2. BENEDICTUS DEUS IN DONIS SUIS.
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[MS. Laud 683, leaves 31, back, to 33.]
1
God departeth his gyftes dyuersly,
To summe he yeveth wit and dyscressioun,
To synful peple at leyser doth mercy,
Yeueth to summe grace and perfeccyoun,
Summe he enspireth with devossioun
Be influence of mercyfull pyte,
For wich we oughte conclude of resoun
In alle his werkis blyssed mot he be.
2
He in his gyfftys moost gracious is and good,
Shewed in story be plentyvous largesse,
Fro deth preserved Noee in the fflood
For his famous prerogatyf of clennesse;
Gaff Abraham ffeith, trust, and stabylnesse,
Credence assured, the byble who lyst se,
For wich Example we may seyn & expresse
In al his gyfftes, “lord, blyssed mot ye be.”
3
To Ysaak this lord gaff gret Encres,
Graunted Jacob plentyvous habundaunce,
Also he graunted to horned Moyses
To lede from Egypt al Israel, in substaunce,
Maugre Pharao and al his ffell puyssaunce,
Promys parfourmed be myhty Iosue;
Lat us therfore say for a remembraunce
“In all his gyfftes blyssed mot he be.”
4
God gaff Dauyd roiall excellence,
As seith the byble, moost ffor his meeknesse,
To Salamon souereyn pacyence,
And therwith all plentyvous Rychesse,
And Absolon excellent ffayrnesse,
Strengthe, victorie, to Iudas Machabee,
Whos woord was this of knyhtly hih prowesse
In alle his gyfftes blyssed mot he be.
5
He suffred Iob lese al hys tresour,
But ther ageyn he gaff hym pacyence;
Made Alysaundre a myghty conquerour,
Pore Dyogynes lyst do hym no reuerence,
Be-tween hem two ther was gret difference,
The toon in pride, the tother in poverte,
Texempleffye, breffly in sentence,
What euer Iesu sent blyssed mot he be.
6
Other stories ther been of womanheede,
God gaff Iudiht feith, trust, and stabilnesse,
To Sibile, in Austyn as I reede,
Cristis comyng be writyng did Expresse,
Crowned Hester quen for hir famous humblesse,
Iesabell prowd was cast doun from hir see;
Thus God avaunceth folk for her meeknesse,
In alle his gyfftes blyssed mot he bee.
7
Thouh God to wives hath yove gret suffraunce,
They be not alle a-lyk pacyent,
To suffre wrong it were a greet penaunce,
Or be mysbode in herte whan they be brent;
God and nature hath yove hem a patent
Of tonge and mouth to haue ther lyberte,
Sum meek, somme crabbid, summe be elloquent,
In alle his gyfftes blyssed mote he bee.
8
To conclude breeffly in this mater,
Let alle folk thank the lord of his goodnesse,
Whateuer he sent, with hool herte & entyer,
Whether that it be poverte or Richesse,
Strengthe of body, helthe, or long syknesse,
Wordly ffavour, Ioye, or prosperyte
Reste on this word for the more sekirnesse,
In alle your gyfftes, lord, blissed mot ye be!
9
He may the riche with þe wheel turnyng,
Witnesse of Iob, make the to dyscende,
Of a shepperde he made Dauyd a kyng,
Nabugodonosor with bestis Eet provende;
Pryde in a beggere is nat to comende,
For wich, ye folk of hih and lowe degre,
That grace and fortune your statis may amende,
Seith, what god sent, blyssed mot he be.
