Hoccleve's Works. II The minor poems in the Ashburnham Ms. Addit. 133. ... Edited by Sir Israel Gollancz |
 |
| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. | V. Item de beata virgine. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
 | Hoccleve's Works. II |  |
V. Item de beata virgine.
1
Syn thow, modir of grace, haast euere in myndeAlle tho / þat vp-on thee han memorie,
Thy remembrance ay oghte oure hertes bynde
Thee for to honure / blisful qweene of glorie,
To alle cristen folk / it is notorie
Þat thow art shee / in whom þat al man-kynde
May truste fully / grace and help to fynde.
2
What wight is þat / that with angwissh and woTormented is / if he preye vn-to thee
Him to deliure / and to putte him ther-fro,
Þat thow ne voidest his aduersitee,
Thurgh preyere of thy wowndid charitee?
And thogh þat preye / may his tonge noght,
Yit holpe is he / thurgh cry of hertes thoght.
3
The oyle of thy mercy flowith eueremore;Ther-in noon ebbe hath Dominacion;
12
Serchith / and is our ful curacion,
That is the way of our sauuacion;
And syn þat ther-of is so greet plentee,
And thow so liberal / glad may we be.
4
Al þat the heuene of the eerthe takithAnd þat the eerthe / by heuenes moistnesse
Doun shed / foorth bryngith / thy vertu it makith,
So art thow ful of vertuous richesse.
Sterre of the See / whos shynynge brightnesse
The dirke soule of man / makith to shyne,
And him preserueth hoolly fro ruyne;
5
Thow cause of al our ioie / of lyf the tree,Þat fruyt of helthe baar perpetuel;
God, in the rynde of our mortalitee,
In thy body / him lappid euerydel,
And his hynesse enclyned / woot I wel,
vn-to the valeye of our lowlynesse,
Our firste gilt / with his blood to redresse.
6
The whyt flees of thy wombe virginal,Of which the gowne of perpetuel pees
was maad withouten mannes werk at al,
honur and thank / be to it endelees!
For thy sone in his passioun doutelees
It in-to purpre hath for man-kynde died,
For þat him list / with vs to been allied.
7
Thow worthy art vn-to the sonnes lightBe likned / and preserued for to be
The cleernesse of the moone shynyng bright;
For as an heuenely morwen / thy bountee
Eternel day hath gote vs / lady free,
That dirknesse of our soule away hath chaced,
And, out of thraldam, freedam vs purchaced.
13
8
Thow art shee / which þat strengthest hertes chaastewith a sad and constant perseuerance;
what þat we iustly preye / is sped in haaste,
Swich is thy grace & helply purueance
To keepe vs fro the feendes destourbance.
Thow mennes hertes / fyrest with the hete
Of feith and charite / as Clerkes trete.
9
And sooth it is, o heuenes Emperice,Þat thow for vs / beforn the rightwisnesse
Of god, thy sone / as our mediatrice,
Preyest of custumable bisynesse:
Cesse thow nat / syn, for our wrecchidnesse,
Our Redemptour / thee hath in þat office
Ordeyned / for to pourge vs of our vice.
10
Right as, among the membres of a man,Oonly his ye is perceptible of light;
In swich maneere / o thow blessid womman,
Among virgynes alle / haast the might
Oonly to shitte in thee / as it is right,
Theternel glorie of goddes magestee,
For thy clennesse and thyn humilitee.
11
If þat the feend / wynd of temptac[i]oun,Putte in oure hertes / or floodes of pryde,
Or othir vicious excitacioun,
Our soules fro thy sone to dyuyde,
Swich aduocatrice art thow for our syde,
That our tempestes / may no whyle laste;
At thy preyere / al styntid is as faste:
12
And to wedir of grace is torned al.To god so acceptable is thy preyere,
The feendes malice / hurte vs may but smal:
Syn thow with vs art / Crystes modir deere,
wel may the feend / abassht been in his cheere;
14
And thurgh thyn help / his labour naght auaillith
13
By thee thy sone grantith foryeuenesseTo synful men / to laboreres / reste,
To hem þat been in peril / sikirnesse,
To seek men / helthe / swich right as hem leste;
Of creatures alle / o thow the beste,
Feith among freendes / grantid is by thee,
And betwixt foos / pees and tranquillitee.
14
To hem þat in disese and angwissh be,Grauntid is also consolacioun;
In thynges þat been doutous / certaintee;
Solace and ioie in tribulacioun;
In exyl / reconsiliacioun;
In perisshynge / sikir hauene & port:
Thus artow euery-where / al our confort.
15
Syn swich power to the committid is,Þat soule of man is / as thee list it haue,
Amende, at oure axynge / that is mis;
Of duetee / we wole it axe and craue:
In thee / next god / is al þat vs may saue:
Thow, as thee list / his herte mayst enclyne,
And he consentith wel / þat thow it myne.
16
Thy sone hath boght our soules at swich prysÞat derrere mighte no thyng han be boght;
And he a chapman is nat / so vnwys,
Thogh þat we synful been in deede & thoght,
Our soules lightly leese / he thoghte it noght:
He mercy werneth neuere at thyn instance:
For-why / we thee preye of continuance.
17
Our Redemptour by thee, modir of grace,Grauntith honour / ioie and eternitee;
Let see / the mercy of thy sone embrace,
15
And thanne of grace / seur ynow been we;
For euere or this hath been thy bysynesse
To purchace of our gilt / foryeuenesse.
18
And now to stynte of þat helply custumeÞat vn-to man-kynde is so profitable,
No wight on him can taken or presume;
Thy kynde is nat for to be changeable,
But in vertu to be constant and stable;
And so thow art, lady / withouten faille;
we doute it naght / no[w] do foorth thy trauaille!
19
Lady / in whom al vertu hath his reste,Modir of mercy / modir of pitee,
Of al bountee / thow verray cofre & cheste,
Deffende vs fro the feendes sotiltee,
Þat vs nat greeue his greet iniquitee!
Thy tendre loue / vp-on vs wrecches preeue,
Þat been the sones exylid of Eeue!
20
Vn-to thy blissid sone / vs reconsyle;For to þat ende / and vn-to þat entente,
As thow wel woost / in-to this wrecchid yle
For our behoue / his fadir him doun sente.
In mannes loue / how feruently he brente,
His passion / witnesse bere may;
Remembre on þat / and preye for vs ay!
| Hoccleve's Works. II | |