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A Stanzaic Life of Christ

Compiled from Higden's Polychronicon and the Legenda Aurea

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Primo Animo commoti &c.

For þat day þai wer in grete rest,
ffor hor saules wer bowraght of synne,
in sech saules God myȝt best
Take place þer he wold noȝt twynne;
And þis fest of Wytsonday
betokyns rest, As redyn we,
þen fell hit best God to byde
In cleyne rest to his meyne.

363

Dum complerentur dies penticostis & requiescentes erant omnes discipuli pariter.

ffor this fest in the olde laghe
wos ordent fest full of rest,
befor in rest hom to dragh
in þe nwe lagh God þoȝt hit best.

Super quem requiescit spiritus sanctus nisi super humilem & quietum. Isaye xxxviijo.

Also þai weren in vnite
And luffeden ichon oþer oryȝt,
As holy writte says, ȝe schyn se,
And in on[e] place to-geder dyȝt.

Actuum primo: Erant omnes pariter in eodem loco. Item Erat cor vnum & Anima vna, &c.

ffor riȝt As mon now her lyuyng,
& his lymmes diuisyd be,
ffayles his lyfe for any thyng,
of Goddis gost so far we;
ffor if bodely lyfe shall spryng,
hyde & body, leue ȝe me,
most be to-geder boute twynnyng,
So fares þe gost, leue ȝe me.
And ryȝt As fir slekket is
quen þe brondes ben tan Away,
So is þe Holy Gost I-wis
in mon quen charite is Abatet ay.
þerfor of þat gode meyne
is songen in holy chyrch oryȝt,
‘God fond hom in full charite
And thurgh his godhede mad hom liȝt.’

364

Inuenit eos concordes caritati & illustrauit eos invnda[n]s diuinitatis.

Also þai wer in priue place
when þe Holy Gost wos sent,
of quych propheciet was,
þerfor þerto takes entent:

Ieromie iiijo: Ducam eos in solitudine & loquor ad eos.

By þe prophecie of Ieremie,
þat sayd God wold hom lede
Into place þat wer holy
& to all godenes wold hom rede,
Also in orisoun þai wer
To-geder Assuduelly prayng
perseuerantly in all þing ther
till þai seghen þat gost comyng.

Erant perseuerantes in oratione vnanimiter.

Þerfor of hom in chirche her
þis song deuoutly we con syng,
þat whiles þe Apostels maden prayer
God come to hom At hor likyng.

Orantibus Apostolis deum venisse nunciat.

& þat orisoun nedefull is
ffor to get þe Holy Gost,
he may be preuet wele by this
þat Salamon says in Wysdam most:

Inuocaui & venit in me spiritus sapiencie. Sapiencie vijo.

Also Saynt Iohn þe euangelist
sais God wold aske his fader of gras
An-oþer counselour to Crist
to ȝyue his meyne in solas,

Rogabo patrem meum & dabit alium paraclitum vobis. Iohannis xiijo.


365

Which counselour I may call
The Holy Gost þat down wos sent,
ffor he made to s[ta]nd þat wold fall,
Saued also þat shuld be schent.
ffor full sadchip þer wos none
till he wos sent to make hom sadde,
ffor in A wer þai wer ichon,
& he mad wyse þat er wer madde.

Quinto humilitate prediti.

Also þe Apostils were
thurgh mekenes put fer be-for,
& þat wele schewes Apertly here,
ffor quen Crist come syttyng þai wor.
Herto Acordes the Sauter
& glose Also made opon hyt,
þat God to men in meke maner
graunted grace & all wytte:

Qui emittis montes in conuallibus, graciam spiritus sancti donauit humilibus, super [quem] requiescit spiritus &c. Psalmus.

Sexto in pace.

Thai weren bounden also to pese,
And þat preues þat ilke plas,
in quyche þai weren, þat is no lese,
when [Holy] Gost to hom send was.
ffor in Ierusalem weren thai

Vnde Ierusalem interpretatur visio maris.


quen þat siȝt of pece lyghtnet þer,
ffor þe Holy Gost þat day
in fir Apertly con Apper,
And for to schew þat pece nede
ffor to be thor-as schew hym wold he,
Goddis wordes and his dede
preues Apertly, ȝe schyn se.

366

ffor After his resurrectioun
when he to hom so con Aper,
to profre pese fyrst he wos boun
& sayd, ‘pese to ȝow All here.’

Iohannis xxo: Pax vobis si ego sum. Accipite spiritum meum. Quorum remiseritis.

Septimo contemplacione erecti.

Thai weren houen vp on hegh þat day,
ffor clene All hor deuocioun
wos toward heuen be Alway
& all by comtemplacioun.

Spiritum sanctum receperunt superiori cenaculo.

ffor quen þe Holy Gost come down
in A hegh soler þai wer,
þat betokyns hor þoȝt Ay boun
to wilne heuen & noȝt be her.
þen sais þe glose made opon this
þat who-so wilnes the gost to haue,
heghenes of flesch þenkyng of blis
he most Abate hym-selfe to saue.

Qui spiritum sanctum desiderat, carnis domicilium mentis contemplacione transcendens caueat, &c.