University of Virginia Library


400

In principio erat verbum, & verbum

In biginning worde it was,
And þe worde at gode it vas,
And god him selue þe worde was he,
þat is and euer more schal be.
At god it was in biginning,
þorou him is maked alle þing,
With outen him is maked noght,
Euer yiet þat might be oght,
þat made in him his lif was riht,
Atte lif was mannes light,
And light in merkenes þat shines bright,
And mirkenes it vmbilappene miht.
A Man fro god was sende, hight Iohn;
He comes in wittnes sone on an,
To giue witnes of þe light
þorou him þat alle sulde truwe it riht.
He was noght liht, bot, for to wisse,
þurgh wittnes of þe light þat isse,
Right light was þat lightes al
Man come in to þis werld þat schal.
In werld he was in flex and blode,
Ne was none þat him vndirstode;
And al þe werld þorou him is wroght,
And te werld ne knew him noght.
In til his oven he come with blis,
þai keppe him noht, þo þat wore his.
þo þat keppe him dai or niht,
Ere in erȝe he gaf hem miht,
Als godes sones to be þe same
Til alle þat liuen in his name,
þat nouht of blodes þai be-gan
Ne of will of flex ne of wil of man;

401

Bot of god þen are þai born,
þat is and euer was bi-forn,
And worde in flex made right
And woned in vs þorou godes miht.
And we þe blisse of him sal se,
Als blis þat euermore sal be,
Of oneli sone fadir þat es
fful of happe and sothefastnes.
Amen.

II. Missus est angelus Gabriel.

In þat time, als was ful wel,
Sende is þe aungel Gabriel
ffro god in til a cite,
Hat Nazareth in Galile,
Un to a Maiden wedded riht
Til a man, whos name hight
Iosep of þe house of Daui,
And name of þe maiden Mari.
And when þe aungel was in gon,
Vnto hire he saide onon:
“Haile ful of hape, god is with þe,
In wemmen blissed þou be!”
When þat sho hade herde þisse,
In his sagh drofede sho isse,
And sho soght for bi anni þing,
What þat miht be þis hailsing.
þen saide þe angel witerli
To hir þat was so hali:
“Mari, drede þe noþing nou,
For hape at gode funden has tou.
Loke, in wombe on-fong þou mon,
And for þi salt tou bere a son,

402

And þou salt kalle his name Iesus,
ffor god wil þat it be þus.
Swiþe mekel sal he be,
And son of heighest be kald sal he,
And louerd sal giue him þer with
þe sete of his fadir hous Dauid,
And in Iacob hous rike sal he,
And of his rike no ende sal be.
Vnto þe aungel saide Mari:
“Hou mai þis be? no man knaw I.”
And ansuerd þe angel bright,
He saide to hire was ful of miht:
“þe hali gaste sal come in þe al,
And miht and heighest inshadw þe sal,
And forþi þat heli born of þe,
Godes sone be kalde sal he.
And loke, Elizabeth, þi nece vn-welde,
Onfonges a son in hir elde,
And þis moneth sext til hire is yhit,
Gelde unberand þat kald is it.
ffor vnimiht sal noght be
At god, no worde I sai to þe.”
þen seide Mari with milde chier:
“Godes handemaiden lo me here!
Als tou has saide, so mot it be
After thi worde vnto me!”

III. Cvm natus esset Iesus in Bedelem.

When þat Iesus was born yhing
In daies of Erode þe kyng,
Lo, kynges of oþer lande,
þai come to Iherusalem saiand:
“Whore is þat t[i]l vs born is he,
King of Iues sal be?

403

In þe est his stern we se,
And to bidde him come we.”
Herand Herod droued is þo,
Al Iherusalem with him als so.
And princes of prestes kalland al
And maistre writers of s[c]ole men kal,
Of þam yhornlie spired he,
Whore þat Crist born miht be.
“In Bethelem Iude”, saide þo,
“þurght prophete is it writen so:
And þou Bethelem, land of Iude nou,
Noht litel in princes of Iude ert þou,
ffor fro þe Duk come sal þai wel,
Stere sal mi folk of Irael.
þen Herode kalland þe kynges stilli,
Of þam spired he bisili
þe time of þe sterne so briht
þat to þam shewes dai and niht.
And in to Bethelem þam sendand,
He saide with mikel niht and and:
“Goos and spires hardeli
Of þe child ful witerli!
And when þat ye haue funden hit,
Again to me þen do ye wit,
þat I mi selfe mai come with al,
And to him biseke I sal.”
When þat þai þe kyng had herde,
fforth opon þar wai þai ferde.
And lo, þe sterre while þai seghe,
Bifore þam wited apon heghe,
Whil þat comand stille it stode,
þar was the childe in flesshe and blode.
And þai, seand þe sterne so,
With mikel gladschip glade are þo,
And þe heli hous incomand
With Mari, his Moder, þe child þo fand.

404

And þai be-soght him dounfalland
And þar bordes openand.
[G]iftes to him bede þai þore,
Golde, Recles, Mirre wel more.
And awnsuerd in drem takand þo
þat bi Herode noght sulde þai go,
Hamward bi a noþer wai
In to þaire rike went are þai.

IV. In illo tempore Recumbentibus.

In þat time and in þat lande
Ellefe disciples wore sitand,
And Iesus to þam shewed he,
þat louerd is and ai sal be,
And vpbraided mistrouht of þo
And hardnes of hert als so,
ffor to þo þat segh him rise
Walde þai noht liue on no kin wise.
And to þam he saide on hand:
“In alle þe werlde yhe be goand,
And þe ewangel spelle yhe
Til alkyn creature mai be.
And þat trowes and cristend isse,
Sal be sauf til heuen blisse,
And þat leues noght for thi,
Sal be fordone witerli.
þhese tokenes þat liuen right,
Sal filihe þam bi dai and niht.
In the name min deuelnesse
Sal þai out kest fro more and lesse;
With new tunges speke sal þai,
Neddres sal þai do a-wai;
And if dedlic dronken haue þai oght,
To þam dere sal it noht;

405

Apon seke lai sal þai hende,
And wel sal þo haue and amende!”
When þat soghlic louerd Iesus
Hade spoken in til am þus,
Vptan he is in heuen briht
And sites on godes halue riht.
þai sothelic forth yhode spelland
Ouer alle in ilka land,
God wirkand and sagh festenand
With tokenes þat wore filihand.
Amen.

Q vicumque vult saluus esse.

Who so wil be sauf to blis,

I


Before alle þinges nede it is
þat he hald with alle his miht
þe heli trauth and leue it riht.
Whilk bot ilkon to queme

II Quam nisi quisque


Hole and wemles it yheme

406

With outen drede bes þer forn
ffro godes sight in ai forlorn.
Sothelic þe heli trauht þis isse,

III Fides autem


þat .o. god in þrinnesse
And þrinnes in onnesse
Wurchip we þe more and lesse.
Ne þe hodes oht mengande,

IV Neque confundantes


Ne þe staþelnes sondrande,
ffor oþer hode of fader, oþer of son,

V Alia est enim


Oþer of heli gost wil with am wun.
Bot of fadir and son and heli goste

VI Sed patris et filii


On is godes coningue, þat is moste;
Heuen blis is til am þre,
Ai .on. in mikelhede to be.
Whilk þe fader, whilk þe son,

VII Qualis pater, talis


Whilk heli gost wil with am to wun.
Vnshapen fadir, unshapen son is,

VIII Increatus pater


Vnshapen heli gost in blis.
Mikel fader, mikel son ai,

IX Inmensus pater


Mikel heli goste niht and dai.
Ailastand fadir, ai-lastand son,

X Eternus pater, eternus filius


Ailastand heli [gost] be mon.
And þowheþer noht þre ailastand,

XI Et tamen non tres


Bot .on ailastand ouer al land.
Als noht þre unmade ne mikel þre,

XII Sicut non tres


Bot .on. unmade and .on. mikel is he.
Als so al-mihtand fader, almihtand son,

XIII Similiter omnipotens


Al-mihtand heli goste to wun.
And þowheþer noht [þre] al-mihtand,

XIV Et tamen non tres


Bot on. almihtand is liuand.
Als so god fadir, god sone isse,

XV Ita deus pater, deus


God hali gost with am in blis.
And þowheþere noht godes þhre,

XVI Et tamen non tres


Bot on is god and ai sal be. [OMITTED]

XVII Ita dominus pater

[OMITTED]


407

[OMITTED]

XVIII Et tamen non tres

[OMITTED] ffor als sengellic hode god oure louerd to be

XIX Quia sicut


þurght cristen sothenes lette sal we,
To þre godes or louerdes to kall
þurght heli festnes forboden ar all.
þe fadir of non made is he,

XX Pater a nullo est


Ne shapen ne kinned to be.
þe sone of onli fader blis

XXI Filius a patre


Noht shapen ne made, bot kinned is.
þe heli goste of fadir and son mihtand

XXII Spiritus sanctus a patre


Noht shapen ne made, bot forth comand.
þen .o. fader, noht fadres þre,

XXIII Unus ergo pater


.O. son, noht þre sones to be,
.O. heli gost and nomo—
Of þam comand ne .þre. ne two.
And þis þrinnes þer with inne

XXIV Et in hac trinitate


Noght frist or latter, noht more or minne,
Bot al þre persones lastand ai
To þam and euenmette are þai.
So þat bi alle, als bifore saide is,

XXV Ita vt per omnia


And þrinnenes in onnes,
And onnesse in þrinnes ai
Are to wurschip niht and dai.
Who þat þen wil berihed be,

XXVI Qui vult ergo


So of þe þrinnes leue he.
And nede at hele þat last ai sal

XXVII Set necessarium est


þat þe flesshede ai with al
Of oure louerd Iesu Crist for þi,
þat he trowe it trewli
þen is euer trauht right,

XXVIII Est ergo fides


þat we leue with alle oure miht
þat oure louerd Iesu Crist in blis
Godes sone and man he his.
God of kinde, of fader kinned werld bi-forn,

XXIX Deus est ex substancia


Man of kind, of moder in to werld born.
ffulli god, fulli man liuand,

XXX Perfectus deus


Of schilful saule and mannes flesshe beand.

408

Euen to þe fadir þurght godhede,

XXXI Equalis patri


Lesse þen fader þu[r]ght manhede
þat þof he be god and man,

XXXII Qui licet deus


Noght two þowheþer, is bot Crist an.
On noht þurght wending of godhede in fflesshe,
Bot þurght takyng of manhede in god-nesshe.
On al noht be menging of staþelnes,

XXXIII Unus autem


Bot þurht onhede of hode þat is.
þat þholed for oure hele, doun went til helle,

XXXIV Qui passus


þe þreddai ros fro dede so felle,
Vpstegh til heuen, sites on right hand

XXXV Ascendit ad


Of god fadir alle-mightand,
And yhit fortocome is he,
To deme þe quik and dede þat be.
Ate whos come alle men þat are

XXXVI At cuius aduentum


Sal rise with þaire bodies þare,
And yelde sal þai, nil þai ne wil,
Of þair awen dedes il.
And þat wel haf donn þat dai,

XXXVII Et qui bona egerunt


Sal go to lif þat lastes ai;
And iuel haf donn, sal wende
In fire lastand with outen ende.
þis is þe trauht þat heli isse,

XXXVIII Hec est fides


Whilk bot ilkon with miht hisse
Trewlic and fastlic trowe he,
Saufe ne mai he neuer be.
Amen.

VI. Veni creator spiritus.


409

1

Cvm, maker of gaste þou ert,

Veni creator


þouhtes of þine þou seke and hert,
Of heiest hape fulfild in quert
þe brestes þat þou make gert.

2

Whilk þou art saide maker of gle,

Qui paraclitus


Gaste of god heiest is he,
Welle, quicfire, and charite,
And gosteli seruise, þe best mai be.

3

þou seuen-fold of gifte þat isse,

Tu septifor[mis]


Of god rihthand þou finger is,
þou righwis hote of fadir blis,
Righthand þrotes with worde þou wisse.

4

Kyndelik in wittenes for to wende,

Accende


In-yiet loue in hertes hende,
þe vnmigh of oure bodi oure þou mende,
[OMITTED] festenand.

410

5

A-wai þou fleme oure fo,

Hostem


And pais þou gif vs sone als so,
þe leder so be-fore to go,
þar dering alle we fle þer fro.

6

þe fadir, gif, we with þorou þe

Per te sciamus


And knowe þe sone als so þe se,
þe hali gaste of lyþe wil be—
In al time we trowe þise tre.

7

Whilum ful mani a haleghed brest

Dudum sacra[ta]


With þi hape þou fild and fest;
For-giue sinnes—þat is best—
And times giue of ro and rest.

8

To þe fadir ante sonne be louyng maste

Sit laus


And to þe heli rouere with chaste,
Til vs þe sune he sende on haste
Giftes of þe heli gaste.
Amen.