[Poems from the Vernon MS]

Þat ladde not his lyf, as was tolde,
Also clanliche as he scholde.
God wolde he scholde hym amende,
And he hym a strong vuel gon sende,
So, he wende almost to dye.
And on a day þis siht he seȝe:
A child boþe he seih and herde,
And asked hym hou he ferde;
In his hond bret-ful he beere
Of bernynge Obeleis a paniere.

Þe prest asked: “what is þat,
And þou þat askest of my stat?”
He seide: “Ich am Godes Messagere,
And þeos Obeleis þat ben here,
Þus monye vnworþily þou fong,
Whon þat þou þi Masse song;
And ȝif þat þou nult I-leue me,
Scheuh forþ þyn hond, and þou schalt se.”

Þe prest heold forþ his hond anon,
And þe child tok vp on
Of þe obeleys þat were so rede,
And pult hit in þe prestes hond amidde.
Hit fel þorwh þe prestes hond on,
And þe child a-wey gan gon.

Þe prest let men come hym to
And tolde hem whi he ferde so:

185

“Lo,” quaþ he, “hou I am diht!
Who sauh euere such a siht?”
Þat þorw his hond me mihte se
As brod as was þat obele.
And he not I-maymed nas,
And afturward song mony a Mas,
And an hole þorwh his hond—
Þus þat soþe men hit fond.
After for a þousend pound of golde
Þe prest no more synne wolde,
But serued god wiþ gret drede,
And afturward to heuene ȝede.—

I holde þe Mon more þen mad
Þat takeþ þis bred and nis not drad
Of þe wreche þat mihte bi-falle.
So worþi bred hit is wiþ-alle
Þat for þe miht of þulke word
Þat god seide at his owne bord,
Þe same miht þat word haþ here,
To torne þe bred in oþur manere,

186

And to torne þe wyn in blode,
Þe same þat was sched on Rode.
Þe wordus perauenture I coude telle,
Ac I am not worþi and þerfore I nelle.

Ac oþur makyng of þe Mas
I dar wel telle hou hit was.
Þe Apostles seide no more
But what þei herde of cristes lore—
No more to þe masse nolde þei do,
And þe paternoster to,
vppe þe bred and vppe þe wyn—
And so hem þhouȝt hit good and fyn.
Non oþur vestimens vsud þay
But as þei wereden vche day;

187

And in vessels of treo—
Non oþur chalys hedden heo.
Þenne þe pope vrban,
Þat was a ful holy man,
Ordeynde þat þe Chalys scholde
Ben of seluer or of golde,
Wiþ a patin, to hule ouer al,
Maked of þe same Metal.
Þe pope Celestyne, ordeyned he,
A psalme Men clepeþ Iudica me
Þat vche prest þat is and was
Schulde siggen hit er he eode to Mas.
Þe Nyne kyries þat ben in Boke
Þe pope Siluestre of gru hem toke.
Þer-aftur comeþ Gloria in excelsis:
Þe Angeles of heuene furst song þis;
Of seint hillari þat was
Erche-bisschop of peytas,
He made from laudamus te
Þe remenaunt þen synge we.

188

Þenne þe pope Tollophornus,
And þat oþur pope Cynacus,
Bi-twene hem boþe ordeyned was
To synge þe Gloria to þe Mas . . . .
He hit Confermede, pope Gregori,
And made þerto þe Offertori.
Þenne þe pope Anastasius
Comaundet in lawe riht þus:
Þat no mon schulde sitte, he beede,
Whil þe gospel were to Rede.
Constantinus þe pope made þe crede,
fforte siggen hit he bede.
Pope Steuene and pope Clemens
Ordeyned þe holy vestimens.
Pope Ciluester ordeyned þe Corporas,
In tokne þat godus bodi was
In clene lynnen cloþ I-wounde
Þat tyme þat Iosep hit founde

189

In his owne toumbe of ston
And leyde a-noþur gret vppon.
Þenne þe Pope Leouns
Made alle þe Prefaciuns.
Alisaundre þe Pope ordeynde þis:
To do watur and wyn In þe Chalis,
In tokne þat boþe com watur and blode
Of Godus syde on þe Roode;
Þe blood bi-tokneþ þat he vs bouht,
Þe watur bi-tokneþ vre ffullouht.
Sixtus þe Pope ordeynde vs
Þryȝes to synge Sanctus.
Þe Pope made þe Canoun þer,
And God made þe Pater noster.
[A]nd hou and what-maner bi-felle
Þat God made þe paternoster, I wol telle.
His Apostles seide hym on a day:
“Teche vs, lord, how we schul pray.”
And seint Ion haþ tauht vs þis—
Þat is on of his disciples—

190

Þat Ihesus tauhte hem þis preyer
And bad hem seyen þe Pater noster.
And þus muchel to seyen hit is:
“Vr ffadur þat in heuene is,
Halewed mot þy nome beo.
And to þi kyngdam þat we teo.
Þi wille in heuene and eorþe beo do.
Vre vche-dayes bred send vs to.
And vre dettes for-ȝiue vs,
As we for-ȝiue vre dettours.
And lede vs in no fondynge,
But saue us from vche vuel þinge. Amen.”
Off þe holigost þe seuen ȝiftis
In þe pater noster I-touched is;
Of whuche to God þer touched þre,
And foure in on to þe.
Þis preyere, þeih hit beo schorte,
But hit beo seid wiþ a clene herte,
Hit is a-ȝein þulke man
Þat in his herte wraþþe haþ tan.

191

Þenne þe pope Innocent,
Pax domini he ordeynt,
Þat vche mon schulde cusse oþur
And holden him for suster and broþur;
In tokne þat god made pes wiþ man,
Þerfore þat pes is ȝiuen þan.
Þe laste word of þis heiȝe fest
Is I-seid Ite Missa est,
Þis is to seye “hit is i-sent
To heuene for vs, þis sacrament”;
Bi-fore þe holy Trinite
Þe furste part of þe þre,
Þat oþur for hem þat þoleþ deþ,
Þe þridde for hem þat alyue beþ.—
Hit is riȝt þat furst inempned be
Vr ladi in þe Canone:
ffor God of hire þat flesch toke
Þat neuer cristen mon forsoke;
Þat flesch he haþ take þe to fede,
Þat is i-cleped Aungel Brede.

192

Þe twelue Apostles I-nempned beþ,
ffor heore prechynge þei þolede deþ—
As þing i-sent ben þe Apostles,
And Martires ben þe Apostles witnes;
And alle þe Martires þat weore dede
ffor þei weore witnesse of þis Brede,
Þat God diȝede for loue of vs,
And þei for loue of Ihesus.
Petur and Andrew, Philip, þeos þreo
weore don vppon þe Rode-treo.
Poul, Iames, and Mathew
Were be-heuedet, and Bartholomew
Was huld al naked quike
ffor his witnesse of þis onlike.
And þat oþur Iamus,
Symon, and Taddeus,
Heore senewes for cristen lawe
Out of heore bodi were i-drawe.

193

And seint Ion þe Ewangelist,
Þat was sib to Ihesu crist,
He dronk venym, to make preue
Þat we han of þe rihte be-leeue.

And seint Thomas Didimus,
He was þorwh-stiked Riht þus.

Þer-aftur comeþ þe xij Martiris
Þat in þe Canoun Rikned is;

Of whuche summe Popes were,
Summe Bisschops þat Mitre beere,

Summe Dekenes þat weore half prest,
Summe lewede þat leeuede on crist—
ffor alle Ordres and alle degres
To þis sacrement bereþ witnes.

Leouns, Clemens, and Cletus,
Sixtus, and Cornelius,
Þeose weore Popus, þat þolede deþ
ffor þulke Bred þat we nou seoþ.

Ciprian was Bisschop of Cartiginus.
Stephene, Laurence, Vincent weore Dekenus.

194

Grisogon, Ion and Paulus,
Þei weore in heore lyue knihtus;

Cosma and Damianus,
Þei weore leches, I-writen is þus.

Cecili, and Agnes, and Agace
Diede for þis bred of grace.
Þerfore is riht heore nomes to be
Nempned in þe Canone:
ffor alle þeos diȝede In good entent
ffor to Meyntyme þe sacrament.—

Þe sacrament mot þe soule fede
Þat is i-hote Angeles Brede.
Ȝif þou worþiliche hit fonge,
Hit schal kepe þe þus longe,
ffrom þulke day þat þou ded be
Til þi bodi rise a-ȝe;
And þenne boþe bodi and soule i-fere
Schal wende to þe graunt Mangere
Where neuer-more tit no nede
To non eorþliche Brede,
But þe siht of þe Trinite

195

Schal euermore þi fode be.
Seþþhe we han þe Modur to preye þe sone,
We han þe sone to prey þe ffader,
Þe holygost we han in wone—
Þis enteere we haue to-gader:
What letteþ vs forte wynne
Þe Riche blisse is vs bi-hote,
Bote hit beo vr owne synne?
Þer nis non oþur þyng, I wote.
Of Pardoun I haue no pouste
Non to ȝow forte graunte:
But, ȝif ȝe don now aftur me,
I wol ow telle a quantite,
Hou Muchel pardoun ȝe may habbe
To ȝoure meste nede,
To come to honoure wiþ-oute gabbe
Þis ilke Angeles Brede.
Þulke þoresday þat next is
Aftur þe Trinite,
Þe pope vrban ordeynde þis
Þat hit schulde þenne be.

196

An hundred dayes of forȝiuenes
He graunted alle þay
Þat come to þe Matynes
Of þulke same day;
ffourti dayes for vche a tyde,
An hundred for þe Mas,
An hundred hose to þe Euensong abyde—
He graunteþ hem no las.
And al þat wike vche day
Þis pardoun lasteþ so,
Hose al þe seruyse hauen may;
And ȝit he schal han mo:
ffor vche dayes seruyse
An hundret dayes to bote—
Wel him ouȝte to seyen þise
On hors and eke on foote.
Þe laste pope þat was nou,
Of Ion þat was hiht,
Al þe pardun he graunteþ ow
And doubleþ hit wiþ his miht.
Meilerous, þorwh godes grace

197

Bisschop of leihlinne,
He haþ mendet in þis cas
Þorwh miht þat he ȝaf hymme:
ffourti dayes to pardoun
He haþ ȝiue þerto ȝete
To alle wiþ good deuocioun
Hereþ hit or hit rede.
So hit a-mounteþ holliche
On and ffourti ȝere
And sixcore dayes, treweliche,
Whose hereþ his seruyse here.
Ihesu graunte ow alle and some
On eorþe so forte spede
Þat þis pardoun ow make come
To þis Angeles Brede.
Þat Mon eete Angel Brede,
Þus furst we be-gon;
To heuene [hit] mot ow alle lede
Boþe Wyf and Mon,
In nomine patris wiþ ou go,
Et spiritus sancti do also.

Amen.

University of Virginia Library

De manu sacerdotis per hostiam penetrata.