39. THE EIGHT VERSES OF ST. BERNARD.
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[MS. Laud 683; leaves 27 to 29.]
These be the viij verse folwyng of hooly Seynt
Bernard who-so-euer seith hem euery day devoutly
shal neuer be dampned but he may neuer be þe bolder to synne.
Illumina oculos meos ne vnquam obdormiam in morte
nequando dicat inimicus mens preualui aduersus eum. O adonay.
O sothfast sonne of al brightnesse,
Enlumyne with thy cleer lyght
Myn eien, that thorugh no dirknesse
Slombre nat in the blake nyght
Of cruel deth, so that no myght
Sathan haue me to assaylle,
Tavaunce in his ffelle ffyght,
Ageyns me he may avaylle.
In manus tuas domine commendo spiritum meum
redemistime domine deus veritatis. O messias.
In-to thyn handis I comende
My spirit with all humylite,
In hope be mercy thou shalt extende
To brynge me theder thou boughtest me,
For be that parfyght hooly tre,
Where thow were nailed on the rood,
For þi fyve woundis, lord, haue pite
To saue me be thy precious blood.
Locutus sum in lingua mea notam fac michi Domine
finem meum O rex noster fili dauid.
In my tonge I seyde and spak,
Lord, myn ende make me to knowe,
Or the serpent take wrak
With treynes of his perlous bowe,
Corupt to erthe whan I lihe lowe,
Shal rise ageyn, whan thou list assigne,
That Gabriel his dredfull horn shal blowe,
Iesu my soule to the I schall resigne.
Et numerum dierum meorum quis est ut sciam quid
desit michi. O Eloy.
The noumbre of my daies alle,
Lord, and it be to thy plesaunce,
Make me to mynde ageyn hem calle,
In ordir to haue a remembraunce,
With schryfft, hosell, and repentaunce,
By grace that I may plese the,
Make mercy to sette the ordenaunce
Thereby to knowe what fayleth me.
Dirupisti domine uincula mea tibi sacrificabo hostiam
laudis & nomine domini in vocabo. O emanuel.
My bitter bondis thou hast brooke,
Them onshette in goodly wyse,
By cleer confessioun them onlooke,
Out of synne to make me ryse,
For wich I schall do sacryfyse,
By grace remembred, oon and alle,
Do meek penaunce and sacryfyse,
Ay to thy name ffor mercy calle.
Periit fuga a me et non est qui requirat animam meam. O Christe.
On-to me, lord, ther ys no fflyght,
Nor of reffuge noon other place
Saue I Caste to goon ffull right
Maugre my ffoon that me manace,
Bothe to ffynden leyser and space
In euery Trybulacyoun
I looke vp-On thy blody fface
And on thy bytter passyoun.
Clamaui ad te domine dixi tu es spes mea porcio mea in
terra uiuentium. O agios.
To the I crye lord ffor socour,
I sey thow art my suffysaunce
Myn hoope, my trust, my protectour,
Reffreyt of my goostly plesaunce,
Ageyn al fflesshly perturbaunce,
Reffute ageyn al wordly stryff,
And fortunys troubly varyaunce,
My porcioun in the lond of lyff.
Fac mecum signum in bono ut uideant qui oderunt me
et confundantur quoniam tu domine adimuisti me & consolatus es me. O robam.
Make me a sygne in my fforhed,
Of that hooly vyctoryous tre,
On wich thow were maad blood red,
That alle my ffoon wich looke on me,
My goostly enmyes whan they me se
May dreede to ther confusioun,
Be-cause my trust ys hooll in the
Comfort and Consolacyoun.
Amen.
This is an holy verse also ageyn goostly enmyes.
Delicta iuuentutis mee et ignorancias meas me memineris domine.
The trespacis of my tendir youthe,
Nor the gyltes of my grene age,
On-to thy right lat nat be kouthe
Tyl tyme that thy Ire asswage,
Myn ignoraunces nor Outrage
As I dysserve nat recorde,
Tyl pes be leyd as ffor Ostage
That right and mercy may accorde.
Explicit.
