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The poems of John Audelay

Edited with introduction, notes and glossary [by Ella Keats Whiting]
Audelay, John

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Audite hec, omnes gentes: hanc epistolam scripsit Dominus Ihesus Christus manibus suis et misit in siuitatem Gazon vbi ego Petrus primum episcopatum accepi.
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In die epephanis &c.
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161

22

Hic incipit psalmus de Magnificat.

My soule my Lord hit mangnefyþ,
Oure lady þus to here Sun con say,
Fore He me here gloryfyd,
To be His moder, vergyn may;
He haþ me chosyn, hit is no nay,
To lyuer His pepil fro þraldam;
Mangneficat, here-fore I say,
Anima mea dominum.
My speryt hit ioys in my God;
He is my hele, my sustynans,
Þat is so graceous and so good,
He haþ me preuelid to His plesans,
Fore to make delyuerans
Of al þat before our fader Adam
Had cast into cumbyrrans.
Mangnificat anima mea dominum.
Fore þe m[e]kenes of His mayd he haþ behold,
Lo! here-fore forsoþ I say,
Me schul worchip ȝou ȝong and hold,
Al generacons in vche cuntre;
Þat I was boren hit is no nay,
Into þis word þat I come.
Now mang[n]efygat, syng þai mai,
Anima mea dominum.
162

Fore He haþ made me gret þroȝ his pouere,
Fore-wy al myȝt in Him hit is,
And His hole name, when I Him bere
To bryng His pepul vnto his blis.
With His precious blod, i-wys,
He haþ here payd heere rawnson,
Fore to amend ye ded mys;
Mangneficat anima mea dominum.
For now His merce is knowyn ful wyde,
Þroȝ generacions in vche cuntre;
To al þat dreden Hym on vche asyde,
And sechen His grace and His merce,
And kepe here stat and here degre,
And to His lauys þay bene buxum,
Þe ayrs of heuen foresoþ þay be;
Mangneficat anima mea dominum.
His myȝt has made in His pouere
Proud men to sparpil from His face;
With þe mynd of his hert fere and nere,
Þat nyl not seche merce and grace,
Ne hem amend wile þai han space,
Þai schul be cast fro His kyngdam,
And haue no part within þat place;
Mangnificat anima mea dominum.
Þenke on Kyng Robart Sesel;
He went, ne lord had he bot he,
Ȝet sodenle downe he felle,
And was put into a folis degre;
An angel was set apon his se,
Fore he had þese verse in his scornyng,
Deposuit potentis de sede,
And sayd in heuen þer was no kyng.
163

Þus myȝte men God putis ful loue,
And meke men he liftis ful hye,
Þat His grace and His goodnes here wil knowe,
And seche His grace and His merce,
And no noþer sekyrly;
At þe dredful day of dome,
Here dedis schal deme ham hopynly;
Mangneficat anima mea dominum.
Þe pore and hongre He had fulfillid
With His grace and His goodnes,
And ryche men He am revylid,
And let ham ly in here lewdnes,
Þat trustyn al in her reches
And not in þe ioy þat is to cum,
Þai schal haue seche here as þai ches;
Mangneficat anima mea dominum.
Fore He haþ takyn vp Yrael,
Þat is child of ryȝtwysnes;
In recordacion He had eueredele,
His grace, [H]is merce, and His goodnes,
Fore þaȝ he fel þroȝ freelnes,
He haþ foreȝifyn ham al and sum,
And schal haue þat blis þat is endles;
Mangneficat anima [mea] dominum.
Ryȝt as our fader Abraam
Had spokyn to our fader beforne,
And to al þe sede þat com fro ham,
To multepli ham fore euer more,
Fore was neuer mon ȝet here forelorne
In his defawte in Cresendam;
Into His kyndam He wyl ham restore;
Mangnificat anima mea dominum.
164

Now ioy be to þe Fader, and to þe Sun,
And to þe Hole Gost, al iij e-fere,
Þat in þe Word of Wordis to-geder þai won,
Þat is now, and was, and schal be euer,
In wom hit is now al pouere,
Merce, grace, al wit, wysdam,
Þat is þat Prynce without pere;
Mangneficat anima mea dominum.
Mangneficat our ladi þus can say
To here Sun boþ leue and dere;
Blessid mot heo be, þat swete may,
And þat berþe when heo Him bere;
Heo graunt vs grace in our prayoure
Here to worshyp with hert gladsum,
With mangnifycat, wen we ben here,
Anima mea dominum.
Explicitur.
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