[Poems from the Vernon MS]

[section]

PART I.

I. La estorie del Euangelie.

VII. A preyer at þe leuacioun.

VIII. A preyer at þe leuacioun.

IX. Þe fyue Ioyes of vr ladi.

X. An orisoun to god.

XI. An orisoun to vr lord Ihesu.

[XIII. A confessioun of wyrschip in orysoun.]

[XIV.] [Another Prayer to the Uirgin Mary.]

[XV. Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost.]

[XVI. A Confessioun for necligence of þe dedes of mercy.]

[XVII. An orysoun for sauynge of þe fyue wyttes.]

[XVIII. An orisoun for negligens of þe X Comaundemens.]

[XIX. Patris Sapiencia, sive Horae de Cruce.]

[XX. Ueni Creator Spiritus, englisht.]

[XXIII. Psalterium b. Mariae. BY ALBERTUS MAGNUS]

[XXIV. Psalterium b. Mariae, ascribed to Thomas Aquinas, comprising the 50 first psalms.]

[XXV. A salutacioun to vre lady.]

[XXVI. An orisoun to þe fyue woundes of ihesus cristus.]

[XXVIII. A salutacioun to vre lady.]

[XXIX. Miracles of oure lady.]

I. [hou þe cite off croteye was delyuered of þeir enemys by vre lady coote.]

II.

II. [hou þe Iewes, in despit of vre lady, þrewe a chyld in a gonge.]

III.

III. [hou an holy hermyt prayde a synful womman pray god for hym.]

IV.

IV. [hou a Iew putte his sone in a brennyngge ouene, for he was communed wit oþur cristene children on þe pask-day.]

V. [hou a man, for ache, cut of his foot, and was heled aȝeyn by vre lady.]

VI.

VI. [hou a iew lente a cristenemon moneye, and took vre lady to borow.]

VII.

VII. [Of a prest þat lay by a nonne.]

VIII.

VIII. [hou vre lady ȝaf mylk off heore pappes to a man þat hadde þe squynacye.]

IX.

IX. [Of an incontinent monk, þat was drouned, and rered aȝeyn by vre lady to lyf.]

XXX. De festo corporis cristi.

[section]

Uidemus in altari formam panis, non carnis, & quare.

De manu sacerdotis per hostiam penetrata.

XXXI. Septem miracula de corpore cristi.

[section]

1. Narracio cuiusdam religiosi.

2. Narracio presbiteri parochialis.

(3.) Narracio felicis presbiteri.

(4.) hou a man of Souþfolk was saued þorou a masse.

(5.) Narracio Bede.

(6.) Of a man þat was closed in a myne.

XXXII. Hou a man schal lyue parfytly.

[section]

Off þe seuen dedly synnes.

Seuen blessynges of god.

Seuen medicines for þe seuen dedly synnes.

Þe ten comaundemens of god.

Þe seuen vertues of god.

Þe twolue articles of þe fey.

Þe Seuen sacromens of holy churche.

Þe seuen principal vertues.

Seuen werkes of mercy.

[XXXIII.] þe visions of seynt poul wan he was rapt in to paradys.

XXXIV. þe Pope trental.

Trentale sancti gregorij.

[XXXV. þe Spore of Loue.]

[prologue]

[section]

Of Meditacion of þi-self knowyng.

Meditacion of þe Soule.

Of Contemplacion in creature.

Þe secunde contemplacion In holy writ.

Of þe Seuene blessynges of þe gospel, Seuene dedli Synnes remedie.

Of þe Seuen ȝiftes of þe holigost.

Of þe Seuene vertues.

Of þe ten Comaundemens.

Of twelue articles of vre be-leue.

Of þe seuene Sacramens.

Of þe seuene dedes of Merci.

Of þe seuene druweries of Monnus bodi.

Of þe doweres of þe soule.

Of þe peynes of helle, & amonesting.

Of þe þridde Manere of contemplacion in god him-self.

Contemplacion at Matines tyme.

Of contemplacion at prime: of þe passion, and of þe Resureccion.

Of þe Resurexion.

Biforen vndurne: Of þe passion, and of Witsuntyd.

Bifore vndurne of þe holigost.

At Midday: of þe anunciacion, And of þe passion.

Also of þe passion.

At Noon: of þe passion, and of þe Assencion.

At Non of þe Assencion.

At euensong-tyme: of þe passion, and of þe Maunde.

Now of þe Maunde of Ihesu crist.

At cumplin-tyme: of his passion, and of his buriinge.

Of þe buryinge of Ihesu crist.

Of Contemplacion of god in his owne kynde.

[XXXVI. Þe Lamentacioun þat was bytwene vre lady and seynt Bernard.]

XXXVII. A dispitison bitwene a god man and þe deuel.

II.

PART II

[XXXIX. Of þre messagers of deeth.]

[XL. Two Songs of Love-longing.]

[I.]

II.

[II.]

XLI. A luytel tretys of Loue. Of godes passyon.

XLIII. A Mournyng Song of the loue of God.

XLIV. Her is a luytel Sarmoun, þat is of good edificacioun.

[XLVII. How to hear Mass.]

[XLVIII. Sayings of St. Bernard: Man's three Foes.]

[XLIX. Prouerbes of diuerse profetes and of poetes and of oþur seyntes.]

22. Try to say the best. Control your Tongue.

27. A Prayer to the Virgin Mary.

28. A Prayer to the Trinity.

30. A Morning Thanksgiving and Prayer to God.

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XLI. A luytel tretys of Loue. Of godes passyon.

Ihesu Crist, þat is so fre,
To Monnes soule spekeþ he:
“Ichaue,” he seiþ, “I-weddet þe,
And in myn honden I-writen þe.

“Al þat in þis world is ouȝt,
ffor þi loue I-chaue hit wrouȝt;
And siþen after so deore þe bouȝt
Þat of my lyf ne rouȝte I nouȝt.

“What miht I more don þen þis:
Þen comen out of my ffader blis
And suffren mony a schome, I-wis,
ffor to brïnge þe to blis?

“Þritti wynter on eorþe I ȝode,
In pyne & penaunce, for þi gode;
Atte laste I dyȝede on Roode
And ȝaf for þe myn herte-blode.

“Al my bodi was riuen and rent,
Mi face was al bi-spit and schent,
To saue þe, Mon, þer þou were dempt—
ffor al þat was myn entent.

“ffrom myn herte þorw my syde
Blod and water gon þorw glyde
And clanse þe of fulþe and pride—
So wolde non don In world so wyde!

“In al þis world nis no mon
So muche loueþ his lemmon,
Þat wolde suffre pyne on
Þat I for þe þolede mony on!

463

“Myn herte forsoþe clef in-two
ffor muche pyne and muche wo—
Al for þe I þolede so,
Þat þou ne scholdest to helle go.

“Mi soule, þat was wiþ-outen synne,
Ede for þe to helle-pynne
And leesede þe out, þat was þer-inne
In serwe & care þat neuer schulde blinne.

“Whon I was sprad on þe Rode-tre,
Muche was þe loue Ich hedde to þe,
Elles hed ich I-leten al be;
Bote loue wolde not suffre me.

“ffor loue me brouȝte out of my rest,
ffor loue I restede In Marie brest;
ffor loue I þolede pynes werst,
ffor loue made myn herte berst.

“Whon Ich heyng vppon þe Roode,
ffor loue I schedde al my blode—
Þenk þeron, synful, In þi mode,
Lef þi sunne and do sum goode!

“Loue made me al forȝete
Harde pynes and duntes grete,
Whon I was for þi loue I-bete
And as a þef bounden lad in þe strete.

“Loue made me bere þe Rode-tre
On my bare scholde[r] for þe.
Þe blod doun stremede bi bac & þe,
Whon I dude hongen vppon þe Rode-tre.

“Mon, Mon, for þe loue of þe
Mi peynes dude queme me,
Þat for delyt hit þouȝte me.
Do nou kuyndeliche & quit hit me!

“More for þe I-chaue don ȝete:
I-chaue I-mad me þi mete
And ȝiue þe my-self at ete,
ffrom helle-pyne þe to gete.

“Loke what wolt þou ȝelde me
ffor al þat Ichaue don for þe!
Non oþer þing kep I of þe
But onliche þat þou loue me.

464

“Cum to me and haue my blis,
And I þe wole cluppe and cus.
Ich ȝiue þe al my-self, I-wis,
To do wiþ what þi wille is.

“Ȝif þou hast ben fouled wiþ synne,
Torn aȝeyn to me and blynne:
And I þe ȝiue heuene-wynne—
So loþ me is þat we a-twynne.”

Now and nomeliche at myn endyng,
Swete Ihesu, heuene-kyng,
In þi wille ȝif me lykyng,
Wiþ studefast hope & hol louyng.

Ihesu, þat art of gode forȝelde,
fforȝite me nouȝt in myn elde;
Ȝif me studefast hope and belde
To haue þe, lord, euer in my welde.

Swete Ihesu, Lyon strong,
Þow þat neuere louedest wrong,
Chastise me wiþ myn owne wande
And let me neuere to helle gande.

Swete Ihesu, loþles lombe,
Þat swettor is þen hony-Combe,
And was boren of Marie wombe:
Þou bring vs to heuene on þi riȝt honde.

Swete Ihesu, þe feireste wiht,
As þou art Rihtwysnesse and riht,
Ȝiue vs for þin holy miht
Alle comen to heuene briht.

Amen.

University of Virginia Library

XLI. A luytel tretys of Loue. Of godes passyon.