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 | [Poems from the Vernon MS] |  |
And hou hit furst com and ede
Þat mon ete Angeles Brede,
Hit is liht soþ to telle,
ffor vche cristene mon wot hit welle.
Þe laste soper wiþ-outen wene
Was I-mad atte Ceene,
And God bad þe Apostles do so
Whon he weore to heuene I-go;
“Do þis in þe muynde of me;
I go and come to ow a-ȝe.”
Of þe Apostles þat God sent
[tok] holichurche þe sacrament.—
Þat is to siggen, eukarist
As goode grace com from crist.
Wel may we seyen hit is good grace
Whon hit is wardeyn in godus place!
And grace is betere þen nature,
Whose þerto wol take cure.—
I rede þe mon be in good entent
Whose takeþ þis grace in sacrement:
Þat mon ete Angeles Brede,
Hit is liht soþ to telle,
ffor vche cristene mon wot hit welle.
Þe laste soper wiþ-outen wene
Was I-mad atte Ceene,
And God bad þe Apostles do so
Whon he weore to heuene I-go;
“Do þis in þe muynde of me;
I go and come to ow a-ȝe.”
Of þe Apostles þat God sent
[tok] holichurche þe sacrament.—
180
As goode grace com from crist.
Wel may we seyen hit is good grace
Whon hit is wardeyn in godus place!
And grace is betere þen nature,
Whose þerto wol take cure.—
I rede þe mon be in good entent
Whose takeþ þis grace in sacrement:
Seint poul seiþ, and siggen I may,
In þe pistel of to-day:
“Whose vnworþiliche ȝode
To fonge Godus fflesch and blode,
Þere he fongeþ his owne dome”—
Allas, hit falleþ so to lome!
Þerfore poul seiþ bi þat halue:
“he demeþ not God, he demeþ him-selue.”
In þulke whose i-take be,
Schal he neuere beo dampned a-ȝe;
Ȝif we vre owne dom take,
What oþur dom schal God vs make?
Þerfore make ow alle Redi
To take hit not as fool-hardi.—
Þeih seint Poul vs þrete þus,
Vr lord hym-self, swete Ihesus,
Þis day in Markes gospelle
To his disciples he gon telle,
And to þe Iewes þat were ryue:
“I am my-self Bred of lyue.
“Mi fflesch soþfast mete is,
And my Blod verrey drinke, iwis.
Whos eteþ mi flesch and drinkeþ my blode,
In þe pistel of to-day:
“Whose vnworþiliche ȝode
To fonge Godus fflesch and blode,
Þere he fongeþ his owne dome”—
Allas, hit falleþ so to lome!
Þerfore poul seiþ bi þat halue:
“he demeþ not God, he demeþ him-selue.”
In þulke whose i-take be,
Schal he neuere beo dampned a-ȝe;
Ȝif we vre owne dom take,
What oþur dom schal God vs make?
Þerfore make ow alle Redi
To take hit not as fool-hardi.—
181
Vr lord hym-self, swete Ihesus,
Þis day in Markes gospelle
To his disciples he gon telle,
And to þe Iewes þat were ryue:
“I am my-self Bred of lyue.
“Mi fflesch soþfast mete is,
And my Blod verrey drinke, iwis.
Whos eteþ mi flesch and drinkeþ my blode,
I wone wiþ hym and he wiþ me.
Mi ffader me sent and so I ȝode,
Mi ffader me sent and so I ȝode,
To lyue for hym and he for me:
So whose me eteþ, for me schal libbe.
So whose me eteþ, for me schal libbe.
Þis is þe Bred þat from heuene come,
Not lyk Manna, þat flour be sibbe,
Not lyk Manna, þat flour be sibbe,
Þei þat hit ete, weore dede bi dome,
And hose eteþ of þis brede,
And hose eteþ of þis brede,
He schal liue wiþ-outen ende.”
Ihesu, graunt vs so to spede
Ihesu, graunt vs so to spede
Wiþ þulke bred to heuene wende.
Amen.
| [Poems from the Vernon MS] | |