaturus faciet, qui iudicandus hoc fecit? Quid regnaturus poterit, qui moriturus hoc fecit?
long-straȝt laide & put aȝayn
wode peple & to bataile boun
wel armet & of mich mayn;
And hudde godhede hym with-in,
so maistride he that diden omys,
on his myȝt that þai shuld myn.
qven he shal sitt on iugement,
That so his iugement goyng to
with voice his enmys shamely shent?
to do in his revme quen he is,
that to þe deth goyng that nyȝt
so foule feride hom as in this?’
Quarto habuit singularem bonitatem, quia nemo bonus nisi solus Deus.
to quich þai putten obiectioun,
that was excellent bounte,
As I may preue ȝow by resoun.
nomon is gode with-outen vice,
saue only God, leues wel hit,
to wayue al syn may be so wys;
I fynde, a riȝtwis mon shal falle,
but Cristis godnes in gode fay
Appair myȝt not þe Iewes alle.
Sepcies in die cadit iustus.
putten þe Iewes apertly,
And saiden a synful mon he wes,
As sayn Ion mas mynde witerly.
Iohannes vio: Nos scimus, quia hic homo peccator est, quia seductor est in sermone.
‘that this mon ful synful is,
And fondes by worde to do vs wo,
And bigile vs alle omys.’
Lucas: Commouit populum docens per vniuersam Iudeam incipiens a Galilea vsque huc.
meuet þe peple wonderly
thurȝe-out Iude & Galile
And taght hom so apertely.
Moyses laȝe he wold destrye,
As ȝe moun se her in ore siȝt,
Ion witnes hit apertly.
Iohannes ixo: Non est hic homo a Deo, qui Sabbatum non custodit.
nys not on Goddis bihalue i-wys,
that kepis not in gode maner
his hali-day, as þe laȝe is.’
Tercio fuit eius dolor [in] odoratu.
was of sauour al vnswete,
And gret stynk þer was made
with mennus carayns forto mete.
wer men punyscht for hor syn,
And stynkyng bodies mony by
And wiccut air that plas with-in.
As balletship of hedes bar
of men quen flesch is al away,
And sich wer mony lying thar
And lying þer al opunly;
And therfore þat mount thurȝe clercus lore
was callide mount of Caluary,
quen he was comen to þat plas,
thus in thre wittes, with-out wene,
wonderly he pynet was.
Quarto in gustu.
for quen he criet, ‘I am thirsty,’
Aisel & myrre thai con hym bryng
with atter medelide hastily,
to þe deth myȝt soner hy,
And thay that wer to hym kepyng
Soner shutt of hor baly.
Aisel shuld bryng hym sone to deth,
And mirre shuld sone dryue doun
forto suffre of hit þe breth,
In tastyng hit shuld do hym tene,
And poysoun hym sone in that destres,
this was hor thoȝt, as wel was sene.
Quinto in tactu.
for al þe places of his body
ffrom hede to hele, bout lesyng,
al was to-torne dispitusly.
Bernarde preues apertly,
As I shal rehers ȝou her,
leret & lewide to lerne þer-by.
Bernardus: Caput angelicis tremebundum spiritibus densitate
spinarum pungitur, facies pulcra pre filiis hominum sputis Iudeorum deturpatur, oculi lucidiores
sole caligantur in morte, aures, que audiunt angelicos cantus, audiunt peccatorum insultus,
os, quod docet angelos, felle & aceto potatur, pedes, quorum scabellum adoratur, quoniam sanctum est,
bygynnes forto speke expres,
And al þe body nothing is lede
that he ne tellis ich distres
In body & wittes two.
for first hys hede with thornus kene
ful bitterly was stongen tho.
that time for vs was shamly shent
with sputyng hokerly þer-on,
for monnus hele sich harm he hent.
then þe sone is in his kynde,
wiht delful dethe made thester wer,
that dele hit ys to haue in mynde.
herden the sinful men gladyng;
that mouthe, that tagh aungeles ymong,
atter and aysel had to drynke.
mon cusse the stole thay stonden on
for holines, as he says her,
wiht nayle wer fechet the rode opon.
on croice wer sprad dyspitouesly
and wihit nayles ficchit amys,
to bryng mon-kynd out of anye.
no place laft on hit vntorne,
hys syde was perset wiht a sper,
to releue that wer forlorne.
thas he for synful men might pray,
and to bytake hys moder Mary
to hys disciple to kepe that day.
A Stanzaic Life of Christ | ||