The Minor Poems of John Lydgate :: :: University of Virginia Library

O blyssed lord my lord, O Cryst Iesu,
Welle and hedspryng of eternal swetnesse!
Of them that loue the, guerdoun of most vertu,
Alle other joyes surmountyng in sothnesse,
By prerogatyves, in whom ys all gladnesse,
Them to comforte that be Contemplatyf;
In ther desyres thow art her cheef rychesse
And hooll ther tresour, here in this present lyf.

2

Thow art her helthe and comfort in syknesse,
Of synfull sowlys reffute and medycyne,
And as thy-sylf, O lord, beryst wytnesse
To synfull peple thy presence lyst Enclyne,
Took our humanyte of a pure vyrgyne,
For our sauacyoun, of mercyfull plesaunce;
O Iesu! Iesu! thy grace lat down schyne
On them that love the, and have in remembraunce

3

How thow most goodly hast our kynde take,
Sent from thy ffader lowe in Erthe down,
And what thow suffredyst also for our sake—
In thy manhood ffull greet trybulacyoun,

239

Greet aduersitee, dooll, deth, and passyoun—
Afforn ordeyned by prescyence devyne
Of our captyvyte to make redempcyoun
In Abraham promysed, born of Dauyd lyne.

4

O lord, remembre vpon the hevynesse
With wich thow were Inwardly constreyned;
Thynk on thy mortall wofull byttyrnesse
Mong alle thyn enemyes with scorgis bete & peyned,
Thyn hevenly colour, thy fayr skyn dysteyned,—
Ageyns the the Iewes were so wood—
And all this, o lord, hast nat dysdeyned
To thy dyscyplys in forme of flesshe & blood

5

To yeve thy body, for ther goostly ffoode,
On Sherthursday, by mercyfull meeknesse;
Weyssh ther ffeet, for our aldyr goode,
On Olyuet of constreynt and dystresse
Swettyst blood & water, thyn eien dist up dresse
On-to thy ffader, seydyst thys Orysoun,
“O Fader myn, graunt of thy goodnesse,
Translate thys Chalys of my passyoun!”

6

Toldyst afforn, O Iesu! all the Caas
Of thy takyng, with euery cyrcumstaunce,
The fals betrayng, the kyssyng of Iudas,
Thy pacyence, thy stylle meek suffraunce,
By fals accusours tencres of thy grevaunce,
So fore thre Iuges ongoodly thow wer brouht,
Ay of O cheer, of look, and contenaunce,
Benyngne Iesu stood stille & seydyst nought.

7

Tyme of thy pask, as it ys weell kouthe,
In Ierusalem, a famous greet cyte,

240

Benyngne Iesu, flowryng in thy yowthe,
Fayrest of ffayre, moost goodly on to se,
Thow were condempned to deth of Enmyte,
Of thy clothyng dyspoyled and maad bare,
And lyk a ffool, allas! yt was pyte,
How thow were clad thy gospel doth declare.

8

Thyn hevenly eyen, thy look selestyall,
Were hyd and veylled, & þi benynge face
Bete & bobbyd with buffetys full mortall,
And to a peleer streytly they did enbrace
Thy blyssed body, and neuer did trespace:
Moost felly scorged, with blood dysteyned reed,
Torent with roopys thyn heer dyd arrace,
A crowne of thornys they set vpon thyn hed.

Oracio.

O lord Iesu! enprente in my memorye
Alle these tokenys of thy peynfull passioun;
Thy cros, thy deth, on Caluary thy vyctorye,
Gravyn in myn herte with hooll affeccyoun,
Full repentaunce with pleyn confessioun,
And as thow bouhtist me, O Ihesu! with thy blood,
Graunt of my synnys full remyssioun,
Wich for our sake starff vp-on the Rood.

10

O gracyous Iesu, forgere of the hevene,
Lord and cryator of euery cryature,
Madyst al thys world and þe planetis vij,
Vnmesured, and al thyng mayst mesure;
Erthe and mounteins round of ther fygure
Closyst in thyn hand as a lytell ball,
Remembre, O lord! what wo thow dist endure
Naylled on the cros, and lyst to be mortall.

241

11

For love of man in thyn humanyte
Feet & handis thorough percid, & maad reed,
Between two thevys vpon the Roode tre,
And for our sake, O Iesu! thow were ded,
Thy body streyned bothe in lengthe & bred
On Good Fryday, with many a mortall wounde;
Benyngne Iesu, of pyte tak now heed,
O welle of grace, of mercy most habounde!

12

Louly besechyng, Iesu, of thy goodnesse
That I may haue thy peynes in memorye,
And to remembre the wofull bytternesse
Wich thow lyst suffre, to brynge us to þi glorye;
And in our hertys pryue consystorye
Graunt us, O Iesu, with parfight love & dreed,
Of our thre enymyes þat we may haue victorye,
By thy meek passioun, þat lyst for man, to bleede.

13

O Iesu! Iesu! our helthe, our medycyne,
Our hevenly leche, our socour in syknesse,
Thy lemys strecchyd & drawe out riht as lyne
With myhty roopys, tencres of thy dystresse,
High on the cros lefft vp by greet duresse,
Thy flessh, thy sydys, torent and al to-torn,
No sorwe lyk, nor dooll, nor hevynesse
Was neuer in man seyn in this world toforn.

14

O gracyous Iesu! whan I remembre me
How from thyn hed lowe to thy ffeet, allas,
Was noon hooll skyn vntorn, nor lefft in the,
Bespreynt with blood was thyn hevenly fface,

242

Yit of thy mercy Iesu, thus stood the Caas,
Thou preidist for them on-to thy fader dere,
Seydyst, “O Fader fforgyff hem ther trespace.
For what they doon they knowe nat þe manere.”

15

Lord, for that mercy and myserycorde
Gyff me grace tenprenten in my mynde
Thy gloryous passyoun, by and by record
Alle the tokenys, that noon be lefft behynde,
Abowte thy cros in ordre as I hem fynde;
The sharpe spere, that dyd thyn herte ryve,
The scorges & peler, to wich they did the bynde,
And specyally thy glorious woundis ffyve.

16

O Iesu! callyd in thy selestyall see
Lord of lordys, lord of moost puyssaunce,
Namyd of angelys fredam and liberte,
And of paradys delycyous plesaunce;
Iesu remembre, haue mynde of the penaunce,
The ferfull orrour, with tormentis most terryble,
Wich thow sufferedist, to saue man fro myschaunce,
And for our love were pacyently passyble.

17

Alle thyn enymyes rounde aboute the stood,
Fersere than Tygrees, woder than lyowns;
Bete and bobbyd, and al be-spreynt with blood,
With fals rebukys, froward yllusyouns,
Scorgis inportable, dyverse derysyouns,
Echon thyn enemyes, & frendys but a fewe,
Ageyn our trespacys and our transgressiouns,
Benyngne Iesu! thou hast thy love shewe.

243

Oracio.

Lowly requyring of mercyfull pyte
From alle our enymyes, visible and invisible,
Dyffende us, Iesu, that we may go ffre,
—Sith to thy power nothyng ys inpossyble—
From Sathanys myght, hydous and odyble,
Vnder the wyngys of thy proteccyoun,
That sufferedyst deth vp-on an hih patyble,
Shadewe all þi servauntis with þi meek passioun.

Oracio.

O Iesu, merour of spirituall cleernesse,
Hang on the cros ffor our Redempcyoun,
Remembre of all the trouble & hevynesse,
Nakyd on the Roode taquyten our raunsoun,
Voyd of all comfort and consolacyoun
Sauff of thy moder, & thy cosyn Seynt Iohn,
To hym assyngnyng the commendacyoun
To wayte on hyr, Iesu, whan thow were goon.

20

Vndyr thy cros wepyng whan she stood,
Seydyst to hir with a ful dedly cheere,
“Behold, O woman most benyngne & good,
Behold þi sone, wich that stondeth here,”
And to Seynt Iohn seidest in this manere,
“Behold þi moder & haue hir in kepyng.”
Who myhte his eyen from salte teris stere
To seen or heryn this dolerous partyng?

21

The prophesye of Olde Symeoon
That same hour kam to remembraunce,
A swerd of sorwe shold thorgh hir soule goon.
Felt euer modyr so grevous a penaunce?

244

Iesu, whos herte was woundid with a launce,
Graunt in al myschef and trybulacyoun
We may resorte to ffynde in al greuaunce
Mercyful support, lord, in thy passyoun.

Oracio.

O gracyous Iesu, kyng moost amyable,
Aboue all kynges kyng of most puyssaunce,
Moost desyrous, our comfort most notable,
Our suppowaylle, our post geyn al grevaunce,
Thy grete sorwys calle him to remembraunce,
Wich thow suffredyst for our aldyr goode,
Nakyd allas, perced with a launce,
On Good Fryday hangyng on the Roode.

23

Thy frendys fledde, almoost euerychoon,
The bront abydyng alone al dosolaat,
Except thy moder, thevangelist Seynt Iohn,
With weping terys tryst & disconsolat,
Swownyng full offte, fil to þe ground prostrat
Spak to thy moder that alle myghtyn here,
“Woman beholde þi sone in pore estaat,”
And to Seynt Iohn, “behold þi moder dere.”

Oracio.

To the, Iesu, bothe at eve and morwe,
With contryt herte I sey this Orysown,
So as the swerd, callid þe swerd of sorwe,
Perced the herte by tribulacyoun
Of thy moder, tyme of thy passyoun,
O mercyful Iesu! graunt only of þi grace,
In sowle and body ffull consolacyoun,
By shryfft and hoosill or I hens pace.

245

25

O Iesu, that art of mercy sours and welle,
Moost habundaunt of plentyvous pyte,
Wich on the cros, þi gospell can weell telle,
How thow seydyst hangyng on the tre,
Thou haddyst a thrust, a thrust of charyte,
Thys was thrust, for short conclusioun,
To restore to goostly liberte
Alle them for whom thow suffredyst passioun.

Oracio.

Mercyfull Iesu! sette our herte affyre,
Encrese and more our dysposycyoun,
That day be day we fully may desyre
In thy seruyse of hooll affeccyoun
To growe and wexe, in full perfeccyoun,
Alle flesshly lustys ffor to sette asyde;
Wordly ffavour, and veyn ambycyoun,
Represse in vs and be our goostly guyde.

27

O Iesu! callyd most souereign swetnesse,
Of thoughtfull hertys bawme Imperyall,
Our sugre, our comfort geyn all byttyrnesse,
Wich for our sake drank eysell and gall,
Suffredyst deth for to saue us all;
O blyssed lord, graunt us for thy torment
To-forn our deth at nede whan we call,
Goostly repast of the hooly sacrement.

Oracio.

Thys to seyne for our eternall ffoode,
For our most solempne restauracyoun,
Graunt us to resceyve thy body & thy blood
Or we parte hens, with pure confessioun,

246

Our path, our weye, to the hevenly mansioun,
Callid by thy grace our gostly dyrectorye,
To saue our passage from þe infernal doungoun,
And fyry flawmys of dredful purgatorye.

29

O thow moost gracyous mercyfull Iesu!
Wich for thy synguler selestyall gladnesse
In amerous hertys brennying in vertu
Art callid the roote of royall parfightnesse,
Lord, for þe constreynt & mortall bitternesse
Thow haddyst than, this noyse whan þu dist make,
Crying for constreynt of thy pitous dystresse,
“Lord God my lord! why hastow me forsake?”

Oracio.

For that anguyssh & grevous drerynesse
Thow haddist þat hour afforn þou sholdist dye,
For love of man thorugh þi gret kyndenesse
Vp-on the cros hangyng at Caluarye,
Forsake us nat whan we to the Crye
In ony myschef or Trybulacyoun,
That we may find socour and remedye
In thy moost peynfull gloryous passioun.

31

O Iesu! Iesu! callid Alpha and Omega,
Our lyf, our vertu, support in our neede,
Thynk, & recorde, and remembre also,
From hed to foot how thow dedyst bleede,
Wasshe and steyned in a purpyll weede,
Fro þi v woundis ran so large a fflood,
Thorugh al þe world the stremys did sprede
To wasshe our surfetis with þi precious blood.

247

Oracio.

In blood & water, tyme of thy passyoun,
Of love was shewid, pleynly to conclude,
As in two lycours our Redempcyoun,
Water of baptem took a gret latytude,
Thy blood out shad, Sathan to declude,
For wich, Iesu, shewe thys avauntage,
Of grace and mercy þe grete magnytude
By blood & water to cleyme our herytage.

33

O hooly Iesu! of mercy moost habounde,
Wich on the cros boughtyst us so dere,
Be thy v. woundys depe, large, & profounde,
Thorugh skyn & flesh conseyved þe matere,
Gracyous Iesu! resceyve our mek prayere,
Whan our thre enmyes ageyn us gynne stryve,
Graunt we may hyde us ageyn ther fel daunger
Myd the kavys of thy depe woundys ffyve.

34

O sothfast Iesu! callyd cleer merour
Of trowthe, of love, of pes and vnyte,
Signacle and sel, patent and protectour,
Our sheld, our pavys geyn al aduersite,
From heed to foot by furious cruelte
All forwoundyd, torased, and to-rent,
By the Iewys conspyred Enmyte,
Bete & scorged, tyl al thy blood was spent,

35

Born & conseyued in virgynall clennesse,
Of a pure mayden brouht forth in Bedleem,
Reed & rubyfyed was affter thy witnesse,
With dolerous deth slayn at Ierusaleem,

248

For compassioun eclypsed the sonne-beem,
O Iesu! Iesu! what myghtyst thow do more,
Thow, that were kyng & lord of euery reem,
Lyst suffre deth thy servauntis to restore.

Oracio.

Mercyful Iesu! of grace do adverte
With thilke lycour wich þou dedyst bleede,
By remembraunce to write hem in myn herte
Ech day onys that I may hem reede,
Close þe capytallys vnder þi purpil weede
With offte thynkyng on thy bloody fface,
Thorugh myn entraylles let þi passioun sprede,
Marked tho karectys whan I shal hens passe.

37

O myghty Iesu! of Iuda the lyown,
Strength of pryncys, of kyngis most royall,
Invicyble, our goostly champyoun,
To saue thy peple from peynes infernall,
List make hem fre, þat Sathan maad thrall;
With pacyence thow were vyctoryous;
Thy force faylled of power Immortall,
Slouh deth with deth, conquest most gloryous.

38

Thow were maad weyk, lostist al þi strengthe,
With deth distreyned thow þat were myhtyest,
To shewe þi power bothe in brede & lengthe,
Suffredyst þi fredam, stonde vndir arest,
Phebus was dirkid, eclipsed est and west,
Our raunsoun payed, tresour of most prys,
Whan thow seydyst “consummatum est,”
By mene wherof bryng vs to paradys.

249

Oracio.

O Iesu! callid sone moost myghty
Of thy Fadrys wysdam and sapyence,
Of his substaunce the ffygure treuly
Into whos hand thow seidest with reuerence
“In manus tuas,” thes woordys in sentence
With a gret cry to-torn in euery coost;—
For wich o Iesu vp-on my greet offence
Be mercyable whan I yelde vp my goost.

40

O Iesu! named plentyvous grape and vyne,
Wich on the cros for our Redempcyoun
In a pressorye pressid with gret pyne,
Copyously the rede lycour ran down,
Thy precious blood was pris of our raunsoun,
That no drope sothly was lefft behynde,
Water of baptem, blood of thy passion,
Was al shad out, to us þou were so kynde.

Longious spere perced thorgh thyn herte,
Thy white body vpon the roode tree
Was maad al drie, with woundis fel & smerte,
O Iesu! Iesu! of mercy graunt thow me

Oracio.

With thy passioun that I may woundid be
To be partable of al thy mortal stryff,
Or I parte hens to haue this lyberte,
With bitter teris the rust of all my lyff

Oracio.

To wasshe awey, only by thy grace,
With repentaunce and ffull contrycyoun,
Hosyll and shryfft or I hen[e]s passe;
Cleymyng by mercy to haue possessioun

250

With al thy seyntys in the hevenly mansioun,
Only by tytyll cleymed by thy blood,
And by thy modrys meek medyacyoun,
The charter asselid whan þou heeng on þe Rood.

Explicit Quod Iohn Lydgate.