Meditations on the Supper of our Lord and the Hours of the Passion, by Cardinal John Bonaventura the Seraphic Doctor. Drawn into English verse by Robert Manning of Brunne. (About 1315-1330.) Edited ... with introduction and glossary by J. Meadows Cowper |
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The fourþe poynt of þe soper.
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 | Meditations on the Supper of our Lord |  |
The fourþe poynt of þe soper.
The fourþe [point] beholde and here,
A louesum lessun þou mayst lere.
Whan cryst hadde fed hem euerychone.
A feyre sermoun he began a none,
Ful of swetnes and ful of loue,
Ful of cumfort to oure behoue;
Of whych wurdys sum mende to make,
Fyue pryncypals y þenke to take.
A louesum lessun þou mayst lere.
Whan cryst hadde fed hem euerychone.
A feyre sermoun he began a none,
Ful of swetnes and ful of loue,
Ful of cumfort to oure behoue;
Of whych wurdys sum mende to make,
Fyue pryncypals y þenke to take.
The fyrst he tolde of hys partyng
And cumforted hem ful feyre, seyyng,
“Ȝyt a whyle y am with ȝow now,
But faderles y wyl nat leue ȝow;
Y go and come to ȝow aȝen,
Forsoþe eftsones y wyl ȝow sen;
Þan ȝoure hertys ioye shul make,
Þat ioye shal no man fro ȝow take.”
Lyke to þese mo gan he moue,
Þat kytte here hertys for grete loue.
And cumforted hem ful feyre, seyyng,
“Ȝyt a whyle y am with ȝow now,
But faderles y wyl nat leue ȝow;
Y go and come to ȝow aȝen,
Forsoþe eftsones y wyl ȝow sen;
Þan ȝoure hertys ioye shul make,
Þat ioye shal no man fro ȝow take.”
Lyke to þese mo gan he moue,
Þat kytte here hertys for grete loue.
In þe secunde þou mayst se
How he enformed hem yn charyte;
Ofte he reherced þese wurdes dere,
“Thys y ȝow hote, þat ȝe loue yn fere;
Ȝyf ȝe loue alle men shul knowe þys,
Þat ȝe be my dere dyscyplys.”
Þus hertly of charyte he tagh hem well,
As þou shalt fynde yn Iones gospel.
How he enformed hem yn charyte;
Ofte he reherced þese wurdes dere,
“Thys y ȝow hote, þat ȝe loue yn fere;
Ȝyf ȝe loue alle men shul knowe þys,
Þat ȝe be my dere dyscyplys.”
Þus hertly of charyte he tagh hem well,
As þou shalt fynde yn Iones gospel.
The þrydde he tagh hem by monasshyng
For to kepe hys comandyng:
“Kepeþ my comandementys, ȝyf ȝe me loue,
Ȝif ȝe hem kepe, ȝe dwelle in loue.”
For to kepe hys comandyng:
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Ȝif ȝe hem kepe, ȝe dwelle in loue.”
The fourþe, he warned hem feyþfullye,
What þey shulde suffre are þey shuld dye:
“Ȝe shul here haue sorowes some,
But truly y haue þys worlde ouercome,
And ȝyf þe worlde ȝow hate now,
Weteþ þat he me hated ar ȝow;
Ȝe shul be sorowful, þe wurlde shal ioye,
But ȝoure sorow shal turne to ioye.”
What þey shulde suffre are þey shuld dye:
“Ȝe shul here haue sorowes some,
But truly y haue þys worlde ouercome,
And ȝyf þe worlde ȝow hate now,
Weteþ þat he me hated ar ȝow;
Ȝe shul be sorowful, þe wurlde shal ioye,
But ȝoure sorow shal turne to ioye.”
The fyueþe, beþenke how cryst Ihesus
To hys fadyr turned and preyd for vs.
“Fadyr, kepe hem whyche þou ȝaue me,
For whyle y was with hem y kepte hem to þe;
Now, holy fadyr, to þe y come,
For hem y pray, and nat for þys wone;
And nat onely for hem, but for alle men
Þat shul byleue yn me by hem.
Fadyr, y wyl where þat y be
Þey be with me, my blysse to se.”
Þese wurdys, and ouþer þat hem tolde,
Kytte here hertys and made hem colde.
Beholde now þe dyscyplys yn here mornyng,
How þey stonde alle heuy here hedys bowyng,
Mornyng, sorowyng, and ofte syghyng,
Þat cryst wytnessed to hem seyyng,
“For y þese wurdes to ȝow haue seyd,
Sorwe ȝoure hertes haþ alle be leyd.”
Byholde how homely Ion lyþ slepyng
On crystys brest, as hys derlyng.
Þys sermoun at crystys brest slepyng he soke,
And toke hyt to vs yn holy boke,
Among al ouþer as cryst tagh hem.
He seyd, “aryseþ and go we hen.”
A! what drede went yn hem þo,
Þey wyst nat whedyr for to go,
For þey went, as y shal sey;
Cryst endyd hys sermoun by þe wey.
Behold þe dyscyplys, yn here wendyng,
As chekenes crepyn vndyr þe dame wyng;
Some go byfore, and some go behynde,
Hys blessed wurdes to haue yn mynde;
One þrest on hym, eftsones anoþer,
Þat meke mayster ys neuer þe wroþer.
Fast þey went, and come a none,
Ouer a broke men callen Cedron.
Hys treytur he abode þere tyl he come,
And ouþer armed men, a grete summe.
Now foleweþ, yn þys medytacyun,
To trete of crystys passyun.
To hys fadyr turned and preyd for vs.
“Fadyr, kepe hem whyche þou ȝaue me,
For whyle y was with hem y kepte hem to þe;
Now, holy fadyr, to þe y come,
For hem y pray, and nat for þys wone;
And nat onely for hem, but for alle men
Þat shul byleue yn me by hem.
Fadyr, y wyl where þat y be
Þey be with me, my blysse to se.”
Þese wurdys, and ouþer þat hem tolde,
Kytte here hertys and made hem colde.
Beholde now þe dyscyplys yn here mornyng,
How þey stonde alle heuy here hedys bowyng,
Mornyng, sorowyng, and ofte syghyng,
Þat cryst wytnessed to hem seyyng,
“For y þese wurdes to ȝow haue seyd,
Sorwe ȝoure hertes haþ alle be leyd.”
Byholde how homely Ion lyþ slepyng
On crystys brest, as hys derlyng.
Þys sermoun at crystys brest slepyng he soke,
And toke hyt to vs yn holy boke,
Among al ouþer as cryst tagh hem.
He seyd, “aryseþ and go we hen.”
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Þey wyst nat whedyr for to go,
For þey went, as y shal sey;
Cryst endyd hys sermoun by þe wey.
Behold þe dyscyplys, yn here wendyng,
As chekenes crepyn vndyr þe dame wyng;
Some go byfore, and some go behynde,
Hys blessed wurdes to haue yn mynde;
One þrest on hym, eftsones anoþer,
Þat meke mayster ys neuer þe wroþer.
Fast þey went, and come a none,
Ouer a broke men callen Cedron.
Hys treytur he abode þere tyl he come,
And ouþer armed men, a grete summe.
Now foleweþ, yn þys medytacyun,
To trete of crystys passyun.
| Meditations on the Supper of our Lord | |