The Minor Poems of John Lydgate :: :: University of Virginia Library

y]E folkys all, whyche haue deuocioun
To here masse, furst do your besy cure
With all your inward contemplacion,
As in a myrrour presentyng in fygure
The morall menyng of that gostly armure,
When that a preest, with mynystres more & lasse,
Arayeth hymsylf, by record of scripture,
The same howre when he shall go to masse;

2

Furst, with your eyen verray contemplatyfe,
Calleth to mynde, of hoole affeccioun,
Howe the masse here in thys present lyfe
Of gostly gladnesse ys chyef direccioun,
To haue memory of Crystes passioun,
As doctors remembre in theyr doctryne,
Geyne gostly sekenesses oure restauracioun,
Our bawme, our tryacle, our helthe, our medycyne.

3

Of hygh dyscrecion, yef ye lyst consydre,
As ye Arn bound of verray trowthe and ryght,
Best preseruasioun that ye do nat slydre
In all that day for lak of goostly lyght,
Furst euery morow, or Phebus shyne bryght,
Lat pale Aurora condute yow and dresse
To holy churche, of Cryste to haue a syght,
For chyef preseruatyf gayne all goostly sykenesse.

4

Entryng the churche with all humylyte
To here masse a morow at your rysyng,
Dysposyth your self, knelyng on your kne,
For to be there at your begynnyng,
From the tyme of hys reuestyng
Departeth nat, tyll tyme that he haue do.
To all your werkes hit shalbe gret furtheryng
To Abyde the ende of In Principio.

5

Kepe yow from noyse and Ianglyng importune,
The howse of god ys ordeynyd for prayere,
With syght and sylence sadly doth contynew,
In your defaute that noman noyse here,
Gase nat abowte, demure of looke and chyere,
As I sayd erst, tyll tyme the preest haue do,
Your good, your catall shall encrese yfeere,
To abyde tyll In Principio.

6

In sacryfyces of the old[e] lawe
With the heede men offred vp the tayle,
From a good gynnyng men shuld nat withdrawe
Tyll hit were endyd, Moyses gafe counsayle.
A werke begon ys of more avayle
Yef a good ende accorde well therto,
For encrese of your goostly trauayle
Abyde at masse tyll In Principio.

Explicit Prologus.