IESUS.
Vide.
101
Beholde, o man! lyft vp thyn eye, and see
What mortall peyne I suffre for thi trespace,
With pietous voys I crye, and sey to the,
Beholde my woundes, behold my blody face,
Beholde the rebukes that do me so manace,
Beholde my enemyes that do me so despice,
And how that I to reforme the to grace,
Was like a lambe offred in sacryfice.
102
Behold the paynemes of whom that I was take,
Behold the cordes with whiche þat I was bounde,
Behold the Armoures which made my herte to quake,
Beholde the gardeyn in which þat I was founde,
Behold how Iudas toke xxxti pens rounde,
Beholde his tresoun, beholde his couetyse,
Behold how I with [many a] mortall wounde,
Was like a lambe offred in sacrifice.
103
Se my discyple which that hath me sold,
And se this feyned fals salutacioun,
And se the monye which that he hath told,
And se his kyssing and fals decepcioun,
Behold also the compassed fals tresoun,
Take as a thef with lanternes in ther guyse,
And afterward for mannes redempcioun,
Was like a lambe offered in sacrifice.
104
Behold to Cayphas how I was presented,
Behold how Pilat lyst ȝeue me no respite,
Behold how bysshopes were to my deth assented,
And se how Herawde had me in despite,
And like a fool how I was clad in whight,
Drawn as a feloun in most cruell wyse,
And last of alle, I, after ther delyght,
Was like a lambe offered in sacryfice.
105
Behold the mynystres which had me in kepyng,
Behold the peler and the ropes stronge,
Where I was bounde my sydes dovn bledyng,
Most felly bete with [theire] skorges long
Behold the batayle that I did vnderfonge,
The bront abydyng of ther mortall empryse,
Thorgh ther accusyng and ther sklaundres wrong,
Was like a lambe offered in sacryfice.
106
Behold and se the hatefull wrecchednesse,
Put ageyn me to my confusioun,
Meyn eyen hyd and blended with derkenesse,
Bete and eke bobbed by fals illusioun,
Salued in skorn be ther fals knelyng dovn,
Behold al this, and se the mortal guyse,
How I only, for mannes saluacioun,
Was like a lombe offered in sacryfice.
107
Se the witnesse be whom I was deceyved,
Behold the Iuges that gaf my Iugement,
Behold the crosse that was for me devysed,
Behold my body with betyng all torent,
Behold the people which of fals entent,
Causeles dyd ageyn me ryse,
Whiche like a lambe of malys Innocent,
Was like a lambe offered in sacryfice.
108
Behold the woman that folowed me aferre,
That sore wept whan I thus was assayled,
Behold the Iewes whiche be ther cruel werre,
Han my body vnto the cros I-nayled,
Behold my tormentes most sharply apparayled,
Atwene to theves put to my Iuyse;
Behold how mychel my deth hath eke avayled,
That was for man offered in sacryfice.
109
Behold the spere most sharply grounde & whette,
Myn herte wounded vpon the ryght syde,
Beholde the reed spyre galle and eysel fett,
Behold the skornynges which þat I did abyde;
And my .v. woundes that were made so wyde,
Which no man list of rewthe to aduertyse;
And thus I was of mekenesse ageyn pryde,
For mannes offence offered in sacryfice.
110
Se my disceples, how thei haue me forsake,
And fro me fled almost euerychon,
Se how they slepte and lyst not with me wake,
Of mortall drede they lefte me alle alone;
Except my moder and my cosyn Seynt Iohn,
My deth compleynyng in most doolfull wyse,
Se, fro my crosse they wold neuer goon,
For mannes offence whan I did sacryfice.
111
Se how that I was Iuged to the deth,
Se Baraban gon at his liberte,
Se with a spere Longeus me sleth,
Beholde two lycours distyllyng dovn fro me,
Se blood and water by mercifull plente,
Rayle be my sydes, which ought Inow suffyce
To man whan I vpon the rood tree,
Was like a lambe offered in sacrifice.
112
Behold the knyghtes which be ther froward chaunce
Sat for my clothes at the dees to play;
Behold my modyr swownyng for grevaunce,
Vpon the crosse whan she sawe me deye;
Beholde the sepulcre in which my bones lay,
Kepte with strong wacche til I did aryse,
Of helle gates, se how I brake the keye,
And gaf for man my blood in sacryfice.
113
And geyn thi pryde behold my gret mekenesse,
Geyn thyn envie behold my charite,
Geyn thi leccherye behold my chast clennesse,
Geyn thi couetyse behold my pouerte,
Atweene too thevys nayled to a tree,
Rayled with reed blood, they lyst me so desguyse,
Behold, O man! all this I did for the,
Meke as a lambe offred in sacryfice.
114
Behold my loue, and gyf me thyn ageyn,
Behold, I deyde thy raunsom for to paye,
Se howe myn herte is open brode and pleyn,
Thy gostly enemyes onely to affraye,
An hardere batayle no man myght assaye,
Of all tryumphes the grettest hye empryse,
Wher-for, O man! no lenger to dismaye,
I gaf for the my blood in sacryfice.
115
Turne home ageyn, thy synne do forsake,
Behold and se yf ought be left behynde,
How I to mercy am redy the to take,
Gyf me thyn herte and be no more vnkynde;
Thy loue and myn, togedyr do hem bynde,
And late hem neuer parte in no wyse,
Whan thou were lost, thy sowle ageyn to fynde
My blod I offred for the in sacryfice.
116
Emprente thes thynges in thyn inward thought,
And graue hem depe in thy remembraunce,
Thynke on hem [wel], and forgete hem nowght,
Al this I suffred to do the allegeaunce,
And with my seyntes to yeve the suffisaunce,
In the hevenly court for the I do devyse
A place eternall, a place of all plesaunce,
For which my blood I gaf in sacryfice.
117
And more my mercy to putte att a preef,
To euery synnere that non ne shal it mysse,
Remembre how I gaf mercy to the theef,
Which hadde so longe trespaced and doon amys;
Went he not frely with me to paradise?
Have this in mende, how it is my guyse
All repentaunt to bryng hem to my blysse,
For whom my blood I gaf in sacryfice.
118
Tarye no lenger toward thyn herytage,
Hast on thy weye and be of ryght good chere,
Go eche day onward on thy pylgrymage,
Thynke howe short tyme thou hast abyden here;
Thy place is bygged aboue the sterres clere,
Noon erthly palys wrought in so statly wyse,
Kome on my frend, my brother most entere!
For the I offered my blood in sacryfice!
Amen.
