[Poems from the Vernon MS]

Hit was a Mon of Religioun,
Of alle Men he hedde gret renoun;
And, for þe fend wolde him haue schent,
He leeuede not in þe sacrament,
And seide, hit was not Ihesu
Þat Conceyued was þorwh gret vertu,
Ne Ihesu was not þat Oble
Þat was reised atte sacre
And þat þe folk honourede to;
To leeue hit was not to do.
Bi-fore two Abbotes þus he tolde—
Þis Abbotes write þis tale to holde,
Hit scholde be told to eueriche mon
Þat is aȝeyn þe Cristendom
Til hit beo preued bi Clergye
Wher hit beo treuþe or heresye.

Þis Abbotes schewed him þe rihte wey,
Wiþ alle þe ensaumples þat þei couþe sey;
And al he seide hit was lye,
But ȝif he seȝe hit wiþ his eȝe
“Don þen so þat I hit seo,
Þen wol I leue þat hit so be.”

Þis Abbotes preide a ful seue-niht
Þat he wolde schewe him, to trouwe his miht,
In fflesch, in Blod on þe Auteer,
To Conferme his trouþe cler.
And him-self preide specialy
Þat god wolde schewe hym in Body,
“Lord, for no mis-bileeue,
Þat þow scholdest wiþ me greue,
But forte schewe þe riht soþnes
Þat þow art sacrament of þe Mes,
Þat I may make oþer certeyne
Whon I wiþ eȝen haue þe seyȝene.”

Þis Abbotes lyȝe in orisoun
Til þat þe seueniht were don.

202

Þe Sonenday to Churche þei come,
Þat oþur Mon wiþ hem þei nome.
A sege was ordeynt for hem þre,
To bi-holde al þat priuite
Of þat holy Sacrament
Þat scholde be schewed in here present.

Bi-twene hem sat þis ilke mon
Of whom þe Miracle furst bi-gon.
Whon þe oble was on þe Auter leid
And þe prest þe wordes hed seid,
Alle þre þouȝte hem verreylike
By-fore þe prest a Child lay quik,
In feir forme, of fflesch and blod;
Þis say þei þre þer þey stod.
Whon þe prest scholde parte þe sacrament,
An Angel [doun] from heuene was sent
And sacrefyed þe child riht þore:
As þe prest hit brac, þe Angel hit schore,
Þe Blod in to þe Chalis Ron
Of þat child, boþe God and Mon.
Þe prest ȝede to þe hiȝeste degre,
To hosel him as hit fel to be;
Hem þhouȝte þe prest brouȝte on þe patin
Mosseles of þat child newe slayn
And beed him a Mossel of þat fflesch,
Wiþ al þe blod þer-on al fresch.

Þen gan he crie wiþ loude steuene:
“Merci, Godus sone of heuene,
Þe Bred I sauh on þe Auter lyȝe
Hit is þi bodi, I seo wiþ eȝe;
Of þe Bred þorwh sacrament
To fflesch and Blod hit is went;
Þis I beo-leeue, and euere I schalle,
ffor verreyliche we seon hit alle.”

Whon he and þei weore alle certeyne,
In forme of Bred hit tornde aȝeyne.
He dude him hosel as oþur wore,
And was a good mon for euer-more.
And al oþure beo þe bettre
Þat hereþ þis tale or redeþ þis lettre.—

203

Þe Prest þat sacreþ Godus bodi,
He moste beo ful clene nedeli;
A lewed mon þat schal hit receyue,
Alle-Maner fulþe moot he weyue.

But beo þou neuere so good a prest
Ne neuer so gret wiþ-Inne þi Brest,
I rede þou here hou þei are schewed,
Al-þauh þei ben of langage lewed.

Þou wost wel, in þe Oble
Is a luytel þyng to se:
So schaltou beo luytel in wille,
Luytel and Muchel wiþ-outen ille,
Nout in pride ne in heihþe,
ffor no wisdam ne no sleihþe;
Þe soþe hit is wiþ Lucifer,
Proude men schal wone þer.

Þe Oble is mad of whete,
Þe Beste corn þat men of ete:
So schulde we beo meke and louely
To alle þo þat ben vs by;
Þis Mekenes is a-ȝeyn þat Ire
Þat is wiþ Lucifer in þat fyre.

Þe paast of þe oble nouht ne owe
Beo maad of no-maner sourdowe,
ffor þe sourdowe makeþ al soure
Þe swettest þat comeþ of þe floure.
Bi þis sourdowe is tokenynge
Þat Envye is a wikked þinge,
ffor hit for-doþ alle swetnesse of dede,
Þat god scholde ȝiue vr soules meede;
Þerfore makeþ he non herburgrye
Þer he fyndeþ biforen envye.

O vertue In þe whete is
Þat is muche a-ȝein Slouhnes:
Þer whete comeþ he wol not prike,
As Otes don and Barlike:
Ne we ne scholde not be prikel
In Idelnesse ouer-Mukel;
Idelnesse gruccheþ and is heui of þouht
And is soone wroþ for nouht,

204

And þat wraþþhe comeþ of sorwe,
And of wonhope wol muche Borwe.
Þis sacrament of þe Messe
Loueþ not such Idelnesse,
Not wiþ non nul he dwelle
Bute þer men of þe Ioye spelle.

Þe paast of þe oble seid beo-forn
Schal not beo of medlet corn,
Bote al onliche of whete:
ffoule desires schal men lete,
Þat bi-meneþ, In no wyse
We schal vs ȝiue to Couetyse,
Þat is also called Aueryce,
Þe whuche is a foul wikked vice.

Also þou seost þe oble is þinne
And muche honeste wiþ-Inne:
And þat wol wel signefye
Aȝeyn þe sinne of glotenye;
Þer wol not þe sacrament reste,
Ac glotenye wol him out keste.

And as þou sest, þe oble is whit:
So schul we haue no-maner delyt
Of no-maner fflesches take,
ffor lecherie makeþ þe soule blake.
Þeos seuene partyes beþ
In þe Oble, as we seoþ,
And eueri propurte þer-Inne
Is aȝein an hed-synne.
A-ȝeyn þis sacrament do þo
Þat aren in synne and þerto go,
Or aren in wille aȝeyn to wende
To synne and hem-self schende;
As prest þat goþ to synge Mes
Þat in dedly synne is;
An hondred-fold he sungeþ more
Þe[n] he a lewed mon wore.

Alle þat receyue þe sacrament
In dedly sunne or wikked entent
Or in eny of þeose seuene
Þat þou hast here herd nempne,

205

Riht to heore Dampnaciun,
And þerfore vengaunce schal be don.
And here I schal telle a tale
Hou hit is to þat mon Bale:

University of Virginia Library

1. Narracio cuiusdam religiosi.