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A Stanzaic Life of Christ

Compiled from Higden's Polychronicon and the Legenda Aurea

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Iacobus: Lingua nostra est ignis vniuerse iniquitatis.

Therfor syn tong is flawmyng so
with brennyng fyr of grete foly,
Goddis gost þo in con go
hell-fir for to dystry.
Sythen þat hit among membres mo
wos wroght to rule resonably,
heuenly fyr most bren þat fo
As dyd this day feruently.
Saynt Iames spekes wele of this
in A pistell þat he mas
& sayes, ‘all bestes & foles I-wis
to be maystred now wille has
Thurgh mon to hym grauntyd was,
bot to tempre tong no bote is
Bot þrugh the Holy Gostes gras.’
þerfor hit nedis soueraignys

359

The Holy Gost for to reule hit
helder þen oþer, As sayd I
Acordyng to þe Apostels wyt:
[OMITTED]

Omnis [n]atura bestiarum, volucrum, serpencium & ceterorum animalium doma[n]tur & domita sunt [a] natura humane; lingu[am] hominum nullius domare potest; inquietum malum, plenum mortifere veneno, &c. Iacobus iijo.

In tong also Apperet he
to betoken þat hit wos nede
Prechoures wele tonget for to be,
ffor to hom mon most takes hede
That helle-fyr thenkes for to fle
& wille to do gode riȝt As God bede,
In iiij maners As ȝe schyn see,
As I shall Apertly rede:

Predicantibus necessarium est lingua spiritu sancto repleta, quia facit eos loqui feruenter, confidenter, multipliciter & vtiliter, &c.

ffyrst þe Holy Gost hem made
To preche brennandly aboute,
ffor thrugh þe vertue of hit þat þay hade
luff & will no mon to doute,
Slauthe wos clene put Away
ffor hertes in luff wer so brennyng,
herto Acordes, As I shall say,
Saynt Bernard of his dovn-comyng:

Venit spiritus sanctus super discipulos in linguis igneis vt verba ignea lingue ignee predicarent. Bernardus.

‘The Holy Gost,’ he says, ‘come dovn
opon þe Apostils all in fer
In tonges of fyr, to make hom bown
brennyng wordes men to her.

360

‘And þos tonges of fyr brennyng
shulden preche þe lagh of fyr in fay,
As who-so say with carefull hert lengyng,
ffor fyr ay lenges whill he may.’

Et facit eos loqui confidenter & Absque pusillanimitate.

Also þe Holy Gostes myȝt
mad all þe ioyfull cumpany
with-owten faynt hert day & nyȝt
ffor to speke tristely.
Her-to Acordes holy writte,
& thai speken with grete tryst
ffor thai weren fyllet full of hyt,
thai myghten say what-ser hom lyst.

Quarto: repleti sunt omnes spiritu sancto et ceperunt loqui cum fiducia.

Actuum apostolorum.
Also the Holy Gost comyng
mad hom to speke in mony maner,
ffor in all languages þai wer connyng,
men of all nacions for to ler.
Holy wrytte is A-cordyng
to this, as ȝe sone schyn [her]e,
þat Goddis gost mad hom spekyng
with diuerse tonges all enter.

Actuum apostolorum secundo: Ceperunt loqui variis linguis.

Also he shewid prophitably
ffor monnes edificacioun,
ffor all men wexen bygge þer-by
to suffre bale fully bown.