A Stanzaic Life of Christ | ||
Iohannis tercio: Spiritus, vbi vult, spirat & vocem eius Audis, set nescis, a quo venit aut quo vadat, &c.
springes & lenges quer hym lyst;
his gost þou heres bout bost,
bot quethen hit comes, is vnwyst.’
ffor be þo eghen he entres noght,
ffor colour has he none I-wis,
quen he comes in monnes thoȝt,
be sownyng, quen he so is soȝt,
ne be þo nase, leue wele this,
bot in holy hert þat wele is wroȝt.’
shall tell quen he comes in,
ffor Bernarde says þat quen he come,
vices flogh euer with-oute dyn,
þen meruaylled he in þis maner,
‘how vertues comen & vices gon,
wunderly by his wisdome wer!’
he persayued Goddes myȝt,
þat wykked gost þat did hym stryfe
was wayued in refourmyng ryȝt,
And tho wykket wos went oway,
þen hertly alway he con hym heer,
As I in Latyn thenke to say:
Ex motu cordis intellexi presenciam eius, ex fuga vicorum
Aduerti potenciam virtutis eius & ex quacumque
emendacione morum meorum expertus sum bonitatem
mansuetudinis Et ex reformacione & renouacione
In any mater þat mon may see,
be fyue maners, as I am kent,
he has ben sent, as rede we.
Crist quen þat he folwed was,
As Saynt Luke beres wytnes
& in gospell mynde mas:
Descendit spiritus sanctus corporali specie. Luce iijo.
At Cristes transfiguracioun,
quen he to his men kuyt his myȝt,
In gospell As ȝe rede moun.
Ad-huc eo loquente ecce nubes lucida obumbrauit eos, &c.
he sent tho Holy Gost to hyse,
þat hor hertes shulden last,
ffor in þat werke he made hom wise.
‘haues her þo Holy Gost in ȝow,
þat ȝe for-ȝeiten not þis
my faithe fully for to knaw.’
Iohannis xxmo: Inflauit & dixit: Accipite spiritum sanctum, &c.
The fyfte in tong & strange speche,
In þes too he come as þis day
ffor to be our lyfes leche.
In þes fyfe lykenes, as I say,
þat vnderstonde fully shyn we
hor propurtees, all to our pay,
to knaw þat he wurches al-way
In mennes hertes, as I myn,
with þos maters to mende hom ay,
Also to do poyntes to his pay.
Now at þo dowue I will begyn
his kynde to moraluse, As I may.
in stede of song to be mournyng,
In hyr wontes galle I-wis,
In holes off ston is hyr wonnyng.
mas men to sorowe for hor synnyng,
& quen þai mendet haue þis mys,
then has he way & full entryng.
In Laten clerkes for to rede,
& says, ‘we mournen as dowfe ay,
& as beeres romeon’, as I rede.
Issay libro iiijto: Rugiemus quasi vrsi & quasi columbe meditantes gememus. Item Ad Romanos viijo: Ipse spiritus postulat pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus, id est, nos postulantes gementes facit, &c.
ho has no bytternes of galle,
ne bitternes none in þat plaas
þer-as þo Holy Gost will fall.
Sapiens dicit: O quam bonus & suauis est, domine, spiritus tuus, &c.
of þat souerayne swetnes
þat þo Holy Gost full of gras
has ay, as ȝe schyn her expres.
þo wise mon called hit weterly,
ffor al thre as I will fynde
hit mas vs quen we han mercy.
þo Apostels speken þis day
quen hit wos lyȝt in hom in hy,
iche langayge in hor tung lay,
In mynde, as ȝe leue wele may,
quen þat heuenly tresory
in hom wos sett fast, soþe to say.
quen þat gost in hom had wroȝt,
ffor hit made God to hom so der,
dethe for hym dredde þai noȝt.
Sapiencie viio: Spiritus sanctus est suauis, benignus, humilis ex eo, quod suaues, benignos, humiles nos faciat: suaues in sermone, benignos in corde & humiles in opere, &c.
þat þo dowfe has, as ȝe schyn her,
In holes of ston euer mor
ho byldes & lenges bothe in fer,
Cristes woundes vs to wone in,
& wikkednes alway to wovnde,
on his passioun ȝif we myn.
þat to his wondes likened bene,
so dwellon þes holy men yche on
in Cristes woundes, with-outen wene.
hor hertes bene sett, as wele is sene,
In mournyng & in makyng moone,
As don þes dowfes all be-dene.
In dowfe lykenes wele wos sent,
ffor men þat lyfen, As þai done ay,
thurgh þo Holy Gost ben kent.
‘ryse vp my luf, my dowfe der,
& norische my bryddes Ay Among,
In holes of ston & helpe hom her.’
Canticorum secundo: Surge Amica mea, columba mea, fouens mihi pullos in foraminibus petrinis.
þo briddes goode men full of hit,
þo holes Cristes woundes I-wis
þat þai on þenken thurgh hor wytt.
A Stanzaic Life of Christ | ||