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Also men sall haue helping gude
of Mari mayden mild of mode;
if we here oght for hir haue done,
baldeli may we ask hyr bone
and vs to help scho will hir haste
in ded when oure mister es maste.
For if a man, or he hethen fare,
be schreuen clene, als I said are,
oure lady þan will be ful boune
to socore him in þat sesoune,
and fend him fro þe fendes in fere,
and say to [þam] on þis manere:
‘Moder and mayden both am I
of Ihesu mi sun, god almighty,
and of heuyn am I coronde quene,
and lady of all erth bydene,
and I am emperise of hell,
whare ȝe and oþer deuils dwell.
And sen þat I am quene of heuyn,
vnto my sun þus sall I neuyn
þat he sall wine for luf of me
þis saul in purgatori to be
till he be clensed clene of sin,
and so to heuyn I sall him win;
he serued me in word and dede,
in heuyn sall he haue his mede.
And also sen I am lady
of all þe erth, þarfore [will] I,
thurgh þe will of my sun dere,
þat ilk gude dede and ilk prayere
(þat owhar in þis) werlde er (said),
vnto his profet be puruayd,
messes and oþer almus-dede
sall turn þis man to mekel mede,
and thurgh þe merite of þe mes
sal his penance be made les
þat him es ordand for his syn,
whilk ȝowre falshede gert him fal in.
And sen I am emperyce of hell,
þarfore ȝowre force now sall I fell:
I cumand ȝow ȝe heþin fare,
so þat ȝe noy þis man nomare
þat es ded in my suns seruyse’.
And when scho has said on þis wise,
all þe halows in heuyn on hight
will help hir halely with þaire might;
to Ihesu will þai call in-fere,
and þus þai will mak þaire prayere:
‘Lord Ihesu god almighty,
fader of heuyn, man of mercy,
haue mercy on þis man þat es
oure awin broþer and oure liknes;
sen þou wald wend fro heuyn on hight
and suffer payn for mans plight,
þou meng þi mercy with þis man’.
Þus sal his saul be saued þan,
and his gude angell sall him take
to clensing fire aseth to make
and vnto him he sall take tent
till he haue sufferd his turment;
and þan þe weked gastes sall ga
þeþin oway with mekill wa.
In þis manere may gude pr(ayere)
and almus-dedes þat men dose (here),
and merit of Cristes pascioun,
and of halows gude orisown,
help a man here in his (dede)
and vnto clensing fire (him lede)”.
Þe prior (sayd vnto) him (þan)
and asked if þat any (man)
of Ihesu may haue (in ded a sight)
and of Mari his moder (bright)
or of þe halows [OMITTED]
in þaire right (forme) [OMITTED]
Þe voice ans(werd and said nay);
“bot on þis wise [OMITTED]
if any be so [OMITTED]
þat has [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] may se þam [OMITTED]
(bot sin)ful men may noght þam se”.
(Þe) prior sayd: “þan thinkes me
(þat) þou sais now þi-self to scorne
(ogai)nes þe saws þou said biforne;
(for) þou said angels suld be boune
þare to reherce Cristes pascioune,
and þou said Mari suld be þare
and oþer halows les and mare
in sight bifor þe saules ful euyn,
praiand for þam to god of heuyn;
þan semes it þat he se þam may”.
Þe voice answerd and said: “nay;
þai sal be þare I grante þe wele,
bot he sall se of þam no dele
in þaire lyknes verrayli;
and þis es þe enchesoun whi.
for þe most blis in heuyn it es
forto se Crist in his liknes,
þat es to say in his godhede;
(þa)n neded saules none oþer mede
(bo)t in þaire dying him to se,
and in þat blis þan solde þai be
(sod)ainly in þaire passing,
(and) þat war vn(ak)ordand thing
(þat sin)ful men suld se þat sight.
(if men) be puried of all þaire plight
þan sall þai se god als he es,
(hali) writ so beris witnes”.
(And þan) þe prior frained him fast
(if spirit)es þat es heþin past
(wist) what dedes er for þam done
(on þis) molde at morn or none,
(and þe) praiers men for þam ma.
(Þe voice) answerd and said: ȝa.
[OMITTED] se wele by þis thing
[OMITTED] es has saules helping.
(Þe prior said: “þan) can þou say
(wharof I sang) mess to-day?”
(Þe voice answerd) þarto ful tite:
(“þou sang mess) of saint spirite”.
(Þe prior said þan) als he knew:
“[OMITTED] noght trew,
(for I sang mess, þis) es sertayne,
(for cristen saules þat) suffers paine;
(þarfore þou sais noght) suthfastly”.
(Þe voice þan answerd him) in hy
and said: (“I wat wele) [OMITTED]
for cristen (saules þat) þou sang;
bot ȝit I (said soth) neuer-þe-les
þat of saint spirite was þi mes.
þat saltou by ensameple se.
for wele þou knawes in ilk cuntre,
if ani man oþer alde or ȝing
of a noþer suld ask a thing,
and he hoped wele forto haue
þat ilk thing þat he walde craue,
first to ask he walde him haste
þe thing þat might amend him mast,
and what so his hert lai moste nere
þat suld first in his speche apere
and first be in his wordes alwayse,
als god þus in his gospell sayse:
Ex habundancia cordis os loquitur:
Of þe fulnes of þe hert
spekes þe mowth þe wordes smert.
and messes sungen of saint spirite
vnto me er most profite,
and next þan of þe trinite—
þir messes moste amendes me.
and here now þe encheson whi.
for whils I lifed here bodily,
I spended my wit and mi powere
ful oft-siþes in sinnes sere,
when I sold þam haue spended right
to goddes honour with al mi might.
Þe fader I suld haue mensked with main,
for of him cumes al power plaine
þat men has here ai whils þai lif,
efter his grace als he will gif;
þarfore what man so dose vnright
bi his power or by his might
or by his strenkith if þat it be,
ogaines þe fader of heuyn sins he,
for al power he weldes always,
als Dauid in þe sauter sais:
Omnia quecunque uoluit dominus fecit,
he sais: þe fader mai fulfill
in heuyn and erth what so he will.
To Crist, god sun, es gifen ful right
wit and wisdom dai & night,
to mesure it till erthli men,
als þir clerkes mai clereli ken;
þarfore godes sun þai sin ogain
þat here despendes þaire wittes in vain
(and) settes þam so (on erthly) gude
(þat) reches es more in þaire mode
þan Crist god sun þat boght þam dere.
and my-self on þis same manere
sined in þis werld whare ȝe won
both ogaines þe fader & þe sun.
To þe haligast es gifen al grace
and beaute plain in ilka place,
at his liking to dele and dight
in þis werld to ilka wight;
ogaines him oft-siþes sinned I
when þat I vsed in foul foly
swilk giftes als he me gaf bi kinde,
and honord him noght in mi minde;
for mi fauore and my fairehede
haue I done many sinful dede,
and vertus haue I turned to vice
thurgh wekid werkes als wreche vnwise.
wharfore aseth byhoues me make
to thre persons for my sin sake;
þarfore messes of þe trinite
er mekill medeful vnto me
for greuance þat to me es graide,
als my gude angell has me saide.