Play 12 The Annunciation, and Visit of Elizabeth to Mary Spicers 001 Doctor. Lord God, grete meruell es to mene 002 Howe man was made withouten mysse, 003 And sette whare he sulde euer haue bene 004 Withouten bale, bidand in blisse; 005 And howe he lost that comforth clene 006 And was putte oute fro paradys, 007 And sithen what sorouse sor warr sene 008 Sente vnto hym and to al his; 009 And howe they lay lange space 010 In helle, lokyn fro lyght, 011 Tille God graunted tham grace 012 Of helpe, als he hadde hyght. 013 Țan is it nedfull for to neven 014 How prophettis all Goddis counsailes kende, 015 Als prophet Amos in his steuen 016 Lered whils he in his liffe gun lende: Deus pater disposuit salutem fieri in medio terre, etc. 017 He sais thus: God the fadir in heuen 018 Ordand in erthe mankynde to mende; 019 And to grayth it with Godhede euen, 020 His sone he saide that he suld sende 021 To take kynde of mankyn, 022 In a mayden full mylde; 023 So was many saued of syn 024 And the foule fende begyled. 025 And for the feende sulde so be fedd 026 Be tyne, and to no treuth take tentt, 027 God made that mayden to be wedde 028 Or he his sone vnto hir sentte. 029 So was the Godhede closed and cledde 030 In wede of weddyng whare thy wente; 031 And that oure blisse sulde so be bredde 032 Ful many materes may be mente: Quoniam in semine tuo benedicentur omnes gentes, etc. 033 God hymself sayde this thynge 034 To Abraham als hym liste: 035 Of thy sede sall vppe sprynge 036 Wharein folke sall be bliste. 037 To proue thes prophettes ordande er, 038 Als Isay, vnto olde and yenge, 039 He moued oure myscheues for to merr, 040 For thus he prayed God for this thynge: 041 Rorate, celi, desuper- 042 Lord, late thou doune at thy likyng 043 Țe dewe to fall fro heuen so ferre, 044 For than the erthe sall sprede and sprynge 045 A seede that vs sall saue, 046 Țat nowe in blisse are bente. 047 Of clerkis whoso will craue 048 Țus may ther gatis be mente: 049 Țe dewe to the gode haly gaste 050 May be remened in mannes mynde, 051 The erthe vnto the mayden chaste, 052 Bycause sho comes of erthely kynde. 053 Țir wise wordis ware noght wroght in waste, 054 To waffe and wende away als wynde, 055 For this same prophett sone in haste 056 Saide forthermore, als folkes may fynde: Propter hoc dabit dominus ipse vobis signum, etc. 057 Loo, he sais thus: God sall gyffe 058 Hereof a syngne to see 059 Tille all that lely lyffe, 060 And this thare sygne sal be, Ecce uirgo concipiett, et pariet filium, etc. 061 Loo, he sais a mayden mon 062 Here on this molde mankynde omell, 063 Full clere consayue and bere a sonne, 064 And neven his name Emanuell. 065 His kyngdom that euere is begonne 066 Sall never sese, but dure and dwell; 067 On Dauid sege thore sall he wonne, 068 His domes to deme and trueth to telle. Zelus domini faciet hoc, etc. 069 He says, luffe of oure lorde 070 All this sall ordan thanne; 071 That mennes pees and accorde 072 To make with erthely manne. 073 More of this maiden meves me; 074 This prophett sais for oure socoure Egredietur virga de Jesse- 075 A wande sall brede of Jesse boure, 076 And of this same also sais hee: 077 Vpponne that wande sall springe a floure 078 Wheron the haly gast sall be, 079 To governe it with grete honnoure. 080 That wande meynes vntill vs 081 Țis mayden, even and morne, 082 And the floure is Jesus, 083 Țat of that blyst bees borne. 084 Țe prophet Johell, a gentill Jewe, 085 Somtyme has saide of the same thyng, 086 He likenes Criste euen als he knewe 087 Like to the dewe in doune-commyng: Ero quasi ros; et virgo Israell germinabit sicut lilium. 088 Țe maiden of Israell al newe, 089 He sais, sall bere one and forthe brynge 090 Als the lelly floure, full faire of hewe. 091 Țis meynes sa to olde and yoenge, 092 Țat the hegh haly gaste 093 Come oure myscheffe to mende 094 In Marie, mayden chaste, 095 When God his sone walde sende. 096 Țis lady is to the lilly lyke- 097 Țat is bycause of hir clene liffe, 098 For in this worlde was never slyke 099 One to be mayden, modir, and wyffe. 100 And hir sonne, kyng in heuen-ryke, 101 Als oft es red be reasoune ryfe, 102 And hir husband, bath maistir and meke, 103 In charitéto stynte all striffe- 104 Țis passed all worldly witte, 105 How God had ordand thaim thanne 106 In hir one to be knytte, 107 Godhed, maydenhed, and manne. 108 Bot of this werke grete witnes was 109 With forme-faders, all folke may tell. 110 Whan Jacob blyst his sone Judas 111 He tolde the tale thaim two emell: Non auferetur septrum de Juda, donec ueniat qui mittendus est. 112 He sais the septer sall noght passe 113 Fra Juda lande of Israell, 114 Or he comme that God ordand has 115 To be sente feendis force to fell. Et ipse erit expectacio gencium. 116 Hym sall alle folke abyde, 117 And stande vnto his steuen. 118 Ther sawes wer signified 119 To Crist, Goddis sone in heuen. 120 For howe he was sente, se we more, 121 And howe God wolde his place puruay; 122 He saide, sonne, I sall sende byfore 123 Myne aungell to rede the thy way- Ecce mitto aungelum meum ante faciem tuam, qui preparabit viam tuam ante te. 124 Of John Baptist he menyd thore, 125 For in erthe he was ordand ay 126 To warne the folke that wilsom wore 127 Of Cristis comyng, and thus gon say: Ego quidem baptizo in aqua vos, autem baptizabimini spiritu sancto. 128 Eftir me sall come nowe 129 A man of myghtis mast, 130 And sall baptis yoowe 131 In the high haly gast. 132 Țus of Cristis commyng may we see 133 How sainte Luke spekis in his gospell: 134 Fro God in heuen es sent, sais he, 135 An aungell is named Gabriell, 136 To Nazareth in Galalé 137 Where than a mayden mylde gon dwell, 138 Țat with Joseph suld wedded be; 139 Hir name is Marie-thus gan he telle. 140 How God his grace than grayd 141 To man in this manere, 142 And how the aungell saide, 143 Takes hede, all that will here. Tunc cantat angelus 144 Angel. Hayle Marie, full of grace and blysse, 145 Oure lord God is with the 146 And has chosen the for his, 147 Of all women blist mot thou be. 148 Mary. What maner of halsyng is this 149 Țus preuely comes to me? 150 For in myn herte a thoght it is, 151 Țe tokenyng that I here see. Tunc cantat angelus, Ne timeas, Maria. 152 Angel. Ne drede the noght thou mylde Marie, 153 For nothyng that may befalle, 154 For thou has fun soueranly 155 At God a grace ouer othir all. 156 In chastitéof thy bodye 157 Consayue and bere a childe thou sall; 158 This bodword brynge I the, forthy 159 His name Jesu sall thou calle. 160 Mekill of myght than sall he bee, 161 He sall be God and called God sonn. 162 Dauid sege, his fadir free, 163 Sall God hym giffe to sytte vppon; 164 Als kyng for euer regne sall hee, 165 In Jacob house ay for to wonne, 166 Of his kyngdome and dignité 167 Shall noo man erthly knaw ne con. 168 Mary. Țou Goddis aungell meke and mylde, 169 Howe sulde it be, I the praye, 170 That I sulde consayve a childe 171 Of any man by nyght or daye? 172 I knawe no man that shulde haue fyled 173 My maydenhode, the sothe to saye; 174 Withouten will of werkis wilde 175 In chastitéI haue ben ay. 176 Angel. Țe haly gast in the sall lighte, 177 Hegh vertue sall to the holde, 178 The holy birthe of the so bright 179 God sonne he sall be calde. 180 Loo, Elyzabeth thi cosyne ne myght 181 In elde consayue a childe for alde; 182 Țis is the sexte moneth full ryght, 183 To hir that baran has ben talde. 184 Mary. Thou aungell, blissid messanger, 185 Of Goddis will I holde me payde; 186 I love my lorde with herte clere, 187 Țe grace that he has for me layde. 188 Goddis handmayden, lo me here 189 To his wille all redy grayd; 190 Be done to me of all manere 191 Thurgh thy worde als thou hast saide. 192 Now God that all oure hope is in, 193 Thur the myght of the haly gaste, 194 Saue the, dame, fro sak of synne, 195 And wisse the fro all werkis wast. 196 Elyzabeth myn awne cosyne, 197 Methoght I coveyte alway mast 198 To speke with the of all my kynne, 199 Therfore I comme thus in this hast. 200 Elizabeth. A, welcome mylde Marie, 201 Myne aughen cosyne so dere, 202 Joifull woman am I 203 Țat I nowe see the here. 204 Blissed be thou anely 205 Of all women in feere, 206 And the frute of thy body 207 Be blissid ferre and nere. 208 Țis is joyfull tydyng 209 Țat I may nowe here see, 210 Țe modyr of my lord kyng 211 Thus-gate come to me. 212 Sone als the voyce of thine haylsing 213 Moght myn neres entreand be, 214 Țe childe in my wombe so yenge 215 Makes grete myrthe vnto the. 216 Mary. Nowe lorde, blist be thou ay 217 For the grace thou has me lente; 218 Lorde, I lofe the, God verray, 219 Țe sande thou hast me sente. 220 I thanke the nyght and day, 221 And prayes with goode entente 222 Țou make me to thy paye, 223 To the my wille is wentte. 224 Elizabeth. Blissid be thou grathely grayed 225 To God thurgh chastité 226 Țou trowed and helde the payed 227 Atte his wille for to bee. 228 All that to the is saide 229 Fro my lorde so free, 230 Swilke grace is for the layde 231 Sall be fulfilled in the. 232 Mary. To his grace I will me ta, 233 With chastitéto dele, 234 Țat made me thus to ga 235 Omange his maidens feele. 236 My saule sall louying ma 237 Vnto that lorde so lele, 238 And my gast make ioye alswa 239 In God that es my hele.