University of Virginia Library

[PROLOGUE TO THE EVANGELISTS.]

Ȝete suld I here a-towre
spek of þe ewangelistis fowre.
of þe quhilkis befor of twa
schortly sum mencione I [can] ma;
for þai ware of heare degre,
as apostolis chosine to be;
& þat honoure þai had with-al,
þat we þe ewangelyste cal.
ane is sanct Ione þe ewangeliste,
þat of cristis priwete mekil wyste;
syne eftyre sanct mathow,
þat þe ewangel clerly can schow.
sa remanyt vthire twa,
of quhame I wel here menyng ma;
þat is, of sanct marke & lucas,
þat cristis prentice þat ane was.
& gyf men speris how fele var þai,
þai ware ewinely sewinty & twa,
þe discipulis þat we cal now,
þat commonly vent with Ihesu,
& of his werkis vitnes bare,
& of his vord & of his layre.
bot þire twa laste, þat vndirtuke
þe ewangelis to put in buke,
þat þai had nocht hard na sene,
speryt at þame þat ay had bene
with Ihesu, fra þat he be-guth
to preche opynly vith mowth,
& had harde al his prechinge
and al his ferly virkyne,
as vare apostolis þat ay
conuersyt with hyme nycht & day;
bot þai tuke suthfaste witnesinge
þat myld mary of al þis thinge,
for scho vyst beste quhat he did
fra scho hyme bar, & ay held It
In-to hir harte, & vitnes bare
of his werkis al les & mare.
& þe foure ewangelistis mad
var, of þis warld lange & brad,
In þe four partis for to preche
cristis word, & It to teche;
sa þat þe varld þat wald nocht trev
to þame in name of Iesu,
sal haf enȝane, quhen he sal deme
al þe varld as hyme think queme.
& ȝet þe fowre here a-towre
ar payntit with facis fowre,
as to foure partis haffand hed
of al þis warld, lynth & bred,
to ger men kepe weil goddis vord,
þat þai to preche has in hurd.
& it is sad in prophecy
of ysachiel propyrly,
þat of þir ilkane atoure
be hyme-self has facis foure.
ȝet þane of þam has ilkane
a syndry forme be hym allane;
for mathow, & þu vil se,
þe forme of a man has he,
for-cause he trettis opynly
cristis man[h]ede maste propyrly,
as he in his ewangel sais ws,
þare cum natus esset Ihesus,
þat þe begyninge is but dred
of Ihesu cristis dere manhede.
& luk in schape of a calfe
of þe compas in þe rycht halfe,
for in þe ewangel, as ve rede,
he treittis of cristis presthede,
& of þe sacrifice þat he
mad for man one þe rud-tre.
& mark als has þe fasone,
quha vil luk, of a lyone.
& sanct Ionne in portratoure
of ane erne has þe fygure,
for þat þe erne maste hey fleis,
& þe sowne clerlyaste seis,
for-owt merryne of his sicht,
quhene he is flowyne to mast hicht;
sa sancte Iohnne, quhene he spekis,
to godis godhed rycheste rekis,
for he maste clerly cane It se,
restand his hed one cristis kne.
& þocht þire foure in sum part sere
þe ewangelis mad, as I sad here,
ȝet al þare sawis are but ane,
gyf gud tent be to þame tane,
& ay accordand in witnes
to cristis werke mare & les.
& criste, quhame-of þai wryt—
quha þat heris it has delite—
ves verray man quhene he vas borne
of mary, þat vas rose of thorne,
& calfe quhene þat one þe rud
he offerit for ws his der blud,
& a lyone ves he sikerly,
quhene he fra ded rayse mychtly,
& erne in þe ascencione,
quhen he to hewyn passit fra her done.
& gyf ony ȝarnis here atoure
to knav þe fasone of þire foure,
he may fynd in þe eȝechel,
þat ferly thing canne of þam tel,
þat I cane nocht weile declare.
of It þare-for I spek nomare,
to sancte march turnand myn hand,
as I in his legand fand.