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A Stanzaic Life of Christ

Compiled from Higden's Polychronicon and the Legenda Aurea

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Nota tempus in quo facta sunt

Now wil I telle apertly her
quat time ich miracle so don was,
And specifye in quich ȝer,
er I in mater firre pas.
In Bethleem qven Mary hym ber,
the thritten day, nomore ne las,
honouret with kynges he was her
lying bitwene an ox & as.
After þat nene & twenti ȝer
In the thritty bigynnyng,
the thritten day, with-out wer,
baptiȝet was Ihesu heuen kyng,

Erat enim incipiens quasi annorum triginta, vt dicit Lucas.

In flem Iordan þis ilk day,
And on hym liȝt þe Holi Gost
And faders voice als herd in fay
from heuen blis þer he is most.
So that I may sothly say
this day þe holi Trinite
shewide hym hole as God verray,
And eke also in persouns thre.

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ffor quen he spak from heuen blis
And saide, ‘my louede son is her,’
the faders voys was herde i-wys
And so by speche he con aper,
The son also in flesch & blode,
that baptiȝet was in water cler,
Aperide þer for monnus gode
verray God & mon in fer,
the holi Gost on hym con light
In liknes of a dovue i-wis,
thus shewide hym verray God almyȝt
In thre persons þat on God is.
Et ob hoc vocatur hoc festum theophania, a theos, quod est deus, & phanos, apparicio, quia tunc deus trinitas apparuit, Pater in voce, filius in carne, spiritus sanctus in columbe specie.
On a Sonday was don þis dede,

Nota.


And Monday suying bigan he
his fourty days fastyng,
In boke as sothly rede we,
And fiftene kalende of March mone
he endet his fasteng, in gode fay,
so to desert was lad ful sone
And temptide with Sathan, soth to say.

Tercium miraculum, de Aqua in vinum conuersa.

The next ȝer after þis suyng,
this selue day, as leue ȝe me,
Wyne wontide at a weddyng
in a toun of Galile,
And thurgh his moders mynnyng
water to wyne þer turnet he,
this is þe thrid cause bout lesyng
qvy that þis day thus honour we.
Et ob hoc vocatur Bethfania, A beth, quod est domus, quia in vero miraculo facto in domo verus deus apparuit.

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Quartum miraculum, de quinque milibus hominum satisfactis in deserto.

This ilk selue day also
next ȝer after þen suyng,
God fed fyue thousand men & mo
In desert with littel thing,
With loues fyue & fisches two,
As I saide at bygynnyng,
Ihesu was olde of ȝeris tho
two & thretty bout lesyng.
Et ob hoc vocatur hoc festum phagephagya A phage, quod est bucca siue manducare.