lLEue liberum arbitrium quaþ y / y leoue as y hope
Þou couþest tel & teche me / to charite y leoue
Þenne louh liberum arbitrium & ladde me forþ with tales
Til we comen in to a contrey cor hominis hit hihte
Herber of al priueytees / and of holynesse /
Euene in þe myddes / an ympe as hit were
Þat hyhte ymago dei . / graciousliche hit growyþ
¶ Þan can / [g]an y aske what hit hihte / and he me sone tolde
¶ Þe treo hihte trewe loue quod he / þe Trinite hit sette
Þrogh louely lokynge hit leueþ / and launceþ vp blosmes
Þe wuche blosmes burnes / benyngne speche hit callen .
And þer-of comeþ a good fruyt / þe wuche men calleþ werkes
Of holynesse of hendenesse / and helpe hym þat neodeþ
Þe wuche is called / Caritas cristes owne fode
¶ And solaceþ al soules / sorweful in purgatorie
¶ Now certes y sayde / and sykede for ioye
I þong þe a þousandsithes / þousand sithes / þat ȝe me hydur kende
An sythen ȝe vouchen saf / to sey me what hit hihte
¶ And þonket me þo / but þenne toke y hede
Hit hadde schorieres to schoue hit vp / þre schydes of o lengþe
And of kynne colour / and o kynde as me þouhte
Alle þre y-liche longe / and y-liche large /
¶ Muche merueyled me / on what more þei growed
And eft askede hym / of what wode þei were
¶ Theos þre schoriers quod he / þat bereþ vp þis plonte
Thei by-tokeneþ trewly / þe Trinite of heuene /
Þre persones indepartable / perpetuel were euere
Of o wil . of o wit {}/ and her-wiþ y kepe /
Þe fruyt of þis faire treo / fro þre wykkede wyndes
And fro fallynge of stok / hit faile nat of his myhte
¶ Þe worlde is a wykkede wynd / to hem þat wolde treuþe
Couetyse comeþ of þat wynd / and hit abiteþ caritas .
And forfreteþ þat fruyt / wiþ monye faire sihtes
And wiþ þe furst plaunke y palle hym a-doun / potencia dei patris
¶ Þenne is fleisch a feol wynd / in florynge tyme
Þrow lecherie and lustus / so lloude he gynneþ blowe
Þat hit noryscheþ nyce syhtes / and som-tyme wordes
And mony wykkede wormes / workes of synne
And al-so forbit Caritas {}/ to þe bare stalke .
¶ Þenne set y þe secunde plaunk / sapiencia dei patris
Þe wuche is þe passion and penaunce / & þe parfitnesse of ihesus
And þer-with y warde hit oþer-whyle / tyl hit wexe rype
¶ Þen fondeþ þe feond / my fruyt to destrue
And leyþ a laddre þer-to / of lesynges beo þe ronges
With al þe wyles þat he can / waggeþ þe rote .
Throgh bakbyters and brawlers / and þrow bolde chideres
And shakeþ hit ne were hit vndurschored / certes hit scholde nat stande /
So þees lordeynes lyþeren þer-to / þat al þe leues fallen .
And fecheþ a-wey þis fruyt som-tyme / by-fore boþe myn eyen .
¶ Þenne palle y a-doun þe pouke / wiþ þe þridde schoryere .
Þe wuche is spiritus sanctus and sothfast by-leoue
And þat is grace of þe holy gost / and þus gate y þe maystrie .
¶ I totede vpon þe treo þo / and þenne toke y hede
Wheþur þe fruyt were faire / or foul for to lokon on .
¶ And þe fruyt was wondur fair / no fairer beo myhte
Ac in þre degres hit grewe / gret fe{l}rly me thouhte
And askede þo if hit were / al of o kynde
¶ Ȝe certes he seyde / and sothliche þow leue hit
Hit is al of o kynde / and þat schal y preouen .
Ac some aren swettere þan some / and sannere woloþ rotye
¶ Men may seo on an appul treo / mony tyme and ofte
Of o kynne apples / aren not y-liche grete
Ne of suwynge smale / ne of o swetnesse swete
¶ Þo þat sytten in þe sonne syde / some aren rype
Swetour and saueryour / and al-so more grettour
Þan þo þat selde hauen þe sonne / and sytten in þe norþ half
¶ And so hit fareþ sothly / soone by oure kynde
Adam was as a treo / and we aren as his apples
Some of vs sothfast / and some variable
Some litul and some large / like appeles of kynde
¶ As wedded men / and wydowes / and rith worþi maydones
Þe wuche þe seint espurit suweþ / þe sonne al of heuene
Conforteþ hem in here continence / þat lyuen in contemplacioun
As monkes and moniales / men of holychurche
Þus hauen hete of þe holy gost / as crop of treo þe sonne .
Wydowes and wydowers / þat here owne wil for-saken
And chast ledoun here lyf / is lyf of contemplacioun
And more lykynge to oure lord / þan lyue as kunde askeþ
And folwe þat þe fleisch wole / and fruyt forþe brynge /
Þat letred men in here langage / Actiua lyf callen .
¶ Ȝe sire y seyde and sithen / þer aren but two lyues
Þat oure lord a-loweþ / as lered men vs techeþ
That is actiua vita / / and vita contemplatiua /
Why groweþ þes treos fruyt in þre degres / for a good skile he seyde
¶ Her by-neoþe y may nyme / if y neode hadde
Matrimonie a moyst fruyt / þat multiplieþ þe people
¶ Þenne a-boue is betere fruyt / ac boþe two beon goode
Wydowot more worþiour / þen wedlok as in heuene /
þan is virginite more vertues / & fairest as in heuene /C
For þat is euene with angelus / and angelus peer
Hit was þe furst fruyt / þat þe fadur of heuene blessed
And bad hit beo of a bat of eorthe / a man and a mayde
In menynge þat þe fairest þinge / þe furst þing scholde honoure
And þe clennest creature / creatour furst y-knowe
¶ In kynges cort and knyhtes / þe clennest men and fairest
Schullen serue for þe lord self / so fareþ god almyhty
¶ Maydones and martires / mynistreþ him here on eorthe
And in heuene is most pryueist / and nexte hym by resoun .
For þe fairest fruyt / by-fore hym as of eorthe
And swete wiþ-oute swellynge / sour worth hit neuure .
¶ This is a propre plonte quaþ y / and pryueliche hit bloweþ
And bryngeþ forth fair fruyt / folc of al nacioun
Boþe parfit and inparfit / pure fayn y wolde /
Assaye wat sauour hit hadde / y seyde þat tyme .
¶ Leue liberum arbitrium / let som lyf hit schake
A-non he het Elde / and hyh for to clymbe
An shaken hit scharply / þe rype scholden falle
¶ Elde clam toward þe crop / þan comsede hit to crye
¶ He waggede wydowod / and hit wepte aftur
¶ He meouede matrymonie / hit made a foul noyse
¶ For euere as Elde hadde eny dounN / þe deuul was wel redy
And gadered hem al to-gederes / boþe grete and smale
¶ Adam and Abraham and Isaye þe prophite
Sampson and Samuel / and seint Iohan þe baptist
And bar hem forthe baldely / no body þo hym lette
Ther is deorkenesse and drede / and þe deuul maystur
¶ Þenne meouede hym mod / in maiestate dei
Þat libera voluntas de / de[i] / lauhte þe myddul schoryere
And hitte aftur þe feond / happe hou hit myhte
¶ filius by þe faderes wil / fleih with spiritus sanctus
To ran-sake þat Ragman / and reue hym his appeles
Þat furst man deceyuede / throw fruyt ad falce by-heste
¶ And þenne spak / spiritus sanctus / in gabrieles mouþe
To a mayde to hihte Marie / a meok þing wiþ-alle
Þat on ihesus a Iustice sone / moste iouken in here chaumbre
Tyl plenitudo temporis /C tyme y-come were
Þat Elde felde eft þe frut / or fulle to beo rype
Þat ihesus scholde iouste þer-fore / and Iugement of armes
Who scholde fecche þis frut / þe feond or ihesus self
¶ Þe mayde myldeliche þo / þe messagere heo onswerede
And seyde hendeliche to hym / lo me his hand-mayde
For to worchen his wil / wiþ-oute eny synne
Ecce ancilla domini .C
¶ And in þe wombe of þat wenche / he was fourty wykes
And man by-come of þat mayde / to saue man-kynde
Byg and a-bydynge / and bold in his barnhed
To haue fouhten with þe feond / ar fol tyme come .
¶ Ac liberum arbitrium / leche-craft hym tauhte
Tyl plenitudo temporis / hih tyme a-prochet
Þat suche a surgyen sythen / y-sey was þer neuure
Ne non so faithful fisissian / for alle þat hym by-souhte
He lechede hem of here langour / lazares and blynd boþe
Claudi ambulant leprosi mundantur
And comune wymmen conuertede / and clansede hem of synne
And he lyft vp Lazar / þat lay in his toumbe
Quatriduanus cold / quyke dud him rome
¶ Ac er he made þat miracle / mestus cepit esse
And wepte watur wyþ his eyen / þe why wyten fewe
Ac þo þat seyen þat selcouþe / seyden þat tyme
Þat he was god or godesone / for þat grete wondur .
¶ And some Iewes seydoun / wyþ sorcerie hit wrouhte
And throw þe myhte of mahon / and throw mysbileoue
demonium habesC
¶ Þen satan is ȝour sauyour quod ihesus / and hath sauede ȝow ofte
Ac y sauede ȝow sondry tymes / al-so y fed ȝow
With fyue fisches and loues / fyue þousand at ones
And þer-of lefte basketes / ful of broke mete
Broke bred to beren hit / a-wey wo-so wolde
¶ Vnkynde and vnknowynge quod crist / and wiþ a rop smot hem
And ouurturnede in þe temple / here tables and here stalles
And drof hem oute alle / þat þere bouhten and solde
And seyde þis is an hous of orisons / and of holynesse
And when þat my wil is / y wol hit ouur-throwe
And er þre dayes aftur / edyfie hit newe
Þe Iuwes tolden þe Iustice / hou þat ihesus seyde
¶ Ac þe ouurturnynge of þe temple / by-tokned þe resurreccioun
¶ Enuy and euul wyl / ȝorne in þe Iuwes
And pursuede hym pryueiliche / and for pans him bouhte
Ne forte tumultus fieret in populo /
Of Iudas þe iewe / Ihesus owne dycyple
¶ This by-feol on a fryday / a litul by-fore pasche
Þat Iudas and Iuwes / Ihesus þei mette
Aue raby quaþ þat ribaud / and riht til hym he ȝeode
And kuste ihesus to beo knowe þer-by / and kauht of þe Iuwes
¶ Þan Ihesus to Iudas / and to þe Iuwes seyde
Falsnesse y fynde / in þy faire speche
And kene kare in þi cussyns / and combraunce to þi-selue
¶ Thow schalt beo mirrour to monye / men to deceyue
Wo to hem þat þi wiles vsen / to þe worldes ende
ve homini illi per quem scandalum
venitC
¶ Sythe y by treson am take / and to ȝoure Iuwes
Soffreþ mony aposteles in pees / and in pees gangen
¶ Thus Iewes to þe Iustices / ihesus þei ladden
With muche noyse þat nyht / ner frentyk y a-wakede
In Inwit and in alle wittes / after liberum arbitrium
I a-waytede witturly / ac y ne wyste houder he wente
¶ And þenne mette y with a man / on mydlentene soneday
As hore as an haweþorne / and abraham he hyhte
¶ Of wennes ert þou quath y / and hendeliche hym grette .
¶ Y am with faith quaþ þat frek / hit falleþ not me to lye
An heraud of armes / er eny lawe were /
¶ What is conisaunce quod y / in his cote armure
¶ Þre persones in o pensel quaþ he / departable from oþur
O speche and spirit / spryngeþ out of alle
O o wit / of o wil / were neuure a-twynne
And sondry to seo vpon / solus deus he hoteþ
¶ Sythen þei beon surlepes quaþ y / þei han sondry names
¶ That is seyde he / þe syre hatte pater
And þe secunde is a sone / of þe sire filius
Holy gost is his name / and he is in alle /
This is merk þyng for me quaþ y / and for mony othur
¶ Muse nat to muche þer-on quaþ Faith / tyl þow more knowe
Ac loke þou leue hit lelly / al þy lyf-tyme
Þat þre by-longeþ to o lord / þat ligaunce cleymeþ
¶ Myhte . and amene / a mene / to seo his owne myhte
Of hym-self and his seruaunt / and what soffreþ hem boþe
¶ God þat gynnynge had neuure / but þo him good thoute
Sent forþe his sone / as for seruaunt þat tyme
To ocupien hym here / til Issue were spronge
Þe wuche aren children of charite / & holychurche þe modur
Patriarches and prophites / and aposteles were þe children
And crist and cristondom / and cristone holychurche
By-tokenuþ þe trinite / and trewe by-leoue
O god almyhty / þat man made and wrouhte
Semblabe to hym-self / er eny synne were
¶ A thre he is / ther he is / and here-of bereþ witnesse
Þe werkes þat hym-self wrouhte / and þis worlde boþe
Celi enarrant gloriam dei / & cetera
¶ Þat he is þre persones departable / y preue hit by mankynde
And o god al-myhty / if alle men beo of
¶ Eue was of Adam / and ouȝt of hym y-drawe
And abel of hem boþe / and al þre o kynde
As theose þre þat y carpe of Adam and Eue
And abel here vssue / aren but on in manhede
¶ Matrymoyne wiþ-oute moillire / is nat muche to preyse
Þe bible bereþ witnesse / a bok of þe olde lawe
Þat acorsede al couples / þat no kynde forthe brouhte
Maledictus homo sit qui non relinquit semen in Israel
And a Man with-oute a make / myhte nat wel of kunde
Multiplie ne more-ouer / with-oute a make louye
Ne wyþ-oute a sowere beo suche seed / this we seon alle
¶ Now goweT to godhed / in god fadur of heuene
Was þe sone in hym-selue / in a simile as Eue
Was whan god wolde / ouȝt of þe wye drawe
And as abel of adam / / and of his wif
Sprange forþe and spak / a spyr of hem tweyne /
So out of þe sire and þe sone / þe seint espurit of boþe
Is and ay weren / and worþe wiþ-oute ende /
And as þre persones palpable / is pureliche but o mankynde
Þe wuche is man and his make / and moyllire here issue /
So is god godenesse / in þre persones þe trynite
¶ In matrymonie aren þre / and of o man cam al thre
¶ And to godhede goþ þre / and o god is al thre
Loo treys encountre treys / quaþ he / in godhed and in manhed
¶ Hauest þou y-seyen þis y seyde / alle þre and o god /
¶ In assomur / a ssomur y sey hem quaþ he / as y sat in my porche
Wher god cam goynge a þre / riht by my gate
tres uidit & unum adorauitC
¶ I ros vp and reuerenced god / and riht faire hym grette
Wesche here fete and wypede hem / and aftur þei eten
¶ And what y þouhte and my wyf / he ous wel tolde
He by-hyhte ous issue and heir / in oure olde age
Ful trewe tokne by-twene ous is / what tyme þat y met hym .
How he founded me furst / my faire sone Isaak
To make sacrifice of hym / he het me hym to honoure
¶ I with-sat nat his heste / y hope and by-leoue
Wher y walke on þis worlde / he wol hit me a-lowe
¶ I circumcised my sone / al-so for his sake
My-self and myne meyne / and al þat maule were /
Bledden blod for þat lordes loue / y hope to blesse þat tyme
¶ Myn affiaunce and my faith / is ferm in his by-leoue
For hym-self seyde y sscolde haue / and myn issue boþe
Lond and lordschip y-nouh / and lyf wiþ-outen ende
¶ To me and to myn vssue / more he by-hihte
Mercy for oure mysdedes / as mony tymes /
As we wilnede and wolde / wiþ mouþe and herte asken
¶ And sythe he sende me to sayn / and seyde þat y scholde
Worshipen him wiþ wyn / and wiþ bred boþe
At ones on an auter / in worschip of þe trinite
And make sacrifice so / som-what hit by-tokeneþ
I leoue þat ilke lord þenke / a newe lawe to make
fiet vnum ouile et vnus pastor /
¶ Thus haue y beo his heraud / her and in helle
And conforted monye carful þere / þat aftur his comynge loken
¶ For-þy y seke hym y seide / for seint Iohan þe baptist
Seyde þat he seyh hym here / þat scholde ous alle
ecce agnus dei .C
¶ Then had y wondur of þus wordes / and of his wyde cloþes
For in his bosom he bar a þyng / and þat he blesset ofte
¶ And y loked in his lappe / a lazar lay þer-Inne
With patriarches and prophetes / pleyinge to-gederes
¶ What a-waytest þow quath Faith / and woldest þow haue
¶ I wold y wite quaþ y tho / what is in þin lappe
¶ loo quaþ he and let me seo / lord mercy y seyde
This is a present of muche prys / what prince schal hit haue
¶ Hit is a preciouse present quaþ he / ac þe pouke hit haþ a-tached
And me þer-wiþ quaþ þe wye / may no wed vs quite
Ne no barn beo oure borow / ne brynge ous of daunger
For þe poukes punfold / no maypryse may ous fecche
Þat schal dylyuere ous som-day / out of þe deueles pouer
And betur wed for ous wagen / þan alle we beoþ worþi .
¶ And þat is lyf for lyf / or lygge thus euere
Longynge in my lappe þus / til suche a lord ous fecche .
¶ Alas y seyde þat synne / so longe schal lette
Þe myhte of godes mercy / þat myhte ous al amende
¶ And wepte for his wordes / wyþ þat y seyh an noþur
Rapeliche ronne / þe ryht wey we wente .
And y fraynede hym furst / fro whennes he come
What he hihte / and whodir he wolde / and whitelich he vs tolde /
Hic explicit passus secundus /
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