O QUI PERPETUA. — Metrum 9
"O thow Fadir, soowere and creatour of hevene and of erthes,
that governest this world by perdurable resoun, that comaundest
the tymes to gon from syn that age hadde bygynnynge; thow that
duellest thiselve ay stedefast and stable, and yevest alle othere
thynges to ben meved, ne foreyne causes necesseden the nevere to
compoune werk of floterynge matere, but oonly the forme of
sovereyn good iset within the withoute envye, that moevede the
frely. Thow, that art althir-fayrest, berynge the faire world in
thy thought, formedest this world to the lyknesse semblable of
that faire world in thy thought. Thou drawest alle thyng of thy
sovereyn ensaumpler and comaundest that this world, parfytely
ymakid, have frely and absolut hise parfyte parties. Thow byndest
the elementis by nombres proporcionables, that the coolde thinges
mowen accorde with the hote thinges, and the drye thinges with
the moyste; that the fuyer, that is purest, ne fle nat over-heye,
ne that the hevynesse ne drawe nat adoun over-lowe the erthes
that ben ploungid in the watris. Thow knyttest togidere the mene
soule of treble kynde moevynge alle thingis, and divydest it by
membrys accordynge; and whan it es thus divyded [and] hath
assembled a moevynge into two rowndes, it gooth to torne ayen
to hymself, and envyrouneth a ful deep thought and turneth the
hevene by semblable ymage. Thow by evene+lyke causes enhauncest
the soules and the lasse lyves; and, ablynge hem heye by lyghte
waynes or cartes, thow sowest hem into hevene and into erthe. And
whan thei ben convertyd to the by thi benygne lawe, thow makest
hem retourne ayen to the by ayen+ledynge fyer. O Fadir, yyve thou
to the thought to steyen up into the streyte seete; and graunte
hym to enviroune the welle of good; and, the lyght ifounde,
graunte hym to fycchen the clere syghtes of his corage in the;
and skatere thou and tobreke the weyghtes and the cloudes of
erthly hevynesse; and schyn thou by thi bryghtnesse, for thou art
cleernesse, thow art pesible reste to debonayre folk; thow
thiself art bygynnynge, berere, ledere, path, and terme; to looke
on the, that is our ende.
